bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Involvement of Akt2/protein kinase B β (PKBβ) in the 8‐Cl‐cAMP‐induced cancer cell growth inhibition
Authors: Choi Ki Young , Ahn Young Ho , Ahn Hae Won , Cho Young Jun , Hong Seung Hwan 
Published: September 2012

Abstract8‐chloro‐cyclic AMP (8‐Cl‐cAMP), which induces differentiation, growth inhibition, and apoptosis in various cancer cells, has been investigated as a putative anti‐cancer drug. However, the exact mechanism of 8‐Cl‐cAMP functioning in cancer cells is not fully understood. Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) genes (Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3) encode enzymes belonging to the serine/threonine‐specific protein kinase family. It has been suggested that Akt/PKB enhances cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis. Recently, we showed that 8‐Cl‐cAMP and 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) inhibited cancer cell growth through the activation of AMPK and p38 MAPK. Therefore, we anticipated that the phosphorylation of Akt/PKB would be decreased upon treatment with 8‐Cl‐cAMP. However, treatment with 8‐Cl‐cAMP and AICAR induced the phosphorylation of Akt/PKB, which was inhibited by ABT702 (an adenosine kinase inhibitor) and NBTI (an adenosine transporter inhibitor). Furthermore, whereas Compound C (an AMPK inhibitor), AMPK‐DN (AMPK‐dominant negative) mutant, and SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) did not block the 8‐Cl‐cAMP‐induced phosphorylation of Akt/PKB, TCN (an Akt1/2/3 specific inhibitor) and an Akt2/PKBβ‐targeted siRNA inhibited the 8‐Cl‐cAMP‐ and AICAR‐mediated phosphorylation of AMPK and p38 MAPK. TCN also reversed the growth inhibition mediated by 8‐Cl‐cAMP and AICAR. Moreover, an Akt1/PKBα‐targeted siRNA did not reduce the phosphorylation of AMPK and p38 MAPK after treatment with 8‐Cl‐cAMP. These results suggest that Akt2/PKBβ activation promotes the phosphorylation of AMPK and p38 MAPK during the 8‐Cl‐cAMP‐ and AICAR‐induced growth inhibition. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 890–902, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
THE ROLE OF TRADE UNIONS IN VIETNAM: A CASE STUDY OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
Authors: Torm Nina 
Published: September 2012

AbstractOn the basis of matched employer–employee data from 2007 to 2009, this paper examines the union wage gap among small and medium non‐state manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam. Controlling for both worker and firm characteristics, the results provide evidence that union members earn higher wages than non‐members, and are more likely to receive social benefits. Within unionised firms, a substantial wage premium is revealed for workers employed in Southern firms, a finding which among other factors may be attributed to historical differences between the North and South of Vietnam. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polyimide‐free LCD by dissolving dendrimers
Authors: Momoi Yuichi , Kwak Musun , Choi Donsik , Choi Youngseok , Jeong Kyongdeuk , Koda Tomonori , Haba Osamu , Yonetake Koichiro 
Published: September 2012

AbstractVertical alignment (VA) and in‐plane switching modes have been widely used for liquid crystal displays (LCDs). They require a polyimide (PI) alignment layer in the pixel structure. PI‐free LCDs have been proposed to exploit the VA of liquid crystals (LCs) obtained by dissolving dendrimers without PI. In this paper, we report a new PI‐free VA mode with a pixel structure that has in‐plane electrodes. The PI‐free VA is achieved by dissolving an LC dendrimer in a positive LC mixture. We measured the test cell properties and obtained a lower voltage and a higher brightness in the voltage–brightness curve. In addition, we analyzed the alignment surface of LC dendrimer by time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy observations. We found that dendrimer molecules are uniformly adsorbed on the glass surface and that the layer was generally one molecule thick. These properties are responsible for the lower voltage and higher brightness of the PI‐free VA mode. The use of dendrimers allows the PI process to be omitted and reduces the power consumption of the VA mode. It is thus possible to reduce the high manufacturing costs and improve the performance of the VA mode.
Recovery and immobilization of lead in cathode ray tube funnel glass by a combination of reductive and oxidative melting processes
Authors: Okada Takashi , Inano Hiroyuki , Hiroyoshi Naoki 
Published: September 2012

AbstractReductive melting treatment has been reported to be an effective method to recover lead from funnel glass in used cathode ray tubes, but a small amount of lead, a potential contaminant, remains in the treated glass. This paper applied a combination process of reductive and oxidative melting to the funnel glass to recover and immobilize lead in the glass. The funnel glass was melted in a lab‐scale reactor changing the atmosphere, and the effects of the temperature and the Na2CO3 dosage on the efficiencies of the lead recovery and immobilization were investigated. In the reductive melting, the lead recovery was promoted by increasing the Na2CO3 dosage, however the lead extraction from the glass into water and hydrochloric acid was increased. Although the content of lead in the glass after the reductive melting was low, the lead extraction into water and the acid was larger than 0.01 mg‐Pb/L‐water and 150 mg‐Pb/kg‐glass, respectively (Japanese environmental criteria). The lead extraction was decreased by the oxidative melting with SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, and NaNO3. In the proposed method, metallic lead was recovered from the funnel glass with high lead recovery, and the lead remaining in the glass was immobilized to meet the Japanese environmental criteria.
The effects of predator removal on mallard production and population change in northeastern North Dakota
Authors: Amundson Courtney L. , Pieron Matthew R. , Arnold Todd W. , Beaudoin Laura A. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIn 1994, Delta Waterfowl Foundation began trapping mammalian meso‐predators in North Dakota during the breeding season in an attempt to increase waterfowl nest success and enhance recruitment into the fall flight and subsequent breeding population. Multiple studies on these sites demonstrated that removing predators results in near doubling of nest success, which previous simulation modeling suggests is the most influential vital rate influencing the population growth rate of mid‐continent mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We present an assessment of the impact of predator removal on mallard production using population models. We conducted this study on 9 township‐sized (93.2 km2) sites (4–8 sites annually per vital rate) in northeastern North Dakota from 2006–2008. Trappers removed mammalian meso‐predators on 5 sites and the other 4 served as unmanaged reference sites. To estimate recruitment, we used derived estimates and process variance of pair numbers, hen success (nest survival corrected for renesting), initial brood size, pre‐fledging survival, and post‐fledging survival, along with previously published estimates of breeding propensity and adult female survival rates. Trapped sites had greater hen success (H = 0.69, ${\rm {\hat {\sigma }}}$ = 0.03) than reference sites (H = 0.53, ${\rm {\hat {\sigma }}}$ = 0.06), but similar indicated breeding pairs, initial brood size, and pre‐fledging survival. We estimated that females on trapped sites added 140 more mallards of both sexes to the fall flight than females on reference sites, at an approximate cost of $74.29 per incremental mallard. Additionally, trapping predators provided a marginal increase (0.04) in finite population growth. We found that predator removal targeted at mammalian nest predators did not produce as many incremental mallards as previously thought and may not be a viable strategy for increasing mallard productivity under conditions similar to those observed during this study. We conducted a sensitivity analysis and determined that pre‐fledging survival was the most influential factor regulating mallard population growth. Although hen success increased as a result of trapping, duckling survival became a limiting factor. We suggest that waterfowl managers assess multiple vital rates to determine the likelihood that management actions focused on a single parameter, such as nest success, will yield desired population level effects. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
The link between feeding ecology and lead poisoning in white‐tailed eagles
Authors: Nadjafzadeh Mirjam , Hofer Heribert , Krone Oliver 
Published: September 2012

