bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemo- and regioselective hydroformylation of alkenes with CO2/H2 over a bifunctional catalyst
Authors: Hua Kaimin , Liu Xiaofang , Wei Baiyin , Shao Zilong , Deng Yuchao , Zhong Liangshu , Wang Hui , Sun Yuhan
Published: December 2020

Combining CO2 and H2 for chemo- and regioselective hydroformylation of alkenes has been realized. The key to success is the use of a bifunctional Rh/PTA catalyst, which can ingeniously combine efficient CO2 hydrogenation and hydroformylation.
Recent advances in heterogeneous catalytic transfer hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis for valorization of biomass-derived furanic compounds
Authors: Fang Wenting , Riisager Anders
Published: December 2020

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis can valorize renewable compounds derived from biomass. Different catalysts have the ability to transfer hydrogen from hydrogen-donor molecules thereby avoiding the use of hazardous gaseous hydrogen.
Electrochemical performance of the homologous molybdenum(vi) redox-active gel polymer electrolyte system
Authors: Ma Jiayi , Xie Yibing
Published: December 2020

PVA–H3PO4–Na2MoO4 and PVA–H3PO4–PMo12 are assembled into a single solid-state supercapacitor to improve the specific capacitance. Homologous molybdenum (vi) of PMo12 and Na2MoO4 provides synergistic effect to improve faradaic capacitance performance.
Durable mixed edible wax coating with stretching superhydrophobicity
Authors: Wang Daheng , Huang Jinxia , Guo Zhiguang , Liu Weimin
Published: December 2020

An edible wax coating on elastic substrates comprising carnauba wax spheres and beeswax superhydrophobic flakes with a two-stage application (before/after stretching) shows durability against abrasion, scratch healing and self-cleaning performance.
Recent advances on the bacterial cellulose-derived carbon aerogels
Authors: Huang Yang , Huang Xiangzhou , Ma Mengtao , Hu Chenyao , Seidi Farzad , Yin Sha , Xiao Huining
Published: December 2020

This review summarizes the innovative strategies recently reported to exploit the applications of biomass-derived carbon aerogel conductors.
Protein–membrane interactions in small GTPase signalling and pharmacology: perspectives from Arf GTPases studies
Authors: Nawrotek Agata , Zeghouf Mahel , Cherfils Jacqueline
Published: December 2020

Small GTPases, in association with their GEFs, GAPs and effectors, control major intracellular processes such as signal transduction, cytoskeletal dynamics and membrane trafficking. Accordingly, dysfunctions in their biochemical properties are associated with many diseases, including cancers, diabetes, infections, mental disorders and cardiac diseases, which makes them attractive targets for therapies. However, small GTPases signalling modules are not well-suited for classical inhibition strategies due to their mode of action that combines protein–protein and protein–membrane interactions. As a consequence, there is still no validated drug available on the market that target small GTPases, whether directly or through their regulators. Alternative inhibitory strategies are thus highly needed. Here we review recent studies that highlight the unique modalities of the interaction of small GTPases and their GEFs at the periphery of membranes, and discuss how they can be harnessed in drug discovery.
Keeping your options open: insights from Dppa2/4 into how epigenetic priming factors promote cell plasticity
Authors: Eckersley-Maslin Mélanie A.
Published: December 2020

The concept of cellular plasticity is particularly apt in early embryonic development, where there is a tug-of-war between the stability and flexibility of cell identity. This balance is controlled in part through epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic plasticity dictates how malleable cells are to change by adjusting the potential to initiate new transcriptional programmes. The higher the plasticity of a cell, the more readily it can adapt and change its identity in response to external stimuli such as differentiation cues. Epigenetic plasticity is regulated in part through the action of epigenetic priming factors which establish this permissive epigenetic landscape at genomic regulatory elements to enable future transcriptional changes. Recent studies on the DNA binding proteins Developmental Pluripotency Associated 2 and 4 (Dppa2/4) support their roles as epigenetic priming factors in facilitating cell fate transitions. Here, using Dppa2/4 as a case study, the concept of epigenetic plasticity and molecular mechanism of epigenetic priming factors will be explored. Understanding how epigenetic priming factors function is key not only to improve our understanding of the tight control of development, but also to give insights into how this goes awry in diseases of cell identity, such as cancer.
SINR improvement based on joint design of transmit covariance matrix and receive filter design for colocated MIMO radar
Authors: Imani Sadjad , Feraidooni Mohammad Mahdi , Gharavian Davood , Nayebi Mohammad Mahdi
Published: December 2020

This paper examines we aim to improve the performance of target detection in the presence of signal‐dependent interference in multiple‐input multiple‐output radar through the joint design of the receiver spatial filter and the covariance matrix of waveforms. For this purpose, the signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio is considered as the design criterion. The proposed method is a sequential algorithm that calculates the receiver filter coefficients through a closed form in each step of the algorithm. The correlation of transmit waveforms is also calculated utilizing the coordinate descent method. The covariance matrix is designed in two forms. In the first form, it is assumed that the optimal matrix is a Toeplitz matrix which leads to a simpler design. In the second form, the covariance matrix is calculated by combining orthogonal waveforms, which yields better performance for interfere reduction. Simulation results show that the proposed method has more appropriate performance in comparison with other methods.
Dynamic output‐feedback event‐triggered H∞ control for singular active seat suspension systems with a human body model
Authors: Li Wenxing , Du Haiping , Feng Zhiguang , Ning Donghong , Li Weihua
Published: December 2020

