bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparation and assessment of revised simulated body fluids
Authors: Oyane Ayako , Kim Hyun‐Min , Furuya Takuo , Kokubo Tadashi , Miyazaki Toshiki , Nakamura Takashi 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA simulated body fluid (SBF) with ion concentrations approximately equal to those of human blood plasma has been used widely for in vitro assessment of the bioactivity of artificial materials and for the formation of bone‐like apatite on various substrates. The ion concentrations of a conventional SBF (c‐SBF) are, however, not exactly equal to those of blood plasma. In the present study, a revision of c‐SBF was made to prepare new SBFs (r‐SBF, i‐SBF, and m‐SBF) with ion concentrations equal to or closer to those of blood plasma. The ion concentrations of the r‐SBF and i‐SBF were designed to be equal to those of blood plasma in total and dissociated amounts, respectively. The m‐SBF was designed to have a total ion concentration equal to that of blood plasma, except for the concentration of HCO, which was set to the saturated level with respect to calcite. The ion concentrations and pH of the as‐prepared new SBFs were found to be equal to those of the nominal values. Upon sealed storage, the r‐SBF and i‐SBF showed no change in ion concentrations for up to 4 weeks at 5°C, and up to 2 weeks at 36.5°C, but thereafter they showed a decrease in HCO concentration and an increase in pH. Under the same storage conditions, the c‐SBF and m‐SBF showed no change in ion concentrations and pH values over a period of up to 8 weeks. These results indicate that the r‐SBF and i‐SBF are less stable than the c‐SBF and m‐SBF in terms of changes in ion concentrations relative to storage period. The m‐SBF is optimal for in vitro bioactivity assessment of artificial materials and for biomimetic production of bone‐like apatite. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 65A: 188–195, 2003
TGF‐β1‐induced Smad 3 binding to the Smad 7 gene: Knockout of Smad 7 gene transcription by sense phosphorothioate oligos, autoregulation, and effect on TGF‐β1 secretion: Bleomycin acts through TGF‐β1
Authors: Cutroneo Kenneth R. , Phan Sem H. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractBleomycin produces its fibrogenic effect, at least in part, by TGF‐β1 secretion. Treatment of IMR‐90 human embryonic lung fibroblasts with bleomycin at 0.5 μg/ml results in a 1.6‐fold increase of TGF‐β1 as determined by a specific ELISA assay for TGF‐β1 after acidification of the conditioned media. This elevation of TGF‐β1 secretion is furthermore enhanced in vivo by TGF‐β1 autoinduction of the TGF‐β1 gene. To demonstrate TGF‐β1 autoinduction, the fibroblasts were pretreated with 12.5 ng/ml TGF‐β1, washed extensively to remove any residual TGF‐β1, and then allowed to incubate for 24 h in AIM V synthetic serum‐free media. The media when assayed using the ELISA assay contained a 1.6‐fold increase of TGF‐β1. The distal promoter of the human TGF‐β1 gene contains a Smad 3 element (CAGGACA), which is homologous to the Smad 3 binding element motif (CAGA). The nuclear extracts of human embryonic lung fibroblasts treated for either 15 min or 24 h with TGF‐β1 did not demonstrate specificity of binding of a protein(s) to the homologous Smad 3 element as determined by cold wild‐type oligodeoxynucleotide competition experiments. However, specific Smad 3 binding to the Smad 3 element (GTCTAGAC) found in proximal promoter of the Smad 7 gene was observed by cold oligo competition and supershift assays using a goat polyclonal Smad 3 antibody in the presence and absence of an N‐terminal Smad 3 peptide. To determine the functionality of this Smad 3 binding to the Smad 3 element in the proximal promoter of the Smad 7 inhibitory gene to TGF‐β1 secretion, fibroblasts were transiently pretransfected with double‐stranded phosphorothioate oligo “decoys” containing the Smad 7/Smad 3 element in the presence of plasmin to convert latent TGF‐β1 to active TGF‐β1. Under these conditions, which simulate the in vivo situation of 2.2‐fold increase of total active TGF‐β1 was observed. Fibroblasts were also pretransfected with these double‐stranded oligo “decoys,” washed, then treated with TGF‐β1, washed and incubated in AIM V for an additional 24 h. In this latter experiment, a superinduction of TGF‐β1 secretion was observed. We propose that these oligo “decoys” bind Smad 3 preventing this initiation factor from binding to the Smad 7/Smad 3 element thereby decreasing the transcription of the Smad 7 gene. The decrease of the inhibitory Smad 7 would result in less binding of this Smad inhibitor to the Type I TGF‐β receptor and less antagonism of active TGF‐β1, more autoinduction of the TGF‐β1 gene, and more of the fibrogenic effects of TGF‐β1. J. Cell. Biochem. 89: 474–483, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genotyping of measles and mumps virus strains using amplification refractory mutation system analysis combined with enzyme immunoassay: A simple method for outbreak investigations
