bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First report of an antifungal amidase from Peltophorum ptercoarpum
Authors: Lam Sze Kwan , Ng Tzi Bun
Published: August 2009

A 60 kDa antifungal amidase was purified from Peltophorum ptercoarpum seeds using an isolation procedure that entailed ion‐exchange chromatography on Q‐Sepharose, ion‐exchange chromatography on DEAE‐cellulose and FPLC–gel filtration on Superdex 75. Unlike most other antifungal proteins isolated previously, it was adsorbed on Q‐Sepharose and DEAE‐cellulose. The isolated protein, designated as peltopterin, exhibited an N‐terminal amino acid sequence closely resembling those of amidases. It exhibited amidase activity and digested iodoacetamide with an optimum pH and temperature at pH 9 and 50°C, respectively. It also hydrolyzed acrylamide and urea. It impeded mycelial growth in Rhizotonia solani with an IC50 of 0.65 μm. Chitin deposition at hyphal tips in R. solani was observed by staining with Congo red after incubation with peltopterin. Its antifungal activity was stable throughout pH 0–14 and 25–100°C. It potently inhibited HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase with an IC50 of 27 nm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethyl sulfone in urine by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after preparation using 2,2‐dimethoxypropane
Authors: Takeuchi Akito , Yamamoto Shinobu , Narai Rie , Nishida Manami , Yashiki Mikio , Sakui Norihiro , Namera Akira
Published: August 2009

A method for routinely determination of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethyl sulfone (DMSO2) in human urine was developed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The urine sample was treated with 2,2‐dimethoxypropane (DMP) and hydrochloric acid for efficient removal of water, which causes degradation of the vacuum level in mass spectrometer and shortens the life‐time of the column. Experimental DMP reaction parameters, such as hydrochloric acid concentration, DMP–urine ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time, were optimized for urine. Hexadeuterated DMSO was used as an internal standard. The recoveries of DMSO and DMSO2from urine were 97–104 and 98–116%, respectively. The calibration curves showed linearity in the range of 0.15–54.45 mg/L for DMSO and 0.19–50.10 mg/L for DMSO2. The limits of detection of DMSO and DMSO2were 0.04 and 0.06 mg/L, respectively. The relative standard deviations of intra‐day and inter‐day were 0.2–3.4% for DMSO and 0.4–2.4% for DMSO2. The proposed method may be useful for the biological monitoring of workers exposed to DMSO in their occupational environment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of bencycloquidium bromide in dog plasma by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Jiang Bo , Ruan Zourong , Lou Honggang , Dong Xinwei , Xie Qiangmin
Published: August 2009

A rapid, selective and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for determining bencycloquidium bromide (BCQB) in beagle dog plasma. The plasma sample was deproteinized with methanol which contained l‐ethyl‐bencycloquidium bromide as internal standard, and supernantant was assayed by LC‐MS/MS. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenex C18 column (100 × 2.0 mm, i.d., 3.0 μm) with a gradient programme mobile phase consisting of methanol and ammonium acetate (5 mm) containing 0.15% acetic acid and at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and selective reaction monitoring was used for the quantification of BCQB with a monitored transitions m/z 330.2 → 142.1 for BCQB and m/z 344.2 → 126.2 for IS. Validation results indicated that the lower limit of quantification was 0.05 ng/mL and the assay exhibited a linear range of 0.05–10.0 ng/mL and gave a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The intra‐ and inter‐run precisions of the assay were 1.7–4.6 and 3.2–15.6%, respectively, and the intra‐ and inter‐day accuracies were −8.8 to 1.1 and −5.0 to 4.6%, respectively. The developed method was applied for the pharmacokinetic study of BCQB in beagle dogs following a single intranasal dose. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigating variables and mechanisms that influence protein integrity in low water content amorphous carbohydrate matrices
Authors: Povey Jane F. , Perez‐Moral Natalia , Noel Timothy R. , Parker Roger , Howard Mark J. , Smales C. Mark
Published: August 2009

Biopharmaceutical proteins are often formulated and freeze dried in agents that protect them from deleterious reactions that can compromise activity and authenticity. Although such approaches are widely used, a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms of protein stabilization in low water content amorphous glasses is lacking. Further, whilst deterioration chemistries are well described in dilute solution, relatively little is known about the extent and mechanisms by which protein integrity is compromised in the glassy state. Here we have investigated the relationship between protein modification and rate thereof, with variation of pH, carbohydrate excipient, temperature and the glass transition temperature using a model protein, lysozyme. Mass spectrometry analysis and peptide mapping confirm that protein modifications do occur in the glassy state in a time‐, temperature‐, and carbohydrate excipient‐dependent manner. There were clear trends between the buffer pH and the primary modification detected (glycation). Most importantly, there were differences in the apparent reactivities of the lysine residues in the glass compared with those previously determined in solution, and therefore, the well‐characterized solution reactivity of this reaction cannot be used to predict likely sites of modification in the glassy state. These findings have implications for (i) the selection and combinations of formulation components, particularly with regard to glycation in the glassy state, and (ii) the design of procedures and methodologies for the improvement of protein stability in the glassy state. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009
Concanavalin a affinity chromatography for efficient baculovirus purification
Authors: Chen Guan‐Yu , Chen Chi‐Yuan , Chang Margaret Dah‐Tsyr , Matsuura Yoshiharu , Hu Yu‐Chen
Published: August 2009

