bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contrasting Mechanisms of Interferon‐α Inhibition by Intravenous Immunoglobulin After Induction by Immune Complexes Versus Toll‐like Receptor Agonists
Authors: Wiedeman Alice E. , Santer Deanna M. , Yan Wei , Miescher Sylvia , Käsermann Fabian , Elkon Keith B. 
Published: July 2013

ObjectivePlasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) produce high concentrations of interferon‐α (IFNα) following exposure to immune complexes containing nucleic acids. We previously reported that serum from healthy donors inhibits IFNα production by PDCs in response to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) immune complexes, and that inhibition is mediated, in part, by IgG. IgG is the major component of intravenous immunoglobulin and is well known to exert antiinflammatory properties. Although suppression of inflammation by the sialylated subfraction of IgG has been implicated in some models, the mechanism of IFNα inhibition by IgG and the importance of sialylation have not been studied.MethodsSLE immune complexes or synthetic Toll‐like receptor (TLR) agonists were used to stimulate total or individual cell–depleted human mononuclear cell cultures in the presence or absence of IgG, Fc fragments, F(ab′)2 fragments, and their sialylated or unsialylated subfractions. Cytokines were quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsWe identified 2 distinct mechanisms by which IgG inhibits IFNα production. First, IgG Fc fragments inhibited SLE immune complex–stimulated IFNα production via a sialic acid–independent mechanism, by inhibiting immune complex binding to Fcγ receptor IIa on PDCs. In contrast, the F(ab′)2 fragment of the sialylation‐enriched fraction of IgG inhibited TLR‐7 or TLR‐9 agonist–induced IFNα production but did not require the sialic acid residue itself. The inhibitory activity of IgG on TLR agonist–induced IFNα required monocyte production of prostaglandin E2, a potent suppressor of IFNα production by PDCs.ConclusionIgG attenuates IFNα production by PDCs by both cell surface receptor and intracellular pathways, depending on the nature of the inducing stimulus.
Substrate Engineering by Hexagonal Boron Nitride/SiO2 for Hysteresis‐Free Graphene FETs and Large‐Scale Graphene p–n Junctions
Authors: Xu Hua , Wu Juanxia , Chen Yabin , Zhang Haoli , Zhang Jin 
Published: July 2013

AbstractWe have explored an approach for the fabrication of intrinsic and hysteresis‐free graphene field‐effect transistors (FETs) and for the construction of graphene p–n junctions based on substrate engineering by hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN)/SiO2. The effect of various interfaces on the performance of the graphene FETs was systematically studied by constructing four types of graphene devices (graphene/SiO2 FETs, graphene/h‐BN FETs, h‐BN/graphene/SiO2 FETs, and h‐BN/graphene/h‐BN FETs). Graphene/SiO2 FETs and h‐BN/graphene/SiO2 FETs always exhibit large hysteresis before and after annealing, whereas graphene/h‐BN FETs and h‐BN/graphene/h‐BN FETs show intrinsic properties after annealing. Raman measurements also indicate that graphene on a SiO2 substrate contains large amounts of p‐doping, whereas that on a h‐BN substrate is intrinsic. Thus, the graphene/h‐BN interface gives intrinsic and hysteresis‐free graphene FETs, whilst the graphene/SiO2 interface affords p‐doping and a hysteresis effect in the graphene FETs. This result is because h‐BN serves as an insulation layer, which prevents charge trapping between the graphene and the charge traps at the graphene/SiO2 interface, which cause the hysteresis. In addition, the negligible electrostatic doping of h‐BN into graphene also ensures the intrinsic and hysteresis‐free properties of graphene/BN/SiO2 FETs. Moreover, benefitting from the p‐doped and intrinsic features of graphene on SiO2 and h‐BN substrates, respectively, large‐scale graphene p–n junction superlattices with great potential difference are constructed and integrated into photodetector arrays by substrate engineering with h‐BN/SiO2. Efficient hot carrier‐assisted photocurrent was generated by laser excitation at the junction under ambient conditions.
