bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) Cells Exhibit Ion Transport, Membrane Potential, Polarized Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Secretion, and Gene Expression Pattern Similar to Native RPE
Authors: Kokkinaki Maria , Sahibzada Niaz , Golestaneh Nady 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the major causes of blindness in aging population that progresses with death of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor degeneration inducing impairment of central vision. Discovery of human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells has opened new avenues for the treatment of degenerative diseases using patient-specific stem cells to generate tissues and cells for autologous cell-based therapy. Recently, RPE cells were generated from hiPS cells. However, there is no evidence that those hiPS-derived RPE possess specific RPE functions that fully distinguish them from other types of cells. Here, we show for the first time that RPE generated from hiPS cells under defined conditions exhibit ion transport, membrane potential, polarized vascular endothelial growth factor secretion, and gene expression profile similar to those of native RPE. The hiPS-RPE could therefore be a very good candidate for RPE replacement therapy in AMD. However, these cells show rapid telomere shortening, DNA chromosomal damage, and increased p21 expression that cause cell growth arrest. This rapid senescence might affect the survival of the transplanted cells in vivo and therefore, only the very early passages should be used for regeneration therapies. Future research needs to focus on the generation of “safe” as well as viable hiPS-derived somatic cells.
Hardware‐oriented ant colony optimization and its application to dynamic route guidance problem
Authors: Yoshikawa Masaya , Terai Hidekazu 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAnt colony optimization (ACO) is based on the behavior of food gathering of ants and it is a powerful search tool particularly when applying it to combinatorial optimization problems. However, ACO has the inherent problem of substantial processing time, because it requires a lot of repetitive calculations. In this article, we propose novel hardware‐oriented ACO (H‐ACO) to reduce processing time. H‐ACO adopts new integer arithmetic instead of conventional floating point arithmetic in the optimization process and it achieves high‐speed processing while keeping the quality of solutions. In addition, H‐ACO reduces the hardware resources, accelerates the clock frequency, and improves the latency, if it is implemented as a dedicated hardware. Furthermore, we also propose a new route guidance algorithm which combines H‐ACO with Dijkstra's algorithm and it can be applied to a dynamic route guidance problem. Experiments using actual map data demonstrate the validity of the proposed route guidance algorithm. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
“Off‐on‐off” Fluorescence pH Switch of Three Trinuclear RuII Complexes Containing Imidazole Rings
Authors: Cheng Feixiang , Chen Jishu , Wang Fan , Tang Ning , Chen Longhai 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThree tripodal ligands H3L1–3 containing imidazole rings were synthesized by the reaction of 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione with 1,3,5‐tris[(3‐formylphenoxy)methyl]benzene, 1,3,5‐tris[(3‐formylphenoxy)methyl]‐2,4,6‐trimethylbenzene, and 2,2′,2"‐tris[(3‐formylphenoxy)ethyl]amine, respectively. Trinuclear RuII polypyridyl complexes [(bpy)6Ru3H3L1–3](PF6)6 were prepared by the condensation of Ru(bpy)2Cl2·2H2O with ligands H3L1–3. The pH effects on the UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectra of the three complexes were studied, and ground‐ and excited‐state ionization constants of the three complexes were derived. The three complexes act as “off‐on‐off” fluorescence pH switch through protonation and deprotonation of imidazole ring with a maximum on‐off ratio of 5 in buffer solution at room temperature.
Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Photoluminescence of Lanthanide Coordination Polymers with 4‐Acetamidobenzoate
Authors: Yin Xia , Fan Jun , Wang Zhihong , Zhang Wei‐Guang 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe reactions of Ln(NO3)3·6H2O and 4‐acetamidobenzoic acid (Haba) with 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bpy) in ethanol solution resulted in three new lanthanide coordination polymers, namely {[Ln(aba)3(H2O)2]·0.5(4,4′‐bpy)·2H2O}∞ [Ln = Sm (1), Gd (2), and Er (3), aba = 4‐acetamidobenzoate]. Compounds 1–3 are isomorphous and have one‐dimensional chains bridged by four aba anions. 4,4′‐Bipyridine molecules don’t take part in the coordination with LnIII ions and occur in the lattice as guest molecules. Moreover, the adjacent 1D chains in the complex are further linked through numerous N–H···O and O–H···O hydrogen bonds to form a 3D supramolecular network. In addition, complex 1 in the solid state shows characteristic emission in the visible region at room temperature.
