bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphological and histological studies of the adrenal gland in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
Authors: El‐Desoky Sara M. M. , Mustafa Fatma El‐Zahraa A.
Published: April 2021

The adrenal gland is a vital endocrine gland that secretes many important hormones in everyday bird life. The adrenal gland of the Japanese quail is grossly located ventromedially the corresponding kidney and has a creamy to yellow color. The quail gland is surrounded by a capsule and contains some ganglionic cells, and the capsule is characterized by the presence of chromaffin cells. The adrenal gland is subdivided into three concentric zones: subcapsular, peripheral, and central. The parenchyma consists of interrenal tissue, chromaffin islets, and blood sinusoids. The interrenal cells contain lipid droplets, are arranged in cords, and rest on the basement membrane. Chromaffin cells are categorized as two types: epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) cells. These cells contain the granules, and are characterized by the presence of lipid droplets. In this study, the interrenal tissue was found to have a higher proportion of chromaffin cells in quail as compared with other birds, which is attributed to the fact that the Japanese quail is a migratory bird. Therefore, the present investigation aims to provide a detailed study on the adrenal gland in the Japanese quail to help physiologists understand the gland's function and the pathologist to determine the implications for the differential diagnosis of adrenal gland tumors.

Highlights

The adrenal gland is subdivided into three concentric zones: subcapsular, peripheral, and central.

The interrenal cells contain lipid droplets, are arranged in cords.

Chromaffin cells are categorized as two types: epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) cells. These cells contain the granules, and are characterized by the presence of lipid droplets.

The interrenal tissue was found to have a higher proportion of chromaffin cells in quail because it is a migratory bird.
Histology of the small intestine in the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus): A scanning electron microscopy, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and stereological study
Authors: Goodarzi Nader , Akbari Bazm Mohsen , Poladi Sadra , Rashidi Fatemeh , Mahmoudi Bahareh , Abumandour Mohamed M. A.
Published: April 2021

The present investigation was conducted to investigate the histology, immunohistochemistry, stereology, and ultrastructure of the small intestine in the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ten birds were included in the study. The obtained findings revealed that three parts in the small intestine namely duodenum, jejunum, and ilium constituted of four layers from innermost to outermost including tunica mucosa, tunica submucosa, tunica muscularis, and tunica serosa. All parts of the small intestine had simple columnar epithelium with goblet cells reacted with Periodic Acid‐Schiff and Alcian Blue stains especially in the jejunum and ileum. The cells on the tip of the duodenal villi showed immuno‐positive staining for Sox9 protein, while the jejunum and ileum were negative. The jejunum had longest villi; however the duodenum had deepest crypt (p < .05). The villus surface of jejunum was significantly higher than duodenum and ileum (p < .05). SEM images revealed that the duodenum had cauliflower and leaf‐like villi with plicas and recess between them. Jejunum had finger‐like villi with a velvety view. The shape of the ileal villi was like that observed in the jejunum with slight differences. In conclusion, the jejunum was the most prominent region in the small intestine in terms of morphologic and morphometric features, which could be attributed to the absorption of more nutrients in this area. These obtained findings would be useful to improve the knowledge in the field of histophysiology properties of the bird's digestive system.
Histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular investigation on the hepatotoxic effect of potassium dichromate and the ameliorating role of Persea americana mill pulp extract
Authors: Aboulhoda Basma Emad , El‐Din Shimaa Saad , Khalifa Mohamed Mansour , Arsanyos Sherif Fahmy , Motawie Ahmed Galal , Sedeek Mohamed Shahat , Abdelfattah Gaber Hassan , Abdelgalil Waleed Ahmed
Published: April 2021

The current study has been designed to assess the role of Persea americana (P. americana) pulp extract on potassium dichromate‐induced hepatotoxicity in rats. P. americana pulp extract administration improved the hepatic vascular congestion, blood extravasation, inflammatory cellular infiltration, Kupffer cell hyperplasia, and nuclear changes. It also significantly ameliorated hepatic interstitial and peri‐portal fibrosis and caused retrieval of the PAS‐positive reaction in the liver parenchyma and around the central vein with restoration of the glycogen granules. P. americana also significantly attenuated the immunohistochemical expression of NF‐kβ p65 and its downstream inflammatory cytokines IL6 and TNFα in the liver parenchyma. The antioxidant effect of P. americana was evidenced by significant modulation of the three major components of the thioredoxin (Trx) antioxidant system, the Trx, the thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), and the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase along with significant increase in the level of superoxide dismutase and glutathione, and decrease in the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde. P. americana pulp extract also caused significant elevation of hepatic protein phosphatase 5 with subsequent down‐regulation of Apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase1 (ASK1) and its downstream signaling targets MAPK kinase 4 (MKK4), p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinases (p38‐MAPKs), the c‐JUN N‐terminal kinase (JNK), and the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2). Also, In conclusion, P. americana pulp extract has anti‐oxidative and anti‐inflammatory effects against potassium dichromate‐induced hepatotoxicity.
Microscopic techniques to evaluate the biofilm formation ability of a marine bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PFL‐P1 on different substrata
Authors: Mahto Kumari Uma , Das Surajit
Published: April 2021