The output‐feedback event‐triggered controller is designed in this paper for singular active seat suspension systems. The human body is simply separated into two parts (body torso and head) and is considered with the seat suspension system. The accelerations of each part are considered as part of the system states, which makes the system as a singular system. The seat suspension deflection, relative velocity, the accelerations of the seat frame, body torso, and head are defined as the system outputs, which are all measurable in real‐time. The output‐feedback controller is designed at first. Then, the event‐triggered scheme is designed for the seat suspension system to reduce data transmission. Linear matrix equalities criteria are presented to get the controller and event‐triggered scheme and ensure the admissibility of the seat suspension system. Simulation results are shown to illustrate the effectiveness of the considered control method.
Robust nonlinear observer design for permanent magnet synchronous motors
Authors: Pyrkin Anton , Bobtsov Alexey , Ortega Romeo , Vedyakov Alexey , Cherginets Dmitry , Ovcharov Alexey , Bazylev Dmitry , Petranevsky Igor
Published: December 2020

This paper is devoted to the application of a recently proposed globally convergent adaptive position observer to non‐salient permanent magnet synchronous motors. Following the Dynamic Regressor Extension and Mixing Based Adaptive Observer (DREMBAO) approach, a new finite‐time robust observer is presented that allows to track adaptively the rotor position by measuring only the currents and voltages and without knowledge of mechanical, electrical and magnetic parameters. A numerical example for the case with different rotor speeds and time‐varying load torque is considered to reveal the advantages of the proposed approach in comparison with other existing methods. Experimental studies of the proposed robust nonlinear observer implementation are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the new design technique in different speed modes together with adaptive estimation of unknown parameters.
On well‐definability of the L∞/L2 Hankel operator and detection of all the critical instants in sampled‐data systems
Authors: Hagiwara Tomomichi , Inai Akira , Kim Jung Hoon
Published: December 2020

Because sampled‐data systems have h‐periodic nature with the sampling period h, an arbitrary is taken and the quasi Hankel operator at Θ is defined as the mapping from to . Its norm called the quasi Hankel norm at Θ is used to define the Hankel norm as the supremum of their values over . If the supremum is actually attained as the maximum, then a maximum‐attaining Θ is called a critical instant and the Hankel operator is said to be well‐definable. An earlier study establishes a computation method of the Hankel norm, which is called a sophisticated method if our interest lies only in its computation. However, the feature of the method that it is free from considering the quasi Hankel norm for any prevents the earlier study to give any arguments as to whether the obtained Hankel norm is actually attained as the maximum, as well as detecting all the critical instants when the Hankel operator is well‐definable. This paper establishes further arguments to tackle these relevant questions and provides numerical examples to validate the arguments in different aspects of authors' theoretical interests.
Open‐phase temporary overvoltage before and after an intermediate subsation accessing a long distance transmission line
Authors: Xiaoyue Chen , Zeyu He , Huashi Wu , Hailiang Lu , Yu Wang , Lei Lan , Xishan Wen
Published: December 2020

In transmission lines, shunt‐reactors are commonly applied to counteract the “Ferranti effect.” However, in highly compensated lines, hazardous overvoltage may occur during unbalanced open‐phase conditions. In addition, when a new substation is put into operation, π circuit can be selected by accessing an existing transmission line and the original shunt‐reactor configuration is maintained. Severe overvoltage may occur on the shunt‐reactor side of the newly installed transmission line. In this study, we analysed the effects of compensation, neutral‐reactor, and system frequency on open‐phase overvoltage. The maximum deviation of system frequency is  <±0.5 Hz, therefore, we suggested maximum critical compensation of the shunt‐reactor under different proportional coefficients of neutral‐reactor. We analysed the impact of line division, when an intermediate substation is accessed, and a risk range in which the substation located may cause severe overvoltage was proposed. Finally, according to an actual line division project, we optimised the original configuration scheme of the shunt and neutral‐reactors. We used electromagnetic transient simulation to verify whether severe overvoltage occurred before and after the power station is accessed. The study results may provide guidance for selection of the π circuit accessing point and for optimising the configuration of the shunt and neutralreactors.
Study on fault line detection methods based on multi‐feature fusion in distribution systems
Authors: Yuan Jiawei , Jiao Zaibin , Feng Guang , Chen Ming , Xu Mingming
Published: December 2020

