bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Higher susceptibility of spontaneous and NNK‐induced lung neoplasms in connexin 43 deficient CD1 × AJ F1 mice: Paradoxical expression of connexin 43 during lung carcinogenesis
Authors: Fukumasu Heidge , Avanzo Jose L. , Sanches Daniel S. , Mennecier Gregory , Mori Claudia M.C. , Dagli Maria L. Z. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractConnexins (Cxs) are proteins that form the communicating gap junctions, and reportedly have a role in carcinogenesis. Here, we evaluated the importance of Connexin43 (Cx43) in spontaneous and 4‐(methylnitrosamino)‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)‐1‐butanone (NNK)‐induced lung carcinogenesis. Male wild‐type (Cx43+/+) and hemizygote (Cx43+/−) CD1 × AJ F1 mice were injected with NNK or saline. After 60 weeks mice were euthanized; lung nodules were counted, measured, and fixed in formalin or snap frozen. Immunohistochemistry for Cx43 and Beta‐catenin (β‐catenin) was performed and Cx43 mRNA expression was evaluated by real‐time PCR. Cx43 deletion significantly increased the incidence and number of spontaneous nodules in the CD1 × AJ F1 mice and the number of gross lesions and the aggressiveness of lesions in NNK‐treated mice. Cx43 mRNA increased significantly and was correlated with the aggressiveness of tumors, although lesions from Cx43+/− mice expressed less Cx43 RNAm than their counterparts. Lung parenchyma presented a Cx43 immunostaining pattern with points or plaques between cells. In hyperplasias and adenomas, Cx43 was found in the membrane and in cytoplasm. Malignant lesions presented increased Cx43 in cytoplasm and a few membrane spots of immunostaining. β‐catenin was weakly expressed in lung parenchyma. Though hyperplasias presented some cells with nuclear β‐catenin, NNK‐induced tumors contained a higher number of this staining pattern. Also, no difference in β‐catenin occurred between both genotypes independently of the histological grade. In summary, our results indicate that Cx43 acts as a tumor suppressor gene in early lung tumorigenesis and loses this property in advanced carcinogenesis. Therefore, Cxs are better classified as conditional tumor suppressors. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rat brain MRI at 16.4T using a capacitively tunable patch antenna in combination with a receive array
Authors: Shajan G. , Hoffmann Jens , Balla Dávid Z. , Deelchand Dinesh K. , Scheffler Klaus , Pohmann Rolf 
Published: February 2012

AbstractFor MRI at 16.4T, with a proton Larmor frequency of 698 MHz, one of the principal RF engineering challenges is to generate a spatially homogeneous transmit field over a larger volume of interest for spin excitation. Constructing volume coils large enough to house a receive array along with the subject and to maintain the quadrature symmetry for different loading conditions is difficult at this frequency. This calls for new approaches to RF coil design for ultra‐high field MR systems. A remotely placed capacitively tunable patch antenna, which can easily be adjusted to different loading conditions, was used to generate a relatively homogeneous excitation field covering a large imaging volume with a transversal profile similar to that of a birdcage coil. Since it was placed in front of the animal, this created valuable free space in the narrow magnet bore around the subject for additional hardware. To enhance the reception sensitivity, the patch antenna was combined with an actively detunable 3‐channel receive coil array. In addition to increased SNR compared to a quadrature transceive surface coil, we were able to get high quality gradient echo and spin‐echo images covering the whole rat brain. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Continuous infrared‐assisted double‐sided roll‐to‐roll embossing of flexible polymer substrates
Authors: Liu Shih‐Jung , Huang Chun‐Chieh , Liao Che‐Ting 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis article reports a novel infrared (IR)‐assisted roll‐to‐roll embossing method, which enables the replication of microfeatures onto the surfaces of flexible polymer substrates. An IR‐assisted roll‐to‐roll embossing facility was designed and built in our laboratory especially for this study. Metallic rollers bearing micropatterns of two different feature sizes, namely 150 and 20 μm in depth, were employed. The former one was prepared by microelectric discharge machining the roller, whereas the latter was fabricated by electroplating a thin layer of nickel on the surface of the roller, followed by a diamond turning process to create the microstructures. The embossing facility was used to replicate the microstructure onto polyethylene terephthalate and polycarbonate films in the experiments. During roller embossing, the IR radiation shed on the rollers, and the energy was converted into heat to melt the polymer substrates and to replicate the microstructures. The influence of various processing parameters on the replicability of microfeatures was investigated. Under the proper processing conditions, double‐sided flexible polymer substrates with microstructures could be successfully fabricated. The proposed method shows great potential for fabrication of micro‐optical components due to its simplicity and versatility. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Assessment of parameters influencing fiber characteristics of chitosan nanofiber membrane to optimize fiber mat production
