bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
General practitioners' prescribing patterns for the elderly in a province of Iran
Authors: Ghadimi Hadi , Esmaily Hamideh M. , Wahlstrom Rolf 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTPurposeTo determine prescribing patterns by general physicians working in primary care (GPs) in Iran for the elderly and the prevalence of inappropriate prescribing.MethodsWe collected information about prescribed medicines for 10% of patients in primary care aged 65 years or above in six cities in one province during two separate months 1 year apart. Inappropriate prescribing was determined using Beers criteria, excluding diagnosis‐related medications. The WHO indicators for appropriateness of prescribing in general practice and drug–drug interactions (DDIs) were also assessed.ResultsA total of 2041 patients were studied (mean age 73 years, 56% were women). Drugs for the alimentary system (20%), nervous system (15%), cardiovascular system (14%), and anti‐infectives (12%) were most frequently prescribed. Almost all drugs (96%) were prescribed by generic names. Thirty percent of patients received at least one inappropriate drug (27% for men; 33% for women), whereof 94% were categorized as high risk for adverse effects. Indomethacin, diphenhydramine, and methocarbamol were the most common inappropriate medications. The average number of drugs per patient was 4.4 (4.2 for men; 4.5 for women). Forty‐four percent of patients received five or more drugs. Antibiotics and injections were prescribed in 39 and 55% of all patients, respectively. Clinically relevant DDIs were observed for 14% of the patients.ConclusionOur findings call for further interventions aiming at educating GPs to reduce potential errors. National drug policies and prescribing guidelines should be implemented to address the problem of inappropriate drug usage among the elderly. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Elaboration of densely functionalized polylactide nanoparticles from N‐acryloxysuccinimide‐based block copolymers
Authors: Handké Nadège , Trimaille Thomas , Luciani Elsa , Rollet Marion , Delair Thierry , Verrier Bernard , Bertin Denis , Gigmes Didier 
Published: January 2011

AbstractPoly(N‐acryloxysuccinimide) (PNAS) and poly(N‐acryloxysuccinimide‐co‐N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (P(NAS‐co‐NVP)) of adjustable molecular weights and narrow polydispersities were prepared by nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) in N,N‐dimethylformamide in the presence of free SG1 (N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐1‐diethylphosphono‐(2,2‐dimethylpropyl) nitroxide), with MAMA‐SG1 (N‐(2‐methylpropyl)‐N‐(1‐diethylphosphono‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl)‐O‐(2‐carboxylprop‐2‐yl)hydroxylamine) alkoxyamine as initiator. The reactivity ratios of NAS and NVP were determined to be rNAS = 0.12 and rNVP = 0, indicating a strong alternating tendency for the P(NAS‐co‐NVP) copolymer. NAS/NVP copolymerization was then performed from a SG1‐functionalized poly(D,L‐lactide) (PLA‐SG1) macro‐alkoxyamine as initiator, leading to the corresponding PLA‐b‐P(NAS‐co‐NVP) block copolymer, with similar NAS and NVP reactivity ratios as mentioned above. The copolymer was used as a surface modifier for the PLA diafiltration and nanoprecipitation processes to achieve nanoparticles in the range of 450 and 150 nm, respectively. The presence of the functional/hydrophilic P(NAS‐co‐NVP) block, and particularly the N‐succinimidyl (NS) ester moieties at the particle surface, was evidenced by ethanolamine derivatization and zeta potential measurements. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Radical‐induced oxidation of RAFT agents—A kinetic study
Authors: Li Changxi , He Junpo , Zhou Yanwu , Gu Yuankai , Yang Yuliang 
Published: January 2011

AbstractRadical‐induced oxidation of reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agents is investigated with respect to the effect of molecular structure on oxidation rate. The radicals are generated by homolysis of either azobisisobutyronitrile or alkoxyamine and transformed in situ immediately into peroxy radicals through transfer to molecular oxygen. It is found that the oxidation rate depends on the structure of Z‐ and R‐group of thiocarbonylthio compounds. For dithioesters with identical Z‐phenyl substituent, the oxidation rate decreases in the order of cyanoisopropyl (C(Me)2CN) > cumyl (C(Me)2Ph) > phenylethyl (CH(Me)Ph) > 2‐methoxy‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoethyl (CH(Me) C(O)OCH3) > benzyl (CH2Ph). For dithioesters with identical R‐group, the oxidation rate decreases in the order of Z = phenyl− ∼ benzyl− > RS− (trithiocarbonates) > RO− (xanthates). The stability of the RAFT agents toward oxidation correlates well with the chain transfer abilities as those previously reported by Rizzardo and coworkers. The priority of the oxidation reaction over the RAFT process, and the subsequent influence on RAFT polymerization are also investigated. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Synthesis, characterization, and micellization studies of coil‐rod‐coil and ABA ruthenium(II) terpyridine assemblies with π‐conjugated electron acceptor systems
Authors: Schlütter Florian , Pavlov Georges M. , Gohy Jean‐François , Winter Andreas , Wild Andreas , Hager Martin D. , Hoeppener Stephanie , Schubert Ulrich S. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractA series of RuII heterodinuclear complexes of ABA‐type with electron‐deficient bis‐terpyridines as building blocks was synthesized by (R‐tpy)RuIIICl3 complexation. These compounds were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, MALDI‐TOF, ESI‐TOF mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The results were compared with a coil‐rod‐coil RuII metallo‐supramolecular copolymer, which was synthesized by bis‐complex formation between a hydrophilic ω‐terpyridine poly(ethylene glycol) RuII mono‐complex and a hydrophobic bis‐terpyridine‐functionalized rigid core. This amphiphilic RuII triblock copolymer showed self‐assembly to clusters and micelles in aqueous solution, which was studied by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Applying velocity sedimentation experiments the number of amphiphilic RuII ABA triblock copolymer molecules within the micelles could be estimated. Finally, the photophysical properties of the RuII supramolecular assemblies were investigated by UV–vis spectroscopy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Side‐chain ferrocene‐containing (meth)acrylate polymers: Synthesis and properties
Authors: Hardy Christopher G. , Ren Lixia , Tamboue Tuedjo C. , Tang Chuanbing 
Published: January 2011

AbstractA comprehensive investigation on the synthesis and properties of a series of ferrocene‐containing (meth)acrylate monomers and their polymers that differ in the linkers between the ferrocene unit and the backbone was carried out. The side‐chain ferrocene‐containing polymers were prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization. The kinetic studies indicated that polymerization of most monomers followed a “controlled”/living manner. The polymerization rates were affected by the vinyl monomer structures and decreased with an increase of the linker length. Methacrylate polymerization was much faster than acrylate polymerization. The optical absorption of monomers and polymers was affected by the linkers. Thermal properties of these polymers can be tuned by controlling the length of the linker between the ferrocene unit and the backbone. By increasing the length of the linker, the glass transition temperature ranged from over 100 to −20 °C. Electrochemical properties of both monomers and polymers were characterized. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Heart rate variability in childhood obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Kwok Ka‐li , Yung Tak‐cheung , Ng Daniel K. , Chan Chung‐hong , Lau Wing‐fai , Fu Yu‐ming 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe identification of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is important because of morbidities associated with OSA. A previous adult study demonstrated the use of heart rate variability (HRV) as a tool to identify patients with moderate to severe OSA. Either a reduction in time parameters or an increase in LF/HF ratio was seen at overnight or 24‐hr studies suggestive of increased sympathetic modulation. To study the feasibility of daytime HRV as a screening tool, a short‐term recording of HRV is studied. Since it was shown in adult study that increased normalized LF, decreased normalized HF and increased LF/HF ratio could be detectable during supine rest at daytime awake period, the authors hypothesize that the differences are also detectable in children. Children who underwent sleep polysomnography for suspected OSA were recruited. Subjects were classified OSA if apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) > 1.5/hr and non‐OSA if AHI ≤ 1.5/hr. Continuous 1‐hr electrocardiographic monitoring was recorded in awake children during the day. Parameters from time domain and frequency domain were analyzed. Seventy‐four male and 17 female snoring subjects were included in this study. Fifty‐one (56%) and 40 (44%) of them were classified as “non‐OSA” and “OSA,” respectively. pNN50, a parameter for parasympathetic modulation, was significantly reduced in the OSA group when compared with the non‐OSA group. Using multiple regression, all time domain variables were shown to be decreased in OSA group. Our results suggest that 1‐hr study of HRV may be a feasible tool in identifying children with OSA. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2011; 46:205–210. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Structural mechanism associated with domain opening in gain‐of‐function mutations in SHP2 phosphatase
Authors: Darian Eva , Guvench Olgun , Yu Bing , Qu Cheng‐Kui , MacKerell Alexander D. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThe SHP2 phosphatase plays a central role in a number of signaling pathways were it dephosphorylates various substrate proteins. Regulation of SHP2 activity is, in part, achieved by an intramolecular interaction between the PTP domain of the protein, which contains the catalytic site, and the N‐SH2 domain leading to a “closed” protein conformation and autoinhibition. Accordingly, “opening” of the N‐SH2 and PTP domains is required for the protein to become active. Binding of phosphopeptides to the N‐SH2 domain is known to induce the opening event, while a number of gain‐of‐function (GOF) mutants, implicated in Noonan's Syndrome and childhood leukemias, are thought to facilitate opening. In the present study, a combination of computational and experimental methods are used to investigate the structural mechanism of opening of SHP2 and the impact of three GOF mutants, D61G, E76K, and N308D, on the opening mechanism. Calculated free energies of opening indicate that opening must be facilitated by effector molecules, possibly the protein substrates themselves, as the calculated free energies preclude spontaneous opening. Simulations of both wild type (WT) SHP2 and GOF mutants in the closed state indicate GOF activity to involve increased solvent exposure of selected residues, most notably Arg362, which in turn may enhance interactions of SHP2 with its substrate proteins and thereby aid opening. In addition, GOF mutations cause structural changes in the phosphopeptide‐binding region of the N‐SH2 domain leading to conformations that mimic the bound state. Such conformational changes are suggested to enhance binding of phosphopeptides and/or decrease interactions between the PTP and N‐SH2 domains thereby facilitating opening. Experimental assays of the impact of effector molecules on SHP2 phosphatase activity against both small molecule and peptide substrates support the hypothesized mechanism of GOF mutant action. The present calculations also suggest a role for the C‐SH2 domain of SHP2 in stabilizing the overall conformation of the protein in the open state, thereby aiding conformational switching between the open active and closed inactive states. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Functionally important positions can comprise the majority of a protein's architecture
Authors: Tungtur Sudheer , Parente Daniel J. , Swint‐Kruse Liskin 
Published: January 2011

AbstractConcomitant with the genomic era, many bioinformatics programs have been developed to identify functionally important positions from sequence alignments of protein families. To evaluate these analyses, many have used the LacI/GalR family and determined whether positions predicted to be “important” are validated by published experiments. However, we previously noted that predictions do not identify all of the experimentally important positions present in the linker regions of these homologs. In an attempt to reconcile these differences, we corrected and expanded the LacI/GalR sequence set commonly used in sequence/function analyses. Next, a variety of analyses were carried out (1) for the entire LacI/GalR sequence set and (2) for a subset of homologs with functionally‐important “YxPxxxAxxL” motifs in their linkers. This strategy was devised to determine whether predictions could be improved by knowledge‐based sequence sorting and—for some analyses—did increase the number of linker positions identified. However, two functionally important linker positions were not reliably identified by any analysis. Finally, we compared the new predictions to all known experimental data for E. coli LacI and three homologous linkers. From these, we estimate that >50% of positions are important to the functions of the LacI/GalR homologs. In corollary, neutral positions might occur less frequently and might be easier to detect in sequence analyses. Although analyses have successfully guided mutations that partially exchange protein functions, a better experimental understanding of the sequence/function relationships in protein families would be helpful for uncovering the remaining rules used by nature to evolve new protein functions. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evolution of the isoelectric point of mammalian proteins as a consequence of indels and adaptive evolution
Authors: Alendé Nicolas , Nielsen Jens E. , Shields Denis C. , Khaldi Nora 
Published: January 2011

