bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcome of children with relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma: A meta‐analysis of ITCC/SIOPEN European phase II clinical trials
Authors: Moreno Lucas , Rubie Herve , Varo Amalia , Le Deley Marie Cecile , Amoroso Loredana , Chevance Aurelie , Garaventa Alberto , Gambart Marion , Bautista Francisco , Valteau‐Couanet Dominique , Geoerger Birgit , Vassal Gilles , Paoletti Xavier , Pearson Andrew D. J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBackgroundFew randomized trials have been conducted in children with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma and data about outcomes including progression‐free survival (PFS) in these patients are scarce.ProcedureA meta‐analysis of three phase II studies of children with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma conducted in Europe (temozolomide, topotecan–vincristine–doxorubicin and topotecan–temozolomide) was performed. Individual patient data with extended follow‐up were collected from the trial databases after publication to describe trial outcomes (response rate, clinical benefit ratio, duration of treatment, PFS, and overall survival [OS]). Characteristics of subjects with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma were compared.ResultsData from 71 children and adolescents with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma were collected. Response definitions were not homogeneous in the three trials. Patients were on study for a median of 3.5 months (interquartile range [IQR] 1.9–6.2). Of those, 35.2% achieved a complete or partial response, 26.3% experienced a response after more than two cycles, and 23.9% received more than six cycles. Median PFS from study entry for all, refractory, and relapsed patients was 6.4 ± 1.0, 12.5 ± 6.8, and 5.7 ± 1.0 months, respectively (P = 0.006). Median OS from study entry for all, refractory, and relapsed patients was 16.1 ± 4.3, 27.9 ± 20.2, and 11.0 ± 1.6 months, respectively (P = 0.03).ConclusionsBaseline data for response rate, clinical benefit ratio, duration of treatment, PFS, and OS were provided. Two subpopulations (relapsed/refractory) were clearly distinct and should be included in the interpretation of all trials. These results should help informing the design of forthcoming studies in relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma.
Preparation and characterization of poly(Ether block amide)/graphene membrane for recovery of isopropanol from aqueous solution via pervaporation
Authors: Najafi Monavar , Mousavi Seyed Mahmoud , Saljoughi Ehsan 
Published: August 2016

In the present research, for the first time, hydrophobic graphene nanoplatelets were used as filler to prepare novel poly(ether block amide) /graphene membranes for enhancing the removal of isopropanol from the aqueous solution by pervaporation (PV) process. Graphene at the concentrations of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt% was added to the polymeric solutions. The membranes were characterized using tests of scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffractometer, thermogravimetric analysis, mechanical strength, degree of swelling, and contact angle. The pervaporation experiments were accomplished using the feed containing 4 wt% of isopropanol at 50°C and permeate pressure of 20 mm Hg. The results showed that with the addition of graphene, thermal stability, tensile strength, and hydrophobicity of the prepared membranes were increased. Permeate flux, separation factor, and swelling degree of the prepared membranes were increased with the initial increase in the graphene content, whereas when the graphene content exceeded 1–1.5 wt%, these parameters decreased. The highest separation factor (10.04) and isopropanol flux (248.5 g/(m2 h)) were obtained for the hybrid membrane containing 1.5 wt% graphene in the polymeric solution. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:2259–2267, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers
Mechanisms for allosteric activation of protease DegS by ligand binding and oligomerization as revealed from molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Lu Cheng , Stock Gerhard , Knecht Volker 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTA local perturbation of a protein may lead to functional changes at some distal site, a phenomenon denoted as allostery. Here, we study the allosteric control of a protease using molecular dynamics simulations. The system considered is the bacterial protein DegS which includes a protease domain activated on ligand binding to an adjacent PDZ domain. Starting from crystallographic structures of DegS homo‐trimers, we perform simulations of the ligand‐free and ‐bound state of DegS at equilibrium. Considering a single protomer only, the trimeric state was mimicked by applying restraints on the residues in contact with other protomers in the DegS trimer. In addition, the bound state was also simulated without any restraints to mimic the monomer. Our results suggest that not only ligand release but also disassembly of a DegS trimer inhibits proteolytic activity. Considering various observables for structural changes, we infer allosteric pathways from the interface with other protomers to the active site. Moreover, we study how ligand release leads to (i) catalytically relevant changes involving residues 199–201 and (ii) a transition from a stretched to a bent conformation for residues 217–219 (which prohibits proper substrate binding). Finally, based on ligand‐induced Cα shifts we identify residues in contact with other protomers in the DegS trimer that likely transduce the perturbation from ligand release from a given protomer to adjacent protomers. These residues likely play a key role in the experimentally known effect of ligand release from a protomer on the proteolytic activity of the other protomers. Proteins 2016; 84:1690–1705. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Idealized simulations of the effect of Taiwan topography on the tracks of tropical cyclones with different steering flow strengths
Authors: Tang Chi Kit , Chan Johnny C. L. 
Published: August 2016

