bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust adaptive fuzzy control of nonaffine systems guaranteeing transient and steady state error bounds
Authors: Bechlioulis Charalampos P. , Rovithakis George A.
Published: April 2012

We consider the prescribed performance tracking problem of single‐input single‐output, unknown, nonaffine systems in the presence of exogenous disturbances. By prescribed performance, we mean that the tracking error should converge to a predefined arbitrarily small residual set, with convergence rate no less than a prespecified value, exhibiting maximum overshoot less than a sufficiently small preassigned constant. The aforementioned goal is obtained via an output error transformation, which incorporates the desired performance characteristics, and whose boundedness is proven a sufficient condition. Fuzzy systems are utilized to approximate the system uncertainties, and consequently, a smooth robust adaptive fuzzy controller is designed to achieve the target. Simulation studies clarify and verify the approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Stretchable Polymer–Carbon Nanotube Composite Electrode for Flexible Lithium‐Ion Batteries: Porosity Engineering by Controlled Phase Separation
Authors: Lee Hojun , Yoo Jung‐Keun , Park Jong‐Hyun , Kim Jin Ho , Kang Kisuk , Jung Yeon Sik
Published: April 2012

Flexible energy‐storage devices have attracted growing attention with the fast development of bendable electronic systems. However, it still remains a challenge to find reliable electrode materials with both high mechanical flexibility/toughness and excellent electron and lithium‐ion conductivity. This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of highly porous, stretchable, and conductive polymer nanocomposites embedded with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for application in flexible lithium‐ion batteries. The systematic optimization of the porous morphology is performed by controllably inducing the phase separation of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and removing PMMA, in order to generate well‐controlled pore networks. It is demonstrated that the porous CNT‐embedded PDMS nanocomposites are capable of good electrochemical performance with mechanical flexibility, suggesting these nanocomposites could be outstanding anode candidates for use in flexible lithium‐ion batteries. The optimization of the pore size and the volume fraction provides higher capacity by nearly seven‐fold compared to a nonporous nanocomposite.
Characteristics of biodegradable polylactide/gelatinized starch films: Effects of starch, plasticizer, and compatibilizer
Authors: Phetwarotai Worasak , Potiyaraj Pranut , Aht‐Ong Duangdao
Published: April 2012

Polylactide (PLA) blends with 0–40 wt % gelatinized starches (GSs) in the presence of plasticizers and compatibilizer for improving interfacial bonding between two phases were prepared. The effects of compatibilizer, type and amount of starch, including type and concentration of plasticizer on the physical, morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of these films were investigated. Two types of starch (corn and tapioca) were added as fillers, whereas the glycerol amount was varied from 0 to 35 wt % based on starch content. Polyethylene glycol (PEG400) and propylene glycol (PG) were added as plasticizers at four different amounts (5–20 wt %) based on PLA content, while methylenediphenyl diisocyanate was used as a compatibilizer at 1.25 wt % of GS. The results indicated that the presence of glycerol had no effect on the thermal degradation of GS. For PLA plasticization, the plasticized PLA with PEG400 had better properties than that with PG. Water absorption isotherm of the blend films increased as the amount of starches increased; in contrast, the tensile properties decreased progressively with the addition of the GS content. The blend films with gelatinized corn starch had higher tensile properties than those with gelatinized tapioca starch. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Preparation and properties of cured diallyl phthalate resin modified with dimeric acid polyamide derivatives
Authors: Ohtsuka Keiko , Kimura Hajime , Matsumoto Akihiro , Saito Masanori , Yamano Koji
Published: April 2012

The allyl ester of dimeric acid polyamide, a compound which has a flexible unit in the main chain and reacts with the diallyl phthalate (DAP) resin to have an allyl group, was synthesized by the reaction of dimeric acid polyamide with allyl glycidyl ether. The allyl ester of dimeric acid polyamide was blended with DAP resin to improve the adhesive properties to metal. These blends were cured with dicumyl peroxide. By modification with allyl ester of dimeric acid polyamide, the T‐peel adhesive strength to copper improved. This result is due to the increase in flexibility generated by introducing the unit of dimeric acid polyamide and subsequent increase in interfacial adhesive strength due to the amide bond being located in the surface of the copper plate. On the other hand, the lap‐shear adhesive strength did not improve significantly because of the decrease in rigidity. On increasing concentration of allyl ester of dimeric acid polyamide, the glass‐transition temperature slightly decreased, but there was little decrease of the thermal decomposition temperature. From scanning electron microscope observations, it was found that the DAP resin modified with allyl ester of dimeric acid polyamide formed a microphase‐separated structure consisting of small dimeric acid polyamide particles dispersed in the DAP resin matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Adsorptive removal of arsenic(III) ions from industry wastewaters using a weak anion exchanger prepared from banana stem
Authors: Fernandez Noeline B. , Mullassery Manohar D. , Anirudhan Thayyath S.
Published: April 2012