AbstractAlthough important shifts in the isoelectric point of prokaryotic proteins, mainly due to adaptation to environmental pH, have been widely reported, such studies have not covered mammalian proteins, where pH changes may relate to changes in subcellular or tissue compartmentalization. We explored the isoelectric point of the proteome of 13 mammalian species. We detected proteins that have shifted their pI the most among 13 mammalian species, and investigated if these differences reflect adaptations of the orthologous proteins to different conditions. We find that proteins exhibiting a high isoelectric point change are enriched in certain GO terms, including immune defense, and mitochondrial proteins. We show that the shift in pI between orthologous proteins is not strongly associated with the overall rate of protein evolution, nor with protein length. Our results reveal that insertions/deletions are the main reason behind the shift of pI. However, for some proteins we find evidence of selection shifting the pI of the protein through amino acid replacement. Finally, we argue that shifts in pI might relate to the gain of additional activities, such as new interacting partners, in one ortholog as opposed to the other, and may potentially relate to functional differences between mammals. Proteins 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Implementing neonatal screening for congenital cytomegalovirus: addressing the deafness of policy makers
Authors: de Vries Jutte J.C. , Vossen Ann C.T.M. , Kroes Aloys C.M. , van der Zeijst Bernard A.M. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractCongenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is an important public health problem with approximately 7 in 1,000 newborns infected and consequently at risk for hearing impairment. Newborn hearing screening will fail to detect this hearing impairment in approximately half of the cases because late onset hearing loss is frequent. Hearing impairment has profound impact on cognitive and social development of children and their families, determining most of the disease burden of congenital CMV infection. The potential value of newborn screening for congenital CMV is increasingly discussed. To date, many experts acknowledge the benefit of antiviral treatment in the prevention of hearing deterioration in newborns with neurological symptoms, and the benefit of early identification of late‐onset hearing impairment by means of extensive audiological follow up of infected infants. These opinions imply that the potential of newborn screening for CMV would lie in the identification of the large proportion of asymptomatic congenitally infected newborns at risk for developing late‐onset hearing loss. Experience with postnatal antiviral treatment of symptomatic newborns is encouraging, but has not been studied in asymptomatic congenitally infected newborns. A large‐scale study on the safety and effectiveness of combined screening and antiviral therapy for congenital CMV infection is the necessary next step to take and should not be delayed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conceptual model of river ice types and dynamics along sedimentary links
Authors: Bergeron N.E. , Buffin‐Bélanger T. , Dubé J. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis paper proposes a conceptual model relating the large‐scale distribution of river ice types and dynamics to the longitudinal sequence of river forms and flows typically encountered along the sedimentary links of gravel‐bed rivers. Sedimentary links are discrete river segments each characterized by a node of coarse sediment recruitment followed by a gradual downstream fining of substrate and an associated reduction of channel slope. Because these downstream changes in substrate and slope are associated with changes in channel morphology and hydraulics, they create a longitudinal sequence of river environments moving from steep, fast flowing and highly turbulent boulder bed channels at the head of links to meandering low‐gradient sand channels with calm flows at the downstream end. We describe and show examples of how these spatial variations in the geomorphology and flow characteristics of gravel‐bed rivers should interact with river ice processes to produce a predictable ‘most probable’ large‐scale pattern of river ice types and dynamics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sources of efficacy information in an inservice program for elementary teachers
Authors: Palmer David 
Published: January 2011

AbstractLow teacher self‐efficacy is an important factor constraining the teaching of science at the elementary level. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of particular sources of efficacy information for enhancing the science teaching self‐efficacy of practicing elementary teachers. Twelve teachers participated in an intervention that was designed to provide them with cognitive mastery, enactive mastery, modeling, and verbal persuasion. Data were collected prior to, during, immediately after, and 2 years after the intervention. The results showed that increases in self‐efficacy were mainly due to cognitive mastery (i.e., perceived success in understanding how to teach science) and in situ feedback (i.e., verbal persuasion given after observation of the teacher teaching his/her own class). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 95:577–600, 2011
Predictive assessment of a non‐linear random effects model for multivariate time series of infectious disease counts
Authors: Paul M. , Held L. 
