bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimizing precision of rotating compensator ellipsometry
Authors: Broch L. , Johann L.
Published: February 2008

We present a method especially adapted to the RCE ellipsometer in the PCSA configuration (Polarizer, Compensator, Sample, Analyzer) when measurements with high degree of accuracy are required. The optimum precision conditions can be achieved for any sample by an adjustement of the azimuth of the analyzer and the polarizer. This new method of tracking is used to minimize the random errors and new positions of the analyzer and the polarizer according the sample are given. In these cases, the variances of tan Ψ and tan Δ can be divided up to five. Experimental verification of error reductions is also achieved. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Evaluation of ellipsometric porosimetry for in‐line characterization of ultra low‐κ dielectrics
Authors: Licitra C. , Bertin F. , Darnon M. , Chevolleau T. , Guedj C. , Cetre S. , Fontaine H. , Zenasni A. , Chapelon L. L.
Published: February 2008

Ellipsometric porosimetry (EP) has recently appeared to be a suitable non‐destructive technique for the characterization of porous ultra low‐κ (ULK) dielectrics. The analysis of ellipsometric spectra of a film during adsorption and desorption cycles of an adsorptive, allows the determination of its open pore fraction, pore size distribution, refractive index and thickness. Several issues are encountered when integrating low‐κ materials as inter‐metal dielectrics (IMD) in the CMOS architecture such as the deposition monitoring, the pore sealing efficiency and the process induced damages. In this study we focus on the capabilities of EP to characterize ULK materials and their integration processes. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Structural characterization of constituents with molecular diversity in fractions from Lysidice brevicalyx by liquid chromatography/diode‐array detection/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/nuclear magnetic resonance
Authors: Qu Jing , Hu You‐cai , Li Jian‐bei , Wang Ying‐hong , Zhang Jin‐lan , Abliz Zeper , Yu Shi‐shan , Liu Yun‐bao
Published: February 2008

A combination of electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/ESI‐MSn), and hyphenation of liquid chromatography to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HPLC/NMR), have been extensively utilized for on‐line analysis of natural products, analyzing metabolite and drug impurity. In our last paper, we reported an on‐line analytical method for structural identification of trace alkaloids in the same class. However, the structural types of the constituents in plants were various, such as flavanoids, terpenoids and steroids. It is important to establish an effective analytical method for on‐line structural identification of constituents with molecular diversity in extracts of plants. So, in the present study, the fragmentation patterns of some isolated stilbenes, phloroglucinols and flavanoids from Lysidice rhodostegia were investigated by ESI‐MSn. Their fragmentation rules and UV characteristics are summarized, and the relationship between the spectral characteristics, rules and the structures is described. According to the fragmentation rules, NMR and UV spectral characteristics, 24 constituents of different types in the fractions from L. brevicalyx of the same genus were structurally characterized on the basis of HPLC/HRMS, HPLC‐UV/ESI‐MSn, HPLC/1H NMR and HPLC/1H‐1H COSY rapidly. Of these, six (10, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 23) are new compounds and all of them are reported from L. brevicalyx for the first time. The aim is to develop an effective analytical method for on‐line structural identification of natural products with molecular diversity in plants, and to guide the rapid and direct isolation of novel compounds by chemical screening. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrospray tandem mass spectrometric analysis of novel synthetic quinoxalinone derivatives
Authors: Joly Nicolas , Jarmoumi Chakir , Massoui Mohamed , Essassi El Mokhtar , Martin Patrick , Banoub Joseph H.
Published: February 2008

Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS/MS) using a hybrid QqToF‐MS/MS instrument has aided the structural characterization and differentiation of a novel series of medicinal synthetic 1‐N‐glycoside‐quinoxalinone derivatives. These derivatives 7 and 8 are formed by an amino bond between the cyclic N‐1 of the quinoxaline moiety and the C‐6 position of a fully protected methyl or allyl α‐D‐mannofuranoside 3 and 4, and subsequent deprotection of the mannopyranoside moiety. In general the novel synthetic quinoxaline derivatives afforded the protonated molecules in ESI. The breakdown routes of the protonated molecules were rationalized by conducting low‐energy CID‐MS/MS analyses. In addition, re‐confirmation of the various established fragmentation routes was achieved by conducting a series of ESI‐CID‐QqTof‐MS/MS product ion scans on various selected precursor ions, which were initiated by CID in the atmospheric pressure/vacuum interface using a higher declustering potential. ESI‐QqToF‐MS/MS analysis has proven to be a specific and very sensitive method for the structural identification in the gas phase of these novel glycoquinoxalinamine derivatives. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pretreatment technique for siderite removal for organic carbon isotope and C:N ratio analysis in geological samples
Authors: Larson Toti E. , Heikoop Jeffrey M. , Perkins George , Chipera Steve J. , Hess Marcey A.
Published: February 2008

