bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decomposition Kinetics, Life Estimation, and Dielectric Study of an Acrylate based Photopolymer for Microfabrication and Photonic Applications
Authors: Nguyen Le Huong , Gu Min 
Published: August 2005

AbstractSummary: Kinetics of thermal decomposition of the acrylate‐based photopolymer LN1 for microfabrication was studied with dynamic thermogravimetric analysis experiments. The kinetic parameters including the activation energy, pre‐exponential factor, and rate constant, which were calculated by the Flynn and Wall method, are presented. The results indicate that thermal degradation of the material consists of three distinct reaction stages. A mechanism of thermal decomposition was proposed, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. The lifetime of the material was estimated by the method of Toop, giving the key information for microelectronics and photonic applications. In addition, the curing behavior of the system was studied by dielectric analysis providing valuable information for processing and fabrication control.Conversion time versus temperature (a), percentage conversion versus time (b).imageConversion time versus temperature (a), percentage conversion versus time (b).
Grafting of Hindered Amine Stabilizer in Poly(propylene) Films under γ‐Irradiation
Authors: Kaci Mustapha , Touati Naima , Setnescu Radu , Zaharescu Traian , Setnescu Tanta , Jipa Silviu 
Published: August 2005

AbstractSummary: In this paper, the grafting of a hindered amine stabilizer (HAS) is studied in isotactic poly(propylene) (PP) films under γ‐irradiation. The HAS used has a definite structure that combines a hindered amine functionality and a UV‐absorbing unit (benzylidene malonate ester group) detectable at 308 nm in the UV spectrum of PP film and 314 nm in chloroform. The stabilizer is added to the polymer at various concentration ratios: 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 wt.‐%. The percentage of HAS grafting in the PP film at various additive concentrations is determined as a function of γ‐radiation dose in the range of 0–100 kGy by direct spectroscopic measurements through the absorption band of the stabilizer in the UV spectra of the PP film. The percentage of free HAS extracted with chloroform from the PP film versus the radiation dose is determined by UV spectroscopy for all the additive concentrations used. This study reveals that only 80% of the HAS is grafted on the 100 kGy irradiated PP matrix independent of the additive concentration used. However, the percentage of HAS grafted on PP films displays an exponential dependence on γ‐radiation dose. These results are consistent with the data obtained on the free HAS content. γ‐Irradiation grafting of HAS in the PP is accompanied by the oxidative degradation of the polymer substrate that is evaluated by increasing the carbonyl index and reducing significantly the oxidation induction time of the PP films.The percentage of hindered amine stabilizer grafted to the PP film as a function of γ‐radiation dose.magnified imageThe percentage of hindered amine stabilizer grafted to the PP film as a function of γ‐radiation dose.
Characterization of pig vasa homolog gene and specific expression in germ cell lineage
Authors: Lee Gab Sang , Kim Hye Soo , Lee So Hyun , Kang Min Soo , Kim Dae Yong , Lee Chang Kyu , Kang Sung Keun , Lee Byeong Chun , Hwang Woo Suk 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe vasa gene is known to be an important factor for germ cell development in both invertebrates and vertebrates. In the present study, we cloned the porcine vasa homolog (Pvh, 2,172 bps) and investigated its expression at mRNA and protein levels. The isolated cDNA had deduced 724 amino acid residues with significant homology to mouse (85%) and human (91%) vasa. In adult tissues, Pvh transcript was restricted to the ovary and testis, and was undetectable in somatic tissues. During preimplantation embryo development, Pvh was transcribed in oocytes and fertilized 2‐cell embryos, but not in other preimplantation embryos. In fetal stage, the transcript of Pvh gene was expressed in all fetal stage, except in day 17–18. Immunohistochemical analysis of fetal and adult gonad revealed that the Pvh protein was localized in oocytes and spermatocytes, consistent with mRNA expression. Interestingly, Pvh protein was also observed in proliferating primordial germ cells (PGCs) and freshly isolated PGCs, but not in embryonic germ cells. Our results suggest that Pvh gene can be a useful marker for germ cell development in pigs. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantity discount pricing policies for heterogeneous retailers with price sensitive demand
Authors: Wang Qinan , Wang Ruifang 
Published: August 2005

