bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Application of thermosetting organic solvent free polymer gel electrolyte in quasi‐solid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cell
Authors: Lan Zhang , Wu Jihuai , Lin Jianming , Huang Miaoliang 
Published: December 2009

AbstractA kind of thermosetting organic solvent free polymer gel electrolyte with oligomer ethylene glycol as liquid phase was prepared and applied in quasi‐solid‐state dye‐sensitized solar cell (QS‐DSSC). The viscosity and the ionic conductivity of the polymer gel electrolyte are sensitive to the changed temperature. The photovoltaic performance of QS‐DSSC is also improved with the increased temperature due to the increased ionic conductivity and diffusion coefficient of iodide in polymer gel electrolyte. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Equilibrium swelling of polystyrene by alkanes and carboxylic acids: A simple quantitative correlation model
Authors: Bernardo Gabriel , Vesely Drahosh 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this study, we show that the equilibrium saturation swelling of polystyrene by linear alkanes and linear carboxylic acids, as reported earlier (Bernardo and Vesely, Eur Polym J 2007, 43, 4983, Bernardo and Vesely, J Appl Polym Sci 2008, 110, 2393) can be correlated quantitatively using a model where only the alkyl‐chain lengths and the saturated vapor pressures of the organic liquids are considered. According to this model, at very low vapor pressures, the number of polystyrene monomer units per solvent molecule is directly proportional to the alkyl chain length of the solvent molecule under consideration. At higher vapor pressures, the number of polystyrene monomer units per solvent molecule tends to become independent of its alkyl chain length. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Gelenke im Massivbau
Authors: Marx Steffen , Schacht Gregor 
Published: December 2009

AbstractGelenkige Verbindungen im Massivbau wurden bereits vor 130 Jahren entwickelt und seitdem in vielen Bauwerken erfolgreich eingesetzt. 1880 verwendete Köpke erstmalig so genannte Wälzgelenke beim Bau einer Naturstein‐Gewölbebrücke. Weitere Entwicklungen folgten zu Beginn des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts vor allem in Frankreich durch Freyssinet (Betongelenke ohne Bewehrung des Gelenkhalses) und Mesnager (Betonfedergelenke). Die guten Erfahrungen bezüglich der Funktionalität und die wirtschaftlichen Vorteile führten in Frankreich zu einem intensiven Einsatz von Betongelenken, vor allem beim Bau von Stahlbetonbogenbrücken und von massiven Dreigelenkbögen für Hallentragwerke. Aber auch in Deutschland, in den USA und vor allem in der Schweiz wurden Betongelenke verwendet. Durch die Arbeiten von Fritz Leonhardt (Deutschland), E.O. Fessler (Schweiz) und G.D. Base (Großbritannien), welche bis heute international den Stand der Technik definieren, erlebten die Betongelenke in den sechziger Jahren eine Renaissance. Die Bemessungsregeln Leonhardts wurden im Rahmen eines Forschungsvorhabens hinsichtlich der heute bekannten Forschungserkenntnisse überarbeitet. Damit wird eine Bemessung von Betongelenken auf Basis des heute bauaufsichtlich eingeführten Regelwerks ermöglicht.Concrete HingesArticulated connections consisting of concrete (concrete hinges) have already been developed 130 years ago and since then they were used successfully in many constructions. In 1880 Claus Köpcke (Dresden) was the first who used so called saddle bearings for a natural stone‐arched bridge. At the beginning of the 20th century further developments, especially in France by Freyssinet (concrete hinge without reinforcement in the throat of the hinge) and Mesnager (concrete hinge with heavy reinforcement in the throat of the hinge) have been made. The good experiences in the functionality and the economical advantages led to numerous use of concrete hinges in practice, especially in constructions of reinforced concrete arched bridges and threehinged arches for hall trusses. But concrete hinges were also used in Germany, in the USA and particularly in Switzerland. In the 1960 the works by Fritz Leonhardt (Germany), E.O. Fessler (Switzerland) and G.D. Base (Great‐Britain), which define the international state of the art till today, led to a renaissance of concrete hinges. The design rules given by Leonhardt have been adapted to the current state of knowledge within a research project. Therewith the design of concrete hinges based on the today established rules will be possible.
Daily ingestion of green tea catechins from adulthood suppressed brain dysfunction in aged mice
Authors: Unno Keiko , Ishikawa Yuichi , Takabayashi Fumiyo , Sasaki Toru , Takamori Nina , Iguchi Kazuaki , Hoshino Minoru 
Published: December 2009

