bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adiponectin stimulates prostaglandin E2 production in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts
Authors: Kusunoki Natsuko , Kitahara Kanako , Kojima Fumiaki , Tanaka Nahoko , Kaneko Kaichi , Endo Hirahito , Suguro Toru , Kawai Shinichi 
Published: March 2010

AbstractObjectiveAdipokines may influence inflammatory and/or immune responses. This study was undertaken to examine whether adiponectin affects the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs).MethodsSynovial tissue was obtained from patients with RA who were undergoing joint replacement surgery. Fibroblast‐like cells from the third or fourth passage were used as RASFs. Expression of adiponectin receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein was detected. PGE2 (converted from arachidonic acid) was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Expression of mRNA and protein for cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2) and membrane‐associated PGE synthase 1 (mPGES‐1), key enzymes involved in PGE2 synthesis, was detected in RASFs. The effects of RNA interference (RNAi) targeting the adiponectin receptor genes and the receptor signal inhibitors were examined. The influence of adiponectin on NF‐κB activation in RASFs was measured with an ELISA kit.ResultsAdiponectin receptors were detected in RASFs. Adiponectin increased both COX‐2 and mPGES‐1 mRNA and protein expression by RASFs in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner. PGE2 production by RASFs was also increased by the addition of adiponectin, and this increase was inhibited by RNAi for the adiponectin receptor gene, or coincubation with the receptor signal inhibitors. Enhancement of NF‐κB activation by adiponectin as well as by interleukin‐1β was observed in RASFs.ConclusionOur findings indicate that adiponectin induces COX‐2 and mPGES‐1 expression, resulting in the enhancement of PGE2 production by RASFs. Thus, adiponectin may play a role in the pathogenesis of synovitis in RA patients.
Analysis of travel patterns between road and transit‐oriented development areas
Authors: Lee Seungjae , Lee Shinhae , Park Dongjoo , Lee Chungwon 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe objectives of this study are to analyze the travel patterns based on social changes between 1996 and 2002, and then to identify main implications in transport policies in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA). In SMA, there are many changes during 6 years. For example, SMA has changed the paradigm of transportation policy from car‐oriented policy to public‐oriented policy. So, this study examines the general travel pattern changes in the SMA and compares the travel patterns of regions invested in road construction (road‐invested areas) with those of regions invested in transit (transit‐invested areas). Study results show that while road investment had little effect on reducing congestion, the number of cars decreased in transit‐invested areas due to the modal shift to transit modes. This study suggests that transit‐oriented policies should be utilized as a solution to overcome severe traffic congestion. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Error correction of arrival time prediction in real time bus information system
Authors: Kim Seungil , Lee Chungwon , Kim Youngchan , Lee Seungjae , Park Dongjoo 
Published: March 2010

AbstractMany large cities in Korea have either implemented or are planning to install a bus information system (BIS) in order to improve the quality of service for bus passengers. This is mainly being conducted by providing bus arrival times at bus stops. In these systems, similar systematic errors occur in the estimation of bus arrival times, which are influenced by the information updating time (cycle length) taken to identify each bus location, the information processing time, and the cycle length required to update the bus arrival information on each terminal. The systematic errors can occur in the collection of data, information processing, and in the passenger waiting time. This study investigated these systematic errors and developed a statistical method for correcting these errors in order to improve the accuracy of the BIS information. The proposed method is based on probability density functions and the random incidence concept. The developed method was then applied to the BIS of a city in Korea in order to verify the efficacy of the method. Through the verification results, there was a 23% error reduction after applying the error correction method to the BIS. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Co‐occurrence of achondroplasia and Down syndrome: Genotype/phenotype association
