bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PERSON RE-IDENTIFICATION BASED ON ATTENTION MECHANISM AND ADAPTIVE WEIGHTING
Authors: WANG YANGPING , LI LI , YANG JINGYU , DANG JIANWU
Published: March 2021

Owing to factors such as pose change, illumination condition, background clutter, and occlusion, person re-identification (re-ID) based on video frames is a challenging task. To utilize pixel-level saliency information and discriminative local body information of the image and improve re-ID accuracy in the case of complex pose change and viewpoint difference, a person re-ID network based on attention mechanism and adaptive weight was proposed in this study. Based on the detection of human key points, an attention mechanism was integrated to screen the discriminative information in various parts of the human body. The adaptive weighting method was adopted in the network, providing the extracted local features different weights according to the discriminative information of different human parts. The re-ID accuracy of the network model was verified by experiments. Results demonstrate that the proposed network model can accurately extract the features of discriminative regions in various parts of the human body by integrating the attention mechanism and adaptive region weight, thereby improving the performance of person re-ID. Our method is compared with current widely used person re-ID network models as AACN and HAC. On the Market-1501 dataset, the Rank-1 and mAP values are improved by 4.79% and 2.78% as well as 8% and 3.52%, respectively, and on the DukeMTMC-reID dataset, by 4.92% and 3.26% as well as 5.17% and 3.17%, respectively. Compared with the previous GLAD network model, Rank-1 and mAP values on two experimental datasets are increased by more than 2%. The proposed method provides a good approach to optimize the descriptor of pedestrians for person re-ID in complex environments.

Keywords: Person re-identification, Adaptive weight, Attention mechanism, Convolutional neural network
Les croyances entourant la consommation d’alcool dans la population générale : une étude de portée
Authors: Leclair Véronique , Bergeron Caroline , April Nicole , Morin Réal , Lacourse Mahée
Published: March 2021

Contexte : Il importe de comprendre les croyances entourant la consommation d’alcool afin de contribuer à diminuer les problèmes associés à cette problématique.

Objectif : Réaliser une synthèse des connaissances sur les croyances entourant la consommation d’alcool dans la population générale en Occident entre 2008 et 2020.

Cadre théorique : Le modèle intégré du comportement (MIC) offre un fondement pour conceptualiser et identifier les facteurs qui influencent les comportements relatifs à la santé. Il représente un cadre théorique pertinent pour mieux appréhender la réalité entourant la consommation d’alcool.

Méthode : L’étude de portée a été choisie comme méthode de synthèse des connaissances. Les bases de données Health Policy Research Center, Medline, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences, PsycINFO et SocINDEX ont été interrogées avec une série de mots-clés sur les croyances et la consommation d’alcool. Au total, 107 articles ont été retenus. Une analyse quantitative descriptive et une analyse qualitative thématique ont permis de synthétiser les résultats.

Résultats : La majorité des articles proviennent des États-Unis (n=49), du Royaume-Uni (n=18) et de l’Australie (n=15). Les thèmes qui se dégagent de l’analyse qualitative des articles retenus s’insèrent dans les croyances proposées par le MIC, soit les croyances liées aux émotions, les croyances à propos des effets et des conséquences de l’alcool, les croyances normatives et les croyances face au sentiment de contrôle. Il ressort de cela que les croyances entourant la consommation d’alcool ont une influence importante sur les comportements de consommation d’alcool. Les résultats illustrent que ces croyances sont complexes, variées et influencées par de nombreux facteurs individuels et sociaux comme l’âge, les habitudes de consommation, les normes culturelles et de genre.

Conclusion : Le portrait des croyances entourant la consommation d’alcool peut éclairer la pratique, la recherche et l’élaboration de politiques de prévention.
Consommation de substances psychoactives et traumatisme craniocérébral : vers une amélioration de l’offre de services
Authors: L’Espérance Nadia , Loirdighi Nadia , Ménard Jean-Marc
Published: March 2021

Dans le but d’identifier les pistes d’amélioration requises pour mieux répondre aux besoins des personnes qui présentent à la fois une consommation de substances psychoactives et un traumatisme craniocérébral, une revue narrative concernant les modalités de dépistage, d’évaluation, d’intervention et d’organisation de services a été réalisée. De plus, une consultation menée auprès d’usagers et d’intervenants concernés par la problématique a permis d’identifier les difficultés rencontrées sur le terrain et les pistes d’amélioration souhaitées.

Constats : La présence simultanée des deux problématiques semble multiplier les obstacles au rétablissement. Peu d’études permettent d’identifier un modèle d’intervention précis. Les études répertoriées ciblent, entre autres, les comportements de consommation, l’intégration sociale ou l’engagement en traitement, ce qui rend difficile le cumul de preuves pour une intervention en particulier. Néanmoins, plusieurs directives favorisant une meilleure réponse aux besoins de cette clientèle ont été publiées au cours des dernières années.

