bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Speed and American elections
Authors: Lepore Jill
Published: November 2020

“As you love your country, fly to your polls,” the
Gazette of the United States
urged voters in 1800, in a presidential election that pitted Thomas Jefferson against John Adams. But voters hardly raced to the polls that year: Balloting began in March and ended in November and the winner was declared only weeks before inauguration. In the centuries since, both voting and counting in the United States have gotten faster, if not always more fair, and this year, the communication of results long before they can possibly be known threatens to undermine not only the election but democracy itself.
Not throwing away our shot
Authors: Thorp H. Holden
Published: November 2020

Over the past few weeks, prominent scientific publications have condemned President Donald Trump's record on science. This is unprecedented. Although my predecessors at
Science
have always held elected U.S. officials accountable (but could not make a formal political endorsement because of the nonprofit status of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the publisher of
Science
), many of these publications are now clearly denouncing the U.S. president, administration, and federal agency leaders as the nation approaches a highly consequential presidential election. To paraphrase lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda in “Hamilton” about another set of political essays, why do we write like we're running out of time? Because recent events show that the voice of the scientific community can lead to positive change.
Dual Pathways of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoprotein Trafficking Modulate the Selective Exclusion of Uncleaved Oligomers from Virions
Authors: Zhang Shijian , Nguyen Hanh T. , Ding Haitao , Wang Jia , Zou Shitao , Liu Lihong , Guha Debjani , Gabuzda Dana , Ho David D. , Kappes John C. , Sodroski Joseph
Published: November 2020

The envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimers on the surface of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mediate the entry of the virus into host cells and serve as targets for neutralizing antibodies. The cleaved, functional Env is incorporated into virus particles from the surface of the infected cell. We found that an uncleaved form of Env is transported to the cell surface by an unconventional route, but this nonfunctional Env is mostly excluded from the virus. Thus, only one of the pathways by which Env is transported to the surface of infected cells results in efficient incorporation into virus particles, potentially allowing the uncleaved Env to act as a decoy to the host immune system without compromising virus infectivity.
Supplemental Material: Mid-ocean-ridge rhyolite (MORR) eruptions on the East Pacific Rise lack the fizz to pop
Authors: Portner Ryan , al. et
Published: November 2020

Table S1 (chemical and physical characteristics of Alarcon Rise lava suite).
Insights from a general practice service evaluation supporting a lower carbohydrate diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes: a secondary analysis of routine clinic data including HbA1c, weight and prescribing over 6 years
Authors: Unwin David , Khalid Ali Ahsan , Unwin Jen , Crocombe Dominic , Delon Christine , Martyn Kathy , Golubic Rajna , Ray Sumantra
Published: November 2020

Background

In a single general practice (GP) surgery in England, there was an eightfold increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in three decades with 57 cases and 472 cases recorded in 1987 and 2018, respectively. This mirrors the growing burden of T2D on the health of populations round the world along with healthcare funding and provision more broadly. Emerging evidence suggests beneficial effects of carbohydrate-restricted diets on glycaemic control in T2D, but its impact in a ‘real-world’ primary care setting has not been fully evaluated.

Methods

Advice on a lower carbohydrate diet was offered routinely to patients with newly diagnosed and pre-existing T2D or prediabetes between 2013 and 2019, in the Norwood GP practice with 9800 patients. Conventional ‘one-to-one’ GP consultations were used, supplemented by group consultations, to help patients better understand the glycaemic consequences of their dietary choices with a particular focus on sugar, carbohydrates and foods with a higher Glycaemic Index. Those interested were computer coded for ongoing audit to compare ‘baseline’ with ‘latest follow-up’ for relevant parameters.

Results

By 2019, 128 (27%) of the practice population with T2D and 71 people with prediabetes had opted to follow a lower carbohydrate diet for a mean duration of 23 months. For patients with T2D, the median (IQR) weight dropped from of 99.7 (86.2, 109.3) kg to 91.4 (79, 101.1) kg, p<0.001, while the median (IQR) HbA1c dropped from 65.5 (55, 82) mmol/mol to 48 (43, 55) mmol/mol, p<0.001. For patients with prediabetes, the median (IQR) HbA1c dropped from 44 (43, 45) mmol/mol to 39 (38, 41) mmol/mol, p<0.001. Drug-free T2D remission occurred in 46% of participants. In patients with prediabetes, 93% attained a normal HbA1c. Since 2015, there has been a relative reduction in practice prescribing of drugs for diabetes leading to a T2D prescribing budget £50 885 per year less than average for the area.

