bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Results up to 12 Months After Catheter-Based Alcohol-Mediated Renal Denervation for Treatment of Resistant Hypertension
Authors: Mahfoud Felix , Sievert Horst , Bertog Stefan , Lauder Lucas , Ewen Sebastian , Lengelé Jean-Philippe , Wojakowski Wojciech , Schmieder Roland , van der Giet Markus , Weber Michael A. , Kandzari David E. , Parise Helen , Fischell Tim A. , Pathak Atul , Persu Alexandre
Published: September 2021

Background:

Primary results of this prospective, open-label, multicenter trial suggested that alcohol-mediated renal denervation with perivascular injection of dehydrated alcohol using the Peregrine System Infusion Catheter safely reduces blood pressure (BP) in patients with resistant hypertension. To date, maintenance of the BP-lowering effect beyond 6 months using this novel technology has not been reported. This article describes the final, 12-month follow-up data on the safety and efficacy of alcohol-mediated renal denervation in these patients.

Methods:

Forty-five patients with resistant hypertension on a stable regimen of on average 5.1±1.5 antihypertensive medications underwent successful bilateral renal denervation using the Peregrine Catheter with alcohol as the neurolytic agent (0.6 mL per renal artery). Apart from 2 vascular access pseudoaneurysms (both without sequelae), no major procedural complications occurred.

Results:

At 12 months post-procedure, mean 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic BP were reduced by 10 mm Hg (95% CI, −16 to −5) and 7 mm Hg (−10 to −3), respectively (
P
<0.001). Office systolic/diastolic BP was reduced by 20/10 mm Hg (−27, −13/−14, −6; <0.001). Compared with baseline, the number of antihypertensive medications was reduced in 21% of patients, while it was increased in 19%. From baseline to 12 months, serum creatinine, urea, cystatin C, and spot urine albumin levels remained unchanged. The change in estimated glomerular filtration rates (−3.9±10.3 mL/minute per 1.73 m
2
[95% CI, −7.1 to −0.75];
P
=0.02) was within the expected range. There were no cases of renal artery stenosis up to 12-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

Catheter-based chemical renal denervation with dehydrated alcohol using the Peregrine Catheter seems to safely reduce BP at follow-up of up to 12 months. Further randomized and sham controlled studies are underway to further validate these findings.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT02570113.
Glucocorticoid Inhibition of Estrogen Regulation of the Serotonin Receptor 2B in Cardiomyocytes Exacerbates Cell Death in Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury
Authors: Dhaibar Hemangini A. , Carroll Natalie G. , Amatya Shripa , Kamberov Lilly , Khanna Pranshu , Orr A. Wayne , Bailey Steven R. , Oakley Robert H. , Cidlowski John A. , Cruz‐Topete Diana
Published: September 2021

Background

Stress has emerged as an important risk factor for heart disease in women. Stress levels have been shown to correlate with delayed recovery and increased mortality after a myocardial infarction. Therefore, we sought to investigate if the observed sex‐specific effects of stress in myocardial infarction may be partly attributed to genomic interactions between the female sex hormones, estrogen (E2), and the primary stress hormones glucocorticoids.

Methods and Results

Genomewide studies show that glucocorticoids inhibit estrogen‐mediated regulation of genes with established roles in cardiomyocyte homeostasis. These include
5‐HT2BR
(cardiac serotonin receptor 2B), the expression of which is critical to prevent cardiomyocyte death in the adult heart. Using siRNA, gene expression, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we found that
5‐HT2BR
is a primary target of the glucocorticoid receptor and the estrogen receptor α at the level of transcription. The glucocorticoid receptor blocks the recruitment of estrogen receptor α to the promoter of the
5‐HT2BR
gene, which may contribute to the adverse effects of stress in the heart of premenopausal women. Using immunoblotting, TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidal transferase–mediated biotin–deoxyuridine triphosphate nick‐end labeling), and flow cytometry, we demonstrate that estrogen decreases cardiomyocyte death by a mechanism relying on
5‐HT2BR
expression. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that glucocorticoids inhibit estrogen cardioprotection in response to hypoxia/reoxygenation injury and exacerbate the size of the infarct areas in myocardial infarction.

Conclusions

These results established a novel mechanism underlying the deleterious effects of stress on female cardiac health in the setting of ischemia/reperfusion.
Acute Genetic Ablation of Cardiac Sodium/Calcium Exchange in Adult Mice: Implications for Cardiomyocyte Calcium Regulation, Cardioprotection, and Arrhythmia
Authors: Lotteau Sabine , Zhang Rui , Hazan Adina , Grabar Christina , Gonzalez Devina , Aynaszyan Stephan , Philipson Kenneth D. , Ottolia Michela , Goldhaber Joshua I.
Published: September 2021

Background

Sodium‐calcium (Ca
2+
) exchanger isoform 1 (NCX1) is the dominant Ca
2+
efflux mechanism in cardiomyocytes and is critical to maintaining Ca
2+
homeostasis during excitation‐contraction coupling. NCX1 activity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, but a lack of specific NCX1 blockers complicates experimental interpretation. Our aim was to develop a tamoxifen‐inducible NCX1 knockout (KO) mouse to investigate compensatory adaptations of acute ablation of NCX1 on excitation‐contraction coupling and intracellular Ca
2+
regulation, and to examine whether acute KO of NCX1 confers resistance to triggered arrhythmia and ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Methods and Results

We used the α‐myosin heavy chain promoter (Myh6)‐MerCreMer promoter to create a tamoxifen‐inducible cardiac‐specific NCX1 KO mouse. Within 1 week of tamoxifen injection, NCX1 protein expression and current were dramatically reduced. Diastolic Ca
2+
increased despite adaptive reductions in Ca
2+
current and action potential duration and compensatory increases in excitation‐contraction coupling gain, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
ATPase 2 and plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase. As these adaptations progressed over 4 weeks, diastolic Ca
2+
normalized and SR Ca
2+
load increased. Left ventricular function remained normal, but mild fibrosis and hypertrophy developed. Transcriptomics revealed modification of cardiovascular‐related gene networks including cell growth and fibrosis. NCX1 KO reduced spontaneous action potentials triggered by delayed afterdepolarizations and reduced scar size in response to ischemia/reperfusion.

Conclusions

Tamoxifen‐inducible NCX1 KO mice adapt to acute genetic ablation of NCX1 by reducing Ca
2+
influx, increasing alternative Ca
2+
efflux pathways, and increasing excitation‐contraction coupling gain to maintain contractility at the cost of mild Ca
2+
‐activated hypertrophy and fibrosis and decreased survival. Nevertheless, KO myocytes are protected against spontaneous action potentials and ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Spectrum of Apolipoprotein AI and Apolipoprotein AII Proteoforms and Their Associations With Indices of Cardiometabolic Health: The CARDIA Study
Authors: Wilkins John T. , Seckler Henrique S. , Rink Jonathan , Compton Philip D. , Fornelli Luca , Thaxton C. Shad , LeDuc Rich , Jacobs David , Doubleday Peter F. , Sniderman Allan , Lloyd‐Jones Donald M. , Kelleher Neil L.
Published: September 2021

Background

ApoAI (apolipoproteins AI) and apoAII (apolipoprotein AII) are structural and functional proteins of high‐density lipoproteins (HDL) which undergo post‐translational modifications at specific residues, creating distinct proteoforms. While specific post‐translational modifications have been reported to alter apolipoprotein function, the full spectrum of apoAI and apoAII proteoforms and their associations with cardiometabolic phenotype remains unknown. Herein, we comprehensively characterize apoAI and apoAII proteoforms detectable in serum and their post‐translational modifications and quantify their associations with cardiometabolic health indices.

Methods and Results

Using top‐down proteomics (mass‐spectrometric analysis of intact proteins), we analyzed paired serum samples from 150 CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study participants from year 20 and 25 exams. Measuring 15 apoAI and 9 apoAII proteoforms, 6 of which carried novel post‐translational modifications, we quantified associations between percent proteoform abundance and key cardiometabolic indices. Canonical (unmodified) apoAI had inverse associations with HDL cholesterol and HDL‐cholesterol efflux, and positive associations with obesity indices (body mass index, waist circumference), and triglycerides, whereas glycated apoAI showed positive associations with serum glucose and diabetes mellitus. Fatty‐acid‒modified ApoAI proteoforms had positive associations with HDL cholesterol and efflux, and inverse associations with obesity indices and triglycerides. Truncated and dimerized proteoforms of apoAII were associated with HDL cholesterol (positively) and obesity indices (inversely). Several proteoforms had no significant associations with phenotype.

Conclusions

Associations between apoAI and AII and cardiometabolic indices are proteoform‐specific. These results provide “proof‐of‐concept” that precise chemical characterization of human apolipoproteins will yield improved insights into the complex pathways through which proteins signify and mediate health and disease.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction After a Recent Worsening Heart Failure Event
Authors: Carnicelli Anthony P. , Clare Robert , Hofmann Paul , Chiswell Karen , DeVore Adam D. , Vemulapalli Sreekanth , Felker G. Michael , Sarocco Phil , Mentz Robert J.
Published: September 2021

Background

Contemporary trials of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) required a recent worsening heart failure (WHF) event for inclusion. We aimed to describe characteristics and outcomes of patients with HFrEF and a recent WHF event at a large tertiary referral center.

Methods and Results

We identified adult patients with chronic symptomatic HFrEF (ejection fraction ≤35%) treated at Duke University between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2018, and applied a set of exclusion criteria to generate a cohort similar to those enrolled in contemporary heart failure trials. Patients were stratified by presence or absence of a recent WHF event, defined as an emergency department visit for heart failure or hospitalization for heart failure in the prior 12 months. Characteristics and outcomes including death and hospitalization were assessed. Of 3867 patients with HFrEF meeting study criteria, 2823 (73.0%) had a WHF event in the prior 12 months. Compared with patients without a WHF event, those with a WHF event were more likely to be under‐represented racial and ethnic groups and had lower ejection fraction, a greater burden of comorbidities, and more echocardiographic evidence of cardiac dysfunction. Despite higher use of guideline‐directed therapies, patients with a WHF event had higher rates of death (hazard ratio, 2.30; 95% CI, 2.01–2.63), all‐cause hospitalization (hazard ratio, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.42–1.71), and heart failure hospitalization (hazard ratio, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.44–1.75) through 5 years compared with those without a recent WHF event.

Conclusions

WHF events are common in patients with HFrEF and are associated with more advanced disease. Patients with recent WHF have high rates of death and hospitalization, underscoring the need for novel therapies in this large subgroup of patients with HFrEF.
Fibronectin‐Mediated Inflammatory Signaling Through Integrin α5 in Vascular Remodeling
Authors: Budatha Madhusudhan , Zhang Jiasheng , Schwartz Martin A.
Published: September 2021

Background

Adhesion of vascular endothelial cells to the underlying basement membrane potently modulates endothelial cells to cells' inflammatory activation. The normal basement membrane proteins laminin and collagen IV attenuate inflammatory signaling in part through integrin α2β1. In contrast, fibronectin, the provisional matrix protein found in injured, remodeling or inflamed vessels, sensitizes endothelial cells to inflammatory stimuli through integrins α5β1and and αvβ3. A chimeric integrin in which the cytoplasmic domain of α5 is replaced with that of α2 pairs with β1 and binds fibronectin but signals like α2β1.

Methods and Results

Here, we examined mice in which integrin α5 is replaced with the α5/2 chimera, using the transverse aortic constriction and partial carotid ligation models of vessel remodeling. Following transverse aortic constriction and partial carotid ligation surgery, wild‐type mice showed increased fibronectin deposition and expression of inflammatory markers, which were strongly attenuated in a5/2 mice. α5/2 mice also showed reduced artery wall hypertrophy in the transverse aortic constriction model and diminished inward remodeling in the partial carotid ligation model. Acute atherosclerosis after partial carotid ligation in hyperlipidemic ApoE−/−mice on a high fat diet was dramatically decreased in α5/2 mice.

Conclusions

Fibronectin and integrin α5 signaling is a key element of pathological vascular remodeling in acute models of both hypertension and disturbed flow. These results underscore the key role for integrin α5 signaling in pathological vascular remodeling associated with hypertension and atherosclerosis and support its potential as a therapeutic target.
Efficacy of Physical Exercise to Offset Anthracycline‐Induced Cardiotoxicity: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Clinical and Preclinical Studies
Authors: Naaktgeboren Willeke R. , Binyam David , Stuiver Martijn M. , Aaronson Neil K. , Teske Arco J. , van Harten Wim H. , Groen Wim G. , May Anne M.
Published: September 2021

Background

Physical exercise is an intervention that might protect against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. In this meta‐analysis and systematic review, we aimed to estimate the effect of exercise on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity and to evaluate mechanisms underlying exercise‐mediated cardioprotection using (pre)clinical evidence.

Methods and Results

We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases. Cochrane's and Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk‐of‐bias tools were used to assess the validity of human and animal studies, respectively. Cardiotoxicity outcomes reported by ≥3 studies were pooled and structured around the type of exercise intervention. Forty articles were included, of which 3 were clinical studies. Overall, in humans (sample sizes ranging from 24 to 61), results were indicative of exercise‐mediated cardioprotection, yet they were not sufficient to establish whether physical exercise protects against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. In animal studies (n=37), a pooled analysis demonstrated that forced exercise interventions significantly mitigated in vivo and ex vivo doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity compared with nonexercised controls. Similar yet slightly smaller effects were found for voluntary exercise interventions. We identified oxidative stress and related pathways, and less doxorubicin accumulation as mechanisms underlying exercise‐induced cardioprotection, of which the latter could act as an overarching mechanism.

Conclusions

Animal studies indicate that various exercise interventions can protect against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity in rodents. Less doxorubicin accumulation in cardiac tissue could be a key underlying mechanism. Given the preclinical evidence and limited availability of clinical data, larger and methodologically rigorous clinical studies are needed to clarify the role of physical exercise in preventing cardiotoxicity in patients with cancer.

Registration

URL:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero
; Unique identifier: CRD42019118218.
Phase 1/2a Trial of ISPASM
Authors: Zanaty Mario , Allan Lauren , Samaniego Edgar A. , Piscopo Anthony , Ryan Eleanor , Torner James C. , Hasan David
Published: September 2021

Background and Purpose:

Microthrombosis could play a role in delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Tirofiban has shown promising results in reducing delayed cerebral ischemia in retrospective studies. However, the safety of using tirofiban in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is not rigorously established.

Methods:

A phase 1/2a double-blinded randomized controlled trial (2:1 randomization) to assess the safety of a 7-day intravenous infusion of tirofiban compared with placebo, in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with ventriculostomy placed in the operative room and coiling was conducted. The primary end point was any intracranial hemorrhage during the hospital stay. The secondary end points were: incidence of radiographic and clinical vasospasm, incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia, and incidence of cerebral ischemic changes noted on magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.

Results:

Eighteen patients received intravenous tirofiban and 12 received placebo. There was no difference in baseline characteristics except for higher male proportions in the tirofiban group. There was no difference in death, in development of new or change in existing intracranial hemorrhages, in thrombocytopenia, and need for shunts in the two arms. However, the tirofiban arm had a lower incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia compared with placebo (6% [1/18] versus 33% [4/12];
P
=0.04), and less radiographic vasospasm as detected by catheter angiogram or computed tomography angiography (
P
=0.01) and computed tomography perfusion (
P
=0.01).

Conclusions:

The above preliminary results support proceeding with further testing of the safety and efficacy of 7-day intravenous infusion of tirofiban in a pragmatic (placing external ventricular drain by the bedside), multicenter setting, and using a larger population.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03691727.
Atherogenic Dyslipidemia and Residual Vascular Risk After Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Hoshino Takao , Ishizuka Kentaro , Toi Sono , Mizuno Takafumi , Nishimura Ayako , Takahashi Shuntaro , Wako Sho , Kitagawa Kazuo
Published: September 2021

Background and Purpose:

Notwithstanding the current guideline-based management, patients with stroke retain a substantial risk of further vascular events. We aimed to assess the contribution of atherogenic dyslipidemia (AD) to this residual risk.

Methods:

This was a prospective observational study, in which 792 patients (mean age, 70.1 years; male, 60.2%) with acute ischemic stroke (n=710) or transient ischemic attack (n=82) within 1 week of onset were consecutively enrolled and followed for 1 year. AD was defined as having both elevated levels of triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL and low HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) <40 mg/dL in men or <50 mg/dL in women, under fasting conditions. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events, including nonfatal stroke, nonfatal acute coronary syndrome, and vascular death.

Results:

The prevalence of AD was 12.2%. Patients with AD more often had intracranial artery stenosis than those without (42.3% versus 24.1%;
P
=0.004), whereas no differences were observed in the prevalence of extracranial artery stenosis (17.7% versus 12.9%;
P
=0.62) or aortic plaques (33.3% versus 27.0%;
P
=0.87). At 1 year, patients with AD were at a greater risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (annual rate, 24.5% versus 10.6%; hazard ratio [95% CI], 2.33 [1.44–3.80]) and ischemic stroke (annual rate, 16.8% versus 8.6%; hazard ratio [95% CI], 1.84 [1.04–3.26]) than those without AD. When patients were stratified according to baseline LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) level, AD was predictive of major adverse cardiovascular events among those with LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL (n=509; annual rate, 20.5% versus 9.6%;
P
=0.036) as well as those with LDL-C <100 mg/dL (n=283; annual rate, 38.6% versus 12.4%;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions:

AD is associated with intracranial artery atherosclerosis and a high residual vascular risk after a stroke or transient ischemic attack. AD should be a promising modifiable target for secondary stroke prevention.

Registration:

URL:
https://upload.umin.ac.jp
; Unique identifier: UMIN000031913.
Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Stroke Following Cardiac Transplantation
Authors: Alnsasra Hilmi , Asleh Rabea , Kumar Neeraj , Lopez Camden , Toya Takumi , Kremers Walter K. , Edwards Brooks , Daly Richard C. , Kushwaha Sudhir S.
Published: September 2021

Background and Purpose:

Less is known about the risk factors and outcomes associated with stroke in the current era of increasing heart transplantation (HT) being performed in older patients. The impact of immunosuppression on risk of stroke has not yet been previously studied. We aimed to determine the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of stroke after HT.

Methods:

We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes and associated outcomes in all consecutive HT recipients transplanted between 1994 and 2016 at a single institution.

Results:

Of 529 patients who underwent HT, 57 (10.7%) developed stroke, 8.1% had an ischemic events and (2.6%) had a hemorrhagic stroke. Age at HT (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.33;
P
=0.03) and diabetes (HR, 2.60;
P
=0.02) were associated with increased risk of ischemic events. Patients with stroke (any type) were more likely to have worse kidney function (HR, 1.81;
P
=0.02) whereas patients with ischemic events were more likely to undergo combined organ transplantation (HR, 2.01;
P
=0.05). Cytomegalovirus infection was found to be associated with increased risk of any stroke (HR, 2.09;
P
=0.02).Conversion from calcineurin inhibitor to sirolimus-based immunosuppression was not found to be associated with a significant change in stroke risk (HR, 1.39;
P
=0. 45) compared with calcineurin inhibitor maintenance therapy. Stroke of any type and ischemic events were independently associated with increased risk of death (HR, 1.90;
P
=0.001 and HR, 2.14;
P
<0.001, respectively).

Conclusions:

Stroke after HT is associated with increased mortality. Older age at HT, diabetes, renal dysfunction, and CMV infection were associated with greater risk of stroke.
Morphological Sensitivity and Falling Behavior of Paper V-Shapes
Authors: Howison Toby , Hughes Josie , Iida Fumiya
Published: September 2021

Behavioral diversity seen in biological systems is, at the most basic level, driven by interactions between physical materials and their environment. In this context we are interested in falling paper systems, specifically the V-shaped falling paper (VSFP) system that exhibits a set of discrete falling behaviors across the morphological parameter space. Our previous work has investigated how morphology influences dominant falling behaviors in the VSFP system. In this article we build on this analysis to investigate the nature of behavioral transitions in the same system. First, we investigate stochastic behavior transitions. We demonstrate how morphology influences the likelihood of different transitions, with certain morphologies leading to a wide range of possible paths through the behavior-space. Second, we investigate deterministic transitions. To investigate behaviors over longer time periods than available in falling experiments we introduce a new experimental platform. We demonstrate how we can induce behavior transitions by modulating the energy input to the system. Certain behavior transitions are found to be irreversible, exhibiting a form of hysteresis, while others are fully reversible. Certain morphologies are shown to behave like simplistic sequential logic circuits, indicating that the system has a form of memory encoded into the morphology–environment interactions. Investigating the limits of how morphology–environment interactions induce non-trivial behaviors is a key step for the design of embodied artificial life-forms.
Classification of Discrete Dynamical Systems Based on Transients
Authors: Hudcová Barbora , Mikolov Tomáš
Published: September 2021

In order to develop systems capable of artificial evolution, we need to identify which systems can produce complex behavior. We present a novel classification method applicable to any class of deterministic discrete space and time dynamical systems. The method is based on classifying the asymptotic behavior of the average computation time in a given system before entering a loop. We were able to identify a critical region of behavior that corresponds to a phase transition from ordered behavior to chaos across various classes of dynamical systems. To show that our approach can be applied to many different computational systems, we demonstrate the results of classifying cellular automata, Turing machines, and random Boolean networks. Further, we use this method to classify 2D cellular automata to automatically find those with interesting, complex dynamics. We believe that our work can be used to design systems in which complex structures emerge. Also, it can be used to compare various versions of existing attempts to model open-ended evolution (Channon, 2006; Ofria & Wilke, 2004; Ray, 1991).
Replay in Deep Learning: Current Approaches and Missing Biological Elements
Authors: Hayes Tyler L. , Krishnan Giri P. , Bazhenov Maxim , Siegelmann Hava T. , Sejnowski Terrence J. , Kanan Christopher
Published: September 2021

Replay is the reactivation of one or more neural patterns that are similar to the activation patterns experienced during past waking experiences. Replay was first observed in biological neural networks during sleep, and it is now thought to play a critical role in memory formation, retrieval, and consolidation. Replay-like mechanisms have been incorporated in deep artificial neural networks that learn over time to avoid catastrophic forgetting of previous knowledge. Replay algorithms have been successfully used in a wide range of deep learning methods within supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning paradigms. In this letter, we provide the first comprehensive comparison between replay in the mammalian brain and replay in artificial neural networks. We identify multiple aspects of biological replay that are missing in deep learning systems and hypothesize how they could be used to improve artificial neural networks.
Temporal Variabilities Provide Additional Category-Related Information in Object Category Decoding: A Systematic Comparison of Informative EEG Features
Authors: Karimi-Rouzbahani Hamid , Shahmohammadi Mozhgan , Vahab Ehsan , Setayeshi Saeed , Carlson Thomas
Published: September 2021

How does the human brain encode visual object categories? Our understanding of this has advanced substantially with the development of multivariate decoding analyses. However, conventional electroencephalography (EEG) decoding predominantly uses the mean neural activation within the analysis window to extract category information. Such temporal averaging overlooks the within-trial neural variability that is suggested to provide an additional channel for the encoding of information about the complexity and uncertainty of the sensory input. The richness of temporal variabilities, however, has not been systematically compared with the conventional mean activity. Here we compare the information content of 31 variability-sensitive features against the mean of activity, using three independent highly varied data sets. In whole-trial decoding, the classical event-related potential (ERP) components of P2a and P2b provided information comparable to those provided by original magnitude data (OMD) and wavelet coefficients (WC), the two most informative variability-sensitive features. In time-resolved decoding, the OMD and WC outperformed all the other features (including the mean), which were sensitive to limited and specific aspects of temporal variabilities, such as their phase or frequency. The information was more pronounced in the theta frequency band, previously suggested to support feedforward visual processing. We concluded that the brain might encode the information in multiple aspects of neural variabilities simultaneously such as phase, amplitude, and frequency rather than mean per se. In our active categorization data set, we found that more effective decoding of the neural codes corresponds to better prediction of behavioral performance. Therefore, the incorporation of temporal variabilities in time-resolved decoding can provide additional category information and improved prediction of behavior.
Asymptotic Input-Output Relationship Predicts Electric Field Effect on Sublinear Dendritic Integration of AMPA Synapses
Authors: Fan Yaqin , Wei Xile , Yi Guosheng , Lu Meili , Wang Jiang , Deng Bin
Published: September 2021

An extracellular electric field (EF) induces transmembrane polarizations on extremely inhomogeneous spaces Evidence shows that EF-induced somatic polarization in pyramidal cells can modulate the neuronal input-output (I/O) function. However, it remains unclear whether and how dendritic polarization participates in the dendritic integration and contributes to the neuronal I/O function. To this end, we built a computational model of a simplified pyramidal cell with multi-dendritic tufts, one dendritic trunk, and one soma to describe the interactions among EF, dendritic integration, and somatic output, in which the EFs were modeled by inserting inhomogeneous extracellular potentials. We aimed to establish the underlying relationship between dendritic polarization and dendritic integration by analyzing the dynamics of subthreshold membrane potentials in response to AMPA synapses in the presence of constant EFs. The model-based singular perturbation analysis showed that the equilibrium mapping of a fast subsystem can serve as the asymptotic subthreshold I/O relationship for sublinear dendritic integration. This allows us to predict the tendency of EF-mediated dendritic integration by showing how EF changes modify equilibrium mapping. EF-induced hyperpolarization of distal dendrites receiving synapses inputs was found to play a key role in facilitating the AMPA receptor-evoked excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) by enhancing the driving force of synaptic inputs. A significantly higher efficacy of EF modulation effect on global AMPA-type dendritic integration was found compared with local AMPA-type dendritic integration. During the generation of an action potential (AP), the relative contribution of EF-modulated dendritic integration and EF-induced somatic polarization was determined to show their collaboration in promoting or inhibiting the somatic excitability, depending on the EF polarity. These findings are crucial for understanding the EF modulation effect on neuronal computation, which provides insight into the modulation mechanism of noninvasive brain modulation.
Sexuality after Life
Authors: Niumeitolu Cecily
Published: September 2021

This article teases out intertextual threads from the visual arts and image-lore that join Beckett’s Dream of Fair to Middling Women to Ill Seen Ill Said. It explores how Beckett’s treatment of gender and sexual desire are deeply informed by Western art history’s specific gender dyad. It argues that Beckett harnesses and agitates this dyad to provoke new understandings of sexuality, sight and sense. By engaging key events in Dream and Ill Seen it unfolds an erotics of nonrelation: the sexual dimension of Beckett’s work that admits the dead and inorganic encrypted and insisting within the all too human.
Raymond Federman, Dying with Beckett
Authors: Camerlynck Nathalie
Published: September 2021

Raymond Federman (1928–2009), known as a Beckett scholar, postmodern theorist and avant-garde novelist, was singularly devoted to the one he called Sam. Having escaped death, deportation in the Holocaust, his fiction recounts his experiences from the day of his “birth into death,” the 16th of July 1942. Writing what he called surfiction, fiction which exposes the fictionality of reality, Federman fashioned himself as a Beckett creature. This article outlines aspects of his devotion and its links to death and dying, starting with how he used Beckett’s words to confront his terminal illness.
Can we still Speak about the Innovation Process per se?
Authors: Jasinski Andrzej H
Published: September 2021

In this article, we are analyzing an influence of various factors on the contents, structure and organization of the contemporary innovation process. The main hypothesis assumes that the contemporary innovation more and more often comes as a result of a quite loose set of dispersed processes and not of a put-in-order, several-phase innovation process. The article starts with a literature survey followed by four empirical illustrations. On the basis of this, the multi-process model of technological innovation is presented. Afterwards, we identify implications for practice, especially the main challenges to be faced by innovation managers in industrial firms.
Counting Couples: The Marriage Banns Registers of the City of Amsterdam, 1580–1810
Authors: van Weeren René , De Moor Tine
Published: September 2021

Marriage is generally regarded as a decisive moment in the life course of individuals. As the social, but also the legal status of women and men changes as soon as they enter marriage and – by extension – their preceding wedding engagement, registers are and were being kept to record this life event in most societies. The difficulty in studying the long-term development of marriage patterns is the need for, among other things, detailed information about the marriage formation process. Most of the research on marriage patterns is based on a limited amount of data. Data either cover only a limited period (at most several consecutive decades), a limited number of variables, a relatively small number of marriages, and/or a relatively small town or region. The Amsterdam marriage banns registers are an exception to the above, in terms of content, focus area, and volume. In this article, we present the dataset results of the Citizen Science project ‘Ja, ik wil!’ [‘Yes, I do!’], involving over 500 participants retrieving a wide range of socio-economic data on over 94,000 couples from the rich source of the historical Amsterdam marriage banns registers, covering every fifth year between 1580 and 1810.
Molecular and morphological studies identify a new genus within the Heterolepismatinae (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae)
Authors: SMITH GRAEME B. , MITCHELL ANDREW , MOLERO-BALTANÁS RAFAEL
Published: September 2021

Molecular studies using COI and 28S sequence data strongly identify a clade within the Heterolepismatinae distinct from the majority of species so far sequenced. The independence of the clade is supported by several morphological characters including a glabrous anterior margin to the frons, large trapezoidal thoracic sternites, tarsal trichobothria, long, conical parameres which in some species consist of two segments, and the presence of triangular or rounded subrectangular scales on the femora, tibia and clypeus. This clade is described as a new genus Visma n. gen. containing ten new species V. advenum n. sp., V. bingara n. sp., V. brayi n. sp., V. bundjalung n. sp., V. brigalowsum n. sp., V. capricornia n. sp., V. pallidum n. sp., V. powellheueri n. sp., V. tenebrosum n. sp. and V. xanthorrhoea n. sp.. Heterolepisma stilivarians Silvestri, 1908 is redescribed from the holotype and transferred to the new genus. The remaining H. stilivarians type series is found to be different to the holotype and removed from the type series. It is considered possible that H. annectens Silvestri, 1924 may also belong to this genus. Scanning electron microscopy of scale shape and rib-spacing is shown to be a useful tool to separate at least some species of the genus and considered to have greater potential if well preserved material is available.
Diverse impacts of Indian Ocean Dipole on El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Authors: Zhang Lei , Han Weiqing , Meehl Gerald A. , Hu Aixue , Rosenbloom Nan , Shinoda Toshiaki , McPhaden Michael J.
Published: September 2021

Understanding the impact of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is important for climate prediction. By analyzing observational data and performing Indian and Pacific Ocean pacemaker experiments using a state-of-the-art climate model, we find that a positive IOD (pIOD) can favor both cold and warm sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the tropical Pacific, in contrast to the previously identified pIOD-El Niño connection. The diverse impacts of the pIOD on ENSO are related to SSTA in the Seychelles-Chagos thermocline ridge (SCTR; 60°E-85°E and 7°S-15°S) as part of the warm pole of the pIOD. Specifically, a pIOD with SCTR warming can cause warm SSTA in the southeast Indian Ocean, which induces La Niña-like conditions in the tropical Pacific through interbasin interaction processes associated with a recently identified climate phenomenon dubbed the “Warm Pool Dipole”. This study identifies a new pIOD-ENSO relationship and examines the associated mechanisms.
Small Group Tutorial Curriculum During Third Year Surgical Clerkship and Identification of Surgical Role Models
Authors: Bacon Daniel R. , Sherif Noha , Pascarella Luigi
Published: September 2021

Identification of surgical mentors is associated with medical student interest in surgical careers. Small group learning has been a fundamental component of the surgical clerkship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine for 14 years. The curriculum was standardized on 2018 and has long been hypothesized to facilitate mentoring relationships. In this brief report, we administered a survey that assessed the relationship between students and surgical faculty serving as small group tutors. Analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The survey yielded an 18.8% response rate. Greater than 50% of students identified their tutor as a surgical role model. Greater than 60% of students affirmed that their tutor at least somewhat influenced their interest in surgery. Larger longitudinal studies with higher response rates are needed to assess relationships over time, and if these relationships ultimately correlate with applications made to surgical residency programs.
Psychological Adjustment to Spousal Bereavement in Older Adults: A Systematic Review
Authors: Purrington Jack
Published: September 2021

Research articles examining psychological adjustment to spousal bereavement in older adults (65+) were identified through searches on five electronical databases alongside forward citation and reference list searches. A total of 15 articles involving 686 unique participants were identified. Five characteristics were discovered which can facilitate and inhibit psychological adjustment to spousal bereavement in older adults: the pre-loss spousal relationship, social support, finding meaning and spirituality in loss, the surviving spouse’s personality traits, and death characteristics. These findings support that concepts of ‘meaning making’ and social support should be incorporated into therapeutic work with bereaved spouses to help facilitate psychological adjustment.
Reconfiguring Aviation for a Climate-Safe Future: Are Airlines Sending the Wrong Message?
Authors: Higham James , Hanna Paul , Hopkins Debbie , Cohen Scott , Gössling Stefan , Cocolas Nicole
Published: September 2021

Aviation remains a problematic sector of the global economy in times of climate emergency. Grounded in the ideology of reconfiguration, we adopt a system transitions perspective to address high emissions leisure travel. Our focus falls on the marketing communications of airlines as a critical component in the prevailing sociotechnical regime. Thematic analysis of the e-mail marketing communications of selected airlines revealed three prominent tropes: adventure and discovery; privilege; and urgency. These communications bring air travel into the everyday lives of consumers and accelerate the turnover time of tourist consumption. Time is mobilized to create a sense of resource scarcity and urgency to consume, paradoxically in a situation characterized by oversupply. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique opportunity for structural reform of the airline industry. Component substitution to address airline marketing is required as an important step toward overcoming consumer moral disengagement and reconfiguring the airline industry.
The role of bicultural people in the missio Dei: Creating a model from bicultural Bible characters
Authors: Rasmussen Hannah
Published: September 2021

Most models of missions assume a monocultural person encounters another monocultural environment when they begin mission work, but in a globalizing world, more people grow up with sustained engagement in multiple cultural settings before their formal ministry begins. People with mixed and multiple identities include adoptees, immigrants, refugees, children of intercultural marriages, people who schooled in a different setting, and children of diplomats, missionaries, military parents, or international businesspeople. In order to form a model for what characterizes the role of bicultural people in the missio Dei, this article surveys the biblical examples of Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Esther, and Paul. These people encountered multiple cultures before the age of 18, and later ministered in cross-cultural or hybrid settings. Drawing from Scripture, commentaries, and missiological literature, this article finds that bicultural people in the Bible share four characteristics: (1) They identify with more than one culture as a result of circumstances outside their control, lacking full awareness of the missional purposes of cultural adaptation. (2) They experience rejection from at least one culture because they are seen as different. (3) Despite this, they continue to identify with these cultures. (4) Their missional purpose is fully realized when they assume a mediator role that involves communicating between parties and sometimes securing benefits for each side.
Word-embedding-based query expansion: Incorporating Deep Averaging Networks in Arabic document retrieval
Authors: Farhan Yasir Hadi , Mohd Noah Shahrul Azman , Mohd Masnizah , Atwan Jaffar
Published: September 2021