Conclusion : À la lumière de ces travaux, des recommandations orientées vers une meilleure sensibilisation de la clientèle et des professionnels exposés à cette double condition, l’adaptation du processus de dépistage, d’évaluation et le traitement des comportements de consommation de cette clientèle ainsi que l’ajustement de l’organisation des services sont proposées.
Relaciones públicas... ¿emocionales?
Authors: Estanyol i Casals Elisenda
Published: March 2021

Desde el ámbito profesional de las relaciones públicas (RRPP) comienza a percibirse un interés creciente por profundizar en los elementos que influyen en la toma de decisiones y en los cambios de comportamiento de los individuos que conforman los públicos de las organizaciones. Estudios científicos han demostrado que, cuando estos públicos están saturados de información, resulta más difícil que reaccionen a argumentaciones racionales y que, en cambio, sí lo hacen frente a mensajes y estímulos que les afecten y despierten su imaginación. El componente emocional de la estrategia persuasiva se convierte, así, en un aspecto a no menospreciar a la hora de planificar programas y acciones de comunicación y RRPP.
El virus de Évole
Authors: Sivera Sílvia
Published: March 2021

El periodismo que inocula Jordi Évole pretende reventar las entrañas de la corrupción política, sangrar las conciencias de la economía más antisocial y contagiar el clamor contra las injusticias. Ni la cepa del periodismo de denuncia ni la del subgénero del mockumentary son nuevas, pero con el falso documental Operación Palace rebrotaron muchos debates latentes desde el 23-F de hace 33 años. Pasada la fiebre mediática, viene el análisis de la pieza como virus de comunicación.
A las mujeres no nos gusta esta publicidad
Authors: Montaña Blasco Mireia
Published: March 2021

Hace unas semanas se publicó un estudio, realizado por Tapsa Y & R, donde se revelaba que las mujeres no se sienten identificadas con la publicidad actual. Según Mary Lou Quinlan, que lleva más de 30 años investigando sobre el target femenino, "el 90% de la publicidad no conecta realmente con la mujer."
La inteligencia emocional, un elemento clave en la comunicación corporativa
Authors: Estanyol i Casals Elisenda
Published: March 2021

Académicos del ámbito de las relaciones públicas de reconocido prestigio internacional debaten en Barcelona sobre la importancia de la inteligencia emocional y la Teoría de las Inteligencias Múltiples en el congreso Barcelona PR Meeting #4.
En las redes del Mundial
Authors: Vilajoana Alejandre Sandra
Published: March 2021

Del 12 de junio al 13 de julio de 2014 las miradas de los aficionados al fútbol confluyeron en Brasil. Las redes de Maracaná y del resto de estadios que acaban de albergar la Copa Mundial de la FIFA encajaron la cifra récord de 171 goles mientras en otras redes -las virtuales-, jugadores, equipos, periodistas, marcas y fans interactuaban también a ritmo de récord en términos de comunicación.
Sci-Hub o la piratería de artículos científicos: algo sigue sin funcionar
Authors: López-Borrull Alexandre
Published: March 2021

A veces la vida es curiosa. Estoy buscando en una muy torpe base de datos. Tecleo un título, recordando momentos. Sale un resultado. Difícil de creer. Sí, el resultado es un artículo de 2004 relacionado con los complejos de coordinación de la plata con ligandos de tipo tioamida. Sí, el resultado soy yo. ¿Por qué tengo más curiosidad que indignación? La base de datos es pirata. ¿Por qué me genera pensamientos contrapuestos, sintiéndome doblemente utilizado, por una parte por intereses contrapuestos, falsos defensores de los derechos de los científicos (obviando los deberes) y, por la otra, por editoriales que me ponen a mí como víctima académica de una base de datos que lucha contra el sistema? Como cantaba Muguruza, "hay algo aquí que mal ..." Vayamos por partes.
Management and Therapeutic Options for COVID-19: A Review
Authors: Sachdeva Karan , Daga Mradul Kumar , Mawari Govind , Karra Vijay Kumar , Kumar Naresh , Garg Sandeep
Published: March 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative organism for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), originated in Wuhan, China and has now spread to most parts of the world. A pandemic of this magnitude has not been witnessed in more than 100 years since the Spanish flu in 1918. The major challenge for scientists and doctors worldwide has been to find a therapeutic intervention to prevent the spread and development of this disease. As more research is being done, the pathophysiology of COVID-19 has been explained, although no effective therapy has been found. Multiple drugs and therapies are under trials and a few have shown inconclusive results. The attempts have ranged from repurposing drugs to trying to develop new vaccines. Formulation of guidelines pose another challenge to the government and international agencies owing to the lack of data. These agencies have constantly released and updated guidelines based on new research and growing knowledge. In this review, we aim to compare and bring out the different international guidelines for management of COVID-19, along with a review of tried therapeutic interventions and their primitive results. The COVID-19 has been a major global health crisis that is overpowering most heath care systems and multiple agencies and research teams are trying to limit and manage this spread. Currently no effective treatment is available and guidelines differ regarding the drugs that can be used, which are mostly off-label.
A Mini-Review: Effect of Moringa oleifera Leaves for Fish Health
Authors: Rosidah .
Published: March 2021

Disease attack is the biggest obstacle in fish farming activities and is very detrimental to cultivators. Disease control is an important factor to be recognized. The use of herbs is an alternative for disease control that is relatively safe. Moringa oleifera plant is known to contain several secondary metabolite compounds, namely achaloid, flavonoids, tannins and steroids which have antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Several M. oleifera treatment studies are used to treat and prevent fish infected with disease. The purpose of this article is to describe the compounds contained in M. oleifera and their effect for fish health. M. oleifera has a positive effect on fish health, it can be used to treat and prevent disease in fish.
Acute Pulmonary Embolism at Tanta University Hospital: Single Centre Registry
Authors: Elkhateeb Alaa Raafat Elesawi , Alarag Ahmed Farouk , Abdallah Taymoor Mostafa , Badr Seham Fahmy
Published: March 2021

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and has significant negative impacts on quality of life, healthcare costs, and longevity. Registries have been created to record ‘real-life’ clinical features and management of patients with PE.

