bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracking Southern Ocean Sea Ice Extent With Winter Water: A New Method Based on the Oxygen Isotopic Signature of Foraminifera
Authors: Lund David C. , Chase Zanna , Kohfeld Karen E. , Wilson Earle A.
Published: May 2021

Southern Ocean sea ice plays a central role in the oceanic meridional overturning circulation, transforming globally prevalent watermasses through surface buoyancy loss and gain. Buoyancy loss due to surface cooling and sea ice growth promotes the formation of bottom water that flows into the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific basins, while buoyancy gain due to sea ice melt helps transform the returning deep flow into intermediate and mode waters. Because northward expansion of Southern Ocean sea ice during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 19–23 kyr BP) may have enhanced deep ocean stratification and contributed to lower atmospheric CO2 levels, reconstructions of sea ice extent are critical to understanding the LGM climate state. Here, we present a new sea ice proxy based on the 18O/16O ratio of foraminifera (δ18Oc). In the seasonal sea ice zone, sea ice formation during austral winter creates a cold surface mixed layer that persists in the sub‐surface during spring and summer. The cold sub‐surface layer, known as winter water, sits above relatively warm deep water, creating an inverted temperature profile. The unique surface‐to‐deep temperature contrast is reflected in estimates of equilibrium δ18Oc, implying that paired analysis of planktonic and benthic foraminifera can be used to infer sea ice extent. To demonstrate the feasibility of the δ18Oc method, we present a compilation of N. pachyderma and Cibicidoides spp. results from the Atlantic sector that yields an estimate of winter sea ice extent consistent with modern observations.
Untargeted metabolomics reveals plasma metabolites predictive of ectopic fat in pancreas and liver as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging: the TOFI_Asia study
Authors: Wu Zhanxuan E. , Fraser Karl , Kruger Marlena C. , Sequeira Ivana R. , Yip Wilson , Lu Louise W. , Plank Lindsay D. , Murphy Rinki , Cooper Garth J. S. , Martin Jean-Charles , Hollingsworth Kieren G. , Poppitt Sally D.
Published: May 2021

Background

Excess visceral obesity and ectopic organ fat is associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. However, circulating markers for early detection of ectopic fat, particularly pancreas and liver, are lacking.

Methods

Lipid storage in pancreas, liver, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from 68 healthy or pre-diabetic Caucasian and Chinese women enroled in the TOFI_Asia study was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy (MRI/S). Plasma metabolites were measured with untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy (LC–MS). Multivariate partial least squares (PLS) regression identified metabolites predictive of VAT/SAT and ectopic fat; univariate linear regression adjusting for potential covariates identified individual metabolites associated with VAT/SAT and ectopic fat; linear regression adjusted for ethnicity identified clinical and anthropometric correlates for each fat depot.

Results

PLS identified 56, 64 and 31 metabolites which jointly predicted pancreatic fat (R2Y = 0.81, Q2 = 0.69), liver fat (RY2 = 0.8, Q2 = 0.66) and VAT/SAT ((R2Y = 0.7, Q2 = 0.62)) respectively. Among the PLS-identified metabolites, none of them remained significantly associated with pancreatic fat after adjusting for all covariates. Dihydrosphingomyelin (dhSM(d36:0)), 3 phosphatidylethanolamines, 5 diacylglycerols (DG) and 40 triacylglycerols (TG) were associated with liver fat independent of covariates. Three DGs and 12 TGs were associated with VAT/SAT independent of covariates. Notably, comparison with clinical correlates showed better predictivity of ectopic fat by these PLS-identified plasma metabolite markers.

Conclusions

Untargeted metabolomics identified candidate markers of visceral and ectopic fat that improved fat level prediction over clinical markers. Several plasma metabolites were associated with level of liver fat and VAT/SAT ratio independent of age, total and visceral adiposity, whereas pancreatic fat deposition was only associated with increased sulfolithocholic acid independent of adiposity-related parameters, but not age.
Exosomes secreted from cancer-associated fibroblasts elicit anti-pyrimidine drug resistance through modulation of its transporter in malignant lymphoma
Authors: Kunou Shunsuke , Shimada Kazuyuki , Takai Mika , Sakamoto Akihiko , Aoki Tomohiro , Hikita Tomoya , Kagaya Yusuke , Iwamoto Eisuke , Sanada Masashi , Shimada Satoko , Hayakawa Fumihiko , Oneyama Chitose , Kiyoi Hitoshi
Published: May 2021

