bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low spontaneous apoptosis index at diagnosis predicts a high-risk phenotype in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Authors: Singh Ankita , Bhatia Prateek , Trehan Amita , Bansal Deepak , Singh Ajit , Bhatia Alka 
Published: June 2018

Background & objectives:
Significance of apoptosis as a prognostic marker is less well studied in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) cases. Hence, a prospective study, involving 30 paediatric ALL cases, was done to assess the clinical relevance of in vivo apoptosis.

Methods:
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from all patients were subjected to annexin V/propidium iodide staining to detect the degree of apoptosis [apoptotic index (AI)] at day 0 and day 35 post-induction chemotherapy. In addition, Bax and Bcl2 apoptotic protein expressions were studied at day 0 and their relative fluorescence mean intensity (RFMI) ratios were calculated.

Results:
Mean age of patients was 5.1 years. Of the 30 cases, 21 (70%) were at standard-risk, five (17%) at intermediate and four (13%) at high risk. Majority (83%) were B-ALL. Day 8 absolute blast count was >1000/μl in seven (23%) and <1000/μl in 23 of 30 (77%) cases. Day 35 marrow was M1 in 23 (92%) and M2 in two of 25 (8%) cases. AI at day 0 and day 35 ranged from 0.9 to16.6 per cent and 1.4 to 62.8 per cent with a mean of 5.90 and 19.64 per cent, respectively. The Bax/Bcl2 ratio ranged from 0.2 to 3.5 with a mean of 0.83. The ratio was predominantly anti-apoptotic, i.e. <1 (77%). A significant association was noted between low AI at day 0 and high total leucocyte count (P=0.02), T-cell phenotype (P=0.043) and high-risk as per NCI category (P=0.025). Significant increase (>30%) in day 35 AI was seen in only six cases.

Interpretation & conclusions:
Our study showed that low AI at day 0 was associated with a high-risk clinical phenotype in paediatric ALL. However, studies on larger group, especially with longer follow up or study of relapse cases, will help draw conclusions regarding apoptosis assessment in paediatric ALL.
O ENSINO DE PROJETO INTEGRADO DE ARQUITETURA E URBANISMO E A MUDANÇA NO HABITUS
Authors: Medeiros de Freitas Daniel 
Published: June 2018

A necessária integração conceitual e instrumental entre o projeto de edificações e o planejamento do espaço urbano é, de um lado, um desafio recorrente no debate sobre a formação dos arquitetos urbanistas. Por outro lado, o contexto de intensificação da ação do capital sobre a forma urbana em diferentes frentes, sobretudo por meio de Grandes Projetos Urbanos, demanda a problematização da forma urbana autoral e fechada e o modo como esta é abordada na estrutura curricular dos cursos de graduação em arquitetura e urbanismo. Este artigo se insere nessa lacuna por meio da análise da disciplina Projeto Integrado de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, na qual os alunos desenvolvem intervenção construída na interface entre o campo da arquitetura e do planejamento urbano. Foram analisados registros das bancas de avaliação e o memorial descritivo dos projetos, complementados por notas de aula ao longo de experiência docente na disciplina entre 2012 e 2015. A análise recorre ao conceito bourdiano de habitus, com ênfase no papel desse tipo de disciplina na sua construção e consolidação. O artigo aponta as dificuldades de integração entre escalas e discute como essa situação pode estar contribuindo, em vez de reverter, para a produção de projetos arquitetônicos cada vez mais desarticulados com a leitura do lugar, de formas urbanas fechadas, espetacularizadas e reprodutoras dos processos de acumulação e segregação socioespacial.
Flash Vacuum Pyrolysis
Authors: Wentrup Curt 
Published: June 2018

