bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Posttherapy pathologic stage predicts survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma receiving preoperative chemoradiation
Authors: Chirieac Lucian R. , Swisher Stephen G. , Ajani Jaffer A. , Komaki Ritsuko R. , Correa Arlene M. , Morris Jeffrey S. , Roth Jack A. , Rashid Asif , Hamilton Stanley R. , Wu Tsung‐Teh 
Published: February 2005

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn patients with locoregional carcinoma of the esophagus or esophagogastric junction who underwent preoperative chemoradiation, it is unclear whether survival was better predicted by pretherapy clinical stage or by posttherapy pathologic stage.METHODSThe authors studied 235 consecutive patients with pretherapy clinical Stage II, III, or IVA (according to American Joint Committee on Cancer criteria) carcinoma of the esophagus or esophagogastric junction who were treated with chemoradiation followed by esophagectomy. Posttherapy cancer status was classified using pathologic stage and semiquantitative assessment of residual carcinoma. Clinicopathologic features, residual carcinoma status, and pretherapy and posttherapy stage were compared with disease‐free and overall survival.RESULTSPosttherapy pathologic stage was Stage 0 in 29% of patients, Stage I in 11% of patients, Stage II in 34% of patients, Stage III in 20% of patients, and Stage IV in 6% of patients. Cancer downstaging occurred in 56% of patients. In univariate analysis, disease‐free and overall survival were predicted by posttherapy pathologic stage (both with P < 0.001), margin status (P = 0.002 and P = 0.01, respectively), extent of residual carcinoma (both with P < 0.001), and downstaging (both with P = 0.001), but not by age, gender, type of cancer, pretherapy clinical stage, or preoperative regimen. However, in multivariate analysis, disease‐free and overall survival were independently predicted by posttherapy pathologic stage (both with P = 0.02). Extent of residual carcinoma was a marginally significant predictor of overall survival (P = 0.04).CONCLUSIONSPosttherapy pathologic stage was the best available predictor of outcome for patients with locoregional carcinoma of the esophagus or esophagogastric junction who underwent chemoradiation therapy followed by esophagectomy. The findings in the current study supported the concept of downstaging by preoperative therapy. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Respirometric estimation of the oxygen affinity constants for biological ammonium and nitrite oxidation
Authors: Guisasola Albert , Jubany Irene , Baeza Juan A , Carrera Julián , Lafuente Javier 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThe nitrification process (ie biological ammonium oxidation to nitrate) is a two‐step process with nitrite as an intermediate product. As it is an aerobic process, its kinetics is highly dependent on the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the medium. However, the influence of this limitation on the nitritation (first step) is shown to be less important than in the nitratation (second step). This dependence on DO concentration is generally described using a Monod‐type kinetics with KO as the oxygen affinity constant. In this work, a procedure for the calculation of both affinity constants is presented. This procedure is based on monitoring the DO drop in the reactor when external aeration is stopped and the biomass is consuming without substrate (ammonium or nitrite) limitations. This methodology includes the contemplation of the oxygen transfer from the atmosphere, the response time of the DO probe and the inhibition of the nitratation step with sodium azide when estimating KOA (nitritation oxygen affinity constant). The results obtained are KOA = 0.74 ± 0.02 mg O2 dm−3 and KON = 1.75 ± 0.01 mg O2 dm−3. Moreover the influence of the aforementioned considerations on the estimated KO values is also discussed. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Modelling of the pervaporative flux through hydrophilic membranes
Authors: Ortiz Inmaculada , Gorri Daniel , Casado Clara , Urtiaga Ane 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThis work presents a simplified model of wide applicability for the determination of the pervaporation flux through hydrophilic membranes, provided that the adsorption isotherm of the permeating species onto the pervaporation membrane has a linear shape. The model predicts the pervaporation flux as a function of the activity of the penetrant in the liquid phase and the operation temperature. Experimental results obtained working with two polymeric membranes (CMC‐CF‐23 and Pervap 2256) applied to the dehydration of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and to the separation of methanol from alcohol–ether mixtures, respectively, have been satisfactorily correlated and the characterising parameters have been obtained. Furthermore, the model has been also tested against results obtained with two ceramic membranes, Pervap SMS and zeolite NaA, applied to the dehydration of ketonic mixtures and of tetrahydrofuran respectively. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Use of a spouted bed to improve the storage stability of wheat germ followed in paper and polyethlyene packages
Authors: Yöndem‐Makascıoǧlu Füsun , Gürün Burak , Dik Tunay , Suzan Kıncal N 
Published: February 2005

