bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Rapid Direct Solvent Extraction Method for the Extraction of 2‐Dodecylcyclobutanone from Irradiated Ground Beef Patties Using Acetonitrile
Authors: Hijaz Faraj , Kumar Amit , Smith J. Scott
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  The amount of irradiated beef in the U.S. market is growing, and a reliable, rapid method is needed to detect irradiated beef and quantify the irradiation dose. The official analytical method (BS EN 1785 2003) that has been adopted by the European Union is time consuming. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid method for the analysis of 2‐dodecylcyclobutanone (2‐DCB) in irradiated beef. A 5 g sample of commercially irradiated ground beef patty (90/10) was extracted with n‐hexane using a Soxhlet apparatus or with acetonitrile via direct solvent extraction. The Soxhlet hexane extract was evaporated to dryness, and the sample was dissolved in a mixture of ethyl acetate and acetonitrile (1:1). The defatted extract was purified with a 1 g silica cartridge. Another 5 g aliquot of the same patty was mixed with 50 mL acetonitrile and either blended for 1 min with a hand blender or crushed for 10 min with a glass rod. The extraction procedure was repeated 3 times, and the acetonitrile was collected and evaporated to dryness. Eluants from both methods were concentrated under nitrogen and injected into a gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The 2‐DCB concentration in the commercial samples was 0.031 ± 0.0026 ppm (n = 5) for the Soxhlet method and 0.031 ± 0.0025 ppm (n = 10) for direct solvent extraction. Recovery of 2‐DCB from spiked beef samples in the direct solvent extraction method was 93.2 ± 9.0% (n = 7). This study showed that the direct solvent extraction method is simple and as efficient and reproducible as the Soxhlet method.
Optimization of Hydrolysis Conditions for the Production of Antioxidant Peptides from Fish Gelatin Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: You Lijun , Regenstein Joe M. , Liu Rui Hai
Published: September 2010

Abstract:  Fish skin gelatin was hydrolyzed with papain to produce antioxidant peptides. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the hydrolysis conditions (including enzyme to substrate ratio [E/S], hydrolysis time, and temperature). The highest degree of hydrolysis (DH) (50.1 ± 1.1%) was obtained at an E/S of 2% at 56.8 °C, 2.11 h, and was not significantly different from the predicted values within a 95% confidence interval. The highest 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (96.8 ± 0.9%) and 2,2′‐azinobis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS•+) (9.80 ± 0.11 mM Trolox [6‐hydroxy‐2,5,7,8‐tetramethychroman‐2‐carboxylic acid]) radical‐scavenging activities of fish gelatin hydrolyzates were obtained at an E/S of 3% at 52.1 °C, 2.65 h, and both DPPH and ABTS•+ radical‐scavenging activities were not significantly different from the predicted values 97.3% and 9.86 mM Trolox within the 95% confidence interval. Therefore, RSM is an efficient way to optimize fish gelatin hydrolysation and the resultant hydrolyzates show promise as antioxidant peptides.

Practical Application:  There is a growing interest in the use of fish gelatin as an alternative to mammalian gelatin. One potential use is as a source of widely acceptable functional compounds. In this study, a search for antioxidant peptides from fish gelatin prepared by an enzymatic method has been successfully done. This suggests that this is a practical way to obtain bioactive peptides.
An American Challenge: Successfully Designing and Managing TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
Authors: Lessin Arlen R.
Published: September 2010

INNOVATION IS A KEY element in maintaining a thriving economy and individually strong corporations. Lessin outlines several major pitfalls in trying to achieve this objective and then summarizes ten crucial design guidelines – with implications for all levels of an organization – for successfully managing technology innovation.
SERVICE by DESIGN
Authors: Chase Richard B. , Youngdahl William E.
Published: September 2010

LIKE PRODUCTS, SERVICES can be designed so that they are right the first time and every time. In this overview, Richard Chase and William Youngdahl point out critical issues and techniques – including comments on service strategy, the service delivery system, service flow analysis, and quality function deployment – that help assure quality. They conclude by identifying the seven features of a well‐designed service system.
THROUGH THE BACK DOOR: The Strategic Power of Case Studies in Design Management Research and Education
Authors: Freeze Karen J.
Published: September 2010

BUSINESS EDUCATORS ARE only beginning to understand the significance of design as a corporate resource. In this context, case studies are a persuasive medium because they provide a hands‐on, insiders' perspective on how a company addresses design issues. The goal is to elicit lively discussion and debate, and with this objective in mind, Karen Freeze clarifies the many nuances that go into the research, writing, and teaching of an effective case.
Studying Sensitive Issues: Using a Sample Survey in DESIGN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH
Authors: Potter Stephen
Published: September 2010

SURVEYS ARE ESSENTIAL for establishing certain design management principles. They are a tool for comparing data from a broad spectrum of organizations and can be structured to protect the confidentiality of information that might not otherwise be released. Stephen Potter was recently involved in a three‐year survey among British manufacturing companies analyzing their return on investments in design. His insights on sampling methodologies and avoiding bias provide valuable guidelines for others undertaking this type of design management research.
PRODUCT INNOVATION: Sweeping Away the Obstacles
Authors: Nayak Ranganath
Published: September 2010

