bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of patient subgroups with markedly disparate rates of MYCN amplification in neuroblastoma: A report from the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group project
Authors: Thompson Daria , Vo Kieuhoa T. , London Wendy B. , Fischer Matthias , Ambros Peter F. , Nakagawara Akira , Brodeur Garrett M. , Matthay Katherine K. , DuBois Steven G. 
Published: December 2015

BACKGROUNDMYCN gene amplification (MNA) is a hallmark of aggressive neuroblastoma. This study was performed to determine univariate and multivariate predictors of tumor MNA.METHODSData from the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group were analyzed for a subset of 7102 patients with known MYCN status. Chi‐square testing and logistic regression were used to identify univariate and multivariate predictors of MYCN status. Recursive partitioning was used to identify groups of patients with maximal differences in rates of MNA.RESULTSAll clinical features (age ≥ 18 months, high ferritin levels, high lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] levels, International Neuroblastoma Staging System stage 4, and adrenal sites) and pathological/biological features (DNA index ≤ 1, high mitosis‐karyorrhexis index [MKI], undifferentiated/poorly differentiated grade, unfavorable histology according to the International Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification, and segmental chromosomal aberrations [SCAs]) were significantly associated with MNA. LDH (odds ratio [OR], 8.4; P < .001) and chromosomal 1p loss of heterozygosity (OR, 19.8; P < .001) were the clinical and biological variables, respectively, most strongly associated with MNA. In logistic regression, all variables except chromosome 17q aberration and pooled SCAs were independently predictive of MNA. Recursive partitioning identified subgroups with disparate rates of MNA, including subgroups with 85.7% MNA (patients with high LDH levels who had poorly differentiated adrenal tumors with chromosome 1p deletion) and 0.6% MNA (localized tumors having hyperdiploidy and low MKIs and lacking chromosome 1p aberrations).CONCLUSIONSMNA is strongly associated with other clinical and biological variables in neuroblastoma. Recursive partitioning has identified subgroups of neuroblastoma patients with highly disparate rates of MNA. These findings can be used to inform investigations of molecular mechanisms of MNA. Cancer 2016;122:935–45. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Liver function tests in patients with acute heart failure and associated outcomes: insights from ASCEND‐HF
Authors: Samsky Marc D. , Dunning Allison , DeVore Adam D. , Schulte Phillip J. , Starling Randall C. , Wilson Tang W.H. , Armstrong Paul W. , Ezekowitz Justin A. , Butler Javed , McMurray John J. , Teerlink John R. , Voors Adrian A. , Metra Marco , Mentz Robert J. , O'Connor Christopher M. , Patel Chetan B. , Hernandez Adrian F. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAimsWe aimed to characterize abnormal liver function tests in patients with heart failure (HF), as they are commonly encountered yet poorly defined.Methods and resultsWe used data from ASCEND‐HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure) to characterize associations with baseline liver function tests (LFTs). Each LFT was analysed as both a continuous and dichotomous variable [normal vs. abnormal; bilirubin >1.0 mg/dL; aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) >35 mmol/L]. Logistic regression assessed the association of LFTs and 30‐day all‐cause mortality and HF rehospitalization, and Cox proportional hazards assessed the association with 180‐day all‐cause mortality among patients alive at a 30‐day landmark. In ASCEND‐HF, 4228 (59%) had complete admission LFT data. Of these, 42% had abnormal bilirubin, 22% had abnormal ALT, and 30% had abnormal AST. Patients with abnormal LFTs were younger, had lower body mass index, and lower left ventricular ejection fraction. In multivariable models, increased total bilirubin was associated with increased 30‐day mortality or HF rehospitalization [hazard ratio (HR) 1.17 per 1 mg/dL increase, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04, 1.32; P = 0.012], but not with an increase in 180‐day mortality (HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.97, 1.25; P = 0.13) per 1 mg/dl increase. Compared with normal bilirubin levels, abnormal bilirubin was associated with increased 30‐day mortality or HF rehospitalization (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.00, 1.54; P = 0.048) and 180‐day mortality (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.08, 1.62; P = 0.007). We found no association with AST or ALT and outcomes.ConclusionGreater than 40% of patients hospitalized with acute HF had abnormal LFTs. After multivariable adjustment, only elevated bilirubin was independently associated with worse clinical outcomes and may represent an important prognostic variable.
Seismic fragility of traction elevators
Authors: Porter Keith 
Published: December 2015