Baculovirus has emerged as a novel gene delivery and vaccine vector, and the demand for purified baculovirus is rising due to the increasing in vivo applications. Since the baculoviral envelope protein gp64 is a glycoprotein, we aimed to develop a concanavalin A (Con A) chromatography process, which harnessed the possible affinity interaction between gp64 and Con A, for simple and effective baculovirus purification. Throughout the purification process the virus stability and recovery were assessed by quantifying the virus transducing titers [TT, defined as transducing units (TU) per milliliter] and viral particles (VP). We found that baculovirus stability was sensitive to buffer conditions and diafiltration with a tangential flow filtration system LabScale using 300 K membranes yielded recoveries of ≈75% in TT and 82% in VP. The diafiltered baculovirus strongly bound to the Con A column as evidenced by the low virus losses to the flow through and wash fractions. The wash steps eliminated >99% of protein impurities and elution with 0.6 M α‐D‐methylmannoside at room temperature led to the recoveries of ≈16% in VP and ≈15.3% in TU. The resultant VP/TU ratio was as low as 41.4, attesting the high quality of the purified virus. Further elution with 1 M α‐D‐methylmannoside recovered another 6% virus TU, yielding a cumulative recovery of ≈21.3% in TU. These data demonstrated for the first time that Con A chromatography is suitable for baculovirus purification, and may be used for the purification of other viruses with surface glycoproteins. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009
Growth behavior of number distributed adherent MDCK cells for optimization in microcarrier cultures
Authors: Bock Andreas , Sann Heiner , Schulze‐Horsel Josef , Genzel Yvonne , Reichl Udo , Möhler Lars
Published: August 2009

An assay for measuring the number of adherent cells on microcarriers that is independent from dilution errors in sample preparation was used to investigate attachment dynamics and cell growth. It could be shown that the recovery of seeded cells is a function of the specific rates of cell attachment and cell death, and finally a function of the initial cell‐to‐bead ratio. An unstructured, segregated population balance model was developed that considers individual classes of microcarriers covered by 1–220 cells/bead. The model describes the distribution of initially attached cells and their growth in a microcarrier system. The model distinguishes between subpopulations of dividing and nondividing cells and describes in a detailed way cell attachment, cell growth, density‐dependent growth inhibition, and basic metabolism of Madin‐Darby canine kidney cells used in influenza vaccine manufacturing. To obtain a model approach that is suitable for process control applications, a reduced growth model without cell subpopulations, but with a formulation of the specific cell growth rate as a function of the initial cell distribution on microcarriers after seeding was developed. With both model approaches, the fraction of growth‐inhibited cells could be predicted. Simulation results of two cultivations with a different number of initially seeded cells showed that the growth kinetics of adherent cells at the given cultivation conditions is mainly determined by the range of disparity in the initial distribution of cells on microcarriers after attachment. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009
Characterization and comparison of adipose tissue‐derived cells from human subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues
Authors: Toyoda Mito , Matsubara Yoshinori , Lin Konghua , Sugimachi Keizou , Furue Masutaka
Published: August 2009

Different fat depots contribute differently to disease and function. These differences may be due to the regional variation in cell types and inherent properties of fat cell progenitors. To address the differences of cell types in the adipose tissue from different depots, the phenotypes of freshly isolated adipose tissue‐derived cells (ATDCs) from subcutaneous (SC) and omental (OM) adipose tissues were compared using flow cytometry. Our results showed that CD31−CD34+CD45−CD90‐CD105−CD146+ population, containing vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes, was specifically defined in the SC adipose tissue while no such population was observed in OM adipose tissue. On the other hand, CD31−CD34+CD45−CD90−CD105−CD146− population, which is an undefined cell population, were found solely in OM adipose tissue. Overall, the SC adipose tissue contained more ATDCs than OM adipose tissue, while OM adipose tissue contained more blood‐derived cells. Regarding to the inherent properties of fat cell progenitors from the two depots, adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) from SC had higher capacity to differentiate into both adipogenic and osteogenic lineages than those from OM, regardless of that the proliferation rates of ADSCs from both depots were similar. The higher differentiation capacity of ADSCs from SC adipose tissue suggests that SC tissue is more suitable cell source for regenerative medicine than OM adipose tissue. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multicolour Self‐Assembled Fluorene Co‐Oligomers: From Molecules to the Solid State via White‐Light‐Emitting Organogels
Authors: Abbel Robert , van der Weegen Rob , Pisula Wojciech , Surin Mathieu , Leclère Philippe , Lazzaroni Roberto , Meijer E. W. , Schenning Albertus P. H. J.
Published: August 2009