Authors: Areias A.C. , Gómez‐Tejedor J.A. , Sencadas V. , Alió J. , Ribelles J.L. Gómez , Lanceros‐Mendez S. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractElectrospun chitosan nanofiber mats have been obtained using chitosan solutions in a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane. The relationship between processing parameters (solvent composition, polymer concentration in the solution, feeding rate, applied voltage, traveling distance between the needle, and the collector) and fiber morphology was studied. Taguchi's methodology was followed to determine which parameters have the strongest influence on mean fiber diameter and fiber homogeneity. Chitosan nanofibers obtained with this procedure were water soluble due to the protonation of amine side groups but were successfully neutralized by immersion in calcium carbonate solutions. It was established that fiber diameter is mainly determined by the solution concentration and the distance from the needle to the collector while other parameters have less influence. The set of parameters that produce the thinnest fibers were a concentration of 8 wt%, a TFA/DCM ratio of 80:20 (v/v%), a voltage of 30 kV, a flow rate of 6.0 mL/h, a gap distance of 10 cm, using a needle diameter of 0.5, allowing to produce randomly oriented mats with a mean fiber thickness of 66 nm. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Carborane‐incorporated poly(silyleneethynylenephenyleneethynylene)s with different side groups
Authors: Wang Canfeng , Jiang Yun , Gao Yu , Zhou Yan , Huang Farong , Du Lei 
Published: February 2012

AbstractCarborane‐incorporated poly(silyleneethynylenephenyleneethynylene)s with different side groups were synthesized from corresponding poly(silyleneethynylenephenyleneethynylene)s and decaborane (B10H14) in the presence of acetonitrile through in‐situ reaction. The obtained polymers with o‐carborane units were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, rheological measurements, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results show that the properties of these carborane‐incorporated polymers vary with side groups in main chains. They possess good processability and can be crosslinked to form thermosets at temperatures less than 250°C. The thermosets exhibit excellent thermal and thermooxidative stabilities. The weight losses of the thermosets heated to 800°C in air are only 10% approximately. After pyrolysis of the thermosets in nitrogen at 1000°C, the pyrolytic products have no further weight losses up to 1000°C in air. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effect of fiber modification with a novel compatibilizer on the mechanical properties and water absorption of hemp‐fiber‐reinforced unsaturated polyester composites
Authors: Qiu Renhui , Ren Xiaofeng , Li Kaichang 
Published: February 2012

AbstractHemp‐fiber‐reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPE) composites were prepared by compression molding. The treatment of hemp fibers with N‐methylol acrylamide (NMA) and sulfuric acid as a catalyst significantly increased tensile strength, flexural modulus of rupture and flexural modulus of elasticity, and water resistance of the resulting hemp–UPE composites. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed that some NMA was covalently bonded to hemp fibers. Scanning electronic microscopy graphs of the fractured hemp–UPE composites revealed that treatment of hemp fibers with NMA greatly improved the interfacial adhesion between hemp fibers and UPE. The chemical reactions between hemp fibers and NMA as well as the mechanism of improving the interfacial adhesion were proposed and discussed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Release evaluation of molecularly imprinted polymers prepared under molecular crowding conditions
Authors: Li Xiao‐Xia , Hao Lan‐Fang , Huang Yan‐Ping , Duan Hong‐Quan , Liu Zhao‐Sheng 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIn this work, molecular crowding agent was first applied to the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)‐based drug release system. With S‐naproxen as template, the MIPs were prepared with methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, in the presence of polystyrene as molecular crowding by precipitation polymerization. Morphology and particle size of the resulting MIP sub‐micrometer microparticles were determined by scanning electron microcopy and dynamic light scattering. The influence of several parameters on the sustained release of the imprinted polymers was investigated, including the molar ratio of the imprint molecule to the functional monomers, the molar ratio of the functional monomers to the crosslinking monomers, and the type of the porogen. In addition, the release of the MIP was compared to that of the traditionally prepared imprinted polymers with other porogens. The transport mechanism of template was studied by fitting experiment data with different model equations and calculating the corresponding parameters. The novel MIPs prepared with molecular crowding were able to prolong S‐naproxen, in a phosphate buffers solution of pH 7.4, for more than 12 h, indicating better sustained release effect than that prepared with noncrowding agent. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effect of dispersion on rheological and mechanical properties of polypropylene/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites
Authors: Zhou Kai , Gu Shu‐Ying , Zhang Yi‐Han , Ren Jie 
Published: February 2012

AbstractPolypropylene (PP) nanocomposites filled with the pristine multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the purified CNTs were prepared by melt blending. The microstructure and linear viscoelastic properties wereinvestigated using rheological and morphological measurements. The results show that the purified CNTs disperse uniformly in the PP matrix. At low frequencies, frequency dependence of modulus weakens clearly with the addition of the CNTs, indicating that the long‐range motion of the polymer chains is restrained by the presence of the CNTs. Percolation networks form when the loading levels achieve up to 3 and 1.5 wt% for the composites with the pristine CNTs (PPCNTs) and the purified CNTs (PPcCNTs), respectively. The linear relaxation modulus increases with increasing loading level. And for composites with loading levels above percolation concentration, the modulus appears to reach a plateau at long time scales due to the formation of percolation network. Tensile strength and impact strength are simultaneously improved with the addition of the CNTs. The better the dispersion of the CNTs, the greater the improvement of the tensile strength and the impact strength. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers
Quadratic nonlinear optical and preliminary piezoelectric investigation of crosslinked samples obtained from a liquid chromophore
Authors: Centore Roberto , Concilio Antonio , Borbone Fabio , Fusco Sandra , Carella Antonio , Roviello Antonio , Stracci Glauco , Gianvito Antonio 
Published: February 2012

AbstractA push–pull chromophore has been synthesized, which is liquid at room temperature and can be crosslinked owing to the presence of two methacrylate moieties. Thin films of the chromophore have been prepared by spin coating, and they have been simultaneously crosslinked and poled under strong electric field. On the poled crosslinked films, the quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) characterization was performed through nonresonant second harmonic generation measurements at 1368 nm as the fundamental wavelength, yielding a fairly good d33 value of 46 pm/V, with retention of 80% of that value after 2 months at 85 °C. Following the theoretical issue that the quadratic NLO and piezoelectric tensors of a material have the same symmetry properties, and exploiting the easy processing of the chromophore in the liquid phase, we have prepared poled crosslinked samples of the chromophore suitable for piezoelectric tests that were performed using a commercial piezoceramic sample as the reference. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012
Public attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients: a national survey in Korea
Authors: Cho Juhee , Smith Katherine , Choi Eun‐Kyung , Kim Im‐Ryung , Chang Yoon‐Jung , Park Hyun‐Young , Guallar Eliseo , Shim Young Mog 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackgroundRegardless of improved survival rate, negative images and myths about cancer still abound. Cancer stigma may reduce patients' life opportunities resulting in social isolation, decreased level of emotional well‐being, and poor health outcomes. This study was aimed to evaluate public attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients and people's willingness to disclose cancer diagnosis in South Korea.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey was conducted in August and September 2009. A nationally representative sample of 1011 men and women with no history of cancer was recruited. A set of 12 questions grouped into three domains (impossibility of recovery, cancer stereotypes, and discrimination) was used to assess public attitudes toward cancer.ResultsIt was found 58.5% of study participants agreed that it is impossible to treat cancer regardless of highly developed medical science, 71.8% agreed that cancer patients would not be able to make contributions to society, and 23.5% agreed that they would avoid working with persons who have cancer. The proportions of people who said that that they would not disclose a cancer diagnosis to family, friends or neighbors, or coworkers were 30.2%, 47.0%, and 50.7%, respectively. Negative attitudes toward cancer were strongly associated with lower willingness to disclose a cancer diagnosis.ConclusionsNegative attitudes, stereotypes, and discriminating attitudes toward cancer and people affected by the disease were very common in spite of clinical progress and improved survivorship.ImpactOur findings emphasize the need for health policy and social changes to provide a more supportive environment for cancer survivors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Frequency Scaling Laws of Plasma Bulk in Atmospheric Radio Frequency Discharges
Authors: Zhang Yuantao T. , Shang Wanli 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIn this paper a modelling study is performed to investigate the frequency scaling laws in atmospheric radio frequency discharges. By introducing the relaxation frequency of discharge plasmas, which links the electron density and excitation frequency, the relationships between excitation frequency and other discharge parameters, such as electron density, current density and sheath thickness, are revealed based on the analytical equations deduced from the model and then confirmed by the computational data. These scalings are effective to give insights into some discharge parameters which are not easily accessible in experiments such as electron density. magnified image
Cell Adhesion to PEEK Treated by Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation and Deposition for Active Medical Implants
Authors: Awaja Firas , Bax Daniel V. , Zhang Shengnan , James Natalie , McKenzie David R. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractPolyetheretherketone (PEEK) is an attractive material for the encapsulation of active medical implants. PEEK, however, shows hydrophobic surface properties which are not favorable for protein absorption and cell adhesion. We show that oxygen rich nanofilms “sticky thin film,” deposited on PEEK surfaces from plasma using a plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition technique with a (CH4/O2) gas mixture greatly improved cell adhesion (up to 75%) and spreading (up to 81%). Strong correlations were found between cell adhesion and the water contact angle, the polar component of surface energy, and to a lesser extent oxygen concentration of the PEEK surfaces. Surface polarity of the plasma deposited “sticky thin film” was deemed to be the predominant factor in influencing cell adhesion. magnified image
Vacuum‐ultraviolet (VUV) Photo‐polymerization of Amine‐rich Thin Films from Ammonia–Hydrocarbon Gas Mixtures
Authors: Truica‐Marasescu Florina , Ruiz Juan‐Carlos , Wertheimer Michael R. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractPhoto‐induced polymerization of hydrocarbon “monomers”, both unsaturated C2H4 and saturated CH4, has been carried out by vacuum‐ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation of the flowing gases at reduced pressure, employing near‐monochromatic radiation from Kr and Xe lamps. Using mixtures with NH3, the source of bound N in the coatings, similar concentrations, [N], can be achieved in both UV‐PE(M):N and low‐pressure plasma polymers, L‐PPE:N, but the former are much richer in primary amines, with selectivity values ([NH2]/[N]) up to 75%. UV‐PE:N and UV‐PM:N films prepared with gas mixture ratios, R, between 0.75 and 1.0 possess the main characteristics required for bio‐technological applications: (i) NH2‐rich, (ii) low loss of [NH2] upon exposure to atmosphere or water, and (iii) very low solubility in aggressive solvents, e.g., water. The VUV photo‐polymerization process, governed by reactions of free radicals from the gas‐phase, appears to result in more stable, more densely cross‐linked deposits than those from plasma‐assisted processes. magnified image
A work process for revalidating LOPAs and other risk analyses
