bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and antibacterial activity of some Schiff base complexes
Authors: Nair R. , Shah A. , Baluja S. , Chanda S.
Published: December 2006

Two Schiff bases were synthesized from raceacetophenone: 1) ADS1 4-ethyl-6-{(E)-1-[(3-nitrophenyl)imino]ethyl}benzene-1,3-diol and 2) ADS3 4-ethyl-6-[(E)-1-{(2-nitrophenyl)imino]ethyl}benzene-1,3-diol. Then their metal complexes were formed. The metals selected for the preparation of complexes were copper, nickel, iron and zinc. Hence, in total 8 metal complexes were synthesized and screened for antibacterial activity against some clinically important bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. The in vitro antibacterial activity was determined by the Agar Ditch technique using DMF (polar) and 1,4-dioxane (non polar) as solvents. The Schiff bases showed greater activity than theirmetal complexes; themetal complexes showed differential effects on the bacterial strains investigated and the solvent used, suggesting that the antibacterial activity is dependent on the molecular structure of the compound, the solvent used and the bacterial strain under consideration. The Schiff base ADS3 in the polar solvent DMF showed better antibacterial activity towards the investigated bacterial strains. Amongst the four metals, Zn showed the best antibacterial activity followed by Fe in 1,4-dioxane while Ni followed by Zn and Fe showed the best antibacterial activity in DMF. P. vulgaris was the most resistant bacteria.
Sydnone derivatives as synthons for novel bismesoionic compounds. Synthesis of 3-(2-sulphido-1,3,4-thiadiazolium-4-carbonylphenyl) sydnones and 4-[4-(2-sulphido-1,3,4-thiadiazolium)benzoyl]- 1,3,4-thi
Authors: Jogul Johnson , Badami Bharati
Published: December 2006

Some hitherto unknown novel bismesoionic compounds, 3-[4/3 (5H/substituted- 2-sulphido-1,3,4-thiadiazolium-4 carbonyl)phenyl]sydnones 5a?d and 6a-d and 4-[4 (5H/substituted-2-sulphido-1,3,4-thiadiazolium)benzoyl] (5H/substituted-1,3,4-thiadiazolium- 2-thiolates 9a?d have been synthesized from 3-[(hydrazinocarbonyl)phenyl] sydnones 1 and 2. A few of these compounds exhibited in vitro antitubercular activity and also antimicrobial activity higher than the employed reference drugs.
An equation with left and right fractional derivatives
Authors: Stankovic B.
Published: December 2006

We consider an equation with left and right fractional derivatives and with the boundary condition y(0) = lim x?0+ y(x) = 0, y(b) = lim x?b? y(x) = 0 in the space L1(0, b) and in the subspace of tempered distributions. The asymptotic behavior of solutions in the end points 0 and b have been specially analyzed by using Karamata?s regularly varying functions.
DABTZ as a New Reagent for Solid Phase Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Amount of Hg(II) in Water Sample
Authors: Soleimani Majid , Morsali Ali , Khani Azam
Published: December 2006

A novel sensitive and simple method for rapid and selective extraction, preconcentration and determination of mercury as its 2,2′ diamino‐4,42′ bithiazole (DABTZ) complex by using octadecylsilica cartridges and spectrophotometry is presented. Extraction efficiency and the influence of flow rates of sample solution and eluent, pH, amount of DABTZ, type and least amount of eluent for elution of mercury complex from cartridges, break through volume and limit of detection were evaluated. Also the effects of various cationic and anionic interferences on percent recovery of mercury were studied. Average extraction efficiency >90% was obtained by elution of the cartridge with minimal amount of solvent in the presence of interferences. A preconcentration factor of 152 and a detection limit of 10.92 ng mL‐1 were obtained. The method was applied to the recovery and determination of mercury in different water samples.
Hematologic reference values for African American children and adolescents
Authors: Robins Edwin B. , Blum Steve
Published: December 2006

Anemia is prevalent among African American children. When evaluating pediatric patients for anemia, clinicians refer to the normative hematological reference values in reference textbooks. These reference values are used in spite of evidence that healthy African American people of all ages have average hemoglobin concentrations from 0.5 to 0.73 g/dl below those of Whites. In an earlier study, using samples from 2,161 healthy African American children from 2 to 18 years old, we found a statistically significant difference (P < 0.0001) in the mean hemoglobin value for each age group as compared to reference normative mean hemoglobin values. Here we present the results of a comparative analysis of the data set from our previous study and the data set from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys III (NHANES III) 1988–1994. We found no statistically significant difference between these data sets with respect to the hemoglobin values for any age or sex group, confirming that African American children and adolescents have lower mean hemoglobin values than do Whites. Use of the reference hemoglobin values presented here will help prevent the misdiagnosis of anemia in African American children and thereby minimize unnecessary hematological workups and treatment. Am. J. Hematol. 82: 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Argentine population genetic structure: Large variance in Amerindian contribution
Authors: Seldin Michael F. , Tian Chao , Shigeta Russell , Scherbarth Hugo R. , Silva Gabriel , Belmont John W. , Kittles Rick , Gamron Susana , Allevi Alberto , Palatnik Simon A. , Alvarellos Alejandro , Paira Sergio , Caprarulo Cesar , Guillerón Carolina , Catoggio Luis J. , Prigione Cristina , Berbotto Guillermo A. , García Mercedes A. , Perandones Carlos E. , Pons‐Estel Bernardo A. , Alarcon‐Riquelme Marta E.
Published: December 2006

