bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Histone deacetylase inhibitory effect of Brazilian propolis and its association with the antitumor effect in Neuro2a cells
Authors: Ishiai Shinobu , Tahara Wataru , Yamamoto Etsuko , Yamamoto Rindai , Nagai Kaoru 
Published: June 2014

AbstractPropolis is a resinous product produced by honey bees and is known to have antitumor functions. On the other hand, histone deacetylase (Hdac) inhibitors have recently attracted attention for their antitumor effects. In this study, we examined whether Brazilian green propolis has an Hdac inhibitory activity and its contribution on antitumor effects. By in vitro Hdac activity assay, Brazilian propolis extract (BPE) significantly inhibited the enzyme activity. Actually, BPE treatment increased the intracellular histone acetylation in Neuro2a cells. Regarding antitumor effect in Neuro2a cells, BPE treatment significantly decreased cell viability. An Hdac activator theophylline significantly attenuated the effect. Then, we analyzed whether the decreasing effect on cell number was caused by cell death or growth retardation. By live/dead cell staining, BPE treatment significantly increased the dead cell number. By cell cycle analysis, BPE treatment retarded cell cycle at the M‐phase. Both of these cellular effects were suppressed by addition of theophylline. These data indicate that BPE induced both cell death and growth retardation via Hdac inhibitory activity. We demonstrated that Brazilian propolis bears regulatory functions on histone acetylation via Hdac inhibition, and the effect contributes antitumor functions. Our data suggest that intake of Brazilian propolis shows preventing effects against cancer.
Exploring the Use of Dye‐Sensitisation by Visible‐Light as New Approach to Self‐Cleaning Textiles
Authors: Afzal Shabana , Daoud Walid A. , Langford Steven J. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractPhotocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants by self‐cleaning textiles is an efficient method to create green environment and minimise energy consumption. In this work, the concept of dye‐sensitised self‐cleaning textiles has been introduced by incorporating monolayers of meso‐tetra(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) on the surface of titania‐coated cotton against methylene blue. Different complexes of TCPP (M = 2H, Fe, Co, Zn, Cu) have been trialled and evaluated for photocatalytic activity and stability. Cotton fabrics coated with TCPP show superior photochemical activity as compared to TiO2‐coated fabrics under visible‐light irradiation. The free base derivative availed the highest photocatalytic efficiency when compared to the metal complexes with Cu∼Fe > Co > Zn. In terms of stability, meso‐tetra(4‐car‐boxyphenyl)porphyrinato copper(II) showed significant stabilisation under photocatalytic conditions when compared to the metal‐free porphyrin and other metal complexes (Cu ≫ Co > 2H > Zn∼Fe). Porphyrins offer great potential in visible‐light self‐cleaning applications.
The role of reaction kinetics and mass transfer in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 in monolithic reactors
Authors: Muñoz Emilio , Marín Pablo , Ordóñez Salvador , Díez Fernando V. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractBACKGROUNDEnvironmental regulations are moving to tighter control of NOx emissions produced at both stationary and mobile sources. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3 is an efficient treatment technique capable of operating at high gas flow rates (e.g. using monolithic catalysts) and a wide range of NO concentrations. The aim of this work is to provide guidelines for designing this kind of reactor taking into account both intrinsic kinetics and mass transfer.RESULTSExperiments have been done in lab‐scale (0.5 g) and bench‐scale (430 g) reactors operating under different conditions: temperature (150–320 °C), space velocity (WHSV 5360–16100 mol h−1 kgcat−1), oxygen concentration (0–21%) and NH3/NO ratio (0.2–1.2). Temperature has a great influence on the reaction rate, and at least 300 °C is required at a WHSV of 16100 mol h−1 kgcat−1. Oxygen is required in the feed because it participates as reactant in SCR.CONCLUSIONSData obtained from the lab‐scale reactor in the absence of mass transfer limitations have been used to fit an intrinsic kinetic model of the SCR reaction. A more complex model has been used for the bench‐scale reactor accounting for reaction kinetics and mass transfer (internal effectiveness factor was determined) in the monolithic catalyst. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Reduced effects of thyroid hormone on gene expression and metamorphosis in a paedomorphic plethodontid salamander
