bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal and Recovery
Authors: Machnicka Alicja , Grűbel Klaudiusz , Suschka Jan
Published: August 2008

Activated sludge systems designed for enhanced nutrient removal are based on the principle of altering anaerobic and aerobic conditions for growth of microorganisms with a high capacity of phosphorus accumulation. Most often, filamentous bacteria constitute a component of the activated sludge microflora. The filamentous microorganisms are responsible for foam formation and activated sludge bulking. The results obtained confirm unanimously that the filamentous bacteria have the ability of phosphorus uptake and accumulation as polyphosphates. Hydrodynamic disintegration of the foam microorganisms results in the transfer of phosphorus and metal cations and ammonium‐nitrogen into the liquid phase. It was demonstrated that the disintegration of foam permits the removal of a portion of the nutrients in the form of struvite.
High‐Solids Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sludge Pretreated by Thermal Hydrolysis
Authors: Jolis Domènec
Published: August 2008

High‐solids anaerobic digestion can consistently achieve 55 to 60% volatile solids destruction after thermal hydrolysis pretreatment, which reduces its viscosity and increases the fraction of soluble organic matter. For feed sludge with total solids concentrations between 6.8 and 8.2%, the process is stable at hydraulic retention times of 9 to 12 days, significantly increasing the treatment capacity of existing digesters or, in treatment plants without spare capacity, helping to postpone, reduce, or even avoid costly infrastructure investments. Process stability is related to the high concentration of soluble organic matter in the digesters. High‐solids temperature‐phased digestion appears to be superior to high‐solids mesophilic digestion, with respect to process flexibility and stability, biosolids stabilization, and biogas generation, although ammonia inhibition may have occurred. Implementation of high‐solids digestion could significantly reduce operation and maintenance costs of solids‐handling operations.
Low-energy helium-neon laser ensures knee cartilage repair: An experimental short-term assay in rabbits
Authors: Peccin Maria Stella , G da Silva Paulo Ricardo , Renno Ana Claudia Muniz , Ribeiro Daniel Araki
Published: August 2008

Objectives . The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of low-power helium-neon laser on cartilage damage using an experimental short-term assay in rabbits. Material and Methods. A total of 21 adult male New Zealand rabbits underwent bilateral knee cartilage damage using a spherical bur. Helium-neon laser light with power of 6 J/cm2 and wavelength of 632.8 nm was applied on the left knees submitted to surgical procedures only. The right knees lesions served as negative control (nonexposed to laser therapy). All animals were randomized and seven animals were killed at postoperative days 7, 21, and 40 days. Results. At seven days, similar histopathological patterns were noted for laser exposed and nonexposed knees. At 21 days, the control group showed an organized fibrous tissue inside the lesion, whereas knees exposed to laser therapy pointed out a cartilage tissue filling the lesion in the majority of treated knees. At 40 days, a well-organized fibrous tissue filled fully the lesion in the control group. On the other hand, the laser exposed knees showed a hyaline cartilage filled the lesion completely. Conclusions. Taken together, these results indicate that a low-energy laser is able to induce cartilage neoformation after 40 days following therapy.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Produced in Nasal Glands of Perennial Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Matsune Shoji , Ohori Junichiro , Sun Dong , Yoshifuku Kosuke , Fukuiwa Tatsuya , Kurono Yuichi
Published: August 2008

Background

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a pleiotropic polypeptide that mediates endothelial cell-specific responses such as induction of angiogenesis and vascular leakage, is hyperproduced in a variety of inflammatory disorders. In asthma, VEGF hyperproduction promotes mucosal edema by enhancing vascular leakage. However, in allergic rhinitis, details of the pathophysiological importance remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate and discuss the pathophysiological significance of VEGF in nasal secretions from perennial allergic rhinitis sufferers.

Methods

Seven allergic rhinitis patients sensitized with house-dust mites and 12 chronic rhinosinusitis patients were enrolled. Nasal secretion VEGF was quantified and compared between groups. In allergic rhinitis cases, nasal lavage VEGF was estimated before and after the antigen provocation. Nasal gland VEGF was immunohistochemically investigated. VEGF messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in serous and mucous acini were analyzed by laser microdissection and light cycler-polymerase chain reaction.

Results

VEGF levels in nasal secretions and nasal lavage from allergic rhinitis were higher than in nonallergic rhinosinusitis, after rather than before antigen provocation. VEGF mRNA expression was higher in serous versus mucous acini. These results are consistent with the immunohistochemistry results.

Conclusion

In allergic rhinitis, there was significant VEGF production in serous acini, which was hypersecreted after antigen provocation. VEGF may play an important role in pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis.
Differential Deposition of Aerosols in the Maxillary Sinus of Human Cadavers by Particle Size
Authors: Hilton Christopher , Wiedmann Timothy , Martin Michele St. , Humphrey Bradley , Schleiffarth Rob , Rimell Frank
Published: August 2008

Background

Topical delivery of nebulized antibiotics to the paranasal sinuses has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in patients with chronic sinus disease after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). The most efficient method for delivering nebulized particles to the sinuses, however, has not been established. This study investigates how the size of nebulized particles influences the efficiency of deposition in the maxillary sinus of human cadavers after FESS.

