bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blob‐based liquid morphing
Authors: Jin Xiaogang , Liu Shengjun , C. L. Wang Charlie , Feng Jieqing , Sun Hanqiu
Published: September 2005

In this paper, we propose a novel practical method for blob‐based liquid 3D morphing. Firstly, blobby objects are employed to approximate a given polygonal surface. The primitives in the medial axis sphere‐tree of a polygonal model are utilized as initial blobs—this greatly improves the robustness and efficiency of the blob‐based approximation. Secondly, we establish the blob correspondences between two models by sphere cellular matching and hierarchical matching. Finally, we interpolate the parameters of the implicit representation to get the intermediate shapes. Experiments show our method can produce visually pleasing liquid morphing effects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic modeling and rendering of grass wagging in wind
Authors: Wang Changbo , Wang Zhangye , Zhou Qi , Song Chengfang , Guan Yu , Peng Qunsheng
Published: September 2005

Simulation of dynamic natural scene is one of the most challenging tasks in computer graphics. In this paper, we propose a new approach to dynamic modeling and rendering of grasses wagging in wind. Through length preserving free‐form deformation of the 3D skeleton lines of each grass blade and using the alpha test to implement transparent texture mapping, we successfully model grasses of different shapes with rich details. To simulate the real time waggle of grasses, the grasses of a meadow are represented in LOD, while their skeleton lines are dynamically deformed according to some physical models. Simplification technique is also employed to accelerate the collision detection between neighboring grasses. Experiments show that our method can realistically render the animated grass scenes under wind of different speeds and types in real time. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is paraoxonase 192 gene polymorphism a risk factor for membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in children?
Authors: Bilge Ilmay , Sirin Aydan , Agachan Bedia , Emre Sevinc , Sadıkoglu Banu , Yılmaz Hülya , Sucu Aysegül , İsbir Turgay
Published: September 2005

We investigated the effects of paraoxonase (PON1) 192 polymorphism on serum PON1 activity and the impact of phenotypic expression on the risk and prognosis of Turkish children with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). Eighteen children with biopsy‐proven Type I MPGN (10 boys, 8 girls) and age‐matched 53 healthy controls were included in the study. PCR (polymerase chain reaction), RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) and agarose gel electrophoresis techniques were used to determine the PON1 192 genotype. PON1 activity was measured by spectrophotometric assay of p‐nitrophenol production following addition of paraoxon. We found that PON1 192 genotype distribution (AA, AB, BB) in MPGN patients were 61.1%, 22.3%, 16.6% and 15.1%, 35.8%, 49.1% in controls, respectively. The frequency of AA genotypes was significantly higher in the MPGN group (0.611) compared with the healthy controls (0.151) (p < 0.001). Although the serum PON1 activity was lower in MPGN patients (103.3 ± 55.2 U/l) than the healthy controls (130.9 ± 71.2 U/mol), the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.0563). In the genotypes of patients and controls classified according to PON1 A/B polymorphism; serum PON1 activities were significantly increased (p < 0.001, ANOVA) in the order of PON1 AA, AB and BB in both MPGN patients (82.4, 91.7 and 173.6 U/l) and healthy controls (85.9, 119.9 and 193.1 U/l), respectively. There was a significant relationship between the poor prognosis and having AA genotype and low PON1 activity. Of the 8 patients with poor prognosis, 7 had genotype AA and the remaining one was AB heterozygote. Our results suggest that homozygosity for the A allele might have an important role on the risk for developing MPGN and may also be associated with the poor prognosis of disease. In conclusion, we suggest that the PON1 activities are affected by PON1 genetic variability in Turkish patients with MPGN. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Overexpression of caspase recruitment domain (CARD) membrane‐associated guanylate kinase 1 (CARMA1) and CARD9 in primary gastric B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Nakamura Shigeo , Nakamura Shotaro , Matsumoto Takayuki , Yada Shinichiro , Hirahashi Minako , Suekane Hiroshi , Yao Takashi , Goda Kenichi , Iida Mitsuo
Published: September 2005

BACKGROUND

Although caspase recruitment domain (CARD) membrane‐associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) protein 1 (CARMA1) and CARD9 play important roles in lymphocyte activation, the significance of CARMA1 and CARD9 in the pathogenesis of gastric mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma remains to be elucidated.

METHODS

By using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction analysis, the expression levels of mRNA of CARMA1, CARD9, Bcl10, and the apoptosis inhibitor 2 (API2)‐MALT1 chimeric transcript were determined in tissue specimens from 65 patients with primary gastric B‐cell lymphoma (43 patients with low‐grade MALT lymphoma, 16 patients with MALT lymphoma plus diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma [DLBL], and 6 patients with DLBL without MALT lymphoma) and in tissue specimens from 18 patients with chronic gastritis. The expression levels of CARMA1 and BCL10 were examined immunohistochemically in 30 patients with lymphoma.

RESULTS

CARMA1 mRNA was detected in 55% of lymphoma patients but in only 17% of chronic gastritis patients. The positive rates for CARD9, Bcl10, and API2‐MALT1 chimeric transcript in the lymphoma patients were 48%, 98%, and 8%, respectively, whereas the 3 molecules were not detected in any specimens from patients with chronic gastritis. The expression of CARMA1 and CARD9 was frequent in the Helicobacter pylori‐negative patients (100% and 86%, respectively), in the API2‐MALT1 chimeric transcript‐positive patients (100% and 100%, respectively), and in the specimens from patients who did not respond to H. pylori eradication (76% and 71%, respectively). In addition, CARMA1 expression was positive more frequently in patients of DLBL without MALT lymphoma (100%) than in patients of MALT lymphoma (51%). CARMA1 protein expression was correlated significantly with the expression of CARMA1 mRNA and also with the expression of nuclear BCL10.

CONCLUSIONS

The overexpression of CARMA1 and CARD9 presumably is associated with the development or progression of gastric B‐cell lymphoma, especially among patients who have disease in which the pathogenesis is not related to H. pylori. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
A long‐term follow‐up and management study of hepatocellular carcinoma patients surviving for 10 years or longer after curative hepatectomy
Authors: Shimada Kazuaki , Sano Tsuyoshi , Sakamoto Yoshihiro , Kosuge Tomoo
Published: September 2005

BACKGROUND

The aims of the current study were to elucidate the clinicopathologic characteristics and disease recurrence patterns of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who survived for 10 years or longer after undergoing an initial hepatectomy.

METHODS

Between January 1987 and December 1993, 578 patients underwent potentially curative hepatectomy at the study institution. Disease recurrence and follow‐up data were available for 481 of these patients, who then were followed for more than 10 years after the initial hepatectomy. Fourteen clinicopathologic features were compared between the 10‐year survivors and those patients who died within 10 years after the surgery. The risk factors for disease recurrence, the recurrence status, time to recurrence, and treatment modalities for recurrence were examined among the 10‐year survivors.

RESULTS

There were 105 10‐year survivors (21.8%), including 42 disease‐free survivors (8.7%). Favorable independent factors found to be correlated with 10‐year survival were age < 55 years, a plasma retention rate of indocyanine green at 15 minutes of < 15%, the presence of a solitary tumor, the absence of intrahepatic metastases, the absence of portal vein invasion, and the absence of underlying cirrhosis. A negative test for the the hepatitis C antibody and the absence of intrahepatic metastases were found to be independent predictive factors for 10‐year disease‐free survival among the 10‐year survivors.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that younger patients without underlying cirrhosis who have a solitary HCC that does not demonstrate vascular invasion might survive for longer than 10 years after the initial hepatectomy. In addition to close surveillance in such patients after hepatectomy, repeat hepatectomy, local ablation therapy, and transhepatic arterial chemoembolization may contribute to long‐term survival, even if disease recurrence occurs. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Additivity properties of graphs with Form II symmetry
Authors: Kaveh A. , Sayarinejad M. A.
Published: September 2005

In this paper, the properties of previously developed Form II symmetry (Commun. Numer. Meth. Engng 2003; 19:125–136; 2004; 20:133–146) is further investigated. Additivity properties of graphs with this form are formulated, and the effect of adding or deleting members on the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrices of the corresponding graphs, is studied. Depending on the category of the added or deleted members, the condensed submatrices on which changes occur are identified, and the necessary modifications are suggested. A mass‐spring dynamic system is presented to illustrate a typical application of the latter approach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Iterative solution technique in selective mass scaling
Authors: Olovsson Lars , Simonsson Kjell
Published: September 2005

Selective mass scaling in explicit finite element analyses is a method to increase the critical time step by modifying the mass matrix while at the same time leaving the rigid body translational behaviour unaffected. In an earlier work it has been suggested to calculate the global acceleration vector as a=M̄−1f where M̄ is the selectively scaled global mass matrix and where f is the global node force vector. However, dealing with large models, the mass matrix inversion is computationally costly and the storage of M̄−1 requires a considerable amount of memory space. In this context it is here shown that an iterative solution technique, where M̄a=f is solved every time step, can be an attractive alternative to inverting the mass matrix. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Harmonic balance method for FEM analysis of fluid flow in a vibrating pipe
Authors: Ragulskis M. , Fedaravicius A. , Ragulskis K.
Published: September 2005

A numerical procedure for the analysis of non‐Newtonian fluid flow in a longitudinally vibrating tube is developed. The formulation of the problem is presented in differential equation form and finite element model is developed leading to the first‐order matrix differential equation. A special modification of the harmonic balance procedure is proposed for this non‐linear problem. Numerical validation of the harmonic balance procedure was performed by comparison of the average mass flow rate with the results of direct time integration. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical method for determination of reworking or scraping the defective items in a finite production rate model
Authors: Chiu Yuan‐Shyi P. , Chiu Singa Wang , Chao Huang‐Chieh
Published: September 2005

This paper presents a numerical method for determination of reworking or scraping defective items in a finite production rate model with backlogging permitted. In most practical manufacturing settings, due to process deterioration or other factors, generation of defective items is inevitable. The defective items can either be repaired or be discarded. In the finite production model we studied, the defective rate is assumed to be a random variable and the rework process can start immediately when regular production ends. The optimal lot sizes and the expected annual inventory costs for the cases of production systems with the rework process and without the rework process are compared and analysed. A set of numerical equations are developed to assist in determining on whether or not it is beneficial to rework defective items. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate their practical usages. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
P2broadcast: a hierarchical clustering live video streaming system for P2P networks
Authors: Liu De‐Kai , Hwang Ren‐Hung
Published: September 2005

This work describes a novel live video streaming system for P2P networks, referred to as P2broadcast. The video streaming service has bandwidth requirements to guarantee presentation quality. Therefore, a scalable strategy to quickly find a path from a media server to a client with abundant bandwidth is very important. A common approach in the literature is the bandwidth first (BF) scheme, which allows a newcomer to adopt a BF tree traversal scheme to find its parent peer on the P2P overlay tree to retrieve the media content. The BF scheme is likely to build a deep overlay tree, resulting in long start‐up latency as the number of peers on the overlay tree grows. P2broadcast reduces start‐up latency by organizing peers into hierarchical clusters and making the overlay tree become a ‘short‐and‐wide’ tree. The hierarchical clustering structure enables a newcomer to find its parent peer among the set of peers that are more likely to provide large available bandwidth only. Limiting the set of potential parent peers not only reduces start‐up latency but also improves the system availability. Additionally, unlike the BF scheme that only concerns available bandwidth, P2broadcast utilizes a cost function to evaluate the appropriateness of a potential parent peer. The cost function considers the depth of the newcomer on the overlay tree, making the overlay tree become a short‐and‐wide tree. In addition to start‐up latency reduction, the short‐and‐wide tree feature also alleviates the service interruption probability due to the leaving or failure of a peer. Our simulation results show that P2broadcast greatly outperforms the BF scheme in terms of system availability, and achieves around 66% savings in start‐up latency and 10% decrement in service interruption probability. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Resource discovery and management in computational GRID environments
Authors: Bradley Alan , Curran Kevin , Parr Gerard
Published: September 2005

Corporations are currently using computational GRIDs to improve their operations. Future GRIDs will allow an organization to take advantage of computational GRIDs without having to develop a custom in‐house solution. GRID resource providers (GRPs) make resources available on the GRID so that others may subscribe and use these resources. GRPs will allow companies to make use of a range of resources such as processing power or mass storage. However, simply providing resources is not enough to ensure the success of a computational GRID: Access to these resources must be controlled otherwise computational GRIDs will simply evolve to become a victim of their own success, unable to offer a suitable quality of service (QoS) to any user. The task of providing a standard querying mechanism for computational GRID environments (CGE) has already witnessed considerable work from groups such as the Globus project who have delivered the Metacomputing Directory Service (MDS), which provides a means to query devices attached to the GRID. This paper presents a review of existing resource discovery mechanisms within CGE. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tool assisted H.323 dial‐plan design following formally defined strategies
Authors: Knezevic Milos , Stassinopoulos George
Published: September 2005

This paper considers H.323 v4 VoIP networks consisting of gateways and gatekeepers, addressing the task of terminating calls to multiple ISDN networks. Our goal is the maximal utilization of the gatekeeper's centralized routing mechanism for call termination to ISDN networks based on load balancing and resource availability indication (RAI), thus minimizing the need for usage of unwanted (second attempt) overflow mechanisms. We elaborate on the drawbacks of overflow mechanisms and give an overview on different solutions offered in practice by vendors. The discussion justifies the emphasis on load balancing, thus we present an algorithm and tool assisted approach for the systematic assignment of PRIs from ISDN networks to gateways. We follow strictly defined design criteria that lead to an optimized network dial‐plan. We thus offer a stand alone, off‐line solution without the need of any extra add‐ons or upgrades. This is intended to replace the purely intuitive approach followed by today's planners.

Our scope is the design rather than the runtime environment; the latter continues to feature the simplicity of a single global RAI per gateway. We consider desirable and non‐desirable link distribution topologies between gateways and ISDN networks based on operational and economic evaluation criteria. These measure the number of ‘wasted’ gateway ports or ‘inappropriately’ allocated network interfaces. Our approach is illustrated through a worked out example showing key features of the proposed algorithm and revealing characteristic cases met in the ISDN interface allocation.

Finally, we show how the presented methodology, which presently addresses a H.323 design issue, can provide performance benefits in the VoIP technologies of the immediate future. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ruthenium Complexes Containing Chiral N‐Donor Ligands as Catalysts in Acetophenone Hydrogen Transfer – New Amino Effect on Enantioselectivity
Authors: Gómez Montserrat , Jansat Susanna , Muller Guillermo , Aullón Gabriel , Maestro Miguel Angel
Published: September 2005

New p‐cymene ruthenium species containing chiral amino alcohols (1–3), primary (4–7) and secondary (8, 9) amino‐oxazolines, were tested as catalysts in the hydrogen transfer of acetophenone, using 2‐propanol as the hydrogen source. A remarkable effect on the enantioselectivity, but also on the activity, was observed depending on the amino‐type oxazoline, Ru/8 and Ru/9 being low active and nonselective catalytic systems, in contrast to their primary counterpart Ru/5. Complexes containing amino‐oxazolines (10–12) were prepared and fully characterized, both in solution and in solid state. The X‐ray structure was determined for (SRu,RC)‐10. The diastereomeric ratios observed for complexes 10 and 11 were determined by 1H NMR and confirmed by means of structural modeling (semi‐empirical PM3(tm) level). DFT theoretical calculations for the transition states involved in the hydrogen transfer process proved the important differences in their relative populations, which could justify the enantioselectivity divergences observed between primary and secondary amino‐oxazoline ruthenium systems. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005)
Rainfall‐induced landslide hazard assessment using artificial neural networks
Authors: Wang H. B. , Sassa K.
Published: September 2005

In Japan, landslides triggered by heavy rainfall tend to occur during the annual rainy season from early June until the middle of July; these landslides constitute a major hazard causing significant property damage and loss of life. This paper proposes the use of back propagation neural networks (BPNN) to predict the probability of landslide occurrence for a scenario of heavy rainfall in the Minamata area of southern Kyushu Island, Japan. All of the landslides were detected from aerial photographs taken in 1999, 2001 and 2003, and a geospatial database of lithology, topography, soil characteristics, land use and precipitation was constructed using geographical information systems (GIS). The training sample consists of 602 cells that include landslide activity and 1600 cells in stable areas. Using the trained BPNN with 49 input nodes, three hidden layers, and one output node, 239 589 cells were processed to produce a map of landslide probability for a maximum daily precipitation of 329 mm and a maximum cumulative precipitation of 581 mm for an incessant, intense rainfall event in the future. The resultant hazard map was classified into four hazard levels; it can be referenced for land‐use planning and decision‐making for community development. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On digital signatures in ad hoc networks
Authors: Westhoff D. , Lamparter B. , Paar C. , Weimerskirch A.
Published: September 2005

Cryptographic primitives need to be carefully evaluated when being applied in components ensuring enhanced protection aims. This work analyses the performance of RSA‐ and ECDSA‐based digital signature schemes in the context of multi‐hop ad hoc networks. Our work shows that contrary to a single wireless hop scenario with restricted clients in the wireless network and a powerful server in the fixed network, the choice of an appropriate signature candidate is not as obvious as for the aforementioned architecture. Our performance analysis considers three partially interdependent axes (a) the required security level, (b) the device restriction and (c) the protocol specification with the required security relationships, and the assumed traffic flow. We take (c) into account by analysing two charging protocols for wireless multi‐hop scenarios. By generalising our observations, we carefully derive some recommendations to strengthen the security engineering process for dependable distributed systems over the wireless network. Copyright © 2005 AEIT.
Templatized refinement of triangle meshes using surface interpolation
Authors: Su Y. , Senthil Kumar A.
Published: September 2005

Mesh refinement is an important process with regards to achieving good accuracy for computational simulation and analysis. Currently, there is a lack of a high‐fidelity refinement algorithm for the accurate modelling of geometry in the absence of a physical geometric model. This paper focuses on using a surface interpolation procedure based on a quartic triangular Bezier patch to approximate the underlying geometry of a mesh and to determine the locations of new subdivision vertices. A robust methodology is used for feature retention and accurate curve fitting at sharp edges and hard vertices. This extends the applicability of the surface fitting procedure to any arbitrary geometric configuration. The refinement is based on a new 1:9 subdivision scheme and its implementation is discussed in detail. Despite its high order subdivision footprint, computational efficiency is made possible by the effective use of lookup tables. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nanocomposites of vinyl chloride–acrylonitrile copolymer and silica
Authors: Yu Tianshi , Lin Jiaping , Xu Jiafu , Ding Weiwei
Published: September 2005

Vinyl chloride–acrylonitrile (VC–AN) copolymer was synthesized through emulsion copolymerization. VC–AN copolymer/silica nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending of copolymer and silica in a common solvent, N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). The rheology studies show that the shear‐thinning behavior of the VC–AN copolymer solution becomes less distinct as nano particles are introduced. It was also found that the viscosity of the copolymer solution decreases with adding small amount of nano particles. Transmission electron microscopy observations indicate that the UV‐treated silica could disperse well in the copolymer matrix. Differential scanning calorimeter studies suggest that the presence of the silica suppresses crystallization of the AN segments in the copolymers. Because of the interactions between copolymer chains and inorganic particles, the thermal stability and mechanical strength of the VC–AN copolymers are improved considerably. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3127–3134, 2005
The effect of freeze‐drying and its implications for botanical medicine: a review
Authors: Abascal Kathy , Ganora Lisa , Yarnell Eric
Published: September 2005

Botanical samples are often freeze‐dried (lyophilized) for use in research studies, and a variety of freeze‐dried botanicals are marketed to the public. In both instances, there is an underlying assumption that freeze‐drying properly preserves the medicinal qualities of plants, and is superior to other preservation methods. In fact, little systematic research has been done to verify this assumption. A review of the existing research, done primarily by the food and spice industry, indicates that freeze‐drying has unanticipated and significant effects on the constituent profiles of medicinal plants that puts into question whether freeze‐drying necessarily is the best method to preserve botanical medicines.

This research review finds there is insufficient information to conclude that freeze‐drying has negative effects on the medicinal qualities of plants. But, because existing research indicates that freeze‐drying imperfectly preserves important classes of medicinal compounds (such as volatiles, phenolics and carotenoids), may increase the mutation rate in unicellular organisms and may diminish some medicinal plant actions, researchers and practitioners should carefully consider how the use of freeze‐dried material may affect pharmacological and clinical study results. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biological activity of carotenoids in red paprika, Valencia orange and Golden delicious apple
Authors: Molnár Péter , Kawase Masami , Satoh Kazue , Sohara Yoshitaka , Tanaka Toru , Tani Satoru , Sakagami Hiroshi , Nakashima Hideki , Motohashi Noboru , Gyémánt Nóra , Molnár Joseph
Published: September 2005

Carotenoid fractions were extracted from red paprika, Valencia orange peel and the peel of Golden delicious apple. Thus, hypophasic carotenoids of paprika (PM1), orange (PM3) and apple (PM4), and epiphasic extractions of paprika (PM2) and apple (PM5) were obtained by extraction, saponification and partition between MeOH–H2O (9:1) (hypophasic) and hexane (epiphasic). A high content of capsanthin was quantified in hypophasic carotenoids (PM1) from red spice paprika, whereas the hypophasic fractions from orange (PM3) and apple (PM4) were mainly composed of violaxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein. On the other hand, a high content of β,β‐carotene and β‐cryptoxanthin was found in epiphasic fractions (PM2 and PM5). The extracts were studied for their anti‐Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), anti‐human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cytotoxic, multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal and radical scavenging activity. Among five PM extracts and β,βcarotene, PM4 showed potent anti‐H. pylori activity (MIC50 = 36 µg/mL), comparable to metronidazole (MIC50 = 45 µg/mL). The extracts were inactive against HIV. PM3 and PM4 showed slightly higher cytotoxic activity against three human tumor cell lines (squamous cell carcinoma HSC‐2, HSC‐3, submandibular gland carcinoma HSG) and human promyelocytic leukemic HL‐60 cells than against three normal human oral cells (gingival fibroblast HGF, pulp cell HPC, periodontal ligament fibroblast HPLF), suggesting a tumor‐specific cytotoxic activity. PM1, PM3 and PM4 displayed much higher MDR‐reversing activity than (±)‐verapamil. ESR spectroscopy demonstrated that PM1‐5 and β,β‐carotene produced little or no detectable radical under alkaline conditions and did not scavenge the O2− produced by the hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase reaction. On the other hand, PM1 and PM2 scavenged efficiently 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, whereas singlet oxygen was also quenched efficiently by PM5 and PM2. The data suggest the potential importance of carotenoids as possible anti‐H. pylori and MDR reversal agents. The active principles in the carotenoid extract might differ, depending upon the types of fruits and vegetables. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimental antihyperglycemic effect of diterpenoids of llareta Azorella compacta (Umbelliferae) Phil in rats
Authors: Fuentes Nelson L. , Sagua Hernan , Morales Glauco , Borquez Jorge , Martin Aurelio San , Soto Julia , Loyola Luis A
Published: September 2005

Aqueous or ethanol infusions of Azorella compacta (llareta) in common with many other plants have been used as antidiabetic in the popular medicine in the altiplanic region of Chile. In order to determine if the diterpenic compounds chemically elucidated and isolated from this plant are responsible for this effect, streptozotocin diabetic rats (507 ± 67 mg/mL glucose) were injected with two injections of diterpenic compounds mulinolic acid, azorellanol, and mulin‐11,13‐dien‐20‐oic acid at 180 mg/mL. Glycemia of animals treated with mulinolic acid and azorellanol was decreased to 243 ± 2 and 247 ± 14 mg/mL respectively, values very close to those reached by chlorpropamide injection used in controls. After 3 h treatment with mulin‐11,13‐dien‐20‐oic acid no effect was detected. The blood serum insulin in diabetic rats (146 ± 58 pg/mL) was lower than in control rats. After injection of azorellanol, insulin was elevated to 247 ± 23 pg/mL but with mulinolic acid, insulin was not changed. The antihyperglycemic effect of these compounds may explain the effectiveness of llareta in popular medicine. Because of the similarity to the hypoglycemic medication chlorpropamide, azorellanol could be acting on the β cells of pancreatic islets, while mulinolic acid may act upon glucose utilization or production in the liver. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Recursion formula for electron repulsion integrals over Hermite polynomials
Authors: Fletcher G. D.
Published: September 2005

A method for computing electron repulsion integrals over contracted Gaussian functions is described in which intermediate integrals over Hermite polynomials are generated by a “pre‐Hermite” recursion (PHR) step before the conversion to regular integrals. This greatly reduces the floating‐point operation counts inside the contraction loops, where only simple “scaling”‐type operations are required, making the method efficient for contracted Gaussians, particularly of high angular momentum. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
Comment on “New methods for old Coulomb few‐body problems”
Authors: Zotev V. S.
Published: September 2005

In this Comment on the above‐mentioned paper by F. E. Harris, A. M. Frolov, and V. H. Smith, we briefly review our contributions to development of new methods for solution of the Coulomb four‐body problem. We show that our research group, headed by Professor T. K. Rebane, had a priority in using the fully correlated exponential basis for variational calculations of four‐body systems. We also draw attention to the fact that our group subsequently implemented a more advanced method, which uses highly efficient exponential‐trigonometric basis functions for solution of the same problem. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
Mixture analysis of longitudinal binary data
Authors: Formann Anton K.
Published: September 2005

The dependence of longitudinal binary outcomes on covariates and the covariation observed between them is often modelled by (multivariate) logistic and probit models, respectively, assuming specified association structure or random effects. Alternatively, latent class models may be used that capture the covariation by assuming heterogeneity of the observational units regarding their reaction tendencies while postulating independence within classes. In the presence of a few categorical covariates, the multi‐group method of latent class analysis allows one to relate the class sizes and the class‐specific response probabilities to these covariates. Wheeze data from the Harvard Six‐Cities study on respiratory health are a typical example for such a situation: at four occasions, the wheeze status of 537 children was examined, 187 among them exposed to maternal smoking and 350 not exposed. Thus, there is a single binary covariate (maternal smokingversusno maternal smoking) making easily applicable the multi‐group method of latent class analysis. Based on a series of unrestricted and restricted models having up to three classes for the exposed and not‐exposed subgroup each, no statistically significant effect of maternal smoking on children's wheeze status could be substantiated. Moreover, it was not possible to show statistically significant difference at all between the two distributions of wheeze patterns collected from exposed and not‐exposed children. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
RNA silencing in Drosophila
Authors: Kavi Harsh H. , Fernandez Harvey R. , Xie Weiwu , Birchler James A.
Published: September 2005

Knowledge of the role of RNA in affecting gene expression has expanded in the past several years. Small RNAs serve as homology guides to target messenger RNAs for destruction at the post‐transcriptional level in the experimental technique known as RNA interference and in the silencing of some transgenes. These small RNAs are also involved in sequence‐specific targeting of chromatin modifications for transcriptional silencing of transgenes, transposable elements, heterochromatin and some cases of Polycomb‐mediated gene silencing. RNA silencing processes in Drosophila are described.
Small RNA asymmetry in RNAi: Function in RISC assembly and gene regulation
Authors: Hutvagner Gyorgy
Published: September 2005

RNAi is a conserved gene‐specific regulatory mechanism, which silences target gene expression transcriptionally and post‐transcriptionally. The RNAi machinery converts the sequence specific information of a long double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) into small 21–22 nt long dsRNAs (siRNAs, miRNAs) which assemble into an effector complex, the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC). RISC assembly is asymmetric; one strand of an siRNA or a miRNA preferentially incorporates into the RNA–protein complex. Here, I review the rules of the asymmetric RISC formation and discuss their possible regulatory function in several steps in RNAi.
Phosphorylation of cold shock domain/Y‐box proteins by ERK2 and GSK3β and repression of the human VEGF promoter
Authors: Coles Leeanne S. , Lambrusco Lidia , Burrows Julie , Hunter Julie , Diamond Peter , Bert Andrew G. , Vadas Mathew A. , Goodall Gregory J.
Published: September 2005

The hypoxia responsive region (HRR) of the VEGF promoter plays a key role in regulating VEGF expression. We found that the cold shock domain (Y‐box) repressor proteins, dbpA and dbpB/YB‐1, bind distinct strands of the human VEGF HRR. We find both dbpA and dbpB are phosphorylated by ERK2 and GSK3β in vitro, and the binding of dbpB to single‐strand VEGF HRR DNA is regulated by this phosphorylation. These findings suggest the ERK/MAPK and PI3K pathways may regulate VEGF expression in part through regulating the action of these repressor proteins.
Primary Bone Tumours of the Hand and Wrist
Authors: CAMPBELL D. A. , MILLNER P. A. , DREGHORN C. R.
Published: September 2005

Primary bone tumours are rare in the hand and wrist. This 34-year survey of the Leeds Regional Bone Tumour Registry reveals 80 such tumours, representing 3.9% of the total number of bone turnouts in the registry.

The large majority of these tumours were benign (86%), and were found predominantly in younger patients. Malignant lesions were found more frequently in older patients. 61% of tumours were found in the metacarpals and proximal phalanges. Two-thirds of patients (67.5%) presented with features of swelling, either with or without pain.

We conclude that the information gathered from Bone Tumour Registries is of value in describing tumour characteristics, where such information could not be gathered by personal experience alone.
Cardiovascular Functional Disorder and Distress among Patients with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Authors: GOCKEL M. , LINDHOLM H. , VASTAMÄKI M. , LINDQVIST A. , VILJANEN A.
Published: September 2005

Cardiovascular functional stability of 11 women with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS; mean age 34.5) and nine female controls (mean age 35.1) was studied using an orthostatic test, a deep breathing test, Valsalva manoeuvre and hand-grip test. The heart rate at rest was significantly higher in TOS patients. The TOS group showed significant accentuation in T wave vacillation in the orthostatic test. The rise in diastolic blood pressure of the TOS group during a hand-grip test was significantly less than that of the control group. TOS patients experienced significantly more distress according to the modified somatic perception questionnaire (MSPQ) than the control group. Pain was correlated with the score of MSPQ, the resting heart rate and increase in diastolic blood pressure in a hand-grip test. The results suggest that TOS patients’ symptoms often reflect a wider disturbance than merely anatomical compression in the thoracic outlet. It seems possible that sympathetic tone is higher in TOS patients than in controls. In addition to possible operative treatment, it may be necessary to provide psychological help, relaxation and endurance training.
The First Carpal Tunnel Release?
Authors: AMADIO P. C.
Published: September 2005

Correspondence is presented recording an operation for release of the carpal tunnel performed in 1924, together with a biographical note on the surgeon, Herbert Galloway.
Sensory Innervation of the Little Finger by an Anomalous Branch of the Median Nerve Associated with Recurrent, Atypical Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: SAEED W. R. , DAVIES D. M.
Published: September 2005

Superficial sensory communication between the ulnar and median nerves is well recognized. In the vast majority of cases this communication is from the ulnar nerve to the median nerve.

We report a case in which a communicating branch passed from the median nerve to the ulnar nerve immediately proximal to the wrist to supply sensation to the little finger. The presence of this branch correlated with the presence of symptoms which had persisted in spite of conventional open carpal release 7 years earlier. Surgical decompression of this branch led to complete resolution of those symptoms.
Emergency Free Tissue Transfer for Severe Upper Extremity Injuries
Authors: NINKOVIC M. , DEETJEN H. , ÖHLER K. , ANDERL H.
Published: September 2005

29 patients with severe upper extremity injury were treated with 27 emergency free flap and three emergency toe-to-hand transfers, after radical débridement and primary reconstruction of all injured structures. There was no flap failure, and no infections or wound-healing complication were seen.

Follow-up ranged from 3 months to 6.6 years with a mean of 3.2 years. 19 patients returned to work (14 to their original jobs), three were retired and another seven had no employment before injury. Operation time ranged from 2 hours 45 minutes to 18 hours 20 minutes with an average of 7 hours 45 minutes, depending upon the size of the defect and mechanism of injury.

Long-term follow-up revealed successful functional and aesthetic results, decreased morbidity and invalidity, and reduced rates of free flap failure, post-operative infection, secondary operative procedures, hospital stay and medical expense.
A New Technique to Shorten Extensor Tendons in the Hand
Authors: VAN DER LEI B. , KAZEM F. , ROBINSON P. H.
Published: September 2005

A new simple cut and fold technique is described, which allows precise shortening of extensor tendons in the hand by a few millimeters.
Late Secondary Rupture of Flexor Pollicis Longus Masquerading as Primary Trauma
Authors: IRWIN L. R. , BAINBRIDGE L. C.
Published: September 2005

Two cases of loss of function of the flexor pollicis longus tendon are presented. Initial assumptions that these were cases of primary tendon rupture proved to be wrong when unexpected intraoperative findings suggestive of previous long standing tendon rupture were later matched with a history of previous trauma. Spontaneous subcutaneous rupture is rare in otherwise healthy tendons.
Perichondrial Arthroplasty Incorporating Costal Cartilage
Authors: KATSAROS J. , MILNER R. , MARSHALL N.J.
Published: September 2005

A technique of IP joint arthroplasty is described using costal cartilage with accompanying perichondrium. All patients presented following trauma to the IP joints; their ages ranging from 15 to 45 years. Five out of six cases showed improvement of symptoms and function following reconstruction of the traumatized joint.
Physical Equilibrium of the Normal Wrist and Its Relation to Clinically Defined “Instability”
Authors: ZDRAVKOVIC V. , JACOB H. A. C. , SENNWALD G. R.
Published: September 2005

The rotational stability of the proximal carpal row was tested on six unembalmed human cadaver hand specimens. The physiological load conditions were simulated by loading the wrist flexor and extensor tendons. Pure torque was introduced to the lunate, scaphoid and triquetrum, one at a time, by means of a dynamometer wrench, forcing the bones loaded to perform a flexion-extension motion. A truly stable state of equilibrium could be found in the normal wrist only under axial load. A uni-directional coupling was observed through the scapho-lunate ligament as a counteraction to a tendency for the lunate to extend and the scaphoid to flex. The triquetrum and lunate moved together, showing close coupling in both directions. As conclusion: a stable wrist can be defined as one which, while being loaded within a physiological range of stress, does not deviate from a stable state of equilibrium (the ability to return to a single position when disturbed) at any point within the whole physiological range of motion.
Wrist Kinematics
Authors: CRAIGEN M. A. C. , STANLEY J. K.
Published: September 2005

Analysis of radiographs of 52 wrists showed that, from ulnar to radial deviation, the amount of scaphoid shortening and ulnar translation of the scaphoid varies in a normal distribution. There is a significant correlation between the two measurements, such that the more the scaphoid shortens the less it translates and vice versa. Females subjects were more likely to have greater scaphoid shortening and less translation. It is felt that carpal kinematics thus cover a spectrum from the “row” theory to the “column” theory which is normally distributed and that women are more likely to have a column type wrist. This variation may affect the result of treatment of scapho-lunate dissociation by techniques such as scapho-lunate fusion. A “CR index” is proposed so that the tendency of a wrist towards row or column theory can be quantified. This may be used to predict the success of some surgical procedures in the treatment of scapho-lunate dissociation.
The Ulno-Carpal Abutment Syndrome
Authors: SCHUURMAN A. H. , BOS K. E.
Published: September 2005

Seven wrists in six patients with ulno-carpal abutment syndrome were treated by a subchondral distal ulna resection (wafer procedure). The average follow-up was 36 months. Wrist function was evaluated using a clinical scoring chart. The parameters were pain, range of motion, grip strength and activities. One patient had a poor result, one a fair result and the remaining had good to excellent results. In all cases grip strength showed dramatic improvement. Complications were limited to palpable subcutaneous nylon sutures requiring removal in three patients and extensor carpi ulnaris tendinitis in one.
A New Technique of Reattachment after Traumatic Avulsion of the TFCC at Its Ulnar Insertion
Authors: SENNWALD G. R. , LAUTERBURG M. , ZDRAVKOVIC V.
Published: September 2005

One female and seven male patients (median age 25.5) presented with traumatic avulsion of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), type 1B according to Palmer’s classification. Reattachment of the TFCC near its anchoring point was combined with an intraarticular shortening osteotomy of the ulnar head. This provides an excellent approach to the TFCC and a well vascularized anchoring surface. The mooring point is biomechanically appropriate and the tissues with the best biomechanical properties are used. The functional results with a mean follow-up of 3 years were encouraging, as demonstrated by the significant improvement of pain ( P = 0.017). All patients were able to return to their previous occupation; no further surgery was necessary to the distal radio-ulnar joint and no impairment of pronation and supination was detected. The final wrist score reflects the subjective results defined by the patient. However the correlation is not linear and the wrist scores are superior to the degree of satisfaction defined by the patient.
Vascularized Pedicle Graft of the Lower Trunk for Reconstruction of the Brachial Plexus
Authors: BURGE P. D. , SHEWRING D. J.
Published: September 2005

The middle trunk of an injured brachial plexus was reconstructed using a vascularized graft of the lower trunk, which was expendable because of irreparable damage to the C8 and T1 nerve roots. The graft was transferred on a vascular pedicle of mesoneurium. Useful recovery was achieved at 3 years. This technique helps to overcome the problems of limited supply and secondary sensory deficit of grafts from peripheral nerves, but is possible only if the plexus is explored early, before mobilization and transfer of nerve trunks is precluded by scarring.
Digital Nerve Compression by Hyperplastic Pacinian Corpuscles
Authors: CALDER J. S. , HOLTEN I. , TERENGHI G. , SMITH R. W.
Published: September 2005

A 68-year-old lady developed digital pain within days of the excision of a palmar ganglion. This was found to be due to a mass of hyperplastic Pacinian corpuscles compressing the digital nerve. Immunohistochemistry was carried out on the resected corpuscles using antisera to a range of neuropeptides. Possible mechanisms of hyperplasia are discussed.
Traumatic Avulsion of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament of the IP Joint of the Thumb
Authors: LAMPARELLI M. J. , JEFFERY I. T. A. , MANSOUR S.
Published: September 2005

We present a previously undescribed injury of avulsion of the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb IP joint. Stress radiographs may be used to confirm the diagnosis in cases of clinical suspicion.
Double Dislocation of the Fifth Metacarpal
Authors: KHODADADYAN C. , HOFFMANN R. , MOAZAMI-GOUDARZI Y. , SÜDKAMP N. P.
Published: September 2005

A case of traumatic, simultaneous, double dislocation of the fifth metacarpal bone is presented. Closed reduction was easily achieved and held with transarticular, crossed Kirschner wire fixation.
Injuries to the Nail Bed in Childhood
Authors: INGLEFIELD C. J. , D’ARCANGELO M. , KOLHE P. S.
Published: September 2005

Many fingertip injuries in childhood involve the nail bed. Deformities of the nail are a frequent result of failure to repair the nail bed at the time of injury. Secondary correction of nail deformities seldom achieves good results. We present the results of our experience in the management of 19 children with 22 injuries involving the nail bed. All achieved normal nail growth and the overall result of the repair was good in 91%. Complications were few and parental satisfaction with the management was high. Every effort should be made to perform a meticulous primary repair of all nail bed injuries.
Preservation of Intrinsic Muscle Function in Root Injury of the Brachial Plexus by Suturing the Median and Ulnar Nerves to the Femoral Nerve
Authors: Gu Y-D. , Chen X-M. , Chen D-S. , Zhang G-M. , Yin J-G.
Published: September 2005

In five cases of total root avulsion injury of brachial plexus, the thenar branch of the median nerve and the deep branch of the ulnar nerve were sutured to the branches of the femoral nerve during the procedure of intercostal, phrenic, accessory nerve transfer to the nerve trunks. The suture of the distal median or ulnar nerve in the hand to the femoral nerve was to maintain intrinsic muscles and prevent their atropy before arrival of nerve regeneration from the proximal end. The suture of the nerves was protected by wrapping it by abdominal flaps. The median and the ulnar nerve branches were separated from the femoral nerve when the NAP or SEP became detectable (about 1.5 years after the initial surgery). Good function of intrinsic muscles of the hand was observed in these five cases during the course of follow-up of the initial surgery, but the nerve recovery was not good after resuture of the median and the ulnar nerves. It was suggested from this preliminary clinical observation that suture of the distal median and ulnar nerves with the other nerves is effective in preservation of intrinsic muscle function, but recovery of intrinsic muscle function by resuture of the median and the ulnar nerves is not good.