bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polymerization and copolymerization of functionalized 2‐alkoxy‐1‐methylenecyclopropanes to form new polymers having alkoxy substituents
Authors: Takeuchi Daisuke , Inoue Akihisa , Ishimaru Fujio , Osakada Kohtaro 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe polymers with functionalized alkoxy groups and with narrow molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn < 1.12) are obtained from the living polymerization of 2‐alkoxy‐1‐methylenecyclopropanes using π‐allylpalladium complex, [(PhC3H4)Pd(μ‐Cl)]2, as the initiator. The polymers with oligoethylene glycol groups in the alkoxy substituent are soluble in water, and hydroboration of the CC double bond and ensuing addition of the OH groups to CN bond of alkyl isocyanate produce the polymers with urethane pendant groups. The reaction decreases solubility of the polymer in water significantly. Di‐ and triblock copolymers of the 2‐alkoxy‐1‐methylenecyclopropanes are prepared by consecutive addition of the two or three 2‐alkoxy‐1‐methylenecyclopropane monomers to the Pd initiator. The polymers which contain both hydrophobic butoxy or tert‐butoxy group and hydrophilic oligoethylene glycol group dissolve in water and/or organic solvents, depending on the substituents. The 1H NMR spectrum of poly(1a‐b‐1h) ((CH2C(CH2)CHOBu)n(CH2C(CH2)CH(OCH2CH2)3OMe)m) in D2O solution exhibits peaks because of the butoxy and CH2 hydrogen in decreased intensity, indicating that the polymer forms micelle particles containing the hydrophilic segments in their external parts. Aqueous solution of the polymer with a small amount of DPH (DPH = 1,6‐diphenyl‐1,3,5‐hexatriene) shows the absorbance due to DPH at concentration of the polymer higher than 5.82 × 10−5 g mL−1. Other block copolymers such as poly(1b‐b‐1h) and poly(1a‐b‐1g) also form the micelles that contain DPH in their core. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 959–972, 2009
Synthesis and properties of new dialkoxyphenylene quinoxaline‐based donor‐acceptor conjugated polymers and their applications on thin film transistors and solar cells
Authors: Lai Mei‐Hsiu , Chueh Chu‐Chen , Chen Wen‐Chang , Wu Jyh‐Lih , Chen Fang‐Chung 
Published: December 2008

AbstractSynthesis, properties, and optoelectronic device applications of four new bis‐[4‐(2‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐phenyl]quinoxaline(Qx(EHP))‐based donor‐acceptor conjugated copolymers are reported, in which the donors are thiophene(T), dithiophene(DT), dioctylfluorene(FO), and didecyloxyphenylene(OC10). The optical band gaps (Eg) of PThQx(EHP), PDTQ(EHP), POC10DTQ(EHP), and PFODTQ(EHP) estimated from the onset absorption are 1.57, 1.65, 1.77, and 1.92 eV, respectively. The smallest Eg of PThQx(EHP) among the four copolymers is attributed to the balanced donor/acceptor ratio and backbone coplanarity, leading to a strong intramolecular charge transfer. The hole mobilities obtained from the thin film transistor (TFT) devices of PThQx(EHP), PDTQ(EHP), POC10DTQ(EHP), and PFODTQ(EHP) are 2.52 × 10−4, 4.50 × 10−3, 4.72 × 10−5, and 9.31 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively, with the on‐off ratios of 2.00 × 104, 1.89 × 103, 4.07 × 103, and 2.30 × 104. Polymer solar cell based on the polymer blends of PFODTQ(EHP), PThQx(EHP), POC10DTQ(EHP), and PDTQ(EHP) with [6, 6]‐phenyl C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) under illumination of AM1.5 (100 mW cm−2) solar simulator exhibit power conversion efficiencies of 1.75, 0.92, 0.79, and 0.43%, respectively. The donor/acceptor strength, molecular weight, miscibility, and energy level lead to the difference on the TFT or solar cell characteristics. The present study suggests that the prepared bis[4‐(2‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐phenyl]quinoxaline donor‐acceptor conjugated copolymers would have promising applications on electronic device applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 973–985, 2009
Morphology control of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers by phase separation technique
