bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimizing Performance of Federated Person Re-identification: Benchmarking and Analysis
Authors: Zhuang Weiming , Gan Xin , Wen Yonggang , Zhang Shuai
Published: April 2022

Increasingly stringent data privacy regulations limit the development of person re-identification (ReID) because person ReID training requires centralizing an enormous amount of data that contains sensitive personal information. To address this problem, we introduce federated person re-identification (
FedReID
)—implementing federated learning, an emerging distributed training method, to person ReID. FedReID preserves data privacy by aggregating model updates, instead of raw data, from clients to a central server. Furthermore, we optimize the performance of FedReID under statistical heterogeneity via benchmark analysis. We first construct a benchmark with an enhanced algorithm, two architectures, and nine person ReID datasets with large variances to simulate the real-world statistical heterogeneity. The benchmark results present insights and bottlenecks of FedReID under statistical heterogeneity, including challenges in convergence and poor performance on datasets with large volumes. Based on these insights, we propose three optimization approaches: (1) we adopt
knowledge distillation
to facilitate the convergence of FedReID by better transferring knowledge from clients to the server, (2) we introduce
client clustering
to improve the performance of large datasets by aggregating clients with similar data distributions, and (3) we propose
cosine distance weight
to elevate performance by dynamically updating the weights for aggregation depending on how well models are trained in clients. Extensive experiments demonstrate that these approaches achieve satisfying convergence with much better performance on all datasets. We believe that FedReID will shed light on implementing and optimizing federated learning on more computer vision applications.
A Low-power Programmable Machine Learning Hardware Accelerator Design for Intelligent Edge Devices
Authors: Kee Minkwan , Park Gi-Ho
Published: April 2022

With the advent of the machine learning and IoT, many low-power edge devices, such as wearable devices with various sensors, are used for machine learning–based intelligent applications, such as healthcare or motion recognition. While these applications are becoming more complex to provide high-quality services, the performance of conventional low-power edge devices with extremely limited hardware resources is insufficient to support the emerging intelligent applications. We designed a hardware accelerator, called an Intelligence Boost Engine (IBE), for low-power smart edge devices to enable the real-time processing of emerging intelligent applications with energy efficiency and limited programmability. The measurement results confirm that the proposed IBE can reduce the power consumption of the edge node device by 75% and achieve performance improvement in processing the kernel operations of applications such as motion recognition by 69.9 times.
Review—Glucose Monitoring Sensors: History, Principle, and Challenges
Authors: Jing Yanzhen , Chang Shwu Jen , Chen Ching-Jung , Liu Jen-Tsai
Published: April 2022

Blood glucose monitoring is a valuable tool for managing diabetes. In recent years, with the increase of diabetics in the world, continuous monitoring of blood sugar changes has attracted more and more researchers’ attention. Among the current technologies for measuring glucose, optical and electrochemical glucose sensors are the mainstream ones. This article introduces the history of optical, electrochemical, and other sensors such as field effect transistors sensors and their advantages and disadvantages respectively. This review summarizes the research progress and main challenges of continuous glucose monitoring technology. We found that different optical techniques have different limitations which restricts the development of optical CGM. In contrast, electrochemical glucose sensors are more feasible and reliable in implementing CGM. Therefore, this review focuses on the development and shortcomings of electrochemical sensors, especially the promising DET and the current commercial CGM. Hopefully, it will help readers sort out the future of CGM’s development.
A Fast Algorithm for Determining the Optimal Navigation Star for Responsive Launch Vehicles
Authors: Zhao Yi , Zhang Hongbo , Li Pengfei , Tang Guojian
Published: April 2022

The platform inertial-stellar composite guidance is a composite guidance method supplemented by stellar correction on the basis of inertial navigation, which can effectively improve the accuracy of responsive launch vehicles. In order to solve the problem of rapid determining the optimal navigation star in the system, this paper proposes an algorithm based on the equivalent information compression theory. At first, this paper explains why the single-star scheme can achieve the same accuracy as the dual-star scheme. At the same time, the analytical expression of the optimal navigation star with significant initial error is derived. In addition, the available optimal navigation star determination strategy is also designed according to the arrow-borne navigation star database. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by two representative responsive launch vehicle trajectory simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can determine the optimal navigation star quickly, which greatly shorten the preparation time before the rapid launch of vehicles and improve the composite guidance accuracy.
Cholesterol Metabolic Markers for Differential Evaluation of Patients with Hyperlipidemia and Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Li Zhi-Zhao , Huang Qiong , Yang Xiao-li , Zeng Jieqiong , Wang QI-Hui , Tang Hai-Ming , Yu Zhen-qiu , Song Yu-Qing , Liu Yang
Published: April 2022

