bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of spleen‐preserving lymphadenectomy on surgical outcomes of locally advanced proximal gastric cancer
Authors: Oh Sung Jin , Hyung Woo Jin , Li Chen , Song Jyewon , Kang Wookho , Rha Sun Young , Chung Hyun Cheol , Choi Seung Ho , Noh Sung Hoon ,   Yonsei Gastric Cancer Clinic
Published: January 2009

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of D2 lymphadenectomy with spleen preservation on surgical outcomes in locally advanced proximal gastric cancer.

Methods

Between January 2000 and December 2004, a total of 366 patients who underwent curative total gastrectomy were studied retrospectively from a prospectively designed database.

Results

The spleen‐preservation group experienced shorter operation times, a lower incidence of perioperative transfusion, and shorter postoperative hospital stays. Perioperative transfusion and splenectomy were independent risk factors for morbidity. There was no significant difference between the two groups in recurrence or cumulative survival rate when adjusted according to cancer stage. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, serosal invasion, and nodal metastasis were independent prognostic factors, while splenectomy was not. The cumulative survival rate in pN0‐status patients was significantly higher in the spleen‐preservation group, while there was no significant difference in the survival of pN1‐ or pN2‐status patients between the two groups.

Conclusions

Splenectomy for lymph node dissection in proximal gastric cancer patients obviously showed poor short‐surgical outcomes, but it did not affect long‐term outcomes in terms of recurrence and overall survival rate. Therefore, spleen‐preserving lymphadenectomy is a feasible method for radical surgery in locally advanced proximal gastric cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2009;99:275–280. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Performance comparison of slow‐light coupled‐resonator optical gyroscopes
Authors: Terrel M. , Digonnet M.J.F. , Fan S.
Published: January 2009

We investigate the connection between group velocity and rotation sensitivity in a number of resonant gyroscope designs. Two key comparisons are made. First, we compare two conventional sensors, namely a resonant fiber optic gyroscope (RFOG) and an interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (FOG). Second, we compare the RFOG to several recently proposed coupled‐resonator optical waveguide (CROW) gyroscopes. We show that the relationship between loss and maximum rotation sensitivity is the same for both conventional and CROW gyroscopes. Thus, coupling multiple resonators together cannot enhance rotation sensitivity. While CROW gyroscopes offer the potential for large group indices, this increase of group index does not provide a corresponding increase in the maximum sensitivity to rotation. For a given footprint and a given total loss, the highest sensitivity is shown to be achieved either in a conventional RFOG utilizing a single resonator, or a conventional FOG.
Finite‐dimensional attractors and exponential attractors for degenerate doubly nonlinear equations
Authors: Efendiev M. , Zelik S.
Published: January 2009

We consider the following doubly nonlinear parabolic equation in a bounded domain Ω⊂ℝ3:where the nonlinearityfis allowed to have a degeneracy with respect to ∂tuof the form ∂tu|∂tu|pat some pointsx∈Ω.

Under some natural assumptions on the nonlinearitiesfandg, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution of that problem and establish the finite‐dimensionality of global and exponential attractors of the semigroup associated with this equation in the appropriate phase space. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the image of the limit q‐Bernstein operator
Authors: Ostrovska Sofiya
Published: January 2009

The limit q‐Bernstein operator Bq emerges naturally as an analogue to the Szász–Mirakyan operator related to the Euler distribution. Alternatively, Bq comes out as a limit for a sequence of q‐Bernstein polynomials in the case 0<q<1. Lately, different properties of the limit q‐Bernstein operator and its iterates have been studied by a number of authors. In particular, it has been shown that Bq is a positive shape‐preserving linear operator on C[0, 1] with ∥Bq∥=1, which possesses the following remarkable property: in general, it improves the analytic properties of a function. In this paper, new results on the properties of the image of Bq are presented. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of salt content on the structure of iota‐carrageenan systems: 23Na DQF NMR and rheological studies
Authors: Gobet Mallory , Mouaddab Mohamed , Cayot Nathalie , Bonny Jean‐Marie , Guichard Elisabeth , Le Quéré Jean‐Luc , Moreau Céline , Foucat Loïc
Published: January 2009

23Na NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the effects of Na+ ion concentrations on the structure of 1% (w/w) iota‐carrageenan systems, a natural gelling polysaccharide used as a thickener in the food industry. Rheological and 23Na T1 relaxation time measurements revealed that gel formation correlates with decreases in ion mobility over the range of 0–3% (w/w) sodium content. 23Na single‐quantum (SQ) and double‐quantum‐filtered (DQF) NMR experiments performed on these systems provided evidence for a ‘bound’ sodium ion fraction in a specifically ordered environment. These results have allowed us to propose a model for the carrageenan gelation mechanism in the presence of Na+ ions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An implicit finite element algorithm for the simulation of diffusion with phase changes in solids
Authors: Feulvarch E. , Bergheau J. M. , Leblond J. B.
Published: January 2009

