bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Photonenergy‐Controlled Symmetry Breaking with Circularly Polarized Light
Authors: Meinert Cornelia , Hoffmann Søren V. , Cassam‐Chenaï Patrick , Evans Amanda C. , Giri Chaitanya , Nahon Laurent , Meierhenrich Uwe J. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractCircularly polarized light (CPL) is known to be a true chiral entity capable of generating absolute molecular asymmetry. However, the degree of inducible optical activity depends on the λ of the incident CPL. Exposure of amorphous films of rac‐alanine to tunable CPL led to enantiomeric excesses (ee) which not only follow the helicity but also the energy of driving electromagnetic radiation. Postirradiation analyses using enantioselective multidimensional GC revealed energy‐controlled ee values of up to 4.2 %, which correlate with theoretical predictions based on newly recorded anisotropy spectra g(λ). The tunability of asymmetric photochemical induction implies that both magnitude and sign can be fully controlled by CPL. Such stereocontrol provides novel insights into the wavelength and polarization dependence of asymmetric photochemical reactions and are highly relevant for absolute asymmetric molecular synthesis and for understanding the origins of homochirality in living matter.
Synthesis and characterization of graft copolymer of polyacrylonitrile‐g‐polyethylene glycol‐maleic acid monoester macromonomer
Authors: Guo Jing , Xie Piao , Zhang Xin , Yu Chunfang , Guan Fucheng , Liu Yuanfa 
Published: November 2013

AbstractA novel solid–solid phase‐change energy storage material was synthesized by the aqueous phase precipitation polymerization. The amphiphilic polyethylene glycol‐maleic acid monoester macromonomer (MAPEG) with a double bond and a terminal carboxyl was the side chain and the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was a skeleton. The chemical structure and thermal properties of the graft copolymer were investigated. The results indicated that the MAPEG chains were successfully grafted onto the PAN backbone. The graft copolymer possess good thermal reliability and the phase‐transition temperature is in the temperature range of human comfort, meanwhile, the melting enthalpy could reach 74.16 J/g and the crystallization enthalpy could reach 65.40 J/g, accounting for theoretical enthalpy value of 89 and 93%, respectively. Besides, optimum conditions of synthesizing the graft copolymer were determined by orthogonal experiment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40152.
Biogenic tellurium nanorods as a novel antivirulence agent inhibiting pyoverdine production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Mohanty Anee , Kathawala Mustafa Hussain , Zhang Jianhua , Chen Wei Ning , Loo Joachim Say Chye , Kjelleberg Staffan , Yang Liang , Cao Bin 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTWhile antibiotic resistance in bacteria is rapidly increasing, the development of new antibiotics has decreased in recent years. Antivirulence drugs disarming rather than killing pathogens have been proposed to alleviate the problem of resistance inherent to existing biocidal antibiotics. Here, we report a nontoxic biogenic nanomaterial as a novel antivirulence agent to combat bacterial infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We synthesized, in an environmentally benign fashion, tellurium nanorods (TeNRs) using the metal‐reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis, and found that the biogenic TeNRs could effectively inhibit the production of pyoverdine, one of the most important virulence factors in P. aeruginosa. Our results suggest that amyloids and extracellular polysaccharides Pel and Psl are not involved in the interactions between P. aeruginosa and the biogenic TeNRs, while flagellar movement plays an important role in the cell–TeNRs interaction. We further showed that the TeNRs (up to 100 µg/mL) did not exhibit cytotoxicity to human bronchial epithelial cells and murine macrophages. Thus, biogenic TeNRs hold promise as a novel antivirulence agent against P. aeruginosa. Biotechnol. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 858–865. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Deletion of a dynamic surface loop improves stability and changes kinetic behavior of phosphatidylinositol‐synthesizing Streptomyces phospholipase D
