bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Destructive otomastoiditis by MRSA from porcine origin
Authors: Van Hoecke Helen , Piette Anne , De Leenheer Els , Lagasse Nathalie , Struelens Marc , Verschraegen Gerda , Dhooge Ingeboy 
Published: January 2009

AbstractA 63‐year‐old female pig farmer was referred to our department with a protracted course of otomastoiditis with destruction of the tympanic roof and cerebrospinal fluid leakage. The patient underwent a cortical mastoidectomy with closure of a large dural defect. Cultures of the middle ear effusion yielded a methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which upon further analysis was found to be from porcine origin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a complicated case of otomastoiditis caused by a pig‐type MRSA. Laryngoscope, 119:137–140, 2009
Nanocomposite‐Beschichtungen auf CBN‐Werkzeugen
Authors: Frank H. , Reich S. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractCBN (cubic boron nitride)‐Schneidstoffe werden eingesetzt, um die Gebrauchseigenschaften von Zerspanwerkzeugen zu verbessern und damit in Anwendungsbereiche vorzudringen, die mit herkömmlichen Schneidstoffen bisher nicht erreichbar waren (z. B. Hartzerspanung). Eine Beschichtung der CBN‐Schneidstoffe erfolgt üblicherweise zur optischen Beurteilung des Verschleißzustandes. Zur weiteren Verbesserung der Gebrauchseigenschaften eingesetzter CBN‐Werkzeuge wurde eine entsprechende Beschichtungstechnologie erarbeitet, welche die guten Zerspaneigenschaften von CBN‐Schneidstoffen mit den hervorragenden Eigenschaften von nanostrukturierten Beschichtungen kombiniert. Verschiedene Schichtsysteme und Vorbehandlungsmöglichkeiten der CBN‐Werkzeuge wurden überprüft.Im Rahmen der Untersuchungen konnte gezeigt werden, dass mit einer Nanocomposite‐Beschichtung eine signifikante Verbesserung der Werkzeugstandzeit von CBN‐Werkzeugen erreicht werden kann. Allerdings kommt der Gewährleistung einer hohen Schichthaftung mittels spezieller Haftvermittlerschichten und durch eine entsprechend optimierte Schichtstruktur eine besondere Bedeutung zu.
Verifizierung numerischer Verfahren zur Modellierung abrasiver Verschleißprozesse durch Berechnung von Scratchtests
Authors: Wielage B. , Lampke Th. , Müller T. , Weber D. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractDie Abrasion ist ein grundlegender Verschleißmechanismus. Sie tritt immer dann auf, wenn Oberflächen durch harte Partikel oder Rauheitsspritzen tribologisch beansprucht werden. Der Scratchtest gibt über das Verhalten einer Oberfläche bei abrasiver Belastung Auskunft. Dazu wird eine Diamantspitze (Indenter) entweder mit konstanter oder progressiver Normalkraft über das Material bewegt. Es kommt zunächst zu elastischer, im Weiteren auch zu plastischer Verformung bis hin zur Riss‐ und Spanbildung, je nach Duktilität des Materials. Anhand von elastischer und plastischer Eindringtiefe, Reibkraft, akustischer Emission durch Rissbildung sowie der dreidimensionalen Auswertung des Ritzes kann der Verschleißwiderstand gegenüber ritzender Beanspruchung charakterisiert werden. Die Simulation von Scratchtests dient zur Überprüfung von Materialmodellen, indem Simulations‐ und Versuchsergebnisse, die relativ leicht und schnell erzielbar sind, verglichen werden. Anhand der Ergebnisse lassen sich bestehende Werkstoffkonzepte auf die Anwendungen noch besser anpassen bzw. entwickeln. Der Beitrag beschreibt Probleme und Lösungsansätze bei der Umsetzung der Simulation des Scratchtestes für den Stahl C45 (normalisiert). Durch den Vergleich mit experimentell ermittelten Ergebnissen wird gezeigt, dass die Vorgehensweise bei der Modellbildung und Simulation zielführend ist. Im Weiteren soll ein geschlossenes Werkstoffmodell für diese Beanspruchungsart entwickelt werden.
In Metalloberflächen verankerte Polymere zur Herstellung ultrahydrophober Metalloberflächen
Authors: Höhne S. , Frenzel R. , Blank C. , Thieme M. , Worch H. , Heppe A. , Simon F. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractIn einem zweistufigen Verfahren wurden Metall‐ bzw. Metalloxidoberflächen so modifiziert, dass sie ultrahydrophobe und damit selbstreinigende Eigenschaften aufwiesen. Zum Erreichen der Ultrahydrophobie auf Aluminium war zunächst ein Aufrauen der Oberflächen erforderlich, das durch eine anodische Oxidation realisiert wurde. In die sich ausbildende Oberflächenschicht ließ sich unter geeigneten Bedingungen Chitosan kathodisch so abscheiden, dass eine formschlüssige Verbindung entstand. Das inkorporierte Chitosan verlieh durch seine reaktiven Aminogruppen der Kompositoberfläche eine hohe Reaktivität gegenüber Elektrophilen und ermöglichte so eine Oberflächenfunktionalisierung, die zur Generierung der gewünschten Oberflächeneigenschaften genutzt werden konnte. Durch das Umsetzen der Aminogruppen mit Carbonylverbindungen konnten unter Ausnutzung von Selbstorganisationsprinzipien ultrahydrophobe Oberflächen hergestellt werden.
Kontaktwerkstoffe auf Silberbasis ‐ Gefüge und mechanische Eigenschaften
Authors: Wielage B. , Steger H. , Podlesak H. , Lampke Th. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAls Schalter‐Kontaktwerkstoffe für Relais und Schütze werden verschiedene Silberbasiswerkstoffe eingesetzt. Dabei kommt den Silberbasis‐Verbundwerkstoffen eine besondere Bedeutung zu. Zur Herstellung dieser Verbundwerkstoffe im Industriemaßstab werden aktuell die konventionellen Verfahren Pulvermischen und Nasschemisches Fällen in Verbindung mit der anschließenden pulvermetallurgischen Verarbeitung zu Drähten angewendet. Zur Herstellung der Silberbasis‐Verbundwerkstoffe mit vergleichbarem Gefüge wird die Eignung von alternativen Herstellungsrouten geprüft. Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt das Potenzial der Verfahren Hochenergiekugelmahlen und Intensivmischen gegenüber den beiden üblichen Verfahren auf. Das Hauptaugenmerk liegt auf der Beurteilung des Gefüges von Verbundpulver und Strangpressdraht hinsichtlich der Verteilung der Verstärkungskomponente und der resultierenden mechanischen Eigenschaften des Drahtmaterials.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and neurosarcoidosis: A case report
Authors: Chen I‐Hweii Amy , Mitsumoto Hiroshi , Vonsattel Jean P. , Hays Arthur P. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains a clinical diagnosis without definable biomarkers. The pathomechanism of motor neuron degeneration in ALS has yet to be elucidated. Here we present a case of limb‐onset ALS, with autopsy findings of Bunina bodies and skein‐like inclusions, as well as sarcoid granulomas predominating among motor neurons. The targeting of the motor neurons by the sarcoid inflammation raises questions regarding the role of cellular immunity in the pathomechanisms for ALS. Muscle Nerve, 2009
Needle electromyography
Authors: Daube Jasper R. , Rubin Devon I. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractPhysiologic assessment of diseases of the motor unit from the anterior horn cells to the muscles relies on a combination of needle electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS). Both require a unique combination of knowledge of peripheral nervous system anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, diseases, techniques, and electricity is necessary. Successful, high‐quality, reproducible EMG depends on the skills of a clinician in patient interaction during the physical insertion and movement of the needle while recording the electrical signals. These must be combined with the skill of analyzing electric signals recorded from muscle by auditory pattern recognition and semiquantitation.10, 52 This monograph reviews the techniques of needle EMG and waveform analysis and describes the types of EMG waveforms recorded during needle EMG. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve 39: 244–270, 2009
Lewis–sumner syndrome of pure upper‐limb onset: Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic features
Authors: Rajabally Yusuf A. , Chavada Govindsinh 
Published: January 2009

AbstractLewis–Sumner syndrome (L‐SS) represents the asymmetric variant of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). The characteristics and specificities of L‐SS of pure upper‐limb onset, as initially described by Lewis et al. [Multifocal demyelinating neuropathy with persistent conduction block. Neurology 32:958–964, 1982], have not been studied. We describe 8 such patients and review 82 previously reported cases. Distal involvement predominates and is mixed, sensory and motor from onset in only 50% of patients. Pain is a feature in about 20%. Subsequent lower‐limb involvement occurs in <40% of cases. Electrophysiologically, upper‐limb‐onset L‐SS is characterized by the presence of motor conduction blocks in arm nerves in about 90% of cases, and other demyelinating motor abnormalities are significantly less frequent. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein levels are raised in about 40% of cases and are moderate in most. Mildly raised anti‐GM1 antibody titers are rare (<5%), but very high titers (≥1:6400) have not been reported. Over 80% of treated patients respond, and intravenous immunoglobulins may be more effective than steroids. The prognosis is favorable in 40% of patients who eventually stabilize without treatment. We also reviewed 36 cases of other forms of L‐SS, and present a further 2 cases. The upper‐limb‐onset variant is significantly less likely to spread to other limbs and may be less likely to have raised CSF protein levels. This could reflect a more localized disease process in upper‐limb‐onset L‐SS. This variant may represent a separate entity, to be distinguished from other asymmetric forms of CIDP. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve 39: 206–220, 2009
Obstructive sleep apnea in patients with inflammatory myopathies
Authors: Selva‐O'Callaghan Albert , Sampol Gabriel , Romero Odile , Lloberes Patricia , Trallero‐Araguás Ernesto , Vilardell‐Tarrés Miquel 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with inflammatory myopathy. An observational and prospective study was performed on a cohort of adult patients with inflammatory myopathy followed at a specialized outpatient clinic. Sixteen consecutive adult patients were evaluated by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and by complete polysomnography study. Disease activity and severity were assessed using the Myositis Disease Activity Assessment Tool (MDAAT) and Myositis Damage Index (MDI), respectively. Associations between sleep parameters and other factors were calculated using the chi‐square test, Fisher's exact test, Mann–Whitney U‐test, and Wilcoxon's test. A serum autoantibody profile was determined for all patients. The mean apnea–hypopnea index was 28.7 (23.8), and 14 patients (87%) had an apnea–hypopnea index >5. The mean frequency of respiratory arousals was 20.1 (12.5). Eleven (68%) patients reported frequently–always snoring, and 3 (19%) had excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS >10). Seven patients were offered continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy; 4 tolerated the procedure well and reported a clear improvement in daytime sleepiness and/or sleep quality. No significant association was observed between the apnea–hypopnea index and clinical or immunological groups. Dysphagia, disease activity, and disease severity were not significantly associated with any sleep parameters. The frequency of obstructive sleep apnea in adult patients with inflammatory myopathy is high. The possibility that these alterations play a role in persistent fatigue in these patients cannot be ruled out. Muscle Nerve 39: 144–149, 2009
Case of acute motor conduction block neuropathy (AMCBN)
Authors: Manganelli Fiore , Pisciotta Chiara , Iodice Rosa , Calandro Sara , Dubbioso Raffaele , Ranieri Angelo , Santoro Lucio 
Published: January 2009

