bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nylon 66 nanofibers prepared by CO2 laser supersonic drawing
Authors: Suzuki Akihiro , Mikuni Takumi , Hasegawa Toshinori 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTNylon 66 nanofibers were prepared by irradiating as‐spun nylon 66 fibers with radiation from a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser while drawing them at supersonic velocities. A supersonic jet was generated by blowing air into a vacuum chamber through the fiber injection orifice. The fiber diameter depended on the drawing conditions used, such as laser power, chamber pressure, laser irradiation point, and fiber supply speed. A nanofiber obtained at a laser power of 20 W and a chamber pressure of 20 kPa had an average diameter of 0.337 μm and a draw ratio of 291,664, and the drawing speed in the CO2 laser supersonic drawing was 486 m s−1. The nanofibers showed two melting peaks at about 257 and 272°C. The lower melting peak is observed at the same temperature as that of the as‐spun fiber, whereas the higher melting peak is about 15°C higher than the lower one. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40015.
Fabrication and modification of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene‐based heterogeneous ion‐exchange membranes by plasma treatment: Investigation of the nanolayer deposition rate and temperature effects
Authors: Zendehnam Akbar , Robatmili Nasrin , Hosseini Sayed Mohsen , Arabzadegan Mina , Madaeni Sayed Siavash 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTOur target in this study was the preparation of electrodialysis ion‐exchange membranes with appropriate properties for applications in water recovery and treatment. Composite mixed‐matrix, anion‐exchange membranes were prepared by a solution casting technique with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene as a base binder, resin powder as a functional group agent, activated carbon as an adsorptive filler, and an Ag nanolayer as a surface modifier. The Ag nanolayer was used with a magnetron sputtering method. The effect of the nanolayer deposition rate (Rq) and substrate and annealing temperatures on the physicochemical characteristics of the membranes were studied. The X‐ray diffraction results show that average grain size of the nanolayer and membrane crystallinity were improved with increasing Rq. The atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results show that the membrane roughness was enhanced with increasing Rq. The height distribution results also show the best height distribution for the modified membrane at low Rq. The selectivity and flux decreased with increasing nanolayer Rq in the membranes. The selectivity was also decreased initially with increases in the substrate and annealing temperatures from 300 to 325 K in the membranes and then showed an increasing trend. An opposite trend was found for flux with variations in the temperature. The modified membrane containing a 20‐nm Ag nanolayer at low Rq showed better performance compared to the other modified membranes and the pristine one. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40025.
Flocking Algorithms in Networks with Directed Switching Velocity Interaction Topologies
Authors: Atrianfar Hajar , Haeri Mohammad 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTThis paper studies flocking algorithms for multi‐agent systems with directed switching velocity interaction topologies. It is assumed that the position information of each agent is available for agents within its neighborhood region of radius r, however, they communicate the velocity information between each other through unidirectional links modeled by a particular class of directed topologies. A new energy function is defined to analyze the global stability and a sufficient condition is derived for asymptotic flocking in the face of switching topologies. The proposed control strategy guarantees the achievement of desired formations, while avoiding collisions among agents. It also ensures velocity agreement under suitable conditions in a variety of real networks with greatly reduced velocity data exchange. Moreover, a leader‐follower framework is formulated for the described class of interaction topologies and it is shown that a more relaxed condition is required to achieve the desired performance. Finally, several simulations are performed to illustrate and confirm the theoretical results obtained.
The regulation of iron transport
Authors: Frazer David M. , Anderson Gregory J. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIron is an essential nutrient, but its concentration and distribution in the body must be tightly controlled due to its inherent toxicity and insolubility in aqueous solution. Living systems have successfully overcome these potential limitations by evolving a range of iron binding proteins and transport systems that effectively maintain iron in a nontoxic and soluble form for much, if not all, of its time within the body. In the circulation, iron is transported to target organs bound to the serum iron binding protein transferrin. Individual cells modulate their uptake of transferrin‐bound iron depending on their iron requirements, using both transferrin receptor 1‐dependent and independent pathways. Once inside the cell, iron can be chaperoned to sites of need or, if in excess, stored within ferritin. Iron is released from cells by the iron export protein ferroportin1, which requires the ferroxidase activity of ceruloplasmin or hephestin to load iron safely onto transferrin. The regulation of iron export is controlled predominantly at the systemic level by the master regulator of iron homeostasis hepcidin. Hepcidin, in turn, responds to changes in body iron demand, making use of a range of regulatory mechanisms that center on the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the field of iron metabolism and outlines the key components of the iron transport and regulation systems. © 2013 BioFactors, 40(2):206–214, 2014
Development and validation of an LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method for the quantitation of hemslecin A in rhesus monkey plasma and its application in pharmacokinetics
Authors: Bai Min , Li Hong‐Liang , He Jian‐Chang , He Gong‐Hao , Feng En‐Fu , Liu Yue‐Qiong , Shi Pan‐Pan , Xu Gui‐Li 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTIn this study, a new LC‐ESI‐MS/MS‐based method was validated for the quantitation of hemslecin A in rhesus monkey plasma using otophylloside A as internal standard (IS). Hemslecin A and the IS were extracted from rhesus monkey plasma using liquid–liquid extraction as the sample clean‐up procedure, and were subjected to chromatography on a Phenomenex Luna CN column (150 × 2.0 mm, 3.0 µm) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.02 mol/mL ammonium acetate (55:45, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection was performed on an Agilent G6410B tandem mass spectrometer by positive ion electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 580.5 [M + NH4]+ → 503.4 and m/z 518.2 [M + NH4]+ → 345.0 for hemslecin A and IS, respectively. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.5–200 ng/mL and was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rhesus monkeys. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of amino acid neurotransmitters in rat hippocampi by HPLC‐UV using NBD‐F as a derivative
Authors: Wu Xiaomeng , Wang Rui , Jiang Qingqing , Wang Shue , Yao Yao , Shao Lihua 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTA simple, rapid and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet–visible detection was developed for the determination of five amino acid neurotransmitters – aspartate, glutamic acid, glycine, taurine and γ‐aminobutyric acid – in rat hippocampi with pre‐column derivatization with 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitrobenzofurazan. Several conditions which influenced derivatization and separation, such as pH, temperature, acetonitrile percentage mobile phase and flow rate, were optimized to obtain a suitable protocol for amino acids quantification in samples. The separation of the five neurotransmitter derivatives was performed on a C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer (0.02 mol/L, pH 6.0)–acetonitrile (84:16, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with the column temperature at 30°C. The detection wavelength was 472 nm. Without gradient elution, the five neurotransmitter derivatives were completely separated within 15 min. The linear relation was good in the range from 0.50 to 500 µmol/L, and the correlation coefficients were ≥0.999. Intra‐day precision was between 1.8 and 3.2%, and inter‐day precision was between 2.4 and 4.7%. The limits of detection (signal‐to‐noise ratio 3) were from 0.02 to 0.15 µmol/L. The established method was used to determine amino acid neurotransmitters in rat hippocampi with satisfactory recoveries varying from 94.9 to 105.2%. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing lung transplantation: Case series and review of the literature
Authors: Jones Robert M. , Enfield Kyle B. , Mehrad Borna , Keeley Ellen C. 
