bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cloud Point Extraction for the Preconcentration of Silver and Palladium in Real Samples and Determination by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry
Authors: Tavallali Hossein , Yazdandoust Saeed , Yazdandoust Mozhdeh
Published: March 2010

A cloud point extraction procedure is presented for the preconcentration and simultaneous determination of Ag+ and Pd2+ in various samples. After complexation with 2‐((2‐((1H‐benzo[d]imidazole‐2‐yl)methoxy)phenoxy)methyl)‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazol (BIMPI), which was used as a new chelating agent, analyte ions were quantitatively extracted to a phase rich in Triton X‐114 following centrifugation, and determination was carried out by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Under the optimum experimental conditions (i. e., pH = 7.0, 15.0·10–5 mol/L BIMPI and 0.036% (w/v) Triton X‐114), calibration graphs were linear in the range of 28.0–430.0 μg/L and 57.0–720.0 μg/L with detection limits of 10.0 and 25.0 μg/L for Ag+ and Pd2+, respectively. The enrichment factors were 35.0 and 28.0 for Ag+ and Pd2+, respectively. The method has been successfully applied to evaluate these metals in some real samples, including waste water, soil and hydrogenation catalyst samples.
Removal of NO3– from Drinking Water by Electrocoagulation – An Alternate Approach
Authors: Vasudevan Subramanyan , Epron Florence , Lakshmi Jothinathan , Ravichandran Subbiah , Mohan Swaminathan , Sozhan Ganapathy
Published: March 2010

The present study provides an electrocoagulation method, for the removal of NO3– from drinking water using magnesium as the anode and cathode. The experiments are carried out as a function of pH, temperature, and current density. The results show that the maximum removal efficiency of 95.8% was achieved at a current density of 0.25 A/dm2, at a pH of 7.0. The adsorption of NO3– preferably fitting the Langmuir adsorption isotherm suggests monolayer coverage of the adsorbed molecules. The adsorption process follows a second‐order kinetics model. Thermodynamic studies show that the adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous in nature.
Detection of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Agricultural Soils Receiving Biosolids Application
Authors: Wu Chenxi , Spongberg Alison L. , Witter Jason D. , Fang Min , Ames April , Czajkowski Kevin P.
Published: March 2010

Increasing research has suggested that biosolids generated from municipal wastewater treatment can be a major sink for many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and their land application potentially introduces these contaminants into the terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this study, methods were developed for the analysis of 14 PPCPs in biosolids and soils using pressurized liquid extraction, solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Recoveries were over 50% for all analytes except diphenhydramine (˜30%) in soils. Soil properties or type of biosolids showed minor effects on method recoveries. Estimated method limits of quantification (LOQ) range from 0.1–15 ng g–1 for soil and 0.3–27 ng g–1 for biosolids. A field study utilizing the methods revealed that other than carbamazepine‐10,11‐epoxide, all targeted compounds were detected in biosolids. Diphenhydramine, fluoxetine, triclosan and triclocarban were detected up to the μg g–1 range with the highest concentration of 23 μg g–1 for triclocarban. Seven of the PCCPs found in biosolids were also detected in agricultural soils amended with these biosolids and several (carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and triclocarban) appeared to be persistent in soils. Triclocarban was also found most abundant in soils with the highest average concentration of 0.2 μg g–1 while the rest of compounds were in the lower ng g–1 range. Generally, the concentrations found on the fields were 2–3 degrees of magnitude lower than in the biosolids, which is likely to be due to dilution, degradation and leaching processes.
Novel interactors and a role for supervillin in early cytokinesis
Authors: Smith Tara C. , Fang Zhiyou , Luna Elizabeth J.
Published: March 2010

Supervillin, the largest member of the villin/gelsolin/flightless family, is a peripheral membrane protein that regulates each step of cell motility, including cell spreading. Most known interactors bind within its amino (N)‐terminus. We show here that the supervillin carboxy (C)‐terminus can be modeled as supervillin‐specific loops extending from gelsolin‐like repeats plus a villin‐like headpiece. We have identified 27 new candidate interactors from yeast two‐hybrid screens. The interacting sequences from 12 of these proteins (BUB1, EPLIN/LIMA1, FLNA, HAX1, KIF14, KIFC3, MIF4GD/SLIP1, ODF2/Cenexin, RHAMM, STARD9/KIF16A, Tks5/SH3PXD2A, TNFAIP1) co‐localize with and mis‐localize EGFP‐supervillin in mammalian cells, suggesting associations in vivo. Supervillin‐interacting sequences within BUB1, FLNA, HAX1, and MIF4GD also mimic supervillin over‐expression by inhibiting cell spreading. Most new interactors have known roles in supervillin‐associated processes, e.g. cell motility, membrane trafficking, ERK signaling, and matrix invasion; three (KIF14, KIFC3, STARD9/KIF16A) have kinesin motor domains; and five (EPLIN, KIF14, BUB1, ODF2/cenexin, RHAMM) are important for cell division. GST fusions of the supervillin G2‐G3 or G4‐G6 repeats co‐sediment KIF14 and EPLIN, respectively, consistent with a direct association. Supervillin depletion leads to increased numbers of bi‐ and multi‐nucleated cells. Cytokinesis failure occurs predominately during early cytokinesis. Supervillin localizes with endogenous myosin II and EPLIN in the cleavage furrow, and overlaps with the oncogenic kinesin, KIF14, at the midbody. We conclude that supervillin, like its interactors, is important for efficient cytokinesis. Our results also suggest that supervillin and its interaction partners coordinate actin and microtubule motor functions throughout the cell cycle. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bucket‐based authentication for outsourced databases
Authors: Wang Jieping , Du Xiaoyong , Lu Jiaheng , Lu Wei
Published: March 2010

