bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enantioseparation of ondansetron by countercurrent chromatography using sulfobutyl ether‐β‐cyclodextrin as chiral selector
Authors: Sun Wenyu , Bao Honglei , Qian Junqing , Tong Shengqiang
Published: December 2020

Ondansetron, a highly selective 5‐hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor antagonist, was successfully enantioseparated by recycling countercurrent chromatography using sulfobutyl ether‐β‐cyclodextrin as chiral selector. Important factors for the enantioseparation were optimized, including different organic solvent, type of substituted β‐cyclodextrin, pH of aqueous phase, concentration of chiral selector, and separation temperature. A biphasic solvent system composed of n‐hexane: n‐butyl acetate: 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution pH 9.2 with 50 mmol/L of sulfobutyl ether‐β‐cyclodextrin (2.5:7.5:10, v/v/v) was selected. Under optimized separation conditions, 5 mg of ondansetron was enantioseparated using recycling countercurrent chromatography, yielding 1.2 and 1.5 mg of ondansetron enantiomers with 97.5 and 95.8% purity and the recovery reached 48–60%.
Hybrid Curdlan Poly(γ ‐Glutamic Acid) Nanoassembly for Immune Modulation in Macrophage
Authors: Heo Jeongyun , Sobiech Thomas A. , Kutscher Hilliard L. , Chaves Lee , Sukumaran Dinesh K. , Karki Shanta , Dube Admire , Prasad Paras N. , Reynolds Jessica L.
Published: December 2020

A nanoformulation composed of curdlan, a linear polysaccharide of 1,3‐β‐linked d‐glucose units, hydrogen bonded to poly(γ ‐glutamic acid) (PGA), was developed to stimulate macrophage. Curdlan/PGA nanoparticles (C‐NP) are formulated by physically blending curdlan (0.2 mg mL−1 in 0.4 m NaOH) with PGA (0.8 mg mL−1). Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis demonstrates a heterospecies interpolymer complex formed between curdlan and PGA. The 1H‐NMR spectra display significant peak broadening as well as downfield chemical shifts of the hydroxyl proton resonances of curdlan, indicating potential intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. In addition, the cross peaks in 1H‐1H 2D‐NOESY suggest intermolecular associations between the OH‐2/OH‐4 hydroxyl groups of curdlan and the carboxylic‐/amide‐groups of PGA via hydrogen bonding. Intracellular uptake of C‐NP occurs over time in human monocyte‐derived macrophage (MDM). Furthermore, C‐NP nanoparticles dose‐dependently increase gene expression for TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐8 at 24 h in MDM. C‐NP nanoparticles also stimulate the release of IL‐lβ, MCP‐1, TNF‐α, IL‐8, IL‐12p70, IL‐17, IL‐18, and IL‐23 from MDM. Overall, this is the first demonstration of a simplistic nanoformulation formed by hydrogen bonding between curdlan and PGA that modulates cytokine gene expression and release of cytokines from MDM.
M2‐like tumor‐associated macrophages‐secreted Wnt1 and Wnt3a promotes dedifferentiation and metastasis via activating β‐catenin pathway in thyroid cancer
Authors: Lv Juan , Feng Zhi‐Ping , Chen Fu‐Kun , Liu Chao , Jia Li , Liu Peng‐Jie , Yang Chuan‐Zhou , Hou Fei , Deng Zhi‐Yong
Published: December 2020

Background

Thyroid carcinoma (TC) has been a global issue for its rapid increasing incidence worldwide. Although most TC was not so aggressive with a good prognosis, treatment against anaplastic TC was relatively limited and the mechanisms are not well elucidated yet.

Methods

TC cell lines (IHH4 and TPC‐1) were used. Flow cytometry was used to identify the surface marker of M2‐like tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) from cell culture. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, immunostaining, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of Wnt1, Wnt3a, components of Wnt/β‐catenin pathway, and proliferation/epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)‐related proteins. Alkaline phosphatase activity assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were used to examine the roles of Wnt1, Wnt3a, and β‐catenin pathway in cell dedifferentiation, proliferation, migration, and invasion of TC cells, respectively. Subcutaneous tumor growth was monitored in nude mice.

Results

Coculture with M2‐like TAMs facilitated dedifferentiation, proliferation, migration, and invasion in TC cells. EMT and proliferation‐related proteins were also promoted in cocultured TC cells. The level of Wnt1 and Wnt3a was increased in the coculture system. Block of Wnt1 or Wnt3a suppressed malignant behaviors in cocultured tumor cells. Furthermore, Wnt1 or Wnt3a knockdown inhibited Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway, and suppressed EMT and proliferation‐related signals in cocultured tumor cells. Knockdown of Wnt1 or Wnt3a inhibited tumor growth in xenograft model.

