bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ockham : la nature du concept
Authors: Lafleur Claude , Carrier Joanne
Published: August 2021

Les Questiones in libros Phisicorum Aristotelis (Questions sur les livres des Physiques d’Aristote), putativement discutées en public au Studium franciscain de Londres par Ockham avant son départ d’Angleterre pour Avignon au printemps 1324, s’ouvrent par sept questions sur la nature du concept. Sont ici offertes une traduction française et une édition orthographique, avec un tableau de correspondance intertextuelle, de ce De conceptu, qui, massivement, paraît avoir été « magistralement » compilé à partir de l’excursus de l’Expositio in Prohemium libri Peryermenias Aristotelis, aussi traduit et édité de la sorte, ci-dessus, dans ce dossier.
Déchiffrer les signes du monde qui vient
Authors: Abadie Delphine
Published: August 2021

À partir du cas particulier du chanteur populaire DJ Arafat, le texte se propose d’éclairer la relation qu’entretiennent les expériences de vie et les productions artistiques avec le déploiement d’un imaginaire utopique en Afrique contemporaine. Le texte défend l’hypothèse selon laquelle le style, l’esthétique et les symboles repris par le chanteur renferment les germes d’un projet d’émancipation, même s’ils véhiculent également des valeurs négatives (consumérisme, sexisme, ostentation, etc.). Ces dernières sont examinées, ni pour elles-mêmes, ni comme contre-utopie, mais plutôt comme reflet des pathologies d’une société à laquelle le chanteur prétend offrir une alternative. Volontairement fragmentaire, le texte esquisse des fondements théoriques pour des travaux de plus grande envergure qui permettront à la philosophie africaine d’accompagner les luttes silencieuses des exclus du contrat social.
Vers une éducation au dialogue interreligieux africanisée
Authors: Mondésir Lindbergh
Published: August 2021

Dans cet article, l’auteur cherche à saisir comment la pensée de Jean-Marc Ela peut contribuer à africaniser l’éducation au dialogue interreligieux destinée aux jeunes Africains. Il le fait à partir de la vision éducative d’Ela, selon laquelle l’école en Afrique doit être africaine, au sens d’être pensée et organisée en s’inspirant des cultures et des réalités africaines, afin de former d’authentiques Africains. Il tient aussi compte de sa conception du dialogue interreligieux, selon laquelle les croyants africains doivent accueillir le pluralisme dans le champ religieux afin que, dans le respect de leurs différences, ils puissent mettre leurs fois et croyances au service du bien commun en Afrique.
La théorie du trauma en théologie
Authors: Ndongala Maduku Ignace , Nonone Josette
Published: August 2021

La théologie africaine qui se découvre chez J.-M. Ela entre en dialogue avec les sciences humaines. Cet article postule le même dialogue avec la psychanalyse. À partir de la théorie du trauma, il s’intéresse à la violence coloniale, étatique et ecclésiale ainsi qu’aux événements historiques qui affectent la vie des hommes et des femmes, en perturbant gravement parfois leurs capacités de pensée et de symbolisation. En creux, à partir du vécu traumatique engendré par cette violence en postcolonie, il est possible de voir la pertinence d’un christianisme africain qui réécrit l’histoire de l’Afrique en laissant Dieu se dire comme un Dieu libérateur.
La place de la subjectivité dans l’étude de la mystique musulmane
Authors: Ollivry Florence
Published: August 2021

Comment aborder la mystique musulmane ? Né d’un questionnement épistémologique sur la manière dont les concepts véhiculés par la recherche découpent le réel et sur la place de la subjectivité en sciences des religions, cet article se fonde sur l’oeuvre de Louis Massignon (m. 1962). L’examen de la posture herméneutique de cet islamologue, qui fait de la figure d’al-Hallâj (m. 309AH/922EC) le paradigme de la sainteté en islam, révèle que sa vision de la réalité étudiée est nettement tributaire de sa propre spiritualité.

Sa quête, mue par des questionnements existentiels, illustre la difficile conciliation entre la quête du vrai (au plan scientifique) et la quête de la Vérité (au sens métaphysique). L’étude de l’oeuvre de L. Massignon montre combien la subjectivité du chercheur sert la recherche et l’entrave à la fois. Afin de tendre vers une compréhension plus juste de la réalité, cet article propose certaines précautions méthodologiques, afin que la subjectivité ne déforme pas le réel mais l’éclaire et le révèle.
Research progress of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy based gas sensing
Authors: Ma Yu-Fei ,   National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Tunable Laser, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Published: August 2021

Laser spectroscopy based techniques have the advantages of high sensitivities, high selectivities, non-invasiveness and in situ, real-time observations. They are widely used in numerous fields, such as environmental monitoring, life science, medical diagnostics, manned space flight, and planetary exploration. Owing to the merits of low cost, compact volume and strong environment adaptability, quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) based sensing is an important laser spectroscopy-based method of detecting the trace gas, which was invented in 2002. Detection sensitivity is a key parameter for gas sensors because it determines their real applications. In this paper, focusing on the detection sensitivity, the common methods for QEPAS are summarized. High power laser including amplified diode laser by erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), and quantum cascade laser are used to improve the excitation intensity of acoustic wave. The absorption line of gas molecules located at the fundamental bands of mid-infrared region is adopted to increase the laser absorption strength. Micro-resonator is employed to enhance the generated acoustic pressure by forming a standing wave cavity. Quartz tuning forks (QTFs) with low resonant frequency are used to increase the accumulation time of acoustic energy in itself. Multi-pass strategy is utilized to amplify the action length between laser beam and target gas in the prongs of QTF. The advantages and disadvantages of the above methods are discussed respectively. For the issues in real applications, the all-fiber strucure in near-infared region and mid-infrared region and miniaturization using three-dimensional(3D) printing technique for QEPAS sensor are summarized. A QEPAS technique based multi-gas sensor is used to quantify the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and hydrogen chloride (HCl) for post-fire cleanup aboard spacecraft, which is taken for example for the real application.Finally, the methods of further improving the sensitivity of QEPAS sensor are proposed.
Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality
Authors: Swalwell Melanie
Published: August 2021

The overlooked history of an early appropriation of digital technology: the creation of games though coding and hardware hacking by microcomputer users.

From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, low-end microcomputers offered many users their first taste of computing. A major use of these inexpensive 8-bit machines—including the TRS System 80s and the Sinclair, Atari, Microbee, and Commodore ranges—was the development of homebrew games. Users with often self-taught programming skills devised the graphics, sound, and coding for their self-created games. In this book, Melanie Swalwell offers a history of this era of homebrew game development, arguing that it constitutes a significant instance of the early appropriation of digital computing technology.

Drawing on interviews and extensive archival research on homebrew creators in 1980s Australia and New Zealand, Swalwell explores the creation of games on microcomputers as a particular mode of everyday engagement with new technology. She discusses the public discourses surrounding microcomputers and programming by home coders; user practices; the development of game creators' ideas, with the game Donut Dilemma as a case study; the widely practiced art of hardware hacking; and the influence of 8-bit aesthetics and gameplay on the contemporary game industry. With Homebrew Gaming and the Beginnings of Vernacular Digitality, Swalwell reclaims a lost chapter in video game history, connecting it to the rich cultural and media theory around everyday life and to critical perspectives on user-generated content
Borders as Infrastructure
Authors: Dijstelbloem Huub
Published: August 2021

An investigation of borders as moving entities that influence our notions of territory, authority, sovereignty, and jurisdiction.

In Borders as Infrastructure, Huub Dijstelbloem brings science and technology studies, as well as the philosophy of technology, to the study of borders and international human mobility. Taking Europe's borders as a point of departure, he shows how borders can transform and multiply and how they can mark conflicts over international orders. Borders themselves are moving entities, he claims, and with them travel our notions of territory, authority, sovereignty, and jurisdiction. The philosophies of Bruno Latour and Peter Sloterdijk provide a framework for Dijstelbloem's discussion of the material and morphological nature of borders and border politics.

Dijstelbloem offers detailed empirical investigations that focus on the so-called migrant crisis of 2014–2016 on the Greek Aegean Islands of Chios and Lesbos; the Europe surveillance system Eurosur; border patrols at sea; the rise of hotspots and “humanitarian borders”; the technopolitics of border control at Schiphol International Airport; and the countersurveillance by NGOs, activists, and artists who investigate infrastructural border violence. Throughout, Dijstelbloem explores technologies used in border control, including cameras, databases, fingerprinting, visual representations, fences, walls, and monitoring instruments. Borders can turn places, routes, and territories into “zones of death.” Dijstelbloem concludes that Europe's current relationship with borders renders borders—and Europe itself—an “extreme infrastructure” obsessed with boundaries and limits.

The open access edition of this book was made possible by generous funding from Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.
Convention and Materialism
Authors: Virno Paolo
Published: August 2021

The first English translation of the book that established Paolo Virno as one of the most influential Italian thinkers of his generation.

With the 1986 publication of this book in Italy, Paolo Virno established himself as one of the most influential Italian thinkers of his generation. Astonishingly, this crucial work has never before been published in an English translation. This MIT Press edition, translated by Italian philosopher and Insubordinations series editor Lorenzo Chiesa, is its first English-language version. Virno here engages, in an innovative and iconoclastic way, with some classical issues of philosophy involving experience, singularity, and the relation between ethics and language, while also offering a profoundly transformative political perspective that revolves around the Marxian notion of the “general intellect.”

Virno reconsiders Walter Benjamin's idea of a “loss of the aura” (brought on, Benjamin argued, by technical reproducibility), and postulates instead the existence of a new experience of uniqueness that, although deprived of every metaphysical aura, resides in the very process of late-capitalist serial reproduction. Writing after the defeat of contemporary leftist revolutionary movements in the West, Virno argues for the possibility of a “good life” originating immanently from existential and political crises. Taking speculative detours through the thought of philosophers ranging from Aquinas and Berkeley to Heidegger and Wittgenstein, with a specific focus on Kant and Hegel, Virno shows how a renewed reflection on basic theoretical problems helps us to better grasp what is happening now. This edition features a preface written by Virno in 2011.
World Brain
Authors: Wells H. G.
Published: August 2021

In 1937, H. G. Wells proposed a predigital, freely available World Encyclopedia to represent a civilization-saving World Brain.

