bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxysterol‐induced osteoblastic differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells is mediated through a PKC‐ and PKA‐dependent pathway
Authors: Richardson Jennifer A. , Amantea Christopher M. , Kianmahd Benjamin , Tetradis Sotirios , Lieberman Jay R. , Hahn Theodore J. , Parhami Farhad 
Published: October 2006

AbstractOxysterols form a large family of oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol that are present in circulation, and in human and animal tissues. The discovery of osteoinductive molecules that can induce the lineage‐specific differentiation of cells into osteoblastic cells and therefore enhance bone formation is crucial for better management of bone fractures and osteoporosis. We previously reported that specific oxysterols have potent osteoinductive properties and induce the osteoblastic differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells. In the present report we demonstrate that the induction of osteoblastic differentiation by oxysterols is mediated through a protein kinase C (PKC)‐ and protein kinase A (PKA)‐dependent mechanism(s). Furthermore, oxysterol‐induced‐osteoblastic differentiation is marked by the prolonged DNA‐binding activity of Runx2 in M2‐10B4 bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and C3H10T1/2 embryonic fibroblastic cells. This increased activity of Runx2 is almost completely inhibited by PKC inhibitors Bisindolylmaleimide and Rottlerin, and only minimally inhibited by PKA inihibitor H‐89. PKC‐ and PKA‐dependent mechanisms appear to also regulate other markers of osteoblastic differentiation including alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin mRNA expression in response to oxysterols. Finally, osteogenic oxysterols induce osteoblastic differentiation with BMP7 and BMP14 in a synergistic manner as demonstrated by the enhanced Runx2 DNA‐binding activity, ALP activity, and osteocalcin mRNA expression. Since Runx2 is an indispensable factor that regulates the differentiation of osteoblastic cells and bone formation in vitro and in vivo, its increased activity in oxysterol‐treated cells further validates the potential role of oxysterols in lineage‐specific differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells and their potential therapeutic use as bone anabolic factors. J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 1131–1145, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis andin vivoevaluation of [O‐methyl‐11C] 2‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐N‐(4‐methylbenzyl)‐N‐(1‐methyl‐ piperidin‐4‐yl)acetamide as an imaging probe for 5‐HT2Areceptors
Authors: Prabhakaran Jaya , Parsey Ramin V. , Majo Vattoly J. , Van Heertum Ronald L. , John Mann J. , Dileep Kumar J. S. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract2‐(4‐Methoxyphenyl)‐N‐(4‐methylbenzyl)‐N‐(1‐methylpiperidin‐4‐yl)acetamide (AC90179,4), a highly potent and selective competitive 5‐HT2Aantagonist, was labeled by [11C]‐methylation of the corresponding desmethyl analogue5with [11C]methyl triflate. The precursor molecule5for radiolabeling was synthesized fromp‐tolylmethylamine in three steps with 46% overall yield. [11C]AC90179 was synthesized in 30 min (30 ± 5% yield, EOS) with a specific activity of 4500 ± 500 Ci/mmol and >99% chemical and radiochemical purities. Positron emission tomography studies in anesthetized baboon revealed that [11C]4Penetrates the blood–brain barrier (BBB) with a rapid influx and efflux of the tracer in all brain regions. Due to lack of tracer retention or specific binding, [11C]4cannot be used as PET ligand for imaging 5‐HT2Areceptors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Atmospheric large‐scale dynamics during the 2004/2005 winter drought in portugal
Authors: Santos J. , Corte‐real J. , Leite S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe unusually dry conditions during the 2004/2005 winter in Portugal led to the development of an extreme/severe drought episode throughout the country with major socioeconomic impacts. In fact, at some locations, this winter was the driest in at least the last 60 years. A K‐means classification of days into a set of five weather regimes (WRs), relevant for winter precipitation in Portugal, reveals a large prevalence of the two driest weather regimes during the 2004/2005 winter. These two regimes are basically linked to either anticyclonic circulation or easterly winds over Portugal and their prevalence explains the significant precipitation deficit. Winter precipitation variability in Portugal is indeed skillfully represented by linear models where the predictors are the frequencies of occurrence (FO) of these weather regimes. The dominance of the ‘dry phases’ of the main coupled modes between winter precipitation in Portugal and the large‐scale atmospheric circulation also supports the prevalence of the dry regimes and the corresponding lack of precipitation.The predominance of the dry regimes can be explained by a remarkably strong enhancement of the climate‐mean North Atlantic ridge, manifested by dynamically coherent anomalies in the geopotential heights, vorticity and temperature fields over the North Atlantic. The persistence of a warm‐core asymmetrical eddy over the North Atlantic, with a nearly barotropic equivalent structure, is a manifestation of this large‐scale anomaly. The blocking of the westerlies and the consequent northward shift in the axis of maximum moisture transports over the North Atlantic was one of the most striking changes in the large‐scale atmospheric flow. Consequently, the main track of the developing baroclinic disturbances was sufficiently distant from Portugal to hamper the development of rain‐generating conditions. As these dynamical conditions are common to other reportedly dry winters, they effectively constitute a key factor for the occurrence of a precipitation deficit in Portugal. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society
Fruit size and stage of ripeness affect postharvest water loss in bell pepper fruit (Capsicum annuum L.)
Authors: Díaz‐Pérez Juan C , Muy‐Rangel María D , Mascorro Arturo G 
Published: October 2006

AbstractQuality of bell peppers after harvest is largely influenced by water loss from the fruit. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of fruit fresh weight, size, and stage of ripeness on the rate of water loss and permeance to water vapor. Fruit diameter was correlated with fresh weight, and surface area was associated with fresh weight and diameter. Fruit surface area decreased logarithmically with increases in fruit size, with smaller fruit showing larger changes in surface area than larger fruit. Mean water loss rate for individual fruit and permeance to water vapor declined with increases in fruit size and as fruit ripeness progressed. Fruit surface area/fresh weight ratio and rate of water loss were both highest in immature fruit and showed no differences between mature green and red fruit. In mature fruit, permeance to water vapor for the skin and calyx were 29 µmol m−2 s−1 kPa−1 and 398 µmol m−2 s−1 kPa−1, respectively. About 26% of the water loss in mature fruit occurred through the calyx. There was a decline in firmness, water loss rate, and permeance to water vapor of the fruit with increasing fruit water loss during storage. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Multi‐dimensional combustion waves for Lewis number close to one
Authors: Ducrot A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper is devoted to the study of multi‐dimensional travelling wave solution for a thermo‐diffusive model, describing the propagation of curved flames in an infinite cylinder. The linear dependence of the components of the reaction rate together with the existence of an ignition temperature ensure that the corresponding linearized operator does not satisfy the Fredholm property. A direct consequence is that solvability conditions for the linearized operator are not known and classical methods of nonlinear analysis cannot be directly applied. We prove in this paper existence results of such travelling waves, by first introducing a suitable re‐formulation of the equations and then by choosing suitable weighted spaces that allows us to move the essential spectrum away from zero. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Two‐level preconditioning of discontinuous Galerkin approximations of second‐order elliptic equations
Authors: Dobrev Veselin A. , Lazarov Raytcho D. , Vassilevski Panayot S. , Zikatanov Ludmil T. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper reviews some known and proposes some new preconditioning methods for a number of discontinuous Galerkin (or DG) finite element approximations for elliptic problems of second order. Nested hierarchy of meshes is generally assumed. Our approach utilizes a general two‐level scheme, where the finite element space for the DG method is decomposed into a subspace (viewed as an auxiliary or ‘coarse’ space), plus a correction which can be handled by a standard smoothing procedure. We consider three different auxiliary subspaces, namely, piecewise linear C0‐conforming functions, piecewise linear functions that are continuous at the centroids of the edges/faces (Crouzeix‐Raviart finite elements) and piecewise constant functions over the finite elements. To support the theoretical results, we also present numerical experiments for 3‐D model problem showing uniform convergence of the constructed methods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How children with restricted mobility perceive the accessibility and usability of their home environment
Authors: Prellwitz Maria , Skär Lisa 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to describe how children with restricted mobility perceive accessibility and usability of their home environment. The investigation was carried through a descriptive questionnaire, mailed to children in northern Sweden with the diagnoses of cerebral palsy, spina bifida and muscular diseases. Eighty‐two children completed the questionnaire. The results showed that the children perceived the accessibility of the physical environment in their homes as relatively good while outside the home the environment was less accessible. In the social environment, frequency of peer contacts varied. The present study underscores the challenges of ensuring that children with restricted mobility living in the parental home are able to have an accessible and usable environment in order to perform activities. Limitations of this study included the questionnaire design. Further research should be carried out with children with restricted mobility to obtain a better understanding of how to improve their mobility in their home environment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Coping with chronic pain associated with cerebral palsy
