bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Characterisation of Proton Exchange Membranes Based on Crosslinked Polybenzimidazole and Phosphoric Acid
Authors: Guan Y. S. , Pu H. T. , Jin M. , Chang Z. H. , Wan D. C. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractCrosslinked polybenzimidazole (PBI) was synthesised via free radical polymerisation between N‐vinylimidazole and vinylbenzyl substituted PBI. The degree of crosslinking increases with increasing content of the crosslinker. The phosphoric acid doping behaviour, mechanical properties, proton conductivity and acid migration stability of crosslinked PBI and linear PBI are discussed. The results show that the acid doping ability decreases with increasing degree of crosslinking of PBI. The introduction of N‐vinylimidazole in PBI is beneficial to its oxidation stability. The mechanical stability of crosslinked PBI/H3PO4 membrane is better than that of linear PBI/H3PO4 membrane. The proton conductivity of the acid doped membranes can reach ∼10–4 S cm–1 for crosslinked PBI/H3PO4 composite membranes at 150 °C. The temperature dependence of proton conductivity of the acid doped membranes can be modelled by an Arrhenius relation. The proton conductivity of crosslinked PBI/H3PO4 composite membranes is a little lower than that of linear PBI/H3PO4 membranes with the same acid content. However, the migration stability of H3PO4 in crosslinked PBI/H3PO4 membranes is improved compared with that of linear PBI/H3PO4 membranes.
A new species ofSiluraster(echinodermata: Asteroidea) from the Late Ordovician of North Wales
Authors: Botting Joseph P. , Appleton Peter , Muir Lucy A. , Malpas Jacqui , Riddington Kathryn 
Published: November 2010

AbstractA new species of starfish,Siluraster caemorensissp. nov., is described from a loose block of probably the Bryn Siltstone Formation or Teirw Siltstone Formation (Caradocian) from near Glyn Ceiriog, on the north side of the Berwyn Range, North Wales. The species is similar toSiluraster perfectusfrom Bohemia and indicates that there may have been closer faunal links between the areas than are generally suggested. It is separated from known Welsh species of similar age by relatively subtle structural details that are not invariably preserved. This suggests that there is a higher diversity of asterozoan species in the Late Ordovician of Wales than has previously been recognized. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular modeling‐based evaluation of dual function of IκBζ ankyrin repeat domain in toll‐like receptor signaling
Authors: Manavalan Balachandran , Govindaraj Rajivgandhi , Lee Gwang , Choi Sangdun 
Published: November 2010

AbstractIκBζ (inhibitor of NF‐κB (nuclear factor κB) ζ) is a nuclear protein induced upon stimulation of toll‐like receptors (TLRs) and interleukin‐1 receptor. Induced IκBζ, especially its C‐terminal ankyrin repeat domain (ARD), interacts with NF‐κB in the nucleus, where it regulates the transcriptional activity of target genes. Recent studies have shown that human ARD of IκBζ binds with p50/p65 heterodimer and inhibits the transcription of NF‐κB regulated genes, whereas mouse ARD of IκBζ binds with p50/p50 homodimer and exhibits transcriptional activation activity. Since human and mouse IκBζ ARD are identical, it is unclear how IκBζ can be a positive and negative regulator of NF‐κB‐mediated transcription. Therefore, we generated a structural model of IκBζ ARD and constructed a detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of IκBζ in explicit solvent to investigate ARD flexibility. In addition, we used molecular docking to screen for potential sites of interaction between IκBζ and the p50/p65 heterodimer and IκBζ and the p50/p50 homodimer. The docking experiments revealed that the binding of IκBζ ankyrin repeats with the p50/p65 N‐terminal DNA binding domain prevents NF‐κB‐mediated transcriptional activation. Furthermore, the IκBζ–p50 homodimer complex, which lacks Pro, Glu (and Asp), Ser and Thr (PEST motif), facilitated gene expression. These two different binding schemes of IκBζ may be responsible for its opposite function, which is consistent with the currently available biochemical data. Moreover, our data implicate structurally highly flexible ARD residues as the prime contributors to this dual function. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Medical Microbiology