The cholesterol metabolism in humans can be indirectly reflected by measuring cholesterol metabolism marker levels. We aimed to investigate the association of cholesterol homeostasis markers on standard lipid profiling components in familial hypercholesteremia and hyperlipidemia patients. A total of 69 hyperlipidemia patients, 25 familial hypercholesteremia (FHC) patients, and 64 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We performed routine testing of blood lipid water. Gas chromatography was used to determine the changes in the concentration of cholesterol synthesis (squalene, desmosterol, and lathosterol) and absorption markers (campesterol, sitosterol, and stigmasterol) in the blood. Baseline hyperlipidemia patients displayed significantly higher total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in comparison to the control group, which was reflected in the increased levels of squalene, desmosterol, campesterol, and sitosterol observed (

P
<
0.05

) in the hyperlipidemia patients. The desmosterol, lathosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol were statistically different in the FHC group than the hyperlipidemic group (

P
<
0.05

). The proportions of squalene/cholesterol, lathosterol/cholesterol, stigmasterol/cholesterol, and sitosterol/cholesterol in the FHC group were lower than those in the hyperlipidemic group; only desmosterol/cholesterol was higher than that in the hyperlipidemic group. Correlation studies between lipid metabolic factors showed that the proportion of moderate and strong correlations was much higher in the FHC group than in the other two groups (76.92% vs. 32.50% and 31.25%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the concentrations of glucose, LDL-C, lactosterol, and sitosterol were all independent risk factors for developing hyperlipidemia. This result was further confirmed by the ROC curve. These results indicated that the study of cholesterol synthesis and decomposition markers can serve as a reference index for related diseases caused by changes in its concentration.
Folie à Deux in the Setting of COVID-19 Quarantine
Authors: Baez Nuñez Maxsaya , Rodriguez Ezequiel , DeLuca Matthew , Chirimunj Krishan , Dhingra Monica
Published: April 2022

We relay the case of a middle-aged male and his mother, an elderly female, who presented with folie à deux in the context of shared delusions of persecution and somatization during the COVID-19 quarantine period. The delusions were described as electric microwave shocks being transmitted to their internal organs by neighbors, followed by somatic symptoms of palpitations, headaches, and a shock-like perception. To the best of our knowledge, there have not been any reports that describe the development of folie à deux in the setting of the COVID-19 quarantine. Folie à deux may be defined as delusions affecting two or more individuals, usually first-degree relatives. Delusions classically transmit from one person, coined the inducer, to one or several individuals, the induced, who share and may expand on the communicated delusions. The preconditions that must exist for folie à deux to develop are an intimate emotional association between the inducer and the induced and a genetic predisposition to psychosis, such as blood relations with primary relatives. Isolation from society has also been considered a potential risk factor for shared psychosis in the recent literature. Given that to the best of our knowledge, there have not been any reports describing the development of folie à deux in the setting of the COVID-19 quarantine, the authors aim to dissect how extended periods of shared isolation from society during such a significant time in history may have served as a significant precipitating factor in the onset of shared psychotic disorder, while simultaneously illustrating a parallel relation to how such conditions may predispose certain subgroups to similarly dynamic-based mental health disorders. In addition, an evaluation of the origins and multifactorial etiology of folie à deux, along with that of existing treatment modalities, and the emphasis on advancement toward more effective treatment approaches will be provided.
Development and Validation of the RCOS Prognostic Index: A Bedside Multivariable Logistic Regression Model to Predict Hypoxaemia or Death in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Alvarez-Uria Gerardo , Gandra Sumanth , Gurram Venkata R. , Reddy Raghu P. , Midde Manoranjan , Kumar Praveen , Arce Ketty E
Published: April 2022

Introduction. Previous COVID-19 prognostic models have been developed in hospital settings and are not applicable to COVID-19 cases in the general population. There is an urgent need for prognostic scores aimed to identify patients at high risk of complications at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. The RDT COVID-19 Observational Study (RCOS) collected clinical data from patients with COVID-19 admitted regardless of the severity of their symptoms in a general hospital in India. We aimed to develop and validate a simple bedside prognostic score to predict the risk of hypoxaemia or death. Results. 4035 patients were included in the development cohort and 2046 in the validation cohort. The primary outcome occurred in 961 (23.8%) and 548 (26.8%) patients in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. The final model included 12 variables: age, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, urea, C-reactive protein, sodium, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. In the validation cohort, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC) was 0.907 (95% CI, 0.892–0.922), and the Brier Score was 0.098. The decision curve analysis showed good clinical utility in hypothetical scenarios where the admission of patients was decided according to the prognostic index. When the prognostic index was used to predict mortality in the validation cohort, the AUROCC was 0.947 (95% CI, 0.925–0.97) and the Brier score was 0.0188. Conclusions. The RCOS prognostic index could help improve the decision making in the current COVID-19 pandemic, especially in resource-limited settings with poor healthcare infrastructure such as India. However, implementation in other settings is needed to cross-validate and verify our findings.
Comparison of Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Korean Version for Predicting Mild Cognitive Assessment in 65-Year and Over Individuals
Authors: Song Chiang-Soon , Lee Hye-Sun , Chun Byung-Yoon
Published: April 2022

