Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Durvalumab ± tremelimumab + platinum-etoposide in first-line extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC): Updated results from the phase III CASPIAN study.

9002 Background: CASPIAN is an open-label, Phase 3 study of durvalumab (D) ± tremelimumab (T) + etoposide and either cisplatin or carboplatin (EP) for pts with 1L ES-SCLC. At the planned interim analysis (data cutoff Mar 11, 2019; 63% maturity), D + EP demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in OS compared with EP alone (HR 0.73 [95% CI 0.59–0.91]; p=0.0047). Here we present a planned updated analysis of OS for D + EP vs EP and the first results for D + T + EP vs EP. Methods: Treatment-naïve pts with ES-SCLC (WHO PS 0/1) were randomized 1:1:1 to D 1500 mg + EP q3w, D 1500 mg + T 75 mg + EP q3w, or EP q3w. In the IO arms, pts received 4 cycles of EP + D ± T, followed by maintenance D 1500 mg q4w until disease progression. Pts received one additional dose of T 75 mg post EP in the D + T + EP arm. In the EP arm, pts received up to 6 cycles of EP and optional PCI (investigator’s discretion). The two primary endpoints were OS for D + EP vs EP and for D + T + EP vs EP. Results: 268, 268 and 269 pts were randomized to D + EP, D + T + EP and EP, respectively; baseline characteristics were generally well balanced across arms. As of Jan 27, 2020, the median follow-up was 25.1 mo, 82% maturity. D + EP continued to demonstrate improvement in OS vs EP, with a HR of 0.75 (95% CI 0.62–0.91; nominal p=0.0032); median OS 12.9 vs 10.5 mo, respectively. 22.2% of pts were alive at 2 y with D + EP vs 14.4% of pts with EP. D + T + EP numerically improved OS vs EP, however this did not reach statistical significance per the prespecified statistical plan: HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.68–1.00; p=0.0451 [p≤0.0418 required for stat sig]); the median OS was 10.4 mo and 23.4% of pts were alive at 2 y. Secondary endpoints of PFS and ORR remained improved with D + EP vs EP and will be presented. Confirmed investigator-assessed ORR was similar for D + T + EP vs EP (58.4% vs 58.0%). Median PFS was similar for D + T + EP vs EP (4.9 mo vs 5.4 mo), but the 12-mo PFS rate was numerically higher (16.9% vs 5.3%); PFS HR 0.84 (95% CI 0.70–1.01). In the D + EP, D + T + EP and EP arms, respectively, incidences of all-cause AEs of Grade 3/4 were 62.3%, 70.3% and 62.8%; AEs leading to discontinuation 10.2%, 21.4% and 9.4%; and AEs leading to death 4.9%, 10.2% and 5.6%. Conclusions: The addition of durvalumab to EP continued to demonstrate improvement in OS compared with a robust control arm, further supporting this regimen as a new standard of care for 1L ES-SCLC offering the flexibility of platinum choice. No additional benefit was observed when T was combined with D + EP in this pt population. Safety findings in all arms remained consistent with the known safety profiles of all agents. Clinical trial information: NCT03043872.
Studies in the Alismataceae. X. Floral organogenesis in Luronium natans (L.) Raf.

Floral organogenesis of Luronium natans (L.) Raf. occurs at first in an alternating trimerous pattern typical of Alismataceae, with the formation of three sepals, then three bulges, corresponding to the petal-stamen primordia described in some other Alismataceae, alternating with the sepals. A petal is initiated on each bulge and a pair of stamens is initiated either on it or close to it. After this, development no longer follows a trimerous plan. Six carpels are initiated in positions alternating with the six stamens, and further carpels may then arise above and between the first six. The carpels ultimately lie in a whorled arrangement if there are only six; if more, they may appear whorled or irregularly arranged. After the initiation of the stamen pairs, floral organ primordia appear simply to be positioned between pre-existing primordia as in other phyllotactic systems. It is suggested that the number of carpel primordia formed is probably determined by the size of primordia relative to the floral ape.
Genetic Analysis and Trait Association in Multi-parent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) F2 Population of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

Genetic variability studies offers basic information related to genetic properties of the population based on which breeding methods could be formulated for further improvement of the crop. The estimates of heritability, coefficients of variability and genetic advance was calculated in a multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross ( MAGIC) F 2 segregating populations for 10 traits including nicotine percentage, total soluble sugars and yield contributing traits during 2015 seasons at Northern Light Soils (NLS). The estimates of phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) were high and moderate for plant height (18.16%), number of leaves (15.96%), leaf area index (27.35%), internodal length (21.01%), stem diameter (16.73%), grade index (13.86%), nicotine percentage (19.87%), total soluble sugars (39.81%), chlorides (23.35%) and leaf yield (13.27%) in MAGIC-F 2 segregating populations at NLS 2015 season. High heritability coupled with high and moderate genetic advance was observed for all the traits studied. Correlation studies revealed that total soluble sugars was positively and significantly correlated with leaf area index, stem diameter, grade index and leaf yield. However total soluble sugars was negatively correlated with nicotine as total nicotine alkaloid and with chlorides percentage. Path coefficient analysis revealed that total percentage of sugars could be improved through selection of grade index, stem diameter, leaf area index and cured leaf yield which were positively correlated with total soluble sugar percentage. The current study also revealed that the MAGIC F 2 population could be used for development high sugar lines with moderate or low levels of nicotine and chlorides in tobacco.
Does financial structure matter for economic growth: An evidence from South Africa

Economists and policy makers have argued about the role of financial structure on economic development. The bank-based, the market-based, and the financial services view are the three competing views of financial structure. Stock market development and the banking sector are regarded as avenues through which growth can be supported by providing liquidity for firm financing. Hence establishing the contribution of the financial structure on economic performance in South Africa is of crucial importance to policy makers and government officials. The study utilizes the autoregressive distributed lag model for econometric estimation. The data set covers the period 1975-2016. The results indicate financial structure does not matter for economic growth in South Africa. The results are robust to several sensitivity tests. The findings support the view that government should place an emphasis on improving the quality of the financial system as opposed to developing a particular financial system. The contribution to the existing literature is that the results support the financial services theory. Thus, financial structure does not matter for economic development even for an emerging country like South Africa which is predominantly market based. The implication of the results is that there is the need to enhance the quality of financial services to create real economic growth in South Africa.
Microbial activity in Martian analog soils after ionizing radiation: implications for the preservation of subsurface life on Mars

At present, the surface of Mars is affected by a set of factors that can prevent the survival of Earth-like life. However, the modern concept of the evolution of the planet assumes the existence more favorable for life climate in the past. If in the past on Mars had formed a biosphere, similar to the one that originated in the early Earth, it is supposed that it is preserved till now in anabiotic state in the bowels of the planet, like microbial communities inhabiting the ancient permafrost of Arctic and Antarctic. In the conditions of modern Martian regolith, this relic life seems to be deprived of the possibility of damage reparation (or these processes occur on a geological time scale), and ionizing radiation should be considered the main factor inhibiting such anabiotic life. In the present study, we studied soil samples, selected in two different extreme habitats of the Earth: ancient permafrost from the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and Xerosol soil from the mountain desert in Morocco, gamma-irradiated with 40 kGy dose at low pressure (1 Torr) and low temperature (−50 °C). Microbial communities inhabiting these samples showed in situ high resistance to the applied effects, retained high number of viable cells, metabolic activity, and high biodiversity. Based on the results, it is assumed that the putative biosphere could be preserved in the dormant state for at least 500 thousand years and 8 million years in the surface layer of Mars regolith and at 5 m depth, respectively, at the current level of ionizing radiation intensity.
A carrier velocity model for electrical detection of gas molecules

Nanomaterial-based sensors with high sensitivity, fast response and recovery time, large detection range, and high chemical stability are in immense demand for the detection of hazardous gas molecules. Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) which have exceptional electrical, physical, and chemical properties can fulfil all of these requirements. The detection of gas molecules using gas sensors, particularly in medical diagnostics and safety applications, is receiving particularly high demand. GNRs exhibit remarkable changes in their electrical characteristics when exposed to different gases through molecular adsorption. In this paper, the adsorption effects of the target gas molecules (CO and NO) on the electrical properties of the armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR)-based sensor are analytically modelled. Thus, the energy dispersion relation of AGNR is developed considering the molecular adsorption effect using a tight binding (TB) method. The carrier velocity is calculated based on the density of states (DOS) and carrier concentration (n) to obtain I–V characteristics and to monitor its variation in the presence of the gas molecules. Furthermore, the I–V characteristics and energy band structure of the AGNR sensor are simulated using first principle calculations to investigate the gas adsorption effects on these properties. To ensure the accuracy of the proposed model, the I–V characteristics of the AGNR sensor that are simulated based both on the proposed model and first principles calculations are compared, and an acceptable agreement is achieved.
Luteolin inhibits cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis of breast cancer cells through downregulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase

Luteolin is a flavonoid, which has been extensively investigated due to its antitumor effects; however, the underlying mechanisms of its action remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the role of luteolin in breast cancer (BC), and explored how luteolin suppresses the growth and induces the apoptosis of BC cells. The MTS assay was used to determine the anticancer activity of luteolin. Colony formation and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effects of luteolin on cell growth and invasion. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, western blotting was performed to analyze cellular apoptosis and signaling pathways elicited by luteolin. The present study revealed that the proliferation of the BC cell line MDA-MB-231 was effectively suppressed by luteolin in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, luteolin was revealed to increase apoptotic rates in BC cells. Dose-dependent cell cycle arrest in S phase was observed following treatment with luteolin in MDA-MB-231 cells. Mechanistically, luteolin reduced telomerase levels in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, luteolin inhibited phosphorylation of the nuclear factor-κB inhibitor α and its target gene c-Myc, to suppress human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression, which encodes the catalytic subunit of telomerase. Collectively, the results of the present study indicated that luteolin may inhibit BC cell growth by targeting hTERT, suggesting that the mechanism of hTERT regulation by luteolin may justify further study regarding its potential as a therapeutic target for BC treatment.
Genome and metabolome mining of marine obligate Salinisporsatrains to discover new natural products

Marine microorganisms are receiving more attention as a promising potential source of new natural products. In the present study, we performed genomic and metabolomic analyses to explore the metabolic potential of the obligate marine actinomycete genus Salinispora. The genomes of thirty Salinispora strains were prospected in search of biosynthetic gene clusters including polyketide synthase (PKS), nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NPRS), terpene, indole, lantibiotics, and siderophores. We determined considerable diversity of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters in their genome. There were a total of 1428 putative gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of various bioactive natural products. Furthermore, 1509 ketosynthase (KS) and condensation (C) domains were detected by using NapDoS belonging to PKS and NRPS genes, respectively. Metabolic profiling was performed by a nontargeted LC-MS/MS approach combined with spectral networking using Global Natural Product Social Molecular Networking (GNPS). Dereplication and tentative identification of natural products were evaluated for common chemical properties and their associated pathways. Significant bioactive natural products such as lomaiviticin C, 7-OH-staurosporine, staurosporine, and cyanosporaside B were determined. More importantly, an unknown glycosylated compound associated with an NRPS/PKS-I hybrid gene cluster in Salinispora pacifica CNY703 was established through chemical and genomic analyses.
Four new corticioid species in Trechisporales (Basidiomycota) from East Asia and notes on phylogeny of the order

Abstract Four new species in Trechisporales from East Asia, Dextrinocystiscalamicola, Subulicystidiumacerosum, S.tropicum and Tubuliciumbambusicola, are described and illustrated, based on morphological and molecular evidence. The phylogeny of Trechisporales was inferred from a combined dataset of ITS-nrLSU sequences. In the phylogenetic tree, Sistotremastrum formed a family-level clade of its own, sister to the Hydnodontaceae clade formed by all other genera. Dextrinocystis, is for the first time, confirmed as a member of Hydnodontaceae. A key to all the accepted genera in Trechisporales is given.
Sisymbriumlinifolium and Sisymbriopsisschugnana (Brassicaceae), two new records from Xinjiang, China

Abstract Sisymbriumlinifolium and Sisymbriopsisschugnana, previously confined to western North America and Tajikistan, respectively, were discovered in Xinjiang during a recent field trip to this autonomous region of China. The identity of these two species was subsequently confirmed by extensive morphological and molecular studies. The biogeographical significance of these new floristic records is briefly addressed.
Oncoxin nutritional supplement in the management of chemotherapy- and/or radiotherapy-associated oral mucositis

Oral mucositis (OM) is a common and potentially dangerous complication of anticancer treatment. Since there are only few therapeutic options for OM, there is a need to identify novel approaches to its management and prevention. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of Oncoxin (ONCX), a nutritional supplement that contains microelements, vitamins, amino acids and certain biologically active substances of natural origin, in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of the two. A total of 15 male and female patients (aged 45–75 years) with malignant neoplasms, who had been prescribed radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of the two, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score ≤3, and grade 2–3 OM based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Toxicity Scale, were enrolled in a 20-day study; 10 patients were in the ONCX group and 5 served as controls. The patients were allowed to use any anticancer treatment and any type of OM care. In addition to their current treatment, patients in the ONCX group used 25 ml of the ONCX nutritional supplement twice daily for 20 days. The mean WHO Oral Toxicity Scale grade decreased by 41% in the ONCX group after ~7 days from the beginning of the study compared with minimal change in the control group. At the end of the study, the difference was even more prominent, with a 73 and 20% decrease from baseline in the ONCX and control groups, respectively (P<0.001). During the entire trial period, patients in the ONCX group were able to eat normally during 65% of the time, in contrast to only 29% in the control group (P=0.04). There were no statistically significant changes in absolute body mass, or in the number of days with normal appetite. This was a pilot study aiming to show the benefits of the ONCX nutritional supplement in OM, and the results demonstrated that ONCX rapidly improved the symptoms of OM and helped to maintain normal eating habits in patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Finite-Time Synchronization and Synchronization Dynamics Analysis for Two Classes of Markovian Switching Multiweighted Complex Networks from Synchronization Control Rule Viewpoint

