bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reinforcements: Fibers, Whiskers, and Platelets
Authors: Piggott Michael R. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract
The origins of the strength of slender forms of materials are described and the choice materials suitable for reinforcement are discussed. The properties of polymer and inorganic fibers are detailed, particularly with respect to their tensile strength, compressive strength, and axial and transverse stiffnesses, together with their thermal conductivities and expansions. Manufacturing processes are also briefly described, as are inorganic whiskers and platelets.
Efficient Regioselective Three‐Component Domino Synthesis of 3‐(1,2,4‐Triazol‐5‐yl)‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐ones as Potent Antifungal and Antituberculosis Agents
Authors: El Bialy Serry A. , Nagy Maria M. , Abdel‐Rahman Hamdy M. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractIn research for promising antibacterial and antifungal compounds, a series of 2‐aryl 3‐[1,2,4]triazol‐5‐yl 4‐thiazolidinones 1 were synthesized by a domino reaction of 5‐amino‐1H‐[1,2,4]triazoles 3, aromatic aldehydes, and α‐mercaptoacids in boiling toluene in the presence of molecular sieves 4 Å. Of the twenty novel 3‐[1,2,4]triazol‐5‐yl 4‐thiazolidinone derivatives, four compounds 2‐benzo[d][1,3]dioxol‐6‐yl‐3‐[(3‐morpholin‐4‐yl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐yl)]‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one (1i), 2‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐5‐methyl‐3‐[3‐(4‐methylpiperazin‐1‐yl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐yl]‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one (1p), 2‐benzo[d][1,3]dioxol‐6‐yl‐3‐[3‐(4‐methylpiperazin‐1‐yl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐yl]‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one (1s), 2‐benzo[d][1,3]dioxol‐6‐yl‐5‐methyl‐3‐[3‐(4‐methylpiperazin‐1‐yl)‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐yl]‐1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one (1t) exhibited MICs of 4 µg/mL or less versus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Moreover, these compounds were screened against Candida albicans. Compounds 1p, 1s gave MICs of 1 µg/mL or less, and were fungicidal. Finally, compound 1s was evaluated against an expanded fungal panel and showed good activity against Cryptococcus neoformans. In addition, compound 1s also appeared to be fungicidal against Aspergillus arrhizus, with MIC <1 µg/mL.
Evaluation of stereo and chemical stability of chiral compounds
Authors: Cannazza Giuseppe , Battisti Umberto , Carrozzo Marina M. , Brasili Livio , Braghiroli Daniela , Parenti Carlo 
Published: September 2011

AbstractA stopped‐flow bidimensional recycle HPLC (sf‐BD‐rHPLC) configuration has been used to investigate simultaneously the stereo and chemical stability of labile chiral compounds. The single enantiomers of a racemate can be separated on chiral column (first dimension) and each one can be trapped in the achiral column (second dimension) that works as reactor.By filling the achiral column with the appropriate aqueous buffers it is possible to evaluate the stability of the trapped enantiomer toward aqueous buffer itself. It was possible to recycle the reaction products formed in the chiral column (first dimension) where they are separated by a second six valve port. The reaction rate constants were calculated for the different processes occurred in the achiral column by means of corresponding peak areas. The method was applied to a pharmacological active compound: (±)7‐chloro‐5‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐benzo[1,2,4]thiadiazine 1,1‐dioxide ((±)‐1) to evaluate enantiostability and hydrolysis in conditions similar to those of biological fluid. A classical batchwise kinetic method was used to calculate rate constants of hydrolysis and enantiomerization at the same temperature and in the same solvents used in sf‐BD‐rHPLC. The good agreement of the results obtained validate the novel procedure developed. Furthermore, the results generated off‐line were used to determine the influence of solvents on the racemization of (±)‐1. Chirality, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cryopreservation modulates the detection of regulatory T cell markers
Authors: Sattui Sebastian , de la Flor Carolina , Sanchez Cesar , Lewis Dorothy , Lopez Giovanni , Rizo‐Patrón Emiliana , White A. Clinton , Montes Martin 
Published: September 2011

