bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Survivable routing algorithm with mixed shared protection in fault‐tolerant GMPLS multi‐layered optical networks
Authors: Guo Lei , Cao Jiannong , Wang Xingwei , Wei Xuetao , Gai Qiming , Ning Zhaolong , Yu Cunqian
Published: May 2010

In this paper, we studied survivability in general multi‐protocol label switching (GMPLS) multi‐layered optical networks and proposed a novel mixed shared protection algorithm (MSPA) based on the integrated layered graph (ILG) to tolerate single‐fibre link failure. The ILG is composed of one virtual topology layer (VTL), corresponding to IP/MPLS layer; multiple wavelength‐plane layers (WPLs), corresponding to the wavelength‐division multiplexing (WDM) optical layer; and some virtual links that connect the VTL to each WPL in order to solve the problem on routing, wavelength assignment and low‐speed traffic grooming. For every connection request, the MSPA first computes a single‐hop or multi‐hop label switching path (LSP) pair, involving a working LSP and a physical link‐disjoint backup LSP in the VTL. If the LSP pair is not found in the VTL, the MSPA computes the new LSP pair in the WPL. Conversely, if the new LSP pair is not detected in the WPL, the MSPA computes the hybrid multi‐hop LSP pair in the ILG. In the MSPA, if the two working LSPs are in physical link‐disjoint, their corresponding backup LSPs can share the backup bandwidth. In addition, the working LSPs and the backup LSPs can also share the same mixed of wavelength, in which the different bandwidths can be assigned to different working and backup LSPs. Simulation results show that, compared to previous algorithm, the MSPA can obtain a better bandwidth utilisation ratio (BUR) with a lower blocking probability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Novel Monoclonal Antibody to Characterize Pathogenic Polymers in Liver Disease Associated with α1-Antitrypsin Deficiency†
Authors: Miranda Elena , Pérez Juan , Ekeowa Ugo I. , Hadzic Nedim , Kalsheker Noor , Gooptu Bibek , Portmann Bernard , Belorgey Didier , Hill Marian , Chambers Susan , Teckman Jeff , Alexander Graeme J. , Marciniak Stefan J. , Lomas David A.
Published: May 2010

Alpha1-antitrypsin is the most abundant circulating protease inhibitor. The severe Z deficiency allele (Glu342Lys) causes the protein to undergo a conformational transition and form ordered polymers that are retained within hepatocytes. This causes neonatal hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. We have developed a conformation-specific monoclonal antibody (2C1) that recognizes the pathological polymers formed by α1-antitrypsin. This antibody was used to characterize the Z variant and a novel shutter domain mutant (His334Asp; α1-antitrypsin King's) identified in a 6-week-old boy who presented with prolonged jaundice. His334Asp α1-antitrypsin rapidly forms polymers that accumulate within the endoplasmic reticulum and show delayed secretion when compared to the wild-type M α1-antitrypsin. The 2C1 antibody recognizes polymers formed by Z and His334Asp α1-antitrypsin despite the mutations directing their effects on different parts of the protein. This antibody also recognized polymers formed by the Siiyama (Ser53Phe) and Brescia (Gly225Arg) mutants, which also mediate their effects on the shutter region of α1-antitrypsin.

Conclusion:

Z and shutter domain mutants of α1-antitrypsin form polymers with a shared epitope and so are likely to have a similar structure.
Vitamin D‐effective solar UV radiation, dietary vitamin D and breast cancer risk
Authors: Edvardsen Kåre , Veierød Marit B. , Brustad Magritt , Braaten Tonje , Engelsen Ola , Lund Eiliv
Published: May 2010

Vitamin D is well known for its important role in calcium and phosphor homeostasis. Recent research suggests that vitamin D also prevent some type of cancers. We studied solar vitamin D effective UV radiation (VD dose), dietary vitamin D, sun‐seeking holidays, use of solarium, frequency of sunburn and breast cancer risk in a large population‐based cohort study. A total of 41,811 women from the prospective Norwegian Women and Cancer Study, aged 40–70 years at baseline, were followed from 1997/1998 to 2007. Dietary vitamin D intake was calculated at baseline. Information on historical VD dose was used as a proxy for cutaneously obtained vitamin D status. Cox proportional hazards model was used. We adjusted for age, height, BMI, baseline menopausal status, use of hormone replacement therapy, use of oral contraception, alcohol, mother's history of breast cancer, mammography and parity. During 8.5 years of follow‐up, 948 new cases of breast cancer were registered using data from the Norwegian Cancer Registry. We found no significant associations between VD dose, or vitamin D intake, or sun‐seeking holidays, or use of solarium, or frequency of sunburn, and breast cancer risk. Relative risks (95% confidence intervals) for highest versus lowest category were 1.17 (0.95–1.44), 0.95 (0.75–1.21), 1.07 (0.87–1.32), 0.93 (0.76–1.14) and 1.10 (0.89–1.36), respectively. Our results do not support an association between vitamin D status, and breast cancer risk.
Molecular cytogenetic characterization of esophageal cancer detected by comparative genomic hybridization
Authors: Chang Yuli C. , Yeh Kun‐Tu , Liu Ta‐Chih , Chang Jan‐Gowth
Published: May 2010

