bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Redesign the Memory Allocator for Non-Volatile Main Memory
Authors: Yu Songping , Xiao Nong , Deng Mingzhu , Liu Fang , Chen Wei
Published: April 2017

The non-volatile memory (NVM) has the merits of byte-addressability, fast speed, persistency and low power consumption, which make it attractive to be used as main memory. Commonly, user process dynamically acquires memory through memory allocators. However, traditional memory allocators designed with in-place data writes are not appropriate for the non-volatile main memory (NVRAM) due to the limited endurance. In this article, first, we quantitatively analyze the wear-oblivious of DRAM-oriented designed allocator—glibc malloc and the inefficiency of wear-conscious allocator NVMalloc. Then, we propose WAlloc, an efficient wear-aware manual memory allocator designed for NVRAM: (1) decouples metadata and data management; (2) distinguishes metadata with volatility; (3) redirects the data writes around to achieve wear-leveling; (4) redesigns an efficient and effective NVM copy mechanism, bypassing the CPU cache partially and prefetching data explicitly. Finally, experimental results show that the wear-leveling of WAlloc outperforms that of NVMalloc about 30% and 60% under random workloads and well-distributed workloads, respectively. Besides, WAlloc reduces the average data memory writes in 64 bytes block by 1.5 times comparing with glibc malloc. With the fulfillment of data persistency, cache bypassing NVM copy is better than cache line flushing NVM copy with performance improvement circa 14%.
Quantified Constraint Satisfaction Problem on Semicomplete Digraphs
Authors: Đapić Petar , Marković Petar , Martin Barnaby
Published: April 2017

We study the (non-uniform) quantified constraint satisfaction problem QCSP(
H
) as
H
ranges over semicomplete digraphs. We obtain a complexity-theoretic trichotomy: QCSP(
H
) is either in P, is NP-complete, or is Pspace-complete. The largest part of our work is the algebraic classification of precisely which semicomplete digraphs enjoy only essentially unary polymorphisms, which is combinatorially interesting in its own right.
Analyzing the Adoption and Cascading Process of OSN-Based Gifting Applications
Authors: Rahman M. Rezaur , Han Jinyoung , Lee Yong Jae , Chuah Chen-Nee
Published: April 2017

To achieve growth in the user base of online social networks--(OSN) based applications, word-of-mouth diffusion mechanisms, such as user-to-user invitations, are widely used. This article characterizes the adoption and cascading process of OSN-based applications that grow via user invitations. We analyze a detailed large-scale dataset of a popular Facebook gifting application, iHeart, that contains more than 2 billion entries of user activities generated by 190 million users during a span of 64 weeks. We investigate (1) how users invite their friends to an OSN-based application, (2) how application adoption of an individual user can be predicted, (3) what factors drive the cascading process of application adoptions, and (4) what are the good predictors of the ultimate cascade sizes. We find that sending or receiving a large number of invitations does not necessarily help to recruit new users to iHeart. We also find that the average success ratio of inviters is the most important feature in predicting an adoption of an individual user, which indicates that the effectiveness of inviters has strong predictive power with respect to application adoption. Based on the lessons learned from our analyses, we build and evaluate learning-based models to predict whether a user will adopt iHeart. Our proposed model that utilizes additional activity information of individual users from other similar types of gifting applications can achieve high precision (83%) in predicting adoptions in the target application (i.e., iHeart). We next identify a set of distinctive features that are good predictors of the growth of the application adoptions in terms of final population size. We finally propose a prediction model to infer whether a cascade of application adoption will continue to grow in the future based on observing the initial adoption process. Results show that our proposed model can achieve high precision (over 80%) in predicting large cascades of application adoptions. We believe our work can give an important implication in resource allocation of OSN-based product stakeholders, for example, via targeted marketing.
Exceptionization
Authors: Yang Byung-Sun , Kim Jae-Yun , Moon Soo-Mook
Published: April 2017

Java virtual machine (JVM) has recently evolved into a general-purpose language runtime environment to execute popular programming languages such as JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and Scala. These languages have complex non-Java features, including dynamic typing and first-class function, so additional language runtimes (engines) are provided on top of the JVM to support them with bytecode extensions. Although there are high-performance JVMs with powerful just-in-time (JIT) compilers, running these languages efficiently on the JVM is still a challenge.

This article introduces a simple and novel technique for the JVM JIT compiler called
exceptionization
to improve the performance of JVM-based language runtimes. We observed that the JVM executing some non-Java languages encounters at least 2 times more branch bytecodes than Java, most of which are highly biased to take only one target. Exceptionization treats such a highly biased branch as some implicit exception-throwing instruction. This allows the JVM JIT compiler to prune the infrequent target of the branch from the frequent control flow, thus compiling the frequent control flow more aggressively with better optimization. If a pruned path were taken, then it would run like a Java exception handler, that is, a catch block. We also devised
de-exceptionization
, a mechanism to cope with the case when a pruned path is executed more often than expected.

