bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Prodrugs of the Antiprotozoal Drug Pentamidine
Authors: Kotthaus Joscha , Kotthaus Jürke , Schade Dennis , Schwering Ulrike , Hungeling Helen , Müller‐Fielitz Helge , Raasch Walter , Clement Bernd
Published: October 2011

Pentamidine is an effective antimicrobial agent that is approved for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis but suffers from poor oral bioavailability and central nervous system (CNS) penetration. This work deals with the development and systematic characterisation of new prodrugs of pentamidine. For this reason, numerous prodrugs that use different prodrug principles were synthesised and examined in vitro and in vivo. Another objective of the study was the determination of permeability of the different pentamidine prodrugs. While some of the prodrug principles applied in this study are known, such as the conversion of the amidine functions into amidoximes or the O‐alkylation of amidoximes with a carboxymethyl residue, others were developed more recently and are described here for the first time. These newly developed methods aim to increase the affinity of the prodrug for the transporters and mediate an active uptake via carrier systems by conjugation of amidoximes with compounds that improve the overall solubility of the prodrug. The different principles chosen resulted in several pentamidine prodrugs with various advantages. The objective of this investigation was the systematic characterisation and evaluation of eight pentamidine prodrugs in order to identify the most appropriate strategy to improve the properties of the parent drug. For this reason, all prodrugs were examined with respect to their solubility, stability, enzymatic activation, distribution, CNS delivery, and oral bioavailability. The results of this work have allowed reliable conclusions to be drawn regarding the best prodrug principle for the antiprotozoal drug pentamidine.
Jump‐start cloud: efficient deployment framework for large‐scale cloud applications
Authors: Wu Xiaoxin , Shen Zhiming , Wu Ryan , Lin Yunfeng
Published: October 2011

Reducing the time that a user has to occupy resources for completing cloud tasks can improve cloud efficiency and lower user cost. Such a time, called cloud time, consists of cloud deployment time and application running time. In this work, we design Jump‐start cloud, under which an efficient cloud deployment scheme is proposed for minimizing cloud time. It is especially beneficial to minimize cloud time for clouds serving multimedia applications, as they occupy much more significant cloud resources, such as disk I/O and networking bandwidth and computational costs in processing or transcoding multimedia contents. In particular, we have implemented virtual machine cloning based on disk image sharing for fast virtual machine and application deployment. For applications with heavy disk visits, the post‐deployment QoS may suffer from image sharing, and consequently, application running time will increase. To solve this problem, different image distribution schemes have been designed. We test Jump‐start cloud through a Hadoop‐based benchmark and MapReduce applications. Experiment studies show that our design saves application installation time and, meanwhile, keeps application running time reasonably low, thus makes cloud time shorter. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Security‐aware scheduling model for computational grid
Authors: Kashyap Rekha , Vidyarthi Deo Prakash
Published: October 2011

Grid applications with stringent security requirements introduce challenging concerns because the schedule devised by nonsecurity‐aware scheduling algorithms may suffer in scheduling security constraints tasks. To make security‐aware scheduling, estimation and quantification of security overhead is necessary. The proposed model quantifies security, in the form of security levels, on the basis of the negotiated cipher suite between task and the grid‐node and incorporates it into existing heuristics MinMin and MaxMin to make it security‐aware MinMin(SA) and MaxMin(SA). It also proposes SPMaxMin (Security Prioritized MinMin) and its comparison with three heuristics MinMin(SA), MaxMin(SA), and SPMinMin on heterogeneous grid/task environment. Extensive computer simulation results reveal that the performance of the various heuristics varies with the variation in computational and security heterogeneity. Its analysis over nine heterogeneous grid/task workload situations indicates that an algorithm that performs better for one workload degrades in another. It is conspicuous that for a particular workload one algorithm gives better makespan while another gives better response time. Finally, a security‐aware scheduling model is proposed, which adapts itself to the dynamic nature of the grid and picks the best suited algorithm among the four analyzed heuristics on the basis of job characteristics, grid characteristics, and desired performance metric. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scheduling streaming applications on a complex multicore platform
Authors: David Tudor , Jacquelin Mathias , Marchal Loris
Published: October 2011

In this paper, we consider the problem of scheduling streaming applications described by complex task graphs on a heterogeneous multicore platform, the IBM QS 22 platform, embedding two STI Cell Broadband Engine processor. We first derive a complete computation and communication model of the platform on the basis of comprehensive benchmarks. Then we use this model to express the problem of maximizing the throughput of a streaming application on this platform. Although the problem is proven NP‐complete, we present an optimal solution based on mixed linear programming. We also propose simpler scheduling heuristics to compute mapping of the application task graph on the platform. We then come back to the platform and propose a scheduling software to deploy streaming applications on this platform. This allows us to thoroughly test our scheduling strategies on the real platform. We thus show that we are able to achieve a good speed‐up either with the mixed linear programming solution or using involved scheduling heuristics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An adaptive parallel execution strategy for cloud‐based scientific workflows
Authors: de Oliveira Daniel , Ogasawara Eduardo , Ocaña Kary , Baião Fernanda , Mattoso Marta
Published: October 2011

