bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimal sample size allocation for tests with multiple levels of stress with extreme value regression
Authors: Ng H. K. T. , Balakrishnan N. , Chan P. S. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this article, we discuss the optimal allocation problem in a multiple stress levels life‐testing experiment when an extreme value regression model is used for statistical analysis. We derive the maximum likelihood estimators, the Fisher information, and the asymptotic variance–covariance matrix of the maximum likelihood estimators. Three optimality criteria are defined and the optimal allocation of units for two‐ andk‐stress level situations are determined. We demonstrate the efficiency of the optimal allocation of units in a multiple stress levels life‐testing experiment by using real experimental situations discussed earlier by McCool and Nelson and Meeker. Monte Carlo simulations are used to show that the optimality results hold for small sample sizes as well. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007
Hunter‐gatherer use of small animal food resources: coprolite evidence
Authors: Reinhard K. J. , Ambler J. R. , Szuter C. R. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractFaunal remains are commonly found in coprolites and provide direct evidence of animal consumption. An evaluation of hunter‐gatherer coprolites from the Southwest US shows that animal bone in coprolites can be used to assess patterns of hunting, food preparation, and general importance of small animals in diet. This is demonstrated by a comparison of faunal assemblages between two hunter‐gatherer sites with respect to small animal hunting strategies. The sites are Dust Devil Cave on the Colorado Plateau, an Archaic winter habitation, and Hinds Cave, a warm season Archaic habitation in the lower Pecos of Texas. The results indicate that small animal hunting varied regionally and seasonally. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low gammaglobulin subclass 2 levels in paediatric cystic fibrosis patients followed over a 2‐year period
Authors: Garside J.P. , Kerrin D.P. , Brownlee K.G. , Gooi H.C. , Taylor J.M. , Conway S.P. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe aim of this study was to relate serum immunoglobulin G2 subclass levels in a large paediatric population with cystic fibrosis, to clinical status and antibody levels to Haemophilus influenzae type b and Streptococcus pneumoniae and to observe any changes over a 2‐year period. IgG subclasses were measured in 131 patients. Results were compared with levels from age‐related normal population data. The following clinical data were collected at baseline and 2 years later; genotype: height, weight, and BMI z‐scores: FEV1 (as percent predicted): Shwachman–Kulczcyki and Northern chest X‐ray scores: Pseudomonas aeruginosa status. Antibody levels to H. influenzae type b and S. pneumoniae measured at baseline were related to IgG2 level. There was a reduction in the prevalence of low levels of IgG2 from 29% to 10% over the 2‐year period. Low levels of IgG2 were not associated with any decline in clinical well‐being. Low levels of IgG2 alone were associated with low antibody levels to S. pneumoniae. Low levels of IgG2 and low levels of antibody to H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae were not associated with any decline in clinical well‐being. Children with high levels of IgG2 had worse lung function, worse Shwachman–Kulczcyki and Northern chest X‐ray scores and higher levels of P. aeruginosa infection. Children with low IgG2 levels were not worse clinically compared to those with normal or high IgG2 levels. High IgG2 levels were associated with a worse clinical status. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:125–130. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lung function and exhaled nitric oxide levels in infants developing chronic lung disease
Authors: Williams Olivia , Dimitriou Gabriel , Hannam Simon , Rafferty Gerrard F. , Greenough Anne 
Published: December 2006

AbstractChronic lung disease (CLD) is a common outcome of neonatal intensive care. To determine whether the results of serial exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) measurements during the perinatal period differed between infants who did and did not develop CLD. In addition, we wished to assess whether eNO results were more predictive of CLD development than lung function test results or readily available clinical data (gestational age and birthweight). The patients were 24 infants with a median gestational age of 27 (range 25–31) weeks. Measurements of eNO levels, functional residual capacity (FRC), and compliance of the respiratory system (CRS) were attempted on postnatal days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 28 days. The 12 infants who developed CLD were of significantly lower birthweight and gestational age than the rest of the cohort; in addition, they had lower median FRC (P < 0.02) and CRS (P < 0.02) results, but not higher eNO levels, in the first week after birth. Construction of receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated that the CRS and FRC results on Day 3 were the best predictors of CLD development; the areas under the ROC curves were 0.94 and 0.91, respectively. Early lung function test results, but not eNO levels, are useful in predicting CLD development, but are not significantly better than birthweight. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:107–113. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing bronchial responsiveness to hypertonic saline using the stepwise protocol of phase two of the international study of asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC II)