AbstractFlash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) allows the generation, direct observation, and in many cases isolation of reactive intermediates and unusual molecules such as carbenes, nitrenes, free radicals, and cumulenes. Detailed characterization of unstable species is achieved in conjunction with matrix isolation or gas‐phase spectroscopic techniques. In addition,FVPhas many important applications in organic synthesis, where reactions are often initiated by extrusion of small molecules (eg,N2,CO,CO2, orSO2), or by elimination (eg,HCl,CH3COOH,HNCO, or isobutene), or by (retro)pericyclic reaction. These reactions are chemoselective, stereospecific, and usually proceed via the lowest activation energy paths to the products, which are often formed in high yields. Photochemistry is often complementary to pyrolysis, and the two methods in combination are powerful tools in investigations of chemical reactions.
Using secondary outcome to sharpen bounds for treatment harm rate in characterizing heterogeneity
Authors: Yin Yunjian , Cai Zheng , Zhou Xiao‐Hua 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn a clinical trial, statistical reports are typically concerned about the mean difference in two groups. Now there is increasing interest in the heterogeneity of the treatment effect, which has important implications in treatment evaluation and selection. The treatment harm rate (THR), which is defined by the proportion of people who has a worse outcome on the treatment compared to the control, was used to characterize the heterogeneity. Since THR involves the joint distribution of the two potential outcomes, it cannot be identified without further assumptions even in the randomized trials. We can only derive the simple bounds with the observed data. But the simple bounds are usually too wide. In this paper, we use a secondary outcome that satisfies the monotonicity assumption to tighten the bounds. It is shown that the bounds we derive cannot be wider than the simple bounds. We also construct some simulation studies to assess the performance of our bounds in finite sample. The results show that a secondary outcome, which is more closely related to the primary outcome, can lead to narrower bounds. Finally, we illustrate the application of the proposed bounds in a randomized clinical trial of determining whether the intensive glycemia could reduce the risk of development or progression of diabetic retinopathy.
Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius Squalene‐Hopene Cyclase: The Critical Role of Steric Bulk at Ala306 and the First Enzymatic Synthesis of Epoxydammarane from 2,3‐Oxidosqualene
Authors: Ideno Natsumi , Umeyama Shikou , Watanabe Takashi , Nakajima Mami , Sato Tsutomu , Hoshino Tsutomu 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe acyclic molecule squalene (1) is cyclized into 6,6,6,6,5‐fused pentacyclic hopene (2) and hopanol (3; ca. 5:1) through the action of Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius squalene‐hopene cyclase (AaSHC). The polycyclization reaction proceeds with regio‐ and stereochemical specificity under precise enzymatic control. This pentacyclic hopane skeleton is generated by folding 1 into an all‐chair conformation. The Ala306 residue in AaSHC is conserved in known squalene‐hopene cyclases (SHCs); however, increasing the steric bulk (A306T and A306V) led to the accumulation of 6,6,6,5‐fused tetracyclic scaffolds possessing 20R stereochemistry in high yield (94 % for A306V). The production of the 20R configuration indicated that 1 had been folded in a chair‐chair‐chair‐boat conformation; in contrast, the normal chair‐chair‐chair‐chair conformation affords the tetracycle with 20S stereochemistry, but the yield produced by the A306V mutant was very low (6 %). Consequently, bulk at position 306 significantly affects the stereochemical fate during the polycyclization reaction. The SHC also accepts (3R) and (3S)‐2,3‐oxidosqualenes (OXSQs) to generate 3α,β‐hydroxyhopenes and 3α,β‐hydroxyhopanols through polycyclization initiated at the epoxide ring. However, the Val and Thr mutants generated epoxydammarane scaffolds from (3R)‐OXSQ; this indicated that the polycyclization cascade started in these instances at the terminal double bond position. This work is the first to report the polycyclization of oxidosqualene starting at the terminal double bond.
Impact of human disturbance on bee pollinator communities in savanna and agricultural sites in Burkina Faso, West Africa
Authors: Stein Katharina , Stenchly Kathrin , Coulibaly Drissa , Pauly Alain , Dimobe Kangbeni , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf , Konaté Souleymane , Goetze Dethardt , Porembski Stefan , Linsenmair K. Eduard 
Published: June 2018

