bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Taurine stimulates proliferation of mice embryonic cultured neural progenitor cells
Authors: Hernández‐Benítez Reyna , Pasantes‐Morales Herminia , Saldaña Ismael Torres , Ramos‐Mandujano Gerardo 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTaurine is present in high levels in fetal brain which decrease in the adult, suggesting its role in brain development. In some regions of taurine deficient animals cells show defective migration and the presence of numerous mitotic figures, suggesting a delay in cell proliferation. To know more about the role of taurine in the developing brain cells, the present study investigated whether taurine is a factor involved in proliferation or/and viability of neural progenitor cells (NPC). NPC were obtained from 13.5‐days mice embryos mesencephalon, and cultured during 4–5 days to form neurospheres in the presence of EGF plus FGFb (EGF/FGF) or EGF alone. Mesencephalon taurine content (349 mmoles/kg protein) was lost in NPC and recovered after addition of 10 mM taurine to the culture. Neurospheres‐forming NPC were over 94% nestin‐positive. Taurine increased 38.6% and 43.2% the number of NPC formed in EGF/FGF or EGF conditions, respectively. In secondary neurospheres this increase was 24.6% and 62.1%, in EGF/FGF or EGF cultures respectively. Correspondingly neurospheres size was increased by taurine but neurospheres number was not enhanced. Taurine significantly increased the number of BrdU‐positive cells, without affecting cell viability, suggesting proliferation as the mechanism responsible for taurine action increasing NPC. Taurine seems unable to increase the number of β‐III‐tubulin‐positive cells differentiated from neurospheres after serum addition, and rather an increase in astrocytes was observed. These results point to taurine as a trophic factor contributing to optimize NPC proliferation. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Formation of Vesicular Morphologies via Polymerization Induced Self‐Assembly and Re‐Organization
Authors: Wan Wen‐Ming , Sun Xiao‐Li , Pan Cai‐Yuan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractA facile and feasible strategy for the preparation of vesicular morphologies has been developed using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymerization of styrene has been performed in a selected solvent, methanol, using S‐1‐dodecyl‐S‐(α,α′‐dimethyl‐α″‐acetic acid)trithiocarbonate (TC)‐terminated poly(4‐vinylpyridine) as chain transfer agent and stabilizer. Various morphologies including spherical vesicles, nanotubes, and compound vesicles with different shapes are obtained by changing the feed ratios and reaction conditions. The final nanostructural materials are formed through formation of the block copolymers, self‐assembly, and re‐organization of the morphology in a one‐pot polymerization. The latter two are induced by the propagation of PS blocks. The preparation of nanostructural materials can be performed at a concentration higher than 0.5 g · mL−1, thus this method offers a practical approach to prepare nanostructural materials on a large scale.magnified image
Silk cocoon of Bombyx mori: Proteins and posttranslational modifications – heavy phosphorylation and evidence for lysine‐mediated cross links
Authors: Chen Wei‐Qiang , Priewalder Helga , Pradeep John Julius Paul , Lubec Gert 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAlthough silk is used to produce textiles and serves as a valuable biomaterial in medicine, information on silk proteins of the cocoon is limited. Scanning electron microscopy was applied to morphologically characterise the sample and the solubility of cocoon in lithium thiocyanate and 2‐DE was carried out with multi‐enzyme in‐gel digestion followed by MS identification of silk‐peptides. High‐sequence coverage of the silk cocoon proteins fibroin light and heavy chain, sericins and fibrohexamerins was revealed and PTMs as heavy phosphorylation of silk fibroin heavy chain; lysine hydroxylation and Lys‐>allysine formation have been observed providing evidence for lysine‐mediated cross linking of silk as found in collagens, which has not been reported so far. Tyrosine oxidation verified the presence of di‐tyrosine cross links. A high degree of sequence conflicts probably representing single‐nucleotide polymorphisms was observed. PTM and sequence conflicts may be modulating structure and physicochemical properties of silk.