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to compare the validity and reliability of the two Korean versions of the MoCA for individuals aged ≥65 years. Methods. A total of 185 participants aged ≥65 years were included in this cross-sectional study. This study investigated the reliability of the two Korean versions of the MoCA (the MoCA-K and MoCA-K2) by having each participant complete both assessments twice and comparing them to their Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE-K) scores. The participants either completed the tests in order A (MoCA-K2 before MoCA-K) then B (MoCA-K before MoCA-K2) or vice versa. The tests were then completed in the opposite order. This study conducted all experiments at 3-day intervals. Results. Of the 185 total participants analyzed, 95 indicated cognitive impairment, while 90 had normal in MoCA-K scores; 50 demonstrated cognitive impairment, while 135 had normal in MMSE-K scores; and 101 and 84 participants showed cognitive impairment and normal in MoCA-K2 scores, respectively. Cronbach’s

α

values were 0.929 for the MoCA-K, 0.774 for the MMSE-K, and 0.919 for the MoCA-K2. The mean scores were 22.37, 25.29, and 21.96 points for the MoCA-K, MMSE-K, and MoCA-K2, respectively. The sensitivity and the specificity of the MoCA-K were 77.0% and 78.0%, respectively, while those of the MoCA-K2 were 68.9% and 80.0%, respectively. Conclusions. These results suggest that both the MoCA-K and MoCA-K2 are suitable and reliable evaluation tools for MCI screening; however, the MoCA-K had better overall sensitivity and specificity.
Investigation on Hydration and Deformation Characteristics of Shale Using X-ray Computed Tomography
Authors: Duan Yong-Ting , Li Xiao , Zheng Bo , Yang Bai-Cun
Published: April 2022

The physical and mechanical properties of shale are significant for completion engineering and fracturing design for shale oil and gas production. To further study the water effect and the deformation characteristics of shale, some cylindrical specimens were soaked at three periods (0, 20, and 60 days), the in situ uniaxial compression tests were conducted, and the CT technique was used at different hydration and loading stages. Based on the CT results, the image gray variance value in each hydration specimen was extracted; the evolution results show that the water imbibition has a significant influence on the structure of shale in the early soaking stage, and the influence degree is more evident in the external region. Moreover, the water influence on the mechanical property of shale was analyzed by comparing the failure characteristics of specimens with and without hydration; the CT results show that the hydration treatment affects the failure mode of shale. In addition, a new method based on the CT image was proposed to calculate the lateral strain; the evolution of the axial stress-strain curve reveals that the expansion phenomena exist before failure, and the evolution process includes four stages. At last, the differences in the deformation degree were discussed by analyzing the volumetric strain at different CT scanning layers; the results reflect the expansion or compression degree along with the specimen height. Those conclusions can help us further understand the water effect and the deformation characteristics of shale oil and gas reservoirs.
A Wideband Tightly Coupled Array for Omnidirectional Pattern Synthesis
Authors: Luciarini Manuel , Gaetano Domenico , Canestri Christian , Mitrano Cosmo , Fuscaldo Walter , Galli Alessandro
Published: April 2022

This work presents the design of a wideband circular tightly coupled array for omnidirectional pattern generation. The proposed array works over an 8:1 bandwidth, providing very high performance in terms of active reflection coefficient, realized gain, and omnidirectional patterns with reduced ripples. The array is composed of 32 low-profile, self-complementary, bow-tie elements displaced around a metallic mast. The capacitive coupling between neighbouring elements and the implementation of a properly designed frequency selective surface allow for increasing the electrical length of each antenna while compensating for the inductive effect of the metallic mast, according to the tightly coupled and connected arrays theory. A cover layer is then inserted to improve the average gain on the azimuthal plane. Time-domain simulation results confirm the validity of the proposed approach and implementation.
Hydraulic Fracturing Mechanism of Rock Mass under Stress-Damage-Seepage Coupling Effect
Authors: Cao Zhengzheng , Wang Yue , Lin Haixiao , Sun Qiang , Wu Xiaogang , Yang Xiaoshuai
Published: April 2022

According to the damage evolution model of rock mass under stress-seepage coupling effect, the representative element theory is employed to describe the change law of rock mesostructure. Based on the theory of elasticity and Weibull distribution, the statistical damage constitutive model of rock mass and the finite element numerical algorithm are established, by adopting the COMSOL Multiphysics numerical software and MATLAB program. Besides, the validity of the statistical damage constitutive model of rock mass is verified by the triaxial compression test. Besides, the hydraulic fracturing processes of rock mass under equal and unequal in situ stresses are numerically simulated, and the mechanical behavior of rock mass during hydraulic fracturing in complex underground environment is also studied. Under the condition of equal in situ stress, the stress distribution of surrounding rock of circular hole is annular, which is similar to the elastic stress distribution of surrounding rock. Under the condition of unequal in situ stress, the stress distribution tends to be circular with the increase of lateral pressure coefficient, and the stress distribution along the diagonal decreases. The simulation results are in good agreement with the theoretical results, which indicates that the damage mechanical model and the numerical model have correlation and certain accuracy. By analyzing the size and direction of horizontal in situ stress, the shape and extension direction of cracks are judged, which provides an important theoretical basis for water inrush prediction and engineering protection.
Polymorphism in STAT4 Increase the Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: An Updated Meta-Analysis
Authors: Shancui-zheng  , Jinping-Zhang  , Guoyuan-lu  , Liu Lei , Zhiyong-deng
Published: April 2022

