bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PD-L1 blockade in combination with inhibition of MAPK oncogenic signaling in patients with advanced melanoma
Authors: Ribas Antoni , Algazi Alain , Ascierto Paolo A. , Butler Marcus O. , Chandra Sunandana , Gordon Michael , Hernandez-Aya Leonel , Lawrence Donald , Lutzky Jose , Miller Wilson H. , Campbell Katie M. , Delafont Bruno , Marshall Shannon , Mueller Nancy , Robert Caroline
Published: December 2020

Combining PD-L1 blockade with inhibition of oncogenic mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling may result in long-lasting responses in patients with advanced melanoma. This phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation and -expansion study (NCT02027961) investigated safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of durvalumab (anti–PD-L1) combined with dabrafenib (BRAF inhibitor) and trametinib (MEK inhibitor) for patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma (cohort A, n = 26), or durvalumab and trametinib given concomitantly (cohort B, n = 20) or sequentially (cohort C, n = 22) for patients with BRAF-wild type melanoma. Adverse events and treatment discontinuation rates were more common than previously reported for these agents given as monotherapy. Objective responses were observed in 69.2% (cohort A), 20.0% (cohort B) and 31.8% (cohort C) of patients, with evidence of improved tumor immune infiltration and durable responses in a subset of patients with available biopsy samples. In conclusion, combined MAPK inhibition and anti–PD-L1 therapy may provide treatment options for patients with advanced melanoma.
Domestication via the commensal pathway in a fish-invertebrate mutualism
Authors: Brooker Rohan M. , Casey Jordan M. , Cowan Zara-Louise , Sih Tiffany L. , Dixson Danielle L. , Manica Andrea , Feeney William E.
Published: December 2020

Domesticator-domesticate relationships are specialized mutualisms where one species provides multigenerational support to another in exchange for a resource or service, and through which both partners gain an advantage over individuals outside the relationship. While this ecological innovation has profoundly reshaped the world’s landscapes and biodiversity, the ecological circumstances that facilitate domestication remain uncertain. Here, we show that longfin damselfish (Stegastes diencaeus) aggressively defend algae farms on which they feed, and this protective refuge selects a domesticator-domesticate relationship with planktonic mysid shrimps (Mysidium integrum). Mysids passively excrete nutrients onto farms, which is associated with enriched algal composition, and damselfish that host mysids exhibit better body condition compared to those without. Our results suggest that the refuge damselfish create as a byproduct of algal tending and the mutual habituation that damselfish and mysids exhibit towards one another were instrumental in subsequent mysid domestication. These results are consistent with domestication via the commensal pathway, by which many common examples of animal domestication are hypothesized to have evolved.
A bioengineering perspective on modelling the intestinal epithelial physiology in vitro
Authors: Antfolk Maria , Jensen Kim B.
Published: December 2020

The small intestine is a specialised organ, essential for nutrient digestion and absorption. It is lined with a complex epithelial cell layer. Intestinal epithelial cells can be cultured in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds as self-organising entities with distinct domains containing stem cells and differentiated cells. Recent developments in bioengineering provide new possibilities for directing the organisation of cells in vitro. In this Perspective, focusing on the small intestine, we discuss how studies at the interface between bioengineering and intestinal biology provide new insights into organ function. Specifically, we focus on engineered biomaterials, complex 3D structures resembling the intestinal architecture, and micro-physiological systems.
Xenon binding by a tight yet adaptive chiral soft capsule
Authors: Nie Shi-Xin , Guo Hao , Huang Teng-Yu , Ao Yu-Fei , Wang De-Xian , Wang Qi-Qiang
Published: December 2020

Xenon binding has attracted interest due to the potential for xenon separation and emerging applications in magnetic resonance imaging. Compared to their covalent counterparts, assembled hosts that are able to effectively bind xenon are rare. Here, we report a tight yet soft chiral macrocycle dimeric capsule for efficient and adaptive xenon binding in both crystal form and solution. The chiral bisurea-bisthiourea macrocycle can be easily synthesized in multi-gram scale. Through assembly, the flexible macrocycles are locked in a bowl-shaped conformation and buckled to each other, wrapping up a tight, completely sealed yet adjustable cavity suitable for xenon, with a very high affinity for an assembled host. A slow-exchange process and drastic spectral changes are observed in both 1H and 129Xe NMR. With the easy synthesis, modification and reversible characteristics, we believe the robust yet adaptive assembly system may find applications in xenon sequestration and magnetic resonance imaging-based biosensing.
Changes to information in working memory depend on distinct removal operations
Authors: Kim Hyojeong , Smolker Harry R. , Smith Louisa L. , Banich Marie T. , Lewis-Peacock Jarrod A.
Published: December 2020

