bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inferring Protein Function from Homology Using the Princeton Protein Orthology Database (P‐POD)
Authors: Livstone Michael S. , Oughtred Rose , Heinicke Sven , Vernot Benjamin , Huttenhower Curtis , Durand Dannie , Dolinski Kara
Published: March 2011

Inferring a protein's function by homology is a powerful tool for biologists. The Princeton Protein Orthology Database (P‐POD) offers a simple way to visualize and analyze the relationships between homologous proteins in order to infer function. P‐POD contains computationally generated analysis distinguishing orthologs from paralogs combined with curated published information on functional complementation and on human diseases. P‐POD also features an applet, Notung, for users to explore and modify phylogenetic trees and generate their own ortholog/paralogs calls. This unit describes how to search P‐POD for precomputed data, how to find and use the associated curated information from the literature, and how to use Notung to analyze and refine the results.Curr. Protoc. Bioinform. 33:6.11.1‐6.11.12. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Selective and Responsive Nanoreactors
Authors: Renggli Kasper , Baumann Patric , Langowska Karolina , Onaca Ozana , Bruns Nico , Meier Wolfgang
Published: March 2011

Chemical reactions can be confined to nanoscale compartments by encapsulating catalysts in hollow nanoobjects. Such reaction compartments effectively become nanoreactors when substrate and product are exchanged between bulk solution and cavity. A key issue, thereby, is control of shell permeability. Nanoreactors exhibit selectivity and responsiveness if their shells discriminate among molecules and if access can be modulated by external triggers. Here, we review natural nanoreactors that include protein‐based bacterial microcompartments, protein cages, and viruses. Artificial nanoreactors based on dendrimers, layer‐by‐layer capsules, and amphiphilic block copolymer polymersomes are also discussed. Selectivity in these nanoreactors is either due to intrinsic reactor‐shell semipermeability or can be engineered using smart polymers to gate the reactors. Moreover, a rich repertoire of pores and channels are already provided in nature, e.g., in protein‐based nanoreactors or in trans‐membrane channel proteins. The latter can be reconstituted in polymersomes, resulting in gated vesicles. Nanoreactors hold promise for applications ranging from selective and size‐constrained organic synthesis to biomedical advances (e.g., artificial organelles, biosensing) and as analytical tools to study reaction mechanisms.
Synthesis of 1,4‐Diarylbuta‐1,3‐dienes through Palladium‐ Catalyzed Decarboxylative Coupling of Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids
Authors: Yamashita Mana , Hirano Koji , Satoh Tetsuya , Miura Masahiro
Published: March 2011

It has been found that readily available hydroxylated cinnamic acids such as ferulic acid undergo palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative coupling with aryl iodides and internal alkynes in a 1:1:1 manner to produce 1,4‐diarylbuta‐1,3‐dienes. The butadiene synthesis has also been achieved through the coupling of aryl halides with dienoic acids. Some of the products exhibit solid‐state fluorescence.
Accessing Skeletal Diversity under Iron Catalysis using Substrate Control: Formation of Pyrroles versus Lactones
Authors: Alcaide Benito , Almendros Pedro , Quirós M. Teresa
Published: March 2011

2‐Azetidinone‐tethered alkynols and allenols, readily prepared from a propanylidene β‐lactam aldehyde, were used as starting materials for divergent ring expansion reactions catalyzed by iron(III) chloride. Worthy of note, in contrast to the iron‐catalyzed reactions of β‐lactam allenols which lead to γ‐lactones, the reaction of β‐lactam alkynols under identical conditions gives pyrroles. The gold‐catalyzed 6‐endo aminocyclization of these allenic γ‐lactones formed fused dihydropyridines. The iron‐catalyzed formation of pyrroles may proceed through a Meyer–Schuster rearrangement followed by β‐lactam ring opening and cyclization by attack of the amino group to the ketone.
Enhancement of germination, growth, and photosynthesis in soybean by pre‐treatment of seeds with magnetic field
Authors: Shine M.B. , Guruprasad K.N. , Anand Anjali
Published: March 2011

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of static magnetic fields on the seeds of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. var: JS‐335) by exposing the seeds to different magnetic field strengths from 0 to 300 mT in steps of 50 mT for 30, 60, and 90 min. Treatment with magnetic fields improved germination‐related parameters like water uptake, speed of germination, seedling length, fresh weight, dry weight and vigor indices of soybean seeds under laboratory conditions. Improvement over untreated control was 5–42% for speed of germination, 4–73% for seedling length, 9–53% for fresh weight, 5–16% for dry weight, and 3–88% and 4–27% for vigor indices I and II, respectively. Treatment of 200 mT (60 min) and 150 mT (60 min), which were more effective than others in increasing most of the seedling parameters, were further explored for their effect on plant growth, leaf photosynthetic efficiency, and leaf protein content under field conditions. Among different growth parameters, leaf area, and leaf fresh weight showed maximum enhancement (more than twofold) in 1‐month‐old plants. Polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence (OJIP) transients from magnetically treated plants gave a higher fluorescence yield at the J–I–P phase. The total soluble protein map (SDS–polyacrylamide gel) of leaves showed increased intensities of the bands corresponding to a larger subunit (53 KDa) and smaller subunit (14 KDa) of Rubisco in the treated plants. We report here the beneficial effect of pre‐sowing magnetic treatment for improving germination parameters and biomass accumulation in soybean. Bioelectromagnetics 32:474–484, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determination of metformin hydrochloride using precolumn derivatization with acetaldehyde and capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrochemiluminescence
Authors: Deng Biyang , Shi Aihong , Kang Yanhui , Li Linqiu
Published: March 2011

