bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Major sources and monthly variations in the release of land-derived marine debris from the Greater Jakarta area, Indonesia
Authors: Cordova Muhammad Reza , Nurhati Intan Suci
Published: December 2019

As marine debris becomes increasingly prevalent and induces cascading impacts on marine ecosystems, monitoring of land-derived debris is key for identifying effective mitigation strategies. Indonesia plays a pivotal role in reducing land-derived debris into the oceans considering its extensive coastline, large population and high waste production. We present the first marine debris monitoring data from Indonesia’s capital, the Greater Jakarta area, by characterizing major sources and monthly variations of debris release at nine river outlets into Jakarta Bay between June 2015-June 2016. Our data show plastics as the most common debris entering Jakarta Bay representing 59% (abundance) or 37% (weight) of the total collected debris. Styrofoam was dominating among plastic debris, highlighting the urgency of reducing plastic and styrofoam uses. Higher debris releases during the rainy season (December-February) highlight the need to intensify river clean-up activities. We estimated an average daily debris release of 97,098 ± 28,932 items or 23 ± 7.10 tons into Jakarta Bay with considerably lower inputs from the capital compared to its neighboring municipalities. Within the plastics category, field monitoring data yield a daily plastic debris release of 8.32 ± 2.44 tons from the Greater Jakarta area, which is 8–16 times less than global-scale model estimates.
Evaluation of the dual mTOR/PI3K inhibitors Gedatolisib (PF-05212384) and PF-04691502 against ovarian cancer xenograft models
Authors: Langdon Simon P. , Kay Charlene , Um In Hwa , Dodds Michael , Muir Morwenna , Sellar Grant , Kan Julie , Gourley Charlie , Harrison David J.
Published: December 2019

This study investigated the antitumour effects of two dual mTOR/PI3K inhibitors, gedatolisib (WYE-129587/PKI-587/PF-05212384) and PF-04691502 against a panel of six human patient derived ovarian cancer xenograft models. Both dual mTOR/PI3K inhibitors demonstrated antitumour activity against all xenografts tested. The compounds produced tumour stasis during the treatment period and upon cessation of treatment, tumours re-grew. In several models, there was an initial rapid reduction of tumour volume over the first week of treatment before tumour stasis. No toxicity was observed during treatment. Biomarker studies were conducted in two xenograft models; phospho-S6 (Ser235/236) expression (as a readout of mTOR activity) was reduced over the treatment period in the responding xenograft but expression increased to control (no treatment) levels on cessation of treatment. Phospho-AKT (Ser473) expression (as a readout of PI3K) was inhibited by both drugs but less markedly so than phospho-S6 expression. Initial tumour volume reduction on treatment and regrowth rate after treatment cessation was associated with phospho-S6/total S6 expression ratio. Both drugs produced apoptosis but minimally influenced markers of proliferation (Ki67, phospho-histone H3). These results indicate that mTOR/PI3K inhibition can produce broad spectrum tumour growth stasis in ovarian cancer xenograft models during continuous chronic treatment and this is associated with apoptosis.
Selective Effects of Thioridazine on Self-Renewal of Basal-Like Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Tegowski Matthew , Fan Cheng , Baldwin Albert S.
Published: December 2019

Several recent publications demonstrated that DRD2-targeting antipsychotics such as thioridazine induce proliferation arrest and apoptosis in diverse cancer cell types including those derived from brain, lung, colon, and breast. While most studies show that 10–20 µM thioridazine leads to reduced proliferation or increased apoptosis, here we show that lower doses of thioridazine (1–2 µM) target the self-renewal of basal-like breast cancer cells, but not breast cancer cells of other subtypes. We also show that all breast cancer cell lines tested express DRD2 mRNA and protein, regardless of thioridazine sensitivity. Further, DRD2 stimulation with quinpirole, a DRD2 agonist, promotes self-renewal, even in cell lines in which thioridazine does not inhibit self-renewal. This suggests that DRD2 is capable of promoting self-renewal in these cell lines, but that it is not active. Further, we show that dopamine can be detected in human and mouse breast tumor samples. This observation suggests that dopamine receptors may be activated in breast cancers, and is the first time to our knowledge that dopamine has been directly detected in human breast tumors, which could inform future investigation into DRD2 as a therapeutic target for breast cancer.
The impact of systemic treatment on brain metastasis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: A retrospective nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Lee Jung Soo , Hong Ji Hyung , Sun Der Sheng , Won Hye Sung , Kim Yeo Hyung , Ahn Mi Sun , Kang Seok Yun , Lee Hyun Woo , Ko Yoon Ho
Published: December 2019

To compare the incidence of brain metastases of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy (CC) and targeted therapy (TT), we performed a large-scale, retrospective, nationwide, cohort study. The population data were extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea database from January 1, 2011, to November 30, 2016. Of the 29,174 patients newly diagnosed with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC who received systemic treatment, we investigated the initial and subsequent incidence of brain metastases. Besides, among 22,458 patients without initial brain metastasis, the overall cumulative incidence of subsequent brain metastases was compared according to systemic treatment administered. In total, 1,126 (5.0%) patients subsequently developed brain metastasis. The overall cumulative incidence of brain metastasis was significantly higher in the TT group than in the CC group (1-year cumulative incidence: 8.7% vs. 3.8%; 3-year: 17.2% vs. 5.0%; P < 0.001). Younger age, female sex, and first-line TT were significant risk factors for subsequent brain metastasis. In conclusion, the overall cumulative incidence of brain metastasis was significantly higher in patients received TT as the first-line treatment than in those received CC.
Invasion intensity influences scale-dependent effects of an exotic species on native plant diversity
Authors: Valone Thomas J. , Weyers David P.
Published: December 2019

