bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ChemInform Abstract: Single‐Step Synthesis of Gold—Silver Alloy Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids by a Sputter Deposition Technique.
Authors: Okazaki Ken‐ichi , Kiyama Tomonori , Hirahara Kaori , Tanaka Nobuo , Kuwabata Susumu , Torimoto Tsukasa
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Exploiting 1H→29Si Cross‐Polarization Features for Structural Characterization of Inorganic Materials
Authors: Tekely Piotr
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Surface Modification and Functionalization of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles by Organic Ligands
Authors: Neouze Marie‐Alexandra , Schubert Ulrich
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Catalytic Asymmetric Fluorination Comes of Age
Authors: Brunet Vincent A. , O'Hagan David
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: [8 + 2] Cycloaddition Reactions in Organic Synthesis
Authors: Nair Vijay , Abhilash K. Gopalakrishnan
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: Mutasynthesis, Chemobiosynthesis, and Back to Semi‐Synthesis: Combining Synthetic Chemistry and Biosynthetic Engineering for Diversifying Natural Products
Authors: Kennedy Jonathan
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: A New Design Strategy for Organic Optoelectronic Materials by Lateral Boryl Substitution.
Authors: Elbing Mark , Bazan Guillermo C.
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
ChemInform Abstract: HPLC Sample Preparation
Authors: Slack Gregory C. , Snow Nicholas H.
Published: April 2008

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
Atomic Layer Deposition of LaF3 Thin Films using La(thd)3 and TiF4 as Precursors
Authors: Pilvi Tero , Puukilainen Esa , Arstila Kai , Leskelä Markku , Ritala Mikko
Published: April 2008

Lanthanum fluoride is a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) transparent material which is widely used in optical applications. An atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is developed for depositing lanthanum fluoride thin films for the first time. LaF3 films are grown at 225–350 °C using La(thd)3 and TiF4 as precursors. The crystallinity, morphology, composition, thicknesses, and refractive indices of the films are analyzed by X‐ray diffraction/reflection (XRD/XRR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), time‐of‐flight elastic recoil detection analysis (TOF‐ERDA), and UV‐vis spectrophotometry. Electrical properties, such as permittivity and leakage current density, are also studied. An exceptionally high growth rate of about 5 Å per cycle is achieved at 225–250 °C. The films are polycrystalline, the refractive indices vary between 1.57 and 1.61, and the permittivity is 12.3. The impurities detected in the LaF3 film are Ti, C, O, and H. The level of all of these tends to decrease with increase in the deposition temperature, and is only 3.5 at.‐% at 350 °C.
An optimal spectrum‐balancing algorithm for digital subscriber lines based on particle swarm optimization
Authors: Tang Meiqin , Long Chengnian , Guan Xinping
Published: April 2008

This paper presents a new algorithm for optimal spectrum balancing in modern digital subscriber line (DSL) systems using particle swarm optimization (PSO). In DSL, crosstalk is one of the major performance bottlenecks, therefore various dynamic spectrum management algorithms have been proposed to reduce excess crosstalks among users by dynamically optimizing transmission power spectra. In fact, the objective function in the spectrum optimization problem is always nonconcave. PSO is a new evolution algorithm based on the movement and intelligence of swarms looking for the most fertile feeding location, which can solve discontinuous, nonconvex and nonlinear problems efficiently. The proposed algorithm optimizes the weighted rate sum. These weights allow the system operator to place differing qualities of service or importance levels on each user, which makes it possible for the system to avoid the selfish‐optimum. We can show that the proposed algorithm converges to the global optimal solutions. Simulation results demonstrate that our algorithm can guarantee fast convergence within a few iterations and solve the nonconvex optimization problems efficiently. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scaffold Preparation and Parallel Synthesis of Arrays of 5,6,7,8‐Tetrahydropyrrolo‐azepinones in the Solution Phase
Authors: Piras Leonarda , Genesio Eva , Ghiron Chiara , Taddei Maurizio
Published: April 2008

An efficient synthesis of a pyrrolo‐azepine scaffold for the parallel preparation of an array of (oxo‐pyrrolo‐azepinyl)acetamides is described. The Stetter cyclisation of 1,3‐cyclohexanedione with ethyl bromopyruvate was the key reaction in the assembly of a tetrahydrobenzofuran substrate which was submitted to a rapid transformation into a tetrahydroindole by microwave‐assisted cyclocondensation in the presence of glycine. The carbonyl group was then stereoselectively transformed into the corresponding (Z)‐oxime which gave the pyrrolo‐azepinone by Beckmann rearrangement in the presence of polyphosphoric acid. Trimethylaluminium‐mediated amidation gave the corresponding amides which were finally N‐alkylated at the 5‐position to give 52 diverse (pyrrolo‐azepinyl)acetamides, showing an appreciable exploration of the chemical space around the central heterocyclic core. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)
Particle swarm optimization of TMD by non‐stationary base excitation during earthquake
Authors: Leung A. Y. T. , Zhang Haijun , Cheng C. C. , Lee Y. Y.
Published: April 2008