The performance of an anion exchanger prepared from banana stem (BS), a lignocellulosic residue for the removal of As(III) from aqueous solutions has been evaluated in this study. The adsorbent (BS‐DMAHP) containing dimethylaminohydroxypropyl (DMAHP) functionality was prepared by the reaction of BS with epichlorohydrin and dimethylamine followed by treatment with hydrochloric acid to convert it into the chloride form of the anion exchanger. The adsorbent characterization was done with the surface area analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and potentiometric titrations. Adsorption equilibrium study was conducted with a concentration range of 10–300 mg/L, for As(III). The Langmuir isotherm model was found to be the best fit model. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 65.11 mg/g. Adsorption has been found to be endothermic and follows second‐order reversible kinetics. The removal efficiency of BS‐DMAHP was also compared with commercially available amine functionalized weak base anion exchanger, Duolite A‐7. Regeneration studies were also conducted to evaluate the reusability of the adsorbent. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Elucidation of π‐Conjugation Modes in Diarene‐Fused 1,2‐Dihydro‐1,2‐diborin Dianions
Authors: Araki Takafumi , Wakamiya Atsushi , Mori Kenji , Yamaguchi Shigehiro
Published: April 2012

A series of diarene‐fused 1,2‐dihydro‐1,2‐diborins were prepared as a new BB‐bond‐embedded polycyclic π‐electron system. The reduction of these compounds with metals produced their corresponding dianions, the π‐conjugation modes of which varied from 6π‐conjugation within the central 1,2‐diborin skeleton to 14π peripheral conjugation over the tricyclic skeleton, depending on the nature of the reduced biaryl framework. Moreover, the countercation to the dianions had a significant effect on the absorption spectra, with a dramatic color change from yellow to deep blue, depending on the distance between the tricyclic dianion skeleton and the countercation.
CdS nanoparticles‐ enhanced chemiluminescence and determination of baicalin in pharmaceutical preparations
Authors: Chen Xiaolan , Tan Xinmei , Wang Jianxiu
Published: April 2012

CdS nanoparticles (CdS NPs) of different sizes were synthesized by the citrate reduction method. It was found that CdS NPs could enhance the chemiluminescence (CL) of the luminol‐potassium ferricyanide system and baicalin could inhibit CdS NPs‐enhanced luminol‐potassium ferricyanide CL signals in alkaline solution. Based on this inhibition, a flow‐injection CL method was established for determination of baicalin in pharmaceutical preparations and human urine samples. Under optimized conditions, the linear range for determination of baicalin was 5.0 x 10−6 to 1.0 x 10−3 g/L. The detection limit at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 was 1.7 x 10 −6 g/L. CL spectra, UV‐visible spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the CL mechanism. The method described is simple, selective and obviates the need of extensive sample pretreatment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tools for characterizing the whole‐cell bio‐oxidation of alkanes at microscale
Authors: Grant Chris , da Silva Damas Pinto Ana Catarina , Lui Hai‐Po , Woodley John M. , Baganz Frank
Published: April 2012

This article describes the first reported microwell whole‐cell bioconversion using a water immiscible substrate that matches the specific activity and yield achieved in a 1.2 L stirred tank bioreactor. Maximum yields of 0.6 g/Ltotal 1‐dodecanol achieved in 24 h compare favorably to 0.28 g/Ltotal 1‐dodecanol after 48 h obtained in a stirred tank reactor. Using the microwell platform we present a rapid and systematic approach to identify the key bottlenecks in the bio‐oxidation of long‐chain alkanes using Escherichia coli expressing the alkane hydroxylase (alkB) complex. The results indicate that mass transfer rates limit productivity in the n‐dodecane bio‐oxidation system, rather than inherent enzyme activity. Furthermore, substrate solubility, oxygen availability and glucose concentration act cooperatively to affect the amount of by‐product, dodecanoic acid. Optimizing these factors using response surface methodology enabled specific yields of 1‐dodecanol to increase eightfold and overoxidation to dodecanoic acid to be reduced from 95% to 55%. This resulted in specific activities of 10.4 µmol/min/gdcw on n‐dodecane; approximately 50% of the 21 µmol/min/gdcw obtained with n‐octane. For the first time, this in vivo rate difference is within the range reported for the purified enzyme. Finally, the results obtained also provide strong evidence that the mechanism of E. coli interaction with alkanes is mainly via uptake of alkanes dissolved in the aqueous phase rather than by direct cell–droplet contact. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 2179–2189. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
(S)‐Naproxen as a platform to develop chiral derivatizing reagent for reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of analytes having a carbonyl functional group
Authors: Bhushan Ravi , Lal Manohar
Published: April 2012

(S)‐Naproxen was used to synthesize a chiral reagent, (S)‐2‐(6‐methoxynaphthalen‐2‐yl)propanehydrazide, by itsreaction with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as coupling agent. The reagent was characterized and its chiral purity was established. It was used as a chiral derivatizing reagent for the synthesis of hydrazone diastereomers, under microwave irradiation, of certain chiral aldehydes and ketones. The respective diastereomers were separated by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography using a binary solvent combination containing trifluoroacetic acid. The diastereomers were detected at 231 nm. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, and limit of detection (LOD). For a series of hydrazones the LOD was found to be in the range 1.62–1.65 pmol/mL. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimation of raw material performance in mammalian cell culture using near infrared spectra combined with chemometrics approaches
Authors: Lee Hae Woo , Christie Andrew , Liu Jun Jay , Yoon Seongkyu
Published: April 2012

Understanding variability in raw materials and their impacts on product quality is of critical importance in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes. For this purpose, several spectroscopic techniques have been studied for raw material characterization, providing fast and nondestructive ways to measure quality of raw materials. However, investigations of correlation between spectra of raw materials and cell culture performance have been scarce due to their complexity and uncertainty. In this study, near‐infrared spectra and bioassays of multiple soy hydrolysate lots manufactured by different vendors were analyzed using chemometrics approaches in order to address variability of raw materials as well as correlation between raw material properties and corresponding cell culture performance. Principal component analysis revealed that near‐infrared spectra of different soy lots contain enough physicochemical information about soy hydrolysates to allow identification of lot‐to‐lot variability as well as vendor‐to‐vendor differences. The identified compositional variability was further analyzed in order to estimate cell growth and protein production of two mammalian cell lines under the condition of varying soy dosages using partial least square regression combined with optimal variable selection. The performance of the resulting models demonstrates the potential of near‐infrared spectroscopy as a robust lot selection tool for raw materials while providing a biological link between chemical composition of raw materials and cell culture performance. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
A combinatorial approach for directing the amount of fibronectin fibrils assembled by cells that uses surfaces derivatized with mixtures of fibronectin and cell binding domains
Authors: Kshatriya Pradnya P. , Karuri Stella W. , Chiang Chunyi , Karuri Nancy W.
Published: April 2012

Fibrillar fibronectin (FN) has the crucial role of attracting and attaching cells as well as molecules that mediate tissue repair during wound healing. A previous study demonstrated higher extracellular staining of FN fibrils in cells cultured on surfaces tethered with an equimolar mixture of a FN binding domain and FN's cell binding domain, III1‐2 and III9‐10 respectively, than on surfaces with III9‐10 alone. The effect of varying surface amounts of III1‐2 and III9‐10 on the quantity of FN fibrils formed by NIH‐3T3 fibroblasts was examined. GST tagged III1‐2 and III9‐10 were conjugated to polyurethane surfaces and ELISAs were used to identify the experimental design space or the range of concentrations of GST‐III1‐2 and GST‐III9‐10 that demarcated the limits of protein loading on the surface. When GST‐III1‐2 was fixed and GST‐III9‐10 varied within the design space, the amount of FN fibrils measured by immunoblotting detergent insoluble cell lysates was dependent on the ratio of III9‐10 to III1‐2. When the total protein concentration was fixed and the mixture composition of GST‐III1‐2 and GST‐III9‐10 varied such that it optimally covered the design space, a parabolic relationship between FN fibril amount and the ratio of III9‐10 to III1‐2 was obtained. This relationship had a maximum value when the surface was bonded to equal amounts of III1‐2 and III9‐10 (P < 0.05). Thus the ratio of III9‐10 to III1‐2 can be utilized to direct the quantity of FN fibrils formed on surfaces. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
Retracted: Notch activation is regulated by an interaction between hCLP46 and chaperone protein calnexin
Authors: Feng Xiaoqin , Liu Lixin
Published: April 2012

Retraction: The following article from Cell Biochemistry and Function, “Notch activation Is regulated by interaction between hCLP46 and the chaperone protein calnexin” by Xiaoqin Feng and Lixin Liu, published online on 3 April 2012 in Wiley Online Library (www.wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted with agreement from the authors, the journal Editor, Nigel Loveridge, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed because the paper was submitted without approval from the co‐author, Lixin Liu, and contains data that requires further experimentation in order to support the conclusions fully.

Reference

Feng, X. and Liu, L. (2012), Notch activation is regulated by an interaction between hCLP46 and chaperone protein calnexin. Cell Biochem. Funct. doi: 10.1002/cbf.2825
Characterization and Quantification of Reduced Sites on Supported Vanadium Oxide Catalysts by Using High‐Frequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
Authors: Dinse Arne , Carrero Carlos , Ozarowski Andrzej , Schomäcker Reinhard , Schlögl Robert , Dinse Klaus‐Peter
Published: April 2012

VOx (1.4–1.7 V nm−2) supported on SBA‐15, Al2O3, or TiO2 was studied before and after exposure to oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP), and pure hydrogen or propane. After treatment, samples were quenched and frozen in quartz vials and characterized by using high‐frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (HF‐EPR). For SBA‐15‐ and Al2O3‐supported vanadia, V4+ sites were the most abundant paramagnetic species, whereas Ti3+ was dominant in TiO2‐supported V2O5. For the quantification of paramagnetic reduced sites, Mn2+ was used as reference. The maximum relative numbers of reduced V4+ or Ti3+ sites were found to increase in the sequence SBA‐15 (11 % V4+/V)<Al2O3 (16 % V4+/V)<TiO2 (21 % Ti3+/V) if hydrogen was used as a reducing agent. Using propane as a reductant, the percentage ratios were found to be SBA‐15 (8 % V4+/V), Al2O3 (18 % V4+/V), and TiO2 (27 % Ti3+/V). The corresponding V4+/V or Ti3+/V percentage ratios for samples exposed to ODP were lower, at 0.08, 9, and 17 %, respectively. The number of paramagnetic non‐V4+ or non‐Ti3+ sites was negligible for Al2O3 and SBA‐15 and in the range of 12–37 % for TiO2‐supported vanadia. The number of reduced sites after oxidation in air and storage in sealed vials is negligible, which indicates that all reduced sites can generally be reoxidized. After reaction in an oxygen‐lean ODP atmosphere, a structureless HF‐EPR pattern was observed for SBA‐15‐supported vanadia, which is tentatively attributed to the formation of two‐dimensional polymeric structures of vanadia. For Al2O3‐supported vanadia, this loss of spectral resolution was less pronounced, which indicates a more defined environment of V4+ sites. The results are discussed in terms of a two‐parameter model, rationalizing the dual influences of reducibility and local structure of redox‐active sites on the ODP reaction.
Exploratory data analysis with noisy measurements
Authors: Wentzell P. D. , Hou S.
Published: April 2012

