bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Formation and Characterization of Inclusion Complexes of Poly(butylene succinate) with α‐ and γ‐Cyclodextrins
Authors: Dong Tungalag , He Yong , Shin Kyung‐moo , Inoue Yoshio 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSummary: The inclusion complexes (ICs) of α‐ and γ‐cyclodextrins (CDs) with high‐molecular‐weight poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) were prepared and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, solid‐state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and solution 1H NMR spectroscopy. The resultant ICs were found to have channel structures. FT‐IR data suggested that the ICs were stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the host CD molecules and the guest PBS chains. Through the formation of ICs, the PBS chain possibly adopts the kink conformation in the included state, as indicated by NMR analysis.Experimental and curve‐fitting FT‐IR spectrum of α‐CD‐PBS IC in the carbonyl region (s, νCO).magnified imageExperimental and curve‐fitting FT‐IR spectrum of α‐CD‐PBS IC in the carbonyl region (s, νCO).
Enhanced Thermal and Mechanical Properties in Polyurethane/Au Nanocomposites
Authors: Hsu Shan‐hui , Chou Chih‐Wei , Tseng Sheng‐Mao 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSummary: We have prepared waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) thin films containing gold nanoparticles by casting WBPU/Au solutions. The effect of the Au nanoparticle contents on the microstructure and properties of the composite films was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), FTIR spectroscopy (FTIR) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The Au nanoparticles initially in the WBPU solution were well dispersed in the WBPU films cast and dried at 60 °C. The thermostability and mechanical properties of the polymer increased with Au contents up to 4.35 × 10−2 wt.‐%, which was believed to be a result of induced crystallization in the presence of Au nanoparticles. The Au/WBPU nanocomposite containing with 6.5 × 10−2 wt.‐% of Au resulted in the aggregation of Au particles, which leads to a worsening of the thermal and mechanical properties.TEM micrograph of nanocomposites filled with 4.35 × 10−2 wt.‐% of Au nanoparticles.imageTEM micrograph of nanocomposites filled with 4.35 × 10−2 wt.‐% of Au nanoparticles.
High‐Throughput Method for Determining Modulus of Polymer Blends
Authors: Simon Carl G. , Eidelman Naomi , Deng Yan , Washburn Newell R. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSummary: A method for rapidly determining the modulus of polymer blends was developed. A polymer blend gradient library of poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D,L‐lactic acid) (PDLLA) was created in the form of a strip‐shaped film and characterized with FTIR microspectroscopy. Nanoindentation measurements were made along the gradients to obtain modulus data over a wide range of PLLA‐PDLLA blend compositions. This novel, high‐throughput approach to material characterization provides engineers with a technique to accelerate the development of materials.Deposition of the polymer composition gradient.imageDeposition of the polymer composition gradient.
F‐bar‐based linear triangles and tetrahedra for finite strain analysis of nearly incompressible solids. Part I: formulation and benchmarking
Authors: Neto E. A.de Souza , Pires F. M. Andrade , Owen D. R. J. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis paper proposes a new technique which allows the use of simplex finite elements (linear triangles in 2D and linear tetrahedra in 3D) in the large strain analysis of nearly incompressible solids. The new technique extends the F‐bar method proposed by de Souza Neto et al. (Int. J. Solids and Struct. 1996; 33: 3277–3296) and is conceptually very simple: It relies on the enforcement of (near‐) incompressibility over a patch of simplex elements (rather than the point‐wise enforcement of conventional displacement‐based finite elements). Within the framework of the F‐bar method, this is achieved by assuming, for each element of a mesh, a modified (F‐bar) deformation gradient whose volumetric component is defined as the volume change ratio of a pre‐defined patch of elements. The resulting constraint relaxation effectively overcomes volumetric locking and allows the successful use of simplex elements under finite strain near‐incompressibility. As the original F‐bar procedure, the present methodology preserves the displacement‐based structure of the finite element equations as well as the strain‐driven format of standard algorithms for numerical integration of path‐dependent constitutive equations and can be used regardless of the constitutive model adopted. The new elements are implemented within an implicit quasi‐static environment. In this context, a closed form expression for the exact tangent stiffness of the new elements is derived. This allows the use of the full Newton–Raphson scheme for equilibrium iterations. The performance of the proposed elements is assessed by means of a comprehensive set of benchmarking two‐ and three‐dimensional numerical examples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy: a review of the most efficacious pharmacological treatments
Authors: Rogers LC , Alam U , Tesfaye S , Malik RA 
Published: December 2004