Biofilm formation in bacteria is strongly affected by the nature of substrata. Different substrata such as glass, polystyrene, steel, ceramic, and rubber were used to assess the biofilm forming ability of a marine bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PFL‐P1 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The bacterium formed dense biofilms with varied aggregation on different substrata. SEM study revealed small rod‐shaped cells with diverse arrangements within the biofilms on all the substrata under study. The AFM study revealed the highest roughness of 545 nm on the ceramic substratum. The biofilms formed on ceramic substratum were characterized with maximum roughness (742 nm), maximum peak height (1,480 nm), and maximum arithmetic mean height (611 nm), significantly higher than all the other substrata (p < .05). AFM studies confirmed that P. aeruginosa PFL‐P1 exhibited biofilm heterogeneity on all the substrata. The CLSM study indicated a higher fraction of nucleic acids to α‐polysaccharides ratio in the biofilms. COMSTAT analysis revealed the highest biofilm biomass of ~18 μm3/μm2 on the ceramic substratum. The maximum biofilm thickness of ~50 μm in the native state on the ceramic substratum was significantly higher than glass (p = .0015), polystyrene (p = .0001), steel (p = .0035), and rubber substrata (p = .0001). The higher surface roughness of ceramic substratum is accountable for more area for colonization, as evident from higher biomass and thickness of the biofilm. This study provides insight into the substratum properties, which modulate the biofilm forming ability in bacteria.
Role strain and role accumulation across multiple teams: The moderating role of employees' polychronic orientation
Authors: Berger Stefan , Bruch Heike
Published: April 2021

In many firms and industries, it is the norm rather than the exception to work in more than one team at the same time. Despite increased research interest in recent years, we do not fully understand when such multiple team membership (MTM) is “good” or “bad” for employees' perceptions of stress and exhaustion. In this article, we integrate the person–job fit framework with opposing views of the role theory literature (i.e., role strain and role accumulation) to propose that an employee's personal reaction to working in multiple simultaneous teams decisively depends on his or her polychronic orientation. We expect that individual MTM is related to increased role efficacy, but not to role stress, for employees with higher (rather than lower) polychronic orientation, thus reducing the perception of emotional exhaustion. The opposite pattern is hypothesized for multiteamers with lower polychronic orientation. We find support for the proposed conditional indirect effects in a sample of 341 German employees. Our findings highlight an employee's polychronic orientation as a stable and context‐independent contingency factor in the MTM–exhaustion linkage and hold important implications for organizations, as well as individual employees, who seek to deal more effectively with role multiplicity in MTM settings.
More than idle talk: Examining the effects of positive and negative team gossip
Authors: Spoelma Trevor M. , Hetrick Andrea L.
Published: April 2021

Gossip is a behavior that has been traditionally viewed as harmful in organizations. However, a more balanced perspective has emerged in recent years that suggests gossip can have important benefits. We propose that one way to uncover potential benefits of gossip in teams is to focus on thevalence(positive or negative nature) of the gossip. Drawing on expectancy theory, we propose that team gossip indirectly influences team performance through social loafing because it plays a key role in shaping beliefs about effort in team contexts‐effects determined by team gossip valence. We hypothesize that positive team gossip decreases social loafing, whereas negative team gossip increases it. In turn, we expect that through social loafing, positive team gossip has a positive indirect effect on team performance, whereas negative team gossip has a negative indirect effect. We test these predictions in a sample of 63 self‐managing teams. We find support for our predictions regarding positive team gossip but not regarding negative team gossip. Our findings point to the potential benefits of gossip and highlight why efforts to abolish gossip in organizations may impair team effort and performance.
Characterization of silver carp myosin glycated with phosphorylated konjac oligo‐glucomannan
Authors: Zhang Jianyou , Zhou Wei , Xu Mingjiang , Fang Chunhua , Du Qiwei , Xu Xia , Lyu Fei , Ding Yuting , Liu Jianhua
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND

Myosin (Ms) is abundant in fish meat, but it has limited application in the food industry because of its low solubility and thermal stability. Our previous reports found that these functional properties of Ms can be significantly improved after glycation with konjac oligo‐glucomannan (KOG). However, the effects of phosphorylated KOG (PKOG) on physicochemical, structural and functional properties of silver carp Ms are still unknown.

RESULTS

This study characterized the silver carp Ms protein glycated with PKOG at 50 °C and 75% relative humidity for 48 h. As degree of phosphorylation increased, free amino content increased, whereas degree of grafting decreased. Meanwhile, isoelectric point (pI) reduced, however, PKOGs showed no differences in pI. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis suggested the formation of glycoconjugates, and scanning electron microscopy revealed thinner flakes and uneven appearance of glycoconjugates. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the amide I, II and III bands of Ms were changed by the glycation. Ms became highly soluble in 0.5 mol L−1 NaCl with increased phosphate addition in PKOGs. Thermal stability of Ms was effectively improved when heated at 80 °C for 60 min.

CONCLUSION

Glycation with appropriate PKOG might be a promising method for Ms modification because of the resulting improvement in solubility and thermal stability. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Is the growth of marine copepods limited by food quantity or quality?
Authors: Anderson Thomas R. , Hessen Dag O. , Mayor Daniel J.
Published: April 2021

Understanding what limits the growth of marine copepods is important for modeling food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycles in the ocean. We use a state‐of‐the‐art stoichiometric model that explicitly represents metabolic physiology to examine the roles of food quantity vs. quality in limiting the growth of these animals. The model predicts that the crossover from C‐ to N‐limitation occurs at food C : N 7.3–11.5 mol C mol N−1, depending on food quantity. Thus, despite significant losses of N in metabolism, copepods should be limited by C when consuming food at Redfield C : N (6.625). We nevertheless suggest that copepods do not seek C‐rich diets per se. Rather, results indicate limitation by food quantity as growth increases with organic matter intake, regardless of its elemental composition. Our work highlights the benefit of developing mechanistic representations of zooplankton metabolism in order to increase confidence in the predictions of biogeochemical models.
Aliphatic Polyester‐Based Materials for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Chin Ai Lin , Wang Xiaoqian , Tong Rong
Published: April 2021

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and its copolymer, poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA), based aliphatic polyesters have been extensively used for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery system and tissue engineering, thanks to their biodegradability, benign toxicity, renewability, and adjustable mechanical properties. A rapidly growing field of cancer research, the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines or treatment modalities is aimed to deliver immunomodulatory signals that control the quality of immune responses against tumors. Herein, the progress and applications of PLA and PLGA are reviewed in delivering immunotherapeutics to treat cancers.
An Open‐Label Phase 2a Study to Evaluate the Safety and Tolerability of Perampanel in Cervical Dystonia
Authors: Fox Susan H. , Swan Matthew , Jinnah Hyder A. , de Freitas Maria E.T. , de Oliveira Lais M. , Al‐Shorafat Duha , Fernandez Hubert H. , Kompoliti Katie , Comella Cynthia
Published: April 2021

Background

Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common focal isolated dystonia. Preclinical studies report that AMPA‐selective glutamate receptor antagonists improve dystonia. Perampanel is a clinically available, AMPA receptor antagonist that has shown efficacy and safety in epilepsy.

Objectives

To determine safety and tolerability of perampanel in CD.

Methods

We performed a phase 2a, open‐label, multicenter study to evaluate tolerability and safety of perampanel in CD. Included subjects had primary CD; those on botulinum toxin were 8 weeks post last injection. All subjects received perampanel 2 mg/day, titrated 2 mg weekly over 6 weeks, to maximum 12 mg/day; maintenance phase was 4 weeks, ending at week 10. Primary endpoints included tolerability, defined as ability to remain on perampanel for the maintenance period, at any dose level and safety, determined from adverse events (AEs) collected at each visit. Secondary exploratory endpoints included Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS), quality of life (cervical dystonia impact profile [CIDP]‐58) and Clinical Global Impression of change (CGI).

Results

CD participants (n = 25) were recruited. Eight subjects withdrew; 4 because of AEs, 3 for other reasons and 1 lost to follow up. One subject tolerated 12 mg/day. Eight subjects (30.8%) tolerated 2 mg, whereas 19.2% tolerated 4 mg/day, and 15.4% tolerated 6 mg or 8 mg/day. All subjects experienced AEs. The most common AEs were dizziness, imbalance, and irritability. Exploratory endpoints of TWSTRS showed some improved pain scores and CIDP‐58 improved sleep.

Conclusions

Tolerability to perampanel was variable in CD subjects. Lower doses would be considered for future studies in this population.
Disappointment aversion in tournaments
Authors: Wu Yaoyao
Published: April 2021

Many experiments and field studies indicate that individuals have an asymmetric attitude towards gains versus losses. In this paper, we extend the canonic tournament model by assuming the workers' preferences exhibit disappointment aversion. First, we find the winning prize is first increasing and then decreasing in volatility and the losing prize shows the opposite. Furthermore, when the volatility exceeds a threshold, both the winning and losing prizes are reduced to zero. By contrast, there is no such kink for the risk aversion case. Finally, we find the piece rates always dominate rank‐order tournaments when the workers are disappointment averse.
Concomitant Medication Usage with Levodopa‐Carbidopa Intestinal Gel: Results from the COSMOS Study
Authors: Fasano Alfonso , Gurevich Tanya , Jech Robert , Kovács Norbert , Svenningsson Per , Szász József , Parra Juan Carlos , Bergmann Lars , Johnson Anita , Sanchez‐Soliño Olga , Tang Zhongwen , Vela‐Desojo Lydia
Published: April 2021

Background

Levodopa‐carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is administered directly to the small intestine of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (APD) to help maintain stable plasma levodopa levels.

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of LCIG in reducing polypharmacy for the treatment of APD.

Methods

The COmedication Study assessing Mono‐ and cOmbination therapy with levodopa‐carbidopa inteStinal gel (COSMOS) is a large, real‐world, multinational observational study investigating comedication use with LCIG. All enrolled patients had used LCIG for ≥12 months and data were collected cross‐sectionally (study visit) and retrospectively. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients using LCIG as monotherapy (without add‐on PD medications) at initiation and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months thereafter.

Results

Overall, 409 patients were enrolled from 14 countries and were treated with LCIG for a mean of 35.8 ± 23.2 months. A total of 15.2% of patients initiated LCIG as monotherapy and 31.7% were receiving monotherapy at 12 months after initiation. The mean duration of LCIG monotherapy was 39.3 ± 25.6 months. Use of add‐on medications decreased over time with all LCIG regimens. From LCIG initiation to the patient visit, mean off time decreased by 3.8, 4.6, and 3.9 hours/day for LCIG monotherapy, LCIG daytime monotherapy, and LCIG polytherapy groups, respectively, while duration of dyskinesia decreased by 1.7, 2.0, and 1.9 hours/day, respectively. Adverse events likely related to study treatment occurred in 112 patients (27.4%) during LCIG treatment.

Conclusions

LCIG is an effective long‐term monotherapy option with a positive risk–benefit profile and contributes to reduced polypharmacy for patients with APD. © 2021 The AbbVie Inc. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
In‐field and out‐of‐field microdosimetric characterisation of a 62 MeV proton beam at CATANA
Authors: James Benjamin , Tran Linh T. , Bolst David , Prokopovich Dale A. , Lerch Michael , Petasecca Marco , Guatelli Susanna , Povoli Marco , Kok Angela , Petringa Giada , Cirrone Giuseppe A.P. , Jackson Michael , Rosenfeld Anatoly B.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

A 5 and 10 μm thin silicon on insulator (SOI) 3D mushroom microdosimeter was used to characterize both the in‐field and out‐of‐field of a 62 MeV proton beam.

Methods

The SOI mushroom microdosimeter consisted of an array of cylindrical sensitive volumes (SVs), developed by the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, was irradiated with 62 MeV protons at the CATANA (Centro di AdroTerapia Applicazioni Nucleari Avanzate) facility in Catania, Italy, a facility dedicated to the radiation treatment of ocular melanomas. Dose mean lineal energy, (), values were obtained at various depths in PMMA along a pristine and spread out Bragg peak (SOBP). The measured microdosimetric spectra at each position were then used as inputs into the modified Microdosimetric Kinetic Model (MKM) to derive the RBE for absorbed dose in a middle of the SOBP 2Gy (RBED). Microdosimetric spectra were obtained with both the 5 and 10 μm 3D SOI microdosimeters, with a focus on the distal part of the BP. The in‐field and out‐of‐field measurement configurations along the Bragg curve were modeled in Geant4 for comparison with experimental results. Lateral out‐of‐field measurements were performed to study secondary particles’ contribution to normal tissue’s dose, up to 12 mm from the edge of the beam field, and quality factor and dose equivalent results were obtained.

Results

Comparison between experimental and simulation results showed good agreement between one another for both the pristine and SOBP beams in terms of and RBED. Though a small discrepancy between experiment and simulation was seen at the entrance of the Bragg curve, where experimental results were slightly lower than Geant4. The dose equivalent value measured 12 mm from the edge of the target volume was 1.27 ± 0.15 mSv/Gy with a value of 2.52 ± 0.30, both of which agree within uncertainty with Geant4 simulation.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that SOI microdosimeters are an effective tool to predict RBED in‐field as well as dose equivalent monitoring out‐of‐field to provide insight to probability of second cancer generation.
Use of the North American Standard Gill Net for Sampling the Invasive White Perch: Information from Three Kansas Reservoirs
Authors: Sowards Bryan , Waters Micah , Johnson Craig , Neely Ben C. , Shoup Daniel E.
Published: April 2021

The invasive White Perch Morone americana occurs intermittently throughout Kansas and is ubiquitous in three Kansas reservoirs. However, a paucity of information on the effectiveness of sampling gears for providing accurate and precise estimates of size structure and relative abundance for White Perch precludes reasonable assessments of the effectiveness of control measures. The North American standard gill net has been used to sample White Perch in Kansas since 2010. Previous studies have provided selectivity curves for several species that are sampled with this gear to mitigate overall size bias, which is inherently present in gill-net catches. However, White Perch populations have not been included in these initial studies. We fit selectivity models to catch data from three Kansas reservoirs to adjust the gill-net catch data for contact selectivity. We used the most parsimonious selectivity curve to adjust the values for White Perch capture at length for 10 years of catch data. Most of the adjusted samples resulted in meaningful changes to the length distributions. To test for the effectiveness of the North American standard gill net for sampling White Perch populations, we measured the precision of the relative abundance estimates for White Perch and the frequency of obtaining 100 stock-size fish with a standard sampling effort from 9 to 10 years of historical gill-net samples. Our results suggest the North American standard gill net provides precise and robust estimates for the relative abundance of stock-sized White Perch, but a correction factor that is derived from the selectivity curve might be needed to accurately estimate relative abundance for small individuals and to evaluate population size structure.
Lessons learned teaching during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Incorporating change for future large science courses
Authors: Brown Sandra , Krzic Maja
Published: April 2021

Due to the COVID‐19 pandemic we were confronted with the transition of a large, on‐campus introductory soil science course into an online setting. This created several challenges, such as providing meaningful learning experiences to engage first‐ and second‐year students, and restructuring course content for the online environment. The objective of our article is to document the transition from on‐campus to online teaching and learning, through the consolidation of existing course material and the development of new resources to engage students in an introductory soil science course. We compare on‐campus, distance education, and online blended teaching and learning approaches for the same course, and provide lessons learned that may be applicable to other large introductory science courses. Our experience included the use of virtual laboratories, traditional online course materials, synchronous and asynchronous discussions, and the use of question banks for online exams. Recognizing the narrow preparation window, we focused on developing resources that provide benefits beyond COVID‐19.
On the sparse multiscale representation of 2‐D Burgers equations by an efficient algorithm based on multiwavelets
Authors: Nemati Saray Behzad , Lakestani Mehrdad , Dehghan Mehdi
Published: April 2021

In this work, we design, analyze, and test the multiwavelets Galerkin method to solve the two‐dimensional Burgers equation. Using Crank–Nicolson scheme, time is discretized and a PDE is obtained for each time step. We use the multiwavelets Galerkin method for solving these PDEs. Multiwavelets Galerkin method reduces these PDEs to sparse systems of algebraic equations. The cost of this method is proportional to the number of nonzero coefficients at each time step. The results illustrate, by selecting the appropriate threshold while the number of nonzero coefficients reduces, the error will not be less than a certain amount. The L2 stability and convergence of the scheme have been investigated by the energy method. Illustrative examples are provided to verify the efficiency and applicability of the proposed method.
A Photolabile Carboxyl Protecting Group for Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis
Authors: Yang Hongpeng , Peng Tao , Wen Xiaoxue , Chen Tingting , Sun Yunbo , Liu Shuchen , Wang Gang , Zhang Shouguo , Wang Lin
Published: April 2021

A new kind of photolabile protecting group (PLPG) for carboxyl moieties was designed and synthesized as the linker between resin and peptide. This group can be used for the protection of amino acid carboxyl groups. The peptide was synthesized on Nph (2‐hydroxy‐3‐(2‐nitrophenyl)‐heptanoic acid)‐derivatized resins and could be cleaved under UV exposure, thus avoiding the necessity for harsh acid‐mediated resin cleavage. The PLPG has been successfully used for solid‐phase synthesis of peptides.
Radially grown carbon nanomaterials on hollow glass microspheres and their application in composite foams with excellent electromagnetic interference shielding
Authors: Imran Mohammed , Pal Soumen , Upadhyay Kahaly Mousumi , Rahaman Ariful
Published: April 2021

In the current study, we investigated the effect of processing temperature in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on the formation of carbon nanomaterials over the hollow glass microsphere. The surface morphology and structural information of the carbon nanomaterials (CNM)‐coated hollow glass microsphere (HGM) were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then, the 5‐CH [CNF‐coated HGM (Synthesizing temperature in CVD being 500 °C)], 6‐CH [MWCNT‐coated HGM (Synthesizing temperature in CVD being 600 °C)], and 7‐CH [MWCNT‐coated HGM (Synthesizing temperature in CVD being 700 °C)] were individually used as fillers in the epoxy composite foam. Thorough characterization of mechanical and thermo‐mechanical behavior suggests that compression stress, compression modulus, and storage modulus of 6‐CH‐based composite foam are higher than the 5‐CH‐ and 7‐CH‐based composite foam with the contribution of 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness over the frequency of 8–12 GHz increased from 15 dB for without HGM to 21 dB, 25 dB, and 23 dB for 5‐CH, 6‐CH‐, and 7‐CH‐based composite foam, respectively. It is also noticed that, 6‐CH‐based composite foams presented the highest EMI‐SE compared to 5‐CH‐ and 7‐CH‐based composite foams. Enhanced mechanical, thermo‐mechanical, and shielding properties of 6‐CH‐based composite foams are due to improved morphology and quality of CNT grown at 600°C.
Self‐efficacy, psychological distress, and marital quality in young and middle‐aged couples facing lymphoma: The mediating effect of dyadic coping
Authors: An Huiying , Chen Changying , Du Ruofei , Cheng Chunyan , Wang Panpan , Dong Shiqi
Published: April 2021

Objective

This study explored the mediating role of dyadic coping between self‐efficacy, psychological distress and marital quality among young and middle‐aged couples facing lymphoma.

Methods

A total of 243 couples in which the patients were lymphoma were recruited to complete Dyadic Coping Inventory, Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale for both. And Strategies Used by People to Promote Health, Fear of Progression Questionnaire‐Short Form for patients; General Self‐Efficacy Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for spouses. We used the statistical programs SPSS 20.0 and SPSS Amos 20.0 for data analysis.

Results

There were significant correlations between patient‐spouse's dyadic coping and marriage quality scores. The patients' dyadic coping scores were significantly associated with their self‐efficacy, fear of cancer recurrence scores, marriage quality, their spouse's self‐efficacy, and marriage quality. The spouses' dyadic coping scores were significantly associated with their self‐efficacy, anxiety, and marriage quality. The actor–partner interdependence mediation model analysis mediator effect of dyadic coping in the relationship between self‐efficacy, psychological distress, and marriage quality had a good fit, with χ2/df = 17.106, p = 0.194; root mean square error of approximation = 0.036; GFI = 0.992; CN = 243.

