bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Add‐on salmeterol compared to double dose fluticasone in pediatric asthma: A double‐blind, randomized trial (VIAPAED)
Authors: Gappa Monika , Zachgo Wolfgang , von Berg Andrea , Kamin Wolfgang , Stern‐Sträter Catrin , Steinkamp Gratiana 
Published: October 2009

AbstractRationaleIn asthmatic children whose symptoms are uncontrolled on standard doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), guidelines recommend to either increase the ICS dose or to add further controller medication, e.g. a long acting ß2‐agonist (LABA). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of doubling the dose of ICS (fluticasone proprionate FP 200 µg twice daily) with adding a long‐acting beta‐2 agonist to the ICS (SFC, salmeterol 50 µg/ FP 100 µg twice daily) in children with uncontrolled asthma.MethodsChildren between 4 and 16 years of age were eligible for this multicenter, randomized, double blind, double dummy, parallel‐group study. During a 14‐day run‐in phase, all children inhaled FP 100 µg b.i.d. Patients with persistent symptoms on ≥7 of 14 days were randomized to 8 weeks treatment with a Diskus® containing either SFC 50 µg/100 µg b.i.d. or FP 200 µg b.i.d.. The primary endpoint was the mean change in morning (a.m.) PEF from baseline. The initial statistical hypothesis of non‐inferiority of SFC vs. FP was confirmed in an adaptive interim analysis, so that the study was terminated prematurely.Results441 patients from 39 centers entered the run‐in phase, and 64% of these were randomized to treatment (N = 138 to SFC and N = 145 to FP). After 8 weeks, patients on SFC had significantly better results for primary and secondary endpoints: The mean increase in morning PEF was 30.4 ± 34.1 L/min in the SFC group and 16.7 ± 35.8 L/min in the fluticasone group, and the mean (95% CI) improvement from baseline a.m. PEF in the ITT group was significantly larger after SFC (+8.6 L/min, CI: [1.3; ∞]). Patients in the SFC group experienced 8.7% (CI: [1.2;16.3]) more days without asthma symptoms and 8.0% (CI: [0.6;15.3]) more days without salbutamol than patients receiving FP. Good asthma control was achieved for a longer period in the SFC (3.4 ± 2.7 weeks) group than in the FP group (2.7 ± 2.7, P = 0.02). Both treatments were generally well tolerated. Asthma exacerbations were recorded in 3 and 6 and SAEs in 2 and 1 patients from the SFC and FP groups, respectively.ConclusionsIn children with persistent asthma inadequately controlled on low dose ICS alone, adding a long acting beta‐2‐agonist to ICS in a single inhaler was more effective than doubling the ICS dose. These results support recommendations of adding LABA to low‐dose ICS as the preferred controller option for children older than 4 years with symptomatic asthma. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:1132–1142. ©2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nocturnal hypoxia and sleep disturbances in cystic fibrosis
Authors: de Castro‐Silva Claudia , de Bruin Veralice Meireles Sales , Cavalcante Antonio George Matos , Bittencourt Lia Rita Azeredo , de Bruin Pedro Felipe Carvalhedo 
Published: October 2009

AbstractDisrupted sleep and nocturnal hypoxia are common in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the predictors of nocturnal hypoxia in CF are still controversial. In order to identify the risk factors for nocturnal desaturation and sleep disturbances, we carried out a clinical and polysomnographic investigation of CF patients. We studied 30 clinically stable CF cases with clinical lung disease (mean age = 12.8; mean FEV1 = 65.2), 10 CF cases without significant lung disease (mean age = 13.3; mean FEV1 = 99.8), and 20 controls (mean age = 15.5). Patients were evaluated by spirometry, 6‐min walk test, the Shwachman–Kulczycki (S–K) score, and full overnight polysomnography. Cases with clinical lung disease had lower body mass index, forced vital capacity, and S–K scores. During sleep, five CF cases with clinical lung disease (15%) had SaO2 <90% during more than 30% of total sleep time and 11 cases (36.6%) had a nadir SaO2 below 85%. FEV1 values for CF cases with clinical lung disease were related to nadir SaO2 (P < 0.03) and to mean SaO2 (P = 0.02). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis determined FEV1 at 64% to be predictive of nocturnal desaturation as defined by minimum SaO2 <85% (sensitivity = 92.3%; specificity = 77.3%) or SaO2 <90% for 30% of sleep time (sensitivity = 81.8%; specificity = 85.2%). Frequency of impaired sleep was not different in CF cases with (N = 2) and without significant lung disease (N = 5, P = 0.53). Sleep architecture was not significantly different between the two groups. Sleep apnea was present in three CF cases with clinical lung disease and in one case without significant lung disease. In summary, desaturation during sleep can be predicted by FEV1 <64% with good sensitivity and specificity. There are no significant differences in sleep architecture between clinically stable CF cases with and without significant lung disease. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:1143–1150. ©2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantum 2‐body Hamiltonian for topological color codes