Invasive plant species reduce the diversity of natives by altering habitats or disturbance regimes, but it is less clear whether they do so via competitive exclusion. Here, we show that invader abundance alters scale-dependent competitive effects of invasion on native plant richness. Large-seeded exotic annual Erodium cicutarium invaded a site that manipulated rodent granivores. The invader became dominant on all plots but attained its highest abundance on plots that removed rodents. Invasion reduced plant abundance but not evenness; site-wide richness did not change over time on control plots but declined significantly on rodent removal plots. Species-area relationships within plots changed differently with invasion intensity: slopes increased and y-intercepts decreased on control plots relative to rodent removal plots. Changes in species-area slopes and y-intercepts following invasion suggest that common rather than rare species were most strongly impacted at small spatial scales on control plots, while common and rare species were both negatively impacted at all spatial scales on rodent removal plots. Small-seeded species declined in abundance following invasion more so than large-seeded species, indicative of competitive interactions mediated by seed size. These results reveal variation in scale-dependent competitive effects of invasion on native richness associated with invasion intensity.
Evaluation of binding and inhibition mechanism of dietary phytochemicals with sphingosine kinase 1: Towards targeted anticancer therapy
Authors: Gupta Preeti , Mohammad Taj , Dahiya Rashmi , Roy Sonam , Noman Omar Mohammed Ali , Alajmi Mohamed F. , Hussain Afzal , Hassan Md. Imtaiyaz
Published: December 2019

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) has recently gained attention as a potential drug target for its association with cancer and other inflammatory diseases. Here, we have investigated the binding affinity of dietary phytochemicals viz., ursolic acid, capsaicin, DL-α tocopherol acetate, quercetin, vanillin, citral, limonin and simvastatin with the SphK1. Docking studies revealed that all these compounds bind to the SphK1 with varying affinities. Fluorescence binding and isothermal titration calorimetric measurements suggested that quercetin and capsaicin bind to SphK1 with an excellent affinity, and significantly inhibits its activity with an admirable IC50values. The binding mechanism of quercetin was assessed by docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies for 100 ns in detail. We found that quercetin acts as a lipid substrate competitive inhibitor, and it interacts with important residues of active-site pocket through hydrogen bonds and other non-covalent interactions. Quercetin forms a stable complex with SphK1 without inducing any significant conformational changes in the protein structure. In conclusion, we infer that quercetin and capsaicin provide a chemical scaffold to develop potent and selective inhibitors of SphK1 after required modifications for the clinical management of cancer.
Diel changes and diversity of pufM expression in freshwater communities of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria
Authors: Fecskeová Lívia Kolesár , Piwosz Kasia , Hanusová Martina , Nedoma Jiří , Znachor Petr , Koblížek Michal
Published: December 2019

The anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (APB) are an active component of aquatic microbial communities. While DNA-based studies have delivered a detailed picture of APB diversity, they cannot provide any information on the activity of individual species. Therefore, we focused on the expression of a photosynthetic gene by APB communities in two freshwater lakes (Cep lake and the Římov Reservoir) in the Czech Republic. First, we analyzed expression levels of pufM during the diel cycle using RT-qPCR. The transcription underwent a strong diel cycle and was inhibited during the day in both lakes. Then, we compared DNA- (total) and RNA-based (active) community composition by sequencing pufM amplicon libraries. We observed large differences in expression activity among different APB phylogroups. While the total APB community in the Římov Reservoir was dominated by Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria prevailed in the active library. A different situation was encountered in the oligotrophic lake Cep where Betaproteobacteria (order Burkholderiales) dominated both the DNA and RNA libraries. Interestingly, in Cep lake we found smaller amounts of highly active uncultured phototrophic Chloroflexi, as well as phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes. Despite the large diversity of APB communities, light repression of pufM expression seems to be a common feature of all aerobic APB present in the studied lakes.
Optical coherence angiography for pre-treatment assessment and treatment monitoring following photodynamic therapy: a basal cell carcinoma patient study
Authors: Gubarkova E. V. , Feldchtein F. I. , Zagaynova E. V. , Gamayunov S. V. , Sirotkina M. A. , Sedova E. S. , Kuznetsov S. S. , Moiseev A. A. , Matveev L. A. , Zaitsev V. Y. , Karashtin D. A. , Gelikonov G. V. , Pires L. , Vitkin A. , Gladkova N. D.
Published: December 2019

Microvascular networks of human basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and surrounding skin were assessed with optical coherence angiography (OCA) in conjunction with photodynamic therapy (PDT). OCA images were collected and analyzed in 31 lesions pre-treatment, and immediately/24 hours/3–12 months post-treatment. Pre-treatment OCA enabled differentiation between prevalent subtypes of BCC (nodular and superficial) and nodular-with-necrotic-core BCC subtypes with a diagnostic accuracy of 78%; this can facilitate more accurate biopsy reducing sampling error and better therapy regimen selection. Post-treatment OCA images at 24 hours were 98% predictive of eventual outcome. Additional findings highlight the importance of pre-treatment necrotic core, vascular metrics associated with hypertrophic scar formation, and early microvascular changes necessary in both tumorous and peri-tumorous regions to ensure treatment success.
Visuomotor perturbation in a continuous circle tracing task: novel approach for quantifying motor adaptation
Authors: Cohen Erez James , Wei Kunlin , Minciacchi Diego
Published: December 2019

