bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cutaneous water loss and sphingolipids in the stratum corneum of house sparrows,Passer domesticusL., from desert and mesic environments as determined by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure photospray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Muñoz-Garcia Agustí , Ro Jennifer , Brown Johnie C. , Williams Joseph B.
Published: January 2008

Because cutaneous water loss (CWL) represents half of total water loss in birds, selection to reduce CWL may be strong in desert birds. We previously found that CWL of house sparrows from a desert population was about 25% lower than that of individuals from a mesic environment. The stratum corneum (SC),the outer layer of the epidermis, serves as the primary barrier to water vapor diffusion through the skin. The avian SC is formed by layers of corneocytes embedded in a lipid matrix consisting of cholesterol, free fatty acids and two classes of sphingolipids, ceramides and cerebrosides. The SC of birds also serves a thermoregulatory function; high rates of CWL keep body temperatures under lethal limits in episodes of heat stress.

In this study, we used high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure photoionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/APPI-MS) to identify and quantify over 200 sphingolipids in the SC of house sparrows from desert and mesic populations. Principal components analysis (PCA) led to the hypotheses that sphingolipids in the SC of desert sparrows have longer carbon chains in the fatty acid moiety and are more polar than those found in mesic sparrows. We also tested the association between principal components and CWL in both populations. Our study suggested that a reduction in CWL found in desert sparrows was, in part, the result of modifications in chain length and polarity of the sphingolipids, changes that apparently determine the interactions of the lipid molecules within the SC.
Experimental Investigation of Overlap and Blockage Effects on Three-Bucket Savonius Rotors
Authors: Biswas A. , Gupta R. , Sharma K.K.
Published: January 2008

Savonius vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) have advantages over horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT), such as simple construction, acceptance of wind from any direction without orientation, self-starting, inexpensive etc. These advantages make it a viable proposition for small-scale applications in developing countries. In spite of the above advantages, VAWT are not gaining popularity mainly because of their poor efficiency. Hence, a three-bucket Savonius model rotor, having 8 cm bucket diameter and 20 cm height, was designed, fabricated, and tested in a sub-sonic wind tunnel. Provisions for variations of ‘blade’ overlap were included. Experiments were conducted for overlap conditions in the range of 16% to 35%. From the experimental investigations, power-coefficients (Cp) were calculated with and without blockage correction factors for tunnel interference. In both analyses, the power-coefficient increased if there was overlap, with an optimum value at 20% overlap of 47% without blockage correction, and 38% with blockage correction.
Modelling and Analysing the Hydraulic Variable-Pitch Mechanism for a Variable-Speed Wind Turbine
Authors: Kong Yigang , Wang Zhixin
Published: January 2008

Modern wind turbines are controlled in varying wind speed by blade pitching for power control. To satisfy the requirement of large driving forces and torques, fast response and high stiffness, hydraulic technology is usually used in the variable-pitch mechanism. The model of the hydraulic variable-pitch mechanism (HVPM) is simplified by a first-order inertia system in most literature. This simplified representation neglects the actual characteristics of the HVPM, and it is not precise and reasonable. Therefore, HVPM modelling is implemented and analyzed in this paper. Simulation results show that consequently the variable-speed wind turbine performs well at above-rated wind speeds.
Small Wind-Turbine Community-Based Renewable Energy Systems in the Philippines
Authors: Corbyn Andrew
Published: January 2008

SIBAT, a Philippine NGO, has developed a small wind turbine for use in remote, off-grid communities as a tool for sustainable development in the Philippines. Wind energy has recently been identified as an appropriate alternative to expensive solar photovoltaics and unsustainable diesel generation for such communities without access to a suitable water source for micro hydro systems. This is an account of how SIBAT implements small wind turbine technology, following their community-based renewable energy system model for sustainability. It describes the appropriate technology, the locally manufactured wind turbines, the SIBAT community assessment methodology and the small wind turbine projects implemented by SIBAT.
Torsional Damping Control of Gearless Full-Converter Large Wind Turbine Generators with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines
Authors: Conroy James , Watson Rick
Published: January 2008

This study examines the torsional damping requirements for megawatt scale wind turbines having synchronous generators with full-wave ac/dc/ac inversion technology. The particular type has a low-speed permanent magnet synchronous generator with gearless drive train and a full power-frequency converter. The electrical connection via the full converter provides no torsional damping to reduce speed oscillations. With a large number of poles, this means that torsional oscillations in the mechanical drive train can be easily excited. The analysis investigates how control algorithms for the converters can help mitigate such torsional oscillations. The torsional oscillations, both during continuous operation in wind and during a voltage dip, are analysed. Improvements resulting from a controller are presented. A windfarm model is developed to analyse the possibility of interaction between individual controllers.
Including Swirl in the Actuator Disk Analysis of Wind Turbines
Authors: Wood D.H.
Published: January 2008