Argentine population genetic structure was examined using a set of 78 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to assess the contributions of European, Amerindian, and African ancestry in 94 individuals members of this population. Using the Bayesian clustering algorithm STRUCTURE, the mean European contribution was 78%, the Amerindian contribution was 19.4%, and the African contribution was 2.5%. Similar results were found using weighted least mean square method: European, 80.2%; Amerindian, 18.1%; and African, 1.7%. Consistent with previous studies the current results showed very few individuals (four of 94) with greater than 10% African admixture. Notably, when individual admixture was examined, the Amerindian and European admixture showed a very large variance and individual Amerindian contribution ranged from 1.5 to 84.5% in the 94 individual Argentine subjects. These results indicate that admixture must be considered when clinical epidemiology or case control genetic analyses are studied in this population. Moreover, the current study provides a set of informative SNPs that can be used to ascertain or control for this potentially hidden stratification. In addition, the large variance in admixture proportions in individual Argentine subjects shown by this study suggests that this population is appropriate for future admixture mapping studies. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Landmark‐based shape analysis of the archaic Homo calvarium from Ceprano (Italy)
Authors: Bruner Emiliano , Manzi Giorgio
Published: December 2006

The Ceprano calvarium represents one of the most important sources of information about both the dynamics of the earliest hominid dispersal toward Europe and the evolution of the genus Homo in the early‐to‐middle Pleistocene. In this paper, the midsagittal vault profile and the 3D frontal bone morphology of Ceprano are investigated comparatively, using landmark coordinates and Procrustes superimposition. In fact, despite the fact that the skull appears partially distorted by diagenetic pressures (thus precluding a comprehensive landmark‐based analysis), some aspects of the overall morphology are suitable for consideration in terms of geometric morphometrics. The midsagittal profile shows an archaic shape, comparable with the H. ergaster/erectus range of variation because of the fronto‐parietal flattening, the development of the supraorbital and nuchal structures, and the occurrence of a slightly larger occipital bone. By contrast, the frontal bone displays a derived 3D shape that, mostly because of the widening of the frontal squama, appears comparable with the Afro‐European variation of the Middle Pleistocene (i.e., H. heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis). Taking into account the unique morphological pattern displayed by Ceprano, its role as a link between early Homo and the Middle Pleistocene populations of Europe and Africa is not falsified. Thus, when aspects of the Ceprano's morphology are described within the analytical framework provided by geometric morphometrics, the relationships between Ceprano and the subsequent Afro‐European fossil record are emphasized, suggesting the occurrence of an ancestral stock of H. heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis that is properly represented by the Italian specimen. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Role of tumor‐derived proinflammatory cytokines GM‐CSF, TNF‐α, and IL‐12 in the migration and differentiation of antigen‐presenting cells in cervical carcinoma
Authors: Zijlmans Henry J.M.A.A. , Fleuren Gert Jan , Baelde Hans J. , Eilers Paul H.C. , Kenter Gemma G. , Gorter Arko
Published: December 2006

BACKGROUND.

Proinflammatory cytokines are important in modifying the activity, differentiation, and migration of antigen‐presenting cells and may influence the survival of cancer patients. The study assessed whether GM‐CSF, TNF‐α, and IL‐12, produced by cervical cancer cells, are important for the activity, differentiation, and migration of antigen‐presenting cells.

METHODS.

In 90 patients with cervical carcinoma the number of monocytes/tumor‐associated macrophages (TAM), mature dendritic cells (DC), and Langerhans cells (LHC) was determined using immunohistochemistry. An RNA in situ hybridization technique was used to measure the expression level of GM‐CSF, TNF‐α, IL‐12p35, and IL‐12p40.

RESULTS.

TAM were detected intraepithelial as well as in the stroma of the tumor. LHC were only detected intraepithelial and mature DC only in the tumor stroma. The number of TAM correlated positively with the number of mature DC. The expression levels of GM‐CSF and TNF‐α correlated positively with the number of TAM and DC. TNF‐α showed a negative correlation with the number of LHC. A significant correlation between the expression of functional IL‐12 (IL‐12p40) and stromal TAM was found. The expression of GM‐CSF, TNF‐α, and IL‐12p40 did not correlate significantly with disease‐free survival. However, high IL‐12p40 expression was associated with a favorable cumulative overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS.

