bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Curcumin Alleviates Oxygen-Glucose-Deprivation/Reperfusion-Induced Oxidative Damage by Regulating miR-1287-5p/LONP2 Axis in SH-SY5Y Cells
Authors: Zhang Teng , Chen Xiaomin , Qu Yueqing , Ding Yanbing
Published: September 2021

Oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage is a main cause of ischemia/reperfusion injury. Curcumin (Cur), the principal constituent extracted from dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), exhibits excellent antioxidant effects. Previous studies have indicated that miR-1287-5p was downregulated in patients with ischemic stroke. Additionally, we predicted that Lon Peptidase 2, Peroxisomal (LONP2), which is involved in oxidative stress regulation, is targeted by miR-1287-5p. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of Cur on ischemia/reperfusion damage and its underlying mechanism. To mimic ischemia/reperfusion damage environment, SH-SY5Y cells were subjected to oxygen-glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R). OGD/R treatment downregulated miR-1287-5p and upregulated LONP2 in SH-SY5Y cells, but Cur alleviated OGD/R-induced oxidative damage and reversed the effect of OGD/R on the expression of miR-1287-5p and LONP2. Furthermore, we confirmed the interactive relationship between miR-1287-5p and LONP2 (negative regulation). We revealed that miR-1287-5p overexpression alleviated OGD/R-induced oxidative damage alleviation, similar to the effect of Cur. MiR-1287-5p inhibition accentuated OGD/R-induced oxidative damage in SH-SY5Y cells, which was reversed by Cur. The expression of LONP2 in OGD/R-treated SH-SY5Y cells was decreased by miR-1287-5p overexpression and increased by miR-1287-5p inhibition, and Cur counteracted the increase in LONP2 expression induced by miR-1287-5p inhibition. In conclusion, we suggest that Cur alleviates OGD/R-induced oxidative damage in SH-SY5Y cells by regulating the miR-1287-5p/LONP2 axis. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of curcumin.
LRP Model and Algorithm of Expressway Logistics Network Planning Based on Internet of Things
Authors: Kou Zheng , Zhang Man
Published: September 2021

With the continuous improvement of the expressway logistics network, the location-routing problems (LRP) have become the obstacle to be overcome in the development of related industries. Based on the needs of modernization, in the era of the Internet of Things, classic traffic path planning algorithms can no longer meet the increasingly diverse needs, and related research results are not ideal. To reduce logistics costs and meet customer needs, this paper studies transportation route planning models and algorithms based on Internet of Things technology and particle swarm optimization. Firstly, the LRP model of expressway logistics network planning analyzes the achievement of goals, lists the assumptions, and builds the LRP model of expressway logistics network planning based on the mathematical model of path planning. Then the model is optimized and solved based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm. In order to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the algorithm, MATLAB is used to simulate the algorithm. Finally, the LRP particle swarm optimization model of highway logistics network planning is put into the actual distribution work of a logistics company to analyze the change of distribution cost and investigate the related satisfaction. Experimental data show that the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm in this paper begins to converge in the 100th generation, the shortest running time is 57s, and the value of the objective function fluctuates slightly around 880. This shows that the model algorithm in this paper has strong search ability and stability. In the simulation experiment, the optimal objective function value of the model is 1001 yuan, which can be used to formulate the optimal distribution scheme. In the actual distribution work, the total cost of distribution before and after the application of the model was 12176.99 yuan and 9978.4 yuan, the fuel consumption cost decreased by 2097.23 yuan, and the penalty cost decreased by 85%. In the satisfaction survey, the satisfaction of all people was 9 points or above, with an average score of 9.42 points. This shows that the LRP particle swarm optimization model of expressway logistics network planning based on the Internet of Things technology can effectively save distribution costs and improve satisfaction.
Vision‐Based Intelligent Perceiving and Planning System of a 7‐DoF Collaborative Robot
Authors: Xu Linfeng , Li Gang , Song Peiheng , Shao Weixiang
Published: September 2021

In this paper, an intelligent perceiving and planning system based on deep learning is proposed for a collaborative robot consisting of a 7‐DoF (7‐degree‐of‐freedom) manipulator, a three‐finger robot hand, and a vision system, known as IPPS (intelligent perceiving and planning system). The lack of intelligence has been limiting the application of collaborative robots for a long time. A system to realize “eye‐brain‐hand” process is crucial for the true intelligence of robots. In this research, a more stable and accurate perceiving process was proposed. A well‐designed camera system as the vision system and a new hand tracking method were proposed for operation perceiving and recording set establishment to improve the applicability. A visual process was designed to improve the accuracy of environment perceiving. Besides, a faster and more precise planning process was proposed. Deep learning based on a new CNN (convolution neural network) was designed to realize intelligent grasping planning for robot hand. A new trajectory planning method of the manipulator was proposed to improve efficiency. The performance of the IPPS was tested with simulations and experiments in a real environment. The results show that IPPS could effectively realize intelligent perceiving and planning for the robot, which could realize higher intelligence and great applicability for collaborative robots.
Multimedia Digital Signal Processing of Infrared Chemical Remote Sensing Based on Piecewise Linear Discriminant Algorithm
Authors: Gong Meitao
Published: September 2021