Conclusion

M2‐like TAMs promoted dedifferentiation, proliferation, and metastasis of TC by Wnt1 and Wnt3a secretion and ensuing β‐catenin activation.
Association of RANK and RANKL gene polymorphism with survival and calcium levels in multiple myeloma
Authors: Łacina Piotr , Butrym Aleksandra , Humiński Michał , Dratwa Marta , Frontkiewicz Diana , Mazur Grzegorz , Bogunia‐Kubik Katarzyna
Published: December 2020

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous bone marrow cancer characterized by proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. One of its major symptoms are hypercalcaemia and bone lesions, which may result in pathologic bone fractures. Receptor activator for nuclear factor κB (RANK) and its ligand, RANKL, are part of an activation pathway for osteoclasts and are thus responsible for bone resorption. Furthermore, RANKL expression is increased in multiple myeloma. In the present study, we investigated the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes coding for RANK (rs1805034, rs8086340), RANKL (rs7325635, rs7988338), and TACI (rs34562254), a receptor for osteoclast‐derived pro‐survival factors. The study involved 222 patients and 222 healthy individuals, and the analysis included disease susceptibility, survival, bone lesions, calcium levels, and vascular endothelial growth factor levels. Patients with allele RANK rs1805034 C had higher survival (p = .003). This relationship was especially evident in women (p = .006). Furthermore, allele rs1805034 C was associated with slightly lower median age at diagnosis (64.0 vs. 65.5, p = .008). Allele RANKL rs7325635 A correlated with lower progression‐free survival (p = .027), and with lack of early progression (p = .023). Additionally, women with allele rs7325635 G were found to have higher calcium blood concentration (p = .040). Allele TACI rs34562254 A was more common in MM patients in more advanced stages (II and III stage International Staging System) at diagnosis (p = .017), and the SNP showed a slight trend towards association in a multivariate analysis (p = .084). Taken together, our results suggest that RANK rs1805034 and RANKL rs7325635 may have a role in MM development and progression.
Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor‐defactinib suppresses the malignant progression of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells via effective blockade of PI3K/AKT axis and downstream molecular network
Authors: Zhang Lingyuan , Zhao Di , Wang Yan , Zhang Weimin , Zhang Jing , Fan Jiawen , Zhan Qimin , Chen Jie
Published: December 2020

The clinical therapeutic efficacy toward esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is undesirable, due to the lack of targeted agents. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase involved in multiple fields of tumorigenesis, recently has been indicated as a promising therapeutic target in ESCC treatment. Here, we revealed that defactinib, a specific FAK inhibitor, effectively suppressed the malignancy of ESCC cells. Mechanistically, defactinib dose and time‐dependently induced the dissociation of phosphoinositide‐3‐kinase (PI3K) from FAK, resultantly led to blockade of protein kinase B (AKT) signaling, and the expression of several oncogenes, such as SOX2, MYC, EGFR, MET, MDM2, or TGFBR2, identified by microarray and real‐time polymerase chain reaction assay. Specifically, this FAK inhibition‐mediated suppression of PI3K/AKT signaling and downstream ESCC specific biomarkers was maintained to 24 h in in vitro experiments to guarantee the treatment durability and efficacy. Importantly, defactinib suppressed tumor growth, metastatic ability, and increased overall survival of xenografted animals without producing significantly systematic toxicity. Our data suggest that FAK inhibition provides an excellent targeted therapy toward ESCC by effectively inhibiting PI3K/AKT pathway and downstream molecular network.
Striped Mullet Migration Patterns in the Indian River Lagoon: A Network Analysis Approach to Spatial Fisheries Management
Authors: Myers Olivia M. , Reyier Eric , Ahr Bonnie , Cook Geoffrey S.
Published: December 2020

Striped Mullet Mugil cephalus are numerically abundant forage fish, highly valuable as prey, and commercially valuable to humans. From September to December, Striped Mullet in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, undergo an annual migration from inshore foraging habitats to oceanic spawning sites. However, their migratory pathways—particularly their intra-estuarine movement pathways—remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we utilized passive acoustic telemetry to assess the movement patterns of Striped Mullet within the IRL. Thirty-two fish were tagged, generating usable tracks from 18 individuals. The mean (±SD) time that fish were detected in the array was about 38 ± 90 d, with the longest detection period being 444 d. We also document the first evidence of skipped spawning in Striped Mullet inhabiting waters of the southeastern United States. These data suggest that impoundments around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge serve as important refugia for Striped Mullet, while the Banana and Indian rivers act as corridors during their inshore migratory movements. Through spatial fisheries management, high-value habitat and connective elements utilized by Striped Mullet and other vital forage fish may be identified so as to benefit both natural and human dynamics in estuarine systems.
Targeting Expanded Repeats by Small Molecules in Repeat Expansion Disorders
Authors: Nakamori Masayuki , Mochizuki Hideki
Published: December 2020

Recent technological advancements in genetic analysis have allowed for the consecutive discovery and elucidation of repeat expansion disorders: diseases caused by the abnormal expansion of repeat sequences in the genome. Many of these repeat expansion disorders are neurodegenerative movement disorders. Radical cures for these disorders have yet to be established. Although conventional treatments for repeat expansion disorders have mainly targeted the abnormal mRNA and proteins encoded by the affected genes, therapeutic approaches targeting repeat DNA, the root cause of repeat disorders, is also being explored in current research. In particular, a small molecule has been found that binds to abnormally expanded CAG repeats, the cause of Huntington's disease, and shortens them. Such small molecules targeting nucleic acids are expected to be developed into groundbreaking therapeutic drugs capable of ameliorating the symptoms of repeat expansion disorders and preventing their onset. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Chemoinformatics for the Safety of Energetic and Reactive Materials at Ineris
Authors: Fayet Guillaume , Rotureau Patricia
Published: December 2020

