bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The design and performance analysis of integrated amplifier patch antenna
Authors: Kaya Adnan , Çömlekçi Selçuk
Published: July 2008

This work presents the design of an active amplifier antenna. Active integrated antennas can be obtained with active components directly connected to the antenna structure. In this article, a novel active integrated single microstrip antenna analysis and its radiation pattern and gain performance is proposed. A high‐efficiency, low noise, and high linear compact amplifier integrated with a microstrip antenna at 1.6 GHz is presented for RF front‐end circuit applications. The design in this study consists of a rectangular microstrip antenna with a pair of parallel slots loaded close to the radiating edge of the patch and three meandering narrow slots embedded in the antenna surface. With the proposed design a size reduction of 34% for the 1.6‐ and 2.6‐GHz resonant frequencies is obtained and the two frequencies have an operation frequency ratio of 1.30. In this design approach, the measured antenna impedance is transformed with matching to the load impedance for maximum efficiency. With the proposed amplifier antenna design, the antenna radiation pattern can be better than an antenna radiation pattern without matching. In addition, it has been shown that compensation significantly improves the return loss matching level. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2732–2736, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23765
Design of a dual‐band V‐shaped monople antenna for DCS/2.4‐GHz WLAN operations
Authors: Rmili Hatem , Floc'h Jean‐Marie.
Published: July 2008

In this article, we present a simple surface‐mountable monopole antenna for dual‐band DCS1800 and 2.4‐GHz WLAN operations. The antenna was obtained by folding a metallic strip into a V‐shape, and soldered to a 50‐Ω microstrip feed line printed on a metallized substrate. The proposed antenna shows an easy control of the desired lower and upper bands by adjusting separately the length of the two metallic strips. Details of the proposed antenna design are described, and both simulated and experimental results are presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2615–2617, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23766
A dual‐band printed dipole antenna for IMT‐2000 and 5‐GHz WLAN applications
Authors: Rmili Hatem , Floc'h Jean‐Marie , Besnier Philippes , Drissi Mohamed
Published: July 2008

A dual and wide‐band printed dipole antenna is presented for IMT‐2000 and 5.2/5.4/5.8‐GHz WLAN applications. The proposed balun‐fed antenna consists of a double‐sided printed dipole antenna with a microstrip‐fed disk‐dipole printed on the top side of the substrate, and a modified annular‐ring dipole and the ground plane printed on the bottom side. For the proposed antenna, two resonant bands are observed. The first band is about 14.2% for the center frequency of 2.1 GHz and the second band extends from 4.1 to 8.1 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 80%. The measured peak gains over these bands are 1.8 and 3 dBi, respectively. Details of the experimental and simulation results are presented and discussed.© 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2585–2587, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.i nterscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23767
A low‐power 63‐GHz CMOS direct injection‐locked frequency divider in 0.13‐μm CMOS technology
Authors: Hsu Wei‐Lun , Chen Chang‐Zhi , Lin Yo‐Sheng
Published: July 2008

A low‐power 63‐GHz (V‐band) direct injection‐locked frequency‐divider (ILFD) using standard 0.13‐μm CMOS technology is reported. To reduce power consumption and enhance locking range, a PMOS switch directly coupled to the LC tank (output) of the ILFD is used to replace the traditional tail transistor for injection path. This ILFD architecture also features a very low input capacitance; thus, high operating frequency of 63 GHz can be achieved. This direct ILFD consumes 5.79 mW with locking range of 1.86 GHz (61.24–63.1 GHz). The chip area was only 0.585 × 0.38 mm2 excluding the test pads. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2581–2584, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23768
Half‐wavelength loop strip capacitively fed by a printed monopole for penta‐band mobile phone antenna
Authors: Chi Yun‐Wen , Wong Kin‐Lu
Published: July 2008

In this study, a novel internal penta‐band antenna formed by a half‐wavelength loop strip capacitively fed by a printed monopole for mobile phone application is proposed. The antenna is configured such that, inside the antenna region, possible electronic elements, such as the speaker or the like, can be embedded to achieve a compact integration of the antenna inside the mobile phone; moreover, the antenna performances can be very slightly affected by the integrated element. The antenna can further generate two wide resonant modes at about 900 and 1900 MHz for GSM850/900 and DCS/PCS/UMTS operation, respectively. In addition, the two resonant modes can generally be controlled separately, with the lower one controlled by the loop strip operated as a 0.5‐wavelength structure and the upper one controlled by the printed monopole operated as a 0.25‐wavelength structure. Detailed design considerations of the proposed antenna are presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2549–2554, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23769
20‐W average power, high repetition rate, nanosecond pulse with diffraction limit from an all‐fiber MOPA system
Authors: Du Songtao , Zhou Jun , Zhang Fangpei , Feng Yutong , Lou Qihong , Chen Weibiao
Published: July 2008