THE GLOBAL NATURE of contemporary business adds a new dimension to the search for innovation. Competition can emerge from unforeseen quarters, so a company must be sure that new product development is both efficient and generating desirable results. Based on an extensive survey, Ranganath Nayak compares concerns regarding innovation in the US, Japanese, and European markets, and elaborates on specific elements that interfere with the innovation process.
DESIGN San Antonio: A Grassroots Model
Authors: Howe Richard S. , Powell Boone
Published: September 2010

IF A CRITICAL DIMENSION of a national design policy were to stimulate local efforts—programs that build on a region's unique character and design assets—then the result might be something like DESIGN San Antonio. In detailing the genesis of this organization, Richard Howe and Boone Powell demonstrate that thought, personal energy, and the leadership of a few influential people willing to serve as design champions may be as important as money in creating an effective design policy.
Good Design is Indeed GOOD BUSINESS
Authors: Smith Eric
Published: September 2010

WITH FIVE PERCENT of the office‐furniture market, Howe Furniture Corporation clearly valued design as an element of its strategy. As competition mounted in the mid‐1980s, however, it was clearly time to challenge the status quo. Here, Howe President Eric Smith reveals how and why his company successfully recommitted itself to design excellence in a transition that, with some painful moments, transformed the firm's approaches to marketing, technology, production, and the nature of the design process itself
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Quantifying Design: Adding Designers and Ergonomists to the Research Equation
Authors: Rutter Bryce G.
Published: September 2010

FOR BRYCE RUTTER, quantifying the issues related to effective design management means having the facts to design products well. In this regard, he advocates a strong customer focus, and the gathering of information in three distinct categories: marketing data, physical and psychological input, and traditional design criteria. He lists some of the many tools available for this type of research, and briefly describes how it was applied in two specific cases.
The Delicate Art of Designing Interdisciplinary TEAMS
Authors: Donnellon Anne , Margolis Joshua
Published: September 2010

RESPONDING TO an intensely competitive marketplace, managers often see interdisciplinary teams as a panacea for whatever ails an organization. What Anne Donnellon and Joshua Margolis make clear, however, is that the team strategy will not work unless a company overcomes or avoids five core dilemmas. To help executives—including design managers—around potential pitfalls, they pose nine questions related to the design of teams, and suggest four maxims to guide their successful management.
4D DESIGN: Interaction Among Disciplines at a New Design Frontier
Authors: Robertson Alec
Published: September 2010

IN THE WORLD of interactive media, advanced technologies, and a focus on environmental concerns, the added value in many products incorporates a kinetic dimension as time‐related objectives become part of the development profile. Alec Robertson dubs this new horizon “4D design,” and discusses the startling implications of this arena in terms of innovation and the necessity to interface with disciplines such as drama, dance, and music as contributors to newly emerging design and design‐management processes.
INNOVATION and CHAOS
Authors: Hardy Tom
Published: September 2010

IN HIGH‐TECH BUSINESSES, innovation is crucial. To nurture this element of success, Tom Hardy believes design managers must create an environment in which there is a creative tension between a shared vision—stability—and open‐ended risk‐taking—instability While the approach might not generate immediate quarterly earnings, Hardy is convinced this balancing act, which integrates input from many sources, will result in long‐term value through the development of distinctive products that are strategic leaders in their markets.
Concurrent Product Development and Industrial Design Education: ANEXPERIMENT
Authors: Giard Jacques , Lee George
Published: September 2010

IN CONCURRENT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (CPD), the disciplines involved in the many phases of a product's life (from concept to disposal) are represented on the design team from the outset The potential advantages of this type of organization are several, including faster time to market, improved quality, and lower costs. Given these outcomes, providing students with a CPD experience and sensitivity to the related design‐management issues should be an academic priority, but as Jacques Giard and George Lee attest, it's easier said than done.
Interdependence, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution: Design's Relationships with R & D, Marketing, and Manufacturing
Authors: Olson Eric M.
Published: September 2010

THERE'S A LOT OF TALK about team theory and multidisciplinary strategies for getting work done, but what's the reality regarding the interaction among different organizational functions? Based on a study of actual projects, Eric Olson has developed data on design's integration with three key business activities, and then used that information to make specific recommendations for improving interdisciplinary cooperation.
Creating Places: Architecture as a Means to an Organization's Goals
Authors: Currie John Michael , Pran Peter , Turner Ron
Published: September 2010

ARCHITECTURE IS A POWERFUL MEDIUM for expressing institutional messages and values. For architects John Currie, Peter Pran, and Ron Turner, place‐making—the design of buildings and interiors to convey an organization's priorities as well as its functions—is an important strategic asset. Examples of the strategic use of this asset by public and private entities include the New Boston Garden, the Newark City Police Academy and the Ambulatory Care Center at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Building Totems:Metaphor ˜ Making in Product Development
Authors: Dumas Angela
Published: September 2010

IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, design involves many talents and many decisions. In this process, some concerns are addressed explicitly while others, no less important, are only dealt with by implication. To integrate and give full expression to the diversity of factors in a project, Angela Dumas advocates a strategy she refers to as “totem building,” the development by a design team of sophisticated metaphors that help to articulate mutually understood goals and serve as criteria to evaluate alternative solutions.
Innovations in CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP of Design Education
Authors: Shida Ted
Published: September 2010

THE PROJECT WAS DUBBED the “Binder of the Future,” and it was a collaborative venture sponsored by the Avery Dennison Corporation, the Art Center College of Design, and the MBA Program of the University of Southern California. The outcomes of four proposals for innovative work‐related products that included business plans and marketing strategies were presented. But as told by Ted Shida, the real lessons learned had to do with teamwork and the effective integration of the very different perspectives held by the design and the business students.
Design's Link to TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Krolopp Rudy
Published: September 2010

MOTOROLA IS A LEADER in high‐tech product development, and industrial design plays an important role in maintaining this cutting‐edge reputation. Rudy Krolopp describes how designers are the critical interface among research, engineering, marketing, and manufacturing, and how, acting as the voice of potential customers, they often take the lead in the innovation process, including participation in the relatively recent IRIDIUM® communications project.
THE ARTIST'S RENDERING and Other Lost Opportunities
Authors: Hannon William J.
Published: September 2010

WHAT DO LEONARDO DA VINCI, Raymond Loewy and Norman Bel Geddes have in common? They all had extraordinary drawing skills—talents that enabled them to exploit sketching as a pathway for analyzing complex problems and devising innovative solutions. Bill Hannon reminds us that, amidst all the excitement over a beautiful rendering or ever more incredible CAD developments, we must never abandon drawing as an invaluable tool for creative thinking.
PROVOKING Organizational Change: Using the Five Behaviors of Network Management
Authors: Daniels William R. , Mathers John G.
Published: September 2010

CHANGING A TRADITIONAL organizational structure into a more fluid, project‐ and resource‐ responsive Network Culture can significantly enhance performance and profitability. But making this dramatic shift in the way people work and communicate can be difficult and disruptive. William Daniels and John Mathers outline a five‐step process they have successfully used to help businesses transform themselves into organizations that continuously and effectively redesign themselves in response to new challenges.
Cross ˜ Functional Integration: Moving Beyond Physical Co‐location
Authors: Rafii Farshad , Perkins Sam
Published: September 2010

IN ORGANIZING PROJECT TEAMS, managers often conclude that the ideal arrangement is to have everyone working cheek‐to‐jowl in the same office area. This is supposed to enhance cohesiveness, communications, and efficiency. Farshad Rafii and Samuel Perkins are convinced the concept is oversold and that, properly managed, virtual co‐location—exploiting the appropriate mix of face‐to‐face and high‐tech communications—might actually be more effective than relocating people under one roof.
On the Origin of Species…Revisited
Authors: Hanna Jeanette
Published: September 2010

THESE ARE MUSINGS about brand and about creating sustainable brands in a world that is diverse, decentralized, digital, and dynamic. Jeannette Hanna ponders how the design of brands has changed over a quarter century—from a focus on graphics to the management of perceptions, from a collection of objects to a reality that is organic and continuously evolving, from an emphasis on rules to a culture steeped in brand knowledge and dependent on shared wisdom and shared design responsibilities.
Design and Business Who Calls the Shots?
Authors: Turner Raymond
Published: September 2010

COMMENTING on the fit of design management within the organization, Raymond Turner shares his wisdom, using analogies and examples. Design is the glue that “welds corporate intent with day‐to‐day delivery.” It has to become part of a company's “DNA.” It requires executive leadership and the training of all employees as design champions. Turner critiques the elements of the design process, and he amplifies points with anecdotes from his work at BAA, the British‐based company that owns and runs airports around the world.
Creative Product Analysis to Foster Innovation
Authors: Besemer Susan P.
Published: September 2010

NOVELTY IS an important aspect of innovative products. The difficulty is determining which novel qualities customers actually value. Susan P. Besemer proposes designers use a methodology called Creative Product Analysis to discover the innovation options that offer the most promise. She also describes techniques that help generate creative ideas to ensure that there is a wide range of alternatives to evaluate.
Web interface— The human perspective
Authors: Draisin Maya
Published: September 2010

Referring to numerous examples, Maya Draisin discusses the look and feel of sites that have that all‐important human dimension. At a minimum, designs should be intuitive and easy to use. On a more sophisticated level, they should be responsive and participatory, facilitating communication and eliciting emotion. What is essential is that technology be transparent, and that the user's task be the highest design priority.
Growth by design: Product management keeps financial giant nimble
Authors: Connolly Kevin E.
Published: September 2010

State Street Corporation, number one in mutual fund and pension fund servicing and pension fund investment management in the US, and an international leader in foreign exchange services, plans to continue global expansion through partnership building. Kevin Connolly tells how this is being accomplished through design by rationalizing and re‐presenting the bank's products so that clients, old and new, better understand State Street's capabilities and competitive edge.
The core creative concept in branding: A streamlined approach
Authors: Zarney Kim
Published: September 2010