AbstractAll over the world, pollinators are threatened by land‐use change involving degradation of seminatural habitats or conversion into agricultural land. Such disturbance often leads to lowered pollinator abundance and/or diversity, which might reduce crop yield in adjacent agricultural areas. For West Africa, changes in bee communities across disturbance gradients from savanna to agricultural land are mainly unknown. In this study, we monitored for the impact of human disturbance on bee communities in savanna and crop fields. We chose three savanna areas of varying disturbance intensity (low, medium, and high) in the South Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso, based on land‐use/land cover data via Landsat images, and selected nearby cotton and sesame fields. During 21 months covering two rainy and two dry seasons in 2014 and 2015, we captured bees using pan traps. Spatial and temporal patterns of bee species abundance, richness, evenness and community structure were assessed. In total, 35,469 bee specimens were caught on 12 savanna sites and 22 fields, comprising 97 species of 32 genera. Bee abundance was highest at intermediate disturbance in the rainy season. Species richness and evenness did not differ significantly. Bee communities at medium and highly disturbed savanna sites comprised only subsets of those at low disturbed sites. An across‐habitat spillover of bees (mostly abundant social bee species) from savanna into crop fields was observed during the rainy season when crops are mass‐flowering, whereas most savanna plants are not in bloom. Despite disturbance intensification, our findings suggest that wild bee communities can persist in anthropogenic landscapes and that some species even benefitted disproportionally. West African areas of crop production such as for cotton and sesame may serve as important food resources for bee species in times when resources in the savanna are scarce and receive at the same time considerable pollination service.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Study on the spatial–temporal change characteristics and influence factors of fog and haze pollution based on GAM
Authors: Wu Zhuang , Zhang Shuo 
Published: June 2018

AbstractPM2.5 (particulate matter) is an important object for air quality monitoring, and the research on related influence factors and diffusion process of PM2.5 plays a key role in the fight against pollution of fog and haze. Based on the air quality monitoring data and related meteorological data of 16 districts of Beijing during November 2016 and December 2017, such methods as time-series analysis and nonparametric test are adopted to describe the variation trend of PM2.5 concentration in space and time and its disparities in different seasons, time periods and areas. Linear regression method is used in most of the previous research on influence factors and prediction of PM2.5 concentration, but actually, the relation between these factors is rather intricate and it is usually nonlinear. So, generalized additive model (GAM) is used in this paper to analyze the impact that different influence factors, especially their interaction, have on PM2.5 concentration and its diffusion process. The result shows that in the dimensionality of time, PM2.5 concentration has strong autocorrelation over time and it is most significant in the first to the third order (lag 0–lag 3). Throughout the year, PM2.5 concentration is relatively high in winter and low in summer. It is usually the lowest during 16:00–18:00 and the highest during 9:00–11:00 every day and far higher at night than in the daytime (MD = − 6.455, P = 0.003). And in terms of space, PM2.5 concentration shows distinct spatial gradient and it gradually decreases from south to north (MD = − 19.250, P = 0.004). It is found in the analysis of influence factors of PM2.5 concentration that the change of PM2.5 concentration is a complex nonlinear time series driven and affected by many factors; among these factors, the interaction between air pollutants and meteorological elements is the most prominent, while average wind speed (WS lag 1) plays a decisive role in the entire diffusion process, and it explains the whole diffusion of PM2.5 concentration to a large extent.
Hyperactive behavior in female rats in utero‐exposed to group B Streptococcus‐induced inflammation
Authors: Allard Marie‐Julie , Brochu Marie‐Elsa , Bergeron Julie D. , Sebire Guillaume 
Published: June 2018

AbstractGroup B Streptococcus (GBS) is one the most common bacterium responsible of maternal infections during pregnancy. Offspring in utero‐exposed to GBS‐induced placental inflammation displayed sex‐specific forebrain injuries. Sex differences have been reported in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Hence, we hypothesized that female rats in utero‐exposed to GBS may present sex‐specific neurobehavioral impairments. Lewis rats were injected intraperitoneally every 12 h from gestational day (G) 19 to G22 with either saline (controls) or inactivated serotype Ia GBS (109 CFU). Before puberty, no difference in terms of spontaneous motor activity, exploratory or anxiety‐related behaviors was noticed between experimental conditions. During puberty, GBS‐exposed females – but not males – performed worse than same‐sex controls in a forced motor task. During adulthood, GBS‐exposed females – but not males – displayed increased spontaneous locomotor activity and decreased inhibition. In conclusion, our findings show for the first time that adult females – but not males – in utero‐exposed to GBS‐induced inflammation presented a hyperactive and disinhibited phenotype emerging after puberty.
All parabolas through three non-collinear points
Authors: Huddy Stanley R. , Jones Michael A. 
Published: June 2018

If no two of three non-collinear points share the same x-coordinate, then the parabola y = a2x2 + a1x + a0 through the points is easily found by solving a system of linear equations. That is but one of an infinite number of parabolas through the three points. How does one find the other parabolas? In this note, we find all parabolas through any three non-collinear points by reducing the problem to finding the equation of a parabola by using rotations.The parabola y = a2x2 + a1x + a0 has an axis of symmetry parallel to the y-axis. Other parabolas have an axis of symmetry that is parallel to some line y = mx. We focus on the angle θ that the axis of symmetry makes with the y-axis, as in Figure 1, so that tanθ = 1/m. To find the parabola associated with θ that goes through three non-collinear points, we rotate the three points counterclockwise by θ, find the equation of the parabola, and then rotate the parabola (and the three points) counterclockwise back by −θ so that the parabola goes through the original points.
Assisted resection of lateral extension of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma using a sphenopalatine fossa dissector
Authors: Mishra A 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundJuvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma often attaches firmly to the adjoining bony region around the sphenopalatine foramina–sphenopalatine fossa–pterygomaxillary fissure. This can result in hourglass-shaped constriction and predispose to incomplete resection (residual disease) with a transpalatal approach. This paper describes attempts to address this ‘inaccessible’ area with a novel instrument, used since 2012.MethodsMeasurements of the sphenopalatine foramen, nasal septum, posterior nasopharyngeal wall and hard palate were undertaken in 20 skulls and 10 computed tomography scans (lateral extension). A device was designed (in terms of angulation and length) following several trials with malleable wire. A search of patents was also undertaken. Recurrence rates were compared in cases of device use and non-use.ResultsThe novelty of the sphenopalatine fossa dissector was established and the device was patented. This device has significantly improved our 17.59 per cent recurrence rate of the past 4 decades; of 63 cases over 3 years, there were only 3 recurrences and 2 residual disease cases. Findings of our previous studies with or without the device are compared.ConclusionExisting evidence supports the incorporation of this inexpensive instrument in the armamentarium for resecting lateral extension of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma during a transpalatal approach.
Public Authority Under Sovereign Encroachment: Leadership in two villages during Sri Lanka's war
Authors: KLEM BART , MAUNAGURU SIDHARTHAN 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn this article, we compare two kinds of public authority under conditions of civil war. We study two villages in eastern Sri Lanka, both of which came under LTTE rule during the 1990s and 2000s. The first case study describes a rural development society, which was co-opted by the LTTE to rule the village. The second describes the leaders of a Hindu temple, who defied LTTE attempts to settle temple-related conflicts. Conceptually, we draw on the notion of the public sphere as a space of encounter between the rulers and the ruled. This perspective helps us come to grips with the convoluted political landscape of war. Our two case studies suggest that public authority and sovereignty are mutually constituted. We argue that both forms of power are reworked in the encounter with the public sphere. A sovereign aspirant like the LTTE does not simply impose itself on society, it encroaches on it. This involves contingent efforts of reigning in other forms of public authority, some of which are more defiant than others. Conversely, public authority not only derives validity from sovereign endorsement, but from contestations around sovereignty as well.
Seroepidemiology of varicella zoster virus infection in Vojvodina, Serbia
Authors: Medić S. , Petrović V. , Milosević V. , Lozanov-Crvenković Z. , Brkić S. , Andrews N. , de Ory F. , Anastassopoulou C. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe present cross-sectional serosurvey constitutes the first effort to describe the varicella zoster virus (VZV) seroepidemiology in Serbia. An age-stratified serum bank of 3570 residual samples collected between 2015 and 2016 in each of the seven districts of the Vojvodina Province was tested for IgG anti-VZV antibodies with an enzyme immunoassay. Results were standardised into common units according to the European Sero-Epidemiology Network (ESEN2) methodology. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to examine the relationships between standardised anti-VZV positivity or logarithmically transformed antibody titres and demographic features of study subjects. Seropositivity (85% overall) increased with age, in parallel with geometric mean titres. By the time of school entry, 68% of children were immune. The slower subsequent acquisition of immunity leaves epidemiologically relevant proportions of adolescents (7%), young adults (6%) and especially females of reproductive age (6%) prone to more severe forms of varicella. In the ongoing pre-vaccine era, natural infection provides a high level of collective immunity, with the highest VZV transmission in children of preschool age. The detected gaps in VZV immunity of the Serbian population support the adoption of the official recommendations for varicella immunisation of non-immune adolescents and young adults, including non-pregnant women of childbearing age.
Ventral striatal dysfunction in cocaine dependence – difference mapping for subregional resting state functional connectivity
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Li Chiang-Shan R. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractResearch of dopaminergic deficits has focused on the ventral striatum (VS) with many studies elucidating altered resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in individuals with cocaine dependence (CD). The VS comprises functional subregions and delineation of subregional changes in rsFC requires careful consideration of the differences between addicted and healthy populations. In the current study, we parcellated the VS using whole-brain rsFC differences between CD and non-drug-using controls (HC). Voxels with similar rsFC changes formed functional clusters. The results showed that the VS was divided into 3 subclusters, in the area of the dorsal-anterior VS (daVS), dorsal posterior VS (dpVS), and ventral VS (vVS), each in association with different patterns of rsFC. The three subregions shared reduced rsFC with bilateral hippocampal/parahippocampal gyri (HG/PHG) but also showed distinct changes, including reduced vVS rsFC with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and increased daVS rsFC with visual cortex in CD as compared to HC. Across CD, daVS visual cortical connectivity was positively correlated with amount of prior-month cocaine use and cocaine craving, and vVS vmPFC connectivity was negatively correlated with the extent of depression and anxiety. These findings suggest a distinct pattern of altered VS subregional rsFC in cocaine dependence, and some of the changes have eluded analyses using the whole VS as a seed region. The findings may provide new insight to delineating VS circuit deficits in cocaine dependence and provide an alternative analytical framework to address functional dysconnectivity in other mental illnesses.
Statistical analysis and estimation of the regional trend of aerosol size over the Arabian Gulf Region during 2002–2016
Authors: Barbulescu Alina , Nazzal Yousef , Howari Fares 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIn this article, we present the results of the regional estimation of the evolution of monthly mean aerosol size over the Arabian Gulf Region, based on the data collected during the period July 2002 – September 2016. The dataset used is complete, without missing values. Two methods are introduced for this purpose. The first one is based on the partition of the regional series in sub-series and the selection of the most representative one for fitting the regional trend. The second one is a version of the first method, combined with the k-means clustering algorithm. Comparison of their performances is also provided. The study proves that both methods give a very good estimation of the evolution of the aerosol size in the Arabian Gulf Region in the study period.
Real-time ex-vivo measurement of brain metabolism using hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate
Authors: Harris Talia , Azar Assad , Sapir Gal , Gamliel Ayelet , Nardi-Schreiber Atara , Sosna Jacob , Gomori J. Moshe , Katz-Brull Rachel 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe ability to directly monitor in vivo brain metabolism in real time in a matter of seconds using the dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization technology holds promise to aid the understanding of brain physiology in health and disease. However, translating the hyperpolarized signal observed in the brain to cerebral metabolic rates is not straightforward, as the observed in vivo signals reflect also the influx of metabolites produced in the body, the cerebral blood volume, and the rate of transport across the blood brain barrier. We introduce a method to study rapid metabolism of hyperpolarized substrates in the viable rat brain slices preparation, an established ex vivo model of the brain. By retrospective evaluation of tissue motion and settling from analysis of the signal of the hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate precursor, the T1s of the metabolites and their rates of production can be determined. The enzymatic rates determined here are in the range of those determined previously with classical biochemical assays and are in agreement with hyperpolarized metabolite relative signal intensities observed in the rodent brain in vivo.