It is shown that the presence of swirl in the wake of a wind turbine complicates the simple actuator disk analysis that provides such basic results as the Lanchester-Betz limit on the power coefficient. The simple analysis remains valid at high tip speed ratio for a sufficiently small core radius of the hub vortex. As the tip speed ratio decreases, the present analysis eventually becomes invalid. It is, however, reasonable to conclude that including the effects of the hub vortex causes the maximum power coefficient to increase above the Lanchester-Betz limit with decreasing tip speed ratio. The extent to which this conclusion depends on the assumed vortex model was investigated briefly by considering a more general model for the hub vortex. The results strongly imply that some account of the vortex structure of the wake will be required to resolve fully the effects of swirl. Unfortunately there are no measurements currently available for the hub vortex.
Identification of Pro-MMP-7 as a Serum Marker for Renal Cell Carcinoma by Use of Proteomic Analysis
Authors: Sarkissian Gaiane , Fergelot Patricia , Lamy Pierre-Jean , Patard Jean-Jacques , Culine Stephane , Jouin Patrick , Rioux-Leclercq Nathalie , Darbouret Bruno
Published: January 2008

Background: No validated renal cell carcinoma (RCC) marker is known for detection of asymptomatic disease in selected populations or for prognostic purposes or treatment monitoring. We identified immunogenic proteins as tumor markers for RCC by combining conventional proteome analysis with serological screening, and we investigated the diagnostic clinical value of such markers in serum.

Methods: We studied the immunogenic protein expression profile of CAL 54, a human RCC cell line, by 2-dimensional electrophoresis combined with immunoblotting using sera from healthy donors compared with RCC patients. We developed a homogeneous, fluorescent, dual-monoclonal immunoassay for metalloproteinase 7 (MMP-7) and used it to measure MMP-7 in sera from 30 healthy donors, 30 RCC patients, and 40 control patients.

Results: Pro-MMP-7 (29 kDa; pI 7.7) in the CAL 54 cell line secretome was an immunogenic protein reactive with RCC patient sera but not with control sera. The concentrations of pro-MMP-7 were increased (P <0.0001) in sera of RCC patients (median 7.56 μg/L; range 3.12–30.5 μg/L) compared with healthy controls (median 2.13 μg/L; range 0.17–3.5 μg/L). Serum pro-MMP-7 had a sensitivity of 93% (95% CI 78%–99%) at a specificity of 75% (59%–87%) for RCC in the samples tested.

Conclusion: Proteomics technology combined with serology led to the identification of serum pro-MMP-7 as a marker of RCC and represents a powerful tool in searching for candidate proteins as biomarkers.
Ghrelin, Leptin, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and Insulin Concentrations at Birth: Is There a Relationship with Fetal Growth and Neonatal Anthropometry?
Authors: Chiesa Claudio , Osborn John F , Haass Cristina , Natale Fabio , Spinelli Marina , Scapillati Eleonora , Spinelli Angela , Pacifico Lucia
Published: January 2008

Background: Insulin, growth hormone (GH), and growth factors (insulin-like growth factors [IGFs] and their binding proteins [IGFBPs]) are known to influence fetal growth and also the synthesis/secretion of the recently discovered hormones leptin and ghrelin.

Methods: In 153 delivering mothers and their offspring at birth, we prospectively investigated the association between mothers’ and babies’ serum concentrations of ghrelin, leptin, insulin, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3 and neonatal anthropometric characteristics and the growth of the fetus. We also tried to put babies’ serum glucose and GH measurements in this context.

Results: Birth weight (BW), birth length, head circumference, and ponderal index (PI) were positively associated with cord IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and leptin and negatively associated with GH. BW was independently associated with maternal stature and prepartum weight, birth length with maternal stature, PI with maternal insulin and prepartum weight, and head circumference with maternal ghrelin. Compared with preterm infants whose development was appropriate for gestational age (AGA), preterm growth-restricted babies displayed alteration in GH-IGF axis (increased GH and low IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentrations), low leptin and glucose concentrations, and increased ghrelin concentrations. In large-for-gestational-age (LGA) babies, leptin, IGFBP-3, insulin, and glucose concentrations were significantly higher in asymmetric LGA newborns than in symmetric LGA and AGA newborns.

Conclusions: We found relationships between metabolic factors, fetal growth, and anthropometry. Intrauterine growth restriction involved alteration in the fetal GH-IGF axis, with relatively low leptin and glucose concentrations and increased ghrelin concentrations. Leptin, insulin, and IGFBP-3 delineated subtypes of fetal overgrowth.
Microarray-Based In Vitro Test System for the Discrimination of Contact Allergens and Irritants: Identification of Potential Marker Genes
Authors: Szameit Sandra , Vierlinger Klemens , Farmer Letizia , Tuschl Helga , Noehammer Christa
Published: January 2008

Background: Animal tests have been used to characterize the potential of chemicals to produce allergic contact dermatitis, but this approach is increasingly a matter of public and political concern. Our aim was to develop and validate an alternative in vitro test that can identify contact allergens.

Methods: We developed a targeted microarray containing oligonucleotide probes for 66 immune-relevant genes and analyzed gene expression in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs) treated with 1 irritant (SDS) and 2 prominent contact allergens, nickel and Bandrowski’s base (BB), which is the oxidation product of the most important hair dye allergen, p-phenylenediamine.

Results: Comparing RNA amounts in chemical-treated and solvent-treated cells, we identified significant changes in the expression of 21 genes and 10 genes after exposure of immature DCs (iDCs) to nickel and BB, respectively, but not after exposure to SDS. Eight genes were differentially expressed after application of both nickel and BB. Real-time PCR was used to confirm the results for selected genes.

Conclusion: We propose a microarray-based in vitro test that might allow the identification of contact allergens. Independently from donor variability, several immune-relevant genes were up- or downregulated after the application of the tested sensitizers to iDCs, therefore presenting potential marker genes. While reducing the number of laboratory animals used, this test would also enable reliable analysis of chemicals using a human system.
Justinian und der Nika-Aufstand bei Romanos dem Meloden
Authors: Nickau Klaus
Published: January 2008

‘Kontakion der reuigen Zerknirschung, gesungen auf jegliches Erdbeben und (jegliche) Feuersbrunst’ (ϰοντάϰιον ϰατανυϰτιϰòν ψαλλóμενον εις εϰαστον σεισμòν ϰαι εμπϱησμóν), so wird das Lied des Romanos 54 M.-Tr. in dem einzigen vollständigen Textzeugen bezeichnet und überdies dem Mittwoch der dritten Fastenwoche zugewiesen. Doch keines von Romanos' Liedern ist als ganzes so wenig zum wiederholten Gebrauch geeignet wie dieses. Paul Maas erkannte, daß hier auf die Nika-Revolte vom Januar 532 angespielt wird, in deren Verlauf die Kirche der Heiligen Weisheit und große Teile der Stadt in Flammen aufgingen, und bei deren Unterdrückung nach zeitgenössischen Berichten mehr als dreißigtausend Angehörige der Demen von den Truppen der kaiserlichen Feldherren Belisar und Mundus im Hippodrom von Konstantinopel wehrlos niedergemacht wurden.
Gélase de Césarée. Un compilateur du cinquième siècle
Authors: Nuffelen Peter Van
Published: January 2008

À partir de la fin du cinquième siècle, on rencontre parfois des références à une histoire ecclésiastique de Gélase, évêque de Césarée (367-avant septembre 400) et neveu de Cyrille de Jérusalem (348-387). On a beaucoup spéculé sur le caractère et l'étendue de cet ouvrage, mais depuis les travaux de F. Winkelmann un consensus s'est établi: Gélase fut le successeur immédiat d'Eusèbe de Césarée et son histoire ecclésiastique, des persécutions de Dioclétien jusqu'à son propre temps, fut la source principale des historiens postérieurs de l'église, Rufin, Socrate, Sozomène, Théodoret et Gélase de Cyzique, et de nombreuses vies hagiographiques. Bien qu'il existe encore des discussions sur le point de chute de l'histoire (la mort de Valens en 378 ou celle de Théodose I en 395) et sur son caractère (un ouvrage indépendant ou une continuation, dans le même manuscrit, de l'histoire ecclésiastique d'Eusèbe de Césarée), on ne doute plus de l'originalité de Gélase de Césarée. En effet, selon cette théorie Gélase fut à l'origine d'importantes traditions comme la trouvaille de la vraie croix par Hélène, ou la conversion des Éthiopiens et des Géorgiens. Désireux de connaître la version originelle de Gélase, des savants ont investi beaucoup d'énergie dans la reconstruction minutieuse de son texte perdu, surtout sur la base des ouvrages de Rufin, Socrate et Gélase de Cyzique.
Textkritische Nachträge zu Alexias XIII 1,3 (24) Reinsch-Kambylis = III 88,5 Leib und I 12,7 (23–25) Reinsch-Kambylis = I 44,31–45,1 Leib
Authors: Reinsch Diether Roderich
Published: January 2008

Mit Konjekturen und vermeintlich notwendigen Ergänzungen in byzantinischen Texten kann man nicht vorsichtig genug sein, wie folgende Beispiele zeigen.
F. CICCOLELLA, Cinque poeti bizantini. Anacreontee dal Barberiniano greco 310
Authors: Longo Augusta Acconcia
Published: January 2008

Il libro di C., che costituisce il quinto volume della nuova promettente collana diretta da E.V. Maltese, nella quale sono già apparsi importanti contributi ed altri sono annunciati, comprende l'edizione critica e il commento di una parte delle poesie anacreontiche giunte sino a noi nella ben nota raccolta tramandata, mutila, come dimostra l'indice antico dei ff. 1-7, dal codice Barb. gr. 310, e più precisamente i componimenti classicheggianti sopravvissuti nella prima parte del manoscritto, con l'esclusione delle anacreontiche di Sofronio di Gerusalemme, tutte già ripubblicate in edizione critica nel 1957, e dell'anacreontica di Michele Sincello, riedita in anni recenti. Anche i poemetti dei cinque autori scelti da C. — Elia Sincello, Ignazio Diacono, Leone Magistro, Giovanni di Gaza e Giorgio Grammatico — sono stati, per la verità, già pubblicati (e taluni tradotti in italiano) una o più volte, e forse, almeno da un punto di vista utilitaristico, sarebbe valsa la pena di ripubblicare tutta la sezione di anacreontiche classicheggianti della Silloge. Tanto più che questa nuova edizione ha soprattutto il merito di consentire al lettore italiano, anche non bizantinista, una uniforme consultazione di testi complessi ed eterogenei, degli apparati, della traduzione a fronte, accompagnata da note di commento; sebbene l'indice generale del volume, poco dettagliato, e non preceduto da un indice dei nomi, non aiuti il lettore nell'individuazione immediata dei testi e degli argomenti.
A. COLINET, Les alchimistes grecs. Tome X. L'Anonyme de Zuretti ou L'art sacré et divin de la chrysopée par un anonyme
Authors: Bio Anna Maria Ieraci
Published: January 2008

La Collection Les Alchimistes Grecs della CUF si arricchisce d'un altro volume con un'opera del tutto nuova rispetto ai due volumi già pubblicati, l'Anonyme de Zuretti: il testo, che prende il nome da C. O. Zuretti, il quale ne curò nel 1930 l'editio princeps nel VII volume del Catalogue des manuscrits alchimistes grecs, è «un traité pratique, complet et systematique, rédigé à l'époque médiévale par un Grec d'Italie du Sud. Celui-ci se base sur de nombreuses sources latines et arabo-latines, sans renier pour autant la tradition grecque, et il écrit dans une langue déroutante … respectée au maximum» (p. VII). Come scrive l'Editrice nell'Avant-propos, questa sintesi delle conoscenze alchemiche mediterranee degli inizi del 1300 è il più lungo dei testi alchemici greci e presenta diversi motivi di interesse:

• è il testimone del sincretismo culturale che fioriva nel regno di Napoli in epoca angioina;

• è un documento interessante per lo studio della lingua greca medievale della Calabria;

• permette di affrontare problemi filologici legati al fenomeno della traduzione.
G. KIOURTZIAN, Receuil des inscriptions grecques chrétiennes des Cyclades, De la fin du IIIe au VIIe siècle après J.-C.
Authors: Drossoyianni Phane
Published: January 2008

This is a very good book. It gives 205 inscriptions from ten of the Cycladic islands. A number of them are published here for the first time. In their majority they are either funerary or invocations for divine help. Some are dedicatory. Some are inscriptions on well-paintings identifying the scene or the saint depicted or being themselves dedicatory or invocatory. Some are in praise of God or in thanks to God. Some are exhortations to the faithful or quotations from the Scriptures. Two are boundary stones and two are magical exorcisms. Outstanding among them are the cadastre of the area of Perissa on the island of Thera, the invocations for divine help carved by weatherbeaten seafarers on the rocks of the desert cove of Grammata (= Letters) on the island of Syros, and the intriguing 60-odd funerary inscriptions of the angels, also from Thera, that keep defying explanation. As a whole they give an insight and lead to a close intimacy with the life of the islanders in these early centuries, fortified as they were by the christian faith, toiling on the thin soil of their land and venturing at sea. Some of them raise questions that cannot be easily answered. Others are quite straightforward.
F. KOLOVOU (ed.), Michaelis Choniatae Epistulae
Authors: Fatouros Georgios
Published: January 2008

Die hiermit herausgegebene Briefsammlung des Bischofs von Athen Michael Choniates ist unter zweierlei Aspekten besonders wichtig: Einerseits wegen der Information, die uns über die Zustände im byzantinischen Reich im allgemeinen und in Athen und Umgebung bzw. auf einigen Inseln der Ägäis insbesondere sowie über die Gesellschaft jener Zeit (Ende des 12. – Anfang des 13. Jahrhunderts) bietet, andererseits wegen der Briefe selbst, die nicht nur die starke Orientierung der zeitgenössischen Gelehrten auf die Literatur des alten Hellas verraten, sondern auch unter den anmutigsten und stilistisch interessantesten, die je in byzantinischer Zeit abgefaßt wurden, zählen.
O. MAZAL, Justinian I. und seine Zeit. Geschichte und Kultur des Byzantinischen Reiches im 6. Jahrhundert
Authors: Külzer Andreas
Published: January 2008

Der als Flavius Petrus Sabbatius um das Jahr 482 in Bederiana geborene Justinian I. gehört unbestritten zu den faszinierendsten Herrscherpersönlichkeiten des Byzantinischen Reiches; in den annähernd vierzig Jahren seiner alleinigen Regentschaft zwischen dem 1. August 527 und dem 14. November 565, seinem Todestag, verstand er es, die Grenzen des Reiches bis in den Süden Spaniens und an den Euphrat auszudehnen. Ein großer Förderer der Baukunst, wie wesentlich aus der Schrift De aedificiis des Geschichtsschreibers Prokopios von Kaisareia bekannt ist, ließ er neben zahlreichen Neuschöpfungen und Restaurierungen im gesamten Reichsgebiet alleine in der Hauptstadt Konstantinopel mehr als dreißig Kirchenbauten errichten, darunter die Hagia Sophia als einen bis heute unübertroffenen Vertreter christlicher Architektur. Neben umfangreichen Reformen im Innern regte er bereits in seinen frühen Regierungsjahren mit dem Corpus Iuris Civilis eine Rechtskodifikation an, deren Auswirkungen bis in die Moderne hinein spürbar geblieben sind. Persönlich von hoher Gelehrsamkeit und auch theologisch umfangreich gebildet, stand ihm zwischen 525 und 548 mit Theodora eine Frau zur Seite, die seine Charaktereigenschaften durch ihren Mut, ihre Ausdauer und ihr Beharrungsvermögen in idealer Weise ergänzte und auf Zeitgenossen wie auch auf Nachgeborene eine tiefe Faszination auszuüben vermochte. Gleich Konstantin dem Großen gehört Justinian I. zu den wenigen, deren Namen sich mit Fug und Recht mit dem bedeutungsschweren Terminus „Zeitalter“ verbinden lassen.
CHR. STIEGEMANN (Hrsg.), Byzanz. Das Licht aus dem Osten. Kult und Alltag im Byzantinischen Reich vom 4. bis 15. Jahrhundert
Authors: Altripp Michael
Published: January 2008

Die Ausstellung „Byzanz: Das Licht aus dem Osten“ (2001/2002) in Paderborn ist bereits die zweite in dem dortigen Diözesan-Museum, die sich der spätantiken und oströmischen Kultur widmet. Die erste Ausstellung fand um die Jahreswende 1996/1997 unter dem Titel „Frühchristliche Kunst in Rom und Konstantinopel“ statt. Beide Präsentationen decken somit die beiden Teilbereiche des universitären Studienfaches „Spätantik-frühchristliche Archäologie und Byzantinische Kunstgeschichte“ ab. Es kommt daher zwischen beiden Ausstellungen zu thematischen Überschneidungen im Bereich der Spätantike, die jedoch als Anknüpfungspunkte eines Fortsetzungskonzeptes zu verstehen sind und nicht zu einer wiederholten Präsentation einunddeselben Exponates geführt haben. Interessant ist dagegen eine Verschiebung der Akzente: Während die erste Ausstellung ein gewisses Schwergewicht auf der reinen Kunstgeschichte und hierbei auf den Arbeiten der unterschiedlichen Bereiche der Plastik aufwies, stellt die Byzanz-Ausstellung die Alltagsgeschichte in den Vordergrund und veranschaulicht diese durch die Exponate.
Study of kinetics of reaction of lignin model compounds with propylene oxide
Authors: Pandey Krishna K. , Vuorinen Tapani
Published: January 2008

The etherification of phenolic groups has been found to inhibit photodegradation in wood and lignin rich pulps. The precise understanding of kinetics of chemical reaction between lignins or their model compounds and the etherifying agent is the first step for developing a viable modification procedure. In this study, we have investigated the reaction of lignin model compounds (namely, phenol and guaiacol) with propylene oxide in aqueous media. The kinetics of etherification reaction was studied under varying pH conditions in the temperature range 30–60°C. The etherified reaction products were characterized by gas chromatogram-mass spectrum (GC-MS). The extent of etherification of phenols and the rate of chemical reaction was followed by UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. The reaction between lignin model compounds and propylene oxide was indicated by a rapid reduction in the absorbance accompanied by the development of a new band corresponding to etherified products. The reaction kinetics was investigated at pH ∼12 under the condition of excess concentration of propylene oxide. The reaction followed first order kinetics and rate constants increased linearly with an increase in the temperature and concentration of propylene oxide. The MS fragment data of reaction product support the proposed reaction scheme. The activation energy of the reaction of propylene oxide with phenol and guaiacol, calculated with the Arrhenius equation, was 56.2 kJ mol-1 and 45.4 kJ mol-1, respectively.
Degradation of thermo-hygro-mechanically (THM)-densified wood by soft-rot fungi
Authors: Skyba Oleksandr , Niemz Peter , Schwarze Francis W.M.R.
Published: January 2008

Thermo-hygro-mechanical (THM)-densified wood is more resistant to colonisation and degradation by brown-rot fungi than untreated wood. Colonisation and degradation by soft-rot fungi was investigated in treated Norway spruce (Picea abies) and treated beech (Fagus sylvatica) to assess their suitability for utility class 4. Three different treatments were applied: thermal-hygro (TH) treatment, mechanical densification and THM-treatment including densification and post-treatment under saturated steam conditions at different temperatures. For comparison, additional wood specimens were treated with two concentrations of a chromium-copper (CC) wood preservative. After 32 weeks incubation, weight losses induced by soft-rot fungi were lowest in wood treated with CC. Highest weight losses were recorded from TH-treated wood, in which soft-rot erosion attack (type 2) was exclusively observed in spruce. In comparison to controls, significantly lower weight losses by soft-rot fungi were recorded in THM-treated spruce wood, but no such differences were found in beech wood. Microscopical examination showed that in THM-treated wood of spruce, soft-rot type 1 commenced from the outer wood surfaces and cavity formation was not found in deeper regions of the wood samples. THM-treated beech wood was more susceptible to degradation than that of spruce which can be partly explained by the higher syringyl lignin content in beech wood, which is more susceptible to all kinds of degradation. Hyphal colonisation and soft-rot was facilitated within deeper regions of beech wood mainly in the non-occluded lumina of parenchyma cells in multiseriate xylem rays. It can be concluded that TH-treated spruce wood and THM-treated beech wood is susceptible to soft-rot and therefore inappropriate for utility class 4.
Prediction and optimization of surface roughness in milling of medium density fiberboard (MDF) based on Taguchi orthogonal array experiments
Authors: Gaitonde Vinayak N. , Karnik S. Ramesh , Davim João Paulo
Published: January 2008

The main objective of this paper was to develop a mathematical model to predict the surface roughness and to determine the optimal cutting conditions during milling of medium density fiberboard. The milling experiments were carried out as per Taguchi orthogonal array with feed rate and cutting speed as the controlling parameters. A second-order surface roughness model has been developed using the methodology of response surface analysis. The paper presents the details of analysis of variance to validate the developed model. The Taguchi optimization results show that the surface roughness can be optimized with lower feed rate and higher cutting speed values.
Fixation of copper-protein formulation in wood: Part 2. Molecular mechanism of fixation of copper(II) in cellulose, lignin and wood studied by EPR
Authors: Hoffmann Stanislaw K. , Goslar Janina , Ratajczak Izabela , Mazela Bartłomiej
Published: January 2008

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra were recorded for copper(II) ions in cellulose, lignin and pine sapwood impregnated with a water based formulation containing CuSO4·5 H2O, tannic acid and animal protein SOLUTEIN. EPR parameters were derived from computer-simulated spectra. The parameters were interpreted in terms of molecular orbital theory giving coefficients of spin delocalization onto ligands. Five different spectra of chemically fixed complexes were identified. The complexes were octahedral with a different degree of elongation. For a copper concentration higher than approximately 0.5%, the additional EPR signal from the precipitated CuSO4·5 H2O salt appears. Two possible coordination sites are proposed for fixed copper complexes in cellulose structure and a single site is proposed for copper in a lignin. These complexes are different from the copper complex in wood, where Cu(H2O)4O2 octahedral complex exists with apical coordination to two oxygen atoms of deprotonated hydroxyl groups of polymeric units. When tannic acid is added to the impregnating solution, copper ions are strongly coordinated in a square-planar geometry of CuO4 and are easily leached. The copper-SOLUTEIN complex yields a distinguished EPR spectrum only in the impregnating solution, but not in the wood. Except for the copper(II) EPR spectra, where the signals from free radicals were detected in wood and lignin with a concentration in the order of magnitude of 1017 g-1 dependent on wood treatment.
An investigation on the permeability of different wood furnish materials
Authors: Thoemen Heiko , Klueppel André
Published: January 2008

In wood-based composite mats, mass and heat transfer are substantially influenced by their gas permeability. Thus, reliable permeability data are needed if one wants to model and simulate those processes taking place prior, during, and after hot-pressing operations of the mat. In this study, wood particles of surface and core layer type were obtained from two particleboard manufacturers, using impact mills and knife ring flakers, respectively. The permeability measurements were performed on the initial materials, as well as on subsets of it obtained by laboratory sieving. Additionally, medium density fibreboard (MDF) fibres from three species, namely pine (Pinus sylvestris), spruce (Picea abies) and rubberwood (Hevea Brasiliensis) were investigated. Cross-sectional and within-plane permeability was measured for densities from 250 to 1000 kg m-3. The permeability of the core particle materials was determined on solidified samples. On the other hand, the surface particles and MDF fibres were investigated by means of a rapid testing method on loose furnish materials (without solidification). MDF mats exhibited lower permeability values than particle mats at low densities, but values were found in the same order of magnitude for high densities. Mainly, the small particles determine the pore structure and permeability of particle mats. Thickness and in-plane size of particles affect the mat permeability, with the in-plane size becoming primarily effective at elevated densities. The permeability of MDF fibre mats depends more on the anatomy of the raw material than on its size distribution. We suggest, based on computer simulations, that only the within-plane permeability has a strong effect on gas pressure and temperature conditions during hot pressing. The cross-sectional permeability does not play an essential role in this regard.
Effects of fixation temperature and environment on copper speciation in ACQ treated red pine
Authors: Tascioglu Cihat , Cooper Paul , Ung Tony
Published: January 2008

Red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) sapwood samples treated with alkaline (amine) copper quaternary (ACQ) were conditioned at different temperatures and under wet or dry conditions to evaluate the stability of copper (Cu) to leaching and conversion of divalent copper (Cu-II) to monovalent copper (Cu-I). Significant Cu-II was reduced to Cu-I during post-treatment stabilization, especially at elevated temperatures (105°C and 120°C). The percent conversion to Cu-I was higher at lower retentions; in some cases, at low retentions and high fixation temperatures, all of the cupric Cu was reduced to Cu-I, raising the possibility of reduced activity of Cu as a biocide when high temperature conditions are used to fix ACQ treated wood. However, exposure of wood to a leaching procedure (rewetting, re-drying) generally resulted in a significant component of the Cu-I in wood being oxidized back to Cu-II. Steaming of weathered ACQ treated wood at 120°C also converted significant amounts of Cu-II to Cu-I.
Revisiting the mechanism of β-O-4 bond cleavage during acidolysis of lignin. Part 1: Kinetics of the formation of enol ether from non-phenolic C6-C2 type model compounds
Authors: Yokoyama Tomoya , Matsumoto Yuji
Published: January 2008

The reaction route of a dimeric non-phenolic C6-C2 type lignin model compound, 2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanol (VIII), was kinetically examined under acidolysis conditions (0.2 mol l-1 HBr in 82% aqueous 1,4-dioxane at 85°C). The disappearance of (VIII) followed the pseudo-first-order rate law, and the rate constant k
(VIII) was 0.00854. In the course of the reactions, the following compounds were produced quantitatively at any time: an enol ether, 1-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethylene (IX), 2-methoxyphenol (X), and a Hibbert's ketone, 3,4-dimethoxyphenylacetaldehyde (XI). The substances (X) and (XI) are the result of the β-O-4 bond cleavage and their amounts were always equal during the whole reaction. When (IX) was subjected to the acidolysis under the identical conditions, its disappearance followed the pseudo-first-order rate law, and the rate constant k
(IX) was 0.00825. Furthermore, (VIII) was not observed at all, and (X) was produced quantitatively at any time. Based on these results, the formation rate of (IX) during the acidolysis of (VIII) is expressed by the equation: d[(IX)]/dt=A·k
(VIII)[(VIII)]-k
(IX)[(IX)], where A is the proportion of (VIII) that converted into (IX) when (VIII) degraded. It was confirmed by solving this differential equation that the formation and disappearance of (IX) is best simulated when A was assumed to be 1.00. Therefore, it was proven in this paper for the first time that (VIII) primarily converts into (IX), and subsequently the β-O-4 bond cleavage occurs and (X) and (XI) are yielded.
Development of a Plane Isothermal Calorimeter: Relating Apparent Activation Energy of Concrete and the Corresponding Mortar
Authors: Wirquin E. , Kada H. , Herin P.
Published: January 2008

This article describes the development and application of a new plane isothermal calorimeter with reduced and adjustable thickness. This innovative calorimeter allows the study of highly reactive materials such as cement grouts or concrete containing quick-setting cements and to perform tests at high temperatures. The development of the new calorimeter consists first of optimizing the dimensions and the geometry of the device. To achieve this, a numerical model is used and tested through a series of experiments. The device is validated through calibration as well as repeatability and reproducibility tests. A potential application of the new calorimeter is then presented focusing primarily on comparing at different scales, i.e., on concrete and on Concrete Equivalent Mortar, the hydration kinetics and the apparent activation energy.
Chemistry of Waterside Oxide Layers on Pressure Tubes
Authors: Do T. , Saidy M. , Hocking W. H.
Published: January 2008

The pressure tubes that contain the fuel bundles and the primary coolant within the core of a CANDU heavy-water reactor are fabricated from a Zr-2.5Nb alloy with a complex microstructure. During reactor operation the pressure-tube interior surface is slowly oxidized by heavy water and a fraction of the deuterium that is released through this process enters the underlying alloy and can reduce its fracture toughness. Considerable variability in deuterium ingress has been observed among the pressure tubes within a single reactor as well as between different reactors. These differences are thought to be due not only to metallurgical variables, such as alloy microstructure and composition, but also to variations in the primary coolant chemistry, including pH and dissolved impurities. In the present study, a combination of surface analytical methods has been employed to characterize the microchemistry and oxidation history of the waterside oxide layers grown on two pressure tubes that were removed from different CANDU reactors. The presence of varying concentrations of iron, manganese and uranium, derived mainly from corrosion of feeder pipes and fuel failures, has been found throughout the oxide layers. An increase in the oxidation rate of one pressure tube later in life could be correlated with evidence of greater open porosity, provided by the depth distributions of impurities, extending deep within the oxide layer.
Hermophobia (On Sexual Orientation and Reading Nabokov)
Authors: Naiman Eric
Published: January 2008

Vladimir Nabokov's novels provoke a unique anxiety of interpretation that fuses hermeneutic and sexual anxieties. The article explores the simultaneous desire to interpret and the fear and shame of interpretation that Nabokov's fiction works to produce. This double bind leads to a condition of interpretive panic that takes other critics as objects of aggression and transposes to a metafictive plane the dynamics of reaction more commonly associated with anxious responses to homoerotic attraction.
Costume Dramas: British Art at the Court of the Marathas
Authors: Fordham Douglas
Published: January 2008

Arriving at the Maratha court of Poona in the 1790s, British artists struggled to integrate metropolitan aesthetics into the business of imperial expansion. "Costume" lay at the heart of this conflict, pitting an aesthetic concept against an early ethnographic tool of the East India Company. By focusing on British representations of the Maratha durbar, this essay argues that "costume" tested the ideological limits of Western aesthetics and imperial representation at the turn of the century.
Camera and Mind
Authors: Ellenbogen Josh
Published: January 2008

This article examines the standards of adequacy and utility that informed Etienne-Jules Marey's use of photography. It argues that Marey's work poses challenges to the analytic tools that scholars often use to theorize photography's role in scientific representation and attempts to establish an alternative conceptual model for understanding Marey's endeavor. Rooted in late nineteenth-century philosophy of science, this alternative model is meant to have a wider application to photographic projects of the fin de siècle.
Screening and diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Castro Margaret de , Moreira Ayrton C.
Published: January 2008

Cushing's syndrome (CS) results from sustained pathologic hypercortisolism. The clinical features are variable and the most specific features for CS include abnormal fat distribution, particularly in the supraclavicular and temporal fossae, proximal muscle weakness, wide purple striae, and decreased linear growth with continued weight gain in a child. Clinical presentation of CS can be florid and in this case the diagnosis is usually straightforward. However, the diagnosis can be difficult particularly in states of mild or cyclical or periodical hypercortisolism. Several tests based on the understanding of the physiologic characteristics of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis have been used extensively to confirm the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome, but none has proven fully capable of distinguishing all cases of CS from normal and/or pseudo-Cushing individuals. Three first-line diagnostic tests are currently used to screen for CS: measurement of free cortisol in 24-hour urine (UFC), cortisol suppressibility by low doses of dexamethasone (DST), and assessment of cortisol circadian rhythm using late-night serum and/or salivary cortisol. This paper discusses the effectiveness regarding best cut-off values, the sensitivity and the specificity of these tests to screen for CS. Late-night salivary cortisol appears to be the most useful screening test. UFC and DST should be performed to provide further confirmation of the diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Newell-Price John , Grossman Ashley B.
Published: January 2008

The differential diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome requires careful multidisciplinary interaction with a number of specialities, co-ordinated through endocrine centres with good experience of this condition. It is essential that the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome be fully established before differential diagnosis is attempted. The endocrinologist needs to be aware of the pitfalls and advantages of the tests in use. We discuss the approach to the differential diagnosis of this challenging condition.
Pitfalls in the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Vilar Lucio , Freitas Maria da Conceição , Faria Manuel , Montenegro Renan , Casulari Luiz Augusto , Naves Luciana , Bruno Oscar D.
Published: January 2008

Among endocrine disorders, Cushing's syndrome (CS) is certainly one of the most challenging to endocrinologists due to the difficulties that often appear during investigation. The diagnosis of CS involves two steps: confirmation of hypercortisolism and determination of its etiology. Biochemical confirmation of the hypercortisolaemic state must be established before any attempt at differential diagnosis. Failure to do so will result in misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, and poor management. It should also be kept in mind that hypercortisolism may occur in some patients with depression, alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, generalized resistance to glucocorticoids, and in late pregnancy. Moreover, exogenous or iatrogenic hypercortisolism should always be excluded. The three most useful tests to confirm hypercortisolism are the measurement of 24-h urinary free cortisol levels, low-dose dexamethasone-suppression tests, and determination of midnight serum cortisol or late-night salivary cortisol. However, none of these tests is perfect, each one has different sensitivities and specificities, and several are usually needed to provide a better diagnostic accuracy. The greatest challenge in the investigation of CS involves the differentiation between Cushing's disease and ectopic ACTH syndrome. This task requires the measurement of plasma ACTH levels, non-invasive dynamic tests (high-dose dexamethasone suppression test and stimulation tests with CRH or desmopressin), and imaging studies. None of these tests had 100% specificity and their use in combination is usually necessary. Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling is mainly indicated when non-invasive tests do not allow a diagnostic definition. In the present paper, the most important pitfalls in the investigation of CS are reviewed.
Cushing's syndrome secondary to ACTH-Independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia
Authors: Costa Marcia Helena Soares , Lacroix André
Published: January 2008

ACTH-Independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH) is a rare cause of endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS), in which clinical features usually become apparent only after several decades of life. This form of adrenal hyperplasia typically produces excess cortisol with overt or subclinical CS, but concurrent secretion of mineralocorticoids or sexual steroids can also occur. The diagnosis is suspected by bilateral adrenal nodules larger than 1 cm on incidental imaging studies or following the demonstration of ACTH-independent hormonal hypersecretion. The pathophysiology of this entity is heterogeneous and has been intensely explored in recent years. Several G-protein coupled receptors aberrantly expressed in the adrenal cortex have been implicated in the regulation of steroidogenesis and in the initial cell proliferation in AIMAH. Several familial cases of AIMAH have been recently described with the same pattern of aberrant hormone receptors in all affected members of the family. It is probable that additional somatic genetic events related to cell cycle regulation, adhesion and transcription factors occur in addition over time in the various nodules; other mechanisms, as Gsp or ACTH receptor mutations and paracrine adrenal hormonal secretion have been rarely identified as the molecular mechanism in some cases. When systematically screened, most patients with AIMAH exhibit an in vivo aberrant cortisol response to one or various ligands suggesting the presence of aberrant adrenal receptors. The identification of these receptors creates the possibility of a specific pharmacological treatment isolated or associated with adrenalectomy.
Primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease and Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Horvath Anelia , Stratakis Constantine
Published: January 2008

Primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (PPNAD) is a form of bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia that is often associated with corticotrophin (ACTH)-independent Cushing's syndrome (CS) and is characterized by small to normal-sized adrenal glands containing multiple small cortical pigmented nodules (1,2). PPNAD may occur in an isolated form or associated with a multiple neoplasia syndrome, the complex of spotty skin pigmentation, myxomas, and endocrine overactivity, or Carney complex, in which Cushing's syndrome is the most common endocrine manifestation (3). Molecular studies have led to the identification of several genes, defects in which may predispose PPNAD formation; all of these molecules play important role for the cAMP signaling pathway. This review intends to present the most recent knowledge of the pathology and molecular genetics of the benign bilateral adrenocortical lesions, as well as to discuss the modern tools for diagnostics and treatment of this condition.
Unusual causes of Cushing's syndrome
Authors: Vassiliadi Dimitra , Tsagarakis Stylianos
Published: January 2008

Although in the majority of the patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS), hypercortisolism is due to ACTH hypersecretion by a pituitary tumour or to ectopic ACTH secretion from an extrapituitary neoplastic lesion or to autonomous cortisol secretion by an adrenal tumour, in occasional patients a much rarer entity may be the cause of the syndrome. Herein, we attempted to summarise and categorise these unusual causes according to their presumed aetiology. To this end, we performed a comprehensive computer-based search for unusual or rare causes of CS. The following unusual forms of CS were identified: (i) ACTH hyperesecretion due to ectopic corticotroph adenomas in the parasellar region or the neurohypophysis, or as part of double adenomas, or gangliocytomas; (ii) ACTH hypersecretion due to ectopic CRH or CRH-like peptide secretion by various neoplasms; (iii) ACTH-independent cortisol hypersecretion from ectopic or bilateral adrenal adenomas; (iv) glucocorticoid hypersensitivity; (v) iatrogenic, due to megestrol administration or to ritonavir and fluticasone co-administration. Such unusual presentations of CS illustrate why Cushing's syndrome represents one of the most puzzling endocrine syndromes.