SummarySecond‐generation performance‐based earthquake engineering (PBEE‐2) requires a library of component fragility functions to estimate probabilistic damage to a wide variety of building components. The present work draws on a large body of (mostly) post‐earthquake reconnaissance and (some) post‐earthquake survey observations of traction elevators to create fragility functions useful in PBEE‐2. Two surveys provide detailed observations of 115 representative elevators at 12 hospitals shaken in the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes and selected without regard to or foreknowledge of damage. Of these, 55 failed and 60 did not. Approximately half were installed after an important code change of 1972, so one can distinguish the performance of pre‐1973 and post‐1973 elevator construction. They experienced a range of strong motion: 22 with peak ground acceleration (PGA) < 0.25 g, 93 with 0.25 g < PGA < 0.85 g. The hospitals had elevator failure rates as low as 0% and as high as 100%. A third survey describes damage qualitatively for six sites with PGA ≤ 0.25 and per‐site failure rates of 0% to perhaps 30%. Fragility functions are offered where the damage state is the loss of functionality of the elevator. The elevators in these surveys exhibit a median capacity of PGA ≈ 0.35 g with a logarithmic standard deviation of 0.40. Capacity is modestly sensitive to whether the elevator was installed before or after 1973. Using building‐specific intensity measures such as Sa(T1) does not improve the fragility functions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Executive Functioning and Visuospatial Abilities in Bulimia Nervosa with or without a Previous History of Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Degortes Daniela , Tenconi Elena , Santonastaso Paolo , Favaro Angela 
Published: December 2015

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to investigate executive functioning and visuospatial abilities in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN), with a particular interest in exploring the impact of a previous diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN).MethodSeveral neuropsychological tasks were administered to 89 BN patients (52 with a previous history of AN and 37 without previous AN) and 160 healthy women.ResultsA poorer performance on set‐shifting measures (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) was found only in BN patients with a previous history of AN. Decision‐making abilities (Iowa Gambling Task) were significantly impaired in the whole sample of BN patients, but difficulties were more pronounced in the subgroup with previous AN. Finally, we did not find any differences in response inhibition and visuospatial abilities between the two samples of BN patients and healthy women.DiscussionOur findings support the idea that cognitive abilities in patients with BN are more impaired in the presence of a prior history of AN. The clinical and treatment implications of our findings should be explored in future studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Effect of temperature and cooling regime on mechanical properties of high‐strength low‐alloy steel
Authors: Aziz Esam M. , Kodur Venkatesh K. 
Published: December 2015