Conclusions

This approach to lower carbohydrate dietary advice for patients with T2D and prediabetes was incorporated successfully into routine primary care over 6 years. There were statistically significant improvements in both groups for weight, HbA1c, lipid profiles and blood pressure as well as significant drug budget savings. These results suggest a need for more empirical research on the effects of lower carbohydrate diet and long-term glycaemic control while recording collateral impacts to other metabolic health outcomes.
SOX2 promotes resistance of melanoma with PD-L1 high expression to T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity that can be reversed by SAHA
Authors: Wu Ruiyan , Wang Caiqin , Li Zhiming , Xiao Jian , Li Chunyan , Wang Xuemin , Kong Pengfei , Cao Jianghua , Huang Fuxue , Li Zhiling , Huang Yun , Chen Yuhong , Li Xuan , Yang Dong , Zhang Hailiang , Mai Jia , Feng Gongkan , Deng Rong , Zhu Xiaofeng
Published: November 2020

Background

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) induce better tumor regression in melanoma with programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) high expression, but there has been an upsurge of failed responses. In this study, we aimed to explore the additional mechanisms possibly accounting for ICIs resistance and interventional strategies to overcome the resistance in melanoma with PD-L1 high expression.

Methods

Melanoma xenografts and cytotoxicity assays were used to investigate function of SOX2 in regulating antitumor immunity. The activity of the janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcriptions (JAK-STAT) pathway was investigated by western blots, quantitative PCR and luciferase assay. Epigenetic compounds library screen was employed to identify inhibitors that could decrease SOX2 level. The effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA in antitumor immunity alone or in combination with immunotherapy was also determined in vitro and in vivo. Prognostic impact of SOX2 was analyzed using transcriptional profiles and clinical data download from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas repository.

Results

We uncovered a role of SOX2 in attenuating the sensitivity of melanoma cells to CD8+ T-cell killing. Mechanistically, SOX2 inhibited phosphatases suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTPN1) transcription, induced duration activation of the JAK-STAT pathway and thereby overexpression of interferon stimulated genes resistance signature (ISG.RS). By targeting the SOX2-JAK-STAT signaling, SAHA promoted the antitumor efficacy of IFNγ or anti-PD-1 in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, SOX2 was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival and resistant to anti-PD-1 therapy in melanoma with PD-L1 high expression.

Conclusions

Our data unveiled an additional function of SOX2 causing immune evasion of CD8+ T-cell killing through alleviating the JAK-STAT pathway and ISG.RS expression. We also provided a rationale to explore a novel combination of ICIs with SAHA clinically, especially in melanoma with PD-L1 and SOX2 high expression.
Cellular responses to flow diverters in a tissue-engineered aneurysm model
Authors: Liu Wenjing , Dai Daying , Ding Yong-Hong , Liu Yang , Temnyk Kristen , Shen Tiffany W , Cardinal Kristen O'Halloran , Kallmes David F , Kadirvel Ramanathan
Published: November 2020

Background

Notwithstanding the widespread implementation of flow diverters (FDs) in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms, the exact mechanism of action of these devices remains elusive. We aimed to advance the understanding of cellular responses to FD implantation using a 3D tissue-engineered in vitro aneurysm model.

Methods

Aneurysm-like blood vessel mimics (aBVMs) were constructed by electrospinning polycaprolactone nanofibers onto desired aneurysm-like geometries. aBVMs were seeded with human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) followed by human aortic endothelial cells (ECs). FDs were then deployed in the parent vessel of aBVMs covering the aneurysm neck and were cultivated for 7, 14, or 28 days (n=3 for each time point). The EC and SMC coverage in the neck was measured semi-quantitatively.

Results

At day 7, the device segment in contact with the parent vessel was partially endothelialized. Also, the majority of device struts, but not pores, at the parent vessel and neck interface were partially covered with ECs and SMCs, while device struts in the middle of the neck lacked cell coverage. At 14 days, histology verified a neointimal-like lining had formed, partially covering both the struts and pores in the center of the neck. At 28 days, the majority of the neck was covered with a translucent neointimal-like layer. A higher degree of cellular coverage was seen on the struts and pores at the neck at 28 days compared with both 7 and 14 days.

Conclusion

aBVMs can be a valuable alternative tool for evaluating the healing mechanisms of endovascular aneurysm devices.
Occupational standing and change in the Ankle-Brachial Index: the Jackson Heart Study
Authors: Friel Ciaran P , Duran Andrea T , Abdalla Marwah , Unkart Jonathan T , Bellettiere John , Sims Mario , Correa Adolfo , Shimbo Daichi , Diaz Keith M
Published: November 2020

Background

A growing interest in reducing occupational sitting has resulted in public health efforts to encourage intermittent standing in workplaces. However, concerns have been raised that standing for prolonged periods may expose individuals to new health hazards, including lower limb atherosclerosis. These concerns have yet to be corroborated or refuted. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between occupational standing and adverse changes in the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI).

Methods

We studied 2121 participants from the Jackson Heart Study, a single-site community-based study of African-Americans residing in Jackson, MS. Occupational standing (‘never/seldom’, ‘sometimes’, ‘often/always’) was self-reported at baseline (2000–2004). ABI was measured at baseline and again at follow-up (2009–2013).

