bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphology of the skull of the white‐nosed blindsnake, Liotyphlops albirostris (Scolecophidia: Anomalepididae)
Authors: Rieppel Olivier , Kley Nathan J. , Maisano Jessica Anderson
Published: December 2008

This article presents a detailed description and illustration of the skull of Liotyphlops albirostris in comparison to the skulls of Typhlophis squamosus, Leptotyphlops dulcis, and Typhlops jamaicensis, based on high‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography (HRXCT). The skull of T. squamosus is illustrated and discussed in detail for the first time. A number of uniquely shared derived characters is identified that support the monophyly of the clade Anomalepididae. Anomalepidids retain some features that are plesiomorphic relative to other scolecophidians, such as the presence of a supratemporal (except in Anomalepis) and ectopterygoid. The homology of the element located posteroventral to the eyeball in anomalepidids and variably referred to as a jugal or postorbital (or a fusion of both in Anomalepis) remains unknown. Scolecophidians exhibit a highly derived skull morphology adapted to head‐first burrowing. Both anomalepidids and typhlopids evolved a condition known as an “outer shell design,” but did so in different ways. Leptotyphlopids combine elements of both the anomalepidid and typhlopid snout morphologies. J. Morphol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Placental ontogeny in Tasmanian snow skinks (genus Niveoscincus) (Lacertilia: Scincidae)
Authors: Stewart James R. , Thompson Michael B.
Published: December 2008

Lizards of the viviparous genus Niveoscincus contributed importantly to a classic model for the evolution of placentation of squamate reptiles. This model predicts that: (1) placental function is correlated with placental structural complexity and (2) the type of chorioallantoic placenta attributed to three species of Niveoscincus (N. metallicus, N. ocellatus, N. pretiosus) is intermediate in complexity to a highly placentotrophic type of placenta. Recent studies of two of these species (N. metallicus, N. ocellatus) revealed additional variation in placental structure, as well as variation in the level of placentotrophy; N. metallicus is predominantly lecithotrophic, while N. ocellatus is highly placentotrophic. We used light microscopy to study placental ontogeny in two biennially reproducing species of Niveoscincus (N. greeni, N. microlepidotus) and placental morphology in late stage embryos of N. pretiosus. These data, in combination with prior studies, provide descriptions of placental structure for six of the eight species assigned to this lineage. The genus Niveoscincus has greater variation in placental structure than any other squamate lineage. We recognize four distinct groupings among these six species based on placental structure. The most highly placentotrophic species, N. ocellatus, has a complex placental morphology, yet shares these structures with a predominantly lecithotrophic species, N. microlepidotus. Thus, among species of Niveoscincus, placental structural complexity is not an infallible predictor of overall placental function. J. Morphol. 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trophic apparatus in cyprinodontiform fishes: Functional specializations for picking and scraping behaviors
Authors: Hernandez L. Patricia , Gibb Alice C. , Ferry‐Graham Lara
Published: December 2008

Cyprinodontiforms are a diverse and speciose order that includes topminnows, pupfishes, swordtails, mosquitofishes, guppies, and mollies. Sister group to the Beloniformes and Atheriniformes, Cyprinodontiformes contains approximately twice the number of species of these other two orders combined. Recent studies suggest that this group is well suited to capturing prey by “picking” small items from the water surface, water column, and the substrate. Because picking places unusual performance demands on the feeding apparatus, this mode of prey capture may rely upon novel morphological modifications not found in more widespread ram‐ or suction‐based feeding mechanisms. To assess this evolutionary hypothesis, we describe the trophic anatomy of 16 cyprinodontiform species, selected to broadly represent the order as well as capture intrageneric variation. The group appears to have undergone gradual morphological changes to become increasingly specialized for picking and scraping behaviors. We also identify a suite of functional characters related to the acquisition of a novel and previously undescribed mechanism of premaxillary protrusion and retraction, including: modification of the “premaxillomandibular” ligament (which connects each side of the premaxilla to the ipsilateral mandible, or lower jaw), a novel architecture of the ligaments and bony elements that unite the premaxillae, maxillae and palatine bones, and novel insertions of the adductor muscles onto the jaws. These morphological changes to both the upper and lower jaws suggest an evolutionary trend within this group toward increased reliance on picking individual prey from the water column/substrate or for scraping encrusting material from the substrate. We propose that the suite of morphological characters described here enable a functional innovation, “picking,” which leads to novel trophic habits. J. Morphol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lamivudine monoprophylaxis and adefovir salvage for liver transplantation in chronic hepatitis B: A seven‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Limquiaco Jenny L. , Wong John , Wong Vincent W.S. , Wong Grace L.H. , Tse Chi‐Hang , Chan Hoi‐Yun , Kwan Katherine Y.Y. , Lai Paul B.S. , Chan Henry L.Y.
Published: December 2008