Holding information in working memory is essential for cognition, but removing unwanted thoughts is equally important. Here we use multivariate pattern analyses of brain activity to demonstrate the successful manipulation and removal of information from working memory using different strategies including suppressing a specific thought, replacing a thought with a different one, and clearing the mind of all thought. These strategies are supported by distinct brain regions and have differential consequences for allowing new information to be encoded.
Ultrahigh strength and ductility in newly developed materials with coherent nanolamellar architectures
Authors: Fan Lei , Yang Tao , Zhao Yilu , Luan Junhua , Zhou Gang , Wang Hao , Jiao Zengbao , Liu Chain-Tsuan
Published: December 2020

Nano-lamellar materials with ultrahigh strengths and unusual physical properties are of technological importance for structural applications. However, these materials generally suffer from low tensile ductility, which severely limits their practical utility. Here we show that markedly enhanced tensile ductility can be achieved in coherent nano-lamellar alloys, which exhibit an unprecedented combination of over 2 GPa yield strength and 16% uniform tensile ductility. The ultrahigh strength originates mainly from the lamellar boundary strengthening, whereas the large ductility correlates to a progressive work-hardening mechanism regulated by the unique nano-lamellar architecture. The coherent lamellar boundaries facilitate the dislocation transmission, which eliminates the stress concentrations at the boundaries. Meanwhile, deformation-induced hierarchical stacking-fault networks and associated high-density Lomer-Cottrell locks enhance the work hardening response, leading to unusually large tensile ductilities. The coherent nano-lamellar strategy can potentially be applied to many other alloys and open new avenues for designing ultrastrong yet ductile materials for technological applications.
Gene expression in diapausing rotifer eggs in response to divergent environmental predictability regimes
Authors: Tarazona Eva , Lucas-Lledó J. Ignacio , Carmona María José , García-Roger Eduardo M.
Published: December 2020

In unpredictable environments in which reliable cues for predicting environmental variation are lacking, a diversifying bet-hedging strategy for diapause exit is expected to evolve, whereby only a portion of diapausing forms will resume development at the first occurrence of suitable conditions. This study focused on diapause termination in the rotiferBrachionus plicatiliss.s., addressing the transcriptional profile of diapausing eggs from environments differing in the level of predictability and the relationship of such profiles with hatching patterns. RNA-Seq analyses revealed significant differences in gene expression between diapausing eggs produced in the laboratory under combinations of two contrasting selective regimes of environmental fluctuation (predictable vs unpredictable) and two different diapause conditions (passing or not passing through forced diapause). The results showed that the selective regime was more important than the diapause condition in driving differences in the transcriptome profile. Most of the differentially expressed genes were upregulated in the predictable regime and mostly associated with molecular functions involved in embryo morphological development and hatching readiness. This was in concordance with observations of earlier, higher, and more synchronous hatching in diapausing eggs produced under the predictable regime.
Psychosocial risk factors for impaired health-related quality of life in living kidney donors: results from the ELIPSY prospective study
Authors: Menjivar Ana , Torres Xavier , Manyalich Marti , Fehrman-Ekholm Ingela , Papachristou Christina , de Sousa-Amorim Erika , Paredes David , Hiesse Christian , Yucetin Levent , Oppenheimer Federico , Kondi Entela , Peri Josep Maria , Kvarnström Niclas , Ballesté Chloë , Dias Leonidio , Frade Inês C. , Lopes Alice , Diekmann Fritz , Revuelta Ignacio
Published: December 2020

Living kidney donors’ follow-up is usually focused on the assessment of the surgical and medical outcomes. Whilst the psychosocial follow-up is advocated in literature. It is still not entirely clear which exact psychosocial factors are related to a poor psychosocial outcome of donors. The aim of our study is to prospectively assess the donors’ psychosocial risks factors to impaired health-related quality of life at 1-year post-donation and link their psychosocial profile before donation with their respective outcomes. The influence of the recipient’s medical outcomes on their donor’s psychosocial outcome was also examined. Sixty donors completed a battery of standardized psychometric instruments (quality of life, mental health, coping strategies, personality, socio-economic status), and ad hoc items regarding the donation process (e.g., motivations for donation, decision-making, risk assessment, and donor-recipient relationship). Donors’ 1-year psychosocial follow-up was favorable and comparable with the general population. So far, cluster-analysis identified a subgroup of donors (28%) with a post-donation reduction of their health-related quality of life. This subgroup expressed comparatively to the rest, the need for more pre-donation information regarding surgery risks, and elevated fear of losing the recipient and commitment to stop their suffering.
Sounds are remapped across saccades
Authors: Szinte Martin , Aagten-Murphy David , Jonikaitis Donatas , Wollenberg Luca , Deubel Heiner
Published: December 2020

To achieve visual space constancy, our brain remaps eye-centered projections of visual objects across saccades. Here, we measured saccade trajectory curvature following the presentation of visual, auditory, and audiovisual distractors in a double-step saccade task to investigate if this stability mechanism also accounts for localized sounds. We found that saccade trajectories systematically curved away from the position at which either a light or a sound was presented, suggesting that both modalities are represented in eye-centered oculomotor centers. Importantly, the same effect was observed when the distractor preceded the execution of the first saccade. These results suggest that oculomotor centers keep track of visual, auditory and audiovisual objects by remapping their eye-centered representations across saccades. Furthermore, they argue for the existence of a supra-modal map which keeps track of multi-sensory object locations across our movements to create an impression of space constancy.
Canonical and noncanonical TGF-β signaling regulate fibrous tissue differentiation in the axial skeleton
Authors: Clayton Sade W. , Ban Ga I. , Liu Cunren , Serra Rosa
Published: December 2020