A novel method was developed using capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with tris(2,2′‐bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) for highly sensitive detection of metformin hydrochloride (MH) derivatizatized with acetaldehyde. The precolumn derivatization of MH with acetaldehyde was performed in phosphate buffer solution (0.3 mol/L, pH 7.5) at room temperature for 120 min. The effects of acetaldehyde concentration, buffer pH, electrokinetic voltage and injection time were investigated. Under optimized detection conditions, the MH ECL detection sensitivity was more than 120 times that without derivatization. The linear concentration range for MH was 0.001–15.00 μg/mL (with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992). The detection limit was 0.31 ng/mL with a signal:noise ratio of 3. The recoveries of MH in human urine were in the range 98.50–99.72%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trends in incidence and mortality from abdominal aortic aneurysm in New Zealand
Authors: Sandiford P , Mosquera D , Bramley D
Published: March 2011

Background

This study examined trends in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) incidence and mortality in New Zealand (NZ) and compared these with mortality rates from England and Wales.

Methods

Cause-specific death data were obtained from the NZ Ministry of Health, UK Office for National Statistics and National Archives (for England and Wales). The NZ National Minimum Data Set provided hospital discharge data from July 1994 to June 2009.

Results

In 2005–2007 the age-standardized AAA mortality rate for men was 33·3 per cent less in NZ than in England and Wales (5·21 versus 7·81 per 100 000), whereas for women it was 9·8 per cent less (2·12 versus 2·35 per 100 000). Standardized mortality rates in NZ fell by 53·0 per cent for men and 34·1 per cent for women from 1991 to 2007. Between 1991–1992 and 2005–2007 the probability of a 65-year-old dying from an AAA fell by 28·2 per cent (from 1·872 to 1·344 per cent) in men, and by 6·3 per cent (from 0·837 to 0·784 per cent) in women. New AAA admission and hospital death rates in NZ peaked in 1999 for men, and in 2001 for women, and have since declined sharply. Hospital mortality ratios have also fallen, except for women with a ruptured aneurysm.

Conclusion

The burden of AAA disease has been falling since at least 1991 in NZ, and since 1995 in England and Wales. Although survival appears to be improving, most of the reduction is due to lower disease incidence.
Determination of free and total warfarin concentrations in plasma using UPLC MS/MS and its application to a patient samples
Authors: Radwan Mahasen A. , Bawazeer Ghada A. , Aloudah Nouf M. , AlQuadeib Bushra T. , Aboul‐Enein Hassan Y.
Published: March 2011

Warfarin is routinely monitored by assessing its pharmacologic effects on the international normalized ratio. However, having a patient with INR not responding to increasing warfarin dose mandates a direct measurement of warfarin concentrations (total and free) for better patient clinical management of warfarin therapy. Therefore, a new fully validated specific, precise and accurate ultra‐performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of free and total warfarin in human plasma. Free warfarin was measured in plasma filtrate, prepared by ultrafiltration, and sample pretreatment involved protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Linear response (r2 ≥ 0.99) was observed over the studied range of free and total warfarin, with the lower limit of detection of 0.25 ng/mL. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision (relative standard deviation) values were <10% and the accuracy (relative error) was ≤6.6 for free and total warfarin. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between inter‐ and intra‐day studies for the free and total warfarin, which confirmed the reproducibility of the assay method. The mean extraction efficiency was 88.6–107.2% of free and total warfarin. The assay was sensitive to follow warfarin pharmacokinetics (free and total) in a patient with resistance to warfarin up to 24 h after a daily dose of warfarin. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A clinical study of those who utter threats to kill
Authors: Warren Lisa J. , Mullen Paul E. , Ogloff James R.P.
Published: March 2011

Objective

The current study sought to examine the psychiatric characteristics and rate of subsequent violence among those who uttered explicit threats to kill.

Method

Data were drawn from 144 referrals of adults to a community‐based forensic mental health consultation and treatment service. Each had explicitly threatened to kill a person other than themselves.

Results

Assaults were made by over 20%, including one homicide, within 12 months of assessment. Two participants committed suicide in the follow‐up period. Factors found to contribute to violence risk were substance abuse, prior violence, limited education and untreated mental disorders. Threateners were often habitual in their threatening behaviour and typically targeted those they interacted with on a daily basis. Clinical characteristics showed a psychiatrically complex group who shared many features of other offender groups.