This is the fourth part of a study on the effect of topography on tropical cyclone (TC) tracks. In previous parts, idealized simulations were conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting model to investigate the underlying mechanisms for the upstream deflection and the local and remote topography effect on TCs with different sizes. None of these simulations included any background flow. In this part, uniform easterly steering flows of 5 and 10 m s−1 are introduced to study the track changes under such conditions.Lee vortices are generated downstream of the Taiwan topography by the steering flow. The TC–terrain‐induced gyres found in the previous parts also develop when the TC circulation begins to interact with the topography and subsequently dominate over Taiwan. The cyclonic gyre merges with the cyclonic lee vortex induced by the steering flow and the anticyclonic gyre is advected cyclonically around the TC centre, which later deflects the TC. Because the circulation at the outer radii of a TC ‘competes’ with the steering flow, a smaller TC under a stronger steering flow has to move closer to Taiwan in order to generate such gyres. This ‘delayed’ generation of the gyres then leads to the ‘delayed’ onset of the northward deflection for such a TC. For a large TC, the circulation at its southern part is weakened by the steering flow so that the track of the anticyclonic terrain‐induced gyre is changed, which results in a larger track deflection of the TC.
Theoretical study of metal‐free organic dyes based on different configurations for efficient dye‐sensitized solar cells
Authors: Ferdowsi Parnian , Mokhtari Javad 
Published: August 2016

AbstractConsidering different solar dyes configuration, four novel metal‐free organic dyes based on phenoxazine as electron donor, thiophene and cyanovinylene linkers as the
‐conjugation bridge and cyanoacrylic acid as electron acceptor were designed to optimize open circuit voltage and short circuit current parameters and theoretically inspected. Density functional theory and time‐dependent density functional theory calculations were used to study frontier molecular orbital energy states of the dyes and their optical absorption spectra. The results indicated that D2‐4 dyes can be suitable candidates as sensitizers for application in dye sensitized solar cells and among these three dyes, D3 showed a broader and more bathochromically shifted absorption band compared to the others. The dye also showed the highest molar extinction coefficient. This work suggests optimizing the configuration of metal‐free organic dyes based on simple D‐
‐A configuration containing alkyl chain as substitution, starburst conformation, and symmetric double D‐
‐A chains would produce good photovoltaic properties.
Security analysis and design of an efficient ECC‐based two‐factor password authentication scheme
Authors: Maitra Tanmoy , Obaidat Mohammad S. , Islam SK Hafizul , Giri Debasis , Amin Ruhul 
Published: August 2016

AbstractClient‐server‐based communications provide a facility by which users can get several services from home via the Internet. As the Internet is an insecure channel, it is needed to protect information of communicators. An authentication scheme can fulfill the aforementioned requirements. Recently, Huang et al. presented an elliptic curve cryptosystem‐based password authentication scheme. This work has demonstrated that the scheme of Huang et al. has security weakness against the forgery attack. In addition, this paper also presented that the scheme of Huang et al. has some design drawbacks. Therefore, this paper has focused on excluding the security vulnerabilities of the scheme of Huang et al. by proposing an elliptic curve cryptosystem‐based password authentication scheme using smart card. The security of our scheme is based on the hardness assumption of the one‐way hash functions and elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that our scheme is secured against known attacks. The performance of our scheme is also nearly equal when compared to related competing schemes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, Characterisation, Photophysical and Interfacial Electron Transfer Studies to TiO2 Nanoparticle of Novel Heteroleptic Ruthenium Terpyridyl Complex
Authors: Rana Prem Jyoti Singh , Kundi Varun , Singh Pallavi , Kar Prasenjit 
Published: August 2016

AbstractIn this context we have synthesised and characterised a novel heteroleptic [Ru (4′‐(4 N,N dimethyl phenyl) 2,2′6’:2′′‐terpyridine) 4′‐(4Carboxyphenyl)‐2,2′6’:2′′‐terpyridine]2PF6 complex [PR2] with prolonged excited‐state lifetime τ of6.37 ns which is 25 fold more than the homologous [Ru(tpy)2](PF6)2. The appropriate selection of ligand moieties is employed for engineering the energy level of3MLCTand 3MC excited states to restrain the nonradiativeemissionfromthermally populated 3MC excited state.This task is well judged by counter balancing effect ofStrong σ‐ donor and π‐ acceptor substituent attached to terpyridyl moiety. This title complex exhibits an oxidation potential (E1/2) of 1.28 V vs Ag/AgCl. Thetime‐resolved absorption spectroscopy employed for interfacial charge transfer study reveals strong coupling in title complex–semiconducting TiO2 nanoparticle system which facilitates pulse width limited (<100 fs) ultrafast single exponential electron injection.
Structurally Diverse Polynuclear Copper(I) Complexes Bridged by Pyrimidine–, Pyrazine–, and Triazine–based Ligands with Several 2–Pyridyl Groups
Authors: Maekawa Masahiko , Sugimoto Kunihisa , Okubo Takashi , Kuroda–Sowa Takayoshi , Munakata Megumu 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe reactions of [Cu(MeCN)4]BF4 or [Cu(C2H4)n]ClO4 complexes with 4,6–bis(2–pyridyl)pyrimidine (bppym) in Me2CO under C2H4 afforded dinuclear Cu(I)–bppym/C2H4 adducts [Cu2‐(bppym)(C2H4)2](BF4)2•Me2CO (1) and [Cu2(bppym)2(C2H4)2](ClO4)2•Me2CO (2), respectively. One Cu(I) atom is coordinated by bppym and C2H4 in a distorted trigonal–planar geometry. The other Cu(I) atom is coordinated by bppym, Me2CO, and C2H4 toward a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]BF4 with 2,3–bis(2–pyridyl)pyrazine (bppz) in MeOH under C2H4 afforded a Cu(I)–bppz coordination polymer {[Cu2(bppz)2](BF4)2•MeOH}n (3). Two Cu(I) atoms are alternately bridged by two bppz to form a 1–D zigzag–chain structure. Each Cu(I) coordination sphere is largely distorted from a normal tetrahedral structure toward a square planar structure. The reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]PF6 with 2,4,6–tris(2–pyridyl)–s–triazine (tptz) in MeEtCO under C2H4 afforded a tetranuclear Cu(I)–tptz/C2H4 adduct [Cu4(tptz)2(C2H4)2(MeCN)2](PF6)4•MeEtCO (4 b). Two Cu(I) atoms are bridged by the central triazine ring, the 2–pyridyl group, the central triazine ring, and the 2–pyridyl group in a different tptz to form a double helical structure. The other Cu(I) atom is coordinated by the central triazine ring, the 2–pyridyl group, MeCN, and C2H4 in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]PF6 with tetra–2–pyridylpyrazine (tppz) in MeOH under C2H4 afforded a tetranuclear Cu(I)–tppz complex [Cu4(tppz)2(MeCN)4](PF6)4•MeOH (5 a). Each Cu(I) atom is coordinated by the central pyrazine ring, the 2–pyridyl group, the 2–pyridyl group in a different tppz, and MeCN in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. These four Cu(I) atoms are bridged by the two opposite tppz ligands to form a unique tetranuclear Cu(I) cage structure.
Structure, Ionization, and Fragmentation of Hydrogenated Aluminoboron Clusters: Al2B2H2n (n=0‐6)
Authors: Muz İskender , Canko Osman , Atiş Murat 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis study presents a systematic investigation of the energetic and structural stabilities of Al2B2H2n (n=0‐6) clusters. The potential energy surfaces of a series of these clusters have been explored using stochastic search algorithm based on density functional theory at the RB3LYP/6‐31G level. The low‐lying isomers are recalculated at the RB3LYP/6‐311++G** level of theory, then single‐point RCCSD(T) calculations are performed to compute relative energies. For the most stable isomers, the ionization potentials, HOMO‐LUMO energy gaps, H2 loss energies are further analyzed. Moreover, the adaptive natural density partitioning method is used for chemical bonding analysis. The current study is also compared with the structure and electronic properties of AlB3H2n and Al3BH2n (n=0‐6) clusters. The results show that the stability of hydrogenated Al2B2 clusters increases as more hydrogen molecules are adsorbed, while the H2 loss energy decreases. The results agree well with available theoretical data.
Beyond Manhattan: Localized competition and organizational failure in urban hotel markets throughout the United States, 2000–2014
Authors: Kalnins Arturs 
Published: August 2016

Research summary: I conducted a nationwide replication of Baum and Mezias' (1992) pioneering single-market study of localized competition by pooling the populations of 90 urban U.S. hotel markets. Consistent with Baum and Mezias' three hypotheses, I demonstrate a negative market-level effect on survival duration of size-based, geographic-based, and price-based localized competition. When analyzing submarket “windows,” I found support for size-based and geographic-based localized competition. In contrast, Baum and Mezias find support for only size-based localized competition at the market level, but for all three forms of localized competition when analyzing submarket windows. I extend their analysis by (1) using standardized measures of localized competition, and (2) showing separate results for key subpopulations. I conclude that there are indeed firm-level benefits of avoiding localized competition.Managerial summary: This paper demonstrates that—at a broad level of analysis such as a city—hotels are more likely to survive if there are fewer other properties (1) in their geographical vicinity, (2) of similar size, and (3) at their price point. Thus, prospective owners should be leery of location in the more crowded niches even if these may be plausibly more lucrative for some. Sparsely populated niches appear to be less risky on average. When we study this phenomenon within a narrower geographic scope such as a part of the city, the least crowded niches in terms of geography, price or size no longer appear to provide benefits in terms of survival. Thus, it is possible that only the most sparsely populated niches citywide improve a hotel's likelihood of survival. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bloom filter based semi‐index on q‐grams
Authors: Grabowski Szymon , Susik Robert , Raniszewski Marcin 
Published: August 2016

SummaryWe present a simple q‐gram based semi‐index, which allows to look for a pattern typically only in a small fraction of text blocks. Several space‐time tradeoffs are presented. Experiments on Pizza & Chili datasets show that our solution is up to three orders of magnitude faster than the Claude et al. (Journal of Discrete Algorithms 2012; 11:37) semi‐index at a comparable space usage. Moreover, the construction of our data structure is fast and easily parallelizable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Engineering order‐preserving pattern matching with SIMD parallelism
Authors: Chhabra Tamanna , Faro Simone , Külekci M. Oğuzhan , Tarhio Jorma 
Published: August 2016