The results suggest that GM‐CSF as well as TNF‐α, produced by cervical carcinoma cells, may play a role in the differentiation of monocytes into mature DC. Furthermore, TNF‐α may influence the migration of LHC from the tumor. Cancer 2007;109:556–565. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Celecoxib inhibits meningioma tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model
Authors: Ragel Brian T. , Jensen Randy L. , Gillespie David L. , Prescott Stephen M. , Couldwell William T.
Published: December 2006

BACKGROUND.

Treatments for recurrent meningiomas are limited. We previously demonstrated universal expression of COX‐2 in meningiomas and dose‐dependent growth inhibition in vitro with celecoxib, a COX‐2 inhibitor. We therefore tested the effects of celecoxib on meningioma growth in a mouse xenograft model.

METHODS.

Meningioma cell lines (IOMM‐Lee, CH157‐MN, WHO grade I primary cultured tumor) were transplanted into flanks of nude mice fed mouse chow with celecoxib at varying concentrations (0, 500, 1000, 1500 ppm) ad libitum. Tumors were measured biweekly and processed for MIB‐1, Factor VIII, COX‐2, and VEGF, and assayed with transferase‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick‐end labeling (TUNEL).

RESULTS.

Celecoxib reduced growth of mean tumor volume by 66% (P < .05), 25% (P > .05), and 65% (P < .05) compared with untreated controls in IOMM‐Lee, CH157‐MN, and benign tumors, respectively. IOMM‐Lee tumors removed from celecoxib treatment regained a growth rate similar to the control. Blood vessel density decreased and apoptotic cells increased in treated flank tumors. Diminished COX‐2 expression and VEGF were observed in treated IOMM‐Lee tumors. Mean plasma celecoxib levels were 845, 1540, and 2869 ng/mL, for low‐, medium‐, and high‐dose celecoxib, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS.

Celecoxib inhibits meningioma growth in vivo at plasma levels achievable in humans. Celecoxib‐treated tumors were less vascular with increased apoptosis. IOMM‐Lee tumors treated with celecoxib showed decreased COX‐2 and VEGF expression. COX‐2 inhibitors may have a role in the treatment of recurrent meningiomas. Cancer 2007;109:588–597. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Fabrication of Self‐Assembled Tris(1,10‐phenanthroline) ruthenium/12‐Molybdophosphoric Acid Films with Bifunctional Electrocatalytic and Photoluminescent Properties
Authors: Ma Huiyuan , Dong Tao , Wang Gang , Zhang Wei , Wang Fuping , Wang Xiaodan
Published: December 2006

The thin films containing transition metal complex tris(1,10‐phenanthroline) ruthenium(II) Ru(phen)3Cl2 (abbr Ru(phen)3, phen=1,10‐phenanthroline), and 12‐molybdophosphoric acid [PMo12O40]3− (abbr PMo12) were fabricated on quartz, silicon and ITO substrates by layer‐by‐layer (LBL) method. The LBL films were characterized by the UV‐vis spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The films can catalyze both the reduction of ClO$\rm{ {_{3}^{-}}}$, BrO$\rm{ {_{3}^{-}}}$, IO$\rm{ {_{3}^{-}}}$, and the oxidation of C2O$\rm{ {_{4}^{2-}}}$ due to the presence of bifunctional composite, and the redox potentials depend on pH as a result of protonation. The photoluminescence of films were also investigated. The films exhibited photoluminescence arising from π*–t2g ligand‐to‐metal transition of Ru(phen)3.
Impedance Investigations of Amperometric Gas Sensor Containing Aprotic Solvent
Authors: Gębicki J. , Chachulski B.
Published: December 2006

The authors designed an amperometric gas sensor employing a three‐electrode system, with gold working electrode vacuum sublimation deposited directly on Nafion membrane. The paper presents the results of investigations on static characteristics of a sulfur dioxide sensor with the internal electrolytes containing various dimethylsulfoxide/water ratio. Impedance data were analyzed using an electrical equivalent circuit in order to evaluate its particular elements.
Electrooxidation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Amines at a Ni,Al Based Hydrotalcite Modified Electrode
Authors: Carpani Irene , Tonelli Domenica
Published: December 2006

The electrocatalytic oxidation of a wide series of aliphatic and aromatic amines was investigated in alkaline solutions at a gold electrode modified with a Ni,Al based hydrotalcite. All the amino compounds, with the exception of pyridine, were detected by the amperometric sensor. Chronoamperometric measurements at a rotating disk allowed us to use the same modified electrode for sequential analysis of several analytes in order to investigate the factors affecting the electrochemical response. By varying the characteristics of the substrate, parameters like steric hindrance, kind of amino group, and number of oxidizable sites have been studied. The concentration ranges, where the amperometric response was linear, have been determined for the amines investigated.
Electrochemical Immunoanalysis for Carcinoembryonic Antigen Based on Multilayer Architectures of Gold Nanoparticles and Polycation Biomimetic Interface on Glassy Carbon Electrode
Authors: Fu Yingzi , Yuan Ruo , Chai Yaqin , Zhang Ying , Peng Yungui
Published: December 2006

