bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic micropatterned multi‐channel nerve guides by templated electrospinning
Authors: Jeffries Eric M. , Wang Yadong 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis report describes a new approach for fabricating microchannels within three‐dimensional electrospun constructs. These key features serve to mimic the fascicular architecture and fibrous extracellular matrix found in native nerve. Both electrospun fibers and multi‐channeled structure nerve guides have become areas of increasing interest for their beneficial roles in nerve repair. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a guide that incorporates both. Multiple parallel channels provide a greater number of defined paths and increased surface area compared to cylindrical guides. Additionally, the fibrous nature of electrospun fibers permits better mass transport than solid‐walled constructs. The flexible fabrication scheme allows tailoring of nerve guide parameters such as channel diameters ranging from 33 to 176 µm and various wall thicknesses. Channel and fiber structures were assessed by optical and electron microscope images. Geometric calculations estimated a porosity of over 85% for these guides with 16% or less from the channels. In vitro culture with Schwann cells demonstrated cellular infiltration into channels with restricted migration between fibers. Finally, cell proliferation and survival throughout the guide indicates that this design warrants future in vivo examination. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1571–1582. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Simplifying and streamlining Escherichia coli‐based cell‐free protein synthesis
Authors: Yang William C. , Patel Kedar G. , Wong H. Edward , Swartz James R. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractEscherichia coli cell‐free protein synthesis (CFPS) uses E. coli extracts to make active proteins in vitro. The basic CFPS reaction mixture is comprised of four main reagent components: (1) energy source and CFPS chemicals, (2) DNA encoding the protein of interest, (3) T7 RNA Polymerase (RNAP) for transcription, and (4) cell extract for translation. In this work, we have simplified and shortened the protocols for preparing the CFPS chemical mixture, cell extract, and T7 RNAP. First, we streamlined the workflow for preparing the CFPS chemical solutions by combining all the chemicals into a single reagent mixture, which we call Premix. We showed that productive cell extracts could be made from cells grown in simple shake flasks, and we also truncated the preparation protocol. Finally, we discovered that T7 RNAP purification was not necessary for CFPS. Crude lysate from cells over‐expressing T7 RNAP could be used without deleteriously affecting protein production. Using chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) as a model protein, we showed that these streamlined protocols still support high‐yielding CFPS. These simplified procedures save time and offer greater accessibility to our laboratory's CFPS technology. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012
Chromophores in Conjugated Polymers—All Straight?
Authors: Lupton John M. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWhat is the physical shape of the π‐electron system in a large macromolecule such as a conjugated polymer? Although intuitively one may argue that any departure from rigidity by bending or twisting should disrupt conjugation, leading to the formation of discrete chromophores, single‐molecule and ensemble time‐resolved studies support the notion that the π‐bond is remarkably persistent in space: even individual chromophores can be bent and twisted, so that caution is warranted when interpreting a wide range of polarisation‐based spectroscopies.
Evolution of phenols and pigments in extra virgin olive oil from irrigated super‐intensive orchard
Authors: Benito Marta , Lasa José Manuel , Gracia Pilar , Oria Rosa , Abenoza María , Sánchez‐Gimeno Ana Cristina 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPhenolic compounds have a high importance in olive oil because of their effect on shelf life and sensory properties. This study reports on the HPLC profiles of the phenolic compounds of virgin olive oils obtained from Arbequina olives from the harvesting in a super‐intensive orchard under a linear irrigation system. In addition, phenolic content, carotenoid and chlorophyllic pigments, and oxidative stability were analyzed. Total phenol content and 3,4‐DHPEA‐EDA increased up to a maximum throughout the ripening process. The simple phenols tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol acetate increased throughout the ripening process, however, there was not found a clear trend in hydroxytyrosol content. Minor constituents such as vanillic acid and p‐coumaric acid increased up to a maximum and then decreased, since vanillin decreased progressively throughout the time of harvest. 3,4‐DHPEA‐EDA and lignans were present in considerable amounts in the studied samples, while oleuropein aglycone was present in a low amount. Total phenol content and oil stability followed the same trend throughout the study, so a very good correlation was established between them. Total secoiridoids and, specifically, 3,4‐DHPEA‐EDA seemed to be responsible for oil stability. The pigment content decreased during ripening, and not a positive correlation was found between pigments and oil stability.Practical applications: The results can be used to determine the best time for harvesting in order to obtain olive oils with different phenols and pigment contents. This is important for sensory characteristics of the olive oils and also for olive oil stability.
