bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Researches on thiazolobenzodiazepines: Behavior of tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzodiazepinethiones with aromatic α‐haloketones
Authors: Janciene Regina , Stumbreviciute Zita , Vektariene Ausra , Kosychova Lidija , Sirutkaitis Romualdas , Palaima Algirdas , Staniulyte Zita , Puodziunaite Benedikta D.
Published: January 2008

A number of 1‐substituted 4H,5H,6H‐[1,3]thiazolo[3,2‐a][1,5]benzodiazepinium‐11‐bromides and S‐(2‐oxo‐2‐phenyl‐X‐(p)‐ethyl)‐3‐(2‐methyl‐1H‐benzimidazol‐1‐yl) propane (or butane) thioate hydrobromides were obtained by direct reaction of the 5‐acetyl(or formyl, or anilinocarbonyl)‐substituted tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzodiazepine‐2‐thiones with aromatic α‐bromoketones. 2‐[(1‐Acetyl‐2(or 3)‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐1,5‐benzodiazepin‐4‐yl) sulfanyl]‐1‐phenylethanones as intermediates of the formation of thiazolo [3,2‐a][1,5]benzodiazepine and N‐substituted 2‐methyl‐1H‐benzimidazole derivatives have been synthesized. Semiempirical AM1 calculations of a mechanism and energetic parameters for the heptatomic nucleus rearrangement to benzimidazole ring are presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:72–81, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20414
N‐functionalized azolin‐2‐ylidene‐palladium‐catalyzed heck reaction
Authors: Özdemir Ismail , Gürbüz Nevin , Gök Yetkin , Çetinkaya Bekir
Published: January 2008

Novel 1,3‐dialkylimidazolidinium, 1,3‐dialkyl‐3,4,5,6‐tetrahydropyrimidinium, and 1,3‐dialkyl‐1H‐4,5,6,7‐tetrahydrodiazepinium hexafluorophosphates (1a–c, 2a–c) as N‐heterocyclic carbene precursors have been synthesized and characterized. The incorporation of saturated N‐heterocyclic carbenes into palladium precatalysts gives high‐catalyst activity in the Heck coupling of aryl bromide substrates in aqueous media. The complexes were generated in the presence of Pd(OAc)2 by in situ deprotonation of 1,3‐dialkylazolinium salts 1, 2. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:82–86, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20415
Phosphorylation of N‐Silylpyrroles with Phosphorus Tribromide
Authors: Chaikovskaya Aleksandra A. , Dmytriv Yurii V. , Pinchuk Aleksandr M. , Tolmachev Andrei A.
Published: January 2008

Phosphorylation of N‐trimethylsilyl‐ and N‐dimethyl‐tert‐butylsilylpyrroles with phosphorus tribromide in pyridine proceeds selectively at position 3 of the pyrrole ring. Removal of the trialkylsilyl protecting group has furnished the first representatives of N‐unsubstituted 3‐phosphorylated pyrroles. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:93–96, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20416
Interferon regulatory factor-3 activation, hepatic interferon-stimulated gene expression, and immune cell infiltration in hepatitis C virus patients
Authors: Lau Daryl T.-Y. , Fish Penny Mar , Sinha Mala , Owen David M. , Lemon Stanley M. , Gale Michael
Published: January 2008

Interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3) activation directs α/β interferon production and interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression, which limits virus infection. Here, we examined the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural 3 protein, the status of IRF-3 activation, and expression of IRF-3 target genes and ISGs during asynchronous HCV infection

in vitro

and in liver biopsies from patients with chronic HCV infection, using confocal microscopy and functional genomics approaches. In general, asynchronous infection with HCV stimulated a low-frequency and transient IRF-3 activation within responsive cells

in vitro

that was associated with cell-to-cell virus spread. Similarly, a subset of HCV patients exhibited the nuclear, active form of IRF-3 in hepatocytes and an associated increase in IRF-3 target gene expression in hepatic tissue. Moreover, ISG expression profiles formed disease-specific clusters for HCV and control nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients, with increased ISG expression among the HCV patients. We identified the presence of T cell and plasmacytoid dendritic cell infiltrates within all biopsy specimens, suggesting they could be a source of hepatic interferon in the setting of hepatitis C and chronic inflammatory condition.

Conclusion:

These results indicate that HCV can transiently trigger IRF-3 activation during virus spread and that in chronic HCV, IRF-3 activation within infected hepatocytes occurs but is limited.
Attentional focus moderates habituation–language relationships: slow habituation may be a good thing
Authors: Dixon Wallace E. , Smith P. Hull
Published: January 2008