Five fluorene‐based co‐oligomers have been prepared to study their self‐assembly in a wide range of concentrations, from dilute solutions to the solid state. Subtle changes to the chemical structures, introduced to tune the emission colours over the entire visible range, induce strong differences in aggregation behaviour. Only two of the fluorescent co‐oligomer derivatives self‐assemble to form soluble fibrils from which fluorescent organogels emerge at higher concentrations. In contrast, the other compounds form precipitates. Mixed fluorescent co‐oligomer systems exhibit partial energy transfer, which allows the creation of white‐light‐emitting gels. Finally, a mechanism for the hierarchical self‐assembly of this class of materials is proposed based on experimental results and molecular modelling calculations.
The Asymmetric Aza‐Claisen Rearrangement: Development of Widely Applicable Pentaphenylferrocenyl Palladacycle Catalysts
Authors: Fischer Daniel F. , Barakat Assem , Xin Zhuo‐qun , Weiss Matthias E. , Peters René
Published: August 2009

Systematic studies have been performed to develop highly efficient catalysts for the asymmetric aza‐Claisen rearrangement of trihaloacetimidates. Herein, we describe the stepwise development of these catalyst systems involving four different catalyst generations finally resulting in the development of a planar chiral pentaphenylferrocenyl oxazoline palladacycle. This complex is more reactive and has a broader substrate tolerance than all previously known catalyst systems for asymmetric aza‐Claisen rearrangements. Our investigations also reveal that subtle changes can have a big impact on the activity. With the enhanced catalyst activity, the asymmetric aza‐Claisen rearrangement has a very broad scope: the methodology not only allows the formation of highly enantioenriched primary allylic amines, but also secondary and tertiary amines; allylic amines with N‐substituted quaternary stereocenters are conveniently accessible as well. The reaction conditions tolerate many important functional groups, thus providing stereoselective access to valuable functionalized building blocks, for example, for the synthesis of unnatural amino acids. Our results suggest that face‐selective olefin coordination is the enantioselectivity‐determining step, which is almost exclusively controlled by the element of planar chirality.
Synthesis of the First Tellurium‐Derivatized Oligonucleotides for Structural and Functional Studies
Authors: Sheng Jia , Hassan Abdalla E. A. , Huang Zhen
Published: August 2009

We report here the first synthesis of Te‐nucleoside phosphoramidites and Te‐modified oligonucleotides. We protected the 2′‐tellurium functionality by alkylation and found that the Te functionality is compatible with solid‐phase synthesis and that the Te oligonucleotides are stable during deprotection and purification. In addition, the redox properties of the Te functionalities have been explored. We found that the telluride and telluoxide DNAs are interchangeable by redox reactions. At elevated temperature, the Te‐DNA can also be site‐specifically fragmented oxidatively or reductively when 2′‐TePh functionality is present, whereas elimination of the nucleobase is observed in the presence of 2′‐TeMe. Moreover, the stability of the DNA duplexes derivatized with the Te functionalities has been investigated. Our Te derivatization of nucleic acids provides a novel approach for investigating DNA damage as well as for structure and function studies of nucleic acids and their protein complexes.
Factors Affecting DNA–DNA Interstrand Cross‐Links in the Antiparallel 3′–3′ Sense: A Comparison with the 5′–5′ Directional Isomer
Authors: Ruhayel Rasha A. , Moniodis Joseph J. , Yang Xiaohong , Kasparkova Jana , Brabec Viktor , Berners‐Price Susan J. , Farrell Nicholas P.
Published: August 2009

Reported herein is a study of the unusual 3′–3′ 1,4‐GG interstrand cross‐link (IXL) formation in duplex DNA by a series of polynuclear platinum anticancer complexes. To examine the effect of possible preassociation through charge and hydrogen‐bonding effects the closely related compounds [{trans‐PtCl(NH3)2}2(μ‐trans‐Pt(NH3)2{NH2(CH2)6NH2}2)]4+ (BBR3464, 1), [{trans‐PtCl(NH3)2}2(μ‐NH2(CH2)6NH2)]2+ (BBR3005, 2), [{trans‐PtCl(NH3)2}2(μ‐H2N(CH2)3NH2(CH2)4)]3+ (BBR3571, 3) and [{trans‐PtCl(NH3)2}2{μ‐H2N(CH2)3‐N(COCF3)(CH2)4}]2+ (BBR3571‐COCF3, 4) were studied. Two different molecular biology approaches were used to investigate the effect of DNA template upon IXL formation in synthetic 20‐base‐pair duplexes. In the “hybridisation directed” method the monofunctionally adducted top strands were hybridised with their complementary 5′‐end labelled strands; after 24 h the efficiency of interstrand cross‐linking in the 5′–5′ direction was slightly higher than in the 3′–3′ direction. The second method involved “postsynthetic modification” of the intact duplex; significantly less cross‐linking was observed, but again a slight preference for the 5′–5′ duplex was present. 2D [1H, 15N] HSQC NMR spectroscopy studies of the reaction of [15N]‐1 with the sequence 5′‐d{TATACATGTATA}2 allowed direct comparison of the stepwise formation of the 3′–3′ IXL with the previously studied 5′–5′ IXL on the analogous sequence 5′‐d(ATATGTACATAT)2. Whereas the preassociation and aquation steps were similar, differences were evident at the monofunctional binding step. The reaction did not yield a single distinct 3′–3′ 1,4‐GG IXL, but numerous cross‐linked adducts formed. Similar results were found for the reaction with the dinuclear [15N]‐2. Molecular dynamics simulations for the 3′–3′ IXLs formed by both 1 and 2 showed a highly distorted structure with evident fraying of the end base pairs and considerable widening of the minor groove.
Why are pretreatment prostate‐specific antigen levels and biochemical recurrence poor predictors of prostate cancer survival?
Authors: Denham James W. , Steigler Allison , Wilcox Chantelle , Lamb David S. , Joseph David , Atkinson Chris , Tai Keen‐Hun , Spry Nigel A. , Gleeson Paul S. , D'Este Catherine
Published: August 2009

BACKGROUND:

The value of pretreatment (initial) prostate‐specific antigen (iPSA) and biochemical recurrence (BR) as prognostic factors for survival remains unclear. The authors sought to determine why using randomized trial data with 7‐year minimum follow‐up.

