bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Botulinum toxin for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms: A review
Authors: Sahai A. , Khan M. , Fowler C.J. , Dasgupta P. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractAimsTo review the available literature on the application of botulinum toxin in the urinary tract, with particular reference to its use in treating detrusor overactivity (DO).MethodsBotulinum toxin, overactive bladder (OAB), detrusor instability, DO, detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DSD), and lower urinary tract dysfunction were used on Medline Services as a source of articles for the review process.ResultsDO poses a significant burden on patients and their quality of life. Traditionally patients have been treated with anti‐cholinergic drugs if symptomatic, however, a significant number find this treatment either ineffective or intolerable due to side effects. Recent developments in this field have instigated new treatment options, including botulinum toxin, for patients' refractory to first line medication. Botulinum toxin, one of the most poisonous substances known to man, is a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin injections into the external urethral sphincter to treat detrusor sphincter dyssynergia has been successfully used for some years but recently its use has expanded to include voiding dysfunction. Intradetrusal injections of botulinum toxin into patients with detrusor overactivity and symptons of the overactive bladder have resulted in significant increases in mean maximum cystometric capacity and detrusor compliance with a reduction in mean maximum detrusor pressures. Subjective and objective assessments in these patients has shown significant improvements that last for 9–12 months. Repeated injections have had the same sustained benefits.ConclusionsApplication of botulinum toxin in the lower urinary tract has produced promising results in treating lower urinary tract dysfunction, which needs further evaluation with randomised, placebo‐controlled trials. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Two dimensional mortar contact methods for large deformation frictional sliding
Authors: Yang Bin , Laursen Tod A. , Meng Xiaonong 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis paper presents a mortar‐based formulation for the solution of two dimensional frictional contact problems involving finite deformation and large sliding. As is widely recognized, traditional node‐to‐surface contact formulations have several drawbacks in solution of deformable‐to‐deformable contact problems, including lack of general patch test passage, degradation of spatial convergence rates, and robustness issues associated with the faceted representation of contacting surfaces. The mortar finite element method, initially proposed as a technique to join dissimilarly meshed domains, has been shown to preserve optimal convergence rates in tied contact problems (see (Discretization Methods and Iterative Solvers Based on Domain Decomposition, Springer‐Verlag, Heidelberg, 2001) for a recent review), and is examined here as an alternative spatial discretization method for large sliding contact. In particular, a novel description for frictional sliding conditions in large deformation mortar formulations is proposed in this work.In recent years, the mortar element method has already been successfully implemented to solve frictional contact problems with linearized kinematics (see (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng 1993; 36: 3451)). However, in the presence of large deformations and finite sliding, one must face difficulties associated with the definition and linearization of contact virtual work in the case where the mortar projection has a direct dependence on the tangential relative motion along the interface. In this paper, such a formulation is presented, with particular emphasis on key aspects of the linearization procedure and on the robust description of the friction kinematics. Some novel techniques are proposed to treat the non‐smoothness in the contact geometry and the searching required to define mortar segments. A number of numerical examples illustrate the performance and accuracy of the proposed formulation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The specificity of public service reform
Authors: Caiden Gerald E. , Sundaram Pachampet 
Published: December 2004

AbstractDespite universal recognition of the decline of public services and the need for reforms, considerable divergence of views exists on the strategy and sequencing of reform for individual countries according to their capacities and level of development. This article reflects on the general contours of public service reform, emphasising past experience, the need to be pragmatic rather than idealistic, the mudding of the waters by the New Public Management movement, the complications of structural adjustment programmes of international financial institutions and the damage resulting from the imposition of universal solutions unfitted and unsuitable to local circumstances. Reform needs political and bureaucratic champions, careful preparation, patience and necessary investment, and capacity to neutralise opposition. Ultimately, one has to allow for a shifting combination of history, culture, politics, economics, sociology, ideology and values in each country.This analysis is applied to the possibility of reforming the public service of India, the second most populous country in the world, and the lessons to be gleaned for developing and implementing the strategy.The article then concludes with an outline of some universal problems facing public service reformers all around the globe such as corruption, the future role of government, shape of the civil service, reversing its erosion and addressing issues of fragmentation, compensation and diversity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Compatible thermoplastic starch/polyethylene blends by one‐step reactive extrusion
Authors: Wang Shujun , Yu Jiugao , Yu Jinglin 
Published: December 2004

AbstractIn the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP), the thermal plasticization of starch and its compatibilizing modification with polyethylene was accomplished by one‐step reactive extrusion in a single‐screw extruder at the same time. Because of the formation of polyethylene‐graft‐maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MAH) during the extrusion, it was used as the compatibilizer between the thermoplastic starch and polyethylene. The blending samples were characterized by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic thermal mechanical analysis (DTMA) and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The experimental results showed that in the presence of DCP the addition of MAH improved the mutual dispersion of molecules in thermoplastic starch and polyethylene. From TGA, we concluded that the thermal stability of the blends with MAH was improved compared with the blends without MAH. The DTMA and FTIR results indicated that, with the addition of MAH, the compatibility of molecules between thermoplastic starch and polyethylene in the blends was improved. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Polymerization and carbonization of high internal phase emulsions
Authors: Wang Dong , Smith Naomi L , Budd Peter M 
Published: December 2004

AbstractHigh internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) of styrene and divinylbenzene (DVB), with 0–40 % vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) in the oil phase, were polymerized to give porous polymers (pore volumes 84–92 %), which were sulfonated and carbonized at temperatures up to 700 °C to obtain macroporous carbon monoliths. On carbonization, overall sample dimensions decreased, whilst percentage pore volume, compressive strength and compressive modulus increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed typical HIPE‐derived structures of cages (several µm across), interconnected by smaller windows, for polymer and carbon samples. Distributions of cage and window size were evaluated from electron micrographs. Average cage and window sizes decreased on carbonization approximately in proportion to the reduction in overall sample dimensions, and also decreased with increasing VBC content in the HIPE. Mercury intrusion porosimetry gave distributions of pore size in reasonable agreement with area‐distributions of window size determined from SEM images. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Photocurable biodegradable polyesters from poly(L‐lactide) diols
Authors: Nagata Minoru , Sato Yuki 
Published: December 2004

Abstractα,ω‐Dihydoxy‐terminated poly(L‐lactide)s (PLLA diols) with various molecular weights (1000, 2000 and 3000 g mol−1) were prepared by the ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide using 1,6‐hexanediol as an initiator. These were subsequently chain‐extended with the diacyl chloride of 4,4′‐(adipoyldioxy)dicinnamic acid (CAC) to obtain high‐molecular‐weight photocurable polyesters (CAC/PLLAs). The resulting polyesters were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, Fourier‐transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. These photoreactive polyesters were irradiated with a high‐pressure mercury lamp (λ > 280 nm) for 30–180 min to produce the crosslinked polyesters. The gel fraction yield increased with photocuring time, and exceeded 80 % after 180 min. The photocuring process disturbed the crystallization of the CAC/PLLA films, while it enhanced their thermal stabilities. With increasing photocuring time, both the tensile strength and modulus increased markedly. The best mechanical properties (tensile strength = 41 MPa; tensile modulus = 1550 MPa) were obtained for a CAC/PLLA‐3000 film photocured for 180 min. The tensile modulus of this photocured film was larger than that of pure PLLA. The hydrolytic degradation rates of the CAC/PLLA films in a phosphate buffer solution (pH, 7.2) of proteinaze‐k at 37 °C were much slower than those of pure PLLA films. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
High‐performance waterborne coatings based on epoxy‐acrylic‐graft‐copolymer‐modified polyurethane dispersions
Authors: Parmar Randhir , Patel Kalpesh , Parmar Jayant 
Published: December 2004

AbstractPolyurethane dispersions (PUDs) have been an active area of research since the early 1940s because of legislative restrictions on the use of organic solvents in conventional solvent‐based products and also because PUDs exhibit almost the same high performance levels as solvent‐borne polyurethanes. In the present study, properties of conventional waterborne PUDs are modified with epoxy‐acrylic graft copolymer blocks. The epoxy‐acrylic graft copolymers were first modified with ethylene diamine to give amine‐terminated blocks which in turn reacted with isocyanate‐terminated prepolymer (prepolymer mixing process) to give modified PUDs. Several experimental sets were prepared with varying compositions. The experimental sets were also prepared using conventional poly(ethylene glycol) blocks and ethylene diamine chain‐extenders. The physico‐chemical properties and film characteristics of the experimental sets show the dramatic improvement in important mechanical properties of PUDs due to grafting with epoxy‐acrylic copolymer blocks. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Thermal and crystallization behavior of silane‐crosslinked polypropylene
Authors: Wang Zhengzhou , Wu Xiusheng , Gui Zhou , Hu Yuan , Fan Weicheng 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSilane‐crosslinked polypropylene (PP) has been prepared first by the grafting of silane onto the backbone of PP in a melt process and then by crosslinking in warm water. The effects of type and concentration of silane and peroxide on the silane grafting on PP were investigated. The thermal behavior of the silane‐crosslinked PP was studied by thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. TG results show that PP prepared via silane crosslinking increases its thermal stability greatly. It has been found from DSC measurements that the crystallization temperatures, ie the onset temperature and peak temperature of the exotherm of the silane‐crosslinked PP, increase compared with those of the pure PP. The silane crosslinking hardly changes the crystallinity degree of PP. The crystallization behavior of the silane‐crosslinked PP was also studied by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction analysis. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Radiation contribution to the thermal conductivity of plastic foams
Authors: De Micco C. , Aldao C. M. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe validity of two approaches widely used to determine the radiant thermal conductivity in plastic foams is discussed. While one approach is based on the solution of a geometric model, the other is derived from the experimental determination of the extinction coefficient. A comparison to recently reported experimental data shows that the geometric approach predicts values that are in good agreement. In contrast, values deduced from measurements of the mean extinction coefficient significantly underestimate the radiant thermal conductivity, an effect that can be traced to the way that the extinction coefficient is measured. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 190–192, 2005
Cyber security risk analysis for process control systems using rings of protection analysis (ROPA)
Authors: Baybutt Paul 
Published: December 2004

AbstractProcess plants may be subject to terrorist and criminal acts that can cause harm such as the release or diversion of hazardous materials and process or product damage. Such risks are evaluated using threat and vulnerability analysis and possible improvements in security measures and safeguards are identified. However, recommendations for improvements are usually based on engineering judgment. Such subjective assessments can lead to disagreements, and possibly inappropriate measures to reduce risk. Rings of Protection Analysis (ROPA), a simplified risk assessment method, can be used to provide more rational, objective, and reproducible decisions. ROPA parallels Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) that is used to evaluate accident risks.ROPA assists in identifying and determining the adequacy of existing protection systems. It is used to help determine whether there are sufficient rings/layers of protection against a threat scenario and whether the risk can be tolerated. A scenario may require multiple protection rings/layers depending on the process and the potential severity of the consequences. ROPA helps provide the basis for clear, functional specifications of required protection layers.This paper describes and demonstrates how ROPA can be applied to cyber security, although it can also be applied to physical security. It considers the selection of security measures and integrates their consideration with other types of protective measures. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2004
Lifetime of nonequilibrium carriers in high‐Al‐content AlGaN epilayers
Authors: Mickevičius J. , Aleksiejūnas R. , Shur M. S. , Tamulaitis G. , Qhalid Fareed R. S. , Zhang J. P. , Gaska R. , Khan M. A. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractAlGaN epilayers with different aluminum molar fractions have been comparatively studied by photoluminescence (PL) and light‐induced transient grating (LITG) techniques. The carrier diffusion length determined by LITG is shown to be close to the average distance between two first‐neighbor dislocations, which was roughly estimated by using the dislocation density obtained by etch pit technique. For epilayers containing the same amount of Al, the carrier lifetime and PL intensity are inversely proportional to the density of the dislocations, which limit the carrier lifetime by serving as nonradiative recombination centers. For AlGaN epilayers with similar lifetimes but with different Al contents, the PL intensity decreases with increasing Al fraction, which is explained by the Al content dependence of the radiative recombination rate. It is demonstrated that introduction of AlN/AlGaN superlattices on sapphire substrates by using Migration Enhanced Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MEMOCVDTM) enables growth of AlGaN with an increased nonequilibrium carrier lifetime and enhanced photoluminescence intensity. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Principal component analysis of the effects of wavefunction modification on the electrostatic potential of indole
Authors: Carvalho Maíra A. , Da Silva João Bosco P. , Hernandes Marcelo Z. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) of the indole molecule was calculated in a three‐dimensional grid in which the molecule was centered at the origin. To evaluate the dependence of MEP on the type of calculation, semiempirical, ab initio, and density functional theory methods with different basis sets were employed. The data matrix generated by these calculations was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). The appearance of outliers and the effect of wavefunction modifications such as the introduction of electron correlations and diffuse functions were highlighted by the use of PCA. The spatial localization of such effects around the molecule was possible from the loadings values associated with the graphical analysis of the grid points. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
B3LYP, BLYP and PBE DFT band structures of the nucleotide base stacks
Authors: Szekeres Zs. , Bogár F. , Ladik J. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractDFT crystal orbital (band structure) calculations have been performed for the nucleotide base stacks of cytosine, thymine, adenine, and guanine arranged in DNA B geometry. The band structures obtained with PBE, BLYP, and B3LYP functionals are presented and compared to other related experimental and theoretical results. The influence of the quality of the basis set on the fundamental gap values was also investigated using Clementi's double ζ, 6‐31G and 6‐31G* basis sets. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
Simultaneous determination of beta‐blocking agents and diuretics in doping analysis by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with scan‐to‐scan polarity switching
Authors: Deventer K. , Van Eenoo P. , Delbeke F. T. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractA previously described method for the screening of 18 diuretics and probenecid was substantially extended with 21 beta‐blockers and 8 other diuretics allowing simultaneous determination of diuretics and beta‐adrenergic blocking agents in human urine. Analysis was performed using an ion trap instrument with an electrospray ionisation (ESI) interface after liquid/liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Full‐scan MS and full‐scan MS2 were applied in combination with scan‐to‐scan polarity switching. All compounds were separated in less than 22 min. The detection limits for the diuretics were between 5 and 100 ng/mL and for the beta‐adrenergic blocking agents were between 5 and 500 ng/mL. The excretion of carvedilol was followed after intake of one tablet of Dimitone®. Other doping agents including strychnine, norbuprenorphine and mesocarb hydroxysulfate could also be detected with this method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry applied for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil
Authors: Wang Dongli , Cai Zongwei , Guibin Jiang  , Wong Ming Hung , Wong Wai Kwok 
Published: December 2004

