bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Backward stochastic differential equations with non-Markovian singular terminal values
Authors: Sezer Ali Devin , Kruse Thomas , Popier Alexandre
Published: March 2018

We solve a class of BSDE with a power function [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], driving its drift and with the terminal boundary condition [Formula: see text] (for which [Formula: see text] is assumed) or [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the ball in the path space [Formula: see text] of the underlying Brownian motion centered at the constant function [Formula: see text] and radius [Formula: see text]. The solution involves the derivation and solution of a related heat equation in which [Formula: see text] serves as a reaction term and which is accompanied by singular and discontinuous Dirichlet boundary conditions. Although the solution of the heat equation is discontinuous at the corners of the domain, the BSDE has continuous sample paths with the prescribed terminal value.
Instantaneous Order Impact and High-Frequency Strategy Optimization in Limit Order Books
Authors: Gonzalez Federico , Schervish Mark
Published: March 2018

We propose a limit order book (LOB) model with dynamics that account for both the impact of the most recent order and volume imbalance. To model these effects jointly we introduce a discrete Markov chain model. We then find the policy for optimal order choice and control. The optimal policy derived uses limit orders, cancellations and market orders. It looks to avoid non-execution and adverse selection risk simultaneously. Using ultra high-frequency data from the NASDAQ stock exchange we compare our policy with other submission strategies that use a subset of all available order types and show that ours significantly outperforms.
Investigation of the 2016 Linux TCP Stack Vulnerability at Scale
Authors: Quach Alan , Wang Zhongjie , Qian Zhiyun
Published: March 2018

To combat blind in-window attacks against TCP, changes proposed in RFC 5961 have been implemented by Linux since late 2012. While successfully eliminating the old vulnerabilities, the new TCP implementation was reported in August 2016 to have introduced a subtle yet serious security flaw. Assigned CVE-2016-5696, the flaw exploits the challenge ACK rate limiting feature that could allow an off-path attacker to infer the presence/absence of a TCP connection between two arbitrary hosts, terminate such a connection, and even inject payload into an unsecured TCP connection.

In this work, we perform a comprehensive measurement of the impact of the new vulnerability. This includes (1) tracking the vulnerable Internet servers, (2) monitoring the patch behavior over time, (3) picturing the overall security status of TCP stacks at scale. Towards this goal, we design a scalable measurement methodology to scan the Alexa top 1 million websites for almost 6 months. We also present how notifications impact the patching behavior, and compare the result with the Heartbleed and the Debian PRNG vulnerability. The measurement represents a valuable data point in understanding how Internet servers react to serious security flaws in the operating system kernel.
A Simple Yet Effective Balanced Edge Partition Model for Parallel Computing
Authors: Li Lingda , Geda Robel , Hayes Ari B. , Chen Yanhao , Chaudhari Pranav , Zhang Eddy Z. , Szegedy Mario
Published: March 2018

Graph
edge
partition models have recently become an appealing alternative to graph
vertex
partition models for distributed computing due to their flexibility in balancing loads and their performance in reducing communication cost [6, 16]. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective graph edge partitioning algorithm. In practice, our algorithm provides good partition quality (and better than similar state-of-the-art edge partition approaches, at least for power-law graphs) while maintaining low partition overhead. In theory, previous work [6] showed that an approximation guarantee of
O
(

d
max

√ log
n
log
k
) apply to the graphs with
m
=Ω(
k
2
) edges (
k
is the number of partitions). We further rigorously proved that this approximation guarantee hold for all graphs.

We show how our edge partition model can be applied to parallel computing. We draw our example from GPU program locality enhancement and demonstrate that the graph edge partition model does not only apply to distributed computing with many computer nodes, but also to parallel computing in a single computer node with a many-core processor.
Dandelion
Authors: Bojja Venkatakrishnan Shaileshh , Fanti Giulia , Viswanath Pramod
Published: March 2018

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have surged in popularity over the last decade. Although Bitcoin does not claim to provide anonymity for its users, it enjoys a public perception of being a privacy preserving financial system. In reality, cryptocurrencies publish users' entire transaction histories in plaintext, albeit under a pseudonym; this is required for transaction validation. Therefore, if a user's pseudonym can be linked to their human identity, the privacy fallout can be significant. Recently, researchers have demonstrated deanonymization attacks that exploit weaknesses in the Bitcoin network's peer-to-peer (P2P) networking protocols. In particular, the P2P network currently forwards content in a structured way that allows observers to deanonymize users. In this work, we redesign the P2P network from first principles with the goal of providing strong, provable anonymity guarantees. We propose a simple networking policy called Dandelion which provides quasi-optimal, network-wide anonymity, with minimal cost to the network's utility. We also discuss practical implementation challenges and propose heuristic solutions.
An Optimal Randomized Online Algorithm for QoS Buffer Management
Authors: Yang Lin , Wong Wing Shing , Hajiesmaili Mohammad H.
Published: March 2018

