bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chromosome studies in the grass subfamily Chloridoideae. I. Basic chromosome numbers
Authors: Roodt Rouvay , Spies Johan J.
Published: February 2007

Two main basic chromosome numbers occur in the majority of southern African Chloridoideae, i.e., 9 and 10, the majority being x = 10. Two main evolutionary pathways, one following x = 10 and the other following an aneuploid/dysploid reduction to x = 9 are suggested for the subfamily. Evidence indicates that x = 9, 10 are paleopolyploid basic chromosome numbers, with x = 10 derived from x = 5. This corresponds to the closely related Panicoideae where five is accepted as the basic chromosome number.
Rediscovery of the first collection of the "Living Fossil",Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Authors: Ma Jinshuang , Shao Guofan
Published: February 2007

Living trees of the early Cenozoic taxonMetasequoia glyptostroboideswere first discovered in 1943. The first specimen that triggered its discovery, however, was lost. After three years of searching, we have located the first specimen stored in an unregistered, abandoned "herbarium" at the Jiangsu Forestry Academy (JFA), Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. This first specimen was collected by C. Wang (number 118) on 21 Jul 1943 from a large tree at Modaoxi, Wan Xian, Sichuan, also known as the type tree since the type was collected from the same tree by C. J. Hsueh in 1946.
Phylogenetic relationships in Asphodelaceae (subfamily Alooideae) inferred from chloroplast DNA sequences (rbcL, matK) and from genomic fingerprinting (ISSR)
Authors: Treutlein Jens , Smith Gideon F. , van Wyk Ben-Erik , Wink Michael
Published: February 2007

Two independent lines of molecular evidence have been studied to explore phylogenetic relationships in the family Asphodelaceae. Genomic fingerprinting by ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeats) analysis was compared to sequence data of the chloroplast genes matK and rbcL. Molecular data indicate that some long­established taxonomic concepts would have to be re­evaluated. The subfamily Asphodeloideae clusters as a sister group to a distinctly monophyletic Alooideae. However, several Alooideae genera, including Aloe and Haworthia, are apparently not monophyletic. From a molecular point of view, Haworthia can be divided into two distinct groups that agree closely with the current subgeneric classification: a monophyletic group including species of subgenus Haworthia, and a second polyphyletic group with the subgenera Hexangulares and Robustipedunculares. This second clade includes Poellnitzia, Astroloba, Gasteria and even one Haworthia­like aloe (Aloe aristata). In the polyphyletic assemblage currently classified as Aloe, several smaller clades can be recognised, often reflecting morphological, chemical and geographical discontinuities. The tree aloes (sections Aloidendron and Dracoaloe) and climbing aloes (series Macrifoliae) appear to have separated early in Alooideae, while other groups (e.g., the flavonoid­containing group and a Madagascan group) are embedded within and amongst other genera. Chortolirion clusters with the grass­like aloes (section Graminialoe Reynolds, syn. Leptaloe Berger), A. boylei and A. verecunda , on a well­defined branch. The current taxonomic system clearly does not reflect the phylogenetic affinities and relationships amongst the succulent genera Aloe, Astroloba, Chortolirion, Gasteria, Haworthia, and Poellnitzia.
“Every Family Has Its Freak”: Perceptions of Collaboration in Occupied Soviet Russia, 1943–1948
Authors: Jones Jeffrey W.
Published: February 2007

Based on archival and other materials from Rostov-on-Don, a major industrial center in southern Russia, Jeffrey W.Jones examines the different representations of collaboration apparent in Soviet society during and after the war. Jones analyzes several different levels of discourse: inner party deliberations and reports on the subject, depictions of collaborators and their actions in the local party press, questions and comments of workers and others at public meetings as recorded by party officials, and Cold War and post-Cold War era memoirs and interviews. These sources overlap to a significant degree but deal with the complex issue of collaboration in nuanced ways, stressing different themes and asking different questions. The evidence reveals a subtle divide in the perception and representation of this issue between party leaders and the population at large while also showing that the party's public assurances of cossack loyalty contrasted with a widely shared assumption of cossackdisloyalty.
Collaboration on Trial: New Source Material on Soviet Postwar Trials against Collaborators
Authors: Penter Tanja
Published: February 2007

Three historians comment on the articles. John Connelly considers the moral and historiographical meanings of "collaboration" and "collaborationism" and suggests that even those cases that Friedrich documents do not make Poland into a collaborationist country. In fact, the Nazis were disappointed that Poles refused to collaborate. Connelly emphasizes the complicated choices and intentions among the Polish population and calls for bringing together both the heroic (and true) tale of Polish resistance with the disturbing (and true) tale of Polish accommodation to the slaughter of the Jews. Tanja Penter adds to the discussion the results of her own research in the records of military tribunals for trials of Soviet citizens accused of collaborating with the Germans. These data confirm the Soviet regime's extremely broad understanding of collaboration and provide in-sight into the collective biography of collaborators. They also suggest which crimes the regime believed most harmful to its integrity. While it is difficult to determine motives and even intentions from these trials, these data, like Jones's, indicate the immense loyalty problem that the Soviet government faced in its occupied territories. Martin Dean calls attention to the difficulties of weeding out collaborators in the postwar Soviet Union and agrees with Jones on the limits of representing the "reality" of collaboration. He notes the reluctance, raised by both Friedrich and Jones, of postwar communist governments and nationalists to deal publicly with the phenomenon. Contrasted to the desire in postwar Europe to deal quickly with war criminals, collaborators, and traitors so that people could move on with their lives, Dean emphasizes the necessity and possibility for historians to write a full history of wartime collaboration, one that recognizes multiple human motives and the responses of hundreds of thousands of individuals who had to take far-reaching decisions under swiftly changing circumstances.
The Trap of Backwardness: Modernity, Temporality, and the Study of Eastern European Nationalism
Authors: Todorova Maria
Published: February 2007

