bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bioremediation of Malachite Green from Contaminated Water by Three Microalgae: Neural Network Modeling
Authors: Khataee Ali R. , Zarei Mahmoud , Pourhassan Minoo 
Published: January 2010

AbstractBiological decolorization of the triphenylmethane dye, Malachite Green (MG), by three microalgae, Chlorella, Cosmarium and Euglena species was investigated. Results indicated that the decolorization was dependent on reaction time, initial dye concentration, algal concentration, pH and temperature. The reusability and efficiency of the algae in long term repetitive operations were also examined. Since all of the algae had reasonable reusability in repetitive decolorization operations, the process seems to be biodegradation. An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict the biological decolorization of MG solution. The findings indicated that the ANN provided reasonable predictive performance (R2 = 0.98). The influence of each parameter on the variable studied was assessed, and reaction time and initial pH were found to be the most significant factors, followed by temperature, initial dye concentration and amount of algae. Simulations based on the developed ANN model can estimate the behavior of the biological decolorization process under different conditions.
Molecular Modeling Studies on the Human Neuropeptide S Receptor and Its Antagonists
Authors: Dal Ben Diego , Antonini Ippolito , Buccioni Michela , Lambertucci Catia , Marucci Gabriella , Vittori Sauro , Volpini Rosaria , Cristalli Gloria 
Published: January 2010

AbstractNeuropeptide S (NPS) is a 20‐residue peptide of great interest due to its potential involvement in several biological processes such as arousal, anxiety, and food intake. The NPS receptor belongs to the rhodopsin‐like G‐protein‐coupled receptor superfamily, and several polymorphisms and isoforms of this receptor are associated with asthma, allergies, and bronchial hyper‐responsiveness, in particular the Asn 107 Ile mutation. Limited structural information is available for this peptide–receptor system, particularly regarding the NPS receptor structure, its nonpeptide ligands, and the molecular aspects of agonist and antagonist binding processes. In this work, rhodopsin‐based homology models of the NPS receptor and its Asn 107 Ile variant were built and refined in a membrane bilayer model, and binding modes for nonpeptide antagonists were simulated. This study provides the first structural study of the human NPS receptor, and the results provide a starting point for further characterization of the binding modes of its antagonists, and for the rational design of new NPS receptor ligands.
Growth of single‐grain GdBa2Cu3O7‐x superconductors by top seeded infiltration and growth technique
Authors: Li Guo‐Zheng , Yang Wan‐Min , Tang Yao‐Long , Ma Jun 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe top seeded infiltration and growth technique (TSIG) is an effective way for the preparation of bulk REBa2Cu3O7‐x (RE‐123, where RE denotes rare earth) with finely dispersed RE2BaCuO5 (RE‐211) particles compared to the conventional melt growth (MG) method. The nucleation temperature and the ending growth temperature are the most important parameters need to be optimized during the preparation of RE‐123 bulks by the TSIG process. In this paper, the effects of these parameters on the growth of single‐grain GdBa2Cu3O7‐x (GdBCO) superconductors have been investigated experimentally. It is found that the temperature for the growth of single‐grain GdBCO is in the region between 1040 °C and 1015 °C. In addition, the relation between growth rate and supercooling has been investigated in detail. The combined techniques of SEM and EDS were used to study the microstructure of the samples grown at different temperatures. Based on this, a two‐step slow cooling method during the crystallization process is proposed for the fabrication of RE‐123 bulks. Finally, the single‐grain GdBCO samples of the diameters 20 mm and 30 mm were fabricated successfully by the TSIG technique, with the slow‐cooling process in the temperature window 1030 °C–1020 °C for 60 h and 100 h respectively. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Optical imaging of the growth kinetics and polar morphology of zinc tris(thiourea) sulphate single crystals
Authors: Dinakaran S. , Verma S. , Das S. Jerome , Kar S. , Bartwal K. S. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractGrowth kinetics of zinc tris(thiourea) sulphate (ZTS) single crystals was imaged in two different growth geometries using laser shadowgraphy technique. Growth rates of the {010} and {001} faces were computed as a function of supersaturation. The time evolution of polar morphology of ZTS crystal based on the growth rates is presented. Except (00$ \bar 1 $) face, all the other three faces are found to have a dead zone resulting in large induction period of growth. The anisotropy in the growth rates of the (001) and (00$ \bar 1 $) faces was very high, resulting in polar morphology. Different chemical environments on two sides of the (001) slice are suggested as the possible cause for the polar morphology of the crystals. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Nanocrystalline transparent SnO2‐ZnO films fabricated at lower substrate temperature using a low‐cost and simplified spray technique