AbstractWe describe a 21 year‐old man with an acute development of weakness whose clinical and serial electrophysiological findings were atypical for Guillain–Barré syndrome. Electrophysiological data suggested a diagnosis of “acute motor conduction block neuropathy” (AMCBN). The 6 months of disease duration and the electrophysiological follow‐up, which never showed axonal degeneration until complete clinical recovery, raise the issue of the relationship between AMCBN and acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN). Muscle Nerve 39: 224–226, 2009
Onset Temperatures in Hot Wire Ignition of AN‐Based Emulsions
Authors: Chan Sek Kwan , Turcotte Richard 
Published: January 2009

AbstractHot wire ignition experiments were carried out recently at the Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory on a few emulsion formulations. The data indicate that there is a pressure‐dependent onset temperature beyond which the wire temperature increases at an accelerated rate. In order to explain this observation and to detect this temperature more consistently, particularly at low pressures, the data are reanalysed by comparing the experimental wire temperature with that predicted from theory for the heating of an inert material. For this purpose, an analytical theory from the literature is reviewed and the numerical solution developed in this report is described. The latter can deal with more general solutions with variable thermal properties and chemical reactions in the condensed medium surrounding the wire.
Predicting protein pKa by environment similarity
Authors: Milletti Francesca , Storchi Loriano , Cruciani Gabriele 
Published: January 2009