Previously, we showed that embryonic deletion of TGF-β type 2 receptor in mouse sclerotome resulted in defects in fibrous connective tissues in the spine. Here we investigated how TGF-β regulates expression of fibrous markers: Scleraxis, Fibromodulin and Adamtsl2. We showed that TGF-β stimulated expression of Scleraxis mRNA by 2 h and Fibromodulin and Adamtsl2 mRNAs by 8 h of treatment. Regulation of Scleraxis by TGF-β did not require new protein synthesis; however, protein synthesis was required for expression of Fibromodulin and Adamtsl2 indicating the necessity of an intermediate. We subsequently showed Scleraxis was a potential intermediate for TGF-β-regulated expression of Fibromodulin and Adamtsl2. The canonical effector Smad3 was not necessary for TGF-β-mediated regulation of Scleraxis. Smad3 was necessary for regulation of Fibromodulin and Adamtsl2, but not sufficient to super-induce expression with TGF-β treatment. Next, the role of several noncanonical TGF-β pathways were tested. We found that ERK1/2 was activated by TGF-β and required to regulate expression of Scleraxis, Fibromodulin, and Adamtsl2. Based on these results, we propose a model in which TGF-β regulates Scleraxis via ERK1/2 and then Scleraxis and Smad3 cooperate to regulate Fibromodulin and Adamtsl2. These results define a novel signaling mechanism for TGFβ-mediated fibrous differentiation in sclerotome.
Relation of the average interaction field with the coercive and interaction field distributions in First order reversal curve diagrams of nanowire arrays
Authors: Velázquez Y. G. , Guerrero A. Lobo , Martínez J. M. , Araujo E. , Tabasum M. R. , Nysten B. , Piraux L. , Encinas A.
Published: December 2020

First-order reversal curve diagrams, or FORC diagrams, have been studied to determine if the widths of their distributions along the interaction and coercivity axes can be related to the mean-field magnetization dependent interaction field (MDIF). Arrays of nanowires with diameters ranging from 18 up to 100 nm and packing fractions varying from 0.4 to 12% have been analyzed. The mean-field MDIF has been measured using the remanence curves and used as a measuring scale on the FORC diagrams. Based on these measurements, the full width of the interaction field distribution and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the FORC distribution profile along the interaction field direction are shown to be proportional to the MDIF, and the relation between them is found. Moreover, by interpreting the full width of the coercive field distribution in terms of the dipolar induced shearing, a simple relation is found between the width of this distribution and the MDIF. Furthermore, we show that the width of the FORC distribution along the coercive field axis is equal to the width of the switching field distribution obtained by the derivation of the DC remanence curve. This was further verified with the switching field distribution determined using in-field magnetic force microscopy (MFM) for very low density nanowires. The results are further supported by the good agreement found between the experiments and the values calculated using the mean-field model, which provides analytical expressions for both FORC distributions.
Phytoplankton alpha diversity indices response the trophic state variation in hydrologically connected aquatic habitats in the Harbin Section of the Songhua River
Authors: Meng Fanhua , Li Zhenxiang , Li Lei , Lu Feng , Liu Yan , Lu Xinxin , Fan Yawen
Published: December 2020

The relationship between biodiversity and ecological functioning is a central issue in freshwater ecology, but how this relationship is influenced by hydrological connectivity stress is still unknown. In this study we analyzed the dynamic of the phytoplankton alpha diversity indices and their relationships with trophic state in two hydrologically connected aquatic habitats (Jinhewan Wetland and Harbin Section of the Songhua River) in the Songhua River Basin in northeast China. We hypothesized that the phytoplankton alpha-diversity indices have the potential to provide a signal linking trophic state variation in hydrologically connected aquatic habitats. Our results showed the Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta were abundant at most stations. T-test showed that phytoplankton alpha diversity indices varied significantly between rainy season and dry season. Trophic State Index recorded that a meso-trophic to eutrophic states of two connected habits during study period. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the dynamic of phytoplankton alpha diversity index was closely associated with trophic states change. Our result indicated that hydrological connectivity is a key factor influenced phytoplankton community assembly. In addition, it is beneficial to develop an integrated approach to appropriately describe and measure the trophic state variations of hydrologically connected aquatic habits in freshwater ecosystem.
Age-related changes in visual search: manipulation of colour cues based on cone contrast and opponent modulation space
Authors: Tamura Shuto , Sato Keiko
Published: December 2020

