bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vineland Screener 0–12 years research version (NL). Constructing a screening instrument to assess adaptive behaviour
Authors: van Duijn Gijs , Dijkxhoorn Yvette , Noens Ilse , Scholte Evert , van Berckelaer‐Onnes Ina 
Published: June 2009

AbstractIn Western countries the need to assess the adaptive behaviour of a wide range of individuals within the framework of research and policy‐making has increased in recent years. To meet this need a screener version of the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS) was developed in the Netherlands. This screener is a questionnaire to be filled out by primary care‐givers. Using a limited number of items the instrument covers the four domains of adaptive behaviour portrayed in the original Expanded Version of the VABS.In this article the psychometric characteristics of this screener are determined in a non‐clinical population of children from 0 to 12 years using a sample of 984 children.Available data support the reliability and validity of the screener. Internal consistency of the domains and test–retest reliability are high: 0.90 or more. High intra‐class correlations between scores of mothers and fathers show that inter‐rater agreement is also satisfactory. Furthermore the domain scores contribute evenly to the composite score. The associations with chronological age/calendar age are strong. Correlations range between 0.80 and 0.95, implying that an increase in age linearly is related to an increase in adaptive behaviour. Newly born children obtain virtually no scores, and increase of scores levels off at different ages near the end of the intended age range. The results indicate that the screener is a promising research instrument to assess the adaptive behaviour of children by means of a short questionnaire filled out by their primary care‐givers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Zona pellucida glycoprotein ZP3 and fertilization in mammals
Authors: Litscher Eveline S. , Williams Zev , Wassarman Paul M. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractAn early step in mammalian fertilization is species‐restricted binding of sperm to the egg's zona pellucida (ZP), a thick extracellular coat that surrounds eggs. Sperm bind to the ZP of unfertilized eggs, but not to the ZP of fertilized eggs. Shortly after binding to the unfertilized egg ZP, sperm undergo the acrosome reaction, a form of cellular exocytosis that enables sperm to penetrate the ZP. Three glycoproteins, mZP1‐3, constitute the mouse egg's ZP and participate in the process of fertilization. For example, sperm exposed to unfertilized egg mZP3 at nanomolar concentrations are inhibited from binding to eggs and undergo the acrosome reaction. Neither mZP1 nor mZP2 has an effect on sperm binding or the acrosome reaction. Furthermore, mZP3 from fertilized eggs has no effect on sperm binding and is unable to induce the acrosome reaction. These and other properties of mZP3 suggest that it is a receptor for sperm and inducer of the acrosome reaction. Mapping of the mZP3 combining‐site for sperm suggests that it is located near the C‐terminus of the polypeptide, just downstream of the ZP domain, in a region encoded by exon‐7 of the mZP3 gene. This region of mZP3 is a site of positive Darwinian selection. When mZP3 exon‐7 is fused to the Fc fragment of human IgG and sperm exposed to the chimeric protein, sperm are inhibited from binding to eggs. However, the chimeric protein does not induce the acrosome reaction. Therefore, polypeptide encoded by mZP3 exon‐7 is necessary and sufficient for binding of mouse sperm. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 933–941, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identifizierung anhand der Zersetzungsprodukte
Authors: Knupp Gerd , Kusch Peter 
Published: June 2009

AbstractDie Kombination der analytischen Pyrolyse mit der Gaschromatographie‐Massenspektrometrie erweitert die Möglichkeiten, die strukturellen Eigenschaften polymerer Materialien zu untersuchen und zu charakterisieren.
Eine Perspektive für die Feinchemie?
Authors: Schorsch Gilbert 
Published: June 2009