Multivariate chemical and biological data are increasingly characterized by measurement error variances that are highly heterogeneous. Such heteroscedasticity may be inherent in the measurements themselves or a consequence of data pretreatment. The presence of measurements with large error variances among more precise observations leads to problems in data analysis. For exploratory data analysis and in particular the low‐dimensional visualization of data structures, these complications can result from sources that include preprocessing, subspace estimation, and the projection of objects with erroneous measurements, as well as contamination of the projection space with unreliable samples that preclude the effective visualization of data structures that may be present. In this work, a general strategy is proposed for the exploratory data analysis of multivariate data exhibiting a high degree of non‐uniformity in measurement error variance, where estimates of the variance are available. This strategy involves three principles: (1) mitigation of the effects of noisy measurements through a preprocessing step that uses maximum likelihood principal components analysis; (2) propagation of measurement uncertainty through all steps of the procedure; and (3) incorporation of the uncertainty information into the projection of data onto the visualization subspace. To carry out this last step, a new technique, referred to as the partial transparency projection, is introduced in which the quality of measurements is interactively imbedded into the appearance of the object in the space. The advantages of this strategy are demonstrated with simulated measurements and using experimental microarray gene expression data from a yeast time course study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PEPPSI‐Type Palladium Complexes Containing Basic 1,2,3‐Triazolylidene Ligands and Their Role in Suzuki–Miyaura Catalysis
Authors: Canseco‐Gonzalez Daniel , Gniewek Andrzej , Szulmanowicz Michal , Müller‐Bunz Helge , Trzeciak Anna M. , Albrecht Martin
Published: April 2012

A series of PEPPSI‐type palladium(II) complexes was synthesized that contain 3‐chloropyridine as an easily removable ligand and a triazolylidene as a strongly donating mesoionic spectator ligand. Catalytic tests in Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions revealed the activity of these complexes towards aryl bromides and aryl chlorides at moderate temperatures (50 °C). However, the impact of steric shielding was the inverse of that observed with related normal Nheterocyclic carbenes (imidazol‐2‐ylidenes) and sterically congested mesityl substituents induced lower activity than small alkyl groups. Mechanistic investigations, including mercury poisoning experiments, TEM analyses, and ESI mass spectrometry, provide evidence for ligand dissociation and the formation of nanoparticles as a catalyst resting state. These heterogeneous particles provide a reservoir for soluble palladium atoms or clusters as operationally homogeneous catalysts for the arylation of aryl halides. Clearly, the substitution of a normal N‐heterocyclic carbene for a more basic triazolylidene ligand in the precatalyst has a profound impact on the mode of action of the catalytic system.
Resource Efficiency from Today to Beyond Tomorrow
Authors: Woidasky Jörg , Hirth Thomas
Published: April 2012

Natürliche Ressourcen sind vor allem Rohstoffe, Boden, Wasser, Luft,, Nahrung und Energie. Weltweit werden jährlich ca. 60 Mrd. t Ressourcen verbraucht – mit steigender Tendenz. Ressourceneffizienz ist daher einer der wichtigsten Schlüssel für nachhaltige Entwicklung. Als Teil des Nachhaltigkeitskonzepts wird sie dabei von der Ebene der Vereinten Nationen über die Europäische Union bis in konkrete F&E‐Inhalte von Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen übersetzt. Der Beitrag zeigt dies beispielhaft an einem neuen Forschungsschwerpunkt: „Molecular Sorting”︁ soll die Wieder‐ und Weiterverwertung von Werkstoffen durch leistungsfähige Trennprozesse bis auf molekulare Ebene ermöglichen.
Removal of lead (II) and cadmium (II) from aqueous solutions using spent Agaricus bisporus
Authors: Xu Heng , Chen Yuxia , Huang Haiyan , Liu Yingyi , Yang Zhirong
Published: April 2012

The sorption of Pb and Cd from aqueous solutions by spent Agaricus bisporus was investigated. The effects of contact time, pH, ionic medium, initial metal concentration, other metal ions presence and ligands were studied in batch experiments at 25°C. Maximum sorption for both metals was found to occur at an initial pH of around 5.5. The equilibrium process was well described by the Langmuir isotherm model, with maximum sorption capacities of 0.2345 and 0.1273 mmol g−1 for Pb and Cd respectively. Kinetic data followed the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The presence of NaCl and NaClO4 caused a reduction in Cd sorption, while Pb sorption was not remarkably affected. The presence of other metals did not affect Pb removal, while the Cd removal was much reduced. HCl or EDTA solutions were able to desorb Cd from the spent Agaricus bisporus (SAB) completely, while an approximately 60% and 15% desorption yield was obtained for Pb when HCl 0.01 mol L−1 or EDTA 0.001 mol L−1 were used, respectively. The results of FTIR, SEM and EDX analysis indicated that other mechanisms, such as surface complexation and electrostatic interactions, must be involved in the metal sorption in addition to ion exchange. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering
A consultation and simulation system for product color planning based on interactive genetic algorithms
Authors: Hsiao Shih‐Wen , Hsu Chiao‐Fei , Tang Kai‐Wei
Published: April 2012

