bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrospun PGS:PCL Microfibers Align Human Valvular Interstitial Cells and Provide Tunable Scaffold Anisotropy
Authors: Masoumi Nafiseh , Larson Benjamin L. , Annabi Nasim , Kharaziha Mahshid , Zamanian Behnam , Shapero Kayle S. , Cubberley Alexander T. , Camci‐Unal Gulden , Manning Keefe. B. , Mayer John E. , Khademhosseini Ali
Published: January 2014

Tissue engineered heart valves (TEHV) can be useful in the repair of congenital or acquired valvular diseases due to their potential for growth and remodeling. The development of biomimetic scaffolds is a major challenge in heart valve tissue engineering. One of the most important structural characteristics of mature heart valve leaflets is their intrinsic anisotropy, which is derived from the microstructure of aligned collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix (ECM). In the present study, a directional electrospinning technique is used to fabricate fibrous poly(glycerol sebacate):poly(caprolactone) (PGS:PCL) scaffolds containing aligned fibers, which resemble native heart valve leaflet ECM networks. In addition, the anisotropic mechanical characteristics of fabricated scaffolds are tuned by changing the ratio of PGS:PCL to mimic the native heart valve's mechanical properties. Primary human valvular interstitial cells (VICs) attach and align along the anisotropic axes of all PGS:PCL scaffolds with various mechanical properties. The cells are also biochemically active in producing heart‐valve‐associated collagen, vimentin, and smooth muscle actin as determined by gene expression. The fibrous PGS:PCL scaffolds seeded with human VICs mimick the structure and mechanical properties of native valve leaflet tissues and would potentially be suitable for the replacement of heart valves in diverse patient populations.
25th Anniversary Article: Label‐Free Electrical Biodetection Using Carbon Nanostructures
Authors: Balasubramanian Kannan , Kern Klaus
Published: January 2014

Nanostructures are promising candidates for use as active materials for the detection of chemical and biological species, mainly due to the high surface‐to‐volume ratio and the unique physical properties arising at the nanoscale. Among the various nanostructures, materials comprised of sp2‐carbon enjoy a unique position due to the possibility to readily prepare them in various dimensions ranging from 0D, through 1D to 2D. This review focuses on the use of 1D (carbon nanotubes) and 2D (graphene) carbon nanostructures for the detection of biologically relevant molecules. A key advantage is the possibility to perform the sensing operation without the use of any labels or complex reaction schemes. Along this spirit, various strategies reported for the label‐free electrical detection of biomolecules using carbon nanostructures are discussed. With their promise for ultimate sensitivity and the capability to attain high selectivity through controlled chemical functionalization, carbon‐based nanobiosensors are expected to open avenues to novel diagnostic tools as well as to obtain new fundamental insight into biomolecular interactions down to the single molecule level.
Diet of upper paleolithic modern humans: Evidence from microwear texture analysis
Authors: El Zaatari Sireen , Hublin Jean‐Jacques
Published: January 2014

This article presents the results of the occlusal molar microwear texture analysis of 32 adult Upper Paleolithic modern humans from a total of 21 European sites dating to marine isotope stages 3 and 2. The occlusal molar microwear textures of these specimens were analyzed with the aim of examining the effects of the climatic, as well as the cultural, changes on the diets of the Upper Paleolithic modern humans. The results of this analysis do not reveal any environmentally driven dietary shifts for the Upper Paleolithic hominins indicating that the climatic and their associated paleoecological changes did not force these humans to significantly alter their diets in order to survive. However, the microwear texture analysis does detect culturally related changes in the Upper Paleolithic humans' diets. Specifically, significant differences in diet were found between the earlier Upper Paleolithic individuals, i.e., those belonging to the Aurignacian and Gravettian contexts, and the later Magdalenian ones, such that the diet of the latter group was more varied and included more abrasive foods compared with those of the former. Am J Phys Anthropol 153:570–581, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changing patterns of mobility as a response to climatic deterioration and aridification in the middle Holocene southern Sahara
Authors: Stojanowski Christopher M. , Knudson Kelly J.
Published: January 2014

The African Humid Period witnessed a rapid human re‐occupation of the Sahara as numerous lakes formed during the Holocene climatic optimum circa 10‐5 kya. Permanent waters attracted a variety of aquatic and terrestrial fauna allowing for long‐term occupation of specific paleolake basins. The Gobero paleolake in central Niger was one such location that preserves a unique mortuary record from the southern Sahara. Here, we use radiogenic strontium isotope analysis to investigate how human communities adapted to aridification throughout the Holocene. In particular, we examine the effects of increasing climate instability on patterns of human mobility. Results of radiogenic strontium isotope analysis of enamel and bone samples from Middle Holocene burials (∼7.2–4.9 kya) indicate predominantly local values with no evidence for sex‐based variation. Comparisons of radiogenic strontium isotope data with previously published (Stojanowski and Knudson: Am J Phys Anthropol 146 (2011) 49–61) Early Holocene burials (∼9.7–8.3 kya) indicate significant differences in both enamel and bone values. Middle Holocene individuals demonstrate a predominantly non‐local signature for enamel values and a predominantly local signature for bone values. Those individuals with non‐local bone values always demonstrated non‐local enamel values; however, the opposite was not the case. This suggests a divergence of mobility strategies during the Middle Holocene with a minority of individuals maintaining a more mobile existence throughout their life and others maintaining a similar strategy as Early Holocene hunter–gatherers that was tied to the paleolake basin. The more mobile individuals likely lived during the terminal phase of the lake's occupation. One response to aridification by Saharan peoples, then, was increasing mobility. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:79–93, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Superacid HBr/AlBr3: Protonation of Benzene and Ordered Crystal Structure of [C6H7]+[Al2Br7]−
Authors: Scholz Franziska , Himmel Daniel , Eisele Lea , Unkrig Wiebke , Krossing Ingo
Published: January 2014

