bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of the cultivation conditions on ligninolytic enzyme production in Pleurotus pulmonarius
Authors: Stajic Mirjana , Vukojevic Jelena , Duletic-Lausevic Sonja
Published: July 2008

The highest level of laccase activity (391 Ul-1), as well as significant Mn-oxidizing peroxidases production, were found in solid-state culture with grapevine sawdust as the carbon source. After purification of extracellular crude enzyme mixture of Pleurotus pulmonarius, grown in the medium with the best carbon source (grapevine sawdust), three peaks of laccase activity were noted. The results obtained by purification also showed that the levels of phenol red oxidation, in absence of external Mn2+, were higher than phenol red oxidation levels in presence of external Mn2+. The highest laccase activity was in the medium with grapevine sawdust, as carbon source, and NH4Cl at a nitrogen concentration of 30 mM (441 Ul-1). The best nitrogen source for Mn-oxidizing peroxidase production was NH4NO3 at nitrogen concentration of 30 mM. The highest laccase activity was found in the presence of 5 mM Cu2+, and 5 mM Mn2+, respectively. The absence of Cu2+ and Mn2+, as well as their presence at the concentration of 1 mM, led to the peaks of Mn-oxidizing peroxidases activities. Zn2+ and Fe2+ caused a decrease, and Se, in all investigated forms, an increase of laccase and peroxidases activities.
Fat Mass–and Obesity-Associated (FTO) Gene Variant Is Associated With Obesity
Authors: Qi Lu , Kang Kihwa , Zhang Cuilin , van Dam Rob M. , Kraft Peter , Hunter David , Lee Chih-Hao , Hu Frank B.
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVE—To examine the longitudinal association of fat mass–and obesity-associated (FTO) variant with obesity, circulating adipokine levels, and FTO expression in various materials from human and mouse.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We genotyped rs9939609 in 2,287 men and 3,520 women from two prospective cohorts. Plasma adiponectin and leptin were measured in a subset of diabetic men (n = 854) and women (n = 987). Expression of FTO was tested in adipocytes from db/db mice and mouse macrophages.

RESULTS—We observed a trend toward decreasing associations between rs9939609 and BMI at older age (≥65 years) in men, whereas the associations were constant across different age groups in women. In addition, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 was associated with lower plasma adiponectin (log[e]− means, 1.82 ± 0.04, 1.73 ± 0.03, and 1.68 ± 0.05 for TT, TA, and AA genotypes, respectively; P for trend = 0.02) and leptin (log[e]− means, 3.56 ± 0.04, 3.63 ± 0.04, and 3.70 ± 0.06; P for trend = 0.06) in diabetic women. Adjustment for BMI attenuated the associations. FTO gene was universally expressed in human and mice tissues, including adipocytes. In an ancillary study of adipocytes from db/db mice, FTO expression was ∼50% lower than in those from wild-type mice.

CONCLUSIONS—The association between FTO SNP rs9939609 and obesity risk may decline at older age. The variant affects circulating adiponectin and leptin levels through the changes in BMI. In addition, the expression of FTO gene was reduced in adipocytes from db/db mice.
Association of Organochlorine Pesticides with Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Diabetes or Impaired Fasting Glucose
Authors: Lee Duk-Hee , Jacobs David R. , Steffes Michael
Published: July 2008

OBJECTIVE—Recent epidemiological studies have shown that background exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—xenobiotics accumulated in adipose tissue—is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes. Hyperglycemia is the cause of long-term complications of diabetes as well as diabetes itself, and POPs are well-known neurotoxicants. This study was performed to explore whether POPs are associated with peripheral neuropathy, a common long-term complication of diabetes, in people with glucose abnormalities.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We studied cross-sectional associations of peripheral neuropathy with 25 POPs, each of which were detectable in at least 60% of study subjects, in 246 subjects aged ≥40 years with diabetes or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002 datasets.

RESULTS—Among five subclasses of POPs, organochlorine pesticides showed a strong dose-response relation with prevalence of peripheral neuropathy; adjusted ORs were 1.0, 3.6, and 7.3 (P for trend <0.01), respectively, across three categories of serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides. Furthermore, when we restricted the analyses to 187 participants with A1C <7%, the adjusted ORs were still 1.0, 3.9, and 6.7 (P for trend <0.01). Organochlorine pesticides were also strongly associated with the prevalence of A1C ≥7%; adjusted ORs were 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 (P for trend <0.01). Specific POPs belonging to organochlorine pesticides showed similar positive associations.

