bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deferred neural rendering
Authors: Thies Justus , Zollhöfer Michael , Nießner Matthias
Published: July 2019

The modern computer graphics pipeline can synthesize images at remarkable visual quality; however, it requires well-defined, high-quality 3D content as input. In this work, we explore the use of imperfect 3D content, for instance, obtained from photo-metric reconstructions with noisy and incomplete surface geometry, while still aiming to produce photo-realistic (re-)renderings. To address this challenging problem, we introduce
Deferred Neural Rendering
, a new paradigm for image synthesis that combines the traditional graphics pipeline with learnable components. Specifically, we propose
Neural Textures
, which are learned feature maps that are trained as part of the scene capture process. Similar to traditional textures, neural textures are stored as maps on top of 3D mesh proxies; however, the high-dimensional feature maps contain significantly more information, which can be interpreted by our new deferred neural rendering pipeline. Both neural textures and deferred neural renderer are trained end-to-end, enabling us to synthesize photo-realistic images even when the original 3D content was imperfect. In contrast to traditional, black-box 2D generative neural networks, our 3D representation gives us explicit control over the generated output, and allows for a wide range of application domains. For instance, we can synthesize temporally-consistent video re-renderings of recorded 3D scenes as our representation is inherently embedded in 3D space. This way, neural textures can be utilized to coherently re-render or manipulate existing video content in both static and dynamic environments at real-time rates. We show the effectiveness of our approach in several experiments on novel view synthesis, scene editing, and facial reenactment, and compare to state-of-the-art approaches that leverage the standard graphics pipeline as well as conventional generative neural networks.
A similarity measure for material appearance
Authors: Lagunas Manuel , Malpica Sandra , Serrano Ana , Garces Elena , Gutierrez Diego , Masia Belen
Published: July 2019

We present a model to measure the similarity in appearance between different materials, which correlates with human similarity judgments. We first create a database of 9,000 rendered images depicting objects with varying materials, shape and illumination. We then gather data on perceived similarity from crowdsourced experiments; our analysis of over 114,840 answers suggests that indeed a shared perception of appearance similarity exists. We feed this data to a deep learning architecture with a novel loss function, which learns a feature space for materials that correlates with such perceived appearance similarity. Our evaluation shows that our model outperforms existing metrics. Last, we demonstrate several applications enabled by our metric, including appearance-based search for material suggestions, database visualization, clustering and summarization, and gamut mapping.
Deep convolutional reconstruction for gradient-domain rendering
Authors: Kettunen Markus , Härkönen Erik , Lehtinen Jaakko
Published: July 2019

It has been shown that rendering in the gradient domain, i.e., estimating finite difference gradients of image intensity using correlated samples, and combining them with direct estimates of pixel intensities by solving a screened Poisson problem, often offers fundamental benefits over merely sampling pixel intensities. The reasons can be traced to the frequency content of the light transport integrand and its interplay with the gradient operator. However, while they often yield state of the art performance among algorithms that are based on Monte Carlo sampling alone, gradient-domain rendering algorithms have, until now, not generally been competitive with techniques that combine Monte Carlo sampling with post-hoc noise removal using sophisticated non-linear filtering.

Drawing on the power of modern convolutional neural networks, we propose a novel reconstruction method for gradient-domain rendering. Our technique replaces the screened Poisson solver of previous gradient-domain techniques with a novel dense variant of the U-Net autoencoder, additionally taking auxiliary feature buffers as inputs. We optimize our network to minimize a perceptual image distance metric calibrated to the human visual system. Our results significantly improve the quality obtained from gradient-domain path tracing, allowing it to overtake state-of-the-art comparison techniques that denoise traditional Monte Carlo samplings. In particular, we observe that the correlated gradient samples --- that offer information about the smoothness of the integrand unavailable in standard Monte Carlo sampling --- notably improve image quality compared to an equally powerful neural model that does not make use of gradient samples.
Accurate markerless jaw tracking for facial performance capture
Authors: Zoss Gaspard , Beeler Thabo , Gross Markus , Bradley Derek
Published: July 2019

We present the first method to accurately track the invisible jaw based solely on the visible skin surface, without the need for any markers or augmentation of the actor. As such, the method can readily be integrated with off-the-shelf facial performance capture systems. The core idea is to learn a non-linear mapping from the skin deformation to the underlying jaw motion on a dataset where ground-truth jaw poses have been acquired, and then to retarget the mapping to new subjects. Solving for the jaw pose plays a central role in visual effects pipelines, since accurate jaw motion is required when retargeting to fantasy characters and for physical simulation. Currently, this task is performed mostly manually to achieve the desired level of accuracy, and the presented method has the potential to fully automate this labour intense and error prone process.
Universal Basic Income in the Developing World
Authors: Banerjee Abhijit , Niehaus Paul , Suri Tavneet
Published: July 2019

Should developing countries give all of their citizens enough money to live on? Interest in this idea has grown enormously in recent years, reflecting both positive results from a number of existing cash transfer programs and dissatisfaction with the perceived limitations of piecemeal, targeted approaches to reducing extreme poverty. We discuss what we know (and what we do not) about three questions: what recipients would likely do with the incremental income, whether this would unlock further economic growth, and whether giving the money to everyone (as opposed to targeting it) would be wise.
Convective Phenomena in Mushy Layers
Authors: Anderson Daniel M. , Guba Peter
Published: July 2019

Since the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics review of mushy layers by Worster (1997) , there have been significant advances in the understanding of convective processes in mushy layers. These advances have come in the areas of ( a) more detailed analysis, computation, and understanding of convective instabilities and chimney convection in binary alloys; ( b) investigations of diffusive and convective transport processes in ternary alloys; and ( c) applications of mushy layer theory in materials science, sea ice, and polar climate modeling, as well as other geophysical applications such as the convective dynamics of the Earth's core. Our objective for this review is to provide an updated account of the understanding of mushy layer convection and related applications and, in doing so, to provide a new resource to the fluid dynamics research community interested in these complex systems.
Shear Thickening of Concentrated Suspensions: Recent Developments and Relation to Other Phenomena
Authors: Morris Jeffrey F.
Published: July 2019

Shear thickening is the increase of the apparent viscosity as shear rate or shear stress increases. This phenomenon is pronounced in concentrated (dense) suspensions of both colloidal-scale and larger particles, with an abrupt form, known as discontinuous shear thickening, observed as the maximum flowable solid fraction is approached. An overview of observed shear thickening behavior is presented, with a discussion of present understanding of the relationship of suspension shear thickening to granular jamming. Mechanistic arguments for the extreme change in rheological properties are outlined, and recent evidence from experiment and simulation for the role of contact forces is presented. Interactions of particles by fluid mechanical lubrication, contact, and steric and electrostatic forces, together with extreme stresses that may lead to solid deformation, require consideration of surface interactions and their tribological consequences in describing shear thickening.
Drug-eluting stent specifically designed to target vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic modulation attenuated restenosis through the YAP pathway
Authors: Huang Chen , Zhang Wenwen , Zhu Yuelin
Published: July 2019

Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic modulation contributes to the development of restenosis. A sorafenib-eluting stent was specifically designed to target SMC phenotypic modulation to inhibit in-stent restenosis in the present study. SMC contractile protein from the freshly isolated rat aorta was expressed at a high level, but its expression was dramatically reduced after SMCs were cultured in 10% FBS for 1 wk. After sorafenib treatment, SMC contractile protein expression was markedly upregulated. We further observed that Yes-associated protein (YAP) expression was attenuated after sorafenib treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Overexpression of YAP by lentivirus reversed the expression of sorafenib-induced SMC contractile protein and increased the expression of cyclin D. Mechanistically, sorafenib regulated the serum response factor-myocardin (SRF-Myocd) complex through competitive binding of YAP to Myocd and increased SRF binding to CArG-containing regions of SMC-specific contractile genes within intact chromatin, thereby controlling the activity of smooth muscle-specific gene transcription. In a rabbit carotid model, the sorafenib-eluting stent (SFES) dramatically inhibited in-stent restenosis and upregulated SMC contractile protein expression. Overexpression of YAP blocked the antirestenosis effect of SFES and repressed contractile smooth muscle-specific genes in vivo, indicating that SFES attenuated in-stent restenosis through YAP-mediated SMC phenotypic modulation. We demonstrated that SFES attenuated in-stent restenosis through YAP-mediated SMC phenotypic modulation. Targeting SMC phenotypic modulation by drug-eluting stent represents an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of occlusive vascular diseases.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY In the present study, we demonstrated that sorafenib regulates smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic modulation from a proliferative to a contractile state. Sorafenib induced a myocardin-serum response factor interaction and increased SMC contractile gene transcription through the Yes-associated protein pathway. Moreover, local delivery of sorafenib regulating SMC phenotypic modulation represents a promising strategy in the design of drug-eluting stents.
Reversal of heart failure in a chemogenetic model of persistent cardiac redox stress
Authors: Sorrentino Andrea , Steinhorn Benjamin , Troncone Luca , Saravi Seyed Soheil Saeedi , Badole Sachin , Eroglu Emrah , Kijewski Marie Foley , Divakaran Sanjay , Di Carli Marcelo , Michel Thomas
Published: July 2019

We previously described a novel “chemogenetic” animal model of heart failure that recapitulates a characteristic feature commonly found in human heart failure: chronic oxidative stress. This heart failure model uses a chemogenetic approach to activate a recombinant yeast d-amino acid oxidase in rat hearts in vivo to generate oxidative stress, which then rapidly leads to the development of a dilated cardiomyopathy. Here we apply this new model to drug testing by studying its response to treatment with the angiotensin II (ANG II) receptor blocker valsartan, administered either alone or with the neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril. Echocardiographic and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomographic imaging revealed that valsartan in the presence or absence of sacubitril reverses the anatomical and metabolic remodeling induced by chronic oxidative stress. Markers of oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis, as well as classical heart failure biomarkers, also normalized following drug treatments despite the persistence of cardiac fibrosis. These findings provide evidence that chemogenetic heart failure is rapidly reversible by drug treatment, setting the stage for the study of novel heart failure therapeutics in this model. The ability of ANG II blockade and neprilysin inhibition to reverse heart failure induced by chronic oxidative stress identifies a central role for cardiac myocyte angiotensin receptors in the pathobiology of cardiac dysfunction caused by oxidative stress.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The chemogenetic approach allows us to distinguish cardiac myocyte-specific pathology from the pleiotropic changes that are characteristic of other “interventional” animal models of heart failure. These features of the chemogenetic heart failure model facilitate the analysis of drug effects on the progression and regression of ventricular remodeling, fibrosis, and dysfunctional signal transduction. Chemogenetic approaches will be highly informative in the study of the roles of redox stress in heart failure providing an opportunity for the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Intravenous ivabradine augments the dynamic heart rate response to moderate vagal nerve stimulation in anesthetized rats
Authors: Kawada Toru , Yamamoto Hiromi , Uemura Kazunori , Hayama Yohsuke , Nishikawa Takuya , Sugimachi Masaru
Published: July 2019

