bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of the herbicide diuron on soil microbial activity
Authors: Prado Alexandre G S , Airoldi Claudio
Published: September 2002

The inhibitory effect of the herbicide diuron [3‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,1‐dimethylurea] on microbial activity in red Latosol soil was followed using microcalorimetry. The activity of the micro‐organisms in 1.50 g of soil sample was stimulated by addition of 6.0 mg of glucose and 6.0 mg of ammonium sulfate under 35% controlled humidity at 298.15 (± 0.02) K. This activity was determined by power–time curves that were recorded for increasing amounts of diuron, varying from zero to 333.33 µg g−1 soil. An increase in the amount of diuron in soil caused a decrease of the original thermal effect, to reach a null value above 333.33 µg g−1 of herbicide. The power–time curve showed that the lag‐phase period and peak time increased with added herbicide. The decrease of the thermal effect evolved by micro‐organisms and the increase of the lag‐phase period are associated with the death of microbial populations caused by diuron, which strongly affects soil microbial communities.

© 2001 Society of Chemical Industry
The molecular interactions of pyrethroid insecticides with insect and mammalian sodium channels
Authors: Vais Horia , Williamson Martin S , Devonshire Alan L , Usherwood Peter N R
Published: September 2002

Recent progress in the cloning of α (para) and β (TipE) Na channel sub‐units fromDrosophila melanogaster(fruit fly) andMusca domestica(housefly) have facilitated functional expression studies of insect Na channels inXenopus laevisoocytes, assayed by voltage clamp techniques. The effects of Type I and Type II pyrethroids on the biophysical properties of these channels are critically reviewed. Pyrethroid resistance mutations (termedkdrandsuper‐kdr) that reduce the sensitivity of the insect Na channel to pyrethroids have been identified in a range of insect species. Some of these mutations (eg L1014F, M918T and T929I) have been incorporated into theparaNa channel ofDrosophila, either individually or in combination, to investigate their effects on the sensitivity of this channel to pyrethroids. Thekdrmutation (L1014F) shifts the voltage dependence of both activation and steady‐state inactivation by ∼5 mV towards more positive potentials and facilitates Na channel inactivation. Incorporation of thesuper‐kdrmutation (M918T) into theDrosophilaNa channel also increases channel inactivation and causes a >100‐fold reduction in deltamethrin sensitivity. These effects are shared by T929I, an alternative mutation that conferssuper‐kdr‐like resistance. Parallel studies have been undertaken using the rat IIA Na channel to investigate the molecular basis for the low sensitivity of mammalian brain Na channels to pyrethroids. Rat IIA channels containing the mutation L1014F exhibit a shift in their mid‐point potential for Na activation, but their overall sensitivity to permethrin remains similar to that of the wild‐type rat channel (ie both are 1000‐fold less sensitive than the wild‐type insect channel). Mammalian neuronal Na channels have an isoleucine rather than a methionine at the position (874) corresponding to thesuper‐kdr(M918) residue of the insect channel. Replacement of the isoleucine of the wild‐type rat IIA Na channel with a methionine (I874M) increases deltamethrin sensitivity 100‐fold. In this way, studies of wild‐type and mutant Na channels of insects and mammals are providing a molecular understanding ofkdrandsuper‐kdrresistance in insects, and of the low pyrethroid sensitivity of most mammalian Na channels. They are also giving valuable insights into the binding sites for pyrethroids on these channels.

© 2001 Society of Chemical Industry
Selecting the right compounds for screening: use of surface‐area parameters
Authors: Tice Colin M
Published: September 2002

Polar surface area, total surface area and percentage surface area have been calculated from three‐dimensional structures of 88 post‐emergence herbicides, 93 pre‐emergence herbicides and 237 insecticides. Preferred ranges of values of these parameters were identified. Since the compounds in the training sets are used on a wide variety of species and target sites with various application modes, the parameter ranges are necessarily broad. The utility of the surface‐area parameter ranges in selection of compounds for agrochemical screening was compared with the use of ranges of the Lipinski Rule of 5 parameters: molecular mass, calculated log P, number of hydrogen‐bond donors and number of hydrogen‐bond acceptors. The more computationally intensive surface‐area parameters did not offer any obvious advantage over the Lipinski Rule of 5 parameters.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
A protocol for evaluation of the role of disinfectants in limiting pathogens and weed moulds in commercial mushroom production
Authors: Abosriwil Salem O , Clancy Kevin J
Published: September 2002