Crystalline and properly ordered protonated benzene as the [C6H7]+[Al2Br7]−⋅(C6H6) salt 1 are obtained by the combination of solid AlBr3, benzene, and HBr gas. Compound 1 was characterized and verified by NMR, Raman and X‐Ray spectroscopy. This unexpected simple and straight forward access shows that HBr/AlBr3 is an underestimated superacid that should be used more frequently.
Sodium Phosphaethynolate as a Building Block for Heterocycles
Authors: Chen Xiaodan , Alidori Simone , Puschmann Florian Frank , Santiso‐Quinones Gustavo , Benkő Zoltán , Li Zhongshu , Becker Gerd , Grützmacher Hans‐Friedrich , Grützmacher Hansjörg
Published: January 2014

Phosphorus‐containing heterocycles have evolved from laboratory curiosities to functional components, such as ligands in catalytically active metal complexes or molecular constituents in electronic devices. The straightforward synthesis of functionalized heterocycles on a larger scale remains a challenge. Herein, we report the use of the phosphaethynolate (OCP)− anion as a building block for various sterically unprotected and functionalized hydroxy substituted phosphorus heterocycles. Because the resulting heterocycles are themselves anions, they are building blocks in their own right and allow further facile functionalization. This property may be of interest in coordination chemistry and material science.
Transcription of Click‐Linked DNA in Human Cells
Authors: Birts Charles N. , Sanzone A. Pia , El‐Sagheer Afaf H. , Blaydes Jeremy P. , Brown Tom , Tavassoli Ali
Published: January 2014

Click DNA ligation promises an alternative to the current enzymatic approaches for DNA assembly, with the ultimate goal of using efficient chemical reactions for the total chemical synthesis and assembly of genes and genomes. Such an approach would enable the incorporation of various chemically modified bases throughout long stretches of DNA, a feat not possible with current polymerase‐based methods. An unequivocal requirement for this approach is the biocompatibility of the resulting triazole‐linked DNA. The correct function of this unnatural DNA linker in human cells is demonstrated here by using a click‐linked gene encoding the fluorescent protein mCherry. Reverse transcription of mRNA isolated from these cells and subsequent sequencing of the mCherry cDNA shows error‐free transcription. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is shown to not play a role in the observed biocompatibility by using a NER‐deficient human cell line. This is the first example of a non‐natural DNA linker being functional in a eukaryotic cell.
Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Cascade CH Functionalization of Phenylacetophenones
Authors: Mehta Vaibhav P. , García‐López José‐Antonio , Greaney Michael F.
Published: January 2014

Three orthogonal cascade CH functionalization processes are described, based on ruthenium‐catalyzed CH alkenylation. 1‐Indanones, indeno indenes, and indeno furanones were accessed through cascade pathways by using arylacetophenones as substrates under conditions of catalytic [{Ru(p‐cymene)Cl2}2] and stoichiometric Cu(OAc)2. Each transformation uses CH functionalization methods to form CC bonds sequentially, with the indeno furanone synthesis featuring a CO bond formation as the terminating step. This work demonstrates the power of ruthenium‐catalyzed alkenylation as a platform reaction to develop more complex transformations, with multiple CH functionalization steps taking place in a single operation to access novel carbocyclic structures.
Palladium‐catalyzed direct arylation of polyfluoroarene and facile synthesis of liquid crystal compounds
Authors: Ma Xiaowei , Liu Yan , Liu Ping , Xie Jianwei , Dai Bin , Liu Zhiyong
Published: January 2014

A convenient approach has been developed to prepare polyfluorobiphenyl by Pd(OAc)2/PCy3‐catalyzed direct arylation of polyfluoroarenes with aromatic halides in the presence of Cs2CO3 as base and toluene as solvent. In most cases, the desired arylated products of aromatic bromides were obtained in good to excellent yield at 80°C, and aryl chlorides also gave modest to good yields of arylated products at 110°C. According to this efficient C―C bondforming method, polyfluorobiphenyl liquid crystal compounds were prepared by Pd‐catalyzed direct arylation reactions of polyfluoroarenes with long alkyl chain substituted aryl bromides in 62–96% yield. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Palladium‐catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of β‐bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids with 2,2‐dimethylhydrazine leading to 1‐(dimethylamino)‐1H‐pyrrole‐2,5‐diones
Authors: Bae Yeon Kyu , Cho Chan Sik
Published: January 2014

β‐Bromo‐α,β‐unsaturated carboxylic acids are carbonylatively cyclized with 2,2‐dimethylhydrazine under carbon monoxide pressure in THF in the presence of a catalytic amount of a palladium catalyst along with a base to give 1‐(dimethylamino)‐1H‐pyrrole‐2,5‐diones. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Direct synthesis of hierarchically porous TS‐1 through a solvent‐evaporation route and its application as an oxidation catalyst
Authors: Kong Zuping , Yue Bin , Deng Wei , Zhu Kake , Yan Mengguo , Peng Yangfeng , He Heyong
Published: January 2014

Synthesis of hierarchically porous zeolites has drawn intensive interest because of their improved catalytic performance. It is highly desirable to find ways to generate these materials in a low‐cost and scalable way for their commercial applications. A solvent evaporation route has been established to synthesize hierarchically porous titanosilicalite‐1 (TS‐1). In the protocol, hexadecyltrimethoxysilane was added to an ethanolic solution of titanium isopropoxide, tetraethyl orthosilicate and tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, i.e. the embryo solution of TS‐1. The solution was subjected to solvent evaporation‐induced self‐assembly to afford an ordered dry gel. Subsequent steam‐assisted crystallization converted the dry gel into a hierarchically porous TS‐1. X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV–visible diffusive reflectance spectroscopy, N2 physisorption and electron microscopic characterizations have been employed to elucidate the structure. Ti is incorporated into the tetrahedral sites of the MFI structure and mesopores around 20 nm penetrating the crystalline framework are formed. Hexadecyltrimethoxysilane plays a key role in creating mesopores as well as increasing the crystal size. The hierarchically porous TS‐1 exhibits improved activity in styrene oxidation and phenol hydroxylation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, crystal structures, DNA binding and cleavage properties and protein binding activities of three mononuclear cobalt(II) complexes
Authors: Sun Qian , Lu Jing , Li Jun‐Ling , Jiang Lin , Gu Wen , Liu Xin , Tian Jin‐Lei , Yan Shi‐Ping
Published: January 2014

Three new mononuclear cobalt(II) complexes containing ligands with extended planar quinoxaline moieties, {dipyrido[3,2‐a:2′,3′‐c]phenazine (dppz) or dipyrido[3,2‐d:2′,3′‐f]quinoxaline (dpq)}, viz. [Co(dppz)(acac)2] · CH3OH (1), [Co(dpq)(tfnb)2] (2) and [Co(dpq)(dbm)2] (3), where acac = acetylacetonate, tfnb = benzoyltrifluoroacetone and dbm = dibenzoylmethane, have been synthesized and structurally characterized as octahedral complexes. The binding ability of the complexes with calf thymus (CT)‐DNA has been investigated by spectroscopic and viscosity measurements. Results indicate that all complexes bind to CT‐DNA via intercalative mode, and the DNA binding affinity of dppz complex 1 is apparently stronger than that of dpq complexes 2 and 3. Furthermore, DNA photocleavage experiments indicate that these complexes are efficient DNA cleaving agents in UV‐A (365 nm) and hydroxyl radical (HO·), singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide anion (1O2−) serve as the major cleavage active species. In addition, interaction of the complexes with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using UV − visible and fluorescence methods, which indicated that all complexes could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA in a static quenching process. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of magnetite multi‐walled carbon nanotubes composite and its application for removal of basic dyes from aqueous solutions
Authors: Dalali N. , Habibizadeh M. , Rostamizadeh K. , Nakisa S.
Published: January 2014

A magnetic composite of multi‐wall carbon nanotubes and magnetite nanoparticles was synthesized, and its applicability to the removal of dye contaminants from aqueous solutions was investigated as adsorbent. Tris(4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl)methylium chloride or crystal violet (also known as gentian violet) was used as a representative of the basic dyes, and an orthogonal array design with four factors—three levels (34) matrix—was applied to assign the significant factors affecting the dye uptake. The chosen experimental parameters and their ranges were the following: pH, 9–11; adsorbent, 0.002–0.01 g; NaCl concentration, 0–4%; removal time, 1–5 min. L9 orthogonal array for experimental design and the smaller the best criterion based on reduction of residual dye were used to determine the optimum conditions, which were found to be pH = 9, 0.01 g adsorbent, 5 min removal time, and 0% NaCl, respectively. Analysis of variances revealed that the amount of adsorbent affected the adsorption efficiency of crystal violet significantly. The adsorption capacity of sorbent was found to be 38 mg g−1. The magnetic composite displayed the main advantage of separation convenience compared with the other adsorption techniques. © 2014 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hyperbranched polyglycerols, obtained from environmentally benign monomer, as reactive clays inhibitors for water‐based drilling fluids
Authors: Teixeira Gleber Tacio , Lomba Rosana Fátima Teixeira , Francisco Agatha Densy dos Santos , da Silva João Francisco Cajaíba , Nascimento Regina Sandra Veiga
Published: January 2014

To prevent the degradation of the borehole and also the disintegration and dispersion of drilled cuttings, different shale stabilizing additives are used in water‐based drilling fluids (WBFs). Glycols, poly(ethylene glycol), glycerols, and polyglycerol derivatives, also called polyols, have been used to inhibit shales containing reactive clays in WBF. These additives are normally used in conjunction with KCl to reduce clay swelling and dispersion of drilled cuttings. Highly branched polymers have become an important field in current polymer science. Such materials typically exhibit compact, globular structures in combination with an exceptionally high number of sites with functional groups. They have unique properties that differ significantly from their linear counterparts, and the hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG) is an important hyperbranched polymer that can be produced from an environmentally benign monomer, the glycerol carbonate. In this article, the clay inhibitive properties of hPG were evaluated by different test methods including bentonite inhibition test, cuttings recovery, and X‐ray diffraction measurements. The results show that the hPG has a great potential to be used as an environmental friendly inhibitor additive in WBFs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40384.
MS‐monitored conjugation of poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate to RGD peptides
Authors: Bol'shakov Oleg I. , Akala Emmanuel O.
Published: January 2014

Development of biologically active polymers is an active area of research due to their applications in varied and diverse fields of biomedical research: cell adhesion, tissue proliferation, and drug delivery. Recent advances in chemical modification allow fine‐tuning of the properties of biomedical polymers to improve their applications: blood circulation half‐life, stimuli‐responsive degradation, site‐specific targeting, drug loading, etc. In this article, convergent synthesis of polymerizable macromonomers bearing a site‐specific ligand (RGD peptide) using a low molecular weight MA‐poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) is presented. The method affords macromonomers useful as the starting materials to produce biomedical polymers. We found matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectromerty convenient in monitoring the conjugation process via step‐by‐step following of PEG modification. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40385.
Patent citation analysis: Calculating science linkage based on citing motivation
Authors: Li Rui , Chambers Tamy , Ding Ying , Zhang Guo , Meng Liansheng
Published: January 2014

Science linkage is a widely used patent bibliometric indicator to measure patent linkage to scientific research based on the frequency of citations to scientific papers within the patent. Science linkage is also regarded as noisy because the subject of patent citation behavior varies from inventors/applicants to examiners. In order to identify and ultimately reduce this noise, we analyzed the different citing motivations of examiners and inventors/applicants. We built 4 hypotheses based upon our study of patent law, the unique economic nature of a patent, and a patent citation's market effect. To test our hypotheses, we conducted an expert survey based on our science linkage calculation in the domain of catalyst from U.S. patent data (2006–2009) over 3 types of citations: self‐citation by inventor/applicant, non‐self‐citation by inventor/applicant, and citation by examiner. According to our results, evaluated by domain experts, we conclude that the non‐self‐citation by inventor/applicant is quite noisy and cannot indicate science linkage and that self‐citation by inventor/applicant, although limited, is more appropriate for understanding science linkage.
A three‐class, three‐dimensional bibliometric performance indicator
Authors: Prathap Gangan
Published: January 2014

In this brief communication, we show how a simple 3D bibliometric performance evaluation based on the zynergy‐index (Prathap, 2013) can be simplified by the recently introduced 3‐class approach (Ye & Leydesdorff, in press).
Improvement of constraint‐based flux estimation during L‐phenylalanine production with Escherichia coli using targeted knock‐out mutants
Authors: Weiner Michael , Tröndle Julia , Albermann Christoph , Sprenger Georg A. , Weuster‐Botz Dirk
Published: January 2014

Fed‐batch production of the aromatic amino acid L‐phenylalanine was studied with recombinant Escherichia coli strains on a 15 L‐scale using glycerol as carbon source. Flux Variability Analysis (FVA) was applied for intracellular flux estimation to obtain an insight into intracellular flux distribution during L‐phenylalanine production. Variability analysis revealed great flux uncertainties in the central carbon metabolism, especially concerning malate consumption. Due to these results two recombinant strains were genetically engineered differing in the ability of malate degradation and anaplerotic reactions (E. coli FUS4.11 ΔmaeA pF81kan and E. coli FUS4.11 ΔmaeA ΔmaeB pF81kan). Applying these malic enzyme knock‐out mutants in the standardized L‐phenylalanine production process resulted in almost identical process performances (e.g., L‐phenylalanine concentration, production rate and byproduct formation). This clearly highlighted great redundancies in central metabolism in E. coli. Uncertainties of intracellular flux estimations by constraint‐based analyses during fed‐batch production of L‐phenylalanine were drastically reduced by application of the malic enzyme knock‐out mutants. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1406–1416. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Engineering of a butyraldehyde dehydrogenase of Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum to fit an engineered 1,4‐butanediol pathway in Escherichia coli
Authors: Hwang Hee Jin , Park Jin Hwan , Kim Jin Ho , Kong Min Kyung , Kim Jin Won , Park Jin Woo , Cho Kwang Myung , Lee Pyung Cheon
Published: January 2014

1,4‐Butanediol (1,4‐BDO) is currently produced from succinate via six enzymatic reactions in an engineered Escherichia coli strain. Butyraldehyde dehydrogenase (Bld) and butanol dehydrogenase of Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum were selected based on their activities of catalyzing the final two reactions in the 1,4‐BDO pathway. To fit Bld into the non‐natural 1,4‐BDO pathway, we engineered it through random mutagenesis. Five Bld mutants were then isolated using a colorimetric Schiff's reagent‐based method. Subsequent site‐directed mutagenesis of Bld generated the two best Bld mutants, L273I and L273T, which produced 1,4‐BDO titers fourfold greater than those of wild‐type Bld. The enhanced 1,4‐BDO titers obtained using L273I and L273T clearly correlated with their enhanced activities, which were caused by amino acid mutations at position 273 of Bld. The highest titer of 1,4‐BDO (660 ± 40 mg/L) was obtained in a knock‐out E. coli strain [ΔldhA ΔpflB ΔadhE ΔlpdA::K. lpd(E354K) Δmdh ΔarcA gltA(R164L)] coexpressing Bld273T+Bdh. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1374–1384. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ligament‐induced sacral fractures of the pelvis are possible
Authors: Steinke Hanno , Hammer Niels , Lingslebe Uwe , HÖCh Andreas , Klink Thomas , BÖhme JÖrg
Published: January 2014

Pelvic ring stability is maintained passively by both the osseous and the ligamentous apparatus. Therapeutic approaches focus mainly on fracture patterns, so ligaments are often neglected. When they rupture along with the bone after pelvic ring fractures, disrupting stability, ligaments need to be considered during reconstruction and rehabilitation. Our aim was to determine the influence of ligaments on open‐book injury using two experimental models with body donors. Mechanisms of bone avulsion related to open‐book injury were investigated. Open‐book injuries were induced in human pelves and subsequently investigated by anatomical dissection and endoscopy. The findings were compared to CT and MRI scans of open‐book injuries. Relevant structures were further analyzed using plastinated cross‐sections of the posterior pelvic ring. A fragment of the distal sacrum was observed, related to open‐book injury. Two ligaments were found to be responsible for this avulsion phenomenon: the caudal portion of the anterior sacroiliac ligament and another ligament running along the ventral surface of the third sacral vertebra. The sacral fragment remained attached to the coxal bone by this second ligament after open‐book injury. These results were validated using plastination and the structures were identified. Pelvic ligaments are probably involved in sacral avulsion caused by lateral traction. Therefore, ligaments should to be taken into account in diagnosis of open‐book injury and subsequent therapy. Clin. Anat. 27:770–777, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Anatomy and clinical significance of the uncinate process and uncovertebral joint: A comprehensive review
Authors: Hartman Jeffrey
Published: January 2014

Introduction: The uncinate process and its associated uncovertebral articulation are features unique to the cervical spine. This review examines the morphology of these unique structures with particular emphasis on the regional anatomy, development and clinical significance.

Materials and Methods: Five electronic databases were utilized in the literature search and additional relevant citations were retrieved from the references. A total of 74 citations were included for review.

Results: This literature review found that the uncinate processes and uncovertebral articulations are rudimentary at birth and develop and evolve with age. With degeneration they become clinically apparent with compression of related structures; most importantly affecting the spinal nerve root and vertebral artery. The articulations have also been found to precipitate torticollis when edematous and be acutely damaged in severe head and neck injuries. The uncinate processes are also important in providing stability and guiding the motion of the cervical spine.

Conclusion: This review is intended to re‐examine an often overlooked region of the cervical spine as not only an interesting anatomical feature but also a clinically relevant one. Clin. Anat. 27:431–440, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The development of a core syllabus for the teaching of head and neck anatomy to medical students
Authors: Tubbs R. Shane , Sorenson Edward P. , Sharma Amit , Benninger Brion , Norton Neil , Loukas Marios , Moxham Bernard J
Published: January 2014

The study of human anatomy has traditionally served as a fundamental component in the basic science education of medical students, yet there exists a remarkable lack of firm guidance on essential features that must be included in a gross anatomy course, which would constitute a “Core Syllabus” of absolutely mandatory structures and related clinical pathologies. While universal agreement on the details of a core syllabus is elusive, there is a general consensus that a core syllabus aims to identify the minimum level of knowledge expected of recently qualified medical graduates in order to carry out clinical procedures safely and effectively, while avoiding overloading students with unnecessary facts that have less immediate application to their future careers as clinicians. This paper aims to identify consensus standards of essential features of Head and Neck anatomy via a Delphi Panel consisting of anatomists and clinicians who evaluated syllabus content structures (greater than 1,000) as “essential”, “important”, “acceptable”, or “not required.” The goal is to provide guidance for program/course directors who intend to provide the optimal balance between establishing a comprehensive list of clinically relevant essential structures and an overwhelming litany, which would otherwise overburden trainees in their initial years of medical school with superficial rote learning, which potentially dilutes the key and enduring fundamental lessons that prepare students for training in any medical field. Clin. Anat. 27:321–330, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cascade of Liquid‐Phase Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation and Etherification of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural to Potential Biodiesel Components over Lewis Acid Zeolites
Authors: Jae Jungho , Mahmoud Eyas , Lobo Raul F. , Vlachos Dionisios G.
Published: January 2014

We report a one‐step process for the production of diesel fuel from biomass‐derived 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The reaction proceeds through the sequential transfer hydrogenation and etherification of HMF to 2,5‐bis(alkoxymethyl)furan, a potential biodiesel additive, catalyzed by a Lewis acid zeolite, such as Sn‐Beta or Zr‐Beta. An alcohol is used as a hydrogen donor and as a reactant in etherification. This cascade reaction can selectively produce high yields of the biodiesel additive (>80 % yield) from HMF with the Sn‐Beta catalyst and secondary alcohols, such as 2‐propanol and 2‐butanol.
Insights into the Tautomerism in meso‐Substituted Corroles: A Variable‐Temperature 1H, 13C, 15N, and 19F NMR Spectroscopy Study
Authors: Szymański Sławomir , Paluch Piotr , Gryko Daniel T. , Nowak‐Król Agnieszka , Bocian Wojciech , Sitkowski Jerzy , Koszarna Beata , Śniechowska Justyna , Potrzebowski Marek J. , Kozerski Lech
Published: January 2014

Tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole and its 15N‐enriched isotopomer were studied in [D8]toluene solution by 1D and 2D variable‐temperature NMR techniques to establish the mechanisms of tautomerization of the NH protons inside the interior of the corrole macrocycle. Three such rate processes could be identified of which two modulate the spectral line shapes at temperatures above 205 K and the third is NMR‐inaccessible as it is very fast. The latter involves the proton engaged in an unsymmetrical proton sponge unit formed by two pyrrole nitrogen atoms. Temperature and concentration dependences of the two remaining processes were determined. One of them is purely intramolecular and the other is intermolecular at low temperatures, with growing contribution of an intramolecular mechanism at elevated temperatures. The proposed microscopic mechanisms of all these processes are semi‐quantitatively confirmed by quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory.
Multiobjectives bihistogram equalization for image contrast enhancement
Authors: Hum Yan Chai , Lai Khin Wee , Mohamad Salim Maheza Irna
Published: January 2014

The global histogram equalization (HE) has been the most frequently adopted image contrast enhancement technique. A brightness and detail‐preserving HE method with good contrast enhancement effect has been a goal of much recent research in HE. Nevertheless, producing a well‐balanced HE is deemed to be a daunting task. In this article, we propose a novel framework of HE with the aim of taking three desirable properties into account: brightness preservation, detail preservation, and contrast enhancement. We termed the proposed method as multipurpose beta optimized bi‐HE (MBOBHE). MBOBHE consists of performing the histogram optimization separately in both subhistograms after the segmentation of histogram using an optimized separating point based on the three performance criteria using a weighted‐sum aggregated objective function (AOF). Both quantitative and qualitative results indicate that MBOBHE outperforms other existing bi‐HE methods, in terms of comprehensive performance of HE that is capable of providing a holistic view. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 20: 22–36, 2014
Reducing the complexity of distance measurement methods for circular turbo codes that use structured interleavers
Authors: Ould‐Cheikh‐Mouhamedou Youssouf
Published: January 2014

The knowledge of turbo code's minimum Hamming distance (dmin) and its corresponding codeword multiplicity (Amin) is of a great importance because the error correction capability of a code is strongly tied to the values of dmin and Amin. Unfortunately, the computational complexity associated with the search for dmin and Amin can be very high, especially for a turbo code that has high dmin value. This paper introduces some useful properties of turbo codes that use structured interleavers together with circular encoding. These properties allow for a significant reduction of search space and thus reduce significantly the computational complexity associated with the determination of dmin and Amin values. © 2014 The Authors. International Journal of Communication Systems published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Highly reliable wavelength‐reuse wavelength‐division multiplexing semipassive optical access network architecture with double cover area and high network capacity
Authors: Gong Yan , Gan Chaoqin , Wu Chenwei
Published: January 2014

We propose a wavelength‐reuse wavelength‐division multiplexing semipassive optical access network architecture with ring topology. Two access rings are controlled by one central office. The system capacity, as well as the network cover area, can be doubled with this proposal. When fiber failure occurs, the corresponding switches in remote nodes change to protection state to restore the network communication. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Association of peripheral neuropathy with circulating advanced glycation end products, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products and other risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Aubert C.E. , Michel P.‐L. , Gillery P. , Jaisson S. , Fonfrede M. , Morel F. , Hartemann A. , Bourron O.
Published: January 2014

Background

The pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy remains uncertain and nonenzymatic glycoxidation is one of the contributing mechanisms. The aim of this study was to assess the respective relationship of diabetic peripheral neuropathy with glycoxidation, compared with other identified risk factors, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

We included 198 patients with type 2 diabetes and high risk for vascular complications. Circulating concentrations of three advanced glycation end products (carboxymethyllysine, methyl‐glyoxal‐hydroimidazolone‐1, pentosidine) and of their soluble receptor (sRAGE) were measured. Peripheral neuropathy was assessed by the neuropathy disability score and by the monofilament test and defined as either an abnormal monofilament test and/or a neuropathy disability score ≥6. Multivariate regression analyses were performed adjusting for potential confounding factors for neuropathy: age, gender, diabetes duration, current smoking, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, height, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, glycated haemoglobin, estimated glomerular filtration rate and lipid profile.

Results

Prevalence of peripheral neuropathy was 20.7%. sRAGE and carboxymethyllysine were independently and positively associated with the presence of peripheral neuropathy. No significant association was found between peripheral neuropathy and methyl‐glyoxal‐hydroimidazolone‐1 or pentosidine. Waist circumference, height and peripheral arterial occlusive disease were independently associated with peripheral neuropathy.