The characterization of physical hazards of substances is a key information to manage the risks associated to their use, storage and transport. With decades of work in this area, Ineris develops and implements cutting‐edge experimental facilities allowing such characterizations at different scales and under various conditions to study all of the dreaded accident scenarios. This review presents the efforts engaged by Ineris more recently in the field of chemoinformatics to develop and use new predictive methods for the anticipation and management of industrials risks associated to energetic and reactive materials as a complement to experiments.

An overview of the methods used for the development of Quantitative Structure‐Property Relationships for physical hazards are presented and discussed regarding the specificities associated to this class of properties. A review of models developed at Ineris is also provided from the first tentative models on the explosivity of nitro compounds to the successful application to the flammability of organic mixtures. Then, a discussion is proposed on the use of QSPR models. Good practices for robust use for QSPR models are recalled with specific comments related to physical hazards, notably for regulatory purpose. Dissemination and training efforts engaged by Ineris are also presented. The potential offered by these predictive methods in terms of in silico design and for the development of new intrinsically safer technologies in safety‐by‐design strategies is finally discussed. At last, challenges and perspectives to extend the application of chemoinformatics in the field of safety and in particular for the physical hazards of energetic and reactive substances are proposed.
Eigenmeasures and stochastic diagonalization of bilinear maps
Authors: Erdoğan Ezgi , Sánchez Pérez Enrique A.
Published: December 2020

A new stochastic approach is presented to understand general spectral type problems for (not necessarily linear) functions between topological spaces. In order to show its potential applications, we construct the theory for the case of bilinear forms acting in couples of a Banach space and its dual. Our method consists of using integral representations of bilinear maps that satisfy particular domination properties, which is shown to be equivalent to having a certain spectral structure. Thus, we develop a measure‐based technique for the characterization of bilinear operators having a spectral representation, introducing the notion of eigenmeasure, which will become the central tool of our formalism. Specific applications are provided for operators between finite and infinite dimensional linear spaces.
Some results on dynamics of fractional derivatives via difference sequences
Authors: Baliarsingh P. , Nayak L. , Dutta Hemen
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we extend the applications of difference operators and related sequence spaces for the study of the fractional calculus and its dynamics. In this context, some useful results on dynamics of fractional derivatives have been established and demonstrated with the help of existing formulas. Particularly, this study suggests some basic reasons for dynamic behaviors of Riemann‐Liouville fractional derivatives and provides certain idea for neutralizing them.
A Benchmark for automatic noise measurement in clinical computed tomography
Authors: Ahmad Moiz , Jacobsen Megan C. , Thomas M. Allan , Chen Henry S. , Layman Rick R. , Jones A. Kyle
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Assessment of image quality directly in clinical image data is an important quality control objective as phantom‐based testing does not fully represent image quality across patient variation. Computer algorithms for automatically measuring noise in clinical computed tomography (CT) images have been introduced, but the accuracy of these algorithms is unclear. This work benchmarks the accuracy of the global noise (GN) algorithm for automatic noise measurement in contrast‐enhanced abdomen CT exams in comparison to precise reference noise measurements. The GN algorithm was further optimized compared to the previous report in the literature.

Methods

Reference values of noise were established in a public image dataset of 82 contrast‐enhanced abdomen CT exams. The reference noise values were obtained by manual regions‐of‐interest measurements of pixel standard deviation in the liver parenchyma according to an instruction protocol. Noise measurements taken by six observers were averaged together to improve reference noise statistical precision. The GN algorithm was used to automatically measure noise in each image set. The accuracy of the GN algorithm was determined in terms of RMS error compared to reference noise. The GN algorithm was optimized by conducting 1000 trials with random algorithm parameter values. The trial with the lowest RMS error was used to select optimum algorithm parameters.

Results

The range of noise across CT image sets was 8.8–28.8 HU. Reference noise measurements were made with a precision of ±0.78 HU (95% confidence interval). The RMS error of automatic noise measurement was 0.93 HU (0.77–1.19 HU 95% confidence interval). The automatic noise measurements were equally accurate across image sets of varying noise magnitude. Optimum GN algorithm parameter values were: a kernel size of 7 pixels, and soft tissue lower and upper thresholds of 0 and 170 HU, respectively.

Conclusions

The performance of automatic noise measurement was benchmarked in a large clinical CT dataset. The study provides a framework for thorough validation of automatic clinical image quality measurement methods. The GN algorithm was optimized and validated for automatic measurement of soft‐tissue noise in abdomen CT exams.
Optimization of a calibration phantom for quantitative radiography
Authors: Martinez Cristobal , de Molina Claudia , Desco Manuel , Abella Monica
Published: December 2020

Objective

Dual energy radiography (DER) makes it possible to obtain separate images for soft‐tissue and bony structures (tissue maps) based on the acquisition of two radiographs at different source peak‐kilovoltage values. Current DER studies are based on the weighted subtraction method, which requires either manual tuning or the use of precomputed tables, or on decomposition methods, which make use of a calibration to model soft‐tissue and bone components. In this study, we examined in depth the optimum method to perform this calibration.

Methods

We used simulations to optimize the calibration protocol and evaluated the effect of the material and size of a calibration phantom composed of two wedges and its positioning in the system. Evaluated materials were water, PMMA and A‐150 as soft‐tissue equivalent, and Teflon, B‐100 and aluminum as bone equivalent, with sizes from 5 to 30 cm. Each material combination was compared with an ideal phantom composed of soft tissue and bone. Our simulation results enabled us to propose four designs that were tested with the NOVA FA X‐ray system with a realistic thorax phantom.

Results

Calibration based on a very simple and inexpensive phantom with no strict requirements in its placement results in appropriate separation of the spine (a common focus in densitometry studies) and the identification of nodules as small as 6 mm, which have been reported to have a low rate of detection in radiography.

Conclusion

The proposed method is completely automatic, avoiding the need for a radiology technician with expert knowledge of the protocol, as is the case in densitometry exams. The method provides real mass thickness values, enabling quantitative planar studies instead of relative comparisons.
High‐resolution metabolic mapping of the cerebellum using 2D zoom magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging
Authors: Emir Uzay E. , Sood Jaiyta , Chiew Mark , Thomas Micheal Albert , Lane Sean P.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The human cerebellum plays an important role in the functional activity of the cerebrum, ranging from motor to cognitive systems given its relaying role between the spinal cord and cerebrum. The cerebellum poses many challenges to Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) due to its caudal location, susceptibility to physiological artifacts, and partial volume artifacts resulting from its complex anatomical structure. Thus, in the present study, we propose a high‐resolution MRSI acquisition scheme for the cerebellum.

Methods

A zoom or reduced field of view (rFOV) metabolite‐cycled MRSI acquisition at 3 Tesla, with a grid of 48 × 48, was developed to achieve a nominal resolution of 62.5 μL. Single‐slice rFOV MRSI data were acquired from the cerebellum of 5 healthy subjects with a nominal resolution of 2.5 × 2.5 × 10 mm3 in 9.6 min. Spectra were quantified using the LCModel package. A spatially unbiased atlas template of the cerebellum was used to analyze metabolite distributions in the cerebellum.

Results

The superior quality of the achieved spectra‐enabled generation of high‐resolution metabolic maps of total N‐acetylaspartate, total Creatine (tCr), total Choline (tCho), glutamate+glutamine, and myo‐inositol, with Cramér‐Rao lower bounds below 50%. A template‐based regions of interest (ROI) analysis resulted in spatially dependent metabolite distributions in 9 ROIs. The group‐averaged high‐resolution metabolite maps across subjects increased the contrast‐to‐noise ratio between cerebellum regions.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that very high‐resolution metabolite probing of the cerebellum is feasible using rFOV or zoomed MRSI at 3 Tesla.
Recent advances of high performance magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Controlled synthesis, properties tuning and cancer theranostics
Authors: Liang Yi‐Jun , Xie Jun , Yu Jing , Zheng Zhaoguang , Liu Fang , Yang Anping
Published: December 2020

Recently, magnetic nanomaterials have emerged as multifunctional materials for a wide range of biomedical applications. Functional magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (FMIONs) are typical magnetic nanomaterials with inherent advantages for disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment: high specific surface area, excellent superparamagnetism, good colloidal stability, and remarkable biosafety. Therefore, FMION‐based biomedicine has advanced at an unprecedented rate in recent years. However, the performance of FMIONs cannot yet meet complicated physiological circumstances. To overcome these limitations, researchers have designed and manipulated the geometric shapes, sizes, compositions, and surfaces to endow these FMIONs with high performance. This review summarizes recent advances in the controlled synthesis of FMIONs, cover corresponding theories of nucleation and growth in solution, and the tuning of FMION properties for disease diagnosis and therapy. After discussing the biomedical applications in cancer theranostics—tumor hyperthermia, magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery system—in detail, the review concludes with current challenges and outlooks for the development of FMIONs.
Body mass index trajectories among people with obesity and association with mortality: Evidence from a large Israeli database
Authors: Reges Orna , Dicker Dror , Haase Christiane L. , Finer Nick , Karpati Tomas , Leibowitz Morton , Satylganova Altynai , Feldman Becca
Published: December 2020

Objective

Previous studies using longitudinal weight data to characterize obesity are based on populations of limited size and mostly include individuals of all body mass index (BMI) levels, without focusing on weight changes among people with obesity. This study aimed to identify BMI trajectories over 5 years in a large population with obesity, and to determine the trajectories' association with mortality.

Methods

For inclusion, individuals aged 30–74 years at index date (1 January 2013) with continuous membership in Clalit Health Services from 2008 to 2012 were required to have ≥1 BMI measurement per year in ≥3 calendar years during this period, of which at least one was ≥30 kg/m2. Latent class analysis was used to generate BMI trajectories over 5 years (2008–2012). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between BMI trajectories and all‐cause mortality during follow‐up (2013–2017).

Results

In total, 367,141 individuals met all inclusion criteria. Mean age was 57.2 years; 41% were men. The optimal model was a quadratic model with four classes of BMI clusters. Most individuals (90.0%) had stable high BMI over time. Individuals in this cluster had significantly lower mortality than individuals in the other trajectory clusters (p < 0.01), including clusters of people with dynamic weight trajectories.

Conclusions

The results of the current study show that people with stable high weight had the lowest mortality of all four BMI trajectories identified. These findings help to expand the scientific understanding of the impact that weight trajectories have on health outcomes, while demonstrating the challenges of discerning the cumulative effects of obesity and weight change, and suggest that dynamic historical measures of BMI should be considered when assessing patients' future risk of obesity‐related morbidity and mortality, and when choosing a treatment strategy.
Environmental, social and governance performance and stock price volatility: A moderating role of firm size
Authors: Shakil Mohammad Hassan
Published: December 2020

This study examines the role of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance on stock price volatility of textile and apparel firms. This study further examines whether firm size moderates the relationship between ESG and stock price volatility. We consider a global sample of 44 textile and apparel firms available in Refinitiv between 2010 and 2018 and apply the fixed‐effects panel regression model to reduce unobserved endogeneity bias. We find a significant adverse influence of ESG on stock price volatility. However, firm size portrays a non‐significant moderating effect on ESG‐stock price volatility nexus. This study contributes to the research domain of ESG and risk by presenting the significant influence of ESG on stock price volatility in the textile and apparel industry. This study will be a reference point for textile and apparel firms' managers to consider ESG issues seriously as the attention on ESG causes a reduction to stock price volatility. Portfolio managers may invest in high achieving ESG firms to leverage the market volatility of their portfolio.
Plant–soil feedback responses of four dryland crop species under greenhouse conditions
Authors: Mushonga Knowledge , Steyn Joachim M. , Swart Wijnand J. , van der Waals Jacquie E.
Published: December 2020

Why this research Matters

Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) give a mechanistic understanding on how soil properties established by previous plant species go on to influence the performance of the same or different species in monoculture, intercropping or crop rotation systems. We hypothesized that different dryland crops such as Zea mays L., Helianthus annuus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., and Glycine max L. (Merr.) will have soil legacies that are related to the crop type. We used a two‐phase experiment to test plant performance in soils previously cultivated with the same or different plant species under greenhouse conditions. The positive plant growth for all species in their own soil microbiota suggests that mutualists had a greater impact on plant performance than pathogens. The consistent positive soil–feedback results of P. vulgaris were strongly associated with their own beneficial soil microbiota, meaning that the conditioning phase legacy of mutualists and decomposers were more significant than pathogens under monoculture. Despite successful nodulation in sterilized and inoculated soils, G. max unexpectedly showed neutral and insignificant positive plant feedbacks, respectively. Helianthus annuus was superior to other crop species in creating active carbon stocks and an enzymatically active soil for the next crop. Microbial biomass results suggest that raising fungal relative to bacterial biomass can be achieved by increasing the frequency of H. annuus in rotation sequences. However, more studies are necessary to evaluate whether these elevated ratios promote or depress plant performance under field conditions. This study showed that relative to other dryland crops, H. annuus seems to have the potential of increasing fungal to bacterial ratios, raising legacies in active carbon stocks and soil microbial activity that may be crucial to successional planting in dryland systems.
A cross‐temporal meta‐analysis review of the personality of Chinese military personnel, 1991–2017
Authors: Su Qian , Liu Guofang
Published: December 2020

Objective

The personality of military personnel is an important factor for their mental health. It has been revealed that military personnel's mental health has changed over the past decades. The objective of the present study was to examine the birth cohort changes in the personality of Chinese military personnel.

Methods

To examine the birth cohort changes in the personality of Chinese military personnel, a cross‐temporal meta‐analysis of 53 studies that measured the personality of Chinese military personnel with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire from 1991 to 2017 was conducted (61 data points, N = 55 708).

Results

The results showed that during this period, the respondents' personality traits changed significantly. Specifically, their levels of neuroticism and psychoticism decreased by 0.84 and 0.62 standard deviations respectively, and the younger participants exhibited higher levels of extraversion.

Conclusions

This study found that Chinese military personnel showed decreasing neuroticism and psychoticism from 1991 to 2017 and that younger participants exhibited higher levels of extraversion. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mechanistic study on radiation‐induced grafting into fluorinated polymer solid films using a swelling‐induced detachment of grafted polymers
Authors: Ko Beom‐Seok , Yoshimura Kimio , Hiroki Akihiro , Maekawa Yasunari
Published: December 2020

The radiation‐induced graft polymerization (RGP) of styrene into poly(ethylene‐co‐tetrafluoroethylene) films was performed at various monomer concentrations and solvents at 60 °C. The grafted polystyrene (g‐PS) was isolated using the swelling‐induced detachment phenomenon, and the number‐averaged molecular weight (Mn) and the number of g‐PS (Np) were determined using gel permeation chromatography. The Mn increased consistently with an increase in the grafting time up to 2–3 hours, indicating very low termination rates, which was a result of the “gel effect”. This is the first direct evidence of the gradual Mn increase over time using RGP in thermally and chemically stable polymer films such as fluorinated polymers. When the Mn and Np were plotted as a function of the degree of grafting (DOG), sudden Np drops along with rapid Mn increases were observed in the DOG region of 80–90%, indicating negligible initiation and propagation; however, a recombination termination between two propagating g‐PS radicals dominated the later part of the grafting process. Further increases in both Mn and Np were observed subsequently, implying that reinitiation and propagation events were triggered by morphological changes, as observed by small‐ and ultrasmall‐angle X‐ray scattering experiments, which liberated the dormant radicals from the lamellar crystals.
Simultaneous determination of alachlor and its metabolites in beef muscle, liver, milk, and egg by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Takahashi Miki , Yada Maito , Morimoto Koji , Nemoto Satoru , Akiyama Hiroshi , Inoue Koichi
Published: December 2020

Alachlor is a chloroacetanilide herbicide used to control annual grasses in grazing system and has been observed along with its metabolites in animal foodstuffs. Its residue violations in animal foodstuffs are increasing significantly and therefore, useful and efficient assay is required. In this study, a rapid, useful, routine, and sensitive liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneously determining and confirming alachlor and its metabolites (2‐chloro‐N‐(2,6‐diethylphenyl) acetamide, 2,6‐diethylaniline, and 2‐ethyl‐6‐(1‐hydroxyethyl) aniline) in beef muscle, liver, milk, and egg samples was examined. The proposed method uses a simple extraction with methanol followed by dispersive and solid‐phase extraction cleanup. Observably, absolute calibration curves were linear from the limit of quantification to 100 ng/mL (r2 > 0.999). The recovery values fortified at 0.02 and 0.2 μg/g ranged from 70.4 to 107.6% with a relative standard deviation ≤ 7.1%. Alachlor and its metabolites in applied samples from Japanese markets were undetected using developed method. We examined the useful and efficient method and sample preparation scheme for actual and rational process of alachlor's residue.
AUBI‐äquivalente Anforderungen an die Zähigkeitshochlage aus Versuchen und Schädigungssimulationen
Authors: Feldmann Markus , Citarelli Sandro , Münstermann Sebastian , Könemann Markus
Published: December 2020

Seit mehr als zehn Jahren ist der Aufschweißbiegeversuch (AUBI) für eine Reihe von Fällen, insbesondere für Feinkornbaustähle, nicht mehr verpflichtend. Die hierzu durchgeführten Untersuchungen hatten allerdings nur eine empirisch begründete Korrelation mit der Kerbschlagarbeit hervorgebracht. So fehlt nach wie vor eine Klärung der werkstoffmechanischen Zusammenhänge, denen nachzugehen es die Aufgabe der hier vorgestellten Untersuchungen war. Hierzu wurde auf hybride Modelle der Schädigungsmechanik zurückgegriffen, die die numerische Simulation des AUBI unter Berücksichtigung von sowohl Spaltbruch als auch Gleitbruch und damit auch des Übergangsbereichs erlauben. Damit kann der AUBI wesentlich genauer analysiert werden. Man ist so in der Lage, eine werkstofftechnische Korrelation zur Kerbschlagarbeit zu begründen, was die Vorhersage des AUBI‐Versuchs erlaubt. Ein wichtiges Ergebnis ist, dass die resultierenden Anforderungen an die Hochlagenzähigkeit auch bei konstant gehaltenen AUBI‐Biegewinkeln für verschiedene Stahlsorten deutlich unterschiedlich sind. Solche Anforderungen an die Hochlagenzähigkeit werden zur Entfaltung der Grenztraglasten im ULS erforderlich, insbesondere dort, wo mit Anrissen zu rechnen ist, z. B. im Brückenbau.
Psychological Impact of Living with Scars Following Burn Injury
Authors: Van Loey Nancy E. E.
Published: December 2020

Living with scars in a society that highly values beauty can be challenging for a burn survivor. Particularly in the current society in which there are signals that increasing demands of beauty are becoming normalized, health care providers should be aware of this changing notion of normality that may increase the call for cosmetic and plastic surgery interventions and, at the same time, may decrease the acceptance of visible differences. This chapter describes psychological problems that may occur in burn survivors with visible differences. The adjustment process that follows after burn injury is complex and multifactorial. A changed appearance can elicit diminished self- and body-esteem and can hamper encounters with others. Knowledge on most frequent psychological disorders and its symptoms are reviewed and the multifaceted process of adjusting to visible differences involving personal and societal factors is described. It outlines risk factors for psychological problems associated with burn scars and how psychological problems can influence the perception of the scars. It also briefly describes psychological interventions that can be applied in this field.
Resistances: Austen and Wedderburn
Authors: Haschemi Yekani Elahe
Published: December 2020

In this chapter the most famous writer of (female) affective individualism, Jane Austen, and her canonical third published novel Mansfield Park featuring her supposedly most unpopular heroine Fanny Price is juxtaposed with orator Robert Wedderburn’s much more obscure pamphlet The Horrors of Slavery. The chapter also revisits Edward Said’s famous theory of counterpoint in his reading of Austen and proposes instead a focus on entanglement. By contrasting the two texts and their relation to the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, readers get a better understanding of how writers used the affective means of prose writing to introduce more resistant entangled tonalities of familial feeling. Austen presents wilful female subjectivity in a family that invested in slavery and Wedderburn, the unruly planter son, claims familiarity with both his enslaved mother and his slave-owning father, challenging the formula of the “horrors of slavery”. Via internal focalization and incendiary rhetoric respectively both texts tonally also create a more intimate familiarity with their readers. They thus aesthetically resist writing conventions and introduce more ambivalent nuance: pushing the limits of the genre of the country-house novel in Austen and refuting the demure tone of abolitionist writing in Wedderburn.
Consolidations: Dickens and Seacole
Authors: Haschemi Yekani Elahe
Published: December 2020

Discussing Charles Dickens’s American Notes for General Circulation and Bleak House in conjunction with Mary Seacole’s Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands this chapter traces a crucial shift in mid-nineteenth-century literature which consolidates British imperialism via “enlightened” differentiation from the United States and culminates in the more paternalistic rhetoric following the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion. While travelling both authors construct conciliatory images of the English home that do not overtly challenge the sensibilities of the British reading audience. In her travel account, Seacole utilises a confident tone often directly addressing her readers more familiarly than the Black authors before her. Dickens too uses excessive overt narrative comment to promote an idea of a shared sense of indignation at lacking American manners in his travelogue and at the misguided international philanthropy of Mrs Jellyby in Bleak House. Both their consolidating tonalities rest less on complex introspection than on an explicit reassuring British familiarity. However, while Dickens increasingly understands British familial feeling as tied to whiteness, Seacole contests such racialised conceptions of national belonging.
Reflexive Participatory Governance for Agroecological Transformations
Authors: Anderson Colin Ray , Bruil Janneke , Chappell M. Jahi , Kiss Csilla , Pimbert Michel Patrick
Published: December 2020

In this chapter we further discuss the rationale for a participatory and reflexive governance process as the basis for agroecology transformations. We discuss governance and facilitation mechanisms that enable continuous discussions, negotiations, exchange and joint planning between actors. Further, we provide guidance on this ongoing and iterative social learning processes among actors that can enable and ensure governance interventions that both nurture and anchor agroecology. This often requires an expansion of ‘direct’ democracy in decision-making in order to complement, or replace, models of representative democracy that prevail in conventional policy-making. Finally, we articulate the territorial approach to governance which is increasingly seen as the decisive level in fostering agroecological transformations and the scale where reflexive and participatory governance can be effectively implemented.
Domain A: Rights and Access to Nature—Land, Water, Seeds and Biodiversity
Authors: Anderson Colin Ray , Bruil Janneke , Chappell M. Jahi , Kiss Csilla , Pimbert Michel Patrick
Published: December 2020

This chapter discusses a seemingly obvious but often underappreciated reality—without secure land tenure as well as access to and control over other elements of natural ecosystems, agroecology specifically, and the sustainable livelihoods of food producers more generally, will be impossible. We review how the access and control over water, ecosystem, cultivated biodiversity, seeds, breeds and soil amongst other aspects of nature enable agroecology. Conversely, we review the disabling conditions in this domain where inadequate and insecure access and tenure rights for various elements of natural ecosystems increase vulnerability, hunger and poverty and undermine agroecology. Insecure rights and access to nature provides little incentive for farmers, communities and territorial networks to invest in long-term agroecological approaches.
Domain B: Knowledge and Culture
Authors: Anderson Colin Ray , Bruil Janneke , Chappell M. Jahi , Kiss Csilla , Pimbert Michel Patrick
Published: December 2020

In this chapter, we examine the role of knowledge processes in the form of local practice, research, innovation and education in agroecology transformations. Knowledge and power are intimately linked; the questions of ‘what knowledge’ and ‘whose knowledge’ is valued are vitally important. We review the informal (outside of institutions) and formal knowledge processes that have been found to support agroecology. These affirm and enable the knowledge systems of agricultural producers, especially those of women and youth. We further discuss how the combination of scientific knowledge with local and traditional knowledge is important in agroecology transformations. Unfortunately, mainstream knowledge systems often disable agroecology because they privilege outside and top-down processes of knowledge transfer that invalidate local, farmer and indigenous knowledges.
Domain C: Systems of Economic Exchange
Authors: Anderson Colin Ray , Bruil Janneke , Chappell M. Jahi , Kiss Csilla , Pimbert Michel Patrick
Published: December 2020