Aim: Detection of cytogenetic alterations in esophageal cancer (EC). A total of 40 cases of primary EC and their paired nearby nontumor tissues were collected. The comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is the technique that brings out the gains and losses of chromosome fragments and was applied to determine the aberrations from the tissue DNA. In noncancer tissues, the gains were at 19p (5/40, 13%), 20q (5/40, 13%), and losses at 9p (13/40, 33%), 2q (10/40, 25%), 12q (10/40, 25%), 13q (10/40, 25%), 5q (9/40, 23%), 6q (9/40, 23%), 7q (9/40, 23%), and 8p (9/40, 23%). Two cases in nontumor tissues showed no CGH change. In the 40 cases of primary EC, the gains were at 8q (10/40, 25%), 3q (9/40, 23%), 2q (7/40, 18%), and 13q (7/40, 18%), and the losses were at 1q (8/40, 20%), 4q (8/40, 20%), 3p (7/40, 18%), 5q (7/40, 18%), and 18q (7/40, 18%) in comparison with paired nearby noncancerous tissues. We found that the loss aberrations were on 1q, 2p, 3p, 5q, 6q, 9p, 11p, 15q, 16q, 18q, 21q and gains on 20p in both tumor and nontumor tissues; nevertheless, −4p, −7q, −8p, −10q, −12q, −13q, −14q and +17p, +19q, +22q were only found in nontumor tissues and +1q, +2pq, +3q, −4q, +4q, +5q, 7p, +8q, +10q, +12q, +13q, +14q −17p, −19pq, −22q in EC. From these results, we suggest that most of the tissues near the cancer parts of EC may be considered as a precancerous region. The alteration between cancer and noncancer tissues may play a role in the development of EC. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 24:167–174, 2010.© 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
10th international symposium on the synthesis and applications of isotopes and isotopically labelled compounds—development of PET and SPECT imaging agents, Session 18, Thursday, June 18, 2009
Authors: Lee Myung‐Chul , Shulman Seth
Published: May 2010

The theme of this session was labelling molecules with short‐lived radioisotopes. Descriptions of the preparation of ligands of both small and large molecules were presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Immobilization of cross‐linked lipase aggregates onto magnetic beads for enzymatic degradation of polycaprolactone
Authors: Kim Mina , Park Jae‐Min , Um Hyun‐Ju , Lee Dong‐Hun , Lee Kyu‐Ho , Kobayashi Fumihisa , Iwasaka Yasunobu , Hong Chun‐Sang , Min Jiho , Kim Yang‐Hoon
Published: May 2010

Candida rugosa lipase was immobilized on amino‐functionalized magnetic supports via cross‐linked enzyme aggregates (CLEA) and used to enhance the enzymatic degradation of polycaprolactone (PCL). The maximum amounts of lipase immobilized on the magnetic beads using glutaraldehyde as a coupling agent were determined to be 33.7 mg/g of beads with an 81% recovery of activity after immobilization. Compared to the free enzyme, the immobilized lipase showed the optimum pH at 1 unit higher (pH 8.0) and also retained its enzymatic activity at higher temperatures. There was 62.9% retention of lipase activity after 30 consecutive reuses, indicating its stability and reusability in aqueous media. Moreover, the immobilized lipase maintained more than 80% of its initial activity during 30 days storage period, while the free lipase lost all under same condition. In addition, the immobilized lipase showed a more than 6‐fold increase in biodegradability over the free lipase when the immobilized lipase was used to degrade PCL in a batch system. Higher thermal and storage stability, as well as good durability after repeated use of the immobilized lipase CLEA, highlights its potential applicability as large scale continuous systems for the enzymatic degradation of PCL. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Assessment of an internal reference gene in Rhodobacter sphaeroides grown under cobalt exposure
Authors: Losurdo Luca , Italiano Francesca , Trotta Massimo , Gallerani Raffaele , Luigi Ruggiero Ceci , Leo Francesca De
Published: May 2010

Aim of this study is the identification of an appropriate internal reference gene to quantify gene transcripts isolated from Rhodobacter (R.) sphaeroides cells grown in presence of high concentrations of cobalt ions. RNA was isolated using a commercial kit protocol ad‐hoc modified. Several primer pairs were used to perform reverse transcription PCR and real‐time PCR to assess the suitable internal reference gene whose expression is not affected by cobalt ions, identified with the gene rsp0154.

This finding can be of definite help in the investigation of the response to heavy metals of the chosen strain, a potential candidate for environmental applications. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
CARS investigation of collisional shift of the hydrogen Q‐branch transitions by water at high temperatures
Authors: Vereschagin K. A. , Vereschagin A. K. , Smirnov V. V. , Stel'makh O. M. , Fabelinsky V. I. , Clauss W. , Oschwald M.
Published: May 2010