Methods

Endoscopic maxillary antrostomy was performed on eight sides in four cadavers. Each cadaver's nasal vault was nebulized with technetium99m-labeled sulfur colloid particles of three size ranges. Anterior-posterior and left lateral static gamma-camera images of the head were captured with an acquisition cutoff limit of 30,000 gamma-count. Regions of interest were defined for the left and right maxillary sinus and gamma-photon counts were recorded. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures and paired t-test were used to determine statistical significance.

Results

Mean diameter of particles generated was 6, 0.99, and 0.67 μm. There was a statistically significant difference in deposition between the largest particle size and the two smaller sizes, with a mean gamma-photon count of 254 for 6-μm particles versus 811 for 0.99-μm particles and 835 for 0.67-μm particles (ANOVA, p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Particles in the 0.67- to 0.99-μm range had improved efficiency of deposition in the maxillary sinus compared with larger particles after maxillary antrostomy. Larger particles appeared to deposit directly in the nasal vault while smaller particles were more likely to reach the maxillary sinus.
Are Bulb Syringe Irrigators a Potential Source of Bacterial Contamination in Chronic Rhinosinusitis?
Authors: Williams Glenn B. , Ross Linda L. , Chandra Rakesh K.
Published: August 2008

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine if bulb syringe irrigators are a potential source for bacterial contamination in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Methods

Standard 3-oz bulb syringe irrigators (n = 24) were each flushed with the following solutions twice daily: A (n = 8), sterile isotonic saline; B (n = 8), prepared hypertonic saline (3 tsp table salt/L of sterile water); and C (n = 8), prepared baking soda/saline (1 tsp table salt + 1 tsp baking soda/L of commercial sterile water). Syringes were stored on a residential bathroom counter, and two from each group were harvested for culture weekly for 4 weeks.

Results

There was no growth from syringes irrigated with any of the three solutions after the first 7 days of irrigation. After the entire 4-week study period, potential pathogens were recovered from 6/8 (75%) bulbs from group A, 0/8 bulbs from group B, and 1/8 bulbs (12.5%) from group C. All positive cultures revealed growth by 1–2 days postinoculation (p = 0.002). The organism recovered from syringes in group A was Pseudomonas fluorescens in all six specimens. The one positive culture in group C represented a single colony of Gram-positive cocci.

Conclusion

Under realistic conditions, bulb syringes are susceptible to contamination with potential bacterial pathogens, particularly when using unbuffered isotonic saline.
Acoustic Rhinometry in Children: Some Practical Aspects and Influence of Age and Body Surface Area on Results
Authors: Haavisto Lotta E. , Sipila Jukka I.
Published: August 2008

Background

Since acoustic rhinometry was described there has been a lack of normal values for minimal cross-sectional area (MCA), especially for children. There has also been debate about factors influencing normal values. The purpose of this study was to find the normal values for children in a Finnish population and whether there is any correlation between age or body surface area (BSA) and MCA.

Methods

We measured 74 children (age, 1–12 years) with an acoustic rhinometer. The values of MCA were compared with age and BSA determined from height and weight.

Results

The mean of unilateral MCA was 0.225 cm2 (SD, 0.041). We found positive correlation between unilateral volume on the left side and age and between MCA from the right side and age or BSA as a constant predictor. As much as 28.4% of the measurements had to be rejected because of acoustic leakage between nostril and nosepiece. Only 6.8% had to be rejected because of a lack of cooperation.

Conclusion

It is possible to find normal values for children. Acoustic rhinometry is well tolerated among children. The method is rapid, reliable and noninvasive, and minimal cooperation is required. The measurements must be performed in a standard way, and some important causes of errors must be kept in mind.
The War against Terror as War against the Constitution
Authors: Niday Jackson A.
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

This essay examines rhetorical dynamics in the 2004 US Supreme Court case Hamdi v. Rumsfeld. News reports suggested the court split 8-1 or 6-3. However, case texts show substantive disagreements created a 4-2-2-1 split in the court. Moreover, while the justices on the bench split into four camps rather than two, those camps were not defined along ideological lines. This essay argues that pragmatism, the legal philosophy that held sway in the case, achieved practical expediency at the expense of judicial and constitutional coherency. In the end, the court found a majority through neither persuasion nor principled conviction but, rather, through reluctant compromise in order to achieve a partial resolution rather than none. In other words, argumentation failed and consensus followed from necessity rather than persuasion. The essay explores the question of whether constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties were violated in the ruling.
Murder/Media/Modernity
Authors: Seltzer Mark
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

This article has been drawn from a larger study by the author, True Crime: Observations on Violence and Modernity. Here the focus is on a minor genre—true crime—thatat the same time is a scale model of modern society. True crime is crime fact that reads like, or looks like, crime fiction. It is one of the popular genres of our pathological public sphere and an integral part of our contemporary “wound culture.” True crime maps that vague and shifting region between real and fictional reality where mass belief resides. Thus, the known world of true crime—the world as the scene of the crime—is bound up through and through with the reality of the mass media. Via instances of true crime (from the work of Haruki Murakami to the forensic work of CSI) and via instances of its fictional codependent, the crime novel, this account traces the media a priori of modern society and “the crime system” that binds modern violence and the modern media today.
“Liberty or Death”: Violence and the Rhetoric of Revolution in the American Militia Movement
Authors: Mulloy D.J.
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

This article examines the role of violent, revolutionary-style rhetoric within the ideology of the American militia movement. It argues that the willingness of militia members to embrace a language of violence is based, in part, on their understanding of mainstream American patriotism, and that it is therefore problematic to simply dismiss it as the work of “typical extremists.” The article also compares the militias’ use of violent rhetoric to that employed by black radicals such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers during the 1960s, and places both within the context of recurrent debates about the limits of free speech within American society. It argues that the use of violent language should not always be read literally—as a direct incitement to commit violent acts—but that in some circumstances it might be better understood as one of the few strategies available to those who regard themselves as politically powerless to capture public attention, dramatize an issue, and build a new political movement.
Leo Strauss and Resourceful Odysseus: Rhetorical Violence and the Holy Middle
Authors: Brittain Christopher Craig
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

In the context of the heated rhetoric surrounding the legacy of political philosopher Leo Strauss's thought in the United States, this essay illustrates that the roots of the polemic are found within Strauss's approach to political philosophy, particularly as it is grounded in his critical interpretation of modernity and his distinction between esoteric and exoteric writing. This essay is an examination of how Strauss's anxiety regarding the potential violence of “truth,” combined with his reaction against the limits of modernity and his celebration of a purer form of “classical” philosophy, contributes to the development of what Gillian Rose calls a “holy middle.” As such, the rhetoric of Strauss's critique of modern liberalism risks being overwhelmed by the ferocity of its own polemic. In the midst of the contemporary polarized “culture wars” in the United States, it is not surprising that the tone of Strauss's polemical attack against liberalism often usurps the issues his ideas intended to resolve.
Shooting the Movement: Black Panther Party Photography and African American Protest Traditions
Authors: Phu T.N.
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

Although the failure of the Black Panther Party has often been attributed to the violence which consumed it, the photographic record suggests otherwise. This paper argues that the movement in fact developed a striking and self-aware protest aesthetic. Moreover, this still influential self-referential visuality emphasized the spectacular forms of defiance, contributing, in doing so, to African American traditions of protest conventionally rooted in the oral tradition. A focus on Black Panther Party photography helps account for how the rhetorical violence which focused the BPP's protest aesthetic became complexly indistinguishable from violent realization.
Another Report on the Age of Extinction
Authors: O’Brian John
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

This essay brings together the uneasy histories of the Scioto Culture and its monuments, the passenger pigeon and its extermination, and nuclear fuel and its waste, all within the eccentric spaces of the Barnes Home in Piketon, Ohio. The rooms in the house have been arranged to tell a narrative, or rather to tell a succession of narratives that weave in and out of historical time and in and out of one another. The narratives add up. Their central themes are extinction and genocide.
“Wonderfully Cruel Proceedings”: The Murderous Case of James Yates
Authors: Hughes Rowland
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

In 1781, James Yates, a farmer in upstate New York, brutally murdered his family while suffering from a “religious delusion.” Fifteen years later, in 1796, The New York Weekly Magazine published an anonymously authored account of this episode, which in turn inspired Charles Brockden Brown's novel Wieland. Previously unexamined newspaper reports of the original massacre uniformly link Yates's violence to his religious identity as a Shaker. Shakerism's emphasis on gender equality and rejection of patriarchal familial structures prefigured, in many ways, the republican ideological investment in women (particularly mothers) as repositories of virtue; thus, Yates's crime can be understood as an early manifestation of a broader “crisis of masculinity” in the period. The 1796 account makes no mention of Yates's Shakerism, but nevertheless participates in discourses of gender and nationhood; it memorializes the female victims, containing Yates's “treasonous” violence against the family within an orderly narrative that privileges female heroism.
Branding the Body American: Violence and Self-fashioning from The Scarlet Letter to American Psycho
Authors: Söderlind Sylvia
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

This paper argues that The Scarlet Letter and American Psycho occupy particular historical moments in the same national allegory of American self-fashioning. Critical readings tend so see Hawthorne's self as particularly American while overlooking the “American” in Ellis's title. By reading labels, logos, and signs, I show that the self-fashioning depicted in American Psycho is explicitly tied to an idea of nation based on typological exclusionary practices. But, whereas Hawthorne's “A”—for “American”—has the power to transform both its wearer and its interpreters, thus transforming a typological label into an individualized expression of character, the empty logos and designer labels that pervade American Psycho inhibit any such transformation and turn interiority into pathology. Where Hawthorne was the “allegorist of the heart” of the nation, Ellis is the allegorist of the place where that heart used to be.
Lynndie England, Abu Ghraib, and the New Imperialism
Authors: Tucker Bruce , Triantafyllos Sia
Published: August 2008

Abstract:

This is an examination of the official reaction by the Bush administration to the torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and the coverage of the story by mainstream American media. By doing so, the authors seek to explain the emergence of what in retrospect became a metanarrative about Abu Ghraib that limited debate and public understanding to a narrow range of questions about individual moral culpability. Attention will be given to how the story was framed, in both its emphases and silences, and particularly to how it came to be remembered. In the case of Abu Ghraib, the spectacle of the same set of photographs shown repeatedly kept the focus on individual perpetrators and the morality of their behaviour, creating a narrative limited to the actions of a few individuals. This metanarrative allowed Americans to exempt themselves from confronting race and the racialized violence that structures both the discourse and the practice of the so called “war on terror.”
Enhanced Absorption and Growth Inhibition with Amino Acid Monoester Prodrugs of Floxuridine by Targeting hPEPT1 Transporters
Authors: Tsume Yasuhiro , Vig Balvinder S. , Sun Jing , Landowski Christopher P. , Hilfinger John M. , Ramachandran Chandrasekharan , Amidon Gordon L.
Published: August 2008

A series of amino acid monoester prodrugs of floxuridine was synthesized and evaluated for the improvement of oral bioavailability and the feasibility of target drug delivery via oligopeptide transporters. All floxuridine 5′-amino acid monoester prodrugs exhibited PEPT1 affinity, with inhibition coefficients of Gly-Sar uptake (IC50) ranging from 0.7 – 2.3 mM in Caco-2 and 2.0 – 4.8 mM in AsPC-1 cells, while that of floxuridine was 7.3 mM and 6.3 mM, respectively. Caco-2 membrane permeabilities of floxuridine prodrugs (1.01 – 5.31 x 10-6 cm/sec) and floxuridine (0.48 x 10-6 cm/sec) were much higher than that of 5-FU (0.038 x 10-6 cm/sec). MDCK cells stably transfected with the human oligopeptide transporter PEPT1 (MDCK/hPEPT1) exhibited enhanced cell growth inhibition in the presence of the prodrugs. This prodrug strategy offers great potential, not only for increased drug absorption but also for improved tumor selectivity and drug efficacy.
Phenolic Compounds in Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) as Natural Antioxidants
Authors: Mimica-Dukic Neda , Simin Natasa , Cvejic Jelena , Jovin Emilija , Orcic Dejan , Bozin Biljana
Published: August 2008

In this paper, the study of antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of three different extracts (EtOAc, n-BuOH and H2O) of field horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) is presented. The antioxidant activity has been evaluated measuring the total reducing power (expressed by Ascorbate Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity - AEAC), inhibition of lipid peroxidation, and free radical scavenging capacity (RSC) towards 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH radical) and nitric oxide (NO), respectively. In addition, the total flavonoid content (TFC) and phenolic constituents of each extract have been determined. The results obtained show that the highest RSC regarding both DPPH and NO radicals is expressed by EtOAc extract (EC50=2.37 μg/mL and EC50=90.07 μg/mL, respectively), and the lowest by H2O extract (EC50=37.2 μg/mL and EC50>333.33 μg/mL, respectively). n- BuOH extract showed the highest total reducing power (AEAC=13.40 μg/mL). Differences in the phenolic composition of examined extracts are found comparing the HPLC chemical profiles. Although, isoquercitrin is the main flavonoid in both EtOAc and n-BuOH extracts, a considerable amount of di-E-caffeoyl-meso-tartaric acid was presented in the n-BuOH extract. In H2O extract high content of phenolic acids and low percentage of flavonoids were detected.
Simplexidine, a 4-Alkylpyridinium Alkaloid from the Caribbean Sponge Plakortis simplex
Authors: Fattorusso Ernesto , Romano Adriana , Scala Fernando , Taglialatela-Scafati Orazio
Published: August 2008

Chemical analysis of the secondary metabolites of the Caribbean sponge Plakortis simplex, a source of many bioactive compounds, showed the presence of the new metabolite simplexidine (4), belonging to the extremely rare class of 4-alkyl-pyridinium alkaloids. The structural characterization of this molecule, based on spectroscopic methods, is reported.
Facile Synthesis of Oleanolic Acid Monoglycosides and Diglycosides
Authors: Sha Yu , Yan Mao-Cai , Liu Jiao , Liu Yang , Cheng Mao-Sheng
Published: August 2008

Oleanolic acid and its glycosides are important natural products, possessing various attractive biological activities such as antitumor, antivirus and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present work, fifteen oleanolic acid saponins bearing various saccharide moieties, including 3-monoglycoside, 28-monoglycoside and 3,28-diglycoside, were easily synthesized in high yields. Benzyl was chosen as the protective group for the COOH(28) group, instead of commonly used methyl and allyl, to avoid difficulties in the final deprotection. Alkali-promoted condensation of the carboxylic acid with bromoglycosides was found to be more efficient in the synthesis of 28-glycosides. Two approaches were investigated and proved practicable in the preparation of 3,28- diglycosides. This method is suitable for preparing oleanolic acid glycosides with structural diversity for extensive biological evaluation and structure-activity relationship study, and it also apply new idea for the corresponding synthetic methods to the glycoside derivatives of other triterpenoid.
Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activities of 5-Azacytidine Analogues in Human Leukemia Cells
Authors: Guo Gang , Li Gang , Liu Dan , Yang Qian-Jiao , Liu Yu , Jing Yong-Kui , Zhao Lin-Xiang
Published: August 2008

Twenty-six 5-azacytidine analogues have been synthesized, including 4-amino- 6-alkyl-1-pyranosyl/ribofuranosyl-1,3,5-triazin-2(1H)-ones 1a-j, 6-amino-4-alkyl/aryl-1- pyranosyl/ribofuranosyl-1,3,5-triazin-2(1H)-ones 2a-f and 4-amino-6-alkyl-1,3,5-triazin-2- yl-1-thio-pyranosides/ribofuranosides 3a-j. The antiproliferative activities of these synthetic analogues were investigated in human leukemia HL-60 cells. Ribofuranosyl Snucleoside 3a, a bioisostere of 5-azacytidine, had a similar antiproliferative ability as that of the latter. Introduction of a methyl at the 6 position of 5-azacytidine and/or replacement of the ribofuranosyl moiety with pyranosyl sugars or disaccharides significantly decreased the antiproliferative activities of the 5-azacytidine derivatives. Several compounds with the replacement of pyranosyl sugars enhanced all-trans retinoic acid-induced differentiation ability in human leukemia HL-60 cells.
Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Some New Pyrazole, Fused Pyrazolo[3,4-d]-pyrimidine and Pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]- triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine Derivatives
Authors: Abunada Nada M. , Hassaneen Hamdi M. , Kandile Nadia G. , Miqdad Omar A.
Published: August 2008

Hydrazonyl bromides 2a,b reacted with active methylene compounds (dibenzoylmethane, acetylacetone, ethyl acetoacetate, phenacyl cyanide, acetoacetanilide, ethyl cyanoacetate, cyanoacetamide and malononitrile) to afford the corresponding 1,3,4,5- tetrasubstituted pyrazole derivatives 5-12a,b. Reaction of 12a,b with formamide, formic acid and triethyl orthoformate give the pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine, pyrazolo[3,4- d]pyrimidin-4(3H)one and 5-ethoxymethylene-aminopyrazole-4-carbo-nitrile derivatives 13-15a,b, respectively. Compounds 15a,b reacted with benzhydrazide and hydrazine hydrate to afford pyrazolo[4,3-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine and [4-iminopyrazolo- [3,4-d]pyrimidin-5-yl]amine derivatives 16a,b and 17a,b. Reactions of compounds 17a,b with triethyl orthoformate and carbon disulfide give the corresponding pyrazolo[4,3-e]- [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine derivatives 18a,b and 19a,b, respectively.
HPLC-ESI-MS/MS of Imidazole Alkaloids in Pilocarpus microphyllus
Authors: Sawaya Alexandra , Abreu Ilka Nacif , Andreazza Nathalia Luiza , Eberlin Marcos N. , Mazzafera Paulo
Published: August 2008

Pilocarpine, an important imidazole alkaloid, is extracted from the leaves of Pilocarpus microphyllus (Rutaceae), known in Brazil as jaborandi and used mainly for the treatment of glaucoma. Jaborandi leaves also contain other imidazole alkaloids, whose pharmacological and physiological properties are unknown, and whose biosynthetic pathways are under investigation. In the present study, a HPLC method coupled with ESI-MSn was developed for their qualitative and quantitative analysis. This method permits the chromatographic separation of the imidazole alkaloids found in extracts of jaborandi, as well as the MS/MS analysis of the individual compounds. Thus two samples: leaves of P. microphyllus and a paste that is left over after the industrial extraction of pilocarpine; were compared. The paste was found to contain significant amounts of pilocarpine and other imidazole alkaloids, but had a slightly different alkaloid profile than the leaf extract. The method is suitable for the routine analysis of samples containing these alkaloids, as well as for the separation and identification of known and novel alkaloids from this family, and may be applied to further studies of the biosynthetic pathway of pilocarpine in P. microphyllus.
How probability theory explains the conjunction fallacy
Authors: Costello Fintan J.
Published: August 2008

The conjunction fallacy occurs when people judge a conjunctive statement B‐and‐A to be more probable than a constituent B, in contrast to the law of probability that P(B ∧ A) cannot exceed P(B) or P(A). Researchers see this fallacy as demonstrating that people do not follow probability theory when judging conjunctive probability. This paper shows that the conjunction fallacy can be explained by the standard probability theory equation for conjunction if we assume random variation in the constituent probabilities used in that equation. The mathematical structure of this equation is such that random variation will be most likely to produce the fallacy when one constituent has high probability and the other low, when there is positive conditional support between the constituents, when there are two rather than three constituents, and when people rank probabilities rather than give numerical estimates. The conjunction fallacy has been found to occur most frequently in exactly these situations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
AXIN2andCDH1polymorphisms, tooth agenesis, and oral clefts
Authors: Letra Ariadne , Menezes Renato , Granjeiro Jose M. , Vieira Alexandre R.
Published: August 2008

BACKGROUND:AXIN2andCDH1genes play important roles during craniofacial morphogenesis. Mutations in these genes have been described in families presenting colorectal cancer and tooth agenesis, and gastric cancer and cleft lip/palate (CL/P). Oral clefts have been associated with tooth agenesis. We investigated ifAXIN2andCDH1polymorphisms were associated with clefts or with any associated dental subphenotypes.METHODS:Markers inAXIN2andCDH1were genotyped using Taqman chemistry in a sample cohort comprised of 500 cleft individuals and 500 unrelated controls.RESULTS:Comparison between cleft and control groups showed a trend for association forAXIN2with incomplete cleft palate (p= .006) andCDH1with unilateral CL/P (p= .03 for left CL/P andp= .04 for right CL/P). Comparison of cleft subphenotypes with tooth agenesis and controls revealed borderline associations forCDH1(p= .008) andAXIN2(p= .01) with unilateral right CL/P with tooth agenesis.CONCLUSIONS:We observed only borderline results for the association ofAXIN2andCDH1with CL/P with and without tooth agenesis. Nevertheless, implication of these genes in the simultaneous occurrence of CL/P and cancer, and in tooth agenesis and cancer, is rather intriguing and warrants further investigations with other geographic and ethnic populations. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analyzing characteristic length scales in biofilm structures
Authors: Milferstedt K. , Pons M‐N. , Morgenroth E.
Published: August 2008

The quantification of biofilm structure based on image analysis requires a statistical measure like representative elemental areas (REA) to determine the necessary size of biofilm area to be imaged. In this study, REAs for biofilm structure were calculated for the descriptors Gray level and Correlation (COR) derived from a spatial gray level dependence matrix analysis (SGLDM). An important difference between these two descriptors is their response to structural features at different spatial scales. Gray level is a scale‐independent descriptor, whereas COR is scale‐dependent. For scale‐independent descriptors, the size of the individual images is not relevant when determining REAs. This is in contrast to scale‐dependent descriptors for which REAs can only be determined when the area of each image covers the range of structural variability of the biofilm. We used COR to analyze scale dependence of structural heterogeneity at different length scales. A characteristic length of 400 µm in biofilm images provides structural information relevant for mass transport phenomena in biofilms. Overall REAs for gray level and COR were on average 3.4 mm2. The scale‐dependent descriptor COR could not in all cases accurately be determined from combining individual image analysis results—even when the combined area resulted in the REA. Microscope and camera specifications define the upper and lower limit of detectable characteristic length that can be extracted from images and should therefore be considered in the experimental design when choosing an imaging technique. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 368–379. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dynamically populating large urban environments with ambient virtual humans
Authors: Haciomeroglu M. , Laycock R. G. , Day A. M.
Published: August 2008

Creating an interactive simulation of a large urban environment populated with virtual humans poses a number of interesting challenges, ranging from how to initialise the virtual humans in the correct locations to maintaining a real‐time simulation. When considering a large environment it is beneficial to investigate automatic techniques that create and simulate virtual humans using the available computing resources effectively. In this paper, two contributions towards the population of a large environment are described. The first presents two methods that use an automatic analysis of the urban environment to determine the required population densities throughout the scene. These methods ensure that the virtual humans are distributed such that main high streets consistently exhibit a higher number of virtual humans than other areas. The methods presented here achieve above 90% correlation to the predicted population densities for the environment, which outperforms the state of the art. The second contribution concerns the optimisation of the two methods to facilitate their applicability to large environments. The methods presented are modified to insert virtual humans dynamically into the behaviour system when required. The approach limits the required computing resources whilst achieving above 75% correlation to the predicted population values. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
3D virtual simulator for breast plastic surgery
Authors: Kim Youngjun , Lee Kunwoo , Kim Wontae
Published: August 2008

We have proposed novel 3D virtual simulation software for breast plastic surgery. Our software comprises two processes: a 3D torso modeling and a virtual simulation of the surgery result. First, image‐based modeling is performed in order to obtain a female subject's 3D torso data. Our image‐based modeling method utilizes a template model, and this is deformed according to the patient's photographs. For the deformation, we applied procrustes analysis and radial basis functions (RBF). In order to enhance reality, the subject's photographs are mapped onto a mesh. Second, from the modeled subject data, we simulate the subject's virtual appearance after the plastic surgery by morphing the shape of the breasts. We solve the simulation problem by an example‐based approach. The subject's virtual shape is obtained from the relations between the pair sets of feature points from previous patients' photographs obtained before and after the surgery. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface matching with salient keypoints in geodesic scale space
Authors: Zou Guangyu , Hua Jing , Dong Ming , Qin Hong
Published: August 2008

This paper develops a new salient keypoints‐based shape description which extracts the salient surface keypoints with detected scales. Salient geometric features can then be defined collectively on all the detected scale normalized local patches to form a shape descriptor for surface matching purpose. The saliency‐driven keypoints are computed as local extrema of the difference of Gaussian function defined over a curved surface in geodesic scale space. This method can properly function on either manifold or non‐manifold surface without resorting to any surface mapping or parameterization procedures. Therefore, it has a wide utility in many applications such as shape matching, classification, and recognition. Our experiments on 3D shapes demonstrate that the salient keypoints and local feature descriptors are robust and stable to noisy input and insensitive to resolution change. We have applied our technique to the tasks of 3D shape matching, and the experimental results showed good performance and the effectiveness of this new method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
2D shape deformation based on rigid square matching
Authors: Wang Yanzhen , Xu Kai , Xiong Yueshan , Cheng Zhi‐Quan
Published: August 2008

In this paper, we propose a fast and stable method for 2D shape deformation based on rigid square matching. Our method utilizes uniform quadrangular control meshes for 2D shapes and tries to maintain the rigidity of each square in the control mesh during user manipulation. A rigid shape matching method is performed to find an optimal pure rotational transformation for each square in the control mesh. An iterative solver is proposed to compute the final deformation result for the entire control mesh by minimizing the difference between the deformed vertices and their counterparts in the neighboring rigid square. The deformation result on the 2D shape is as rigid as possible and the details of the shape are preserved well. As extensions, we present a shape‐aware splitting method to improve the deformation effect for coarse meshes and a simple sketch‐based clustering method for skeletal deformation. Experiments with various 2D shapes show that our method is efficient and easy to use, and can provide physically plausible result for shapes of objects in real world. Therefore, our shape deformation method is especially suitable for applications in cartoon character animation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Grasp synthesis from low‐dimensional probabilistic grasp models
Authors: Ben Amor Heni , Heumer Guido , Jung Bernhard , Vitzthum Arnd
Published: August 2008

We propose a novel data‐driven animation method for the synthesis of natural looking human grasping. Motion data captured from human grasp actions is used to train a probabilistic model of the human grasp space. This model greatly reduces the high number of degrees of freedom of the human hand to a few dimensions in a continuous grasp space. The low dimensionality of the grasp space in turn allows for efficient optimization when synthesizing grasps for arbitrary objects. The method requires only a short training phase with no need for preprocessing of graphical objects for which grasps are to be synthesized. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A unified handling of immiscible and miscible fluids
Authors: Park Jinho , Kim Younghwi , Wi Daehyeon , Kang Nahyup , Shin Sung Yong , Noh Junyong
Published: August 2008

Conventional level set‐based approaches have an inherent difficulty in tracking miscible fluids due to its discrete treatment for interface. This paper proposes a unified framework to efficiently handle both miscible and immiscible fluid simulations. Based on the chemical potential energy, our method describes the evolution of multiple fluids as time‐varying concentration fields. Handling of multiple fluids is straightforward and, unlike level set methods, ad hoc reinitialization or fictitious particle deployment is not necessary. For numerical computation of the Navier—Stokes equations, we adopt advanced lattice Boltzmann methods (LBMs) for computational efficiency. The experiments show that our approach works well with immiscible fluids, miscible fluids, and interaction with objects. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
When Are Tricoordinated PdIISpecies Accessible? Stability Trends and Mechanistic Consequences
Authors: Moncho Salvador , Ujaque Gregori , Lledós Agustí , Espinet Pablo
Published: August 2008

The ease of access to PdIItricoordinated species (whether intermediates or transition states) in organometallic and catalytic reactions has been assessed with DFT methods to analyze the relative stability of tricoordinated [PdArXL] complexes versus their tetracoordinated derivatives formed by two most common processes of filling the fourth coordination site: solvent coordination (with tetrahydrofuran), or dimerization to give [Pd2Ar2(μ‐X)2L2]. The effect of each ligand (L=PH3, PMe3, PPh3,PtBu3, 1‐AdPtBu2; Ar=C6F5, C6H5, C6H4OH, C6H4OCH3, C6H4NH2, C6H2(NH2)3; X=F, Cl, Br, I, OH, SH, NH2, PH2, CH3) on these two processes has been systematically considered, and the results have been compared with the experimental information available. The trends observed, match the experimental results and suggest that: 1) the formation of bridged dimeric complexes is strongly preferred; 2) electronic effects are in general less important compared to steric effects; 3) when steric effects prevent formation of bridges and coordination of a fourth external ligand, intramolecular agostic interactions are established with CH groups of one ligand; 4) as an exception, for X=NR2true tricoordinated complexes, not showing agostic interactions, become stable. In the later case NR2seems to act as π‐donor with its lone pair to the empty orbital at the fourth coordination site of palladium, thus avoiding a true 14e configuration for the tricoordinated PdIIcomplex.
Highly Regioselective Hydroformylation with Hemispherical Chelators
Authors: Sémeril David , Matt Dominique , Toupet Loïc
Published: August 2008