Metal‐Free Intermolecular Cfur–Nsucc Bond Coupling of Highly Substituted 3‐Furancarbaldehydes and Their Use in meso‐Substituted BODIPY Synthesis
Authors: Singh Atul P. , Lee Kang Mun , Kim Kibong , Jun Taehong , Churchill David G. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractTwo novel highly substituted 3‐furancarbaldehydes have been synthesized by the reaction of 3‐furancarbaldehyde and NBS in chloroform and N,N‐dimethylformamide. Importantly, NBS serves as a succinimide donor under mild metal‐free conditions whereas NCS does not. Also, NBS does not undergo the same reaction with 3‐thiophenecarbaldehyde. We show how solvent plays a crucial role in C–Br and C–N bond formation, including through the use of DFT calculations, which demonstrated that a bromonium‐mediated transformation is energetically allowable. Other 3‐furan derivatives gave no evidence of analogous C–N bond‐forming reactions, underscoring the potential uniqueness of the 3‐furancarbaldehyde moiety. A variety of meso‐aryl‐ and ‐hydrogen‐substituted BODIPY species were then prepared from pyrrole and 2,4‐dimethylpyrrole and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and crystallography.
Active screen plasma surface modification of polycaprolactone to improve cell attachment
Authors: Fu Xin , Sammons Rachel L. , Bertóti Imre , Jenkins Mike J. , Dong Hanshan 
Published: December 2011

AbstractTo tailor polycaprolactone (PCL) surface properties for biomedical applications, film samples of PCL were surface modified by the active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) technique. The chemical composition and structure were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The wettability of the surface modified polymers was investigated by contact angle and surface energy methods. Biocompatibility of the prepared PCL samples was evaluated in vitro using MC3T3‐E1 osteoblast‐like cells. The degradability was assessed by determining the self‐degradation rate (catalyzed by lipase). The results show that ASPN surface modification can effectively improve osteoblast cell adhesion and spreading on the surface of PCL. The main change in chemical composition is the exchange of some carboxyl groups on the surface for hydroxyl groups. The active‐screen plasma nitriding technique has been found to be an effective and practical method to effectively improve osteoblast cell adhesion and spreading on the PCL surface. Such changes have been attributed to the increase in wettablity and generation of new hydroxyl groups by plasma treatment. After active‐screen plasma treatment, the PCL film is still degradable, but the enzymatic degradation rate is slower compared with untreated PCL film. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 100B: 314–320, 2012.