This paper describes a layer‐by‐layer (LBL) self‐assembly process of chitosan (CTS) and gold nanoparticles (Au) on the pretreated negatively charged glassy carbon (GC) electrode to fabricate electrochemistry immunosensor with a nontoxic biomimetic interface, which provided an environment similar to a native system and allowed more freedom in orientation for immobilization of carcinoembryonic antibody (anti‐CEA) to monitor carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). UV‐vis spectroscope, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurements were used to follow the multilayer film formation. The performance of the biominetic interface and factors influencing the assay system were investigated in detail. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) current response is used for the CEA concentration assay. The dynamic range was from 0.50 to 80.00 ng mL−1 with a detection limit of 0.27 ng mL−1 at 3σ. In addition, the experiment results indicate that immobilization described in this proposed method exhibits a good sensitivity, selectivity, and stability.
Developmental toxic effects of ethylbenzene or toluene alone and in combination with butyl acetate in rats after inhalation exposure
Authors: Saillenfait Anne‐Marie , Gallissot Frédéric , Sabaté Jean‐Philippe , Bourges‐Abella Nathalie , Muller Samuel
Published: December 2006

First, the developmental toxic potential of n‐butyl acetate (BA) was examined in Sprague‐Dawley rats following whole body inhalation exposure, 6 h day−1, from day 6 to 20 of gestation, at concentrations of 0, 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm. Maternal toxicity was evidenced by significant decreases in body weight gain at 2000 and 3000 ppm, and by reduced food consumption at 1000 ppm and higher concentrations. The effects on prenatal development were limited to a significant decrease in fetal weight at 3000 ppm. Thus, inhaled BA was not a selective developmental toxicant.

In the second part of this study, the developmental toxic effects of simultaneous exposures to ethylbenzene (EB) and BA, or to toluene (TOL) and BA were evaluated. Pregnant rats were administered EB (0, 250 or 1000 ppm) and BA (0, 500 or 1500 ppm), or TOL (0, 500 or 1500 ppm) and BA (0, 500, 1500 ppm), separately and in combinations, using a 2 × 2 factorial design. The maternal weight gain was reduced after exposure to 1000 ppm EB, to 1500 ppm BA, or to 1500 ppm TOL, either alone or in binary combinations. A significant reduction of fetal weight was associated with exposure to 1000 ppm EB alone, to either mixtures of EB with BA, or to 1500 ppm TOL alone or combined with BA at either concentration. No embryolethal or teratogenic effects were observed whatever the exposure.

There was no evidence of interaction between EB and BA or between TOL and BA in causing maternal or developmental effects. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deconvolution of pure component FT‐Raman spectra from thermal emission of barium sulfate and graphite samples using the BTEM algorithm
Authors: Srilakshmi Ch. , Widjaja E. , Garland M. , Anderson B. G.
Published: December 2006

Band‐target entropy minimization (BTEM) was applied for the extraction of pure component Raman spectra from samples exhibiting a significant thermal background due to sample emission. In this method, singular value decomposition was first used to calculate the right singular vectors of the spectroscopic data matrix. Then the non‐noise right singular vectors were examined for localized spectral features, which were subsequently used for spectral recovery. These local features were targeted with the BTEM algorithm to recover the pure component Raman spectra. Accordingly, the interfering thermal background was removed. This method of analysis is applied to graphite and barium sulfate Raman spectroscopic data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cover Picture: Macromol. Chem. Phys. 24/2006
Authors: Coiai Serena , Passaglia Elisa , Ciardelli Francesco
Published: December 2006

Cover: The graft polymerization of vinyl monomers by ATRP from functional ground tire rubber particles containing hydroxyl groups was achieved after macroinitiators generation. The grafted polymer, assembled with a gradient of concentration along the particle section, was shown to cover the particle surface (SEM image). Further details can be found in the Full Paper by S. Coiai,* E. Passaglia, and F. Ciardelli on page 2289.
HTS narrowband stripline filter at 2.1 GHz with high power handling capability
Authors: Guo Xubo , Zhang Xiaoping , Cao Bisong , Wei Bin , Mu Lijuan , Liang Yong , Gao Longma , Gao Baoxin
Published: December 2006

The design and fabrication of a high temperature superconducting stripline filter for high power application are presented. The measured results showed the filter had a 0.78% bandwidth at 2090 MHz. The input power increases to 36 dBm without evident change in insertion loss. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 254–257, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22103
New broadband dual‐printed inverted L‐shaped monopole antenna for tri‐band wireless applications
Authors: Rao Qinjiang , Denidni Tayeb A.
Published: December 2006

A broadband printed monopole antenna is proposed for digital communication systems (DCS‐1800), personal communication services (PCS1900), and international mobile telecommunication (IMT‐2000) tri‐band mobile devices. The proposed antenna is composed of two inverted L‐shaped monopoles, and they are back‐to‐back shorted by the center strip of a coplanar waveguide feed. To improve bandwidth and impedance matching, a small gap is introduced in one of the L‐shaped monopoles. As a result, the dual‐monopoles with almost the same size can resonate at two different frequencies with the improved bandwidth and impedance matching. Once two frequencies are close to each other by adjusting the position of the gap, a broadband operation can be achieved to cover DCS, PCS, and IMT tri‐bands. To demonstrate the proposed design, simulated and measured results are presented and discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 278–280, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22107
Integral equation‐based overlapped domain decomposition method for the analysis of electromagnetic scattering of 3D conducting objects
Authors: Li Wei‐Dong , Hong Wei , Zhou Hou‐Xing
Published: December 2006