A fixed grid technique is proposed for the numerical simulation of the phenomena of diffusion with phase changes in solids. This technique is based on the finite element method in space coupled with the implicit (backward) Euler algorithm in time. The examples given include the Stefan problem, heat transfer with non‐instantaneous metallurgical transformations in steels, and the simultaneous and coupled diffusion and precipitation of chemical elements during internal oxidation of steels. These examples clearly evidence the efficiency and robustness of the method developed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reliability sensitivity analysis with random and interval variables
Authors: Guo Jia , Du Xiaoping
Published: January 2009

In reliability analysis and reliability‐based design, sensitivity analysis identifies the relationship between the change in reliability and the change in the characteristics of uncertain variables. Sensitivity analysis is also used to identify the most significant uncertain variables that have the highest contributions to reliability. Most of the current sensitivity analysis methods are applicable for only random variables. In many engineering applications, however, some of uncertain variables are intervals. In this work, a sensitivity analysis method is proposed for the mixture of random and interval variables. Six sensitivity indices are defined for the sensitivity of the average reliability and reliability bounds with respect to the averages and widths of intervals, as well as with respect to the distribution parameters of random variables. The equations of these sensitivity indices are derived based on the first‐order reliability method (FORM). The proposed reliability sensitivity analysis is a byproduct of FORM without any extra function calls after reliability is found. Once FORM is performed, the sensitivity information is obtained automatically. Two examples are used for demonstration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonparametric density estimation for randomly perturbed elliptic problems II: Applications and adaptive modeling
Authors: Estep D. , Målqvist A. , Tavener S.
Published: January 2009

In this paper, we develop and apply an efficient adaptive algorithm for computing the propagation of uncertainty into a quantity of interest computed from numerical solutions of an elliptic partial differential equation with a randomly perturbed diffusion coefficient. The algorithm is well‐suited for problems for which limited information about the random perturbations is available and when an approximation of the probability distribution of the output is desired. We employ a nonparametric density estimation approach based on a very efficient method for computing random samples of elliptic problems described and analyzed in (SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 2008. DOI: JCOMP‐D‐08‐00261). We fully develop the adaptive algorithm suggested by the analysis in that paper, discuss details of its implementation, and illustrate its behavior using a realistic data set. Finally, we extend the analysis to include a ‘modeling error’ term that accounts for the effects of the resolution of the statistical description of the random variation. We modify the adaptive algorithm to adapt the resolution of the statistical description and illustrate the behavior of the adaptive algorithm in several examples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Uncertainty quantification in chemical systems
Authors: Najm H. N. , Debusschere B. J. , Marzouk Y. M. , Widmer S. , Le Maître O. P.
Published: January 2009

We demonstrate the use of multiwavelet spectral polynomial chaos techniques for uncertainty quantification in non‐isothermal ignition of a methane–air system. We employ Bayesian inference for identifying the probabilistic representation of the uncertain parameters and propagate this uncertainty through the ignition process. We analyze the time evolution of moments and probability density functions of the solution. We also examine the role and significance of dependence among the uncertain parameters. We finish with a discussion of the role of non‐linearity and the performance of the algorithm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Free vibration analysis of symmetric laminated skew plates by discrete singular convolution technique based on first‐order shear deformation theory
Authors: Gürses Murat , Civalek Ömer , Korkmaz Armagan K. , Ersoy Hakan
Published: January 2009

In this study, free vibration of laminated skew plates was investigated. Discrete singular convolution (DSC) method is used for numerical solution of vibration problems. The straight‐sided quadrilateral domain is mapped into a square domain in the computational space using a four‐node element by using the geometric transformation. Typical results are presented for different geometric parameters and boundary conditions. It is concluded from the results that the skew angle have considerable influence on the variations of the frequencies with fibre orientation angle and number of layers in the laminate. The results obtained by DSC method are compared with those obtained by analytical and numerical approaches. It is shown that reasonable accurate results are obtained. Present work also indicates that the method of DSC is a promising and potential approach for computational mechanics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermal characterisation of active layer across a soil moisture gradient in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Authors: Ikard Scott J. , Gooseff Michael N. , Barrett John E. , Takacs‐Vesbach Cristina
Published: January 2009