AbstractPainful diabetic neuropathy is a common and troubling complication of diabetes. Many current treatments are based on anecdotal reports or relatively small clinical trials in which the efficacy of the agents is questionable, reflecting the fact that none is specifically licensed for the management of painful diabetic neuropathy. Despite these limitations the authors provide a practical algorithm based on a number needed to treat analysis together with an assessment of drug safety. We advocate an improvement in overall glycaemic control together with a reduction in glucose flux, coupled with a stepwise approach starting with a tricyclic, followed by gabapentin, tramadol and carbamazepine. We do not recommend combination treatment. Copyright ©2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Combination treatment of insulin with oral hypoglycaemic agents in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Dixon AN 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe recently published guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the management of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes and the NICE guidelines on the use of the long‐acting insulin analogue, glargine, have brought to the fore the use of combination therapy of insulin with oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs). The NICE guidelines recommend that when a patient with type 2 diabetes is failing to achieve satisfactory glycaemic control with OHAs alone, insulin should be initiated in combination with OHAs. However, evidence for this approach is less than robust and combination treatment of OHAs with insulin remains a controversial area. This article presents the evidence for different insulin regimens in patients who have secondary failure to OHAs, including combination therapy with basal insulin. The evidence and potential drawbacks of such regimens are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of oxalic acid on the rheological properties of dope solution of poly[acrylonitrile‐co‐(methyl acrylate)‐co‐(itaconic acid)]
Authors: Devasia Renjith , Reghunadhan Nair CP , Ninan KN 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe very high dope viscosity of concentrated dope of poly[acrylonitrile‐co‐(methyl acrylate)‐co‐(itaconic acid)] (with M̄v = 10.67 × 105g mol−1) in DMF could be diminished significantly by the addition of oxalic acid (OXA). The change in steady shear rheological behaviour caused by OXA has been analysed for the dope using a rheometer working in the viscosity mode. The temperature dependence of η0 conformed to the Arrhenius‐Frenkel‐Eyring equation. ΔGv decreased marginally with OXA concentration, and the least value was observed at an OXA concentration of 0.63 % by weight. Shear thinning behaviour was observed under higher shear rates for the terpolymer solutions in the presence and absence of OXA. The pseudoplasticity index (n) showed an abrupt initial increase on addition of OXA. The OXA concentration of 0.63 % by weight was advantageous for decreasing the viscosity of the polymer dope. The reduction in viscosity is attributed to the disturbed polymer‐polymer interactions by way of H‐bonding of OXA with the polymer. OXA‐containing dope at higher shear rate could achieve very low viscosities. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Synthesis and characterization of monosubstituted and disubstituted poly(3,4‐propylenedioxythiophene) derivatives with high electrochromic contrast in the visible region
Authors: Mishra Sarada P. , Krishnamoorthy K. , Sahoo Rabindra , Kumar Anil 
Published: December 2004