The QoS (Quality of Service) buffer management problem, with significant and diverse computer applications, e.g., in online cloud resource allocation problems, is a classic online admission control problem in the presence of resource constraints. In its basic setting, packets with different values according to their QoS requirements, arrive in online fashion to a switching node with limited buffer size. Then, the switch needs to make an immediate decision to either admit or reject the incoming packet based on the value of the packet and its buffer availability. The objective is to maximize the cumulative profit of the admitted packets, while respecting the buffer constraint. Even though the QoS buffer management problem was proposed more than a decade ago, no optimal online solution has been proposed in the literature. This paper contributes to this problem by proposing: 1) A fixed threshold-based online algorithm with smaller competitive ratio than the existing results; 2) an optimal deterministic online algorithm under fractional admission model in which a packet could be admitted partially; and 3) an optimal randomized online algorithm for the general problem. We consider the last result being the main contribution of this paper.
Distributed Statistical Machine Learning in Adversarial Settings
Authors: Chen Yudong , Su Lili , Xu Jiaming
Published: March 2018

We consider the distributed statistical learning problem over decentralized systems that are prone to adversarial attacks. This setup arises in many practical applications, including Google's
Federated Learning
. Formally, we focus on a decentralized system that consists of a parameter server and
m
working machines; each working machine keeps
N/m
data samples, where
N
is the total number of samples. In each iteration, up to q of the m working machines suffer Byzantine faults -- a faulty machine in the given iteration behaves arbitrarily badly against the system and has complete knowledge of the system. Additionally, the sets of faulty machines may be different across iterations. Our goal is to design robust algorithms such that the system can learn the underlying true parameter, which is of dimension
d
, despite the interruption of the Byzantine attacks.

In this paper, based on the
geometric median of means
of the gradients, we propose a simple variant of the classical gradient descent method. We show that our method can tolerate
q
Byzantine failures up to 2(1+ε)
q
≤ for an arbitrarily small but fixed constant ε > 0. The parameter estimate converges in
O
(log
N
) rounds with an estimation error on the order of max{√
dq/N
, √
d/N
, which is larger than the minimax-optimal error rate √
d/N
in the centralized and failure-free setting by at most a factor of √
q
. The total computational complexity of our algorithm is of
O
((
Nd/m
) log
N
) at each working machine and
O
(
md
+
kd
log
3
N
) at the central server, and the total communication cost is of
O
(
m d
log
N
). We further provide an application of our general results to the linear regression problem.

A key challenge arises in the above problem is that Byzantine failures create arbitrary and unspecified dependency among the iterations and the aggregated gradients. To handle this issue in the analysis, we prove that the aggregated gradient, as a function of model parameter, converges
uniformly
to the true gradient function.
Disk Prefetching Mechanisms for Increasing HTTP Streaming Video Server Throughput
Authors: Cassell Benjamin , Szepesi Tyler , Summers Jim , Brecht Tim , Eager Derek , Wong Bernard
Published: March 2018

Most video streaming traffic is delivered over HTTP using standard web servers. While traditional web server workloads consist of requests that are primarily for small files that can be serviced from the file system cache, HTTP video streaming workloads often service a long tail of large infrequently requested videos. As a result, optimizing disk accesses is critical to obtaining good server throughput.

In this article we explore serialized, aggressive disk prefetching, a technique that can be used to improve the throughput of HTTP streaming video web servers. We identify how serialization and aggressive prefetching affect performance, and, based on our findings, we construct and evaluate Libception, an application-level shim library that implements both techniques. By dynamically linking against Libception at runtime, applications are able to transparently obtain benefits from serialization and aggressive prefetching without needing to change their source code. In contrast to other approaches that modify applications, make kernel changes, or attempt to optimize kernel tuning, Libception provides a portable and relatively simple system in which techniques for optimizing I/O in HTTP video streaming servers can be implemented and evaluated.

We empirically evaluate the efficacy of serialization and aggressive prefetching both with and without Libception, using three web servers (Apache, nginx, and the userver) running on two operating systems (FreeBSD and Linux). We find that, by using Libception, we can improve streaming throughput for all three web servers by at least a factor of 2 on FreeBSD and a factor of 2.5 on Linux. Additionally, we find that with significant tuning of Linux kernel parameters, we can achieve similar performance to Libception by globally modifying Linux’s disk prefetch behaviour. Finally, we demonstrate Libception’s ability to reduce the completion time of a microbenchmark involving two applications competing for disk resources.
Protein Quality Control in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Plants
Authors: Strasser Richard
Published: March 2018

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of maturation for roughly one-third of all cellular proteins. ER-resident molecular chaperones and folding catalysts promote folding and assembly in a diverse set of newly synthesized proteins. Because these processes are error-prone, all eukaryotic cells have a quality-control system in place that constantly monitors the proteins and decides their fate. Proteins with potentially harmful nonnative conformations are subjected to assisted folding or degraded. Persistent folding-defective proteins are distinguished from folding intermediates and targeted for degradation by a specific process involving clearance from the ER. Although the basic principles of these processes appear conserved from yeast to animals and plants, there are distinct differences in the ER-associated degradation of misfolded glycoproteins. The general importance of ER quality-control events is underscored by their involvement in the biogenesis of diverse cell surface receptors and their crucial maintenance of protein homeostasis under diverse stress conditions.
Influence of long-term treatment with glyceryl trinitrate on remote ischemic conditioning
Authors: Hauerslev Marie , Mørk Sivagowry Rasalingam , Pryds Kasper , Contractor Hussain , Hansen Jan , Jespersen Nichlas Riise , Johnsen Jacob , Heusch Gerd , Kleinbongard Petra , Kharbanda Rajesh , Bøtker Hans Erik , Schmidt Michael Rahbek
Published: March 2018

Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) protects against sustained myocardial ischemia. Because of overlapping mechanisms, this protection may be altered by glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), which is commonly used in the treatment of patients with chronic ischemic heart disease. We investigated whether long-term GTN treatment modifies the protection by RIC in the rat myocardium and human endothelium. We studied infarct size (IS) in rat hearts subjected to global ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in vitro and endothelial function in healthy volunteers subjected to I/R of the upper arm. In addition to allocated treatment, rats were coadministered with reactive oxygen species (ROS) or nitric oxide (NO) scavengers. Rats and humans were randomized to 1) control, 2) RIC, 3) GTN, and 4) GTN + RIC. In protocols 3 and 4, rats and humans underwent long-term GTN treatment for 7 consecutive days, applied subcutaneously or 2 h daily transdermally. In rats, RIC and long-term GTN treatment reduced mean IS (18 ± 12%, P = 0.007 and 15 ± 5%, P = 0.002) compared with control (35 ± 13%). RIC and long-term GTN treatment in combination did not reduce IS (29 ± 12%, P = 0.55 vs. control). ROS and NO scavengers both attenuated IS reduction by RIC and long-term GTN treatment. In humans, I/R reduced endothelial function ( P = 0.01 vs. baseline). Separately, RIC and long-term GTN prevented the reduction in endothelial function caused by I/R; given in combination, prevention was lost. RIC and long-term GTN treatment both protect against rat myocardial and human endothelial I/R injury through ROS and NO-dependent mechanisms. However, when given in combination, RIC and long-term GTN treatment fail to confer protection.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) and long-term glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) treatment protect against ischemia-reperfusion injury in both human endothelium and rat myocardium. However, combined application of RIC and long-term GTN treatment abolishes the individual protective effects of RIC and GTN treatment on ischemia-reperfusion injury, suggesting an interaction of clinical importance.
Humoral transfer and intramyocardial signal transduction of protection by remote ischemic perconditioning in pigs, rats, and mice
Authors: Skyschally Andreas , Kleinbongard Petra , Lieder Helmut , Gedik Nilgün , Stoian Leanda , Amanakis Georgios , Elbers Etienne , Heusch Gerd
Published: March 2018

Remote ischemic perconditioning (RPER) during ongoing myocardial ischemia reduces infarct size. The signal transduction of RPER's cardioprotection is still largely unknown. Anesthetized pigs were therefore subjected to RPER by 4 × 5 min/5 min of hindlimb ischemia-reperfusion during 60 min of coronary occlusion before 3 h of reperfusion. Pigs without RPER served as placebo (PLA). The phosphorylation of Akt and ERK [reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway] and STAT3 [survivor activating factor enhancement (SAFE) pathway] in the area at risk was determined by Western blot analysis. Wortmannin/U0126 or AG490 was used for pharmacological RISK or SAFE blockade, respectively. Pig plasma/plasma dialysate sampled after RPER or PLA, respectively, was transferred to isolated rat and mouse hearts subjected to 30 min/120 min of global ischemia-reperfusion. Mitochondria were isolated from rat hearts at early reperfusion. Isolated mouse cardiomyocytes were subjected to 1 h of hypoxia/5 min of reoxygenation without and with prior plasma dialysate incubation. RPER reduced infarct size in pigs to 21 ± 15% versus 44 ± 9% in PLA (percentage of the area at risk, mean ± SD, P < 0.05) and increased STAT3 phosphorylation at early reperfusion. AG490 but not RISK blockade abolished the protection. RPER plasma/plasma dialysate reduced infarct size in rat (22 ± 3% of ventricular mass vs. 40 ± 11% with PLA plasma, P < 0.05) and mouse (29 ± 4% vs. 63 ± 8% with PLA plasma dialysate, P < 0.05) hearts and improved mitochondrial function (e.g., increased respiration, ATP formation, and calcium retention capacity and decreased reactive oxygen species formation). RPER dialysate also improved the viability of mouse cardiomyocytes after hypoxia/reoxygenation. RISK or SAFE blockade each abrogated these beneficial effects.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Remote ischemic perconditioning salvages the myocardium in patients with acute infarction. We identified a signal transduction with humoral transfer and STAT3 activation in pigs and an involvement of reperfusion injury salvage kinases and STAT3 in rat and mouse hearts, along with better cardiomyocyte viability and mitochondrial function.
Noninvasive assessment of the common carotid artery hemodynamics with increasing exercise work rate using wave intensity analysis
Authors: Pomella N. , Wilhelm E. N. , Kolyva C. , González-Alonso J. , Rakobowchuk M. , Khir A. W.
Published: March 2018