Authors: Ravichandran K. , Sakthivel B. , Philominathan P. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractNanocrystalline and transparent conducting SnO2‐ ZnO films were fabricated by employing an inexpensive, simplified spray technique using a perfume atomizer at relatively low substrate temperature (360±5 °C) compared with conventional spray method. The structural studies reveal that the SnO2‐ZnO films are polycrystalline in nature with preferential orientation along the (101) plane. The dislocation density is very low (1.48×1015lines/m2), indicating the good crystallinity of the films. The crystallite size of the films was found to be in the range of 26–34 nm. The optical transmittance in the visible range and the optical band gap are 85% and 3.6 eV respectively. The sheet resistance increases from 8.74 kΩ/□ to 32.4 kΩ/□ as the zinc concentration increases from 0 to 40 at.%. The films were found to have desirable figure of merit (1.63×10–2 (Ω/□)–1), low temperature coefficient of resistance (–1.191/K) and good thermal stability. This simplified spray technique may be considered as a promising alternative to conventional spray for the massive production of economic SnO2 ‐ ZnO films for solar cells, sensors and opto‐electronic applications. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
An energy‐efficient scheme in next‐generation sensor networks
Authors: Xiong Naixue , Cao Ming , Vasilakos Athanasios V. , Yang Laurence T. , Yang Fan 
Published: January 2010

AbstractA next‐generation network (NGN) is an advanced network that exploits multiple broadband and QoS‐enabled transport technologies to provide telecommunication services. The principles and requirements of convergence of wireless sensor networks are likely to deliver all the desired benefits of NGN and should be carefully studied.In this paper, we focus on the power consumption topic, which is a fundamental concern in wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs). Node placement in WMSNs has considerable impact on network lifetime. In this paper, we have investigated and developed a power‐efficient node placement scheme (PENPS) in linear WMSNs, which can minimize the average energy consumption per node and maximize the network lifetime. The analysis of PENPS and the comparison of performance with the equal‐spaced placement scheme (EPS) show that PENPS scheme can significantly decrease the average energy consumption per node, which can prolong the lifetime of sensor nodes and sensor networks effectively. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Engineering Solid‐State Molecular Switches: N‐Salicylidene N‐Heterocycle Derivatives (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 4/2010)
Authors: Robert François , Naik Anil D. , Hidara Florence , Tinant Bernard , Robiette Raphaël , Wouters Johan , Garcia Yann 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe cover picture shows a panel of functional N‐salicylidene derivatives that can be rationally designed and assembled by crystal engineering. The amplitude of their thermochromism and/or photochromism can be finely tuned as shown by the central needle. This study is supported by a multidisciplinary approach (syntheses, physical and structural studies, calculations). Details are discussed in the article by Y. Garcia et al. on p. 621 ff.
Stability constants determination of successive metal complexes by hyphenated CE‐ICPMS
Authors: Petit Jeremy , Aupiais Jean , Topin Sylvain , Geertsen Valérie , Beaucaire Catherine , Stambouli Moncef 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe study of radionuclides speciation requires accurate evaluation of stability constants, which can be achieved by CE‐ICPMS. We have previously described a method for 1:1 metal complexes stability constants determination. In this paper, we present its extension to the case of successive complexations and its application to uranyl‐oxalate and lanthanum‐oxalate systems. Several significant steps are discussed: analytical conditions choice, mathematical treatment by non‐linear regression, ligand concentration and ionic strength corrections. The following values were obtained: at infinite dilution, log(β1°(UO2Oxa))=6.93±0.05, log(β2°(UO2(Oxa)22−))=11.92±0.43 and log(β3°(UO2(Oxa)34−))=15.11±0.12; log(β1°(LaOxa+))=5.90±0.07, log(β2°(La(Oxa)2−))=9.18±0.19 and log(β3°(La(Oxa)33−))=9.81±0.33. These values are in good agreement with the literature data, even though we suggest the existence of a new lanthanum‐oxalate complex: La(Oxa)33−. This study confirms the suitability of CE‐ICPMS for complexation studies.
