bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Precipitation characteristics and its impact on vegetation restoration in Minqin County, Gansu Province, northwest China
Authors: Du Jianhui , Yan Ping , Dong Yuxiang 
Published: March 2010

AbstractAnnual, seasonal, monthly and daily precipitation records of Minqin County over 1953–2007 were analysed. In addition, the effects of changing precipitation patterns on vegetative restoration in this area were examined. Annual average precipitation in this area showed a non‐significant (p > 0.05) increasing trend, and 76.9% of the rainfall occurred from June to September. Light rain events accounted for a large percentage of the total rainfall event frequency and total annual precipitation. Rainy days have increased by 5.2 days over the past 55 years, with rainfall events of 0–5 and 5–10 mm showing an increasing trend. The 0–5‐mm rainfall events contributed 82.3% of the annual precipitation events from 1953 to 2007. These events occurred consistently across different years and gradually became the dominant precipitation type in the study region. Other higher precipitation size classes did not show any apparent trend across the months or years studied, occurring 0–2 times per year. Precipitation in the spring, autumn and winter showed an increasing trend, while a decreasing trend was observed in the summer. The number of 1‐ and 2‐day and longer than 2‐day rainfall events showed an increasing trend, with the 1‐ and 2‐day events being more frequent. In addition, the number of short and long drought periods also increased, with the number of long droughts showing an increasing trend. Precipitation variation patterns had a great impact on vegetative succession in this area. Species that mainly use topsoil water may be more adaptive future light precipitation patterns. Thus, plants with shallow roots, especially with adventitious roots, and resistant to sand burial should be used for future ecological restoration in this area. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Children's mental health care following Hurricane Katrina: A field trial of trauma‐focused psychotherapies
Authors: Jaycox Lisa H. , Cohen Judith A. , Mannarino Anthony P. , Walker Douglas W. , Langley Audra K. , Gegenheimer Kate L. , Scott Molly , Schonlau Matthias 
Published: March 2010

AbstractNew Orleans school children participated in an assessment and field trial of two interventions 15 months after Hurricane Katrina. Children (N = 195) reported on hurricane exposure, lifetime trauma exposure, peer and parent support, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depressive symptoms. Teachers reported on behavior. At baseline, 60.5% screened positive for PTSD symptoms and were offered a group intervention at school or individual treatment at a mental health clinic. Uptake of the mental health care was uneven across intervention groups, with 98% beginning the school intervention, compared to 37% beginning at the clinic. Both treatments led to significant symptom reduction of PTSD symptoms, but many still had elevated PTSD symptoms at posttreatment. Implications for future postdisaster mental health work are discussed.
Optimal Bayesian Design of Experiments Applied to Nitroxide‐Mediated Radical Polymerization
Authors: Nabifar Afsaneh , McManus Neil T. , Vivaldo‐Lima Eduardo , Reilly Park M. , Penlidis Alexander 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBayesian design of experiments is a powerful method which offers several distinct benefits over standard experimental designs. The basics of the method are briefly described, followed by four case studies giving a step‐by‐step illustration of its application to both bimolecular and unimolecular NMRP. Firstly, the Bayesian design is an improvement with respect to information content retrieved from process data. It allows one to change the levels of factors with relative ease and is flexible and “cost”‐effective with respect to the number of experiments. More importantly, the method has the ability to incorporate into the design prior knowledge coming from a variety of sources. Diagnostic criteria can shed more light on the quality of prior knowledge and the significance of estimated effects.
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Ghost forces and spurious effects in atomic‐to‐continuum coupling methods by the Arlequin approach
Authors: Chamoin Ludovic , Prudhomme Serge , Ben Dhia H. , Oden Tinsley 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe main objective of this work is to identify spurious effects and propose a corrective method when coupling a particle model involving long–range interaction potentials with a first gradient homogenized model using the Arlequin framework. The most significant spurious effects are generally created by the so‐called ghost forces that arise in coupling methods based on the minimization of a global energy functional. They depend as well on the coupling formulation itself, on the notion of representative volume element, and on the discretization of the continuum model. The proposed corrective technique is based on post‐processing of the approximate solution by introducing dead forces that can be systematically evaluated and consistently inserted within the Arlequin formulation. Efficiency of the corrective procedure is demonstrated on 1D and 2D examples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular diagnosis of Shwachman–Diamond syndrome in a child with incomplete clinical disease phenotype
Authors: Linden Tobias , Ehlert Karoline , Niemeyer Charlotte M. , Fleischhack Gudrun , Jürgens Heribert , Rossig Claudia 
Published: March 2010

AbstractWe report a 6‐year‐old female with congenital bone marrow failure, who was referred for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. An initial work‐up in infancy had not revealed any consistent symptoms associated with an inherited syndrome. Computed tomography of her abdomen for gastrointestinal bleeding after transplantation incidentally revealed a fat‐replaced pancreas and led to the molecular diagnosis of Shwachman–Diamond syndrome (SDS) in the absence of clinical exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. We conclude that SDS may escape the clinical consensus criteria for the disease. Increased awareness of unusual presentations may allow confirming the suspected diagnosis by molecular analysis and ensure optimal management. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;55:177–179. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Predictors of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Authors: ElAlfy Mohssen , Farid Samar , Maksoud Abeer Abdel 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackgroundIdiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is a hematological disorder with heterogeneous manifestation and unpredictable outcome. This study reviewed the pattern of presentation and response to therapy in patients with ITP, in order to identify risk factors for chronic disease.ProcedureThe study included all patients diagnosed as ITP between January1998 and December 2007.ResultsSixty‐five percent of the patients had acute and 34.9% had chronic ITP. Patients with chronic ITP had a higher mean age at diagnosis (P = 0.0000003). Females more than 10 years of age were more susceptible than males to follow a chronic course (P = 0.031). Febrile illness preceded the onset of ITP in 167 patients, 76.0% of them had an acute course (P = 0.000037). Moderate and severe bleeding occurred in 11.34% and 7.27% of the patients, respectively. Fifty‐four patients (15.7%) improved without any specific treatment. Corticosteroids were used as a first‐line treatment in 209 patients and showed a total response of 76.6% compared to 85.7% and 84% for IVIG and anti‐D immunoglobulin treated patients, respectively.ConclusionThe most relevant risk factors for the development of chronic ITP included a gradual mode of onset of symptoms over more than 2 weeks period, initial platelet count >20 × 109/L, and age more than 10 years at presentation. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;54:959–962 © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Long‐term survivors of childhood cancer report quality of life and health status in parity with a comparison group
Authors: Sundberg Kay K. , Doukkali Eva , Lampic Claudia , Eriksson Lars E. , Arvidson Johan , Wettergren Lena 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackgroundThere is a need for more knowledge about how survivors of childhood cancer perceive their lives and what influence current health status has on their quality of life. The purpose was to describe this among a group of long‐term survivors and among a comparison group.ProcedureTelephone interviews were performed with a cohort of 246 long‐term survivors and 296 randomly selected from the general population using the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life—Direct Weighting (SEIQoL‐DW). The participants nominated the areas they considered to be most important in life and rated the current status of each area on a seven‐point category scale. An overall individual index score was calculated as a measure of quality of life. Self‐reported health status was assessed using the Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36).ResultsLong‐term survivors rated their overall quality of life and self‐reported health status almost in parity with the comparison group. In both groups, family life, relations to other people, work and career, interests and leisure activities were the areas most frequently reported to influence quality of life. The survivors only differed from the comparison group on one of eight SF‐36 scales reflecting problems with daily activities owing to physical health.ConclusionsHealth status was not shown to have a major impact on overall quality of life, indicating that health and quality of life should be evaluated distinctively as different constructs. This should be taken in consideration in clinical care of children with childhood cancer and long‐term survivors. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:337–343. © 2010 Wiley–Liss, Inc.
Infant leukemia and congenital abnormalities: A Children's Oncology Group study
Authors: Johnson Kimberly J. , Roesler Michelle A. , Linabery Amy M. , Hilden Joanne M. , Davies Stella M. , Ross Julie A. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackgroundLeukemia in infants is rare and has not been well studied apart from leukemia in older children. Differences in survival and the molecular characteristics of leukemia in infants versus older children suggest a distinct etiology, likely involving prenatal factors.ProcedureWe examined the association between eight categories of maternally reported congenital abnormalities (CAs) (cleft lip or palate, spina bifida or other spinal defect, large or multiple birthmarks, other chromosomal abnormalities, small head or microcephaly, rib abnormalities, urogenital abnormalities, and other) and infant leukemia in a case–control study. The study included 443 cases diagnosed at <1 year of age at a Children's Oncology Group Institution in the United States or Canada from 1996 to 2006 and 324 controls. Controls were recruited from the cases' geographic area either by random digit dialing (1999–2002) or through birth certificates (2003–2008) and were frequency‐matched to cases on birth year. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression after adjustment for birth year and a measure of follow‐up time to account for differences in the CA observation period.ResultsNo statistically significant associations were observed between infant leukemia and any CA (OR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.8–1.9), birthmarks (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 0.7–2.5), urogenital abnormalities (OR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.2–2.0), or other CA (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 0.7–2.8). Results were similar for acute lymphoblastic and myeloid leukemia cases. Fewer than five subjects were in the remaining CA categories precluding analysis.ConclusionsOverall, we did not find evidence to support an association between CAs and infant leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;55:95–99. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effect of warfarin use on clinical stage and histological grade of prostate cancer
Authors: Tagalakis V. , Tamim H. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractPurposeProlonged warfarin use may decrease the risk of prostate cancer. We aimed to assess the effect of warfarin on histological grade and clinical stage of prostate cancer at diagnosis.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective population‐based cohort study of men older than 50 years of age diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1985 and 2002 and registered with the Saskatchewan Cancer Registry. We compared a composite score of histological grade and clinical stage of prostate cancer at diagnosis according to warfarin use in the 5 years preceding the diagnosis of prostate cancer.ResultsCompared with non‐users, men with at least 2 years of cumulative warfarin use in the 5 year period preceding the diagnosis of prostate cancer were at a lower risk of a poor prognosis composite score at the time of their prostate cancer diagnosis (OR 0.40, 95%CI (0.19–0.83)), and when intermediate and poor prognosis scores were combined, a similar estimate of association was observed (OR 0.55, 95%CI (0.33–0.91)), adjusted for age at diagnosis and year of diagnosis. However, an increased risk of poor prognosis disease was observed with 4 years of cumulative warfarin use compared to never use (OR 2.2, 95%CI (1.03–4.81)).ConclusionsThere is a suggestion that at least 2 years of warfarin use is associated with a more favourable prognosis but that extended duration of use beyond 2 years may be associated with poor prognosis disease. Further investigation with a more complete assessment of confounders and that addresses potential detection biases is warranted. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chiral recognition in self‐complexes of diketopiperazine derivatives
Authors: Blanco Fernando , Alkorta Ibon , Rozas Isabel , Elguero Jose 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe chiral discrimination in the self‐association of 2,5‐diketopiperazines derivatives has been studied using density functional theory (DFT) methods. Hence, clusters from dimers to tetramers have been considered. We have found a variety of linear and cyclic structures depending on the geometry of the monomers. In general, the heterochiral dimers (RR:SSorSS:RR) are more stable than the homochiral ones (RR:RRorSS:SS) with slight energetic differences. Nevertheless, most of the larger clusters (trimers and tetramers) show changes in stability, the homochiral cyclic structures being favored due to the better geometry of the hydrogen bond and/or the higher number of interactions. Some interesting correlations between the hydrogen bond geometrical descriptors and theoretical parameters obtained from theNatural Bond Orbitalanalysis (NBO),Natural energy decomposition analysis(NEDA), and theAtoms in Moleculestheory (AIM) have been found. The chiral discrimination in the recognition process of these self‐complexes has been evaluated. In addition, evidence of cooperative effects has been observed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Patient and oncologist estimates of survival in advanced cancer patients
Authors: Kao Steven C. H. , Butow Phyllis , Bray Victoria , Clarke Stephen J. , Vardy Janette 
Published: March 2010

AbstractObjective: There is little information about the accuracy of patient perceptions of their life expectancy. Here, we compare patient perceptions of their outlook and their oncologist's estimates of life expectancy to actual survival.Methods: The Unmet Needs Study recruited patients with metastatic cancer. Oncologists were asked to estimate patient survival as: (1) weeks; (2) months; (3) <1 year; (4)<2 years; and (5) >2 years. Patients were asked to estimate their outlook on a numerical scale from 1–7. Patient and oncologist estimates were compared with actual survival.Results: Complete survival data were available for 50 patients: median age 63.5 years; 48% male; tumor types: 32% colorectal, 24% lung, 10% upper gastrointestinal cancer, 12% unknown primary; and median survival 6.8 months. The oncologists were 32% accurate in predicting survival and overestimated survival 42% of the time (weighted kappa=0.34). The correlation between self‐reported patient outlook and survival was modest (Spearman's rho=0.36, p=0.01). The median survival for categories of outlook of 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 were 4.4, 5.4, and 14.8 months, respectively (p=0.01). Overseas‐born patient was the only independent predictor for the oncologists' accurate estimates (p=0.01).Conclusions: Oncologists were relatively poor at predicting survival and tended to be optimistic in their prognostication. The probability of survival significantly decreased with worse self‐reported patient outlook. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Poor physical health predicts time to additional breast cancer events and mortality in breast cancer survivors
Authors: Saquib Nazmus , Pierce John P. , Saquib Juliann , Flatt Shirley W. , Natarajan Loki , Bardwell Wayne A. , Patterson Ruth E. , Stefanick Marcia L. , Thomson Cynthia A. , Rock Cheryl L. , Jones Lovell A. , Gold Ellen B. , Karanja Njeri , Parker Barbara A. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackground: Health‐related quality of life has been hypothesized to predict time to additional breast cancer events and all‐cause mortality in breast cancer survivors.Methods: Women with early‐stage breast cancer (n=2967) completed the SF‐36 (mental and physical health‐related quality of life) and standardized psychosocial questionnaires to assess social support, optimism, hostility, and depression prior to randomization into a dietary trial. Cox regression was performed to assess whether these measures of quality of life and psychosocial functioning predicted time to additional breast cancer events and all‐cause mortality; hazard ratios were the measure of association.Results: There were 492 additional breast cancer events and 301 deaths occurred over a median 7.3 years (range: 0.01–10.8 years) of follow‐up. In multivariate models, poorer physical health was associated with both decreased time to additional breast cancer events and all‐cause mortality (p trend=0.005 and 0.004, respectively), while greater hostility predicted additional breast cancer events only (p trend=0.03). None of the other psychosocial variables predicted either outcome. The hazard ratios comparing persons with poor (bottom two quintiles) to better (top three quintiles) physical health were 1.42 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.75) for decreased time to additional breast cancer events and 1.37 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.74) for all‐cause mortality. Potentially modifiable factors associated with poor physical health included higher body mass index, lower physical activity, lower alcohol consumption, and more insomnia (p<0.05 for all).Conclusion: Interventions to improve physical health should be tested as a means to increase time to additional breast cancer events and mortality among breast cancer survivors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure and DNA binding characteristics of the three‐Cys2His2 domain of mouse testis zinc finger protein
Authors: Chou Chun‐Chi , Lou Yuan‐Chao , Tang Tang K. , Chen Chinpan 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe C‐terminal three‐Cys2His2 zinc‐finger domain (TZD) of mouse testis zinc‐finger protein binds to the 5′‐TGTACAGTGT‐3′ at the Aie1 (aurora‐C) promoter with high specificity. Interestingly, the primary sequence of TZD is unique, possessing two distinct linkers, TGEKP and GAAP, and distinct residues at presumed DNA binding sites at each finger, especially finger 3. A Kd value of ∼10−8
M was obtained from surface plasmon resonance analysis for the TZD‐DNA complex. NMR structure of the free TZD showed that each zinc finger forms a typical ββα fold. On binding to DNA, chemical shift perturbations and the R2 transverse relaxation rate in finger 3 are significantly smaller than those in fingers 1 and 2, which indicates that the DNA binding affinity in finger 3 is weaker. Furthermore, the shift perturbations between TZD in complex with the cognate DNA and its serial mutants revealed that both ADE7 and CYT8, underlined in 5′‐ATATGTACAGTGTTAT‐3′, are critical in specific binding, and the DNA binding in finger 3 is sequence independent. Remarkably, the shift perturbations in finger 3 on the linker mutation of TZD (GAAP mutated to TGEKP) were barely detected, which further indicates that finger 3 does not play a critical role in DNA sequence‐specific recognition. The complex model showed that residues important for DNA binding are mainly located on positions −1, 2, 3, and 6 of α‐helices in fingers 1 and 2. The DNA sequence and nonsequence‐specific bindings occurring simultaneously in TZD provide valuable information for better understanding of protein–DNA recognition. Proteins 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Structural characterization of two pore‐forming peptides: Consequences of introducing a C‐terminal tryptophan
Authors: Herrera Alvaro I. , Al‐Rawi Ahlam , Cook Gabriel A. , Gao Jian , Iwamoto Takeo , Prakash Om , Tomich John M. , Chen Jianhan 
Published: March 2010

AbstractSynthetic channel‐forming peptides that can restore chloride conductance across epithelial membranes could provide a novel treatment of channelopathies such as cystic fibrosis. Among a series of 22‐residue peptides derived from the second transmembrane segment of the glycine receptor α1‐subunit (M2GlyR), p22‐S22W (KKKKP ARVGL GITTV LTMTT QW) is particularly promising with robust membrane insertion and assembly. The concentration to reach one‐half maximal short circuit current is reduced to 45 ± 6 μM from that of 210 ± 70 μM of peptide p22 (KKKKP ARVGL GITTV LTMTT QS). However, this is accompanied with nearly 50% reduction in conductance. Toward obtaining a molecular level understanding of the channel activities, we combine information from solution NMR, existing biophysical data, and molecular modeling to construct atomistic models of the putative pentameric channels of p22 and p22‐S22W. Simulations in membrane bilayers demonstrate that these structural models, even though highly flexible, are stable and remain adequately open for ion conductance. The membrane‐anchoring tryptophan residues not only rigidify the whole channel, suggesting increased stability, but also lead to global changes in the pore profile. Specifically, the p22‐S22W pore has a smaller opening on average, consistent with lower measured conductance. Direct observation of several incidences of chloride transport suggests several qualitative features of how these channels might selectively conduct anions. The current study thus helps to rationalize the functional consequences of introducing a single C‐terminal tryptophan. Availability of these structural models also paves the way for future work to rationally modify and improve M2GlyR‐derived peptides toward potential peptide‐based channel replacement therapy. Proteins 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Temperature dependence of photoluminescence from P‐doped ZnMgTe bulk crystals of high quality grown by Bridgman method
Authors: Saito Katsuhiko , Shimao Satoshi , Tanaka Tooru , Guo Qixin , Nishio Mitsuhiro 
Published: March 2010

AbstractHigh quality P‐doped Zn1‐xMgx Te crystals with Mg composition x of 0.09 to 0.3 were grown by vertical Bridgman method. The typical value of the full width at half maximum of (004) X‐ray ricking curve was 65.7 arcsec. For the first time temperature dependence of photoluminescence measurement were successfully attained by using the P‐doped Zn1‐xMgx Te crystals. All the crystals showed not only excitonic emission with no donor‐acceptor pair emission at low temperature but also photoluminescence (PL) band originated from interband transition at room temperature. From the temperature dependent PL intensity of free‐to‐bound (FB) transition emission, the relationship between x and the energy of P acceptor level was estimated by the use of one‐step model of thermal quenching mechanism. The result showed that the acceptor level monotonically increases with increasing x. This relationship seems to be reasonable which was supported by comparison with the energy difference between the peak of FB emission and estimated band gap at 4.2 K. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)