bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autophagie als Überlebensstrategie
Authors: Richter‐Landsberg Christiane
Published: December 2012

Zellen können nicht mehr gebrauchte zelleigene Proteine, ganze Organellen und große Proteinaggregate in ihre Einzelteile zerlegen, diese über einen lysosomalen Degradationsweg verdauen, und die Zerlegungsprodukte dem Stoffwechsel wieder zuführen. Dieser als Autophagie bezeichnete Selbstverdauungsprozess spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Aufrechterhaltung des inneren Gleichgewichts der Zellen. Autophagie ist zudem bei Entwicklungs‐ und Differenzierungsprozessen, für die Beseitigung schadhafter Mitochondrien und bei der Regulation von Zelltod und Überleben von Bedeutung. Im Gehirn ist der autophagische Prozess essenziell für die Entsorgung von intrazellulären Proteinen, die anderenfalls krankhafte Aggregate ausbilden. Solche Proteinablagerungen werden bei neurodegenerativen Erkrankungen wie Alzheimer und Parkinson beobachtet und es gibt zahlreiche Hinweise, dass eine fehlerhafte Müllentsorgung an den Krankheitsprozessen beteiligt ist.
Wie war das nochmal mit dem pH‐Wert?
Authors: Hauk Andrea
Published: December 2012

Jede wässrige Lösung hat einen pH‐Wert, wobei verschiedene Bestandteile der Lösungen dazu führen, dass sie nicht – wie reines Wasser – neutral, sondern mehr oder weniger sauer oder alkalisch reagieren. Zellen und Gewebe, grundsätzlich alle Lebewesen, regulieren die pH‐Werte ihrer inneren Milieus kontinuierlich auf bestimmte Sollwertbereiche. Beispielsweise arbeiten in unserem Magen (pH‐Wert um 2) und Darm (pH‐Wert um 8, 5) Verdauungsenzyme mit verschiedenen pH‐Wert‐Optima. Doch was genau ist eigentlich der pH‐Wert?
Comparing the New European Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Guideline With Prior American Heart Association Guidelines: An Editorial Review
Authors: Ton Van‐Khue , Martin Seth S. , Blumenthal Roger S. , Blaha Michael J.
Published: December 2012

Atherosclerotic heart disease and stroke remain the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention can improve the well‐being of a population and possibly cut downstream healthcare spending, and must be the centerpiece of any sustainable health economy model. As lifestyle and CVD risk factors differ among ethnicities, cultures, genders, and age groups, an accurate risk assessment model is the critical first step for guiding appropriate use of testing, lifestyle counseling resources, and preventive medications. Examples of such models include the US Framingham Risk Score and the European SCORE system. The European Society of Cardiology recently published an updated set of guidelines on CVD prevention. This review highlights the similarities and differences between European and US risk assessment models, as well as their respective recommendations on the use of advanced testing for further risk reclassification and the appropriate use of medications. In particular, we focus on head‐to‐head comparison of the new European guideline with prior American Heart Association statements (2002, 2010, and 2011) covering risk assessment and treatment of asymptomatic adults. Despite minor disagreements on the weight of recommendations in certain areas, such as the use of coronary calcium score and non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in risk assessment, CVD prevention experts across the 2 continents agree on 1 thing: prevention works in halting the progression of atherosclerosis and decreasing disease burden over a lifetime.

The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.
Prognosis in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Muffly Lori S. , Smith Sonali M.
Published: December 2012

Despite the widespread use of baseline (18F)fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)‐positron emission tomography imaging for patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, its prognostic significance has not been extensively studied. Total lesion glycolysis, which reflects both tumor burden and metabolic activity, has significant prognostic value in patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma in this retrospective study.
Interoperating grid infrastructures with the GridWay metascheduler
Authors: Carrión Ismael Marín , Huedo Eduardo , Llorente Ignacio M.
Published: December 2012

This paper describes the GridWay metascheduler and exposes its latest and future developments, mainly related to interoperability and interoperation. GridWay enables large‐scale, reliable, and efficient sharing of computing resources over grid middleware. To favor interoperability, it shows a modular architecture based on drivers, which access middleware services for resource discovery and monitoring, job execution and management, and file transfer. This paper presents two new execution drivers for Basic Execution Service (BES) and Computing Resource Execution and Management (CREAM) services and introduces a remote BES interface for GridWay. This interface allows users to access GridWay's job metascheduling capabilities, using the BES implementation of GridSAM. Thus, GridWay now provides to end users more possibilities of interoperability and interoperation.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Co‐sensitization of Organic Dyes for Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Cheng Ming , Yang Xichuan , Li Jiajia , Zhang Fuguo , Sun Licheng
Published: November 2012