SUMMARYThis paper presents results from experimental studies on the effect of temperature on mechanical properties of high‐strength low‐alloy ASTM A572 steel commonly used in structural members in bridges. A set of high‐temperature tensile strength tests and post‐temperature exposed residual strength tests is carried out on ASTM A572 steel coupons in 20–1000 °C temperature range. The residual strength tests on high‐temperature exposed steel coupons are carried out after subjecting the coupons to two methods of cooling, namely, air cooling and water quenching. Results from these tests indicate that temperature‐dependent strength and stiffness degradation in A572 steel follow the same trend as that of carbon steel but with some variations. A572 steel recovers almost 100% of its room temperature yield strength when heated to temperature up to 600 °C, regardless of the method of cooling, while the extent of strength degradation in coupons subjected to heating beyond 600 °C is dependent on heated temperature and method of cooling. Data generated in these tests are utilized to generate high‐temperature stress–strain and residual stress–strain response of A572 steel. These results are also utilized to propose temperature‐dependent strength, elastic modules, and residual strength reduction factors of A572 steel, which can be used in evaluating residual response of fire‐exposed steel structures. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
pH dependent partitioning behaviour of food and beverage aroma compounds between air‐aqueous and organic‐aqueous matrices
Authors: Rayne Sierra , Forest Kaya 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAroma compounds in the Flavornet database were screened for ionizable functional groups such as carboxylic acids, aliphatic and aromatic amines, phenols, alcohols and thiols. Of the 738 aroma compounds listed in this database, 101 molecules have ionizable moieties with estimated monomeric aqueous pKa values ranging between 1.75 and 10.97. pH dependent effective air/water partitioning coefficients (Kaw,eff) and n‐octanol/water partitioning coefficients (Dow) were estimated for all ionizable aroma compounds over the pH range from 0 to 14. The ionizable aroma compounds display a broad range of Kaw,eff (1.8 × 10‐23 to 6.1 atm M‐1) and log Dow (‐6.2 to +7.2 units) values. For many aroma compounds, pH dependent ionization will have a significant effect on Kaw,eff and Dow, leading to variations in these physico‐chemical properties by up to 11 orders of magnitude over the composite pH range of common foods and beverages. Changes in food and beverage pH affect not only the relative contributions of neutral versus charged forms of ionizable aroma compounds (which directly affects analyte volatility and olfactory reception), but also partitioning between freely dissolved and sorbed forms of the analyte in solution (which indirectly affects analyte volatility). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact of Community‐based Health Insurance on Access and Financial Protection: Evidence from Three Randomized Control Trials in Rural India
Authors: Raza Wameq A. , van de Poel Ellen , Bedi Arjun , Rutten Frans 
Published: December 2015

AbstractSince the 1990s, community‐based health insurance (CBHI) schemes have been proposed to reduce the financial consequences of illness and enhance access to healthcare in developing countries. Convincing evidence on the ability of such schemes to meet their objectives is scarce. This paper uses randomized control trials conducted in rural Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (India) to evaluate the effects of three CBHI schemes on healthcare utilization and expenditure. We find that the schemes have no effect on these outcomes. The results suggest that CBHI schemes of the type examined in this paper are unlikely to have a substantial impact on access and financial protection in developing countries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evidences on Donors Competition in Africa: Traditional Donors versus China
Authors: Kilama Eric Gabin 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThis paper describes the aid allocation behaviours of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors and their response to the emergence of China in the aid landscape. Our analysis presents evidences of donors' competition in Africa.We investigate whether African countries with the Chinese influence expanding receive favourable aid modalities from G7 donors over the period 2000–2011. We find a robust positive relationship between the level of aid and the number of China projects a country receives and the level of bilateral aid from G7 donors, even after accounting for standard economic and political factors. Results indicate that DAC donors use bilateral aid to tackle the increasing influence of China in Africa, by delivering more aid to countries with natural resources or strategic political interest. The paper also assesses empirically whether strategic interests and economic competition between DAC donors and China have influenced the composition of aid flows received by African countries.Our empirical strategy is sharpened by the use of a spatial‐X model and a difference‐in‐difference estimation that leverages a ‘natural’ experiment in DAC aid flows in the aftermath of the financial crisis, with China increasing his sphere of influence in Africa. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hybrid spatial‐spectral MoM analysis of microstrip structures
Authors: Essid Chaker , Ben Salah M. Bassem , Samet Abdelaziz 
Published: December 2015

SummaryIn this paper, a new hybrid method formulation to resolve the mixed potential integral equation in an efficient and a fast approach, which is based on a simultaneous formulation in both spatial and spectral domains, is proposed. The entries of the method of moments matrix are then given by the sum of two integrals. The first one is expressed in the spatial domain. This part is analytically evaluated after a development in Taylor series of the exponential terms in the function to integrate. The integrals expressed in the spectral domain have a finite range, and they are calculated using numerical integration. Then the convergence problem is avoided in this approach. A good agreement between the simulated and measured results has been achieved. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Testing Predictors of Instructional Practice in Elementary Science Education: The Significant Role of Accountability
Authors: HAYES KATHRYN N. , TREXLER CARY J. 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTMany resources have been committed to research on science teaching pedagogies, resulting in a robust understanding of best instructional practices. Yet, exposure to excellent science instruction in elementary school is haphazard at best and often inequitable. Although the research community has attended to the role of teacher traits, such as attitude and preparation, very little research examines the role of policy and context in constraining or supporting such best practices at the elementary level. This study attempts to fill this need through a multilevel model of how teacher traits, socioeconomic context (SE context), and accountability pressures predict students’ opportunity to engage in hands‐on and laboratory science education. Results indicate accountability pressure eclipsed all other predictors, including SE context, in accounting for variance in the model. Final analysis indicates that teachers at high accountability pressure schools spent about 60% less time using hands‐on and laboratory teaching methods than teachers at lower accountability pressure schools, an equity issue given the distribution of underrepresented students. Teacher traits including professional development, experience, attitude, and degree were insignificant in the model. This has implications for efforts to improve elementary science education in the United States, as research and national priorities have been focused primarily on teacher development.
Structure and water oxidation activity of 3d metal oxides
Authors: Li Ye‐Fei , Liu Zhi‐Pan 
Published: December 2015

Water splitting driven by solar energy is regarded as the candidate for the next generation of power source. The reaction is however kinetically hindered by the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involving four proton–electron transfer steps. The ideal OER catalyst should avoid using precious elements, such as Ir, Ru, and Pt, and have a long‐term stability under positive bias potential. Recent experiments have shown that most 3d oxides are OER active catalysts, while some can even achieve comparable activities to commercial Ir/Ru catalysts in lab condition. In this article, we review the recent theoretical progress for characterizing the structure of 3d oxides and understanding the photo‐electrocatalytic water splitting mechanism over these catalysts. The methodology for global structure exploration, including evolutionary algorithm and stochastic surface walking method, is first introduced together with their applications in exploring the potential energy surface of TiO2 and NiOx systems. The current theoretical approaches to investigate the thermodynamics and kinetics of photo‐/electrochemical reactions are discussed and the latest understanding for OER reactions are summarized. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2016, 6:47–64. doi: 10.1002/wcms.1236This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science
Computer and Information Science > Computer Algorithms and Programming
Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Reaction Dynamics and Kinetics
Secondary Cancers After Radiation Therapy for Primary Prostate or Rectal Cancer
Authors: Lee Yen‐Chien , Hsieh Chung‐Cheng , Li Chung‐Yi , Chuang Jen‐Pin , Lee Jenq‐Chang 
Published: December 2015

AbstractLiterature about the risk of secondary cancer after radiation therapy (RT) of prostate and rectal cancer reveals contradictory results. We conducted a meta‐analysis to examine whether the RT induces secondary rectal or prostate cancer in patients, respectively, with prostate or rectal cancer. All studies published in Medline or Pubmed up to March 3, 2015, containing RT of primary rectal or prostate cancer, and providing risk estimates of secondary prostate or rectal cancer were considered as eligible. Relative risk (RR) and standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated using the random‐effects model. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. 12 of them were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. For prostate cancer patients, pooled adjusted RRs or SIRs did not show an effect on the risk of secondary rectal cancer. However, notwithstanding the limitations of SEER‐based studies, the subgroup of prostate cancer patients receiving external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) showed an increased risk of rectal cancer. For rectal cancer patients, pooled adjusted RR of prostate cancer was 1.12 (95 % CI, 0.44–2.8) and SIR was 0.40 (95 % CI, 0.29–0.55). All studies included in the SIR analysis of rectal cancer were derived from the SEER data source. Based on current evidence, RT for prostate cancer patients had no effect on rectal cancer incidence, except for patients who received EBRT therapy. However, compared with the general population, RT for rectal cancer is associated with a decreased prostate cancer risk as found in SEER‐based studies.
Clinical Analysis of Familial Nonmedullary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Yang Shuai , Meng Xian‐ying , Chen Guang , Pang Ren‐zhu 
Published: December 2015

AbstractObjectiveTo analyze the clinical characteristics of familial nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma (FNMTC), in order to provide evidence for early diagnosis and treatment.MethodsWe retrospectively investigated the inpatients between September 2006 and September 2013 in the First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University, in which 78 patients with FNMTC from 31 families were analyzed by a comparison with 3445 control cases from the patients with sporadic nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma (SNMTC).ResultsThere was no significant difference in gender, age, and tumor size between FNMTC and SNMTC patients. However, the characteristics of disease in multifoci, neck lymph node metastasis, invasion to the surrounding tissues, and coexistence with Hashimoto disease in two types of cancer patients show significant difference. They are: multifoci: 71.8 % (56/78) in FNMTC versus 46.3 % (1595/3445) in SNMTC; neck lymph node metastasis: 52.6 % (41/78) in FNMTC versus 33.3 % (1148/3445) in SNMTC; surrounding tissue invasion: 64.1 % (50/78) in FNMTC versus 48.5 % (1670/3445) in SNMTC; coexistence with Hashimoto disease: 30.8 % (24/78) in FNMTC versus 20.0 % (689/3445) in SNMTC.ConclusionLymph node metastasis, multifoci, invasion to the surrounding tissues, and combination with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis are the main features of FNMTC, which suggests the extent of the operation for FNMTC patients should be amplified properly.
Efficacy and Toxicity of Hepatic Intra‐Arterial Drug‐Eluting (Irinotecan) Bead (DEBIRI) Therapy in Irinotecan‐Refractory Unresectable Colorectal Liver Metastases
Authors: Bhutiani Neal , Akinwande Olaguoke , Martin Robert C. G. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractIntroductionResponse rates to systemic chemotherapy for patients who have failed irinotecan‐based chemotherapy for liver‐dominant metastatic colorectal cancer range between 10 and 18 % with overall survival between 7 and 9 months. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of hepatic arterial irinotecan therapy in patients with hepatic‐dominant metastatic colorectal cancer who had failed systemic irinotecan.MethodsThis was a multi‐institutional, multi‐national, analysis of patients who received DEBIRI in the setting of unresectable liver‐dominant metastatic colorectal cancer. Patients had received between 1 and 4 lines of prior chemotherapy, the majority of which included systemic irinotecan. Primary endpoints were toxicity profile and tumor response rate.Results296 patients with unresectable liver metastases who had undergone 666 DEBIRI treatments were reviewed. 192 treatments were performed in patients who had received prior systemic irinotecan. 222 treatments were performed in irinotecan‐naïve patients. The median number of DEBIRI treatments was 1 (range 1–8); median treatment dose was 100 mg (range 50–200 mg), with total hepatic treatment of approximately 100 mg (range 20/30–200/300 mg). All‐grade adverse events occurred in 18 % of patients receiving prior systemic irinotecan compared with 15 % of patients receiving no prior systemic irinotecan (including chemo‐naïve patients). Response rates in patients with prior systemic irinotecan were 44 % at 3 months, 43 % at 6 months, and 44 % at 12 months, compared with 45, 40, and 35 % during the same time point in patients without prior systemic irinotecan. All‐grade adverse events occurred in 10, 20, 10, and 37 % of patients receiving 0, 1, 2, and 3+ lines of systemic chemotherapy, respectively. Overall survival was 90 %, 93 %, 90 %, 90 % at 6 months and 76 %, 71 %, 77 %, 87 % at 12 months in patients undergoing DEBIRI therapy after receiving 0, 1, 2, and 3+ lines of systemic chemotherapy, respectively.ConclusionsThe safety and efficacy of hepatic arterial drug‐eluting irinotecan bead (DEBIRI) therapy are not affected by non‐response to prior systemic irinotecan. While DEBIRI complete response rates are greatest and overall adverse events are least in chemotherapy‐naïve individuals, it retains its respectable efficacy and low rate of serious adverse events even in the setting of previous administration of systemic chemotherapy.