bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
WNT unrelated activities in commercially available preparations of recombinant WNT3a
Authors: Cajanek Lukas , Adlerz Linda , Bryja Vitezslav , Arenas Ernest 
Published: July 2010

AbstractWNT signaling pathways play an important role in both development and disease. By analyzing the signaling capabilities of commercially available WNT3a preparations towards the PI3K/AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway, we discovered unexpected inconsistencies from lot to lot of recombinant WNT3a. We provide evidence that: (1) The ability to trigger AKT/GSK3 signaling varies dramatically between different lots of WNT3a, without any variation in their ability to activate the canonical WNT/β‐catenin signaling. (2) sFRP1, a WNT signaling inhibitor, is unable to interfere with the activation of AKT/GSK3 signaling induced by some of the WNT3a lots. (3) Pharmacological inhibition of AKT/GSK3 phosphorylation by PI3K inhibitors fails to affect the stabilization of β‐catenin, the central effector of the canonical WNT/β‐catenin signaling pathway. In summary, while all tested lots of recombinant WNT3a activated WNT/β‐catenin pathway, our results suggest that individual lots of recombinant WNT3a activate the PI3K/AKT/GSK3 pathway in a WNT‐independent manner, hampering thus the analysis of regulation of PI3K/AKT/GSK3 by WNT ligand. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 1077–1079, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electrochemical photovoltaic cells—review of recent developments
Authors: Wei Di , Andrew Piers , Ryhänen Tapani 
Published: July 2010

AbstractPhotoelectrochemistry is attracting extensive attention from scientists worldwide for its use in converting light energy into electricity in electrochemical photovoltaic cells, the most common form of which, dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), can offer both flexibility and transparency. Their efficiencies are now comparable with amorphous silicon solar cells but at a much lower cost. This review covers not only the fundamentals of electrochemical photovoltaic cell operation but also recent advances in research and development for industrial applications. The most recent research topics relating to DSSCs, for example, applications of nanostructured n‐type semiconducting electrodes, ionic liquid electrolytes and graphene and carbon nanotube electrodes are all included. In addition, the storage of electrochemical energy by electrochemical photovoltaic cells has also been reviewed. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Characterisation of fine wall and eggshell Roman pottery by Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Olivares M. , Zuluaga M. C. , Ortega L. A. , Murelaga X. , Alonso‐Olazabal A. , Urteaga M. , Amundaray L. , Alonso‐Martin I. , Etxebarria N. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractRoman pottery from the Oiasso harbour (nowadays Irun, Basque Country) was thoroughly studied by micro‐Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis in order to identify and characterise the mineralogical composition of those samples and to get a deeper insight into the technologies involved in the elaboration of the ceramic artefacts. The diffraction pattern of the ceramic body shows the presence of mullite and trydimite, which suggests firing temperatures above 1100 °C, and alumina‐rich raw materials. Additionally, the presence of pseudowollastonite and diopside observed by the XRD and Raman spectroscopy is explained by the high firing temperatures of lime‐rich raw materials. Raman microscopy has also provided further information about the heating temperature and composition of the raw materials. The presence of rutile instead of anatase also suggests a strong heating process. Moreover, the presence of hematite (α‐Fe2O3) and maghemite (γ‐Fe2O3) instead of magnetite (Fe3O4) suggests the oxidising conditions during ceramics firing. The comparison of the minerals found in the different Roman potteries with the characteristic mineralogy of the archaeological site suggests the use of raw material coming from different source areas, opening up an interesting discussion about the commercial networks. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrospun Magnetic Fibrillar Polystyrene Nanocomposites Reinforced with Nickel Nanoparticles
Authors: Chen Xuelong , Wei Suying , Gunesoglu Cem , Zhu Jiahua , Southworth Cara S. , Sun Luyi , Karki Amar B. , Young David P. , Guo Zhanhu 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe morphology and thermal stability of bead‐free and uniform electrospun pure polystyrene (PS) and PS/Ni nanocomposite fibers are investigated by SEM and TGA/DSC. A higher thermal stability is observed after introducing the nanoparticles in the polymer fibers. FT‐IR analysis indicates a physical entanglement rather than chemical bonding between the nanoparticles and the polystyrene matrix. The nanoparticles still exhibit superparamagnetic properties even after dispersing in the polymer matrix, different from the reported enhanced coercivity as a result of the enlarged particle distance. However, the magnetic field required to saturate the magnetization is significantly reduced. A further oxidation is deduced after the high voltage electrospinning process.magnified image
Electrospinning: A Novel Method to Incorporate POSS Into a Polymer Matrix
Authors: Cozza Erika Simona , Monticelli Orietta , Marsano Enrico 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe effectiveness of electrospinning as a simple approach to disperse POSS into a polymer matrix at a nm‐level has been assessed. Electrospun and cast films were prepared by dissolving CA and epoxycyclohexylisobutyl POSS in the solvent mixture acetone/DMAc. The membranes were characterized by SEM, TEM and WAXD. Whereas films produced by casting showed µm‐sized POSS crystals, thus suggesting a small affinity between the polymer matrix and the POSS molecules, those prepared by electrospinning were characterized by a nanometric POSS distribution. This is explained by considering the peculiar solvent evaporation mechanism, occurring during the electrospinning process, which allows to produce nanofibers characterized by a silsesquioxane dispersion similar to that present in solution.magnified image
Investigation on RAFT Polymerization of a Y‐Shaped Amphiphilic Fluorinated Monomer and Anti‐Fog and Oil‐Repellent Properties of the Polymers
Authors: Wang Yun , Dong Qibao , Wang Yanxue , Wang Hu , Li Guang , Bai Ruke 
Published: July 2010

