bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Imaging Nanometre‐Sized Hot Spots on Smooth Au Films with High‐Resolution Tip‐Enhanced Luminescence and Raman Near‐Field Optical Microscopy
Authors: Sackrow Marcus , Stanciu Catrinel , Lieb M. Andreas , Meixner Alfred J. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractA novel near‐field optical microscope based on a parabolic mirror is used for recording high‐resolution tip‐enhanced photoluminescence (PL) and Raman images with unprecedented sensitivity and contrast. The measurements reveal small islands on the Au surface with dimensions of only a few nanometres with locally enhanced Au PL. These islands appear as nanometre‐sized hot spots in tip‐enhanced Raman microscopy when benzotriazole molecules adsorbed on the Au surface serve as local sensors for the optical field. The spectra show that localized plasmons are the cause of both the locally enhanced Au PL and enhanced Raman scattering. This finding suggests that the dispersive background in the surface‐enhanced Raman spectra can be explained simply by the enhanced Au PL in the gap. Furthermore, our results show that the surface flatness must be better than 1 nm, to provide an optically homogeneous substrate for near‐field enhanced PL and Raman spectroscopy.
Spectral Versatility of Single Reef Coral Fluorescent Proteins Detected by Spectrally‐Resolved Single Molecule Spectroscopy
Authors: Blum Christian , Meixner Alfred J. , Subramaniam Vinod 
Published: January 2008

AbstractWe use spectrally‐resolved room temperature single molecule spectroscopy to yield insights into the occurrence and dynamics of spectral forms of single tetramers of DsRed and its variants DsRed2, Fluorescent Timer, DsRed_N42H and AG4. The red‐emitting chromophore in DsRed and all studied variants readily converts into a high quantum efficiency super‐red emitting form. We propose the existence of two super‐red forms of different quantum efficiencies. The observed emission from the green‐emitting chromophore is consistent with bulk spectroscopy. We further observe distinct new spectral forms from each variant, which we attribute to a photoinduced chemical reaction leading to a truncated form of the red‐emitting chromophore analogous to the chromophore in the visible fluorescent protein zFP538. Our results have implications for the accurate interpretation of biological and biochemical processes illuminated by fluorescent proteins as well as for choosing appropriate experimental configurations.
Flow acetone‐staining technique: A highly efficient procedure for the simultaneous analysis of DNA content, cell morphology, and immunophenotype by flow cytometry
Authors: Carbonari Maurizio , Mancaniello Debora , Tedesco Tiziana , Fiorilli Massimo 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe accurate determination of cell cycle, immunophenotypes and morphology at single‐cell level is not fully achieved by current flow cytometry protocols. Acetone, a coagulant fixative/permealizing agent, is widely used in static cytometry, but is impractical in flow cytometry because of its shrinking effect. We sought for conditions of acetone treatment that could permit the simultaneous analysis of physical parameters, surface and intracellular immunostaining, and DNA content. We evaluated different experimental conditions (concentration, duration of fixation, temperature, presence of proteins) to test the capacity of acetone fixation/permeabilization to preserve cell physical parameters (forward and side scatters, FSC, and SSC) and immunophenotyping while allowing stoichiometric DNA staining. The commonly used ethanol fixation technique was used as reference method. To detect phenotypes and DNA content simultaneously, we employed 7‐aminoactinomycin D (7‐AAD) as “intercalating” dye for DNA in spite of, or just for, its controversial ability in stoichiometric DNA staining. Cells were resting peripheral blood monucleated cells (PBMCs), T‐ and B‐cell blasts obtained by PBMCs stimulation, and the human cell lines Ramos and Shep. Acetone fixation, preserving both the recovery and the physical parameters of cells, is drastically influenced by temperature of treatment and is practicable only when the protocol is realized at 8°C. Under this condition, acetone maintains the immunophenotypic fluorescences (realized before or after the fixation) better than ethanol. Stoichiometric DNA staining of acetone processed cells, the variation coefficients (CV) of frequency distributions of G1/G0 and G2/M phases, the modes ratio of these distributions and doublets generation are at least comparable to those obtained with ethanol treatment. The assay developed in the present study, that we called flow acetone‐staining technique (FAST), accurately analyzes cell cycle, physical parameters and immunophenotypes in heterogenous cell populations, and thus provides a useful tool for cytomics. © 2008 International Society for Analytical Cytology.
