bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of Surgery in Treating Resectable Limited Disease of Esophageal Neuroendocrine Carcinoma
Authors: Deng Han‐Yu , Li Gang , Luo Jun , Li Xin‐Rui , Alai Guha , Lin Yi‐Dan 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBackgroundEsophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare malignant tumor. The role of surgery in resectable limited disease of esophageal NEC remains unclear. How to select a specific group of limited disease of esophageal NEC who might benefit from surgery remains to be answered.MethodsPatients undergoing esophagectomy for resectable limited disease of esophageal NEC in our department from January 2007 to June 2015 were analyzed. TNM staging system was applied to describe those patients, and according to their different long‐term prognosis after surgery, those patients were subgrouped into surgery response limited disease (SRLD) group and surgery non‐response limited disease (SNRLD) group. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify potential prognostic factors.ResultsA total of 72 patients with resectable limited disease of esophageal NEC were identified for analysis. The median survival time of those patients was 21.5 months. There was no significant survival differences among stage I, stage IIA, and stage IIB patients, but all these patients had significantly longer survival than stage III patients. Therefore, stage I, stage IIA, and stage IIB patients were aggregated together as SRLD group, and stage III patients were aggregated as SNRLD group. SRLD patients obtained significantly longer survival than SNRLD patients in both univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. Moreover, adjuvant therapy could significantly benefit SRLD patients (P = 0.004) but could not benefit SNRLD patients (P = 0.136).ConclusionsDifferent responses to surgery existed in resectable limited disease of esophageal NEC indicating the need of further subgrouping for those patients. The resectable limited disease of esophageal NEC could be further subgrouped into SRLD group and SNRLD group according to the TNM staging system.
Biotechnology software in the digital age: are you winning?
Authors: Scheitz Cornelia Johanna Franziska , Peck Lawrence J , Groban Eli S 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThere is a digital revolution taking place and biotechnology companies are slow to adapt. Many pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and industrial bio-production companies believe that software must be developed and maintained in-house and that data are more secure on internal servers than on the cloud. In fact, most companies in this space continue to employ large IT and software teams and acquire computational infrastructure in the form of in-house servers. This is due to a fear of the cloud not sufficiently protecting in-house resources and the belief that their software is valuable IP. Over the next decade, the ability to quickly adapt to changing market conditions, with agile software teams, will quickly become a compelling competitive advantage. Biotechnology companies that do not adopt the new regime may lose on key business metrics such as return on invested capital, revenue, profitability, and eventually market share.
A Case of Concomitant Pemphigus Foliaceus and Oral Pemphigus Vulgaris
Authors: Perks Alexandra C. , Farthing Paula M. , Murphy Ruth , Hegarty Anne M. 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Pemphigus is a chronic autoimmune condition that can affect multiple areas of the body. The two main subtypes of pemphigus are pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) which can rarely occur concurrently or even transition from one to the other. The process of transition may be explained by qualitative changes in desmoglein autoantibody profile. We present a rare case of concomitant PF and oral PV and explore the literature on transitions between pemphigus subtypes and whether this case could represent a transition from PF to PV. Furthermore, the realities of multidisciplinary patient management are discussed.
FARMERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON MECHANICAL WEEDERS FOR RICE PRODUCTION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: JOHNSON JEAN-MARTIAL , RODENBURG JONNE , TANAKA ATSUKO , SENTHILKUMAR KALIMUTHU , AHOUANTON KOKOU , DIENG IBNOU , KLOTOE AGOSSOU , AKAKPO CYRIAQUE , SEGDA ZACHARIE , YAMEOGO LOUIS P. , GBAKATCHETCHE HENRI , ACHEAMPONG GEORGE K. , BAM RALPH K. , BAKARE OLADELE S. , KALISA ALAIN , GASORE ELIE R. , ANI SÉKOU , ABLEDE KOMLAN , SAITO KAZUKI 
Published: January 2018

SUMMARYCompetition from weeds is one of the major biophysical constraints to rice (Oryza spp.) production in sub-Saharan Africa. Smallholder rice farmers require efficient, affordable and labour-saving weed management technologies. Mechanical weeders have shown to fit this profile. Several mechanical weeder types exist but little is known about locally specific differences in performance and farmer preference between these types. Three to six different weeder types were evaluated at 10 different sites across seven countries – i.e., Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda and Togo. A total of 310 farmers (173 male, 137 female) tested the weeders, scored them for their preference, and compared them with their own weed management practices. In a follow-up study, 186 farmers from Benin and Nigeria received the ring hoe, which was the most preferred in these two countries, to use it during the entire crop growing season. Farmers were surveyed on their experiences. The probability of the ring hoe having the highest score among the tested weeders was 71%. The probability of farmers’ preference of the ring hoe over their usual practices – i.e., herbicide, traditional hoe and hand weeding – was 52, 95 and 91%, respectively. The preference of this weeder was not related to gender, years of experience with rice cultivation, rice field size, weed infestation level, water status or soil texture. In the follow-up study, 80% of farmers who used the ring hoe indicated that weeding time was reduced by at least 31%. Of the farmers testing the ring hoe in the follow-up study, 35% used it also for other crops such as vegetables, maize, sorghum, cassava and millet. These results suggest that the ring hoe offers a gender-neutral solution for reducing labour for weeding in rice as well as other crops and that it is compatible with a wide range of environments. The implications of our findings and challenges for out-scaling of mechanical weeders are discussed.
SECURITIZATION OF SEARCH AND RESCUE AT SEA: THE RESPONSE TO BOAT MIGRATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND OFFSHORE AUSTRALIA
Authors: Ghezelbash Daniel , Moreno-Lax Violeta , Klein Natalie , Opeskin Brian 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis article compares the law and practice of the European Union and Australia in respect to the search and rescue (SAR) of boat migrants, concluding that the response to individuals in peril at sea in both jurisdictions is becoming increasingly securitized. This has led to the humanitarian purpose of SAR being compromised in the name of border security. Part I contrasts the unique challenge posed by SAR operations involving migrants and asylum seekers, as opposed to other people in distress at sea. Part II analyses the relevant international legal regime governing SAR activities and its operation among European States and in offshore Australia. Part III introduces the securitization framework as the explanatory paradigm for shifting State practice and its impact in Europe and Australia. It then examines the consequences of increasing securitization of SAR in both jurisdictions and identifies common trends, including an increase in militarization and criminalization, a lack of transparency and accountability, developments relating to disembarkation andnon-refoulement, and challenges relating to cooperation and commodification.
Islands, the Humanities and environmental conservation
Authors: TROMPF GARRY W. 
Published: January 2018

SUMMARYThis paper concerns itself with the contributions that the Humanities make to the understanding of islands and their bettered environmental conservation. Most distinctively, the Humanities comprise Literary Studies, Studies in Art and Culture (including Indigenous and Gender Studies) and Philosophy (with Aesthetics and the History of Ideas), but they also encompass Archaeology, History, Linguistics, Studies in Religion and, of late, Media and Communication Studies, even though members of this latter cluster frequently deploy methods from the social sciences. The goal here is to explore many of the implications such Human Studies and their sub-branches may have for island conservation, above all informed by the History of Ideas, in order to introduce the relevant key issues and inter-relationships and offer the most judicious illustrative materials. Variances in the reach and special attention of all these branches of knowledge are vast and intricate, while complex relativities apply both in the types of island situations and in expectations about what can or should be conserved. Since the mass of apposite discussions in the literature cannot possibly be summarized here, this article circumvents the difficulties by means of a special double-edged review. It ranges over the history of human consciousness of insular worlds, as reflected in mythic, legendary and historical materials, yet en route it uncovers how Humanities research can elucidate the human responses to islands through known time and shows how developing meaning-making has generally enhanced the appeal of sea-locked environments as worth conserving.
