bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A divide and conquer approach to computing the mean first passage matrix for Markov chains via Perron complement reductions
Authors: Kirkland Stephen J. , Neumann Michael , Xu Jianhong 
Published: August 2002

AbstractLet MT be the mean first passage matrix for an n‐state ergodic Markov chain with a transition matrix T. We partition T as a 2×2 block matrix and show how to reconstruct MT efficiently by using the blocks of T and the mean first passage matrices associated with the non‐overlapping Perron complements of T. We present a schematic diagram showing how this method for computing MT can be implemented in parallel. We analyse the asymptotic number of multiplication operations necessary to compute MT by our method and show that, for large size problems, the number of multiplications is reduced by about 1/8, even if the algorithm is implemented in serial. We present five examples of moderate sizes (of orders 20–200) and give the reduction in the total number of flops (as opposed to multiplications) in the computation of MT. The examples show that when the diagonal blocks in the partitioning of T are of equal size, the reduction in the number of flops can be much better than 1/8. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of the direct and indirect a posteriori RLSL algorithm
Authors: Bunch J. R. , Le Borne R. C. , Proudler I. K. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractThe numerical properties of two implementations of the a posteriori recursive least squares algorithm, the direct and the indirect algorithms, are analysed in order to qualify their numerical trustworthiness. Although both implementations include update recursions that have the potential for large relative errors, the manner in which they are propagated into the update recursions for the reflection coefficients is shown to differ. It is this difference that allows for the direct implementation to be more numerically trustworthy with respect to the indirect implementation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dimensional model reduction in non‐linear finite element dynamics of solids and structures
Authors: Krysl P. , Lall S. , Marsden J. E. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractA general approach to the dimensional reduction of non‐linear finite element models of solid dynamics is presented. For the Newmark implicit time‐discretization, the computationally most expensive phase is the repeated solution of the system of linear equations for displacement increments. To deal with this, it is shown how the problem can be formulated in an approximation (Ritz) basis of much smaller dimension. Similarly, the explicit Newmark algorithm can be also written in a reduced‐dimension basis, and the computation time savings in that case follow from an increase in the stable time step length.In addition, the empirical eigenvectors are proposed as the basis in which to expand the incremental problem. This basis achieves approximation optimality by using computational data for the response of the full model in time to construct a reduced basis which reproduces the full system in a statistical sense. Because of this ‘global’ time viewpoint, the basis need not be updated as with reduced bases computed from a linearization of the full finite element model.If the dynamics of a finite element model is expressed in terms of a small number of basis vectors, the asymptotic cost of the solution with the reduced model is lowered and optimal scalability of the computational algorithm with the size of the model is achieved. At the same time, numerical experiments indicate that by using reduced models, substantial savings can be achieved even in the pre‐asymptotic range. Furthermore, the algorithm parallelizes very efficiently.The method we present is expected to become a useful tool in applications requiring a large number of repeated non‐linear solid dynamics simulations, such as convergence studies, design optimization, and design of controllers of mechanical systems. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Instationary aeroelastic computation of yacht sails
Authors: Schoop Heinrich , Bessert Nicolas 
Published: August 2002

AbstractEffective schemes exist to calculate aerodynamic forces for thin bodies and structural dynamics of flexible membranes. The fluid dynamic of thin wings in a irrotational flow leads to the lifting surface theory. Neglecting the inertia of the membrane the structural dynamics are solved by the non‐linear (FEM).But the interaction of flexible membranes and an irrotational flow causes problems due to the different nature of the mathematical equations. On the one hand, there is a partial differential equation for the structural dynamics and on the other hand, there is a singular integral equation for the aerodynamics. The numerical discretization scheme has to fit these different types of equation.Our work introduces a new interaction scheme to couple the singular integral equation of the lifting surface theory with the non‐linear FEM of the membrane static. The fundamental examinations, showed by Schoop et al. (International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 1998; 41: 217–219), are applied to realistic sail geometries and the aerodynamics is extended to instationary flow conditions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Home Depot's Special Projects Support Team Powers Information Management for Business Needs
Authors: Albers Brad 
Published: August 2002

