bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solasonine Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Proliferation of Bladder Cancer Cells by Suppressing NRP1 Expression
Authors: Dong Yang , Hao Lin , Shi Zhen-duo , Fang Kun , Yu Hui , Zang Guang-hui , Fan Tao , Han Cong-hui
Published: March 2022

Solasonine, a steroidal alkaloid extracted from Solanum nigrum L., has been found to exert inhibitory effect on cancers. However, the underlying anticancer mechanisms of solasonine, particularly in urinary bladder cancer (BC), remain unclear. In this study, we identified the potential targets and biological functions associated with solasonine activity using a bioinformatics approach. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and other signaling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT and ERK/MAPK pathways, were potentially involved in the therapeutic effects of solasonine. The ability of solasonine in inducing apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation in BC cells was confirmed experimentally, and the inhibition of ERK/MAPK, P38/MAPK, and PI3K/AKT pathways was validated by Western blot. Mechanistically, solasonine suppressed the expression of NRP1 protein, but not that of mRNA. Further results of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analysis indicated that solasonine could directly bind to the b1 domain of NRP1 protein with a reasonable and stable docking conformation. We previously found that targeting NRP1 is a potential antitumor strategy. Combined with these findings, it can be speculated that the binding of solasonine with NRP1 on the cell membrane could prevent the formation of NRP1/VEGFA/VEGFR2 and NRP1/EGFR complexes, resulting in the inhibition of downstream signaling, including ERK/MAPK, P38/MAPK, and PI3K/AKT pathways. Additionally, intracellular solasonine could inhibit the membrane localization of NRP1 and provoke its cytoplasmic retention, facilitating the degradation of NRP1 protein in the cytoplasm. The dual effects induced by the binding of solasonine to NRP1 extracellularly and intracellularly could account for the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of solasonine on BC.
Application of Machine Learning Models to the Detection of Breast Cancer
Authors: Binsaif Nasser
Published: March 2022

This work aims to build a binary breast cancer classifier algorithm based on the blood test and anthropometric data (age, body mass index, glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1) of 116 subjects. For this study, a performance comparison of the following machine learning models was performed: decision tree, random forest, K-nearest neighbors, artificial neural networks, vector machines of support, and logistical regression. The methodologies used in the data were as follows: k‐fold cross‐validation (k = 10); splitting data into 80% training and 20% testing. For the first, the mean of accuracy and sensitivity were evaluated in the second, values of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under some tests. In addition, most mammograms are performed on benign tumors. With this, it is clear that these exams can use other tools to assist in decision-making, and machine learning can offer great utility and good cost/benefit in the diagnostic process of breast cancer. Many research papers for breast cancer biomarkers have been reported over the years. The present work will analyze the potential quantitative variables: age, receiver operating characteristic curve. Furthermore, the p value, Pearson correlation coefficient, and, depending on the input variable, the test only with variables with a significance threshold of 5% are computed from the normal distribution assessment (calculated from Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (KS test)) which were as follows: glucose, insulin, resistin, and homeostasis assessment model. As the best final classifier, the random forest was used in the training/test method and with nine variables, with 83.3% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, 64% specificity, and 0.881 of area under the curve.
Study on the Effect of Foundation Pit Excavation on the Deformation of Adjacent Shield Tunnel
Authors: Lu Cirong , Huang Long
Published: March 2022

With the construction of a large number of urban infrastructures, there will be new engineering loading and unloading behavior around the urban metro built‐up area, and the deformation characteristics of the new tunnel will be more significantly affected by the external environment. In this paper, the damage to shield tunnel structure caused by pit excavation in similar engineering is analyzed. The finite element model, based on the different distances between the foundation pit and the tunnel and the different thicknesses of tunnel segment, is established. The displacement field and the convergent and longitudinal deformation of the shield tunnel segment with different thicknesses are analyzed. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) the excavation of adjacent foundation pit will cause excessive displacement, settlement, and structural convergent deformation of shield tunnel, causing structural damage such as increasing of faulting, water leakage, and seeping. (2) With the decrease of the distance between the tunnel and the foundation pit, the convergent deformation of the tunnel increases continuously, and when the distance is less than 30 m, the increase of segment thickness greatly improves the convergent deformation of the structure. (3) The increase of segment thickness has no obvious effect on the resistance to longitudinal deformation. When the distance between tunnel and foundation pit is less than 50 m, additional protective measures should be taken to reduce the longitudinal deformation of tunnel.
BMSC-EV-derived lncRNA NORAD Facilitates Migration, Invasion, and Angiogenesis in Osteosarcoma Cells by Regulating CREBBP via Delivery of miR-877-3p
Authors: Feng Dapeng , Li Zhengwei , Yang Liang , Liang Haidong , He Hongtao , Liu Lin , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2022

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can boost osteosarcoma (OS) cell proliferation and invasion, yet the function of extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from BMSCs on OS is scarcely known. This study is aimed at examining the role of BMSC-EVs in OS cells. BMSCs and BMSC-EVs were isolated and identified. The effect of EVs and EVs-si-NORAD on OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis was determined. Expressions of NORAD, miR-877-3p, and CREBBP were detected. The binding relationship among NORAD, miR-877-3p, and CREBBP was verified. The miR-877-3p inhibitor or pc-CREBBP was delivered into OS cells treated with EVs-si-NORAD for in vitro analysis. The nude mouse model of the subcutaneous tumor xenograft was established for in vivo analysis. BMSC-EVs promoted OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis. BMSC-EVs carried NORAD into OS cells and upregulated CREBBP by sponging miR-877-3p. miR-877-3p downregulation or CREBBP overexpression partly inverted the inhibitory effect of EVs by silencing NORAD on OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis. In vivo experiments validated that BMSC-EV-derived NORAD facilitated tumor growth by upregulating CREBBP via miR-877-3p. To conclude, BMSC-EV-derived NORAD facilitated OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis by modulating CREBBP via miR-877-3p, which may offer new insights into OS treatment.
Effect Evaluation of Platelet-Rich Plasma Combined with Vacuum Sealing Drainage on Serum Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Pressure Ulcer by Intelligent Algorithm-Based CT Image
Authors: Yang Jingzhe , Xiao Changshuan , Wen Hailing , Sun Kui , Wu Xiaoming , Feng Xinshu
Published: March 2022

This work was to explore the efficacy of intelligent algorithm-based computed tomography (CT) to evaluate platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) in the treatment of patients with pressure ulcers. Based on the u-net network structure, an image denoising algorithm based on double residual convolution neural network (Dr-CNN) was proposed to denoise the CT images. A total of 84 patients who were hospitalized in hospital were randomly divided into group A (without any intervention), group B (PRP treatment), group C (VSD treatment), and group D (PRP+VSD treatment). Procalcitonin (PCT) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) combined with immunofluorescence method, C-reactive protein (CRP) was detected by rate reflectance turbidimetry (RRT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was detected by electrochemiluminescence method. The results showed that after treatment, 44 cases (52.38%) of pressure ulcers patients recovered, 24 cases (28.57%) had no change in stage, and 16 cases (19.04%) developed pressure ulcers. The pain scores of group D at 1 week (

3.35
±
0.56

points) and 2 weeks (

2.76
±
0.55

points) after treatment were significantly lower than those in group C (

7.77
±
0.58

points and

6.34
±
0.44

points, respectively). The time of complete wound healing in group D (

24.5
±
2.32

) was obviously lower in contrast to that in groups A, B, and C (

35.54
±
3.22

days,

30.23
±
2

days, and

29.34
±
2.15

days, respectively). In addition, the medical satisfaction of group D (

8.74
±
0.69

) was significantly higher than that of groups A, B, and C (

4.69
±
0.85

,

5.22
±
0.31

, and

5.18
±
0.59

, respectively). The levels of IL-6 and PCT in group D were lower than those in groups A, B, and C, and the differences were statistically significant (

P
<
0.01

). The average values of peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) of the Dr-CNN network model were

37.21
±
1.09

 dB and

0.925
±
0.01

, respectively, which were higher than other algorithms. The mean values of root mean square error (MSE) and normalized mean absolute distance (NMAD) of the Dr-CNN network model were

0.022
±
0.002

and

0.126
±
0.012

, respectively, which were significantly lower than other algorithms (

P
<
0.05

). The experimental results showed that PrP combined with VSD could significantly reduce the inflammatory response of patients with pressure ulcers. PRP combined with VSD could significantly reduce the pain of dressing change for patients. Moreover, the performance model of image denoising algorithm based on double residual convolutional neural network was better than other algorithms.
Identification of Novel Key Genes and Pathways in Multiple Sclerosis Based on Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis and Long Noncoding RNA-Associated Competing Endogenous RNA Network
Authors: Hao Yuehan , He Miao , Fu Yu , Zhao Chenyang , Xiong Shuang , Xu Xiaoxue
Published: March 2022

Objective. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system characterized by chronic inflammation and demyelination. This study is aimed at identifying crucial genes and molecular pathways involved in MS pathogenesis. Methods. Raw data in GSE52139 were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The top 50% expression variants were subjected to weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), and the key module associated with MS occurrence was identified. A long noncoding RNA- (lncRNA-) associated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed in the key module. The hub gene candidates were subsequently verified in an individual database. Results. Of the 18 modules obtained, the cyan module was designated as the key module. The established ceRNA network was composed of seven lncRNAs, 45 mRNAs, and 21 microRNAs (miRNAs), and the FAM13A-AS1 was the lncRNA with the highest centrality. Functional assessments indicated that the genes in the cyan module primarily gathered in ribosome-related functional terms. Interestingly, the targeted mRNAs of the ceRNA network enriched in diverse categories. Moreover, highly expressed CYBRD1, GNG12, and SMAD1, which were identified as hub genes, may be associated with “valine leucine and isoleucine degradation,” “base excision repair,” and “fatty acid metabolism,” respectively, according to the results of single gene-based genomes and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Conclusions. Combined with the WGCNA and ceRNA network, our findings provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of MS. The hub genes discovered herein might also serve as novel biomarkers that correlate with the development and management of MS.
Postconditioning with Irisin Attenuates Lung Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Suppressing Ferroptosis via Induction of the Nrf2/HO-1 Signal Axis
Authors: Wang Yun , Dong Zhe , Zhang Zongze , Wang Yanlin , Yang Kun , Li Xinyi
Published: March 2022

