bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High-rate low-temperature dc pulsed magnetron sputtering of photocatalytic TiO2films: the effect of repetition frequency
Authors: Šícha J , Heřman D , Musil J , Strýhal Z , Pavlík J 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
The article reports on low-temperature high-rate sputtering of hydrophilic transparent TiO2thin films using dc dual magnetron (DM) sputtering in Ar + O2mixture on unheated glass substrates. The DM was operated in a bipolar asymmetric mode and was equipped with Ti(99.5) targets of 50 mm in diameter. The substrate surface temperature Tsurfmeasured by a thermostrip was less than 180 °C for all experiments. The effect of the repetition frequency frwas investigated in detail. It was found that the increase of frfrom 100 to 350 kHz leads to (a) an improvement of the efficiency of the deposition process that results in a significant increase of the deposition rate aDof sputtered TiO2films and (b) a decrease of peak pulse voltage and sustaining of the magnetron discharge at higher target power densities. It was demonstrated that several hundreds nm thick hydrophilic TiO2films can be sputtered on unheated glass substrates at aD = 80 nm/min, Tsurf < 180 °C when high value of fr = 350 kHz was used. Properties of a thin hydrophilic TiO2film deposited on a polycarbonate substrate are given.
Interwell coupling effect in Si/SiGe quantum wells grown by ultra high vacuum chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Wang Rui , Yoon Soon Fatt , Lu Fen , Fan Wei Jun , Liu Chong Yang , Loh Ter-Hoe , Nguyen Hoai Son , Narayanan Balasubramanian 
Published: February 2007

Abstract
Si/Si0.66Ge0.34coupled quantum well (CQW) structures with different barrier thickness of 40, 4 and 2 nm were grown on Si substrates using an ultra high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV-CVD) system. The samples were characterized using high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Blue shift in PL peak energy due to interwell coupling was observed in the CQWs following increase in the Si barrier thickness. The Si/SiGe heterostructure growth process and theoretical band structure model was validated by comparing the energy of the no-phonon peak calculated by the 6 + 2-bandk·p method with experimental PL data. Close agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental data was obtained.
The apoptotic effect of sarsasapogenin from Anemarrhena asphodeloides on HepG2 human hepatoma cells
Authors: Bao Wenna , Pan Haifeng , Lu Min , Ni Yuan , Zhang Rui , Gong Xingguo 
Published: February 2007

AbstractSarsasapogenin, a kind of mainly effective components of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Liliaceae) has the effects of being anti‐diabetes and improving memory. However, there are few reports focusing on its anti‐tumor effects. In this study, the sarsasapogenin was extracted from rhizomes of A. asphodeloides Bunge and applied to inhibit HepG2 human hepatoma cells. MTT assay showed that sarsasapogenin induced a distinct dose‐ and time‐dependent diminution of cell viability with IC50 of 42.4 ± 1.0 μg/ml for 48 h. Furthermore, sarsasapogenin‐induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells was verified by Hoechst 33258 staining, electron microscopy, DNA fragmentation and PI staining. Flow cytometry analysis showed that sarsasapogenin‐induced cell apoptosis was through arrest of cell cycle in G2/M phase. Hence we proposed that sarsasapogenin could be used as an anti‐liver cancer drug for future studies.
NT‐proBNP levels and diastolic dysfunction in β‐Thalassaemia major patients
Authors: Kremastinos Dimitrios Th. , Tsiapras Dimitrios P. , Kostopoulou Anna G. , Hamodraka Eftihia S. , Chaidaroglou Antigoni S. , Kapsali Evangelia D. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractBackgroundThe early diagnosis and treatment of heart failure in β‐thalassaemic patients is related to survival. Iron alone or in combination with other factors causes diastolic dysfunction, which usually precedes systolic dysfunction. NT‐proBNP is a sensitive biomarker of ventricular dysfunction.AimTo evaluate NT‐proBNP in non heart failure β‐thalassaemic patients.MethodsFifty‐two β‐thalassaemia major patients (mean age: 27.2±12.5 years) with normal LV systolic function, underwent NT‐proBNP measurement and a thorough Doppler‐echocardiographic and pulsed tissue‐Doppler study, 4 days following blood transfusion. Fifty‐two age matched healthy controls were also studied.ResultsNT‐proBNP and E/E′ ratio were increased in thalassaemic patients compared with controls [(469±171 vs 262±51 pmol/l, p<0.001) and (10.8±4.0 vs 6.6±1.1, p<0.001)] and were well correlated (r: 0.54, p<0.01). Although NT‐proBNP levels were increased in patients with higher E/E′ ratios (E/E′ <8: 354±119, 8–15: 516±177, >15: 565±114 pmol/l, ANOVA p: 0.002) this increase only became statistically significant in the 3rd decade of life, while E/E′ ratio increased in the 4th decade.ConclusionNT‐proBNP increases in β‐thalassaemia major patients and is related to age and LV diastolic dysfunction. NT‐proBNP appears to be an early biomarker of LV diastolic dysfunction, compared with the conventional Echo‐Doppler indexes.
Association of HLA‐DQA1∗03011‐DQB1∗0301 haplotype with the development of respiratory scleroma
Authors: Sánchez‐Marín Luis Alberto , Bross‐Soriano Daniel , Arrieta José , Kawa‐Karasik Simón , Martínez‐Vilchis Víctor , Jiménez‐Lucio Rocío , Olivo‐Díaz Angélica 
Published: February 2007