Conclusions

The type of threat that led to referral for a mental health assessment was not uncommonly followed by violence. Factors enhancing risk resemble findings from other groups of offenders. Those referred for clinical evaluation typically have complex clinical presentations and marked deficits in effectively managing interpersonal conflict. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Zwitterionic Iridium Complexes with P,N‐Ligands as Catalysts for the Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Alkenes
Authors: Franzke Axel , Pfaltz Andreas
Published: March 2011

Several zwitterionic iridium complexes based on chiral P,N‐ligands with imidazoline or oxazoline donors and anionic tetraarylborate or aryltrifluoroborate substituents have been synthesized. The corresponding cationic analogues have also been prepared, to evaluate the effect of the covalent linkage between the anion and the cationic metal complex in catalytic reactions. The respective pairs of structurally analogous precatalysts have been compared for their efficacies in the asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized olefins. In most cases, the anionic derivatization has virtually no influence on the asymmetric induction of the iridium complex. This is in accordance with X‐ray structural studies, which have shown that the chiral environment of the cationic metal center is not affected by the anionic substituent. Depending on the nature of the counterion employed, the zwitterionic catalysts proved to be significantly more reactive than their cationic counterparts in nonpolar solvents.
Vulnerable Self, Poor Understanding of Others' Minds, Threat Anticipation and Cognitive Biases as Triggers for Delusional Experience in Schizophrenia: A Theoretical Model
Authors: Salvatore Giampaolo , Lysaker Paul H. , Popolo Raffaele , Procacci Michele , Carcione Antonino , Dimaggio Giancarlo
Published: March 2011

It remains unclear what processes lead to the establishment of persecutory delusions in acute phases of schizophrenia. Recently, it has been argued that persecutory delusions arise from an interaction among a range of emotional, cognitive and social factors. In this work, we explored this possibility by first discussing the relevant aspects of recent theoretical models of the causes of persecutory delusions. Then, we offered an analysis of the literature, illustrated with clinical observations suggesting that persecutory delusions are triggered during stressful intersubjective transactions by the interactions of (a) an alteration in empathetic perspective taking and in pragmatic understanding of others' minds; (b) a perception/representation of the self as vulnerable or subordinate and of the other as dominant and threatening; and (c) a hyperfunctioning of the threat/self‐protection system when faced with perceived danger. Implications for future research and treatment of people suffering from this symptom are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key Practitioner Message

This article was written without any economic support.
MicroRNAs and their predicted target messenger RNAs are deregulated by Exposure to a Carcinogenic Dose of Comfrey in Rat Liver
Authors: Li Zhiguang , Fuscoe James C. , Chen Tao
Published: March 2011

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that function as regulators of gene expression to control cell growth and differentiation. In this study, we analyzed miRNA and mRNA expression in the livers of rats treated with a carcinogenic dose of comfrey (Symphytum officinale) for 12 weeks. Groups of six rats were fed a normal diet or a diet containing 8% comfrey root. The animals were sacrificed 1 day after the last treatment and the livers were isolated for miRNA expression analysis using LC Sciences miRNA microarrays and for mRNA expression analysis using Affymetrix rat genome microarrays. MiRNA expression levels were significantly changed by comfrey treatment. The treated samples were separated clearly from the control samples in both principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Quantitative measurements of seven miRNAs using TaqMan real‐time PCR were consistent with the microarray results in terms of fold‐change and the direction of the change in expression. Forty‐five miRNAs (P < 0.01) and 1,921 mRNAs (q = 0) were significantly changed by comfrey treatment. Using a target prediction algorithm, 434 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were predicted to be targeted by the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). The DEM‐targeted DEGs were more likely to be involved in carcinogenesis than the DEGs that were not targeted by the DEMs. The nontargeted DEGs were enriched in noncancer‐related biological processes. Our data suggest that comfrey may exert its carcinogenic effects by disturbing miRNA expression resulting in altered mRNA levels of the DEM‐targeted genes that are functionally associated with carcinogenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2011. © Published 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Disease patterns in pediatric classical Hodgkin lymphoma: a report from a developing area in Brazil
Authors: Barros Mário Henrique M. , Hassan Rocio , Niedobitek Gerald
Published: March 2011

Epidemiological patterns established about 20 years ago, divided classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) in three entities with regard to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) status and histological subtypes and suggested different epidemiological patterns associated with degree of economic development. Here, we investigated histopathological features and EBV association in 100 consecutive pediatric cHL cases occurring in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Age at diagnosis ranged from 3 to 18 years (median 14 years) with 27% of cases ≤10 years. Unexpectedly, we did not observe an early childhood peak with most cases occurring in the >10 years age group. Nodular sclerosis (NS) was the most frequent subtype (69%) and was more frequently observed in the >10 years age group, followed by mixed cellularity (MC, 23%) which was distributed equally between age groups. EBV was identified in 44.8% of cases, without preferential association with age groups (≤10 years vs. >10 years). MC cases were independently associated with EBV infection of tumour cells (p = 0.045) and with a CD4/CD20 ratio <1 in the microenvironment (p = 0.014). Our results suggest that a gradual shift from childhood peak to early adulthood peak may be observed in developing regions. The development of MC subtype may result from early exposure to EBV in the context of an impaired immune system reflected by a CD4/CD20 ratio <1. Conversely, it is possible that NS originates predominantly in the context of a better immune response against EBV and/or tumour antigens expressed in the neoplastic cells. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differential mRNA expression of neuroimmune markers in the hippocampus of infant mice following toluene exposure during brain developmental period
Authors: Tin‐Tin Win‐Shwe  , Kunugita Naoki , Yoshida Yasuhiro , Nakajima Daisuke , Tsukahara Shinji , Fujimaki Hidekazu
Published: March 2011

