bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A meta‐analysis of six prospective studies of falling in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Pickering Ruth M. , Grimbergen Yvette A.M. , Rigney Una , Ashburn Ann , Mazibrada Gordon , Wood Brian , Gray Peggy , Kerr Graham , Bloem Bastiaan R. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractRecurrent falls are a disabling feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). We have estimated the incidence of falling over a prospective 3 month follow‐up from a large sample size, identified predictors for falling for PD patients repeated this analysis for patients without prior falls, and examined the risk of falling with increasing disease severity. We pooled six prospective studies of falling in PD (n = 473), and examined the predictive power of variables that were common to most studies. The 3‐month fall rate was 46% (95% confidence interval: 38–54%). Interestingly, even among subjects without prior falls, this fall rate was 21% (12–35%). The best predictor of falling was two or more falls in the previous year (sensitivity 68%; specificity 81%). The risk of falling rose as UPDRS increased, to about a 60% chance of falling for UPDRS values 25 to 35, but remained at this level thereafter with a tendency to taper off towards later disease stages. These results confirm the high frequency of falling in PD, as almost 50% of patients fell during a short period of only 3 months. The strongest predictor of falling was prior falls in the preceding year, but even subjects without any prior falls had a considerable risk of sustaining future falls. Disease severity was not a good predictor of falls, possibly due to the complex U‐shaped relation with falls. Early identification of the very first fall therefore remains difficult, and new prediction methods must be developed. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
A branch‐and‐price algorithm for a targeting problem
Authors: Kwon Ojeong , Lee Kyungsik , Kang Donghan , Park Sungsoo 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn this paper, we consider a new weapon‐target allocation problem with the objective of minimizing the overall firing cost. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear integer programming model, but it can be transformed into a linear integer programming model. We present a branch‐and‐price algorithm for the problem employing the disaggregated formulation, which has exponentially many columns denoting the feasible allocations of weapon systems to each target. A greedy‐style heuristic is used to get some initial columns to start the column generation. A branching strategy compatible with the pricing problem is also proposed. Computational results using randomly generated data show this approach is promising for the targeting problem. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007
Expression and function of protein phosphatase PP2A in malignant testicular germ cell tumours
Authors: Schweyer S , Bachem A , Bremmer F , Steinfelder HJ , Soruri A , Wagner W , Pottek T , Thelen P , Hopker WW , Radzun HJ , Fayyazi A 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTesticular germ cell tumours (TGCT) represent the most common malignancy in young males. We reported previously that two prototype members of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, the MAPK ERK kinase (MEK) and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), are inactive in malignant testicular germ cells and become active after drug stimulation, leading to apoptosis of tumour cells. In this study, we asked whether the protein phosphatase PP2A, a known inhibitor of the MEK–ERK pathway, participates in the proliferation and/or apoptosis of primary TGCT (n= 48) as well as two TGCT cell lines (NTERA and NCCIT). Quantitative RT–PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot analyses and phosphatase assay indicate that primary TGCT as well as TGCT cell lines express PP2A and that PP2A is active in TGCT cell lines. The inhibition of PP2A by application of two PP2A inhibitors, cantharidic acid (CA) and okadaic acid (OA), results in a significant increase in caspase‐3‐mediated apoptosis of TGCT cell lines. Thereby, PP2A inhibition was accompanied by phosphorylation and activation of MEK and ERK. Functional assays using the MEK inhibitor PD98059 demonstrated that the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK was required for the induction of caspase‐3‐mediated apoptosis of malignant germ cells. Thus, our data suggest that inhibition of PP2A mediates its apoptosis‐inducing effect on TGCT through activation of the MEK–ERK signalling pathway that leads to caspase‐3‐mediated apoptosis of tumour cells. In addition our results support previous observations that PP2A exerts an anti‐apoptotic effect on malignant tumour cells. Copyright © 2007 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of sulfur‐containing hyperbranched polymers by the bisthiolation polymerization of diethynyl disulfide derivatives
Authors: Nakahashi Akiko , Fujita Masaki , Miyoshi Eisuke , Umeyama Tomokazu , Naka Kensuke , Chujo Yoshiki 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe reaction of phenyl propynyl ether and diphenyl disulfide in the presence of 1 mol % tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium as a model reaction of the polymerization of bis(4‐prop‐2‐ynyloxyphenyl) disulfide (1a) gave a Z‐substituted dithioalkene. No E‐substituted dithioalkene was formed in this reaction. The palladium‐catalyzed bisthiolation polymerization of a diethynyl disulfide derivative, 1a, in benzene, was carried out to give a hyperbranched polymer (5a) containing a Z‐substituted dithioalkene unit after reaction for 4 h at 70 °C. From the gel permeation chromatography analysis (chloroform, PSt standards), the number‐average and weight‐average molecular weights of 5a were found to be 8,100 and 57,000, respectively. The structure of 5a was confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR spectra. The obtained polymer was soluble in common organic solvents such as benzene, acetone, and CHCl3. Polymerization for more than 5 h gave insoluble products. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3580–3587, 2007
A structural definition of polymer brushes
Authors: Brittain William J. , Minko Sergiy 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn this article, we consolidate several literature reports in an attempt to provide a structural definition of a polymer brush as a tethered polymer layer with a high grafting density of polymer chains. We will try to distinguish a brush from grafted polymer layers and coated layers and provide a reasonable approach to the description of the brush regime with a single parameter Σ—reduced grafting density. Furthermore, we will attempt to describe the relevance of this description to applications. This article is timely given the continuing interest relating to brushes on flat substrates, nanoparticles, and the walls of micro‐channels. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3505–3512, 2007