A high‐resolution (∼0.1 cm−1) spectroscopic method based on the application of a Fabry–Pérot interferometer to the spectral analysis of the coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) signal from an individual Raman transition was used to obtain single‐shot spectra of hydrogen Q‐branch transitions directly in the flame of a pulsed, high‐pressure H2/O2 combustion chamber. Simultaneously with the Fabry–Pérot pattern, a broadband CARS spectrum of the complete H2Q ‐branch structure was recorded in order to measure the temperature of the probe volume. During every cycle of the combustion chamber, a pressure pulse together with single‐shot CARS spectra, providing information on individual line shapes and medium temperature, was recorded. On the basis of the experimental data, the temperature dependences of lineshift coefficients for several Q‐branch lines of hydrogen molecules under collisions with water molecules were determined in the temperature range 2100 < T < 3500 K, and an empirical ‘fitting law’ for H2H2O lineshift coefficients is proposed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A longitudinal study of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder in Israeli civilians exposed to war trauma
Authors: Neria Yuval , Besser Avi , Kiper Dasha , Westphal Maren
Published: May 2010

This 3‐wave longitudinal study examined the mental health consequences of the Israel–Gaza 2008–2009 war among young Israeli civilians. Data on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and their predictors were collected during the war, and 2 and 4 months after ceasefire. Results showed a sharp decline in symptom levels of PTSD, MDD, and GAD over time. Perceived social support during the war moderated the effects of immediate emotional response on subsequent levels of PTSD, MDD, and GAD. These findings underscore the importance of social support and immediate emotional response to trauma in predicting trauma‐related psychopathology, and highlight the potential need for providing early care to exposed individuals exhibiting immediate and severe emotional responses.
Six score systems to evaluate candidates with advanced cirrhosis for orthotopic liver transplant: Which is the winner?
Authors: Biselli Maurizio , Gitto Stefano , Gramenzi Annagiulia , Di Donato Roberto , Brodosi Lucia , Ravaioli Matteo , Grazi Gian Luca , Pinna Antonio Daniele , Andreone Pietro , Bernardi Mauro
Published: May 2010

Many prognostic systems have been devised to predict the outcome of liver transplantation (LT) candidates. Today, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is widely used for organ allocation, but it has shown some limitations. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of MELD compared to 5 different score models. We evaluated the prognostic ability of MELD, modified Child-Turcotte-Pugh, MELD-sodium, United Kingdom MELD, updated MELD, and integrated MELD in 487 candidates with cirrhosis for LT at the Bologna Transplant Centre, Bologna, Italy, between 2003 and 2008. Calibration analysis by Hosmer-Lemeshow test, calibration curves, and concordance c-statistics (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) were calculated at 3, 6, and 12 months. Actual cumulative survival curves, taking into account the event of interest in the presence of competing risk, were obtained using the best cutoffs identified by AUC. For each score, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test revealed a good calibration. Integrated MELD showed calibration curves closer to the line of perfect predicting ability, followed by MELD-sodium at 3 months and modified Child-Turcotte-Pugh at 6 months. MELD-sodium AUCs at 3 and 6 months (0.798 and 0.765, respectively) and integrated MELD AUC at 6 months (0.792) were better than standard MELD (P < 0.05). Actual survival curves showed that these 2 scores were able to identify the patients with the highest drop-out risk. In conclusion, MELD-sodium and integrated MELD were the best prognostic models to predict drop-out rates among patients awaiting LT. Liver Transpl 16:964-973, 2010. © 2010 AASLD.
Selling stories: Harry Potter and the marketing plot
Authors: Brown Stephen , Patterson Anthony
Published: May 2010

Most families in the Western world are aware of Harry Potter, the stupendously successful stories about a boy wizard “who lived.” Most families are familiar with the shadow tales attached to Harry Potter—the tales of the rags to riches author, the mega‐blockbuster movies, the forthcoming theme park in Florida, the long lines of enthusiastic consumers outside book stores at midnight. Harry Potter, in short, is a Niagara of narratives, a sea of stories. This paper plots the Harry Potter stories onto Booker's seven‐element theory of narrative emplotment and considers how consumers interact with the Harry Potter brand phenomenon. Three consumer narratives of engagement are evident—discovery, diachronic, and denial—as is the disagreement between battling plots. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Brand‐self identity narratives in the James Bond movies
Authors: Cooper Holly , Schembri Sharon , Miller Dale
Published: May 2010

Consumers learn to attach social and contextual meaning to products and brands through observing the character relationships with particular objects or specific brands in the archetypal stories in film on “the big screen” (cinema). Luxury brands become objects of desire, fueling consumer aspirations and giving consumers frames of reference in their own consumption ideals. However, substantial research attention to the brand narratives that popular culture portrays has yet to emerge. This paper therefore presents a textual analysis of the brand narratives evident within popular culture, specifically in the context of James Bond films. In taking this interpretive approach, this article identifies three different and contrasting brand‐self narratives that reinforce a particular archetypal myth of a lover, hero, or outlaw. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evolutionary branding
Authors: Hirschman Elizabeth C.
Published: May 2010

Research and theorization on branding is one of the most robust areas of inquiry in both marketing and consumer behavior. The present article advocates a novel source of ideas for use in conceptualizing the origins and functions of branding—the evolution of human capacity for symbolic reasoning and group identity. Drawing on theories of the evolution of human culture, I examine three examples of branding narratives constructed around interpersonal ties gained from commercial DNA testing. The first deals with the human tendency to see the self as part of a group having a unique and attractive history. The second examines humans' desire to reach outward to others seen as having the same traits and values as ourselves. The third deals with the negotiation of identity within a branded community. I propose that the human impulse toward the composition of self‐ and group‐serving narratives underlies the origination and perpetuation of branding. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Proteomics in investigation of protein nitration in kidney disease: Technical challenges and perspectives from the spontaneously hypertensive rat
Authors: Tyther Raymond , McDonagh Brian , Sheehan David
Published: May 2010