Many of the existing large‐scale scientific experiments modeled as scientific workflows are compute‐intensive. Some scientific workflow management systems already explore parallel techniques, such as parameter sweep and data fragmentation, to improve performance. In those systems, computing resources are used to accomplish many computational tasks in high performance environments, such as multiprocessor machines or clusters. Meanwhile, cloud computing provides scalable and elastic resources that can be instantiated on demand during the course of a scientific experiment, without requiring its users to acquire expensive infrastructure or to configure many pieces of software. In fact, because of these advantages some scientists have already adopted the cloud model in their scientific experiments. However, this model also raises many challenges. When scientists are executing scientific workflows that require parallelism, it is hard to decide a priori the amount of resources to use and how long they will be needed because the allocation of these resources is elastic and based on demand. In addition, scientists have to manage new aspects such as initialization of virtual machines and impact of data staging. SciCumulus is a middleware that manages the parallel execution of scientific workflows in cloud environments. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive approach for executing parallel scientific workflows in the cloud. This approach adapts itself according to the availability of resources during workflow execution. It checks the available computational power and dynamically tunes the workflow activity size to achieve better performance. Experimental evaluation showed the benefits of parallelizing scientific workflows using the adaptive approach of SciCumulus, which presented an increase of performance up to 47.1%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ZVS DC/DC converter with series half‐bridge legs for high voltage application
Authors: Chien C. H. , Wang Y. H.
Published: October 2011

This paper presents a new DC/DC converter with series half‐bridge legs for high voltage application. Two half‐bridge legs connected in series and two split capacitors are used in the proposed circuit to limit the voltage stress of each active switch at one‐half of input voltage. Thus, active switches with low voltage stress can be used at high DC bus application. In the proposed converter, two circuit modules are operated with an interleaved pulse‐width modulation scheme to reduce the input and output ripple currents and to achieve load current sharing. In each circuit module, two resonant tanks are operated with phase‐shift one‐half of switching cycle such that the frequency of the input current is twice the frequency of the resonant inductor current. Based on the resonant behavior, all MOSFETs are turned on at zero voltage switching with the wide ranges of input voltage and load conditions. The rectifier diodes can be turned off at zero current switching if the switching frequency is less than the series resonant frequency. Thus, the switching losses on power semiconductors are reduced. The proposed converter can be applied for high input voltage applications such as three‐phase 380‐V utility system. Finally, experiments based on a laboratory prototype with 960‐W rated power are provided to demonstrate the performance of proposed converter. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hybrid mesh adaptation applied to industrial numerical combustion
Authors: Sirois Y. , McKenty F. , Gravel L. , Guibault F.
Published: October 2011

This paper presents an anisotropic mesh adaptation method applied to industrial combustion problems. The method is based on a measure of the distance between two Riemannian metrics called metric non‐conformity. This measure, which can be used to build a cost function to adapt meshes comprising several types of mesh elements, provides the basis for a generic mesh adaptation approach applicable to various types of physical problems governed by partial differential equations. The approach is shown to be applicable to industrial combustion problems, through the specification of a target metric computed as the intersection of several Hessian matrices reconstructed from the main variables of the governing equations. Numerical results show that the approach is cost effective in that it can drastically improve the prediction of temperature and species distributions in the flame region of a combustor while reducing computational cost. The results can be used as a basis for pollutant prediction models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of 3,3‐Dimethylglutamic Acid Derivatives as DPP‐IV Inhibitors and Evaluation of Their Chemical Stability
Authors: Hsu Tsu , Tsai Ting‐Yueh , Tseng Ya‐Ju , Chiou Mei‐Chun , Lu Cheng‐Tai , Chao Yu‐Sheng , Jiaang Weir‐Torn
Published: October 2011

A novel five‐step synthesis of Boc‐3,3‐dimethylglutamic acid α‐ethyl ester 11 is reported. All the steps are high yielding and simple to carry out. By use of the 3,3‐dimethylglutamic acid building block, we successfully discovered a novel class of DPP‐IV inhibitors, Glu‐Pro‐Nitrile dipeptide mimics 2, with high potency (IC50 < 40 nM). The consequence of 3,3‐dimethyl substituent on the rate of intramolecular cyclization between N‐terminal amine and 5‐position amide bond in different buffer solutions was also evaluated.
Development of a Simple and Inexpensive Optical Absorption One‐Shot Sensor Membrane for Detection and Determination of Cyanide Ions in Water Samples
Authors: Chamjangali Mansour Arab , Soltanpanah Sepideh , Bagherian Ghadamali , Amin Amir Hossein
Published: October 2011

A new one‐shot optical cyanide ion sensor is proposed for determination of cyanide ions. The sensor was constructed by immobilizing crystal violet (CV) on triacetylcellulose membrane. The sensing mechanism involves reaction between cyanide ions and the immobilized CV at pH = 5.4, which results in a decrease in absorbance of the membrane at 600 nm. The sensor shows sufficient repeatability, reproducibility, operational lifetime of 3 weeks, and a response of less then 10 min under the optimum conditions and response time of 8 min. Cyanide can be determined in the concentration range of 50.0‐800 μg mL‐1 with a detection limit of 5.0 μg mL‐1. Most ions do not interfere with the determination of cyanide ions. The proposed sensor was successfully applied to the determination of cyanide in spiked water samples.
Microwave‐assisted Friedländer Synthesis of Polysubstituted Quinolines Based on Poly(ethylene glycol) Bound Acetoacetate
Authors: Zhang Xiao‐Liang , Hu Qiao‐Sheng , Sheng Sheng‐Ri , Xiao Chen , Cai Ming‐Zhong
Published: October 2011

Polysubstituted quinolines were efficiently prepared on the soluble polyethylene glycol (PEG) by microwave irradiation Friedländer condensation of PEG bound acetoacetate with 2‐aminoarylketones promoted by catalytic amount of polyphosphoric acid, and subsequently cleavage from the PEG with MeONa in MeOH. The polymer‐supported synthesis provided the target compounds in excellent yield and purity with a facile work‐up procedure.
Efficient Synthesis of the C1‐C9 Fragment of 7,8‐O‐Isopropylidene Protected Iriomoteolide 3a Derivative
Authors: Chang Ching‐Yao
Published: October 2011

An efficient and stereoselective synthesis of the C1‐C9 moiety of the 7,8‐O‐isopropylidene protected iriomoteolide 3a derivative has been accomplished. In our strategy, we employed olefin cross‐metathesis of the L‐(+)‐tartaric acid derivative (((4S,5S)‐2,2‐dimethyl‐5‐vinyl‐1,3‐dioxolan‐4‐yl)methoxy)(tert‐butyl)diphenylsilane with a synthesized methyl (S)‐3‐methylhex‐5‐enate to successfully provide the correct olefin geometry of the desired fragment.
Synthesis and Characterization of Two Novel Complexes of Cr(III) with Benzilmonoxime
Authors: Soleimani Esmaiel
Published: October 2011

The reaction of benzilmonoxime (BMOH) with CrCl3.6H2O in methanol gives the mono nuclear Cr(III) complex, [Cr(BMO)33 (1). Reaction of complex 1 with a methanolic solution of KOH at room temperature leads to a di‐nuclear Cr(III)‐Cr(III) complex, [Cr(BMO)2(OH)]2 (2). The complexes were characterized on the basis of their elemental analysis, Mass, IR, 1H and 13C‐NMR and electronic spectra. The IR studies were useful in assigning the coordination mode of the benzilmonoxime ligand to the chromium(III) ion. In addition, the presence of a hydroxo bridge in the dimeric complex 2 is inferred from the IR spectral studies. The electronic spectra of the complexes revealed two bands due to d–d transitions, and one band assignable to an oxygen (pπ)→Cr(eg*) LMCT transition observed in both complexes. An additional charge transfer transition, assignable to μ‐OH(pπ)→Cr(eg*), was only observed for the dimeric complex 2.

The splitting energy and Racah parameter were calculated to be 18484 cm‐1 and 560 cm‐1 for [Cr(BMO)3] (1), 17986 cm‐1 and 545 cm‐1 for [Cr(BMO)2(OH)]2 (2) respectively.
Microwave‐Assisted Cross‐Coupling for the Construction of Diaryl Sulfides
Authors: Tan Chen‐Ming , Chen Grace Shiahuy , Chen Chien‐Shu , Chern Ji‐Wang
Published: October 2011

The construction of diaryl sulfides through the cross‐coupling of aryl iodides and thiols in microwave heating is described. By using this method, a variety of diaryl sulfides can be prepared in a mild condition and in high yields. Deactivated 4‐nitrothiophenol was effective to afford the product in 94% yield. Sterically hindered ortho‐substituted aryl iodides or thiophenols provided diaryl sulfides effectively by this microwave‐assisted coupling reaction.
Chemical composition, antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities of the essential oils of Myristica fragrans and Morinda citrifolia
Authors: Piaru Suthagar Pillai , Mahmud Roziahanim , Abdul Majid Amin Malik Shah , Ismail Sabariah , Man Che Nin
Published: October 2011

BACKGROUND: In this study the chemical composition, antioxidant activities and cytotoxic effect of the essential oils of Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) and Morinda citrifolia (mengkudu) were determined.

RESULTS: Thirty‐eight compounds in nutmeg oil and six compounds in mengkudu oil were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The free radical scavenging activity of nutmeg oil was superior of that mengkudu oil. The MTT assay of nutmeg oil on human colorectal carcinoma (HCT‐116) and human breast carcinoma (MCF‐7) cell lines showed IC50 values of 78.61 and 66.45 µg mL−1, respectively. The mengkudu oil exhibited IC50 values of 91.46 and 78.15 µg mL−1 for HCT‐116 and MCF‐7, respectively.