Toluene, a volatile organic compound with a wide range of industrial applications, can exert neurotoxic and immunotoxic effects. However, the effects of toluene exposure on developmental immunotoxicity in the brain have not yet been characterized. To investigate the susceptible window to toluene exposure during development and the effects of fetal and neonatal toluene exposure on the neuroimmune markers, gestational day (GD) 14 pregnant mice, postnatal day (PND) 2 and PND 8 male offspring were exposed to filtered air (control; 0 ppm), or 5 or 50 ppm toluene for 6 h per day for five consecutive days. The neuroimmune markers in the hippocampus of PND 21 were examined using a real‐time RT‐PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. Mice exposed to 50 ppm toluene on PND 2–6 showed significantly increased levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α mRNAs. In contrast, NGF and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, CCL3, NF‐κB, toll‐like receptor (TLR)‐4, astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and microglia marker ionized calcium binding adapter molecule (Iba)‐1 mRNAs were increased significantly in mice exposed to 5 ppm toluene on PND 8–12. These results indicate that low‐level toluene exposure during the late postnatal period (PND 8–12) might induce neuroinflammatory mediators via TLR4‐dependent NF‐κB pathway in the hippocampus of PND 21 male mice. Among the three developmental phases, PND 8–12 seems to be most sensitive to toluene exposure. This is the first study to show developmental phase‐ and dose‐specific changes in neuroimmune markers in infant mice following toluene exposure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Meta‐research: The art of getting it wrong
Authors: Ioannidis John P. A.
Published: March 2011

Meta‐analysis has major strengths, but sometimes it can often lead to wrong and misleading answers. In this SRSM presidential address, I discuss some case studies that exemplify these problems, including examples from meta‐analyses of both clinical trials and observational associations. I also discuss issues of effect size estimation, bias (in particular significance‐chasing biases), and credibility in meta‐research. I examine the factors that affect the credibility of meta‐analyses, including magnitude of effects, multiplicity of analyses, scale of data, flexibility of analyses, reporting, and conflicts of interest. Under the current circumstances, a survey of expert meta‐analysts attending the SRSM meeting showed that most of them believe that the true effect is practically equally likely to lie within the 95% confidence interval of a meta‐analysis or outside of it. Finally, I address the placement of meta‐analysis in the wider current research agenda and make a plea for adoption of more prospective meta‐designs. In many/most/all fields, all primary original research may be designed, executed, and interpreted as a prospective meta‐analysis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relationship between RegIV gene expression to outcomes in colorectal cancer
Authors: Numata Masakatsu , Oshima Takashi , Yoshihara Kazue , Watanabe Takuo , Tsuchida Kazuhito , Tamagawa Hiroshi , Yamamoto Naoto , Shiozawa Manabu , Morinaga Soichiro , Akaike Makoto , Kunisaki Chikara , Rino Yasushi , Tanaka Katsuaki , Masuda Munetaka , Imada Toshio
Published: March 2011

Background

Regenerating islet‐derived family members (Reg) are superfamily of calcium‐dependant lectins that are expressed in the proximal gastrointestinal tract and ectopically at other sites in the setting of tissue injury. The regenerating islet‐derived family member 4 (RegIV) gene has been reported in various cancers, associating with diverse functions. This study examined the relation of the relative expression of RegIV gene to clinicopathological factors and outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods

We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated CRC. The relative expression levels of RegIV mRNA in cancer and in normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real‐time reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

Results

RegIV gene expression was higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. The multivariate analysis of clinicopathological factors for 5‐year overall survival showed a higher level of RegIV gene expression was a significant independent predictor. Overall survival at 5 years differed significantly between patients with high RegIV gene expression and those with low expression.

Conclusions

Overexpression of the RegIV gene is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in patients with CRC. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011;104:205–209. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effectiveness of biological geotextiles for soil and water conservation in different agro‐environments
Authors: Bhattacharyya R. , Fullen M. A. , Booth C. A. , Kertesz A. , Toth A. , Szalai Z. , Jakab G. , Kozma K. , Jankauskas B. , Jankauskiene G. , Bühmann C. , Paterson G. , Mulibana E. , Nell J. P. , Van Der Merwe G. M. E. , Guerra A. J. T. , Mendonca J. K. S. , Guerra T. T. , Sathler R. , Bezerra J. F. R. , Peres S. M. , Yi Z. , Yongmei L. , Li T. , Panomtarachichigul M. , Peukrai S. , Thu D. C. , Cuong T. H. , Toan T. T.
Published: March 2011