Authors: Kurzai Oliver , Kothe Erika 
Published: November 2010

AbstractInfectious diseases can affect the previously healthy adolescent as well as severely immuno‐compromised intensive care unit patients. The effects may be merely annoying, but in many cases they can become life‐threatening. The immediate impact of infectious diseases on everyday life can be seen with Helicobacter pylori, which infects more than 50% of the global population, or Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes a major tick‐borne disease in Europe and America. On the other hand, in less‐developed countries, infections causing diarrhea are still among the most important causes of death – especially in children. Research in Medical Microbiology ranges from attempts to better understand the physiology and ecology of the causative agents to epidemiological typing of clinical isolates. It covers the mutual interactions of pathogenic microbes as well as the interplay between microorganism and host. Among the most pressing problems in medical microbiology is the emerging of antibiotic resistances. In recent years, both Gram‐positive bacteria – with the first description of vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus – as well as Gram‐negative species – e.g. with the emergence of extended spectrum beta‐lactamases – have seen new and dramatic occurrences of resistance. Consequently, the detection and characterization of new antimicrobial compounds is, more than ever, an important task. All these topics are covered by the research articles compiled in this Special Issue of the Journal of Basic Microbiology. Further, the publication of this Special Issue should underline the importance of “Basic Microbiology” for “Medical Microbiology”: The sometimes existing gap between basic research and application needs to be bridged urgently and in a time‐saving manner as often as possible. We are convinced that only combined efforts of experts in both areas will allow us to tackle future's problems in infectious diseases efficiently (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Simultaneous separation and identification of limonoids from citrus using liquid chromatography‐collision‐induced dissociation mass spectra
Authors: Jayaprakasha Guddadarangavvanahally K. , Dandekar Deepak V. , Tichy Shane E. , Patil Bhimanagouda S. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractLimonoids are considered as potential cancer chemopreventive agents and are widely distributed in the Citrus genus as aglycones and glucosides. In the present study, reversed‐phase HPLC coupled with CID mass spectra was developed for the simultaneous separation and identification of aglycones and glucosides of limonoids from citrus. Five aglycones such as limonin, deacetyl nomilin, ichangin, isolimonoic acid and nomilin were identified by positive ion CID MS/MS, whereas five glucosides, viz. limonin glucoside, isoobacunoic acid glucoside, obacunone glucoside, deacetyl nomilinic acid glucoside and nomilinic acid glucoside were analyzed by negative ion CID mass spectra. The developed method was successfully applied to complex citrus samples for the separation and identification of aglycones and glucosides. Citrus seeds were extracted with methanol and partially purified and analyzed by LC‐CID mass spectra. The separation was achieved by C‐18 column; eight limonoids were identified by comparing the retention times and mass spectral fragmentation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the identification of citrus limonoids using CID technique.