AbstractStabilization of wheat germ by heating in a spouted bed for 180–540 s with air at 140–200 °C was studied. The lipase activity decreased by 6–65%. Wheat germ processed at 200 °C for 360 s was ranked highest in sensory evaluation, described as having ‘a golden color’ and ‘nutty flavor’, and its lipoxygenase activity had decreased by 91.2%. This product and raw wheat germ were stored in paper, polyethylene and vacuum‐packed polyethylene pouches at 5 °C, room temperature (18–26 °C) and 40 °C, and the moisture contents, water activities, free fatty acid contents and peroxide values were followed for 20 weeks. The increases were faster in paper pouches than in the polyethylene ones; vacuum packaging in polyethylene did not bring about significant improvement. The peroxide values of raw samples exceeded 10 meq O2 kg−1 oil after 3–23 days while those of the processed samples stored at room temperature or 5 °C were still less than 10 after 20 weeks. The free fatty acid content and peroxide value changes were expressed by zero order kinetics, resulting in similar activation energies for the raw and processed samples. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
PEG‐Grafted Chitosan as an Injectable Thermoreversible Hydrogel
Authors: Bhattarai Narayan , Matsen Frederick A. , Zhang Miqin 
Published: February 2005

AbstractSummary: PEG‐grafted chitosan was formulated such that its solution undergoes a thermally reversed phase transition from an injectable free‐flowing solution at low temperature to a gel at body temperature. Aqueous solutions of PEG‐grafted chitosan can be prepared at physiological pH values, thereby allowing safe incorporation of bioactive molecules. This injectable thermoreversible hydrogel is potentially suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications, particularly in sustained in vivo drug release and tissue engineering.An aqueous solution of PEG‐grafted chitosan polymer is injectable at low temperatures but forms a gel at body temperature.magnified imageAn aqueous solution of PEG‐grafted chitosan polymer is injectable at low temperatures but forms a gel at body temperature.
Intelligent Crew‐Cut Aggregates Formed by Thermosensitive Block Copolymers and Their Multiple Morphologies
Authors: Chen Xiangrong , Ding Xiaobin , Zheng Zhaohui , Peng Yuxing 
Published: February 2005

AbstractSummary: The thermosensitive block copolymer poly(2‐cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)‐block‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PCEMA‐b‐PNIPAAm) can form crew‐cut aggregates with multiple morphologies under various micellization conditions. Spherical, rod‐like, vesicular, lamellar aggregates, and large compound micelles were obtained from the block copolymers. The effects of different conditions, such as the copolymer composition, the nature of the common solvent, the initial copolymer concentrations, and the water content on the morphologies of the aggregates were studied in detail. The thermosensitive property of the aggregates was investigated through measuring the change of the dimension of the aggregates with changing the external temperature.Schematic illustration of the structural transition behavior of spherical crew‐cut aggregatesmagnified imageSchematic illustration of the structural transition behavior of spherical crew‐cut aggregates
Properties and Characterization of Filled Poly(Propylene) Composites Crosslinked Through Siloxane Linkage
Authors: Sirisinha Kalyanee , Kawko Keskanok 
Published: February 2005

AbstractSummary: The silane‐grafting and water‐crosslinking of poly(propylene) (PP) and its composites with calcium carbonate are described. Particular consideration is made on the properties and characterization of the grafted‐ and crosslinked‐products. Silane‐grafting of the polymers was performed in the melt by the use of vinyltrimethoxysilane and dicumyl peroxide. The results show that during the grafting process, PP chain‐scission was accompanied as a side reaction. Peroxide concentration was found to be a major factor in determining the extents of grafting and PP degradation. After conducting a crosslinking reaction, the degree of crosslink determined from the direct measurement of gel content and indirect method by evaluating FTIR data was compared. The effects of silane crosslink on the thermal and mechanical properties of the PP composites were discussed. A combined effect of filler and silane crosslink network in enhancing composite modulus, tensile stress, heat distortion, and decomposition temperatures is evident.Formation of stable siloxane linkages.imageFormation of stable siloxane linkages.
Polymer Ionomers for Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing by Means of 3D Printing
Authors: Pfister Andreas , Walz Uwe , Laib Andres , Mülhaupt Rolf 
Published: February 2005

AbstractSummary: The powder blend of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with zinc oxide or zinc oxide/magnesium oxide was applied successfully to produce zinc polycarboxylate during the 3D dispensing of an aqueous ink by means of 3D printers (Z402™ from ZCorporation and Deskmodeler™ from bmt Company). The layer‐by‐layer inkjet printing afforded zinc ionomer 3D objects with excellent water resistance, no inherent color formation and high mechanical and dimensional stabilities. In contrast to the 3D printing of conventional powders such as starch/cellulose/dextrose blends, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or plaster, no postprinting treatments were required. Excellent dimensional accuracy of the models, as evidenced by very small deviation of the dimensions from those of the corresponding CAD data, was achieved. The mechanical properties improved with increasing PAA content, ink amount (saturation value), decreasing particle size of the sintered zinc oxide ceramic. At high PAA content >7 wt.‐%, post‐treatment with aqueous zinc acetate solution improved the mechanical properties. The setting time of the zinc cements shows no significant effect on the mechanical properties, but on the water resistance of the models. The porosity of the 3D objects, measured by means of X‐ray microtomography (μ‐CT), had profound impact on the variations of the mechanical properties of the 3D objects prepared by 3D printing processes.Comparison of three‐point‐bending tests of commercially available powders with selected zinc cements (ZC1, ZC2, ZC4, ZC19). Commercially available powders printed with recommended values of manufacturer. Zinc cements printed with saturation value 1.14 (Z402™).imageComparison of three‐point‐bending tests of commercially available powders with selected zinc cements (ZC1, ZC2, ZC4, ZC19). Commercially available powders printed with recommended values of manufacturer. Zinc cements printed with saturation value 1.14 (Z402™).
Interaction between eye and hand movements in multiple sclerosis patients with intention tremor
Authors: Feys Peter , Helsen Werner F. , Liu Xuguang , Nuttin Bart , Lavrysen Ann , Swinnen Stephan P. , Ketelaer Pierre 
Published: February 2005

AbstractDeficient eye and hand movements are present in patients with multiple sclerosis. In the present study, eye and hand movements were simultaneously measured during visually guided wrist step‐tracking tasks in 16 patients with intention tremor and 15 healthy controls. The coupling between eye and hand movements was analyzed during simultaneous eye–hand tracking, and interactions were studied by comparing the coordinated eye–hand condition with isolated eye‐ or hand‐tracking conditions. Despite movement abnormalities, the onset of eye and hand movements was highly correlated and an invariant coupling between the saccadic completion time and hand peak velocity was found, suggesting that the temporal coupling was very much preserved. The differences between the experimental tracking conditions suggest that, in MS patients with intention tremor, the ocular system influenced the hand movements. Intention tremor amplitude was reduced when there was no preceding saccadic eye movement, whereas conversely, eye movements were not affected by different hand tremor severity. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Identification of motor and nonmotor wearing‐off in Parkinson's disease: Comparison of a patient questionnaire versus a clinician assessment
Authors: Stacy Mark , Bowron Annette , Guttman Mark , Hauser Robert , Hughes Kim , Larsen Jan Petter , LeWitt Peter , Oertel Wolfgang , Quinn Niall , Sethi Kapil , Stocchi Fabrizio 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThis study compares the sensitivity of a Patient Questionnaire versus information gathered by clinicians at a routine clinic visit in recognizing symptoms of wearing‐off in early Parkinson's disease (PD). This Patient Questionnaire, containing 32 items representing a wide spectrum of motor and nonmotor wearing‐off symptoms, was administered to subjects attending two PD clinics. The Patient Questionnaire results were compared to the information gathered by the clinician from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part IV, Question 36 and from a specific Clinical Assessment Question regarding loss of medication efficacy, wearing‐off, sleepiness, dyskinesias, psychiatric complications, morning akinesia, other dopaminergic side effects, or none of the above. Examiners were blinded to study hypothesis and survey contents. Three hundred consecutive subjects with PD of <5 years duration were evaluated; the mean subject age was 72 ± 9.6 years and 60.2% were men. Subjects reporting wearing‐off were significantly younger (69.9 vs. 74.7 years) and differed regarding duration of PD symptoms (3.7 vs. 3.1 years). Wearing‐off was found in 181 subjects (62.6%) by one or more of the three measures. The most sensitive tool was the Patient Questionnaire, with 165 subjects (57.1%) indicating symptoms of wearing‐off. Question 36 of the UPDRS was positive in 127 subjects (43.9%), and the Clinical Assessment Question identified 85 subjects (29.4%) as experiencing wearing‐off. All of these results were found to differ significantly. The mean number of wearing‐off symptoms reported by the 165 subjects indicating wearing‐off on the clinical survey was 6.25, with tremor being the most common motor feature and tiredness the most common nonmotor feature. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Mixed lineage kinase–c‐jun N‐terminal kinase signaling pathway: A new therapeutic target in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Silva Robert M. , Kuan Chia‐Yi , Rakic Pasko , Burke Robert E. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThere is growing evidence that the molecular pathways of programmed cell death play a role in neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson's disease, so there has been increased interest in them as therapeutic targets for the development of neuroprotective strategies. One pathway of cell death that has attracted particular attention is the mixed lineage kinase (MLK) –c‐jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) signaling cascade, which leads to the phosphorylation and activation of the transcription factor c‐jun. There is much evidence, from in vitro and in vivo studies, that this cascade can mediate cell death. In addition, there is evidence that it is operative upstream in the death process. It is possible that abrogation of this pathway may forestall death before irreversible cellular injury. One class of compounds that has shown promise for their ability to block cell death by inhibiting this cascade are the inhibitors of the MLKs, which are upstream in the activation of c‐jun. One of these compounds, CEP1347, is now in a Phase II/III clinical trial for neuroprotection in PD. Whether this trial is successful or not, this signaling cascade is likely to be a focus of future therapeutic development. This review, therefore, outlines the principles of signaling within this kinase pathway, and the evidence for its role in cell death. We review the evidence that inhibition of the MLKs can prevent dopamine neuron cell death and the degeneration of their axons. These studies suggest important future directions for the development of therapies that will target this important cell death pathway. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Striatal synaptic plasticity: Implications for motor learning and Parkinson's disease
Authors: Pisani Antonio , Centonze Diego , Bernardi Giorgio , Calabresi Paolo 
Published: February 2005

AbstractChanging the strength of synaptic connections between neurons is widely assumed to be the mechanism by which memory traces are encoded and stored in the central nervous system. Plastic changes appear to follow a regional specialization and underlie the specific type of memory mediated by the brain area in which plasticity occurs. Thus, long‐term changes occurring at excitatory corticostriatal synapses should be critically involved in motor learning. Indeed, repetitive stimulation of the corticostriatal pathway can cause either a long‐lasting increase or an enduring decrease in synaptic strength, respectively referred to as long‐term potentiation (LTP), and long‐term depression, both requiring a complex sequence of biochemical events. Once established, LTP can be reversed to control levels by a low‐frequency stimulation protocol, an active phenomenon defined “synaptic depotentiation,” required to erase redundant information. In the 6‐hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD), striatal synaptic plasticity has been shown to be impaired, although chronic treatment with levodopa was able to restore it. Of interest, a consistent number of L‐dopa–treated animals developed involuntary movements, resembling human dyskinesias. Strikingly, electrophysiological recordings from the dyskinetic group of rats demonstrated a selective impairment of synaptic depotentiation. This survey will provide an overview of plastic changes occurring at striatal synapses. The potential relevance of these findings in the control of motor function and in the pathogenesis both of PD and L‐dopa–induced motor complications will be discussed. © 2005 Movement Disorder Society
Self‐assembled honeycomb polycarbonate films deposited on polymer piezoelectric substrates and their applications
Authors: Bormashenko Edward , Pogreb Roman , Stanevsky Oleg , Bormashenko Yelena , Socol Yehoshua , Gendelman Oleg 
Published: February 2005

AbstractSelf‐assembled honeycomb polycarbonate films were deposited on polymer piezoelectric (poled polyvinylidene fluoride) substrates under a fast dip‐coating process. Ordered structures with micro‐scaled pores dispersed in the polycarbonate matrix were obtained, demonstrating two‐dimensional (2D) hexagonal packing. A theoretical model explaining the self‐assembling process is proposed. Fabricated structures have a potential as 2D tunable photonic crystals. Photonic bandgap location was estimated. Visible‐IR transmittance spectrum of the self‐assembled films was studied with a FT‐IR spectrometer. Diffraction properties of the honeycomb patterns were investigated. High transparency of the components makes possible IR optics applications of obtained structures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Short carbon fiber reinforced aromatic polydisulfide derived from cyclic (4,4′‐oxybis(benzene)disulfide) via ring‐opening polymerization
Authors: Song L. N. , Du X. S. , Xiao M. , Meng Y. Z. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractMorphology, mechanical and thermal properties of short carbon fiber reinforced poly(arylene disulfide) synthesized by ring‐opening reaction of cyclic(arylene disulfide) oligomers were studied. These macrocyclic oligomers were prepared from 4,4′‐oxybis(benzenethiol) by oxidation coupling cyclization. Ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) was carried out by in situ melt molding in air. Oxidation reaction during the ROP was detected using the Raman spectrum technique. Three‐point bending tests were performed to determine the flexural properties of neat polymers and the composites. The results showed that the flexural strength and modulus of poly(arylene disulfide)/carbon fiber composites were greatly enhanced with the carbon fiber addition. The maximum weight loss peak temperatures of the composites increased with increasing short carbon fiber content. Good adhesion between carbon fiber and the matrix was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intrinsically conducting polymers for electromagnetic interference shielding
Authors: Wang Yangyong , Jing Xinli 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThis paper summarizes and reviews the research on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding with intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs), mainly polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPY), and their composites in various frequency ranges. ICPs are new alternative candidates for EMI shielding applications due to their lightweight, corrosion resistance, ease of processing, and tunable conductivities as compared with typical metals. More importantly, the dominant shielding characteristic of absorption other than that of reflection for metals render ICPs more promising materials in applications requiring not only high EMI shielding effectiveness but also shielding by absorption, such as in stealth technology. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spin structure and properties of the correlation matrices corresponding to pure spin states: Controlling the S‐representability of these matrices
Authors: Alcoba D. R. , Valdemoro C. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractIn this paper we investigate the S‐representability conditions that a two‐body correlation matrix must satisfy when the N‐electron system is in a given pure spin state. To purify a trial two‐body correlation matrix, the N‐ and S‐representability conditions are combined in a computational procedure for singlet states. This procedure is tested in two calculations on a molecular system and the results are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
Carcinogenic classification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through theoretical descriptors
Authors: Troche Karla S. , Braga Scheila F. , Coluci Vitor R. , Galvão Douglas S. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) constitute an important family of molecules capable of inducing chemical carcinogenesis. In this work we report a comparative structure–activity relationship (SAR) study for 81 PAHs using different methodologies. The recently developed electronic indices methodology (EIM) with quantum descriptors obtained from different semiempirical methods (AM1, PM3, and PM5) was contrasted against more standard pattern recognition methods (PRMs), principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), Kth nearest neighbor (KNN), soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA), and neural networks (NN). Our results show that PRMs validate the statistical value of electronic parameters derived from EIM analysis and their ability to identify active compounds. EIM outperformed more standard SAR methodologies and does not appear to be significantly Hamiltonian‐dependent. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005