Effective packaging depends on many players, elements, and decisions that change from project to project. Kim Zarney offers a tested recipe for getting the most from these ingredients, a process that stresses the development of a “core creative concept.” A case study illustrates his approach and demonstrates how success emerges from carefully sizing up opportunities and constraints coupled with thoughtful analysis and planning.
Cooperative brands: The importance of customer information for service brands
Authors: Waller Rob , Delin Judy
Published: September 2010

Focusing on a critical aspect in the relationship with consumers, Rob Waller and Judy Delin urge designers to create “cooperative” communications—media that are relevant, clear, concise, truthful, and informative. These attributes strengthen brand and build loyalty. Ignoring them causes confusion and doubt, weakening the connection with customers. Violating them—a “final straw” experience—can end the customer relationship.
Effects of postdeposition annealing on physical and electrical properties of high-k Yb2TiO5 dielectrics
Authors: Pan Tung-Ming , Wu Xin-Chang , Yen Li-Chen
Published: September 2010

This article describes the structure and electrical properties of a high-k ytterbium titanium oxide (Yb2TiO5) gate dielectric deposited on Si(100) substrates through reactive cosputtering. X-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to study the morphological and chemical features of these films as functions of the growth conditions (temperatures ranging from 600 to 800 °C). It is found that the Yb2TiO5 dielectrics annealed at 800 °C exhibited a thinner capacitance equivalent thickness of 1.65 nm, a lower gate leakage current of 38.4 nA/cm2 at a gate voltage of −1 V, a smaller density of interface state of 9.61×1010 1/cm2 eV, and a relatively lower hysteresis voltage of ∼3 mV compared to those at other annealing temperatures. These results are attributed to the formation of a rather well-crystallized Yb2TiO5 structure, composition, and a smooth surface. This film also shows almost negligible charge trapping under high constant voltage stress.
Induced changes on visible emission and conductive type in N-doped ZnO films by rapid thermal process
Authors: Shan Z. P. , Gu S. L. , Wu K. P. , Zhu S. M. , Tang K. , Zheng Y. D.
Published: September 2010

The erratic p-type conductivity in nitrogen-doped ZnO film is still under investigation and has been debated up to now. In this study, the authors have studied the effect of rapid thermal process (RTP) on the properties of N-doped ZnO films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Hall-effect measurements show that the sample is of p-type as the RTP temperature is lower than 350 °C while, as the RTP temperature increased up to 550 °C or higher, the conduction-type of the sample changed to be n-type. Correspondingly, obvious D and G peaks, which are related to graphite clusters, are observed to increase their intensity with RTP temperature, indicating that interstitial or substitutional carbon atoms may migrate to form carbon clusters in the grain boundary during RTP. RTP is also found to lead to significant changes on the photoluminescence of the samples, with enhanced visible emissions observed as RTP temperature increased. Similar changes are observed on the intensity ratios of the D over G peaks and the visible emission around 600 nm over the near-band-edge emission. This indicates that besides zinc vacancy (VZn) and oxygen vacancy (VO), which are popularly ascribed as the origins of the visible emissions around 500 and 550 nm, carbon clusters may be a possible origin of the visible emission around 600 nm. Finally, carbon clusters formed in the grain boundary are also supposed to at least partly be responsible for the type transition caused by RTP.
Cluster size dependence of Pt core-level shifts for mass-selected Pt clusters on TiO2(110) surfaces
Authors: Isomura Noritake , Wu Xingyang , Hirata Hirohito , Watanabe Yoshihide
Published: September 2010

In order to examine cluster size dependence, mass-selected platinum clusters, Ptn (n=2–5, 7, 8, 10, 15), were deposited on TiO2(110) surfaces at room temperature under soft landing conditions, and their core levels were investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Pt core-level shifts with cluster size are observed. The binding energies of Pt 4f7/2 decrease steeply with increasing cluster size up to n=7 for Ptn and decrease gradually for n≥8. This inflection point (n=8) agrees well with the cluster size at a geometric transition (planar-to-three-dimensional) seen with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) [N. Isomura, X. Wu, and Y. Watanabe, J. Chem. Phys. 131, 164707 (2009)]. It was found that the core-level shifts of mass-selected Pt clusters deposited on TiO2 are closely correlated with cluster geometries determined directly by atomic-resolution STM imaging.
An Unsettled Debate About the Chemistry of the Sun
Authors: Bhattacharjee Yudhijit
Published: September 2010

Researchers thought they knew the sun very well. Now, they are squabbling over the abundance of different elements in it.
Induction of Both Cellular and Humoral Immunity following a Rational Prime-Boost Immunization Regimen That Incorporates Recombinant Ovine Atadenovirus and Fowlpox Virus
Authors: Fraser Cara K. , Diener Kerrilyn R. , Lousberg Erin L. , Both Gerald W. , Ward Larry , Brown Michael P. , Hayball John D.
Published: September 2010

