bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial activity of components from Lomatium californicum
Authors: Chou Shen‐Chieh , Everngam Molly C. , Sturtz George , Beck John J. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe isolation, characterization and bioactivity testing of compounds from Lomatium californicum (Nutt.) are described. Ethyl acetate and hexane extracts of the roots of L. californicum were subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC), flash column chromatography (FCC) and separation by normal‐ and reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Six compounds were isolated successfully and characterized by 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experimentation. The bioactivity of the known compounds (+)‐falcarindiol, coniferyl ferulate, ferulic acid and (Z)‐ligustilide were conrmed against the Gram‐positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. The known compounds senkyunolide I and trans‐neocnidilide were also isolated but in too small a quantity for similar testing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Migrants from food cans revisited – application of a stochastic model for a more realistic assessment of exposure to bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE)
Authors: Oldring P. K. T. , Castle L. , Hart A. , Holmes M. J. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractWe have used a two‐dimensional probabilistic model to estimate the short‐term dietary exposure of UK consumers to bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) migrating from light metal food packaging. Using three UK National Dietary and Nutrition Surveys comprising 4–7‐day dietary surveys for different ages and genders, actual body weights and survey years, a sample representative of the UK population was obtained, comprising around 4200 food items. The packaging type of each food item was assigned by utilizing known packaging type from the database or by sampling from a distribution based upon market share information or expert judgement. For concentration data, we have used published data for foods or food simulants or a combination of both. The probabilistic approach allowed sensitivity analysis to evaluate the relative importance of the input parameters and placed confidence bounds on the outputs to show the effect of the uncertainties. The refined estimates gave an exposure for UK consumers, at the 97.5th percentile level, of 0.41–0.83 μ/kg body weight (bw)/day for the different age ranges and scenarios run. All estimates are well below the new tolerable daily intake value of 150 μ/kg bw/day for BADGE and its two hydrolysed forms, and are also well below the restriction value of 17 μ/kg bw/day for the other regulated BADGE derivatives. The main contributors to exposure are beverages, along with aqueous and acidic foods. This is because of the high consumption of these classes of foodstuffs, even though levels of migration into these foodstuffs and into their appropriate simulants is normally non‐detectable. Reducing the non‐detectable level six‐fold reduced the estimate of exposure by 40–60%. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new approach for evaluating carryover and its influence on quantitation in high‐performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry assay
Authors: Zeng Wei , Musson Donald G. , Fisher Alison L. , Wang Amy Qiu 
Published: January 2006

AbstractIn a high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)‐based analytical method, carryover denotes one type of systematic error that is derived from a preceding sample and introduced into the next sample. For typical bioanalytical method development, a significant amount of time and resources are spent on reducing carryover for some analytes. In this paper, the statistical characteristics of carryover were analyzed based on the experimental results. The relative carryover (RC), defined as the peak area ratio of a blank sample to the preceding sample, was constant for the analyte and independent of the concentration of the preceding sample. The influence of carryover on the quantitation of the next injected sample or the ‘following’ sample was proportional to the concentration ratio of two consecutive samples and the relative carryover. Based on these experiments and analyses, the influence of carryover on the quantitation of unknown samples in an HPLC assay can be evaluated by the estimated carryover influence (ECI), which is the product of the relative carryover and the concentration ratio. This new approach provides a quantitative estimation for the influence of carryover on the quantitation of the unknown sample, and removes the limit put on the dynamic range of the assay by the current criterion of carryover. In general, if the relative standard deviation (RSD) of a validated bioanalytical method is less than 10%, the carryover will not have a significant effect on the accuracy of the assay when the estimated carryover influence is less than 5%. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The satisfiability threshold for randomly generated binary constraint satisfaction problems
Authors: Frieze Alan , Molloy Michael 
Published: January 2006