A method for the removal of siderite from geological samples to determine organic carbon isotope compositions using elemental analysis isotope ratio mass spectrometry is presented which includes calculations for % organic carbon in samples that contain diagenetic carbonate. The proposed method employs in situ acidification of geological samples with 6 N HCl and silver capsule sample holders and was tested on modern peach leaf samples (NIST 1547) and ancient lacustrine samples from Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The in situ acidification technique eliminates potential errors associated with the removal of soluble organic material using standard acid decanting techniques and allows for removal of the less soluble siderite, which is not efficiently removed using vapor acidification techniques. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for metabonomics investigation of the biochemical effects induced by aristolochic acid in rats: the use of information‐dependent acquisition for biomarker identification
Authors: Chan Wan , Lee Kim‐Chung , Liu Ning , Wong Ricky N. S. , Liu Huwei , Cai Zongwei
Published: February 2008

The toxic effects of oral administrations of nephrotoxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acid (AA) to male Sprague‐Dawley rats were investigated by using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. Analysis of the urine and plasma samples revealed distinct changes in the biochemical patterns in the AA‐dosed rats. After peak finding and alignment, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least‐squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) were used for multivariate data analysis. Potential biomarkers were studied by high‐resolution mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analyses. The MS/MS spectra of all endogenous metabolites satisfying the pre‐defined criteria were acquired in a single information‐dependent acquisition (IDA) analysis, demonstrating that IDA was an efficient approach for structural elucidation in metabonomic studies. Citric acid and a glucuronide‐containing metabolite were observed as potential biomarkers in rat urine. A significant increase in plasma creatinine concentration was also observed in the AA‐dosed rats, which indicated that AA induced an adverse effect on the renal clearance function. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On‐line monitoring of Brookhart polymerization by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Santos Leonardo Silva , Metzger Jürgen O.
Published: February 2008

For the first time, an electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometer coupled on‐line with a microreactor permitted the fast screening of polymerization growth of alkenes in the liquid phase mediated by palladium Brookhart catalyst and allowed the direct mass spectrometric identification of alkyl chains still bonded to Pd. The method also allowed us to intercept the catalytically active cationic intermediates of the Brookhart polymerization of alkenes, and to prove on‐line their catalytic activity through ion/molecule reactions. The technique is fast and sensitive, requires no sample preparation and manipulation, and is therefore suitable for the fast screening of catalyst/polymer growth by MS identification, with potential applications in areas such as new catalyst development, polymer chemistry, and product quality monitoring in manufacturing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mass spectrometric compatibility of Deep Purple and SYPRO Ruby total protein stains for high‐throughput proteomics using large‐format two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis
Authors: Nock Christina M. , Ball Malcolm S. , White Ian R. , Skehel J. Mark , Bill Louisa , Karuso Peter
Published: February 2008

In order to identify putative biomarkers from two‐dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis it is necessary to use a visualization technique that is sensitive, has a large dynamic range and does not interfere with the identification of the protein. As mass spectrometry increases in sensitivity more pressure is placed on visualization techniques that facilitate proteomic workflows but do not interfere with downstream processing. Two stains reported to meet these requirements are SYPRO Ruby (Invitrogen) and Deep Purple (GE Healthcare). This study examined the compatibility of these stains with protein identification by selecting spots from replicate 2D gels of human plasma and subjecting these to protein identification using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Using a test of two populations of proportions it was found that proteins were statistically more likely to be identified from gels stained with Deep Purple. Additionally, the identifications from Deep Purple stained gels are of higher quality because they are based on multiple peptides. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
LMI optimization approach to robustH∞observer design and static output feedback stabilization for discrete‐time nonlinear uncertain systems
Authors: Abbaszadeh Masoud , Marquez Horacio J.
Published: February 2008

A new approach for the design of robustH∞observers for a class of Lipschitz nonlinear systems with time‐varying uncertainties is proposed based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The admissible Lipschitz constant of the system and the disturbance attenuation level are maximized simultaneously through convex multiobjective optimization. The resultingH∞observer guarantees asymptotic stability of the estimation error dynamics and is robust against nonlinear additive uncertainty and time‐varying parametric uncertainties. Explicit norm‐wise and element‐wise bounds on the tolerable nonlinear uncertainty are derived. Also, a new method for the robust output feedback stabilization withH∞performance for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems is proposed. Our solution is based on a noniterative LMI optimization and is less restrictive than the existing solutions. The bounds on the nonlinear uncertainty and multiobjective optimization obtained for the observer are also applicable to the proposed static output feedback stabilizing controller. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of the electrochemical behaviour and surface chemistry of a Ti‐13Nb‐13Zr alloy exposed in MEM cell culture media with and without the addition of H2O2
Authors: Baker M. A. , Assis S. L. , Grilli R. , Costa I.
Published: February 2008