Time domain identification of hybrid base isolation systems using free vibration tests
Authors: Oliveto Nicholas D. , Scalia Giovanni , Oliveto Giuseppe 
Published: January 2010

AbstractA procedure for the dynamic identification of the physical parameters of coupled base isolation systems is developed in the time domain. The isolation systems considered include high damping rubber bearings (HDRB) and low friction sliding bearings (LFSB). A bi‐linear hysteretic model is used alone or in parallel with a viscous damper to describe the behavior of the HDRB system, while a constant Coulomb friction device is used to model the LFSB system. After deriving the analytical dynamical solution for the coupled system under an imposed initial displacement, this is used in combination with the least‐squares method and an iterative procedure to identify the physical parameters of a given base isolation system belonging to the class described by the models considered. Performance and limitations of the proposed procedure are highlighted by numerical applications. The procedure is then applied to a real base isolation system using data from static and dynamic tests performed on a building at Solarino. The results of the proposed identification procedure have been compared to available laboratory data and the agreement is within ±10%. However, the need for improvement both in models and testing procedures also emerges from the numerical applications and results obtained. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Climatic influence on the inter‐annual variability of late‐Holocene minerogenic sediment supply in a boreal forest catchment
Authors: Petterson Gunilla , Renberg Ingemar , Sjöstedt‐de Luna Sara , Arnqvist Per , Anderson N. John 
Published: January 2010

AbstractProcesses controlling sediment yield vary over a range of timescales, although most process‐based observations are extremely short. Lake sediments, however, can be used to extend the observational timescale and are particularly useful when annually laminated (varved) sediment is present. The sediment record at Kassjön (N. Sweden) consists of ∼6400 varves, each 0·5–1 mm thick. Image analysis was used to determine grey‐scale variation and varve thickness from which annual minerogenic accumulation rate (MinAR) (mg cm−2 year−1) was inferred for the period 4486 BC – AD 1900. MinAR varies on annual to centennial scales and mainly reflects channel bank erosion by the inflow streams. The mineral input reflects the intensity of the spring run‐off, which is dependent on the amount of snow accumulated during the winter, and hence MinAR is a long‐term record of variability in past winter climate; other factors will be a variable response to catchment uplift, vegetation succession and pedogenesis. A major shift from low to high MinAR occurred ∼250 BC, and peaks occurred around AD 250, 600, 1000, 1350 and 1650. Wavelet power spectrum analysis (confirmed by Fourier analyses) indicated significantly different periodicities throughout the period 4000 BC – AD 1700, including 275 years for the period 4000 BC – 2900 BC, 567 years for the period 2901 BC – 1201 BC, and 350 and 725 years for the period 1200 BC – AD 1700. The long‐term, centennial scale variability (∼350 years) may reflect solar forcing (cf the 385‐year peak in tree‐ring calibrated 14C activity) but interestingly, there is no obvious link to high frequency forcing, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation. The high resolution component of the record highlights the relevance of varved lake sediment records for understanding erosion dynamics in undisturbed forested catchments and their link to long‐term climate dynamics and future climate change. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intensification of maternal care by double‐mothering boosts cognitive function and hippocampal morphology in the adult offspring
Authors: D'Amato Francesca R. , Zanettini Claudio , Sgobio Carmelo , Sarli Celeste , Carone Valentina , Moles Anna , Ammassari‐Teule Martine 
Published: January 2010

AbstractMice born from high care‐giving females show, as adults, low anxiety levels, decreased responsiveness to stress, and substantial improvements in cognitive function and hippocampal plasticity. Given the relevance of this issue for preventing emotional and cognitive abnormalities in high‐risk subjects, this study examines the possibility to further enhance the beneficial effects observed in the progeny by augmenting maternal care beyond the highest levels females can display in standard laboratory conditions. This was produced by placing a second female with the dam and its litter in the rearing cage from the partum until pups weaning. Maternal behavior of all females was scored during the first week postpartum, and behavioral indices of emotionality, prestress and poststress corticosterone levels, cognitive performance, and hippocampal morphology were assessed in the adult offspring. We found that pups reared by female dyads received more maternal care than pups reared by dams alone, but as adults, they did not exhibit alterations in emotionality or corticosterone response estimated in basal condition or following restraint stress. Conversely, they showed enhanced performance in hippocampal‐dependent tasks including long‐term object discrimination, reactivity to spatial change, and fear conditioning together with an increase in dendritic length and spine density in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. In general, the beneficial effects of dyadic maternal care were stronger when both the females were lactating. This study demonstrates that double‐mothering exerts a long‐term positive control on cognitive function and hippocampal neuronal connectivity. This experimental manipulation, especially if associated with increased feeding, might offer a concrete possibility to limit or reverse the consequences of negative predisposing conditions for normal cognitive development. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interfering with perirhinal brain‐derived neurotrophic factor expression impairs recognition memory in rats
Authors: Seoane Ana , Tinsley Chris J. , Brown Malcolm W. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe role of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in recognition memory was investigated by locally infusing oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) into perirhinal cortex, a region of the temporal lobe essential for familiarity discrimination. Antisense but not sense BDNF ODN impaired consolidation of long‐term (24h) but not shorter‐term (20min) recognition memory. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intrinsic interhemispheric hippocampal functional connectivity predicts individual differences in memory performance ability
Authors: Wang Liang , Negreira Alyson , LaViolette Peter , Bakkour Akram , Sperling Reisa A. , Dickerson Bradford C. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractWhen given challenging episodic memory tasks, young adults demonstrate notable individual differences in performance. Recent evidence suggests that individual differences in human behavior may be related to the strength of functional connectivity of large‐scale functional networks as measured by spontaneous fluctuations in regional brain activity during quiet wakefulness (the “resting state”), in the absence of task performance. In this study, we sought to determine whether individual differences in memory performance could be predicted by the interhemispheric functional connectivity of the two hippocampi, hypothesized to reflect the intrinsic connectivity within the large‐scale medial temporal lobe memory system. Results demonstrated that interhemispheric hippocampal functional connectivity during quiet wakefulness was predictive of the capacity to freely recall recently learned information (r = 0.47, P < 0.05). In contrast, functional connectivity of bilateral motor cortices had no relationship to free recall, supporting the specificity of the hippocampal data. Thus, individual differences in the capacity to perform episodic memory tasks, which may be persistent behavioral traits or transient states, may be at least partly subserved by individual differences in the functional connectivity of large‐scale functional‐anatomic memory networks. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The plastic human
Authors: Gluckman Peter D. , Hanson Mark A. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractDevelopmental plasticity is the process by which environmental cues in early life influence the nature of the phenotype. The near‐universal capacity for plasticity evolved because it allows the organism to maintain or enhance its fitness, either at the time of the challenge (by allowing survival) or later in life. Importantly, developmental plasticity operates over the normative range of environmental experiences. Studies of the long‐term consequences of different developmental environments for human health and disease have shown that growth restriction (altered birth size) is not a prerequisite for altered disease risk and that there is a graded effect across the whole range of fetal milieu. Thus, the emerging consensus is that ‘fetal programming’ reflects the maladaptive consequences of developmental plasticity, arising from discordance between the triggering and later environments. Such discordance is increasingly likely, both because of demographic shifts and because of the rapid change in the nutritional and social environments experienced after weaning. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Building blocks of fetal cognition: emotion and language
Authors: Huotilainen Minna 
Published: January 2010