This paper is mainly concerned with how nonlinear coupled one impacts synchronization dynamics of a class of nonlinear coupled Markovian switching multiweighted complex networks (NCMSMWCNs). Firstly, sufficient conditions of finite-time synchronization for a class of NCMSMWCNs and a class of linear coupled Markovian switching multiweighted complex networks (LCMSMWCNs) are investigated. Secondly, based on the derived results, how nonlinear coupled one affects synchronization dynamics of the NCMSMWCNs is analyzed from synchronization control rule. Thirdly, in order to further explore how nonlinear coupled one affects synchronization dynamics of the NCMSMWCNs, synchronization dynamics relationship of the NCMSMWCNs and the LCMSMWCNs is built. Furthermore, this relationship can also show how linear coupled one affects synchronization dynamics of the LCMSMWCNs. At last, numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained theory.
Non-deterministic Quasi-Polynomial Time is Average-Case Hard for ACC Circuits

Following the seminal work of [Williams, J. ACM 2014], in a recent breakthrough, [Murray and Williams, STOC 2018] proved that NQP (non-deterministic quasi-polynomial time) does not have polynomial-size ACC^0 circuits. We strengthen the above lower bound to an average case one, by proving that for all constants c, there is a language in NQP, which is not 1/2+1/log^c(n)-approximable by polynomial-size ACC^0 circuits. In fact, our lower bound holds for a larger circuit class: 2^(log^a n)-size ACC^0 circuits with a layer of threshold gates at the bottom, for all constants a. Our work also improves the average-case lower bound for NEXP against polynomial-size ACC circuits by [Chen, Oliveira, and Santhanam, LATIN 2018]. Our new lower bound builds on several interesting components, including: • Barrington's theorem and the existence of an NC^1-complete language which is random self-reducible. • The sub-exponential witness-size lower bound for NE against ACC^0 and the conditional non-deterministic PRG construction in [Williams, SICOMP 2016]. • An “almost'' almost-everywhere MA average-case lower bound (which strengthens the corresponding worst-case lower bound in [Murray and Williams, STOC 2018]). A PSPACE-complete language which is same-length checkable, error-correctable and also has some other nice reducibility properties, which builds on [Trevisan and Vadhan, Computational Complexity 2007]. Moreover, all its reducibility properties have corresponding low-depth non-adaptive oracle circuits. Like other lower bounds proved via the ``algorithmic approach'', the only property of ACC^0 of THR exploited by us is the existence of a non-trivial SAT algorithm for ACC^0 of THR [Williams, STOC 2014]. Therefore, for any typical circuit class ℓ, our results apply to them as well if the corresponding non-trivial SAT (in fact, GAP-UNSAT) algorithms are discovered.
Indirect 3D reconstruction through appearance prediction

As humans, we easily perceive shape and depth, which helps us navigate our environment and interact with objects around us. Automating these abilities for computers is critical for many applications such as self-driving cars, augmented reality or architectural surveying. While active 3D reconstruction methods, such as laser scanning or structured light can produce very accurate results, they are typically expensive and their use cases can be limited. In contrast, passive methods that make use of only easily captured photographs, are typically less accurate as mapping from 2D images to 3D is an under-constrained problem. In this thesis we will focus on passive reconstruction techniques. We explore ways to get 3D shape from images in two challenging situations: 1) where a collection of images features a highly specular surface whose appearance changes drastically between the images, and 2) where only one input image is available. For both cases, we pose the reconstruction task as an indirect problem. In the first situation, the rapid change in appearance of highly specular objects makes it infeasible to directly establish correspondences between images. Instead, we develop an indirect approach using a panoramic image of the environment to simulate reflections, and recover the surface which best predicts the appearance of the object. In the second situation, the ambiguity inherent in single-view reconstruction is typically solved with machine learning, but acquiring depth data for training is both difficult and expensive. We present an indirect approach, where we train a neural network to regress depth by performing the proxy task of predicting the appearance
Foreword to the Special Issue on Ground Penetrating Radar: Modeling Tools, Imaging Methods and Systems Concepts

This special issue spreads from the XIII International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR2010) held in June 2010 in Lecce, Italy. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is one of the mostly assessed and exploited technologies for non-destructive subsurface sensing and imaging. As a matter of fact, its flexibility (as far as systems, measurement protocols and processing strategies are concerned) makes it a powerful tool to handle many different observation and sensing applications, ranging from structural monitoring to demining, security and geophysical surveys. Due to the challenging needs arisen by such a widespread application, GPR is an extremely active field for scientific research as indeed efforts aimed at developing new modeling tools, imaging methods and systems concepts can either improve the outcome of GPR surveys or open the way to new, not yet explored, applications. In this respect, this special issue presents a selection of papers that provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the state of the art of research activities carried out on the most relevant and promising trends of development of GPR technology.