CONCLUSION: The results showed that nutmeg oil can be developed as potent anti‐cancer and antioxidant drugs. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
The effect of interfacial bonding on the elastic property of carbon nanotube‐reinforced composite
Authors: Maghamikia Sh. , Jam J. E.
Published: October 2011

A micromechanics model is developed to calculate the effective elastic modulus of composite with aligned straight carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The interfacial bonding between CNTs and polymer matrix gives an important effect on reinforcing specification of CNTs. The nonlinear cohesive law is used to describe the interface debonding. The effect of debonding at CNTs/polymer interface and the van der Waal's (vdw) force between carbon atoms is studied on the mechanical properties of composite reinforced by CNTs. It is also shown that small CNTs have stronger reinforcing effect than larger ones. The debonded nanotubes behave like voids in the matrix and it can significantly reduce the stiffening effect of the nanocomposites. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Physical characterization of poly(glycerol sebacate)/Bioglass® composites
Authors: Liang Shuling , Cook Wayne D , Chen Qizhi
Published: October 2011

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and X‐ray diffraction have been used to characterize the structure of a crosslinked polyester (poly(glycerol sebacate), PGS), prepared from a molar ratio of a diacid (sebacic acid) and a triol (glycerol), and their composites formed with an alkaline reactive filler, Bioglass®. The Bioglass reacts with the sebacic acid carboxylate groups during the composite synthesis, resulting in elastomers that are linked by ionic and covalent crosslinks. Due to its relatively low crosslink density, the unfilled PGS polymer can crystallize below room temperature but is an amorphous elastomer at room temperature. The DSC results show that the Bioglass composites are also semicrystalline below room temperature but the crystallinity is disrupted by the ionic linkages. DMTA of the dry PGS and PGS‐Bioglass composites confirms the semicrystalline nature of the materials and comparison with specimens that had been saturated with water vapour shows that the ionic crosslinks are dissociated by hydration by water molecules. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Structural symmetry breaking of silicon‐containing poly(amide‐imide) oligomers and its relation to electrical conductivity and Raman‐active vibrations
Authors: González Henríquez Carmen M , Tagle Luis H , Terraza Claudio A , Barriga González Andrés , Volkmann Ulrich G , Cabrera Alejandro L , Ramos‐Moore Esteban , Pavez‐Moreno Maximiliano
Published: October 2011

Optically active poly(amide‐imide) oligomers were synthesized by direct polycondensation between an aromatic diamine and a dicarboxylic acid both containing a diphenylsilylene unit. The reaction was carried out using triphenyl phosphite/pyridine in the presence of CaCl2 and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as solvent. Oligomers were obtained in good yields and showed high solubility in common aprotic polar solvents. The precursors, monomers and poly(amide‐imide) oligomers were characterized using elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared and NMR (1H, 13C, 29Si) spectroscopy. Additionally, the main vibrations of the functional groups (CO, CC or NH) in the oligomers with respect to temperature were characterized using Raman spectroscopy. The glass transition temperature was determined by studying the Raman spectra and corroborated using differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal stability was studied using thermogravimetric analysis. The molecular mass of the compounds was obtained from matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and their optical properties were analyzed using UV‐visible diode array spectrophotometry. The electronic properties of the oligomers as well as the delocalization of charge carriers within their structures were analyzed using conductance‐voltage curves, which showed that these materials are excellent candidates for integrated optoelectronic applications. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Water and sediment dynamics of penoxsulam and molinate in paddy fields: field and lysimeter studies
Authors: Kogan Marcelo , Araya Manuel , Alister Claudio
Published: October 2011

BACKGROUND: In Chile, rice is cultivated under water‐seeded and continuously flooded conditions. Because herbicide dynamics in paddy fields and non‐flooded fields is different, 3 year experiments were performed to study the dissipation of molinate and penoxsulam in water and sediment.

RESULTS: In field experiments, both herbicides dissipated by 45–55% from the initial applied amounts during the first 6 h after application in all crop seasons; in lysimeter experiments, dissipation amounts were approximately 10% for penoxsulam and 16% for molinate. Penoxsulam field water DT50 values varied from 1.28 to 1.96 days during the three study seasons, and DT90 values from 4.07 to 6.22 days. Molinate field water DT50 values varied from 0.89 to 1.73 days, and DT90 values from 2.82 to 5.48 days. Sediment residues were determined 2 days after herbicide application into the paddy water, and maximum concentrations were found 4–8 days after application. In sediment, DT50 values varied from 20.20 to 27.66 days for penoxsulam and from 15.02 to 29.83 days for molinate.

CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that penoxsulam and molinate losses under paddy conditions are dissipated rapidly from the water and then dissipate slowly from the sediment. Penoxsulam and molinate field water dissipation was facilitated by paddy water motion created by the wind. Sediment adsorption and degradation are considered to have a secondary effect on the dissipation of both herbicides in paddy fields. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Magnetism and magnetotransport in sputtered Co‐doped FeSi films
Authors: Morley Sophie A. , Porter Nicholas A. , Marrows Christopher H.
Published: October 2011

FeSi is a non‐magnetic narrow‐gap semiconductor that can be doped n‐type by Co, which also gives rise to magnetic order. Here we report on the growth of sputtered thin films of Fe0.8Co0.2Si, which are predominantly ε ‐phase (B20 lattice structure), and possess that phase's characteristic magnetotransport properties. The ordinary Hall coefficient shows that each Co atom donates roughly one electron, whilst the magnetometry suggests that each gives rise to close to one Bohr magneton of moment. These results indicate that a highly spin‐polarised electron gas persists despite the inevitable disorder in these thin films, suitable for spintronic devices. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A vision guided hybrid robotic prototype system for stereotactic surgery
Authors: Wei Jun , Wang Tianmiao , Liu Da
Published: October 2011

Background

Robot‐assisted surgery (RAS) systems help surgeons performing accurate operations, but a number of drawbacks render them not yet suitable for clinical theaters and procedures. In this paper, a novel vision guided robotic system is proposed to facilitate navigation procedures.

Methods

A vision guided hybrid robotic system is designed, consisting of a passive serial arm and an active parallel frame. Navigation is accomplished in three steps: approaching, aiming and insertion. First, the target is safely approached with the passive arm. Second, the trajectory is automatically aligned using the parallel frame. And then the target is reached by manual insertion. A stereo camera is used to position fiducials, the robot and the surgical tool. It also provides working area images for professional surgeons at a remote site.

Results

The prototype system accomplished phantom and animal trials with satisfactory accuracy. The robot can easily be adjusted to avoid obstacles and quickly set up on an optimal ‘approaching’ place. The surgical tool is automatically aligned with the trajectory. The system can withdraw from the working area and restore the aiming posture freely. With the help of the working area images, some important navigation steps can be handled remotely.

Conclusions

A novel vision guided robotic system is proposed and validated. It enables surgeons to fit the system to the clinical theater. System safety and feasibility are enhanced by multi‐step navigation procedures and remote image monitoring. The system can be operated easily by general clinical staff. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Remote controlled robot assisted cardiac navigation: feasibility assessment and validation in a porcine model
Authors: Ganji Yusof , Janabi‐Sharifi Farrokh , Cheema Asim N.
Published: October 2011

Background

Despite the recent advances in catheter design and technology, intra‐cardiac navigation during electrophysiology procedures remains challenging. Incorporation of imaging along with magnetic or robotic guidance may improve navigation accuracy and procedural safety. In the present study, the in vivo performance of a novel remote controlled Robot Assisted Cardiac Navigation System (RACN) was evaluated in a porcine model.

Methods

The navigation catheter and target sensor were advanced to the right atrium using fluoroscopic and intra‐cardiac echo guidance. The target sensor was positioned at three target locations in the right atrium (RA) and the navigation task was completed by an experienced physician using both manual and RACN guidance. The navigation time, final distance between the catheter tip and target sensor, and variability in final catheter tip position were determined and compared for manual and RACN guided navigation.

Results

The experiments were completed in three animals and five measurements recorded for each target location. The mean distance (mm) between catheter tip and target sensor at the end of the navigation task was significantly less using RACN guidance compared with manual navigation (5.02 ± 0.31 vs. 9.66 ± 2.88, p = 0.050 for high RA, 9.19 ± 1.13 vs. 13.0 ± 1.00, p = 0.011 for low RA and 6.77 ± 0.59 vs. 15.66 ± 2.51, p = 0.003 for tricuspid valve annulus). The average time (s) needed to complete the navigation task was significantly longer by RACN guided navigation compared with manual navigation (43.31 ± 18.19 vs. 13.54 ± 1.36, p = 0.047 for high RA, 43.71 ± 11.93 vs. 22.71 ± 3.79, p = 0.043 for low RA and 37.84 ± 3.71 vs. 16.13 ± 4.92, p = 0.003 for tricuspid valve annulus. RACN guided navigation resulted in greater consistency in performance compared with manual navigation as evidenced by lower variability in final distance measurements (0.41 vs. 0.99 mm, p = 0.04).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the safety and feasibility of the RACN system for cardiac navigation. The results demonstrated that RACN performed comparably with manual navigation, with improved precision and consistency for targets located in and near the right atrial chamber. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Next‐generation treatment strategies for human papillomavirus‐related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: where do we go?
Authors: Olthof Nadine C. , Straetmans Jos M.J.A.A. , Snoeck Robert , Ramaekers Frans C.S. , Kremer Bernd , Speel Ernst‐Jan M.
Published: October 2011

Oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is currently recognised as a major risk factor for the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). HPV is mostly detected in tumours arising from the oropharynx and more specifically from the tonsil. HPV‐related tumours display clinical and molecular characteristics that are distinct from HPV‐unrelated tumours, which are generally induced by alcohol and tobacco abuse. Detection of biologically active HPV in HNSCC has prognostic relevance, which warrants the separate classification of HPV‐induced tumours and is a prerequisite for further optimisation of treatment protocols for this distinct group. Current guidelines for the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) have not incorporated specific treatment modalities for HPV‐related tumours. The development of such treatment options is still in a preclinical phase or in early clinical trials. Recent data on treatment response of OPSCC have been obtained by retrospectively analysing HPV‐status and indicate that patients with HPV‐related tumours show a favourable prognosis, independent of the type of treatment. These patients may benefit from de‐intensified treatment, which should be assessed in prospective clinical trials. The development and future use of new antiviral and immunomodulatory therapeutics may be instrumental in this approach to improve survival rates and decrease disease‐and‐treatment‐related morbidity. In this review we will focus on present therapeutic HPV‐targeting strategies and discuss future directions for de‐intensified treatment of HPV‐positive HNSCC. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An RFID system yoking‐proof protocol conforming to EPCglobal C1G2 standards
Authors: Chen Chin‐Ling , Wu Chun‐Yi
Published: October 2011

