bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Formation of Pyrene Dimer Radical Cation at the Minor Groove of DNA
Authors: Kawai Kiyohiko , Kimura Takumi , Yoshida Hiroko , Sugimoto Akira , Tojo Sachiko , Fujitsuka Mamoru , Majima Tetsuro 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
To arrange pyrene at the minor groove of DNA, we synthesized a nucleoside derivative possessing a pyrene group on guanine N2. Doubly pyrene-modified duplex DNA was synthesized and the formation rates of the pyrene dimer radical cation were measured upon one-electron oxidation during pulse radiolysis. For all of the DNA studied here, the formation of a pyrene dimer radical cation was accomplished quickly, within 20 micro seconds after a 8-ns electron pulse during pulse radiolysis. The results show that the minor groove of DNA offers a good space for the formation of pyrene dimer radical cations.
Synthesis of Helicenediamine Oligomers and Their Formation of Multilayer Structures in Aqueous Solvents
Authors: Mizukami Jun , Sugiura Hiroki , Yamaguchi Masahiko , Mushiake Kumiko 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Optically active polyamine oligomers containing three to six (P)-5,8-bis(aminomethyl)-1,12-dimethylbenzo[c]phenanthrenes were synthesized employing the two-directional chain extension method. It was critical for the effective coupling of amines and aldehydes to precipitate imine intermediates using the appropriate solvents. UV, CD, fluorescent, and NMR spectroscopic studies revealed that the above-mentioned oligomers form multilayer structures in aqueous solvents, while they form random coil structures in methanol. Such layer structures contained helicene dyads with an anti-conformation in which the BC-rings of helicenes were stacked on each other, and 1,12-dimethyl groups were arranged in the opposite direction. A diastereomeric trimer was also synthesized, the layer structure of which was different from that of the parent trimer. The stereochemistry of the helicene moiety influenced the layer structure.
Immobilization of Glycoconjugate Polymers on Cellulose Membrane for Affinity Separation
Authors: Miyagawa Atsushi , Kasuya Maria Carmelita Z , Hatanaka Kenichi 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Membranes with immobilized glycoconjugate polymers were prepared and lectin adsorption was evaluated. Glycoconjugate polymers having the carbohydrates, lactose, and mannose, the amino groups of the reaction point, and a fluorescence label were synthesized, while cellulose membranes were carboxymethylated. The content of the carboxyl group was evaluated by titration. Subsequently, the glycoconjugate polymers were immobilized on the cellulose membranes by amide linkages formed by condensation reaction. Analysis of the luminescence of the fluorescence labels revealed that the glycoconjugate polymers had been immobilized on the cellulose membranes. Examination of lectin adsorption by the glycoconjugate polymer on the membrane revealed that the membrane with the immobilized mannose-having polymer adsorbed 53% of the applied ConA and the membrane with the immobilized lactose-having polymer adsorbed 83% of the applied RCA120. The membrane with immobilized glycoconjugate polymers selectively adsorbed each lectin. In addition, membranes with different types of immobilized glycoconjugate polymers were used in stacks, and in this case, the membranes selectively adsorbed lectin. Thus, membranes with immobilized glycoconjugate polymers efficiently and easily purify lectin.
Total Polyphenol Intake Estimated by a Modified Folin–Ciocalteu Assay of Urine
Authors: Roura Elena , Andrés-Lacueva Cristina , Estruch Ramon , Lamuela-Raventós Rosa M 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBackground: Plant polyphenols have been studied largely because of the possibility that they might underlie the protective effects afforded by fruit and vegetable intake against cancer and other chronic diseases. Measurement of polyphenol content excreted in urine as an indicator of polyphenol consumption may offer a routine screening method that could be used for these pathologies.Methods: Thirty-six healthy volunteers each received 2 interventions, one with a polyphenol-rich food (cocoa beverage) and one with a polyphenol-free food (milk) as a control, in a randomized cross-over design with 1-week intervals. The total polyphenol content excreted in urine during the 6 h after consumption of the test meals was measured by a modified Folin-Ciocalteu assay after sample cleanup by solid-phase extraction.Results: The mean (SD) concentrations of polyphenols excreted in the urine 6 h after consumption of the test meals differed significantly: 140.95 (49.27) mg catechin/g of creatinine after the polyphenol-rich meal vs 90.43 (46.07) mg catechin/g of creatinine after the control meal (P &lt;0.05).Conclusions: This method allows analysis of a large number of samples per day, which is ideal for use in epidemiologic studies and may enable estimation of polyphenol consumption and determination of their possible role in preventing of certain pathologies, such as cancer, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.
Diet Composition of Young‐of‐the‐Year Bluefish in the Lower Chesapeake Bay and the Coastal Ocean of Virginia
Authors: Gartland James , Latour Robert J. , Halvorson Aimee D. , Austin Herbert M. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe lower Chesapeake Bay and coastal ocean of Virginia serve as an important nursery area for bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix. Describing the diet composition of young‐of‐the‐year (hereafter, age‐0) bluefish in this region is essential to support current Chesapeake Bay ecosystem modeling efforts and to contribute to the understanding of the foraging ecology of these fish along the U.S. Atlantic coast. The stomach contents of 404 age‐0 bluefish collected from the lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent coastal zone in 1999 and 2000 were examined as part of a diet composition study. Age‐0 bluefish foraged primarily on bay anchovies Anchoa mitchilli, striped anchovies Anchoa hepsetus, and Atlantic silversides Menidia menidia. Other fishes such as striped bass Morone saxatilis, white perch Morone americana, Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus, and bluefish were seasonally important. Crab zoea and megalope Callinectes spp. and amphipods Gammarus spp. were the most important invertebrate prey. A seasonal dietary shift from Atlantic silversides to anchovies was evident. Overall, small pelagic and littoral schooling fishes, particularly engraulids and atherinids, predominated in the diet of the age‐0 bluefish collected for this study. Although the results presented here were similar to the diet composition of age‐0 bluefish reported in previous studies, some notable differences were probably due to spatial and temporal differences in prey assemblages.
Glucocorticoids Promote Chondrogenic Differentiation of Adult Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Enhancing Expression of Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Genes
Authors: Derfoul Assia , Perkins Geraldine L. , Hall David J. , Tuan Rocky S. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
In the adult human, mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) resident in the bone marrow retain the capacity to proliferate and differentiate along multiple connective tissue lineages, including cartilage. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are required for chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs in vitro; however, the exact role of GCs in this process is not known. In this study, we examined the effects of dexamethasone (DEX) on chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs in the presence or absence of DEX, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), or DEX plus TGF-β. GC treatment upregulated gene expression of cartilage matrix components aggrecan, dermatopontin, and collagen type XI; enhanced TGF-β-mediated upregulation of collagen type II and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein; and increased aggrecan and collagen type II production as well as cartilage matrix-sulfated proteoglycans as assessed by immunohistochemistry and alcian blue staining. Inclusion of an antagonist of GCs inhibited expression of chondrogenic differentiation markers, suggesting that the GC effects during chondrogenesis are mediated by the GC receptor (GR). Steady levels of the major active form of GR, GRα, were detected in both undifferentiated and differentiating hMSCs, whereas the dominant-negative isoform GRβ, present at low levels in undifferentiated hMSCs, was downregulated during chondrogenesis. In the presence of DEX and TGF-β, expression of a collagen type II gene promoter luciferase reporter construct in hMSCs was upregulated. However, coexpression of GRβ dramatically inhibited promoter activity, suggesting that GRα is required for GC-mediated modulation of chondrogenesis and that GCs may play an important role in the maintenance of cartilage homeostasis.