HOXC8 promotes proliferation and migration through transcriptional up-regulation of TGFβ1 in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Liu Houli , Zhang Mingsheng , Xu Shanshan , Zhang Jie , Zou Jin , Yang Chenchen , Zhang Yang , Gong Chen , Kai Yuanzhong , Li Yong 
Published: January 2018

AbstractHomeobox (HOX) genes encode a family of transcription factors, which play crucial roles in numerous processes, and their dysregulation is involved in the carcinogenesis of many human cancers. In the present study, we investigated the roles of HOXC8 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We showed that HOXC8 was upregulated in clinical NSCLC specimens compared to normal lung tissues, and the high expression of HOXC8 correlated with tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, tumor status, lymph nodal status and poor relapse-free survival for lung cancer patients. Functionally, HOXC8 expression significantly promoted the proliferation, anchorage-independent growth and migration of NSCLC, and HOXC8 functioned as a transcription activator to induce the expression of TGFβ1, leading to an increase in the proliferation, anchorage-independent growth and migration of NSCLC. Furthermore, we demonstrated that HOXC8 expression was associated with chemoresistance and anti-apoptosis in NSCLC, suggesting that HOXC8 is a promising therapeutic target for chemosensitization of NSCLC to cisplatin. Altogether, our study defined a critical role of HOXC8 in promoting transcription of TGFβ1 and NSCLC tumorigenesis.
Calling from distance: attraction of soil bacteria by plant root volatiles
Authors: Schulz-Bohm Kristin , Gerards Saskia , Hundscheid Maria , Melenhorst Jasper , de Boer Wietse , Garbeva Paolina 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Plants release a wide set of secondary metabolites including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Many of those compounds are considered to function as defense against herbivory, pests, and pathogens. However, little knowledge exists about the role of belowground plant VOCs for attracting beneficial soil microorganisms. We developed an olfactometer system to test the attraction of soil bacteria by VOCs emitted by Carex arenaria roots. Moreover, we tested whether infection of C. arenaria with the fungal pathogen Fusarium culmorum modifies the VOCs profile and bacterial attraction. The results revealed that migration of distant bacteria in soil towards roots can be stimulated by plant VOCs. Upon fungal infection, the blend of root VOCs changed and specific bacteria with antifungal properties were attracted. Tests with various pure VOCs indicated that those compounds can diffuse over long distance but with different diffusion abilities. Overall, this work highlights the importance of plant VOCs in belowground long-distance plant–microbe interactions.
Anti-Hermitian photodetector facilitating efficient subwavelength photon sorting
Authors: Kim Soo Jin , Kang Ju-Hyung , Mutlu Mehmet , Park Joonsuk , Park Woosung , Goodson Kenneth E. , Sinclair Robert , Fan Shanhui , Kik Pieter G. , Brongersma Mark L. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe ability to split an incident light beam into separate wavelength bands is central to a diverse set of optical applications, including imaging, biosensing, communication, photocatalysis, and photovoltaics. Entirely new opportunities are currently emerging with the recently demonstrated possibility to spectrally split light at a subwavelength scale with optical antennas. Unfortunately, such small structures offer limited spectral control and are hard to exploit in optoelectronic devices. Here, we overcome both challenges and demonstrate how within a single-layer metafilm one can laterally sort photons of different wavelengths below the free-space diffraction limit and extract a useful photocurrent. This chipscale demonstration of anti-Hermitian coupling between resonant photodetector elements also facilitates near-unity photon-sorting efficiencies, near-unity absorption, and a narrow spectral response (∼ 30 nm) for the different wavelength channels. This work opens up entirely new design paradigms for image sensors and energy harvesting systems in which the active elements both sort and detect photons.
