bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Socioeconomic inequality in life expectancy in India
Authors: Asaria Miqdad , Mazumdar Sumit , Chowdhury Samik , Mazumdar Papiya , Mukhopadhyay Abhiroop , Gupta Indrani
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Concern for health inequalities is an important driver of health policy in India; however, much of the empirical evidence regarding health inequalities in the country is piecemeal focusing only on specific diseases or on access to particular treatments. This study estimates inequalities in health across the whole life course for the entire Indian population. These estimates are used to calculate the socioeconomic disparities in life expectancy at birth in the population.

Methods

Population mortality data from the Indian Sample Registration System were combined with data on mortality rates by wealth quintile from the National Family Health Survey to calculate wealth quintile specific mortality rates. Results were calculated separately for males and females as well as for urban and rural populations. Life tables were constructed for each subpopulation and used to calculate distributions of life expectancy at birth by wealth quintile. Absolute gap and relative gap indices of inequality were used to quantify the health disparity in terms of life expectancy at birth between the richest and poorest fifths of households.

Results

Life expectancy at birth was 65.1 years for the poorest fifth of households in India as compared with 72.7 years for the richest fifth of households. This constituted an absolute gap of 7.6 years and a relative gap of 11.7 %. Women had both higher life expectancy at birth and narrower wealth-related disparities in life expectancy than men. Life expectancy at birth was higher across the wealth distribution in urban households as compared with rural households with inequalities in life expectancy widest for men living in urban areas and narrowest for women living in urban areas.

Conclusion

As India progresses towards Universal Health Coverage, the baseline social distributions of health estimated in this study will allow policy makers to target and monitor the health equity impacts of health policies introduced.
Evaluation of urinary γ‐glutamyl transferase and serum creatinine in non‐azotaemic hospitalised dogs
Authors: Perondi Francesca , Lippi Ilaria , Ceccherini Gianila , Marchetti Veronica , Guidi Grazia
Published: May 2019

Urinary and blood biomarkers for diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalised dogs were evalueted. This prospective study included 97 dogs, classified according to the International Renal Interest Society classification into no AKI and AKI grade 1 (48‐hour increase in serum creatinine≥0.3 mg/dl and/or urinary production <1 ml/kg/hour for at least six hours). A total of 62 of 97 dogs (64 per cent) were classified as AKI 1. A statistically significant difference was found between no AKI and AKI 1 in urine protein to creatinine ratio, urinary γ‐glutamyl transferase (uGGT) and uGGT/cu (P<0.0001). Thirteen of 97 dogs (13.4 per cent) that developed increased creatinine and change in AKI grade showed high mortality (n=9/13; 69.2 per cent). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of uGGT/cu index as a marker for AKI grade 1 had an area under the ROC curve of 0.78; optimal cut‐off point was 57.50 u/g, with sensitivity and specificity of 75.4 per cent and 75.6 per cent, respectively. Overall intensive care unit mortality was 23.7 per cent (23/97), 13.4 per cent (13/97) of which died during hospitalisation and 10.3 per cent (10/97) within 28 days after discharge. uGGT is an acceptable marker for distinguishing between AKI 1 and no AKI.
MicroRNA-211-5p promotes apoptosis and inhibits the migration of osteosarcoma cells by targeting proline-rich protein PRR11
Authors: Song Dandan , Yang Kun , Wang Wei , Tian Run , Wang Haoyu , Wang Kunzheng
Published: May 2019

Osteosarcoma remains fatal in adolescents and young adults, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 20%. However, the details for mechanisms that regulate osteosarcoma metastasis are poorly understood. We analyzed the expression levels of miR-211-5p in clinical samples of osteosarcoma as well as cell lines, and found that the expression of miR-211-5p was reduced in osteosarcoma. Moreover, induction of miR-211-5p in several osteosarcoma cell lines dramatically inhibited their migration and invasiveness. Furthermore, miR-211-5p overexpression led to a significant increase in the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cell. Importantly, our in vivo xenograft experiments showed that miR-211-5p strongly inhibits tumorigenesis. Additionally, functional experiments demonstrated that miR-211-5p suppresses the expression of proline-rich protein 11 (PRR11) by directly binding to the 3′ region of PRR11 mRNA. Moreover, we showed that PRR11 overexpression attenuated the increase of apoptosis and decreased migration and invasiveness when the upstream miR-211-5p was overexpressed. Our data provide new insights into the mechanisms that regulate osteosarcoma metastasis, and novel potential pharmaceutical targets for personalized medicine.
Influence of wind events on larval fish mortality rates in the southern California Current Ecosystem
Authors: Turley Brendan D. , Rykaczewski Ryan R.
Published: May 2019