In Asia Pacific countries, lamivudine is used frequently as the sole prophylaxis for hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence after liver transplantation due to financial consideration. The aim was to evaluate the long‐term outcome of lamivudine monoprophylaxis with adefovir salvage for liver transplantation in chronic hepatitis B. Consecutive chronic hepatitis B patients who received liver transplantation from 1999 to 2003 and with at least 12 months follow up were studied. Lamivudine monotherapy was used for antiviral prophylaxis and adefovir was added as salvage treatment for recurrence of HBV. Twenty‐four patients were followed up for 272 (76–372) weeks post‐liver transplantation. HBV recurrence developed in seven patients with cumulative probabilities of 8%, 13%, 28%, 35%, 35%, and 49% in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. At the time of recurrence of HBV, the HBV DNA level was 910,244 (363 to 9 × 108) copies/ml. On direct sequencing, four patients had rtM204I mutation and three patients HBV DNA levels were too low for sequencing. Six patients had elevated ALT (two patients had ALT >1,000 IU/L and jaundice) but none had hepatic encephalopathy. After adefovir treatment for 150 (91–193) weeks, six (86%) patients had normal ALT. HBV DNA was undetectable in two (29%) patients, 100–1,000 copies/ml in two (29%) patients and 10,000–100,000 copies/ml in three (43%) patients on last visit. No genotypic resistance to adefovir was detected. Lamivudine followed by adefovir salvage is effective for prophylaxis of recurrence of HBV after liver transplantation up to 7 years. J. Med. Virol. 81:224–229, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Epidemiology of enterovirus types causing neurological disease in Austria 1999–2007: Detection of clusters of echovirus 30 and enterovirus 71 and analysis of prevalent genotypes
Authors: Ortner Birgit , Huang Chiao‐Wei , Schmid Daniela , Mutz Ingomar , Wewalka Günther , Allerberger Franz , Yang Jyh‐Yuan , Huemer Hartwig P.
Published: December 2008

Between 1999 and 2007 1,388 stool specimens from patients with acute flaccid paralysis or aseptic meningitis were submitted to the Austrian reference laboratory for poliomyelitis. Samples (201) yielded non‐poliovirus enterovirus in culture. One hundred eighty‐one viruses were available for typing and 78 isolates which remained serologically untyped were further analyzed by CODEHOP‐PCR and sequencing of the VP1 gene and the 5′‐untranslated region (5′‐UTR). Typing revealed an Echovirus 30 outbreak in northwestern Austria in 2000, which was in accordance with the situation in Europe, and no dramatic seasonal changes of Coxsackie viruses were observed. In 2002/2003 a small outbreak of enterovirus 71 (EV71), affected 12 patients in the province of Styria. This virus was identified as genotype C1 and appeared to be genetically distinct from the isolates observed in 2001/2002 in Vienna. In 2004 two unrelated cases occurred in Lower Austria, which were identified as genotype C4, which has been described associated with high mortality most recently in China. In contrast to the situation in Asia the detected EV71 cases were not associated with hand–foot–mouth disease, but with serous meningitis only. This was surprising as a recent publication suggested a reduced neurovirulence of C1 genotype in children in Norway, presumably due to alterations in 5′‐UTR and polymerase gene. However, comparing the 5′‐UTR of the Austrian isolates and established virulent reference strains to the Norwegian isolate and an attenuated EV71 laboratory strain we did not find an indication that the genotype C1 possesses a RNA structure in its 5′‐UTR leading to reduced neurovirulence. J. Med. Virol. 81:317–324, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In vitro analysis of synergism and antagonism of different nucleoside/nucleotide analogue combinations on the inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication
Authors: Perez‐Olmeda M. , Garcia‐Perez J. , Mateos E. , Spijkers S. , Ayerbe M.C. , Carcas A. , Alcami J.
Published: December 2008

In this study we have developed an in vitro system to evaluate the combined effect of two NRTIs on HIV replication and to assess their antagonism or synergy. Synergy or antagonism effect was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to approach a more physiological model than T‐cell lines. PBMCs were infected with a full‐length HIV‐1 clone carrying the luciferase gene as a reporter. The following combinations were investigated: zidovudine+stavudine (ZDV +  d4T), lamivudine + abacavir (3TC + ABC), lamivudine + didanosine (3TC + ddI), lamivudine + stavudine (3TC + d4T), tenofovir + stavudine (TDF + d4T), tenofovir + didanosine (TDF + ddI), tenofovir + abacavir (TDF + ABC), tenofovir +  lamivudine (TDF + 3TC), tenofovir + zidovudine (TDF + ZDV), stavudine + didanosine (d4T + ddI), zidovudine + lamivudine (ZDV + 3TC), abacavir +  didanosine (ABC + ddI), zidovudine + didanosine (ZDV + ddI), and abacavir + stavudine (ABC +  d4T). The effect of combining two drugs was evaluated with a quantitative method based on the median‐effect principle of Chou and Talalay. A synergistic effect was observed with combinations containing TDF and ZDV or d4T, d4T and ddI and ZDV plus 3TC. In contrast, combinations including TDF + ddI, 3TC + ddI, ABC + ddI, and ZDV + ddI showed an antagonistic effect on the inhibition of viral replication at all levels of inhibition tested. Lower antagonistic effect was also found in drug combinations that included 3TC + ABC, 3TC + TDF, 3TC + d4T, and TDF +  ABC. In conclusion, the method developed allows to measure in vitro the effect of different combinations of two NRTIs on HIV replication. The results suggest that combined therapy including TDF with thymidine analogues may be considered for future therapeutic options in contrast to clearly antagonistic combinations such us TDF plus ddI or 3TC plus ddI, that would explain virological failure in clinical studies when these combinations were used. J. Med. Virol. 81:211–216, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
LTR real‐time PCR for HIV‐1 DNA quantitation in blood cells for early diagnosis in infants born to seropositive mothers treated in HAART area (ANRS CO 01)
Authors: Véronique Avettand‐Fènoël , Marie‐Laure Chaix , Stéphane Blanche , Marianne Burgard , Corinne Floch , Kadidia Toure , Marie‐Christine Allemon , Josiane Warszawski , Christine Rouzioux ,   for the French Pediatric Cohort Study ANRS—CO 01 Group
Published: December 2008