In this article, we report an all‐fiber master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system, which can provide high repetition rate and nanosecond pulse with diffraction‐limit. The system was constructed using a (2 + 1) × 1 multimode combiner. The Q‐Switched, LD pumped Nd:YVO4 solid‐state laser was used as master oscillator. The 976‐nm fiber‐coupled module is used as pump source. A 10‐m long China‐made Yb3+‐doped D‐shape double‐clad large‐mode‐area fiber was used as amplifier fiber. The MOPA produced as much as 20‐W average power with nanosecond pulse and near diffraction limited. The pulse duration is maintained at about 15 ns during 50–175 kHz. The system employs a simple and compact architecture and is therefore suitable for the use in practical applications such as scientific and military airborne LIDAR and imaging. Based on this system, the amplification performances of the all‐fiber amplifier is investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2546–2549, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23770
Artificial neural network applications in improved noise wave modeling of microwave FETs
Authors: Marinković Zlatica D. , Pronić‐Rančić Olivera , Marković Vera
Published: July 2008

An application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for accuracy improving of the microwave FETs (MESFET/HEMT, dual‐gate MESFET) noise modeling is presented in this paper. The proposed model is based on a basic transistor noise wave model, whose noise wave temperatures are assumed to be constant over the operating frequency range. A multilayer perceptron ANN is included in the model in order to adjust values of the noise parameters obtained by the original wave model to be more accurate. Numerical examples for noise parameters modeling are presented to show the validity and effectiveness of this approach. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2512–2516, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23771
Broadband spatial band‐stop filter using Sierpinski space‐filling geometry at PCS band
Authors: Kim Dongho , Yeo Junho , Choi Jaeick
Published: July 2008

In this letter a broadband spatial band‐stop filter using Sierpinski space‐filling geometry (SSG) operating at Korean personal communication service (PCS) frequency band (1.75–1.87 GHz) is presented. A single layer frequency selective surface (FSS) consisting of SSG of iteration Level 4 is first designed and its transmission characteristic is analyzed. To increase the bandwidth of stop band, two SSG FSS layers are stacked with some spacing in‐between. It shows very wide stop band (over 255 MHz) covering both the uplink and downlink of PCS band and, furthermore, has good angular sensitivity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2716–2718, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23772
Tunable sharp notch filter for UWB application
Authors: Yamamoto Yasuhisa , Li Keren , Hashimoto Osamu
Published: July 2008

This article presents a novel tunable sharp notch filter using open stub structure with varactor for implementing detect‐and‐avoid method into ultrawideband radio system. On the basis of the experimental results on the open stub structure with lumped capacitor, we introduced two techniques in this work to realize a tunable sharp notch filter using open stub structure with varactor to perform narrow stopband and using resistors to build a DC bias circuit, so that no influence to the tunable notch filter over a wide band. The developed tunable notch filter has excellent performance: wide tuning range from 3.65 to 4.35 GHz with low tuning voltage from 0 to 6 V, narrow bandwidth less than 270 MHz of the notch filter (at 10 dB insertion loss at 0 V), and compact size of the developed filter: about 2.0 cm × 4.0 cm. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2712–2715, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23773
Small handset antenna for FM reception
Authors: Aguilar D. , Anguera J. , Puente C. , Ribó M.
Published: July 2008

A passive internal handset antenna for FM reception is presented using electromagnetic simulations as well as laboratory experiments. Received signal for the antennas have been demodulated and the quality of the audio signal evaluated. Results have been compared with a long antenna (λ/4) confirming that the proposed solution is a good candidate to migrate to a full wireless FM system that may be integrated into a handset phone. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2677–2683, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23774
Divide‐by‐3 LC injection locked frequency divider with a transformer as an injector's load
Authors: Jang Sheng‐Lyang , Lu Pei‐Xi , Lee C. F. , Juang M.‐H.
Published: July 2008

This letter proposes a new divide‐by‐3 injection‐locked frequency divider (ILFD) fabricated in the 0.35‐μm CMOS 2P4M CMOS technology. The divider consists of a pMOS cross‐coupled LC oscillator, two injection MOSFETs, and a transformer staggered in between the cross‐coupled pMOSFETs and injection FETs, and the LC resonator is composed of two inductors and varactors. The injection FET uses the transformer load to increase the locking range. At the supply voltage of 2 V, the divider free‐running frequency is tunable from 2.433 to 2.79 GHz, and at the incident power of 0 dBm the locking range is about 1.13 GHz (14.9%), from the incident frequency 7.17–8.3 GHz. The core power consumption is 8.64 mW. The die area is 1.36 × 0.8 mm2. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2722–2725, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23775
Compact six‐band internal antenna with stacked periodic‐grooved planes
Authors: Kang Kyung K. , Lee Jae W. , Sik Cho Choon , Lee Taek K.
Published: July 2008