Authors: Aran Robert P. , Steffen Michael A. , Martin Samuel D. , Lopez Olivia I. , Bonett Ronald M. 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTIt has been over a century since Gudernatsch (1912, Wilhelm Roux Arch Entwickl Mech Org 35:457–483) demonstrated that mammalian thyroid gland extracts can stimulate tadpole metamorphosis. Despite the tremendous developmental diversity of amphibians, mechanisms of metamorphosis have mostly been studied in a few model systems. This limits our understanding of the processes that influence the evolution of developmental aberrations. Here we isolated thyroid hormone receptors alpha (TRα) and beta (TRβ) from Oklahoma salamanders (Eurycea tynerensis), which exhibit permanently aquatic (paedomorphic) or biphasic (metamorphic) developmental modes in different populations. We found that TRα and TRβ were upregulated by thyroid hormone (T3) in tail tissues of larvae from metamorphic populations, but basal levels of TR expression and T3 responsiveness were reduced in larvae from paedomorphic populations. Likewise, we found that T3 treatment resulted in complete loss of larval epibranchials in larvae from metamorphic populations, but little to no epibranchial remodeling occurred in larvae from paedomorphic populations over the same duration. This is the first study to directly demonstrate reduced gene expression and metamorphic responses to T3 in a paedomorphic plethodontid compared to metamorphic conspecifics, and the first salamander system to show differential expression of thyroid hormone receptors associated with alternative developmental patterns. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 322B: 294–303, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Simulating the climate of South Pacific islands using a high resolution model
Authors: Chattopadhyay Mohar , Katzfey Jack 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTDownscaled regional climate simulations for Fiji and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3) Global Coupled Models (GCMs) are carried out as part of the Pacific Climate Change Science Program (PCCSP) using the CSIRO stretched‐grid Conformal Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM) for the period 1980–2000. The model simulations are performed at 60 km and at 8 km horizontal resolutions. The higher resolution is chosen to partly resolve the detailed orography of the countries selected, providing insight into the spatial distribution of temperature and precipitation for an individual island that GCMs are unable to represent. The downscaling is carried out in two steps. First, CCAM simulations are run on a global 60 km grid using bias‐corrected sea surface temperatures (SST) and sea ice from six CMIP3 GCMs. Three of these 60 km simulations are then further downscaled to 8 km resolution over the two countries. The focus of this paper is validation of these high‐resolution simulations against gridded analyses, satellite rainfall climatologies and available station data for rainfall and temperature for the period 1980–2000. The results show that high resolution orography plays an important role in capturing the current climate. The validation demonstrates that the 8 km simulations are capable of realistically depicting the current climate when the topography influences the wind flow and rainfall (Fiji), performing better than both the GCMs and the 60 km downscaled simulations. However, the performance of the 8 km simulations is similar to the GCM and 60 km simulations when topographical features are not present (FSM).
Kinetics of Degradation of Biapenem
Authors: CIELECKA‐PIONTEK JUDYTA , ZALEWSKI PRZEMYSŁAW , GARBACKI PIOTR , JURA EWELINA , TALACZYŃSKA ALICJA 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTThe kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of biapenem degradation was conducted during acid–base hydrolysis, under the influence of buffer components and in the solid state at increased temperature (dry air) and relative air humidity (RH > 50%). The effects of the initial concentration of biapenem and the formation of degradation products on its stability were investigated.
Efficient Terpolymerization of Ethylene and Styrene with 1,7‐Octadiene by Aryloxo Modified Half‐Titanocenes–Cocatalyst Systems: Efficient Introduction of the Reactive Functionality
Authors: Apisuk Wannida , Nomura Kotohiro 
Published: June 2014

Terpolymerization of ethylene and styrene (St) with 1,7‐octadiene (OD) using aryloxo‐modified half‐titanocenes, Cp′ TiCl2(O‐2,6‐iPr2C6H3) [Cp′ = Cp* (1), tBuC5H4 (2), 1,2,4‐Me3C5H2 (3)], proceeds with high catalytic activity and efficient comonomer incorporation, affording high‐molecular‐weight polymers with unimodal molecular‐weight distributions (uniform compositions). An efficient introduction of the reactive functionality, terminal olefinic double bonds, into the side‐chain is attained by adopting this method by incorporation of OD without cyclization: the comonomer contents (St, OD) can be controlled by varying the comonomer concentration charged. The resultant polymers possess negligible resonance, ascribed to St–OD repeated insertion.