Applicability of the SECI Model of knowledge creation in Russian cultural context: Theoretical analysis
Authors: Andreeva Tatiana , Ikhilchik Irina 
Published: November 2010

AbstractWhile the potential influence of national culture on the efficiency of knowledge management interventions has been widely accepted, the question of whether the knowledge management theories are influenced by culture received little attention. This paper aims to address this gap by analyzing SECI model of knowledge creation by Nonaka and Takeuchi in the context of Russian national culture. The model's authors claim of its universal validity, and current criticism against this position is limited and controversial. We maintain that it is partly due to the fact that SECI model in its original format resists empirical verification. Thus we propose a framework for operationalization of the SECI model. We suggest that decomposing SECI model into three levels—basic cognitive processes, societal and organizational conditions, and managerial tools—opens the ways for its empirical and cross‐cultural investigation. Applying this framework to Russia, we develop a set of theoretical propositions regarding opportunities and limits of SECI application in Russian cultural context. Finally we discuss theoretical and management implications of our analysis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparative analysis of Channels TV and CNN's coverage of World News
Authors: Angela Igbinoba Osarieme , Stella Emenike Ebube 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis study did an analysis of the Western and Third world coverage of World News using the broadcast stations (CNN and Channels TV) as case study. In other words, the study sought to examine if the Western and Third World nations are still guilty of imbalance, bias and distortion in their treatment of news. The findings showed that both the North and South nations are guilty of bias and imbalance in their coverage of World News and that each nation seeks to promote their interest rather than a true world interest or the interest of their counterpart nations. The study further revealed that the Third World media still depend heavily on Western media sources for its news albeit their standpoint on the News Flow debate. About 50% of the entire World News stories on Channels TV were sourced ‘outside’, while about 40% were unidentified. Only 10% were from the in‐house personnel. It was also observed that about 55 and 67% of World News coverage by Channels TV and CNN, respectively, were focused on ‘bad news’; an age‐long controversy that has bedeviled news coverage globally. In view of the foregoing, it has been recommended that there is need for the acceptance of ‘imbalance’ as a major feature of all media systems as well as a re‐evaluation of the standards and values of news evaluation. The rapid industrialization of Third World economies will also go a long way to stop the one‐way traffic in international communication which is what encourages media dependence. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pharmacy student driven detection of adverse drug reactions in the community pharmacy setting
Authors: Christensen Søren Troels , Søndergaard Birthe , Honoré Per Hartvig , Bjerrum Ole Jannik 
Published: November 2010

AbstractPurposePost‐marketing safety studies of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) form an important part of pharmacovigilance. Countries having a formal pharmacovigilance system to a large extent rely on voluntary ADR reporting from health professionals through spontaneous report systems. The contribution of pharmacists in ADR reporting, although varies significantly among countries. Pharmacists in community pharmacies are in a unique position for detection of experienced ADRs by the drug users. The study reports from a study on community pharmacy internship students' proactive role in ADR detection through direct encountering and questioning with drug users.MethodPharmacy students undertaking internship in a community pharmacy were approached. Thirteen students from nine community pharmacies participated in the project as data collectors. Prior to the study students attended an educational seminar focusing on ADR detection and reporting in general. Ibuprofen was chosen as the drug of study. Pharmacy students approached recurrent drug users purchasing the drug. Participating users were asked about experienced ADRs linked to ibuprofen use. Reported ADRs were collected and analysed.ResultsHundred and twenty eight ibuprofen users participated in the study out of who thirty three reported forty five ADRs possibly linked to ibuprofen use. The reported ADRs followed earlier reported patterns of distribution with gastric pain showing up as the most commonly reported symptom followed by heartburn, nausea, diarrhoea and constipation.ConclusionsThrough adequate training community pharmacy internship students get competencies and are capable of detecting and reporting ADRs through direct questions to drug users. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Medicinal use of potato‐derived products: conclusions of a rapid versus full systematic review
Authors: Van de Velde Stijn , De Buck Emmy , Dieltjens Tessa , Aertgeerts Bert 
Published: November 2010

AbstractVlachojannis et al reported a systematic review on the medicinal use of potato‐derived products. The authors identified five trials for inclusion in the review, including one study on the treatment of burns. Based on this RCT the review authors concluded that potato peel is not recommended for burns.As the authors of a rapid review on the use of potato peels for burns, we read this systematic review with great interest. Although the concept of rapid review is rising, accelerating the review process might introduce bias and its conclusions may be subject to change once a systematic review is available. Since this rapid and systematic review were done at similar times, we explored if the results were consistent.We identified three trials on the use of potato peels. Two of these trials were not mentioned in the systematic review. The evidence indicates that sterile potato peel dressings are better than gauze alone during the healing phase. While there is no evidence of an antibacterial effect, we concluded that potato peels promote healing.Potato peel dressings might be the best available dressing in resource poor countries. Because systematic reviews have a major impact it is crucial that systematic reviews meet specified quality criteria. Therefore we draw attention to adherance to the PRISMA statement. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A three‐dimensional Lagrangian hurricane eyewall computation