AbstractMagnetoencephalography (MEG) can be effectively used to record fetal and neonatal cognitive abilities/functions by recording completely non‐invasively the magnetic fields produced by the active neurons in the brain. During the last trimester and the first months of life, the cognitive capabilities related to emotion recognition and language acquisition develop rapidly. Latest research shows that already the newborn has advanced abilities related to processing emotional information and speech sounds. These abilities form the basis of the child's development towards mastering social tasks and native language. The possibilities of using fetal or neonatal MEG in studying these important abilities is discussed, especially in relation to face detection and orientation to faces, as well as those required for making sense of complex, natural auditory environments. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Blood pressure, body size and prostate cancer risk in the Swedish Construction Workers cohort
Authors: Stocks Tanja , Hergens Maria‐Pia , Englund Anders , Ye Weimin , Stattin Pär 
Published: January 2010

AbstractData from prospective studies on blood pressure and prostate cancer risk are limited, and results are inconclusive. Baseline measurements of height, weight and blood pressure were available in 336,159 men in the Swedish Construction Workers cohort. During an average of 22.2 years of follow‐up, 10,002 incident cases and 2,601 fatal cases of prostate cancer were identified in National registers. For 5,219 cases, tumor characteristics were available; 2,817 tumors were classified as nonaggressive and 2,402 as aggressive. Relative risks of disease were estimated from Cox regression models, using attained age as time‐scale, and adjusting for birth year, smoking status and body mass index (BMI). Top compared to bottom quintile level of systolic or diastolic blood pressure was associated with a significant 15–20% decreased risk of incident prostate cancer (p for trend: systolic < 0.0001, diastolic = 0.3), but blood pressure was not significantly associated with risk of fatal prostate cancer. BMI was not associated with prostate cancer incidence, but was positively associated with fatal prostate cancer; men in the top quintile had a 30% increased risk (p for trend = 0.0004). The associations between blood pressure and BMI and nonaggressive tumors were similar to those of incident prostate cancer, and associations with aggressive tumors were similar to those of fatal prostate cancer. Data from our study suggest that hypertension is associated with a decreased risk of incident prostate cancer, but the explanation for this finding is unclear. Our study support a positive association between overweight and risk of fatal prostate cancer.
Antibiograms and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA‐polymerase chain reactions (RAPD‐PCR) as epidemiological markers of gonorrhea
Authors: Lawung Ratana , Charoenwatanachokchai Angkana , Cherdtrakulkiat Rungrot , Thammapiwan Sivarak , Mungniponpan Tharinda , Bülow Leif , Prachayasittikul Virapong 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe development of antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae arising from wide dissemination of resistant clones is a major global health problem. In this study, a total of 235 isolates of N. gonorrhoeae isolated from patients of Bangrak Hospital were tested for their antibiotic susceptibilities to penicillin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, spectinomycin, and ceftriaxone. Mutation (Ser‐91) in the quinolone resistance determining regions of gyrA and random amplification of the polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD‐PCR) were examined from 145 isolates. Among these, 55 isolates were obtained during January–March 2000, 46 isolates during January–March 2002, and 44 isolates during October–December 2002. The occurrence of combination resistance between penicillin and quinolone was 20% in January–March 2000, which was increased to 57.8% during the period of October–December 2002 (P<0.0001). Mutation of Ser‐91 in gyrA could be directly linked with the resistance or declining of susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Using RAPD‐PCR, we could classify the 145 isolates into 4 and 5 groups by primers D11344 (5′‐AGTGAATTCGCGGTGAGATGCCA‐3′) and D8635 (5′‐GAGCGGCCAAAGGGAGCA GAC‐3′), respectively. Combination of the data obtained from these two primers produced 11 fingerprint groups. Our findings conclude that monitoring of the Ser‐91 mutation of gyrA and RAPD‐PCR methods are most useful for epidemiological screening. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 24:31–37, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Pigment epithelium‐derived factor as a new marker of metabolic syndrome in Caucasian population
Authors: Stejskal D. , Karpíšek M. , Švesták M. , Hejduk P. , Sporová L. , Kotolová H. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractAuthors present that serum pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) is an independent marker of metabolic syndrome in Caucasianpopulation. PEDF was measured with new ELISA sandwich test. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 24:17–19, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.