bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of intralaryngeal muscle synkinesis on perception of voice handicap in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis
Authors: Lin R. Jun , Munin Michael C. , Rosen Clark A. , Smith Libby J. 
Published: January 2017

Objectives/HypothesisIntralaryngeal muscle synkinesis associated with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) is thought to preserve thyroarytenoid‐lateral cricoarytenoid muscle complex tone, resulting in a better voice despite the presence of vocal fold paralysis (VFP). This study compares voice handicap in patients with unilateral VFP (UVFP) with and without evidence of adductory synkinesis on laryngeal electromyography (LEMG).Study DesignRetrospective review of LEMG data and Voice Handicap Index‐10 (VHI‐10) scores of patients diagnosed with permanent UVFP.MethodsLEMG was performed within 1 to 6 months post onset of UVFP. Patients were stratified into two groups: 1) recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) neuropathy with synkinesis and 2) RLN neuropathy without synkinesis. Synkinesis was diagnosed when the sniff to phonation maximum amplitude ratio was ≥0.65. VHI‐10 scores at 6‐month follow‐up were recorded.ResultsFour hundred forty‐nine patients with UVFP and who had an LEMG were reviewed. Eighty‐three patients met the inclusion criteria, with 16 in group 1 and 67 in group 2. There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to age, timing of LEMG from onset of VFP, number of patients undergoing temporary vocal fold injection or use of off‐label nimodipine. Average VHI‐10 scores at 6 months post onset of VFP were 14.4 ± 10.6 for patients with LEMG‐identified synkinesis (group 1) and 21.0 ± 10.1 for patients with no LEMG evidence of synkinesis (group 2). This was statistically significant (P = .02).ConclusionsPatients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis and LEMG evidence of laryngeal synkinesis are more likely to have less perceived voice handicap than those without synkinesis.Level of evidence4. Laryngoscope, 127:1628–1632, 2017
Determination of total phosphorus in natural waters with a simple neutral digestion method using sodium persulfate
Authors: Ma Jian , Yuan Yuan , Zhou Tingjin , Yuan Dongxing 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe determination of total phosphorus (TP) in an aqueous sample is based on digestion of the sample to convert phosphorus compounds into orthophosphate, which can then be determined based on spectrophotometry. The widely used oxidant, potassium persulfate, has poor aqueous solubility and requires careful handling with furnace, autoclave, or oven. Here, a very simple method for the determination of TP has been developed, using an inexpensive portable water boiler for neutral digestion and highly water soluble sodium persulfate instead of potassium persulfate. The key experimental factors have been evaluated and optimized. The optimal conditions for efficient TP determination were found to be 3 h of digestion time at sub‐boiling temperature, followed by addition of ascorbic acid to eliminate free chlorine generated from the saline sample, and then addition of the ammonium molybdate reagent for detection by UV‐Vis spectrophotometry. The detection limit is 0.02 μM using 5‐cm cuvette. Under these optimized conditions, both artificial solutions containing model phosphorus compounds (n = 19) and natural water samples (n = 14) were analyzed using both sodium persulfate and potassium persulfate. There is no significant difference between the digestion performances of these two oxidants. This new method was used to analyze natural water samples (n = 28) in comparison with the standard autoclaving method using potassium persulfate. The analytical results using this method agreed very well with the standard method. Samples of different matrix were analyzed, showing the successful application of this method in both environmental monitoring (time series and spatial survey) and marine science (spatial and vertical distribution).
Treatment of a vulvar Paget's disease by photodynamic therapy with a new light emitting fabric based device
Authors: Vicentini Claire , Carpentier Olivier , Lecomte Fabienne , Thecua Elise , Mortier Laurent , Mordon Serge R. 
Published: January 2017

