bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Taller women do better in a stressed environment: Height and reproductive success in rural Guatemalan women
Authors: Pollet Thomas V. , Nettle Daniel 
Published: January 2008

AbstractPrevious research on the relationship between height and reproductive success in women has produced mixed results. One possible explanation for these is mediation by ecological factors, such as environmental stress. Here we investigate female height and reproductive success under conditions of environmental stress (poverty) using a large scale dataset from Guatemala (n = 2,571). Controlling for educational attainment, age and ethnicity, we examined relationships between height and childlessness, occurrence of a stillbirth, fertility and child survival. There was no significant relationship between height and never haven given birth. Extremely short women had a significantly raised likelihood of experiencing stillbirth. There were curvilinear relationships between height and age at first birth, fertility, and survival rates for children. Overall, though, the penalties for short stature, particularly in terms of child survival, were far greater than those associated with extreme tallness, and so female height is positively associated with overall fitness in this population. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adiposity and height of adult Hmong refugees: Relationship with war‐related early malnutrition and later migration
Authors: Clarkin Patrick F. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThis study investigated whether historical proxies for poor nutrition early in life were associated with differences in body composition and height among adult Hmong refugees. Life history and anthropometric data were collected from a sample of 279 Hmong aged 18–51 years who were born in Laos or Thailand and resettled in French Guiana or the United States following the Second Indochina War. Overall, 30.5% were born in a war zone in Laos, while 38.8% were displaced as infants; these individuals were presumed to have experienced malnutrition in the perinatal and infant periods, respectively. Resettlement in urban areas in the US was utilized as a proxy for greater exposure to excessive energy balance, compared with Hmong who resettled in rural areas in French Guiana. In multiple linear regression models, being displaced in infancy was negatively associated with height after controlling for confounders, while being born in a war zone was associated with higher adiposity and centralized body fat distribution. Resettlement in the US was associated with a higher centralization of subcutaneous fat, but not overall adiposity. These findings may be of interest to the study of the developmental origins of obesity, in a population that has undergone early malnutrition followed by migration and rapid nutritional transition. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A facile synthesis and asymmetric catalytic activity of new 3‐substituted chiral BINOL ligands
Authors: Liu Bing , Fang Cao , Dong Zhi‐Bing , Li Jin‐Shan 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThree new chiral ligands, (S)‐3‐(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl‐1,1′‐binaphthol [(S)‐1], (S)‐3‐(1H‐1,2,3‐benzotriazol‐1‐yl)methyl‐1,1′‐binaphthol [(S)‐2] and (S)‐3‐(2H‐1,2,3‐benzotriazol‐2‐yl)methyl‐1,1′‐binaphthol [(S)‐3], were prepared by a simple method. They showed moderate catalytic properties for the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde in the presence of titanium tetraisopropoxide. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of the fatty acid compounds obtained from sunflower oil refining products
Authors: Yazicigil Zafer , Ahmetli Gulnare 
Published: January 2008

AbstractIn our study the effects of various factors in the reaction of chlorination and copolymerization of fatty acid wastes were investigated and optimum conditions were determined. The first purpose of this study is to investigate the electrochemical chlorination reaction of fatty acid wastes in the electrolysis of HCl, then to obtain composite materials by the products of this reaction, and finally to determine physicomechanical properties, heat resistance, and the effect of chloride to the fire strength of these composite materials. At that time the glycide ester of fatty acid (GEF) was synthesized and used as modificator for the determination of thermal and heat properties of composite materials. And the properties of composite materials that are obtained were compared. Styrene‐fatty acid copolymers (SFC) were also synthesized by interacting wasted product with styrene. Molecular weight of copolymer, number of carboxyl groups in its structure, its adhesion capability and thermal properties were investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Confidence and decision type under matched stimulus conditions: overconfidence in perceptual but not conceptual decisions
Authors: Kvidera Sara , Koutstaal Wilma 
Published: January 2008