Iron-dependent lipid peroxidation causes ferroptosis. This study was aimed at verifying that irisin postconditioning can inhibit ferroptosis and minimize lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) damage via activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signal axis. We constructed a murine model of I/R lung damage. At the onset of reperfusion, irisin, ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1, and ferroptosis inducer Fe-citrate were all administered. We discovered that irisin could reduce lung I/R injury, consistent with ferrostatin-1’s action. Furthermore, irisin suppressed ferroptosis in lung I/R damage, as evidenced by lower ROS, MDA, and Fe2+, as well as alterations in critical protein expression (GPX4 and ACSL4). However, Fe-citrate abolished the protective effects of irisin. Transcriptome research found that irisin increased the mRNA levels of Nrf2 and HO-1. Thus, we used siRNA to investigate the role of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis in irisin-mediated protection against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) damage in MLE-12 cells. Irisin consistently reduced ferroptosis and improved mitochondrial dysfunction caused by H/R. Irisin’s cytoprotective function was eliminated when Nrf2 was silenced. As a result, irisin postconditioning may protect against lung I/R damage by suppressing ferroptosis via the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling axis.
A Boy with Sandestig-Stefanova Syndrome and Genital Abnormalities
Authors: Korulmaz Ali , Başer Burak , Alakaya Mehmet , Arslanköylü Ali Ertuğ
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Sandestig-Stefanova syndrome is an autosomal recessive developmental syndrome characterized by microcephaly, trigonocephaly, congenital cataracts, microphthalmia, facial findings, camptodactyly, periventricular white matter loss, thin corpus callosum, delayed myelination, and poor prognosis. This syndrome is caused by biallelic loss-of-function mutations in the NUP188 gene. Case Presentation: In the physical examination of our patient, whose mother and father were third-degree relatives, hypotonia, bilateral congenital cataracts, ambiguous genitalia, hypospadias, undescended testis, and facial dysmorphic findings (hypertelorism, high palate, micrognathia, microphthalmia, low-set ears) were detected. Discussion: In our patient, a homozygous c.1087C>T (p.Gln363Ter) variant was detected in exon 11 of the NUP188 (NM_015354.3) gene. The mother and father were found to be heterozygous carriers of this variant. All patients with the diagnosis of Sandestig-Stevanova syndrome reported in the literature are female. Our patient is the first male patient reported with this syndrome. In addition, immunodeficiency, congenital hypothyroidism, biotinidase deficiency, undescended testis, hypospadias, and ambiguous genitalia are defined for the first time in this syndrome. Our patient is the first case of Sandestig-Stefanova syndrome reported from Turkey. In this study, Sandestig-Stefanova syndrome with a novel pathogenic NUP188 gene variant is presented.
Is There a Role for Antifungal Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Penile Prosthesis Surgery? A Systematic Review
Authors: Siddiqui Zain , Pearce Ian , Modgil Vaibhav
Published: March 2022

Objective: The aim of this study is to review the literature on the use of antifungal prophylaxis in penile prosthesis (PP) surgery and provide a summary on its efficacy as an adjunct to current prophylactic regimes in patients undergoing PP surgery. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE databases were systematically searched up to May 2020. All included studies were analysed and the information extracted included author, title of study, year of publication, type of study, journal of publication, and main findings regarding post PP implantation fungal infections. Results: Nine relevant studies were included in this review, comprising retrospective single-centre studies and retrospective multicentre studies ranging from 2017 to 2020. Fungal infections were found responsible for 11.1% of all PP infections, with a greater risk in patients with diabetes, obesity, and from warmer climates. Current American Urological Association (AUA) and European Association of Urology (EAU) prophylaxis guidelines do not incorporate the use of antifungals. Trials of antifungal prophylaxis regimes combined with antibiotic prophylaxis have demonstrated a reduction in PP fungal infections. Conclusions: Fungal infections represent a significant proportion of implant infections and therefore antifungal prophylaxis is warranted. Future studies comparing the efficacy of traditional antibiotic prophylaxis as set out by AUA/EAU with novel prophylaxis regimes including the addition of an antifungal may provide more definitive guidance on this issue. Until then antifungal prophylaxis in all patients undergoing PP procedures may provide a significant cost-effect benefit.
Worsening Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Is Associated With Increased Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Secretion
Authors: Breier Nicholas C. , Paranjape Sachin Y. , Scudder Shea , Mehr Shahram E. , Diedrich Andre’ , Flynn Charles R. , Okamoto Luis E. , Hartmann Bolette , Gasbjerg Lærke Smidt , Shibao Cyndya A.
Published: March 2022

Background:

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is characterized by excessive upright tachycardia and disabling presyncopal symptoms, which are exacerbated after consuming a high-carbohydrate meal; it is unknown, however, what is the precise underlying mechanism. We seek to investigate the effect of glucose intake on orthostatic hemodynamic changes and gastrointestinal hormone secretion in POTS.

Methods:

Prospective, case-control study, 12 women with POTS who reported a postprandial worsening of their POTS symptoms and 13 age-matched female controls received 75-g oral glucose and 20 mg/kg acetaminophen to assess nutrient absorption. Hemodynamic, gastrointestinal hormone and acetaminophen levels were measured for up to 120 minutes postingestion while supine and standing.

Results:

Patients with POTS had significant orthostatic tachycardia, 48.7±11.2 versus 23.3±8.1 bpm,
P
=0.012 and elevated upright norepinephrine levels, 835.2±368.4 versus 356.9±156.7 pg/mL,
P
=0.004. After oral glucose, upright heart rate significantly increased in POTS, 21.2±11.9% versus 6.0±19.9%,
P
=0.033 with a concomitant decline in upright stroke volume, −10.3±11.90% versus 3.3±13.7%,
P
=0.027; total peripheral resistance, blood pressure and cardiac output remained unaltered. Acetaminophen rate of appearance was similar between groups (
P
=0.707), indicating comparable nutrient absorption rates. POTS had increased plasma levels of C-peptide (
P
=0.001), GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide;
P
=0.001), peptide YY (
P
=0.016), and pancreatic polypeptide (
P
=0.04) following glucose consumption, but only GIP had a time-dependent association with the worsening upright tachycardia and stroke volume fall.

Conclusions:

The glucose-induced worsening orthostatic tachycardia in POTS was associated with a decline in SV; these changes occurred while GIP, a splanchnic vasodilator, was maximally elevated.
Microvascular β-Adrenergic Receptor-Mediated Vasodilation Is Attenuated in Adults With Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Greaney Jody L. , Darling Ashley M. , Mogle Jacqueline , Saunders Erika F.H.
Published: March 2022

Background:

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with sympathetic overactivity and alterations in peripheral adrenergic receptor function; however, no studies have directly assessed vasoconstrictor responsiveness in adults with MDD. We tested the hypotheses that β-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasodilation would be blunted in adults with MDD compared with healthy nondepressed adults (HA) and would functionally contribute to exaggerated norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction.

Methods:

In 13 HA (8 female; 24±4 years) and in 12 adults with MDD (8 female; 22±3 yrs), red blood cell flux was measured during graded intradermal microdialysis perfusion of the β-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol (10
−10
to 10
−
4
mol/L) and, separately, during the perfusion of norepinephrine (10
−
12
to 10
−
2
mol/L), alone and in combination with the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol (2 mmol/L). Nonadrenergic vasoconstriction was assessed via perfusion of angiotensin II (10
−
12
to 10
−
4
mol/L).

Results:

Isoproterenol-induced vasodilation was blunted in adults with MDD (188.9±70.1 HA versus 128.3±39.4 au MDD,
P
=0.025). Net norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction was exaggerated in adults with MDD (−0.16±0.54 HA versus -0.75±0.56 au MDD,
P
=0.014); however, there were no group differences in angiotensin II–induced vasoconstriction. Propranolol potentiated norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction in HA (−0.16±0.54 norepinephrine versus −1.60±1.40 au propranolol,
P
<0.01) but had no effect in adults with MDD (−0.75±0.56 norepinephrine versus −1.58±1.56 au propranolol,
P
=0.08).

Conclusions:

β-adrenergic receptor-mediated microvascular vasodilation was blunted in adults with MDD and contributed to exaggerated adrenergic vasoconstriction. The relative loss of the vasoprotective effect of β-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasodilation may contribute to increased peripheral resistance, thereby driving the development of hypertension in adults with MDD.
Oral Microbiome Is Associated With Incident Hypertension Among Postmenopausal Women
Authors: LaMonte Michael J. , Gordon Joshua H. , Diaz‐Moreno Patricia , Andrews Christopher A. , Shimbo Daichi , Hovey Kathleen M. , Buck Michael J. , Wactawski‐Wende J.
Published: March 2022

Background

Oral microbiota are thought to influence blood pressure (BP) regulation. However, epidemiological data supporting this hypothesis are limited. We examined associations between oral microbiota, BP, and incident hypertension in postmenopausal women.

Methods and Results

Baseline (1997–2001) examinations were completed on 1215 women (mean age, 63 years) during which subgingival plaque was collected, BP was measured, and medical and lifestyle histories and medication inventory were obtained. Microbiome composition of subgingival plaque was measured using 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Baseline measured BP was defined as normotensive (systolic <120 mm Hg and diastolic <80 mm Hg, no BP medication use; n=429); elevated (systolic ≥120 mm Hg or diastolic ≥80 mm Hg, no medication use; n=306); or prevalent treated hypertension (history of physician diagnosis treated with medications; n=480). Incident hypertension (375 cases among 735 without baseline treated hypertension) was defined as newly physician‐diagnosed hypertension treated with medication reported on annual health surveys (mean follow‐up, 10.4 years). Cross‐sectional analysis identified 47 bacterial species (of 245 total) that differed significantly according to baseline BP status (
P
<0.05). Prospective analysis identified 15 baseline bacterial species significantly (
P
<0.05) associated with incident hypertension: 10 positively (age‐adjusted hazard ratios [HRs], 1.10–1.16 per SD in bacterial abundance) and 5 inversely (HRs, 0.82–0.91) associated. Associations were materially unchanged after further adjustment for demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors; were similar when analysis was restricted to the normotensive group; and were of consistent magnitudes between strata of baseline age, smoking, body mass index, and BP categories.

Conclusions

Specific oral bacteria are associated with baseline BP status and risk of hypertension development among postmenopausal women. Research to confirm these observations and elucidate mechanisms is needed.
Assessing China-U.S. Inadvertent Nuclear Escalation
Authors: Riqiang Wu
Published: March 2022

China-U.S. inadvertent escalation has been a focus of recent international relations literature. The current debate, however, has not paid sufficient attention to two important factors: the survivability of China's nuclear forces under unintentional conventional attacks; and China's nuclear command, control, and communication (NC3) system. Based on detailed analysis of these two variables, three potential mechanisms of China-U.S. inadvertent escalation are examined: use-it-or-lose-it, unauthorized/accidental, and damage-limitation. Although the possibility of a major China-U.S. conventional war inadvertently escalating to a nuclear level cannot be excluded, the risk is extremely low. China's nuclear forces would survive U.S. inadvertent conventional attacks and, thus, are unlikely to be significantly undermined. Even though China's NC3 system might be degraded during a conventional war with the United States, Chinese leadership would likely maintain minimum emergency communications with its nuclear forces. Moreover, China's NC3 system is highly centralized, and it prioritizes “negative control,” which can help to prevent escalation. China's nuclear retaliatory capability, although limited, could impede U.S. damage-limitation strikes to some extent. To keep the risk of inadvertent escalation low, both sides must take appropriate precautions and exercise self-restraint in their planning and operations.
A Farewell to Arms? Election Results and Lasting Peace after Civil War
Authors: Daly Sarah Zukerman
Published: March 2022

Why does fighting recur after some civil conflicts, whereas peace consolidates following others? The untested conventional wisdom is that—absent safeguards—postwar elections are dangerous for peace because electoral losers will reject the election results and remilitarize. New cross-national data on postwar election results and belligerent-level data on remilitarization contest this view. Citizens tend to elect peace because they engage in “security voting”; they elect the party that they deem best able to secure the state, using the war outcome as the heuristic that guides their security vote. Findings indicate that the chance of renewed war increases if there is an inversion in the military balance of power after war, and the war-loser performs poorly in the elections. If, instead, relative military power remains stable, or citizens accurately update their understandings of the postwar power balance, a civil war actor is unlikely to remilitarize if it loses the election. Knowing when and how these belligerent electoral actors choose to either sustain or break the peace informs important theoretical and policy debates on how to harness democracy's benefits while mitigating its risks.
Training Deep Convolutional Spiking Neural Networks With Spike Probabilistic Global Pooling
Authors: Lian Shuang , Liu Qianhui , Yan Rui , Pan Gang , Tang Huajin
Published: March 2022

Recent work on spiking neural networks (SNNs) has focused on achieving deep architectures. They commonly use backpropagation (BP) to train SNNs directly, which allows SNNs to go deeper and achieve higher performance. However, the BP training procedure is computing intensive and complicated by many trainable parameters. Inspired by global pooling in convolutional neural networks (CNNs), we present the spike probabilistic global pooling (SPGP) method based on a probability function for training deep convolutional SNNs. It aims to remove the difficulty of too many trainable parameters brought by multiple layers in the training process, which can reduce the risk of overfitting and get better performance for deep SNNs (DSNNs). We use the discrete leaky-integrate-fire model and the spatiotemporal BP algorithm for training DSNNs directly. As a result, our model trained with the SPGP method achieves competitive performance compared to the existing DSNNs on image and neuromorphic data sets while minimizing the number of trainable parameters. In addition, the proposed SPGP method shows its effectiveness in performance improvement, convergence, and generalization ability.
Bayesian Brains and the Rényi Divergence
Authors: Sajid Noor , Faccio Francesco , Da Costa Lancelot , Parr Thomas , Schmidhuber Jürgen , Friston Karl
Published: March 2022

Under the Bayesian brain hypothesis, behavioral variations can be attributed to different priors over generative model parameters. This provides a formal explanation for why individuals exhibit inconsistent behavioral preferences when confronted with similar choices. For example, greedy preferences are a consequence of confident (or precise) beliefs over certain outcomes. Here, we offer an alternative account of behavioral variability using Rényi divergences and their associated variational bounds. Rényi bounds are analogous to the variational free energy (or evidence lower bound) and can be derived under the same assumptions. Importantly, these bounds provide a formal way to establish behavioral differences through an α parameter, given fixed priors. This rests on changes in α that alter the bound (on a continuous scale), inducing different posterior estimates and consequent variations in behavior. Thus, it looks as if individuals have different priors and have reached different conclusions. More specifically, α→0+ optimization constrains the variational posterior to be positive whenever the true posterior is positive. This leads to mass-covering variational estimates and increased variability in choice behavior. Furthermore, α→+∞ optimization constrains the variational posterior to be zero whenever the true posterior is zero. This leads to mass-seeking variational posteriors and greedy preferences. We exemplify this formulation through simulations of the multiarmed bandit task. We note that these α parameterizations may be especially relevant (i.e., shape preferences) when the true posterior is not in the same family of distributions as the assumed (simpler) approximate density, which may be the case in many real-world scenarios. The ensuing departure from vanilla variational inference provides a potentially useful explanation for differences in behavioral preferences of biological (or artificial) agents under the assumption that the brain performs variational Bayesian inference.
Understanding the Computational Demands Underlying Visual Reasoning
Authors: Vaishnav Mohit , Cadene Remi , Alamia Andrea , Linsley Drew , VanRullen Rufin , Serre Thomas
Published: March 2022

Visual understanding requires comprehending complex visual relations between objects within a scene. Here, we seek to characterize the computational demands for abstract visual reasoning. We do this by systematically assessing the ability of modern deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to learn to solve the synthetic visual reasoning test (SVRT) challenge, a collection of 23 visual reasoning problems. Our analysis reveals a novel taxonomy of visual reasoning tasks, which can be primarily explained by both the type of relations (same-different versus spatial-relation judgments) and the number of relations used to compose the underlying rules. Prior cognitive neuroscience work suggests that attention plays a key role in humans' visual reasoning ability. To test this hypothesis, we extended the CNNs with spatial and feature-based attention mechanisms. In a second series of experiments, we evaluated the ability of these attention networks to learn to solve the SVRT challenge and found the resulting architectures to be much more efficient at solving the hardest of these visual reasoning tasks. Most important, the corresponding improvements on individual tasks partially explained our novel taxonomy. Overall, this work provides a granular computational account of visual reasoning and yields testable neuroscience predictions regarding the differential need for feature-based versus spatial attention depending on the type of visual reasoning problem.
On the Intersection between Variational and Contrastive Pragmatics: An Analysis of Requests for Repair in Complaints by German-Speaking Belgians
Authors: Lochtman Katja
Published: March 2022

Most research on German as a pluricentric language to date has focused on differences between the standard varieties in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Moreover, the focus in these studies is mainly on linguistic-structural features, with pragmatic differences (if any) only briefly touched upon. In Belgium, German is a minority language within a region, where French is the dominant language, resulting in both individual and societal language contact. By looking at the realisation of requests for repair in complaints across varieties of the same language on the one hand and different languages on the other, the present study wants to identify whether there are variety specific pragmatic features of Belgian German as opposed to German in Germany and Belgian French. Researching both intra- and interlingual pragmatic differences, the present study can be situated at the interface between variational and contrastive pragmatics.
New Latrunculiidae genus (Porifera, Poecilosclerida) from the Madagascar Ridge
Authors: PAYNE ROBYN , SAMAAI TOUFIEK , KELLY MICHELLE
Published: March 2022

Family Latrunculiidae Topsent, 1922 comprises seven genera: Latrunculia Barboza du Bocage, 1869; Sceptrella Schmidt, 1870; Strongylodesma Lévi, 1969; Tsitsikamma Samaai & Kelly, 2002; Cyclacanthia Samaai & Kelly in Samaai et al. (2004); Bomba and Latrunclava Kelly, Reiswig & Samaai in Kelly et al. (2016) (Samaai & Kelly 2002; Kelly et al. 2016; Samaai et al. 2020), with 83 valid species predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere (de Voogd et al. 2021). Latrunculiidae are differentiated primarily on the form and ornamentation of the diagnostic discorhabd microscleres (see Fig. 1) which may be anisodiscorhabds (Latrunculia, Bomba), isospinodiscorhabds (Cyclacanthia), and isochiadiscorhabds (Tsitsikamma). These may be accompanied by an additional longer microsclere, the amphiclad sceptre and anisoconicorhabd, in Sceptrella and Latrunclava, respectively. Here we describe a new latrunculid genus and species, Biverticillus tenuissimus gen. et sp. nov., from Walters Shoal on the Madagascar Ridge south of Madagascar in the Western Indian Ocean (Fig. 1A), the diagnostic microscleres of which are anisospinodiscorhabds, with two centrally located equidiametral whorls, equally spaced between each other and the apical whorl and manubrium. The microscleres are aniso- in their form because the apical and basal substructures differ slightly in the angle of repose of the spines.
The Impacts of Immersion Ice Nucleation Parameterizations on Arctic Mixed-Phase Stratiform Cloud Properties and the Arctic Radiation Budget in GEOS-5
Authors: Tan Ivy , Barahona Donifan
Published: March 2022

The influence of four different immersion freezing parameterizations on Arctic clouds and the top-of-the atmosphere (TOA) and surface radiation fluxes is investigated in the fifth version of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) with sea surface temperature, sea ice fraction, and aerosol emissions held fixed. The different parameterizations were derived from a variety of sources, including classical nucleation theory and field and laboratory measurements. Despite the large spread in the ice-nucleating particle (INP) concentrations in the parameterizations, the cloud properties and radiative fluxes had a tendency to form two groups, with the lower INP concentration category producing larger water path and low-level cloud fraction during winter and early spring, whereas the opposite occurred during the summer season. The stability of the lower troposphere was found to strongly correlate with low-cloud fraction and, along with the effect of ice nucleation, ice sedimentation, and melting rates, appears to explain the spring-to-summer reversal pattern in the relative magnitude of the cloud properties between the two categories of simulations. The strong modulation effect of the liquid phase on immersion freezing led to the successful simulation of the characteristic Arctic cloud structure, with a layer rich in supercooled water near cloud top and ice and snow at lower levels. Comparison with satellite retrievals and in situ data suggest that simulations with low INP concentrations more realistically represent Arctic clouds and radiation.
Combined Space- and Ground-Based GNSS Monitoring of Two Severe Hailstorm Cases in Bulgaria
Authors: Lasota Elżbieta , Slavchev Martin , Guerova Guergana , Rohm Witold , Kapłon Jan
Published: March 2022

Monitoring atmospheric conditions that lead to severe weather events is critical to their timely and accurate prediction and can help prevent of large economic losses. Bulgaria, located in southeastern Europe, has the highest mean number of thunderstorms and hailstorms. These events generally occur between April and September with a peak in July. In this study, both radio occultation (RO) and ground-based observations from the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) were used to study two severe hailstorms that occurred in 2014 and 2019. In both storms, a cold upper-air pool was detected in addition to a large specific humidity anomaly between 2 and 6 km. In the hailstorm that occurred in July 2014, there was an RO temperature anomaly between 10 and 14 km as well as a positive specific humidity anomaly between 4 and 6 km. The integrated vapor transport (IVT) reanalysis from ERA5, indicated that the high specific humidity over the Mediterranean could be tracked to an atmospheric river over the North Atlantic, which was connected to a tropical cyclone. In the hailstorm that occurred in May 2019, elevated IVT values were observed before the storm. During this storm, a negative temperature anomaly peak was observed in the RO profile at 11.3 km as well as a positive specific humidity anomaly between 2 and 4.5 km. The WRF Model and the ERA5 dataset could reproduce the temperature profiles for both storms relatively well; however, they tended to underestimate specific humidity. The RO profiles were complemented by ground-based GNSS tropospheric delays with high temporal resolution. The evaluation of the WRF with ground-based GNSS tropospheric products revealed a time delay between the modeled and observed developments of both hailstorms.
Women in STEM in India: Understanding Challenges through Social Constructionist Perspective
Authors: Gupta Namrata
Published: March 2022

This article intends to understand the position of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in India and to highlight the challenges faced by them through the perspective of gender as a social construct. It argues that the social constructionist perspective helps to focus on the specific socio-cultural context, and to deepen our understanding of the barriers in career advancement for women in STEM. Based on the governmental data and research studies, it demonstrates that these constraints occur at the intersection of Indian social, organizational and institutional contexts. This perspective helps to explore solutions unique to the specific national context.
Wine, Honey, and Boiling Oil: A Modern Understanding of Ancient Wound Care Practices
Authors: Barrow Brooke E. , Alur Abhishek A. , Kasdan Morton L. , Wilhelmi Bradon J.
Published: March 2022

The origins of wound care date back to ancient civilizations. From boiling oil to honey to wine, healers and caregivers have adopted a fascinating array of items to cleanse, dress, and bandage wounds over the ages. While wound care practices have developed over time, the physicians and surgeons of ancient times and the Middle Ages helped build the foundation for present-day wound care. A modern scientific understanding of these treatments illustrates why practitioners abandoned some practices while others remain in use today.
Faecal haemoglobin concentration in adenoma, before and after polypectomy, approaches the ideal tumour marker
Authors: Mowat Craig , Digby Jayne , Cleary Shirley , Gray Lynne , Datt Pooja , Goudie David R , Steele Robert JC , Strachan Judith A , Humphries Adam , Fraser Callum G
Published: March 2022

Background

Polypectomy may be performed at colonoscopy and then subsequent surveillance undertaken. It is thought that faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb), estimated by quantitative faecal immunochemical tests (FIT), might be a useful tumour marker.

Methods

Consecutive patients enrolled in colonoscopy surveillance were approached at two hospitals. A specimen for FIT was provided before colonoscopy and, ideally after 3 weeks, a second FIT sample from those who had polypectomy. A single FIT system (OC-Sensor io, Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd) was used to generate f-Hb.

Results

1103 Patients were invited; 643 returned a FIT device (uptake: 58.3%). Four patients had known inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and were excluded, leaving 639 (57.9%) with an age range of 25–90 years (median 64 years), 54.6% male. Of 593 patients who had a f-Hb result and completed colonoscopy, advanced neoplasia was found in 41 (6.9%); four colorectal cancer (CRC): 0.7% and 37 advanced adenoma (AA): 6.3%, and a further 127 (21.4%) had non-advanced adenoma (NAA). The median f-Hb was significantly greater in AA as compared to NAA; 6.0 versus 1.0 μg Hb/g faeces, p < 0.0001.134/164 (81.7%) of invited patients returned a second FIT device: 28 were patients with AA in whom median pre-polypectomy f-Hb was 19.2, falling to 3.5 μg Hb/g faeces post-polypectomy, p = 0.01, and 106 with NAA had median pre-polypectomy f-Hb 0.8 compared to 1.0 μg Hb/g faeces post-polypectomy, p = 0.96.

Conclusions

Quantitative FIT could provide a good tumour marker in post-polypectomy surveillance, reduce colonoscopy requirements and minimise potential risk to patients.
Determining the right time, or the establishment of a culture of astronomical precision at Neuchâtel Observatory in the mid-19th century
Authors: Gressot Julien , Jeanneret Romain
Published: March 2022

In the mid-19th century, the need for an accurate time becomes ever more important for many economic and industrial sectors, as well as for maritime and railway transport. States took a keen interest in these developments, which resulted in the founding of an increasing number of state observatories. While this well-known phenomenon has attracted the attention of numerous historical researches, the actual setting up of an observatory has more rarely been studied. Based on the well-documented case of the Observatoire cantonal de Neuchâtel, we will look at the setting up of the establishment through its scientific instruments and work procedure. Founded in 1858, the Observatory was primarily intended to fulfill the needs of the watchmaking industry while contributing to the progressive standardization of Swiss time. Adolphe Hirsch, the Observatory’s first director, spent 3 years setting up, installing, and calibrating an operating chain dedicated to the time service. The astronomer’s correspondence shows his expectations and the manufacturers’ technical capabilities. We can thus reconstruct the steps in the design of the scientific instruments—which operated as a network. The outcome being a high-performance operating chain for the time determination. During the commissioning process, Adolphe Hirsch chose an emerging technology—the printing chronograph. In fact, the Observatory was entirely configured around this new method, placing this institution among the first in the field. This new observation technique modifies the episteme of time determination and the role of the human factor within the process.
Astronomical or political: Interpretation of comets in times of crisis in Qing China
Authors: Chen Ting , Lü Lingfeng
Published: March 2022

By the late Qing dynasty, Western scientific learning had been disseminated among the Chinese literati. However, astronomical knowledge was still interpreted in the traditional Chinese astrological manner and served as an instrument in political affairs, especially in times of crisis. This paper examines controversies over astronomical observations between the proponents of traditional astrology and Western learning by presenting two cases of comet sightings. The first case is of a comet sighting between 1880 and 1882, and the second is of comets sighted before the Chinese Revolution of 1911. The reasons for the recurrence of ancient cometary prognostication in the early 20th century, when modern knowledge of comets was widespread in China, were explored as well.
Use of ultrasonic dual-mode mixing for graphene infusion to make hybrid GFRPs: Study on mechanical performance
Authors: Choudhury Pannalal , Halder Sudipta , Das Subhankar
Published: March 2022

Optimized process parameters of a top–down approach via the ultrasonic dual-mode mixing process are adopted to disperse and exfoliate graphene nanoplatelets uniformly in the epoxy resin and fabricate hybrid GFRP laminates. The in-plane tensile and out-of-plane flexural behavior of the hybrid GFRPs made with different concentration of GNPs have been investigated. The test results show that ∼39.47% and ∼40.87% enhancement in tensile strength and flexural strength has been attained for the hybrid GFRPs made with 1 wt% of GNPs. In addition, the enhancement of ∼117% in absorbed failure energy and ∼28.56% in work of fracture is also achieved. Mori Tanaka Method has been used to calculate the modulus of the GNP-epoxy composite system, and these results are used further to predict the modulus of the hybrid GFRPs. The theoretical moduli so obtained are used to compare the experimental modulus of the hybrid GFRPs as a function of GNP concentration. Fractography examination of the fractured hybrid GFRPs reveals it reduced interlaminar delamination, which is governed by the effective load transferability of GNP-infused epoxy network.
“Twice the Citizen”: How Military Attitudes of Superiority Undermine Civilian Control in the United States
Authors: Brooks Risa , Grewal Sharan
Published: March 2022

Civilian control of the military is central to the making of security policy, ensuring that civilian officials and the elected leaders that appoint them oversee and decide military affairs. This paper exposes a challenge to civilian control in the United States that originates in the disparaging attitudes military personnel hold toward civilian society. We argue that when military personnel view military culture as superior, they are more likely to view civilian political leaders as illegitimate and in turn to favor actions that undermine civilian control. We develop a typology of civilian control in which military officers can constrain, contest and limit civilian authority. Our empirical analysis provides strong and consistent evidence of the corrosive effects of military superiority on civilian control across three surveys of U.S. military personnel: the 1998-99 TISS survey of 2901 military officers, a 2014 YouGov of 275 veterans, and an original 2020 survey of 770 West Point cadets.
Exploring the Role of Age and Gender on the Impact of Client Suicide in Mental Health Practitioners
Authors: Pulleyn Edward C. J. , Van der Hallen Ruth
Published: March 2022

Objective: Previous research has revealed that mental health professionals (MHPs) often experience severe, yet varying, levels of short-term impact in the aftermath of client suicide. Individual differences are significant, yet what factors help explain these differences remains unclear. The current study investigated the role of the MHPs’ and the clients’ age and gender upon the impact of client suicide. Method: An international sample of 213 MHPs, aged between 18 and 75, reported on a client’s suicide and its short-term impact (IES-R). Results: The results indicate that both MHPs’ and clients’ gender did not affect impact. MHPs’ and clients’ age did not affect impact individually, although a significant interaction effect was revealed. Conclusion: Age, not gender, of the MHP and client are relevant in light of the impact of client suicide. Potential implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.