As radio‐frequency identification (RFID) can quickly identify an object without requiring physical contact, it provides efficient identification for the verification of individual objects. There are currently numerous practical applications for RFID systems in various domains. For example, RFID mechanisms can be used to check whether large quantities of goods are present within a supply‐chain system. Similarly, information about a product can be acquired in a supermarket without asking the clerks for help. The aforementioned applications are limited with regard to authentication between a single tag and a server, but other applications focus on authenticating the relationships among the tags. For example: a passenger carries a package while boarding an airplane. An airline agent has to check whether or not the package and the boarding card are correct and if the package corresponds to the boarding card. In this paper, we use a yoking‐proof mechanism conforming to EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 standards to solve this double problem. In addition, the proposed scheme can provide a convenient, low‐cost, and improved security mechanism for identifying the simultaneous presence of tags. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Poverty, Place or Race: Causes of the Retail Gap in Smaller U.S. Cities
Authors: Bellinger William K. , Wang Jue
Published: October 2011

In this study we explore the possibility that any or all of three dimensions of the U.S. inner city, central location, relatively low income, and a relatively high percentage of minority residents, correlate with a relative lack of neighborhood retail services, the so-called retail gap. Our empirical analysis is based on zip code level data for 39 U.S. cities with populations from 50 to 225 thousand people. After specifying an empirical model based on hypotheses drawn from the urban economics, urban studies, and urban development literature, we test access to retail services using both geographical density and per capita retail measures. While several results from this study are worthy of discussion, our primary empirical finding is that neighborhoods with high percentages of African-Americans are systematically under-served by retail, all else equal, while Latino, low income, or otherwise centrally located neighborhoods are not. We then test a selection of product categories for retail density, finding some differing results by product category but verifying our more general conclusions for most products. Finally, we find that grocery stores have significantly smaller scale in African-American communities, a finding that provides partial support for the urban “food desert” hypothesis. These findings suggest that the inner city retail gap may be more of a racial than geographic issue, and that increased emphasis on racial composition is warranted in the retail development policies applied to smaller U.S. cities.
Patient aspects: A review of fifty-eight Danish HTA reports
Authors: Hansen Helle Ploug , Lee Anne , van Randwijk Christian Balslev
Published: October 2011

Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe how patient aspects are assessed in Danish HTA reports, thereby contributing to the ongoing international debates concerning patient aspects in HTAs.

Methods: Fifty-eight Danish HTA reports published from 1999 to 2010 were read systematically, focusing on the inclusion of patient aspects, the methods used to generate data, and if and how clinical recommendations concerning patient aspects were drawn.

Results: Most of the fifty-eight HTA reports had a separate chapter about patient aspects. All reports included literature reviews for patient aspects. There was, however, much variation in the ways in which the authors presented and discussed their review methods. The most frequently used databases for the literature search were medical and HTA databases. More than half of the reports included primary research, either quantitative or qualitative methods, a few used both kinds of methods. Whereas some mentioned the importance of including patient aspects in daily clinical practice, others provided ideas on how to improve patient information or recommended changes in healthcare practices.

Conclusions: Danish HTA reports do, to a large extent, include patient aspects in the assessment and in the final conclusions of the reports. If health policy and decision making is to be patient-focused, it is important that HTAs in the future integrate patient aspects in recommendations of HTA. Further improvement in assessments of patient aspects, in relation to use and description of methodologies and theoretical considerations, will assist producing the relevant evidence for these recommendations.
Counting Certain Pairings in Arbitrary Groups
Authors: HAMIDOUNE Y. O.
Published: October 2011

In this paper, we study certain pairings which are defined as follows: if A and B are finite subsets of an arbitrary group, a Wakeford–Fan–Losonczy pairing from B onto A is a bijection φ : B → A such that bφ(b) ∉ A, for every b ∈ B. The number of such pairings is denoted by μ(B, A).