Novel cyanine dyes, in which a tetrahydroquinoline derivative is used as an electron donor and 1‐butyl‐5‐carboxy‐3, 3‐dimethyl‐indol‐1‐ium moiety is used as an electron acceptor and anchoring group, were designed and synthesized for application in dye‐sensitized solar cells. The photovoltaic performance of these solar cells depends markedly on the molecular structure of the dyes in terms of the n‐hexyl chains and the methoxyl unit. Retardation of charge recombination caused by the introduction of n‐hexyl chains resulted in an increase in electron lifetime. As a consequence, an improvement of open‐circuit photovoltage (Voc) was achieved. Also, the electron injection efficiencies were improved by the introduction of methoxyl moiety, which led to a higher short‐circuit photocurrent density (Jsc). The highest average efficiency of the sensitized devices (η) was 5.6 % (Jsc=13.3 mA cm−2, Voc=606 mV, and fill factor FF=69.1 %) under 100 mW cm−2 (AM 1.5G) solar irradiation. All of these dyes have very high absorption extinction coefficients and strong absorption in a relatively narrow spectrum range (500–650 nm), so one of our organic dyes was explored as a sensitizer in co‐sensitized solar cells in combination with the other two other existing organic dyes. Interestingly, a considerably improved photovoltaic performance of 8.2 % (Jsc=20.1 mA cm−2, Voc=597 mV, and FF=68.3 %) was achieved and the device showed a panchromatic response with a high incident photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency exceeding 85 % in the range of 400–700 nm.
Unified Pulse‐Width Modulation Scheme for Improved Digital‐Peak‐Voltage Control of Switching DC‐DC Converters
Authors: Zhou Guohua , Xu Jianping , Zhang Fei
Published: December 2012

Contrast to conventional dependent double‐edge (DDE) pulse‐width modulation (PWM), independent double‐edge (IDE) PWM is investigated and applied to the control of switching dc‐dc converters, with improved digital‐peak‐voltage (IDPV) controlled buck converter in this paper. IDE modulation unifies all the PWM schemes reported up to now and is thus called as unified PWM. It is revealed that conventional trailing‐edge, leading‐edge, trailing‐triangle, and leading‐triangle modulations are special cases of IDE modulation. The control laws of IDPV controlled buck converter with IDE modulation are investigated and compared with those of IDPV with DDE modulation. Their stabilities and robustness are analyzed subsequently. Digital implementation of the unified PWM is also carried out. Steady‐state and transient performances of IDPV controlled buck converters with IDE modulation and DDE modulation are compared and verified by experimental results. It is concluded that steady‐state and transient performances of IDPV with IDE are better than those of IDPV with DDE modulation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of the Reaction Mechanism for the Epoxidation of Alkenes with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by a Protonated Tetranuclear Peroxotungstate with NMR Spectroscopy, Kinetics, and DFT Calculations
Authors: Ishimoto Ryo , Kamata Keigo , Mizuno Noritaka
Published: December 2012

For the epoxidation of cyclooctene with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the catalytic activity of a dinuclear peroxotungstate, [{WO(O2)2}2(μ‐O)]2–, is strongly dependent on additives, and HClO4 is the most effective. The reaction of [{WO(O2)2}2(μ‐O)]2– with HClO4 (0.5 equiv.) gives a protonated tetranuclear peroxotungstate, [H{W2O2(O2)4(μ‐O)}2]3– (I). The diastereoselectivity for epoxidation of 3‐methyl‐1‐cyclohexene shows that steric constraints of the active site of I are comparable to those of di‐ and tetranuclear peroxotungstates with XO4n– ligands (X = SeVI, AsV, PV, SVI, and SiIV). The lowest XSO [XSO = (nucleophilic oxidation)/(total oxidation)] value of 0.13 for the I‐catalyzed oxidation of thianthrene 5‐oxide among peroxotungstates reveals that I has the most electrophilic active oxygen species. Kinetic and spectroscopic results show that an inactive species (I′) is reversibly formed by the reaction of I with water. Reaction rates for the catalytic epoxidation show first‐order dependences on concentrations of alkene and I and a zero‐order dependence on concentrations of H2O2. All these results indicate that oxygen transfer from I to a C=C double bond in an alkene is the rate‐determining step. Computational studies support the proposed reaction mechanism.
Subtlety of the Spin‐Crossover Phenomenon Observed with Dipyridylamino‐Substituted Triazine Ligands
Authors: Wannarit Nanthawat , Roubeau Olivier , Youngme Sujittra , Gamez Patrick
Published: November 2012

Reactions of the new, closely related ligands 4,6‐dichloro‐N,N‐di(pyridine‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine‐amine (Cldpat) and 6‐chloro‐N′‐phenyl‐N,N‐di(pyridin‐2‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazine‐2,4‐diamine (Cladpat) with iron(II) thiocyanate produced coordination compounds with drastically distinct magnetic properties. The compound trans‐[Fe(Cldpat)2(NCS)2](H2O) (1) is a high‐spin complex from room temperature down to 5 K whereas the analogous compound trans‐[Fe(Cladpat)2(NCS)2] (2) exhibits spin‐crossover (SCO) properties with T1/2 = 178 K. Compounds 1 and 2 (both in its low‐spin and high‐spin states) have been structurally characterized by X‐ray diffraction studies, which revealed identical metal coordination spheres. The SCO properties of 2 have been thoroughly investigated by temperature‐dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and a LIESST process with rapid relaxation of the trapped HS species has been observed. The equivalent coordination compound with selenocyanate anions, namely [Fe(Cladpat)2(NCSe)2] (3) also displays SCO properties, although more gradual and with a lower T1/2 value of 166 K.
Synthesis of Monoconjugated and Multiply Conjugated Oligonucleotides by “Click Thiol” Thiol‐Michael‐Type Additions and by Combination with CuAAC “Click Huisgen”
Authors: Meyer Albert , Vasseur Jean‐Jacques , Morvan François
Published: December 2012