AbstractMonosubstituted and disubstituted 3,4‐propylenedioxythiophenes were synthesized and polymerized by both chemical and electrochemical methods. All the monomers were characterized for their molecular structures, and the polymers were characterized for their electrochemical properties. The disubstituted derivatives showed higher contrast than the corresponding monoalkyl derivatives. The highest electrochromic contrast of 89% was exhibited by a dibenzyl derivative, but the derivative was insoluble. On the other hand, the electrochemically polymerized dihexyl‐ and didodecyl‐substituted poly(3,4‐propylenedioxythiophene)s exhibited 74 and 77% electrochromic contrast, respectively, and were soluble. The molecular weights of the chemically and electrochemically synthesized polymers were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography. The chemically synthesized polymers showed higher molecular weights. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 419–428, 2005
Prenatal ultrasound findings of lissencephaly associated with Miller–Dieker syndrome and comparison with pre‐ and postnatal magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Fong K. W. , Ghai S. , Toi A. , Blaser S. , Winsor E. J. T. , Chitayat D. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractObjectiveTo report on the prenatal ultrasound findings in fetuses with lissencephaly associated with Miller–Dieker syndrome (MDS) and to compare these findings with those of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).MethodsCases of MDS confirmed by postnatal chromosome microdeletion analysis were identified through review of patient records. Prenatal ultrasound scans were reviewed retrospectively by two radiologists. For cerebral cortical development, the Sylvian, parieto‐occipital and calcarine fissures, and the cingulate sulcus and sulci over the cerebral convexity were evaluated. If one or more of these fissures or sulci were not visualized at the expected gestational age or their appearance was abnormal for gestational age, cortical development was considered delayed. Prenatal and postnatal MRI examinations were reviewed by a pediatric neuroradiologist.ResultsThere were seven cases of MDS. In three cases, the prenatal diagnosis of agyria/lissencephaly was prospectively suspected by ultrasound at 23, 26 and 30 weeks, and subsequently confirmed by prenatal MRI. When we retrospectively reviewed the prenatal ultrasound scans of all fetuses, all had delayed cortical development identified on ultrasound performed after 23 weeks' gestation. In all cases the Sylvian fissure was abnormal on both ultrasound and MRI. In one fetus, a normal cortical appearance for gestational age was seen at the initial 20‐week ultrasound examination, but delayed cortical development was identified at a 24‐week scan. Mild ventriculomegaly was seen in six fetuses and dysgenesis of the corpus callosum in one. Extracranial abnormalities were detected in five fetuses. Delayed cortical development was seen in two fetuses with mild ventriculomegaly, but no other fetal anomalies.ConclusionsIn fetuses with MDS, delayed cortical development can be suspected on ultrasound as early as 23 weeks' gestation. This finding warrants further investigations including MRI and FISH analysis for chromosome 17p13.3 deletion. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sexual behavior in a one‐male unit of Rhinopithecus bieti in captivity
Authors: Cui Liang‐Wei , Xiao Wen 
Published: December 2004

AbstractData regarding the sexual behavior of black‐and‐white snub‐nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) were collected in 1998 in a one‐male unit in captivity by all‐occurrences sampling during the mating season. Before the present study, little was known about the sexual behavior of this species. This study showed that female solicitation is mainly expressed as “prostration plus glancing laterally” (PG) or “sitting plus head moving up and down” (HM), and male solicitation is exhibited by the “grunt bared‐teeth display.” The mount‐to‐ejaculation ratio was 5.2 on average, and single‐mount ejaculations (SMEs) were observed in only 4.4% of mounts on days with at least one ejaculation. Therefore, the main copulatory pattern of this species is multiple‐mount ejaculation (MME). Females initiated 72% of 18 ejaculatory mounts. Females initiated more ejaculatory mounts than non‐ejaculatory ones. In general, the patterns of sexual behavior in this species are similar to those reported for other Colobines. Zoo Biol 23:545–550, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Light interception and utilization of four grain legumes sown at different plant populations and depths
Authors: AYAZ S. , McKENZIE B. A. , McNEIL D. L. , HILL G. D. 
Published: December 2004

Canopy development, radiation absorption and its utilization for yield was studied in four grain legume species Cicer arietinum, Lens culinaris, Lupinus angustifolius and Pisum sativum. The grain legumes were grown at different plant populations and sowing depths over two seasons in Canterbury, New Zealand. The green area index (GAI), intercepted radiation, radiation use efficiency (RUE) and total intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) increased significantly (P<0·001) with increased plant population. Narrow-leafed lupin produced the highest maximum biomass (878 and 972 g/m2, averaged over all populations during 1998/99 and 1999/2000, respectively) and intercepted more radiation (600 and 714 MJ/m2, averaged over all populations during 1998/99 and 1999/2000, respectively) than the other three legumes. In all four species, in both trials, the highest plant populations reached their peak GAI about 7–10 days earlier than legumes sown at low populations. Cumulative intercepted PAR was strongly associated with seed yield and crop harvest index (CHI).The RUE increased (from 1·10 to 1·46 and from 1·04 to 1·34 g/MJ during 1998/99 and 1999/2000, respectively) as plant population increased and was highest in the highest yielding species (e.g. 146 and 1·36 g/MJ for narrow-leafed lupin in both experiments). The larger leaf canopies produced at the higher plant populations reduced the extinction coefficient (k).The results suggest that in the subhumid temperate environment of Canterbury, grain legume species should be selected for the development of a large GAI. This should maximize PAR interception, DM production and, consequently, seed yield.
The noble gas xenon induces pharmacological preconditioning in the rat heart in vivo via induction of PKC‐ɛ and p38 MAPK
Authors: Weber Nina C , Toma Octavian , Wolter Jessica I , Obal Detlef , Müllenheim Jost , Preckel Benedikt , Schlack Wolfgang 
Published: December 2004

Xenon is an anesthetic with minimal hemodynamic side effects, making it an ideal agent for cardiocompromised patients. We investigated if xenon induces pharmacological preconditioning (PC) of the rat heart and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms.
For infarct size measurements, anesthetized rats were subjected to 25 min of coronary artery occlusion followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Rats received either the anesthetic gas xenon, the volatile anesthetic isoflurane or as positive control ischemic preconditioning (IPC) during three 5‐min periods before 25‐min ischemia. Control animals remained untreated for 45 min. To investigate the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), rats were pretreated with the PKC inhibitor calphostin C (0.1 mg kg−1) or the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 (1 mg kg−1). Additional hearts were excised for Western blot and immunohistochemistry.
Infarct size was reduced from 50.9±16.7% in controls to 28.1±10.3% in xenon, 28.6±9.9% in isoflurane and to 28.5±5.4% in IPC hearts. Both, calphostin C and SB203580, abolished the observed cardioprotection after xenon and isoflurane administration but not after IPC. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot assay revealed an increased phosphorylation and translocation of PKC‐ɛ in xenon treated hearts. This effect could be blocked by calphostin C but not by SB203580. Moreover, the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was induced by xenon and this effect was blocked by calphostin C.
In summary, we demonstrate that xenon induces cardioprotection by PC and that activation of PKC‐ɛ and its downstream target p38 MAPK are central molecular mechanisms involved. Thus, the results of the present study may contribute to elucidate the beneficial cardioprotective effects of this anesthetic gas.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2005) 144, 123–132. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706063
UMP kinase fromStreptococcus pneumoniae: evidence for co-operative ATP binding and allosteric regulation
Authors: FASSY Florence , KREBS Odile , LOWINSKI Maryse , FERRARI Paul , WINTER Jacques , COLLARD-DUTILLEUL Véronique , SALAHBEY HOCINI Khadidja 
Published: December 2004

UMP kinase catalyses the phosphorylation of UMP by ATP to yield UDP and ADP. In prokaryotes, the reaction is carried out by a hexameric enzyme, activated by GTP and inhibited by UTP. In the present study, Streptococcus pneumoniae UMP kinase was studied as a target for antibacterial research and its interest was confirmed by the demonstration of the essentiality of the gene for cell growth. In the presence of MnCl2 or MgCl2, the saturation kinetics of recombinant purified UMP kinase was hyperbolic for UMP (Km=0.1 mM) and sigmoidal for ATP (the substrate concentration at half-saturation S0.5=9.4±0.7 mM and n=1.9±0.1 in the presence of MgCl2). GTP increased the affinity for ATP and decreased the Hill coefficient (n). UTP decreased the affinity for ATP and only slightly increased the Hill coefficient. The kcat (175±13 s−1 in the presence of MgCl2) was not affected by the addition of GTP or UTP, whose binding site was shown to be different from the active site. The hydrodynamic radius of the protein similarly decreased in the presence of ATP or GTP. There was a shift in the pH dependence of the activity when the ATP concentration was switched from low to high. These results support the hypothesis of an allosteric transition from a conformation with low affinity for ATP to a form with high affinity, which would be induced by the presence of ATP or GTP.
Mutations in the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin demonstrate the role of domains II and III in specificity towards Spodoptera exigua larvae
Authors: HERRERO Salvador , GONZÁLEZ-CABRERA Joel , FERRÉ Juan , BAKKER Petra L. , de MAAGD Ruud A. 
Published: December 2004

Several mutants of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin affected with regard to specific activity towards Spodoptera exigua were studied. Alanine was used to replace single residues in loops 2 and 3 of domain II (mutant pPB19) and to replace residues 541–544 in domain III (mutant pPB20). Additionally, a Cry1Ca mutant combining all mutations was constructed (mutant pPB21). Toxicity assays showed a marked decrease in toxicity against S. exigua for all mutants, while they retained their activity against Manduca sexta, confirming the importance of these residues in determining insect specificity. Parameters for binding to the specific receptors in BBMV (brush border membrane vesicles) of S. exigua were determined for all toxins. Compared with Cry1Ca, the affinity of mutant pPB19 was slightly affected (2-fold lower), whereas the affinity of the mutants with an altered domain III (pPB20 and pPB21) was approx. 8-fold lower. Activation of Cry1Ca protoxin by incubation with S. exigua or M. sexta BBMV revealed the transient formation of an oligomeric form of Cry1Ca. The presence of this oligomeric form was tested in the activation of the different Cry1Ca mutants, and we found that those mutated in domain II (pPB19 and pPB21) could not generate the oligomeric form when activated by S. exigua BBMV. In contrast, when oligomerization was tested using BBMV prepared from M. sexta, all of the Cry1Ca mutants showed the formation of a similar oligomeric form as did the wild-type toxin. Our results show how modification of insect specificity can be achieved by manipulation of different parts of the toxin structure involved in different steps of the mode of action of B. thuringiensis toxins.
Sade's Footnotes
Authors: Phillips John 
Published: December 2004

Abstract

Focusing upon the use of the footnote in
Histoire de Juliette
, this article builds upon earlier work on Sade's footnotes, notably by Andreas Pfersmann and Lucienne Frappier-Mazur, and draws upon the narratological perspectives of Gérard Genette and the Derridean theory of the supplement, to examine how the note provides authorial support for the discourse of the main text, and so may be said to form an integral part of it, rather than a mere peripheral element. As the only site from which the author can regularly interrupt Juliette's first-person narrative to address the reader directly, I argue that the note facilitates the construction of an authorial voice, aimed at the intellectual (rather than physical) seduction of the reader, a voice which depends for its effects on parodic humour and rhetorical persuasion. Such persuasion depends in turn on the construction of a believable world in which
libertine
ideas and values hold sway. This believable world, which the footnotes play such a crucial role in creating, nevertheless belongs to the imaginary and not the real. I conclude that Sade's marginally located footnote occupies centre stage in the drama of authorial desire repeatedly and obsessively re-enacted in the imaginary of his text.
REVEILING THE WOMAN: PASSION, PRESENCE, AND INTERTEXTUALITY IN MICHEL LEIRIS'S
FOURBIS
Authors: Hand Seán 
Published: December 2004

Abstract

The article recalls how woman is the primary signifier of Leiris’s desire for presence before examining the most powerful example of this effect: namely the account given, in the closing chapter of
Fourbis
, ‘Vois! Déjà l’ange...’, of Leiris’s relationship with an Algerian prostitute called Khadidja, while he was stationed as a soldier in North Africa during the ’drôle de guerre’. The article shows how the colonial situation is intertextually recast and obscured; it draws on Nerval, European modernism, opera and numerous classical references, as well as on Leiris’s own ethnographic writing. The conclusion points up how the multiplication and erasure of Khadidja as an object of desire rhythmically confirm the consuming presence of Leiris as a passionate subject.