HIV‐1 diagnosis in babies born to seropositive mothers is one of the challenges of HIV epidemics in children. A simple, rapid protocol was developed for quantifying HIV‐1 DNA in whole blood samples and was used in the ANRS French pediatric cohort in conditions of prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission. A quantitative HIV‐1 DNA protocol (LTR real‐time PCR) requiring small blood volumes was developed. First, analytical reproducibility was evaluated on 172 samples. Results obtained on blood cell pellets and Ficoll‐Hypaque separated mononuclear cells were compared in 48 adult HIV‐1 samples. Second, the protocol was applied to HIV‐1 diagnosis in infants in parallel with plasma HIV‐RNA quantitation. This prospective study was performed in children born between May 2005 and April 2007 included in the ANRS cohort. The assay showed good reproducibility. The 95% detection cut‐off value was 6 copies/PCR, that is, 40 copies/106 leukocytes. HIV‐DNA levels in whole blood were highly correlated with those obtained after Ficoll‐Hypaque separation (r = 0.900, P < 0.0001). A total of 3,002 specimens from 1,135 infants were tested. The specificity of HIV‐DNA and HIV‐RNA assays was 100%. HIV‐1 infection was diagnosed in nine infants before age 60 days. HIV‐DNA levels were low, underlining the need for sensitive assays when highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been given. The performances of this HIV‐DNA assay showed that it is adapted to early diagnosis in children. The results were equivalent to those of HIV‐RNA assay. HIV‐DNA may be used even in masked primary infection in newborns whose mothers have received HAART. J. Med. Virol. 81:217–223, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A double‐spliced defective hepatitis B virus genome derived from hepatocellular carcinoma tissue enhanced replication of full‐length virus
Authors: Ma Zhang‐Mei , Lin Xu , Wang Yong‐Xiang , Tian Xiao‐Chen , Xie You‐Hua , Wen Yu‐Mei
Published: December 2008

In hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication cycle, pregenomic RNA undergoes splicing and the reverse transcribed defective genomes can be packaged and released. Various types of spliced defective HBV genomes have been isolated from the sera and liver tissues of viral hepatitis B patients. To explore the functions of a 2.2 kb double spliced HBV variant, a 3.2 kb full‐length HBV isolate (#97–34) and its 2.2 kb double‐spliced HBV variant (#AP–12) from the tumor tissue of a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were amplified and cloned. Sequencing results showed that #AP12 had deletions in pre‐S2, part of pre‐S1, S genes, part of the spacer, and part of the reverse transcriptase gene, while the X gene was intact. When this defective double‐spliced genome and its full‐length counterpart genome were co‐transfected into HepG2 cells, the former was shown to enhance the replication of the latter, both by real‐time PCR and Southern blotting. When a replication incompetent clone 97–34G1881A was used to co‐transfect with #AP12, #AP12 DNA was increased, indicating that replication of the wild‐type virus was not the only factor involved in this observation. However, the replication enhancing competency of #AP12 was shown to require an intact HBV X expression cassette. The double‐spliced defective variant might contribute to persistent HBV replication in a subpopulation of HCC patients. J. Med. Virol. 81:230–237, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Transmission of hepatitis C virus in an orthopedic hospital ward
Authors: Ross R.S. , Viazov S. , Khudyakov Y.E. , Xia G.L. , Lin Y. , Holzmann H. , Sebesta C. , Roggendorf M. , Janata O.
Published: December 2008

Healthcare‐associated infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) hitherto have been observed mainly in hemodialysis settings as well as in hematology and oncology wards. In this communication, molecular and epidemiologic investigations to elucidate an HCV outbreak in an orthopedic ward are reported. One hundred and thirty‐five patients hospitalized in the ward and 104 staff members were tested. In addition to extensive epidemiologic reviews and hygienic inspections, direct sequencing of HCV PCR fragments and phylogenetic analysis of more than 300 partial HCV sequences obtained by end‐point limiting‐dilution real‐time PCR assay were carried out. Six patients were infected with very closely related HCV variants. Patient‐to‐patient spread of the virus was inferred to have started from one patient with previous HCV infection to the other five patients during their hospital stay. Inspections did not reveal substantial breaches in basic infection control practices and did not identify a specific activity that might have led to nosocomial transmission. As a result of the investigations, the hospital corrected the documentation of all medical and nursing activities undertaken in the ward, abandoned the use of all multidose saline and other medication vials, and included explicitly recommendations for the safe preparation and administration of injectable drugs into internal infection control guidelines. Thereafter, no further nosocomial transmissions of HCV have been recorded in the orthopedic ward. The events observed suggest that nosocomial transmission of HCV is not limited to hemodialysis, hematology or oncology settings, and they also reinforce the mandatory adherence to basic infection control practices. J. Med. Virol. 81:249–257, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The autumn break for cropping in southeast Australia: trends, synoptic influences and impacts on wheat yield
Authors: Pook Michael , Lisson Shaun , Risbey James , Ummenhofer Caroline C. , McIntosh Peter , Rebbeck Melissa
Published: December 2008

The autumn break is the first significant rainfall event of the winter growing season. Two definitions of the autumn break have been developed for northwestern Victoria; a so‐called ideal break and a minimum rainfall condition for sowing a wheat crop termed a minimal break. Application of the ideal break definition for an eight‐station average reveals that 41 autumn breaks occurred in the first half of the record (1889–1947) and 34 in the second half (1948–2006) with a trend towards breaks occurring later in the season. In the decade to 2006, there have been only 3 ideal breaks (1999, 2000 and 2005) and none of the selected rainfall stations has recorded an ‘extreme’ wet autumn over the last 11 years, the longest period recorded for this criterion. A synoptic analysis for the period 1956–2006 has established that breaks are predominantly associated with systems known as cutoff lows. The influence of these systems has varied markedly throughout the analysis period and only one autumn break has been caused by a cutoff low in the final decade of the analysis. Additionally, the total rainfall associated with cutoff lows in the April to June period has declined significantly over the past 30 years.

A farming system model has been employed to simulate a wheat crop in northwestern Victoria under historical conditions for a range of management options. Average yield across all years of the simulation declines with delay in the sowing date after late April, but there is a marked interannual variability in yield response to the sowing date which is related to rainfall distribution in the growing season in each year. The simulated in‐crop rainfall indicates that the most recent drought in southeastern Australia is comparable in severity with the two major droughts in the 20th Century. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
A continuous Holocene beetle record from the site Stavsåkra, southern Sweden: implications for the last 10 600 years of forest and land use history
Authors: Olsson Fredrik , Lemdahl Geoffrey
Published: December 2008

Beetle remains from a small bog in southern Sweden contribute information concerning the forest history of the study area. The study shows that beetles are valuable indicators of woodland structures such as openness, field vegetation, presence of dead wood and disturbance factors such as climate change, fire regimes, grazing and land use. The early Holocene, ca. 8600–6450 cal. BC, was characterised by open, pine‐dominated woodlands maintained by fire and grazing disturbances. The changes in the wetland fauna, between 8600 and 7500 cal. BC, correlate well with low lake levels in southern Sweden. During the mid Holocene, ca. 6450–2400 cal. BC, the woodlands were relatively dense, with few openings in the canopy. Around 4200 cal. BC, there was a shift to a dominance of deciduous trees. Fire and grazing pressures were particularly low. Numbers of aquatic and hygrophilic beetles indicate dry conditions between ca. 5000 and 3000 cal. BC. During the late Holocene, ca. 2400 cal. BC to present, the woodlands opened up mainly through increased land use. The main disturbance factors were fire and grazing. The beetles indicate the formation of heather‐dominated heathland around 800 cal. BC. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article was published online on 23 December 2008. An error was subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected (5 August 2009).
Raman spectral studies of Zr4+‐rich BaZrxTi1−xO3(0.5⩽x⩽1.00) phase diagram
Authors: Karan N. K. , Katiyar R. S. , Maiti T. , Guo R. , Bhalla A. S.
Published: December 2008

This paper reports a systematic study of the composition and the temperature‐dependent‐Raman spectra of Zr4+‐rich BaZrxTi1−xO3 (BZT) ceramic compositions (0.50⩽x⩽1.00). On the basis of the dielectric behavior of Zr rich BZT ceramics, the observed relaxor behavior has been hypothesized as a result of increasing long‐range interactions of nanosized, Ti4+‐rich polar regions in a Zr4+‐rich nonpolar matrix. Beyond an optimum concentration of BaTiO3 (BT) in the nonpolar matrix of BaZrO3 (x⩽0.75), a critical size and density of the polar regions is reached when the polar clusters start showing the relaxor like behavior, which finally show classical relaxor behavior for compositions with x = 0.5 and 0.6. This hypothesis is strongly supported from the Raman data on Zr‐rich BZT presented in this paper. Well‐defined BT Raman spectra for 5% BT in BZT composition were recorded, which followed completely up to the 50% Ti addition in the BZT samples. The temperature‐dependent Raman spectra collected on the BZT ceramics far beyond the dielectric transition temperatures supported the existence of the nano‐polar BT regions, like in typical relaxor samples. The full width at half‐maximum (FWHM), integrated intensity of the peaks in the Raman spectra has been analyzed to further support the conclusions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of Lactobacillus cultures on performance of laying hens, and total cholesterol, lipid and fatty acid composition of egg yolk
Authors: Ramasamy Kalavathy , Abdullah Norhani , Jalaludin Syed , Wong Michael , Ho Yin Wan
Published: December 2008

BACKGROUND: The use of antibiotic growth promoters in animal feeds is not approved for laying hens in many countries, and economically feasible biological measures which include probiotics are developed to improve hen performance. The present study investigated the effects of probiotics on hen performance for a 48‐week period and the cholesterol, total lipid and fatty acid composition of egg yolk at 24, 28 and 32 weeks of age.

RESULTS: Egg weight of Lactobacillus culture (LC)‐fed hens was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than that of control hens throughout the laying period. From 20 to 44 weeks of age, LC‐fed hens produced a significantly (P < 0.05) lower percentage of small eggs and a higher percentage of large eggs, and from 45 to 68 weeks of age a significantly (P < 0.05) lower percentage of medium eggs and a higher percentage of large and extra‐large eggs than control hens. Significantly (P < 0.05) less cholesterol was found in egg yolks of hens fed LC at 24 and 28 weeks of age, but not at 32 weeks of age. The total lipid content and the fatty acid composition of egg yolks were similar between the treatments at 24, 28 and 32 weeks of age, except for stearic acid (C18 : 0), which was significantly reduced in the egg yolk of LC‐fed hens at 28–32 weeks of age.

CONCLUSION: The greatest benefit of LC was in increasing egg weight and improving egg size by influencing a shift from small and medium to large and extra‐large eggs. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Determination of main taxoids in Taxus species by microwave‐assisted extraction combined with LC‐MS/MS analysis
Authors: Luo Hao , Nie Ying‐Kun , Fu Yu‐Jie , Zu Yuan‐Gang , Li Shuang‐Ming , Liu Wei , Zhang Lin , Luo Meng , Kong Yu , Li Zheng‐Nan
Published: December 2008

A method based on microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) has been developed for the determination of paclitaxel and five related taxoids, namely 10‐deacetylbaccatin III (10‐DAB III), cephalomannine, 10‐deacetylpaclitaxel (10‐DAT), 7‐xyl‐10‐ deacetylpaclitaxel (7‐xyl‐10‐DAT), and 7‐epi‐10‐deacetylpaclitaxel (7‐epi‐10‐DAT) in Taxus species in this study. The influential parameters of the MAE procedure were optimized, and the optimal conditions were as follows: extraction solvent 80% ethanol solution, solid/liquid ratio 1:10 (g/mL), temperature 50°C, and three extraction cycles, each cycle 10 min. The method validation for LC‐MS/MS analysis was performed. The LOD and LOQ were 3.16–9.20 and 12.20–30.45 ng/mL, respectively. Repeatability and reproducibility for the six taxiods with RSD ranged from 2.78 to 3.85% and from 5.26 to 6.60%. The recoveries of the method for the six taxoids were 92.6–105.6%. The developed MAE‐LC‐MS/MS method was also successfully applied to determine the contents of six taxoids in different Taxus species.
Posttraumatic stress symptoms as a mediator between sexual assault and adverse health outcomes in undergraduate women
Authors: Eadie Erin M. , Runtz Marsha G. , Spencer‐Rodgers Julie
Published: December 2008

This study investigated the links between sexual assault experiences, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and adverse physical health outcomes among undergraduate women. Existing research has demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder mediates the relationship between trauma exposure and physical health in general, but this has yet to be tested for sexual assault specifically. Using structural equation modeling, support was found for a model in which posttraumatic stress symptom severity partially mediates the association between sexual assault severity and self‐reported health outcomes. An alternative model using depression symptoms did not meet the criteria for mediation. Implications for the physical health of sexual assault survivors are discussed.
Self‐compassion and PTSD symptom severity
Authors: Thompson Brian L. , Waltz Jennifer
Published: December 2008

Neff's (2003a, 2003b) notion of self‐compassion emphasizes kindness towards one's self, a feeling of connectedness with others, and mindful awareness of distressing experiences. Because exposure to trauma and subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PSS) may be associated with self‐criticism and avoidance of internal experiences, the authors examined the relationship between self‐compassion and PSS. Out of a sample of 210 university students, 100 endorsed experiencing a Criterion A trauma. Avoidance symptoms significantly correlated with self‐compassion, but reexperiencing and hyperarousal did not. Individuals high in self‐compassion may engage in less avoidance strategies following trauma exposure, allowing for a natural exposure process.
Unprecedented, Low Cytotoxicity of Spongelike Calcium Phosphate/Poly(ethylene imine) Hydrogel Composites
Authors: Shkilnyy Andriy , Gräf Ralph , Hiebl Bernhard , Neffe Axel T. , Friedrich Alwin , Hartmann Jürgen , Taubert Andreas
Published: December 2008

Covalently crosslinked PEI hydrogels are efficient templates for calcium phosphate mineralization in SBF. In contrast to the PEI hydrogels, non‐crosslinked PEI does not lead to calcium phosphate nucleation and growth in SBF. The precipitate is a mixture of brushite and hydroxyapatite. The PEI/calcium phosphate composite material exhibits a sponge like morphology and a chemical composition that is interesting for implants. Cytotoxicity tests using Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae show that both the non‐mineralized and mineralized hydrogels have a very low cytotoxicity. This suggests that next generation PEI hydrogels, where also the degradation products are non‐toxic, could be interesting for biomedical applications.

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Calderón–Zygmund operators with operator‐valued kernel on homogeneous Besov spaces
Authors: Kaiser Cornelia
Published: December 2008

We consider generalized Calderón–Zygmund operators whose kernel takes values in the space of all continuous linear operators between two Banach spaces. In the spirit of the T (1) theorem of David and Journé we prove boundedness results for such operators on vector‐valued Besov spaces. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
BV‐extension of rate independent operators
Authors: Recupero Vincenzo
Published: December 2008

Rate independent operators naturally arise in the mathematical analysis of hysteresis. Among rate independent operators, the locally monotone ones are those better suited for the study of PDE's with hysteresis. We prove that a rate independent operator R:Lip(0,T) →BV(0,T) ∩C(0,T) which is locally monotone and continuous with respect to the strict topology ofBVadmits a unique continuous extension R̃:BV(0,T) →BV(0,T). This general result applies to several concrete hysteresis operators. For many of these operators the existence of a continuous extension was previously known at most to the spaceBV(0,T) ∩C(0,T). (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Geometric analysis on H ‐type groups related to division algebras
Authors: Calin Ovidiu , Chang Der‐Chen , Markina Irina
Published: December 2008

The present article applies the method of Geometric Analysis to the study H ‐type groups satisfying the J2 condition and finishes the series of works describing the Heisenberg group and the quaternion H ‐type group. The latter class of H ‐type groups satisfying the J2 condition is related to the octonions. The relations between the group structure and the boundary of the corresponding Siegel upper half space are given. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Flat wavelet bases adapted to the homogeneous Sobolev spaces
Authors: Vedel Béatrice
Published: December 2008

We present a construction of “flat wavelet bases” adapted to the homogeneous Sobolev spaces Ḣs (ℝn ). They solve the problem of the phenomenon of infrared divergence which appears for usual wavelet expansions in Ḣs (ℝn ): these bases remove the divergence in the case s – n /2 ∉ ℕ since they are also bases of the realization of Ḣs (ℝn ). In the critical case s – n /2 ∈ ℕ, they provide a confinement of the divergence in a “small” space. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Synthesis and Ring Opening Polymerization of a New Functional Lactone, α‐Iodo‐ε‐caprolactone: A Novel Route to Functionalized Aliphatic Polyesters
Authors: Habnouni Sarah El , Darcos Vincent , Coudane Jean
Published: December 2008

A new functional lactone, α‐iodo‐ε‐caprolactone (αIεCL), was synthesized from ε‐caprolactone by anionic activation using a non‐nucleophilic strong base (lithium diisopropylamide) followed by an electrophilic substitution with iodine chloride. Ring‐opening (co)polymerizations of the resulting monomer with ε‐caprolactone were carried out using tin 2‐ethylhexanoate as a catalyst in toluene at 100 °C. Homopolymerization of αIεCL was achieved, and poly(αIεCL) was fully characterized by SEC, 1H NMR and elemental analysis. Random copolymerizations of αIεCL with εCL were controlled with experimental molecular weights close to the theoretical values, narrow molecular weight distributions and a good agreement between experimental and theoretical molar compositions of αIεCL.

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Modular Synthesis of Thermosensitive P(NIPAAm‐co‐HEMA)/β‐CD Based Hydrogels via Click Chemistry
Authors: Xu Xiao‐Ding , Chen Chang‐Sheng , Lu Bo , Wang Zong‐Chun , Cheng Si‐Xue , Zhang Xian‐Zheng , Zhuo Ren‐Xi
Published: December 2008

Two kinds of representative polymers, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) were selected and modified with azide and alkyne fucntional groups, respectively. When the solutions of these two modified polymers were mixed together, a cross‐linking reaction, a type of Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar azide‐alkyne cycloaddition, occurred in the presence of Cu(I) catalyst. The strategy described here provides several advantages for the hydrogel formation including mild reaction conditions and controllable gelation rate. The resulted hydrogels were studied in terms of scanning electric microscopy (SEM), equilibrium swelling ratio and swelling/shrinking kinetics. The data obtained demonstrated the hydrogels had a porous structure as well as favorable thermosensitivity.

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Macromol. Rapid Commun. 1/2009
Authors: Gospodinova Natalia , Ivanov Dimitri A. , Anokhin Denis V. , Mihai Iulia , Vidal Loïc , Brun Sulyvan , Romanova Julia , Tadjer Alia
Published: December 2008

Cover: A highly crystalline self‐oriented film of pure polyaniline composed of micrometer‐long fibrillar crystals oriented perpendicular to the film surface is obtained for the first time. Film formation occurs during drying of an aqueous polyaniline suspension issued from an original synthesis. Further details can be found in the article by N. Gospodinova,* D. A. Ivanov, D. V. Anokhin, I. Mihai, L. Vidal, S. Brun, J. Romanova, and A. Tadjer on page 29.
Design of dual‐band antenna with U‐shaped open stub for WLAN/UWB applications
Authors: Lee Jung N. , Kim Ji H. , Park Jong K. , Kim Jin S.
Published: December 2008

In this article, we have proposed a dual‐band antenna with U‐shaped open stub for wideband local area network (WLAN)/ultra wideband (UWB) applications. The designed dual‐band antenna consists of two semicircle radiating patches, a rectangular slot separating the two semicircles, one step for impedance matching, and coplanar waveguide (CPW) feeding. Two kinds of prototypes (CPW‐fed UWB antenna and the dual‐band antenna with U‐shaped open stub) are fabricated and measured. Parametric studies and radiation characteristics for the two antennas are presented. The designed antenna has the figure‐of‐eight radiation pattern, wide bandwidth, and negligible dispersion over the operating frequency band. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 284–289, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24033
Technique for reducing surface wave at an air/left‐handed medium (LHM) interface or excitation of the forward wave in an LHM
Authors: Boutayeb Halim , Wu Ke , Mahdjoubi Kouroch
Published: December 2008

In this article, we analyze the illumination by an electromagnetic wave of an air/left‐handed medium (LHM) interface. It is shown that by placing a periodic structure of resistors near the LHM it is possible to suppress or to reduce the surface wave that is present at the interface. For our demonstration, we consider a semi‐infinite lossless left‐handed medium having the same constitutive parameters as those of air but with opposite signs. Numerical results, obtained by using a full‐wave time domain technique, are presented to validate our approach and the proposed scheme. This work can extend the potential applications of left‐handed materials, because it shows that it is possible to use LHM slabs having large width. In addition, this work shows that it is possible to excite the forward wave of an LHM instead of the backward wave. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 280–284, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24036
Approximating the eigenvalues of planar isosceles triangular patch resonators using Galerkin's method
Authors: Kelly James R. , Seager Rob D.
Published: December 2008

In this article, Galerkin's method is used to obtain approximate eigenvalues for several isosceles triangles. Validation is achieved by comparison with results obtained using FEMLAB and via full‐wave electromagnetic computer simulation. The Galerkin method is accurate and relatively easy to code. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 306–311, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24039
An UWB spirally ridged antenna for high directive CP radiations
Authors: Chou Hsi‐Tseng , Kuo Li‐Ruei
Published: December 2008

A broadband antenna designed to radiate high directive circularly polarized radiations is presented. This design utilizes spiral arms to achieve a broad frequency bandwidth and radiates circularly polarized fields. To enhance the directivity, the spiral arms are axially elevated to have a radiation beamwidth narrower than that radiated from an analogous spiral antenna in the upward direction. This antenna is suitable for many microwave applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 303–305, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24040
Finite element modeling of electrode mass loading effects in longitudinal leaky SAW resonators
Authors: Klymyshyn David M. , Kannan Thirumalai , Kachayev Anton
Published: December 2008

A finite element (FE) model is developed for investigating effects of metal electrode mass loading in longitudinal leaky surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators on YZ‐LiNbO3. Variation of resonator admittance with electrode height and electrode metallization ratio is observed. FE modeling is promising for the prediction and optimization of LLSAW performance, especially sensitive to electrode mass loading effects. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 390–395, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24042
Characterization of the polarization in the spun fibers
Authors: Cherbi L. , Azrar A. , Mehenni M. , Aksas R.
Published: December 2008

The polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is a difficult phenomenon to compensate in the optical fiber. Its reduction can be achieved by the spinning process that provokes the rotation of the birefringence axes of the fiber inciting a coupling of its modes that is controlled at the time of its manufacture. In this work, the Jones Matrix Eigen‐Analysis method (JME) is used to characterize the spun fibers to evaluate their PMD and to prove that it is distinctly lower than the standards fibers PMD. Furthermore, the differential group delays (DGD) of spun fibers is determined using the photon counting optical time‐domain reflectometry (C‐OTDR) method. The obtained results are compared with those found in the JME method. It is noted that the two methods yield practically identical values. The determination of the beat length and the spin period of spun fibers are carried out using the polarization‐sensitive optical frequency‐domain reflectometer (POFDR). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 341–347, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24045
Wideband‐integrated planar inverted‐F antenna with meander line structures
Authors: Li Mei , Xue Quan , Che Wenquan
Published: December 2008

An improved wideband planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) is investigated in this work. The meander line structure is introduced into the conventional PIFA and significant bandwidth improvement can be observed. Two improved PIFA antennas with different meander line structures are designed and fabricated; the measured results show good agreement with the simulations, demonstrating 23.1 and 40% bandwidth at −10 dB return loss, about 131 and 300% bandwidth enhancement, respectively, compared with the original PIFA (less than 10%). Obviously, the proposed antenna demonstrates good performances (especially in bandwidth), compact size, low profile, and low cost; it is thus expected to find possible applications in wireless communication systems. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 384–387, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24046
Seven‐band folded‐loop chip antenna for WWAN/WLAN/WiMAX operation in the mobile phone
Authors: Hsu Ming‐Ren , Wong Kin‐Lu
Published: December 2008

A chip antenna formed by using an FR4 chip base and a folded‐loop metal pattern embedded therein for internal mobile phone antenna application is presented. The folded‐loop metal pattern is embedded in two different layers inside the FR4 chip base to achieve a compact structure, and a coupling gap is introduced to successfully excite two wide operating bands at about 900 and 2000 MHz to cover GSM850/900/1800/1900/UMTS, 2.4‐GHz WLAN, and 2.5‐GHz WiMAX operations; that is, a seven‐band internal mobile phone antenna for covering WWAN/WLAN/WiMAX operation is obtained. The proposed chip antenna also occupies a small volume of 4 × 5 × 40 mm3 (0.8 cm3) and shows a low profile of 5 mm when mounted on the system circuit board of the mobile phone, making it suitable for thin mobile phone applications. The proposed chip antenna is studied and tested. The SAR effect of the antenna is also analyzed in the study. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 543–549, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24063
Dual‐band bandpass filter using defected ground structure
Authors: Mohan Akhilesh , Biswas Animesh
Published: December 2008

Dual‐band bandpass filters using defected ground structures (DGS) are presented in this letter. Dual‐band characteristics are obtained using the two resonant frequencies (modes) of a novel DGS. Two configurations of dual‐band bandpass filters are presented in this article. Both the filters are designed, fabricated, and measured. Measured results show good agreement with the simulated results. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 475–479, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24067
Differential Tx amplifier at 24 GHz in 0.13‐μm CMOS technology
Authors: Alexanian Angelos , Carrez Frederic
Published: December 2008

A 24 GHz Tx output stage with driver was designed and fabricated in 0.13‐μm CMOS process. Load impedances were chosen for maximizing output power while limiting voltage swing for improved reliability. Measured small signal gain is 19 dB. Measured output power is 13.6 dBm (PAE 17.2%) at 13.4 dB large signal gain. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 532–536, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24074
Compact multiband slotted antenna for wireless communication applications
Authors: Lee Yi‐Chieh , Sun Jwo‐Shiun
Published: December 2008

New design of a compact antenna with slotted structure for multioperating bands of wireless communication systems is presented. By using compact configuration and slot designs on printed circuit board, the proposed antenna has the multiband measured operations for covering the 2.4‐GHz WLAN (2.4–2.484 GHz), the WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e in the Taiwan: 2.5–2.69/3.5–3.65 GHz), and the 5‐GHz WLAN (5.15–5.35/5.725–5.825 GHz) bands. Several properties of the proposed compact antenna for multiband operation such as impedance bandwidth, radiation pattern, and measured gain have been numerically and experimentally investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodcals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 502–503, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24094
Regenerative multiwavelength conversion at 4 × 10‐GBit/S using a single SOA
Authors: Zhang Litai , Yu Jinlong , Hu Hao , Han Bingchen , Wang Wenrui , Jiang Yang , Yang Enze
Published: December 2008

We experimentally demonstrate a regenerative multiwavelength conversion (MWC) of an input 10‐Gbit/s RZ signal to four output copies by using a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and a tunable band pass filter (TBPF). Experiment results indicate that improvements in detected Q factor can be observed because of the compression of the input noise. Furthermore, as the probe light we used is a multiwavelength pulses‐train with the same frequency as the data signal, this configuration can realize 3R regenerative MWC without any change. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 466–469, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24095
High‐order accurate FDTD method based on split‐step scheme for solving Maxwell's equations
Authors: Chu Qing‐Xin , Kong Yong‐Dan
Published: December 2008

A new split‐step finite difference time domain (SS‐FDTD) method with high‐order accuracy is presented, which is proven to be unconditionally stable and has four substeps. The numerical dispersion error and the numerical anisotropic error of the proposed method are reduced than the alternating direction implicit finite difference time domain method, the conventional SS‐FDTD method and the SS‐FDTD method based on the Strang‐splitting scheme. The proposed method has new splitting forms, which is different from the SS‐FDTD method based on the exponential evolution operator. At each time step, an important aspect is that the proposed method produces 33% reduction of the total number of arithmetic operators than the SS‐FDTD method based on the exponential evolution operator. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 562–565, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24100
Loss of surface EWI‐2 on CD9 null oocytes
Authors: He Zhi‐Yong , Gupta Surabhi , Myles Diana , Primakoff Paul
Published: December 2008

CD9, a member of the tetraspanin family, associates with a variety of other proteins to form the tetraspanin web. CD9 forms direct and relatively stable associations with the immunoglobulin superfamily proteins EWI‐2 and EWI‐F. Deletion of the Cd9 gene results in female infertility since Cd9 null mice produce oocytes that fail to fuse. It is thought that the absence of CD9 causes the inability of the oocytes to fuse. In this study, we report that the expression level of EWI‐2 on the Cd9−/− oocyte surface is <10% of the wild‐type level. Hence, the severe reduction in EWI‐2 activity may be responsible for the loss of fusion ability. An entirely different mutant of CD9, not a deletion but a depalmitoylated construct, does not affect in vivo female fertility suggesting that the palmitate modification of CD9 is not essential for its putative fusion function. Additionally, the level of EWI‐2 on the surface of the oocytes from these females was comparable to the EWI‐2 level on wild‐type oocytes. We also found that soluble, recombinant EWI‐2 binds preferentially to acrosome‐reacted sperm but the bound EWI‐2 does not inhibit sperm–oocyte fusion. Overall, the results indicate that deletion of CD9, which is known to have multiple associations, may have pleiotropic effects on function that will require further dissection. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 629–636, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Three‐dimensional element configurations for the discontinuous enrichment method for acoustics
Authors: Grosu Eran , Harari Isaac
Published: December 2008

Hexahedral and tetrahedral elements are proposed for the discontinuous enrichment method (DEM) for boundary‐value problems governed by the Helmholtz equation. A procedure for obtaining sets of approximately uniform spherical enrichment directions, with high flexibility in the choice of their number, is constructed. Conditioning considerations indicate preferred representations of the oscillatory basis functions. Dispersion properties are used to rate the performance of different element configurations. Numerical tests assess accuracy, indicating that high‐order DEM elements exhibit little dispersion. The dispersion and the numerical results are in a good agreement. The proposed configurations of DEM elements become more competitive as the number of enrichments and Lagrange multipliers is increased. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.