An interesting paradox in the developmental literature has emerged in which fast‐habituating babies tend to be temperamentally difficult and fast language learners, even though temperamentally difficult babies tend to be slow language learners. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine whether the paradoxical relationships among habituation, temperamental difficulty, and language acquisition could be mediated partly or wholly by infant attentional focus, because the latter also tends to correlate with temperamental difficulty and vocabulary size. Forty mother–infant dyads were followed from child age 5–20‐months. Results replicated those of Tamis‐LeMonda and Bornstein (Child Develop 1989, 60, 738–751): measures of visual habituation at 5 months were related to 13‐month vocabulary. However, relationships between 5‐month habituation and 20‐month vocabulary were moderated by temperamental attentional focus. For children low in attentional focus, 5‐month habituation was related negatively to 20‐month productive vocabulary; whereas for children high in attentional focus, early habituation was positively related to later vocabulary. Results are consistent with a model of habituation in which volitional attentional focus overrides basic attentional mechanisms that occur during habituation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Early manifestations of childhood depression: influences of infant temperament and parental depressive symptoms
Authors: Gartstein Maria A. , Bateman Alison E.
Published: January 2008

In this longitudinal study, 83 parents of infants between 3 and 12 months completed questionnaires assessing demographic information, infant temperament, and maternal depression. When these children were at least 18 months of age, parents completed follow‐up questionnaires assessing toddler temperament and depression‐like symptoms. We were primarily interested in the contributions of infant temperament and maternal depression to toddler depressive problems, and the analytic strategy involved controlling for toddler temperament in order to isolate the influence of infancy characteristics. The findings indicated that lower levels of infant regulatory capacity and greater severity of maternal depression were predictive of toddler depression‐like symptoms. Moderator effects of infant temperament were also examined, with the negative affectivity * maternal depression interaction emerging as significant. Follow‐up analyses indicated that the risk for early manifestations of depression was attenuated for children with lower negative affectivity in infancy and parents who reported lower levels of their own depressive symptoms; conversely, children exhibiting higher infant negative emotionality had higher levels of depression‐like symptoms as toddlers, regardless of their parents' level of depression. The present findings further suggest that parental depressive symptoms need not be ‘clinically significant’ to predict toddler affective problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical relevance of anti‐PR3 capture ELISA in diagnosing Wegener's granulomatosis
Authors: Feng Zhenru , Liu Ping , Li Zhiyan , Sui Baohuan
Published: January 2008

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is one type of systemic small vessel vasculitis and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) have become an established diagnostic tool for systemic vasculitis. The sensitivity and specificity of anti‐PR3 (proteinase 3) capture enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in diagnosing WG were investigated, as well as the correlation with the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT). Sera from 72 patients with WG, 100 disease controls, and 206 healthy blood donors were investigated for anti‐PR3 and cytoplasmic ANCA (cANCA) by anti‐PR3 classic ELISA, anti‐PR3 capture ELISA, and IIFT. The sensitivity of anti‐PR3 classic ELISA and capture ELISA in diagnosing WG was 74% and 87.5% separately. The specificity of the two ELISA was identical (100%). For the combination of IIFT with anti‐PR3 capture ELISA, the sensitivity for WG patients was up to 91.6%. The sensitivity of anti‐PR3 capture ELISA is superior to anti‐PR3 classic ELISA, and the correlation between anti‐PR3 capture ELISA and IIFT is also more superior. For suspected WG, anti‐PR3 capture ELISA and IIFT should be applied in parallel. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:73–76, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mass spectroscopic characteristics of low molecular weight proteins extracted from calcium oxalate stones: preliminary study
Authors: Chen Wen‐Chi , Lai Chein‐Cheng , Tsai Yu‐Hsin , Lin Wei‐Yong , Tsai Fuu‐Jen
Published: January 2008

It is believed that boundary compositions of matrix proteins might play a role in stone formation; however, few proteomic studies concerning matrix proteins in urinary stones have been conducted. In this study, we extracted low molecular weight proteins from calcium oxalate stones and measured their characteristic patterns by mass spectroscopy. A total of 10 stones were surgically removed from patients with urolithiasis. Proteins were extracted from the stones and identified by one‐dimensional electrophoresis (sodium dodecyl sulfate buffer [SDS]–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS‐PAGE]). After in‐gel digest, samples were analyzed by the surface‐enhanced laser desorption ionization‐time of flight (SELDI‐TOF) technique. The peptide sequences were analyzed from the data of mass spectroscopy. Proteins were identified from Database Search (SwissProt Protein Database; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; http://www.expasy.org/sprot) on a MASCOT server (Matrix Science Ltd.; http://www.matrixscience.com). A total of three bands of proteins (27, 18, and 14 kDa) were identified from SDS‐PAGE in each stone sample. A database search (SwissProt) on a MASCOT server revealed that the most frequently seen proteins from band 1 (27 kDa) were leukocyte elastase precursor, cathepsin G precursor, azurocidin precursor, and myeloblastin precursor (EC 3.4.21.76) (leukocyte proteinase 3); band 2 (18 kDa) comprised calgranulin B, eosinophil cationic protein precursor, and lysozyme C precursor; band 3 (14 kDa) showed neutrophil defensin 3 precursor, calgranulin A, calgranulin C, and histone H4. The modifications and deamidations found from the mass pattern of these proteins may provide information for the study of matrix proteins. Various lower molecular weight proteins can be extracted from calcium oxalate stones. The characteristic patterns and their functions of those proteins should be further tested to investigate their roles in stone formation. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:77–85, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparative study between the Ves‐matic and microerythrocyte sedimentation rate method
Authors: Atas Ali , Cakmak Alpay , Soran Mustafa , Karazeybek Himmet
Published: January 2008