Stereomutation and Experimental Determination of the Relative Stability of Diastereomeric O‐Equatorial Anti‐Apicophilic Spirophosphoranes
Authors: Jiang Xin‐Dong , Matsukawa Shiro , Yamamichi Hideaki , Kakuda Ken‐ichiro , Kojima Satoshi , Yamamoto Yohsuke 
Published: January 2008

AbstractA novel bidentate ligand based on 1,1,1,3,3,4,4,4‐octafluoro‐2‐phenyl‐2‐butanol (16) has been used to synthesize a diastereomeric pair of hydrophosphoranes (18‐exo and 18‐endo). A comparison of the structures of a series of hydrophosphoranes (18‐exo, 18‐endo, 19, and 20‐exo) obtained by X‐ray crystallography indicated that the apical P–O bond lengths were affected by the electronic properties of the oxygen atom, which can be interpreted by the “single bond/no bond resonance” concept. From the hydrophosphoranes, O‐apical (13‐exo and 13‐endo) and anti‐apicophilic O‐equatorial (12‐exo and 12‐endo) phosphoranes were synthesized. The O‐equatorial phosphoranes were irreversibly converted into diastereomeric pairs of O‐apical isomers. Kinetic measurements implied that the electronic properties of the pentafluoroethyl group are comparable to those of the trifluoromethyl group. The activation enthalpies calculated for the stereomutations enabled us for the first time to experimentally show the stability of an O‐apical isomer to be greater than that of an O‐equatorial isomer by 13.7 kcal mol–1.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)
Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Friedel–Crafts Alkylation of Indoles with Simple α,β‐Unsaturated Aromatic Ketones
Authors: Tang Hong‐Ying , Lu Ai‐Dang , Zhou Zheng‐Hong , Zhao Guo‐Feng , He Lian‐Nian , Tang Chu‐Chi 
Published: January 2008

AbstractAsymmetric Michael‐type Friedel–Crafts (F‐C) alkylations of indoles with nonchelating α,β‐unsaturated aromatic ketones catalyzed by a chiral H8‐BINOL‐based phosphoric acid were investigated. The reactions took place smoothly in the presence of only 2 mol‐% of catalyst at room temperature to afford the desired F‐C alkylation products in good yields and with moderate enantioselectivities.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)
Fuzzy modeling for environmental pollution potential ranking of industries
Authors: Lad Ravindra K. , Desai Nisha G. , Christian Robin A. , Deshpande Ashok W. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractUrbanization and industrialization with minimal focus on environmental pollution has resulted in rapid degradation of natural environment demanding a fresh look at the pollution control strategies. An attempt has been made to address the problem, and a viable procedure for ranking of industries based on their environmental pollution potential has been proposed. Vagueness in the perception of environmental experts for ranking the techno‐scientific parameters in linguistic terms for the specific usage coupled with imprecision in parametric data calls for the application of fuzzy modeling in this study. The formalized approach detailed in this article using fuzzy multicriteria decision making for ranking the industries is one of the important techniques in decision research. The case study discussed in this article relates to three dying and printing textile industries located in Surat, in the State of Gujarat, India. The feasibility of the proposed approach for ranking of the industries has been discussed. The approach detailed in this sequel might be considered as a small step in the formulation of appropriate environmental pollution control strategies. A commentary on pollution tax, stringent emission standards, and its effect on the ranking of industries with further research needs form an integral part of the article. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2008
Odour‐active compounds of Jinhua ham
Authors: Song Huanlu , Cadwallader Keith R. , Singh Tanoj K. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractUsing DHS, SAFE, GC–O and GC–MS, the odour‐active compounds of Jinhua ham were identified and ranked according their odour potencies. For DHS, the ham powder was purged with a nitrogen stream at a flow rate of 50 ml/min for 25 min, 5 min and 1 min, respectively. The effluent of sample headspace was trapped by a Tenax tube, which was placed onto the vessel for GC–O. The most important odorants (FD factor = 125) in Jinhua ham headspace were ethyl 2‐methylbutanoate/ethyl 3‐methylbutanoate, hexanal, 1‐hexen‐3‐one, 1‐octen‐3‐one, 2‐acetyl‐1‐pyrroline and 2‐methoxyphenol, followed by the following odorants (FD factor = 25): 3‐methyl butanal, dimethyl trisulphide, 1‐nonen‐3‐one, butanoic acid, phenylacetaldehyde, 3‐methylbutanoic acid, 2‐methyl(3‐methyldithio)furan, γ‐nonalctone and 4‐methylphenol (p‐cresol). For SAFE, the ham powder was extracted with diethyl ether, distilled by SAFE and then separated into neutral/basic and acidic fractions. Both fractions were subjected to AEDA. The relatively high‐odour impact compounds (Log3FD Factor ≤5) of the N/B fraction of SAFE extract of Jinhua ham were 1‐octen‐one, ethyl 3‐methylbutanoate, methional, phenylacetaldehyde, 2‐phenylethanol, (E)‐4,5‐epoxy‐(E)‐decenal, p‐cresol (4‐methylphenol); 3‐methylbutanal, hexanal, 2‐acetyl‐1‐pyrroline, decanal, (E,Z)‐2,6‐nonadienal and (E,E)‐decadienal. The important odorants of the Ac fraction of SAFE extract of Jinhua ham were butanoic acid, 3‐methylbutanoic acid, hexanoic acid, phenylacetic acid and an unknown. It was shown that the aroma of Jinhua ham consisted of a variety of compounds having different odour properties; a single compound could not characterize the aroma of Jinhua ham. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antifungal activity of Myrtaceae essential oils and their components against three phytopathogenic fungi
Authors: Lee Yeon‐Suk , Kim Junheon , Shin Sang‐Chul , Lee Sang‐Gil , Park Il‐Kwon 
Published: January 2008

AbstractCommercial plant essential oils obtained from 11 Myrtaceae plant species were tested for their antifungal activity against Phytophthora cactorum, Cryponectria parasitica and Fusarium circinatum. Good antifungal activity against Phytophthora cactorum was achieved with the essential oil derived from Leptospermum petersonii at 28 × 10−3 mg/ml air concentration. Inhibition rates of Eucalyptus citriodora and Melaleuca quinquenervia were 35.4% and 33.6% at 28 × 10−3 mg/ml air concentration, respectively. In a test with C. parasitica, inhibition rates of E. citriodora and L. petersonii were 29.4% and 38.5%, respectively. Only L. petersonii essential oil showed antifungal activity against F. circinatum. Analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry led to identification of 16, 15 and 12 compounds, respectively, in the oils of L. petersonii, M. quinquenervia and E. citriodora. The antifungal activity of the identified compounds was tested individually using standard or synthesized compounds. The inhibition rates of citronellol, neral, geraniol and geranial were 100% against P. cactorum at 28 × 10−3 mg/ml air concentration. In a test with C. parasitica, the inhibition rates of neral and geranial were 61.7% and 68.9% at 28 × 10−3 mg/ml air concentration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Testing for an economic gradient in health status using subjective data
Authors: Lokshin Michael , Ravallion Martin 
Published: January 2008

AbstractCan self‐assessments of health reveal the true health differentials between ‘rich’ and ‘poor’? The potential sources of bias include psychological adaptation to ill‐health, socioeconomic covariates of health reporting errors and income measurement errors. We propose an estimation method to reduce the bias by isolating the component of self‐assessed health that is explicable in terms of objective health indicators and allowing for broader dimensions of economic welfare than captured by current incomes. On applying our method to survey data for Russia we find a pronounced (nonlinear) economic gradient in health status that is not evident in the raw data. This is largely attributable to the health effects of age, education and location. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal drug pricing, limited use conditions and stratified net benefits for Markov models of disease progression
Authors: Zaric Gregory S. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractLimited use conditions (LUCs) are a method of directing treatment with new drugs to those populations where they will be most cost effective. In this paper we investigate how a drug manufacturer could determine pricing and LUCs to maximize profits. We assume that the payer makes formulary decisions on the basis of net monetary benefits, that the disease can be modeled using a Markov model of disease progression, and that the drug reduces the probability of progression between states of the Markov model. LUCs are expressed as a range of probabilities of disease progression over which patients would have access to the new drug. We assume that the manufacturer determines the price and LUCs in order to maximize profits. We show that an explicit trade‐off exists between the drug's price and the use conditions, that there is an upper bound on the drug price, that the proportion of the population targeted by the LUC does not depend on quality of life or costs in each health state or the payer's willingness to pay, and that high drug prices do not always correspond with high profits. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hospital ownership and quality of care: what explains the different results in the literature?