Authors: Rutherford Blake , Dangelmayr Gerhard 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe computation of a hurricane eyewall is necessary to determine mixing between the eyewall and the neighbouring eye and environment regions. We define a Lagrangian eyewall region by computing the Lagrangian structures of hyperbolic stability that distinguish the eyewall from surrounding regions. The methods used guarantee the stability and continuity of the eyewall for time‐dependent velocity fields. As an added benefit of our methods, fast convergence gives the opportunity to utilize the methods in real‐time simulations. The exact location of Lagrangian coherent structures is accomplished through a ridge‐extraction algorithm, which is efficient for locating the ridges found in this model. A complete construction of three‐dimensional coherent structures is accomplished by overlaying horizontally continuous ridge curves on z levels. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Three‐dimensional fog forecasting in complex terrain
Authors: Müller M. D. , Masbou M. , Bott A. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractFog in complex terrain shows large temporal and spatial variations that can only be simulated with a three‐dimensional model, but more modifications than simply increasing the resolution are needed. For a better representation of fog, we present a second‐moment cloud water scheme with a parametrization of the Köhler theory which is combined with the mixed‐phase Ferrier microphysics scheme. The more detailed PAFOG microphysics produce many differences to the first‐moment Ferrier scheme and are responsible for the typically low liquid water content of fog. The inclusion of droplet sedimentation in the Ferrier scheme cannot reproduce the results obtained with PAFOG, as there is a large sensitivity to the sedimentation velocity. With explicitly predicted droplet number concentrations, sedimentation of cloud water can be modelled with variable fall speeds, which mainly affects the vertical distribution of cloud water and the end of the fog's life cycle. The complex topography of the Swiss Alps and their surroundings are used for model testing. As the focus is on the model's ability to forecast the spatial distribution of fog, cloud patterns derived from high‐resolution MSG satellite data, rather than few point observations from ground stations, are used. In a five‐day period of anticyclonic conditions, the satellite‐observed fog patterns showed large day‐to‐day variations from almost no fog to large areas of fog. This variability was very well predicted in the three‐dimensional fog forecast. Furthermore, the second‐moment cloud water scheme shows a better agreement with the satellite observations than its first‐moment counterpart. For model initialization, the complex topography is actually a simplifying factor, as cold air flow and pooling dominate the more uncertain processes of evapotranspiration or errors in the soil moisture field. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Evidence and controversies on the role of XMRV in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Menéndez‐Arias Luis 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe recent discovery of xenotropic murine leukaemia virus‐related virus (XMRV) in prostate cancer tissues and in the blood of individuals suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome has attracted considerable interest. However, the relevance and significance of XMRV to human disease remain unclear, since the association has not been confirmed in other studies. XMRV is the first gammaretrovirus to be found in humans. XMRV and murine leukaemia viruses share similar structures and genomic organisation. Human restriction factors such as APOBEC3 or tetherin inhibit XMRV replication. Although XMRV induces low rates of transformation in cell culture, it might be able to induce cancer by low‐frequency insertional activation of oncogenes or through the generation of highly active transforming viruses. A preference for regulatory regions of transcriptional active genes has been observed after a genomic‐wide analysis of XMRV integration sites. Genes related to carcinogenesis and androgen signalling have been identified in the vicinity of integration sites. The XMRV genome contains a glucocorticoid responsive element, and androgens could modulate viral replication in the prostate. Evidence supporting the involvement of XMRV in chronic fatigue syndrome is still very weak, and needs further confirmation and validation. Currently approved anti‐retroviral drugs such as zidovudine, tenofovir and raltegravir are efficient inhibitors of XMRV replication in vitro. These drugs might be useful to treat XMRV infection in humans. The identification of XMRV has potentially serious health implications for the implementation of novel techniques including gene therapy or xenotransplantation, while raising concerns on the need for screening donated blood to prevent transmission through transfusion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aqueous extract of Acacia cyanophylla leaves as environmentally friendly inhibitor for mild steel corrosion in 1 M H2SO4 solution
Authors: AVCI Gülşen , KELEŞ Yüksel 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe efficiency of Acacia cyanophylla leaves extract as an environmentally friendly inhibitor for mild steel in aerated aqueous 1 M H2SO4 solution has been investigated by potentiodynamic polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Addition of inhibitor decreases the corrosion current whereas the corrosion potential values show slight shifts in positive directions. Inhibition efficiency was found to be about 93% (the maximum value was determined from the polarization curve). Efficiencies obtained from both electrochemical techniques are in good agreement. Adsorption of Acacia cyanophylla leaves extract on mild steel surface in 1 M H2SO4 solution obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Polarization curves were also obtained at different temperatures in order to measure changes of corrosion rate. Corrosion current increases and inhibition efficiency decreases with temperature increasing in H2SO4 solutions with and without Acacia cyanophylla extract. Corrosion parameters also changed with exposure time. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flexural ductility design of high‐strength concrete columns
Authors: Bai Z. Z. , Au F. T. K. 