Authors: Dong Ruijiao , Zhao Jiongxin , Zhang Youwei , Pan Ding 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBased on the constructed theoretical ternary phase diagrams of water/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) terpolymer system, the phase separation behavior for PAN fibers preparation was investigated. Theoretical ternary phase diagrams were determined by the extended Flory‐Huggins theory. To investigate the temperature dependence of theoretical ternary phase diagrams, all binary interaction parameters at different temperatures were determined accurately and thoroughly revisited. From numerical calculations, it was found that a small quantity of water was needed to induce phase demixing. Meanwhile, the cloud point data of the system for more dilute PAN terpolymer solutions were determined by cloud point titration, and the cloud point data for more concentrated PAN terpolymer solutions were calculated by Boom's linearized cloud point (LCP) curve correlation. Furthermore, the morphology of PAN fibers was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). With increasing the concentration of PAN terpolymer solutions as well as the quenching depth, the morphology of PAN fibers turns from large open channels to small bead‐like structures, accompanying with a reduction of the porosity of PAN fibers. Judging from our investigation, it was clear that the final morphology of PAN fibers was mainly determined by phase separation in fiber‐forming process. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 261–275, 2009
Study of the assembled morphology of aryl amide derivative and its influence on the nonisothermal crystallizations of isotactic polypropylene
Authors: Dong Mu , Guo Zhao‐Xia , Yu Jian , Su Zhi‐Qiang 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe nonisothermal crystallization behaviors of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) with an aryl amide derivative TMB‐5 as β‐form nucleating agent has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, and polarized optical microscopy. The feature of crystallite morphology depends on concentration and thermal conditions. At low concentrations, TMB‐5 molecules aggregate into fibril structures and presented blunt exothermic peak with a shoulder at high temperature. The surface of these fibrils host active sites tailored for the nucleation of β‐iPP, represented by clusters of microcrystallites. With increasing concentration, αβ‐transcrystalline layer develops on the lateral surface of needle‐shaped TMB‐5. Enhanced multiple endotherms indicate the ensuing crystals are less perfect and easily transformed into more stable forms. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 314–325, 2009
Robust fitting for neuroreceptor mapping
Authors: Chang Chung , Ogden R. Todd 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAmong many other uses, positron emission tomography (PET) can be used in studies to estimate the density of a neuroreceptor at each location throughout the brain by measuring the concentration of a radiotracer over time and modeling its kinetics. There are a variety of kinetic models in common usage and these typically rely on nonlinear least‐squares (LS) algorithms for parameter estimation. However, PET data often contain artifacts (such as uncorrected head motion) and so the assumptions on which the LS methods are based may be violated. Quantile regression (QR) provides a robust alternative to LS methods and has been used successfully in many applications. We consider fitting various kinetic models to PET data using QR and study the relative performance of the methods via simulation. A data adaptive method for choosing between LS and QR is proposed and the performance of this method is also studied. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Plasma phospholipid fatty acids and CHD in older men: Whitehall study of London civil servants
Authors: Clarke Robert , Shipley Martin , Armitage Jane , Collins Rory , Harris William 
Published: December 2008

Dietary fatty acids (FA) are the major determinants of blood lipids, and measurements of plasma phospholipid FA (PL-FA) composition that reflect the dietary intake of FA may provide insights into the relationships between diet and CHD. We assessed CHD mortality associations with PL-FA (SFA, PUFA and MUFA) levels measured in a nested case–control study of 116 cases of CHD death and 239 controls that were frequency-matched for age and employment grade. The participants had plasma levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol, apo B and apo A1, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen recorded. SFA levels were significantly positively correlated with total cholesterol, LDL-C, apo B, CRP protein and fibrinogen. By contrast, phospholipid-PUFA were inversely associated with CRP, but not with any of the lipids. A higher SFA content (top v. bottom quarter) was associated with a 2-fold higher risk of CHD (OR and 95 % CI: OR 2·12; 95 % CI: 1·13, 3·99), and an equivalent difference in PUFA was associated with a halving in CHD risk (OR 0·49; 95 % CI: 0·26, 0·94), but MUFA was unrelated to CHD risk. These associations were substantially attenuated, after additional adjustment for lipids and inflammatory markers. Higher levels of saturated fat and lower levels of polyunsaturated fats were each associated with a higher risk of CHD in elderly men, and these associations were partly explained by their effects on blood lipids and biomarkers of inflammation.
School meals in French secondary state schools with regard to the national recommendations
Authors: Dubuisson Carine , Lioret Sandrine , Calamassi-Tran Gloria , Volatier Jean-Luc , Lafay Lionel 
Published: December 2008

In 2001, a circular addressing both the composition of school meals and food safety issues was introduced in France to improve the nutrient composition of school meals and provided food-frequency guidelines to guarantee dietary balanced meals. The present study assesses the extent to which secondary state schools are familiar with and implement this circular. In 2005, a nationally representative sample of 1440 secondary state schools received a questionnaire on their catering service and the implementation of the circular's recommendations, and were requested to enclose all menus (lunches and dinners) served over 1 month. Menu analysis shows that progress is still required to achieve a meal composition in accordance with the food-group frequency guidelines appended to the circular. Some recommendations are followed by most of the schools, such as limiting high-fat products and providing plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, cooked vegetables and starchy foods. Other guidelines should be implemented further, especially with regard to the nutritional quality of main courses and dairy products, which are met by less than a third and a half of schools, respectively. Specific efforts are necessary for evening meals to ensure that the nutritional requirements of boarders are covered. Some recommendations, such as the food purchasing manager being trained in nutrition (38 % of schools) and the involvement of dietetic expertise when designing meals (6 %), seem to be linked to better dietary balance of meals. Implementation of the circular must therefore be promoted in schools and may require stronger regulatory nutrition standards and better cooperation between schools.
Influence of fungicide and sowing density on the growth and yield of two groundnut cultivars
Authors: NAAB J. B. , BOOTE K. J. , PRASAD P. V. V. , SEINI S. S. , JONES J. W. 
Published: December 2008

SUMMARYGroundnut or peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a valuable food and forage crop in West Africa. It is important to determine yield-limiting factors and to develop suitable management practices to improve groundnut productivity. The objective of the present research was to determine the influence of fungicide application at different sowing densities on growth, biomass and yield of early and late maturing groundnut under rainfed conditions. Two groundnut cultivars (Chinese, 90 days duration and Manipinter, 120 days duration) were grown at low (8 plants/m2), medium (12 plants/m2) and high density (20 plants/m2), with and without fungicide application, for two growing seasons (2004 and 2005). Data on leaf area index (LAI), light interception (LI) and total biomass were measured at different stages of crop development. Haulm (stem and leaf), pod and seed yields were measured at maturity. Fungicide application increased LAI, LI and total biomass of both cultivars from 65 days after sowing (DAS) until maturity. Fungicide application significantly increased pod and seed yields by 95 and 103%, respectively, on average. In both years, the long duration cultivar Manipinter had significantly greater LAI, LI and total biomass at later stages of crop development when compared with the short-duration cultivar Chinese. The growth and yield of both cultivars were significantly less at the lowest population density when compared with medium or high population densities. There was no significant difference between medium and high population densities in haulm, pod and seed yield at maturity. It is concluded that sowing a long-duration cultivar at a density of 12 plants/m2 with fungicide application significantly improved groundnut yields under rainfed conditions in Ghana.
God's self-specification: his being is his electing
Authors: Smith Aaron T. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe article considers the relationship between divine will and being as revealed in election, particularly according to Karl Barth's unique formulation of the doctrine. It comes at the salient features of this relationship by way of a public disagreement between Bruce McCormack and Paul Molnar. In agreement with McCormack, the author contends, on the basis of Barth's provocative claim that Jesus Christ is not just object but subject of election, that we cannot speak of God's being apart from his will for humanity, and this from all eternity, or in God's most intimate primordiality. Yet echoing Molnar, this observation does not entail the logical priority of grace to being. The author argues that a thoroughgoing commitment to conceiving of the being of God in the act of electing means affirming the eternal simultaneity and indeed reciprocity of will and being, as Jesus Christ is the full and total revelation of both. One cannot serve as ground for the other. As such, a preferable way of construing election is as the decisive statement of Godself – the primordial, eternal iteration of God for humanity – or the specification of divine being.