AbstractWe study two natural models of randomly generated constraint satisfaction problems. We determine how quickly the domain size must grow withnto ensure that these models are robust in the sense that they exhibit a non‐trivial threshold of satisfiability, and we determine the asymptotic order of that threshold. We also provide resolution complexity lower bounds for these models. One of our results immediately yields a theorem regarding homomorphisms between two random graphs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2006
Rationality, foolishness, and adaptive intelligence
Authors: March James G. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractTechnologies of model‐based rationality are the core technologies of strategic management, having largely replaced earlier technologies that placed greater reliance on traditional practice or on communication either with the stars or with the gods. The technologies used by organizations in their pursuit of intelligence can be imagined to change over time as a result of responding to the successes and failures associated with the technologies. Although technologies of rationality seem clearly to be effective instruments of exploitation in relatively simple situations and to derive their adaptive advantage from those capabilities, their ventures in more complex explorations seem often to lead to huge mistakes and thus unlikely to be sustained by adaptive processes. Whether their survival as instruments of exploratory novelty in complex situations is desirable is a difficult question to answer, but it seems likely that any such survival may require hitchhiking on their successes in simpler worlds. Survival may also be served by the heroism of fools and the blindness of true believers. Their imperviousness to feedback is both the despair of adaptive intelligence and, conceivably, its salvation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The presence of a separate COO/president and its impact on strategic change and CEO dismissal
Authors: Zhang Yan 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThis study focuses on the leadership structure at the very top of a firm. Specifically, it examines how the presence of a COO/president, who is separate from the CEO, affects strategic change and CEO dismissal. With longitudinal data on the tenures of 207 CEOs, results suggest that the presence of a separate COO/president increases the magnitude of strategic change under conditions of low firm performance but it decreases the magnitude of strategic change under conditions of high firm performance. In addition, the presence of a separate COO/president increases the likelihood of CEO dismissal under conditions of low firm performance, and this effect is stronger when the magnitude of strategic change is high; but it has no impact on the likelihood of CEO dismissal under conditions of high firm performance. These results suggest that the impact of the presence of a separate COO/president on strategic change and CEO dismissal varies across different organizational contexts. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Meeting application requirements with conductive carbon black
Authors: Van Bellingen Christine , Probst Nicolas , Grivei Eusebiu 
Published: January 2006

AbstractHigh structure or so‐called conductive carbon blacks (CCBs) constitute the major family of conductive additives. They enable one to make polymers permanently conductive at “low” to “very low” loadings, for technical applications involving, e.g., the transport of energy, protection against arcing or discharge. Designing conductive parts requires certain know‐how, as many parameters influence the final electrical conductivity, and many other requirements have to be fulfilled. This paper highlights the impact of the carbon black (CB) type and loading, the polymer type, and the compounding conditions on the conductive, mechanical, dispersion, and flow properties of various plastics compounds. The study especially positions a unique family of low surface area (LSA) CCBs, suggests means to make conductive parts with compounding and transformation ease, and points out that more conductive additive does not automatically give the best overall performance. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL., 12:14–18, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers
Modification of polymers by using poly(vinyl butyral)‐based additives
Authors: Hofmann George H. , Lee Win‐Chung 
Published: January 2006

AbstractPoly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) is the tough polymer film widely used as the interlayer in safety glass laminates such as automotive windshields. This material is now available in pellet form for easy blending into other polymer resins. It has been shown to act as an impact modifier and/or processing aid when blended at low levels into a variety of engineering resins, polyolefins, and PVC. At relatively high loadings, it performs as a permanent plasticizer imparting toughness, flexibility, enhanced processability, and oil resistance. The residual hydroxyl groups in PVB provide active surface sites to enhance paintability and adhesion to other materials. The adhesion of PVB has been found to enhance stiffness/compatibility when glass fibers and minerals are incorporated into engineering resins. The hydroxyl functionality has been used as crosslinking sites to form tough oil‐resistant thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) via dynamic vulcanization. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL., 12:33–36, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers
Clonidine effects on pain evoked SII activity in humans
Authors: Hauck Michael , Bischoff Petra , Schmidt Gunther , Zimmermann Roger , Lorenz Juergen , Morrow Thomas J. , Bromm Burkhart 
Published: January 2006

AbstractWe investigated pain evoked activity in the human secondary sensory cortex (SII) following clonidine administration in six healthy volunteers using multi‐channel magnetoencephalography (MEG). Pain was elicited by electrical shocks applied intracutaneously to the fingertip. Subjects rated pain intensity and perceptions of tiredness and passiveness by numerical ranking scales. Each subject underwent two investigations, one week apart from each other, with clonidine doses of 1.5 or 3.0 μg/kg, administered intravenously in a random order and double‐blinded. We applied a total number of seven blocks, each consisting of 60 painful stimuli, with one adaptation block, one pre‐medication block, four post‐medication blocks and one recovery block at the end of the session. MEG data were analysed by dipole reconstruction using CURRYR (Neuroscan, Hamburg) software package. Cortical activity in the contralateral SII cortex appeared with peak latencies of 118.5 ± 10 ms. This activity was significantly reduced by clonidine, in parallel with a reduction of pain intensity and enhancement of subjective tiredness and passiveness. There was, however, no significant correlation between MEG and subjective effects. Although both clonidine doses had similar effects, the higher dose induced longer changes. Results indicate that intravenous clonidine is able to relieve pain, but the exact mechanism of clonidine at the level of the SII cortex remains unclear. It is possible that clonidine interacts with the brainstem ascending system regulating vigilance and arousal which would explain the observed decrement of pain induced activity in SII. An additional more specific analgesic action at spinal level cannot be excluded.
“You feel so hopeless”: A qualitative study of GP management of acute back pain
Authors: Breen Alan , Austin Helen , Campion‐Smith Charles , Carr Eloise , Mann Eileen 
Published: January 2006