Ivabradine is a selective bradycardic agent that reduces the heart rate (HR) by inhibiting the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels. Although its cardiovascular effect is thought to be minimal except for inducing bradycardia, ivabradine could interact with cardiovascular regulation by the autonomic nervous system. We tested whether ivabradine modifies dynamic characteristics of peripheral vagal HR control. In anesthetized Wistar-Kyoto rats ( n = 7), the right vagal nerve was sectioned and stimulated for 10 min according to a binary white noise sequence with a switching interval of 500 ms. The efferent vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) trials were performed using three different rates (10, 20, and 40 Hz), and were designated as V0–10, V0–20, and V0–40, respectively. The transfer function from the VNS to the HR was estimated before and after the intravenous administration of ivabradine (2 mg/kg). Ivabradine increased the asymptotic dynamic gain in V0–20 [from 3.88 (1.78–5.79) to 6.62 (3.12–8.31) beats·min−1·Hz−1, P < 0.01, median (range)] but not in V0–10 or V0–40. Ivabradine increased the corner frequency in V0–10 [from 0.032 (0.026–0.041) to 0.064 (0.029–0.090) Hz, P < 0.01] and V0–20 [from 0.040 (0.037–0.056) to 0.068 (0.051–0.100) Hz, P < 0.01] but not in V0–40. In conclusion, ivabradine augmented the dynamic HR response to moderate VNS. At high VNS, however, ivabradine did not significantly augment the dynamic HR response, possibly because ivabradine reduced the baseline HR and limited the range for the bradycardic response to high VNS.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Ivabradine is considered to be a pure bradycardic agent that has little effect on cardiovascular function except inducing bradycardia. The present study demonstrated that ivabradine interacts with the dynamic vagal heart rate control in a manner that augments the heart rate response to moderate-intensity efferent vagal nerve stimulation.
Heat stress negatively affects the transcriptome related to overall metabolism and milk protein synthesis in mammary tissue of midlactating dairy cows
Authors: Gao S. T. , Ma Lu , Zhou Z. , Zhou Z. K. , Baumgard L. H. , Jiang D. , Bionaz M. , Bu D. P.
Published: July 2019

Inadequate dry matter intake only partially accounts for the decrease in milk protein synthesis during heat stress (HS) in dairy cows. Our hypothesis is that reduced milk protein synthesis during HS in dairy cows is also caused by biological changes within the mammary gland. The objective of this study was to assess the hypothesis via RNA-Seq analysis of mammary tissue. Herein, four dairy cows were used in a crossover design where HS was induced for 9 days in environmental chambers. There was a 30-day washout between periods. Mammary tissue was collected via biopsy at the end of each environmental period (HS or pair-fed and thermal neutral) for transcriptomic analysis. RNA-Seq analysis revealed HS affected >2,777 genes (false discovery rate-adjusted P value < 0.05) in mammary tissue. Expression of main milk protein-encoding genes and several key genes related to regulation of protein synthesis and amino acid and glucose transport were downregulated by HS. Bioinformatics analysis revealed an overall decrease of mammary tissue metabolic activity by HS (especially carbohydrate and lipid metabolism) and an increase in immune activation and inflammation. Network analysis revealed a major role of TNF, IFNG, S100A8, S100A9, and IGF-1 in inducing/controlling the inflammatory response, with a central role of NF-κB in the process of immunoactivation. The same analysis indicated an overall inhibition of PPARγ. Collectively, these data suggest HS directly controls milk protein synthesis via reducing the transcription of metabolic-related genes and increasing inflammation-related genes.
A New Switch for TGFβ in Cancer
Authors: Yeh Hsi-Wen , Lee Szu-Shuo , Chang Chieh-Yu , Lang Yaw-Dong , Jou Yuh-Shan
Published: July 2019

The TGFβ cytokine plays dichotomous roles during tumor progression. In normal and premalignant cancer cells, the TGFβ signaling pathway inhibits proliferation and promotes cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, the activation of this pathway in late-stage cancer cells could facilitate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, stemness, and mobile features to enhance tumorigenesis and metastasis. The opposite functions of TGFβ signaling during tumor progression make it a challenging target to develop anticancer interventions. Nevertheless, the recent discovery of cellular contextual determinants, especially the binding partners of the transcription modulators Smads, is critical to switch TGFβ responses from proapoptosis to prometastasis. In this review, we summarize the recently identified contextual determinants (such as PSPC1, KLF5, 14-3-3ζ, C/EBPβ, and others) and the mechanisms of how tumor cells manage the context-dependent autonomous TGFβ responses to potentiate tumor progression. With the altered expression of some contextual determinants and their effectors during tumor progression, the aberrant molecular prometastatic switch might serve as a new class of theranostic targets for developing anticancer strategies.
Integrative Genomic Characterization Identifies Molecular Subtypes of Lung Carcinoids
Authors: Laddha Saurabh V. , da Silva Edaise M. , Robzyk Kenneth , Untch Brian R. , Ke Hua , Rekhtman Natasha , Poirier John T. , Travis William D. , Tang Laura H. , Chan Chang S.
Published: July 2019

Lung carcinoids (LC) are rare and slow growing primary lung neuroendocrine tumors. We performed targeted exome sequencing, mRNA sequencing, and DNA methylation array analysis on macro-dissected LCs. Recurrent mutations were enriched for genes involved in covalent histone modification/chromatin remodeling (34.5%; MEN1, ARID1A, KMT2C, and KMT2A) as well as DNA repair (17.2%) pathways. Unsupervised clustering and principle component analysis on gene expression and DNA methylation profiles showed three robust molecular subtypes (LC1, LC2, LC3) with distinct clinical features. MEN1 gene mutations were found to be exclusively enriched in the LC2 subtype. LC1 and LC3 subtypes were predominately found at peripheral and endobronchial lung, respectively. The LC3 subtype was diagnosed at a younger age than LC1 and LC2 subtypes. IHC staining of two biomarkers, ASCL1 and S100, sufficiently stratified the three subtypes. This molecular classification of LCs into three subtypes may facilitate understanding of their molecular mechanisms and improve diagnosis and clinical management.

Significance:

Integrative genomic analysis of lung carcinoids identifies three novel molecular subtypes with distinct clinical features and provides insight into their distinctive molecular signatures of tumorigenesis, diagnosis, and prognosis.
Are Platelets the Primary Target of Aspirin's Remarkable Anticancer Activity?
Authors: Lichtenberger Lenard M. , Vijayan K. Vinod
Published: July 2019

Aspirin, when administered at low doses, has emerged as a powerful anticancer drug due to both chemopreventive activity against many forms of cancer and its ability to block metastases when administered postdiagnosis. Platelets, which are often elevated in circulation during the latter stages of cancer, are known to promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition, cancer cell growth, survival in circulation, and angiogenesis at sites of metastases. Low-dose aspirin has been demonstrated to block this procarcinogenic action of platelets. In this article, we present evidence that aspirin's unique ability to irreversibly inhibit platelet cyclooxygenase-1 is a key mechanism by which aspirin exerts anticancer activity.
Circulating Tumor DNA Profiling in Small-Cell Lung Cancer Identifies Potentially Targetable Alterations
Authors: Devarakonda Siddhartha , Sankararaman Sumithra , Herzog Brett H. , Gold Kathryn A. , Waqar Saiama N. , Ward Jeffrey P. , Raymond Victoria M. , Lanman Richard B. , Chaudhuri Aadel A. , Owonikoko Taofeek K. , Li Bob T. , Poirier John T. , Rudin Charles M. , Govindan Ramaswamy , Morgensztern Daniel
Published: July 2019

Purpose:

Patients with SCLC rarely undergo biopsies at relapse. When pursued, tissue obtained can be inadequate for molecular testing, posing a challenge in identifying potentially targetable alterations in a clinically meaningful time frame. We examined the feasibility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing in identifying potentially targetable alterations in SCLC.

Experimental Design:

ctDNA test results were prospectively collected from patients with SCLC between 2014 and 2017 and analyzed. ctDNA profiles of SCLC at diagnosis and relapse were also compared.

Results:

A total of 609 samples collected from 564 patients between 2014 and 2017 were analyzed. The median turnaround time for test results was 14 days. Among patients with data on treatment status, there were 61 samples from 59 patients and 219 samples from 206 patients collected at diagnosis and relapse, respectively. The number of mutations or amplifications detected per sample did not differ by treatment status. Potentially targetable alterations in DNA repair, MAPK and PI3K pathways, and genes such as MYC and ARID1A were identifiable through ctDNA testing. Furthermore, our results support that it may be possible to reconstruct the clonal relationship between detected variants through ctDNA testing.

Conclusions:

Patients with relapsed SCLC rarely undergo biopsies for molecular testing and often require prompt treatment initiation. ctDNA testing is less invasive and capable of identifying alterations in relapsed disease in a clinically meaningful timeframe. ctDNA testing on an expanded gene panel has the potential to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying treatment resistance in SCLC and aid in the development of novel treatment strategies.
Treatment with Humanized Selective CD19CAR-T Cells Shows Efficacy in Highly Treated B-ALL Patients Who Have Relapsed after Receiving Murine-Based CD19CAR-T Therapies
Authors: Zhao Yu , Liu Zhongfeng , Wang Xuan , Wu Huantong , Zhang Jianping , Yang Junfang , Zhang Fayou , Liu Lining , Long Jiafu , Lu Peihua , Chen Zhiguo
Published: July 2019

Purpose:

CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy has shown impactful results in treatment of B-cell malignancies. However, immune recognition of the murine scFv may render subsequent infusion(s) ineffective. Also, nonselective expansion of both CAR-transduced and nontransduced T cells during the production stage affects the yield and purity of final products. Here, we aim to develop a humanized selective (hs) CD19 CAR to solve the above problems.

Experimental Design: A CD19 hsCAR was designed, which incorporated a short selective domain between the humanized heavy chain and light chain. The CAR was examined for its property, and then trialed in 5 highly treated B-ALL patients.

Results:

hsCAR possessed around 6-fold higher affinity to CD19 versus murine CAR (mCAR). Incubation with selective domain-specific mAbs (SmAb) selectively expanded CAR-transduced T cells, and led to a higher proportion of central memory T cells in the final products. SmAb-stimulated CD19 hsCAR-T cells exhibited superior antitumor cytotoxic functions in vitro and in vivo. Autologous (n = 2) and allogeneic donor (n = 3, with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) hsCAR-T cells were infused into 5 patients who had relapsed after receiving mCAR-T treatments. Two patients received mCAR-T treatments twice previously but the second treatments were ineffective. In contrast, subsequent hsCAR-T treatments proved effective in all 5 patients and achieved complete molecular remission in four, including one with extramedullary disease with central nervous system involvement.

Conclusions:

hsCD19 CAR-T treatment shows efficacy in highly treated B-ALL patients who have relapsed after receiving CD19 mCAR-T therapies.
Loss of MAP3K7 Sensitizes Prostate Cancer Cells to CDK1/2 Inhibition and DNA Damage by Disrupting Homologous Recombination
Authors: Washino Satoshi , Rider Leah C. , Romero Lina , Jillson Lauren K. , Affandi Trisiani , Ohm Angela M. , Lam Elaine T. , Reyland Mary E. , Costello James C. , Cramer Scott D.
Published: July 2019

The combined loss of CHD1 and MAP3K7 promotes aggressive prostate cancer by unknown mechanisms. Because both of these genes are lost genetically in prostate cancer, they cannot be directly targeted. We applied an established computational systems pharmacology approach (TRAP) to identify altered signaling pathways and associated druggable targets. We compared gene expression profiles of prostate cancer with coloss of CHD1 and MAP3K7 with prostate cancer diploid for these genes using The Cancer Genome Atlas patient samples. This analysis prioritized druggable target genes that included CDK1 and CDK2. We validated that inhibitors of these druggable target genes, including the CDK1/CDK2 inhibitor dinaciclib, had antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects selectively on mouse prostate cells with knockdown of Chd1 and Map3k7. Dinaciclib had stronger effects on prostate cells with suppression of Map3k7 independent of Chd1 and also compared with cells without loss of Map3k7. Dinaciclib treatment reduced expression of homologous recombination (HR) repair genes such as ATM, ATR, BRCA2, and RAD51, blocked BRCA1 phosphorylation, reduced RAD51 foci formation, and increased γH2AX foci selectively in prostate cells with suppression of Map3k7, thus inhibiting HR repair of chromosomal double-strand breaks. Dinaciclib-induced HR disruption was also observed in human prostate cells with knockdown of MAP3K7. Cotreatment of dinaciclib with DNA-damaging agents or PARP inhibitor resulted in a stronger cytotoxic effect on prostate cells with suppression of MAP3K7 compared with those without loss of MAP3K7, or to each single agent.

Implications:

These findings demonstrate that loss of MAP3K7 is a main contributing factor to drug response through disruption of HR in prostate cancer.
Heat Stress Impacts on Cardiac Mortality in Nepali Migrant Workers in Qatar
Authors: Pradhan Bandana , Kjellstrom Tord , Atar Dan , Sharma Puspa , Kayastha Birendra , Bhandari Gita , Pradhan Pushkar K.
Published: July 2019

Background: Qatar is a major destination country for Nepali migrant workers (NMWs; main age range 25–35 years) in the construction trade. These 120,000+ NMWs are exposed to various occupational hazards, including excessive heat, and 3–4 workers die each week. Our study aimed to show whether heat exposure caused deaths. Methods: The worker population and mortality data of NMWs were retrieved from government institutions in Nepal. Heat exposure was assessed by monthly estimates of daily wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), for in-shade conditions, from data collected at the Doha weather station from 2009 to 2017. Working in the sun during the middle of the day would add 2–3°C to the in-shade WBGT values. Daily deaths and their causes were obtained from the records of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) in Nepal, 2009–2017. Interviews with returning NMWs about their working conditions and the impacts of these conditions added information. The association between the heat variable and mortality was tested with standard statistical methods. Results: The average annual death rate for NMWs in Qatar was 150 deaths/100,000. According to interviews, the majority of NMWs were found working in high WBGT (>31°C) each working day during hot months. The major cause of these deaths was recorded as cardiovascular problems (cardiovascular disease; CVD). Unfortunately, the causes of death were poorly described, and many deaths were listed as “cardiac arrest.” We included these deaths in the broader category of “cardiovascular causes.” There was a strong correlation between average monthly afternoon heat levels (WBGT) and CVD mortality. It is likely that a large proportion of these CVD deaths during hot months were due to serious heat stroke. Global studies show that approximately 15% of deaths in the age group 25–35 years are due to CVD causes. However, in this NMW population, the figures were 22% during the cool season and 58% during the hot season. Conclusions: The increased CVD mortality during hot periods is most likely due to severe heat stress. As many as 200 of the 571 CVD deaths during 2009–2017 could have been prevented if effective heat protection had been implemented as a part of local occupational health and safety programs. There is an urgent need for protection against such heat effects among NMWs, and rising temperatures from ongoing climate change are further increasing the health risks. Cause of death records for workers dying in hot conditions should be more precise than “cardiac arrest.”
Exercise Response Efficiency: A Novel Way to Enhance Population Health?
Authors: Pickering Craig , Kiely John
Published: July 2019

The rates of obesity and its related comorbidities have increased substantially over the last 30 years, with approximately 35% of all US adults now classified as obese. Whilst the causes of obesity are both complex and multifactorial, one contributor is a reduction in leisure time physical activity, with no concurrent reduction in energy intake. Physical activity interventions have been demonstrated to promote fat loss, yet more than 50% of US adults undertake no leisure time physical activity at all, with a lack of time and enjoyment often cited as the main drivers of rising inactivity levels. Furthermore, recent evidence has demonstrated that a sub-group of individuals may experience no improvement in a given fitness or health-related measure following a specific training programme, suggesting that there may be optimal exercise types for different groups of individuals. In this paper, we introduce the concept of exercise response efficiency, whereby individuals are matched to the training type from which they are most likely to derive the greatest improvements for the least time commitment. We propose that a more precise targeting of exercise interventions is likely to drive more rapid improvements in health, thereby promoting exercise adherence and enjoyment, whilst simultaneously reducing obesity and mortality risks. Such an innovation would, we suggest, confer important public health benefits.
Moda e patrimônio cultural entre imaginários sociais e práticas coletivas, na contemporaneidade
Authors: Calanca Daniela
Published: July 2019

É propósito deste artigo refletir sobre a relação entre moda e patrimônio cultural, tema complexo à medida em que invoca, simultaneamente, questões relativas à pesquisa epistemológico-historiográfica, documental e político-pública, em âmbito geral e particular. Como premissa, tomamos o fato de que os estudos da moda, a partir da década de 1980, passaram a influenciar os estudos históricos, mantidos, todavia, distantes do mainstream da historiografia, o que se deu sobretudo na Itália – país em que focamos nossa análise. Avançaremos, ainda, em reflexões sobre a relação entre pesquisa histórica e historiografia da moda, apresentando dois estudos de caso: o do Archivio Istituto Luce on line, um exemplo de public history, e o caso das três exposições referentes à moda que o Estado italiano organizou, respectivamente, em 1911, no 50º aniversário da Unificação Italiana; em 1961, no centenário nacional; e em 2011, no 150º aniversário da Unificação Italiana.
Comparison of the Ventricular Tachycardia Circuit Between Patients With Ischemic and Nonischemic Cardiomyopathies
Authors: Shirai Yasuhiro , Liang Jackson J. , Santangeli Pasquale , Arkles Jeffrey S. , Schaller Robert D. , Supple Gregory E. , Nazarian Saman , Garcia Fermin C. , Lin David , Dixit Sanjay , Callans David J. , Marchlinski Francis E. , Frankel David S.
Published: July 2019

Background:

There has been increasing awareness of the 3-dimensional nature of ventricular tachycardia (VT) circuits. VT circuits in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathies (ICM) and non-ICM (NICM) may differ in this regard.

Methods:

Among patients with structural heart disease and at least 1 hemodynamically tolerated VT undergoing ablation, we retrospectively analyzed responses to all entrainment maneuvers.

Results:

Of 445 patients (ICM 228, NICM 217) undergoing VT ablation, detailed entrainment mapping of at least 1 tolerated VT was performed in 111 patients (ICM 71, NICM 40). Of 89 ICM VTs, the isthmus could be identified by endocardial entrainment in 55 (62%), compared with only 8 of 47 (17%) NICM VTs (
P
<0.01). With combined endocardial and epicardial mapping, the isthmus could be identified in 56 (63%) ICM VTs and 12 (26%) NICM VTs (
P
<0.01), whereas any critical component (defined as entrance, isthmus or exit) could be identified in 76 (85%) ICM VTs and 37 (79%) NICM VTs (
P
=0.3). Complete success (no inducible VT at the end of ablation, 82% versus 65%,
P
=0.04) and 1-year, single-procedure VT-free survival (82% versus 55%,
P
<0.01) were both higher among patients with ICM.

Conclusions:

Among mappable ICM VTs, critical circuit components can usually be identified on the endocardium. In contrast, among mappable NICM VTs, although some critical component can typically be identified with the addition of epicardial mapping, the isthmus is less commonly identified, possibly due to midmyocardial location.
Central Adjudication Identified Additional and Prognostically Important Myocardial Infarctions in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Olivier Christoph B. , Bhatt Deepak L. , Leonardi Sergio , Stone Gregg W. , Gibson C. Michael , Steg Ph. Gabriel , Hamm Christian W. , Wilson Matthew D. , Mangum Stacey , Price Matthew J. , Prats Jayne , White Harvey D. , Lopes Renato D. , Harrington Robert A. , Mahaffey Kenneth W. ,   on Behalf of the CHAMPION PHOENIX Investigators*
Published: July 2019

Background:

In the CHAMPION PHOENIX trial, cangrelor reduced the primary composite end point of death, myocardial infarction (MI), ischemia-driven revascularization, or stent thrombosis at 48 hours. This study aimed to explore the impact of event adjudication and the prognostic importance of MI reported by a clinical events committee (CEC) or site investigators (SIs).