In the early stage of a design process, it is important to create numerous and varied possible color plans for the target consumer group. These color plans help individual designers quickly find a few good color design schemes and give the design team ideas for brainstorming. The color plan of a product consists of the color combinations of its components and decorative patterns, which strongly influence the feelings of customers and thus their desire to purchase. However, very few studies have discussed these issues. In this study, a consultation and simulation system for product color planning that helps designers obtain the optimal color planning for components and decorative patterns of a product is proposed. This system includes two parts: one uses the interactive genetic algorithm to establish a creative evolutionary system that can interact with a designer to explore novel design schemes; the other extends the boundary extract algorithm to establish a color simulation system that can apply colors to the areas of product components and decorative patterns for color simulation. Finally, a case study of color planning for a motorcycle model is used to verify the feasibility of the proposed system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 38, 375–390, 2013
The versatility of color in contemporary architecture
Authors: Serra Juan
Published: April 2012

In the 21st century, there has been a noticeable move toward the versatility of color in architecture. This can be attested to through an analysis of the color of buildings designed by some of the leading modern and contemporary architects, and a critical review of works written about the colors used in their buildings. This analysis goes on to identify four concepts related to the term versatility: transformation, fragmentation, movement, and novelty. These four concepts help us to understand the way color is conceived and arranged in contemporary architecture. By doing so, we aim to re‐establish the importance of color in the design of architecture, overcoming some former theoretical and practical preconceptions stemming from the modern era. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 38, 344–355, 2013
Energy‐efficient beaconless geographic routing in energy harvested wireless sensor networks
Authors: Jumira Oswald , Wolhuter Riaan , Zeadally Sherali
Published: April 2012

We propose a routing scheme called energy‐efficient beaconless geographic routing with energy supply (EBGRES) for wireless sensor networks. EBGRES provides loop‐free, fully stateless, energy‐efficient source‐to‐sink routing with minimal communication overhead without the help of prior neighborhood knowledge. It locally determines the duty‐cycle of each node, based on an estimated energy budget for each period, which includes the currently available energy, the predicted energy consumption and the energy expected from the harvesting device. In EBGRES, each node sends out the data packet first rather than a control message. By sending a data packet first, EBGRES performs the neighbor selection only among those neighbors that successfully received the data packet. EBGRES uses a three‐way (DATA/ACK/SELECT) handshake and a timer‐assignment function, the Discrete Dynamic Forwarding Delay (DDFD). We investigate the lower and upper bounds on hop count and the upper bound on energy consumption under EBGRES for source‐to‐sink routing. We further demonstrate the expected total energy consumption along a route toward the sink with the proposed EBGRES approach including a lower bound on energy consumption when the node density increases. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Energetic Ionic Compounds Based on the 2‐Tetrazenium Cation
Authors: Miró Sabaté Carles , Jeanneau Erwann , Delalu Henri
Published: April 2012

Oxidation of 1,1‐dimethylhydrazine leads to the formation of (E)‐1,1,4,4‐tetramethyl‐2‐tetrazene (1). Compound 1 undergoes oxidative addition with chloramine (Cl–NH2) to form the (E)‐1‐aminomethylidene‐1,4,4‐trimethyl‐2‐tetrazenium cation (TAT+) as its chloride salt 2. Metathesis reactions of salt 2 with energetic anion‐transfer reagents lead to the formation of ionic compounds based on the TAT+ cation and the following anions: nitrate 3, perchlorate 4, 5,5′‐azobis(tetrazolate) 5·6H2O, picrate 6, and azide 7. The water of crystallization in compound 5·6H2O can be removed to form the anhydrous material 5. All compounds were characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods, and the solid‐state structures of salts 2, 3, 4, 5·6H2O, and 6 were determined by low‐temperature X‐ray crystallography. We used preliminary energetic testing to gain insight into the sensitivities of the materials towards impact and friction and we assessed their thermal stability by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. Additionally, the heats of formation of the energetic compounds were computed by using quantum mechanical methods (CBS‐4M) and these values were used to determine some performance parameters of interest for the pure compounds and for their formulations with an oxidizer. Lastly, we calculated the expected decomposition gases of the pure compounds as well as those of the mixtures with an oxidizer.
A C2‐Symmetric Pool Based Flexible Strategy: An Enantioconvergent Synthesis of (+)‐Valiolamine and (+)‐Valienamine
Authors: Lo Hong‐Jay , Chen Cheng‐Yih , Zheng Wei‐Lin , Yeh Shang‐Ming , Yan Tu‐Hsin
Published: April 2012