Faulted line detection is used for locating faults and restoring service after the occurrence of a single line‐to‐ground fault in a non‐effectively earthed network. The traditional single faulted line detection method cannot adapt to the fault diagnosis of distribution systems under unfavourable conditions, while faulted line selection schemes based on neural network have poor generalisation ability when the structure of distribution network changes. A novel faulted line detection method based on multi‐feature integration is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of the previous methods. This study classifies the different fault characteristics of single line‐to‐ground faults in distribution systems, and analyses the applicable range of existing methods under multiple fault conditions. Subsequently, three detection methods that can be applied to different fault conditions and have complementarity are employed for feature extraction. Moreover, the extracted features of a feeder are processed by introducing the fault features of the remaining feeders, and the processed features are fused based on the fuzzy theory. Considering the selection of fault measure functions and weight coefficients in the fuzzy theory based on experience, an adaptive‐network‐based fuzzy inference system is employed for feature fusion. PSCAD and RTDS experiments confirmed the superior generalisation ability of the proposed method.
Optimization to POD parameters of DFIGs based on the 2nd order eigenvalue sensitivity of power systems
Authors: Li Shenghu , Zhang Hao , Li Yikai
Published: December 2020

Here, the analytical model of the 2nd order eigenvalue sensitivity is improved, and applied to optimize the parameters of the power oscillation dampers of the doubly‐fed induction generators. To solve the 2nd order eigenvalue sensitivity, the eigenvector sensitivity is required whose difficulty lies in insufficient constraints, for which two constraints about the magnitude and the angle of eigenvector elements are newly introduced, and the normalization conditions are derived to solve the eigenvector sensitivity. The 2nd order eigenvalue sensitivity is applied to analyse the change of the low‐frequency oscillation modes with the varying of parameters in the power systems with the doubly‐fed induction generators. To improve the low‐frequency oscillation modes, the optimization model of the power oscillation damper parameters is newly formulated based on the 1st and the 2nd order eigenvalue sensitivities and solved by the interior point method. The numerical results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the constraints proposed; the advantages of the 2nd order eigenvalue sensitivity in the eigen‐analysis and parameters optimization, and the robustness against wind fluctuation.
Triple‐band antenna using double periodic CRLH resonator on coplanar waveguide
Authors: Mohan Manoj Prabhakar , Alphones Arokiaswami , Karim Muhammed Faeyz
Published: December 2020

The uniplanar implementation of double periodic composite right/left‐handed (DPCRLH) symmetric unit cell is realized using coplanar waveguide and its analysis with parameter extraction are studied. DPCRLH symmetric unit cell is then experimentally validated. The open‐circuited DPCRLH resonator is formed from the DPCRLH unit cell which exhibited five resonance points. The simulated resonant frequencies of the resonator are 1.5494, 2.1968, 3.5072, 5.0438 and 6.089 GHz. A triple‐band antenna is designed from the last three resonant frequencies of the resonator. The antenna is horizontally polarized in all three bands. The measured co‐polarized gain of the antenna at the central frequencies of the three bands are 1.52 dBi (3.59 GHz), 3.67 dBi (5.1694 GHz) and 1.78 dBi (6.0925 GHz), respectively.
Improved wideband phase balancing SIW unequal power divider design for the low side‐lobe array antennas
Authors: Shehab Shahriar Hasan , Feng Jiewei , Karmakar Nemai , Amin Emran Md , Walker Jeffrey
Published: December 2020

In this paper, an eight‐way substrate integrated waveguide unequal power divider with an enhanced co‐phase bandwidth is presented, and demonstrated a potential application for the Ku‐band radiometer antennas. The proposed divider design is based on the −35 dB Chebyshev beam‐shaping algorithm to achieve at minimum −25 dB of antenna side‐lobe level (SLL) and high beam efficiency (>90%). Investigations on different unequal power splitting techniques are discussed, and an efficient method for the unequal power division is proposed, exhibiting improved co‐phase bandwidth and wideband matching. The proposed unequal eight‐way power divider demonstrates a wider co‐phase bandwidth of 10% within 10° phase error and the −15 dB return loss bandwidth of 36.8%. Furthermore, the proposed unequal divider is integrated with eight longitudinal slot radiators, designed at 18.7 GHz and exhibits low radiation loss (better than −1.3 dB). The antenna measurement results exhibit a symmetrical fan beam radiation pattern and satisfied the goal of −25 dB SLL, resulting high beam efficiency of 97% and gain of 13.45 dBi. Therefore, the proposed unequal power divider technique shows the potential to be utilised in the low SLL antenna array designs for an accurate brightness temperature measurement of radiometer systems. The application of this technique can be further extended to radar and satellite/wireless communications.
Adaptive energy efficient fuzzy: An adaptive and energy efficient fuzzy clustering algorithm for wireless sensor network‐based landslide detection system
Authors: Ahmed Suhaib , Gupta Swastik , Suri Ashish , Sharma Sparsh
Published: December 2020

It is a well‐known research outcome that clustering helps in increasing the network lifetime and the routing performance. This research thus aims to optimize the energy consumption of wide scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs) by proposing a novel and an adaptive energy efficient fuzzy (AEEF) clustering for a WSN. It is an improvement and modification on the traditional clustering of the cells of the network for Landslide Detection systems. It incorporates the concept of fuzziness and state machine in selecting the cluster heads, unlike previously clustering algorithms such as low‐energy adaptive clustering hierarchy and so on. The proposed AEEF approach is validated by carrying out simulations and the results show that the average energy consumption per node under no‐clustering is 0.5144892 mJ, whereas it reduces drastically to 0.084482 mJ using the proposed AEEF clustering algorithm. Hence, the proposed algorithm is approximately 83.5% more energy efficient and thus increases the lifetimes of the nodes deployed for sensing a landslide along with being adaptive to any changes in the ambient conditions.
Design and application of the multi‐transmitting and multi‐receiving ionospheric detection network
Authors: Qi Hao , Chen Gang , Gong Wanlin , Huo Da , Li Yaxian , Wang Zhihua
Published: December 2020

To observe a large area of ionosphere with relatively dense observing points, we design and implement an experimental multi‐transmitting and multi‐receiving ionospheric detection network in China. Two transmitters located in Wuhan and Mile and two receivers located in Kaiyuan and Luxi are used to form the ionospheric detection network. The radio echoes of the network are reflected at the mid‐point ionosphere between the transmitter and receiver. The radio systems in the network work simultaneously and the echoes from the two transmitters can be recorded in one ionogram of a receiver. With the inversion technique, the oblique‐incidence ionogram is converted to a vertical‐incidence ionogram, and then the ionospheric parameters, such as the critical frequency and peak height of F2‐layer (foF2 and hmF2), as well as the electron density profile, can be obtained. The foF2 variation recorded by the oblique‐incidence ionograms is compared with the same data of the vertical‐incidence ionosondes in Qujing and Chongqing. There is a little deviation between the observation results of the two kinds of the ionospheric detection systems. The preliminary experimental results show that the ionospheric oblique‐incidence detection network composed of several independent high‐frequency transmitters and receivers is an effective and low‐cost solution for large‐area ionospheric observation.
Unambiguous range extension for pulse‐Doppler radar via Poisson disk sampling
Authors: Dong Boyuan , Li Gang , Wang Kunpeng , Duan Meiya
Published: December 2020

Since the maximum unambiguous range in the traditional single‐channel pulse‐Doppler (PD) radar is restricted by the pulse repetition interval (PRI), there is a trade‐off between the maximum unambiguous range and the maximum unambiguous velocity. As a result, conventional coherent processing used in PD radar systems can hardly provide large unambiguous range and large unambiguous velocity simultaneously. We propose a method of unambiguous range extension for PD radar via Poisson disk sampling. The method enables the PD radar to detect farther targets unambiguously without sacrificing the maximum unambiguous velocity. The Poisson disk sampling is adopted in the slow time domain to ensure the interval length between any two adjacent transmitted pulses to be larger than a desired value, which can be set longer than the Nyquist sampling interval to extend the maximum unambiguous range. Then, the Iterative Soft Thresholding like (IST‐like) algorithm is utilized on the non‐uniformly under‐sampled data to recover the range‐Doppler spectrum accurately. Compared to some of existing methods of unambiguous range extension based on stochastic sampling, the proposed method has better velocity estimation accuracy. Simulations and experiments on real PD radar data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Treating Fungal Keratitis with Oral Voriconazole Only: A Case Series
Authors: Chen Di , Tan Shaojian , Zou Wenjin
Published: December 2020

Background To report the clinical effect of oral voriconazole only as a treatment for fungal keratitis.

History and Signs Three patients (1 female and 2 males) with culture-proven fungal keratitis (1 Mucoraceae, 1 Aspergillus, 1 Fusarium) were included in this study. The patients were treated with oral voriconazole 200 mg twice daily to observe the clinical response in the treatment of fungal keratitis.

Therapy and Outcome The mean age of the patients was 51 years and the average treatment duration was 6 weeks. The corneal inflammation in these three patients was eliminated by oral voriconazole only.

Conclusions This is the first reported case of oral voriconazole only as a treatment for fungal keratitis. We found that oral voriconazole has a significant clinical effect on the treatment of fungal keratitis.
Progress and Barriers Towards Elimination of Chronic Hepatitis C in Children
Authors: Pluta Magdalena , Pokorska-Śpiewak Maria , Aniszewska Małgorzata , Kowalik-Mikołajewska Barbara , Marczyńska Magdalena
Published: December 2020

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a global health burden. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) accounts for most HCV infections in pediatric patients. Spontaneous viral clearance may occur in early childhood but is uncommon thereafter. Infection is usually asymptomatic during childhood, although without an effective treatment, vertically infected children may develop serious liver complications including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in adulthood. Despite the lack of vaccine against hepatitis C and effective post-exposure methods of prevention of MTCT, treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) raised the prospect of eliminating HCV on a population level. Highly effective, well-tolerated, oral, and interferon-free regimens of short duration have revolutionized treatment of CHC. However, access to these therapies might be limited because of its high cost. In this review, we provide the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology, testing, monitoring and treating of HCV in children. We outline the remaining gaps in therapy and barriers to disease eradication.
Lethal Neonatal Respiratory Failure by Perinatal Transmission of Ureaplasma Parvum after Maternal PPROM
Authors: Zöllkau Janine , Pieper Dietmar H. , Pastuschek Jana , Makarewicz Oliwia , Mentzel Hans-Joachim , Dawczynski Kristin , Schleußner Ekkehard
Published: December 2020

A primiparous pregnant woman was admitted due to preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 27+0 week of gestational age (WGA). Conventional vaginal microbiological analysis had no pathological finding. Management decisions based on national guidelines included antenatal corticoids, tocolytics and antibiotics. Unstoppable efforts of preterm labor in 28+0 WGA and supposed amniotic infection syndrome necessitated emergency cesarean section. The preterm infant underwent NICU therapy, developed an early-onset neonatal sepsis and therapy-refractory pulmonary insufficiency with consecutive right heart failure, resulting in death on the 36th day of life. Microbiota analyses by 16Sr DNA sequencing was performed from maternal vaginal swabs and from neonatal pharyngeal swabs. Maternal antibiotic treatment resulted in depletion of physiological vaginal colonization with Lactobacillus crispatus. Ureaplasma parvum became the dominant vaginal microorganism at delivery and was detected in high relative abundance in the neonatal specimen. Progressive radiological air-space changes and interstitial pathologies associated with Ureaplasma infection (bronchopulmonary dysplasia type III) were seen early at the 3rd and distinctly from 14th day of life. This clearly demonstrates the need of vaginal colonization diagnostics in PPROM patients and awareness of the consecutive risks in the preterm. Vaginal microbiome analysis may allow individualized and targeted maternal and fetal diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to identify, protect and treat the high-risk neonates after PPROM.
Synthesis and Reactivity of Uhle’s Ketone and Its Derivatives
Authors: Piersanti Giovanni , Bartoccini Francesca
Published: December 2020

Uhle’s ketone and its derivatives are highly versatile intermediates for the synthesis of a variety of 3,4-fused tricyclic indole frameworks, i.e. indole alkaloids of the ergot family, that are found in various bioactive natural products and pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the development of a convenient preparative method for this structural motif as well as its opportune/useful derivatization have been the subject of longstanding interest in the fields of synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. Herein, we summarize recent and less recent methods for the preparation of Uhle’s ketone and its derivatives as well as its main reactivity towards the synthesis of bioactive substances. Regarding the preparation, it can be roughly classified into two categories: (a) using 4-unfunctionalized and 4-functionalized indole derivatives as starting materials to construct a fused six-member ring, and (b) constructing the indole ring through intramolecular cycloaddition. Principally, the reactivity of the cyclic Uhle’s ketone shown here is derived from the classical electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon or the acidity of the α-hydrogen and, though less intensively investigated, chemical reactions that induce ring expansion to form novel ring skeletons.

1 Introduction

2 Synthesis

2.1 Disconnection A: Cyclization Reaction of the Opportune 3,4-Disubstituted Indole

2.2 Disconnection B: Intramolecular Friedel–Crafts Cyclization

2.3 Disconnection B: Intramolecular Cyclization via Metal–Halogen Exchange

2.4 Disconnection C: Intramolecular Diels–Alder Furan Cycloaddition

2.5 Disconnection D: Intramolecular Dearomatizing [3 + 2] Annulation

3 Reactivity

3.1 Use of Uhle’s Ketone for Lysergic Acid

3.2 Use of Uhle’s Ketone for Rearranged Clavines

3.3 Use of Uhle’s Ketone for Medicinal Chemistry

4 Conclusion and Outlook
Parenteral Nutrition Ascites: Calamity from an Umbilical Vein Cannula
Authors: Anand Vishnu , Pournami Femitha , Panackal Anila V. , Nandakumar Anand , Prabhakar Jyothi , Jain Naveen
Published: December 2020

Umbilical vein catheterization is considered a critical requirement in preterm neonates for the administration of fluids and parenteral nutrition. However, inadvertent migration and malposition are known to cause complications that are often life-threatening. We describe a neonate with parenteral nutrition-associated lipid ascites owing to extravasation from an umbilical vein cannula. Fatality was averted due to prompt recognition and paracentesis that was therapeutic and confirmed the diagnosis as well.
Foeniculum vulgare (fennel).
Authors: Datiles Marianne Jennifer , Popay Ian
Published: December 2020

Foeniculum vulgare, also known as sweet fennel, is a common kitchen herb used around the world - but it is also a highly invasive weed that can severely damage ecosystems. A risk assessment prepared for Hawaii gave the species a high risk score of 19 (PIER, 2015). F. vulgare is known to alter fire regimes and create dense stands, outcompeting native flora for nutrients and space (DiTomaso et al., 2013; Cal-IPC, 2015). It was listed in the Global Compendium of Weeds as an "agricultural weed, casual alien, cultivation escape, environmental weed, garden thug, naturalised, noxious weed, weed" (Randall, 2012), and is known to be invasive (mostly in natural habitats rather than agricultural land) in California, New Zealand, significant parts of Australia and a number of locations in the Pacific. (PIER, 2015). The species is a principal weed in Mexico and New Zealand, a common weed in Argentina, Australia, Hawaii, and Spain, weedy in Chile, Morocco, Uruguay, the USA, and Venezuela, and it is known to be adventive in China, Colombia (Holm et al., 1979; Flora of China Editorial Committee, 2015; PIER, 2015; Vascular Plants of Antioquia, 2015). It is also reported as invasive in Ethiopia and Kenya. It can regenerate by both seeds and roots, which often makes physical control methods ineffective and chemical control necessary once a population is established.
How can team synchronisation tendencies be developed combining Constraint‐led and Step‐game approaches? An action‐research study implemented over a competitive volleyball season
Authors: Ramos Ana , Coutinho Patrícia , Ribeiro João , Fernandes Orlando , Davids Keith , Mesquita Isabel
Published: December 2020