Investigations on the Thermal Reactivity of ZnII and CdII Selenocyanato Coordination Compounds
Authors: Boeckmann Jan , Reinert Thorben , Näther Christian 
Published: March 2011

AbstractReaction of zinc(II) and cadmium(II) selenocyanate with pyridine leads to the formation of new zinc(II) and cadmium(II) selenocyanato coordination compounds. The crystal structures of bis(selenocyanato‐N)‐tetrakis(pyridine‐N) zinc(II) (1) and bis(selenocyanato‐N)‐tetrakis(pyridine‐N) cadmium(II) (2) consist of discrete complexes in which the metal cations are octahedrally coordinated by two terminal N‐bonded selenocyanato anions and four pyridine molecules. Investigations on the thermal degradation behavior of 1 and 2 using simultaneous differential thermoanalysis and thermogravimetry as well as X‐ray powder diffraction, IR‐ and Raman spectroscopy, prove that on heating the pyridine‐rich compounds 1 and 2, a stepwise decomposition is observed, which leads to the formation of the pyridine‐deficient compounds bis(selenocyanato‐N)‐bis(pyridine‐N) zinc(II) (3) and catena‐[bis(μ‐1,3‐selenocyanato‐N,S)‐bis(pyridine‐N) cadmium(II)] (4) as intermediates. Whereas the octahedral coordination of the CdII cations are unchanged in its pyridine‐deficient intermediate 4, that is build up of polymeric chains, the crystal structure of compound 3 consists of tetrahedrally coordinated ZnII atoms, which are surrounded by two N‐bonded selenocyanato anions and two pyridine ligands forming discrete complexes. The structures and the thermal reactivity are discussed and compared with that of related transition metal isothiocyanates and selenocyanates with pyridine.
On the meaning of the chosen set‐averaging method within Eshelby‐Kröner self‐consistent scale transition model: the geometric mean versus the classical arithmetic average
Authors: Fréour S. , Lacoste E. , Fajoui J. , Jacquemin F. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractScale‐transition models, such as Eshelby‐Kröner self‐consistent framework, which are often used for predicting the effective behavior of heterogeneous materials or estimating the distribution of local states from the knowledge of the corresponding macroscopic quantities, require the extensive use of set averages. In the present work, the fundamental formalism historically introduced by Kröner is, for the first time, considered from the point of view of both the geometric and the arithmetic set averages methods. It is demonstrated in this paper that the polarization tensors describing the relations existing between the local and the macroscopic mechanical states do have a strong physical meaning when expressed using the geometric average, instead of the classical arithmetic mean.
Disclinations in nonlinear elasticity
Authors: Derezin S. , Zubov L. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe theory of line defects (dislocations and disclinations) in elastic bodies has been revisited. A consistent application of the formal limiting passage from isolated defects to the continuous distribution of these allows one to obtain a complete system of equations describing internal stresses in a body with distributed defects. Special emphasis is placed on disclinations in planar systems like graphene which very often demonstrate nonlinear elastic response. As a specific example an exact solution has been found for the problem of the eigenstresses in a disc of nonlinear elastic material due to a given density of continuously distributed disclinations.
Cholecystectomy: From Langenbuch to Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery
Authors: Soper Nathaniel J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractGallstones have led to pain and complications in humankind for millennia. Beginning in the 1880s, cholecystectomy, performed through a sizable abdominal incision, was the treatment of choice for symptomatic cholelithiasis. During the late 1980s pioneering surgeons first used laparoscopic techniques to remove the gallbladder. Although initially associated with a significantly increased rate of bile duct injury, the clinical advantages of laparoscopy compared to open operation became readily apparent, ushering in the “laparoscopic revolution.” More recently, attempts at rendering cholecystectomy even less invasive—smaller or fewer incisions or eliminating abdominal incisions altogether—have been described, with limited clinical series reported. At the current time, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard for gallbladder removal, and any newer techniques must be demonstrated to result in superior outcomes for widespread adoption.