AbstractOxidative damage is believed to be an important cause of senescence. We have previously found that green tea catechins (GT‐catechin), potent antioxidants, decrease oxidative damage to DNA and suppress brain dysfunction in aged senescence‐accelerated mice (SAMP10) when ingested from the age of 1 month to the age of 12 months. To clarify the effect of GT‐catechin on suppression of brain senescence, we investigated the effect of starting period to ingest GT‐catechin. Six‐ or 9‐month‐old SAMP10 mice were allowed free access to water containing 0.02% GT‐catechin. SAMP10 mice exhibit senescence characteristics such as shortened life span, atrophied forebrain and lowered learning and memory abilities. Learning ability was significantly higher in mice that ingested GT‐catechin from the age of 6 months to 12 months when compared with same‐aged control mice drank water without GT‐catechin. Starting GT‐catechin intake from the age of 9 months tended to improve learning ability. The ages of 6 and 9 months are thought to be adult and middle ages, respectively in SAMP10 mice. This result suggested that GT‐catechin was helpful in suppressing brain dysfunction with aging even when ingestion started at the adult age.
Folate deficiency followed by ionizing radiation perturbs hepatic dihydrofolate reducatse activity
Authors: Batra Vipen , Lakhmy Seetha , Devasagayam Thomas Paul Asir 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThere is lot of interest in the folate metabolism because of the essential role of folate coenzymes in nucleic acid synthesis. Gamma (γ) radiation is well known for inducing damage in the DNA. To counteract these damage, a variety of DNA repair pathways have evolved that require regular supply of DNA bases whose biosynthesis in turn depends on sufficient pools of folate dependent enzymes like dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). In the present study, we examined the ionizing radiation mediated perturbation of DHFR activity in folate deficient and folate sufficient conditions. In folate deficient animals a potent inhibition of liver DHFR activity was observed. Our results showed that combination of folate starvation and ionizing radiation might adversely affect the DHFR activity, compared to their individual treatments. Measurement of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites (AP sites), a major type of DNA damage generated by radiation induced loss of purine and/or pyrimidine base, indicated a dose dependent DNA damage in folate deficient animals. In conclusion our data suggest an interactive role of folate deficiency and radiation injury in inhibiting DHFR activity.
Inhibitory effects of caffeine and its metabolites on intracellular lipid accumulation in murine 3T3‐L1 adipocytes
Authors: Nakabayashi Hideo , Hashimoto Takashi , Ashida Hitoshi , Nishiumi Shin , Kanazawa Kazuki 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTo understand the mechanisms of the anti‐obesity effects of dietary caffeine, the effects of caffeine and its metabolites on adipocyte differentiation and insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake in murine 3T3‐L1 adipocytes were investigated. Caffeine did not inhibit the differentiation of 3T3‐L1 pre‐adipocytes to mature adipocytes, but it did suppress the intracellular lipid accumulation after complete differentiation in a dose‐dependent manner (0.125‐1.0 mM). This effect was also observed in 1,3,7‐trimethyluric acid‐ 3,7‐dimethyluric acid‐ and 5‐acetylamino‐6‐formylamino‐3‐methyluracil‐treated cells. Caffeine also inhibited insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake in differentiated 3T3‐L1 adipocytes in a dose‐dependent manner. Treatment with theophylline, paraxanthine, 1‐methylxanthine (MX), 3‐MX, or 7‐MX also inhibited glucose uptake in differentiated adipocytes. These results suggest that the anti‐obesity activity of dietary caffeine is due to the additive and/or synergistic inhibitory effects of caffeine and its metabolites on intracellular lipid accumulation and that caffeine does not affect adipocyte differentiation.
Modulation of energy metabolic enzyme expression in N‐nitrosodiethylamine‐mediated hepatocarcinogenesis by Chinese herbs, Huqi San
Authors: Wen Zhaoyang , Shi Zhengming , Feng Ping , Xue Xiaowei , Dong Kun , Wang Xuejiang 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAim: To elucidate the anticancer mechanism of Huqi San by assessing the expression of G‐6‐Pase, SDH, ATPase and AFP in N‐nitrosodiethylamine‐mediated hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.Methods: A Solt‐Farber two‐step test model of hepatocarcino genesis was established by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and 2‐acetylaminofluorene (AAF) in rats to investigate the modifying effects of expression of 6‐glucosephosphatase (G‐6‐Pase), succinodehydrogenase (SDH), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) in N‐nitrosodiethylamine‐mediated hepatocarcinogenesis. Hu Qisan compounded by eight medicinal herbs was prepared in glycoprival granules with wich 0.38 g crude herbs/mL solution was prepared for administration. γ‐Glutamy‐transpeptidase (γ‐GT), G‐6‐Pase, SDH and ATPase were immunohistochemically determined. The activity of alpha‐fetoglobulin (AFP) in the livers was measured with Immunofluorescence.Results: Huqi San treated rats showed significant decrease in areas of ‐GT positive foci (P < 0.001). On the other hand, the expression of G‐6‐Pase, SDH and ATPase has obviously altered in Huqi San treated group. The activity of AFP also significantly decreased after the treatment with Huqi San (8 g/kg body weight or 4 g/kg body weight) or total alkali of mistletoe (0.12 g/kg body weight).
Hydrogen sulphide ameliorates ischaemia–reperfusion injury in an experimental model of non-heart-beating donor kidney transplantation
Authors: Hosgood S A , Nicholson M L 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background
Therapies to alleviate ischaemia–reperfusion (IR) injury have an important role in kidney transplantation. This study used a porcine model of non-heart-beating (NHB) donor kidneys to investigate the effects of hydrogen sulphide on IR injury.