Monoconjugated and multiply conjugated oligonucleotides were efficiently synthesized by starting from mono‐thiohexyl‐ or tetra‐thiohexyl‐oligonucleotides and treatment with acrylamide derivatives (carbohydrates, ferrocene, biotin, fluorescent dyes, deoxycholic acid). The thiol Michael‐type additions (TMTAs) occurred during the deprotection and release of the oligonucleotides from the solid support, so no additional time for conjugation was needed. Sequential combination either of Copper‐catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC) on solid support and then TMTA or of TMTA followed by CuAAC in solution allowed the synthesis of several oligonucleotides decorated with two different biomolecules.
Use of chiral amino acid ester‐based ionic liquids as chiral selectors in CE
Authors: Stavrou Ioannis J. , Kapnissi‐Christodoulou Constantina P.
Published: December 2012

In this study, the applicability of a chiral ionic liquid (CIL) as the sole chiral selector in CE was investigated for the first time. In particular, five amino acid ester‐based CILs were synthesized and used as additives in the BGE in order to evaluate their chiral recognition ability. The performance of these CILs as the sole chiral selectors was evaluated by using 1,1′‐binaphthyl‐2,2‐diylhydrogenphosphate (BNP) as the analyte and by comparing the resolution values. Different parameters were examined, such as the alkyl group bulkiness and the configuration of the cation, the anion type of the CIL and its concentration, and the pH of the BGE, in order to optimize the separation of the enantiomers and to demonstrate the effect that each parameter has on the chiral‐recognition ability of the CIL. Baseline separation of BNP within 13 min was achieved by using a BGE of 100 mM Tris/10 mM sodium tetraboratedecahydrate (pH 8) and a chiral selector of 60 mM l‐alanine tert butyl ester lactate. The run‐to‐run and batch‐to‐batch reproducibilities were also evaluated by computing the %RSD values of the EOF and the two enantiomer peaks. In both cases, very good reproducibilities were observed, since all %RSD values were below 1%.
Morphometric analysis of vascular pathology in the orbitofrontal cortex of older subjects with major depression
Authors: Miguel‐Hidalgo Jose Javier , Jiang Wei , Konick Lisa , Overholser James C. , Jurjus George J. , Stockmeier Craig A. , Steffens David C. , Krishnan K. Ranga R. , Rajkowska Grazyna
Published: December 2012

Objective

Late‐life depression has been associated with risk for cerebrovascular pathology, as demonstrated in neuroimaging studies of older depressed patients, as well as mood disorder following cerebrovascular accidents. However, more research is needed on neuroanatomical changes in late‐life depression, where there has been no clearly documented link to brain injury. Such studies should examine morphological changes in medium and small sized vessels that supply the cortical gray and white matter.

Methods

The present study used a non‐specific histological Nissl staining and a more vessel‐specific immunolabeling with endothelial marker von Willebrand Factor (vWF) to estimate density and size of blood vessel segments in the orbitofrontal cortex of 16 older subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 9 non‐psychiatric comparison subjects.

Results

The density of Nissl‐stained vessel segments and of segments with perivascular spaces was higher in subjects with MDD than in comparison subjects in gray (GM) and white matter (WM). In GM, the density of vWF‐immunoreactive segments with cross‐sectional areas greater than 800 µm2 was higher in MDD. In WM, only the density of vWF‐immunoreactive segments with patent perivascular spaces and diameters larger than 60 µm was higher in subjects with MDD. Also in the WM, only subjects with late‐onset MDD presented a significantly higher density of vWF‐positive segments than comparison subjects.

Conclusions

In older subjects with MDD, there appear to be morphological changes that increase visibility of medium‐sized vessel segments with some labeling techniques, and this increased visibility may be related to increased patency of perivascular spaces around arterioles. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Weight changes in Alzheimer's disease patients with increased aberrant motor behavior
Authors: Secher Marion , Andrieu Sandrine , Gillette‐Guyonnet Sophie , Soto Maria , Rolland Yves , Cantet Christelle , Vellas Bruno , Ritz Patrick ,   The REAL.fr Group
Published: December 2012

Objective

Weight loss and behavioral disturbances are frequent over the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are risk factors for poor outcome. We investigated the impact of aberrant motor behavior (AMB) on weight changes in older adults with AD. The hypothesis that patients with AMB are more likely to lose weight than patients without AMB was assessed.

Methods

A prospective study of 686 patients with moderate AD from the REAL.FR cohort was assessed. The AMB at baseline was defined by the item 10 from the Neuropsychiatric Inventory scale (NPI‐10). Patients were classified as “no or light AMB” (NPI‐10 < 4), and “significant AMB” (NPI‐10 ≥ 4). Weight changes were determined over the 4‐year follow‐up.

Results

The mean weight change over the 4 years was +2.2 ± 0.9 kg in patients with “significant AMB,” whereas weight remained stable in patients with “no or light AMB” (p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Older adults with moderate AD and “significant AMB” do gain weight. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The synthesis of [carboxamido‐14C]SAR240550, [carboxamido‐14C]Iniparib, via monocarboxylation of 1,4‐diiodobenzene
Authors: Gregson Thomas J. , Kohler Andrew D. , Spurr Daniel W.
Published: November 2012

1,4‐Diiodobenzene was monolithiated with n‐butyllithium and subsequently carboxylated with 14CO2 in 86% yield. The resulting [carboxyl‐14C]‐4‐iodobenzoic acid was used in the synthesis of [carboxamido‐14C]SAR240550, [carboxamido‐14C]Iniparib. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbon‐14 labeling of hydrochlorothiazide via [14C]formaldehyde production from [14C]carbon dioxide at ambient temperature
Authors: Sandell Johan
Published: December 2012