AbstractThe rapid growth of Home Depot has presented major challenges to its information systems function—all
the way from a trillion‐character set of legal documents to a fully integrated e‐commerce
capability in less than four years. The projects were successfully designed and executed by means of a highly
collaborative, multi‐specialty team. Especially notable are the interpersonal skills required of team
members and the deliberate focus and training of those members on creativity and personal growth. ©
2001 Homer TLC, Inc.
Applying Deming's Process Improvement Techniques to Banking
Authors: Reid Richard A. , Chesterson Catherine A. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractA small‐business loan department of a branch of a large bank wondered why clients were not enrolling as
expected in an automatic loan payment program that offered many advantages. Rather than seeing this as a marketing
problem, they dug deep into the program's process and discovered a variety of real problems which, once
identified, were relatively easy to fix. The critical step was to correctly identify the problem—and they
found that applying classic Total Quality Management (TQM) analysis tools worked remarkably
well. Even in this non‐manufacturing situation, the work process was what needed scrutiny in order to
improve. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Conduction velocity of dendritic potentials in a cultured hippocampal neuron model
Authors: Poznanski Roman R. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractIn this study the conduction velocity of dendritic potentials in an ionic cable model with low‐inactivating sodium channels and known electrical parameters was compated with conduction velocities estimated from the peak latencies of optical imaging experiments in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Dendrites with conduction velocities less than 0.08 m/s were found to propagate dendritic potentials in a weakly active manner through a low‐density of TTX‐sensitive Na+P channels distributed along the dendritic cable model, while a higher density of TTX‐sensitive Na+P channels produced a greater yet a non‐uniform conduction velocity of such amplified dendritic potentials. The results show that a low‐density of TTX‐sensitive Na+P channels slows down the speed of passive dendritic conduction to values compatible with optical data in dendrites of cultured hippocampal neurons.
The effect of ethanol on the number of cells in the cochlear nucleus of the male adult rat: A stereological study
Authors: Agar Erdal , Boşnak Mehmet , Korkmaz Adnan , Demi̇r Şerif , Ayyildiz Mustafa 
Published: August 2002

AbstractThe effects of ethanol consumption on the means of total neuron numbers in the cochlear nucleus (CN) of male adult rats were investigated by using the disector/fractionator technique to make a precise and unbiased estimate of the total number of neurons in the CN. The rats were randomly divided into eight groups: control, 10%, 25%, 35% ethanol‐consuming groups and four parallel groups given vitamin E in addition to the ethanol. The total number of neurons was significantly decreased by 11.9%, 26.4%, 46.3% in left VCN, 12.7%, 33.6%, 46.5% in right VCN, 8.5%, 32.3%, 49.1% in left DCN, 11.0%, 32.9%, 51.0% in right DCN in rats consuming 10%, 25%, and 35% ethanol, respectively. The administration of vitamin E (100 mg/kg/day i.p) to ethanol consuming rats for 20 days partially prevented ethanol‐induced cell death in both subdivisions of CN. The results of the present study imply that the CN of adult rats is susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of ethanol and that these effects can be partially blocked by vitamin E.
Effect of basement membrane components on assembly of 3‐pyroglutamylamyloid β‐protein
Authors: Kiuchi Yoichi , Isobe Yoshihiko , Kijima Haruko , Kajita Sumiyo , Saito Takashi , Fukushima Kiyomi 
Published: August 2002

Abstract3‐pyroglutamyl amyloid β‐protein is major component of senile plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. Basement membrane (BM) components co‐localize with amyloid in the plaque. We investigated the potential of BM components, such as type IV collagen (collagen IV), laminin and entactin, to prevent assembly of 3‐pyroglutamyl amyloid β‐protein 3‐42 (Aβ3pE‐42) and to induce a disassembly of Aβ3pE‐42 fibril. For this we used thioflavin T fluorometric assays. All BM components significantly inhibited Aβ3pE‐42 fibril formation (Molar ratio; Aβ:collagen IV = 136:1, Aβ:laminin = 180:1, Aβ:enactin = 20:1). The inhibitory effect of BM components was in a dose‐dependent manner. Collagen IV and laminin significantly disrupted pre‐formed AβpE‐42 fibril, whereas enactin without effect. We propose that BM components may be involved in senile plaque formation by regulating both AβpE‐42 fibril formation and disassembly of the fibril.
Limited yet informative: pathological alterations observed on human skeletal remains from third and second millennia bc collective burials in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Blau Soren 
Published: August 2002

AbstractWhile syntheses of palaeopathological studies have been undertaken in many parts of the world, until recently little was known about human health in the past in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Focusing on skeletal pathologies, this paper documents the results of the first synthetic palaeopathologlcal study for this country. The collections of archaeological human skeletal remains come from three sites dating to the third and two sites dating to the second millennia bc and consist predominantly of disarticulated, partially fragmented and often cremated remains.The paper initially discusses potential explanations for the neglected study of human skeletal remains from the UAE. This discussion is followed by an outline of the types of burial practices employed in the past in this region and their effects on preservation. The nature of the collections and the methodology employed in their study are described. Using specific headings, the pathological findings are then documented, followed by a discussion of the results of the skeletal analysis in light of the available archaeological evidence. Finally, it is shown that although limited by preservation, analyses of human skeletal remains provide valuable details about the types of diseases that affected people in the past in the UAE. While less detailed than some palaeopathological syntheses, the results presented in this paper lay the foundations for further work on humans in the past in eastern Arabia. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
No meat on that beautiful shore: the prehistoric abandonment of subtropical Polynesian islands
Authors: Anderson Atholl 
Published: August 2002