The study of motor adaptation certainly has advanced greatly through the years and helped to shed light on the mechanisms of motor learning. Most paradigms used to study adaptation employ a discrete approach, where people adapt in successive attempts. Continuous tasks on the other hand, while known to possess different characteristics than discrete ones, have received little attention regarding the study motor adaptation. In this paper, we test for adaptation using a continuous circle tracing task with a visuomotor gain perturbation. To examine the feasibility of this task, 45 normal subjects divided into 3 groups were tested for adaptation, aftereffects, and generalization. All subjects exhibited a gradual adaptation when faced with a perturbation as well as opposite aftereffects once the perturbation was removed. Aftereffects tended to persist unless veridical feedback was given. The task generalized well both in size and in space. We believe that this task, by being continuous, could allow for a thorough investigation of visuomotor adaptation to gain perturbations in particular, and perhaps be expanded to other types of adaptations as well, especially when used alongside discrete tasks.
Perceptual vision training in non-sport-specific context: effect on performance skills and cognition in young females
Authors: Formenti Damiano , Duca Marco , Trecroci Athos , Ansaldi Leslie , Bonfanti Luca , Alberti Giampietro , Iodice Pierpaolo
Published: December 2019

Although an increasing interest in vision training for sport performance, whether it may have a transfer to sport-specific skills and whether such transfer could be mediated by cognition remain open issues. To enlighten this point, we tested the effect of 6-weeks sport vision training programmes (requiring generic or volleyball-specific motor actions) in non-sport-specific context compared to a third group performing traditional volleyball training in sport-specific context. Fifty-one female volleyball players were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Before and after training period subjects were tested on accuracy of volleyball-specific skills and cognitive performance (clinical reaction time, executive control, perceptual speed). Accuracy of volleyball-specific skills improved after traditional volleyball training with respect to the vision training groups. Conversely, vision training groups improved cognitive performance (clinical reaction time, executive control and perceptual speed), as compared to traditional volleyball training group. Our results have shown that vision training in non-sport-specific context (both generic or with specific motor actions) improved cognitive performance, but seems to be less effective for improving sport-specific skills. These evidences suggest that environment in which exercises were performed plays a key role to improve perception and action in sport-specific skills, supporting the ecological approach to sport learning.
Obesity is associated with shorter telomeres in 8 year-old children
Authors: Clemente Diana B. P. , Maitre Lea , Bustamante Mariona , Chatzi Leda , Roumeliotaki Theano , Fossati Serena , Grazuleviciene Regina , Gützkow Kristine B. , Lepeule Johanna , Martens Dries S. , McEachan Rosie R. C. , Meltzer Helle M. , Petraviciene Inga , Slama Rémy , Tamayo-Uria Ibon , Urquiza Jose , Vafeiadi Marina , Wright John , Nawrot Tim S , Vrijheid Martine
Published: December 2019

Telomere length is considered a biomarker of biological aging. Shorter telomeres and obesity have both been associated with age-related diseases. To evaluate the association between various indices of obesity with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in childhood, data from 1,396 mother-child pairs of the multi-centre European birth cohort study HELIX were used. Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and 4 adiposity markers in children at age 8 (6–11) years were assessed: BMI, fat mass, waist circumference, and skinfold thickness. Relative LTL was obtained. Associations of LTL with each adiposity marker were calculated using linear mixed models with a random cohort effect. For each 1 kg/m² increment in maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, the child’s LTL was 0.23% shorter (95%CI: 0.01,0.46%). Each unit increase in child BMI z-score was associated with 1.21% (95%CI: 0.30,2.11%) shorter LTL. Inverse associations were observed between waist circumference and LTL (−0.96% per z-score unit; 95%CI: −2.06,0.16%), and skinfold thickness and LTL (−0.10% per z-score unit; 95%CI: −0.23,0.02%). In conclusion, this large multicentric study suggests that higher child adiposity indicators are associated with short telomeres in children, and that associations are stronger for child BMI than for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI.
Plasma Transthyretin as a Predictor of Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Conversion to Dementia
Authors: Tien Yi-Ting , Lee Wei-Ju , Liao Yi-Chu , Wang Wen-Fu , Jhang Kai-Ming , Wang Shuu-Jiun , Fuh Jong-Ling
Published: December 2019

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of dementia, with a higher incidence of these patients progressing to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than normal aging people. A biomarker for the early detection and prediction for this progression is important. We recruited MCI subjects in three teaching hospitals and conducted longitudinal follow-up for 5 years at one-year intervals. Cognitively healthy controls were recruited for comparisom at baseline. Plasma transthyretin (TTR) levels were measured by ELISA. Survival analysis with time to AD conversion as an outcome variable was calculated with the multivariable Cox proportional hazards models using TTR as a continuous variable with adjustment for other covariates and bootstrapping resampling analysis. In total, 184 MCI subjects and 40 sex- and age-matched controls were recruited at baseline. At baseline, MCI patients had higher TTR levels compared with the control group. During the longitudinal follow-ups, 135 MCI patients (73.4%) completed follow-up at least once. The TTR level was an independent predictor for MCI conversion to AD when using TTR as a continuous variable (p = 0.023, 95% CI 1.001–1.007). In addition, in MCI converters, the TTR level at the point when they converted to AD was significantly lower than that at baseline (328.6 ± 66.5 vs. 381.9 ± 77.6 ug/ml, p < 0.001). Our study demonstrates the temporal relationship between the plasma TTR level and the conversion from MCI to AD.
Environmental influences on light response parameters of net carbon exchange in two rotation croplands on the North China Plain
Authors: Bao Xueyan , Li Zhigang , Xie Futi
Published: December 2019

