bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of stimulation intensity on assessment of voluntary activation
Authors: Van Leeuwen DaniËl M. , De Ruiter Cornelis J. , De Haan Arnold 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIntroduction:The interpolated twitch technique is often used to assess voluntary activation (VA) of skeletal muscles. We investigated VA and the voluntary torque‐superimposed torque relationship using either supramaximal nerve stimulation or better tolerated submaximal muscle stimulation, which is often used with patients.Methods:Thirteen healthy subjects performed maximal and submaximal isometric knee extensions with superimposed maximal or submaximal doublets (100 Hz).Results:Superimposed torque relative to potentiated resting doublets was smaller with maximal nerve than with submaximal muscle stimulation. Maximal VA was 87 ± 7% and 93 ± 5% for submaximal muscle and maximal nerve stimulation, respectively. The individual voluntary torque‐superimposed torque relationships were more linear for submaximal muscle stimulation, possibly leading to less overestimation of VA.Conclusions:Submaximal muscle stimulation can be used to estimate VA in the knee extensors. It is less painful, and overestimation of VA may be less compared with maximal nerve stimulation. Muscle Nerve 45: 841–848, 2012
Diagnosis of and remedy for imperfection sensitivity of arch bridges
Authors: Jia Xin , Mang Herbert A. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractUnless the hangers of arch bridges are sufficiently stiff, such bridges are imperfection sensitive [1]. Increasing the stiffness of the hangers, such structures eventually become imperfection insensitive. The mathematical definition of imperfection insensitivity follows from a series expansion of the dimensionless load parameter Δλ(κ, η), relative to the stability limit λ = λS, given as [2]

Δλ(κ, η)
= λ1(κ)η
+ λ2(κ)η2
+ λ3(κ)η3
+ O(η4),

where λ1, λ2, … are coefficients depending on the stiffness of the hangers representing the design parameter κ and η is a path parameter describing the postbuckling path.A necessary condition for imperfection insensitivity is [3]

λ1(κ) = 0   ∀κ.

If, for a specific value κ of κ, also

λ2(κ=κ) > 0,

then the structure is imperfection insensitive for κ=κ.It will be shown numerically that the increase of the stiffness of the hangers is the remedy addressed in the title of the paper. (© 2011 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Limitations of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetes screening
Authors: Hanna Fahmy WF , Geen John , Issa Basil G , Tahrani Abd A , Fryer Anthony A 
Published: February 2012

AbstractRecently, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) has been recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the World Health Organisation and subsequently by many other professional bodies as a diagnostic tool for diabetes mellitus. However, the cut‐off values suggested vary between these groups and uncertainties remain regarding the limitations of this test and its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool. We wished to assess the effect of HbA1c on detection rates for dysglycaemia in a high risk cohort of 200 patients with possible acute coronary syndrome not previously known to have diabetes.Anthropometric as well as HbA1c, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT), random and fasting plasma glucose (RPG and FPG) concentrations, fasting lipids and high sensitivity C‐reactive protein data were obtained during admission. We examined each of the recommended cut‐off values for HbA1c. Test accuracy was assessed by the degree of misclassification (both under‐ and over‐diagnosis) of patients into normal glycaemic control, impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus based on OGTT data using WHO criteria. A predictive index (PI) was generated using stepwise ordinal regression models (incorporating FPG, HbA1c, HDL‐C, triglycerides, age and gender).HbA1c alone, using the International Expert Committee cut‐off values, had unacceptably high misclassification rates (49.0% under‐ and 2.5% over‐diagnosed). This did not improve when ADA criteria were examined, despite their lower cut‐off values for normoglycaemia (44.4% under‐ and 7.1% over‐diagnosed). FPG was marginally better, misclassifying 44.4% (mostly under‐diagnosis; 41.4%). The PI had the lowest misclassification rate (35.9%; with 22.7% under‐ and 13.1% over‐diagnosed). In conclusion, our data suggest that HbA1c alone offers little advantage over FPG in detecting dysglycaemia in this high risk population. Our approach using a predictive index to combine HbA1c with other test data will enhance its performance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons.
Influence of DC electric field on both crystalline structure and conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide)10:LiClO4 electrolyte
Authors: Wang Jiliang , Lei Jingxin 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe dynamic ionic conductivity and polarizing morphology of poly(ethylene oxide)10:LiClO4 (PEO10:LiClO4) electrolyte membranes under different direct current electric fields (EFs) were simultaneously investigated. PEO molecular chains were found to rearrange during the migration of charge carriers, and the rearrangement of PEO molecular chains dramatically affected the conductivity of the electrolyte membrane. No noticeable differences of conductivity and polarizing morphology between the heating and cooling process were observed when the EF was absent. However, the conductivity of the membrane was remarkably enhanced after applying an EF and after carrying out a heating–cooling loop. Differential scanning calorimetry and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction of the sample with different treatments of both EFs and heating–cooling loops showed that the conductivity enhancement or reduction after loading special EFs and heating–cooling loops were attributed to the change of both the crystallite size of certain diffraction planes and the thickness of PEO lamellae. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012
A new and unexpected domain–domain interaction in the AraC protein
Authors: Cole Stephanie Dirla , Schleif Robert 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAn interaction between the dimerization domains and DNA binding domains of the dimeric AraC protein has previously been shown to facilitate repression of the Escherichia coli araBAD operon by AraC in the absence of arabinose. A new interaction between the domains of AraC in the presence of arabinose is reported here, the regulatory consequences of which are unknown. Evidence for the interaction is the following: the dissociation rate of arabinose‐bound AraC from half‐site DNA is considerably faster than that of free DNA binding domain, and the affinity of the dimerization domains for arabinose is increased when half‐site DNA is bound. In addition, an increase in the fluorescence intensity of tryptophan residues located in the arabinose‐bound dimerization domain is observed upon binding of half‐site DNA to the DNA binding domains. Direct physical evidence of the new domain–domain interaction is demonstrated by chemical crosslinking and NMR experiments. Proteins 2012;. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The ST pinch: A side chain‐to‐side chain hydrogen‐bonded motif
Authors: Bomar Martha G. , Raghavender Upadhyayula S. , Spindel Alexander W. I. , Kodukula Krishna , Galande Amit K. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe ST Pinch is a 12‐membered hydrogen‐bonded motif (Ser/Thr‐Xaa‐Ser/Thr) involving the side chain oxygen atoms of two Ser/Thr residues. We identified the ST Pinch in 104 proteins in a database containing high‐resolution crystal structures. Conformational analysis of the ST Pinch in these proteins points to specific preferences for the Xaa residue and a high propensity of this residue to adopt positive φ angles. Our results suggest that this motif serves as a linker of secondary structural elements within proteins and is a new addition to the existing list of short hydrogen bond‐stabilized motifs in proteins. Proteins 2012;. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Detection of Erythrocytes in Patients With Multiple Myeloma Using Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Zhang Yuping , Zhang Wei , Wang Shunqing , Wang Caixia , Xie Jianjin , Chen Xiaoyan , Xu Yanli , Mao Ping 
Published: February 2012

SummaryThe goal of this study was to examine the pathophysiological changes to erythrocytes in multiple myeloma (MM) patients at a nanometer scale. We hypothesize that studying changes in red blood cells may be important for early diagnosis and effective treatment of MM. Blood samples were taken from ten healthy volunteers and ten MM patients before and after treatment. Changes in the morphological and biomechanical properties of the erythrocytes were studied at a nanometer scale with atomic force microscopy (AFM). There were dramatic deformations in the overall shape and surface membrane of the erythrocytes from pre‐ and post therapeutic MM patients compared with the healthy controls. Healthy and pathological MM erythrocytes could be distinguished by several morphologic parameters, including the width, length, length to width ratio, valley, peak, valley‐to‐peak, standard deviation, and surface fluctuation. The effectiveness of disease treatment could also be evaluated by studying these red blood cell parameters. AFM was able to detect noticeable morphological differences in the red blood cells from MM patients compared with healthy controls. Therefore, erythrocyte morphology is an important parameter for diagnosing MM, as well as evaluating the efficacy of disease treatment. SCANNING 34: 295–301, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A secure, efficient, and cost‐effective distributed architecture for spam mitigation on LTE 4G mobile networks
Authors: Bou‐Harb Elias , Pourzandi Makan , Debbabi Mourad , Assi Chadi 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTThe 4G of mobile networks will be a technology‐opportunistic and user‐centric system, combining the economical and technological advantages of various transmission technologies. As a part of its new architecture, LTE networks will implement an evolved packet core. Although this will provide various critical advantages, it will, on the other hand, expose telecom networks to serious IP‐based attacks. One often adopted solution to mitigate such attacks is based on a centralized security architecture. However, this approach requires large processing and memory resources to handle huge amounts of traffic, which, in turn, causes a significant over dimensioning problem in the centralized nodes. Hence, it may cause this approach to fail from achieving its security task. In this paper, we focus on a SPAM flooding attack, namely SMTP SPAM, and demonstrate, through simulations and discussion, its DoS impact on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and subsequent effects on the mobile network operator. Our main contribution involves proposing a distributed architecture on the LTE network that is secure and that mitigates attacks efficiently by solving the over dimensioning problem. It is also cost‐effective by utilizing ‘off‐the‐shelf’ low‐cost hardware in the distributed nodes. Through additional simulation and analysis, we demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identity‐based construction for secure and efficient handoff authentication schemes in wireless networks
Authors: Zhang Y. H. , Chen X. F. , Li H. , Cao J. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTWith the rapid development of computer networks, wireless technologies find important applications in roaming communication. In this scenario, practical needs initiate the demand for a secure and efficient handoff authentication scheme. To the best of our knowledge, however, there exists no scheme that can simultaneously provide robust security properties and enjoy desirable efficiency. In this paper, we first examines the security of the scheme proposed in International Conference on Communications 2007 by Kim et al. and demonstrates that the scheme of Kim et al. fails to achieve perfect forward/backward secrecy. Furthermore, we propose a new identity‐based construction for secure and efficient handoff authentication schemes, in which an identity‐based online/offline encryption scheme is the primary ingredient. Compared with the scheme of Kim et al., our construction enjoys desirable efficiency in terms of the computation cost and the communication cost. To be specific, the developed scheme not only realizes a seamless handoff with key agreement, but also provides perfect forward/backward secrecy, which has never been achieved in any existing handoff‐related schemes. Therefore, our construction is more suitable for handoff authentication in the wireless applications environment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Origin of the Cannula for Tracheotomy During the Middle Ages and Renaissance
Authors: Missori Paolo , Brunetto Giacoma M. , Domenicucci Maurizio 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe purpose of this article was to trace the historical origin of the inserted cannula during tracheotomy. Tracheotomy is mentioned in most ancient medical texts, but the origin of cannula insertion into the windpipe is unclear. We reviewed the incunabula and Renaissance texts reporting the utilization of surgical cannulas and tracheotomy. The incunabula disclosed extended use of surgical cannulas during the middle ages and Renaissance. Although tracheotomy was advocated in acutely suffocating patients for a disease of the throat termed squinantia or angina, the first report of the procedure was found only at the end of the middle ages and a second during the middle Renaissance. The introduction of cannula use in tracheotomy was supported by a semantic misinterpretation by Antonio Musa Brasavola. The historical origin for tracheotomy in the middle ages and Renaissance is conflicting. Antonio Brasavola wrongly interpreted Avicenna’s oral cannula introduced into the windpipe for angina. This misinterpretation allowed Giulio Casserio to draw the first curved cannula introduced for used during tracheotomy.
New Invagination Procedure for Pancreaticojejunostomy Using Only Four Sutures
Authors: Nakanishi Yoshitsugu , Ohara Masanori , Noguchi Misa , Domen Hiromitsu , Komuro Kazuteru , Hirano Satoshi 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackgroundPancreaticoenterostomy remains one of the most stressful parts of pancreatoduodenectomy. We introduce herein a new convenient and secure invagination procedure for pancreaticojejunostomy.MethodsWe performed our new procedure during pancreatoduodenectomy in 15 consecutive patients (7 men, 8 women). The features of the procedure are as follows. First, it is performed using only four sutures. Second, the pancreas stump is invaginated into the jejunum, mainly by two sutures that penetrate the parenchyma and are continuously purse‐string sutured to the jejunum. Third, all needle holes on the surface of the pancreas are covered with the jejunal wall.ResultsEight patients were classified as showing no pancreatic fistula, and seven displayed a grade A fistula, according to the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula criteria. The median operating time for these 15 patients using the present procedure was about 60 min shorter than that for the previous nine patients who underwent duct‐to‐mucosa pancreaticogastrostomy in our hospital.ConclusionsThe present method allows pancreaticojejunostomy to be performed swiftly and conveniently.
Long‐Term Outcomes of Abdominal Wall Reconstruction. What are the Real Numbers?
Authors: Peralta Ruben , Latifi Rifat 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIntroductionAdvances in the acute management of the severely injured and critically ill patients have had a significant impact in survival and have increased our exposure to complex repair of large abdominal wall defects. The purpose of this article was to review the long‐term (5‐year or greater) outcomes of reconstruction of abdominal wall defects and the different modalities and materials currently available in the management of this challenging clinical condition.MethodsA review of published literature.ResultsOur review of literature, in English language from 1984 to May 2011, identified six studies. The minimum average follow‐up of the studies examined was 63 months. The hernia recurrence rate ranged from 1.1 to 16% at 5 years. A 10‐year cumulative recurrence rate of 63% has been reported for suture repair and a 32% for prosthetic repair in incisional hernia.ConclusionsThere is a need for long‐term studies of complex abdominal wall reconstruction, using biologic prosthetics mesh.
Byzantine fault-tolerant deferred update replication
Authors: Pedone Fernando , Schiper Nicolas 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Replication is a well-established approach to increasing database availability. Many database replication protocols have been proposed for the crash-stop failure model, in which servers fail silently. Fewer database replication protocols have been proposed for the byzantine failure model, in which servers may fail arbitrarily. This paper considers deferred update replication, a popular database replication technique, under byzantine failures. The paper makes three contributions. First, it shows that making deferred update replication tolerate byzantine failures is quite simple. Second, the paper presents a byzantine-tolerant mechanism to execute read-only transactions at a single server. Third, we consider byzantine client attacks against deferred update replication and discuss effective countermeasures against these attacks.
Early Recurrence of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer as a Clinical Marker of a Poor Prognosis and Cancer-Specific Survival
Authors: Charlesworth P.J.S. , Gray R.H.R. , Blick C. , Kilbey N. , Protheroe A. , Crew J.P. 
Published: February 2012