Published: October 2013

BackgroundCoronary angiography is commonly performed prior to lung transplantation, but its utility is unproven.MethodsWe conducted a single‐center retrospective analysis of consecutive patients referred for coronary angiography as part of a pre‐operative evaluation for lung transplantation and reviewed the literature for prior series.ResultsA total of 89 patients, 48 men and 41 women were included. Obstructive (≥70% stenosis) CAD was present in 9 (10%), non‐obstructive (<70% stenosis) CAD in 24 (27%), and no angiographic evidence of CAD in 56 (63%) patients. We found 13 previously published series in the literature, in which a total of 1998 patients underwent coronary angiography pre‐lung transplant. Together with our 89 patients, obstructive CAD was found in 11%.ConclusionsIn conclusion, given the low prevalence of obstructive CAD in patients referred for lung transplantation, the inherent risk of angiography, and unproven benefit of detection of obstructive CAD, the utility of routine coronary angiography in this population requires validation in prospective studies. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Identification of Active Sites in a Realistic Model of Strong Metal–Support Interaction Catalysts: The Case of Platinum (1 1 1)‐Supported Iron Oxide Film
Authors: Giordano Livia , Pacchioni Gianfranco , Noguera Claudine , Goniakowski Jacek 
Published: October 2013

AbstractWe report DFT+U results on oxygen adsorption and extraction characteristics obtained for a realistic model of a strong metal–support interaction catalyst, exemplified by a Pt(1 1 1)‐supported FeOx ultra‐thin film. Derived from recent experimental results, the model enables a coherent analysis of the activity towards oxygen at a large variety of sites, which range from FeO and FeO2 oxide terraces to different oxide–metal and oxide–oxide boundaries. We show that the trends in calculated adsorption and desorption energetics are to a large extent specific to the small thickness of the supported oxides and are mainly driven by electron exchange with the underlying metal substrate. The thorough mapping of the activity of different local surface environments enables the identification of the sites that are most likely responsible for the observed low‐temperature activity of FeOx/Pt films in CO oxidation. Beyond the oxide–metal boundaries known for their higher activity than the separate materials, we find that the sites at boundaries between the coexisting oxide phases of different compositions can easily adsorb and release oxygen.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Desulfitative Cross‐Coupling of Sodium Arylsulfinates with Aryl Bromides and Chlorides: An Alternative Convenient Synthesis of Biaryls
Authors: Zhou Chao , Li Yaming , Lu Yang , Zhang Rong , Jin Kun , Fu Xinmei , Duan Chunying 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAn alternative method for synthesis of biaryls has been developed through the Pd catalyzed desulfitative coupling reaction of sodium arylsulfinates with aryl bromides and chlorides. The procedure tolerates a variety of functional groups, such as cyano, formyl, acetyl, chloro, methoxy, trifluoromethyl and heteroaromatic unit. The desired products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields under relatively mild reaction conditions without additives, base or co‐catalyst.
Cocrystal Assembled by 1,2‐Diiodotetrafluorobenzene and Acridine via CI···N Halogen Bond and π‐hole···F Bonds
Authors: Gao Haiyue , Zhao Xiaoran , Wang Hui , Pang Xue , Jin Weijun 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe concepts on σ‐hole and π‐hole bonds are suggested. A cocrystal with repeated 8‐F‐atom unit as basic structural motif is assembled based on bifurcated CI···N···IC halogen/σ‐hole bond and antiparallel double π‐hole···F bonds by 1,2‐diiodotetrafluorobenzene and acridine and characterized well by XRD, powder XRD and solid 19F NMR, etc. Also the calculated interaction energies are −26.8 and −31.5 kJ/mol for bifurcated CI···N sp2 halogen bonds, and −14.3 kJ/mol for a pair of π‐hole···F bonds. In this system CI···N halogen bond has stronger competitive ability to CI···π halogen bond due to stronger basicity of N than π‐system in acridine. The combination of the halogen/σ‐hole and π‐hole bonds or together with other weak interactions could play a key role in assembling function materials, molecular recognition and design of drugs and so on.