Results

Over a median follow-up of 8 years, 247 participants (11.6%) exhibited a significant decline in ABI (eg, ABI decline >0.15). In multivariable-adjusted models, higher occupational standing was not significantly associated with ABI decline (occupational standing sometimes vs never/seldom: OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.67, 1.66; occupational standing often/always vs never/seldom: OR 1.22; 95% CI 0.77, 1.94). Similarly, higher occupational standing was not associated with low ABI at follow-up reflective of peripheral artery disease (ABI <0.90) or high ABI at follow-up reflective of incompressible vessels (ABI >1.40).

Conclusions

In this community-based study of African-Americans, we found no evidence that occupational standing is deleteriously associated with adverse changes in ABI over a median follow-up of 8.0 years. These findings do not provide evidence implicating occupational standing as a risk factor for lower limb atherosclerosis.
Study of the genetic structure of a Brassica napus L. canola population derived from six interspecific crosses of B. napus × B. oleracea
Authors: Nikzad Azam , Kebede Berisso , Bhavikkumar Jani , Rahman Habibur
Published: November 2020

Broadening the genetic base of the C genome of Brassica napus L. canola is needed for continued improvement of this crop. For this, we developed few hundred canola lines from B. napus × Brassica oleracea L. interspecific crosses involving a B. napus canola line and six B. oleracea accessions belonging to four varieties, viz. vars. alboglabra, botrytis, capitata, and italica, and following two breeding methods [F2 and BC1 (F1 × B. napus) derived lines]. The objective of this study was to understand the genetic structure of this population regarding the alleles introgressed from B. oleracea by using simple sequence repeat markers and to investigate the inheritance of B. oleracea alleles in these reconstituted canola lines. Marker analysis showed that the four B. oleracea varieties were genetically quite distinct. Several canola lines derived from these six crosses tended to group together with their B. oleracea parent demonstrating that the wide diversity of the B. oleracea gene pool can be exploited for broadening the genetic base of the C genome of B. napus canola. Loss of several B. oleracea alleles occurred during the development of these inbred lines. While comparing the two breeding methods for introgression of B. oleracea alleles, significantly greater loss of alleles occurred in the F2-derived population as compared with the BC1-derived population. Thus, the knowledge from this study can be used for efficient introgression of exotic alleles from B. oleracea into B. napus for broadening the genetic base of this crop.
Inequalities involving Aharonov–Bohm magnetic potentials in dimensions 2 and 3
Authors: Bonheure Denis , Dolbeault Jean , Esteban Maria J. , Laptev Ari , Loss Michael
Published: November 2020

This paper is devoted to a collection of results on nonlinear interpolation inequalities associated with Schrödinger operators involving Aharonov–Bohm magnetic potentials, and to some consequences. As symmetry plays an important role for establishing optimality results, we shall consider various cases corresponding to a circle, a two-dimensional sphere or a two-dimensional torus, and also the Euclidean spaces of dimensions 2 and 3. Most of the results are new and we put the emphasis on the methods, as very little is known on symmetry, rigidity and optimality in the presence of a magnetic field. The most spectacular applications are new magnetic Hardy inequalities in dimensions 2 and 3.
A Korteweg–DeVries type model for helical soliton solutions for quantum and continuum phenomena
Authors: Manzetti Sergio , Trounev Alexander
Published: November 2020

Quantum mechanical states are normally described by the Schrödinger equation, which generates real eigenvalues and quantizable solutions which form a basis for the estimation of quantum mechanical observables, such as momentum and kinetic energy. Studying transition in the realm of quantum physics and continuum physics is however more difficult and requires different models. We present here a new equation which bears similarities to the Korteweg–DeVries (KdV) equation and we generate a description of transitions in physics. We describe here the two- and three-dimensional form of the KdV like model dependent on the Plank constant [Formula: see text] and generate soliton solutions. The results suggest that transitions are represented by soliton solutions which arrange in a spiral-fashion. By helicity, we propose a conserved pattern of transition at all levels of physics, from quantum physics to macroscopic continuum physics.
A Fast Perceptual Surveillance Video Coding (PSVC) Based on Background Model-Driven JND Estimation
Authors: Wang Gang , Zhou Mingliang , Cao Haiheng , Fang Bin , Wen Shiting , Wei Ran
Published: November 2020

Perceptual video coding (PVC) optimization has been an important video coding technique, which can be consistent with the perception characteristics of the human visual system (HVS). Currently, PVC schemes incorporating the just noticeable distortion (JND) model can obtain better performance gain in all PVC schemes. To further accelerate the JND computation for real-time video coding applications (e.g. surveillance video coding and conference video coding), this paper proposes a fast perceptual surveillance video coding (PSVC) scheme based on background model-driven JND estimation method. First, to utilize the surveillance scene characteristics, the computation complexity of JND estimation can be significantly decreased by reusing the content complexity of background regions. Then we apply the perceptive video coding scheme into the background modeling-based surveillance video codec. The proposed scheme adopts background modeling frame as background anchor. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can yield remarkable time saving of 42.33% maximum and on average 34.76% with approximate bitrate reductions and similar subjective quality, compared to HEVC and other state-of-the-art schemes.
Improved Fractional-Order PSO for PID Tuning
Authors: Su Shoubao , Zhai Zhaorui , Wang Chishe , Ding Kaimeng
Published: November 2020