IntroductionThe non‐invasive vulvar Paget's disease is an intra‐epidermal carcinoma with glandular characteristics. It appears like an erythematous plaque. The main symptoms are pruritus and pain. The standard treatment is surgical excision in depth. This treatment is complicated with a severe morbidity and photodynamic therapy can be an alternative choice. However, the pain experienced during the photodynamic treatment of vulvar lesion is intense and leads to a premature interruption of the treatment. The light emitting fabric is a part of a device under clinical evaluation for the treatment of actinic keratosis with photodynamic therapy. We report the observation of a vulvar Paget's disease treated by this device with a satisfactory result and an excellent tolerance.Clinical ObservationThe patient has been diagnosed with non‐invasive vulvar Paget's disease for 25 years. The disease recurred constantly despite several imiquimod applications, LASER treatments and conventional photodynamic therapy. These procedures were complicated with intense pain. To improve the tolerance, we performed three PDT sessions a month apart using a 16% methyl‐aminolevulinate cream (Metvixia® Galderma, Lausanne, Switzerland) with the light emitting fabric at low irradiance (irradiance = 6 mW/cm2–fluence = 37 J/cm2) with a satisfactory result and an excellent tolerance.DiscussionThere are no controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of vulvar Paget's disease. The treatment and follow‐up protocols in the literature are heterogeneous. Pain is the most common side effect with greater intensity for perineal locations where photodynamic therapy is impractical outside of anesthesia or hypnosis.ConclusionWe report the case of a multirecidivant non‐invasive vulvar Paget's disease treated with a satisfactory result and an excellent tolerance by the new light emitting fabric device. A specific study is required but the light emitting fabric could be indicated for the treatment of Paget disease of perineal location. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:177–180, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tomography of Electrospun Carbon Nanotube Polymeric Blends by Focus Ion Beam: Alignment and Phase Separation Analysis from Multicontrast Electron Imaging
Authors: Campo Eva M. , Yates Douglas , Berson Benjamin , Rojas Wudmir , Winter Allen D. , Ananth Mohan , Santiago‐Aviles Jorge J. , Terentjev Eugene M. 
Published: January 2017

Multimodal focused ion beam (FIB) imaging on a polydimethylsiloxane/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrospun composite has been applied to discriminate the phase‐separated polymer blend and identify MWCNT fillers. Upon tomographic reconstruction, this discrimination has been possible through both atomic number and voltage contrast, the latter being enabled by preferential MWCNT segregation to PMMA. This study suggests that electrospinning could be affecting not only MWCNT alignment but also phase separation dynamics of immiscible polymers, yielding a porous structure throughout the fibers. This work opens the door to correlative materials science in polymer nanocomposites through FIB tomography, where voltage contrast is a main actor.
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Short time existence for the elastic flow of clamped curves
Authors: Spener Adrian 
Published: January 2017

AbstractWe show well‐posedness of the elastic flow of open curves with clamped boundary conditions. To show short time existence we prove that the linearised problem has the property of maximal ‐regularity and use the contraction principle to obtain the solution. Moreover, we show analyticity of the solution and its analytic dependency on the initial curve. With the developed methods we also prove long time existence of the flow if the initial curve is close to an elastica.
Supramolecular Polymer Network‐Mediated Self‐Assembly of Semicrystalline Polymers with Excellent Crystalline Performance
Authors: Cheng Chih‐Chia , Chuang Wei‐Tsung , Lee Duu‐Jong , Xin Zhong , Chiu Chih‐Wei 
Published: January 2017

A novel application of supramolecular interactions within semicrystalline polymers, capable of self‐assembling into supramolecular polymer networks via self‐complementary multiple hydrogen‐bonded complexes, is demonstrated for efficient construction of highly controlled self‐organizing hierarchical structures to offer a direct, efficient nucleation pathway resulting in superior crystallization performance. Herein, a novel functionalized poly(ε‐caprolactone) containing self‐complementary sextuple hydrogen‐bonded uracil‐diamidopyridine (U‐DPy) moieties is successfully developed and demonstrated excellent thermal and viscoelastic properties as well as high dynamic structural stability in the bulk state due to physical cross‐linking created by reversible sextuple hydrogen bonding between U‐DPy units. Due to the ability to vary the extent of the reversible network by tuning the U‐DPy content, this newly developed material can be readily adjusted to obtain the desired crystalline products with specific characteristics. Importantly, incorporating only 0.1% U‐DPy resulted in a polymer with a high crystallization rate constant, short crystallization half‐time, and much more rapid crystallization kinetics than pristine PCL, indicating a low content of U‐DPy moieties provides highly efficient nucleation sites that manipulate the nucleation and growth processes of polymer crystals to promote crystallization and chain alignment in bulk. This new system is suggested as a potential new route to substantially improve the performance of polymer crystallization.
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Chicory inulin ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus and suppresses JNK and MAPK pathways in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Ning Chong , Wang Xiyao , Gao Song , Mu Jingjing , Wang Yuehua , Liu Suwen , Zhu Jinyan , Meng Xianjun 
Published: January 2017