Methods and Results:

Data from the CHAMPION PHOENIX trial of patients undergoing elective or nonelective percutaneous coronary intervention were analyzed. A CEC systematically identified and adjudicated MI using predefined criteria, a computer algorithm to identify suspected events, and semilogarithmic plots to review biomarker changes. Thirty-day death was modeled using baseline characteristics. Of 10 942 patients, 462 (4.2%) patients had at least 1 MI by 48 hours identified by the CEC (207 [3.8%] cangrelor; 255 [4.7%] clopidogrel; odds ratio [OR] 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67–0.97;
P
=0.022), and 143 patients had at least 1 MI by 48 hours reported by the SI (60 [1.1%] cangrelor; 83 [1.5%] clopidogrel; OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52–1.01;
P
=0.053). Of the 462 MIs identified by the CEC, 92 (20%) were reported by SI, and 370 (80%) were not. Of the 143 MI reported by the SI, 51 (36%) were not confirmed by CEC. All categories were associated with an increased adjusted risk for 30-day death (CEC: OR, 5.35; 95% CI, 2.56–11.2;
P
<0.001; SI: 9.08 [4.01–20.5];
P
<0.001; CEC and SI: 10.9 [3.23–36.6];
P
<0.001; CEC but not SI: 4.69 [1.94–11.3];
P
<0.001; SI but not CEC: 15.4 [5.26–44.9];
P
<0.001).

Conclusions:

In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, CEC procedures identified 3 times as many MIs as the SI reported. Compared with clopidogrel, cangrelor significantly reduced MIs identified by the CEC with a qualitatively similar relative risk reduction in MIs reported by the SI. MIs identified by CEC or reported by SI were independently associated with worse 30-day death. Central adjudication identified additional, prognostically important events.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01156571.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE SECTOR IN TURKEY AFTER 2001 CRISIS
Authors: YILDIRIM Cengizhan
Published: July 2019

Despite having the largest
share of national income in today's modern economy, the services sector remains
in the shadow of industry. Therefore, service sector must be analysed in a more
detailed way. The aim of this article is to analyse the development of service
sector in Turkey after 2001 Crisis. In accordance with this aim, service sector
was theoretically mentioned and economic developments occurring in Turkey after
2001 Crisis were discussed. Later on, development of sub-sectors of service
sectors, its share in GDP and employment, and external balance of service
sector was analysed; finally, the size of service sector in Turkey was compared
to the sizes of selected countries.
Enjoying the Tension: Reading Qoh 2:25 in the Context of Qoh 2:24-26
Authors: Dell Katharine , Forti Tova
Published: July 2019

Qoheleth’s experiential method and inner-dialogue creates tensions on the levels of language, style, content and theological ideas. In this paper we seek to explore this tension in relation to a short section (Qoh 2:24-26) that is placed at the end of chapter 2. In the process we question the section division itself and the usual emendation of the translation of v. 25 to fit into the thought of these three verses and that of their neighbouring verses. We engage in a detailed analysis of the versions and of scholarly opinion on the translation, key terms and structure of these verses. We argue that this is just one example of where literary structure has dictated translational options and we prefer instead to ‘enjoy the tension’ of the more convincing and less accepted translation of verse 25 as “For who can eat or even sense, apart from me.”
Towards a Feminist Public Theology: on Wounds, Scars and Healing in the Book of Jeremiah and Beyond
Authors: Claassens L. Juliana
Published: July 2019

In this article, I am contributing to the ongoing conversation on a feminist public theology. Drawing on examples of feminist public theologians in my own context in (South) Africa, I propose that a feminist public theology ought to deal honestly and constructively with the reality of the deep wounds and the scars caused by racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia, which, if left unattended, may fester and return with a vengeance. It is also imperative that a feminist public theology continues to imagine the world to be otherwise, thus helping not only to name the injustice of the past, but also to be able to see beyond the violence to help foster values such as compassion, justice, resistance and resilience. Drawing on examples from the book of Jeremiah, I will illustrate something of my own vocation as a feminist public theologian in the context of South Africa today.
‘Making Public Theology Operational’: Public Theology and the Church
Authors: van Oorschot Frederike
Published: July 2019

This article examines how public theologians aim to bring their theology into the practice of the church. In the first part it analyses the references to the church in the work of contemporary public theologians from the United States and Germany and suggests four different categories for the relations explored (explicit function, implicit function, public church, church as public). In the second part, it discusses three systematic aspects of these relations. First, following Kuyper, it defines the term ‘church’ more accurately. Second, it offers insights into liturgical research in order to help to sharpen the places where and means by which the implicit shaping of individual ethical behaviour in the church takes place, as exemplified in the work of Dirk Smit. Third, it discusses the task of pastors as mediators between church and theology.
Species of Puccinia on Malpighiaceae in Brazil
Authors: CARVALHO-JUNIOR ANIBAL A. DE , HENNEN JOE F.
Published: July 2019

Eight of the thirteen known species of Puccinia on Malpighiaceae were collected during our studies in Brazil. All were examined in detail, and a new name is suggested for Prospodium reticulatum and a new species, Puccinia guassuensis, is designated. A key to the eight species of Puccinia is provided. Nomenclatural notes, descriptions, and illustrations are presented for each species.
New sciophilous sponges from the Caribbean (Porifera: Demospongiae)
Authors: VAN SOEST ROB W. M.
Published: July 2019