[14C]Formaldehyde was synthesized by reducing 14CO2 at ambient temperature with Schwartz's reagent. The [14C]formaldehyde was then used in the radiosynthesis of high specific activity (2.1 GBq/mmol) [14C]hydrochlorothiazide via cyclization of 4‐amino‐5‐chloro‐1,3‐benzenedisulfonamide.
Preparation and investigation of LC packing made by microwave‐assisted solid‐phase synthesis
Authors: Jambor Eva , Bona Agnes , Schmidt Janos , Mark Laszlo , Ohmacht Robert
Published: December 2012

The preparation of the so‐called bonded phase liquid chromatographic packings is usually carried out by heating the silica, the silane, a catalyst, or a scavenger in an appropriate solvent (often toluene.) Due to the longtime of boiling, the procedure is time and energy consuming, and solvent intensive. The goal of this work is to present a simple, environment‐friendly preparation method with reduced solvent consumption to synthetize RP liquid chromatographic stationary phases. The effects of reaction conditions (amount of reagents, composition of the reagent, microwave energy, reaction time, reproducibility of the synthesis) are discussed. Pore structure, surface coverage, the change of the pore structure and surface coverage upon reaction are demonstrated, the efficiency of the column (van Deemter plot for different solutes) is presented. A variety of applications (aromatic hydrocarbons, halobenzenes, bioactive peptides, resveratrol from red wine) demonstrates the separation power of the new phase.
Photopolymerized organo‐silica hybrid monolithic columns: Characterization of their performance in capillary liquid chromatography
Authors: Weed Anna‐Marie Karen , Dvornik Jill , Stefancin John Jacob , Gyapong Afua Asantewaa , Svec Frantisek , Zajickova Zuzana
Published: December 2012

Porous hybrid organo‐silica monoliths have been prepared inside pretreated 100 μm id UV transparent fused‐silica capillaries using simultaneous sol‐gel transition and polymerization of 3‐(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane in the presence of toluene as a porogen. The sol‐gel reaction was catalyzed by hydrochloric acid while various photoinitiators including azobisisobutyronitrile, 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone, and Irgacure 819 were used for the photopolymerization carried out under irradiation with UV light at a wavelength of 254 or 365 nm. The chromatographic performance of photopolymerized monolithic columns in RP liquid chromatographic mode was assessed with respect to the following metrics: column efficiency, methylene and steric selectivity, effect of silanol groups, van Deemter plot, permeability, and pore size distribution. Columns with an efficiency of up to 77 000 plates/m for benzene has been achieved at a flow velocity of 0.47 mm/s. The performance of photopolymerized hybrid monolithic column was compared to the performance of columns prepared via thermally initiated polymerization.
Bio‐inspired Immobilization of Cell‐Adhesive Ligands on Electrospun Nanofibrous Patches for Cell Delivery
Authors: Shin Young Min , Jun Indong , Lim Youn‐Mook , Rhim Taiyoun , Shin Heungsoo
Published: December 2012

An electrospun fibrous mesh functionalized with a cell‐adhesive peptide inspired by polydopamine coating is developed as a novel cardiac patch. The amount of polydopamine on the PLCL meshes is affected by several parameters such as pH, concentration, reaction time, and temperature. Immobilization of RGD peptide is then easily achieved on the polydopamine‐coated meshes. The RGD‐peptide‐immobilized meshes increase adhesion of the myoblasts under serum‐free conditions, and also significantly up‐regulate their proliferation and the formation of multi‐nucleated myotubes. Therefore, RGD‐peptide‐functionalized, electrospun cardiac patches prepared by polydopamine coating method can be a useful tool to replace damaged myocardium.

magnified image
Effectiveness of Marketing Cues on Consumer Perceptions of Quality: The Moderating Roles of Brand Reputation and Third‐Party Information
Authors: Akdeniz Billur , Calantone Roger J. , Voorhees Clay M.
Published: December 2012

Consumers usually infer unobservable product quality by processing multiple‐quality cues in the environment. Prior research considering the simultaneous effects of marketing cues on consumer quality perceptions is sparse. Despite the growing importance of third‐party information, research examining its simultaneous effects with marketing cues on consumers’ decision making is especially absent. This research, drawing on cue‐diagnosticity, cue‐consistency, and negativity bias theories, proposes and tests a conceptual framework to reveal interplays among various marketing‐ and nonmarketing‐controlled product cues. The first study examines how two‐ and three‐way interactions of high‐scope (i.e., brand reputation) and low‐scope marketing cues (i.e., price and warranty) affect consumer perceptions. The second study examines a set of interaction effects between third‐party quality ratings and marketing cues (i.e., price and warranty) on consumers’ perceptions. Overall, the results reveal theoretical and managerial implications for processing multiple‐quality cues in consumers’ inference‐making behaviors and suggest that consumers generally aggregate perceptions in more complex ways than suggested in the prior literature when making global product quality evaluations.
J‐difference editing of gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA): Simulated and experimental multiplet patterns
Authors: Near Jamie , Evans C. John , Puts Nicolaas A. J. , Barker Peter B. , Edden Richard A. E.
Published: December 2012

Purpose: To investigate factors that influence the multiplet pattern observed in J‐difference editing of gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Methods: Density matrix simulations were applied to investigate the shape of the 3 ppm GABA multiplet as a function of the editing sequence's slice‐selective refocusing pulse properties, in particular bandwidth, transition width, and flip angle. For comparison to the calculations, experimental measurements were also made at 3 T on a 10 mM GABA solution using the MEGA‐PRESS sequence at various refocusing pulse flip angles.

Results: Good agreement was found between experiments and simulations. The edited multiplet consists of two outer lines of slightly unequal intensity due to strong coupling, and a smaller central line, the result of the unequal J‐couplings between the C4 and C3 protons. The size of the center peak increases with increasing slice‐selective refocusing pulse transition width, and deviation of the flip angle from 180°.