Since exceptionization is a generic JVM optimization, independent of any specific language runtime, it would be generally applicable to other language runtimes on the JVM. Our experimental result shows that exceptionization accelerates the performance of several non-Java languages. For example, JavaScript-on-JVM runs faster by as much as 60% and by 6% on average, when experimented with the Octane benchmark suite on Oracle’s latest Nashorn JavaScript engine and HotSpot 1.9 JVM. Furthermore, the performance of Ruby-on-JVM shows an improvement by as much as 60% and by 6% on average, while Python-on-JVM improves by as much as 6% and by 2% on average. We found that exceptionization is more effective to apply to the branch bytecode of the language runtime itself than the bytecode corresponding to the application code or the bytecode of the Java class libraries. This implies that the performance benefit of exceptionization comes from better JIT compilation of the language runtime of non-Java languages.
A Randomized Rounding Algorithm for Sparse PCA
Authors: Fountoulakis Kimon , Kundu Abhisek , Kontopoulou Eugenia-Maria , Drineas Petros
Published: April 2017

We present and analyze a simple, two-step algorithm to approximate the optimal solution of the sparse PCA problem. In the proposed approach, we first solve an ℓ
1
-penalized version of the NP-hard sparse PCA optimization problem and then we use a randomized rounding strategy to sparsify the resulting dense solution. Our main theoretical result guarantees an additive error approximation and provides a tradeoff between sparsity and accuracy. Extensive experimental evaluation indicates that the proposed approach is competitive in practice, even compared to state-of-the-art toolboxes such as Spasm.
Determinants of hypoxia-inducible factor activity in the intestinal mucosa
Authors: Fagundes Raphael R. , Taylor Cormac T.
Published: April 2017

The intestinal mucosa is exposed to fluctuations in oxygen levels due to constantly changing rates of oxygen demand and supply and its juxtaposition with the anoxic environment of the intestinal lumen. This frequently results in a state of hypoxia in the healthy mucosa even in the physiologic state. Furthermore, pathophysiologic hypoxia (which is more severe and extensive) is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), a ubiquitously expressed regulator of cellular adaptation to hypoxia, is central to both the adaptive and the inflammatory responses of cells of the intestinal mucosa in IBD patients. In this review, we discuss the microenvironmental factors which influence the level of HIF activity in healthy and inflamed intestinal mucosae and the consequences that increased HIF activity has for tissue function and disease progression.
Increased PD-1+ and TIM-3+ TILs during Cetuximab Therapy Inversely Correlate with Response in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Authors: Jie Hyun-Bae , Srivastava Raghvendra M. , Argiris Athanassios , Bauman Julie E. , Kane Lawrence P. , Ferris Robert L.
Published: April 2017

Despite emerging appreciation for the important role of immune checkpoint receptors in regulating the effector functions of T cells, it is unknown whether their expression is involved in determining the clinical outcome in response to cetuximab therapy. We examined the expression patterns of immune checkpoint receptors (including PD-1, CTLA-4, and TIM-3) and cytolytic molecules (including granzyme B and perforin) of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and compared them with those of peripheral blood T lymphocytes (PBL) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNSCC) during cetuximab therapy. The frequency of PD-1 and TIM-3 expression was significantly increased in CD8+ TILs compared with CD8+ PBLs (P = 0.008 and P = 0.02, respectively). This increased CD8+ TIL population coexpressed granzyme B/perforin and PD-1/TIM-3, which suggests a regulatory role for these immune checkpoint receptors in cetuximab-promoting cytolytic activities of CD8+ TILs. Indeed, the increased frequency of PD-1+ and TIM-3+ CD8+ TILs was inversely correlated with clinical outcome of cetuximab therapy. These findings support the use of PD-1 and TIM-3 as biomarkers to reflect immune status of CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment during cetuximab therapy. Blockade of these immune checkpoint receptors might enhance cetuximab-based cancer immunotherapy to reverse CD8+ TIL dysfunction, thus potentially improving clinical outcomes of HNSCC patients. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(5); 408–16. ©2017 AACR.
TNF-α Promoter Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Berkoviç Maja , Čačev Tamara , Zjačiç-Rotkviç Vanja , Kapitanoviç Sanja
Published: April 2017

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) secrete biogenic amines, hormones and growth factors, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) being one of them. As the expression of TNF-α is mostly regulated at the transcriptional level, its promoter polymorphisms have been intensively studied as a potential determinant of TNF-α production and cancer susceptibility. We have analyzed for the first time the potential association between -238, -308, -857 and -1031 TNF-α promoter polymorphisms and GEP-NETs. The study included 65 individuals diagnosed with GEP-NET and 154 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Although most of the patients had solitary GEP-NETs, 6 were diagnosed with GEP-NET as a part of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and 1 as a part of neurofibromatosis type 1. The C allele at the -1031 position was more frequent in GEP-NET patients (p < 0.0005), suggesting its possible role in GEP-NET development. The significant difference between foregut and midgut GEP-NET patients was observed in the -308 high expression genotypes and -308A allele (high expression) which tend to occur more frequently in the foregut GEP-NETs (p = 0.0392 and p = 0.0350, respectively). When functional and nonfunctional pancreatic endocrine tumors were compared, there were no significant differences in the researched TNF-α SNPs. The results suggest the putative role of TNF-α -1031 polymorphism in the development of GEP-NET.
Peritoneal Dialysis in Patients with Primary Cardiac Failure Complicated by Renal Failure
Authors: Cnossen T.T. , Kooman J.P. , Konings C.J.A.M. , Uszko-Lencer N.H.M.K. , Leunissen K.M.L. , van der Sande F.M.
Published: April 2017

Background/Aims: Clinical outcome in cardiorenal syndrome type II and treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). Methods: Retrospective analysis over a period of 10 years. Results: Twenty-four patients with mean age at start of dialysis of 67 ± 10 years had mean survival on dialysis of 1.03 ± 0.84 years (median survival 1.0 year). The number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes were reduced (13.7 ± 26.5 predialysis vs. 3.5 ± 8.8 days/patient/month postdialysis, p = 0.001). Patients who survived longer than the median survival time (n = 12) also had a reduced number of hospitalizations for all causes (3.7 ± 3.8 predialysis vs. 1.4 ± 2.1 days/patient/month postdialysis, p = 0.041), a lower age (62 ± 10 vs. 71 ± 8 years, p = 0.013) and fewer had diabetes (2 vs. 7 patients, p = 0.039), but left ventricular ejection fraction was not different. Conclusion: After starting PD for cardiorenal syndrome, hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes were reduced for all patients. Survival after starting PD is highly variable. Age and diabetes seem to be significant prognostic factors, but not left ventricular ejection fraction.
Wärmeanwendungen unter Berücksichtigung der Wärmeregulation - Teil 2
Authors: Pecher Otto , Zeiger Thomas , Schobersberger Wolfgang
Published: April 2017

Wärmeanwendungen sind in der Krankheitsprävention und zur Linderung vielfältiger Beschwerden ein fester Bestandteil unserer Kultur. Durch die Fortschritte der Medizin wurden Wärmeanwendungen als therapeutisches Verfahren in Randgebiete verdrängt. Mit dem demographischen Wandel, der Zunahme chronischer und vor allem stoffwechselbedingter Erkrankungen sowie durch den Kostendruck im Gesundheitswesen wächst jedoch das Interesse an diesen Verfahren bei Betroffenen sowie auch in der Medizin. Neben der Konduktion und Konvektion werden im privaten und medizinischen Umfeld radiative Verfahren genutzt. Die Wirkung der Wärmeapplikation ist unabhängig vom Medium mit reflektorischen Reaktionen (Muskelentspannung und Schmerzlinderung) sowie Effekten auf Basis der Durchblutungserhöhung und der Temperaturerhöhung im Gewebe erklärbar. Da Wärme im Körper praktisch ausschliesslich mittels Konvektion über das Blut verteilt werden kann, erklärt sich der Einfluss auf das Herzkreislaufsystem. Unter Berücksichtigung der Wärmeregulationsmechanismen lassen sich drei Prinzipien unterscheiden. Die Wärmeapplikation oberhalb, innerhalb und unterhalb der Thermoneutralzone differieren jeweils hinsichtlich der Herzkreislaufbelastung und der Wärmeverteilung. Mit Wärmeanwendungen sind allerdings auch Gefahren verbunden - vor allem, wenn die Wärmeregulation durch Erkrankungen oder Medikationen auf zentraler oder lokaler Ebene gestört ist. Dies geschieht vor allem in Hinblick auf die Herzkreislaufbelastung und auf thermische Schädigungen der Haut. Daher sind Wärmeapplikationssysteme zu fordern, die den Wärmefluss individuell an die Wärmeaufnahmefähigkeit des Körpers anpassen (SensoCare®). Als Regelgrösse kann dazu die kontinuierliche Messung der Hauteigentemperatur genutzt werden, um eine effiziente und sichere Wärmeanwendung zu ermöglichen.
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in Primary Peritoneal Cancer
Authors: Kim Ki Hyang
Published: April 2017

Wernicke encephalopathy is a disease that constitutes a medical emergency, but one that can be reversed with thiamine repletion if it is recognized early. Patients with cancer have a high risk of Wernicke encephalopathy because of malnutrition, the use of chemotherapeutic agents, and disease progression. Korsakoff syndrome can follow or accompany Wernicke encephalopathy. Although patients can recover from Wernicke encephalopathy via rapid repletion of thiamine, few patients recover from Korsakoff syndrome. Here, the case of a 76-year-old female patient who had primary peritoneal cancer and developed Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome as a result of prolonged nutritional imbalance and fast-growing tumor cells is reported. The patient's neurologic symptoms improved, but she did not recover from the psychiatric effects of the disease.
Rotigotine Transdermal Patch for the Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome
Authors: Ratti Pietro Lucca , Rey María Verónica , Rascol Olivier , Perez-Lloret Santiago
Published: April 2017

Rotigotine, a nonergot dopamine agonist, has been developed as a novel transdermal formulation. The rotigotine transdermal patch has received EMA and FDA marketing authorization for the treatment of adult patients with early or advanced Parkinson's disease or with moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome (RLS). This review comprises an overview of the pharmacokinetics, the pharmacodynamics and the clinical efficacy and safety of the rotigotine transdermal patch for RLS. Its source material was identified by a PubMed search for the terms ‘rotigotine' and ‘RLS'. The rotigotine transdermal patch demonstrates clinical efficacy alongside a good tolerability profile. Application site reactions were the most frequent adverse events, and they were considered mild to moderate in the majority of cases. In summary, the rotigotine transdermal patch offers a safe and efficacious alternative for the treatment of RLS. Further studies should focus on the possibility that continuous dopamine stimulation by means of transdermal patches might have an influence on RLS augmentation rates.
Rapid Treatment of Waist Pain by Nanoscale Electric Stimulation
Authors: Lee Jaehwi , Cho Jae Youl , Kim Kyoung Won
Published: April 2017