CONCLUSIONS—This study suggests that background exposure to organochlorine pesticides may be associated with higher risk of peripheral neuropathic complications among those with glucose abnormalities, even beyond the influence of diabetes itself.
Visualizing and Analysing Public-Health Data Using Value-by-Area Cartograms: Toward a New Synthetic Framework
Authors: Sui Daniel Z , Holt James B
Published: July 2008

Although the first use of cartograms for visualizing public-health data can be traced back to the late 1920s, there still exists no systematic study on the effectiveness of this non-conventional cartographic technique in public health. Situated in the literature of three dominating paradigms regarding the nature of maps, this article develops a comprehensive framework for a better understanding of cartograms in public health. Using data from the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we conducted a series of cognitive tests on the effectiveness of cartograms for visualizing public-health data. The effects of using cartograms in spatial statistical analysis were evaluated by comparing analytical results derived from cartograms with those based on choropleth maps. Our results indicate that a comprehensive understanding of cartograms must include cognitive, analytical, and critical dimensions.
Toryism, Classical Liberalism, and Capitalism: The Politics of Taxation and the Struggle for Canadian Confederation
Authors: Smith Andrew
Published: July 2008

Within the four original Canadian provinces, the politics of taxation were a central issue in the struggle to form Confederation, as they were in Newfoundland, the tax-adverse colony that rejected it. For many participants in the Confederation debate, the key issue was the optimal size of the state as a proportion of total economic activity. Janet Ajzenstat, Peter J. Smith, and Ian McKay have argued that Confederation represented a victory for the ideology of liberal individualism that underpins capitalism. The position taken here is that these scholars are mistaken about the ideological nature of Confederation, and that Confederation, instead, was supported by many colonists who were sympathetic to a relatively interventionist, or statist, approach to capitalist development. The anti-confederate camp of the time, by contrast, included the strongest supporters of classical liberal values such as free trade and low taxes. The struggle over Confederation involved a battle between a staunchly individualist economic philosophy and a comparatively collectivist view of the state's proper role in the economy. Consequently, it is far more accurate to describe 1867 as the birth of a Tory-interventionist economic order in Canada, rather than of a liberal one.
Trudeaumania: Participatory Democracy in the Mass-Mediated Nation
Authors: Litt Paul
Published: July 2008

This article examines the 1968 Canadian Liberal leadership race and subsequent federal election with an emphasis on their cultural character rather than political events, situating them within currents of change that affected both Western culture and Canadian nationalism in the late 1960s. It explains how communications between candidate Pierre Trudeau, the media, and a portion of the electorate generated the unusual enthusiasm that was labelled ‘Trudeaumania,’ then considers the implications of this phenomenon for Canadian liberal democracy, focusing on the discrepancy between pseudo-radical Liberal rhetoric such as ‘participatory democracy’ and the mechanics and significance of Trudeau's ascent to power. Trudeaumania coalesced a segment of society that was disproportionately young, urban, middle class, and media literate by playing off of its familiarity with popular culture and promising to renew the nation in accordance with its contemporary values and sense of style.
“Old People Are Useless”: Representations of Aging on The Simpsons
Authors: Blakeborough Darren
Published: July 2008

Le présent article porte sur la façon dont l'émission Les Simpsons illustre le vieillissement, considérée comme de l'âgisme et comme un stéréotype par certains, peut être vue comme un regard positif sur les personnes âgées qui tente de renverser ces mêmes stéréotypes qu'elle semble employer. La génération du baby-boom est maintenant vue comme un groupe économique attrayant et, à mesure que ces personnes avancent en âge, elles attirent de plus en plus l'attention. Une bourse d'études existe actuellement et porte sur la recherche des perceptions face aux «personnes âgées», sur la façon de cibler leurs besoins et de leur présenter des publicités qui leur sont destinées, marginalisée semble-t-il, et représentée dans le contexte plus vaste du média de masse. Fondé principalement sur les idées théoriques de Frederic Jameson et Linda Hutcheon, un pont est construit et place Les Simpsons directement dans une situation d'esthétique postmoderne et, à l'aide de cette rubrique, démontre comment la nature politique inhérente de la parodie ironique peut aider à inverser la signification.
Can Canadian Seniors on Public Pensions Afford a Nutritious Diet?
Authors: Green Rebecca J. , Williams Patricia L. , Johnson C. Shanthi , Blum Ilya
Published: July 2008

La présente étude a évalué si les pensions publiques du Canada (Sécurité de la vieillesse et Régime de pension du Canada) fournissaient aux aînés vivant en Nouvelle-Écosse (N.-É.) un revenu adéquat qui puisse leur permettre de bénéficier d'un régime alimentaire de base nutritif en 2005. Les revenus mensuels ont été comparés aux dépenses mensuelles essentielles de quatre types de ménages: 1) couple marié, 80ans et 78ans, en milieu urbain en Nouvelle-Écosse; 2) homme célibataire, 77ans, en milieu rural en Nouvelle-Écosse; 3) couple, 70ans et 65ans, en milieu rural en Nouvelle-Écosse; 4) veuve, 85ans, en milieu urbain en Nouvelle-Écosse. Le coût mensuel des quatre ménages étaient respectivement de 313,32$, 193,83$, 316,71$ et 150,89$. Les résultats ont indiqué que le ménage de chacun des célibataires manquait des fonds nécessaires pour respecter un régime alimentaire nutritif, tandis que la vie avec un partenaire semblait protéger contre un manque de ressources financières adéquates. Ces résultats illustrent le besoin d'améliorer les régimes de retraite du Canada afin de s'assurer que tous les aînés aient des ressources financières qui leur permettent de subvenir à leurs besoins essentiels, notamment en matière d'obtention d'aliments nutritifs, de prévention des maladies chroniques, et d'amélioration finale de leur qualité de vie.
The Significance of Earth-Eating: Social and Cultural Aspects of Geophagy Among Luo Children
Authors: Geissler P. Wenzel
Published: July 2008