Conclusion: The 3 ppm GABA multiplet pattern observed in the MEGA‐PRESS experiment depends quite strongly on the properties of the slice‐selective refocusing pulses used. Under some circumstance, the central peak can be quite large; this does not necessarily indicate inefficient editing, or a subtraction artifact, but should be recognized as a property of the pulse sequence itself. Magn Reson Med 70:1183–1191, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The EU‐ADR Web Platform: delivering advanced pharmacovigilance tools
Authors: Oliveira José Luis , Lopes Pedro , Nunes Tiago , Campos David , Boyer Scott , Ahlberg Ernst , van Mulligen Erik M. , Kors Jan A. , Singh Bharat , Furlong Laura I. , Sanz Ferran , Bauer‐Mehren Anna , Carrascosa Maria C. , Mestres Jordi , Avillach Paul , Diallo Gayo , Díaz Acedo Carlos , van der Lei Johan
Published: December 2012

Purpose

Pharmacovigilance methods have advanced greatly during the last decades, making post‐market drug assessment an essential drug evaluation component. These methods mainly rely on the use of spontaneous reporting systems and health information databases to collect expertise from huge amounts of real‐world reports. The EU‐ADR Web Platform was built to further facilitate accessing, monitoring and exploring these data, enabling an in‐depth analysis of adverse drug reactions risks.

Methods

The EU‐ADR Web Platform exploits the wealth of data collected within a large‐scale European initiative, the EU‐ADR project. Millions of electronic health records, provided by national health agencies, are mined for specific drug events, which are correlated with literature, protein and pathway data, resulting in a rich drug–event dataset. Next, advanced distributed computing methods are tailored to coordinate the execution of data‐mining and statistical analysis tasks. This permits obtaining a ranked drug–event list, removing spurious entries and highlighting relationships with high risk potential.

Results

The EU‐ADR Web Platform is an open workspace for the integrated analysis of pharmacovigilance datasets. Using this software, researchers can access a variety of tools provided by distinct partners in a single centralized environment. Besides performing standalone drug–event assessments, they can also control the pipeline for an improved batch analysis of custom datasets. Drug–event pairs can be substantiated and statistically analysed within the platform's innovative working environment.

Conclusions

A pioneering workspace that helps in explaining the biological path of adverse drug reactions was developed within the EU‐ADR project consortium. This tool, targeted at the pharmacovigilance community, is available online at https://bioinformatics.ua.pt/euadr/. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence of Bipolar Disorder Diagnoses and Psychotropic Drug Therapy Among Privately Insured Children and Adolescents
Authors: Dusetzina Stacie B. , Weinberger Morris , Gaynes Bradley N. , Farley Joel F. , Sleath Betsy , Hansen Richard A.
Published: December 2012

Study Objectives

To estimate the treated prevalence of bipolar disorder in a privately insured population, describe the characteristics of children and adolescents receiving these diagnoses, and describe patterns of their psychotropic drug therapy.

Design

Retrospective, repeated cross‐sectional study.

Data Source

MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy claims databases.

Patients

A total of 22,360 children and adolescents (aged 0–17 yrs) with one inpatient or two or more outpatient claims for any bipolar spectrum disorder between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007.

Measurements and Main Results

Annual cross‐sections were used to estimate the treated prevalence of bipolar disorder diagnoses, patient characteristics, and psychotropic drugs used 30 days after a child's latest recorded bipolar disorder diagnosis within each year. The annual treated prevalence of any bipolar spectrum disorder in this privately insured population was 0.24% in 2005 and 0.26% in 2006 and 2007. Approximately 25% of diagnoses were for children younger than 13 years. Approximately 30% of children had coexisting attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder during the year. In each year, 35% of patients used no psychotropic drug therapy in the 30‐day period after their most recent diagnosis. Twenty‐five percent used one psychotropic drug, and 40% used two or more drugs. The most common drug regimens were antipsychotic or mood stabilizer (lithium or anticonvulsant) monotherapy and the combination of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics.

Conclusion

Drug therapy patterns suggest that children and adolescents with bipolar diagnoses receive complex treatment regimens, often involving multiple classes of psychotropic drugs. Research on treatment combinations, particularly antipsychotic and mood stabilizer combinations, should be prioritized to better understand the safety and effectiveness of commonly prescribed treatments.
The glass transition temperature of poly(phenylene sulfide) with various crystallinities
Authors: Zhang Ri‐Chao , Li Rong , Lu Ai , Jin Zhijiang , Liu Baoqing , Xu Zhongbin
Published: December 2012

The glass transition temperature (Tg) of poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) with various crystalline fractions has been studied using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSC measurements show that Tg can be observed from the heating curves for the PPS sample with very low crystallinity, and no Tg is observed when the crystallinity is over 8%. DMA indicates that crystallinity has an important effect on molecular chain segment motion of PPS. When the crystallinity, Xc, of PPS is over 38%, there is only one chain segment motion, which mainly results from the crystalline chain vibration; while three different chain segment motions occur for PPS samples with lower crystallinity (Xc < 26%), which are amorphous chain segment motion, crystalline chain segment motion and constrained amorphous chain segment motion. Tg of PPS is mainly caused by the amorphous chain segment motion which is independent of the crystallinity, while the relaxation temperature corresponding to crystalline chain motion shifts to lower temperature as the crystallinity increases. The reduction of the relaxation temperature can be attributed to the disorder‐order transition of amorphous chains for PPS with lower crystallinity. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Environmentally friendly copolymeric beads of Chlorella vulgaris and poly(methacrylamide) grafted aliginic acid di‐block copolymers for biosorption of zinc ions
Authors: Fares Mohammad M , Al‐Rub Fahmi A Abu , Kandah Munther , Allaboun Hussein
Published: December 2012