In a series of talks and essays in 1937, H. G. Wells proselytized for what he called a “World Brain,” as manifested in a World Encyclopedia—a repository of scientifically established knowledge—that would spread enlightenment around the world and lead to world peace. Wells, known to readers today as the author of The War of the Worlds and other science fiction classics, was imagining something like a predigital Wikipedia. The World Encyclopedia would provide a summary of verified reality (in about forty volumes); it would be widely available, free of copyright, and utilize the latest technology.

Of course, as Bruce Sterling points out in the foreword to this edition of Wells's work, the World Brain didn't happen; the internet did. And yet, Wells anticipated aspects of the internet, envisioning the World Brain as a technical system of networked knowledge (in Sterling's words, a “hypothetical super-gadget”). Wells's optimism about the power of information might strike readers today as naïvely utopian, but possibly also inspirational.
Wittgenstein's Artillery
Authors: Klagge James C.
Published: August 2021

How Wittgenstein sought a more effective way of reaching his audience by a poetic style of doing philosophy.

Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, “really one should write philosophy only as one writes poetry.” In Wittgenstein's Artillery, James Klagge shows how, in search of ways to reach his audience, Wittgenstein tried a more poetic style of doing philosophy. Klagge argues that, in deploying this new philosophical “artillery”—Klagge's term for Wittgenstein's methods of influencing his readers and students—Wittgenstein moved from an esoteric mode to an evangelical mode, aiming for an effect on his audience that was noncognitive, appealing to the temperament in addition to the intellect.

Wittgenstein was an artillery spotter—directing artillery fire to targets—in the Austrian army during World War I, and Klagge argues that, years later, he became a philosophical spotter, struggling to find the right artillery to accomplish his philosophical purpose. Klagge shows how Wittgenstein's work with his students influenced his style of writing philosophy and motivated him to care about the effect of his ideas on his audience. To illustrate Wittgenstein's evolving approach, Klagge draws on not only Wittgenstein's best-known works but also such lesser-known material as notebooks, dictations, lectures, and recollections of students. Klagge then goes beyond Wittgenstein to present a range of literature—biblical parables and children's stories, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche—as other examples of the poetic approach. He concludes by offering his own attempts at a poetic approach to addressing philosophical issues.
Innate immune activation by checkpoint inhibition in human patient-derived lung cancer tissues
Authors: Fan Teresa WM , Higashi Richard M , Song Huan , Daneshmandi Saeed , Mahan Angela L , Purdom Matthew S , Bocklage Therese J , Pittman Thomas A , He Daheng , Wang Chi , Lane Andrew N
Published: August 2021

Although Pembrolizumab-based immunotherapy has significantly improved lung cancer patient survival, many patients show variable efficacy and resistance development. A better understanding of the drug’s action is needed to improve patient outcomes. Functional heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial to modulating drug resistance; understanding of individual patients’ TME that impacts drug response is hampered by lack of appropriate models. Lung organotypic tissue slice cultures (OTC) with patients’ native TME procured from primary and brain-metastasized (BM) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were treated with Pembrolizumab and/or beta-glucan (WGP, an innate immune activator). Metabolic tracing with 13C6-Glc/13C5,15N2-Gln, multiplex immunofluorescence, and digital spatial profiling (DSP) were employed to interrogate metabolic and functional responses to Pembrolizumab and/or WGP. Primary and BM PD-1+ lung cancer OTC responded to Pembrolizumab and Pembrolizumab + WGP treatments, respectively. Pembrolizumab activated innate immune metabolism and functions in primary OTC, which were accompanied by tissue damage. DSP analysis indicated an overall decrease in immunosuppressive macrophages and T cells but revealed microheterogeneity in immune responses and tissue damage. Two TMEs with altered cancer cell properties showed resistance. Pembrolizumab or WGP alone had negligible effects on BM-lung cancer OTC but Pembrolizumab + WGP blocked central metabolism with increased pro-inflammatory effector release and tissue damage. In-depth metabolic analysis and multiplex TME imaging of lung cancer OTC demonstrated overall innate immune activation by Pembrolizumab but heterogeneous responses in the native TME of a patient with primary NSCLC. Metabolic and functional analysis also revealed synergistic action of Pembrolizumab and WGP in OTC of metastatic NSCLC.
Phylogenetic relationships, origin and historical biogeography of the genusSprattus(Clupeiformes: Clupeidae)
Authors: Canales-Aguirre Cristian B. , Ritchie Peter A. , Hernández Sebastián , Herrera-Yañez Victoria , Ferrada Fuentes Sandra , Oyarzún Fernanda X. , Hernández Cristián E. , Galleguillos Ricardo , Arratia Gloria
Published: August 2021