ObjectiveRespiratory scleroma (RS) is a progressive, chronic, granulomatous disease caused by Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis. There is only one report of RS association with HLA‐DQ3. In this study, molecular association of HLA class II and RS was determined.Study Design and SettingNine RS patients and 163 healthy controls were compared. DQA1, DQB1, and DRB1 loci were typed.ResultsStatistical analysis demonstrated association between DQB1*0301 and susceptibility to RS (Pc = 0.004). Haplo‐type analysis showed an association of DQA1*03011‐DQB1*0301 (P = 1.21E‐19) and DRB1*0407‐DQA1*03011‐DQB1*0301 (P = 0.0002).ConclusionsResults established that DQA1*03011‐DQB1*0301 haplotype is a strong risk factor for development of RS.© 2007 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. All rights reserved.
Benefits and risks of mitomycin use in the traumatized tracheal mucosa
Authors: Roh Jong‐Lyel , Kim Dong Hyun , Rha Ki Sang , Sung Myung‐Whun , Kim Kwang Hyun , Park Chan II 
Published: February 2007

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and early complications of mitomycin C (MMC) in tracheal wound models.Study Design and SettingRabbits (N = 60) were randomized to undergo mucosal injuries to the upper and lower trachea including anterior 120° full thickness (group A, n = 20), anterior 120° partial thickness (group B, 20), and circumferential partial thickness (group C, 20). In each rabbit, the wounds were separately treated with MMC 1.0 mg/mL or saline, and the animals were sacrificed after three weeks.ResultsTwenty‐seven of the 60 animals experienced early death because of tracheal rupture or airway obstruction caused by unresolved scabs on the preinjured tracheal mucosa; the incidence of early death was higher in groups A and C than in group B. In each group, the degree of tracheal stenosis was comparable in wounds treated with MMC and saline.ConclusionThese findings suggest that topical MMC has no benefit when used to prevent tracheal stenosis. Acute airway obstruction may occur in MMC‐treated rabbits with tracheal wounds.
The role of pre‐operative CT‐guided FNAB for parapharyngeal space tumors
Authors: Farrag Tarik Y. , Lin Frank R. , Koch Wayne M. , Califano Joseph A. , Cummings Charles W. , Farinola Maryam A. , Tufano Ralph P. 
Published: February 2007

ObjectiveTo determine the role of computed tomography (CT)‐guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in surgical planning for parapharyngeal space (PPS) tumors.Design and SettingChart review of 49 consecutive patients with surgically treated PPS tumors from 1995 to 2005.ResultsTwenty‐nine patients had CT‐guided FNAB. A cytopathologic diagnosis that was the same as final pathology was rendered in 14 (48%) patients; suggestive but not conclusive in 6 (21%) patients; discordant in 3 (10%) patients; and 6 (21%) patients had a nondiagnostic result. Fourteen of 15 patients who had a final histopathologic finding of pleomorphic adenoma had a correct or highly suggestive preoperative FNAB diagnosis. The positive predictive value for CT‐guided FNAB to identify benign tumors is 90%, (18 of 20) but to identify malignant PPS tumors is 75% (3 of 4).ConclusionCT‐guided FNAB of PPS tumors is helpful to predict the nature of the PPS tumors (especially benign), which allows the surgeon and patient to plan for treatment, accordingly.
Functional expression and microdomain localization of prestin in cultured cells
Authors: Sturm Angela K. , Rajagopalan Lavanya , Yoo Donald , Brownell William E. , Pereira Fred A. 
Published: February 2007