Kidneys are the mammalian organs with widest range of oxidative status ranging from the well‐perfused cortex to the relatively anoxic medulla. This organ is of key interest from the perspective of hypertension, an important contributor to human mortality, and there has been growing use of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) as a model to explore oxidative stress in hypertensive kidney. Nitrosative stress is often associated with oxidative stress and, like oxidative stress, can lead to covalent modification of protein side‐chains. It is especially relevant to kidney because of high levels of both nitrite/nitrate and nitric oxide synthase in medulla. Because of their relatively low abundance and their well‐known role in signal transduction, nitration of tyrosines to 3‐nitrotyrosines (3NT) is of particular interest in this regard. This modification has the potential to contribute to changes in regulation, in protein activity and may provide a means of specific targeting of key proteins. Mass spectrometry (MS) offers a promising route to detecting this modification. This review surveys protein nitration in kidney disease and highlights opportunities for MS detection of nitrated residues in the SHR. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 30:121–141, 2011
Pallidopyramidal disease: A misnomer?
Authors: Horstink Martin W.I.M. , Dekker Marieke C. , Montagna Pasquale , Bonifati Vincenzo , van De Warrenburg Bart P.
Published: May 2010

The combination of recessive early‐onset parkinsonism and pyramidal tract signs caused by pallidopyramidal degeneration is known as pallidopyramidal disease or syndrome (PPD/S). We investigated whether patients diagnosed as Davison's PPD/S showed any definite proof of pyramidal and pallidal involvement, without findings suggestive of other nosological entities. Since Davison's original description, 15 other PPD/S cases have been reported, yet all lack proof of pyramidal or pallidal degeneration. Because of the dopa‐responsiveness in all patients subsequent to Davison's report, we argue that these patients probably suffered from early‐onset nigral parkinsonism or dopa‐responsive dsystonia, rather than pallidal parkinsonism; in such cases, the presumed pyramidal Babinski could be a pseudobabinski (“striatal toe”). Secondary pallidopyramidal syndromes do occur, for example, in multiple system atrophy or Wilson's disease, but in these patients additional findings indicate diseases other than Davison's PPD/S. We conclude that the existence of PPD/S as a distinct clinico‐pathological nosological entity, as proposed by Davison, is doubtful. In cases reported as Davison's PPD/S, the description “pallidopyramidal” seems to be a misnomer. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Diet, nutritional status and oral health in hunter‐gatherers from the central‐northern coast of Patagonia and the Chubut river lower valley, Argentina
Authors: Otero Julieta Gómez , Novellino Paula
Published: May 2010

Archaeological research in central‐northern Patagonia (Atlantic coast and lower the valley of Chubut river) showed that this area was used since at least the Middle Holocene. Stable isotope analyses (13C and 15N) of human bone samples indicate that hunter‐gatherers living in that area had a terrestrial‐marine diet including guanaco meat, land plants, mollusks and pinnipeds. Despite this general trend, intersite variability and changes through time were noted, especially after the late Holocene. These results have been reinforced by archaeofaunal, technological and bioarchaeological records. In this paper, three hypotheses are examined: (a) the diet of these populations was complete and rich enough to ensure good health status and avoid nutritional deficiencies; (b) carbohydrate consumption increased progressively after 1000 BP, when pottery technology was adopted and (c) this kind of mixed diet would have been qualitatively more nutritious than that of other populations of the region, which would have resulted in better nutritional and healthy conditions. These three hypotheses are compared with dental results obtained from 563 permanent teeth from 45 individuals (34 adults and 11 juveniles from both sexes), rescued from burial sites. Indicators of oral health were assessed through the observation of caries, abscesses, wear, pulpar cavity exposure and ante mortem loss. Features of nutritional status such as enamel hypoplasia, porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia were also examined. Given the availability of direct radiocarbon dating for most of the sample, three temporal series were determined: ‘Before 1000 BP’, ‘1000–5000 BP’ and ‘Post‐contact’. No evidence of alimentary stress or iron deficiency was found in individuals from the three series, which accounts for healthy and good nutritional life conditions. After 1000 BP, the results show a progressive increase in the caries percentage and a decrease in abscesses, dental wear and ante mortem losses frequency. This is possibly related to more consumption of processed foods in the last 1000 years. These results were compared with similar studies based on samples from different environments and latitudes of Patagonia. Evidence suggests that mixed diets (marine‐terrestrial) would have been more appropriate and nutritionally complete than exclusively marine or terrestrial diets. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Functional polyisobutylenes via a click chemistry approach
Authors: Martinez‐Castro Nemesio , Magenau Andrew J. D. , Storey Robson F.
Published: May 2010