The traditional fractional-order particle swarm optimization (FOPSO) algorithm depends on the fractional order [Formula: see text], and it is easy to fall into local optimum. To overcome these disadvantages, a novel perspective with PID gains tuning procedure is proposed by combining the time factor with FOPSO, i.e. a new fractional-order particle swarm optimization called TFFV-PSO, which reduces the dependence on the fractional order to enhance the ability of particles to escape from local optimums. According to its influence on the performance of the algorithm, the time factor is varied with population diversity parameters to balance the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the particle swarm, so as to adjust the convergence speed of the algorithm, then it follows that a better convergence performance will be obtained. The improved method is tested on several benchmark functions and applied to tune the PID controller parameters. The experimental results and the comparison with previous other methods show that our proposed TFFV-PSO provides an adequate velocity of convergence and a satisfying accuracy, as well as even better robustness.
A ternary Cahn–Hilliard–Navier–Stokes model for two-phase flow with precipitation and dissolution
Authors: Rohde Christian , von Wolff Lars
Published: November 2020

We consider the incompressible flow of two immiscible fluids in the presence of a solid phase that undergoes changes in time due to precipitation and dissolution effects. Based on a seminal sharp interface model a phase-field approach is suggested that couples the Navier–Stokes equations and the solid’s ion concentration transport equation with the Cahn–Hilliard evolution for the phase fields.

The model is shown to preserve the fundamental conservation constraints and to obey the second law of thermodynamics for a novel free energy formulation. An extended analysis for vanishing interfacial width reveals that in this limit the sharp interface model is recovered, including all relevant transmission conditions. Notably, the new phase-field model is able to realize Navier-slip conditions for solid–fluid interfaces in the limit.
The one-phase fractional Stefan problem
Authors: del Teso Félix , Endal Jørgen , Vázquez Juan Luis
Published: November 2020

We study the existence and properties of solutions and free boundaries of the one-phase Stefan problem with fractional diffusion posed in [Formula: see text]. In terms of the enthalpy [Formula: see text], the evolution equation reads [Formula: see text], while the temperature is defined as [Formula: see text] for some constant [Formula: see text] called the latent heat, and [Formula: see text] stands for the fractional Laplacian with exponent [Formula: see text].

We prove the existence of a continuous and bounded selfsimilar solution of the form [Formula: see text] which exhibits a free boundary at the change-of-phase level [Formula: see text]. This level is located at the line (called the free boundary) [Formula: see text] for some [Formula: see text]. The construction is done in 1D, and its extension to [Formula: see text]-dimensional space is shown.

We also provide well-posedness and basic properties of very weak solutions for general bounded data [Formula: see text] in several dimensions. The temperatures [Formula: see text] of these solutions are continuous functions that have finite speed of propagation, with possible free boundaries. We obtain estimates on the growth in time of the support of [Formula: see text] for solutions with compactly supported initial temperatures. Besides, we show the property of conservation of positivity for [Formula: see text] so that the support never recedes. On the contrary, the enthalpy [Formula: see text] has infinite speed of propagation and we obtain precise estimates on the tail.

The limits [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are also explored, and we find interesting connections with well-studied diffusion problems. Finally, we propose convergent monotone finite-difference schemes and include numerical experiments aimed at illustrating some of the obtained theoretical results, as well as other interesting phenomena.
Digital Processing and Automatic Picking of Seismic Signals
Authors: Jiménez César , J. Miguel Saavedra
Published: November 2020

In this research, we have implemented a numerical algorithm to identify the seismic wave parameters: P phase, S phase, amplitude, period and seismic signal duration. We have used the Matlab programming language and the digital signal processing toolbox to conduct the automatic picking of seismic signal parameters. As a mathematical tool, we have used the discrete Fourier transform to study the frequency components of the signal and the Hilbert transform to obtain the envelope signal. The Butterworth filter was used to bandpass the seismic signal, in case of a noisy signal. We have implemented a graphical user interface in Matlab to pick the seismic signals (with options of automatic picking and manual picking). In this way, the routine of picking a great set of seismic signals is easier. The results of the automatic algorithm agree very well with that of a human operator for a Signal/Noise ratio greater than 50, according to the sensitivity test, with an accuracy of around [Formula: see text]0.05[Formula: see text]s.
Electrocaloric devices part II: All-solid heat pump without moving parts
Authors: Najmi Farrukh , He Jianping , Cremaschi Lorenzo , Cheng Z.-Y.
Published: November 2020

Various designs have been introduced to build heat pumps using the electrocaloric effect (ECE). Each of all the current designs uses at least one moving part, which significantly reduces the reliability of the pump and adds complexities. In this work, a new all-solid design is introduced, in which two layers of an electrocaloric material (ECM) are permanently sandwiched in the source and sink, which would significantly increase the device’s reliability since nothing moves and all are permanently bound together. More importantly, the electric fields applied on two ECM layers are independently controlled. A special sequence for the electric fields on two ECM layers is introduced. Numerical calculation was used to simulate the device’s performance by using the newly introduced analytical solutions for the heat conduction in the system. It is concluded that a continuous heat transformation from the source to sink at the same temperature can be achieved when the contacting coefficient, [Formula: see text], is very small, where [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] are thermal conductivity, density, and heat capacity, respectively, while the superscript [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] represent the ECM and source/sink, respectively.
Breast Cancer Detection Based on Feature Selection Using Enhanced Grey Wolf Optimizer and Support Vector Machine Algorithms
Authors: Kumar Sunil , Singh Maninder
Published: November 2020