Methods
Porcine kidneys were subjected to 25 min of warm ischaemia and 18 h of cold storage. They were reperfused ex vivo with autologous oxygenated blood to assess renal function. A group treated with hydrogen sulphide (0·5 mmol/l) infused 10 min before and after reperfusion (n = 6) was compared with an untreated control group (n = 7).

Results
Hydrogen sulphide significantly improved renal blood flow compared with control values (mean(s.d.) area under the curve (AUC) 614·9(165·5) versus 270·3(86·7) ml per min per 100 g.h; P = 0·001) and renal function (AUC creatinine: 1640(248) versus 2328(154) µmol/l.h; P = 0·001; AUC creatinine clearance: 6·94(5·03) versus 0·96(0·32) ml per min per 100 g.h; P = 0·004). Oxidative damage was also reduced by hydrogen sulphide (urinary 8-isoprostane at 1 h of reperfusion: 478·9(237·1) versus 1605·6(632·7) pg/ml per mmol/l creatinine; P = 0·032).

Conclusion
Hydrogen sulphide ameliorated the renal dysfunction associated with ischaemic damage, and has potential as a therapy against IR injury in NHB donor kidney transplantation.
Validated LC‐MS/MS assay for the quantitative determination of vardenafil in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study
Authors: Lake Simon T. , Altman Phillip M. , Vaisman Jack , Addison Russell S. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractA sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC‐MS/MS) assay has been developed for the quantitative analysis of vardenafil in human plasma. Vardenafil and the internal standard, alprazolam, were extracted from 0.2 mL aliquots of alkalinized plasma by a single solvent extraction into hexane : dichloromethane. Reversed‐phase chromatographic separation was affected by gradient elution with mobile phases consisting of 10 mM ammonium formate pH 7.0 (solvent A) and methanol (100%, solvent B), delivered at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The analytes were detected by using an electrospray ion source on a 4000 QTrap triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in positive ionization mode. The mass transitions were m/z 489.3 → 312.2 for vardenafil and m/z 309.2 → 281.0 for alprazolam. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.2–100 ng/mL, with correlation coefficients ≥0.995. The intra‐ and inter‐day precision was less than 5.4% in terms of relative standard deviation and the accuracy was within 12.7% in terms of relative error. The lower limit of quantitation was set at 0.2 ng/mL. The high sensitivity and acceptable performance of the assay allowed its application to the analysis of plasma samples obtained following the oral administration of vardenafil to healthy male volunteers in a pharmacokinetic study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Economical Feasibility Evaluation of an Ethanol Injection Liposome Production Plant
Authors: Justo O. R. , Moraes Â. M. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractOver the past few decades liposomes, which are lipid vesicles useful for the controlled release of numerous bioactive compounds, have attracted significant industrial interest. Several techniques have evolved for the manufacture of liposomes on a small scale. However, production on a commercially feasible scale is still somewhat limited. Therefore, this research intends to evaluate the scale‐up potential of a liposome production unit using the ethanol injection method, through preliminary economical feasibility estimation, as an addendum to a pre‐existing bioactive compound manufacture plant, with the aim of increasing the compound aggregate value. The ethanol injection technique is selected due to its simplicity and low cost, characteristics that make it easily scalable. The preliminary economic evaluation involves the assessment of capital investment, estimation of operating costs, and analysis of profitability. The results of the economic analysis suggest that the process is economically feasible for a plant with a daily production capacity of 288 L of liposomal suspension.
Chiral Brønsted Acid Directed Iron‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Friedel–Crafts Alkylation of Indoles with β‐Aryl α′‐Hydroxy Enones
Authors: Yang Lei , Zhu Qiming , Guo Shengmei , Qian Bo , Xia Chungu , Huang Hanmin 
Published: December 2009