1‐(ω‐Azidoalkyl)pyrrolyl‐terminated polyisobutylene (PIB) was successfully synthesized both by substitution of the terminal halide of 1‐(ω‐haloalkyl)pyrrolyl‐terminated PIB with sodium azide and by in situ quenching of quasiliving PIB with a 1‐(ω‐azidoalkyl)pyrrole. Azide substitution of the terminal halide was carried out in 50/50 heptane/DMF at 90 °C for 24 h using excess azide. The 1‐(ω‐haloalkyl)pyrrolyl‐PIB precursors included 1‐(2‐chloroethyl)pyrrolyl‐PIB, 1‐(2‐bromoethyl)pyrrolyl‐PIB, and 1‐(3‐bromopropyl)pyrrolyl‐PIB. In situ quenching involved direct addition of 1‐(2‐azidoethyl)pyrrole to quasiliving PIB initiated from 5‐tert‐butyl‐1,3‐di(1‐chloro‐1‐methylethyl)benzene (bDCC)/TiCl4 at −70 °C in hexane/CH3Cl (60/40, v/v). 1H NMR analysis of the quenched product revealed mixed isomeric end groups in which PIB was attached at either C2 or C3 of the pyrrole ring (C2/C3 = 0.40/0.60). SEC indicated the absence of coupled PIB under optimized conditions, confirming exclusive mono‐substitution on each pyrrole ring. 1‐(3‐Azidopropyl)pyrrolyl‐PIB was reacted in modular fashion with various functional alkynes, propargyl alcohol, propargyl acrylate, glycidyl propargyl ether, and 3‐dimethylamino‐1‐propyne, via a Huisgen 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition (Click) reaction, using Cu(I)Br/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine or bromtris(triphenylphosphine)Cu(I) as catalyst. The reactions were quantitative and produced PIBs bearing terminal hydroxyl, acrylate, glycidyl, or dimethylaminomethyl groups attached via exclusively four‐substituted triazole linkages. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2533–2545, 2010
Pyrromethene derivatives in three‐component photoinitiating systems for free radical photopolymerization
Authors: Tarzi O. I. , Allonas X. , Ley C. , Fouassier J.‐P.
Published: May 2010

1,3,5,7,8‐pentamethyl pyrromethene difluoroborate complex (HMP) and 2,6‐diethyl‐8‐phenyl‐1,3,5,7‐tetramethylpyrromethene difluoroborate complex (EPP) were used to initiate the polymerization of a diacrylate in a two‐ and a three‐component photoinitiating system (PIS), together with an amine (ethyl‐4‐dimethylaminobenzoate, EDB) and triazine A (2‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐4,6‐bis(trichloromethyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine, TA) as coinitiators. For both pyrromethene dyes, the highest conversion was achieved with the three‐component PIS. As these dyes have high‐fluorescence quantum yields, steady state and time‐resolved techniques were used to study the possible fluorescence quenching by the amine and the triazine, as well as laser flash photolysis to investigate the electron transfer process that occurs in these PIS from either the singlet or triplet excited states. The electron transfer reaction is evidenced by using time‐resolved photoconductivity. Experiments show that the main interaction between the dye and both coinitiators is through its excited singlet state and the process is more efficient when TA is present. The beneficial effect noted when both coinitiators are used in a three‐component system is ascribed to secondary reactions between the coinitiators and intermediates that lead to the generation of higher amount of initiating species and the recovery of the initial dye. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2594–2603, 2010
Spectroscopic and photopolymerization studies of benzyl methacrylate/poly(benzyl methacrylate) two‐component system
Authors: Łapsa Krzysztof , Marcinkowska Agnieszka , Rachocki Adam , Andrzejewska Ewa , Tritt‐Goc Jadwiga
Published: May 2010

The influence of the viscosity of a two‐component system on its molecular dynamics (on the basis of hypersonic wave velocity and attenuation coefficient) and photopolymerization kinetics was studied. The system investigated represented the solution of poly(benzyl methacrylate), PBzMA (MW = 70000) in its monomer, benzyl methacrylate (BzMA). The viscosity of the system was varied by adding various amounts of the polymer to the monomer (10–50 wt %). The molecular dynamics in the neat BzMA was studied by the proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spin‐lattice relaxation time measurements and the wide‐line 1H NMR spectroscopy in a wide range of temperature. Information on the local dynamics in liquid BzMA above its melting temperature was gained from the high‐resolution 1H and 13C NMR spectra. The hypersonic wave velocity and the attenuation coefficient were investigated in the appropriate temperature range related to a viscoelastic relaxation process by the Brillouin light scattering method. The kinetic measurements have demonstrated that the photopolymerization rate rapidly increases and the monomer conversion decreases with increasing polymer‐to‐monomer ratio; this effect has been noted in the whole range of polymer concentration and reaction temperature studied. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1336–1348, 2010
Protein trans‐splicing on an M13 bacteriophage: towards directed evolution of a semisynthetic split intein by phage display
Authors: Garbe Daniel , Thiel Ilka V. , Mootz Henning D.
Published: May 2010