Reduced retinal illuminance affects colour perception in older adults, and studies show that they exhibit deficiencies in yellow-blue (YB) discrimination. However, the influence of colour cues on the visual attention in older individuals remains unclarified. Visual attention refers to the cognitive model by which we prioritise regions within the visual space and selectively process information. The present study aimed to explore the effect of colour on visual search performance in older observers. In our experiment, younger observers wearing glasses with a filter that simulated the spectral transmittance of the aging human lens and older observers performed two types of search tasks, feature search (FS) and conjunction search (CS), under three colour conditions: red-green, YB, and luminance. Targets and distractors were designed on the basis of the Derrington–Krauskopf–Lennie colour representation. In FS tasks, reaction times changed according to colour in all groups, especially under the YB condition, regardless of the presence or absence of distractors. In CS tasks with distractors, older participants and younger participants wearing glasses showed slower responses under chromatic conditions than under the achromatic condition. These results provide preliminary evidence that, for older observers, visual search performance may be affected by impairments in chromatic colour discrimination.
Sustained organic loading disturbance favors nitrite accumulation in bioreactors with variable resistance, recovery and resilience of nitrification and nitrifiers
Authors: Santillan E. , Phua W. X. , Constancias F. , Wuertz S.
Published: December 2020

Sustained disturbances are relevant for environmental biotechnology as they can lead to alternative stable states in a system that may not be reversible. Here, we tested the effect of a sustained organic loading alteration (food-to-biomass ratio, F:M, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, C:N) on activated sludge bioreactors, focusing on the stability of nitrification and nitrifiers. Two sets of replicate 5-L sequencing batch reactors were operated at different, low and high, F:M (0.19–0.36 mg COD/mg TSS/d) and C:N (3.5–6.3 mg COD/mg TKN) conditions for a period of 74 days, following 53 days of sludge acclimation. Recovery and resilience were tested during the last 14 days by operating all reactors at low F:M and C:N (henceforth termed F:M–C:N). Stable nitrite accumulation (77%) was achieved through high F:M–C:N loading with a concurrent reduction in the abundance ofNitrospira. Subsequently, only two of the three reactors experiencing a switch back from high to low F:M–C:N recovered the nitrite oxidation function, with an increase inNitrobacteras the predominant NOB, without a recovery ofNitrospira. The AOB community was more diverse, resistant and resilient than the NOB community. We showed that functional recovery and resilience can vary across replicate reactors, and that nitrification recovery need not coincide with a return to the initial nitrifying community structure.
Deconvoluting kernel density estimation and regression for locally differentially private data
Authors: Farokhi Farhad
Published: December 2020

Local differential privacy has become the gold-standard of privacy literature for gathering or releasing sensitive individual data points in a privacy-preserving manner. However, locally differential data can twist the probability density of the data because of the additive noise used to ensure privacy. In fact, the density of privacy-preserving data (no matter how many samples we gather) is always flatter in comparison with the density function of the original data points due to convolution with privacy-preserving noise density function. The effect is especially more pronounced when using slow-decaying privacy-preserving noises, such as the Laplace noise. This can result in under/over-estimation of the heavy-hitters. This is an important challenge facing social scientists due to the use of differential privacy in the 2020 Census in the United States. In this paper, we develop density estimation methods using smoothing kernels. We use the framework of deconvoluting kernel density estimators to remove the effect of privacy-preserving noise. This approach also allows us to adapt the results from non-parametric regression with errors-in-variables to develop regression models based on locally differentially private data. We demonstrate the performance of the developed methods on financial and demographic datasets.
Impact of hypoxia on the double-strand break repair after photon and carbon ion irradiation of radioresistant HNSCC cells
Authors: Wozny Anne-Sophie , Alphonse Gersende , Cassard Audrey , Malésys Céline , Louati Safa , Beuve Michael , Lalle Philippe , Ardail Dominique , Nakajima Tetsuo , Rodriguez-Lafrasse Claire
Published: December 2020

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by photon irradiation are the most deleterious damage for cancer cells and their efficient repair may contribute to radioresistance, particularly in hypoxic conditions. Carbon ions (C-ions) act independently of the oxygen concentration and trigger complex- and clustered-DSBs difficult to repair. Understanding the interrelation between hypoxia, radiation-type, and DNA-repair is therefore essential for overcoming radioresistance. The DSBs signaling and the contribution of the canonical non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ-c) and homologous-recombination (HR) repair pathways were assessed by immunostaining in two cancer-stem-cell (CSCs) and non-CSCs HNSCC cell lines. Detection and signaling of DSBs were lower in response to C-ions than photons. Hypoxia increased the decay-rate of the detected DSBs (γH2AX) in CSCs after photons and the initiation of DSB repair signaling (P-ATM) in CSCs and non-CSCs after both radiations, but not the choice of DSB repair pathway (53BP1). Additionally, hypoxia increased the NHEJ-c (DNA-PK) and the HR pathway (RAD51) activation only after photons. Furthermore, the involvement of the HR seemed to be higher in CSCs after photons and in non-CSCs after C-ions. Taken together, our results show that C-ions may overcome the radioresistance of HNSCC associated with DNA repair, particularly in CSCs, and independently of a hypoxic microenvironment.
CD4 response of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus for positive consistency of latent tuberculosis infection in patients on dialysis
Authors: Wang Ping-Huai , Lin Shu-Yung , Lee Susan Shih-Jung , Lin Shu-Wen , Lee Chih-Yuan , Wei Yu-Feng , Shu Chin-Chung , Wang Jann-Yuan , Yu Chong-Jen
Published: December 2020

