bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health-related quality of life in a randomized trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy plus surgery in patients with oesophageal cancer (NeoRes trial)
Authors: Sunde B , Klevebro F , Johar A , Johnsen G , Jacobsen A-B , Glenjen N I , Friesland S , Lindblad M , Ajengui A , Lundell L , Lagergren P , Nilsson M 
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Background
There are few data comparing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (nCT) compared with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with oesophageal cancer.

Methods
In the NeoRes trial, patients were assigned randomly in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive either cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1 and an infusion of 750 mg per m2 5-fluorouracil over 24 h on days 1–5 in three 21-day cycles (nCT) or the same chemotherapy regimen, but with the addition of 40 Gy radiotherapy (nCRT). HRQoL data were collected at baseline, after neoadjuvant therapy and at 1, 3 and 5 years after surgery. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire QLQ-C30 and disease-specific modules were used.

Results
Of 181 patients randomized, 165 were included in the analysis of HRQoL. In a direct comparison between the allocated treatments, odynophagia after completion of neoadjuvant therapy but before surgery (P = 0·047) and troublesome coughing at 3 years' follow-up (P = 0·011) were more pronounced in the nCRT arm. In the longitudinal analyses within each treatment arm, a large deterioration in HRQoL was noted at 1 year. Some recovery was seen in both arms over time but, after 3 and 5 years, patients in the nCRT arm reported more symptoms compared with baseline than patients in the nCT arm.

Conclusion
HRQoL after multimodal treatment for cancer of the oesophagus or gastro-oesophageal junction was impaired and more pronounced in patients who underwent nCRT, with only partial recovery over time.
The effects and safety of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors on head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Bi‐Cheng , Cao Ru‐Bo , Li Pin‐Dong , Fu Chen 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundInhibitors of programmed cell death‐1 (PD‐1) and its ligand (PD‐L1) have been increasingly used in head and neck cancer therapy and reported to improve the outcomes with an acceptable safety profile. This systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted to assess the benefit and risk of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors in patients with head and neck cancer.MethodThe PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were systematically searched to find potentially eligible studies up to May 30, 2019. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and adverse events.ResultsOverall, this analysis consisted of nine eligible studies, with two randomized controlled trials and seven single arm trials. In the treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, PD‐1 inhibitors showed significantly lower relative risk of death than standard‐of‐care therapy (odds ratio [OR] = 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44‐0.82, I2 = 0%, P = .001). Programmed cell death‐1 inhibitors also decreased the risk of disease progression, however, there was no statistically significant difference of PFS between the treatments (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.48‐1.01, I2 = 0%, P = .05). Subgroup analysis showed that human papillomavirus (HPV) positive patients had higher response rates than HPV negative patients in PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors‐treated population (ORR: 18.8% vs 12.2%; DCR: 42.8% vs 34.4%). The most common any‐grade and grade ≥3 treatment‐related adverse events were fatigue (14.7%, 95% CI: 12.3%‐17.1%) and aspartate aminotransferase increased (1.6%, 95% CI: 0.3%‐2.9%), respectively.ConclusionProgrammed cell death‐1 inhibitors prolonged OS in comparison with standard‐of‐care therapy in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer patients. Human papillomavirus positive patients were superior to HPV negative patients in the treatment of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors. More phase III randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm our findings.
Absolute configuration of phomactatriene diterpenoids obtained by Wagner‐Meerwein rearrangement of epimeric verticillols
Authors: del Río‐Chávez Ángel A. , García‐Gutiérrez Hugo A. , Román‐Marín Luisa U. , Beiza‐Granados Lidia , Cerda‐García‐Rojas Carlos M. , Joseph‐Nathan Pedro , Hernández‐Hernández Juan D. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe epimeric diterpenes (+)‐(1S,3E,7E,11S,12S)‐verticilla‐3,7‐dien‐12‐ol (1), isolated from Bursera suntui, and (+)‐(1S,3E,7E,11S,12R)‐verticilla‐3,7‐dien‐12‐ol (2), isolated from Bursera kerberi, gave the same Wagner‐Meerwein rearrangement product (−)‐(1E,4Z,8Z,11S,12R)‐phomacta‐1,(15)4,8‐triene (3). The Et2O:BF3‐induced transformations evidence that verticillenes and phomactanes, both containing the bicyclo[9.3.1]pentadecane skeleton, are biogenetically related through the verticillen‐12‐yl cation (A+), which also is a key intermediate in the biosynthetic pathways to generate antitumor taxanes. Molecular modeling using the Monte Carlo protocol, followed by density functional theory (DFT) geometry optimization employing the hybrid functionals B3LYP and B3PW91, both with the DGDZVP basis set, secured the configuration of 3 as followed from the good agreement between the calculated and experimental vibrational circular dichroism spectra. Similar DFT calculations allowed determining the absolute configuration of (+)‐(1R,4R,5R,8S,9S,11S,12R,15R)‐1,15:4,5:8,9‐triepoxyphomactane (9), which surprisingly derives from epoxidation of the second minimum energy conformer of 3.
Enantioseparation and determination of flumequine enantiomers in multiple food matrices with chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Li Shuang , Liu Beibei , Xue Mengyao , Yu Jia , Guo Xingjie 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe present work firstly described the enantioseparation and determination of flumequine enantiomers in milk, yogurt, chicken, beef, egg, and honey samples by chiral liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. The enantioseparation was performed under reversed‐phase conditions on a Chiralpak IC column at 20°C. The effects of chiral stationary phase, mobile phase components, and column temperature on the separation of flumequine enantiomers have been studied in detail. Target compounds were extracted from six different matrices with individual extraction procedure followed by cleanup using Cleanert C18 solid phase extraction cartridge. Good linearity (R2>0.9913) was obtained over the concentration range of 0.125 to 12.5 ng g‐1 for each enantiomer in matrix‐matched standard calibration curves. The limits of detection and limits of quantification of two flumequine enantiomers were 0.015‐0.024 and 0.045‐0.063 ng g‐1, respectively. The average recoveries of the targeted compounds varied from 82.3 to 110.5%, with relative standard deviation less than 11.7%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of flumequine enantiomers in multiple food matrices, providing a reliable method for evaluating the potential risk in animal productions.
Synthesis of alternating metallocopolymers by chiral recognition
Authors: Torres‐Werlé Maria , Heinrich Benoît , Maisse‐François Aline , Bellemin‐Laponnaz Stéphane 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe report the synthesis of chiral enantiopure polytopic bridging ligands, which may lead to the formation of metallosupramolecular polymers with zinc (II) as metal linker. We show that chiral C2‐symmetric bisoxazoline ligands are useful moieties to efficiently generate heterochiral complexes and thus polymeric entities. The corresponding metallopolymers were further characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) to obtain information on the level of crystallinity of our different metallopolymers.
On the Ethereum blockchain structure: A complex networks theory perspective
Authors: Ferretti Stefano , D'Angelo Gabriele 
Published: August 2019

SummaryIn this paper, we analyze the Ethereum blockchain using the complex networks modeling framework. Accounts acting on the blockchain are represented as nodes, while the interactions among these accounts, recorded on the blockchain, are treated as links in the network. Using this representation, it is possible to derive interesting mathematical characteristics that improve the understanding of the actual interactions happening in the blockchain. Not only, by looking at the history of the blockchain, it is possible to verify if radical changes in the blockchain evolution happened.
Silicon Nanoparticles Embedded in N‐Doped Few‐Layered Graphene: Facile Synthesis and Application as an Effective Anode for Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Luan Yuting , Yang Bowen , Zhu Kai , Shao Shuangxi , Gao Yinyi , Cheng Kui , Yan Jun , Ye Ke , Wang Guiling , Cao Dianxue 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA fast one‐step arc discharge exfoliation method is employed to synthesize Si/graphene composites by using a graphite rod filled with a mixture of Si powder and urea as a cathode. During the arc discharge process, the use of urea allows both the introduction of nitrogen atoms into the graphene and the uniform sealing of Si nanoparticles between the thin graphene sheets to occur simultaneously. The resulting N‐doped graphene nanosheets embedded with Si (Si@NG) can act as an electrode material for lithium‐ion batteries and delivers the reversible capacity of 1030 mAh g−1 with a current density of 200 mA g−1 over 100 cycles along with an outstanding coulombic efficiency of 96.84 %. The remarkable electrochemical rate capability performance can be owed to the multiple role of NG, which not only serves as a three‐dimensional conductive support, but also effectively limits the volume variation of Si nanoparticles. The approach proposed here is expected to be extended to the preparation of other alloy anode/graphene hybrids for lithium ion batteries.
2 D Materials for Inhibiting the Shuttle Effect in Advanced Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Ali Tariq , Yan Chenglin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA lithium–sulfur battery is a new energy storage device with low cost, high energy storage density, and environmental protection. It is an important tool for future battery systems. However, owing to the shuttle of polysulfides, insulation performance of sulfur, and volume change, capacity decay and cycle instability result, which limits the future application of lithium–sulfur batteries. 2 D materials, such as graphene, carbide, nitride, sulfide, oxide, and their aggregates, provide high surface area to improve sulfur utilization and cycle performance. In this Minireview, various 2 D materials are summarized that use physical confinement and chemical interactions to inhibit the shuttle of polysulfides. We outline the controlled spacing of 2 D materials, abundant active sites, and large transverse size separators and interlayers. The effects on the interlayer and separator based on 2 D materials at the lithium anode prevent polysulfide dissolution are also reviewed. Finally, the challenges and prospects of 2 D materials for lithium–sulfur batteries are discussed.
GUIDE: Smartphone sensors‐based pedestrian indoor localization with heterogeneous devices
Authors: Ashraf Imran , Hur Soojung , Shafiq Muhammad , Kumari Saru , Park Yongwan 
Published: August 2019

SummaryA plethora of indoor localization systems based on Wi‐Fi, radio frequency chips, ultra‐wide‐band, and bluetooth have been proposed, yet these systems do not work when the infrastructure is absent. On the other hand, infrastructure less systems benefit mostly from off‐the‐shelf smartphone sensors and do not need additional hardware. This study shows a similar indoor localization approach which turns smartphone built‐in sensors to good account. We take advantage of magnetic field strength fingerprinting approach to localize a pedestrian indoor. In addition, accelerometer and gyroscope sensors are utilized to find the pedestrian's traveled distance and heading estimation, respectively. Our aim is to solve the problem of device dependence by devising an approach that can perform localization using various smartphones in a similar fashion. We make the use of patterns of magnetic field strength to formulate the fingerprint database to achieve this goal. This approach solves two problems: need to update the database periodically and device dependence. We conduct experiments using Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 for five different buildings with different dimensions in Yeungnam University, Republic of Korea. The evaluation is performed by following three different path geometries inside the buildings. The results show that the proposed localization approach can potentially be used for indoor localization with heterogeneous devices. The errors for path 1 and path 2 are very similar, however, localization error for path 3 is comparatively higher because of the complexity of the path 3. The mean and median errors for Galaxy S8 are 1.37 and 0.88 m while for LG G6, these are 1.84 and 1.21 m, respectively, while considering all buildings and all paths followed during the experiment. Overall, the proposed approach can potentially localize a pedestrian within 1.21 m at 50% and within 1.93 m at 75%, irrespective of the device used for localization. The performance of the proposed approach is compared with the K nearest neighbor (KNN) for evaluation. The proposed approach outperforms the KNN
Optimal location management in LTE networks using evolutionary techniques
Authors: Aqeeli Emad , Hashim Hashim A. , Haque Anwar , Shami Abdallah 
Published: August 2019

SummaryWireless network is considered a vital enabler in the world of information technology, specifically, LTE and LTE advanced networks, which are the latest technologies owing to their fast speed, robustness, and large bandwidth. However, in spite of the aforementioned advancements, signaling overhead poses critical challenges in terms of network availability, especially those caused by location management messages which are related to users’ mobility behavior. This paper seeks to address the problem of signaling overhead caused by the location management messages specifically, tracking area update (TAU) and paging by deploying three evolutionary algorithms, namely particle swarm optimization (PSO), artificial bee colony (ABC), and gravitational search algorithm (GSA). The deployed algorithms guarantee yielding the minimum values of the signaling overhead for TAU, paging, and the battery power consumption of the user. It is shown that ABC‐based algorithm has faster convergence and better signaling overhead when compared with other implemented algorithms. Moreover, the measured relative standard deviation (RSD) value of all algorithms shows low uncertainty of around 1% for the objective function and 3% for the paging, TAU, and power. Hence, the three applied optimization algorithms have proven to be efficient and reliable for solving the problem in a large‐scale environment.
