bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gender differences in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with subthalamic deep brain stimulation
Authors: Accolla Ettore , Caputo Elena , Cogiamanian Filippo , Tamma Filippo , Mrakic‐Sposta Simona , Marceglia Sara , Egidi Marcello , Rampini Paolo , Locatelli Marco , Priori Alberto 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWe investigated gender‐differences in clinical phenomenology and response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in a group of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Thirty‐eight consecutive patients with PD (22 men and 16 women), bilaterally implanted for DBS of the STN, were evaluated 1 month before and 11 to 14 months after surgery. Gender differences in severity of the disease (HY and UPDRS), ability in the activities of daily living (ADL, UPDRS II), tremor and rigidity (UPDRS III), bradykinesia (UPDRS III and hand tapping test), levodopa‐induced dyskinesias (LIDs, UPDRS IV), and levodopa equivalent daily dosage (LEDD) were analyzed before and after intervention. We found a predominantly male population, with no gender‐related differences in age at onset, disease progression rate, or severity of disease. Nevertheless, women had more severe LIDs than men, only before the intervention. Bradykinesia was significantly less responsive to any kind of treatment (pharmacologic and neurosurgical) in women than in men. Finally, although STN‐DBS induced similar total benefits in both genders, postoperative assessment suggested that the ADL improved more in women than in men. Women and men with advanced PD appear to differ in some clinical features and in response to dopaminergic and STN‐DBS treatment. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
A numerical procedure for predicting rainfall‐induced movements of active landslides along pre‐existing slip surfaces
Authors: Calvello Michele , Cascini Leonardo , Sorbino Giuseppe 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA numerical model to predict landslide movements along pre‐existing slip surfaces from rainfall data is presented. The model comprises: a transient seepage finite‐element analysis to compute the variations of pore water pressures due to rainfall; a limit equilibrium stability analysis to compute the factors of safety along the slip surface associated with transient pore pressure conditions; an empirical relationship between the factor of safety and the rate of displacement of the slide along the slip surface; an optimization algorithm for the calibration of analyses and relationships based on available monitoring data. The model is validated with reference to a well‐monitored active slide in central Italy, characterized by very slow movements occurring within a narrow band of weathered bedrock overlaid by a clayey silt colluvial cover. The model is conveniently divided and presented in two parts: a groundwater model and a kinematic model. In the first part, monthly recorded rainfall data are used as time‐dependent flow boundary conditions of the transient seepage analysis, while piezometric levels are used to calibrate the analysis by minimizing the errors between monitoring data and computed pore pressures. In the second part, measured inclinometric movements are used to calibrate the empirical relationship between the rate of displacement along the slip surface and the factor of safety, whose variation with time is computed by a time‐dependent stability analysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intracellular water‐specific MR of microbead‐adherent cells: the HeLa cell intracellular water exchange lifetime
Authors: Zhao L. , Kroenke C. D. , Song J. , Piwnica‐Worms D. , Ackerman J. J. H. , Neil J. J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractQuantitative characterization of the intracellular water 1H MR signal from cultured cells will provide critical biophysical insight into the MR signal from tissues in vivo. Microbeads provide a robust immobilization substrate for the many mammalian cell lines that adhere to surfaces and also provide sufficient cell density for observation of the intracellular water MR signal. However, selective observation of the intracellular water MR signal from perfused, microbead‐adherent mammalian cells requires highly effective suppression of the extracellular water MR signal. We describe how high‐velocity perfusion of microbead‐adherent cells results in short apparent 1H MR longitudinal and transverse relaxation times for the extracellular water in a thin slice selected orthogonal to the direction of flow. When combined with a spin‐echo pulse sequence, this phenomenon provides highly effective suppression of the extracellular water MR signal. This new method is exploited here to quantify the kinetics of water exchange from the intracellular to extracellular spaces of HeLa cells. The time constant describing water exchange from intracellular to extracellular spaces, also known as the exchange lifetime for intracellular water, is 119 ± 14 ms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation of polysaccharide–polymethacrylate hybrid materials by radical polymerization of cationic methacrylate monomer in the presence of anionic polysaccharide