Thirteen new species of sponges are described from coral reefs of the Netherlands Antilles and the Colombian Caribbean. Species were collected during quantitative investigations of reef sponges performed by students of the University of Amsterdam in the period between 1984 and 1991. Most of the reported specimens were taken from undersides of coral rubble, crevices or reef caves (sciophilous habitats) and without exception are small encrusting or fistular sponges. The material reported in this paper includes a new genus and species of Placospongiidae, Placospherastra antillensis n. g. n. sp. , the first Caribbean representatives of the genera Triptolemma (Pachastrellidae) and Megaciella (Acarnidae), viz. Triptolemma endolithicum n. sp. and Megaciella incrustans n. sp., a new species of Timeidae, Timea curacaoensis n. sp., a new species of Microcionidae with peculiar colloscleres, Clathria (Thalysias) collosclera n. sp., two new species of Chondropsidae, viz. Batzella fusca n. sp., and Strongylacidon unguiferum n. sp., three new species of Coelosphaeridae, viz. Forcepia (Forcepia) minima n. sp., Forcepia (Forcepia) fistulosa n. sp., and Forcepia (Leptolabis) microlabis n. sp., a new species of Crellidae, Crella (Grayella) beglingerae n. sp., a new species of Hymedesmiidae, Hymedesmia (Hymedesmia) bonairensis n. sp., and a new species of Mycalidae, Mycale (Paresperella) vitellina n. sp. Most species are represented by only small fragments removed from the substrate by scalpel or diving knife, leaving little and often crumbled preserved type material. This study is intended to demonstrate that the small crusts dominating easily accessible shallow water coral rubble habitats in the Caribbean remain understudied.
Molecular phylogeny and divergence time estimates of Penaeid Shrimp Lineages (Decapoda: Penaeidae)
Authors: VOLOCH CAROLINA M , FREIRE PABLO R , RUSSO CLAUDIA A M
Published: July 2019

Fossil record of penaeids indicates that the family exists since the Triassic period, but extant genera appeared only recently in Tertiary strata. Molecular based divergence time estimates on the matter of penaeid radiation were never properly addressed, due to shortcomings of the global molecular clock assumptions. Here, we studied the diversification patterns of the family, uncovering, more specifically, a correlation between fossil and extant Penaeid fauna. For this, we have used a Bayesian framework that does not assume a global clock. Our results suggest that Penaeid genera originated between 20 million years ago and 43 million years ago, much earlier than expected by previous molecular studies. Altogether, these results promptly discard late Tertiary or even Quaternary hypotheses that presumed a major glaciations influence on the diversification patterns of the family.
Validity and interpretation of Murcia Koch, Trichoribates Berlese and their type species (Acari: Oribatida: Ceratozetidae)
Authors: WEIGMANN GERD , NORTON ROY A.
Published: July 2019

In the literature there is much confusion about the identity and taxonomic position of two common oribatid mite species in the family Ceratozetidae: Oribates setosus C.L. Koch, 1839, and Murcia trimaculata C.L. Koch, 1835. Related to these problems, there are contrary opinions about the validity of two ceratozetid genera, Murcia Koch, 1835 and Trichoribates Berlese, 1910, and the identity of their type species. Important conclusions on these issues have been proposed in the past (Jacot 1929; Pérez-Iñigo 1993) but these were not followed in an important recent catalog (Subías 2004). In the following, we summarize and comment on the history of these problems, and argue in the context of the current ICZN rules to preserve nomenclatural stability.
A new species of Trichocera Meigen (Diptera: Trichoceridae) from Sardinia
Authors: PETRAŠIŪNAS ANDRIUS
Published: July 2019

Subgenus Saltrichocera was established for the inclusion of the species of Trichocera with simple gonostyles and gonocoxites, separated and highly arched bridge, and large aedeagal complex (Krzeminska, 2002). As the newly described species possesses all these features, it is therefore assigned to the subgenus Saltrichocera.
Redescription of four species of Hatschekia (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Hatschekiidae) parasitic on tetraodontiform fishes from Japan
Authors: UYENO DAISUKE , NAGASAWA KAZUYA
Published: July 2019

Four species of the genus Hatschekia Poche, 1902 (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida; Hatschekiidae) are redescribed based on specimens collected from tetraodontiform fishes captured recently in Japanese waters: female H. iridescens Wilson, 1913 from Diodon liturosus Shaw (representing a new host record), D. hystrix L., and D. holocanthus L.; female Hatschekia legouli Nuñes-Ruivo, 1954 (representing a new parasite record for Japan) from Chilomycterus reticulatus L.; female H. ostracii Yamaguti, 1953 from Ostracion immaculatus Temminck & Schlegel and O. cubicus L.; and both sexes of H. monacanthi Yamaguti, 1939 from Thamnaconus modestus (Günther). Proportions of various parts of the female body and appendages are included as important characters to distinguish morphologically similar species. A key to the 20 species of Hatschekia reported from Japanese waters is also included.
Synopsis of the genus Capnia (Plecoptera: Capniidae) from China
Authors: LI WEIHAI , YANG DING
Published: July 2019

A winter stonefly species of the family Capniidae, Capnia qilianshana sp. nov., is described as new to science from Gansu, China. Its relationship with closely related species is discussed. An unassociated female based on a single specimen from Sichuan province is presented.