Complete cytogenetic response and major molecular response as surrogate outcomes for overall survival in first-line treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia: A case study for technology appraisal on the basis of surrogate outcomes evidence

Objectives In 2012, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence assessed dasatinib, nilotinib, and standard-dose imatinib as first-line treatment of chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Licensing of these alternative treatments was based on randomized controlled trials assessing complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and major molecular response (MMR) at 12 months as primary end points. We use this case study to illustrate the validation of CCyR and MMR as surrogate outcomes for overall survival in CML and how this evidence was used to inform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s recommendation on the public funding of these first-line treatments for CML. Methods We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the association between CCyR and MMR at 12 months and overall survival in patients with chronic phase CML. We estimated life expectancy by extrapolating long-term survival from the weighted overall survival stratified according to the achievement of CCyR and MMR. Results Five studies provided data on the observational association between CCyR or MMR and overall survival. Based on the pooled association between CCyR and MMR and overall survival, our modeling showed comparable predicted mean duration of survival (21–23 years) following first-line treatment with imatinib, dasatinib, or nilotinib. Conclusions This case study illustrates the consideration of surrogate outcome evidence in health technology assessment. Although it is often recommended that the acceptance of surrogate outcomes be based on randomized controlled trial data demonstrating an association between the treatment effect on both the surrogate outcome and the final outcome, this case study shows that policymakers may be willing to accept a lower level of evidence (i.e., observational association).

A data fusion approach of multiple maintenance data sources for real-world reliability modelling

A central tenet in the theory of reliability modelling is the quantification of the probability of asset failure. In general, reliability depends on asset age and the maintenance policy applied. Usually, failure and maintenance times are the primary inputs to reliability models. However, for many organisations, different aspects of these data are often recorded in different databases (e.g. work order notifications, event logs, condition monitoring data, and process control data). These recorded data cannot be interpreted individually, since they typically do not have all the information necessary to ascertain failure and preventive maintenance times. This paper presents a methodology for the extraction of failure and preventive maintenance times using commonly-available, real-world data sources. A text-mining approach is employed to extract keywords indicative of the source of the maintenance event. Using these keywords, a Naïve Bayes classifier is then applied to attribute each machine stoppage to one of two classes: failure or preventive. The accuracy of the algorithm is assessed and the classified failure time data are then presented. The applicability of the methodology is demonstrated on a maintenance data set from an Australian electricity company.

Molecular modeling of Bt Cry1Ac (DI–DII)–ASAL (Allium sativum lectin)–fusion protein and its interaction with aminopeptidase N (APN) receptor of Manduca sexta

Genetic engineering of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry proteins has resulted in the synthesis of various novel toxin proteins with enhanced insecticidal activity and specificity towards different insect pests. In this study, a fusion protein consisting of the DI–DII domains of Cry1Ac and garlic lectin (ASAL) has been designed in silico by replacing the DIII domain of Cry1Ac with ASAL. The binding interface between the DI–DII domains of Cry1Ac and lectin has been identified using protein–protein docking studies. Free energy of binding calculations and interaction profiles between the Cry1Ac and lectin domains confirmed the stability of fusion protein. A total of 18 hydrogen bonds was observed in the DI–DII–lectin fusion protein compared to 11 hydrogen bonds in the Cry1Ac (DI–DII–DIII) protein. Molecular mechanics/Poisson–Boltzmann (generalized-Born) surface area [MM/PB (GB) SA] methods were used for predicting free energy of interactions of the fusion proteins. Protein–protein docking studies based on the number of hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, aromatic–aromatic, aromatic–sulphur, cation–pi interactions and binding energy of Cry1Ac/fusion proteins with the aminopeptidase N (APN) of Manduca sexta rationalised the higher binding affinity of the fusion protein with the APN receptor compared to that of the Cry1Ac–APN complex, as predicted by ZDOCK, Rosetta and ClusPro analysis. The molecular binding interface between the fusion protein and the APN receptor is well packed, analogously to that of the Cry1Ac–APN complex. These findings offer scope for the design and development of customized fusion molecules for improved pest management in crop plants.

Bio-inspired multifunctional metallic foams through the fusion of different biological solutions

Nature is a school for scientists and engineers. Inherent multiscale structures of biological materials exhibit multifunctional integration. In nature, the lotus, the water strider, and the flying bird evolved different and optimized biological solutions to survive. In this contribution, inspired by the optimized solutions from the lotus leaf with superhydrophobic self-cleaning, the water strider leg with durable and robust superhydrophobicity, and the lightweight bird bone with hollow structures, multifunctional metallic foams with multiscale structures are fabricated, demonstrating low adhesive superhydrophobic self-cleaning, striking loading capacity, and superior repellency towards different corrosive solutions. This approach provides an effective avenue to the development of water strider robots and other aquatic smart devices floating on water. Furthermore, the resultant multifunctional metallic foam can be used to construct an oil/water separation apparatus, exhibiting a high separation efficiency and long-term repeatability. The presented approach should provide a promising solution for the design and construction of other multifunctional metallic foams in a large scale for practical applications in the petro-chemical field. Optimized biological solutions continue to inspire and to provide design idea for the construction of multiscale structures with multifunctional integration. Inspired by the optimized biological solutions from the lotus leaf with superhydrophobic self-cleaning, the water strider leg with durable and robust superhydrophobicity, and the lightweight bird bone with hollow structures, multifunctional metallic foams with multiscale structures are fabricated, demonstrating low adhesive superhydrophobic self-cleaning, striking loading capacity, stable corrosion resistance, and oil/water separation.