Previous studies have reported that STAT4 rs7574865 conferred the susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, a meta-analysis (including 32 comparative studies of 11384 patients and 17609 controls) was conducted to investigate the role of STAT4 polymorphism in SLE in a comprehensive way. We found that the Asian population had the highest prevalence of the T allele than any other study population at 32.2% and that STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism was associated with SLE in the overall population (

OR
=
1.579

,

95
%
CI
=
1.497

-1.665,

P
<
0.001

). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, STAT4 rs7574865 T allele was shown to be risk factor in SLE in Asian, European, and American origins. Our results do support STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism as a susceptibility factor for SLE in populations of different ethnic and that its prevalence is ethnicity dependent.
Research on the Generation of Creative Animation Driven by Deep Learning Model
Authors: Sang Xiaokun , Xu Lijuan
Published: April 2022

It is a very interesting and practical task to transform real-world images such as portraits or scenery into creative animation images. Since this concept was put forward, it has aroused extensive research interest in the field of computer vision. The generative adversarial networks (GAN) model is widely used in this field. Depth convolution GAN (DCGAN) and Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) improve the original GAN, but there are still problems existing in creative animation generation such as model collapse. To solve these problems, the Wasserstein distance is introduced to replace the JS divergence in the GAN model to measure the gap between the sample distribution generated by the generator and the real distribution, and the loss function is improved. In order to achieve a better animation generation effect, the training of the model is further optimized through the adjustment of the network model structure and the setting of parameters. Through the comparison with DCGAN and WGAN models in the animation data set and CelebA data set and the quantitative analysis and comparison of the generation effects of different models, the effectiveness and generalization of the improved GAN model are verified.
Seismic Performance of a New Slurry-Anchored Connected Precast Concrete Shear Walls with Vertical Reinforcement
Authors: Liu Yuqi , Xiao Quandong , Yin Xingwen
Published: April 2022

The effectiveness of joint connection mode of PC shear wall structure directly determines the integrity and seismic performance of the structure. In this paper, a new type of grout-anchor connection of PC shear wall with closed stirrup constraint is proposed. For the investigation of the seismic performance of these shear walls, one cast-in-place shear wall specimen and two new slurry-anchored lap PC shear wall specimens were subjected to quasistatic test. The experimental results were verified and parametrically analyzed using the ABAQUS software. The test results showed that the slurry-anchored connection with buckled closed stirrups restraint could effectively transfer the stress. The PC shear walls and cast-in-place shear walls exhibited similar seismic performance and both exhibited bending shear damage when damaged. In general, the PC shear walls had a stronger bearing capacity and better displacement ductility performance than cast-in-place shear walls. Their energy dissipation capacity was similar to that of cast-in-place shear walls, but their initial stiffness was lower than that of cast-in-place shear walls. The numerical simulation results showed that, by increasing the axial compression ratio, the vertical connection reinforcement diameter, and the concrete strength, the stiffness and the load-carrying capacity of the horizontally jointed assembled shear wall structure could be improved within a certain range. With an increase in the height-to-width ratio, the peak load of the PC shear wall model decreased, while the ductility and the energy dissipation capacity were enhanced.
Bi-Univalent Function Classes Defined by Using a Second Einstein Function
Authors: El-Qadeem Alaa H. , Saleh Saleh A. , Mamon Mohamed A.
Published: April 2022

Motivated by q-calculus, subordination principle, and the second Einstein function, we define two families of bi-univalent analytic functions on the open unit disc of the complex plane. We deduce estimates for the first two Maclaurin’s coefficients and the Fekete-Sezgö functional inequalities for the functions that belong to these families of functions.
Dietary Supplements as Source of Unintentional Doping
Authors: Kozhuharov Vanya Rangelov , Ivanov Kalin , Ivanova Stanislava
Published: April 2022