AbstractBackground Biopsychosocial management of non‐specific back pain in general practice has been problematical, with frequent inappropriate referral for imaging and secondary care interventions and lack of self‐confidence in the ability to provide evidence‐based care.Background To examine GP attitudes to managing back pain as a biopsychosocial problem in order to inform future educational strategies that may improve practice.Background Twenty‐one GPs from separate practices within the Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority area (UK) participated in telephone interviews leading to the development of vignettes to refine the theoretical framework for subsequent focus group interviews about evidence‐based back pain management. Transcripts were analysed thematically.Background There were 5 main emergent themes. These were generally negative and dominated by concerns about doctor—patient interaction. They included feelings of frustration, mismatches of perceptions in the doctor—patient relationship, problems in relation to time, challenges and discord between stakeholders in the process (for example, over sickness certification) and a lack of resources for education, awareness and local services to refer to. Psychosocial aspects of the actual care process were rarely raised. Participants favoured education that is multidisciplinary, in small group format and involves the participation of patients.Background This study illustrates the difficulties that GPs may have in applying the relevant evidence for the successful management of back pain. A desire to avoid conflict in the relationship with patients explained much of the problem of implementing evidence in general practice. This indicates a need for insightful educational strategies that involve active GP participation.
Bacteria in the gut of juvenile cod Gadus morhua fed live feed enriched with four different commercial diets
Authors: Korsnes Kjetil , Nicolaisen Ove , Skår Cecilie K. , Nerland Audun H. , Bergh Øivind 
Published: January 2006

AbstractAtlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., larvae were fed rotifers, Brachionus plicatilis and Artemia franciscana enriched on four different commercial media, using the manufacturers' protocols. Pooled samples of 20 cod larvae were homogenized, diluted, and plated out on Petri dishes. The number of colony-forming units per larva was estimated, and the dominant strains subsequently sampled for sequencing of 16S rDNA. Bacteria showing high sequence similarity to a pathogen characteristic of cod and other fish species, Listonella anguillarum, were present in all four groups. Other taxa present among the dominating bacterial colonies were Pseudoalteromonas sp., and Vibrio sp. However, these bacteria could be assigned to genera only. The different enrichments probably affected the number of colony-forming bacteria per millilitre in the enrichment cultures as well as in the larval gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Also, the composition of the microbiota associated with the larval GI tract was probably affected by the enrichment media.
Folic acid pretreatment prevents the reduction of Na+,K+‐ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase activities in rats subjected to acute hyperhomocysteinemia
Authors: Matté Cristiane , Durigon Eduardo , Stefanello Francieli M. , Cipriani Franciele , Wajner Moacir , Wyse Angela T.S. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractThe main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of folic acid pretreatment on parietal cortex Na+,K+‐ATPase and serum butyrylcholinesterase activities in rats subjected to acute hyperhomocysteinemia. Animals were pretreated daily with an intraperitoneal injection of folic acid (5 mg/kg) or saline from the 22th to the 28th day of age. Twelve hours after the last injection of folic acid or saline, the rats received a single subcutaneous injection of homocysteine (0.6 μmol/g of weight body) or saline and were killed 1 h later. Serum was collected and the brain was quickly removed and parietal cortex dissected. Results showed that acute homocysteine administration significantly decreased the activities of Na+,K+‐ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase on parietal cortex and serum, respectively. Furthermore, folic acid pretreatment totally prevented these inhibitory effects. We also evaluated the effect of acute homocysteine administration on some parameters of oxidative stress, namely thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances and total thiol content in parietal cortex of rats. No alteration of these parameters were observed in parietal cortex of homocysteinemic animals, indicating that these oxidative stress parameters were probably not responsible for the reduction of Na+,K+‐ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase activities. The presented results confirm previous findings that acute hyperhomocysteinemia produces an inhibition of Na+,K+‐ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase activities and that pretreatment with folic acid prevents such effects. Assuming that homocysteine might also reduce the activities of these enzymes in human beings, our results support a new potential therapeutic strategy based on folic acid supplementation to prevent the neurological damage found in hyperhomocysteinemia.
Measurement of the pubic portion of the levator ani muscle in women with unilateral defects in 3‐D models from MR images
Authors: Chen L. , Hsu Y. , Ashton‐Miller J.A. , DeLancey J.O.L. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractObjectiveDevelop a method to quantify the cross‐sectional area of the pubic portion of the levator ani muscle, validate the method in women with unilateral muscle defects, and report preliminary findings in those women.MethodMulti‐planar proton density magnetic resonance images of 12 women with a unilateral defect in the pubic portion of their levator ani were selected from a larger study of levator ani muscle anatomy in women with and without genital prolapse. Three‐dimensional bilateral models of the levator ani were reconstructed (using 3‐D Slicer, version 2.1b1) and divided into iliococcygeal and pubic portions. Muscle cross‐sectional areas were calculated at four equally spaced locations perpendicular to a line drawn from the pubic origin to the visceral insertion using the I‐DEAS® computer modeling software.ResultsThe cross‐sectional area of the muscle on the side with the defect was smaller than the normal side at all the four locations. The average bilateral difference was up to 81% at location 1 (nearest pubic origin). Almost all of the volume difference (13.7%, P = 0.0004) was attributable to a reduction in the pubic portion (24.6%, P < 0.0001), not the iliococcygeal portion (P = 0.64), of the muscle.ConclusionsA method was developed to quantify cross‐sectional area of the pubic portion of the levator ani perpendicular to the intact muscle direction. Significant bilateral cross‐sectional area differences were found between intact and defective muscles in women with a unilateral defect.
Making EmOC a reality—CARE's experiences in areas of high maternal mortality in Africa
Authors: Kayongo M. , Rubardt M. , Butera J. , Abdullah M. , Mboninyibuka D. , Madili M. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractObjectiveThis paper describes the package of interventions undertaken by the CARE/AMDD program collaboration to increase the availability and quality of emergency obstetric care for 3 high maternal mortality countries in Africa.MethodsProject implementation over 4 years focused on enhancing the capacity of 10 district hospitals in 3 countries — Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Interventions were designed to create functional health facilities with trained and competent staff, working in an enabling environment supporting EmOC service delivery.ResultsBy keeping a clear focus on EmOC, the project achieved modest improvements in services, even in the face of the considerable constraints of rural district hospitals. Availability and utilization of EmOC increased in Tanzania; the met need for EmOC increased slightly from 14% in year 1 to 19% in year 4, while in Rwanda it increased from 16% to 25% over 4 years. Case fatality rates (CFR) declined by 30–50% in all 3 countries. While still well below UN recommendations, in all 3 countries there was also a progressive increase in the cesarean section rates, a life saving obstetric intervention.ConclusionsThe increases in met need and decreases in case fatality suggest that project interventions improved the quality and use of EmOC, a critical component for saving women's lives.
Strengthening emergency obstetric care in Ayacucho, Peru
Authors: Kayongo M. , Esquiche E. , Luna M.R. , Frias G. , Vega‐Centeno L. , Bailey P. 
Published: January 2006

AbstractObjectiveWith support from the Averting Maternal Death and Disability (AMDD) Program, CARE began the FEMME Project in 2000 to increase access and utilization of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services for the approximately 48,000 pregnant women in the northern provinces of Ayacucho.MethodsThe project targeted 5 facilities with a comprehensive package of interventions designed to improve capacity to provide quality EmOC services and to promote a human rights approach in health care. Key program activities included improvements in infrastructure, human resources capacity development, development of service standards and protocols, quality improvement activities, and promoting a rights‐based approach to health.ResultsBy the end of the project, northern Ayacucho had 6 functioning EmOC facilities: 3 comprehensive (including a non‐FEMME project facility) and 3 basic. This exceeds the UN minimum recommendation of 5 EmOC facilities per 500,000 population. Other changes in the UN process indicators indicate an increase in quality and utilization of EmOC services. Met need for EmOC increased significantly from 30% in 2000 to a high of 84% in 2004. Case fatality rates declined and the number of maternal deaths in the entire region declined.ConclusionCARE's work in Ayacucho made an impact on policies and programs related to EmOC throughout the region. Within CARE, project experiences have supported maternal health programs particularly in the Latin American/Caribbean region.