The primary purpose of the study was to examine the ability of thin aluminum and copper bands to treat difficulties in moving, such as walking, standing and sitting, due to waist pain. The mechanism behind this therapy is a very weak nanoscale electrical stimulation caused by the electric current flow between aluminum and copper due to a difference in ionization tendency and electronegativity. The bands were firmly attached at the specified area, which was carefully selected based on the nerve connection of the human body. Prompt improvement in those having moving difficulties could be observed. More clinical trials are being conducted to analyze the rapid effect of nanoelectric current on the treatment of pain.
Oral Loading of Sodium Valproate Compared to Intravenous Loading and Oral Maintenance in Acutely Manic Bipolar Patients
Authors: Ghaleiha Ali , Haghighi Mohammad , Sharifmehr Mehdi , Jahangard Leila , Ahmadpanah Mohammad , Bajoghli Hafez , Holsboer-Trachsler Edith , Brand Serge
Published: April 2017

Background: In patients suffering from bipolar disorders (BPD), we explored to what extent oral loading of sodium valproate (SV) leads to more rapid symptom improvement compared to intravenous loading and oral maintenance administration. Methods: Ninety patients (mean age: 35.00 years) with BPD and currently in an acute manic state were randomly assigned to one of three study conditions: oral loading (20 mg/kg oral single-dose SV on the first day, then 10-15 mg/kg SV daily, divided dose), intravenous loading (20 mg/kg SV intravenous injection on the first day, then 10-15 mg/kg orally, divided dose), or oral maintenance administration (15-20 mg/kg SV daily from the beginning) over the first 7 days of treatment. SV plasma levels, side effects and symptoms were evaluated at baseline and on days 1, 3, and 7 after commencing treatment. Results: There were significant Time-by-Group interactions for symptom improvements, symptom severity, and SV plasma levels, with positive values in the oral and intravenous loading conditions, compared to the oral maintenance condition. Post hoc analyses showed that oral and intravenous conditions led to similar improvements. Conclusions: Both oral and intravenous loading of SV led to quicker and more efficient improvement and SV plasma levels as compared to an oral maintenance regimen.
Frequency and Molecular Characteristics of Calreticulin Gene (CALR) Mutations in Patients with JAK2-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Authors: Wojtaszewska Marzena , Iwoła Małgorzata , Lewandowski Krzysztof
Published: April 2017

In 2013, Nangalia et al. and Klampfl et al. found a recurrent and abundant mutation in the calreticulin gene (CALR), mutually exclusive with JAK2 and MPL alterations. At present, the data concerning the new mutation, i.e. its prevalence, allele burden and clinical significance, are scarce. We report the incidence and molecular characteristics of CALR mutations in a group of 184 Polish patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Clinical data analysis revealed significant differences between JAK2 V617F-mutated and CALR-mutated groups. In essential thrombocythemia patients, hemoglobin levels and leukocyte counts were significantly higher in JAK2-positive than in CALR-positive patients (p = 0.023 and p = 0.017, respectively), but the CALR-positive patients had significantly higher platelet counts (p = 0.022). Patients harboring CALR mutations were also younger at the time of diagnosis (p = 0.039). In primary myelofibrosis patients, the degree of anemia was less severe in those who were CALR exon 9 mutation-positive than in those who were JAK2 V617F-positive (p = 0.048). © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
Does the Primo Vascular System Originate from the Polar Body
Authors: Avijgan Majid , Avijgan Mahtab
Published: April 2017

Background: Polar bodies degenerate on the first day of embryonic life, and there is no known or specific role for them in the human embryo yet. However, it is not logical to have useless cells. Our previous reports indicated a role for the primo vascular system (PVS) in human beings. There is a possible link between polar bodies and the PVS in embryonic life. Methods: The following databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles in English: Cochrane Collaboration, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, Age line, and Social Services Abstracts. Our search included the following key words individually or in combination: alternative medicine(s), integrated medicine, holistic care, complementary alternative medicine, embryology, traditional Chinese medicine, traditional medicine, PVS, Bong Han duct in relation to polar bodies. Results: There are no reports relating polar bodies to our keywords. Conclusion: The PVS has been suggested to be responsible for embryonic development. This system contains some pluripotent cells and proteins, some of which are not even present in the blood circulation in chicken embryos. The system becomes only visible after staining with trypan blue. Accordingly, this report tries to present the PVS as the ruler of embryonic cell division and development, which regulates all complicated events during that period of life. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report suggesting that embryonic development is controlled via the PVS, which originates from polar bodies. i 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel
Uric Acid Is Associated With Inflammatory Biomarkers and Induces Inflammation Via Activating the NF-κB Signaling Pathway in HepG2 Cells
Authors: Spiga Rosangela , Marini Maria Adelaide , Mancuso Elettra , Di Fatta Concetta , Fuoco Anastasia , Perticone Francesco , Andreozzi Francesco , Mannino Gaia Chiara , Sesti Giorgio
Published: April 2017

Objective—

Serum uric acid (UA) has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. However, the causal mechanisms linking elevated UA levels to cardio-metabolic diseases are still unsettled. One potential explanation for how UA might contribute to cardio-metabolic disease might be its ability to induce systemic inflammation.