A real‐time capable coherent data cache for multicores
Authors: Pyka Arthur , Rohde Mathias , Uhrig Sascha 
Published: October 2013

SUMMARYIn multicore systems, the concurrent access to shared data generates a bottleneck for the system performance. Cache coherence techniques have been introduced to enable fast access while preserving the data coherence, but these coherence protocols are critical in hard real‐time systems. Because the frequent inter‐cache communication leads to unpredictable interferences between the cores, the system's timing behaviour is hard to analyse. In this paper, we propose a new, hard real‐time capable strategy for multicore systems called on‐demand coherent cache (ODC2). The technique is based on marginal hardware extensions compared with noncoherent caches and the use of common synchronisation techniques. ODC2 provides coherent accesses to cached shared data as well as caching of private data. Because the presented strategy does not induce interferences between local caches, ODC2 is capable for hard real‐time systems. We present an evaluation of performance and scalability of ODC2 compared with two standard coherence protocols using a bus‐based multicore system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nuclear translocation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) as a quantitative pharmacodynamic parameter for tacrolimus
Authors: Maguire Orla , Tornatore Kathleen M. , O'Loughlin Kieran L. , Venuto Rocco C. , Minderman Hans 
Published: October 2013

AbstractNuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) is a family of transcription factors involved in regulating the immune response. The canonical NFAT pathway is calcium‐dependent and upon activation, NFAT is dephosphorylated by the phosphatase, calcineurin. This results in its translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and transcription of downstream target genes that include the cytokines IL‐2, IL‐10, and IFNγ. Calcineurin inhibitors including tacrolimus inhibit the NFAT pathway and are used as immunosuppressants in transplant settings to prevent graft rejection. There is, as yet, no direct means to monitor tacrolimus pharmacodynamics. In this study, a rapid, quantitative, image cytometry‐based measurement of nuclear translocation of NFAT1 is used to evaluate NFAT activation in T cells and its tacrolimus‐induced inhibition. A strong dose‐dependent correlation between NFAT1 inhibition and tacrolimus dose is demonstrated in vitro. Time kinetic analysis of NFAT1 inhibition in plasma from stable renal transplant recipients before and after an in vivo dose with tacrolimus correlated with the expected pharmacokinetic profile of tacrolimus. This was further corroborated by analysis of patients' autologous CD4 and CD8 T cells. This is the first report to show that the measurement of NFAT1 activation potential by nuclear translocation can be used as a direct, sensitive, reproducible and quantitative pharmacodynamic readout for tacrolimus action. These results, and the rapid turnaround time for this assay, warrant its evaluation in a larger clinical setting to assess its role in therapeutic drug monitoring of calcineurin inhibitors. © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Dyslexia and Early Intervention: What Did We Learn from the Dutch Dyslexia Programme?
Authors: van der Leij Aryan 
Published: October 2013

Part of the Dutch Dyslexia Programme has been dedicated to early intervention. The question of whether the genetically affected learning mechanism of children who are at familial risk (FR) of developing dyslexia could be influenced by training phoneme awareness and letter–sound associations in the prereading phase was investigated. The rationale was that intervention studies reveal insights about the weaknesses of the learning mechanisms of FR children. In addition, the studies aimed to gather practical insights to be used in the development of a system of early diagnosis and prevention.Focused on the last period of kindergarten before formal reading instruction starts in Grade 1, intervention methods with comparable samples and designs but differences in delivery mode (use of computer or manual), tutor (semi‐professional or parent), location (at school or at home), and additional practices (serial rapid naming or simple word reading) have been executed to test the hypothesis that the incidence and degree of dyslexia can be reduced. The present position paper summarizes the Dutch Dyslexia Programme findings and relates them to findings of other studies. It is discussed that the Dutch studies provide evidence on why prevention of dyslexia is hard to accomplish. It is argued that effective intervention should not only start early but also be adapted to the individual and often long‐lasting educational needs of children at risk of reading failure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the link between media coverage of anorexia and pro‐anorexic practices on the web
Authors: Yom‐Tov Elad , Boyd Danah M. 
