bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcome and toxicities associated to chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Gilbert syndrome. Usefulness of UGT1A1 mutational screening
Authors: Berrueco R. , Alonso‐Saladrigues A. , Martorell‐Sampol L. , Català‐Temprano A. , Ruiz‐Llobet A. , Toll T. , Torrebadell M. , Naudó M. , Camós M. , Rives S. 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent cancer in childhood. Although intensive chemotherapy has improved survival in those patients, important side effects, including hyperbilirubinemia, are frequent. Gilbert syndrome (GS) is a frequent condition that causes a reduction in glucuronidation and intermittent hyperbilirubinemia episodes. This could provoke a greater exposure to some cytotoxic agents used in ALL, increasing the risk of toxicity. On the other hand, unexplained hyperbilirubinemia could lead to unnecessary modifications or even treatment withdrawals, which could increase the risk of relapse, but data regarding this in ALL pediatric population are scarce.MethodsRetrospective study to analyze toxicity, outcome and treatment modifications related to GS in children diagnosed with ALL.ResultsA total of 23 of 159 patients were diagnosed with GS. They had statistically higher hyperbilirubinemias during all treatment phases (P < 0.0001) and a slower methotrexate clearance when it was administered during a 24‐hr infusion at high doses (patients with GS: 74 hr ± 19 vs. patients without GS: 64 hr ± 8; P < 0.002). However, no relevant toxicity or delays in treatment were found in them. Finally, changes in treatment due to hyperbilirubinemia were only done in 5 patients with GS.ConclusionsDifferences in outcome were not found in patients with GS. Universal screening for GS appears to be not necessary in pediatric patients with ALL. However, when hyperbilirubinemia is observed, it must be rule out in order to avoid unnecessary changes in treatment. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:1195–1201. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Synthesis and properties of fluorine–silicon modified polyacrylate hybrid latex particles with core–shell structure obtained via emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization
Authors: Zhou Jianhua , Chen Xin , Duan Hao , Ma Jianzhong 
Published: April 2015

AbstractA core–shell fluorine–silicon modified polyacrylate hybrid latex was successfully prepared via emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization. The chemical composition and core–shell morphology of the resultant hybrid particles were investigated using 1H NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. TEM analysis indicated that the core–shell hybrid particles were uniform with narrow size distributions. The particle size and zeta potential decreased with an increase of alkylvinylsulfonate surfactant from 2.5 to 6.0 wt%. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that fluorine concentrated preferentially at the film surface during a film‐formation process. The film formed from the fluorine–silicon modified polyacrylate showed much higher thermal stability than a film formed from polyacrylate and fluorine‐modified polyacrylate. Contact angle results showed that a finished fabric had remarkable water repellency. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Marrying mussel inspired chemistry with SET‐LRP: A novel strategy for surface functionalization of carbon nanotubes
Authors: Tian Jianwen , Xu Dazhuang , Liu Meiying , Deng Fengjie , Wan Qing , Li Zhen , Wang Ke , He Xiaohui , Zhang Xiaoyong , Wei Yen 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTSurface functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a thermo responsive polymer was achieved via combination of mussel inspired chemistry and surface initiated single electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP). In this procedure, CNTs were first coated with polydopamine (PDA) through self polymerization under a rather mild condition. And then PDA functionalized CNTs bearing with amino and hydroxyl groups were further reacted with bromo isobutyryl bromide. Finally, a thermo responsive polymer poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) was introduced on the CNTs via SET‐LRP. The successful surface modification of CNT‐PDA‐PNIPAM was evidenced by a series of characterization techniques. The resulting CNT‐PDA‐PNIPAM showed significant enhancement of dispersibility in both aqueous and organic solvents. More importantly, these CNT‐polymer nanocomposites showed obvious thermo responsive behavior due to the surface coating CNTs with PNIPAM. As compared with previous methods, this method is not required oxidation of CNTs to introduce funcitonal groups for immobilization of the polymerization initiators. More importantly, this method could also be utilized for fabricating many other polymer nanocomposites because of the strong and universal adhesive of PDA to various materials. It is therefore, the novel strategy via marrying mussel inspired chemistry with SET‐LRP should be a simple, general and effective method for surface functionalization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 1872–1879
Stringlish: improved English string searching in binary files
Authors: Aycock J. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryWhen analyzing binary files, printable strings are easy to find, but a naïve approach yields a large number of false positives: ‘uninteresting’ string‐like sequences that occur by chance in the binary. We present a lightweight yet surprisingly effective method of filtering printable strings for English or English‐like sequences. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The selective dopamine D3 receptor antagonist SB‐277011A attenuates drug‐ or food‐deprivation reactivation of expression of conditioned place preference for cocaine in male sprague‐dawley rats
Authors: Ashby Charles R. , Rice Onarae V. , Heidbreder Christian A. , Gardner Eliot L. 
Published: April 2015