AbstractBackground:Regulatory T cells (Tregs) modulate the host response in infectious diseases and are key mediators of peripheral tolerance. Cryopreservation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is commonly used in immunological field studies where access to complex laboratory tests is not feasible. Our objective is to assess the effects of cryopreservation on the flow cytometric detection of surface and intracellular markers of Tregs.Methods:Heparinized venous blood was obtained from 36 healthy individuals and 15 HIV‐1 infected subjects. PBMCs were isolated and stained for surface and intracellular markers of Tregs. PBMCs from each subject were cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen with DMSO; these cells were thawed and stained at a later date. All samples were analyzed by flow cytometry. The proportion of Tregs was compared using Wilcoxon signed‐rank test.Results:Cryopreservation decreased the proportion of Tregs identified by surface and intracellular markers in healthy individuals and in HIV‐1 patients. The proportion of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ was decreased from 3.13 to 2.16% (P < 0.001) for non‐HIV subjects and from 2.68 to 0.94% (P < 0.001) for HIV subjects, compared to fresh samples. Significant reduction was also observed for CD4+CD25+CD127lo‐neg. However, the effect varied considerably between samples. The effect was similar among HIV and non‐HIV patients (P = 0.38).Conclusions:Cryopreservation modulates the detection of surface and intracellular markers of Tregs. These results confirm that research on Tregs, including studies of HIV‐1 infected patients, should be carried out prospectively on fresh samples in order to obtain unbiased conclusions. Results using cryopreserved cells should be regarded as only preliminary. © 2011 International Clinical Cytometry Society
New regimens for reducing the duration of treatment of drug‐susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Conde Marcus B. , Lapa e Silva José R. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) remains an important health problem worldwide. The structure necessary for delivering TB treatment and implementing the directly observed treatment accounts for more than two‐thirds of its final cost. Furthermore, although with efficacy greater than 90%, the effectiveness of present treatment regimens ranges within 55–85%, depending on the setting, mainly because of poor adherence. Duration of treatment with the current first‐line anti‐TB drugs is a minimum of 6 months. Reducing the duration of treatment from 6 to 2 months or less could result in significant increase of adherence to treatment and cost reduction. The aim of this review is to highlight potential new agents or new drug combinations that could reduce the time of treatment of drug‐susceptible TB, currently under study or recently evaluated through clinical trials. We conducted a literature search in the English language for clinical studies as well as an electronic computer‐assisted and manual search. The literature search was conducted in November 2010, using MEDLINE (2000–2010), EMBASE (2000–2010), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Trials Register database (2000–2010). Most of the new agents identified as anti‐TB drug candidates are still in the preclinical phases. Nitroimidazole‐PA‐824 and fluoroquinolones are evaluated, whereas two first‐line drugs (i.e., rifampicin and rifapentine) are reevaluated to optimize their efficacy in new ultra‐short anti‐TB regimens through phase II/III clinical studies. A summary of the studies is presented, with their potential to change recommendations for TB treatment in the near future. Drug Dev Res 72:501–508, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Aeolian and fluvial processes in dryland regions: the need for integrated studies
Authors: Belnap Jayne , Munson Seth M. , Field Jason P. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAeolian and fluvial processes play a fundamental role in dryland regions of the world and have important environmental and ecological consequences from local to global scales. Although both processes operate over similar spatial and temporal scales and are likely strongly coupled in many dryland systems, aeolian and fluvial processes have traditionally been studied separately, making it difficult to assess their relative importance in drylands, as well as their potential for synergistic interaction. Land degradation by accelerated wind and water erosion is a major problem throughout the world's drylands, and although recent studies suggest that these processes likely interact across broad spatial and temporal scales to amplify the transport of soil resources from and within drylands, many researchers and land managers continue to view them as separate and unrelated processes. Here, we illustrate how aeolian and fluvial sediment transport is coupled at multiple spatial and temporal scales and highlight the need for these interrelated processes to be studied from a more integrated perspective that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. Special attention is given to how the growing threat of climate change and land‐use disturbance will influence linkages between aeolian and fluvial processes in the future. We also present emerging directions for interdisciplinary needs within the aeolian and fluvial research communities that call for better integration across a broad range of traditional disciplines such as ecology, biogeochemistry, agronomy, and soil conservation. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
n-3 PUFA prevent metabolic disturbances associated with obesity and improve endothelial function in golden Syrian hamsters fed with a high-fat diet
Authors: Kasbi Chadli Fatima , Andre Agnès , Prieur Xavier , Loirand Gervaise , Meynier Anne , Krempf Michel , Nguyen Patrick , Ouguerram Khadija 
Published: September 2011