AbstractA cooperative catalytic system established by the combination of an iron salt and a chiral Brønsted acid has proven to be effective in the asymmetric Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles with β‐aryl α′‐hydroxy enones. Good to excellent yields and enatioselectivities were observed for a variety of α′‐hydroxy enones and indoles, particularly for the β‐aryl α′‐hydroxy enones bearing an electron‐withdrawing group at the para position of the phenyl ring (up to 90 % yield and 91 % ee). The proton of the chiral Brønsted acid, the Lewis acid activation site, as well as the inherent basic site for the hydrogen‐bonding interaction of the Brønsted acid are responsible for the high catalytic activities and enantioselectivities of the title reaction. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed. The key catalytic species in the catalytic system, the phosphate salt of FeIII, which was thought to be responsible for the high activity and good enantioselectivity, was then confirmed by ESIMS studies.
Comparison of Structure‐ and Ligand‐Based Virtual Screening Protocols Considering Hit List Complementarity and Enrichment Factors
Authors: Krüger Dennis M. , Evers Andreas 
Published: December 2009

AbstractStructure‐ and ligand‐based virtual‐screening methods (docking, 2D‐ and 3D‐similarity searching) were analysed for their effectiveness in virtual screening against four different targets: angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2), thrombin and human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‐1) protease. The relative performance of the tools was compared by examining their ability to recognise known active compounds from a set of actives and nonactives. Furthermore, we investigated whether the application of different virtual‐screening methods in parallel provides complementary or redundant hit lists. Docking was performed with GOLD, Glide, FlexX and Surflex. The obtained docking poses were rescored by using nine different scoring functions in addition to the scoring functions implemented as objective functions in the docking algorithms. Ligand‐based virtual screening was done with ROCS (3D‐similarity searching), Feature Trees and Scitegic Functional Fingerprints (2D‐similarity searching). The results show that structure‐ and ligand‐based virtual‐screening methods provide comparable enrichments in detecting active compounds. Interestingly, the hit lists that are obtained from different virtual‐screening methods are generally highly complementary. These results suggest that a parallel application of different structure‐ and ligand‐based virtual‐screening methods increases the chance of identifying more (and more diverse) active compounds from a virtual‐screening campaign.
Novel Bottom‐Up SERS Substrates for Quantitative and Parallelized Analytics
Authors: Strelau Katharina K. , Schüler Thomas , Möller Robert , Fritzsche Wolfgang , Popp Jürgen 
Published: December 2009

AbstractSurface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an emerging technology in the field of analytics. Due to the high sensitivity in connection with specific Raman molecular fingerprint information SERS can be used in a variety of analytical, bioanalytical, and biosensing applications. However, for the SERS effect substrates with metal nanostructures are needed. The broad application of this technology is greatly hampered by the lack of reliable and reproducible substrates. Usually the activity of a given substrate has to be determined by time‐consuming experiments such as calibration or ultramicroscopic studies. To use SERS as a standard analytical tool, cheap and reproducible substrates are required, preferably with a characterization technique that does not interfere with the subsequent measurements. Herein we introduce an innovative approach to produce low‐cost and large‐scale reproducible substrates for SERS applications, which allows easy and economical production of micropatterned SERS active surfaces on a large scale. This approach is based on an enzyme‐induced growth of silver nanostructures. The special structural feature of the enzymatically deposited silver nanoparticles prevents the breakdown of SERS activity even at high particle densities (particle density >60 %) that lead to a conductive layer. In contrast to other approaches, this substrate exhibits a relationship between electrical conductivity and the resulting SERS activity of a given spot. This enables the prediction of the SERS activity of the nanostructure ensemble and therewith the controllable and reproducible production of SERS substrates of enzymatic silver nanoparticles on a large scale, utilizing a simple measurement of the electrical conductivity. Furthermore, through a correlation between the conductivity and the SERS activity of the substrates it is possible to quantify SERS measurements with these substrates.
Multispectral image analysis of binary encoded microspheres for highly multiplexed suspension arrays
Authors: Mathur Abhishek , Kelso David M. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTo push the 100‐plex envelope of suspension array technology, we have developed fully automated methods to acquire multispectral images of multiplexed quantum‐dot (QD) encoded microspheres, to segment them in the images, to classify them based on their color code, and to quantify the multiplexed assays. Instead of coding microspheres with two colors and n levels, microspheres were coded with n colors and two levels (present or absent), thus transforming the classification problem from analog to digital. Images of multiplexed microspheres, sedimented at the bottom of microwells, were acquired through a tunable filter at the peak luminescence wavelength of each QD coding species in the system and the assay label wavelength. Another image of the light scattered from microspheres was captured in the excitation bandwidth that was utilized to localize microspheres in multispectral luminescence images. Objects in the acquired images are segmented and luminescence from each identified microsphere in each channel is recorded, based on which the “color code” of each microsphere is determined by applying a mathematical model and a classification algorithm. Our image analysis procedures could identify and classify microspheres with more than 97% accuracy, and the assay CVs were under 20%. These proof‐of‐principle results demonstrate that highly multiplexed quantification of specific proteins is possible with this rapid, small‐sample volume format. © 2009 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Synthesis and screening of substituted 1,4‐naphthoquinones (NPQs) as antifilarial agents
Authors: Mathew Nisha , Karunan Twinkle , Srinivasan Lakshmy , Muthuswamy Kalyanasundaram 
Published: December 2009

AbstractEleven amino‐substituted 1,4‐naphthoquinones were synthesized via the reaction of 1,4‐naphthoquinone with different primary and secondary mono‐ and diamines in the presence of dichloromethane ethanol (1:2) solvent at room temperature. All compounds were purified by flash column chromatography, characterized by TLC, HPLC, 13C‐NMR, 1H‐NMR, and FT‐IR spectral analysis and were evaluated in vitro for antifilarial activity using adult bovine filarial worm Setaria digitata by assessing worm motility and MTT (3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) reduction. Seven of the 11 compounds had macrofilaricidal activity with compounds 9 (2‐[(1,3‐dimethylbutyl) amino] naphthalene‐1,4‐dione) and 11 (2‐(4‐methylpiperazin‐1‐yl) naphthalene‐1,4‐dione) having maximum activity (ED50 values of 0.91 and 1.2 µM, respectively, at 48 h). The effect of different substitutions on antifilarial activity is discussed. Drug Dev Res 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐δ as emerging target in liver disease
Authors: Schnabl Bernd 
Published: December 2009

AbstractLiver fibrosis is characterized by an excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins that occurs in chronic liver disease of any origin, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), alcohol abuse, and viral hepatitis. Cirrhosis occurs with the development of regenerating nodules of hepatocytes and is a major health burden worldwide. Patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis have a poor prognosis, with liver transplantation often being necessary. The current treatment paradigm for patients with hepatic fibrosis is to treat the underlying liver disease. However, if this cannot be achieved, there are currently no effective antifibrotic treatments for patients with chronic liver diseases. With the advent of basic molecular technology providing insight into the mechanisms of the development of hepatic fibrosis, there is now an opportunity to develop therapeutic interventions for human clinical use. In this review, the function of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐δ (PPAR δ) will be summarized with a special emphasis on ligand activation as potential use in liver disease. Drug Dev Res 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.