AbstractLead poisoning affects numerous threatened raptors and is a major cause of death in white‐tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla). A major reason for intoxication is assumed to be lead fragments ingested while feeding on game animals killed by lead‐based projectiles. However, empirical evidence on the relevance of carrion in raptor diets remains scarce. We therefore investigated the link between raptor feeding ecology and lead poisoning, with white‐tailed eagles as a model species for scavenging birds. We collected data on seasonal diet composition and food availability of 7 territorial white‐tailed eagle pairs in northeastern Germany. We also analyzed stomach contents (SCs) of 126 eagles found dead from 1996 to 2008 throughout Germany. Multiple regression models revealed that fish were the primary prey for eagles, and waterfowl and carcasses of game mammals comprised a large portion of alternative diet components. Eagles used individual foraging tactics, adjusted to local food supply, to maximize profitability. They showed a type II functional response to fish availability. When fish availability sharply declined, eagles switched to waterfowl and carrion. The consumption of game mammal carrion increased over autumn and winter and was positively correlated with a concomitant seasonal increase in the incidence of lead poisoning in eagles throughout Germany. The stomachs of lead‐poisoned eagles predominantly contained game ungulate remains. These results indicate that carcasses of game mammals were the major sources of lead fragments. The link between raptor feeding ecology and lead poisoning is the specific functional response of raptors to changing food availability or poor habitat quality, leading to scavenging on lead‐contaminated carrion. This shows that carrion constitutes a considerable threat to white‐tailed eagles and other birds with similar feeding habits as long as it contains lead bullet fragments. Conservation management of scavenging birds would be substantially improved if carrion was free of lead bullet fragments. One method to achieve this is the widespread introduction of lead‐free ammunition. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Density dependence: Applications in wildlife management
Authors: Guthery Fred S. , Shaw James H. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractKnowledge of density‐dependent processes is regarded as important for making decisions on the management of wildlife populations. Using published data on ungulates and upland game birds, we discuss density‐dependent effects on population growth, harvest management under the logistic model, and management to increase or decrease survival and production. Empirical data show density‐dependent growth for white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), ring‐necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), and northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus), although the logistic model provided, at best, an approximation of growth. Managing harvest according to logistic theory is rare for ungulates and upland game; we suspect this owes to scarce data on population growth and complexity in density‐dependent processes. Under density dependence, managing to increase production or survival may be self‐defeating because an increase in 1 demographic variable entails a decrease in the other for sustaining populations (λ = 1). The problem can be addressed by providing space for population growth (λ > 1), at least until growth re‐establishes the density‐dependent response (λ = 1). © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Variation in elk response to roads by season, sex, and road type
Authors: Montgomery Robert A. , Roloff Gary J. , Millspaugh Joshua J. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractDespite the near universal recognition that roads negatively affect wildlife, the mechanisms that elicit animal responses to roads are often ambiguous or poorly understood. We conducted a multi‐year, multi‐season study to assess the relative influence of roads on elk (Cervus elaphus) in a human‐dominated landscape in South Dakota. We evaluated the effects of habitat covariates including security cover, forage quality, distance to roads (primary, secondary, and tertiary), and visibility from roads at the home range scale. We radio‐collared 28 elk (21 adult females and 7 adult males) and calculated seasonal (winter, spring, summer, and autumn) utilization distributions (UDs). We assigned habitat covariates to use percentiles within the UDs (1% increments; from 1 to 98 percentiles) and used spatially explicit mixed linear regression to model the relationship between use percentile and habitat covariates. For each season and sex, we evaluated 15 candidate models and used Akaike's Information Criterion weights (ωi) to identify top‐ranking models. We plotted influential coefficients from these models with 95% confidence intervals to examine the magnitude of effects. Our analysis revealed fundamental differences in response to roads, by road type, between sexes, and across seasons. Male elk established home ranges near roads devoid of vehicle traffic in winter, spring, and autumn. In summer, coinciding with peak vehicle traffic levels, male elk reduced their use of habitat that was both visible from and close to primary roads. Female elk subherds similarly responded to primary roads in spring and autumn, during times of year when they were calving and mating, respectively. In spring and summer, female elk subherds selected habitat near roads that were closed to vehicle traffic. Forage quality and security cover were influential in the periphery (>50th use percentile) of elk home ranges, whereas road covariates were more influential towards the core of elk home ranges. This analysis further demonstrates the utility of visibility from road metrics and suggests that the retention of vegetation structures that screen visibility potential from roads could be important components of elk management strategies. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Characteristics of laser stimulation by near infrared pulses of retinal and vestibular primary neurons
Authors: Bec Jean‐Michel , Albert Emmanuelle S. , Marc Isabelle , Desmadryl Gilles , Travo Cécile , Muller Agnès , Chabbert Christian , Bardin Fabrice , Dumas Michel 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveThe optical stimulation of neurons from pulsed infrared lasers has appeared over the last years as an alternative to classical electric stimulations based on conventional electrodes. Laser stimulation could provide a better spatial selectivity allowing single‐cell stimulation without prerequisite contact. In this work we present relevant physical characteristics of a non‐lethal stimulation of cultured mouse vestibular and retinal ganglion neurons by single infrared laser pulses.Study Design/Materials and MethodsVestibular and retinal ganglion neurons were stimulated by a 100–400 mW pulsed laser diode beam (wavelengths at 1,470, 1,535, 1,875 nm) launched into a multimode optical fiber positioned at a few hundred micrometers away from the neurons. Ionic exchange measurements at the neuron membrane were achieved by whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings. Stimulation and damage thresholds, duration and repetition rate of stimulation and temperature were investigated.ResultsAll three lasers induced safe and reproducible action potentials (APs) on both types of neurons. The radiant exposure thresholds required to elicit APs range from 15 ± 5 to 100 ± 5 J cm−2 depending on the laser power and on the pulse duration. The damage thresholds, observed by a vital dye, were significantly greater than the stimulation thresholds. In the pulse duration range of our study (2–30 milliseconds), similar effects were observed for the three lasers. Measurements of the local temperature of the neuron area show that radiant exposures required for reliable stimulations at various pulse durations or laser powers correspond to a temperature increase from 22°C (room temperature) to 55–60°C. Stimulations by laser pulses at repetition rate of 1, 2, and 10 Hz during 10 minutes confirmed that the neurons were not damaged and were able to survive such temperatures.ConclusionThese results show that infrared laser radiations provide a possible way to safely stimulate retinal and vestibular ganglion neurons. A similar temperature threshold is required to trigger neurons independently of variable energy thresholds, suggesting that an absolute temperature is required. Lasers Surg. Med. 44: 736–745, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sub‐cellular tumor identification and markerless differentiation in the rat brain in vivo by multiphoton microscopy
Authors: Riemann Iris , Le Harzic Ronan , Mpoukouvalas Konstantinos , Heimann Axel , Kempski Oliver , Charalampaki Patra 
Published: September 2012

