bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Manikin test for flame engulfment evaluation of protective clothing: Historical review and development of a new ISO standard
Authors: Camenzind M. A. , Dale D. J. , Rossi R. M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe overall performance of a firefighter turnout suit can only be evaluated using both bench‐scale tests and an assessment based on an instrumented manikin under defined, close to real‐life conditions in a laboratory. Using manikins in rating protective clothing has already a long history which will be reflected in this paper. Efforts all over the world to reproduce a flame engulfment situation in a laboratory are currently being combined in a new draft international standard (ISO/DIS 13506.3). A round robin test showed an acceptable reproducibility for this method based on a manikin test and a gas burner system. An overview of existing measurement systems and the results of this round robin are discussed and possible improvements for the standard flame engulfment test method are proposed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Volatile constituents and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Tetrataenium lasiopetalum (Apiaceae) from Iran
Authors: Sonboli A. , Azizian D. , Yousefzadi M. , Kanani M. R. , Mehrabian A. R. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe aerial parts of Tetrataenium lasiopetalum were collected from Oshtoran Kuh (Lorestan province) of Iran and its volatile oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC and GC–MS. Forty compounds were identified, representing 94.3% of the total oil. Germacrene‐D (27.0%), 2‐ethyl hexyl acetate (11.0%), α‐zingiberene (8.8%) and β‐bisabolene (4.7%) were the main components. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (59.7%) and aliphatic esters (24.3%) were found to be the major groups of compounds. In vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of T. lasiopetalum was conducted against four Gram‐positive (Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and three Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria, as well as three fungi (Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger). The results of the bioassay showed that the oil exhibited moderate to high antimicrobial activity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Urinary biomarkers of tea polyphenols and risk of colorectal cancer in the Shanghai Cohort Study
Authors: Yuan Jian‐Min , Gao Yu‐Tang , Yang Chung S. , Yu Mimi C. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThere have been no studies on specific tea polyphenol biomarkers and risk of colorectal cancer in humans. We prospectively examined the associations between validated biomarkers of specific tea polyphenols and risk of developing colorectal cancer among a cohort of 18,244 men in Shanghai, China, with 16 years of follow‐up. Epigallocatechin (EGC), 4′‐O‐methyl‐epigallocatechin (4′‐MeEGC) and epicatechin, and their metabolites in baseline urine samples were measured on 162 incident colorectal cancer cases and 806 matched controls. Individuals with high prediagnostic urinary EGC levels had a lower risk of colon cancer. Compared with undetectable EGC, odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for colon cancer in the lowest, intermediate and highest tertile of detectable EGC were 0.64 (0.33–1.24), 0.60 (0.30–1.20) and 0.40 (0.19–0.83), respectively (p for trend = 0.02). A similar inverse relation between 4′‐MeEGC and colon cancer also was observed. Compared with the lowest quartile, odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for colon cancer in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartiles of urinary 4′‐MeEGC were 0.49 (0.25–0.96), 0.32 (0.16–0.67) and 0.41 (0.20–0.84), respectively (p for trend = 0.006). The strongest protective effect was seen for regular tea drinkers who showed high levels of urinary EGC and 4′‐MeEGC. No association between urinary levels of epicatechin or its metabolite and colon cancer risk was observed. Urinary levels of tea polyphenols and their metabolites were not associated with rectal cancer risk. The present study supports the notion of tea catechins as chemopreventive agents against the development of colon cancer in humans. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors on human ether‐a‐go‐go related gene (hERG) channel activity
Authors: Yunomae Kiyokazu , Ichisaki Satoko , Matsuo Junko , Nagayama Shinichi , Fukuzaki Koichiro , Nagata Ryoichi , Kito Go 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIt is presumed that phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors have two mechanisms for inhibition of hERG currents in the acute applications to cells: direct channel block, and downregulation of human ether‐a‐go‐go related gene (hERG) activities by PKA‐dependent pathway mediated phosphorylation through their inhibitory effects against PDE enzymes. However, it is unknown whether PDE inhibition contributes to the inhibitory effects of PDE inhibitors on hERG currents. This study examined the effects of various PDE inhibitors on hERG currents using both the whole‐cell and perforated patch‐clamp techniques in hERG transfected CHO‐K1 cells. The study also investigated the contribution of the PKA‐dependent pathway to the inhibitory effects of PDE inhibitors on hERG currents. Of the PDE inhibitors tested, vinpocetine, erythro‐9‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐nonyl) adenine (EHNA), vesnarinone, rolipram and dipyridamole decreased hERG currents in a concentration‐dependent manner. Vinpocetine and vesnarinone markedly decreased the hERG current with an IC50of 0.13 and 20.6 µm, respectively, at comparatively low concentrations. Furthermore, vinpocetine caused a cumulative block of hERG currents. Milrinone, amrinone and zaprinast had no effect on the hERG current up to 100 µm. Of the PDE3 inhibitors (vesnarinone, amrinone and milrinone), only vesnarinone showed an hERG inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effects of vinpocetine and vesnarinone were not significantly affected by the co‐application of protein kinase inhibitors. Furthermore, the protein kinase activators had no effect on hERG currents. It is concluded that vinpocetine and vesnarinone block the hERG channel directly, and that the inhibitory effect on intracellular PDE in the PKA‐dependent pathway may not be involved in the inhibition of hERG currents in hERG transfected CHO‐K1 cells. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of tributyltin (TBT) on ATP levels in human natural killer (NK) cells: Relationship to TBT‐induced decreases in NK function