Hadamard‐encoding combined with two‐dimensional‐selective radiofrequency excitations for flexible and efficient acquisitions of multiple voxels in MR spectroscopy
Authors: Busch Martin G. , Finsterbusch Jürgen 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPurpose:To improve the efficiency and flexibility of acquisitions of multiple voxels in MR spectroscopy by combining two‐dimensional‐selective radiofrequency (2DRF) excitations and Hadamard encoding.Materials and Methods:With 2DRF excitations (PROPELLER trajectory, 16 half‐Fourier segments, each with five lines) two voxels are defined. By combining the individual 2DRF pulses with Hadamard‐like encoded phases, the voxels are acquired simultaneously but the individual contributions can be isolated from the obtained spectra. This is demonstrated on a 3 Tesla whole‐body MR system in phantoms and in the human brain in vivo.Results:Compared with sequential single‐voxel acquisitions the signal efficiency increases with the number of voxels covered. Furthermore, in comparison to conventional single‐voxel MRS based on cross‐sectional RF excitations, 2DRF excitations offer a higher flexibility because they allow for arbitrary voxel sizes, orientations, in‐plane positions, and shapes.Conclusion:The presented approach improves the flexibility and efficiency of acquisitions of multiple voxels, i.e., can shorten acquisition times accordingly, and can help to reduce partial volume effects. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:976–983. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MRI reconstruction from 2D truncated k‐space
Authors: Luo Jianhua , Zhu Yuemin , Li Wanqing , Croisille Pierre , Magnin Isabelle E. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractPurpose:To shorten acquisition time by means of both partial scanning and partial echo acquisition and to reconstruct images from such 2D partial k‐space acquisitions.Materials and Methods:We propose an approach to reconstructing magnetic resonance images from 2D truncated k‐space in which the k‐space is truncated in both phase‐ and frequency‐encoding directions. Unlike conventional reconstruction techniques, the proposed approach is based on a newly developed 2D singularity function analysis (SFA) model and a sparse representation of an image whose parameters can be estimated from the 2D partial k‐space data. Such a sparse representation leads to an accurate recovery of the missing k‐space data and, hence, an accurate reconstruction of the image.Results:The proposed approach can reconstruct an image from as little as 20%–30% of the k‐space data and the quality of the reconstructed image is comparable to the reference image that is reconstructed from the complete k‐space data.Conclusion:Despite the high asymmetry of a 2D truncated k‐space, the proposed approach allows for accurate reconstruction without the need of phase correction and, thus, overcomes the assumption of slow phase variations that is usually required by the existing reconstruction methods. It provides a new way of fast imaging for applications that require a significant reduction of the acquisition time. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:1196‐1206. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Potential dietary sources of ellagic acid and other antioxidants among fruits consumed in Brazil: Jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg)
Authors: Abe Lucile T , Lajolo Franco M , Genovese Maria Inés 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the content of ellagic acid in fruits consumed by the Brazilian population, including native ones; (2) to further characterize rich sources in relation to ascorbic acid, phenolics contents and in vitro antioxidant capacity; and (3) to study the distribution and effect of ripening stage on ellagitannins content of jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba). The content of free ellagic acid and ellagic acid derivatives such as ellagitannins was analyzed using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).RESULTS: Ellagic acid was detected in 10 out of a total of 35 fruits analyzed. The content of free ellagic acid in fruits varied from 0.0028 to 0.085 g kg−1 (FW) and total ellagic acid varied from 0.215 to 3.11 g kg−1 (FW). All the seven fruits belonging to the Myrtaceae family evaluated in this study presented high contents of ellagitannins in their composition, with jabuticaba, grumixama and cambuci (all native from Brazil) showing the highest total ellagic acid contents. Jabuticaba, the most consumed in Brazil among those and already adapted to commercial plantations, contained concentrated phenolics compounds, including ellagitannins, in the peel. Anthocyanins (cyanidin derivatives) increased significantly through ripening of jabuticaba and were not present in the pulp or seeds. Samples collected from three different locations during summer, winter and spring had total ellagic contents varying from 1.88 to 3.31 g kg−1 (FW). The decrease in ellagic acid content with ripening was more accentuated for pulp (eight times) compared to seeds (2.3 times) and peel (2.0 times).CONCLUSION: These results showed the potential of jabuticaba as dietary source of ellagic acid and reinforced consumption of the whole fruit by the population. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Tolerance, fermentation, and cytokine expression in healthy aged male C57BL/6J mice fed resistant starch
Authors: Zhou June , Keenan Michael J. , Keller Jeffrey , Fernandez‐Kim Sun O. , Pistell Paul J. , Tulley Richard T. , Raggio Anne M. , Shen Li , Zhang Hanjie , Martin Roy J. , Blackman Marc R. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractHealth benefits of resistant starch (RS), a dietary fermentable fiber, have been well documented in young, but not in old populations. As the essential step of more comprehensive evaluations of RS on healthy aging, we examined the effects of dietary RS on tolerance, colonic fermentation, and cytokine expression in aged mice. Healthy older (18‐20 months) C57BL/6J male mice were fed control, 18% RS, or 36% RS diets for 10 weeks. Body weight gain, body composition, and fat pad weights did not differ among the three groups after 10 weeks, indicating good tolerance of the RS diet. Fermentation indicators (cecum weights, and cecal proglucagon and PYY mRNA expression) were enhanced in an RS dose‐dependent manner (p<0.01). Serum concentrations of soluble cytokine receptors (sTNF‐Rb, sIL‐4R, sIL‐2Rα, sVEGFR1, and sRAGE) and TNFα expression (gene and protein) in visceral fat did not differ significantly among groups. Adiponectin protein concentrations, but not gene expression, were greater in epididymal fat of the 36% RS versus control groups (p<0.05). As a conclusion in aged mice, dietary RS is well tolerated, fermented in the colon, and stimulates colonic expression of proglucagon and PYY mRNA, and adiponectin protein in visceral fat.
