bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measuring the likelihood property of scoring functions in general retrieval models
Authors: Bache Richard , Baillie Mark , Crestani Fabio 
Published: February 2009

AbstractAlthough retrieval systems based on probabilistic models will rank the objects (e.g., documents) being retrieved according to the probability of some matching criterion (e.g., relevance), they rarely yield an actual probability, and the scoring function is interpreted to be purely ordinal within a given retrieval task. In this brief communication, it is shown that some scoring functions possess the likelihood property, which means that the scoring function indicates the likelihood of matching when compared to other retrieval tasks, which is potentially more useful than pure ranking although it cannot be interpreted as an actual probability. This property can be detected by using two modified effectiveness measures: entire precision and entire recall.
BMP modulators regulate the function of BMP during body patterning and disease progression
Authors: Yanagita Motoko 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are phylogenetically conserved signaling molecules that belong to the transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β superfamily and are involved in the cascades of body patterning and morphogenesis. The activities of BMPs are precisely regulated at various stages, and extracellulary, mainly regulated by certain classes of molecules termed as BMP antagonists and pro‐BMP factors. BMP antagonists inhibit BMP function by prohibiting them from binding their cognate receptors, whereas pro‐BMP factors stimulate BMP function. In this review, the functions of these BMP regulators will be discussed. © 2009 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Role of hydrophobic effect in the salt‐induced dimerization of bovine β‐lactoglobulin at pH 3
Authors: Graziano Giuseppe 
Published: February 2009

Abstractβ‐Lactoglobulin is a dimeric protein around neutral pH, but the monomer becomes the dominant species at pH 3.0 due to strong electrostatic repulsions between the positively charged molecules. It has been found that the addition of salts to water at pH 3.0 favors the dimerization of β‐lactoglobulin. In particular, the dimer is the dominant species at 1M NaCl, 1M GuHCl, and 25 mM NaClO4 [Sakurai, Oobatake, and Goto, Protein Sci 2001, 10, 2325–2335]. The effect of these salt conditions on the strength of hydrophobic interaction has been calculated by means of a simple but physically sound approach. The obtained estimates indicate that: (a) the hydrophobic interaction contribution is strengthened in 1M NaCl and 1M GuHCl with respect to pure water, but not in 25 mM NaClO4; (b) anion binding on the positively charged surface of protein molecules has to be the major factor for the salt‐induced dimerization. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 1182–1188, 2009.This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com
Mapping of the Operating Conditions for an Interconnected Fluidized Bed Reactor for CO2 Separation by Chemical Looping Combustion
Authors: Xu M. , Ellis N. , Jim Lim C. , Ryu H.‐J. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractAs a promising way of integrating combustion, CO2 separation, and pollution control with high efficiency and low cost, Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) has gained attention in recent years. A cold model circulating fluidized bed reactor for chemical looping combustion was designed and operated, in which an additional loop was used to transfer back some oxygen carriers to the air reactor directly for continuous oxidation. Operating conditions of the cold model were investigated as the superficial gas velocities in the reactors and seal‐loops were varied. Their effects on the pressure balance and solids circulation rates in two loops were tested. The experimental results provided a detailed mapping of the range of operating conditions and assisted in the understanding of critical variables controlling the operation of the CLC reactor system. The appropriate operating conditions were optimized for developing the reactor model for CLC.
Comprehensive Modeling Tool for Chemical Looping Based Processes
Authors: Bolhàr‐Nordenkampf J. , Pröll T. , Kolbitsch P. , Hofbauer H. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractA model library has been created to describe gas‐solid reactors for chemical looping combustion (CLC). CLC allows oxidation of a hydrocarbon fuel avoiding direct mixing with combustion air. Metal oxides are used to transport oxygen from one fluidized bed reaction zone to another, undergoing repeated cycles of oxidation and reduction. The equation‐oriented IPSEpro environment is used for implementation. The models are based on conservation of mass and energy and allow calculation of the thermodynamic equilibrium with the thermodynamic data of different metal oxide systems implemented. The model assumptions are made in accordance with operating experience from laboratory installations. The characteristics of the technology are discussed using the presented models for the two fluidized bed reactors. The modeling tool allows investigation of integrated power plant configurations based on CLC technology.