Authors: Bombin H. , Kargarian M. , Martin‐Delgado M.A. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWe introduce a two‐body quantum Hamiltonian model with spins‐${1 \over 2}$ located on the vertices of a 2D spatial lattice. The model exhibits an exact topological degeneracy in all coupling regimes. This is a remarkable non‐perturbative effect. The model has a Z2× Z2 gauge group symmetry and string‐net integrals of motion. There exists a gapped phase in which the low‐energy sector reproduces an effective topological color code model. High energy excitations fall into three families of anyonic fermions that turn out to be strongly interacting. All these, and more, are new features not present in honeycomb lattice models like Kitaev model.
Bromadiolone susceptibility in wild and laboratory Mus musculus L.(house mice) in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Authors: Guidobono Juan S , León Vanina , Gómez Villafañe Isabel E , Busch María 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBACKGROUND: Rodents are major pests in many agricultural systems, where they can cause significant economic losses and involve a sanitary risk. The application of anticoagulant rodenticides for rodent control has showed a decrease in effectiveness through time because of the development of resistant populations and the development of aversion behaviour. The goal of the present study was to test the susceptibility to bromadiolone and the existence of anticoagulant resistance in Mus musculus L. (house mouse) in Argentina. We conducted a feeding test with wild animals captured in poultry farms and a laboratory strain that were fed with bromadiolone bait.RESULTS: Three animals of the field experimental group survived the 21 days study period, while for laboratory animals mortality was 100%. Control field animals which were fed without anticoagulant showed 100% survival.CONCLUSION: We found evidence of the presence of anticoagulant resistant M. musculus L. in the study area. Feeding behaviour may have contributed to increasing the time of survival, and may be a mechanism that allows metabolic clearance of the bromadiolone. Under field conditions control with anticoagulants would be less effective because animals have alternative food. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Auxin herbicides: current status of mechanism and mode of action
Authors: Grossmann Klaus 
Published: October 2009

AbstractSynthetic compounds that act like phytohormonal ‘superauxins’ have been among the most successful herbicides used in agriculture for more than 60 years. These so‐called auxin herbicides are more stable in planta than the main natural auxin, indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA), and show systemic mobility and selective action, preferentially against dicot weeds in cereal crops. They belong to different chemical classes, which include phenoxycarboxylic acids, benzoic acids, pyridinecarboxylic acids, aromatic carboxymethyl derivatives and quinolinecarboxylic acids. The recent identification of receptors for auxin perception and the discovery of a new hormone interaction in signalling between auxin, ethylene and the upregulation of abscisic acid biosynthesis account for a large part of the repertoire of auxin‐herbicide‐mediated responses, which include growth inhibition, senescence and tissue decay in sensitive dicots. An additional phenomenon is caused by the quinolinecarboxylic acid quinclorac, which also controls grass weeds. Here, the accumulation of phytotoxic levels of tissue cyanide, derived ultimately from quinclorac‐stimulated ethylene biosynthesis, plays a key role in eliciting the herbicidal symptoms in sensitive grasses. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Agomelatine: first melatonergic agonist for depression
Authors: Deakin Bill 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAgomelatine (Valdoxan) is a new antidepressant with unique melatonin receptor agonist activity. In our New products review, Professor Bill Deakin presents the clinical data relating to its efficacy and safety, and describes its place in the treatment of depression. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd.
Convergent solid‐phase and solution approaches in the synthesis of the cysteine‐rich Mdm2 RING finger domain
Authors: Vasileiou Zoe , Barlos Kostas , Gatos Dimitrios 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe RING finger domain of the Mdm2, located at the C‐terminus of the protein, is necessary for regulation of p53, a tumor suppressor protein. The 48‐residues long Mdm2 peptide is an important target for studying its interaction with small anticancer drug candidates. For the chemical synthesis of the Mdm2 RING finger domain, the fragment condensation on solid‐phase and the fragment condensation in solution were studied. The latter method was performed using either protected or free peptides at the C‐terminus as the amino component. Best results were achieved using solution condensation where the N‐component was applied with the C‐terminal carboxyl group left unprotected. The developed method is well suited for large‐scale synthesis of Mdm2 RING finger domain, combining the advantages of both solid‐phase and solution synthesis. Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The chemical composition and bonding structure of B–C–N–H thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering
Authors: Chen Youming , Yang Shengrong , Zhang Junyan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe chemical composition and bonding structures of B–C–N–H films fabricated by medium frequency magnetron sputtering, with N2+CH4+Ar gas mixture sputtering the boron target, were investigated. XPS and FTIR spectrometric analyses show that the increase of CH4 flow rate during deposition causes an increase of the C content in the films. The increase in the CH4 flow rate promotes an increase in the B–C, C–N single and CN double bonds which are the components of the hybridized B–C–N bonding structure. From the results of Raman spectroscopy analysis, it is seen that the intensity of the D band of the films' Raman spectrum decreases with increasing CH4 flow rate, indicating a decrease of the sp2‐phase content or the sp2 C cluster size. The decreases of ID/IG also reflect the formation of more boron‐ or nitrogen‐ bound sp3‐coordinated carbons in the films. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication and anti‐corrosion property of superhydrophobic hybrid film on copper surface and its formation mechanism
Authors: Chen Yan , Chen Shougang , Yu Fei , Sun Weiwei , Zhu Haiying , Yin Yansheng 
Published: October 2009

AbstractCompact and uniform superhydrophobic films were prepared on copper substrates using one‐step solution‐immersion process, and the appropriate preparation conditions were selected for mixed solutions. SEM shows that the hybrid film of 1‐dodecanethiol and tetradecanoic acid on copper substrate is more compact with the contact angle of 160°. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization test demonstrate that the anti‐corrosion property of surface‐modified copper substrate is greatly improved, especially for the hybrid film. Moreover, the competitive adsorption process and adsorptive geometry of hybrid film were well explained based on the results of quantum chemistry calculations, SEM, and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Capability of aTES microcalorimeter SEM‐EDS system for forensic analysis of automotive paint and gunshot residue
Authors: Nakai Izumi , Ono Yuki , Li Qinghui , Nishiwaki Yoshinori , Tanaka Keiichi , Nakayama Satoshi 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe analytical performance of a scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) system equipped with a transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter (µ‐cal) in forensic analysis is examined. The TES microcalorimeter shows much better energy resolution than the conventional solid‐state detector (SSD). We solved some identification problems caused by peak overlaps when forensic samples were analyzed by a conventional SEM‐EDS system based on SSD. The microcalorimeter ED spectrum can reveal the coexistence of Ba and S in a paint layer of an automotive white paint fragment containing TiO2 as pigment and this may indicate the existence