Breast cancer is the leading cause of high fatality among women population. Identification of the benign and malignant tumor at correct time plays a critical role in the diagnosis of breast cancer. In this paper, an attempt has been made to extract the valuable information by selecting the relevant features using our proposed EGWO-SVM (enhanced grey wolf optimization-support vector machine) approach. Grey wolf optimizer (GWO) has gained a lot of popularity among other swarm intelligence methods due to its various characteristics like few tuning parameters, simplicity and easy to use, scalable, and most importantly its ability to provide faster convergence by maintaining the right balance between the exploration and exploitation during the search. Therefore, an enhanced GWO has been proposed in combination with SVM to determine the optimum subset of tumor features for accurate identification of benign and malignant tumor. The proposed approach has been tested and compared with numerous existing, state-of-the-art as well as recently published breast cancer classification approaches on the standard benchmark Wisconsin Diagnostic Breast Cancer (WDBC) database. The proposed approach outperforms all the compared approaches by improving the classification accuracy to 98.24% demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying the breast cancer.
Paleozoic crustal evolution and tectonic switching in the Northeastern Tianshan: insights from zircon Hf isotopes of granitoids
Authors: Du Long , Zhu Hongli , Yuan Chao , Zhang Yunying , Huang Zongying , Li Xu-Ping , Long Xiaoping
Published: November 2020

Decoding the crustal and tectonic evolution of ancient accretionary orogens is not always straightforward. Here, four episodes of Paleozoic granitoids have been identified with distinct zircon–Hf isotopic characteristics from the Northeastern Tianshan. The first stage granitoids in the Dananhu–Harlik arc system are characterized by highly positive zircon
ε
Hf
(
t
) values and short crustal incubation times with a rising event signature, suggesting a northward trench advance for the Kangguer Ocean. During the second stage, granitoids in the Dananhu and Kangguer belts have high zircon
ε
Hf
(
t
) values and short crustal incubation times, but with a decreasing event signature for the Dananhu granitoids, implying a reworking of the juvenile arc crust. However, the near-zero
ε
Hf
(
t
) values and the longest crustal incubation times of the Yamansu granitoids in this stage elucidate an origin from a Precambrian basement. These variations suggest that the northern trench of the Kangguer Ocean retreated southward while the southern trench advanced southward. During the third stage, the enlarged ranges of zircon
ε
Hf
(
t
) values and crustal residence ages as well as crustal incubation times for the Dananhu and Kangguer granitoids show an interaction of juvenile material and the pre-existing crust, whereas the highly positive zircon
ε
Hf
(
t
) values with a sharp rising event signature of the Yamansu granitoids suggest an significant crustal growth, indicating that a northward trench advance and a southern trench retreat for the Kangguer Ocean. However, the last stage granitoids in the Northeastern Tianshan entirely exhibit decreasing zircon
ε
Hf
(
t
) values and long crustal incubation times, demonstrating a reworking of the pre-existing juvenile crust with minor input of ancient crustal materials in a post-collisional setting.

Supplementary material
: Table S1 and S2 and analytical methods are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5197889
The Effect of Gender and Attractiveness of Motion on Proximity in Virtual Reality
Authors: Zibrek Katja , Niay Benjamin , Olivier Anne-Hélène , Hoyet Ludovic , Pettre Julien , McDonnell Rachel
Published: November 2020

In human interaction, people will keep different distances from each other depending on their gender. For example, males will stand further away from males and closer to females. Previous studies in virtual reality (VR), where people were interacting with virtual humans, showed a similar result. However, many other variables influence proximity, such as appearance characteristics of the virtual character (e.g., attractiveness). Our study focuses on proximity to virtual walkers, where gender could be recognised from motion only, since previous studies using point-light displays found walking motion is rich in gender cues. In our experiment, a walking wooden mannequin approached the participant embodied in a virtual avatar using the HTC Vive Pro HMD and controllers. The mannequin animation was motion captured from several male and female actors and each motion was displayed individually on the character. Participants used the controller to stop the approaching mannequin when they felt it was uncomfortably close to them. Based on previous work, we hypothesised that proximity will be affected by the gender of the character, but unlike previous research, the gender in our experiment could only be determined from character’s motion. We also expected differences in proximity according to the gender of the participant. We additionally expected some motions to be rated more attractive than others and that attractive motions would reduce the proximity measure. Our results show support for the last two assumptions, but no difference in proximity was found according to the gender of the character’s motion. Our findings have implications for the design of virtual characters in interactive virtual environments.
Blockchains for Government
Authors: Clavin James , Duan Sisi , Zhang Haibin , Janeja Vandana P. , Joshi Karuna P. , Yesha Yelena , Erickson Lucy C. , Li Justin D.
Published: November 2020