A significantly negative reversion in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-GIT) test is reported in patients on dialysis, which makes the results unreliable. The CD4 and CD8 responses of the QFT-Gold plus (QFT-Plus) may have better positive consistency, but this needs to be investigated. We enrolled dialysis patients with baseline positive QFT-GIT0 results and conducted two rounds of follow-up paired QFT-GIT1&2 and QFT-Plus1&2 tests at an interval of 6 months. The positive consistency, concordance, and discordance of the QFT results were analyzed. A total of 236 patients on dialysis were screened, and 73 participants with positive QFT-GIT0 results were enrolled. The baseline QFT-GIT0 response was higher in the 1st QFT-Plus1(+) group than in the QFT-Plus1(−) group, but insignificantly different between the 1st QFT-GIT1(+) and QFT-GIT1(−) groups. The two assays had good correlation when concurrently tested. Fifty-three subjects completed a second round of the QFT-GIT2 and QFT-Plus2. Persistent positivity was higher with the QFT-Plus2 (81.8%) than with the QFT-GIT2 (58.8%, p = 0.040). The QFT-GIT1 and QFT-Plus1 CD4 responses were higher in patients with persistent positivity than in those with negative reversion, whereas the difference of the QFT-Plus TB1 and TB2 data, representative of the CD8 response, were similar between positive persistence and negative reversion. In conclusion, the QFT-Plus provides more reliable positive consistency than does the QFT-GIT. The CD4 interferon-γ response might play a role in maintaining positivity of LTBI.
Flexibility of infrapatellar fat pad affecting anterior knee pain 6 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring autograft
Authors: Kitagawa Takashi , Nakase Junsuke , Takata Yasushi , Shimozaki Kengo , Asai Kazuki , Yoshimizu Rikuto , Kimura Mitsuhiro , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: December 2020

This study aimed to identify factors affecting anterior knee pain (AKP) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with hamstring tendon autograft using ultrasonography. Forty-two patients were evaluated by ultrasound, 6 months after ACLR. The thickness of the superficial part of the infrapatellar fat pad was measured, as well as the thickness change ratio between the two angles. Color Doppler evaluated the rate of blood flow in the fat pad. AKP was assessed with the Kujala Scale. The correlations between AKP and age, body mass index, the thickness change ratio, and the grade of increased blood flow were examined. Independent variables showing significant correlations with AKP were used for multiple linear regression analysis. There were significant correlations between AKP and age (r = − 0.68), body mass index (r = − 0.37), the thickness change ratio of the fat pad (r = 0.73) and the grade of increased blood flow (r = − 0.42), respectively. Age and the thickness change ratio of the fat pad affected the AKP score (R2 = 0.56). After ACLR, older age and a decrease in the thickness change ratio of the superficial area of the infrapatellar fat pad appear to affect post-operative AKP after 6 months.
Unobtrusive detection of Parkinson’s disease from multi-modal and in-the-wild sensor data using deep learning techniques
Authors: Papadopoulos Alexandros , Iakovakis Dimitrios , Klingelhoefer Lisa , Bostantjopoulou Sevasti , Chaudhuri K. Ray , Kyritsis Konstantinos , Hadjidimitriou Stelios , Charisis Vasileios , Hadjileontiadis Leontios J. , Delopoulos Anastasios
Published: December 2020

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting more than 1% of the population above 60 years old with both motor and non-motor symptoms of escalating severity as it progresses. Since it cannot be cured, treatment options focus on the improvement of PD symptoms. In fact, evidence suggests that early PD intervention has the potential to slow down symptom progression and improve the general quality of life in the long term. However, the initial motor symptoms are usually very subtle and, as a result, patients seek medical assistance only when their condition has substantially deteriorated; thus, missing the opportunity for an improved clinical outcome. This situation highlights the need for accessible tools that can screen for early motor PD symptoms and alert individuals to act accordingly. Here we show that PD and its motor symptoms can unobtrusively be detected from the combination of accelerometer and touchscreen typing data that are passively captured during natural user-smartphone interaction. To this end, we introduce a deep learning framework that analyses such data to simultaneously predict tremor, fine-motor impairment and PD. In a validation dataset from 22 clinically-assessed subjects (8 Healthy Controls (HC)/14 PD patients with a total data contribution of 18.305 accelerometer and 2.922 typing sessions), the proposed approach achieved 0.86/0.93 sensitivity/specificity for the binary classification task of HC versus PD. Additional validation on data from 157 subjects (131 HC/26 PD with a total contribution of 76.528 accelerometer and 18.069 typing sessions) with self-reported health status (HC or PD), resulted in area under curve of 0.87, with sensitivity/specificity of 0.92/0.69 and 0.60/0.92 at the operating points of highest sensitivity or specificity, respectively. Our findings suggest that the proposed method can be used as a stepping stone towards the development of an accessible PD screening tool that will passively monitor the subject-smartphone interaction for signs of PD and which could be used to reduce the critical gap between disease onset and start of treatment.
From cheese whey permeate to Sakacin-A/bacterial cellulose nanocrystal conjugates for antimicrobial food packaging applications: a circular economy case study
Authors: Rollini Manuela , Musatti Alida , Cavicchioli Daniele , Bussini Daniele , Farris Stefano , Rovera Cesare , Romano Diego , De Benedetti Stefano , Barbiroli Alberto
Published: December 2020