Authors: Engel Joyce M. , Jensen Mark P. , Schwartz Lauren 
Published: October 2006

AbstractFifty‐nine adults with cerebral palsy (CP) were administered, via in‐person interviews, measures of pain intensity, pain‐related disability, and psychological functioning, in addition to a measure of pain coping (Waldron/Varni Pediatric Pain Coping Inventory; PPCI). Regression analyses indicated that the PPCI scales made a nonsignificant contribution to the prediction of pain intensity, but did make a significant contribution to the prediction of psychological functioning when controlling for pain intensity. Only the PPCI Catastrophizing subscale made a significant independent contribution to the prediction of psychological functioning, and only the PPCI Seek Social Support subscale made a significant independent contribution to the prediction of pain‐related disability. These findings support a link between coping and functioning among adults with CP, and suggest that catastrophizing responses and some aspects of support seeking may be maladaptive for coping with CP‐related pain. Limitations of the study include a correlational design, a reliance on self‐report data, and a small subject population. Experimental research is needed to determine if changes in coping lead to changes in psychological and physical functioning. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Expression of elevated levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in SARS‐CoV‐infected ACE2+ cells in SARS patients: relation to the acute lung injury and pathogenesis of SARS
Authors: He L , Ding Y , Zhang Q , Che X , He Y , Shen H , Wang H , Li Z , Zhao L , Geng J , Deng Y , Yang L , Li J , Cai J , Qiu L , Wen K , Xu X , Jiang S 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe authors have previously shown that acute lung injury (ALI) produces a wide spectrum of pathological processes in patients who die of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and that the SARS coronavirus (SARS‐CoV) nucleoprotein is detectable in the lungs, and other organs and tissues, in these patients. In the present study, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) assays were used to analyse the expression of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), SARS‐CoV spike (S) protein, and some pro‐inflammatory cytokines (PICs) including MCP‐1, TGF‐β1, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 in autopsy tissues from four patients who died of SARS. SARS‐CoV S protein and its RNA were only detected in ACE2+ cells in the lungs and other organs, indicating that ACE2‐expressing cells are the primary targets for SARS‐CoV infection in vivo in humans. High levels of PICs were expressed in the SARS‐CoV‐infected ACE2+ cells, but not in the uninfected cells. These results suggest that cells infected by SARS‐CoV produce elevated levels of PICs which may cause immuno‐mediated damage to the lungs and other organs, resulting in ALI and, subsequently, multi‐organ dysfunction. Therefore application of PIC antagonists may reduce the severity and mortality of SARS. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, characterization, and thermal properties of dendrimer‐star, block‐comb copolymers by ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization
Authors: Yuan Weizhong , Yuan Jinying , Zhou Mi , Sui Xiaofeng 
Published: October 2006

AbstractNovel and well‐defined dendrimer‐star, block‐comb polymers were successfully achieved by the combination of living ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization on the basis of a dendrimer polyester. Star‐shaped dendrimer poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)s were synthesized by the bulk polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone with a dendrimer initiator and tin 2‐ethylhexanoate as a catalyst. The molecular weights of the dendrimer poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)s increased linearly with an increase in the monomer. The dendrimer poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)s were converted into macroinitiators via esterification with 2‐bromopropionyl bromide. The star‐block copolymer dendrimer poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)‐block‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) was obtained by the atom transfer radical polymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The molecular weights of these copolymers were adjusted by the variation of the monomer conversion. Then, dendrimer‐star, block‐comb copolymers were prepared with poly(L‐lactide) blocks grafted from poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) blocks by the ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide. The unique and well‐defined structure of these copolymers presented thermal properties that were different from those of linear poly(ϵ‐caprolactone). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6575–6586, 2006