When outsourced database owners delegate their data to service providers, which might be untrusted or compromised, two issues of data security emerge, including data confidentiality and data integrity. Most of the previous research focuses on only one issue and the solution to integrate two approaches is expensive. In this paper, we propose bucket‐based authentication that can keep data confidentiality and meanwhile guarantee data integrity. Specifically, we first propose a new approach based on bucket checksum, which can be used for the authentication of multiple tuples at one time. We then apply bucket checksum to the authentication of various types of queries in static scenarios, including range queries and aggregation queries, such as MIN, MAX, SUM and COUNT queries. In the authentication of aggregation queries, several pruning rules have been proposed to improve performance further. We also extend our approach to dynamic scenarios based on incremental hash. Cost analysis shows the advantages of our approach over previous ones in terms of construction and verification cost. Experimental results show that our approach is both efficient and effective. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Site‐Specific DNA‐Controlled Fusion of Single Lipid Vesicles to Supported Lipid Bilayers
Authors: Simonsson Lisa , Jönsson Peter , Stengel Gudrun , Höök Fredrik
Published: March 2010

We investigate the Ca2+‐triggered fusion of lipid vesicles site‐selectively tethered to a DNA‐modified supported lipid bilayer array, with the DNA strands designed such that hybridization occurs in a zipperlike fashion. Prior to the addition of Ca2+, which is observed to induce docking and subsequent fusion (within 200 ms), the vesicles display lateral mobility determined by the number of tethers. Fusion is observed to require around ten DNA strands per vesicle, but does not occur at higher DNA coverage. However, despite the fact that fusion was restricted to occurring for vesicles tethered with around ten DNA strands, there is no correlation between single‐vesicle diffusivity and fusogenicity. A possible scenario for the DNA‐ induced fusion machinery, consistent with these observations, is that prior to Ca2+‐induced docking, the vesicles diffuse with a small number (2–4) of DNA tethers. Upon addition of Ca2+, the vesicles dock, presumably due to bridging of lipid head groups. Fusion then occurs under conditions where 10–16 DNA tethers form and rearrange at the rim of the contact region between a docked vesicle and the SLB. The time required for this rearrangement, which may include both DNA hybridization and dehybridization during zipping, is expected to represent the observed docking and fusion time of less than 200 ms.
Malic acid assisted precursor route to hierarchical structured nickel oxide
Authors: Wang Haizhen , Qian Yitai
Published: March 2010

A novel malic acid assisted precursor route to prepare NiO materials with novel hierarchical structures has been investigated in this work. The Ni‐based precursors can be synthesized by a malic acid‐assisted hydrothermal route, which have been characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). NiO materials can be prepared via the thermal treatment of the precursor in ambient atmosphere. The XRD, SEM, Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV‐Vis spectroscopy of the NiO materials were also examined. The effects of the reaction conditions, such as the reaction temperature, the quantity of the raw materials on the morphologies of the precursors were discussed, which indicates that it is an effective method to synthesize NiO materials with different hierarchical structures. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
An analog cell and its applications in analog signal processing
Authors: Sajjadi‐Kia Hamed
Published: March 2010

This paper presents a straightforward current‐mode CMOS squarer circuit. The proposed circuit exploits the square‐law characteristic of MOS transistor in saturation region. The squarer circuit is then used to implement multiplier and exponential functions. To demonstrate the method, circuits are designed in 0.35 µm CMOS process, using single 3.3 V supply. HSPICE simulations, with level 49 model parameters, confirm the operation of the proposed CMOS circuits. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis and synthesis of oscillator systems described by perturbed double hump Duffing equations
Authors: Georgiev Zhivko D. , Karagineva Irina L.
Published: March 2010

This paper presents an analysis of oscillator systems described by double hump Duffing equations under polynomial perturbations of fourth degree. It has been proved that such a system can have unique hyperbolic limit cycle whose properties depend on the perturbation coefficients. The analytical condition for the arising of a limit cycle has been derived. Moreover, a method for the synthesis of oscillator systems of the considered type, having preliminarily assigned properties, is proposed. The synthesis consists of an appropriate choice of the perturbation coefficients in such a way that the oscillator equation is to have in advance assigned limit cycle. Both the analysis and the synthesis are performed with the aid of the Melnikov function. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sensing margin trend with technology scaling in MRAM
Authors: Song Jee‐Hwan , Kim Jisu , Kang Seung H. , Yoon Sei‐Seung , Jung Seong‐Ook
Published: March 2010

Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is a leading candidate for future memory applications because it may provide compelling advantages by combining desirable attributes of SRAM, DRAM, and Flash. Process technology has recently scaled down to the nano‐meter regime, which accordingly has resulted in lowering supply voltage, increasing short channel effect, and rapidly increasing process variation. MRAM is also affected by technology scaling, which significantly reduces the sensing margin. In this paper, several circuit design parameters, such as supply voltage, transistor size, and transistor gate voltage in the sensing circuit, are evaluated to discover the root causes of reduced sensing margin with technology scaling. The lowered supply voltage and lowered output resistance of the transistor, which occurs with technology scaling, are verified as the root causes of reduced sensing margin. It is also shown that increased process variation due to technology scaling aggravates the problem. A high supply voltage with power gating combined with optimized transistor size and gate voltage, and a power gating scheme using an IO device with an IO voltage are suggested as effective design solutions for reliably increasing the sensing margin in the presence of process variation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High output impedance CMQOs using DVCCs and grounded components
Authors: Maheshwari Sudhanshu , Chaturvedi Bhartendu
Published: March 2010

In this paper a new circuit topology for realizing second‐order current‐mode quadrature oscillator is proposed. Three additional circuits are further derived from it, thus resulting in four distinct circuits. Each circuit employs three differential voltage current conveyors and all grounded passive components, ideal for IC implementation. All the circuits possess high output impedance. The circuits exhibit non‐interactive frequency control and low THD. The effects of non‐idealities are also analyzed. PSPICE simulations using 0.5 µCMOS parameters confirm the validity and practical utility of the proposed circuits. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of New 2,5‐Dimethylpyrrolyl Titanium Alkylamide and Alkoxide Complexes as Precursors for the Liquid Injection MOCVD of TiO2
Authors: Black Kate , Jones Anthony C. , Bacsa John , Chalker Paul R. , Marshall Paul A. , Davies Hywel O. , Heys Peter N. , O'Brien Paul , Afzaal Mohammad , Raftery James , Critchlow Gary W.
Published: March 2010

The new titanium 2,5‐dimethylpyrrolyl complexes [(Me2C4H2N)Ti(NMe2)3] and [(Me2C4H2N)Ti(µ2‐OiPr)(OiPr)2]2 and the previously reported titanium pyrrolyl complex [(C4H4N)Ti(µ2‐OiPr)(OiPr)2]2 are synthesized and chemically and structurally characterized. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (XRD) data show that [(Me2C4H2N)Ti(NMe2)3] is monomeric with a pseudo‐tetrahedral geometry and contains an N‐σ bonded 2,5‐dimethylpyrrolyl ligand. The complexes [(Me2C4H2N)Ti (µ2‐OiPr)(OiPr)2]2 and [(C4H4N)Ti(µ2‐OiPr)(OiPr)2]2 are dimeric and contain two terminal and two bridging isopropoxy groups and terminal N‐σ‐bonded pyrrolyl ligands. The complexes [(Me2C4H2N)Ti(NMe2)3] and [(Me2C4H2N)Ti (µ2‐OiPr)(OiPr)2]2 are investigated as precursors for the deposition of TiO2 by liquid injection metal‐organic (MO)CVD. Titanium oxide films deposited at 450 °C from [(Me2C4H2N)Ti(NMe2)3] contain significantly more carbon impurities (C = 12.7 at.‐%) than those grown from [(Me2C4H2N)Ti(µ2‐OiPr)(OiPr)2]2 (C = 6.1 at.‐%). XRD analysis shows that the titanium oxide films deposited at 450 °C are amorphous.
Direct and Protein‐Mediated Cell Attachment on Differently Terminated Nanocrystalline Diamond
Authors: Klauser Frederik , Hermann Martin , Steinmüller‐Nethl Doris , Eiter Oliver , Pasquarelli Alberto , Bertel Erminald , Seppi Thomas , Lukas Peter , Lechleitner Thomas
Published: March 2010

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of wettability on direct and protein‐mediated cell‐surface interactions. Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) is chosen as a cell growth substrate, because it offers the possibility to adjust surface properties like roughness or chemical termination, thus realizing hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces. Cell adhesion is studied on NCD films with a defined roughness but different surface chemistries (hydrogen, fluorine, and oxygen terminations) using two different cell lines (LLC‐PK1 and PANC‐1). They are cultured with and without the addition of fetal bovine serum (FBS) to the growth medium in order to discriminate between direct and mediated cell adhesion. For both cell lines, the cells are not able to adhere to hydrophobic surfaces without the addition of FBS to the growth medium, whereas they can attach in the presence of FBS. Hydrophilic surfaces enable cell attachment with and without the addition of FBS to the medium.
Wide‐angle light‐scattering differentiation of organelle‐size particle distributions in whole cells
Authors: Su Xuantao , Rozmus Wojciech , Tsui Ying Y.
Published: March 2010

A finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) method is used to study the multiple scattering from many organelle‐size particles distributed in a biological cell. Conventional flow cytometry, where the small‐angle forward scatter (FSC) intensity and side scatter (SSC) intensity are used for cell characterizations, may have difficulties to differentiate the organelle distributions in biological cells. Based on the FDTD simulations, a light‐scattering methodology is proposed here to overcome such a problem. This method differentiates the dense and sparse distributions of organelle‐size particles in a cell, by counting the peak numbers in both large‐angle FSC and wide‐angle SSC, with the multiple scattering effects being considered. Implemented with a wide‐angle microfluidic cytometer, the approach demonstrated in this theoretical study may find potential applications in clinics for label‐free cell physiological study. © 2010 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Large pulmonary cryptococcoma and cryptococcal meningitis in an immunocompetent patient: A case report
Authors: Singh Ranbeer , Joshi Deepti , Gupta Anupama , Gangane Nitin
Published: March 2010

