bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Absence of blood pressure, metabolic, and inflammatory marker changes after adenotonsillectomy for sleep apnea in Greek children
Authors: Apostolidou Maria T. , Alexopoulos Emmanouel I. , Damani Eleni , Liakos Nikolaos , Chaidas Konstantinos , Boultadakis Evangelos , Apostolidis Theoharis , Gourgoulianis Konstantinos , Kaditis Athanasios G. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAimPediatric studies revealed associations of obstructive sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) with inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and elevated blood pressure. Evidence about effects of adenotonsillectomy on these abnormalities is scarce. Aim of this investigation was to assess changes in C‐reactive protein (CRP), circulating intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (cICAM‐1), insulin and blood pressure levels after adenotonsillectomy for SDB in Greek children.MethodsPolysomnography was performed pre‐ and postoperatively in children with SDB and controls undergoing adenotonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis or otitis. Outcome measures were changes in serum markers and blood pressure.ResultsFifty‐eight patients (6.2 ± 2.5 years old) and 17 controls (6.5 ± 2) were studied. After surgery, apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) decreased (mean: −5.9 episodes/hr; 95% confidence interval: −7.8 to −4) in patients. Patients and controls were similar regarding outcomes: CRP (−0.11 mg/dl [−0.25 to 0.02] vs. 0.13 [−0.19 to 0.46]; P = 0.11), cICAM‐1 (−11.6 ng/ml [−38.6 to 15.4] vs. −46.6 [−101.7 to 8.6]; P = 0.23), insulin (2.49 mU/L [0.32–4.67] vs. −0.16 [−2.47 to 2.16]; P = 0.21), systolic blood pressure index (5.2% [2.1–8.3] vs. 10.8 [3.6–17.9]; P = 0.1) and diastolic blood pressure index (−3.2% [−7.2 to 0.8] vs. 2.8 [−5.5 to 11.2]; P = 0.16). Patients with CRP > 0.3 mg/dl had reduced values after AT (P = 0.003) and those with postoperative AHI ≤ 1 had a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.02).ConclusionsAlthough adenotonsillectomy improves SDB, it has variable effects on inflammatory and metabolic markers or blood pressure. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:550–560. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An unusual case of chylothorax complicating childhood tuberculosis
Authors: Cakir Erkan , Gocmen Basar , Uyan Zeynep Seda , Oktem Sedat , Kiyan Gursu , Karakoc Fazilet , Ersu Refika , Karadag Bulent , Dagli Tolga , Dagli Elif 
Published: April 2008

AbstractEndobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) and chylothorax are rare clinical disorders. The concurrence of these two disorders as manifestations of childhood pulmonary tuberculosis has not been reported. We report a 4‐month‐old boy presenting with chylothorax as the initial presentation of tuberculosis that has been successfully treated with octreotide, antituberculosis drugs and steroid therapy. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008; 43:611–614. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HingeMaster: Normal mode hinge prediction approach and integration of complementary predictors
Authors: Flores Samuel C. , Keating Kevin S. , Painter Jay , Morcos Faruck , Nguyen Khang , Merritt Ethan A. , Kuhn Leslie A. , Gerstein Mark B. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractProtein motion is often the link between structure and function and a substantial fraction of proteins move through a domain hinge bending mechanism. Predicting the location of the hinge from a single structure is thus a logical first step towards predicting motion. Here, we describe ways to predict the hinge location by grouping residues with correlated normal‐mode motions. We benchmarked our normal‐mode based predictor against a gold standard set of carefully annotated hinge locations taken from the Database of Macromolecular Motions. We then compared it with three existing structure‐based hinge predictors (TLSMD, StoneHinge, and FlexOracle), plus HingeSeq, a sequence‐based hinge predictor. Each of these methods predicts hinges using very different sources of information—normal modes, experimental thermal factors, bond constraint networks, energetics, and sequence, respectively. Thus it is logical that using these algorithms together would improve predictions. We integrated all the methods into a combined predictor using a weighted voting scheme. Finally, we encapsulated all our results in a web tool which can be used to run all the predictors on submitted proteins and visualize the results. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Investigation of transcription factor Ndt80 affinity differences for wild type and mutant DNA: A molecular dynamics study
Authors: Hart Katarina , Nilsson Lennart 
Published: April 2008

AbstractMolecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations have been performed on the transcription factor Ndt80 either in complex with the native DNA sequence or with a mutant DNA with a switched central base pair, C5‐G5′ to G5‐C5′. This mutant has been shown to have a 100‐fold decrease in binding affinity of Ndt80, and in this study we explain this both structurally and energetically. The major interactions between the protein and the DNA were maintained in the simulations, apart from around the mutation site. The crystal structure of the Ndt80‐DNA complex revealed that R177 makes a base specific bidentate interaction with G5′ which is part of a conserved 5′‐YpG‐3′ step. In the simulation with the mutant DNA, the side chain of R177 changes conformation and makes three new stable hydrogen bonds to the DNA backbone. This in turn induces a conformational change in the DNA backbone of the T6′‐G5′ step from the unusual BII state to the canonical BI state. The affinity difference for the protein–DNA complex with the native DNA compared with the mutant DNA is only about 3 kcal/mol. The free energy calculations of the base pair switch indicated a larger difference than what was found experimentally, about 7.7 kcal/mol, but this is explained in structural terms using the 10 ns simulations of the solvated complexes and the rearrangement of the R177 side chain. Proteins 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The presence of Rickettsia is associated with increased susceptibility of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) to insecticides
Authors: Kontsedalov Svetlana , Zchori‐Fein Einat , Chiel Elad , Gottlieb Yuval , Inbar Moshe , Ghanim Murad 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBACKGROUND: The presence of certain symbiotic microorganisms may be associated with insecticide resistance in insects. The authors compared the susceptibility of two isofemale lines, Rickettsia‐plus and Rickettsia‐free, of the sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) to major insecticides from different chemical groups, including imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, pyriproxyfen, spiromesifen and diafenthiuron.RESULTS: While the Rickettsia‐plus and Rickettsia‐free lines showed no differences in their susceptibility to imidacloprid and diafenthiuron, higher susceptibility of the Rickettsia‐plus line to acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, spiromesifen and especially pyriproxyfen was observed. LC90 values indicated that the Rickettsia‐free line was 15‐fold more resistant to pyriproxyfen than the Rickettsia‐plus line.CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that the infection status of B. tabaci populations by Rickettsia is an important consideration that should be taken into account when performing resistance monitoring studies, and may help in understanding the dynamics of B. tabaci resistance, symbiont‐pest associations in agricultural systems and the biological impact of Rickettsia on whitefly biology. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
Laterally engineered field‐plate GaN HEMTs for millimeter‐wave applications
Authors: Boutros K. S. , Shinohara K. , Ha W. , Paniagua A. , Brar B. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractA laterally Engineered Field Plate (EFP) design is implemented to obtain a field‐plated, 30 nm gate structure with a small added capacitance due to the presence of the field plate. By reducing the field plate length, and simultaneously placing it away from the gate, we are able to reduce the field plate capacitance while maintaining its effectiveness in reducing the peak electric field at the gate edge. GaN HEMT EFP devices were fabricated with 30 nm gate lengths, and 70nm field plates. A three‐terminal breakdown voltage (VBD) of 63 V was measured for the 30 nm EFP device. This VBD represents a 2x improvement over the breakdown of 100nm conventional T‐gate devices fabricated on the same wafer. The device had an extrinsic FT of 65 GHz and an FMAX of 120 GHz. Improvement in both Pout and PAE was also realized with this new gate design compared to conventional T‐gate devices. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A trade‐off relation between tilt and twist angle fluctuations in InN grown by RF‐MBE
Authors: Hashimoto A. , Iwao K. , Yamamoto A. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn the InN growth on sapphire substrates, it is difficult to control both of tilt and twist angle fluctuations at same time. It is necessary to understand initial growth stage such as the role of nitridation process to improve the mosaicity. Low‐temperature nitridation technique brings the drastically improvement of the tilt angle fluctuation, although the twist angle fluctuation becomes worse. Such experimental results strongly indicate that there is some trade‐off relation between the tilt and the twist angle fluctuations as a function of the nitridation condition such as the nitridation time. In this paper, we discuss about such trade‐off relation in the direct growth of InN on the nitridation sapphire substrates and also propose a simple model of initial nitridation process to explain it. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
State‐space µ analysis for an experimental drive‐by‐wire vehicle
Authors: Halton M. , Hayes M. J. , Iordanov P. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper considers the application of the skewed structured singular value to the robust stability of systems subject to strictly real parametric uncertainty. Three state‐space formulations that counteract the discontinuous nature of this problem are detailed. It is shown that the calculation of the supremum of the structured singular value over a frequency range using these formulations transforms into a single skewed structured singular value calculation. Similar to the structured singular value, the exact calculation of the skewed structured singular value is an NP‐hard problem. In this work, two efficient algorithms that determine upper and lower bounds on the skewed structured singular value are presented. These algorithms are critically assessed using a series of robustness analysis tests on a safety‐critical experimental drive‐by‐wire vehicle. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A backstepping controller for path‐tracking of an underactuated autonomous airship