Development of an enantiomer selective microsampling assay for the quantification of ketorolac suitable for paediatric pharmacokinetic studies
Authors: Mohammed Baba S. , Engelhardt Thomas , Cameron Gary A. , Hawwa Ahmed F. , Helms Peter J. , McLay James S. 
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACTBackground: Ketorolac, a potent nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug used for pain control in children, exists as a racemate of inactive R (+) and active S (‐) enantiomers. Aim: To develop a microsampling assay for the enantioselective analysis of ketorolac in children. Methods: Ketorolac enantiomers were extracted from 50 µl of plasma by liquid–liquid extraction and separated on a ChiralPak AD‐RH. Detection was by a TSQ quantum triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionisation source operating in a positive ion mode. Five children (age 13.8 (1.6) years, weight 52.7 (7.2) kg), were administered intravenous ketorolac 0.5 mg/kg (maximum 10 mg) and blood samples were taken at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 h post administration. CL, VD and t1/2 were calculated based on non‐compartmental methods. Results: The standard curves for R (+) and S (‐) ketorolac were linear in the range 0–2000 ng/ml. The LLOQs of the method were 0.15 ng on column and 0.31 ng on column for R (+) and S (‐) ketorolac, respectively. The median (range) VD and CL of R (+) and S (‐) ketorolac were 0.12 l/kg (0.07–0.17), 0.017 l/h/kg (0.12–0.29) and 0.17 (0.09–0.31) l/kg, 0.049 (0.02–0.1) l/h/kg, p = 0.043), respectively. The median (range) elimination half‐life (t1/2) of the R (+) and S (‐) ketorolac was 5.0 h (2.5–5.8) and 3.1 h (1.8–4.4), p = 0.043), respectively. Conclusion: The development of a simple, rapid and reliable ketorolac assay suitable for paediatric PK studies is reported. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interaction capture using magnetic sensors
Authors: Sandilands Peter , Choi Myung Geol , Komura Taku 
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACTCapturing a close interaction between an actor and an object can be difficult as a result of occlusion and having to recreate the geometry of the scene accurately. In this paper, we propose a technique that allows us to capture the object's motion and geometry alongside the actor's movements and optionally the local environment, using a magnetic motion capture system and an RGB‐D sensor. This not only gives greater information when placing a character in a scene but enables us to digitally recreate the scene in motion without significant animator work after capture. The use of magnetic sensors prevents occlusion or marker confusion that is common in optical techniques when dealing with close interactions, as the magnetic sensors do not require direct line of sight to a camera. The geometry reconstruction ensures that the proportions of objects and surfaces the character interacts with are accurate and alleviates the need for an artist to model the object. We perform validation of the results by comparison with an optical system and show a variety of motions, such as using a screwdriver or removing a cap to drink from a bottle, that can be captured using our technique. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Enantioselective Separation and Simultaneous Determination of Tolperisone and Eperisone in Rat Plasma by LC‐MS/MS
Authors: Nageswara Rao R. , Satyanarayana Raju S. 
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACTTolperisone and eperisone used as muscle relaxants possess one chiral center each and exist as two optical isomers for each drug. Therefore, enantioselective assays to measure each enantiomer in biological matrices are of great importance. In the present study a simple and complete reverse‐phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method for separation and enantioselective determination of tolperisone and eperisone in rat plasma was developed. The analytes were extracted from rat plasma by a simple protein precipitation method with acetonitrile as the extraction solvent. The enantioselective separation of analytes was achieved on a Cellulose Tris (4‐chloro‐3‐methylphenylcarbamate) chiral column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile: 10 mM ammonium acetate in an isocratic mode of elution and mass spectrometric detection. The calibration curve for each enantiomer was found to be linear over 0.2 to 20 ng/mL for each enantiomer. The proposed method exhibited good intra‐ and interday precision (% CV) ranged between 0.95–6.05% and 1.11–8.21%, respectively. The intra‐ and interday accuracy for the proposed assay method ranged between 94.0–100.5% and 92.7–102.1%, respectively. The proposed method was validated as per regulatory guidelines. Chirality 25:622–627, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Application and optimisation studies of a zinc electrowinning process simulation
Authors: Mahon Michael , Peng Spencer , Alfantazi Akram 
Published: July 2013

AbstractUsing existing models, a zinc electrowinning cell house was simulated including electrowinning cells, electrolyte storage, and cooling towers. Optimisations and applications of the simulation were investigated as applicable to a cell house. Conditions were identified for achieving optimal current efficiency, energy consumption, and zinc production rate for a single cell and the entire cell house. The minimal energy consumption of the cell house was found to be larger than single cells primarily due to the lack of available control of the acid concentration. Water loss through cooling towers and the movement of a well‐mixed non‐interacting impurity was also tracked.