Aim: We aimed to describe a comprehensive view of the clinical presentation, demographic data, treatment modalities and short-term outcome at hospital discharge and 3 months after discharge for patients presented with acute pulmonary embolism at Tanta university hospital to improve the level of care of those patients.

Methods: This study was conducted on 150 patients with confirmed acute PE presented to Tanta university hospitals. The study duration was 1 year from April 2019 to May 2020.

Results: We focused on a group of common risk factors for PE and determined prevelance of each in our enrolled patients, we found increase some risk factors obesity and bed rest > 3 days were the most prevalent risk factors followed by active cancer, estrogen use and lower limb fracture. Symptoms in this study are near to other registries and ESC guidelines 2019 with the commonest symptom was dyspnea and chest pain and the least symptom was hemoptysis. Certain ECG signs more prevalent in our patients and these signs related to RV strain with sinus tachycardia the commonest sign followed by S1Q3T3 sign and the least was right axis deviation.

Conclusion: Presence of active cancer and patients with high risk stratification were independent predictors of mortality. Other factors associated with increased mortality were impaired RV systolic function, high PESI score, presence of RBBB in ECG and presence of congestive heart failure. Increased risk of bleeding in male patients with intermediate high or high risk category especially those received UFH and fibrinolytic therapy. Previous history of VTE was independent predictors of VTE recurrence.
The Concept of Coredox Reaction
Authors: Abdullahi Mustapha Umar
Published: March 2021

Eleven sets of organic and inorganic coloured reduction-oxidation (coredox) reactions (organic and inorganic chemical reactions that can show change in colour brightness after undergo redox reaction) were used during these research findings. All were carried out under suitable condition in order to see if the compounds that exist as coloured compounds before reaction, after reaction or both will become brighter or darker when undergo reduction or oxidation respectively. Six sets of this reaction type which include both organic and inorganic species showed special results. In which, all the targeted species gained electrons, their oxidation number decreased in positive direction and colour of species became brighter after reaction by increased in colour brightness. While in last five sets, which also include both organic and inorganic species showed their own results in which all the targeted species donated electrons, their oxidation number increased in positive direction, colour of species became darker after reaction by decreased in colour brightness. Series and repeated number of observations (more than 20 times) were made before recording any changed in colour brightness. Therefore, for all pure form of chemical species that can undergo any one of the coloured reduction-oxidation (coredox) reaction, brightness formation of the product after reaction implies reduction while darkness, oxidation.
Effect of Abiotic Parameters on Vegetable Storability
Authors: Mahangade Priyanka Sharad , Dubey Abhinav , Sinha J. P.
Published: March 2021

India is the second-largest producer of vegetables. However, vegetables are critical for storage, due to their highly perishable nature, lack of cold storage and transportation facilities. Vegetables get shrivel, whither rapidly, especially under hot conditions, if not preserved just after harvest. The study was conducted at ICAR-IARI to access the effect of abiotic parameters on vegetable quality with time. Effect of abiotic parameters on vegetable storability was studied and statistical analysed results revealed that there was a significant difference (P=0.05) in storage parameters occur when vegetables stored at different temperature and relative humidity. Storability parameters physiological loss in weight (PLW), firmness, colour values and total soluble solids (TSS) of vegetables tomato, spinach, and radish with different temperature and relative humidity were determined. The effect of abiotic parameter i.e. temperature and relative humidity on PLW physiological loss in weight was found significantly different at 5% level of significance. Temperature reduction of  5 – 10°C  and RH increment of 10% have a significant effect on quality parameters i.e. PLW, TSS, colour values of vegetables PLW of vegetables and TSS showed an increasing trend with an increase in temperature and decrease in relative humidity. The firmness of tomato and radish showed a decreasing trend with the increase in temperature and decrease in relative humidity but spinach firmness trend was found the opposite. Thus control over these abiotic parameters is essential to retain the quality of the vegetables and prevent their spoilage.
Resonant Optical Nonlinearity and Fluorescence Enhancement in Electrically Tuned Plasmonic Nanosuspensions
Authors: Xiang Yinxiao , Liang Guo , Alvaro Pepito , Hu Xubo , Liang Yi , Kelly Trevor S. , Shi Zhiwei , Xu Huizhong , Chen Zhigang
Published: February 2021