Tumor‐related factors do not influence the prognosis of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma after partial hepatectomy
Authors: Kobayashi Tsuyoshi , Itamoto Toshiyuki , Tashiro Hirotaka , Amano Hironobu , Oshita Akihiko , Tanimoto Yoshisato , Kuroda Shintaro , Tazawa Hirofumi , Ohdan Hideki 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackground/purposeAlthough many factors related to the tumor or the hepatic functional reserve may affect the outcome of partial hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), these factors have not yet been intensively investigated in patients with solitary HCC. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinicopathological factors influencing the long‐term outcomes of partial hepatectomy for solitary HCC.MethodsData on 266 consecutive patients with a solitary HCC who underwent curative hepatectomy between 1997 and 2006 were analyzed with regard to prognosis.ResultsOverall survival rates at 3, 5, and 10 years were 89.5, 79.6, and 56.1%, respectively. The significant independent predictors for overall survival included hepatitis C virus infection, liver cirrhosis, and prolonged prothrombin activity. Disease‐free survival rates at 3, 5, and 10 years were 51.7, 41.1, and 20.4%, respectively. The significant independent predictors for disease‐free survival included elevated levels of aspartate amino transferase, decreased platelet counts, presence of liver cirrhosis, and prolonged prothrombin activity. Tumor‐related factors such as tumor size and microscopic vascular invasion were not significant predictors of overall or disease‐free survival.ConclusionsThe long‐term outcomes of patients with a solitary HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy mainly depended on the background liver status but not on tumor‐related factors; this suggests that partial hepatectomy is a remarkably effective antitumor therapy. If the hepatic functional reserve is within the permissible range, partial hepatectomy should be considered as the treatment of choice for patients with a solitary HCC.
Optimization of the Solvent‐Free Lipase‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Fructose‐Oleic Acid Ester Through Programming of Water Removal
Authors: Ye Ran , Hayes Douglas G. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractFructose oleate, an environmentally‐friendly biobased surfactant, was prepared using solvent‐free suspensions of saccharide in a mixture of acyl donor and monoester (the latter present at ≥5 wt% initially) continuously recirculated through a closed‐loop packed bed bioreactor (PBBR)‐based system at 53 °C, with the PBBR containing immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase (Lipozyme®IM, Novozymes, Franklinton, NC, USA). To replenish the acyl acceptor consumed during the time course of reaction, the medium was isolated, fructose added, and a suspension formed by rigorous stirring at 80 °C for 6 h followed by centrifugation to remove larger particles, with the placement of the acyl acceptor replenishment treatments during the time course of reaction were optimized. Water removal via free evaporation was augmented during the latter portion of the time course (using a molecular sieve packed column, N2 bubbling, vacuum pressure, or a combination of the latter two), with an optimal performance achieved when initiating N2 + vacuum ( removal rate) upon reaching 60% ester, to maintain the liquid‐phase water content near 0.40 wt%. When employing the above‐mentioned conditions, 92.6 wt% fructose oleate was produced within 132 h, yielding a productivity of .