ScopeChicory inulin is a naturally occurring fructan that is conducive to glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with diabetes mellitus. This study aims to investigate the mechanism by which chicory inulin improves glucolipid metabolism in diabetic conditions.Methods and resultsRats were injected with streptozotocin and fed with high fat diet to induce diabetes, and then administrated with different doses of chicory inulin for 8 weeks. The glycometabolism and lipid metabolism parameters were determined, the activity of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways were examined by western blot. The effect of chicory inulin on glucose uptake of myoblast and hepatocyte were also measured in vitro. Data were analyzed by student's t‐test or one‐way analysis of variance followed by the Bonferroni post‐hoc testing. The results showed that chicory inulin improved glucolipid metabolism, and it activated IRS but suppressed the MAPK pathways in vivo and in vitro.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that chicory inulin, as a nutritional supplement, may be beneficial for the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the metabolism‐modulatory effect seems to be related with the inhibition of JNK and P38 MAPK pathways.
In vivo metabolomic interpretation of the anti‐obesity effects of hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L.) administration in high‐fat diet mice
Authors: Suh Dong Ho , Lee Hye Won , Jung Eun Sung , Singh Digar , Kim Seung‐Hyung , Lee Choong Hwan 
Published: January 2017

ScopeThe esoteric anti‐obesity effects of hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L) have largely remained unexplored. Herein, we investigated the anti‐obesity mechanisms of hyacinth bean compared to milk thistle, a natural herb employed for ameliorating obesity‐related diseases, using high‐fat diet (HFD) fed mice towards unfolding the perplexing mechanisms.Methods and resultsC57BL/6J mice were orally administered hyacinth bean (25 mg/kg/day) and milk thistle (100 mg/kg/day) for 9 weeks along with HFD. Intriguingly, a number of anti‐obesity mechanisms indexed through clinical parameters, suppression in weight gains and liver steatosis were found similar to some disparity. Furthermore, the corresponding metabolic implications were studied through MS‐based metabolite profiling, and using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes for metabolic pathways revealing that hyacinth bean or milk thistle administration effectively attenuates the HFD‐induced lipid, glucose, and bile acid metabolism, with former specifically attenuates pyruvate‐derived amino acids metabolism. Among them, valine, asparagine, and lysine displayed high correlation with blood clinical parameters.ConclusionA lower dose of hyacinth bean resulted in similar anti‐obesity effects as milk thistle, as confirmed by both clinical and metabolomics analyses. Equivocally, we conjecture that hyacinth bean could be used as a potent anti‐obesity herbal functional food.
MRI‐based prostate cancer detection with high‐level representation and hierarchical classification
Authors: Zhu Yulian , Wang Li , Liu Mingxia , Qian Chunjun , Yousuf Ambereen , Oto Aytekin , Shen Dinggang 
Published: January 2017

PurposeExtracting the high‐level feature representation by using deep neural networks for detection of prostate cancer, and then based on high‐level feature representation constructing hierarchical classification to refine the detection results.MethodsHigh‐level feature representation is first learned by a deep learning network, where multiparametric MR images are used as the input data. Then, based on the learned high‐level features, a hierarchical classification method is developed, where multiple random forest classifiers are iteratively constructed to refine the detection results of prostate cancer.ResultsThe experiments were carried on 21 real patient subjects, and the proposed method achieves an averaged section‐based evaluation (SBE) of 89.90%, an averaged sensitivity of 91.51%, and an averaged specificity of 88.47%.ConclusionsThe high‐level features learned from our proposed method can achieve better performance than the conventional handcrafted features (e.g., LBP and Haar‐like features) in detecting prostate cancer regions, also the context features obtained from the proposed hierarchical classification approach are effective in refining cancer detection result.
Use of Online Spectroscopy to Control Polymerization in Industrial Processes
Authors: Colegrove Brenda , Deshpande Kishori , Harner Rich , Mikolajczyk Liane , Stephenson Serena K. , Tate J. D. , Weston John 
Published: January 2017