AbstractDie chemische Industrie ist auf dem Weg in eine neue Phase der Konzentration. Prominente Beispiele sind die Übernahmen von Rohm & Haas durch Dow Chemical und von Ciba durch BASF. Die beiden übernommenen Unternehmen weisen in ihrer Entwicklung einige Parallelen auf.
Numerical modeling of seismic triggering, evolution, and deposition of rapid landslides: Application to Higashi–Takezawa (2004)
Authors: Gerolymos Nikos 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA mathematical model is developed for the dynamic analysis of earthquake‐triggered rapid landslides, considering two mechanically coupled systems: (a) the accelerating deformable body of the slide and (b) the rapidly deforming shear band at the base of the slide. The main body of the slide is considered as a one‐phase mixture of Newtonian incompressible fluids and Coulomb solids sliding on a plane of variable inclination. The evolution of the landslide is modeled via a depth‐integrated model of the Savage–Hutter type coupled with: (a) a cyclic hysteretic constitutive model of the Bouc–Wen type and (b) Voellmy's rheology for the deformation of the material within the shear band. The original shallow‐water equations that govern the landslide motion are appropriately reformulated to account for inertial forces due to seismic loading, and to allow for a smooth transition between the active and the passive state. The capability of the developed model is tested against the Higashi–Takezawa landslide. Triggered by the 2004 Niigata‐ken Chuetsu earthquake, the slide produced about 100m displacement of a large wedge from an originally rather mild slope. The mechanism of material softening inside the shear band responsible for the surprisingly large run‐out of the landslide is described by a set of equations for grain crushing‐induced pore‐water pressures. The back‐analysis reveals interesting patterns on the flow dynamics, and the numerical results compare well with field observations. It is shown that the mechanism of material softening is a crucial factor for the initiation and evolution of the landslide, while viscoplastic frictional resistance is a key requirement for successfully reproducing the field data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling of contaminant transport through landfill liners using EFGM
Authors: Praveen Kumar R. , Dodagoudar G. R. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractModelling of contaminant transport through landfill liners and natural soil deposits is an important area of research activity in geoenvironmental engineering. Conventional mesh‐based numerical methods depend on mesh/grid size and element connectivity and possess some difficulties when dealing with advection‐dominant transport problems. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to provide a simple but sufficiently accurate methodology for numerical simulation of the two‐dimensional contaminant transport through the saturated homogeneous porous media and landfill liners using element‐free Galerkin method (EFGM). In the EFGM, an approximate solution is constructed entirely in terms of a set of nodes and no characterization of the interrelationship of the nodes is needed. The EFGM employs moving least‐square approximants to approximate the function and uses the Lagrange multiplier method for imposing essential boundary conditions. The results of the EFGM are validated using experimental results. Analytical and finite element solutions are also used to compare the results of the EFGM. In order to test the practical applicability and performance of the EFGM, three case studies of contaminant transport through the landfill liners are presented. A good agreement is obtained between the results of the EFGM and the field investigation data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modifiable low‐rank approximation to a matrix
Authors: Barlow Jesse L. , Erbay Hasan 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA truncated ULV decomposition (TULVD) of an m×n matrix X of rank k is a decomposition of the form
X = ULVT+E, where U and V are left orthogonal matrices, L is a k×k non‐singular lower triangular matrix, and E is an error matrix. Only U,V, L, and ∥E∥F are stored, but E is not stored. We propose algorithms for updating and downdating the TULVD. To construct these modification algorithms, we also use a refinement algorithm based upon that in (SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 2005; 27(1):198–211) that reduces ∥E∥F, detects rank degeneracy, corrects it, and sharpens the approximation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical modelling of electromechanical coupling using fictitious domain and level set methods
Authors: Andreykiv Andriy , Rixen Daniel J. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWe present a finite element formulation for simulation of electromechanical coupling using a combination of fictitious domain and level set methods. The electric field is treated with a fixed (Eulerian‐like) mesh, whereas the structure (taken as a perfect conductor) is modelled with a conventional Lagrangian approach. The compatibility between the potential of the conductor and of the electric domain is obtained by introducing a Lagrange multiplier function, defined on the boundary of the conductor. The electromechanical forces are obtained using a variational formulation for the coupled electromechanical domain. We use a Heaviside function on the level set to remove the electric energy in the conductor domain. Results are presented for an radio frequency switch and an element of a comb drive. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation of biaxial orientation mats from single fibers
Authors: Zhang Jianfeng , Yang Dongzhi , Zhang Ziping , Nie Jun 
Published: June 2009

AbstractElectrospinning provides a simple and versatile method for fabricating nanofiber mats. Electrospun fiber mat of well aligned and order architectures was often required for many applications. In this communication, biaxial orientation mats were electrospun by a novel collector consisting of two rotating disks with conductive edge. In addition, an auxiliary electrode was induced to focus the electrostatic field and force the fibers to align regularly. The biaxial orientation structure was formed with the variation of rotation speed without revolving the fiber mat during the electrospinning process, and the dates presented in this paper demonstrated that the degree of biaxial orientation strongly depended on the rotation speed. This simple method has potential applications in textile and electronic areas. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and chiral micellization behavior of optically active amphiphilic diblock copolymer bearing quinine pendants
Authors: Hu Zhiguo , Huang Caihong 
Published: June 2009

AbstractA novel optically active amphiphilic diblock copolymer bearing quinine pendants poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(glycidyl triazolyl‐L‐quinine) (MPEO‐b‐PGTQ) was synthesized by “click” reaction of alkyne‐modified diblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(glycidyl propargyl ether) (MPEO‐b‐PGPE) and 9‐N3‐quinine. The structure and composition of copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), elemental analysis and optical rotation measurements, which showed that the synthetic route could provide the copolymer with well‐defined composition and with similar optical activity compared to its parent quinine. The micellization behavior of this chiral copolymer was investigated in different solvent systems. The results from fluorescence spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, 1H NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy indicated that the MPEO‐b‐PGTQ could form regular chiral spherical micelles in H2O and Tetrahydrofuran‐H2O (10:90, V/V) systems, and the state of aggregated chiral micelles depended on the nature of the medium. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3640–3650, 2009
Visualization of spontaneous aggregates by diblock poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(L‐lactide)/poly(D‐lactide) pairs in solution with new fluorescent CdSe quantum dot labels
Authors: Hou Xiaodong , Li Qiaobo , He Yong , Jia Lin , Li Yang , Zhu Yingdan , Cao Amin 
Published: June 2009

AbstractSpontaneous stereocomplex aggregation of diblock poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(L‐lactide) PS‐b‐PLLA/poly(D‐lactide) PDLA pairs has been investigated under ambient temperature in tetrahydrofuran solution. First, diblock PS260‐b‐PLLA165 and PS260‐b‐PDLA162 bearing similar lengths of respective PLLA and PDLA blocks were synthesized through controlled atom‐transfer radical polymerization of styrene, and a subsequent living ring‐opening polymerization of optically pure lactides, and their structures were further characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and gel‐permeation chromatography (GPC). Subsequently, new enantiomeric poly(D‐lactide) stabilized core‐shell fluorescent CdSe quantum dots (CdSe/PDLA QD) were designed and prepared as sensitive fluorescence labels to shed new lights on the spontaneous stereocomplex aggregation in THF, which was mediated by stereocomplexation of the PLLA and PDLA chains. Upon simply mixing two individual THF solution of diblock PS260‐b‐PLLA165 and HO‐PDLA30‐SH, spontaneous stereocomplex aggregation was studied, and the aggregated uniform spherical particles were observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) to exhibit average particle diameters of 2.0 μm. Finally, utilizing the prepared CdSe/PDLA QDs as new fluorescent labels, morphologies of the spontaneous aggregates by new diblock PS260‐b‐PLLA165/HO‐PDLA30‐SH pair were for the first time directly visualized by a confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy (CLSFM). These results might suggest alternative ways to simply prepare functional fluorescent particles with tunable diameter sizes and would be helpful to understand the mechanism of stereocomplex particle aggregation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1393–1405, 2009
Physical and electronic properties in multiwalled carbon nanotube–poly(3‐dodecylthiophene) nanocomposites
Authors: Garai Ashesh , Kuila Biplab K. , Samai Subhasis , Roy Somnath , Mukherjee Pratap , Nandi Arun K. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe properties of nanocomposites of dodecyl ester functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (FMWNT) and four poly(3‐dodecyl thiophene) (P3DDT) samples with different molecular weight and chain regioregularity are reported here. Uniform dispersion of FMWNT in the composites is evident from TEM study. π–π and CH–π interactions are evident from FTIR spectra in the low molecular weight (Mw = 8 × 104) and high regiorandom (head‐tail = 69 mol %) P3DDT (ILM) composites; however, such interactions are not so prominent for other P3DDTs. Wide‐angle X‐ray scattering patterns indicate intact interchain lamellar structure of P3DDT in the composites. DSC study shows decrease of main chain melting peak of P3DDT (ILM) with increasing F‐MWNT content but the decrease is lower with higher molecular weight and higher regioregular samples. Dynamic mechanical analyzer study indicates that there is no significant change in the Tg, Tβ, and Tγ transition temperature with FMWNT concentration indicating almost ideal mixing of the components. The percent increase of G′ increases with increasing FMWNT loading and also with temperature showing an 84% increase in storage modulus at –20 °C for ILM12 samples. The UV–vis spectrum indicates a decrease in band gap with FMWNT concentration for ILM composites, however, it is negligible with other P3DDTs. Photoluminescence quenching and multiple emission peaks occur in the composites. dc‐Conductivity of the composites increases by two orders and current‐voltage (I–V) curves show memory effect only in ILM‐MWNT composites. The I–V curves of other P3DDT nanocomposites exhibit rectification property. Quantitative explanation of electronic properties has been afforded from the band energy and work function values. So, the electronic properties of the nanocomposite can be tuned by changing the molecular weight, regioregularity, and concentration of FMWNT. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1412–1425, 2009
Isocyanate‐Free Curing of Glycidyl Azide Polymer (GAP) with Bis‐Propargyl‐Succinate (II)
Authors: Keicher Thomas , Kuglstatter Werner , Eisele Siegfried , Wetzel Tim , Krause Horst 
Published: June 2009