Authors: Samuel D. , Beard S. , Yang H. , Saunders N. , Jin L. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA simple method, based on a modification of the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS), for genotyping outbreak strains of measles and mumps viruses and detecting these in a simple enzyme immunoassay (EIA) is described. Fifty‐three measles strains circulating at the time of an outbreak in London in 2000 and 26 strains circulating at the time of a mumps outbreak in Accrington, UK, in 1999 were investigated. All strains were genotyped by direct sequencing. ARMS primers were then designed to amplify the outbreak strain. The ARMS‐EIA for measles and mumps detected all 36 measles outbreak strains as genotype D6, and all 15 mumps outbreak strains as genotype F, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of both the measles D6 and Mumps F genotype ARMS EIA was 100% compared with direct sequencing. The results show that ARMS‐EIA can be used as a rapid alternative to genotyping by direct sequence analysis in outbreak situations. J. Med. Virol. 69:279–285, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitation of human cytomegalovirus in recipients of solid organ transplants by real‐time quantitative PCR and pp65 antigenemia
Authors: Mengelle Catherine , Pasquier Christophe , Rostaing Lionel , Sandres‐Sauné Karine , Puel Jacqueline , Berges Laetitia , Righi Laurence , Bouquies Christiane , Izopet Jacques 
Published: May 2003

AbstractHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections and anti‐HCMV treatment are usually monitored by measuring pp65 antigenemia. This method is time‐consuming, labour‐intensive and requires skilled operators. We have compared results obtained using real‐time Light Cycler™ quantitative PCR (QPCR) and the pp65 antigen assay on serial samples collected from recipients of solid organ transplants. We collected 198 blood samples from 14 solid organ transplant recipients and assayed them for pp65 antigen and with Light Cycler™ PCR. HCMV DNA was extracted from leukocytes and measured using primers and probe located in the UL83 region. The quantity of HCMV DNA was calculated using a standard curve prepared from a plasmid containing the target sequence. There was a good correlation between the number of pp65‐positive cells and the DNA copy number (r = 0.57, P < 0.0001). A clinical threshold of 50 positive polymorphonuclear leukocytes/200,000 cells was equivalent to two log10 genome copies per capillary by Light Cycler™ PCR. HCMV DNA was detected before pp65 antigen in three patients at a mean time of 10 days, whereas the two tests were positive simultaneously for eight patients. Both the pp65 antigen data and DNA copy number decreased over time during antiviral treatment, although the QPCR was positive 28.2 days after the pp65 antigen assay had become negative. The real‐time Light Cycler™ quantitative PCR assay is a rapid and labour‐saving technique. This molecular method could be useful for monitoring infections and antiviral treatment in recipients of solid organ transplants. J. Med. Virol. 69:225–231, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rotavirus‐specific subclass antibody and cytokine responses in Bangladeshi children with rotavirus diarrhoea
Authors: Azim Tasnim , Zaki M. Hasan , Podder Goutam , Sultana Novera , Salam M. Abdus , Rahman S. Moshfiqur , Sefat‐e‐Khuda  , Sack David A. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractRotavirus‐specific subclass antibody responses and cytokines, tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), and IL‐10, were measured in children 7–24 months of age with rotavirus diarrhoea (n = 29); the responses were compared with children with watery diarrhoea from whom no enteric pathogens were isolated (controls; n = 11). All children had diarrhoea for <5 days and were enrolled from the Dhaka Hospital of the Centre for Health and Population Research. Samples of blood and stools were collected on the day of enrollment and 18–21 days after the onset of diarrhoea. Children showing a ≥4‐fold rise in antibody titre between the acute and convalescent stages were considered to have a response. The numbers of children with rotavirus‐specific IgA and IgA1 responses in stool were