There are many traditional methods to find the optimum parameters of a tuned mass damper (TMD) subject to stationary base excitations. It is very difficult to obtain the optimum parameters of a TMD subject to non‐stationary base excitations using these traditional optimization techniques. In this paper, by applying particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm as a novel evolutionary algorithm, the optimum parameters including the optimum mass ratio, damper damping and tuning frequency of the TMD system attached to a viscously damped single‐degree‐of‐freedom main system subject to non‐stationary excitation can be obtained when taking either the displacement or the acceleration mean square response, as well as their combination, as the cost function. For simplicity of presentation, the non‐stationary excitation is modeled by an evolutionary stationary process in the paper. By means of three numerical examples for different types of non‐stationary ground acceleration models, the results indicate that PSO can be used to find the optimum mass ratio, damper damping and tuning frequency of the non‐stationary TMD system, and it is quite easy to be programmed for practical engineering applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Signal Processing. An iterative space subchannel allocation algorithm for multiuser MIMO/OFDM systems
Authors: Xiaofeng Lu , Zan Li , Jueping Cai
Published: April 2008

In multiuser multiple‐input multiple‐output/orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing (MIMO/OFDM) systems, the EigenValue Decomposition (EVD) method was proposed to construct a number of parallel spatial channels. The beamforming technique which only exploits the spatial subchannel related to the largest eigenvalue is usually adopted in many papers to deal with adaptive resource allocation. Although these previous studies could maximise the received signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), they could not get the maximum system throughput. In this paper, all the spatial subchannel are investigated. With the goal of maximising the overall system throughput, we derive a simple effective criterion of subcarrier allocation and introduce an adaptive resource allocation algorithm. The proposed algorithm could get higher system throughput especially at high SNR, that is the spectral efficiency is improved about 3 bit/s/Hz at 14 dB. At the same time, in order to decrease the computational complexity, a time‐frequency blockwise loading design is suggested. In practical channel with partial channel state information (CSI), a modified algorithm based on mean feedback model is proposed. The simulation results show that under imperfect CSI, the modified algorithm could achieve optimum system throughput while guaranteeing prescribed error performance. On the other hand, in comparison to perfect CSI, the system throughput decreases. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enantiomerically Pure Poly(oxymethylene) Helices: Correlating Helicity with Centrochirality
Authors: Eppacher Simon , Giester Gerald , Bats Jan W. , Noe Christian R.
Published: April 2008

A first series of enantiomerically pure helical oligo(formaldehyde)s (=oligo(oxymethylen)s)16–20was synthesized. To induce the chiral uniformity of the helices, we used (1S)‐2,2‐dimethyl‐1‐phenylpropan‐1‐ol (14) to generate the end groups at theαandωterminus (Scheme 6). Propanol14was accessible from its racemate by acetal formation with lactol12and separation of the diastereoisomers (Scheme 5). The helicity of the oligomers was investigated by temperature‐dependent CD, NMR, and optical‐rotation studies. In addition to qualitative considerations concerning the helicity of oligo(formaldehyde)s, we performed calculations of the dimer17and the pentamer20as well as X‐ray structure analyses of the dimer17and the tetramer19to establish the handedness of the helices and to correlate their sense with the absolute configuration of the inducing stereogenic center. The results may be of relevance with respect to induction and propagation of chirality in prebiotic chemistry.
Nanocrystalline ZnO for Knoevenagel Condensation and Reduction of the Carbon,Carbon Double Bond in Conjugated Alkenes
Authors: Hosseini‐Sarvari Mona , Sharghi Hashem , Etemad Samane
Published: April 2008

A novel efficient and eco‐friendly nanocrystalline ZnO catalyst was used for the Knoevenagel condensation and for the reduction of CC double bonds at room temperature in the absence of solvents.
Novel Polyketides Isolated from Streptomyces sp.
Authors: Li Jian , Lu Chun‐Hua , Shen Yue‐Mao
Published: April 2008

From the endophytic strain Streptomyces sp. CS of Maytenus hookeri, five novel type III polyketides, compounds 1–5, were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR experiments, and by HR‐ESI‐MS.
Optimisation of reactive textile dyes degradation by laccase–mediator system
Authors: Tavares Ana PM , Cristóvão Raquel O , Loureiro José M , Boaventura Rui AR , Macedo Eugénia A
Published: April 2008

BACKGROUND: In the textile industry, large quantities of intensely coloured and toxic effluents are released, causing serious environmental pollution. Several biotechnological approaches have been suggested to eliminate this pollution source in an eco‐efficient manner. Laccase can be used to decolourise dyes and its substrate range can be extended by inclusion of a mediator.