Approach and Results—

Herein, we report a positive relationship between serum UA and acute-phase reactants, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, ferritin, complement C3, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, in a cohort of 2731 nondiabetic adults. The relationship remains significant after adjustment for several confounders, including age, sex, adiposity, anti-hypertensive treatments or diuretics use. To confirm the existence of a causal relationship, we examined the effect of UA on the expression of inflammatory biomarkers in human hepatoma HepG2 cells and characterized the signaling pathway by which UA acts. We show that UA stimulates the expression of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, ferritin, and complement C3 in a dose-dependent fashion. The proinflammatory effects of UA were abrogated by benzbromarone, a specific inhibitor of UA transporters. Exposure of cells to UA resulted in activation of the IκB kinase/IκBα/NF-κB signaling pathway that was attenuated by benzbromarone. The effect of UA was completely blocked by the antioxidant
N
-acetylcysteine.

Conclusions—

These in vivo and in vitro data suggest that hyperuricemia might induce the expression of hepatic inflammatory molecules by activating the proinflammatory NF-κB signaling cascade. Because inflammation has an important pathogenetic role in metabolic and cardiovascular disease, our study may help understanding the mechanism by which hyperuricemia may contribute to organ damage.
Premature Ventricular Contraction Coupling Interval Variability Destabilizes Cardiac Neuronal and Electrophysiological Control
Authors: Hamon David , Rajendran Pradeep S. , Chui Ray W. , Ajijola Olujimi A. , Irie Tadanobu , Talebi Ramin , Salavatian Siamak , Vaseghi Marmar , Bradfield Jason S. , Armour J. Andrew , Ardell Jeffrey L. , Shivkumar Kalyanam
Published: April 2017

Background—

Variability in premature ventricular contraction (PVC) coupling interval (CI) increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and sudden death. The autonomic nervous system regulates cardiac electrical and mechanical indices, and its dysregulation plays an important role in cardiac disease pathogenesis. The impact of PVCs on the intrinsic cardiac nervous system, a neural network on the heart, remains unknown. The objective was to determine the effect of PVCs and CI on intrinsic cardiac nervous system function in generating cardiac neuronal and electric instability using a novel cardioneural mapping approach.

Methods and Results—

In a porcine model (n=8), neuronal activity was recorded from a ventricular ganglion using a microelectrode array, and cardiac electrophysiological mapping was performed. Neurons were functionally classified based on their response to afferent and efferent cardiovascular stimuli, with neurons that responded to both defined as convergent (local reflex processors). Dynamic changes in neuronal activity were then evaluated in response to right ventricular outflow tract PVCs with fixed short, fixed long, and variable CI. PVC delivery elicited a greater neuronal response than all other stimuli (
P
<0.001). Compared with fixed short and long CI, PVCs with variable CI had a greater impact on neuronal response (
P
<0.05 versus short CI), particularly on convergent neurons (
P
<0.05), as well as neurons receiving sympathetic (
P
<0.05) and parasympathetic input (
P
<0.05). The greatest cardiac electric instability was also observed after variable (short) CI PVCs.

Conclusions—

Variable CI PVCs affect critical populations of intrinsic cardiac nervous system neurons and alter cardiac repolarization. These changes may be critical for arrhythmogenesis and remodeling, leading to cardiomyopathy.
Disease Severity and Exercise Testing Reduce Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Left Sternal ECG Screening Success in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Srinivasan Neil T. , Patel Kiran H. , Qamar Kashif , Taylor Amy , Bacà Marco , Providência Rui , Tome-Esteban Maria , Elliott Perry M. , Lambiase Pier D.
Published: April 2017

Background—

The features of the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) ECG make it a challenge for subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) screening. We aimed to investigate the causes of screening failure at rest and on exercise to inform optimal S-ICD ECG vector development.

Methods and Results—

One hundred and thirty-one HCM patients (age, 50±16 years; 92 males and 39 females) with ≥1 HCM risk factor for sudden death underwent S-ICD ECG screening at rest and on exercise. Fifty patients (38%) were ineligible for S-ICD because of screening failure in every lead vector: 33 (66%) failed in the supine position, 12 (24%) failed in the standing position, and 5 (10%) failed on exercise. In patients who could exercise and passed screening at rest, 31 (44%) had 1 vector safety, 16 (23%) had 2 vector safety, and 24 (33%) had 3 vector safety. Increased R:T wave ratio in the S-ICD screening ECG (odds ratio, 4.0; confidence interval, 3.0–5.3;
P
<0.001) was associated with screening failure, while R/T ratio <3 in aVF (odds ratio, 0.3; confidence interval, 0.12–0.69;
P
=0.006) and increasing age (odds ratio, 0.97; confidence interval, 0.95–0.99;
P
=0.03) was associated with reduced screening failure. European Society of Cardiology risk score was higher in those failing screening (risk score 5.5% [interquartile range, 3.2–8.7] in failed versus 4.5% [interquartile range, 2.9–7.4] in passed;
P
=0.04).