Earth‐eating is common among primary school children in Luoland, western Kenya. This article describes the social significance and meanings attributed to it. Earth‐eating is practised among children before puberty, irrespective of their sex, and among women of reproductive age, but not usually among adult men or old women. To eat earth signifies belonging to the female sphere within the household, which includes children up to adolescence. Through eating earth, or abandoning it, the children express their emerging gender identity. Discourses about earth‐eating, describing the practice as unhealthy and bad, draw on ‘modern’ notions of hygiene, which are imparted, for example, in school. They form part of the discursive strategies with which men especially maintain a dominant position in the community. Beyond the significance of earth‐eating in relation to age, gender and power, it relates to several larger cultural themes, namely fertility, belonging to a place, and the continuity of the lineage. Earth symbolises female, life‐bringing forces. Termite hills, earth from which is eaten by most of the children and women, can symbolise fertility, and represent the house and the home, and the graves of ancestors. Earth‐eating is a form of ‘communion’ with life‐giving forces and with the people with whom one shares land and origin. Earth‐eating is a social practice produced in complex interactions of body, mind and other people, through which children incorporate and embody social relations and cultural values.
Religious Revival in the Roman Catholic Church and the Autochthony–Allochthony Conflict in Cameroon
Authors: Konings Piet
Published: July 2008

This article explores the reasons for, and the repercussions of, a virulent and protracted crisis in the South West Province of anglophone Cameroon during the 1990s caused by the emergence of a Pentecostalism-inspired revival movement within the Roman Catholic Church. The so-called Maranatha movement and main-line Catholicism were viewed by both parties as incompatible, almost leading to a schism within the Church. The originally internal Church dispute gradually became a particularly explosive issue in the region when the politics of belonging, fuelled by the government and the regional elite during political liberalisation, became pervasive.
Maintaining Difference and Managing Change: Female Agrarian Clientelist Relations in a Gambian Community
Authors: Kea Pamela
Published: July 2008

The introduction of dry-season vegetable cultivation on a large scale in Brikama, The Gambia in the early 1970s has led to the development of a new labour system amongst female farmers whereby strangers or clients are given access to land primarily in the dry season for vegetable cultivation in exchange for providing unremunerated labour for hosts for the cultivation of rice in the rainy season. Hosts, who either claim descent from the founding families or have married into founding families, have access to land and control its distribution for women's crops. This article examines the way in which social difference is played out in the acquisition of land and labour through the establishment of agrarian clientelist relations. Agrarian clientelist relations are about the maintenance of host–stranger distinctions and the management of social difference within a rapidly changing Gambian political economy. The nature of these clientelist relations is changing because of the changing relations of agrarian production, related in turn to the introduction of cooperative gardens in the region, the increasing scarcity of farming land and the increasing political power of strangers on a local and national level. The youth, particularly those who are educated, are moving out of farming altogether. Consequently, female hosts are increasingly reliant on their clients' labour. I argue that female hosts attempt to manage these processes of change out of a need to maintain the particular power relations that form the basis for host–stranger distinctions and their existing claims to land and labour. The article examines the tensions and the intra-gender struggles that emerge between female hosts and their client-strangers. In refusing to take the initiative to set up cooperative gardens, female hosts have maintained what they see as their rightful claims to their land and their clients' labour. Hegemonic notions of ‘the correctness of practices’, associated with host–stranger identities, have informed hosts' behaviour and that of their clients, and ultimately influenced the nature of resource allocation.
‘Kachinjaare Coming!’: Encounters Around Medical Research Work in a Kenyan Village
Authors: Geissler P. Wenzel
Published: July 2008

When conducting medical field research in a Luo village in western Kenya, my colleagues and I were occasionally suspected of being blood-thieves, locally calledkachinja. The article contextualizes these blood-stealing accusations within the practices of medical research that prompted them, and within the local historical experiences which, I shall argue, they refer to. Further, it examines two social situations, in which blood-stealing accusations were raised against me and people who were in contact with me, in order to show how thekachinjaidiom is used in social practice, as part of long-term social processes as well as of momentary situations, within local patterns of relatedness. These observations show how global structures and processes are articulated and moulded in a particular locality through idioms that carry memories of individual as well as collective, historical experiences, and how they are enacted by people within webs of contemporary local social relations.
Kinship and Contract in Somali Politics
Authors: Mohamed Jama
Published: July 2008

Traditional Somali politics was based on two dialectically related principles: kinship and contract (tol iyo xeer). Kinship was founded on the segmentary lineage system under which people traced their descent to common male ancestors. Agnates functioned as corporate political groups because they were blood relatives. But the blood relation was not sufficient to establish a political system. Agnates functioned as corporate political groups because they negotiated a social contract that defined the terms of their collective unity.
The Basis of Epistemic Trust: Reliable Testimony or Reliable Sources?
Authors: Koenig Melissa A. , Harris Paul L.
Published: July 2008