The synthesis of biodegradable environmentally friendly copolymeric beads for water treatment biosorption processes is demonstrated. The synthesized poly(methacrylamide) grafted aliginic acid copolymers were characterized using 1H NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, TGA and SEM. The di‐block copolymers showed a morphological change from two‐dimensional layer‐by‐layer structures to three‐dimensional well‐compacted wrinkles as grafting efficiency increased. The copolymeric beads were formed from the di‐block copolymer and algae crosslinked with 5% calcium ions (w/w). These copolymeric beads were then subjected to biosorption investigations for zinc ions as a model heavy metal ion at different pH values and stirring time periods. Batch adsorption experiments showed that the copolymeric beads were effective in zinc ion removal from aqueous solutions with maximum uptake exceeding 89.0 mg g–1 using higher grafting efficiency copolymeric beads at pH 5.5. Equilibrium pH studies revealed that zinc biosorption was pH dependent and maximum uptake was obtained at pH 5.5. Dynamics studies showed that the biosorption of zinc was rapid with equilibrium attained within 40 min and the data followed pseudo‐second‐order kinetics. The equilibrium biosorption of zinc ions on the copolymeric beads exhibited a Freundlich isotherm fit. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
pH‐Responsive PEGylated nanoparticles based on amphiphilic polyaspartamide: preparation, physicochemical characterization and in vitro evaluation
Authors: Moon Jong Rok , Jeon Young Sil , Zrinyi Miklos , Kim Ji‐Heung
Published: December 2012

A series of amphiphilic graft copolymers based on polyaspartamide were synthesized by successive aminolysis reactions of polysuccinimide using 2‐diisopropylaminoethyl (DIP), O‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐O′‐methylpolyethylene glycol (PEG) and lauryl amine as pH‐sensitive, hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, respectively. The pH‐dependent self‐assembly behavior of the aqueous copolymer solution was investigated. Nano‐aggregation, which was induced by a hydrophilic/hydrophobic shift of the DIP group in solution, occurred at a pH in the vicinity of the pKa of the DIP group. The mean diameter of the nano‐aggregate could be modulated by changing the compositions of both pendants. The mean diameter of the nanoparticles increased with increasing solution pH from 6.5 to 8. The dissolution of paclitaxel into these amphiphilic nanoparticles was attempted and the pH‐dependent release behavior was examined using a solvent‐casting method. The results showed a significantly faster release of paclitaxel at pH = 6.5, which is a tumoral acidic pH, than at neutral physiological pH. These pH‐sensitive PEGylated polyaspartamide derivatives have potential use as a tumor‐targeting delivery system.
Synthesis and photovoltaic performances of benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b']dithiophene‐alt‐2,3‐diphenylquinoxaline copolymers pending functional groups in phenyl rings
Authors: Tan Hua , Deng Xianping , Yu Junting , Chen Jianhua , Nie Kaixuan , Huang Ying , Liu Yu , Wang Yafei , Zhu Meixiang , Zhu Weiguo
Published: December 2012

Two donor/acceptor (D/A)‐based benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐alt‐2,3‐biphenyl quinoxaline copolymers of P1 and P2 were synthesized pending different functional groups (thiophene or triphenylamine) in the 4‐positions of phenyl rings. Their thermal, photophysical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties, as well as morphology of their blending films were investigated. The poly(4,8‐bis((2‐ethyl‐hexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b'] dithiophene)‐alt‐(2,3‐bis(4′‐bis(N,N‐bis(4‐(octyloxy) phenylamino)‐ 1,1′‐biphen‐4‐yl)quinoxaline) (P2) exhibited better photovoltaic performance than poly(4,8‐bis((2‐ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b'] dithiophene)‐alt‐(2,3‐bis(4‐(5‐octylthiophen‐2‐yl)phenyl)quinoxaline) (P1) in the bulk‐heterojunction polymer solar cells with a configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymers: [6,6]‐phenyl‐C71‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM)/LiF/Al. A power conversion efficiency of 3.43%, an open‐circuit voltage of 0.80 V, and a short‐circuit current of 9.20 mA cm−2 were achieved in the P2‐based cell under the illumination of AM 1.5, 100 mW cm−2. Importantly, this power conversion efficiency level is 2.29 times higher than that in the P1‐based cell. Our work indicated that incorporating triphenylamine pendant in the D/A‐based polymers can greatly improved the photovoltaic properties for its resulting polymers.
Orientation transition of nanorods induced by polymer brushes
Authors: Zhang Dong , Cheng Jun , Jiang Yangwei , Wen Xiaohui , Zhang Linxi
Published: December 2012

Coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to explore the spatial orientations and conformational transitions of nanorods (NRs) within semiflexible polymer brushes. The orientations of the NR clusters are controlled by the competition between the entropy cost for NRs infiltrated into the polymer brushes and the attractive energy between NRs and polymer brushes. By reducing the grafting density or enhancing the number of NRs, the NR cluster experiences an orientation transition from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction. The semiflexible polymer brushes are regarded as the soft confinements for the NRs, and the soft confinements can induce the formation of the NR aggregation under the effect of the depletion attractions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2013
Web‐based self‐monitoring for weight loss among overweight/obese women at increased risk for breast cancer: the HELP pilot study
Authors: Cadmus‐Bertram Lisa , Wang Julie B. , Patterson Ruth E. , Newman Vicky A. , Parker Barbara A. , Pierce John P.
Published: November 2012

Objective

Excess weight and physical inactivity are modifiable risk factors for breast cancer. Training women to use self‐help resources over the internet has potential for reducing intervention costs and enhancing maintenance.