AbstractAlthough quantity discount policies have been extensively analyzed, they are not well understood when there are many different buyers. This is especially the case when buyers face price‐sensitive demand. In this paper we study a supplier's optimal quantity discount policy for a group of independent and heterogeneous retailers, when each retailer faces a demand that is a decreasing function of its retail price. The problem is analyzed as a Stackelberg game whereby the supplier acts as the leader and buyers act as followers. We show that a common quantity discount policy that is designed according to buyers' individual cost and demand structures and their rational economic behavior is able to significantly stimulate demand, improve channel efficiency, and substantially increase profits for both the supplier and buyers. Furthermore, we show that the selection of all‐units or incremental quantity discount policies has no effect on the benefits that can be obtained from quantity discounts. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2005
Fourth‐order finite difference scheme for a system of quasilinear elliptic equations
Authors: Stys Tadeusz , Stys Krystyna 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe system of two quasilinear elliptic equations is approximated by the method of lines, which has the truncation error O(h2) at points neighboring the boundary and O(h4) at the most interior points. It is proved that the global error of the method is O(h4) at all mesh points. The two‐point boundary value problem for the system of ordinary differential equations that arises from the method of lines is solved by the O(h4) convergent finite difference scheme, suitable to the equations of the form uxx = f(x, u) without the first derivative ux. The system of algebraic equations obtained by the full discretization is solved by Gauss elimination method for three diagonal matrices combined with the method of iterations. A numerical example is presented.
Finite element method in the solution of the Euler and Navier‐Stokes equations for internal flow
Authors: Habashi W. G. , Baruzzi G. , Peeters M. F. , Hafez M. M. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractFinite element solutions of the Euler and Navier‐Stokes equations are presented, using a simple dissipation model. The discretization is based on the weak‐Galerkin weighted residual method and equal interpolation functions for all the unknowns are permitted. The nonlinearity is iterated upon using a Newton method and at each iteration the linear algebraic system is solved by a direct solver with all unknowns fully coupled. Results are presented for two‐dimensional transonic inviscid flows and two‐ and three‐dimensional incompressible viscous flows. Convergence of the algorithm is shown to be quadratic, reaching machine accuracy in very few iterations. The inviscid results demonstrate the existence of nonunique numerical solutions to the steady Euler equations.
Purication of betulinic acid from Eugenia florida (Myrtaceae) by high‐speed counter‐current chromatography
Authors: Frighetto Nelson , Welendorf Rodolfo Max , da Silva Ana Maria Pereira , Nakamura Marcos Jun , Siani Antonio Carlos 
Published: August 2005

AbstractA high yield of betulinic acid (up to 17% from the ethanolic extract) was found in the leaves of Eugenia florida collected in south‐eastern Brazil, making this species a potential commercial source of the title compound. Extracts of E. florida were subjected to solvent partition, and rapid high‐speed counter‐current chromatography (HSCCC) was applied to the semi‐crude extracts to afford betulinic acid in high purity. The mobile and stationary phases were derived from the two‐phase solvent system composed of n‐hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (10:5:2.5:1). The developing solvent system (stationary and mobile phases) for optimum HSCCC separation was chosen by dissolving the fraction to be chromatographed in the proposed solvent mixture and determining the amount of betulinic acid in each phase by densitometric TLC. Puried betulinic acid was characterized by 13C‐NMR, GC‐MS and co‐injection of its methyl ester with standards in GC‐FID. The HSCCC technique is commonly employed to isolate triterpene glycosides, but is applied in this study to an aglycone. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hybrid metal–polymer composites from functional block copolymers
Authors: Grubbs Robert B. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe combination of metals and polymers in hybrid materials is a research area of great current interest. A number of methods for controlling the positioning of metallic species within polymer matrices on the nanometer scale have been developed. This highlight focuses on the use of functional block copolymers for the localization of metal species, especially nanoparticles, on the nanometer scale through block copolymer phase segregation. Research from the author's group on the use of alkyne‐functional block copolymers for the preparation of cobalt‐containing materials is discussed in this context. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4323–4336, 2005
Survey of chronic pain in Europe: Prevalence, impact on daily life, and treatment
Authors: Breivik Harald , Collett Beverly , Ventafridda Vittorio , Cohen Rob , Gallacher Derek 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis large scale computer‐assisted telephone survey was undertaken to explore the prevalence, severity, treatment and impact of chronic pain in 15 European countries and Israel. Screening interviews identified respondents aged ≥18 years with chronic pain for in‐depth interviews. 19% of 46,394 respondents willing to participate (refusal rate 46%) had suffered pain for ≥6 months, had experienced pain in the last month and several times during the last week. Their pain intensity was ≥5 on a 10‐point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) (1 = no pain, 10 = worst pain imaginable) during last episode of pain. In‐depth interviews with 4839 respondents with chronic pain (about 300 per country) showed: 66% had moderate pain (NRS = 5–7), 34% had severe pain (NRS = 8–10), 46% had constant pain, 54% had intermittent pain. 59% had suffered with pain for two to 15 years, 21% had been diagnosed with depression because of their pain, 61% were less able or unable to work outside the home, 19% had lost their job and 13% had changed jobs because of their pain. 60% visited their doctor about their pain 2–9 times in the last six months. Only 2% were currently treated by a pain management specialist. One‐third of the chronic pain sufferers were currently not being treated. Two‐thirds used non‐medication treatments, e.g,. massage (30%), physical therapy (21%), acupuncture (13%). Almost half were taking non‐prescription analgesics; ‘over the counter’ (OTC) NSAIDs (55%), paracetamol (43%), weak opioids (13%). Two‐thirds were taking prescription medicines: NSAIDs (44%), weak opioids (23%), paracetamol (18%), COX‐2 inhibitors (1‐36%), and strong opioids (5%). Forty percent had inadequate management of their pain. Interesting differences between countries were observed, possibly reflecting differences in cultural background and local traditions in managing chronic pain. Conclusions: Chronic pain of moderate to severe intensity occurs in 19% of adult Europeans, seriously affecting the quality of their social and working lives. Very few were managed by pain specialists and nearly half received inadequate pain management. Although differences were observed between the 16 countries, we have documented that chronic pain is a major health care problem in Europe that needs to be taken more seriously.
New developments in a strongly coupled cardiac electromechanical model
Authors: Nickerson David , Smith Nicolas , Hunter Peter 
Published: August 2005