Matrotrophic viviparity constrains microbiome acquisition during gestation in a live‐bearing cockroach, Diploptera punctata
Authors: Jennings Emily C. , Korthauer Matthew W. , Hamilton Trinity L. , Benoit Joshua B. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe vertical transmission of microbes from mother to offspring is critical to the survival, development, and health of animals. Invertebrate systems offer unique opportunities to conduct studies on microbiome‐development‐reproduction dynamics since reproductive modes ranging from oviparity to multiple types of viviparity are found in these animals. One such invertebrate is the live‐bearing cockroach, Diploptera punctata. Females carry embryos in their brood sac, which acts as the functional equivalent of the uterus and placenta. In our study, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to characterize maternal and embryonic microbiomes as well as the development of the whole‐body microbiome across nymphal development. We identified 50 phyla and 121 classes overall and found that mothers and their developing embryos had significantly different microbial communities. Of particular interest is the notable lack of diversity in the embryonic microbiome, which is comprised exclusively of Blattabacteria, indicating microbial transmission of only this symbiont during gestation. Our analysis of postnatal development reveals that significant amounts of non‐Blattabacteria species are not able to colonize newborn D. punctata until melanization, after which the microbial community rapidly and dynamically diversifies. While the role of these microbes during development has not been characterized, Blattabacteria must serve a critical role providing specific micronutrients lacking in milk secretions to the embryos during gestation. This research provides insight into the microbiome development, specifically with relation to viviparity, provisioning of milk‐like secretions, and mother–offspring interactions during pregnancy.
Development of high‐resolution DNA barcodes for Dioscorea species discrimination and phylogenetic analysis
Authors: Xia Wei , Zhang Bo , Xing Dan , Li Ying , Wu Wenqiang , Xiao Yong , Sun Jinhua , Dou Yajing , Tang Wenqi , Zhang Jinlan , Huang Xiaolong , Xu Yun , Xie Jun , Wang Jihua , Huang Dongyi 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe genus Dioscorea is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, and is economically important in terms of food supply and pharmaceutical applications. However, DNA barcodes are relatively unsuccessful in discriminating between Dioscorea species, with the highest discrimination rate (23.26%) derived from matK sequences. In this study, we compared genic and intergenic regions of three Dioscorea chloroplast genomes and found that the density of SNPs and indels in intergenic sites was about twice and seven times higher than that of SNPs and indels in the genic regions, respectively. A total of 52 primer pairs covering highly variable regions were designed and seven pairs of primers had 80%–100% PCR success rate. PCR amplicons of 73 Dioscorea individuals and assembled sequences of 47 Dioscorea SRAs were used for estimating intraspecific and interspecific divergence for the seven loci: The rpoB‐trnC locus had the highest interspecific divergence. Automatic barcoding gap discovery (ABGD), Poisson tree processes (PTP), and generalized mixed Yule coalescence (GMYC) analysis were applied for species delimitation based on the seven loci and successfully identified the majority of species, except for species in the Enantiophyllum section. Phylogenetic analysis of 51 Dioscorea individuals (28 species) showed that most individuals belonging to the same species tended to cluster in the same group. Our results suggest that the variable loci derived from comparative analysis of plastid genome sequences could be good DNA barcode candidates for taxonomic analysis and species delimitation.
Spatial variability of mangrove primary productivity in the neotropics
Authors: Ribeiro Rafaela de Albuquerque , Rovai André Scarlate , Twilley Robert R. , Castañeda‐Moya Edward 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMangroves are considered one of the most productive ecosystems in the world with significant contributions as carbon sinks in the biosphere. Yet few attempts have been made to assess global patterns in mangrove net primary productivity, except for a few assumptions relating litterfall rates to variation in latitude. We combined geophysical and climatic variables to predict mangrove litterfall rates at continental scale. On a per‐area basis, carbon flux in litterfall in the neotropics is estimated at 5 MgC·ha−1·yr−1, between 20% and 50% higher than previous estimates. Annual carbon fixed in mangrove litterfall in the neotropics is estimated at 11.5 TgC, which suggests that current global litterfall estimates extrapolated from mean reference values may have been underestimated by at least 5%. About 5.8 TgC of this total carbon fixed in the neotropics is exported to estuaries and coastal oceans, which is nearly 30% of global carbon export by tides. We provide the first attempt to quantify and map the spatial variability of carbon fixed in litterfall in mangrove forests at continental scale in response to geophysical and climatic environmental drivers. Our results strengthen the global carbon budget for coastal wetlands, providing blue carbon scientists and coastal policy makers with a more accurate representation of the potential of mangroves to offset carbon dioxide emissions.
Geese mediate vegetation state changes with parallel effects on N cycling that leave nutritional legacies for offspring
Authors: Ruess R. W. , McFarland J. W. , Person B. , Sedinger J. S. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAlong the coastal fringe of the Yukon–Kuskokwim River Delta in southwestern Alaska, geese maintain grazing lawns dominated by a rhizomatous sedge that, when ungrazed, transitions to a taller, less palatable growth form that is taxonomically described as a different species. Nutrients recycled in goose feces, in conjunction with grazing, are critical to the rapid, nutritious growth of grazing lawns, and selective foraging on lawns has positive life‐history consequences for goslings. To examine whether bidirectional vegetation shifts were accompanied by parallel changes in N cycling, we studied how 15N‐urea and 13C15N‐glycine were processed through soils and plants of native and recently reverted vegetation states. Biomass and plant 15N uptake from plots reverted to the tall growth form using exclosures and from those shifted to grazing lawns by experimental clipping and then goose grazing were identical to their native counterparts. Total recovery of 15N within the tall vegetation types was significantly greater than within grazing lawns, although when expressed on a per‐gram biomass basis, percentage of 15N recovery was significantly higher in grazing lawns compared with the tall vegetation state. Patterns of 13C enrichment in CO2 soil efflux showed rapid use of 13C‐glycine as a respiratory substrate within the first hour following injection, with both the timing and magnitude of efflux occurring at similar time points for all four vegetation types. However, higher soil respiration rates and a shorter half‐life for 13C‐glycine in soils from tall meadows resulted in a greater proportional loss of 13CO2 compared with grazing lawns. Despite daily‐to‐weekly tidal inundation, all of 15N from labeled substrates could be accounted for within 1 m of the injection grid from soils of both states after 30 d, with significant levels of 15N in soils and vegetation after one year. Geese have remarkably high fidelity to brood‐rearing areas, returning as adults to the same grazing lawns where they were raised as goslings. Our data suggest that the role fecal‐derived nutrients play in the positive feedback loop between geese and their food resources can provide a long‐term legacy that spans generations.