The ecosystem light response parameters, i.e. apparent quantum yield (α), maximum rate of ecosystem gross photosynthesis (Amax), and daytime ecosystem respiration (Rd), are very important when estimating regional carbon budgets. But they are not well understood in double cropping systems. Here, continuous flux data were collected from two rotation croplands in Yucheng (YC) and in Luancheng (LC) to describe the among-year variations inα,Amax, andRd, and to investigate variation mechanism on an annual scale. The three parameters exhibited marked fluctuations during the observation years. The annualα,Amax, andRdranged from 0.0022–0.0059 mg CO2μmol photon−1, from 2.33–4.43 mg CO2m−2s−1, and from 0.19–0.47 mg CO2m−2s−1at YC, and from 0.0016–0.0021 mg CO2μmol photon−1, from 3.00–6.30 mg CO2m−2s−1, and from 0.06–0.19 mg CO2m−2s−1at LC, respectively. AnnualαandRddeclined significantly when vapor pressure deficit (VPD) exceeded 1.05 kPa and increased significantly when canopy conductance (gc) exceed 6.33 mm/s at YC, but changed slightly when VPD andgcexceeded 1.16 kPa and 7.77 mm/s at LC, respectively. The fact that the negative effects of VPD andgconαandRdat LC were not as significant as they were at YC may be attributed to different climate conditions and planting species. A negative relationship (R2 = 0.90 for YC and 0.89 for LC) existed between VPD andgc. Therefore, the VPD, through its negative effect ongc, inhibitedαandRdindirectly. Among-yearAmaxvariation was mainly influenced by the annual mean surface soil temperature (Ts) of non-growing season of wheat significantly (R2 = 0.59, P < 0.01). Therefore, in future climate change scenarios, these environmental effects need to be included in carbon cycle models so that the accuracy of the carbon budget estimation can be improved.
Short-term Reproducibility of Pulmonary Nodule and Mass Detection in Chest Radiographs: Comparison among Radiologists and Four Different Computer-Aided Detections with Convolutional Neural Net
Authors: Kim Young-Gon , Cho Yongwon , Wu Chen-Jiang , Park Sejin , Jung Kyu-Hwan , Seo Joon Beom , Lee Hyun Joo , Hwang Hye Jeon , Lee Sang Min , Kim Namkug
Published: December 2019

To investigate the reproducibility of computer-aided detection (CAD) for detection of pulmonary nodules and masses for consecutive chest radiographies (CXRs) of the same patient within a short-term period. A total of 944 CXRs (Chest PA) with nodules and masses, recorded between January 2010 and November 2016 at the Asan Medical Center, were obtained. In all, 1092 regions of interest for the nodules and mass were delineated using an in-house software. All CXRs were randomly split into 6:2:2 sets for training, development, and validation. Furthermore, paired follow-up CXRs (n = 121) acquired within one week in the validation set, in which expert thoracic radiologists confirmed no changes, were used to evaluate the reproducibility of CAD by two radiologists (R1 and R2). The reproducibility comparison of four different convolutional neural net algorithms and two chest radiologists (with 13- and 14-years’ experience) was conducted. Model performances were evaluated by figure-of-merit (FOM) analysis of the jackknife free-response receiver operating curve and reproducibility rates were evaluated in terms of percent positive agreement (PPA) and Chamberlain’s percent positive agreement (CPPA). Reproducibility analysis of the four CADs and R1 and R2 showed variations in the PPA and CPPA. Model performance of YOLO (You Only Look Once) v2 based eDenseYOLO showed a higher FOM (0.89; 0.85–0.93) than RetinaNet (0.89; 0.85–0.93) and atrous spatial pyramid pooling U-Net (0.85; 0.80–0.89). eDenseYOLO showed higher PPAs (97.87%) and CPPAs (95.80%) than Mask R-CNN, RetinaNet, ASSP U-Net, R1, and R2 (PPA: 96.52%, 94.23%, 95.04%, 96.55%, and 94.98%; CPPA: 93.18%, 89.09%, 90.57%, 93.33%, and 90.43%). There were moderate variations in the reproducibility of CAD with different algorithms, which likely indicates that measurement of reproducibility is necessary for evaluating CAD performance in actual clinical environments.
O-GlcNAc stimulation: A new metabolic approach to treat septic shock
Authors: Ferron Marine , Cadiet Julien , Persello Antoine , Prat Valentine , Denis Manon , Erraud Angélique , Aillerie Virginie , Mevel Mathieu , Bigot Edith , Chatham John C. , Gauthier Chantal , Rozec Bertrand , Lauzier Benjamin
Published: December 2019

Septic shock is a systemic inflammation associated with cell metabolism disorders and cardiovascular dysfunction. Increases in O-GlcNAcylation have shown beneficial cardiovascular effects in acute pathologies. We used two different rat models to evaluate the beneficial effects of O-GlcNAc stimulation at the early phase of septic shock. Rats received lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce endotoxemic shock or saline (control) and fluid resuscitation (R) with or without O-GlcNAc stimulation (NButGT–10 mg/kg) 1 hour after shock induction. For the second model, rats received cecal ligature and puncture (CLP) surgery and fluid therapy with or without NButGT. Cardiovascular function was evaluated and heart and blood samples were collected and analysed. NButGT treatment efficiently increased total O-GlcNAc without modification of HBP enzyme expression.Treatment improved circulating parameters and cardiovascular function in both models, and restored SERCA2a expression levels. NButGT treatment also reduced animal mortality. In this study, we demonstrate that in septic shock O-GlcNAc stimulation improves global animal and cardiovascular function outcomes associated with a restoration of SERCA2a levels. This pre-clinical study opens avenues for a potential therapy of early-stage septic shock.
Transcriptome analysis of human brain microvascular endothelial cells response to Neisseria meningitidis and its antigen MafA using RNA-seq
Authors: Káňová Evelína , Tkáčová Zuzana , Bhide Katarína , Kulkarni Amod , Jiménez-Munguía Irene , Mertinková Patrícia , Drážovská Monika , Tyagi Punit , Bhide Mangesh
Published: December 2019

Interaction of Neisseria meningitidis (NM) with human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) initiates of multiple cellular processes, which allow bacterial translocation across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). NM is equipped with several antigens, which interacts with the host cell receptors. Recently we have shown that adhesin MafA (UniProtKB-X5EG71), relatively less studied protein, is one of those surface exposed antigens that adhere to hBMECs. The present study was designed to comprehensively map the undergoing biological processes in hBMECs challenged with NM or MafA using RNA sequencing. 708 and 726 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in hBMECs exposed to NM and MafA, respectively. Gene ontology analysis of the DEGs revealed that several biological processes, which may alter the permeability of BBB, were activated. Comparative analysis of DEGs revealed that MafA, alike NM, might provoke TLR-dependent pathway and augment cytokine response. Moreover, both MafA and NM were able to induce genes involved in cell surface modifications, endocytosis, extracellular matrix remodulation and anoikis/apoptosis. In conclusion, this study for the first time describes effect of NM on the global gene expression in hBMECs using high-throughput RNA-seq. It also presents ability of MafA to induce gene expression, which might aid NM in breaching the BBB.
Eliminating biasing signals in lung cancer images for prognosis predictions with deep learning
Authors: van Amsterdam W. A. C. , Verhoeff J. J. C. , de Jong P. A. , Leiner T. , Eijkemans M. J. C.
Published: December 2019

Deep learning has shown remarkable results for image analysis and is expected to aid individual treatment decisions in health care. Treatment recommendations are predictions with an inherently causal interpretation. To use deep learning for these applications in the setting of observational data, deep learning methods must be made compatible with the required causal assumptions. We present a scenario with real-world medical images (CT-scans of lung cancer) and simulated outcome data. Through the data simulation scheme, the images contain two distinct factors of variation that are associated with survival, but represent a collider (tumor size) and a prognostic factor (tumor heterogeneity), respectively. When a deep network would use all the information available in the image to predict survival, it would condition on the collider and thereby introduce bias in the estimation of the treatment effect. We show that when this collider can be quantified, unbiased individual prognosis predictions are attainable with deep learning. This is achieved by (1) setting a dual task for the network to predict both the outcome and the collider and (2) enforcing a form of linear independence of the activation distributions of the last layer. Our method provides an example of combining deep learning and structural causal models to achieve unbiased individual prognosis predictions. Extensions of machine learning methods for applications to causal questions are required to attain the long-standing goal of personalized medicine supported by artificial intelligence.
Electrophilic oxygen on defect-rich carbon nanotubes for selective oxidation of cyclohexane
Authors: Wang Zehua , Wu Yuchao , Wu Chongchong , Xie Jinxin , Gu Xianrui , Yu Peng , Zong Mingsheng , Gates Ian D. , Liu Hongyang , Rong Junfeng
Published: December 2019

Defect-rich carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for cyclohexane oxidation were systematically investigated.
Synthesis and properties of anionic ruthenium thionitrosyl and selenonitrosyl complexes that contain tetraanionic 2-hydroxybenzamidobenzene ligands
Authors: Fung Chi-Wai , Fukada Go , Mutoh Yuichiro , Tsuchida Noriko , Saito Shinichi
Published: December 2019

The first anionic ruthenium–selenonitrosyl (Ru–NSe) complex was synthesized, and the NSe ligand exhibits high π-accepting ability and strong trans influence.
Offering authors a choice: introduction of optional double-blind peer review
Authors: McNeill Kristopher , Novak Paige J. , Vikesland Peter J.
Published: December 2019

The Editors-in-Chief of the Environmental Science journals discuss the introduction of optional double-blind peer review.
Zn2+ and mPTP mediate resveratrol-induced myocardial protection from endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: He Yifei , Fu Yu , Xi Mengyao , Zheng Huan , Zhang Yidong , Liu Yulin , Zhao Yang , Xi Jinkun , He Yonggui
Published: December 2019

Resveratrol displays cardioprotective activity; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In the current study, resveratrol-induced myocardial protection from endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) was investigated, focusing on the roles of Zn2+ and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). We found, using the MTT/LDH kit, that 2-DG-induced ERS significantly decreased H9c2 cell viability. Resveratrol markedly inhibited the expression of endoplasmic reticulum chaperone GRP 78/94 and ERS-related apoptosis proteins CHOP, Caspase12, and JNK induced by 2-DG. The zinc ion chelator TPEN, and ERK/GSK-3β inhibitors PD98059 and SB216763 and their siRNAs blocked resveratrol function. The AKT inhibitor LY294002 and siRNA did not alter the action of resveratrol. In addition, resveratrol significantly increased the phosphorylation of ERK and GSK-3β. Resveratrol prevented 2-DG-induced mPTP opening and increased intracellular Zn2+ concentration indicated by TMRE and Newport Green DCF fluorescence intensity, which were further abrogated by ERK/GSK-3β inhibitors and siRNAs. Our data suggested that resveratrol protected cardiac cells from ERS by mobilizing intracellular Zn2+ and preventing mPTP opening through the ERK/GSK-3β but not PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Poly(diallyldimethylammonium) based poly(ionic liquid) di- and triblock copolymers by PISA as matrices for ionogel membranes
Authors: Demarteau Jérémy , Fernandez de Añastro Asier , Shaplov Alexander S. , Mecerreyes David
Published: December 2019

Poly(diallyldimethylammonium)-b-polystyrene AB and ABA block copolymers were synthesized using MADIX under PISA conditions. Ionogels for sodium batteries were prepared using the poly(ionic liquid) triblock copolymers.
Modified diterpenoids from the tuber of Icacina oliviformis as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors
Authors: Zhou Junfei , Wu Zhenlong , Guo Brian , Sun Meng , Onakpa Monday M. , Yao Guangmin , Zhao Ming , Che Chun-Tao
Published: December 2019

Two modified diterpenoids featuring a novel 4,12-dioxatetracyclo[8.6.0.02,7.010,14]hexadecane core, together with a 3,4-seco-pimarane, a 3,4-seco-cleistanthane, and eight pimarane derivatives were isolated from the tuber of Icacina oliviformis.
Cascade cyclization reactions of alkylidenecyclopropanes for the construction of polycyclic lactams and lactones by visible light photoredox catalysis
Authors: Chen Mintao , Wei Yin , Shi Min
Published: December 2019

A facile method for the synthesis of seven- and eight-membered ring-containing polycyclic lactams and lactones by visible light photocatalysis has been developed.
Facile synthesis of laccase mimic Cu/H3BTC MOF for efficient dye degradation and detection of phenolic pollutants
Authors: Shams Saira , Ahmad Waqas , Memon Amjad Hussain , Wei Yun , Yuan Qipeng , Liang Hao
Published: December 2019

Cu/H3BTC MOF was successfully synthesized. The prepared material was evaluated for dye degradation, oxidation of organic pollutants and epinephrine.
Au@Co2P core/shell nanoparticles as a nano-electrocatalyst for enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Zhang Xiaofang , Shan Aixian , Duan Sibin , Zhao Haofei , Wang Rongming , Lau Woon-Ming
Published: December 2019

Au@Co2P core/shell nanoparticles were designed and prepared to improve the oxygen evolution reaction performance.
Lanthanide-doped mesoporous MCM-41 nanoparticles as a novel optical–magnetic multifunctional nanobioprobe
Authors: Liu Jun , Liu Siqian , Li Yaling , Xue Jiayan , He Youyi , Liu Fuchi , Yang Li , Hu Junhui , Xiong Zhengye , Long Lizhen
Published: December 2019

Mesoporous Ln-MCM-41 nanoparticles with optical–magnetic dual-modal properties can be used as a multifunctional nanoprobe for application in bioseparation, optical–magnetic bioimaging, and drug delivery.
Combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods to understand the charge density distribution of estrogens in the active site of estrogen receptors
Authors: Kalaiarasi C. , Manjula S. , Kumaradhas P.
Published: December 2019

The ligand binding to protein and host–guest interactions are ubiquitous for molecular recognition.
Building mental models of a reaction mechanism: the influence of static and animated representations, prior knowledge, and spatial ability
Authors: Bongers Amanda , Beauvoir Berthorie , Streja Nicholas , Northoff Georg , Flynn Alison B.
Published: December 2019

In chemistry, novices and experts use mental models to simulate and reason about sub-microscopic processes. Animations are thus important tools for learning in chemistry to convey reaction dynamics and molecular motion. While there are many animations available and studies showing the benefit of learning from animations, there are also limitations to their design and effectiveness. Moreover, there are few experimental studies into learning chemistry from animations, especially organic reaction mechanisms. We conducted a mixed-methods study into how students learn and develop mental models of a reaction mechanism from animations. The study (N= 45) used a pre-/post-test experimental design and counterbalanced static and animated computerized learning activities (15 min each), plus short think-aloud interviews for some participants (n= 20). We developed the tests and learning activities in a pilot study; these contained versions of an epoxide opening reaction mechanism either as static (using the electron-pushing formalism) or animated representations. Participants’ test accuracy, response times, and self-reported confidence were analyzed quantitatively (α= 0.05) and we found that, while participants showed a learning effect, there were no significant differences between the static and animated learning conditions. Participants’ spatial abilities were correlated to their test accuracy and influenced their learning gains for both conditions. Qualitative framework analysis of think-aloud interviews revealed changes in participants’ reasoning about the test questions, moving toward using rule- and case-based reasoning over model-based reasoning. This analysis also revealed that dynamic and transitional features were incorporated into participants’ working mental models of the reaction mechanism after learning from animations. The divergence of participants’ mental models for reasoning and visualization could suggest a gap in their mental model consolidation.
Mechanistic insights into copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of N–N bonds
Authors: Ryan Michael C. , Kim Yeon Jung , Gerken James B. , Wang Fei , Aristov Michael M. , Martinelli Joseph R. , Stahl Shannon S.
Published: December 2019

Mechanistic studies provide valuable insights into Cu-catalyzed N–N coupling reactions relevant to energy conversion and pharmaceutical synthesis.
Toward a quantitative theoretical method for infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies on single-crystal electrode/liquid interfaces
Authors: Fang Yuan , Dong Jin-Chao , Ding Song-Yuan , Cheng Jun , Feliu Juan Miguel , Li Jian-Feng , Tian Zhong-Qun
Published: December 2019

An integrated approach for quantitatively predicting the electrochemical-infrared and electrochemical-Raman spectra and STM images of Pt(111)(2 × 2)-3CO adstructures has been developed.
Ir6In32S21, a polar, metal-rich semiconducting subchalcogenide
Authors: Khoury Jason F. , He Jiangang , Pfluger Jonathan E. , Hadar Ido , Balasubramanian Mahalingam , Stoumpos Constantinos C. , Zu Rui , Gopalan Venkatraman , Wolverton Chris , Kanatzidis Mercouri G.
Published: December 2019

Subchalcogenides are uncommon, and their chemical bonding results from an interplay between metal–metal and metal–chalcogenide interactions.
Sugar ketals as a platform molecule to overcome the limitation of converting biomass into green-hydrocarbons in a typical refinery
Authors: Pereira Sérgio Castro , Souza Matheus , Pinto Joana , Esteves Laura M. , Lam Yiu Lau , Miranda Leandro Soter de Mariz e , Pereira Marcelo M.
Published: December 2019

The transformation of biomass into a biocrude composed of sugar acetal is the key to producing green fuel in a typical refinery.
Solventless thermal crosslinked polymer protective layer for high stable lithium metal batteries
Authors: Kim Hyunjin , Kim Youn Sang , Yoo Jeeyoung
Published: December 2019

The proposed c-PEGDMA film is effective to stablize Li metal surface.
The influence of confinement on the structure of colloidal systems with competing interactions
Authors: Serna Horacio , Noya Eva G. , Góźdź Wojciech T.
Published: December 2019

Using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate how the structure of a colloidal fluid with competing interactions can be modified by confinement in channels with different cross-section geometries and sizes.
Constructing a 3D compact sulfur host based on carbon-nanotube threaded defective Prussian blue nanocrystals for high performance lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Shen Guohong , Liu Zhixiao , Liu Piao , Duan Junfei , Younus Hussein A. , Deng Huiqiu , Wang Xiwen , Zhang Shiguo
Published: December 2019

Towards practical lithium–sulfur batteries, a highly efficient sulfur host material based on intertwined carbon-nanotubes (CNTs) and defective Prussian blue (PB) nanocrystals is developed.
Ionothermal synthesis of three-dimensional hierarchical Ni3Se2mesoporous nanosheet networks with enhanced performance for asymmetric supercapacitors
Authors: Liu Yanxia , Xu Qiuchen , Wang Ran , Zheng Yiteng , Zhu Lianjie , Wang Zhen , Zheng Wenjun
Published: December 2019

Ni3Se23D hierarchical mesoporous architectures comprising 2D nanosheets are synthesized through an ionothermal process, delivering exceptional electrochemical performance in supercapacitors.
Intrinsic lysosomal targeting fluorescent carbon dots with ultrastability for long-term lysosome imaging
Authors: Guo Shuo , Sun Yuanqiang , Geng Xin , Yang Ran , Xiao Lehui , Qu Lingbo , Li Zhaohui
Published: December 2019

Intrinsic lysosomal targeting carbon dots were synthesized with ultrastability for long-term lysosome imaging of living cells and drug-induced apoptotic cells.
Programmed co-delivery of platinum nanodrugs and gemcitabine by a clustered nanocarrier for precision chemotherapy for NSCLC tumors
Authors: Shi Huihui , Xu Ming , Zhu Jianhua , Li Yang , He Zhiyu , Zhang Yuxia , Xu Qunwei , Niu Yimin , Liu Yang
Published: December 2019

A pH/redox dual stimuli-responsive clustered nanoparticles are demonstrated as vehicle for simultaneously delivering ultra-small platinum nanoparticles (USPtNs) and gemcitabine (GEM) to treat non-small-cell lung cancer.
An efficient strategy for circulating tumor cell detection: surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Lin Jie , Zheng Jianping , Wu Aiguo
Published: December 2019

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are circulating cancer cells that shed from tumor tissue into blood vessels and circulate in the blood to invade other organs, which results in fatal metastases. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has great potentials in CTCs detection.
Efficient reversible photoisomerisation with large solvodynamic size-switching of a main chain poly(azobenzene-alt-trisiloxane)
Authors: Dowds Mathias , Bank Dennis , Strueben Jan , Soto David Presa , Sönnichsen Frank D. , Renth Falk , Temps Friedrich , Staubitz Anne
Published: December 2019

Main-chain azobenzene containing polysiloxane with high switching efficiency.
A simple method for preparing a TiO2-based back-gate controlled N-channel MSM–IGFET UV photodetector
Authors: Ji Tao , Zhang Yongfang , Zou Rujia , Ha Enna , Hu Junqing , Liao Meiyong
Published: December 2019

An N-channel IGFET UV photodetector was fabricated by means of the ALD, calcination in air and mask plating of electrodes. Such device demonstrates properties of controllable gate voltage and high gain (2–3 × 104).
Polythiophene-nanoWO3bilayer as an electrochromic infrared filter: a transparent heat shield
Authors: Chaudhary Anjali , Pathak Devesh K. , Tanwar Manushree , Koch Julian , Pfnür Herbert , Kumar Rajesh
Published: December 2019