Kinetic study of the polymerization of aromatic polyurethane prepolymers by high‐throughput experimentation
Authors: Majoros László I. , Dekeyser Bernard , Hoogenboom Richard , Fijten Martin W. M. , Geeraert Jan , Haucourt Nancy , Schubert Ulrich S. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractIn this contribution, high‐throughput screening experiments are reported to study the polymerization of different aromatic polyurethane (PU) prepolymers. The prepared prepolymers were synthesized from toluene diisocyanate (T80) with different molar mass polyether diols and polyether triols, respectively. The reactions were performed in solution using a Chemspeed Accelerator™ SLT106 automated parallel synthesizer as well as in bulk to evaluate the high‐throughput approach for this kind of prepolymers. More than 100 samples were prepared and characterized by GPC within 1 week labor time to investigate the reaction kinetics and to compare the resulting trends obtained by high‐throughput experimentation (HTE) or by conventional, bulk prepolymerization. The synthesis of the prepared prepolymers with a linear (T80‐Diol) or a branched (T80‐Triol) structure followed a second‐order kinetic in solution but showed deviation from this phenomenon in bulk under the selected reaction conditions, although the same trends are observed in both cases. The calculation of the rate constants allowed comparing the reactivity of different prepolymer systems, which could have a significant influence on the industrial application and processing of these materials. As a result, the HTE approach was found to represent a powerful tool for the kinetic studies of PU prepolymers. Moreover, in spite of the complexity of the curing process, the results obtained by high‐throughput solution polymerization can be applied for evaluating the bulk polymerization. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 570–580, 2010
The effects of atom pyramidalization and square distribution on the stability of F4F6‐(BN)n polyhedrons
Authors: Li Rui , Gan Li‐Hua , Hui Qun , Li Qian 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe structures and stability of F4F6‐(BN)n polyhedrons (n = 20–30) with the alternation of B and N atoms were studied with DFT method. The calculation results reveal that the atoms at square–square fusions with large pyramidalization angles are remarkably extruded out of the surfaces of (BN)n polyhedrons. The energetically favorable isomers do not contain square–square bonds and the energies of those isomers containing square–square bonds increase with the number of square–square bonds linearly, demonstrating that the energetically favorable structures of F4F6‐(BN)n polyhedrons satisfy the isolated square rule and square adjacency penalty rule. The atom pyramidalization determines the stability of the isomers. The binding energy is fitted to the numbers of vertices formed from different faces and a model is proposed to predict the relative stability of these polyhedral molecules. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Structure of endemic fish assemblages in the upper Yangtze River Basin
Authors: He Yongfeng , Wang Jianwei , Lek Sovan , Cao Wenxuan , Lek‐Ang Sithan 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis study focused on characterizing the endemic fish assemblages in the upper Yangtze River Basin and identifying the relative influences of catchment land‐cover variables on observed fish patterns in order to suggest a conservation strategy. A model based on a self‐organizing map was applied to determine endemic fish assemblages along the river network, based on presence/absence data for 124 endemic species. Five fish assemblages (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb1, IIb2) were described. These assemblages varied significantly in terms of individual species patterns as well as species richness. Indicator species were identified for each class of community (0, 3, 9, 27, 0 species for cluster Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb1, IIb2, respectively). Structure of the endemic fish assemblages in the upper Yangtze River was highly correlated with local topographic and geomorphic characteristics. Simultaneously, the catchment land cover features also reflected out this endemic fish distribution structure. Among 18 land‐cover types, alpine and sub‐alpine meadow, together with farmland, were revealed to be the most important factors both in discriminating the endemic fish assemblages and in correlating species distributions by using discriminant analysis and co‐inertia analysis. Finally, in order to preserve the rare and endemic fish in the upper Yangtze River, reserve networks, rather than a single national nature reserve, should be established. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of a Voltage Reference Wire and a Current Lead Wire to a Transient Voltage on a Vertical Conductor
Authors: Yutthagowith Peerawut , Ametani Akihiro , Nagaoka Naoto , Baba Yoshihiro 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThis paper reviews the effect of a reference voltage wire and a current lead wire when measuring a transient voltage on a vertical conductor. An analytical electromagnetic fields approach has been employed to explain the effect of the voltage reference wire and the current lead wire on voltage measurement. A hybrid electromagnetic‐circuit model is applied to investigate the effect of induced voltage on the horizontal reference voltage wire on measurement at the top of a vertical conductor. The results obtained show that the reference voltage wire perpendicular to the vertical conductor and the current lead wire causes a minor effect on the peak value of the measured voltage and current at the top of the vertical conductor and affects the voltage waveform. The estimated surge impedance of a vertical conductor is affected by the configuration of a current lead wire and a voltage reference wire. Additionally, an experimental configuration mitigated electromagnetic coupling is proposed. Copyright © 2010 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Electric and Magnetic Field Distribution Inside High Voltage Power Substations. Numerical Modeling and Experimental Measurements