AbstractA statistical method to predict protein pKa has been developed by using the 3D structure of a protein and a database of 434 experimental protein pKa values. Each pKa in the database is associated with a fingerprint that describes the chemical environment around an ionizable residue. A computational tool, MoKaBio, has been developed to identify automatically ionizable residues in a protein, generate fingerprints that describe the chemical environment around such residues, and predict pKa from the experimental pKa values in the database by using a similarity metric. The method, which retrieved the pKa of 429 of the 434 ionizable sites in the database correctly, was crossvalidated by leave‐one‐out and yielded root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.95, a result that is superior to that obtained by using the Null Model (RMSE 1.07) and other well‐established protein pKa prediction tools. This novel approach is suitable to rationalize protein pKa by comparing the region around the ionizable site with similar regions whose ionizable site pKa is known. The pKa of residues that have a unique environment not represented in the training set cannot be predicted accurately, however, the method offers the advantage of being trainable to increase its predictive power. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Crystal structure of the Bacillus anthracis nucleoside diphosphate kinase and its characterization reveals an enzyme adapted to perform under stress conditions
Authors: Misra Gauri , Aggarwal Anita , Dube Divya , Zaman Mohd Saif , Singh Yogendra , Ramachandran Ravishankar 
Published: January 2009

AbstractNucleoside diphosphate kinases (Ndks) play an important role in a plethora of regulatory and metabolic functions. Inhibition of the B. anthracis Ndk mRNA results in the formation of nonviable aberrant spores. We report the characterization and crystal structure of the enzyme from B. anthracis nucleoside diphosphate kinase (BaNdk), the first from sporulating bacteria. The enzyme, although from a mesophilic source, is active at extremes of pH (3.5–10.5), temperature (10–95°C) and ionic strength (0.25–4.0M NaCl). It exists as a hexamer that is composed of two SDS‐stable trimers interacting in a back‐to‐back association; mutational analysis confirms that the enzyme is a histidine kinase. The high‐resolution crystal structure reported here reveals an unanticipated change in the conformation of residues between 43 and 63 that also regulates substrate entry in other Ndks. A comparative structural analysis involving Ndks from seven mesophiles and three thermophiles has resulted in the delineation of the structure into relatively rigid and flexible regions. The analysis suggests that the larger number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds and to a lesser extent ionic interactions in BaNdk contributes to its high thermostability. Mutational analysis and Molecular Dynamics simulations were used to probe the role of a highly conserved Gly19 (present at the oligomeric interface in most of the Ndks). The results suggest that the mutation leads to a rigidification of those residues that facilitate substrate entry and consequently leads to a large reduction in the kinase activity. Overall, the enzyme characterization helps to understand its apparent adaptation to perform under stress conditions. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A new prediction strategy for long local protein structures using an original description
Authors: Bornot Aurélie , Etchebest Catherine , de Brevern Alexandre G. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractA relevant and accurate description of three‐dimensional (3D) protein structures can be achieved by characterizing recurrent local structures. In a previous study, we developed a library of 120 3D structural prototypes encompassing all known 11‐residues long local protein structures and ensuring a good quality of structural approximation. A local structure prediction method was also proposed. Here, overlapping properties of local protein structures in global ones are taken into account to characterize frequent local networks. At the same time, we propose a new long local structure prediction strategy which involves the use of evolutionary information coupled with Support Vector Machines (SVMs). Our prediction is evaluated by a stringent geometrical assessment. Every local structure prediction with a Cα RMSD less than 2.5 Å from the true local structure is considered as correct. A global prediction rate of 63.1% is then reached, corresponding to an improvement of 7.7 points compared with the previous strategy. In the same way, the prediction of 88.33% of the 120 structural classes is improved with 8.65% mean gain. 85.33% of proteins have better prediction results with a 9.43% average gain. An analysis of prediction rate per local network also supports the global improvement and gives insights into the potential of our method for predicting super local structures. Moreover, a confidence index for the direct estimation of prediction quality is proposed. Finally, our method is proved to be very competitive with cutting‐edge strategies encompassing three categories of local structure predictions. Proteins 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of aluminum supply on aluminum‐induced crystallization of amorphous silicon at low temperature
Authors: Song Rui , Liu Yulong , Cao Zexian 
Published: January 2009