Pulmonary cryptococcoma is a life threatening mycosis and is an unusual disease for immunocompetent individuals. Herein we report a case of large pulmonary cryptococcoma associated with cryptococcal meningitis, presenting radiologically as a lung mass in right upper lobe, in a previously healthy, HIV negative, immunocompetent young individual. Since cryptococcosis continues to be an important infection in HIV negative patients and is associated with substantial overall and cause‐specific mortality, the need for consideration of this entity in the differential diagnosis of a lung mass is emphasized. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:929–931. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Elevated expression of SOX9 is related with the progression of gastric carcinoma
Authors: Zhou Cheng‐Jun , Guo Jian‐Qiang , Zhu Kong‐Xi , Zhang Qing‐Hui , Pan Cheng‐Ran , Xu Wei‐Hua , Wang Hong‐Juan , Liu Bin
Published: March 2010

To investigate the SOX9 expression and its effects on promoting invasion and metastasis in the primary gastric adenocarcinomas. One hundred and eighty six patients with primary gastric adenocarcinomas who underwent surgery between 2002 and 2006 were classified as low, intermediate, and high SOX9 expression groups by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Our IHC performance showed that SOX9 was lowly expressed in lower crypt of the normal epithelium adjacent to the tumor, and SOX9 expression was also observed in the intestinal metaplastic epithelium, but no SOX9 expression was detected in the surface epithelium. The stronger SOX9 expression was observed in the T3‐T4 group than in the T1‐T2 group, and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.0005). The SOX9 expression was correlated with the lymph node metastasis, and it showed significant between N0, N1, N2, and N3 groups (P < 0.0005). Similar to the lymph node metastasis classification, the SOX9 expression was also related to the tumor staging. From the stage Ia–Ib to stage II–IIIa and stage IIIb–IV, the SOX9 expression was elevated and the difference was significant (P < 0.0005). On the contrary, the SOX9 expression was not related to the histological classification (P > 0.05). Also the SOX9 expression showed no significance in patient age (P > 0.05). The SOX9 is overexpressed in the advanced stage of gastric carcinoma. SOX9 is related to the tumor progression though promoting invasion and metastasis, probably via enhancing the adhesion between the tumor cells and matrix or vessels which facilitates the tumor cells metastasis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011;39:105–109. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Psychobiological models of adolescent risk: Implications for prevention and intervention
Authors: Jackson‐Newsom Julia , Shelton Terri L.
Published: March 2010

Psychobiological models of risk have much to contribute to the prevention of and intervention with risky behavior among adolescents. Emerging research is beginning to provide better information about mechanisms underlying individual differences in risky behavior (e.g., differences in self‐regulation) and providing insight into unique vulnerabilities that occur during adolescence (e.g., increases in reward seeking). This work suggests ways in which prevention programming can be designed to be sensitive to both individual differences and developmental timing. Psychobiological models of risk also have practical implications for the manner and methods of conducting prevention and intervention work. Future work in both the etiology and prevention of risky behavior can benefit from ongoing dialogue and has the potential to result in a more sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms of change related to risky behavior. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 295–297, 2010
Direct visualization of the dynamics of antigen presentation in human cells infected with cytomegalovirus revealed by antibodies mimicking TCR specificity
Authors: Makler Oryan , Oved Kfir , Netzer Nir , Wolf Dana , Reiter Yoram
Published: March 2010

There are no direct means to study class I MHC presentation in human normal or diseased cells. Using CMV‐infected human cells and applying novel mAb that mimic T‐cell receptor specificity directed toward the immunogenic epitope of the viral pp65 protein presented on HLA‐A2 molecules, we directly imaged the dynamics of Ag presentation in infected cells. We demonstrate that following infection large intracellular pools of HLA‐A2/pp65 complexes are localized to the Golgi. These HLA‐A2/pp65 pools account for the majority of total HLA‐A2 molecules in infected cells. Interestingly, these large pools are sequestered inside infected cells and only a small portion of them are exported to the cell surface. Virus‐induced class I MHC down‐regulation did not affect the intracellular pool of HLA‐A2/pp65 complexes. Our data also suggest that proteasome function influences the release of class I complexes to the membrane. We present herein a new and direct molecular tool to study the dynamics of viral Ag presentation that may further elucidate the balance between immune response versus viral escape.
Metal Effects on the Asymmetric Synthesis of a New Heterobidentate As/P=S Ligand
Authors: Ma Mengtao , Pullarkat Sumod A. , Li Yongxin , Leung Pak‐Hing
Published: March 2010

The cycloaddition reaction between 3,4‐dimethyl‐1‐phenylarsole and diphenylvinylphosphane sulfide was promoted by chiral palladium and platinum complexes containingortho‐metalated (S)‐[1‐(dimethylamino)ethyl]naphthalene. They exhibited similar stereoselectivity; the palladium cycloadducts could not be separated via column chromatography and fractional crystallization, however, the corresponding platinum complexes could be successfully converted into their enantiomerically pure counterpart. A formal arsanylidene elimination reaction was observed on the liberated free As/P=S bidentate ligand.
Direct Racemic Mixture Synthesis of Fluorinated Amino Acids by Perfluoroalkyl Radical Addition to Dehydroamino Acids Terminated by Asymmetric Protonation
Authors: Yajima Tomoko , Tonoi Takayuki , Nagano Hajime , Tomita Yuichi , Mikami Koichi
Published: March 2010