An integral equation‐based overlapped domain decomposition method (IE‐ODDM) is presented for the analysis of three‐dimensional (3D) electromagnetic scattering problems. Compared with the forward and backward buffer region iterative method proposed by Brennan et al., the convergence of the IE‐ODDM is faster due to the edge‐effect of the current in each subdomain being effectively depressed. Moreover, the iterative sequence among the subdomains of IE‐ODDM is more flexible, which means that asynchronous iteration and even parallel computing are doable. Simulated RCS results of several convex and concave 3D conducting objects verify the speedup and validity of this method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 265–274, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22110
Design of a new impedance tuning network by using RC mutator
Authors: Kaya Adnan , Yuksel E. Yesim
Published: December 2006

The design of broadband active‐compensated antenna system is an important problem in commercial satellite, military, and high‐speed communication systems. And so, impedance matching networks are used extensively in radio transmission and receiving systems. In this paper, broadband impedance matching is proposed as a method to improve the matching level of microstrip antennas. The theoretical design, fabrication, and experimental implementation of compensated rectangular microstrip antenna with new configuration π‐matching network were presented. A new compensation network consisting of RC mutator circuit and discrete capacitors are employed at the input of the microstrip antenna operating at 2.5 GHz. The performance parameters of the designed microstrip antenna with and without compensation network were compared. The results show that compensation network can improve the return loss level from −5.9 to −13.01 dB and the resonant frequency can be controlled in a wide RF band. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 298–302, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22118
Probe‐fed microstrip antenna feed point optimization using a genetic algorithm and the method of moments
Authors: Namkung J. , Hines E. L. , Green R. J. , Leeson M. S.
Published: December 2006

A new application of genetic algorithms (GAs) for feed point optimization of a coaxial probe fed E‐shape microstrip patch antenna is presented. The GA shows excellent results for finding the best feed point in a given antenna structure. The method of moments is used in this paper, employing Rao‐Wilton‐Glisson basis functions. The simulation results show that the E‐shape microstrip patch antenna performs well at ∼2.11 GHz with the minimum return loss of approximately −17.1 dB. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 325–329, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22120
Silicon bulk micromachined FBAR filter and duplexer for advanced handset applications
Authors: Park Jae Yeong , Lee Kyeong Hak , Cheon Seong Jong
Published: December 2006

Silicon bulk micromachined FBAR filters and duplexer have been developed. The proposed filters are comprised of several resonators and the duplexer is made with two filters and a phase delay line. The fabricated FBAR filters have insertion losses (IL) of −1.46 and −1.86 dB, return losses of −13 and −10 dB, stop band rejection of −14 and −33 dB, central frequency of 1.88 and 1.96 GHz, and size of 1.3 mm × 1.5 mm, respectively. The fabricated FBAR duplexer has insertion loss (IL) of −3.5 dB (Max.) in pass band and absolute attenuation of −42 dB (Min.) at transmitter to antenna ports, while it has IL of −4.5 dB (Max.) in pass band and absolute attenuation of −52 dB (Min.) at antenna to receiver ports. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 339–342, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22133
Cross‐slot coupled elliptical patch antenna circularly polarized for localization
Authors: Ghiotto Anthony , Bourry Mathieu , Wu Ke
Published: December 2006

This paper reports a circularly polarized cross‐slot coupled elliptical patch antenna for implementation in a new radio‐frequency identification and localization system currently under development. The radio‐frequency localization system in this work is composed of a reader and a semiactive tag (a battery feeds the tag to increase its reading range but the backscattering modulation principle is used to decrease its power consumption). The overall system is designed in the ISM frequency band of 5.8 GHz. This frequency band is a good compromise that permits a large bandwidth and a good range for use in a local positioning system (∼10 m). This antenna is to be used by the reader as its radiation pattern is semispherical. It provides the circular polarization required by the targeted application to allow the tag identification within any physical position. The antenna bandwidth and axial ratio were enhanced using a proper design and a cross‐slot feeding of the patch. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 336–339, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22136
Combined class F monolithic PA design
Authors: Colantonio Paolo , Giannini Franco , Giofrè Rocco , Limiti Ernesto
Published: December 2006

Experimental results on two GaAs PHEMT MMIC Class F Power Amplifiers for X‐band applications are reported, aimed to validate a novel devices' combination method. In particular, 28.1 dBm output power with 44% power added efficiency and 30.6 dBm output power with 40% of power added efficiency were measured at 9.6 GHz, for single and combined devices amplifiers respectively. Both realised amplifiers exhibit 12% operating bandwidth. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 360–362, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22141
20 Gb/s all‐optical and gates and nor gates using cascaded SOAs
Authors: Zhang Xinliang , Zhao Chan , Liu Hairong , Liu Deming , Huang Dexiu
Published: December 2006