Background. The substances used in sport could be divided into two major groups: those banned by the World Anti‐Doping Agency and those which are not. The prohibited list is extremely detailed and includes a wide variety of both medicinal and nonmedicinal substances. Professional athletes are exposed to intense physical overload every day. They follow a relevant food regime and take specific dietary supplements, which is essential for the better recovery between trainings and competitions. However, the use of “nonprohibited” dietary supplements (DS) is not always completely safe. One of the risks associated with the use of dietary supplements is the risk of unintended doping—originating from contaminated products. The presence of undeclared compounds in the composition of DS is a serious concern. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk of unintentional doping. Materials and Methods. Literature search was done through PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Studies investigating the presence of undeclared compounds, in dietary supplements, banned by WADA met the inclusion criteria. The last search was conducted in June 2021. The present review is based on a total of 50 studies, which investigated the presence of undeclared compounds in DS. Results. The total number of analyzed DS is 3132, 875 of which were found to contain undeclared substances. Most frequently found undeclared substances are sibutramine and anabolic‐androgenic steroids. Conclusion. More than 28% of the analyzed dietary supplements pose a potential risk of unintentional doping. Athletes and their teams need to be aware of the issues associated with the use of DS. They should take great care before inclusion of DS in the supplementation regime.
Urolithin A as a Potential Drug for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries: A Mechanistic Study Using Network Pharmacology Approaches
Authors: Mao Chao , Luan HaoPeng , Gao ShuTao , Sheng WeiBin
Published: April 2022

Objective. This research was focused to examine the potential targets, action network, and mechanism of urolithin A (UA) in spinal cord injury (SCI) management exploiting the network pharmacology (NP). Methods. We used the SwissTargetPrediction, PharmMapper, and TargetNet databases to obtain UA action targets. We searched the OMIM, GeneCards, CTD, and DrugBank databases to screen selected target genes for SCI treatment. The intersection of target genes between the UA and SCI databases was obtained by constructing Venn diagrams, which led to the identification of common druggable targets for the disease. The relationship network of the targets was built with Cytoscape 3.7.2, and the protein interaction network was analyzed with the STRING platform. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network can be built on the STRING database. Gene Ontology (GO) function and KEGG pathway analyses of target intersections were completed with the DAVID 6.8 database. We constructed preliminary network targets for actions underlying UA-SCI interactions. Using the AutoDock software, we examined the molecular docking interactions between UA and its target proteins and further verified the mechanism of the action of UA. Results. We obtained 318 UA drug targets and 1492 SCI disease targets. We identified a total of 118 common UA-SCI targets. Based on the PPI analysis, we identified MAPK1, SRC, AKT1, HRAS, MAPK8, HSP90AA1, MAPK14, JAK2, ESR1, and NF-κB1 as possible therapeutic targets. Enrichment analysis revealed that the PI3K-AKT, VEGF, and TNF signaling pathways could be critical for the NP analysis. Molecular docking indicated that UA had a strong affinity for docked proteins (binding energy range: −6.3 to −9.3 kcal mol−1). Conclusions. We employed an NP approach to validate and predict the underlying mechanisms associated with UA therapy for SCI. An additional purpose of this study was to provide a theoretical basis for further experimental studies on UA’s potential in SCI treatment.
The Oncogenic PI3K-Induced Transcriptomic Landscape Reveals Key Functions in Splicing and Gene Expression Regulation
Authors: Ladewig Erik , Michelini Flavia , Jhaveri Komal , Castel Pau , Carmona Javier , Fairchild Lauren , Zuniga Adler G. , Arruabarrena-Aristorena Amaia , Cocco Emiliano , Blawski Ryan , Kittane Srushti , Zhang Yuhan , Sallaku Mirna , Baldino Laura , Hristidis Vasilis , Chandarlapaty Sarat , Abdel-Wahab Omar , Leslie Christina , Scaltriti Maurizio , Toska Eneda
Published: April 2022

The phosphoinositide 3–kinase (PI3K) pathway regulates proliferation, survival, and metabolism and is frequently activated across human cancers. A comprehensive elucidation of how this signaling pathway controls transcriptional and cotranscriptional processes could provide new insights into the key functions of PI3K signaling in cancer. Here, we undertook a transcriptomic approach to investigate genome-wide gene expression and transcription factor activity changes, as well as splicing and isoform usage dynamics, downstream of PI3K. These analyses uncovered widespread alternatively spliced isoforms linked to proliferation, metabolism, and splicing in PIK3CA-mutant cells, which were reversed by inhibition of PI3Kα. Analysis of paired tumor biopsies from patients with PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer undergoing treatment with PI3Kα inhibitors identified widespread splicing alterations that affect specific isoforms in common with the preclinical models, and these alterations, namely PTK2/FRNK and AFMID isoforms, were validated as functional drivers of cancer cell growth or migration. Mechanistically, isoform-specific splicing factors mediated PI3K-dependent RNA splicing. Treatment with splicing inhibitors rendered breast cancer cells more sensitive to the PI3Kα inhibitor alpelisib, resulting in greater growth inhibition than alpelisib alone. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of widespread splicing alterations driven by oncogenic PI3K in breast cancer. The atlas of PI3K-mediated splicing programs establishes a key role for the PI3K pathway in regulating splicing, opening new avenues for exploiting PI3K signaling as a therapeutic vulnerability in breast cancer.

Significance:

Transcriptomic analysis reveals a key role for the PI3K pathway in regulating RNA splicing, uncovering new mechanisms by which PI3K regulates proliferation and metabolism in breast cancer.

See related commentary by Claridge and Hopkins, p. 2216

Watch the interview with Eneda Toska, PhD, recipient of the 2023 Cancer Research Early Career Award: https://vimeo.com/847434965
Remote-control of multi appliances based latching circuit and DTMF
Authors: Jahlool Jabbar Shatti
Published: April 2022

There are multiple technologies used to remotely control electric appliances like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, global system for mobile (GSM), and dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF), but these technologies contain limitations, whether by coverage distance or by the number of devices that are controlled remotely. In this paper, these restrictions were overcome with the use of DTMF and digital latching devices, which doubles the number of remote-controlled electrical appliances compared to other research using the same intended technology DTMF. Using the proposed mechanism in this paper enables the users to effectively control several electric remote devices equal to the standard number of mobile keypad buttons, so in this way, can control 12 devices. This is via the mobile phone by sending commands in the form of analog tones through calling to auto-answer remote control panel phone (RCPP). An interesting feature of this research, each keypad key of the owner mobile (OM) using to control one remote electric device to switch it ON or OFF, so that the first pressing will cause to switch it ON and the second pressing caused to switching it OFF. This method is used instead of using two keypad keys, one for ON and the other for OFF. The proposed idea working is the same as manually switching but here remotely and electronically. This feature is achieved by using a D-latch digital circuit. The work is implemented and tested by using Proteus simulation program.
The crisis of subsidiarity in the National Service for Minors: Chile (1994-2021)
Authors: Castillo-Gallardo Patricia , Gonzalez-Celis Alejandra , Rivas-Naranjo Viviana
Published: April 2022

In recent years, Chile has experienced an intense socio-legislative debate in which the State and society have taken responsibility for children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The crisis in the child protection system has become evident, highlighting the need for reform. This article proposes a critical analysis of the implementation of this policy based on a descriptive- interpretative study of the documents and evaluation reports produced by the National Service for Minors between 1994 and 2018. The study identifies structural deficiencies in the system that continued since this institution was founded. The authors identify that the cause of these deficiencies is the principle of subsidiarity of the State in this area.
Keywords: Institutionalization; social policy and welfare; social policy; child abuse, children’s rights.
Melancholic Redemption and the Hopelessness of Hope
Authors: Wolfson Elliot R.
Published: April 2022

Since late antiquity, a connection was made between Jews and the psychological state of despondency based, in part, on the link between melancholy and Saturn, and the further association of the Hebrew name of that planet, Shabbetai, and the Sabbath. The melancholic predisposition has had important anthropological, cosmological, and theological repercussions. In this essay, I focus on various perspectives on melancholia in thinkers as diverse as Kafka, Levinas, Blanchot, Rosenzweig, Benjamin, Bloch, Scholem, and Derrida. A common thread that links these thinkers is the hopelessness of hope imparted by the messianic belief in a future that must be perpetually deferred.
Induction of compression wood inhibits development of spiral grain in radiata pine
Authors: Thomas Jimmy , Dijkstra Stephanie M. , Harrington Jonathan J. , Collings David A.
Published: April 2022

Spiral grain refers to the helical patterns formed by the wood grain in the trunks of many tree species. In most gymnosperms, grain near the pith is vertical but wood formed after several years of growth has a slight to pronounced left-handed twist. Grain changes presumably involve the slow rotation of cells within the vascular cambium, but the mechanisms that allow this reorientation to occur remain unclear. Understanding this process is, however, important as the presence of strong spiral grain within the corewood of gymnosperms is a major wood quality issue devaluing cut timber. In this study, we measured wood grain in stems of Pinus radiata (radiata pine) saplings through reconstructions of resin canals that follow the grain, visualised by serial sectioning and scanning with circularly polarised light, and through X-ray computed microtomography (μCT) and image analysis in ImageJ. Vertical trees retained a symmetrical grain pattern that was weakly right-handed near the pith, but which became progressively more left-handed during the first eight months of growth. In tilted trees, however, the development of left-handed grain was inhibited by the formation of compression wood on the lower side of the tree whereas the wood on the upper side of the tree developed increasingly more left-handed grain as in the vertical controls. These results demonstrate that a previously unidentified link exists between compression wood formation and the inhibition of grain development.
A new species of Antella (Steccherinaceae, Agaricomycetes) from southwest China
Authors: DU PING , CAO TIAN-XU , DAI YU-CHENG
Published: April 2022

A new poroid fungus in the family Steccherinaceae, Antella tibetica sp. nov., is described from southwest China based on morphology, and phylogenetic analysis. The species was found in the Tibet Autonomous Region of southwest China, growing on angiosperm wood of a low decay stage. It is characterized by an annual growth habit, resupinate basidiocarps with buff yellow to yellowish brown pores, 0.5–1.5 per mm, a dimitic hyphal system composed of clamped generative hyphae and subicular skeletal hyphae encrusted with fine crystals, abundant gloeocystidia that are variable in shape, and oblong-ellipsoid basidiospores. The phylogenetic analysis based on ITS + nLSU rDNA sequences shows that A. tibetica nests in Antella, forming a monophyletic lineage with strong support (100 % BS, 100 % BP, 1.00 BPP). The differences between A. tibetica and other members of the genus are discussed. A key to accepted species of Antella is provided.
Taxonomic and nomenclatural update of Cenostigma (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) in Cuba
Authors: GARCÍA-BELTRÁN JOSÉ ANGEL
Published: April 2022