AbstractWithin the domain of metacognition, there is disagreement whether different processes underlie evaluations of confidence in perceptual versus conceptual decisions. The relationship between confidence and accuracy for perceptual and conceptual decisions was compared using newly created stimuli that could be used to elicit either decision type. Based on theories of Brunswikian and Thurstonian uncertainties, significant underconfidence for perceptual decisions and overconfidence for conceptual decisions were predicted. Three within‐subjects experiments did not support this hypothesis. Participants showed significant overconfidence for perceptual decisions and no overconfidence for conceptual decisions. In addition, significant hard‐easy effects were consistently found for both decision types. Incorporating our findings with past results reveals that both over‐ and underconfidence are attainable on perceptual tasks. This conclusion, in addition to the common presence of hard‐easy effects and significant across‐task correlations in over/underconfidence, suggests that confidence judgments for the two decision types may depend on largely shared processes. Possible contributions to confidence and over/underconfidence are explored, focusing on response time factors and participants' knowledge bases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of efficacy of chiral adrenergic agonists
Authors: Patil Popat N. , Li Chenglong , Kumari Vandana , Hieble J. Paul 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe origin of terms, affinity, intrinsic activity (or efficacy) and spare receptors has been reviewed. The Easson–Stedman theory (1933) in relation to the activation of adrenoceptors by agonists proved to be useful in the analysis of affinity and efficacy. Eudismic ratios of agonists provided critical information about the receptor‐mediated activation. The evidence from circular dichroism spectroscopy with a fluorescent‐tagged adrenoceptor agonist indicates a stereoselective interaction with the receptor. Thus, the simplest definition of efficacy may include the rate of change of the specific conformation of the receptor by the agonist, leading to the organized response. The functional groups of the potent enantiomer are postulated to interact in a “preferred” sequence with the receptor. The 7TM GPCR protein crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin was used as a model to construct the agonist interacting amino acid residues for α1A‐ and β1‐adrenoceptors. It was observed that both +NH3group and chiral OH group of (−)‐epinephrine interact with Asp106TM III of α1A‐adrenoceptor. Similar interactions were observed for (+)‐epinephrine but critical differences were observed. Enantiomers of epinephrine and oxymetazoline were also docked in the position at β1‐adrenoceptor to elucidate the conformational changes. Some unique information has emerged about the activation of adrenoceptors by agonists. The differences in the pharmacological efficacy of the enantiomers compare favorably with the dynamics of conformational changes by the agonist at α1A‐ and β1adrenoceptors. Chirality, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Peptide‐Containing Aggregates as Selective Nanocarriers for Therapeutics
Authors: Accardo Antonella , Tesauro Diego , Aloj Luigi , Tarallo Laura , Arra Claudio , Mangiapia Gaetano , Vaccaro Mauro , Pedone Carlo , Paduano Luigi , Morelli Giancarlo 
Published: January 2008

AbstractNew nanocarriers are obtained by assembling two amphiphilic monomers: one containing the bioactive peptide CCK8 spaced, by a polydisperse poly(ethylene glycol), from two hydrophobic tails ((C18)2PEG2000CCK8), and the other containing a chelating agent able to give stable radiolabeled indium‐111 complexes linked to the same hydrophobic moiety ((C18)2DTPAGlu). The size and shape of the supramolecular aggregates were structurally characterized by dynamic light scattering, small‐angle neutron scattering, and cryogenic transmission electronic microscopy. Under the experimental conditions we investigated (pH 7.4 and molar ratio between monomers 30:70), there is the presence of high polydisperse aggregates: rod‐like micelles with a radius of ∼40 Å and length >700 Å, open bilayer fragments with thickness ∼65 Å, and probably vesicles. The presence of the bioactive peptide well exposed on the external surface of the aggregate allows selective targeting of nanocarriers towards the cholecystokinin receptors overexpressed by the cancerous cells. In vitro binding assays and in vivo biodistribution studies by nuclear medicine experiments using indium‐111 are reported. Moreover, preliminary data concerning the drug loading capability of the aggregates and their drug efficiency on the target cells is reported by using the cytotoxic drug doxorubicin. Incubation of receptor‐positive and control cells with peptide‐containing aggregates filled with doxorubicin shows significantly lower cell survival in receptor‐expressing cells relative to the control, for samples incubated in the presence of doxorubicin.
3,3′‐Disubstitued 2,2′‐Bipyridines as Carboxylate Receptors: Conformational Regulation of the Bipyridine Moiety
Authors: Costero Ana M. , Gil Salvador , Parra Margarita , Huguet Nuria , Allouni Zouhir , Lakhmiri Rajae , Atlamsani Ahmed 
Published: January 2008

AbstractTwo bipyridine derivatives were synthesized and characterized, and their ability to act as sensors for carboxylates was evaluated by UV/Vis and fluorescence studies. The influence of the substituents of the thiourea groups on the stoichiometry of the resulting dicarboxylate complexes was established. Conformational changes in the bipyridine moiety under different conditions were evaluated.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)
Tandem repeat mutation, global DNA methylation, and regulation of DNA methyltransferases in cultured mouse embryonic fibroblast cells chronically exposed to chemicals with different modes of action
Authors: Yauk Carole L. , Polyzos Aris , Rowan‐Carroll Andrea , Kortubash Igor , Williams Andrew , Kovalchuk Olga 
Published: January 2008