AbstractIn the Pacific there are two main groups of so‐called ‘mystery islands’, i.e. islands that were settled and then abandoned (or their populations died out) in prehistory. One consists of low coral islands in the equatorial zone and the other of high basaltic islands in the subtropical zone. Consideration of environmental and archaeological evidence about the latter suggests that they lay in a relatively impoverished zone of faunal resources (marine mammals, seabirds, inshore fish and invertebrates) and were also marginal to the full deployment of tropical agriculture. It is argued that vulnerability to significant faunal depletion by over‐exploitation, without the ability to compensate by agricultural production provides an explanation of settlement discontinuation in the subtropical islands and potentially for the mystery islands as a whole. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An example of unhealed osteochondritis dissecans of the medial cuneiform
Authors: Anderson T. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractOne hundred and thirty‐six well‐preserved medieval skeletons were excavated in advance of redevelopment in Norwich. A 13–15‐year‐old displayed a large circular defect on the distal articular surface of the right medial cuneiform. This is considered to be an example of unhealed osteochondritis dissecans. The atypical site, apparently the first published case of osteochondritis dissecans involving this bone in either archaeological or clinical material, has prompted this short note. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Local government, democratization and state reconstruction in Africa: toward integration of lessons from contrasting eras
Authors: Harbeson John W. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractThis article argues for an historical synthesis of the 1970s lessons of the effort to achieve sustainable grassroots development with the explorations of the 1980s and 1990s in quest of sustainable political and economic liberalization that have centered primarily on the national level. To do so, the article contends that it is equally necessary to disaggregate, but then integrate, interdependent processes of state reconstruction and democratization. These enterprises require a harvesting of the insights of theory and the lessons of practice for each other. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Confronting the challenges of urban development in São Paulo: the Operações Interligadas/Urbanas
Authors: Hewitt W. E. (Ted) 
Published: August 2002

AbstractThis article examines the contribution of international municipal cooperation (IMC) to the resolution of long standing planning challenges in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), South America's largest urban agglomeration. Specifically, the study investigates the early development and subsequent evolution of a planning‐related project developed in collaboration with the city of Toronto, Canada. In its first phase–dubbed the Operações Interligadas (OI)–the initiative was directed towards expansion and improvement of São Paulo's housing stock. The second phase, known as the Operações Urbanas, has focused more broadly on urban renewal. As will be shown, both phases of the programme have provided an important fund‐raising mechanism for confronting the challenges of urban growth and change. At the same time, however, the study reveals a number of limitations to the overall strategy, perhaps restricting its use as a model for other developing world cities. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Short wavelength light reflecting films from side‐chain liquid crystal homopolymers with chiral spacers
Authors: Cowie J. M. G. , Duncan D. M. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractA series of acrylate monomers with alkoxy tails of varying lengths are synthesised and polymerised. The butoxy analogue had a stable enantiotropic cholesteric liquid crystalline phase which formed a grandjean texture when prepared as a thin film between glass slides. The polymer was mixed with a low molar mass nematic liquid crystal in various proportions and the pitch of the chiral nematic phases were determined using a cano‐wedge cell technique. The polymer prepared from (S)‐2‐(4‐butoxyphenyl‐4′‐benzoyloxy)‐1‐methyl ethyl acrylate had a pitch length of 113 nm which indicates that the polymer film could be employed in optical devices requiring selective reflection of light with short wavelengths in the region of 170 nm. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Toughened polypropylene with balanced rigidity. V. Melt rheological properties
Authors: Wang Jingwu , Zhang Hongjie , Cao Shaokui , Liu Jun , Liu Songjie 
Published: August 2002