Applying a circular economy approach, this research explores the use of cheese whey permeate (CWP), by-product of whey ultrafiltration, as cheap substrate for the production of bacterial cellulose (BC) and Sakacin-A, to be used in an antimicrobial packaging material. BC from the acetic acid bacterium Komagataeibacter xylinus was boosted up to 6.77 g/L by supplementing CWP with β-galactosidase. BC was then reduced to nanocrystals (BCNCs, 70% conversion yield), which were then conjugated with Sakacin-A, an anti-Listeria bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus sakei in a CWP based broth. Active conjugates (75 Activity Units (AU)/mg), an innovative solution for bacteriocin delivery, were then included in a coating mixture applied onto paper sheets at 25 AU/cm2. The obtained antimicrobial food package was found effective in reducing Listeria population in storage trials carried out on a fresh Italian soft cheese (named “stracchino”) intentionally inoculated with Listeria. Production costs of the active material have been mainly found to be associated (90%) to the purification steps. Setting a maximum prudential 50% cost reduction during process up-scaling, conjugates coating formulation would cost around 0.89 €/A4 sheet. Results represent a practical example of a circular economy production procedure by using a food industry by-product to produce antimicrobials for food preservation.
Deep learning model for classification and bioactivity prediction of essential oil-producing plants from Egypt
Authors: El-Attar Noha E. , Hassan Mohamed K. , Alghamdi Othman A. , Awad Wael A.
Published: December 2020

Reliance on deep learning techniques has become an important trend in several science domains including biological science, due to its proven efficiency in manipulating big data that are often characterized by their non-linear processes and complicated relationships. In this study, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) has been recruited, as one of the deep learning techniques, to be used in classifying and predicting the biological activities of the essential oil-producing plant/s through their chemical compositions. The model is established based on the available chemical composition’s information of a set of endemic Egyptian plants and their biological activities. Another type of machine learning algorithms, Multiclass Neural Network (MNN), has been applied on the same Essential Oils (EO) dataset. This aims to fairly evaluate the performance of the proposed CNN model. The recorded accuracy in the testing process for both CNN and MNN is 98.13% and 81.88%, respectively. Finally, the CNN technique has been adopted as a reliable model for classifying and predicting the bioactivities of the Egyptian EO-containing plants. The overall accuracy for the final prediction process is reported as approximately 97%. Hereby, the proposed deep learning model could be utilized as an efficient model in predicting the bioactivities of, at least Egyptian, EOs-producing plants.
Renal function after partial nephrectomy following intra-arterial embolization of renal tumors
Authors: Bréhier Germain , Bouvier Antoine , Besnier Louis , Willoteaux Serge , Nedelcu Cosmina , Culty Thibaut , Aubé Christophe , Bigot Pierre
Published: December 2020

Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy (LPN) after intra-arterial Embolization of renal tumors (LPNE) in a hybrid operating room allows renal tumor enucleation without dissection and clamping of the renal pedicle. The purpose was to assess the potential negative impact of embolization on the renal function. This prospective monocentric study included all patients treated with LPNE between May 2015 and June 2019. Clinical data was collected and incorporated into the UroCCR database (NCT03293563). Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and Computed Tomography Renal Volume (CTRV) were compared before and after 6 months following LPNE. The mean post-operative GFR was 86.6 mL/min (SD 22.9). The mean GFR loss was 9.4% (SD 15.1) and the median renal parenchyma loss was 21 mL (SD 20.6). Using a threshold of 25% GFR loss, age was the only significant predictive factor of renal function impairment according to bivariate (59.5 vs 69.3 years, p = 0.017) and multivariable analysis (OR 1.075, CI 1–1.2], p = 0.05). Significant renal function impairment was not correlated with the renal parenchymal volume loss (OR 0.987, CI [0.95–1.02], p = 0.435). Renal function impairment after LPNE seems to be comparable to other techniques of partial nephrectomy.
Effect-directed analysis and chemical identification of agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in white button mushroom
Authors: Pham Ngoc Long , Helmus Rick , Ehlers Andreas W. , Swart Kees , Besselink Harry , de Rijke Eva , Dang Thi Cam Ha , Brouwer Abraham , van der Burg Bart
Published: December 2020