Noninvasively determined local wave speed ( c) and wave intensity (WI) parameters provide insights into arterial stiffness and cardiac-vascular interactions in response to physiological perturbations. However, the effects of incremental exercise and subsequent recovery on c and WI have not been fully established. We examined the changes in c and WI parameters in the common carotid artery (CCA) during exercise and recovery in eight young, healthy male athletes. Ultrasound measurements of CCA diameter and blood flow velocity were acquired at rest, during five stages of incremental exercise (up to 70% maximum work rate), and throughout 1 h of recovery, and noninvasive WI analysis [diameter-velocity ( DU) approach] was performed. During exercise, c increased (+136%), showing increased stiffness with work rate. All peak and area of forward compression, backward compression, and forward expansion waves increased during exercise (+452%, +700%, and +900%, respectively). However, WI reflection indexes and CCA resistance did not significantly change from rest to exercise. Furthermore, wave speed and the magnitude of all waves returned to baseline within 5 min of recovery, suggesting that the effects of exercise in the investigated parameters of young, healthy individuals were transient. In conclusion, incremental exercise was associated with an increase in local CCA stiffness and increases in all wave parameters, indicative of enhanced ventricular contractility and improved late-systolic blood flow deceleration.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined hemodynamics of the common carotid artery using noninvasive application of wave intensity analysis during exercise and recovery. The hemodynamic adjustments to exercise were associated with increases in local common carotid artery stiffness and all waves’ parameters, with the latter indicating enhanced ventricular contractility and improved late systolic blood flow deceleration.
A microRNA’s journey to the center of the mitochondria
Authors: Macgregor-Das Anne M. , Das Samarjit
Published: March 2018

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known as the master regulators of gene expression, and for the last two decades our knowledge of their functional reach keeps expanding. Recent studies have shown that a miRNA’s role in regulation extends to extracellular and intracellular organelles. Several studies have shown a role for miRNA in regulating the mitochondrial genome in normal and disease conditions. Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs in many human pathologies, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurological diseases. These studies have shed some light on regulation of the mitochondrial genome as well as helped to explain the role of miRNA in altering mitochondrial function and the ensuing effects on cells. Although the field has grown in recent years, many questions still remain. For example, little is known about how nuclear-encoded miRNAs translocate to the mitochondrial matrix. Knowledge of the mechanisms of miRNA transport into the mitochondrial matrix is likely to provide important insights into our understanding of disease pathophysiology and could represent new targets for therapeutic intervention. For this review, our focus will be on the role of a subset of miRNAs, known as MitomiR, in mitochondrial function. We also discuss the potential mechanisms used by these nuclear-encoded miRNAs for import into the mitochondrial compartment.

Listen to this article’s corresponding podcast at http://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/microrna-translocation-into-the-mitochondria/ .
High Frequency of Copy-Neutral Loss of Heterozygosity in Patients with Myelofibrosis
Authors: Rego de Paula Junior Milton , Nonino Alexandre , Minuncio Nascimento Juliana , Bonadio Raphael S. , Pic-Taylor Aline , de Oliveira Silviene F. , Wellerson Pereira Rinaldo , do Couto Mascarenhas Cintia , Forte Mazzeu Juliana
Published: March 2018

Myelofibrosis is the rarest and most severe type of Philadelphia-negative classical myeloproliferative neoplasms. Although mutually exclusive driver mutations in JAK2, MPL, or CALR that activate JAK-STAT pathway have been related to the pathogenesis of the disease, chromosome abnormalities have also been associated with the phenotype and prognosis of the disease. Here, we report the use of a chromosomal microarray platform consisting of both oligo and SNP probes to improve the detection of chromosome abnormalities in patients with myelofibrosis. Sixteen patients with myelofibrosis were tested, and the results were compared to karyotype analysis. Driver mutations in JAK2, MPL, or CALR were investigated by PCR and MLPA. Conventional cytogenetics revealed chromosome abnormalities in 3 out of 16 cases (18.7%), while chromosomal microarray analysis detected copy-number variations (CNV) or copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH) alterations in 11 out of 16 (68.7%) patients. These included 43 CN-LOH, 14 deletions, 1 trisomy, and 1 duplication. Ten patients showed multiple chromosomal abnormalities, varying from 2 to 13 CNVs or CN-LOHs. Mutational status for JAK2, CALR, and MPL by MLPA revealed a total of 3/16 (18.7%) patients positive for the JAK2 V617F mutation, 9 with CALR deletion or insertion and 1 positive for MPL mutation. Considering that most of the CNVs identified were smaller than the karyotype resolution and the high frequency of CN-LOHs in our study, we propose that chromosomal microarray platforms that combine oligos and SNP should be used as a first-tier genetic test in patients with myelofibrosis.
The Relationships of the Fractional Excretion of Uric Acid with Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity and Ankle Brachial Index in Chinese Young Adults
Authors: Hu Jia-Wen , Wang Yang , Chu Chao , Yan Yu , Wang Keke , Zheng Wenling , Ma Qiong , Lv Yong-bo , Deng Yin , Yan Bo , Mu Jian-Jun
Published: March 2018