Glucose intolerance and dyslipidaemia are independent risk factors for endothelium dysfunction and CVD. The aim of the present study was to analyse the preventive effect ofn-3 PUFA (EPA and DHA) on lipid and carbohydrate disturbances and endothelial dysfunction. Three groups of adult hamsters were studied for 20 weeks: (1) control diet (Control); (2) high-fat diet (HF); (3) high-fat diet enriched withn-3 PUFA (HFn-3) groups. The increase in body weight and fat mass in the HF compared to the Control group (P < 0·05) was not found in the HFn-3 group. Muscle TAG content was similar in the Control and HF groups, but significantly lower in the HFn-3 group (P = 0·008). Glucose tolerance was impaired in the HF compared to the Control group, but this impairment was prevented byn-3 PUFA in the HFn-3 group (P < 0·001). Plasma TAG and cholesterol were higher in the HF group compared to the Control group (P < 0·001), but lower in the HFn-3 group compared to the HF group (P < 0·001). HDL-cholesterol was lower in the HFn-3 group compared to the Control and HF groups (P < 0·0005). Hepatic secretion of TAG was lower in the HFn-3 group compared to the HF group (P < 0·005), but did not differ from the Control group. Hepatic gene expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, diacylglycerolO-acyltransferase 2 and stearyl CoA desaturase 1 was lower in the HFn-3 group, whereas carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 and scavenger receptor class B type 1 expression was higher (P < 0·05). In adipocytes and adipose macrophages, PPARγ and TNFα expression was higher in the HF and HFn-3 groups compared to the Control group. Endothelium relaxation was higher in the HFn-3 (P < 0·001) than in the HF and Control groups, and was correlated with glucose intolerance (P = 0·03) and cholesterol (P = 0·0003). In conclusion,n-3 PUFA prevent some metabolic disturbances induced by high-fat diet and improve endothelial function in hamsters.
Respective contributions of intestinal Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 and scavenger receptor class B type I to cholesterol and tocopherol uptake:in vivov.in vitrostudies
Authors: Reboul Emmanuelle , Soayfane Zeina , Goncalves Aurélie , Cantiello Michela , Bott Romain , Nauze Michel , Tercé François , Collet Xavier , Coméra Christine 
Published: September 2011

The intestinal absorption of cholesterol and lipid micronutrients such as vitamin E has been shown to share some common pathways. The present study aims to further compare the uptake of cholesterol ([3H]cholesterolv. 22-(N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)-23,24-bisnor-5-cholen-3-ol (NBD-cholesterol)) and tocopherol in Caco-2 TC-7 cells and in mouse intestine, with special focus on the respective roles of scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) and Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1). Conversely to NBD-cholesterol, the uptakes of [3H]cholesterol and tocopherol by Caco-2 cells were impaired by both block lipid transport-1 and ezetimibe, which inhibit SR-BI and NPC1L1, respectively. These inhibitions occurred only when cholesterol or tocopherol was delivered to cells included in micelles that contained biliary acid and at least oleic acid as a lipid.In vivo,after 2 h of digestion in mice, the uptake of the two cholesterol analogues and of tocopherol all showed distinct patterns along the duodenum–jejunum axis. [3H]Cholesterol uptake, which correlated closely to NPC1L1 mRNA expression in wild-type (wt) mice, was strongly inhibited by ezetimibe. Intestinal SR-BI overexpression did not change NPC1L1 expression and led to a significant increase in [3H]cholesterol uptake in the distal jejunum. Conversely, neither ezetimibe treatment nor SR-BI overexpression had an effect on NBD-cholesterol uptake. However, in contrast with SR-BI mRNA expression, tocopherol absorption increased strongly up to the distal jejunum in wt mice where it was specifically inhibited by ezetimibe, and was increased in the proximal intestine of intestinal SR-BI-overexpressing mice. Thus, cholesterol and tocopherol uptakes share common pathways in cell culture models, but display differentin vivoabsorption patterns associated with distinct contributions of SR-BI and NPC1L1.
Lochkovian plants from the Xitun Formation of Yunnan, China, and their palaeophytogeographical significance
Authors: XUE JINZHUANG 
Published: September 2011

AbstractA megafossil plant assemblage containing three zosterophyll plants (Gen. nov. A, aff.Huiasp. and a unnamed spike) is described from the Lower Devonian Xitun Formation (Lochkovian) of Qujing, Yunnan Province, China, providing new data on the diversity of plant types during the Lochkovian, a time poorly represented by fossil vascular plants. Gen. nov. A has a character combination of naked axes, a diagnostic branching pattern (i.e. K-type branching as well as small lateral branches scattered along the axes) and lateral stalked sporangia. Aff.Huiasp. has ovate and stalked sporangia which are arranged in loose spirals and are reflexed adaxially. Combining the plants previously reported from the Xitun Formation (i.e.Xitunia spinitheca,Zosterophyllum shengfengenseandZ.minorstachyum), the Xitun flora is dominated by zosterophylls and exhibits varied vegetative and fertile morphologies. Unlike the coeval plant assemblages in many localities of Laurussia and western Gondwana, which are mainly composed of plants with isotomous branching and terminal sporangia, the Lochkovian flora of South China is dominated by zosterophylls, documenting the existence of a distinct Northwest Gondwanan phytogeographic unit in the Lochkovian and a strong effect of phytogeographical isolation.
The first report on cystic echinococcosis in a cat caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (G1)
Authors: Konyaev S.V. , Yanagida T. , Ivanov M.V. , Ruppel V.V. , Sako Y. , Nakao M. , Ito A. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractA case of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in a domestic cat is described from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Ultrasonography showed numerous cysts with hyperechoic walls and anechoic contents within the cat's abdominal cavity. Molecular identification based on mitochondrial DNA genes indicated that the causative agent was Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (G1 strain). This is the first report of CE in a cat caused by E. granulosus sensu stricto with molecular confirmation.
Class Politics, American-Style
Authors: Arnold Kathleen R. 
Published: September 2011

Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson'sWinner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer—And Turned Its Back on the Middle Classis both a work of political science and a contribution to broad public discussion of distributive politics. Its topic could not be more relevant to a US polity wracked by bitter partisan disagreements about taxes, social spending, financial regulation, social insecurity, and inequality. The political power of “the rich” is a theme of widespread public attention. The headline on the cover of the January–February 2011 issue ofThe American Interest—“Inequality and Democracy: Are Plutocrats Drowning Our Republic?”—is indicative. Francis Fukuyama's lead essay, entitled “Left Out,” clarifies that by “plutocracy,” the journal means “not just rule by the rich, but rule by and for the rich. We mean, in other words, a state of affairs in which the rich influence government in such a way as to protect and expand their own wealth and influence, often at the expense of others.” Fukuyama makes clear that he believes that this state of affairs obtains in the United States today.Readers ofPerspectives on Politicswill know that the topic has garnered increasing attention from political scientists in general and in our journal in particular. In March 2009, we featured a symposium on Larry Bartels'sUnequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age. And in December 2009, our lead article, by Jeffrey A. Winters and Benjamin I. Page, starkly posed the question “Oligarchy in the United States?” and answered it with an equally stark “yes.”Winner-Take-All Politicsthus engages a broader scholarly discussion within US political science, at the same time that it both draws upon and echoes many “classic themes” of US political science from the work of Charles Beard and E. E. Schattschneider to Ted Lowi and Charles Lindblom.In this symposium, we have brought together a group of important scholars and commentators who offer a range of perspectives on the book and on the broader themes it engages. While most of our discussants are specialists on “American politics,” we have also sought out scholars beyond this subfield. Our charge to the discussants is to evaluate the book's central claims and evidence, with a focus on three related questions: 1) How compelling is its analysis of the “how” and “why” of recent US public policy and its “turn” in favor of “the rich” and against “the middle class”? 2) How compelling is its critique of the subfield of “American politics” for its focus on the voter–politician linkage and on “politics as spectacle” at the expense of an analysis of “politics as organized combat”? 3) And do you agree with its argument that recent changes in US politics necessitate a different, more comparative, and more political economy–centered approach to the study of US politics?—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
The Danish Cartoon Controversy and the Challenges of Multicultural Politics
Authors: Sinno Abdulkader 
Published: September 2011