The tumor microenvironment is deeply involved in the process of tumor growth and development. In this study, we focused on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and their derived exosomes on the lymphoma microenvironment to uncover their clinical significance. CAFs were established from primary lymphoma samples, and exosomes secreted from CAFs were obtained by standard procedures. We then investigated the roles of CAFs and their derived exosomes in the survival and drug resistance of lymphoma cells. CAFs supported the survival of lymphoma cells through increased glycolysis, and the extent differed among CAFs. Exosomes were identified as a major component of the extracellular vesicles from CAFs, and they also supported the survival of lymphoma cells. The suppression of RAB27B, which is involved in the secretion of exosomes, using a specific siRNA resulted in reduced exosome secretion and decreased survival of lymphoma cells. Moreover, anti-pyrimidine drug resistance was induced in the presence of exosomes through the suppression of the pyrimidine transporter, equilibrative nucleoside transporter 2 (ENT2), and the suppression of ENT2 was significant in in vivo experiments and clinical samples. RNA sequencing analysis of miRNAs in exosomes identified miR-4717-5p as one of the most abundant miRNAs in the exosome, which suppressed the expression of ENT2 and induced anti-pyrimidine drug resistance in vitro. Our results suggest that exosomes including miR-4717-5p secreted from CAFs play a pivotal role in the lymphoma microenvironment, indicating that they are a promising therapeutic target.
LncRNA ZNF674-AS1 regulates granulosa cell glycolysis and proliferation by interacting with ALDOA
Authors: Li Duan , Wang Xiaoyan , Li Guangyu , Dang Yujie , Zhao Shidou , Qin Yingying
Published: May 2021

Granulosa cell (GC) is a critical somatic component of ovarian follicles to support oocyte development, while the regulatory role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in GCs is largely unknown. Here, we identified a down-regulated lncRNA ZNF674-AS1 in GCs from patients with biochemical premature ovarian insufficiency (bPOI), and its expression correlates with serum levels of clinical ovarian reserve indicators. Functional experiments showed that ZNF674-AS1 is induced by energy stress, and regulates the proliferation and glycolysis of GCs, which possibly leads to follicular dysfunction. Mechanistically, low-expressed ZNF674-AS1 reduced the enzymatic activity of aldolase A (ALDOA), concomitant with promoting the association between ALDOA and v-ATPase to activate the lysosome localized AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). These findings identified a new lncRNA–ALDOA complex through which ZNF674-AS1 exerts its functions, expanding the understanding of epigenetic regulation of GCs function and POI pathogenesis.
Involvement of cancer-derived EMT cells in the accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the hypoxic cancer microenvironment
Authors: Sugita Sachi , Yamato Masanori , Hatabu Toshimitsu , Kataoka Yosky
Published: May 2021

A high rate of glycolysis, one of the most common features of cancer, is used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to visualize tumor tissues using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). Heterogeneous intratumoral distribution of 18F-FDG in tissues has been established in some types of cancer, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) has been correlated with poor prognosis. However, the phenotype of cells that show high 18F-FDG accumulation in tumors remains unknown. Here, we combined quantitative micro-autoradiography with fluorescence immunohistochemistry to simultaneously visualize 18F-FDG distribution, the expression of multiple proteins, and hypoxic regions in the cancer microenvironment of a human A431 xenograft tumor in C.B-17/Icr-scid/scid mice. We found that the highest 18F-FDG accumulation was in cancer-derived cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in hypoxic regions, implicating these regions as a major contributor to increased glucose metabolism, as measured by 18F-FDG-PET.
Improving sentence simplification model with ordered neurons network
Authors: Deng Chunhui , Zhang Lemin , Deng Huifang
Published: May 2021

Sentence simplification is an essential task in natural language processing and aims to simplify complex sentences while retaining their primary meanings. To date, the main research works on sentence simplification models have been based on sequence‐to‐sequence (Seq2Seq) models. However, these Seq2Seq models are incapable of analysing the hierarchical structure of sentences, which is of great significance for sentence simplification. The problem can be addressed with an ON‐MULTI‐STAGE model constructed based on the improved MULTI‐STAGE encoder model. In this model, an ordered neurons network is introduced and can provide sentence‐level structural information for the encoder and decoder. A weak attention connection method is then employed to make the decoder use the sentence‐level structural details. Experimental results on two open data sets demonstrated that the constructed model outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art baseline models in sentence simplification.
Error correction in data storage systems using polar codes
Authors: Gerrar Nana Kobina , Zhao Shengmei , Kong Lingjun
Published: May 2021

This paper investigates error correction in two‐dimensional (2‐D) intersymbol interference (ISI) channels using polar codes. 2‐D channels offer high data storage capacity compared to traditional one‐dimensional (1‐D) channels but suffer from greater ISI effects. Error correction codes can be used to mitigate the effects of ISI in 2‐D data storage systems and improve their performance and reliability. Polar codes achieve the symmetric capacity for the class of binary‐input discrete memoryless channels (B‐DMCs). A post‐processing technique is proposed to improve the performance of polar codes in the 2‐D ISI channel. The simplified successive cancellation (SSC) polar decoder is useful for data storage systems owing to its good waterfall region performance, low error floors and good throughput rates and is therefore adopted for the study. Simulation results indicate that the proposed technique has an error correction performance comparable to some existing decoders and has better performance than other decoding techniques.
Condition monitoring and severity estimation of rotor demagnetisation fault using magnetic flux measurement data
Authors: Usman Adil , Sharma Vivek. K. , Rajpurohit Bharat. S.
Published: May 2021

This article studies and investigate the magnetic characteristics of a surface mounted permanent magnet (SPM)‐type brushless direct current (BLDC) motor when subjected to demagnetisation fault conditions. The proposed research subjugates the limitation of estimating the State of Health (SoH) of a BLDC motor drive when deployed in electric vehicle (EV) applications. Demagnetisation faults adversely affect the performance of a machine and indirectly the EV drive system, bringing significant transformation in the machine’s characteristics and quantities. The novel method of measuring the radial magnetic field (Bg) across the machine airgap assists in diagnosing and estimating the % severity of faults under the subjected fault conditions. A numerical co‐simulation‐based model of a BLDC motor is developed to investigate the performance of the machine under both healthy and fault conditions. The BLDC motor being studied is operated using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based control drive adopting a hysteresis current control (HCC) technique. The experimental investigation of a complete BLDC motor test drive is carried out with an FPGA‐based algorithm developed on the Xilinx ISE tool. The outcomes obtained are validated with the numerical results obtained through a finite element (FE) analysis. The proposed study uses a fluxgate sensor for experimental measurement of the flux density of a BLDC motor drive, which is vital for estimating the fault severity and scheduling the maintenance accordingly. The experimental investigations are found to be in validation with the proposed techniques in estimating the health of a BLDC motor‐driven EV drive system.
A novel weighted total variation model for image denoising
Authors: Li Meng‐Meng , Li Bing‐Zhao
Published: May 2021

Image denoising is a very important problem in image processing field. In order to improve denoising effects and meanwhile keep image structures, a novel weighted total variation (WTV) model is proposed in this paper. The WTV model consists of data fidelity and norm based regularisation terms. In the WTV model, a weight function in exponential form is incorporated into the regularisation term, which only depends on the given image itself without extra parameters. The nonlinearly monotone formulation of helps to increase gaps between lower and higher frequencies of images, which is effective to highlight edges and keep textures. For solving the proposed model, the alternating direction method of multipliers is explored and the according convergence is analysed. Compared experiments of TV, HOTV, ATV and models are conducted and the results show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model.
Evolution towards optimal driving strategies for large‐scale autonomous vehicles
Authors: Jiang Runsong , Liu Zhangjie , Li Huiyun
Published: May 2021

With rapidly developing autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies, the optimal driving strategy should consider multi‐objective optimization problems of large‐scale transportation systems, including safety and efficiency. Different driving strategies have different performance, and there is an interaction between vehicles with different strategies. Since the Nash equilibrium is hard to find for an n‐player game, it is difficult to get an analytical solution to this multi‐objective optimization problem. Therefor a coevolutionary algorithm is proposed to explore the interactions between populations with different strategies and investigate the cooperation and competition among vehicles. Combining the multi‐objective optimization algorithm and the incentive mechanism of survival of the fittest reproduction law, the system structure reaches a stable equilibrium state and the optimal group driving strategy evolves. Simulation results, with 40,000 vehicles driving in Luxembourg SUMO Traffic Scenario, demonstrate that the rational–rational strategy performs best among six typical strategies. Meanwhile, the accident rate drops by 56%, while the overall average speed increases by 30%. The results of multi‐vehicle and multi‐objective coevolution are enlightening in designing optimal driving strategy with AVs.
DC breakdown characteristics and charges accumulation behaviour of thermally upgraded paper aged in natural ester
Authors: Zou Runhao , Hao Jian , Li Yanqing , Liao Ruijin , Li Wenping
Published: May 2021

Considering that the working temperature is much higher in high‐voltage direct‐current (HVDC) convert transformers than in conventional AC transformers, the combination of thermally upgraded paper and natural ester might be a better choice to withstand high temperature in long‐term operation. This study compares the chemical structure, DC breakdown voltage, space charge and trap distribution of thermally upgraded paper aged in natural esters and mineral oil. The relationship between DC breakdown and accumulated charges was analyzed. Results show that the thermally upgraded paper aged in natural ester (NEI‐TUP) has a higher volume resistivity and DC breakdown voltage than that aged in mineral oil (MOI‐TUP). The NEI‐TUP group has a larger deep trap density than the MOI‐TUP group due to the chemical structure of natural ester. The larger deep trap density could contribute to the lower charge accumulation quantity and higher DC breakdown voltage. The thermally upgraded paper immersed in natural ester presents better insulation capability under thermal and DC electrical stress than that immersed in conventional mineral oil. This research indicated that the combination of thermally upgraded paper and natural ester might be a potential alternative for the mineral oil immersed paper in the future.
Performance evaluation and artificial neural network based thermal modelling of multi tilted active tiles in data centres
Authors: Rasheed Zeeshan , Zhao Zhiyan , Cong Gaoxiang , Wan Jianxiong , Li Leixiao , Ma Zhiqiang
Published: May 2021