Available studies do not allow comparison and quantification of the effects of biological geotextiles on runoff and water erosion rates under different agro‐environmental conditions. Hence, this paper addresses this issue by comparing runoff and soil loss data obtained from field experiments (using different types of biological geotextiles) conducted in the United Kingdom, Hungary, South Africa, China, Thailand and Vietnam. Palm leaf mats (Borassus and Buriti mats) were used in the European countries. In the UK, Borassus mats were used as whole plot cover (area coverage ∼76 per cent; termed Borassus completely covered to differentiate from the Borassus buffer strip plots) and as buffer zones (area coverage ∼10 per cent), whereas Buriti mats were used only as buffer zones (area coverage ∼10 per cent). Only Lala mats were used in South Africa. Elsewhere (China, Thailand and Vietnam) biological geotextiles were constructed using other indigenous local materials, such as bamboo, rice straw and maize stalks. Biological geotextiles were used on bare plots in South Africa and the European countries. In the UK, plots were maintained bare by need based herbicide spraying. However, in South Asia, different crops were grown on the geotextile‐covered plots. Results suggest that biological geotextiles were very effective for soil erosion control in all locations and the effectiveness for decreasing soil erosion rates by water was in the range of ∼67–99 per cent. The effectiveness of biological geotextiles in reducing runoff volume was in the range of ∼26–81 per cent. In the UK, total runoff and soil loss (during 8 January 2007–6 May 2008; total precipitation = 1145.8 mm) from the Borassus (one metre wide) buffer zone plots (cover percentage ∼7.6 per cent) were, respectively, ∼81 and ∼93 per cent less than bare plots. In Hungary and China, plots with ∼38 and 22 per cent geotextile‐cover, respectively, had ∼88 and 96 per cent less soil loss, than bare plots. In most months with low precipitation (depth) in Hungary and the UK, runoff volume was greater from plots with geotextile‐cover than from bare soils. However, complete data sets indicate that in the UK and Hungary, runoff reduction by different treatments over bare plots ranged between ∼26 and 81 per cent. Results from the UK showed that plots with buffer strips of Borassus and Buriti mats had similar effects in reducing soil losses as completely covered plots of the Borassus mats. Thus, foreseeing biological geotextile‐cover on vulnerable segments of the landscape is highly effective for soil erosion control. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Etude de l'influence de silanes sur l'interface fibres de verre/matrice polypropylene
Authors: Crespy A. , Franon J. P. , Turenne S. , Cavrot J. P. , Caze C.
Published: March 2011

Several types of coupling agents containing silane groups have been introduced during the extrusion process of polypropylene reinforced by glass fibres. The influence of these additives on mechanical properties, especially tensile and impact strength, is studied in addition to the correlated observation of the rupture areas in tension by scanning electron microscopy. The results are interpreted in terms of more or less adhesion of the fibres in the matrix, as a result of the possible reactions of polymerization, crosslinking or grafting which can occur according to the nature of the addictive.
Variations des caracteristiques dielectriques des resines epoxydes au cours de leur reticulation sous microondes
Authors: Delmotte Michel , Jullien Henri
Published: March 2011

The dielectric loss factor of epoxy resin cured by amine is measured all along the curing, performed under a microwave field (2,45 GHz). A linear hypothesis based on the dielectric contributions of all known constituents allows to show a polar intermediate state; the formation of this state is reversible. An interpretation taking into account hydrogen bonds is proposed. The evolution of dielectric constants during curing brings evidences that microwaves are a peculiarly convenient means of energy transfer to chemical processes as cross‐linking reactions.
Dynamics of bulk polyethylene on a high coordination lattice
Authors: Doruker Pemra , Mattice Wayne L.
Published: March 2011

Monte Carlo simulations of bulk polyethylene were performed on a high‐coordination lattice. In this study, we investigated the effect of coarse‐grained short and long range interaction parameters on the dynamic properties of the bulk system. As a result of fine tuning of the simulation parameters, our coarse‐grained simulations were successful in mimicing the local and large‐scale dynamics of C44H90 and C100H202 melts.
Pseudo‐continuous transfer insensitive labeling technique
Authors: Ouyang Cheng , Sutton Bradley P.
Published: March 2011

Transfer insensitive labeling technique (TILT) was previously applied to acquire multislice cerebral blood flow maps as a pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) method. The magnetization transfer effect with TILT is well controlled by using concatenated radiofrequency pulses. However, use of TILT has been limited by several challenges, including slice profile errors, sensitivity to arterial transit time and intrinsic low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). In this work, we propose to address these challenges by making the original TILT method into a novel pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling approach, named pseudo‐continuous transfer insensitive labeling technique (pTILT). pTILT improves perfusion acquisitions by (i) realizing pseudo‐continuous tagging with nonadiabatic pulses, (ii) being sensitive to slow flows in addition to fast flows, and (iii) providing flexible labeling geometries. Perfusion maps during both resting state and functional tasks are successfully demonstrated in healthy volunteers with pTILT. A comparison with typical SNR values from other perfusion techniques shows that although pTILT provides less SNR than inversion‐based pseudo‐continuous ASL techniques, the modified sequence provides similar SNR to inversion‐based PASL techniques. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brain creatine elevation and N‐acetylaspartate reduction indicates neuronal dysfunction in the setting of enhanced glial energy metabolism in a macaque model of NeuroAIDS
Authors: Ratai Eva‐Maria , Annamalai Lakshmanan , Burdo Tricia , Joo Chan‐Gyu , Bombardier Jeffrey P. , Fell Robert , Hakimelahi Reza , He Julian , Lentz Margaret R. , Campbell Jennifer , Curran Elizabeth , Halpern Elkan F. , Masliah Eliezer , Westmoreland Susan. V. , Williams Kenneth C. , González R. Gilberto
Published: March 2011