AbstractObjective/BackgroundAim of the current study was to localize and differentiate between tumor (glioma) and healthy tissue in rat brains on a cellular level. Near‐infrared multiphoton microscopy takes advantage of the simultaneous absorption of two or more photons to analyze various materials such as cell and tissue components via the observation of endogenous fluorophores such as NAD(P)H, FAD, porphyrins, melanin, elastin, and collagen, with a very high resolution, without inducing the problems of photo‐bleaching on out‐of‐focus areas.MethodsIn vitro and in vivo studies on healthy rat brains as well as C6 glioma cell line allografts have been performed. Near‐infrared laser pulses (λ = 690–1060 nm, τ ∼140 fs) generated by an ultrafast Ti:Sapphire tunable laser system (Chameleon, Coherent GmbH, Santa Clara, CA) were coupled into a laser scanning microscope (LSM 510 META, Carl Zeiss, Germany) to observe high quality images.ResultsSeveral image acquisitions have been performed by varying the zoom scale of the multiphoton microscope, image acquisition time and the wavelength (765, 840 nm) to detect various tissue components. With a penetration depth of ∼200 µm in vitro and about 30–60 µm in vivo into the brain tissue it was possible to differentiate between tumor and healthy brain tissue even through thin layers of blood.ConclusionNear‐infrared multiphoton microscopy allows the observation and possibly differentiation between tumor (glioma) and healthy tissue in rat brains on a cellular level. Our findings suggest that a further miniaturization of this technology might be very useful for scientific and clinical applications in neurosurgery. Lasers Surg. Med. 44: 719–725, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Glioma cell growth inhibition following photochemical internalization enhanced non‐viral PTEN gene transfection
Authors: Mathews Marlon S. , Shih En‐Chung , Zamora Genesis , Sun Chung‐Ho , Cho Soo Kyung , Kwon Young Jik , Hirschberg Henry 
Published: September 2012