Reaction kinetics and microgel particle size characterization of ultraviolet‐curing unsaturated polyester acrylates
Authors: Nebioglu Ahmet , Soucek Mark D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe free‐radical reaction kinetics and microgel formation of UV‐curing unsaturated polyester acrylates were studied in terms of the effects of internal maleic and terminal acrylate unsaturations. A triacrylate‐functional monomer, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, was used as the reactive diluent. A time‐resolved Fourier transform infrared technique was used to evaluate the consumption of double bonds and showed that internal (maleic) double bonds were involved in microgel formation at a rate similar to that of the more reactive terminal (acrylic) double bonds. Dynamic light scattering was used to measure the microgel particle size. The introduction of internal unsaturations caused smaller microgels, whereas terminal acrylate unsaturations resulted in larger particle sizes. These results were attributed to the higher tendency of the internal maleic double bonds toward intramolecular cyclization reactions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6544–6557, 2006
Genome‐wide linkage of 77 families from the African American Hereditary Prostate Cancer Study (AAHPC)
Authors: Baffoe‐Bonnie Agnes B. , Kittles Rick A. , Gillanders Elizabeth , Ou Liang , George Asha , Robbins Christiane , Ahaghotu Chiledum , Bennett James , Boykin William , Hoke Gerald , Mason Terry , Pettaway Curtis , Vijayakumar Srinivasan , Weinrich Sally , Jones Mary P. , Gildea Derek , Riedesel Erica , Albertus Julie , Moses Tracy , Lockwood Erica , Klaric Meghan , Faruque Mezbah , Royal Charmaine , Trent Jeffrey M. , Berg Kate , Collins Francis S. , Furbert‐Harris Paulette M. , Bailey‐Wilson Joan E. , Dunston Georgia M. , Powell Isaac , Carpten John D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe African American Hereditary Prostate Cancer (AAHPC) Study was designed to recruit families with early‐onset disease fulfilling criteria of ≥4 affected.METHODSWe present a ∼10 cM genome‐wide linkage (GWL) analysis on 77 families including 254 affected and 274 unaffected genotyped.RESULTSLinkage analysis revealed three chromosomal regions with GENEHUNTER multipoint HLOD scores ≥1.3 for all 77 families at 11q22, 17p11, and Xq21. One family yielded genome‐wide significant evidence of linkage (LOD = 3.5) to the 17p11 region with seven other families ≥2.3 in this region. Twenty‐nine families with no‐male‐to‐male (MM) transmission gave a peak HLOD of 1.62 (α = 0.33) at the Xq21 locus. Two novel peaks ≥0.91 for the 16 families with ‘>6 affected’ occurred at 2p21 and 22q12.CONCLUSIONSThese chromosomal regions in the genome warrant further follow‐up based on the hypothesis of multiple susceptibility genes with modest effects, or several major genes segregating in small subsets of families. Prostate 67:22–31, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Experimental Indications of a BCS Behaviour in Superconducting Diamond
Authors: Sacépé B. , Chapelier C. , Marcenat C. , Kačmarčik J. , Klein T. , Omnès F. , Bustarret E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis special issue of physica status solidi which was guest‐edited by Satoshi Koizumi (National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan), Christoph E. Nebel (Diamond Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan), and Milos Nesladek (CEA‐LIST, Gif sur Yvette, France) presents 10 Review Articles covering different areas of CVD Diamond research.The cover picture was taken from the article by Sacépé et al. [1]. The authors present a scanning tunneling spectroscopy study of superconducting single‐crystalline heavily boron‐doped diamond providing an experimental evidence for BCS behaviour. When a perpendicular magnetic field is applied to a superconducting boron‐doped diamond film, vortices penetrate the sample, each carrying one quantum flux. In their centre, the superconductivity is washed out on a length scale equal to the superconducting coherence length ξs. The figures show the electronic Density of States (DOS) measured with a scanning tunnelling microscope at 50 mK along a line crossing the centre of a such a vortex. Outside the vortex core which extends between the two arrows, the DOS presents a gap at the Fermi level (V = 0) and two coherence peaks characteristic of a superconducting DOS. The measured DOS inside the vortex core reveals in addition numerous localized resonances, at positions pointed out by the black arrows on the two‐dimensional view. For clean superconductors, quasi‐particles are expected to form localized states inside the vortex cores at energies close to the Fermi level. Here, although boron‐doped diamond films are in the dirty limit, localized resonances are still visible but at non zero energies inside the superconducting gap.
Delay‐dependent fault estimation for uncertain time‐delay nonlinear systems: an LMI approach
Authors: Kiong Nguang Sing , Shi Peng , Ding Steven 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper deals with the problem of robust fault estimation for uncertain time‐delay Takagi–Sugeno (TS) fuzzy models. The aim of this study is to design a delay‐dependent fault estimator ensuring a prescribed ℋ︁∞performance level for the fault estimation error, irrespective of the uncertainties and the time delays. Sufficient conditions for the existence of a robust fault estimator are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Membership functions' (MFs) characteristics are incorporated into the fault estimator design to reduce the conservativeness of neglecting these characteristics. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design techniques. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of chronic treatment with statins and fenofibrate on rat skeletal muscle: a biochemical, histological and electrophysiological study
Authors: Pierno S , Didonna M P , Cippone V , De Luca A , Pisoni M , Frigeri A , Nicchia G P , Svelto M , Chiesa G , Sirtori C , Scanziani E , Rizzo C , De Vito D , Conte Camerino D 
Published: October 2006

Background and purpose:Skeletal muscle injury by hypolipidemic drugs is not fully understood. An extensive analysis of the effect of chronic treatment with fluvastatin (5 mgkg‐1 and 20 mgkg‐1), atorvastatin (10 mgkg‐1) and fenofibrate (60 mgkg‐1) on rat skeletal muscle was undertaken.Experimental approach:Myoglobinemia as sign of muscle damage was measured by enzymatic assay. Histological and immunohistochemical techniques were used to estimate muscle integrity and the presence of aquaporin‐4, a protein controlling water homeostasis. Electrophysiological evaluation of muscle Cl‐ conductance (gCl) and mechanical threshold (MT) for contraction, index of intracellular calcium homeostasis, was performed by the two‐intracellular microelectrodes technique.Key results:Fluvastatin (20 mgkg‐1) increased myoglobinemia. The lower dose of fluvastatin did not modify myoglobinemia, but reduced urinary electrolytes, suggesting direct effects on renal function. Atorvastatin also increased myoglobinemia, with slight effects on urinary parameters. No treatment caused any histological damage to muscle or modification in the number of fibres expressing aquaporin‐4. Either fluvastatin (at both doses) or atorvastatin reduced sarcolemma gCl and changed MT. Both statins produced slight effects on total cholesterol, suggesting that the observed modifications occur independently of HMGCoA‐reductase inhibition. Fenofibrate increased myoglobinemia and decreased muscle gCl, whereas it did not change the MT, suggesting a different mechanism of action from the statins.Conclusions and ImplicationsThis study identifies muscle gCl and MT as early targets of drugs action that may contribute to milder symptoms of myotoxicity, such as muscle cramps, while the increase of myoglobinemia is a later phenomenon.British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 149, 909–919. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706917