In vitro and in vivo evaluations of the effects of three commercial disinfectants on isolates of Trichoderma harzianum Rifai and Cladobotryum dendroides (Bull) W Gams & Hoozemans were combined in the development of methodologies for realistic assessment of disinfectant performance. ‘Environ’ and ‘Purogene’ incorporated into agar media at 50 mg AI litre−1 were effective in totally preventing the mycelial growth of T harzianum and C dendroides isolates, whereas with ‘Sudol’ a concentration of 500 mg AI litre−1 was required. Evaluation of a model in vivo system was combined with observations on the fungicidal effects of disinfectants. Spore suspensions of T harzianum (Th1), T harzianum (Th2) and C dendroides prepared from culture washings with sterilised distilled water were used as contaminating inoculum. Environ, Sudol and Purogene in aqueous solutions at 1000 mg AI litre−1 were sprayed onto these building structure surfaces before or after artificial contamination with spore suspensions. Re‐isolation from surfaces was carried out using agar swabs, which were prepared in visking tubing, applied to treated surfaces and incubated at 25 °C for 24, 48, 72 or 96 h. Environ and Purogene were more effective than Sudol in limiting the recovery of Trichoderma spp and C dendroides. All three disinfectants applied 12 h after artificial contamination onto wood, concrete or glazed surfaces were able to reduce the recovery of these isolates more effectively than when they were applied 12 h before artificial contamination. Greater persistence of contamination was noted on the rougher surfaces (wood and concrete) than on the smoother glazed surface. It was concluded in this in vivo evaluation that, in many cases, the protection achieved by the physical nature of the smooth glazed tile surfaces was equivalent to that available from the application of disinfectants, thus highlighting the attention needed to the nature of building surfaces in the structures used in the mushroom industry. The artificial contamination and re‐isolation techniques allowed significant comparison between disinfectant materials, timings and surface types. In the in vivo experiments using a single standardised test concentration, the relative fungicidal effects of the disinfectants, which varied in the complexity of their active ingredients, were better discriminated than the effects observed in vitro, although the general trend was similar.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
Bioassay and field‐simulator studies of the efficacy of pymetrozine against peach‐potato aphids, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), possessing different mechanisms of insecticide resistance
Authors: Foster Stephen P , Denholm Ian , Thompson Robin
Published: September 2002

Twenty‐one clones of the peach‐potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), carrying various combinations of known mechanisms of insecticide resistance were assessed for their response to the new pyridine azomethine compound, pymetrozine, in leaf‐dip bioassays. Pymetrozine was also applied as a foliar spray to populations of four different UK M persicae clones on potato plants in field‐simulator chambers. Neither study showed any evidence of cross‐resistance to this compound. Pymetrozine, used in conjunction with other effective aphicides, such as pirimicarb and imidacloprid, can therefore play an important role in insecticide resistance‐management strategies for M persicae.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
Broad‐spectrum insecticide resistance in obliquebanded leafroller Choristoneura rosaceana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) from Michigan
Authors: Ahmad Mushtaq , Hollingworth Robert M , Wise John C
Published: September 2002

Nineteen insecticides, belonging to nine chemical classes, were bioassayed by dietary exposure against two strains of obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana, collected from Michigan apple orchards. Berrien is a putatively organophosphate‐resistant strain from a commercial orchard with a history of insecticide use, and Kalamazoo a susceptible strain from an isolated and unsprayed orchard. The Berrien strain was moderately resistant (about 25‐fold) to organophosphates such as azinphos‐methyl and chlorpyrifos. Very low resistance (<10‐fold) was also observed to pyrethroids such as cypermethrin, zeta‐cypermethrin, bifenthrin, deltamethrin and esfenvalerate, to the ecdysone agonists tebufenozide and methoxyfenozide, and to the chlorinated pyrrole chlorfenapyr. Endosulfan and carbamates such as thiodicarb, methomyl and carbaryl had low intrinsic toxicities against both strains, with little difference in sensitivity between them. There was no resistance to spinosad. Emamectin benzoate was found to be the most toxic insecticide against C rosaceana, with slightly higher lethal doses required for the Berrien strain. Unexpectedly, Berrien exhibited a very high level of resistance (>700‐fold) to indoxacarb, which has never been used in Michigan to control this insect pest. The active metabolite of indoxacarb, DCJW, was considerably more toxic than the parent compound, but the resistance against DCJW was comparable to that seen with indoxacarb. This indicates that a failure to activate indoxacarb was not the mechanism of resistance in Berrien. The low level of resistance to several chemistries recorded in Michigan C rosaceana can be managed at this stage by adopting a rotation of chemistries having different modes of action.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
Antagonists of oxytocin featuring replacement with modified β‐mercaptopropionic acids at position 1
Authors: Flouret George , Majewski Tadeusz , Balaspiri Lajos , Brieher William , Mahan Kevin , Chaloin Olivier , Wilson Laird , Slaninová Jirina
Published: September 2002