Authors: Azinheira José Raul , Moutinho Alexandra , de Paiva Ely Carneiro 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn this paper we propose a nonlinear control approach for the path‐tracking of an autonomous underactuated airship. A backstepping controller is designed from the airship nonlinear dynamic model including wind disturbances, and further enhanced to consider actuators saturation. Control implementation issues related to airship underactuation are also addressed, namely control allocation and an attitude reference shaping to obtain a faster error correction with smoother input requests. The results obtained demonstrate the capacity of an underactuated unmanned airship to execute a realistic mission including vertical take‐off and landing, stabilization and path‐tracking, in the presence of wind disturbances, with a single robust control law. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A hybrid controller design for bi‐axial inverted pendulum system
Authors: Chang Long‐Hong , Lee An‐Chen 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis study presents the use of Tustin's friction model and a disturbance observer (DOB) to improve the steady‐state error (SSE) of a bi‐axial inverted pendulum–cart system (IPCS). Furthermore, a hybrid controller contains a feedback linearization control for pendulum angle in the region of 3–12° to enlarge the angle of operation and an H∞ control using loop shaping design procedure (LSDP) for cart position and pendulum angle in the region of 0–3° to stabilize the IPCS, respectively. Experimental results reveal that the pendulum maximum angle of operation is improved from 7 to 12°; the SSE of the angle of the pendulum is reduced from 0.85 to 0.1°, and the SSE of the position of the cart is reduced from 10 to 1.4 mm. Experimental results are illustrated and films are provided at the web site http://hinfinity.myweb.hinet.net to show the effectiveness and robustness of the hybrid controller with Tustin's friction model and DOB compensation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Integrated fault detection and control for LPV systems
Authors: Wang Heng , Yang Guang‐Hong 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper studies the integrated fault detection and control problem for linear parameter‐varying systems. A parameter‐dependent detector/controller is designed to generate two signals: residual and control signals that are used to detect faults and simultaneously meet some control objectives. The low‐frequency faults and certain finite‐frequency disturbances are considered. With the aid of the newly developed linearization techniques, the design methods are presented in terms of solutions to a set of linear matrix inequalities. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delay‐dependent adaptive reliableH∞control of linear time‐varying delay systems
Authors: Ye Dan , Yang Guang‐Hong 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper considers the problem of delay‐dependent adaptive reliableH∞controller design against actuator faults for linear time‐varying delay systems. Based on the online estimation of eventual faults, the parameters of adaptive reliableH∞controller are updating automatically to compensate the fault effects on the system. A new delay‐dependent reliableH∞controller is established using a linear matrix inequality technique and an adaptive method, which guarantees the stability and adaptiveH∞performance of closed‐loop systems in normal and faulty cases. A numerical example and its simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Value, rareness, competitive advantage, and performance: a conceptual‐level empirical investigation of the resource‐based view of the firm
Authors: Newbert Scott L. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe resource‐based view of the firm (RBV) hypothesizes that the exploitation of valuable, rare resources and capabilities contributes to a firm's competitive advantage, which in turn contributes to its performance. Despite this notion, few empirical studies test these hypotheses at the conceptual level. In response to this gap, this study empirically examines the relationships between value, rareness, competitive advantage, and performance. The results suggest that value and rareness are related to competitive advantage, that competitive advantage is related to performance, and that competitive advantage mediates the rareness‐performance relationship. These findings have important academic and practitioner implications which are then discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reproducibility of sonographic assessment of fetal liver length in diabetic pregnancies
Authors: Anderson N. G. , Notley E. , Graham P. , McEwing R. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractObjectivesAssessing fetal liver size might be useful in monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment of diabetes in pregnancy. We aimed to assess the reproducibility of fetal liver‐length measurement in pregnant women with diabetes.MethodsFrom 3 April 2006 to 5 December 2006, we assessed intraobserver and interobserver variation of fetal liver‐length measurements on 55 sonograms in 44 pregnant women with diabetes, 34 of whom had gestational diabetes. The mean maternal age was 33 years, the mean maternal weight was 92 kg and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 33.7 kg/m−2. The effect of covariates BMI, gestational age and maternal age on the reproducibility of fetal liver length was assessed by calculating intraobserver SD ratios. We compared liver length with abdominal circumference and gestational age. Nine of 12 sonographers scanned, on average, six women (range, 3–12) as the first sonographer, and all 12 sonographers scanned, on average, four women (range, 1–10) as the second sonographer. The data were analyzed using a hierarchical linear model.ResultsMeasurement of fetal liver length was reproducible. The intraobserver SD was 3.06 (95% CI, 2.68–3.59) mm; the interobserver SD was 2.17 (95% CI, 0.59–4.83) mm; the intraobserver correlation was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.63–0.87), and the interobserver correlation was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.51–0.99). The covariate effects were minimal, the SD for a 1‐unit increase in the covariate was 1.06 for gestational age, 0.98 for BMI, and 0.97 for maternal age.ConclusionsMeasurement of fetal liver length in the diabetic pregnancy is reproducible. It is worthy of further investigation as a parameter for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment of the diabetic pregnancy. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deductive verification of alternating systems
Authors: Slanina Matteo , Sipma Henny B. , Manna Zohar 
Published: April 2008