ABSTRACTWe determined the effect of the selective dopamine D3 receptor antagonist SB‐277011A on reactivation of conditioned place preference (CPP) to cocaine elicited by priming injections of cocaine or exposure to food deprivation stress (21 h) in male Sprague–Dawley rats. Animals paired with the cocaine‐associated chamber displayed a robust and consistent CPP response. This CPP was extinguished after repeated pairings of the conditioned stimuli (cocaine‐paired chamber contextual cues) in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus (cocaine). Twenty‐four hours later, the administration of 5 mg kg−1 i.p. of cocaine (immediately before the test) or exposure to 21 h of food deprivation reactivated the expression of the cocaine‐induced CPP. In contrast, administration of 1 ml kg−1 i.p. of vehicle did not reactivate the CPP response. Administration of the selective dopamine D3 receptor antagonist SB‐277011A (3–24 mg kg−1 i.p.) 30 min before cocaine administration on the test day produced a significant attenuation of CPP reactivation. Reactivation of the CPP response produced by food deprivation was also significantly attenuated by SB‐277011A (6 or 12 mg kg−1 i.p.) given 30 min before the test session. SB‐277011A (12 or 24 mg kg−1 i.p.) did not itself produce reactivation of the CPP response. Overall, these results suggest that the reactivation of the incentive value of drug‐associated cues by cocaine or food deprivation is attenuated by selective antagonism of D3 receptors. Synapse 69:336–344, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tumor necrosis factor‐α and its role as a mediator in myocardial infarction: A brief review
Authors: Tian Ming , Yuan Yun‐Chuan , Li Jia‐Yi , Gionfriddo Michael R. , Huang Rong‐Chong 
Published: April 2015

AbstractTumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) contributes to myocardial infarction (MI) injury. Polymorphism of TNF‐α gene promoter region and secretion and release of TNF‐α and its transformation by a series of signaling pathways are all changed at different points of pathophysiological process in MI. Researches also investigated TNF‐α antagonists and their potential therapeutic role in the setting of MI and heart failure at both molecular and clinical level. This article briefly reviews TNF‐α and its mechanism as a mediator in MI.
A Practical Approach to Avoiding Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) from Invasive Instruments
Authors: Brown Paul , Farrell Michael 
Published: April 2015

Potential Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease instrument-contamination events continue to occur, causing widespread hospital and patient concern. We propose the use of a combination of diagnostic tests (ie, spinal fluid for 14-3-3 protein or nasal brushing for misfolded prion protein) and instrument handling procedures (ie, using a regional set of dedicated instruments), which if applied to all patients admitted with symptoms of either dementia or cerebellar disease, should eliminate the risk of iatrogenic instrument infection.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;36(7):844–848
Prediction of fruit and vegetable intake from biomarkers using individual participant data of diet-controlled intervention studies
Authors: Souverein Olga W. , de Vries Jeanne H. M. , Freese Riitta , Watzl Bernhard , Bub Achim , Miller Edgar R. , Castenmiller Jacqueline J. M. , Pasman Wilrike J. , van het Hof Karin , Chopra Mridula , Karlsen Anette , Dragsted Lars O. , Winkels Renate , Itsiopoulos Catherine , Brazionis Laima , O'Dea Kerin , van Loo-Bouwman Carolien A. , Naber Ton H. J. , van der Voet Hilko , Boshuizen Hendriek C. 
Published: April 2015