Authors: Damnjanović Jasmina , Nakano Hideo , Iwasaki Yugo 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTSupplementary phosphatidylinositol (PI) was shown to improve lipid metabolism in animals, thus it is interesting for pharmaceutical and nutritional applications. Homogenous PI can be produced in transphosphatidylation of phosphatidylcholine (PC) with myo‐inositol catalyzed by phospholipase D (PLD). Only bacterial enzymes able to catalyze PI synthesis are Streptomyces antibioticus PLD (SaPLD) variants, among which DYR (W187D/Y191Y/Y385R) has the best kinetic profile. Increase in PI yield is possible by providing excess of solvated myo‐inositol, which is achievable at high temperatures due to its highly temperature‐dependent solubility. However, high‐temperature PI synthesis requires the thermostable PLD. Previous site‐directed combinatorial mutagenesis at the residues of DYR having high B‐factor yielded the most improved variant, D40H/T291Y DYR, obtained by the combination of two selected mutations. D40 and T291 are located within dynamic surface loops, D37‐G45 (termed D40 loop) and G273‐T313. Thus, in this work, thermostabilization of DYR SaPLD was attempted by rational design based on deletion of the D40 loop, generating two variants, Δ37‐45 DYR and Δ38‐46 DYR PLD. Δ38‐46 DYR showed highest thermostability as its activity half‐life at 70°C proved 11.7 and 8.0 times longer than that of the DYR and Δ37‐45 DYR, respectively. Studies on molecular dynamics predicted Δ38‐46 DYR to have the least average RMSD change as temperature dramatically increases. At 60 and 70°C, both mutants synthesized PI in a twofold higher yield compared to the DYR, while at the same time produced less of the hydrolytic side‐product, phosphatidic acid. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 674–682. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantitative control of intracellular signaling activity through chimeric receptors incorporating multiple identical tyrosine motifs
Authors: Saka Koichiro , Kawahara Masahiro , Nagamune Teruyuki 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTControlling activation levels and durations of native signaling molecules is important for efficiently controlling cellular fates. Previously we developed single‐chain Fv (scFv)/cytokine receptor chimeras incorporating tyrosine motifs in the intracellular domain, which artificially control the activation of specific intracellular signaling proteins. In this study, to quantitatively control the activation levels of signaling molecules with an extended dynamic range, we constructed scFv/receptor chimeras incorporating multiple identical motifs at the different positions in the intracellular domain. We used retroviral transduction to express chimeric receptors with multiple STAT3 binding motifs connected with or without flexible linkers in a murine IL‐3‐dependent pro‐B cell line, Ba/F3. Our results showed that the chimeric receptors can control the activation levels of STAT3 depending on ligand concentration and the number of motifs. The existence of linkers between the motifs also affected the signal intensity. Furthermore, the STAT3 activation levels significantly depended on the number of motifs rather than the distance from the JAK‐binding region to the tyrosine motif. Biotechnol. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 948–955. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Contextual Compound Screening for Improved Therapeutic Discovery
Authors: Evensen Lasse , Odlo Kristin , Micklem David R. , Littlewood‐Evans Amanda , Wood Jeanette , Kuzniewski Christian , Altmann Karl‐Heinz , Hansen Trond Vidar , Lorens James B. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractCellular behaviors are governed by combinations of systemic and microenvironmental factors; together, these regulate cell signaling responses to growth factors. This contextual microenvironmental influence also determines drug sensitivity. Hence using in vitro systems that model contextual cellular behavior is highly beneficial for effective therapeutic development. Angiogenesis (formation of blood vessels) is driven by a series of dynamic endothelial cell signaling responses to growth factors under the influence of the vascular extracellular matrix and adjacent pericytes. In vitro primary human vascular cell co‐cultures self‐assemble into capillary‐like structures through reciprocal heterotypic interactions that mimic angiogenic context dynamics. By using temporal live‐cell imaging‐based analysis, unique angiogenic microenvironments can be delineated to quantify the contextual activity of compound inhibitors. We used this in vitro organotypic contextual screening approach to conduct structure–activity relationship analysis on a combretastatin A‐4 analogue series to identify novel compounds with potent vascular disrupting activity in vivo.