Promoting and understanding the formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) on biocompatible metals in the body is a very important topic of biomaterials research. In this paper, the formation of HA on a near‐β Ti‐13Nb‐13Zr alloy by immersion in minimal essential medium (MEM) with and without the addition of H2O2 has been studied using electrochemical methods, SEM and XPS. The Ti‐13Nb‐13Zr alloy exhibits passive behaviour over a wide potential range when immersed in MEM, and the passive film is composed of an inner barrier layer and an outer porous layer. Exposure for 72 h in the MEM solution results in the formation of a surface layer composed of an island‐like distribution of HA material and adsorbed amino acids. The addition of H2O2 to the MEM solution strongly promotes the formation of a thicker, continuous nanocomposite layer of HA and amino acids. For Ti alloys, the release of H2O2 in the anti‐inflammatory response appears to be an important beneficial process, as it serves to accelerate osseointegration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tantalum nitride thin film resistors by low temperature reactive sputtering for plastic electronics
Authors: Scandurra Antonino , Indelli Giuseppe Francesco , Pignataro Bruno , Di Marco Silvestra , Di Stefano Maria Ausilia , Ravesi Sebastiano , Pignataro Salvatore
Published: February 2008

This article describes the fabrication and characterisation of tantalum nitride (TaN) thin film for applications in plastic electronics. Thin films of comparable thickness (50–60 nm) have been deposited by RF‐magnetron‐reactive sputtering at low temperature (100 °C) and their structure and physical (electrical and mechanical) properties have been correlated by using sheet resistance, stress measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM), XPS, and SIMS. Different film compositions have been obtained by varying the argon to nitrogen flow ratio in the sputtering chamber. XPS showed that 5:1, 2:1 and 1:1 Ar:N2 ratios gives Ta2 N, TaN and Ta3N5 phases, respectively. Sheet resistance revealed an increase in resistivity ongoing from the Ta2N phase to the Ta3N5 one. The electrical properties of these films are comparable to those obtained by high temperature deposition process already reported in literature. Furthermore, a roughness and grain size modulation of the above films can be obtained by applying an RF negative bias during deposition without affecting the electrical resistivity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of the oil–water interface by XPS at low temperature
Authors: Genet M. J. , Cogels P. , Adriaensen Y. , Rouxhet P. G.
Published: February 2008

A protocol was set up to achieve good control and monitoring of the XPS analysis of hydrated specimens, which involves the ability to freeze the sample before its introduction into the spectrometer, to maintain ice under UHV and to control ice sublimation. The methodology was applied successfully to a model system consisting of a drop of water deposited on a film of triolein containing traces of a phospholipid (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine). Phosphorus and nitrogen, characteristic of the phospholipid, were demonstrated to be accumulated at the spot of the initial oil–water interface. The redistribution of the phospholipid after oil melting could be monitored in real time. The method is promising not only to study surface rearrangements on hydrated systems after water removal but also to get analytical information on gas–water interfaces and on interfaces between two liquids differing according to volatility. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The enigma of the silver blackening of the 13th century Notre‐Dame shrine of Huy (Belgium): a surface analysis approach
Authors: Crabbé Amandine , Vandendael Isabelle , Wouters Helena , Dewanckel Gilberte , Steenhaut Oscar , Terryn Herman
Published: February 2008

The purpose of this article is to re‐examine Theophilus' and Cellini's recipes, to understand what they were used for and to find out whether they could have been used for the Notre‐Dame shrine of Huy (Rheno‐Mosan art, 13th century).

A historical sample (the statuette of St Jacques the Major of the Notre‐Dame shrine) was studied with X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) in order to determine the presence of iron at its surface. The preparation of model samples gave the opportunity to study Cellini's recipe better. These model samples were characterised with colorimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X‐ray (SEM–EDX) analysis and AES. It is observed that applying Cellini's recipe results in a colour change, due to the presence of iron and oxygen at the surface of the samples. The presence of iron at the surface of both the model samples and the statuette of St Jacques is a good indication that the recipe may have been used on the statuettes of the Notre‐Dame shrine of the Collegiate of Huy. Moreover, it is shown that the iron is not influenced by the artificial ageing of the model samples. The possible use of Cellini's recipe for changing the colour of gilding is a very new point of view to consider middle‐age shrine. The practical implications for restoration are that it is important not to change the oxidation state of the iron and so the gilding colour. It is recommended to remove the black coating on the statuette's surface but without using techniques like, e.g. EDTA baths. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An analysis of eight 95 per cent confidence intervals for a ratio of Poisson parameters when events are rare
Authors: Barker Lawrence , Cadwell Betsy L.
Published: February 2008

We compared eight nominal 95 per cent confidence intervals for the ratio of two Poisson parameters, both assumed small, on their true coverage (the probability that the interval includes the ratio of Poisson parameters) and median width. The commonly used log‐linear interval, justified by asymptotic considerations, provided coverage and relatively narrow intervals, despite small numbers of arrivals. However, the uniform and scores intervals, defined in the text, come very close to providing coverage while providing substantially narrower intervals. These intervals might have practical applications. In a sensitivity analysis, none of the intervals maintained coverage for negative binomial data, indicating that distributional assumptions should be checked before taking our recommendations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chronic stress enhances methamphetamine‐induced extracellular glutamate and excitotoxicity in the rat striatum
Authors: Tata Despina A. , Yamamoto Bryan K.
Published: February 2008