Heat transport into active layer soils is important to understanding potential responses to changes in surface energy balance, particularly in the context of changing climate. Here we present results of a study to characterise soil thermal properties along a soil moisture gradient adjacent to Lake Fryxell in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Our goals were to characterise the thermal characteristics of these relatively wet soils (compared to the rest of the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape), and to assess the response of the active layer to possible increases in soil moisture. We measured subsurface temperatures at depths from 3 to 50 cm at four locations along a natural gradient of wet to dry soils adjacent to Lake Fryxell from January 2006 to January 2007. We used a numerical model to estimate apparent thermal diffusivity (ATD) and simulate observed temperature time series. Calculations of ATD at discrete locations yielded values ranging from 1.0 × 10−9 – 2.4 × 10−5 m2 s−1, and the corresponding range of bulk (i.e. depth averaged at a single surface location) ATD was 2.9 × 10−9–1.2 × 10−7 m2 s−1. Thawed soils had a range of bulk ATD during warming of 2.9 × 10−9–3.8 × 10−8 m2 s−1, and during cooling of 2.9 × 10−9–4.8 × 10−8 m2 s−1. When soils were frozen, however, the range of bulk ATD was 7.6 × 10−9–1.2 × 10−7 m2 s−1 during warming, and 7.8 × 10−9–1.1 × 10−7 m2 s−1 during cooling. Estimated bulk ATD values were consistently greater in locations of enhanced soil moisture, so lakeside soils were more likely to conduct energy into the subsurface. Increased soil moisture across the landscape would likely increase ATD, allowing for greater heat exchange between the atmosphere and the subsurface. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Expression of macrophage inhibitory cytokine‐1 in prostate cancer bone metastases induces osteoclast activation and weight loss
Authors: Wakchoure Savita , Swain Telisha Millender , Hentunen Teuvo A. , Bauskin Asne R. , Brown David A. , Breit Samuel N. , Vuopala Katri S. , Harris Kevin W. , Selander Katri S.
Published: January 2009

BACKGROUND

Macrophage inhibitory cytokine‐1 (MIC‐1) belongs to the bone morphogenic protein/transforming growth factor‐β (BMP/TGF‐β) superfamily. Serum MIC‐1 concentrations are elevated in patients with advanced prostate cancer. The effects of MIC‐1 on prostate cancer bone metastases are unknown.

METHODS

In vitro effects of MIC‐1 on osteoblast differentiation and activity were analyzed with alkaline phosphatase and mineralization assays; osteoclast numbers were counted microscopically. MIC‐1 effects on TLR9 expression were studied with Western blotting. Human Du‐145 prostate cancer cells were stably transfected with a cDNA encoding for mature MIC‐1 or with an empty vector. The in vivo growth characteristics of the characterized cells were studied with the intra‐tibial model of bone metastasis. Tumor associated bone changes were viewed with X‐rays, histology, and histomorphometry. Bone formation was assayed by measuring serum PINP.

RESULTS

MIC‐1 induced osteoblast differentiation and activity and osteoclast formation in vitro. These effects were independent of TLR9 expression, which was promoted by MIC‐1. Both MIC‐1 and control tumors induced mixed sclerotic/lytic bone lesions, but MIC‐1 increased the osteolytic component of tumors. Osteoclast formation at the tumor–bone interface was significantly higher in the MIC‐1 tumors, whereas bone formation was significantly higher in the control mice. At sacrifice, the mice bearing MIC‐1 tumors were significantly lighter with significantly smaller tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

MIC‐1 up‐regulates TLR9 expression in various cells. MIC‐1 stimulates both osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation in vitro, independently of TLR9. MIC‐1 over‐expressing prostate cancer cells that grow in bone induce osteoclast formation and cachexia. Prostate 69:652–661, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nevirapine restores androgen signaling in hormone‐refractory human prostate carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Landriscina Matteo , Bagalà Cinzia , Piscazzi Annamaria , Schinzari Giovanni , Quirino Michela , Fabiano Annarita , Bianchetti Sara , Cassano Alessandra , Sica Gigliola , Barone Carlo
Published: January 2009

BACKGROUND

Prostate carcinomas are androgen‐dependent neoplasms which progress toward a hormone‐independent phenotype during hormone‐deprivation therapy. We evaluated nevirapine, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor, as a new treatment in hormone‐refractory prostate carcinoma cells with the aim of restoring the androgen‐dependency of tumor cells, the rationale being that endogenous reverse transcriptase is up‐regulated in transformed cells and reverse transcriptase inhibitors exert a differentiating activity in human tumors.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Nevirapine induced extensive reprogramming of gene expression in vitro with up‐regulation of genes that might be silenced during prostate tumor progression (i.e., K18, PSA and androgen receptor) and down‐regulation of genes involved in the progression toward an androgen‐independent phenotype (i.e., K5, EGFR1, EGF and VEGF‐A). Furthermore, nevirapine down‐regulated the growth of prostate carcinoma xenografts in athymic mice and induced a differentiated phenotype in vivo with increased K18 expression. Interestingly, the drug restored androgen signaling by enhancing the ability of tumor cells to respond to dihydrotestosterone stimulation and to the antiproliferative activity of the androgen receptor blocker bicalutamide. Finally, nevirapine pretreatment increased the susceptibility of tumor cells to docetaxel, by enhancing their ability to undergo apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that nevirapine may be clinically tested in human hormone‐refractory prostate carcinoma to restore the susceptibility to androgen deprivation therapy or to docetaxel. Prostate 69: 744–754, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Flame growth model for confined gas explosion
Authors: Jo Young‐Do , Crowl Daniel A.
Published: January 2009

Large quantities of flammable gases are used in both commercial and residential applications. The risk associated with the use of these materials depends on an understanding of the impacts of an explosion, particularly the pressure‐time history during the explosion. This work provides a model to calculate the pressure‐time history for an explosion in a closed, spherical vessel. The model is expected to be of great benefit for characterizing these explosions and also for the design of explosion vents and other explosion protection systems.

The unique features of this model are that it takes into account the effect of two heat capacity ratios, unburned gas and burned gas, and assumes a variable burning speed—both features are verified by experimental data to be important. The model requires the following parameters: chemical equilibrium, constant volume explosion pressure; heat capacity ratio for the gas as a function of temperature; and an exponent for the flame speed as a function of pressure and temperature. Application of the model to experimental data results in a single adjustable parameter called the “burning parameter.”

The model was verified for both hydrogen and methane combustion. The results show that the model can accurately predict the experimental pressure‐time curves over almost the entire pressure time history, from initial ignition up to the maximum pressure rise. This is a substantial improvement over previous models, which could only represent the data over a small time period or small pressure increase. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2009
Novel InN growth method under In‐rich condition on GaN/Al2O3 (0001) templates
Authors: Yamaguchi Tomohiro , Muto Daisuke , Araki Tsutomu , Maeda Narihiko , Nanishi Yasushi
Published: January 2009

A novel technique is proposed for the growth of an InN film on a GaN/Al2O3 (0001) template by radio‐frequency plasma‐excited molecular beam epitaxy (RF‐MBE). The method involves 1) InN growth under an In‐rich condition and 2) additional nitrogen radical irradiation after the InN growth under an In‐rich condition. Excess In that appeared on the InN surface in the InN growth under an In‐rich condition is transformed to InN by the additional nitrogen radical irradiation. The effective V/III ratio is easily controlled by monitoring the intensity in a reflection high‐energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern. The growth of the InN film by repeating the InN growth under an In‐rich condition and the additional nitrogen radical irradiation is also demonstrated. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Growth and characterization of lattice‐matched InAlN/GaN Bragg reflectors grown by plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy
Authors: Gačević Ž. , Fernández‐Garrido S. , Calleja E. , Luna E. , Trampert A.
Published: January 2009

We demonstrate six to ten period lattice‐matched In0.18Al0.82N/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors with peak reflectivity centred around 400 nm, grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Thanks to the well‐tuned ternary alloy composition crack‐free layers have been obtained as confirmed by both optical and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, cross‐sectional analysis by high resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals highly periodic structure with abrupt interfaces. When the number of DBRs periods increased from six to ten, peak reflectivity increased from 45% to 60%. This increase was found to be in reasonable agreement with theoretical simulations. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Investigation of Rh‐based Schottky electrode on AlGaN/GaN heterostructure
Authors: Tian Feng , Chor Eng Fong
Published: January 2009

Electrical properties and thermal stability of Ni/Rh/Au gate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) have been investigated and compared to the conventionally used Ni/Au counterparts. The Ni/Rh/Au gate HFETs exhibit a lower gate leakage current and lower off‐state drain current than the Ni/Au devices owing to the enhanced performance of Schottky contact. It has been found that, after thermal treatment at 500 °C for 500 mins, the maximum drain current (Imax) and peak transconductance (gm,max) of the Ni/Au gate HFETs drop by ∼17.2% and ∼7.2%, respectively. Further more, there is a shift of 14% in the threshold voltage (Vth). However, in the case of Ni/Rh/Au gate HFETs, smaller decrease of ∼7.2% and ∼4.5% in Imax and gm,max, respectively are seen. The shift in Vth is also smaller at 4.7%. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements have revealed that the improved thermal stability of the latter is attributed to the insertion of the stable Rh between Ni and Au, which serves as a barrier layer, suppressing the inter‐diffusion of the gate metals with the substrate. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Withanolide sulfoxide from Aswagandha roots inhibits nuclear transcription factor‐kappa‐B, cyclooxygenase and tumor cell proliferation
Authors: Mulabagal Vanisree , Subbaraju Gottumukkala V. , Rao Chirravuri V. , Sivaramakrishna Chillara , DeWitt David L. , Holmes Daniel , Sung Bokyung , Aggarwal Bharat B. , Tsay Hsin‐Sheng , Nair Muraleedharan G.
Published: January 2009

Investigation of the methanol extract of Aswagandha (Withania somnifera) roots for bioactive constituents yielded a novel withanolide sulfoxide compound (1) along with a known withanolide dimer ashwagandhanolide (2) with an S‐linkage. The structure of compound 1 was established by extensive NMR and MS experiments. Compound 1 was highly selective in inhibiting cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) enzyme by 60% at 100 µm with no activity against COX‐1 enzyme. The IC50 values of compound 1 against human gastric (AGS), breast (MCF‐7), central nervous system (SF‐268) and colon (HCT‐116) cancer cell lines were in the range 0.74–3.63 µm. Both S‐containing dimeric withanolides, 1 and 2, completely suppressed TNF‐induced NF‐κB activation when tested at 100 µm. The isolation of a withanolide sulfoxide from W. somnifera roots and its ability to inhibit COX‐2 enzyme and to suppress human tumor cell proliferation are reported here for the first time. In addition, this is the first report on the abrogation of TNF‐induced NF‐κB activation for compounds 1 and 2. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Properties of normalised rain‐rate distributions in the tropical Pacific
Authors: Field P. R. , Shutts G. J.
Published: January 2009