Blockchain is the technology used by developers of cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, to enable exchange of financial “coins” between participants in the absence of a trusted third party to ensure the transaction, such as is typically done by governments. Blockchain has evolved to become a generic approach to store and process data in a highly decentralized and secure way. In this article, we review blockchain concepts and use cases, and discuss the challenges in using them from a governmental viewpoint. We begin with reviewing the categories of blockchains, the underlying mechanisms, and why blockchains can achieve their security goals. We then review existing known governmental use cases by regions. To show both technical and deployment details of blockchain adoption, we study a few representative use cases in the domains of healthcare and energy infrastructures. Finally, the review of both technical details and use cases helps us summarize the adoption and technical challenges of blockchains.
RRS1 Promotes Retinoblastoma Cell Proliferation and Invasion via Activating the AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway
Authors: Yan Xuejing , Wu Shen , Liu Qian , Zhang Jingxue
Published: November 2020

Ribosome biogenesis regulatory protein homolog (RRS1) is a protein required for ribosome biogenesis. Recent studies have identified an oncogenic role of RRS1 in some cancers, whereas the involvement of RRS1 in retinoblastoma (RB) remains to be determined. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of RRS1 in RB. We found that the expression of RRS1 was increased in RB tissues and cells. Lentivirus‐mediated RRS1 overexpression promoted the proliferation, growth, and invasion of RB cells. Opposite results were found in RRS1 knockdown cells. In addition, RRS1 silencing induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and apoptosis in RB cells, while RRS1 ectopic expression exhibited the opposite effect. At the molecular level, RRS1 activated the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, inhibition of which largely blunted the proliferation, growth, and invasion of RB cells. Our study suggests that RRS1 functions as an oncogene in RB through activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
Government Intervention, Financial Support, and Comprehensive Efficiency of Enterprise Independent Innovation: Empirical Analysis Based on the Data of Chinese Strategic Emerging Industries
Authors: Zhou Ze-Jiong , Wang Yao , Lu Miao-Miao , Zhu Jia-Ming
Published: November 2020

Government intervention and financial support are two major means to promote the independent innovation performance of enterprises in strategic emerging industries, and government intervention has induced crowding-out effects on financial support, which leads to the uncertainty of the dual incentive effect of government intervention and financial support on enterprises’ independent innovation. The research object of this paper is 657 strategic emerging enterprises listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen. We empirically studied the impact of government intervention and financial support on the comprehensive efficiency of independent innovation of strategic emerging enterprises. The empirical study draws the following conclusions. Firstly, the comprehensive efficiency of independent innovation of enterprises is in the trend of continuous improvement and technical efficiency and scale efficiency are also increasing, but the technical efficiency is lower than the scale efficiency, which shows that the improvement of independent innovation efficiency mainly depends on the expansion of innovation scale. Secondly, both government intervention and financial support promote the comprehensive efficiency of independent innovation of strategic emerging industry enterprises, but the incentive effect of government intervention is more obvious. Thirdly, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between government intervention and the comprehensive efficiency of independent innovation. Fourthly, the regression coefficient of the interaction between government intervention and financial support and the comprehensive efficiency of enterprise independent innovation is negative, which indicates that government intervention has an inhibitory effect on the effect of financial support on the overall efficiency of enterprise independent innovation. Finally, we put forward countermeasures and suggestions.
The Utility of Neutrophil CD64 and Presepsin as Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Monitoring Biomarkers in Neonatal Sepsis
Authors: Hashem Heba E. , Abdel Halim Rania M. , El Masry Sherin A. , Mokhtar Amira M. , Abdelaal Noureldin M.
Published: November 2020

Background. Neonatal septicemia is a critical medical situation; current conventional laboratory methods still have many limitations and diagnostic obstacles. For this purpose, last decades have witnessed a challenge between the battery of sepsis biomarkers including many leukocyte surface antigens, not only for early diagnostic purposes but also for better follow-up and good management of sepsis patients. Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring performance of both neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) and presepsin as sepsis biomarkers compared to each other and to the conventional laboratory sepsis parameters aiming to decide which is the best fitting for routine daily use in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods. 235 neonates were enrolled from three Egyptian neonatal ICUs, during the period from November 2015 till March 2018; they were classified into two main groups: the control group (n = 102) and the sepsis group (n = 133). Laboratory sepsis evaluation included highly sensitive CRP (hs-CRP), CBC, in addition to nCD64 (flow cytometry technique), and presepsin measurement (CLEIA technique combined with Magtration® technology); the diagnosis was confirmed thereafter by positive blood culture results (BacT/Alert system). Sixty-two of the enrolled sepsis neonates were subjected to follow-up assessment; they were reclassified according to their clinical improvement at the second time assessment into (group 1: sepsis group without improvement) (n = 20) and (group 2: improved sepsis group) (n = 42). Results. Significant increase in nCD64 and presepsin values was found in sepsis groups compared to the controls. At cutoff 41.6%, nCD64% could discriminate the presence of septicemia with sensitivity 94.7%, specificity 93.6 %, and AUC 0.925, while presepsin at cutoff 686 pg/ml achieves sensitivity 82.7%, specificity 95.5%, and AUC 0.887, respectively. Significant increase in nCD64 (

P
<
0.001

) and hs-CRP (

P
=
0.018

) values was observed in severe sepsis/septic shock patients compared to nonsevere sepsis patients. Delta change percentage (dC%) between initial and follow-up evaluations for both improved and nonimproved sepsis patients was dC Z value −5.904 for nCD64% followed by dC Z value −4.494 for presepsin. Conclusion. nCD64 and presepsin are valuable early diagnostic and monitoring sepsis biomarkers; the highest sensitivity could be achieved by a univariant sepsis marker in this study was recorded by the nCD64% biomarker, while the highest specificity was documented by presepsin. Combined measurement of both achieves the highest diagnostic performance in sepsis neonates. Either of CD64 or presepsin combined with hs-CRP associated with better performance than any of them alone. nCD64 carries an additional promising role in reflecting sepsis prognosis.
Diagnosis of Leiomyosarcoma after Uterine Artery Embolization for Multiple Leiomyomas
Authors: Tsuji Maako , Kihara Tomoko , Hushimi Shuko , Nishino Yukari , Kanayama Tomoko , Nishijima Mitsuhiro
Published: November 2020

Uterine sarcoma is significantly rarer than leiomyoma and has poor prognosis. Moreover, the diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma is difficult because its symptoms, including pelvic pain, uterine mass, and/or uterine bleeding, are very similar to those of leiomyoma. There are a few cases of leiomyosarcoma wherein leiomyoma was treated with uterine artery embolization (UAE); these reports revealed that the symptoms of hypermenorrhea or/and pelvic pain persisted even after UAE. Symptoms persisting even after UAE treatment for leiomyomas, especially multiple leiomyomas, should be investigated to rule out leiomyosarcoma. Therefore, long-term follow-up is needed. Here, we describe a case of a 39-year-old woman diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma 3 years after undergoing UAE for multiple leiomyomas.
Implications of Ubuntu/Synergy for the Education System of Ethiopia
Authors: Ali Teshager , Shishigu Aweke
Published: November 2020

In most sub-Saharan African states, education was carried out by missionaries, which resulted in the incursion of foreign language and/or culture. As one of the sub-Saharan countries, Ethiopia has faced the same scenario apart from the changes accrued during regime changes. In line with these changes, the education philosophy, education policy, and its accompanying epistemology have shown marked changes. However, all of them fail to encompass the sociocultural facets of the country. As a result, the quality of education at all levels of the system has been a point of discussion for the last several years. The current initiative (Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap (2018-30)) is one of the offspring of a marked debate in the education sector. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide a more comprehensive picture of the education system in Ethiopia on top of philosophical scrutiny of past and current education reforms. In analyzing education reforms, the paper draws on indigenous philosophical orientation and the values of Ubuntu. The paper argues that the reforms introduced during regime changes are short of pledging an indigenous knowledge base. As indigenous education is based on sound philosophical foundations, the paper further argues that the proposed philosophical foundation can easily fit with the culture and lifestyle of the community being considered.
Interaction between Crustal-Scale Darcy and Hydrofracture Fluid Transport: A Numerical Study
Authors: de Riese Tamara , Bons Paul D. , Gomez-Rivas Enrique , Sachau Till
Published: November 2020

Crustal-scale fluid flow can be regarded as a bimodal transport mechanism. At low hydraulic head gradients, fluid flow through rock porosity is slow and can be described as diffusional. Structures such as hydraulic breccias and hydrothermal veins both form when fluid velocities and pressures are high, which can be achieved by localized fluid transport in space and time, via hydrofractures. Hydrofracture propagation and simultaneous fluid flow can be regarded as a “ballistic” transport mechanism, which is activated when transport by diffusion alone is insufficient to release the local fluid overpressure. The activation of a ballistic system locally reduces the driving force, through allowing the escape of fluid. We use a numerical model to investigate the properties of the two transport modes in general and the transition between them in particular. We developed a numerical model in order to study patterns that result from bimodal transport. When hydrofractures are activated due to low permeability relative to fluid flux, many hydrofractures form that do not extend through the whole system. These abundant hydrofractures follow a power-law size distribution. A Hurst factor of ~0.9 indicates that the system self-organizes. The abundant small-scale hydrofractures organize the formation of large-scale hydrofractures that ascend through the whole system and drain fluids in large bursts. As the relative contribution of porous flow increases, escaping fluid bursts become less frequent, but more regular in time and larger in volume. We propose that metamorphic rocks with abundant veins, such as in the Kodiak accretionary prism (Alaska) and Otago schists (New Zealand), represent regions with abundant hydrofractures near the fluid source, while hydrothermal breccias are formed by the large fluid bursts that can ascend the crust to shallower levels.
A Case–Control Study to Evaluate Environmental and Lifestyle Risk Factors for Esophageal Cancer in Tanzania
Authors: Mmbaga Elia J. , Mushi Beatrice P. , Deardorff Katrina , Mgisha William , Akoko Larry O. , Paciorek Alan , Hiatt Robert A. , Buckle Geoffrey C. , Mwaiselage Julius , Zhang Li , Van Loon Katherine
Published: November 2020

