bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
mMrgprA3/mMrgprC11/hMrgprX1: Potential therapeutic targets for allergic contact dermatitis–induced pruritus in mice and humans
Authors: Li Fengxian , Wang Changming , Hu Danyou , Zhang Xinyu , Shen Ran , Zhou Yuan , Yang Yan , Zhu Chan , Tang Zongxiang , Yu Guang
Published: January 2022

Background

Although the Mas‐related G‐protein–coupled receptors (Mrgprs) play essential roles in itch detection, their contribution to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD)–associated itch remains unclear.

Objectives

To investigate whether Mrgprs are involved in ACD and whether Mrgprs can be identified as potential therapeutic targets.

Methods

Mrgpr‐clusterΔ–/– mice and human MrgprX1 (hMrgprX1) transgenic mice were used to evaluate the function of Mrgprs in oxazolone‐induced ACD.

Results

Utilizing an ACD model, we found that Mrgpr‐clusterΔ–/– mice display significantly reduced pruritus. Among 12 Mrgprs deleted in Mrgpr‐clusterΔ–/– mice, the expression of MrgprC11 and MrgprA3 was significantly increased in the ACD model, which also innervated the skin and spinal cord at higher‐than‐normal densities. The proportions of dorsal root ganglia neurons responding to bovine adrenal medulla peptide 8‐22 and chloroquine were also remarkably increased in the ACD model, resulting in enhanced itch behaviour. To study the function of human Mrgprs in ACD‐induced itch, we used hMrgprX1 transgenic mice, which rescued the severe itch defect of Mrgpr‐clusterΔ–/– mice in the ACD model. Remarkably, pharmacological blockade of hMrgprX1 significantly attenuates ACD itch in hMrgprX1 transgenic mouse.

Conclusions

Our study provides the first evidence that Mrgprs are involved in ACD‐induced chronic itch, which provides new avenues for itch management in ACD.
When Unequals Compete: Where Do They Stand After the Competition?
Authors: Hart Einav , Avrahami Judith , Kareev Yaakov
Published: January 2022

When two unequals compete, the stronger, more able, richer competitor commonly stands a better chance of winning. If the stronger competitor does win, this worsens the relative status of the weaker competitor even further. Does this result depend on the type of competition? Does it depend on the size of the reward to be won? In the present paper, we report an experimental study of how a very simple competitive mechanism can affect the relative standing of the weaker, poorer of two competitors. In a lab experiment with 208 participants, we employed competitions with different levels of uncertainty in how a winner was determined and with different sizes of rewards to be won, to explore effects on the relative standing of the weaker and stronger competitors. We used an investment game in which participants differing in their endowed budgets competed against one another, forfeiting their investment whether they won or lost. Two versions of the game were used: a simple all‐pay‐auction contest and a non‐constant‐sum Colonel Blotto contest (Roberson & Kvasov, 2012), both with players that were unequal in their budgets. Results revealed that, in line with published game‐theoretic solutions, the relative standing of the weaker agents worsened following competition, and increasingly so the higher the rewards. At the same time, the effect was mitigated in the variant of the Colonel Blotto game, which involved more uncertainty in how the winner was determined.
Dream Interpretation from a Cognitive and Cultural Evolutionary Perspective: The Case of Oneiromancy in Traditional China
Authors: Hong Ze
Published: January 2022

Why did people across the world and throughout history believe that dreams can foretell what will occur in the future? In this paper, I attempt to answer this question within a cultural evolutionary framework by emphasizing the cognitive aspect of dream interpretation; namely, the fact that dreams were often viewed as significant and interpretable has to do with various psychological and social factors that influence how people obtain and process information regarding the validity of dream interpretation as a technique. Through a comprehensive analysis of a large dataset of dream occurrences in the official Chinese historical records, I argue that the ubiquity and persistence of dream interpretation have a strong empirical component (predictively accurate dream cases), which is particularly vulnerable to transmission errors and biases. The overwhelmingly successful records of dream prediction in transmitted texts, I suggest, is largely due to the fabrication and retrospective inference of past dreams, as well as the under‐reporting of predictive failures. These “positive data” then reinforce individuals’ confidence in the predictive power of dreams. I finally show a potential decline of the popularity of dream interpretation in traditional China and offer a few suggestive explanations drawing on the unique characteristics of oneiromancy compared to other divination techniques.
Red blood cell distribution width and maximum left ventricular wall thickness predict poor outcomes in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Li Jia , Gao Weidong , Liu Jinxue , Zhang Xuefang , Tao Jun , Zhang Gaoxing
Published: January 2022

Aim

To evaluate the prognostic utility of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and maximum left ventricular wall thickness (MLVWT) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Patients and methods

This study is a retrospective cohort analysis. Patients diagnosed with HCM at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen University from March 2014 to March 2019 were included. HCM patients were stratified into two groups based on the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then constructed and Cox regression models were employed to gauge the prognostic relevance of RDW and MLVWT for HCM patients. Kaplan–Meier analysis evaluated the survival and MACE‐free rate in patients with different level of RDW and MLVWT.

Results

A total of 300 patients with HCM were enrolled in this study and followed up for 40.56±18.33 months. Among them, 117 MACE (39.00%), 40 all‐cause deaths (13.33%), and 29 cardiovascular deaths (9.67%). The level of RDW, MLVWT, creatinine (Cr), and B‐type pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐ProBNP) were statistically different between the MACE group and non‐MACE group (P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, RDW and MLVWT were independent predictors of all‐cause mortality and MACE in HCM patients. ROC showed that RDW > .13 and MLVWT > 23 mm are the cut‐off value to predict all‐cause mortality and MACE. The area under the ROC curve AUC of the combination predicting the occurrence of all‐cause mortality and MACE are .823 and .820, respectively. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the survival rate and MACE‐free survival rate of group 1 (RDW≦.13 and MLVWT≦23 mm) were significantly higher than group 2 (RDW > .13 or MLVWT > 23 mm), and group 3 (RDW > .13 and MLVWT > 23 mm) (P = .000).

Conclusion

We determined that increased RDW and MLVWT was independently associated with MACE incidence and risk of mortality in HCM patients. Combined evaluation of RDW and MLVWT yielded a more accurate predictive model of HCM patient outcomes relative to the use of either of these metrics in isolation. Our research can provide a theoretical basis in the occurrence of MACE for the high‐risk HCM and intervene them properly and timely.
Macrophage self‐renewal is regulated by transient expression of PDGF‐ and VEGF‐related factor 2
Authors: Bakopoulos Daniel , Whisstock James C. , Warr Coral G. , Johnson Travis K.
Published: January 2022

Macrophages are an ancient blood cell lineage critical for homeostasis and defence against pathogens. Although their numbers were long thought to be sustained solely by haematopoietic organs, it has recently become clear that their proliferation, or self‐renewal, also plays a major role. In the Drosophila larva, macrophages undergo a phase of rapid self‐renewal, making this an attractive model for elucidating the signals and regulatory mechanisms involved. However, a central self‐renewal pathway has not been identified in this system. Here, we show that the PDGF‐ and VEGF‐receptor related (Pvr) pathway fulfils this role. Our data show that two of the three known Pvr ligands, PDGF‐ and VEGF‐related factor 2 (Pvf2) and Pvf3, are major determinants of overall macrophage numbers, yet they each act in a temporally independent manner and via distinct mechanisms. While Pvf3 is needed prior to the self‐renewal period, we find that Pvf2 is critical specifically for expanding the larval macrophage population. We further show that Pvf2 is a potent macrophage mitogen that is kept at limiting quantities by its transient expression in a remarkably small number of blood cells. Together, these data support a novel mechanism for the regulation of macrophage self‐renewal rates by the dynamic transcriptional control of Pvf2. Given the strong parallels that exist between Drosophila and vertebrate macrophage systems, it is likely that a similar self‐renewal control mechanism is at play across animal phyla.
Ecophysiology of a small ectotherm tracks environmental variation along an elevational cline
Authors: Anderson Rodolfo O. , Alton Lesley A. , White Craig R. , Chapple David G.
Published: January 2022

Aim

Physiological responses to climate can be used to quantify the environmental limits that a species can tolerate and are, therefore, key to biogeographical studies. Several ecophysiological responses to climatic factors may shape the distribution of species, but our knowledge is mostly centred in thermal ecophysiology. We applied an integrative approach to investigate how ecophysiological responses of a small ectotherm are modulated by climatic variation across an elevational gradient.

Location

Victoria, Australia.

Taxon

Lampropholis guichenoti (Scincidae, Squamata).

Methods

We examined metabolic rate, evaporative water loss, thermal physiology and locomotor performance, of four populations of the skink Lampropholis guichenoti across an elevational gradient in Australia (17–1546 m). We applied biophysical modelling to test how behaviour impacts the survival and activity of these skinks.

Results

Populations from the lowlands had lower metabolic rates and evaporative water loss, lower thermal preferences, higher optimal temperatures and increased locomotor performance compared populations from high elevations. Biophysical models revealed that behaviour allows skinks from high elevation to maintain their body temperatures above freezing and is key to determining activity patterns.

Main conclusions

Our holistic study shows that a combination of physiological and behavioural responses allows ectotherms to survive in different climatic environments. The interplay between physiology and behaviour can help to explain how climate sets limits for the geographical range of ectotherms.
What should we evaluate when we use technology in education?
Authors: Lai Jennifer W. M. , Bower Matt , De Nobile John , Breyer Yvonne
Published: January 2022

Background

There is a lack of critical or empirical work interrogating the nature and purpose of evaluating technology use in education.

Objectives

In this study, we examine the values underpinning the evaluation of technology use in education through field specialist perceptions. The study also poses critical reflections about the rigour of evaluation instruments development in the educational technology field.

Method

A total of 48 domain specialists were surveyed to investigate the face and content validity of 39 items under eight constructs, with both qualitative and quantitative data from the survey analysed.

Results

There was an alignment between the constructs that the specialists felt were important and the constructs that have typically been the focus of empirical studies, with field specialists indicating high relevance scores for technology (M = 3.24/4), learning outcomes (M = 3.20/4), affective elements (M = 3.19/4), behaviour (M = 3.15/4), presence/community (M = 3.07/4), teaching/pedagogy (M = 3.01/4), design (M = 2.96/4), and institutional environment (M = 2.86/4). Only a minority of other studies were found to perform face and content validity checks and even then only with small samples of respondents (usually n ≤ 5).

Implications

Specialists in educational technology research confirm that all eight dimensions are important to consider when evaluating the use of technology in education. Thorough face and content validity processes should be adopted when developing educational technology evaluation instruments. Further work has validated an eight factor 28 item instrument for evaluating the use of technology in education using a large sample of students from a global open learning online course.
Association between left atrial appendage fibrosis and thrombus formation: A histological approach
Authors: Miyauchi Shunsuke , Tokuyama Takehito , Uotani Yukimi , Miyamoto Shogo , Ikeuchi Yoshihiro , Okamura Sho , Okubo Yousaku , Katayama Keijiro , Takasaki Taiichi , Nakatani Nobuhiro , Matsudaira Yorisato , Furusho Hisako , Miyauchi Mutsumi , Takahashi Shinya , Nakano Yukiko
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Although recent echocardiographic studies have suggested that left atrial appendage (LAA) remodeling contributes to the development of LAA thrombus (LAAT), histological evidence is absent. The objective of this study was to examine clinical parameters and histological findings to clarify the factors involved in LAAT formation.

Methods

A total of 64 patients (no atrial fibrillation [AF], N = 22; paroxysmal AF, N = 16; nonparoxysmal AF, N = 26) who underwent LAA excision during surgery were enrolled. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography were performed before surgery. We evaluated the fibrosis burden (%) in the excised LAA sections with Azan–Mallory staining in patients with a LAAT compared with those without.

Results

Patients with paroxysmal and non‐paroxysmal AF had a higher LAA fibrosis burden than those without AF (p = .005 and p < .0001, respectively). Among the patients enrolled, 16 had a LAAT and 15 of them had nonparoxysmal AF. Among the nonparoxysmal AF patients, those with a LAAT had significantly higher LAA fibrosis burden than those without (23.8% [14.8%–40.3%] vs. 12.8% [7.4%–18.2%], p = .004) and echocardiographic parameters of the left atrial volume index (R = 0.543, p = .01), LAA depth (R = 0.452, p = .02), and LAA flow velocity (R = − 0.487, p = .01) were correlated with the LAA fibrosis burden.

Conclusion

This study provided histological evidence that LAA fibrosis is related to LAAT formation. Echocardiographic parameters of LAA remodeling and function were correlated with the LAA fibrosis burden.
GNLY gene polymorphism: A potential role in understanding psoriasis pathogenesis
Authors: Khalid Hesham Nabil , Elghobashy Yasser Abd Elsattar , Elsayed Asmaa Nagy
Published: January 2022

Background

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory illness that affects 2%–3% of the world's population. Granulysin (GNLY), along with granzyme and perforin, is a cytolytic antimicrobial peptide (AMP) released from the granules of both natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). By immunohistochemistry, it has been shown that GNLY expression increases in psoriasis lesions.

Aims

Our work aimed to reveal the potential effect of GNLY gene polymorphism and its association with psoriasis pathogenesis.

Methods

This case–control research included 25 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 25 healthy people who were age and gender matched. History taking and medical examination were done for all patients. Venous blood samples were withdrawn, DNA was extracted, and real‐time PCR was done.

Results

There was an insignificant difference between psoriasis cases and controls as regards gene sequence (p > 0.05). The polymorphism of GNLY gene regarding genotype distribution G/G was detected in seven patients with psoriasis (28%) and in only two controls (8%). This clarifies that GNLY rs 7908 G/G gene polymorphism may be a strong diagnostic tool for psoriasis.

Conclusions

In patients with psoriasis, the GNLY rs7908 CC genotype alongside with C allele played a preventative function and reduced disease severity (as shown by PASI score). Detection of GG genotype points out that a psoriatic case will run a progressive course, will have a severe pattern in the future, and will develop multiple site affection.
Exploring physiologic reactions to persuasive information
Authors: Spelt Hanne A. A. , Asta Luisa , Kersten‐van Dijk Els T. , Ham Jaap , IJsselsteijn Wijnand A. , Westerink Joyce H. D. M.
Published: January 2022

Persuasion aims at changing peoples’ motivations and/or behaviors. This study explores how and when physiology reflects persuasion processes and specifically whether individual differences in motivations and behaviors affect psychophysiologic reactions to persuasive information. Participants (N = 70) with medium or high meat consumption patterns watched a persuasive video advocating limited meat consumption, while their electrodermal and cardiovascular physiology was measured. Results indicated that the video increased participants’ moral beliefs, perceived behavioral control, and reduction intentions. This study also found an increase in physiologic arousal during the persuasive video and that people with motivations less aligned to the persuasion objective had more physiologic arousal. The findings encourage further psychophysiologic persuasion research, especially as these insights can potentially be used to personalize persuasive messages of behavior change applications.
The need for holistic approach in the identification of priority areas to restore: a review
Authors: Castillo‐Mandujano Jessica , Smith‐Ramírez Cecilia
Published: January 2022

Several authors have recommended that the incorporation of different stakeholders and the implementation of a holistic approach including social, economic, and ecological components be considered critical factors for the long‐term success of restoration programs. These recommendations are especially important for identifying priority areas to restore. We conducted a review of scientific studies on the identification of priority areas for restoration in terrestrial biomes with the objective of determining whether these considerations have been taken into account over time. Our main questions were: (1) What is the context, publication year, journals, author and co‐author affiliation of these published studies? (2) Have stakeholders been involved in the identification of priority areas for restoration? (3) What have been the main goals for the identification of priority areas for restoration? (4) What are the main criteria used to prioritize areas? Has the inclusion of social and economic criteria increased over time? We analyzed all the scientific studies about this topic published between 2008 and 2018. We found 64 studies, of which 70.3% did not incorporate stakeholders whatsoever in the identification of priority areas for restoration and 18.8% of them considered only experts as stakeholders. Approximately 87.5% of the studies had biodiversity conservation as their main goal; 10.9% also included social goals and 9.4% socioeconomic goals. All the studies considered ecological criteria, and the main criterion was to increase landscape connectivity. We conclude that there is still a need for greater inclusion of other approaches besides ecology in the identification of priority areas for restoration.
Food literacy in Pacific Island countries: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Horsey Bridget , Taylor Jane , Hayman Ann , Underhill Steven , Burkhart Sarah
Published: January 2022

Objective:

The aim of this scoping review is to identify how food literacy is characterized and measured in the context of the Pacific Islands, and describe food literacy initiatives that may inform future policy, practice, and research.

Introduction:

“Food literacy” is an emerging term used to describe the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required from individuals, households, communities, or nations to make healthy food choices. Given the complexity of changing food systems and the significant health challenges facing Pacific Island communities, understanding the evidence on food literacy in these communities may contribute to ensuring adequate nutrition for this population.

Inclusion criteria:

The scoping review will examine all evidence that broadly defines, describes, measures, or explores food literacy and/or its components in residents of Pacific Island countries and territories, of any age or gender. Evidence on initiatives implemented to improve food literacy within this population will also be considered. Countries will be limited to member countries of “the Pacific Community.”

Methods:

Key information sources to be searched for publications will include databases CABI, EBSCO, and Scopus, along with Google Scholar and Google for gray literature. Experts from relevant organizations and agencies will be contacted to locate additional sources. Results will be restricted to sources from the previous 30 years, available in English and French. Data will be extracted by two or more independent reviewers using a data extraction tool. Results will be presented with a narrative summary, accompanied by tabulated and/or charted results.
Electromagnetic form factors in noncommutative space time
Authors: Rafiei A. , Rezaei Z. , Mirjalili A.
Published: January 2022

Electric and magnetic moment distributions are presenting by form factors (FF)s. Noncommutative space-time (NCST) includes an additional Lorentz index which are effecting on FFs. In this content we investigate electron-proton elastic scattering to impose the noncommutative effect on FFs and to obtain their physical meaning. Two Rosenbluth and polarization methods are utilized in NCST. The second method is not affected by NCST. When we resort to polarization method, the ratio of electric form factor to magnetic form factor in NCST is identical to the one in normal space time. This indicates the priority of polarization method to measure experimentally the concerned ratio as is expecting. On the other hand, the pure NC effect makes to appear an extra ratio, denoted by $$R_{NC}$$

R

NC

. If we let the variation of this quantity to cover the difference between the experimental results for Resonbluth and polarization ratio then the accepted lower limit of $$\Lambda _{NC}$$

Λ

NC

as NC scale is achieved which is corresponding to 180$$^\circ $$

∘

for the scattering angle.
Universal inverse seesaw mechanism as a source of the SM fermion mass hierarchy
Authors: Hernández A. E. Cárcamo , Huong D. T. , Schmidt Ivan
Published: January 2022

We build a renormalizable theory where the inverse seesaw mechanism explains the pattern of SM fermion masses. To the best of our knowledge, our model corresponds to the first implementation of the inverse seesaw mechanism for the charged fermion sector. In our theory, the inverse seesaw mechanism is implemented at the tree and one-loop levels in order to generate the masses for the second and first families of the SM charged fermions, respectively. The third family of SM charged fermions obtain tree-level masses from the Higgs doublets$$\phi _{1}$$ϕ1(for the top quark) and$$\phi _{2}$$ϕ2(for the bottom quark and tau lepton). The masses of the active light neutrinos are generated from a two-loop level inverse seesaw mechanism. Our model successfully explains the observed SM fermion mass hierarchy, the tiny masses of the active light neutrinos, contains the necessary means for efficient leptogenesis and is in accordance with the constraints resulting from meson oscillations, as well as with the measured values of the observed dark matter relic density and of the muon and electron anomalous magnetic moments.
Integrating Citizen Experiences in Cultural Heritage Archives: Requirements, State of the Art, and Challenges
Authors: Daga Enrico , Asprino Luigi , Damiano Rossana , Daquino Marilena , Agudo Belen Diaz , Gangemi Aldo , Kuflik Tsvi , Lieto Antonio , Maguire Mark , Marras Anna Maria , Pandiani Delfina Martinez , Mulholland Paul , Peroni Silvio , Pescarin Sofia , Wecker Alan
Published: January 2022

Digital archives of memory institutions are typically concerned with the cataloguing of artefacts of artistic, historical, and cultural value. Recently, new forms of citizen participation in cultural heritage have emerged, producing a wealth of material spanning from visitors’ experiential feedback on exhibitions and cultural artefacts to digitally mediated interactions like the ones happening on social media platforms. Citizen curation is proposed in the context of the European project SPICE (Social Participation, Cohesion, and Inclusion through Cultural Engagement) as a methodology for producing, collecting, interpreting, and archiving people’s responses to cultural objects, with the aim of favouring the emergence of multiple, sometimes conflicting, viewpoints and motivating users and memory institutions to reflect upon them. We argue that citizen curation urges to rethink the nature of computational infrastructures supporting data management of memory institutions, bringing novel challenges that include issues of distribution, authoritativeness, interdependence, privacy, and rights management. To approach these issues, we survey relevant literature toward a distributed, Linked Data infrastructure, with a focus on identifying the roles and requirements involved in such an infrastructure. We show how existing research can contribute significantly in facing the challenges raised by citizen curation and discuss challenges and opportunities from the socio-technical standpoint.
Analyzing Code-mixing in Linguistic Corpora Using Kratylos
Authors: Finkel Raphael , Kaufman Daniel , Shamim Ahmed
Published: January 2022

Code-switching, code-mixing, and, more generally, multilingualism pose technological challenges for language documentation, the sub-discipline of linguistics that deals with the annotation and basic analysis of field recordings and other primary data. We focus here on a case study involving code-mixing in the endangered Koda language, which poses special problems for morphosyntactic analysis. We offer a robust approach to multilingual annotations that involves a combination of the popular open source software FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx) with Kratylos, a web-based corpus tool for display and query. Kratylos exposes linguistic data from various formats to powerful regular-expression queries that can exploit tier structure and other aspects of interlinear glossed text. We show how Kratylos can target mixed structures in our FLEx database of Koda that cannot be easily identified within the original FLEx software itself.
Providing More Efficient Access to Government Records: A Use Case Involving Application of Machine Learning to Improve FOIA Review for the Deliberative Process Privilege
Authors: Baron Jason R. , Sayed Mahmoud F. , Oard Douglas W.
Published: January 2022

At present, the review process for material that is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the United States of America, and under many similar government transparency regimes worldwide, is entirely manual. Public access to the records of their government is thus inhibited by the long backlogs of material awaiting such reviews. This article studies one aspect of that problem by first creating a new public test collection with annotations for one class of exempt material subject to the deliberative process privilege, and then by using that test collection to study the ability of current text classification techniques to identify those materials that are exempt from release under that privilege. Results show that when the system is trained and evaluated using annotations from the same reviewer, even difficult cases can often be reliably detected. However, results also show that differences in reviewer interpretations, differences in record custodians, and differences in topics of the records used for training and testing can pose challenges.
A Primitive for Manual Hatching
Authors: Philbrick Greg , Kaplan Craig S.
Published: January 2022

In art, hatching means drawing patterns of roughly parallel lines. Even with skill and time, an artist can find these patterns difficult to create and edit. Our new artistic primitive—the hatching shape—facilitates hatching for an artist drawing from imagination. A hatching shape comprises a mask and three fields: width, spacing, and direction. Streamline advection uses these fields to create hatching marks. A hatching shape also contains barrier curves: deliberate discontinuities useful for drawing complex forms. We explain several operations on hatching shapes, such as the multi-dir operation, an easy way to depict 3D form using a hatching shape’s direction field. We also explain the modifications to streamline advection necessary to produce hatching marks from a hatching shape.
PCAM: A Data-driven Probabilistic Cyber-alert Management Framework
Authors: Chen Haipeng , Duncklee Andrew , Jajodia Sushil , Liu Rui , Mcnamara Sean , Subrahmanian V. S.
Published: January 2022

We propose
PCAM
, a Probabilistic Cyber-Alert Management framework, that enables chief information security officers to better manage cyber-alerts. Workers in Cyber Security Operation Centers usually work in 8- or 12-hour shifts. Before a shift,
PCAM
analyzes data about all past alerts and true alerts during the shift time-frame to schedule a given set of analysts in accordance with workplace constraints so that the expected number of “uncovered” true alerts (i.e., true alerts not shown to an analyst) is minimized.
PCAM
achieves this by formulating the problem as a bi-level non-linear optimization problem and then shows how to linearize and solve this complex problem. We have tested
PCAM
extensively. Using statistics derived from 44 days of real-world alert data, we are able to minimize the expected number of true alerts that are not manually examined by a team consisting of junior, senior, and principal analysts. We are also able to identify the optimal mix of junior, senior, and principal analysts needed during both day and night shifts given a budget, outperforming some reasonable baselines. We tested
PCAM
’s proposed schedule (from statistics on 44 days) on a further 6 days of data, using an off-the-shelf false alarm classifier to predict which alerts are real and which ones are false. Moreover, we show experimentally that
PCAM
is robust to various kinds of errors in the statistics used.
Introduction to the Dielectric Science and Technology Division
Authors: Opila Robert L.
Published: January 2022

The front cover of Interface illustrates one of the greatest challenges and successes of dielectrics in microelectronics today, the growth of a layer of SiO2, 60 nanometers long and 1.2 nanometers thick, that is essentially defect free. This electronic gate, approximately 240 atoms long by 5 atoms thick, permits precise control of the flow of electrons across the channel of the transistor. The work shown here was done by Greg Timp and his colleagues at Bell Labs, Lucent Technologies. In this case, it is the insulator that ultimately controls the performance of the transistor. The work represented on the cover is just one example of how the interests of the Dielectric Science and Technology Division of ECS are having some of the greatest impact in the field of microelectronics.
Electrochemical Characterization of Viologen-Functionalized PAMAM Dendrimers at a Pt Disk Microelectrode
Authors: Baker Wendy S.
Published: January 2022

A Summary Report to The Electrochemical Society for the 1999 Colin Garfield Fink Summer Research Fellowship.
Soil‐Building Interaction under Surface Horizontal Strain Induced by Underground Mining
Authors: Liu Xiaopeng , Xu Liangji
Published: January 2022

Underground mining causes the ground to deform, leading to the destruction of buildings. Horizontal strain is one of the most important causes of damage to strip foundation buildings. However, related research is insufficient and the mechanism behind building damage caused by horizontal strain remains unclear, resulting in several difficulties in performing coal mining under villages. In this study, interface slip and soil pressure caused by the horizontal strain of ground transfer between soil and buildings are investigated, and stress concentration in buildings driven by soil movement is considered the primary cause of building damage. The influences of the mechanical parameters of soil and the geometric parameters of a building on stress distribution inside a building are analyzed by establishing a stress distribution model of a building under different ground horizontal strains. Softening the foundation or designing deformation joints inside a building can reduce the influence of horizontal strain on a building. This research can provide an important reference for performing coal mining safely under villages and designing building protection against ground horizontal strain.
Impact of Total Ischemic Time on the Recovery of Regional Wall Motion Abnormality after STEMI in the Modern Reperfusion Era
Authors: Seo Jeong Hun , Kim Kang Hee , Chun Kwang-Jin , Lee Bong-Ki , Cho Byung-Ryul , Ryu Dong Ryeol
Published: January 2022

Background. Total ischemic time (TIT) is an important factor for predicting mortality among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the correlation between TIT and the extent of wall motion abnormality has not been well studied. Therefore, we investigated changes in the wall motion score index (WMSI) value based on TIT in STEMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and subsequent transthoracic echocardiography. Methods. STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI and follow-up coronary angiography were analyzed after the exclusion of cases of in-stent restenosis (ISR). WMSI values were calculated by dividing the sum of scores by the number of segments visualized. Results. A total of 189 patients underwent primary PCI for STEMI, and 151 had no ISR with a median follow-up of 12.3 months. TIT was 180 (117–369) minutes in a subset of 151 patients (mean age of 62 years; 76% male). Among patients without ISR, 109 (72%) demonstrated a decrease in the WMSI value during the follow-up period. The WMSI values of patients with TITs of 180 minutes or less were significantly decreased relative to those among patients with TITs of greater than 180 minutes (

p
=
0.020

). Among patients with TITs of 180 minutes or less, the TIT was significantly shorter among those with a reduction in the WMSI value than among those with an increase in the WMSI value (106 [81–124] vs. 133 [100–151] minutes;

p
=
0.018

). TIT was an independent predictor for a reduction in the WMSI value among these patients (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.976 (0.957–0.995);

p
=
0.016

). Conclusions. In the modern reperfusion era of STEMI, patients with TITs of 180 minutes or less experienced a significant degree of recovery from regional wall motion abnormalities.
The Effects of Exercise on Aging-Induced Exaggerated Cytokine Responses: An Interdisciplinary Discussion
Authors: Huntula Soontaraporn , Lalert Laddawan , Punsawad Chuchard
Published: January 2022

Aging is generally known to be associated with dynamic biological changes, physiological dysfunction, and environmental and psychological decline. Several studies have suggested that aging is associated with increased inflammatory cytokines, causing several diseases. However, the effect of exercise on aging has been less delineated, and the relationships between cytokine activation, aging, and exercise also need further study. Here, we discuss some ideas about the effect of exercise on aging-induced exaggerated cytokine responses and discuss the possible roles of the aging-induced exaggerated cytokine response following exercise. Evidence from these findings suggests that exercise is a beneficially applicable model to use in studies on the mechanisms underlying the age-associated gradated cytokine response, and these results may provide guidelines for health professionals with diverse backgrounds.
Insights from Dysregulated mRNA Expression Profile of β-Cells in Response to Proinflammatory Cytokines
Authors: Wang Zhen , Huang Kunlin , Xu Jing , Liu Jia , Zheng Ying
Published: January 2022

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is characterized by autoimmunity and its mediated β-cell damage. Chronic exposure of β-cells to proinflammatory cytokines is known to regulate the expression of many genes, subsequently resulting in the impairment of some signaling pathways involved with insulin production and secretion and/or β-cell apoptosis. In our study, RNA sequencing technology was applied to identify differentially expressed mRNAs in MIN6 cells treated with a mix of cytokines, including IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. The results showed 809 upregulated and 946 downregulated protein-coding mRNAs in MIN6 cells upon the stimulation of cytokines. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) biological pathway analyses were performed to predict the functions of dysregulated genes. The networks of circRNA-mRNA were constructed between differentially mRNAs and dysregulated expressed circRNAs in our previous study. In addition, we selected 8 dysregulated mRNAs for further validation by quantitative real-time PCR. The RNA sequencing data showed 809 upregulated and 946 downregulated protein-coding mRNAs. GO analysis showed that the top 10 significant “biological processes,” “cellular components,” and “molecular functions” for upregulated mRNAs include “immune system process,” “inflammatory response,” and “innate immune response” and the top 10 for downregulated mRNAs include “cell cycle,” “mitotic cytokinesis,” and “cytoplasm.” KEGG analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were involved with “antigen processing and presentation,” “TNF signaling pathway” and “type 1 diabetes,” “cell cycle,” “necroptosis,” and “Rap1 signaling pathway.” We also constructed the networks of differentially expressed circRNAs and mRNAs. We observed that upregulated circRNA 006029 and downregulated circRNA 000286 and 017277 were associated with the vast majority of selected dysregulated mRNAs, while circRNA 013053 was only related to the protein-coding gene, Slc7a2. To the summary, these data indicated that differentially expressed mRNAs may play key or partial roles in cytokine-mediated β-cell dysfunction and gave us the hint that circRNAs might regulate mRNAs, thereby contributing to the development of T1DM. The current study provided a systematic perspective on the potential functions and possible regulatory mechanisms of mRNAs in proinflammatory cytokine-induced β-cell destruction.
O fazer do semioticista à luz de Luiz Tatit
Authors: Lemos Carolina Lindenberg
Published: January 2022

É possível supor que o trabalho do pesquisador envolve dois tipos de fazer. De um lado, confrontados com o objeto empírico, lançamos mão do aparelho teórico e o recortamos, dividimos, tipologizamos e o organizamos. De outro lado, ocupamo-nos da teoria e do método: fabricamos. Categorias e ferramentas são produtos desse fazer que constrói e que serão usados naquele outro fazer primeiro. Na prática do semioticista, esses atos se misturam. Talvez não haja outro lugar em que os diferentes fazeres estejam mais imbricados do que na pesquisa de Luiz Tatit. A leitura de suas publicações, especialmente de seus prefácios, mostrou-nos um profundo trabalho com o objeto – especialmente com a canção – e uma ambiciosa força modelizante entremeados. Ao longo de seus trabalhos, Tatit trata de encontrar o modelo e a teoria no seio dos objetos de estudo. O percurso que nasce da análise rente aos objetos produz discussões teóricas e metodológicas que convidam a uma generalização fecunda para muito além dos seus objetos de eleição. Dessa forma, apesar de termos a nítida noção de que são as ferramentas que se empregam no uso analítico, Luiz Tatit nos mostra que, em grande medida, é o uso que constrói ferramentas, garantindo assim a circularidade criativa da semiótica brasileira.
Piafiando: a performance de "Je ne regrette rien" em algumas versões nômades pela voz de cantores brasileiros
Authors: Alves Nancy , Valente Heloísa de Araújo Duarte
Published: January 2022

À luz da semiótica proposta por A. J. Greimas (1983), o presente trabalho busca analisar como se deu a construção de sentido da canção “Je ne regrette rien” (Charles Dumont/ Michel Vaucaire) - último sucesso de Édith Piaf, bem como entender a compatibilidade entre texto e melodia proposto por Luiz Tatit (1996). Uma vez analisada a canção e, sendo tomadas como ponto de partida a prosódia, a persona vocal e a performance de Piaf, pretendemos estabelecer um estudo comparativo entre o modelo de canto da cantora e as versões nômades trazidas por cinco intérpretes brasileiros. Assim, valendo-nos de conceitos-chave introduzidos por Paul Zumthor, tais como os de performance, nomadismo, movência, fixação e memória (Zumthor, 1997), buscamos entender como essa canção continua ressoando na memória do público brasileiro, em diferentes gravações, adaptações e desdobramentos na paisagem sonora do país (Schafer, 2001). Apesar do silêncio em que se encontra a canção francesa no Brasil e das idiossincrasias entre as duas culturas, conclui-se que estas versões têm contribuído efetivamente para a fixação da memória da cultura musical francesa no país.
A semiótica da canção: letra, música e performance
Authors: Pietroforte Antonio Vicente
Published: January 2022

Não raramente, os estudos semióticos a propósito da canção tendem a isolar a letra e o perfil melódico seja do revestimento musical concreto, quer dizer, da realização concreta da canção por meio da voz e dos instrumentos musicais, em que poesia e música encontram-se articuladas, seja da performance musical, na qual os músicos, uma vez no palco ou na tela, dialogam com o cinema e o teatro, isto é, com as artes dramáticas. No ensaio semiótico seguinte, busca-se ir além de tais estudos semióticos, visando estender seus alcances teóricos para além dos elos abstratos entre letra e melodia, nos quais a instrumentalização e a performance musicais sequer chegam a ser consideradas.
A poligamia em Une si longue lettre e Niketche: uma história de poligamia
Authors: Carvalho Marina Bueno de
Published: January 2022

O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar dois romances cuja temática comum é a poligamia. Ambos foram escritos por mulheres africanas de países diferentes e em diferentes épocas: Mariama Bâ, no Senegal e Paulina Chiziane, em Moçambique. Une si longue lettre, de Mariama Bâ, foi publicado pela primeira vez em 1979 e é inédito em Português. Niketche: uma história de poligamia, de Paulina Chiziane, foi publicado pela primeira vez em 2002. O objetivo desta análise será colocar em relevo a continuidade temática dos dois romances. De fato, ambos os textos têm por foco mulheres que vivem a poligamia em diferentes países africanos e sob diferentes formações culturais.
A música como forma de resistência em Angola: Da música anticolonial ao rap de intervenção
Authors: Mendonça Júnior Francisco Carlos Guerra de
Published: January 2022

A música teve papel fundamental na luta anticolonial em Angola, desde o surgimento do grupo Ngola Ritmos na década de 1940, que expandia os ideais nacionalistas. Durante as décadas seguintes, vários grupos surgiram, cantando em prol dos movimentos de libertação. A música de cunho político, no entanto, passou a ser silenciada, após uma chacina ocorrida em 27 de maio de 1977, em que três músicos populares estiveram entre as milhares de vítimas. Após o fato, só existiram canções de cunho político gravadas por angolanos na diáspora. O retorno das músicas politizadas, produzidas no país, se dá na década de 1990, com o surgimento do rap. Atualmente, vários rappers denunciam o regime do MPLA e alguns participam de manifestações de rua. Essas ações já resultaram em várias prisões a rappers.
Palavras de agradecimentos à concessão do título de doutor honoris causa pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 25 de maio de 2021
Authors: Munanga Kabengele
Published: January 2022

Palavras proferidas pelo Professor Kabengele Munanga na cerminonia de concessão ao título de doutor honoris causa pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 25 de maio de 2021.
The Old Frisian Ten Signs in the Host
Authors: Cataldi Claudio
Published: January 2022

Old Frisian religious texts are relatively scarce. In fact, several pastoral pieces survive amongst the large body of Old Frisian legal texts. In this context, the fifteenth-century legal collection known as Thet Autentica Riocht (‘The Authentic Law’) is of special interest because it includes a sequence of short didactic texts, dealing with Christian topics. The present study focuses on The Ten Signs in the Host, one of the catechetical texts of Thet Autentica Riocht. It presents a discussion of the text, its Latin sources, their manuscript tradition, and a Middle High German analogue of the Old Frisian text.
Book review: Deep Halder, Blood Island: An Oral History of the Marichjhapi Massacre
Authors: Guha Ayan
Published: January 2022

Deep Halder, Blood Island: An Oral History of the Marichjhapi Massacre (Noida: Harper Collins, 2019), 176 pp.
Genome-wide survey of the dehydrin genes in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its relatives: identification, evolution and expression profiling under various abiotic stresses
Authors: Hao Yongchao , Hao Ming , Cui Yingjie , Kong Lingrang , Wang Hongwei
Published: January 2022

Background

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an important staple cereal grain worldwide. The ever-increasing environmental stress makes it very important to mine stress-resistant genes for wheat breeding programs. Therefore, dehydrin (DHN) genes can be considered primary candidates for such programs, since they respond to multiple stressors.

Results

In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the DHN gene family in the genomes of wheat and its three relatives. We found 55 DHN genes in T. aestivum, 31 in T. dicoccoides, 15 in T. urartu, and 16 in Aegilops tauschii. The phylogenetic, synteny, and sequence analyses showed we can divide the DHN genes into five groups. Genes in the same group shared similar conserved motifs and potential function. The tandem TaDHN genes responded strongly to drought, cold, and high salinity stresses, while the non-tandem genes respond poorly to all stress conditions. According to the interaction network analysis, the cooperation of multiple DHN proteins was vital for plants in combating abiotic stress.

Conclusions

Conserved, duplicated DHN genes may be important for wheat being adaptable to a different stress conditions, thus contributing to its worldwide distribution as a staple food. This study not only highlights the role of DHN genes help the Triticeae species against abiotic stresses, but also provides vital information for the future functional studies in these crops.