Combining Constraint‐led (ecological) and Step‐Game (constructivist) approaches through an Action‐Research (AR) design conducted throughout a competitive volleyball season, this study aimed to: (i) analyse the impact of increased tactical complexity on lateral and longitudinal collective Synchronisation Tendencies (ST) during defensive and offensive counterattack‐subphases, and (ii) examine how opposition attacking contexts (i.e. playing in full‐system or in‐system) might influence ST throughout each counterattack‐subphase. Performance of a youth team, comprised of 15 players, was studied across three AR‐cycles. The team's competitive performance was analysed through three competitive matches (one per cycle). Team ST were evaluated using the cluster‐phase method and a 3 (matches) × 2 (counterattack‐subphases) × 2 (opposition attacking contexts) × 2 (court directions) repeated‐measures ANOVA were used to calculate the differences in cluster‐amplitude mean values. Results showed that increments in tactical complexity (second AR‐cycle) were followed by decreases in collective ST, which were (re)achieved during the third AR‐cycle, possibly due to the ecological‐constructivist coaching intervention. Our findings imply that coaches could design representative and specific‐didactical learning environments, predicated on a team's tactical needs and strategical ideas from a game‐plan, framing player intentionality. Results also support the use of questioning strategies to narrow players’ attentional focus, stimulating perceptual attunement to relevant constraints emerging in performance. Finally, the insider AR‐design provided valuable contextualised insights on coaching interventions for developing collective coordinative structures.
Emerging paradigms in metastasis research
Authors: Abdul Pari Ashik Ahmed , Singhal Mahak , Augustin Hellmut G.
Published: December 2020

Historically, therapy of metastatic disease has essentially been limited to using strategies that were identified and established to shrink primary tumors. The limited efficacy of such treatments on overall patient survival stems from diverging intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of a primary tumor and metastases originating therefrom. To develop better therapeutic strategies to treat metastatic disease, there is an urgent need to shift the paradigm in preclinical metastasis research by conceptualizing metastatic dissemination, colonization, and growth as spatiotemporally dynamic processes and identifying rate-limiting vulnerabilities of the metastatic cascade. Clinically, while metastatic colonization remains the most attractive therapeutic avenue, comprehensive understanding of earlier steps may unravel novel metastasis-restricting therapies for presurgical neoadjuvant application. Moving beyond a primary tumor-centric view, this review adopts a holistic approach to understanding the spatial and temporal progression of metastasis. After reviewing recent developments in metastasis research, we highlight some of the grand challenges and propose a framework to expedite mechanism-based discovery research feeding the translational pipeline.
Tumor-infiltrating dendritic cell states are conserved across solid human cancers
Authors: Gerhard Genevieve M. , Bill Ruben , Messemaker Marius , Klein Allon M. , Pittet Mikael J.
Published: December 2020

Dendritic cells (DCs) contribute a small fraction of the tumor microenvironment but are emerging as an essential antitumor component based on their ability to foster T cell immunity and immunotherapy responses. Here, we discuss our expanding view of DC heterogeneity in human tumors, as revealed with meta-analysis of single-cell transcriptome profiling studies. We further examine tumor-infiltrating DC states that are conserved across patients, cancer types, and species and consider the fundamental and clinical relevance of these findings. Finally, we provide an outlook on research opportunities to further explore mechanisms governing tumor-infiltrating DC behavior and functions.
B cells and cancer: To B or not to B?
Authors: Fridman Wolf Herman , Petitprez Florent , Meylan Maxime , Chen Tom Wei-Wu , Sun Cheng-Ming , Roumenina Lubka T. , Sautès-Fridman Catherine
Published: December 2020

Whereas T cells have been considered the major immune cells of the tumor microenvironment able to induce tumor regression and control cancer clinical outcome, a burst of recent publications pointed to the fact that B cells may also play a prominent role. Activated in germinal centers of tertiary lymphoid structures, B cells can directly present tumor-associated antigens to T cells or produce antibodies that increase antigen presentation to T cells or kill tumor cells, resulting in a beneficial clinical impact. Immune complexes can also increase inflammation, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression via macrophage and complement activation, resulting in deleterious impact.
The current landscape of single-cell transcriptomics for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Guruprasad Puneeth , Lee Yong Gu , Kim Ki Hyun , Ruella Marco
Published: December 2020

Immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive cell transfer have revolutionized cancer treatment, but further progress is hindered by our limited understanding of tumor resistance mechanisms. Emerging technologies now enable the study of tumors at the single-cell level, providing unprecedented high-resolution insights into the genetic makeup of the tumor microenvironment and immune system that bulk genomics cannot fully capture. Here, we highlight the recent key findings of the use of single-cell RNA sequencing to deconvolute heterogeneous tumors and immune populations during immunotherapy. Single-cell RNA sequencing has identified new crucial factors and cellular subpopulations that either promote tumor progression or leave tumors vulnerable to immunotherapy. We anticipate that the strategic use of single-cell analytics will promote the development of the next generation of successful, rationally designed immunotherapeutics.
Yellow Peril: A Cosmopolitical Revision ofThe Chinaman
Authors: Szeto Kin-Yan
Published: December 2020