This article focuses on the discourse of backwardness as an aspect of what has been recognized as the dominant trope in east European historiography undl the end of the twentieth century, namely nationalism. Through a survey of east European historiographies, it demonstrates how different notions of temporality are employed. Eastern Europe as a whole and the particular problem of east European nationalism have been constituted as historical objects of study very much on the pattern of anthropological objects, through structural models of “timeless” theory and method and bracketing out time as a dimension of intercultural study. The article proposes a way to circumvent the trap of origins, which carries backwardness as its corollary, by introducing the idea of relative synchronicity within alongue duréeframework. This allows the description of a period in terms of linear consecutive developments but also as a dialogical process without overlooking important aspects of short-term historical analysis involving sequential development, transmission, and diffusion.
Anti-Catholicism in Germany, Britain, and the United States: A Review and Critique of Recent Scholarship
Authors: Drury Marjule Anne
Published: February 2007

The past two decades have seen an efflorescence of works exploring cultural anti-Catholicism in a variety of national contexts. But so far, historians have engaged in little comparative analysis. This article is a first step, examining recent historical literature on modern British and American anti-Catholicism, in order to trace the similarities and distinctiveness of the turn-of-the-century German case. Historians are most likely to be acquainted with American nativism, the GermanKulturkampf, continental anticlericalism, and the problems of Catholic Emancipation and the Irish Question in Britain. Many of the themes and functions of anti-Catholic discourse in the West transcended national and temporal boundaries. In each case, the conceptualization of a Catholic ‘other’ is a testament to the tenacity of confessionalism in an age formerly characterized as one of inexorable secularization. Contemporary observers often agreed that religious culture—like history, race, ethnicity, geography, and local custom—played a role in the self-evident distinctiveness of peoples and nations, in their political forms, economic performance, and intellectual and artistic contributions. We will see how confessionalism remained a lens through which intellectuals and ordinary citizens, whether attached or estranged from religious commitments, viewed political, economic, and cultural change.
Women, Gender, and the Study of Christian History
Authors: Clark Elizabeth A.
Published: February 2007

Anglo-Saxonist Allen Frantzen, addressing fellow medievalists in 1993, dismissed fears expressed by female colleaguesthat adopting the designation “gender studies” would signal a reinstatement of “familiar male canons while crowding hard-won courses on women writers out of the curriculum.” Such a regression, Frantzen retorted, was “inconceivable,” since “a return to a prefeminist curriculum is as likely in most universities as a resurgence of the electric typewriter.”
Justin Martyr Invents Judaism
Authors: Boyarin Daniel
Published: February 2007

The historiography of Judaism in the rabbinic period (together with its implications for the history of Christianity) had been, until quite recently, founded on the assumption that the kind of historical information that rabbinic legends could yield was somehow directly related to the narrative contents that they displayed, which were understood as more or less reliable depending on the critical sensibility of the scholar. This scholarship was not, of course, generally naïve or pious in its aims or methods. A recurring question within such research had to do with the question of the credibility of a given text or passage of rabbinic literature or the recovery of its “historical kernel.” For the method or approach that I take up, all texts are by definition equally credible, for the object of research is the motives of the construction of the narrative itself, that is taken to attest to the political context of its telling or retellingrather than to the context of the narrative's content. All texts inscribe the social practices within which they originate, and many also seek to locate the genealogy of those social practices in a narrative of origins, producing a reversal of cause and effect. This reversal is a mode of narration that is particularly germane to the project of replacing traditional patterns of belief and behavior (“We have always done it this way”) with new ones that wish nevertheless to claim the authority, necessarily, of hoary antiquity—in short, to the invention of orthodoxies.
“Taste and See”: The Eucharist and the Eyes of Faith in the Fourth Century
Authors: Frank Georgia
Published: February 2007

Whenever Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, stood before newly baptized Christians on Easter week, his task seemed straightforward: to explain the meaning of the initiations they had recently undergone. His explanations, however, were peppered with dialogue, as he thought aloud about the impression these rites had made on the new converts. He recounted the previous days' events in these words: “You went, you washed, you came to the altar, you began to see what you had not seen before.” This promise of novel sights, however, could not dispel the neophytes' lingering doubts. Aloud, he imagined their questions: “Is this that great mystery which the eye has not seen nor the ear heard … ? I see waters which I used to see daily; are these able to cleanse me?” Ambrose wondered if the baptism lacked sufficient majesty, such that a catechumen might ask, “‘Is this all?’” Ambrose already knew what he would reply, “Yes, this is all, truly all.” Baptism, the rite often timed to coincide with Easter, might disappoint as much as it inspired awe.
From Martin Bucer to Richard Baxter: “Discipline” and Reformation in Sixteenthand Seventeenth-Century England
Authors: Black J. William
Published: February 2007