Authors: Dudimah Fred D. , Odman‐Ghazi Sabah O. , Hatcher Frank , Whalen Margaret M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the role that tributyltin (TBT)‐induced decreases in ATP levels may play in TBT‐induced decreases in the tumor lysing (lytic) function of natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a subset of lymphocytes that act as an initial immune defense against tumor cells and virally infected cells. TBT is an environmental contaminant that has been detected in human blood, which has been shown to interfere with ATP synthesis. Previous studies have shown that TBT is able to decrease very significantly the lytic function of NK cells. In this study NK cells were exposed to various concentrations of TBT and to two other compounds that interfere with ATP synthesis (rotenone a complex I inhibitor and oligomycin an ATP synthase inhibitor) for various lengths of time before determining the levels of ATP and lytic function. Exposures of NK cells to 10, 25, 50 and 100 nm TBT did not significantly reduce ATP levels after 24 h. However, these same exposures caused significant decreases in cytotoxic function. Studies of brief 1 h exposures to a range of TBT, rotenone and oligomycin concentrations followed by 24 h, 48 h and 6 day periods in compound‐free media prior to assaying for ATP levels or cytotoxic function showed that each of the compounds caused persistent decreases in ATP levels and lytic function of NK cells. Exposures to 0.05–5 µm rotenone or oligomycin for 1 h reduced ATP levels by 20–25% but did not have any measurable effect on the ability of NK cells to lyse tumor cells. ATP levels were also decreased by about 20–25% after 24 h or 48 h exposures to rotenone or oligomycin (0.5 µm ), and the lytic function was decreased by about 50%. The results suggest that TBT‐induced decreases in ATP levels were not responsible for the loss of cytotoxic function seen at 1 h and 24 h. However, TBT‐induced decreases of NK‐ATP levels may be at least in part responsible for losses of NK‐cytotoxic function seen after 48 h and 6 day exposures. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure of the vector tissue in piscicolid leeches (Annelida, Hirudinea, Rhynchobdellida, Piscicolidae)
Authors: Świątek Piotr , Bielecki Aleksander , Klag Jerzy 
Published: December 2006

AbstractHypodermic insemination occurs in piscicolid leeches (Hirudinea, Rhynchobdellida, Piscicolidae). The spermatophore is implanted in a specialized region of the leech body, the copulatory area. Just beneath the copulatory area, there is a specialized connective tissue (vector tissue) that is considered to guide the sperm toward the ovaries. In this study, we show that the vector tissue in the four species of the genus Piscicola is composed of a mass of cells located directly beneath the copulatory area, and two thin strands extend toward the ovaries. The ultrastructure of the vector tissue has been described for the first time. Four cell types were identified, constructing the vector tissue. The envelope of this tissue is made up of extracellular fibrous matrix and two types of cells: vesicular and flat envelope cells, which are embedded within the matrix. The rest of the tissue is formed of granular and plasmatic cells. Both of these last cell types have prominent cytoplasmic projections, filled with a filamentous material. However, only granular cells have numerous small electron‐dense granules in their cytoplasm. The vector tissue was described prior, during and following copulation. Sperm passes within free spaces between the granular and plasmatic cells. Characteristic vector tissue cells also occur within the ovary wall and inside the ovary lumen. This supports earlier data, which postulated that the vector tissue appears to be an outgrowth of the ovary wall. J. Morphol, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Id1 induces the proliferation of cochlear sensory epithelial cells via the nuclear factor‐κB/cyclin D1 pathway in vitro
Authors: Ozeki Masashi , Hamajima Yuki , Feng Ling , Ondrey Frank G. , Schlentz Eileen , Lin Jizhen 
Published: December 2006

AbstractInhibitors of differentiation (Id) play an essential role in the neurogenesis of the central nervous system. However, the expression and function of Id in the development of cochlear sensory epithelial cells have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate the Id1 gene was expressed in the rapidly growing otocyst on embryonic day 12 (E12) and in the organ of Corti, spiral ganglions, and stria vascularis on postnatal day 1 (P1) by cellular and molecular biologic techniques. Knockdown of the Id1 gene with short interfering RNA (siRNA) in a cochlear sensory epithelial cell line (OC1) significantly reduced its proliferation, whereas overexpression of Id1 in OC1 significantly increased the proliferation of OC1, suggesting a role of Id1 in the development of cochlear sensory epithelial cells. The proliferative action of Id1 on OC1 was mediated by nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and cyclin D1 (a downstream molecule of NF‐κB). Blockage of the NF‐κB activity with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) or enhancement of the NF‐κB activity with p65 (a subunit of NF‐κB) in OC1 significantly inhibited or increased, respectively, the cell proliferation and transcription of cyclin D1 induced by Id1. Truncation of the NF‐κB binding site in the cyclin D1 promoter fully abrogated the transcription of cyclin D1, suggesting that the cyclin D1 transcription is dependent on NF‐κB. We concluded from this study that Id1 induces the proliferation of OC1 via the NF‐κB/cyclin D1 pathway. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Novel procedure for high‐fidelity tendon histology
Authors: Laudier Damien , Schaffler Mitchell B. , Flatow Evan L. , Wang Vincent M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA novel method to obtain high‐quality histologic sections of rat tendon for light microscopic study is presented. This approach utilizes non‐deleterious dehydrating and clearing solvents and a hydrophobic acrylic (methyl methacrylate) resin. This methodology avoids processing and microtomy artifacts common with routine paraffin wax techniques and overcomes specimen size limitations associated with hydrophilic (e.g., glycol methacrylate) resin histologic methods. These novel histologic processing techniques facilitate the reliable assessment of tendons' cellular and matrix components and can be readily adapted to morphologic studies of damage, healing, and repair. © 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res
Addressing rice germplasm genetic potential using genotypic value to develop quality core collections
Authors: Pkania Chepkurui Kennedy , Wu Jian‐Guo , Xu Hai‐Ming , Shi Chun‐Hai , Li Chang‐Tao 
Published: December 2006

AbstractNear‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy was used to address the genetic potential for 990 rice lines for 26 quality traits. The predicted genotypic values for quality traits were calculated using the Mahalanobis distance method and used to measure the genetic similarities among rice varieties. To make the core collection, Manhalanobis distance was employed to calculate the genetic distance among the accessions, and the hierarchical clustering method was used to group the accessions, accompanied by sampling method under the pre‐concerted sample proportion (i.e., the ratio of accessions in the core collection to those in the initial population). In this experiment, 24 core collections were developed by using eight hierarchical clustering methods, combined with random, preferred and deviation sampling at a sample proportion of 15% (i.e., 149 for the 15% core collection). These core collections were compared with others constructed at sample proportions of 10% and 20% (i.e., 99 for the 10% core and 198 for the 20% core, respectively). In addition, a trend at increasing sample proportion from 5% to 60% showed that core collection development could be achieved at a sample proportion range of 10–25%. Further results revealed that deviation sampling strategy in combination with the single linkage method retained the greatest degree of genetic diversity of the initial collection. The core collection developed using a sample size of 15% retained the highest degree of diversity, and was stable for all the cluster methods and, hence, the best in developing a core collection of rice quality traits. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR data for rings A,B‐seco limonoids from the seed of Aphanamixis polystachya
Authors: Zhang Huaping , Chen Feng , Wang Xi , Wu Dagang , Chen Qing 
Published: December 2006

AbstractSeven rings A,B‐seco limonoids 1–7 were isolated from the EtOH extract of the seed of Aphanamixis polystachya. Their structures were identified as rohituka‐7 (1), dregeana‐1 (2), rohituka‐15 (3), Tr‐B (4), rohituka‐3 (5), rohituka‐5 (6), and rohituka‐14 (7) by MS and NMR spectroscopy. The complete assignment of proton and carbon signals was achieved by 1D and 2D NMR experiments including DEPT, HSQC, 1H1H COSY, HMBC, and NOESY. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Shape optimization with topological changes and parametric control
Authors: Chen Jiaqin , Shapiro Vadim , Suresh Krishnan , Tsukanov Igor 
Published: December 2006

AbstractRecent advances in shape optimization rely on free‐form implicit representations, such as level sets, to support boundary deformations and topological changes. By contrast, parametric shape optimization is formulated directly in terms of meaningful geometric design variables, but usually does not support free‐form boundary and topological changes. We propose a novel approach to shape optimization that combines and retains the advantages of the earlier optimization techniques. The shapes in the design space are represented implicitly as level sets of a higher‐dimensional function that is constructed using B‐splines (to allow free‐form deformations), and parameterized primitives combined with R‐functions (to support desired parametric changes).Our approach to shape design and optimization offers great flexibility because it provides explicit parametric control of geometry and topology within a large space of free‐form shapes. The resulting method is also general in that it subsumes most other types of shape optimization as special cases. We describe an implementation of the proposed technique with attractive numerical properties. The explicit construction of an implicit representation supports straightforward sensitivity analysis that can be used with most gradient‐based optimization methods. Furthermore, our implementation does not require any error‐prone polygonization or approximation of level sets (isocurves and isosurfaces). The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by several numerical examples. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low‐dimensional I/O modeling of Distributed Parameter Systems
Authors: Schmidt Michael 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMany model reduction techniques take a semi‐discretization of the original PDE model as starting point and aim then at an accurate approximation of its input/output map. In this contribution, we discuss the direct discretization of the i/o map of the original infinite‐dimensional system. First, the input and output signals are discretized in space and time, second, the system dynamics are approximated in form of the underlying evolution operator, leading to an approximated i/o map with matrix representation. The discretization framework, corresponding error estimations, a SVD‐based system reduction method and a numerical application in an optimization problem are presented for the example of a linear time‐invariant heat equation. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Landau‐Lifshitz model for shape optimization of MRAM memories
Authors: Cimrák Ivan , Melicher Valdemar 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWe study a generalized Landau‐Lifshitz (LL) equation with space‐variable coefficients. We extend the results on existence and regularity of the smooth solutions for the case of the LL equation with constant coefficients. Further we study the sensitivity of the solution and provide continuous dependence on the coefficients. As a motivation we mention optimization of a magnetic core of MRAM and we perform real computations determining the optimal shape by maximizing the writing efficiency and minimizing the side‐effects. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Flow Rate Boundary Conditions in Fluid‐Dynamics
Authors: Veneziani A. , Vergara C. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe defective flow rate problem in fluid‐dynamics has been solved in the engineering literature by precribing a proria velocity profile fitting the desired flow rate. Here, we describe an alternative formulation, relying on a constraint minimization problem. We prove some a prioriestimates and we show some numerical results. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Perturbation analysis of the MNA equations coupled with the drift‐diffusion equations
Authors: Bodestedt Martin 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWe perform a perturbation analysis on a coupled system modeling an integrated circuit. The modified nodal analysis equations are coupled with the drift‐diffusion equations. An index 1 estimate is proven under the assumptions that the network graph contains neither loops of voltage sources and capacitors nor cutsets of current sources and inductors. Additionally, it is assumed that the Dirichlet boundaries of the drift‐diffusion modeled region are connected by capacitive paths. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Numerical Simulation of Thermal Effects in Electric Circuits via Energy Transport equations
Authors: Brunk Markus 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this work we present the coupling of stationary energy‐transport (ET) equations with Modified Nodal Analysis (MNA)‐equations to model electric circuits containing semiconductor devices. The one‐dimensional ET‐equations are discretised in space by an exponential fitting mixed hybrid finite element approach to ensure current continuity and positivity of charge carriers. The discretised ET‐equations are coupled to MNA‐equations and the resulting system is solved with backwarddifference formulas. Numerical examples are shown for a test circuit containing a pn‐diode, and the results are compared to those achieved using the drift‐diffusion model to describe the semiconductor devices in the circuit. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Efficient transient noise analysis in circuit simulation
Authors: Sickenberger Thorsten , Winkler Renate 
Published: December 2006

AbstractStochastic differential algebraic equations (SDAEs) arise as a mathematical model for electrical network equations that are influenced by additional sources of Gaussian white noise.We discuss adaptive linear multi‐step methods for their numerical integration, in particular stochastic analogues of the trapezoidal rule and the two‐step backward differentiation formula, and we obtain conditions that ensure mean‐square convergence of this methods. For the case of small noise we present a strategy for controlling the step‐size in the numerical integration. It is based on estimating the mean‐square local errors and leads to step‐size sequences that are identical for all computed paths. Test results illustrate the performance of the presented methods. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A posteriori estimates for eigenvalue/vector approximations
Authors: Grubišić Luka 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWe combine abstract eigenvalue/eigenvector estimates (from our earlier work) with a saturation assumption for finite element solution of associated stationary problem to obtain a posteriori estimates of the accuracy of finite element Rayleigh–Ritz approximations. Attention will be payed to the interplay between the accuracy estimate for the finite element method and a strategy for generating an adapted mesh. The obtained results use a preconditioned residuum of Neymeyr and extend his study of eigenvalue approximations with eigenvector estimates. We also prove that this eigenvalue estimator is equivalent to the global error. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Continuum micromechanics estimation of wood strength
Authors: Hofstetter Karin , Hellmich Christian , Eberhardsteiner Josef 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWood strength is highly anisotropic and tissue‐specific. We herein show how it can be predicted from local failure of the nanoscaled wood component lignin and from the microstructure and the composition of the wood tissue, by means of continuum micromechanics. The suitability of the model is confirmed by the good agreement between model‐predicted biaxial strength values of wood and corresponding experimental results. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)