Orientation of non-spherical protonated water clusters revealed by infrared absorption dichroism
Authors: Daldrop Jan O. , Saita Mattia , Heyden Matthias , Lorenz-Fonfria Victor A. , Heberle Joachim , Netz Roland R. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractInfrared continuum bands that extend over a broad frequency range are a key spectral signature of protonated water clusters. They are observed for many membrane proteins that contain internal water molecules, but their microscopic mechanism has remained unclear. Here we compute infrared spectra for protonated and unprotonated water chains, discs, and droplets from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The continuum bands of the protonated clusters exhibit significant anisotropy for chains and discs, with increased absorption along the direction of maximal cluster extension. We show that the continuum band arises from the nuclei motion near the excess charge, with a long-ranged amplification due to the electronic polarizability. Our experimental, polarization-resolved light–dark difference spectrum of the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin exhibits a pronounced dichroic continuum band. Our results suggest that the protonated water cluster responsible for the continuum band of bacteriorhodopsin is oriented perpendicularly to the membrane normal.
The cross correlation properties of composite systems
Authors: Huang Zhifu , Zheng Shuqing 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA new method is presented for characterizing cross correlations in composite systems described by a couple of time-dependent random variables. This method is based on (i) rescaling the time derivatives of the variables to make their variances unity and then (ii) recombining these rescaled variables into their sum and difference. This manipulation enables one to express the joint probability distribution function in a peculiar way. It is also found that the entropy of composite systems is not equal to the sum of entropy of each subsystem because of the cross correlations.
Insights into cerebral haemodynamics and oxygenation utilising in vivo mural cell imaging and mathematical modelling
Authors: Sweeney Paul W. , Walker-Samuel Simon , Shipley Rebecca J. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe neurovascular mechanisms underpinning the local regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygen transport remain elusive. In this study we have combined novel in vivo imaging of cortical microvascular and mural cell architecture with mathematical modelling of blood flow and oxygen transport, to provide new insights into CBF regulation that would be inaccessible in a conventional experimental context. Our study indicates that vasoconstriction of smooth muscle actin-covered vessels, rather than pericyte-covered capillaries, induces stable reductions in downstream intravascular capillary and tissue oxygenation. We also propose that seemingly paradoxical observations in the literature around reduced blood velocity in response to arteriolar constrictions might be caused by a propagation of constrictions to upstream penetrating arterioles. We provide support for pericytes acting as signalling conduits for upstream smooth muscle activation, and erythrocyte deformation as a complementary regulatory mechanism. Finally, we caution against the use of blood velocity as a proxy measurement for flow. Our combined imaging-modelling platform complements conventional experimentation allowing cerebrovascular physiology to be probed in unprecedented detail.
Structural basis of thalidomide enantiomer binding to cereblon
Authors: Mori Tomoyuki , Ito Takumi , Liu Shujie , Ando Hideki , Sakamoto Satoshi , Yamaguchi Yuki , Tokunaga Etsuko , Shibata Norio , Handa Hiroshi , Hakoshima Toshio 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThalidomide possesses two optical isomers which have been reported to exhibit different pharmacological and toxicological activities. However, the precise mechanism by which the two isomers exert their different activities remains poorly understood. Here, we present structural and biochemical studies of (S)- and (R)-enantiomers bound to the primary target of thalidomide, cereblon (CRBN). Our biochemical studies employed deuterium-substituted thalidomides to suppress optical isomer conversion, and established that the (S)-enantiomer exhibited ~10-fold stronger binding to CRBN and inhibition of self-ubiquitylation compared to the (R)-enantiomer. The crystal structures of the thalidomide-binding domain of CRBN bound to each enantiomer show that both enantiomers bind the tri-Trp pocket, although the bound form of the (S)-enantiomer exhibited a more relaxed glutarimide ring conformation. The (S)-enantiomer induced greater teratogenic effects on fins of zebrafish compared to the (R)-enantiomer. This study has established a mechanism by which thalidomide exerts its effects in a stereospecific manner at the atomic level.
