bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating non‐gaussian diffusion model parameters in the presence of physiological noise and rician signal bias
Authors: Kristoffersen Anders 
Published: October 2011

AbstractPurpose:To assess the effects of Rician bias and physiological noise on parameter estimation for non‐Gaussian diffusion models.Materials and Methods:At high b‐values, there are deviations from monoexponential signal decay known as non‐Gaussian diffusion. Magnitude images have a Rician distribution, which introduces a bias that appears as non‐Gaussian diffusion. A second factor that complicates parameter estimation is physiological noise. It has an intensity that depends on the b‐value in a complicated manner. Hence, the signal distribution is unknown a priori. By measuring a large number of averages, however, the variance at each b‐value can be estimated. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we compared uncorrected estimation to a corrected scheme that involves fitting to the mean value of the Rician distribution. We also evaluated effects of weighting with the inverse of the estimated variance in least‐squares fitting. A human brain experiment illustrates parameter estimation effects and identifies brain regions affected by physiological noise.Results:The simulations show that the corrected estimator is very accurate. The uncorrected estimator is heavily biased. In the human brain experiment, the magnitude of the relative bias ranges from 6%–31%, depending on the diffusion model. Weighting has negligible effects on accuracy, but improves precision in the presence of physiological noise. At low b‐values, physiological noise is prominent in cerebrospinal fluid. At high b‐values there is physiological noise in white matter structures near the ventricles.Conclusion:Bias correction is essential and weighting may be beneficial. Physiological noise has significant effects. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:181‐189. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of bud load on quality of Beogradska besemena and Thompson seedless table grapes and cultivar differentiation based on chemometrics of analytical indices
Authors: Baiano Antonietta , Terracone Carmela 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: The effects of bud load on the quality of Beogradska besemena and Thompson seedless table grape cultivars were studied. Two pruning treatments were imposed: 44 and 18 buds per vine for Beogradska besemena and 44 and 22 buds per vine for Thompson seedless.RESULTS: In Beogradska besemena the reduction of bud load decreased titratable acidity (−4%), skin dry weight (−16%) and malic and citric acid contents (−43 and − 20%) and increased tartaric acid content (14%). The decrease in pulp antioxidant activity (−36%) was related to the decrease in hydroxycinnamoyl tartaric acid content (−13%). Concerning skin, the reduction of bud load decreased catechin and caffeoyl tartaric acid contents (−42 and − 40%) and significantly increased rutin and quercetin‐3‐O‐glucopyranoside contents as specific compounds and flavonoids and proanthocyanidins (9 and 21%) as classes of compounds, thus causing an increase in antioxidant activity (6%). In Thompson seedless the reduction of bud load increased soluble solid content (7%), acidity (9%) and concentrations of the three organic acids (7, 3 and 14%). The increase in pulp antioxidant activity (25%) could be attributed to the increase in total phenolics (69%). The reduction of bud load caused a significant decrease in quercetin‐3‐O‐glucopyranoside (−26%) and antioxidant activity (−15%) in skin. Principal component analysis allowed good separation between samples of the two cultivars, independently of bud level.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the effects of different bud loads are cultivar‐dependent. Bud load and genotype differences were shown to dramatically impact the quality and antioxidant properties of table grape. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Evaluation of confidence limit estimates of cluster analysis on molecular marker data
Authors: Kayis Seyit A 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Diversity studies employ cluster analysis as a statistical tool, whereby relationships between individuals are shown in a dendrogram, mostly accompanied by bootstrap support for merging branches to indicate confidence limits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the currently applied method of obtaining confidence limit estimates in cluster analysis and to propose an improved alternative bootstrap method.RESULTS: It was illustrated via a simulation study that conventional bootstrap support for cluster analysis was affected by the sample size. The reliability of merging branches decreased with increasing number of individuals in the sample. Unlike the current bootstrap support for cluster analysis, the proposed method provides confidence intervals for the similarity coefficients between individuals. To facilitate the interpretation of similarity coefficients and confidence intervals, alternative graphical presentations are proposed for both ‘similarity coefficients’ and ‘confidence interval range’.CONCLUSION: The proposed bootstrap method is not affected by the number of individuals in the sample. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Combination of 1‐methylcyclopropene treatment and controlled atmosphere storage retains overall fruit quality and bioactive compounds in mango