This article examines The Foreigner, the 2017 film adaptation of British novelist Stephen Leather’s The Chinaman (1992), starring the Hong Kong/Chinese martial arts film star Jackie Chan. The film reveals a cosmopolitical cinematic revision that foregrounds the contradictions and paradoxes of Yellow Peril, present when the film was made, during the time of Brexit in the United Kingdom. By investigating Chan’s screen persona, which has roots in Hong Kong/Chinese martial arts cinema, I focus on how the film derives and builds upon Chan’s transnational status as a cinema icon to critically engage with the conventional Yellow Peril narrative.
Normal Rights, Just New: Understanding the Judicial Enforcement of Socioeconomic Rights
Authors: Fowkes James
Published: December 2020

A common skeptical view holds that socioeconomic rights are a different kind of right than civil-political rights. Even those who support justiciable socioeconomic rights often see them as a different kind of right with special challenges. I argue that this view is wrong. What all these observers are reacting to is not an inherent property of socioeconomic rights: it is a contingent property of a situation in which judges are asked to enforce a rights claim without a pre-existing set of familiar public understandings of the right’s content and/or an existing structure of officials and procedures to give effect to that content. It is because the rights claim is new, and this is something that can be, and often is, true of rights across the spectrum. Any rights claim is problematic to enforce to the degree that it is new, but these obstacles can and do disappear if society changes and the claim becomes less new. In the first part of the Article, I seek to establish the accuracy of this argument, drawing on examples of rights distinctions from the nineteenth-century United States and rights across the spectrum displaying newness in contemporary South Africa and India. I then show how controlling for newness can help us to understand standard features of the socioeconomic rights debate: the ubiquitous, but misleading, negative–positive distinction; arguments about resources; Fuller’s endlessly cited polycentricity argument; and current controversial cases, such as the budget-shifting judicial enforcement of Latin American healthcare entitlements. These topics are central to our widespread intuition that socioeconomic rights are different; newness can help us to see that this intuition is misleading us, and by recalibrating the debate can filter out some distractions that have long dogged it.
Analysis of microRNA Expression in Liquid-Based Cytology Samples May Be Useful for Primary Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Araki Yusuke , Arihiro Koji , Yamaguchi Kakuhiro , Sakamoto Shinjiro , Horimasu Yasushi , Masuda Takeshi , Miyamoto Shintaro , Nakashima Taku , Iwamoto Hiroshi , Fujitaka Kazunori , Hamada Hironobu , Hattori Noboru
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Bronchoscopy is frequently performed for patients suspected of having lung cancer; however, we sometimes fail to make a definitive diagnosis, resulting in additional invasive testing. Many studies indicate that microRNAs (miRs) are abnormally expressed in cancers. We examined the diagnostic value of 4 miRs (miR-21, miR-31, miR-182, and miR-183) extracted from liquid-based cytology (LBC) samples and validated whether they were diagnostically useful.

Methods

We collected 18 surgically resected tissue samples and 136 LBC specimens obtained during bronchoscopic examination at Hiroshima University Hospital. We extracted RNA from these samples and compared the expression of 4 miRs by reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results

We confirmed that expression of the 4 miRs was significantly higher in cancer tissues than in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. We examined the expression of these miRs in 125 (cancer cases, 83; noncancer cases, 42) of 136 cytologic samples. Expression of all 4 miRs was significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in those without lung cancer. Among samples judged as benign or indeterminate, levels of these miRs were also significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in those without lung cancer.

Conclusions

The analysis of miR expression in LBC samples might be helpful for primary lung cancer diagnosis.
Gun acquisition in Mexico 2012–18: findings from Mexico𔃻s National Crime Victimization Survey
Authors: Weigend Vargas Eugenio , Pérez Ricart Carlos
Published: December 2020

Data from Mexico’s National Crime Victimization Surveys (Encuesta Nacional de Victimización y Percepción sobre Seguridad Pública, ENVIPE) indicate that 1.89 million Mexican households acquired a gun from 2012 to 2018. The objective of this article is to analyse factors associated with gun acquisition in Mexico. We analysed data from the 2013 through 2019 ENVIPE surveys and ran a binary logistic regression. Our results show that gun acquisition in Mexico is associated with the demographics of the head of the household, characteristics of the household, perception of insecurity, illegal activities around a household, victimization and mistrust in security agencies. This study adds to efforts of understanding gun acquisition worldwide while also contributing to the complex research of guns and violence in Latin America, specifically in Mexico.
Genomic analysis of patients in a South Indian Community with autosomal dominant cortical tremor, myoclonus and epilepsy suggests a founder repeat expansion mutation in theSAMD12gene
Authors: Mahadevan Radha , Bhoyar Rahul C , Viswanathan Natarajan , Rajagopal Raskin Erusan , Essaki Bobby , Suroliya Varun , Chelladurai Rachel , Sankaralingam Saravanan , Shanmugam Ganesan , Vayanakkan Sriramakrishnan , Shamim Uzma , Mathur Aradhana , Jain Abhinav , Imran Mohamed , Faruq Mohammed , Scaria Vinod , Sivasubbu Sridhar , Kalyanaraman Shantaraman
Published: December 2020