NMR studies on lignocellulose deconstructions in the digestive system of the lower termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki
Authors: Tarmadi Didi , Tobimatsu Yuki , Yamamura Masaomi , Miyamoto Takuji , Miyagawa Yasuyuki , Umezawa Toshiaki , Yoshimura Tsuyoshi 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTermites represent one of the most efficient lignocellulose decomposers on earth. The mechanism by which termites overcome the recalcitrant lignin barrier to gain access to embedded polysaccharides for assimilation and energy remains largely unknown. In the present study, softwood, hardwood, and grass lignocellulose diets were fed to Coptotermes formosanus workers, and structural differences between the original lignocellulose diets and the resulting feces were examined by solution-state multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques as well as by complementary wet-chemical methods. Overall, our data support the view that lignin polymers are partially decomposed during their passage through the termite gut digestive system, although polysaccharide decomposition clearly dominates the overall lignocellulose deconstruction process and the majority of lignin polymers remain intact in the digestive residues. High-resolution NMR structural data suggested preferential removal of syringyl aromatic units in hardwood lignins, but non-acylated guaiacyl units as well as tricin end-units in grass lignins. In addition, our data suggest that termites and/or their gut symbionts may favor degradation of C–C-bonded β–5 and resinol-type β–β lignin inter-monomeric units over degradation of ether-bonded β–O–4 units, which is in contrast to what has been observed in typical lignin biodegradation undertaken by wood-decaying fungi.
Precision of a new ocular biometer in children and comparison with IOLMaster
Authors: Yu Xinxin , Chen Hao , Savini Giacomo , Zheng Qianqian , Song Benhao , Tu Ruixue , Huang Jinhai , Wang Qinmei 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTo assess the repeatability and reproducibility of AL-Scan in agreement with those by the IOLMaster in healthy children, two skilled operators measured ocular parameters in 58 children. The parameters included keratometry (K) values, anterior chamber depth (ACD), axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), pupil diameter (PD), and corneal diameter (CD). The cohort comprised of 32 boys and 26 girls. The AL-Scan measurements showed high repeatability, as the test-retest repeatability (TRT) values of AL, CCT, ACD, Kf, Ks, Km, CD, and PD were 0.09 mm, 5.1 μm, 0.04 mm, 0.28 D, 0.24 D, 0.21 D, 0.39 mm, and 0.22 mm, respectively. The within-subject coefficient of variation (CoV) was low (<0.35%) and the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of all parameters were >0.85. The interobserver reproducibility was excellent with low values of TRT and ICC > 0.95. The CoV of AL, CCT, ACD, and K was <0.22%. The 95% limits of agreement between the AL-Scan and the IOLMaster were narrow for all parameters except for CD. The repeatability and reproducibility of the new biometer, Al-Scan, was excellent for all parameters and can be routinely used in children to measure the biometric values.
Echocardiographic validation of pulmonary hypertension due to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in mice
Authors: Dayeh Nour R. , Tardif Jean-Claude , Shi Yanfen , Tanguay Mégane , Ledoux Jonathan , Dupuis Jocelyn 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with left heart diseases is the most prevalent cause of PH. The scarcity of studies exploring the pathophysiology and therapies of group II PH resides in the lack of validated small animal models with non-invasive determination of the presence and severity of PH. Heart failure (HF) was induced in mice by coronary artery ligation. Mice developed PH as evidenced by an elevated right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure and RV hypertrophy. Detailed non-invasive echocardiographic analysis on the left and right ventricles showed impaired left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function. In addition, RV hypertrophy was confirmed by echo and accompanied by impaired function as well as increased pulmonary resistance. Correlation analysis validated the use of the LV wall-motion score index (WMSI) at a threshold value of ≥2.0 as a powerful and reliable indicator for the presence of PH and RV dysfunction. Echocardiography is an accurate non-invasive technique to diagnose PH in a HF mouse model. Moreover, an echocardiographic parameter of infarct size and LV function, the LV WMSI, reliably correlates with the presence of PH, RV hypertrophy and RV dysfunction and could be used to improve efficiency and design of pre-clinical studies.