Carry on winning: No selection effect

AbstractThe methods proposed by Demaree, Weaver and Juergensen (2014) are not the most appropriate for testing for the presence of a selection effect. We use a simple and straightforward method to demonstrate that the data are not consistent with such an effect

Lost in translation? Interpretations of the probability phrases used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in China and the UK

Tackling climate change is a global challenge and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the organisation charged with communicating the risks, dangers and mechanisms underlying climate change to both policy makers and the general public. The IPCC has traditionally used words (e.g., ‘likely’) in place of numbers (‘70 % chance’) to communicate risk and uncertainty information. The IPCC assessment reports have been published in six languages, but the consistency of the interpretation of these words cross-culturally has yet to be investigated. In two studies, we find considerable variation in the interpretation of the IPCC’s probability expressions between the Chinese and British public. Whilst British interpretations differ somewhat from the IPCC’s prescriptions, Chinese interpretations differ to a much greater degree and show more variation. These results add weight to continuing calls for the IPCC to make greater use of numbers in its forecasts

STAT3 Contributes To Oncolytic Newcastle Disease Virus-Induced Immunogenic Cell Death in Melanoma Cells

Background: Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are emerging as potent inducers of immunogenic cell death (ICD), releasing danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that induce potent anticancer immunity. Oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has been shown to educe ICD in both glioma and lung cancer cells. The objective of this study is to investigate whether oncolytic NDV induces ICD in melanoma cells and how it is regulated.Methods: Various time points were actuated to check the expression and release of ICD markers induced by NDV strain, NDV/FMW in melanoma cell lines. The expression and release of ICD markers induced by oncolytic NDV strain, NDV/FMW, in melanoma cell lines at various time points were determined. Surface-exposed calreticulin (CRT) was inspected by confocal imaging. The supernatants of NDV/FMW infected cells were collected and concentrated for the determination of ATP secretion by ELISA, HMGB1, and HSP70/90 expression by immunoblot (IB) analysis. Pharmacological inhibition of apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis, ER Stress, and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) was achieved by treatment with small molecule inhibitors. Melanoma cell lines stably depleted of STAT3 were established with lentiviral constructs. Supernatants from NDV-infected cells were intratumorally injected to mice bearing melanoma cells-derived tumors.Results: Oncolytic NDV induced CRT exposure, the release of HMGB1 and HSP70/90 as well as secretion of ATP in melanoma cells. Inhibition of apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis or ER stress attenuated NDV/FMW-induced release of HMGB1 and HSP70/90. Moreover, NDV/FMW-induced ICD markers in melanoma cells were also suppressed by either treatment with a STAT3 inhibitor or shRNA-mediated depletion of STAT3. Of translational importance, treatment of mice bearing melanoma cells-derived tumors with supernatants from NDV/FMW-infected cells significantly inhibited tumor growth.Conclusions: Our data authenticate that oncolytic NDV/FMW might be a potent inducer of ICD in melanoma cells, which is amalgamated with several forms of cell death. We also show that STAT3 plays a role in NDV/FMW-induced ICD in melanoma cells. Together, our data highlight oncolytic NDV as propitious for cancer therapeutics by stimulatingan anti-melanoma immune response

Carry on winning: The gamblers' fallacy creates hot hand effects in online gambling

a b s t r a c t People suffering from the hot-hand fallacy unreasonably expect winning streaks to continue whereas those suffering from the gamblers' fallacy unreasonably expect losing streaks to reverse. We took 565,915 sports bets made by 776 online gamblers in 2010 and analyzed all winning and losing streaks up to a maximum length of six. People who won were more likely to win again (apparently because they chose safer odds than before) whereas those who lost were more likely to lose again (apparently because they chose riskier odds than before). However, selection of safer odds after winning and riskier ones after losing indicates that online sports gamblers expected their luck to reverse: they suffered from the gamblers' fallacy. By believing in the gamblers' fallacy, they created their own hot hands

Synthesis of Ag-La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM-Ag) Composite Powder and Its Application in Magnesium Air Battery

La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) catalyst is prepared via a sol-gel method and modified via a typical silver mirror reaction. Silver ammonia solution is reduced in a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-containing solution to obtain silver nanoparticles and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is added as a surfactant. The microstructure and morphology of the LSM-Ag composite powder are characterized. According to the results, the Ag particles precipitate on the LSM surface in elemental form and the grain size is about one hundred nanometers. The analysis of electrocatalytic performance of LSM-Ag cathodes with different amounts of silver loading reveals that the number of electrons transferred during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the cathode with an Ag content of 14% by weight reached 3.9, which is very close to that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. Similarly, the maximum power density of the air battery made of LSM-14%Ag is 73 mW/cm2, which exceeds that of 63 mW/cm2, found for the LSM battery. Finally, increasing the amount of silver loading allows one to improve the electrochemical performance of LSM catalysts. The best effect is achieved when the Ag loading exceeds 14%

Interband transition physics from the absorption edge in GaN: New prospects from numerical analysis

The strong polarization effects and abundant surface states in III-nitrides result in a tunable electric field, modifying the absorption/emission by changing the band structure. Thus, the mechanism of the electric field and the absorption/emission is crucial for future optical logic devices. Here, we propose to extract the information from the absorption/emission edge by numerical simulations. The simulations show that the increase in the field strength would red-shift the spectrum as well as decrease the slope of the edge for both the uniform and non-uniform field. For numerical simulations, we also provide the lower limit of the quantum states to be simulated from Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation. Then three GaN samples with different n values are analyzed, and the results validate our methods in two ways. On the one hand, the nonuniform field is shown to fit the experimental absorption better at higher n, which is in accordance with previous studies. On the other hand, the reasonable bandgap Eg at zero doping level and the bandgap-renormalization coefficient are obtained. This work would deepen the understanding of the absorption/emission influenced by the electric field and pave the way for numerical analysis of the edge

Effect of Carotene and Lycopene on the Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

<div><p>Background</p><p>Many epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between carotenoids intake and risk of Prostate cancer (PCa). However, results have been inconclusive.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We conducted a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of dietary intake or blood concentrations of carotenoids in relation to PCa risk. We summarized the data from 34 eligible studies (10 cohort, 11 nested case-control and 13 case-control studies) and estimated summary Risk Ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effects models.</p><p>Results</p><p>Neither dietary β-carotene intake nor its blood levels was associated with reduced PCa risk. Dietary α-carotene intake and lycopene consumption (both dietary intake and its blood levels) were all associated with reduced risk of PCa (RR for dietary α-carotene intake: 0.87, 95%CI: 0.76–0.99; RR for dietary lycopene intake: 0.86, 95%CI: 0.75–0.98; RR for blood lycopene levels: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.69–0.96). However, neither blood α-carotene levels nor blood lycopene levels could reduce the risk of advanced PCa. Dose-response analysis indicated that risk of PCa was reduced by 2% per 0.2mg/day (95%CI: 0.96–0.99) increment of dietary α-carotene intake or 3% per 1mg/day (95%CI: 0.94–0.99) increment of dietary lycopene intake.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>α-carotene and lycopene, but not β-carotene, were inversely associated with the risk of PCa. However, both α-carotene and lycopene could not lower the risk of advanced PCa.</p></div

Dose-response relation plots between carotenoids consumption and risk of PCa.

<p>(A) Dietary lycopene intake(mg/day) and risk of PCa; (B) Blood lycopene levels (ug/dl) and risk of PCa; (C) Dietary α-carotene intake(mg/day) and risk of PCa. These relationships were estimated by using random-effects metaregression. Dotted lines represent the 95% CIs for the fitted trend.</p

Characteristics of included studies.

<p>Abbreviations: NCCS, nested case-control study; CCS, case-control study; SD, standard deviation; T, tertile; Q, quartile/quintile; BMI, body mass index; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; FHPC, family history of prostate cancer; NR, not reported; NA, not accessible.</p><p>^aDerived from the slogan of a campaign, “Give us a CLUE to cancer.”</p><p>^bIndicated interquartile range(IQR).</p><p>Characteristics of included studies.</p