AbstractEffect of aluminum supply on aluminum‐induced crystal‐lization of amorphous silicon was studied in the glass/Al/a‐Si structures of different layer thicknesses prepared by using magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Various characterizing techniques have been applied to evaluate the quality of the resulting poly‐Si layers, including crystallinity, integrity and doping level caused by residual Al atoms. We emphasize the fact that Al atoms driven to the outermost surface by thermodynamical reasons form, besides an overlayer, a depth profile into poly‐Si, thus excessive Al supply both causes a heavy p‐type doping and imperils the surface compactness in subsequent etching procedure. A critical amount of Al is nevertheless required to achieve a satisfying crystallinity of the poly‐Si layer. With an Al‐layer over 200 nm and annealing at 500 °C, compact and well crystallized poly‐Si layers were obtained the grain size of which is only limited by layer thickness – the fingerprint Raman peak shows a full‐width‐at‐half‐maximum as small as 3.69 cm–1. A strategy of sufficient Al supply in conjunction with annealing and short‐time etching twice is found very effective. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
GeSi/Si hetero‐nanocrystals and the applications in MOSFET memories
Authors: Shi Yi , Lv Jin , Yang Hongguan , Chen Yubin , Wang Guangli , Wang Zerui , Pu Lin , Zhang Rong , Zheng Youdou 
Published: January 2009

AbstractCharge storage characteristics of MOSFET memory structure based on GeSi/Si hetero‐nanocrystals (HNCs) are investigated by numerical simulation and experimental measurement. Owing to the advantages of a compound potential well and a higher offset at the valence band, this kind of memory has well hole storage. It is expected to serve as a high‐performance nonvolatile memory operating at room temperature. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Self‐organized regular surface patterning by pulsed laser ablation
Authors: Reif Juergen , Costache Florenta , Varlamova Olga , Jia Guobin , Ratzke Markus 
Published: January 2009

AbstractThe impact of intense ultra short laser pulses on solid surface ‐ as in laser ablation ‐ results in a transient perturbation of the material to a state far from equilibrium. Due to ultrafast relaxation of the transient disorder in a few picoseconds, self‐organized surface patterns occur, with a typical feature size at the order of 100 nm or less, similar as observed in ion sputtering and explained by non‐linear dynamics models. The feature size of these structures is determined by the deposited energy dose, their shape and orientation crucially depends on the state of polarization of the incident light. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Assessment of various LED structure designs for high‐current operation
Authors: Bulashevich K. A. , Ramm M. S. , Karpov S. Yu. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractUsing modelling, we have examined alternative designs of light‐emitting diode (LED) structures, aimed at lowering the non‐equilibrium carrier concentration and, hence, at suppression of Auger recombination in the active regions of the diodes. Both a multi‐quantum‐well (MQW) heterostructure and that with a thick single active layer are compared. The MQW structure is found to be ineffective for improvement of the LED internal quantum efficiency (IQE). In contrast, LEDs with a thick single active layer turn out to be quite promising for high‐current operation. Detailed simulation provides a guideline for further optimization of the LED heterostructures. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Reduction of buffer‐related current collapse in field‐plate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs
Authors: Nakajima Atsushi , Itagaki Keiichi , Horio Kazushige 
Published: January 2009

AbstractTwo‐dimensional transient analyses of field‐plate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are performed in which a deep donor and a deep acceptor are considered in a semi‐insulating buffer layer, and quasi‐pulsed current‐voltage curves are derived from them. It is studied how the existence of field plate affects buffer‐related drain lag, gate lag and current collapse. It is shown that the drain lag is reduced by introducing a field plate, because electron injection into the buffer layer is weakened by it, and the trapping effects are reduced. It is also shown that the current collapse and gate lag are reduced in the field‐plate structure. The dependence on SiN passivation layer thickness is also studied, suggesting that there is an optimum thickness of SiN layer to minimize the buffer‐related current collapse and drain lag in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Spatial properties of excitonexciton interactions in GaN observed by four‐wave‐mixing spectroscopy
Authors: Toda Y. , Yamaguchi K. , Ishiguro T. , Hoshino K. , Tadatomo K. , Adachi S. 
Published: January 2009

AbstractSpatial imaging of spectrally‐resolved four‐wave mixing (SR FWM) was performed on a GaN film grown on c ‐sapphire substrate. The image obtained from the exciton resonances at zero time delay clearly showed some highly localized reductions in their intensities whose spatial profiles can be mapped out with a spatial resolution of ∼20 m.The image obtained from the evaluation of the quantum beats indicates these reductions correspond to the phase changes between two exciton transitions, reflecting the spatial properties of exciton‐exciton interactions. The line‐localization suggests a contribution of line‐defect to the anomalous interactions (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)