Conclusions

For both patient and spouses, dyadic coping mediated impact of self‐efficacy on marriage quality of themselves and their spouses, and individuals' dyadic coping mediated impact their psychological distress on marriage quality of themselves and spouses. The study highlighted the need for couple‐based interventions and including strategies combined with individual and dyadic therapy for both partners.
The maximum carbonyl ratio (MCR) as a new index for the structural classification of secondary organic aerosol components
Authors: Zhang Yun , Wang Kai , Tong Haijie , Huang Ru‐Jin , Hoffmann Thorsten
Published: April 2021

Rationale

Organic aerosols (OA) account for a large fraction of atmospheric fine particulate matter and thus are affecting climate and public health. Elucidation of the chemical composition of OA is the key for addressing the role of ambient fine particles at the atmosphere–biosphere interface and mass spectrometry is the main method to achieve this goal.

Methods

High‐resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is on its way to becoming one of the most prominent analytical techniques, also for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols. The combination of high mass resolution and accurate mass determination allows the elemental compositions of numerous compounds to be easily elucidated. Here a new parameter for the improved classification of OA is introduced – the maximum carbonyl ratio (MCR) – which is directly derived from the molecular composition and is particularly suitable for the identification and characterization of secondary organic aerosols (SOA).

Results

The concept is exemplified by the analysis of ambient OA samples from two measurement sites (Hyytiälä, Finland; Beijing, China) and of laboratory‐generated SOA based on ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to Orbitrap MS. To interpret the results, MCR–Van Krevelen (VK) diagrams are generated for the different OA samples and the individual compounds are categorized into specific areas in the diagrams. The results show that the MCR index is a valuable parameter for representing atmospheric SOA components in composition and structure‐dependent visualization tools such as VK diagrams.

Conclusions

The MCR index is suggested as a tool for a better characterization of the sources and the processing of atmospheric OA components based on HRMS data. Since the MCR contains information on the concentration of highly electrophilic organic compounds in particulate matter (PM) as well as on the concentration of organic (hydro)peroxides, the MCR could be a promising metric for identifying health‐related particulate matter parameters by HRMS.
Knowledge sources, innovation objectives, and their impact on innovation performance: Quasi‐replication of Leiponen and Helfat (2010)
Authors: Srinivasan Ravi , Choo Adrian , Narayanan Sriram , Sarkar Soumodip , Tenhiälä Antti
Published: April 2021

Research Summary

The well‐known study by Leiponen and Helfat (2010) examined how firms increased their odds of innovation success by pursuing multiple parallel innovation objectives and knowledge sources. We replicate their study across geographic and temporal contexts using three sets of data: from Finland (N = 884) in 2006–2008 and from other European countries in two different time periods (N = 36,480 in 2006–2008 and 24,326 in 2008–2010). Our results largely corroborate their core findings of the direct effects. We also find no evidence of diminishing returns to the breadth of innovation objectives, and we find at best slight evidence of diminishing returns to the breadth of knowledge sources. However, we find evidence of a significant negative interaction between knowledge sources and innovation objectives, contrary to Leiponen and Helfat's (2010) finding of a lack of evidence in a positive interaction. The new evidence of a negative interaction effect suggests that the positive effect of breadth in knowledge sources can also diminish contingent upon the breadth of innovation objectives.

Managerial Summary

Companies are increasingly searching for new sources of knowledge while simultaneously pursuing multiple strategic innovation objectives. The results of our analysis from two multicountry datasets show that increased number of knowledge sources and strategic objectives are likely to result in higher innovation performance, that is, increased revenue from new products or increased likelihood of new product introduction. However, simultaneously pursuing greater number of strategic objectives while seeking knowledge from a greater number of sources may not result in greater innovation success. Consequently, managers should either focus on a narrow set of objectives while increasing their search breadth or pursue a broader set of objectives while focusing on fewer sources of knowledge. There is evidence of slight reduction in the ability to introduce new products when firms pursue more than eight knowledge sources. Otherwise, there is no evidence of diminishing returns of knowledge sources on revenue from new products or diminishing returns of objectives on innovation performance.
Optimization of Extraction of Polyphenol from Panax Quinquefolius L. Using Central Composite Design/Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Zhu Suying
Published: April 2021

Central composite design and response surface methodology are adopted to explore the extraction process of polyphenols from Panax quinquefolius L., including the extraction time, extraction temperature, ethanol concentration, and the influence of interaction effects, and establish the multiple regression model. The results show that the optimal extraction conditions for polyphenols of P. quinquefolius L. are 61 °C of extraction temperature, 38 min of extraction time, 48% of ethanol concentration and the polyphenol yield is 79.53 ± 0.43 gallic acid equivalent (mg GAE g−1). The actual polyphenols extraction yield of P. quinquefolius L. is close to the predicted value, which is 99.21% of the predicted value. The extraction method is simple, low cost and can be used to extract polyphenols from P. quinquefolium L.
A Microporous Titanate‐Based Metal‐Organic Framework for Efficient Separation of Acetylene from Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Chen Huanxin , Li Xin , Liu Miaoyu , Zhang Yuxun , Liu Yong , Wen Hui‐Min
Published: April 2021

