bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determination of 17q gain in patients with neuroblastoma by analysis of circulating DNA
Authors: Combaret Valérie , Bréjon Stéphanie , Iacono Isabelle , Schleiermacher Gudrun , Pierron Gäelle , Ribeiro Agnès , Bergeron Christophe , Marabelle Aurélien , Puisieux Alain 
Published: January 2011

AbstractBackgroundRetrospective studies have demonstrated the prognostic impact of genomic profiles in neuroblastoma (NB). Segmental chromosome alterations have been found useful for identifying tumors with a high risk of relapse. As the gain of chromosome arm 17q is the most frequent chromosome alteration reported in NB primary tumors, we evaluated the presence of this 17q gain in the peripheral blood of patients with NB.ProcedureUsing duplex quantitative real‐time PCR, we quantified simultaneously MPO (17q.23.1) and a reference gene, p53, and Survivin (17q25) and p53. MPO and Survivin copy numbers were evaluated as MPO/p53 and Survivin/p53 ratios in 142 serum or plasma samples in which 17q status had been determined by array‐based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) or multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA).ResultsIn patients <18 months of age, serum‐based determination of 17q gain in DNA sequences had good specificity (94.4%) and 58.8% sensitivity (P < 0.001). In contrast, for patients over 18 months of age, the approach exhibited moderate specificity (71.4%) and 51.2% sensitivity (P = ns). Similar results were observed in patients with tumors without MYCN amplification.ConclusionOur results show that 17q gain determination in circulating DNA is possible and suggest that this non‐invasive test could be useful for very young children when no reliable information on genomic alterations is obtained by aCGH or MPLA analysis of tumor samples This test is complementary to previously developed techniques for detecting circulating MYCN DNA sequences. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011;56:757–761. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of tensile test results for poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) based on Weibull distribution
Authors: Jar P.‐Y. Ben , Xu Jie 
Published: January 2011

AbstractStatistical analysis based on two‐parameter Weibull distribution was applied to poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) to characterize involvement of two damage types in tensile test specimens, which appear as tiny strips and uniform whitening, respectively. Analysis using Weibull distribution suggests that the probability density functions (PDF) for extension at break and total energy consumption (named toughness) give distinctively different characteristics between the two damage types. PDF curve for the tiny strips consists of a sharp peak, whereas that for the uniform whitening a broad hump. Using two‐group mixed Weibull distribution, effect of pre‐existing damage on the fracture process was examined. The PDF curves show that presence of one damage type (e.g., uniform whitening) tends to suppress generation of the other damage type (e.g., tiny strips) even in a test condition that would have favored the latter in virgin specimens. Involvement of the two damage types was quantified using portion for each subpopulation from the Weibull distribution analysis. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Uniform shell patterning using rubber‐assisted hot embossing process. I. Experimental
Authors: Nagarajan Pratapkumar , Yao Donggang 
Published: January 2011

AbstractIn rubber‐assisted hot embossing, a softened thin thermoplastic film is pressurized between a hard mold surface and a rubber pad. The rubber pad, as a soft counter‐tool, deforms conformably to the hard mold surface, allowing feature transfer from the hard surface and formation of shell‐type structures on the polymer film. This two‐article sequence was aimed to understand the basic mechanisms affecting the pattern uniformity and replication in rubber‐assisted hot embossing. In Part I, a series of rubber‐assisted embossing experiments involving parametric studies of the effects of different processing conditions, as well as material selections, on the pattern thickness uniformity and replicated pattern height were conducted. The difference in film thickness uniformity in different experiments was explained using the mechanical and rheological behavior of the polymer film and the rubber counter‐tool under different processing conditions. Based on the experimental results, strategies for determining a feasible process window for achieving uniform shell patterning by rubber‐assisted embossing were proposed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
A surface model‐based simulation for warpage of injection‐molded parts
Authors: Zhou Huamin , Wang Zhiyong , Li Jianhui , Li Dequn 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe mid‐plane model for warpage simulation of injection‐molded parts requires a mid‐plane mesh whose transformation is considerably time consuming. To overcome this drawback, a surface model‐based warpage simulation is presented, in which the part is represented as a perfect bonding of two half‐thickness plates with their reference surfaces at the outer boundary of the part. The plates over the surface mesh are modeled as flat shell elements, and a new triangular flat shell element is developed which combines an Assumed Natural DEviatoric Strain (ANDES) based membrane component and a Refined Nonconforming Element Method (RNEM) based bending component. The bonding is accomplished by multipoint constraints and a Lagrange multiplier based elimination method is proposed for constraint application. The results show that compared with some popular shell elements, ANSYS, Moldflow and the experiments, the presented model exhibits a high performance in computation accuracy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Dielectric constant and loss investigations of pristine, iodine‐doped and annealed polyetherimide film
Authors: Quamara Jitendra K , Singh Randhir , Kaushik Balbhadra K 
Published: January 2011

AbstractTemperature‐ and frequency‐dependent dielectric behaviour has been investigated for pristine, iodine‐doped and annealed polyetherimide (PEI) in the temperature range 303–523 K at various frequencies (120 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz and 100 kHz). In pristine PEI, the rapid decrease in the dielectric constant (ε′) in the temperature range 303–373 K is governed by the Kirkwood model whereas the gradual decrease in ε′ in the temperature range 373–473 K is governed by β‐relaxation (dipolar) and αβ‐relaxation (hybrid) processes. The occurrence of these relaxations is confirmed by the appearance of tan δ loss peaks at ca 403 and 443 K, respectively, in ε″–T curves. The temperature‐independence of ε′ in the temperature range 473–523 K is mainly governed by the α‐relaxation process associated with large segmental groups. The tan δ loss peak appearing at 503 K confirms this relaxation process. In iodine‐doped samples, an overall increase in ε′ is attributed to the formation of charge‐transfer complexes in the polymer structure. The dominance of a new relaxation process due to interaction of iodine with ether linkages neutralizes the 1/T rule in the low‐temperature region. A significant decrease in ε′ in annealed samples below 393 K is due to the suppression of the dipolar relaxation process. The enhancement in ε′ above 393 K is due to the dominance of the α‐relaxation process. The shift in the high‐temperature tan δ loss peak towards higher temperature with increasing frequency shows the distributive nature of relaxation time for this relaxation process. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Suspension polymerization of aniline hydrochloride in non‐aqueous media
Authors: Konyushenko Elena N , Stejskal Jaroslav , Trchová Miroslava , Prokeš Jan 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe oxidation of aniline hydrochloride by ammonium peroxydisulfate in non‐aqueous media was studied, when the monomer or oxidant or both were not completely soluble. Polyaniline was formed in acetone, methanol and toluene. Aniline oligomers only were produced in chloroform and n‐butylacetate. No interaction of the monomer and the oxidant was observed in dimethylsulfoxide and N‐methylpyrrolidone. UV‐visible and Fourier transform infrared spectra were recorded in order to study the molecular structure of the final products. Conductivity was measured for conducting protonated forms and corresponding bases. An explanation of aniline hydrochloride oxidation in various organic media is offered. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Efficient synthesis of well‐defined amphiphilic cylindrical brushes polymer with high grafting density: Interfacial “Click” chemistry approach
Authors: Sun Jianping , Hu Jiwen , Liu Guojun , Xiao Dingshu , He Guping , Lu Rufeng 
Published: January 2011

AbstractReported here is a novel approach toward efficient preparation of well‐defined cylindrical brushes polymer (CBPs) with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains connected to the linear backbone by interfacial “click” chemistry in two immiscible solvents. The CBPs with high grafting density of more than 95% and molecular polydispersity (Mw/Mn) less than 1.12 can be readily synthesized using present approach. On contrary, the CBPs synthesized from the “click” reaction in a single solvent in homogenous state have low grafting density of less than 55% and molecular polydispersity (Mw/Mn) more than 1.78. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Discordant and chameleon sequences: Their distribution and implications for amyloidogenicity
Authors: Gendoo Deena M.A. , Harrison Paul M. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractIdentification of ambiguous encoding in protein secondary structure is paramount to develop an understanding of key protein segments underlying amyloid diseases. We investigate two types of structurally ambivalent peptides, which were hypothesized in the literature as indicators of amyloidogenic proteins: discordant α‐helices and chameleon sequences. Chameleon sequences are peptides discovered experimentally in different secondary‐structure types. Discordant α‐helices are α‐helical stretches with strong β‐strand propensity or prediction. To assess the distribution of these features in known protein structures, and their potential role in amyloidogenesis, we analyzed the occurrence of discordant α‐helices and chameleon sequences in nonredundant sets of protein domains (n= 4263) and amyloidogenic proteins extracted from the literature (n= 77). Discordant α‐helices were identified if discordance was observed between known secondary structures and secondary‐structure predictions from the GOR‐IV and PSIPRED algorithms. Chameleon sequences were extracted by searching for identical sequence words in α‐helices and β‐strands. We defined frustrated chameleons and very frustrated chameleons based on varying degrees of total β propensity ≥α propensity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to discern statistical relationships between discordance, chameleons, and amyloidogenicity. We observed varying enrichment levels for some categories of discordant and chameleon sequences in amyloidogenic sequences. Chameleon sequences are also significantly enriched in proteins that have discordant helices, indicating a clear link between both phenomena. We identified the first set of discordant‐chameleonic protein segments we predict may be involved in amyloidosis. We present a detailed analysis of discordant and chameleons segments in the family of one of the amyloidogenic proteins, the Prion Protein.
On the computation of non‐perturbative effective potentials in the string theory landscape – IIB/F‐theory perspective –
Authors: Cvetič M. , García‐Etxebarria I. , Halverson J. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractWe discuss a number of issues arising when computing non‐perturbative effects systematically across the string theory landscape. In particular, we cast the study of fairly generic physical properties into the language of computability/number theory and show that this amounts to solving systems of diophantine equations. In analogy to the negative solution to Hilbert's 10th problem, we argue that in such systematic studies there may be no algorithm by which one can determine all physical effects. We take large volume type IIB compactifications as an example, with the physical property of interest being the low‐energy non‐perturbative F‐terms of a generic compactification. A similar analysis is expected to hold for other kinds of string vacua, and we discuss in particular the extension of our ideas to F‐theory. While these results imply that it may not be possible to systematically answer certain physical questions about generic type IIB compactifications, we identify particular Calabi‐Yau manifolds in which the diophantine equations become linear, and thus can be systematically solved. As part of the study of the required systematics of F‐terms, we develop technology for computing ℤ2 equivariant line bundle cohomology on toric varieties, which determines the presence of particular instanton zero modes via the Koszul complex. This is of general interest for realistic IIB model building on complete intersections in toric ambient spaces.
Development and characterisation of transgenic rice expressing two Bacillus thuringiensis genes
Authors: Yang Zhou , Chen Hao , Tang Wei , Hua Hongxia , Lin Yongjun 
Published: January 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Transgenic crops that produce insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) were first commercialised in 1996. The risk that pests have the potential to evolve resistance to Bt toxins is one of the most serious challenges to this technology. Gene stacking, pyramiding two Bt genes into one variety, is considered to be an effective insect resistance management (IRM) strategy. In this study, insect‐resistant rice expressing two Bt genes was developed by sexual crossing, and then characterised.RESULTS: Homozygous rice lines of two pyramided Bt genes were obtained in the F3 generation. Quantification of Bt toxin showed that protein concentrations of Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac and Cry2A in the two‐gene lines were comparable with their single‐gene parents, while the expression of cry1C gene decreased after gene stacking. Four two‐gene lines showed higher activity to striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis Walker) than parental lines in the laboratory bioassay. All pyramided lines and their hybrids exhibited excellent efficacy against stemborers and leaffolders in field evaluation, while most pyramided lines had no significant differences from original variety in yield under spraying of insecticide.CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the two‐gene lines have commercial potential and could serve as a valuable IRM strategy. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Display female‐specific doublesex RNA interference in early generations of transformed oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)
Authors: Chen Shiu‐Ling , Lu Kuang‐Hui , Dai Shu‐Mei , Li Chia‐Hsin , Shieh Chwen‐Jen , Chang Cheng 
Published: January 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), is one of the most destructive pests in many Asian countries. An effective strategy to reduce fly density in the field is urgently required. Recently, the doublesex of B. dorsalis (Bddsxf) has been cloned, and RNA interference (RNAi) indicates that it can reduce the offspring in vitro. In this study, a piggyBac‐based construct that generates short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against the female‐specific region of Bddsx was introduced into the pest to test the RNAi effects on reproductive functions in vivo.RESULTS: After embryonic injection and backcross, 21 transgenic lines with germline transformation were identified. Genomic DNA analysis showed that the exogenous transgene including short hairpin Bddsxf and a DsRed marker had integrated into the genomes of 11 transformed lines. Northern blot analysis indicated the presence of Bddsxf short interfering RNA (siRNA) under the control of a U6 promoter in transformed flies. As expected, the specific effects of RNAi led to the delay of egg maturation, and the offspring was significantly reduced. Reverse transcription real‐time PCR further demonstrated that in vivo interference not only specifically inhibited the Bddsxf transcript but also repressed expression of the downstream yolk protein gene (Bdyp1).CONCLUSION: The results clearly indicate that RNAi is heritable through the expression of specific siRNA in early generations of transformed oriental fruit fly. These results can broaden the understanding of sex‐related developmental mechanisms in the fly, and also offer a possible molecular approach for pest control in the future. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Lethal and sublethal side‐effect assessment supports a more benign profile of spinetoram compared with spinosad in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Authors: Besard Linde , Mommaerts Veerle , Abdu‐Alla Gamal , Smagghe Guy 
Published: January 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to identify the potential side effects of the novel naturalyte insecticide spinetoram in comparison with spinosad on the bumblebee Bombus terrestris L. The potential lethal effects together with the ecologically relevant sublethal effects on aspects of bumblebee reproduction and foraging behaviour were evaluated. Bumblebee workers were exposed via direct contact with wet and dry residues under laboratory conditions to spinetoram at different concentrations, starting from the maximum field recommended concentration (MFRC) and then different dilutions (1/10, 1/100, 1/1000 and 1/10 000 of the MFRC), and compared with spinosad. In addition, the side effects via oral exposure in supplemented sugar water were assessed.RESULTS: Direct contact of B. terrestris workers with wet residues of spinosad and spinetoram showed spinetoram to be approximately 52 times less toxic than spinosad, while exposure to dry residues of spinetoram was about 8 times less toxic than exposure to those of spinosad. Oral treatment for 72 h (acute) indicated that spinetoram is about 4 times less toxic to B. terrestris workers compared with spinosad, while exposure for a longer period (i.e. 11 weeks) showed spinetoram to be 24 times less toxic. In addition, oral exposure to the two spinosyns resulted in detrimental sublethal effects on bumblebee reproduction. The no observed effect concentration (NOEC) for spinosad was 1/1000 of the MFRC, and 1/100 of the MFRC for spinetoram. Comparison between the chronic exposure bioassays assessing the sublethal effects on nest reproduction, with and without allowing for foraging behaviour, showed that the respective NOEC values for spinosad and spinetoram were similar over the two bioassays, indicating that there were no adverse effects by either spinosyn on the foraging of B. terrestris workers.CONCLUSION: Overall, the present results indicate that the use of spinetoram is safer for bumblebees by direct contact and oral exposure than the use of spinosad, and therefore it can be applied safely in combination with B. terrestris. Another important conclusion is that the present data provide strong evidence that neither spinosyn has a negative effect on the foraging behaviour of these beneficial insects. However, before drawing final conclusions, spinetoram and spinosad should also be evaluated in more realistic field‐related situations for the assessment of potentially deleterious effects on foraging behaviour with the use of queenright colonies of B. terrestris. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
General method for selective labelling of double‐chain cysteine‐rich peptides with a lanthanide chelate via solid‐phase synthesis
Authors: Shabanpoor Fazel , Separovic Frances , Wade John D. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe use of lanthanides in preference to radioisotopes as probes for various biological assays has gained enormous popularity. The introduction of lanthanide chelates to peptides/proteins can be carried out either in solution using a commercially available labelling kit or by solid‐phase peptide synthesis using an appropriate lanthanide chelate. Herein, a detailed protocol for the latter is provided for the labelling of peptides or small proteins with diethylenetriamine‐N, N, N″, N″‐tetra‐tert‐butyl acetate‐N′‐acetic acid (DTPA) chelate or other similar chelates on a solid support using a chimeric insulin‐like peptide composed of human insulin‐like peptide 5 (INSL5) A‐chain and relaxin‐3 B‐chain as a model peptide. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydrogen bonds between phthalimide and hydrogen fluoride: A theoretical study
Authors: de Lima NatháLia B. , Rusu Victor H. , Ramos Mozart N. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractB3LYP/6‐31++G(d,p) theoretical calculations were performed to obtain the binding energies and molecular properties of the 1:1 and 1:2 hydrogen complexes involving a phthalimide as a proton acceptor and hydrogen fluoride. The calculations revealed the existence of two and three stable structures for the 1:1 and 1:2 complexes, respectively. A good linear correlation was found between the binding energies and the H‐bond lengths of these complexes. The binding energies were corrected using both the BSSE and ZPE corrections. The vibrational changes that take place in the HF acid after complexation with phthalimide followed the usual behavior: the HF stretching frequency was shifted downward whereas its IR intensity was considerably heightened. Furthermore, the two HF bending modes, which are pure rotations of the isolated HF molecule, showed an appreciable infrared‐active intensity upon H‐bond formation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Multiple imputation based on restricted mean model for censored data
Authors: Liu Lyrica Xiaohong , Murray Susan , Tsodikov Alex 
Published: January 2011

AbstractMost multiple imputation (MI) methods for censored survival data either ignore patient characteristics when imputing a likely event time, or place quite restrictive modeling assumptions on the survival distributions used for imputation. In this research, we propose a robust MI approach that directly imputes restricted lifetimes over the study period based on a model of the mean restricted life as a linear function of covariates. This method has the advantages of retaining patient characteristics when making imputation choices through the restricted mean parameters and does not make assumptions on the shapes of hazards or survival functions. Simulation results show that our method outperforms its closest competitor for modeling restricted mean lifetimes in terms of bias and efficiency in both independent censoring and dependent censoring scenarios. Survival estimates of restricted lifetime model parameters and marginal survival estimates regain much of the precision lost due to censoring. The proposed method is also much less subject to dependent censoring bias captured by covariates in the restricted mean model. This particular feature is observed in a full statistical analysis conducted in the context of the International Breast Cancer Study Group Ludwig Trial V using the proposed methodology. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.