Highly Asymmetrical Porphyrins with Enhanced Push–Pull Character for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Kurotobi Kei , Toude Yuuki , Kawamoto Kyosuke , Fujimori Yamato , Ito Seigo , Chabera Pavel , Sundström Villy , Imahori Hiroshi 
Published: November 2013

AbstractA porphyrin π‐system has been modulated by enhancing the push–pull character with highly asymmetrical substitution for dye‐sensitized solar cells for the first time. Namely, both two diarylamino moieties as a strong electron‐donating group and one carboxyphenylethynyl moiety as a strong electron‐withdrawing, anchoring group were introduced into the meso‐positions of the porphyrin core in a lower symmetrical manner. As a result of the improved light‐harvesting property as well as high electron distribution in the anchoring group of LUMO, a push–pull‐enhanced, porphyrin‐sensitized solar cell exhibited more than 10 % power conversion efficiency, which exceeded that of a representative highly efficient porphyrin (i.e., YD2)‐sensitized solar cell under optimized conditions. The rational molecular design concept based on highly asymmetric, push–pull substitution will open the possibilities of further improving cell performance in organic solar cells.
Mitochondria‐Targeting Oxidovanadium(IV) Complex as a Near‐IR Light Photocytotoxic Agent
Authors: Prasad Puja , Khan Imran , Kondaiah Paturu , Chakravarty Akhil R. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractOxidovanadium(IV) complexes [VO(L1)(phen)]⋅Cl (1) and [VO(L2)(L3)]⋅Cl (2), in which HL1 is 2‐{[(benzimidazol‐2‐yl)methylimino]‐methyl}phenol (sal‐ambmz), HL2 is 2‐[({1‐[(anthracen‐9‐yl)methyl]‐benzimidazol‐2‐yl}methylimino)‐methyl]phenol (sal‐an‐ambmz), phen is 1,10‐phenanthroline and L3 is dipyrido[3,2‐a:2′,3′‐c]phenazine (dppz) conjugated to a Gly‐Gly‐OMe dipeptide moiety, were prepared, characterized, and their DNA binding, photoinduced DNA‐cleavage, and photocytotoxic properties were studied. Fluorescence microscopy studies were performed by using complex 2 in HeLa and HaCaT cells. Complex 1, structurally characterized by X‐ray crystallography, has a vanadyl group in VO2N4 core with the VO2+ moiety bonded to N,N‐donor phen and a N,N,O‐donor Schiff base. Complex 2, having an anthracenyl fluorophore, showed fluorescence emission bands at 397, 419, and 443 nm. The complexes are redox‐active exhibiting the V(IV)/V(III) redox couple near −0.85 V versus SCE in DMF 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP). Complex 2, having a dipeptide moiety, showed specific binding towards poly(dAdT)2 sequence. The dppz‐Gly‐Gly‐OMe complex showed significant DNA photocleavage activity in red light of 705 nm through a hydroxyl radical (.OH) pathway. Complex 2 showed photocytotoxicity in HaCaT and HeLa cells in visible light (400–700 nm) and red light (620–700 nm), however, the complex was less toxic in the dark. Fluorescence microscopy revealed the localization of complex 2 primarily in mitochondria. Apoptosis was found to occur inside mitochondria (intrinsic pathway) caused by ROS generation.
CFD Simulation of the Flow Field Within Woven Structures by Using the Immersed Boundary Method
Authors: Rieger H. , Piesche M. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractGewebestrukturen werden oft zur Separation von Feststoffpartikeln eingesetzt. Bei der Gewebedurchströmung erfolgt die Phasentrennung durch Filtration. Die Kenntnis über den Charakter der Strömung kann gewinnbringend zur Optimierung dieser Filtrationsstrukturen bzw. zur Reduzierung des Druckverlustes und zur Vorhersage des Trennkorns eingesetzt werden. Eine CFD‐Simulation ermöglicht die Berechnung des Strömungsfeldes. Die hier vorgestellte Immersed‐boundary‐Methode reduziert den Aufwand bei der Modellbildung im Vergleich zu der gängigen, geometriekonformen Berechnungsmethode deutlich.