Separation of acetylene (C2H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is of prime importance in the petrochemical industry, but their similarities in molecular size and volatility make it particularly difficult. A desired adsorbent for highly efficient C2H2/CO2 separation should have high selectivity and C2H2 uptake simultaneously, and the introduction of functional groups into MOFs is an effective strategy to achieve this purpose. Herein, we report a titanium‐based MOF material (MIL‐125‐NH2), featuring the suitable pore sizes and amino‐functionalized pore surfaces to show the preferential adsorption of C2H2 over CO2 with both high C2H2 uptake and C2H2/CO2 selectivity. Theoretical simulation results indicate that the preferential C2H2 adsorption is mainly attributed to multiple hydrogen bonding interactions between C2H2 molecule and amino functional groups.
Best Practices and Challenges to Sex Worker Community Empowerment and Mobilisation Strategies to Promote Health and Human Rights
Authors: Navarrete Gil Cynthia , Ramaiah Manjula , Mantsios Andrea , Barrington Clare , Kerrigan Deanna
Published: April 2021

Sex workers face a number of health and human rights challenges including heightened risk for HIV infection and suboptimal care and treatment outcomes, institutional and interpersonal violence, labour rights violations, and financial insecurity. In response, sex worker-led groups have been formed and sustained across geographic settings to address these challenges and other needs. Over the last several decades, a growing body of literature has shown that community empowerment approaches among sex workers are associated with significant reductions in HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Yet legal and policy environments, as well as funding constraints, have often limited the reach, along with the impact and sustainability, of such approaches.

In this chapter, we first review the literature on community empowerment and mobilisation strategies as a means to collectively address HIV, violence, and other health and human rights issues among sex workers. We then utilise two case studies, developed by the sex worker-led groups APROASE in Mexico and Ashodaya Samithi in India, to illustrate and contextualise community empowerment processes and challenges, including barriers to scale-up. By integrating the global literature with context-specific case studies, we distil lessons learned and recommendations related to community empowerment approaches among sex workers.
Stigma, Denial of Health Services, and Other Human Rights Violations Faced by Sex Workers in Africa: “My Eyes Were Full of Tears Throughout Walking Towards the Clinic that I Was Referred to”
Authors: Richter Marlise , Buthelezi Kholi
Published: April 2021

An ethical and forward-looking health sector response to sex work aims to create a safe, effective, and non-judgemental space that attracts sex workers to its services. Yet, the clinical setting is often the site of human rights violations and many sex workers experience ill-treatment and abuse by healthcare providers. Research with male, female, and transgender sex workers in various African countries has documented a range of problems with healthcare provision in these settings, including: poor treatment, stigmatisation, and discrimination by healthcare workers; having to pay bribes to obtain services or treatment; being humiliated by healthcare workers; and, the breaching of confidentiality. These experiences are echoed by sex workers globally. Sex workers’ negative experiences with healthcare services result in illness and death and within the context of the AIDS epidemic act as a powerful barrier to effective HIV and STI prevention, care, and support. Conversely positive interactions with healthcare providers and health services empower sex workers, affirm sex worker dignity and agency, and support improved health outcomes and well-being. This chapter aims to explore the experiences of sex workers with healthcare systems in Africa as documented in the literature. Findings describe how negative healthcare workers’ attitudes and sexual moralism have compounded the stigma that sex workers face within communities and have led to poor health outcomes, particularly in relation to HIV and sexual and reproductive health. Key recommendations for policy and practice include implementation of comprehensive, rights-affirming health programmes designed in partnership with sex workers. These should be in tandem with structural interventions that shift away from outdated criminalized legal frameworks and implement violence prevention strategies, psycho-social support services, sex worker empowerment initiatives, and peer-led programmes.
Criminalisation, Health, and Labour Rights Among Im/migrant Sex Workers Globally
Authors: McBride Bronwyn , Janushev Trachje
Published: April 2021

This chapter introduces the structural determinants that shape health and labour rights among im/migrant sex workers globally. It explores issues related to criminalisation, mandatory health testing, precarious immigration status, economic marginalisation, racialisation, racism and discrimination, language barriers, and gender. This chapter examines how these factors shape health access, health outcomes, and labour rights among im/migrant sex workers in diverse contexts. These issues were explored through a review of academic literature, which was complemented by community consultations that elucidate the lived experiences of gender-diverse im/migrant sex workers from Europe and across the globe. Findings illustrate how shifting sex work criminalisation, public health and immigration regulations (e.g. sex worker registration, mandatory HIV/STI testing), and policing practices impact im/migrant sex workers and shape the labour environments in which they work. The chapter subsequently presents recommendations on policy and programmatic approaches to enhance health access and labour rights among im/migrant sex workers. Finally, it concludes by highlighting the ways in which im/migrant sex workers resist social and structural exclusion, stigma, and ‘victim’ stereotypes, highlighting their tenacity and leadership in the fight to advance labour and human rights among im/migrants and sex workers worldwide.
(g − 2)μ versus K → π + Emiss induced by the (B − L)23 boson
Authors: Kang Zhaofeng , Shigekami Yoshihiro
Published: April 2021