Online analyzers enable manufacturers to operate modern polymerization processes as safely, reliably, and profitably as possible. The most critical application of this technology involves monitoring the reactor itself to determine the molecular weight and comonomer content of the polymer produced. Polymer process streams introduce unique challenges for online analyzers because the process chemistry, sample transport, and stream conditions are harsher, prone to fouling, and pose unique safety hazards. Spectroscopy lends itself very well to online analysis of polymers because the data it provides is information rich and can be deployed using fiber optics for remote sampling of gases, liquids, and solids. Additionally, it is relatively fast and reliable if well designed and installed properly. The combination of spectroscopy, fiber optics, and chemometrics gives manufacturers the ability to use modern spectrometers and statistical models to analyze and monitor diverse types of polymerization processes. Several examples are provided in this article, including application to polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyurethane, and polystyrene processes.
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Different dynamics and pathway of disulfide bonds reduction of two human defensins, a molecular dynamics simulation study
Authors: Zhang Liqun 
Published: January 2017

ABSTRACTHuman defensins are a class of antimicrobial peptides that are crucial components of the innate immune system. Both human α defensin type 5 (HD5) and human β defensin type 3 (hBD‐3) have 6 cysteine residues which form 3 pairs of disulfide bonds in oxidizing condition. Disulfide bond linking is important to the protein structure stabilization, and the disulfide bond linking and breaking order have been shown to influence protein function. In this project, microsecond long molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the structure and dynamics of HD5 and hBD‐3 wildtype and analogs which have all 3 disulfide bonds released in reducing condition. The structure of hBD‐3 was found to be more dynamic and flexible than HD5, based on RMSD, RMSF, and radius of gyration calculations. The disulfide bridge breaking order of HD5 and hBD‐3 in reducing condition was predicted by two kinds of methods, which gave consistent results. It was found that the disulfide bonds breaking pathways for HD5 and hBD‐3 are very different. The breaking of disulfide bonds can influence the dimer interface by making the dimer structure less stable for both kinds of defensin. In order to understand the difference in dynamics and disulfide bond breaking pathway, hydrophilic and hydrophobic accessible surface areas (ASA), buried surface area between cysteine pairs, entropy of cysteine pairs, and internal energy were calculated. Comparing to the wildtype, hBD‐3 analog is more hydrophobic, while HD5 is more hydrophilic. For hBD‐3, the disulfide breaking is mainly entropy driven, while other factors such as the solvation effects may take the major role in controlling HD5 disulfide breaking pathway. Proteins 2017; 85:665–681. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Auxetic structures with regularly configured rigid sliding units
Authors: Kim Junhyun , Shin Dongheok , Lee Sungchan , Lee Jaegyu , Kwon Seongwoon , Yoon Seulhee , Yoo Do‐Sik , Kim Kyoungsik 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce methods of constructing structures with rigid sliding units that exhibit auxetic behavior, namely, have negative Poisson's ratio. First, we illustrate how we can construct 2‐dimensional (2D) auxetic structures with bow‐tie shaped rigid sliding hexagonal units. Next, we show that we can construct 3‐dimensional (3D) auxetic structures by arranging hourglass shaped rigid sliding units in regular triangular configuration or in regular square configuration. Also, we show, through theoretical and numerical analysis, that these structures indeed exhibit auxetic behaviors.
Simplifying the construction of source code transformations via automatic syntactic restructurings
Authors: Newman Christian D. , Bartman Brian , Collard Michael L. , Maletic Jonathan I. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractA set of restructurings to systematically normalize selective syntax in C++ is presented. The objective is to convert variations in syntax of specific portions of code into a single form to simplify the construction of large, complex program transformation rules. Current approaches to constructing transformations require developers to account for a large number of syntactic cases, many of which are syntactically different but semantically equivalent. The work identifies classes of such syntactic variations and presents normalizing restructurings to simplify each variation to a single, consistent syntactic form. The normalizing restructurings for C++ are presented and applied to two open source systems for evaluation. The evaluation uses the system's test cases to validate that the normalizing restructurings do not affect the systems' tested behavior. In addition, a set of example transformations that benefit from the prior application of normalizing restructurings are presented along with a small survey to assess the effect of the readability of the resultant code.
An empirical comparison of formalisms for modelling and analysis of dynamic reconfiguration of dependable systems
Authors: Bhattacharyya Anirban , Mokhov Andrey , Pierce Ken 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThis paper uses a case study to evaluate empirically three formalisms of different kinds for their suitability for the modelling and analysis of dynamic reconfiguration of dependable systems. The requirements on an ideal formalism for dynamic software reconfiguration are defined. The reconfiguration of an office workflow for order processing is described, and the requirements on the reconfiguration of the workflow are defined. The workflow is modelled using the Vienna Development Method (VDM), conditional partial order graphs (CPOGs), and the basic Calculus of Communicating Systems for dynamic process reconfiguration (basic CCSdp), and verification of the reconfiguration requirements is attempted using the models. The formalisms are evaluated according to their ability to model the reconfiguration of the workflow, to verify the requirements on the workflow’s reconfiguration, and to meet the requirements on an ideal formalism.
Routine First Trimester Screening for Maternal Thyroid Disease
Authors: Dhaifalah Ishraq , Salek Tomas , Langova Dagmar , Cuckle Howard 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe aim was to assess the proportion of women requiring a referral to an endocrinologist when carrying out routine screening for maternal thyroid disease simultaneously with screening for Down syndrome. Between November 2009 and September 2015, women having a first trimester combined test were screened; those symptomatic or being investigated for thyroid problems were excluded. In the first half of the period the blood sample was tested for anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies, serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and free thyroxine (fT4); thereafter fT4 was not used. Women with at least one analyte outside the range (TPO more than 5.6 kU/L, TSH 0.35–4.94 mU/L, fT4 9.0–19.1 pmL/L) were referred to an endocrinologist for counseling. Of 10,052 women screened, 1190 (11.8%) had TSH, fT4, or antibody levels outside the range; 13.0% when fT4 was used and 10.4% thereafter. Most of these positive results were due to a single abnormal marker. There was a much higher positive rate in multiple pregnancies (27.3% compared with 11.5% in singletons; P < 0.0001). There was an association between positivity and maternal age (P < 0.0001), a higher rate in the small ethnic group of Asians (P < 0.0005) and a lower rate among smokers (P < 0.02) and following assisted reproduction (P < 0.05). Routine antibody and hormone testing at the same time as the combined test generated a large number of referrals but this did not overload the services.
Síndrome de burnout en aspirantes a la carrera de medicina
Authors: Domínguez-González Alejandro Daniel , Velasco-Jiménez María Teresa , Meneses-Ruiz Dulce María , Guzmán Valdivia-Gómez Gilberto , Castro-Martínez María Guadalupe 
Published: January 2017