Linoleic acid is the main PPAR ligand in white button mushrooms and may be involved in their anti-obesogenic effect.
Correction: Dual-defect surface engineering of bimetallic sulfide nanotubes towards flexible asymmetric solid-state supercapacitors
Authors: Kang Ling , Zhang Mengyao , Zhang Jian , Liu Shude , Zhang Nan , Yao Wenjing , Ye Yan , Luo Chen , Gong Zhiwei , Wang Chaolun , Zhou Xiaofeng , Wu Xing , Chan Jun Seong
Published: December 2020

Correction for ‘Dual-defect surface engineering of bimetallic sulfide nanotubes towards flexible asymmetric solid-state supercapacitors’ by Ling Kang et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0ta08979f.
SAR image noise suppression of BEMD by the kernel principle component analysis
Authors: Huang Changjun , Zhou Xinghua , Hu Jiyuan , Zhou Qingshan
Published: December 2020

In the process of synthetic aperture radar image noise suppression by the bi‐dimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) algorithm, the edge effect is a key problem in the BEMD operation. To weaken this effect, an improved BEMD‐kernel principal component analysis (BEMD‐KPCA) method of image denoising is proposed in this study. Experimental results show that the BEMDKPCA algorithm has a good capability of improving edge effects in the BEMD decomposition process and satisfying the requirement of the reliable decomposition results. Compared with the traditional BEMD method, the proposed approach has a good effect on suppressing speckle noise. Additionally, the denoised image from the decomposed components of the IMFs processed by the BEMD‐KPCA method sufficiently preserves the edge and detail information, confirming its high coherency with the original image.
A generalized quality assessment method for natural and screen content images
Authors: Loh Woei‐Tan , Bong David B. L.
Published: December 2020

A generalized objective quality assessment method is proposed for natural images and screen content images. Since natural images and screen content images have different statistical properties, the modelling of a generalized quality assessment method that works for both types of images is complicated because some properties of natural images and screen content images are conflicting to one another. The proposed method assesses the perceptual quality of an image based on edge magnitude and direction. In this method, an image is first separated into regions with high and low gradients. Gradient is used due to the small perceptual span of the human visual system for textual content. For high gradient regions, small kernel size of Prewitt operators is used to obtain the gradient magnitude and direction. Correspondingly, bigger kernel size of Prewitt operators is utilized for low gradient regions. Visual quality indices are computed from both regions and pooled to obtain the final quality index. From the performance comparison, it is shown that the proposed method could assess the perceived quality of natural images and screen content images with high accuracy.
Object scale selection of hierarchical image segmentation with deep seeds
Authors: Al‐Huda Zaid , Peng Bo , Yang Yan , Algburi Riyadh Nazar Ali
Published: December 2020

Hierarchical image segmentation is a prevalent technique in the literature for improving segmentation quality, where the segmentation result needs to be searched at different scales of the hierarchy to identify objects represented from various scales. In this paper, a novel framework for improving the quality of object segmentation is presented. To this end, the authors first select the optimal segments among several hierarchical scales of the input image using simple mid‐level features and dynamic programming. Simultaneously, deep seeds are localised on the input image for the foreground and background classes using a deep classification network and a saliency network, respectively. Then, a graphical model is constructed as a set of nodes that jointly propagate information from deep seeds to unmarked regions to obtain the final object segmentation. Comprehensive experiments are performed on different datasets for popular hierarchical image segmentation algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed framework can significantly improve the quality of object segmentation at low computational costs and without training any segmentation network.
The trade‐off between accuracy and the complexity of real‐time background subtraction
Authors: Hossain Md Alamgir , Nguyen VanDung , Huh Eui‐Nam
Published: December 2020

Background subtraction used in object detection, tracking and action recognition is a typical method that separates foreground objects from the background. These applications require accuracy and a complexity reduction technique. Some approaches have been proposed to either increase accuracy or decrease complexity. However, the trade‐off between increasing accuracy and reducing the complexity of background subtraction is a big challenge. To address this issue, a background subtraction‐based real‐time moving object‐detection approach is proposed. The key contribution in authors' proposal is to use a colour image and a novel colour‐gradient blending fused image to achieve accurate background/foreground segmentation. The fused image is a combination of a gradient image and a colour image to correct illumination variations and preserve the edge information. Also, thresholds are adaptively selected based on the dynamic background behaviour to attain a more robust classification system. The proposed model based on real‐time and complex videos from the CD‐2012 and CD‐2014 change detection data sets, and the CMD data set is evaluated. Experimental results indicate that authors' method processes around 43 frames per second and requires six bytes of memory per pixel, which is noticeably more efficient and less complex than other background subtraction methods.
Analysis of Enterprise Strategic Management Issues and Coping Strategies Based on Big Data Analysis
Authors: ZHONG Ziqi , Haoran Wang , JUNSHENG WANG
Published: December 2020