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Neuropeptides: Metabolism to Bioactive Fragments and the Pharmacology of Their Receptors
Authors: Hallberg Mathias 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThe proteolytic processing of neuropeptides has an important regulatory function and the peptide fragments resulting from the enzymatic degradation often exert essential physiological roles. The proteolytic processing generates, not only biologically inactive fragments, but also bioactive fragments that modulate or even counteract the response of their parent peptides. Frequently, these peptide fragments interact with receptors that are not recognized by the parent peptides. This review discusses tachykinins, opioid peptides, angiotensins, bradykinins, and neuropeptide Y that are present in the central nervous system and their processing to bioactive degradation products. These well‐known neuropeptide systems have been selected since they provide illustrative examples that proteolytic degradation of parent peptides can lead to bioactive metabolites with different biological activities as compared to their parent peptides. For example, substance P, dynorphin A, angiotensin I and II, bradykinin, and neuropeptide Y are all degraded to bioactive fragments with pharmacological profiles that differ considerably from those of the parent peptides. The review discusses a selection of the large number of drug‐like molecules that act as agonists or antagonists at receptors of neuropeptides. It focuses in particular on the efforts to identify selective drug‐like agonists and antagonists mimicking the effects of the endogenous peptide fragments formed. As exemplified in this review, many common neuropeptides are degraded to a variety of smaller fragments but many of the fragments generated have not yet been examined in detail with regard to their potential biological activities. Since these bioactive fragments contain a small number of amino acid residues, they provide an ideal starting point for the development of drug‐like substances with ability to mimic the effects of the degradation products. Thus, these substances could provide a rich source of new pharmaceuticals. However, as discussed herein relatively few examples have so far been disclosed of successful attempts to create bioavailable, drug‐like agonists or antagonists, starting from the structure of endogenous peptide fragments and applying procedures relying on stepwise manipulations and simplifications of the peptide structures.
Super‐microdissected local flaps for the coverage of temporal defects
Authors: Qassemyar Q. , Gianfermi M. , Sarfati B. , Leymarie N. , Kolb F. 
Published: June 2014

IntroductionSkin graft is still a method of choice for the coverage of temporal defects. But there are some disadvantages like a “patch” appearance, the need of dressing or longer healing time. Numbers of local flaps have been described for closing skin defects on temporal region. Yet, they may cause distortion of the surrounding tissues, especially in the temporal hairline and eyebrow. We present a series of seven local flaps based on small branches (SB) of the superficial temporal artery (STA) for the coverage of temporal defects, and discuss their advantages.Patients and MethodsSupermicrodissection of SB of the STA was performed to obtain local flaps for reconstruction of temporal defects after skin cancer excisions in seven patients. Patient's age ranged from 70 to 88 years old and the diameter of defects ranged from 4 to 6 cm. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia except one. In all cases, defects were obtained after skin cancer excisions. Results: The operative time ranged from 55 to 75 min. All flaps survived with an average follow‐up of 8 months, reconstructions have maintained a cosmetically pleasing result.ConclusionWe believe that SB flaps may be a new option for reconstruction of temporal defects with the advantages of local flaps, without the inconvenience of a skin pedicle. Moreover, these flaps raise the question of the use of SB based flaps for the coverage of moderate‐sized skin defects anywhere in the body, and open new fields in reconstructive surgery. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 34:554–557, 2014.
Aleatory uncertainty and scale effects in computational damage models for failure and fragmentation
Authors: Strack O.E. , Leavy R.B. , Brannon R.M. 