Authors: Munteanu Calin , Visan Gheorghe , Pop Ioan T. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe paper emphasizes the results of the first systematic electromagnetic field measurements performed in high and very high voltage substations belonging to the Romanian National Power Grid in order to face the requirements of the EU Directives regarding the human exposure to the electromagnetic fields. In the first part of the paper, the experimental field measurement results from a recently rehabilitated 400/220 kV substation belonging to the Romanian Transport and System Operator (TSO) Company are presented. It follows the experimental field measurement results from two 110/20/10 kV electricity distribution substations. The high intensity field zones are highlighted and the highest field value found is compared with the exposure limits given by the actual legislation. In the second part of the paper, analytical field computation methods are approached following two main reasons: to validate the experimental results and to proof the analytical methods efficiency in evaluation of the electromagnetic field values in the neighborhood of the power devices from complex systems such as the substations. The final conclusions of the study performed and the actions proposed to be taken in practice finish the paper. Copyright © 2010 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mitral valve–tricuspid valve distance as a sonographic marker of trisomy 21
Authors: Grace D. , Eggers P. , Glantz J. C. , Ozcan T. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractObjectivePathologic studies suggest that a decreased mitral valve–tricuspid valve distance (MTD) is found in trisomy 21 fetuses without cardiac defects. We assessed the feasibility of using the MTD as a second‐trimester sonographic marker for trisomy 21.MethodsWe performed a retrospective case–control study of all cases of trisomy 21 at our institution from 1998 to 2008. Cases without a prenatally identified cardiac defect and with adequate images from 15 to 26 weeks' gestation were assessed. The distance between the medial insertions of the mitral and tricuspid valves (i.e. the MTD) onto the ventricular septum was obtained. We also obtained the MTD from normal controls during the study period. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the effects of gestational age and trisomy 21 on MTD. Gestational age‐specific percentiles and multiples of the median were calculated, and curves were fitted using linear regression analysis.ResultsWe identified 57 trisomy 21 fetuses with a measurable MTD and compared these with 634 control fetuses. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between MTD and gestational age and a negative correlation between trisomy 21 and MTD. Using a cut‐off of the 5th percentile, the MTD detected 70% of trisomy 21 cases with a 3.8% false‐positive rate in the controls.ConclusionsThe MTD increases with gestational age and is lower in fetuses with trisomy 21. Twenty (35%) of the 57 cases had no sonographic marker of trisomy 21 except an MTD below the 5th percentile for gestational age. The MTD was a useful independent marker for trisomy 21 in the second trimester. Copyright © 2010 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Asia‐Pacific Partnership: implementation challenges and interplay with Kyoto
Authors: Taplin Ros , McGee Jeffrey 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe Asia‐Pacific Partnership (APP) for Clean Development and Climate, a multilateral agreement between Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea (Korea) and the United States of America, is a nonbinding memorandum of understanding directed at international cooperation on development, energy, environment and climate change issues involving business and industry voluntary action on technology transfer, and research and development. It has been hailed as a new model for an international climate agreement and as an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol. However, APP implementation has had challenges. As an opposing model to that of Kyoto, it is in contravention of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC's) principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and a contributor to the crumbling of climate governance. Cooperation rather than competition ideally should be the future for the relationship between the APP and the UNFCCC/Kyoto. Business and industry are involved in implementation of the Kyoto mechanisms under the UN climate regime currently; and for that reason, synchronicity between the APP and Kyoto agreements would be ideal. For example, APP nations could be involved in joint ‘regional’ emissions trading as the United States, Canada, Australia, Korea, and Japan all are in the process of establishing national schemes. However, for the APP to be a complement to Kyoto and not a barrier to its effectiveness, many hurdles need to be overcome including equity issues, additionality questions, capacity building concerns, trade barriers, intellectual property issues, adequacy of funding, assessment of APP emissions reductions, and renewal of US interest in UN climate regime participation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This article is categorized under:Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance
Communicating climate change: history, challenges, process and future directions
Authors: Moser Susanne C. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractSince anthropogenic climate change first emerged on the public agenda in the mid‐to‐late 1980s, public communication of climate change and—more recently—the question of how to communicate it most effectively have witnessed a steep rise. This paper synthesizes what is known, presumed, and still unknown about how to effectively communicate this problem. An introductory historical overview of climate change communication is followed by a discussion of the challenges that communicators face in trying to convey the issue (invisibility of causes, distant impacts, lack of immediacy and direct experience of the impacts, lack of gratification for taking mitigative actions, disbelief in human's global influence, complexity and uncertainty, inadequate signals indicating the need for change, perceptual limits and self‐interest). The core of the paper focuses on key aspects of the communication process (purpose and scope of the communication, audience, framing, messages, messengers, modes and channels of communication, and assessing the outcomes and effectiveness of a communication). These elements are placed in relationship to several contextual factors that affect the communication process. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research on climate change communication. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This article is categorized under:Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Communication