Wind-induced mixing can affect the vertical distribution of plankton in the upper water column, influencing the prey available for larval fishes. The stable ocean hypothesis proposes that periods of calm winds facilitate the development of plankton layers at concentrations sufficient for successful larval foraging and increased survival. Conversely, storm events redistribute prey, leading to reduced foraging success. Here, we investigate this hypothesis by comparing larval fish mortality rates estimated from 37 years of ichthyoplankton data against metrics of wind events defined as storms and calm periods. Contrary to expectations, we found that mortality for Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) significantly decreased as storm events increased in the southern California Current Ecosystem. Mortality rates for northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus), and jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) had no relationship to storms, and no species’ mortality rates were related to the number of calm events. Our results highlight the differing sensitivities of larval survival among fishes in the region and indicate that responses to atmospheric processes are species-dependent.
Crystallization of amorphous silica under compression
Authors: Nhan Nguyen Thu , Trang Giap Thi Thuy , Iitaka Toshiaki , Hong Nguyen Van
Published: May 2019

The structural phase transformation and crystallization of amorphous silica at 500 K under high pressure are investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. Under compression, there is a structural transformation from tetrahedral- to octahedral-network via SiO5 units. Structural transformation occurs strongly in the 5–15 GPa pressure range and there exist three structural phases corresponding to SiO4, SiO5, and SiO6. Beyond 15 GPa, octahedral-network is dominant. At pressure higher than 20 GPa, octahedral network tends to transform to crystalline phase (stishovite). Mechanism of structural transformation is clarified via coordination-number, bond-angle distributions, bond length distribution, and 3D visualization. The size-distribution of phase regions is also determined in this work.
Study of Al2O3/copper–water nanoparticle shape, slip effects, and heat transfer on steady physiological delivery of MHD hybrid nanofluid
Authors: Iftikhar Naheeda , Rehman Abdul , Sadaf Hina , Iqbal Saleem
Published: May 2019

This paper contains the analytical investigation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of copper/Al2O3–water hybrid nanofluid with unstable peristaltic motion. Three different geometries (bricks, cylinder, and platelets) along with velocity and thermal slip conditions are studied in detail to reach the precise solution. Flow geometry of a non-uniform tube of finite length, experimental values of base fluid, and considered nanoparticles are taken into account to examine the theoretical investigation of formulated equations. Dimensionless control equations, which are subject to physically realistic boundary conditions, are closely studied to obtain precise results. The shape effects of nanoparticles on velocity, temperature distribution, and heat transfer on the length of the non-uniform tube with variation of the various flow parameters are discussed in a graphical description to understand the theoretical aspects to validate the medical analysis. The observations from the analysis state that copper/Al2O3–water carry maximum velocity for smaller values of slip parameter. Temperature distributions for heat absorption parameter are more significant as fluid flow accelerates when large values are chosen. Large values of thermal slip parameter yield enhancement in pressure gradient and Cu–water nanofluid has higher impact than hybrid nanofluid. Platelet-shaped nanoparticles of hybrid nanofluid have more significant effect on pressure gradient than cylinder- and brick-shaped nanoparticles of Cu–water nanofluid. An intrinsic property of peristaltic transport (i.e., trapping) is also discussed. The trapped bolus decreases for platelets and cylinder-shaped nanoparticles, whereas, the size of the trapped bolus increases for brick-shaped nanoparticles. This model is applicable to a drug delivery system and to design the micro-peristaltic pump for transporting nanofluids.
Optimization of traffic intersection using connected vehicles
Authors: Marzoug R. , Téllez B. Castillo , Téllez M. Castillo , Pérez G. A. Mejía , Bassam A. , Oubram O.
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we proposed a model based on the connected vehicles to control the traffic flow at the intersection. To evaluate this model, we studied its impact on the flux and the probability of accidents at the intersection. On the one hand, simulation results showed that the increase in the number of connected vehicles decreases the congestion coefficient and enhances the traffic situation in the system. On the other hand, connected vehicles reduce the probability of accidents at the intersection. In this way, the vehicle intersection (central controller) communication can decrease the congestion and enhance road safety, especially in the intermediate and high traffic conditions.
Cascading failure in multilayer network with asymmetric dependence group
Authors: Chen Mo , Song Mei , Zhang Min , Jin Lei , Gong Xiangyang
Published: May 2019

Cascading failure is widespread in the networks. In order to solve practical problems, it is necessary to study the cascading failure in the complex network. In this paper, we mainly focus on the cascading failure in multilayer networks with asymmetric dependence group and discuss the influence factors of networks’ robustness. We build a model with recover mechanism within the layer and define an effect between the layers. Under the effect, if the fraction of failure nodes between layers is greater than or equal to the failure–recover threshold, other connected nodes in other layers will recover and if the fraction of failure nodes between layers is less than the failure–recover threshold, the connected nodes in other layers will become invalid. It is worth mentioning that in our model, the impact of the proportion [Formula: see text] of the dependency groups and the group size [Formula: see text] on the robustness of the networks is related to the probability [Formula: see text] of initial removal. Because the failure and recovery mechanism exist, the networks robustness will be reversed by changing the value of [Formula: see text] for different values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. In addition, the number of layers [Formula: see text] has different effects on networks robustness due to the effect between the layers.
Efficient Algebraic Multigrid Preconditioners on Clusters of GPUs
Authors: Abdullahi Hassan Ambra , Cardellini Valeria , D’Ambra Pasqua , di Serafino Daniela , Filippone Salvatore
Published: May 2019