Split inteins link their fused peptide or protein sequences with a peptide bond in an autocatalytic reaction called protein trans‐splicing. This reaction is becoming increasingly important for a variety of applications in protein semisynthesis, polypeptide circularisation, construction of biosensors, or segmental isotopic labelling of proteins. However, split inteins exhibit greatly varying solubility, efficiency and tolerance towards the nature of the fused sequences as well as reaction conditions. We envisioned that phage display as an in vitro selection technique would provide a powerful tool for the directed evolution of split inteins with improved properties. As a first step towards this goal, we show that presentation of active split inteins on an M13 bacteriophage is feasible. Two different C‐terminal intein fragments of the Ssp DnaB intein, artificially split at amino acid positions 104 and 11, were encoded in a phagemid vector in fusion to a truncated gpIII protein. For efficient production of hybrid phages, the presence of a soluble domain tag at their N‐termini was necessary. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the hybrid phages supported protein trans‐splicing with a protein or a synthetic peptide, respectively, containing the complementary intein fragment. Incorporation of biotin or desthiobiotin by this reaction provides a straightforward strategy for future enrichment of desired mutants from randomised libraries of the C‐terminal intein fragments on streptavidin beads. Protein semisynthesis on a phage could also be exploited for the selection of chemically modified proteins with unique properties. Copyright © 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Fourier grid Hamiltonian method for calculating vibrational energy levels of triatomic molecules
Authors: Sarkar Pranab , Ahamed Basir
Published: May 2010

The Fourier grid Hamiltonian method for calculating vibrational energy levels of triatomic molecules is presented. We have used direct product basis functions obtained from the Fourier grid Hamiltonian method for one‐dimensional Schrödinger equation for radial coordinates and the associated Legendre polynomial for angular coordinate. The resulting matrix is diagonalized by using Lanczos method. The method is tested for the calculation of vibrational energy levels of H2O and MgH2 molecules. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Woods and Russell, Hill, and the emergence of medical statistics
Authors: Farewell Vern , Johnson Tony
Published: May 2010

In 1937, Austin Bradford Hill wrote Principles of Medical Statistics (Lancet: London, 1937) that became renowned throughout the world and is widely associated with the birth of modern medical statistics. Some 6 years earlier Hilda Mary Woods and William Thomas Russell, colleagues of Hill at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, wrote a similar book An Introduction to Medical Statistics (PS King and Son: London, 1931) that is little known today. We trace the origins of these two books from the foundations of early demography and vital statistics, and make a detailed examination of some of their chapters. It is clear that these texts mark a watershed in the history of medical statistics that demarcates the vital statistics of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from the modern discipline. Moreover, we consider that the book by Woods and Russell is of some importance in the development of medical statistics and we describe and acknowledge their place in the history of this discipline. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A systematic CEN library of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome
Authors: Hvorecny Kelli L. , Prelich Gregory
Published: May 2010

Progress in modern genetics is greatly facilitated by systematic resources that enable rapid and comprehensive analysis. Here we report the creation of a nearly complete systematic low‐copy (CEN URA3) library of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome that complements existing systematic high‐copy libraries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Titanium3+ Hexacyanometallates(II): Preparation and Porous Framework
Authors: Ávila Manuel , Vargas Claudia , Yee‐Madeira Hernani , Reguera Edilso
Published: May 2010

The studied compounds were prepared by the precipitation method mixing Ti3+ in concentrated HCl with aqueous solution of [M(CN)6]4– where M = Fe, Ru, Os. The formed solids, Ti3Cl[M(CN)6]2·10H2O, were characterized by IR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, Mössbauer spectroscopy, energy‐disperse X‐ray spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, adsorption data, and chemical analyses. Their crystal structures were solved and refined from the recorded X‐ray powder patterns in the Fmm space group. This series of compounds has a porous framework with a relatively high free volume, which is occupied by coordinated and hydrogen bonded water molecules. The charge balancing Cl– ion was found coordinated to titanium atoms. This series of porous solids was studied in order to explore the hydrogen interaction with the titanium atoms found at the surface of the cavities. On the water removal by moderate heating their porous framework collapses as reveal the nitrogen, CO2, and hydrogen adsorption but without complex salt decomposition. On the solids rehydration the porous framework is partially restored.
The Impact of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy on Patients with Locally Advanced Breast Cancer in a Nigerian Semiurban Teaching Hospital: A Single‐center Descriptive Study
Authors: Arowolo Olukayode Adeolu , Akinkuolie Andrew Akinbolaji , Lawal Oladejo Olukayode , Alatise Olusegun Isaac , Salako Abdulkadir Ayo , Adisa Adewale Oluseye
Published: May 2010

Background

There is a paucity of data on the response of breast cancer to neoadjuvant c in low‐resources developing African countries such as Nigeria. We therefore decided to study the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on breast cancer patients in Nigeria in the light of constrained resources.

Methods

This was a single‐center retrospective descriptive study. Sixty‐two patients with locally advanced breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the last 24 years in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile‐Ife, Nigeria, constituted the study population. The outcome measures were clinical tumor response, disease‐free survival, overall survival, and chemotherapy toxicity profile.

Results

Patients ranged in age from 30 to 85 years (mean = 49.1 ± SD 12.7 years) and included one male. After three cycles of chemotherapy, complete clinical response was observed in 4 patients (6.5%), partial clinical response in 28 patients (45.2%), no clinically measurable response in 24 patients (38.7%), and progressive disease in 6 patients (9.7%). Forty‐one patients completed six cycles, of which 9 patients (22.0%) had complete clinical response and 12 patients (29.3%) had partial clinical response. Four of 30 patients (13.3%) with tumor size of 6–10 cm had complete clinical response, while no patient with a tumor bigger than 10 cm had complete clinical response. Of the 62 patients, 42 were followed up for more than 1 year. The 1‐, 2‐, and 5‐year survival rates of this cohort were 66.7, 42.9, and 11.9%, respectively The median follow‐up period was 9 months and the disease‐free survival and overall survival rates at median follow‐up period were 45 and 37%, respectively.

Conclusion

There was a poor overall clinical response rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Black population studied. Late presentation with large tumor mass may be accountable for this.
Combined effect of maternal serotonin transporter genotype and prenatal stress in modulating offspring social interaction in mice
Authors: Jones Karen L. , Smith Ryan M. , Edwards Kristin S. , Givens Bennet , Tilley Michael R. , Beversdorf David Q.
Published: May 2010

Several studies suggest that prenatal stress is a possible risk factor in the development of autism spectrum disorders. However, many children exposed to stress prenatally are born healthy and develop typically, suggesting that other factors must contribute to autism. Genes that contribute to stress reactivity may, therefore, exacerbate prenatal stress‐mediated behavioral changes in the adult offspring. One candidate gene linked to increased stress reactivity encodes the serotonin transporter. Specifically, an insertion/deletion (long/short allele) polymorphism upstream of the serotonin transporter gene correlates with differential expression and function of the serotonin transporter and a heightened response to stressors. Heterozygous serotonin transporter knockout mice show reductions in serotonin transporter expression similar to the human short polymorphism. In this study, the role of prenatal stress and maternal serotonin transporter genotype were assessed in mice to determine whether their combined effect produces reductions in social behavior in the adult offspring. Pregnant serotonin transporter heterozygous knockout and wild‐type dams were placed in either a control condition or subjected to chronic variable stress. The adult offspring were subsequently assessed for social interaction and anxiety using a three‐chamber social approach task, ultrasonic vocalization detection, elevated‐plus maze and an open field task. Results indicated that prenatal stress and reduced serotonin transporter expression of the dam may have the combined effect of producing changes in social interaction and social interest in the offspring consistent with those observed in autism spectrum disorder. This data indicates a possible combined effect of maternal serotonin transporter genotype and prenatal stress contributing to the production of autistic‐like behaviors in offspring.
The Stakes of Losing Office, Term Limits and Democracy
Authors: Baturo Alexander
Published: May 2010

Some presidents facing term limits attempt – often successfully – to scrap tenure restrictions, while others step down when constitutionally required. Whether democratic, partly democratic or non-democratic, there is considerable variation among electoral regimes as to whether presidents respect term limits. This article focuses on what is at stake for a president required to leave the highest political office. It argues that for a given level of executive constraints, the value of holding political office in polities with large public sectors and prevalent corruption, combined with the probability of retaining assets and immunity after leaving office, influences whether presidents attempt to overstay their tenure.
Hanoverians, Germans, and Europeans: Colonial Identity in Early British India
Authors: Tzoref-Ashkenazi Chen
Published: May 2010

The natives here have great awe and respect for our entire Nordic nation. If this had not been the case, they could have easily become our masters. They regard us as the strongest and heartiest people as well as the best and most fortunate warriors, although together with this fear, they also despise us and hold themselves to be better. The English know very well how to keep their respect, although there is no slavery in their settlements here, while it does exist among the Dutch, the French, and the Portuguese. In the establishments of the English, on the other hand, more money circulates, there is more polity, the troops and servants are much better paid, and in this way the English gain much more respect and sympathy.1
Thinking Globally, Acting (Trans-)Locally: Petra Kelly and the Transnational Roots of West German Green Politics
Authors: Milder Stephen
Published: May 2010

Thousands of demonstrators crowded Trafalgar Square on a chilly April afternoon in 1978 to protest the planned expansion of nuclear fuel reprocessing operations at the Windscale Reactor in rural Cumbria. Toward the end of the rally, a young woman faced the mass of protestors from behind the podium. “I am here to bring you greetings of solidarity from the various European, Australian, and Japanese anti-nuclear movements,” she announced. She explained that the movements whose greetings she brought to London represented “a great wave of transnational determination to put a stop to Windscale, to put a stop to a nuclearized, militarized Europe.” Within the next few moments, she described the contours of this “transnational wave.” She took her audience from Aboriginal territory in Australia, where Green Ban strikes interfered with uranium mining, to the nonviolent demonstrations against reactor construction in German villages, and back to Windscale, where protesters demanded a stop to nuclear fuel reprocessing. In the few minutes she stood at the podium, Petra Kelly narrated an around-the-world journey that had taken her most of the previous two decades to complete.
Little Founders on the Small Screen: Interpreting a Multicultural American Revolution for Children's Television
Authors: SCHOCKET ANDREW M.
Published: May 2010