Objective To determine whether early recurrence of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer confers prognostic value with respect to bladder cancer-specific survival. Patients and methods: Following local ethics committee approval, all patients that underwent TURBT for a bladder tumour within the Oxford Radcliffe Trust between 1997 and 2007 were entered into the local Cancer Research Uro-Oncology Database (CRUD©). The rate of positive histological recurrence of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer at first cystoscopy (<4 months) following the index TURBT was calculated and the cancer-specific survival calculated using data from the National Cancer Intelligence Network. Results Median positive early recurrence of (NMIBC) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer was 18.9% for the period of 1997 to 2007 (mean 20.3%; range 13.9–-28.3%). Positive early recurrence was associated with significantly worse survival, with 5-year cancer specific survival falling from 82.3% (first cystoscopy negative) to 69.4%, (first cystoscopy positive), Log Rank p = 0.02. Conclusions Our results suggest that if histological recurrence is present at first cystoscopy then the patient is more likely to die from bladder cancer, with 5-year cancer specific mortality of 18% if first cystoscopy clear, compared to 31% if histological recurrence (relative risk 1.7). With the growing demand for surgical outcome measures, our study suggests that ‘positive recurrence at first cystoscopy’ is both simple to measure and a valid predictor of patient outcome.
Sudden hearing loss and pregnancy: a review
Authors: Goh A Y , Hussain S S M 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackground:Acute hearing loss is a distressing albeit rare occurrence in pregnancy. Due to its infrequent presentation, little is known of its cause, and the best management is unclear.Objective:To present a summary of current knowledge regarding sudden hearing loss in pregnancy and its management, by reviewing the published literature.Data sources:The following electronic databases: PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid (MEDLINE), all EBM Reviews (Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE and CCTR) and Embase; plus a hand search of reference lists of retrieved papers.Study selection and data extraction:All papers retrieved using key word searches for ‘sudden hearing loss and pregnancy’ and ‘sudden deafness and pregnancy’ were reviewed. Due to the scarcity of literature, all studies identified were included in this review.Data synthesis and conclusions:All retrieved papers were reviewed. Sudden hearing loss is a rare occurrence during pregnancy, leading to a dearth of literature due to limited clinical experience. Audiological investigation findings for such patients remain equivocal. Recovery can be spontaneous during the postpartum period. In patients who require medical treatment, a dextran 40 infusion can be employed. There remains scope for further research, in the form of larger studies, to ascertain the best management option for this clinical problem.
Trypanosoma cruzi Discrete Typing Units in Chagas disease patients from endemic and non-endemic regions of Argentina
Authors: CURA C. I. , LUCERO R. H. , BISIO M. , OSHIRO E. , FORMICHELLI L. B. , BURGOS J. M. , LEJONA S. , BRUSÉS B. L. , HERNÁNDEZ D. O. , SEVERINI G. V. , VELAZQUEZ E. , DUFFY T. , ANCHART E. , LATTES R. , ALTCHEH J. , FREILIJ H. , DIEZ M. , NAGEL C. , VIGLIANO C. , FAVALORO L. , FAVALORO R. R. , MERINO D. E. , SOSA-ESTANI S. , SCHIJMAN A. G. 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYGenetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi may play a role in pathogenesis of Chagas disease forms. Natural populations are classified into 6 Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) Tc I-VI with taxonomical status. This study aimed to identify T. cruzi DTUs in bloodstream and tissue samples of Argentinean patients with Chagas disease. PCR-based strategies allowed DTU identification in 256 clinical samples from 239 Argentinean patients. Tc V prevailed in blood from both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases and Tc I was more frequent in bloodstream, cardiac tissues and chagoma samples from immunosuppressed patients. Tc II and VI were identified in a minority of cases, while Tc III and Tc IV were not detected in the studied population. Interestingly, Tc I and Tc II/VI sequences were amplified from the same skin biopsy slice from a kidney transplant patient suffering Chagas disease reactivation. Further data also revealed the occurrence of mixed DTU populations in the human chronic infection. In conclusion, our findings provide evidence of the complexity of the dynamics of T. cruzi diversity in the natural history of human Chagas disease and allege the pathogenic role of DTUs I, II, V and VI in the studied population.
Mefloquine interferes with glycolysis in schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni via inhibition of enolase
Authors: MANNECK THERESIA , KEISER JENNIFER , MÜLLER JOACHIM 
Published: February 2012

SUMMARYThe antimalarial drug mefloquine has promising antischistosomal properties killing haematophagous adult schistosomes as well as schistosomula. The mode of action and involved drug targets of mefloquine in Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula are unknown. In order to identify mefloquine-binding proteins and thus potential drug targets, mefloquine affinity chromatography with S. mansoni schistosomula crude extracts was performed. We found one specific mefloquine-binding protein that was identified by mass spectrometry as the glycolytic enzyme enolase (Q27877). Enolase activity assays were performed on schistosomula crude extracts and on the recombinant enolase Q27877 expressed in Escherichia coli. In schistosomula crude extracts enolase activity was inhibited by mefloquine and by the enolase inhibitor sodium fluoride, while activity of the recombinant enolase was not affected. In contrast to enolase from crude extracts, recombinant Q27877 did not bind to mefloquine-agarose. Using isothermal microcalorimetry, we next investigated the metabolic inhibition of mefloquine and 3 known glycolytic inhibitors in Schistosoma spp., namely sodium fluoride, 3-bromopyruvate and menadione on schistosomula in the presence or absence of glucose. We found that in the presence of glucose, schistosomula were less affected by mefloquine, sodium fluoride and 3-bromopyruvate, whereas glucose had no protective effect when schistosomula had been exposed to menadione. These results suggest a potential role of mefloquine as an inhibitor of glycolysis, at least in stages where other targets like haem degradation are not relevant.