Conclusions—

HCM patients have a significant incidence of screening failure, which is determined primarily by the increased R:T ratio on the screening ECG and lead aVF. High-risk patients have an increased screening failure rate. Optimization of sensing algorithms is required to ensure that the highest risk HCM patients can benefit from S-ICD implantation.
Nonfamilial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ingles Jodie , Burns Charlotte , Bagnall Richard D. , Lam Lien , Yeates Laura , Sarina Tanya , Puranik Rajesh , Briffa Tom , Atherton John J. , Driscoll Tim , Semsarian Christopher
Published: April 2017

Background—

Yield of causative variants in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is increased in some probands, suggesting different clinical subgroups of disease occur. We hypothesized that a negative family history and no sarcomere mutations represent a nonfamilial subgroup of HCM. We sought to determine the prevalence, natural history, and potential clinical implications of this nonfamilial subgroup of HCM.

Methods and Results—

Four hundred and thirteen unrelated probands with HCM seen in a specialized HCM center between 2002 and 2015 and genetic testing performed were included in this retrospective cohort study. There were 251 (61%) probands with no reported family history of HCM, including 166 (40% of total) probands with no sarcomere mutation, that is, nonfamilial HCM. Quantified family pedigree data revealed no difference in mean number of first-degree relatives screened between nonfamilial and sarcomere-positive groups. Adjusted predictors of nonfamilial status were older age (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.06;
P
=0.0001), male sex (odds ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–3.45;
P
=0.02), hypertension (odds ratio, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.57–5.00;
P
=0.0005), and nonasymmetric septal morphology (odds ratio, 3.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.64–7.08;
P
=0.001). They had a less severe clinical course with greater event-free survival from major cardiac events (
P
=0.04) compared with sarcomere-positive HCM probands. Genotype prediction scores showed good performance in identifying genotype-positive patients (area under the curve, 0.71–0.75) and, in combination with pedigree characteristics, were further improved.

Conclusions—

Approximately 40% of HCM probands have a nonfamilial subtype, with later onset and less severe clinical course. We propose a revised clinical pathway for management, highlighting the role of genetic testing, a detailed pedigree, and refined clinical surveillance recommendations for family members.
Heritability of the Severity of the Metabolic Syndrome in Whites and Blacks in 3 Large Cohorts
Authors: Musani Solomon K. , Martin Lisa J. , Woo Jessica G. , Olivier Michael , Gurka Matthew J. , DeBoer Mark D.
Published: April 2017

Background—

Although dichotomous criteria for the metabolic syndrome (MetS) appear heritable, it is not known whether MetS severity as assessed by a continuous MetS score is heritable and whether this varies by race.

Methods and Results—

We used SOLAR (Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routines) to evaluate heritability of Adult Treatment Panel-III MetS and a sex- and race-specific MetS severity
Z
score among 3 large familial cohorts: the JHS (Jackson Heart Study, 1404 black participants), TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 1947 white participants), and PLRS (Princeton Lipid Research Study, 229 black and 527 white participants). Heritability estimates were larger for Adult Treatment Panel-III MetS among black compared with white cohort members (JHS 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28–0.68 and PLRS blacks 0.93 [95% CI, 0.73–1.13] versus TOPS 0.21 [95% CI, −0.18 to 0.60] and PLRS whites 0.27 [95% CI, −0.04 to 0.58]). The difference by race narrowed when assessing heritability of the MetS severity score (JHS 0.52 [95% CI, 0.38, 0.66] and PLRS blacks 0.64 [95% CI, 0.13–1.15] versus TOPS 0.23 [95% CI, 0.15–0.31] and PLRS whites 0.60 [95% CI, 0.33–0.87]). There was a high degree of genetic and phenotypic correlation between MetS severity and the individual components of MetS among all groups, although the genetic correlations failed to reach statistical significance among PLRS blacks. Meta-analyses revealed a combined heritability estimate for Adult Treatment Panel-III MetS of 0.24 (95% CI, 0.11–0.36) and for the MetS severity score of 0.50 (95% CI, −0.05 to 0.99).

Conclusions—

MetS severity seems highly heritable among whites and blacks. This continuous MetS severity
Z
score may provide a more useful means of characterizing phenotypic MetS in genetic studies by minimizing racial differences.
Postoperative Infection in Developing World Congenital Heart Surgery Programs
Authors: Sen Amitabh Chanchal , Morrow Debra Forbes , Balachandran Rakhi , Du Xinwei , Gauvreau Kimberlee , Jagannath Byalal R. , Kumar Raman Krishna , Kupiec Jennifer Koch , Melgar Monica L. , Chau Nguyen Tran , Potter-Bynoe Gail , Tamariz-Cruz Orlando , Jenkins Kathy J.
Published: April 2017

Background—

Postoperative infections contribute substantially to morbidity and mortality after congenital heart disease surgery and are often preventable. We sought to identify risk factors for postoperative infection and the impact on outcomes after congenital heart surgery, using data from the International Quality Improvement Collaborative for Congenital Heart Surgery in Developing World Countries.

Methods and Results—

Pediatric cardiac surgical cases performed between 2010 and 2012 at 27 participating sites in 16 developing countries were included. Key variables were audited during site visits. Demographics, preoperative, procedural, surgical complexity, and outcome data were analyzed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify risk factors for infection, including bacterial sepsis and surgical site infection, and other clinical outcomes. Standardized infection ratios were computed to track progress over time. Of 14 545 cases, 793 (5.5%) had bacterial sepsis and 306 (2.1%) had surgical site infection. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher among cases with infection than among those without infection (16.7% versus 5.3%;
P
<0.001), as were postoperative ventilation duration (80 versus 14 hours;
P
<0.001) and intensive care unit stay (216 versus 68 hours;
P
<0.001). Younger age at surgery, higher surgical complexity, lower oxygen saturation, and major medical illness were independent risk factors for infection. The overall standardized infection ratio was 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.73) in 2011 and 0.59 (95% confidence interval, 0.54–0.64) in 2012, compared with that in 2010.

Conclusions—

Postoperative infections contribute to mortality and morbidity after congenital heart surgery. Younger, more complex patients are at particular risk. Quality improvement targeted at infection risk may reduce morbidity and mortality in the developing world.
Lag Synchronization Criteria for Memristor-Based Coupled Neural Networks via Parameter Mismatches Analysis Approach
Authors: Li Ning , Cao Jinde , Alsaedi Ahmed , Alsaadi Fuad
Published: April 2017

This letter focuses on lag synchronization control analysis for memristor-based coupled neural networks with parameter mismatches. Due to the parameter mismatches, lag complete synchronization in general cannot be achieved. First, based on the [Formula: see text]-measure method, generalized Halanay inequality, together with control algorithms, some sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure that coupled memristor-based neural networks are in a state of lag synchronization with an error. Moreover, the error level is estimated. Second, we show that memristor-based coupled neural networks with parameter mismatches can reach lag complete synchronization under a discontinuous controller. Finally, two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed criteria and well support theoretical results.
Information Rate Analysis of a Synaptic Release Site Using a Two-State Model of Short-Term Depression
Authors: Salmasi Mehrdad , Stemmler Martin , Glasauer Stefan , Loebel Alex
Published: April 2017

Synapses are the communication channels for information transfer between neurons; these are the points at which pulse-like signals are converted into the stochastic release of quantized amounts of chemical neurotransmitter. At many synapses, prior neuronal activity depletes synaptic resources, depressing subsequent responses of both spontaneous and spike-evoked releases. We analytically compute the information transmission rate of a synaptic release site, which we model as a binary asymmetric channel. Short-term depression is incorporated by assigning the channel a memory of depth one. A successful release, whether spike evoked or spontaneous, decreases the probability of a subsequent release; if no release occurs on the following time step, the release probabilities recover back to their default values. We prove that synaptic depression can increase the release site’s information rate if spontaneous release is more strongly depressed than spike-evoked release. When depression affects spontaneous and evoked release equally, the information rate must invariably decrease, even when the rate is normalized by the resources used for synaptic transmission. For identical depression levels, we analytically disprove the hypothesis, at least in this simplified model, that synaptic depression serves energy- and information-efficient encoding.
Olfactory Recognition Based on EEG Gamma-Band Activity
Authors: Aydemir Onder
Published: April 2017

There are various kinds of brain monitoring techniques, including local field potential, near-infrared spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography, functional MRI, electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography. Among those techniques, EEG is the most widely used one due to its portability, low setup cost, and noninvasiveness. Apart from other advantages, EEG signals also help to evaluate the ability of the smelling organ. In such studies, EEG signals, which are recorded during smelling, are analyzed to determine the subject lacks any smelling ability or to measure the response of the brain. The main idea of this study is to show the emotional difference in EEG signals during perception of valerian, lotus flower, cheese, and rosewater odors by the EEG gamma wave. The proposed method was applied to the EEG signals, which were taken from five healthy subjects in the conditions of eyes open and eyes closed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In order to represent the signals, we extracted features from the gamma band of the EEG trials by continuous wavelet transform with the selection of Morlet as a wavelet function. Then the [Formula: see text]-nearest neighbor algorithm was implemented as the classifier for recognizing the EEG trials as valerian, lotus flower, cheese, and rosewater. We achieved an average classification accuracy rate of 87.50% with the 4.3 standard deviation value for the subjects in eyes-open condition and an average classification accuracy rate of 94.12% with the 2.9 standard deviation value for the subjects in eyes-closed condition. The results prove that the proposed continuous wavelet transform–based feature extraction method has great potential to classify the EEG signals recorded during smelling of the present odors. It has been also established that gamma-band activity of the brain is highly associated with olfaction.
Local Intrinsic Dimension Estimation by Generalized Linear Modeling
Authors: Hino Hideitsu , Fujiki Jun , Akaho Shotaro , Murata Noboru
Published: April 2017

We propose a method for intrinsic dimension estimation. By fitting the power of distance from an inspection point and the number of samples included inside a ball with a radius equal to the distance, to a regression model, we estimate the goodness of fit. Then, by using the maximum likelihood method, we estimate the local intrinsic dimension around the inspection point. The proposed method is shown to be comparable to conventional methods in global intrinsic dimension estimation experiments. Furthermore, we experimentally show that the proposed method outperforms a conventional local dimension estimation method.
A Customized Attention-Based Long Short-Term Memory Network for Distant Supervised Relation Extraction
Authors: He Dengchao , Zhang Hongjun , Hao Wenning , Zhang Rui , Cheng Kai
Published: April 2017

Distant supervision, a widely applied approach in the field of relation extraction can automatically generate large amounts of labeled training corpus with minimal manual effort. However, the labeled training corpus may have many false-positive data, which would hurt the performance of relation extraction. Moreover, in traditional feature-based distant supervised approaches, extraction models adopt human design features with natural language processing. It may also cause poor performance. To address these two shortcomings, we propose a customized attention-based long short-term memory network. Our approach adopts word-level attention to achieve better data representation for relation extraction without manually designed features to perform distant supervision instead of fully supervised relation extraction, and it utilizes instance-level attention to tackle the problem of false-positive data. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach is effective and achieves better performance than traditional methods.
Low infection prevalence of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Chytridiomycetes: Rhizophydiales) in Cuba
Authors: Sabino-Pinto Joana , Bletz Molly C. , Iturriaga Manuel , Vences Miguel , Rodríguez Ariel
Published: April 2017

The chytrid fungusBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) is responsible for population declines and extinctions of amphibians worldwide. The distribution and prevalence ofBdin Cuba has remained unknown to date, with only a single report on its presence. We collected 182 samples from wild anuran populations across 21 species and 16 localities and tested for the presence ofBdusing qPCRs. Only sixBdpositive samples from four species were detected in three very close localities in Central Cuba.Bdprevalence was of 10-20% in the positive localities, and the island-wide prevalence was only 3.2%. These results indicate thatBdoccurrence in Cuba might be concentrated in or even restricted to the central Guamuhaya Massif and call for increased conservation and monitoring efforts in these mountains along with additional sampling in areas and species not covered in this study.
Philip ii of Spain and His Italian Jewish Spy
Authors: Cassen Flora
Published: April 2017

A bitter conflict between the Spanish and Ottoman empires dominated the second half of the sixteenth century. In this early modern “global” conflict, intelligence played a key role. The Duchy of Milan, home to Simon Sacerdoti (c.1540-1600), a Jew, had fallen to Spain. The fate that usually awaited Jews living on Spanish lands was expulsion—and there were signs to suggest that King Philip ii (1527-1598) might travel down that road. Sacerdoti, the scion of one of Milan’s wealthiest and best-connected Jewish families had access to secret information through various contacts in Italy and North-Africa. Such intelligence was highly valuable to Spanish forces, and Philip ii was personally interested in it. However, this required Sacerdoti to serve an empire—Spain—with a long history of harming the Jews, and to spy on the Ottomans, widely considered as the Jews’ supporters at the time. This article offers a reflection on Simon Sacerdoti’s story. Examining how a Jew became part of the Spanish intelligence agency helps us understand how early modern secret information networks functioned and sheds new light on questions of Jewish identity in a time of uprootedness and competing loyalties.
Lenin, (Just) Wars of National Liberation, and the Soviet Doctrine on the Use of Force
Authors: Socher Johannes
Published: April 2017

Today, the prohibition of the use of force is universally accepted as a norm of customary international law. Nevertheless, several exceptions are discussed in international law scholarship. One of them, wars of national liberation, originates in Lenin’s socialist war theory and was subsequently maintained by the former Soviet doctrine of international law. Little known in western academia, this Soviet argument of national liberation struggles to be ‘just wars’ is still alive in Russian international law scholarship today, and, therefore, a lasting legacy of Lenin’s theory of wars of national liberation in international legal discourse as developed around the time of the Russian Revolution (even if sometimes ignored) may be conceded.
The Soviet Approach to the Right of Peoples to Self-determination: Russia’s Farewell to jus publicum europaeum
Authors: Mälksoo Lauri
Published: April 2017

The aim of this article is to explore the theory and practice of the Soviet position on the right of peoples to self-determination in 1917 and afterwards. It is a misunderstanding to mention Lenin’s (the Bolsheviks’) and Wilson’s concepts of self-determination in one breath, as ‘precursors’ in international law. The Soviet concept of the right of peoples to self-determination was adopted for tactical and propagandistic purposes, and it had little in common with the liberal democratic concept of this right that saw the right of peoples to self-determination as an end in itself. The real contribution of the Russian Bolsheviks to the history of international law has, to some extent, been overlooked. Throughout the 20th century, the West and the ussr had different regional standards and usages of the right of peoples to self-determination, thus presenting a continuous challenge to the idea of the universality of international law.
Islam, Impero ottomano e nazionalismo nell’opera di Muṣṭafà Kāmil. Un equilibrio impossibile
Authors: Torre Domenico
Published: April 2017

The purpose of this paper is to examine the complex balance between nationalist tendencies and loyalty to the Ottoman Empire in the works of the Egyptian politician Muṣṭafà Kāmil (1874-1908). More specifically, this analysis tries to understand how the young author, despite the controversial aspects of his experience as activist, managed to establish one of the most powerful theories in early Egyptian nationalism. Islam and patriotism, Western influences and chauvinism—all these elements blended together in a totally new approach to that debate on communal identity which involved the Arab world from the last decades of 19th century, modifying also the political vocabulary used by Egypt’s intellectual elites.