A new enantioconvergent strategy directed toward the synthesis of glucosidase inhibitors was developed by using a C2‐symmetric element within the chiral pool and by applying an iodine‐promoted cyclization of an unsaturated carbonimidothioate for the regio‐ and diastereocontrolled installation of amino and hydroxy units. Not only does this simple flexible strategy provide a convergent concise approach to (+)‐valiolamine (1), but it can also be readily adopted for the synthesis of (+)‐valienamine (2). Commercially available and cheap C2‐symmetric D‐tartaric acid served as the chiral building block.
Photo‐ and Thermal‐Induced Isomerization of Diels–Alder Adducts of Pentacene and TCNE
Authors: Johns Valentine K. , Shi Zheng , Hu Wenfang , Johns Jaime B. , Zou Shengli , Liao Yi
Published: April 2012

Herein we report the formation of the second‐ring Diels–Alder adduct together with the central‐ring adduct in a reaction of pentacene and tetracyanoethylene at room temperature. DFT calculations showed that the difference between the free energy of the two isomers is about 3.9 kcal/mol. Photo‐ and thermal‐induced isomerization between the central‐ring adduct and the second‐ring adduct were studied in solution and in polymer films. In solution, the less‐stable second‐ring adduct can be converted into the more‐stable central‐ring adduct either thermally or photochemically, but the reverse transformation does not occur. In a polymer matrix, isomerization can be photochemically induced in both directions at different wavelengths, which results in a photoswitchable system. Formation of pentacene in the photochemical experiments was also observed, which supports an isomerization process involving a photo‐retro‐Diels–Alder reaction.
Effort in the face of difference: Feeling like a non‐prototypical group member motivates effort
Authors: Okimoto Tyler G. , Wrzesniewski Amy
Published: April 2012

Three studies examined the relationship between individuals' perceived “prototypicality” in a group, their subsequent self‐presentation goals, and individual effort in that group. Consistent with the finding that feelings of marginal ingroup membership status elicit a desire to seek stronger social connections within ingroups, we predicted that non‐prototypical group members will have more salient self‐presentation goals than prototypical members, and as such will exert more individual effort to exhibit the value of their membership to the group. Correlational Study 1 confirmed that non‐prototypical group members may be more likely than prototypical members to volunteer for activities that would benefit their group. Two experimental studies were then conducted to test the causal influence of feelings of prototypicality while also identifying theoretically relevant moderating conditions of perceived task efficacy (Study 2) and public versus private task performance (Study 3). These findings suggest that effortful performance in groups is partly motivated by the desire to foster social ties. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A nonlinear impact model for simulating the use of rubber shock absorbers for mitigating the effects of structural pounding during earthquakes
Authors: Polycarpou Panayiotis C. , Komodromos Petros , Polycarpou Anastasis C.
Published: April 2012

During strong earthquakes, structural poundings may occur between adjacent buildings because of the limited separation distance and the deformations of their stories. A potential mitigation measure for this problem is the incorporation of layers of soft material, such as rubber, which can act as collision bumpers, in order to prevent the sudden impact pulses. In an effort to investigate the effectiveness of such an impact mitigation measure, relevant numerical simulations and parametric studies can be performed. However, none of the known impact models, which are available in the literature, is able to represent the usage of rubber bumpers with sufficient accuracy. The current study presents a simple but efficient methodology that can be used to simulate the incorporation of rubber layers between neighboring structures with relatively narrow seismic gaps. Such methodology will enable us to numerically investigate the effectiveness of using rubber bumpers to mitigate potential earthquake‐induced pounding. In particular, a new nonlinear inelastic force‐based impact model, able to appropriately describe the behavior of rubber under impact loading, taking also into account the limited thickness of the bumper, is introduced. Finally, a numerical example of simulating earthquake‐induced pounding between two multistory buildings with the consideration of rubber bumpers at impact locations is presented. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Magnitude of Hurricane Ike storm surge sedimentation: implications for coastal marsh aggradation
Authors: Williams Harry F.L.
Published: April 2012

There is a paucity of information on the regional distribution and magnitude of hurricane storm surge sedimentation. This study assesses the spatial extent and magnitude of Hurricane Ike's (2008) storm surge sedimentation and discusses implications for the role of hurricanes in marsh aggradation. The characteristics of the storm surge deposit, including thickness, inland penetration, volume and mass, were determined for 15 transects across marshes bordering the Gulf of Mexico in south‐eastern Texas and south‐western Louisiana. The deposit is up to 0·85 m thick, extends up to 3·6 km inland, and has an estimated volume of about 13·7 million m3 and an estimated mass of about 16·2 million metric tons. This level of sedimentation is one to two orders of magnitude larger than other potential sources of marsh sedimentation, including annual riverine inputs and inputs from alongshore sediment transport. The study findings add support to a growing body of evidence that hurricanes may be the predominant sediment source for long‐term aggradation of many coastal marshes bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intergalaktische Winde
Authors: Richter Philipp
Published: April 2012

Sterne bergen nur einen verschwindend geringen Teil der sichtbaren Materie. Das größte Reservoir bilden filamentartige Strukturen aus Gas, die das ganze Universum durchziehen. Ihre Erforschung verrät viel über die Entstehung und Entwicklung von Sternsystemen.
RoboBee und ihre Freunde
Authors: Fuhr Eckhard
Published: April 2012