Abstract

To address the long-standing (g − 2)μ anomaly via a light boson, in ref. [1] we proposed to extend the standard model (SM) by the local (B − L)23, under which only the second and third generations of fermions are charged. It predicts an invisible Z′ with mass $$ \mathcal{O}(100) $$
O

100

MeV, and moreover it has flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) couplings to the up-type quarks at tree level. Such a Z′, via KL→ π0 + Z′(→$$ v\overline{v} $$
v

v
¯

) at loop level, may be a natural candidate to account for the recent KOTO anomaly. In this article, we investigate this possibility, to find that Z′ can readily do this job if it is no longer responsible for the (g − 2)μ anomaly. We further find that both anomalies can be explained with moderate tuning of the CP violation, but may contradict the B meson decays.
Service robots for affective labor: a sociology of labor perspective
Authors: Dobrosovestnova Anna , Hannibal Glenda , Reinboth Tim
Published: April 2021

Profit-oriented service sectors such as tourism, hospitality, and entertainment are increasingly looking at how professional service robots can be integrated into the workplace to perform socio-cognitive tasks that were previously reserved for humans. This is a work in which social and labor sciences recognize the principle role of emotions. However, the models and narratives of emotions that drive research, design, and deployment of service robots in human–robot interaction differ considerably from how emotions are framed in the sociology of labor and feminist studies of service work. In this paper, we explore these tensions through the concepts of affective and emotional labor, and outline key insights these concepts offer for the design and evaluation of professional service robots. Taken together, an emphasis on interactionist approaches to emotions and on the demands of affective labor, leads us to argue that service employees are under-represented in existing studies in human–robot interaction. To address this, we outline how participatory design and value-sensitive design approaches can be applied as complimentary methodological frameworks that include service employees as vital stakeholders.
Geometric Presentations of Braid Groups for Particles on a Graph
Authors: An Byung Hee , Maciazek Tomasz
Published: April 2021

We study geometric presentations of braid groups for particles that are constrained to move on a graph, i.e. a network consisting of nodes and edges. Our proposed set of generators consists of exchanges of pairs of particles on junctions of the graph and of certain circular moves where one particle travels around a simple cycle of the graph. We point out that so defined generators often do not satisfy the braiding relation known from 2Dphysics. We accomplish a full description of relations between the generators for star graphs where we derive certain quasi-braiding relations. We also describe how graph braid groups depend on the (graph-theoretic) connectivity of the graph. This is done in terms of quotients of graph braid groups where one-particle moves are put to identity. In particular, we show that for 3-connected planar graphs such a quotient reconstructs the well-known planar braid group. For 2-connected graphs this approach leads to generalisations of the Yang–Baxter equation. Our results are of particular relevance for the study of non-abelian anyons on networks showing new possibilities for non-abelian quantum statistics on graphs.
18F-Fluorothymidine PET is an early and superior predictor of progression-free survival following chemoimmunotherapy of diffuse large B cell lymphoma: a multicenter study
Authors: Minamimoto Ryogo , Fayad Luis , Vose Julie , Meza Jane , Advani Ranjana , Hankins Jordan , Mottaghy Felix , Macapinlac Homer , Heinzel Alexander , Juweid Malik E. , Quon Andrew
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To determine whether interim 3′-deoxy-3′-[18F]fluorothymidine (iFLT) PET/CT is a superior predictor of progression-free survival (PFS) compared with interim 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (iFDG) PET/CT in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) or rituximab, etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin (R-EPOCH).

Methods

Ninety-two prospectively enrolled patients with DLBCL underwent both FLT-PET/CT and FDG-PET/CT 18–24 days after two cycles of R-CHOP/R-EPOCH. Deauville-criteria, PERCIST1.0, standardized uptake value (SUV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and metabolic tumor volume were used to interpret iFDG-PET/CT while dichotomous visual interpretation was used to interpret iFLT-PET/CT and the results were compared with the 3- and 5-year PFS.

Results

iFLT-PET/CT was negative in 67 (73%) and positive in 25 (27%) patients. iFDG-PET/CT by Deauville criteria was negative (Deauville scores [DS] of 1–3) in 53 (58%) and positive (DS = 4–5) in 39 (42%) patients. Of the 67 iFLT-PET/CT-negative patients, 7 (10.4%) progressed at a median of 14.1 months whereas 14/25 (56.0%) iFLT-PET/CT-positive patients progressed at a median of 7.8 months (P < .0001). Of the 53 Deauville-negative patients, 9 (17.0%) progressed at a median of 14.1 months whereas 12/39 (30.8%) Deauville-positive patients progressed at a median of 5.6 months (P = .11). In multivariate analysis, including iFLT-PET/CT, PERCIST, interim TLG, and interim SUVmax, only iFLT-PET/CT was an independent predictor for 3- and 5-year PFS (P < .0001 and P = .001, respectively).

Conclusions

In patients with DLBCL given R-CHOP/R-EPOCH, iFLT-PET/CT is a superior independent predictor of outcome compared with iFDG-PET/CT.