In this chapter we examine the importance of systems of economic exchange for agroecology. These include the practices and processes by which agricultural products move from producers to various users and by which agri-food producers acquire inputs that cannot be produced on the farm. We review the importance of traditional systems of exchange (such as informal markets and barter systems), subsistence (or family and community self-provisioning) and ‘nested markets’ that are embedded in democratic social relations for agroecology. These markets thicken networks of solidarity and relations of reciprocity in territories. Nested markets value the ecological, social, economic and political functions and outputs of agroecology and support the development of trust-based networks. Regrettably, mainstream food markets favour large volumes and standardization and exclude most agroecological producers.
Domain D: Networks
Authors: Anderson Colin Ray , Bruil Janneke , Chappell M. Jahi , Kiss Csilla , Pimbert Michel Patrick
Published: December 2020

In this chapter we examine how local organizations, affinity groups and the formal and informal networks they form provide the basis for the collective, coordinated actions needed for agroecological transformation at different scales. Civil society-driven networks are crucial because they facilitate a kind of cooperation that cannot be generated by the market or the state. On the other hand, the absence of appropriate networks can substantially limit agroecological transition, for example where political dynamics undermine or weaken the development of networks for collective action. Another disabling dimension of this domain is the compartmentalization of networks (e.g. by commodity group), which is a contradiction to the holism of agroecology. Perhaps most challenging is the growing individualization of society that is creating a growing barrier to cooperativism.
Strain-induced crystallisation in natural rubber: a thermodynamically consistent model of the material behaviour using a serial connection of phases
Authors: Loos Klara , Aydogdu Ahmet B. , Lion Alexander , Johlitz Michael , Calipel Jérôme
Published: December 2020

A thermodynamically consistent concept to model the strain-induced crystallisation phenomenon using a multiphase approach is discussed in Loos et al. (CMAT 32(2):501–526,2020). In this follow-up contribution, the same mechanical framework is used to construct a second model that sets the same three phases in a serial connection, demonstrating an alternative to the former parallel connection of phases. The hybrid free energy is used to derive the constitutive equations. The evaluation of the Clausius–Duhem inequality ensures thermomechanical consistency. The model is based on a one-dimensional derivation that extends with the concept of representative directions to a three-dimensional anisotropic model. After the step-by-step derivation, the performance of the model is analysed in detail, including its comparison to the well-known Flory model, its evaluation for infinite fast and slow excitations, its simulation of uniaxial cycles and its validation via relaxation experiments. Finally, the model is compared comprehensively to the former parallel model showing their equivalent reason for existence.
Recent advances in 2D hexagonal boron nitride (2D-hBN) applied as the basis of electrochemical sensing platforms
Authors: García-Miranda Ferrari Alejandro , Rowley-Neale Samuel J. , Banks Craig E.
Published: December 2020

2D hexagonal boron nitride (2D-hBN) is a lesser utilised material than other 2D counterparts in electrochemistry due to initial reports of it being non-conductive. As we will demonstrate in this review, this common misconception is being challenged, and researchers are starting to utilise 2D-hBN in the field of electrochemistry, particularly as the basis of electroanalytical sensing platforms. In this critical review, we overview the use of 2D-hBN as an electroanalytical sensing platform summarising recent developments and trends and highlight future developments of this interesting, often overlooked, 2D material.
Discrepancies between radiological and histological findings in preoperative core needle (CNB) and vacuum-assisted (VAB) breast biopsies
Authors: Jörg Inna , Wieler Jann , Elfgen Constanze , Bolten Kristina , Hutzli Claudia , Talimi Julia , Vorburger Denise , Choschzick Matthias , Moskovszky Linda , Dedes Konstantin , Varga Zsuzsanna
Published: December 2020

Background

Ultrasound (US)-guided breast biopsy is a routine diagnostic method used to correlate imaging finding to a histological diagnosis which is still the gold standard in preoperative diagnostics. The accuracy of US-guided breast biopsies relies on a precise radiologic-histopathologic correlation, which is discussed amongst an interdisciplinary team of gynecologists, radiologists and pathologists. However, false-negative or non-diagnostic biopsy results occur. Hence, a thorough and honest discussion to clarify the reason for discrepancies and to decide the next diagnostic step between specialists of the different disciplines is warranted. In this retrospective study, we analyzed discrepant findings between imaging and pathology results on preoperative breast biopsies.

Methods

Core and vacuum-assisted breast biopsies from 232 patients were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were (1) non-diagnostic (B1) category on histology independent from imaging category and (2) histological benign (B2) category with a BIRADS 5 (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) rating on imaging. Histological diagnoses were retrieved from all cases. Follow-up data were available in most cases.

Results

138 biopsies were classified as B1, 94 biopsies as B2 category. 51 of 138 B1 cases (37%) underwent re-biopsy. Re-biopsy found malignancy (B5) in 19 of 51 cases, and B3/4 (premalignant) lesions in 3 of 51 cases. All B2 cases underwent second-look imaging-diagnosis, in 57 of 94 cases (66%) consecutive direct surgery or re-biopsy. Of these, malignancy was diagnosed histologically in 26 of 57 cases (45.6%).

Conclusion

Determining imaging-pathology concordance after US-guided breast biopsy is essential. Discrepant cases and further diagnostic steps need to be discussed with an interdisciplinary approach.