Mit Feuilletonisten‐Augen durch die DFG‐Ausstellung „Von der Idee zur Erkenntnis”︁ — ein Blick von außen auf die Originalität und den spielerisch‐freien Geist der Grundlagenforschung
Zeichen der Solidarität
Authors: Wieczorek Iris
Published: April 2012

Ein Jahr nach Fukushima: Die deutsch‐japanische Wissenschaftskooperation birgt ein zukunftsweisendes Potenzial
PEER EFFECTS IN ADOLESCENT BMI: EVIDENCE FROM SPAIN
Authors: Mora Toni , Gil Joan
Published: April 2012

This paper extends the recent literature on the influence of peers on adolescent weight on three new fronts. First, based on a survey of secondary school students in Spain in which peers are formed by nominated classmate friends, we find a more powerful positive and significant causal effect of friends’ mean BMI on adolescent BMI than previous US‐based research. These results are in line with international data, which show that peer group contact tends to vary across countries. Our findings cover a large set of controls, fixed effects, the testing of correlated unobservables, contextual influences and instrumental variables. Second, social interactions are identified through the property of intransitivity in network relationships. Finally, we report evidence of a strong, positive effect of peer pressure on several subgroups of adolescents in an attempt to study their vulnerability to social influences. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serum autotaxin is increased in pruritus of cholestasis, but not of other origin, and responds to therapeutic interventions
Authors: Kremer Andreas E. , van Dijk Remco , Leckie Pamela , Schaap Frank G. , Kuiper Edith M.M. , Mettang Thomas , Reiners Katrin S. , Raap Ulrike , van Buuren Henk R. , van Erpecum Karel J. , Davies Nathan A. , Rust Christian , Engert Andreas , Jalan Rajiv , Oude Elferink Ronald P.J. , Beuers Ulrich
Published: April 2012

Pruritus is a seriously disabling symptom accompanying many cholestatic liver disorders. Recent experimental evidence implicated the lysophospholipase, autotaxin (ATX), and its product, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), as potential mediators of cholestatic pruritus. In this study, we highlight that increased serum ATX levels are specific for pruritus of cholestasis, but not pruritus of uremia, Hodgkin's disease, or atopic dermatitis. Treatment of patients with cholestasis with the bile salt sequestrant, colesevelam, but not placebo, effectively reduced total serum bile salts and fibroblast growth factor 19 levels, but only marginally altered pruritus intensity and ATX activity. Rifampicin (RMP) significantly reduced itch intensity and ATX activity in patients with pruritus not responding to bile salt sequestrants.

In vitro

, RMP inhibited ATX expression in human HepG2 hepatoma cells and hepatoma cells overexpressing the pregnane X receptor (PXR), but not in hepatoma cells in which PXR was knocked down. Treatment of severe, refractory pruritus by the molecular adsorbents recirculation system or nasobiliary drainage improved itch intensity, which, again, correlated with the reduction of ATX levels. Upon reoccurrence of pruritus, ATX activity returned to pretreatment values.

Conclusion

: Serum ATX activity is specifically increased in patients with cholestatic, but not other forms of, systemic pruritus and closely correlates with the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. The beneficial antipruritic action of RMP may be explained, at least partly, by the PXR-dependent transcriptional inhibition of ATX expression. Thus, ATX likely represents a novel therapeutic target for pruritus of cholestasis. (Hepatology 2012)
Retracted: Computer‐aided ergonomics and visualization for improving 3D display techniques
Authors: Huang Po‐Hsuan , Chen Chen‐Yuan , Chang Chin‐Jui , Lo D. C. , Huang Cheng‐Chieh
Published: April 2012

Although there have been numerous studies regarding three‐dimensional (3D) display techniques and Flash technology, there has been little discussion of how to apply the 3D display technique to Flash applications. In this study, we develop a method that uses passive 3D display glasses, which are cheaper than other 3D display techniques, to reduce the cost and popularize this technique for web applications. The 3D red‐blue filter glasses are inexpensive and can be manufactured easily. We also look at how to construct a Flash game and test its 3D effects using the red‐blue filter glasses. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Suitability for the Work‐Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Checklist Assessment in the Semiconductor Industry: A Case Study
Authors: Lin Yen‐Hui , Chen Chih‐Yong , Pan Yi‐Tsong
Published: April 2012

Musculoskeletal disorders and symptoms are common among workers in the semiconductor and related industries. Ergonomic‐related checklists are used to identify musculoskeletal disorder risk factors in the workplace. This study explores the suitability of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) checklist for use in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Six companies were enrolled in the current study, and 122 subjects, ranging in age from 21 to 54 years old, were evaluated through a questionnaire survey and field observation using the OSHA MSDs checklist. The observers were administered an ergonomics‐based checklist training course with a duration of 36 hours. Experimental results demonstrated that nearly 50% of subjects reported physical discomfort, with shoulder symptoms (38.5%) being the most common complaint. In addition, the aggregated sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values for the MSDs checklist in the six companies were 47.3%, 62.4%, and 30.0%, respectively. This study concluded that the OSHA MSDs checklist appeared to contain better estimates for capturing musculoskeletal discomfort and found that the OSHA MSDs checklist provided an easily administered, proactive surveillance instrument to assist in early identification of musculoskeletal discomfort. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
New neurons generated from running are broadly recruited into neuronal activation associated with three different hippocampus‐involved tasks
Authors: Clark Peter J. , Bhattacharya Tushar K. , Miller Daniel S. , Kohman Rachel A. , DeYoung Erin K. , Rhodes Justin S.
Published: April 2012