Discrete Particle Simulation Study on the Influence of the Restitution Coefficient on Spout Fluidized‐Bed Dynamics
Authors: van Buijtenen M. S. , Deen N. G. , Heinrich S. , Antonyuk S. , Kuipers J. A. M. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractSpout fluidized beds find widespread application in the process industry in granulation processes, in which efficient contacting between large particles, droplets and gas is of paramount importance. However, detailed understanding of the complex behavior of these systems is lacking. In this paper, we study the effect of the inter‐particle interaction on the bed dynamics, by investigating the bed dynamics as a function of the restitution coefficient. This is done computationally, with the use of an extended discrete particle model. The examined flow regimes comprise the intermediate/spout‐fluidization regime (B1), the spouting‐with‐aeration regime (B2) and the jet‐in‐fluidized‐bed regime (B3). The pressure drop and the vertical particle velocity are compared to experimental data obtained by Link (Chem. Eng. Sci. 2007, 62, 195). The computed results with en = 0.97 show the same resemblance with the experiments. It is shown that, if the restitution coefficient decreases, more bubbles are present causing more pronounced heterogeneity (instability) in the overall flow structure of the bed, to more or less extent dependent on the flow regime. The particle velocity and root mean square profiles confirm the effect on the stability of the bed and show that the spout channel for cases B1 and B3 becomes unstable when the restitution coefficient decreases. For case B2, a transition occurs from the spouting‐with‐aeration to the intermediate/spout‐fluidization regime at low restitution coefficient. These findings show the great importance of the influence of the restitution coefficient on the dynamics of the bed. During the granulation process, when the particles contain different moisture contents, regions in the bed exist that contain particles with different restitution coefficients. These regions thus experience different dynamics, resulting in varying performance.
Bend propagation in the flagella of migrating human sperm, and its modulation by viscosity
Authors: Smith D. J. , Gaffney E. A. , Gadêlha H. , Kapur N. , Kirkman‐Brown J. C. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractA pre‐requisite for sexual reproduction is successful unification of the male and female gametes; in externally‐fertilising echinoderms the male gamete is brought into close proximity to the female gamete through chemotaxis, the associated signalling and flagellar beat changes being elegantly characterised in several species. In the human, sperm traverse a relatively high‐viscosity mucus coating the tract surfaces, there being a tantalising possible role for chemotaxis. To understand human sperm migration and guidance, studies must therefore employ similar viscous in vitro environments. High frame rate digital imaging is used for the first time to characterise the flagellar movement of migrating sperm in low and high viscosities. While qualitative features have been reported previously, we show in precise spatial and temporal detail waveform evolution along the flagellum. In low viscosity the flagellum continuously moves out of the focal plane, compromising the measurement of true curvature, nonetheless the presence of torsion can be inferred. In high viscosities curvature can be accurately determined and we show how waves propagate at approximately constant speed. Progressing waves increase in curvature approximately linearly except for a sharper increase over a distance ∼20–27 μm from the head/midpiece junction. Curvature modulation, likely influenced by the outer dense fibres, creates the characteristic waveforms of high viscosity swimming, with remarkably effective cell progression against greatly increased resistance, even in high viscosity liquids. Assessment of motility in physiological viscosities will be essential in future basic research, studies of chemotaxis and novel diagnostics. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Corporate financial performance and corporate social performance: an update and reinvestigation
Authors: Callan Scott J. , Thomas Janet M. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractFor some time, researchers have been investigating the relationship between a firm's corporate financial performance (CFP) and its corporate social performance (CSP). Although most studies indicate that CSP is a determinant of CFP, other aspects of this research have been inconsistent. Some studies are criticized for using unreliable CSP measures; others for missing control variables; and still others for assuming linearity without valid testing. This paper responds to these issues with an updated study of the CSP–CFP relationship, testing two approaches to measuring CSP, controlling for key variables identified in the literature, and testing for nonlinearity of certain independent variables. Chief among our findings is a positive CSP–CFP relationship, which supports proponents of stakeholder theory. We also determine that empirical models specifying two CSP component measures are stronger than those using a fully aggregated measure. Lastly, we find that control variables must be properly specified to avoid bias and that some of these measures are quadratically related to CFP. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Machine vision‐assisted analysis of structure‐localization relationships in a combinatorial library of prospective bioimaging probes
Authors: Shedden Kerby , Li Qian , Liu Fangyi , Chang Young Tae , Rosania Gus R. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractWith a combinatorial library of bioimaging probes, it is now possible to use machine vision to analyze the contribution of different building blocks of the molecules to their cell‐associated visual signals. For this purpose, cell‐permeant, fluorescent styryl molecules were synthesized by condensation of 168 aldehyde with 8 pyridinium/quinolinium building blocks. Images of cells incubated with fluorescent molecules were acquired with a high content screening instrument. Chemical and image feature analysis revealed how variation in one or the other building block of the styryl molecules led to variations in the molecules' visual signals. Across each pair of probes in the library, chemical similarity was significantly associated with spectral and total signal intensity similarity. However, chemical similarity was much less associated with similarity in subcellular probe fluorescence patterns. Quantitative analysis and visual inspection of pairs of images acquired from pairs of styryl isomers confirm that many closely‐related probes exhibit different subcellular localization patterns. Therefore, idiosyncratic interactions between styryl molecules and specific cellular components greatly contribute to the subcellular distribution of the styryl probes' fluorescence signal. These results demonstrate how machine vision and cheminformatics can be combined to analyze the targeting properties of bioimaging probes, using large image data sets acquired with automated screening systems. © 2009 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
α‐Lipoic acid reduces congenital malformations in the offspring of diabetic mice
Authors: Sugimura Y. , Murase T. , Kobayashi K. , Oyama K. , Hayasaka S. , Kanou Y. , Oiso Y. , Murata Y. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractBackgroundThe mechanism of diabetes‐induced congenital malformation remains to be elucidated. It has been reported that α‐lipoic acid (LA) prevents neural tube defects (NTDs) in offsprings of rats with streptozotocin‐induced diabetes. Here, we evaluate the protective effect of LA against diabetic embryopathy, including NTDs, cardiovascular malformations (CVMs), and skeletal malformations, in mice.MethodsFemale mice were rendered hyperglycemic using streptozotocin and then mated with normal male mouse. Pregnant diabetic or non‐diabetic mice were treated daily with either LA (100 mg/kg body weight) or saline between gestational days 0 and 18. On day 18, fetuses were examined for congenital malformations.ResultsPlasma glucose levels on day 18 were not affected by LA treatment. No congenital malformations were observed either in the saline‐treated or LA‐treated non‐diabetic group. In the saline‐treated diabetic group, 39% of fetuses had external malformations and 30% had NTDs. In the LA‐treated diabetic group, the corresponding proportions were 11 and 8%, respectively. LA treatment also decreased the incidence of CVMs from 30–3% and of skeletal malformations from 29–6%.ConclusionsWe conclude that LA can reduce NTDs, CVMs and skeletal malformations in the offspring of diabetic mice at term delivery. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrochemical Oxidation of Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite in Sulphuric Acid Solution under Potential Pulse Condition
Authors: Nose M. , Kinumoto T. , Choo H.‐S. , Miyazaki K. , Abe T. , Ogumi Z. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractWe investigated the electrochemical oxidation of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) in sulphuric acid solution under applying alternative potential pulses to elucidate the oxidation mechanism of carbon support of Pt/C catalyst under dynamic operation of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). After the potential pulse test between 0.6 and 1.0 V for 15 h, the capacitance of HOPG was increased and pits were found on the oxidised surface. With increase in the lower potential limit to 0.8 V, the increasing rate of capacitance was almost equal to that after holding at 1.0 V for 15 h, which suggests that carbon oxidation reaction could be accelerated in PEFCs by continual variation of the cell voltage. After the potential pulse test between 0.2 and 1.0 V, it was clarified that alcohol and carbonyl groups were accumulated on the surface of HOPG. The oxidation mechanism of HOPG under potential pulse condition was described.
Investigations of Compositions and Performance of PtRuMo/C Ternary Catalysts for Methanol Electrooxidation
Authors: Wang Zhen‐Bo , Zuo Peng‐Jian , Yin Ge‐Ping 
Published: February 2009

AbstractPtRuMo/C catalyst was prepared by impregnation reduction method and characterised. Comparison is made between a home‐made PtRu/C prepared by similar method and Pt/C (E‐Tek Co., Pt/C‐ET) catalysts. One glassy carbon disc electrode for ternary alloy catalyst was used to evaluate the catalytic performances by cyclic voltammetric, chronoamperometric, amperometric i–t curves, and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The electrochemical measurement results indicated that the performance of PtRuMo/C with a molar ratio of 6:3:1 was the highest among 15 PtxRuyMo10–x–y/C catalysts with different molar ratios. The composition, particle size, lattice parameter and morphology of the PtRuMo(6:3:1)/C catalyst were determined by means of X‐ray energy dispersive analysis, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM). The result of XRD analysis exhibits that PtRuMo(6:3:1)/C has the fcc structure with the smaller lattice parameter than the home‐made PtRu/C and Pt/C‐ET. Its typical particle sizes is only about 5 nm. With respect to the catalytic activity and stability, the PtRuMo(6:3:1)/C catalyst is superior to PtRu/C despite their comparable active areas. Though the electrochemically active surface area of Pt/C‐ET is the biggest, its performance is the lowest. EIS results also indicate that the reaction resistances for methanol electrooxidation on the PtRuMo(6:3:1)/C catalyst are smaller than those of PtRu/C at different polarisation potentials.
Proton Conducting Hybrid Membranes Based on Aromatic Polymers Blends for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Applications
Authors: de Bonis C. , D'Epifanio A. , Di Vona M. L. , D'Ottavi C. , Mecheri B. , Traversa E. , Trombetta M. , Licoccia S. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractComposite membranes made‐up of sulphonated polyetheretherketone (SPEEK, DS = 0.5) and of a sulphonated and silylated hybrid organic–inorganic derivative of polyphenylsulphone (SiSPPSU, DS = 2) were prepared and characterised. The water and methanol uptake, as well as thermal properties, of blend membranes containing 5 and 10 wt.‐% SiSPPSU were evaluated. The electrochemical performance of the membranes was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and tested in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) station. The presence of SiSPPSU modified the properties of SPEEK, allowing to increase its performance in terms of proton conductivity, thermal and hydrolytic stability. These blends appeared to be suitable electrolytes for DMFC applications.
Identification of gene‐gene interactions in the presence of missing data using the multifactor dimensionality reduction method
Authors: Namkung Junghyun , Elston Robert C. , Yang Jun‐Mo , Park Taesung 
Published: February 2009

AbstractGene‐gene interaction is believed to play an important role in understanding complex traits. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was proposed by Ritchie et al. [2001. Am J Hum Genet 69:138–147] to identify multiple loci that simultaneously affect disease susceptibility. Although the MDR method has been widely used to detect gene‐gene interactions, few studies have been reported on MDR analysis when there are missing data. Currently, there are four approaches available in MDR analysis to handle missing data. The first approach uses only complete observations that have no missing data, which can cause a severe loss of data. The second approach is to treat missing values as an additional genotype category, but interpretation of the results may then be not clear and the conclusions may be misleading. Furthermore, it performs poorly when the missing rates are unbalanced between the case and control groups. The third approach is a simple imputation method that imputes missing genotypes as the most frequent genotype, which may also produce biased results. The fourth approach, Available, uses all data available for the given loci to increase power. In any real data analysis, it is not clear which MDR approach one should use when there are missing data. In this article, we consider a new EM Impute approach to handle missing data more appropriately. Through simulation studies, we compared the performance of the proposed EM Impute approach with the current approaches. Our results showed that Available and EM Impute approaches perform better than the three other current approaches in terms of power and precision.Genet. Epidemiol.33:646–656, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Age‐associated mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle: Contributing factors and suggestions for long‐term interventions
Authors: Huang Julianna H. , Hood David A. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractIt has been established that the impairment of mitochondrial function is associated with various disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, mitochondria have been implicated in the progression of cellular aging through a multitude of studies that connect increased mitochondrial dysfunction, such as increased reactive oxygen species production and decreased ATP synthesis, with skeletal muscle undergoing sarcopenia. Studies reveal an inverse relationship between mitochondrial biogenesis and aging such that as an individual increases in age, mitochondrial function, and content decreases. This review aims to summarize the relationship of mitochondria with skeletal muscle function, the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, and the alterations in skeletal muscle and mitochondrial function that result due to the aging process. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 61(3): 201–214, 2009
Death receptor 5‐recruited raft components contributes to the sensitivity of Jurkat leukemia cell lines to TRAIL‐induced cell death
Authors: Min Yifan , Shi Juan , Zhang Yaxi , Liu Shilian , Liu Yanxin , Zheng Dexian 
Published: February 2009

AbstractIn the present study we demonstrated Jurkat leukemia cell lines of TIB152 and TIB153 with different sensitivities to recombinant soluble TRAIL cytotoxicity. TRAIL receptor death receptor 5 (DR5) was constitutively localized in the rafts in both cell lines. FADD, caspase‐8, and PI3K‐p85 subunit were recruited into DR5 lipid rafts of TIB152 but not in TIB153 cells. The expression and enzyme activity of acid sphingomyelinase, which digests sphingomyeline to produce ceramide and plays an essential role in lipid raft assembling, were higher in the rafts of TIB152 than in TIB153. These data provide evidences that DR5‐recruited raft components contribute to the different sensitivity of Jurkat leukemia cell lines to TRAIL‐induced cell death and may throw some light on the development of better therapeutic strategies for the cancer cells resistant to TRAIL treatment. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 61(3): 261–267, 2009
Notes on quantitative structure‐properties relationships (QSPR) part 2: The role of the number of atoms as a molecular descriptor
Authors: Carbó‐Dorca Ramon , Saliner Ana Gallegos 
Published: February 2009

AbstractA previous analysis performed in our laboratory about the polynomial dependency of the atomic quantum self‐similarity measures on the atomic number, together with recent publications on quantitative structure‐properties relationships (QSPR), based on the number of molecular atoms, published by various authors, have driven us to show here that a simplified form of the fundamental quantum QSPR (QQSPR) equation, permits to theoretically demonstrate the important, but obvious, role of the number of atoms in a molecule, as a possible molecular descriptor. A discussion of the practical use of the number of atoms in QSPR is also given at the end, which also contains a discussion on the role of Ockham's razor in descriptor simplification choices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009
Perfect planar tetracoordinate carbon in neutral unsaturated hydrocarbon cages: A new strategy utilizing three‐dimensional electron delocalization
Authors: Wang Yang 
Published: February 2009

AbstractA new series of unsaturated pure and boron‐substituted hydrocarbons containing a perfect planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) have been proposed by performing density functional computations. The ptC is effectively stabilized through three‐dimensional delocalization of ptC's lone pair into π‐conjugated systems, by utilizing a new strategy opening a brand new way of designing ptC structures. Compared to previously proposed ptC‐containing hydrocarbon cage compound, a neutral hydrocarbon designed here might be a more viable target for synthetic attempts. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009