SummaryThe order‐preserving pattern matching problem has gained attention in recent years. It consists in finding all substrings in the text, which have the same length and relative order as the input pattern. Typically, the text and the pattern consist of numbers. Since recent times, there has been a tendency to utilize the ability of the word RAM model to increase the efficiency of string matching algorithms. This model works on computer words, reading and processing blocks of characters at once, so that usual arithmetic and logic operations on words can be performed in one unit of time. In this paper, we present a fast order‐preserving pattern matching algorithm, which uses specialized word‐size packed string matching instructions, grounded on the single instruction multiple data instruction set architecture. We show with experimental results that the new proposed algorithm is more efficient than the previous solutions. ©2016 The Authors. Software: Practice and Experience Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Outcomes associated with fetal hepatobiliary cysts: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Leombroni M. , Buca D. , Celentano C. , Liberati M. , Bascietto F. , Gustapane S. , Marrone L. , Manzoli L. , Rizzo G. , D'Antonio F. 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo explore the outcomes associated with fetal hepatobiliary cysts.MethodsMEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies reporting on outcomes of fetal hepatobiliary cysts. Outcomes observed were resolution/reduction and increase in cyst size, associated congenital anomalies of the biliary tract and liver, abnormal postnatal liver function tests, clinical symptoms, need for surgery, postsurgical complications and predictive accuracy of prenatal ultrasound in identifying correctly hepatobiliary cysts. Meta‐analysis of proportions was used to analyze the data.ResultsThe search identified 1498 articles, and 22 studies (252 fetuses) were included in the systematic review. For fetal hepatic cysts, resolution or reduction in cyst size either pre‐ or postnatally occurred in 59.3% (95% CI, 30.9–84.7%) of cases, while an increase in cyst size occurred in 8.7% (95% CI, 1.1–22.4%). No case of hepatic cyst had associated malformations of the biliary tract at birth. Clinical symptoms occurred in 14.8% (95% CI, 6.3–26.1%) of cases and, in 5.4% (95% CI, 0.9–13.6%), they were related to the presence of bile obstruction due to compression of the cyst on the biliary tract. No case of hepatic cyst had abnormal liver function at birth. For fetal biliary cysts, resolution or reduction in cyst size occurred in 8.7% (95% CI, 2.7–17.5%) of cases and an increase in size occurred in 34.4% (95% CI, 20.5–49.8%). Congenital anomalies of the biliary tract and liver, such as fibrosis, occurred in 21.5% (95% CI, 10.2–35.6%) and 17.4% (95% CI, 5.4–34.4%) of cases, respectively. 57.3% (95% CI, 33.9–79.0%) of cases showed impairment in liver function after birth, while 55.0% (95% CI, 37.5–71.9%) showed clinical symptoms, mainly due to bile obstruction (47.9% (95% CI, 29.4–66.7%)). Postsurgical complications occurred in 10.9% (95% CI, 3.7–21.3%) of operated cases. Risk assessment according to different cut‐offs of cyst size could not be performed in view of the very small number of included studies.ConclusionsFetal hepatic cysts are benign, with a low likelihood of associated anomalies of the hepatobiliary tract, abnormal liver function or clinical symptoms. Congenital biliary cysts are associated with a high rate of progression, abnormal liver function after birth and clinical symptoms. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Aero‐structural dynamics of a flexible hub connection for load reduction on two‐bladed wind turbines
Authors: Luhmann Birger , Seyedin Homan , Cheng Po‐Wen 
Published: August 2016

AbstractIn this study, an innovative concept for load reduction on the two‐bladed Skywind 3.4 MW prototype is presented. The load reduction system consists of a flexible coupling between the hub mount, carrying the drive train components including the hub assembly, and a nacelle carrier supported by the yaw bearing. This paper intends to assess the impact of introducing a flexible hub connection on the system dynamics and the aero‐elastic response to aerodynamic load imbalances. In order to limit the rotational joint motion, a cardanic spring‐damper element is introduced between the hub mount and the nacelle carrier flange, which affects the system response and the loads. A parameter variation of the stiffness and damping of the connecting spring‐damper element has been performed in the multi‐body simulation solver Simpack. A deterministic, vertically sheared wind field is applied to induce a periodic aerodynamic imbalance on the rotor. The aero‐structural load reduction mechanisms of the coupled system are thereby identified. It is shown that the fatigue loads on the blades and the turbine support structure are reduced significantly. For a very low structural coupling, however, the corresponding rotational deflections of the hub mount exceed the design limit of operation. The analysis of the interaction between the hub mount motion and the blade aerodynamics in a transient inflow environment indicates a reduction of the angle of attack amplitudes and the corresponding fluctuations of the blade loading. Hence, it can be concluded that load reduction is achieved by a combination of reduced structural coupling and a mitigation of aerodynamic load imbalances. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.