Methods

A total of 50 overweight/obese women at increased breast cancer risk were randomized to a 12‐week intervention or a comparison group. Telephone‐based sessions trained participants to use web‐based self‐monitoring tools to set goals and track diet and exercise. The comparison group received dietary information but no training. At baseline and 12 weeks, participants were weighed and wore an accelerometer.

Results

Participants were aged 60.9 ± 0.8 years with a BMI of 33.1 ± 0.6 kg/m2. The intervention group lost 3.3 ± 4.0 kg, whereas the comparison group gained 0.9 ± 3.4 kg (p < 0.0001). Intervention participants who found the website helpful lost 5.6 ± 0.7 kg; those who did not lost 0.8 ± 0.9 kg (p < 0.001). Change in physical activity was +70 ± 140 min/week among those who found the website helpful, −6 ± 75 min/week among those who did not, and −34 ± 207 min/week in the comparison group (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

A program to train women to use web‐based weight loss tools achieved a substantial short‐term weight loss among the majority of participants. Further follow‐up is needed to assess weight loss maintenance over time.

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation on chemotactic drug targeting (chemotaxis and adhesion) inducer effect of GnRH‐III derivatives in Tetrahymena and human leukemia cell line
Authors: Lajkó Eszter , Szabó Ildikó , Andódy Katalin , Pungor András , Mező Gábor , Kőhidai László
Published: December 2012

GnRH‐III has been shown to exert a cytotoxic effect on the GnRH‐R positive tumor cells. The chemotactic drug targeting (CDT) represents a new way for drug delivery approach based on selective chemoattractant guided targeting. The major goal of the present work was to develop and investigate various GnRH‐III derivatives as potential targeting moieties for CDT. The cell physiological effects (chemotaxis, adhesion, and signaling) induced by three native GnRHs (hGnRH‐I, cGnRH‐II, and lGnRH‐III) and nine GnRH‐III derivatives were evaluated in two model cells (Tetrahymena pyriformis and Mono Mac 6 human monocytes). According to our results, the native GnRH‐III elicited the highest chemoattractant and adhesion inducer activities of all synthesized peptides in micromolar concentrations in monocytes. With respect to chemoattraction, dimeric derivatives linked by a disulfide bridge ([GnRH‐III(C)]2) proved to be efficient in both model cells; furthermore, acetylation of the linker region ([GnRH‐III(Ac‐C)]2) could slightly improve the chemotactic and adhesion effects in monocytes. The length of the peptide and the type of N‐terminal amino acid could also determine the chemotactic and adhesion modulation potency of each fragment. The application of the chemoattractant GnRH‐III derivatives was accompanied by a significant activation of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase in both model cells. In summary, our work on low‐level differentiated model cells of tumors has proved that GnRH‐III and some of its synthetic derivatives are promising candidates to be applied in CDT: these compounds might act both as carrier, delivery unit, and antitumor agents. Copyright © 2012 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transparent and conductive Al‐doped ZnO films for solar cells applications
Authors: Grilli Maria Luisa , Sytchkova Anna , Boycheva Sylvia , Piegari Angela
Published: December 2012

General rules governing the quality of aluminium‐doped zinc oxide films (Al:ZnO, AZO) grown by radio frequency sputtering were searched. A vast set of experimental data on the electrical, optical, structural, and morphological properties of AZO films prepared at different deposition conditions was analyzed. AZO films with a high Haacke's figure of merit ΦTC = 10 m Ω−1 were fabricated at temperatures lower than 250 °C starting from a target of ZnO mixed with 2 wt% Al2O3. It was demonstrated that AZO films with similar good optical and electrical properties can be obtained in different ways by opportunely combining the deposition parameters, proving that AZO film characteristics depend on the energy efficiency of the deposition process, which can be ensured at different deposition conditions. It was found that the temperature and the magnetron strength are essential for the growing process to guarantee film optimal performances, while the other deposition parameters can be opportunely adjusted for tuning the film characteristics. A correlation between electrical, structural and microstructural characteristics of the films was established.
Effects of Piperine, Cinnamic Acid and Gallic Acid on Rosuvastatin Pharmacokinetics in Rats
Authors: Basu Sudipta , Jana Snehasis , Patel Vandana B. , Patel Hitesh
Published: December 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential pharmacokinetic interactions with natural products (such as piperine (PIP), gallic acid (GA) and cinnamic acid (CA)) and rosuvastatin (RSV) (a specific breast cancer resistance protein, BCRP substrate) in rats. In Caco2 cells, the polarized transport of RSV was effectively inhibited by PIP, CA and GA at concentration of 50 μM. After per oral (p.o.) coadministration of PIP, CA and GA (10 mg/kg) significantly increased intravenous exposure (AUClast) of RSV (1 mg/kg) by 73.5%, 62.9% and 53.3% (p < 0.05), respectively than alone group (control). Compared with the control (alone) group, p.o. coadministration of PIP, CA and GA (10 mg/kg) significantly increased the oral exposure (AUClast) of RSV (5 mg/kg) by 2.0‐fold, 1.83‐fold (p < 0.05) and 2.34 ‐fold (p < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, the cumulative biliary excretion of RSV (5 mg/kg, p.o.) was significantly decreased by 53.3, 33.4 and 39.2% at the end of 8 h after p.o. co‐administration of PIP, CA and GA (10 mg/kg), respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that the natural products such as PIP, CA and GA significantly inhibit RSV transport in to bile and increased the plasma exposure (AUClast) of RSV. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Kinetic Migration of Chemical Elements from Ceramic Packaging into Simulated Foods and Mature Vinegar
Authors: Lin Qin‐Bao , Chen Yue , Song Huan , Wu Hai‐Jun , Wang Xiao‐Yun
Published: November 2012