The main purpose of this paper is to improve the resilience of data center cooling system and reduce the energy consumption in data center by using the Tilted Active Tile (TATs). We deploy multiple TATs in cold aisle environment then analyze the thermal performance of racks. TATs also help to improve the reliability in case of cooling failure by increased ride through time. We observed an extended ride‐through time for data centers deployed with Tilted Active Tiles (TATs) when the CRAC blower failed. Proposed approach can maintain cooling system temperature for up to 10 minutes. We also introduced ANN based thermal models to predict the thermal performance of TATs, To train the ANN models, we collect the rack inlet and CRAC outlet temperature from Data Center. We also fixed blank panel in empty U part of racks and then analyzed that the thermal performance of racks are better and temperature distribution at bottom, middle and top of the rack were same under 30°angle. The airflow of TATs and passive tile influence on surrounding racks. That’s why we analyzed the disturbance of TATs on surrounding rack and observed that the TATs at 30°angle has positiveimpact on the surrounding racks.
Gerwasia imperialis.
Authors:   USA, USDA-ARS
Published: May 2021

There is little published information on this plant pathogenic fungus, which is limited to South America. It infects Rubus spp., which exist in other regions of the world with similar environmental conditions, therefore this species may pose a threat to native or agricultural plants if introduced.
Phragmidium butleri.
Authors:   USA, USDA-ARS
Published: May 2021

here is little published information on this plant pathogenic fungus, which is limited to parts of Asia. It infects Rosa spp., which exist in other regions of the world with similar environmental conditions, therefore this species may pose a threat to native or agricultural plants if introduced.
Emilia sonchifolia (red tasselflower).
Authors: Rojas-Sandoval Julissa
Published: May 2021

Emilia sonchifolia is an annual herb believed to be native to China and South-East Asia. Since spreading from its natural range, E. sonchifolia now has a pan-tropical distribution and is naturalized elsewhere in Asia, as well as in Australia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and the Americas. This species has been reported as a weed for a number of crops and has been shown to reduce yields and act as a reservoir for crop pathogens. Currently it is listed as invasive in India, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, Costa Rica, the Galapagos, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Madeira, Réunion, Hawaii and on many other islands in the Pacific Ocean. Mechanical control has been shown to be effective, and chemical control has been effective in some annual and perennial crops.
Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed).
Authors: Shaw Dick
Published: May 2021

F. japonica is an extremely invasive weed despite its lack of extensive sexual reproduction in most of its introduced range. It is included on various lists of invasive weeds and is one of the 100 worst invasive species as identified by the IUCN. It is a potential contaminant of soil, and its ability to tolerate a remarkable range of soil types and climates means that it has the potential to spread much further than it has to date. It has gained a fearsome reputation for breaking through hard structures in the built environment and being almost impossible to eradicate once it has taken hold and is often recognized as one of the most pernicious weeds in any recipient country.
Universal quantum control based on parametric modulation in superconducting circuits*
Authors: Li Dan-Yu , Chu Ji , Zheng Wen , Lan Dong , Zhao Jie , Li Shao-Xiong , Tan Xin-Sheng , Yu Yang
Published: May 2021

As superconducting quantum circuits are scaling up rapidly towards the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era, the demand for electronic control equipment has increased significantly. To fully control a quantum chip of N qubits, the common method based on up-conversion technology costs at least 2 × N digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and N IQ mixers. The expenses and complicate mixer calibration have become a hinderance for intermediate-scale quantum control. Here we propose a universal control scheme for superconducting circuits, fully based on parametric modulation. To control N qubits on a chip, our scheme only requires N DACs and no IQ mixer, which significantly reduces the expenses. One key idea in the control scheme is to introduce a global pump signal for single-qubit gates. We theoretically explain how the universal gates are constructed using parametric modulation. The fidelity analysis shows that parametric single-qubit (two-qubit) gates in the proposed scheme can achieve low error rates of 10−4, with a gate time of about 60 ns (100 ns).
Insight into influence of thermodynamic coefficients on transient negative capacitance in Zr-doped HfO2 ferroelectric capacitors*
Authors: Zhang Yuan-Yuan , Sun Xiao-Qing , Chai Jun-Shuai , Xu Hao , Ma Xue-Li , Xiang Jin-Juan , Han Kai , Wang Xiao-Lei , Wang Wen-Wu
Published: May 2021

We study the influence of the thermodynamic coefficients on transient negative capacitance for the Zr-doped HfO2 (HZO) ferroelectric capacitors by the theoretical simulation based on the Landau–Khalatnikov (L-K) theory and experimental measurement of electrical properties in the resistor-ferroelectric capacitor (R-FEC) circuit. Our results show that the thermodynamic coefficients α, β and γ also play a key role for the transient NC effect besides the viscosity coefficient and series resistor. Moreover, the smaller coefficients α and β, the more significant the transient NC effect. In addition, we also find that the thermodynamic process of transient NC does not obey the generally accepted viewpoint of Gibbs free energy minimization.
Use of the small-bites fascial closure technique and strategies to improve adoption: mixed-methods study
Authors: Dossa F , Speller B , Acuna S A , Adessky R , Facey M , Baxter N N
Published: May 2021