The development of efficient methods for the synthesis and purification of chiral organic compounds is a challenge in modern science and technology. Pharmaceutically and agrochemically important compounds are especially required in optically pure form. We report the racemic mixture synthesis of β‐perfluoroalkyl α‐amino acids, which is based on the In‐mediated addition of perfluoroalkyl radicals to dehydroamino acids followed by asymmetric protonation. All the enantiomers can be separated by using a single chiral HPLC column, without orthogonal use of a fluorous column.
Ambident Reactivity of Bis(Diisopropylamino)carbene
Authors: Poliakov Dmytro , Shevchenko Igor
Published: March 2010

Bis(diisopropylamino)carbene can display not only carbene‐like reactivity but also enter 1,3‐addition reactions with the participation of the carbon and nitrogen atoms of the N–C–N unit.
A Preparative Synthesis of Human Chitinase Fluorogenic Substrate (4′‐Deoxychitobiosyl)‐4‐methylumbelliferone
Authors: Dinkelaar Jasper , Duivenvoorden Boudewijn A. , Wennekes Tom , Overkleeft Herman S. , Boot Rolf G. , Aerts Johannes M. F. G. , Codée Jeroen D. C. , van der Marel Gijs A.
Published: March 2010

To meet the increasing clinical demand for the diagnostic agent (4′‐deoxychitobiosyl)‐4‐methylumbelliferone, a flexible and scalable route of synthesis is needed. In this paper such a route is presented. The key to the route is the use of a partially protected thiophenyl glucosamine as starting material for the preparation of both the reducing and nonreducing end building blocks of the 4′‐deoxychitobiose disaccharide.
Profiling of mouse synaptosome proteome and phosphoproteome by IEF
Authors: Filiou Michaela D. , Bisle Birgit , Reckow Stefan , Teplytska Larysa , Maccarrone Giuseppina , Turck Christoph W.
Published: March 2010

Synapses play important roles in neurotransmission and neuroplasticity. For an in‐depth analysis of the synaptic proteome and phosphoproteome, synaptosomal proteins from whole mouse brain were analyzed by IEF and MS resulting in the largest synaptosome proteome described to date, with 2980 unique proteins identified with two or more peptides. At the same time, 118 synaptosomal phosphoproteins were identified, eight of which are reported for the first time as phosphorylated. Expression of selected proteins in synaptosomes was investigated by Western blot. We demonstrate that IEF is a powerful method to interrogate complex samples such as brain tissue both at the proteome and the phosphoproteome level without the need of additional enrichment for phosphoproteins. The detailed synaptoproteome data set reported here will help to elucidate the molecular complexity of the synapse and contribute to our understanding of synaptic systems biology in health and disease.
Proteomic analysis reveals changes in the hippocampus protein pattern of rats exposed to dietary zinc deficiency
Authors: Liu Jing , Jiang Yugang , Huang Chengyu , Fang Hongyun , Fang Hengtong , Pang Wei
Published: March 2010

An experiment was performed to observe protein changes in the hippocampus of zinc‐deficient (ZD) rats. Twenty‐four male weanling Wistar rats were randomly assigned to ZD (n=12) and control groups (n=12). After 4‐wk treatment, we used 2‐DE and MALDI‐TOF‐MS to analyze the proteomes of hippocampus in the two groups. One of the important differential proteins, ubiquitin C‐terminal hydrolase L1 (Uch‐L1), was confirmed by Western blot assays. The results demonstrated that compared with the controls, ZD rats had significantly reduced plasma zinc concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity. The latency period in passive avoidance performance was also significantly shorter for the ZD rats. Nine proteins were differentially expressed between the two groups. Eight of them were identified. Tubulin β chain and voltage‐dependent anion channel 1 were upregulated, while mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, α‐enolase, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1, F‐actin capping protein α‐2 subunit, pyruvate dehydrogenase β and Uch‐L1 were downregulated, respectively. Importantly, some of the identified proteins (e.g. Uch‐L1) are known to be involved in cognitive impairment. Western blot analysis of hippocampus Uch‐L1 expression confirmed the proteomic findings. The data indicated that there may be common mechanisms or pathways in cognitive dysfunction between neurodegenerative diseases and zinc deficiency.
Improved sample preparation method for glycan analysis of glycoproteins by CE‐LIF and CE‐MS
Authors: Szabo Zoltan , Guttman András , Rejtar Tomas , Karger Barry L.
Published: March 2010