Authors: Eggleston Karen , Shen Yu‐Chu , Lau Joseph , Schmid Christopher H. , Chan Jia 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThis systematic review examines what factors explain the diversity of findings regarding hospital ownership and quality. We identified 31 observational studies written in English since 1990 that used multivariate analysis to examine quality of care at nonfederal general acute, short‐stay US hospitals. We find that pooled estimates of ownership effects are sensitive to the subset of studies included and the extent of overlap among hospitals analyzed in the underlying studies. Ownership does appear to be systematically related to differences in quality among hospitals in several contexts. Whether studies find for‐profit and government‐controlled hospitals to have higher mortality rates or rates of adverse events than their nonprofit counterparts depends on data sources, time period, and region covered. Policymakers should be aware of the underlying reasons for conflicting evidence in this literature, and the strengths and weaknesses of meta‐analytic synthesis. The ‘true’ effect of ownership appears to depend on institutional context, including differences across regions, markets, and over time. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heterogeneity in preferences for smoking cessation
Authors: Paterson Robert W. , Boyle Kevin J. , Parmeter Christopher F. , Neumann James E. , De Civita Paul 
Published: January 2008

AbstractPromoting cessation is a cornerstone of tobacco control efforts by public‐health agencies. Economic information to support cessation programs has generally emphasized cost‐effectiveness or the impact of cigarette pricing and smoking restrictions on quit rates. In contrast, this study provides empirical estimates of smoker preferences for increased efficacy and other attributes of smoking cessation therapies (SCTs). Choice data were collected through a national survey of Canadian smokers. We find systematic preference heterogeneity for therapy types and SCT attributes between light and heavy smokers, as well as random heterogeneity using random parameters logit models. Preference heterogeneity is greatest between length of use and types of SCTs. We estimate that light smokers would be willing to pay nearly $500 ($CAN) to increase success rates to 40% with the comparable figure for heavy smokers being near $300 ($CAN). Results from this study can be used to inform research and development for smoking cessation products and programs and suggest important areas of future inquiry regarding heterogeneity of smoker preferences and preferences for other health programs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic analysis reveals polygenic influences on iron, copper, and zinc in mouse hippocampus with neurobiological implications
Authors: Jones Leslie C. , Beard John L. , Jones Byron C. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractFe, Cu, and Zn are of widespread neurobiological importance, but must be regulated closely as too much or too little of these metals can have adverse effects on brain function. Recent evidence from nutritional models notes that the hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to Fe and Zn deficiencies. We recently performed a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis as a preliminary step in identifying genes that contribute to natural variation in hippocampal Fe, Cu, and Zn content. We used ICP‐MS to measure the concentrations of these metals in 120‐day‐old mice from 30 strains of the BXD/TY panel. The BXD/Ty recombinant inbred strain panel is well‐suited for complex trait analysis, as all strains are genotyped with a dense marker set and have been phenotyped extensively for neurobehavioral traits and hippocampal gene expression. We observed a wide‐range of hippocampal Fe, Cu, and Zn concentrations across the BXD strains. These concentrations were related to systemic Fe status, but not to Fe, Cu, and Zn elsewhere in the brain. The three metals also showed strong covariance, suggestive of overlap in their regulatory pathways. We identified two QTL, on chromosomes 14 and 9, most strongly associated with Cu but also suggestively associated with Fe (chr. 14) and Zn (chr. 9). We also performed genetic correlational analyses with existing data on these strains and revealed associations with cognitive, anxiety‐related, and alcohol‐related phenotypes. Covariance of these metals with gene expression is also discussed. This work shows that hippocampal Fe, Cu, and Zn are under polygenic influence and that trace metal regulation is associated with hippocampus‐related behaviors. Future work will elucidate the genes underlying the two QTL identified, to aid in identifying homologous genetic variants in human populations, which may underlie altered trace metal homeostasis and related neurological disease. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Calretinin expression in hilar mossy cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus of nonhuman primates and humans
Authors: Seress László , Ábrahám Hajnalka , Czéh Boldizsár , Fuchs Eberhard , Léránth Csaba 
Published: January 2008

AbstractMossy cells, the major excitatory neurons of the hilus of the dentate gyrus constitutively express calretinin in several rodent species, including mouse and hamster, but not in rats. Several studies suggest that mossy cells of the monkey dentate gyrus are calretinin‐positive, but others have reported mossy cells in monkeys to be devoid of detectable calretinin‐like immunoreactivity. In the present study, the hilar region was investigated throughout the entire longitudinal extent of the hippocampal dentate gyrus in both Old World and New World monkeys, as well as in humans. In the examined four monkey species, mossy cells were found to be calretinin‐positive at the uncal pole and at variable length within the main body of the dentate gyrus but not in the tail part. The associational pathway, formed by axons of mossy cells in the inner dentate molecular layer was calretinin‐positive in more caudal sections, suggesting that mossy cell axon terminals may contain calretinin, whereas mossy cell somata may contain calretinin in a concentration too low to be detected by immunocytochemistry. In contrast, human mossy cells appear to be devoid of calretinin immunoreactivity in both their somata and their axon terminals. Taken together, mossy cells of nonhuman primates and humans exhibit different expression pattern for calretinin whereas they show similarities in neurochemical content, such as the cocaine and amphetamine‐related transcript peptide. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distinct classes of pyramidal cells exhibit mutually exclusive firing patterns in hippocampal area CA3b
Authors: Hemond Peter , Epstein Daniel , Boley Angela , Migliore Michele , Ascoli Giorgio A. , Jaffe David B. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractIt is thought that CA3 pyramidal neurons communicate mainly through bursts of spikes rather than so‐called trains of regular firing action potentials. Reports of both burst firing and nonburst firing CA3 cells suggest that they may fire with more than one output pattern. With the use of whole‐cell recording methods we studied the firing properties of rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons in vitro within the CA3b subregion and found three distinct types of firing patterns. Approximately 37% of cells were regular firing where spikes generated by minimal current injection (rheobase) were elicited with a short latency and with stronger current intensities trains of spikes exhibited spike frequency adaptation (SFA). Another 46% of neurons exhibited a delayed onset at rheobase with a weakly‐adapting firing pattern upon stronger stimulation. The remaining 17% of cells showed a burst‐firing pattern, though only elicited in response to strong current injection and spontaneous bursts were never observed. Control experiments indicated that the distinct firing patterns were not due to our particular slicing methods or recording techniques. Finally, computer modeling was used to identify how relative differences in K+ conductances, specifically KC, KM, and KD, between cells contribute to the different characteristics of the three types of firing patterns observed experimentally. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.