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors with Enhanced Enzymatic Inhibition Effects and Potent in vitro and in vivo Antitumor Activities
Authors: Zhang Lei , Zhang Yingjie , Chou C. James , Inks Elizabeth S. , Wang Xuejian , Li Xiaoguang , Hou Jinning , Xu Wenfang 
Published: November 2013

AbstractIn the present work, a series of small molecules were designed and synthesized based on structural optimization. A significant improvement in the enzyme inhibitory activity of these compounds was discovered. Moreover, the tested compounds have moderate preference for class I HDACs over HDAC6, as demonstrated by enzyme selectivity assays. In vitro antiproliferation assay results show that representative compounds can selectively inhibit the growth of non‐solid lymphoma and leukemic cells such as U937, K562, and HL60. In the in vivo antitumor assay, (S)‐4‐(2‐(5‐(dimethylamino)naphthalene‐1‐sulfonamido)‐2‐phenylacetamido)‐N‐hydroxybenzamide (D17) showed better performance than SAHA in blocking U937 tumor growth. Western blot analysis revealed that representative molecules can block the function of both class I HDACs and HDAC6. More importantly, our western blot results reveal that the levels of some oncogenic proteins (p‐Akt in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway, c‐Raf and p‐Erk in the MAPK signal pathway) were dramatically down‐regulated by our compounds in the U937 cell line rather than MDA‐MB‐231 cells. This distinction in cellular mechanism might be an important reason why the U937 cell line was found to more sensitive to our HDAC inhibitors than the MDA‐MB‐231 cell line.
Individual differences in negative affect and weekly variability in binge eating frequency
Authors: Zander Mary E. , De Young Kyle P. 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo examine the relationship of neuroticism and negative affect (NA) lability with weekly binge eating fluctuations between binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN).MethodIndividuals with BED (n = 30) and BN (n = 54) from the community completed self‐report measures at baseline and prospectively for 12 consecutive weeks. Weekly data were analyzed by using (mean) squared successive deviation to account for fluctuations in NA and binge eating from week to week.ResultsGeneralized estimating equations revealed the presence of a two‐way interaction between neuroticism and NA lability predicting binge eating fluctuations (Wald χ2 = 8.25; df = 1; p = .004), indicating that higher NA lability was only related to larger fluctuations in the frequency of binge eating episodes when present in individuals who were also high on neuroticism. An interaction was also detected between eating disorder diagnosis and NA lability, but this was accounted for by differences in average NA between the diagnoses.DiscussionThis study highlights the relevance of two traits and their interaction in understanding individual differences in binge eating fluctuations. Additionally, findings indicate that diagnostic differences in average NA may impact binge eating fluctuations and NA lability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2014; 47:296–301)
Screening of impact factors on the enzymatic neutralization of Jatropha crude oil
Authors: Gofferjé Gabriele , Gebhardt Melanie , Stäbler Andreas , Schweiggert‐Weisz Ute , Flöter Eckhard 
Published: November 2013

Due to the high oil content of the seeds, Jatropha curcas L. became a focus of interest in the last decades. In order to prepare the oil for technical applications a refining is essential. This study is concerned with the enzymatic neutralization of aqueous‐extracted Jatropha oil utilizing an immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei. Free fatty acids were esterified with glycerol. Factors influencing the reaction were determined applying low acidic oil (acid number 4.2 mg KOH/g oil). Stirring rate of 300 rpm is adequate. The reaction rate was highest at 60°C. Free fatty acid content was reduced continuously with reaction time between 4 and 24 h. The variation of the free fatty acid content of Jatropha oil had only marginal influence on the reaction time. The amount of glycerol added to the reaction system was found to be optimal between 0.15 and 0.25 mol/L. Three percent w/w of immobilized lipase were enough to saturate the reaction system. A strong interaction between enzyme and glycerol content is likely and will be evaluated in an experimental design. The process designed after parameter screening yields acid numbers around 0.2 mg KOH/g oil. Remaining fatty acids are easily removed during the subsequent refining steps.Practical applications: Enzymatic deacidification of Jatropha crude oil described in this study provides several advantages compared to the conventional alkaline process including lower oil losses, no wastewater generation and the avoidance of aggressive chemicals. On the basis of these benefits, an enzymatic approach holds potential to be applied industrially in the future since there is an increasing interest in more sustainable processes.
Striga indica (Orobanchaceae) – A new parasitic species from Southern Western Ghats of India
Authors: Jayanthi P. , Kumar K. M. Prabhu , Rajendran A. , Thomas Binu , Sabu M. , Pradeep A. K. 
Published: November 2013

AbstractA new species of Striga Lour., S. indica K. M. Prabhu, P. Jayanthi, A. Rajendran & M. Sabu is described from the Western Ghats of India. This species is shows similarities to S. barthlottii Eb. Fisch. et al., a recently described species from Morocco, but differs in unequal calyx lobes, equal bracteoles, short corolla tube, corolla colour and shape, fruit shape, stem colour, branching pattern, and presence of pubescence in various parts and host specificity. A detailed description with keys, illustrations, photographs, comparison chart and tables, conservation status and distributional details are provided. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Fuzzy entropy‐based MR brain image segmentation using modified particle swarm optimization
Authors: Priya R. Krishna , Thangaraj C. , Kesavadas C. , Kannan S. 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTThis article presents an image segmentation technique based on fuzzy entropy, which is applied to magnetic resonance (MR) brain images in order to detect brain tumors. The proposed method performs image segmentation based on adaptive thresholding of the input MR images. The image is classified into two membership functions (MFs) of the fuzzy region: Z‐function and S‐function. The optimal parameters of these fuzzy MFs are obtained using modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm. The objective function for obtaining the optimal fuzzy MF parameters is considered to be the maximum fuzzy entropy. Through a number of examples, The performance is compared with existing entropy based object segmentation approaches and the superiority of the proposed method is demonstrated. The experimental results are compared with the exhaustive search method and Otsu's segmentation technique. The result shows the proposed fuzzy entropy‐based segmentation method optimized using MPSO achieves maximum entropy with proper segmentation of infected areas and with minimum computational time. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 23, 281–288, 2013
Fast and robust symmetry detection for brain images based on parallel scale‐invariant feature transform matching and voting
Authors: Wu Huisi , Wang Defeng , Shi Lin , Wen Zhenkun , Ming Zhong 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTSymmetry analysis for brain images has been considered as a promising technique for automatically extracting the pathological brain slices in conventional scanning. In this article, we present a fast and robust symmetry detection method for automatically extracting symmetry axis (fissure line) from a brain image. Unlike the existing brain symmetry detection methods which mainly rely on the intensity or edges to determine the symmetry axis, our proposed method is based on a set of scale‐invariant feature transform (SIFT) features, where the symmetry axis is determined by parallel matching and voting of distinctive features within the brain image. By clustering and indexing the extracted SIFT features using a GPU KD‐tree, we can match multiple pairs of features in parallel based on a novel symmetric similarity metric, which combines the relative scales, orientations, and flipped descriptors to measure the magnitude of symmetry between each pair of features. Finally, the dominant symmetry axis presented in the brain image is determined using a parallel voting algorithm by accumulating the pair‐wise symmetry score in a Hough space. Our method was evaluated on both synthetic and in vivo datasets, including both normal and pathological cases. Comparisons with state‐of‐the‐art methods were also conducted to validate the proposed method. Experimental results demonstrated that our method achieves a real‐time performance and with a higher accuracy than previous methods, yielding an average polar angle error within 0.69° and an average radius error within 0.71 mm. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 23, 314–326, 2013
Multiscale ICA for fundus image analysis
Authors: Nath Malaya Kumar , Dandapat Samarendra 
Published: November 2013

ABSTRACTIndependent component analysis is a technique used for separation of statistically independent sources. It can estimate unknown sources from a mixture of sources without any prior knowledge about them. The sources should be non‐Gaussian and independent with each other. In this work, multiscale ICA is proposed for medical images (fundus images, MRI Images). The data matrix is formed by considering the higher sub‐bands of multiscale decompositions. Performance of multiscale ICA is evaluated and compared with the ICA algorithms using simulated signals and different medical images using Amari performance index and Comon test values. Results show that API and Comon test values are less for multiscale ICA for simulated signals. In case of pathological images, the features are separated correctly by multiscale ICA. Multiscale ICA performs better than simple ICA for separation and detection of independent components from medical images (fundus images), such as blood vessels and artifacts. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 23, 327–337, 2013