Published: June 2014

SummaryStress concentrations near grain boundaries, precipitates, and similar micro‐heterogeneities nucleate instabilities leading to macroscale fracture. As it is not practical to model each flaw explicitly, their ensemble effect is modeled statistically. Accounting for this aleatory uncertainty requires smaller specimens (e.g., small finite elements) to have generally higher and more variable strengths, which is necessary for the initial failure probability of a finite domain to be unaffected by its discretization into elements. Localization itself, which might be attributed to constitutive instability, requires realistic numerical perturbations to predict bifurcations such as radial cracking in axisymmetric problems. These perturbations, stemming from microscale heterogeneity, are incorporated in simulations by imposing statistical spatial variability in the parameters of an otherwise conventional (deterministic and scale‐independent) damage model. This approach is attractive for its algorithmic simplicity and straightforward calibration from standard strength tests. In addition, it results in virtually no loss of efficiency or robustness relative to deterministic models and accommodates general three‐dimensional loading. Despite these advantages, some significant challenges remain and are discussed. However, it is demonstrated that including aleatory uncertainty with associated scale effects significantly improves predictiveness on large‐scale computational domains, where it is impractical to resolve each crack or localization zone.Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation of polymeric vesicles through ultrasonic treatment of poly(styrene‐block‐2‐vinylpyridine) micelles under alkaline conditions
Authors: Liu Jinhao , Song Lianlian , Zhang Xiaokai , Li Xue 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTAn approach for the preparation of block copolymer vesicles through ultrasonic treatment of polystyrene‐block‐poly(2‐vinyl pyridine) (PS‐b‐P2VP) micelles under alkaline conditions is reported. PS‐b‐P2VP block copolymers in toluene, a selective solvent for PS, form spherical micelles. If a small amount of NaOH solution is added to the micelles solution during ultrasonic treatment, organic‐inorganic Janus‐like particles composed of the PS‐b‐P2VP block copolymers and NaOH are generated. After removal of NaOH, block copolymer vesicles are obtained. A possible mechanism for the morphological transition from spherical micelles to vesicles or Janus‐like particles is discussed. If the block copolymer micelles contain inorganic precursors, such as FeCl3, hybrid vesicles are formed, which may be useful as biological and chemical sensors or nanostructured templates. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014, 52, 953–959
The Effects of Yield Stress and Casing Thickness on Blast Impulse and Fragment Velocity
Authors: Hutchinson Michael D. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractA previous paper by the author [1] showed how his equation [2], based on the model first proposed by Gurney [3] for the blast impulse from cased munitions, can be modified to allow for the yield stress of the casing metal. This paper [1] also provided validation for this further equation from available experimental data. Further issues regarding the many smaller but significant interactions between the fracturing casing and the expanding gases need to be investigated before it can be said that a complete theory of blast impulse and fragment initial velocity is in place. In this paper, an approximate evaluation will be made of the potential effect and significance of kinetic energy losses, due to dissipation by means of casing strain energy dissipation. As expected, these losses are found to be most significant for thick, low density, high yield stress casings. The effect of finite casing thickness, also not previously considered, has been found to be small.
Distinguishing unfolding and functional conformational transitions of calmodulin using ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Jones Eric M. , Balakrishnan Gurusamy , Squier Thomas C. , Spiro Thomas G. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractCalmodulin (CaM) is a ubiquitous moderator protein for calcium signaling in all eukaryotic cells. This small calcium‐binding protein exhibits a broad range of structural transitions, including domain opening and folding–unfolding, that allow it to recognize a wide variety of binding partners in vivo. While the static structures of CaM associated with its various binding activities are fairly well‐known, it has been challenging to examine the dynamics of transition between these structures in real‐time, due to a lack of suitable spectroscopic probes of CaM structure. In this article, we examine the potential of ultraviolet resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy for clarifying the nature of structural transitions in CaM. We find that the UVRR spectral change (with 229 nm excitation) due to thermal unfolding of CaM is qualitatively different from that associated with opening of the C‐terminal domain in response to Ca2+ binding. This spectral difference is entirely due to differences in tertiary contacts at the interdomain tyrosine residue Tyr138, toward which other spectroscopic methods are not sensitive. We conclude that UVRR is ideally suited to identifying the different types of structural transitions in CaM and other proteins with conformation‐sensitive tyrosine residues, opening a path to time‐resolved studies of CaM dynamics using Raman spectroscopy.
Fine tuning of the catalytic activity of colicin E7 nuclease domain by systematic N‐terminal mutations
Authors: Németh Eszter , Körtvélyesi Tamás , Thulstrup Peter W. , Christensen Hans E. M. , Kožíšek Milan , Nagata Kyosuke , Czene Anikó , Gyurcsik Béla 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThe nuclease domain of colicin E7 (NColE7) promotes the nonspecific cleavage of nucleic acids at its C‐terminal HNH motif. Interestingly, the deletion of four N‐terminal residues (446–449 NColE7 = KRNK) resulted in complete loss of the enzyme activity. R447A mutation was reported to decrease the nuclease activity, but a detailed analysis of the role of the highly positive and flexible N‐terminus is still missing. Here, we present the study of four mutants, with a decreased activity in the following order: NColE7 >> KGNK > KGNG ∼ GGNK > GGNG. At the same time, the folding, the metal‐ion, and the DNA‐binding affinity were unaffected by the mutations as revealed by linear and circular dichroism spectroscopy, isothermal calorimetric titrations, and gel mobility shift experiments. Semiempirical quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that K446, K449, and/or the N‐terminal amino group are able to approach the active centre in the absence of the other positively charged residues. The results suggested a complex role of the N‐terminus in the catalytic process that could be exploited in the design of a controlled nuclease.
Arena da Amazônia, Manaus
Authors: Göppert Knut , Stockhusen Knut , Grotz Sebastian 
Published: June 2014

AbstractIm März 2010 fand die feierliche Grundsteinlegung für das FIFA WM Stadion in Manaus statt. Das als einfaches aber hocheffizientes Gebäude geplante Stadion stellt das Herzstück eines Sportparks in einem der wichtigsten Zentren des Ökotourismus in Südamerika dar. Es lag nahe, für das Leitbild des Entwurfs regelmäßige Strukturen technisch zu interpretieren, die in der Manaus alles umgebenden Natur vorkommen. Die Riesenseerose Victoria Regia, ein perfektes Vogelnest oder ein aus Palmblättern geflochtener regionaler Korb, alles lässt sich hier wiederfinden. Das Resultat ist die nun fertiggestellte intelligente, rautenförmige Stahlgitterschalenstruktur, die an Dach und Fassade mit, in der Äquatorsonne hell leuchtenden, Membranpaneelen eingedeckt ist (Bilder 1 und 2).Arena da Amazônia, Manaus. The basic and efficient new Stadium in Manaus, inaugurated in March 2014, forms the centre part of a large sports complex. For the design of a stadium, situated in one of the most important hubs of eco tourism in South America, a technical interpretation of natural structures have been performed. It seemed to be obvious to interpret technically all the regular structures which can be found in the Manaus completely surrounding nature. The giant water lily Victoria Regia, a perfect bird’s nest or a local basket woven from palm leafs, everything can be interpreted. The result is the now completed intelligent diamond‐shaped steel grid shell structure, which is covered at roof and facade by in the equatorial sun brightly shining membrane panels (Figs. 1 and 2).
Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Göppert Knut , Stockhusen Knut , Moschner Thomas 
Published: June 2014

Abstract200000 Zuschauer beim WM‐Spiel zwischen Brasilien und Uruguay 1950, 195000 beim Lokalderby zwischen Fluminense und Flamengo 1963, Pelé, Ghiggia, Sinatra, Johannes Paul II: Zahlen und Namen, die den Mythos Maracanã begründen. Es gibt wohl nur wenige Gebäude auf der Welt, die in der vergleichsweise kurzen Zeit ihres Bestehens eine derartige Bedeutung und Bekanntheit erlangten. Weltweit verbinden Fußballfans mit diesem Namen große Momente des Sports. “Templo sagrado no país do futebol“ – der heilige Tempel im Land des Fußballs, so nennen die Brasilianer ihr Maracanã. Umso mehr freuen wir uns, dass wir beim Umbau des Stadions für die WM 2014 mitwirken und ihm ein neues und – wie wir meinen – schönes Dach aufs Haupt setzen durften.Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro. 200000 spectators at the World Cup game between Brazil and Uruguay in 1950, 195000 at the local derby between Fluminense and Flamengo in 1963, Pelé, Ghiggia, Sinatra, John Paul II: numbers and names that formed the myth of Maracanã. There are probably only few buildings in the world which gained such importance and prominence in the comparatively short period of its existence. Soccer fans worldwide associate great moments of sport with this name. “Templo Sagrado no país do futebol” – the Holy Temple in the country of football, this is how the Brazilians call their Maracanã. The more we are delighted about our contribution in the reconstruction of the stadium for the World Cup 2014 and in putting a new and – as per our opinion – beautiful roof on top of its head.