METHODS:

In the Trans‐Tasman Radiation Oncology Group 96.01 trial, 802 men with T2b, T2c, T3, or T4 N0 prostate cancer (PC) were randomized to radiotherapy alone or with 3 or 6 months neoadjuvant androgen deprivation between 1996 and 2000. Cox modeling was used to identify outcome predictors at follow‐up landmark points.

RESULTS:

Higher iPSA was found to be a potent predictor of BR–free survival (P< .01) but was not prognostic for prostate cancer–specific survival (PCSS) from randomization. Patients experiencing BR had unfavorable initial prognostic factors compared with patients who did not. After BR, these factors were not prognostic for PC death in models adjusted for time to BR (TTBR). In these models, TTBR predicted PCSS more satisfactorily than the occurrence of BR itself. Survival probability 5 years after BR exceeded 90% for men with TTBR ≥4 years; however, it dropped to 44% ± 6% for men with TTBR <1 year. After BR, rapid PSA doubling time (DT), low iPSA, and short TTBR were identified as the most important predictors of inferior PCSS.

CONCLUSIONS:

When BR occurs, prognostic factors for survival change. Low iPSA, short TTBR, and rapid PSA DT take over at this point, providing reasons why iPSA and occurrence of BR alone predict PCSS unsatisfactorily. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
A randomized trial of external beam radiotherapy versus cryoablation in patients with localized prostate cancer
Authors: Robinson John W. , Donnelly Bryan J. , Siever Jodi E. , Saliken John C. , Ernst Scott D. , Rewcastle John C. , Trpkov Kiril , Lau Harold , Scott Cheryl , Thomas Bejoy
Published: August 2009

BACKGROUND:

A recent randomized trial to compare external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to cryoablation for localized disease showed cryoablation to be noninferior to external beam EBRT in disease progression and overall and disease‐specific survival. We report on the quality of life (QOL) outcomes for this trial.

METHODS:

From December 1997 through February 2003, 244 men with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer were randomly assigned to cryoablation or EBRT (median dose 68 Gy). All patients received neoadjuvant antiandrogen therapy. Patients completed the EORTC QLQ C30 and the Prostate Cancer Index (PCI) before treatment and at 1.5, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months post‐treatment.

RESULTS:

Regardless of treatment arm, participants reported high levels of QOL with few exceptions. cryoablation was associated with more acute urinary dysfunction (mean PCI urinary function cryoablation = 69.4; mean EBRT = 90.7; P < .001), which resolved over time. No late arising QOL issues were observed. Both EBRT and cryoablation participants reported decreases in sexual function at 3 months with the cryoablation patients reporting poorer functioning (mean cryoablation = 7.2: mean EBRT = 32.9; P < .001). Mean sexual function score was 15 points lower at 3 years for the cryoablation group and 13% more of the cryoablation men said that sexuality was a moderate or big problem.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this randomized trial, no long‐term QOL advantage for either treatment was apparent with the exception of poorer sexual function reported by those treated with cryoablation. Men who wish to increase their odds of retaining sexual function might be counseled to choose EBRT over cryoablation. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Time to disease recurrence in basal‐type breast cancers
Authors: Dent Rebecca , Hanna Wedad M. , Trudeau Maureen , Rawlinson Ellen , Sun Ping , Narod Steven A.
Published: August 2009

BACKGROUND:

Basal‐like breast cancers are a subgroup of breast cancers defined by the absence of staining for estrogen‐receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER‐2/neu) and by positive staining for the cytokeratins (CKs) expressed in the myoepithelial cells of the ducts and lobules (CK5/CK6, CK14) and for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This class of tumors has an unusually aggressive course, and it is not clear whether conventional prognostic factors for breast cancers also predict outcome for patients who have the basal phenotype.

METHODS:

A panel of 962 breast cancers was stained for 5 markers (ER, PR, HER‐2/neu, CK5/CK6, and EGFR). The patients were followed for clinical outcomes for up to 15 years from diagnosis, and the rates of distant disease recurrence and death were compared by tumor size (≤2 cm or >2 cm) and by lymph node status within the subgroups of women with basal and nonbasal cancers.

RESULTS:

Of the 962 women with breast cancer, 116 cancers were basal (12%), 845 were nonbasal (88%), and 1 could not be classified as either basal or nonbasal and was excluded. In total, 426 tumors measured ≤2 cm (45%), and 530 tumors measured >2 cm (55%). Among women with nonbasal cancers, large tumor size was an adverse prognostic factor. Among women with basal cancers, a transient adverse effect of size on disease recurrence was observed; however, after 10 years, mortality rates were equal for women with small tumors and women with large tumors.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among women with basal breast cancers, the long‐term prognosis was similar for women with large tumors and women with small tumors. However, women with large basal tumors appeared to develop recurrent disease sooner. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Bayesian statistics in oncology
Authors: Adamina Michel , Tomlinson George , Guller Ulrich
Published: August 2009

The rise of evidence‐based medicine as well as important progress in statistical methods and computational power have led to a second birth of the >200‐year‐old Bayesian framework. The use of Bayesian techniques, in particular in the design and interpretation of clinical trials, offers several substantial advantages over the classical statistical approach. First, in contrast to classical statistics, Bayesian analysis allows a direct statement regarding the probability that a treatment was beneficial. Second, Bayesian statistics allow the researcher to incorporate any prior information in the analysis of the experimental results. Third, Bayesian methods can efficiently handle complex statistical models, which are suited for advanced clinical trial designs. Finally, Bayesian statistics encourage a thorough consideration and presentation of the assumptions underlying an analysis, which enables the reader to fully appraise the authors' conclusions. Both Bayesian and classical statistics have their respective strengths and limitations and should be viewed as being complementary to each other; we do not attempt to make a head‐to‐head comparison, as this is beyond the scope of the present review. Rather, the objective of the present article is to provide a nonmathematical, reader‐friendly overview of the current practice of Bayesian statistics coupled with numerous intuitive examples from the field of oncology. It is hoped that this educational review will be a useful resource to the oncologist and result in a better understanding of the scope, strengths, and limitations of the Bayesian approach. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Lymph node density is a significant predictor of outcome in patients with oral cancer
Authors: Gil Ziv , Carlson Diane L. , Boyle Jay O. , Kraus Dennis H. , Shah Jatin P. , Shaha Ashok R. , Singh Bhuvanesh , Wong Richard J. , Patel Snehal G.
Published: August 2009

BACKGROUND:

The impact of lymph node metastases on prognosis in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been well recognized. However, accurate stratification of risk for recurrence among patients with lymph node metastases is difficult based on the existing staging systems. In the current study, the utility of lymph node density (LND) was evaluated as an alternative method for predicting survival.

METHODS:

Three hundred eighty‐six patients who underwent neck dissection were included. The median follow‐up was 67 months. Five‐year overall survival (OS), disease‐specific survival (DSS), and locoregional failure (LRF) rates were calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. LND (number of positive lymph nodes/total number of excised lymph nodes) and tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) staging variables were subjected to multivariate analysis.

RESULTS:

Using the median (LND = 0.06) as the cutoff point, LND was found to be significantly associated with outcome. For patients with LND ≤0.06, the OS was 58 percent versus 28 percent for patients with LND >0.06 (P < .001). Similarly, the DSS for patients with LND ≤0.06 was 65 percent and was 34 percent for those with LND >0.06 (P < .001). On univariate analysis, pathologic T and N classification, extracapsular spread, and LND were found to be significant predictors of outcome (P < .001). However, on multivariate analysis, LND remained the only independent predictor of OS (P = .02; hazards ratio, 2.0), DSS (P = .02; hazards ratio, 2.3), and LRF (P = .005; hazards ratio, 4.1). LND was also found to be the only significant predictor of outcome in patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (P < .05). Within individual subgroups of pN1 or pN2 patients, LND reliably stratified patients according to their risk of failure (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS:

After surgery for OSCC, pathologic evaluation of the neck using LND was found to reliably stratify the risk of disease recurrence and survival. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Task distribution models in grids: towards a profile‐based approach
Authors: Mury Antonio R. , Schulze Bruno , Gomes Antônio T. A.
Published: August 2009

In this paper we present an approach to task management—encompassing scheduling and fault recovery—in grid environments. The presented approach builds on user and resource profiles, which are continuously refined so as to allow estimates on the completion time of user tasks in specific grid resources. As shown in our simulation results, our approach reduces the average completion time of tasks by balancing the processing load on the grid resources, while allowing the detection of faults during task execution, and the reservation of grid resources in advance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Direct Volumetric Measurement of Gas Oversolubility in Nanoliquids: Beyond Henry’s Law
Authors: Pera‐Titus Marc , El‐Chahal Rayan , Rakotovao Volainiana , Daniel Cécile , Miachon Sylvain , Dalmon Jean‐Alain
Published: August 2009

The properties of condensed matter are strongly affected by confinement and size effects at the nanoscale. Herein, we measured by microvolumetry the increased solubility of H2 in a series of solvents (CHCl3, CCl4, n‐hexane, ethanol, and water) when confined in the cavities of mesoporous solids (γ‐alumina, silica, and MCM‐41). Gas/liquid solubilities are enhanced by up to 15 times over the corresponding bulk values for nanoliquid sizes smaller than 15 nm as long as gas/liquid interfaces are mesoconfined in a porous network. Although Henry’s law constant apparently no longer applies under these confinement, the concentration of dissolved H2 still increases linearly with increasing pressure in the range 1–5 bar. We discuss the role and main implications of surface excess concentrations at mesoconfined gas/liquid interfaces in enhancing gas solubility.
Cytologic diagnosis of vulvar Paget's disease by means of brushing smear: Report of a case
Authors: Funamoto Yasunobu , Haba Reiji , Kobayashi Tadao K. , Kushida Yosio , Kouno Kouji , Matsunaga Toru , Shiota Atuko , Hata Toshiyuki
Published: August 2009

Paget's disease of the vulva is a rare entity; since it may show the same clinical symptoms as benign chronic vulvitis, it may result in a delayed diagnosis. A 63‐year‐old woman was found to have an eczematoid pink to red lesion located in the vulva. Scraping cytology of the vulva showed isolated malignant cells of Paget type. The patient underwent wide local excision of the vulvar tumor and histopathological examination of resected specimens revealed that Paget cells were distributed singly or tended to form small nests in the epidermis. We consider vigorous brushing cytology to be a useful initial study for cancer screening of patients for any suspicious vulvar lesions. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acoustic techniques for studying soil‐surface seals and crusts
Authors: Leary Del , DiCarlo David A. , Hickey Craig J.
Published: August 2009

The impact of raindrops on a soil surface during a rainstorm may cause soil‐surface sealing and upon drying, soil crusting. Soil‐surface sealing is a result of the clogging of interaggregate pores by smaller suspended particles in the water and by structural deformation of the soil fabric, which reduces the infiltration capacity of soils. Soil‐surface crusting refers to the increase in soil strength or mechanical stiffness associated with near surface compaction, densification, or cementation. The formation of soil‐surface seals and crusts may have a profound influence on the erodability of soils, with the consensus being that the reduced hydraulic conductivity due to sealing is a highly significant contributing factor. In this article we discuss two acoustic techniques, one with sensitivity to changes in hydraulic properties (sealing) and the other to changes in mechanical stiffness (crusting). These non‐contact techniques excite the soil using a suspended loudspeaker to impinge acoustic energy from the air (sound) onto the sample. The response of the soil is quantified using a microphone to measure the total pressure above the soil surface and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) to measure the surface solid particle velocity. Changes in soil‐surface hydraulic conductivity are examined by observing the relative change in total pressure at the soil surface. Soil‐surface stiffening is quantified by the ratio of LDV response to the measured total pressure and is referred to as the acoustic‐to‐seismic admittance. Measurements were made on two different soils having different erodability characteristics and subjected to a simulated rainstorm. A fiberglass mesh screen was used to reduce the kinetic energy from the raindrops on one half of the sample. The half of the rained‐on samples for both soils showed a lower acoustic‐to‐seismic admittance than the samples that were only wetted indicating that the raindrop impact produces a stiffer soil surface. The rained‐on side of both soils also has larger acoustic pressures than the wetted side indicating that the impact of raindrops also increases the flow resistivity (decreased hydraulic conductivity) of the surface. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of the near subsurface using acoustic to seismic coupling
Authors: Howard Wheeler , Hickey Craig J.
Published: August 2009

Agricultural, hydrological and civil engineering applications have realized a need for information of the near subsurface over large areas. In order to obtain this spatially distributed data over such scales, the measurement technique must be highly mobile with a short acquisition time. Therefore, some type of remote sensing or geophysical technique must be utilized. Geophysical measurements are sensitive to the distribution of physical properties, such as the electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, mass density, mechanical properties, etc., of the ground. In most instances, the geophysical properties must be reconciled with physical properties used by the soil scientist. This paper presents a preliminary investigation of the use of acoustic to seismic (A/S) coupling measurements for measuring the depth to the top of the fragipan horizon. Fragipans influence the hydrology and ecohydrology of the soil on a field scale. A suite of traditional geophysical measurements was taken to characterize the soils at two sites with different depths to the fragipan horizon. Data at these two field sites indicate that this A/S technique is sensitive to the spatial variability of the depth to the fragipan horizon. At present, inversion of the A/S data for the fragipan depth requires use of data from a separate geophysical measurement or soil cores to provide a field calibration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inter‐ and intraspecific variation of stemflow production from Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (American beech) and Liriodendron tulipifera L. (yellow poplar) in relation to bark microrelief in the eastern United States
Authors: Van Stan J. Toland , Levia Delphis F.
Published: August 2009

Stemflow is a spatially concentrated hydrologic input at the tree base. Prior work has documented the differential effects of stemflow from a wide range of plant species on ecohydrological processes, such as the alteration of soil pH and spatial patterning of understory vegetation. No known work has coupled stemflow yield with high resolution measurements of bark microrelief that definitively ascribe differential stemflow yield to bark microrelief. As such, our research objectives were to: (1) correlate inter‐ and intraspecific variation in stemflow yield to a quantitative bark microrelief scale and (2) compare and contrast stemflow for two co‐occurring deciduous species—Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (American beech) and Liriodendron tulipifera L. (yellow poplar). Using a newly developed instrument to measure bark microrelief, namely the LaserBark™ automated tree measurement system, in combination with an 11‐month stemflow database for a broadleaved deciduous forest in eastern North America, it was found that bark microrelief values significantly differed between the two species [P = 0·000, F (1,19) = 49·32]. Funneling ratios [P = 0·000, H (1, 990) = 339·20] and stemflow generation [P = 0·000, H (1, 990) = 146·75] also significantly differed between the two species. Our results indicate that bark microrelief exerts a considerable effect on stemflow yield from F. grandifolia and L. tulipifera, possibly affecting water and solute flux to the forest floor. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reduction of cyclic speed change using a bandpass filter for compressor PMSM sine‐wave position sensorless drives
Authors: Fukumoto Tetsuya , Hamane Hiroto , Hayashi Yoichi
Published: August 2009

Position sensorless vector control has been applied to compressor drive systems using an IPMSM to realize higher efficiency. In this paper, reduction control of cyclic speed change is proposed in order to achieve improved performance, including low vibration and low acoustic noise. Designing a speed estimator by using an adaptive observer with a wide frequency band, the fundamental frequency component of the cyclic speed change is calculated by a bandpass filter. The proposed compensation method recognizing the fundamental component can reduce the cyclic speed change to an acceptable level. The principle of the compensation method is presented along with experimental results. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(4): 75–84, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20765
FDTD simulation of nonlinear ultrasonic pulse propagation in ESWL using equations including Lagrangian
Authors: Fukuhara Keisuke , Morita Nagayoshi
Published: August 2009

A new FDTD algorithm is proposed for analyzing ultrasonic pulse propagation in the human body, a problem connected with ESWL (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy). In this method, we do not use plane wave approximation but directly employ the original equations, taking into account the Lagrangian to derive new FDTD algorithms. This method is applied to an experimental setup and its numerical model that resembles an actual treatment situation in order to compare the sound pressure distributions obtained numerically with those obtained experimentally. The present method is shown to give clearly better results than the earlier method, from the point of view of the numerical reappearance of a strongly nonlinear waveform. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(4): 29–36, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20819
Design of fuzzy neural network‐based robust gain scheduling controllers
Authors: Sato Yoshishige
Published: August 2009

This paper proposes a method of robust gain scheduling control design by intelligent control that uses a fuzzy neural network without a model. We create a system that is robust and capable of automatic gain control against the conventional fixed PID control system, design a neural network which learns inverse dynamics as feedforward compensation, along with a two‐degree‐of‐freedom control to perform feedback compensation, produce a control system which adaptively adjusts the gain according to changes of the target errors, and verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(4): 21–28, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20820
Study of drive system for linear induction motor using magnetic energy recovery switch
Authors: Isobe Takanori , Takaku Taku , Kitahara Tadayuki , Sumitani Hideo , Shimada Ryuichi
Published: August 2009

This paper proposes a power supply suitable for driving linear induction motors. The power supply consists of a voltage source inverter (VSI) and a magnetic energy recovery switch (MERS). Circuit configuration and operation principles of the power supply are described. Power factor correction by MERS can increase the output power. Technical advantages of using MERS compared with increasing the rated voltage of VSI are discussed. Some experiments with a linear induction motor were conducted. The results confirm that MERS can reduce the capacity of the VSI or increase the output with the same VSI capacity. The number of devices and magnitude of losses are evaluated on a large‐scale drive system. A half‐bridge type of MERS is provided and discussed. The half‐bridge MERS mitigates disadvantages of using MERS. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(4): 65–74, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20832
An information system development method connecting business process modeling and its experimental evaluation
Authors: Okawa Tsutomu , Kaminishi Tsukasa , Kojima Yoshiyuki , Hirabayashi Syuichi , Koizumi Hisao
Published: August 2009

Business process modeling (BPM) is gaining attention as a measure for analysis and improvement of the business process. BPM analyzes the current business process as an As‐Is model and solves problems to improve the current business, and also aims to create a business process that produces value as a To‐Be model. However, research into techniques that connect the business process improvement acquired by BPM to the implementation of the information system seamlessly is rarely reported. If the business model obtained by BPM is converted to UML, and the implementation can be carried out by the technique of UML, one can expect an improvement in the efficiency of information system implementation. In this paper, we describe a method for system development that converts the process model obtained by BPM into UML. The method is evaluated by modeling a prototype of a parts procurement system. In the evaluation, a comparison with a case in which the system is implemented using the conventional UML techniques without BPM is performed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(4): 9–20, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley. com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20856
Simulation of variable‐speed wind generation system using boost converter of permanent magnet synchronous generator
Authors: Ohyama Kazuhiro , Sakamoto Tsuyoshi , Arinaga Shinji , Yamashita Yukio
Published: August 2009

This paper proposes a variable‐speed wind generation system using the boost converter. The proposed system has three speed control modes for the wind velocity. The control mode of low wind velocity regulates the armature current of the generator with the boost converter to control the speed of wind turbine. The control mode of middle wind velocity regulates the DC link voltage with the vector controlled inverter to control the speed of wind turbine. The control mode of high wind velocity regulates the pitch angle of the wind turbine with the pitch angle control system to control the speed of the wind turbine. The hybrid combination of three control modes extends the variable‐speed range. The proposed system simplifies maintenance, improves reliability, and reduces the costs compared with the variable‐speed wind generation system using a PWM converter.