Influence of caffeine on the survival of leaf‐cutting ants Atta sexdens rubropilosa and in vitro growth of their mutualistic fungus
Authors: Miyashira Carlos H , Tanigushi Daniel G , Gugliotta Adriana M , Santos Déborah YAC 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND: Leaf‐cutting ants collect plant fresh material for the cultivation of their mutualistic fungus. Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) cause great economic losses through their foraging activity, mainly in agriculture. The main control method is the application of granulated toxic baits incorporated with an active ingredient (AI). The present goal is to evaluate the effect of caffeine on in vitro growth of the mutualistic fungus and on the survival of the leaf‐cutting ants, aiming to verify the potential toxicity of this secondary metabolite over these organisms.RESULTS: Three distinct patterns of fungal growth correlated with caffeine concentration were observed: (1) no effect (0.01% caffeine); (2) intermediate growth reduction (0.05% caffeine); (3) drastic growth reduction (0.10 and 0.50% caffeine). The highest caffeine concentration causes fungus death in the first week. As for insect survival, caffeine does not seem to exert any effect. The treatments with diet containing caffeine showed similar values of M50, irrespective of caffeine concentration.CONCLUSION: As caffeine was shown to reduce growth of the mutualistic fungus of Atta sexdens rubropilosa, but with no conclusive effect on insect survival, a hypothetical explanation for the selection of different Coffea species by this leaf‐cutting ant species might be associated with caffeine toxicity to the fungus. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF FISH BYPASS CHANNELS IN STREAMS: MIGRATION CORRIDOR AND HABITAT FOR RHEOPHILIC SPECIES
Authors: Pander J. , Mueller M. , Geist J. 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACTThe introduction of weirs into stream ecosystems resulted in modifications of serial continuity and in the decline of riverine fish species. Successful river restoration requires information on the ecological functionality of fish bypass channels that are considered an ecological improvement according to the European Water Framework Directive. In this study, we compared the functionality of three nature‐oriented fish passes as compensatory habitats and migration corridors for fishes. Fish passes differed significantly from upstream and downstream reaches of the weirs, revealing higher current speed, lower water depth, smaller channel width and greater habitat variability. Following these structural differences, they provided key habitats for juvenile, small and rheophilic fishes that are typically underrepresented in highly modified water bodies. All fish passes were used as migration corridors, with increased fish movements during high discharge and at spawning periods. Because river stretches with high variability of current speed and water depth are scarce in highly modified water bodies, fish passes can play an important role as compensatory habitats and should thus be considered more intensively in habitat assessments and river restoration. Ideally, fish bypasses should mirror the natural discharge dynamics and consider all occurring fish species and sizes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Underground cabling and marking of power lines: conservation measures rapidly reduced mortality of West-Pannonian Great Bustards Otis tarda
Authors: RAAB RAINER , SCHÜTZ CLAUDIA , SPAKOVSZKY PÉTER , JULIUS EIKE , SCHULZE CHRISTIAN H. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryCollisions with power lines represent an important mortality factor for Great Bustards Otis tarda throughout the distribution range of the species. This study evaluates the success of two conservation measures implemented in the West-Pannonian distribution range to reduce the number of power line collision casualties: (1) extensive underground cabling of 43.1 km power lines, and (2) marking of 89.7 km power lines starting in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The mortality rate of Great Bustards in our study area (covering 686.5 km2) decreased significantly between 2002 and 2011, predominantly caused by reduced mortality due to power line collisions. Univariate tests indicate that underground cabling and power line marking significantly decreased power line collision casualties. Generalised linear models (GLMs) highlighted the prominent effect of underground cabling. Our results indicate that five years after underground cabling and marking of power lines within core areas of the West-Pannonian distribution range of the Great Bustard, the population already benefited through a significantly decreased mortality rate. Both conservation measures most likely contributed strongly to the rapid recovery of the West-Pannonian Great Bustard population observed within the last decade.