Recombinant fowlpox viruses (rFPV) and ovine atadenoviruses (rOAdV) are being developed as safe, nonpathogenic, prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine vectors. There is scope, however, to improve the limited immune responses elicited by each of these vaccine vectors. Using previously determined and optimized routes of administration and viral doses, we characterized the primary adaptive immune responses elicited by recombinant variants of each virus. We demonstrate the contrasting nature of the response elicited by each recombinant virus. Whereas rFPV generates predominately cell-mediated immunity to our nominal target antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), rOAdV drives strong humoral responses. By defining the time taken to achieve maximal cytotoxic T cell responses and by studying the different patterns and kinetics of major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted OVA antigen expression postimmunization, we proposed a heterologous prime-boost regimen of immunization with rOAdV followed by rFPV. The subsequent experimental results showed that this approach produced robust cell-mediated and humoral immune responses against OVA that, importantly, were accompanied by weak anti-viral vector antibody responses. These results, therefore, represent a novel and potentially clinically applicable way to achieve broadly based and effective immunity to the antigens encoded by vectored vaccines.
Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Lung Transplant Recipients Reflects Local Virus Replication and Not Contamination from the Throat
Authors: Kerschner Heidrun , Jaksch Peter , Zweytick Barbara , Puchhammer-Stöckl Elisabeth
Published: September 2010

Whether bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid may be contaminated with oropharyngeal cytomegalovirus (CMV) has never been investigated. In an analysis of CMV DNA loads in 76 simultaneously obtained BAL fluid and throat wash samples from lung transplant recipients, we show that such contamination is unlikely and that detection of CMV DNA in BAL fluid reflects virus replication in the lung.
Efficacy of ah shi Point Acupuncture on Acne Vulgaris
Authors: Son Byeong-Kook , Yun Younghee , Choi In-Hwa
Published: September 2010

Background

Ah shi point acupuncture involves inserting needles at painful or pathological sites.

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of ah shi point and general acupuncture point treatment of acne vulgaris.

Methods

36 subjects were recruited and randomised in a double-blind (patient-blind and observer-blind) controlled trial to receive acupuncture either at general acupuncture points only, or at both general acupuncture points and ah shi points 12 times over 6 weeks. The subjects were evaluated using the following outcome measurements: an inflammatory lesion count, a quality-of-life scale (Skindex-29) and a subjective symptom score.

Results

After 12 treatment sessions, there was a significant reduction in the inflammatory acne lesion counts, the Skindex-29 scores and the subjective symptom scores from baseline in both groups, but no significant difference between groups.

Conclusions

Acupuncture treatment of moderate acne vulgaris was associated with reduction of inflammatory lesions and improvement of the quality of life.
CAPACITATED TWO-STAGE TIME MINIMIZATION TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM
Authors: SHARMA VIKAS , DAHIYA KALPANA , VERMA VANITA
Published: September 2010

A capacitated two-stage time minimization transportation problem is considered in this paper, in which the total availability of a homogeneous product at various sources is more than the total requirement of the same at destinations. Unlike the conventional imbalanced time minimization transportation problem, in the current problem, transportation takes place in two stages such that the minimum requirement of the destinations is satisfied in the first stage and the surplus amount is transported in the second stage. Each time the transportation from sources to destinations is done in parallel and the capacity on each route (source destination link) remains fixed, i.e., the total amount transported in both the stages cannot exceed its upper bound. In each stage, the objective is to minimize the shipment time and the overall goal is to find a solution that minimizes the sum of first and second stage times.
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION, WAR OF ATTRITION AND INVESTMENT GRANTS
Authors: DOSI CESARE , MORETTO MICHELE
Published: September 2010

The paper analyses the timing of spontaneous environmental innovation when second-mover advantages, arising from the expectation of declining investment costs, increase the option value of waiting created by investment irreversibility and uncertainty about private payoffs. We then focus on the design of public subsidies aimed at bridging the gap between the spontaneous time of technological change and the socially desirable one. Under network externalities and incomplete information about firms' switching costs, auctioning investment grants appears to be a cost-effective way of accelerating pollution abatement, in that it allows targeting grants instead of subsidizing the entire industry indiscriminately.
Plasma gelsolin modulates cellular response to sphingosine 1-phosphate
Authors: Bucki Robert , Kułakowska Alina , Byfield Fitzroy J. , Żendzian-Piotrowska Małgorzata , Baranowski Marcin , Marzec Michał , Winer Jessamine P. , Ciccarelli Nicholas J. , Górski Jan , Drozdowski Wiesław , Bittman Robert , Janmey Paul A.
Published: September 2010