Authors: Sivakumar Dharini , Van Deventer Francois , Terry Leon Alexander , Polenta Gustavo Alberto , Korsten Lise 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Postharvest application of fungicide prochloraz and hot‐water dip are commercially practiced to control postharvest diseases in mangoes. Owing to the increasing consumer demand for organically produced fruit, the search for natural environmentally friendly alternative products and processes has become important for the fruit industry. This study evaluated the combined effect of 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP) (500 nL L−1) and controlled atmosphere storage conditions (CA‐1, 5% O2 + 5% CO2 or CA‐2, 3% O2 + 8% CO2) on the maintenance of fruit quality and bioactive compounds on hot‐water treated mangoes (cv. Kent) during postharvest storage.RESULTS: In comparison to the 1‐MCP + CA‐1 treatment, 1‐MCP + CA‐2 reduced the incidence of anthracnose, weight and firmness loss; delayed the skin and flesh colour development; prevented the increase of soluble solids concentration/titratable acidity ratio, ethanol and acetaldehyde content; and maintained the ascorbic acid, carotenoid, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant scavenging activity in hot‐water treated mangoes. The untrained panel preferred 1‐MCP + CA‐2 treated fruit to the fruit subjected to other postharvest treatments adopted in this investigation.CONCLUSION: Our investigation suggests that the combined effect of 1‐MCP and CA‐2 storage can be recommended as an alternative treatment to replace prochloraz application for hot‐water treated mangoes and can be adopted commercially for organic export markets. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Early leaf removal impact on volatile composition of Tempranillo wines
Authors: Vilanova Mar , Diago Maria Paz , Genisheva Zlatina , Oliveira José Maria , Tardaguila Javier 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Early defoliation is a very innovative technique in viticulture used for yield management. The effects of early leaf removal performed manually and mechanically at two different phenological stages, pre‐bloom and fruit set, on the volatile composition of Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.) wines were studied. Volatiles were identified and quantified by gas chromatography.RESULTS: Early leaf removal only modified the total concentrations of C6 compounds and acetates, whereas total alcohols, esters, volatile acids and terpenes remained generally unaffected. Early defoliation induced a significant reduction in C6 compounds and increased the concentrations of acetates in Tempranillo wines. An effect of timing (pre‐bloom vs fruit set) alone was observed for all acetates analysed. Regarding the method of defoliation (manual vs mechanical), significant differences in some ethyl ester (ethyl‐2‐methylbutyrate and ethyl octanoate) and volatile acid concentrations were observed among treatments. Ethyl octanoate, 2‐phenylethyl acetate, 3‐methylbutyl acetate and hexanoic acid, with OAV (odour activity value) > 1 and mainly fruity and floral odour descriptors, showed higher levels after early defoliation treatments compared with non‐defoliated vines. Principal component analysis illustrated the difference in wines from defoliated and non‐defoliated treatments based on their volatile composition.CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that early leaf removal significantly modified the wine aroma compounds, increasing or decreasing several of these compounds. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Executive functions in Parkinson's disease: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Kudlicka Aleksandra , Clare Linda , Hindle John V. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractImpairment of executive function (EF) is commonly reported as a feature of PD. However, the exact pattern of executive impairment remains unclear. Also, there is an ongoing discussion surrounding the definition and conceptualization of EF, which might affect the clarity of research evidence on cognition in PD. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the pattern of executive impairment in early‐stage PD emerging from the research literature and to identify critical issues for improving consistency in this field. The PsychInfo, MEDLINE, Science Direct, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases were searched using the term “Parkinson's disease” combined with each of 14 cognitive abilities defined as representing aspects of EF. The review was limited to studies that investigated EF as the central variable in early‐stage, nondemented PD patients. The review identified 33 studies of EF that were operationalized in terms of 30 abilities tested by 60 measures and variously interpreted. Many measures were used only once, so only a small part of the available research evidence could be synthesized in the meta‐analysis. The meta‐analysis was undertaken using data from five commonly used tests of EF drawn from 18 studies. This revealed consistent evidence for cognitive difficulties across all five EF tests. Research on EF in PD is characterized by a considerable lack of clarity with regard to measure selection and interpretation. The findings support the view that EF impairments are evident in PD. However, the clinical significance of the cognitive abnormalities reported has yet to be clarified. 2011 Movement Disorder Society
Concentric needle jitter in stimulated frontalis in 20 healthy subjects
Authors: Kouyoumdjian João A. , Stålberg Erik V. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractNormative data for jitter parameters using a disposable concentric needle have been presented in a few studies. Jitter, expressed as the mean consecutive difference (MCD), was measured in the frontalis muscle in 20 subjects by percutaneous bar stimulation of the temporal nerve branch. The mean MCD for individual studies (20) and for all potentials (600) were 16.05 ± 2.73 μs and 16.05 ± 5.96 μs, respectively. The suggested limit for mean MCD is 22 μs and for outliers is 28 μs. Muscle Nerve, 2012
New carbon nanotube–conducting polymer composite electrodes for drug delivery applications
Authors: Xiao Yinghong , Ye Xinxin , He Lei , Che Jianfei 
Published: October 2011

AbstractA novel drug delivery system (DDS) based on a carbon nanotube (CNT)–poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) composite was constructed via a layering method. Single‐walled CNTs (SWNTs) were immobilized on a gold electrode using a layer‐by‐layer technique. In particular, cysteamine (Cys) was firstly bonded to the gold surface through the strong SAu association and SWNTs were subsequently linked onto the Cys layer through condensation reaction of NH2 and carboxyl groups by 1‐ethyl‐3‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide/N‐hydroxysuccinimide coupling. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy demonstrate that this is a facile route for immobilizing CNTs on gold electrodes. Finally PEDOT was electropolymerized on the SWNT‐functionalized electrode to make a SWNT–PEDOT composite, and the modified electrode was applied as a DDS. Dexamethasone, as a model drug, was incorporated into PEDOT in the electropolymerization. Investigations of the electrochemical properties of SWNT–PEDOT demonstrate that SWNTs greatly improve the conductivity and increase the charge capacity of PEDOT. The composite exhibits a petal‐like surface structure, 20–30 nm thick and 100–200 nm wide. Compared to a DDS based on pure PEDOT synthesized under the same conditions, SWNT–PEDOT has the merits of higher drug release rate and larger release amount. The average mass release for every five voltammetry cycles increases from 1.4126 to 1.8864 mg cm−2. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Encapsulation of urease in double‐layered hydrogels of macroporous poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) core and poly(ethylene oxide) outer layer: fabrication and biosensing properties
Authors: Petrov Petar , Jeleva Denitza , Tsvetanov Christo B 
Published: October 2011

AbstractDouble‐layered hydrogels of super‐macroporous poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) cryogel core and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) hydrogel outer layer for encapsulation of the enzyme urease were constructed. The enzyme was entrapped into the pores of PHEMA cryogel by soaking and then the core was covered with a PEO layer. The leaking of urease from the core was prevented when the density of the PEO network was increased by incorporation of the crosslinking agent, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. The hybrid system exhibited a nearly constant enzyme activity with time and maintained its structural integrity after several reactions of hydrolysis of urea. The potential of double‐layered hydrogels containing urease for establishment of water pollution with copper was investigated as well. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Lenalidomide enhances the anti‐prostate cancer activity of docetaxel in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Henry J.Y. , Lu L. , Adams M. , Meyer B. , Bartlett J.B. , Dalgleish A.G. , Galustian C. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn this study, we investigated the effects of combining lenalidomide and docetaxel on in vitro and in vivo models of prostate cancer as a potential strategy for treatment of castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).METHODSThe effects of combining lenalidomide and docetaxel on proliferation, apoptosis, invasive potential, anchorage independent growth, and p53 activation in the PC3 and DU145 prostate cell lines were investigated. The effects of the lenalidomide and docetaxel combination on LNCaP prostate cancer cell growth and invasiveness in vitro was also studied. The combination of these two agents was finally tested on a xenograft model of PC3 tumor growth in nude mice.RESULTSLenalidomide decreased the IC50 of docetaxel by up to 50% (P < 0.05) and also decreased invasion in PC3, LNCaP, and DU145 cells and anchorage independent growth in PC3 cells (P < 0.01). Apoptosis in lenalidomide/docetaxel‐treated cells was increased by 2.2‐fold over single agent docetaxel and a corresponding increase in p53, p38, and BAD activation was observed in Western blots (P < 0.001). When PC3 challenged mice were treated with lenalidomide and docetaxel, median survival increased from 48 to 59 days and the rate of tumor growth was significantly reduced (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONSLenalidomide may be a promising candidate for combination with docetaxel in the treatment of CRPC. Prostate 72:856–867, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparative analysis of pesticide action plans in five European countries
Authors: Barzman Marco , Dachbrodt‐Saaydeh Silke 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom have launched national initiatives to reduce pesticide use or risk. Faced with multiple environmental, social and economic constraints such as ensuring the competiveness of European agriculture, the various programmes address goal setting, stakeholder involvement and the role of research and extension in different ways. These diverse experiences offer valuable insights for the development of national action plans required by new European legislation on pesticides.RESULTS: The general trend is to move away from volume or use reduction targets towards reductions in risks and impact. All programmes studied pay attention to involving a wide range of stakeholders in the policy‐making process to ensure buy‐in. Research and extension services are important players that help to define appropriate goals and improve implementation. Collective approaches to implementation appear to be more effective than the classical linear research–extension–farmer model.CONCLUSION: No matter the approach adopted in fine, member states can gain much from sharing their diverse experience through comparisons such as this study and via international policy seminars which serve as valuable forums for exchange. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
The type I interferon response during viral infections: a “SWOT” analysis
Authors: Gaajetaan Giel R. , Bruggeman Cathrien A. , Stassen Frank R 
Published: October 2011

SUMMARYThe type I interferon (IFN) response is a strong and crucial moderator for the control of viral infections. The strength of this system is illustrated by the fact that, despite some temporary discomfort like a common cold or diarrhea, most viral infections will not cause major harm to the healthy immunocompetent host. To achieve this, the immune system is equipped with a wide array of pattern recognition receptors and the subsequent coordinated type I IFN response orchestrated by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and conventional dendritic cells (cDCs). The production of type I IFN subtypes by dendritic cells (DCs), but also other cells is crucial for the execution of many antiviral processes. Despite this coordinated response, morbidity and mortality are still common in viral disease due to the ability of viruses to exploit the weaknesses of the immune system. Viruses successfully evade immunity and infection can result in aberrant immune responses. However, these weaknesses also open opportunities for improvement via clinical interventions as can be seen in current vaccination and antiviral treatment programs. The application of IFNs, Toll‐like receptor ligands, DCs, and antiviral proteins is now being investigated to further limit viral infections. Unfortunately, a common threat during stimulation of immunity is the possible initiation or aggravation of autoimmunity. Also the translation from animal models to the human situation remains difficult. With a Strengths–Weaknesses–Opportunities–Threats (“SWOT”) analysis, we discuss the interaction between host and virus as well as (future) therapeutic options, related to the type I IFN system. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TinyVM: an energy‐efficient execution infrastructure for sensor networks
Authors: Hong Kirak , Park Jiin , Kim Sungho , Kim Taekhoon , Kim Hwangho , Burgstaller Bernd , Scholz Bernhard 
Published: October 2011

SUMMARYEnergy‐efficient implementation techniques for virtual machines (VMs) have received little attention yet: conventional wisdom claims that VMs have a diametrical effect on energy consumption, and VM‐based applications are therefore short‐lived. In this paper, we argue that bytecode interpretation is affordable if we synthesize VMs specifically for energy efficiency. We present TinyVM, an execution infrastructure that seamlessly integrates with C and nesC/TinyOS‐based programming environments. TinyVM achieves high code density through the use of compressed bytecode as the primary program representation. Compressed bytecode allows rapid application deployment with low communication overhead. TinyVM executes compressed bytecode in place, which eliminates the need for a decompression stage and thereby reduces memory consumption on sensor nodes. Our infrastructure automates the creation of energy‐efficient application‐specific VMs. Applications are partitioned in machine code, bytecode, and VM instruction set extensions. Partitioning is manually controlled and/or fully guided by a discrete optimization problem that produces a partitioning with lowest energy consumption for a given program size limit. We provide experimental results for sensor network benchmarks and for selected applications on various CPU architectures including Atmega128‐based motes and the ARM‐based Intel iMote2. TinyVM has been released under the GNU General Public License. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variable‐rate adaptive modulation with optimum switching thresholds for cooperative systems with relay selection
Authors: Torabi Mohammad , Haccoun David 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the performance of variable‐rate adaptive modulation schemes in the amplify‐and‐forward cooperative systems with relay selection is analyzed over Rayleigh fading channels. We consider constant power and discrete‐rate adaptive multi‐level modulation techniques. The switching levels required for discrete‐rate adaptive modulation have been determined for two schemes, namely fixed switching levels and optimum switching levels, both respecting a target bit error rate requirements, where in the later scheme, the switching levels are optimally determined in a way that the average spectral efficiency of the system is maximized. Two M‐ary modulation schemes, namely quadrature amplitude modulation and phase shift keying, are considered. Closed‐form expressions are derived for three performance metrics, namely average spectral efficiency, outage probability, and average bit error rate, for two cases: independent and identically distributed fading relay links and independent and non‐identically distributed links. It is shown that, compared with using fixed switching levels, employing optimum switching levels provides a slight improvement in the spectral efficiency and moderate improvements in the signal‐to‐noise ratio gain and in the outage probability of the system. It is also shown that compared with the independent and identically distributed links, independent and non‐identically distributed relay links yield a slight increase in the signal‐to‐noise ratio gain and a slight decrease in the diversity order of the system. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Blade element momentum modeling of inflow with shear in comparison with advanced model results
Authors: Madsen H. Aa. , Riziotis V. , Zahle F. , Hansen M.O.L. , Snel H. , Grasso F. , Larsen T.J. , Politis E. , Rasmussen F. 
Published: October 2011

ABSTRACTThere seems to be a significant uncertainty in aerodynamic and aeroelastic simulations on megawatt turbines operating in inflow with considerable shear, in particular with the engineering blade element momentum (BEM) model, commonly implemented in the aeroelastic design codes used by industry. Computations with advanced vortex and computational fluid dynamics models are used to provide improved insight into the complex flow phenomena and rotor aerodynamics caused by the sheared inflow. One consistent result from the advanced models is the variation of induced velocity as a function of azimuth when shear is present in the inflow. This gives guidance to how the BEM modeling of shear should be implemented. Another result from the advanced vortex model computations is a clear indication of influence of the ground, and the general tendency is a speed up effect of the flow through the rotor giving a higher power than in uniform flow. On the basis of the consistent azimuthal induction variations seen in the advanced model results, three different BEM implementation methods are discussed and tested in the same aeroelastic code. A full local BEM implementation on an elemental stream tube in both azimuth and radial direction seems to be closest to the advanced model results. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.