In a mixed-methods study of general surgeons and general surgery residents, only 26 per cent of surgeons reported routine use of the small-bites fascial closure technique. Major barriers to adoption included surgical dogma, distrust in the technique, and the generalizability/applicability of existing evidence.
Researching the Non-Take up of Social Rights: A Social Work Perspective
Authors: Dewanckel Lore , Schiettecat Tineke , Hermans Koen , Roose Rudi , Van Lancker Wim , Roets Griet
Published: May 2021

In the face of growing social, economic, political and demographic challenges, many European welfare states have been confronted with barriers in realising the social rights of certain groups of citizens. This phenomenon has often been referred to as ‘the non-take up of social rights’. Considering the core mandate and key principles of social work as a practice-based profession and academic discipline, we argue that social work should have a key role in knowledge and practice development on understanding and combating the non-take up of social rights. Our integrative contextual literature review, nonetheless, demonstrates that there is a tangible scarcity of theoretically and empirically grounded social work research that generates fruitful and in-depth insights into the socially unjust situations and complex dynamics behind these processes of non-take up. This article therefore aims to identify and discuss the key knowledge gaps in the existing body of research on non-take up. As a result, we address critical foci for a future empirical social work research agenda to munition social work practice development that strongly accentuates the substantial realisation of social rights and accordingly contributes to social justice.
dbGENVOC: database of GENomic Variants of Oral Cancer, with special reference to India
Authors: Pradhan Sanchari , Das Subrata , Singh Animesh K , Das Chitrarpita , Basu Analabha , Majumder Partha P , Biswas Nidhan K
Published: May 2021

Oral cancer is highly prevalent in India and is the most frequent cancer type among Indian males. It is also very common in southeast Asia. India has participated in the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and some national initiatives to generate large-scale genomic data on oral cancer patients and analyze to identify associations and systematically catalog the associated variants. We have now created an open, web-accessible database of these variants found significantly associated with Indian oral cancer patients, with a user-friendly interface to enable easy mining. We have value added to this database by including relevant data collated from various sources on other global populations, thereby providing opportunities of comparative geographical and/or ethnic analyses. Currently, no other database of similar nature is available on oral cancer. We have developed Database of GENomic Variants of Oral Cancer, a browsable online database framework for storage, retrieval and analysis of large-scale data on genomic variants and make it freely accessible to the scientific community. Presently, the web-accessible database allows potential users to mine data on ∼24 million clinically relevant somatic and germline variants derived from exomes (n = 100) and whole genomes (n = 5) of Indian oral cancer patients; all generated by us. Variant data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and data manually curated from peer-reviewed publications were also incorporated into the database for comparative analyses. It allows users to query the database by a single gene, multiple genes, multiple variant sites, genomic region, patient ID and pathway identities.

Database URL: http://research.nibmg.ac.in/dbcares/dbgenvoc/
Follow-up and symptom persistence after esophageal food impaction
Authors: Rosenwald Kent , Pan Zhaoxing , Andrews Rachel , Menard-Katcher Calies
Published: May 2021

Esophageal food impactions (EFI) are associated with esophageal pathology, most commonly eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Obtaining biopsies provides opportunity for diagnosis, which is important since treatment of EoE decreases the risk for future EFI. Outpatient follow-up rates remain suboptimal and outcomes of patients without timely follow-up are unknown. We aimed to identify the factors associated with pediatric subspecialty follow-up post-EFI and to determine the symptom burden in patients without follow-up. We performed a retrospective review of patients presenting with EFI at a tertiary children’s hospital between 2010 and 2018. Patients without subspecialty follow-up within 1 year of EFI were included in a prospective telephone survey investigating the barriers to care, outcomes, and symptoms. Clinical characteristics were compared between groups. Multivariate analysis was used to control for multiple variables. There were 127 EFI identified in 123 individuals (73% male, mean age: 12.2 years). Esophageal biopsies were collected in 76% of cases, and 49% of patients had follow-up. Individuals with follow-up were more likely (P ≤ 0.05) to have had biopsies. In a multivariate analysis, written recommendation for follow-up (Odds Ratio: 6.9 [2.4–19.5], P = 0.001) as well as atopic history and identified stricture were associated with a higher likelihood of follow-up. Those without follow-up had subsequent stricture (35%), dilation (44%), or EFI (39%), and 55% (12/22) described ongoing esophageal symptoms. Identification of treatable findings at time of EFI and ongoing symptom burden after EFI support an imperative for follow-up after EFI. Clear recommendations are a modifiable factor that may improve follow-up in this population.
Percutaneous management strategies for STEMI with coexisting aneurysmal coronary- to-pulmonary artery fistula: a case report
Authors: Frampton Jennifer , Rothstein Eric , Iribarne Alexander , Powell Richard , Young Michael N
Published: May 2021

Background

Coexistence of coronary artery fistulas and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is rare.

Case summary

We present a unique case of a patient initially presenting with an anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction, subsequently found to have two-vessel CAD and an aneurysmal left coronary-to-right pulmonary artery fistula.