Abstract

Aim
The aim of this study is to develop a coupled three-dimensional computational model of cardiac electromechanics to investigate fibre length transients and the role of electrical heterogeneity in determining left ventricular function.

Methods
A mathematical model of cellular electromechanics was embedded in a simple geometric model of the cardiac left ventricle. Electrical and mechanical boundary conditions were applied based on Purkinje fibre activation times and ventricular volumes through the heart cycle. The mono-domain reaction diffusion equations and finite deformation elasticity equations were solved simultaneously through the full pump cycle. Simulations were run to assess the importance of cellular electrical heterogeneity on myocardial mechanics.

Results
Following electrical activation, mechanical contraction moves out through the wall to the circumferentially oriented mid-wall fibres, producing a progressively longitudinal and twisting deformation. This is followed by a more spherical deformation as the inclined epicardial fibres are activated. Mid-way between base and apex peak tensions and fibre shortening of 40 kPa and 5%, respectively, are generated at the endocardial surface with values of 18 kPa and 12% at the epicardial surface. Embedding an electrically homogeneous cell model for the same simulations produced equivalent values of 36.5 kPa, 4% at the endocardium and 14 kPa, 13.5% at the epicardium.

Conclusion
The substantial redistribution of fibre lengths during the early pre-ejection phase of systole may play a significant role in preparing the mid-wall fibres to contract. The inclusion of transmural heterogeneity of action potential duration has a marked effect on reducing sarcomere length transmural dispersion during repolarization.
Australian Aboriginal plant foods: a consideration of their nutritional composition and health implications
Authors: Brand-Miller Janette C. , Holt Susanne H. A. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractFor at least 40–50 000 years, plants played an important but supplementary role in the animal-dominated diet of Australian Aboriginal (AA) hunter-gatherers. New knowledge of the nutrient composition and the special physiological effects of their foods provides another perspective in the current debate on the composition of the ‘prudent’ diet and the diet on which humans evolved. In the present paper we have calculated the average nutrient composition of over 800 Aboriginal plant foods (in total and by food group) and highlighted the differences between these and modern cultivated foods. The data enable us to calculate the absolute contribution of plant foods to total food and nutrient intake of traditional living AA. If plants provided 20–40% of the energy in the diet (the most likely range), then plants would have contributed 22–44g protein, 18–36g fat, 101–202g carbohydrate, 40–80g fibre and 90–180mg vitamin C in a 12500kJ (3000 kcal) diet. Since all the carbohydrate came from plant foods, the traditional AA diet would have been relatively low in carbohydrate (especially starch) but high in dietary fibre in comparison with current recommendations. Over half the carbohydrate could have been in the form of sugars derived from fruit and honey. The low glycaemic index of their carbohydrate foods, however, would generate a relatively low demand for insulin secretion and this characteristic may have protected AA from a genetic predisposition to insulin resistance and its consequences (non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, obesity). The dietary pattern and active lifestyle of recent hunter-gatherers such as AA may be a reference standard for modem human nutrition and a model for defence against diseases of affluence.
Food choice and intake: towards a unifying framework of learning and feeding motivation
Authors: Day Jon E. L. , Kyriazakis Ilias , Rogers Peter J. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe food choice and intake of animals (including humans) has typically been studied using frameworks of learning and feeding motivation. When used in isolation such frameworks could be criticized because learning paradigms give little consideration to how new food items are included or excluded from an individual's diet, and motivational paradigms do not explain how individuals decide which food to eat when given a choice. Consequently we are posed with the question of whether individuals actively interact with the food items present in their environment to learn about their nutritional properties? The thesis of this review is that individuals aremotivatedto actively sample food items in order to assess whether they are nutritionally beneficial or harmful. We offer a unifying framework, centred upon the concept of exploratory motivation, which is a synthesis of learning and paradigms of feeding motivation. In this framework information gathering occurs on two levels through exploratory behaviour: (i) the discrimination of food from nonfood items, and (ii) the continued monitoring and storage of information concerning the nutritional properties of these food items. We expect that this framework will advance our understanding of the behavioural control of nutrient intake by explaining how new food items are identified in the environment, and how individuals are able to monitor changes in the nutritional content of their food resource.
The role of anaerobic gut fungi in ruminants
Authors: Gordon Geoffrey L. R. , Phillips Michael W. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractAnaerobic chytridiomycete fungi are found in the gastrointestinal tracts of sheep, cattle and goats, as well as in many other domesticated ruminant and nonruminant herbivores and a wide variety of wild herbivorous mammals. They are principally found associated with the fibrous plant particles of digesta and as free swimming zoospores in the fluid phase. The presence of large fungal populations in animals consuming mature pasture or diets largely composed of hay or straw together with the production of highly active fibre degrading enzymes lead to' the belief that anaerobic fungi may have a significant role to play in the assimilation of fibrous feeds by ruminants. While many early studies focused on anaerobic fungi because of their unusual biology and metabolism, the large part of subsequent research has emphasized the biotechnological potential of their cellulases, xylanases and phenolic esterases. In recent years, the extent of the contribution of anaerobic fungi to the nutrition of ruminants has also been established through studies of fungal populations in the rumen and the dietary factors which influence them, as presented in this review. Further, we discuss the evidence supporting an important contribution of anaerobic fungal populations in the rumen to feed intake and digestion of poor quality feed by domesticated ruminants. In conclusion, the review explores some different methods for manipulating fungi in the rumen for increased feed intake and digestion.
Assessing dietary intake: Who, what and why of under-reporting
Authors: Macdiarmid Jennie , Blundell John 
Published: August 2005