Based on cross‐gain modulation (XGM) in cascaded semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), all‐optical AND and NOR operations at 20 Gb/s were both realized in the same configuration. By controlling the input signal power, the two logic gates can be achieved from different output channels. Single‐port‐couple SOAs with 1000 μm active regions are exploited to improve the output performance. The dependence of the output characteristics on the input signal power and wavelength was also investigated. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 484–487, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22144
Compact CPW‐fed square aperture CP antenna for GPS and INMARSAT applications
Authors: Sze Jia‐Yi , Ou Yu‐He
Published: December 2006

This study proposed a coplanar‐waveguide‐fed square aperture circularly polarized (CP) antenna for the global positioning system and the International Maritime Satellite applications. The CP radiation is achieved by loading the aperture with a T‐shaped and a spur‐like strip. With the dimensions of the T‐shaped strip fixed, the CP radiation can be tuned to the desired band in a certain frequency range by adjusting the spur‐like strip. The measured 3‐dB axial‐ratio band is around 1.59 GHz with a bandwidth of 11.1% and a gain of about 3 dBic. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 427–430, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22147
A wideband internal antenna with shorting strip for mobile handset
Authors: Jung Heekyung , Park Hoon , Hong Seokjin , Choi Jaehoon
Published: December 2006

In this article, a novel compact internal wideband planar inverted F‐antenna (PIFA) was designed. The proposed antenna consisted of a main patch with strip, rectangular slot, and shorting strip and occupied the total volume of 36 × 18 × 6 mm3. The dual band characteristic was achieved by changing the length of a main patch. A wide impedance bandwidth property was obtained by optimizing the length of shorting strip. The measured 6 dB return loss bandwidths were 22% at 977 MHz and 52.4% at 2025 MHz, respectively. The maximum gains at 915, 1785, 2045, 2450, and 2630 MHz were −0.48, 4.28, 2.79, 1.05, and 1.22 dBi, respectively. The overall radiation patterns are suitable for mobile communication application. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 424–427, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22148
Novel approach to optimizing a broadband right‐angle coaxial‐to‐microstrip transition
Authors: Roh Jin‐Eep , Li Jun‐Wen , Ahn Bierng‐Chearl , Park Chan‐Sik , Cha Eun‐Jong
Published: December 2006

A new approach to the optimization of a broadband right‐angle coaxial‐to‐microstrip transition is presented. The right‐angle transition finds many applications where printed circuits need to be fed from behind the ground plane using coaxial connectors. To obtain low reflections over the whole operating frequency range of the transition, dimensional parameters, such as ground aperture and probe diameters, ground aperture offset, and microstrip stub length are optimized using a commercial electromagnetic simulation software. Results are presented for the optimum right‐angle transition from an SMA connector to a 50‐Ω microstrip line on common reinforced PTFE substrates. Measurements of a fabricated transition on a 31‐mil thick substrate show that its reflection coefficient is less than −20 dB and the insertion loss is less than 0.5 dB over 0.05–20 GHz. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 451–456, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22151
Analysis of varactor loaded active microstrip antenna
Authors: Gautam A. K. , Vishvakarma B. R.
Published: December 2006

Theoretical analysis for varactor loaded active microstrip antenna with coplanar parasitic element is proposed, in which the operating frequency of the rectangular microstrip antenna is electronically controllable with the bias voltage of the varactor. Theoretical investigations are based on circuit model and simulation with MOM based IE3D simulator is carried out. It is found that the antenna shows wide tunability of 373 MHz (23.5%) and 357 MHz (24.45%) for without and with coplanar parasitic elements, respectively. Antenna shows 5% instantaneous bandwidth. Theoretical and simulation results show a relatively good agreement with reported results. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 416–421, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22154
Circuit modeling of micromachined transitions for MEMS tunable filters
Authors: Lee Yongshik , Margomenos Alexandros
Published: December 2006

This letter presents circuit modeling of micromachined transitions for interconnecting Coplanar Waveguides (CPW) on silicon to microstrip lines suspended on low‐loss membranes. The transition plays a critical role in developing MEMS tunable high‐Q filters for Ka‐ and U‐band applications. Exact circuit modeling of the transitions provides methods to design such structures without full‐wave simulations. Comparisons between the circuit model results and full‐wave simulation results, as well as the experimental results are presented. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 477–478, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22155
RF balun embedded in multilayer organic substrate
Authors: Ihm Jae‐Yong , Hwang Kyu‐Pyung
Published: December 2006

This letter presents the design, modeling, and characterization of a RF balun embedded in multilayer organic substrate. A Marchand‐type balun for 2.4‐GHz Bluetooth and WLAN applications has been designed and fabricated using the low cost organic package technology. Its four‐port measurement results show good electrical performance and close correlation with full‐wave simulation data demonstrating the successful implementation of the RF passive component completely integrated in build‐up layers of an organic package substrate. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 473–475, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22163
Terahertz spectroscopy technology trend using 1550‐nm ultrafast fiber laser
Authors: Gong Y. D. , Chia M. Y. W. , Luo B.
Published: December 2006

Wideband terahertz (THz) wave generation and detection technologies and 1550‐nm ultrafast laser technologies are presented. The usage of a 1550‐nm ultrafast fiber laser will make the THz time domain spectroscopy system a more compact one with much lower costs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 439–443, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22165
EMC internal GSM/DCS patch antenna for thin PDA phone application
Authors: Wu Chih‐Hsien , Wong Kin‐Lu , Row Jeen‐Sheen
Published: December 2006

A promising application of the electromagnetic compatible (EMC) internal patch antenna centered at the top portion of the thin smart phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) phone is presented. The EMC antenna in this study is encircled by an L‐shaped shielding wall, which also serves as part of the antenna's ground plane and is centered above the top edge of the system ground plane. This arrangement is different from the general case of the internal patch antenna mounted on one side of the system ground plane. In this case, with the LCD monitor, battery, and associated electronic components generally mounted on both sides of the system ground plane, the required housing thickness for the PDA phone can be decreased. This makes it easy to achieve a thin PDA phone of thickness about 10 mm only. In addition, the studied antenna uses a simple radiating metal pattern of a long folded strip and a short spiral strip for generating two wide bands for GSM/DCS operation. This simple radiating metal pattern makes it easy to control the antenna's two excited resonant modes for GSM/DCS operation. Also, effects of the user's hand holding the thin PDA phone with the studied antenna are analyzed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 403–408, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22167
Assessment of a simple technique for the computation of singular potential and reaction integrals occurring in thin‐wire antenna analysis
Authors: Papakanellos P. J.
Published: December 2006

When applied on the basis of the exact cylindrical wire kernel, thin‐wire moment‐method formulations yield singular integrals, the direct numerical calculation of which possesses certain difficulties. The scope of this work is the assessment of a simple singularity isolation technique for the accurate evaluation of typical potential and reaction integrals arising in moment‐method analysis of cylindrical antennas. The extracted singular part of these integrals is obtained analytically by properly approximating the singular integrands within a small area embracing the singularity. Numerical results illustrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed technique over a wide range of segment lengths. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 462–467, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22172
Glycolysis of flexible polyurethane foam in recycling of car seats
Authors: Beneš Hynek , Rösner Jiří , Holler Petr , Synková Hana , Kotek Jiří , Horák Zdeněk
Published: December 2006

Flexible polyurethane foam scrap was chemically decomposed via glycolysis. Optimal reaction conditions for glycolysis were determined: temperature, 220°C, polyurethane/glycol ratio, 1:1; reaction time, 2.5 hr; diethylene glycol or dipropylene glycol as reagents. Two types of polyurethane scrap were tested; both gave the recycled polyols having the same properties, which is advantageous for possible applications on a commercial scale. A mixture of the virgin and recycled polyols (up to 36 wt%) was used to manufacture rigid polyurethane foams. No undesirable influence of the recyclates on process parameters (cream time, gel time) was found. The end‐use properties of the rigid foams were practically the same in the whole range of tested concentrations of recyclates. A fine cellular structure of all tested foams was found. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Achieving 80% ten‐fold cross‐validated accuracy for secondary structure prediction by large‐scale training
Authors: Dor Ofer , Zhou Yaoqi
Published: December 2006

An integrated system of neural networks, called SPINE, is established and optimized for predicting structural properties of proteins. SPINE is applied to three‐state secondary‐structure and residue‐solvent‐accessibility (RSA) prediction in this paper. The integrated neural networks are carefully trained with a large dataset of 2640 chains, sequence profiles generated from multiple sequence alignment, representative amino acid properties, a slow learning rate, overfitting protection, and an optimized sliding‐widow size. More than 200,000 weights in SPINE are optimized by maximizing the accuracy measured by Q3 (the percentage of correctly classified residues). SPINE yields a 10‐fold cross‐validated accuracy of 79.5% (80.0% for chains of length between 50 and 300) in secondary‐structure prediction after one‐month (CPU time) training on 22 processors. An accuracy of 87.5% is achieved for exposed residues (RSA >95%). The latter approaches the theoretical upper limit of 88–90% accuracy in assigning secondary structures. An accuracy of 73% for three‐state solvent‐accessibility prediction (25%/75% cutoff) and 79.3% for two‐state prediction (25% cutoff) is also obtained. Proteins 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synergism studies with binary mixtures of pyrethroid, carbamate and organophosphate insecticides on Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)
Authors: Bielza Pablo , Espinosa Pedro J , Quinto Vicente , Abellán Jaime , Contreras Josefina
Published: December 2006

The major mechanism of resistance to most insecticides in Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is metabolic, piperonyl butoxide (PBO) suppressible, mediated by cytochrome‐P450 monooxygenases and conferring cross‐resistance among insecticide classes. The efficacy of insecticide mixtures of acrinathrin, methiocarb, formetanate and chlorpyrifos was studied by topical exposure in strains of F. occidentalis selected for resistance to each insecticide. The method consisted in combining increasing concentrations of one insecticide with a constant low rate of the second one as synergist. Acrinathrin activity against F. occidentalis was enhanced by carbamate insecticides, methiocarb being a much better synergist than formetanate. Monooxygenase action on the carbamates would prevent degradation of the pyrethroid, hence providing a level of synergism by competitive substrate inhibition. However, the number of insecticides registered for control of F. occidentalis is very limited, and they are needed for antiresistance strategies such as mosaics and rotations. Therefore, a study was made of the synergist effect of other carbamates not used against thrips, such as carbofuran and carbosulfan, against a susceptible strain and a field strain. Neither carbamate showed synergism to acrinathrin in the susceptible strain, but both did in the field strain, carbosulfan being a better synergist than carbofuran. The data obtained indicate that low rates of carbamates could be used as synergists to restore some pyrethroid susceptibility in F. occidentalis. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Bayesian analysis of non‐homogeneous Markov chains: Application to mental health data
Authors: Sung Minje , Soyer Refik , Nhan Nguyen
Published: December 2006

In this paper we present a formal treatment of non‐homogeneous Markov chains by introducing a hierarchical Bayesian framework. Our work is motivated by the analysis of correlated categorical data which arise in assessment of psychiatric treatment programs. In our development, we introduce a Markovian structure to describe the non‐homogeneity of transition patterns. In doing so, we introduce a logistic regression set‐up for Markov chains and incorporate covariates in our model. We present a Bayesian model using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and develop inference procedures to address issues encountered in the analyses of data from psychiatric treatment programs. Our model and inference procedures are implemented to some real data from a psychiatric treatment study. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In Schizosaccharomyces pombe the 14–3–3 protein Rad24p is involved in negative control of pho1 gene expression
Authors: Voicu Pia‐Manuela , Petrescu‐Danila Elena , Poitelea Marius , Watson Adam T. , Rusu Mircea
Published: December 2006

Expression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe pho1‐encoded acid phosphatase is transcriptionally regulated by adenine and phosphate. Four genes, anr1‐3 and anr5, encode negative regulators of pho1 expression. Apart from being designated as loci, the anr genes have not been further characterized. In this study we provide evidence that a strain carrying the deletion of rad24, a 14–3–3 protein‐encoding gene, exhibits an anr mutant like the phenotype (higher phosphatase activity, higher transcript levels of pho1, lower sensitivity to adenine of pho1 expression) and that rad24 is closely linked, probably allelic, to anr5. By sequencing the two exons of the rad24 gene in a strain carrying the mutant allele anr5‐13, we found a T/A‐to‐C/G transition in the 225th codon of its ORF, causing a leucine‐to‐serine substitution in a highly conserved region of all proteins of the 14–3–3 family. anr2 and anr3 are not allelic to rad24. The mutant alleles of anr2 and anr3 are recessive to their wild‐type alleles and do not belong to the same epistasis group as rad24. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pudendal Nerve Terminal Motor Latency in Patients With or Without Soiling 5 Years or more after Low Anterior Resection for Lower Rectal Cancer
Authors: Tomita Ryouichi , Igarashi Seigo , Ikeda Taro , Koshinaga Tsugumichi , Fujisaki Shigeru , Tanjoh Katsuhisa
Published: December 2006

Background

To clarify the neurological function with respect to external anal sphincter (EAS) muscles in patients with or without soiling after low anterior resection (LAR) for lower rectal cancer, we examined the terminal motor latency in the pudendal motor nerves (PNTML).

Materials and Methods

Thirty‐eight patients after LAR for lower rectal cancer were studied electrophysiologically and compared with 30 healthy volunteers as controls (19 men and 11 women, aged 44 to 76 years of age, with a mean age of 65.5 years). Patients after LAR were divided into two groups [18 patients with soiling (12 men and 6 women, aged 51 to 77 years with a mean age of 64.8 years), 20 patients without soiling (13 men and 7 women, aged 47 to 75 years with a mean age of 62.1 years)]. The mean follow‐up time from LAR was 67.2 months (range 60–84 months). Bilateral (left‐sided and right‐sided) PNTML tests were performed on all patients in order to measure the latency of the response in the bilateral EAS muscle following digitally directed transrectal pudendal nerve stimulation.

Results

The distance from the anal verge to the level of anastomosis in patients with soiling (mean, 2.2 cm) was significantly shorter than that in patients without soiling (mean, 4.1 cm) (P < 0.05). Conduction delay of the bilateral PNTML in patients with soiling was longer than that in patients without soiling and normal subjects, significantly (P < 0.01, respectively). There was no significant difference between the right‐sided and left‐sided PNTML.

Conclusions

These findings support the hypothesis that soiling after LAR may be partially caused by damage to the bilateral pudendal motor nerves.