RESULTS: A screening using several laccase mediators (2,2‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonate) (ABTS), 1‐hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT), N‐hydroxyacetanilide (NHA), polioxometalates, violuric acid (VA) and (2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yloxy) (TEMPO)) was performed on the degradation of six reactive textile dyes. ABTS was the most effective mediator leading to higher decolourisation. The efficiency of ABTS depends on the type of dye, pH, temperature and dye concentration. The optimum temperature and pH values were 35 °C and 5.0, respectively, for maximum decolourisation (above 70%) of reactive black 5, reactive blue 114 and reactive yellow 15. For reactive red 239 the optimum conditions were found to be a temperature of 40 °C and pH of 4.5 (above 56% decolourisation). ABTS has no effect at low concentrations, except for reactive blue 114, where it resulted in the best decolourisation (93%). A comparison of decolourisation based on the percentage absorbance reduction at the maximum absorbance wavelength of each dye and throughout the visible spectrum was made.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the laccase mediator system could be used to treat textile dying wastewaters. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
The mass spectral analysis of isolated hops A‐type proanthocyanidins by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Li Hui‐Jing , Deinzer Max L.
Published: April 2008

Comprehensive mass spectral fragmentation patterns have been established for sequencing chromatographically isolated A‐type proanthocyanidins (PAs) using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐MSn) in the positive ion mode similar to those used for sequencing previously reported B‐type PAs. Sequence‐identifying fragmentations for A‐type PAs include heterocyclic ring fission (HRF), retro‐Diels–Alder (RDA) fission, benzofuran‐forming (BFF) fission, and quinone methide (QM) fission. There is commonality in fragmentation patterns between A‐type and B‐type PAs, but distinguishing features in the mass spectral patterns between the two classes include 2‐Da mass differences in the pseudo molecular ions, the propensity for the A‐type PAs to undergo QM fissions and yield bis‐quinoid ions as opposed to mono‐quinoid ions in the upper unit of the sequence, and the reluctance of A‐type linkages to undergo RDA, BFF, and BFF/H2O fissions from the upper unit. The positions of one or more A‐type (C2 → O → C7′) ether linkages have been located in sequences of PAs ranging in chain lengths of two to five monomer units using ESI‐MSn data. Using the fragmentation information from ESI‐MSn experiments, a total of 17 PAs were structurally sequenced by systematic real time ESI‐MSn. Among them ten A‐type and six B‐type hop PAs are reported here for the first time. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Integrated beach resorts, informal tourism commerce and the 2004 tsunami: Laguna Phuket in Thailand
Authors: Smith Russell A. , Henderson Joan C.
Published: April 2008

Issues of importance related to informal tourism commerce are explored in this paper with particular reference to the case of Laguna Phuket, an integrated beach resort in Thailand. The extent and nature of informal trade at the destination is analysed before and after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, based upon data collected during fieldwork. The sector is shown to display distinctive qualities, including resilience in the face of a natural disaster, and to have a role in purpose‐built as well as conventional resorts. Its relationship with the formal tourism industry is also discussed and this emerges as close, yet with potential for both conflict and cooperation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrogeneration of Polypyrrole/Alginate Films for Immobilization of Glucose Oxidase
Authors: Chen Shuangjun , Chen Wei , Xue Gi
Published: April 2008

Electrogenerated PPy doped with pSA was used as a substrate for immobilization of GOD. This was achieved via covalent bonding of carboxyl groups of the main chain of alginate with amino groups of the enzyme. The pH‐induced aggregation behavior of SA in aqueous solution was employed to provide optimum conditions for electrochemical preparation of PPy by galvanostatic methods. GOD was attached to the electrode surface by reaction between the carboxyl groups in the main chain of pSA with amino groups of GOD after treatment with EDC and NHS. The linkage of GOD enzyme to the conductive surface was characterized by ATR spectroscopy and SEM CV was used to demonstrate the bioactivity of the enzyme electrode toward glucose.

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Computational view of surface based organic mass spectrometry
Authors: Garrison Barbara J. , Postawa Zbigniew
Published: April 2008

Surface based mass spectrometric approaches fill an important niche in the mass analysis portfolio of tools. The particular niche depends on both the underlying physics and chemistry of molecule ejection as well as experimental characteristics. In this article, we use molecular dynamics computer simulations to elucidate the fundamental processes giving rise to ejection of organic molecules in atomic and cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), massive cluster impact (MCI) mass spectrometry, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. This review is aimed at graduate students and experimental researchers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 27: 289–315, 2008
A statistical study of the weather impact on punctuality at Frankfurt Airport
Authors: Markovic D. , Hauf T. , Röhner P. , Spehr U.
Published: April 2008