What is the nature of children's trust in testimony? Is it based primarily on evidential correlations between statements and facts, as stated by Hume, or does it derive from an interest in the trustworthiness of particular speakers? In this essay, we explore these questions in an effort to understand the developmental course and cognitive bases of children's extensive reliance on testimony. Recent work shows that, from an early age, children monitor the reliability of particular informants, differentiate between those who make true and false claims and keep that differential accuracy in mind when evaluating new information from these people. We argue that this selective trust is likely to involve the mentalistic appraisal of speakers rather than surface generalizations of their behavior. Finally, we review the significance of children's deference to adult authority on issues of naming and categorization. In addition to challenging a purely inductive account of trust, these and other findings reflect a potentially rich set of tools brought by children to the task of learning from people's testimony.
Phylogeny of Rutaceae based on twononcoding regions from cpDNA
Authors: Groppo Milton , Pirani José R. , Salatino Maria L. F. , Blanco Silvia R. , Kallunki Jacquelyn A.
Published: July 2008

Primarily known only by the edible fruits of Citrus, Rutaceae comprise a large (c. 160 genera and 1900 species), morphologically diverse, cosmopolitan family. Of its extraordinary array of secondary chemical compounds, many have medicinal, antimicrobial, insecticidal, or herbicidal properties. To assist with the much‐needed suprageneric reclassification and with studies of evolution of chemical compounds and biogeographic history of the family, here we included sequence data (from two noncoding regions of the chloroplast genome—rps16 intron and trnL‐trnF region) from 65 species in 59 genera (more than one third of those in the family) that represented all subfamilies and tribes and more genera of Toddalioideae and of neotropical groups than previous studies. Results confirmed that Cneorum, Ptaeroxylon, Spathelia, and Dictyoloma form a clade sister to the remaining Rutaceae, none of the subfamilies with more than one genus (except Aurantioideae) is monophyletic, and characters of the ovary and fruit are not reliable for circumscription of subfamilies. Furthermore, clades are better correlated with geographic distributions of the genera than with ovary and fruit characters. Circumscriptions of subfamilies and tribes (and some subtribes of Rutoideae) must be reevaluated. Results are discussed in light of geographic distributions, caryology, chemotaxonomy, and other molecular studies.
Quantitative analysis of lattice ordering in thin film opal‐based photonic crystals
Authors: Khunsin Worawut , Kocher Gudrun , Romanov Sergei G. , Torres Clivia M. Sotomayor
Published: July 2008

This work is devoted to the quantitative evaluation of the lattice ordering of opal films. Assembling colloidal crystals in a moving meniscus under random noise agitation produced opal films with generically the same lattice but different disorders. The lattice ordering is quantified by the magnitudes of harmonics in the Fourier transforms of (i) the scanning electron microscopy images to address the in‐plane lattice ordering and (ii) rotation diagrams of the optical transmission to address the regularity of crystal planes. In prepared opals, the strong deviation of the lattice from the face‐centered cubic symmetry is demonstrated. We find uneven lattice responses to changing the growth conditions, e.g., the 30% improvement of the hexagonal lattice ordering in the (111) growth plane accompanied by a ten‐time better ordering of (220) planes as a result of noise agitation. The suggested approach to characterize crystalline quality of the lattice is a general methodology that can be applied to the analysis of other three‐dimensional photonic crystals.
Rectangular AgIn(WO4)2 Nanotubes: A Promising Photoelectric Material
Authors: Song Shuyan , Zhang Yu , Xing Yan , Wang Cheng , Feng Jing , Shi Weidong , Zheng Guoli , Zhang Hongjie
Published: July 2008

Rectangular AgIn(WO4)2 nanotubes with a diameter range of 80 to 120 nm and length up to 2 µm have been synthesized by a hydrothermal method. These nanotubes exhibit interesting white light emissions when using 320 nm as the excitation wavelength. A photocatalytic reaction for water decomposition to evolve H2 was performed under UV irradiation, and the rate of H2 evolution is nearly seven times that of the sample prepared by a solid‐state reaction, which shows much higher photocatalytic activities compared with their bulk counterparts. The activity of AgIn(WO4)2 nanotubes for degrading rhodamine B in water irradiated by UV light was about twice that of using bulk materials. The formation mechanism of the rectangular nanotubes is proposed based on the anisotropic intrinsic crystalline structure of AgIn(WO4)2. The enhancement of the photoelectric properties is attributed to the nanometer‐scale size and tubular structure.
Cyclodextrin‐Threaded Conjugated Polyrotaxanes for Organic Electronics: The Influence of the Counter Cations
Authors: Latini Gianluca , Parrott Lisa‐Jodie , Brovelli Sergio , Frampton Michael J. , Anderson Harry L. , Cacialli Franco
Published: July 2008

A systematic investigation is reported into the influence of the counter cations on the optical, electrical and electroluminescent properties of polyelectrolytic conjugated polymers and of their cyclodextrin‐threaded rotaxanes. We compare conjugated polyelectrolytes with sulfonated side groups where the anionic charge is balanced by Li+, K+, Cs+, tetramethylammonium (Me4N+) and cryptate‐encapsulated potassium (K+@[2.2.2]). Narrowing (for the unthreaded analogues) and a slight red‐shift of the absorption spectra (for the rotaxanes) are found upon exchange of Li+ for larger cations, together with a blue‐shift and an efficiency enhancement of the luminescence. These effects are similar in nature to those induced by rotaxination, and are therefore assigned to a marked reduction of intermolecular interactions between the conjugated cores. Exchange of Li+ for K+, Cs+, or Me4N+ results in a higher electroluminescence external quantum efficiency (EQE) for both polyrotaxanes and unthreaded polymers. For polyrotaxane‐based devices the EQE increased approximately 7 times upon substitution of Li+ with Cs+ or Me4N+, thereby demonstrating the importance of the selection of the counter‐cations for optimizing the performance of polyelectrolytic conjugated polymers in light‐emitting devices.
Access to Functionalized Isoquinoline N‐Oxides via Sequential Electrophilic Cyclization/Cross‐Coupling Reactions
Authors: Ding Qiuping , Wu Jie
Published: July 2008

Electrophilic cyclization of 2‐alkynylbenzaldoximes with various electrophiles leads to the formation of 4‐iodoisoquinoline N‐oxides or 4‐bromoisoquinoline N‐oxides under mild conditions. The reaction can be transferred to highly functionalized isoquinoline N‐oxides via palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions.
Accuracy, comprehensibility, and use of material safety data sheets: A review
Authors: Nicol Anne‐Marie , Hurrell A. Christie , Wahyuni Desy , McDowall William , Chu Winnie
Published: July 2008

Objectives

Material safety data sheets (MSDSs) are used in workplaces to communicate to workers the hazards of chemical products. This article describes a review of the peer‐reviewed scientific literature regarding the accuracy, comprehensibility and use of MSDSs in the workplace.

Methods

Articles were retrieved via a systematic search of indexes and databases, followed by hand searching and citation index searching. Two reviewers independently read and coded the articles using an iterative matrix.

Results

Of the 280 unique articles retrieved, 24 fit the review criteria. Eligible articles included a range of methodologies: laboratory analyses, site audits, surveys and qualitative inquiry. Articles were grouped into three main topic categories: accuracy and completeness, awareness and use, and comprehensibility. Accuracy and completeness were found to be relatively poor, with the majority of studies presenting evidence that the MSDSs under review did not contain information on all the chemicals present, including those known to be serious sensitizers or carcinogens. Poor presentation and complex language were consistently associated with low comprehensibility among workers. Awareness and use of MSDSs was suboptimal in workplaces where these factors were studied.

Conclusions

Despite the fact that these studies varied in methodology and spanned a period of more than 15 years, a number of common themes emerged regarding inaccuracies, incompleteness, incomprehensibility and overall low use of MSDSs. The results of the literature review suggest that there are serious problems with the use of MSDSs as hazard communication tools. The article concludes with recommendations for governments, regulatory bodies, and occupational health and safety personnel to seriously reassess the ways in which MSDSs are written, monitored, regulated, and used. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:861‐876, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
Occupational exposure to crystalline silica: Estimating the number of workers potentially at high risk in Italy
Authors: Scarselli Alberto , Binazzi Alessandra , Marinaccio Alessandro
Published: July 2008

Background

Occupational exposure to free silica is widespread in several economic sectors and is well known to cause silicosis. This study was designed to establish a database of enterprises and workers in industrial sectors involving silica exposure in Italy and to estimate the number of workers potentially at high risk of exposure.

Methods

The industrial sectors at risk of silica exposure were identified by selecting the industrial sector that employed people who were compensated for silicosis in 2000–2004. The enterprises and the number of workers (blue‐collar) potentially at risk of silica exposure were selected from the Italian database of workplaces.

Results

The number of workers potentially at high risk of silica exposure, were 28,712. The most involved sectors were: construction, mining and quarrying, metal working, and manufacturing of non‐metallic products. Among regions in Italy, some exposure‐disease scenarios were cited in literature, particularly in Sardinia, Liguria, and Tuscany.

Conclusions

Establishing a database of industries related to silica dust exposure and identifying the number of workers potentially at high risk can be useful to reinforce preventive measures and to control exposure. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:941–949, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Selection of river crossing location and sleeping site by proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Matsuda Ikki , Tuuga Augustine , Akiyama Yoshihiro , Higashi Seigo
Published: July 2008

From May 2005–2006, selections of river crossing locations and sleeping sites used by a one‐male group (BE‐Group) of proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) were investigated along the Menanggul River, tributary of the Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Malaysia. The frequency of river crossings for focal monkeys in the BE‐Group was significantly higher at locations with narrow branch‐to‐bank distances. Branch‐to‐bank distances were defined as the distances between the longest tree branches extending over the river and the bank of river on each side. This was measured in areas crossed by the monkeys. The focal monkeys used locations with a higher probability of successful river crossings that did not require jumping into the water and swimming across than those that did. The frequency of sleeping site usage by the BE‐Group was positively correlated with the frequency of using river crossing locations by the focal monkeys. Previous reports on predation of proboscis monkeys indicate that clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi) and crocodilians (Tomistoma schlegeli and Crocodylus porosus) may be the major terrestrial and aquatic predators of these monkeys. The selection of river crossing locations by proboscis monkeys may be influenced both by the threat of these predators and the location of suitable and protected sleeping sites. Finally, sleeping sites locations that offer arboreal escape routes may protect proboscis monkeys from leopard attack. Am. J. Primatol. 70:1097–1101, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Frequent water drinking by Zanzibar red colobus (Procolobus kirkii) in a mangrove forest refuge
Authors: Nowak Katarzyna
Published: July 2008

Isolated populations of Procolobus kirkii on Uzi Island, Zanzibar, use Rhizophora mucronata‐dominated mangrove forest for refuge. Three groups, observed over 14 months, spent up to 85% of total observation time in mangroves with brief excursions to adjacent upland coral rag forest, habitat degraded by human cutting. A large proportion of monkeys' diets consisted of plant parts of five mangrove species. Water drinking was common and 326 water‐drinking events were recorded at a rate of up to 0.87 drinks hr−1. Groups used different strategies to obtain water including licking dew, drinking from treeholes, licking rain off leaves and tree trunks, and drinking from coral rock crevices with Cercopithecus mitis albogularis. Drinking frequency increased with time spent in and consumption of mangroves. Strategies for obtaining water were group‐specific and likely the result of learning. Drinking appeared to be an acquired behavior in movement‐restricted groups living in a habitat with low plant species diversity and limited salty foods. Am. J. Primatol. 70:1081–1092, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Halogen Bonding in Supramolecular Chemistry
Authors: Metrangolo Pierangelo , Meyer Franck , Pilati Tullio , Resnati Giuseppe , Terraneo Giancarlo
Published: July 2008

Halogen bonding is the noncovalent interaction where halogen atoms function as electrophilic species. The energetic and geometrical features of the interaction are described along with the atomic characteristics that confer molecules with the specific ability to interact through this interaction. Halogen bonding has an impact on all research fields where the control of intermolecular recognition and self‐assembly processes plays a key role. Some principles are presented for crystal engineering based on halogen‐bonding interactions. The potential of the interaction is also shown by applications in liquid crystals, magnetic and conducting materials, and biological systems.
Microwave‐induced degradation of nitrosamines trapped in zeolites
Authors: Xu Jia Hui , Zhou Yu , Wen Jing Jia , Wu Zheng Ying , Zhou Chun Fang , Zhu Jian Hua
Published: July 2008

A new method is reported for the degradation of nitrosamines trapped by zeolites. Significant amount of N‐nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPA) in dichloromethane solution, up to one‐third, could be degraded by microwave within 1 min once they were adsorbed by zeolite. The nitrosamine molecule, resulting from the electrostatic interaction between the NNO group of NDPA and the cation of zeolite, could be partially anchored inside the channel of zeolite depending on the degree of structure matching between the adsorbent and the adsorbate. Anchoring of nitrosamines limited their movement so that they were degraded by microwave irradiation. Mesoporous SBA‐15 and amorphous silica in solution could also promote the microwave‐induced degradation of NDPA, owing to the interaction between the surface SiOH and the NNO group of NDPA, and introducing copper oxide increased the conversion of NDPA. In addition, the influence of pore structure of zeolite on the microwave‐induced degradation of volatile nitrosamines was examined and discussed, and NaA exhibits a stronger adsorption than NaY for N‐nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR). Copyright © 2008 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and characterization of 2‐oxazoline‐benzoxazine compound and its polymer
Authors: Cao Hongwei , Xu Riwei , Yu Dingsheng
Published: July 2008

A novel 2‐oxazoline‐benzoxazine (POB) was synthesized with 2‐(hydroxylphenyl)‐2‐oxazoline, 1,3,5‐triphenylhexahydro‐1,3,5‐triazine and paraformaldehyde. The chemical structure of the monomer was confirmed by FTIR, 1H‐NMR, 13C‐NMR, and MS. The curing behavior of the monomer was studied by DSC and FTIR, and the ring opening reaction of the monomer was found to occur from 187.5°C. The results of DMA and TGA demonstrated that the thermal properties of polymer for POB monomer (P‐m) are better than polymer for POB precursor (P‐p), because that the oligomer in benzoxazine precursor decreased the perfection of the polymer's network structure; it was also found that the thermal properties of P‐m and P‐p are much better than the common polybenzoxazine and the composite material of benzoxazine and 2‐oxazoline. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci , 2008.
Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/attapulgite nanocomposites: Preparation, structure, and properties
Authors: Yao Xiayin , Tian Xingyou , Zhang Xian , Zheng Kang , Zheng Jin , Zhang Haobin , Chen Lin , Li Yong , Cui Ping
Published: July 2008

In this study, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/attapulgite (AT) nanocomposites were prepared through the in situ polymerization of terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, and AT, which was not premodified. By means of this new method, PET chains were successfully grafted onto the surface of AT, and this was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy micrographs revealed that AT was well dispersed in the PET matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to investigate the thermal properties of the nanocomposites. The results suggested that the addition of AT could accelerate the crystallization rate and enhance the thermal stability of PET. Dynamic mechanical analysis results showed that the storage modulus of the PET/AT nanocomposites was greatly improved in comparison with that of pure PET. The tensile strength and modulus increased with increasing AT content. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Influence of morphology on the dynamic mechanical properties of hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene elastomer/coagent nanodispersions
Authors: Likozar Blaž , Krajnc Matjaž
Published: July 2008

Coagents are vinyl monomers that react with free radicals formed by peroxide dissociation and are either grafted to elastomer chains or homopolymerized within a segregated phase to form a crosslinked network. The initial phase distribution within the elastomer matrix is of great importance for the final user properties of a composite material. In this study, the morphology of blends of each of three different coagents, that is, zinc dimethacrylate (ZDMA), N,N′‐m‐phenylene dimaleimide (HVA‐2), and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) on a reinforcing substrate with dicumyl peroxide and hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene elastomer after processing was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. The morphology that evolved during processing was then compared to the results obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the blends. Dynamic mechanical properties were modeled with a continuous relaxation distribution function, the Williams–Landel–Ferry equation, and the modified Guth–Gold equation. In the case of ZDMA and TMPTMA, a microphase and a nanophase evolved during processing, whereas the HVA‐2 phase in the blends remained well segregated. The volume fraction of the particles under 100 nm in ZDMA and TMPTMA blends ranged from 79 to 89%. The DMA results revealed the reinforcing effect of ZDMA and TMPTMA during the glass‐transition and in the plateau region, whereas HVA‐2 exhibited plasticizer‐like behavior. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Experimental studies on the relaxation behavior of commercial polymer melts
Authors: Fan Yurun , Liao Huayong
Published: July 2008

With a rotary rheometer, various methods were used to determine the characteristic relaxation times for a commercial polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and their consistency and relation to the linear relaxation spectrum were examined. The experimental damping functions of the step deformation of the PDMS, a polymethylvinylsiloxane, and a high‐density polyethylene were compared with predictions of the Doi–Edwards theory and Marrucci model; the effect of wall slip on the damping function data is discussed, and the appearance of stress peaks due to material instability as the strain increased above a critical value is detailed. Through the application of a previously proposed stress decomposition method to the data of large‐amplitude oscillatory shear for the PDMS sample, the relationship between the generalized elastic modulus [G(ω,γ)] and the shear relaxation modulus [G(γ,t)] was investigated. In the linear and initial nonlinear regimes, as the angular frequency (ω) increased, G(ω,γ) approached G(γ,t) on the timescale t = 1/ω, where t is the time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Thermal profile of polypropylene and polyethylene. I. A novel look at a traditional technique
Authors: Elleithy Rabeh H.
Published: July 2008

A new look at a traditional method of thermal characterization is offered. Oxidative induction temperature method is modified and revised to give a thermal profile of the polymer instead of a single‐point measurement. This article is an effort to not only describe a portion of the thermal behavior of polymers, but also to identify some thermal parameters. These parameters; thermal stability, strength, and stiffness, are proposed to be used like tensile properties to differentiate between the behavior of polymers under controlled conditions. The thermal parameters were successfully used to differentiate between two grades of polypropylene (PP), to study reprocessed PP, and to identify an injection molding problem for a client. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008.
Thermal stability, crystallization behavior, and phase morphology of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)diol‐grafted‐multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Jana R. N. , Cho Jae Whan
Published: July 2008

Poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)diol (PCL) with five different molecular weights (e.g., 400, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 8000 g/mol) was grafted onto the surface of functionalized‐multiwalled carbon nanotubes (f‐MWNTs) by grafting to approach to form PCL‐grafted‐MWNTs (PCL‐g‐MWNTs). The grafting was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thermal stability of PCL‐g‐MWNTs improved with the addition of f‐MWNTs in PCL, and the maximum was observed at 6 wt % of f‐MWNTs. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) studies showed that crystallization temperature, melting temperature, heat of crystallization, and heat of fusion decreased with the weight proportion of f‐MWNTs in the composites, but they showed an increasing trend with increasing molecular weight of PCL in the composites. DSC results were of good agreement with the X‐ray diffraction data, as crystallinity decreased with the incorporation of f‐MWNTs in PCL. The crystallite size (Phkl) of PCL in (110) direction increased, but in (200) direction it decreased. The size anisotropy (P110/P200) of the crystals in (110) and (200) directions increased regularly, indicating that the crystal growth was nonuniform in the two directions. The morphological observation by scanning electron microscopy and TEM showed that the PCL‐g‐MWNTs had higher diameter than raw multi‐walled carbon nanotubes. Polarized optical microscopy showed that PCL‐g‐MWNTs had core/shell structure with the nanotubes as the ‘hard’ core and the hairy polymer layer as the ‘soft’ shell. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Structure–property relationships in photopolymerizable polymer networks: Effect of composition on the crosslinked structure and resulting thermomechanical properties of a (meth)acrylate‐based system
Authors: Ortega Alicia M. , Kasprzak Scott E. , Yakacki Christopher M. , Diani Julie , Greenberg Alan R. , Gall Ken
Published: July 2008