Conclusions

Carboxymethyllysine and sRAGE were independently associated with peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Although the conclusions are limited by the absence of a healthy control population, this study confirms the relationship between advanced glycoxidation and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, independently of other risk factors. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isolation and purification of plastochromanol‐8 for HPLC quantitative determinations
Authors: Siger Aleksander , Kachlicki Piotr , Czubiński Jarosław , Polcyn Dominika , Dwiecki Krzysztof , Nogala‐Kalucka Małgorzata
Published: January 2014

The study describes isolation and semi‐preparative HPLC scale purification of plastochromanol‐8 (PC‐8). The PC‐8 standard was obtained from flaxseed oil. The purity of the obtained PC‐8 standard was 93.06% determined by UV–Vis detection. The HPLC/MSn fragmentation pattern of PC‐8 side chain resulted in the successive release of eight isoprene fragments which confirmed the correct structure identification. The established PC‐8 molar absorption coefficient (3616.5 M−1cm−1) will allow the precise quantitative analysis of this compound in real samples without the use of a standard. Usefulness of the obtained PC‐8 standard was verified by HPLC determination of PC‐8, tocopherols, and tocotrienols at the same time. The PC‐8 recovery was 107.08%, and limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.75 and 2.27 µg/mL, respectively.

Practical applications: There are no commercially available standards of plastochromanol‐8 (PC‐8), and therefore effective ways of isolation of this compound are needed. A semi‐preparative HPLC is one of the available options allowing obtaining pure PC‐8.
Preformulation and development of chemically stable lipid emulsions containing a novel taxane derivative, TM‐2
Authors: Shi Jianli , Chen Xi , Gu Yuechen , Hu Xi , Zhang Ling , Li Yan , Cai Cuifang , Tang Xing
Published: January 2014

TM‐2 is a novel taxane derivative. The present paper describes an investigation of the physicochemical properties and degradation kinetics of TM‐2 to determine the use of lipid emulsions as suitable drug carriers, and also to develop and evaluate a highly stable and sterile optimal formulation of a TM‐2 lipid emulsion (TLE). The properties of TM‐2, such as its solubility in water and oils, partition coefficient, stability in aqueous solutions and oils, indicated that TM‐2 was an excellent candidate for o/w emulsions. A preformulation study indicated that degradation of TM‐2 took place mostly in water compared with that in oils. Moreover, the influence of pH, temperature, and ionic strength on the stability of TM‐2 in water solutions was assessed. An emulsion formulation of TM‐2 which was stable enough to undergo sterilization was successfully developed. Using the Arrhenius equation, the shelf‐life of TM‐2 in lipid emulsion was estimated to be 2665.5 days at 4°C, which was much longer than that of 113.0 days in aqueous solution. Thus, TLE was clearly superior to the TM‐2 aqueous solution in terms of stability. Short‐term stability investigations showed that the TLE was stable for a period of 3 months at 4 and 25°C.

Practical applications: The application of taxanes in anti‐cancer field is limited by de novo refractoriness or acquired resistance, which are common drawbacks to most anti‐cancer cytotoxic agents. TM‐2 is a novel semi‐synthetic taxane derivative, which can overcome multidrug resistance. Some non‐ionic surfactants, such as Cremophor EL and Tween 80 (polysorbate 80), usually used in the commercial formulations of the taxanes to improve their poor water‐solubility, have exhibited serious adverse effects including hypersensitivity reactions and peripheral neuropathy in human. In this study, preformulation study showed that TM‐2 exhibited excellent solubility in oils and, thus, the problems associated with the poor solubility of TM‐2 were overcome by loading TM‐2 into the interior oil phase of o/w lipid emulsions. According to the degradation kinetics results, the shelf lives (T0.9) of TM‐2 lipid emulsions at 25 and 4°C were dramatically prolonged.
Epigenetic epidemiology: Promises for public health research
Authors: Bakulski Kelly M. , Fallin M. Daniele
Published: January 2014

Epigenetic changes underlie developmental and age related biology. Promising epidemiologic research implicates epigenetics in disease risk and progression, and suggests epigenetic status depends on environmental risks as well as genetic predisposition. Epigenetics may represent a mechanistic link between environmental exposures, or genetics, and many common diseases, or may simply provide a quantitative biomarker for exposure or disease for areas of epidemiology currently lacking such measures. This great promise is balanced by issues related to study design, measurement tools, statistical methods, and biological interpretation that must be given careful consideration in an epidemiologic setting. This article describes the promises and challenges for epigenetic epidemiology, and suggests directions to advance this emerging area of molecular epidemiology. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 55:171–183, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Oxidative degradation of lurgi coal gasification wastewater: Optimization using response surface methodology
Authors: Wang Yuzhen , Wang Shuzhong , Guo Yang , Xu Donghai , Gong Yanmeng , Tang Xingying , Zhang Jie
Published: January 2014