Pictorial representation of the as-prepared device in ON and OFF states with itsin situabsorbance spectra at various applied biases.
Hybrid octahedral Au nanocrystals and Ag nanohole arrays as substrates for highly sensitive and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Authors: Gong Tiancheng , Luo Yunfei , Zhang Haibin , Zhao Chengwei , Yue Weisheng , Pu Mingbo , Kong Weijie , Wang Changtao , Luo Xiangang
Published: December 2019

A 3D SERS substrate with a hybrid structure of octahedral AuNCs and AgNHs exhibits high enhancement and reproducibility.
Recent progress in the development of molecular-scale electronics based on photoswitchable molecules
Authors: Huang Xianhui , Li Tao
Published: December 2019

Recent advances in photoswitchable molecular devices based on single molecules or self-assembled monolayers of photochromic molecules are summarized and discussed.
A new family of quaternary thiosilicates SrA2SiS4(A = Li, Na, Cu) as promising infrared nonlinear optical crystals
Authors: Yang Ya , Wu Kui , Wu Xiaowen , Zhang Bingbing , Gao Lihua
Published: December 2019

A new family of thiosilicates with balanced performances were verified as a promising research system for the exploration of IR NLO materials.
5G ready optical fog‐assisted cyber‐physical system for IoT applications
Authors: Deep Singh Kiran , Sood Sandeep K.
Published: December 2019

Cloud services supported by the cyber‐physical system (CPS) have been emerged as a proactive and efficient solution to facilitate the alliance of IoT devices. The CPS assimilates, analyses and shares the processed information among IoT applications. The traditional network infrastructure is not designed to support the increasing demand for high scalability and real‐time delivery with ultra‐low delay. The proposed system addresses these issues by utilising the optical resources as fog nodes and software‐defined networking in the 5G network. A scalable OpticalFog node is proposed that creates the cyberspace near the IoT devices, thus providing an ultra‐low delay, minimising the energy consumption. Moreover, for providing service assurance to the various CPS‐based applications, an algorithm is proposed to place the task in the software‐defined networking. Finally, the performance of the algorithm is evaluated through the simulation in iFogSim toolkit that is used to implement the OpticalFog node in the 5G environment. The results showed the effectiveness of the proposed system.
Cyber‐physical system testbed for power system monitoring and wide‐area control verification
Authors: Cui Hantao , Li Fangxing , Tomsovic Kevin
Published: December 2019

The electric power system is intrinsically a cyber‐physical system (CPS) with power flowing inthe physical system and information flowing in the cyber‐network. Testbeds arecrucial for understanding the cyber‐physical interactions and provideenvironments for prototyping novel applications. This study proposes afour‐layer architecture for CPS testbeds with emphases on communication networkemulation and networked physical components. A configurable software‐definednetwork is employed to bridge physical components with wide‐area applicationsfor closed‐loop control. In order to distribute physically coupled devices intomultiple software simulations, this study proposes a data broker setup based ona distributed messaging environment to achieve low‐latency data streaming. Thedecoupled design with data streaming allows for building testbed components asmodules and running them in a distributed manner. Case studies verify the databroker setup for low‐latency sensing and actuation, as well as the communicationemulation setup for the desired network latency. Also illustrated is a replayattack scenario using synchrophasors in the Western Electricity CoordinatingCouncil (WECC) 181‐bus system for demonstrating the closed‐loop cyber‐physicalsimulation capability of the testbed.
Mid‐term electricity load forecasting by a new composite method based on optimal learning MLP algorithm
Authors: Askari Mostafa , Keynia Farshid
Published: December 2019

Electricity load forecasting has been developed as an important issue in the deregulated power system in recent years. Many researchers have been working on the prediction of daily peak load for next month as an important type of mid‐term load forecasting (MTLF). Nowadays, MTLF provides useful information for assessing environmental impacts, maintenance scheduling, adequacy assessment, scheduling of fuel supplies and limited energy resources etc. The characteristics of mid‐term load signal, such as its non‐stationary, volatile and non‐linear behaviour, present serious challenges for this forecasting. On the other hand, many input variables and relative parameters can affect the load pattern. In this study, a new composite method based on a multi‐layer perceptron neural network and optimisation techniques has been proposed to solve the MTLF problem. The proposed method has an optimal training algorithm composed of two search algorithms (particle swarm optimisation and improved ant lion optimiser) and a multi‐layer perceptron neural network. The accuracy of the proposed forecast method is extensively evaluated based on several benchmark datasets.
Fault detection of photovoltaic array based on Grubbs criterion and local outlier factor
Authors: Ding Kun , Zhang Jingwei , Ding Hanxiang , Liu Yongjie , Chen Fudong , Li Yuanliang
Published: December 2019

Aiming at improving the effectiveness and real‐time performance of the fault detection of the photovoltaic (PV) array under different outdoor conditions, a novel method based on Grubbs criterion and local outlier factor (G‐LOF) method is proposed in this study. The simulation model of the PV array is built to obtain the reference current of each PV string. The local outlier factor (LOF) is a ratio of the average local reachability density of sample neighbourhoods relative to its local reachability density. In this study, the LOF is used to quantify the abnormality by comparing the measured current and the simulated reference current. To reduce the false alarm probability of LOF, the Grubbs criterion is utilised as the test criterion to detect the abnormality of PV strings and it is merged with the LOF to derivate the G‐LOF. The experiments of partial shading, open‐circuit fault and short‐circuit fault of PV modules are implemented in sunny and cloudy days. Experimental results verify that the proposed G‐LOF method can sensitively detect above abnormalities, especially can detect the slight performance reduction caused by the partial shading or faults.