Authors: Kadokawa Jun‐ichi , Saitou Shingo , Shoda Shin‐ichiro 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis article describes preparation of polysaccharide–polymethacrylate hybrid materials by means of free‐radical polymerization of a cationic methacrylate monomer in the presence of anionic polysaccharides. In particular, synthesis of the hybrid material composed of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and a cationic polymethacrylate, i.e. poly(2‐aminoethyl methacrylate) is disclosed. The formation of the materials was achieved by radical polymerization of 2‐aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride (AEMA‐HCl) in aqueous solution of CMC. The insoluble material was formed and the structure was determined by the IR spectra and elemental analysis to be composed of CMC and polymethacrylate. Thermal analyses such as thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were performed to confirm the network structure of the material. The dehydrative amidation occurred by heating the material at 200°C, giving rise to the new hybrid material hybridized by the amide linkages. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigation of swelling, drug release and diffusion behaviors of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)/poly (N‐vinylpyrrolidone) full‐IPN hydrogels
Authors: Seden Akdemir Z. , Kayaman‐Apohan Nilhan 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe synthesis of sequential full interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) based on poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and negatively charged poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) (PNVP) was described and their swelling, drug release, and diffusion studies were investigated. PNIPAAm was used as a host network. According to swelling experiments, IPNs gave relatively lower swelling ratios compared to PNIPAAm hydrogel due to the higher cross‐linking density. Lidocaine (LD) was used as a model drug for the investigation of drug release behavior of IPNs. LD uptake of the IPNs were found to increase from 24 to 166 (mg LD / g dry gel) with increasing amount of PNIPAAm and AMPS contents in the IPN structure. It was observed that the specific interaction between drug and AMPS co‐monomer influenced the drug release profile. In the diffusion transport mechanism study in water, the results indicated that the swelling exponents n for all IPNs are in the range from 0.50 to 0.72. This implies that the swelling transport mechanism was transferred from Fickian to non‐Fickian transport, with increasing AMPS content and NIPAAm character in the IPN structure. In addition, diffusion of LD within the IPNs showed similar trend. The incorporation of AMPS leads to an increase in electrostatic interaction between charge sites on carboxylate ions and cationic LD molecules. Therefore, the highest diffusion coefficient (D) of drug was found for IPN2 sample. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Longitudinal changes in lung function and somatic growth in children with sickle cell disease
Authors: Koumbourlis Anastassios C. , Lee Donna J. , Lee Ada 
Published: April 2007

AbstractBackgroundWe studied the changes in the patterns of lung function and somatic growth over time in children and adolescents (10.6 ± 3.5 years at first test) with hemoglobin SS (Hb‐SS) sickle cell disease (SCD).MethodsLung function and somatic growth were measured twice with an interval of 42.3 ± 23.3 months in 45 children (25 females and 20 males) with Hb‐SS SCD.ResultsThe lung volumes slightly decreased but remained borderline normal in both tests. All spirometric indices were within the normal range but significantly decreased (P < 0.001) at the time of the second test indicating development of lower airway obstruction (forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1): 87 ± 21 vs. 80 ± 15; FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC): 89 ± 7 vs. 85 ± 6; FEF25–75: 89 ± 32 vs. 76 ± 24). “Normal” pattern of lung function was initially found in 56% of the patients, but in only 29% in the second test. In contrast, those with “obstructive” pattern increased from 22 to 44%, and those with “restrictive” pattern from 22 to 27%. There was no association between history of asthma and pattern of lung function. “Normal” Body Mass Index (BMI) was found in 64% of the patients, whereas 13% had “High” BMI and 22% “Low” BMI. The two latter patterns were associated with abnormal lung function but only patients with normal BMI showed actual decline overtime.ConclusionSCD is characterized by a predominantly obstructive pattern of lung function that increases in prevalence over time. There was no apparent causal relationship between the pattern of somatic growth and the pattern of lung function. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:483–488. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clinical response to azithromycin in cystic fibrosis correlates with in vitro effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa phenotypes
Authors: Nguyen Dao , Emond Mary J. , Mayer‐Hamblett Nicole , Saiman Lisa , Marshall Bruce C. , Burns Jane L. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractA 6‐month clinical trial of azithromycin (AZM) in American cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection showed clinical improvement without significant reduction in bacterial density. Sub‐inhibitory AZM has been hypothesized to affect P. aeruginosa virulence, partly contributing to the mechanism of action of AZM. To correlate bacterial phenotypes of P. aeruginosa isolates with clinical response to AZM in CF patients. Pre‐treatment P. aeruginosa isolates from subjects randomized to AZM in the US trial were characterized for bacterial phenotypes: AZM minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), mucoidy, and baseline and AZM effects on twitching and swimming motility, and production of pyocyanin, protease and phospholipase C (PLC). Initial analyses of a subset of subjects identified phenotypes most strongly associated with FEV1 response and pulmonary exacerbation. These phenotypes were subsequently characterized and tested in isolates from subjects of the complete AZM cohort. Exploratory analyses of the initial subset suggested that the MIC and in vitro change in PLC and swimming motility with AZM were the strongest candidates among the bacterial phenotypes. When tested, only the change in PLC was significantly correlated with the change in FEV1 (P = 0.05), and occurrence and time to pulmonary exacerbation (both P = 0.02). In the complete cohort, change in PLC continued to show significant correlation with FEV1 response (P = 0.006), but not exacerbation. The in vitro effect of AZM on PLC correlates with FEV1 response to AZM. This suggests that AZM anti‐virulence effects may be predictive of clinical response and play a role in the mechanism of action of AZM in CF patients. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:533–541. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multiple asparagine deamidation of Bacillus anthracis protective antigen causes charge isoforms whose complexity correlates with reduced biological activity
Authors: Powell Bradford S. , Enama Jeffrey T. , Ribot Wilson J. , Webster Wendy , Little Stephen , Hoover Timothy , Adamovicz Jeffrey J. , Andrews Gerard P. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractProtective antigen is essential for the pathology of Bacillus anthracis and is the proposed immunogen for an improved human anthrax vaccine. Known since discovery to comprise differentially charged isoforms, the cause of heterogeneity has eluded specific structural definition until now. Recombinant protective antigen (rPA) contains similar isoforms that appear early in fermentation and are mostly removed through purification. By liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry sequencing of the entire protein and inspection of spectral data for amino acid modifications, pharmaceutical rPA contained measurable deamidation at seven of its 68 asparagine residues. A direct association between isoform complexity and percent deamidation was observed such that each decreased with purity and increased with protein aging. Position N537 consistently showed the highest level of modification, although its predicted rate of deamidation ranked 10th by theoretical calculation, and other asparagines of higher predicted rates were observed to be unmodified. rPA with more isoforms and greater deamidation displayed lower activities for furin cleavage, heptamerization, and holotoxin formation. Lethal factor‐mediated macrophage toxicity correlated inversely with deamidation at residues N466 and N408. The described method measures deamidation without employing theoretical isotopic distributions, comparison between differentially treated samples or computational predictions of reactivity rates, and is broadly applicable to the characterization of other deamidated proteins. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development and benchmarking of TASSERiter for the iterative improvement of protein structure predictions
Authors: Lee Seung Yup , Skolnick Jeffrey 
Published: April 2007

AbstractTo improve the accuracy of TASSER models especially in the limit where threading provided template alignments are of poor quality, we have developed the TASSERiter algorithm which uses the templates and contact restraints from TASSER generated models for iterative structure refinement. We apply TASSERiter to a large benchmark set of 2,773 nonhomologous single domain proteins that are ≤ 200 in length and that cover the PDB at the level of 35% pairwise sequence identity. Overall, TASSERiter models have a smaller global average RMSD of 5.48 Å compared to 5.81 Å RMSD of the original TASSER models. Classifying the targets by the level of prediction difficulty (where Easy targets have a good template with a corresponding good threading alignment, Medium targets have a good template but a poor alignment, and Hard targets have an incorrectly identified template), TASSERiter (TASSER) models have an average RMSD of 4.15 Å (4.35 Å) for the Easy set and 9.05 Å (9.52 Å) for the Hard set. The largest reduction of average RMSD is for the Medium set where the TASSERiter models have an average global RMSD of 5.67 Å compared to 6.72 Å of the TASSER models. Seventy percent of the Medium set TASSERiter models have a smaller RMSD than the TASSER models, while 63% of the Easy and 60% of the Hard TASSER models are improved by TASSERiter. For the foldable cases, where the targets have a RMSD to the native <6.5 Å, TASSERiter shows obvious improvement over TASSER models: For the Medium set, it improves the success rate from 57.0 to 67.2%, followed by the Hard targets where the success rate improves from 32.0 to 34.8%, with the smallest improvement in the Easy targets from 82.6 to 84.0%. These results suggest that TASSERiter can provide more reliable predictions for targets of Medium difficulty, a range that had resisted improvement in the quality of protein structure predictions. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Anisotropic electrical response of mesoporous silicon to NO2
Authors: Borini S. , Boarino L. , Amato G. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe I–V characteristics of Mesoporous Silicon (mesoPS) samples have been studied both in vacuum and in presence of NO2 traces. By the use of different electrode configurations, the longitudinal (parallel to the sample surface) and transverse (perpendicular to the sample surface) components of the electrical conductance have been independently measured and compared. We show that the electrical response of mesoPS to NO2 is anisotropic, and that the best sensing performance is achieved by monitoring the longitudinal conductance variation. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
High efficient terahertz emission from InN surfaces
Authors: Cimalla Volker , Pradarutti Boris , Matthäus Gabor , Brückner Claudia , Riehemann Stefan , Notni Gunther , Nolte Stefan , Tünnermann Andreas , Lebedev Vadim , Ambacher Oliver 
Published: April 2007

AbstractTerahertz radiation was measured from InN and compared to p‐InAs excited by femtosecond optical pulses at 1060 and 800 nm. At 800 nm, atomically smooth InN with low background electron concentration exhibit higher THz emission than the highly effective material p‐InAs. The higher THz emission efficiency of InN is caused by the absences of any intervalley scattering, which in the case of InAs increases the effective mass of the photo generated electrons and, thus, reduces the Dember field, which is responsible for THz emission. Consequently, InN is a promising material for THz emission; however, further improvement of the material quality (surface roughness and carrier concentration) is needed. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
From evidence of strong light–matter coupling to polariton emission in GaN microcavities
Authors: Sellers I. R. , Semond F. , Zamfirescu M. , Stokker‐Cheregi F. , Disseix P. , Leroux M. , Leymarie J. , Gurioli M. , Vinattieri A. , Réveret F. , Malpuech G. , Vasson A. , Massies J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWe present both experimental and theoretical results which outline our development of the molecular beam epitaxy of GaN microcavities on (111) silicon. In particular we show that although in this material system the strong‐light matter coupling regime can be observed at 300 K even with relatively low quality factor structures (Q = 60) in reflectivity measurements, it is necessary to increase the Q ‐factor by at least a factor of two to observe strong coupling in the emission. For an optimized microcavity structure (Q = 160), polaritonic emission is observed at 300 K, with the origin of the broadened luminescence features confirmed by co‐incident reflectivity measurements. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Efficient solar energy conversion using TiO2 nanotubes produced by rapid breakdown anodization – a comparison
