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Abstract
Electroencephalographic (EEG) microstates are brain states with quasi-stable scalp topography. Whether such states extend to the body level, that is, the peripheral autonomic nerves, remains unknown. We hypothesized that microstates extend at the brain-heart axis level as a functional state of the central autonomic network. Thus, we combined the EEG and heartbeat dynamics series to estimate the directional information transfer originating in the cortex targeting the sympathovagal and parasympathetic activity oscillations and vice versa for the afferent functional direction. Data were from two groups of participants: 36 healthy volunteers who were subjected to cognitive workload induced by mental arithmetic, and 26 participants who underwent physical stress induced by a cold pressure test. All participants were healthy at the time of the study. Based on statistical testing and goodness-of-fit evaluations, we demonstrated the existence of microstates of the functional brain-heart axis, with emphasis on the cerebral cortex, since the microstates are derived from EEG. Such nervous-system microstates are spatio-temporal quasi-stable states that exclusively refer to the efferent brain-to-heart direction. We demonstrated brain-heart microstates that could be associated with specific experimental conditions as well as brain-heart microstates that are non-specific to tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Catrambone
- Neurocardiovascular Intelligence Laboratory, Bioengineering and Robotics Research Center E. Piaggio, & Department of Information Engineering, School of EngineeringUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | - Gaetano Valenza
- Neurocardiovascular Intelligence Laboratory, Bioengineering and Robotics Research Center E. Piaggio, & Department of Information Engineering, School of EngineeringUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
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Bøllehuus Hansen L, Jakobsen SF, Zole E, Noer JB, Fang LT, Alizadeh S, Johansen JS, Mohiyuddin M, Regenberg B. Methods for the purification and detection of single nucleotide KRAS mutations on extrachromosomal circular DNA in human plasma. Cancer Med 2023; 12:17679-17691. [PMID: 37602814 PMCID: PMC10523981 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS Despite recent advances, many cancers are still detected too late for curative treatment. There is, therefore, a need for the development of new diagnostic methods and biomarkers. One approach may arise from the detection of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA), which is part of cell-free DNA in human plasma. AIMS First, we assessed and compared two methods for the purification of eccDNA from plasma. Second, we tested for an easy diagnostic application of eccDNA liquid biopsy-based assays. MATERIALS & METHODS For the comparison we tested a solid-phase silica purification method and a phenol/chloroform method with salt precipitation. For the diagnostic application of eccDNA we developed and tested a qPCR primer-based SNP detection system, for the detection of two well-established cancer-causing KRAS mutations (G12V and G12R) on circular DNA. This investigation was supported by purifying, sequencing, and analysing clinical plasma samples for eccDNAs containing KRAS mutant alleles in 0.5 mL plasma from 16 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients and 19 healthy controls. RESULTS In our method comparison we observed, that following exonuclease treatment a lower eccDNA yield was found for the phenol/chloroform method (15.7%-26.7%) compared with the solid-phase purification approach (47.8%-65.9%). For the diagnostic application of eccDNA tests, the sensitivity of the tested qPCR assay only reached ~10-3 in a background of 105 wild type (wt) KRAS circular entities, which was not improved by general amplification or primer-based inhibition of wt KRAS amplification. Furthermore, we did not detect eccDNA containing KRAS in any of the clinical samples. DISCUSSION A potential explanation for our inability to detect any KRAS mutations in the clinical samples may be related to the general low abundance of eccDNA in plasma. CONCLUSION Taken together our results provide a benchmark for eccDNA purification methods while raising the question of what is required for the optimal fast and sensitive detection of SNP mutations on eccDNA with greater sensitivity than primer-based qPCR detection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Egija Zole
- Department of BiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | | | - Li Tai Fang
- Roche Sequencing SolutionsBelmontCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sefa Alizadeh
- Department of BiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Julia Sidenius Johansen
- Department of OncologyCopenhagen University HospitalHerlevDenmark
- Department of MedicineCopenhagen University HospitalHerlevDenmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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Pantazi P, Clements T, Venø M, Abrahams VM, Holder B. Distinct non-coding RNA cargo of extracellular vesicles from M1 and M2 human primary macrophages. J Extracell Vesicles 2022; 11:e12293. [PMID: 36544271 PMCID: PMC9772496 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Macrophages are important antigen presenting cells which can release extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying functional cargo including non-coding RNAs. Macrophages can be broadly classified into M1 'classical' and M2 'alternatively-activated' macrophages. M1 macrophages have been linked with inflammation-associated pathologies, whereas a switch towards an M2 phenotype indicates resolution of inflammation and tissue regeneration. Here, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the small RNA cargo of EVs from human M1 and M2 primary macrophages. Using small RNA sequencing, we identified several types of small non-coding RNAs in M1 and M2 macrophage EVs including miRNAs, isomiRs, tRNA fragments, piRNA, snRNA, snoRNA and Y-RNA fragments. Distinct differences were observed between M1 and M2 EVs, with higher relative abundance of miRNAs, and lower abundance of tRNA fragments in M1 compared to M2 EVs. MicroRNA-target enrichment analysis identified several gene targets involved in gene expression and inflammatory signalling pathways. EVs were also enriched in tRNA fragments, primarily originating from the 5' end or the internal region of the full length tRNAs, many of which were differentially abundant in M1 and M2 EVs. Similarly, several other small non-coding RNAs, namely snRNAs, snoRNAs and Y-RNA fragments, were differentially enriched in M1 and M2 EVs; we discuss their putative roles in macrophage EVs. In conclusion, we show that M1 and M2 macrophages release EVs with distinct RNA cargo, which has the potential to contribute to the unique effect of these cell subsets on their microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paschalia Pantazi
- Institute of Reproductive and Developmental BiologyDepartment of Metabolism, Digestion, and ReproductionImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Toby Clements
- Institute of Reproductive and Developmental BiologyDepartment of Metabolism, Digestion, and ReproductionImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Vikki M. Abrahams
- Department of ObstetricsGynecology and Reproductive SciencesYale School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Beth Holder
- Institute of Reproductive and Developmental BiologyDepartment of Metabolism, Digestion, and ReproductionImperial College LondonLondonUK
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Rusiecka OM, Tournier M, Molica F, Kwak BR. Pannexin1 channels-a potential therapeutic target in inflammation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1020826. [PMID: 36438559 PMCID: PMC9682086 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1020826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
An exaggerated inflammatory response is the hallmark of a plethora of disorders. ATP is a central signaling molecule that orchestrates the initiation and resolution of the inflammatory response by enhancing activation of the inflammasome, leukocyte recruitment and activation of T cells. ATP can be released from cells through pannexin (Panx) channels, a family of glycoproteins consisting of three members, Panx1, Panx2, and Panx3. Panx1 is ubiquitously expressed and forms heptameric channels in the plasma membrane mediating paracrine and autocrine signaling. Besides their involvement in the inflammatory response, Panx1 channels have been shown to contribute to different modes of cell death (i.e., pyroptosis, necrosis and apoptosis). Both genetic ablation and pharmacological inhibition of Panx1 channels decrease inflammation in vivo and contribute to a better outcome in several animal models of inflammatory disease involving various organs, including the brain, lung, kidney and heart. Up to date, several molecules have been identified to inhibit Panx1 channels, for instance probenecid (Pbn), mefloquine (Mfq), flufenamic acid (FFA), carbenoxolone (Cbx) or mimetic peptides like 10Panx1. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these compounds lack specificity and/or serum stability, which limits their application. The recent availability of detailed structural information on the Panx1 channel from cryo-electron microscopy studies may open up innovative approaches to acquire new classes of synthetic Panx1 channel blockers with high target specificity. Selective inhibition of Panx1 channels may not only limit acute inflammatory responses but may also prove useful in chronic inflammatory diseases, thereby improving human health. Here, we reviewed the current knowledge on the role of Panx1 in the initiation and resolution of the inflammatory response, we summarized the effects of Panx1 inhibition in inflammatory pathologies and recapitulate current Panx1 channel pharmacology with an outlook towards future approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga M. Rusiecka
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Malaury Tournier
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Filippo Molica
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Brenda R. Kwak
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Rioux B, Combes J, Woolley JM, Rodrigues NDN, Mention MM, Stavros VG, Allais F. From Biomass-Derived p-Hydroxycinnamic Acids to Novel Sustainable and Non-Toxic Phenolics-Based UV-Filters: A Multidisciplinary Journey. Front Chem 2022; 10:886367. [PMID: 35864863 PMCID: PMC9294603 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.886367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Although organic UV-filters are extensively used in cosmetics to protect consumers from the deleterious effects of solar UV radiation-exposure, they suffer from some major drawbacks such as their fossil origin and their toxicity to both humans and the environment. Thus, finding sustainable and non-toxic UV-filters is becoming a topic of great interest for the cosmetic industry. A few years ago, sinapoyl malate was shown to be a powerful naturally occurring UV-filter. Building on these findings, we decided to design and optimize an entire value chain that goes from biomass to innovative biobased and non-toxic lignin-derived UV-filters. This multidisciplinary approach relies on: 1) The production of phenolic synthons using either metabolite extraction from biomass or their bioproduction through synthetic biology/fermentation/in stream product recovery; 2) their functionalization using green chemistry to access sinapoyl malate and analogues; 3) the study of their UV-filtering activity, their photostability, their biological properties; and 4) their photodynamics. This mini-review aims at demonstrating that combining biotechnology, green chemistry, downstream process and photochemistry is a powerful approach to transform biomass and, in particular lignins, into high value-added innovative UV-filters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Rioux
- URD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI), CEBB, AgroParisTech, Pomacle, France
| | - Jeanne Combes
- URD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI), CEBB, AgroParisTech, Pomacle, France
| | - Jack M. Woolley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingtom
| | - Natércia d. N. Rodrigues
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingtom
- Lipotec SAU, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matthieu M. Mention
- URD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI), CEBB, AgroParisTech, Pomacle, France
| | - Vasilios G. Stavros
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingtom
- *Correspondence: Vasilios G. Stavros, ; Florent Allais,
| | - Florent Allais
- URD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI), CEBB, AgroParisTech, Pomacle, France
- *Correspondence: Vasilios G. Stavros, ; Florent Allais,
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Stefanec M, Hofstadler DN, Krajník T, Turgut AE, Alemdar H, Lennox B, Şahin E, Arvin F, Schmickl T. A Minimally Invasive Approach Towards “Ecosystem Hacking” With Honeybees. Front Robot AI 2022; 9:791921. [PMID: 35572369 PMCID: PMC9096355 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2022.791921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Honey bees live in colonies of thousands of individuals, that not only need to collaborate with each other but also to interact intensively with their ecosystem. A small group of robots operating in a honey bee colony and interacting with the queen bee, a central colony element, has the potential to change the collective behavior of the entire colony and thus also improve its interaction with the surrounding ecosystem. Such a system can be used to study and understand many elements of bee behavior within hives that have not been adequately researched. We discuss here the applicability of this technology for ecosystem protection: A novel paradigm of a minimally invasive form of conservation through “Ecosystem Hacking”. We discuss the necessary requirements for such technology and show experimental data on the dynamics of the natural queen’s court, initial designs of biomimetic robotic surrogates of court bees, and a multi-agent model of the queen bee court system. Our model is intended to serve as an AI-enhanceable coordination software for future robotic court bee surrogates and as a hardware controller for generating nature-like behavior patterns for such a robotic ensemble. It is the first step towards a team of robots working in a bio-compatible way to study honey bees and to increase their pollination performance, thus achieving a stabilizing effect at the ecosystem level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stefanec
- Artificial Life Lab, Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- *Correspondence: Martin Stefanec,
| | | | - Tomáš Krajník
- Artificial Intelligence Centre, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Ali Emre Turgut
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
- ROMER-Center for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Hande Alemdar
- ROMER-Center for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Department of Computer Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Barry Lennox
- Department of Computer Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Erol Şahin
- ROMER-Center for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Department of Computer Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Farshad Arvin
- Department of Computer Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Thomas Schmickl