IntroductionPrestin is an essential component of the molecular motor of cochlear outer hair cells that contribute to frequency selectivity and sensitivity of mammalian hearing. A model system to study prestin employs its transfection into cultured HEK 293 cells. Our goal was to characterize prestin's trafficking pathway and localization in the plasma membrane.MethodsWe used immuno‐colocalization of prestin with intracellular and plasma membrane markers and sucrose density fractionation to analyze prestin in membrane compartments. Voltage clamping was used to measure nonlinear capacitance (NLC), prestin's electrical signature.Results & DiscussionPrestin targets to the membrane by 24 hours post‐transfection when NLC is measurable. Prestin then concentrates into membrane foci that colocalize and fractionate with membrane microdomains. Depleting membrane cholesterol content altered prestin localization and NLC.ConclusionPrestin activity in HEK 293 cells results from expression in the plasma membrane and altering membrane lipid content affects prestin localization and activity.
Bisphosphonates and jaw osteonecrosis: The UAMS experience
Authors: Clarke Brett M. , Boyette Jennings , Vural Emre , Suen James Y. , Anaissie Elias J. , Stack Brendan C. 
Published: February 2007

BackgroundOver the past year at least 10 case series and several case reports on osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) have been published with most found in the oral surgery literature. This clinical entity is largely unknown to head and neck surgeons.MethodsRetrospective chart review.ResultsA total of 479 charts were reviewed, identifying 25 individuals meeting inclusion criteria. Mean age was 63.4 (standard deviation, 9.9) years; 40% were female. Multiple myeloma was the most common comorbidity. Twenty‐five patients were treated with bisphosphonates for 4.4 years (range, 1 to 8 years); most commonly pamidronate before ONJ diagnosis. Forty‐two percent (10) took steroids within the month before diagnosis. Fifty‐two percent (11) underwent dental work before developing ONJ.ConclusionThese data reflect the importance of awareness of the possibility of ONJ with bisphosphonate therapy.
Effects of soil compaction in potato (Solanum tuberosum) crops
Authors: STALHAM M. A. , ALLEN E. J. , ROSENFELD A. B. , HERRY F. X. 
Published: February 2007

SUMMARYSince many soils used for growing potatoes in the UK are likely to be close to their plastic limit for cultivation during early spring, there exists the potential for soil compaction to occur during planting which will restrict root penetration. A series of experiments showed that soil compaction delayed emergence, reduced rate of leaf appearance and ground cover expansion, shortened canopy cover duration and restricted light interception, which combined to reduce tuber yield. Rooting density and maximum depth of rooting were reduced, particularly where compaction was shallow. In some soils, irrigation helped alleviate some of the effects of compaction but in others it exacerbated their severity. Using a cone penetrometer, relationships between rate of root penetration and soil resistance (Ω) were established from a number of experiments and replicated blocks in commercial fields and an overall relationship of the formy=16·3–4·08Ω mm/day was produced. Root penetration rates ofc. 20 mm/day were measured in the intensively-cultivated ridge zone but growth rates were halved at a Ω of 1·5 MPa. A survey of 602 commercial fields showed that two thirds of fields had Ωs ⩾3 MPa (where root growth rates would be <2 mm/day) within the top 0·55 m of the soil profile. Thus, rooting depth is likely to be considerably shallower than desirable and lead to inefficiency of water and nutrient utilization. The use of powered cultivators to separate stones and clods from beds or ridges and produce a fine seedbed is now almost universally adopted in the UK. However, the system is both time and energy inefficient and increases the risk of creating soil compaction, particularly at shallow depths. All cultivation equipment has been shown to cause compaction and it is suggested that the consequences of the shortening of the growing season from delaying planting by a few days to allow the soil to dry are far less than the yield and quality losses caused by compaction.
RECENT TRENDS IN RATES OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: WESTOFF CHARLES F. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryOver the past five to ten years, the proportion of women who report recent sexual activity has declined in twelve countries in southern and eastern Africa, but not in most of eleven countries in West Africa. Although concentrated among unmarried women, slight declines are evident among married women and across most ages. Although it is difficult to prove, the most likely explanation is the higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS in southern and eastern Africa.
UNMET NEED FOR ADDITIONAL MEDICAL CARE FOR SICK CHILDREN IN MOTHER’S VIEW IN RURAL BANGLADESH: IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVING CHILD HEALTH SERVICES
Authors: ALAM NURUL 
Published: February 2007