AbstractMutations at expanded simple tandem repeat (ESTR) DNA sequences provide a useful tool for screening germline mutation. However, the mechanisms resulting in induced mutations are unknown and provide an impediment to the utility of the method. Induced ESTR mutations arise through a nontargeted mechanism resulting in destabilization of the repeat locus. We hypothesized that alterations in DNA methylation, or in DNA methyltransferase expression, may be associated with this indirect mechanism of mutation. DNA mutation frequency was measured in C3H/10T1/2 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells following chronic exposure to six chemicals exhibiting different modes of genotoxic action: N‐nitroso‐N‐ethylurea (ENU); benzo(a)pyrene (BaP); etoposide (ETOP); okadaic acid (OA); cisplatin (CisPt); and 5‐azacytidine (5azadC). Induced mutation ranged from 2‐fold (ENU, BaP, ETOP), to 1.3–1.4 fold (OA, 5azadC), to nonresponsive (CisPt). Global DNA methylation, measured using the cytosine extension assay, revealed hypomethylation following exposure to ENU and 5azadC, hypermethylation following BaP and OA exposure, and no change following treatment with ETOP or CisPt. DNA methyltransferase transcription (Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b) was significantly affected by all treatments except ETOP, with the vast majority of changes being downregulation. There was no direct correlation between ESTR mutation, global methylation, or DNA methyltransferase transcription. However, 4/5 ESTR mutagens caused changes in global methylation, while the noninducer (CisPt) did not cause changes in methylation. We hypothesize that chemicals that modify chromatin conformation through changes in methylation may compromise the ability of mismatch repair enzymes (or other enzymes) to access and repair secondary structures that may form across ESTR loci resulting in mutation. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2008. Published 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of bacteria‐mineral water produced from bio‐reacted fowl dung on seed germination of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: He Wenyuan , Yang Haizhen , Gu Guowei 
Published: January 2008

AbstractPositive effects of Bacteria‐mineral water (BMW) produced from bio‐reacted manure on plant growth and crop seed germination has been observed in agriculture practices. The experiment was conducted to examine the effects of BMW produced from bio‐reacted fowl dung on seed germination of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum). Seeds were soaked in BMW at concentrations of 100, 10, 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.025, and 0% (control) and then incubated at 25°C ± 1°C in a seed germinator for 7 days. All BMW treatments not only enhanced germination energy and final germination percentage of wheat and rice seeds, but also significantly improved (P < 0.05) seed vigor index (VI). Compared to control, treatment with 0.25% BMW had significant effects (P < 0.05) on final germination percentage and increased significantly seed germination percentage (7.34%) and germination energy (8.67%) of wheat seeds. There were strong correlations between germination energy and final germination percentage (P < 0.05), germination index (P < 0.05), VI (P < 0.05), water absorption rate (P < 0.01), and storage reserve transform rate (P < 0.01). While for rice seeds, 0.25% and 0.125% BMW treatments significantly improved (P < 0.05) final germination percentage by 8% separately, and germination energy enhanced 8.66% and 9.33% respectively. There were strong correlations between germination energy (and final germination percentage) and other parameters except for water adsorption rate and storage reserve loss rate. BMW consistently showed positive effects on crop seed germination. 0.25% BMW treatment may be the best concentration to stimulate wheat (Triticum aestivum) seeds germination, while 0.125–0.25% BMW would be the most suitable concentration range for rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2008
Fluorescence investigations to classify malignant laryngeal lesions in vivo
Authors: Rydell Roland , Eker Charlotta , Andersson‐Engels Stefan , Krogdahl Annelise , Wahlberg Peter , Svanberg Katarina 
Published: January 2008

AbstractBackground:The extent of surgical resection for malignant laryngeal lesions influences voice quality. An instrument to estimate histopathologic grading of dysplasia in vivo may spare normal tissue without increasing the risk of local failure.MethodsLaryngeal lesions (N = 39; 21 after administration of delta‐aminolevulinic acid (ALA)) were investigated with laser‐induced fluorescence, and the results correlated to histopathologic grading in 4 groups: non/mild dysplasia (I), moderate dysplasia (II), severe dysplasia/cancer in situ (III), and carcinoma.ResultsAt 337‐nm excitation, there were differences in the fluorescence ratio I(431)/I(390) between groups I/III and carcinoma. Following 405‐nm excitation, I(500 nm) group I differed significantly from group III and cancer. The sensitivity for the fluorescence method was 89%, and the specificity was 100%.ConclusionsThere are differences in the in vivo tissue fluorescence between tissue with different gradings of dysplasia and carcinoma. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008
Protective effect of S‐allyl cysteine sulphoxide (alliin) on glycoproteins and hematology in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in male Wistar rats
Authors: Sangeetha T. , Quine S. Darlin 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe antihyperlipidemic, antilipoperoxidative and antioxidant effects of S‐allyl cysteine sulphoxide (SACS) in myocardial infarcted rats were reported previously. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the preventive role of SACS on some biochemical parameters, glycoproteins and hematology in experimentally induced myocardial infarction in rats. Myocardial infarction was induced in rats by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO) (150 mg kg−1) at an interval of 24 h for 2 days. ISO‐treated rats showed a significant increase in the levels of serum iron, uric acid and blood glucose, Na+ and Ca2+ in the heart and a significant decrease in the levels of plasma iron binding capacity, serum total protein, albumin/globulin ratio, heart K+ and heart glycogen. The levels/concentrations of glycoproteins in serum and the heart were increased in myocardial infarcted rats. Myocardial infarcted rats also showed a significant increase in red blood cells, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, white blood cells, neutrophils, platelet count and fibrinogen level and a significant decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate, eosinophils, lymphocytes, bleeding, clotting and prothrombin time. Oral pretreatment with SACS (40 and 80 mg kg−1) daily for a period of 35 days showed a positive effect on all the biochemical parameters studied in ISO‐induced rats. Thus, the study showed the protective effect of SACS on ISO‐induced cardiotoxicity in male Wistar rats. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reactive oxygen species: Current knowledge and applications in cancer research and therapeutic
Authors: Lau Andy T.Y. , Wang Ying , Chiu Jen‐Fu 
Published: January 2008

