bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prognostic indicators from electrodiagnostic studies for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow
Authors: Friedrich Jason M. , Robinson Lawrence R. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIntroduction: We examined the prognostic value of electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE). Methods: In this retrospective study, EDX results were compared with subjective recovery (resolution of symptoms) and surgery in patients diagnosed with UNE. Results: Of the 193 patients, 59 with “definite” UNE were included in the analysis. The combination of conduction block across the elbow to the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and normal distal compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude from the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) was strongly associated with recovery: 86% of these subjects achieved full subjective recovery compared to only 7% without conduction block and with an abnormal CMAP. There were no EDX predictors of surgery. Conclusion: EDX results contain useful prognostic information in UNE. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Exclusion of WWP1 mutations in a cohort of dystroglycanopathy patients
Authors: Godfrey Caroline , Clement Emma , Abbs Stephen , Muntoni Francesco 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIntroduction:Aberrant glycosylation of α‐dystroglycan is associated with a subset of clinically heterogeneous muscular dystrophies collectively referred to as the dystroglycanopathies. These autosomal‐recessive disorders span a wide spectrum of clinical severity ranging from Walker–Warburg syndrome, with severe brain and eye abnormalities, to mild adult‐onset limb‐girdle muscular dystrophy. To date, seven causative genes have been identified in the dystroglycanopathies, yet studies have suggested that a significant proportion of patients harbor mutations in novel genes.Methods:A homozygous missense alteration in the gene encoding ubiquitin ligase WW domain–containing protein 1 (WWP1), has recently been identified in the dystroglycanopathy chicken. We therefore investigated whether mutations in the human ortholog were present in a cohort of 33 dystroglycanopathy patients.Results:No clear pathogenic mutations were identified.Conclusion:The present findings indicate that WWP1 is not a common cause of human dystroglycanopathy. Muscle Nerve 44: 388–392, 2011
Axon cytoskeleton ultrastructure in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
Authors: Fressinaud Catherine , Dubas Frédéric 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIntroduction: To detail the extent and pattern of axon cytoskeleton alterations in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).Methods: Nerve biopsies from 7 cases of CIDP, including 4 cases with severe fiber loss, were compared with 5 controls by morphometric transmission electron microscopy (TEM).Results: Despite demyelination of single fibers, myelin ultrastructure was otherwise normal. Contrary to immunolabeling, TEM revealed a decrease in neurofilament (NF) density in every case, although there were pronounced variations among fibers even in the same sample. The NF decrease reached the same extent in large‐ and small‐diameter fibers. It was observed in normally myelinated fibers, suggesting they were demyelinated at a distance from the section. Minimal inter‐NF distance increased roughly inversely to NF density. Microtubules increased in 3 cases previously characterized by increased growth‐associated protein (GAP‐43) immunolabeling.Conclusion:These data demonstrate the severity and constancy of axonal lesions, and especially of NF, in residual fibers in our cases of CIDP. Muscle Nerve 44: 332–339, 2011
Number of motor units in human abductor hallucis
Authors: Johns Richard K. , Fuglevand Andrew J. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractMotor unit number was estimated for the human abductor hallucis (AH) muscle in 11 subjects by counting the number of increments in surface electromyographic responses to progressive increases in current–pulse amplitude applied to the muscle–nerve. The average motor unit count for AH (43) was substantially smaller than that estimated for other human muscles. Consequently, motor unit activity should be readily recordable up to high forces in AH, making it well suited for studies of recruitment and rate coding. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Multi‐constraint security policies for delegated firewall administration
Authors: Kropiwiec Cássio Ditzel , Jamhour Edgard , Penna Manoel Camillo , Pujolle Guy 
Published: February 2011

