bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gendered Representations of War
Authors: Archer Emerald M.
Published: July 2020

Representation, or the portrayal of a subject in a particular way and as being of a particular nature, is often gendered. With respect to warfare, men have historically been the primary subjects of war. Women have been relegated to the periphery and their representations, while uniform across cultures, are various. Critical to understanding gendered representations of war is the feminist literature related to how individuals and institutions are militarized. Such literature provides an overview of the common symbolic representations of women in warfare—specifically, victim, instigator, camp follower, and androgynous warrior. These tropes, or universal categories of women, are chronicled in war photography. As a medium that invites the civilian viewer to witness warfare, photography creates a narrative about the roles men and women are permitted to occupy in war. As such, this entry explores the representation of women as they emerge in war photography.
News Reporting on Women, War, and Conflict
Authors: Parikka Tuija
Published: July 2020

This entry focuses on news reporting on women, war, and conflict, and introduces views that explore the related crossroads from the perspectives of newsroom cultures and news coverage of wars and violent conflicts as gendered and gendering. Informed by contemporary understanding of the relationship between wars and gender, works that criticize the traditional reproduction of gender binarism in the news are foregrounded. Sample cases are highlighted to explore the discrepancy between material “reality” of wars and conflicts in the global context and how they unfold in the news.
Nordic Women Journalists
Authors: Kurvinen Heidi
Published: July 2020

Nordic countries are commonly seen as the most gender equal in the world. This has also been the case in terms of professional journalism. However, there are variations in the number of women journalists within the Nordic region. Finland appears most often as the forerunner for women journalists' whereas the road to the newsroom has been most difficult for Icelandic women. However, Finnish journalists have stayed behind their other Nordic colleagues in terms of women journalists' active drive for gender equality within the profession. A comparative approach reveals the role of sociohistorical context and individual journalists and/or media organizations challenging the existing gender order in Nordic journalism.
Personalization in Politics
Authors: Hernández‐Santaolalla Víctor
Published: July 2020

In a context where the media tend to simplify political and social news through entertaining and storytelling, the candidate's image and the personalization of politicians becomes important in electoral campaigns. In this way, although personalization is not something new and its study can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s, it is true that in recent years its relevance as a campaign strategy has increased. The candidate must be shown as someone responsible and qualified, but at the same time as a common citizen, as someone authentic, credible, intimate, and empathic with the problems of the electorate. Personalization thus implies not only individualization, but also privatization, blurring the boundaries between the private and the public spheres. The personalization of politics permits the establishment of different strategies in campaigning to be developed by female and male politicians according to the expectations that the electorate has of the gender of the candidate. In this respect, women face a dilemma, because while they can be criticized for using men's own manners, if they show their femininity they can be seen as less prepared for the job. In this regard, the strategic stereotype theory proposed by Fridkin and Kenney indicates that politicians should capitalize on the stereotypical features of their gender that are favorable (as in the case of interactivity for women), while they should counteract others that hinder them from the fulfillment of this purpose.
Women and Comedy
Authors: Lockyer Sharon
Published: July 2020

This entry provides an overview of the dominant debates surrounding women and comedy. Two main arguments characterize academic, comedy industry, and popular media debates on women and comedy—one that contends that women cannot be funny and the other that maintains that women can be funny. A number of interconnected features, and myths, circulate to construct a masculine discourse surrounding the production, content, and reception of comedy. Yet there is a large body of evidence suggesting that across history—from Greek mythology through to contemporary stand‐up comedy—women have been, and continue to be, funny. Research on the forms and functions of comedy performed by the increasing number of women comedians suggests that comedy performed by women allows women to move from the object, to the subject, of comedy, and that it can have subversive qualities, content, and functions. Despite the increasing number of women comedians performing, evidence suggests that the number, and types, of performance opportunities for women comedians are sometimes restricted and censored.
RealityTVGenres
Authors: Leavey Sean T.
Published: July 2020

Since reality TV (RTV) emerged in the late 20th century, an array of subgenres has appeared that have focused on nearly all aspects of life, ranging from finding love, to attaining one's ideal aesthetic body, to generating an income. Beyond its “entertainment” value, RTV should be understood as a technology of interventionandrepresentation that produces subjects and subjectivities through broadcasting ideologies, circulating discourses, and transmitting affects. This entry reviews the literature that has focused on RTV's treatment of gender and establish general categories for organizing programs into broad subgenres. These subgenres are discussed in the contexts of neoliberalism, postfeminism, postracism, and the crisis of masculinity, as the driving logics of contemporary cultures and societies around the world.
Gender and Motion Capture
Authors: Broeker Fabian
Published: July 2020

The conception of gender as an inherently performative trope is one that has a long history and is most easily exposed when coming into contact with a literal performance medium. For Richard Schechner, metaphoric knowledge, such as that produced within the arts, when accepted rightfully as primary reality can illuminate one's conceptual understanding of behavior. This is particularly apt for the understanding of gender in relation to motion capture. On the motion capture stage the performative aspects of the body are heightened and extracted though digital code, and transformed into a visual realization of the virtual body. Thus, the motion capture stage offers a new and innovative technology through which to probe the performance of gender.
Romantic Comedy
Authors: Irwin Mary
Published: July 2020

The film romantic comedy or “romcom” is a much‐loved popular genre in which women and relationships are most usually central themes. Such subject matter and its feminine appeal are often used to denigrate both its quality and its significance, typified by dismissive terms such as “chick flick.” This entry demonstrates that the cinematic romcoms, contrary to such dismissive classification encodes ideas, attitudes, and behaviors redolent of the historical political, cultural, and social climate in which they were conceived and produced, ranging from the witty escapist double talk of the 1930s and 1940s “screwball” films through the uneasy sex comedies of the 1950s and 1960s and the sexual questioning of the 1970s to the return of the more traditional neo‐traditional romcoms of the later 1980s. At the same time, the entry demonstrates that some films in the romcom genre have received substantial critical and popular success locating and acknowledging them as classics within cinematic canons.
Parenting Online
Authors: Pedersen Sarah
Published: July 2020

Parents use digital media, such as internet discussion forums, blogs, social media, and mobile phone apps, to access information, support, and advice. Digital media can be particularly important for new mothers, who may feel isolated. The ability to access experience‐based information and form supportive communities with other parents are particularly strong motivations to use digital media. “Sharenting” is the sharing of information about children by their parents on social media and blogs. Parents have to consider the ethics of sharing their children's information and images online. Pregnancy and parenting apps allow women to track the progress of their pregnancy and monitor the health of themselves and their child. However, they can also act as performative and monitoring devices, pressurizing women to manage data and perform personal management of their and their baby's health. There are also concerns about the risks posed by such apps for users' privacy and security of data.
Gender, Migration, and News
Authors: Liu Shan‐Jan Sarah
Published: July 2020

The media's selective construction of migrant identities and prioritization of migrant issues has been found to shape the public perception of migrants. While extant studies primarily focus on the racialized dimensions of the representation of migrants, this entry provides a comprehensive overview of how the media gender their discourse surrounding migration and citizenship. An intersectional analysis of the media's construction of meaning of citizenships is crucial because migrant women face multiple forms of marginalization and oppression. This entry thus draws from a wide range of up‐to‐date research to illustrate the power dynamics surrounding the representation of migrant women. Taking a transnational approach, it reviews research that explores the gendered aspects of various space and time. Through the examination of the media's gendered discussion of migration, this entry unfolds how migrant women are situated within the hegemonic political context.
Newsroom Cultures in
E
astern
E
urope
Authors: Rovenţa‐Frumuşani Daniela
Published: July 2020

The area and hierarchy of occupations, the structure of the labor market, organizational cultures, and labor relations are significantly affected by notions of gender, gendered identity, and material and symbolic inequalities between women and men. Despite their higher cultural capital, women have much less access to decision‐making positions and prestigious assignments in numerous fields, including journalism. Recent changes in the conditions of journalism (economic crisis, digital revolution) make this specialty less attractive to men. The downgrading of a profession is often mentioned to explain its feminization and deglamorization. In order to access the most valued positions in journalism, women adopt “the strategy of competition,” which consists of challenging men on their own ground, by becoming “one of the boys,” or “the strategy of expansion,” which aims to open the journalistic space by creating “new” formats and styles and trying to subvert the dominant masculine hegemonic professional codes. Despite this, women are victims of vertical (hierarchical) and horizontal (domain) segregation, either by a self‐assignment mechanism based on preferences linked to socially constructed specific skills, acquired through a “feminine” socialization, or by constraint (imposed by a hierarchical assignment mechanism).
Digital Bodies
Authors: Jaynes Victoria
Published: July 2020

The relationship between the body and digital technology has long been a lively area of feminist scholarship, resulting in many ways of thinking about digital bodies. Feminist theory has conceptualized the body in a digital age using the image of cyborgs and as part of sociotechnical networks. Rather than approaching technology as portals to disconnected virtual worlds which host disembodied interactions between avatars, contemporary digital technologies and our daily interactions with these are frequently framed as biomediated or as material‐discursive phenomena. Informed by decades of theorizing physical bodies as mutually biological and discursive, two key assertions unify contemporary feminist approaches to digital bodies. The first is that bodies and technologies are by necessity interrelated. The second is that embodied experiences of technology, and the design of technology itself, are tied to broader systems of gendered power. Tracing debates from earlier feminist approaches to technology from the 1970s and 1980s, new technologies were often framed as holding emancipatory potential despite enduring gender and power inequalities. Since the 1990s and as part of the continuing legacy of this earlier work, technologies have been increasingly understood as cultural products that are inherently gendered and therefore not free from the sociopolitical context of the design and engagement with technologies in everyday life.
Women Filmmakers: Gillian Armstrong
Authors: Erhart Julia
Published: July 2020

When she directedMy Brilliant Careerin 1979, Gillian Armstrong became the first woman to make a feature film in Australia in over 40 years. Today, she is a commercially successful director of over 18 feature films and documentaries and an important, early example of a woman director focused on mass audiences who has crafted an authorial image that is powerful and unique. Both Armstrong the director and her films have been framed through the language of gender inclusivity, including the fact that her movies frequently foreground female characters and themes of interest to women audiences. Armstrong's movies are unique in the ethical relationships that they depict, and she is an outspoken critic of the challenges that women in the industry face and of ongoing need for support. Armstrong has been a forceful presence in the period film genre, with multiple Australian productions and international coproductions to her name, and an innovator in documentary, with her longitudinal series about three young women set in South Australia. This entry establishes the multidimensionality of Armstrong's career and examines her engagement with the Australian period film genre to demonstrate how she refashions generic conceits to bring new, engaged, and affective meaning to familiar forms.
Gender, Class, and the Internet
Authors: Bourdeloie Hélène
Published: July 2020

Incorporating masculine, capitalistic, and heteronormative values and norms, the internet—just like the ordinary world—is a space marked by power relationships. It reproduces the inequalities operating in the offline world and its uses differ according to gender and social class, prolonging the naturalized gender division of traditional activities. The “quality” of these uses generally corresponds to an individual's position on the social ladder. However, the internet offers some leeway for negotiating identity, as well as possibilities to subvert dominant gender models. But it also reproduces patriarchal mechanisms and gender stereotypes. A divisive technology, the internet is actually a space that allows social and gender norms to be shifted, and a space that produces and reproduces power relationships.
The Boy Detective
Authors: Andrew Lucy
Published: July 2020

This entry focuses on the origins and development of the boy detective protagonist in various forms of Anglophone literature from the mid‐19th century to the present. In Britain, the boy detective first appeared in the “penny dreadful”
The Boy Detective; or, the Crimes of London
(1865–1866) as a middle‐class role model for boy readers, before becoming a recurring feature of Alfred Harmsworth's boys' story papers from the 1890s onward as a street urchin assistant to a middle‐class, adult detective. In the early 20th century, the boy detective featured in popular school stories in papers such as the
Gem
and the
Magnet
and moved into other hybrid forms in series fiction from the 1940s onward, merging with genres such as holiday‐adventure, historical fiction, and the supernatural. In the United States, the boy detective emerged as an independent hero in half‐dime novels and story papers from the 1880s onward before moving into popular series such as
The Hardy Boys
(1927–),
Encyclopedia Brown
(1963–2012), and
The Three Investigators
(1964–1990). The originally British adult detective/boy assistant tradition has flourished in American comics since 1940 in Batman/Robin narratives. While Robin begins as a firm role model for his young readers in 1940, recent incarnations of the Boy Wonder have become less idealized. The movement of the boy detective into American Young Adult fiction has continued this exploration of the morally ambiguous and potentially violent and criminalized nature of the modern boy detective.
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Gender Bias
Authors: Weidner Nil Uzun
Published: July 2020

With increasingly powerful computers and rapidly advancing technologies for generating, collecting, and storing vast amounts of data, artificial intelligence and machine learning have become key technologies in science, healthcare, entertainment, media, and governance with application areas ranging from self‐driving cars and digital home assistants to automated credit scoring and predictive policing. However, these technologies can create unfair biased outcomes with serious societal consequences and discriminate against certain populations. This entry describes the various forms of algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence and machine learning, particularly focusing on gender bias. It gives specific examples from machine learning and natural language‐processing applications, discusses sources of bias in algorithms and datasets, and how they impact different groups of people.
Decolonial Feminism and Latin American Media
Authors: Arroyave Jesús , Gómez Nancy R.
Published: July 2020

Reflection on media content has been dominated by a public discourse that emphasizes a Western, androcentric point of view, particularly White and based on a knowledge produced in a particular context but predicated as “universally” valid. Scholars from the Global South have questioned the notion that the Western way of thinking is the universal way of thinking. For decolonial feminist scholars, gender, like race, is a colonial invention. In contemporary society, decolonial feminism has, first, motivated the questioning of media discourse constructed from the rhetoric of the matrix of colonial power and, second, the recreation of subaltern identities beyond global epistemic hierarchies. By assuming an “epistemic disobedience,” which implies questioning the Eurocentric/Western perspective as the only valid viewpoint, this entry explores how understandings about the intersection between race, class, sexuality, and gender related to Eurocentric points of view and a patriarchal perspective have been instilled and reproduced since colonial times in Latin American countries and other colonial areas. It also explores how such perspectives are still presented and perpetuated in current societies in the form of media messages. Scholars from the Global South have questioned how media imageries perpetuated a racist but also sexist perspective that came to the continent with the European invasion.
Mass Communication Research: Audience, Gender, Class
Authors: Biressi Anita Ruth
Published: July 2020

This entry charts audience research models of mass communication scholarship from the 1940s to the 1980s. It describes how these models conceptualized the mass audience in terms of gender and class and outlines their foundational assumptions about women audiences and women's genres. The account is focused through the example of the serial drama or “soap opera.”
Occupational Risk in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Wang Xia , Perry Thomas A. , Arden Nigel , Chen Lingxiao , Parsons Camille M. , Cooper Cyrus , Gates Lucy , Hunter David J.
Published: July 2020

Objective

To assess the association between occupational exposures and knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

We systematically searched for observational studies that examined the relationship between occupational exposures and knee OA and total knee replacement. Four databases were searched up to October 1, 2019. Two reviewers independently assessed study quality using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale and evidence quality using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Subgroup meta‐analyses were conducted for important study characteristics and each type of occupational exposure. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated for the meta‐analysis using random‐effects models.

Results

Eighty eligible studies were identified including 25 case–control (n = 20,505 total participants), 36 cross‐sectional (n = 139,463 total participants), and 19 cohort studies (n = 16,824,492 total participants). A synthesis of 71 studies suggested increased odds of knee OA (OR 1.52 [95% CI 1.37–1.69]) by combining different physically demanding jobs and occupational activities as compared to sedentary occupations and/or low‐exposure groups. Odds of knee OA were greater in males and in industry‐based studies and studies assessing lifetime occupational exposures. There were 9 specific job titles that were associated with knee OA, including farmer, builder, metal worker, and floor layer. Occupational lifting, kneeling, climbing, squatting, and standing were all associated with higher odds of knee OA as compared to the odds of knee OA in sedentary workers.

Conclusion

Strenuous, physically demanding occupations and occupational activities were associated with increased odds of knee OA as supported by moderate‐quality evidence. Specifically, agricultural and construction sectors, which typically involve heavy lifting, frequent climbing, prolonged kneeling, squatting, and standing, carried increased odds of knee OA.
Exploring Electron Transporting Layer in Combination with a Polyelectrolyte for n‐i‐p Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Sun Mengjie , Zhang Huimin , Liang Chunjun , Ji Chao , Jing Xiping , Sun Fulin , Song Qi , You Fangtian , He Zhiqun
Published: July 2020

A double‐layered poly(ethylenimine) ethoxylated (PEIE)/SnO2 composite structure, the ultrathin PEIE in contact with an indium‐tin‐oxide electrode, and an SnO2 layer interfaced with the perovskite, is developed as an electron‐transport layer (ETL) in the preparation of perovskite solar cells. The surface energy and the work function of the top SnO2 side of the composite ETL can be finely adjusted by tuning the underneath polyelectrolyte PEIE layer. These control the nucleation process in the crystallization of the perovskite layer and reduce the energy level mismatch between the electron transport and perovskite layers. High performance perovskite solar cells having a certified power conversion efficiency of 21.3%, with negligible hysteresis are achieved.
Fine‐scale spatial genetic structure, mating, and gene dispersal patterns in Parkia biglobosa populations with different levels of habitat fragmentation
Authors: Lompo Djingdia , Vinceti Barbara , Konrad Heino , Duminil Jérôme , Geburek Thomas
Published: July 2020

Premise

A good understanding of genetic variation and gene dispersal in tree populations is crucial for their sustainable management, particularly in a context of rapid environmental changes. West African Sudanian savannahs are being fragmented and degraded, partly due to expansion of crop cultivation and monocultures that reduce tree density and may impact pollinators. The population dynamics of important indigenous trees could also be affected. We investigated the influence of habitat fragmentation on patterns of genetic diversity and gene dispersal of a key Sudanian agroforestry tree species, Parkia biglobosa.

Methods

Using 10 highly polymorphic nuclear microsatellites, we genotyped 2475 samples from reproductive trees, seedlings, and embryos in four tree populations presenting different levels of habitat fragmentation.

Results

Parkia biglobosa presented similar high genetic diversity across the four populations studied. Genetic diversity and inbreeding were similar between adults and embryo cohorts. In all four populations, the selfing rate was less than 1%. The effective number of pollen donors per tree was high (NEP~ 18–22), as was the pollen immigration rate (from 34 to 74%). Pollen dispersal was characterized by a fat‐tailed distribution with mean estimates exceeding 200 m. In three populations, stem diameter had a pronounced effect on male reproductive success. Here, the highest male reproductive success was observed in trees with a diameter at breast height between 60 and 75 cm.

Conclusions

At the scale analyzed, fragmentation does not seem to pose limitations to gene flow in any of the sites investigated, regardless of the landscape configuration associated with the different tree stands. The study provides useful insights on the reproductive biology of an important tree species in the West African savannahs.
The aza‐Prins Cyclization of Unfunctionalized Olefins Promoted by NHC‐Cu Complex and ZrCl4
Authors: Jia Yibo , Li Lin , Duan Lili , Li Yue‐Ming
Published: July 2020

The aza‐Prins cyclization reaction catalyzed by ZrCl4 and NHC (N‐heterocyclic carbene) metal complexes is firstly reported. NHC‐copper complexes as promoter and ZrCl4 as chloride source are utilized under a mild condition, where homoallylic amines and aldehydes are successfully converted to piperidine derivatives in satisfactory yields and diastereoselectivity.
Synthesis, characterization, crystal structure and toxicity evaluation of Co (II), Cu (II), Mn (II), Ni (II), Pd (II) and Pt (II) complexes with Schiff base derived from 2‐chloro‐5‐(trifluoromethyl)aniline
Authors: Lupașcu Gina , Pahonțu Elena , Shova Sergiu , Bărbuceanu Ștefania Felicia , Ilieș Diana Carolina , Badea Mihaela , Paraschivescu Codruța , Ducu Cătălin , Neamțu Johny , Dinu Mihaela , Ancuceanu Robert Viorel , Drăgănescu Doina , Dinu‐Pîrvu Cristina Elena
Published: July 2020

A bidentate NO donor Schiff base, 2‐(((2‐chloro‐5‐ (trifluoromethyl)phenyl)imino)methyl) phenol (HL1) and its complexes [Co(L1)2(H2O)2] (1), [Cu(L1)2] (2), [Mn(L1)2(H2O)2] (3), [Ni(L1)2(H2O)2] (4), [Pd2(L1)2(OAc)2·1.16H2O] (5), [Pt(L1)2] (6) were synthesized and characterized by different physico‐chemical techniques including elemental and thermal analysis, magnetic susceptibility measurements, molar electric conductivity, IR, 1H‐NMR, 13C‐NMR, UV–Vis, mass spectroscopies and X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD). The molecular structures of ligand HL1 and two complexes (2 and 5) were confirmed by X‐ray crystallography analysis on the monocrystal. In this complexes, the metal ions are in distorted square‐planar environments. The copper (II) complex is mononuclear and crystallized in a monoclinic space group P21/c, whereas palladium (II) complex is dinuclear and crystallized in the trigonal crystal system R‐3. The toxicity of the ligand and complexes was evaluated on both plant and animal cells, using the plant species Triticum aestivum L. and the crustacean Artemia franciscana Kellogg. At concentrations up to 100 μM the compounds presented very little toxicity on Artemia franciscana Kellogg. Moreover, the palladium (II) complex was devoid of any toxicity on the plant cells.
The Role of the Non‐neuronal Cholinergic System in Inflammation and Degradation Processes in Osteoarthritis
Authors: Courties Alice , Do Ariane , Leite Sarah , Legris Manon , Sudre Laure , Pigenet Audrey , Petit Juliette , Nourissat Geoffroy , Cambon‐Binder Adeline , Maskos Uwe , Berenbaum Francis , Sellam Jérémie
Published: July 2020

Objective

The non‐neuronal cholinergic system represents non‐neuronal cells that have the biochemical machinery to synthetize de novo and/or respond to acetylcholine (ACh). We undertook this study to investigate this biochemical machinery in chondrocytes and its involvement in osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

Expression of the biochemical machinery for ACh metabolism and nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChR), particularly α7‐nAChR, in human OA and murine chondrocytes was determined by polymerase chain reaction and ligand‐binding. We investigated the messenger RNA expression of the human duplicate α7‐nACh subunit, called CHRFAM7A, which is responsible for truncated α7‐nAChR. We assessed the effect of nAChR on chondrocytes activated by interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and the involvement of α7‐nAChR using chondrocytes from wild‐type (WT) and α7‐deficient Chrna7−/− mice. The role of α7‐nAChR in OA was explored after medial meniscectomy in WT and Chrna7−/− mice.

Results

Human and murine chondrocytes express the biochemical partners of the non‐neuronal cholinergic system and a functional α7‐nAChR at their cell surface (n = 5 experiments with 5 samples each). The expression of CHRFAM7A in human OA chondrocytes (n = 23 samples) correlated positively with matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP‐3) (r = 0.38, P < 0.05) and MMP‐13 (r = 0.48, P < 0.05) expression. Nicotine decreased the IL‐1β–induced IL‐6 and MMP expression, in a dose‐dependent manner, in WT chondrocytes but not in Chrna7−/− chondrocytes. Chrna7−/− mice that underwent meniscectomy (n = 7) displayed more severe OA cartilage damage (mean ± SD Osteoarthritis Research Society International [OARSI] score 4.46 ± 1.09) compared to WT mice that underwent meniscectomy (n = 9) (mean ± SD OARSI score 3.05 ± 0.9; P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The non‐neuronal cholinergic system is functionally expressed in chondrocytes. Stimulation of nAChR induces antiinflammatory and anticatabolic activity through α7‐nAChR, but the anticatabolic activity may be mitigated by truncated α7‐nAChR in human chondrocytes. In vivo experiments strongly suggest that α7‐nAChR has a protective role in OA.
Suicidality in Children with Elevated Autistic Traits
Authors: Chen Ying‐Yeh , Chen Yi‐Lung , Gau Susan Shur‐Fen
Published: July 2020

By using a nationally representative school‐based sample (4,816 children aged 8–14 years), we examined the risk of suicidality in children with elevated autistic traits and assessed the mediation of anxiety/depression and moderation effects of family function and academic performance. The Chinese version of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS‐C) was used to measure autistic features. Logistic regression models were applied to assess associations between autistic traits and suicidality (suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts) for estimating the mediation effects of anxiety/depression and moderation effects of academic performance and family function after adjustment for control variables. Every 10‐point increase in the SRS‐C score was associated with a 1.3–1.4‐fold increase in suicidality risk. Associations relating to suicide plans and attempts were fully mediated; however, the association with ideation was partially mediated by anxiety/depression. Academic performance and family function did not appear to moderate associations between autistic traits and suicidality. In conclusion, children with elevated autistic traits exhibited increased risk of suicidality, which could be generally attributed to symptoms of anxiety/depression. Because adequate family function and academic performance did not mitigate the link between elevated autistic traits and suicidality, in‐depth exploration into specific protective factors in children with elevated autistic traits is warranted.

Lay Summary

By using a nationally representative school‐based sample (4,816 children aged 8–14 years), we observed that the risk of suicidality increased in children with elevated autistic traits. This association was generally explained by increased levels of anxiety/depression. Furthermore, better family function and academic performance did not appear to mitigate the link between autistic traits and suicidality. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1811–1821. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC
Agnathia otocephaly: A case from the Katanga Copperbelt
Authors: Kayembe‐Kitenge Tony , Manyong'a Kadiamba Vicky , de Luca Chiara , Musa Obadia Paul , Kasamba Ilunga Eric , Mbuyi‐Musanzayi Sébastien , Nawrot Tim , Lubaba Nkulu Célestin Banza , Nemery Benoit , Devriendt Koenraad
Published: July 2020

Background

Agnathia otocephaly is a rare craniofacial malformation complex characterised by absent/hypoplastic mandible, abnormally positioned ears meeting at level of neck. Besides mutations in two genes, PRRX1 and OTX2, a teratogenic cause has been suggested. A higher risk of congenital malformations has been associated with paternal work in mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's part of the Copperbelt.

Case

We studied a female neonate with a clinical diagnosis of agnathia otocephaly, stillborn in Lubumbashi in 2019. The child's father had been working as an artisanal mineworker at the time of conception.

Results

Genetic analysis did not reveal a causal mutation. The concentrations of cobalt, arsenic cadmium, and uranium in cord blood of the infant were much higher than those of normal neonates from a previous study.

Conclusion

In the absence of identified genetic causes, we hypothesize this case of agnathia otocephaly was related to an exogenous cause, possibly the father's mining‐related job.
Lifespan Extension Via Dietary Restriction: Time to Reconsider the Evolutionary Mechanisms?
Authors: Moatt Joshua P. , Savola Eevi , Regan Jennifer C. , Nussey Daniel H. , Walling Craig A.
Published: July 2020

Dietary restriction (DR) is the most consistent environmental manipulation to extend lifespan. Originally thought to be caused by a reduction in caloric intake, recent evidence suggests that macronutrient intake underpins the effect of DR. The prevailing evolutionary explanations for the DR response are conceptualized under the caloric restriction paradigm, necessitating reconsideration of how or whether these evolutionary explanations fit this macronutrient perspective. In the authors’ opinion, none of the current evolutionary explanations of DR adequately explain the intricacies of observed results; instead a context‐dependent combination of these theories is suggested which is likely to reflect reality. In reviewing the field, it is proposed that the ability to track the destination of different macronutrients within the body will be key to establishing the relative roles of the competing theories. Understanding the evolution of the DR response and its ecological relevance is critical to understanding variation in DR responses and their relevance outside laboratory environments.
DNA aneuploidy with image cytometry for detecting dysplasia and carcinoma in oral potentially malignant disorders: A prospective diagnostic study
Authors: Li Chenxi , Wu Lan , Deng Yiwen , Shen Xuemin , Liu Wei , Shi Linjun
Published: July 2020

Background

Current evidence on diagnostic value of aneuploidy with DNA image cytometry (ICM) using brushings for oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) is limited by sample size and inconsistent classification criteria of aneuploidy. This study aimed to explore the optimal cut‐off values of DNA content and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of DNA‐ICM for detecting dysplasia and/or carcinoma in OPMD.

Materials and Methods

A total of 401 consecutive patients with OPMD were enrolled in this prospective diagnostic study. Brushing and biopsy sample form each patient was processed by DNA‐ICM and histological examination respectively.

Results

When the optimal cut‐off of at least one aneuploid cell with DNA index (DI) ≥2.3, the area under the curves (AUC) was 0.735 and positive predictive value was 92.7% for detecting dysplasia within OPMD. When the optimal cut‐off of at least one aneuploid cell with DI ≥ 3.5, the AUC was 0.851 and negative predictive values was 96.8% for detecting carcinoma within OPMD. Importantly, multivariate analysis revealed that aneuploidy with DI ≥ 2.3 in OPMD was significantly associated with dysplasia risk (adjusted OR, 5.52; 95%CI, 2.90‐10.51; P < .001), and aneuploidy with DI ≥ 3.5 in OPMD was strongly associated with malignant risk (adjusted OR, 21.05; 95%CI, 9.34‐47.41; P < .001).

Conclusions

This largest‐scale diagnostic study optimized the criteria of aneuploidy cytology for noninvasive detection of oral dysplasia and carcinoma within OPMD. DNA aneuploidy in OPMD was an independent marker that strongly associated with oral dysplasia/carcinoma. Our findings suggest that DNA‐ICM may serve as a useful noninvasive adjunctive tool for oral cancer and OPMD screening.
Technical Challenges and Optimization of Biogas Plants
Authors: Afridi Zohaib Ur Rehman , Qammar Naseha Wafa
Published: July 2020

Countries with a large agricultural sector have enormous potential for energy production using biogas technology. This paper analyses the situation in Pakistan as a representative example. Although many biogas plants were installed, only very slow growth in the biogas sector can be observed. Since the last three decades the country is facing a severe energy shortfall. To overcome this challenge, energy from organic waste is one of the best possible solution. This study reviews the key technical challenges associated with the operation and sustainability of biogas plants. The problems in basic infrastructure such as leakages due to gas pressure, inadequate removal of digestate, no mechanism for scum avoidance, and steel corrosion were identified, and solutions were proposed. Moreover, organizational structures for renewable energy, critical flaws in plant design, operational challenges, and updated technology aspects to attain maximum and sustainable growth in biogas sector are discussed, which could help the countries in the region to enhance their biogas production.
LINC‐PINT suppresses tumour cell proliferation, migration and invasion through targeting miR‐374a‐5p in ovarian cancer
Authors: Hao Ting , Huang Shu , Han Fangzheng
Published: July 2020

LncRNA LINC‐PINT acts as an important regulator in the development of many cancers. The current study aimed to explore the role of LINC‐PINT in the progression of ovarian cancer (OC). LINC‐PINT expression level in different FIGO stages of OC and its adjacent tissues, normal HOSE and OC cell lines (A2780, SKOV3, OVCAR3 and HO‐8910) was determined by qRT‐PCR. Survival analysis on LINC‐PINT and OC patients was conducted by Kaplan‐Meier. CCK‐8, flow cytometry, wound‐healing, Transwell assays and western blot were performed to detect the effects of LINC‐PINT on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and EMT process in OC cells. Target gene of LINC‐PINT was predicted by Starbase and verified by dual‐luciferase reporter assay. The expression of miR‐374a‐5p in normal and OC tissues, LINC‐PINT‐ or siLINC‐PINT‐modified OC cells was determined. Moreover, rescue assay was carried out to confirm whether LINC‐PINT contributes to the development of OC cells through targeting miR‐374a‐5p. Low expression of LINC‐PINT was observed in OC tissues and cells, noticeably, LINC‐PINT expression was even lower in OC tissues with higher FIGO stage. Increased LINC‐PINT expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis and suppressed migration, invasion and EMT process, while silencing of LINC‐PINT caused the opposite results. Moreover, LINC‐PINT sponged miR‐374a‐5p and overexpressed miR‐374a‐5p attenuated the effect of up‐regulated LINC‐PINT on cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis. LINC‐PINT acts as a tumour suppressor, as it could inhibit cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process, and promote cell apoptosis through down‐regulating miR‐374a‐5p.

Significance of the study

Ovarian cancer (OC), which is a frequently diagnosed tumour in female reproductive organs, has a high incidence rate behind cervical cancer and endometrial cancer. LncRNA LINC‐PINT acts as an important regulator in the development of many cancers. The current study aimed to explore the role of LINC‐PINT in the progression of ovarian cancer (OC) and found that LINC‐PINT inhibited cell proliferation, migration invasion and EMT process of OC cell via regulating miR‐374a‐5p; it might be a potential target for OC treatment.
Erythrocyte hemighosts in a patient with tumor lysis syndrome: One train may hide another
Authors: Cabantous Pierre , Daliphard Sylvie , Bobée Victor
Published: July 2020

Rasburicase was introduced to treat hyperuricemia secondary to tumor lysis syndrome. Because of severe hemolytic anemia, a blood smear was requested and showed hemighosts, revealing G6PD deficiency. Erythrocyte morphology is a key tool in laboratory hematology.
Impact of Contact Scaling and Drag Calculation on the Accuracy of Coarse‐Grained Discrete Element Method
Authors: Jurtz Nico , Kruggel-Emden Harald , Baran Oleh , Aglave Ravindra , Cocco Ray , Kraume Matthias
Published: July 2020

The accuracy of coarse‐grained discrete element method (CGDEM) relies on appropriate scaling rules for contact and fluid‐particle interaction forces. For fluidized bed applications, different scaling rules are used and compared with DEM results. The results indicated that in terms of averaged values as mean particle position and voidage profile, the coupling of computational fluid dynamics and CGDEM leads to accurate results for low scaling factors. Regarding the particle dynamics, the approach leads to an underestimation of RMS values of particle position indicating a loss of particle dynamics in the system due to coarse graining. The impact of cell cluster size on drag force calculation is studied. The use of energy minimization multiscale drag correction is investigated, and a reduced mesh dependency and good accuracy are observed.
Soft Scorpionate Hydridotris(2‐mercapto‐1‐methylimidazolyl) borate) Tungsten‐Oxido and ‐Sulfido Complexes as Acetylene Hydratase Models
Authors: Vidovič Carina , Belaj Ferdinand , Mösch‐Zanetti Nadia C.
Published: July 2020

A series of WIV alkyne complexes with the sulfur‐rich ligand hydridotris(2‐mercapto‐1‐methylimidazolyl) borate) (TmMe) are presented as bio‐inspired models to elucidate the mechanism of the tungstoenzyme acetylene hydratase (AH). The mono‐ and/or bis‐alkyne precursors were reacted with NaTmMe and the resulting complexes [W(CO)(C2R2)(TmMe)Br] (R=H 1, Me 2) oxidized to the target [WE(C2R2)(TmMe)Br] (E=O, R=H 4, Me 5; E=S, R=H 6, Me 7) using pyridine‐N‐oxide and methylthiirane. Halide abstraction with TlOTf in MeCN gave the cationic complexes [WE(C2R2)(MeCN)(TmMe)](OTf) (E=CO, R=H 10, Me 11; E=O, R=H 12, Me 13; E=S, R=H 14, Me 15). Without MeCN, dinuclear complexes [W2O(μ‐O)(C2Me2)2(TmMe)2](OTf)2 (8) and [W2(μ‐S)2(C2Me2)(TmMe)2](OTf)2 (9) could be isolated showing distinct differences between the oxido and sulfido system with the latter exhibiting only one molecule of C2Me2. This provides evidence that a fine balance of the softness at W is important for acetylene coordination. Upon dissolving complex 8 in acetonitrile complex 13 is reconstituted in contrast to 9. All complexes exhibit the desired stability toward water and the observed effective coordination of the scorpionate ligand avoids decomposition to disulfide, an often‐occurring reaction in sulfur ligand chemistry. Hence, the data presented here point toward a mechanism with a direct coordination of acetylene in the active site and provide the basis for further model chemistry for acetylene hydratase.
Suzuki–Miyaura Cross‐Coupling of Bromotryptophan Derivatives at Ambient Temperature
Authors: Dachwitz Steffen , Duwe Dario H. , Wang Yating Hong , Gruß Hendrik , Hannappel Yvonne , Hellweg Thomas , Sewald Norbert
Published: July 2020

Mild reaction conditions are highly desirable for bio‐orthogonal side chain derivatizations of amino acids, peptides or proteins due to the sensitivity of these substrates. Transition metal catalysed cross‐couplings such as Suzuki–Miyaura reactions are highly versatile, but usually require unfavourable reaction conditions, in particular, when applied with aryl bromides. Ligand‐free solvent‐stabilised Pd‐nanoparticles represent an efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional phosphine‐based catalysts, because the cross‐coupling can be performed at considerably lower temperature. We report on the application of such a highly reactive heterogeneous catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling of brominated tryptophan derivatives. The solvent‐stabilised Pd‐nanoparticles are even more efficient than the literature‐known ADHP‐Pd precatalyst. Interestingly, the latter also leads to the formation of quasi‐homogeneous Pd‐nanoparticles as the catalytic species. One advantage of our approach is the compatibility with aqueous and aerobic conditions at near‐ambient temperatures and short reaction times of only 2 h. The influence of different Nα‐protecting groups, boronic acids as well as the impact of different amino acid side chains in bromotryptophan‐containing peptides has been studied. Notably, a surprising acceleration of the catalysis was observed when palladium‐coordinating side chains were present in proximal positions.
Air impingement and intermittent drying: Application to apple and to mango
Authors: Boy Virginie , Ben Khalifa Wajdi , Drévillon Lucie , Lemée Yves , Lendormi Thomas , Lanoisellé Jean‐Louis
Published: July 2020

An original drying process combining air impingement and intermittent drying was studied on apple slices and mango cubes. The influence of four operating parameters (air velocity, drying/tempering periods, upper height, and air temperature) on the drying time and on the drying rate was evaluated. Continuous and intermittent drying were compared. The intermittency α = 1/7 (τon = 10 seconds and τoff = 60 seconds) gave the best results. A time savings of 54% for apple and 67% for mango was reached. In continuous drying, a time savings of 4620 seconds was observed by increasing the air velocity from 6 to 40 m s−1 for apple. Air temperatures of 328 K for apple and of 328 K or 338 K for mango were determined as optimum to prevent case‐hardening. Experimental results were fitted with the analytical solution of Fick's second law and the modified Page equation (average values R2 = 0.985 and 0.961, for apple and mango, respectively). For both products, the apparent moisture diffusivity Dapp, the drying constant k, the drying coefficient n, and the activation energy Ea, were identified. Activation energies calculated from the analytical solution were 30.3 and 36.8 kJ mol−1 and were 25.4 and 30.0 kJ mol−1 using the modified Page equation for apple and mango, respectively. Mango has an increased temperature sensitivity and thus will need less energy for drying than apple.