bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structure and Properties of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels Obtained by Freeze/Thaw Techniques
Authors: Ricciardi Rosa , Auriemma Finizia , De Rosa Claudio 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe relationships between the structure and the viscoelastic properties of freeze/thaw PVA hydrogels obtained by repeatedly freezing and thawing dilute solutions of PVA in D2O(11% w/w PVA) in as‐prepared and rehydrated states are investigated. Our results indicate that the PVA chains and solvent molecules are organized at different hierarchical length scales, which include the presence of micro‐ and macro‐pores, into a network scaffolding. The porous network is ensured by the presence of crystallites, which act as knots interconnected by portions of PVA chains swollen by the solvent. X‐ray diffraction and SANS techniques are used to obtain structural information at short (angstroms) and medium (nanometers) ranges of length scales, concerning the crystallinity, the size of small crystalline aggregates and the average distance between crystallites in PVA hydrogels. Indirect information concerning the structural organization on the large length scales (microns) are provided by viscoelastic measurements. The dynamic shear elastic moduli at low frequency and low strain amplitude, G′, are determined and related to the degree of crystallinity. These data indicate that a minimum crystallinity of 1% is required for these PVA samples to exhibit gel behaviour and have allowed obtaining the order of magnitude of the average mesh size in these gels. Finally, it is shown that the negative effect of aging, inducing worse physical and mechanical properties in these systems, may be prevented using a drying/re‐hydration protocol able to keep the physical properties of the as‐prepared PVA hydrogels.
Thermoreversible Gelation of Syndiotactic Polystyrene in Naphthalene
Authors: Malik Sudip , Rochas Cyrille , Démé Bruno , Guenet Jean‐Michel 
Published: April 2005

AbstractInvestigation into syndiotactic polystyrene/naphthalene systems of concentrations ranging from 0 to 78% (w/w) have been carried out by electron microscopy, DSC, and neutron diffraction. It is found that a fibrillar morphology is produced in this solvent, similar to that observed for thermoreversible gels. The temperature‐concentration phase diagram suggests the existence of two compounds of differing stoichiometries. Neutron diffraction experiments confirm the existence of compounds in this system.
Temperature‐Concentration Phase Diagram of PEO‐Urea
Authors: Wagner Jean‐François , Dosière Marcel , Guenet Jean‐Michel 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe present paper reports on the phase diagram of the system PEO/Urea as established by differential scanning calorimetry. From this phase diagram one PEO/Urea compound is indentified with a stoichiometry 1/2. This value is in agreement with results derived from X‐ray diffraction.
Synthesis and Characterization of New Polymer Nanocontainers
Authors: Poux Sandrine , Meier Wolfgang 
Published: April 2005

AbstractNew type of reactive, water‐soluble and filled polymer nanocontainers that can be covalently attached to surfaces were synthesized. The encapsulation of a dye inside the nanocontainers allows their rapid detection. The model systems are based on crosslinked polystyrene (PS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The synthesis of nanocontainers by two‐step emulsion polymerization and characterization by NMR, IR, Dynamic Light Scattering, TEM and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) is presented.
Influence of the Absorbed Water on the Tensile Strength of Flax Fibers
Authors: Baley Christophe , Morvan Claudine , Grohens Yves 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe complex structure of flax fibres involves many chemical biomolecules located in an amorphous matrix in which cellulose micrifibrils are embbeded. The drying of flax fibres influences significantly their tensile strength. This result can be explained by the creation of damages within the fibre and by the modification of the chemical composition of the matrix components. This loss of water involves a modification of the adhesion between the cellulose microfibrils and the matrix. This modification is due to the evolution of the components ensuring the transfer of load between the microfibrils and thus conditioning the strength of the cellular wall.
Study of the Drying Behavior of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Aqueous Solution
Authors: Allanic Nadine , Salagnac Patrick , Glouannec Patrick 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThis paper deals with the drying behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) aqueous solution containing an active substance and placed into a Petri box. The objective is to reduce the drying time while respecting some constraints. To succeed, it is important to understand complex mechanisms governing heat and mass transfers. During the drying, the product thickness shrinks and its properties evolve. Drying kinetics in convective and infrared radiation are presented.
Multicenter bond indices as a new measure of aromaticity in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Authors: Bultinck Patrick , Ponec Robert , Van Damme Sofie 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThis paper reports the application of the recently proposed formalism known as generalized population analysis (GPA) as a new means for the quantitative characterization of the aromaticity of various benzenoid rings in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The quantity which we propose as a new measure of aromaticity is the so‐called six‐center bond index. The values of this index characterize the extent of delocalized cyclic bonding in individual benzenoid rings of PAHs and it is shown that the scale of the aromaticity represented by this index closely reflects the intuitive idea according to which the aromaticity of individual rings in PAHs can be gauged by the degree of similarity to benzene itself. In addition, the relation of the newly introduced index of aromaticity to other existing aromaticity measures is discussed. Consistent with the presumed orthogonality of classical and magnetic criteria of aromaticity, the classifications based on these two classes of aromaticity measures were found usually to be opposite. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analog LSI neuron model inspired by biological excitable membrane
Authors: Kanoh Shin'Ichiro , Imai Makoto , Hoshimiya Nozomu 
Published: April 2005

AbstractAn analog hardware neuron model having biological neuron characteristics is proposed and its basic characteristics are reported. The proposed circuit model is constructed from a membrane capacitance part, negative resistance circuit part, and reactance circuit part, and realizes the membrane excitability observed in biological neurons by voltage‐controlled negative resistance characteristics. This model exhibits an action potential generation mechanism similar to that of biological neurons. HSPICE simulation reveals that this model can reproduce both the well‐known responses to excitatory inputs and the postinhibitory rebound (PIR) firing which is a neuronal activity occurring by the release from an inhibitory input discharge, and that the characteristics of the input pulse amplitude‐latency and entrained response to the periodic input are similar to those of biological neurons. In addition, this model is developed by considering compatibility with integrated circuit processes, and design results of LSI implementation of the model are also presented in this article. PIR firing cannot be reproduced by the simple neuronal model used in conventional neurochips, but it plays an important role in information processing in the brain. The functionality of neurochips is expected to be improved by simulating biological neurons by such a biologically inspired hardware neuron model. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(6): 84–91, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10676
Test cost reduction for logic circuits: Reduction of test data volume and test application time
Authors: Higami Yoshinobu , Kajihara Seiji , Ichihara Hideyuki , Takamatsu Yuzo 
Published: April 2005

AbstractWe believe that reduction of the testing cost is becoming increasingly important as the size of VLSIs becomes larger. Moreover, as the structure of VLSIs becomes more complicated, test compaction, test compression, and test application time reduction for non‐stuck‐at faults, such as delay faults, bridging faults, crosstalk faults, and open faults, must be considered. In addition, new methods of fault diagnosis and high‐level testing must be developed in order to reduce testing costs or diagnostic costs. In this paper we have surveyed recent research on the reduction of testing cost for logic circuits, including test compaction for combinational circuits and sequential circuits, test compaction under IDDQ testing, and test compression and test application time reduction for scan circuits. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 36(6): 69–83, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20240
How to Appraise a Prognostic Study
Authors: Mak Kenneth , Kum Cheng Kiong 
Published: April 2005

AbstractPrognostic studies are studies that examine selected predictive variables or risk factors and assess their influence on the outcome of a disease. They allow clinicians to understand better the natural history of a disease, guide clinical decision‐making by facilitating the selection of appropriate treatment options, and allow more accurate prediction of disease outcomes. Appraising prognostic studies involves determining the internal validity of the study design and evaluating the influence of systemic errors or bias. In studies examining multiple prognostic variables, care must be taken to minimize the confounding influence each variable would have on the other parameters. Evaluating the results of appropriate statistical analysis enables conclusions to be made that may influence clinical practice. Care must be taken to ensure that the conditions under which the prognostic study were conducted resemble circumstances in the local institution so as to allow the conclusions to be applied to local practices.
Number Needed to Treat (or Harm)
Authors: Tramèr Martin R. , Walder Bernhard 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe effect of a treatment versus controls may be expressed in relative or absolute terms. For rational decision‐making, absolute measures are more meaningful. The number needed to treat, the reciprocal of the absolute risk reduction, is a powerful estimate of the effect of a treatment. It is particularly useful because it takes into account the underlying risk (what would happen without the intervention?). The number needed to treat tells us not only whether a treatment works but how well it works. Thus, it informs health care professionals about the effort needed to achieve a particular outcome. A number needed to treat should be accompanied by information about the experimental intervention, the control intervention against which the experimental intervention has been tested, the length of the observation period, the underlying risk of the study population, and an exact definition of the endpoint. A 95% confidence interval around the point estimate should be calculated. An isolated number needed to treat is rarely appropriate to summarize the usefulness of an intervention; multiple numbers needed to treat for benefit and harm are more helpful. Absolute risk reduction and number needed to treat should become standard summary estimates in randomized controlled trials.
Human disturbances on landscapes in protected areas: a case study of the Wolong Nature Reserve
Authors: Zeng Hui , Sui Daniel Z. , Wu X. Ben 
Published: April 2005

AbstractHuman‐induced ecological degradation in protected areas is of great concern in landscape ecological studies. Using Landsat TM data and GIS‐based spatial analysis, we assessed the impacts of human disturbances on landscape structure in the Wolong Nature Reserve in southwestern China. Buffer zone and landscape dissimilarity analysis were used to examine the scope of three types of human‐induced disturbances—construction of hydropower stations, human activities around settlement, and human activities along roads. We found that the impacts of these human disturbances extend to a threshold distance of about 1,000 m from the sources of disturbance. The intensity of the impact of human disturbances on landscape structure exhibited clear distance–decay effects. The first 200 m buffer zone is the area where human activities have inflicted the most visible changes, with a decrease of forest cover by 15–40% and an increase of shrub and barren land area by 15–50%. The relative intensity of the overall impact on landscape structure was highest around hydropower stations, second around human settlements, and lowest along roads. Overtime, however, the relative level of impact associated with construction of hydropower stations will likely decrease and that associated with human activities around settlements likely increase. Our case study of Wolong exposes hurdles that habitat preservation must cross in protected areas. Future management of Wolong Nature Reserve should focus on adoption of effective policies to further constrain human activities in the reserve.
Update on the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents
Authors: Findling Robert L. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractAs the phenomenology of pediatric bipolar disorder has become better delineated, clinicians are now able to more accurately assess and treat young people suffering from this condition. For pediatric patients with bipolar I disorder and symptoms of mania, medication monotherapy has been shown to lead to symptom amelioration. However, this treatment modality oftentimes does not lead to full symptom remission. In an attempt to address this observation, combination treatment strategies have recently been investigated. Recently, a maintenance study has shown that in youths who achieved remission on a combination of lithium and divalproate therapy, either of these agents alone was equally effective as a treatment strategy. In youths identified as being at genetic high risk for bipolarity who also had problematic affective symptomatology, treatment with divalproate was not found to be superior to placebo; however, those with the greatest degree of genetic risk for familial psychopathology remained in the trial longer than those with more modest amounts of familial psychopathology. These data suggest that intervention in youths with only one affected parent may not be a rational prevention strategy for pharmacological intervention in bipolar disorder, and that cohorts more genetically at risk may be a more appropriate group for preventative pharmacotherapy.
Application of GIS for the development of climatological air temperature maps: an example from Poland
Authors: Ustrnul Zbigniew , Czekierda Danuta 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe main objective of the present study is the construction of air temperature maps for the territory of Poland through the application of contemporary GIS techniques. First a review of currently used spatial interpolation methods is presented. Several spatial interpolation methods have been tested: ordinary kriging, cokriging, universal kriging and residual kriging. The last of these –residual kriging –was chosen for the map constructions. The dataset contains mean monthly temperatures from 168 stations (synoptic and climatological) located across the entire territory of Poland as well as from 55 stations located in bordering zones. Additionally, mean daily temperature data from all synoptic stations have been collected for the 50‐year period 1951–2000. Several geographic parameters, including elevation, latitude, longitude, and distance to the Baltic coast (for stations located within 100 km) were used as predictor variables for air temperature interpolation. The first set of maps display the mean annual, seasonal and monthly temperatures for Central Europe and other selected regions. Special attention was paid to temperature parameters which have practical value (e.g. the length of the growing season, duration of thermal summer and winter, and degree day accumulations). GIS tools also enable the easy calculation and display of the area under specified thermal conditions and the display of maps for climate monitoring purposes. An example of the synoptic–climatic analysis with the application of mean daily temperatures and circulation using Grosswetterlagen circulation types is also presented. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society.
In vitro effects of four tropical plants on the activity and development of the parasitic nematode, Trichostrongylus colubriformis
Authors: Hounzangbe-Adote S. , Fouraste I. , Moutairou K. , Hoste H. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe in vitro effects of extracts of four tropical plants (Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides, Newbouldia laevis, Morinda lucida and Carica papaya) on the egg, infective larvae and adult worms of Trichostrongylus colubriformis were screened for potential anthelmintic properties. Significant effects were observed with the four plants on T. colubriformis but they differed depending on the stage of the parasite. Extracts of each plant induced a dose-dependent inhibition of egg hatching. Using a larval inhibition migration test, the effects on the infective larvae were also detected with the four plant extracts. In contrast, for adult worms, the effects were statistically significant only for N. laevis and C. papaya. No significant activity was shown for M. lucida and Z. zanthoxyloides. These in vitro results suggest the presence of some anthelmintic properties associated with these four plants, which are traditionally used by small farmers in western Africa. These effects need to be studied under in vivo conditions.
Endoparasites of the blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou from north-west Spain
Authors: Fernández M. , Aznar F.J. , Montero F.E. , Raga J.A. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThe communities of metazoan endoparasites of blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou, in waters of north-west Spain were analysed and a geographical comparison made with other localities. Four hundred blue whiting collected in July 1999 and September 2000 were examined for parasites, excluding the head and gills. Six species were found: Anisakis simplex s.l. (L3), A. physeteris (L3), Hysterothylacium aduncum (L2 and L3), Stephanostomum lophii (metacercaria), S. pristis (adult), and Prosorhynchus crucibulum (metacercaria). The latter is a new host record, and A. physeteris is reported for the first time in blue whiting from the north-east Atlantic. Host gender was not a significant predictor of abundance of any helminth species, and host length was only weakly and positively related to the abundance of A. simplex. Infracommunities were species-poor, with 56% of fish harbouring only one parasite species, and 92% up to two species. Infracommunities were strongly dominated by A. simplex (389 fish) or S. lophii (6 fish). Fish length or gender, and the year of capture, did not affect species richness nor the degree of dominance. There were no significant pair-wise associations between species. Infracommunities were basically composed of several allogenic parasites with different life histories that converge in the blue whiting through the local food web. The parasite fauna of blue whiting in the study area was poor and distinctive compared with that of other localities in the north-east North Atlantic. These peculiarities might primarily be related to the composition of the local community of definitive hosts, although there might also be some influence of the geographical distribution of parasites.
Bringing Public Opinion Back in
Authors: Sinnott Richard 
Published: April 2005

AbstractTheories about European Community integration have passed through three phases. The first consisted of two ambitious initial formulations (transactionalism and neo‐functionalism) during the late 1950s and early 1960s. A short‐lived second phase, characterized by an intense revisionism, can be identified in the late 1960s. However, despite the theoretical progress made during this second phase, in which the importance of public opinion received a much greater recognition, integration theory suffered near‐fatal asphyxiation during the Euro‐stagnation of the 1970s. The current third phase is a revival of the first. This chapter considers these three phases, with brief digressions to deal with the related theories of disintegration and diversity. It then broadens the discussion to incorporate insights from the theory of international regimes and to review theoretical constructs used in previous empirical work on attitudes towards integration.
Economic Calculus or Familiarity Breeds Content?
Authors: Bosch Agusti , Newton Kenneth 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThis chapter focuses on the extent to which perceptions of economic self‐interest affect levels of public support for European Community integration, both at the macro‐level and the micro‐level. The macro‐level analysis examines the impact of variables such as net budgetary transfers between the EC and individual member states, each country's position in the international division of labour, as well as several indicators of economic development. At the micro‐level, the chapter analyses the influence of individual economic circumstances, perceptions, and expectations on public attitudes and orientations.
Development of Support: Diffusion or Demographic Replacement?
Authors: Wessels Bernhard 
Published: April 2005

AbstractAs the referendums in Denmark and France have amply demonstrated, the role of public opinion in the process of European Community integration is increasing in importance. But public opinion is not homogeneous; indeed, considerable variation is found between member countries. Moreover, there are also remarkable differences within countries, both over time and between groups or sectors in society. Examining these variations should provide insight into the dynamics of public support for the EC and possibly into future developments. This chapter examines factors which may give rise to differences in people's awareness of, and support for, the EC, such as demographic and social factors, general political orientations, degree of political involvement, and party affiliation. It starts from the assumption that whatever the causal processes or mechanisms, they operate in more or less the same way in each EC member country. It then takes into account cross‐national differences in attitude and in the array of factors which influence such attitudes. It argues that the generation of awareness and support for the EC is a diffusion process and not, as the research literature has tended to assume, a replacement process.
The View from Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Berglund Sten , Aarebrot Frank , Koralewicz Jadwiga 
Published: April 2005

AbstractThis chapter begins with a macro‐level analysis of post‐Cold War attitudes to European Community integration within the CEE countries, and examines the extent to which these attitudes reflect differences in character and pace of progress towards democratization. It then turns to micro‐level analysis of public opinion survey data for answers to three issues: the state of CEE public opinion about European integration in general and about EC membership in particular; the identity of groups favouring or opposing EC membership; the extent of nationalism and xenophobia in the CEE countries, and their likely impact on support for EC integration.