Published: November 2010

SUMMARYIn the seismic design of a structure, it is necessary to provide not only sufficient strength, but also a minimum level of flexural ductility for reinforced concrete (RC) columns. Eurocode EN1998‐1 directly specifies such minimum flexural ductility, while Chinese code GB50011 limits the normalized design axial force to achieve a nominal minimum flexural ductility. American code ACI 318‐08 uses the tension steel strain at peak resisting moment to control the failure mode. To provide the required flexural ductility, a much lower axial strength reduction factor is assigned to compression‐controlled failure than to tension‐controlled failure. To develop an effective strategy for flexural ductility design of RC columns, it is necessary to identify the essential parameters and control them properly. This is particularly important to those cast of high‐strength concrete that is inherently more brittle. The essential parameters identified include the maximum normalized axial force and maximum normalized neutral axis depth at peak resisting moment, as they help to guarantee various flexural ductility requirements. Their relationship with the flexural ductility is studied using a rigorous full‐range moment‐curvature analysis procedure. Empirical formulae and tables are also developed to facilitate flexural ductility design of RC columns. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prenatal ultrasound screening for orofacial clefts
Authors: Maarse W. , Pistorius L. R. , Van Eeten W. K. , Breugem C. C. , Kon M. , Van den Boogaard M. J. H. , Mink van Der Molen A. B. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound for detecting prenatal facial clefts in low‐risk and high‐risk populations.MethodsThis study prospectively followed up a non‐selected population, namely all pregnant women who underwent routine second‐trimester prenatal ultrasound screening in the Utrecht region during the 2‐year period from January 2007 to December 2008.ResultsA total of 35 924 low‐risk and 2836 high‐risk pregnant women underwent ultrasound screening. Orofacial clefts were present in 62 cases, an incidence of 1:624. The distribution of clefts was as follows: 18 (29%) cleft lip, 25 (40%) cleft lip with cleft palate, 17 (27%) cleft palate only, one median cleft and one atypical cleft. Of these, 38 (61%) were unilateral and 23 (37%) were bilateral. Thirty‐nine per cent (24/62) had associated anomalies, with most chromosomal defects found in the cleft lip with cleft palate and cleft palate only groups. Cleft lip with or without cleft palate was detected prenatally in 38/43 cases, a sensitivity of 88%. No case of cleft palate only was detected prenatally. There were three false‐positive cases, of which two were fetuses with multiple congenital deformities.ConclusionsUltrasound screening has a high sensitivity for the detection of cleft lip with and without cleft palate in high‐risk and low‐risk pregnancies in our region, where well‐trained sonographers carry out primary screening. The key to a high sensitivity of prenatal ultrasound is likely to be a combination of excellent training of sonographers, referral to specialized centers when a cleft is suspected, routine visualization of the fetal face and advances in ultrasound techniques. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.