Striking parallels exist between the neurochemical and toxic effects of stress and methamphetamine. Despite these similarities, no studies have examined how stress may promote the toxic effects of methamphetamine (METH). The current study tested the hypothesis that chronic stress enhances METH toxicity by augmenting glutamate (GLU) release and excitotoxicity in response to METH administration. Adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats were exposed to 10 days of unpredictable stress and then received either saline or METH (7.5 mg/kg, i.p., once every 2 h × four injections). Prior exposure to unpredictable stress acutely enhanced the striatal extracellular GLU concentrations in response to METH, and eventually caused proteolysis of the cytoskeleton protein spectrin. Administration of the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor, metyrapone (25 mg/kg, i.p., prior to each stressor), during unpredictable stress attenuated the enhanced striatal GLU release in response to METH, blocked spectrin proteolysis, and attenuated METH‐associated toxicity measured by long‐term depletions in the dopamine and serotonin tissue content as well as depletions in dopamine and serotonin transporter immunoreactivity of the striatum. In summary, prior exposure to unpredictable stress enhances METH‐induced elevations of GLU in the striatum, resulting in long‐term excitotoxic damage and an augmentation of damage to dopamine and serotonin terminals. These studies provide a neurochemical basis for how stress contributes to the deleterious effects of METH abuse. Synapse 62:325–336, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Localization of zinc in the outer retina of carp: A light‐ and electron‐microscopic study
Authors: Lee Shu‐Chen , Zhong Yong‐Mei , Li Rui‐Xi , Yu Zhang , Yang Xiong‐Li
Published: February 2008

Many lines of evidence suggest that zinc may play an important neuromodulatory role in the central nervous system, including the retina. In this work, localization of zinc in the outer retina of carp was studied, using the silver amplification method, by light and electron microscopy. Reaction products (silver grains) were widely distributed throughout the retina, including photoreceptors, the outer and inner nuclear layers (ONL and INL), the ganglion cell layer (GCL), as well as in both outer and inner plexiform layers (OPL and IPL). Generally, staining for zinc was stronger in the outer retina than in the inner retina, and grains were aggregated with the greatest density in the OPL and the outer limiting membrane (OLM). Silver precipitates were also detected in the inner segments, axons, but not outer segments of photoreceptors. At the ultrastructural level, zinc was localized to myoid regions, mitochondria in the inner segments, internuclear space and nuclei of photoreceptors. In addition, silver grains were found in the terminals of photoreceptors, cone pedicles, and rod spherules, as well as in some processes in the OPL, which might be dendrites of horizontal cells. The presence of zinc in the terminals of photoreceptors suggests that zinc might be released from photoreceptor terminals and play modulatory roles in the outer retina. Synapse 62:352–357, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Degradation and detoxification of cresols in synthetic and industrial wastewater by an indigenous strain of Pseudomonas putida in aerobic reactors
Authors: Gallego Alfredo , Gemini Virginia L. , Fortunato María S. , Dabas Paula , Rossi Susana L. , Gómez Carlos E. , Vescina Cristina , Planes Estela I. , Korol Sonia E.
Published: February 2008

We studied the degradation of mixtures of o‐cresol, m‐cresol, and p‐cresol, by Pseudomonas putida isolated from natural sources, and the application of this degradation to the depuration and detoxification of synthetic and industrial wastewater. Biodegradation assays were performed in batch and continuous‐flow fixed‐bed aerobic reactors. Biodegradation was evaluated by cresol determination using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, UV spectrophotometry, and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Mineralization of cresols was assessed by gas chromatography performed both at the end of the batch process and in the continuous flow reactor effluent. Microbial growth was measured by the plate count method. Scanning electronic microscopy was employed to observe bacterial cells adsorbed on polyvinyl chloride cylinders in the reactor. Detoxification was evaluated by Vibrio fischeri, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and Daphnia magna toxicity tests. Results obtained show that under batch conditions the strain grew exponentially with 100, 200, and 300 mg/L of each of the isomers in synthetic minimal medium within 48 h; in industrial wastewater with 540 mg/L of cresols similar results were obtained. Removal of cresols and COD was higher than 99.9% and 95.0%, respectively. When assays were performed in continuous flow reactor in synthetic wastewater under operating conditions a removal of total cresols and COD of 99.9% and 96.4%, respectively, was achieved. Results of capillary electrophoresis may suggest a concurrent isomers utilization and simultaneous growth on the substrates. Toxicity was neither detected at the end of the batch process nor in the continuous flow reactor effluent. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2008.
Effects of various carbon and nitrogen sources on fungal lipid production
Authors: Farag R. S. , Khalil F. A. , Salem H. , Ali L. H. M.
Published: February 2008

The efficiency of lipid production byTolyposporium ehrenbergii andSpacelotheca reiliana (family Ustilaginaceae) cultivated on a fat‐free medium was evaluated. The fungi were artificially cultured on media containing various monoor disaccharides and urea or peptone as basic sources for carbon and nitrogen, respectively. Some natural and industrial byproducts (glycerol, glucose syrup, potato hydrolysate and molasses hydrolysate) were also used as principal carbon sources for fungal growth. Media containing fructose/peptone or glucose/peptone were the most efficient for fungal fat production during one week of incubation. After a two‐week incubation period, highest phospholipid concentrations were found in S.reiliana andT. ehrenbergii mycelia obtained from media containing molasses hydrolysate/peptone and glycerol/urea, respectively. Fatty acid analysis of the fungal growth indicated the presence of a wide range of fatty acids, i.e., odd‐and even‐carbon numbered acids, both saturated and unsaturated. The results demon‐strated that the variability in the fatty acid composition largely depends on the type of sugar and nitrogen sources and the age of the culture.
Synthesis and properties of fatty imidazolines and their N‐(2‐aminoethyl) derivatives
Authors: Bistline Raymond G. , Hampson James W. , LinField Warner M.
Published: February 2008

Cationic high molecular weight surfactants hold promise as water repellents for soil for water harvesting. Specifically, the products of the reaction of 2 moles of fatty acids with 1 mole of diethylenetria‐mine were investigated. Optimum conditions for the formation of imidazolines as well as the open‐chain N‐(2‐aminoethyl) derivatives, i.e., the diamides, were determined. Saturated fatty acids, pelargonic through behenic, oleic acid, elaidic acid as well as tallow, tallow fatty acids, and hydrogenated tallow fatty acids, were converted in 6 hr at 150 C to form the diamides. The fatty imidazolines were synthesized by cyclizing the diamides at 150 C for 2 hr under reduced pressure in a 92% yield. The crude imidazolines were purified by crystallization. The fatty imidazolines were readily hydrolyzed at the C=N bond of the imidazoline ring with water or dilute alcohol. The resulting diamides, RCON(CH2 CH2 NH2)CH2 CH2 NHCOR, were also purified by crystallization. Water repellency of these com‐pounds was evaluated by contact angle measurements and percola‐tion tests. The surface properties of these series of compounds are determined by four parameters. The open‐chain diamides are more hydrophobic than the analogous imidazolines, and hydrophobicity increases with increasing molecular weight of derivatives of saturated fatty acids. Oleic acid derivatives are far more hydrophilic than the saturated acid derivatives or the analogous elaidic acid derivatives. The latter are more hydrophilic than stearic derivatives.
Simultaneous detection of aflatoxin b1 and ochratoxin a in olive oil
Authors: Letutour B. , Tantaoui‐Elaraki A. , Ihlal L.
Published: February 2008

A screening method has been developed for simultaneous determination of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A in olive oil. The technique includes extraction of both mycotoxins with aqueous methanol, clean‐up using lead acetate, partitioning in chloroform, and thin layer chromatography. The detection limits achieved are, respectively: 4 μg aflatoxin B1 and 40 μg ochratoxin A/kg. 60 samples of crude farm olive oil were analyzed using this method: three of them contained traces of ochratoxin A while none was contaminated with aflatoxin B1.
Iso‐solid diagrams of fat blends from thermal analysis data
Authors: Lambelet P. , Raemy A.
Published: February 2008

The use of spline interpolation between solid fat index (SFI) values obtained from calorimetric experiments to determine iso‐solid data is described. Computer programs control both the sampling of the data from the calorimeter and the calculation of iso‐solid values. This approach allows us to plot iso‐solid diagrams fully automa‐tically. Examples for cocoa butter/milk fat mixtures are given.
Analysis of cationic and amphoteric surfactants: III. Structural analysis of imidazolinium cationic surfactants
Authors: Takano Satoshi , Tsuji Kazuro
Published: February 2008

Determination of the homologous distribution of imidazolinium cationic surfactants and their structural analysis have been inves‐tigated. These surfactants were hydrolyzed under aqueous alkaline media, followed by acid hydrolysis to afford fatty acids and poly‐amines. The resulting fatty acids were esterified with methanol, and then analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) in order to determine their homologous distribution. The obtained distribution agrees well with that of original fatty acid. Therefore, this method should be applicable to the determination of the homologous distribution of imidazolinium surfactants. The resulting polyamines were acetylated with acetic anhydride in the presence of pyridine. These acetates were analyzed by GC and isolated by preparative thin layer chroma‐tography on silica gel. The structures of these isolates were identi‐fied by means of 1 H‐NMR and 1R spectrometry. These structural analyses demonstrated that quaternization of an imidazoline ring selectively occurred at the nitrogen at the 3‐position of an imida‐zoline ring, which was the kinetically favored position in terms of the steric hinderence and the stability of product.
Ricinoleic Acid in Common Vegetable Oils and Oil Seeds
Authors: Yamamoto Kouhei , Kinoshita Akemi , Shibahara Akira
Published: February 2008

An original gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for quantifying trace amounts of ricinoleic acid (12‐hydroxy‐cis‐9‐octadecenoic acid) is detailed. Data are presented on trace amounts of ricinoleic acid found in several common vegetable oils and oils extracted from common oil seeds: e.g., ca. 30 ppm in commercial olive oil was the lowest amount; and ca. 2,690 ppm in oil extracted from cottonseeds was the highest amount.
Transition layer for the heterogeneous Allen–Cahn equation
Authors: Malchiodi Andrea , Wei Juncheng , Mahmoudi Fethi
Published: February 2008

We consider the equation

ɛ^{2}\mathrm{\Delta }u = \left(u−a(x)\right)\left(u^{2}−1\right)\:\text{in }\Omega ,\:\frac{\partial u}{\partial \nu } = 0\:\text{on }\partial \Omega ,\tag{1}

whereΩis a smooth and bounded domain in\mathbb{R}^{n},νthe outer unit normal to∂Ω, andaa smooth function satisfying−1 < a(x) < 1in\overline \Omega. We setK,\Omega _{ + }and\Omega _{−}to be respectively the zero-level set ofa,\{a > 0\}and\{a < 0\}. Assuming\mathrm{∇}a \neq 0onKanda \neq 0on∂Ω, we show that there exists a sequenceɛ_{j}\rightarrow 0such that Eq. (1) has a solutionu_{ɛ_{j}}which converges uniformly to±1on the compact sets of\Omega _{ \pm }asj\rightarrow + \infty. This result settles in general dimension a conjecture posed in [P. Fife, M.W. Greenlee, Interior transition layers of elliptic boundary value problem with a small parameter, Russian Math. Surveys 29 (4) (1974) 103–131], proved in [M. del Pino, M. Kowalczyk, J. Wei, Resonance and interior layers in an inhomogeneous phase transition model, SIAM J. Math. Anal. 38 (5) (2007) 1542–1564] only forn = 2.
Multiple effects of acetaminophen and p38 inhibitors: Towards pathway toxicology
Authors: Xu Jinghai J. , Hendriks Bart S. , Zhao Jie , de Graaf David
Published: February 2008

The majority of drug‐related toxicities are idiosyncratic, with little pathophysiological insight and mechanistic understanding. Pathway toxicology is an emerging field of toxicology in the post‐genomic era that studies the molecular interactions between toxicants and biological pathways as a way to bridge this knowledge gap. Using two case studies – acetaminophen and p38 MAPK inhibitors – this review illustrates how a pathway‐based perspective has advanced our understanding of compound and target‐based toxicities. The advancement of pathway toxicology will be dependent on integrated applications of techniques from basic sciences and a fundamental understanding of the interdependence of multiple biological pathways in living organisms.
A molecular interpretation of genetic interactions in yeast
Authors: Stein Amelie , Aloy Patrick
Published: February 2008

Gene deletion studies in yeast have shown that only ∼18% of its genes are essential for survival under standard laboratory conditions. This unexpectedly high fraction of genes with apparently no deletion effect has many practical and fundamental implications, and it is subject of considerable interest. Here, we briefly review some of the complementary models proposed to explain the robustness observed in biological networks. We also present and analyse a collection of well‐documented cases of gene pairs with capacity to compensate the deleterious effects caused by the inactivation of one of the partner genes, and suggest the molecular bases of how these functional compensations might occur at the protein level.
A careful disorderliness in the proteome: Sites for interaction and targets for future therapies
Authors: Russell Robert B. , Gibson Toby J.
Published: February 2008

The community of scientists interested in studying intrinsically unstructured (or disordered) proteins has emerged in recent years. What began as a controversial idea has become an established phenomenon. The new, greater focus on proteins that are in some way normally unstructured promises to provide a greater understanding of protein function, particularly with respect to protein–protein interactions. These regions also offer new possibilities into how interactions can be targeted by small molecules.
Identity, autonomy and conflict in republics of Russia and Ukraine
Authors: Korostelina Karina V.
Published: February 2008

This paper discusses the results of the survey conducted in co-operation with the European Research Center for Migration and Ethnic Relations, concerning identity in the Autonomous Republics of Russia and Ukraine. The survey queried 6522 residents of such republics as Bashkortostan, Karelia, Komi, Sakha (Yakutia), and Tatarstan in Russia, and Crimea in Ukraine. It examined the construction of social identities, common narratives regarding threats and deprivations, confidence in public institutions, the prevalence of views toward national minorities as ‘fifth columns’, ethnic stereotypes, ethnocentrism, and other conflict indicators. An early warning model, built on the basis of the results, measured the potential for conflict based on these factors, and found that it was most pronounced in Bashkortostan and Crimea, and to a lesser extent in Tatarstan. Conflict was less likely in Sakha, Karelia, and Komi, although there were still certain indicators that suggested potential problems, including moderate support for independence in these republics.
“Number One in Europe”: The Startling Emergence of the Deutsche Mark, 1968–1969
Authors: Gray William Glenn
Published: February 2008

The dollars—and pounds, and francs—came pouring in. Speculators and small savers across Western Europe raced to exchange their currencies for the Deutsche Mark. “Hot money” flowed into Germany at astounding rates. The reserves of West Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, shot up by DM 9.4 billion ($2.15 billion) in the first three weeks of November 1968—with DM 7.3 billion arriving in just three days of trading. Airports in Germany barred exchanges of more than one hundred francs at a time; train stations in Zurich stopped accepting French notes altogether.
The Gospel of Psychology: Therapeutic Concepts and the Scientification of Pastoral Care in the West German Catholic Church, 1950–1980
Authors: Ziemann Benjamin
Published: February 2008

As Friedrich Wilhelm Graf has argued, any thorough assessment of religious change in the twentieth century has to pay attention to the interplay between the established churches and social forces in fields of society as different as the media, the economy, the arts, and the sciences. It is the aim of this article to stress both the emergence and the importance of hybrids between organized religion and the human sciences in the decades since the 1950s. I take the Catholic Church in the Federal Republic as a perhaps somewhat unlikely but also illuminating example, although all major Christian denominations both in Germany and in other Western European countries have made ample use of social science methods such as statistics, sociology, and opinion-polling during that period. From the broad range of scientific approaches employed by the Catholic Church, the focus of this article is on the use of psychological techniques used for purposes of therapeutic intervention, or, in Anglo-Saxon parlance, counseling. The emerging psychologization of religious topics and pastoral action is seen as merely one example of the immense significance that the “psy disciplines” of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and psychology have attained within the forms of knowledge and practice deployed to describe the “Self.” This process can also be interpreted as a particularly striking example of the “scientification of the social” in the twentieth century, that is, of the process in which human science concepts have shaped new terms and categories for the description of social contexts and offered forms of practical intervention in social problems.
Breaking the Bank: Gambling Casinos, Finance Capitalism, and German Unification
Authors: Carter E. J.
Published: February 2008

In April 1867, Fyodor Dostoevsky left Russia for central Europe, in part to celebrate his marriage to Anna Gregorovich Snitkina, the young stenographer who had helped him compose The Gambler the previous fall. While that book freed him from the clutches of the publisher Stellovsky, who had advanced him money in exchange for a lien on his future works, it did not remove the larger financial destitution that threatened the new family, and fear of the debtor's prison clouded Dostoevsky's subsequent four-year sojourn in Europe. Residing first in Berlin and Dresden, he began to entertain thoughts of escaping his financial difficulties through gambling. In May, he traveled briefly to Bad Homburg; later, both he and Anna proceeded to Baden-Baden. Contrary to his hopes, life imitated art, and Dostoevsky was soon as hopelessly beset by the gambling demons as his fictional anti-hero, Alexei, and with as little success. By the end of the summer, he had pawned many of his and Anna's belongings and systematically lost the gifts sent from Russia by friends to bail them out. Finally on August 23, he managed to tear himself away from the tables. Over the next four years, he would gamble sporadically, but never with the same fervor he brought to Baden-Baden that summer. After returning to Russia in 1871, he gave up gambling entirely.
Styles of Masculinity in the West German Gay Scene, 1950-1965
Authors: Whisnant Clayton J.
Published: February 2008

Since the end of the 1990s, the study of masculinity within German scholarship has made considerable progress, especially in moving beyond the close association made between German manhood and militarism.1 While the figure of the soldier remains crucial for an understanding of masculinity in Germany (as well as the rest of the Western world) during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, scholars have increasingly recognized that any culture includes multiple definitions and representations of manhood—even one so thoroughly saturated by the figure of the soldier as Germany was during the Nazi era.2 Increasingly, the goal of research has been to uncover how masculinity is not only represented in official discourse, but also constructed through social interaction and “performed,” to use Judith Butler's term, in the context of everyday life. Moreover, this research has increasingly taken into account “the relations between the different kinds of masculinity,” in the words of the sociologist Robert Connell—especially the relationships of power.3 In short, recent work has increasingly recognized that the meanings of manhood are constructed within a complicated socio-cultural matrix of gender whose points of reference include not only women and cultural definitions of femininity, but also various versions of masculinity that themselves very often reflect class distinctions and other kinds of social fissures.
A School for the Republic? Cosmopolitans and Their Enemies at the Deutsche Hochschule für Politik, 1920-1933
Authors: Korenblat Steven D.
Published: February 2008

Recalling the bleak landscape of German higher education in the aftermath of World War I, Peter Gay described the “republican political scientists” of the Deutsche Hochschule für Politik, a school for political studies established in Berlin in October 1920, as “directly, deliberately—I am tempted to say defiantly—involved in the political life of the Republic…”1 Karl Dietrich Bracher was no less emphatic in pointing to the Hochschule für Politik as the only institution of its day to appreciate the significance of the multi-party system as the driving force in modern political life.2 Led for nearly thirteen years by its founder and only president, the liberal political publicist, Ernst Jäckh, the Hochschule launched innovative programs in civic education and public service training designed to meet the educational needs of an emerging democracy. The Hochschule was radical in its mode of operation, holding evening classes for men and women from all vocations and educational backgrounds, including those lacking the Abitur typically required for admission to graduate and professional schools. Jäckh and his three directors of studies, Theodor Heuss (1920-1925), Hans Simons (1925-1930), and Arnold Wolfers (1930-1933), recruited what Gay described as a “first rate” standing faculty; developed a graduated, state-certified diploma program, and established specialized schools and seminars for economists, social workers, diplomat trainees, trade union officials, journalists, and teachers.3 They also established the Hochschule as a major center for international intellectual exchange, attracting the attention of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which came to view the school as a partner in the Endowment's efforts to promote European rapprochement, and of the Rockefeller Foundation, which recruited Hochschule faculty to contribute dozens of articles to the first (1934) edition of the Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences and supported the school's research and publication efforts in political science, a field not then recognized as a distinct academic discipline at any German university.4 For Peter Gay, the contribution of the Hochschule to the spirit of Weimar lay primarily in the public engagement of its leadership and faculty. Their determination to “participate in the shaping of policy” “through deliberately cultivated ties to high government officials[,]” set the Hochschule apart from the Institute for Social Research (“a group of powerful intellects,” but perhaps not “a group of powerful intellectuals”).5 Their orientation was decidedly cosmopolitan—committed to the promotion of German recovery through international intellectual cooperation and the development of a scientifically based program of political studies.
1806 and Its Aftermath: Revisiting the Period of the Napoleonic Wars in German Central European Historiography
Authors: Aaslestad Katherine , Hagemann Karen
Published: February 2008

If the French faced the 200th anniversary of the Napoleonic Empire with some trepidation about how to commemorate the infamous Corsican, the British celebrated the Battle of Trafalgar as an enduring national victory. A grand exhibit in the National Maritime Museum in London, “Nelson and Napoleon,” observed this event in 2005. In contemporary Germany, however, the commemoration of 1806 has occurred mainly among small circles of specialists and remained largely absent from popular historical consciousness. In recent times, besides the exhibition on the Holy Roman Empire in the German Historical Museum in Berlin, only small local exhibits and substantial articles in magazines like Die Zeit and Der Spiegel recall 1806. Past momentous occasions such as 1848, 1914–1919, 1933–1945, and 1949 clearly overshadow in contemporary historical memory the tumultuous decades that surrounded the Napoleonic Wars. This tendency to overlook and underestimate the significance of the early nineteenth century also remains evident among scholars who work on later periods of German history. In the shadow of World Wars and the Holocaust, the period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars between 1792 and 1815 seems distant to the contemporary audience. But why do historians also tend to disregard the importance of this era of warfare and domestic, social, and economic transformation—a period so rich in complexity—and its enduring consequences for nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe?
Paying for War: Experiences of Napoleonic Rule in the Hanseatic Cities
Authors: Aaslestad Katherine
Published: February 2008

“The fate of Europe sits on a razor's edge, if war starts now, it will be dreadfully feared. Neutrality will be impossible,” worried Hamburg enlightened merchant and philanthropist Caspar Voght in April 1803. He added, “Should war come, Bremen and Hamburg will be occupied by the French or the Prussians, and the rivers will be blockaded. God give us peace.” His fateful words preceded the French occupation and annexation of northern Germany and the corresponding imperial Continental System, which shattered the north German coastal economy. When he returned to Hamburg in September 1812, Voght shared his impressions in another letter:
In what misgivings, with what spirits did I approach the city from Harburg, the once fortunate shores, the towers of the once so prosperous city! I landed. Everything I saw and heard demonstrated the ruin of earlier prosperity, [the city] stripped of its attributes, cloaked in the fog of a threatening future. How my heart bled … The city empty and desolate, benefactors of the poor impoverished, the poor without help, my life's work destroyed.
Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900
Authors: Hull Isabel V.
Published: February 2008

This second volume of John C. G. Röhl's definitive biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II is a hybrid between narrative history and a documentary collection. The narration is buttressed by and interspersed with lengthy quotations from documents, especially unpublished ones from the Royal Archives in Windsor and General Count Alfred von Waldersee's diaries, hitherto available in print only in the falsified edition by Heinrich O. Meisner. This richly detailed account rarely alludes to secondary sources; the reader without previous knowledge of German domestic and foreign policy might well be overwhelmed by the level of detail; however, Röhl's argument is clear. He aims to restore Wilhelm in historiography as “the powerful and pernicious ruler that he actually was, a kind of missing link … between Bismarck and Hitler” (p. xiii). This volume succeeds in showing how Wilhelm built up and used his immense power from his accession in 1888 to the high point of personal regime from 1896 to 1900.