AbstractIn continuation of our endeavor to develop and characterize the high performance polypropylene composites and their toughening master batches (TMBs), we report here the melt rheological properties of toughened polypropylene with balanced rigidity (TRPP). The relations of shear stress (τ), shear rate $(\dot{\gamma})$, apparent viscosity (η
a), temperature (T) and compositions of TRPPs were systematically investigated. Experimental data revealed that under ordinary shear flow conditions, the TRPP melts showed a pseudo‐plastic feature. Based on the complexity of the melt flow of the blended poly‐component/multiphase polymer system and together with our experimental and related literature results, the relationship between η
a and T for blended polymer melts was recommended to be expressed by the equation: log η
a = α0 + α1/T, where α1 was defined as the temperature coefficient of apparent viscosity. The relationship between τ and $\dot{\gamma}$ can be expressed by the equation: $\tau = \hbox{k} \dot{\gamma}^{\rm n}$, and the exponent n is decreased as τ increasing. At a given τ or $\dot{\gamma}$, the η
a of TRPPs decreased with ethylene‐propylene to styrene‐butadiene elastomer ratios from 20/80 to 100/0, increased with total elastomer content in TRPP and decreased with elastomer amount in TMB increasing. The manner of changes in η
a with compositions were not affected by the τ or T. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative determination of naphthoquinones of Impatiens species
Authors: Lobstein A. , Brenne X. , Feist E. , Metz N. , Weniger B. , Anton R. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractA convenient and reliable reversed phase‐HPLC method has been developed and validated for the quantitative determination of naphthoquinones present in the aerial parts of Impatiens glandulifera (Balsaminaceae) during two growing seasons (May to August 1998 and June to October 1999). Maximal content (0.8–1.1%) of 2‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone and its 2‐methylated derivative was observed in flowers collected between July and August. The procedure was applied to compare the pigment content in three other species of Impatiens but showed 2.5–37 times lower levels than those found in I. glandulifera. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Voltammetric determination of parthenolide in spiked human plasma and urine
Authors: Belal F. , Galal A. M. , Al‐Majed A. , El‐Feraly F. S. 
Published: August 2002

AbstractThe voltammetric behaviour of parthenolide, a biologically active sesquiterpene lactone, was studied using direct current (DCt), alternating current and differential‐pulse polarography (DPP). Parthenolide developed well‐defined cathodic waves over the whole pH range in Britton–Robinson buffers. At pH 10 the diffusion current constant was 3.54 ± 0.08 (± standard deviation; n = 8). The current vs concentration plots were rectilinear over the range 4–36 and 1–28 µg/mL in the DCt and DPP modes, respectively, with a minimum detectability of 0.06 µg/mL (about 1 × 10−7 M) using the latter technique. The waves were characterised as being diffusion controlled, although adsorption phenomenon played a limited role in the electrode process. The described analytical method was applied to the determination of parthenolide in spiked human urine and plasma; the percentage recoveries were 95.72 ± 0.22 and 94.0 ± 0.13 (± standard deviation; n = 9), respectively. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of Ascochyta caulina phytotoxins by high‐performance anion exchange chromatography and pulsed amperometric detection
Authors: Evidente Antonio , Andolfi Anna , Vurro Maurizio , Zonno Maria Chiara 
Published: August 2002

AbstractA simple and sensitive method has been developed for the rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of the phytotoxins produced by Ascochyta caulina, a potential mycoherbicide for the biocontrol of Chenopodium album. Considering that the two main toxins produced by this fungus, namely ascaulitoxin and trans‐4‐amino‐D‐proline, and the third toxin, identified as 2,4,7‐triamino‐5‐hydroxyoctandioic acid, have an amino acid nature, high‐performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection was the best method for their detection. The method was used to measure the toxin content in the culture filtrates of different strains of A. caulina. The developed method could be employed as a tool to select more virulent strains by determining the higher toxin producers, if in vitro toxin accumulation was related to pathogen virulence. The chemical characterisation of the third toxin purified from A. caulina culture filtrates is also reported. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cerebro‐costo‐mandibular syndrome in a father and a female fetus: early prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis and autosomal dominant transmission
Authors: Morin Gilles , Gekas Jean , Naepels Philippe , Gondry Jean , Devauchelle Bernard , Testelin Sylvie , Sevestre Henri , Thépôt François , Mathieu Michèle 
Published: August 2002

AbstractUltrasonography in a female fetus revealed cystic cervical hygroma, severe micrognathia, and vertebral and upper limb anomalies suggestive of cerebro‐costo‐mandibular syndrome (CCMS) which was diagnosed ultrasonographically at 16 weeks' gestation. The father is affected and presents with a Pierre Robin sequence, short stature and typical costovertebral anomalies. CCMS is a rare and severe disorder. The high frequency of sporadic cases, vertical transmission, and the excess of sibs affected via horizontal transmission suggest dominant autosomal mutation with possible germinal mosaicism. The vertical familial case detailed in the present report is a reminder of the high risk when one parent or one sibling is affected and the extreme variability of phenotype and costal ossification. Early prenatal ultrasound diagnosis is possible in a severely affected fetus. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.