Already famous for his best-selling books on Christian devotion and increasingly infamous for his attempts at a theological synthesis of Calvinist and Arminian perspectives on salvation—which (no surprise) pleased hardly anyone—Richard Baxter (1615–91) nearly succeeded in redefining English pastoral practice before the Restoration brought his experiment in pastor-led, parish-based reformation to a frustrating end. At the core of his efforts to bring reformation to Kidderminster lay his efforts to establish a parish-based system of church discipline that would preserve the integrity of the sacraments and thus rob separatists of one of their primary excuses for abandoning the parochial system. This article seeks to place Baxter's effort to develop a strategy for an effective church discipline in its historical context. In particular, I will first consider the precedents to the system which Richard Baxter developed for St. Mary's parish. Special attention will be given to Martin Bucer's Reformation-era prescription for reforming the discipline of the church and the intriguing possibility that Baxter's strategy was actually a recovery of Bucerian pastoral emphases. Second, I will trace the evolution of Baxter's own program for discipline. Finally, I will discuss the impact Baxter's discipline had on his wider goal of reformation, both in his parish and beyond.
Proposal for a mercury isolation procedure using cold vapor method in combination with voltammetric determination using a rotating gold electrode
Authors: Chýlková Jaromíra , Šelešovská-Fadrná Renáta , Machalíková Jaroslava
Published: February 2007

The optimal process of pre-treatment and activation of gold rotating disc electrode (AuRDE) before voltammetric determination of mercury is proposed. This treatment encompasses polishing of the electrode surface, electrochemical cycling, and activation. This procedure both increases determination sensitivity as well as improves determination reproducibility. The detection limit on the working electrode achieved using this approach amounted to 8.26·10−10 mol L−1for direct mercury determination in water solution (applying 200 s running accumulation). The procedure of the quantitative mercury isolation from complicated sample matrix was developed as well. It provides better selectivity and significant increase of sensitivity of mercury determination. In case of mercury isolation from one liter of water the detection limit is 6.23·10−11 mol L−1 (analyzing a greater sample volume the determined concentration could be lower).
Carvedilol Protects against Cyclosporine Nephropathy in Rats
Authors: Kotolová H. , Kollár P. , Jarošová M.
Published: February 2007

The aim of our experimental work was to study whether carvedilol is able to protect renal tissue from cyclosporine toxic effect in animal model of cyclosporine nephropathy. The study was performed on twenty Wistar rats divided in two experimental groups: control (treated with placebo) and carvedilol (treated with p.o. dose 10mg/kg/day in 1 ml solution). Cyclosporine in oral dose of 15 mg/kg/day was administered to all animals during 15 days of experiment. Urine was collected daily for the assessment of diuresis, proteinuria, and determination of urea and creatinine levels. Serum collected at the end of the experiment (day 15) was used for the determination of urea and transferrin levels. The level of renal tissue damage was evaluated by the Jones method for basal membranes, glomeruli and tubuli impregnation, and by the Kossa method for calcium impregnation. For the determination of paranuclear inclusions presence we used chromanilinblue (CAB) method. Statistically significant differences between total protein levels in urine on day 7 of the experiment and urea levels in serum at the end of the experiment in the control group and the carvedilol-treated group indicate a protective effect of carvedilol on renal tissue, which is supported also by the results of a histological examination of renal tissue. Significant increase in the serum transferrin level was registered in the carvedilol-treated group and no significant changes were noted in ceruloplasmin serum levels. In conclusion, our pilot study showed that carvedilol has the ability to protect renal tissue from cyclosporine induced nephropathy in rats.
Human dental microwear from Ohalo II (22,500–23,500 cal BP), southern Levant
Authors: Mahoney Patrick
Published: January 2007

Dietary hardness and abrasiveness are inferred from human dental microwear at Ohalo II, a late Upper Palaeolithic site (22,500–23,500 cal BP) in the southern Levant. Casts of molar grinding facets from two human skeletons were examined with a scanning electron microscope. The size and frequency of microwear was measured, counted, and compared to four prehistoric human groups from successive chronological periods in the same region: pre‐pottery Neolithic A, Chalcolithic (this study); Natufian, pre‐pottery Neolithic B (Mahoney: Am J Phys Anthropol 130 (2006) 308–319). The Ohalo molars had a high frequency of long narrow scratches, and a few small pits, suggesting a tough abrasive diet that required more shearing rather than compressive force while chewing. These results imply that the diet of the two late Upper Palaeolithic hunter‐gatherers did not focus on very hard foods. Aquatic foods with adherent contaminants, as well as grit from plant grinding tools seemed likely causal agents. The size of the pits and scratches on the Ohalo molars were most similar to microwear from the pre‐pottery Neolithic A period, though they also compared well to the Chalcolithic period. These results contrasted with the larger pits and scratches from the Natufian hunter‐gatherers and pre‐pottery Neolithic B farmers, implying that there is no simple increase or decrease in dietary hardness and abrasiveness across the late Upper Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic development in the Southern Levant. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Palladium‐Katalysatorsysteme für die Synthese von konjugierten Eninen durch Sonogashira‐Kupplungen und verwandte Alkinylierungen
Authors: Doucet Henri , Hierso Jean‐Cyrille
Published: January 2007