An economic evaluation of early assessment for Alzheimer's disease in the United Kingdom
Authors: Getsios Dennis , Blume Steve , Ishak Khajak J. , Maclaine Grant , Hernández Luis 
Published: March 2011

AbstractBackgroundDiagnosing and treating patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at an early stage should improve the quality of life of the patient and caregiver. In the United Kingdom, cost‐effectiveness of early assessment of individuals presenting with subjective memory complaints and treating those with AD with donepezil was evaluated.MethodsA discrete event simulation of AD progression and the effect of treatment interventions was developed. Patient‐level data from donepezil trials and a 7‐year follow‐up registry were used to model correlated longitudinal rates of change in cognition, behavior, and function. Other epidemiological and health services data, including estimates of undiagnosed dementia and delays in diagnosis, were based on published sources. Simulated individuals were followed up for 10 years.ResultsIn the base‐case estimates, 17 patients need to be assessed to diagnose one patient with AD, resulting in an average assessment cost of £4100 ($6000; $1 US = £0.68 UK) per patient diagnosed (2007 cost year). In comparison with a scenario without early assessment or pharmacologic treatment, early assessment reduces health care costs by £3600 ($5300) per patient and societal costs by £7750 ($11,400). Savings are also substantial compared with treatment without early assessment, averaging £2100 ($3100) in health care costs, and £5700 ($8400) in societal costs. Results are most sensitive to estimates of patient care costs and the probability of patients reporting subjective memory complaints. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, early assessment leads to savings or is highly cost‐effective in the majority of cases.ConclusionsAlthough early assessment has significant up‐front costs, identifying AD patients at an early stage results in cost savings and health benefits compared with no treatment or treatment in the absence of early assessment.
Activation of a pro‐survival pathway IL‐6/JAK2/STAT3 contributes to glial fibrillary acidic protein induction during the cholera toxin‐induced differentiation of C6 malignant glioma cells
Authors: Shu Minfeng , Zhou Yuxi , Zhu Wenbo , Wu Sihan , Zheng Xiaoke , Yan Guangmei 
Published: March 2011

AbstractDifferentiation‐inducing therapy has been proposed to be a novel potential approach to treat malignant gliomas. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a well‐known specific astrocyte biomarker and acts as a tumor suppressor gene (TSG) in glioma pathogenesis. Previously we reported that a traditional biotoxin cholera toxin could induce malignant glioma cell differentiation characterized by morphologic changes and dramatic GFAP expression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying GFAP induction are still largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that an oncogenic pathway interleukin‐6/janus kinase‐2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL‐6/JAK2/STAT3) cascade mediates the cholera toxin‐induced GFAP expression. Cholera toxin dramatically stimulated GFAP expression at the transcriptional level in C6 glioma cells. Meanwhile, phosphorylation of STAT3 and JAK2 was highly induced in a time‐dependent manner after cholera toxin incubation, whereas no changes of STAT3 and JAK2 were observed. Furthermore, the IL‐6 gene was quickly induced by cholera toxin and subsequent IL‐6 protein secretion was stimulated. Importantly, exogenous recombinant rat IL‐6 can also induce phosphorylation of STAT3 concomitant with GFAP expression while JAK2 specific inhibitor AG490 could effectively block both cholera toxin‐ and IL‐6‐induced GFAP expression. Given that the methylation of the STAT3 binding element can suppress GFAP expression, we detected the methylation status of the critical recognition sequence of STAT3 in the promoter of GFAP gene (−1518 ∼ −1510) and found that it was unmethylated in C6 glioma cells. In addition, neither DNA methyltransferase1 (DNMT1) inhibitor 5‐Aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine (5‐AZa‐CdR) nor silencing DNMT1 can stimulate GFAP expression, indicating that the loss of GFAP expression in C6 cells is not caused by its promoter hypermethylation. Taken together, our findings suggest that activation of a pro‐survival IL‐6/JAK2/STAT3 cascade contributes to cholera toxin‐induced GFAP expression, which implies that a survival‐promoting signal may also play a differentiation‐supporting role in malignant gliomas.
The Transmission by the English Carthusians of some Late Medieval Spiritual Writings
Authors: Sargent Michael G. 
Published: March 2011

From its foundation the Carthusian Order cultivated letters as the most fitting form of labour for those who dwell apart in the desert; for although they lived and worked in strict solitude, they still spoke to the Christian world through the books which they wrote, copied and transmitted. Adam of Dryburgh (†1212 at Witham), one of the first and best-known English Carthusian authors, wrote of this activity in his work On the Quadripartite Exercise of the Cell, recalling a passage of the Consuetudines of Guigo 1 which is often cited as evidence of the Carthusian attitude to letters:‘If the prior has so provided, there is one work to the performance of which you ought especially to attend; that is either that you learn to write (if, of course, you can learn), or if you can and know, that you do write. This work is, as it were, immortal work; work, if one may say so, not passing but lasting; work certainly, may we say, and yet not work; the work, finally, which, among all other works is most fitting to literate
religious men …
Political economy and tax reform in parliament: Spain's attempt to implement income tax in 1868-1869
Authors: San-Julián-Arrupe Javier 
Published: March 2011

AbstractThe influence of economic ideas in parliamentary debates has attracted increasing attention in the analysis of the institutionalisation of political economy in the liberal age in the Western world. Within this framework, this paper explores a particular case: the relevance of economic ideas and the role of economists in the debates that took place in the Spanish Parliament in 1869 following the bill issued by the Minister of Finance Figuerola to establish a tax on personal incomes. Economic ideas and parliamentarian economists played a significant role in the design of the income tax as a key tool to modernise Spain's tax system, and in the subsequent parliamentary discussions.
Risk sharing agreements: What lessons from Italy?
Authors: Garattini Livio , Casadei Gianluigi 
Published: March 2011

Italy is one of the few countries that have matured substantial experience of risk-sharing agreements so far. The first performance-based arrangement was agreed in July 2006, and as of October 2010, eighteen contracts have been in force.The complex management of discount schemes is entirely based on Web registries run by AIFA, the Italian drug agency. The system validates each prescription and automatically requests the hospital pharmacy by e-mail to release the drug. If a patient meets nonresponder criteria, the hospital pharmacist should apply for pay-back to the manufacturer.There are still some important question marks to address. First of all, nonresponders have to be documented by health authorities, otherwise any undocumented nonresponder will be paid as a success. Another question concerns pre-set timing. Although the scientific rationale of the nonresponder criteria for each drug has not been made public, time frames appear too short to allow a reliable assessment. Another question is whether regions, which are financially accountable in Italy for pharmaceutical expenditure, are really able to claw back refunds from manufacturers. Unfortunately here again there are no official figures, and regions do not seem yet able to quantify the amount of pay-back matured in the 4 previous years. The delayed and incomplete availability of pay-back procedures may be one explanation.
Evaluation of different culture systems with low oxygen tension on the development, quality and oxidative stress-related genes of bovine embryos producedin vitro
Authors: Arias Maria Elena , Sanchez Raul , Felmer Ricardo 
Published: March 2011

SummaryThe present study was conducted to assess the development, quality and gene expression profile of oxidative stress-related genes of bovine embryos cultured in different culture systems with low oxygen tension (5% CO2, 5% O2and 90% N2). The systems assessed included: (1) an incubator chamber; (2) a plastic bag; and (3) a foil bag. The choice of culture system had no effect on cleavage rate at 72 h. However, significant differences (P< 0.01) were observed in the rate of blastocysts registered at day 7 (29.8, 20.2 and 12.7% for incubator chamber, plastic bag and foil bag, respectively). Total number of cells did not differ between systems, although the proportion of ICM:total cells was affected particularly in the plastic bag (19.5%), compared with the incubator chamber (31.4%). In addition, significant differences were found in the apoptotic:total cell ratio (3.3, 6.5 and 8.8% for the incubator chamber, plastic bag and foil bag, respectively), with apoptotic nuclei localised mainly in the ICM compartment of the embryo. The amount of reactive oxygen species was also different between culture systems and this effect was correlated with a higher expression ofSOD2,GSSandGPX1genes in embryos cultured in the gassed bags as compared with embryos cultured in the incubator chamber. In conclusion, these results give evidence that, under low oxygen tension, the incubator chamber is more efficient and generates higher number of, and better quality, embryos than gassed bag systems evaluated here and this effect was probably due to an increased level of reactive oxygen species in the gassed bags, which upregulates the expression of some antioxidant enzymes to compensate for hyperoxia conditions.