Running increases the formation of new neurons in the adult rodent hippocampus. However, the function of new neurons generated from running is currently unknown. One hypothesis is that new neurons from running contribute to enhanced cognitive function by increasing plasticity in the adult hippocampus. An alternative hypothesis is that new neurons generated from running incorporate into experience‐specific hippocampal networks that only become active during running. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if new neurons generated from running are selectively activated by running, or can become recruited into granule cell activity occurring during performance on other behavioral tasks that engage the hippocampus. Therefore, the activation of new 5–6 week neurons was detected using BrdU, NeuN, and Zif268 triple‐label immunohistochemistry in cohorts of female running and sedentary adult C57BL/6J mice following participation in one of three different tasks: the Morris water maze, novel environment exploration, or wheel running. Results showed that running and sedentary mice displayed a nearly equivalent proportion of new neurons that expressed Zif268 following each task. Since running approximately doubled the number of new neurons, the results demonstrated that running mice had a greater number of new neurons recruited into the Zif268 induction in the granule cell layer following each task than sedentary mice. The results suggest that new neurons incorporated into hippocampal circuitry from running are not just activated by wheel running itself, but rather become broadly recruited into granule cell layer activity during distinct behavioral experiences. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Decreased tumstatin‐mRNA is associated with poor outcome in patients with NSCLC
Authors: Luo Yi‐Qin , Ming Zhou , Zhao Liang , Yao Li‐Juan , Dong Hang , Du Jian‐Ping , Wu Shuang‐Zheng , Hu Wen
Published: April 2012

Tumstatin is a candidate tumor suppressor that plays an important role in tumor growth and angiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between tumstatin‐mRNA expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor angiogenesis, outcome of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Specimens from 68 patients with NSCLC were recruited in this study. Tumstatin‐mRNA expression and protein level in tumor tissues were quantified respectively by quantitative RT‐PCR and ELISA. Microvessel density (MVD) was determined by CD34 immunostaining. The correlation of tumstatin‐mRNA expression levels with clinicopathologic variables, tumor angiogenesis, and prognosis was analyzed. Tumstatin‐mRNA expression levels were decreased in tumor. Tumstatin‐mRNA expression level was significantly correlated with its protein level in tumor (r = 0.562; P = 0.001). Tumstatin‐mRNA expression levels in poorly differentiated tumor tissues were significantly lower than in well‐differentiated tumor tissues (P < 0.004). Furthermore, tumor tumstatin‐mRNA expression were also significantly related to tumor pathologic stage (P = 0.032) and MVD (r = −0.77, P < 0.0001). Overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) analysis indicated that NSCLC patients with low tumstatin‐mRNA expression had poorer OS and DFS than those with high expression (P = 0.015 and 0.037; respectively). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that the tumstatin‐mRNA expression could be an independent prognostic indicators in both DFS and OS. Tumstatin‐mRNA expression levels are down‐regulated in NSCLC tissues. Tumstatin‐mRNA expression level correlates with prognosis, which suggests that tumstatin‐mRNA is a new potential independent marker of favorable prognosis in NSCLC. 2012 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 2012
Electrostatic polarization is critical for the strong binding in streptavidin‐biotin system
Authors: Mei Ye , Li Yong L. , Zeng Juan , Zhang John Z. H.
Published: April 2012

The origin of strong affinity of biotin and its analogs binding to (strept)avidin is still the subject of an ongoing controversy. In this work, thermodynamic integration is carried out to study of the difference of binding free energies between biotin and iminobiotin to streptavidin. Three atomic charge schemes are implemented and compared. One is the traditional AMBER charge, and the other two, termed the polarized protein‐specific charge, are based on a linear scaling quantum mechanical method and a continuous solvation model and have polarization effect partially or fully included. The result indicates that when nonpolarized AMBER force field is applied, the result is much underestimated. When electronic polarization is gradually included, the difference of binding affinity increases along with it. Using the linear‐response approximation to eliminate the error in self‐charging process, the corrected binding affinity agrees well with the experimental observation. This study is direct evidence indicating that polarization effect is critical for the strong binding in streptavidin‐biotin system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Time‐dependent Density Functional Theory Study on the Hydrogen‐bonded Dimers Formed by Gauche‐1PA and Trans‐1PA
Authors: Song Peng , Zhu Yong‐Hua , Li Yong‐Qing , Ding Yong , Ma Feng‐Cai
Published: April 2012

Three hydrogen bonding complexes of the gauche‐1PA dimer (GG), trans‐1PA dimer (TT) and mixed dimer (GT) have been calculated for the geometry conformations and excited‐state energies. The electron distribution at the site of C‐O of H‐donor moiety in HOMO transfers to the direction of O‐H of H‐acceptor moiety in LUMO. The hydrogen bond between two 1PAs is the bridge of the intermolecular charge transfer. By the Zhao and Han's excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics rule, the first excited‐state hydrogen bonding change has been discussed without optimizing the excited‐state geometry conformations. According to the distinct difference between GT and GG (TT), we concluded that two gauche‐1PA monomers of one dimer are transformed at the same time to two trans‐1PA monomers.