Twenty analogues were synthesized of [Pmp1, D‐Trp2, Arg8]oxytocin, PA, (Pmp = β,β‐pentamethylene‐β‐mercaptopropionic acid), a potent antagonist of the uterotonic effect of oxytocin in the rat (uterotonic test in vitro, pA2 = 7.77) and in the baboon. Systematic substitution of Pmp1 was made with β‐mercaptopropionic acids featuring replacement of the 4‐methylene group of the cyclohexyl ring of Pmp with isosteric O, S, NH or with C=O. Since the more hydrophilic NH and C=O substitutions showed a sharply decreased antagonistic potency (rat uterotonic test in vitro), additional modifications were made to reduce their hydrophilicity. Acylation of the NH group with various acyl groups, and ketalization or thioketalization of C=O with more or less bulky substituents led to a partial restoration of potency, the N‐carbamyl‐ and the 2‐mercapto‐2‐adamantaneacetyl analogues being equipotent with PA. Internal cyclization by amidation of the NH‐group with Gly‐9, resulted in a bicyclic analogue, (cyclo 1–9)[(HN)Pmp1, Gly9]PA which was equipotent with PA. When Pen‐6 was introduced into the bicyclic derivative instead of Cys‐6, to reduce the flexibility of the rings, the resulting (cyclo 1–9)[(HN)Pmp1, Pen6, Gly9]PA had somewhat better potency (pA2 = 8.17) in the uterotonic test and no detectable activity in the antidiuretic assay. In the case of substitution of PA with β,β‐(3‐thiapentamethylene)‐β‐mercaptopropionic acid, (S)Pmp, there was also an increase in inhibitory potency in the uterotonic test (pA2 = 8.08); the analogue had extremely weak antidiuretic activity. To establish the importance of the steric effects of the Pen‐6 substitution, analogues [Pen6]PA and [(S)Pmp1, Pen6]PA were made and found to be very potent, with a pA2 of 8.72 and 8.86, respectively. The high potency of the latter analogue and its extremely weak action in the diuretic assay makes it an attractive candidate for studies on the inhibition of the biological effects of oxytocin and for the prevention of preterm labour. Copyright © 2002 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CCK8 peptide derivatized with diphenylphosphine for rhenium labelling: synthesis and molecular mechanics calculations
Authors: Morelli Giancarlo , De Luca Stefania , Tesauro Diego , Saviano Michele , Pedone Carlo , Dolmella Alessandro , Visentin Roberta , Mazzi Ulderico
Published: September 2002

A novel CCK8 derivative bearing a chelating agent at its N‐ end and its oxo‐rhenium(V) complex have been synthesized and characterized. The chelating agent N‐{N‐[3‐(diphenylphosphino)propionyl]glycyl} cysteine (PN2S) ligand, the coordination set of which is made by the phosphorus atom of phosphine, the nitrogen atoms of the two amido groups and the sulphur atom of cysteine, has been used due to its high affinity towards the oxo‐rhenium(V) moiety. Molecular modelling studies indicate that the CCK8 peptide adopts the right conformation for cholecystokinin receptor binding, and that modifications on the N‐terminal side of CCK8 obtained by introducing chelating agents and its metal complexes should not affect the interaction with CCKA receptor. Copyright © 2002 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simple parameterization of non‐proteinogenic amino acids for QSAR of antibacterial peptides
Authors: Lejon Tore , Svendsen John S. , Haug Bengt E.
Published: September 2002

The antibacterial activity of bovine lactoferricin‐(17–31)‐pentadecapeptide against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus is sensitive to substitution of the Trp residues, and synthetic peptides with phenylalanine and any of eight non‐proteinogenic aromatic amino acids greatly affected antibiotic activity. Using simple size‐related descriptors for the new amino acids it is possible to develop quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) that can be used as tools in the search for more active peptides. Copyright © 2002 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of a 2‐arylsulphonylated tryptophan: the antibacterial activity of bovine lactoferricin peptides containing Trp(2‐Pmc)
Authors: Haug Bengt Erik , Andersen Jill , Rekdal Øystein , Svendsen John S.
Published: September 2002

A modified tryptophan, β‐[2‐(2,2,5,7,8‐pentamethylchroman‐6‐sulphonyl)‐indol‐3‐yl]alanine, Trp(2 − Pmc) = Tpc has been synthesized. Replacement of tryptophan in a bovine lactoferricin model peptide with the modified tryptophan resulted in peptides with a substantially increased antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The most active peptides against each bacterial strain displayed minimal inhibitory concentrations of 7.5 μg/ml. Copyright © 2002 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A note on stochastically acceptable quality
Authors: Finkelstein Max S.
Published: September 2002

A random variable of quality, characterized by the quality distribution function, is considered both for continuous and discrete cases. The acceptable quality distribution function is introduced and different types of stochastic comparison are discussed: comparison in the mean, ordering in distribution, variability ordering and hazard‐rate ordering. Acceptable, unacceptable and intermediate regions for levels of quality are determined by the discretization procedure. It is assumed that the quality of a product is revealed through usage. A simple reliability setting is considered when the quality of a product is directly dependent on its reliability characteristics in usage. Possible generalizations are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Performance of customized control charts to detect process disturbances
Authors: Heredia‐Langner Alejandro , Montgomery Douglas C. , Runger George C. , Borror Connie M. , Post Richard I.
Published: September 2002

In this paper we demonstrate the use of control charts based on orthogonal contrasts for a semiconductor manufacturing process. The statistical performance of individuals control charts based on these contrasts and their exponentially weighted moving average counterparts is compared to that of the traditional approach. Contrast‐based charts have superior detection capabilities than the traditional approach when targeted at specific process disturbances. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Monte Carlo comparison of capability indices when processes are non‐normally distributed
Authors: Wu Hsin‐Hung , Swain James J.
Published: September 2002

Process capability indices are widely used to quantify the ability of a process to produce results on target and within specification limits. The most commonly seen capability indices assume that measurements are taken from normally distributed populations. However, such normality‐based capability indices are very sensitive to departures from normality. Therefore, another non‐normality‐based indices based on the weighted variance method have been developed to deal with non‐normal processes in this paper. Also, a comparison among the Clements, the Johnson–Kotz–Pearn, and the weighted variance methods has been conducted by considering the Johnson family of distributions to generate non‐normal distributions systematically. The results show that the Clements method becomes misleading when the underlying distribution is skewed. On the other hand, the performance of the Johnson–Kotz–Pearn method is far from the nominal values except for the log–normal cases with smaller values of kurtosis. On the other hand, the weighted variance method is the best estimator to estimate the nominal values in unbounded and log–normal cases for different combinations of skewness and kurtosis. It is concluded that the weighted variance method is the best among the three estimators, especially when the underlying distribution belongs to the log–normal and unbounded distributions of the Johnson family. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of two new approaches to variable ordering for binary decision diagrams
Authors: Bartlett L. M. , Andrews J. D.
Published: September 2002

Fault tree analysis, FTA, is one of the most commonly used techniques for safety system analysis. There can be problems with the efficiency and accuracy of the approach when dealing with large tree structures. Recently the binary decision diagram (BDD) methodology has been introduced which significantly aids the analysis of the fault tree diagram. The approach has been shown to improve both the efficiency of determining the minimal cut sets of the fault tree, and also the accuracy of the calculation procedure used to quantify the top event parameters.

To utilize the BDD technique the fault tree structure needs to be converted into the BDD format. Converting the fault tree is relatively straightforward but requires the basic events of the tree to be placed in an ordering. The ordering of the basic events is critical to the resulting size of the BDD, and ultimately affects the performance and benefits of this technique. There are a number of variable ordering heuristics in the literature, however the performance of each depends on the tree structure being analysed. These heuristic approaches do not yield a minimal BDD structure for all trees, some approaches generate orderings that are better for some trees but worse for others.

Within this paper two approaches to the variable ordering problem have been discussed. The first is the pattern recognition approach of neural networks, which is used to select the best ordering heuristic for a given fault tree from a set of alternatives. The second examines a completely new heuristic approach of using the structural importance of a component to produce a ranked ordering. The merits of each are discussed and the results compared. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Managing the uncertainties of software testing: a Bayesian approach
Authors: Rees Kearton , Coolen Frank , Goldstein Michael , Wooff David
Published: September 2002

Testing of software systems involves many complex problems for test managers. Important issues to be considered include how to quantify reliability, how to design tests, which tests should be performed given time, cost and resource constraints, what are the implications of test failures, what tests should be re‐run following corrections to rectify faults, and so forth. All of these issues are related to the uncertainties involved in the quality of the software and the process of testing. In a continuing collaboration, the use of Bayesian graphical models has been explored to model these uncertainties and to support software testers and test managers with their complex tasks.

This paper discusses some features of Bayesian graphical models which are pertinent to modelling software testing problems, and in particular the kind of support they can provide to test managers and the use of such models in a practical environment. Details of the modelling process are presented elsewhere. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Short pulse laser mass spectrometry of nitrotoluenes: ionization and fragmentation behavior
Authors: Weickhardt Christian , Tönnies Karen
Published: September 2002

The mass spectra of all isomers of mononitrotoluene, four isomers of dinitrotoluene and of 2,4,6,‐trinitrotoluene, obtained by multiphoton ionization utilizing ultrashort laser pulses with center wavelengths of either 206 nm or 412 nm, are presented and discussed. Under these ionization conditions all nitrotoluenes exhibit a high degree of fragmentation which increases with the degree of substitution. For the compounds having a nitro group in position 2 and/or 6 a pronounced ortho effect leading to the loss of OH is observed. The fragmentation patterns in the lower mass range are typical for alkylated aromatic substances. While no fundamental differences between the mass spectra obtained with the two wavelengths were observed, the visible light in all cases resulted in a broader variety of fragments and additional signals in the higher mass range. The latter can be used for isomer identification. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enantiomeric separation and quantification of fluoxetine (Prozac®) in human plasma by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry using liquid‐liquid extraction in 96‐well plate format
Authors: Shen Zhongzhou , Wang Sui , Bakhtiar Ray
Published: September 2002

Fluoxetine (Prozac®) is currently one of the widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the treatment of depression. A high‐throughput sample preparation procedure using liquid‐liquid extraction (LLE) in a 96‐well plate format in conjunction with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and validated for quantification of fluoxetine enantiomers in human plasma. After addition of internal standard and ammonium hydroxide, samples were extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic extract was evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in methanol. Where possible, sample transfer and LLE steps were automated using a Tomtec Quadra 96 workstation. Adequate separation of fluoxetine enantiomeric pairs (resolution of 1.17) was achieved on a vancomycin column eluted with methanol containing 0.075% (by weight) ammonium trifluoroacetate. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode at m/z 310 → 44 for fluoxetine enantiomeric pairs and m/z 287 → 241 for oxazepam (internal standard), was used. Analysis was performed in the positive ion mode using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI). The standard curve range was 2.0–1000 ng/mL for each fluoxetine enantiomer. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision and accuracy of the quality control (QC) samples were <12.5% (CV) and <13.6% (CV), respectively, for each fluoxetine enantiomer; the correlation coefficient was >0.990. Method ruggedness was demonstrated by the reproducible performance of the assay during a 3‐day validation period. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Urinary 19‐norandrosterone purification by immunoaffinity chromatography: application to gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometric analysis
Authors: Desroches M. C. , Mathurin J. C. , Richard Y. , Delahaut P. , de Ceaurriz J.
Published: September 2002

The detection of exogenous 19‐norandrosterone (19‐NA) in urines was investigated by using gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS). 19‐NA is, for the first time to our knowledge, isolated from urinary matrix by specific immunoaffinity chomatography (IAC) before analysis. The sample preparation consisted of a preliminary purification of urine by solid‐phase extraction after hydrolysis by β‐glucuronidase. Unconjugated 19‐NA was thus isolated by IAC and directly analysed by GC/C/IRMS. Optimisation of IAC purification was achieved and the reliability of the technique for anti‐doping control is discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry of bacteriochlorophylls from Chlorobiaceae: characteristic fragmentations
Authors: Airs Ruth L. , Keely Brendan J.
Published: September 2002

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (APCI‐LC/MS/MS) has been applied to the study of bacteriochlorophylls c, d, and e of phototrophic prokaryotes. Cultures of Chlorobiaceae containing bacteriochlorophyll c, d or e were examined using a high‐resolution high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and APCI‐LC/MS/MS employing post‐column addition of formic acid. The results reveal complex distributions of bacteriochlorophyll homologues, with some closely eluting species giving isobaric protonated molecules. On‐line LC/MS/MS studies reveal characteristic fragment ions for bacteriochlorophylls c, d, and e. Fragmentations involving loss of the extended alkyl substituents that are unique to bacteriochlorophylls c, d and e and their derivatives have been rationalised by studying the phaeophorbides and the results applied to the direct study of the bacteriochlorophylls. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A method to identify and simultaneously determine the relative quantities of proteins isolated by gel electrophoresis
Authors: Sechi Salvatore
Published: September 2002

Gel electrophoresis is often used for the primary analysis and purification of proteins, and peptide mapping by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI‐MS) is a widely used technique for the rapid identification of unknown proteins. The identification is usually obtained by digesting the protein with an enzyme and matching the masses of the proteolytic peptides with those of each protein in a sequence database. Another important aspect in many proteomic experiments is the determination of the relative protein quantities (e.g. comparison between control and altered states). Usually, this is obtained by comparing the spot intensities of two independent gels. This procedure is time‐consuming and not very accurate. Recently, several methodologies using isotope labeling of proteins for quantitative proteomic studies have been introduced (e.g. using ICAT reagents or growing cells in isotopically enriched nutrients). However, none of these methodologies is foolproof and there is still the need for simple and inexpensive alternatives for determining the relative quantities of proteins. Previously, we showed that a mixture of acrylamide and deuterated acrylamide could be used as cysteine alkylating reagent prior to electrophoresis, improving the coverage and the confidence of the protein identification procedure (Sechi S, Chait BT. Anal. Chem. 1998; 70: 5150). Here we show that a similar approach can be used to obtain relative quantitation at the femtomole level of proteins isolated by gel electrophoresis. Deuterated acrylamide is used to alkylate the cysteines in one sample and regular acrylamide is used to alkylate the cysteines in the second sample. The two samples are then mixed together in a 1:1 ratio and the relative protein quantities are determined from the ion intensity ratios of the two cysteine‐containing peptides isotopic envelopes (regular/deuterated). The analysis of several proteins mixed in different ratios is reported showing that this approach can reliably be used for protein identification and quantification. Briefly, a simple and inexpensive method for quantifying and simultaneously identifying proteins isolated by gel electrophoresis using MALDI‐MS is presented. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of total urinary mercury by on‐line sample microwave digestion followed by flow injection cold vapour inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or atomic absorption spectrometry
Authors: Bettinelli M. , Spezia S. , Ronchi A. , Minoia C.
Published: September 2002