According to the basic principle of piecewise linear classifier and its application in the field of infrared chemical remote sensing monitoring, the characteristics of unilateral piecewise linear classifier applied to the infrared spectrum identification of chemical agents are studied. With the characteristic of separate transmission, the characteristic recovery with the total observed deviation is used for the model. The relaxation factors are used to replace the constrained conditions that cannot be optimized into constrained separate line segment calculation conditions. Experiments show that the result of signal recovery is better than traditional Wiener filtering and Richardson–Lucy methods.
An Effective Deep Learning Model for Automated Detection of Myocardial Infarction Based on Ultrashort-Term Heart Rate Variability Analysis
Authors: Shahnawaz Muhammad Bilal , Dawood Hassan
Published: September 2021

Myocardial infarction (MI), usually termed as heart attack, is one of the main cardiovascular diseases that occur due to the blockage of coronary arteries. This blockage reduces the blood supply to heart muscles, and a prolonged deficiency of blood supply causes the death of heart muscles leading to a heart attack that may cause death. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is used to diagnose MI as it causes variations like ST-T changes in the recorded ECG. Manual inspection of these variations is a tedious task and also requires expertise as the variations produced by MI are often very short in duration with a low amplitude. Hence, these changes may be misinterpreted, leading to delayed diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Therefore, computer-aided analysis of ECG may help to detect MI automatically. In this study, a robust deep learning model is proposed to detect MI based on heart rate variability (HRV) analysis of ECG signals from a single lead. Ultrashort-term HRV analysis is performed to compute HRV analysis features from time-domain and frequency-domain parameters through power spectral density estimations. Nonlinear HRV parameters are also computed using Poincare Plot, Recurrence Analysis, and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis. A finely tuned customized artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm is applied on 23 HRV features for MI detection and classification. The K-fold validation method is used to avoid any biases in results and reported 99.1% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, 98.1% specificity, and 99.0% F1 for MI detection, whereas 98.85% accuracy, 97.40% sensitivity, 99.05% specificity, and 97.70% F1 score is achieved for classification. Furthermore, the ANN algorithm completed its execution in just 59 seconds that indicates the efficiency of the proposed ANN model. The overall performance in terms of computed evaluation matrices and execution time indicates the robustness and cost-effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Thus, the proposed model can be used for high-performance MI detection, even in wearable devices.
Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Pounding Response for Adjacent Inelastic MDOF Structures Based on Dimensional Analysis
Authors: Wu Qiaoyun , Liu Ziliang , Wang Tao , Chen Xuyong
Published: September 2021

Dimensional analysis is applied to study the pounding response of two inelastic multidegree of freedom (MDOF) structures under simplified earthquake excitation. The forces and deformations of the collision processes are simulated by adopting the improved Kelvin pounding model. The inelastic characteristics of MDOF structures are described by the bilinear interstory resistance model, and the representations of dimensionless impact force and the dimensionless motion equation in the pounding process are derived. On the basis of the above‐mentioned theoretical deduction, the superiority of the improved Kelvin model is verified by comparing the impact response of the improved Kelvin model and the Kelvin model. Finally, the validity of the proposed theoretical method is further proved by the comparison between results from the shaking table tests of adjacent four‐story and three‐story steel frame structures and the corresponding numerical results obtained by the MATLAB program.
Edge-Cloud-Assisted Multiuser Forward Secure Searchable Encryption (EMFSSE) Scheme in the P2P Networking Environment
Authors: Tang Yongli , Li Jingran , Yan Xixi , Zhao Qiang
Published: September 2021

P2P network enables users to share resources effectively. However, with the advent of the big data era, the sensitive data of users in P2P network are also increasing dramatically. In order to solve the contradiction between the huge amount of sensitive data and the limited local storage space, an increasing number of users choose to encrypt their sensitive data and store them in the cloud server. For the problem of the secure storage and flexible access of large amounts of user data in P2P networks, an edge-cloud-assisted multiuser forward secure searchable encryption scheme is proposed. The scheme uses the proxy reencryption technique to optimize the multiuser searchable encryption and prevent the decryption key from being directly transmitted between users. By introducing an edge-cloud architecture, the system achieves efficient communication and timely response capabilities. The security analysis proves that our scheme achieves the CPA (chosen-plaintext attack) security based on DBDH assumption and the forward privacy. Finally, the theoretical and experimental comparisons between this scheme and other schemes show that our scheme has high efficiency in the process of data update, search, and trapdoor generation. In addition, due to the use of edge-cloud architecture, our scheme reduces about 90% and 75% of the user’s consumption in the encryption and token generation process.
Suspender Replacement Method for Long‐Span Concrete‐Filled Steel Tubular Arch Bridges and Cable Force Measurement Based on Frequency Method
Authors: Deng Yulin , Deng Luming
Published: September 2021