AbstractReactive oxygen species (ROS) are natural products inevitably generated along cellular metabolism. Due to their highly reactive nature, which can damage DNA, proteins and lipids, cells utilize antioxidative or defense systems to balance these toxic products to keep the cells in a state of redox homeostasis. However, under the situation of imbalance in redox status, depending on the magnitude of ROS encountered, high levels of ROS can induce apoptosis, whereas chronic low levels of ROS promote vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis. Although ROS seem to be catastrophic to life, accumulating evidence points to the beneficial roles of ROS by virtue of the ability as chemotherapeutic agents to cure human diseases. Many anti‐cancer drugs have been developed in this way which can generate ROS and cause oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis in cancer cells. The effects of ROS are paradoxical because they can act as both disease culprits and chemotherapeutic agents. In this review, the current knowledge of ROS and the potential applications of ROS in cancer therapeutic will be discussed. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 657–667, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Kirchhoff atomic charges fitted to multipole moments: Implementation for a virtual screening system
Authors: Yakovenko Olexander , Oliferenko Alexander A. , Bdzhola Volodymyr G. , Palyulin Vladimir A. , Zefirov Nikolai S. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe Kirchhoff charge model is a viable method of generating inexpensive and electrostatically reasonable atomic charges for molecular mechanical force fields. The charging method uses a computationally fast algorithm based on the principle of electronegativity relaxation. Parameters of the method, orbital electronegativities and hardnesses, are fitted to reproduce reference,ab initiocalculated dipole and quadrupole moments of a representative training set of neutral and charged organic molecules covering most medicinal chemistry relevant bonding situations. Transferability and accuracy of the derived parameters are confirmed on an external test set. Comparisons to other charge models are made. Implementation of the new Kirchhoff charges into a virtual screening engine is elucidated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008
Assessment of programs for ligand binding affinity prediction
Authors: Kim Ryangguk , Skolnick Jeffrey 
Published: January 2008

AbstractThe prediction of the binding free energy between a ligand and a protein is an important component in the virtual screening and lead optimization of ligands for drug discovery. To determine the quality of current binding free energy estimation programs, we examined FlexX, X‐Score, AutoDock, and BLEEP for their performance in binding free energy prediction in various situations including cocrystallized complex structures, cross docking of ligands to their non‐cocrystallized receptors, docking of thermally unfolded receptor decoys to their ligands, and complex structures with “randomized” ligand decoys. In no case was there a satisfactory correlation between the experimental and estimated binding free energies over all the datasets tested. Meanwhile, a strong correlation between ligand molecular weight‐binding affinity correlation and experimental predicted binding affinity correlation was found. Sometimes the programs also correctly ranked ligands' binding affinities even though native interactions between the ligands and their receptors were essentially lost because of receptor deformation or ligand randomization, and the programs could not decisively discriminate randomized ligand decoys from their native ligands; this suggested that the tested programs miss important components for the accurate capture of specific ligand binding interactions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008
A framework for evaluating effectiveness and inclusiveness of collective action in watershed management
Authors: German Laura , Taye Hailemichael 
Published: January 2008

AbstractCollective action in agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) is all too often conceptualised in terms of the mere number of participants, with little consideration given to who participates, why and the outcomes of inequitable participation. This paper focuses on approaches under development under the African Highlands Initiative to bring collective action principles to bear on gender‐equitable change processes in NRM. A framework for assisting research and development organisations to evaluate the effectiveness of collective action processes in watershed management is proposed. The authors then use a set of case studies to illustrate the relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches for enhancing gender‐inclusive and equitable collective action processes for activities common to multiple stages of watershed management: structuring the community interface, eliciting views and governing benefits capture. Use of the framework to analyse these cases demonstrates the utility of breaking collective action down into its component dimensions when assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.