The total mercury content in urine was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with the so‐called cold vapour method after on‐line oxidative treatment of the sample in a microwave oven (FI‐MW‐CV‐ICPMS). Use of a KBr/KBrO3 mixture, microwave digestion, and the final oxidation with KMnO4, assure the complete recovery of the organic forms of Hg which would be difficult to determine otherwise if using only the CV‐ICPMS apparatus. Quantitative recoveries were obtained for phenyl Hg chloride (PMC), dimethyl Hg (DMM), Hg acetate (MA) and methyl Hg chloride (MMC). Use of automatic flow injection microwave systems (FI‐MW) for sample treatment reduces environmental contamination and allows detection limits suitable for the determination of reference values. Since no certified reference materials were commercially available in the concentration ranges of interest, the accuracy of the proposed procedure has been assessed by analysing a series of urine samples with two independent techniques, ICP‐MS and AAS. When using the FI‐MW‐CV‐ICP‐MS technique, the detection limit was assessed at 0.03µg/L Hg, while with FI‐MW‐CV‐AAS it was 0.2µg/L Hg. The precision of the method was less than 2–3% for FI‐MW‐CV‐ICP‐MS and about 3–5% for FI‐MV‐CV‐AAS at concentrations below 1µg/L Hg. These results show that ICP‐MS can be considered as a “reference technique” for the determination of total urinary Hg at very low concentrations, such as are present in non‐exposed subjects. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CMV and blood transfusions
Authors: Roback John D.
Published: September 2002

Among the human herpesviruses, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the only one that has assumed significant importance in blood transfusion. Transfusion transmission of CMV (TT‐CMV) to seronegative immunocompromised patients can lead to lethal CMV disease. Studies over the past 30 years have demonstrated that monocytes latently infected with CMV represent the primary vector for TT‐CMV, and that TT‐CMV can be largely abrogated by transfusing at‐risk patients with either seronegative units or blood filtered to remove white blood cells. However, the small number of cases of breakthrough TT‐CMV that follow transfusion of either seronegative or filtered blood still produce morbidity and mortality. These circumstances have motivated ongoing efforts to provide improved protection from TT‐CMV, including the use of CMV DNA amplification for blood screening, and pathogen inactivation to sterilise all blood components prior to transfusion. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Some results in nonlinear QFT
Authors: Baños A. , Bailey F. N. , Montoya F. J.
Published: September 2002

Nonlinear QFT (quantitative feedback theory) is a technique for solving the problem of robust control of an uncertain nonlinear plant by replacing the uncertain nonlinear plant with an ‘equivalent’ family of linear plants. The problem is then finding a linear QFT controller for this family of linear plants. While this approach is clearly limited, it follows in a long tradition of linearization approaches to nonlinear control (describing functions, extended linearization, etc.) which have been found to be quite effective in a wide range of applications. In recent work, the authors have developed an alternative function space method for the derivation and validation of nonlinear QFT that has clarified and simplified several important features of this approach. In particular, single validation conditions are identified for evaluating the linear equivalent family, and as a result, the nonlinear QFT problem is reduced to a linear equivalent problem decoupled from the linear QFT formalism. In this paper, we review this earlier work and use it in the development of (1) new results on the existence of nonlinear QFT solutions to robust control problems, and (2) new techniques for the circumvention of problems encountered in the application of this approach. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive output feedback tracking control of spacecraft formation
Authors: Wong Hong , Kapila Vikram , Sparks Andrew G.
Published: September 2002

In this paper, an adaptive, output feedback control design methodology is presented for a spacecraft formation flying (SFF) system. A Lagrangian derivation of the SFF model is considered to produce position dynamics for follower spacecraft #nrelative to follower spacecraft #(n−1), wherenis an arbitrary positive integer, assuming that the leader spacecraft in the formation follows a no‐thrust, natural, elliptical orbit. Next, a control law is designed to provide a filtered velocity measurement and a desired adaptive compensation with semi‐global, asymptotic, relative position tracking. To show the efficacy of the control algorithm, all desired trajectories are generated online by numerically solving the unperturbed nonlinear SFF dynamics with initial conditions satisfying a no‐thrust, natural orbit constraint equation. The proposed control law is simulated for the case of two and three spacecraft and is shown to yield semi‐global, asymptotic tracking of the relative position in addition to the convergence of disturbance parameter estimates. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fuel optimal manoeuvres for multiple spacecraft formation reconfiguration using multi‐agent optimization
Authors: Yang Guang , Yang Qingsong , Kapila Vikram , Palmer Daniel , Vaidyanathan Ravi
Published: September 2002

