bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel concentration‐QTc models for early clinical studies with parallel placebo controls: A simulation study
Authors: Orihashi Yasushi , Kumagai Yuji , Shiosakai Kazuhito
Published: December 2020

The QTc interval of the electrocardiogram is a pharmacodynamic biomarker for drug‐induced cardiac toxicity. The ICH E14 guideline Questions and Answers offer a solution for evaluating a concentration‐QTc relationship in early clinical studies as an alternative to conducting a thorough QT/QTc study. We focused on covariance structures of QTc intervals on the baseline day and dosing day (two‐day covariance structure,) and proposed a two‐day QTc model to analyze a concentration‐QTc relationship for placebo‐controlled parallel phase 1 single ascending dose studies. The proposed two‐day QTc model is based on a constrained longitudinal data analysis model and a mixed effects model, thus allowing various variance components to capture the two‐day covariance structure. We also propose a one‐day QTc model for the situation where no baseline day or only a pre‐dose baseline is available and models for multiple ascending dose studies where concentration and QTc intervals are available over multiple days. A simulation study shows that the proposed models control the false negative rate for positive drugs and have both higher accuracy and power for negative drugs than existing models in a variety of settings for the two‐day covariance structure. The proposed models will promote early and accurate evaluation of the cardiac safety of new drugs.
Castanea sativa Mill. bark extract cardiovascular effects in a rat model of high‐fat diet
Authors: Micucci Matteo , Budriesi Roberta , Aldini Rita , Fato Romana , Bergamini Christian , Vivarelli Fabio , Canistro Donatella , Bolchi Cristiano , Chiarini Alberto , Rizzardi Nicola , Pallavicini Marco , Frosini Maria , Angeletti Andrea
Published: December 2020

Ellagitannins may have a beneficial impact in cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of high‐fat diet (HFD) and the efficacy of Castanea sativa Mill. bark extract (ENC) on cardiac and vascular parameters. Rats were fed with regular diet, (RD, n = 15), HFD (n = 15), RD + ENC (20 mg/kg/day by gavage, n = 15), and HFD + ENC (same dose, n = 15) and the effects on body weight, biochemical serum parameters, and inflammatory cytokines determined. Cardiac functional parameters and aorta contractility were also assessed on isolated atria and aorta. Results showed that ENC reduced weight gain and serum lipids induced by HFD. In in vitro assays, HFD decreased the contraction force of left atrium, increased right atrium chronotropy, and decreased aorta K+‐induced contraction; ENC induced transient positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects on isolated atria from RD and HFD rats and a spasmolytic effect on aorta. In ex vivo experiments, ENC reverted inotropic and chronotropic changes induced by HFD and enhanced Nifedipine effect more on aorta than on heart. In conclusion, ENC restores metabolic dysfunction and cardiac cholinergic muscarinic receptor function, and exerts spasmolytic effect on aorta in HFD rats, highlighting its potential as nutraceutical tool in obesity.
A computational insight on designing low electronic energy gap benzothiadiazole/benzoselenadiazole–pyrrole copolymers
Authors: Seyitdanlioglu Sirin Pınar , Ünal Civcir Pervin , Unaleroglu Canan
Published: December 2020

Organic conductive polymers have great significance due to their wide range of applications in optoelectronics and material sciences. In this study, pyrrole‐benzothiadiazole/benzoselenadiazole based type green polymers were undertaken computational work to investigate the solubility of polymers. Structural, electronic, and optical properties of eight different polymers were predicted using density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent‐DFT at B3LYP/6‐31G level on semi‐empirical PM6‐optimized geometries. It has been shown that the calculation results of synthesized green polymers are in great agreement with the experimental results. Alkylated 4,7‐di(1H‐pyrrol‐2‐yl)benzo‐[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (PB1) and 4,7‐di(1H‐pyrrol‐2‐yl)benzo[c] [1,2,5]selena diazole (PB7) monomers were studied to investigate the effect of alkyl chains on their electronic and optical properties. Butyl substituted more soluble polymers were shown to have low electronic energy gaps (1.27 and 1.55 eV). Moreover, the electronic energy gap values of the studied polymeric structures are in the appropriate range of technological applications (1.24 and 2.18 eV). The approach utilized in this study can be used to design new semi‐conducting polymers.
Rapid analysis of fragrance allergens by dielectric barrier discharge ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Liu Qinlei , Zenobi Renato
Published: December 2020

Rationale

Fragrances are organic compounds with pleasant odors that are widely used in every aspect of our daily life; some fragrance ingredients can cause allergic reactions. Hence, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of fragrance allergens can prevent consumers coming into contact with these compounds. In this study, we evaluated the ability of a dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source for analyzing allergens that occur in fragrances.

Methods

A home‐built liquid‐infusion device was used to evaporate the liquid samples. An active capillary plasma ionization source, which is based on a dielectric barrier discharge, was used to ionize the analytes. Mass spectra were acquired in positive ion mode with an LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer.

Results

Seven typical fragrance allergens were analyzed in this study. The limits of detections (LODs) were as low as 0.0001 ppm and a linear dynamic range of 2–3 orders of magnitude was achieved. Allergens in five different perfume products were successfully analyzed and quantified by this method, with analysis times of less than 1 min per sample.

Conclusions

This work introduces a DBDI‐MS‐based analytical method for detecting and quantifying fragrance allergens. Since DBDI has the advantages of high sensitivity, simple operation and fast analysis time, it is very suitable for the rapid analysis of trace allergens in fragrances, and could easily be used for quality control of consumer products in the cosmetics market.
Experimental study on the critical breakup condition of a static armour layer
Authors: Wang Qiang , Wang Lu , Wang Tao , Yang Kejun , Nie Ruihua
Published: December 2020

High‐flow intensity over a well‐developed static armour layer will significantly reduce the stability of a riverbed. However, the intensity at which the static armour layer would completely break is not known. In this study, laboratory flume experiments were conducted to analyze the response of the static armour layer to high‐flow intensity. The static armour layer was developed under the condition of steady flow with no supply of sediments. The flow intensity was increased by increasing the flow discharge, and the bed‐load rate was determined to evaluate whether the static armour layer broke. The observations indicate that when the bed shear stress is low (<1.2 times the initial bed shear stress of the pre‐armoured bed), the bed‐load transport rate is low and the mobility of the static armour layer is constrained. However, when the bed shear stress increases to 1.2 times the initial bed shear stress, the bed‐load transport rate increases, and the mobility is significantly promoted, indicating that the layer is broken. In our experiments, the characteristic particle sizes of the bed, D50 and D84, changed slightly before the static armour layer was broken, which signified that the composition of the riverbed slightly changed. However, the effect of the bed structure gradually increases with the increase in the flow intensity, leading to a 20% increase in the stability threshold of the static armour layer. In addition, the time to re‐form the new static armour layer after the destruction of the old one was observed to be positively correlated with flow intensity. However, further research must be conducted on the threshold of the damage of the static armour layer.
Azaphosphatranes Catalyzed Strecker Reaction in the Presence of Water
Authors: Yang Jian , Manick Anne‐Doriane , Li Chunyang , Bugaut Xavier , Chatelet Bastien , Dufaud Véronique , Hérault Damien , Martinez Alexandre
Published: December 2020

Azaphosphatranes were found to act as efficient organocatalysts in the presence of water for the cyanation of differently substituted imines. A relatively safer source of cyanide, trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN), was used, and excellent yields could be obtained with only 0.05 mol % of catalyst. The influence of acidity of azaphosphatranes on catalytic activity as well as the role of azaphosphatranes in the mechanism of the reaction were also investigated.
A Centrifugal‐Force‐Assisted Wet‐Etching Approach toward Top‐Down Fabrication of Perovskite‐Single‐Crystalline Thin Films
Authors: Lv Qianrui , Zhang Lijing
Published: December 2020

Organic‐inorganic hybrid halide perovskite‐single‐crystalline thin films with high quality are promising for making high‐performance optoelectronic devices, but their fabrication is still challenging, particularly for the top‐down fabrication. Here, a facile centrifugal‐force‐assisted wet‐etching strategy is used in fabricating hybrid perovskite‐single‐crystalline thin film from its single‐crystalline wafer. The film thickness can be reduced to less than 20 micrometres and the film remains high quality and flat surface. Besides, this method can be used to regenerate surface‐metamorphic perovskite single crystals. The present technique may provide an effective strategy for single‐crystalline thin film preparation for demanding device applications and it is expected that this strategy would promise high‐efficient utilization of perovskite single crystals.
Theoretical Investigation of the Mechanism, Performance and Kinetic Experimental Phenomena on Brønsted Acidic Ionic Liquids Catalyzed Dehydration of Sorbitol to Isosorbide
Authors: Li Jingjing , Wang Binfen , Zhang Hao , Zhang Yongmu , Zhao Xia
Published: December 2020

The dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide catalyzed by Brønsted acidic ionic liquids (BILs) have been investigated in detail by performing density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is found that the double dehydration processes involve an intrinsically consistent molecular mechanism: protonation followed by cyclization, and that throughout most of elementary steps, the sulfonic group in the cation of BIL functions as a Brønsted acid/base catalyst, and the anion participates in the reaction as a nucleophile. For 1‐propylsulfonic acid‐3‐methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([C3SO3Hmim]CF3SO3)‐catalyzed reaction, the calculated free energy barrier of the first dehydration step is higher than that of the second dehydration step, rationalizes well the experimentally observed kinetics that the latter has a larger rate constant than the former. In addition, the association energy of [C3SO3Hmim]CF3SO3 with sorbitol is larger than that with either 1,4‐sorbitan or isosorbide, which is consistent with observed association equilibrium constants. BIL carrying a methyl group at the C2 position of imidazolium ring, [C3SO3Hdmim]CF3SO3, shows much better catalytic performance than other tested BILs. The effectiveness of the catalytic system is attributed to the widely distribution of hydrogen‐bonding interactions in transition states and the superior nucleophilicity of the CF3SO3 anion.
Experimental study on the effect of macro and microfibers on the mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete
Authors: Mizani Javad , Sadeghi Alireza Mohammadjafari , Afshin Hasan
Published: December 2020

Due to the outstanding mechanical properties of the reactive powder concrete (RPC), it has attracted a great deal of attention. In which, incorporating fibers can improve its behavior and properties. The main objectives of this study were to consider different mixing methods and the effect of fiber content and type on the mechanical properties of RPC. The best mix proportion was selected for the final tests among 13 initial mix designs based on the 7‐day compressive strength and flow value of the fresh concrete. Different macro and microfibers (including steel, polyvinyl alcohol, glass, carbon, and basalt fibers) with volume fractions of 0.5% and 1.5% were added to the final RPC mix by two different mixing methods, and mechanical properties such as compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths and energy absorption capability were investigated. Based on the results of experiments, the addition of 1.5% hybrid (macro and micro) steel fibers had the most positive effect on increasing the mechanical properties of RPC compared to other fibers. The hybrid fibers increased the compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths and flexural toughness of the specimens by 42.5%, 26.9%, 87.6%, and 396%, respectively. According to the results, the addition of 0.5% fibers to RPC did not significantly enhance the mechanical properties of the concrete.
Market entry into Africa: Acquisitions and international joint ventures. Studies of foreign firms' market entry strategies, challenges, and performance in Africa
Authors: Oguji Nnamdi , Owusu Richard A.
Published: December 2020

While the interest in investing in Africa is rising, the know‐how of business on the continent is very limited. There have been only recently few special issues focusing on sub‐Saharan Africa in the top international business journals: “Sub‐Saharan Africa at a key inflection point” (Thunderbird International Business Review 2009); “Contemporary developments in the management of human resources in Africa” (Journal of World Business 2011); “Contemporary challenges and opportunities of doing business in Africa” (Journal of Technological Forecasting and Social Change 2016); “Critical perspectives on international business in Africa (Critical Perspectives on International Business 2016); “Strategic Management in Africa (Global Strategy Journal, 2017); and “The internationalization of African firms (Thunderbird International Business Review 2016). The aim of this special issue is to advance understanding of international business in Africa and specifically focus on how foreign firms enter African markets via acquisitions and international joint ventures and extend knowledge of these market entry strategies and performance in Africa for research and for foreign firms intending to, or currently doing business in Africa. This guest editorial provides a summary of the five articles and one book review in this special issue categorized into three broad thematic issues: International joint ventures and acquisitions as market entry strategies in Africa; cross‐border investments of African firms; and theoretical underpinnings.
Power system transition in China under the coordinated development of power sources, network, demand response, and energy storage
Authors: Zhang Ning , Dai Hongcai , Wang Yaohua , Zhang Yunzhou , Yang Yuqing
Published: December 2020

China is transiting its power system towards a more flexible status with a higher capability of integrating renewable energy generation. Demand response (DR) and energy storage increasingly play important roles to improve power system flexibility. The coordinated development of power sources, network, DR, and energy storage will become a trend. This paper examines the significance of source‐network‐demand‐storage coordinated development. Furthermore, an outlook of the power system transition in China is provided by virtue of source‐network‐demand‐storage coordinated planning. The paper also assesses the integration of multiple urban infrastructures in China and its impacts on source‐network‐demand‐storage coordination. Lastly, challenges for achieving the source‐network‐demand‐storage coordination and suggested measures are discussed.

This article is categorized under:

Energy Research & Innovation > Systems and Infrastructure

Energy and Urban Design > Systems and Infrastructure
Cadaver‐detection dogs: A review of their capabilities and the volatile organic compound profile of their associated training aids
Authors: Dargan Rushali , Forbes Shari L.
Published: December 2020

Cadaver‐detection dogs (CDDs) are an essential tool for the search and detection of human remains. In order to enhance their search capability, CDDs are regularly trained on natural and synthetic training aids. The odor profile of these training aids comprises a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which is intended to resemble those produced by a decomposing body. It is currently unknown if detector dogs respond to the same stimuli and whether it is a specific VOC or a suite of decomposition‐related VOCs as their target odor. This review summarizes the VOCs that have been detected in various CDD training aids such as blood, human remains, decomposition fluid, soil, buried remains, textile, and synthetic formulations. Additionally, it discusses the reported capability of CDDs to respond to each of these training aids. The purpose of this review is to understand the variability of VOCs in CDD training aids and the response of CDDs to this wide range of compounds. Additionally, this review attempts to determine if there is a specific training aid to which CDDs respond preferentially. Such a review will assist to establish better practices for CDD training since no standardized practices exist globally.

This article is categorized under:

Crime Scene Investigation > Special Situations and Investigations

Forensic Anthropology > Taphonomic Changes and the Environment

Forensic Medicine > Death Scene Investigation
Predictive analysis of real‐time strategy games: A graph mining approach
Authors: Alobaidi Isam A. , Leopold Jennifer L. , Allami Ali A. , Eloe Nathan W. , Tanksley Dustin
Published: December 2020

Machine learning and computational intelligence have facilitated the development of recommendation systems for a broad range of domains. Such recommendations are based on contextual information that is explicitly provided or pervasively collected. Recommendation systems often improve decision‐making or increase the efficacy of a task. Real‐time strategy (RTS) video games are not only a popular entertainment medium, they also are an abstraction of many real‐world applications where the aim is to increase your resources and decrease those of your opponent. Using predictive analytics, which examines past examples of success and failure, we can learn how to predict positive outcomes for such scenarios. The goal of our research is to develop an accurate predictive recommendation system for multiplayer strategic games to determine recommendations for moves that a player should, and should not, make and thereby provide a competitive advantage. Herein we compare two techniques, frequent and discriminative subgraph mining, in terms of the error rates associated with their predictions in this context. As proof of concept, we present the results of an experiment that utilizes our strategies for two particular RTS games.

This article is categorized under:

Application Areas > Data Mining Software Tools

Technologies > Prediction

Commercial, Legal, and Ethical Issues > Fairness in Data Mining
Economics, Logistics, and (Human Resources) Management in Military Sciences
Authors: Soeters Joseph
Published: December 2020

This chapters aims to introduce the section on economics, logistics, and (human resources) management in military sciences. The military is best known for its successes, or the lack thereof, on the battlefield. In this context, topics such as tactics, military leadership, and command and emotions like courage and persistence are often studied. Less well familiar is the idea that military success and defeat are highly dependent on the way the military organization has been structured, prepared, trained, and equipped before the real action starts. Similarly, it is underestimated how much military performance depends on financial means, logistics, and human resources during the action. The idea that economics, logistics, personnel policies, and management are only relevant in peacetime conditions is simply wrong. This chapter uses historical examples and insights from current management theory and research to make this clear, and, at the same time, introduces which topics will be reviewed in the other chapters of the section on management, economics and logistics. These issues play at the national level but certainly also in the international arena where the different allies and competitors meet.
Rationality and Irrationality in Military Organizations
Authors: Soeters Joseph
Published: December 2020

This chapter delves into a variety of issues dealing with rationality, irrationality, and everything in between, as they occur in military organizations. Respectively, this contribution examines the rationality behind the structure of military organizations, including its room for improvement based on contemporary experiences and insights, such as modular organizing. Next, the chapter deals with the possible McSoldiering of the military and the risk that rationality may turn irrational. Subsequently, the limits of rationality in military decision-making will be examined, after which elements of organizational hypocrisy in military action will be assessed. At the end, the phenomenon of collateral damage as a consequence of military action and the way the military often deals with this phenomenon, are considered. The aim of this chapter is to spawn insights and understanding of the many dilemmas that military organizations face continuously, on and off the area of operations, consciously and subconsciously.
Determinants of Cattle Farmers’ Perception of Climate Change in the Dry and Sub-humid Tropical Zones of Benin (West Africa)
Authors: Idrissou Yaya , Assani Alassan Seidou , Baco Mohamed Nasser , Alkoiret Traoré Ibrahim
Published: December 2020

Understanding the factors influencing the perception of climate change can help improve policies for strengthening the adaptive capacity of pastoralists with regard to climate change. Despite this importance, few studies have focused on this issue, especially among cattle farmers. In order to attempt filling this gap, this study analyzed the determinants of the perception of climate change by cattle farmers distributed in the dry and sub-humid tropical zones of Benin as well as the current adaptation strategies developed by these farmers. For this purpose, surveys were carried out through group discussions and an individual questionnaire administered to 360 cattle farmers in the two climatic zones. The data collected related to the sociodemographic characteristics of cattle farmers and their perception of climate change and adaptation strategies. A binary logit model has identified the factors that influence cattle farmers’ perceptions of climate change. The results of the study showed that cattle farmers perceive a drop in rain (at least 77%), an increase in temperature (at least 80%), and violent winds (at least 60%). Breeding experience, level of education of the farmer, household size, membership of a breeders’ organization, and cattle herd size determine these perceptions. Four major groups of adaptation strategies have been developed by farmers to cope with climate change. These are production adjustment strategies, activity diversification strategies, livestock management strategies, and selection strategies. The political implication of this study is that government and development partners should integrate these factors into projects and programs related to climate change.
Geometrical four-point functions in the two-dimensional critical Q-state Potts model: the interchiral conformal bootstrap
Authors: He Yifei , Jacobsen Jesper Lykke , Saleur Hubert
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Based on the spectrum identified in our earlier work [1], we numerically solve the bootstrap to determine four-point correlation functions of the geometrical connectivities in the Q-state Potts model. Crucial in our approach is the existence of “interchiral conformal blocks”, which arise from the degeneracy of fields with conformal weight hr,1, with r ∈ ℕ*, and are related to the underlying presence of the “interchiral algebra” introduced in [2]. We also find evidence for the existence of “renormalized” recursions, replacing those that follow from the degeneracy of the field $$ {\Phi}_{12}^D $$

Φ
12
D

in Liouville theory, and obtain the first few such recursions in closed form. This hints at the possibility of the full analytical determination of correlation functions in this model.
Quantum extremal islands made easy. Part II. Black holes on the brane
Authors: Chen Hong Zhe , Myers Robert C. , Neuenfeld Dominik , Reyes Ignacio A. , Sandor Joshua
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We discuss holographic models of extremal and non-extremal black holes in contact with a bath in d dimensions, based on a brane world model introduced in [1]. The main benefit of our setup is that it allows for a high degree of analytic control as compared to previous work in higher dimensions. We show that the appearance of quantum extremal islands in those models is a consequence of the well-understood phase transition of RT surfaces, and does not make any direct reference to ensemble averaging. For non-extremal black holes the appearance of quantum extremal islands has the right behaviour to avoid the information paradox in any dimension. We further show that for these models the calculation of the full Page curve is possible in any dimension. The calculation reduces to numerically solving two ODEs. In the case of extremal black holes in higher dimensions, we find no quantum extremal islands for a wide range of parameters. In two dimensions, our results agree with [2] at leading order; however a finite UV cutoff introduced by the brane results in subleading corrections. For example, these corrections result in the quantum extremal surfaces moving further outward from the horizon, and shifting the Page transition to a slightly earlier time.
On polytopes and generalizations of the KLT relations
Authors: Kalyanapuram Nikhil
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We combine the technology of the theory of polytopes and twisted intersection theory to derive a large class of double copy relations that generalize the classical relations due to Kawai, Lewellen and Tye (KLT). To do this, we first study a generalization of the scattering equations of Cachazo, He and Yuan. While the scattering equations were defined on ℳ0,n— the moduli space of marked Riemann spheres — the new scattering equations are defined on polytopes known as accordiohedra, realized as hyperplane arrangements. These polytopes encode as patterns of intersection the scattering amplitudes of generic scalar theories. The twisted period relations of such intersection numbers provide a vast generalization of the KLT relations. Differential forms dual to the bounded chambers of the hyperplane arrangements furnish a natural generalization of the Bern-Carrasco-Johansson (BCJ) basis, the number of which can be determined by counting the number of solutions of the generalized scattering equations. In this work the focus is on a generalization of the BCJ expansion to generic scalar theories, although we use the labels KLT and BCJ interchangeably.
Effects of Hydrogen-Enrichment on Flame-Holding of Natural Gas Jet Flames in Crossflow at Elevated Temperature and Pressure
Authors: Saini Pankaj , Chterev Ianko , Pareja Jhon , Aigner Manfred , Boxx Isaac
Published: December 2020

The effect of hydrogen ($$\mathrm {H}_{\mathrm {2}}$$

H
2

) enrichment on the flame-holding characteristics of two natural gas jet flames in crossflow is investigated here, experimentally. The flame and flowfield measurements are analyzed using simultaneously acquired high-speed (10 kHz) stereoscopic particle image velocimetry, planar laser-induced fluorescence of the hydroxyl radical, and OH* chemiluminescence. The flames, enriched with 20% and 40% $$\mathrm {H}_{\mathrm {2}}$$

H
2

, by volume, are studied at conditions typical of the mixing duct of a modern gas turbine engine; specifically in confinement, at 10 bars, and with a crossflow preheat of 530 K. Consistent with previous findings, the 40% $$\mathrm {H}_{\mathrm {2}}$$

H
2

flame was found to be stabilized on the windward and leeward side of the jet, while the 20% $$\mathrm {H}_{\mathrm {2}}$$

H
2

flame was stabilized only on the leeward side. Analysis of mean and instantaneous velocity fields showed no major differences in the trajectories and principal compressive strain fields of the two flames. The presence of the windward stabilized flame in the 40% $$\mathrm {H}_{\mathrm {2}}$$

H
2

case was, however, found to decrease the centerline velocity decay and greatly reduce or eliminate large scale vortices along the windward shear layer. The difference in the flame-holding here was attributed to the difference in the extinction strain rate from the addition of hydrogen, which would impact the local and global extinction of the flame along the high shear windward region of the flame.
The Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Photobiomodulation Against Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review
Authors: Bathini Mayukha , Raghushaker Chandavalli Ramappa , Mahato Krishna Kishore
Published: December 2020

Neurodegenerative diseases might be slow but relentless, as we continue to fail in treating or delaying their progression. Given the complexity in the pathogenesis of these diseases, a broad-acting approach like photobiomodulation can prove promising. Photobiomodulation (PBM) uses red and infrared light for therapeutic benefits, working by stimulating growth and proliferation. The implications of photobiomodulation have been studied in several neurodegenerative disease models. It has been shown to improve cell survival, decrease apoptosis, alleviate oxidative stress, suppress inflammation, and rescue mitochondrial function. In in vivo models, it has reportedly preserved motor and cognitive skills. Beyond mitochondrial stimulation, the molecular mechanisms by which photobiomodulation protects against neurodegeneration have not been very well studied. This review has systematically been undertaken to study the effects of photobiomodulation at a molecular level and identify the different biochemical pathways and molecular changes in the process. The data showed the involvement of pathways like extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and protein kinase B (Akt). In addition, the expression of several genes and proteins playing different roles in the disease mechanisms was found to be influenced by PBM, such as neurotrophic factors and secretases. Studying the literature indicated that PBM can be translated to a potential therapeutic tool, acting through a spectrum of mechanisms that work together to decelerate disease progression in the organism, which is difficult to achieve through pharmacological interventions.
Characterization of the Petrographic and Physicomechanical Properties of Rocks from Otanmäki, Finland
Authors: Aladejare Adeyemi Emman
Published: December 2020

Intact rock properties are important for mining and geotechnical engineering because they are important design parameters for tunnels, rock foundations, rock slopes, among others. Some of the properties are also used as input parameters in some rock mass classification systems. Therefore, as rock properties are site-specific, there is need to investigate rock properties at a site especially when such site is used for engineering purpose. This paper documents the petrographic and X-ray fluorescence analyses, and physical and mechanical tests conducted to estimate the physical and mechanical properties of the two rock types (i.e. gabbro and granite) selected from quarries at Otanmäki, Finland. Mineral composition, grain size and chemical composition, water content, porosity, Brazilian tensile strength, uniaxial compressive strength, Young’s modulus, and Poisson ratio of the rock types were determined. Both gabbro and granite samples have fine to medium grained texture. The results of laboratory experiments conducted show that rock properties investigated have low to high variability. Simple and multiple regression analyses were performed and useful predictive models for estimating Brazilian tensile strength from physical test results were developed and validated.
The Role of Defending Norms in Victims’ Classroom Climate Perceptions and Psychosocial Maladjustment in Secondary School
Authors: Laninga-Wijnen Lydia , van den Berg Yvonne H. M. , Mainhard Tim , Cillessen Antonius H. N.
Published: December 2020

Victims of bullying are at increased risk of developing psychosocial problems. It is often claimed that it helps victims when others stand up against the bullying and when defending is typical (descriptive norm) or rewarded with popularity (popularity norm) in classrooms. However, recent work on the healthy context paradox suggests that victims – paradoxically – tend to do worse in more positive classrooms. Therefore, it is possible that defending norms are counterproductive and exacerbate victims’ adjustment difficulties, possibly because social maladjustment is more apparent in classrooms where everybody else is doing well. The current study examined whether descriptive and popularity norms for defending predicted victims’ classroom climate perceptions and psychosocial adjustment. Using data of 1,206 secondary school students from 45 classrooms (Mage = 13.61), multi-level analyses indicated that descriptive norms for defending increased rather than decreased negative classroom climate perceptions and maladjustment of victimized youths. In contrast, popularity norms for defending positively predicted all students’ classroom climate perceptions and feelings of belonging, except victims’ self-esteem. Interventions may benefit more from promoting popularity norms for defending rather than descriptive norms for defending in secondary schools.
Multi-scale phase analyses of strain-induced martensite in austempered ductile iron (ADI) using neutron diffraction and transmission techniques
Authors: Li Xiaohu , Soria Sergio , Gan Weimin , Hofmann Michael , Schulz Michael , Hoelzel Markus , Brokmeier Heinz-Günter , Petry Winfried
Published: December 2020

The content of strain-induced martensite in austempered ductile iron has been quantitatively determined using three different kinds of neutron methods: (1) high-resolution powder diffraction with subsequent standard Rietveld refinement, (2) phase quantification using pole figure measurements and (3) Bragg edge neutron transmission. The accuracy and scope of applications of these neutron diffraction and imaging techniques for phase quantification have been compared and discussed in detail. Combination of these methods has been confirmed as effective for dealing with problems like peak overlap in multi-phase materials and texture formation after plastic deformation. Further, the results highlight the potential of using single peak pole figure data for quantitative phase analysis with high accuracy.
Correction to: MAGE‑C2/CT10 promotes growth and metastasis through upregulating c‑Myc expression in prostate cancer
Authors: Qiu Jun , Yang Bei
Published: December 2020

The article “MAGE-C2/CT10 promotes growth and metastasis through upregulating c-Myc expression in prostate cancer”, written by “Jun Qiu and Bei Yang”, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal on 06 July 2020 without open access. With the author(s)' decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 19 October 2020 to © The Author(s) 2020 and the article is forthwith distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Developing a system for in vivo imaging of maize roots containing iodinated contrast media in soil using synchrotron XCT and XRF
Authors: Scotson Callum P. , van Veelen Arjen , Williams Katherine A. , Koebernick Nicolai , McKay Fletcher Dan , Roose Tiina
Published: December 2020

Aims

We sought to develop a novel experimental system which enabled application of iodinated contrast media to in vivo plant roots intact in soil and was compatible with time-resolved synchrotron X-ray computed tomography imaging. The system was developed to overcome issues of low contrast to noise within X-ray computed tomography images of plant roots and soil environments, the latter of which can complicate image processing and result in the loss of anatomical information.

Methods

To demonstrate the efficacy of the system we employ the novel use of both synchrotron X-ray computed tomography and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping to capture the translocation of the contrast media through root vasculature into the leaves.

Results

With the application of contrast media we identify fluid flow in root vasculature and visualise anatomical features, which are otherwise often only observable in ex vivo microscopy, including: the xylem, metaxylem, pith, fibres in aerenchyma and leaf venation. We are also able to observe interactions between aerenchyma cross sectional area and solute transport in the root vasculature with depth.

Conclusions

Our novel system was capable of successfully delivering sufficient contrast media into root and leaf tissues such that anatomical features could be visualised and internal fluid transport observed. We propose that our system could be used in future to study internal plant transport mechanisms and parameterise models for fluid flow in plants.
Robust inference in risk elicitation tasks
Authors: Andersson Ola , Holm Håkan J. , Tyran Jean-Robert , Wengström Erik
Published: December 2020

Recent experimental evidence suggests that noisy behavior correlates strongly with personal characteristics. Since decision noise leads to bias in most elicitation tasks, there is a risk of falsely interpreting noise-driven relationships as preference driven. This puts previous studies that found a negative relation between personality measures and risk aversion into perspective and in particular raises the question of how to achieve robust inference in this domain. This paper shows, by way of an economic experiment with subjects from all walks of life, that using structural estimation to model heterogeneity of noise in combination with a balanced design allows us to mitigate the bias problem. Our estimations show that cognitive ability is related to noisy behavior rather than risk preferences. We also find age and education to be strongly related to noise, but the personality characteristics obtained using the Big Five inventory are less related to noise and more robustly correlated to risk preferences.
Blood Pressure Management in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Gąsecki Dariusz , Kwarciany Mariusz , Kowalczyk Kamil , Narkiewicz Krzysztof , Karaszewski Bartosz
Published: December 2020

Purpose of Review

Abrupt blood pressure (BP) rise is the most common clinical symptom of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, BP alterations during AIS reflect many diverse mechanisms, both stroke-related and nonspecific epiphenomena, which change over time and across patients. While extremes of BP as well as high BP variability have been related with worse outcomes in observational studies, optimal BP management after AIS remains challenging.

Recent Findings

This review discusses the complexity of the factors linking BP changes to the clinical outcomes of patients with AIS, depending on the treatment strategy and local vessel status and, in particular, the degree of reperfusion achieved. The evidence for possible additional clinical markers, including the presence of arterial hypertension, and comorbid organ dysfunction in individuals with AIS, as informative and helpful factors in therapeutic decision-making concerning BP will be reviewed, as well as recent data on neurovascular monitoring targeting person-specific local cerebral perfusion and metabolic demand, instead of the global traditional parameters (BP among others) alone.

The individualization of BP management protocols based on a complex evaluation of the homeostatic response to focal cerebral ischemia, including but not limited to BP changes, may be a valuable novel goal proposed in AIS, but further trials are warranted.
Understanding permaculturist motivations among residents of the “PermaKulturRaum” in Goettingen, Germany: a qualitative analysis
Authors: Petri Heinrich , Faust Heiko
Published: December 2020

By using an inductive qualitative approach, investigating the micro scale, that is, the individual level, we conducted a case study on the PermaKulturRaum in Goettingen, Germany—an experimental space for students to explore alternative lifedesigns. On the supposition that only a radical transition can achieve sustainability on a global scale, we identified permaculture as an appropriate method to achieve this. However, permaculture is not widely spread and largely ignored by scientific research. We started a first attempt to understand the underlying motivations of permaculturists. Using behavioral studies as our theoretical framework, we found out that behavioral determinants, like biospheric values, green-identity, and the intention to act green were extraordinarily high and that the core of their pro-environmental behavior is most likely their strong intrinsic motivation. Regarding the PermaKulturRaum, we could formulate following theses: (1) a comprehensive implementation of permacultural aspects requires an urge for an alternative lifedesign, (2) a radical lifedesign attracts primarily like-minded people, which creates isolated spaces, (3) early childhood experiences or single key moments are important to trigger a pro-environmental interest.
Do gifts of roses have a lingering fragrance? Evidence from altruistic interventions into adolescents’ subjective well‐being
Authors: Lu Caixia , Liang Lichan , Chen Wenting , Bian Yufang
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Studies have found that adolescents' subjective well‐being (SWB) shows a downward trend with age. The improvement of adolescents' SWB is therefore an urgent problem. According to previous studies, altruism may be an effective way to improve adolescents' SWB. We conducted an Integrative Educational Intervention of Altruism (IEIA) for the first time to determine whether altruism intervention can effectively improve adolescents’ SWB.

Methods

We conducted an IEIA on adolescents in an experimental group for 14 weeks using pre‐ and post‐test experimental designs with peer groups. The participants were randomly recruited from a junior high school in East China and included 280 Grade 8 students (138 boys and 142 girls; mean age: 14.53 years). Before and after the experiment, the adolescents completed measures of SWB using the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale and Happiness Scale.

Results

From the pretest, we found no significant differences in friendship, academic, freedom, school and social satisfaction or positive emotions between the control and experimental groups. However, in the post‐test, the life satisfaction and positive emotions of the experimental group were rated significantly higher than those of the control group. These results show that experimental intervention can effectively improve adolescents’ life satisfaction and positive emotions.

Conclusions

Altruistic intervention was identified as an effective way to improve adolescents’ SWB. It is thus necessary to cultivate altruistic environments, to enrich altruistic education programs, and to carry out voluntary services for the benefit of the public. Altruistic adolescents themselves may benefit when helping others.
Transhumanism
Authors: Huberman Jennifer
Published: December 2020

Transhumanists argue that science and technology will enable us to overcome our biological limitations, both mental and physical, and create a radically enhanced posthuman species and society. In this book, Jenny Huberman examines the values and visions animating the Transhumanist Movement in the United States today, whilst at the same time using the study of transhumanism as a way to introduce a new generation of students to the discipline of cultural anthropology. She explores transhumanist conceptions of revitalization, immortality, the good life, the self, the body, kinship and economy, and compares them to the belief systems of human beings living in other times and places. Providing lively ethnographic insights into a fascinating contemporary socio-cultural movement, this book will be invaluable to students and researchers in anthropology, as well as anyone interested in the phenomenon of transhumanism.
Flogging Others
Authors: Geltner G.
Published: December 2020

Corporal punishment is often seen as a litmus test for a society's degree of civilization. Its licit use purports to separate modernity from premodernity, enlightened from barbaric cultures. As Geltner argues, however, neither did the infliction of bodily pain typify earlier societies nor did it vanish from penal theory, policy, or practice. Far from displaying a steady decline that accelerated with the Enlightenment, physical punishment was contested throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages, its application expanding and contracting under diverse pressures. Moreover, despite the integration of penal incarceration into criminal justice systems since the nineteenth century, modern nation states and colonial regimes increased rather than limited the use of corporal punishment. Flogging Others thus challenges a common understanding of modernization and Western identity and underscores earlier civilizations' nuanced approaches to punishment, deviance, and the human body. Today as in the past, corporal punishment thrives due to its capacity to define otherness efficiently and unambiguously, either as a measure acting upon a deviant's body or as a practice that epitomizes - in the eyes of external observers - a culture's backwardness.
Sounds Better? Potential Implications of Obscure American Viticultural Areas to Consumers
Authors: Lim Kar H.
Published: December 2020

The American Viticultural Area (AVA) allows designated wine regions to be created, marketed, and protected. But many of the now 248 AVAs may be meaningless to consumers. Are AVAs thus meritless? Can AVAs affect consumers despite low recognition? A choice experiment examines three appellations that are applicable to the same wine: New Jersey, USA; Pilesgrove, New Jersey; and Outer Coastal Plain (OCP)—a New Jersey AVA. The results show that consumers prefer OCP wines over the former alternatives, affirming the marketing potential of AVAs that omit state names. Nevertheless, AVA may have exploited consumers’ lack of information.
Women and Genre in Calpurnius Siculus’Eclogues
Authors: Paraskeviotis George C.
Published: December 2020

This article aims to examine the ways in which the Calpurnian text converses with the earlier pastoral tradition focusing on the women identified in the collection. Leaving aside the mythical female figures who are also traced in the collection (e.g. Pales and Venus), this study focuses on all the female characters mentioned by male figures, trying to show that women in theEclogues, among other elements (such as subjects, motifs, intertexts, language and style), constitute a significant means by which Calpurnius shows originality and generic evolution.

It is argued that the female characters in Calpurnian pastoral are the erotic objects of the herdsmen and the recipients of their songs and in that sense they recall the pastoral tradition (Greek and Roman) that Calpurnius inherited. What is more, they are central metapoetic elements which show Calpurnius’ metaliterary engagement with gender in a collection that stresses the originality of the Neronian pastoral. Most importantly, however, they incorporate features and elements from other literary genres (mostly from Roman comedy and love elegy) and in that sense they constitute a significant means by which Calpurnius maintains the generic tensions employed by his literary antecedents (i.e. Vergil) and broadens the limits of pastoral.