Autosomal Dominant Cortical Tremor, Myoclonus and Epilepsy is a non-progressive disorder characterized by distal tremors. Autosomal Dominant Cortical Tremor, Myoclonus and Epilepsy has been reported globally with different genetic predispositions of autosomal dominant inheritance with a high degree of penetrance. In south India, Autosomal Dominant Cortical Tremor, Myoclonus and Epilepsy has been reported in a large cohort of 48 families, in which the genetic defect was not identified. This report pertains to the whole-genome analysis of four individuals followed by repeat-primed PCR for 102 patients from a familial cohort of 325 individuals. All the patients underwent extensive clinical evaluation including neuropsychological examinations. The whole-genome sequencing was done for two affected and two unaffected individuals, belonging to two different families. The whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed the repeat expansion of TTTTA and TTTCA in intron 4 of the SAMD12 gene located on chromosome 8 in the patients affected with Autosomal Dominant Cortical Tremor, Myoclonus and Epilepsy, whereas the unaffected family members were negative for the similar expansion. Further, the repeat-primed PCR analysis of 102 patients showed the expansion of the TTTCA repeats in the intron 4 of SAMD12 gene. All patients registered for this study belong to a single community called “Nadar” whose nativity is confined to the southern districts of India, with reported unique genetic characteristics. This is the largest and most comprehensive single report on clinically and genetically characterized Autosomal Dominant Cortical Tremor, Myoclonus and Epilepsy patients belonging to a unique ethnic group worldwide.
Real-time imputation of missing predictor values in clinical practice
Authors: Nijman Steven W J , Hoogland Jeroen , Groenhof T Katrien J , Brandjes Menno , Jacobs John J L , Bots Michiel L , Asselbergs Folkert W , Moons Karel G M , Debray Thomas P A
Published: December 2020

Aims

Use of prediction models is widely recommended by clinical guidelines, but usually requires complete information on all predictors, which is not always available in daily practice. We aim to describe two methods for real-time handling of missing predictor values when using prediction models in practice.

Methods and results

We compare the widely used method of mean imputation (M-imp) to a method that personalizes the imputations by taking advantage of the observed patient characteristics. These characteristics may include both prediction model variables and other characteristics (auxiliary variables). The method was implemented using imputation from a joint multivariate normal model of the patient characteristics (joint modelling imputation; JMI). Data from two different cardiovascular cohorts with cardiovascular predictors and outcome were used to evaluate the real-time imputation methods. We quantified the prediction model’s overall performance [mean squared error (MSE) of linear predictor], discrimination (c-index), calibration (intercept and slope), and net benefit (decision curve analysis). When compared with mean imputation, JMI substantially improved the MSE (0.10 vs. 0.13), c-index (0.70 vs. 0.68), and calibration (calibration-in-the-large: 0.04 vs. 0.06; calibration slope: 1.01 vs. 0.92), especially when incorporating auxiliary variables. When the imputation method was based on an external cohort, calibration deteriorated, but discrimination remained similar.

Conclusions

We recommend JMI with auxiliary variables for real-time imputation of missing values, and to update imputation models when implementing them in new settings or (sub)populations.
Low lipoprotein(a) levels and risk of disease in a large, contemporary, general population study
Authors: Langsted Anne , Nordestgaard Børge G , Kamstrup Pia R
Published: December 2020

Aims

With the current focus on lipoprotein(a) as a likely causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease and new drugs potentially on the market to lower lipoprotein(a) levels, the safety of lowering lipoprotein(a) to low levels becomes increasingly important. We tested whether low levels of lipoprotein(a) and corresponding LPA genotypes associate with major disease groups including cancers and infectious disease.

Methods and results

We included 109 440 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study. For main World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases 10th edition chapter diseases, the only concordant association of low levels of lipoprotein(a) plasma levels and corresponding LPA genotypes with risk of disease was with low risk of diseases of the circulatory system. Furthermore, no concordant association of low levels of lipoprotein(a) plasma levels and corresponding LPA genotypes with the risk of any cancer (i.e. cancer subtypes combined) or infectious disease was seen. The hazard ratio for the risk of any cancer was 1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97–1.15] for the first vs. the fourth quartile of lipoprotein(a), 1.02 (0.97–1.07) for the fourth vs. the first quartile of KIV-2 number of repeats, and 1.01 (0.96–1.07) for rs10455872 non-carriers vs. carriers. The corresponding hazard ratios for the risk of hospitalization for infection were 1.05 (95% CI: 0.99–1.10), 1.02 (0.98–1.07), and 0.97 (0.93–1.03), respectively.

Conclusion

In a large, contemporary, general population cohort, apart from the well-established association with cardiovascular disease, low levels of lipoprotein(a) and corresponding LPA genotypes did not concordantly associate with any major disease groups including cancers and infections. There is no safety signal from our results to indicate that low levels of lipoprotein(a) are harmful.