One of the main issues associated with search engines is the query–document vocabulary mismatch problem, a long-standing problem in Information Retrieval (IR). This problem occurs when a user query does not match the content of stored documents, and it affects most search tasks. Automatic query expansion (AQE) is one of the most common approaches used to address this problem. Various AQE techniques have been proposed; these mainly involve finding synonyms or related words for the query terms. Word embedding (WE) is one of the methods that are currently receiving significant attention. Most of the existing AQE techniques focus on expanding the individual query terms rather the entire query during the expansion process, and this can lead to query drift if poor expansion terms are selected. In this article, we introduce Deep Averaging Networks (DANs), an architecture that feeds the average of the WE vectors produced by the Word2Vec toolkit for the terms in a query through several linear neural network layers. This average vector is assumed to represent the meaning of the query as a whole and can be used to find expansion terms that are relevant to the complete query. We explore the potential of DANs for AQE in Arabic document retrieval. We experiment with using DANs for AQE in the classic probabilistic BM25 model as well as for two recent expansion strategies: Embedding-Based Query Expansion approach (EQE1) and Prospect-Guided Query Expansion Strategy (V2Q). Although DANs did not improve all outcomes when used in the BM25 model, it outperformed all baselines when incorporated into the EQE1 and V2Q expansion strategies.
Journal titles and mission statements: Lexical structure, diversity, and readability in business, management and accounting research
Authors: Cortés Julián D.
Published: September 2021

There is an established research agenda on dissecting an article’s components and their association with a journal’s prestige. However, journals’ titles and their overview, aim and scope (i.e. journal’s mission statement – JMS(s)) have not been investigated with the same diligence. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive outlook of titles and JMSs’ lexical structure and identify significant differences between journals prestige and type of access and their JMS content in the field of business, management and accounting (BMA), considering the field’s experience in developing and applying mission statements. Titles and JMSs’ structural analysis reflected current and critical discussion in BMA: a predilection for counterintuitive findings and information and communication technology (ICT) tools. JMSs expressed primarily target customers and markets. JMSs from reputable journals showed a higher betweenness for key-terms related to rigorous features. In contrast, JMSs of lower reputable journals highlighted indexing attributes. The Wilcoxon rank-sum and the Kruskal–Wallis tests showed significant differences in the JMSs’ median diversity regarding the journal’s type of access and best quartiles.
Emotional valence and arousal induced by auditory stimuli among individuals with visual impairment
Authors: Kim Hyung Nam , Sutharson Sam Jotham
Published: September 2021

Despite significant vision loss, humans can still recognize various emotional stimuli via a sense of hearing and express diverse emotional responses, which can be sorted into two dimensions, arousal and valence. Yet, many research studies have been focusing on sighted people, leading to lack of knowledge about emotion perception mechanisms of people with visual impairment. This study aims at advancing knowledge of the degree to which people with visual impairment perceive various emotions – high/low arousal and positive/negative emotions. A total of 30 individuals with visual impairment participated in interviews where they listened to stories of people who became visually impaired, encountered and overcame various challenges, and they were instructed to share their emotions. Participants perceived different kinds and intensities of emotions, depending on their demographic variables such as living alone, loneliness, onset of visual impairment, visual acuity, race/ethnicity, and employment status. The advanced knowledge of emotion perceptions in people with visual impairment is anticipated to contribute toward better designing social supports that can adequately accommodate those with visual impairment.
Examining the Accelerated Playback Hypothesis of Time-Compression in Multimedia Learning Environments: A Meta-Analysis Study
Authors: Cheng Li , Pastore Raymond , Ritzhaupt Albert D.
Published: September 2021

With the explosion of multimedia learning environments and the use of digital time-compression algorithms in common software and hardware, we need guidance on how to use this technology without sacrificing quality and learning outcomes. The purpose of the meta-analysis is to examine the existing empirical research literature to derive an overall integrated model for the use of digital time-compression algorithms in multimedia learning environments. We frame this research by coining the accelerated playback hypothesis, which posits that learning outcomes will not diminish with accelerated playback of multimedia learning materials until a threshold is reached. Systematically searching twelve academic databases and filtering the literature, we identified seven qualified manuscripts with k = 18 independent effect size comparisons using time-compression in the context of multimedia learning. The overall effect size for playback speed 1.4–1.5x is small and significant at g = −0.212 [95% CI = −0.378, −0.045]. The overall effect size for playback speed 1.8–2.0x is small and non-significant at g = −0.362 [95% CI = −0.743 to 0.019]. Discussion and implications for practice and research are provided.