From 2002 to 2004, the children's animated series Liberty's Kids aired on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the United States' public television network. It runs over forty half-hour episodes and features a stellar cast, including such celebrities as Walter Cronkite, Michael Douglas, Yolanda King, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liam Neeson, and Annette Bening. Television critics generally loved it, and there are now college students who can trace their interest in the American Revolution to having watched this series when they were children. At the turn of the twenty-first century, it is the most extended and in-depth encounter with the American Revolution that most young people in the United States are likely to have encountered, and is appropriately patriotic and questioning, celebratory and chastening. Although children certainly learn a great deal about multiculturalism from popular culture, the tropes and limitations of depicting history on television trend toward personification, toward reduced complexity and, for children, toward resisting examining the darker sides of human experience. As this essay suggests, the genre's limits match the limits of a multicultural history in its attempt to show diversity and agency during a time when “liberty and justice for all” proved to be more apt as an aspiration at best and an empty slogan at worst than as an accurate depiction of the society that proclaimed it. This essay is not an effort to be, as Robert Sklar put it, a “historian cop,” policing the accuracy of the series by patrolling for inaccuracies. Rather, it is a consideration of the inherent difficulties of trying to apply a multicultural sensibility to a portrayal of the American Revolution.
The type of cheese curds determined the colouring capacity of Brevibacterium and Arthrobacter species
Authors: Leclercq-Perlat Marie-Noëlle , Spinnler Henry-Eric
Published: May 2010

This study compares the colouring capacity of Brevibacterium aurantiacum (BA), Brevibacterium BL and Arthrobacter species AS in relation to deacidified media made from lactic curd (Epoisses), mixed curds (Munster) and rennet curds (Livarot or Reblochon). BA colouring capacity proved to be constant, leading to a dark orange colour, irrespective of the deacidified media. However, it gave too dark a colour for Reblochon. The strains BL and AS were not adapted to the colouring of Epoisses deacidified medium. On the Livarot or Munster deacidified medium, these two strains provided a light yellow orange colour range that was not suitable for these cheeses. However, these two strains (BL and AS) produced a suitable colour for Reblochon deacidified medium.
A compressible flow model for the air-rotor–stator dynamics of a high-speed, squeeze-film thrust bearing
Authors: GARRATT J. E. , CLIFFE K. A. , HIBBERD S. , POWER H.
Published: May 2010

A compressible air-flow model is introduced for the thin film dynamics of a highly rotating squeeze-film thrust bearing. The lubrication approximation to the Navier–Stokes equations for compressible flow leads to a modified Reynolds equation incorporating additional rotation effects. To investigate the dynamics of the system, the axial position of the bearing stator is prescribed by a finite-amplitude periodic forcing. The dynamics of the squeeze-film are modelled in the uncoupled configuration where the axial position of the rotor is fixed. The coupled squeeze-film bearing dynamics are investigated when the axial position of the rotor is modelled as a spring-mass-damper system that responds to the film dynamics. Initially the uncoupled squeeze-film dynamics are considered at low operating speeds with the classical Reynolds equation for compressible flow. The limited value of the linearized small-amplitude results is identified. Analytical results indicate that finite-amplitude forcing needs to be considered to gain a complete understanding of the dynamics. Using a Fourier spectral collocation numerical scheme, the periodic bearing force is investigated as a nonlinear function of the frequency and amplitude of the stator forcing. High-speed bearing operation is modelled using the modified Reynolds equation. A steady-state analysis is used to identify the effect of rotation and the rotor support properties in the coupled air-flow–structure model. The unsteady coupled dynamics are computed numerically to determine how the rotor support structures and the periodic stator forcing influence the system dynamics. The potential for resonant rotor behaviour is identified through asymptotic and Fourier analysis of the rotor motion for small-amplitude, low-frequency oscillations in the stator position for key values of the rotor stiffness. Through the use of arclength continuation, the existence of resonant behaviour is identified numerically for a range of operating speeds and forcing frequencies. Changes in the minimum rotor–stator clearance are presented as a function of the rotor stiffness to demonstrate the appearance of resonance.
Is there a role for fatty acids in early life programming of the immune system?
Authors: Calder Philip C. , Kremmyda Lefkothea-Stella , Vlachava Maria , Noakes Paul S. , Miles Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2010

There may be a causal relationship betweenn-6 PUFA intake and allergic disease and there are biologically plausible mechanisms, involving eicosanoid mediators of then-6 PUFA arachidonic acid, that could explain this. There is some evidence that high linoleic acid intake is linked with increased risk of atopic sensitisation and allergic manifestations. Fish and fish oils are sources of long-chainn-3 PUFA and these fatty acids act to oppose the actions ofn-6 PUFA. It is considered thatn-3 PUFA will protect against atopic sensitisation and against the clinical manifestations of atopy. All five epidemiological studies investigating the effect of maternal fish intake during pregnancy on atopic or allergic outcomes in infants/children of those pregnancies concluded protective associations. Epidemiological studies investigating the effects of fish intake during infancy and childhood on atopic outcomes in those infants or children are inconsistent, although the majority of the studies (9/14) showed a protective effect of fish. Fish oil provision to pregnant women is associated with immunologic changes in cord blood. Provision of fish oil during pregnancy may reduce sensitisation to common food allergens and reduce the prevalence and severity of atopic dermatitis in the first year of life. This effect may persist until adolescence with a reduction in prevalence and/or severity of eczema, hayfever and asthma. Fish oil supplementation in infancy may decrease the risk of developing some manifestations of allergic disease, but whether this benefit persists as other factors come into play remains to be determined.
The Antarctic Treaty summit medal
Authors: Stein Glenn M.
Published: May 2010

The meeting of the International Board of the Antarctic Treaty summit (http://www.atsummit50.aq) celebrating the 50th anniversary of the treaty, signed on 1 December 1959, provided an opportunity to design a medal based on the theme of science ‘in the interest of all mankind,’ as expressed in the treaty's preamble.