Hypogelsolinemia is observed in patients with different states of acute or chronic inflammation such as sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. In animal models of sepsis, repletion of plasma gelsolin reduces septic mortality. However, the functions of extracellular gelsolin and the mechanisms leading to its protective nature are poorly understood. Potential mechanisms involve gelsolin's extracellular actin scavenging function or its ability to bind bioactive lipids or proinflammatory mediators, which would limit inflammatory responses and prevent tissue damage. Here we report that human plasma gelsolin binds to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a pleiotropic cellular agonist involved in various immune responses, and to its synthetic structural analog FTY720P (Gilenya). The fluorescence intensity of a rhodamine B-labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate binding peptide derived from gelsolin and the optical density of recombinant human plasma gelsolin (rhpGSN) were found to decrease after the addition of S1P or FTY720P. Gelsolin's ability to depolymerize F-actin also decreased progressively with increasing addition of S1P. Transient increases in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) after S1P treatment were inhibited by rhpGSN. The ability of S1P to increase F-actin content and the elastic modulus of primary astrocytes and BAECs was also prevented by rhpGSN. Evaluation of S1P and gelsolin levels in cerebrospinal fluid reveals a low concentration of gelsolin and a high concentration of S1P in samples obtained from patients suffering from lymphatic meningitis. These findings suggest that gelsolin-mediated regulation of S1P bioactivity may be important to maintain immunomodulatory balance at inflammatory sites.
Collision-Sensitive Neurons in the Optic Tectum of the Bullfrog,Rana catesbeiana
Authors: Nakagawa Hideki , Hongjian Kang
Published: September 2010

In this study, we examined the neuronal correlates of frog collision avoidance behavior. Single unit recordings in the optic tectum showed that 11 neurons gave selective responses to objects approaching on a direct collision course. The collision-sensitive neurons exhibited extremely tight tuning for collision bound trajectories with mean half-width at half height values of 0.8 and 0.9° ( n = 4) for horizontal and vertical deviations, respectively. The response of frog collision-sensitive neurons can be fitted by a function that simply multiplies the size dependence of its response, e−αθ( t), by the image's instantaneous angular velocity θ′( t). Using fitting analysis, we showed that the peak firing rate always occurred after the approaching object had reached a constant visual angle of 24.2 ± 2.6° (mean ± SD; n = 8), regardless of the approaching velocity. Moreover, a linear relationship was demonstrated between parameters l/v ( l: object's half-size, v: approach velocity) and time-to-collision (time difference between peak neuronal activity and the predicted collision) in the 11 collision-sensitive neurons. In addition, linear regression analysis was used to show that peak firing rate always occurred after the object had reached a constant angular size of 21.1° on the retina. The angular thresholds revealed by both theoretical analyses were comparable and showed a good agreement with that revealed by our previous behavioral experiments. This strongly suggests that the collision-sensitive neurons of the frog comprise a threshold detector, which triggers collision avoidance behavior.
Effects of Slip and Heat Generation/Absorption on MHD Mixed Convection Flow of a Micropolar Fluid over a Heated Stretching Surface
Authors: Mahmoud Mostafa , Waheed Shimaa
Published: September 2010

A theoretical analysis is performed to study the flow and heat transfer characteristics of magnetohydrodynamic mixed convection flow of a micropolar fluid past a stretching surface with slip velocity at the surface and heat generation (absorption). The transformed equations solved numerically using the Chebyshev spectral method. Numerical results for the velocity, the angular velocity, and the temperature for various values of different parameters are illustrated graphically. Also, the effects of various parameters on the local skin‐friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number are given in tabular form and discussed. The results show that the mixed convection parameter has the effect of enhancing both the velocity and the local Nusselt number and suppressing both the local skin‐friction coefficient and the temperature. It is found that local skin‐friction coefficient increases while the local Nusselt number decreases as the magnetic parameter increases. The results show also that increasing the heat generation parameter leads to a rise in both the velocity and the temperature and a fall in the local skin‐friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number. Furthermore, it is shown that the local skin‐friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number decrease when the slip parameter increases.
Targeting S100B in Cerebral Ischemia and in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Mori Takashi , Asano Takao , Town Terrence
Published: September 2010

S100B is an EF-hand calcium-binding protein that exerts both intracellular and extracellular effects on a variety of cellular processes. The protein is predominantly expressed in the central nervous system by astrocytes, both physiologically and during the course of neurological disease. In the healthy adult brain and during development, constitutive S100B expression acts as a trophic factor to drive neurite extension and to referee neuroplasticity. Yet, when induced during central nervous system disease, the protein can take on maladaptive roles and thereby exacerbate brain pathology. Based on genetic and pharmacological lines of evidence, we consider such deleterious roles of S100B in two common brain pathologies: ischemic stroke and Alzheimer's disease (AD). In rodent models of ischemic brain damage, S100B is induced early on during the subacute phase, where it exacerbates gliosis and delayed infarct expansion and thereby worsens functional recovery. In mouse models of AD, S100B drives brain inflammation and gliosis that accelerate cerebral amyloidosis. Pharmacological inhibition of S100B synthesis mitigates hallmark pathologies of both brain diseases, opening the door for translational approaches to treat these devastating neurological disorders.
Microenvironment alters epigenetic and gene expression profiles in Swarm rat chondrosarcoma tumors
Authors: Hamm Christopher A , Stevens Jeff W , Xie Hehuang , Vanin Elio F , Morcuende Jose A , Abdulkawy Hakeem , Seftor Elisabeth A , Sredni Simone T , Bischof Jared M , Wang Deli , Malchenko Sergey , de Fatima Bonaldo Maria , Casavant Thomas L , Hendrix Mary JC , Soares Marcelo B
Published: September 2010

Background

Chondrosarcomas are malignant cartilage tumors that do not respond to traditional chemotherapy or radiation. The 5-year survival rate of histologic grade III chondrosarcoma is less than 30%. An animal model of chondrosarcoma has been established - namely, the Swarm Rat Chondrosarcoma (SRC) - and shown to resemble the human disease. Previous studies with this model revealed that tumor microenvironment could significantly influence chondrosarcoma malignancy.