Many scientific applications require the solution of large and sparse linear systems of equations using Krylov subspace methods; in this case, the choice of an effective preconditioner may be crucial for the convergence of the Krylov solver. Algebraic MultiGrid (AMG) methods are widely used as preconditioners, because of their optimal computational cost and their algorithmic scalability. The wide availability of GPUs, now found in many of the fastest supercomputers, poses the problem of implementing efficiently these methods on high-throughput processors. In this work we focus on the application phase of AMG preconditioners, and in particular on the choice and implementation of smoothers and coarsest-level solvers capable of exploiting the computational power of clusters of GPUs. We consider block-Jacobi smoothers using sparse approximate inverses in the solve phase associated with the local blocks. The choice of approximate inverses instead of sparse matrix factorizations is driven by the large amount of parallelism exposed by the matrix-vector product as compared to the solution of large triangular systems on GPUs. The selected smoothers and solvers are implemented within the AMG preconditioning framework provided by the MLD2P4 library, using suitable sparse matrix data structures from the PSBLAS library. Their behaviour is illustrated in terms of execution speed and scalability, on a test case concerning groundwater modelling, provided by the Jülich Supercomputing Center within the Horizon 2020 Project EoCoE.
Efficient Communication Induced Checkpointing Protocol for Broadcast Network-based Distributed Systems
Authors: Ahn Jinho
Published: May 2019

This paper proposes an enhanced Fully Informed Communication-Induced Checkpointing (FI-CIC) protocol to highly improve the possibility of detecting Z-cycle free patterns with no extra control message by utilizing the advantageous feature of the broadcast network in an effective way compared with the original FI-CIC protocol. Experimental results show that our protocol outperforms the previous one in terms of the number of forced checkpoints per process.
Structural, elastic, magnetic and electronic properties of TiX2(X = Cr, Mn) alloys
Authors: Murugeswari R. , Benial A. Milton Franklin , Rajeswarapalanichamy R.
Published: May 2019

The structural, elastic, magnetic and electronic properties of titanium-based alloys TiX2(X = Cr, Mn) are investigated by the first-principles calculations based on density functional theory using the Vienna ab-initio simulation code. The lattice constants of TiX2(X = Cr, Mn) alloys are optimized for various possible structures such as hexagonal, tetragonal and orthorhombic. TiX2(X = Cr, Mn) alloys are highly stable in hexagonal structure with the space group P63/mmc at ambient pressure. A pressure-induced structural phase transition from hexagonal structure to the tetragonal structure is observed in TiCr2at 443.3 GPa and in TiMn2hexagonal structure to orthorhombic structure is at 295.05 GPa. The electronic structure shows that TiX2(X = Cr, Mn) alloys are metallic in nature at all pressures. The magnetic property of nonmagnetic TiX2(X = Cr, Mn) alloys are analyzed by doping with ferromagnetic materials (Fe, Co and Ni) using the stoichiometries of TiX[Formula: see text]Y[Formula: see text] (X = Cr, Mn; Y = Fe, Co and Ni; z = 0.5,1,1.5). It is seen that the magnetic moment is induced by the substitution of ferromagnetic materials with TiX2alloys.
Improving Accuracy of Evolving GMM Under GPGPU-Friendly Block-Evolutionary Pattern
Authors: Chen Chunlei , Wang Chengduan , Hou Jinkui , Qi Ming , Dai Jiangyan , Zhang Yonghui , Zhang Peng
Published: May 2019

As a classical clustering model, Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) can be the footstone of dominant machine learning methods like transfer learning. Evolving GMM is an approximation to the classical GMM under time-critical or memory-critical application scenarios. Such applications often have constraints on time-to-answer or high data volume, and raise high computation demand. A prominent approach to address the demand is GPGPU-powered computing. However, the existing evolving GMM algorithms are confronted with a dilemma between clustering accuracy and parallelism. Point-wise algorithms achieve high accuracy but exhibit limited parallelism due to point-evolutionary pattern. Block-wise algorithms tend to exhibit higher parallelism. Whereas, it is challenging to achieve high accuracy under a block-evolutionary pattern due to the fact that it is difficult to track evolving process of the mixture model in fine granularity. Consequently, the existing block-wise algorithm suffers from significant accuracy degradation, compared to its batch-mode counterpart: the standard EM algorithm. To cope with this dilemma, we focus on the accuracy issue and develop an improved block-evolutionary GMM algorithm for GPGPU-powered computing systems. Our algorithm leverages evolving history of the model to estimate the latest model order in each incremental clustering step. With this model order as a constraint, we can perform similarity test in an elastic manner. Finally, we analyze the evolving history of both mixture components and the data points, and propose our method to merge similar components. Experiments on real images show that our algorithm significantly improves accuracy of the original general purpose bock-wise algorithm. The accuracy of our algorithm is at least comparable to that of the standard EM algorithm and even outperforms the latter under certain scenarios.
Webpage Recommendation System Using Interesting Subgraphs and Laplace Based k-Nearest Neighbor
Authors: Jayalakshmi N. , Padmaja P. , Suma G. Jaya
Published: May 2019

An interesting research area that permits the user to mine the significant information, called frequent subgraph, is Graph-Based Data Mining (GBDM). One of the well-known algorithms developed to extract frequent patterns is GASTON algorithm. Retrieving the interesting webpages from the log files contributes heavily to various applications. In this work, a webpage recommendation system has been proposed by introducing Chronological Cuckoo Search (Chronological-CS) algorithm and the Laplace correction based k-Nearest Neighbor (LKNN) to retrieve the useful webpage from the interesting webpage. Initially, W-Gaston algorithm extracts the interesting subgraph from the log files and provides it to the proposed webpage recommendation system. The interesting subgraphs subjected to clustering with the proposed Chronological-CS algorithm, which is developed by integrating the chronological concept into Cuckoo Search (CS) algorithm, provide various cluster groups. Then, the proposed LKNN algorithm recommends the webpage from the clusters. Simulation of the proposed webpage recommendation algorithm is done by utilizing the data from MSNBC and weblog database. The results are compared with various existing webpage recommendation models and analyzed based on precision, recall, and F-measure. The proposed webpage recommendation model achieved better performance than the existing models with the values of 0.9194, 0.8947, and 0.86736, respectively, for the precision, recall, and F-measure.
A New and Generalized MLI with Overall Lesser Power Electronic Devices
Authors: Mahato Bidyut , Majumdar Saikat , Jana Kartick Chandra
Published: May 2019

Reduction in the overall power devices such as power semi-conductor switches, gate drivers with the associated circuits and DC voltage sources reduces the size, cost, complexity in addition with enhancing the overall performance of the inverter. This paper presents a new and generalized multilevel inverter topology with reduced number of power components. To identify the significance of proposed inverter, the generalized formulae for all the parameters are calculated and a comprehensive comparison of different performance parameters are presented in tabular as well as in graphical form. Multicarrier pulse width modulation strategy is adopted for generating the switching pulses. Simulation of the proposed MLI topology for the 9-level and 17-level inverter have been performed in MATLAB/Simulink and the corresponding experimental results are incorporated for one unit and two units, respectively, experiments are carried out at RL load. Nevertheless, level per switch Ratio (L/S) is introduced and compared with some of the new discussed MLI topologies. Moreover, the switching and the conduction losses of the inverter are also calculated and incorporated in this paper.
Fingerprint-Based Document Image Retrieval
Authors: Dixit Umesh D. , Shirdhonkar M. S.
Published: May 2019

Most of the documents use fingerprint impression for authentication. Property related documents, bank checks, application forms, etc., are the examples of such documents. Fingerprint-based document image retrieval system aims to provide a solution for searching and browsing of such digitized documents. The major challenges in implementing fingerprint-based document image retrieval are an efficient method for fingerprint detection and an effective feature extraction method. In this work, we propose a method for automatic detection of a fingerprint from given query document image employing Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)-based features and SVM classifier. In this paper, we also propose and investigate two feature extraction schemes, DWT and Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT)-based Local Binary Pattern (LBP) features for fingerprint-based document image retrieval. The standardized Euclidean distance is employed for matching and ranking of the documents. Proposed method is tested on a database of 1200 document images and is also compared with current state-of-art. The proposed scheme provided 98.87% of detection accuracy and 73.08% of Mean Average Precision (MAP) for document image retrieval.
A new LSTM-based gene expression prediction model: L-GEPM
Authors: Wang Huiqing , Li Chun , Zhang Jianhui , Wang Jingjing , Ma Yue , Lian Yuanyuan
Published: May 2019

Molecular biology combined with in silico machine learning and deep learning has facilitated the broad application of gene expression profiles for gene function prediction, optimal crop breeding, disease-related gene discovery, and drug screening. Although the acquisition cost of genome-wide expression profiles has been steadily declining, the requirement generates a compendium of expression profiles using thousands of samples remains high. The Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures (LINCS) program used approximately 1000 landmark genes to predict the expression of the remaining target genes by linear regression; however, this approach ignored the nonlinear features influencing gene expression relationships, limiting the accuracy of the experimental results. We herein propose a gene expression prediction model, L-GEPM, based on long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks, which captures the nonlinear features affecting gene expression and uses learned features to predict the target genes. By comparing and analyzing experimental errors and fitting the effects of different prediction models, the LSTM neural network-based model, L-GEPM, can achieve low error and a superior fitting effect.
Local and Parallel Finite Element Algorithms for the Stokes Equations with Nonlinear Slip Boundary Conditions
Authors: Zhou Kangrui , Shang Yueqiang
Published: May 2019

Based on two-grid discretizations, local and parallel finite element algorithms are studied for the Stokes equations with nonlinear slip boundary conditions whose variational formulation is the variational inequality of the second kind. Thereafter, the variational inequality can be transform into the variational identity as a multiplier in a convex set. The main idea of our algorithms is to approximate the low frequencies of the finite element solution using a coarse grid and use a fine grid to correct the resulted residual (that includes mostly high frequencies of the solution) by some local and parallel procedures. Error bounds for the approximate solutions are estimated. Numerical results are also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithms.
A conjecture of Gross and Zagier: Case E(ℚ)tor≅ℤ/3ℤ
Authors: Byeon Dongho , Kim Taekyung , Yhee Donggeon
Published: May 2019

Let [Formula: see text] be an elliptic curve defined over [Formula: see text] of conductor [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] the Manin constant of [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] the product of Tamagawa numbers of [Formula: see text] at prime divisors of [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be an imaginary quadratic field where all prime divisors of [Formula: see text] split in [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] the Heegner point in [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] the Shafarevich–Tate group of [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be the number of roots of unity contained in [Formula: see text]. Gross and Zagier conjectured that if [Formula: see text] has infinite order in [Formula: see text], then the integer [Formula: see text] is divisible by [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we show that this conjecture is true if [Formula: see text].
Asymptotic expansion related to the generalized Somos recurrence constant
Authors: Xu Aimin
Published: May 2019

The generalized Somos recurrence is defined by [Formula: see text] In the present paper, for fixed [Formula: see text], we study the following asymptotic series [Formula: see text] as [Formula: see text]. By using the Bell polynomials and the cycle indicator polynomials of the symmetric group, recurrence relations and a general explicit expression for the coefficients [Formula: see text] are developed. It is also shown that these coefficients are closely related to the Apostol–Bernoulli numbers. Furthermore, an asymptotic estimation for the coefficients [Formula: see text] is given as [Formula: see text].
Restricted sumsets in ℤn
Authors: Tang Min , Wei Meng-Ting
Published: May 2019

Let [Formula: see text] be a positive integer. For any subset [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be the set of the elements of [Formula: see text] which are sums of [Formula: see text] distinct elements of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we obtain some new results on [Formula: see text]. For example, we show that if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is odd, then [Formula: see text]; under some conditions, if [Formula: see text] is even and [Formula: see text] is close to [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text].
On the equality case of the Ramanujan Conjecture for Hilbert modular forms
Authors: Chiriac Liubomir
Published: May 2019

The generalized Ramanujan Conjecture for cuspidal unitary automorphic representations [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text] posits that [Formula: see text]. We prove that this inequality is strict if [Formula: see text] is generated by a Hilbert modular form of weight two, with complex multiplication, and [Formula: see text] is a finite place of degree one. Equivalently, the Satake parameters of [Formula: see text] are necessarily distinct. We also give examples where the equality case does occur for places [Formula: see text] of degree two.
Secure domination subdivision number of a graph
Authors: Divya Rashmi S. V. , Somasundaram A. , Arumugam S.
Published: May 2019

Let [Formula: see text] be a graph of order [Formula: see text] and size [Formula: see text] A dominating set [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is called a secure dominating set if for each [Formula: see text] there exists [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] is adjacent to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a dominating set of [Formula: see text] In this case, we say that [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-defended by [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]-defends [Formula: see text] The secure domination number [Formula: see text] is the minimum cardinality of a secure dominating set of [Formula: see text] The secure domination subdivision number of [Formula: see text] is the minimum number of edges that must be subdivided (each edge in [Formula: see text] can be subdivided at most once) in order to increase the secure domination number. In this paper, we present several results on this parameter.
A differential equation for varying Krall-type orthogonal polynomials
Authors: Filipuk Galina , Mañas-Mañas Juan F.
Published: May 2019

In this contribution, we consider varying Krall-type polynomials which are orthogonal with respect to a varying discrete Krall-type inner product. Our main goal is to give ladder operators for this family of polynomials as well as to find a second-order differential-difference equation that these polynomials satisfy. We generalize some results that appeared recently in the literature.
Computing a landing spot on Mars
Authors: Tichy Walter
Published: May 2019

The purpose of the Mars rover is in its name---to rove, explore, study Martian geology, look for signs of water, look for signs of life (past or present), etc. However, achieving these and other objectives requires putting the rover down on a suitable landing site, i.e. a site suitable for searching for the desired information and safe to land and function without hindrance or breaking down.

The data for making these decisions comes from prior Mars missions. Selecting a suitable landing site is a complex process typically taking several years. Researchers at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research prototyped a new software that can help NASA mission planners to more rapidly and reliably find landing sites, potentially reducing the total time required to weeks. In this interview, Victor Pankratius, leader of the research team, shares some insight into the project.
Maps, silence, and Standing Rock
Authors: Eichberger Ryan
Published: May 2019

In 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe founded the Sacred Stone Camp to protest Dakota Access Pipeline construction. The ensuing conflict was constructed both physically and digitally --- especially through maps. These maps made strategic inclusions and exclusions, which in turn offered differing concepts of civic, national, and historical identity. In this study, I trace some of these stories, inviting technical and professional communicators to rethink how they visualize systemic issues involving human and nonhuman ecologies. Finally, I suggest the idea of a 'folded rhetoric' to describe a strategic, ethical goal for technical communication in the age of environmental crisis.
Risk selfies and nonrational environmental communication
Authors: Pflugfelder Ehren Helmut
Published: May 2019

Risk associated with a Pacific Northwest earthquake was expressed through a moderately successful social media risk communication campaign known as #14gallons. #14gallons encouraged people to collect and store 14 gallons of fresh water per person and take a selfie with their water, tagging others to do the same. This article frames the hashtag campaign within scholarship on the rhetoric of risk, defines the genre of the "risk selfie," and then uses a modified version of Laurie Gries's iconographic tracking method to produce information about the campaign that can be productively employed by risk communication practitioners.
Earth discourses
Authors: Dong Lin
Published: May 2019

Defining global warming as a rhetorical construct built by stakeholders, this study investigates how Chinese state and social media understand risk and responsibility regarding climate change. This multi-layer, multi-dimensional, statistical and qualitative textual analysis focuses on the ratification and implementation of the Paris Agreement and the U.S. withdrawal from it. Findings indicate that a new green public sphere led by grassroots experts and aided by lay people is burgeoning in China and changing the way people conceptualize environmental risks and engage in environmental protection. With theoretical and methodological innovations, this study contributes to the emerging field of transnational environmental communication.
T-cell recruitment to the heart: friendly guests or unwelcome visitors?
Authors: Blanton Robert M. , Carrillo-Salinas Francisco J. , Alcaide Pilar
Published: May 2019

Myocardial inflammation can lead to lethal acute or chronic heart failure (HF). T lymphocytes (T cells), have been reported in the inflamed heart in different etiologies of HF, and more recent studies support that different T-cell subsets play distinct roles in the heart depending on the inflammation-triggering event. T cells follow sequential steps to extravasate into tissues, but their specific recruitment to the heart is determined by several factors. These include differences in T-cell responsiveness to specific chemokines in the heart environment, as well as differences in the expression of adhesion molecules in response to distinct stimuli, which regulate T-cell recruitment to the heart and have consequences in cardiac remodeling and function. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the role T cells play in the heart, including its critical role for host defense to virus and myocardial healing postischemia, and its pathogenic role in chronic ischemic and nonischemic HF. We discuss a variety of mechanisms that contribute to the inflammatory damage to the heart, as well as regulatory mechanisms that limit the magnitude of T-cell-mediated inflammation. We also highlight areas in which further research is needed to understand the role T cells play in the heart and distinguish the findings reported in experimental animal models and how they may translate to clinical observations in the human heart.
Passive heat therapy in sedentary humans increases skeletal muscle capillarization and eNOS content but not mitochondrial density or GLUT4 content
Authors: Hesketh Katie , Shepherd Sam O. , Strauss Juliette A. , Low David A. , Cooper Robert J. , Wagenmakers Anton J. M. , Cocks Matthew
Published: May 2019

Passive heat therapy (PHT) has been proposed as an alternative intervention to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) in individuals who are unable or unwilling to exercise. This study aimed to make the first comparison of the effect of PHT and MICT on 1) skeletal muscle capillarization and endothelial-specific endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) content and 2) mitochondrial density, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), and intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) content. Twenty young sedentary males (21 ± 1 yr, body mass index 25 ± 1 kg/m2) were allocated to either 6 wk of PHT ( n = 10; 40–50 min at 40°C in a heat chamber, 3×/wk) or MICT ( n = 10; time-matched cycling at ~65% V̇o2peak). Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle before and after training. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to assess changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial density (mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4), GLUT4, and IMTG content, capillarization, and endothelial-specific eNOS content. V̇o2peakand whole body insulin sensitivity were also assessed. PHT and MICT both increased capillary density (PHT 21%; MICT 12%), capillary-fiber perimeter exchange index (PHT 15%; MICT 12%) ( P < 0.05), and endothelial-specific eNOS content (PHT 8%; MICT 12%) ( P < 0.05). However, unlike MICT (mitochondrial density 40%; GLUT4 14%; IMTG content 70%) ( P < 0.05), PHT did not increase mitochondrial density (11%, P = 0.443), GLUT4 (7%, P = 0.217), or IMTG content (1%, P = 0.957). Both interventions improved aerobic capacity (PHT 5%; MICT 7%) and whole body insulin sensitivity (PHT 15%; MICT 36%) ( P < 0.05). Six-week PHT in young sedentary males increases skeletal muscle capillarization and eNOS content to a similar extent as MICT; however, unlike MICT, PHT does not affect skeletal muscle mitochondrial density, GLUT4, or IMTG content.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The effect of 6-wk passive heat therapy (PHT) compared with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) was investigated in young sedentary males. PHT induced similar increases in skeletal muscle capillarization and endothelial-specific endothelial nitric oxide synthase content to MICT. Unlike MICT, PHT did not improve skeletal muscle mitochondrial density, glucose transporter 4, or intramuscular triglyceride content. These microvascular adaptations were paralleled by improvements in V̇o2peakand insulin sensitivity, suggesting that microvascular adaptations may contribute to functional improvements following PHT.
RNA sequencing in human HepG2 hepatocytes reveals PPAR-α mediates transcriptome responsiveness of bilirubin
Authors: Gordon Darren M. , Blomquist Thomas M. , Miruzzi Scott A. , McCullumsmith Robert , Stec David E. , Hinds Terry D.
Published: May 2019

Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant that reduces inflammation and the accumulation of fat. There have been reports of gene responses to bilirubin, which was mostly attributed to its antioxidant function. Using RNA sequencing, we found that biliverdin, which is rapidly reduced to bilirubin, induced transcriptome responses in human HepG2 hepatocytes in a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α-dependent fashion (398 genes with >2-fold change; false discovery rate P < 0.05). For comparison, a much narrower set of genes demonstrated differential expression when PPAR-α was suppressed via lentiviral shRNA knockdown (23 genes). Gene set enrichment analysis revealed the bilirubin-PPAR-α transcriptome mediates pathways for oxidation-reduction processes, mitochondrial function, response to nutrients, fatty acid oxidation, and lipid homeostasis. Together, these findings suggest that transcriptome responses from the generation of bilirubin are mostly PPAR-α dependent, and its antioxidant function regulates a smaller set of genes.
Novel gene regulatory networks identified in response to nitro-conjugated linoleic acid in human endothelial cells
Authors: Lu Haocheng , Sun Jinjian , Liang Wenying , Zhang Jifeng , Rom Oren , Garcia-Barrio Minerva T. , Li Shengdi , Villacorta Luis , Schopfer Francisco J. , Freeman Bruce A. , Chen Y. Eugene , Fan Yanbo
Published: May 2019

Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction is a crucial initiation event in the development of atherosclerosis and is associated with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart failure. Both digestive and oxidative inflammatory conditions lead to the endogenous formation of nitrated derivatives of unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) upon generation of the proximal nitrating species nitrogen dioxide (·NO2) by nitric oxide (·NO) and nitrite-dependent reactions. Nitro-FAs (NO2-FAs) such as nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA) and nitro-linoleic acid (NO2-LA) potently inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress, regulate cellular functions, and maintain cardiovascular homeostasis. Recently, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was identified as the preferential FA substrate of nitration in vivo. However, the functions of nitro-CLA (NO2-CLA) in ECs remain to be explored. In the present study, a distinct transcriptome regulated by NO2-CLA was revealed in primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) through RNA sequencing. Differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analysis identified numerous regulatory networks including those related to the modulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, cell cycle, and hypoxic responses by NO2-CLA, suggesting a diverse impact of NO2-CLA and other electrophilic nitrated FAs on cellular processes. These findings extend the understanding of the protective actions of NO2-CLA in cardiovascular diseases and provide new insight into the underlying mechanisms that mediate the pleiotropic cellular responses to NO2-CLA.
A Ferret Model of Encephalopathy of Prematurity
Authors: Wood Thomas , Moralejo Daniel , Corry Kylie , Snyder Jessica M. , Traudt Christopher , Curtis Chad , Nance Elizabeth , Parikh Pratik , Juul Sandra E.
Published: May 2019

There is an ongoing need for relevant animal models in which to test therapeutic interventions for infants with neurological sequelae of prematurity. The ferret is an attractive model species as it has a gyrified brain with a white-to-gray matter ratio similar to that in the human brain. A model of encephalopathy of prematurity was developed in postnatal day 10 (P10) ferret kits, considered to be developmentally equivalent to infants of 24–26 weeks’ gestation. Cross-fostered P10 ferret kits received 5 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) before undergoing consecutive hypoxia-hyperoxia-hypoxia (60 min at 9%, 120 min at 60%, and 30 min at 9%). Control animals received saline vehicle followed by normoxia. The development of basic reflexes (negative geotaxis, cliff aversion, and righting) as well as gait coordination on an automated catwalk were assessed between P28 and P70, followed by ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and immunohistochemical analysis. Compared to controls, injured animals had slower overall reflex development between P28 and P40, as well as smaller hind-paw areas consistent with “toe walking” at P42. Injured animals also displayed significantly greater lateral movement during CatWalk assessment as a result of reduced gait coordination. Ex vivo MRI showed widespread white-matter hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging as well as altered connectivity patterns. This coincided with white-matter dysmaturation characterized by increased intensity of myelin basic protein staining, white-matter thinning, and loss of oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (OLIG2)-positive cells. These results suggest both pathological and motor deficits consistent with premature white-matter injury. This newborn ferret model can therefore provide an additional platform to assess potential therapies before translation to human clinical trials.
Elevation in Circulating YKL-40 Levels in Patients with Stroke: A Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Nadeem Rashid , Nida Mahwish , Jawed Shafaq , Nasrallah Basil
Published: May 2019

Background: Stroke is the second most common cause of mortality and the third most common cause of disability. Modifiable risk factors for ischemic stroke include obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cigarette smoking, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidemia, carotid artery stenosis, sickle cell disease, postmenopausal hormone therapy, poor diet, and physical inactivity. There is data establishing the role of atherosclerosis in stroke. Evidence suggests a role for inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis and cerebrovascular disease. YKL-40, also called chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), is a novel inflammatory biomarker secreted by monocytes which has been elevated in stroke patients in multiple studies. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess if patients with elevated YKL-40 have increased odds of having a stroke. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, and google scholar were searched using the keywords YKL-40, chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1), human cartilage glycoprotein 39 (HC-gp39), stroke, ischemic stroke, cerebrovascular disease, atherosclerosis, and inflammation. English studies from 1960 to August 2017 addressing YKL-40 and stroke as well as YKL-40 levels in subjects with and without stroke were analyzed. YKL-40 levels were converted to ng/mL if provided in any other scale. Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Twelve datasets were analyzed, as 1 study included more than 1 dataset. Seven studies were case-control studies (n = 702 cases and n = 389 controls), while 3 studies were cross-sectional (n = 13,811). A random effects model was used. The standardized mean difference in YKL-40 levels between the stroke group and the control group was 2.21 (1.28–3.14, p < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis and cumulative analysis showed unchanged results. Funnel plots/precision plots indicated publication bias. Meta-regression analysis of case-control studies for the variables age and gender showed no significant impact of age (p = 0.33) and male gender (p = 0.11). Conclusion: High YKL-40 levels appear to be associated with stroke.
Temozolomide Alone or Combined with Capecitabine for the Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor
Authors: de Mestier Louis , Walter Thomas , Evrard Camille , de Boissieu Paul , Hentic Olivia , Cros Jérôme , Tougeron David , Lombard-Bohas Catherine , Rebours Vinciane , Hammel Pascal , Ruszniewski Philippe
Published: May 2019

Background: The combination of capecitabine (CAP) with temozolomide (TEM) chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNET) relies on limited evidence. We compared TEM-CAP to TEM alone in patients with advanced PanNET. Methods: Consecutive patients with advanced PanNET treated with TEM or TEM-CAP between 2004 and 2017 in three expert centers were included. Progression-free survival (PFS), tolerance, tumor response, and overall survival were compared between the two groups. Propensity-based analyses were performed to reduce confounding bias due to the nonrandomized setting. Results: TEM and TEM-CAP were administered to 38 patients and 100 patients, respectively, with a median age of 58 years. The patients in the TEM group more often had hormonal syndromes (p = 0.03), a longer median delay to diagnosis (p = 0.001), and a higher number of pretreatment lines (p < 0.001). The performance status was 0 in 58% versus 65% of the patients, and tumor’s median Ki-67 index was 8% versus 11%, respectively. Tolerance was similar, except that there were more cases of asthenia in the TEM group (p = 0.017) and more cases of hand-foot syndrome in the TEM-CAP group (p = 0.025). The objective response rate was 34% versus 51% (p = 0.088). The raw median PFS was similar with TEM and with TEM-CAP (21.4 vs. 19.8 months, p = 0.84). Although CAP tended to decrease the risk of progression in Cox multivariate analysis (HR 0.65, p = 0.12), it had no effect after adjustment for the propensity score (HR 1.06, p = 0.80). Conclusions: TEM-CAP might not prolong PFS but might achieve a higher response rate than TEM alone. Hence, TEM-CAP might be preferred when tumor shrinkage is the main therapeutic objective. Otherwise, TEM might be adequate for patients with an impaired performance status or in case of extrahepatic metastases.
A new species of jambú (Acmella, Heliantheae, Asteraceae) from Amazonia, Brazil
Authors: CAMPOS MARKUS M. , FERNANDES GÉSSICA E.A. , HALL CLIMBIÊ F. , DOS SANTOS JOÃO U.M.
Published: May 2019

While studying the tribe Heliantheae (Asterecaceae) in the Brazilian Legal Amazon, a new species of Acmella was discovered. This and three other species of the genus are popularly known as jambú and used in the local cuisine. This work provides an identification key, a detailed description, comments and an illustration of the new species. Based on what is known, the species is endemic to Pará and, consequently, to the Brazilian Legal Amazon.