Authors: de Azevedo Moreira Lilia Maria , Matos Marcos A. , Schiper Patricia P. , Carvalho Acácia F.L. , Gomes Ivalda C. , Rolemberg José C. , de Lima Renata L.L. Ferreira , Toralles Maria B.P. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBACKGROUNDThis report describes the sixth case of an unusual association: Down syndrome with achondroplasia. It also analyzes the effects of both of these disorders on patient phenotype.METHODSA male infant was evaluated for Down syndrome. His appearance also suggested a diagnosis of achondroplasia. The child was evaluated by physical examination, radiography, cytogenetic study, and mutation analysis.RESULTSChromosome analysis showed a karyotype of 47,XY,+21 in all 30 cells analyzed. Radiographic examination showed typical findings of achondroplasia, such as disproportionately large skull, shortening of limb segments, and lumbar lordosis. FGFR3 screening showed a heterozygous G1138A mutation.CONCLUSIONSThe interaction of these two distinct genetic disorders in the same patient produces a phenotype typical of each syndrome with some overlapping signs. This case represents de novo origin of two disorders that both may be parental‐age related. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
mRNA stability and antibody production in CHO cells: Improvement through gene optimization
Authors: Hung Finn , Deng Liang , Ravnikar Paula , Condon Russ , Li Benson , Do Lien , Saha Deba , Tsao Yung‐Shyeng , Merchant Ankit , Liu Zhong , Shi Shuangping 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe productivity of stably transfected cell lines is of critical importance for the manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Various methods have been successfully implemented to increase the production output of mammalian cell cultures. Increasing evidence suggests that optimization of the gene coding sequences of an expression vector can improve specific cell line yield of the recombinant protein. Here we demonstrate that gene optimization substantially enhances antibody production in Chinese hamster ovary cells. When gene optimization was applied to the heavy and light chain genes of a therapeutic antibody, we observed increased antibody production in transient transfection. Elevated heavy chain mRNA level was associated with the increase of antibody production. Further analysis suggested that the increased antibody expression is attributable to enhanced mRNA stability resulting from gene optimization. Gene optimization also led to increased antibody production in stable clones.
Functional glass surface displaying a glutamyl donor substrate for transglutaminase‐mediated protein immobilization
Authors: Sung Kyunga , Kamiya Noriho , Kawata Noriyuki , Kamiya Shinji , Goto Masahiro 
Published: March 2010

AbstractA chemically modified glass surface displaying a glutamyl donor substrate peptide (Z‐QG) was developed for microbial transglutaminase (MTG)‐mediated immobilization of recombinant proteins tagged with an MTG‐reactive lysine‐containing substrate peptide (K‐tag). To evaluate the surface modification conditions affecting the enzymatic protein immobilization, we employed an amino‐modified 96‐well glass plate as a base and prepared three types of glass surfaces displaying Z‐QG. Validation of the Z‐QG modified glass surfaces with recombinant enhanced green fluorescent proteins revealed that the insertion of a di(ethylene glycol) linker between the terminal Z‐QG moiety and the base not only enhances enzymatic protein immobilization efficiency but also decreases nonselective protein adsorption. A bacterial alkaline phosphatase fused with a K‐tag at the N terminus was also successfully immobilized to the designed glass surface, suggesting that the chemically modified glass surface displaying a spatially controlled glutamyl donor substrate is a potential platform for MTG‐mediated fabrication of protein‐based solid biomaterials.
The Squaramide versus Urea Contest for Anion Recognition
Authors: Amendola Valeria , Bergamaschi Greta , Boiocchi Massimo , Fabbrizzi Luigi , Milani Michele 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe interaction of a neutral squaramide‐based receptor, equipped with two 4‐nitrophenyl substituents (Rsq), with halides and oxoanions has been studied in MeCN. UV/Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy titration experiments clearly indicated the formation of 1:1 hydrogen bonding [Rsq⋅⋅⋅X]+ complexes with all the investigated anions. X‐ray diffraction studies on the chloride and bromide complex salts confirmed the 1:1 stoichiometry and indicated the establishment of bifurcated hydrogen‐bond interactions between the squaramide‐based receptor and the halide anion that involved both 1) amide NH and 2) aryl proximate CH fragments, for a total of four bonds. Probably due to the contribution of CH fragments, complexes of Rsq with halides are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude more stable than the corresponding ones with the analogous urea‐based receptor that contains two 4‐nitrophenyl substituents (Rur). In the case of oxoanions, Rsq forms complexes, the stability of which decreases with the decreasing basicity of the anion (H2PO4−>NO2−≈HSO4−>NO3−), and is comparable to that of complexes of the urea‐based receptor Rur. Such a behaviour is ascribed to the predominance of different contributions: electrostatic interaction for halides, acid‐to‐base ‘frozen’ proton transfer for oxoanions. Finally, with the strongly basic anions F− and CH3COO−, Rsq first gives genuine hydrogen‐bond complexes of 1:1 stoichiometry; then, upon addition of a second anion equivalent, it undergoes deprotonation of one NH fragment, with the simultaneous formation of the dianion hydrogen‐bond complexes, [HF2]− and [CH3COOH⋅⋅⋅CH3COO]−, respectively. In the case of the urea‐based derivative Rur, deprotonation takes place with fluoride but not with acetate. The apparently higher Brønsted acidity of Rsq with respect to Rur reflects the capability of the squaramide receptor to delocalise the negative charge formed on NH deprotonation over the cyclobutene‐1,2‐dione ring and the entire molecular framework.
An Unexpected Michael–Aldol–Smiles Rearrangement Sequence for the Synthesis of Versatile Optically Active Bicyclic Structures by Using Asymmetric Organocatalysis
Authors: Holub Nicole , Jiang Hao , Paixão Marcio W. , Tiberi Caterina , Jørgensen Karl A. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractA facile and simple organocatalytic procedure to generate optically active 6‐alkyl‐ and 6‐aryl‐substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]oct‐5‐en‐2‐ones is presented. The reaction is catalysed by a 9‐amino‐9‐deoxyepiquinine trifluoroacetic acid salt, which activates α,β‐unsaturated cyclic ketones for the 1,4‐addition of β‐keto benzothiazoyl sulfones in a stereoselective fashion. Subsequent intramolecular aldol reaction and Smiles rearrangement gives rise to important optically active bicycles, which are a common motif in natural products, ligands in asymmetric catalysis and substrates for Cope rearrangements, photochemical reactions, radical cyclisations and metathesis. Different bicyclic structures were obtained by utilisation of various cyclic enones or by performing ring‐expanding reactions. Furthermore, two possible mechanistic pathways are outlined and discussed.
Catalytic Hydrogenation of meso‐Octamethylporphyrinogen (Calix[4]pyrrole)
Authors: Journot Guillaume , Letondor Christophe , Neier Reinhard , Stoeckli‐Evans Helen , Savoia Diego , Gualandi Andrea 
Published: March 2010

AbstractHydrogenation of meso‐octamethylporphyrinogen (calix[4]pyrrole) with a number of heterogeneous catalysts under different experimental conditions has been investigated. GC‐MS analyses of the reaction mixtures showed the formation of one to four products in low to moderate yields: three of them were diastereoisomers of the product derived from half‐hydrogenation of the substrate, and displayed alternating pyrrolidine and pyrrole rings, while the fourth was the all‐cis saturated product. An acidic medium was necessary to achieve hydrogenation. However, the use of too strongly acidic solvents or additives was detrimental to the stability of the substrate and/or the catalyst.