- Artificial Life Lab, Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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Buglak AA, Charisiadis A, Sheehan A, Kingsbury CJ, Senge MO, Filatov MA. Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship Modelling for the Prediction of Singlet Oxygen Generation by Heavy-Atom-Free BODIPY Photosensitizers*. Chemistry 2021; 27:9934-9947. [PMID: 33876842 PMCID: PMC8362084 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202100922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Heavy-atom-free sensitizers forming long-living triplet excited states via the spin-orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) process have recently attracted attention due to their potential to replace costly transition metal complexes in photonic applications. The efficiency of SOCT-ISC in BODIPY donor-acceptor dyads, so far the most thoroughly investigated class of such sensitizers, can be finely tuned by structural modification. However, predicting the triplet state yields and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation quantum yields for such compounds in a particular solvent is still very challenging due to a lack of established quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models. In this work, the available data on singlet oxygen generation quantum yields (ΦΔ ) for a dataset containing >70 heavy-atom-free BODIPY in three different solvents (toluene, acetonitrile, and tetrahydrofuran) were analyzed. In order to build reliable QSPR model, a series of new BODIPYs were synthesized that bear different electron donating aryl groups in the meso position, their optical and structural properties were studied along with the solvent dependence of singlet oxygen generation, which confirmed the formation of triplet states via the SOCT-ISC mechanism. For the combined dataset of BODIPY structures, a total of more than 5000 quantum-chemical descriptors was calculated including quantum-chemical descriptors using density functional theory (DFT), namely M06-2X functional. QSPR models predicting ΦΔ values were developed using multiple linear regression (MLR), which perform significantly better than other machine learning methods and show sufficient statistical parameters (R=0.88-0.91 and q2 =0.62-0.69) for all three solvents. A small root mean squared error of 8.2 % was obtained for ΦΔ values predicted using MLR model in toluene. As a result, we proved that QSPR and machine learning techniques can be useful for predicting ΦΔ values in different media and virtual screening of new heavy-atom-free BODIPYs with improved photosensitizing ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey A. Buglak
- Faculty of PhysicsSaint-Petersburg State UniversityUniversiteteskaya Emb. 7–9199034St. PetersburgRussia
| | - Asterios Charisiadis
- Chair of Organic Chemistry School of Chemistry Trinity Biomedical Sciences InstituteTrinity College Dublin The University of Dublin152-160Pearse StreetDublin 2Ireland
| | - Aimee Sheehan
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical SciencesTechnological University DublinCity Campus, Kevin StreetDublin 8Ireland
| | - Christopher J. Kingsbury
- Chair of Organic Chemistry School of Chemistry Trinity Biomedical Sciences InstituteTrinity College Dublin The University of Dublin152-160Pearse StreetDublin 2Ireland
| | - Mathias O. Senge
- Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS)Technical University of MunichLichtenberg-Str. 2a85748GarchingGermany
| | - Mikhail A. Filatov
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical SciencesTechnological University DublinCity Campus, Kevin StreetDublin 8Ireland
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Wright DW, Husseini F, Wan S, Meyer C, van Vlijmen H, Tresadern G, Coveney PV. Application of the ESMACS Binding Free Energy Protocol to a Multi-Binding Site Lactate Dehydogenase A Ligand Dataset. Adv Theory Simul 2020; 3:1900194. [PMID: 34553124 PMCID: PMC8438761 DOI: 10.1002/adts.201900194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the use of fragment-based lead generation has become a common, mature approach to identify tractable starting points in chemical space for the drug discovery process. This approach naturally involves the study of the binding properties of highly heterogeneous ligands. Such datasets challenge computational techniques to provide comparable binding free energy estimates from different binding modes. The performance of a range of statistically robust ensemble-based binding free energy calculation protocols, called ESMACS (enhanced sampling of molecular dynamics with approximation of continuum solvent), is evaluated. Ligands designed to target two binding pockets in the lactate dehydogenase, a target protein, which vary in size, charge, and binding mode, are studied. When compared to experimental results, excellent statistical rankings are obtained across this highly diverse set of ligands. In addition, three approaches to account for entropic contributions are investigated: 1) normal mode analysis, 2) weighted solvent accessible surface area (WSAS), and 3) variational entropy. Normal mode analysis and WSAS correlate strongly with each other-although the latter is computationally far cheaper-but do not improve rankings. Variational entropy corrects exaggerated discrimination of ligands bound in different pockets but creates three outliers which reduce the quality of the overall ranking.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Wright
- Centre for Computational ScienceDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Fouad Husseini
- Centre for Computational ScienceDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Shunzhou Wan
- Centre for Computational ScienceDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Christophe Meyer
- Janssen Research & DevelopmentTurnhoutseweg 30B‐2340BeerseBelgium
| | | | - Gary Tresadern
- Janssen Research & DevelopmentTurnhoutseweg 30B‐2340BeerseBelgium
| | - Peter V. Coveney
- Centre for Computational ScienceDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1H 0AJUK
- Computational Science LaboratoryInstitute for InformaticsFaculty of ScienceUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdam1098XHThe Netherlands
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