AbstractFour different GAP mixtures with di‐ and tri‐functional GAP types were successfully cured with bis‐propargyl‐succinate (BPS) via 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition reaction between the azido groups of GAP and the triple bonds of the propargyl ester. Investigation of one series of curing on di‐functional and another series on tri‐functional GAP was done and compared with two additional curing series on mixtures of di‐ and tri‐functional GAP. The BPS which acted as a curing agent analog to isocyanate in classical polyurethane systems, was varied in its content, and the influence on the mechanical properties of the cross‐linked binders was measured by tensile tests. The mechanical properties could be adjusted in a wide range by varying the amount of BPS. The E modulus of the tested samples was in the range of 0.06–0.674 N mm−2 at elongations between 50 and 95% and the maximum stress was in the range of 0.05–0.32 N mm−2. Increasing contents of BPS showed, in thermal analysis by DSC, only a small decrease in the decomposition energy and slightly raised glass transition temperatures. The required amount of inert curing agent for complete cure of GAP is lower for BPS in comparison to isocyanate, so this will result in a higher total energy content in the binder system. However, BPS‐cured systems can lead to higher glass transition temperatures than isocyanate‐based binder systems. The curing process has been monitored by measuring the increasing viscosity at 50 and 60 °C. The curing time of the investigated binder systems for quantitative curing at 65 °C is around four days, which was checked by measuring the surface hardness, but at room temperature the premixed curing samples staid liquid for around 1 week.
Osmolyte perturbation reveals conformational equilibria in spin‐labeled proteins
Authors: López Carlos J. , Fleissner Mark R. , Guo Zhefeng , Kusnetzow Ana K. , Hubbell Wayne L. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractRecent evidence suggests that proteins at equilibrium can exist in a manifold of conformational substates, and that these substates play important roles in protein function. Therefore, there is great interest in identifying regions in proteins that are in conformational exchange. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of spin‐labeled proteins containing the nitroxide side chain (R1) often consist of two (or more) components that may arise from slow exchange between conformational substates (lifetimes > 100 ns). However, crystal structures of proteins containing R1 have shown that multicomponent spectra can also arise from equilibria between rotamers of the side chain itself. In this report, it is shown that these scenarios can be distinguished by the response of the system to solvent perturbation with stabilizing osmolytes such as sucrose. Thus, site‐directed spin labeling (SDSL) emerges as a new tool to explore slow conformational exchange in proteins of arbitrary size, including membrane proteins in a native‐like environment. Moreover, equilibrium between substates with even modest differences in conformation is revealed, and the simplicity of the method makes it suitable for facile screening of multiple proteins. Together with previously developed strategies for monitoring picosecond to millisecond backbone dynamics, the results presented here expand the timescale over which SDSL can be used to explore protein flexibility.
Exploring functional roles of multibinding protein interfaces
Authors: Tyagi Manoj , Shoemaker Benjamin A. , Bryant Stephen H. , Panchenko Anna R. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCellular processes are highly interconnected and many proteins are shared in different pathways. Some of these shared proteins or protein families may interact with diverse partners using the same interface regions; such multibinding proteins are the subject of our study. The main goal of our study is to attempt to decipher the mechanisms of specific molecular recognition of multiple diverse partners by promiscuous protein regions. To address this, we attempt to analyze the physicochemical properties of multibinding interfaces and highlight the major mechanisms of functional switches realized through multibinding. We find that only 5% of protein families in the structure database have multibinding interfaces, and multibinding interfaces do not show any higher sequence conservation compared with the background interface sites. We highlight several important functional mechanisms utilized by multibinding families. (a) Overlap between different functional pathways can be prevented by the switches involving nearby residues of the same interfacial region. (b) Interfaces can be reused in pathways where the substrate should be passed from one protein to another sequentially. (c) The same protein family can develop different specificities toward different binding partners reusing the same interface; and finally, (d) inhibitors can attach to substrate binding sites as substrate mimicry and thereby prevent substrate binding.
Alpha helical crossovers favor right‐handed supersecondary structures by kinetic trapping: The phone cord effect in protein folding
Authors: Cole Benjamin J. , Bystroff Christopher 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe remarkable predominance of right‐handedness in beta‐alpha‐beta helical crossovers has been previously explained in terms of thermodynamic stability and kinetic accessibility, but a different kinetic trapping mechanism may also play a role. If the beta‐sheet contacts are made before the crossover helix is fully formed, and if the backbone angles of the folding helix follows the energetic pathway of least resistance, then the helix would impart a torque on the ends of the two strands. Such a torque would tear apart a left‐handed conformation but hold together a right‐handed one. Right‐handed helical crossovers predominate even in all‐alpha proteins, where previous explanations based on the preferred twist of the beta sheet do not apply. Using simple molecular simulations, we can reproduce the right‐handed preference in beta‐alpha‐beta units, without imposing specific beta‐strand geometry. The new kinetic trapping mechanism is dubbed the “phone cord effect” because it is reminiscent of the way a helical phone cord forms superhelices to relieve torsional stress. Kinetic trapping explains the presence of a right‐handed superhelical preference in alpha helical crossovers and provides a possible folding mechanism for knotted proteins.