Lurgi coal‐gasification wastewater with an initial total organic carbon (TOC) of 5000 mg/L and ammonia nitrogen (NH3N) of 1500 mg/L was treated by supercritical water oxidation technology to make the effluent reach the national wastewater discharge standard I in China (TOC < 20 mg/L, NH3N < 15 mg/L). Response surface methodology method combined with central composite design and regression analysis were used to statistically analyze and optimize the operating parameters. The effect degree of the parameters on TOC and NH3N decreasing were in the following order: temperature (440–600°C) > oxygen ratio (OR) (1–5) > reaction time (20–300 s) > pressure (22.2–30.2 MPa). The interactive effects of temperature and OR were significant on both COD and NH3N decreasing. The optimum conditions within experimental ranges were: 540°C, 27 MPa, OR of 3, and reaction time of 219 s. Under these conditions, the experimental TOC and NH3N decreasing efficiencies were 99.69 and 99.07%, respectively. The effluent can reach the wastewater discharge standard I. The main intermediate products of the pollutants during the oxidation process were detected and possible degradation pathways were also proposed. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 1258–1265, 2014
Joint dynamic switching point configuration and resource allocation in TDD‐OFDMA networks: optimal formulation and suboptimal solution
Authors: El‐Hajj Ahmad M. , Dawy Zaher
Published: January 2014

With the large increase in data services with asymmetric traffic loads, the time division duplexing (TDD) mode of operation of the next generation cellular wireless standards has gained an increasing interest from both cellular network operators and the research community. However, the introduction of TDD has raised several critical design requirements. Among others, the introduced flexibility in splitting resources between the uplink and downlink directions makes of the uplink/downlink switching point configuration a major design problem, especially that it is directly connected to other design aspects such as resource allocation and interference mitigation. In this paper, we formulate joint switching point configuration and resource allocation in TDD systems as an optimization problem with the objective of minimising the total interference under traffic load and other network constraints. The problem is then reformulated by linearizing some of the nonlinear terms. Because of the persistent difficulty of the problem, we propose a three‐stage suboptimal algorithm. The algorithm clusters the cells in a given network into different groups depending on the susceptibility of cells to interfere on each other with emphasis on base station‐base station and mobile station‐mobile station interference. Switching point configuration using standardised long term evolution (LTE) frame structures and multicell resource allocation utilising uplink and downlink interference indicators are subsequently performed independently. Simulation results show the merits of the proposed approach compared with traditional techniques by offering attractive trade‐offs between interference mitigation and traffic adaptation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neurodevelopmental alterations of large‐scale structural networks in children with new‐onset epilepsy
Authors: Bonilha Leonardo , Tabesh Ali , Dabbs Kevin , Hsu David A. , Stafstrom Carl E. , Hermann Bruce P. , Lin Jack J.
Published: January 2014

Recent neuroimaging and behavioral studies have revealed that children with new onset epilepsy already exhibit brain structural abnormalities and cognitive impairment. How the organization of large‐scale brain structural networks is altered near the time of seizure onset and whether network changes are related to cognitive performances remain unclear. Recent studies also suggest that regional brain volume covariance reflects synchronized brain developmental changes. Here, we test the hypothesis that epilepsy during early‐life is associated with abnormalities in brain network organization and cognition. We used graph theory to study structural brain networks based on regional volume covariance in 39 children with new‐onset seizures and 28 healthy controls. Children with new‐onset epilepsy showed a suboptimal topological structural organization with enhanced network segregation and reduced global integration compared with controls. At the regional level, structural reorganization was evident with redistributed nodes from the posterior to more anterior head regions. The epileptic brain network was more vulnerable to targeted but not random attacks. Finally, a subgroup of children with epilepsy, namely those with lower IQ and poorer executive function, had a reduced balance between network segregation and integration. Taken together, the findings suggest that the neurodevelopmental impact of new onset childhood epilepsies alters large‐scale brain networks, resulting in greater vulnerability to network failure and cognitive impairment. Hum Brain Mapp 35:3661–3672, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Concurrent stable and unstable cortical correlates of human wrist movements
Authors: Witte Matthias , Galán Ferran , Waldert Stephan , Braun Christoph , Mehring Carsten
Published: January 2014

Cortical activity has been shown to correlate with different parameters of movement. However, the dynamic properties of cortico‐motor mappings still remain unexplored in humans. Here, we show that during the repetition of simple stereotyped wrist movements both stable and unstable correlates simultaneously emerge in human sensorimotor cortex. Using visual feedback of wrist movement target inferred online from MEG, we assessed the dynamics of the tuning properties of two neuronal signals: the MEG signal below 1.6 Hz and within the 4 to 6 Hz range. We found that both components are modulated by wrist movement allowing for closed‐loop inference of movement targets. Interestingly, while tuning of 4 to 6 Hz signals remained stable over time leading to stable inference of movement target using a static classifier, the tuning of cortical signals below 1.6 Hz significantly changed resulting in steadily decreasing inference accuracy. Our findings demonstrate that non‐invasive neuronal population signals in human sensorimotor cortex can reflect a stable correlate of voluntary movements. Hence, we provide first evidence for a stable control signal in non‐invasive human brain‐machine interface research. However, as not all neuronal signals initially tuned to movement were stable across days, a careful selection of features for real‐life applications seems to be mandatory. Hum Brain Mapp 35:3867–3879, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.