A hybrid regression/time series modelling was used to relate the total daily punctuality (TOTP) at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, to weather, the traffic flow and the airport system state. The selected modelling approach is applied to the annual, the multi‐annual and seasonal data of the years 2001–2006. Reduction of the initial variables system dimension is achieved through the application of the principal component analysis (PCA) method. The portion of the variability that can be explained by the model after correction of autocorrelations in the residuals using autoregressive (AR) models, is between 60 and 69%. A slight year‐to‐year variability in the number of statistically significant model parameters is detected. Upon identification of the terminal‐specific delay impact factors, the possibility of the 24 h punctuality forecast for the interval of 1 year was discussed. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Three‐dimensional spatial interpolation of surface meteorological observations from high‐resolution local networks
Authors: Uboldi Francesco , Lussana Cristian , Salvati Marta
Published: April 2008

An objective analysis technique is applied to a local, high‐resolution meteorological observation network in the presence of complex topography. The choice of optimal interpolation (OI) makes it possible to implement a standard spatial interpolation algorithm efficiently. At the same time OI constitutes a basis to develop, in perspective, a full multivariate data assimilation scheme. In the absence of a background model field, a simple and effective de‐trending procedure is implemented. Three‐dimensional correlation functions are used to account for the orographic distribution of observing stations. Minimum‐scale correlation parameters are estimated by means of the integral data influence (IDI) field. Hourly analysis fields of temperature and relative humidity are routinely produced at the Regional Weather Service of Lombardia. The analysis maps show significant informational content even in the presence of strong gradients and infrequent meteorological situations. Quantitative evaluation of the analysis fields is performed by systematically computing their cross validation (CV) scores and by estimating the analysis bias. Further developments concern the implementation of an automatic quality control procedure and the improvement of error covariance estimation. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
Manganese‐enhanced MRI detection of neurodegeneration in neonatal hypoxic‐ischemic cerebral injury
Authors: Yang Jian , Khong Pek‐Lan , Wang Yanxin , Chu Andrew Chi‐Yuen , Ho Shu‐Leong , Cheung Pik‐To , Wu Ed X.
Published: April 2008

In this study, we investigated the Mn‐enhanced MRI (MEMRI) for detecting neurodegenerative processes in neonatal hypoxic‐ischemic (H‐I) cerebral injury. Seven‐day‐old rats were induced with H‐I injury, and scanned for T1‐weighted image (T1WI) and T2‐weighted image (T2WI) with and without systemic MnCl2 administration. Serial histological analysis was performed for Mn‐superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD) and glutamine synthetase (GS), which are Mn‐binding enzymes against the oxidative stress and glutamate excitotoxicity in neurodegeneration. In the acute phase (first 2 days), the ipsilateral lesion exhibited no Mn enhancement in T1WIs, with histology showing no Mn‐SOD and GS production. In the mid‐phase (from day 3), Mn enhancement was found in the cortex, basal ganglia, and hippocampus, correlating with local Mn‐SOD and GS increase. In the late phase, the enhancement became more localized to the pericyst basal ganglia and cortex, and then gradually diminished. In T2WIs, a signal decrease was observed from day 3 in the corresponding regions. Hypointense voids gradually formed in the late phase, correlating with the local iron accumulation. H‐I rats without Mn2+ administration exhibited similar but weak changes in T1WIs and T2WIs from days 14 and 7, respectively. These results indicate that Mn2+ may be a useful in vivo probe for monitoring Mn‐SOD and GS enzymatic activities. Magn Reson Med, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Oxygen‐enhanced MR imaging of mice lungs
Authors: Watt K.N. , Bishop J. , Nieman B.J. , Henkelman R.M. , Chen X.J.
Published: April 2008

Inhaled molecular oxygen has been widely used in humans to evaluate pulmonary ventilation using MRI. MR imaging has recently played a greater role in examining the morphologic and physiologic characteristics of mouse models of lung disease where structural changes are highly correlated to abnormalities in respiratory function. The motivation of this work is to develop oxygen‐enhanced MR imaging for mice. Conventional human MR techniques cannot be directly applied to mouse imaging due to smaller dimensions and faster cardiac and respiratory physiology. This study examines the development of oxygen‐enhanced MR as a noninvasive tool to assess regional ventilation in spontaneously breathing mice. An optimized cardiac‐triggered, respiratory‐gated fast spin‐echo imaging sequence was developed to address demands of attaining adequate signal from the parenchyma, maintaining practical acquisition times, and compensating for rapid physiological motion. On average, a 20% T1‐shortening effect was observed in mice breathing 100% oxygen as compared to air. The effect of ventilation was shown as a significant signal intensity increase of 11% to 16% in the mouse parenchyma with 100% oxygen inhalation. This work demonstrates that adequate contrast and resolution can be achieved using oxygen‐enhanced MR to visualize ventilation, providing an effective technique to study ventilation defects in mice. Magn Reson Med, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mimicking the human expert: Pattern recognition for an automated assessment of data quality in MR spectroscopic images
Authors: Menze Bjoern H. , Kelm B. Michael , Weber Marc‐André , Bachert Peter , Hamprecht Fred A.
Published: April 2008