SummaryWhile a country’s health policy aims to provide health services to all who need them, very little in known about unmet need for additional medical care from users’ perspectives in Bangladesh. This study examined unmet medical need (defined as whether a mother felt that, to manage sickness, her child had required medical care that was not available, regardless of reasons and medical care sought) of 2123 under-15 sick children by illness and child’s socioeconomic characteristics in rural Bangladesh. The 1996 Health and Socioeconomic Survey conducted in Matlab recorded children’s chronic (a disease or a condition lasting 3 months or more) and acute (a disease or a condition with a rapid onset and a short, severe course) morbidity, medical care sought to combat illness and unmet needs for additional medical services in mothers’ views to manage the illness. The survey also recorded household socioeconomic data. Logistic regression was used to examine the data. The results reveal that unmet needs for additional medical care were 5·4% for children with acute illnesses, and 30·2% for children with chronic illnesses. For chronic illnesses, seeking medical care to manage illness from any health provider outside the home reduced unmet medical needs. Economic inequalities existed for both acute and chronic illnesses: the odds ratio of unmet medical needs for sick children of the least poor households was 0·42 (95% CI: 0·28–0·64) times that for sick children of the very poor households. The critically high unmet needs for children’s chronic morbidity reveal that the chronic disease control programme in Bangladesh needs urgent revisiting and strengthening.
Perichondritis of the auricle and its management
Authors: Prasad H Kishore C , Sreedharan S , Prasad H Sampath C , Meyyappan M Hari , Harsha K Shri 
Published: February 2007

Objective: To conduct a study of patients presenting with perichondritis of the auricle and to analyse the possible aetiological factors responsible, the bacteriological agents involved, the treatment modalities and the complications of such infections.Setting: Academic department of otolaryngology.Design: A retrospective clinical study of patients treated over a five-year period.Participants: Sixty-one patients with clinically proven perichondritis of the auricle, with or without diabetes mellitus (i.e. malignant otitis externa).Results: Based on the severity of the disease, otherwise uncomplicated patients were assigned to group A and divided into three cohorts. Patients with perichondritis secondary to malignant otitis externa were analysed separately as group B. Men formed the majority of the patients and most were young (16–35 years). Trauma was the main cause (46 per cent) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa the most common micro-organism isolated. The condition was managed conservatively with antibiotics alone in 19 patients (31 per cent) and these cases had no residual deformity at follow up (group A, stage one). Incision and drainage was performed in a further 19 patients (31 per cent), resulting in minor residual deformity in one half (group A, stage two). Debridement was performed in 17 patients, and these patients had either gross (29 per cent) or minor residual deformity (71 per cent; group A, stage three). Six patients with perichondritis secondary to malignant otitis externa were managed by wound debridement via a post-auricular approach; all had minor residual deformities.Conclusions: Perichondritis can be divided into two groups, depending on cartilage loss and on the presence or absence of malignant otitis externa. The treatment used and the residual deformity that will ensue are entirely dependent on the stage of disease.
Modified translabyrinthine approach and hearing preservation: imaging evaluation
Authors: Magliulo G , Stasolla A , Parrotto D , Marini M 
Published: February 2007