Removal of lead ions from aqueous solutions using powdered corn cobs
Authors: Adie D. B. , Olarinoye N. O. , Oke I. A. , Ismail A. , Lukman S. , Otun J. A. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThis paper is a report on an investigation conducted on adsorption of lead ions (Pb2+) onto powdered corn cobs (PCC). Corn cobs were collected from a selected location in Nigeria. The corn cobs were crushed and pulverised into different particle sizes. Its compositions and adsorption properties of Pb2+ onto PCC were studied. The effects of pH, particle size of PCC, and initial concentration of Pb2+ on the adsorption properties were monitored. The adsorption capacities were analysed by using standard adsorption models. The models were evaluated statistically (total error, coefficient of determination (CD), model of selection criterion (MSC), and root mean square error). The study revealed that PCC contained 2.33%, 86.89%, 10.78%, 0.52%, and 4.56% ash, volatile, moisture, solubility in water, and solubility in 0.25 M of HCl by mass, respectively. Acid digestion of a gram of PCC indicated that PCC contained no chromium and lead, but contained 131 mg Fe, 54.79% carbon, 8.03% hydrogen, 0.41% nitrogen, 0.010 mg of Al, and 1.70 mg calcium. The isotherm models parameters were 28.509 L/mg and 0.141 mg/g; 0.138 mg/g and 11.494 L/mg; 0.142 L/mg and 0.013 mg/g; 0.129 mg/g and 25.641 L/mg, 28.509 L/mg, 3.795 mg/g and 2.336 for Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, activated sludge, and Redlich–Peterson. The PCC particle size, initial pH, and initial Pb2+ concentration had effects on the adsorption parameters. The statistical evaluations showed that the best model for adsorption of lead ions from raw water onto PCC based on lower errors, high CD (0.88), reliability (97.5%), and MSC (1.86) was Freundlich and followed by activated sludge model. It was concluded that PCC is a good adsorbent like powdered eggshell and other carbon‐based materials.
Design and In vitro Evaluation of Branched Peptide Conjugates: Turning Nonspecific Cytotoxic Drugs into Tumor‐Selective Agents
Authors: Falciani Chiara , Brunetti Jlenia , Pagliuca Chiara , Menichetti Stefano , Vitellozzi Lucia , Lelli Barbara , Pini Alessandro , Bracci Luisa 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe use of peptide receptors as targets for tumor‐selective therapies was envisaged years ago with the findings that receptors for different endogenous regulatory peptides are overexpressed in several primary and metastatic human tumors, and can be used as tumor antigens. Branched peptides can retain or even increase, through multivalent binding, the biological activity of a peptide and are very resistant to proteolysis, thus having a markedly higher in vivo activity compared with the corresponding monomeric peptides. Oligo‐branched peptides, containing the human regulatory peptide neurotensin (NT) sequence, have been used as tumor‐specific targeting agents. These peptides are able to selectively and specifically deliver effector units, for cell imaging or killing, to tumor cells that overexpress NT receptors. Results obtained with branched NT conjugated to different functional units for tumor imaging and therapy indicate that branched peptides are promising novel multifunctional targeting molecules. This study is focused on the role of the releasing pattern of drug‐conjugated branched NT peptides. We present results obtained with oligo‐branched neurotensin peptides conjugated to 6‐mercaptopurin (6‐MP), combretastain A‐4 (CA4) and monastrol (MON). Drugs were conjugated to oligo‐branched neurotensin through different linkers, and the mode‐of‐release, together with cytotoxicity, was studied in different human cancer cell lines. The results show that branched peptides are very promising pharmacodelivery options. Among our drug‐armed branched peptides, NT4–CA4 was identified as a candidate for further development and evaluation in preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. This peptide–drug exhibits significant activity against pancreas and prostate human cancer cells. Consequently, this derivative is of considerable interest due to the high mortality rates of pancreas neuroendocrine tumors and the high incidence of prostate cancer.