Caesalpinia s.l. is a traditionally polymorphous and unnatural genus, which was finally segregated into 27 genera based on robust phylogenetic analysis. Three of the Caesalpinia species recognized in the Flora of the Republic of Cuba were transferred to Cenostigma, while the infraspecific taxa of the two endemic species were not accepted. In this sense, the delimitation of taxa and nomenclature of Cenostigma in Cuba is reviewed. Only Cenostigma myabense var. clementis is recognized as an infraspecific taxon in Cenostigma myabense and the new combination is presented. The infraspecific classification of Caesalpinia pinnata is accepted and three new combinations are presented: Cenostigma pinnatum subsp. oblongifolium, Cenostigma pinnatum var. oblongifolium and Cenostigma pinnatum var. savannarum. The lectotypes for five names are designated: Caesalpinia myabensis, Libidibia pauciflora var. puberula, Caesalpinia hermeliae, Caesalpinia hornei, and Caesalpinia savannarum. The second step lectotype of Poincianella clementis is designated. The diagnosis of all taxa is presented, and nomenclatural information and geographic distribution are included here. In this way, worldwide the Cenostigma genus is composed of 14 species (three in Cuba, two endemic), one subspecies (endemic to Cuba) and nine varieties (two endemic to Cuba).
Euonymus neosplendens, a new name for E. splendens Aver. (Celastraceae)
Authors: IDREES MUHAMMAD , ZHANG ZHIYONG
Published: April 2022

N/A
Low morphological and genetic variation within the glass-perchlet Parambassis siamensis (Teleostei: Ambassidae) in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: GHAZALI SITI ZAFIRAH , LAVOUÉ SÉBASTIEN , ZAIN KHAIRONIZAM MD. , JAMALUDDIN JAMSARI AMIRUL FIRDAUS , AHMAD AMIRRUDIN , RATMUANGKHWANG SAHAT , NOR SITI AZIZAH MOHD
Published: April 2022

We compare several populations of the glass-perchlet Parambassis siamensis (Fowler 1937) (Teleostei: Ambassidae) sampled throughout Peninsular Malaysia to determine their degree of differentiation, using both morphological and molecular characters. Our morphological analyses do not show evidence for the presence of more than one species, with the range of morphometric and meristic characters overlapping among populations. Our genetic analysis using partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene coding for the protein cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) reveals the existence of two clades that diverge from each other by a minimum uncorrected p-distance of 2.2%. The first clade comprises of specimens from south-eastern Peninsular Malaysia (Pahang and Endau-Rompin River basins) along with those from Cambodia (lower Mekong River). The second clade comprises of specimens from western Peninsular Malaysia (Selangor, Kurau, Perak, Muda and Kerian River basins) and north-eastern Peninsular Malaysia (Terengganu River basin), along with those from Chao Phraya River basin nearby Bangkok (type locality of P. siamensis). The presence of specimens with numerous melanophores on body sides in each of these two clades indicates that body marking pattern is not a valuable taxonomic character. This finding supports the conclusion that Chanda punctulata Fraser-Brunner 1955 is a junior synonym of P. siamensis. Altogether, our results support the hypothesis that all populations of P. siamensis in Peninsular Malaysia (along those from Chao Phraya and lower Mekong basins) are conspecific, comprising two genetically distinct, although close lineages. We further discuss the phenotypic plasticity within P. siamensis in relation to lotic and lentic habitats. Finally, we briefly discuss some implications for biogeography and possible causes explaining the distribution pattern.
Contributions to the study of the genus Mongolojassus Zakhvatkin, 1953 (Homoptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Paralimnini) with description of a new species from Northern Caucasus
Authors: TISHECHKIN DMITRI YU.
Published: April 2022

Mongolojassus caucasicus sp. n. from the alpine zone of Dagestan, Northern Caucasus is described, new data on distribution and illustrated descriptions of M. bicuspidatus (J. Sahlberg, 1871) and M. vinokurovi Emelyanov, 1976 are provided. Information on the type series of M. elpatjevskii (Zakhvatkin, 1953) is given. Ecological preferences and distribution patterns of species of Mongolojassus are discussed.
Lattice-based provable data possession in the standard model for cloud-based smart grid data management systems
Authors: Zhou Caixue , Wang Lihua , Wang Lingmin
Published: April 2022