The genusSprattuscomprises five species of marine pelagic fishes distributed worldwide in antitropical, temperate waters. Their distribution suggests an ancient origin during a cold period of the earth’s history. In this study, we evaluated this hypothesis and corroborated the non-monophyly of the genusSprattus, using a phylogenetic approach based on DNA sequences of five mitochondrial genome regions.Sprattus sprattusis more closely related to members of the genusClupeathan to otherSprattusspecies. We also investigated the historical biogeography of the genus, with the phylogenetic tree showing two well-supported clades corresponding to the species distribution in each hemisphere. Time-calibrated phylogenetic analyses showed that an ancient divergence between Northern and Southern Hemispheres occurred at 55.8 MYBP, followed by a diversification in the Oligocene epoch in the Northern Hemisphere clade (33.8 MYBP) and a more recent diversification in the Southern Hemisphere clade (34.2 MYBP). Historical biogeography analyses indicated that the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) likely inhabited the Atlantic Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere. These results suggest that the ancestral population of the MRCA diverged in two populations, one was dispersed to the Northern Hemisphere and the other across the Southern Hemisphere. Given that the Eocene was the warmest epoch since the Paleogene, the ancestral populations would have crossed the tropics through deeper cooler waters, as proposed by the isothermal submergence hypothesis. The non-monophyly confirmed for the genusSprattusindicates that its systematics should be re-evaluated.
Atlas of tissue-specific and tissue-preferential gene expression in ecologically and economically significant conifer Pinus sylvestris
Authors: Cervantes Sandra , Vuosku Jaana , Pyhäjärvi Tanja
Published: August 2021

Despite their ecological and economical importance, conifers genomic resources are limited, mainly due to the large size and complexity of their genomes. Additionally, the available genomic resources lack complete structural and functional annotation. Transcriptomic resources have been commonly used to compensate for these deficiencies, though for most conifer species they are limited to a small number of tissues, or capture only a fraction of the genes present in the genome. Here we provide an atlas of gene expression patterns for conifer Pinus sylvestris across five tissues: embryo, megagametophyte, needle, phloem and vegetative bud. We used a wide range of tissues and focused our analyses on the expression profiles of genes at tissue level. We provide comprehensive information of the per-tissue normalized expression level, indication of tissue preferential upregulation and tissue-specificity of expression. We identified a total of 48,001 tissue preferentially upregulated and tissue specifically expressed genes, of which 28% have annotation in the Swiss-Prot database. Even though most of the putative genes identified do not have functional information in current biological databases, the tissue-specific patterns discovered provide valuable information about their potential functions for further studies, as for example in the areas of plant physiology, population genetics and genomics in general. As we provide information on tissue specificity at both diploid and haploid life stages, our data will also contribute to the understanding of evolutionary rates of different tissue types and ploidy levels.
Leaf water potential of field crops estimated using NDVI in ground-based remote sensing—opportunities to increase prediction precision
Authors: Dong Xuejun , Peng Bin , Sieckenius Shane , Raman Rahul , Conley Matthew M. , Leskovar Daniel I.
Published: August 2021

Remote-sensing using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) has the potential of rapidly detecting the effect of water stress on field crops. However, this detection has typically been accomplished only after the stress effect led to significant changes in crop green biomass, leaf area index, angle and position, and few studies have attempted to estimate the uncertainties of the regression models. These have limited the informed interpretation of NDVI data in agricultural applications. We built a ground-based sensing cart and used it to calibrate the relationships between NDVI and leaf water potential (LWP) for wheat, corn, and cotton growing under field conditions. Both the methods of ordinary least-squares (OLS) and weighted least-squares (WLS) were employed in data analysis, and measurement errors in both LWP and NDVI were considered. We also used statistical resampling to test the effect of measurement errors of LWP on the uncertainties of model coefficients. Our data showed that obtaining a high value of the coefficient of determination did not guarantee a high prediction precision in the obtained regression models. Large prediction uncertainties were estimated for all three crops, and the regressions obtained were not always significant. The best models were obtained for cotton with a prediction uncertainty of 27%. We found that considering measurement errors for both LWP and NDVI led to reduced uncertainties in model coefficients. Also, reducing the sample size of LWP measurement led to significantly increased uncertainties in the coefficients of the linear models describing the LWP-NDVI relationship. Finally, potential strategies for reducing the uncertainty relative to the range of NDVI measurement are discussed.
Comparative Study on the Catalytic Performance of a 13X Zeolite and its Dealuminated Derivative for Biodiesel Production
Authors: Alshahidy Balqees A. , Abbas Ammar S.
Published: August 2021

Natural kaolin clay was used to successfully prepare 13X zeolite catalysts, which were modified by dealumination with citric acid. Acid leaching eliminates impurities and aluminum, and improves the Si/Al ratio of the zeolite framework. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of both the original and modified 13X zeolites were the same, indicating that the crystalline frameworks were not destroyed during the dealumination process. X-ray fluorescence data of the dealuminated 13X zeolite showed an improved Si/Al ratio. Also, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used for the characterization of the catalysts. The catalytic performance of the original and modified catalysts was tested in the esterification reaction of oleic acid in a batch reactor. A higher conversion of oleic acid was obtained using the modified 13X zeolite. The resulting experimental data from the esterification reactions were fitted to the heterogeneous Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) kinetic model to determine the rates of reaction. The results of the reaction kinetics showed an increase in the rate of reaction velocity and a distinct decrease in the activation energy when using the modified zeolite, indicating that employing the modified catalyst will give a higher conversion over a shorter time through a reaction with less sensitivity to temperature. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
EWS–FLI1‐targeting peptide identifies Ewing sarcoma tumor boundaries and lymph node metastasis via near‐infrared imaging
Authors: Wang Yu , Mai Hengtang , Yuan Ying , Chen Hairen , Wu Song , Hu Xiang , Yu Aixi
Published: August 2021