We investigate the quantity μ(B, A) for A and B, two finite subsets of an arbitrary group satisfying 1 ∉ B, |A| = |B|, and the fact that the order of every element of B is ≥ |B| + 1. Extending earlier results, we show that in this case, μ(B, A) is never equal to 0. Furthermore we prove an explicit lower bound on μ(B, A) in terms of |B| and the cardinality of the group generated by B, which is valid unless A and B have a special form explicitly described. In the case A = B, our bound holds unless B is a translate of a progression.
Who's mind is it anyway?
Authors: Bowis John
Published: October 2011

As UK Health Minister John Bowis knew the challenges, the progress and the disasters of mental health provision and policy. He learned from service users, carers and practitioners that reality was usually different from theory. He came to believe a new structure was necessary to give patients a one-stop shop of care and treatment, that patients should be more involved in decisions that affect them and that stigma must be tackled by education and by wider understanding of services and crisis management. He now campaigns in the European Parliament and in many parts of the world for mental health to be higher on national agendas and to be based on effective and humane policies that ensure the appropriate treatment is provided and provided with dignity”

Declaration of Interest: none
VADO approach efficacy in psychiatric rehabilitation: a controlled study
Authors: Vittorielli Michela , Pioli Rosaria , Brambilla Luisa , Archiati Luigina , Rossi Giuseppe , Sleijpen Charlotte , Magliano Lorenza , Veltro Franco , Morosini Pierluigi , Lavoro Gruppo Di
Published: October 2011

Aims– Assessment of the efficacy of the rehabilitation approach that is recommended by the manual VADO (AAOS in English: Abilities Assessment and Objectives Setting) in schizophrenic syndromes.Methods– Controlled trial, partly with individual randomisation. Centres were invited to recruit 10 patients who in most centres were randomly allocated either to the VADO approach or to usual rehabilitation practice. At least two professionals for each centre attended a brief intensive training course. Patients were assessed at baseline and six months later with a) the FPS scale, which is an improvement on the DSMIV SOFAS; b) the BPRS 4.0; c) AR, a clinical tool that is contained in VADO.Results– 55 patients received the experimental interventions and 40 the control one. Six months later greater significant improvements were observed in the experimental group, both in social functioning and in psychopathology.Conclusions– The dissemination of structured rehabilitation approaches that are based on personalized definition of objective, intensive progress monitoring, patient's therapeutic education and validated strategies and do not imply additional costs, may be warranted. A longer follow–up is under way.

Declaration of Interest: this work was partly funded by the National Mental Health Project (PNSM) of the Istituto Superiore della Sanita.
Classificazione, diagnosi ed ICD-10. I - Principi generali e considerazioni critiche
Authors: de Girolamo Giovanni
Published: October 2011

Riassunto

Scopo- Discutere i principali problemi teorico-pratici connessi alia classificazione in campo medico e psichiatrico, e presentare la struttura generale della decima revisione della Classificazione Internazionale delle Malattie (ICD-10), entrata ufficialmente in vigore dal gennaio del 1993.Risultati- Sono dapprima discussi i fondamenti epistemologici della classificazione, le varie strategic classificatorie adottate in campo medico e psichiatrico ed i principali modelli classificatori esistenti. Sono quindi analizzati i problemi relativi alia attendibilità ed alia validità delle diagnosi psichiatriche, e vengono descritte le strategic che possono essere impiegate per migliorarle. Infine sono discussi i principi che hanno informato ia stesura dell' ICD-10 ed ifield trialseffettuati al fine di preparare il testo finale delle direttive diagnostiche.Conclusioni- La classificazione in psichiatria rappresenta un passaggio obbligato e necessario per rendere possibile la sistematizzazione delle nuove conoscenze e la comunicazione tra operatori, ricercatori ed utenti. La decima revisione dell' ICD rappresenta lo sforzo più ampio sinora compiuto in campo psichiatrico al fine di predisporre un sistema classificatorio rigoroso che, nel contempo, sintetizzi approcci e culture psichiatriche differenziate.
La misurazione delle aspettative e della soddisfazione dei pazienti e dei loro familiari nei confronti dei servizi psichiatrici territoriali: la validazione della VECS e della VSSS. 2. Sensibilità e validità di contenuto
Authors: Ruggeri Mirella , Dall'Agnola Rosa , Bisoffi Giulia
Published: October 2011

Riassunto

Scopo - Studiare la sensibilità e la validità di contenuto di due strumenti recentemente sviluppati dal nostro gruppo per la misurazione multidimensionale delle aspettative e della soddisfazione dei pazienti e dei loro familiari nei confronti dei servizi psichiatrici territoriali: la Verona Expectations for Care Scale (VECS) e la Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS). Strumenti - La VECS e la VSSS sono costituite da alcune domande a risposta libera e da un questionario di 82 items che indaga in maniera multidimensionale l'interazione degli utenti con i servizi psichiatrici. Setting - Il servizio psichiatrico di Verona-Sud. Soggetti - Sono stati selezionati per la somministrazione della VECS e della VSSS: a) tutti i pazienti che, secondo i dati del Registro Psichiatrico dei Casi, risultavano vivere con i familiari nell'area di Verona-Sud ed aver avuto almeno 18 contatti con il servizio nei tre anni precedenti l'intervista; b) il familiare che, in tale periodo, si è maggiormente occupato di ciascun paziente. Risultati - È stata dimostrata una maggiore sensibilita del questionario VECS e VSSS nell'individuare le aspettative e l'insoddisfazione degli utenti rispetto ad un'intervista libera ed una maggiore sensibilità di una misurazione multidimensionale e riguardante contenuti setting-specifici rispetto ad una monodimensionale sulla soddisfazione globale. Lo studio delle distribuzioni di frequenza e l'analisi della varianza hanno dimostrato che la VECS e la VSSS possiedono buona sensibilità nei misurare variability sia fra i soggetti che fra le dimensioni che costituiscono il questionario. L'analisi combinata delle risposte libere e delle risposte strutturate ha dimostrato che la VECS la VSSS possiedono una buona validità di contenuto, secondo le opinioni dei pazienti e dei loro familiari; la struttura multidimensionale del questionario è stata determinante nei garantire la validita della misurazione. Conclusion - I dati presentati in questo e nell'articolo precedente dimostrano che è possibile misurare parametri soggettivi dell'interazione degli utenti con i servizi psichiatrici, quali le aspettative e la soddisfazione, in manie- ra accettabile, riproducibile, sensibile, valida e che la VECS e la VSSS possiedono buone proprieta psicometriche.
Dysexecutive Functioning in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Derailment in Temporal Gradients
Authors: Eppig Joel , Wambach Denene , Nieves Christine , Price Catherine C. , Lamar Melissa , Delano-Wood Lisa , Giovannetti Tania , Bettcher Brianne M. , Penney Dana L. , Swenson Rod , Lippa Carol , Kabasakalian Anahid , Bondi Mark W. , Libon David J.
Published: October 2011