Kinetics of pure propane and n‐butane desorption from soybean oil
Authors: Novello Zuleica , Tres Marcus V. , Racoski Jéssica C. , Di Luccio Marco , Oliveira Jose V. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThis work reports experimental data on the desorption of pure propane and n‐butane from refined soybean oil at low pressures. The desorption parameters investigated were the overall solvent (normally gaseous at ambient conditions) content and solution stirring rate. Solvent mass fraction ranged from 1 to 10 wt% and stirring was studied in the interval between 0 and 200 rpm (equivalent to a Reynolds number 2 × 107). Results showed a fast solvent release from the binary propane–soybean oil system, while a relatively slower liberation was noticed for soybean oil−n‐butane, due possibly to the much smaller solubility exhibited by the former solvent. The experimental information reported in this work may be of great technological relevance, since no desorption data were found in the literature for the systems investigated in this work.
Image‐based cytometry reveals three distinct subsets of activated granulocytes based on phagocytosis and oxidative burst
Authors: McFarlin Brian K. , Williams Randall R. , Venable Adam S. , Dwyer Karen C. , Haviland David L. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractGranulocytes play a key role in innate immunity and the most common functional assays are phagocytosis and oxidative burst. The purpose of this technical note is to use image‐based flow cytometry to divide activated granulocytes into unique subsets based on their degree of phagocytosis and oxidative burst in response to different experimental incubations. Prior to the experiments, all reagents were titered to determine the lowest dose that resulted in an acceptable signal to noise ratio. Heparinized, whole blood (100 µl) was mixed with one of two bioparticles (E. coli and S. aureus) and DHE (10 µg/ml) and incubated for 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140 min in a 37°C water bath. An additional tube kept on ice was used as a negative control. All subsequent processing steps were completed on ice in the dark to minimize additional activation of cells. After the 37°C incubation, N‐ethylmaleimide (15 mM) was added to halt phagocytosis, preventing the uptake of additional microparticles. Suspensions were labeled with CD66b‐APC and CD45‐APCeFluor780 for 60 min and a fix/lyse solution was added. Prior to acquisition, 7AAD was added to stain nuclear DNA. A minimum of 5,000 granulocyte (CD66b+) events were acquired using a Millipore‐Amnis FlowSight equipped with blue (488 nm, 60 mW), red (642 nm, 100 mW), and side scatter (785 nm, 12 mW) lasers. Samples were compensated and analyzed using Amnis IDEAS software (v.5.0.983.0). Image‐based analysis allowed us to divide activated granulocytes into three distinct subsets, whose relative abundance changed as a function of both bioparticle type and incubation length. The method described in this technical note represents a potential novel adaptation to common methods of assessing granulocyte function. More research is needed to test and validate our image‐based method in clinical conditions that impair granulocyte function. © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Dry‐season water utilization by trees growing on thin karst soils in a seasonal tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, Southwest China
Authors: Liu Wenjie , Li Pengju , Duan Wenping , Liu Wenyao 
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACTStable isotopes were used to evaluate water utilization for three tree species (Cleistanthus sumatranus, Lasiococca comberi var. pseudoverticillata and Celtis wightii) growing on karst soils in the seasonal tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, Southwest China. The soil on the site is only 40 cm thick but was underlain by thick limestone bedrock with large water storage capacity. Dense radiational fog occurred frequently during the pronounced dry season. Isotope composition of water in xylem, soil and fog were analysed, and soil and stem porous water content were measured concurrently to determine the proportion of water deriving from fog, soil and bedrock by adult trees and seedlings at the peak of the dry season. Results indicated that C. wightii seedlings suffered stronger water stress and greatly relied on available moisture from fog (23.8% on average). This suggests that fog water was an important source for seedling growth during the pronounced dry season. In contrast, adult trees had little or negligible water uptake from fog moisture (3–7% on average) but derived around 63–85% of their water from bedrock sources. Water held within bedrock was essential for meeting plant transpiration requirements over the dry season drought. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and Characterization of Linker‐Armed Fucose‐Based Glycomimetics
Authors: Doknic Daniela , Abramo Morena , Sutkeviciute Ieva , Reinhardt Anika , Guzzi Cinzia , Schlegel Mark K. , Potenza Donatella , Nieto Pedro M. , Fieschi Franck , Seeberger Peter H. , Bernardi Anna 
Published: July 2013

AbstractGlycomimetic molecules can be used to antagonize the action of carbohydrate‐binding proteins (lectins) involved in biological processes of high relevance for human and plant disease. In this paper we describe the derivatization with appropriate linkers of a previously described glycomimetic containing an α‐fucosyl amide anchor that is known to act as antagonist of the dendritic cell lectin DC‐SIGN. Key steps of the functionalization were the stereoselective epoxidation of an intermediate β‐amino‐cyclohexene‐carboxylic acid derivative, followed by regioselective opening with 2‐chloroethanol. Introduction of the linker does not alter the DC‐SIGN binding properties of the molecule, as shown by Surface Plasmon Resonance and NMR studies. Whereas the fucose‐based anchor allows the mimic to interact efficiently with fucose‐binding lectins, the linker could also be exploited for the synthesis of glycodendrimers, as well as for the study of ligand interactions with commercially available lectins by array technology. In particular, a tetravalent fucosylated dendrimer was obtained that displayed a low‐micromolar range of activity against DC‐SIGN. Additionally, screening of the ligand against lectins with common fucose specificity in an array format allowed the lectin from the bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum (RSL) to be identified as a potential target protein and suggested that even simple glycomimetic structures can attain a significant amount of selectivity among lectins with analogous specificity.
Asymmetric Organocatalytic Benzylation of α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes with Toluenes
Authors: Dell'Amico Luca , Companyó Xavier , Naicker Tricia , Bräuer Thomas M. , Jørgensen Karl Anker 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThe direct organocatalytic enantioselective benzylation by using toluenes and α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes is presented. The reaction is catalyzed by tert‐butyldimethylsilyl‐protected diphenylprolinol in the presence of a mild organic base and proceeds with excellent yields and enantioselectivities up to >99 % ee. This reactivity is based on a synergistic effect between the iminium ion intermediate and the base‐activated toluene. Toluene derivatives having various electron‐withdrawing substituents were also applied in this unprecedented transformation. The synthetic potential is demonstrated by manipulations of the products to, for example, biologically active phenylbenzazepines.