Complete genome sequence of a novel zantedeschia mild mosaic virus isolate: The first report from Australia and from Alocasia sp

The complete genome of an Australian isolate of zantedeschia mild mosaic virus (ZaMMV) causing mosaic symptoms on Alocasia sp. (designated ZaMMVAU) was cloned and sequenced. The genome comprises 9942 nucleotides (excluding the poly-A tail) and encodes a polyprotein of 3167 amino acids. The sequence is most closely related to a previously reported ZaMMV isolate from Taiwan (ZaMMV-TW), with 82 and 86 % identity at the nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively. Unlike the amino acid sequence of ZaMMV-TW, however, ZaMMV-AU does not contain a polyglutamine stretch at the N-terminus of the coat-protein-coding region upstream of the DAG motif. This is the first report of ZaMMV from Australia and from Alocasia sp.

Complete genome sequence of Colocasia bobone disease-associated virus, a putative cytorhabdovirus infecting taro

We report the first genome sequence of a Colocasia bobone disease-associated virus (CBDaV) derived from bobone-affected taro [Colocasia esculenta L. Schott] from Solomon Islands. The negative-strand RNA genome is 12,193 nt long, with six major open reading frames (ORFs) with the arrangement 3′-N-P-P3-M-G-L-5′. Typical of all rhabdoviruses, the 3′ leader and 5′ trailer sequences show complementarity to each other. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that CBDaV is a member of the genus Cytorhabdovirus, supporting previous reports of virus particles within the cytoplasm of bobone-infected taro cells. The availability of the CBDaV genome sequence now makes it possible to assess the role of this virus in bobone, and possibly alomae disease of taro and confirm that this sequence is that of Colocasia bobone disease virus (CBDV).

Decision fusion for reliable flood mapping using remote sensing images

Flood extent mapping is a basic tool for flood damage assessment, which can be done by digital classification techniques using satellite imageries, including the data recorded by radar and optical sensors. However, converting the data into the information we need is not a straightforward task. One of the great challenges involved in the data interpretation is to separate the permanent water bodies and flooding regions, including both the fully inundated areas and the wet areas where trees and houses are partly covered with water. This paper adopts the decision fusion technique to combine the mapping results from radar data and the NDVI data derived from optical data. An improved capacity in terms of identifying the permanent or semi-permanent water bodies from flood inundated areas has been achieved. Computer software tools Multispec and Matlab were used.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)

We present the complete mitochondrial genome (accession number: LK995454) of an iconic Australian species, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus). The mitogenomic organization is consistent with other marsupials, encoding 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, an origin of light strand replication and a control region or Dloop. No repetitive sequences were detected in the control region. The M. giganteus mitogenome exemplifies a combination of tRNA gene order and structural peculiarities that appear to be unique to marsupials. We present a maximum likelihood phylogeny based on complete mitochondrial protein and RNA coding sequences that confirms the phylogenetic position of the grey kangaroo among macropodids.

Efficient content-based image retrieval based on multi-feature fusion

The increased availability of image capturing devices has enabled collections of digital images to rapidly expand in both size and diversity. This has created a constantly growing need for efficient and effective image browsing, searching, and retrieval tools. Pseudo-relevance feedback (PRF) has proven to be an effective mechanism for improving retrieval accuracy. An original, simple yet effective rank-based PRF mechanism (RB-PRF) that takes into account the initial rank order of each image to improve retrieval accuracy is proposed. This RB-PRF mechanism innovates by making use of binary image signatures to improve retrieval precision by promoting images similar to highly ranked images and demoting images similar to lower ranked images. Empirical evaluations based on standard benchmarks, namely Wang, Oliva & Torralba, and Corel datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed RB-PRF mechanism in image retrieval.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Heteroptera: Miridae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, comprised 17,027 bp. The genome contained 13 protein coding regions, 22 tRNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The gene arrangement corresponded to the common order found among insect mtDNAs which was considered to be the ancestral arrangement. The protein coding genes started with ATN and stopped with TAA or TAG. The nucleotide distribution was 76.0% A + T. The control region contained two repeat regions, one was 24 bp and the other was 161 bp. The Genbank accession for the complete L. lineolaris mt genome is EU401991.

Complete genome sequences of seven Helicoverpa armigera SNPV-AC53-derived strains

Wild-type baculovirus isolates typically consist of multiple strains. We report the full genome sequences of seven alphabaculovirus strains derived by passage through tissue culture from Helicoverpa armigera SNPV-AC53 (KJ909666).