The Air Force Research Laboratory has identified multiple spacecraft formation flying as an enabling technology for several future space missions. A key benefit of formation flying is the ability to reconfigure the spacecraft formation to achieve different mission objectives. In this paper, generation of fuel optimal manoeuvres for spacecraft formation reconfiguration is modelled and analysed as a multi‐agent optimal control problem. Multi‐agent optimal control is quite different from the traditional optimal control for single agent. Specifically, in addition to fuel optimization for a single agent, multi‐agent optimal control necessitates consideration of task assignment among agents for terminal targets in the optimization process. In this paper, we develop an efficient hybrid optimization algorithm to address such a problem. The proposed multi‐agent optimal control methodology uses calculus of variation, task assignment, and parameter optimization at different stages of the optimization process. This optimization algorithm employs a distributed computational architecture. In addition, the task assignment algorithm, which guarantees the global optimal assignment of agents, is constructed using the celebrated principle of optimality from dynamic programming. A communication protocol is developed to facilitate decentralized decision making among agents. Simulation results are included to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed multi‐agent optimal control algorithm for fuel optimal spacecraft formation reconfiguration. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Property testers for dense constraint satisfaction programs on finite domains
Authors: Andersson Gunnar , Engebretsen Lars
Published: September 2002

Many NP‐hard languages can be “decided” in subexponential time if the definition of “decide” is relaxed only slightly. Rubinfeld and Sudan introduced the notion of property testers, probabilistic algorithms that can decide, with high probability, if a function has a certain property or if it is far from any function having this property. Goldreich, Goldwasser, and Ron constructed property testers with constant query complexity for dense instances of a large class of graph problems. Since many graph problems can be viewed as special cases of the Constraint Satisfaction Problem on Boolean domains, it is natural to try to construct property testers for more general cases of the Constraint Satisfaction Problem. In this paper, we give explicit constructions of property testers using a constant number of queries for dense instances of Constraint Satisfaction Problems where the constraints have constant arity and the variables assume values in some domain of finite size. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 21: 14–32, 2002
Asymptotic analysis of (3, 2, 1)‐shell sort
Authors: Smythe R.T. , Wellner J.A.
Published: September 2002

We analyze the (3, 2, 1)‐Shell Sort algorithm under the usual random permutation model. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 21: 59–75, 2002
Design and implementation of the Solelc distributed operating system
Authors: Shiba Masahito , Okubo Eiji
Published: September 2002

In order to efficiently use multiple computers on a network, resource management that takes all those computers into account is desirable. However, the resources that each conventional operating system manages are limited to those of the computer on which it works. By making the operating system itself work in a location‐transparent fashion, it becomes possible to manage all resources on multiple computers with a single operating system. In this paper, we propose an abstraction method for location‐transparent management of computer resources such as memory, CPUs, interrupts, and peripheral devices. The structure and performance evaluations of the Solelc distributed operating system, which is based on this method, are described. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(10): 54–63, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10011
Design of a multiple‐operand redundant binary adder
Authors: Sakamoto Masahiro , Hamano Daisuke , Morisue Mititada
Published: September 2002

This paper describes a novel multiple‐operand redundant binary adder. The novel multiple‐operand addition algorithm can eliminate the carry propagation chain by dividing the input operands into an even place part and an odd place part, and adding them. The multiple‐operand adder with this algorithm can add six operands in parallel, and is faster than the ordinary tree‐structured method. A hardware model for the proposed adder implemented by the bidirectional current‐mode MOSFET circuit technology is described. Simulations have been made with HSPICE in order to verify the function of the proposed circuit. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(10): 1–9, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10182
An automatic video indexing method based on shot classification
Authors: Ide Ichiro , Yamamoto Koji , Hamada Reiko , Tanaka Hidehiko
Published: September 2002

With the recent increase in the number of news videos and in their value, their automatic indexing has been anticipated. Among various proposals for this problem, the use of textual data has been actively considered, and some applications of this type have actually been developed. Nonetheless, most of these approaches are textual data oriented, and a few of them consider the correspondences between their indexes (keywords) and image contents which are essentials for an image database.