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy has emerged as one of the most informative neuroimaging modalities for studying the effect of HIV infection in the brain, providing surrogate markers by which to assess disease progression and monitor treatment. Reductions in the level of N‐Acetylaspartate and N‐Acetylaspartate/creatine are established markers of neuronal injury or loss. However, the biochemical basis of altered creatine levels in neuroAIDS is not well understood. This study used a rapid progression macaque model of neuroAIDS to elucidate the changes in creatine. As the disease progressed, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed a decrease in N‐Acetylaspartate, indicative of neuronal injury, and an increase in creatine yet to be elucidated. Subsequently, immunohistochemistry and stereology measures of decreased synaptophysin, microtubule‐associated protein 2, and neuronal density confirmed neuronal injury. Furthermore, increases in ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein indicated microglial and astroglial activation, respectively. Given these data, elevated creatine may reflect enhanced high‐energy phosphate turnover in highly metabolizing activated astrocytes and microglia. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Visualization and quantification of intestinal transit and motor function by real‐time tracking of19F labeled capsules in humans
Authors: Hahn Tobias , Kozerke Sebastian , Schwizer Werner , Fried Michael , Boesiger Peter , Steingoetter Andreas
Published: March 2011

A combined19F and1H MRI framework for the assessment of human intestinal transit and motor function is presented. This framework consists of silicone coated polychlorotrifluoroethylene capsules filled with perfluoro‐[15]‐crown‐5‐ether as19F marker, a flexible19F surface coil and a19F projection imaging sequence, allowing for real‐time tracking of a single or multiple capsules. The capsules (length 11.5 mm, Ø 7.2 mm) contain 140 μL perfluoro‐[15]‐crown‐5‐ether and were tested for cytotoxicity and leakage prior to oral administration. A balanced SSFP projection sequence was implemented, yielding a temporal resolution of 133 ms. Optional multi‐frequency excitation, allowing for interleaved tracking of differently labeled19F capsules, was incorporated. The passage of the19F capsules through intestinal sections was monitored in two healthy volunteers. Capsule coordinates were successfully coregistered with anatomical reference scans. Intestinal motility, residence times, lengths and forward velocities were determined. Simultaneous tracking of two capsules allowed for the assessment of peristaltic patterns with correction for respiratory motion. By providing the means for real‐time multiple capsule tracking and high resolution anatomical imaging, the presented multinuclear imaging framework has the potential to provide important supplemental information for physiological and pharmaceutical research. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Internal Structure and Geological Context of Ramparted Depressions, Llanpumsaint, Wales
Authors: Ross N. , Harris C. , Brabham P.J. , Sheppard T.H.
Published: March 2011

In Europe, ramparted depressions have traditionally been interpreted as the relict forms of periglacial ground‐ice mounds. In many cases, however, such interpretations have been based on limited subsurface evidence. We present detailed sedimentological and geophysical investigations of ramparted depressions from Llanpumsaint, Wales. These data are used to establish internal structure and to evaluate possible mechanisms for landform formation. Borehole and geophysical data have revealed a thick (∼30 m) sequence of glaciolacustrine sediments beneath the study site. The geological context (drainage of a large proglacial lake) would have been conducive to the formation of: (i) permafrost‐related ground‐ice mounds, at times when exposed frost‐susceptible glaciolacustrine sediments were subject to permafrost aggradation; and (ii) craters associated with the in‐situ meltout of blocks of glacier ice grounded in the lake during periods of falling water levels. Rampart deformation structures are consistent with both models, but units of sand and gravel within the ramparts favour a hypothesis that these landforms represent the collapsed remains of ground‐ice mounds. This study highlights the importance of recognising and evaluating all possible (periglacial and non‐periglacial) models for the development of ramparted depressions. We recommend that future studies carefully consider all possible mechanisms of formation, particularly where subsurface information is limited. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The sodium channel gene in Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval): identification and expression analysis of a mutation associated with pyrethroid resistance
Authors: Ya‐ning Feng , Shu Zhao , Wei Sun , Ming Li , Wen‐cai Lu , Lin He
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND: The carmine spider mite (CSM), Tetranychus cinnabarinus, is the most harmful mite pest of various crops and vegetable plants. Pyrethroid insecticide fenpropathrin has been used to control insects and mites worldwide, but CSM has developed resistance to this compound.

RESULTS: Three synergists together eliminated about 50% resistance against fenpropathrin in the CSM. A point mutation was identified from the sodium channel gene of fenpropathrin‐resistant CSM (FeR) by comparing cDNA sequences between FeR and susceptible (S) sodium channel genes, which caused a phenylalanine (F) to isoleucine (I) change at amino acid 1538 position in IIIS6 of the sodium channel and has been proven to confer strong resistance to pyrethroid in other species. The mRNA expression of the sodium channel gene in the FeR and abamectin‐resistant strain (AbR), which was included as a control, were both relatively lower than in the S.

CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that a mutation (F1538I) is present in the sodium channel gene in FeR of CSM, likely playing an important role in fenpropathrin resistance in T. cinnabarinus, but that decrease in the abundance of sodium channel did not confer this resistance. The F1538I mutation could be used as a molecular marker for detecting kdr resistance in Arachnida populations. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Glyphosate reduces urediniospore development and Puccinia psidii disease severity on Eucalyptus grandis
Authors: Tuffi Santos Leonardo D , Graça Rodrigo N , Alfenas Acelino C , Ferreira Francisco A , Melo Christiane AD , Machado Miler S
Published: March 2011

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown the effects of glyphosate drift on decreasing rust intensity on Eucalyptus grandis plants. However, the effects of the herbicide on Puccinia psidii initial development are unknown. In this study the systemic action of glyphosate on rust severity was evaluated on Eucalyptus plants maintained under greenhouse conditions. Urediniospore germination and apressorium formation on detached leaves and on water agar medium, previously treated with glyphosate, were also evaluated.

RESULTS: Rust severity and the number of urediniospores per leaf area were significantly reduced with increasing glyphosate doses, even on branches not directly treated with the herbicide, indicating a systemic effect of glyphosate on pathogen development. Similarly, higher glyphosate doses also reduced germination and apressorium formation on detached Eucalyptus leaves, regardless of the direct application of the product on the leaf limb or on the petiole base. Puccinia psidii urediniospore germination in water agar medium also decreased with increasing herbicide doses.

CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in germination and apressorium formation of P. psidii urediniospores with increasing glyphosate dose indicate that a lower severity and intensity of the disease may perhaps be due to blockage of the shikimic acid pathway in the fungal metabolic system. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Transition‐state spectroscopy using ultrashort laser pulses
Authors: Kobayashi Takayoshi , Yabushita Atsushi
Published: March 2011

To gain a complete understanding of a chemical reaction, it is necessary to determine the structural changes that occur to the reacting molecules during the reaction. Chemists have long dreamed of being able to determine the molecular structure changes that occur during a chemical reaction, including the structures of transition states (TSs). The use of ultrafast spectroscopy to gain a detailed knowledge of chemical reactions (including their TSs) promises to be a revolutionary way to increase reaction efficiencies and enhance the reaction products, which is difficult to do using conventional methods that are based on trial and error. To confirm the molecular structures of TSs predicted by theoretical analysis, chemists have long desired to directly observe the TSs of chemical reactions. Direct observations have been realized by ultrafast spectroscopy using ultrashort laser pulses. Our group has been able to stably generate visible to near‐infrared sub‐5‐fs laser pulses using a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA). We used these sub‐5‐fs pulses to study reaction processes (including their TSs) by detecting structural changes. We determine reaction mechanisms by observing the TSs in a chemical reaction and by performing density‐functional theory calculations. DOI 10.1002/tcr.201000018
Noncoding RNAs in gene regulation
Authors: Wery Maxime , Kwapisz Marta , Morillon Antonin
Published: March 2011

RNAs have been traditionally viewed as intermediates between DNA and proteins. However, there is a growing body of literature indicating that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are key players for gene regulation, genome stability, and chromatin modification. In addition to the well‐known small interfering RNAs and microRNAs acting in transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene silencing, recent advances in the field of transcriptome exploration have revealed novel sets of new small and large ncRNAs. Many of them appear to be conserved across mammals, and abnormal expression of several ncRNAs has been linked to a wide variety of human diseases, such as cancer. Here, we review the different classes of ncRNAs identified to date, in yeast and mammals, and we discuss the mechanisms by which they affect gene regulation. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2011 3 728–738 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.148

This article is categorized under:

Biological Mechanisms > Regulatory Biology
Predictive Value of Retroperitoneal Fat Area Measurement for Detecting Metabolic Syndrome in Patients Undergoing Adrenalectomy
Authors: Ersöz Feyzullah , Erbil Yeşim , Sarı Serkan , Salmaslıoğlu Artür , Işsever Halim , Aral Ferihan , Özarmağan Selçuk
Published: March 2011

Background

Visceral obesity is one of the main components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). The retroperitoneal fat area (RFA) is part of the intraabdominal adipose mass. The aim of this clinical trial was to determine whether there is an association between the RFA measurement and MetS components in patients undergoing laparoscopic lateral transabdominal adrenalectomy.

Methods

The study population consisted of 61 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy between January 2007 and June 2010 at the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine. Anthropometric, demographic, and biochemical parameters as well as cardiometabolic risk factors were recorded. The RFA was calculated using computed tomography.