Besides the diagnostic evaluation of a spectrum, the assessment of its quality and a check for plausibility of its information remains a highly interactive and thus time‐consuming process in MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data analysis. In the automation of this quality control, a score is proposed that is obtained by training a machine learning classifier on a representative set of spectra that have previously been classified by experts into evaluable data and nonevaluable data. In the first quantitative evaluation of different quality measures on a test set of 45,312 long echo time spectra in the diagnosis of brain tumor, the proposed pattern recognition (using the random forest classifier) separated high‐ and low‐quality spectra comparable to the human operator (area‐under‐the‐curve of the receiver‐operator‐characteristic, AUC >0.993), and performed better than decision rules based on the signal‐to‐noise‐ratio (AUC <0.934) or the estimated Cramér‐Rao‐bound on the errors of a spectral fitting (AUC <0.952). This probabilistic assessment of the data quality provides comprehensible confidence images and allows filtering the input of any subsequent data processing, i.e., quantitation or pattern recognition, in an automated fashion. It thus can increase robustness and reliability of the final diagnostic evaluation and allows for the automation of a tedious part of MRSI data analysis. Magn Reson Med, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What do epidemiologists mean by ‘population mixing’?
Authors: Law Graham R. , Feltbower Richard G. , Taylor John C. , Parslow Roger C. , Gilthorpe Mark S. , Boyle Paul , McKinney Patricia A.
Published: April 2008

There is growing evidence that some chronic diseases are caused, or promoted, by infectious disease. ‘Population mixing’ has been used as a proxy for the range and dose of infectious agents circulating in a community. Given the speculation over the role of population mixing in many chronic diseases, we review the various methods used for measuring population mixing, and provide a classification of these. We recommend that authors fulfill two criteria in publications: measures are demonstrably associated with the putative risk factors for which population‐mixing is acting as a proxy and fundamental characteristics of the chosen measures are clearly defined. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;51:155–160. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
C‐erbB‐2 expression and prognostic significance in osteosarcoma
Authors: Yalçın Bilgehan , Gedikoğlu Gökhan , Kutluk Tezer , Varan Ali , Akyüz Canan , Büyükpamukçu Münevver
Published: April 2008

Background

C‐erbB‐2 is postulated as a prognostic biological marker for osteosarcoma (OST). We investigated c‐erbB‐2 expression status in osteosarcomas and its prognostic significance.

Procedure

Archival pre‐treatment tumor biopsies of 79 cases were stained by immunohistochemical (IHC) methods with CB11 antibody for cell‐membrane specific c‐erbB‐2 expression. Relation with different variables was examined and survival rates were calculated.

Results

Median age was 13 years (7–17). Distant metastases were detected in 8 (10.1%) cases at initial diagnosis. 36/79 (45.6%) patients had positive c‐erbB‐2 staining by IHC. There was no significant difference between c‐erbB‐2 expression and presence of distant metastases at initial diagnosis or during follow‐up, gender, age groups, tumor size, tumor sites, serum alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels. At a median follow‐up of 67.4 months (9.2–246.1), 36 cases died, 20 were alive, and 23 abandoned treatment. For 58 cases without initial metastases who underwent definitive surgery, 5‐year event‐free (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 50% and 62.1% in cases negative for c‐erbB‐2 expression, and 22.4% and 32.3% in cases positive for c‐erbB‐2 expression, respectively (EFS,P = 0.044; OS,P = 0.029). Five‐year EFS and OS rates were significantly higher in cases with a tumor size <10 cm. Cox regression analyses revealed that only size persisted as a prognostic factor for EFS. C‐erbB‐2 expression status didn't appear as an independent prognostic factor.

Conclusions

Overexpression of c‐erbB‐2 in OST was not correlated with metastatic potential. No independent prognostic significance was detected. The results do not support directed therapies for c‐erbB‐2 in OST. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;51:222–227. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Familial infantile pyknocytosis in association with pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Dahoui Hanane A. , Abboud Miguel R. , Saab Raya , Farra Chantal , Sinno Dourria , Dabbous Ibrahim , Muwakkit Samar A.
Published: April 2008

Infantile pyknocytosis is a rare condition characterized by transient neonatal hemolytic anemia associated with increased pyknocyte count on blood smear. We describe three siblings with infantile pyknocytosis, born to consanguineous parents. The first and third siblings had neonatal hemolytic anemia that resolved spontaneously at 6 months. The second sibling presented at 11 days with severe hemolytic anemia along with pulmonary hypertension. He died at 39 days from sepsis. The findings support a possible autosomal recessive inheritance. We hypothesize that pulmonary hypertension may be secondary to or aggravated by neonatal hemolysis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;51:290–292. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fabrication and electrical properties of ultra‐thin silicon nanowires
Authors: Rochdi N. , Tonneau D. , Jandard F. , Dallaporta H. , Safarov V.
Published: April 2008

Ultra thin (8 nm) silicon nanowires have been fabricated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) lithography on an insulator layer starting from Silicon On Insulator (SOI) substrates. Electrical measurements reveal a high sensitivity of the electron transport in these ultra thin wires to the charge trapping on the Si/SiO2 interface states. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Superconducting diamond: an introduction
Authors: Bustarret E.
Published: April 2008

Even though the early observations of superconductivity in semiconductors were considered in the 1960's to confirm the validity of the BCS model, the recent experimental discovery of superconductivity in boron‐doped diamond came as a major surprise both to the diamond and to the superconducting materials communities. In less than three years, much has been learned on this interesting system. We review here the main results of this effort and identify some of the questions remaining open. In particular, we point out that the superconducting behaviour remains of a conventional type quite close to the insulator‐to‐metal transition, and we propose that doped diamond is a potential model‐system for the study of electronic phase transitions. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Characterization of intermediate compounds formed upon photoinduced degradation of quinolones by high‐performance liquid chromatography/high‐resolution multiple‐stage mass spectrometry
Authors: Calza Paola , Medana Claudio , Carbone Francesco , Giancotti Valeria , Baiocchi Claudio
Published: April 2008

The paper deals with the photocatalytic transformation of two antibacterial agents, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, under simulated solar irradiation using titanium dioxide as photocatalyst. The investigation involved monitoring decomposition of the drugs, identifying intermediate compounds, assessing mineralization, and evaluating the toxicity of drug derivatives. High‐resolution mass spectrometry was employed to assess evolution of the photocatalyzed process over time. Respectively 15 and 8 main species were identified after transformation of ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. Through the full analysis of MS and MSn spectra and a comparison with parent drug fragmentation pathways, the different isomers were characterized. In the ofloxacin molecule, the initial transformation attacks are confined to the piperazine moiety and to the methyl groups, while the fluoroquinolone core is unmodified. Conversely, ciprofloxacin degradation involves two parts of the molecule: the piperazinic moiety and the quinolone moiety. All these intermediates are easily degraded and by 4 h mineralization is complete. Toxicity assays using Vibrio fischeri prove that neither ciprofloxacin nor its intermediates exhibit acute toxicity. In ofloxacin the secondary degradation products exhibit toxicity; a correlation exists between the evolution of the intermediate compounds and the toxicity connected to them. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mass measurement accuracy comparisons between a double‐focusing magnetic sector and a time‐of‐flight mass analyzer
Authors: Bereman Michael S. , Lyndon Matthew M. , Dixon R. Brent , Muddiman David C.
Published: April 2008

We report a direct comparison of the mass measurement accuracies (MMAs) obtained on different mass spectrometry instrument types; a magnetic sector as the ‘gold standard’ and an electrospray ionization time‐of‐flight (ESI‐TOF) instrument. Sixty samples, obtained from the Department of Chemistry at North Carolina State University, were analyzed on each instrument. Data are presented and compared between the different instruments. The average absolute MMAs achieved for the magnetic sector and Agilent ESI‐TOF mass spectrometers were 3.0 and 1.1 ppm, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delay‐distribution‐dependent robust stability of uncertain systems with time‐varying delay
Authors: Yue Dong , Tian Engang , Zhang Yijun , Peng Chen
Published: April 2008

By employing the information of the probability distribution of the time delay, this paper investigates the problem of robust stability for uncertain systems with time‐varying delay satisfying some probabilistic properties. Different from the common assumptions on the time delay in the existing literatures, it is assumed in this paper that the delay is random and its probability distribution is known a priori. In terms of the probability distribution of the delay, a new type of system model with stochastic parameter matrices is proposed. Based on the new system model, sufficient conditions for the exponential mean square stability of the original system are derived by using the Lyapunov functional method and the linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique. The derived criteria, which are expressed in terms of a set of LMIs, are delay‐distribution‐dependent, that is, the solvability of the criteria depends on not only the variation range of the delay but also the probability distribution of it. Finally, three numerical examples are given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Controlling Chua's circuits using computational verb controllers
Authors: Tonelli R. , Yang T.
Published: April 2008

In this paper, computational verb controllers were used to control Chua's circuits that were chaotic. The computational verb rule‐wise linear models of Chua's circuits were used to approximately segment the dynamics of Chua's circuits into four qualitatively different clusters; namely, the dynamics in the inner region, in the outer region and at boundaries of both regions. Then the stable verb controllers were designed by using linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results are presented to show the soundness of the design method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Island dynamics in a braided river from analysis of historical maps and air photographs
Authors: Zanoni Luca , Gurnell Angela , Drake Nick , Surian Nicola
Published: April 2008

An analysis of island and active corridor dynamics is presented for a 16 km island‐braided reach of the gravel‐bed Tagliamento River (Italy) based upon information extracted, geocorrected and registered to a common base from three map (1803, 1833, 1927) and nine aerial photograph sources (1944/6, 1954, 1970, 1986, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005).

The active corridor width showed a general decline over the study period but with some recent widening. Adjustments in active corridor width were achieved through processes of floodplain avulsion, island attachment and progressive encroachment of the edge of the active corridor across gravel areas. These adjustments were accompanied by the preferential creation of dissection (floodplain avulsion) islands during periods of widening and the construction of mid islands within the corridor during periods of narrowing. Changes in island extent were achieved by rapid island turnover, which reached a maximum rate of over 50% per annum when corridor narrowing was most rapid between 1970 and 1991. Very few island surfaces were found to persist for more than 24 years.

Despite this enormous dynamism and apparent cyclic behaviour, between 1944/6 and 2005 the ratio of island area to active corridor area remained relatively constant at around 0.08 and supported a consistently high bankfull shoreline to downstream length ratio of around 6 km · km−1. These intrinsic properties of the dynamics of the study reach and other island‐braided channels need to be recognized and maintained by river managers because they represent a characteristic habitat dynamism that is crucial to the maintenance of ecological integrity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Doing versus seeing: acts of exploitation and perceptions of exploration
Authors: Adner Ron , Levinthal Daniel
Published: April 2008

The challenge of organizational adaptation is often presented in terms of the tension between the exploration of new possibilities and the exploitation of existing accomplishments. Whether framed in the language of invention versus refinement or local search versus long jumps, the spirit of the argument is of an explicit trade‐off that resource‐constrained organizations must make to secure their survival and success. While we do not dispute the fundamental truth that underlies this tension, we do believe this dominant characterization of the process of exploration may be masking key drivers of this tension and potential paths towards its resolution. We argue that, from the perspective of an actor, all activities are inherently exploitative in their nature, in the sense that they are undertaken with the explicit expectation that they may achieve meaningful progress on some dimension of performance. The key distinction regards the extent to which the dimension of performance is recognized and legitimated from the perspective of the organizational context in which the actor is operating. Acts perceived as ‘exploratory’ are, thus, more accurately characterized as acts of exploitation directed along new performance dimensions. We consider the organizational challenges that such exploratory action poses and the implications for entrepreneurial initiatives. From the perspective of the focal actor engaged in the exploratory initiative, the challenge is to identify ‘projections’ of the payoff of the initiative they are pursuing, either onto those dimensions of performance that are of interest to the organization, or onto more concrete measures of product‐market acceptance and financial return. Low‐dimensional representations of the business landscape are an inevitable by‐product of bounded rationality and the need for organizations and their strategies to coordinate and direct collective action. In this regard, the most powerful form of entrepreneurship may be the initiation of the cognitive shifts that offer a different topology of the competitive landscape. Copyright © 2008 Strategic Management Society.
Cellular genesis in the postnatal piglet
Authors: Koob Andrew O. , Harris Brent T. , Duhaime Ann‐Christine
Published: April 2008

Because of the anatomical and developmental similarity of the piglet brain to the human brain we were interested in characterizing the areas of cellular genesis which occur postnatally to validate the model for subsequent neurobiological research. In this study, four piglets were injected with 5‐bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) at 6, 7 and 8 days of age. The animals were sacrificed at 13 days of age and the brains were analyzed to characterize areas of cellular genesis. BrdU was seen throughout the brain and found to be most abundant in the subventricular zone (SVZ); doublecortin (DCX) expressing cells were found throughout the white matter—with an extensive DCX network in the SVZ. Here we describe for the first time the use of immunohistochemistry for BrdU and DCX to study cellular genesis in the piglet brain.
On Compact and Fredholm Operators over C*-algebras and a New Topology in the Space of Compact Operators
Authors: Irmatov Anwar A. , Mishchenko Alexandr S.
Published: April 2008

It is well-known that bounded operators in Hilbert C*-modules over C*-algebras may not be adjointable and the same is true for compact operators. So, there are two analogs for classical compact operators in Hilbert C*-modules: adjointable compact operators and all compact operators, i.e. those not necessarily having an adjoint.

Classical Fredholm operators are those that are invertible modulo compact operators. When the notion of a Fredholm operator in a Hilbert C*-module was developed in [6], the first analog was used: Fredholm operators were defined as operators that are invertible modulo adjointable compact operators.

In this paper we use the second analog and develop a more general version of Fredholm operators over C*-algebras. Such operators are defined as bounded operators that are invertible modulo the ideal of all compact operators. The main property of this new class is that a Fredholm operator still has a decomposition into a direct sum of an isomorphism and a finitely generated operator.

The special case of Fredholm operators (in the sense of [6]) over the commutative C*-algebra C(K) of continuous functions on a compact topological space K was also considered in [2]. In order to describe general Fredholm operators (invertible modulo all compact operators over C(K)) we construct a new IM-topology on the space of compact operators on a Hilbert space such that continuous families of compact operators generate the ideal of all compact operators over C(K).
Censorship and Its Changing Taboos on the Egyptian Stage—From Politics and Religion to Sexual Frustration
Authors: Amin Dina
Published: April 2008

When asked about “political control of a population,” Michel Foucault responded, “[P]ower had to gain access to the bodies of individual, to their acts, attitudes, and modes of everyday behavior . . .I believe that the political significance of the problem of sex is due to the fact that sex is located at the point of intersection of the discipline of the body and the control of the population.” This insight is often reflected in the relationship between literature that deals with the body and the discipline imposed on it by various institutions (whether religious or social) in the form of censorship. One good example of that “ethical” exercise of power versus dramatic literature emerged when Sameh Mahran, a professor at the Cairo Academy of Arts, wrote Al-Marakbi (The Boatman), a play in two acts with an epilogue.
The Impact of Aid on the Economy of Northern Cyprus
Authors: Özyigit Ahmet
Published: April 2008

Since 1974, U.N. peacekeepers on the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus have patrolled a buffer zone that divides the Greek-leaning, government-controlled south from the northern third, the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The economy of Northern Cyprus resembles that of other small islands with negligible industrial production that rely on the service sector to generate income. What makes Northern Cyprus unique, however, is that the rest of the world does not acknowledge it as a separate political entity. This limits economic functions because the “country” cannot trade freely and depends on Turkey, the only nation to formally recognize Northern Cyprus.
RECONFIGURING THE “MIXED TOWN”: URBAN TRANSFORMATIONS OF ETHNONATIONAL RELATIONS IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
Authors: Rabinowitz Dan , Monterescu Daniel
Published: April 2008

Studies of Middle Eastern urbanism have traditionally been guided by a limited repertoire of tropes, many of which emphasize antiquity, confinement, and religiosity. Notions of the old city, the walled city, the casbah, the native quarter, and the medina, sometimes subsumed in the quintessential “Islamic city,” have all been part of Western scholarship's long-standing fascination with the region. Etched in emblematic “holy cities” like Jerusalem, Mecca, or Najaf, Middle Eastern urban space is heavily associated with the “sacred,” complete with mystical visions and assumptions of violent eschatologies and redemption.
TO BANISH THE “LEVANTINE DUNGHILL“ FROM WITHIN: TOWARD A CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING OF ISRAELI ANTI-IRAN PHOBIAS
Authors: Ram Haggai
Published: April 2008

Held since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event traditionally dedicated to the eternal themes of love, peace, and harmony. Yet Israelis asked to pick a song for the 2007 contest in Helsinki paid little heed to these themes. Instead, they settled for “Push the Button,” a controversial number by an Israeli punk group called Teapacks; the song is generally understood as a description of life under the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran with its “crazy rulers.” Meanwhile, an Israeli fashion house (Dan Cassidy) commissioned a series of photos at a construction site in southern Tel Aviv that showed a topless model lying in a pit. The project was designed as a warning against the “holocaust” that would follow Iran's possible nuclear attack on Israel; the pit, as the project's creative director explained, represented “the mass grave of complacent Tel Aviv residents.”
Strongyloides stercoralis: a field-based survey of mothers and their preschool children using ELISA, Baermann and Koga plate methods reveals low endemicity in western Uganda
Authors: Stothard J.R. , Pleasant J. , Oguttu D. , Adriko M. , Galimaka R. , Ruggiana A. , Kazibwe F. , Kabatereine N.B.
Published: April 2008

To ascertain the current status of strongyloidiasis in mothers and their preschool children, a field-based survey was conducted in western Uganda using a combination of diagnostic methods: ELISA, Baermann concentration and Koga agar plate. The prevalence of other soil-transmitted helminthiasis and intestinal schistosomiasis were also determined. In total, 158 mothers and 143 children were examined from five villages within Kabale, Hoima and Masindi districts. In mothers and children, the general prevalence of strongyloidiasis inferred by ELISA was ~4% and ~2%, respectively. Using the Baermann concentration method, two parasitologically proven cases were encountered in an unrelated mother and child, both of whom were sero-negative for strongyloidiasis. No infections were detected by Koga agar plate method. The general level of awareness of strongyloidiasis was very poor ( < 5%) in comparison to schistosomiasis (51%) and ascariasis (36%). Strongyloidiasis is presently at insufficient levels to justify inclusion within a community treatment programme targeting maternal and child health. Better epidemiological screening is needed, however, especially identifying infections in HIV-positive women of childbearing age. In the rural clinic setting, further use of the Baermann concentration method would appear to be the most immediate and pragmatic option for disease diagnosis.