Konjugierte Alkine sind stets wiederkehrende Synthesebausteine in Naturstoffen, zahlreichen unverzichtbaren industriellen Zwischenstufen, in Pharmazeutika und Agrochemikalien sowie in molekularen Materialien für Optik und Elektronik. Daher zählt die palladiumkatalysierte Verknüpfung der sp2‐hybridisierten Kohlenstoffatome von Aryl‐, Heteroaryl‐ und Vinylhalogeniden mit den sp‐hybridisierten Kohlenstoffatomen von terminalen Acetylenen in einer Kreuzkupplung unbestreitbar zu den bedeutendsten Entwicklungen der Alkinchemie in den vergangenen fünfzig Jahren. Auf die grundlegenden Arbeiten der 1970er folgte eine intensive Suche nach allgemeineren und verlässlicheren Reaktionsbedingungen. Das Interesse an einer katalytischen Aktivierung anspruchsvoller Substrate, die unbedingte Notwendigkeit, den Ressourcenverbrauch zu minimieren, und die einfache Synthese einer stetig wachsenden Zahl an funktionalisierten Eninen führte allmählich zu den aktuellen Katalysatoren mit hohen Umsatzzahlen. Der vorliegende Aufsatz gibt einen Überblick über hoch wirksame Palladium‐Katalysatorsysteme für die direkte Alkinylierung von C(sp2)‐Halogeniden mit terminalen Alkinen in homogener oder heterogener Phase.
Titelbild: Efficient Iron/Copper Co‐Catalyzed Arylation of Nitrogen Nucleophiles (Angew. Chem. 6/2007)
Authors: Taillefer Marc , Xia Ning , Ouali Armelle
Published: January 2007

Die C‐N‐Bindungsbildung spielt bei vielen Synthesen in der chemischen und pharmazeutischen Industrie und in den Materialwissenschaften eine wichtige Rolle. In ihrer Zuschrift auf S. 952 ff. beschreiben M. Taillefer et al. eine kooperative Dimetallkatalyse mit Fe und Cu, die eine C‐N‐Kupplung zwischen Stickstoffnucleophilen und Arylhalogeniden ermöglicht (siehe Titelbild). Kommerzielle Verfügbarkeit, niedrige Kosten, einfache Handhabung und Umweltfreundlichkeit sprechen für den Einsatz dieses Systems in industriellen Prozessen.
Innentitelbild: The Structures and Optical Spectra of Hydrated Transplutonium Ions in the Solid State and in Solution (Angew. Chem. 6/2007)
Authors: Lindqvist‐Reis Patric , Apostolidis Christos , Rebizant Jean , Morgenstern Alfred , Klenze Reinhardt , Walter Olaf , Fanghänel Thomas , Haire Richard G.
Published: January 2007

Die Koordinationsgeometrien der Americium(III)‐ und Curium(III)‐aqua‐Ionen ähneln denen der hochsymmetrischen nona‐hydratisierten Spezies in ihren Triflatsalzen [M(H2O)9](CF3SO3)3 überraschend stark. Diese Befunde werden durch die Ergebnisse von Einkristallröntgenbeugung, EXAFS und optischer Spektroskopie gestützt, die P. Lindqvist‐Reis und Mitarbeiter in ihrer Zuschrift auf S. 937ff. vorstellen. Das Bild zeigt die charakteristische orangefarbene Lumineszenz von CmIII in wässriger Lösung und im Triflatsalz sowie die Molekülstruktur des Salzes.
Palladium‐Based Catalytic Systems for the Synthesis of Conjugated Enynes by Sonogashira Reactions and Related Alkynylations
Authors: Doucet Henri , Hierso Jean‐Cyrille
Published: January 2007

Conjugated alkynes are recurring building blocks in natural products, a wide range of industrial intermediates, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, and molecular materials for optics and electronics. The palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling between sp2‐hybridized carbon atoms of aryl, heteroaryl, and vinyl halides with sp‐hybridized carbon atoms of terminal acetylenes is one of the most important developments in the field of alkyne chemistry over the past 50 years. The seminal work of the 1970s has initiated an intense search for more general and reliable reaction conditions. The interest in the catalytic activation of demanding substrates, the need to minimize the consumption of depletive resources, and the search for easy access to an increased variety of functionalized enynes has led to the current generations of high‐turnover catalysts. This Review gives an overview of the highly efficient palladium catalyst systems for the direct alkynylation of C(sp2) halides with terminal alkynes, both in homogeneous and heterogeneous phases.
Cotton fabric surface modification for improved UV radiation protection using sol–gel process
Authors: Abidi Noureddine , Hequet Eric , Tarimala Sowmitri , Dai Lenore L.
Published: January 2007

In this study, lightweight 100% cotton fabric was successfully modified by the sol–gel process to impart high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) scattering property to the fabric surface. Active ingredients were tetraethyl orthotitanate [Ti(OCH2CH3)4] and tetraethyl orthosilicate [Si(OCH2CH3)4]. The cotton fabric was padded with the nanosol solution, dried at 60°C, and cured at 150°C. Scanning electron microscopy showed continuous and uniform film on the fiber surface. Excellent UVR scattering was obtained with all treated fabrics. Increasing titania content in the nanosol solution leads to increased UVR protection. This is attributed to the increase of the refractive index of the film formed on the fabric surface. Excellent durability of the treatment was obtained, which indicates a good adhesion between the coating and the fabric surface. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 111–117, 2007.
Morphological analysis of the tiger stripe on injection molding of polypropylene/ethylene‐propylene rubber/talc blends dependent on based polypropylene design
Authors: Hirano Koki , Suetsugu Yoshiyuki , Kanai Toshitaka
Published: January 2007

Tiger stripe of injection molding of polypropylene (PP)/elastomer/talc blends was analyzed in terms of the morphology of the dispersed phase comprising elastomer components by using gloss and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the contribution of the polymer design of PP, i.e., industrial block‐type grade consisting of a homo‐PP portion as the matrix and an ethylene propylene random copolymer portion as the domain is discussed. Local gloss measurement of the injected specimen along with the flow direction of the molten blends indicates a periodic fluctuation repeating higher and lower degrees of gloss, corresponding to the period of glossy and cloudy portions of the tiger stripe, respectively. These local gloss degrees are highly dependent on the morphologies of the dispersed phases near the surface layer of the injected specimen. The gloss increases when the ratio long axis (L) and diameter (D), L/D, of the dispersed phase are increased, and the gloss decreases when the L/D is decreased. Increasing the intrinsic viscosity of the ethylene‐propylene rubber portion of the PP is an effective design factor for restricting the deformation against shear strain during injection process by giving the dispersed phases high elasticity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 192–199, 2007
Blends of polypropylene with solid silicone additive
Authors: Muñoz P. M. Patricia , Werlang Moisés M. , Nachtigall Sônia M. B. , S. M. Cardozo Nilo , Mauler Raquel S.
Published: January 2007

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and silicone masterbatch (SMBPP)—a commercial formulation consisting of an ultrahigh molecular weigh polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) dispersed in PP—were prepared by melt mixing in an internal mixer. Four binary blends with different SMBPP content and two ternary blends containing silane‐grafted polypropylenes (PP‐VTES) of different VTES content as compatibilizer were produced. The blends were analyzed by melting flow rate, rotational rheometry, scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In all blends, the SMBPP remained as dispersed phase in the continuous PP matrix. The addition of PP‐VTES reduced significantly the size of the SMBPP domains. Rheological and morphological data strongly indicate that the PP‐VTES acts only by lowering the interfacial tension of the system without generating strong interaction between SMBPP domains and the PP matrix. The dimensions of the SMBPP domains and the interfacial energy were observed to determine the characteristics of the pseudoplastic behavior of the blends in the melt state. For both binary and ternary blends, the SMBPP domains showed nucleating effect leading to an increase of the degree of crystallinity. However, the decrease in the interfacial energy and viscosity promoted by the addition of PP‐VTES to the system led to a more intense nucleating effect and to an increase of crystallization, melting temperatures, and melting enthalpy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 226–233, 2007
Novel Poly(vinyl alcohol)‐tetraethoxysilane hybrid matrix membranes as oxygen barriers
Authors: Patil Mallikarjunagouda B. , Patil Sangamesh A. , Veerapur Ravindra S. , Aminabhavi Tejraj M.
Published: January 2007

Novel type of membranes based on poly(vinyl alcohol) crosslinked with tetraethoxysilane have been prepared by solution casting and solvent‐evaporation method. The membranes thus formed were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to study the chemical interactions, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetry (TGA) to investigate morphological and thermal properties. Membranes were prepared in two different thicknesses (30 and 55 μm) and used for measuring the oxygen permeability under varying feed pressures (maintaining the desired pressure differential across the membrane) in the range from 1 to 50 kg/cm2 pressure. Oxygen permeability of the membranes ranged from 0.0091 to 1.6165 Barrer for 30 μm and 0.0305 to 0.1409 Barrer for 55‐μm thick membranes by increasing the feed pressures on the feed side. Except at 50 kg/cm2 pressure, the observed oxygen permeability values are almost close to total permeability. Membranes of this study could be useful as oxygen barriers for applications in food packaging industries. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 273–278, 2007
Preparation of genipin‐fixed agarose hydrogel
Authors: Meena Ramavatar , Prasad Kamalesh , Siddhanta A. K.
Published: January 2007

Genipin, a naturally occurring crosslinker, was employed to modify agarose in aqueous medium at pH ∼ 7 at ambient conditions. The physical and rheological properties were studied. The genipin‐fixed agarose hydrogel (0.8 wt % genipin with respect to the polysaccharide) having the maximum swelling capacity was obtained after 85‐h crosslinking reaction. The reaction mixture developed a dark blue color with the passage of time, indicating thereby the progress of the crosslinking reaction in presence of genipin. The maximum swelling of the genipin‐fixed agarose hydrogel in acidic medium at pH 1.2 was ∼ 48 g/g, whereas the parent polysaccharide agarose achieved equilibrium swelling state at 6 g/g. The genipin‐fixed agarose showed 30% weight loss in Ringer's solution, while the agarose polysaccharide exhibited ∼ 50% weight loss in the same medium, both after 60 days. The thermogravimetric analysis studies revealed enhanced thermal stability of the genipin‐fixed agarose hydrogel. In view of the enhanced stability and swelling capacity of the genipin‐fixed agarose compared to agarose, the value added polysaccharide may be useful in new applications as super absorbents and in biomedical applications. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 290–296, 2007
Micro‐ and Nanometer‐Scale Porous, Fibrous, and Sheet Architectures Constructed by Supramolecular Assemblies of Dipyrrolyldiketones
Authors: Maeda Hiromitsu , Kusunose Yukio , Terasaki Masahiro , Ito Yoshihiro , Fujimoto Chikoto , Fujii Rika , Nakanishi Takashi
Published: January 2007

X‐ray analysis of some 1,3‐dipyrrolyl‐1,3‐propanediones synthesized from pyrroles and malonyl chloride derivatives revealed 1D supramolecular networks formed by NH⋅⋅⋅OC interactions in the solid state. Micro‐ and nanometer‐scale morphologies of porous, fibrous, and sheet structures were fabricated by hydrogen‐bonding interactions and determined by fine‐tuning the substituents and the solvents used. Of the unique polymorphs, ordered 2D lamellar sheet structures of the derivatives with long alkyl chains (C16H33, C14H29, and so on) were constructed by van der Waals hydrophobic effects between aliphatic chains as well as hydrogen bonding.
Mechanistic Analysis of Nucleophilic Substrates Oxidation by Functional Models of Vanadium‐Dependent Haloperoxidases: A Density Functional Theory Study (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 4/2007)
Authors: Schneider Curtis J. , Zampella Guiseppe , Greco Claudio , Pecoraro Vincent L. , De Gioia Luca
Published: January 2007