Published: January 2011

AbstractInfectious disease counts from surveillance systems are typically observed in several administrative geographical areas. In this paper, a non‐linear model for the analysis of such multiple time series of counts is discussed. To account for heterogeneous incidence levels or varying transmission of a pathogen across regions, region‐specific and possibly spatially correlated random effects are introduced. Inference is based on penalized likelihood methodology for mixed models. Since the use of classical model choice criteria such as AIC or BIC can be problematic in the presence of random effects, models are compared by means of one‐step‐ahead predictions and proper scoring rules. In a case study, the model is applied to monthly counts of meningococcal disease cases in 94 departments of France (excluding Corsica) and weekly counts of influenza cases in 140 administrative districts of Southern Germany. The predictive performance improves if existing heterogeneity is accounted for by random effects. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Application of Benders decomposition to transmission expansion planning with N − 1 security constraints
Authors: Asadamongkol Somphop , Eua‐arporn Bundhit 
Published: January 2011

AbstractThis paper proposes a methodology for solving a transmission expansion planning problem with N − 1 security constraints consideration. The problem is formulated using a disjunctive model solved by Benders decomposition. A local search procedure is applied to solve the master problem, i.e. investment problem. With this developed methodology, the computational time can be considerably reduced, especially for large system problems, and the global optimality of Bender decomposition can be preserved by solving the master problem in a complete search space for specified iteration numbers. The proposed methodology has been tested with the IEEE 24‐bus system and the southern Brazilian system with satisfactory results. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Downlink media streaming with wireless fountain coding in wireline‐cum‐WiFi networks
Authors: Chieochan Surachai , Hossain Ekram 
Published: January 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses the problem of streaming packetized media data in a combined wireline/802.11 network. Since the wireless channel is normally the bottleneck for media streaming in such a network, we propose that wireless fountain coding (WFC) be used over the wireless downlink in order to efficiently utilize the wireless bandwidth and exploit the broadcast nature of the channel. Forward error correction (FEC) is also used to combat errors at the application‐layer. We analytically obtain the moment generating function (MGF) for the wireless link‐layer delay incurred by WFC. With the MGF, the expected value of this wireless link‐layer delay is found and used by the access point (AP), who has no knowledge of the buffer contents of wireless receivers, to make a coding‐based decision. We then derive the end‐to‐end packet loss/late probability based on the MGF. We develop an integrated ns‐3/EvalVid simulator to evaluate our proposed system and compare it with the traditional 802.11e scheme which is without WFC capability but equipped with application‐ and link‐layer retransmission mechanisms. Through extensive simulations of video streaming, we show that streaming with WFC is able to support more concurrent video flows compared to the traditional scheme. When the deadlines imposed on video packets are relatively stringent, streaming with WFC also shows superior performance in terms of packet loss/late probability, video distortion, and video frame delay, over the traditional scheme. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.