The biotic ligand model for plants and metals: Technical challenges for field application
Authors: Antunes Paula M. C. , Berkelaar Edward J. , Boyle David , Hale Beverley A. , Hendershot William , Voigt Astrid 
Published: February 2006

AbstractTo improve predictions of phytoavailable metal, the mechanistic bases of bioaccumulation and toxicity of metals to plants can be integrated into a biotic ligand model (BLM). There are a number of significant challenges to the application of the BLM to plants in soils, including reliable measurements of free ion concentrations for the metals of interest in rhizospheric soil solution, as well as other free ions, and concentrations of ligands to which the ions could bind; identification of the simplest model that can adequately predict root accumulation, and the potential for more complex models to add accuracy to the predictions; incorporating the dissociation of labile metal complexes (i.e., nonequilibrium processes) into a BLM, which is an equilibrium model; application of factors in a BLM that adequately describe translocation, in order to estimate metal concentration and speciation in plant shoots. The review concluded that the ability to estimate trace metal speciation in samples of soil solution are not likely to be better than within one order of magnitude of actual, thus this would be an additional source of uncertainty to the predictions of toxicity. Further, regulatory use of the BLM would require mechanistic bases; and, until root ligands associated with toxicity are well characterized, incorporating the ameliorative effects of competitive cations cannot be mechanistically based. As well, a functional BLM for soils with lower metal free ion activities will have to include kinetic data for metal-ligand complexes, as their association/disassociation may constitute a greater metal supply to roots than what would be predicted by the free ion concentration in soil solution. To apply the BLM to trophic transfer, where metal concentration in plant shoots is the main focus, a probabilistic approach using experimentally determined root-shoot partitioning of metals might permit estimates of shoot accumulation from root data, to within one or two orders of magnitude.
Labile zinc concentration and free copper ion activity in the rhizosphere of forest soils
Authors: Courchesne Françoi , Kruyts Nathalie , Legrand Pascale 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Water-soluble and acid-extractable Cu and Zn, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), pH, differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry-labile Zn (ZnL), Zn2+ activity (Windemere humic aqueous model [WHAM]; http://chess.ensmp.fr/chemsites.html), and Cu2+ activity with an ion-selective electrode were compared between the rhizosphere and the bulk components of nine acidic forest sites from southeastern Canada. At all sites, the WSOC contents were higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk component. Acidity was also higher in the rhizosphere, although pH differences were significant at only five sites. The concentrations of Zn in water extracts and ZnL contents (at six sites) were higher in the rhizosphere, whereas acid-extractable Zn was only marginally increased in the rhizosphere. Calculations with WHAM indicated that free Zn2+ ion activities were higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil but that the fraction of total dissolved Zn in water extracts that is present as free Zn2+ did not differ significantly between the two components. The concentration of Cu in the water extract was higher in the rhizosphere for all sites, but acid-extractable Cu levels did not differ. The fraction of water-soluble Cu present as Cu2+ was higher in the bulk soil, although Cu2+ activities did not significantly vary with proximity to roots. These results showed that the processes acting in the rhizosphere of forest soils strongly affected the concentrations of dissolved Zn and Cu and that this microenvironment should be considered when estimating the bioavailability and the ecological risks of metals in soils.
Effect of soil properties on copper release in soil solutions at low moisture content
Authors: Ponizovsky Alexander A. , Thakali Sagar , Allen Herbert E. , Di Toro Dominic M. , Ackerman Amanda J. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractCopper partitioning at moisture content of 1.2-fold the field moisture capacity (corresponding to a soil water potential of 7.84 J/kg; pF = 1.9) was studied in 11 soils with pH 3.4 to 6.8 and an organic matter content of 4.1 to 233 g C/kg. Soil solutions were separated with the centrifuge method and analyzed to determine pH, Cu2+ activity, dissolved organic carbon, and Cu, Ca, Mg, and Na concentrations. Soil organic matter content, total Cu content, and soil pH were the main variables explaining variation in Cu activity in soil solutions. Based on total Cu, soil organic matter content, and soil solution pH, the Windermere Humic Aqueous Model (WHAM) VI assemblage model provided estimates of Cu2+ activity, {Cu2+}, with a root mean square error of the predicted pCu (i.e., —log{Cu2+}) of 0.77.
Kinetics of zinc and cadmium release in freshly contaminated soils
Authors: Zhang Hao , Davison William , Tye Andy M. , Crout Neil M. J. , Young Scott D. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
The kinetics of metal release from the solid phase to solution was measured on two sets of 14 freshly contaminated soils with diverse properties. From measurements of metal concentrations in extracted soil pore water, the amount accumulated from the soil by diffusive gradients in thin-film (DGT) devices, and the distribution coefficient for labile metal, Kdl, estimated by isotopic exchange, we calculated the response time, Tc, of the soil-solution system to the removal of metal by DGT and the rate constant for release from the solid phase, k−1. Resupply was so fast for Zn that Tc (and k−1) could be measured only in three of the soils, with either a silty or a sandy loam texture and low to intermediate pH (4.84–5.66). In only six clay soils was resupply of Cd too fast to measure. The generally slower release rates of Cd compared to Zn may reflect the 100-fold lower concentration of Cd, which allowed a greater proportion of it to occupy stronger binding sites with slower release rates. The rate constants derived indicate that supply from the solid phase to solution will not limit uptake of Cd or Zn by plants in clay soils, but it could be a factor in sandy or silty soils with a low pH. These findings suggest that risk assessment of clay soils could be undertaken using measurements of metals in soil solution. However, devices such as DGT, which respond to the kinetics of supply, are necessary to assess available metal in low pH, sandy, and silty soils.
Model studies of corrosion-induced copper runoff fate in soil
Authors: Bertling Sofia , Degryse Fien , Wallinder Inger Odnevall , Smolders Erik , Leygraf Christofer 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Laboratory experiments have been performed with 3-cm soil columns simulating the fate of corrosion-induced copper runoff in contact with soil. The investigation simulates approximately 30 years (assuming an infiltration surplus of 25 cm/year) of continuous percolation of copper containing runoff water of a concentration realistic at the immediate release situation (4.8 mg/L) into four soils representative of urban conditions. Two of the three investigated topsoils reached their breakthrough of copper within the simulated time, while the third topsoil did not show a breakthrough. The subsoil reached a breakthrough after approximately 10 years of simulated exposure. To simulate more realistic outdoor scenarios, the laboratory-obtained breakthrough curves were modeled with Hydrus-1D® using a Langmuir-Freundlich model to describe copper sorption, the parameters of which were estimated from soil properties (pH, organic carbon content). The model predicts longer breakthrough times with increasing pH and organic content of the soil and with decreasing concentrations of copper and dissolved organic carbon in the runoff water. The time span for copper in runoff water (at concentrations of 0.01–10 mg/L) to reach a soil depth of 50 cm varied between 170 and more than 8,000 years for the predicted field scenarios.
Long-term corrosion-induced copper runoff from natural and artificial patina and its environmental impact
Authors: Bertling Sofia , Wallinder Inger Odnevall , Kleja Dan Berggren , Leygraf Christofer 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
The overall objective of this paper is to present an extensive set of data for corrosion-induced copper dispersion and its environmental interaction with solid surfaces in the near vicinity of buildings. Copper dispersion is discussed in terms of total copper flows, copper speciation and bioavailability at the immediate release situation, and its changes during transport from source to recipient. Presented results are based on extensive field exposures (eight years) at an urban site, laboratory investigations of the runoff process, published field data, generated predictive site-specific runoff rate models, and reactivity investigations toward various natural and manmade surfaces, such as those in soil, limestone, and concrete. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of copper-containing runoff water with different soil systems through long-term laboratory column investigations. The fate of copper is discussed in terms of copper retention, copper chemical speciation, breakthrough capacities, and future mobilization based on changes in copper concentrations in the percolate water, computer modeling using the Windermere Humic Aqueous Model, and sequential extractions. The results illustrate that, for scenarios where copper comes in extensive contact with solid surfaces, such as soil and limestone, a large fraction of released copper is retained already in the immediate vicinity of the building. In all, both the total copper concentration in runoff water and its bioavailable part undergo a significant and rapid reduction.
Assessment and control of the bioavailability of nickel in soils
Authors: Echevarria Guillaume , Massoura Stamatia Tina , Sterckeman Thibault , Becquer Thierry , Schwartz Christophe , Morel Jean Louis 
Published: February 2006

Abstract
Nickel, a potentially toxic metal, is present in all soils with an average concentration of 20 to 30 mg/kg, sometimes exceeding 10,000 mg/kg (e.g., ultramafic soils). The ecotoxicological risk of Ni in soils to organisms is controlled by its availability. It is therefore essential to identify an efficient and reliable method for the evaluation of this risk. This paper presents a complete study of the effect of Ni origin, localization, and soil properties on its availability as assessed with the isotopic exchange kinetics (IEK) method and compares plant response to isotopically exchangeable properties of Ni in soils. We performed IEK on 100 soil samples representing a worldwide range of Ni fate, and concentrations showed that pH was the main influencing parameter and that labile Ni (i.e., isotopically exchangeable Ni, Et) could be reasonably well assessed by a single diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid extraction. The identification of the soil mineral phases that bear Ni (bearing phases) in 16 Ni-rich samples selected among the 100 soils showed a strong effect of the mineralogy of the bearing phases on Ni availability (IEK). Plants with different Ni accumulation strategies all took up Ni from the same labile pool of Ni in four contrasting soils, and the amount taken up by hyperaccumulator plants could be anticipated with the IEK parameters, thus confirming the usefulness of isotopic dilution methods for risk assessment.
Profiling of injection velocity for uniform mold filling
Authors: Chen Xi , Gao Furong 
Published: February 2006

AbstractUniform melt front velocity is recommended for injection mold filling to minimize the part nonuniformity. A method of profiling the injection velocity for such a uniform mold filling is presented in this paper. Based on a neural network model developed for estimating the melt flow length from online measurable variables, the profiling problem is transformed into an optimization to minimize the difference between the predicted melt flow length and a given ramp. The rate of the ramp determines the rate of the melt front velocity traveling in the cavity during filling. Experiments with different molds show that the proposed method is effective in profiling the screw injection velocity to achieve a uniform mold filling. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 25: 13–21, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20054
Observation of polymer film drawing by use of thermography. An introductory investigation on the thermodynamics
Authors: Yamauchi Tatsuo 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe local heat generation that accompanied tensile drawing of polymer films was successfully observed by infrared thermography as a series of temperature distribution images. These images showed that the high temperature part where rearrangements of molecular orientation and microcrystallines occurred was located mainly at the end of the necked part for the polymers that exhibited necking or appeared uniformly throughout films for the polymers that did not exhibit necking. The generated heat could be roughly estimated, and the relation between the estimated heat and mechanical work led to the thermodynamic investigation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 2895–2900, 2006
In vivo administered reserpine increases piecemeal degranulation in rat adrenal chromaffin cells
Authors: Crivellato Enrico , Belloni Anna , Nico Beatrice , Nussdorfer Gastone G. , Ribatti Domenico 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe effects of the amine‐depletory agent reserpine have been evaluated by transmission electron microscopy in chromaffin cells of the rat adrenal glands. The drug has been injected intraperitoneally in the animals at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg body weight in two administrations at 24‐hr interval. The observed ultrastructural changes closely reminded of piecemeal degranulation (PMD), a slow and long‐lasting secretory process previously described in normal and tumor pheochromocytes. Both adrenaline‐ and noradrenaline‐storing cells presented the following microscopic features: high granule polymorphism, due to coexistence in the same cell of normal resting granules, granules with partially mobilized components, and large empty containers; absence of granule fusion; characteristic “haloed” pattern of residual secretory contents; great amount of 30–150 nm diameter, membrane‐bound, electron‐dense and ‐lucent vesicles, free in the cytoplasm or attached to granules; and multiple vesicles budding from the granule‐limiting membranes. Morphometric analysis revealed that the frequency of all these microscopic parameters was found to be significantly increased in adrenal chromaffin cells from reserpinized rats in comparison to cells from control animals. These data suggest that reserpine, besides blocking the inward transport of catecholamines in chromaffin granules, might also stimulate a complex secretory reaction, which shares many common passages with bona fide PMD. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.