Discussion

After discussion with the patient and a multidisciplinary discussion with the heart team, consisting of cardiovascular surgery, interventional cardiology, and vascular surgery, a percutaneous approach was chosen. He underwent successful multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention followed by fistula embolization.
Modified double guiding catheter ‘Ping Pong’ technique to treat large coronary perforation: a case report
Authors: Gupta Himanshu , Kaur Navjyot , Sharma Yashpaul , Lim Soo Teik
Published: May 2021

Background 

Despite improvement in available tools and techniques, procedural complications like coronary perforation can occur during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Severe proximal coronary perforations are usually caused by balloon and vessel size mismatch but can also occur with appropriately sized balloons or stents if the coronary vessel has very eccentric calcification or if there is negative remodelling of the vessel.

Case summary 

A 74-year-old man with a history of type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic coronary syndrome (previous PCI 10 years before) presented with unstable angina of 2 weeks of duration. Coronary angiography revealed a patent stent in left anterior descending artery, significant disease in left circumflex artery and diffuse calcified lesion in dominant right coronary artery (RCA). During angioplasty of RCA, the patient developed severe Ellis grade III perforation, which was successfully managed with modified double guiding catheter ‘Ping Pong’ technique. In this technique, the already engaged 7 French (F) Amplatz Left 1 guide catheter was used to deliver the bulky covered stent in highly tortuous and calcified RCA while a second 6F guide catheter (Judkin Right) introduced through contralateral femoral access was used for introducing the balloon, which initially sealed the perforation and subsequently acted as a distal anchor to provide strong support to deliver the covered stent.

Conclusion 

In a case of severe coronary perforation, modified Ping Pong technique using a small-sized second guide catheter complimentary to the first guide catheter, can be used to deploy bulky covered stent.
Staged endovascular treatment of aneurysmal progressive development of an intercostal arteries island reimplanted with the loop-graft technique
Authors: Bossi Matteo , De Freitas Dhaniel Morgado , Chiesa Roberto , Kahlberg Andrea
Published: May 2021

A staged endovascular strategy was used to treat the aneurysmal evolution of the aortic island including intercostal arteries reimplanted in a loop-graft, following thoraco-abdominal aortic open repair in a young patient diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. First, selective coil embolization of patent intercostal arteries was performed in 2 separate sessions, to minimize the risk of spinal cord ischaemia. Then, the aneurysm was successfully excluded occluding the loop graft with 2 PTFE-membrane vascular plugs.
Endocardial/endothelial angiocrines regulate cardiomyocyte development and maturation and induce features of ventricular non-compaction
Authors: Rhee Siyeon , Paik David T , Yang Johnson Y , Nagelberg Danielle , Williams Ian , Tian Lei , Roth Robert , Chandy Mark , Ban Jiyeon , Belbachir Nadjet , Kim Seokho , Zhang Hao , Phansalkar Ragini , Wong Ka Man , King Devin A , Valdez Caroline , Winn Virginia D , Morrison Ashby J , Wu Joseph C , Red-Horse Kristy
Published: May 2021

Aims

Non-compaction cardiomyopathy is a devastating genetic disease caused by insufficient consolidation of ventricular wall muscle that can result in inadequate cardiac performance. Despite being the third most common cardiomyopathy, the mechanisms underlying the disease, including the cell types involved, are poorly understood. We have previously shown that endothelial cell-specific deletion of the chromatin remodeller gene Ino80 results in defective coronary vessel development that leads to ventricular non-compaction in embryonic mouse hearts. We aimed to identify candidate angiocrines expressed by endocardial and endothelial cells (ECs) in wildtype and LVNC conditions in Tie2Cre;Ino80  fl/fltransgenic embryonic mouse hearts, and test the effect of these candidates on cardiomyocyte proliferation and maturation.

Methods and results

We used single-cell RNA-sequencing to characterize endothelial and endocardial defects in Ino80-deficient hearts. We observed a pathological endocardial cell population in the non-compacted hearts and identified multiple dysregulated angiocrine factors that dramatically affected cardiomyocyte behaviour. We identified Col15a1 as a coronary vessel-secreted angiocrine factor, downregulated by Ino80-deficiency, that functioned to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation. Furthermore, mutant endocardial and endothelial cells up-regulated expression of secreted factors, such as Tgfbi, Igfbp3, Isg15, and Adm, which decreased cardiomyocyte proliferation and increased maturation.

Conclusions

These findings support a model where coronary endothelial cells normally promote myocardial compaction through secreted factors, but that endocardial and endothelial cells can secrete factors that contribute to non-compaction under pathological conditions.
Comparative phylogenetics of repetitive elements in a diverse order of flowering plants (Brassicales)
Authors: Beric Aleksandra , Mabry Makenzie E , Harkess Alex E , Brose Julia , Schranz M Eric , Conant Gavin C , Edger Patrick P , Meyers Blake C , Pires J Chris
Published: May 2021

Genome sizes of plants have long piqued the interest of researchers due to the vast differences among organisms. However, the mechanisms that drive size differences have yet to be fully understood. Two important contributing factors to genome size are expansions of repetitive elements, such as transposable elements (TEs), and whole-genome duplications (WGD). Although studies have found correlations between genome size and both TE abundance and polyploidy, these studies typically test for these patterns within a genus or species. The plant order Brassicales provides an excellent system to further test if genome size evolution patterns are consistent across larger time scales, as there are numerous WGDs. This order is also home to one of the smallest plant genomes, Arabidopsis thaliana—chosen as the model plant system for this reason—as well as to species with very large genomes. With new methods that allow for TE characterization from low-coverage genome shotgun data and 71 taxa across the Brassicales, we confirm the correlation between genome size and TE content, however, we are unable to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and do not detect any shift in TE abundance associated with WGD.
A genetic screen for regulators of muscle morphogenesis inDrosophila
Authors: Ou Tiffany , Huang Gary , Wilson Beth , Gontarz Paul , Skeath James B , Johnson Aaron N
Published: May 2021

The mechanisms that determine the final topology of skeletal muscles remain largely unknown. We have been developing Drosophila body wall musculature as a model to identify and characterize the pathways that control muscle size, shape, and orientation during embryogenesis. Our working model argues muscle morphogenesis is regulated by (1) extracellular guidance cues that direct muscle cells toward muscle attachment sites, and (2) contact-dependent interactions between muscles and tendon cells. While we have identified several pathways that regulate muscle morphogenesis, our understanding is far from complete. Here, we report the results of a recent EMS-based forward genetic screen that identified a myriad of loci not previously associated with muscle morphogenesis. We recovered new alleles of known muscle morphogenesis genes, including back seat driver, kon-tiki, thisbe, and tumbleweed, arguing our screen had the depth and precision to uncover myogenic genes. We also identified new alleles of spalt-major, barren, and patched that presumably disrupt independent muscle morphogenesis pathways. Equally as important, our screen shows that at least 11 morphogenetic loci remain to be mapped and characterized. Our screen has developed exciting new tools to study muscle morphogenesis, which may provide future insights into the mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle topology.
Plasma C-Terminal Agrin Fragment as an Early Biomarker for Sarcopenia: Results From the GenoFit Study
Authors: Pratt Jedd , De Vito Giuseppe , Narici Marco , Segurado Ricardo , Pessanha Ludmilla , Dolan Jackie , Conroy Judith , Boreham Colin
Published: May 2021

Barriers associated with direct muscle quantification have prevented a consistent implementation of therapeutic measures for sarcopenia. Recently, the relevance of circulating C-terminal agrin fragment (CAF) as an accessible screening method alternative for sarcopenia has gained credence. Accordingly, this study aimed to verify the pertinence of plasma CAF as a biomarker for sarcopenia. Three hundred healthy adults aged between 50 and 83 years took part in this study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, while muscle strength was examined using hand dynamometry. Plasma CAF concentrations were determined using a commercially available ELISA kit. CAF concentrations were significantly associated with appendicular lean mass (ALM), but not grip strength (p = .028, p = .575, respectively). Plasma CAF concentrations were significantly elevated in sarcopenic individuals compared to nonsarcopenic (p < .001). Overall, individuals with low grip strength or low ALM displayed significantly higher CAF levels compared to healthy controls, after adjusting for age and body mass index (p = .027, p = .003, respectively). In males, those with low grip strength or low ALM had significantly elevated CAF levels (p = .039, p = .027, respectively), while in females, only those with low ALM had significantly raised CAF concentrations, compared to healthy controls (p = .035). Our findings illuminate the potential relevance of CAF as an accessible biomarker for skeletal muscle health. CAF determination may enhance clinical practice by facilitating more widespread treatment strategies for sarcopenia. Nevertheless, future research is needed to confirm the diagnostic pertinence of CAF concentrations in screening for sarcopenia.
Impact of Cytomegalovirus and Age on T-Cell Subsets Defined by CD161, CD300a, and/or CD57 Expression in Healthy Andalusians
Authors: Formentini Martina , Navas Ana , Hassouneh Fakhri , Lopez-Sejas Nelson , Alonso Corona , Tarazona Raquel , Solana Rafael , Pera Alejandra
Published: May 2021

Immunosenescence affects innate and adaptive immunity impairing the response to pathogens and vaccines. Chronic infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been shown to drive “early immunosenescence” and can considerably affect both the function and phenotype of immune cells, especially T cells. We have previously shown that the expression of CD57, CD300a, and CD161 was differentially affected by age and chronic CMV infection, indicating that these markers are a hallmark of CMV infection and T-cell aging. The aim of this present study was to clarify whether these 3 markers define distinct T-cell subpopulations with a specific functional and molecular signature. Specifically, we analyzed the effect of age and chronic CMV infection on the functionality of T cells according to CD161, CD300a, and CD57 expression. We found that these markers defined different T-cell subsets, both at the phenotypic and functional levels. CD57 was the best biomarker for CD4+ T-cell cytotoxicity and was a hallmark of CMV infection. CD300a+ T cells were heterogeneous and included different cell subsets. The population of CD161+ T cells dramatically decreased with age, independently of CMV infection, and represented a sign of age-associated immune system alterations. The latter could contribute to an increased risk of autoimmune disease and infection in older adults. Our results underline the importance of better understanding the factors involved in the immunosenescence process to be able to uncover new biomarkers and open new avenues for the investigation and development of novel age-related disease therapies.
Dynamic Modeling, Analysis, and Design Synthesis of a Reduced Complexity Quadruped with a Serpentine Robotic Tail
Authors: Liu Yujiong , Ben-Tzvi Pinhas
Published: May 2021

Synopsis

Serpentine tail structures are widely observed in the animal kingdom and are thought to help animals to handle various motion tasks. Developing serpentine robotic tails and using them on legged robots has been an attractive idea for robotics. This article presents the theoretical analysis for such a robotic system that consists of a reduced complexity quadruped and a serpentine robotic tail. Dynamic model and motion controller are formulated first. Simulations are then conducted to analyze the tail’s performance on the airborne righting and maneuvering tasks of the quadruped. Using the established simulation environment, systematic analyses on critical design parameters, namely, the tail mounting point, tail length, torso center of mass (COM) location, tail–torso mass ratio, and the power consumption distribution, are performed. The results show that the tail length and the mass ratio influence the maneuvering angle the most while the COM location affects the landing stability the most. Based on these design guidelines, for the current robot design, the optimal tail parameters are determined as a length of two times as long as the torso length and a weight of 0.09 times as heavy as the torso weight.
Acclimation to Future Climate Exposes Vulnerability to Cold Extremes in Intertidal Sea Hares
Authors: McAlpine-Bellis Elizabeth , Stillman Jonathon H , Tanner Richelle L
Published: May 2021

Synopsis

Highly dynamic environments like estuaries will undergo unpredictable shifts in thermal and salinity regimes with ongoing climate change. These interactive stressors fluctuate predictably and seasonally over historical periods, which has facilitated the evolution of wide environmental tolerance in some estuarine inhabitants. However, physiological and behavioral acclimatization is seasonally based for many estuarine species, meaning that a shift in the unpredictability of climate events and trends will disrupt the effectiveness of evolved tolerance mechanisms. Of particular concern are extreme cold events and high-volume precipitation events, which will acutely and unpredictably alter an estuarine habitat. The eelgrass sea hare, Phyllaplysia taylori, has documented euryhaline and eurythermal tolerance to summer conditions, but the winter environment may pose a greater challenge to seasonally relevant acclimatization scenarios. Here, we characterized lower critical thermal limits, and behavioral responses to stimuli leading up to these limits, in two central California P. taylori populations under four temperature–salinity scenarios in a laboratory acclimation experiment. Acclimation to warmer conditions significantly increased critical thermal minima, while fresher conditions resulted in high mortality. However, the surviving individuals in the fresher conditions were able to respond to stimuli more quickly overall, despite their shortest response time being at a higher temperature than the saltier-acclimated individuals. Within the environmental context of their natural habitats, we find that acclimation to climate change-induced warming will hinder sea hares’ ability to weather existing and future cold extremes and precipitation events.
Baseline Asymptomatic Malaria Infection and Immunogenicity of Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus–Zaire Ebola Virus Envelope Glycoprotein
Authors: Mahon Barbara E , Simon Jakub , Widdowson Marc-Alain , Samai Mohamed , Rogier Eric , Legardy-Williams Jennifer , Liu Kenneth , Schiffer Jarad , Lange James , DeByle Carolynn , Pinner Robert , Schuchat Anne , Slutsker Laurence , Goldstein Susan
Published: May 2021

Background

The effect of malaria infection on the immunogenicity of the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus–Zaire Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein (GP) vaccine (rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP) (ERVEBO) is unknown.

Methods

The Sierra Leone Trial to Introduce a Vaccine Against Ebola (STRIVE) vaccinated 7998 asymptomatic adults with rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP during the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic. In STRIVE’s immunogenicity substudy, participants provided blood samples at baseline and at 1, 6, and 9–12 months. Anti-GP binding and neutralizing antibodies were measured using validated assays. Baseline samples were tested for malaria parasites by polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Overall, 506 participants enrolled in the immunogenicity substudy and had ≥1 postvaccination antibody titer. Of 499 participants with a result, baseline malaria parasitemia was detected in 73 (14.6%). All GP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) geometric mean titers (GMTs) at 1, 6, and 9–12 months were above baseline, and 94.1% of participants showed seroresponse by GP-ELISA (≥2-fold rise and ≥200 ELISA units/mL), while 81.5% showed seroresponse by PRNT (≥4-fold rise) at ≥1 postvaccination assessment. In participants with baseline malaria parasitemia, the PRNT seroresponse proportion was lower, while PRNT GMTs and GP-ELISA seroresponse and GMTs showed a trend toward lower responses at 6 and 9–12 months.

Conclusion

Asymptomatic adults with or without malaria parasitemia had robust immune responses to rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP, persisting for 9–12 months. Responses in those with malaria parasitemia were somewhat lower.