Methods

To examine the effect of the microenvironment, SRC tumors were initiated at different transplantation sites. Pyrosequencing assays were utilized to assess the DNA methylation of the tumors, and SAGE libraries were constructed and sequenced to determine the gene expression profiles of the tumors. Based on the gene expression analysis, subsequent functional assays were designed to determine the relevancy of the specific genes in the development and progression of the SRC.

Results

The site of transplantation had a significant impact on the epigenetic and gene expression profiles of SRC tumors. Our analyses revealed that SRC tumors were hypomethylated compared to control tissue, and that tumors at each transplantation site had a unique expression profile. Subsequent functional analysis of differentially expressed genes, albeit preliminary, provided some insight into the role that thymosin-β4, c-fos, and CTGF may play in chondrosarcoma development and progression.

Conclusion

This report describes the first global molecular characterization of the SRC model, and it demonstrates that the tumor microenvironment can induce epigenetic alterations and changes in gene expression in the SRC tumors. We documented changes in gene expression that accompany changes in tumor phenotype, and these gene expression changes provide insight into the pathways that may play a role in the development and progression of chondrosarcoma. Furthermore, specific functional analysis indicates that thymosin-β4 may have a role in chondrosarcoma metastasis.
Relationship between tumor size and disease stage in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Yang Fu , Chen Haiquan , Xiang Jiaqing , Zhang Yawei , Zhou Jianhua , Hu Hong , Zhang Jie , Luo Xiaoyang
Published: September 2010

Background

Whether tumor size and stage distribution are correlated remains controversial. The objective is to assess the relationship between tumor size and disease stage distribution in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 917 cases of NSCLC that were resected in the Cancer Hospital of Fudan University and Shanghai Sixth Hospital between January 2000 and February 2009. Tumor sizes were grouped into five categories: ≤20 mm, 21 to 30 mm, 31 to 50 mm, 51 to 70 mm and ≥71 mm.

Results

Age and tumor size affected stage distribution: patients 60 years or older had a higher percentage of N0M0 disease than patients younger than 60 years (61.67% vs. 44.85%, p < 0.01). The smaller the tumor, the more likely the disease was N0M0 status (p < 0.05). For tumors ≤20 mm in diameter, the proportion of cases with N0M0 status was 70.79%, compared to 58.88% for 21 to 30 mm, 48.03% for 31 to 50 mm, 47.55% for 51 to 70 mm, 33.33% for ≥71 mm. The mean (± SD) tumor size of cases with N0M0 status was 37.17 ± 21.34 mm, compared to 45.75 ± 23.19 mm for cases with other status.

Conclusions

There is a statistically significant relationship between tumor size and distribution of disease stage of primary NSCLC tumors: the smaller the tumor, the more likely the disease is N0M0 status.
Sprouty1, a new target of the angiostatic agent 16K prolactin, negatively regulates angiogenesis
Authors: Sabatel Céline , Cornet Anne M , Tabruyn Sébastien P , Malvaux Ludovic , Castermans Karolien , Martial Joseph A , Struman Ingrid
Published: September 2010

Background

Disorganized angiogenesis is associated with several pathologies, including cancer. The identification of new genes that control tumor neovascularization can provide novel insights for future anti-cancer therapies. Sprouty1 (SPRY1), an inhibitor of the MAPK pathway, might be one of these new genes. We identified SPRY1 by comparing the transcriptomes of untreated endothelial cells with those of endothelial cells treated by the angiostatic agent 16 K prolactin (16 K hPRL). In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential function of SPRY1 in angiogenesis.

Results

We confirmed 16 K hPRL induced up-regulation of SPRY1 in primary endothelial cells. In addition, we demonstrated the positive SPRY1 regulation in a chimeric mouse model of human colon carcinoma in which 16 K hPRL treatment was shown to delay tumor growth. Expression profiling by qRT-PCR with species-specific primers revealed that induction of SPRY1 expression by 16 K hPRL occurs only in the (murine) endothelial compartment and not in the (human) tumor compartment. The regulation of SPRY1 expression was NF-κB dependent. Partial SPRY1 knockdown by RNA interference protected endothelial cells from apoptosis as well as increased endothelial cell proliferation, migration, capillary network formation, and adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins. SPRY1 knockdown was also shown to affect the expression of cyclinD1 and p21 both involved in cell-cycle regulation. These findings are discussed in relation to the role of SPRY1 as an inhibitor of ERK/MAPK signaling and to a possible explanation of its effect on cell proliferation.

