diff --git a/lib/services/serviceBus/apnsservice.js b/lib/services/serviceBus/apnsservice.js
index 867b64460..b0b2ce9e0 100644
--- a/lib/services/serviceBus/apnsservice.js
+++ b/lib/services/serviceBus/apnsservice.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ var _ = require('underscore');
 
 var azureutil = require('../../util/util');
 var Constants = require('../../util/constants');
+var validate = require('../../util/validate');
 var HttpConstants = Constants.HttpConstants;
 var HeaderConstants = Constants.HeaderConstants;
 
@@ -35,18 +36,6 @@ function ApnsService(notificationHubService) {
   this.notificationHubService = notificationHubService;
 }
 
-/**
-* Validates a callback function.
-*
-* @param (function) callback The callback function.
-* @return {undefined}
-*/
-function validateCallback(callback) {
-  if (!callback) {
-    throw new Error('Callback must be specified.');
-  }
-}
-
 /**
 * Sends an APNS notification.
 *
@@ -105,7 +94,7 @@ ApnsService.prototype.createNativeRegistration = function (token, optionsOrCallb
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   var registrationXml = registrationResult.serialize('AppleRegistrationDescription', {
     DeviceToken: token
@@ -135,7 +124,7 @@ ApnsService.prototype.createTemplateRegistration = function (token, template, op
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   if (!_.isString(template) && !_.isObject(template)) {
     throw new Error('The payload parameter must be the notification payload string or object.');
@@ -183,7 +172,7 @@ ApnsService.prototype.updateTemplateRegistration = function (registrationId, tok
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   if (!_.isString(template) && !_.isObject(template)) {
     throw new Error('The payload parameter must be the notification payload string or object.');
@@ -232,7 +221,7 @@ ApnsService.prototype.getRegistrationsByToken = function (token, optionsOrCallba
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   var webResource = WebResource.get(this.hubName + '/registrations/')
     .addOptionalQueryParam('$filter', 'deviceToken eq \'' + token + '\'');
diff --git a/lib/services/serviceBus/notificationhubservice.js b/lib/services/serviceBus/notificationhubservice.js
index 7bf762e5f..1a8797794 100644
--- a/lib/services/serviceBus/notificationhubservice.js
+++ b/lib/services/serviceBus/notificationhubservice.js
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ NotificationHubService.prototype.send = function (tags, payload, optionsOrCallba
   }
 
   if (!_.isFunction(callback)) {
-    throw new Error('The callback parameter must be the callback function.');
+    throw new Error('The callback parameter must be a function.');
   }
 
   var headers = {};
diff --git a/lib/services/serviceBus/wnsservice.js b/lib/services/serviceBus/wnsservice.js
index 6fb5fbb3f..35a6de74b 100644
--- a/lib/services/serviceBus/wnsservice.js
+++ b/lib/services/serviceBus/wnsservice.js
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ var wns = require('wns');
 
 var azureutil = require('../../util/util');
 var Constants = require('../../util/constants');
+var validate = require('../../util/validate');
 var HttpConstants = Constants.HttpConstants;
 var HeaderConstants = Constants.HeaderConstants;
 
@@ -258,18 +259,6 @@ function WnsService(notificationHubService) {
   });
 }
 
-/**
-* Validates a callback function.
-*
-* @param (function) callback The callback function.
-* @return {undefined}
-*/
-function validateCallback(callback) {
-  if (!callback) {
-    throw new Error('Callback must be specified.');
-  }
-}
-
 /**
 * Sends a wns/badge WNS notification.
 *
@@ -393,7 +382,7 @@ WnsService.prototype.createNativeRegistration = function (channel, optionsOrCall
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   var registrationXml = registrationResult.serialize('WindowsRegistrationDescription', {
     ChannelUri: channel
@@ -422,7 +411,7 @@ WnsService.prototype.createRawTemplateRegistration = function (channel, template
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   var registrationXml = this._createRawTemplateBody(channel, template, options);
 
@@ -450,7 +439,7 @@ WnsService.prototype.updatesRawTemplateRegistration = function (channel, templat
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   var registrationXml = this._createRawTemplateBody(channel, template, options);
 