A meshless Total Lagrangian explicit dynamics algorithm for surgical simulation
Authors: Horton Ashley , Wittek Adam , Joldes Grand Roman , Miller Karol 
Published: March 2010

AbstractA method is presented for computing deformation of very soft tissue. The method is motivated by the need for simple, automatic model creation for real‐time simulation. The method is meshless in the sense that deformation is calculated at nodes that are not part of an element mesh. Node placement is almost arbitrary. Fully geometrically nonlinear Total Lagrangian formulation is used. Geometric integration is performed over a regular background grid that does not conform to the simulation geometry. Explicit time integration is used via the central difference method. As an example the simple but fully nonlinear Neo‐Hookean material model is employed. The results are compared with a finite element simulation to verify the usefulness of the method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An n‐sided polygonal edge‐based smoothed finite element method (nES‐FEM) for solid mechanics
Authors: Nguyen‐Thoi T. , Liu G. R. , Nguyen‐Xuan H. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractAn edge‐based smoothed finite element method (ES‐FEM) using triangular elements was recently proposed to improve the accuracy and convergence rate of the existing standard finite element method (FEM) for the elastic solid mechanics problems. In this paper the ES‐FEM is further extended to a more general case, n‐sided polygonal edge‐based smoothed finite element method (nES‐FEM), in which the problem domain can be discretized by a set of polygons, each with an arbitrary number of sides. The simple averaging point interpolation method is suggested to construct nES‐FEM shape functions. In addition, a novel domain‐based selective scheme of a combined nES/NS‐FEM model is also proposed to avoid volumetric locking. Several numerical examples are investigated and the results of the nES‐FEM are found to agree well with exact solutions and are much better than those of others existing methods. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of random material and geometrical properties on structural safety of steel–concrete composite systems
Authors: Çavdar Özlem , Bayraktar Alemdar , Çavdar Ahmet 
Published: March 2010

AbstractA stochastic finite element‐based algorithm for probabilistic analysis of structural systems made of composite sections with random material and geometrical properties under earthquake forces is proposed in this paper. Uncertainties in the structural parameters can be taken into account in this algorithm. For the perturbation‐based stochastic finite element method, only the first two moments of random variables need to be known, and is numerically much more efficient and feasible than simulation techniques. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed algorithm are validated by comparison with results of Monte Carlo simulation method. A summary of stiffness matrix formulation and perturbation‐based stochastic finite element dynamic analysis formulation of structural systems made of composite sections is given. These are followed by suitable numerical examples, which indicate that employment of such a dynamic stochastic finite element method leads to significant economical, efficient and accurate solutions for the dynamic analysis of composite structures with stochastic parameters under earthquake forces. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Scalasca performance toolset architecture
Authors: Geimer Markus , Wolf Felix , Wylie Brian J. N. , Ábrahám Erika , Becker Daniel , Mohr Bernd 
Published: March 2010

AbstractScalasca is a performance toolset that has been specifically designed to analyze parallel application execution behavior on large‐scale systems with many thousands of processors. It offers an incremental performance‐analysis procedure that integrates runtime summaries with in‐depth studies of concurrent behavior via event tracing, adopting a strategy of successively refined measurement configurations. Distinctive features are its ability to identify wait states in applications with very large numbers of processes and to combine these with efficiently summarized local measurements. In this article, we review the current toolset architecture, emphasizing its scalable design and the role of the different components in transforming raw measurement data into knowledge of application execution behavior. The scalability and effectiveness of Scalasca are then surveyed from experience measuring and analyzing real‐world applications on a range of computer systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Performance evaluation of OFDM and single‐carrier systems using frequency domain equalization and phase modulation
Authors: Hassan Emad S. , Zhu Xu , El‐Khamy Said E. , Dessouky Moawad I. , El‐Dolil Sami A. , El‐Samie Fathi E. Abd 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn this paper, we study the performance of the continuous phase modulation (CPM)‐based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CPM‐OFDM) system. Also, we propose a CPM‐based single‐carrier frequency domain equalization (CPM‐SC‐FDE) structure for broadband wireless communication systems. The proposed structure combines the advantages of the low complexity of SC‐FDE, in addition to exploiting the channel frequency diversity and the power efficiency of CPM. Both the CPM‐OFDM system and the proposed system are implemented with FDE to avoid the complexity of the equalization. Two types of frequency domain equalizers are considered and compared for performance evaluation of both systems; the zero forcing (ZF) equalizer and the minimum mean square error (MMSE) equalizer. Simulation experiments are performed for a variety of multipath fading channels. Simulation results show that the performance of the CPM‐based systems with multipath fading is better than their performance with single path fading. The performance over a multipath channel is at least 5 and 12 dB better than the performance over a single path channel, for the CPM‐OFDM system and the proposed CPM‐SC‐FDE system, respectively. The results also show that, when CPM is utilized in SC‐FDE systems, they can outperform CPM‐OFDM systems by about 5 dB. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.