AbstractAim:To establish if the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances of the vestibule, after the removal of vestibular schwannoma by a modified translabyrinthine approach, correlate with a successful outcome, defined as hearing preservation.Materials and methods:Our study group consisted of 16 patients with vestibular schwannoma. All patients' pre-operative hearing was graded as class one or two according to the Gardner–Robertson scale. On MRI scans, the schwannoma, including the intracanalicular segment, were less than 2 cm in size in all the patients. The intracanalicular portion involved the fundus of the internal auditory canal in seven patients. In the remaining nine patients, the schwannoma had spread to involve two-thirds of the meatus, sparing its lateral third. The state of the labyrinth, in particular the integrity of the vestibule, was evaluated by CT scans and MRI prior to and following surgery.Results:The schwannoma was completely removed in all patients. None showed any signs of persistence or tumoral relapse on the post-operative MRI. The final follow up showed that seven patients had maintained their hearing function (i.e. four patients with class one hearing and three with class two). The MRI vestibular signal on the T2-weighted images was well depicted only in patients with hearing preservation. Bony vestibular integrity was observed in the CT scans of all cases with hearing preservation, and also in three cases with failure of hearing preservation.Conclusion:Our results confirm that total isolation and maintenance of an anatomically intact vestibule, as depicted by MRI examination, is one of the fundamental factors for successful preservation of hearing function following modified translabyrinthine approach schwannoma removal.
Human papilloma virus prevalence in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Gungor A , Cincik H , Baloglu H , Cekin E , Dogru S , Dursun E 
Published: February 2007

AbstractPurpose:To determine the prevalence and type of human papilloma virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.Methods:We analysed the prevalence of human papilloma virus infection in archived paraffin block specimens taken from 99 cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma between 1990 and 2005, using polymerase chain reaction techniques. Biopsy specimens from five proven verrucous skin lesions were used as positive controls, and peripheral blood samples from five healthy volunteers were used as negative controls.Results:Four test samples were found to have inadequate deoxyribonucleic acid purity and were therefore excluded from the study. Human papilloma virus deoxyribonucleic acid was detected in seven of 95 cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (7.36 per cent). Human papilloma virus genotyping revealed double human papilloma virus infection in three cases and single human papilloma virus infection in the remaining four cases. The human papilloma virus genotypes detected were 6, 11 and 16 (the latter detected in only one case).Conclusion:In our series, a very low human papilloma virus prevalence was found among laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cases. The human papilloma virus genotypes detected were mostly 6 and/or 11, and 16 in only one case. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of human papilloma virus prevalence in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, based on polymerase chain reaction genotyping in a Turkish population.
Navigation within host tissues: cues for orientation of Diplostomum spathaceum (Trematoda) in fish towards veins, head and eye
Authors: HAAS W. , WULFF C. , GRABE K. , MEYER V. , HAEBERLEIN S. 
Published: February 2007

SUMMARYCercariae of Diplostomum spathaceum penetrate the skin of fish, and then migrate along blood vessels and tissues towards the head and the eye-lens. We studied their orientation behaviour in tail fins of guppies and in chemical concentration gradients within agar-filled choice chambers. In fins, they entered veins and orientated cranially, independent of the blood flow and living cells. In choice chambers, they were attracted by a small molecular fraction of fish serum, D-glucose (at 1, 10, and 1000 μm), D-mannose, D-maltotriose and Cl-ions, whereas D-glucosamine repelled them (even at 1·0 nm). Amino acids were not attractive, but arginine in tetrapeptides attracted at concentrations as low as 1 μm and melatonin at 0·4–4·3 pm. We suggest a preliminary model for the behaviour of diplostomula in fish fins and attracting (+) or repelling (−) host cues: (1) migration towards deeper skin layers and avoidance of skin surface, cues: Cl-ions (+ and −), glucose (+), glucosamine (−), light radiation (−); (2) orientation in cranial direction, cue: Cl-ions (+); (3) localization of blood vessels, cues: glucose (+), arginine-residues (+); (4) localization of the retina, cue: melatonin (+). A comparison with the navigation mechanisms of tissue-migrating schistosomules and hookworm larvae reveals an enormous diversity of strategies.
Comparison of null-space and minimal null-space control algorithms
Authors: Nemec Bojan , Žlajpah Leon , Omrčen Damir 
Published: February 2007

SUMMARYThis paper deals with the stability of null-space velocity control algorithms in extended operational space for redundant robots. We compare the performance of the control algorithm based on the minimal null-space projection and generalized-inverse-based projection into the Jacobian null-space. We show how the null-space projection affects the performance of the null-space tracking algorithm. The results are verified with the simulation and real implementation on a redundant mobile robot composed of 3 degrees of freedom (DOFs) mobile platform and 7-DOF robot arm.