Abstract

Alternating systems are models of computer programs whose behavior is governed by the actions of multiple agents with, potentially, different goals. Examples include control systems, resource schedulers, security protocols, auctions and election mechanisms. Proving properties about such systems has emerged as an important new area of study in formal verification, with the development of logical frameworks such as the alternating temporal logic
ATL
*.

Techniques for model checking
ATL
* over finite-state systems have been well studied, but many important systems are infinite-state and thus their verification requires, either explicitly or implicitly, some form of deductive reasoning.

This paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of alternating infinite-state systems. It describes models of computation, of various degrees of generality, and alternating-time logics such as
ATL
* and its variations. It then develops a proof system that allows to prove arbitrary
ATL
* properties over these infinite-state models. The proof system is shown to be complete relative to validities in the weakest possible assertion language.

The paper then derives auxiliary proof rules and verification diagrams techniques and applies them to security protocols, deriving a new formal proof of fairness of a multi-party contract signing protocol where the model of the protocol and of the properties contains both game-theoretic and infinite-state (parameterized) aspects.
Subjective Memory Impairment. A review of its definitions indicates the need for a comprehensive set of standardised and validated criteria
Authors: Abdulrab Khaled , Heun Reinhard 
Published: April 2008

AbstractBackgroundSubjective Memory Impairment (SMI) may hold value in the elderly as a predictor of dementia. There is yet to exist any standard definition of SMI for use in research or for clinical practice.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify previous and current definitions of SMI used in published research and to propose a set of criteria that may help increase SMI's predictive power of future cognitive decline.MethodsLiterature searches were conducted across a number of electronic databases including Medline.Results515 citations were identified, 336 papers were obtained, of which 44 were selected for containing definitions for SMI. These definitions varied widely in terms of the types of questions used to determine SMI and additional features pertaining to memory complaints included in the definition.ConclusionThere is no consistency in how SMI is defined. We propose a set of criteria aimed to increase specificity of memory complainers for those at increased risk of dementia. Further research is required to refine and validate the different criteria suggested. An international consent on the necessary criteria by experts in the field might be useful.
Health service utilization among Alzheimer's disease patients: Evidence from managed care
Authors: Frytak Jennifer R. , Henk Henry J. , Zhao Yang , Bowman Lee , Flynn Jennifer A. , Nelson Michael 
Published: April 2008

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to assess the disease burden of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a commercial managed care setting by comparing direct health care costs and adverse event outcomes between patients with AD and without AD.MethodsThe study design used eligibility, medical, and pharmacy claims data from a large, national, geographically diverse, fee‐for‐service U.S. managed health plan. Commercially insured patients aged 65 years and older with a pharmacy benefit with evidence of AD (n = 4,450) and a control group without AD (n = 13,650) were matched by age, gender, plan location, and length of enrollment. Adverse event outcomes, comorbid conditions, and annualized health care costs were compared. Incremental costs were calculated by using a two‐part model to estimate the burden of illness; incremental cost confidence intervals were estimated by bootstrap analysis.ResultsPatients with AD had generally higher health care costs and higher risk of acute adverse outcomes than the control cohort. Annual adjusted total health care costs per patient were approximately $1,418 greater for the AD cohort. Patients with AD had an unadjusted fracture risk of 14.6% versus 6.2% in the matched cohort and accidental injury/falls risk of 27.4% versus 11.4%.ConclusionsFew studies have examined the disease burden of AD in commercial managed care settings. Similar to results of comparative studies with Medicare data, the disease burden is greater for patients with AD compared with a matched control cohort, with a different mix and a greater number of comorbid health care conditions partially accounting for this difference. As membership in commercial and Medicare managed care plans increases, plans will need to develop effective mechanisms to manage the health care of high‐risk, high‐cost patients with AD.
The role of geography and history in determining the slower progress of post-communist transition in the Balkans
Authors: Petrovic Milenko 
Published: April 2008

Central European and Baltic nations have progressed markedly faster than the other former communist states of Eastern Europe in post-communist transition. While five East Central European and three Baltic states have managed to successfully achieve the most important goals of political and economic transition and fulfil the criteria for EU membership, their counterparts from the Balkans continue to experience serious difficulties in implementing transitional reforms and merely hope for such an outcome.
Scholarly analyses of the reasons for this division of post-communist Eastern Europe have often tended to emphasise the decisive importance of the initial geo-political, economic and socio-cultural conditions dating back to the deep pre-communist histories of the countries in question. Not denying the relevance and structural impacts of some historical and geo-political facts concerning the establishment of these differences, this paper argues that there is a limited explanatory value to structural arguments of the role of initial conditions in assessing the reasons for the slower progress of the Balkan states in post-communist reform.