bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of the crystallinity and rigid amorphous fraction in cold‐crystallized isotactic polystyrene
Authors: Xu Hui , Ince B. Seyhan , Cebe Peggy 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe phase structure of crystalline isotactic polystyrene (iPS) has been investigated with temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC), wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Quenched amorphous samples have been cold‐crystallized at 140 or 170 °C for various crystallization times. The degree of crystallinity obtained from WAXS, with the ratio of the crystal peak intensity to the total peak intensity, shows excellent agreement with the crystallinity determined from TMDSC total heat flow endotherms. For the first time, FTIR results show that the absorbance peak ratio (I/I) has a linear correlation with the crystalline mass fraction (χc) for cold‐crystallized iPS according to the following relation: I/I = 0.54χc + 0.16. This relationship allows the crystallinity of iPS to be determined from infrared spectroscopy analyses in cases in which it is difficult to perform thermal or X‐ray measurements. On the basis of the measurements of the heat capacity increment at the glass transition, we find that a significant amount of the rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) coexists with the crystalline and mobile amorphous phases in cold‐crystallized iPS. The RAF increases systematically with the crystallization time, and a greater amount is formed at a lower crystallization temperature. A three‐phase model (crystalline phase, mobile amorphous phase, and rigid amorphous phase) is, therefore, appropriate for the interpretation of the structure of cold‐crystallized iPS. The origin of the low‐temperature endothermic peak (annealing peak) has been investigated with TMDSC and FTIR spectroscopy and has been shown to be due to irreversible relaxation of the RAF. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3026–3036, 2003
Copolyimides containing alicyclic and fluorinated groups: Characterization of the film microstructure
Authors: Pinel Eliette , Barthe Marie‐France , De Baerdemaeker Jérémie , Mercier Régis , Neyertz Sylvie , Albérola N. Dominique , Bas Corine 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe microstructures of a series of copolyimide films were characterized with different experimental methods such as density measurements, X‐ray diffraction, ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry, positron annihilation spectroscopy, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The experimental data were linked to the chemical structures of the polymers and especially the alicyclic and fluorinated monomers. Some analysis responses were directly dependent on the fluorine atoms and, therefore, did not provide clear information about the microstructures. The chain organization in the amorphous films appeared to be significantly dependent on the effect of the casting solvent. The influence of the alicyclic group content was quite significant for a nonsubstituted diamine but was strongly attenuated with a fluorinated diamine. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2998–3010, 2003
Influence of the surface chemistry on the structural and mechanical properties of silica‐polymer composites
Authors: Boisvert Jean‐Philippe , Persello Jacques , Guyard Aurélien 
Published: October 2003

AbstractPoly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite films filled with nanometric, monodisperse, and spherical silica particles were prepared by the mixing of an aqueous PVA solution and SiO2 colloidal suspension and the evaporation of the solvent. Adjusting the solution pH to 5 and 9 controlled the PVA‐SiO2 interaction. Adsorption isotherms showed a higher PVA/surface affinity at a lower pH. This interaction influenced the composite structure and the particle distribution within the polymer matrix, which was investigated by small‐angle neutron scattering, electron microscopy, and swelling measurements. Most of the mechanical properties could be related to the composite structure, that is, the distribution of clusters within the polymer matrix. The progressive creation of a cluster network within the polymeric matrix as the silica volume fraction increased reduced the extensibility or swelling capacity of the composite. The effect was more acute at a higher pH, at which the surface interaction with PVA was weaker and promoted the interconnection between clusters. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3127–3138, 2003
Genome‐wide scan for prostate cancer susceptibility genes using families from the University of Michigan prostate cancer genetics project finds evidence for linkage on chromosome 17 near BRCA1
Authors: Lange Ethan M. , Gillanders Elizabeth M. , Davis Cralen C. , Brown W. Mark , Campbell Joel K. , Jones MaryPat , Gildea Derek , Riedesel Erica , Albertus Julie , Freas‐Lutz Diana , Markey Carol , Giri Veda , Dimmer Jennifer Beebe , Montie James E. , Trent Jeffrey M. , Cooney Kathleen A. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDPrevious linkage studies have suggested prostate cancer susceptibility genes located on chromosomes 1, 20, and X. Several putative prostate cancer candidate genes have also been identified including RNASEL, MSR1, and ELAC2. Presently, these linkage regions and candidate genes appear to explain only a small proportion of hereditary prostate cancer cases suggesting the need for additional whole genome analyses.METHODSA genome‐wide mode‐of‐inheritance‐free linkage scan, using 405 genetic markers, was conducted on 175 pedigrees, the majority containing three or more affected individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer. Stratified linkage analyses were performed based on previously established criteria.RESULTSResults based on the entire set of 175 pedigrees showed strong suggestive evidence for linkage on chromosome 17q (LOD = 2.36), with strongest evidence coming from the subset of pedigrees with four or more affected individuals (LOD = 3.27). Race specific analyses revealed strong suggestive evidence for linkage in our African‐American pedigrees on chromosome 22q (LOD = 2.35).CONCLUSIONSGenome‐wide analysis of a large set of prostate cancer families indicates new areas of the genome that may harbor prostate cancer susceptibility genes. Specifically, our linkage results suggest that there is a prostate cancer susceptibility gene on chromosome 17 that is independent of ELAC2. Further research including combined analyses of independent genome‐wide scan data may clarify the most important regions for future investigation. Prostate 57: 326–334, 2003. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ROC methodology within a monitoring framework
Authors: Parker Corette B. , DeLong Elizabeth R. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractReceiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology is widely used to evaluate and compare diagnostic tests. Generally, each diagnostic test is applied once to each subject in a population and the results, reported on a continuous scale, are used to construct the ROC curve. We extend the standard method to accommodate a framework in which the diagnostic test is repeated over time to monitor for occurrence of an event. Unlike the usual situation in which event status is static, the problem we address involves event status that is not constant over the monitoring period. Subjects generally are classified as non‐events, or controls, until they experience events that convert them to cases. Viewing the data as incomplete discrete failure time data with time‐varying covariates, potentially useful diagnostic markers can be related appropriately in time with the true condition and varying amounts of information per individual can be taken into account. The ROC curve provides an assessment of the performance of the test in combination with the schedule of testing. Within this framework, a computational simplification is introduced to calculate variances and covariances for the areas under the ROC curves. Periodic monitoring for reperfusion following thrombolytic treatment for acute myocardial infarction provides a detailed example, whereby the lengths of the testing interval combined with different diagnostic markers are compared. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Overlaps in Dimensions of Poverty
Authors: BRADSHAW JONATHAN , FINCH NAOMI 
Published: October 2003

The Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey of Britain made it possible first time to explore poverty using three different measures applied at the same time on the same sample. The measures were: lacking socially perceived necessities; being subjectively poor and having a relatively low income. These approaches are all commonly used to identify the poor and to measure poverty but rarely if ever in combination. In this article we have found that there is little overlap in the group of people defined as poor by these dimensions. There are reasons for this lack of overlap, connected to the reliability and validity of the different measures. However the people who are defined as living in poverty by different measures of poverty are different. This inevitably means that the policy response to poverty will be different depending on which measure is employed.We have attempted to analyse overlap in two ways. First, by exploring the dimensions of poverty cumulatively, we have found that, the more dimensions people are poor on, the more they are unlike the non-poor and the poor on only one dimension, in their characteristics and in their social exclusion. Second, by treating particular dimensions as meriting more attention than others, we explored three permutations of this type and concluded that, while each permutation were more unlike the non-poor than those poor on a single dimension, they were not as unlike the non-poor as the cumulatively poor were. These results indicate that accumulation might be a better way of using overlapping measures of poverty than by giving priority to one dimension over another.The implication of the paper is that it is not safe to rely on one measure of poverty – the results obtained are just not reliable enough. Surveys, such as the Family Resources Survey or the European Community Household Panel, which are used to monitor the prevalence of poverty, need to be adapted to enable results to be triangulated – to incorporate a wider range of poverty measures.
Cloud systems leading to flood events in Europe: an overview and classification
Authors: Porcú Federico , Caracciolo Clelia , Prodi Franco 
Published: October 2003

AbstractOver recent years most European countries have experienced destructive precipitation events, many of which have generated floods resulting in the loss of lives and economic damage. Rather surprisingly, Europe has no common database for flood events, which continue to be monitored by different national and/or local authorities, with different criteria. In the light of this situation, the main aim of the present work is to propose a classification scheme for a European‐level flood database, in which severe flood episodes are related to meteorological conditions and mesoscale settings.The meteorological systems relating to the most severe events (22 events) over a five‐year period (1992–1996) were analysed using Meteosat imagery and conventional meteorological data. Most of the observed events were related to extra tropical cyclone development. The results are discussed in terms of conceptual models currently used for extra tropical cyclones: the structure and dynamics of Atlantic cyclones can very often be interpreted in terms of well‐ known conceptual models, while characteristics of Mediterranean systems are not fully rendered by current descriptions. Our study underpins the need to improve the knowledge of Mediterranean systems, possibly introducing new conceptual models and/or refining the current ones. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
Wind speed‐up in the Dover Straits with the Met Office New Dynamics Model
Authors: Capon Rachel Anne 
Published: October 2003

AbstractIt is part of British sailing and forecasting folklore that the wind speed increases in the Dover Straits when there is an established wind‐flow –westerly/south‐westerly or easterly/north‐easterly –along the English Channel. However the underlying mechanism of the phenomenon is unclear. We have used the Met Office ‘New Dynamics’ mesoscale model to perform a case study on an occasion when this phenomenon was observed in the Channel but not forecast well by the operational model, UM 4.5. Results are presented showing the sensitivity of forecasts to horizontal resolution (down to 2 km) and to vertical resolution. We probe the physical mechanism of the Channel jet by altering the surrounding orography and the land or sea surface roughness. Both the orography and the surface roughness are shown to influence the jet formation. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
Thermal advection, vorticity advection and potential vorticity advection in extra‐tropical, synoptic‐scale development
Authors: Carroll E B 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe role of thermal advection in development is examined in its different guises, from the frontal cyclone model of the Bergen School, through the ideas of Sutcliffe and Petterssen, to the quasi‐geostrophic omega equation, system‐relative isentropic analysis and the potential vorticity (PV) perspective. The PV formulation of the omega equation introduced by Hoskins et al. (1985) is used, together with a simple quasi‐geostrophic numerical model, to compare system relative isentropic upgliding with full vertical velocity. The PV approach is compared with the application of the traditional omega equation, particularly with regard to cancellation between vorticity/potential vorticity and thermal advection terms. An equivalence is proved between the traditional form of the omega equation and the diagnosis of vertical velocity via ageostrophic motion, with the contribution from thermal advection being identified with the vertical motion that arises from isallobaric ageostrophic motion. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
The origin of captive Galápagos tortoises based on DNA analysis: implications for the management of natural populations
Authors: Burns Catherine E. , Ciofi Claudio , Beheregaray Luciano B. , Fritts Thomas H. , Gibbs James P. , Márquez Cruz , Milinkovitch Michel C. , Powell Jeffrey R. , Caccone Adalgisa 
Published: October 2003

AbstractGiant tortoises once thrived throughout the Galápagos archipelago, but today three island populations are extinct, only one individual survives from the island of Pinta, and several populations are critically endangered. We established the geographic origin of 59 captive tortoises housed at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands in an effort to find a mate for the sole survivor from Pinta (‘Lonesome George’) and to augment the number of breeders in other imperilled populations. By comparison with an extensive database of mtDNA control region (CR) haplotypes and nine microsatellites, we determined the geographic and evolutionary origin of the captive individuals. All individuals had CR haplotypes and multilocus microsatellite genotypes identical to or closely related to known haplotypes from natural populations. No obvious mate was found for Lonesome George, although we found several captive individuals carrying an evolutionarily close but geographically distinct mtDNA haplotype. Tortoises with mtDNA haplotypes closely related to another at‐risk population (San Cristóbal) were also identified. These individuals could be considered as candidates for augmentation of natural populations or captive‐breeding programmes and exemplify how molecular techniques can provide insights for the development of endangered species management plans.
Fragmentation of Asia's remaining wildlands: implications for Asian elephant conservation
Authors: Leimgruber P. , Gagnon J. B. , Wemmer C. , Kelly D. S. , Songer M. A. , Selig E. R. 
Published: October 2003

AbstractHabitat loss and fragmentation are main causes for Asian elephant population declines. We mapped wildlands ‐ large, unfragmented and undeveloped areas ‐ asking: (1) Where are the largest wildlands that constitute elephant habitats? (2) What proportion of these wildlands is protected? (3) What is their potential for elephant conservation? Our study demonstrates that wildlands constitute only 51% of the Asian elephant range. Myanmar has the largest wildland (∼170,000 km2), followed by Thailand and India. In Principal Components Analysis (PCA), the first two components explained 73% of the variation in fragmentation among ranges. We identified three fragmentation clusters from the PCA. Cluster A contains large ranges with unfragmented wildlands; cluster B includes ranges with well‐developed transportation networks and large human populations; and cluster C contains ranges with severely fragmented wildlands. In cluster A, we identified four ranges with elephant populations >1000 animals: ARYO, MYUC, BNMH and BITE. Together with ranges that support >1000 elephants in cluster B, these A ranges have great potential for long‐term elephant conservation. We propose that fragmentation clusters and population size can be used to identify different elephant monitoring and management zones.
Phylogeography and genetic diversity of the critically endangered Przewalski's gazelle
Authors: Lei Runhua , Hu Zhiang , Jiang Zhigang , Yang Wenlong 
Published: October 2003