Background:

East Africa is affected by a disproportionately high burden of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods:

We conducted an incident case–control study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with 1:1 matching for gender and age. A questionnaire evaluated known and putative risk factors for ESCC. Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel and multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were applied to evaluate associations with ESCC risk, with adjustment for geographic zone.

Results:

Of 471 cases and 471 controls, the majority were male (69%); median ages were 59 and 55, respectively. In a multivariable logistic regression model, a low International Wealth Index (IWI) score [OR 2.57; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.41–4.68], former smoking (OR 2.45; 95% CI, 1.46–4.13), second-hand smoke in the household (OR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.01–2.77), daily spicy chilies (OR 1.62; 1.04–2.52), and daily salted foods (OR 2.02; 95% CI, 1.06–3.85) were associated with increased risk of ESCC. Daily consumption of raw greens (OR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.16–0.80), fruit (OR 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27–0.82), and smoked fish (OR 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15–0.66) were protective. Permanent residence in the Central (OR 5.03; 95% CI, 2.16–11.73), Northern-Lake (OR 2.40; 95% CI, 1.46–3.94), or Southern Highlands zones (OR 3.18; 95% CI, 1.56–6.50) of Tanzania were associated with increased risk compared with residence in the Eastern zone.

Conclusions:

Low IWI score, smoke exposure(s), geographic zone, and dietary factors were associated with risk for ESCC in Tanzania.

Impact:

These findings will inform the development of future hypothesis-driven studies to examine risk factors for the high burden of ESCC in East Africa.

See related commentary by McCormack et al., p. 248
Drug Use and Cancer Risk: A Drug-Wide Association Study (DWAS) in Norway
Authors: Støer Nathalie C. , Botteri Edoardo , Thoresen G. Hege , Karlstad Øystein , Weiderpass Elisabete , Friis Søren , Pottegård Anton , Andreassen Bettina K.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Population-based pharmaco-epidemiologic studies are used to assess postmarketing drug safety and discover beneficial effects of off-label drug use. We conducted a drug-wide association study (DWAS) to screen for associations between prescription drugs and cancer risk.

Methods:

This registry-based, nested case–control study, 1:10 matched on age, sex, and date of diagnosis of cases, comprises approximately 2 million Norwegian residents, including their drug history from 2004 to 2014. We evaluated the association between prescribed drugs, categorized according to the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification system, and the risk of the 15 most common cancer types, overall and by histology. We used stratified Cox regression, adjusted for other drug use, comorbidity, county, and parity, and explored dose–response trends.

Results:

We found 145 associations among 1,230 drug–cancer combinations on the ATC2-level and 77 of 8,130 on the ATC4-level. Results for all drug–cancer combinations are presented in this article and an online tool (https://pharmacoepi.shinyapps.io/drugwas/). Some associations have been previously reported, that is, menopausal hormones and breast cancer risk, or are likely confounded, that is, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and lung cancer risk. Other associations were novel, that is, inverse association between proton pump inhibitors and melanoma risk, and carcinogenic association of propulsives and lung cancer risk.

Conclusions:

This study confirmed previously reported associations and generated new hypotheses on possible carcinogenic or chemopreventive effects of prescription drugs. Results from this type of explorative approach need to be validated in tailored epidemiologic and preclinical studies.

Impact:

DWAS studies are robust and important tools to define new drug–cancer hypotheses.

See related commentary by Wang and Gadalla, p. 597
Tumor Mutational Burden as a Predictive Biomarker in Solid Tumors
Authors: Sha Dan , Jin Zhaohui , Budczies Jan , Kluck Klaus , Stenzinger Albrecht , Sinicrope Frank A.
Published: November 2020

Tumor mutational burden (TMB), defined as the number of somatic mutations per megabase of interrogated genomic sequence, varies across malignancies. Panel sequencing–based estimates of TMB have largely replaced whole-exome sequencing–derived TMB in the clinic. Retrospective evidence suggests that TMB can predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors, and data from KEYNOTE-158 led to the recent FDA approval of pembrolizumab for the TMB-high tumor subgroup. Unmet needs include prospective validation of TMB cutoffs in relationship to tumor type and patient outcomes. Furthermore, standardization and harmonization of TMB measurement across test platforms are important to the successful implementation of TMB in clinical practice.

Significance:

Evaluation of TMB as a predictive biomarker creates the need to harmonize panel-based TMB estimation and standardize its reporting. TMB can improve the predictive accuracy for immunotherapy outcomes, and has the potential to expand the candidate pool of patients for treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors.