• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2015

Purpose: Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is a truncated extracellular form of the membrane transferrin receptor produced by proteolysis. Concentrations of serum sTfR are related to iron status and erythropoiesis in the body. We investigated whether serum sTfR levels can aid in diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children. Methods: Ninety-eight patients with IDA were enrolled and were classified according to age at diagnosis. Group 1 comprised 78 children, aged 6-59 months, and group 2 comprised 20 adolescents, aged 12-16 years. Results: In group 1, patients' serum sTfR levels correlated negatively with mean corpuscular volume; hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, and serum iron levels; and transferrin saturation and positively with total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and red cell distribution width. In group 2, patients' serum sTfR levels did not correlate with ferritin levels and TIBC, but had a significant relationship with other iron indices. Hb and serum sTfR levels had a significant inverse relationship in both groups; however, in group 1, there was no correlation between Hb and serum ferritin levels. In 30 patients of group 1, serum sTfR levels were significantly decreased with an increase in Hb levels after iron supplementation for 1 month. Conclusion: Serum sTfR levels significantly correlated with other diagnostic iron parameters of IDA and inversely correlated with an increase in Hb levels following iron supplementation. Therefore, serum sTfR levels can be a useful marker for the diagnosis and treatment of IDA in children.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2005

Early predictions of crop yields call provide information to producers to take advantages of opportunities into market places, to assess national food security, and to provide early food shortage warning. The objectives of this study were to identify the most useful parameters for estimating yields and to compare two model selection methods for finding the 'best' model developed by multiple linear regression. This research was conducted in two 65ha corn/soybean rotation fields located in east central South Dakota. Data used to develop models were small temporal variability information (STVI: elevation, apparent electrical conductivity $(EC_a)$, slope), large temporal variability information (LTVI : inorganic N, Olsen P, soil moisture), and remote sensing information (green, red, and NIR bands and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), green normalized difference vegetation index (GDVI)). Second order Akaike's Information Criterion (AICc) and Stepwise multiple regression were used to develop the best-fitting equations in each system (information groups). The models with $\Delta_i\leq2$ were selected and 22 and 37 models were selected at Moody and Brookings, respectively. Based on the results, the most useful variables to estimate corn yield were different in each field. Elevation and $EC_a$ were consistently the most useful variables in both fields and most of the systems. Model selection was different in each field. Different number of variables were selected in different fields. These results might be contributed to different landscapes and management histories of the study fields. The most common variables selected by AICc and Stepwise were different. In validation, Stepwise was slightly better than AICc at Moody and at Brookings AICc was slightly better than Stepwise. Results suggest that the Alec approach can be used to identify the most useful information and select the 'best' yield models for production fields.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.256-261
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• 2005

The experiment was conducted at the Ban­gabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur to study the response of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L) to dual inoculation of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhiza, poultry litter, nitrogen, and phosphorus on spore population and colonization, nodulation, growth, yield attributes, and yield. The performance of Rhizobium inoculant alone was superior to control in all the parameters of the crop studied. Among the treatments dual inoculation of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhiza in presence of poultry litter performed best in recording number and dry weight of nodules, dry weight of shoots and roots, number of pods/plant, number of seeds/pod, and seed yields of chickpea. The highest seed yield of 3.96g/plant was obtained by inoculating chickpea plants with dual inoculation of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhiza in association with poultry litter. Treatments receiving dual inoculation of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhiza in presence of nitrogen and phosphorus, Rhizobium inoculant in presence of nitrogen and phosphorus, and that of arbuscular mycorrhiza in presence of nitrogen and phosphorus were similar as that of treatment receiving dual inoculation of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhiza in presence of poultry litter. From the view point of nodulation, growth, yield attributes, and yields of chickpea, dual inoculation of Rhizobium inoculant and arbuscular mycorrhiza along with poultry litter was considered to be the balanced combination of nutrients for achieving the maximum output from cultivation of chickpea in Shallow Red Brown Terrace Soil of Bangladesh.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.734-738
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• 2006