In this study, Ves‐matic erythrocyte sedimentation rate and micro‐erythrocyte sedimentation rate methods were compared on 96 subjects mean age 4.9±4.3 years. Ves‐matic erythrocyte sedimentation rate an automated method, and micro‐erythrocyte sedimentation rate method required minimal bloods are various approaches on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. An important relationship between that the Ves‐matic and micro‐erythrocyte sedimentation rate was revealed. Although there was significantly correlation between these two methods, they are different to use interchangeably. Our study implies that “Micro‐Automated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Systems” could be developed which require a few amounts of blood and study automatically. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:70–72, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clinical value of urinary kidney biomarkers for estimation of renal impairment in elderly Chinese with essential hypertension
Authors: Xu XunHui , Fang Yi , Ji Jun , Jiang SuHua , Xing DingGuang , Fei ShaoHua , Ding XiaoQiang
Published: January 2008

The purpose of this work was to observe the excretion of specific types of urinary proteins and urinary enzymes in elderly essential hypertension patients, for early detection and targeted treatment of hypertensive nephropathy in the elderly. A total of 120 elderly essential hypertensive patients and 38 healthy elderly volunteers were involved. The urinary excretion rate of retinal‐binding protein (RBP), transferrin (Tf), albumin (Alb), and urinary enzyme N‐acetyl‐beta‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were determined. Patients were divided into two groups according to their creatinine clearance (Cockroft‐Gault formula). There were 88 patients in group A, whose glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was ≥80 mL/min, and 32 patients in group B with a GFR <80 mL/min. Among the essential hypertensive patients, urinary excretion rates of RBP, Alb, Tf, and NAG were increased in both groups compared with the healthy controls. But the amount of urinary protein differed between group A and group B. The excretion rate of specific urinary protein and urinary enzyme had a positive relationship with the duration of course of hypertension. We believe that specific types of urinary proteins and urinary enzymes may be useful markers for early diagnosis of hypertensive nephropathy; they can also be regarded as a clinical indicator of the progression of hypertensive nephropathy, serving in the assessment of therapeutic effects. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:86–90, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Implementation of cellulomonas cholesterol oxidase for total serum cholesterol determination by the endpoint method
Authors: Srisawasdi Pornpen , Chaichanajarernkul Upsorn , Teerakranjana Narumon , Kroll Martin H.
Published: January 2008

Cellulomonas has been shown to be a good source of cholesterol oxidase in addition to Streptomyces for serum cholesterol determination by the endpoint method, inexpensive in cost, and showing excellent performance. For clinical use, we have assessed the reliability of Cellulomonas reagent for cholesterol determination. We constructed the user‐defined endpoint methods on three automated analyzers. The analytical performances (linearity, precision, recovery, interference, stability, and comparison with the standardized method) of Cellulomonas cholesterol reagents were evaluated and compared to those of Streptomyces reagents. Linearity (18.1–23.3 mmol/L) and stability of reagents (6–11 weeks) depended on the analyzers being used. The average within‐run and between‐day % coefficients of variation (CVs) ranged from 1.44 to 2.45 and 1.98 to 2.99, respectively, and were within National Cholesterol Education Program analytical criteria (≤3%). All assays using both reagents compared favorably with the commercial method and appeared accurate near the clinical decision cut‐points. Hemoglobin concentration at 7.5 g/L only affected the assay using single wavelength measurement. Bilirubin decreased in serum cholesterol recovery while lipemia generated a positive interference with all methods. Cellulomonas enzyme is analytically reliable when used for serum cholesterol determination by the endpoint method. Its analytical performance is equivalent to Streptomyces enzymes and meets the analytical goals. It has an advantage over the other enzymes in that it does not ship in the frozen state. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:50–58, 2008.© 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assay of ischemia‐modified albumin and C‐reactive protein for early diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes
Authors: Liyan Cui , Jie Zhang , Yonghua Wu , Xiaozhou Hu
Published: January 2008

Diagnosis of cardiac ischemia in patients coming to emergency departments (ED) with symptoms of acute chest pain is often difficult. Many markers are sensitive and specific for the detection of myocardial necrosis but may not rise during reversible myocardial ischemia. Ischemia‐modified albumin (IMA) has recently been shown to be a sensitive and early biochemical marker of ischemia. The variation laws were observed by measuring IMA and C‐reactive protein (CRP) of 113 patients in ED within 12 hr after onset of chest pain. In the observation, blood was taken for IMA and CRP. Patients underwent standardized triage, diagnostic procedures, and treatment. Results of IMA and CRP were correlated with final diagnoses of nonischemic chest pain (NICP) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). There were obvious distinction of IMA and CRP levelsbetween the NICP and ACS groups. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cutoff of this assay for identifying individuals with ACS patients from NICP. The area under the curves of IMA is 0.948. The sensitivity and specificity of albumin cobalt binding (ACB) at a cutoff value of 70.0 units/mL were 94.4% and 82.6%, respectively. The area under the curves of CRP is 0.746. Sensitivity and specificity of CRP at a cutoff value of 3.16 mg/L were 70.0% and 73.9%, respectively. Negative predictive value (NPV) of IMA and CRP for ischemia origin was 79.2% and 38.6%, respectively. IMA may make an early diagnosis of acute coronary ischemia, and will improve the early diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of ACS. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:45–49, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of ischemia‐modified albumin in anemia associated to chronic kidney disease
Authors: Cichota Luiz Carlos , Moresco Rafael Noal , Duarte Marta Maria Medeiros Frescura , Silva José Edson Paz da
Published: January 2008

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent, with increasing numbers of patients affected by the disease world‐wide, and anemia is a common finding in patients with CKD. Anemia impacts negatively on cardiovascular disease, exercise capacity, and quality of life, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of ischemia‐modified albumin and lactate in patients with established anemia associated with CKD and its correlations with hemoglobin levels. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, albumin, creatinine, lactate, and ischemia‐modified albumin (IMA) were measured in 17 patients with established anemia associated to CKD and 19 controls by standard methods. The results of hematocrit, hemoglobin, iron, and albumin were lower in the anemia group than in the control group. Ferritin, creatinine, and lactate levels were higher in anemia of the CKD group than the control group. IMA increase in the anemia group (0.8115±0.1304 absorbance units [ABSU]) compared to control (0.4951±0.0393 ABSU). Significant correlations between IMA and lactate, IMA and hemoglobin, IMA and creatinine, and hemoglobin and lactate were observed. IMA and lactate increase during anemia and this elevation could be associated to hypoxia due to low hemoglobin levels. However, our data suggest that lactate is more sensitive to anemia compared to IMA. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:1–5, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Seasonal adiposity, correlative changes in metabolic factors and unique reproductive activity in a vespertilionid bat, Scotophilus heathi
Authors: Srivastava Raj Kamal , Krishna Amitabh
Published: January 2008

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of changes in body mass, fat reserves and feeding activity on circulating levels of lipids, glucose, protein and metabolic hormones in a vespertilionid bat, Scotophilus heathi. Furthermore, the relationship between changes in metabolic factors and hormones with the unique reproductive features of female S. heathi was also examined. The results of this study showed annual variation in body mass, fat reserve and feeding activity, which correlated significantly with circulating levels of lipids, protein and metabolic hormones. Increased corticosterone level during September–October in S. heathi promotes increased feeding activity, which in turn induces hyperinsulinemia in S. heathi during November. Hyperinsulinemia together with low body temperature in November facilitates fat accumulation in bat. Coinciding with the period of fat accumulation raises serum leptin level, which has been demonstrated to suppress ovarian activities thus causing delayed ovulation in S. heathi. Circulating levels of lipids were high during winter dormancy, which may provide energy to stored sperms. The study thus suggests that the unique reproductive features of female vespertilionid bat are strongly linked to fat deposition. J. Exp. Zool. 309A:94–110, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of 6β‐([1‐14C]propoxy)celangulin V
Authors: Yang Zheng‐Min , Ji Zhi‐Qin , Ye Qing‐Fu , Wu Wen‐Jun
Published: January 2008

Chinese bittersweet, Celastrus angulatus Max., is a widely distributed plant and is used as a traditional insecticide in China. Celangulin V (CA‐V), one of the main insecticidal ingredients from the plant, has special insecticidal mechanism. A synthesized compound, 6β‐propoxycelangulin V, exhibits more remarkable insecticidal activity against insect pests. In this study, the synthesis of a labeled version of a CA‐V analog, 6β‐([1‐14C]propoxy)celangulin V, was accomplished from 1‐[1‐14C]propanol and CA‐V in two steps with the chemical and radiochemical purities of 98.7 and 99.9%, respectively. The labeled compound can be used as a radiotracer to study the mechanism of action of CA‐V analogs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Peptide fingerprinting of snake venoms by direct infusion nano‐electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: potential use in venom identification and taxonomy
Authors: Souza Gustavo H. M. F. , Catharino Rodrigo R. , Ifa Demian R. , Eberlin Marcos N. , Hyslop Stephen
Published: January 2008

Fingerprinting by mass spectrometry has been increasingly used to study venom variations and for taxonomic analyses based on venom components. Most of these studies have concentrated on components heavier than 3 kDa, but Bothrops snake venoms contain many biologically active peptides, principally C‐type natriuretic peptides and bradykinin‐potentiating peptides (BPPs). In this work, we have examined the peptide profile of Bothrops venoms (B. alternatus, B. erythromelas, B. insularis, B. jararaca, B. jararacussu, B. leucurus and B. moojeni) using direct infusion nano‐electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nano‐ESI‐MS) subjecting the data further to principal components analysis (PCA) to assess whether the peptide distributions are reliable in distinguishing the venoms. ESI‐MS of a low molar mass fraction obtained by ultrafiltration of each venom (5 kDa nominal cutoff filters) revealed that the venoms have a variety of peptides in common but that each venom also contains taxonomic marker peptides not shared with other venoms. One BPP peptide, QGGWPRPGPEIPP, was found to be common to the seven Bothrops species examined. This peptide may represent a specific marker for this genus since it was not found in the venom of the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus terrificus. PCA on the ESI‐MS data reveals a close relationship between B. jararaca, B. jararacussu and B. moojeni venoms, with B. leucurus and B. erythromelas being more distant from these three; B. alternatus and B. insularis were also located distant from these five species, as was C. d. terrificus. These results agree partially with established phylogenetic relationships among these species and suggest that ESI‐MS peptide fingerprinting of snake venoms coupled with PCA is a useful tool for identifying venoms and for taxonomic analyses. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fragmentation reactions of singly and doubly protonated thiourea‐ and sugar‐substituted cyclams and their transition‐metal complexes
Authors: Felder Thorsten , Röhrich Anika , Stephan Holger , Schalley Christoph A.
Published: January 2008

Cyclam macrocycles tetrasubstituted with amino‐, thiourea‐, and sugar‐terminated side chains are ionized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) as singly or doubly protonated species or as transition‐metal complexes. Their fragmentation behavior is examined in a Fourier‐transform ion‐cyclotron‐resonance (FT‐ICR) mass spectrometer by collision‐induced dissociation (CID) experiments. Typically, fragmentation occurs within the side chains through a number of different 1,2‐elimination reactions irrespective of the absence or presence of a transition metal ion such as Co2+, Ni2+, or Zn2+. A remarkable exception is Cu2+, which induces ring cleavage reactions. This is traced back to an electron transfer from the cyclam nitrogen atoms to the Cu2+ ion. The electron transfer creates a cation‐radical within the macrocycle, which induces typical fragmentation reactions such as α‐cleavages that lead to fragmentation within the macrocycle. This interpretation is in line with fragmentation experiments on unsubstituted cyclam and its complexes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ESI‐MS studies of mixed‐ligand Fe(II) complexes containing 1,10‐phenanthroline and 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione as ligands
Authors: Kobetić Renata , Gembarovski Dubravka , Baranović Goran , Gabelica Vesna
Published: January 2008

In order to monitor the progression of the synthesis and the separation of novel mixed‐ligand iron complexes containing 1,10‐phenanthroline, 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione, and NCS− as ligands all products were mass analyzed by electrospray ionization ion trap MS/MS. The spectra of methanol (MeOH), acetonitrile (ACN), water, and ethanol (EtOH) solutions were collected and the results were compared. It was detected under applied electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) conditions that MeOH, water, and EtOH formed solvent clusters around the free or complexed 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione. Owing to the solvent‐ligand hydrogen‐bond formation, the solvent‐ligand clusters were formed in the polar protic solvents. The number of protic solvent molecules per complex ion in cluster depended on the number of 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione ligands in the complex ion. Unlike MeOH, EtOH, or water, ACN was not involved in the formation of the solvent clusters with the iron complexes containing 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione as ligand. We also showed that the NCS− group under certain solvent conditions served as a bidentate ligand. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ion mobility–mass spectrometry
Authors: Kanu Abu B. , Dwivedi Prabha , Tam Maggie , Matz Laura , Hill Herbert H.
Published: January 2008

This review article compares and contrasts various types of ion mobility–mass spectrometers available today and describes their advantages for application to a wide range of analytes. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), when coupled with mass spectrometry, offers value‐added data not possible from mass spectra alone. Separation of isomers, isobars, and conformers; reduction of chemical noise; and measurement of ion size are possible with the addition of ion mobility cells to mass spectrometers. In addition, structurally similar ions and ions of the same charge state can be separated into families of ions which appear along a unique mass‐mobility correlation line. This review describes the four methods of ion mobility separation currently used with mass spectrometry. They are (1) drift‐time ion mobility spectrometry (DTIMS), (2) aspiration ion mobility spectrometry (AIMS), (3) differential‐mobility spectrometry (DMS) which is also called field‐asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) and (4) traveling‐wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS). DTIMS provides the highest IMS resolving power and is the only IMS method which can directly measure collision cross‐sections. AIMS is a low resolution mobility separation method but can monitor ions in a continuous manner. DMS and FAIMS offer continuous‐ion monitoring capability as well as orthogonal ion mobility separation in which high‐separation selectivity can be achieved. TWIMS is a novel method of IMS with a low resolving power but has good sensitivity and is well intergrated into a commercial mass spectrometer. One hundred and sixty references on ion mobility–mass spectrometry (IMMS) are provided. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Complement‐modulating water‐soluble polysaccharide fractions in two global staple cereals: rice and wheat
Authors: Yamagishi Tatsunori , Yamaguchi Akitsugu , Saito Takayuki , Seguchi Masaharu
Published: January 2008

BACKGROUND: There has been considerable interest recently in the physiological effects of foods on health. Research has focused on biological effects on the immune system, as substances related to the human defense system are expected to be found in staple cereals. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether water‐soluble polysaccharide fractions in wheat have anticomplementary activity, which was found in rice, and to distinguish between real complement inhibitors and complement‐activating substances.