@@ -482,7 +471,7 @@ WnsService.prototype.getRegistrationsByChannel = function (channel, optionsOrCal
   var options;
   azureutil.normalizeArgs(optionsOrCallback, callback, function (o, c) { options = o; callback = c; });
 
-  validateCallback(callback);
+  validate.isValidFunction(callback);
 
   var webResource = WebResource.get(this.hubName + '/registrations/')
     .addOptionalQueryParam('$filter', 'ChannelUri eq \'' + encodeURIComponent(channel) + '\'');
diff --git a/lib/util/js2xml.js b/lib/util/js2xml.js
index 507993694..364a8f4d7 100644
--- a/lib/util/js2xml.js
+++ b/lib/util/js2xml.js
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ function _writeElementValue(parentElement, name, value) {
   } else {
     parentElement = parentElement.ele(propertyTagName);
     if (!azureutil.stringIsEmpty(value)) {
-      if (azureutil.stringStartsWith(value.toString(), '<![CDATA[')) {
+      if (azureutil.stringStartsWith(value.toString().trim(), '<![CDATA[')) {
         parentElement = parentElement.raw(value.toString());
       } else {
         parentElement = parentElement.txt(value.toString());
diff --git a/lib/util/validate.js b/lib/util/validate.js
index ac530765a..725e3d00d 100644
--- a/lib/util/validate.js
+++ b/lib/util/validate.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 * limitations under the License.
 */
 
+var _ = require('underscore');
 var check = require('validator').check;
 
 exports = module.exports;
@@ -47,4 +48,16 @@ exports.isBase64Encoded = function (key) {
   } else {
     throw new Error('The provided account key ' + key + ' is not a valid base64 string.');
   }
+};
+
+/**
+* Validates a function.
+*
+* @param {object} function The function to validate.
+* @return {function}
+*/
+exports.isValidFunction = function (functionObject, functionName) {
+  if (!functionObject || !_.isFunction(functionObject)) {
+    throw new Error(functionName + ' must be specified.');
+  }
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/services/serviceBus/apnsservice-registrations-tests.js b/test/services/serviceBus/apnsservice-registrations-tests.js
index f7c11f585..5330bdf15 100644
--- a/test/services/serviceBus/apnsservice-registrations-tests.js
+++ b/test/services/serviceBus/apnsservice-registrations-tests.js
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ var azure = testutil.libRequire('azure');
 
 var HeaderConstants = azure.Constants.HeaderConstants;
 
+var tokenId = '0f744707bebcf74f9b7c25d48e3358945f6aa01da5ddb387462c7eaf61bbad78';
+
 var hubNames = [];
 var hubNamePrefix = 'xplathubnxt';
 
@@ -101,7 +103,7 @@ describe('APNS notifications registrations', function () {
         });
 
         it('should work', function (done) {
-          notificationHubService.apns.createNativeRegistration('0f744707bebcf74f9b7c25d48e3358945f6aa01da5ddb387462c7eaf61bbad78', function (error, registration) {
+          notificationHubService.apns.createNativeRegistration(tokenId, function (error, registration) {
             should.not.exist(error);
             registrationId = registration.RegistrationId;
 
@@ -121,7 +123,7 @@ describe('APNS notifications registrations', function () {
 
         it('should work', function (done) {
           notificationHubService.apns.createTemplateRegistration(
-            '0f744707bebcf74f9b7c25d48e3358945f6aa01da5ddb387462c7eaf61bbad78',
+            tokenId,
             {
               alert: '${alertMessage1}'
             },
@@ -139,7 +141,7 @@ describe('APNS notifications registrations', function () {
 
         beforeEach(function (done) {
           notificationHubService.apns.createTemplateRegistration(
-            '0f744707bebcf74f9b7c25d48e3358945f6aa01da5ddb387462c7eaf61bbad78',
+            tokenId,
             {
               alert: '${alertMessage1}'
             },
@@ -158,7 +160,7 @@ describe('APNS notifications registrations', function () {
         it('should work', function (done) {
           notificationHubService.apns.updateTemplateRegistration(
             registrationId,
-            '0f744707bebcf74f9b7c25d48e3358945f6aa01da5ddb387462c7eaf61bbad78',
+            tokenId,
             {
               alert: '${newAlertMessage1}'
             },