SUMMARYThis work presents a new approach to policy representation of network security. It introduces a high‐level language, where the security policies can be expressed by three policy models: mandatory, discretionary and security property. The proposed framework is capable of handling all three dimensions, being capable of generating the permissions from an abstract representation that is independent of how they are enforced, without violating the requirements of high‐level security. Each dimension can be defined by people with different roles; for example, rules of the mandatory model and of the security property model could be attributed to the personnel of risk management, while rules of the discretionary model can be delegated among the network administrators in various departments of the organization. This work also presents a mechanism to represent the features implemented by different firewall models and a mechanism for translating the abstract representation in the scripts to configure the firewalls. A formal specification of the policy model validates the refinement algorithm and a study of scalability is presented to demonstrate how the algorithm behaves in large networks. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An efficient block preconditioner for Jacobian‐free global–local multiscale methods
Authors: Rahul  , De Suvranu 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIn this paper, we develop a block preconditioner for Jacobian‐free global–local multiscale methods, in which the explicit computation of the Jacobian may be circumvented at the macroscale by using a Newton–Krylov process. Effective preconditioning is necessary for the Krylov subspace iterations (e.g. GMRES) to enhance computational efficiency. This is, however, challenging since no explicit information regarding the Jacobian matrix is available. The block preconditioning technique developed in this paper circumvents this problem by effectively deflating the spectrum of the Jacobian matrix at the current Newton step using information about only the Krylov subspaces corresponding to the Jacobian matrices in the previous Newton steps and their representations on those subspaces. This approach is optimal and results in exponential convergence of the GMRES iterations within each Newton step, thus minimizing expensive microscale computations without requiring explicit Jacobian formation in any step. In terms of both computational cost and storage requirements, the action of a single block of the preconditioner per GMRES step scales linearly as the number of degrees of freedom of the macroscale problem as well as the dimension of the invariant subspace of the preconditioned Jacobian matrix. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maximizing opto‐mechanical interaction using topology optimization
Authors: Gersborg A. R. , Sigmund O. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThis paper studies topology optimization of a coupled opto‐mechanical problem with the goal of finding the material layout which maximizes the optical modulation, i.e. the difference between the optical response for the mechanically deformed and undeformed configuration. The optimization is performed on a periodic cell and the periodic modeling of the optical and mechanical fields have been carried out using transverse electric Bloch waves and homogenization theory in a plane stress setting, respectively. Two coupling effects are included being the photoelastic effect and the geometric effect caused by the mechanical deformation.For the studied objective and material choice it is concluded that the photoelastic effect and the geometric effect counteract each other, which yields designs which are fundamentally different if the optimization takes only one effect into account. When both effects are active a compromise is found; however, a strong regularization is needed in order to achieve reasonable 0–1 designs with a clear physical interpretation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FBXW7 mutations typically found in human cancers are distinct from null alleles and disrupt lung development
Authors: Davis Hayley , Lewis Annabelle , Spencer‐Dene Bradley , Tateossian Hilda , Stamp Gordon , Behrens Axel , Tomlinson Ian 
Published: February 2011

AbstractFBXW7 is the substrate recognition component of a SCF‐type E3 ubiquitin ligase. It has multiple targets such as Notch1, c‐Jun, and cyclin E that function in critical developmental and signalling pathways. Mutations in FBXW7 are often found in many types of cancer. In most cases, these mutations do not inactivate the protein, but are mono‐allelic missense changes at specific arginine resides involved in substrate binding. We have hypothesized that FBXW7 mutations are selected in cancers for reasons other than haploinsufficiency or full loss‐of‐function. Given that the existing mutant Fbxw7 mice carry null alleles, we created a mouse model carrying one of the commonly occurring point mutations (Fbxw7$^{R482{\rm{Q}}}$) in the WD40 substrate recognition domain of Fbxw7. Mice heterozygous for this mutation apparently developed normally in utero, died perinatally due to a defect in lung development, and in some cases showed cleft palate and eyelid fusion defects. By comparison, Fbxw7+/− mice were viable and developed normally. Fbxw7−/− animals died of vascular abnormalities at E10.5. We screened known FBXW7 targets for changes in the lungs of the Fbxw7R482Q/+ mice and found Tgif1 and Klf5 to be up‐regulated. Fbxw7$^{R482{\rm{Q}}}$ alleles are not functionally equivalent to heterozygous or homozygous null alleles, and we propose that they are selected in tumourigenesis because they cause a selective or partial loss of FBXW7 function. Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differential proteomics analysis of amniotic fluid in pregnancies of increased nuchal translucency with normal karyotype
Authors: Cheng Po‐Jen , Wang Tzu‐Hao , Huang Shang‐Yu , Kao Chuan‐Chi , Lu Jen‐Hao , Hsiao Ching‐Hwa , Steven Shaw S. W. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the functional roles of differentially expressed proteins in amniotic fluid supernatant (AFS) from normal karyotype pregnancies with increased nuchal translucency (NT).MethodsAFS from fetuses with increased NT (>3.4 mm, N = 14) and control (<0.7 mm, N = 14) were analyzed by two‐dimensional electrophoresis and in‐gel digestion to identify the difference of expressed proteins between both groups. Targeted proteins were confirmed by western blot and ELISA. The roles of biological networks in pathophysiology of NT were determined using MetaCore mapping.ResultsLevels of apolipoprotein‐A1 (Entrez Gene ID 335), alpha‐1 antitrypsin (SERPINA1, ID 5265) and prolactin (ID 5617) were significantly decreased in AFS of fetuses with increased NT compared with those in controls. According to Gene Ontology terms, biological processes of functional networks were mainly involved in steroid metabolism. On the basis of the database of MetaCore, these proteins are considered as the potential biomarkers of cardiovascular disorders. The prediction of tissue distribution from this network in fetal organs such as liver, skin, and kidney supported that these three proteins may play different roles between two groups.ConclusionThe combination of using quantitative proteomics and functional network analysis could integrally analyze the pathophysiology of fetuses with increased NT. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermomechanical and surface properties of novel poly(ether urethane)/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanohybrid elastomers
Authors: Tan Juanjuan , Jia Zhiyuan , Sheng Dekun , Wen Xin , Yang Yuming 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA series of linear polyurethane (PU) elastomers containing various amounts (ca. 2–10 wt%) of a diol‐functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (diolPOSS) were synthesized from organic solvent dispersions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the chemical structure of the diolPOSS‐reinforced PU. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that the diolPOSS aggregation was formed in the polymer matrix at the scale of 20–50 nm. The introduction of diolPOSS into such system led to high glass transition temperature, enhanced storage modulus, and improved stability compared with the pristine PU according to the differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. Moreover, contact angle measurements indicated a significant enhancement in surface hydrophobicity as well as a reduction in surface free energy after introducing diolPOSS into the synthesized PU. The improvement of surface properties could be ascribed to the enrichment of the diolPOSS moiety on the surface of the hybrids. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effect of the addition of silane coupling agents on the properties of wollastonite‐reinforced poly(ether ether ketone) composites
Authors: Ma Gang , Yue Xigui , Zhang Shuling , Rong Changru , Wang Lifeng , Wang Guibin , Wang Hongliang 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe wollastonite was grafted with different silane coupling agents, which could improve interface adhesion. Wollastonite and modified wollastonite‐reinforced poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) composites were prepared by melt blending. The mechanical properties, rheology behavior, and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. The modified wollastonite‐reinforced PEEK composites exhibited better mechanical properties than the unmodified wollastonite‐reinforced PEEK composites based on good interfacial adhesion. The composites had lower activation volume and complex shear viscosity. Furthermore, the modified wollastonite‐reinforced PEEK composites had higher crystallization peak temperature (Tc) and crystalline fraction (χc) compared with the unmodified wollastonite‐reinforced PEEK composites. This study shows that the traditional silane coupling agents could effectively improve the performance of PEEK composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/carbon nanotube composites prepared with chemically treated carbon nanotubes