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is one of the most aggressive types of pediatric tumors. The lack of tools for the identification of ES has largely hindered clinical diagnosis and the improvement of treatment. To address this challenge, we synthesized a near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (CS2‐N‐E9R) that targets the ES‐specific fusion protein EWS–FLI1 (E/F). This probe exhibited specific and high binding affinity to E/F. Further studies in animal models showed that CS2‐N‐E9R can be used to identify the boundaries of ES and lymph node metastases under a complex biological environment. These results demonstrate that CS2‐N‐E9R is a promising probe for early diagnosis and surgical guidance of ES through molecularly targeted NIR imaging.
How well do the traffic psychological assessment systems predict on‐road driving behaviour?
Authors: Kaça Gülin , İzmitligil Tülay , Koyuncu Mehmet , Amado Sonia
Published: August 2021

This study aims to investigate the predictive validities of three different traffic psychological assessment systems used in Turkey (ART 2020, TRAFIKENT and Vienna Test System) by using systematic observation of driving behaviour in natural traffic settings. For this purpose, 176 drivers were evaluated by observers and then tested in three different traffic psychological assessment systems. Drivers participated in a 45 km (approx. 80 min) driving session consisting of diverse road types. Observers filled systematic observation forms comprising 35 errors/violations on 10 road segments. Furthermore, observers evaluated participants regarding cognitive and psychomotor abilities measured with the psychological assessment system. Consequently, although the systems' power to predict on‐road behaviour was similar, the tests/abilities that contributed to the models differed in each system except for the reasoning test. It was recommended to increase the weight of these predictive tests in deciding safe driving for each system.
Facile Realization of Boosted Near‐Infrared‐Visible Light Driven Photocatalytic Activities of BiOF Nanoparticles through Simultaneously Exploiting Doping and Upconversion Strategy
Authors: Du Peng , Ran Weiguang , Wang Can , Luo Laihui , Li Weiping
Published: August 2021

A facile strategy is put forward to improve the photocatalytic activity of BiOF nanoparticles by simultaneously exploiting doping and upconversion engineering. The Er3+/Yb3+‐codoped BiOF nanoparticles are synthesized via using high‐temperature solid‐state reaction route. Through employing first‐principles density functional theory, one knows that the electronic structure of BiOF host is greatly impacted by Er3+ and Yb3+ ions doping. Excited by 980 nm, bright upconversion emissions are seen in prepared compounds and their maximum intensities are obtained when x = 0.04. Furthermore, the photocatalytic capacity of the designed nanoparticles is explored by detecting the photodegradation of pollutants under visible and near‐infrared lights irradiation. Compared with BiOF, these nanoparticles doped with Er3+ and Yb3+ ions have superior photocatalytic activity, in which h+, ·O2−, and ·OH active species contribute to the photocatalytic mechanism. Additionally, the resultant nanoparticles also present better photocatalytic activity than commercial ZnO nanoparticles. These achievements imply that Er3+/Yb3+‐codoped BiOF nanoparticles are promising near‐infrared‐visible light driven photocatalysts.
Water deficit induced physiological and amino acid responses in some rice varieties using NMR‐metabolic analysis
Authors: ElShamey Essam A. Z. , Ali Esmat F. , Selim Mahmoud E. , ElSayed Mahmoud A. A. , Ahmed Mukhtar , Alotaibi Fahad M , Kamara Mohamed M. , AL‐Harbi Mohammad S. , Kheir Ahmed M. S.
Published: August 2021

Deficit irrigation (DI) is a choice made by producers to improve water productivity and might be highly preferred in future production programs in arid regions. Identifying DI‐tolerant cultivars will be critical to improve rice (Oryza sativa L.) productivity under the future climate change conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)‐based metabolomics is a recent technique that has received less attention so far and can be used to compare genetic differences in DI tolerance. For this purpose, field experiments were carried out during two successive summer seasons in Egypt to compare genetic differences for water deficit tolerance in seven rice genotypes using NMR technique. The genotypes Azucena and IRAT 170 achieved the best values of water productivity (WP) under DI, recording 1.79 and 0.99 kg m–3 respectively, confirming their suitability in the water deficit breeding program to produce new promising lines and to keep yield potential stable under climate change conditions. The PLS‐DA of 1H‐NMR spectra showed a clear separation between genotypes under both full irrigation (FI) and DI conditions. Quantitative analysis showed that sucrose, threonine, glutamate, and allantoin were accumulated at DI when compared to FI conditions, and these metabolite compounds may be closely related to DI conditions. Tryptophan, as an aromatic amino acid, has increased across cultivars, most dramatically in Azucena and IRAT 170. Tyrosine and phenylalanine also increased in Azucena and IRAT 170, but not as dramatically as tryptophan. The rice genotypes Azucena and IRAT 170 could be successfully recommended for higher yields and quality under DI conditions.
Cover crops to improve soil health in the North American Great Plains
Authors: Obour Augustine K. , Simon Logan M. , Holman Johnathon D. , Carr Patrick M. , Schipanski Meagan , Fonte Steven , Ghimire Rajan , Nleya Thandiwe , Blanco‐Canqui Humberto
Published: August 2021