AbstractA gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry (GC/ITMS) method was developed for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). ITMS parameters were optimized in order to achieve the best sensitivity for the PBDE analysis. Tandem mass spectrometry, along with an isotope dilution internal standard method, was used for the quantitation. Chromatographic windows were developed for mono‐ to hepta‐BDEs, depending on the retention times when a 30‐m GC column was used. A different 15‐m column was used to analyze deca‐BDE. Environmental soil samples collected from an electronic waste recycling site were prepared by using Soxhlet extraction and column chromatographic cleanup. Average recoveries of 61–118% were obtained for the 13C‐labeled PBDE internal standards spiked in the samples prior to sample preparation. The accuracy represented by relative analytical errors was −24% to 18%, and the precision (relative standard deviation) was 11–26% (n = 8). The method detection limits ranged from 0.013–0.25 ng/g for the PBDEs in soil. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification and impact of outcome selection bias in meta‐analysis
Authors: Williamson P. R. , Gamble C. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe systematic review community has become increasingly aware of the importance of addressing the issues of heterogeneity and publication bias in meta‐analyses. A potentially bigger threat to the validity of a meta‐analysis appears relatively unnoticed. The within‐study selective reporting of outcomes, defined as the selection of a subset of the original variables recorded for inclusion in publication of trials, can theoretically have a substantial impact on the results.A cohort of meta‐analyses on the Cochrane Library was reviewed to examine how often this form of within‐study publication bias was suspected and explained some of the evident funnel plot asymmetry. In cases where the level of suspicion was high, sensitivity analysis was undertaken to assess the robustness of the conclusion to this bias. Although within‐study selection was evident or suspected in several trials, the impact on the conclusions of the meta‐analyses was minimal.This paper deals with the identification of, sensitivity analysis for, and impact of within‐study selective reporting in meta‐analysis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using generalized additive models to reduce residual confounding
Authors: Benedetti Andrea , Abrahamowicz Michal 
Published: December 2004

AbstractTraditionally, confounding by continuous variables is controlled by including a linear or categorical term in a regression model. Residual confounding occurs when the effect of the confounder on the outcome is mis‐modelled. A continuous representation of a covariate was previously shown to result in a less biased estimate of the adjusted exposure effect than categorization provided the functional form of the covariate–outcome relationship is correctly specified. However, this is rarely known. In contrast to parametric regression, generalized additive models (GAM) fit a smooth dose–response curve to the data, without requiringa prioriknowledge of the functional form.We used simulations to compare parametric multiple logistic regression vs its non‐parametric GAM extension in their ability to control for a continuous confounder. We also investigated several issues related to the implementation of GAM in this context, including: (i) selecting the degrees of freedom; and (ii) alternative criteria for inclusion/exclusion of the potential confounder and for choosing between parametric and non‐parametric representation of its effect. The impact of the shape and strength of the confounder–disease association, sample size, and the correlation between the confounder and exposure were investigated.Simulations showed that when the confounder has a non‐linear association with the outcome, compared to a parametric representation, GAM modelling (i) reduced the mean squared error for the adjusted exposure effect; (ii) avoided inflation of the type I error for testing the exposure effect. When the true confounder–outcome relationship was linear, GAM performed as well as the parametric logistic regression.When modelling a continuous exposure non‐parametrically, in the presence of a continuous confounder, our results suggest that assuming a linear effect of the confounder and focussing on the non‐linearity of the exposure–outcome relationship leads to spurious findings of non‐linearity: joint non‐linear modelling is necessary.Overall, our results suggest that the use of GAM to reduce residual confounding offers several improvements over conventional parametric modelling. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.