Libon et al. (2010) provided evidence for three statistically determined clusters of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): amnesic (aMCI), dysexecutive (dMCI), and mixed (mxMCI). The current study further examined dysexecutive impairment in MCI using the framework of Fuster's (1997) derailed temporal gradients, that is, declining performance on executive tests over time or test epoch. Temporal gradients were operationally defined by calculating the slope of aggregate letter fluency output across 15-s epochs and accuracy indices for initial, middle, and latter triads from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Mental Control subtest (Boston Revision). For letter fluency, slope was steeper for dMCI compared to aMCI and NC groups. Between-group Mental Control analyses for triad 1 revealed worse dMCI performance than NC participants. On triad 2, dMCI scored lower than aMCI and NCs; on triad 3, mxMCI performed worse versus NCs. Within-group Mental Control analyses yielded equal performance across all triads for aMCI and NC participants. mxMCI scored lower on triad 1 compared to triads 2 and 3. dMCI participants also performed worse on triad 1 compared to triads 2 and 3, but scored higher on triad 3 versus triad 2. These data suggest impaired temporal gradients may provide a useful heuristic for understanding dysexecutive impairment in MCI. (JINS, 2012, 18, 20–28)
New Developments in STED Microscopy
Authors: Gould T , Pellett P , Bewersdorf J
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Multi-Color Interferometric Photo-Activation Localization Microscopy with Extended Axial Range
Authors: Shtengel G , Galbraith J , Galbraith C , Kanchanawong P , Waterman C , Hess H
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Super-Resolution Microscopy: Spots, Speed, and Structure
Authors: Galbraith J , Galbraith C
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Photoactivatable Fluorescent Protein Development for Single Molecule Imaging
Authors: Patterson G
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Advances in Tip-Enhanced Spectroscopy from Optical Nano-Crystallography to Ultrafast Spectroscopy
Authors: Raschke M
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Sub-Diffraction Optical Probe Design Considerations
Authors: Sánchez E , Nowak D , Doughty J , DeArmond M
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Localized Plasma Membrane Topological Changes Upon Exocytosis Visualized by Polarized-TIRFM
Authors: Arun A , Axelrod D , Holz R
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Watching the Exocytosis of Secretory Vesicles in Live Cells
Authors: Almers W , Barg S , Chen X , Knowles M , Midorikawa M , Wan L
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
4D MAME Models for Live-Cell Imaging of Interactions Between Breast Tumor Cells and Their Microenvironment
Authors: Sloane B , Sameni M , Anbalagan A , Olive M , Shokoohi N , Moin K , Mattingly R
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Structure of the Human 26S Proteasome Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microsocpy
Authors: da Fonseca P , Morris E
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Late Stages of Ribosome Assembly Revealed by Cryo-Electron Microscopy
Authors: Jomaa A , Stewart G , Martin-Benito J , Zielke R , Campbell T , Maddock J , Brown E , Ortega J
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
An Adaptation of the Wiener Filter Suitable for Analyzing Images of Isolated Single Particles, and Accompanying 3D Reconstruction Algorithm
Authors: Sindelar C , Grigorieff N
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Conformational Change Metrics of the Ryanodine Receptor Studied by CryoEM
Authors: Steele T , Samsó M
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Preliminary Studies of Bacteriophage Sf6 Virions: Icosahedral, Asymmetric, and Tomographic Reconstructions
Authors: Parent K , Sinkovits R , Casjens S , Baker T
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
P22 Bacteriophage Portal: The Conduit for DNA Packaging and Release
Authors: Tang J , Lander G , Olia A , Li R , Casjens S , Prevelige P , Cingolani G , Johnson J , Baker T
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.
Structural Analysis of Caulobacter crescentus and its Bacteriophage
Authors: Guerrero-Ferreira R , Williams G , Holl J , Wright E
Published: October 2011

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.