bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Microgel Formation in Emulsion Polymerization
Authors: Butté Alessandro , Storti Giuseppe , Morbidelli Massimo 
Published: May 2007

AbstractA deterministic model for describing microgel formation in emulsion is developed. Classical deterministic models account for segregation of free radicals only. They provide an accurate description of kinetics, but fail in describing the formation of microgel chains. Since segregation of dead chains is not accounted for, gel chains whose size exceed that of the emulsion particles are typically predicted. In this work, segregation of microgel chains is introduced and this inconsistency is eliminated. The model was tested on a gelating system with chain transfer to polymer and bimolecular combination. The results have been compared to those obtained by a Monte‐Carlo model, where segregation of all dead chains is correctly accounted for, showing that the model satisfactorily predicts the time evolution of microgel chain length distribution (CLD).magnified image
Modeling the Viscoelastic Response of Suspension of Particles in Polymer Solution: The Effect of Polymer‐Particle Interactions
Authors: Sarvestani Alireza S. , Jabbari Esmaiel 
Published: May 2007

AbstractA conceptual model is proposed for the viscoelastic response of dilute polymer solutions containing well‐dispersed low volume fraction spherical particles. The equilibrium structure of the reversibly adsorbed polymer layer on the particle surface was characterized by a scaling theory. The dynamics of the polymer chains were studied by a Maxwell type kinetic model. At the limit of small particle size, our results show that the monomer‐filler energetic affinity, particle volume fraction and surface friction strongly affect the overall viscoelastic response of the filled solutions and lead to unusual viscoelastic properties that have been observed experimentally. These properties include a dramatic increase in shear viscosity, intense shear thinning, and solid‐like behavior at low frequency domains.magnified image
Staged unilateral versus bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulator implantation in Parkinson disease
Authors: Samii Ali , Kelly Valerie E. , Slimp Jefferson C. , Shumway‐Cook Anne , Goodkin Robert 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIn 17 consecutive patients with Parkinson disease (PD), bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulators were implanted during staged surgeries. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Dyskinesia Disability Scale were completed both off and on medication prior to any surgery and also OFF and ON stimulation after each surgery. On‐medication UPDRS activities of daily living (ADL) and motor examination scores changed little with unilateral or bilateral stimulation. Off‐medication UPDRS motor examination scores improved to similar degrees after each staged STN electrode implantation. Most of the improvements in off‐medication ADL scores, dyskinesia scores, complications of therapy, and medication dose reduction occurred after unilateral STN stimulation with smaller improvements after the second operation. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Bowel movement frequency in late‐life and incidental Lewy bodies
Authors: Abbott Robert D. , Ross G. Webster , Petrovitch Helen , Tanner Caroline M. , Davis Daron G. , Masaki Kamal H. , Launer Lenore J. , Curb J. David , White Lon R. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIt is not known if constipation is associated with the preclinical phase of Parkinson's disease (PD), often characterized by the presence of incidental Lewy bodies (ILB). Such an association could provide evidence that constipation is an early symptom of PD. The purpose of this report is to examine the association between late‐life bowel movement frequency and ILB. Bowel movement frequency was assessed from 1991 to 1993 in 245 men aged 71 to 93 years in the Honolulu‐Asia Aging Study who later received postmortem examinations. All were without clinical PD and dementia. Brains were examined for ILB in the substantia nigra and locus ceruleus. Among the decedents, 30 men had ILB (12.2%). After age‐adjustment, the percent of brains with ILB declined with increasing bowel movement frequency (P = 0.013). For men with <1, 1, and >1 bowel movement/day, corresponding percents were 24.1, 13.5, and 6.5%. Findings persisted after additional adjustment for time to death, mid‐life pack‐years of smoking and coffee intake, physical activity, and cognitive function. Infrequent bowel movements are associated with ILB. Findings provide evidence that constipation can predate the extrapyramidal signs of PD. Constipation could be one of the earliest markers of the beginning of PD processes. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Propriospinal myoclonus: Utility of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging and fiber tracking
Authors: Roze Emmanuel , Apartis Emmanuelle , Vidailhet Marie , Cochen Valérie , Beaugendre Yara , Trocello Jean‐Marc , Lasjaunias Pierre , Ducreux Denis 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPropriospinal myoclonus (PSM) is a rare movement disorder characterized by involuntary spinal‐generated muscular jerks that spread rostrally and caudally to other spinally innervated muscles. Most patients have no clear etiology, and conventional MRI of the spinal cord is generally normal. Here we report the use of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fiber tracking to detect tract‐specific abnormalities in a patient with propriospinal myoclonus. As the patient had the fragile‐X premutation and antithyroid antibodies, spinal cord DTI abnormalities may be related to these conditions. Tract‐specific analysis may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of propriospinal myoclonus. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Asymmetric corticomotor excitability correlations in early Parkinson's disease
Authors: Wu Allan D. , Petzinger Giselle M. , Lin Chien‐Ho J. , Kung Myron , Fisher Beth 
Published: May 2007

AbstractWe studied corticomotor excitability (CE) between the more and less affected sides in early Parkinson's disease (PD) patients using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Sixteen‐PD patients within the first 3 years of diagnosis were studied with single‐pulse TMS over each motor cortex with intensities from 40% to 100% stimulator output. Active motor evoked potentials (MEP) and cortical silent period durations (CSP) were recorded, fitted with sigmoid curves, summarized as maximal MEP/CSP, maximal MEP/CSP slope, and intensity where MEP/CSP is half‐maximal (MEP/CSP‐Int50), and correlated with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores (UPDRS). On the more affected side, higher (worse) UPDRS scores were correlated with shorter maximal CSP (r = −0.51, P = 0.046). On the less affected side, higher UPDRS scores were correlated with higher MEP‐Int50 (r = 0.51, P = 0.043) and CSP‐Int50 (r = 0.54, P = 0.029). For the less affected side, altered CE, as indexed by higher MEP or CSP‐Int50 intensities, may contribute to early clinical symptoms. On the more affected side, increases in CE, indexed by shorter CSP, may account for a greater proportion of PD symptoms. These findings are consistent with an evolution of neurophysiologic correlates in early PD patients from a less to more symptomatic state. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Quality of life and related concepts in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review
Authors: Den Oudsten Brenda L. , Van Heck Guus L. , De Vries Jolanda 
Published: May 2007

AbstractSeveral studies have investigated the quality of life (QOL) of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of this study was to review the conceptual and methodological quality of quality of life (QOL) studies among patients with PD and to identify factors associated with poor (HR)QOL. Computerized bibliographic databases were screened for publications from 1960 to January 2007. According to a list of predefined criteria, the methodological quality of the 61 studies, was moderate. The term ‘QOL’ was often used inappropriately. In fact, almost all studies in this review actually assessed health status (HS) instead of QOL. The functioning of patients with PD on physical, social, and emotional domains is affected by PD. Their HS seems to be lower when compared to healthy persons or patients with other chronic diseases. HS studies augment the insight in self‐perceived functioning. Therefore, HS is conceived as a valuable construct. However, QOL is also an important factor in health care. Attention towards QOL is needed in order to draw valid conclusions regarding a person's subjective experience of well‐being in a broad sense. In order to accomplish this, future studies should apply the QOL concept with more rigor, should use an adequate operational definition, and should employ sound measures. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
A novel LRRK2 mutation in an Austrian cohort of patients with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Haubenberger Dietrich , Bonelli Silvia , Hotzy Christoph , Leitner Petra , Lichtner Peter , Samal Doris , Katzenschlager Regina , Djamshidian Atbin , Brücke Thomas , Steffelbauer Michaela , Bancher Christian , Grossmann Josef , Ransmayr Gerhard , Strom Tim M. , Meitinger Thomas , Gasser Thomas , Auff Eduard , Zimprich Alexander 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTo investigate the frequency of mutations in the Leucine‐Rich Repeat Kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) in a sample of Austrian Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, we sequenced the complete coding region in 16 patients with autosomal dominant PD. Furthermore, we sequenced exons 31, 35, and 41 additionally in 146 patients with idiopathic PD and 30 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies. Furthermore, all 192 patients were screened for 21 putative LRRK2 mutations. While the most common mutation G2019S and the risk variant G2385R were not found in our samples, we detected a novel missense mutation (S973N) in a patient with familial, late‐onset and dopa‐responsive PD. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
On the determinant of quaternionic polynomial matrices and its application to system stability
Authors: Pereira Ricardo , Rocha Paula 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a definition of determinant for quaternionic polynomial matrices inspired by the well‐known Dieudonné determinant for the constant case. This notion allows to characterize the stability of linear dynamical systems with quaternionic coefficients, yielding results which generalize the ones obtained for the real and complex cases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Two thresholds of a batch arrival queueing system under modified T vacation policy with startup and closedown
Authors: Ke Jau‐Chuan 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThis paper studies the operating characteristics of the variant of an M[x]/G/1 vacation queue with startup and closedown times. After all the customers are served in the system exhaustively, the server shuts down (deactivates) by a closedown time, and then takes at most J vacations of constant time length T repeatedly until at least one customer is found waiting in the queue upon returning from a vacation. If at least one customer is present in the system when the server returns from a vacation, then the server reactivates and requires a startup time before providing the service. On the other hand, if no customers arrive by the end of the J th vacation, the server remains dormant in the system until at least one customer arrives. We will call the vacation policy modified T vacation policy. We derive the steady‐state probability distribution of the system size and the queue waiting time. Other system characteristics are also investigated. The long‐run average cost function per unit time is developed to determine the suitable thresholds of T and J that yield a minimum cost. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transformation between a generalized Emden–Fowler equation and the first Painlevé transcendent
Authors: Euler Marianna , Euler Norbert , Strömberg Anders , Åström Erik 
Published: May 2007

AbstractWe use the generalized Sundman transformation to obtain a relation between a generalized Emden–Fowler equation and the first Painlevé transcendent. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On optimal system designs in reliability‐economics frameworks
Authors: Dugas Michael R. , Samaniego Francisco J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractReliability Economics is a field that can be defined as the collection of all problems in which there is tension between the performance of systems of interest and their cost. Given such a problem, the aim is to resolve the tension through an optimization process that identifies the system which maximizes some appropriate criterion function (e.g. expected lifetime per unit cost). In this paper, we focus on coherent systems of n independent and identically distributed (iid) components and mixtures thereof, and characterize both a system's performance and cost as functions of the system's signature vector (Samaniego, IEEE Trans Reliabil (1985) 69–72). For a given family of criterion functions, a variety of optimality results are obtained for systems of arbitrary order n. Approximations are developed and justified when the underlying component distribution is unknown. Assuming the availability of an auxiliary sample of N component failure times, the asymptotic theory of L‐estimators is adapted for the purpose of establishing the consistency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimators of the expected ordered failure times of the n components of the systems under study. These results lead to the identification of ε‐optimal systems relative to the chosen criterion function. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007
Comparing city policies on mandatory drug testing: A process evaluation
Authors: Strickland Ruth Ann , Whicker Marcia Lynn 
Published: May 2007

AbstractPresidential decree and federal legislation have resulted in substantial employee drug testing at all levels of government as well as among private sector contractors. Joining the War on Drugs, many other employers have taken up the practice voluntarily. However we may feel about the arguments for and against drug testing — whether on the basis of public safety, integrity, access to sensitive information, etc. — the fact remains that drug testing policies are non‐uniform and unevenly applied, and the common testing technologies are unreliable. If we believe as a society that drug testing serves a legitimate public function consistent with our cultural and legal values, then uniform standards and procedures must be developed. If not, we should give greater consideration to alternative measures, such as employee education and assistance.
Measuring the edge‐to‐edge available bandwidth in a DiffServ domain
Authors: Blefari‐Melazzi N. , Femminella M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe new Internet will be deployed with a number of tools for network management and quality of service control. To this end, we focus on a single administrative domain based on the Differentiated Services architectural model, and we recognize the need for two main functions for each supported traffic class: an admission control procedure, and a monitoring of the edge‐to‐edge bandwidth availability. In this work, we specifically focus on the second issue. To preserve scalability and thus to be compliant with Differentiated Services architecture, we propose stateless and distributed procedures based on traffic measurements. Our technique tests network resources by means of ‘special’ probing packets, which have the task of implicitly conveying the network status to its edges. We show by means of simulations the effectiveness of our solutions, in spite of a very low overhead. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High‐density lipoprotein prevents organ damage in endotoxemia
Authors: Lee Ru‐Ping , Lin Nien‐Tsung , Chao Yann‐Fen Chiou , Lin Chia‐Chin , Harn Horng‐Jyh , Chen Hsing‐I 
Published: May 2007