Authors: Büchele Gisela , Rzehak Peter , Weinmayr Gudrun , Keil Ulrich , Leupold Wolfgang , von Mutius Erika , Weiland Stephan K. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMeasurement of bronchial responsiveness to hypertonic saline was applied in 22 study centers worldwide as part of Phase Two of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC Phase Two). Because the amount of inhaled saline was difficult to standardize during the stepwise protocol with inhalation periods of increasing duration, we evaluated different statistical procedures based on inhalation time in relation to wheeze and current asthma. Data on random samples on 9 to 11‐year‐old children (n = 1,418) from two German centers were analyzed. The following statistical approaches were evaluated: (1) bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) defined dichotomously as a fall in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) ≥15%; (2) PT15: the provocation time causing BHR using survival‐analyses methods; (3) time‐response‐slope (continuous) of the individual FEV1‐courses calculated by a linear model after comparing different mathematical models. The sensitivity and specificity of BHR versus current asthma were 47% and 87%, respectively. Analyses of the provocation time indicated an increased risk (adjusted hazard‐ratio: 4.3; 95% CI: 2.8–6.5) for a fall in FEV1 ≥ 15% among children with current asthma in comparison to those without. The time‐response‐slope differed markedly between children with and without wheeze and current asthma (P < 0.0001). BHR is meaningful and relatively easy to use, but has low sensitivity. Time‐response‐slopes utilize the available information from the stepwise protocol better than BHR and survival‐analysis based on PT15. Response parameters based on inhalation time discriminate well between children with and without asthma and will be compared in the analyses of ISAAC Phase Two data. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:131–140. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Massive hemoptysis in an 11‐year‐old girl with isolated pulmonary arteritis
Authors: Chan E.Y. , Avcin T. , Dell S. , Manson D. , Cutz E. , Schneider R. , Ratjen F. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA 10‐year‐old girl developed recurrent bouts of massive hemoptysis over a 9‐month period. No obvious bleeding source was detected. Her pulmonary angiogram showed a pulmonary aneurysm of the second branch of the left main pulmonary artery as well as widespread irregularities of the pulmonary arteries including areas of stenosis and pruning. Elective embolization of the aneurysm did not control hemoptysis and emergency left upper lobectomy had to be performed. Histology showed large artery wall injury with acute leucocytoclastic inflammation, fibrinoid necrosis, granulomatous inflammation, and ectasia of vessel wall. This combination of abnormalities has not been described to date and represents the first case of isolated pulmonary arteritis in children prior to puberty. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:177–180. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluating protein structures determined by structural genomics consortia
Authors: Bhattacharya Aneerban , Tejero Roberto , Montelione Gaetano T. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractStructural genomics projects are providing large quantities of new 3D structural data for proteins. To monitor the quality of these data, we have developed the protein structure validation software suite (PSVS), for assessment of protein structures generated by NMR or X‐ray crystallographic methods. PSVS is broadly applicable for structure quality assessment in structural biology projects. The software integrates under a single interface analyses from several widely‐used structure quality evaluation tools, including PROCHECK (Laskowski et al., J Appl Crystallog 1993;26:283–291), MolProbity (Lovell et al., Proteins 2003;50:437–450), Verify3D (Luthy et al., Nature 1992;356:83–85), ProsaII (Sippl, Proteins 1993;17: 355–362), the PDB validation software, and various structure‐validation tools developed in our own laboratory. PSVS provides standard constraint analyses, statistics on goodness‐of‐fit between structures and experimental data, and knowledge‐based structure quality scores in standardized format suitable for database integration. The analysis provides both global and site‐specific measures of protein structure quality. Global quality measures are reported as Z scores, based on calibration with a set of high‐resolution X‐ray crystal structures. PSVS is particularly useful in assessing protein structures determined by NMR methods, but is also valuable for assessing X‐ray crystal structures or homology models. Using these tools, we assessed protein structures generated by the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium and other international structural genomics projects, over a 5‐year period. Protein structures produced from structural genomics projects exhibit quality score distributions similar to those of structures produced in traditional structural biology projects during the same time period. However, while some NMR structures have structure quality scores similar to those seen in higher‐resolution X‐ray crystal structures, the majority of NMR structures have lower scores. Potential reasons for this “structure quality score gap” between NMR and X‐ray crystal structures are discussed. Proteins 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Protein–RNA interactions: Structural analysis and functional classes
Authors: Ellis Jonathan J. , Broom Mark , Jones Susan 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA data set of 89 protein–RNA complexes has been extracted from the Protein Data Bank, and the nucleic acid recognition sites characterized through direct contacts, accessible surface area, and secondary structure motifs. The differences between RNA recognition sites that bind to RNAs in functional classes has also been analyzed. Analysis of the complete data set revealed that van der Waals interactions are more numerous than hydrogen bonds and the contacts made to the nucleic acid backbone occur more frequently than specific contacts to nucleotide bases. Of the base‐specific contacts that were observed, contacts to guanine and adenine occurred most frequently. The most favored amino acid–nucleotide pairings observed were lysine–phosphate, tyrosine–uracil, arginine–phosphate, phenylalanine–adenine and tryptophan–guanine. The amino acid propensities showed that positively charged and polar residues were favored as expected, but also so were tryptophan and glycine. The propensities calculated for the functional classes showed trends similar to those observed for the complete data set. However, the analysis of hydrogen bond and van der Waal contacts showed that in general proteins complexed with messenger RNA, transfer RNA and viral RNA have more base specific contacts and less backbone contacts than expected, while proteins complexed with ribosomal RNA have less base‐specific contacts than the expected. Hence, whilst the types of amino acids involved in the interfaces are similar, the distribution of specific contacts is dependent upon the functional class of the RNA bound. Proteins 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A kampo medicine, Yin‐Chiao‐san, Prevents bleomycin‐induced pulmonary injury in rats
Authors: Yen Feng‐Lin , Wu Tzu‐Hui , Liao Chia‐Wen , Lin Chun‐Ching 
Published: December 2006

AbstractYin‐Chiao‐San (YCS), a kampo medicine, is widely used for patients with pulmonary disease and was applied for the treatment of SARS in Asia countries in 2003. For this reason, the present study investigated the preventive effect of YCS on bleomycin (BLM)‐induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in rats. Animals were divided into four groups: (1) saline control group; (2) BLM‐induced group, in which 15 mg/kg BLM was intraperitoneally injected three times per week for a period of 5 weeks; (3) BLM + vitamin E (10 mg/kg/day) as a positive group; (4) and BLM + YCS (1000 mg/kg/day). After 35 days, the rats were anesthetized, killed and then the lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) were collected. The attenuation of pulmonary fibrosis was estimated according to the lung index, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), hydroxyproline (HP) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) level in lung tissue and BALF. The serial sections of lung were stained with haematoxylin‐eosin and Masson trichrome for histopathological observation of pulmonary fibrosis. The results indicated that YCS significantly reduced the lung index, MDA, HP and TNF‐α, but YCS significantly enhanced the CAT level when compared with the BLM‐induced group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the BLM group displayed severe histopathological change in the lung tissue, but YCS treatment could attenuate the BLM‐induced PF. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that YCS possesses antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities and also inhibited collagen formation. Thus, YCS exhibited a preventive effect in BLM‐induced PF and it is suggested that YCS may be applied to attenuate the side effects of BLM in chemotherapy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In Vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibitory properties of thymol, carvacrol and their derivatives thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone
Authors: Jukic Mila , Politeo Olivera , Maksimovic Milka , Milos Mia , Milos Mladen 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine in vitro the inhibitory activity exerted by the main constituents of essential oil obtained from the aromatic plant Thymus vulgaris L. on acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The total essential oil and selected compounds, specifically linalool and thymol, carvacrol and their derivatives thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone, were tested for AChE inhibition. Thymohydroquinone exhibited the strongest AChE inhibitory effect over the range of concentrations. The AChE inhibitory potential decreased in the following order: thymohydroquinone > carvacrol > thymoquinone > essential oil > thymol > linalool. It is interesting that the AChE inhibitory effect exerted by carvacrol was 10 times stronger than that exerted by its isomer thymol, although thymol and carvacrol have a very similar structure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phytochemical, pharmacological and ethnobotanical studies of Rhazya stricta Decne.
Authors: Gilani Syed Abdullah , Kikuchi Akira , Shinwari Zabta Khan , Khattak Zafar Iqbal , Watanabe Kazuo N. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractRhazya stricta Decne. is an important medicinal species that is rich in alkaloids containing anticancer alkaloids also. This paper reviews phytochemical, pharmacological and ethnobotanical studies of R. stricta. Phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of the species have been thoroughly explored. Over 100 alkaloids have been isolated from R. stricta, but the pharmacological activities are known for only a few of these compounds. Very few ethnobotanical studies of R. stricta have been done, and there is a particular need for such studies in various regions of South Asia and in Middle Eastern countries where the species grows. These ethnobotanical studies should investigate herbal recipes of R. stricta and their use for curing diseases. The genetic diversity, chemotaxonomy and allelopathy of R. stricta have not yet been explored, and these studies are recommended, with the ultimate goal of benefiting local communities in regions where R. stricta grows. This should be achieved by sharing knowledge and through the manufacture of herbal drugs from R. stricta's active chemical constituents, while protecting intellectual property rights and following the World Health Organization's guidelines for safety and efficacy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Kushenflavonoids induce apoptosis in tumor cells by inhibition of NF‐κB activation and multiple receptor tyrosine kinase activities
Authors: Han Jun , Sun Mingyu , Cui Yumin , Wang Tao , Zhang Weihan , Guo Mingchuan , Zhou Yuan , Liu Wei , Zhang Meifang , Duan Jifeng , Xiong Sidong , Yao Minghui , Yan Xiaoqiang 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this report, the mechanism of the antitumor activities ofKushenflavonoids (KS‐Fs) were explored. KS‐Fs and kurarinone (Kur), a single flavonoid compound, were able to induce apoptosis of H460 and Eca‐109 cellsin vitroand H460 cellsin vivo. The apoptosis inducing effect was enhanced in the presence of Taxol. In H460 xenograft mice treated with Kur, down‐regulation of Bcl‐2 and up‐regulation of caspase 8 and caspase 3 in tumors were observed by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, KS‐Fs and Kur were able to inhibit TNFα‐induced NF‐κB activation in 293 cells mediated by the decreased IκBαphosphorylation. Further the effects of KS‐Fs and Kur on multiple receptor tyrosine kinase activities were explored. In cell‐based assays, KS‐Fs and Kur inhibited the EGF‐induced EGF receptor phosphorylation in A431 cells and a constitutively activated Her‐2 in MDA‐MB‐453s cells. In enzymatic assays, KS‐Fs and Kur inhibited KDR, but not PDGF BR activities. In A431 xenograft mice treated with Kur, an inhibition of EGF receptor phosphorylation in tumors was observed. These results reveal a novel mechanism by which KS‐Fs induces apoptosis in tumors by acting on multiple cellular targets including the inhibition of NF‐κB activation and multiple receptor tyrosine kinase activities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust observation and identification ofnDOF Lagrangian systems
Authors: Rosas Almeida David I. , Alvarez Joaquín , Fridman Leonid 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA procedure to design a global exponentially stable, second‐order, sliding‐mode observer fornDOF Lagrangian systems is presented. The observer converges to the system state in spite of the existence of bounded disturbances or parameter uncertainties affecting the system dynamics. The generation of sliding modes permits the identification of disturbances using the equivalent output injection which, under some circumstances, can also be used to identify the system parametersviaa continuous version of the last‐square method. The proposed methodology is illustrated with some numerical examples and experiments. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive sliding mode control for plants with mismatched perturbations to achieve asymptotical stability