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of cold stress on broiler performance and ascites susceptibility. Male chicks were obtained from a commercial strain of broiler breeders. The trial was divided into two treatments (control and cold stress groups). Ascites was induced in broiler chickens in the trial by exposing the chickens to low temperature (Ta) and by supplying a pelleted diet. The two experimental treatments consisted of: 1) Control group, $33.3^{\circ}C$ the $1^{st}$ wk, $30.2^{\circ}C$ the $2^{nd}$ wk, and $27.5^{\circ}C$ the $3^{rd}$ wk. 2) Cold stress group, $29.0^{\circ}C$ the $1^{st}$ wk, $26.4^{\circ}C$ the $2^{nd}$ wk, and $23.1^{\circ}C$ the $3^{rd}$ wk. From the end of the $3^{rd}$ wk all broilers were reared to 6 wk of age at a constant temperature of $21^{\circ}C$. There was significant difference in live BW during wk 1 to 5. The control group was consistently the heaviest; however, at 6 wk of age, both groups weighed the same. Body weight gain up to 3 wk was significantly decreased by cold stress. During wk 3 and 6 the chicks in the cold stress group had greater BW gain compared with the chicks in the control group. There were significant differences in mortality due to ascites between the groups. During wk 3 and 6 the cold stress group exhibited the most ascites mortality (9.52%) when compared with the control group (1.90%). At 5 wk of age cold stress condition caused significant changes in packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell counts (RBC). Right ventricle weight was significantly heavier in the cold stress group than the control. There were also significant differences in right ventricle/total ventricle (RV/TV) ratios at 5 wk. the right ventricle/total ventricle ratios in the cold stress group was higher (0.25) than the control group (0.20). It was concluded that, fast growth and cold temperatures are the primary triggers for ascites during commercial broiler production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1089-1095
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• 2010

Four biological candidate genes, natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (SLC11A1 or NRAMP), prosaposin (PSAP), interferon Gamma (IFNG), and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), were examined to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and associations of the SNP with antibody response kinetics in hens. An $F_2$ population was produced by mating $G_0$ highly inbred (<99%) males of two MHC-congenic Fayoumi lines with highly inbred Leghorn hens. The $F_2$ hens (n = 158) were injected twice with SRBC and whole, fixed Brucella abortus (BA). Blood samples were obtained before each immunization, at 7 d after primary immunization, and at several time points after secondary immunization. Minimum titers (Ymin) and the time needed to reach them (Tmin), and maximum (Ymax) titers and the time needed to reach them (Tmax), were estimated from the seven post-secondary immunization titers using a nonlinear regression model. The $F_2$ hens were genotyped for the four candidate genes by using PCR-RFLP for one SNP per gene, which identified the parental allele. General linear models were used to test associations of SNP genotypes with antibody response parameters and BW measured at 4 ages. The IFNG SNP was highly significantly (p<0.0125) associated with primary response to SRBC, Tmin to BA, Ymin to BA, and 12-week BW. The current study demonstrated that the novel IFNG promoter SNP was associated with antibody kinetics for BA and SRBC in laying hens, and also with BW, suggesting that this cytokine may play a pivotal role in the relationship between immune function and growth.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.697-702
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• 2016

Background: The Asia-Pacific Breast Initiatives (APBI) I and II registries were established to collect safety data for patients with early stage breast cancer receiving adjuvant docetaxel-based regimens in the Asia-Pacific region. Materials and Methods: Data from the two registries were combined to perform a safety analysis. Participants in the registry were women with early stage operable breast cancer with an intermediate or high risk of recurrence. These women received adjuvant chemotherapy that included docetaxel between 2006 and 2011. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded and analyzed. Results: Data were collected from 3,224 patients from 13 countries. The mean dose intensity of docetaxel was 24.1, 22.7, $25.1mg/m^2/week$ among patients receiving docetaxel-based monotherapy, combination therapy and sequential therapy, respectively. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was given with docetaxel to 41.8% of women and 20.6% of women receiving prophylactic antibiotics. Adverse events were reported in 86% of patients (anthracycline-containing regimens vs. non-anthracycline regimens; 87% vs. 80%). The most common adverse events were alopecia, nausea, neutropenia, vomiting, and myalgia. Adverse events NCI CTCAE ${\geq}$Grade 3 were reported in 45.4% of patients. Serious adverse events were reported in 13% of patients, of which 2.5% led to study discontinuation. Forty-six deaths (1.4%) were reported, with no significant difference between regimens. Conclusions: The safety parameters of adjuvant docetaxel therapy used to treat sequential Asian women were comparable to those reported in clinical trials evaluating the role of adjuvant docetaxel. No unusual adverse events linked to Asia-Pacific region patients were observed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.291-297
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• 2014