Jytte Klausen's The Cartoons That Shook the World offers an interesting political science account of the Danish cartoon controversy and of a broader set of tensions between multiculturalism, civility, and freedom of expression. The book is also a fascinating case study of how political science can itself become the object of dispute, due to Yale University Press' decision to publish the book without any reproductions of the controversial cartoons.We have thus asked a range of political scientists to comment on the Danish cartoon imbroglio, the book's analysis of it, and the controversy over the book itself.—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Dynamics and dissipation in enzyme catalysis
Authors: Boekelheide Nicholas , Salomón-Ferrer Romelia , Miller Thomas F. 
Published: September 2011

We use quantized molecular dynamics simulations to characterize the role of enzyme vibrations in facilitating dihydrofolate reductase hydride transfer. By sampling the full ensemble of reactive trajectories, we are able to quantify and distinguish between statistical and dynamical correlations in the enzyme motion. We demonstrate the existence of nonequilibrium dynamical coupling between protein residues and the hydride tunneling reaction, and we characterize the spatial and temporal extent of these dynamical effects. Unlike statistical correlations, which give rise to nanometer-scale coupling between distal protein residues and the intrinsic reaction, dynamical correlations vanish at distances beyond 4–6 Å from the transferring hydride. This work finds a minimal role for nonlocal vibrational dynamics in enzyme catalysis, and it supports a model in which nanometer-scale protein fluctuations statistically modulate—or gate—the barrier for the intrinsic reaction.
“Mashq-e shab” (Homework)
Authors: Davar Mitra 
Published: September 2011

Mitra Davar's short story “Homework” takes us into the world of a young woman still at school but already grappling with a deep sense of alienation. Manizheh, the protagonist, leads a life delimited by her movements between home and school. Both sites demand duties and responsibilities she finds herself unable to fulfill. At school, her teachers complain that she is absentminded. At home, her mother urges her to take the medication a doctor has prescribed to combat her melancholia and to devote herself to her homework.We do not know the exact causes of Manizheh's depression, but something in her longing gaze tells us of a need to get beyond barriers that circumscribe her life. She is forever looking out of windows, staring at stray cats, and collecting feathers and autumn leaves. Yet she cannot find the vital link between all that she observes and is asked to do.
Science and Medicine
Authors: Saliba George 
Published: September 2011

Reviewing an Encyclopedia is in Itself a Difficult Task, Reviewing a specific topic or a set of topics in that encyclopedia while the encyclopedia is still in progress is even more so. An encyclopedia is not a book, one cannot read it from cover to cover even when it is finished. It does not have an introduction, a thesis, an argument, and a conclusion. It is not supposed to establish the frontiers of research in any field or to raise any issues about the direction of such research or the degree to which such frontiers could be pushed; instead it is supposed to report on the state of the art. In short one does not expect to find in an encyclopedia answers to pressing problems in a specific field but guidelines as to where such problems may be found.Furthermore, an encyclopedia is organized by entries (alphabetically ordered) and not by the logic of the thesis, and the entries are mostly devoted to persons who are deemed as having played important roles in the domain with which the encyclopedia is concerned.