AbstractA Y‐shaped amphiphilic fluorinated monomer, 1‐(1H,1H,2H,2H‐perfluorodecyloxy)‐3‐(3,6,9‐trioxadecyloxy)‐propan‐2‐yl acrylate has been synthesized and its polymerization by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) homopolymerization has been investigated. The results show that the molecular weights of the polymers are controlled and all the molecular weight distributions are lower than 1.4. Well‐defined copolymers with 2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate have been prepared by RAFT polymerization, and the surface properties of the block and random copolymers have been examined by contact angle measurement for water and hexadecane. It has been found that the surfaces of the block copolymers simultaneously exhibit excellent anti‐fog and oil‐repellent properties.magnified image
Time‐dependent effects of pre‐conditioning activation on muscle fiber conduction velocity and twitch torque
Authors: Kamavuako Ernest Nlandu , Farina Dario 
Published: July 2010

AbstractIn this study we investigate the range of interstimulus intervals influencing the recovery functions for conduction velocity (velocity recovery function, or VRF) and twitch torque (twitch torque recovery function, or TRF) of muscle fibers. We studied the tibialis anterior muscle of 8 healthy men by varying the time interval between a pair of stimuli in the range of 4–1000 ms, with (triplet) and without (doublet) a preconditioning stimulus. For triplet stimulations, the interval between the first and second stimulus or between the second and third stimulus was fixed, and the other interval was varied. VRF and TRF were influenced by a preconditioning stimulus only when it was delivered within 125 ms and 30 ms, respectively, before the doublet stimulation. The results provide evidence of the range of preconditioning intervals influencing the VRF and TRF; this is relevant for understanding the mechanisms of force generation and for standardizing compound action potential measurements. Muscle Nerve, 2010
Intracellular β‐amyloid accumulation leads to age‐dependent progression of Ca2+ dysregulation in skeletal muscle
Authors: Lopez Josè R. , Shtifman Alexander 
Published: July 2010

AbstractIntramyofiber accumulation of β‐amyloid fragments (Aβ) is a pathologic hallmark of inclusion‐body myositis (IBM), a progressive skeletal muscle disorder. We investigated the temporal pattern of alterations in the resting cytoplasmic [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) as well as the depolarization‐evoked Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle from transgenic mice expressing human βAPP (MCK‐βAPP). MCK‐βAPP mice show an age‐dependent increase in [Ca2+]i along with a reduction in depolarization‐evoked Ca2+ release, which appear well before the other reported aspects of IBM, such as inclusion formation, inflammation, centralized nuclei, atrophy, and skeletal muscle weakness. In the young MCK‐βAPP animals the increase in resting [Ca2+]i can be attributed largely to Ca2+ influx through nifedipine‐sensitive Ca2+ channels. In the adult MCK‐βAPP mice, in addition to the nifedipine‐sensitive pathway, there is also a substantial contribution by the intracellular compartments to the increase in [Ca2+]i. These results suggest that β‐amyloid‐induced disuption of Ca2+ handling may represent an early event in the pathogenesis of IBM. Muscle Nerve, 2010
Microwave promoted synthesis and characterization of isomeric poly(ether ether ketone)s
Authors: Li Man , Zhang Aiqing , Yin Jun , Liew Kong Yong 
Published: July 2010