Background/Aims: Elevated serum uric acid (UA) was intimately correlated with vascular stiffness and abnormal ankle brachial index (ABI) in various populations. These correlations lost significance after adjustment for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), indicating that the association of UA and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) or ABI might be driven by kidney function. UA is predominantly eliminated through the kidneys, and metabolic disorders can influence the clearance of UA. In this study, we aimed to explore the putative correlation between FEUA and baPWV or ABI to determine to what extent the associations with UA were affected by renal function. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 2351 participants, who underwent general health screening in Hanzhong people’s hospital from March to June of 2017. BaPWV and ABI were measured using a volume-plethysmographic apparatus (BP-203RPEII; Nihon Colin, Tokyo, Japan). FEUA was divided into quartiles: Q1:FEUA≤3.07; Q2: 3.07<FEUA≤5.32; Q3: 5.32 9.19. Results: Lower FEUA predicted a higher prevalence of high baPWV and low ABI (p for trend <0.001). The respective ORs for high baPWV from the first to the third quartiles of FEUA were 1.777(1.323, 2.387); 1.561(1.158, 2.104); and 1.680 (1.250, 2.259). The prevalence of low ABI was greatly elevated with the decrement of FEUA [ORs for the first to third FEUA quartiles were 6.977(2.062, 23.610); 5.123(1.475, 17.790); and 2.685(0.709, 10.171), respectively]. The association of FEUA and ABI was independent of related confounding factors. However, the association between FEUA and baPWV was greatly influenced by corresponding confounders, especially gender. The efficacy of FEUA in the prediction of low ABI was stronger than that of serum UA. However, serum UA was more powerful in the prediction of high baPWV. Conclusion: Kidney function exerted a profound influence on the relationship between UA and baPWV or ABI, revealing complex interactions among cardiovascular risk factors.
Mitofusin-2 Triggers Cervical Carcinoma Cell Hela Apoptosis via Mitochondrial Pathway in Mouse Model
Authors: Wang Weiqiong , Liu Xiaowen , Guo Xiaomei , Quan Huanhuan
Published: March 2018

Background/Aims: Cervical carcinoma continues to be one of the most dangerous cancer types, and more effective therapies are urgently needed for cervical carcinoma treatment. Mitochondria-associated Mitofusin 2 has influence on the progression of many cancers. In the current study, we aimed to focus on the cell apoptotic effects of Mfn2 on cervical carcinoma HeLa cells in vitro and to try to explore its underlying mechanisms. Moreover, we investigated the anticancer potential of Mfn2 in a cervical carcinoma mouse model. Methods: Adenovirus-Mfn2 (Adv-Mfn2) was used to deliver mfn2 into HeLa cells and tumour tissues in a nude mouse model. CCK-8, TUNEL assay, Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were performed to detect the effects of Mfn2. The mRNA level of Mfn2 was determined by quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The effect of Mfn2 on cell apoptosis was investigated by flow cytometry. Flow cytometry was used to assess the change of the mitochondrial membrane potential of the cells treated with JC-1 assay. Mfn2, Bax, Bcl-2, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-9 protein levels were analysed by Western blot. Results: Data from CCK-8 and flow cytometry showed that Mfn2 could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner in HeLa cells. JC-1 test results revealed that the membrane potential of the mitochondrial decreased in a dose-dependent manner in HeLa cells after Adv-Mfn2 treatment. The data from Western blot confirmed that higher cytosolic amounts of cytochrome c with increasing doses of Adv-Mfn2 signified the onset of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 increased in HeLa cells with Adv-Mfn2 treatment. We also found significant increases in the Bax level and a decreased Bcl-2 level with Adv-Mfn2 treatment. We further confirmed that Mfn2 could significantly inhibit the growth of the cervical tumour in the xenografted cervical carcinoma mouse model. After a 9-day-treatment, the tumours of the Adv-mfn2 group were inhibited and induced into apoptosis. The results demonstrated that the overexpression of Mfn2 could not only increase the levels of Bax and Bid in cervical tumour cells but also decrease the phosphorylation of Bad and the expression of Bcl-2. Conclusion: These studies suggested that the overexpression of Mfn2 could trigger cervical tumour apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, which was related to the mitochondrial pathway, and may provide a new treatment target for cervical carcinoma.
Roles of PAD4 and NETosis in Experimental Atherosclerosis and Arterial Injury
Authors: Franck Grégory , Mawson Thomas L. , Folco Eduardo J. , Molinaro Roberto , Ruvkun Victoria , Engelbertsen Daniel , Liu Xin , Tesmenitsky Yevgenia , Shvartz Eugenia , Sukhova Galina K. , Michel Jean-Baptiste , Nicoletti Antonino , Lichtman Andrew , Wagner Denisa , Croce Kevin J. , Libby Peter
Published: March 2018

Rationale:

Neutrophils likely contribute to the thrombotic complications of human atheromata. In particular, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) could exacerbate local inflammation and amplify and propagate arterial intimal injury and thrombosis. PAD4 (peptidyl arginine deiminase 4) participates in NET formation, but an understanding of this enzyme’s role in atherothrombosis remains scant.

Objective:

This study tested the hypothesis that PAD4 and NETs influence experimental atherogenesis and in processes implicated in superficial erosion, a form of plaque complication we previously associated with NETs.

Methods and Results:

Bone marrow chimeric
Ldlr
deficient mice reconstituted with either wild-type or PAD4-deficient cells underwent studies that assessed atheroma formation or procedures designed to probe mechanisms related to superficial erosion. PAD4 deficiency neither retarded fatty streak formation nor reduced plaque size or inflammation in bone marrow chimeric mice that consumed an atherogenic diet. In contrast, either a PAD4 deficiency in bone marrow-derived cells or administration of DNaseI to disrupt NETs decreased the extent of arterial intimal injury in mice with arterial lesions tailored to recapitulate characteristics of human atheroma complicated by erosion.

Conclusions:

These results indicate that PAD4 from bone marrow-derived cells and NETs do not influence chronic experimental atherogenesis, but participate causally in acute thrombotic complications of intimal lesions that recapitulate features of superficial erosion.
Ablation Outcomes and Predictors of Mortality Following Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia: Data From the German Multicenter Ablation Registry
Authors: Tilz Roland Richard , Lin Tina , Eckardt Lars , Deneke Thomas , Andresen Dietrich , Wieneke Heinrich , Brachmann Johannes , Kääb Stefan , Chun K. R. Julian , Münkler Paula , Lewalter Thorsten , Hochadel Matthias , Senges Jochen , Kuck Karl‐Heinz
Published: March 2018

Background

Ventricular tachycardia (
VT
) causes significant morbidity and mortality. Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator shocks terminate
VT
but confer a significant morbidity and mortality risk. Therefore,
VT
ablation is increasingly common. Patients with structural heart disease (
SHD
) and patients with structurally normal hearts as well as the subgroup with and without ischemic heart disease were assessed for predictors of mortality and nonfatal
VT
recurrence. We present the first multicenter, prospective German
VT
registry.

Methods and Results

In 334 patients, 118 structurally normal hearts and 216
SHD
(74.5% ischemic heart disease), referred for
VT
ablation in 38 centers, long‐term follow‐up was assessed for a minimum of 12 months and analyzed for factors predicting
VT
recurrence rates and mortality. The
VT
s in
SHD
patients were more frequently hemodynamically unstable (34.7% versus 12.7%,
P
<0.0001) or incessant (9.7% versus 2.7%,
P
<0.05). More
SHD
patients underwent substrate modification than patients with structurally normal hearts who had more focal ablations. Ablation failure was 9% in both groups. Two‐year mortality was higher in patients with
SHD
(18.7% versus 3.5%,
P
<0.001). Predictors of mortality include age >60 years, incessant
VT
, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30%, procedural failure, and Class I and
III
anti‐arrhythmic drug use at discharge. Only procedural failure is a predictor of nonfatal
VT
recurrence.

Conclusions

Procedural failure was the sole independent predictor for nonfatal
VT
recurrence for our study cohort. This emphasizes the importance of a successful ablation procedure in experienced hands to reduce long‐term mortality and nonfatal
VT
recurrence.
Left Atrial Epicardial Fat Volume Is Associated With Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance 3D Dixon Study
Authors: Nakamori Shiro , Nezafat Maryam , Ngo Long H. , Manning Warren J. , Nezafat Reza
Published: March 2018

Background

Recent studies demonstrated a strong association between atrial fibrillation (
AF
) and epicardial fat around the left atrium (
LA
). We sought to assess whether epicardial fat volume around the
LA
is associated with
AF
, and to determine the additive value of
LA
‐epicardial fat measurements to
LA
structural remodeling for identifying patients with
AF
using 3‐dimensional multi‐echo Dixon fat–water separated cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Methods and Results

A total of 105 subjects were studied: 53 patients with a history of
AF
and 52 age‐matched patients with other cardiovascular diseases but no history of
AF
. The 3‐dimensional multi‐echo Dixon fat‐water separated sequence was performed for
LA
‐epicardial fat measurements.
AF
patients had significantly greater
LA
‐epicardial fat (28.9±12.3 and 14.2±7.3 mL for
AF
and non‐
AF
, respectively;
P
<0.001) and
LA
volume (110.8±38.2 and 89.7±30.3 mL for
AF
and non‐
AF
, respectively;
P
=0.002).
LA
‐epicardial fat adjusted for
LA
volume was still higher in patients with
AF
compared with those without
AF
(
P
<0.001).
LA
‐epicardial fat and hypertension were independently associated with the risk of
AF
(odds ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.10%–1.25%,
P
<0.001, and odds ratio, 3.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.17%–9.27%,
P
=0.03, respectively). In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for body surface area,
LA
‐epicardial fat remained significant and an increase per mL was associated with a 42% increase in the odds of
AF
presence (odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.23%–1.62%,
P
<0.001). Combined assessment of
LA
‐epicardial fat and
LA
volume provided greater discriminatory performance for detecting
AF
than
LA
volume alone (c‐statistic=0.88 and 0.74, respectively, DeLong test;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance 3‐dimensional Dixon‐based
LA
‐epicardial fat volume is significantly increased in
AF
patients.
LA
‐epicardial fat measured by 3‐dimensional Dixon provides greater performance for detecting
AF
beyond
LA
structural remodeling.
Religion, Cognition, and the Myth of Conscious Will
Authors: Nicholson Hugh
Published: March 2018

Characteristic of the recent cognitive approach to religion (CSR) is the thesis that religious discourse and practice are rooted in an inveterate human propensity to explain events in terms of agent causality. This thesis readily lends itself to the critical understanding of religious belief as “our intuitive psychology run amok.” This effective restriction of the scientific critique of agent causality to notions of supernatural agency appears arbitrary, however, in light of evidence from cognitive and social psychology that our sense of human agency, including our own, is interpretive in nature. In this paper I argue that a cognitive approach to religion that extends the critique of agent causality to the folk psychological experience of conscious will is able to shed light on several characteristically religious phenomena, such as spirit possession, ritual action, and spontaneous action in Zen Buddhism.
War and the Military in Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach’s Halakhic Decisions
Authors: Mashiach Amir
Published: March 2018

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (1910–1995) was one of the most influential Halakhic authorities of the twentieth century. Although he was an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Rabbi Auerbach dealt with the complexity of army and military life. This article shows that he possessed of a clear “operational way of thinking,” reflecting deeply on the unique needs of the military of the Jewish State. Additionally, the article examines various approaches of filling the normative gap in issues of war and the military. Rabbi Auerbach based his specification of the Halakhah on his personal understanding and his own S’vara, that is, Halakhic logic.
Prevent to Protect: Early Warning, Child Soldiers, and the Case of Syria
Authors: Johnson Dustin , Whitman Shelly , Soroka Hannah Sparwasser
Published: March 2018

The war currently raging in Syria is without a doubt the most serious failure of the r2p paradigm. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been brutally killed while the world has looked on, largely unable to affect events on the ground. The use of child soldiers by all sides in the conflict has been well documented, and the authors’ previous work has demonstrated the importance of the recruitment and use of child soldiers as an early warning indicator. Yet, the world has consistently failed to act preventatively, and this is most notable in the case of Syria. This paper takes the Syrian war as a case study to examine how the recruitment and use of child soldiers can serve as an early warning indicator of mass atrocities and be used to help prevent conflict escalation.
Of Responsibilities, Protection, and Rights: Children’s Lives in Conflict Zones
Authors: D’Costa Bina
Published: March 2018

The endorsement of R2P by the unga and the unsc does not give the doctrine legal status, however, such broad acceptance in the international community gives the concept some normative force. Although the unga formulation of R2P can be considered to be the most authoritative, as demonstrated by the articles in this special issue, the doctrine could be further advanced in relation to children in conflict zones. This article provides some reflections about recent unicef emergency response experiences in dealing with the Rohingya displacement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
New species and a new genus of the Orthoseirales from Patagonia, Argentina, with comments on systematic affinities within the Order
Authors: GUERRERO J.M. , VOUILLOUD A.A , SALA S.E. , KOCIOLEK J.P. , VAN DE VIJVER B.
Published: March 2018

The presence of ‘carinoportulae’ was suggested to be diagnostic for the Order Orthoseirales and Family Orthoseiraceae. Members of this group have been assigned to a single genus, Orthoseira Thwaites, which was diagnosed by also lacking rimoportulae. The genus Cavernosa Stidolph is chain-forming, may have marginal spines, lacks carinoportulae and possesses rimoportulae. Its placement among other members of melosiroid diatoms has not been settled, though its lack of carinoportulae precludes its placement within the Orthoseirales. Species of both genera were described from aerophilous habitats.         Recently Orthoseira limnopolarensis Van de Vijver and Crawford was described from the South Shetland Islands (maritime region of Antarctica) with a unique combination of features, as it possesses carinoportulae and rimoportulae, the first species of the genus with this suite of characters. Cyclotella stipata Frenguelli, described from Neuquén Province, Argentina, is a species that according to the original illustrations shows characters similar to Orthoseira. Light and electron microscope observations of Frenguelli´s type material and more recent collections from Patagonia offer specimens with an elongated mantle, chain-forming frustules with thick marginal spines and presence of carinoportulae (like Orthoseira) and rimoportulae (like Cavernosa and O. limnopolarensis). Considering this unique combination of characters, we propose the new genus Guarreraea to encompass Cyclotella stipata and Orthoseira limnopolarensis. Its systematic placement relative to other genera assigned to the Order Orthoseirales is discussed.                The examination of additional materials from Neuquén deposited at the Frenguelli Collection revealed the presence of two other taxa with carinoportulae that are described as the new species, Orthoseira frenguellii and O. ferrarioana.
Eulepida mbala, a new species from Zambia (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)
Authors: SEHNAL RICHARD
Published: March 2018

The genus Eulepida Kolbe, 1894 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Leucopholini) was established to accommodate 10 Afrotropical species, seven new and three previously placed in Lepidiota Kirby, 1828, Proagosternus Blanchard, 1851, and Tricholepis Hampson, 1891. Lacroix (2010) designated Leucopholis lepidota Klug, 1855 as the type species of the genus Eulepida. Currently the genus contains 20 species divided into three groups based on morphological characters (Lacroix 2010, 2013): species group I includes Eulepida lepidota (Klug, 1855), E. minor Moser, 1913, E. nitidicollis Kolbe, 1894, E. nyassica Kolbe, 1894, E. sinuatifrons (Fairmaire, 1887), and E. zambiensis Lacroix, 2010; species group II includes E. anatina Brenske, 1896, E. tschindeana Péringuey, 1904, and E. werneri Lacroix, 2010; and species group III includes E. baumanni Kolbe, 1894, E. flavovestita Moser, 1913, E. gracilipes Kolbe, 1894, E. kameruna (Frey, 1972), E. kenyensis Lacroix, 2010, E. mamboiae Brenske, 1896, E. manowensis Moser, 1913, E. mashona Arrow, 1902, E. montana Kolbe, 1894, E. reichei (Thomson, 1858), and E. savagei (Hope, 1842). Examination of material recently collected in Zambia revealed an undescribed species belonging to species group II (sensu Lacroix 2010). This group is defined by the combination of the following characters: protibia bidentate; antennal club distinctly longer than antennal shaft; pygidium narrow, longer than wide, with a pronounced elongate terminal invagination; and parameres symmetrical, long, evenly curved in ventral aspect (Lacroix 2010). The purpose of this paper is to describe one new species, to add new geographic records for some Eulepida species of group II, and to update the key for this group. New faunistic records are reported for Eulepida tschindeana and Eulepida werneri from Zimbabwe.
A new species of the genus Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida from China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae)
Authors: VOLYNKIN ANTON V.
Published: March 2018

The genus Barsura Volynkin, Dubatolov & Kishida, 2017 belongs to the tribe Lithosiini, subfamily Arctiinae, family Erebidae, and was recently erected for Barsine nubifascia Walker, [1865] and its allies (Volynkin et al. 2017). At present the genus includes ten valid species distributed in Himalaya (Pakistan, Nepal, northern and northeastern India, Bhutan), China and North Vietnam (Volynkin et al. 2017; Volynkin 2017). During studies of extensive Lithosiini materials deposited in Museum Witt / Zoologische Staatssammlung, München (Munich, Germany), I found a short series of one more, yet undescribed species from the Chinese province Sichuan. The description of the new species is presented below.
Madeirasquilla tuerkayi, a new genus and species of mantis shrimps from Madeira Island, eastern Atlantic (Crustacea: Stomatopoda: Nannosquillidae)
Authors: ĎURIŠ ZDENĚK
Published: March 2018

Madeirasquilla tuerkayi is described as a new genus and species of the nannosquillid mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda) based on a single specimen collected from Madeira, eastern Atlantic. That specimen is remarkable by a combination of the following morphological characters: rostral plate with three sharp anterior projections; antennal protopod with two mesial and one ventral papillae; cornea subglobular; raptorial claw dactylus with 11 or 12 teeth, and with acute proximal tooth on outer margin; pleonite 6 with strong posterolateral spine and two posteriorly directed sternal spines; telson bearing smooth shield-like dorsal prominence with acute median spine posteriorly; four pairs of fixed primary teeth posteriorly on the telson; outer primary spine of uropodal protopod longer than inner primary spine. The separate position of the new genus is supported also by molecular comparison. A key to the genera of the family Nannosquillidae is proposed.
Il linguaggio del sangue nelle culture tradizionali
Authors: Lombardi Satriani Luigi Maria
Published: March 2018

Il sangue, l'acqua e il vino rappresentano una triade arcaica degli elementi costitutivi della ritualità in diverse epoche e culture. Il sangue, come cifra di identità e suo ulteriore rafforzamento, lo ritroviamo in forma ancora più enfatica nel culto di San Gennaro a Napoli, nel quale l’intera popolazione napoletana e campana si riconosce e sul quale fonda la propria esistenza simbolica. Innumerevoli credenze e documenti demologici testimoniano la vastità degli scenari simbolici e il variegato reticolo cui il sangue rinvia—e la documentazione al riguardo sarebbe oltremodo agevole—ma quanto già scritto mi appare sufficiente a sottolineare l’assoluta centralità del sangue nell’orizzonte folklorico, e non soltanto in esso. Per completare la trilogia liquida di cui ho detto, ricorderò come essa sia essenziale per la preminenza della vita e per la sua proiezione nel tempo futuro dei singoli e della società. Il linguaggio di tali liquidi consente che gli altri linguaggi siano detti, che nell’universo possa sillabarsi in un discorso umano.
Drug prevention programmes in schools: Selecting programme providers
Authors: Rigg Khary K , Menendez Kimberly M
Published: March 2018

Schools are an important venue for implementing drug prevention programmes. School-based programmes have been shown to be an efficacious and cost-effective method of reducing substance use disorders among youth. There exists lack of consensus, however, regarding who makes the most effective programme providers. Drug prevention programmes are led by a wide variety of people, including classroom teachers, mental health professionals and the police. Few studies specifically examine the relative effectiveness of different facilitators and existing results are mixed. This has made it difficult to determine empirically which group makes the most effective programme providers. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to present information that can be used by school officials, educators and policymakers to inform choices regarding who should implement drug prevention programmes in schools. The paper will include a brief introduction to universal classroom-based drug prevention in the USA and an overview of the role of facilitator. A discussion of the practical implications and relative (dis)advantages of using persons from three commonly used provider types (classroom teachers, mental health professionals and the police) is also provided. The paper concludes with a brief summary of programme provider issues in an international context. The information presented in this paper provides important insights for schools as they attempt to select the most appropriate programme providers for their specific communities.
Tolerance in Arab Societies
Authors: Al Zu’abi Ali
Published: March 2018

The study examines the factors that have contributed to shaping the crisis in the culture of tolerance and moderation in Arab societies and its limits. I look at the dilemmas and risks necessitated by the problematic issues surrounding tolerance in contemporary Arab societies. I present a brief theoretical framing of the concept of ‘tolerance’ and a look at its manifestations in the structure of Arab societies. I also examine the variables shaping the content, meaning, and philosophy of tolerance in the structure of contemporary societies at large and of Arab societies in particular. The paper suggests that political, economic, social, and structural transformations have negatively affected Arab societies, which have then contributed to the culture of tolerance in Arab communities.