bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative corrosion performance of black oxide, sandblasted, and fine‐drawn nitinol wires in potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests: Effects of chemical etching and electropolishing
Authors: Shabalovskaya Svetlana , Rondelli Gianni , Anderegg James , Xiong J. P. , Wu Ming 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThe corrosion performance of sandblasted (SB) and smooth fine‐drawn (FD) medical‐use nitinol wires was compared with the performance of wires with black oxide (BO) formed in air during their manufacture. Potentiodynamic and ASTM F746 potentiostatic tests in a 0.9 % NaCl solution were conducted on wires in their as‐received, chemically etched, aged in boiling water, and electropolished states. As‐received wires with various surface finishes revealed breakdown potentials in the range from −100 mV to +500 mV; similar passive current density, 10−6 A/cm2; and a wide hysteresis on the reverse scan, demonstrating strong susceptibility to localized corrosion. Chemically etched wires with original black oxide displayed consistent corrosion performance and surpassed, in corrosion resistance, electropolished wires that showed significantly lower breakdown (400–700 mV) and localized corrosion potentials (∼−50 to +113 mV). Sandblasted and fine‐drawn wires exhibited rather inconsistent corrosion behavior. In potentiodynamic tests these wires could perform with equal probability either on the level of pretreated BO wires or rather similar to as‐received wires. Both SB and FD wires revealed low breakdown potentials in the PS regime. SEM analysis performed before tests indicated that sandblasting was not efficient for the complete removal of the original scaling, and fine drawing aggravated the situation, resulting in a persistent scaling that contributed to the inferior corrosion performance. Inclusions (oxides, carbides, and oxidized carbides) inherited from the bulk and retained on electropolished surfaces are the cause of their inferior performance compared to chemically etched surfaces. In electropolished wires corrosion was initiated around inclusions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 69B: 223–231, 2004
Catheter‐mediated delivery of adenoviral vectors expressing β‐adrenergic receptor kinase C‐terminus inhibits intimal hyperplasia and luminal stenosis in rabbit iliac arteries
Authors: Luo Zhengyu , Palasis Maria , Yamakawa Midori , Liu Louis X. , Vincent Karen A. , Trudell Leonard , Akita Geoffrey A. , Koch Walter J. , Cheng Seng H. , Gregory Richard J. , Jiang Canwen 
Published: April 2004

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies have shown that incubation of balloon‐injured rat carotid arteries with adenoviral vectors encoding the carboxyl terminus of the β‐adrenergic receptor kinase (Ad2/βARKct) for 30 min reduces neointima formation. However, it is unclear whether this beneficial effect of βARKct could be achieved using a catheter‐based vector delivery system and whether the observed inhibition of neointima formation translated into a reduction of vessel stenosis.MethodsIn this study, Ad2/βARKct was infused into the balloon‐injured site of rabbit iliac arteries using a porous infusion catheter over 2 min. Twenty‐eight days after gene transfer, angiographic and histological assessments were performed.ResultsAngiographic and histological assessments indicate significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of iliac artery neointima formation and lumen stenosis by Ad2/βARKct. Our studies demonstrate that an inhibitory effect of Ad2/βARKct on neointima formation is achievable using a catheter‐based vector delivery system and that the inhibition of neointima formation translates into a gain in the vessel minimal luminal diameter. The extent of inhibition (35%) was comparable to that observed with adenoviral‐mediated expression of thymidine kinase plus ganciclovir treatment, a cytotoxic gene therapy approach for restenosis.ConclusionsThese results suggest that adenoviral‐mediated gene transfer of βARKct is a clinically viable cytostatic gene therapy strategy for the treatment of restenosis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microglia and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis
Authors: Streit Wolfgang J. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThe most visible and, until very recently, the only hypothesis regarding the involvement of microglial cells in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis is centered around the notion that activated microglia are neurotoxin‐producing immune effector cells actively involved in causing the neurodegeneration that is the cause for AD dementia. The concept of detrimental neuroinflammation has gained a strong foothold in the AD arena and is being expanded to other
neurodegenerative diseases. This review takes a comprehensive and critical look at the overall evidence supporting the neuroinflammation hypothesis and points out some weaknesses. The current work also reviews evidence for an alternative theory, the microglial dysfunction hypothesis, which, although eliminating some of the shortcomings, does not necessarily negate the amyloid/neuroinflammation theory. The microglial dysfunction theory offers a different perspective on the identity of
activated microglia and their role in AD pathogenesis taking into account the most recent insights gained from studying basic microglial biology. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of neuronal differentiation by N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors expressed in neural progenitor cells isolated from adult mouse hippocampus
Authors: Kitayama Tomoya , Yoneyama Masanori , Tamaki Keisuke , Yoneda Yukio 
Published: April 2004

AbstractIn vitro culture of neural progenitor cells isolated from adult murine hippocampus according to the Percoll density gradient method resulted in formation of round spheres not immunoreactive to microtubule‐associated protein‐2 (MAP‐2) or glial fibrillary acidic protein in the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor within 12 days in vitro (DIV). Reverse‐transcription PCR analysis revealed constitutive expression in these neurospheres of different subunits required for assembly of functional heteromeric N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor channels. Immunocytochemical analysis confirmed expression of NR1, NR2A, and NR2B subunits in neurospheres cultured for 4–12 DIV. Brief (5 min) exposure to NMDA induced marked expression of c‐Fos, Fos‐B, Fra‐2, and c‐Jun proteins in neurospheres cultured for 12 DIV 2 hr later. The NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine markedly inhibited expression of both c‐Jun and c‐Fos proteins in NMDA‐exposed neurospheres. Sustained exposure to NMDA not only markedly inhibited neurosphere formation by 12 DIV when exposed from 4–12 DIV, but also resulted in facilitation of subsequent differentiation of neurospheres exposed to all‐trans retinoic acid to cells immunoreactive to both neuron‐specific enolase and neuronal nuclei, in addition to MAP‐2, as revealed by Western blot and immunocytochemistry analyses. These results suggest that functional heteromeric NMDA receptors may be expressed constitutively in neural progenitor cells before differentiation to play a crucial role in commitment and differentiation to neurons in adult murine hippocampus. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Readout of protein microarrays using intrinsic time resolved UV fluorescence for label‐free detection
Authors: Striebel Hans‐Martin , Schellenberg Peter , Grigaravicius Paulius , Greulich Karl Otto 
Published: April 2004

AbstractDetecting protein‐protein interactions other than those of antibody‐antigen pairs still represents a demanding and tedious task. In the present work, a novel method as an alternative to current molecular biology‐based detection procedures is established. It solely relies on the change of fluorescence decay times of the protein's intrinsic fluorophores tryptophan and tyrosine due to protein‐protein interaction. Unlike previously utilized related methods, no labelling of the binding partners is required. This opens the possibility to detect proteins and their natural interactions without perturbation due to chemical alteration. The technique uses immobilization of one of the protein partners onto solid supports, which allows performance of protein binding studies in the microarray format. Fluorescence lifetime experiments of proteins in their different binding states have been applied to protease/protease‐substrate pairs, as well as to the tubulin/kinesin system. Different binding behavior of proteins in solution towards protein partners immobilized on protein microarrays was detected with regard to binding specificity and protein amount. This label‐free method for analyzing protein microarrays offers broad applicability ranging from principal investigations of protein interactions to applications in molecular biology and medicine.
Performance evaluation of energy‐shaping approach controllers for synchronous generators using a finite‐element model
Authors: Escarela‐Perez Rafael , Espinosa‐Perez Gerardo , Alvarez‐Ramirez Jose 
Published: April 2004

AbstractUsually, power system stabilizer (PSS) design is usually made using low‐order two‐axis models. Remarkable robust characteristics and systematic construction can be obtained with the recent developments on energy‐shaping approaches to the design of excitation control. However, the properties and performance of the resulting control designs are also evaluated using low‐order equivalent‐circuit models because large (i.e. industrial scale) synchronous machines are not readily available to designers and researches. This may lead to doubts about the controller behaviour under true operating conditions. The aim of this paper is to develop a finite‐element model, derived from fundamental Maxwell equations, to simulate the dynamics of synchronous generators. Subsequently, the finite‐element model is used to show that energy‐shaping control designs, obtained with low‐order models, keep their performance characteristics when applied to the actual machine. In this way, in order to circumvent the lack of the real machine, a very detailed finite‐element model is developed to represent turbine generators connected to large power systems. The numerical model incorporates simulation of rotor motion, iron magnetic nonlinearity and eddy currents in the solid rotors of turbine generators. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust control from data via uncertainty model sets identification
Authors: Malan S. , Milanese M. , Regruto D. , Taragna M. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractIn this paper an integrated robust identification and control design procedure is proposed. The plant to be controlled is supposed to be linear, time invariant, stable, possibly infinite dimensional and a set of noise‐corrupted input–output measurements is supposed to be available. The emphasis is placed on the design of controllers guaranteeing robust stability and robust performances, and on the trade‐off between controller complexity and achievable robust performances. First, uncertainty models are identified, consisting of parametric models of different order and tight frequency bounds on the magnitude of the unmodelled dynamics. Second, Internal Model Controllers, guaranteeing robust closed‐loop stability and best approximating the ‘perfect control’ ideal target, are designed usingH∞/μ‐synthesis techniques. Then, the robust performances of the designed controllers are computed, allowing one to determine the level of model/controller complexity needed to guarantee desired closed‐loop performances. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Die Verbindung La5Br4Al4 und ihre topologische Verwandtschaft mit dem Ln3ClGa4‐Typ
Authors: Mattausch Hansjürgen , Oeckler Oliver , Zheng Chong , Simon Arndt 
Published: April 2004

AbstractAus La‐Metall, LaBr3 und Al‐Spänen (2:1:1) entsteht bei 950 °C die Verbindung La5Br4Al4 in 20 %‐iger Ausbeute. La5Br4Al4 kristallisiert tetragonal in I4/mcmmit a = b = 8.292(1)Å, c = 20.122(4)Å. In der Kristallstruktur liegen drei aufeinander folgende Schichten aus Br/La‐, La/Al‐ und La/Br‐Atomen vor, die längs [001] gestapelt und durch Br‐Atomschichten miteinander verknüpft sind. Die Al‐Atome bilden gewellte Netze aus kondensierten Al8‐ und Al4‐Ringen. Die La‐Atome sind tetragonal antiprismatisch angeordnet. Diese Einheiten sind durch kristallographisch unabhängige La‐Atome zentriert und zu Schichten verknüpft. In La3ClGa4 wird die identische 3fach‐Schichtfolge aus La‐, Ga‐ und Cl‐Atomen gefunden, die in La5Br4Al4 durch Br‐Atomebenen aufgetrennt ist.
Darstellung und Struktur einer Hochdruckmodifikation des Bariumthioplatinats(II), BaPt2S3
Authors: Huster J. , Bronger W. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractDas über BaPt(CN)4·2H2O dargestellte BaPt2S3 geht bei 10 kbar und 600 °C in eine bisher unbekannte Hochdruckmodifikation über. Die Struktur konnte über Einkristalldaten bestimmt werden. (Raumgruppe P41212, Z = 12, a = 11, 058(1) Å, c = 13, 125(1) Å). Zwei planare [PtS4]‐Einheiten bilden über eine gemeinsame Seite verknüpfte [Pt2S6]‐Baueinheiten, die ein dreidimensionales Gerüst aufbauen. Die Bariumionen sind von sieben Schwefelionen koordiniert.
Confirmation of the “disability paradox” among hospice patients: Preservation of quality of life despite physical ailments and psychosocial concerns
Authors: KUTNER JEAN S. , NOWELS DAVID E. , KASSNER CORDT T. , HOUSER JANET , BRYANT, LUCINDA L. , MAIN DEBORAH S. 
Published: April 2004

Objective:The purpose of this study was to describe quality of life (QOL) and psychosocial and spiritual issues among patients receiving hospice care.Methods:A questionnaire addressing QOL, spirituality, optimism, loss, fears about the terminal process and death anxiety was administered to 66 adults receiving care from 14 hospices. The physical components of QOL (physical symptoms and physical well-being) were rated lower than the psychosocial and spiritual aspects (support, existential well-being, psychological symptoms).Results:Respondents had a strong spiritual connection and a strong sense of hope. Although these individuals did not express anxiety or fear about death, there were concerns about the dying process itself. Also, although most felt at ease with their current situation, respondents were concerned about how their illness was affecting their family. Financial and legal issues did not concern most of these individuals.Significance of results:There were few significant associations between patient characteristics and the QOL or other psychosocial or spiritual issues addressed. Among this older terminally ill population receiving hospice care, whose functional status was fair and for whom physical symptoms were troublesome, QOL persisted and a positive outlook prevailed.
Justification for information and knowledge: Perceptions of family members in palliative home care in Sweden
Authors: FRIEDRICHSEN MARIA J. 
Published: April 2004

Objective: Several studies have concluded that family members in palliative home care want information about the patient's disease. The aim of this study was to describe family members' perceptions of their motivation for receiving information about the patient's disease.Method:Semistructured tape-recorded interviews were performed with 20 family members of patients with incurable progressive cancer who were admitted to hospital-based home care in Sweden. Data were analyzed using a qualitative phenomenographic method.Results:Family members justified their informational needs by emphasizing that they needed to understand and confirm what would happen when the disease progressed, to be mentally prepared for the future, to organize their daily life, to be a source of information to others, and that receiving information was a natural right.Significance of results:This study has revealed some explanations as to why family members want information. In clinical practice, it is important that palliative care team members are aware of family members' level of knowledge and their need for information, as this mental preparation is important.
Caregiving near the end of life: Unmet needs and potential solutions
Authors: MANGAN, PATRICIA A. , TAYLOR KATHRYN L. , YABROFF K. ROBIN , FLEMING DAVID A. , INGHAM JANE M. 
Published: April 2004

Objective:A key aspect of the role of clinicians caring for patients in the setting of advanced illness focuses on attending to the needs of informal caregivers during the end-of-life period. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to complement and enrich existing quantitative findings regarding caregiver burden near the end of life, and (2) to identify potential solutions to caregivers' unmet needs in an effort to assist clinicians in the development of clinical interventions.Methods:This qualitative study, using focus groups and content analysis of transcripts, was conducted in a comprehensive cancer center in Washington, DC. Seven focus groups were held: three with recently bereaved caregivers and four with active caregivers of patients with metastatic cancer and an expected survival of 6 to 12 months.Results:Data were stratified into two broad categories: (1) general problems and (2) behaviors/activities that were helpful/would have been helpful in alleviating these problems. Within each of these two categories, five subcategories emerged: medical care (including provision of information, coordination of care, bedside manner, satisfaction with care), quality of life (including well-being, role adjustments), help from others (including practical assistance, social support), positives of caregiving, and unsolicited themes (including job flexibility, impact of the disease on the family, informational needs, relationship with patient).Significance of results:Results suggest caregivers may benefit from more information about patient prognosis and hospice, attention to quality-of-life issues, and enhanced, direct communication with clinicians. Although information of this nature is likely to be known to palliative care clinicians, the specific details and verbal insights provided by caregivers give an important voice to existing quantitative data and may provide more detailed information to assist palliative care clinicians seeking to develop interventions to meet caregiver needs during the period near the end of life.
SAD—a normalized structural alignment database: improving sequence–structure alignments
Authors: Marsden Brian , Abagyan Ruben 
Published: April 2004

Abstract
Motivation: We present a structural alignment database that is specifically targeted for use in derivation and optimization of sequence–structure alignment algorithms for homology modeling. We have paid attention to ensure that fold-space is properly sampled, that the structures involved in alignments are of significant resolution (better than 2.5 Å) and the alignments are accurate and reliable.
Results: Alignments have been taken from the HOMSTRAD, BAliBASE and SCOP-based Gerstein databases along with alignments generated by a global structural alignment method described here. In order to discriminate between equivalent alignments from these different sources, we have developed a novel scoring function, Contact Alignment Quality score, which evaluates trial alignments by their statistical significance combined with their ability to reproduce conserved three-dimensional residue contacts. The resulting non-redundant, unbiased database contains 1927 alignments from across fold-space with high-resolution structures and a wide range of sequence identities.
Availability: The database can be interactively queried either over the web at http://abagyan.scripps.edu/lab/web/sad/show.cgi or by using MySQL, and is also available to download over the web.
How independent are the appearances of n-mers in different genomes?
Authors: Fofanov Yuriy , Luo Yi , Katili Charles , Wang Jim , Belosludtsev Yuri , Powdrill Thomas , Belapurkar Chetan , Fofanov Viacheslav , Li Tong-Bin , Chumakov Sergey , Pettitt B. Montgomery 
Published: April 2004

Abstract
Motivation: Analysis of statistical properties of DNA sequences is important for evolutional biology as well as for DNA probe and PCR technologies. These technologies, in turn, can be used for organism identification, which implies applications in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, environmental studies, etc.
Results: We present results of the correlation analysis of distributions of the presence/absence of short nucleotide subsequences of different length (‘n-mers’, n = 5 – 20) in more than 1500 microbial and virus genomes, together with five genomes of multicellular organisms (including human). We calculate whether a given n-mer is present or absent (frequency of presence) in a given genome, which is not the usually calculated number of appearances of n-mers in one or more genomes (frequency of appearance). For organisms that are not close relatives of each other, the presence/absence of different 7–20mers in their genomes are not correlated. For close biological relatives, some correlation of the presence of n-mers in this range appears, but is not as strong as expected. Suppressed correlations among the n-mers present in different genomes leads to the possibility of using random sets of n-mers (with appropriately chosen n) to discriminate genomes of different organisms and possibly individual genomes of the same species including human with a low probability of error.
Supplementary information: Supplementary data is available at http://www.bioinfo.uh.edu/publications/independence_genomes/.
Transient formation of nano‐crystalline structures during fibrillation of an Aβ‐like peptide
Authors: Otzen Daniel E. , Oliveberg Mikael 
Published: April 2004

AbstractDuring the first few minutes of fibrillation of a 14‐residue peptide homologous to the hydrophobic C‐terminal part of the Aβ‐peptide, EM micrographs reveal small crystalline areas (100 to 150 nm, repeating unit 47 Å) scattered in more amorphous material. On a longer time scale, these crystalline areas disappear and are replaced by tangled clusters resembling protofilaments (hours), and eventually by more regular amyloid fibrils of 60 Å to 120 Å diameter (days). The transient population of the crystalline areas indicates the presence of ordered substructures in the early fibrillation process, the diameter of which matches the length of the 14‐mer peptide in an extended β‐strand conformation.
Liver regeneration in FGF‐2‐deficient mice: VEGF acts as potential functional substitute for FGF‐2
Authors: Sturm Jörg , Keese Michael , Zhang Honyue , Bönninghoff Roderich , Magdeburg Richard , Vajkoczy Peter , Dono Rosanna , Zeller Rolf , Gretz Norbert 
Published: April 2004

Background/Aims: The angiogenic properties, its role in mesoderm differentiation and cell culture studies implicate an important role of fibroblast growth factor (FGF‐2) in liver regeneration. The aim of the study was to evaluate this role in a FGF‐2 knockout mouse model.Methods: Liver regeneration after left hemihepatectomy (partial hepatectomy, PH) was evaluated in homozygous FGF‐2 deficient (−/−) mice (male C57BL/6J) and their FGF‐2 competent (+/+) littermates (controls) (day 0–10).Results: FGF‐2‐(−/−) mice displayed normal dynamics in liver regeneration. FGF‐2 protein was overexpressed 4 days post PH in controls. BrdU incorporation showed a biphasic pattern in FGF‐2‐(−/−) mice, whereas it decreased continuously after one peak (day 2) in controls. In FGF‐2‐(−/−) livers hepatic growth factor mRNA post PH was 1 day longer decreased and markedly less elevated thereafter compared with control. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA levels were clearly increased in FGF‐2‐(−/−) mice pre‐ and postoperatively in contrast to controls. VEGF protein levels in livers of FGF‐2‐(−/−) mice were elevated preoperatively, but similar in both groups after PH. With SU5416, a VEGF‐receptor inhibitor, liver regeneration in FGF‐2‐(−/−) mice was reduced significantly, whereas it remained unchanged in controls.Conclusions: Liver regeneration dynamics in FGF‐2‐(−/−) mice were comparable with controls, potentially due to a functional substitution of FGF‐2 by VEGF.