bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relevance of genetically modified crops in light of future environmental and legislative challenges to the agri‐environment
Authors: O’Brien M. , Mullins E. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA key challenge for countries like Ireland up to 2030 is to produce sufficient supplies of food, feed and fuel, without compromising on public health or negatively impacting the environment. As we progress through the technology era, certain agricultural technologies [e.g. genetically modified (GM) crops] have been championed to maximise production while minimising environmental impact. Yet, multiple arguments have been made to counter such a claim, which has led to a polarisation of opinions and a plethora of generic commentaries being made in regard to the impact of this technology. Yet, few studies within the European Union (EU) have conducted a critical needs analysis to assess the potential of specific GM traits in light of issues, such as climate change, increased environmental legislation (e.g. EU Water Framework, Nitrates Directive, proposed reform to the Pesticide Directive and Common Agricultural Policy reform), mitigating biodiversity loss and sustainable biofuel production. The goal of this study is to collate a register of GM traits such that a list of potential GM crops could be prioritised against the backdrop of the challenges facing the tillage sector. Clearly, the crops with the most significant potential for genetic modification are those that are grown widely and/or receive high applications of pesticides and fertilisers (e.g. potato, wheat, barley and maize). GM traits with significant agronomic potential include late blight resistant potato, Fusarium head blight resistant wheat and Septoria resistant wheat and herbicide‐tolerant winter oilseed rape and maize. Following on from these, crops with enhanced nitrogen‐use efficiency could provide significant input to the tillage sector in light of EU‐based restrictions on nitrogen usage, crops with elevated protein content could offset the costs of imported animal feed and crops with modified oil content/lignocellulose composition could assist in biodiesel/bioenergy production at a regional level. This study is relevant to other European countries that cultivate similar crops and like Ireland, are facing multiple challenges to their tillage sector in the near future.
GAMETOPHYTIC FACTOR 1, Involved in Pre‐mRNA Splicing, Is Essential for Megagametogenesis and Embryogenesis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Liu Man , Yuan Li , Liu Nai‐You , Shi Dong‐Qiao , Liu Jie , Yang Wei‐Cai 
Published: December 2008

Abstract RNA biogenesis is essential and vital for accurate expression of genes. It is obvious that cells cannot continue normal metabolism when RNA splicing is interfered with. sgt13018 is such a mutant, with partial loss of function of GAMETOPHYTIC FACTOR 1 (GFA1); a gene likely involved in RNA biogenesis in Arabidopsis. The mutant is featured in the phenotype of diminished female gametophyte development at stage FG5 and is associated with the arrest of early embryo development in Arabidopsis. Bioinformatics data showed that homologs of gene GFA1 in yeast and human encode putative U5 snRNP‐specific proteins required for pre‐mRNA splicing. Furthermore, the result of yeast two‐hybrid assay indicated that GFA1 physically interacted with AtBrr2 and AtPrp8, the putative U5 snRNP components, of Arabidopsis. This investigation suggests that GFA1 is involved in mRNA biogenesis through interaction with AtBrr2 and AtPrp8 and functions in megagametogenesis and embryogenesis in plant.
The Contributions of Stewart Myers to the Theory and Practice of Corporate Finance*
Authors: Allen Franklin , Bhattacharya Sudipto , Rajan Raghuram , Schoar Antoinette 
Published: December 2008

In a 40‐plus year career notable for path‐breaking work on capital structure and innovations in capital budgeting and valuation, MIT finance professor Stewart Myers has had a remarkable influence on both the theory and practice of corporate finance. In this article, two of his former students, a colleague, and a co‐author offer a brief survey of Professor Myers's accomplishments, along with an assessment of their relevance for the current financial environment.These contributions are seen as falling into three main categories:

Work on “debt overhang” and the financial “pecking order” that not only provided plausible explanations for much corporate financing behavior, but can also be used to shed light on recent developments, including the reluctance of highly leveraged U.S. financial institutions to raise equity and the recent “mandatory” infusions of capital by the U.S. Treasury.
Contributions to capital budgeting that complement and reinforce his research on capital structure. By providing a simple and intuitive way to capture the tax benefits of debt when capital structure changes over time, his adjusted present value (or APV) approach has not only become the standard in LBO and venture capital firms, but accomplishes in practice what theorists like M&M had urged finance practitioners to do some 30 years earlier: separate the real operating profitability of a company or project from the “second‐order” effects of financing. And his real options valuation method, by recognizing the “option‐like” character of many corporate assets, has provided not only a new way of valuing “growth” assets, but a method and, indeed, a language for bringing together the disciplines of corporate strategy and finance.
Starting with work on estimating fair rates of return for public utilities, he has gone on to develop a cost‐of‐capital and capital allocation framework for insurance companies, as well as a persuasive explanation for why the rate‐setting process for railroads in the U.S. and U.K. has created problems for those industries.
Brealey, Myers, and Allen on Real Options
Authors: Brealey Richard A. , Myers Stewart C. , Allen Franklin 
Published: December 2008

Real options are valuable sources of flexibility that are either inherent in, or can be built into, corporate assets. The value of such options are generally not captured by the standard discounted cash flow (DCF) approach, but can be estimated using a variant of financial option pricing techniques.This article provides an overview of the basics of real option valuation by examining four important kinds of real options:

The option to make follow‐on investments. Companies often cite “strategic” value when taking on negative‐NPV projects. A close look at the payoffs from such projects reveals call options on follow‐on projects in addition to the immediate cash flows from the projects. Today's investments can generate tomorrow's opportunities.
The option to wait (and learn) before investing. This is equivalent to owning a call option on the investment project. The call is exercised when the firm commits to the project. But often it's better to defer a positive‐NPV project in order to keep the call alive. Deferral is most attractive when uncertainty is great and immediate project cash flows—which are lost or postponed by waiting—are small.
The option to abandon. The option to abandon a project provides partial insurance against failure. This is a put option; the put's exercise price is the value of the project's assets if sold or shifted to a more valuable use.
The option to vary the firm's output or its production methods. Companies often build flexibility into their production facilities so that they can use the cheapest raw materials or produce the most valuable set of outputs. In this case they effectively acquire the option to exchange one asset for another.

The authors also make the point that, in most applications, real‐option valuation methods are a complement to, not a substitute for, the DCF method. Indeed DCF, which is best suited to and usually sufficient for safe investments and “cash cow” assets, is typically the starting point for real‐option analyses. In such cases, DCF is used to generate the values of the “underlying assets”—that is, the projects when viewed without their options or sources of flexibility.
Equity Issues and the Disappearing Rights Offer Phenomenon
Authors: Eckbo B. Espen 
Published: December 2008

This article presents a theoretical model based on the Myers‐Majluf framework that attempts to explain the choice of public companies among alternative methods for issuing seasoned equity primarily in terms of differences in “information‐asymmetry” and “adverse selection” costs. The key insight is that a “pure” (or uninsured) rights offering is likely to be the lowest‐cost flotation method only in cases where a large fraction of current shareholders are expected to subscribe to the offering (i.e., only when expected shareholder takeup is high). In such cases, direct flotation costs are much lower than those associated with book‐built underwritten offerings to (mainly) new investors. Even more important, because heavily subscribed rights offerings also involve minimal potential for transfer of wealth between existing and new shareholders (since they are mostly the same people), adverse selection costs are not a concern. But as the expected shareholder takeup falls—say, because increases in corporate size cause risk‐averse, wealth‐constrained shareholders to diversify their investments—the potential for costly wealth transfers from issuing mis‐priced equity leads companies to consider underwriter certification of the new issue. This is evidenced in the data by a systematic move from pure rights offerings first towards rights with standby underwriting as shareholder takeup falls and—for sufficiently low shareholder takeup—to fully marketed firm commitment offerings.This adverse selection framework for corporate equity issuance can be used to explain a number of well‐documented phenomena in financial markets:

the disappearance of rights offerings among publicly traded U.S. industrial companies, as well as the notable switch by such companies in all developed economies from pure rights to underwritten offers, as growth leads to less concentrated ownership structure;
the continuing widespread use of rights issues in foreign jurisdictions characterized by smaller and relatively closely held firms;
the more frequent use of rights by public utilities (with less discretion over issue policy and more limited possibilities for wealth transfers) than industrial issuers;
the use of large shareholder subscription precommitments (to signal high shareholder takeup) in pure rights but not in standby rights offers;
the neutral average market response to announcements of pure rights offerings, as compared to the negative response to standby rights offerings, and the still more negative reactions to firm commitment underwritten offerings;
the absence in cases of pure rights offers of the stock price runups that precede firm commitments and, to a lesser extent, standbys; and
the preference of financially distressed companies for rights offers (as a last resort).
Estimating Risk‐Adjusted Costs of Financial Distress
Authors: Almeida Heitor , Philippon Thomas 
Published: December 2008

The search for the optimal, or value‐maximizing, capital structure involves weighing the expected benefits of higher leverage against the expected “costs of financial distress.” These costs include not only the direct costs of reorganization, but less quantifiable effects of financial trouble such as damage to the firm's reputation, the loss of key employees and customers, and the loss of value from forgone investment opportunities.This article proposes a new method for valuing expected financial distress costs. While researchers have provided estimates of the costs associated with financial distress when it takes place, whether or when these costs will be incurred is, of course, unknown at the time the financing decision. As a result, the “correct” discount rate for valuing expected distress costs is difficult to derive. Instead of adjusting the discount rate to reflect historical default rate probabilities, the authors' method uses “risk‐neutral” probabilities of encountering distress that allow for discounting at the risk‐free rate. The risk‐neutral probabilities of default are derived by incorporating the systematic risk premia implicit in corporate bond yield spreads.This method results in a significant increase in estimates of financial distress costs. In a simple example presented by the authors, distress costs estimated at about 1.6% of firm value using the conventional method turn out to run about 5% after adjusting for the increased systematic risk associated with financial distress.
Possible common central pathway for resistin and insulin in regulating food intake
Authors: Cifani C. , Durocher Y. , Pathak A. , Penicaud L. , Smih F. , Massi M. , Rouet P. , Polidori C. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAim:  Adipose tissue has been the object of intense research in the field of obesity and diabetes diseases in the last decade. Examination of adipocyte‐secreted peptides led to the identification of a unique polypeptide, resistin (RSTN), which has been suggested as a link between obesity and diabetes. RSTN plays a clearly documented role in blocking insulin (INS)‐induced hypoglycaemia. As brain injection of INS affects feeding behaviour, we studied the possible interaction between INS and RSTN in food‐deprived rats, measuring effects on food intake. In addition, we examined how RSTN might affect neuropeptide Y (NPY)‐induced feeding, as studies have shown that rat RSTN can interfere with the NPY system.Methods:  Overnight food‐deprived rats were injected into the third brain ventricle (3V) with either INS (10 or 20 mUI), RSTN (0.1–0.4 nmol/rat), or saline before access to food. Another group of rats was injected into the 3V with RSTN alone, NPY alone or RSTN plus NPY. Their food intake and body weight were measured.Results:  Our results confirm the hypophagic effect of RSTN on food deprivation‐induced food intake, and more importantly, show that RSTN neither potentiates nor blocks the effects of INS on food intake, but does reduce the hyperphagic effect of NPY.Conclusion:  The observation that RSTN does not modify feeding INS‐induced hypophagia, but does influence NPY‐induced feeding, points to the possibility that RSTN may be involved in control of food intake through an NPY‐ergic mechanism as INS.
Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms
Authors: Gunnbjörnsdóttir María Ingibjörg , Norbäck Dan , Björnsson Eythor , Soon Argo , Jarvis Deborah , Jõgi Rain , Gislason David , Gislason Thorarinn , Janson Christer 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground:  In the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I, the lowest prevalence of asthma and atopy was found in Reykjavík (Iceland) and Tartu (Estonia). The aim of this study was to compare home environments in Reykjavík and Tartu to a town with a higher prevalence of asthma and atopy (Uppsala, Sweden) in an attempt to identify factors in the indoor environment that could explain these differences.Method:  A random sample of 129 ECRHS II participants was included in this analysis at each of the three study centres. The subjects answered a questionnaire, blood was analysed for specific immunoglobulin E, a methacholine test was performed and home indoor measurements were taken.Results:  The prevalence of atopy was 11.9% in Reykjavík, 35.5% in Uppsala and 28.2% in Tartu (P < 0.04). The level of indoor cat allergen was significantly lower in Reykjavík compared with Uppsala (P = 0.05). No mite allergens were identified in the 41 homes investigated in Reykjavík, while this was the case in 16% and 72% of the households in Uppsala and Tartu, respectively (P = 0.001). A positive association was found between asthma symptoms and cat allergen levels [odds ratio 1.53 (95% confidence interval 1.04–2.24)], while the levels of viable moulds were significantly associated with increased bronchial responsiveness.Conclusions:  Indoor exposure to allergens, moulds and bacteria was lower in Reykjavík than in the Swedish and Estonian centres. This finding indicates that the lower prevalence of allergic sensitization in Reykjavík may partly be related to lower indoor allergen exposure.Please cite this paper as: Gunnbjörnsdóttir MI, Norbäck D, Björnsson E, Soon A, Jarvis D, Jõgi R, Gislason D, Gislason T and Janson C. Indoor environment in three North European cities in relationship to atopy and respiratory symptoms. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2009; 3: 85–94.
Repaglinide‐loaded long‐circulating biodegradable nanoparticles: Rational approach for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: JAIN Shelesh , SARAF Swarnlata 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground:  Repaglinide (RPG) is an oral hypoglycemic agent with excellent bioavailability (90–98%) and a short plasma half‐life (2–6 h). A full dose of RPG is required before each meal; hence, therapy may become inconvenient. Thus, the aim of the present study was to design a novel delivery system to maintain peak plasma levels of RPG for the long‐term management of diabetes mellitus.Methods:  Two nanoparticle formulations were prepared by combining RPG with poly (lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid alone or as a copolymer with methoxypolyethylene glycol (RPGNP1 and RPGNP2, respectively); both formulations were subjected to in vitro and in vivo characterization. In vivo characterization was performed in a streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic male albino rats.Results:  The mean particle size of the RPGNP1 and RPGNP2 formulations was 387.8 ± 11.9 and 310.2 ± 12.4 nm, respectively, with a zeta potential of −27.4 ± 0.7 and −15.7 ± 0.5 mV, respectively. The entrapment efficiency and drug content of RPGNP1 (58.7 ± 1.3% and 27.4 ± 2.3%, respectively) was better than that of RPGNP2 (45.8 ± 1.2% and 24.3 ±1.1%, respectively). Blood glucose levels of RPGNP1‐ and RPGNP2‐treated STZ‐diabetic rats were reduced significantly (to normal levels) compared with untreated STZ‐diabetic rats (P < 0.05), but there was no difference between the two treatment groups (P > 0.05). However, whereas RPGNP1 was effective for a period of only 24 h, RPGNP2 was effective for up to 1 week.Conclusions:  The results of the present study show that RPGNP2 effectively manages type 2 diabetes mellitus for up to 1 week. Surface‐modified NPs could be used to improve patient compliance with drug treatment as a result of decreased dosing frequency.
Exercise test and glucose homeostasis in rats treated with alloxan during the neonatal period or fed a high calorie diet
Authors: CONTARTEZE Ricardo Vinícius Ledesma , de Alencar MOTA Clécia Soares , de OLIVEIRA Camila Aparecida Machado , de Almeida LEME José Alexandre Curiacos , BOTTCHER Lara Belmudes , de MELLO Maria Alice Rostom , LUCIANO Eliete 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground: Animal models appear well‐suited for studies into the role of exercise in the prevention of non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The aim of the present study was to analyze glucose homeostasis and blood lactate during an exercise swimming test in rats treated with alloxan during the neonatal period and/or fed a high calorie diet from weaning onwards.Methods: Rats were injected with alloxan (200 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle (citrate buffer) at 6 days of age. After weaning, rats were divided into four groups and fed either a balanced diet or a high‐caloric diet as follows: C, control group (vehicle + normal diet); A, alloxan‐treated rats fed the normal diet; H, vehicle‐treated rats fed the high‐caloric diet; and HA, alloxan‐treated rats fed the high‐caloric diet.Results: Fasting serum glucose levels were higher in groups A and AH compared with the control group. The Homeostatic Model Assessment index varied in the groups as follows: H>A>HA = C. There were no differences in free fatty acids or blood lactate concentrations during the swim test.Conclusions: Alloxan‐treated rats fed a normal or high‐caloric diet have the potential to be used in studies analyzing the role physical exercise plays in the prevention of NIDDM.
Index of myocardial performance in patients with type 2 diabetes without hypertension and its relationship with clinical and echocardiographic parameters
Authors: SAGLAM Hayrettin , SEYFELI Ergun , GUL Ibrahim , DURU Mehmet , GOKCE Cumali 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground:  Diabetes mellitus affects the systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle (LV). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the index of myocardial performance (IMP), a new Doppler index, in asymptomatic, normotensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:  The study population consisted of 40 asymptomatic normotensive patients with T2DM (22 women, 18 men; mean [±SD] age 49 ± 7 years) and 20 healthy controls (13 women, seven men; mean age 45 ± 4 years). M‐Mode and two‐dimensional Doppler echocardiography was performed in all subjects to calculate IMP. Venous blood samples were collected for analysis and body mass index (BMI) was calculated.Results:  In normotensive T2DM patients, the mitral E wave was decreased, whereas mitral A wave, mitral E/A ratio, and septal wall thickening were increased compared with values obtained for the control group. The IMP was higher in normotensive T2DM patients than in the control group (P = 0.004). There was a significant correlation between IMP and triglyceride (TG) levels (P < 0.001), mitral E wave (P < 0.001), mitral E/A ratio (P < 0.001), ejection fraction (P = 0.001), fasting blood glucose (P =0.007), LV systolic dimension (P < 0.001), duration of diabetes (P = 0.017), and BMI (P = 0.029). Stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that only TG levels (β = 0.355, t = 2.487, P = 0.017) and the mitral E/A ratio (β = −0.384, t = −2.690, P = 0.011) had an independent effect on IMP.Conclusion:  The results of the present study indicate that IMP is increased in normotensive T2DM patients. The findings suggest that increased IMP may be an early sign of diabetic cardiomyopathy in normotensive diabetic patients with preserved LV function.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with obesity indices in a Chinese population
Authors: HUANG Yun , ZHAO Zhiyun , LI Xiaoying , WANG Jiguang , XU Min , BI Yufang , WANG Weiqing , LIU Jianmin , NING Guang 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground:  To investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in an urbanizing community in Qingpu, a suburb of Shanghai, and to determine which obesity indices, including body mass index, waist circumference (WC), and waist:hip (WHpR), and waist:height (WHtR) ratios, are most closely associated with metabolic syndrome.Methods:  We conducted a cross‐sectional health survey of 1634 individuals (age 15–87 years) in the Jinhulu community located in Qingpu. The National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (NCEP ATP III) criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome, with central obesity defined according to Asia–Pacific (APC) region criteria.Results:  The age‐standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 3.6% in men and 7.2% in women. Using the criterion of central obesity in the APC, the age‐standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased to 8.3% in men and 10.9% in women. Regardless of age, WHtR consistently showed a higher odd ratios (OR) after adjustment for confounding factors of 2.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–4.20; P = 0.022) in subjects<52 years of age and 1.92 (95% CI 1.18–3.11; P = 0.008) in those ≥52 years of age. In men, the WHtR was the only significant predictor (OR 2.42; 95% CI 1.15–5.08; P = 0.02) of metabolic syndrome after adjustment, whereas in women WHtR (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.37–2.85; P =0.0088) was slightly inferior to WHpR and WC.Conclusion:  Metabolic syndrome is prevalent in an urbanizing rural area in Qingpu. Of the anthropometric parameters commonly used to identify metabolic syndrome, WHtR may be the best.