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveOne of many limitations for cancer gene therapy is the inability of the therapeutic gene to transfect a sufficient number of tumor cells. Photochemical internalization (PCI) is a photodynamic therapy‐based approach for improving the delivery of macromolecules and genes into the cell cytosol. The utility of PCI for the delivery of the GFP reporter gene on the same plasmid as a tumor suppressor gene (PTEN) was investigated in monolayers of U251 human glioma cells and muticell U87 glioma spheroids.Materials and MethodsU251 monolayers or U87 spheroids were incubated in AlPcS2a and non‐viral vector polyplexes for 18 hours. In all cases, light treatment was performed with a diode laser at a wavelength of 670 nm. The non‐viral transfection agents, branched polyethylenimine (bPEI), or protamine sulfate (PS), were used with the plasmid constructs GFP/PTEN or GFP.ResultsPS/GFP polyplexes were much less toxic to the glioma cells compared to bPEI/GFP polyplexes but were highly inefficient at gene transfection if used alone. PCI resulted in a 5‐ to 10‐fold increase in GFP protein expression compared to controls. PCI‐bPEI/PTEN or PCI‐PS/PTEN transfection of either U251 monolayers or U87 spheroids significantly inhibited their growth. but had no effect on MCF‐7 cells containing a wild‐type PTEN gene. In addition PCI‐GFP transfection of gliomas cells had no effect on their growth pattern.ConclusionsCollectively, the results suggest that AlPcS2a‐mediated PCI can be used to enhance cell growth inhibition via transfection of tumor suppressor genes in glioma cells containing mutant PTEN genes. Lasers Surg. Med. 44: 746–754, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Versatile Polymer Co‐Network with Broadened Glass Transition Showing Adjustable Multiple‐Shape Memory Effect
Authors: Li Jing , Liu Tuo , Pan Yi , Xia Shuang , Zheng Zhaohui , Ding Xiaobin , Peng Yuxing 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIn this study, a versatile poly(methyl methacrylate)–poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) covalently crosslinked polymer co‐network (PMMA–PCL CPN) tethering all polymeric chains between netpoints is designed and prepared to develop a novel type of adjustable multiple‐shape memory polymers. The CPN is demonstrated to produce a broadening of glass transition and memorize up to four different shapes based on a single thermal transition for the first time, as the whole energy stored in the broad transition can be distributed into several parts for multi‐step shape fixation and recovery in one‐shape memory cycle. Furthermore, the versatile multiple‐shape memory effects from dual to quadruple can be adjusted simply by shifting the corresponding deformation temperatures on demands, without variation of material chemistry.
Synthesis of a Bifunctional Fluorescent Polymer for Cell Imaging and Enzyme Detection
Authors: Wen Quanshan , Zhu Chunlei , Liu Libing , Yang Qiong , Wang Shu , Zhu Daoben 
Published: September 2012

AbstractA new bifunctional cationic conjugated polyfluorene derivative (PFPBOH) containing phenylboronic acid group has been synthesized and characterized. The phenylfluorenyl backbone and positively charged groups in the side chain give the polymer PFPBOH excellent fluorescence property and good water solubility. Phenylboronic acid moieties on the side chain of the polymer form cyclic esters with adjacent diols on cell membrane, which can be employed in cell imaging. Besides that, the fluorescence of PFPBOH can be quenched by p‐nitroaniline released via enzyme reaction, thus, the polymer can be used for γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase detection through a fluorescence “turn off” mechanism. These findings exhibit great potential for developing multifunctional polymer materials for simultaneous imaging and detection.
Gröbner bases for the Hilbert ideal and coinvariants of the dihedral group D2p
Authors: Kohls Martin , Sezer Müfit 
Published: September 2012

AbstractWe consider a finite dimensional representation of the dihedral group D2p over a field of characteristic two where p is an odd integer and study the corresponding Hilbert ideal IH. We show that IH has a universal Gröbner basis consisting of invariants and monomials only. We provide sharp bounds for the degree of an element in this basis and in a minimal generating set for IH. We also compute the top degree of coinvariants when p is prime.
SOS junctionless MOSFETs vs. inversion channel MOSFETs: Doubling the device speed without changing the technology
Authors: Bertling K. , Rakic A.D. , Yeow Y. T. , O'Brien C. J. , Domyo H. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractThis letter compares experimentally the performance of the SOS junctionless MOSFET and the conventional SOS inversion‐channel MOSFET, fabricated in a production line technology. It was shown that the former has a significantly higher cutoff frequency fT, and therefore presents a viable alternative to a conventional SOS MOSFETs for high‐speed integrated circuits. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:2755–2757, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27163