Authors: Yesil Sertan , Bayram Goknur 
Published: February 2011

AbstractSurfaces of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) were functionalized by treatment with strong acid mixture (purification) followed by modification with sodium dodecyl sulfate, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA). Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)‐based conductive polymer composites were prepared by using these CNT by means of melt mixing with a twin screw extruder. Amount of carboxylic acid groups on the CNT surface increased after acid treatment but decreased with surface modification due to the consumption of these groups during the chemical reactions between the surface modifiers and CNT surface. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of the composites revealed the increase in the interactions between PET and CNT surface after treatment with PEG and DGEBA. Mechanical strength of the composites prepared with modified CNT were higher than that of the untreated CNT‐filled composite owing to the enhanced interactions between PET and CNT. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers
The mobile phone as a tool in improving cancer care in Nigeria
Authors: Odigie V. I. , Yusufu L. M. D. , Dawotola D. A. , Ejagwulu F. , Abur P. , Mai A. , Ukwenya Y. , Garba E. S. , Rotibi B. B. , Odigie E. C. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractObjective: The use of mobile phone as a tool for improving cancer care in a low resource setting.Methods: A total of 1176 oncology patients participated in the study. Majority had breast cancer. 58.4% of the patients had no formal education; 10.7 and 9.5% of patients had college or graduate education respectively. Two out of every three patients lived greater than 200 km from hospital or clinic. One half of patients rented a phone to call.Results: At 24 months, 97.6% (1132 patients) had sustained their follow‐up appointments as against 19.2% (42 patients) who did not receive the phone intervention. 72.8% (14 102 calls) were to discuss illness/treatment. 14% of the calls were rated as emergency by the oncologist. 86.2% of patients found the use of mobile phone convenient/excellent/cheap. 97.6% found the use of the phone worthwhile and preferred the phone to traveling long distance to hospital/clinic. Also the patients felt that they had not been forgotten by their doctors and were been taken care of outside the hospital/clinic.Conclusions: Low resource countries faced with the burden of cancer care, poor patient follow‐up and poor psychosocial support can cash in on this to overcome the persistent problem of poor communication in their healthcare delivery. The potential is enormous to enhance the use of mobile phones in novel ways: developing helpline numbers that can be called for cancer information from prevention to treatment to palliative care. The ability to reach out by mobile phone to a reliable source for medical information about cancer is something that the international community, having experience with helplines, should undertake with colleagues in Africa, who are experimenting with the mobile phone potential. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Value of gas exchange recording at home in children receiving non‐invasive ventilation
Authors: Felemban Osama , Leroux Karl , Aubertin Guillaume , Miandy Fabrice , Damagnez Frédéric , Amorim Bruno , Ramirez Adriana , Fauroux Brigitte 
Published: February 2011

AbstractNon‐invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is preferentially performed at home. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the feasibility of an overnight gas exchange recording at home and to compare recordings performed in the hospital and at home.Twenty‐nine pairs of overnight gas exchange recordings during NPPV were performed at home and in the hospital in 11 children with neuromuscular disease and 13 children with other disorders treated with long‐term NPPV.No technical problem occurred during the recordings performed at home and one pulse oximetry (SpO2) recording failed in the hospital. For the two groups, SpO2 and transcutaneous carbon dioxide (PtcCO2) values did not differ significantly between the hospital and the home. However, correlations between SpO2 and PtcCO2 values obtained in the hospital and at home were better for mean values than for minimal and maximal values, and in patients with other disorders as compared to patients with neuromuscular disease.Overnight gas exchange recordings with NPPV by a combined PtcCO2/SpO2 monitor are feasible at home and show results comparable to hospital recordings. Home PtcCO2/SpO2 recordings may be integrated in the care of children treated with domiciliary NPPV and are associated with less disruption of family life and decreased health care costs. Pediatr. Pulmonol. 2011; 46:802–808. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mass spectrometry‐based proteomics of endoscopically collected pancreatic fluid in chronic pancreatitis research