Low-driving-voltage and colour-stable white organic light-emitting diodes with a cross-patterned multi-emissive layer
Authors: Hyun Woo Jin , Park Jae Kyun , Park O Ok , Chin Byung Doo 
Published: December 2011

Abstract
We have applied a simple cross-patterning technique for the fabrication of phosphorescent white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) with red, green and blue (RGB) emitters; the resulting device has relatively low driving voltage and high colour stability. The selectively cross-patterned multicolour emitting layer (EML) was easily prepared using a metal mask without an alignment process. Not only was the characteristic of low driving voltage obtained but also of improved colour stability, which can be ascribed to the simplified stack of the EML and the corresponding suppression of the biased shift in the recombination zone. The spatial distribution and variation of the stacked EML structure could explain the origin of the robust white emission. Compared with the conventional WOLED with a RGB simple stack, the cross-patterned multi-EML device showed a slight change in colour coordinates in the luminance range 100–8000 cd m−2, with a decrease in the driving voltage of 0.5–2.0 V, while the luminous efficiency was maintained.
Cardiovascular risk tables: opinion and degree of use of Primary Care doctors from Madrid, Spain
Authors: Elustondo Sofía Garrido , Aguado Pedro Nogales , de La Rasilla Cooper Cristina García , Manzanet Juanma Pinar , Sendín Domingo Sánchez 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAims and objectives  To determine the opinion of primary care doctors regarding the cardiovascular risk tables, their degree of use in clinical practice and the specific difficulties encountered when using them.Method  Transversal descriptive study.Location  Primary Care, Madrid, Spain.Participants  Primary care doctors from four of Madrid's sanitary areas.Principal measurements  Anonymous self‐administered questionnaire that studies age, gender, professional data, variables related with the opinion on cardiovascular risk tables, with their application in daily clinical practice, and main barriers for their use. A total of 34 closed questions and one open question were performed.Results  Four hundred and sixty‐two questionnaires were received (46% replied). Ninety‐three per cent agrees that prevention based on a global evaluation of cardiovascular risk is more convenient than the one based on an independent assessment of each factor. When a new diagnosis of hypertension or elevated cholesterol is performed, 45 and 52% respectively estimate the cardiovascular risk systematically. Twenty per cent uses this information to start a treatment for hypertension and 32% for raised cholesterol. Seventy‐three per cent is aware of the tool available in the computer program to estimate the cardiovascular risk and 35% uses it. Eighty‐seven per cent gives their patients information about cardiovascular risk. Main identified barriers: lack of time, lack of consensus and absence of computer support.Conclusions  Primary care doctors are aware of the need to estimate a global cardiovascular risk, recognize the usefulness of the tables but find problems in their practical application. In order to make their application feasible, tables should be simplified and unified, and their format should be improved.