Rotating cereal crops (e.g., wheat [Triticum aestivum L.] with a 10‐ to 21‐mo summer fallow period [fallow]) is a common farming practice in dryland (rainfed) agricultural regions. Fallow is associated with several challenges including low precipitation storage efficiency, depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC), loss of soil fertility, little crop residue retention and soil erosion, and few control options for herbicide‐resistant (HR) weeds. The inability to effectively control HR weeds poses a major challenge to maintaining soil and water conservation practices such as no‐tillage, as some producers are considering tillage to control weeds. Cover crop (CC) integration into wheat‐based production systems to replace portions of the fallow period provides an opportunity to increase SOC, improve soil fertility, suppress weeds, and increase profitability of dryland crop production, especially when CCs are used as forage. This forum paper used the North American Great Plains as a model region to review information on (a) challenges of dryland agriculture; (b) integrating CCs in dryland agriculture; (c) benefits, challenges, and limitations of CCs in dryland crop production; (d) management options for CC integration in dryland grain systems; and (e) recommendations for future research efforts.
Globally optimal synthesis of heat exchanger networks. Part III: Non‐isothermal mixing in minimal and non‐minimal networks
Authors: Chang Chenglin , Liao Zuwei , Costa André L. H. , Bagajewicz Miguel J.
Published: August 2021

In this work, the enumeration algorithms presented in Parts I and II for the globally optimal synthesis of minimal and non‐minimal heat exchanger networks are extended to consider non‐isothermal mixing. New mathematical models, including non‐isothermal mixing constraints, are proposed to target the bounds of energy consumption and the binding exchanger minimum approximation temperature. These models are solved using the algorithms, which involve solving systems of equations instead of mathematical programming. Three global optimization strategies are proposed to optimize each enumerated structure, involving the use of a global solver directly, or the use of a Golden Search based on energy consumption and a flowrate optimization model considering non‐isothermal mixing. The flowrate optimization model is reformulated as a convex problem, which is solved by using nonlinear programming or a mathematical programming‐free methodology, that is, solving Karush–Kuhn–Tucker equations. A new Global Optimum Search Algorithm is developed and examples are tested comparing different optimization strategies.
Clan genomics: From OMIM phenotypic traits to genes and biology
Authors: Lupski James R.
Published: August 2021

Clinical characterization of a patient phenotype has been the quintessential approach for elucidating a differential diagnosis and a hypothesis to explore a potential clinical diagnosis. This has resulted in a language of medicine and a semantic ontology, with both specialty‐ and subspecialty‐specific lexicons, that can be challenging to translate and interpret. There is no ‘Rosetta Stone’ of clinical medicine such as the genetic code that can assist translation and interpretation of the language of genetics. Nevertheless, the information content embodied within a clinical diagnosis can guide management, therapeutic intervention, and potentially prognostic outlook of disease enabling anticipatory guidance for patients and families. Clinical genomics is now established firmly in medical practice. The granularity and informative content of a personal genome is immense. Yet, we are limited in our utility of much of that personal genome information by the lack of functional characterization of the overwhelming majority of computationally annotated genes in the haploid human reference genome sequence. Whereas DNA and the genetic code have provided a ‘Rosetta Stone’ to translate genetic variant information, clinical medicine, and clinical genomics provide the context to understand human biology and disease. A path forward will integrate deep phenotyping, such as available in a clinical synopsis in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) entries, with personal genome analyses.
Synthesis of 5‐Azatetracene and Comparison of Its Optical and Electrochemical Properties with Tetracene
Authors: Ghosh Animesh , Budanovic Maja , Li Tianjiao , Liang Caihong , Klein Maciej , Soci Cesare , Webster Richard D. , Gurzadyan Gagik G. , Grimsdale Andrew C.
Published: August 2021

A four‐step route for the synthesis of 5‐azatetracene (benzo[b]acridine) has been developed, employing a base‐catalysed Friedlander condensation reaction between 3‐amino‐2‐napthaldehyde and cyclohexanone as the key step followed by dehydrogenation of the intermediate. The optical and electrochemical properties of the 5‐azatetracene were investigated by UV‐vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy, and by cyclic voltammetry and compared with those of tetracene. It is found that 5‐azatetracene shows broader absorption in the visible region than tetracene, exhibits a higher luminescence quantum efficiency, and possesses a lower‐lying LUMO level and smaller HOMO‐LUMO band gap. Time‐resolved PL spectroscopy was used to elucidate the reasons for the more efficient luminescence of 5‐azatetracene. Field‐effect transistor measurements revealed the ambipolar nature of charge transport in 5‐azatetracene.
Total Synthesis of Skipped Diene Natural Products
Authors: Sato Takaaki , Suto Takahiro , Nagashima Yoshiyuki , Mukai Shori , Chida Noritaka
Published: August 2021