Controlled orientation and alignment of rod‐shaped plasmonic nanoparticles are of great interest for many applications. Herein, it is demonstrated that the nonlinear optical response of gold nanorod suspensions is dynamically controlled by electric field‐induced orientation. Merely by switching incident light polarization, the longitudinal and transverse surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption peaks are modulated with opposite trends, and the resulting optical nonlinearity is revealed from self‐trapping of plasmonic resonant solitons. Moreover, even with a very low concentration of fluorescent molecules, a significant increase in the fluorescent signal is observed with a transmittance‐type volume detection scheme. Such an enhancement is attributed to a combined action of optical force‐induced nonlinearity and electric field‐induced nanorod orientation, as explained by the theoretical analyses. Herein, new possibilities for engineering nonlinear plasmonic soft matter and detecting low‐concentration (yet a large total number of moleculesas needed) fluorescent samples are brought out.
Single‐Pulse‐Induced Ultrafast Spatial Clustering of Metal in Glass: Fine Tunability and Application
Authors: Tan Dezhi , Jiang Peng , Xu Beibei , Qiu Jianrong
Published: February 2021

Directly controlling the clustering process in transparent solids is an effective way to tune the properties of clusters and is important for integrated devices. Herein, single‐pulse ultrafast laser (UFL) micromachining is conducted as a facile technique to engineer the ultrafast clustering of metal in glass. Stable Ag clusters with few atoms are generated without thermal activation and exhibit efficient emission. Consequently, the clustering efficiency is enhanced by more than a thousand times compared with that of previous studies. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity and diameter of the emissive dots are precisely tailored by adjusting the number of pulses, pulse energy, and Ag doping concentration. It is confirmed that single‐pulse UFL micromachining is significantly superior in creating submicrometer luminescent structures compared with multipulse writing. High‐capacity optical information storage with a high signal‐to‐noise ratio is demonstrated by directly writing Ag clusters in 3D. Single‐pulse UFL micromachining enables precise fine tuning of the local chemistry of transparent solids and opens perspectives for the construction of functional micro/nanostructures and devices in 3D with a high throughput.
Haloalkenyl Imidoyl Halides as Multifacial Substrates in the Stereoselective Synthesis of N‐Alkenyl Compounds
Authors: Markos Athanasios , Janecký Lukáš , Chvojka Tomáš , Martinek Tomáš , Martinez‐Seara Hector , Klepetářová Blanka , Beier Petr
Published: February 2021

N‐Alkenyl compounds are versatile synthetic building blocks and their stereoselective transformations are key processes in the synthesis of many prominent classes of natural products, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals. However, a large structural variety of known N‐alkenyl compounds and their diverse reactivity have so far precluded the development of a general method for their stereoselective synthesis. Herein we present an aluminum halide‐mediated, highly stereoselective, efficient and scalable transformation of commercially available N‐fluoroalkyl‐1,2,3‐triazoles to N‐haloalkenyl imidoyl halides, and demonstrate their use in the synthesis of stereodefined N‐alkenyl amides, amidines, imines, hydrazonoamides, imidothioates, iminophosphonates, 1,2,4‐triazoles and tetrazoles. The reaction is of wide scope on both the triazole substrate and aluminum halide, providing highly functionalized products. Mechanistic and computational investigations suggest a reaction mechanism involving the triazole ring opening, initiated by the coordination of nitrogen one of the triazole ring to the Lewis acid, N2 elimination and the formation of a vinyl cation intermediate, which reacts with nitrogen‐bound aluminum halide, followed by a series of halide exchange reactions on C−X and Al−X bonds.

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Selective Radical N−H Activation: the Unprecedented Harnessing of Formamide with S8 for N−S−N Bonds Construction
Authors: Yu Xiang , Chen Yu , Luo Qian , Li Yufei , Dai Peng , Xia Qing , Liu Fang , Zhang Wei‐Hua
Published: February 2021

A copper‐catalyzed novel, highly selective formamide (N−H) activation for the accessing broad range of formamide sulfides was developed. This strategy presented the first example on N−S−N bonds construction under mild conditions, featuring selective N‐radical based mechanism, as well as cheap, stable and environmentally friendly S8 as source of sulfur. In particular, this process was well defined by DFT calculation and a leading product was found to have significant anti‐fungal activity.
Prediction of Novel van der Waals Boron Oxides with Superior Deep‐Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Performance
Authors: Li Hao , Min Jingmei , Yang Zhihua , Wang Zhenhai , Pan Shilie , Oganov Artem R.
Published: February 2021

Deep‐ultraviolet nonlinear optical (DUV NLO) materials are attracting increasing attention because of their structural diversity and complexity. Using the two‐dimensional (2D) crystal structure prediction method combined with the first‐principles calculations, here we propose layered 18‐membered‐ring (18MR) boron oxide B2O3 polymorphs as high‐performance NLO materials. 18MR‐B2O3 with the AA and AB stackings are potential DUV NLO materials. The superior performing 18MR‐B2O3AB has an unprecedentedly high second harmonic generation coefficient of 1.63 pm V−1, the largest among the DUV NLO materials, three times larger than that of the advanced DUV NLO material KBe2BO3F2 and comparable to that of β‐BaB2O4. Its unusually large birefringence of 0.196 at 400 nm guarantees the phase‐matching wavelength λPM to reach this material's extreme absorption edge of ≈154 nm.
Discovery of a Macropinocytosis‐Inducing Peptide Potentiated by Medium‐Mediated Intramolecular Disulfide Formation
Authors: Arafiles Jan Vincent V. , Hirose Hisaaki , Hirai Yusuke , Kuriyama Masashi , Sakyiamah Maxwell Mamfe , Nomura Wataru , Sonomura Kazuhiro , Imanishi Miki , Otaka Akira , Tamamura Hirokazu , Futaki Shiroh
Published: February 2021

Macropinocytosis is a ubiquitous cellular uptake mechanism of peptide‐based intracellular delivery. This entry pathway shows promise as a route for the intracellular uptake of biomacromolecules and nanoparticles. In this work, we obtained the 8‐residue analogue P4A bearing higher macropinocytosis induction ability. P4A contains vital cysteine residues in its sequence, which immediately reacts with cystine in culture medium to convert into its oxidized forms, including the intramolecularly oxidized form (oxP4A) as the dominant and active species. The conjugate of oxP4A and the membrane lytic peptide LK15 delivered bioactive proteins into cells; notably, this peptide delivered functional proteins fused with a negatively charged protein tag at a significantly reduced amount (up to nanomolar range) without compromising the delivery efficiency and the cellular activities of delivered proteins.
A Rod‐Packing Hydrogen‐Bonded Organic Framework with Suitable Pore Confinement for Benchmark Ethane/Ethylene Separation
Authors: Zhang Xu , Wang Jia‐Xin , Li Libo , Pei Jiyan , Krishna Rajamani , Wu Hui , Zhou Wei , Qian Guodong , Chen Banglin , Li Bin
Published: February 2021

For the separation of ethane from ethylene, it remains challenging to target both high C2H6 adsorption and selectivity in a C2H6‐selective material. Herein, we report a reversible solid‐state transformation in a labile hydrogen‐bonded organic framework to generate a new rod‐packing desolvated framework (ZJU‐HOF‐1) with suitable cavity spaces and functional surfaces to optimally interact with C2H6. ZJU‐HOF‐1 thus exhibits simultaneously high C2H6 uptake (88 cm3 g−1 at 0.5 bar and 298 K) and C2H6/C2H4 selectivity (2.25), which are significantly higher than those of most top‐performing materials. Theoretical calculations revealed that the cage‐like cavities and functional sites synergistically “match” better with C2H6 to provide stronger multipoint interactions with C2H6 than C2H4. In combination with its high stability and ultralow water uptake, this material can efficiently capture C2H6 from 50/50 C2H6/C2H4 mixtures in ambient conditions under 60 % RH, providing a record polymer‐grade C2H4 productivity of 0.98 mmol g−1.
Chiral Superatomic Nanoclusters Ag47 Induced by the Ligation of Amino Acids
Authors: Liu Wen‐Di , Wang Jia‐Qi , Yuan Shang‐Fu , Chen Xi , Wang Quan‐Ming
Published: February 2021

Silver nanoclusters containing Ag0 atoms protected by amino acids were synthesized and characterized. Chiral superatomic silver nanoclusters [Ag47L12(C≡CtBu)16]BF4 (L=l‐/d‐valine or l‐/d‐isoleucine) have been prepared by reducing AgC≡CtBu and amino acids (AAs) with NaBH4. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction revealed that these clusters have T symmetry, and the Ag47 metal kernel can be viewed as a tetracapped truncated tetrahedron (Ag17) surrounded with six W‐shaped Ag5 units. The clusters are homochiral as evidenced by CD measurements. As for the strong CD signals, large contributions are found from the occupied Ag s,p states (superatomic D states) near the Fermi level. Electron counting revealed that these clusters are 18‐electron systems, suggesting they are superatomic clusters. The superatomic nature with a 1S21P61D10 configuration was supported by DFT calculations. This work paves the way of taking AAs as facile chiral induction agents for the synthesis of metal nanoclusters.
Enhanced biodegradation and processability of biodegradable package from poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate)/rice‐husk green composites
Authors: Sirichalarmkul Anan , Kaewpirom Supranee
Published: February 2021

This work aims to study the possibility to process PLA/PBS/RH green composites into hexagonal plant‐pots employing a large‐scale industrial operation using injection molding. Green composites based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and rice husk (RH) with various RH contents (10–30%wt.) were produced successfully using a twin‐screw extruder. The compatibility of RH‐matrix was improved by chemical surface modifications using a coupling agent. RH was analyzed as an effective filler for PLA to develop green composites with low cost, high biodegradability, improved processability, and comparable mechanical properties as unfilled PLA. With increasing RH content, tensile modulus of the composites increased gradually. The addition of PBS, at PLA/PBS ratio of 60/40, improved the elongation at break and impact strength of PLARH30 by 55% and 7.1%, respectively. The suitable processing temperatures for PLA decreased from 220–230°C to 170–180°C when 30%wt. RH was composited into PLA matrix and were further reduced when PBS was applied. After biodegradation via either enzymatic degradation or hydrolysis, surface erosion with a large number of voids, mass loss, and the substantial decrease in tensile strength of all the composites were observed. In addition, the biodegradation of the composites has been improved by the addition of either RH or PBS.
An integrated remote sensing approach to Métis archaeology in the Canadian Prairies
Authors: Wadsworth William T. D. , Supernant Kisha , Kravchinsky Vadim A.
Published: February 2021

Indigenous communities are increasingly turning to archaeological remote sensing to help detect and preserve the material remains of their pasts without extensive excavations. For some Indigenous communities, histories of dispossession and mobility have led to a disconnection between them and archaeological sites, leading to challenges with collaborative models emphasizing local engagement. Here, we present a case study where the nearest modern community associated with the site is hundreds of kilometres away but preserving their heritage is important. The Métis, an Indigenous nation, emerged alongside the North American fur trade during the seventeenth century and became a distinct people. During the nineteenth century, the Métis adopted a highly mobile lifestyle, centred around bison hunting, where they would form temporary villages to overwinter on the northern plains. This case study highlights a post‐contact application of remote sensing where the targets are not large colonial structures but more ephemeral and short‐term occupation sites. We applied multiple methods, specifically ground‐penetrating radar (GPR), magnetic gradiometry, multi‐spectral and orthographic UAV imagery, to survey the mid‐nineteenth‐century Métis wintering site of Chimney Coulee (DjOe‐6), near Eastend, Saskatchewan, Canada. Using high‐frequency GPR (900 MHz) and magnetic gradiometry, this survey successfully delineated the wood wall remains and chimney of one cabin, later confirmed through targeted excavation. The survey was then expanded to other higher potential areas of the site to help refine the approach and define other areas of interest. Here, we outline the results of the Chimney Coulee project and our progress in developing an integrated remote sensing approach for Métis sites. We conclude that there are many forms of collaboration to which remote sensing can contribute and that careful survey can provide insights for modern groups' sense of identity, homelands and Indigenous rights.
Genome mining of Streptomyces sp. CB00271 as a natural high‐producer of β‐rubromycin and the resulting discovery of β‐rubromycin acid
Authors: Yi Liwei , Kong Jieqian , Xiong Yi , Yi Sirui , Gan Ting , Huang Chengshuang , Duan Yanwen , Zhu Xiangcheng
Published: February 2021

β‐rubromycin (β‐RUB) (1) is an efficient inhibitor of human telomerase possessing a unique spiroketal moiety as a potential pharmacophore and regarded as a promising anticancer drug lead. But the development of (β‐RUB) (1) has long been hampered by its low titer and very poor water solubility. By adopting a genome mining strategy, an FAD‐dependent monooxygenase RubN involving with the formation of the spiro system was applied as the probe and Streptomyces sp. CB00271 was screened out from our strain collection as an alternative natural high producer of β‐RUB (1). After a series of fermentation optimizations, CB00271 could produce 124.8 ± 3.4 mg/L β‐RUB (1), which was the highest titer up to now. Moreover, the enhanced production of β‐RUB (1) in fermentation broth also led to the discovery of a new congener β‐RUB acid (7), which was structurally elucidated as the acid form of β‐RUB (1). Comparing to β‐RUB (1), the substituted carboxyl group endowed β‐RUB acid (7) much better solubility in serum and resulted in its higher activity towards tumor cells. Our work set up a solid base for the pilot‐scale production of β‐RUB (1) and its congeners to facilitate their future development as promising anticancer drug leads, and also provide an alternative and practical strategy for the exploitation of other important microbial natural products.
Chemical constituents of radix Actinidia chinensis planch by UPLC–QTOF–MS
Authors: Chen Yuanyuan , Cai Xiaojun , Li Guowei , He Xiaoying , Yu Xixi , Yu Xinwei , Xiao Qiming , Xiang Zheng , Wang Chaojie
Published: February 2021

Radix Actinidia decoction and its prescriptions are used to treat tumors and other diseases. Although some chemical components have been isolated from Radix Actinidia, systematic analysis of its chemical components has not been reported, which hinders the basic research on its effective substances and its quality control. In this work, a UPLC–QTOF–MS method was employed to profile and characterize the chemical constituents of water extracts from Radix Actinidia Chinensis Planch (RACP). We unambiguously or tentatively identified 295 chemical components from RACP, including 46 pentacyclic triterpenes, 72 flavonoids, 53 phenolic acids, 24 coumarins, three anthraquinones and other compounds. Most of the chemical components have not been described so far in Actinidia. More than 180 phytochemicals are reported in Actinidia for the first time. 2α,3α,24‐trihydroxyurs‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid, asiatic acid, syringic acid, fraxin, esculetin, 5,7‐dihydroxychromone, esculin, (+)‐catechin, (−)‐epi‐catechin, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid and rutin were unambiguously identified by comparison with the reference standards. Catechin derivatives, coumarin derivatives and phenolic acid derivatives were the main water‐soluble components in RACP. This study broadened the chemical profiles of RACP, and laid the foundation for subsequent research on the effective components and their mechanism of action. This work also provides an important reference for the quality control and evaluation of RACP.
Chemometry‐assisted UV‐spectrophotmetric methods for the simultaneous determination of paritaprevir, ritonavir, and ombitasvir in their combined tablet dosage forms: A comparative study
Authors: Sayed Rania Adel , Ibrahim Adel Ehab , Sharaf Yasmine Ahmed
Published: February 2021