The suspenders on the sides of an arch bridge are highly vulnerable to damage caused by traffic load and environmental corrosion. To accurately estimate the cable force of suspenders, herein, we analyse the influencing factors through a suspender tension test based on the principle of suspender vibration. The frequency of each suspender of the bridge is evaluated using the frequency method. By combining the cable force data measured directly and the measured suspender frequency, the formulas for calculating the cable forces of long and short suspenders are fitted, and a reasonable estimation method for the calculated length of short suspenders is provided. The formulas are verified through application to a CFST arch bridge. Results indicate that the proposed formula effectively considers the influence of the sleeve on the overall calculated length of the suspender. The formula calculates the suspender cable force with higher accuracy, proving its suitability for engineering use.
Immunological Differences in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Treated with Traditional Japanese Herbal Medicines Hochuekkito, Juzentaihoto, and Ninjin’yoeito from Different Pharmaceutical Companies
Authors: Kiyomi Anna , Matsuda Ayaka , Nara Moeko , Yamazaki Kyosuke , Imai Shinobu , Sugiura Munetoshi
Published: September 2021

Hochuekkito (HET), Juzentaihoto (JTT), and Ninjin’yoeito (NYT) have been used as Hozai, a group of traditional Japanese herbal medicines, to treat physically and mentally weak cancer patients. Their compositions are quite different, and Japanese pharmaceutical companies have been using different types or quantities of herbs for formulations with the same name. Here, we compared the immunological differences between HET, JTT, and NYT with respect to the induced T cell subsets and cytokines. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy volunteers and treated with 0 (control), 25, 50, 100, 200, or 400 μg/mL HET, JTT, or NYT (manufactured by Tsumura [TJ], Kracie [KR], and Kotaro [KO]). PBMC proliferation, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, and regulatory T cell (Treg) proportions and interleukin (IL) concentrations (IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β) secreted by PBMCs were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 or flow cytometry bead analysis. PBMC proliferation and CD4+ T cell percentages were similar in the HET, JTT, NYT, and control groups; however, the percentage of CD8+ T cells tended to increase after treatments. Tregs were suppressed by HET, JTT, and NYT, and TJ-JTT significantly decreased Treg numbers (compared with control). The concentrations of all cytokines except TGF-β were increased in a concentration-dependent manner (

p
<
0.05

); particularly, KR-HET induced IL-6 secretion (compared with the control, TJ-HET, and KO-HET; 37-, 7-, and 17-fold, respectively;

p
<
0.05

). The TGF-β concentration was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner by HET, JTT, and NYT (compared with the control). These results suggest that, compared with TJ-HET and KO-HET, KR-HET should be administered with caution. Although HET, JTT, and NYT belong to the same Hozai group and have the same names among companies, their differing effects on immune activity must be considered and they must be administered with caution.
An Evaluation Model of Green Coal Supplier for Thermal Power Supply Chain Based on PCA-SVM
Authors: Zhang Qian , Shen Hai , Huo Yuanyuan
Published: September 2021

A thermal power supply chain differs from other supply chains in terms of supplier selection, materials transportation, products marketing, and so on. Therefore, the green coal supplier evaluation model has its own characteristics. Although many methods have been developed to solve the green supplier evaluation problem, little is known about how to evaluate the green coal supplier in the thermal power supply chain. To overcome this drawback, an evaluation index system for the green coal supplier is established, and new indexes such as price based on calorific value, quality indexes based on the designed coal type, and transportation indexes such as transportation carbon footprint and environment indexes are created according to the characteristic of the thermal power supply chain. Then, principal component analysis (PCA) is used to create the main evaluation indexes, and the support vector machine (SVM) is adopted for the evaluation model. Finally, a practical example is applied to show that the model established in this paper outperforms others in evaluation accuracy.
Remote Sensing Sea Ice Image Classification Based on Multilevel Feature Fusion and Residual Network
Authors: Han Yanling , Cui Pengxia , Zhang Yun , Zhou Ruyan , Yang Shuhu , Wang Jing
Published: September 2021

Sea ice disasters are already one of the most serious marine disasters in the Bohai Sea region of our country, which have seriously affected the coastal economic development and residents’ lives. Sea ice classification is an important part of sea ice detection. Hyperspectral imagery and multispectral imagery contain rich spectral information and spatial information and provide important data support for sea ice classification. At present, most sea ice classification methods mainly focus on shallow learning based on spectral features, and the good performance of the deep learning method in remote sensing image classification provides a new idea for sea ice classification. However, the level of deep learning is limited due to the influence of input size in sea ice image classification, and the deep features in the image cannot be fully mined, which affects the further improvement of sea ice classification accuracy. Therefore, this paper proposes an image classification method based on multilevel feature fusion using residual network. First, the PCA method is used to extract the first principal component of the original image, and the residual network is used to deepen the number of network layers. The FPN, PAN, and SPP modules increase the mining between layer and layer features and merge the features between different layers to further improve the accuracy of sea ice classification. In order to verify the effectiveness of the method in this paper, sea ice classification experiments were performed on the hyperspectral image of Bohai Bay in 2008 and the multispectral image of Bohai Bay in 2020. The experimental results show that compared with the algorithm with fewer layers of deep learning network, the method proposed in this paper utilizes the idea of residual network to deepen the number of network layers and carries out multilevel feature fusion through FPN, PAN, and SPP modules, which effectively solves the problem of insufficient deep feature extraction and obtains better classification performance.
[Retracted] Mobile Communication Network Optimization System Based on Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Duan Chao , Luo Jun
Published: September 2021

The objective of this paper is to study the key technology of the mobile communication network optimization system based on artificial intelligence technology. Specific Content. This paper designs the artificial intelligence agent‐ (IA‐) type mobile communication network optimization tool iOS2CMCN, analyzes the relevant intelligent technology introduced into the system, and analyzes the feasibility and practicability of iOS2CMCN through application examples. The results show that the optimization of mobile communication networks is one of the important links in the construction of communication networks and ensuring the quality of network service. In the form of an artificial intelligence agent, iOS2CMCN absorbs the experience and knowledge of a large number of network optimization engineers and experts and realizes the intelligence and automation of mobile communication network optimization. It is proven that the fuzzy technology is introduced in theory, the practical problem is reasonably modeled, and the rule and case reasoning are used to simulate the thinking mode of a human being when solving the problem. It reduces the dependence of network optimization on humans, improves the efficiency of network optimization, and provides a new idea for practical mobile communication network optimization.
RTK-Dependent Inducible Degradation of Mutant PI3Kα Drives GDC-0077 (Inavolisib) Efficacy
Authors: Song Kyung W. , Edgar Kyle A. , Hanan Emily J. , Hafner Marc , Oeh Jason , Merchant Mark , Sampath Deepak , Nannini Michelle A. , Hong Rebecca , Phu Lilian , Forrest William F. , Stawiski Eric , Schmidt Stephen , Endres Nicholas , Guan Jane , Wallin Jeffrey J. , Cheong Jonathan , Plise Emile G. , Lewis Phillips Gail D. , Salphati Laurent , Heffron Timothy P. , Olivero Alan G. , Malek Shiva , Staben Steven T. , Kirkpatrick Donald S. , Dey Anwesha , Friedman Lori S.
Published: September 2021

PIK3CA is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes; the p110a protein it encodes plays a central role in tumor cell proliferation. Small-molecule inhibitors targeting the PI3K p110a catalytic subunit have entered clinical trials, with early-phase GDC-0077 studies showing antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with PIK3CA-mutant breast cancer. However, preclinical studies have shown that PI3K pathway inhibition releases negative feedback and activates receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, reengaging the pathway and attenuating drug activity. Here we discover that GDC-0077 and taselisib more potently inhibit mutant PI3K pathway signaling and cell viability through unique HER2-dependent mutant p110a degradation. Both are more effective than other PI3K inhibitors at maintaining prolonged pathway suppression. This study establishes a new strategy for identifying inhibitors that specifically target mutant tumors by selective degradation of the mutant oncoprotein and provide a strong rationale for pursuing PI3Kα degraders in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Significance:

The PI3K inhibitors GDC-0077 and taselisib have a unique mechanism of action; both inhibitors lead to degradation of mutant p110a protein. The inhibitors that have the ability to trigger specific degradation of mutant p110a without significant change in wild-type p110a protein may result in improved therapeutic index in PIK3CA-mutant tumors.

See related commentary by Vanhaesebroeck et al., p. 20.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1
Systematic Review of Outcome Measures Used in Observational Studies of Adults with Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Authors: Schoepfer Alain M. , Schürmann Camilla , Trelle Sven , Zwahlen Marcel , Ma Christopher , Chehade Mirna , Dellon Evan S. , Jairath Vipul , Feagan Brian G. , Bredenoord Albert J. , Biedermann Luc , Greuter Thomas , Schreiner Philipp , Straumann Alex , Safroneeva Ekaterina
Published: September 2021

Background: Over the last 20 years, diverse outcome measures have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). This systematic review aims to identify the readouts used in observational studies of topical corticosteroids, diet, and dilation in adult EoE patients. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and Embase for prospective and retrospective studies (cohorts/case series, randomized open-label, and case-control) evaluating the use of diets, dilation, and topical corticosteroids in adults with EoE. Two authors independently assessed the articles and extracted information about histologic, endoscopic, and patient-reported outcomes and tools used to assess treatment effects. Results: We included 69 studies that met inclusion criteria. EoE-associated endoscopic findings (assessed either as absence/presence or using Endoscopic Reference Score) were evaluated in 24/35, 11/17, and 9/17 studies of topical corticosteroids, diet, and dilation, respectively. Esophageal eosinophil density was recorded in 32/35, 17/17, and 11/17 studies of topical corticosteroids, diet, and dilation, respectively. Patient-reported outcomes were not uniformly used (only in 14, 8, and 3 studies of topical corticosteroids, diet, and dilation, respectively), and most tools were not validated for use in adults with EoE. Conclusions: Despite the lack of an agreed set of core outcomes that should be recorded and reported in studies in adult EoE patients, endoscopic EoE-associated findings and esophageal eosinophil density are commonly used to assess disease activity in observational studies. Standardization of outcomes and data supporting the use of outcomes are needed to facilitate interpretation of evidence, its synthesis, and comparisons of interventions in meta-analyses of therapeutic trials in adults with EoE.
LabSAMPA – Cooperação científica e tecnológica entre a Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo e o Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università degli Studi di Firenze para a documentação da arquitetura histórica de São Paulo.
Authors: Migliaccio Luciano , Bertocci Stefano , Bueno Beatriz Piccolotto Siqueira , Santos Regina Helena Vieira , Martins Renata Maria de Almeida
Published: September 2021

Desde 2017 a Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo e o Dipartimento di Architettura da Università degli Studi di Firenze desenvolvem um projeto de cooperação didática e científica com uso de tecnologia laser scanner 3D para a elaboração de documentação histórica do patrimônio arquitetônico no centro de São Paulo. O projeto levou à realização de laboratórios teórico-práticos e à criação de uma disciplina optativa de graduação voltada para a inserção dos resultados da cooperação acadêmica dentro da oferta formativa das duas instituições. A iniciativa, com a participação de uma equipe italiana e de uma brasileira, formadas por docentes, pesquisadores e alunos de graduação e de pós-graduação, já auxilia a produção de trabalhos finais de graduação e de pesquisas de mestrado e doutorado nas duas instituições. Neste texto serão apresentados três casos de estudo de edifícios históricos do centro de São Paulo, que foram objetos dos laboratórios: o Edifício Baraúna, na Avenida São João, a Sucursal do Grande Hotel no Largo do Café, o Solar da Marquesa de Santos, sede do Museu da Cidade de São Paulo, na Rua Roberto Simonsen. Por meio de levantamento realizado com tecnologia laser scanner 3 D, integrado com método fotogramétrico e métrico manual, foi possível implementar uma metodologia de documentação histórica capaz de contribuir para a abertura de novas perspectivas historiográficas e servir como subsídio para o estúdio e o planejamento de ações de preservação, restauro e reutilização do patrimônio edificado.
Ultrasound- Versus Fluoroscopy-Guided Strategy for Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Access: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Kotronias Rafail A. , Bray Jonathan J.H. , Rajasundaram Skanda , Vincent Flavien , Delhaye Cedric , Scarsini Roberto , Marin Federico , Terentes-Printzios Dimitrios , Halcox Julian P.J. , Mamas Mamas A. , Kharbanda Rajesh , Van Belle Eric , Banning Adrian P.
Published: September 2021

Background:

Access site vascular and bleeding complications remain problematic for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Ultrasound-guided transfemoral access approach has been suggested as a technique to reduce access site complications, but there is wide variation in adoption in TAVR. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare access site vascular and bleeding complications according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 classification following the use of either ultrasound- or conventional fluoroscopy-guided transfemoral TAVR access.

Methods:

Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library were searched to November 2020 for studies comparing ultrasound- and fluoroscopy-guided access for transfemoral TAVR. A priori defined primary outcomes were extracted: (1) major, (2) minor, and (3) major and minor (total) access site vascular complications and (4) life-threatening/major, (5) minor, and (6) life-threatening, major, and minor (total) access site bleeding complications.

Results:

Eight observational studies (n=3875) were included, with a mean participant age of 82.8 years, STS score 5.81, and peripheral vascular disease in 23.5%. An ultrasound-guided approach was significantly associated with a reduced risk of total (Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio [MH-OR], 0.50 [95% CI, 0.35–0.73]), major (MH-OR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.35–0.74]), and minor (MH-OR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.38–0.91]) access site vascular complications. Ultrasound guidance was also significantly associated with total access site bleeding complications (MH-OR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.39–0.90]). The association remained significant in sensitivity analyses of maximally adjusted minor and total vascular access site complications (MH-OR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.29–0.90]; MH-OR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.20–0.99], respectively).

Conclusions:

In the absence of randomized studies, our data suggests a potential benefit for ultrasound guidance to obtain percutaneous femoral access in TAVR.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/
; Unique identifier: CRD42020218259.
Deficiency of MicroRNA-181a Results in Transcriptome-Wide Cell-Specific Changes in the Kidney and Increases Blood Pressure
Authors: Paterson Madeleine R. , Jackson Kristy L. , Dona Malathi S.I. , Farrugia Gabriella E. , Visniauskas Bruna , Watson Anna M.D. , Johnson Chad , Prieto Minolfa C. , Evans Roger G. , Charchar Fadi J. , Pinto Alexander R. , Marques Francine Z. , Head Geoffrey A.
Published: September 2021

MicroRNA miR-181a is downregulated in the kidneys of hypertensive patients and hypertensive mice. In vitro, miR-181a is a posttranslational inhibitor of renin expression, but pleiotropic mechanisms by which miR-181a may influence blood pressure (BP) are unknown. Here, we determined whether deletion of miR-181a/b-1 in vivo changes BP and the molecular mechanisms involved at the single-cell level. We developed a KO (knockout) mouse model lacking miR-181a/b-1 genes using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Radiotelemetry probes were implanted in 12-week-old C57BL/6J WT (wild type) and miR-181a/b-1 KO mice. Systolic and diastolic BP were 4- to 5-mm Hg higher in KO compared with WT mice over 24 hours (
P
<0.01). Compared with WT mice, renal renin was higher in the juxtaglomerular cells of KO mice. BP was similar in WT mice on a high- (3.1%) versus low- (0.3%) sodium diet (+0.4±0.8 mm Hg), but KO mice showed salt sensitivity (+3.3±0.8 mm Hg;
P
<0.001). Since microRNAs can target several mRNAs simultaneously, we performed single-nuclei RNA sequencing in 6699 renal cells. We identified 12 distinct types of renal cells, all of which had genes that were dysregulated. This included genes involved in renal fibrosis and inflammation such as
Stat4
,
Col4a1
,
Cd81
,
Flt3l
,
Cxcl16
, and
Smad4
. We observed upregulation of pathways related to the immune system, inflammatory response, reactive oxygen species, and nerve development, consistent with higher tyrosine hydroxylase in the kidney. In conclusion, downregulation of the
miR-181a
gene led to increased BP and salt sensitivity in mice. This is likely due to an increase in renin expression in juxtaglomerular cells, as well as microRNA-driven pleiotropic effects impacting renal pathways associated with hypertension.
Association Between Blood Pressure Variability With Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: de Heus Rianne A.A. , Tzourio Christophe , Lee Emily Jo Lynn , Opozda Melissa , Vincent Andrew D. , Anstey Kaarin J. , Hofman Albert , Kario Kazuomi , Lattanzi Simona , Launer Lenore J. , Ma Yuan , Mahajan Rajiv , Mooijaart Simon P. , Nagai Michiaki , Peters Ruth , Turnbull Deborah , Yano Yuichiro ,   the VARIABLE BRAIN Consortium, Claassen Jurgen A.H.R. , Tully Phillip J.
Published: September 2021

Research links high blood pressure variability (BPV) with stroke and cerebrovascular disease, however, its association with cognition remains unclear. Moreover, it remains uncertain which BP-derived parameter (ie, variability or mean) holds more significance in understanding vascular contributions to cognitive impairment. We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus and performed a meta-analysis of studies that quantified the association between resting BPV with dementia or cognitive impairment in adults. Two authors independently reviewed all titles, abstracts, and full-texts and extracted data, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Study quality was assessed using the (modified) Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A multilevel meta-analysis was used, which included effect sizes for both BPV and mean BP, with a combined end point of dementia or cognitive impairment as primary outcome. In the primary analysis, 54 effect sizes were extracted from 20 studies, with a total analytical sample of n=7 899 697. Higher systolic BPV (odds ratio [OR], 1.25 [95% CI, 1.16–1.35]), mean systolic pressure (OR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.02–1.29]), diastolic BPV (OR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.12–1.29]), and mean diastolic pressure (OR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.04–1.29]) were associated with dementia and cognitive impairment. A direct comparison showed that mean BP effect sizes were less strong than BPV effect sizes (OR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.87–0.97],
P
<0.01), indicating that the relative contribution of BPV exceeded that of mean BP. Methodological and statistical heterogeneity was high. Secondary analyses were less consistent as to whether BPV and mean BP were differentially associated with dementia subtypes and cognitive domains. Future studies are required to investigate BPV as a target for dementia prevention.
Urban Struggles over Water Scarcity in Harare
Authors: Musemwa Muchaparara
Published: September 2021

This essay counters the growing tendency in current scholarship to attribute nearly all the enduring water scarcity problems to climate change. Focusing on Harare, Zimbabwe's capital city, this essay contends that recurrent water crises can only really be understood within the contentious, long, and complex history of water politics in the capital city from the colonial to the postcolonial period. Although the colonial and postcolonial states in Zimbabwe had very different ideological and racial policies, for various reasons, neither was willing nor able to provide adequate supplies of water to the urban poor even as water was abundant in the city's reservoirs. It posits that while the colonial government racialized access to water by restricting its use by urban Africans, the postcolonial government failed to change the colonial patterns of urban water distribution and did little to increase water supplies to keep pace with a swiftly growing urban population and a geographically expanding city.
Water Scarcity & Health in Urban Africa
Authors: Livingston Julie
Published: September 2021

Water is the cornerstone of public health. Yet many people living in Africa's cities face serious challenges obtaining an adequate supply of clean water. This situation, which poses significant public health concerns, promises only to grow in magnitude in the coming years as rapid urbanization and climate change meet head-on to further constrain urban water provision. This essay explores the relationship between water supply and health in urban Africa through the lens of water scarcity and health as political relationships as much as environmental or technical phenomena. By bringing infectious diseases like cholera and chronic ailments like kidney disease into the same frame of analysis, this essay also directs attention beyond the overwhelming public health focus on microbial contamination to emergent forms of water-related illness and injury that proceed unchecked.
Water Security in Africa in the Age of Global Climate Change
Authors: Isaacman Allen , Musemwa Muchaparara
Published: September 2021

This essay explores the multiple ways in which the nexuses between water scarcity and climate change are socially and historically grounded in ordinary people's lived experiences and are embedded in specific fields of power. Here we specifically delineate four critical dimensions in which the water crises confronting the African continent in an age of climate change are clearly expressed: the increasing scarcity, privatization, and commodification of water in urban centers; the impact of large dams on the countryside; the health consequences of water shortages and how they, in turn, affect other aspects of people's experiences, sociopolitical dynamics, and well-being, broadly conceived; and water governance and the politics of water at the local, national, and transnational levels. These overarching themes form the collective basis for the host of essays in this volume that provide rich accounts of conflicts and struggles over water use and how these tensions have been mitigated.
Clustering and Switching in Verbal Fluency Across Varying Degrees of Cognitive Control Demands: Evidence From Healthy Bilinguals and Bilingual Patients With Aphasia
Authors: Carpenter Erin , Peñaloza Claudia , Rao Leela , Kiran Swathi
Published: September 2021

Different linguistic contexts place varying amounts of cognitive control on lexical retrieval in bilingual speakers, an issue that is complicated in bilingual patients with aphasia (BPWA) due to subsequent language and cognitive deficits. Verbal fluency tasks may offer insight into the interaction between executive and language control in healthy bilinguals and BPWA, by examining conditions with varying cognitive control demands. The present study examined switching and clustering in verbal fluency tasks in BPWA and healthy bilinguals across single- and dual-language conditions. We also examined the influence of language processing and language proficiency on switching and clustering performance across the dual-language conditions. Thirty-five Spanish-English BPWA and twenty-two Spanish-English healthy bilinguals completed a language use questionnaire, tests of language processing, and two verbal fluency tasks. The semantic category generation task included four conditions: two single-language conditions (No-Switch L1 and No-Switch L2) that required word production in each language separately; one dual-language condition that allowed switching between languages as desired (Self-Switch); and one dual-language condition that required switching between languages after each response (Forced-Switch). The letter fluency task required word production in single-language contexts. Overall, healthy bilinguals outperformed BPWA across all measures. Results indicate that switching is more sensitive to increased control demands than clustering, with this effect being more pronounced in BPWA, underscoring the interaction between semantic executive processes and language control in this group. Additionally, for BPWA switching performance relies on a combination of language abilities and language experience metrics.
Pretraining the Noisy Channel Model for Task-Oriented Dialogue
Authors: Liu Qi , Yu Lei , Rimell Laura , Blunsom Phil
Published: September 2021

Direct decoding for task-oriented dialogue is known to suffer from the explaining-away effect, manifested in models that prefer short and generic responses. Here we argue for the use of Bayes’ theorem to factorize the dialogue task into two models, the distribution of the context given the response, and the prior for the response itself. This approach, an instantiation of the noisy channel model, both mitigates the explaining-away effect and allows the principled incorporation of large pretrained models for the response prior. We present extensive experiments showing that a noisy channel model decodes better responses compared to direct decoding and that a two-stage pretraining strategy, employing both open-domain and task-oriented dialogue data, improves over randomly initialized models.
Joint Universal Syntactic and Semantic Parsing
Authors: Stengel-Eskin Elias , Murray Kenton , Zhang Sheng , White Aaron Steven , Van Durme Benjamin
Published: September 2021

While numerous attempts have been made to jointly parse syntax and semantics, high performance in one domain typically comes at the price of performance in the other. This trade-off contradicts the large body of research focusing on the rich interactions at the syntax–semantics interface. We explore multiple model architectures that allow us to exploit the rich syntactic and semantic annotations contained in the Universal Decompositional Semantics (UDS) dataset, jointly parsing Universal Dependencies and UDS to obtain state-of-the-art results in both formalisms. We analyze the behavior of a joint model of syntax and semantics, finding patterns supported by linguistic theory at the syntax–semantics interface. We then investigate to what degree joint modeling generalizes to a multilingual setting, where we find similar trends across 8 languages.
QED: A Framework and Dataset for Explanations in Question Answering
Authors: Lamm Matthew , Palomaki Jennimaria , Alberti Chris , Andor Daniel , Choi Eunsol , Soares Livio Baldini , Collins Michael
Published: September 2021

A question answering system that in addition to providing an answer provides an explanation of the reasoning that leads to that answer has potential advantages in terms of debuggability, extensibility, and trust. To this end, we propose QED, a linguistically informed, extensible framework for explanations in question answering. A QED explanation specifies the relationship between a question and answer according to formal semantic notions such as referential equality, sentencehood, and entailment. We describe and publicly release an expert-annotated dataset of QED explanations built upon a subset of the Google Natural Questions dataset, and report baseline models on two tasks—post- hoc explanation generation given an answer, and joint question answering and explanation generation. In the joint setting, a promising result suggests that training on a relatively small amount of QED data can improve question answering. In addition to describing the formal, language-theoretic motivations for the QED approach, we describe a large user study showing that the presence of QED explanations significantly improves the ability of untrained raters to spot errors made by a strong neural QA baseline.
Thor dicaprio sp. nov., a new, conspicuously coloured shrimp from the tropical western Atlantic, with taxonomic remarks on the T. amboinensis (De Man, 1888) complex (Decapoda: Caridea: Thoridae)
Authors: ANKER ARTHUR , BAEZA J. ANTONIO
Published: September 2021

Thor amboinensis (De Man, 1888), known as “sexy shrimp” or “anemone squat shrimp” and popular among divers and aquarists, was previously believed to have a worldwide distribution, with populations throughout the tropical parts of the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. However, consistent differences in some details of the colour pattern strongly suggest that T. amboinensis does not represent a single species, but a pantropical species complex. A recent phylogeographic analysis of T. amboinensis based on molecular data confirmed that this taxon is composed of at least five putative cryptic or pseudocryptic species. In the present study, a new cryptic species, Thor dicaprio sp. nov., is established for the western Atlantic populations previously referred to as T. amboinensis. The new species can be distinguished from all other members of the T. amboinensis complex by two differences in the colour pattern and a subtle difference in the size and setation of the appendix masculina, the latter yet to be confirmed. The conspicuous red-white banding of the antennal flagella appears to be the most diagnostic feature of the new species. In addition, T. dicaprio sp. nov. forms a genetically distinctive, homogeneous, tropical western Atlantic (TWA) clade, with the COI pairwise genetic distances from other clades ranging from 8.8% to 19.2%. The distribution of T. dicaprio sp. nov. includes the entire Caribbean Sea, parts of the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda, as well as some offshore localities off northern and eastern Brazil. The main aspects and biology and ecological variability of T. dicaprio sp. nov. are discussed in the light of phylogeographic data presently available for the T. amboinensis complex.
Occurrence and spread of Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) in India
Authors: JOSHI SUNIL , BHASKAR HASEENA , POON V.S. AASHIQ , MALA B.R. JAYANTHI , JAYANTHI P.D. KAMALA , PAI SACHIN G. , THITE SACHIN V. , SOOD AJAY K. , KEDAR SANTOSH C. , SRIDHAR V. , DEEPTHY K.B. , NAVIK OMPRAKASH , RACHANA R.R.
Published: September 2021

The notoriously destructive and invasive soft scale, Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), is recorded for the first time from India. The scale is redescribed to facilitate its identification and information on its host range, natural enemies and distribution is provided. An identification key to the Indian species in this genus is given. Management options in the event of an outbreak are discussed briefly. The establishment of this scale insect warrants special attention in India as it is a potentially damaging plant pest and has a broad host range across many plant families.
Spirobranchus bakau sp. nov. from Singapore: yet another species of S. kraussii-complex (Polychaeta: Serpulidae)
Authors: SIVANANTHAN GAYATHIRI D/O , SHANTTI PAVARNE , KUPRIYANOVA ELENA K. , QUEK ZHENG BIN RANDOLPH , YAP NICHOLAS WEI LIANG , TEO SERENA LAY MING
Published: September 2021

The intertidal serpulid polychaete Spirobranchus kraussii was originally described from South Africa and has since been reported in numerous sub (tropical) localities around the world. Recently, however, S. kraussii was uncovered as a complex of morphologically similar and geographically restricted species, raising the need to revise S. cf. kraussii populations. We formally describe S. cf. kraussii from Singapore mangroves as Spirobranchus bakau sp. nov. based on morphological and molecular data. Despite their morphological similarities, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses of 18S and Cyt b DNA sequence data confirm that S. bakau sp. nov. is genetically distinct from S. kraussii and other known species in the complex. Both analyses recovered S. bakau sp. nov. as part of a strongly supported clade (96% bootstrap, 1 posterior probability), comprising S. sinuspersicus, S. kraussii and S. cf. kraussii from Australia and Hawaii. Additionally, paratypes of S. kraussii var. manilensis, described from Manila Bay in the Philippines, were examined and elevated to the full species S. manilensis. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that fertilisation and embryonic development of S. bakau sp. nov. can occur under the wide range of salinities (19.6–30.9 psu) and temperatures (25–31°C) reported in the Johor Strait. Fertilisation success of ≥70% was achieved across a temperature range of 25–32°C and a salinity range of 20–32 psu. Embryonic development, however, had a narrower salinity tolerance range of 27–32 psu. Clarifying the taxonomic status of S. cf. kraussii populations reported from localities elsewhere in Singapore and Southeast Asia will be useful in establishing the geographical distribution of S. bakau sp. nov. and other members of the S. kraussii-complex.