of BaSO4. The coexistence of K, Mg, Al, Si and Ti in the surface layer suggests the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2)‐coated mica as a pearlescent pigment in paint. GSR particles are successfully discriminated by detecting Ba, Sb, Pb and S. An elemental mapping function of the TES microcalorimeter system was introduced for the first time and revealed the accumulation of Pb‐ and Sb‐rich particles in GSR. These results suggest that the microcalorimeter SEM–EDS system offers analysis with both high‐energy resolution and high‐spatial resolution at low‐excitation voltages. These advantages are fully utilized as powerful analytical tools in forensic laboratories. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A modified approach to estimating sample size for simple logistic regression with one continuous covariate
Authors: Novikov I. , Fund N. , Freedman L. S. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractDifferent methods for the calculation of sample size for simple logistic regression (LR) with one normally distributed continuous covariate give different results. Sometimes the difference can be large. Furthermore, some methods require the user to specify the prevalence of cases when the covariate equals its population mean, rather than the more natural population prevalence. We focus on two commonly used methods and show through simulations that the power for a given sample size may differ substantially from the nominal value for one method, especially when the covariate effect is large, while the other method performs poorly if the user provides the population prevalence instead of the required parameter. We propose a modification of the method of Hsieh et al. that requires specification of the population prevalence and that employs Schouten's sample size formula for a t‐test with unequal variances and group sizes. This approach appears to increase the accuracy of the sample size estimates for LR with one continuous covariate. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Confidence intervals for a difference between proportions based on paired data
Authors: Tang Man‐Lai , Ling Man‐Ho , Ling Leevan , Tian Guoliang 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWe construct several explicit asymptotic two‐sided confidence intervals (CIs) for the difference between two correlated proportions using the method of variance of estimates recovery (MOVER). The basic idea is to recover variance estimates required for the proportion difference from the confidence limits for single proportions. The CI estimators for a single proportion, which are incorporated with the MOVER, include the Agresti–Coull, the Wilson, and the Jeffreys CIs. Our simulation results show that the MOVER‐type CIs based on the continuity corrected Φ coefficient and the Tango score CI perform satisfactory in small sample designs and spare data structures. We illustrate the proposed CIs with several real examples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimized Structural Designs for Stretchable Silicon Integrated Circuits
Authors: Kim Dae‐Hyeong , Liu Zhuangjian , Kim Yun‐Soung , Wu Jian , Song Jizhou , Kim Hoon‐Sik , Huang Yonggang , Hwang Keh‐chih , Zhang Yongwei , Rogers John A. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractMaterials and design strategies for stretchable silicon integrated circuits that use non‐coplanar mesh layouts and elastomeric substrates are presented. Detailed experimental and theoretical studies reveal many of the key underlying aspects of these systems. The results shpw, as an example, optimized mechanics and materials for circuits that exhibit maximum principal strains less than 0.2% even for applied strains of up to ≈90%. Simple circuits, including complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor inverters and n‐type metal–oxide–semiconductor differential amplifiers, validate these designs. The results suggest practical routes to high‐performance electronics with linear elastic responses to large strain deformations, suitable for diverse applications that are not readily addressed with conventional wafer‐based technologies.
Generation of Thymic Epithelial Cell Progenitors by Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Lai Laijun , Jin Jingjun 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThymopoiesisis regulated by the thymic microenvironment, of which epithelial cells are the major components. Both cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (TECs) have been shown to arise from a common progenitor cell. Here we show for the first time that mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) can be selectively induced in vitro to differentiate into cells that have the phenotype of thymic epithelial progenitors (TEPs). When placed in vivo, these mESC-derived TEPs self-renew, develop into TECs, and reconstitute the normal thymic architecture. Functionally, these ESC-derived TEPs enhanced thymocyte regeneration after bone marrow transplantation and increased the number of functional naive splenic T cells. In addition to providing a model to study the molecular events underlying thymic epithelial cell development, the ability to selectively induce the development of TEPs in vitro from mESCs has important implications regarding the prevention and/or treatment of primary and secondary T-cell immunodeficiencies.Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Smart Buffering for seamless handover in Proxy Mobile IPv6
Authors: Choi Hyon‐Young , Kim Kwang‐Ryoul , Lee Hyo‐Beom , Min Sung‐Gi , Han Youn‐Hee 
Published: October 2009

AbstractProxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6) is proposed as a new network‐based mobility protocol and it does not require MN's involving in mobility management. MN can handover relatively faster in PMIPv6 than in Mobile IPv6 (MIPv6) because it actively uses link‐layer attachment information and reduces the movement detection time, and eliminates duplicate address detection procedure. However, the current PMIPv6 cannot prevent packet loss during the handover period. We propose the Smart Buffering scheme for seamlessness in PMIPv6. The Smart Buffering scheme prevents packet loss by proactively buffering packets that will be lost in a current serving mobile access gateway (MAG) by harnessing network‐side information only. It also performs redundant packet elimination and packet reordering to minimize duplicate packet delivery and disruption of connection‐oriented flows. To fetch buffered packets from a previous MAG, a new MAG discovers the previous MAG by using a discovery mechanism without any involvement of an MN. We verified the effectiveness of Smart Buffering via simulation with various parameters. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cross‐layer design vehicle‐aided handover scheme in VANETs
Authors: Chiu Kuan‐Lin , Hwang Ren‐Hung , Chen Yuh‐Shyan 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe requirement for in‐vehicle passengers to access Internet multimedia services has risen recently. As a consequence, Vehicle Ad hoc NETwork (VANET) has gained much attention, and is regarded as a promising solution for providing in‐vehicle Internet service through inter‐vehicle and infrastructure communication. A new developed wireless network technique, termed WiMAX Mobile Multihop Relay (MMR), provides a good communication framework for a VANET formed from vehicles on high‐speed freeways. Applying MMR WiMAX allows some public transportation vehicles to act as relay vehicles (RVs) to provide Internet access to passenger vehicles. However, the standard handover procedure of mobile or MMR WiMAX suffers long delay due to the lack of information about the next RV. This study presents a cross‐layer fast handover scheme, called vehicular fast handover scheme (VFHS), where the physical layer information is shared with the MAC layer, to reduce the handover delay. The key idea of VFHS is to utilize oncoming side vehicles (OSVs) to accumulate physical and MAC layers information of passing through RVs and broadcast the information to vehicles that are temporarily disconnected, referred to as disconnected vehicles (DVs). A DV can thus perform a rapid handover when it enters the transmission range of one of approaching RVs. The effectiveness of VFHS is verified using ns2 simulations. Simulation results indicate that VFHS significantly decreases handover latency and packet loss. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Doppler‐shifted frequency measurement based positioning for roadside‐vehicle communication systems
Authors: Xu Bo , Shen Lianfeng , Yan Feng , Zheng Jun 
Published: October 2009

AbstractNode positioning is a useful service for a vehicular communication system. The global positioning system (GPS) is the most popular positioning technique widely used in vehicular communication systems. However, GPS cannot work effectively in many situations, for example, in a tunnel or under a bridge. For accurate positioning in such situations, it is desirable to have more reliable positioning techniques. In this paper, we propose a novel method for node positioning in vehicular communication systems. Unlike existing positioning methods that employ a roadside node as an observation station, the proposed positioning method allows a vehicular node to play the role of an observation station, and estimates the vehicular node's absolute coordinates based on the measurement of the Doppler frequency shift, the velocity of the vehicular node, and the known absolute coordinates of roadside nodes. To improve positioning accuracy, it introduces extended Kalman filtering (EKF) to mitigate the effects of channel noise and multipath interference. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed positioning method can significantly improve the positioning accuracy compared with differential GPS and reduce the positioning delay. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.