Corporate strategic management is an important management mode that affects the development of an enterprise. It plays a very important role in the development of corporate strategic management. In recent years, information technology has developed rapidly, data is frequently updated, and huge amounts of data are generated every day. Social development has entered the era of big data, which makes enterprises face more opportunities and challenges in formulating strategies and operating management. In order to enable enterprises to adapt to the development of the times and obtain healthy and sound development results. This article analyzes and summarizes the new characteristics of enterprise management in the context of big data, and applies big data analysis technology to the environmental analysis of enterprises, and points out the problems of strategic management of enterprises in the context of big data. This article aims at the current problems and proposes specific strategies after in-depth research, which provides a reference basis for strategic management of enterprises in the era of big data. It has certain practical significance and can help Chinese enterprises quickly adapt to the new environment.
Population Age Structure, Social Security and Household consumption rate
Authors: Ji Xiulin , Shi Meixia
Published: December 2020

This paper uses panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2018, and examines the relationship between the age structure of the population, the level of social security, and the consumption rate of residents by establishing static and dynamic models. The study found that, the child dependency ratio and the elderly dependency ratio have a negative impact on the residents’ consumption rate. Child dependency ratio increased by 1%, resident consumption rate decreased by 7.4%. Elderly dependency ratio increased by 1%, resident consumption rate decreased by 13.7%. Pension coverage has no significant impact on household consumption rates. Moreover, the consumption of Chinese residents is inertia, that is, the current consumption of residents is affected by previous consumption habits, which is one of the reasons for the current low consumption rate of our residents. In addition, research shows that the per capita real GDP and real interest rate promote China’s residents’ consumption, and the inflation rate and urbanization level have a certain inhibitory effect on the residents’ consumption rate. Therefore, the development of distinctive children’s training courses and the elderly-related industries, the optimization of the elderly’s labor market, and the gradual change of residents’ consumption concepts are more effective ways to expand domestic demand.
Application of Cloud Accounting in Comprehensive Budget Management of Agricultural Enterprises under Big Data
Authors: Yan Xu , Nanyun Xiao
Published: December 2020

Cloud accounting is a new technology developed on the basis of network information technology under the background of big data, which can provide convenient services for accounting and management of enterprises. The development of agricultural enterprises is directly related to the development of local agricultural economy. However, the application of cloud accounting in agricultural enterprises is less, and the application in comprehensive budget management is insufficient, which hinders the efficient docking of agricultural enterprises and economy. Therefore, this study believes that agricultural enterprises can use the advantages of big data and cloud accounting platform to build a more information-based comprehensive budget management system, in order to further improve the core competitiveness of agricultural enterprises.
Research on the transformation path of cigarette consumers’ internal quality demand based on AHP and Shapley value decomposition
Authors: Yang Lei , Zhang Tao , Yu Yao , Tao Feng Hong , Can Wu Jia , Qun Xu Yan , Juan Wang Hai , Feng He Xue
Published: December 2020

Consumers’ evaluation of cigarette quality directly affects their willingness to repeat purchase. In order to find out the relationship between the consumer evaluation indicator and the quality of cigarette products, to effectively guide the improvement of cigarette manufacturing technology, based on the evaluation standards of the sensory quality of the cigarette industry, the hierarchical structure indicator of attribute elements of cigarette products are established by using the analytic hierarchy process. Through the quantitative investigation of consumers and the investigation of experts, combined with the correlation analysis, the correlation degree between the evaluation indicators of consumers and the design elements of product attributes is verified, and the path is modified and optimized by Shapley value decomposition method. Finally, the transformation path of the internal quality demand of cigarette consumers is completed Build. The establishment of this path can effectively solve the problems of correlation between cigarette sensory quality and cigarette manufacturing technology, as well as the corresponding relationship between cigarette sensory quality and consumer evaluation of cigarette quality indicators. It is of considerable significance to effectively guide the improvement of cigarette product formula and improve consumer satisfaction through consumer evaluation.
An Analysis of the Strategies for Developing Students’ Consciousness of Pronunciation and Intonation in College English Teaching Based on the International Communication
Authors: Gui Ling
Published: December 2020

Under the background of international communication, college students’ English listening and speaking ability has been put forward higher requirements. Improving college students’ awareness of pronunciation and intonation is an effective way to solve this problem. The typical problems of college students in pronunciation and intonation are poor pronunciation, inaccurate intonation and inadequate pronunciation and intonation. The formation of these problems is multifaceted, including the lack of students’ awareness of pronunciation and intonation, the lack of teachers’ awareness of pronunciation and intonation, etc. In terms of strategies to improve students’ awareness of pronunciation and intonation, we can adopt the following ways: First, train a group of teachers with awareness of pronunciation and intonation. Secondly, we should infiltrate the training of pronunciation and intonation in classroom teaching. Thirdly, we should combine the teaching of pronunciation and intonation with the traditional English teaching methods. It is believed that through the implementation of these strategies, students can quickly improve their awareness of English pronunciation and intonation, and then help them master English faster and better.