bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Existential well‐being in younger and older people with anorexia nervosa—a preliminary investigation
Authors: Fox Andy P. , Leung Newman
Published: September 2008

Objective

Previous research suggests that anorexic behaviour may be an attempt to introduce control into a chaotic environment, and that the need for stability and meaning in life is an important factor in the development of psychopathologies. The phenomenon of ‘existential anxiety’ is a characteristic reaction to a lack of meaning in the life of an individual. This preliminary study attempted to identify whether existential concerns are associated with anorexic symptoms.

Method

Two groups of women with anorexia (those aged between 18 and 30, and those aged over 30, respectively) were compared to two age‐matched comparison groups across four measures: The eating disorder inventory (EDI), the Beck depression inventory (BDI), the anorectic cognition scale and the McGill quality of life existential well‐being subscale.

Results

Both anorexia groups demonstrated lower existential well‐being scores and higher eating psychopathology than their comparison groups. However, while significant relationships between eating disorder symptoms and existential well‐being were found in the older anorexia group, no such relationships were found in the younger anorexia group.

Discussion

Individuals with symptoms of anorexia nervosa appear to experience lower existential well‐being than their non‐eating disordered peers, although it is unclear how this may be related to psychopathology. This result may offer some explanation as to why anorexia nervosa is so resistant to treatment efforts. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Bigorexia: bodybuilding and muscle dysmorphia
Authors: Mosley Philip E.
Published: September 2008

Muscle dysmorphia is an emerging condition that primarily affects male bodybuilders. Such individuals obsess about being inadequately muscular. Compulsions include spending hours in the gym, squandering excessive amounts of money on ineffectual sports supplements, abnormal eating patterns or even substance abuse. In this essay, I illustrate the features of muscle dysmorphia by employing the first‐person account of a male bodybuilder afflicted by this condition. I briefly outline the history of bodybuilding and examine whether the growth of this sport is linked to a growing concern with body image amongst males. I suggest that muscle dysmorphia may be a new expression of a common pathology shared with the eating disorders. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Fatigue life expenditure assessment and countermeasure for turbine blades due to harmonic excitations of slip energy recovery drives
Authors: Tsai Jong‐Ian
Published: September 2008

The long‐term effect of noncharacteristic harmonic currents arising from a slip energy recovery drive (SERD) on the fatigue life expenditure in turbine‐generator blades is presented in this paper. Since the SERD converter can be rated at a fraction of a motor due to its static converter cascade with the wound‐rotor and with high efficiency characteristics, still the feedwater pumps (FPs) in a few power plants are driven by such an induction motor (IM) drive. However, because the frequencies of the three main harmonic terms of the recovery currents are subsynchronous and offer a probability distribution due to the adjustable speed operation, a systematic fatigue estimation approach was devised by the author to investigate the long‐term impact for the low‐pressure (LP) turbine blades. From the simulation results, it was found that such a long‐term harmonic excitation becomes a cause of turbine blade failure for single generator connected to the SERD system, even though the amplitude of these harmonic currents is normal. By the effect analysis of uncertainty, the countermeasure for the turbine integrity was then found. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anxiety symptoms in mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Rozzini Luca , Chilovi Barbara Vicini , Peli Matteo , Conti Marta , Rozzini Renzo , Trabucchi Marco , Padovani Alessandro
Published: September 2008

Introduction

Anxiety disorders are less well studied in elderly people than other disorders such as depression. In particular the diagnosis of anxiety is more difficult in patients with
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) since the current definition of MCI does not mention neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Objectives

To validate the Italian version of Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), an instrument that measures dimensional anxiety in elderly people, and assess whether MCI subjects with anxiety symptoms show different neuropsychological profiles in comparison with MCI without anxiety symptoms.

Methods

Fifty‐seven outpatients with MCI were consecutively recruited. All patients were assessed using a complete neuropsychological battery to detect the cognitive impairment, and the GAI for the presence of anxiety symptoms.

Results

Anxiety + patients (GAI ≥ 10) show more behavioral and psychological disturbances than patients with Anxiety‐ (GAI < 10); in particular they had more agitation, anxiety, depression and more sleep disorders. Moreover, Anxiety + patients are more compromised on instrumental daily functions and on executive functions evaluated with Trail Making B test (TMB). Linear Regression analysis was completed to estimate the coefficients of the linear equation, involving neuropsychological, psychobehavioural and functional characteristics: the executive functions (TMB) are the only variable independently related to the presence of anxiety disturbances.

Conclusions

Executive functions are independently related to anxiety disorders in MCI patients. We hypothesized that the strict interaction between anxiety symptoms and executive functions could depend on specific pathological features at the level of caudate nucleus characterizing early phases of dementia. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Access to public mental health services among older adults with severe mental illness
Authors: Gilmer Todd P. , Ojeda Victoria D. , Fuentes Dahlia , Criado Viviana , Garcia Piedad
Published: September 2008

Objective

Limited data are available on how older adults access public mental health systems. This study examines how uninsured or publicly insured older adults with severe mental illness in San Diego County initially accessed the public mental health system, as well as their subsequent use of public mental health services, as compared to younger adults.

Methods

Data from San Diego County, 2002–2006, were used to examine how older adults initially accessed the public mental health system, and their utilization over the subsequent 90 days. Multivariate regression models were used to control for demographic and clinical characteristics.

Results

Older adults (age 60 +) were more likely to access the public mental health system through the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT), a combined law‐enforcement and psychiatric service that responds to psychiatric related 911 calls. Older adults were also less likely to receive follow‐up care. This lower rate of follow‐up was due to both the initial site of service––and an associated lower rate of follow‐up among PERT clients––as well as a lower rate of follow‐up among older adult clients initiating services in other sectors.

Conclusions

This paper suggests two areas for intervention that would improve access to care for older adults: improving linkages and referrals between PERT and outpatient providers; and additional efforts to retain older adults at outpatient programs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficient power‐bus modeling based on an adaptive frequency sampling technique
Authors: Antonini Giulio , Deschrijver Dirk , Dhaene Tom
Published: September 2008

This paper presents an adaptive frequency sampling algorithm to generate a rational macromodel of a power delivery network. To this aim, the cavity model is assumed to represent the structure and accurate models of conductor and dielectric losses are incorporated. The adaptive sampling algorithm allows one to minimize the order of the macromodel and number of frequency samples used to extract the rational macromodel. The numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An empirical examination of the role of attributions in psychological entitlement and its outcomes
Authors: Harvey Paul , Martinko Mark J.
Published: September 2008

Psychological entitlement refers to the phenomenon in which individuals consistently believe that they deserve preferential rewards and treatment, often with little consideration of actual qualities or performance levels. This study examines the influence of psychological entitlement on workplace outcomes, using attribution theory to explain its effects. Results suggested that entitlement perceptions are positively associated with self‐serving attribution styles and that diminished need for cognition mediates this relationship. Self‐serving attribution styles, in turn, were associated with reduced job satisfaction and increased levels of conflict with supervisors. A direct positive relationship between psychological entitlement and turnover intent was also observed. Overall, results suggest that an attributional perspective is useful in explaining and understanding the influence of entitlement perceptions on workplace outcomes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optical traps for single molecule biophysics: a primer
Authors: Perkins T.T.
Published: September 2008

Optical trapping experiments of different complexities are making a significant impact in biology. This review seeks to highlight design choices for scientists entering the field or building new instruments and to discuss making calibrated measurements with optical traps. For specificity, this review focuses on nucleic acid‐based assays, but the discussion reflects the general experimental design considerations of developing a biological assay and an optical trap to measure it.
Monitoring of hydrogen generated by corrosion reactions of steel
Authors: Abbassi A. , Mihi A. , Benbouta R.
Published: September 2008

A solid‐state sensor has been constructed and used for the detection of hydrogen generated during corrosion of steel in pH2 solutions. In addition to that, weight loss, AC impedance measurements and selected slow strain rate tests were performed under the same conditions as the hydrogen measurements in order to ascertain the degree of embrittlement of steel.

The use of such a device in cathodic protection by impressed current in artificial seawater was also investigated.
Strychnos nux‐vomica an eco‐friendly corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1 M sulfuric acid medium
Authors: Bothi Raja P. , Sethuraman M. G.
Published: September 2008

The inhibition efficiency of the extract of Strychnos nux‐vomica for the corrosion of mild steel in 1 M sulfuric acid was investigated using weight loss test (carried out at 303–323 K), electrochemical measurement, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results of weight loss studies indicated that the inhibition efficiency increased with inhibitor concentration and the temperature of the system (following Temkin adsorption isotherm). Electrochemical studies proved that the inhibitor acts through mixed mode of inhibition and the inhibitor molecules adsorb on the metal–solution interface. SEM studies supported the adsorption of the inhibitor over the metal surface. The possible active ingredient responsible for the anticorrosion effect is identified as brucine which is isolated and screened for the anticorrosion effect using electrochemical studies and quantum chemical studies. The possible mode of corrosion inhibition of brucine is also derived using FT‐IR studies.
Two‐step electrosynthesis of polypyrrole for corrosion protection of stainless steel
Authors: Zhu R. , Li G. , Huang G.
Published: September 2008

Smooth polypyrrole (PPy) films were successfully electrosynthesized on a stainless steel (SS, 1Cr18Ni9) surface by a self‐catalytic two‐step process. SS substrate dissolution during PPy electrosynthesis was effectively depressed. The redox properties and corrosion behavior of PPy film coated SS electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic polarization. The reduction of PPy was found to include two reaction processes: an anion dedoping process and a cation insertion process. The PPy film was found to lose its electroactivity when polarized at high potentials due to peroxidation. EIS of SS/PPy mainly corresponds to PPy film response and charge transfer resistance decreases as film thickness increases, indicating that SS corrosion can be inhibited effectively by the PPy film.
Scaling characteristics and growth of corrosion product films in turbulent flow solution containing saturated CO2
Authors: Yin Z. F. , Zhao W. Z. , Feng Y. R. , Li Y. H. , Yin C. X.
Published: September 2008

In the present study, the surface and cross‐section microstructures of the corrosion films were investigated by SEM and the corrosion rate was measured by mass loss at the various conditions associated with the main influencing factors such as temperature, CO2 partial pressure, and flow velocity. The results indicated that the three factors have obvious characteristics and the enhanced interactions among the main influencing factors intensively influence the formation and growth of corrosion film. In addition, there were two corrosion mechanisms connected with the forming film and damaging film. A new lattice model was proposed to describe the general aspects concerning the formation of the corrosion film at the metal surface/solution interfaces.
Electrochemistry and XPS study of an imidazoline as corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in an acidic environment
Authors: Olivares‐Xometl O. , Likhanova N. V. , Martínez‐Palou R. , Domínguez‐Aguilar M. A.
Published: September 2008

The effect of 2‐(2‐heptadec‐8‐enyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐imidazol‐1‐yl)‐ethylamine on the corrosion behavior of mild steel in aqueous hydrochloric acid was investigated using weight loss measurements, polarization scans, electrochemical impedance, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The inhibition efficiencies and coverage degrees increased with the concentration of inhibitor but decreased proportionally with temperature. It appears that the steric hindrance of the aliphatic chain on the imidazoline ring adsorption may affect inhibitor efficiency. Polarization curves showed that the oleic imidazoline (OI) acted essentially as a mixed type inhibitor, in which the blocking of active sites occurred. As a result of film formation, impedance spectra revealed a considerable increase in the charge transfer resistance as indicated by the second capacitive loop. XPS depth profile analysis observed the presence of nitrogen and carbon species on the inhibitor film, which were associated to the OI.
Numerical design for cathodic protection systems for concrete
Authors: Polder R. B. , Peelen W. H. A. , Lollini F. , Redaelli E. , Bertolini L.
Published: September 2008

Cathodic protection (CP) has become a successful method for the rehabilitation of concrete structures affected by chloride‐induced corrosion of reinforcing steel. CP involves applying an electrical current from an external anode through the concrete to the reinforcement. The current causes steel polarisation, electrochemical reactions and ion transport. Normally the anode is placed over relatively large surface areas, including those where the steel is passive. Conventional views assume that protection current will not significantly flow outside the anode area. In many cases this results in a conservative design. This paper presents principles and first results of numerical calculations for design of an example CP system by finite element modelling. The final objective is to develop a tool for more economical CP system design. In particular, a CP system for the protection of local damage in bridges (e.g. at leaking joints) has been simulated. The corroding area with respect to the size of the anode is varied. Current and potential distributions and depolarisation values are predicted, both close to and more distant from the anode. It appears that current densities required to achieve sufficient polarisation are much higher than those usually found in the field. Neglecting time‐dependent repassivation processes is likely to be the main cause and further work is needed to include them. The present model can be used with reasonable confidence for preventive application to passive steel.
The attack initiation of Al‐Zn‐In‐Sn anode by the segregation concentrating Zn, Sn and In
Authors: Qi G. T. , Qiu Y. B. , Zhao Y. N. , Cai Q. Z.
Published: September 2008

The microstructure of Al–5%Zn–0.025%In‐0.15%Sn anode was investigated by EPMA, and EDAX. The result showed that the microstructure at the Al‐Zn‐In‐Sn anode can be categorized into two different types, namely the catenulate segregation enriched in Zn, Fe, Si, and the elliptical or rounded segregation where Zn, Sn, In concentrated. In order to explain the initial dissolution of the aluminum anode, the electrochemical behavior in 3% NaCl solution of the Al‐Zn‐In‐Sn anode and its simulated segregation concentrating Zn, Sn, In were tested using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The result showed that the simulated segregation concentrating Zn, Sn, In would preferentially be dissolved into the solution as the anode of galvanic cell.
Growth characteristics of thermophile sulfate‐reducing bacteria and its effect on carbon steel
Authors: Liu T. , Liu H. , Hu Y. , Zhou L. , Zheng B.
Published: September 2008

Sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) have been identified as the main corrosive microorganisms causing unpredictable failure of materials. In this present work, a strain of thermophile SRB isolated from Bohai oilfield of China has been characterized and preliminarily identified. Furthermore, its effects on carbon steel at 60 °C in SRB culture media were studied by electrochemical methods such as potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and weight loss measurements. The results show that the bacteria belong to Desulfotomaculum. The optimum growth temperature and pH of the bacteria were 60 °C and 7.0, respectively. Weight loss measurements suggested that the corrosion rate of carbon steel in the culture media inoculated with thermophile SRB at 60 °C was 2.2 times less than that at 37 °C. At 60 °C, SRB shifted the freely corroding potential of carbon steel toward a more positive value in the first 10 days, which later change to a negative value. Results obtained from potentiodynamic polarization and EIS were in good agreement. The changes in biofilm structure with increase in bacteria supply offers some kind of protection to the base material in the early culture days at 60 °C. Subsequently, it accelerated corrosion. Energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) methods indicate that corrosion products such as iron sulfides (FeSx) in biofilm play an important role in the biocorrosion process.
Corrosion behaviour of tool steels in tannic acids
Authors: Winkelmann H. , Badisch E. , Ilo S. , Eglsäer S.
Published: September 2008

It is well known that cutting knifes in the wood industry often suffer from corrosion. Investigations showed that the corrosiveness of different wood types is responsible for a major part of the damage, and that different woods have a different corrosive impact. It is revealed that tannin, a water‐soluble acid, which can be found in all woods in different concentrations, is the most aggressive acid contained in the wood, and so it is responsible for the main part of the corrosive attack. In view of the above, the ability of different cold‐work steels to resist corrosion caused by tannic acid has been investigated. Often corrosion is measured by the mass loss of the sample divided by the surface of the sample under certain conditions during a fixed period of time. One problem with this method is that there is also a weight gain caused by oxidation or by other side reactions at the samples surface. So in some cases the weight of the sample even increases during the testing time, which makes the quantification of the corrosion impossible with this method. Due to the reasons already mentioned, another method was used to quantify the test results. This method is based on inductive coupled plasma–optical emission spectral analyses (ICP‐OES), where the released Fe is quantified. The results of the corrosion resistant tests get correlated to the microstructure and the elemental composition of the analysed cold‐work steels. The present investigations improve the understanding of important material parameters to enhance the corrosion resistance against tannin. It is revealed that the higher the primary carbide concentration is the more Cr or other passivating elements are necessary in the matrix to show a good protection against corrosion by tannin. Three materials with different elemental compositions have been investigated, and for one of those materials the influence of different heat treatments was also analysed. The investigations could show that annealing parameters and freeze‐cycle processing (FCP) have less impact on the corrosion resistance to tannin than elemental composition and austenitising temperature.
Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on anticorrosion property in amorphous Ni‐P‐Cr composite coating in artificial seawater and microbial environment
Authors: Ma J. , Shi Y. , Di J. , Yao Z. , Liu H.
Published: September 2008

To obtain the composite with a function of corrosion resistance in seawater and microbial environment, we apply low toxic electrolyte which contained Cr3+ instead of Cr6+ as a chromium source to produce Ni‐P‐Cr/TiO2, Ni‐P‐Cr/ZrO2 nanocomposite coatings, and Ni‐P‐Cr/TiO2 microcomposite coating using direct current (DC) electrodeposits technique. The surface morphology, texture, and composition of the composite coatings are characterized by SEM, XRD, and EDX measurements, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the composite coatings is evaluated by polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results with more positive‐shifting Ecorr, lowest icorr, and relatively high value of polarization resistance (Rp) proved that compared with other composite coatings, Ni‐P‐Cr/TiO2 nanocomposite coating with its better passive film and unique antibacterial activity caused by TiO2 nanoparticles incorporated, displayed excellent antibacterial and corrosion resistance property, consistent to the phenomenon that corrosion of this nanocomposite coating in SRB culture medium is not observed.
The corrosion and electrochemical behavior of pure aluminum in additive‐containing alkaline methanol–water mixed solutions
Authors: Wang J. B. , Wang J. M. , Shao H. B. , Chang X. T. , Wang L. , Zhang J. Q. , Cao C. N.
Published: September 2008

The corrosion and electrochemical behavior of aluminum in inhibited and uninhibited 4 M KOH–methanol–water mixed solutions with a methanol/water volume ratio of 3:2 were investigated by means of hydrogen collection, polarization curve, galvanostatic discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results of hydrogen collection and electrochemical experiments showed that the addition of ZnO can obviously inhibit the corrosion of aluminum in the 4 M KOH–methanol–water solutions, and its inhibition effect can be enhanced in the hydroxytryptamine (HT)‐containing KOH solution. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis of X‐ray (EDAX) revealed that ZnO produces the inhibition effect by the formation of a zinc‐containing deposit layer on the surface of aluminum, and the cooperative effect of ZnO and HT may improve the deposit of zinc. The results of galvanostatic discharge indicated that aluminum can present good electrochemical activity in the 4 M KOH–methanol–water solution with 0.2 M ZnO and 1.0 mL/L HT.
Preparation of Poly(acrylic acid) Nano‐films by In‐situ Polymerization of Acrylic Acid Macroclusters on Silicon Oxide Surfaces
Authors: Zhang Li , Mizukami Masashi , Kurihara Kazue
Published: September 2008

A new method for preparing poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) films on silicon oxide surfaces with smooth morphology has been developed. Acrylic acid (AA) was preferably adsorbed on silicon oxide surfaces in AA/ chloroform binary liquids and formed a hydrogen‐bonded organized structure, which was called molecular macrocluster. AA macroclusters on silicon oxide surfaces were in‐situ polymerized to obtain molecularly flat polymer films with thickness up to 10 nm. In‐situ polymerizations were conducted by photo‐irradiation in the presence of a photo initiator, 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone (DPA). As a reference, the adsorption of PAA polymerized in the bulk solution was examined on silicon oxide surfaces. A series of techniques such as attenuated total reflection–FTIR (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy, ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM) was utilized for characterizing two types of films. It was found that flat PAA films with linear hydrogen‐bonded COOH could only be obtained by in‐situ polymerization, which demonstrated this method was an effective way for preparing molecularly uniform polymer films. The surface morphology and thickness of obtained PAA films were found to be dependent on the monomer concentration, initiator amount and photoirradiation time. Molecularly uniform and flat PAA films were obtained after 5 min irradiation at 0.8 mol% AA in the presence of 5 wt% DPA.
The effect of combining two echo times in automatic brain tumor classification by MRS
Authors: García‐Gómez Juan M. , Tortajada Salvador , Vidal César , Julià‐Sapé Margarida , Luts Jan , Moreno‐Torres Àngel , Van Huffel Sabine , Arús Carles , Robles Montserrat
Published: September 2008

1H MRS is becoming an accurate, non‐invasive technique for initial examination of brain masses. We investigated if the combination of single‐voxel 1H MRS at 1.5 T at two different (TEs), short TE (PRESS or STEAM, 20–32 ms) and long TE (PRESS, 135–136 ms), improves the classification of brain tumors over using only one echo TE. A clinically validated dataset of 50 low‐grade meningiomas, 105 aggressive tumors (glioblastoma and metastasis), and 30 low‐grade glial tumors (astrocytomas grade II, oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas) was used to fit predictive models based on the combination of features from short‐TEs and long‐TE spectra. A new approach that combines the two consecutively was used to produce a single data vector from which relevant features of the two TE spectra could be extracted by means of three algorithms: stepwise, reliefF, and principal components analysis. Least squares support vector machines and linear discriminant analysis were applied to fit the pairwise and multiclass classifiers, respectively. Significant differences in performance were found when short‐TE, long‐TE or both spectra combined were used as input. In our dataset, to discriminate meningiomas, the combination of the two TE acquisitions produced optimal performance. To discriminate aggressive tumors from low‐grade glial tumours, the use of short‐TE acquisition alone was preferable. The classifier development strategy used here lends itself to automated learning and test performance processes, which may be of use for future web‐based multicentric classifier development studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An assessment of the effect of thiazolidinedione exposure on the risk of myocardial infarction in type 2 diabetic patients
Authors: Koro Carol E. , Fu Qinggong , Stender Monika
Published: September 2008

Purpose

To determine the likelihood of myocardial infarction (MI) in type 2 diabetic patients exposed to rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, separately, compared to other antidiabetic therapies.

Methods

A case–control analysis nested within the cohort of type 2 diabetic subjects from the Integrated Healthcare Information Services (IHCIS) claims database. Incident cases of MI were matched to three controls each on age (±5 years), gender, and year of first diabetes diagnosis. Subjects were classified according to their antidiabetic drug exposure in the 3, < 6, 6–12, and > 12 months prior to the index date. The adjusted odds ratios of MI were calculated for subjects exposed to rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, separately, compared to other antidiabetic agents. Risk factors adjusted for are age, ACE inhibitors, β‐blockers, diuretics, nitrates, diagnosis of hyperlipidemia, and hypertension and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Results

A total of 891 901 diabetic subjects (9870 cases and 29 610 control) identified from 1999 to 2006 were included in the analysis. The mean age was 63 years for the cases and controls. Compared to those treated with other antidiabetic therapies, the adjusted odds ratio of MI was 1.03 [95%CI: 0.93–1.12] for rosiglitazone and 0.92 [95%CI: 0.83–1.01] for pioglitazone in the 3 months prior to the index date.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the risk of MI in subjects exposed to rosiglitazone or pioglitazone for ≤ 12 months is not different from those exposed to other antidiabetic agents but exposure for > 12 months is associated with 15 and 13% increased risk of MI, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of a key element for hydrogen‐bonding patterns between protein kinases and their inhibitors
Authors: Katayama Naoko , Orita Masaya , Yamaguchi Tomohiko , Hisamichi Hiroyuki , Kuromitsu Sadao , Kurihara Hiroyuki , Sakashita Hitoshi , Matsumoto Yuzo , Fujita Shigeo , Niimi Tatsuya
Published: September 2008

In this article, we report crystal structures for inhibitor‐kinase complexes in which the inhibitor has different binding orientations and hydrogen‐bonding patterns with extracellular‐signal regulated kinase 2 and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. Our crystallographic studies, and sequence and structural analyses of 532 coordinates of kinases held in the Protein Data Bank, suggest that the length of the “specificity linker” described here is a key structural element of the hydrogen‐bonding patterns between protein kinases and their inhibitors. Proteins 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Binding specificity of SH2 domains: Insight from free energy simulations
Authors: Gan Wenxun , Roux Benoît
Published: September 2008

Cellular signal transduction pathways are controlled by specific protein–protein interactions mediated by the binding of short peptides to small modular interaction domains. To gain insights into the specificity of these interactions, the association of phosphotyrosine‐containing peptides to Src Homology 2 (SH2) domains is characterized using computations. Molecular dynamics simulations based on high‐resolution crystal structures complemented by homology models are used to calculate the absolute binding free energies for 25 SH2‐peptides pairs. The calculations are carried out using a potential of mean force free energy simulations method with restraining potentials that was developed previously (Woo and Roux, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2005;102:6825–6830). The method is utilized in conjunction with an implicit solvent representation to reduce the computational cost to characterize the association of five SH2 domains and five peptides. Specificity is ascertained by directly comparing the affinities of a given SH2 domain binding for any of the different peptides. For three of the five SH2 domains, the computational results rank the native peptides, as the most preferred binding motif. For the remaining two SH2 domains, high affinity binding motifs other than the native peptides are identified. This study illustrates how free energy computations can complement experiments in trying to elucidate complex protein–protein interactions networks. Proteins 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of nitrogen doping on Raman spectra of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Bulusheva L. G. , Okotrub A. V. , Kinloch I. A. , Asanov I. P. , Kurenya A. G. , Kudashov A. G. , Chen X. , Song H.
Published: September 2008

Multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nitrogen‐doped carbon (CNx) nanotubes have been synthesized by the aerosol‐assisted chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. The samples were prepared from toluene and acetonitrile taken in different proportion. The structure of CNTs and CNx nanotubes was compared using first‐ and second‐order Raman spectra. The disorder‐induced D band was found to up‐shift with increase of the acetonitrile fraction. The ID/IG and IG′/IG ratios showed the opposite dependence on the doping level of CNTs. Both kinds of the substitute nitrogen: graphitic‐like and pyridinic‐like contribute to the disorder in CNx nanotube layers. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Ageing effects in nanographite monitored by Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Makarova Tatiana , Riccò Mauro , Pontiroli Daniele , Mazzani Marcello , Belli Matteo , Goffredi Angelo
Published: September 2008

The structural relaxation of nanographite ball‐milled in argon atmosphere and stored in evacuated ampoules, has been studied by monitoring the evolution of the Raman spectra. Reduction of some Raman bands associated with “in‐plane” structural defects, such as vacancies, dislocations or grain boundaries, and those associated with “out‐of‐plane” defects, such as stacking faults, is accompanied by the rise of new bands around 1180 and 2000 cm–1. The development of these bands is suppressed in nanographite samples exposed to a flux of pure anhydrous hydrogen. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Loss‐spectroscopy on sparse arrays of aligned single‐wall carbon nanotubes
Authors: Kramberger Christian , Rümmeli Mark , Knupfer Martin , Fink Jörg , Büchner Bernd , Einarsson Erik , Maruyama Shigeo , Pichler Thomas
Published: September 2008

We performed angle resolved electron energy‐loss spectroscopy on vertically aligned single wall carbon nanotubes. We observe two distinct loss‐peaks in the energy range from 4:6 eV to 5:1 eV. This doublet of loss‐peaks is attributed to the on‐axis and crossed plasma oscillations of the π electrons in sp2 carbon.

The unique identification and assignment of these two oriented excitations is derived from their dispersion relations. The available momenta are aligned on the nanotube axis and reflect the confinement of a particle on a wire. The observed angle resolved loss‐peaks are a gapless extension of polarized optical spectroscopy into finite momenta. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Double layer supercapacitor properties of onion‐like carbon materials
Authors: Bushueva E. G. , Galkin P. S. , Okotrub A. V. , Bulusheva L. G. , Gavrilov N. N. , Kuznetsov V. L. , Moiseekov S. I.
Published: September 2008

This paper describes the electrochemical performance of carbon onions as electrode materials in electrical double layer capacitors with water electrolytes. Onion‐like carbon (OLC) species were produced by vacuum annealing of detonation nanodiamonds (NDs) powder at 1170–2170 K. The material capability of the charge accumulation in the electric double layer was estimated using the voltammetric technique. The correlations between specific capacitance, surface area and conductivity were found. Charge‐discharge measurements revealed a dependence of the specific capacitance of OLC on the degree of diamond particle graphitization and defectness of particle surfaces. Promising capacitance values, ranging within 20−40 F g–1 and within 70−100 F g–1 were found for the OLC materials operating respectively in acid electrolytic solution (1 M H2SO4) and alkaline electrolytic solution (6 M KOH). (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Field emission from single‐wall nanotubes obtained from carbon and boron nitride mixtures
Authors: Kleshch V. I. , Obraztsova E. D. , Arutyunyan N. R. , Grebenyukov V. V. , Pozharov A. S. , Obraztsov A. N.
Published: September 2008

Heterophase BN:C single‐wall nanotubes are prospective as a material with a predicted possibility to vary the bandgap via changing a relative content of BN and C fractions in the nanotube walls. The challenge is both to find the ways of synthesis of such nanotubes and, in case of success, to confirm BN embedding. In this work field emission studies have been performed for revealing the difference between arc‐produced pure carbon nanotubes and nanotubes grown from BN:C mixtures. The relative BN content in the mixtures was varied from 0% up to 50% (by mass). The materials have been characterized by a high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering and UV‐VIS‐NIR optical absorption techniques. The single‐wall nanotubes have been revealed in all samples synthesized, but their composition remained questionable. The field emission properties of the samples have been examined in a vacuum diode configuration. It has been found that the threshold fields and slopes of the Fowler–Nordheim plot, evaluated from the measured current–voltage dependences, increased with an enrichment of the starting mixtures with h‐BN. This increase could be attributed to the work function rise due to h‐BN embedding into the carbon nanotube walls. This result opens a way to use the field‐emission characterization for an indirect confirmation of the heterophase BN:C nanotube formation. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The two peaks G′ band in carbon nanotubes
Authors: Maciel Indhira O. , Pimenta Marcos A. , Terrones Mauricio , Terrones Humberto , Campos‐Delgado Jessica , Jorio Ado
Published: September 2008

In this work we discuss the nature of the extra peak that appears in the low frequency side the G′ band in the Raman spectra of single wall and double wall carbon nanotubes. This peak has been reported in many articles assigned as either the G′ band from small diameter nanotubes or the response for fulfilment of resonance conditions with incident and scattered light.

Here we show that this peak is present in the Raman spectra independently on the diameter distribution of the sample and disappears after heat treatment. We believe the lower frequency component of the two‐peaks G′ band in carbon nanotubes is related to the presence of defects in the carbon nanotube structure. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
MoSIx connectivity in self‐assembled networks
Authors: Strle Jure , Vengust Damjan , Ploscaru Mihaela , Uplaznik Marko , Mihailović Dragan
Published: September 2008

We report on a new highly reproducible route to recognitive self‐assembly of molecular‐scale circuits using sulfur‐terminated subnanometer diameter Mo6S9–x Ix (MoSIx) molecular nanowires.We demonstrate solutionprocessed attachment of MoSIx connecting leads to gold nanoparticles (GNPs). We also show that naked nanowires have the potential to bind thiolated proteins such as green fluorescent protein directly, thus providing a universal construct to which almost any protein could be attached.We further demonstrate three‐terminal branched circuits with GNPs, opening a self‐assembly route to multiscale complex molecular‐scale architectures at the single‐molecule level. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Bonding environment and electronic structure of Gd metallofullerene and Gd nanowire filled single‐wall carbon nanotubes
Authors: Pichler T. , Kramberger C. , Ayala P. , Shiozawa H. , Knupfer M. , Rümmeli M. H. , Batchelor D. , Kitaura R. , Imazu N. , Kobayashi K. , Shinohara H.
Published: September 2008

Being single‐walled carbon nanotubes, archetypical 1D systems with peculiar anisotropic electronic properties, it is possible to infer modifications in a controlled manner by filling their inner hollow space. One successful approach was proposed for Gd, which regards filling with metallofullerenes and a successful transformation into different novelmetal nanowires by a versatile nanochemical reaction. In this contribution we report on a combined high resolution photoemission and X‐ray absorption study on Gd@C82 peapods and Gd nanowires.

From a detailed analysis of the Gd 4d response and the valence band in photoemission we are able to elucidate the changes in the bonding environment and charge transfer in these 1D systems. We observe a clear modification of the low energy electronic properties of the SWCNT by the filling with Gd nanowires. Our findings provide important input to understand the interplay between charge transfer and hyridisation in the nanochemical processes in these hybrid systems and to elucidate their electronic transport properties regarding their application potential in nanoelectronic devices. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Electron spin resonance in alkali doped SWCNTs
Authors: Simon F. , Galambos M. , Quintavalle D. , Náfrádi B. , Forró L. , Koltai J. , Zólyomi V. , Kürti J. , Nemes N. M. , Rümmeli M. H. , Kuzmany H. , Pichler T.
Published: September 2008

Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements on SWCNTs doped with alkali atoms (potassium) using a solid state reaction is reported. We find the emergence of the ESR signal of itinerant electrons upon doping with a signal intensity that is comparable to that expected from band structure calculations.

The ESR line‐width and microwave conductivity weakly depend on the temperature indicating that doped SWCNTs are bad metals. It is argued to result from the lack of crystalline order in the tubes and the large impurity concentration. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Phonon dispersion of small diameter semiconducting chiral carbon nanotubes – a theoretical study
Authors: Koltai János , Zólyomi Viktor , Kürti Jenő
Published: September 2008

We present first principles calculations on the phonon dispersion of a large number of small diameter chiral single walled carbon nanotubes. The use of density functional theory for unit cells containing hundreds of atoms was only possible because the helical symmetry was taken into account explicitly in our frequency calculations.

The results can be useful for interpretation of experiments, especially on CoMoCat tubes, but also on HiPCo tubes and the inner walls of double walled carbon nanotubes. The phonon dispersions of several larger diameter tubes have also been calculated for comparison. A clear phonon softening with decreasing diameter has been observed for the D and D*‐bands. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
High frequency electron spin resonance study of peapods
Authors: Olariu A. , Náfrádi B. , Ćiri ć L. , Nemes N. M. , Forró L.
Published: September 2008

We present high frequency Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) results on a peapod sample. In a previous low frequency ESR study on peapods and double‐walled nanotubes the observation of a non‐Lorentzian line shape was reported. This effect was tentatively attributed to the presence of two distinct Lorentzian signals, coming from the outer tube and from the inner tube or from fullerenes. Here we report ESR measurements in a broad frequency (and magnetic field) range, which help to resolve this uncertainty. Since, with increasing magnetic field, no splitting of the line is observed, just a linear increase with frequency, we attribute the non‐Lorentzian shape to g ‐factor distribution. The extracted line width weakly increases with temperature. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Stability and electronic properties of magnetic peapods
Authors: Tóth S. , Quintavalle D. , Náfrádi B. , Forró L. , Korecz L. , Rockenbauer A. , Kálai T. , Hideg K. , Simon F.
Published: September 2008

We report on the temperature stability of N@C60 peapods using electron spin resonance. The atomic nitrogen escapes at higher temperatures in the peapod than in the crystalline form. We also report on the synthesis of novel magnetic fullerene peapod, a fullerene with an attached pyridine‐nitroxide spin‐label. This molecule can be the ultimate inner spin label for the SWCNTs as it is available in microscopic amounts and is not air sensitive. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effects of a ZnS‐shell on the structural and electronic properties of CdSe‐nanorods
Authors: Mohr M. , Thomsen C.
Published: September 2008

CdSe nanorods were studied via density functional theory calculations. The influence of a ZnS shell on the structural and electronic propertieswas investigated. The ZnS shell leads to a shortening of the CdSe bond length, the magnitude depending on the bond length orientation with respect to the axis. The electronic band gap is reduced by the presence of the ZnS shell. In the present study, the CdSe/ZnS multistructure forms a type II heterojunction, in contrast to plane CdSe/ZnS superlattices. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Unsteady exact solutions of the flow equations for three‐dimensional spherical atmospheres
Authors: Staniforth A. , White A. A.
Published: September 2008

Time‐dependent, closed‐form solutions of the 3D Euler equations describing motion relative to a uniformly rotating coordinate frame are derived. The spherical geopotential approximation is applied but not the shallow‐atmosphere and hydrostatic approximations. The solutions correspond to cyclostrophically and hydrostatically balanced vortices that are steady in inertial space and whose symmetry axes do not coincide with the rotation axis of the coordinate frame. The inertial‐frame flow velocities are readily transformed to a precisely spherical rotating coordinate system in which the 3D Euler equations contain centrifugal as well as Coriolis terms. In this form the solutions may be used to test numerical models formulated in spherical coordinates under the spherical geopotential approximation, so long as the centrifugal terms are explicitly included as forcing terms. The development is repeated for the hydrostatic and non‐hydrostatic primitive equations (with the shallow‐atmosphere approximation) and for the shallow‐water equations. In the latter case, the required explicit centrifugal force may be provided by a zonally symmetric addition to the free surface height, with an identically equal orographic elevation to ensure conservation of mass. The solutions are then identical to the unsteady shallow‐water solutions of Läuter et al. that inspired this study. ©Crown Copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust attitude tracking control of flexible spacecraft for achieving globally asymptotic stability
Authors: Erdong Jin , Zhaowei Sun
Published: September 2008

The three‐axis attitude tracking control problem in the presence of parameter uncertainties and external disturbances for a spacecraft with flexible appendages is investigated in this paper. Novel simple robust Lyapunov‐based controllers that require only the attitude and angular velocity measurement are proposed. The first controller is a discontinuous one composed of a nonlinear PD part plus a sign function, whereas the second one is continuous or even smooth by modifying the discontinuous part of the first one. For a general desired trajectory, both controllers can achieve globally asymptotic stability of the attitude and angular velocity tracking errors instead of ultimate boundedness. By using a two‐step proof technique, the partial stability of the proposed controllers for the resulting closed‐loop systems in the face of model uncertainties and unexpected disturbances is proven theoretically. To further enhance the control performance, a continuous controller is presented that utilizes the tracking errors for estimating the external disturbances. In addition, stability analysis is done. For all the developed controllers, numerical simulation results are provided to demonstrate their performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.