CE is a high‐resolution separation technique broadly used in the biotechnology industry for carbohydrate analysis. The standard sample preparation protocol for CE analysis of glycans released from glycoproteins generally requires derivatization times of overnight at 37°C, using ≥100 fold excess of fluorophore reagent, 8‐aminopyrene‐1,3,6‐trisulfonic‐acid, if the sample is unknown, or it is a regulated biotherapeutic product, possibly containing terminal sialic acid(s). In this paper, we report on significant improvements for the standard CE sample preparation method of glycan analysis. By replacing the conventionally used acetic acid catalyst with citric acid, as low as 1:10 glycan to fluorophore molar ratio (versus the typical 1:≥100 ratio) maintained the >95% derivatization yield at 55°C with only 50 min reaction time. Terminal sialic acid loss was negligible at 55°C during the derivatization process, and indicating that the kinetics of labeling at 55°C was faster than the loss of sialic acid from the glycan. The reduced relative level of 8‐aminopyrene‐1,3,6‐trisulfonic‐acid simplified the removal of excess reagent, important in both CE‐LIF (electrokinetic injection bias) and CE‐MS (ion suppression). Coupling CE‐ ESI‐MS confirmed that the individual peaks separated by CE corresponded to single glycans and increased the confidence of structural assignment based on glucose unit values.
Dynamic stiffness of deep foundations with inclined piles
Authors: Padrón L. A. , Aznárez J. J. , Maeso O. , Santana A.
Published: March 2010

The influence of inclined piles on the dynamic response of deep foundations and superstructures is still not well understood and needs further research. For this reason, impedance functions of deep foundations with inclined piles, obtained numerically from a boundary element–finite element coupling model, are provided in this paper. More precisely, vertical, horizontal, rocking and horizontal–rocking crossed dynamic stiffness and damping functions of single inclined piles and 2 × 2 and 3 × 3 pile groups with battered elements are presented in a set of plots. The soil is assumed to be a homogeneous viscoelastic isotropic half‐space and the piles are modeled as elastic compressible Euler–Bernoulli beams. The results for different pile group configurations, pile–soil stiffness ratios and rake angles are presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of new organophosphorus‐substituted mono‐ and bis(trimethylsilyl)amines with PCH2N fragments and their derivatives
Authors: Prishchenko Andrey A. , Livantsov Mikhail V. , Novikova Olga P. , Livantsova Ludmila I. , Petrosyan Valery S.
Published: March 2010

Convenient procedures for the synthesis of new organophosphorus‐substituted mono‐ and bis(trimethylsilyl)amines with PCH2N moiety are proposed, starting from trimethylsilyl esters of organophosphorus acids, as well as 1,3,5‐trialkylhexahydro‐1,3,5‐triazines and N‐alkoxymethyl bis(trimethylsilyl)amines as aminomethylating reagents. Certain properties of the resulting compounds are presented. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 21:71–77, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20580
Efficient combination of task‐specific ionic liquid and microwave dielectric heating applied to synthesis of a large variety of nitrones
Authors: Valizadeh Hassan
Published: March 2010

Under mild microwave irradiation conditions and without any additional organic solvents, a large variety of nitrones were prepared in a weak Lewis base phosphinite task‐specific ionic liquid (TSIL‐OPPh2) in excellent yields. This catalytic TSIL was also recyclable. Under optimized microwave irradiation conditions, the reaction occurred at very shorter reaction time and higher yields in comparison with conventional heating conditions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 21:78–83, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20581
Successful treatment of advanced bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the mandible with adjunctive teriparatide therapy
Authors: Lee Jang‐Jaer , Cheng Shih‐Jung , Jeng Jiiang‐Huei , Chiang Chun‐Pin , Lau Hon‐Ping , Kok Sang‐Heng
Published: March 2010

Background.

The management of bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) is challenging and controversial. At present, there is no established medication treatment for the disease.

Methods.

A 78‐year‐old osteoporotic woman with osteonecrosis of the mandible related to alendronate therapy was referred for treatment. The disease was unresponsive to conservative therapy, including antibacterial mouth rinse, antibiotics, and minor surgical debridement. Teriparatide, a human recombinant pararthyroid hormone peptide 1–34, was then used for treatment.

Results.

The oral mucosa completely regrew, and pain subsided 4 weeks after the initiation of teriparatide administration. Progressive bone regeneration was found during and after the 6‐month period of teriparatide therapy.

Conclusion.

Our case demonstrated that teriparatide can be an important adjuvant in the management of advanced BRONJ and should be considered prior to major resection with reconstruction. Its true value in the treatment of BRONJ for noncancer patients with osteoporosis warrants future studies. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010
Imaging hyporheic zone solute transport using electrical resistivity
Authors: Ward Adam S. , Gooseff Michael N. , Singha Kamini
Published: March 2010

Traditional characterization of hyporheic processes relies upon modelling observed in‐stream and subsurface breakthrough curves to estimate hyporheic zone size and infer exchange rates. Solute data integrate upstream behaviour and lack spatial coverage, limiting our ability to accurately quantify spatially heterogeneous exchange dynamics. Here, we demonstrate the application of near‐surface electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) methods, coupled with experiments using an electrically conductive stream tracer (dissolved NaCl), to provide in situ imaging of spatial and temporal dynamics of hyporheic exchange. Tracer‐labelled water in the stream enters the hyporheic zone, reducing electrical resistivity in the subsurface (to which subsurface ERI is sensitive). Comparison of background measurements with those recording tracer presence provides distributed characterization of hyporheic area (in this application, ∼0·5 m2). Results demonstrate the first application of ERI for two‐dimensional imaging of stream‐aquifer exchange and hyporheic extent. Future application of this technique will greatly enhance our ability to quantify processes controlling solute transport and fate in hyporheic zones, and provide data necessary to inform more complete numerical models. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dredging processes and remedy effectiveness: Relationship to the 4 Rs of environmental dredging
Authors: Bridges Todd S , Gustavson Karl E , Schroeder Paul , Ells Stephen J , Hayes Donald , Nadeau Steven C , Palermo Michael R , Patmont Clay
Published: March 2010

Timely and effective remediation of contaminated sediments is essential for protecting human health and the environment and restoring beneficial uses to waterways. A number of site operational conditions influence the effect of environmental dredging of contaminated sediment on aquatic systems. Site experience shows that resuspension of contaminated sediment and release of contaminants occur during dredging and that contaminated sediment residuals will remain after operations. It is also understood that these processes affect the magnitude, distribution, and bioavailability of the contaminants, and hence the exposure and risk to receptors of concern. However, even after decades of sediment remediation project experience, substantial uncertainties still exist in our understanding of the cause–effect relationships relating dredging processes to risk. During the past few years, contaminated sediment site managers, researchers, and practitioners have recognized the need to better define and understand dredging-related processes. In this article, we present information and research needs on these processes as synthesized from recent symposia, reports, and remediation efforts. Although predictions about the effect of environmental dredging continue to improve, a clear need remains to better understand the effect that sediment remediation processes have on contaminant exposures and receptors of concern. Collecting, learning from, and incorporating new information into practice is the only avenue to improving the effectiveness of remedial operations. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2010;6:619–630. © 2010 SETAC
Prospective identification of tumorigenic osteosarcoma cancer stem cells in OS99‐1 cells based on high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity
Authors: Wang Lin , Park Paul , Zhang Huina , La Marca Frank , Lin Chia‐Ying
Published: March 2010

High aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity has recently been used to identify tumorigenic cell fractions in many cancer types. Herein we hypothesized that a subpopulation of cells with cancer stem cells (CSCs) properties could be identified in established human osteosarcoma cell lines based on high ALDH activity. We previously showed that a subpopulation of cells with high ALDH activity were present in 4 selected human osteosarcoma cell lines, of which a significantly higher ALDH activity was present in the OS99‐1 cell line that was originally derived from a highly aggressive primary human osteosarcoma. Using a xenograft model in which OS99‐1 cells were grown in NOD/SCID mice, we identified a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of osteosarcoma cells based on their high ALDH activity. Cells with high ALDH activity (ALDHbr cells) from the OS99‐1 xenografts were much less frequent, averaging 3% of the entire tumor population, compared to those isolated directly from the OS99‐1 cell line. ALDHbr cells from the xenograft were enriched with greater tumorigenicity compared to their counterparts with low ALDH activity (ALDHlo cells), generating new tumors with as few as 100 cells in vivo. The highly tumorigenic ALDHbr cells illustrated the stem cell characteristics of self‐renewal, the ability to produce differentiated progeny and increased expression of stem cell marker genes OCT3/4A, Nanog and Sox‐2. The isolation of osteosarcoma CSCs by their high ALDH activity may provide new insight into the study of osteosarcoma‐initiating cells and may potentially have therapeutic implications for human osteosarcoma.
Gastric cancers in Finnish patients after cure of Helicobacter pylori infection: A cohort study
Authors: Kosunen Timo U. , Pukkala Eero , Sarna Seppo , Seppälä Kari , Aromaa Arpo , Knekt Paul , Rautelin Hilpi
Published: March 2010

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with gastric cancer. A total of 97% of the infected subjects have elevated levels of H. pylori antibodies. The antibody titers have been shown to decline rapidly (40–60% within 4–12 months) only after successful eradication therapy. We allocated 26,700 consecutive patients tested during 1986–1998 for H. pylori antibodies to 3 subcohorts: seropositive patients with rapidly falling antibody titers (Hp+CURED, n = 3,650), seropositive patients where no serological information indicating cure was obtained (Hp+NoInfo, n = 11,638) and seronegative patients (Hp–, n = 11,422). In the subcohorts, the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were defined for subsequent cancers of stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum, breast and prostate separately and for all cancers except stomach combined. The mean follow‐up time was 10.1 years and the number of gastric cancers was 72. For the Hp+CURED, the SIR for gastric cancers for the first 5 follow‐up years was 1.62 but decreased from the sixth follow‐up year thereon to 0.14 (CI: 0.00–0.75). Likewise, the risk ratio, defined in a Poisson regression analysis using the Hp+NoInfo group as the reference, decreased from 1.60 to 0.13 (CI: 0.02–1.00, p = 0.049). The SIR for Hp– was not significantly higher than that for Hp+NoInfo for any of the cancers analysed. To conclude, cured H. pylori infection led to a significantly decreased incidence of gastric cancers from the sixth follow‐up year. Advanced atrophic gastritis would be a plausible contributor to the elevated SIR in elderly Hp– patients.
Transformation of benign Barrett's epithelium by repeated acid and bile exposure over 65 weeks: A novel in vitro model
Authors: Das Kiron M. , Kong Yingxin , Bajpai Manisha , Kulkarni Diptee , Geng Xin , Mishra Pravin , Banerjee Debabrata , Hirshfield Kim
Published: March 2010