Fruit and vegetable consumption produces changes in several biomarkers in blood. The present study aimed to examine the dose–response curve between fruit and vegetable consumption and carotenoid (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin), folate and vitamin C concentrations. Furthermore, a prediction model of fruit and vegetable intake based on these biomarkers and subject characteristics (i.e. age, sex, BMI and smoking status) was established. Data from twelve diet-controlled intervention studies were obtained to develop a prediction model for fruit and vegetable intake (including and excluding fruit and vegetable juices). The study population in the present individual participant data meta-analysis consisted of 526 men and women. Carotenoid, folate and vitamin C concentrations showed a positive relationship with fruit and vegetable intake. Measures of performance for the prediction model were calculated using cross-validation. For the prediction model of fruit, vegetable and juice intake, the root mean squared error (RMSE) was 258·0 g, the correlation between observed and predicted intake was 0·78 and the mean difference between observed and predicted intake was − 1·7 g (limits of agreement: − 466·3, 462·8 g). For the prediction of fruit and vegetable intake (excluding juices), the RMSE was 201·1 g, the correlation was 0·65 and the mean bias was 2·4 g (limits of agreement: − 368·2, 373·0 g). The prediction models which include the biomarkers and subject characteristics may be used to estimate average intake at the group level and to investigate the ranking of individuals with regard to their intake of fruit and vegetables when validating questionnaires that measure intake.
Urinary iodine level and its determinants in pregnant women of Shanghai, China
Authors: Wei Zhenzhen , Wang Weiye , Zhang Jun , Zhang Xiaohua , Jin Longmei , Yu Xiaodan 
Published: April 2015

It is known that iodine deficiency during pregnancy can interfere with normal fetal growth and development. However, iodine levels of pregnant women in Shanghai, China, and factors that could influence its levels remain unclear. A total of 916 pregnant women were selected from the Maternal and Child Care Service Centre of Minhang District in Shanghai. Morning urinary iodine (UI) and iodine content of salt from the participants' home were measured, and UI concentration was adjusted by creatinine concentrations. Serum tri-iodothyronine, thyroxin, free tri-iodothyronine, free thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone were tested in the second trimester of pregnancy by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. The median levels of UI in pregnant women were 156·3, 176·9 and 175·1 μg/g creatinine in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. The prevalence of UI deficiency (UI < 150 μg/g creatinine) was 48·3, 34·2 and 36·2 % in the three trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. Factors that significantly influenced the UI levels include the following: iodine content of household salt; age; occupation; multivitamin supplement with iodine; seaweed intakes. Furthermore, UI and iodine content of salt were moderately correlated (r0·406,P< 0·001). In addition, there was no significant association between UI and thyroid hormone levels. The present study showed a high prevalence of UI deficiency in pregnant women in Shanghai, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Both iodine content of household salt and multivitamin supplement with iodine are the main determinants of UI levels in Shanghai.
Acute effects of calcium citrate with or without a meal, calcium-fortified juice and a dairy product meal on serum calcium and phosphate: a randomised cross-over trial
Authors: Bristow Sarah M. , Gamble Gregory D. , Stewart Angela , Kalluru Rama , Horne Anne M. , Reid Ian R. 
Published: April 2015

Ca supplements, but not dietary Ca, have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. This difference could be related to differences in their acute effects on serum Ca. We therefore examined the effects of Ca from different sources on serum Ca and phosphate in a randomised, cross-over trial of ten women (mean age of 69 years). Fasting participants received a single dose of 500 mg of Ca as citrate, citrate with a meal, fortified juice or a dairy product meal, with at least 6 d between each intervention. Blood was sampled before and 1, 2, 4 and 6 h after each intervention was ingested. Serum ionised and total Ca increased significantly from baseline over 6 h. Using calcium citrate fasting as a comparator, the elevations in ionised and total Ca were similar after fortified juice, delayed after calcium citrate with a meal and smaller after a dairy product meal. Serum phosphate and calcium–phosphate product increased from baseline after calcium citrate with a meal and after a dairy product meal, and they declined after calcium citrate fasting and after fortified juice. The elevations in serum Ca in the present study were only slightly different from those observed after the administration of 1000 mg of Ca in a previous study. These data indicate that different sources of Ca have different acute effects on serum Ca and support recommendations that dietary Ca might be safer than supplements. Whether these differences contribute to differences in cardiovascular risk requires further study.
Usual coffee intake in Brazil: results from the National Dietary Survey 2008–9
Authors: Sousa Alessandra Gaspar , da Costa Teresa Helena Macedo 
Published: April 2015

Coffee is central to the economy of many developing countries, as well as to the world economy. However, despite the widespread consumption of coffee, there are very few available data showing the usual intake of this beverage. Surveying usual coffee intake is a way of monitoring one aspect of a population's usual dietary intake. Thus, the present study aimed to characterise the usual daily coffee intake in the Brazilian population. We used data from the National Dietary Survey collected in 2008–9 from a probabilistic sample of 34 003 Brazilians aged 10 years and older. The National Cancer Institute method was applied to obtain the usual intake based on two nonconsecutive food diaries, and descriptive statistical analyses were performed by age and sex for Brazil and its regions. The estimated average usual daily coffee intake of the Brazilian population was 163 (se 2·8) ml. The comparison by sex showed that males had a 12 % greater usual coffee intake than females. In addition, the highest intake was recorded among older males. Among the five regions surveyed, the North-East had the highest usual coffee intake (175 ml). The most common method of brewing coffee was filtered/instant coffee (71 %), and the main method of sweetening beverages was with sugar (87 %). In Brazil, the mean usual coffee intake corresponds to 163 ml, or 1·5 cups/d. Differences in usual coffee intake according to sex and age differed among the five Brazilian regions.
Impact of climate change and carbon dioxide fertilization effect on irrigation water demand and yield of soybean in Serbia
Authors: JANCIC M. , LALIC B. , MIHAILOVIC D. T. , JACIMOVIC G. 
Published: April 2015