This article deals with a design of compact six‐band internal antenna using two identically stacked periodic‐grooved patches and shorting plates and covering the frequency bands composed of cellular (824–894 MHz), GSM (880–960 MHz), DCS (1710–1880 MHz), PCS (1850–1990 MHz), UMTS (1920–2170 MHz), and ISM (2400–2480 MHz) under the criteria −7.3 dB for the first five bands and −6 dB for the last band, respectively. To accomplish this goal, the planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) with periodic grooves is suggested, analyzed, and verified by using two commercially available softwares, CST MWS and HFSS based on the FDTD and FEM algorithms, respectively, and carrying out the measurements in terms of return loss, radiation patterns, and gains. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2718–2722, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23776
Capacitively FED hybrid monopole/slot chip antenna for 2.5/3.5/5.5 GHz WiMAX operation in the mobile phone
Authors: Lai Peng‐Yu , Wong Kin‐Lu
Published: July 2008

In this study, a promising design of the capacitively fed hybrid monopole/slot chip antenna for the 2.5/3.5/5.5 GHz WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) operation in the mobile phone is presented. The antenna is printed on a thin FR4 substrate of small size 5.2 × 16 mm2 as a surface‐mount element to be placed at one corner of the system circuit board of the mobile phone. The antenna mainly comprises a resonant monopole patch, a resonant shorter slot, and a matching longer slot; the latter two slots are embedded within the monopole patch to achieve a compact integration. Two wide operating bands centered at about 3.3 and 5.5 GHz are generated through capacitive excitation of the resonant monopole patch and the shorter slot, while the matching longer slot helps to improve the impedance matching over the two operating bands. The lower band covers WiMAX operation in the 2.5 GHz (2500–2690 MHz) and 3.5 GHz (3300–3700 MHz) bands, while the upper band covers the 5.5 GHz (5250–5850 MHz) WiMAX operation. Details of the proposed hybrid monopole/slot chip antenna are presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2689–2694, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23777
Performance evaluation of Gunn oscillators for active mode‐locking of erbium doped fiber ring lasers
Authors: Venkitesh Deepa , Tendulkar Shriharsh , Vijaya R.
Published: July 2008

A cost‐effective and rugged actively mode‐locked erbium‐doped fiber laser operated at GHz repetition rate is demonstrated with the use of a Gunn oscillator as the RF source for driving the optical modulator. The high power from the Gunn oscillator eliminates the need of an RF driver. The output of the laser in the time domain is processed numerically to predict its modal characteristics in the spectral domain. Experimental results regarding the evaluation of the Gunn oscillator for its suitability in active mode‐locking, tunable operation of the laser in the C‐band using a band pass filter as well as the results on the stability of the laser output in the time and frequency domain are presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2684–2688, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23778
An effective equivalent circuit model of slotted ground structures under planar microstrip
Authors: Wu Hung‐Wei , Weng Min‐Hang , Su Yan‐Kuin , Yang Ru‐Yuan , Ye Chang‐Sin
Published: July 2008

This letter presents a effective equivalent circuit model of circular slotted ground structure (SGS) under a planar microstrip, which can be used as a kind of periodic structure. The circular SGS exhibits an electromagnetic band gap or stop band in frequency responses. The proposed equivalent circuit model consists of lumped elements which can be demonstrated as a transformer to model coupling between the microstrip line and the circular SGS. Excellent agreement with electromagnetic (EM), extracted circuit simulations, and measurements is demonstrated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2651–2653, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23779
Simple and adaptive UHF RFID modulator using defected ground structure and practical measurement on reader‐to‐tag communication
Authors: Jung Jin‐Woo , Roh Hyoung‐Hwan , Park Jun‐Seok
Published: July 2008

An extended work on DGS modulator, which was presented before on Microwave and Optical Technology Letters Society, shall be adaptive performance and practical implementation and measurement. A DGS modulator is motivated from three benefits that can be obtained from defected ground structure; an extensive resonance, size reduction, and excellent stopband characteristic. An extensive resonance via a microstrip ground plane configuration, which includes a varactor diode bridging microstrip transmission line with variable capacitance provision that can be controlled, gives on/off switching and its attenuation level (OOK is a 100%, and which less than 100% can be ASK) that plays the key role of the ASK and OOK modulation process. A varactor diode is under control of a micro control unit that can be controlled by user interface software; therefore, user can monitor communication states while each operational sequence of a varactor diode can be controlled. Sharper phase and more precise data modulation can be achieved after several tuning works and practical trials. A modulation index (about 90–93%) with stable tag responses over the target bands (860–960 MHz, centered 912 MHz) was verified through the practical measurements on the RFID reader communication using ASK. And when a modulation index was nearly 99% (∼98.8%), this is considered to be an OOK. Overall radio communications are with EPC class‐1 Gen2 Type‐B and Type‐C passive tags, respectively. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2646–2651, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23780
Even‐ and odd‐order optical sideband suppression modulation using one electro‐absorption modulator in a Sagnac fiber loop
Authors: Ning G. , Aditya S. , Cheng L. H. , Zhou J. Q. , Shum P.
Published: July 2008