Authors: Wagner Tim , Champion John 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe chemical process industry has long recognized the necessity of periodically revalidating process hazard analyses (PHAs), such as hazard and operability studies and What‐if analyses. Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) has published a book which describes this work process titled Revalidating PHAs [1]. However, there is limited guidance for revalidating supplemental risk analyses, such as layer of protection analyses (LOPAs), quantitative risk assessments (QRAs), and fault‐tree analyses. The objectives of performing periodic revalidations are to address the cumulative changes in risk that occur over time and to continuously improve our understanding of that risk. Ultimately the goal is to avoid incidents.An objective revalidation is focused primarily on safety, whereas a project review focuses on many other aspects beyond safety, such as productivity and efficiency. The revalidation is generally more effective at reviewing the external factors that impact the results of an assessment. By revalidating a risk analysis, the team takes a holistic approach to analyzing factors that affect risk to surrounding people or the environment imposed by the continued operation of the facility. Particular focus is placed on changes that impacted the analysis, but may not have been recognized or fully addressed in the management of change review. Some of these external factors include population changes, culture and organizational changes, changes and improvements in the risk analysis methodology and discovery of conflicting data.This article introduces a work process for revalidating various types of risk analyses and discusses many of the factors that need to be considered. This improves the quality of the revalidation while reducing the overall effort expended. The primary discussion centers on revalidating LOPAs, but other types of studies are discussed as well. Case studies and experiences from actual revalidation efforts are incorporated into the discussion. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2011
Actionable knowledge discovery and delivery
Authors: Cao Longbing 
Published: February 2012

AbstractActionable knowledge has been qualitatively and intensively studied in the social sciences. Its marriage with data mining is only a recent story. On the one hand, data mining has been booming for a while and has attracted an increasing variety of increasing applications. On the other, it is a reality that the so‐called knowledge discovered from data by following the classic frameworks often cannot support meaningful decision‐making actions. This shows the poor relationship and significant gap between data mining research and practice, and between knowledge, power, and action, and forms an increasing imbalance between research outcomes and business needs. Thorough and innovative retrospection and thinking are timely in bridging the gaps and promoting data mining toward next‐generation research and development: namely, the paradigm shift from knowledge discovery from data to actionable knowledge discovery and delivery. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.This article is categorized under:

Application Areas > Data Mining Software Tools
Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Key Design Issues in Data Mining
Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Motivation and Emergence of Data Mining
Recent Trend of Internal Hernia Occurrence After Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer
Authors: Miyagaki Hiromichi , Takiguchi Shuji , Kurokawa Yukinori , Hirao Motohiro , Tamura Shigeyuki , Nishida Toshirou , Kimura Yutaka , Fujiwara Yoshiyuki , Mori Masaki , Doki Yuichiro 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackgroundThe incidence of internal hernia after gastrectomy can increase with the increasing use of laparoscopic surgery, although this trend has not been elucidated.MethodsClinical information was collected from medical records and by questionnaire for 18 patients who underwent surgical treatment for internal hernia after gastrectomy for gastric cancer in 24 hospitals from January 2005 to December 2009.ResultsGastrectomy for gastric cancer was open/distal gastrectomy (DG) in five (28%) patients, open/total gastrectomy (TG) in seven (39%), laparoscopy‐assisted/DG in three (17%), and laparoscopy‐assisted/TG in 3 (17%). Reconstruction was by Roux‐Y methods in all patients. The hernia orifice was classified as a jejunojejunostomy mesenteric defect in eight patients (44%), dorsum of the Roux limb (Petersen’s space) in eight (44%), and one (5%) each of esophageal hiatus and mesenterium of the transverse colon. Among 8,983 patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer, a postoperative survey revealed that 13 patients underwent surgical treatment for internal hernia in the same hospitals. The 3‐year incidence rate of the internal hernia was 0.19%, which was significantly higher after laparoscopy‐assisted than open gastrectomy (0.53 vs. 0.15%, p = 0.03). Patients with an internal hernia had a mean (±SD) low weight at hernia operation (body mass index 17.9 ± 1.6 kg/m2) and marked weight loss after gastrectomy (weight reduction 15.6 ± 5.8%).ConclusionsGastrectomy with Roux‐Y reconstruction for gastric cancer leaves several spaces that can cause internal hernia formation. Laparoscopic surgery and postoperative body weight loss are potential risk factors.