AbstractThe Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) is critically endangered and has experienced significant decline in population numbers in the past, and now survives in four isolated populations: the Bird Island, Hudong‐Ketu, Yuanzhe and Shadao‐Gahai populations. To understand better the effect of habitat fragmentation and geographical isolation on gene flow and genetic variation, and uncover genetic units for conservation, we examined the hypervariable region (420 bp) of the mitochondrial DNA control region of 29 Przewalski's gazelles from four localities distributed throughout their present geographical range. Phylogenetic analysis consistently revealed four distinct mtDNA lineages within Przewalski's gazelle, with each lineage restricted to a single geographical location. The study revealed a marked divergence of lineages from the Bird Island population relative to other populations, which corresponds to the geographical association. The nucleotide diversity within populations was very low (less than 0.004). The value of Nm was less than 0.3 individuals per generation, indicating low gene flow between populations. It was suggested that the Yuanzhe, Hudong‐Ketu and Shadao‐Gahai populations be managed as a conservation unit because of their genetic and geographical closeness.
Involvement of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors in nociception in the cyclophosphamide‐induced vesical pain model in the conscious rat
Authors: Méen Murielle , Coudoré‐Civiale Marie‐Ange , Parry Laurent , Eschalier Alain , Boucher Michel 
Published: October 2003

We previously showed that the intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, an antitumoral agent, modified the behaviour of rats with cystitis induced by acrolein, a toxic urinary by‐product of cyclophosphamide. This behaviour, (namely decreased breathing rate, closing of the eyes, and specific postures), was scored to indirectly assess the nociception elicited by the cystitis and to use this experimental model as a vesical pain model. Here we investigated the involvement of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors and thus of the excitatory amino acid system in this model.We administered dizocilpine (0.01 to 0.1 mg/kg intravenously (i.v.) and 1 to 20 μg/rat intrathecally (i.t.)) and ketamine (5 and 10 mg/kg i.v. and 50 to 1000 μg/rat i.t.), two non‐competitive NMDA receptor antagonists that bind to the channel site, and AP‐5 (0.01 to 1 mg/kg i.v. and 20 to 500 μg/rat i.t), a competitive antagonist that binds to the glutamate site. Whichever the route of administration (i.v. or i.t.), dizocilpine dose‐relatedly reduced the behavioural disorders induced by cyclophosphamide. Systemic ketamine also dose‐dependently, though transiently, reduced the effects of cyclophosphamide, but ketamine i.t. and AP‐5 i.v. and i.t. did not induce any reduction of these effects.These results (i) demonstrate that in the cyclophosphamide‐induced vesical pain model NMDA receptors are involved in the nociception, as shown by the effects of dizocilpine and systemic ketamine, (ii) reveal marked differences in the data obtained with various NMDA receptor antagonists, possibly due to their physicochemical properties, to the animal pain model used, to the noxious stimulus applied or to any combination of these factors. © 2002 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Influence of Piglet Birth Weight on Physical and Behavioural Development in Early Life
Authors: Litten J.C. , Drury P.C. , Corson A.M. , Lean I.J. , Clarke L. 
Published: October 2003

The objective of this study was to determine whether body weight at birth influences the physical and behavioural development of the neonatal pig. Sixteen sows and their litters were randomly allocated into four treatment groups. From the normal distribution curve of their birth weight, piglets were sub-divided into three groups: (1) low (<10th percentile) (2) normal (10–90th percentile) and (3) high (>90th percentile).To assess behavioural development, each litter was exposed to a ball placed in the creep area for a period of 1,800 s, and evaluated once over a 3-day period starting on either 5, 7, 14 or 21 days of postnatal life. Their response to, and interaction with, an object was used to calculate a numerical index of piglet behavioural development. Teat order was calculated following observations during consecutive suckling on days 11, 13 and 15 of life, and dominance hierarchy was assessed on day 12, 14 and 16. Individual body weight was recorded on days 0, 5, 7, 14 and 21 of postnatal life. Statistical differences between groups were analysed using general linear model, analysis of variance. Regression analyses were used to determine relationships between physical and behavioural development with teat order and dominance. There was a significant (p < 0.001) relationship between birth weight, growth performance and behavioural development. Behavioural developmental index (BDI) significantly improved (p < 0.001) with age and was also influenced by the day on which the ball was introduced (p < 0.01). Body weight on day 1 of the test was significantly (p < 0.001) correlated to BDI and age at test. Piglets demonstrating compensatory growth were more dominant and exhibited an improved behavioural developmental score than their slower growing littermates. In conclusion, compromised growth in utero can have a detrimental effect on the physical and behavioural development of the neonate. Animals with an enhanced developmental index in conjunction with a higher dominance value exhibited a improved neonatal growth performance.