AbstractUnder-reporting of food intake is one of the fundamental obstacles preventing the collection of accurate habitual dietary intake data. The prevalence of under-reporting in large nutritional surveys ranges from 18 to 54% of the whole sample, but can be as high as 70% in particular subgroups. This wide variation between studies is partly due to different criteria used to identify under-reporters and also to non-uniformity of under-reporting across populations. The most consistent differences found are between men and women and between groups differing in body mass index. Women are more likely to under-report than men, and under-reporting is more common among overweight and obese individuals. Other associated characteristics, for which there is less consistent evidence, include age, smoking habits, level of education, social class, physical activity and dietary restraint.Determining whether under-reporting is specific to macronutrients or food is
problematic, as most methods identify only low energy intakes. Studies that have
attempted to measure under-reporting specific to macronutrients express nutrients as percentage of energy and have tended to find carbohydrate under-reported and protein over-reported. However, care must be taken when interpreting these results, especially when data are expressed as percentages. A logical conclusion is that food items with a negative health image (e.g. cakes, sweets, confectionery) are more likely to be under-reported, whereas those with a positive health image are more likely to be over-reported (e.g. fruits and vegetables). This also suggests that dietary fat is likely to be under-reported.However, it is necessary to distinguish between under-reporting and genuine under-eating for the duration of data collection. The key to understanding this problem, but one that has been widely neglected, concerns the processes that cause people to under-report their food intakes. The little work that has been done has simply confirmed the complexity of this issue. The importance of obtaining accurate estimates of habitual dietary intakes so as to assess health correlates of food consumption can be contrasted with the poor quality of data collected. This phenomenon should be considered a priority research area. Moreover, misreporting is not simply a nutritionist's problem, but requires a multidisciplinary approach (including psychology, sociology and physiology) to advance the understanding of under-reporting in dietary intake studies.
Lipids and infant formulas
Authors: Forsyth J. S. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe ultimate goal in the design of infant formula is to achieve the outcome seen in breast fed infants. This review of lipids in infant formulas for term infants begins by referring to the lipid composition of human milk, and relates that to differences in lipid digestion and metabolism which exist between breast fed and formula fed infants and which may significantly influence fatty acid bioavailability.Recommendations are made for the lipid content and fatty acid composition of term infant formulas (especially for lauric, linoleic, α-linolenic, long chain 20 and 22C n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and thetransfatty acids).Further research is required to define more clearly the long term nutritional, growth and developmental effects of structured lipids in formulas for term infants. More information is required on the differential handling of LCPUFA and other fatty acids at the organ and cellular level. There is a need for large (multi-centre) randomized studies to determine the short and long term functional effects of LCPUFA supplementation. Further research and development is required to determine a commercial source of LCPUFA which is safe, effective and economic. Further information is required on the short and long term effects of cholesterol intake during infancy, and in particular its relationship to LCPUFA metabolism. Long term studies should be initiated to determine the relationship of infant diet (especially saturated fatty acid and cholesterol intake) to the development of cardiovascular disease.