The effect of treatment of cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations on airways and systemic inflammation
Authors: Downey Damian G. , Brockbank Simon , Martin S. Lorraine , Ennis Madeleine , Elborn J. Stuart 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackgroundChronic infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) and airway inflammation leads to progressive lung injury. Neutrophils are considered to be responsible for the onset and promotion of the inflammatory response within the CF lung. The relationship between infection and inflammation is complex but circulating inflammatory markers may not truly reflect the local inflammatory response in the lung. The aims of this study were to investigate the change of inflammatory biomarkers and cells within sputum and blood before and after intravenous antibiotics for a pulmonary exacerbation of CF.MethodsAssays included neutrophil elastase (NE) and complex, interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1), fas ligand (FAS‐L), and TNFr‐1. Analysis of sputum cell differential and absolute cell counts and immunocytochemistry (CD11b and CD95) on sputum and isolated blood neutrophils were carried out.ResultsThere were no significant differences in absolute or differential sputum cell counts or sputum sol measurements following antibiotics. There was a significant increase in the percentage of blood neutrophils with minimal CD11b staining, 28 (4.1) mean percentage (SEM) versus 41 (2.9) and a decrease in the percentage showing maximal staining 30 (0.5) versus 15 (2.5). There was a significant increase in the percentage of blood neutrophils without CD95 staining, 43 (5.4) mean percentage versus 52 (5.1).ConclusionThese data suggest a modifiable systemic response to IV antibiotics but a local sustained inflammatory response in the lung. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:729–735. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Composite conversation gesture synthesis using layered planning
Authors: Nakano Atsushi , Hoshino Junichi 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAutomatic generation of gestures linked to conversation is required in CG animation and game creation. When multiple gestures are combined in the conventional method, continuity or matching at the motion level is not considered. As a result, a machinelike impression is produced, such as a return to the upright position each time a gesture is performed. To deal with this problem, this paper proposes a method of composite gesture generation which considers continuity of motion and linkage of gestures and generates more natural conversational motions. As the first step in the proposed method, two different networks that represent the continuity and linkage of gestures are constructed. Then the combinations of gestures which are likely for a given conversational sentence are expanded as a tree, and a plan for the series of conversation motions is generated by evaluating the conversational content and gesture continuity. In the proposed method, composite gestures can be generated with allowance for continuity of motion. Consequently, more humanlike conversational motions can be generated while preserving gestures which are important in transmitting the semantics of the conversation, such as nodding while pointing, or scratching the head with one hand while placing the other hand on the hip. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(10): 58–68, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20532
Media tray: Adaptive cafeteria‐style viewing environment for personalized contents
Authors: Tanaka Kiyoshi , Sasaki Tsutomu , Tonomura Yoshinobu , Nakanishi Tadashi , Babaguchi Noboru 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn digital broadcasting and recent webcasting, additional data is sometimes broadcast in conjunction with a given program, or value is added by related information using the World Wide Web; however, it is not always the case that the additional information meets the requirements of the user. In this paper we propose a cafeteria‐style viewing environment for viewing contents,Media Tray, that allows each user to create their own viewing style by mixing and matching the services and information they require when viewing a program. Media Tray uses the interface provided to a user in a given visual interactive field to present information to the user and can be operated by the user. By monitoring the state at the visual interactive field via a state transition model, the system can acquire information regarding the user's requests allowing the system to provide information that the user desires. In the system that we have implemented, we enable information to be visualized by using a cafeteria‐style interface that allows information to be combined intuitively and directly and a viewing support application. In evaluation experiments we have confirmed that Media Tray allows the viewing style to be customized and have highlighted the effectiveness of the Media Tray environment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(10): 21–33, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.20569
Oxidation of sunflower oil during storage
Authors: Crapiste Guillermo H. , Brevedan Marta I. V. , Carelli Amalia A. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractEffects of temperature and oxygen concentration on oxidative deterioration during storage of crude sunflower oils, obtained by pressing and solvent extraction, were studied. Oxidation was monitored through several analytical and chromatographic methods that determine chemical and physical changes or analyze specific oxidation compounds at different stages of the process: peroxide value, p‐anisidine value, free fatty acids, weight gain, total content and distribution of polar compounds, and composition of fatty acids. Extracted oil showed a higher oxidative stability than pressed oil. Oxidative deterioration was strongly dependent on temperature, oxygen availability, and the ratio of exposed surface to sample volume. A kinetic model of two series reactions was developed to represent oxidation rate in terms of peroxide value, the reaction rate constants and their temperature dependence being evaluated by nonlinear regression. Finally, good correlations between the percentage of polar compounds or oxidized triglyceride monomers and the peroxide value were found.
Kinematic and dynamic performance analysis of artificial legged systems
Authors: Silva Manuel F. , Machado J. A. Tenreiro 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYThis paper studies the mechanical configuration and the periodic gaits of multi-legged locomotion systems based on its kinematic and dynamic models. The purpose is to determine the system performance during walking, and the best set of locomotion variables that minimize a set of optimization indices. In this perspective, two kinematic and four dynamic indices are formulated to quantitatively measure the performance of the walking robot. The kinematic indices consist of the perturbation analysis and the locomobility measure, and the dynamic performance indices of the walking robot locomotion are the mean absolute density of energy, the mean power density dispersion, the density of power lost and the mean force at the body-legs interface. A set of model-based simulation experiments reveals the system configuration and the type of movements that lead to a better performance, for a specific locomotion mode, from the viewpoint of the proposed indices.
A new geometric approach to characterize the singularity of wheeled mobile robots
Authors: Gracia Luis , Tornero Josep 
Published: June 2007

SUMMARYThis research presents a new and genericgeometric approachthat characterizes the kinematic singularity of wheeled mobile robots. First, the kinematic models of all the common wheels are obtained:fixed,centered orientable,castor, andSwedish. Then, a procedure for generating robot kinematic models is presented based on the set of wheel equations and thenull spaceconcept. Next,two examplesare developed to illustrate the nongeneric singularity characterization. In order to improve that approach, agenericandpracticalgeometric approach is established to characterize the singularity of any kinematic model of a wheeled mobile robot (WMR). Finally, thesingular configurationsfor many types of mobile robots are depicted employing the proposed approach.
A population-based study relevant to seasonal variations in causes of death in children undergoing surgery for congenital cardiac malformations
Authors: Eskedal Leif T. , Hagemo Petter S. , Eskild Anne , Frøslie Kathrine F. , Seiler Stephen , Thaulow Erik 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAimsOur objectives were, first, to study seasonal distribution of perioperative deaths within 30 days after surgery, and late death, in children undergoing surgery for congenitally malformed hearts, and second, to study the causes of late death.MethodsWe analysed a retrospective cohort of 1,753 children with congenital cardiac malformations born and undergoing surgery in the period from 1990 through 2002 with a special focus on the causes of late death. The data was obtained from the registry of congenital cardiac malformations at Rikshospitalet, Oslo, and the Norwegian Medical Birth Registry. The mean follow-up from birth was 8.1 years, with a range from zero to 15.2 years.ResultsDuring the period of follow-up, 204 (11.6%) of the children died having undergone previous surgery. Of these 124 (7.1%) died in the perioperative period, and 80 (4.5%) were late deaths. There were 56 late deaths during the 6 coldest months, compared with 24 during the 6 warmest months (p < 0.01). There was no significant seasonal variation in perioperative deaths. Respiratory infection was the most common cause of late death, and occurred in 25 children, of whom 24 died during the 6 coldest months. Of the 8 sudden late deaths, 7 occurred during the 6 coldest months. There was no seasonal variation for the other causes of death.ConclusionsIn children undergoing surgery for congenital cardiac malformations in Norway, there is a seasonal variation in late death, with a higher proportion occurring in the coldest months. Death related to respiratory infections predominantly occurs in the winter season, and is the overall most common cause of late death.
