bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the searchability, breeding utility, and efficient management of germplasm accessions in the USDA−ARS rice collection
Authors: McClung Anna M. , Edwards Jeremy D. , Jia Melissa H. , Huggins Trevis D. , Bockelman Harold E. , Ali M Liakat , Eizenga Georgia C.
Published: June 2020

Genebanks conserve worldwide crop genetic diversity in systematically assembled and maintained ex situ collections for use by plant breeders and geneticists to improve the productivity, value, and sustainability of agriculture. Challenges faced in genebank management include providing sufficient and accurate trait information to facilitate searching the collection; controlling redundant accessions, seed mixtures, and mislabeled accessions; and identifying gaps in diversity. To help address these issues, a system that employs genotyping using 24 trait‐specific markers (TSMs), fingerprint markers (FPMs), or markers that are unique to subspecies was implemented for the USDA–ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS), National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) for rice (Oryza sativa L.). Trait‐specific markers were used to validate phenotypic data for fragrance, pericarp color, apparent amylose content, starch pasting properties, gelatinization temperature, resistance to rice blast disease, plant pubescence, and plant height. Discrepancies between genotypic and phenotypic data are useful for quality control during curation or may present opportunities for identifying novel alleles, particularly for TSMs. Over 2,000 accessions were classified by species, O. sativa or O. glaberrima Steud.; subspecies, Indica or Japonica; and subpopulation, aromatic, indica, aus, temperate japonica, or tropical japonica using the subspecies marker and FPMs. This small panel of TSMs and FPMs was also adequate for differentiating important U.S. cultivars, which are primarily of tropical japonica background. As a result of this study, TSM and FPM descriptors will be added to the rice NSGC database, redundancies reduced, and mislabeled accessions corrected, thus increasing the value of the rice NSGC for breeding programs and providing new opportunities for gene discovery.
Dealloyed Nanoporous Materials for Rechargeable Post‐Lithium Batteries
Authors: Wu Xuan , He Guang , Ding Yi
Published: June 2020

Invited for this month′s cover is the group of Yi Ding at the Tianjin University of Technology. The image highlights the fast electron/ion transport in a bicontinuous open network of dealloyed nanoporous materials and describes their applications in several emerging post‐lithium batteries, including Na, K, Mg, Zn, and Al batteries. The Minireview itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.202001069.
Remarkable anoxia tolerance by stoneflies from a floodplain aquifer
Authors: Malison Rachel L. , Ellis Bonnie K. , DelVecchia Amanda G. , Jacobson Hailey , Hand Brian K. , Luikart Gordon , Woods H. Arthur , Gamboa Maribet , Watanabe Kozo , Stanford Jack A.
Published: June 2020

Alluvial aquifers are key components of river floodplains and biodiversity worldwide, but they contain extreme environmental conditions and have limited sources of carbon for sustaining food webs. Despite this, they support abundant populations of aquifer stoneflies that have large proportions of their biomass carbon derived from methane. Methane is typically produced in freshwater ecosystems in anoxic conditions, while stoneflies (Order: Plecoptera) are thought to require highly oxygenated water. The potential importance of methane‐derived food resources raises the possibility that stonefly consumers have evolved anoxia‐resistant behaviors and physiologies. Here we tested the anoxic and hypoxic responses of 2,445 stonefly individuals in three aquifer species and nine benthic species. We conducted experimental trials in which we reduced oxygen levels, documented locomotor activity, and measured survival rates. Compared to surface‐dwelling benthic relatives, stoneflies from the alluvial aquifer on the Flathead River (Montana) performed better in hypoxic and anoxic conditions. Aquifer species sustained the ability to walk after 4–76 h of anoxia vs. 1 h for benthic species and survived on average three times longer than their benthic counterparts. Aquifer stoneflies also sustained aerobic respiration down to much lower levels of ambient oxygen. We show that aquifer taxa have gene sequences for hemocyanin, an oxygen transport respiratory protein, representing a possible mechanism for surviving low oxygen. This remarkable ability to perform well in low‐oxygen conditions is unique within the entire order of stoneflies (Plecoptera) and uncommon in other freshwater invertebrates. These results show that aquifer stoneflies can exploit rich carbon resources available in anoxic zones, which may explain their extraordinarily high abundance in gravel‐bed floodplain aquifers. These stoneflies are part of a novel food web contributing biodiversity to river floodplains.
Sequential nephron blockade with combined diuretics improves diastolic function in patients with resistant hypertension
Authors: Fouassier David , Blanchard Anne , Fayol Antoine , Bobrie Guillaume , Boutouyrie Pierre , Azizi Michel , Hulot Jean‐Sébastien
Published: June 2020

Aims

Hypertension is a major contributor to cardiac diastolic dysfunction. Different therapeutics strategies have been proposed to control blood pressure (BP), but their independent impact on cardiac function remains undetermined. In patients with resistant hypertension, we compared the changes in cardiac parameters between two strategies based on sequential nephron blockade (NBD) with a combination of diuretics or sequential renin‐angiotensin system blockade (RASB).