AbstractA series of isomeric poly(ether ether ketone)s were synthesized using microwave‐assisted method by nucleophilic substitution reaction of hydroquinone and 4,4′‐biphenol with 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone (DFBP) or 2,4′‐DFBP in the presence of anhydrous K2CO3. The polymers with inherent viscosities in the range of 0.20–0.71 dlg−1 were obtained in quantitative yields and had excellent thermal stability as shown by the temperature of 5% weight loss in nitrogen above 410°C. X‐ray diffraction patterns confirmed the semicrystalline character of some of the polymers. The results also indicate that the reaction time was shortened remarkably and the reaction temperature could be controlled easily. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers
Comparative antioxidant activity of an extract of Lithraea molleoides and an isolated 5‐alkyl resorcinol derivative. Effects on the proliferation of normal and tumoral lymphocytes
Authors: López Paula , Ferraro Graciela , Anesini Claudia 
Published: July 2010

AbstractLithraea molleoides (Vell.) Engl. (Anacardiaceae), is known in South America for its medicinal properties: antiarthritic, haemostatic, diuretic, tonic and useful for the treatment of respiratory diseases. Previously the isolation of a new cytotoxic 5‐alkyl resorcinol derivative, 1,3‐dihydroxy‐5‐(tridec‐4′,7′‐dienyl) benzene, from a dichloromethane extract (DM) was reported. The aim of this work was to determine and to compare the antioxidant activity of DM and the isolated compound, 1,3‐dihydroxy‐5‐(tridec‐4′,7′‐dienyl) benzene. Moreover, the activity of both on the proliferation of tumoral and normal lymphocytes was determined. The compound was isolated and quantified by HPLC. The compound represented 0.036% of DM. The extract and the compound exerted antioxidant activity by DPPH and FTC methods. On tumoral cells, both exerted antiproliferative action but the compound was more active (EC50: 17.4 ± 1 µg/mL). On normal lymphocytes, both exerted a stimulatory effect on cell proliferation inversely related to concentration, the extract was more active than the compound (maximum effect: 300 ± 20% of stimulation). Most of the effects observed with the extract were independent of the isolated compound. DM could be an important source of antioxidant and immunomodulatory compounds to be studied on cancer diseases. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reversible adsorption change of 2‐amino‐4,5‐imidazoledicarbonitrile on Ag electrode surfaces by potential‐dependent surface‐enhanced Raman scattering
Authors: Jang Yun Hee , Hwang Sungu , Cho Keunchang , Lim Manho , Joo Taiha , Choi Suhee , Kim Jongwon , Joo Sang‐Woo 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe potential‐induced adsorption change of 2‐amino‐4,5‐imidazoledicarbonitrile (AIDCN) on Ag electrode surfaces has been examined by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in an applied potential range between −1.0 and 0.2 V. Upon adsorption, AIDCN has a substantial interaction with the Ag metal surfaces via its two nitrile groups. The CN stretching peaks at ∼2200 cm−1 appeared to be more intensified and redshifted at a negative potential. The deconvolution peak analysis of the CN bands at various voltages suggests that there should be a change in binding modes of AIDCN on Ag surfaces. This potential‐dependent orientation change appeared to be reversible. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation of AIDCN on Ag cluster atoms is used to explain its potential‐dependent adsorption. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microstructure and surface residual stress of plasma sprayed nanostructured and conventional ZrO2‐8wt%Y2O3 thermal barrier coatings
Authors: Wang L. , Wang Y. , Sun X. G. , Pan Z. Y. , He J. Q. , Zhou Y. , Wu P. L. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe nanostructured agglomerate feedstock which can be used for plasma spraying was obtained successfully by the reconstituting nanoparticle technique. Nanostructured and conventional ZrO2‐8wt%Y2O3 (8YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) on NiCoCrAlY coated 45# steel substrates. The microstructure and phase composition of feedstock and corresponding coating were characterized by SEM and XRD. The elastic modulus was tested by the nanoindenter instrument. The surface residual stresses were examined by XRD stress test equipment. The numerical value probability statistics of surface residual stress by the Weibull distribution theory was implemented under different thermal spray parameters. The value of residual stresses increased with increasing the thickness of the ceramic coating. The surface residual stress of nanostructured 8YSZ coating is lower than that of the conventional 8YSZ coating. A physical mechanical model is put forward to explain the causation of the variation of residual stresses. At the same time, the variation characteristic of surface residual stress is discussed by introducing the closed form solution of residual stress of laminar layer plate. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SELENIUM FORTIFICATION AND PRO/ANTI OXIDANT RESPONSES IN ALLIUM CEPA (ONION) CULTIVATED IN Se SUPPLEMENTED SOILS
Authors: PRAKASH N. TEJO , SHARMA NEETU , PRAKASH RANJANA , NATHANIEL T. N. , ACHARYA R. , REDDY A. V. R. 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYNative plantlets of Allium cepa (onion) were cultivated in selenium (Se)-supplemented soils to observe dose- and time-dependent uptake and associated pro/anti-oxidant activity. Allium plantlets were grown in soils supplemented with Se at 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 mg kg−1 as selenite (Na2SeO3) and selenate (Na2SeO4) for 40–120 days. The effect of different concentrations of Se oxyanions on the growth and accumulation profile in plants in relation to glutathione peroxidase activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances was studied. Total Se concentrations in plantlets were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The accumulation of Se in plant was observed to be dose dependent in the case of selenite, but, no definite correlation between accumulation levels and exposed concentration was observed. The changes in pro/anti-oxidant properties were observed to be dependent on the accumulation of Se in plant.
BigWig and BigBed: enabling browsing of large distributed datasets
Authors: Kent W. J. , Zweig A. S. , Barber G. , Hinrichs A. S. , Karolchik D. 
Published: July 2010

Abstract
Summary: BigWig and BigBed files are compressed binary indexed files containing data at several resolutions that allow the high-performance display of next-generation sequencing experiment results in the UCSC Genome Browser. The visualization is implemented using a multi-layered software approach that takes advantage of specific capabilities of web-based protocols and Linux and UNIX operating systems files, R trees and various indexing and compression tricks. As a result, only the data needed to support the current browser view is transmitted rather than the entire file, enabling fast remote access to large distributed data sets.
Availability and implementation: Binaries for the BigWig and BigBed creation and parsing utilities may be downloaded at http://hgdownload.cse.ucsc.edu/admin/exe/linux.x86_64/. Source code for the creation and visualization software is freely available for non-commercial use at http://hgdownload.cse.ucsc.edu/admin/jksrc.zip, implemented in C and supported on Linux. The UCSC Genome Browser is available at http://genome.ucsc.edu
Contact: ann@soe.ucsc.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary byte-level details of the BigWig and BigBed file formats are available at Bioinformatics online. For an in-depth description of UCSC data file formats and custom tracks, see http://genome.ucsc.edu/FAQ/FAQformat.html and http://genome.ucsc.edu/goldenPath/help/hgTracksHelp.html
Predictive models for population performance on real biological fitness landscapes
Authors: Rowe William , Wedge David C. , Platt Mark , Kell Douglas B. , Knowles Joshua 
Published: July 2010

Abstract
Motivation: Directed evolution, in addition to its principal application of obtaining novel biomolecules, offers significant potential as a vehicle for obtaining useful information about the topologies of biomolecular fitness landscapes. In this article, we make use of a special type of model of fitness landscapes—based on finite state machines—which can be inferred from directed evolution experiments. Importantly, the model is constructed only from the fitness data and phylogeny, not sequence or structural information, which is often absent. The model, called a landscape state machine (LSM), has already been used successfully in the evolutionary computation literature to model the landscapes of artificial optimization problems. Here, we use the method for the first time to simulate a biological fitness landscape based on experimental evaluation.
Results: We demonstrate in this study that LSMs are capable not only of representing the structure of model fitness landscapes such as NK-landscapes, but also the fitness landscape of real DNA oligomers binding to a protein (allophycocyanin), data we derived from experimental evaluations on microarrays. The LSMs prove adept at modelling the progress of evolution as a function of various controlling parameters, as validated by evaluations on the real landscapes. Specifically, the ability of the model to ‘predict’ optimal mutation rates and other parameters of the evolution is demonstrated. A modification to the standard LSM also proves accurate at predicting the effects of recombination on the evolution.
Contact: william.rowe@manchester.ac.uk
Towards optimal alignment of protein structure distance matrices
Authors: Wohlers Inken , Domingues Francisco S. , Klau Gunnar W. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractMotivation: Structural alignments of proteins are important for identification of structural similarities, homology detection and functional annotation. The structural alignment problem is well studied and computationally difficult. Many different scoring schemes for structural similarity as well as many algorithms for finding high-scoring alignments have been proposed. Algorithms using contact map overlap (CMO) as scoring function are currently the only practical algorithms able to compute provably optimal alignments.Results: We propose a new mathematical model for the alignment of inter-residue distance matrices, building upon previous work on maximum CMO. Our model includes all elements needed to emulate various scoring schemes for the alignment of protein distance matrices. The algorithm that we use to compute alignments is practical only for sparse distance matrices. Therefore, we propose a more effective scoring function, which uses a distance threshold and only positive structural scores. We show that even under these restrictions our approach is in terms of alignment accuracy competitive with state-of-the-art structural alignment algorithms, whereas it additionally either proves the optimality of an alignment or returns bounds on the optimal score. Our novel method is freely available and constitutes an important promising step towards truly provably optimal structural alignments of proteins.Availability: An executable of our program PAUL is available at http://planet-lisa.net/Contact: Inken.Wohlers@cwi.nlSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
REVIEW: Rye Arabinoxylans: Molecular Structure, Physicochemical Properties and Physiological Effects in the Gastrointestinal Tract
Authors: Knudsen Knud Erik Bach , Lærke Helle Nygaard 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTArabinoxylans (AX) are the main dietary fiber (DF) polysaccharides in rye where they represent ≈55% of the total polysaccharides. Rye AX consist of a backbone of (1→4)‐β‐d‐xylopyranosyl residues (X) mainly substituted with α‐l‐arabinofuranosyl residues (A) to varying degrees at the O‐2 position, the O‐3 position, or both. The A/X ratio of total AX is 0.49–0.82 and extractable AX ratio is 0.34–0.85 in different studies. AX also contain small amounts of ferulate residues bound to arabinose as esters at its O‐5 position. The weight average molecular weight varies from 40,000 to 900,000 with an average of ≈200,000. AX influence physiology in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract. The complex molecular structure of rye AX makes them resistant against microbial modification in the small intestine; consequently, rye AX have a much higher influence on the viscosity in the small intestinal digesta than does β‐glucan from oats and barley. In spite of that, it has not been possible in studies with AX‐rich foods such as bread to demonstrate a significant effect on the postprandial glucose response, however, a significantly reduced insulin response has been seen. Nevertheless, addition of 6 g and 12 g of AX‐rich wheat fiber to a breakfast meal has significantly lowered postprandial glucose and insulin response. Studies with hypercholesterolemic pigs fed rye buns rich in AX have resulted in dramatic reductions in plasma total and LDL cholesterol, whereas a gender difference was seen in studies on the effect of AX on plasma lipids in humans. Only certain species of bacteria from the human gut produce the enzymes needed for the degradation of AX. Nevertheless, wheat AX stimulate prebiotic bacteria presumably brought about by cross feeding of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria with degradation products from versatile carbohydrate‐degrading bacteria. Soluble AX are readily fermented in the large intestine, the majority is broken down between the ileum and the cecum. AX, characterized by a low degree of substitution and virtually no doubly substituted xylose, are slowly degraded at more distal locations. The remaining AX, characterized by a high degree of substitution, are not degraded at all. Although the fermentation pattern of AX may vary in different experimental models, in vitro fermentation studies and in vivo intervention studies with animals and humans point to AX as substrates that enhance the formation of butyrate in the large intestine.