Long‐Term Performance of Clarion 1.0 Cochlear Implant Users
Authors: Ruffin Chad V. , Tyler Richard S. , Witt Shelley A. , Dunn Camille C. , Gantz Bruce J. , Rubinstein Jay T. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractObjective/Hypothesis: To evaluate the long‐term performance of adult Clarion 1.0 cochlear implant users.Study Design: This was a retrospective, longitudinal study evaluating word discrimination in quiet for 31 adult cochlear implant patients with preimplantation sentence scores of less than 10%.Methods: The length of the study was 135 months with a mean follow‐up length of 93 (median, 96) months. For the duration of the study, all subjects used the Clarion 1.0 cochlear implant with speech processors programmed for the use of the continuous interleaved sampling strategy.Results: There was no significant growth or decline in speech perception after 24 months postimplantation unless adverse medical events were experienced. Age at implantation was significantly and substantially negatively correlated (−11% word score per decade, r = 0.68) with most recent score, maximum score, time to maximum score, range of performance, 24‐ to 130‐month mean score, and for any longitudinal data point tested: 3 to 6 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years. There were no age‐related declines in performance. There were no observed correlations between duration of deafness and any of the variables listed above.Conclusions: The lack of correlation between duration of deafness and performance in a cohort without residual hearing suggests the presence of a strong correlation between age and speech performance with a cochlear implant. That the cochlear implant is a safe therapy for the treatment of profound deafness is supported by the stability of scores through the 10‐year study period as well as a zero rate of device failures or explantation.
Development of cable maintenance robot for cable‐stayed bridges
Authors: Luo Jun , Xie Shaorong , Gong Zhenbang , Lu Tiansheng 
Published: June 2007

PurposeIn order to replace the conventional human maintenance of cable‐stayed bridges, a robot is designed and constructed for tasks such as cleaning, painting and rust‐detecting.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a modular approach, two kinds of climbing mechanisms, plus a painting mechanism and a rust‐detecting method are designed.FindingsA robot that can climb and maintain the cables of cable‐stayed bridges has been designed and constructed. It has been proved by experiment that the robot can overcome many disadvantages of conventional human bridge‐maintenance, and drastically improve efficiency, cost, and safety.Research limitations/implicationsThe robot is of industrial size, but a new mechanism requiring less installing time will be designed for the future.Practical implicationsThe robot has been applied to cables of the Nanpu Bridge and Xupu Bridge in Shanghai. More than 80 cable‐stayed bridges and six suspension bridges have been built or are being constructed across large rivers in China alone. This gives an enormous potential market.Originality/valueThe cable maintenance robot developed in this paper is the world's first special robot for the cables of cable‐stayed bridges.
Benchmarking top Arab banks' efficiency through efficient frontier analysis
Authors: Mostafa Mohamed 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe major aim of this research is to measure the relative efficiency of the top 100 Arab banks. The sensitivity of the results is also investigated.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis DEA method was used to evaluate the relative efficiency of Arab banks. Cross‐sectional data for the year 2005 were used to conduct the analysis.FindingsThe results indicate that the performance of several banks is sub‐optimal, suggesting the potential for significant improvements. Separate benchmarks were derived for possible reductions in resources used, and significant savings are possible on this account.Originality/valueFrom a policy perspective, this study highlights the importance of encouraging increased efficiency throughout the banking industry in the Arab world.
The impact of codes of ethics and experience on auditor judgments
Authors: Pflugrath Gary , Martinov‐Bennie Nonna , Chen Liang 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the presence of a code of ethics on the quality of auditors' judgments, within the context of the new International Standard on Quality Controls 1 (ISQC1).Design/methodology/approachA sample of 112 professional accountants and auditing students was employed to investigate the effect of the presence of a code of ethics (operationalised as the presence vs absence of an organisational code of conduct) on the quality of audit judgments, pertaining to an inventory writedown, using a 2 × 2 full factorial “between‐subjects” experimental design.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that the presence of a code of ethics has a positive impact on the quality of the judgments made by professional accountants, but not on students. This suggests that it is the code of ethics, in the context of greater general experience that leads to higher quality of judgments.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that the requirements of ISQC1 are relevant to the quality control of accounting firms and have potential to positively impact the quality of audit performance.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to examine the impact of the presence of a code of ethics within an audit context. It is the first time that the interactive effects of the code of ethics and technical competency, which together form an integral part of standard‐setters' quality control standards, upon the quality of auditor judgments has been investigated.