Methods and results

After a 4‐week period where all patients received Irbesartan 300 mg/day + hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg/day + amlodipine 5 mg/day, 140 resistant hypertension patients (54.8 ± 11.1 years, 76% men, mean duration with hypertension: 13.1 ± 10.5 years, no previous history of heart failure or current symptoms of congestive heart failure) were randomized 1:1 to the NBD regimen or to the RASB regimen at week 0 (W0, baseline). Treatment intensity was increased at week 4, 8, or 10 if home BP was ≥135/85 mmHg, by sequentially adding 25 mg spironolactone, 20–40 mg furosemide, and 5 mg amiloride (NBD group) or 5–10 mg ramipril and 5–10 mg bisoprolol (RASB group). No other antihypertensive drug was allowed during the study. BP, BNP levels, and echocardiographic parameters were assessed at weeks 0 and 12.

The baseline characteristics, laboratory parameters, and plasma hormones (BNP, renin, and aldosterone) and cardiac echocardiographic parameters did not significantly differ between the NBD and the RASB groups. Over 12 weeks, BNP levels significantly decreased in NBD but increased in RASB (mean [CI 95%] change in log‐transformed BNP levels: −43% [−67%; −23%] vs. +55% [46%; 62%] in NBD vs. RASB, respectively, P < 0.0001). Similarly, the proportion of patients presenting ≥2 echocardiographic criteria of diastolic dysfunction decreased between baseline and W12 from 31% to 3% in NBD but increased from 19% to 32% in RASB (P = 0.0048). As compared with RASB, NBD induced greater decrease in ambulatory systolic BP (P < 0.0001), pulse pressure (P < 0.0001), and systemic vascular resistance (P < 0.005). In multivariable linear regression analyses, NBD treatment was significantly associated with decreased BNP levels (adjusted ß: −46.41 ± 6.99, P < 0.0001) independent of age, gender, renal function, and changes in BPs or heart rate.

Conclusions

In patients with resistant hypertension, nephron blockade with a combination of diuretics significantly improves cardiac markers of diastolic dysfunction independently of BP lowering.
Discovery, Crystal Growth, and Characterization of Garnet Eu2PbSb2Zn3O12
Authors: Morrow Ryan , Sturza Mihai I. , Ray Rajyavardhan , Himcinschi Cameliu , Kern Jonas , Schlender Philipp , Richter Manuel , Wurmehl Sabine , Büchner Bernd
Published: June 2020

Single crystal specimens of previously unknown garnet Eu2PbSb2Zn3O12 were grown in a reactive PbO:PbF2 flux medium. The crystals were characterized by a combination of X‐ray crystallography, magnetization measurements, and the optical techniques of Raman, photoluminescence, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The material exhibits Van Vleck paramagnetism associated with the J = 0 state of Eu3+, which was possible to accurately fit to a theoretical model. Band structure calculations were performed and compared to the experimental band gap of 1.98 eV. The crystals demonstrate photoluminescence associated with the 4f 6 configuration of the Eu3+ ions sitting at the distorted 8‐coordinate garnet A site. The title compound represents a unique quinary contribution to a relatively unexplored area of rare earth bearing garnet crystal chemistry.
Copper‐Promoted N‐Arylation of the Indole Side Chain of Tryptophan Using Triarylbismuthines
Authors: Le Roch Adrien , Chan Hwai‐Chien , Gagnon Alexandre
Published: June 2020

A simple protocol for the regioselective N‐arylation of the indole side chain of tryptophan using triarylbismuth reagents as the arylating agent is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by copper(II) acetate, and operates in the presence of triethylamine or pyridine under air at 50 °C. This reaction allows the transfer of aryl groups bearing electron neutral, donating or withdrawing substituents at any position of the ring, shows high functional group tolerance, and retains the integrity of the stereogenic center. The protocol was utilized to N‐arylate tryptophan‐containing di‐ and tripeptides.
The Ethics of Everyday Life in the Midst of a Pandemic
Authors: Miller Franklin G.
Published: June 2020

Elderly individuals are at higher risk of serious illness and death if they become infected by the coronavirus. During the current pandemic, my wife and I, at ages seventy‐two and seventy‐one, respectively, have been paying a person laid off from a job to purchase groceries—a practice that exposes the shopper to risk of infection for our benefit. In this essay, I examine this practice with respect to the normative concepts of treating another person as a means, coercion, exploitation, and complicity.
Rethinking “Elective” Procedures for Women's Reproduction during Covid‐19
Authors: Gross Marielle S. , Harrington Bryna J. , Sufrin Carolyn B. , Faden Ruth R.
Published: June 2020

Common hospital and surgical center responses to the Covid‐19 pandemic included curtailing “elective” procedures, which are typically determined based on implications for physical health and survival. However, in the focus solely on physical health and survival, procedures whose main benefits advance components of well‐being beyond health, including self‐determination, personal security, economic stability, equal respect, and creation of meaningful social relationships, have been disproportionately deprioritized. We describe how female reproduction‐related procedures, including abortion, surgical sterilization, reversible contraception devices and in vitro fertilization, have been broadly categorized as “elective,” a designation that fails to capture the value of these procedures or their impact on women's overall well‐being. We argue that corresponding restrictions and delays of these procedures are problematically reflective of underlying structural views that marginalize women's rights and interests and therefore threaten to propagate gender injustice during the pandemic and beyond. Finally, we propose a framework for triaging reproduction‐related procedures during Covid‐19 that is more individualized, accounts for their significance for comprehensive well‐being, and can be used to inform resumption of operations as well as subsequent restriction phases.
Digital Contact Tracing, Privacy, and Public Health
Authors: Martinez‐Martin Nicole , Wieten Sarah , Magnus David , Cho Mildred K.
Published: June 2020