SUMMARYThe Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) v. 4·2 crop model was used to estimate climate change impacts on soybean yield in Serbia in simulations for 2030 and 2050 integration periods using three global climate change models (GCMs): the European Centre Hamburg Model (ECHAM), The Hadley Centre Coupled Model (HadCM) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research Parallel Climate Model (NCAR-PCM) under two scenarios from the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (IPCC 2001): A1B SRES and A2 SRES. Input data included weather data from a 1971–2000 baseline period from ten weather stations assimilated from the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. Output results from the three GCMs under the two scenarios for 2030 and 2050 were statistically downscaled with the ‘Met & Roll’ weather generator for predicted climate conditions. Mechanical and chemical soil properties were collected in the vicinity of weather stations and analysed by the Agency for Environmental Safety in Belgrade. Genetic coefficients, for the soybean maturity group II variety, were slightly modified using the DSSAT-SOYGRO model ones. The results showed a considerable benefit of carbon dioxide fertilization on soybean yield and yield increases at all locations. The greatest estimated yield increases obtained using outputs the HadCM model for 2030 both scenarios; in 2050, however, the A2 scenario resulted in smaller increase in yield at some locations. The highest increase in yield was in the central and eastern parts of Serbia. Analyses of the climate change impacts on irrigation demand showed a great increase in the irrigation demand amount per growing season. The average irrigation demand reached the highest values in the southern and eastern parts of Serbia. Water productivity reached highest values in eastern and central locations, while the minimum is expected in the most southern and northern location. According to all results it can be concluded that soybean will benefit greatly under climate change conditions and that soybean cropping, currently most concentrated in the Vojvodina region in northern Serbia, expanding in the central part and one location in eastern Serbia.
Managed Distribution Policies in Closed-End Funds and Shareholder Activism
Authors: Cherkes Martin , Sagi Jacob S. , Wang Z. Jay 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIn closed-end funds, a managed distribution policy (MDP) is a dividend commitment potentially requiring the liquidation of assets. We argue that MDPs lower managerial claims on fund assets and, when the fund is at a discount, increase shareholder value. This transfer of wealth can be rationalized by managers wishing to deter a challenge from activist shareholders through a costly proxy vote. We find strong empirical evidence that managers respond to the presence of activists using MDPs, that MDPs constitute an effective wealth transfer to shareholders, and that activists are less likely to challenge management when an MDP is in place.
Inside Debt and Mergers and Acquisitions
Authors: Phan Hieu V. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractI empirically investigate the relation between chief executive officer (CEO) inside debt holdings and mergers and acquisitions (M&As), and find evidence consistent with the agency theory’s prediction of a negative relation between CEO inside debt holdings and corporate risk taking. Further analysis shows that CEO inside debt holdings are positively correlated with M&A announcement abnormal bond returns and long-term operating performance, but negatively correlated with M&A announcement abnormal stock returns. Finally, I find evidence that acquirers restructure the postmerger composition of CEO compensation that mirrors their capital structure in order to alleviate incentives for wealth transfer from shareholders to bondholders or vice versa.
Detecting Regime Shifts in Credit Spreads
Authors: Chun Olfa Maalaoui , Dionne Georges , François Pascal 
Published: April 2015

AbstractUsing an innovative random regime shift detection methodology, we identify and confirm two distinct regime types in the dynamics of credit spreads: a level regime and a volatility regime. The level regime is long lived and shown to be linked to Federal Reserve policy and credit market conditions, whereas the volatility regime is short lived and, apart from recessionary periods, detected during major financial crises. Our methodology provides an independent way of supporting structural equilibrium models and points toward monetary and credit supply effects to account for the persistence of credit spreads and their predictive power over the business cycle.
Reordering a Border Space: Relief, rehabilitation, and nation-building in northeastern India after the 1950 Assam earthquake
Authors: GUYOT-RÉCHARD BÉRÉNICE 
Published: April 2015

AbstractOn 15 August 1950, just as India was celebrating its third independence anniversary, an earthquake of 8.6 magnitude struck the remote northeastern state of Assam and its surrounding borderlands. Rivers burst their banks and landslides blocked Himalayan valleys, destroying towns, villages, roads, fields, and tea gardens in their wake. Beyond the disaster's shattering impact on the physical geography of the region, this article explores how it participated in another reconfiguration—that of Assam's place within India's political geography and national imaginary. The Indian public had hitherto known very little about India's remote ‘northeast frontier’; the cataclysm and subsequent relief measures served to carve out a space for it on Indian mental maps. Simultaneously, by forcing a large-scale encounter between Indian authorities and the people of the scarcely controlled eastern Himalayas, post-earthquake relief and rehabilitation led to unprecedented state expansion in this newly strategic borderland. Yet in the same breath, the aftermath of the disaster fuelled stereotypes about Assam and its hinterland that would eventually further their marginality within India and undermine their continued unity. The crystallization of Assam's image as a place irreducibly subject to the whims of nature and, more importantly, incapable of taking care of itself (and hence, of its highland dependencies), would poison centre–state relations for decades to come. Imperfect and contradictory, the reordering of this border space from a colonial frontier to a component of independent India's national space did not end marginality, but instead reinforced it.