bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accounting for B-cell Behavior and Sampling Bias Predicts Anti–PD-L1 Response in Bladder Cancer
Authors: Dyugay Ilya A. , Lukyanov Daniil K. , Turchaninova Maria A. , Serebrovskaya Ekaterina O. , Bryushkova Ekaterina A. , Zaretsky Andrew R. , Khalmurzaev Oybek , Matveev Vsevolod B. , Shugay Mikhail , Shelyakin Pavel V. , Chudakov Dmitriy M.
Published: January 2022

Cancer immunotherapy is predominantly based on T cell–centric approaches. At the same time, the adaptive immune response in the tumor environment also includes clonally produced immunoglobulins and clonal effector/memory B cells that participate in antigen-specific decisions through their interactions with T cells. Here, we investigated the role of infiltrating B cells in bladder cancer via patient dataset analysis of intratumoral immunoglobulin repertoires. We showed that the IgG1/IgA ratio is a prognostic indicator for several subtypes of bladder cancer and for the whole IMVigor210 anti–PD-L1 immunotherapy study cohort. A high IgG1/IgA ratio associated with the prominence of a cytotoxic gene signature, T-cell receptor signaling, and IL21-mediated signaling. Immunoglobulin repertoire analysis indicated that effector B-cell function, rather than clonally produced antibodies, was involved in antitumor responses. From the T-cell side, we normalized a cytotoxic signature against the extent of immune cell infiltration to neutralize the artificial sampling-based variability in immune gene expression. Resulting metrics reflected proportion of cytotoxic cells among tumor-infiltrating immune cells and improved prediction of anti–PD-L1 responses. At the same time, the IgG1/IgA ratio remained an independent prognostic factor. Integration of the B-cell, natural killer cell, and T-cell signatures allowed for the most accurate prediction of anti–PD-L1 therapy responses. On the basis of these findings, we developed a predictor called PRedIctive MolecUlar Signature (PRIMUS), which outperformed PD-L1 expression scores and known gene signatures. Overall, PRIMUS allows for reliable identification of responders among patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma, including the subcohort with the low-infiltrated “desert” tumor phenotype.
Issue of Waist Circumference for the Diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome Regarding Arterial Stiffness: Possible Utility of a Body Shape Index in Middle-Aged Nonobese Japanese Urban Residents Receiving Health Screening
Authors: Nagayama Daiji , Watanabe Yasuhiro , Yamaguchi Takashi , Suzuki Kenji , Saiki Atsuhito , Fujishiro Kentaro , Shirai Kohji
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Abdominal obesity as a risk factor for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (MetS) is evaluated using waist circumference (WC), although WC does not necessarily reflect visceral adiposity. This cross-sectional study aimed to clarify whether replacing WC with “A Body Shape Index (ABSI),” an abdominal obesity index, in MetS diagnosis detects individuals with arterial stiffening assessed by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 46,872 Japanese urban residents (median age 40 years) who underwent health screening. Exclusion criteria were current treatments and a past history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Japanese, International Diabetes Federation, and NCEP-ATPIII criteria were used to diagnose MetS. High CAVI was defined as CAVI ≥9.0. Results: CAVI correlated positively with ABSI (β = 0.127), but negatively with WC (β = −0.186), independent of age, sex, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and high-density lipoprotein--cholesterol. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that ABSI had a stronger contribution to high CAVI (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.730) than WC (AUC = 0.595) and body mass index (AUC = 0.520). ABSI ≥0.080 was defined as abdominal obesity based on the results of ROC analysis for high CAVI and estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Logistic regression analysis revealed that replacing high WC with ABSI ≥0.080 in MetS diagnosis enhanced the detection of subjects with high CAVI. Discussion/Conclusion: Use of ABSI can detect subjects with arterial stiffening, which may lead to efficient stratification of CVD risk. Further studies are needed to confirm whether MetS diagnosis using ABSI predicts CVD morbidity and mortality.
Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in the Treatment Armamentarium of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Time to End the Dichotomy
Authors: Bhatt Aditi , Glehen Olivier
Published: January 2022

Background: Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is an incurable disease with over 75% of the patients developing recurrence in the peritoneum. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a promising treatment option for both first-line therapy and treatment of recurrence. In this article, we review the rationale and current evidence for performing HIPEC and the role of HIPEC in the light of targeted systemic therapies. Summary: There are few randomized trials and several retrospective studies on the role of HIPEC in the management of EOC. A 12-month-overall survival (OS) benefit of the addition of HIPEC to interval cytoreductive surgery (CRS) was demonstrated in 1 randomized trial following which HIPEC has been included as a treatment option for this indication in several national/international guidelines. One retrospective propensity score-matched analysis showed a 16-month OS benefit of adding HIPEC to primary CRS. One randomized trial showed no benefit of the addition of carboplatin HIPEC to secondary CRS over secondary CRS alone. For patients undergoing primary CRS and secondary CRS for recurrence, the results of ongoing randomized trials are needed to define the role of HIPEC in these situations. All clinical trials have shown that the morbidity of HIPEC performed after CRS is acceptable. Along with the emergence of HIPEC as a promising surgical therapy, targeted therapies like bevacizumab and poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase inhibitors have been developed that have shown a survival benefit in selected patients. In principle, HIPEC and targeted therapies work in different ways and it is plausible to assume that their benefit could be additive, and their combination should be evaluated in clinical trials. The impact of prognostic factors like the disease extent, pathological response to systemic chemotherapy (SC), the histological subtype and molecular profile on the benefit of HIPEC, and targeted therapies has not been evaluated in clinical trials. Key Messages: HIPEC is an important therapeutic strategy in the treatment of EOC. While its role in patients undergoing interval CRS has been established, the results of ongoing randomized trials are needed to define its benefit at other time points. The morbidity of HIPEC in addition to CRS is acceptable. More research is needed to define subgroups that benefit most from HIPEC based on the extent of disease, response to SC, histology, and molecular profile. The combination of HIPEC and maintenance therapies should be evaluated in well-designed randomized clinical trials that evaluate not just the survival benefit and morbidity but also the cost-effectiveness of each therapy.
New Frontiers in the Medical Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Fulgenzi Claudia Angela Maria , D’Alessio Antonio , Talbot Thomas , Gennari Alessandra , Openshaw Mark R. , Demirtas Coskun O. , Cortellini Alessio , Pinato David J.
Published: January 2022

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumor, and it rates fourth as a cause of cancer-related death. The presence of underlying liver disease and poor chemosensitivity pose major treatment challenges in the management of HCC. However, in the last few years, the therapeutic scenario has substantially changed, and immunotherapy in the form of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) has become an essential therapeutic strategy in this field. Summary: After controversial results of monotherapy, ICPIs have been mainly investigated in association with antiangiogenic agents or as dual checkpoint inhibition. The combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab has become the new therapeutic standard for unresectable HCC. Currently, a number of ICPI-based combinations are being studied in phase III clinical trials as front-line therapy for advanced HCC, with growing interest in integration of early-stage disease management in the form of adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapies. With most of the trials investigating ICPIs as first-line treatment, the second-line scenario relies mainly on tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which however have not been formally trialed after ICPIs. Key Messages: In this review, we summarize the main therapeutic advances in the systemic management of HCC focusing on the most relevant ongoing trials. We also discuss the main issues arising from a such rapidly evolving field including therapeutic sequencing and patient stratification.
“Eu aumento, mas não invento”: interesse público x interesse do público no TV Fama
Authors: Trindade Vanessa Costa
Published: January 2022

Há muitos programas televisivos de fofoca sobre celebridades. Construídos a partir de aspectos íntimos da vida dos famosos, esses programas valem-se muitas vezes do que “dizem por aí”. Ainda assim, eles seduzem. Não adotamos a interpretação simplória de que esses programas são vistos somente por curiosidade. Mas, então, qual seria o interesse do público nos mesmos? Quais os limites entre público e privado nesses programas? Qual a tensão neles estabelecida entre interesse público e interesse do público?
Fora da ordem eleitoral: a cobertura das políticas públicas sociais em “Folha” e “Correio” em 2010
Authors: Doretto Juliana , Freitas Juliana , Pinheiro Mirele
Published: January 2022

Neste artigo, analisamos a cobertura das eleições brasileiras de 2010 em dois jornais diários, “Folha de S. Paulo” e “Correio Braziliense”, com o objetivo de verificar se os periódicos cobriram a agenda social, e suas políticas públicas, durante o debate eleitoral. Os dados encontrados nos permitem afirmar que os jornais deixaram de abordar pautas envolvendo políticas públicas, e, quando o fizeram, promoveram uma discussão superficial: faltaram enquadramentos diversificados e poucos temas foram debatidos — houve perceptível concentração na temática do aborto
O tênis All Star e a construção de personagens no cinema
Authors: Schwartz Mariana Lemos , Lima Caio de Oliveira Santos , Burla Gustavo
Published: January 2022

Dentre os núcleos de uma produção cinematográfica, o departamento artístico é um dos grandes responsáveis pelo processo de interiorização da trama pelo espectador. O presente trabalho visa analisar a utilização do tênis All Star em filmes como elemento caracterizador da personalidade de seu usuário. Para tanto, foram estudados cinco longas-metragens: “Agora e para sempre” (2012), “Maria Antonieta” (2006), “Eu, robô” (2004), “Pequena Miss Sunshine” (2006) e “Sin City” (2005). Percebemos que a presença do All Star nos filmes diz muito sobre os personagens que o utilizam, visto que trata-se de um tênis que possui atrelado a si muitas simbologias que auxiliam a construção da identidade do personagem e a compreensão dessa pelo espectador
Safety and Efficacy of Drug-Coated Balloons Versus Drug-Eluting Stents in Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Prespecified Analysis of BASKET-SMALL 2
Authors: Mangner Norman , Farah Ahmed , Ohlow Marc-Alexander , Möbius-Winkler Sven , Weilenmann Daniel , Wöhrle Jochen , Linke Axel , Stachel Georg , Markovic Sinisa , Leibundgut Gregor , Rickenbacher Peter , Cattaneo Marco , Gilgen Nicole , Kaiser Christoph , Scheller Bruno , Jeger Raban V. ,   for the BASKET-SMALL 2 Investigators
Published: January 2022

Background:

Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) are an established treatment strategy for coronary artery disease. Randomized data on the application of DCBs in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are limited. We evaluated the impact of clinical presentation (ACS versus chronic coronary syndrome) on clinical outcomes in patients undergoing DCB or drug-eluting stent (DES) treatment in a prespecified analysis of the BASKET-SMALL 2 trial (Basel Kosten Effektivitäts Trial–Drug-Coated Balloons Versus Drug-Eluting Stents in Small Vessel Interventions).

Methods:

BASKET-SMALL 2 randomized 758 patients with small vessel coronary artery disease to DCB or DES treatment and followed them for 3 years regarding major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization).

Results:

Among 758 patients, 214 patients (28.2%) presented with an ACS (15 patients [7%], ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction; 109 patients [50.9%], non–ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction; 90 patients [42.1%], unstable angina pectoris). At 1-year follow-up, there was no significant difference in the incidence of the primary end point by randomized treatment in patients with ACS (hazard ratio, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.19–1.26] for DCB versus DES) or chronic coronary syndrome (hazard ratio, 1.29 [95% CI, 0.67–2.47] for DCB versus DES). There was no significant interaction between clinical presentation and treatment effect (
P
for interaction, 0.088). For cardiac death (
P
for interaction, 0.049) and nonfatal myocardial infarction (
P
for interaction, 0.010), a significant interaction between clinical presentation and treatment was seen at 1 year with lower rates of these secondary end points in patients with ACS treated by DCB. At 3 years, there were similar major adverse cardiac event rates throughout groups without significant interaction between clinical presentation and treatment (
P
for interaction, 0.301). All-cause mortality was higher in ACS compared with chronic coronary syndrome; however, there was no difference between DCB and DES irrespective of clinical presentation.

Conclusions:

In this subgroup analysis of the BASKET-SMALL 2 trial, there was no interaction between indication for percutaneous coronary intervention (acute versus chronic coronary syndrome) and treatment effect of DCB versus DES in patients with small vessel coronary artery disease.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT01574534.
Neuropathology of Vascular Brain Health: Insights From Ex Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Histopathology Studies in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: van Veluw Susanne J. , Arfanakis Konstantinos , Schneider Julie A.
Published: January 2022

Sporadic cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a major contributor to vascular cognitive impairment and dementia in the aging human brain. On neuropathology, sporadic SVD is characterized by abnormalities to the small vessels of the brain predominantly in the form of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and arteriolosclerosis. These pathologies frequently coexist with Alzheimer disease changes, such as plaques and tangles, in a single brain. Conversely, during life, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) only captures the larger manifestations of SVD in the form of parenchymal brain abnormalities. There appears to be a major knowledge gap regarding the underlying neuropathology of individual MRI-detectable SVD abnormalities. Ex vivo MRI in postmortem human brain tissue is a powerful tool to bridge this gap. This review summarizes current insights into the histopathologic correlations of MRI manifestations of SVD, their underlying cause, presumed pathophysiology, and associated secondary tissue injury. Moreover, we discuss the advantages and limitations of ex vivo MRI-guided histopathologic investigations and make recommendations for future studies.
Stablecoins and Central Bank Digital Currencies: Policy and Regulatory Challenges
Authors: Eichengreen Barry , Viswanath-Natraj Ganesh
Published: January 2022

Stablecoins and central bank digital currencies are on the horizon in Asia, and in some cases have already arrived. This paper provides new analysis and a critique of the use case for both forms of digital currency. It provides time-varying estimates of devaluation risk for the leading stablecoin, Tether, using data from the futures market. It describes the formidable obstacles to widespread use of central bank digital currencies in cross-border transactions, the context in which their utility is arguably greatest. The bottom line is that significant uncertainties continue to dog the region's digital currency initiatives.
Estimating the Impact of Cumulative Rules of Origin on Trade Costs: An Application to Mega-regional Free Trade Agreements in the Asia-Pacific Region
Authors: Chung Chul , Park Innwon , Park Soonchan
Published: January 2022

We investigate the effects of free trade agreements (FTAs), focusing on the impact of cumulative rules of origin (ROO) on trade costs. Using a gravity regression model, we estimate the effect of various cumulative ROO systems on the measured trade costs. We apply these estimates to static and capital accumulation computable general equilibrium models to compare the effects of mega-regional FTAs in the Asia-Pacific region—namely, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and Free Trade Areas in the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). We find that mega-regional FTAs may not be a viable alternative to a multilateral trading system or bilateral FTAs unless less restrictive cumulative ROO are adopted. Successful FTAs depend on an appropriate cumulative ROO provision system rather than their membership expansion.
Producing Gold and Silver to Globalize the Economy during the Early Modern Era: San Luis Potosi and the Pacific Trade with Asia
Authors: Serrano Hernández Sergio Tonatiuh
Published: January 2022

This article presents evidence from archival sources that allows us to reconstruct the commercial networks that permitted the continuous flow of silver and gold from northern New Spain to Asia during the early modern era. These networks obtained various consumer goods – fabrics, spices, porcelain – that were then introduced into Spanish American markets. The narrative follows the bullion through its journey from the production center in San Luis Potosi to the Pacific and Asia. This vantage point contributes to the construction of a polycentric view within the framework of global history by assessing the role played by the American and Asiatic possessions of the Hispanic Empire in the first globalization. Using a methodological framework provided by social network analysis, the article presents a study of two commercial networks based in New Spain and extending to the Philippines and Peru. The essay underlines the role merchants played in mobilizing precious metals to accelerate exchanges and generate extraordinary profit margins.
Neodeightonia arengae sp. nov., Botryosphaeriaceous taxa on Arenga tremula (Arecaceae) from Guangdong, China
Authors: XIONG YINRU , MANAWASINGHE ISHARA S. , LIAO CHUNFANG , HYDE KEVIN D. , DONG ZHANGYONG
Published: January 2022

Microfungi associated with palm are a significant fungal group with a unique ecological niche and a broad distribution in tropical regions. Even though many fungal species have been reported from palm hosts, studies on fungi from Arenga tremula are considerably few. In this study, we isolated a saprobic Botryosphaeriaceae species on A. tremula, collected from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), small subunit nuclear rRNA gene (SSU),part of the large subunit nuclear rRNA gene (LSU) and translation elongation factor 1−alpha gene (tef 1-α). Based on phylogenetic results and morphology we introduced Neodeightonia arengae sp. nov., with species description and illustrations. In addition, we provide a comparison of morphological characters of currently accepted Neodeightonia species. This is the first report of a Neodeightonia species associated with Arenga tremula and so represents an additional contribution to the knowledge of fungi associated with palm trees.
Twice lost, twice found: A new species of Gonolobus (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) with a reappraisal of the genus in the Yucatan Peninsula Biotic Province
Authors: CARNEVALI GERMÁN , ROMERO-GONZÁLEZ GUSTAVO A. , TAPIA-MUÑOZ JOSÉ LUIS , RAMÍREZ-MORILLO IVÓN M. , RAMÍREZ-DÍAZ CLAUDIA J. , CETZAL-IX WILLIAM , DUNO DE STEFANO RODRIGO , ROMERO-SOLER KATYA J.
Published: January 2022

Gonolobus is reassessed in the Yucatan Peninsula Biotic Province (YPBP). The genus consists of seven taxa in the area: six species and two subspecies. These include a taxon that we propose here as a new species and the treatment of G. yucatanensis as a subspecies of G. stenanthus and the new combination G. stenanthus subsp. yucatanensis is proposed. These two taxa are endemic to the YPBP. The other species are G. barbatus (for which we propose a lectotype), G. cteniophorus, G. fraternus, G. glaberrimus, and G. leianthus. The new species is G. caamalii Carnevali & R. Duno, restricted to the Yucatán state in Mexico and distinguished by its corolla lobes with a dark purple (almost black) longitudinal, callose band along the proximal 2/3 on the right side of the lobes and a 1.1–1.3 mm broad, annular, continuous dark purple-black band surrounding the gynostemium and corona at the base of the corolla lobes. It appears related to G. leianthus from southern Megamexico, a species from humid forests at higher elevations and that differs in its larger flowers with broader corolla lobes and a strikingly different color pattern in the flowers. The new species is described, illustrated, and discussed. Entries for all Gonolobus species from the YPBP include a brief discussion and specimen citations. The conservation status of the Gonolobus taxa endemic to the YPBP are assessed either as as Endangered (EN) or as Near threatened (NT). Distributional maps for all Gonolobus from the area covered are presented. Finally, we offer a key to Gonolobus of the YPBP.
A Simple Coupled Model of the Wind–Evaporation–SST Feedback with a Role for Stability
Authors: Karnauskas Kristopher B.
Published: January 2022

The wind–evaporation–SST (WES) feedback describes a coupled mechanism by which an anomalous meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the tropics evolves over time. As commonly posed, the (positive) WES feedback depends critically on the atmospheric response to SST anomalies being governed by a process akin to that argued by Lindzen and Nigam in 1987, and omits an alternative process by which SST anomalies modulate surface wind speed through vertical momentum mixing as proposed by Wallace et al. and Hayes et al. in 1989. A simple model is developed that captures the essential coupled dynamics of the WES feedback as commonly posed, while also allowing for momentum entrainment in response to evolving SST anomalies. The evolution of the coupled system depends strongly on which effects are enabled in the model. When both effects are accounted for in idealized cases near the equator, the initial anomalous meridional SST gradient grows over a time scale of a few months but is damped within one year. The sign and magnitude of the WES feedback depend on latitude within the tropics and exhibit hemispheric asymmetry. When constrained by realistic profiles of prevailing zonal wind, the model predicts that the WES feedback near the equator is stronger during boreal winter, while the domain over which it is positive is broader during boreal summer, and that low-frequency climate variability can also modulate the strength and structure of the WES feedback. These insights may aid in the interpretation of coupled climate behavior in observations and more complex models.

Significance Statement

Regional climate variability on time scales from months to decades, including El Niño, relies heavily on feedbacks between the atmosphere and the ocean in which some initial change in the environment is either amplified or damped over time. Several conceptual models for such feedbacks have been devised over the years to explain the coupled climate behavior seen in observations and computer simulations. A rather ubiquitous one is called the wind–evaporation–SST (WES) feedback, but the typical phrasing of it does not incorporate a potentially important influence of ocean temperature changes on the stability of the atmosphere above it. This study adds that effect to the WES feedback framework and examines climate variability through the lens of the augmented conceptual model.
BOREAL—A Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aerial System for the Measurement of Wind and Turbulence in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer
Authors: Alaoui-Sosse Sara , Durand Pierre , Medina Patrice , Pastor Philippe , Gavart Michel , Pizziol Sergio
Published: January 2022

An instrumentation package for wind and turbulence observations in the atmospheric boundary layer on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called BOREAL has been developed. BOREAL is a fixed-wing UAV built by BOREAL company, which weighs up to 25 kg (5 kg of payload) and has a wingspan of 4.2 m. With a light payload and optimal weather conditions, it has a flight endurance of 9 h. The instrumental payload was designed in order to measure every parameter required for the computation of the three wind components, at a rate of 100 s−1, which is fast enough to capture turbulence fluctuations: a GPS–inertial measurement unit (IMU) platform measures the three components of the groundspeed a well as the attitude angles; the airplane nose has been replaced by a five-hole probe in order to measure the angles of attack and sideslip, according to the so-called radome technique. This probe was calibrated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and wind tunnel tests. The remaining instruments are a Pitot tube for static and dynamic pressure measurement and temperature/humidity sensors in dedicated housings. The optimal airspeed at which the vibrations are significantly reduced to an acceptable level was defined from qualification flights. With appropriate flight patterns, the reliability of the mean wind estimates, through self-consistency and comparison with observations performed at 60 m on an instrumented tower could be assessed. Promising first observations of turbulence up to frequencies around 10 Hz and corresponding to a spatial resolution to the order of 3 m are hereby presented.
Disengagement From Schools: Possible Solutions
Authors: Mokibelo Eureka Baneka
Published: January 2022

This article investigated possible solutions to disengagement from schools by ethnic minority learners in Botswana. Disengagement is a concern for educationists and researchers. The study used qualitative approach to investigate the problem. The reason for disengagement include cultural misfit. The theory of social integration was used to understand the problem under study. The findings indicated that there must be consultation with farm owners and they use local languages for teaching. The article concludes that there is a need to liaise with stakeholders to review certain practices to encourage retainment in schools such as mobile schools and the use of indigenous languages.
Rare snake bite- A case report
Authors: Rathod Santosh Govind , Khan Afaq Ahmad , Geelani Sajad Ahmed , Roshan Reshma , Bhat Javid Rasool
Published: January 2022

Snake bite is an acute life threating medical emergency and is included amonst neglected tropical diseases. 1 Every year in India 200,000 people bitten by snakes and >25% are fatal. 2

In Maharashtra, Konkan area, the green pit viper (Trimeresurus gramineus) is uncommon, though this snake has become more common. [ Figure 1 ]
Discrete indirect adaptive sliding mode control for uncertain Hammerstein nonlinear systems
Authors: Znidi Aicha , Dehri Khadija , Nouri Ahmed Said
Published: January 2022

The robustness issue of uncertain nonlinear systems’ control has attracted the attention of numerous researchers. In this paper, we propose three techniques to deal with the uncertain Hammerstein nonlinear model. First, a discrete sliding mode control (SMC) is developed, which is based on converting the original nonlinear system into a linearized one in the vicinity of the operating region using Taylor series expansion. However, the presence of relatively high nonlinearities and parameter variations leads to the deterioration of the desired performances. In order to overcome these problems and to improve the performance of classical SMC, we propose two solutions. The first one is based on the synthesis of a discrete SMC, taking into account the presence of nonlinearity. The second solution is a new discrete adaptive SMC for input–output Hammerstein model. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed controllers, a detailed robustness analysis is clearly developed. Simulation examples are reported at the end of the paper.
Geochemical characteristics and origins of biodegraded oils in the Bongor Basin (Chad) and their implications for petroleum exploration
Authors: Cheng Dingsheng , Dou Lirong , Chen Qingyao , Wang Wenqiang
Published: January 2022

The Bongor Basin is a typical lacustrine passive-rifted basin situated in the West and Central African Rift System (WCARS). It has experienced two phases of tectonic inversion and features a complex process of petroleum generation and accumulation. A total of 41 crude oil samples from the basin were geochemically analyzed to investigate their compositions of molecular markers. The results show that the oils have similar origins and are likely to belong to the same oil population. However, there are significant differences in geochemical characteristics and physical properties, caused by the secondary alteration. The relative contents and distribution patterns of normal alkanes and acyclic isoprenoids indicate that some of the oils have suffered biodegradation to varying degrees. The samples can be divided into three categories according to their relative degrees of degradation: normal oil, slightly biodegraded oil (PM 1–3), and severely biodegraded oil (PM 5–7). The burial depth of oil reservoirs in this area is the predominant factor impacting on the level of biodegradation. Crude oils in reservoirs with burial depths of less than 800 m are all severely biodegraded, while oils in reservoirs with burial depths greater than 1300 m have experienced no evident biodegradation. In reservoirs with burial depths between 800 m and 1300 m, the biodegradation degrees vary from normal to severely biodegraded. Oil reservoirs with burial depths less than 1300 m and adjacent to major faults are readily subject to biodegradation, while reservoirs with similar burial depths, but a certain distance away from major faults, have suffered no evident biodegradation. Moreover, if primary reservoirs have been modified by tectonic activity after accumulation, the crude oils are more likely to be biodegraded. Faulted anticline traps may create more favorable geological conditions for preservation of crude oil than reverse extrusion anticline reservoirs. This study may provide practical guidance for the assessment and prediction of oil quality in future oil exploration.
Unregulated Corporate Financial Disclosure and Analysts’ Forecast Properties: The Case of Embedded Value Reporting by Life Insurers
Authors: El-Gazzar Samir M. , Jacob Rudolph A. , McGregor Scott P.
Published: January 2022

This paper investigates the association between life insurers’ voluntary disclosure of embedded value (EV), an unregulated market-driven fair value measure, and analyst forecast accuracy and dispersion. EV is an estimate of the present value of future net cash flows from in-force life insurance business. Advocates of this disclosure believe that EV is a better measure of economic performance than traditional GAAP measures. Others argue that corporate management has discretion in estimating and reporting EV. Further, analysts may have access to information that allows the development of possibly more accurate estimation metrics in the absence of EV disclosure. It is then an empirical issue to determine whether EV disclosure has any incremental effect on analysts’ forecast properties. Using a multi-country setting, we find that EV disclosure is positively associated with analysts’ earnings forecast accuracy and negatively related to forecast dispersion. This result is consistent with the alternative hypothesis that disclosure of EV provides a richer information set that enriches analysts’ forecasts beyond their own in-house developed surrogates. As guidance for insurance accounting and disclosure evolves, our findings support the value of continuing to provide EV information to the public.
Mate Selection Behavior of GED Recipients
Authors: Choi Kate H. , Wagner Brandon G.
Published: January 2022

The General Educational Development (GED) degree is designed to be a credential equivalent to the high school diploma. However, growing evidence indicates that GED recipients have worse outcomes than high school graduates. Such findings raise the question: is the GED socially equivalent to the high school diploma? Although educational assortative mating patterns have long been used as a barometer of the social distance across educational groups, there has not been a study that has addressed this question by examining the marital sorting patterns of GED recipients. Using log-linear models, our study shows that the odds of intermarriage between GED recipients and high school graduates resemble those between GED recipients and those without a secondary degree. Racial/ethnic minorities had greater difficulty crossing the GED/high school graduate boundary when they married. Our findings detract from the purported view that the GED degree is equivalent to a traditional high school diploma.
Metajournalistic Discourse and Reporting Policies on White Nationalism
Authors: Perreault Gregory , Meltzer Kimberly
Published: January 2022

In 2016 and 2017, several newsrooms presented guidelines for using the term “alt-right” in the wake of events such as the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (USA) and the US presidential campaign of Donald Trump. This study analyzed metajournalistic discourse regarding the use of the term “alt-right” including internal newsroom policies and updates to newsroom manuals and externally published public discourse. The analysis tracks how news organizations and academic and trade journalism associations participated in discourse about the use of “alt-right,” and their peers’ policies around use of the term. The study finds that discourse shifted from requiring contextualization of the term in the first wave to requiring journalists to define the term or not use it at all in the second wave that began with the Charlottesville rally. Journalism organizations acknowledged, at times endorsed, and used each other's statements in developing their own understandings as an interpretive community and a community of practice.
Epistemic reasoning in pragmatic inferencing by non-native speakers: The case of scalar implicatures
Authors: Zhang Jun , Wu Yan
Published: January 2022

Scalar implicatures involve inferring the use of a less informative term (e.g. some) to mean the negation of a more informative term (e.g. not all). A growing body of recent research on the derivation of scalar implicatures by adult second language (L2) learners shows that while they are successful in acquiring the knowledge of scalar implicatures, a property at the semantics–pragmatics interface, it remains controversial as to which mechanism, default or non-default, could account for L2 learners’ derivation of scalar implicatures. The present study used an online self-paced reading task to address this issue by examining the role of the speaker’s knowledge state in the interpretation of the existential quantifier some by Chinese-speaking learners of English in incremental sentence processing. Results showed that both L2 and native participants demonstrated comparable online sensitivity to the speaker’s knowledge state. Critically, when the scalar implicature was computed in situations where the speaker was more likely to know whether the statement with the stronger alternative was true, it gave rise to measurable reading latency, indicative of increased processing costs. We conclude by arguing that our findings are compatible with the context-driven models within the Gricean tradition.
BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation spectrum analysis in South Asia: a systematic review
Authors: Kharel Sanjeev , Shrestha Suraj , Yadav Siddhartha , Shakya Prafulla , Baidya Sujita , Hirachan Suzita
Published: January 2022

Objective

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common form of cancer among Asian females. Mutations in the BRCA1/ BRCA2 genes are often observed in BC cases and largely increase the lifetime risk of having BC. Because of the paucity of high-quality data on the molecular spectrum of BRCA mutations in South Asian populations, we aimed to explore these mutations among South Asian countries.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation spectrum using electronic databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. Twenty studies were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results

The 185delAG (c.68_69del) mutation in exon 2 of BRCA1 was the most common recurrent mutation and founder mutation found. Various intronic variants, variants of unknown significance, large genomic rearrangements, and polymorphisms were also described in some studies.

Conclusions

The South Asian population has a wide variety of genetic mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 that differ according to countries and ethnicities. A stronger knowledge of various population-specific mutations in these cancer susceptibility genes can help provide efficient strategies for genetic testing.
Everyday speculation in the remaking of peri-urban livelihoods and landscapes
Authors: Leitner Helga , Nowak Samuel , Sheppard Eric
Published: January 2022

Peri-urbanization is transforming the urban-rural interface of metropolitan areas across the global south. Large-scale planned developments and infrastructure projects result in the widespread displacement of residents and the disappearance of agricultural fields, vegetable plots, and small enterprises. Through multi-year fieldwork in eastern peri-urban Jakarta, we shift the optic from the large players driving these transformations—developers, land brokers, and investors—to examine how residents of peri-urban settlements (kampungs) respond to unexpected developments and manage the uncertainties associated with market-induced displacement. We conceptualize their practices as everyday speculation, extending speculation beyond its financial meaning to include social and cultural aspects. Both displacees in relocation kampungs and holdouts in kampungs subject to displacement make the most of emergent spatiotemporal rent gaps to devise ways to improve their livelihoods and accumulate wealth, but they also attempt to realize their social and cultural aspirations of reproducing kampung ways of life characterized by dense social networks and commoning practices such as mutual aid. Speculation reinforces pre-existing economic inequalities among kampung residents but is not obliterating social and cultural values that contest the norms of neoliberal global urbanism. Scaling up from everyday speculation by individual households, we identify three paths of kampung transformation that are concatenating across a shape-shifting speculative kampung landscape that coexists in a complex and synergistic relationship with the planned developments. Understanding residents’ everyday actions is thus important to grasping the full scope of peri-urbanization.
A diesel engine air path model with a WG and an ETV for exhaust temperature controller design and embedded control
Authors: Thiel Michael , Tibken Bernd
Published: January 2022

In this paper a mean value model of a turbocharged diesel engine air path with an electric wastegate (WG) and an exhaust throttle valve (ETV) is presented. The model is designed with regard to system analysis, controller design, and real-time feasibility. That means, care is taken to ensure that the model contains the relevant dynamics on the one hand and that the requirements for computing power and memory (RAM) are kept as low as possible on the other hand. New approaches for modeling the ETV and the exhaust gas temperature are presented. The latter is formulated via an artificial neural network (ANN) computed outside the model. The ANN is integrated into the model in such a way that the differentiation of the model still provides meaningful results for controller design. Thus, this model may also be used for online computation of nonlinear model predictive controllers (MPC) or nonlinear state observers. The parameters of the model are determined using GT-Power simulation data covering the entire working range of the engine. Only measured variables that are also accessible on the engine test bench are used. All optimization problems to be solved within the parameter determination are presented. It is analyzed which sensors are suitable to support the model in an implementation on an electronic control unit (ECU), and the effect without and with sensor correction is shown in a dynamic test bench measurement. Furthermore, the properties of the generated C code are presented, which are the number of mathematical operations, the runtimes, and the stack size. An evaluation of the real time capability is given based on eigenvalue analyses and the properties of the C code .
Energy and exergy analysis of the transient performance of a qanat-source heat pump using TRNSYS-MATLAB co-simulator
Authors: Karami Maryam , Abdshahi Hajar
Published: January 2022

In this study, the transient performance of a qanat source heat pump is investigated using a TRNSYS-MATLAB co-simulator. The water/ethylene glycol-to-air compression heat pump and the helical coil heat exchanger, which is used to inject heat to or to extract heat from the qanat water, are mathematically modeled in matrix laboratory (MATLAB), and then, coupled to transient systems simulation (TRNSYS) model to evaluate the system transient performance and calculate the heating and cooling loads of the case study building. Comparison of the performance of the qanat source heat pump with an air source heat pump showed that the coefficient of performance of the qanat source heat pump is at least 5% and at most 34% higher than that of the air source heat pump. By increasing the flow rate of the working fluid in the helical coil heat exchanger from 2 L/min to 8 L/min, the coefficient of performance of the qanat source heat pump increases at least 12% and at most 34.1%. The maximum increase in energy efficiency ratio and free energy ratio of the system by the similar increase in the flow rate is 46.4% and 24.8%, respectively. The exergy analysis of the qanat source heat pump reveals that the minimum and maximum exergy efficiency of the system is 32% and 85.5%, respectively. The findings also indicate that the most exergy destruction occurs in the condenser in heating mode and in the evaporator in cooling mode.
Molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of diacerein on trichloroacetic acid–induced hepatic pre-neoplastic lesions in rats
Authors: Ibrahim Yasmine F , Refaie Marwa MM , Kamel Maha Y , Ahmed Sara M , Moussa Rabab A , Bayoumi Asmaa MA , Ibrahim Mohamed A
Published: January 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for more than 5% of all human cancers. Diacerein (DIA), an interleukin (IL)-1β inhibitor, is used for the treatment of osteoarthritis. DIA is a potential anticancer drug acting on several protein targets in the process of apoptosis. The present study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of DIA in the treatment of trichloroacetic acid (TCA)–induced pre-neoplastic changes in rats. Rats were allocated into 5 groups and treated for 4 weeks. Group 1: control; received vehicle, Group 2: TCA group; received TCA (1 g/kg, orally for 5 days). Group 3: DIA-treated group; received TCA +DIA (50 mg/kg/day, orally, for 4 weeks). Group 4: positive control group; received TCA (1 g/kg, orally, for 5 days) + 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (75 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.), for 4 weeks as a standard anticancer drug. Group 5: received TCA (1 g/kg, orally for 5 days) + DIA (50 mg/kg/day, orally, for 4 weeks) + 5-FU (75 mg/kg, i.p., for 4 weeks). Serum liver enzymes, oxidative stress parameters, inflammatory parameter (IL-1β), and angiogenesis marker vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were assessed along with histopathological evaluation. An apoptotic marker as caspase-3 expression was measured by western blot analysis. Immunoexpression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) was evaluated. Results and conclusion: The outcomes proved that at histological level, DIA ameliorated hepatic precancerous lesion via modulation of IL-1β–HIF-1α–VEGF pathway.

Conclusion

IL-1β mediates angiogenesis indirectly, as it has been shown to induce hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) which upregulates VEGF.
How Does COVID-19 Affect the Volatility Spillover Between the Exchange Rate and the Export-oriented Businesses in Iran?
Authors: Honarmandi Zahra , Zarei Samira
Published: January 2022

This study concentrates on examining the volatility spillover effects between the exchange rate (IRR to USD) and the leading export-oriented industries (i.e., petrochemical, basic metals and minerals) in Tehran Stock Exchange before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using DCC- and asymmetric DCC-GARCH approaches, the data sample (from 15 December 2018 to 24 April 2021) has been partitioned into two sub-samples: before and after the official announcement of COVID-19 outbreak. The results demonstrate that from the pre- to post-COVID-19 periods, first, the average returns of all industries have sharply fallen; second, the volatility of all variables has been significantly augmented in different horizons; third, for all industries, not only has the fractal market hypothesis approved in both separated periods, but also analysing the values of the fractional difference parameter, together with the outcomes of GARCH models, supports in the higher-risk post-COVID-19 period, wherein the effects of exogenous shocks last longer than their impacts in the alternative lower-risk period. Furthermore, our investigations demonstrate that the asymmetric spillover (based on the ADCC-GARCH models) in both pre- and post-COVID-19 periods are confirmed in all three industries, except for minerals after the novel coronavirus.Ultimately, the results not only corroborate the increase in the volatility spillover effects right after the COVID-19 but also substantiate that the exchange rate contributes most of the spillover effects into the petrochemical and minerals industries, which have been almost twice as much as those of the basic metals.
Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia
Authors: Suryanta Barli , Patunru Arianto A.
Published: January 2022

We examine what determines the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia, focusing on the role of institutional measures. A knowledge-and-physical-capital (KPC) model is applied to a panel dataset that covers 42 of Indonesia’s FDI partners from 2004 to 2012. Evidence shows that both horizontal and vertical FDIs coexist in the bilateral aggregate data of Indonesia’s FDI flows, but horizontal FDI appears to be dominant. This can be explained by the market size (proxied by the total GDP of both countries and similarity in incomes per capita) and the relative factor endowments (proxied by skilled labor and physical capital). The vertical FDI, on the other hand, could be only explained by the significant effect of unskilled labor. Institutional factors, particularly corruption, are apparently important in affecting Indonesia’s bilateral FDI flows. The results also show that a higher FDI level in Indonesia positively correlates with macroeconomic factors, open policy factors, and utility infrastructure factors.