Conclusions

Taken together, these results suggest that SPRY1 is an endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor.
Development of Benzylic-Substituted Ligands for Asymmetric Catalysis
Authors: Ding Chang-Hua , Hou Xue-Long
Published: September 2010

This account demonstrates our recent work in the design and synthesis of benzylic-substituted chiral ligands and their applications in metal-catalyzed asymmetric catalysis. High catalytic activity and asymmetric induction have been shown in many enantioselective transformations. The relationship of flexibility and rigidity as well as the impact of substituents at the benzylic position of ligands on the reactions has been revealed. The switch of enantioselectivity in the palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction was observed using ligands with different substituents at the benzylic position of the ligands. Based upon the benzylic-substituted framework, palladacycles were synthesized, which served as a real catalyst in the ring opening reaction of oxabicyclic alkenes with organozinc halides. Highly efficient kinetic resolution of 2-aryl-1-hydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalenes has also been developed via dehydration using benzylic-substituted chiral palladacycles.
Unexpected Formation of Complexes between a Protonated Organic Ligand and a Neutral Salt Molecule Studied by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Gierczyk Błazej , Schroeder Grzegorz , Frański Rafał
Published: September 2010

Protonated organic ligands containing pyridine moieties form complexes with undissociated salt molecules present in solution, especially with ZnCl2, as proved by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. In the gas phase, the ions observed, for example [L1 H+ZnCl2]+, lose an HCl molecule producing ions [L1 +ZnCl]+ (L1= 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-1,3-bis(3-(3-(2-pyridyl)propoxy)propyl)disiloxane). The use of other zinc salts (for example, ZnI2), also yielded the complexes between protonated ligands and neutral salt molecules (for example, [L1H+ZnI2]+), but losses of respective acid molecules (for example, HI), proceeded with higher efficiencies than the loss of HCl molecule. An increase in solvent polarity, namely the use of water instead of methanol, led to the substantial lowering of [L1H+ZnCl2]+ ion abundances, since fewer undissociated species (for example, ZnCl2) were present in the solution. LigandL2(1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-1,3,5,7-tetrakis(3-(3-(2-pyridyl)propoxy)propyl)cyclotetrasiloxane, larger thanL1), forms doubly charged ions containing one and two ZnCl2 molecules, for example [L1H2+ZnCl2]2+.
Structural Characterisation of Degradation Products Formed upon Di-n-Butyl Phthalate Radiolysis by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Tintaru Aura , Labed Véronique , Charles Laurence
Published: September 2010

Structural characterisation of 15 degradation products, formed upon di- n-butyl phthalate (DBP) radiolysis, has been achieved using a high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) coupling. The dissociation behaviour of protonated DBP was first established to be further used to characterise structural deviation in the degradation products. Based on accurate mass measurements, compounds shown by HPLC-MS analysis were all found to be DBP oxidation products, amongst which various sets of isomers could be distinguished. Collision-induced dissociation experiments performed on each electrosprayed molecule first allowed unambiguous definition of the location of the additional oxygen atoms; that is, in the alkyl branch or on the aromatic ring. Although location of the oxygen atom in the alkyl branches could not always be precisely determined, relative abundances of some product ions allowed oxygenated functions to be identified
Liquid–liquid extraction of Nd(III) and Eu(III) using nalidixic acid in dichloromethane
Authors: Ali Akbar , Arafat Abbasi Yasar , Haleem Khan Muhammad , Mufazzal Saeed Muhammad
Published: September 2010

The extraction of Nd(III) and Eu(III) as representatives of rare earth elements with 0.1 mol dm−3nalidixic acid (HNA) in dichloromethane was studied from aqueous solutions of pH 1–8. The quantitative extraction of these metals was observed at pH 6.5. Various parameters affecting their extraction were optimized. The composition of the extracted adduct was determined by slope analysis method that came out to be [(M(NA)2)+(CH3COO)−] where M represents Nd(III) or Eu(III). The effect of various anions and cations on the extraction of these metal ions was also studied. Among the anions, sulfate and phosphate interfered significantly, whereas Fe(III), Cu(II) and Al(III) reduced the extraction.
Spatiotemporal Relations and Movement Trajectories in Visuomotor Synchronization
Authors: Hove Michael J. , Keller Peter E.
Published: September 2010

This work investigates how spatial and temporal aspects of rhythmic movements are affected by spatial and temporal components of a visual pacing sequence. Participants synchronized finger taps with three visual pacing sequences (Flash, High Finger, and Low Finger) at two tempi (500 ms and 400 ms interonset interval). The Flash sequence contained only temporal information, whereas the two Finger sequences contained apparent motion of different amplitudes. Participants' finger movements were recorded with a motion capture system, and movement trajectories and timing accuracy were analyzed. Results indicated that apparent motion facilitates visuomotor synchronization accuracy, which likely stems from tight perception-action links. Stimulus amplitude modulated tap amplitudes in the same direction, but this spatial assimilation did not adversely affect timing accuracy. Flexion times toward the target were significantly shorter than extension or dwell times, and could indicate a relatively ballistic movement trajectory. Local deviations of tap timing correlated with the movement trajectories from the preceding and following movement cycle. For example, after a late tap, the following movement cycle had lower amplitude and shorter extension and dwell times. This could signify the workings of error correction mechanisms that ensure stable synchronization.