Skipped dienes (1,4‐dienes) are widely distributed in a variety of biologically active natural products. The synthesis of these skipped dienes is a relatively undeveloped area compared with that of conjugated dienes (1,3‐dienes) due to the sp3‐hybridized carbon between two olefins. Especially, development of methods to meet both high stereoselectivity and convergency is highly challenging. This review focuses on recent advances in the synthesis of skipped dienes in the total synthesis of complex natural products, which are classified into three classes; a) skipped dienes comprised of two disubstituted olefins, b) skipped dienes including trisubstituted olefin(s), and c) 3‐methyl skipped dienes.
Molecular interaction study on Gemini surfactant and nanoparticles in wax inhibition of Malaysian crude oil
Authors: Vijayakumar Shamala Devi , Ridzuan Norida
Published: August 2021

Wax deposition can cause a slowdown in operation by restricting crude oil flow in the pipeline. Chemical inhibitors interact with the wax molecule in crude oil and prevent wax aggregation. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to analyze the intermolecular interaction between a wax molecule of n‐icosane and a Gemini surfactant 2,5,8,11 tetramethyl 6 dodecyn‐5,8 diol ethoxylate (GS) with three distinct nanoparticles: silicon dioxide (SiO2)(NP1), tin oxide (SnO)(NP2), and nickel oxide (Ni2O3)(NP3). The desired structural feature of the radial distribution function (rdf) was analyzed using the COMPASS force field. Weakest intermolecular interaction between n‐icosane (highest rdf value of 5.25 Å), indicating high wax solubility, was achieved in the presence of GS/NP3 blend. In addition, GS/NP3 blend gave the strongest van der Waals (vdW) interaction with a hydrogen atom in n‐icosane. The presence of the O carbonyl group in both GS and NP3 establishes a higher number of hydrogen bonds. Thus, the GS/NP3 blend acts as the best inhibitor compared to the individual GS and NP3. The simulation analysis on the degree of wax formation reduction using GS/NP3 blend correlated well with cold finger experiment that showed a wax formation reduction of 61.6%.
Biocatalytic synthesis of 2‐O‐α‐D‐glucopyranosyl‐L‐ascorbic acid using an extracellular expressed α‐glucosidase from Oryza sativa
Authors: Qi Xuelian , Shao Junlan , Cheng Yinchu , He Xiaoying , Li Yan , Jia Honghua , Yan Ming
Published: August 2021

Background

2‐O‐α‐D‐Glucopyranosyl‐L‐ascorbic acid (AA‐2G) is an important derivative of L‐ascorbic acid (L‐AA), which has the distinct advantages of non‐reducibility, antioxidation, and reproducible decomposition into L‐AA and glucose. Enzymatic synthesis is a preferred method for AA‐2G production over alternative chemical synthesis owing to the regioselective glycosylation reaction. α‐Glucosidase, an enzyme classed into O‐glycoside hydrolases, might be used in glycosylation reactions to synthesize AA‐2G.

Main Methods and Major Results

Here, an α‐glucosidase from Oryza sativa was heterologously produced in Pichia pastoris GS115 and used for biosynthesis of AA‐2G with few intermediates and byproducts. The extracellular recombinant α‐glucosidase (rAGL) reached 9.11 U mL–1 after fed‐batch cultivation for 102 h in a 5 L fermenter. The specific activity of purified rAGL is 49.83 U mg–1 at 37°C and pH 4.0. The optimal temperature of rAGL was 65°C, and it was stable below 55°C. rAGL was active over the range of pH 3.0–7.0, with the maximal activity at pH 4.0. Under the condition of 37°C, pH 4.0, equimolar maltose and ascorbic acid sodium salt, 8.7 ± 0.4 g L–1 of AA‐2G was synthesized by rAGL.

Conclusions and Implications

The production of rAGL in P. pastoris was proved to be beneficial in providing enough enzyme and promoting biocatalytic synthesis of AA‐2G. These studies lay the basis for the industrial application of α‐glucosidase.
Adherence to oral therapies among patients with renal cell carcinoma: Post hoc analysis of the ECOG‐ACRIN E2805 trial
Authors: Murphy Caitlin C. , Fullington Hannah M. , Gerber David E. , Bowman Isaac Alex , Puligandla Maneka , Dutcher Janice P. , DiPaola Robert S. , Haas Naomi B.
Published: August 2021

Background

As use of oral cancer therapies increases, patient adherence has become critical when evaluating the effectiveness of therapy. In a phase III trial for renal cell carcinoma, we: (a) characterized adherence to sorafenib, sunitinib, and/or placebo and (b) identified factors associated with non‐adherence.

Methods

ECOG‐ACRIN E2805 was a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized trial comparing adjuvant sorafenib or sunitinib in patients with resected primary renal cell carcinoma at high risk for recurrence. We used patient‐completed pill diaries to measure adherence as the number of pills taken divided by the number of pills prescribed. Log‐binomial regression was used to identify correlates of non‐adherence (<80% of prescribed pills reported as taken).

Results

Mean adherence was 90.7% among those assigned to sunitinib (n = 613) and 84.8% among those assigned to sorafenib (n = 616). Among those assigned to placebo, mean adherence was 94.9% and 92.4% to sunitinib and sorafenib placebo, respectively. Non‐adherence was associated with race/ethnicity (non‐Hispanic Black: prevalence ratio [PR] 2.22, 95% CI 1.63, 3.01; Hispanic: PR 1.54, 95% CI 1.05, 2.26), high volume enrollment (≥10 patients: PR 1.30, 95% CI 1.03, 1.64), treatment group (sunitinib: PR 2.24, 95% CI 1.66, 3.02; sorafenib: PR 2.37, 95% CI 1.74, 3.22), and skin rash (PR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03, 1.80).