The mechanism by which gastroesophageal reflux promotes metaplasia→dysplasia→carcinoma is unknown. The aim of the study is to determine if repeated exposure to acid and bile confers a tumorigenic phenotype in a telomerase (hTERT)‐immortalized benign Barrett's cell line (BAR‐T). BAR‐T cells were exposed to acid (pH 4) (A) and bile salt (200 μM glycochenodeoxycholic acid) (B) daily for 5 min up to 65+ weeks. The control cells were grown in parallel without any A or B treatment. Cell morphology, proliferation, transformation, and molecular changes in the gene expression for COX‐2, TC22, p53 and p53 target genes were analyzed at 8–12 weeks intervals. At 46 weeks BAR‐T cells exposed to (A+B) showed distinct phenotypic changes: forming clusters and acini, and at 65 weeks displayed foci in monolayer, and formed distinct colonies in soft agar. Untreated cells did not show any such changes. In A+B–treated BAR‐T cells, COX‐2 mRNA increased 10‐ to 20‐fold, TC22 mRNA increased by 2‐ to 3‐fold at 22–65 weeks, p53, MDM2, PERP, and p21mRNA increased 2.5‐, 6.4‐, 4‐, and 2.6‐fold respectively when compared to untreated cells at 34 weeks. However, at 58 weeks onward, there was a sharp decline of p53 and its target genes to the baseline level. At 65 weeks A+B–treated BAR‐T cells formed tumor in nude mice whereas untreated cells did not. We demonstrate a novel in vitro model of transformation of a benign Barrett's cell line following repeated exposure to A+B over the course of 65 weeks.
The combination of TLR‐9 adjuvantation and electroporation‐mediated delivery enhances in vivo antitumor responses after vaccination with HPV‐16 E7 encoding DNA
Authors: Öhlschläger Peter , Spies Elmar , Alvarez Gerardo , Quetting Michael , Groettrup Marcus
Published: March 2010

Therapeutic DNA vaccination is an attractive adjuvant option to conventional methods in the fight against cancer, like surgery radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite strong antitumor effects that were observed in small animals with different antigens, DNA‐based vaccines remain weakly immunogenic in large animals and primates compared to protein‐based vaccines. Here, we sought to enhance the immunogenicity of a therapeutic nontransforming cervical cancer DNA vaccine (HPV‐16 E7SH) by introduction of a highly optimized CpG cassette into the plasmid backbone as well as by an optimized DNA delivery using an advanced electroporation (EP) technology. By integrating the means for agent administration and EP into a single device, this technology enables a simple, one‐step procedure that facilitates reproducibility. We found that highly optimized CpG motifs alone triggers an enhanced IFN‐γ and granzyme B response in Elispot assays as well as stronger tumor regression. Furthermore, these effects could be dramatically enhanced when the CpG cassette containing plasmid was administered via the newly developed EP technology. These data suggest that an optimized application of CpG‐enriched DNA vaccines may be an attractive strategy for the treatment of cancer. Collectively, these results provide a basis for the transfer of preclinical therapeutic DNA‐based immunization studies into successful clinical cancer trials.
Effects of tyroservatide on histone acetylation in lung carcinoma cells
Authors: Xu Qiong , Lu Rong , Zhu Zhi‐Feng , Lv Jun‐Qiang , Wang Li‐Juan , Zhang Wen , Hu Jin‐Wei , Meng Jie , Lin Gang , Yao Zhi
Published: March 2010

Tyroservatide (YSV) is an active, low‐molecular weight polypeptide shown to have antitumor effects on experimental hepatocarcinoma and lung carcinoma. The focus of our study was to observe the effects of YSV on several human lung carcinoma cell lines and explore its antitumor mechanism via its effect on histone acetylation. Our results showed that YSV significantly inhibited the proliferation of human lung carcinoma A549, NCIH460, NCIH292 and NCIH1299 cells, induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and increased protein and mRNA levels of p21 and p27. Moreover, YSV treatment significantly inhibited histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity and resulted in the accumulation of acetylated histones H3 and H4 in total cellular chromatin and p21 gene‐associated chromatin regions. Together these data suggest that the antitumor effects of YSV might be mediated by its inhibition of HDAC activity, selectively upregulating the expression of p21 by increasing the acetylation of histones associated with p21 gene regions, resulting in an induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and inhibition of the proliferation of tumor cells. Our findings demonstrate that YSV may exhibit potent therapeutical effects on lung carcinoma.
Optical micromanipulations in the non‐diffractive regime
Authors: Varghese Smitha S. , Gu Min
Published: March 2010

The ever‐evolving topic of optical micromanipulation has established itself as a discipline over the last three decades, and is of much interest to a wide research community due to constantly emerging new applications across the various key disciplines. Performing optical manipulation using evanescent waves is termed near‐field optical manipulation, which is essentially the manipulation of particles in the non‐diffractive regime. The concept of the breaking of diffraction limit is the spur driving near‐field optics studies, as opposed to all far field optical applications where light cannot be focused to a spot smaller than the diffraction limited value, which is about half the wavelength of light in the medium. The authors present a review of the various near‐field optical manipulation techniques and then report on the observation of erythrocyte pearl chains by a near‐field optical tweezer. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)