Authors: Chang Yaote , Cheng Chih‐Chiang 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this paper an adaptive sliding mode control (ASMC) scheme based on the Lyapunov stability theorem is proposed for a class of multi‐input multi‐output (MIMO) systems with mismatched perturbations to solve robust tracking problems. Adaptive mechanisms are employed in the design of a specific sliding surface function, so that when the dynamics of controlled system enters the sliding surface, the adaptive gains are capable of adapting the upper bounds of mismatched perturbations and the trajectories of tracking errors can achieve the objective of asymptotical stability. Some adaptive mechanisms are also employed in the controller's design, so that the reaching phase can be accomplished in a finite time without the requirement of the information of upper bounds of partial mismatched perturbations. Finally the control scheme is applied to control an AC motor for showing the feasibility of the proposed methodology. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Firm, strategic group, and industry influences on performance
Authors: Short Jeremy C. , Ketchen David J. , Palmer Timothy B. , Hult G. Tomas M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA long‐standing debate has focused on the extent to which different levels of analysis shape firm performance. The strategic group level has been largely excluded from this inquiry, despite evidence that group membership matters. In this study, we use hierarchical linear modeling to simultaneously estimate firm‐, strategic group‐, and industry‐level influences on short‐term and long‐term measures of performance. We assess the three levels' explanatory power using a sample of 1,165 firms in 12 industries with data from a 7‐year period. To enhance comparability to previous research, we also estimate the effects using the variance components and ANOVA methods relied on in past studies. To assess the robustness of strategic group effects, we examine both deductively and inductively defined groups. We found that all three levels are significantly associated with performance. The firm effect is the strongest, while the strategic group effect rivals and for some measures outweighs the industry effect. We also found that the levels have varying effects in relation to different performance measures, suggesting more complex relationships than depicted in previous studies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The legitimacy of strategic alliances: an institutional perspective
Authors: Dacin M. Tina , Oliver Christine , Roy Jean‐Paul 
Published: December 2006

AbstractDrawing on an institutional perspective, this paper suggests that strategic alliances serve an important legitimating function for firms and that this role, mediated by alliance governance structure and partner selection preferences, has a significant influence on firm and alliance performance. A theoretical framework is proposed that identifies five types of legitimacy associated with strategic alliances and the specific conditions under which legitimation may be an important outcome of strategic alliances. Propositions are developed to explain when firms are most likely to enter into alliances for legitimacy purposes and how the legitimating role of strategic alliances contributes to firm and alliance performance. The paper concludes with a summary and implications of a legitimacy‐based view of alliances. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SPI agility: How to navigate improvement projects
Authors: Aaen Ivan , Börjesson Anna , Mathiassen Lars 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIn this study, we argue that today's changing business environment calls for agile Software Process Improvement (SPI) practices. The study combines experiences from 18 SPI projects executed from 1998 to 2002 at Ericsson in Gothenburg with insights from SPI and agility theory. We suggest that agile SPI practices are both effective and flexible; they employ adaptive governance mechanisms at the corporate level; and they combine different tactics on the project level. We identify and compare two different tactics for SPI projects. Inspired by procedural thinking, the first tactic, the supertanker, employs process‐push and aims for efficient process development and diffusion. On the basis of adaptive thinking, the second tactic, the motorboat, facilitates practice‐pull and aims for adaptive process development and diffusion. We also discuss how agile SPI practices require understanding of the different types of waters in which the two tactics navigate effectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.