Digital contact tracing, in combination with widespread testing, has been a focal point for many plans to “reopen” economies while containing the spread of Covid‐19. Most digital contact tracing projects in the United States and Europe have prioritized privacy protections in the form of local storage of data on smartphones and the deidentification of information. However, in the prioritization of privacy in this narrow form, there is not sufficient attention given to weighing ethical trade‐offs within the context of a public health pandemic or to the need to evaluate safety and effectiveness of software‐based technology applied to public health.
Pandemics, Protocols, and the Plague of Athens: Insights from Thucydides
Authors: Fins Joseph J.
Published: June 2020

When confronted by the novel ethical challenges posed by a pandemic, it is helpful to turn to history for guidance and direction. In this essay, the author revisits Thucydides's description of the Plague of Athens from The Peloponnesian War as he considers the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law's 2015 guidelines on ventilator allocation. Confronted by the exigencies of the Covid‐19 surge that struck New York, he questions the task force's decision not to give any degree of preference to health care workers who might become ill. He posits that they are due a compensatory ethic and some deference given the risks they have assumed, often with inadequate protective gear. Reflecting on his ambivalence, he asks if his change of heart reflects the impact of experiential learning or the erosion of nomos—or governing norms—described by Thucydides when the plague struck Athens.
Older Adults and Covid‐19: The Most Vulnerable, the Hardest Hit
Authors: Powell Tia , Bellin Eran , Ehrlich Amy R.
Published: June 2020

Older adults in the United States have been the age group hardest hit by the Covid pandemic. They have suffered a disproportionate number of deaths; Covid patients eighty years or older on ventilators had fatality rates higher than 90 percent. How could we have better protected older adults? Both the popular press and government entities blamed nursing homes, labeling them “snake pits” and imposing harsh fines and arduous new regulations. We argue that this approach is unlikely to improve protections for older adults. Rather than focusing exclusively on acute and critical resources, including ventilators, a plan that respected the best interests of older adults would have also supported nursing homes, a critical part of the health care system. Better access to protective equipment for staff members, early testing of staff members and patients, and enhanced means of communication with families were what was needed. These preventive measures would have offered greater benefit to the oldest members of our population than the exclusive focus on acute care.
A Strategy to Prevent and Control Zoonoses?
Authors: Lei Ruipeng , Qiu Renzong
Published: June 2020

The authors argue that in preventing and controlling the pandemic of Covid‐19, we should have taken an offensive or proactive strategy rather than a defensive or reactionary one because the former type of approach can bring about more health benefits and fewer harms than can the latter. The offensive or proactive approach consists of two parts: The first part is to preemptively establish a barrier between a novel virus and humans in order to prevent the spillover of the virus into humans, and the second part is that, when a spillover fails to be prevented, we should take public interventions, such as contact tracing, social distancing, and quarantine and isolation, as early as when there are several dozens or one hundred or more cases that manifest symptoms with an unknown etiology in order to prevent an epidemic that is still limited to relatively small groups from developing into an outbreak.
Our Next Pandemic Ethics Challenge? Allocating “Normal” Health Care Services
Authors: Garrett Jeremy R. , McNolty Leslie Ann , Wolfe Ian D. , Lantos John D.
Published: June 2020

The pandemic creates unprecedented challenges to society and to health care systems around the world. Like all crises, these provide a unique opportunity to rethink the fundamental limiting assumptions and institutional inertia of our established systems. These inertial assumptions have obscured deeply rooted problems in health care and deflected attempts to address them. As hospitals begin to welcome all patients back, they should resist the temptation to go back to business as usual. Instead, they should retain the more deliberative, explicit, and transparent ways of thinking that have informed the development of crisis standards of care. The key lesson to be learned from those exercises in rational deliberation is that justice must be the ethical foundation of all standards of care. Justice demands that hospitals take a safety‐net approach to providing services that prioritizes the most vulnerable segments of society, continue to expand telemedicine in ways that improve access without exacerbating disparities, invest in community‐based care, and fully staff hospitals and clinics on nights and weekends.
Reading in the Postgenomic Age: On Contemporary Literature and the Good Bionarrative Citizen
Authors: Larkin Lesley
Published: June 2020

The “postgenomic age,” whose start date roughly corresponds to the turn of the millennium, is characterized not only by the rapid development of genomic technologies and commercial products but also by the widespread publication of literary works focused on genomics and its cultural implications. Defining “postgenomic literature” as literature that is both of and about the postgenomic age, this essay explores how works by nonfiction writer Rebecca Skloot and novelist Richard Powers exemplify a significant trend within the genre: the thematic exploration of ethical questions in the field of literature itself. While both authors address questions of medical and scientific ethics prompted by genomic research, with special emphasis on the exploitation of vulnerable populations, these questions lead readers directly to questions of narrative responsibility: who can tell whose story to whom—and for whose benefit? The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Generosity: An Enhancement, like other examples of postgenomic literature, invite readers to engage in critical reading practices that resist both textual and genetic determinism.
Does Solidarity Require “All of Us” to Participate in Genomics Research?
Authors: Neuhaus Carolyn P.
Published: June 2020

In this paper, I interrogate an ethical obligation to participate in genomics research on the basis of solidarity. I explore two different ways in which solidarity is used to motivate participation in genomics research: as an appeal to participate in genomic research because it cultivates solidarity and as an appeal to participate in genomic research because it expresses solidarity. I critique those appeals and draw lessons from them for how we ought to understand solidarity. The working definition of solidarity that I defend is that solidarity involves recognizing another creature, person, or persons as, like ourselves, vulnerable to injustice and entails acting in ways that contribute to creating, reforming, and participating in institutions that are aimed at enhancing their flourishing. I argue that participating in genomics research is not an expression of solidarity. Participation in research may be praiseworthy, a “good thing to do,” but actually cultivating and expressing solidarity requires much more of us.
Why and How Bioethics Must Turn toward Justice: A Modest Proposal
Authors: Reardon Jenny
Published: June 2020

In this essay, I argue that to create a genomics that offers more gifts than weights, central attention must be paid to questions of justice. This will require expanding bioethical imaginations so that they grasp and can respond to questions of structural inequity. It will necessitate building novel coalitions and collaborations that turn the attention of bioethical governance away from narrow individual questions such as, “Do I consent?” and toward the broader collective question, is this just? What kind of lives and collectivities are made possible? What rights and principles should govern them? The essay ends with one example of this novel coalition building arising from the Science and Justice Research Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz. It draws lessons from this effort to build new alliances that bridge the social sciences and natural sciences, arts and engineering, to create new kinds of training and thinking that create a genomics that more adequately responds to fundamental questions of justice.
Psychosocial stress reactivity habituates following acute physiological stress
Authors: Kühnel Anne , Kroemer Nils B. , Elbau Immanuel G. , Czisch Michael , Sämann Philipp G. , Walter Martin ,   BeCome working group, Binder Elisabeth B.
Published: June 2020

Acute and chronic stress are important factors in the development of mental disorders. Reliable measurement of stress reactivity is therefore pivotal. Critically, experimental induction of stress often involves multiple “hits” and it is an open question whether individual differences in responses to an earlier stressor lead to habituation, sensitization, or simple additive effects on following events. Here, we investigated the effect of the individual cortisol response to intravenous catheter placement (IVP) on subsequent neural, psychological, endocrine, and autonomous stress reactivity. We used an established psychosocial stress paradigm to measure the acute stress response (Stress) and recovery (PostStress) in 65 participants. Higher IVP‐induced cortisol responses were associated with lower pulse rate increases during stress recovery (b= −4.8 bpm,p= .0008) and lower increases in negative affect after the task (b= −4.2,p= .040). While the cortisol response to IVP was not associated with subsequent specific stress‐induced neural activation patterns, the similarity of brain responsesPre‐andPostStresswas higher IVP‐cortisol responders (t[64] = 2.35,p= .022) indicating faster recovery. In conclusion, preparatory stress induced by IVP reduced reactivity in a subsequent stress task by modulating the latency of stress recovery. Thus, an individually stronger preceding release of cortisol may attenuate a second physiological response and perceived stress suggesting that relative changes, not absolute levels are crucial for stress attribution. Our study highlights that considering the entire trajectory of stress induction during an experiment is important to develop reliable individual biomarkers.
Histone deacetylase inhibition prevents the growth of primary and metastatic osteosarcoma
Authors: McGuire Jeremy J. , Nerlakanti Niveditha , Lo Chen Hao , Tauro Marilena , Utset‐Ward Thomas J. , Reed Damon R. , Lynch Conor C.
Published: June 2020

Overall survival rates for patients with advanced osteosarcoma have remained static for over three decades. An in vitro analysis of osteosarcoma cell lines for sensitivity to an array of approved cancer therapies revealed that panobinostat, a broad spectrum histone deacetalyase (HDAC) inhibitor, is highly effective at triggering osteosarcoma cell death. Using in vivo models of orthotopic and metastatic osteosarcoma, here we report that panobinostat impairs the growth of primary osteosarcoma in bone and spontaneous metastasis to the lung, the most common site of metastasis for this disease. Further, pretreatment of mice with panobinostat prior to tail vein inoculation of osteosarcoma prevents the seeding and growth of lung metastases. Additionally, panobinostat impaired the growth of established lung metastases and improved overall survival, and these effects were also manifest in the lung metastatic SAOS2‐LM7 model. Mechanistically, the efficacy of panobinostat was linked to high expression of HDAC1 and HDAC2 in osteosarcoma, and silencing of HDAC1 and 2 greatly reduced osteosarcoma growth in vitro. In accordance with these findings, treatment with the HDAC1/2 selective inhibitor romidepsin compromised the growth of osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of patient‐derived xenograft osteosarcoma cell lines further demonstrated the sensitivity of the disease to panobinostat or romidepsin. Collectively, these studies provide rationale for clinical trials in osteosarcoma patients using the approved therapies panobinostat or romidepsin.
Giant folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma of the vulva: A rare occurrence
Authors: Khan Amena , Gowda Chiranth , Vasudevan Geetha , Rodrigues Gabriel
Published: June 2020

Giant FSCH of the vulva can be disfiguring, leading to sexual and psychological issues affecting quality of life. Total excision of the lesion is recommended.
When is search for meaning in life beneficial for well‐being? A cross‐national study
Authors: Lin Li , Chan Hoi‐Wing
Published: June 2020

Previous research has found cross‐national variations in the association between search for meaning in life (SMIL) and well‐being (i.e. SMIL–WB link). This study extended and tested a “self‐improvement hypothesis” that accounts for such cross‐national variations based on an international database—the sixth wave of World Values Survey. SMIL represents a self‐improvement effort which is more demanded in contexts with stronger external constraints. Thus, we expected a stronger positive SMIL–WB link in such contexts. A series of multilevel analyses was used to verify this hypothesis. The results showed that the SMIL–WB link varied across different societies, with well‐being indexed by happiness, life satisfaction and subjective health. Moreover, external constraints from cultural, social‐institutional, economic and ecological contexts (collectivism, peace threats, economic scarcity and environmental threats) moderated the SMIL–WB links. We thus call for advancing SMIL theory by considering person–context interaction.
Hallmarks of frailty and osteosarcopenia in prematurely aged PolgA(D257A/D257A) mice
Authors: Scheuren Ariane C. , D'Hulst Gommaar , Kuhn Gisela A. , Masschelein Evi , Wehrle Esther , De Bock Katrien , Müller Ralph
Published: June 2020

Background

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome characterized by increased susceptibility to adverse health outcomes. One major determinant thereof is the gradual weakening of the musculoskeletal system and the associated osteosarcopenia. To improve our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and, more importantly, to test potential interventions aimed at counteracting frailty, suitable animal models are needed.

Methods

To evaluate the relevance of prematurely aged PolgA(D257A/D257A) mice as a model for frailty and osteosarcopenia, we quantified the clinical mouse frailty index in PolgA(D257A/D257A) and wild‐type littermates (PolgA(+/+), WT) with age and concertedly assessed the quantity and quality of bone and muscle tissue. Lastly, the anabolic responsiveness of skeletal muscle, muscle progenitors, and bone was assessed.

Results

PolgA(D257A/D257A) accumulated health deficits at a higher rate compared with WT, resulting in a higher frailty index at 40 and 46 weeks of age (+166%, +278%, P < 0.0001), respectively, with no differences between genotypes at 34 weeks. Concomitantly, PolgA(D257A/D257A) displayed progressive musculoskeletal deterioration such as reduced bone and muscle mass as well as impaired functionality thereof. In addition to lower muscle weights (−14%, P < 0.05, −23%, P < 0.0001) and fibre area (−20%, P < 0.05, −22%, P < 0.0001) at 40 and 46 weeks, respectively, PolgA(D257A/D257A) showed impairments in grip strength and concentric muscle forces (P < 0.05). PolgA(D257A/D257A) mutation altered the acute response to various anabolic stimuli in skeletal muscle and muscle progenitors. While PolgA(D257A/D257A) muscles were hypersensitive to eccentric contractions as well as leucine administration, shown by larger downstream signalling response of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1, myogenic progenitors cultured in vitro showed severe anabolic resistance to leucine and robust impairments in cell proliferation. Longitudinal micro‐computed tomography analysis of the sixth caudal vertebrae showed that PolgA(D257A/D257A) had lower bone morphometric parameters (e.g. bone volume fraction, trabecular, and cortical thickness, P < 0.05) as well as reduced remodelling activities (e.g. bone formation and resorption rate, P < 0.05) compared with WT. When subjected to 4 weeks of cyclic loading, young but not aged PolgA(D257A/D257A) caudal vertebrae showed load‐induced bone adaptation, suggesting reduced mechanosensitivity with age.

Conclusions

PolgA(D257A/D257A) mutation leads to hallmarks of age‐related frailty and osteosarcopenia and provides a powerful model to better understand the relationship between frailty and the aging musculoskeletal system.
Rare case of acinar cell carcinoma with multiple lesions in the pancreas
Authors: Ikeda Yuki , Yoshida Makoto , Ishikawa Kazuma , Kubo Tomohiro , Kimura Yasutoshi , Hasegawa Tadashi , Miyanishi Koji , Kato Junji
Published: June 2020

We present the first case of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC) with multiple lesions. A 55‐year‐old man with a pancretic tail mass on abdominal computed tomography (CT) was admitted to our hospital. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) showed a hypoechoic mass, and EUS‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA) revealed the mass to be PACC. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy, and two masses were identified in the pancreatic tail and body. Histologically, both masses had tumor cells similar to acinar cells and were positive for BCL‐10. The patient was thus diagnosed with synchronous PACC. Ten months after the surgery, abdominal CT revealed a mass in the remnant pancreas. EUS showed a hypoechoic mass, and EUS‐FNA determined it to be PACC. The patient underwent total remnant pancreatectomy. The histological imaging results were similar to those of the first resection. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with synchronous and metachronous PACC. The possibility of multiple occurrences in the pancreas should be considered with PACC.
Mechanochemical synthesis of 5‐acetylthiazole: A step toward green and sustainable chemistry
Authors: Al‐Bogami Abdullah S. , Saleh Tamer S. , Al‐Shareef Adel H.
Published: June 2020

Mechanochemical synthesis of 5‐acetylthiazole derivatives by one‐pot three‐component procedure over Silica Sulfuric acid under solvent‐free conditions, has been developed. The durability of the catalyst was tested. The environmentally benign protocol introduced herein characterized by no hazardous organic solvent used, recyclability of the catalyst up to five runs without loss of its catalytic activity and high yields of products that confirm the utilization of some green chemistry principles in the mentioned protocol.
Effects of ultrafine grinding on physicochemical, functional and surface properties of ginger stem powders
Authors: Zhao Xiaoyan , Meng Ang , Zhang Xiaowei , Liu Hongkai , Guo Dongju , Zhu Yunping
Published: June 2020

BACKGROUND

Ginger stem (GS) is a by‐product of ginger processing. It is not directly edible as a feed or food, which leads to it being discarded as waste or burned. Accordingly, it is very important to develop new functional products in the food or feed industry as a result of high nutritional and medicinal values. In the present study, the structures and physicochemical properties of GS powders of different sizes were evaluated after ultrafine grinding by a vibrating mill.

RESULTS

The ultrafine powders exhibited a smaller particle size and uniform distribution. Higher values in bulk density (from 1.07 ± 0.06 to 1.62 ± 0.08 g mL−1), oil holding capacity (from 3.427 ± 0.04 to 4.83 ± 0.03 g mL−1), and repose and slide angles (from 42.33 ± 1.52 to 54.36 ± 1.15° and 33.62 ± 0.75 to 47.27 ± 1.34°, respectively) of ultrafine GS powders were exhibited compared to coarse powders. With a reduced particle size, the solubility of ultrafine powders increased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the water holding and swelling capacities decreased with a reduced particle size and then increased. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that ultrafine grinding did not damage the main cellular structure of GS powder. The reduction of fiber length and particle size in GS was observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The X‐ray diffraction patterns demonstrated the crystallinity and the intensity of the peak in superfine GS powders.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests that ultrafine grinding treatments influence the structures and physicochemical properties of GS powders, and such changes would improve the effective utilization of GS in the food or feed industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Suicidal Ideation in a Veterans Affairs Residential Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Setting: The Roles of Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness
Authors: Martin Colleen E. , Pukay‐Martin Nicole D. , Blain Rachel C. , Dutton‐Cox Courtney , Chard Kathleen M.
Published: June 2020

Suicide is a significant public health concern, and, specifically, the veteran population has exhibited a 22% higher risk of death by suicide than the general population (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2017). The interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005) appears to be the most widely researched theory to examine factors associated with suicidal ideation. The IPTS applies to veteran suicidal ideation in that veterans may feel they are burdensome to others or that they do not belong following their transition from active duty. The current study sought to (a) identify the prevalence and correlates of the IPTS constructs perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness; (b) examine the main and interactive effects of these constructs on suicidal ideation; and (c) examine their indirect effects in the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, depressive symptomatology, and substance use with suicidal ideation in a sample of veterans in PTSD residential treatment (N = 125). Regression results demonstrated that perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with suicidal ideation, β = .50, p < .001; however, thwarted belongingness and the interaction of the two were not. In the models of indirect effects, perceived burdensomeness emerged as the only significant indirect effect in the association between PTSD symptomatology and suicidal ideation, β = .01 (SE = .00), 95% CI [.0050, .0149], as well as between depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation, β = .02 (SE = .01), 95% CI [.0109, .0311]. Study limitations and future directions are also discussed.
Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum in Fetuses
Authors: Ghassemi Neda , Rupe Eric , Perez Mishella , Lamale‐Smith Leah , Fratto Victoria M. , Farid Nikdokht , Hahn Michael , Ramos Gladys A. , Ho Yoona , Rakow‐Penner Rebecca , Horton Katelyn , Khan Sohini , Jones Marilyn , Pretorius Dolores H.
Published: June 2020

Objectives

We hypothesized that: (1) fetal frontal horn (FH) morphology and their proximity to the cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) can assist in suspecting complete agenesis of the corpus callosum (cACC) and partial agenesis of the corpus callosum (pACC) earlier than known indirect ultrasound (US) findings; (2) FHs assist in differentiating a true CSP from a pseudocavum; and (3) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful in learning FH morphology and pseudocavum etiology.

Methods

Thirty‐two patients with cACC and 9 with pACC were identified on an Institutional Review Board–approved retrospective review. Of the 41 cases, 40 had prenatal US, and 21 had prenatal MRI; 17 had follow‐up neonatal US, and 14 had follow‐up neonatal MRI. Variables evaluated retrospectively were the presence of a CSP or a pseudocavum, ventricle size and shape, and FH shape (comma, trident, parallel, golf club, enlarged, or fused). Displacement between the inferior edge of the FH and the midline or cavum/pseudocavum was measured.

Results

Fetal FHs had an abnormal shape in 77% ≤20 weeks' gestation, 86% ≤24 weeks, and 90% >24 weeks. Frontal horns were laterally displaced greater than 2 mm in 85% ≤20 weeks, 91% ≤24 weeks, and 95% >24 weeks. The CSP was absent in 100% of cACC cases and 78% of pACC cases, and a pseudocavum was present in 88% of cACC cases and 78% of pACC cases across gestation. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed US pseudocavums to be focal interhemispheric fluid or an elevated/dilated third ventricle.

Conclusions

Frontal horns assist in assessing ACC ≤24 weeks and throughout gestation. Pseudocavums, often simulating CSPs, are common in ACC. Frontal horn lateral displacement and abnormal morphology, recognized by MRI correlations, are helpful in differentiating a pseudocavum from a true CSP. A normal CSP should not be cleared on screening US unless normally shaped FHs are seen directly adjacent to it.
Treatment of horizontal canal BPPV—a randomized sham‐controlled trial comparing two therapeutic maneuvers of different speeds
Authors: Martens Camilla , Goplen Frederik Kragerud , Aasen Torbjørn , Gjestad Rolf , Nordfalk Karl Fredrik , Nordahl Stein Helge Glad
Published: June 2020

Objectives

To compare the effect of a high‐speed barbecue maneuver with the modified Lempert maneuver and sham in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) of the horizontal canal.

Methods

Randomized sham‐controlled, single blinded multicenter clinical trial in two university hospitals investigating consecutive patients with horizontal canal BPPV.

Patients were randomly assigned to high‐speed barbecue (HSB), modified Lempert maneuver (ML), or sham maneuver (SM). All treatments were performed in a biaxial rotational chair with weekly follow‐up to a maximum of three treatment sessions. The final follow‐up was 3 months after the last treatment.

Results

Primary outcome: 2‐week recovery rate per protocol. Secondary outcome: Cumulative recovery rate and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) scores after 3 months per protocol (HSB and ML) and intention to treat (all groups).

Fifty‐four patients were analyzed after 2 weeks (HSB = 17; ML = 20; SM = 17). Two‐week recovery rate was 14/17 after HSB, 11/20 after ML, and 4/17 after SM, with significantly better recovery in HSB [OR 15.17, 95% CI (1.85, 124.63), P = .001] using sham as base level. Recovery rate after 3 months was 15/17 after HSB and 15/19 after ML. Cumulative recovery rate showed no significant differences between the two treatment groups [95% CI (0.30, 13.14), P = .46] in cure rate DHI [95% CI (−16.56, 15.02), P = .92]. No unexpected adverse events were observed.

Conclusion

Velocity change in horizontal canal BPPV treatment gives a faster initial recovery. Rapid recovery could reduce the disease burden.

Trial Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT01905800.

Level of Evidence

1b
Effects of nitric acid passivation on the corrosion behavior of ZG06Cr13Ni4Mo stainless steel in simulated marine atmosphere
Authors: Zhang Chunyu , Wei Yinghua , Yang Jie , Emori Wilfred , Li Jing
Published: June 2020

ZG06Cr13Ni4Mo martensitic stainless steel was nitric acid‐passivated to improve its corrosion performance. The effects of nitric acid passivation on the surface morphology, chemical composition, electrochemical properties, semiconductor behavior, and long‐term corrosion performance of the stainless steel were investigated using various analytical techniques. An in‐depth analysis of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the passive film formed after the acid passivation process showed high thickness and a duplex character as it consisted of a hydroxide layer and an oxide layer. The oxide layer affected the corrosion resistance and thickness of the passive film. The thickness of the passive film was calculated theoretically as well as experimentally by fitting the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and XPS results. The electrochemical tests revealed that the dramatic increase in the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel after the passivation was due to the formation of a thick, low‐disorder passive film rather than Cr enrichment. The removal of inclusions resulted in higher pitting resistance, whereas the increased roughness showed a negative effect on the corrosion behavior of the stainless steel. During the wet–dry cyclic tests, the modification of the passive film was examined. The passivated stainless steel exhibited good corrosion resistance for up to 50 days of exposure in the simulated environment.
Online monitoring system for metallic components in underground laboratory
Authors: Yuan Zehao , Liu Chao , Xu Qiufa , Liu Quanlin , Pang Xiaolu , Gao Kewei
Published: June 2020

With the increasing application of nuclear energy in power industry, China has accumulated a large amount of high‐level radioactive nuclear waste, which are characterized by high toxicity, high radioactivity, and long half‐life. Improper disposal will cause great harm to human life and property. China has decided to establish an underground laboratory for geological disposal of high‐level radioactive waste (HLW) in Beishan, Gansu Province, to study the scientific issues related to geological disposal of HLW. In this paper, an online monitoring system including two kinds of integrated inductance probe for the corrosion monitoring of metallic materials used in atmospheric or bentonite environment in Beishan underground laboratory was developed, and the reliability and accuracy of the system were studied. The results show that the system can satisfy the requirement of online monitoring of the corrosion rate of metallic materials, ambient temperature, resistivity, and humidity of bentonite in the underground laboratory for geological disposal of HLW in different environments.
Ultrathin hydroxyapatite coating on pure magnesium substrate prepared by pulsed electron ablation technique
Authors: Dvorsky Drahomir , Gambardella Alessandro , Kubasek Jiri , Berni Matteo , Vojtech Dalibor
Published: June 2020

Magnesium (Mg) as a potential material for biodegradable implants is attractive due to its mechanical similarity to the bone tissue and nontoxic corrosion products. However, the rapid corrosion rate of bare magnesium is associated with hydrogen release, which may complicate the healing process. The corrosion rate may be reduced by suitable alloying, but concurrently the biocompatibility of such alloy might be deteriorated. Another way of reduction of the corrosion rate is coating. Hydroxyapatite (HA)‐based coating is considered to improve biocompatibility as well as decrease the corrosion rate by the barrier effect. In this study, ultrathin (150 nm) HA and HA containing Sr coatings are deposited via pulsed electron ablation technique on pure Mg. The microstructure of the coating was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical methods were used to investigate the corrosion properties of prepared coatings. The materials covered by this layer were characterized by superior corrosion behavior, with corrosion rates of coated samples up to five times lower as compared with the uncoated ones. Such coating is the thinnest coating found in the literature sources.
An update on the copper corrosion program for the long‐term management of used nuclear fuel in Canada
Authors: Keech Peter G. , Behazin Mehran , Binns W. Jeffrey , Briggs Scott
Published: June 2020

In 2012, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization developed a comprehensive proof test plan (PTP) to evaluate the feasibility and safety of their copper‐coated used fuel container and their novel bentonite buffer box emplacement concept to be employed in its proposed deep geological repository for the long‐term management of used nuclear fuel. Research within the PTP includes several programs to evaluate the possible extent of damage that may be caused by various copper corrosion mechanisms: oxic‐, radiolytic‐, anoxic‐, and sulfide‐induced, with particular attention being paid to the possibility of localization of any of these processes. Programs remain on track to support and refine a maximum copper corrosion allowance of <1.27 mm over a one million year emplacement in a deep geological repository.
Modeling microbial sulfate reduction and the consequences for corrosion of copper canisters
Authors: King Fraser , Kolář Miroslav , Puigdomenech Ignasi , Pitkänen Petteri , Lilja Christina
Published: June 2020

The copper sulfide model (CSM) is a one‐dimensional reactive transport code for predicting the evolution of the corrosion behavior of a copper canister in a deep geological repository. Here, the CSM has been extended to simulate the microbial reduction of sulfate in the repository and the consequences for corrosion of the canister. Organotrophic and chemotrophic sulfate reduction are represented by Monod kinetics, along with the dissolution of solid organic matter and gypsum as sources of nutrient and an electron acceptor, respectively. Siderite dissolution in the buffer and tunnel backfill materials acts as a source of Fe(II), which can then precipitate the microbially produced sulfide as mackinawite. Results are presented for a simulation representing the expected evolution of the corrosion behavior and repository environment and for a series of sensitivity analyses designed to identify the most important processes in the overall reaction scheme.
Probabilistic model for pitting of copper canisters
Authors: Briggs Scott , Lilja Christina , King Fraser
Published: June 2020

Copper canisters for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel are expected to be subject to general (uniform) corrosion and a limited degree of localised damage. Although the canister is expected to be exposed to predominantly active conditions, it is nevertheless prudent to assess the probability of pitting corrosion in passive conditions. A probabilistic pitting model is developed for aerobic conditions in water‐saturated bentonite. While aerobic, saturated conditions may be unlikely to occur if saturation is slow or O2 consumption is fast, these conditions have been assumed as a starting point because of the availability of data. The model samples from environmental conditions use a Monte Carlo approach to predict active or passive conditions. Under passive conditions, the model compares corrosion potentials to breakdown and repassivation potentials to determine pit initiations and deaths, respectively. Pit depth distributions can then be calculated. For the assumed conditions, the model predicts that active conditions dominate 90% of the time while the remaining passive conditions can lead to pitting during the first few years primarily controlled by the availability of oxygen.
Current and Future Trends in Polyurethanes: An Industrial Perspective
Authors: Eling Berend , Tomović Željko , Schädler Volker
Published: June 2020

The urethane polyaddition reaction was discovered about 80 years ago. Since then this chemistry has further developed into many industrial applications and grown into a multibillion dollar business. The versatility of polyurethanes is founded in a broad spectrum of properties which can be achieved ranging from flexible to rigid and from compact to foamed by choosing suitable combinations of starting materials, the key raw materials being polyol and isocyanate. While on the industrial megaton scale the number of isocyanate building blocks is quite limited, there is a huge choice of polyols and additives available to achieve tailor‐made polymer properties for various applications. For the future development of polyurethanes, the two major trends, i) the further improvement of all sustainability characteristics and ii) digitalization in product and process development, are discussed. The former is reflected in four main areas: the production of improved insulation materials to reduce energy consumption; production of raw materials with an improved carbon footprint; odor and emission reduction in indoor applications; and recycling of production and consumer waste. The present review concludes with a few examples as to how digitalization can change and accelerate research and development work in the future.