The cover picture shows four substrates (Cl–, Br–, I–, and dimethyl sulfide) that all pass through nearly identical transition states when oxidized by (hydroperoxido)(oxido)vanadium(V) 2,2′‐[(2‐hydroxyethyl)imino]diacetate [VO(OOH)Hheida]. The differences in the physical properties of the substrate are represented by the changes in the color scheme for each panel. Despite the different “colors”, certain features of the transition states are always maintained, such as: nearly linear substrate peroxo oxygen bond angles, nucleophilic attack of the substrate on the unprotonated peroxo oxygen atom, and nearly complete hydroperoxo oxygen bond. This work lays the foundation for the development of more effective and potentially stereoselective catalysts based on the biomimetic catalyst V(OOH)Hheida. Details of this computational study can be found in the article by V. L. Pecoraro, and L. De Gioia on p. 515 ff.
A Simple Synthesis of Furo[3′,4′:5,6]pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine Derivatives through Multicomponent Reactions in Water
Authors: Tu Shu‐Jiang , Zhang Yan , Jiang Hong , Jiang Bo , Zhang Jun‐Yong , Jia Run‐Hong , Shi Feng
Published: January 2007

A series of furo[3′,4′:5,6]pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine and indeno[2′,1′:5,6]pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized by three‐component reactions involving an aldehyde, 2,6‐diaminopyrimidine‐4(3H)‐one, and either tetronic acid or indane‐1,3‐dione in water, under microwave irradiation and traditional heating conditions, without use of any catalyst. This protocol has the advantages of higher yields, lower cost, reduced environmental impact, and convenience of procedure. The synthesis of a class of important compounds in aqueous medium has been achieved. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)
Glycals in Organic Synthesis: A Systematic Strategy for the Preparation of Uncommon Piperidine 1,2‐Dideoxy‐L‐azasugars and 2‐Deoxy‐1,5‐anhydro‐L‐hexitols
Authors: Ciliberti Elena , Galvani Roberta , Gramazio Francesca , Haddas Samantha , Leonelli Francesca , Passacantilli Pietro , Piancatelli Giovanni
Published: January 2007

A systematic synthetic strategy has been developed for producing uncommon piperidine 1,2‐dideoxy‐L‐azasugars. This method involves the formation of open intermediates such as 2, 7, and 10 easily by ring‐opening of D‐glycals with aqueous mercury(II) acetate/sodium borohydride. A concise sequence of regioselective amination and cyclization reactions then allowed us to prepare the cyclic compounds 5a and 5b, L enantiomers of naturally occurring fagomine congeners such as 3‐epi‐fagomine (II) and 3,4‐di‐epi‐fagomine (III), from D‐glucal and D‐galactal, respectively. The unnatural 3,4‐di‐epi‐6‐deoxyfagomine 9 was obtained from L‐rhamnal by the same reaction sequence. This straightforward chemistry has been shown to be useful for preparing glycosyl derivatives of 1,2‐dideoxy‐L‐azasugars starting from glycosyl glycals such as D‐lactal, D‐cellobial, D‐maltal, and D‐melibial, thus avoiding the usually lengthy glycosylation procedures. The flexibility of our protocol has been demonstrated by the easy conversion of the above‐described open intermediates into uncommon 2‐deoxy‐1,5‐anhydro‐L‐hexitols, never previously described. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)
Cover Picture: Organic Reactions in Microemulsions (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 5/2007)
Authors: Holmberg Krister
Published: January 2007

The cover picture shows how a lipophilic reactant, 4‐tert‐butylbenzyl bromide, meets a hydrophilic reactant, an iodide ion, at the oil‐water interface of a microemulsion. The interface is covered by a monolayer of nonionic and cationic surfactants. Details are presented in the Microreview by K. Holmberg on p. 731 ff. (Mr. Tomasz Witula is acknowledged for drawing the figure.)
An empirical analysis of the impact of choice on waiting times
Authors: Siciliani Luigi , Martin Steve
Published: January 2007

Policy‐makers often claim that enhancing patient choice induces more competition among hospitals and may therefore reduce waiting times. This paper tests this claim using 120 English NHS hospitals over the period 1999–2001. Several proxies for the degree of choice (or competition) are constructed including: (a) the number of hospitals within the catchment area of each hospital; (b) the number of hospitals in the catchment area of each hospital standardised by the population of the catchment area; (c) the inverse of the Herfindahl index (or ‘the number of effective competitors’). Several control variables are included: the availability of doctors, junior doctors, nurses, and other personnel; the availability of acute beds; the emergency admission rate; the day‐case rate; the average length of inpatient stay; an indicator of case‐mix; and mortality and re‐admission rates. We find that more choice is significantly associated with lower waiting times at the sample mean (five hospitals) although the quantitative effect is modest: an extra hospital in a catchment area will only reduce waiting by at most a few days (or 1–2% reduction in waiting). There is also some evidence that increases in choice can boost waiting times when the degree of choice is very high (i.e. more than 11 hospitals are included in the catchment area). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Start‐stop funding, its causes and consequences: a case study of the delivery exemptions policy in Ghana
Authors: Witter Sophie , Adjei Sam
Published: January 2007

This article looks at the issue of sustaining funding for a public programme through the case study of the delivery exemptions policy in Ghana. The Government of Ghana introduced the policy of exempting users from delivery fees in September 2003 in the four most deprived regions of the country, and in April 2005 it was extended to the remaining six regions in Ghana. The aim of the policy of free delivery care was to reduce financial barriers to using maternity services. Using materials from key informant interviews at national and local levels in 2005, the article examines how the policy has been implemented and what the main constraints have been, as perceived by different actors in the health system. The interviews show that despite being a high‐profile public policy and achieving positive results, the delivery exemptions policy quickly ran into implementation problems caused by inadequate funding. They suggest that facility and district managers bear the brunt of the damage that is caused when benefits that have been promised to the public cannot be delivered. There can be knock‐on effects on other public programmes too.

Despite these problems, start‐stop funding and under‐funding of public programmes is more the norm than the exception. Some of the factors causing erratic funding—such as party politics and intersectoral haggling over resources—are unavoidable, but others, such as communication and management failures can and should be addressed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of 3H‐ and 2H4‐labelled versions of the hypoxia‐activated pre‐prodrug 2‐[(2‐bromoethyl)‐2,4‐dinitro‐6‐ [[[2‐(phosphonooxy)ethyl]amino]carbonyl]anilino]ethyl methanesulfonate (PR‐104)
Authors: Atwell Graham J. , Denny William A.
Published: January 2007

3H‐ and 2H4‐versions of the hypoxia‐activated pre‐prodrug PR‐104 [2‐[(2‐bromoethyl)‐2,4‐dinitro‐6‐[[[2‐(phosphonooxy)ethyl]amino]carbonyl]anilino]ethyl methanesulfonate], labelled in the ethylcarboxamide side chain, have been prepared, respectively, by [3H]NaBH4 reduction of a precursor late stage aldehyde, and by late stage incorporation of deuterium with 2‐amino[1,1,2,2‐2H4]ethanol. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation and biodistribution of novel 99mTc(CO)3‐CNR complexes for myocardial imaging
Authors: Hao Guiyang , Zang Jianying , Liu Boli
Published: January 2007

We evaluated lipophilicity and biodistribution of a series of 99mTc(CO)3‐ether isonitrile complexes to determine whether different lipophilicity and structure of isonitrile ligands would improve the imaging properties of the radiopharmaceutical for the heart. Novel 99mTc(CO)3‐MIBI analogs were prepared and analyzed by radio‐HPLC, and their lipophilicity was determined. These new complexes could be bi‐ or tri‐substituted in specified pH conditions like 99mTc(CO)3‐MIBI. These new complexes exhibited low liver, lungs and blood uptake compared with [99mTc(CO)3(MIBI)3]+ though their heart uptake was not so high. Among these complexes, [99mTc(CO)3(EPI)2(OH2)]+ showed higher target to non‐target ratios at 5 and 30 min post‐injection than that of [99mTc(CO)3(MIBI)3]+. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
NMR spectra of the tautomeric mixture of two forms of 6‐azidopurine ribonucleoside labeled with 15N
Authors: Masternak Anna , Skalski Bogdan , Milecki Jan
Published: January 2007

6‐Azidopurine nucleoside labeled with 15N at N‐1 position was synthesized. 15N NMR spectra, 15N‐1H and 15N‐13C coupling constants were measured. Two well‐separated sets of signals for two tautomeric forms were detected. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preseizure increased gamma electroencephalographic activity has no effect on extracellular potassium or calcium
Authors: Broberg Marita , Pope Kenneth J. , Nilsson Michael , Wallace Angus , Wilson Jodie , Willoughby John O.
Published: January 2007

Extracellular ion concentrations change during seizures in seizure models. [K+]o increases and [Ca2+]o decreases, resulting from population discharges, enhanced neuronal excitability, though not obviously before seizure onset. In acute pharmacological epilepsy models, there are striking increases in preictal high‐frequency (gamma) electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. It is not known whether enhanced gamma EEG results in ionic changes, because gamma and ions have not been measured simultaneously. In this study, unanesthetized, paralyzed rats were given intravenous injections of kainic acid or picrotoxin to induce EEG discharges. Changes in EEG, [K+]o, and [Ca2+]o in cortex and hippocampus were recorded. Kainic acid caused small [K+]o fluctuations, without a temporal relationship of these with increased gamma EEG or with onset of discharges. Gamma EEG increases after picrotoxin also failed to affect [K+]o and [Ca2+]o. Picrotoxin‐induced electrical discharges led to [K+]o rises of >9 mM and [Ca2+]o falls of 0.1–0.2 mM. Kainic acid‐induced discharges generated only moderate (2–3 mM) rises in [K+]o and no changes in [Ca2+]o. In both models, there were large potassium rises (15–80 mM) and calcium falls (>0.5 mM), suggesting spreading depressions. Small [K+]o fluctuations after kainic acid are consistent with disruption in potassium homeostasis, possibly because of depolarization of astrocytes. To reveal possible latent [K+]o or [Ca2+]o changes, we injected fluorocitrate intracortically to impair astrocytic function, before administering picrotoxin. Even fluorocitrate did not cause gamma‐related ion changes but did cause low‐magnitude, transient, potassium increases and slower potassium homeostasis during discharges, minor changes consistent with involvement of both astrocytes and neurons in [K+]o regulation. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Downscaling of current and future rainfall climatologies for southern Morocco. Part II: Climate change signals
Authors: Huebener H. , Kerschgens M.
Published: January 2007

Climate simulations from ECHAM4/OPYC3 (IS92a scenario) and ECHAM5/MPI‐OM1 (SRES A1B scenario) are analysed regarding their precipitation change signal in southern Morocco at the border of the Saharan desert. Results are obtained from statistical‐dynamical downscaling, using circulation weather types (CWTs) as driving fields. The trends obtained from the two climate models between their respective control (1969–1989) and scenario (2060–2089) periods are added to climatology obtained form NCEP reanalysis data (1958–1997). The resulting changes are compared to general circulation models (GCM) simulated rainfall changes.

Application of the climate trends between the respective control and scenario periods of the two data sets to the climatology obtained from NCEP reanalyses leads to an increase of days with CWTs that favour rainfall in the region. This would lead to an enhanced rainfall amount by 20% for the ECHAM4/OPYC3 IS92a run and rainfall increase of 8% for the ECHAM5/MPI‐OM1 model A1B run. These findings are rather surprising, since the simulated rainfall developments from ECHAM5/MPI‐OM1 model A1B run gives a negative precipitation tendency for the area (ca − 25 mm/a) and the ECHAM4/OPYC3 IS92a run depicts a slight rise in rainfall rates (ca + 25 mm/a), due to enhanced moisture transport in a warmer atmosphere. Thermodynamic aspects are not considered here since the used approach is purely dynamical. The contradicting rainfall tendencies are attributed to the coarse resolution of the GCMs and the important role the High Atlas Mountain range plays in the mechanisms generating precipitation in the region. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Progress in the methodological strategies for the detection in real samples of desmosine and isodesmosine, two biological markers of elastin degradation
Authors: Viglio Simona , Annovazzi Laura , Luisetti Maurizio , Stolk Jan , Casado Begoña , Iadarola Paolo
Published: January 2007

Desmosines are crosslinking amino acids unique to mature elastin in humans. Owing to this unicity, they have been discussed as potentially attractive indicators of connective tissue disorders whose clinical manifestations are mostly the result of elastin degradation. This review covers advances in immunochemical, chromatographic, and electrophoretic procedures applied in the last 25 years to detect and quantitate these crosslinks in a variety of biological samples. Recent applications of CE with LIF detection (CE‐LIF) for investigating the content of desmosines in different fluids will also be discussed.
Nondigest liberation of biomarkers from plasma: A novel two‐stage ultrafiltration approach
Authors: Rogatsky Eduard , Tomuta Vlad , Stein Daniel T.
Published: January 2007

A simple procedure for sample preparation of human plasma by two stages of ultrafiltration using one device is described. Our approach is useful for nondigest liberation of biomarkers bound to albumin and other plasma proteins. The analyte contained in the ultrafiltrate can be directly analyzed without additional sample preparation, and quantified by 2‐D RP–RP LC/MS.
Phenylethynyl End‐Capped Fluorinated Imide Oligomer AFR‐PEPA‐N: Morphology and Processibility Characteristics
Authors: Li Yuntao , Murphy Lindsay A. , Lincoln Jason E. , Morgan Roger J.
Published: January 2007

Two phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride‐capped imide oligomers, AFR‐PEPA‐2 and AFR‐PEPA‐8, with molecular weights of 1 601 and 4 699 g · mol−1, respectively, were synthesized and characterized. The AFR‐PEPA‐N oligomers show higher glass transition temperatures and higher thermal decomposition temperatures than phenylethynyl‐terminated imide PETI‐5. After curing for 1 h at 390 °C, AFR‐PEPA‐2 and AFR‐PEPA‐8 have Tgs of 370 and 358 °C, respectively. AFR‐PEPA‐N oligomers demonstrated lower minimum complex melt viscosities than PETI‐5 due to the presence of CF3 group in the backbone structure. 1 601 g · mol−1 AFR‐PEPA‐2 imide oligomer has a complex melt viscosity of 10 Pa · s at 340 °C, and 4 699 g · mol−1 AFR‐PEPA‐8 imide oligomer has a complex melt viscosity of 227 Pa · s at 371 °C. AFR‐PEPA‐N film's crystal morphology was observed using polarized optical microscopy and the AFR‐PEPA‐8 oligomer did not show crystallinity. AFR‐PEPA‐2 film exhibits semicrystalline behavior and the crystallinity does not disappear until the film is cured above 375 °C.

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Influence of Low Fractions of Styrene/Butyl Acrylate Polymer Latexes on Some Properties of Ordinary Portland Cement Mortars
Authors: Boutti Salima , Urvoy Marie , Dubois‐Brugger Isabelle , Graillat Christian , Bourgeat‐Lami Elodie , Spitz Roger
Published: January 2007

The influence of the chemical structure of styrene/butyl acrylate latexes on some properties of ordinary Portland cement mortars has been investigated for low fractions of polymer with respect to the amount of cement. The structural parameters that were varied included the presence of carboxylic surface charges, the nature of the surfactant system, the molecular weight of the non‐ionic emulsifier, and the particle surface coverage. The first part of the study showed that sterically stabilised latexes remain colloidally and chemically stable for several hours in the cement interstitial medium. Moreover, no interaction could be shown between cement and latex components. Then, for a fraction of about 5wt.‐% of polymer, no significant influence of the presence of the latex was observed on the end‐use properties of the mortars. However, it clearly appears that the use of a fraction of anionic stabiliser is highly detrimental to the paste workability, whereas this latter property is improved by the presence of non‐ionic surfactant due to steric repulsion forces. Finally, the microstructure analysis confirms that the particles are homogenously dispersed in the mineral matrix and that they remain smooth and spherical.

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