This paper proposes an automatic video indexing method which takes advantage of the characteristic of news videos: similar images have similar contents. The method tags indexes selectively according to typical image content. The method has been applied to actual news videos, and indexing has been successful for between 25% and 93% of “typical shots,” and for between 75% and 100% of “captionized shots.” © 2001 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 32(9): 32–41, 2001
Elliptic arc discrimination using conjugate diameter of chord
Authors: Mori Katsumi , Watanabe Eiji , Katagiri Shigekazu
Published: September 2002

There are many solids of revolution in our surroundings. Since they have elliptic outlines, discriminating elliptic arcs is an important technique for recognizing objects. The presence of diameters is a significant property of ellipses and has been effectively used in many methods of recognizing ellipses. However, the property is not valuable in discriminating short elliptic arcs because diameters are meaningless for short arcs. This paper proposes a method of discriminating elliptic arcs using two parallel scanning lines to a conjugate diameter of a chord. The method requires accurate determination of the conjugate diameter. First, the procedure of binary searching for the conjugate diameter will be established. Next, the method is tested on a real image to prove its validity. Finally, tolerance to noise and sensitivity to deformations of the method will be evaluated. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 32(13): 1–13, 2001
An interactive image retrieval system with self‐explanation function
Authors: Maeda Shigenori , Mukunoki Masayuki , Minoh Michihiko , Ikeda Katsuo
Published: September 2002

In an image retrieval system, accurately extracting the content of the image which users want to search for based on an image in their heads is vital. As a result, many attempts have been made to use an image similar to the sought‐for image as a retrieval key and thereby to increase the freedom of expression for users' images. Because of the high variability of image characteristics, however, the vagueness of the content which indicates the retrieval key itself rises compared to conventional methods that use keywords or other linguistic resources for the retrieval key. Therefore, in this research the authors consider these problems by reviewing image retrieval from the perspective of image communications between users and the system, and then propose an interactive mechanism which limits the increase in vagueness while using an image as the retrieval key. The authors then perform retrievals by having users revise the retrieval key based on this mechanism. The authors create their interactive mechanism in a real image retrieval system and confirm its validity through experiments. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 32(13): 41–51, 2001
A method for analyzing a queuing network by the tagged‐task model
Authors: Imai Hiroei , Tsunoyama Masahiro , Ishii Ikuo , Makino Hideo
Published: September 2002

This paper considers faults in distributed real‐time systems modeled by queuing networks; in particular, a fast method of analysis of transient variation of system performance is proposed. This method involves analyzing queuing networks by means of the tagged‐task model. Such an analysis requires repetitive determination of the limit‐state probability at varied initial values; however, the computation time can be reduced by using the absorption probability (the probability of arriving at the absorption state). In addition, a fast algorithm is proposed to calculate absorption probability, in which the state set is split into cosets according to arrivability, and the cosets are replaced by representatives as soon as the state probability becomes low. Finally, the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method are verified by actual examples. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 32(13): 52–60, 2001
Parallel image segmentation with adaptive mesh
Authors: Lee Sang‐Sun , Tanaka Hiromi T.
Published: September 2002

We propose a parallel segmentation algorithm for general images which does not require advance knowledge of the image and where no initial assumptions about the number and position of regions are needed. This algorithm splits the image into a set of small triangular regions with uniform image properties, and the hierarchical construction is based on a parallel adaptive mesh algorithm. Based on a recursive binary traversal of discontinuities of image properties, hierarchical binary split and merge processing is performed. In this paper, a region is defined as space of the image where the features have smooth variation. By evaluating the homogeneity of the region using local differential properties representing the smoothness of the image, the problems of the starting point of processing and of order dependence are solved. Matching between blocks is ensured by sharing the small overlapping space that is needed to preserve the continuity of local properties. Further, it is possible to extract a region boundary line that matches the discontinuities of the local properties. Experiments performed on artificial intensity images, color real images, and range real images confirmed the universality and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(10): 95–104, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.1161
Test sequence compaction methods for acyclic sequential circuits using a time expansion model
Authors: Hosokawa Toshinori , Inoue Tomoo , Hiraoka Toshihiro , Fujiwara Hideo
Published: September 2002

Test sequences for acyclic sequential circuits can be generated by using a time expansion model. In this paper, static and dynamic test sequence compaction techniques are proposed in which the test sequence generated by the time expansion model has two characteristics: (1) The test sequence length is constant, and (2) The location of an undefined value (X) for all primary inputs can be determined independently of test generation faults. First, a static test sequence compaction method is proposed that uses a template which is independent of the value of the test sequence. Then a dynamic test sequence compaction method is presented using reverse transform fault simulation, performing fault simulation for the time expansion model of the test pattern in which the test sequence after compaction is reverse‐transformed. As a result of application of the proposed method to acyclic sequential circuits made by using partial scan design, the test sequence length was reduced by 19 to 34%. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(10): 105–115, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.1162