AbstractHigh‐density lipoprotein (HDL) may decrease organ injury in sepsis. This study was designed using an animal model to mimic people who had a high HDL level and to test HDL effects on preventing organ damage in endotoxemia. Endotoxemia was induced by an infusion of lipopolysac‐charide (LPS) after HDL or LDL administration. Levels of blood biochemical substances, nitrate/nitrite, and TNF‐α in sera were measured. Pathological examinations were performed 72 hours after LPS infusion. HDL decreased the endotoxin‐induced elevation of AST, ALT, BUN, creatinine, LDH, CPK, nitrate/nitrite, and TNF‐α. On histological examination, neutrophil infiltration was lower in the HDL group. HDL had a significant effect in preventing endotoxin‐induced organ damage. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 30: 250–260, 2007
Ovarian steroids and premenstrual symptoms: A comparison of group differences and intra‐individual patterns
Authors: Lentz Martha J. , Woods Nancy , Heitkemper Margaret , Mitchell Ellen , Henker Richard , Shaver Joan 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTo examine the relationship of gonadal hormone and symptom patterns across the menstrual cycle, women screened for 2–3 cycles completed an intensive study cycle; 26 had a low‐severity symptoms (LS), 20, a premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and 26, a premenstrual magnification pattern (PMM). All completed daily symptom diaries and collected late afternoon urine samples which were assayed for pregnanediol and estradiol for that cycle. The PMS and PMM groups had significantly more positive cross‐correlations of pregnanediol and symptoms than the LS group. Women in all groups had similar levels of estradiol and pregnanediol. Women with PMS and PMM patterns responded to progesterone differently than women with LS patterns: thus the former groups may not benefit from hormone therapies. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 30: 238–249, 2007
Health‐related quality of life of Chinese people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong and Taipei: A cross‐sectional analysis
Authors: Chan Sally Wai‐chi , Hsiung Ping‐Chuan , Thompson David R. , Chen Shin‐Chia , Hwu Hai‐Gwo 
Published: May 2007

AbstractHealth‐related quality of life is an important outcome indicator of mental health. We assessed the perception of health‐related quality of life of persons with schizophrenia in Hong Kong and Taipei. In‐person survey interviews were conducted using the Chinese World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale—Brief Version. A convenience sample was recruited from psychiatric outpatient departments: 176 from Hong Kong and 80 from Taipei. We found that both groups were significantly less satisfied with their psychological and social relationship domains compared to other domains. Poor mental health predicted poor perception of health‐related quality of life. Schizophrenia has an impact on many aspects of a person's functioning. A rehabilitation model that takes into account symptoms, financial situation, family support, and social functioning is required. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 30: 261–269, 2007
Central nervous system juvenile xanthogranuloma with malignant transformation
Authors: Orsey Andrea , Paessler Michele , Lange Beverly J. , Nichols Kim E. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractJuvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a rare histiocytic disorder that typically manifests in the skin. Here, we describe a patient with JXG diffusely involving the central nervous system (CNS), whose disease responded to therapy but subsequently underwent dissemination to the peritoneum and bone marrow. Repeat biopsy at dissemination revealed pleomorphic histiocytes with tetraploidy, suggesting evolution to a clonal histiocytic neoplasm. Despite further chemotherapy, the patient died of disease progression. This case highlights the clinical and pathological heterogeneity of JXG and the difficulty of treating multi‐focal CNS disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;50:927–930. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ABCD position statement on screening for gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Robinson S , Dornhorst A 
Published: May 2007

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus is an increasingly common medical problem seen in pregnancy. A randomised clinical trial, published in 2005, showed improved perinatal morbidity and mortality in pregnancies of women with actively managed gestational diabetes. Prior to 2003 the evidence base for screening and treating all women with gestational diabetes was not strong enough for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), in its 2003 antenatal guidelines, to recommend universal screening for gestational diabetes. As we await the review of these original 2003 NICE guidelines we offer a pragmatic approach for the detection of glucose intolerance in pregnancy. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons.
Suboptimal diabetes preventive care among Massachusetts emergency department patients: a missed opportunity
Authors: Ginde AA , Acholonu U , Duarte H , Camargo CA 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe aim of this pilot study was to estimate patient adherence with diabetes preventive care measures among emergency department patients.A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in five Massachusetts emergency departments. We enrolled consecutive diabetic adults over two 24‐hour periods at each site and measured demographics, socioeconomic factors and adherence with recommended diabetes preventive care measures.We surveyed 713 patients (70% of those eligible) and enrolled the 109 patients having physician‐diagnosed diabetes. Compared to Massachusetts surveillance data for the general population, emergency department diabetic patients were less likely to have: HbA1c measured within the past six months (54% vs 78%), attended a diabetes self‐management class (35% vs 50%), examined their feet daily (53% vs 65%), and ever received the pneumococcal vaccine (46% vs 55%). Public or no insurance, limited education and low income independently predicted the decreased likelihood of having HbA1c checked in the prior six months.We demonstrated that the emergency department may provide an important and novel opportunity to identify often disenfranchised patients with suboptimal diabetes preventive care. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons.