Re-ID done right: towards good practices for person re-identification

Training a deep architecture using a ranking loss has become standard for the person re-identification task. Increasingly, these deep architectures include additional components that leverage part detections, attribute predictions, pose estimators and other auxiliary information, in order to more effectively localize and align discriminative image regions. In this paper we adopt a different approach and carefully design each component of a simple deep architecture and, critically, the strategy for training it effectively for person re-identification. We extensively evaluate each design choice, leading to a list of good practices for person re-identification. By following these practices, our approach outperforms the state of the art, including more complex methods with auxiliary components, by large margins on four benchmark datasets. We also provide a qualitative analysis of our trained representation which indicates that, while compact, it is able to capture information from localized and discriminative regions, in a manner akin to an implicit attention mechanism

Insights into the Nature of Anesthetic–Protein Interactions: An ONIOM Study

Anesthetics have been employed widely to relieve surgical suffering, but their mechanism of action is not yet clear. For over a century, the mechanism of anesthesia was previously thought to be via lipid bilayer interactions. In the present work, a rigorous three-layer ONIOM­(M06-2X/6-31+G*:PM6:AMBER) method was utilized to investigate the nature of interactions between several anesthetics and actual protein binding sites. According to the calculated structural features, interaction energies, atomic charges, and electrostatic potential surfaces, the amphiphilic nature of anesthetic–protein interactions was demonstrated for both inhalational and injectable anesthetics. The existence of hydrogen and halogen bonding interactions between anesthetics and proteins was clearly identified, and these interactions served to assist ligand recognition and binding by the protein. Within all complexes of inhalational or injectable anesthetics, the polarization effects play a dominant role over the steric effects and induce a significant asymmetry in the otherwise symmetric atomic charge distributions of the free ligands <i>in vacuo</i>. This study provides new insight into the mechanism of action of general anesthetics in a more rigorous way than previously described. Future rational design of safer anesthetics for an aging and more physiologically vulnerable population will be predicated on this greater understanding of such specific interactions

Table1_Association between FIB-4, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular disease risk among diabetic individuals: NHANES 1999–2008.docx

BackgroundDiabetes is prevalent worldwide and is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, due to the insulin resistance, diabetic populations are vulnerable to liver fibrosis, which increases the risk of CVD. Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4)—a non-invasive biomarker for liver fibrosis—is crucial in predicting CVD among patients with liver diseases. However, the association between FIB-4, death, and CVD in the US diabetic population has not yet been investigated.MethodWe conducted a cross-sectional study using the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2008. The mortality status was obtained from the National Death Index through December 31, 2015. Participants were divided into survivor and mortality group to compare the basic characteristics. The association between FIB-4, death, and CVD was analyzed using the restricted cubic spline method and Cox proportional hazards models. In stratified analysis, Participants were stratified based on age, sex, BMI, hypertension, or eGFR respectively.ResultsThe participants (N = 3,471) were divided into survivor (N = 1,785) and mortality groups (N = 1,632), with the mortality group exhibiting significantly higher FIB-4 values. Moreover, the risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.24; 95% CI, 1.17–1.32) and CVD mortality (HR 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04–1.31) increased with each FIB-4 SD increase after adjusting for all covariates. However, except for myocardial infarction, FIB-4 had no significant effect on the incidence of the other three CVD subtypes (congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, and angina pectoris). In stratified analysis, we found that the effect of FIB-4 on CVD mortality was influenced by age, and FIB-4 is a risk factor for people older than 60 years (HR 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01–1.29).ConclusionUsing data from NHANES 1999–2008, FIB-4 was found to be associated with all-cause and CVD mortality in the diabetic population, and this association was significantly affected by age. However, FIB-4 only affected the incidence of myocardial infarction. Future work should investigate the association between FIB-4 and CVD in the diabetic population.</p

A new chromone and a new aliphatic ester isolated from <i>Daldinia eschscholtzii</i>

<p>A new chromone and a new aliphatic ester were isolated from the EtOAc extract of myceliums of <i>Daldinia eschscholtzii</i>. Their structures were elucidated as (<i>R</i>)-5-hydroxy-8-methoxy-2-methylchroman-4-one (<b>1</b>) and (<i>E</i>)-6-(non-3-en-1-yl) -2<i>H</i>-pyran-2-one (<b>2</b>) by interpretation of the spectroscopic evidence.</p

Metal–Organic Frameworks Constructed from a New Thiophene-Functionalized Dicarboxylate: Luminescence Sensing and Pesticide Removal

A family of thiophene-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), [Zn­(L)­(BBI)·(H₂O)₂] (<b>1</b>) (BBI = 1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)­bis­(imidazole)) and [Cd­(L)­(TPOM)_0.75]·<i>x</i>S (<b>2</b>) (TPOM = tetrakis­(4-pyridyloxy-methylene) methane, S represents noncoordinated solvent molecules) was constructed by employing a new linear thiophene-functionalized dicarboxylic acid (benzo-(1,2;4,5)-bis­(thiophene-2′-carboxylic acid, H₂L) to assemble with d¹⁰ ions in the presence of a flexible ancillary ligand under solvothermal conditions, which exhibit diverse structures. Most strikingly, both compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> could be efficient luminescent sensory materials that are highly selective and sensitive to environmental contaminants, especially for Hg­(II), Cu­(II), Cr­(VI), and salicylaldehyde, and yet remain unaffected by other molecules that may coexit. Furthermore, this is the first report on MOF-based sensors capable of recyclable detection of Hg­(II), Cr­(VI), and salicylaldehyde so far. The luminescent sensing mechanism was studied in detail as well. In addition, compound <b>2</b> is one of the rare examples of high-performance MOFs trapping 2,4-dichlorophenol from the wasted methanol solution

Quantitative Assessment of the Effect of <i>KCNJ11</i> Gene Polymorphism on the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

<div><p>To clarify the role of potassium inwardly-rectifying-channel, subfamily-J, member 11 (<i>KCNJ11</i>) variation in susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D), we performed a systematic meta-analysis to investigate the association between the <i>KCNJ11</i> E23K polymorphism (rs5219) and the T2D in different genetic models. Databases including PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science were searched to identify relevant studies. A total of 48 published studies involving 56,349 T2D cases, 81,800 controls, and 483 family trios were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, the E23K polymorphism was significantly associated with increased T2D risk with per-allele odds ratio (OR) of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.09–1.16; <i>P</i><10⁻⁵). The summary OR for T2D was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.03–1.14; <i>P</i><10⁻⁵), and 1.26 (95% CI: 1.17–1.35; <i>P</i><10⁻⁵), for heterozygous and homozygous, respectively. Similar results were also detected under dominant and recessive genetic models. When stratified by ethnicity, significantly increased risks were found for the polymorphism in Caucasians and East Asians. However, no such associations were detected among Indian and other ethnic populations. Significant associations were also observed in the stratified analyses according to different mean BMI of cases and sample size. Although significant between study heterogeneity was identified, meta-regression analysis suggested that the BMI of controls significantly correlated with the magnitude of the genetic effect. The current meta-analysis demonstrated that a modest but statistically significant effect of the 23K allele of rs5219 polymorphism in susceptibility to T2D. But the contribution of its genetic variants to the epidemic of T2D in Indian and other ethnic populations appears to be relatively low.</p></div

Possible binding sites and interactions of propanidid and AZD3043 within the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABA_AR)

<p>Propanidid is an intravenous anesthetic with transient action and rapid recovery features, but it is clinically unacceptable due to its side effects. AZD-3043, an analog of propanidid with the methoxy group substituted by the ethoxy group, has become the focus of recent development efforts. Although propanidid and AZD-3043 are known to act by potentiating the γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA_ARs), their action sites and binding modes in the recognition of target proteins still remain unclear. In this study, molecular docking and ONIOM calculations were performed to explore the possible binding sites and binding modes of propanidid and AZD-3043 with the GABA_AR. The predicted active region located in the transmembrane domain (TMD) of GABA_AR was identified as the most favorable binding site for propanidid and AZD-3043, with the highest docking score (−39.69 and −39.44 kcal/mol, respectively) and the largest binding energy (−88.478 and −78.439 kcal/mol, respectively). The important role of amino acids Asp245, Asp424, Asp425, Arg428, Phe307, and Ser308 in determining the binding modes of propanidid or AZD-3043 with GABA_AR was revealed. The detailed molecular interactions between propanidid and AZD-3043 and the GABA_AR were revealed for the first time. This could improve our understanding of the action mechanism of general anesthetics and will be helpful for the design of more potential lead-like molecules.</p

Metal–Organic Frameworks Constructed from a New Thiophene-Functionalized Dicarboxylate: Luminescence Sensing and Pesticide Removal

A family of thiophene-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), [Zn­(L)­(BBI)·(H₂O)₂] (<b>1</b>) (BBI = 1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)­bis­(imidazole)) and [Cd­(L)­(TPOM)_0.75]·<i>x</i>S (<b>2</b>) (TPOM = tetrakis­(4-pyridyloxy-methylene) methane, S represents noncoordinated solvent molecules) was constructed by employing a new linear thiophene-functionalized dicarboxylic acid (benzo-(1,2;4,5)-bis­(thiophene-2′-carboxylic acid, H₂L) to assemble with d¹⁰ ions in the presence of a flexible ancillary ligand under solvothermal conditions, which exhibit diverse structures. Most strikingly, both compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> could be efficient luminescent sensory materials that are highly selective and sensitive to environmental contaminants, especially for Hg­(II), Cu­(II), Cr­(VI), and salicylaldehyde, and yet remain unaffected by other molecules that may coexit. Furthermore, this is the first report on MOF-based sensors capable of recyclable detection of Hg­(II), Cr­(VI), and salicylaldehyde so far. The luminescent sensing mechanism was studied in detail as well. In addition, compound <b>2</b> is one of the rare examples of high-performance MOFs trapping 2,4-dichlorophenol from the wasted methanol solution

Characteristics of the studies included in the meta-analysis.

<p>WHO: World health organization, ADA: American diabetes association, MAF: minor allele frequency, LNA: locked nucleic acid assay, FP-TDI: fluorescence polarization template-directed incorporation. SBE-FRET: single-base extension with fluorescence resonance energy transfer; SBE-FP: single-base extension with fluorescence polarization.</p

Results of meta-analysis for <i>KCNJ11</i> E23K polymorphism and T2D risk.

<p><i>P</i>(Z): Z test used to determine the significance of the overall OR.</p><p><i>P</i>(Q)^a: Cochran's chi-square Q statistic test used to assess the heterogeneity in subgroups.</p><p><i>P</i>(Q)^b: Cochran's chi-square Q statistic test used to assess the heterogeneity between subgroups.</p