Conclusion

Among patients participating in a randomized clinical trial, adherence to oral cancer therapies was lower compared to placebo. Adherence was also worse in racial/ethnic minorities, those experiencing toxicities, and high volume enrolling sites. Our findings highlight several challenges to address in clinical practice as use of oral therapies continues to increase.

Clinical trial registration number

This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00326898.
Involuntary narratives of decreasing anxiety in breast cancer patients: Study in Ukraine
Authors: Orap Maryna O.
Published: August 2021

Background

The main purpose of our study was to theoretically substantiate and practically verify the effectiveness of the developed method of reducing anxiety in breast cancer patients.

Method

We suggest that involuntary narratives, such as spontaneous, unprepared and non‐structural writing without rumination, help to express fears and concerns, thoughts and emotions and, as a result, decrease the level of anxiety. The respondents (49 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer at the Oncology Center of Ternopil, Ukraine, mean age 55.43 ± 11.31 years) were asked to write down (for 10 days) all their emotions and thoughts, which appeared in the morning immediately after awakening. They were asked to provide spontaneous thoughts without proper grammar, not observing lexical or spelling rules.

Results

Comparison of the level of state anxiety and differential emotions in the experimental and control groups before and after the experiment showed a statistically significant decrease in the level of anxiety and negative emotions in breast cancer patients.

Conclusions

The primary practical application of the study is the prospect of using involuntary narratives to decrease anxiety in breast cancer patients.
Essential Oil Composition of Five Thymus Species from Bulgaria
Authors: Trendafilova Antoaneta , Todorova Milka , Ivanova Victoria , Zhelev Petar , Aneva Ina
Published: August 2021

In this study, the essential oil composition of five Thymus species, belonging to Sect. Hyphodromi (A. Kerner) Halácsy – Thymus atticus Čelak., T. leucotrichus Halácsy, T. striatus Vahl, T. zygioides Griseb. and T. perinicus (Velen.) Jalas. was studied by GC/MS/FID. T. atticus, T. leucotrichus, and T. striatus were characterized by high amounts of sesquiterpenoids (57.7, 78.9 and 79.7 %, respectively) with β‐caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide as the main constituents. Aromatic compounds (61.2 %) were the most abundant group in T. zygioides essential oil, with thymol (51.2 %) as the principal component. The essential oil from the endemic species T. perinicus contained almost equal amounts of monoterpenoids (37.8 %) and aromatic compounds (36.0 %) with borneol (17.9 %) and thymol (20.9 %) as the major components. The obtained results revealed the existence of new chemotypes of T. atticus (caryophyllene oxide/β‐caryophyllene), T. leucotrichus (β‐caryophyllene/elemol/germacrene D) and T. striatus (β‐caryophyllene/germacrene D/caryophyllene oxide). The essential oil content of endemic T. perinicus is reported for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were used to investigate the variations in the essential oils of different Thymus species from Sect. Hyphodromi (A. Kerner) Halácsy.
Chemophenetics as a Tool for Distinguishing Morphotypes of Annona emarginata (Schltdl.) H. Rainer
Authors: Ovile Mimi Carolina , De‐la‐Cruz‐Chacón Iván , Caixeta Sousa Marília , Aparecida Ribeiro Vieira Maria , Ortiz Mayo Marques Marcia , Ferreira Gisela , Silvia Fernandes Boaro Carmen
Published: August 2021

Annona emarginata (Annonaceae) has two morphological variations (A. emarginata ‘mirim’ and A. emarginata ‘terra‐fria’). The species has agricultural value and produces specialized metabolites of pharmacological interest. The objective of this work was to analyze whether chemical and morphological differences contribute to differentiate A. emarginata ‘terra‐fria’ from A. emarginata ‘mirim’, as chemophenetic variations of A. emarginata. The analysis of chemical compounds was based on the quantification, profile of root alkaloids and on the leaves volatile profile, together with morphometric analyses of the leaf blade. The samples were collected in three phenological stages (flowering, fruiting, and vegetative) at two places in São Paulo, Brazil. Differences in the composition of the alkaloid profile and leaf volatiles (in both places and in the three phenological stages) allowed us to separate the two morphotypes by multivariate statistical analysis. These differences agreed with the leaf blade morphology and flower color. This first chemophenetic report of A. emarginata demonstrates that, in addition to morphological variations, the specialized metabolism of roots and leaves can be phytochemical characters, which suggest the existence of at least morphochemotypes of A. emarginata.
Polymorphic Phosphorescence from Separable Aggregates with Unique Photophysical Properties
Authors: Pinter Piermaria , Hennersdorf Felix , Weigand Jan J. , Strassner Thomas
Published: August 2021

Platinum complexes aggregate into polymorphs with different intermolecular interactions leading to different photophysical properties. Strong intermolecular interactions stabilize the aggregate to such an extent that the polymorphs can be separated directly by column chromatography. Solid‐state structures as well as quantum‐chemical calculations confirmed the effect of the interactions on the photophysical properties.