RESULTS: Anticomplementary activity of polysaccharide isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis, a medicinal herb, showed similar potency to that of rice polysaccharides but not wheat polysaccharide. By varying pre‐incubation time with complement, rice polysaccharides were identified as a stimulator of both the classical and alternative pathways of complement activation (humoral immunity).

CONCLUSION: Non‐amylaceous water‐soluble polysaccharide fractions in cereals do not necessarily have similar activity, whereas it is a new finding that staple cereals include this immunomodulating activity, which is positively related to health. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Macromol. Chem. Phys. 2/2008
Authors: Deepa Melepurath , Bhandari Shweta , Arora Manju , Kant Rama
Published: January 2008

Cover: The cover shows quasi‐spherical nanoparticulate poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) films that are electrochemically grown from an aqueous formulation of monomer and sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles: High scalability along with large coloration efficiency and good redox reversibility render them attractive for electrochromic smart windows. Further details can be found in the article by M. Deepa*, S. Bhandari, M. Arora, and R. Kant on page 137.
Footstep adjustments used to turn during walking in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Huxham Frances , Baker Richard , Morris Meg E. , Iansek Robert
Published: January 2008

Turning during walking is frequently problematic in Parkinson's disease (PD). The spatiotemporal characteristics of footstep adjustments used to turn 60 and 120 degrees were examined in 10 people with PD and 10 age, gender‐ and height‐matched control subjects, using three‐dimensional motion analysis. Control subjects used a recognizable pattern of spatial and temporal footstep modulations to turn. Participants with PD demonstrated significant differences in almost all variables. They (1) failed to turn as far as their peers; (2) showed a similar but scaled‐down pattern of spatial adjustments to turn; (3) used shorter strides when walking, with exaggerated reductions when turning; and (4) demonstrated small but significant temporal differences in step time adjustments. Group differences were more marked for the larger turn. Spatial results, interpreted in light of hypothesized basal ganglia dysfunction, are consistent with a normal motor command but impaired ability to maintain movement amplitude. Differences in adjustment of step time to turn may reflect impaired locomotor timing control in subjects with PD during challenging gait tasks. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Aceruloplasminemia: A novel mutation in a family with marked phenotypic variability
Authors: Fasano Alfonso , Colosimo Cesare , Miyajima Hiroaki , Tonali Pietro Attilio , Re Thomas J. , Bentivoglio Anna Rita
Published: January 2008

Hereditary aceruloplasminemia (HA) is a rare inherited disease characterized by anemia, iron overload, diabetes, and neurodegeneration. HA is caused by the homozygous mutation of the ceruloplasmin (CP) gene. We report two siblings with markedly different phenotypes carrying a novel mutation: a homozygous deletion of two nucleotides (1257–1258 TT del) causing the premature stop of the Cp protein translation (Y401X). An early diagnosis of iron overload was made in the female sibling who was subsequently treated with deferoxamine. At the age of 54, her neurologic symptoms were limited to mild akinetic signs and a history of seizures; moreover, her fasting blood glucose level never exceeded 120 mg/dL. The male sibling, who had not received any specific treatment for HA, developed severe diabetes at the age of 32 and at 48 manifested a progressively disabling neurologic disease. Possible physiopathological bases of these intrafamilial phenotypic variations are discussed. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Impact of apoE genotype on oxidative stress, inflammation and disease risk
Authors: Jofre‐Monseny Laia , Minihane Anne‐Marie , Rimbach Gerald
Published: January 2008

Although in developing countries an apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) genotype may offer an evolutionary advantage, as it has been shown to offer protection against certain infectious disease, in Westernised societies it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and represents a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, late‐onset Alzheimer's disease and other chronic disorders. ApoE is an important modulator of many stages of lipoprotein metabolism and traditionally the increased risk was attributed to higher lipid levels in E4 carriers. However, more recent evidence demonstrates the multifunctional nature of the apoE protein and the fact that the impact of genotype on disease risk may be in large part due to an impact on oxidative status or the immunomodulatory/anti‐inflammatory properties of apoE. An increasing number of studies in cell lines, targeted replacement rodents and human volunteers indicate higher oxidative stress and a more pro‐inflammatory state associated with the ε4 allele. The impact of genotype on the antioxidant and immunomodulatory/anti‐inflammatory properties of apoE is the focus of the current review. Furthermore, current information on the impact of environment (diet, exercise, smoking status, alcohol) on apoE genotype‐phenotype associations are discussed with a view to identifying particular lifestyle strategies that could be adapted to counteract the ‘at‐risk’ E4 genotype.
Acrolein: Sources, metabolism, and biomolecular interactions relevant to human health and disease
Authors: Stevens Jan F. , Maier Claudia S.
Published: January 2008

Acrolein (2‐propenal) is ubiquitously present in (cooked) foods and in the environment. It is formed from carbohydrates, vegetable oils and animal fats, amino acids during heating of foods, and by combustion of petroleum fuels and biodiesel. Chemical reactions responsible for release of acrolein include heat‐induced dehydration of glycerol, retro‐aldol cleavage of dehydrated carbohydrates, lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and Strecker degradation of methionine and threonine. Smoking of tobacco products equals or exceeds the total human exposure to acrolein from all other sources. The main endogenous sources of acrolein are myeloperoxidase‐mediated degradation of threonine and amine oxidase‐mediated degradation of spermine and spermidine, which may constitute a significant source of acrolein in situations of oxidative stress and inflammation. Acrolein is metabolized by conjugation with glutathione and excreted in the urine as mercapturic acid metabolites. Acrolein forms Michael adducts with ascorbic acid in vitro, but the biological relevance of this reaction is not clear. The biological effects of acrolein are a consequence of its reactivity towards biological nucleophiles such as guanine in DNA and cysteine, lysine, histidine, and arginine residues in critical regions of nuclear factors, proteases, and other proteins. Acrolein adduction disrupts the function of these biomacromolecules which may result in mutations, altered gene transcription, and modulation of apoptosis.
Flow–stress coupled permeability tensor for fractured rock masses
Authors: Zhou Chuang B. , Sharma Radhey S. , Chen Yi F. , Rong Guan
Published: January 2008

In this paper a new analytical model is proposed to determine the permeability tensor for fractured rock masses based on the superposition principle of liquid dissipation energy. This model relies on the geometrical characteristics of rock fractures and the corresponding fracture network, and demonstrates the coupling effect between fluid flow and stress/deformation. This model empirically considers the effect of pre‐peak shear dilation and shear contraction on the hydraulic behavior of rock fractures and can be used to determine the applicability of the continuum approach to hydro‐mechanical coupling analysis. Results of numerical analysis presented in this paper show that the new model can effectively describe the permeability of fractured rock masses, and can be applied to the coupling analysis of seepage and stress fields. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal empty vehicle redistribution for hub‐and‐spoke transportation systems
Authors: Song Dong‐Ping , Carter Jonathan
Published: January 2008

This article considers the empty vehicle redistribution problem in a hub‐and‐spoke transportation system, with random demands and stochastic transportation times. An event‐driven model is formulated, which yields the implicit optimal control policy. Based on the analytical results for two‐depot systems, a dynamic decomposition procedure is presented which produces a near‐optimal policy with linear computational complexity in terms of the number of spokes. The resulting policy has the same asymptotic behavior as that of the optimal policy. It is found that the threshold‐type control policy is not usually optimal in such systems. The results are illustrated through small‐scale numerical examples. Through simulation the robustness of the dynamic decomposition policy is tested using a variety of scenarios: more spokes, more vehicles, different combinations of distribution types for the empty vehicle travel times and loaded vehicle arrivals. This shows that the dynamic decomposition policy is significantly better than a heuristics policy in all scenarios and appears to be robust to the assumptions of the distribution types. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2008
Dynamic scheduling of network resources with advance reservations in optical grids
Authors: Tanwir Savera , Battestilli Lina , Perros Harry , Karmous‐Edwards Gigi
Published: January 2008

Advance reservation of lightpaths in grid environments is necessary to guarantee QoS and reliability. In this paper, we have evaluated and compared several algorithms for dynamic scheduling of lightpaths using a flexible advance reservation model. The main aim is to find the best scheduling policy for a grid network resource manager that improves network utilization and minimizes blocking. The scheduling of lightpaths involves both routing and wavelength assignment. Our simulation results show that minimum‐cost adaptive routing where link costs are determined by the current and future usage of the link provides the minimum blocking. For wavelength assignment, we have used a scheme that reduces fragmentation by minimizing unused gaps. We have also analyzed approaches for failure recovery and resource optimization. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pinpointing users with location estimation techniques and Wi‐Fi hotspot technology
Authors: Curran Kevin , Furey Eoghan
Published: January 2008

Location awareness is becoming an important capability for mobile computing; however, it has not been possible until now to provide cheap pervasive positioning systems. Wide area coverage is most famously achieved by using global positioning systems (GPS). A constellation of low‐orbit satellites cover the earth's surface. Unfortunately GPS does not work indoors and has limited success in big cities because of the ‘urban canyon’ effect. PlaceLab is a research project that attempts to solve the ubiquity issues surrounding 802.11‐based location estimation. PlaceLab, like RADAR, uses a device's 802.11 interface; however, it does not require the area to be pre‐calibrated. It predicts location via the known positions of the access points detected by the device. Commonly used systems have a number of drawbacks, including cost, accuracy and the ability to work indoors. PlaceLab is a piece of open source software developed by Intel Research that can pinpoint a user within a Wi‐Fi network. We set out here to investigate whether PlaceLab can be used as a means of establishing a user's position. This type of investigation could, if successful, pave the way for the development of other location‐based applications. This report documents the efforts to answer the above question. PlaceLab was found to work, but only in ideal locations where factors such as the number of floors and the lack of available APs did not affect its use. It was concluded that these factors prevent the system from being effective as a means of establishing a user's position in most locations on campus. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
QoS management in mobile IP networks using a terminal assistant
Authors: Benmammar Badr , Jrad Zeina , Krief Francine
Published: January 2008