Published: October 2013

ABSTRACTObjectiveLinks between media portrayals of celebrities and participation in activities related to anorexia are of interest to both researchers and practitioners but are difficult to study over long time periods and in large populations. Here we aim to determine the links between media portrayals of celebrities and online practices related to anorexia.MethodWe examined the Internet searching activities of 9.2 million people, focusing on searches related to known celebrities, especially those perceived by the public as suffering from anorexia, and on searches indicative of anorexic practices. Additionally, we tracked media attention of individual celebrities by monitoring all messages from Twitter related to those celebrities.ResultsWe found that a subset of users focus their browsing activities on celebrities perceived as anorexic. There was an increase of 14% in the hazard of performing anorexia‐related searches after searching for information on the celebrities most perceived as anorexic. Media attention of a celebrity was a trigger for search activity, and when focused on a celebrity perceived as anorexic, resulted in a 33% increase in hazard for carrying out anorexic searches. Strikingly, when media attention included a reference to anorexia, the hazard decreased by 22%.DiscussionOur findings suggest that it would be beneficial for media, when reporting on those celebrities who are known to suffer from anorexia, to include this information in their reporting. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2014; 47:196‐202)
Degradable polyurethane nanoparticles containing vegetable oils
Authors: Valério Alexsandra , da Rocha Sandro R. P. , Araújo Pedro H. H. , Sayer Claudia 
Published: October 2013

AbstractsThe development of colloidal delivery systems from degradable polyurethanes (PU) has attracted increasing interest as the highly variable synthetic chemistry of PU may be exploited to generate polymers having properties ranging from very soft elastomers to very rigid plastics. In this work, the synthesis of PU nanoparticles using isophorone diisocyanate, castor oil, and poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) as monomers and containing high amounts of vegetable oils as açaí oil and crodamol GTCCwas studied. The effect of surfactants Tween 80 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and of poly(ethylene glycol) molar masses 400, 600, and 1000 g/mol on the stability, size, and nanoparticle morphology was evaluated. Stable dispersions with sizes between 50–70 nm and 170–250 nm were achieved when, respectively, SDS and Tween 80 were used as surfactant. The polyol type used in the step polymerization in miniemulsion had a major effect on the molar mass of the resulting PU nanoparticles. The effect of poly(ethylene glycol) molar masses was more pronounced when Castor oil and Tween 80 were employed. Increasing the molar mass of PEG increased the average particle size and the molar mass of the PU. Finally, a strong reduction of the molar mass of the PU nanoparticles was observed in degradation assays when those were maintained during 30 days at 37°C and pH 7.0.Practical applications: Using natural renewable oil as polyol to obtain polyurethane nanoparticles combined with incorporation of other vegetable oil therein showed good results in terms of molar mass and nanoparticle size. The simple and straightforward procedure to prepare polyurethane nanoparticles containing vegetable oils by step polymerization in miniemulsion contributes to improve the application range of these polymers.
Performance of palm olein and modified rapeseed, sunflower, and soybean oils in intermittent deep‐frying
Authors: Aladedunye Felix , Przybylski Roman 
Published: October 2013

The frying performance of rapeseed, soybean, and sunflower oils with modified fatty acid composition, and palm olein (PALMO) was compared during a rotational frying operation. The frying was conducted at 185 ± 5°C for 6 days where French fries, battered chicken, and fish sticks were fried in succession. At the end of the frying period, high‐oleic rapeseed and sunflower oils exhibited a significantly higher frying stability than PALMO and other modified oils, based on total polar components (TPC), polymers, and non‐volatile carbonyl compounds formation (anisidine value (AV)). The rate of TPC formation was 2.9, 2.9, 3.2, 3.2, and 3.4% per frying day for high‐oleic low‐linolenic rapeseed (HOLLRAP), high‐oleic sunflower (HOSUN), mid‐oleic sunflower (MOSUN), low‐linolenic soybean (LLSOY), and PALMO, respectively. Although the contents of free fatty acids (FFA) in the used oils were significantly below the regulatory discard level, in PALMO formation of these compounds was 1.7 times higher compared to the modified oils. Color component formation and tocopherol degradation were also observed to be the highest in palm olein. A 15‐member consumer panel awarded HOLLRAP and HOSUN the highest overall sensory acceptance scores, while for LLSOY and PALMO the lowest.Practical applications: Although several frying oils are available in today's market, only a few of them can deliver satisfactory performance during extended frying operation. Thus, the search for the ideal frying oils/fats is an ongoing task. The present study assessed frying performance in the quest for the appropriate frying oils/fats in order to deliver healthy fried products with optimized nutritional qualities.
Iridium Catalysts with Chiral Bicyclic Pyridine–Phosphane Ligands for the Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Olefins
Authors: Quan Xu , Parihar Vijay Singh , Bera Milan , Andersson Pher G. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractNew bicyclic pyridine–phosphane ligands were prepared, and their iridium complexes were evaluated in asymmetric hydrogenation of trisubstituted olefins with non‐coordinating and weakly coordinating substituents. The iridium catalysts showed high reactivity and enantioselectivity for both types of olefins.