Passive microwave retrievals of rainfall rate are examined for the tropical Pacific region. Frequency distributions of two years of daily rain rates were compared for coarse grainings (arithmetic averages) of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16° squares for nominal warm sea (warm pool) and relatively cooler sea (cold pool) regions. The histograms displayed a gamma distribution shape with an exponential tail to high rain rates and a power law for lower rain rates (<20 mm d−1). The distributions over warmer sea were broader than their counterparts over cooler sea. Coarse graining of the rain rates reduced the breadth of the distributions but the shape was retained.

Conditional sampling of 1° rain rates for larger regions with the same mean rain rate shows that the distributions of 1° rain rates within bigger regions of the cold or warm pool with the same mean rain rate are very similar. Additionally, it was found that these 1° rain‐rate distributions could be successfully normalised to reveal an underlying dimensionless rain‐rate distribution shape.

Normalised rain‐rate distributions are shown to be insensitive to sensor type, time of day and sensitivity perturbations. This makes the normalised rain‐rate distributions good candidates for comparison with model output. Normalised rain‐rate distributions from a large‐domain cloud‐resolving model (CRM) and two operational global models (Met Office UM, ECMWF IFS) were compared with the satellite passive microwave data. The models generally produce more frequent high‐intensity rain rates than the satellite passive microwave data suggest. The CRM performs better than the global models in reproducing the normalised distributions obtained from the satellite passive microwave data. This difference is attributed to the CRM's ability to resolve convection. © Crown Copyright 2009. Reproduced with the permission of HMSO. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discovering and Exploiting Statistical Properties for Query Optimization in Relational Databases: A Survey
Authors: Haas Peter J. , Ilyas Ihab F. , Lohman Guy M. , Markl Volker
Published: January 2009

Discovering and exploiting statistical features in relational datasets is key to query optimization in a relational database management system (RDBMS ), and is also needed for database design, cleaning, and integration. This paper surveys a variety of methods for automatically discovering important statistical features such as correlations, functional dependencies, keys, and algebraic constraints. We discuss proactive approaches in which the data is scanned or sampled (periodically, at optimization time or at query time), or in which exploratory queries are executed. Also discussed are reactive approaches that monitor the results of the query processing. Finally, we discuss methods for dealing with the practical challenges of maintaining statistical information in the face of heavy system utilization, and of dealing with inconsistencies that arise from incomplete cardinality models, use of multiple discovery methods, or changes in the underlying data over time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 1: 000‐000, 2008
A statistical learning approach for the design of polycrystalline materials
Authors: Sundararaghavan Veera , Zabaras Nicholas
Published: January 2009

Important physical properties such as yield strength, elastic modulus, and thermal conductivity depend on the material microstructure. Realization of optimal microstructures is important for hardware components in aerospace applications where there is a need to optimize material properties for improved performance. Microstructures can be tailored through controlled deformation or heat treatment. However, identification of the optimal processing path is a non‐trivial (and non‐unique) problem. Data‐mining techniques are eminently suitable for process design since optimal processing paths can be selected based on available information from a large database‐relating processes, properties, and microstructures. In this paper, the problem of designing processing stages that lead to a desired microstructure or material property is addressed by mining over a database of microstructural signatures. A hierarchical X‐means classifier is designed to match crystallographic orientation features to a class of microstructural signatures within a database. Instead of the conventional distortion minimization algorithm of k‐means, X‐means maximizes a Bayesian information measure for calculating cluster centers which allows automatic detection of number of classes. Using the microstructural database, an adaptive data‐compression technique based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) has been designed to accelerate materials design. In this technique, reduced modes selected adaptively from the database are used to speed up auxiliary microstructure optimization algorithms built over the database. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 1: 000‐000, 2009
Neural Networks and Information in Materials Science
Authors: Bhadeshia H. K. D. H.
Published: January 2009

Neural networks have pervaded all aspects of materials science resulting in the discovery of new phenomena and have been used in quantitative design and control. At the same time, they have introduced a culture in which both noise and modeling uncertainties are considered in order to realize the value of empirical modeling. This review deals with all of these aspects using concrete examples to highlight the progress made, whilst at the same time emphasizing the limitations of the method. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 1: 000‐000, 2009
Power and sample size calculation for log‐rank test with a time lag in treatment effect
Authors: Zhang Daowen , Quan Hui
Published: January 2009

The log‐rank test is the most powerful non‐parametric test for detecting a proportional hazards alternative and thus is the most commonly used testing procedure for comparing time‐to‐event distributions between different treatments in clinical trials. When the log‐rank test is used for the primary data analysis, the sample size calculation should also be based on the test to ensure the desired power for the study. In some clinical trials, the treatment effect may not manifest itself right after patients receive the treatment. Therefore, the proportional hazards assumption may not hold. Furthermore, patients may discontinue the study treatment prematurely and thus may have diluted treatment effect after treatment discontinuation. If a patient's treatment termination time is independent of his/her time‐to‐event of interest, the termination time can be treated as a censoring time in the final data analysis. Alternatively, we may keep collecting time‐to‐event data until study termination from those patients who discontinued the treatment and conduct an intent‐to‐treat analysis by including them in the original treatment groups. We derive formulas necessary to calculate the asymptotic power of the log‐rank test under this non‐proportional hazards alternative for the two data analysis strategies. Simulation studies indicate that the formulas provide accurate power for a variety of trial settings. A clinical trial example is used to illustrate the application of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dose selection in seamless phase II/III clinical trials based on efficacy and safety
Authors: Kimani Peter K. , Stallard Nigel , Hutton Jane L.
Published: January 2009

Seamless phase II/III clinical trials are attractive in development of new drugs because they accelerate the drug development process. Seamless phase II/III trials are carried out in two stages. After stage 1 (phase II stage), an interim analysis is performed and a decision is made on whether to proceed to stage 2 (phase III stage). If the decision is to continue with further testing, some dose‐selection procedure is used to determine the set of doses to be tested in stage 2. In this paper, we propose a dose‐selection procedure for binary outcomes in adaptive seamless phase II/III clinical trials that incorporates the dose‐response relationship when the experimental treatments are different dose levels of the same drug, and explicitly incorporates both efficacy and safety. The choice of the doses to continue to stage 2 is made by comparing the predictive power of the potential sets of doses, which might continue. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Commentary: Sca-1 and Cells of the Lung: A matter of Different Sorts
Authors: Raiser David M. , Kim Carla F.
Published: January 2009

In two separate articles published in this issue, Teisanu et al. and McQualter et al. report the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting to identify putative bronchiolar stem cells that are low in expression for the cell surface marker Sca-1 yet negative for CD34, and a mesenchymal, fibroblastic progenitor cell population from the lung that is positive for Sca-1, respectively. At first glance, these studies may seem to suggest that Sca-1 and CD34 are not markers of an epithelial stem cell population in the lung, as we previously determined in studies that identified bronchioalveolar stem cells (BASCs), and may also appear to contradict each other. However, here we point to evidence that the findings of these three studies are not mutually exclusive, and rather, that the different cell isolation and culturing protocols used in these studies have allowed for the identification of unique pulmonary cell populations. Rather than discounting previous work on BASCs, these studies reveal the existence of new methods and new cell types that will be interesting to use in future functional tests for their importance in lung biology and lung disease.
Human Cord Blood CD133+ Stem Cells Transplanted to Nod-Scid Mice Provide Conditions for Regeneration of Olfactory Neuroepithelium After Permanent Damage Induced by Dichlobenil
Authors: Franceschini Valeria , Bettini Simone , Pifferi Simone , Rosellini Alfredo , Menini Anna , Saccardi Ricardo , Ognio Emanuela , Jeffery Rosemary , Poulsom Richard , Revoltella Roberto P.
Published: January 2009

The herbicide dichlobenil selectively causes necrosis of the dorsomedial part of olfactory neuroepithelium (NE) with permanent damage to the underlying mucosa, whereas the lateral part of the olfactory region and the nasal respiratory mucosa remain undamaged. We investigated here whether human umbilical cord blood CD133+ stem cells (HSC) injected intravenously to nod-scid mice pretreated with dichlobenil may engraft the olfactory mucosa and contribute to the regeneration of the damaged NE. We tested HLA-DQα1 DNA and three human microsatellites (Combined DNA Index System) as indicators of engrafted cells, finding polymerase chain reaction evidence of chimaerism in various tissues of the host, including the olfactory mucosa and bulb, at 7 and 31 days following HSC transplantation. Histology, immunohistochemistry, and lectin staining revealed the morphological recovery of the dorsomedial region of the NE in dichlobenil-treated mice that received HSC, contrasting with the lack of regeneration in similarly injured areas as these remained damaged in control nontransplanted mice. FISH analysis, to detect human genomic sequences from different chromosomes, confirmed persistent engraftment of the regenerating olfactory area with chimeric cells. Electro-olfactograms in response to odorants, to test the functionality of the olfactory NE, confirmed the functional damage of the dorsomedial area in dichlobenil-treated mice and the functional recovery of the same area in transplanted mice. These findings support the concept that transplanted HSC migrating to the damaged olfactory area provide conditions facilitating the recovery from olfactory receptor cell loss.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Stem Cell Property of Postmigratory Cranial Neural Crest Cells and Their Utility in Alveolar Bone Regeneration and Tooth Development
Authors: Chung Il-Hyuk , Yamaza Takayoshi , Zhao Hu , Choung Pill-Hoon , Shi Songtao , Chai Yang
Published: January 2009