‘Before Bloch there was Blumhardt’: a thesis on the origins of the theology of hope
Authors: Winn Christian T. Collins , Heltzel Peter Goodwin 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWhen Jürgen Moltmann'sTheology of Hopefirst appeared in 1965, it was seen as ushering in a new era of theological thinking. Karl Barth, however, sharply criticised the work as too heavily dominated by a ‘principle of hope’ that he believed Moltmann had inherited from the Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch. This interpretation has largely been taken as fact among interpreters of Moltmann's theology of hope. This has caused most interpreters to see his turn to panentheism and ecotheology inGod in Creation(1983) as being less of a shift of emphasis than a total change of trajectory or even break. There is evidence, however, that a different source contributed to the overall orientation of Moltmann's theology – an orientation that has remained throughout his life. This other source is the life and thought of the radical Schwäbean Pietists, Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805–80) and his son Christoph Blumhardt (1842–1919). In this article the authors flesh out the thesis that the Blumhardts are the prior, deeper and more long-lasting influence on Moltmann by focusing on three key theological motifs that permeate his theology: 1) Christianity as eschatology; 2) the ‘theology of the earth’; and 3) the ethics of hope. Furthermore, they argue that when the ‘hidden’ influence of the Blumhardts is acknowledged, Moltmann's later ‘shift’ can be understood as essentially in continuity, rather than discontinuity, with his earlier thought.
Perceived access to fruits and vegetables associated with increased consumption
Authors: Caldwell Erin M , Miller Kobayashi M , DuBow WM , Wytinck SM 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjectiveTo examine the association between fruit and vegetable access in the community and change in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants in community-based health promotion programmes.DesignFruit and vegetable consumption and perceived access to fresh fruit and vegetables were measured by self-administered questionnaires at programme start, end and 1-year follow-up. Community produce availability was determined by grocery store assessments measuring the display space devoted to fruit and vegetable offerings, as well as price, variety and freshness. A total of nine communities were studied; 130 participants completed the fruit and vegetable portions of the questionnaires and could be linked to grocery store assessments.ResultsParticipants made modest but significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to end: the average increase was 2·88 (95 % CI 1·52, 4·25) servings weekly; the average increase from start to follow-up was 2·52 (95 % CI 1·09, 3·95) servings weekly. Greater perceived access to fruits and vegetables was significantly associated with higher increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to programme end. Greater availability of produce was associated with greater increases in fruit and vegetable servings from programme start to programme end as measured by store assessments.ConclusionsEnvironmental factors, such as access to fruits and vegetables, can modify the effects of community interventions. Interventions with the goal of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption should consider focusing on increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in target communities. Similarly, researchers may want to study access as an intervention, not just a contextual variable.
Do dietary patterns in older men influence change in homocysteine through folate fortification? The Normative Aging Study
Authors: Knoops Kim TB , Spiro Avron , de Groot Lisette CPGM , Kromhout Daan , van Staveren Wija A , Tucker Katherine L 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjectiveWe aimed to describe the difference in B-vitamin intake and in plasma B-vitamin and homocysteine concentrations before and after folic acid fortification, in relation to dietary patterns.DesignThe Normative Aging Study (NAS) is a longitudinal study on ageing. Between 1961 and 1970, 2280 male volunteers aged 21–80 years (mean 42 years) were recruited. Dietary intake data have been collected since 1987 and assessment of plasma B vitamins and homocysteine was added in 1993.SettingBoston, Massachusetts, USA.SubjectsIn the present study, 354 men who had completed at least one FFQ and one measurement of homocysteine, both before and after the fortification period, were included.ResultsThree dietary patterns were identified by cluster analysis: (i) a prudent pattern, with relatively high intakes of fruit, vegetables, low-fat milk and breakfast cereals; (ii) an unhealthy pattern, with high intakes of baked products, sweets and added fats; and (iii) a low fruit and vegetable but relatively high alcohol intake pattern. Dietary intake and plasma concentrations of folate increased significantly (P < 0·05) among all dietary patterns after the fortification period. Homocysteine tended to decrease in supplement non-users and in subjects in the high alcohol, low fruit and vegetable dietary pattern (both P = 0·08).ConclusionsAfter fortification with folic acid, folate intake and plasma folate concentration increased significantly in all dietary patterns. There was a trend towards greatest homocysteine lowering in the high alcohol, low fruit and vegetable group.