Even‐ and odd‐order harmonic suppression modulations are demonstrated. The configuration is based on a Sagnac loop interferometer containing a 3 dB coupler, an electro‐absorption modulator (EAM), and a polarization controller. Measured results demonstrate even‐ and odd‐order optical sideband suppressions for both reflected and transmitted signals. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2617–2618, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23781
Anomalies of ulnar nerve conduction in different carpal tunnel syndrome stages
Authors: Ginanneschi F. , Milani P. , Rossi A.
Published: July 2008

Impairment of ulnar sensory fibers at the wrist has recently been documented in moderate/severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This has been interpreted as a consequence of compressive forces transmitted to Guyon's canal by high pressure in the carpal tunnel or comorbidity between ulnar neuropathy and CTS. The main aim of the present study was to identify any ulnar nerve conduction impairment in the early stages of CTS. The relation between ulnar and median nerve conduction in all CTS severity stages was also assessed. Ulnar nerve sensory conduction at the wrist was investigated in 580 hands with CTS. Significant changes in ulnar nerve conduction were present even in the early stages of CTS. A significant, positive correlation was also found between CTS severity and conduction abnormalities of ulnar sensory fibers. These findings make the hypothesis of comorbidity weak. Based on the above results and on reports of high pressure in Guyon's canal in CTS, ulnar nerve conduction abnormalities may be caused in part by compressive forces progressively transmitted to the canal by increasing pressure in the carpal tunnel with increasing CTS severity. This does not exclude other causative factors such as subclinical traumatic damage acting on median and ulnar fibers. Muscle Nerve, 2008
Analysis of the benefits of vitamin cocktails in treating Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A
Authors: Kaya Ferdinand , Belin Sophie , Micallef Joelle , Blin Olivier , Fontés Michel
Published: July 2008

We recently proposed that the use of high doses of ascorbic acid (AA) could constitute the first potential treatment for Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A).4 We investigated the potential benefits of using cocktails of vitamins for CMT1A therapy. We used transient transfection of Schwann cells with a construction placing the expression of a reporter gene under the control of the Schwann cell‐specific promoter of PMP22. Transfected cells were cultured with or without addition of ascorbic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, or a cocktail of these vitamins. Adding vitamin A or E counteracts the effect of ascorbic acid in inhibiting PMP22 expression. We thus recommend that vitamins A and E should not be included in combination with AA in clinical trials. Muscle Nerve, 2008
Fast integration and weight function blending in the extended finite element method
Authors: Ventura Giulio , Gracie Robert , Belytschko Ted
Published: July 2008

Two issues in the extended finite element method (XFEM) are addressed: efficient numerical integration of the weak form when the enrichment function is self‐equilibrating and blending of the enrichment. The integration is based on transforming the domain integrals in the weak form into equivalent contour integrals. It is shown that the contour form is computationally more efficient than the domain form, especially when the enrichment function is singular and/or discontinuous. A method for alleviating the errors in the blending elements is also studied. In this method, the enrichment function is pre‐multiplied by a smooth weight function with compact support to allow for a completely smooth transition between enriched and unenriched subdomains. A method for blending step function enrichment with singular enrichments is described. It is also shown that if the enrichment is not shifted properly, the weighted enrichment is equivalent to the standard enrichment. An edge dislocation and a crack problem are used to benchmark the technique; the influence of the variables that parameterize the weight function is analyzed. The resulting method shows both improved accuracy and optimum convergence rates and is easily implemented into existing XFEM codes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical approximation of incremental infinitesimal gradient plasticity
Authors: Neff Patrizio , Sydow Antje , Wieners Christian
Published: July 2008

We investigate a representative model of continuum infinitesimal gradient plasticity. The formulation is an extension of classical rate‐independent infinitesimal plasticity based on the additive decomposition of the symmetric strain tensor into elastic and plastic parts. It is assumed that dislocation processes contribute to the storage of energy in the material whereby the curl of the plastic distortion appears in the thermodynamic potential and leads to an additional nonlocal backstress tensor. The formulation is cast into a numerical framework by a saddle point approximation of the corresponding minimization problem in each incremental loading step. This allows one to reformulate the (nonlocal) dissipation inequality to a point‐wise flow rule and yields a solution scheme, which is a direct extension of the standard approach in classical plasticity. Our numerical results show the regularizing effects of the additional physically motivated terms. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sexual dimorphism in diaphyseal cross‐sectional shape in the medieval Muslim population of Écija, Spain, and Anglo‐Saxon Great Chesterford, UK
Authors: Pomeroy E. , Zakrzewski S. R.
Published: July 2008

Differences in adult male and female activity patterns may influence levels of sexual dimorphism in physical dimensions, including the cross‐sectional shape of long bone diaphyses. Previous studies of archaeological populations have demonstrated significant differences in diaphyseal shape between males and females. In this study, dimorphism in external diaphyseal shape of upper and lower limb bones (reflected in indices of external diaphyseal diameters), and bilateral asymmetry in these indices, were examined in two medieval populations: Muslim Écija (Spain) and Anglo‐Saxon Great Chesterford (UK). Attempts were made to relate observed patterns to documentary and other osteological evidence for differences in male and female activity patterns. While few significant differences in upper limb bone cross‐sectional shape were observed in either population, significant differences in shape were found in the lower limb diaphyses at Écija at the femoral midshaft and tibial foramen and midshaft levels, and at the tibial midshaft for Great Chesterford. Comparison with published data suggests that these differences are marked for Écija, and perhaps fairly high for Great Chesterford compared with other populations with an agriculture‐based economy. This is consistent with documentary and osteological evidence suggesting marked gender differences in behaviour in medieval Muslim Spain. No significant differences in bilateral asymmetry were found, but the effects of small sample size cannot be ruled out. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Privatisation in Botswana: the demise of a developmental state?
Authors: Mothusi Bashi , Dipholo Kenneth B.
Published: July 2008

This article argues that efforts by the Government of Botswana to embark on privatisation of some parastatals as well as contracting out the provision of certain services with the main intention of enhancing productivity and strengthening the private sector will not have a negative effect on the strength and nature of the existing strong developmental state. It is argued that the cautious and pragmatic approach adopted by the government, coupled with the fact that privatisation in Botswana is embraced voluntarily (that is not imposed on the country by either the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a condition for financial assistance), hiving off parastatals to the private sector will not result in the weakening and ultimate demise of the state as it has happened in some countries within Sub Saharan Africa. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microdissection molecular copy‐number counting (µMCC)—unlocking cancer archives with digital PCR
Authors: McCaughan F , Darai‐Ramqvist E , Bankier AT , Konfortov BA , Foster N , George PJ , Rabbitts TH , Kost‐Alimova M , Rabbitts PH , Dear PH
Published: July 2008

Most cancer genomes are characterized by the gain or loss of copies of some sequences through deletion, amplification or unbalanced translocations. Delineating and quantifying these changes is important in understanding the initiation and progression of cancer, in identifying novel therapeutic targets, and in the diagnosis and prognosis of individual patients. Conventional methods for measuring copy‐number are limited in their ability to analyse large numbers of loci, in their dynamic range and accuracy, or in their ability to analyse small or degraded samples. This latter limitation makes it difficult to access the wealth of fixed, archived material present in clinical collections, and also impairs our ability to analyse small numbers of selected cells from biopsies. Molecular copy‐number counting (MCC), a digital PCR technique, has been used to delineate a non‐reciprocal translocation using good quality DNA from a renal carcinoma cell line. We now demonstrate µMCC, an adaptation of MCC which allows the precise assessment of copy number variation over a significant dynamic range, in template DNA extracted from formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded clinical biopsies. Further, µMCC can accurately measure copy number variation at multiple loci, even when applied to picogram quantities of grossly degraded DNA extracted after laser capture microdissection of fixed specimens. Finally, we demonstrate the power of µMCC to precisely interrogate cancer genomes, in a way not currently feasible with other methodologies, by defining the position of a junction between an amplified and non‐amplified genomic segment in a bronchial carcinoma. This has tremendous potential for the exploitation of archived resources for high‐resolution targeted cancer genomics and in the future for interrogating multiple loci in cancer diagnostics or prognostics. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distinctly different expression of cytokines and chemokines in the lungs of two H5N1 avian influenza patients
Authors: Deng R , Lu M , Korteweg C , Gao Z , McNutt MA , Ye J , Zhang T , Gu J
Published: July 2008

The pathogenesis of human H5N1 influenza remains poorly understood and controversial. ‘Cytokine storm’ has been hypothesized to be the main cause of the severity of this disease. However, the significance of this hypothesis has been called into question by a recent report, which demonstrates that inhibition of the cytokine response did not protect against lethal H5N1 influenza infection in mice. Here we showed discrepant findings in two adult H5N1 autopsies and a fetus obtained at autopsy which also raise doubt about this hypothesis. Antigens of 10 cytokines/chemokines which were found to be significantly elevated in previous H5N1‐infected patients and in vitro experiments, and mRNA of eight of these, were absent from the lungs of a pregnant woman and her fetus. In contrast, antigens of seven cytokines/chemokines and mRNA of six of these were found to be increased in the lungs of a male autopsy. The cells expressing these cytokines and chemokines were identified as type II pneumocytes, bronchial epithelial cells, macrophages and vascular endothelial cells. Levels of cytokines and chemokines in the serum of the male case were also significantly higher than those of infectious (infection other than by H5N1) and non‐infectious controls. In comparison with results from our previous study, it appeared that the male case had increased cytokine/chemokine expression but reduced viral load, while the pregnant female had diminished cytokine/chemokine expression but a significantly increased viral load in the lungs. These disparate findings in these two cases suggest that ‘cytokine storm’ alone could not be a sufficient explanation for the severe lung injury of this newly emerging disease. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The genomic profile of HER2‐amplified breast cancers: the influence of ER status
Authors: Marchiò C , Natrajan R , Shiu KK , Lambros MBK , Rodriguez‐Pinilla SM , Tan DSP , Lord CJ , Hungermann D , Fenwick K , Tamber N , Mackay A , Palacios J , Sapino A , Buerger H , Ashworth A , Reis‐Filho JS
Published: July 2008

Expression profiling studies have suggested that HER2‐amplified breast cancers constitute a heterogeneous group that may be subdivided according to their ER status: HER2‐amplified ER‐positive breast carcinomas that fall into the luminal B cluster; and HER2‐amplified ER‐negative cancers which form a distinct molecular subgroup, known as the erbB2 or HER2 subgroup. ER‐negative breast cancer differs significantly from ER‐positive disease in the pattern, type, and complexity of genetic aberrations. Here we have compared the genomic profiles of ER‐positive and ER‐negative HER2‐amplified cancers using tiling path microarray‐based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Validation of the differentially amplified regions was performed in an independent series of 70 HER2‐amplified breast cancers. Although HER2‐amplified cancers had remarkably complex patterns of molecular genetic aberrations, ER‐positive and ER‐negative HER2‐amplified breast carcinomas shared most molecular genetic features as defined by aCGH. Genome‐wide Fisher's exact test analysis revealed that less than 1.5% of the genome was significantly differentially gained or lost in ER‐positive versus ER‐negative HER2‐amplified cancers. However, two regions of amplification were significantly associated with ER‐positive carcinomas, one of which mapped to 17q21.2 and encompassed GJC1, IGFBP4, TNS4, and TOP2A. Chromogenic in situ hybridization analysis of an independent validation series confirmed the association between ER status and TOP2A amplification. In conclusion, although hormone receptor status does not determine the overall genetic profile of HER2‐amplified breast cancers, specific genetic aberrations may be characteristic of subgroups of HER2 breast cancers. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of multi‐SH3 domain‐containing protein interactome in pancreatic cancer: A yeast two‐hybrid approach
Authors: Thalappilly Subhash , Suliman Muhtadi , Gayet Odile , Soubeyran Philippe , Hermant Aurélie , Lecine Patrick , Iovanna Juan L. , Dusetti Nelson J.
Published: July 2008

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a fatal disease that shows minimal response to chemotherapy. Genetic changes involved in the progression of PDAC concern genes that encode proteins related to signal transduction networks. This fact reveals the importance in identifying the role and the relations between multiple signaling cascades in PDAC. One of the major factors that modulate signaling events is multidomain scaffold proteins that function by binding several proteins simultaneously, inducing their proximity and influencing the outcome of signaling. A particular group among them, containing multiple Src homology 3 (SH3) domains that can bind proteins containing proline‐rich motifs, was associated to different aspects of cancer cell homeostasis. In this work, using a microarray‐based analysis, we have shown that 13 multiple SH3 domain containing scaffold proteins are expressed in PDAC cells. Using a yeast two‐hybrid approach, we have identified proteins that interact with these adaptor proteins. Among them we have found several molecules that modulate cell proliferation and survival (CIZ1, BIRC6, RBBP6), signaling (LTBP4, Notch2, TOM1L1, STK24) and membrane dynamics (PLSCR1, DDEF2, VCP). Our results indicate that interactions mediated by multi‐SH3 domain‐containing proteins could lead to the formation of dynamic protein complexes that function in pancreatic cancer cell signaling. The identification of such protein complexes is of paramount importance in deciphering pancreatic cancer biology and designing novel therapeutic approaches.
Quantitative membrane proteomics applying narrow range peptide isoelectric focusing for studies of small cell lung cancer resistance mechanisms
Authors: Eriksson Hanna , Lengqvist Johan , Hedlund Joel , Uhlén Kristina , Orre Lukas M. , Bjellqvist Bengt , Persson Bengt , Lehtiö Janne , Jakobsson Per‐Johan
Published: July 2008

Drug resistance is often associated with upregulation of membrane‐associated drug‐efflux systems, and thus global membrane proteomics methods are valuable tools in the search for novel components of drug resistance phenotypes. Herein we have compared the microsomal proteome from the lung cancer cell line H69 and its isogenic Doxorubicin‐resistant subcell line H69AR. The method used includes microsome preparation, iTRAQ labeling followed by narrow range peptide IEF in an immobilized pH‐gradient (IPG‐IEF) and LC‐MS/MS analysis. We demonstrate that the microsomal preparation and iTRAQ labeling is reproducible regarding protein content and composition. The rationale using narrow range peptide IPG‐IEF separation is demonstrated by its ability to: (i) lowering the complexity of the sample by two‐thirds while keeping high proteome coverage (96%), (ii) providing high separation efficiency, and (iii) allowing for peptide validation and possibly identifications of post‐transcriptional modifications. After analyzing one‐fifth of the IEF fractions (effective pH range of 4.0–4.5), a total of 3704 proteins were identified, among which 527 were predicted to be membrane proteins. One of the proteins found to be differentially expressed was Serca 2, a calcium pump located in the ER membrane that potentially could result in changes of apoptotic response toward Doxorubicin.
Fixation of carbon dioxide into aliphatic polycarbonate, cobalt porphyrin catalyzed regio‐specific poly(propylene carbonate) with high molecular weight
Authors: Qin Yusheng , Wang Xianhong , Zhang Suobo , Zhao Xiaojiang , Wang Fosong
Published: July 2008

Cobalt porphyrin complex (TPPCoIIIX) (TPP = 5, 10, 15, 20‐Tetraphenyl‐ porphyrin; X = halide) in combination with ionic organic ammonium salt was used for the regio‐specific copolymerization of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide. A turnover frequency of 188 h−1 was achieved after 5 h, and the byproduct propylene carbonate was successfully controlled to below 1%, where the obtained poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) showed number average molecular weight (Mn) of 48 kg/mol, head‐to‐tail content of 93%, and carbonate linkage of over 99%. When the polymerization time was prolonged to 24 h, PPC with Mn over 115 kg/mol and head‐to‐tail linkage maintaining 90% was prepared, whose glass transition temperature reached 44.5 °C. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5959–5967, 2008
Fabrication of monodisperse luminescent nanoparticles with core/shell poly(styrene/thiophene) structure
Authors: Jung Yeon Jae , Lee Sun Jong , Choi Sung Wook , Kim Jung Hyun
Published: July 2008

Luminescent poly(styrene/thiophene) (PSt/PT) core/shell nanoparticles were prepared by oxidative polymerization in the presence of PSt seed particles. PSt seed particles with uniform size distribution were prepared with an anionic surfactant by an emulsion polymerization process, and were used as a template to prepare monodispersive PT‐coated nanoparticles. A luminescent Polythiophene (PT) layer was formed on the surface of PSt nanoparticles by oxidation polymerization with iron chloride (FeCl3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The mechanism of core/shell formation was found to be the interface‐dominant polymerization induced by the electrostatic attraction between the sulfonate group of anionic surfactant and Fe3+ ions after the diffusion of thiophene monomer to the PSt nanoparticles. Field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) proved the core/shell structure, which provided key evidence that PT was incorporated onto the surface of PSt nanoparticles. In addition, the effect of the PT shell thickness on photoluminescent (PL) intensity was investigated by changing the shell thickness of PSt/PT nanoparticles. We observed that the PL intensity increased up to about 30 nm of PT shell thickness, and then decreased due to self‐absorption. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5968–5975, 2008
Barriers to adherence to cystic fibrosis infection control guidelines
Authors: Garber Elizabeth , Desai Manisha , Zhou Juyan , Alba Luis , Angst Denise , Cabana Michael , Saiman Lisa
Published: July 2008

Background:

In 2003, the American Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation published revised, evidence‐based guidelines for infection control. We sought to assess potential barriers to adherence to these guidelines experienced by health care professionals (HCPs) caring for CF patients.

Methods:

From April 2004 to December 2005, a knowledge, attitude, and practice survey was administered to HCPs at randomly selected CF centers in the United States to explore potential barriers to adherence to selected guidelines: (1) obtaining quarterly cultures from CF patients, (2) discouraging socialization among CF patients during hospitalization, (3) educating patients and families about hand hygiene, (4) educating patients and families to clean and disinfect home nebulizers, and (5) cleaning the clinic exam rooms between CF patients.

Results:

The survey was completed by 528 HCPs from 25 sites (5–50 respondents per site). Only 60% of respondents were aware of the guidelines, but despite awareness, 31–47% were unfamiliar with the specific guidelines. Self‐reported adherence was low; only 23–63% of respondents reported practicing the selected guidelines >75% of the time/opportunities. Lack of self‐efficacy, that is, confidence in adequately performing the guidelines, was commonly experienced by respondents. Access to a copy of the guidelines was associated with increased agreement with the recommendations and increased self‐efficacy.

Conclusions:

Strategies to reduce barriers to adherence to CF infection control guidelines are needed. Strategies could include quality improvement initiatives with enhanced education and skills workshops, sharing successful interventions among CF centers, and linking adherence to improved patient outcomes. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:900–907. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pharmacological and therapeutic effects ofBerberis vulgarisand its active constituent, berberine
Authors: Imanshahidi Mohsen , Hosseinzadeh Hossein
Published: July 2008

Barberry (Berberis vulgarisL. family Berberidaceae) is well known in Iran and various parts of this plant including its root, bark, leaf and fruit have been used as folk medicine. The two decades of research has demonstrated different pharmacological and therapeutic effects ofB. vulgarisand its isoquinoline alkaloids (particularly berberine). Studies carried out on the chemical composition of the plant show that the most important constituents of this plant are isoquinoline alkaloids such as berberine, berbamine and palmatine. Berberine represents one of the most studied among the naturally occurring protoberberine alkaloids. In addition toB. vulgaris(barberry), berberine is present in many other plants and is used for the treatment of different diseases. This article reviews the traditional uses and pharmacological effects of total extract and the most active ingredient ofB. vulgaris(berberine). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antihyperalgesic effect of aCannabis sativaextract in a rat model of neuropathic pain: mechanisms involved
Authors: Comelli Francesca , Giagnoni Gabriella , Bettoni Isabella , Colleoni Mariapia , Costa Barbara
Published: July 2008

This study aimed to give a rationale for the employment of phytocannabinoid formulations to treat neuropathic pain. It was found that a controlled cannabis extract, containing multiple cannabinoids, in a defined ratio, and other non‐cannabinoid fractions (terpenes and flavonoids) provided better antinociceptive efficacy than the single cannabinoid given alone, when tested in a rat model of neuropathic pain. The results also demonstrated that such an antihyperalgesic effect did not involve the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors, whereas it was mediated by vanilloid receptors TRPV1. The non‐psychoactive compound, cannabidiol, is the only component present at a high level in the extract able to bind to this receptor: thus cannabidiol was the drug responsible for the antinociceptive behaviour observed. In addition, the results showed that after chronic oral treatment with cannabis extract the hepatic total content of cytochrome P450 was strongly inhibited as well as the intestinal P‐glycoprotein activity. It is suggested that the inhibition of hepatic metabolism determined an increased bioavailability of cannabidiol resulting in a greater effect. However, in the light of the well known antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties of terpenes and flavonoids which could significantly contribute to the therapeutic effects, it cannot be excluded that the synergism observed might be achieved also in the absence of the cytochrome P450 inhibition. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Classical electron ionization mass spectra in gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with supersonic molecular beams
Authors: Gordin Alexander , Fialkov Alexander B. , Amirav Aviv
Published: July 2008

A major benefit of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with a supersonic molecular beam (SMB) interface and its fly‐through ion source is the ability to obtain electron ionization of vibrationally cold molecules (cold EI), which show enhanced molecular ions. However, GC/MS with an SMB also has the flexibility to perform ‘classical EI’ mode of operation which provides mass spectra to mimic those in commercial 70 eV electron ionization MS libraries. Classical EI in SMB is obtained through simple reduction of the helium make‐up gas flow rate, which reduces the SMB cooling efficiency; hence the vibrational temperatures of the molecules are similar to those in traditional EI ion sources. In classical EI‐SMB mode, the relative abundance of the molecular ion can be tuned and, as a result, excellent identification probabilities and very good matching factors to the NIST MS library are obtained. Classical EI‐SMB with the fly‐through dual cage ion source has analyte sensitivity similar to that of the standard EI ion source of a basic GC/MS system. The fly‐through EI ion source in combination with the SMB interface can serve for cold EI, classical EI‐SMB, and cluster chemical ionization (CCI) modes of operation, all easily exchangeable through a simple and quick change (not involving hardware). Furthermore, the fly‐through ion source eliminates sample scattering from the walls of the ion source, and thus it offers full sample inertness, tailing‐free operation, and no ion‐molecule reaction interferences. It is also robust and enables increased column flow rate capability without affecting the sensitivity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A real‐time algorithm for nonlinear receding horizon control using multiple shooting and continuation/Krylov method
Authors: Shimizu Yuichi , Ohtsuka Toshiyuki , Diehl Moritz
Published: July 2008

In this paper, we propose a real‐time algorithm for nonlinear receding horizon control using multiple shooting and the continuation/GMRES method. Multiple shooting is expected to improve numerical accuracy in calculations for solving boundary value problems. The continuation method is combined with a Krylov subspace method, GMRES, to update unknown quantities by solving a linear equation. At the same time, we apply condensing, which reduces the size of the linear equation, to speed up numerical calculations. A numerical example shows that both numerical accuracy and computational speed improve using the proposed algorithm by combining multiple shooting with condensing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.