This paper describes a signalling environment for Quality of Service (QoS) negotiation and advance resource reservation in mobile IP networks. This environment is built in conformance with the generic signalling environment, which is standardized by the NSIS IETF working group. The advanced resource reservation protocol, called MQoS NSLP, is based on the QoS NSLP signalling application. It provides to mobile terminals the QoS required based on the user's mobility and QoS profile. In this work, we investigate the use of some techniques of the AI (Artificial Intelligence) domain to implement a user interface called NIA (Negotiation Individual Assistant) in order to determine the QoS profile and negotiate the QoS parameters in the new domain after the handover. Therefore, we use connectionist learning in the management of the negotiation profiles and agent technology to help the user choose the best service provider, dynamically negotiate the QoS on the user's behalf, and follow the user's behaviour to be able to anticipate the negotiation and manage renegotiation. The advance resource reservation is based on an object MSpec (Mobility Specification) which determines the future location of the mobile terminal. The MSpec object is a part of the mobility and QoS profile and is determined by the NIA in the mobile terminal. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An analytical simulator for deploying IP telephony
Authors: Salah K. , Darwish N. , Saleem M. , Shaaban Y.
Published: January 2008

Deploying IP telephony or voice over IP (VoIP) is a major and challenging task. This paper describes an analytical design and planning simulator to assess the readiness of existing IP networks for the deployment of VoIP. The analytical simulator utilizes techniques used for network flows and queuing network analysis to compute two key performance bounds for VoIP: delay and bandwidth. The simulator is GUI‐based and has an interface with drag‐and‐drop features to easily construct any generic network topology. The simulator has an engine that automates and implements the analytical techniques. The engine determines the number of VoIP calls that can be sustained by the constructed network while satisfying VoIP QoS requirements and leaving adequate capacity for future growth. As a case study, the paper illustrates how the simulator can be utilized to assess the readiness to deploy VoIP for a typical network of a small enterprise. We have made the analytical simulator publicly available in order to improve and ease the process of VoIP deployment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of abstract versions of deflation, balancing and additive coarse grid correction preconditioners
Authors: Nabben R. , Vuik C.
Published: January 2008

In this paper we consider various preconditioners for the conjugate gradient (CG) method to solve large linear systems of equations with symmetric positive definite system matrix. We continue the comparison between abstract versions of the deflation, balancing and additive coarse grid correction preconditioning techniques started in (SIAM J. Numer. Anal.2004;42:1631–1647;SIAM J. Sci. Comput.2006;27:1742–1759). There the deflation method is compared with the abstract additive coarse grid correction preconditioner and the abstract balancing preconditioner. Here, we close the triangle between these three methods. First of all, we show that a theoretical comparison of the condition numbers of the abstract additive coarse grid correction and the condition number of the system preconditioned by the abstract balancing preconditioner is not possible. We present a counter example, for which the condition number of the abstract additive coarse grid correction preconditioned system is below the condition number of the system preconditioned with the abstract balancing preconditioner. However, if the CG method is preconditioned by the abstract balancing preconditioner and is started with a special starting vector, the asymptotic convergence behavior of the CG method can be described by the so‐called effective condition number with respect to the starting vector. We prove that this effective condition number of the system preconditioned by the abstract balancing preconditioner is less than or equal to the condition number of the system preconditioned by the abstract additive coarse grid correction method. We also provide a short proof of the relationship between the effective condition number and the convergence of CG. Moreover, we compare theA‐norm of the errors of the iterates given by the different preconditioners and establish the orthogonal invariants of all three types of preconditioners. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crack tip enrichment in the XFEM using a cutoff function
Authors: Chahine Elie , Laborde Patrick , Renard Yves
Published: January 2008

We consider a variant of the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) in which a cutoff function is used to localize the singular enrichment surface. The goal of this variant is to obtain numerically an optimal convergence rate while reducing the computational cost of the classical XFEM with a fixed enrichment area. We give a mathematical result of quasi‐optimal error estimate. One of the key points of this paper is to prove the optimality of the coupling between the singular and the discontinuous enrichments. Finally, we present some numerical computations validating the theoretical result. These computations are compared with those of the classical XFEM and a non‐enriched method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Consistent linearization and finite element implementation of an incrementally objective canonical form return mapping algorithm for large deformation inelasticity
Authors: Seifert T. , Maier G.
Published: January 2008

The present paper focuses on the consistent linearization and finite element implementation of an incrementally objective canonical form return mapping algorithm. A general and modular algorithmic setting, suited for almost any rate constitutive equations, is presented where the finite deformation consistent tangent modulus is obtained as a by‐product of the integration algorithm. Numerical examples illustrate the good performance of the proposed formulation, especially for large deformation increments with noteworthy superimposed rotation, where the consistent formulation converges quadratically in a reasonable number of iterations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.