Viscoelastic coupling dampers (VCDs) for enhanced wind and seismic performance of high‐rise buildings
Authors: Christopoulos Constantin , Montgomery Michael 
Published: July 2013

SUMMARYAs high‐rise buildings are built taller and more slender, their dynamic behavior becomes an increasingly critical design consideration. Wind‐induced vibrations cause an increase in the lateral wind design loads, but more importantly, they can be perceived by building occupants, creating levels of discomfort ranging from minor annoyance to severe motion sickness. The current techniques to address wind vibration perception include stiffening the lateral load‐resisting system, adding mass to the building, reducing the number of stories, or incorporating a vibration absorber at the top of the building; each solution has significant economic consequences for builders. Significant distributed damage is also expected in tall buildings under severe seismic loading, as a result of the ductile seismic design philosophy that is widely used for such structures.In this paper, the viscoelastic coupling damper (VCD) that was developed at the University of Toronto to increase the level of inherent damping of tall coupled shear wall buildings to control wind‐induced and earthquake‐induced dynamic vibrations is introduced. Damping is provided by incorporating VCDs in lieu of coupling beams in common structural configurations and therefore does not occupy any valuable architectural space, while mitigating building tenant vibration perception problems and reducing both the wind and earthquake responses of the structure.This paper provides an overview of this newly proposed system, its development, and its performance benefits as well as the overall seismic and wind design philosophy that it encompasses. Two tall building case studies incorporating VCDs are presented to demonstrate how the system results in more efficient designs. In the examples that are presented, the focus is on the wind and moderate earthquake responses that often govern the design of such tall slender structures while reference is made to other studies where the response of the system under severe seismic loading conditions is examined in more detail and where results from tests conducted on the viscoelastic material and the VCDs in full‐scale are presented. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Real‐time hybrid testing of a smart base isolation system
Authors: Chen Pei‐Ching , Tsai Keh‐Chyuan , Lin Pei‐Yang 
Published: July 2013

SUMMARYReal‐time hybrid testing is a very effective technique for evaluating the dynamic responses of rate‐dependent structural systems subjected to earthquake excitation. A smart base isolation system has been proposed by others using conventional low‐damping isolators and controllable damping devices such as magnetorheological (MR) dampers to achieve specified control target performance. In this paper, real‐time hybrid tests of a smart base isolation system are conducted. The simulation is for a base‐isolated two‐degrees‐of‐freedom building model where the superstructure and the low‐damping base isolator are numerically simulated, and the MR damper is physically tested. The target displacement obtained from the step‐by‐step integration of the numerical substructure is imposed on the MR damper, which is driven by three different control algorithms in real‐time. To compensate the actuator delay and improve the accuracy of the test, an adaptive phase‐lead compensator is implemented. The accuracy of each test is investigated by using the root mean square error and the tracking indicator. Experimental results demonstrate that the hybrid testing procedure using the proposed actuator compensation techniques is effective for investigating the control performance of the MR damper in a smart base isolation system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative analysis of the response of various land covers to an exceptional rainfall event in the central Spanish Pyrenees, October 2012
Authors: Lana‐Renault N. , Nadal‐Romero E. , Serrano‐Muela M. P. , Alvera B. , Sánchez‐Navarrete P. , Sanjuan Y. , García‐Ruiz J. M. 
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACTThe hydrological and geomorphological effects of an exceptional rainstorm event that occurred in the central Spanish Pyrenees during 19–21 October 2012 were studied in five experimental catchments under various land covers: (i) subhumid badlands; (ii) dense forest; (iii) an abandoned farmland area recolonized by shrubs and forest patches; and (iv) subalpine grasslands. Hydrographs and sedigraphs demonstrated that vegetation cover is a major factor affecting the control of floods even during exceptional rainstorms, at least at the spatial scale at which the phenomenon was studied (catchment sizes: 0.3–2.8 km2) and under dry catchment conditions. The combined precipitation over the two days (c. 250 mm) was the greatest for any two‐day event recorded since 1950 in the central‐western Pyrenees for all but one of the stations in the study. Five pulses of most intense rainfall were recorded. The forested catchment did not react to the two most intense rainfall pulses, because of the very low antecedent level of the water table. The main peak flow occurred only when at least a part of the catchment was saturated. The abandoned farmland catchment had two small peak discharges at the beginning of the event, which were produced by infiltration excess overland flow from eroded areas close to the main stream. During the third most intense rainfall period a large part of this catchment contributed to runoff and a relatively high peak discharge was produced. The badland catchment reacted immediately from the beginning of the rainstorm, yielding very high discharges accompanied by high suspended sediment concentrations. The subalpine catchment showed a hydrograph mirroring the hyetograph, with brief but intense hydrological responses to increased precipitation, because of the marked gradients and the presence of bare rock in the headwaters. A high volume of bedload was carried during the peak discharge. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.