The radioprotective effects of a single administration of kojic acid (KA) against ionizing radiation were evaluated via assessment of 30-day survival and alterations of peripheral blood parameters of adult C57BL/6 male mice. The 30-day survival rate of mice pretreated with KA (75 or 300 mg/kg body weight, KA75 or KA300) subcutaneously 27 h prior to a lethal dose (8 Gy, 153.52 cGy/min) of gamma irradiation was higher than that of mice irradiated alone (40% or 60% vs 0%). It was observed that the white blood cell (WBC) count/the red blood cell (RBC) count, haemoglobin content, haematocrit and platelet count of mice with or without KA pretreatment as exposed to a sub-lethal dose (4 Gy, 148.14 cGy/min) of gamma irradiation decreased maximally at day 4/day 8 post-irradiation. Although the initial WBC values were low in KA300 or WR-2721 (amifostine) groups, they significantly recovered to normal at day 19, whereas in the control group they did not. The results from the cytotoxicity and cell viability assays demonstrated that KA could highly protect Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells against ionizing radiation with low toxicity. In summary, KA provides marked radioprotective effects both in vivo and in vitro.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 2001

During austral summer 1998 we examined the impacts of artificial UV-B and solar radiation on chlorophyll a content and fresh weight of four species of Antarctic red algae namely, Georgiella confluens, Iridaea cordata, Pantoneura plocamioides and Porphyra endiviifolium. These subject species were taken in consideration of clear demarcations of their vertical distribution and classified as shallow water group (Iridaea and Porphyra) and deep water group (Georgiella and Pantoneura). When irradiated with artificial UV-B at the irradiance of $2.0Wm^{-2}$ the shallow water inhabitants were much more resistant than the algae from deep water the fresh weight of which was reduced by 40-50% relative to control apart from loss of pigmentation. Direct solar radiation was lethal to the deep water group with a sign of complete bleaching whereas the shallow water group did not show any change in the physiological parameters. We were unable to discriminate difference in the algal sensitivity between UV-filtered and UV-transparent treatments since samples tested were either all unaffected or dead. Spectrophotometric measurements of methanolic extracts revealed a strong absorption peak in the UV range in the shallow water group of algae, Iridaea and Porphyra, but not in the deep water counterparts. Species difference in sensitivity to artificial UV-B and solar radiation is discussed in relation to biochemical and morphological characteristics and the role of the radiation in the algal vertical distribution is suggested from ecological perspective.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.397-400
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• 1995

Effects of rheological parameters, such as shear rate, temperature, concerntration, salts on the apparent viscosity of chitosan(deacetylation degree: $84\%$, Mw: 267,000) dissolved in acetate buffer(pH 4.5) were investigated. Rheologiral properties of chitosan solution from cuticle of red snow crab (Chinonecetes japonicus) are as follows. $0.5\%$ chitosan in 0.1M acetate buffer (pH 4.5) solution showed Bingham flow having hysteresis loop. It's flow equation was $\sigma=0.757+19.6_\gamma(r^2=0.99)$. The viscosity of chitosan solution is exponentially increased with its concentration, and showed Arrhenius dependence with respect to the temperature $(10^{\circ}C-40^{\circ}C).$ When various salts were added to chitosan solution, the viscosity decreased as the concentration of counterion increased. But the type ot counterions itself does not have any significant effects on the viscosity.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.741-746
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• 2019

New triple tungstate phosphors NaPbLa(WO₄)₃:Yb³⁺/Ho³⁺ (x = Yb³⁺/Ho³⁺ = 7, 8, 9, 10) are successfully fabricated by microwave assisted sol-gel synthesis and their structural and frequency upconversion (UC) characteristics are investigated. The compounds crystallized in the tetragonal space group I4₁/a and the NaPbLa(WO₄)₃ host have unit cell parameters a = 5.3927(1) and c = 11.7961(3) Å, V = 343.05(2) ų, Z = 4. Under excitation at 980 nm, the phosphors have yellowish green emissions, which are derived from the intense ⁵S₂/⁵F₄→⁵I₈ transitions of Ho³⁺ ions in the green spectral range and strong ⁵F₅→⁵I₈ transitions in the red spectral range. The optimal Yb³⁺:Ho³⁺ ratio is revealed to be x = 9, which is attributed to the quenching effect of Ho³⁺ ions, as indicated by the composition dependence. The UC characteristics are evaluated in detail under consideration of the pump power dependence and Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage chromaticity. The spectroscopic features of Raman spectra are discussed in terms of the superposition of Ho³⁺ luminescence and vibrational lines. The possibility of controlling the spectral distribution of UC luminescence by the chemical content of tungstate hosts is demonstrated.