This study developed a method for simultaneous determination of 19 chemical elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Ga, As, Rb, Y, Zr, Cd, Te, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Er and Pb) in simulated foods [4%, 6% and 8% (w/v) aqueous acetic acid] by microwave‐assisted digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We examined the migration of these chemical elements from ceramic packaging into the simulated foods and into two types of mature vinegar. The simulated foods showed matrix effects, compared with stock solution solvents (5% ultra‐pure nitric acid). The migration of chemical elements from ceramic packaging into simulated foods was affected by migration time, temperature and acidity of the simulated food. The chemical elements showed different migration behaviours in black and white mature vinegar, and the amount of migration also varied depending on the inner surface of the ceramic packaging. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Output regulation for non‐square linear multi‐rate systems
Authors: Antunes Duarte , Hespanha João P. , Silvestre Carlos
Published: December 2012

We address the problem of regulating a subset of outputs of a linear time‐invariant plant with multi‐rate measurements so as to achieve asymptotic tracking of an exogenous signal generated by the free motion of a linear time‐invariant system, denoted by exosystem. A solution to this problem is required to yield closed‐loop stability and should be such that output regulation is achieved even in the presence of small plant uncertainties and exogenous disturbances also generated by the exosystem. Contrarily to previous works, we propose a solution to the general case where the plant may have more measured outputs than inputs. We show that this solution allows us to solve simultaneous stabilization and output regulation problems that are not possible to solve through the previous works. Besides incorporating an internal model of the exosystem, the key feature of our proposed controller is that it includes a system that blocks signals generated by the exosystem arriving to the controller from the non‐regulated outputs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Winterspiele 2014 in Sotschi
Authors: Dürnberger Dieter , Fick Karlfriedrich , Thiebes Robert
Published: December 2012

Zweischalige Dachkonstruktionen sind charakteristisch für den klassischen Metallleichtbau, weil sie variabel in der Kombination ihrer Komponenten sind. Damit können selbst ausgefallene Anforderungen an die Formgebung oder strenge Vorschriften an die Schutzfunktionen gegen Brand, Schall und Blitzschlag erfüllt werden. Gegen werkstoffbedingte Wärmeverluste oder die Wärmebrückenwirkung durchstoßender Metallteile gibt es längst ausgereifte Konstruktionen im Zusammenwirken mit anderen Werkstoffen, ohne Verlust an Qualität oder Einschränkung der Leistungsfähigkeit. Am Beispiel eines bezüglich Form und Größe anspruchsvollen Daches einer Sportarena für die Winterspiele 2014 in Sotschi wird das Leistungsvermögen einer zweischaligen Konstruktion mit einer Unterschale aus Stahltrapezprofilen und einer Oberschale aus industriell gefertigten Aluminium‐Stehfalzprofilen gezeigt.

Hockey arena for the Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi. Twin‐skin roof structures are typical in lightweight metal construction because of the flexibility they offer in the combination different components. This allows unusual demands on the design or strict requirements for fire, acoustic and lightning protection to be met. To combat material‐related heat loss or thermal bridging through metal parts, there are well established solutions provided by the use of alternative materials without any loss of quality or performance. Using the example of demanding requirements on the shape and size of the roof for a new sports arena for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the performance capability of a twin‐skin structure with profiled metal deck lining and an outer skin of industrially manufactured of aluminium standing seam profiles is shown.
Die Dächer des Busan Cinema Centers
Authors: Pfanner Daniel , Bollinger Klaus , Jeon Bong‐Soo
Published: December 2012

In der südkoreanischen Metropole entstand in den Jahren 2007 bis 2011 das Busan Cinema Center (BCC), das ab 2012 Schauplatz für das Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) sein wird, eines der wichtigsten Filmfestspiele in Asien. Zwischen einem Kinokomplex in Massivbauweise mit mehreren Kinosälen und einem großen Theatersaal sowie einem Verwaltungsbau spannen zwei Stahldächer mit gewaltigen Ausmaßen, welche die Open‐Air Bereiche des BCC überspannen und dem Projekt ihre charakteristische Signatur verleihen. Während das so genannte small roof zwischen den Gebäuden ca. 110 m weit gespannt ist, kragt das big roof an einer Seite spektakuläre 85 m aus und ist somit die weiteste Dach‐Auskragung der Welt.

The roofs of the Busan Cinema Center. The Busan Cinema Center (BCC) has been built between 2007 and 2011 in the Southkorean metropolis Busan. The BCC will be the future location for the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which is one of the most important film festivals in Asia. Two roofs with immense dimensions are spanning between a massive building comprising several cinemas and a big theatre and between a building for administrational use. The two roofs are protecting the open air areas of the BCC and are the characteristic elements of the architectural design. The so‐called small roof is a single spanning roof with a span width of app. 110 m. The big roof is a spectacular canopy cantilevering 85 m. It is the longest cantilevering roof structure in the world.