The vertebrate neural crest is a multipotent cell population that gives rise to a variety of different cell types. We have discovered that postmigratory cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs) maintain mesenchymal stem cell characteristics and show potential utility for the regeneration of craniofacial structures. We are able to induce the osteogenic differentiation of postmigratory CNCCs, and this differentiation is regulated by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and transforming growth factor-β signaling pathways. After transplantation into a host animal, postmigratory CNCCs form bone matrix. CNCC-formed bones are distinct from bones regenerated by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, CNCCs support tooth germ survival via BMP signaling in our CNCC-tooth germ cotransplantation system. Thus, we conclude that postmigratory CNCCs preserve stem cell features, contribute to craniofacial bone formation, and play a fundamental role in supporting tooth organ development. These findings reveal a novel function for postmigratory CNCCs in organ development, and demonstrate the utility of these CNCCs in regenerating craniofacial structures.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Acceleration of Skeletal Muscle Regeneration in a Rat Skeletal Muscle Injury Model by Local Injection of Human Peripheral Blood-Derived CD133-Positive Cells
Authors: Shi Ming , Ishikawa Masakazu , Kamei Naosuke , Nakasa Tomoyuki , Adachi Nobuo , Deie Masataka , Asahara Takayuki , Ochi Mitsuo
Published: January 2009

Muscle injuries in sport activities can pose challenging problems in traumatology and sports medicine. The best treatment for muscle injury has not been clearly established except for the conservative treatment that is routinely performed. We investigated the potential of human adult CD133+ cells to contribute to skeletal muscle regeneration in an athymic rat model. We tested whether CD133+ cells locally transplanted to the skeletal muscle lacerated models could (a) induce vasculogenesis/angiogenesis, (b) differentiate into endothelial and myogenic lineages, and (c) finally promote histological and functional skeletal myogenesis. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor-mobilized peripheral blood (PB) CD133+ cells, PB mononuclear cells, or phosphate-buffered saline was locally injected after creating a muscle laceration in the tibialis anterior muscle in athymic rats. After treatment, histological and functional skeletal myogenesis was observed significantly in the CD133+ group. The injected CD133+ cells differentiated into endothelial and myogenic lineages. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, we found that the gene expressions related to microenvironment conduction for host angiogenesis, fibrosis, and myogenesis were ideally up/downregulated. Our results show that CD133+ cells have the potential to enhance the histological and functional recovery from skeletal muscle injury rather via indirect contribution to environment conduction for muscular regeneration. It would be relatively easy to purify this cell fraction from PB, which could be a feasible and attractive autologous candidate for skeletal muscle injuries in a clinical setting. These advantages could accelerate the progression of cell-based therapies for skeletal muscle injuries from laboratory to clinical implementation.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Specific Knockdown of OCT4 in Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Inducible Short Hairpin RNA Interference
Authors: Zafarana Gaetano , Avery Stuart R. , Avery Katie , Moore Harry D. , Andrews Peter W.
Published: January 2009

Manipulation of gene function in embryonic stem cells by either over expression or downregulation is critical for understanding their subsequent cell fate. We have developed a tetracycline-inducible short hairpin RNA interference (shRNAi) for human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and demonstrated doxycycline dose-dependent knockdown of the transcription factor OCT4 and the cell surface antigen β2-microglobulin. The induced knockdown of OCT4 resulted in rapid differentiation of hESCs with a significant increase in transcription of genes associated with trophoblast and endoderm lineages, the extent of which was controlled by the degree of induction. Transgene toxicity, which may occur in conditional over-expression strategies with hESCs, was not observed with wild-type Tet repressor protein. The system allows efficient, reversible, and long-term downregulation of target genes in hESCs and enables the generation of stable transfectants for the knockdown of genes essential for cell survival and self-renewal, not necessarily possible by nonconditional shRNAi methods.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Promotes Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Migration to the Ischemic Myocardium via Upregulation of Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1α
Authors: Li Na , Lu Xiangru , Zhao Xiaohui , Xiang Fu-Li , Xenocostas Anargyros , Karmazyn Morris , Feng Qingping
Published: January 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the host myocardium on bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) migration to the ischemic myocardium and whether stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) contributes to eNOS-mediated MSC migration. MSCs and coronary microvascular endothelial cells were isolated from adult wild-type (WT) mouse bone marrow and hearts, respectively. Cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes from WT, eNOS−/−, and eNOS overexpressing transgenic (Tg) mice were subjected to anoxia and reoxygenation (A/R), and the conditioned medium was used as a chemoattractant for in vitro transendothelial migration assay. MSC migration was decreased in the presence of conditioned medium derived from eNOS−/− cardiomyocytes but increased in the presence of eNOS-Tg conditioned medium. SDF-1α expression was decreased in eNOS−/− but increased in eNOS-Tg cardiomyocytes following A/R and in the myocardium following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). SDF-1α expression was cGMP-dependent as inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase decreased SDF-1α expression in WT cardiomyocytes. MSCs expressed very low levels of eNOS proteins compared with the adult myocardium. To examine MSC migration in vivo, MSCs derived from mice expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP+) were intravenously administered to WT mice subjected to myocardial I/R. EGFP+ cells in the ischemic region were decreased in eNOS−/− but increased in eNOS-Tg compared with WT hearts. MSC treatment improved cardiac function following I/R in WT but not in eNOS−/− mice. In conclusion, eNOS in the host myocardium promotes MSC migration to the ischemic myocardium and improves cardiac function through cGMP-dependent increases in SDF-1α expression.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Sterols and Fatty Acids of Two Caesalpiniaceae
Authors: Miralles J. , Diallo N. , Gaydou E. , Kornprobst J. M.
Published: January 2009

Seed oils ofCassia hirsuta andC. tora L., two Caesalpiniaceae belonging to the Leguminoseae family, contain small amounts of malvalic and sterculic acids. Sterol composition was determined by capillary GLC and GC/MS; 15 sterols were identified. In addition to the usual δ‐5 sterols, high levels of δ‐7 sterols and small amounts of saturated sterols were found.
Lipase Catalyzed Transesterification of Unsaturated Lipids in a Microemulsion
Authors: Osterberg E. , Blomstrom A. ‐C. , Holmberg K.
Published: January 2009

A series of triglycerides having varying degrees of unsaturation of the acyl groups has been transesterified with stearic acid. It is shown that the position of the double bonds, not the degree of unsaturation, is the decisive factor in the rate of reaction. A A‐6 double bond, which is present in petroselinic acid and ylinolenic acid, prevents reaction. Unsymmetrical triglycerides containing only one acyl group with δ‐6 unsaturation reacts regiospecifically with the A‐6 acyl group facing away from the enzyme. γ‐Linolenic acid can be incorporated into an unhindered triglyceride through lipase catalyzed transesterification, indicating that the active site can in fact accommodate a δ‐6 fatty acid, although not the corresponding triglyceride.
Chromatographic studies on fatty acid dinners: Gas‐liquid chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography and thin‐layer chromatography
Authors: Christopoulou C. N. , Perkins E. G.
Published: January 2009

Methods for separation of various structural entities of dimers from heated fats and oils are not yet available. A series of dimers, representative of these, which may be formed in thermal oxidative reactions of fats and oils have recently been made available. In this study, the results of the analysis of a mixture of standard synthetic dimers, differing in polarity and structure, by packed column and capillary gas‐liquid chromatography (GLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) are presented. The HPLC method is based on the use of a octadecyl‐bonded reverse phase column with acetone actonitrile (1:1, v/v) as the mobile phase with refractive index detection.
Phospholipids of environmentally stressed soybean seeds
Authors: Dornbos D. L. , Mullen R. E. , Hammond E. G.
Published: January 2009

Protein and oil content of the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed and the fatty acid composition of the oil can be altered by environmental stress. The objective of this study was to characterize the composition of the phospholipid (PL) from soybean seeds after exposure to drought and high temperature during seed fill. Drought stress was imposed on greenhouse‐grown soybean plants at temperatures of 28 and 33‡C after the beginning of seed fill and was maintained throughout the seed‐fill period. The fatty acid composition of each PL class was altered by drought and high temperature. With phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, which composed 89% of the separated PL, greater proportions of 16:0 and 18:0 and lesser proportions of 18:2 and 18:3 were present in soybean seeds exposed to high temperature and severe drought. More linolenic acid and less palmitic acid were present in phosphatidylinositol. The changes were comparable to those of the triglyceride because of high temperature. The elevated temperature increased the proportion of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol and decreased that of phosphatidylethanolamine. The effect of drought and high temperature stress on PL class and fatty acid composition has important implications on the quality of soybean seed oil and lecithin and on the ability of the seed to maintain optimum rates of metabolism in the development and germination environment.
Reverse osmosis membrane characteristics for partitioning triglyceride‐solvent mixtures
Authors: Kuk M. S. , Hron R. J. , Abraham G.
Published: January 2009

Residual free gossypol in hexane‐extracted cottonseed meal is a frequent concern of the feed industry. It is known that ethanol can efficiently extract the gossypol from cottonseed. However, regeneration of ethanol from ethanol‐rich miscellas by conventional evaporation is costly, due to the high latent heat of ethanol. As an alternative to the evaporative regeneration, reverse osmosis (RO) has been investigated. It was found that commercially available RO membranes which have pore diameter around 20 A‡ (evaluated with deionized water flux) or less perform the necessary partitioning. Among the commercially available RO membranes, cellulose acetate (CA) type membranes with a nominal MWCO (molecular weight cutoff) value between 500 and 1000 were found to be efficient in partitioning the cottonseed triglycerides from the base solvent, but were not chemically compatible with the base solvent. RO membranes made from aromatic polyamide (PA) with MWCO value 1000 were found to have both the chemical stability and the necessary pore characteristics. Experimental results indicated the potential use of RO membranes for the regeneration of ethanol from ethanol miscellas. The required membrane pore characteristics and applicable permeate flux equations are discussed.