Authors: Paulo Joao A. , Lee Linda S. , Wu Bechien , Banks Peter A. , Steen Hanno , Conwell Darwin L. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractMS‐based investigation of pancreatic fluid enables the high‐throughput identification of proteins present in the pancreatic secretome. Pancreatic fluid is a complex admixture of digestive, inflammatory, and other proteins secreted by the pancreas into the duodenum, and thus is amenable to MS‐based proteomic analysis. Recent advances in endoscopic techniques, in particular the endoscopic pancreatic function test (ePFT), have improved the collection methodology of pancreatic fluid for proteomic analysis. Here, we provide an overview of MS‐based proteomic techniques as applied to the study of pancreatic fluid. We address sample collection, protein extraction, MS sample preparation and analysis, and bioinformatic approaches, and summarize current MS‐based investigations of pancreatic fluid. We then examine the limitations and the future potential of such technologies in the investigation of pancreatic disease. We conclude that pancreatic fluid represents a rich reservoir of potential biomarkers and that the study of the molecular mechanisms of chronic pancreatitis may benefit substantially from MS‐based proteomics.
Altered myofilament stoichiometry in response to heart failure in a cardioprotective α‐myosin heavy chain transgenic rabbit model
Authors: Stanley Brian A. , Graham David R. , James Jeanne , Mitsak Megan , Tarwater Patrick M. , Robbins Jeff , Van Eyk Jennifer E. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractPurpose: Decreases in α myosin heavy chain (α‐MHC) is a common feature of human heart failure (HF), whereas α‐MHC overexpression in transgenic (TG) rabbits is cardioprotective against tachycardia‐induced cardiomyopathy (TIC). Hypothesizing that MHC isoform content alterations would impact sarcomere and mitochondrial energetics protein complement, we investigated the impact of α‐MHC overexpression on global cardiac protein expression.Experimental design: Protein expression was assessed by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and MS on the extracts from TG and nontransgenic (NTG) rabbits under TIC or sham‐operated conditions.Results: We observed significant changes in the levels of actin, myosin light chain 2, and desmin between the left ventricular (LV) tissue of TG and NTG animals. The proteome was broadly impacted, with significant changes in mitochondrial energetics and chaperone protein families. No changes were observed in total cellular MHC or in myofibril‐associated MHC. In myofibrils isolated from TGsham animals, only actin levels were altered in TGsham compared with NTGsham animals, suggesting careful myofibril assembly regulation.Conclusions and clinical Relevance: These data suggest that myofibril protein composition may protect against TIC, emphasizing protein interconnectivity and demonstrating the need for broad‐based proteomic studies in understanding targeted genetic manipulations. This study identifies the targets for future development of cardioprotective agents and elucidates tachycardia‐induced heart failure pathways.
Binding of small molecules to cavity forming mutants of a de novo designed protein
Authors: Das Aditi , Wei Yinan , Pelczer Istvan , Hecht Michael H. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA central goal of protein design is to devise novel proteins for applications in biotechnology and medicine. Many applications, including those focused on sensing and catalysis will require proteins that recognize and bind to small molecules. Here, we show that stably folded α‐helical proteins isolated from a binary patterned library of designed sequences can be mutated to produce binding sites capable of binding a range of small aromatic compounds. Specifically, we mutated two phenylalanine side chains to alanine in the known structure of de novo protein S‐824 to create buried cavities in the core of this four‐helix bundle. The parental protein and the Phe→Ala variants were exposed to mixtures of compounds, and selective binding was assessed by saturation transfer difference NMR. The affinities of benzene and a number of its derivatives were determined by pulse field gradient spin echo NMR, and several of the compounds were shown to bind the mutated protein with micromolar dissociation constants. These studies suggest that stably folded de novo proteins from binary patterned libraries are well‐suited as scaffolds for the design of binding sites.