Authors: Hahn R. , Stergiopoulus T. , Macak J. M. , Tsoukleris D. , Kontos A. G. , Albu S. P. , Kim D. , Ghicov A. , Kunze J. , Falaras P. , Schmuki P. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWe report on dye‐sensitization of different TiO2 nanotube layers, their photoelectrochemical response and their efficiency for solar energy conversion. The tubes compared in this study were either grown by controlled Ti anodization in fluoride containing electrolytes or by rapid breakdown anodization (RBA) of Ti in fluoride free electrolytes. After converting the different tube layers to anatase and sensitizing with Ru‐dye (N719), clearly layers consisting of RBA‐NTs show a significantly higher photoresponse and conversion efficiencies than tubes formed under self‐ordering conditions. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Straight to the bar: Molecular nanostructures, graphene, nanotubes. XXIst International Winterschool on Electronic Properties of Novel Materials (IWEPNM 2007), Kirchberg, Austria, 10–17 March 2007
Authors: Capaz Rodrigo B. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractConference Reports are meant to offer an authoritative view on a recently held scientific meeting rather than a comprehensive list of the conference presentations. Authors are invited to describe what they feel were the most interesting contributions. The Kirchberg Winterschool provided a platform for reviewing and discussing new developments in the field of electronic properties of molecular nanostructures and their applications such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and single molecules. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Understanding and managing iterative error and change cycles in construction
Authors: Lee SangHyun , Peña‐Mora Feniosky 
Published: April 2007

AbstractErrors and changes in construction often result in significant schedule and cost overruns affecting project performance. To understand the nature of these errors and changes and to ultimately reduce their detrimental impacts on project performance, this paper presents a system dynamics‐based construction model, which focuses on the dynamics of error and change management in construction, including quality management, scope management, the request for information process, and the decision‐making process for the approval of changes, and their consequent detrimental impacts on project performance. In particular, the developed model integrates several concepts in traditional network‐based tools to enhance the applicability of the model. Describing the dynamic behaviors generated by the developed model and applying the model to a couple of real‐world construction projects, this paper concludes that: (1) realism should be added to schedule planning; (2) an efficient coordination process is needed; (3) proactive contingency plans need to be taken into consideration; and (4) integration of network‐based tools and system dynamics‐based models can contribute to management of errors and changes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statistical methods for short‐term projections of AIDS incidence
Authors: Brookmeyer Ron , Damiano Anne 
Published: April 2007

AbstractShort‐term projections of AIDS incidence are critical for assessing future health care needs. This paper focuses on the method of back‐calculation for obtaining short‐term projections. The approach consists of back‐calculating from AIDS incidence data through use of the incubation period distribution to obtain estimates of the numbers previously infected. The numbers previously infected are then projected forward to obtain short‐term projections. An approach is suggested for accounting for new infections in short‐term projections of AIDS incidence. Back‐calculation requires accurate AIDS incidence data. A method which is computationally easy to implement is proposed for estimating the distribution of the delays in reporting AIDS cases. It was found that the reporting delay distribution in the United States varies by geographic region of diagnosis. Back‐calculation also requires a reliable estimate of the incubation period distribution. Statistical issues associated with estimating the incubation period distribution are considered. The methods are applied to obtain short‐term projections of AIDS incidence in the United States. The projected cumulative AIDS incidence in the U.S. by the end of 1992 was 287,100 under the assumption that there are no new infections after 1 July 1987, and 330,600 under the assumption that the infection rate remains constant. These projections do not account for the new broadened AIDS surveillance definitions or the underreporting of AIDS cases to the Centers for Disease Control.
The impact that group sequential tests would have made on ECOG clinical trials
Authors: Rosner Gary L. , Tsiatis Anastasios A. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractUsing designs that several authors proposed, we reanalysed a large number of completed phase III clinical trials of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group as if each had been designed with group sequential stopping rules. With survival the primary endpoint of the large multicentre trials, we discuss the relative merits of each design, as well as the feasibility of group sequential designs in general.