Introducción: El síndrome de burnout estudiantil es un fenómeno psicosocial producto de la exposición crónica a estresores propios del proceso formativo y en los aspirantes a la carrera de medicina confluyen factores desencadenantes como la exigencia académica y la competencia por ser seleccionado.
Objetivo: Determinar la presencia de burnout en aspirantes a la carrera de médico cirujano de una facultad de medicina particular de la ciudad de México.
Método: Estudio prospectivo, transversal y analítico, realizado en 344 estudiantes de los grupo I y grupo II de los cursos propedéuticos de 2014. El instrumento utilizado fue la Escala Unidimensional de Burnout Estudiantil y una encuesta sociodemográfica. El grado de burnout se determinó según el baremo propuesto por Barraza. Los datos fueron analizados con el paquete estadístico SPSS Statistics 23.
Resultados: Se detectó la presencia de burnout leve en ambos grupos de aspirantes. Los estudiantes del grupo GII presentaron mayor nivel de burnout. Este grupo se caracterizó por una mayor matrícula y menor edad. No hubo correlación entre burnout y el sexo, así como con el tiempo de traslado.
Conclusiones: El estudio muestra la presencia de un nivel leve del síndrome de burnout en aspirantes a la carrera de medicina. El incremento en la matrícula y, por lo tanto, del grado de competencia por ingresar en la carrera puede ser en factor que favorezca el desarrollo de burnout.