This paper describes the control strategy and modeling for a simulation of the proposed system using Simulink of Matlab. It also describes the control strategy and modeling of a variable‐speed wind generation system using a PWM converter. The steady state and transient responses for wind velocity changes are simulated using Matlab Simulink. This paper verifies the fundamental performance of the system using a boost converter by discussing the simulation results of both systems. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(4): 37–54, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20902
The Halide Binding Behavior of 2‐Carbamoyl‐7‐ureido‐1H‐indoles: Conformational Aspects
Authors: Makuc Damjan , Triyanti  , Albrecht Markus , Plavec Janez , Rissanen Kari , Valkonen Arto , Schalley Christoph A.
Published: August 2009

Indole‐based anion receptors with an carboxamide unit in 2‐ and an urea in 7‐position were prepared and found to bind halides (as well as acetate and nitrate) in chloroform solutions at room temperature. Investigations of the binding behaviour show that the receptor is selective for chloride. Surprisingly, the truncated receptor 3 without the 2‐carbamoyl substituent shows the highest affinity for Cl–. Thorough 1H, 13C and 15N NMR investigations indicate different binding modes for acetate, nitrate and halides to the receptor 2. The observation of a major conformational change of this receptor during the binding of the halide ions leads to an understanding of the relative binding affinities of 3 > 4 > 2 for chloride. The results of the NMR study are supported by ab initio calculations. In addition, ESI FTICR MS competition experiments of the indole 2 and the quinoline 1 reveal the “self‐aggregation” of the receptors and show that halides have a higher affinity to 2 than to 1.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Optimisation and validation of a new CE method for the determination of lansoprazole enantiomers in pharmaceuticals
Authors: Berzas Nevado Juon José , Castañeda Peñalvo Gregorio , Jiménez Sánchez Juan Carlos , Mochón Manuel Callejón , Rodríguez Dorado Rosa María , Villar Navarro Mercedes
Published: August 2009

An analytical method based on CZE to determine lansoprazole enantiomers in pharmaceuticals was developed. The primary factors affecting its separation efficiency, which include chiral selector, pH, buffer concentration, capillary temperature and injection time, were optimised. The best results were obtained by using a background electrolyte consisting of 50 mM phosphate adjusted to pH 2.2, 12 mM β‐CD and 5 mM sodium sulphite, in combination with hydrodynamic injection and a 15 kV separation voltage. Detection limits were calculated from baseline noise and found to be 0.64 mg L−1 for the R enantiomer and 0.72 mg L−1 for the S enantiomer. The proposed method was used to analyse three different pharmaceutical preparations with recoveries of 91–102% of the label content.
Box–Behnken design for the optimization of an enantioselective method for the simultaneous analysis of propranolol and 4‐hydroxypropranolol by CE
Authors: Borges Keyller Bastos , Pupo Mônica Tallarico , de Freitas Luis Alexandre Pedro , Bonato Pierina Sueli
Published: August 2009

An experimental design optimization (Box–Behnken design, BBD) was used to develop a CE method for the simultaneous resolution of propranolol (Prop) and 4‐hydroxypropranolol enantiomers and acetaminophen (internal standard). The method was optimized using an uncoated fused silica capillary, carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (CM‐β‐CD) as chiral selector and triethylamine/phosphoric acid buffer in alkaline conditions. A BBD for four factors was selected to observe the effects of buffer electrolyte concentration, pH, CM‐β‐CD concentration and voltage on separation responses. Each factor was studied at three levels: high, central and low, and three center points were added. The buffer electrolyte concentration ranged from 25 to 75 mM, the pH ranged from 8 to 9, the CM‐β‐CD concentration ranged from 3.5 to 4.5% w/v, and the applied run voltage ranged from 14 to 20 kV. The responses evaluated were resolution and migration time for the last peak. The obtained responses were processed by Minitab®to evaluate the significance of the effects and to find the optimum analysis conditions. The best results were obtained using 4% w/v CM‐β‐CD in 25 mM triethylamine/H3PO4buffer at pH 9 as running electrolyte and 17 kV of voltage. Resolution values of 1.98 and 1.95 were obtained for Prop and 4‐hydroxypropranolol enantiomers, respectively. The total analysis time was around of 15 min. The BBD showed to be an adequate design for the development of a CE method, resulting in a rapid and efficient optimization of the pH and concentration of the buffer, cyclodextrin concentration and applied voltage.
Combined use of chiral ionic liquid and CD for MEKC: Part II. Determination of binding constants
Authors: Wang Bin , He Jun , Bianchi Victoria , Shamsi Shahab A.
Published: August 2009

A competitive inhibition mechanism is proposed to investigate the interactions among 2,3,6‐tri‐O‐methyl‐β‐CD (TM‐β‐CD), cationic ionic liquid type surfactants, N‐undecenoxy‐carbonyl‐L‐leucinol bromide (L‐UCLB) and profens using affinity CE. The apparent binding constant of TM‐β‐CD to L‐UCLB was estimated by nonlinear and linear plotting methods. The binding constants of one representative profen (e.g. fenoprofen) to TM‐β‐CD and L‐UCLB were estimated by a secondary plotting approach. The R‐ and S‐fenoprofens have different binding constant values, resulting in the enantioseparation due to the synergistic effect of the two chiral selectors, TM‐β‐CD and L‐UCLB.