Results

The mean body mass index, waist circumference, and RFA in patients with MetS was significantly higher than that of the patients without MetS. There were positive correlations between RFA and central obesity (r = 0.675, p = 0.0001) and MetS (r = 0.894, p = 0.0001). The strongest correlation was observed between RFA and MetS. According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, RFA measurement correctly predicted MetS risk in 96% of patients and failed in only 4%.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that measurement of the RFA may provide a safe, easy assessment of its metabolic risk.
Oral Docosapentaenoic Acid (22:5n‐3) Is Differentially Incorporated into Phospholipid Pools and Differentially Metabolized to Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Tissues from Young Rats
Authors: Holub Bruce J. , Swidinsky Patricia , Park Eek
Published: March 2011

The present study assessed the effect of oral supplementation with docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n‐3) on the levels of serum and tissue lipid classes and their fatty acid compositions including individual phospholipid types in rat liver, heart, and kidney. Sprague–Dawley rats received daily oral gavage over 10 days as corn oil without (controls) or with purified DPA in free fatty acid form (21.2 mg/day). The DPA group exhibited significantly lower serum lipid concentrations. The concentrations in μmol/100 g serum or μmol/g tissue of DPA in the total lipid (TL) were higher by 2.3‐, 2.4‐, 10.9‐, and 5.1‐fold in the DPA group of serum, liver, heart, and kidney, respectively, with the phospholipids (PL) being the major DPA reservoir (45.2–52.1% of the DPA in the TL). No significant differences in DHA (22:6n‐3) amounts in TL appeared. The highest relative mol% values as DPA were in heart tissue (means of 11.1% in PL and 16.2% in phosphatidylinositol) and lowest in kidney. The EPA (20:5n‐3) concentrations were markedly higher in the DPA group and most pronounced in the kidney (5.1 times higher in the TL as compared to controls) relative to liver and heart yielding an estimated apparent % conversion of DPA to EPA of 67% and EPA:DPA ratios reaching 5.74 in kidney phosphatidylethanolamine. The serum lipid‐lowering potential of dietary DPA and its impact in the kidney with the derived EPA warrants investigation.
Efficacy of enterotoxigenicEscherichia colivaccine for bovine clinical mastitis
Authors: Morimoto Kazuhide , Shimizu Madoka , Kurose Tomoyasu , Nakatani Keiji , Akita Shinji , Shinozuka Yasunori , Isobe Naoki
Published: March 2011

An enterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) vaccine designed to prevent diarrhoea was inoculated into dairy cows, and the occurrence of clinical mastitis was investigated for 2 years. Half of 480 cows in five farms were subcutaneously inoculated with ETEC vaccine (Imocolibov) twice with a 1-month interval in 2007 and 2008. Fisher's exact test and survival (time to event) analysis with the log-rank test were used to compare vaccinates and controls. In 2007, there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of mastitis between vaccinate (20·3%) and control (17·1%) cows. The rate of death or culling due to mastitis was lower in vaccinated cows (7·4%) than in control cows (29·2%,P=0·07, Fisher's exact test;P=0·02, log-rank test). In 2008, there was no significant difference in both the incidence rate of mastitis and the rate of death or culling due to mastitis. Milk productivity was compared between vaccinates and controls in one farm. Multi-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for the amount of 4% fat-corrected milk, and there was no significant difference between vaccinates and controls. These results suggest that ETEC vaccine inoculation reduces death or culling due to mastitis, whereas no preventive effect on the development of mastitis was observed.
The Asian Monsoons and Zheng He's Voyages to the Western Ocean
Authors: Hui Deng , Xin Li
Published: March 2011

The expedition of Zheng He's fleet to the Western Ocean1 in the first half of the 15th century is an important event in the history of navigation, which has attracted the broad attention of domestic and foreign scholars from different fields2. This paper reveals the relation between Zheng He's voyages and the Asian Monsoon from a geographical perspective. Historical records show that Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Ocean were precisely organized and successfully carried out due to careful consideration of the conditions and periodical patterns of the Asian tropical and subtropical monsoon. Details such as fleet routes, sailing schedules, wind-waiting points, divergent and rendezvous points were painstakingly planned and arranged in advance by the organizers of the expedition, who all paid close attention to the changing patterns of the Asian Monsoon.
THE INVENTION OF SUSTAINABILITY
Authors: WARDE PAUL
Published: March 2011

This essay attempts something a little peculiar: a study of the genesis of a concept within discourses which did not, in fact, use the word. This is at least true of “sustainability” in English. The emergence of the German equivalent,Nachhaltigkeit, which might also be expressed by the idea of “lasting-ness”, is, however, usually dated to the use of the wordnachhalthendeby Hanns Carl von Carlowitz in hisSylvicultura oeconomicaof 1713, the first great forestry manual of the eighteenth century. In fact, the term can be found in the 1650s.
MAINTAINING (ENVIRONMENTAL) CAPITAL INTACT
Authors: ROTHSCHILD EMMA
Published: March 2011

The idea of sustainability is an odd composite of imagination and accounting. Environmental history is a permissive historical subdiscipline, and this essay is about the environmental–economic–intellectual history of an environmental idea, sustainability, which is historical in the sense that it is very old, and historical, too, in the sense that it is an idea about history, or about imagining the future in relation to the past. One of the oddities of the last several decades is that these old ideas have been transformed into the most celebrated of all the dicta of environmental policy, or an aspiration of UN commissions, “strategy consultancies”, and very large government agencies (“sustainability is our ‘true north.’”)