The smart grid is considered to be the next-generation electric power network. In a smart grid, there are massive data to be processed, so cloud computing is introduced into it to form a cloud-based smart grid data management system. However, with data no longer being stored locally, how to ensure the integrity of data stored in the cloud in the smart grid has become an urgent problem awaiting solution. Provable data possession has been proposed to solve this problem. With the development of quantum computer technology, quantum attacks-resistant cryptographic schemes are gradually entering people’s horizons. Lattice cryptography can resist quantum attacks. In this article, a lattice-based provable data possession scheme is proposed for cloud-based smart grid data management systems. The scheme is proved unforgeable under the small integer solution hard assumption in the standard model. Compared with other two efficient lattice-based provable data possession schemes in the standard model, our scheme also shows efficiency.
Estimating RNA dynamics using one time point for one sample in a single-pulse metabolic labeling experiment
Authors: Hersch Micha , Biasini Adriano , Marques Ana C. , Bergmann Sven
Published: April 2022

Background

Over the past decade, experimental procedures such as metabolic labeling for determining RNA turnover rates at the transcriptome-wide scale have been widely adopted and are now turning to single cell measurements. Several computational methods to estimate RNA synthesis, processing and degradation rates from such experiments have been suggested, but they all require several RNA sequencing samples. Here we present a method that can estimate those three rates from a single sample.

Methods

Our method relies on the analytical solution to the Zeisel model of RNA dynamics. It was validated on metabolic labeling experiments performed on mouse embryonic stem cells. Resulting degradation rates were compared both to previously published rates on the same system and to a state-of-the-art method applied to the same data.

Results

Our method is computationally efficient and outputs rates that correlate well with previously published data sets. Using it on a single sample, we were able to reproduce the observation that dynamic biological processes tend to involve genes with higher metabolic rates, while stable processes involve genes with lower rates. This supports the hypothesis that cells control not only the mRNA steady-state abundance, but also its responsiveness, i.e., how fast steady state is reached. Moreover, degradation rates obtained with our method compare favourably with the other tested method.

Conclusions

In addition to saving experimental work and computational time, estimating rates for a single sample has several advantages. It does not require an error-prone normalization across samples and enables the use of replicates to estimate uncertainty and assess sample quality. Finally the method and theoretical results described here are general enough to be useful in other contexts such as nucleotide conversion methods and single cell metabolic labeling experiments.
Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing using the ONT GridION and the Illumina MiSeq
Authors: Tshiabuila Derek , Giandhari Jennifer , Pillay Sureshnee , Ramphal Upasana , Ramphal Yajna , Maharaj Arisha , Anyaneji Ugochukwu Jacob , Naidoo Yeshnee , Tegally Houriiyah , San Emmanuel James , Wilkinson Eduan , Lessells Richard J. , de Oliveira Tulio
Published: April 2022

Background

Over 4 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been sequenced globally in the past 2 years. This has been crucial in elucidating transmission chains within communities, the development of new diagnostic methods, vaccines, and antivirals. Although several sequencing technologies have been employed, Illumina and Oxford Nanopore remain the two most commonly used platforms. The sequence quality between these two platforms warrants a comparison of the genomes produced by the two technologies. Here, we compared the SARS-CoV-2 consensus genomes obtained from the Oxford Nanopore Technology GridION and the Illumina MiSeq for 28 sequencing runs.

Results

Our results show that the MiSeq had a significantly higher number of consensus genomes classified by Nextclade as good and mediocre compared to the GridION. The MiSeq also had a significantly higher genome coverage and mutation counts than the GridION.

Conclusion

Due to the low genome coverage, high number of indels, and sensitivity to SARS-CoV-2 viral load noted with the GridION when compared to MiSeq, we can conclude that the MiSeq is more favourable for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, as successful genomic surveillance is dependent on high quality, near-whole consensus genomes.
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the bZIP transcription factor family genes in response to abiotic stress in Nicotiana tabacum L.
Authors: Duan Lili , Mo Zejun , Fan Yue , Li Kuiyin , Yang Mingfang , Li Dongcheng , Ke Yuzhou , Zhang Qian , Wang Feiyan , Fan Yu , Liu Renxiang
Published: April 2022

Background

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor (TF) is one of the largest families of transcription factors (TFs). It is widely distributed and highly conserved in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Previous studies have shown that the bZIP TF family is involved in plant growth, development, and stress responses. The bZIP family has been studied in many plants; however, there is little research on the bZIP gene family in tobacco.

Results

In this study, 77 bZIPs were identified in tobacco and named NtbZIP01 through to NtbZIP77. These 77 genes were then divided into eleven subfamilies according to their homology with Arabidopsis thaliana. NtbZIPs were unevenly distributed across twenty-two tobacco chromosomes, and we found sixteen pairs of segmental duplication. We further studied the collinearity between these genes and related genes of six other species. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis identified that expression patterns of bZIPs differed, including in different organs and under various abiotic stresses. NtbZIP49 might be important in the development of flowers and fruits; NtbZIP18 might be an important regulator in abiotic stress.

Conclusions

In this study, the structures and functions of the bZIP family in tobacco were systematically explored. Many bZIPs may play vital roles in the regulation of organ development, growth, and responses to abiotic stresses. This research has great significance for the functional characterisation of the tobacco bZIP family and our understanding of the bZIP family in higher plants.