Multilevel modelling of sociodemographic predictors of various levels of anaemia among women in Mali
Authors: Ngnie-Teta Ismael , Kuate-Defo Barthelemy , Receveur Olivier 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjectiveAnaemia currently affects 40–80 % of women in Africa. While risk factors for anaemia have been intensively studied, research has rarely compared risk factors between mild anaemia and moderate/severe anaemia. Also, the contribution of neighbourhood to the prevalence of anaemia has been rarely studied. The aim of the present study was to identify and compare individual and contextual factors associated with various levels of anaemia among women.DesignA multilevel analysis of data from the 2001 Mali Demographic and Health Survey (n3763) was carried out. Outcomes variables were mild anaemia, moderate-to-severe anaemia and any anaemia. Multilevel regression analyses were performed for each outcome.SettingMali, West Africa.SubjectsWomen (n3763) aged 15 to 49 years, including 512 pregnant women.ResultsAmong the eleven potential risk factors included in the models, two factors were associated with mild anaemia (BMI and education), three with any anaemia (pregnancy, BMI and education) and six with moderate-to-severe anaemia (pregnancy, BMI, education, wealth, childhood residency and region of residence). Clustering of anaemia within communities was 20 % for moderate-to-severe anaemia and 13 % for mild anaemia. Despite significant differences in the prevalence of anaemia across regions in Mali, no difference between regions in the risk of mild anaemia was found and only the region of Gao showed a significantly higher risk of moderate-to-severe anaemia.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that sociodemographic risk factors as well as clustering of anaemia varies with the severity of anaemia. Specific studies are needed to identify risk factors of mild anaemia as well as its consequences, as mild anaemia accounts for 20–40 % of total prevalence of anaemia in Africa.
AnnotationSketch: a genome annotation drawing library
Authors: Steinbiss Sascha , Gremme Gordon , Schärfer Christin , Mader Malte , Kurtz Stefan 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Summary: To analyse the vast amount of genome annotation data available today, a visual representation of genomic features in a given sequence range is required. We developed a C library which provides layout and drawing capabilities for annotation features. It supports several common input and output formats and can easily be integrated into custom C applications. To exemplify the use of AnnotationSketch in other languages, we provide bindings to the scripting languages Ruby, Python and Lua.
Availability: The software is available under an open-source license as part of GenomeTools (http://genometools.org/annotationsketch.html).
Contact: steinbiss@zbh.uni-hamburg.de
Oestrogen modulates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and interleukin‐17 production via programmed death 1
Authors: Wang Chunhe , Dehghani Babak , Li Yuexin , Kaler Laurie J. , Vandenbark Arthur A. , Offner Halina 
Published: December 2008

SummaryThe mechanism by which oestrogens suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis, is only partially understood. We here demonstrate that treatment with 17β‐oestradiol (E2) in C57BL/6 mice boosted the expression of programmed death 1 (PD‐1), a negative regulator of immune responses, in the CD4+ FoxP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cell compartment in a dose‐dependent manner that correlated with the efficiency of EAE protection. Administration of E2 at pregnancy levels but not lower concentrations also enhanced the frequency of Treg cells. Additionally, E2 treatment drastically reduced the production of interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) in the periphery of immunized mice. However, E2 treatment did not protect against EAE or suppress IL‐17 production in PD‐1 gene‐deficient mice. Finally, E2 failed to prevent Treg‐deficient mice from developing spontaneous EAE. Taken together, our results suggest that E2‐induced protection against EAE is mediated by upregulation of PD‐1 expression within the Treg‐cell compartment.