similar in the two groups of children. In the plasma, more children with rotavirus diarrhoea had rotavirus‐specific IgA, IgA1, IgG, IgG1, and IgG3 responses than did control children (P = 0.049, 0.007, 0.001, 0.002, and 0.012, respectively). IgA2 was not detectable. Among cytokines measured in supernatants from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) cultured for 6 and 24 hr, IFN‐γ was the only cytokine that was higher in children with rotavirus diarrhoea compared with controls (P = 0.013). Severity of illness did not correlate with nutritional status or antibody titres, but severity did correlate with TNF‐α during the acute stage of illness. IFN‐γ correlated positively with IgG1 titres. These findings suggest a role for IFN‐γ in the pathogenesis of rotavirus infection, but this needs confirmation by other studies. The immune responses described are relevant to future vaccine trials, as immune responses in vaccinees should mimic those in natural infection. J. Med. Virol. 69:286–295, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Long‐Term Properties of Butt‐Welded Poly(propylene)
Authors: Schmachtenberg Ernst , Tüchert Carsten 
Published: May 2003

AbstractIt is still not clear why the long‐term properties of plastic weld seams can only be differentiated by the very expensive medium tensile creep tests. One hypothesis for justifying this is based on the change in the structure of the weld seam surroundings, another cites the consumption of antioxidants and the following ageing in the weld seam area to be responsible for this. Butt‐welded weld seams made of poly(propylene) were systematically produced under different process parameters. Corresponding to the particular hypothesis, these weld seams were then analyzed in various ways to find correlations or to prove one of the hypotheses. Regarding their short‐term weld seam quality, the analyzed weld seams could not be differentiated through short‐term tensile or short‐term bend test. However, the medium tensile creep tests showed significant differences in both time until failure and long‐term weld seam quality. Under long‐term loading, the start of the brittle crack could be detected in most weld seams in the fine spherulite‐zone or between this zone and the area of the flow lines. This demonstrated again that only long‐term tests are suitable for examining different weld seam qualities. Depending on the welding parameters, times until failure decline with increasing heated‐tool temperature and heating time. Though these parameters lead to a higher consumption of antioxidants in the weld seam, a degradation was not detected in the breaking area. In fact, increasing heated‐tool temperatures and heating times, as well as higher joining pressures lead to a change in the internal structure of the material. This can be seen in morphological structure analyses in the larger bend of the entire weld seam area. A larger bend, however, correlates with higher residual stresses in the weld seam. In the medium tensile creep tests, these residual stresses as well as the tensile stress in the border region and the compressive stress in the middle are superimposed by the tensile stress resulting from the test stress. Thus a greater bend of the weld seam area and higher residual stresses in the weld seam itself lead to shorter times until failure in medium tensile creep tests.Schematic representation of the formation of residual stresses in a weld seam and residual stresses in the different bended weld seam areas.magnified imageSchematic representation of the formation of residual stresses in a weld seam and residual stresses in the different bended weld seam areas.
An NMR‐MOUSE® for Analysis of Thin Objects
Authors: Blümich Bernhard , Anferov Vladimir , Anferova Sophia , Klein Martin , Fechete Radu 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA special unilateral NMR sensor has been designed for investigations of thin samples with a thickness of less than 1 mm and of surface effects of polymers. For use with the bar‐magnet NMR‐MOUSE®, the so‐called “crazy coil” is introduced with a low penetration depth. It is a flat meander coil etched on a printed circuit board with wiggles in the conductors. The design of the new coil and FEM simulations of the B1 field are presented. Different applications are discussed by means of illustrative examples. They are the detection of surface damage in rubber samples, the swelling and drying of a latex membrane exposed to cyclohexane vapor mimicking a chemical sensor, and the drying of a thin sprayed adhesive layer.Bar‐magnet NMR‐MOUSE® with crazy coil.magnified imageBar‐magnet NMR‐MOUSE® with crazy coil.
Preparation and Characterization of 4,4′‐Bis(4‐aminophenoxy)diphenyl Sulfone Based Fluoropoly(ether‐imide)/Organo‐Modified Clay Nanocomposites
Authors: Vora Rohit H. , Pallathadka Pramoda K. , Goh Suat Hong , Chung Tai‐Shung , Lim Yong Xiong , Bang Toong Kiang 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA series of fluoropoly(ether‐imide) (6F‐PEI), and [6F‐PEI/montmorillonite (MMT) clay) nanocomposites films were made by thermal curing of respective formulations containing fluoropoly(ether‐amic acid) (6F‐PEAA), synthesized from 2,2′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 4,4′‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)diphenyl sulfone (p‐SED), and increasing concentration of p‐SED treated montmorillonite clay (modified MMT clay) at temperature from RT to 350 °C. These films showed excellent solvent resistance as well as very good thermal stability, and increased glass transition (Tg) values with increasing % clay. In addition, these trifluoromethyl groups‐containing nanocomposites films showed sharp lowering of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) by 22%. Furthermore, they exhibited increased long‐term thermo‐oxidative stability (TOS), with % weight retention in the range of 86 to 92% in isothermal heating at 300 °C for 300 h in air, reduced water absorption at 100 RH at 50 °C in the range of 0.5 to 1.15%. These data are still much lower than those of neat ULTEM® 1000 and Kapton® H film. The modulus of elasticity is on an average 38% higher for the nanocomposite films relative to neat fluoropoly(ether‐imide) (6FDA + p‐SED), and above non‐fluorinated polyimide films. The surface energy measurement by One‐Liquid and Two‐Liquid method showed a comparable trend of decreasing contact angle. For the nanocomposite films having 15% hydrophobic clay, the contact angle decreased by 21 and 20% for DI‐water and formamide, respectively. The surface energy increase was in the range of 8.21–8.54 mJ/m2.magnified image
Study on the Curing Process and the Gelation of Epoxy/Anhydride System for No‐Flow Underfill for Flip‐Chip Applications
Authors: Zhang Zhuqing , Beatty Erin , Wong C. P. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractNo‐flow underfill is used in the assembly of microelectronics to increase the productivity and to decrease the cost of the flip‐chip manufacturing. The curing process, especially the gelation of the no‐flow underfill, is essential for the yield and reliability of the flip‐chip assembly. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and a stress rheometer are used to study the curing process of epoxy/anhydride system at different curing rates and different isothermal temperatures. The gel point is found when the storage modulus and the loss modulus of the resin measured by the rheometer equals to each other. The degree of cure (DOC) at gelation is calculated according to the results from DSC. The results indicate a strong dependence of the DOC at gelation on the heating rates and the curing temperatures. In order to further investigate the difference in the curing process at various heating rates, FTIR spectra of the resin are taken during curing. The change of different functional groups is recorded and compared. The results do not show a significant difference in the chemical structure at different heating rates. The early gelation at high heating rate/ high temperature can be caused by the structure difference in the epoxy network at the early stage of curing due to the chain initiation and propagation of the molecules in the curing process.Dependence of gelation of the sample on the isothermal temperatures.magnified imageDependence of gelation of the sample on the isothermal temperatures.
Three‐dimensional coplanar waveguide lowpass filters for MMIC applications
Authors: Lalehparvar Laleh , Budimir Djuradj 
Published: May 2003

AbstractShielded single and multilayer coplanar waveguide lowpass filter on GaAs and Si substrates in MMIC technology is presented and their performance is investigated with electromagnetic simulations. The filters are both Chebyshev type. The stepped‐impedance method is used in the design of the lowpass filter, where high‐ and low‐impedance line sections are cascaded together. The shielded single‐layer lowpass filter consists of three low‐ and two high‐impedance sections with characteristic impedances of 20Ω and 100Ω. The multilayer filter makes use of three low‐ and two high‐impedance lines with characteristic impedances of 5Ω and 120Ω, respectively. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 403–405, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10931
Design and analysis of MEM‐micromirrors for vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers
Authors: Guan Yan , Matin M. A. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractIn this paper, we present aspects of designing and optimizing MEM‐micromirrors used in tunable vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers (VCSELs). We also present four mirror models and their simulation results using CoventorWare software. According to our consideration of the aspects presented, the best model with optimal dimension has been chosen. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 410–413, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10934
A novel leaky‐wave antenna based on NRD guide with wedged cross section
Authors: Zeng Xiangyin , Xu Shanjia 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA novel leaky‐wave antenna based on an NRD guide which not only possesses the merit of easy manufacture but also overcomes the difficulty of fixing the dielectric slab in the guide precisely, is proposed in this paper. Another attractive feature of this antenna is that the leakage and propagation constant can be separately controlled by means of choosing different geometric parameters. Thus it becomes possible to control the beam angle and the beamwidth of the antenna independently. Extensive numerical results are given to establish useful guidelines for the design of the new antenna. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 418–420, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10936
Design of unequal microstrip power divider using hierarchal genetic algorithm
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Chan Chi Hou , Man Kim Fung 
Published: May 2003

AbstractThis paper presents unequal microstrip power divider designs using the hierarchal genetic algorithm (HGA). The dividing ratio and return loss are the design specifications leading the evolution direction. By employing the HGA chromosome formulation, the system structure and its associated parameters can be minimized in a simultaneous manner. The computational performance of the design methodology is enhanced with the use of a parallel computing platform. The subsequent power dividers derived from the design have been fabricated, tested, and experimentally verified. Its performance matches very well with the result obtained from the simulation study. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 421–423, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10937
Semiconductor nonlinear device modeling using multiwavelets
Authors: Wang Ke , Pan George W. , Techentin R. , Gilbert B. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractModeling and simulation of seminconductor devices requires solution of highly nonlinear equations, such as the Boltzmann transport, hydrodynamic, and drift‐diffusion equations. The conventional finite‐element method (FEM) and finite difference (FD) schemes always result in oscillatory results, and are ineffective when the cell Reynolds number of the system is large. Several ad hoc schemes have been employed to address the instability issue, including the Scharfetter–Gummel transformation, Petrov–Galerkin method, and upwind algorithms; but each suffers from its shortcomings. We propose a new approach of the multiwavelet‐based finite‐element method (MWFEM) to solve the semiconductor drift‐diffusion system. In this approach, multiscalets are employed as the basis functions. Due to its ability of tracking the tendency, namely, the first derivative of the unknown function, the MWFEM shares the versatility of the conventional FEM while remaining stable in a highly nonlinear system. Comparison with the Scharfetter–Gummel method, upwind FEM, and conventional FEM shows that the MWFEM performs excellently under circumstances of both small‐ and large‐cell Reynolds numbers. A complete 1D drift‐diffusion solver base on the MWFEM is implemented. Numerical results demonstrate the high efficiency and accuracy of the new method. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 436–440, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10942
The study of a dual‐band internal handset antenna with a new compact 3D structure
Authors: Peng Hongli , Tang Song , Liu Qizhong 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA dual‐band internal handset antenna (IHA) with a novel 3D structure is presented. Numerical results based on the finite‐element method (FEM) for input‐return loss and radiation‐gain pattern are investigated and compared with the measurements. Good agreement between the computed and measured results is obtained. The effects of the geometric parameters on the characteristics of the proposed antenna performance are also extensively studied. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 450–452, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10946
A compact broadside/endfire printed array antenna
Authors: Matzner H. , Sasson G. , Yacobi M. , Haridim M. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA novel double‐layer patch array antenna is presented. The proposed antenna consists of two identical parallel layers, each containing five patch elements. The antenna is fed through one of the elements in the lower layer while other elements act as parasitic antenna elements. Both simulated and experimental results show that the proposed antenna has a relatively high gain, low side‐lobes, and improved cross polarization. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 37: 459–461, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10950