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Showing papers by "University of Westminster published in 2019"


Journal ArticleDOI
Nasim Mavaddat1, Kyriaki Michailidou2, Kyriaki Michailidou1, Joe Dennis1  +307 moreInstitutions (105)
TL;DR: This PRS, optimized for prediction of estrogen receptor (ER)-specific disease, from the largest available genome-wide association dataset is developed and empirically validated and is a powerful and reliable predictor of breast cancer risk that may improve breast cancer prevention programs.
Abstract: Stratification of women according to their risk of breast cancer based on polygenic risk scores (PRSs) could improve screening and prevention strategies. Our aim was to develop PRSs, optimized for prediction of estrogen receptor (ER)-specific disease, from the largest available genome-wide association dataset and to empirically validate the PRSs in prospective studies. The development dataset comprised 94,075 case subjects and 75,017 control subjects of European ancestry from 69 studies, divided into training and validation sets. Samples were genotyped using genome-wide arrays, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected by stepwise regression or lasso penalized regression. The best performing PRSs were validated in an independent test set comprising 11,428 case subjects and 18,323 control subjects from 10 prospective studies and 190,040 women from UK Biobank (3,215 incident breast cancers). For the best PRSs (313 SNPs), the odds ratio for overall disease per 1 standard deviation in ten prospective studies was 1.61 (95%CI: 1.57-1.65) with area under receiver-operator curve (AUC) = 0.630 (95%CI: 0.628-0.651). The lifetime risk of overall breast cancer in the top centile of the PRSs was 32.6%. Compared with women in the middle quintile, those in the highest 1% of risk had 4.37- and 2.78-fold risks, and those in the lowest 1% of risk had 0.16- and 0.27-fold risks, of developing ER-positive and ER-negative disease, respectively. Goodness-of-fit tests indicated that this PRS was well calibrated and predicts disease risk accurately in the tails of the distribution. This PRS is a powerful and reliable predictor of breast cancer risk that may improve breast cancer prevention programs.

653 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
21 Aug 2019
TL;DR: Intervention designers focusing on AI-led health chatbots need to employ user-centred and theory-based approaches addressing patients’ concerns and optimising user experience in order to achieve the best uptake and utilisation.
Abstract: BackgroundArtificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in healthcare. Here, AI-based chatbot systems can act as automated conversational agents, capable of promoting health, providing ed...

256 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors estimated production-based CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes in eleven cities in Hebei Province of China in 2012 and used input-output theory to measure their consumption-based emissions.

181 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this review, current progress in understanding of ER biology and the molecular mechanisms that predispose and determine endocrine resistance in breast cancer patients are summarized.
Abstract: The importance and role of the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway has been well-documented in both breast cancer (BC) development and progression. The treatment of choice in women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is classically divided into a variety of endocrine therapies, 3 of the most common being: selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM), aromatase inhibitors (AI) and selective estrogen receptor down-regulators (SERD). In a proportion of patients, resistance develops to endocrine therapy due to a sophisticated and at times redundant interference, at the molecular level between the ER and growth factor. The progression to endocrine resistance is considered to be a gradual, step-wise process. Several mechanisms have been proposed but thus far none of them can be defined as the complete explanation behind the phenomenon of endocrine resistance. Although multiple cellular, molecular and immune mechanisms have been and are being extensively studied, their individual roles are often poorly understood. In this review, we summarize current progress in our understanding of ER biology and the molecular mechanisms that predispose and determine endocrine resistance in breast cancer patients.

127 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is predicted that the plasma LEAP2/acyl-gh Relin molar ratio may be a key determinant modulating acyl-ghrelin activity in response to body mass, feeding status, and blood glucose.
Abstract: Acyl-ghrelin administration increases food intake, body weight, and blood glucose. In contrast, mice lacking ghrelin or ghrelin receptors (GHSRs) exhibit life-threatening hypoglycemia during starvation-like conditions, but do not consistently exhibit overt metabolic phenotypes when given ad libitum food access. These results, and findings of ghrelin resistance in obese states, imply nutritional state dependence of ghrelin's metabolic actions. Here, we hypothesized that liver-enriched antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP2), a recently characterized endogenous GHSR antagonist, blunts ghrelin action during obese states and postprandially. To test this hypothesis, we determined changes in plasma LEAP2 and acyl-ghrelin due to fasting, eating, obesity, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), oral glucose administration, and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using humans and/or mice. Our results suggest that plasma LEAP2 is regulated by metabolic status: its levels increased with body mass and blood glucose and decreased with fasting, RYGB, and in postprandial states following VSG. These changes were mostly opposite of those of acyl-ghrelin. Furthermore, using electrophysiology, we showed that LEAP2 both hyperpolarizes and prevents acyl-ghrelin from activating arcuate NPY neurons. We predict that the plasma LEAP2/acyl-ghrelin molar ratio may be a key determinant modulating acyl-ghrelin activity in response to body mass, feeding status, and blood glucose.

112 citations


Posted ContentDOI
Haoyu Zhang1, Haoyu Zhang2, Thomas U. Ahearn2, Julie Lecarpentier3  +309 moreInstitutions (124)
24 Sep 2019-bioRxiv
TL;DR: A genome-wide association study including 133,384 breast cancer cases and 113,789 controls, plus 18,908 BRCA1 mutation carriers of European ancestry provides an improved understanding of genetic predisposition to breast cancer subtypes and will inform the development of subtype-specific polygenic risk scores.
Abstract: Breast cancer susceptibility variants frequently show heterogeneity in associations by tumor subtype. To identify novel loci, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 133,384 breast cancer cases and 113,789 controls, plus 18,908 BRCA1 mutation carriers (9,414 with breast cancer) of European ancestry, using both standard and novel methodologies that account for underlying tumor heterogeneity by estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status and tumor grade. We identified 32 novel susceptibility loci (P

102 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
15 Feb 2019-Energy
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provided evidence from multiple time horizons and combined wavelets over various time scales with multivariate GARCH (MGARCH) to find significant bidirectional return and risk transfer from oil and technology to the clean energy market.

97 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
Manuel A. R. Ferreira1, Eric R. Gamazon2, Eric R. Gamazon3, Fares Al-Ejeh1  +235 moreInstitutions (102)
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that some risk-associated variants might act in non-breast tissues, specifically adipose tissue and immune cells from blood and spleen, using expression quantitative trait loci reported in these tissues to identify 26 previously unreported, likely target genes of overall breast cancer risk variants, and 17 for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, several with a known immune function.
Abstract: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 170 breast cancer susceptibility loci. Here we hypothesize that some risk-associated variants might act in non-breast tissues, specifically adipose tissue and immune cells from blood and spleen. Using expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) reported in these tissues, we identify 26 previously unreported, likely target genes of overall breast cancer risk variants, and 17 for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, several with a known immune function. We determine the directional effect of gene expression on disease risk measured based on single and multiple eQTL. In addition, using a gene-based test of association that considers eQTL from multiple tissues, we identify seven (and four) regions with variants associated with overall (and ER-negative) breast cancer risk, which were not reported in previous GWAS. Further investigation of the function of the implicated genes in breast and immune cells may provide insights into the etiology of breast cancer.

82 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors use genome-wide association study summary statistics from six cancer types based on 296,215 cases and 301,319 controls of European ancestry to show that solid tumours arising from different tissues share a degree of common germline genetic basis.
Abstract: Quantifying the genetic correlation between cancers can provide important insights into the mechanisms driving cancer etiology. Using genome-wide association study summary statistics across six cancer types based on a total of 296,215 cases and 301,319 controls of European ancestry, here we estimate the pair-wise genetic correlations between breast, colorectal, head/neck, lung, ovary and prostate cancer, and between cancers and 38 other diseases. We observed statistically significant genetic correlations between lung and head/neck cancer (rg = 0.57, p = 4.6 × 10-8), breast and ovarian cancer (rg = 0.24, p = 7 × 10-5), breast and lung cancer (rg = 0.18, p =1.5 × 10-6) and breast and colorectal cancer (rg = 0.15, p = 1.1 × 10-4). We also found that multiple cancers are genetically correlated with non-cancer traits including smoking, psychiatric diseases and metabolic characteristics. Functional enrichment analysis revealed a significant excess contribution of conserved and regulatory regions to cancer heritability. Our comprehensive analysis of cross-cancer heritability suggests that solid tumors arising across tissues share in part a common germline genetic basis.

81 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the dynamic connectedness between gold, sukuk and Islamic equities at multiple investment horizons, and also computes optimal hedge ratios and portfolio weights for these assets.
Abstract: This paper investigates the dynamic connectedness between gold, sukuk and Islamic equities at multiple investment horizons, it also computes optimal hedge ratios and portfolio weights for these assets. Our findings suggest that gold hedges the risk of sukuk in the short and medium terms, and that gold plays an average but stable role in hedging and diversifying Islamic equities across all investment horizons. Moreover, we document a diversification benefits of portfolios combining gold and Islamic equities in the short term. These empirical findings highlight the important role that gold plays in the diversification and hedging of Islamic assets.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-series structural time series method based on a novel data restacking technique was proposed as an alternative approach to seasonal tourism demand forecasting, which only requires one variable.
Abstract: Multivariate forecasting methods are intuitively appealing since they are able to capture the inter-series dependencies, and therefore may forecast more accurately. This study proposes a multi-series structural time series method based on a novel data restacking technique as an alternative approach to seasonal tourism demand forecasting. The proposed approach is analogous to the multivariate method but only requires one variable. In this study, a quarterly tourism demand series is split into four component series, each component representing the demand in a particular quarter of each year; the component series are then restacked to build a multi-series structural time-series model. Empirical evidence from Hong Kong inbound tourism demand forecasting shows that the newly proposed approach improves the forecast accuracy, compared with traditional univariate models.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the latest advances in the field of downstream operations for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) recovery emphasizing those green technologies with scaling-up feasibility.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2019-Diabetes
TL;DR: Most identified favorable adiposity alleles are associated with higher subcutaneous and lower liver fat, a mechanism consistent with the beneficial effects of storing excess triglycerides in metabolically low-risk depots.
Abstract: Recent genetic studies have identified alleles associated with opposite effects on adiposity and risk of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to identify more of these variants and test the hypothesis that such favorable adiposity alleles are associated with higher subcutaneous fat and lower ectopic fat. We combined MRI data with genome-wide association studies of body fat percentage (%) and metabolic traits. We report 14 alleles, including 7 newly characterized alleles, associated with higher adiposity but a favorable metabolic profile. Consistent with previous studies, individuals carrying more favorable adiposity alleles had higher body fat % and higher BMI but lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. These individuals also had higher subcutaneous fat but lower liver fat and a lower visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio. Individual alleles associated with higher body fat % but lower liver fat and lower risk of type 2 diabetes included those in PPARG, GRB14, and IRS1, whereas the allele in ANKRD55 was paradoxically associated with higher visceral fat but lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Most identified favorable adiposity alleles are associated with higher subcutaneous and lower liver fat, a mechanism consistent with the beneficial effects of storing excess triglycerides in metabolically low-risk depots.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
16 Apr 2019
TL;DR: A deep autoencoded dense neural network algorithm for detecting intrusion or attacks in 5G and IoT network shows an excellent performance with an overall detection accuracy of 99.9% for Flooding, Impersonation and Injection type of attacks.
Abstract: A Network Intrusion Detection System is a critical component of every internet-connected system due to likely attacks from both external and internal sources. Such Security systems are used to detect network born attacks such as flooding, denial of service attacks, malware, and twin-evil intruders that are operating within the system. Neural networks have become an increasingly popular solution for network intrusion detection. Their capability of learning complex patterns and behaviors make them a suitable solution for differentiating between normal traffic and network attacks. In this paper, we have applied a deep autoencoded dense neural network algorithm for detecting intrusion or attacks in 5G and IoT network. We evaluated the algorithm with the benchmark Aegean Wi-Fi Intrusion dataset. Our results showed an excellent performance with an overall detection accuracy of 99.9% for Flooding, Impersonation and Injection type of attacks. We also presented a comparison with recent approaches used in literature which showed a substantial improvement in terms of accuracy and speed of detection with the proposed algorithm.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors pointed out that there has been a proliferation of manifestations of discontent and protest around tourism-related issues in cities, pointing to an increasing "politicisation from below" of the tourism industry.
Abstract: Across the globe, there has been a proliferation of manifestations of discontent and protest around tourism-related issues in cities. This points to an increasing “politicisation from below” of the...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The increased colonic delivery of propionate from IPE appears to attenuate this acetate‐mediated increase in intrahepatocellular lipid (IHCL), which may provide surplus lipogenic substrate to the liver in adults with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Abstract: The short chain fatty acid (SCFA) propionate, produced through fermentation of dietary fibre by the gut microbiota, has been shown to alter hepatic metabolic processes that reduce lipid storage. We aimed to investigate the impact of raising colonic propionate production on hepatic steatosis in adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Eighteen adults were randomised to receive 20g/day of an inulin-propionate ester (IPE), designed to deliver propionate to the colon, or an inulin-control for 42-days in a parallel design. The change in intrahepatocellular lipid (IHCL) following the supplementation period was not different between groups (P=0.082), however IHCL significantly increased within the inulin-control group (20.9±2.9 to 26.8±3.9%; P=0.012; n=9), which was not observed within the IPE group (22.6±6.9 to 23.5±6.8%; P=0.635; n=9). The predominant SCFA from colonic fermentation of inulin is acetate, which in a background of NAFLD and a hepatic metabolic profile that promotes fat accretion, may provide surplus lipogenic substrate to the liver. The increased colonic delivery of propionate from IPE appears to attenuate this acetatemediated increase in IHCL.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify the prescribed formative elements of supply chain resilience (SCR) in literature, to compare them with the unique characteristics of high reliability organizations (HROs) and derive lessons useful for improving SCR.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify the prescribed formative elements of supply chain resilience (SCR) in literature, to compare them with the unique characteristics of high reliability organisations (HROs) and derive lessons useful for improving SCR.,Two systematic literature reviews are carried out as follows: one on SCR and the other on HRO, which identified 107 studies and 18 papers, respectively. The results from the review are presented, analysed and synthesised.,Findings suggest that despite significant similarities in some of the proposed formative elements for SCR and the characteristics of HROs, the strong managerial commitment exhibited in HROs is absent in SCR literature. More importantly, the most cited characteristic of HROs, which is their flexible decision making structure is pointed out as a prima lesson towards developing resilience in supply chains.,A decision making framework to facilitate flexible decision making for supply chains during crisis is presented. Further, practical lessons are pointed out from principles common to both streams of literature such as redundancy, human resource management, collaboration, agility, flexibility, culture and risk avoidance that can be implemented in supply chains.,This paper is the first study to systematically review HROs, adapt a HRO decision making framework and also apply the Cynefin framework to SCR. This, therefore, provides the basis to launch further research into the use of these theories and the role of decision-making in SCR creation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings here suggest that programme interventions, while controversial, are having a measurable and early impact on active travel behaviour and perceptions of the local cycling environment.
Abstract: © 2018 The Authors Background: More evidence is needed on the impacts of building infrastructure for walking and cycling. A knowledge gap and an implementation gap have been mutually reinforcing. This paper reports on a longitudinal study examining the impacts of the still in progress ‘mini-Hollands programme’, which seeks to transform local environments for walking and cycling, in three Outer London boroughs. Compared to Inner London, Outer London has low levels of cycling and low levels of walking, and is relatively car dependent. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 1712 individuals sampled from households in mini-Holland boroughs (intervention sample) and from non mini-Holland Outer London boroughs (control sample). The intervention sample was further divided, a priori, into those living in “high-dose neighbourhoods”, where substantial changes to the local walking and cycling infrastructure had been implemented, versus “low-dose neighbourhoods” where such improvements had not (yet) been made. At both baseline (2016) and one-year follow-up (2017), we administered an online survey of travel behaviour and attitudes to transport and the local environment. Results: One year's worth of interventions was associated with an increase in active travel among those living in areas defined as ‘high-dose’ neighbourhoods. Specifically, those in high-dose areas were 24% more likely to have done any past-week cycling at follow-up, compared to those living in non mini-Holland areas (95% CI, 2% to 52%). The mid-point estimate for increase in active travel (walking plus cycling) time for the same group was an additional 41.0 min (95% CI 7.0, 75.0 min). Positive changes in views about local environments were recorded in intervention areas, driven by a perceived improvement in cycling-related items. Controversy related to the interventions is expressed in a growth in perceptions that ‘too much’ money is spent on cycling in intervention areas. However, intervention areas also saw a reduction in perceptions that ‘too little’ money is spent (the latter view being common both at baseline and Wave 1 in control areas). Conclusion: Overall, the findings here suggest that programme interventions, while controversial, are having a measurable and early impact on active travel behaviour and perceptions of the local cycling environment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A disfluency-based heuristic framework for understanding the influence of low validity visual cues on equity crowdfunding platforms is proposed and it is argued that logo complexity can be interpreted by backers as a signal of venture innovativeness and can positively impact backers' funding decisions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Preliminary evidence that both message source and recipient characteristics can potentially influence the spread of disinformation is provided, with messages from trusted sources being more likely to be propagated.
Abstract: There is considerable concern about the propagation of disinformation through social media, particularly for political purposes. “Organic reach” has been found to be important in the propagation of...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present state of understanding of the interaction of platelet-derived growth factors with adult ovarian tissue, and the outcome of human reproductive potential following PRP treatment is summarized.
Abstract: In clinical infertility practice, one intractable problem is low (or absent) ovarian reserve which in turn reflects the natural oocyte depletion associated with advancing maternal age. The number of available eggs has been generally thought to be finite and strictly limited, an entrenched and largely unchallenged tenet dating back more than 50 years. In the past decade, it has been suggested that renewable ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) exist in adults, and that such cells may be utilized as an oocyte source for women seeking to extend fertility. Currently, the issue of whether mammalian females possess such a population of renewable GSCs remains unsettled. The topic is complex and even agreement on a definitive approach to verify the process of ‘ovarian rescue’ or ‘re-potentiation’ has been elusive. Similarities have been noted between wound healing and ovarian tissue repair following capsule rupture at ovulation. In addition, molecular signaling events which might be necessary to reverse the effects of reproductive ageing seem congruent with changes occurring in tissue injury responses elsewhere. Recently, clinical experience with such a technique based on autologous activated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment of the adult human ovary has been reported. This review summarizes the present state of understanding of the interaction of platelet-derived growth factors with adult ovarian tissue, and the outcome of human reproductive potential following PRP treatment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings indicate that CBD may pose as a putative adjuvant agent for tailored co-application with selected antibiotics, depending on bacterial species, to increase antibiotic activity, including via MV inhibition, and help reduce antibiotic resistance.
Abstract: Membrane vesicles (MVs) released from bacteria participate in cell communication and host-pathogen interactions. Roles for MVs in antibiotic resistance are gaining increased attention and in this study we investigated if known anti-bacterial effects of cannabidiol (CBD), a phytocannabinoid from Cannabis sativa, could be in part attributed to effects on bacterial MV profile and MV release. We found that CBD is a strong inhibitor of MV release from Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli VCS257), while inhibitory effect on MV release from Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus subsp. aureus Rosenbach) was negligible. When used in combination with selected antibiotics, CBD significantly increased the bactericidal action of several antibiotics in the Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, CBD increased antibiotic effects of kanamycin in the Gram-positive bacteria, without affecting MV release. CBD furthermore changed protein profiles of MVs released from E. coli after 1 h CBD treatment. Our findings indicate that CBD may pose as a putative adjuvant agent for tailored co-application with selected antibiotics, depending on bacterial species, to increase antibiotic activity, including via MV inhibition, and help reduce antibiotic resistance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider how Henri Lefebvre's humanist Marxism can contribute to the foundations of a critical theory of communication, by reflecting on the role of communication in the books The Production of Space and The Critique of Everyday Life.
Abstract: This article asks how Henri Lefebvre’s humanist Marxism can contribute to the foundations of a critical theory of communication. It does so by reflecting on the role of communication in Lefebvre’s books The Production of Space and The Critique of Everyday Life. Lefebvre’s humanist Marxist stress on the role of human production in society is the aspect of his theory that can be most fruitfully integrated into a critical theory of communication. There are also striking parallels between Lefebvre and Raymond Williams’ cultural materialism. Lefebvre also anticipated discussions of the commodification of the communicative commons.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings indicate that FGC has a positive impact on brand awareness, brand loyalty, eWOM and purchase intention, and a link exists between consumer eWom behaviour and brand awareness and loyalty.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how firm-generated content (FGC) impacts consumer brand awareness, brand loyalty and electronic word of mouth (eWOM), and how this, in turn, influences consumer purchase intention.,In order to test this conceptual framework, statistical analysis was carried out employing structural equation modelling.,The findings indicate that FGC has a positive impact on brand awareness, brand loyalty, eWOM and purchase intention. Furthermore, the results reveal that a link exists between consumer eWOM behaviour and brand awareness and loyalty. This study also demonstrates that company communication through Facebook and Instagram has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention. Finally, it has been shown that, regarding eWOM and purchase intention, FGC posted on Instagram has a greater impact on its users than that posted on Facebook.,Consumer purchase intention is increasingly impacted by the growing use of social media by companies and marketers. This changing environment has opened up new challenges. However, there is still much work to be done in understanding the full effects of FGC communication, and how this influences consumer brand perception and purchase intention.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results show that the multimodal CVE improves student learning performance and aspects of subjective experience when compared to the non-multimodal control, and facilitated a sense of presence for students in the VE.
Abstract: Online learning platforms are integrated systems designed to provide students and teachers with information, tools and resources to facilitate and enhance the delivery and management of learning. In recent years platform designers have introduced gamification and multimodal interaction as ways to make online courses more engaging and immersive. Current Web-based platforms provide a limited degree of immersion in learning experiences, thereby diminishing potential learning impact. To improve immersion, it is necessary to stimulate some or all the human senses by engaging users in an environment that perceptually surrounds them and allows intuitive and rich interaction with other users and its content. Learning in these collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) can be aided by increasing motivation and engagement through the gamification of the educational task. This rich interaction that combines multimodal stimulation and gamification of the learning experience has the potential to draw students into the learning experience and improve learning outcomes. This paper presents the results of an experimental study designed to evaluate the impact of multimodal real-time interaction on user experience and learning of gamified educational tasks completed in a CVE. Secondary school teachers and students participated in the study. The multimodal CVE is an accurate reconstruction of the European Parliament in Brussels, developed using the REVERIE (Real and Virtual Engagement In Realistic Immersive Environment) framework. In the study, we compared the impact of the VR parliament to a non-multimodal control (an educational platform called Edu-Simulation) for the same educational tasks. Our results show that the multimodal CVE improves student learning performance and aspects of subjective experience when compared to the non-multimodal control. More specifically it resulted in a more positive effect on the ability of the students to generate ideas compared to a non-multimodal control. It also facilitated a sense of presence (strong emotional and a degree of spatial) for students in the VE. The paper concludes with a discussion of future work that focusses on combining the best features of both systems in a hybrid system to increase its educational impact and evaluate the prototype in real-world educational scenarios.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated which of the two approaches is the best with regard to rate of decolourization of the dye (Acid orange 7), COD reduction and electricity production.
Abstract: More than 80 per cent of wastewater from industries is discharged into receiving water bodies without any pollution control. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising technology for the simultaneous treatment of wastewater and electricity production. With regard to azo-dye containing wastewater (e.g. from textile manufacturing), the dye may be fed via the anode chamber containing electrochemically active bacteria or via the cathode chamber containing laccase enzyme as catalyst for oxygen reduction. This study investigated which of the two approaches is the best with regard to rate of decolourization of the dye (Acid orange 7), COD reduction and electricity production. The power density was higher for the MFCDye cathode (50±4 mW m-2, COD reduction 80.4±1.2%) compared with 42.5±2.6 mW m-2 (COD reduction 69±2%) for MFCDye anode. The time required for decolourization was longer in the MFCDye anode (Shewanella oneidensis) where only 20% decolourization was obtained after 24 h compared to 80% for the MFCDye cathode. The anodic dye degradation products were unstable when exposed to air resulting in regaining of colour. In case of degradation by laccase in the cathode chamber, the decolourization products were stable and simpler in chemical structure as determined by GC-MS. This work suggests that feeding azo dyes in cathode chambers of MFCs containing laccase is a better way of treating the dyes compared to the commonly used approach of feeding the dye in the anode chamber provided enzyme activity can be sustained.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that PAD inhibitors can be used to effectively reduce OMV/MV release, both in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, and this resulted in enhanced antibiotic sensitivity of both E. coli and S. aureus to a range of antibiotics tested.
Abstract: Outer membrane and membrane vesicles (OMV/MV) are released from bacteria and participate in cell communication, biofilm formation and host-pathogen interactions. Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) are phylogenetically conserved enzymes that catalyze post-translational deimination/citrullination of proteins, causing structural and functional changes in target proteins. PADs also play major roles in the regulation of eukaryotic extracellular vesicle release. Here we show phylogenetically conserved pathways of PAD-mediated OMV/MV release in bacteria and describe deiminated/citrullinated proteins in E. coli and their derived OMV/MVs. Furthermore, we show that PAD inhibitors can be used to effectively reduce OMV/MV release, both in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Importantly, this resulted in enhanced antibiotic sensitivity of both E. coli and S. aureus to a range of antibiotics tested. Our findings reveal novel strategies for applying pharmacological OMV/MV-inhibition to reduce antibiotic resistance.

Journal ArticleDOI
Maria Escala-Garcia1, Qi Guo2, Thilo Dörk3, Sander Canisius1  +267 moreInstitutions (93)
TL;DR: The paucity of variants associated with mortality at genome-wide significance underpins the challenge in providing genetic-based individualised prognostic information for breast cancer patients.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: We examined the associations between germline variants and breast cancer mortality using a large meta-analysis of women of European ancestry. METHODS: Meta-analyses included summary estimates based on Cox models of twelve datasets using ~10.4 million variants for 96,661 women with breast cancer and 7697 events (breast cancer-specific deaths). Oestrogen receptor (ER)-specific analyses were based on 64,171 ER-positive (4116) and 16,172 ER-negative (2125) patients. We evaluated the probability of a signal to be a true positive using the Bayesian false discovery probability (BFDP). RESULTS: We did not find any variant associated with breast cancer-specific mortality at P < 5 × 10-8. For ER-positive disease, the most significantly associated variant was chr7:rs4717568 (BFDP = 7%, P = 1.28 × 10-7, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.84-0.92); the closest gene is AUTS2. For ER-negative disease, the most significant variant was chr7:rs67918676 (BFDP = 11%, P = 1.38 × 10-7, HR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.16-1.39); located within a long intergenic non-coding RNA gene (AC004009.3), close to the HOXA gene cluster. CONCLUSIONS: We uncovered germline variants on chromosome 7 at BFDP < 15% close to genes for which there is biological evidence related to breast cancer outcome. However, the paucity of variants associated with mortality at genome-wide significance underpins the challenge in providing genetic-based individualised prognostic information for breast cancer patients.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Findings showing neuroprotective effects of MSC-derived EVs in the Rice–Vannucci model of severe HI-induced neonatal brain insult highlight the clinical potential of using MSC -derived EVs following neonatal hypoxia-ischaemia.
Abstract: © 2019 Sisa, Kholia, Naylor, Herrera Sanchez, Bruno, Deregibus, Camussi, Inal, Lange and Hristova.