Ethics and climate change: an introduction
Authors: Gardiner Stephen M. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractClimate ethics is an emerging field. This paper serves as a critical introductory overview. It focuses on five areas of discussion that are particularly relevant to substantive climate policy: the treatment of scientific uncertainty, responsibility for past emissions, the setting of mitigation targets, and the places of adaptation and geoengineering in the policy portfolio. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This article is categorized under:Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Ethics and Climate Change
Diagnostic efficacy of the fluorometric determination of enzyme activity for Pompe disease from dried blood specimens compared with lymphocytes—possibility for newborn screening
Authors: Lukacs Zoltan , Nieves Cobos Paulina , Mengel Eugen , Hartung Ralf , Beck Michael , Deschauer Marcus , Keil Angelika , Santer René 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackgroundPompe disease is a rare, autosomal‐recessive disorder which results from a defect in the lysosomal enzyme acid α‐glucosidase (GAA). The onset of this disease is highly variable, with infantile types being the most severe. Traditionally, lymphocytes, fibroblasts or muscle biopsies were necessary for enzyme activity measurement, because these materials do not express maltase‐glucoamylase (MGA) that interferes with the assay. Recently, acarbose was found to inhibit MGA activity selectively, so that dried blood became accessible for GAA assessment.AimTo evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of GAA measurement in dried blood specimens (DBSs) in comparison with lymphocytes. If DBSs provided reliable results, the diagnosis of Pompe disease could be facilitated, and high‐throughput screening would become possible.Methods and resultsGAA activity was measured in DBSs of known patients at pH 3.8 (with and without acarbose) and at pH 7.0. Additionally, lymphocytes were obtained from the same patients, and the enzyme activity was determined at pH 4 to pH 7. In total, seven infantile patients and 29 patients with late‐onset variants were investigated. All patients were reliably identified by both methods. Furthermore, a simplified protocol was established for neonatal screening.ConclusionThe fluorometric technique for the assessment of GAA activity in DBS provides a reliable diagnosis for all variants of Pompe disease. The assay protocol could be simplified for neonatal screening, without increasing the false positive rate significantly or burdening the laboratory with time‐consuming procedures.
Effect of preantral mouse follicle culture period on meiotic maturation and developmental competence of oocytes
Authors: Nonowaki Shouko , Takahashi Katsuhiko , Horiuchi Toshitaka 
Published: December 2009

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study is to determine the optimal culture period for meiotic maturation and developmental competence of in vitro‐grown mouse oocytes.MethodsEarly preantral follicles with diameter of 100–130 μm were collected mechanically from day 14 mouse ovaries and cultured for 8, 10, and 12 days. The diameters of follicles and oocytes were measured, and chromatin configuration in oocytes was observed. We also examined meiotic maturation by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)/epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation, developmental competence of fertilized oocytes to blastocysts, and apoptosis in blastocysts.ResultsThe follicular diameter increased significantly from days 4 to 10, and the diameter of day 12 oocytes was significantly larger than day 8 or earlier oocytes. Chromatin configuration around the nucleolus was transformed from “nonsurrounded (immature)” to “surrounded (mature)” after 10 days. Furthermore, MII rate of day 10 and 12 oocytes was significantly higher than that of day 8 oocytes. The blastocyst rate of day 10 oocytes was higher than that of day 8 or 12 oocytes. The blastocyst apoptotic rate of day 12 oocytes was higher than that of day 10 oocytes.ConclusionsLong culture periods of in vitro‐grown oocytes affect meiotic maturation, developmental competence to blastocysts, and apoptosis.
THE FINANCIAL RETURN OF CEREAL FARMING FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA
Authors: DUGUMA LALISA ALEMAYEHU , DARNHOFER IKA , HAGER HERBERT 
Published: December 2009

SUMMARYA study was conducted in Suba area, central highlands of Ethiopia, to assess the net return, land and labour productivity, and the return to scale of cereal farming practice. Seventy-five farmers belonging to three local wealth classes (poor, medium and rich) were randomly selected and interviewed about inputs and outputs related to cereal farming for the production year 2007/2008. Farm soil properties were investigated to check the variability in soil quality among the wealth classes. Benefit:cost ratio (BCR), net returns and annual profit were used to indicate the worthiness of the cereal farming activity. The return to scale was estimated by using the Cobb–Douglas production function. The results show that cereal farming is a rewarding practice, with the rich households gaining more profit than the poor. Farm size was the most important variable that affects the net return. There is an increasing return to scale. However, it is unlikely that farmers will have more land than they own at present because of the land shortage problem in the country caused by the increasing human population. Thus, attention should be given to minimizing the costs of production through proper regulation of domestic fertilizer costs and increasing labour productivity especially for the poor and medium households. The use of manure and compost as an additional fertilizer should also be promoted.
Macroscopic electromagnetic stress tensor for ionized media
Authors: JOHNSON ROBERT W. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractFollowing the arguments presented by Mansuripur [Opt. Express, vol.16, 2008, pp. 14821–14835], we suggest a form for the macroscopic electromagnetic stress tensor appropriate for ionized media. The generalized Lorentz force includes the effects of polarization forces as well as those on the free charge and current densities. The resulting tensor is written in terms of the fieldsD,B,E, andH. Its expression for a fully ionized medium subject to an external electromagnetic field is discussed, as are the plasma conservation equations. An apparatus is suggested for its experimental discrimination.