The ternary mixture under study is a recent hepatitis‐C antiviral medicine composed of three new directly acting antiviral drugs, namely, ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir. They are co‐formulated as a single‐dose combined tablet dosage form. With more than 170 million infected patients worldwide, a large production scales of antivirals medicine is expected, and hence, new simple and fast methodologies are required to cover millions of analyses that are done routinely in the different pharmaceutical quality control and research laboratories. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry represents sensitive, fast, and cheap tool of analysis in all research and quality control laboratories that can cover the massive quality control of these regimens. However, the simultaneous determination of these three drugs using multivariate chemometric methods represents a high challenge as their spectra are strongly overlapping besides the large difference in their potency within the same tablet. In this research paper, four new different multivariate chemometric methods were developed for their simultaneous determination, namely, classical least square (CLS), principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS), and genetic algorithm‐partial least squares (GA‐PLS) techniques. The validated methods do not require extraction, separation, or derivatization steps. A comparative study was conducted among the four developed methods. All methods provided satisfactory results, whereas GA‐PLS showed better analytical performance as it had the lowest error with good higher correlation coefficient. The methods were applied in the simultaneous determination of the three drugs in pure form and in their combined tablet dosage form. The comparison confirmed agreement of the values obtained for all techniques.
Massive multi‐in multi‐out multiuser multiplexing based on transmission mode 3
Authors: Zeng Tao , Ouyang Enshan
Published: February 2021

Multiuser multi‐in multi‐out (MU‐MIMO) technology using the fifth generation mobile network (5G) massive antenna can greatly increase the existing network capacity and help address problems related to large increases in network traffic. In this study, massive MIMO multiuser space division multiplexing based on transmission mode 3 (TM3) is realized by dividing massive MIMO antenna into virtual beam and fan section. Then the performance evaluations on the MU‐MIMO system in practical existing networks were conducted. The results showed that this technology can realize three times the amount of spatial multiplexing while still maintaining good mobility performance in a no‐load network. In addition, the capacity of the cell can be increased by the massive MIMO system in an existing network for a large user population (for a space division multiplexing factor of approximately 1.83). Test results are used to prove the effectiveness of the frequency‐division duplex massive MIMO multiuser multiplexing based on TM3 to increase the capacity of an existing network.
Crop–weed relationships are context‐dependent and cannot fully explain the positive effects of intercropping on yield
Authors: Stefan Laura , Engbersen Nadine , Schöb Christian
Published: February 2021

Implementing sustainable weed control strategies is a major challenge in agriculture. Intercropping offers a potential solution to control weed pressure by reducing the resources available for weeds; however, available research on the relationship between crop diversity and weed pressure and its consequences for crop yield is not yet fully conclusive. In this study, we performed an extensive intercropping experiment using eight crop species and 40 different species mixtures to examine how crop diversity affects weed communities and how the subsequent changes in weeds influence crop yield. Mesocosm experiments were carried out under field conditions in Switzerland and in Spain, which differ drastically in terms of climate, soil and weed community, and included monocultures, two‐ and four‐species mixtures, and a control treatment without crops. Weed communities were assessed in terms of biomass, species number and evenness, and community composition. Results indicate that intercropping reduces weed biomass and diversity in Spain but not in Switzerland. In Switzerland, despite the lack of a crop diversity effect on weeds, crop yield increased with crop species number. Moreover, in Switzerland, where soil resources were abundant, increasing crop yield correlated with reduced weed biomass. In Spain, where water and nutrients were limited, crop yield was not related to weed biomass or diversity. The presented research applies plant community ecology in the context of agricultural crop production systems. We demonstrate that, in our study, increased crop yield in mixtures was not due to increased weed suppression in diverse crop communities, and so must be the result of other ecological processes. We further show that crop–weed relationships vary across environmental conditions; more specifically, our study shows that weeds are less detrimental to crop yield in harsher environments compared to benign abiotic conditions, where alternative strategies are needed to control weed pressure and ensure the yield benefits provided by intercropping.
An analog period method for gap‐filling of latent heat flux measurements
Authors: Hoeltgebaum Lucas Emilio B. , Dias Nelson Luís , Costa Marcelo Azevedo
Published: February 2021

Practically all records of eddy‐covariance flux measurements are affected by gaps, caused by several reasons. In this work, we propose analog period (AP) methods for gap‐filling, and test them for filling gaps of latent heat flux at five AmeriFlux sites. The essence of the methods is to look for periods in the record that bear a strong resemblance, in the variable to be filled, to the periods immediately before and after the gap. Similarity between periods is gauged by the coefficient of determination, and the search for similar periods and their ranking is straightforward. The methods are developed in a univariate version (that uses only the latent heat flux data series itself) and several multivariate ones, that incorporate sensible heat flux, ground heat flux and net radiation data. For each set of independent variables used for gap‐filling, the methods are tested against an existing gap‐filling procedure with similar data requirements. Thus, the univariate version is tested against the mean diurnal variation method, and the multivariate versions are tested against corresponding simple and multiple linear regression techniques that use energy‐budget data, and in one case the evaporative fraction as well. In our tests, the proposed univariate version performs better than the mean diurnal variation method, and the multivariate versions perform better than simple/multiple linear regression methods. An often used available computer package, REddyProc, was also tested as a basis of comparison. In general, the proposed methods (in univariate and multivariate versions) and simple/multiple linear regressions performed better than REddyProc. For the datasets analysed, gap filling via the evaporative fraction method performed poorly.
TRIM11 suppresses ferritinophagy and gemcitabine sensitivity through UBE2N/TAX1BP1 signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Shang Mingyi , Weng Li , Xu Guifang , Wu Shaoqiu , Liu Bingyan , Yin Xiang , Mao Aiwu , Zou Xiaoping , Wang Zhongmin
Published: February 2021

Gemcitabine is first‐line chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, however, the development of resistance limits its effectiveness. The tripartite motif‐containing 11 (TRIM11) protein plays crucial roles in tumor development and undergoes auto‐polyubiquitination to promote interactions in selective autophagy. Therefore, Understanding whether TRIM11 is involved in ferritinophagy and gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer is critical in developing pancreatic cancer therapeutics. TRIM11 expression was validated by Western blot analysis, real‐time polymease chain reaction, and immunohistochemical staining. 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide and Colony formation assays were performed to investigate pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) cell viability. Mouse xenograft model of PDAC cells was established to verify the role of TRIM11 in vivo. Coimmunoprecipitation was used to identify the reciprocal regulation between TRIM11 and UBE2N. In this study, we found that TRIM11 expression were higher in PDAC cells and tissues. TRIM11 overexpression promotes PDAC cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Decreased expression of TRIM11 in PDAC patients is associated with decreased UBE2N and increased TAX1BP1 expression. Coimmunoprecipitation established that TRIM11 interacts and colocalizes with UBE2N. Mechanistically, TRIM11 promoted gemcitabine resistance and suppressed ferritinophagy through UBE2N‐TAX1BP1 signaling. Our findings identify TRIM11 as a key regulator of TAX1BP1 signaling with a crucial role in ferritinophagy and gemcitabine resistance in PDAC.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm and virus infection: A potential causative role for cytomegalovirus infection?
Authors: Jabłońska Agnieszka , Zagrapan Branislav , Paradowska Edyta , Neumayer Christoph , Eilenberg Wolf , Brostjan Christine , Klinger Markus , Nanobachvili Josif , Huk Ihor
Published: February 2021

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a multifactorial disease with a variety of genetic and environmental risk factors, but the exact mechanism of AAA formation and progression is still not well understood. The present study investigated the frequency of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), and papillomavirus types 6 and 11 (HPV6 and HPV11), their impact on clinical manifestations of cardiovascular diseases, and their possible association with inflammation in patients with AAA and healthy volunteers. Genotyping of CMV UL75, EBV LMP‐1, and HPV6, and HPV11 E6 was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while the viral DNA loads were measured by quantitative real‐time PCR. Cytokine levels were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. The CMV UL75 was detected more frequently in the blood of patients with AAA than in the blood of healthy volunteers (32.7% vs. 6.3%, p < .0001). Neither EBV LMP‐1 nor HPV6 E6 was found in blood and aortic wall biopsies, while the HPV11 E6 was detected in 36.4% of AAA walls. The CMV infection in patients with AAA was associated with an increased risk of hypertension and coronary artery disease (OR, 9.057; 95% CI, 1.141–71.862; p = .037; and OR, 2.575; 95% CI, 1.002–6.615; p = .049, respectively). Additionally, CMV‐infected patients with AAA had higher tumor necrosis factor‐α levels compared with noninfected subjects (p = .017). Our findings suggest that CMV infection can stimulate local inflammation in the aorta but is not a direct cause of most abdominal aortic aneurysms.
Classical approach to off‐resonant Raman coherence with chirped femtosecond laser pulses
Authors: Marrocco Michele
Published: February 2021

Raman coherence of electronically off‐resonant transitions provides a simple class of Raman techniques that, when realized with chirped femtosecond laser pulses, are commonly studied with reference to the methods of quantum mechanics. In this work, we show instead that the classical approach, when extended to chirp‐dependent laser fields, is equally effective in reproducing experimental results that are particularly sensitive to the chirp carried by the laser pulses. The extension is nothing but a follow‐up of the traditional model based on the driven damped harmonic oscillator, which is however known to work for transform‐limited femtosecond pulses. The demonstration starts with the comparison of the time‐dependent third‐order polarizations for the Liouville‐space wavepacket representation with the classical analog. The formal similarity between these nonlinear polarizations is further analyzed in the frequency domain to show an important difference related to the handling of the phase factor containing the carrier frequencies of the laser pulses. Finally, we simulate a couple of significant and acknowledged chirp‐dependent experimental measurements in the impulsive regime of stimulated Raman scattering.
Ultrasound of the Radial Nerve: A Pictorial Review
Authors: Becciolini Marco , Pivec Christopher , Raspanti Andrea , Riegler Georg
Published: February 2021

This pictorial review focuses on the ultrasound (US) appearance of the normal and pathological radial nerve (RN) and its branches and provides tips with which to locate them and avoid misinterpretation of normal findings. A wide range of our pathological cases are reviewed and presented to help in familiarizing the reader with common and uncommon clinical scenarios that affect the RN and its main branches.