The hemispherical diphosphites (R,R)‐ or (S,S)‐5,11,17,23‐tetra‐tert‐butyl‐25,27‐di(OR)‐26,28‐bis(1,1′‐binaphthyl‐2,2′‐dioxyphosphanyloxy)calix[4]arene (R=OPr, OCH2Ph, OCH2‐naphtyl, O‐fluorenyl; R=H, R′=OPr) (LR), all with C2 symmetry, have been synthesised starting from the appropriate di‐O‐alkylated calix[4]arene precursor. In the presence of [Rh(acac)(CO)2], these ligands straightforwardly provide chelate complexes in which the metal centre sits in a molecular pocket defined by two naphthyl planes related by the C2 axis and the two apically situated R groups. Hydroformylation of octene with the LPr/Rh system turned out to be highly regioselective, the linear‐to‐branched (l:b) aldehyde ratio reaching 58:1. The l:b ratio significantly increased when the propyl groups were replaced by ‐CH2Ph (l:b=80) or ‐CH2naphthyl (l:b=100) groups, that is, with substituents able to sterically interact with the apical metal sites, but without inducing an opening of the cleft nesting the catalytic centre. The trend to preferentially form the aldehyde the shape of which fits with the shape of the catalytic pocket was further confirmed in the hydroformylation of styrene, for which, in contrast to catalysis with conventional diphosphanes, the linear aldehyde was the major product (up to ca. 75 % linear aldehyde). In the hydroformylation of trans‐2‐octene with the Lbenzyl/Rh system, combined isomerisation/hydroformylation led to a remarkably high l:b aldehyde ratios of 25, thus showing that isomerisation is more effective than hydroformylation. Unusually large amounts of linear products were also observed with all the above diphosphites in the tandem hydroformylation/amination of styrene (l:b of ca. 3:1) as well as in the hydroformylation of allyl benzyl ether (l:b ratio up to 20).
Evaluating the supportive care costs of severe radiochemotherapy‐induced mucositis and pharyngitis
Authors: Nonzee Narissa J. , Dandade Neal A. , Markossian Talar , Agulnik Mark , Argiris Athanassios , Patel Jyoti D. , Kern Robert C. , Munshi Hidayatullah G. , Calhoun Elizabeth A. , Bennett Charles L.
Published: August 2008

BACKGROUND.

Few studies have examined the costs of supportive care for radiochemotherapy‐induced mucosits/pharyngitis among patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) or lung cancers despite the documented negative clinical impact of these complications.

METHODS.

The authors identified a retrospective cohort of patients with HNC or nonsmall lung cancer (NSCLC) who had received radiochemotherapy at 1 of 3 Chicago hospitals (a Veterans Administration hospital, a county hospital, or a tertiary care hospital). Charts were reviewed for the presence/absence of severe mucositis/pharyngitis and the medical resources that were used. Resource estimates were converted into cost units obtained from standard sources (hospital bills, Medicare physician fee schedule, Red Book). Estimates of resources used and direct medical costs were compared for patients who did and patients who did not develop severe mucositis/pharyngitis.

RESULTS.

Severe mucositis/pharyngitis occurred in 70.1% of 99 patients with HNC and in 37.5% of 40 patients with NSCLC during radiochemotherapy. The total median medical costs per patient were $39,313 for patients with mucositis/pharyngitis and $20,798 for patients without mucositis/pharyngitis (P = .007). Extended inpatient hospitalization accounted for $12,600 of the increased medical costs (median 14 days [$19,600] with severe mucositis/pharyngitis vs 5 days [$7000] without; P = .017). For patients who had HNC with mucositis/pharyngitis, incremental inpatient hospitalization costs were $14,000, and total medical costs were $17,244. For patients who had NSCLC with mucositis/pharyngitis, these costs were $11,200 and $25,000, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS.

In the current study, the medical costs among the patients with HNC and NSCLC who received radiochemotherapy were greater for those who developed severe mucositis/pharyngitis than for those who did not. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
A computer‐assisted colour selection system based on aesthetic measure for colour harmony and fuzzy logic theory
Authors: Hsiao Shih‐Wen , Chiu Fu‐Yuan , Hsu Hsin‐Yi
Published: August 2008

An aesthetic measure based approach for constructing a colour design/selection system is proposed in this article. In this model, an image data base for the relationships between the psychological preference of customers and clothing colour tones is built using the membership functions of a fuzzy set, and an aesthetic measure calculation method based on colour harmony is also proposed. In addition, a skin colour detection theory is proposed to construct a skin colour detection program to detect the skin colour of a customer, which is then taken as the major colour in matching the skin, polo shirt, and(or) pant colours to select the best colour combination. Integrating the skin colour detection theory, colour harmony theory, aesthetic measure method, and fuzzy set theory, a program is constructed to build an aesthetic measure based colour design/selection system. With the aid of this system, one can get proper cloth colours to match his/her skin colour and image requirement by starting with inputting one's colour photo, catching image with a camera, or inputting R, G, B values of his/her skin. The theoretical results for the ranks of clothing colours proposed by the system are examined with the experimental results and the result shows they are very close, suggesting that the proposed colour selection system is acceptable. Although the selection of clothing colours is taken as an example to specify the methodology, it can also be used to develop a system for other products. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 33, 411–423, 2008
Building and applying geographical information system Grids
Authors: Aydin Galip , Sayar Ahmet , Gadgil Harshawardhan , Aktas Mehmet S. , Fox Geoffrey C. , Ko Sunghoon , Bulut Hasan , Pierce Marlon E.
Published: August 2008

We discuss the development and application of Web‐service‐based geographical information system (GIS) Grids. Following the WS‐I+ approach of building Grids on Web service standards, we have developed data Grid components for archival and real‐time data, map generating services that can be used to build user interfaces, information services for storing both stateless and stateful metadata, and service orchestration and management tools. Our goal is to support dynamically assembled Grid service collections that combine both GIS services with more traditional Grid capabilities such as file transfer and remote code execution. We are applying these tools to problems in earthquake modeling and forecasting, but we are attempting to build general purpose tools by using and extending appropriate standards. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.