Photoinitiated polymer networks were formed by copolymerization of tert‐butyl acrylate with di(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (DEGDMA) or poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA). The degree of crosslinking was systematically varied by modifying the weight fraction and molecular weight of the dimethacrylate crosslinking agent. An increase in effective crosslink density with increasing crosslinking agent concentrations was confirmed by decreasing equilibrium swelling ratios (q) and increasing rubbery moduli (ER). Glass transition temperatures (Tg) varied from −22 to 124°C, increasing with increasing DEGDMA content and decreasing with increasing PEGDMA content. Tensile deformation behavior (at Tg) ranged from an elastomeric‐like large‐strain response for lightly crosslinked materials to a small‐strain brittle response for highly crosslinked networks. At low crosslinking levels, the strain‐to‐failure of the network polymers decreased quickly with increasing crosslinking agent concentration. The stress at failure demonstrated a more complex relationship with crosslinking agent concentration. The effect of composition on network structure and resulting properties (q, ER, strain‐to‐failure) decreased as the crosslinking agent concentration increased. The results reveal trade‐offs in Tg, ER, strain‐to‐failure, and failure stress with composition and network structure, and are discussed in light of the wide range of potential applications suggested in the literature for (meth)acrylate‐based photopolymerizable polymer networks including biomaterials and shape‐memory polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Marked impact of P‐glycoprotein on the absorption of TAK‐427 in rats
Authors: Takeuchi Toshiyuki , Nonaka Masami , Yoshitomi Sumie , Higuchi Tomoaki , Ebihara Takuya , Maeshiba Yoshihiro , Kawase Masahiro , Asahi Satoru
Published: July 2008

The role of P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp, ABCB1) on the absorption process was investigated by drug–drug interaction studies of TAK‐427 with P‐gp inhibitors (erythromycin, ketoconazole or quinidine) in rats and by transport studies using rat multidrug resistance (MDR1) stably expressing cells and rat small intestine mounted in a Ussing‐type chamber. TAK‐427 showed high efflux activity with low permeability in rat MDR1a and MDR1b stably expressing cells and was revealed to be a typical substrate for P‐gps. Although TAK‐427 was mainly absorbed from the small intestine in rats, a large part of the dosed compound remained in the gastrointestinal tract. Orally co‐administered P‐gp inhibitors (50 mg/kg) increased theAUCof TAK‐427 after a 5 mg/kg oral dose 5.4‐ to 18.3‐fold, whereas orally administered P‐gp inhibitors had a minor effect on the increase in theAUCof TAK‐427 (1.3‐ to 2.2‐fold) after a 0.5 mg/kg intravenous dose. Thus, the bioavailability of TAK‐427 after oral administration in rats (7.3%) markedly increased when co‐administered with P‐gp inhibitors (28.6–57.6%). Moreover, the transport of TAK‐427 was predominantly secretory throughout the rat small intestine and was inhibited by P‐gp inhibitors. In conclusion, P‐gp can markedly reduce the absorption of a typical P‐gp substrate by its efflux activity throughout the absorption site. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Luminescence experiments involved in the mechanism of streptozotocin diabetes and cataract formation
Authors: Van Dyke Knox , Ghareeb Erica , Van Dyke Mark , Sosa Arturo , Hoeldtke Robert D. , Van Thiel David H.
Published: July 2008

Streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetes is linked to excessive nitric oxide (NO), and possibly peroxynitrite (OONO–) and/or other nitrogen oxides, e.g. nitrogen trioxide (N2O3), which damages DNA of pancreatic β cells, causing death and loss of insulin. Simultaneous injection of carboxy‐PTIO (CPTIO) and STZ prevents diabetes and cataract formation in rats, whereas 4‐hydroxy‐Tempo (4HT) does not. CPTIO oxidizes nitric oxide to nitrite, which prevents production of the diabetogenic toxin. Peroxynitrite may not be involved, since 4HT (converts O2– to H2O2) injected with STZ produces diabetes. All six of the control rats injected with STZ became diabetic and developed cataracts after 3 months. Eight rats injected with STZ and CPTIO were non‐diabetic with no cataracts up to a year. This work establishes the idea that excessive nitric oxide is a primary initiator in STZ diabetes. Luminescence experiments using OONO– generation from SIN‐1 with L‐012 indicates that 4HT is an effective inhibitor, while CPTIO is ineffective. Experiments with dilute solutions of nitrogen trioxide added to ladder or plasmid DNA reveal extensive nicking of DNA, thereby raising the possibility that other oxides of nitrogen could be involved with the damage to DNA. It can be concluded that diabetes can be prevented by oxidizing excessive NO from STZ. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.