bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Altered amygdalar volume and functional connectivity in primary dysmenorrhoea during the menstrual cycle
Authors: Yang Ling , Dun Wanghuan , Li Kang , Yang Jing , Wang Ke , Liu Hongjuan , Liu Jixin , Zhang Ming
Published: January 2019

Background

Primary dysmenorrhoea (PDM), characterized as menstrual pain without pelvic pathology, is associated with pain‐related negative mood and hormone fluctuations. Previous studies strongly supported the link between pain and negative mood in affected individuals; however, it remains largely unknown in patients with PDM.

Methods

We focused on the effects how spontaneous pain, negative mood and hormone levels played on the central nervous system in 34 PDM women and 33 matched healthy controls across their cycles (periovulatory phase and menstruation phase) by using T1‐weighted and functional imaging. Voxel‐based morphometry and functional connectivity (FC) analyses were performed to evaluate brain structural and functional changes. Hormone concentrations (oestradiol, progesterone and cortisol) were also obtained.

Results

Abnormal state‐related GM volume in the amygdala was found between periovulatory and menstruation phases in PDM. Furthermore, larger amygdalar volume was observed in patients’ menstruation phase, which was significantly correlated with higher levels of cortisol. In addition, we found increased amygdala‐seeded FC in vlPFC, which may be associated with pain intensity and negative mood in PDM women during the pain state.

Conclusions

Taken together, we found women with PDM had structural and functional abnormalities in the amygdala, which associated with stress hormone levels, pain intensity and negative mood, may reflect disturbed emotional and pain modulation in women with PDM.

Significance

Our findings provide further evidence of amygdala‐related abnormalities, which may be associated with pain‐related affective distress and hormonal fluctuations in women with PDM, and complement the brain mechanism investigations for the pathophysiology of PDM.
Dominance and competence face to face: Dissociations obtained with a reverse correlation approach
Authors: Oliveira Manuel , Garcia‐Marques Teresa , Dotsch Ron , Garcia‐Marques Leonel
Published: January 2019

The article explores whether the traits representing the dimensions underlying the structure of facial and non‐facial impressions are similarly mapped in the face space. Two studies examine whether the trustworthiness‐by‐dominance and the warmth‐by‐competence two‐dimensional models overlap in face perception. In Study 1 (N = 200), we used a reverse‐correlation task to obtain classification images (CIs) reflecting how each dimension is mapped onto a face. Results show that the similarity between CIs was higher between warmth and trustworthiness than between competence and dominance. In Study 2 (N = 31) the evaluations of each CI on each social dimension show a higher dissociation between dominance and competence than between trustworthiness and warmth. These results, obtained at both perceptual and judgment levels, suggest that there is only a partial correspondence between the two models that seems to be driven by the relationship that the competence and dominance dimensions establish with valence.
Rapid and inexpensive method for the simple fabrication of PDMS‐based electrochemical sensors for detection in microfluidic devices
Authors: da Silva Eiva Natiele Tiago , Ferreira Valdir Souza , Lucca Bruno Gabriel
Published: January 2019

The fabrication of PDMS microfluidic structures through soft lithography is widely reported. While this well‐established method gives high precision microstructures and has been successfully used for many researchers, it often requires sophisticated instrumentation and expensive materials such as clean room facilities and photoresists. Thus, we present here a simple protocol that allows the rapid molding of simple linear microchannels in PDMS substrates aiming microfluidics‐based applications. It might serve as an alternative to researchers that do not have access to sophisticated facilities such as clean rooms. The method developed here consists on the use of pencil graphite leads as template for the molding of PDMS channels. It yields structures that can be used for several applications, such as housing support for electrochemical sensors or channels for flow devices. Here, the microdevices produced through this protocol were employed for the accommodation of carbon black paste, which was utilized for the first time as amperometric sensor in microchip electrophoresis. This platform was successfully used for the separation and detection of model analytes. Ascorbic acid and iodide were separated within 45 s with peak resolution of 1.2 and sensitivities of 198 and 492 pA/μM, respectively. The background noise was ca. 84 pA. The analytical usefulness of the system developed was successfully tested through the quantification of iodide in commercial pharmaceutical formulations. It demonstrates good efficiency of the microfabrication protocol developed and enables its use for the easy and rapid prototyping of PDMS structures over a low fabrication cost.
Multi‐substrate anaerobic co‐digestion of citrus pulp, lawn grass, and chicken manure—A batch study
Authors: Sukhesh Muramreddy Jugal , Muske Atul , Venkateswara Rao Polisetty
Published: January 2019

Anaerobic digestion of organic waste is a promising alternative to landfilling and is being encouraged by current policies in India. However, nutritional imbalance of single waste as a substrate in anaerobic digestion is limiting the effective degradation in biogas production. Co‐digestion of multiple organic wastes where the digestion of two or more substrates is carried out in a single digester is a promising method to enhance the nutritional balance. The present study investigated the possibilities of improving biogas production with co‐digestion of citrus pulp (CP), lawn grass (LG), and chicken manure (CM) based on the total solid loading (TS %). The design of experiments and analysis of the co‐digestion effect were carried out with central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM), respectively. Biogas production was found to vary more with respect to total solid loading (TS %) than C/N ratio of the co‐digestion mix. The low influence of C/N ratio may be due to prevalence of optimal C/N ratio of 16–33 in all co‐digestion mixes. The adopted central composite design–response surface methodology (CCD–RSM) led to maximum biogas production of 688 mL at CP of 0.28 (TS %), LG of 9.4 (TS %), and CM of 4 (TS %). The CCD–RSM is a suitable approach to maximize the biogas production in multi‐substrate anaerobic co‐digestion. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019
Ammonia ligand and transition metal salt complexation on naturally dyed textile surface: A reflectance spectroscopic investigation to understand coloration and fastness properties
Authors: Shahid‐ul‐Islam  , Sheikh Javed , Mohammad Faqeer
Published: January 2019

Ammonia is a stronger ligand and can replace water molecules in a chelate metal complex as per spectrochemical series. This property of ammonia was utilized in this work for the coloration of wool in order to obtain some unusual effects. Different concentrations of ammonia solution was applied on Butea monosperma flower extract dyed wool previously premordanted with ferrous sulfate salt to evaluate the effect on colorimetric properties. A range of newer shades were produced on wool substrates which were characterized in terms of K/S, CIELa*b* values and fastness properties. The observed effects exhibited on wool and acceptable fastness properties of produced shades points out a promising approach for developing environmentally sustainable colorful textile materials and clothing. The chemical modification of wool before and after application of ammonia was also evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer analysis. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019
Holocene Dune Activity in the Thar Desert, India
Authors: Srivastava Aayush , Thomas David S.G. , Durcan Julie A.
Published: January 2019

The Thar Desert dune system in north‐west India and eastern Pakistan provides a rich archive of past environmental, geomorphological and climatic change. Much of the knowledge about the timing of dune accumulation in the Thar stems from scattered and sporadic records, based on older luminescence dating protocols. If the Thar dune record is to be incorporated within a growing multiproxy framework of past climate and environmental dynamics, it is necessary to generate a systematic record of the timing of dunefield accumulation. From this, relationships to climate and other drivers of dune activity may then be better established. To this end, an intensive programme of field sampling and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was carried out from a dunefield in the east‐central Thar Desert. This study presents the first detailed Holocene dune accumulation history from the region, and sheds light on the development of the multi‐generational parabolic dune systems. In contrast to previously published work, we identify the importance of the Holocene and the last millennium as periods with a number of preserved accumulation phases. OSL ages suggest that accumulation was persistent during the early and mid‐Holocene (within 11.7‐5.5 ka), late Holocene (2‐1 ka), as well as two major phases in the last millennium (600 – 200 a and within the last 70 a). Potential drivers of dune mobility in the last century include a strong anthropogenic dimension. Rapid net accumulation is recorded in the last 70 years, with rates varying between 2 and 5 m/year, in an environment where agricultural pressures have increased dramatically with the advent of irrigation schemes expanding into dunefield areas. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bayesian structure selection for vector autoregression model
Authors: Chu Chi‐Hsiang , Lo Huang Mong‐Na , Huang Shih‐Feng , Chen Ray‐Bing
Published: January 2019

A vector autoregression (VAR) model is powerful for analyzing economic data as it can be used to simultaneously handle multiple time series from different sources. However, in the VAR model, we need to address the problem of substantial coefficient dimensionality, which would cause some computational problems for coefficient inference. To reduce the dimensionality, one could take model structures into account based on prior knowledge. In this paper, group structures of the coefficient matrices are considered. Because of the different types of VAR structures, corresponding Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms are proposed to generate posterior samples for performing inference of the structure selection. Simulation studies and a real example are used to demonstrate the performances of the proposed Bayesian approaches.
A finite mixture model for X‐chromosome association with an emphasis on microbiome data analysis
Authors: Espin‐Garcia Osvaldo , Croitoru Kenneth , Xu Wei
Published: January 2019

Analysis of the X chromosome has been largely neglected in genetic studies mainly because of complex underlying biological mechanisms. On the other hand, the study of human microbiome data (typically over‐dispersed counts with an excess of zeros) has generated great interest recently because of advancements in next‐generation sequencing technologies. We propose a novel approach to infer the association between host genetic variants in the X‐chromosome and microbiome data. The method accounts for random X‐chromosome inactivation (XCI), skewed (or nonrandom) XCI (XCI‐S), and escape of XCI (XCI‐E). The inference is performed through a finite mixture model (FMM), in which an indicator variable denoting the “true” biological mechanism is treated as missing data. An expectation‐maximization algorithm on zero‐inflated and two‐part models is implemented to estimate genetic effects. We investigate the performance of the FMM along with strategies that assume XCI and XCI‐E mechanisms for all subjects compared with alternative approaches. Briefly, an XCI mechanism codes males’ genotypes as homozygous females, whereas under XCI‐E, males are treated as heterozygous females. By comprehensive simulations, we evaluate tests of the hypothesis under a computationally efficient score statistic. In summary, the FMM renders reduced bias and commensurate power compared to XCI, XCI‐E, and alternative strategies while maintaining adequate Type 1 error control. The proposed method has far‐reaching applications. In particular, we illustrate its usage on a large‐scale human microbiome study, the Genetic, Environmental and Microbial (GEM) project, to test for the genetic association on the X chromosome.
First‐in‐human study with intratumoral administration of a CD40 agonistic antibody, ADC‐1013, in advanced solid malignancies
Authors: Irenaeus Sandra M. M. , Nielsen Dorte , Ellmark Peter , Yachnin Jeffrey , Deronic Adnan , Nilsson Anneli , Norlén Per , Veitonmäki Niina , Wennersten Camilla S. , Ullenhag Gustav J.
Published: January 2019

Agonistic CD40 antibodies activate dendritic cells and can expand and activate tumor‐specific T cells. Our purpose was to assess the CD40 agonistic antibody ADC‐1013 in the clinical setting including intratumoral administration since preclinical studies have indicated that intratumoral is better than intravenous administration. A Phase I, open label, multicenter study was conducted in patients with advanced solid tumors who had received established treatments. A modified 3 + 3 dose‐escalation was applied (every other week dosing). Twenty‐three patients were treated with ADC‐1013 intratumorally (dosing from 22.5 μg/kg up to 400 μg/kg) or intravenously (dosing at 75 μg/kg). The pharmacodynamic effects observed in the patients were further verified in an hCD40tg mouse model. Adverse events were mostly Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Grades 1 or 2 and transient. The serum concentration ADC‐1013 and cytokine release (MCP‐1, TNFα and IL‐6) were more pronounced in patients receiving injections in deep metastases compared to patients receiving injections in superficial metastases. Treatment with ADC‐1013 resulted in a marked decrease in B cell levels in peripheral blood after 24 h while remaining B cells significantly increased their expression of the cell surface activation marker CD86. Activation of antigen‐presenting cells and subsequent activation of T cells were demonstrated in hCD40tg mice. Moreover, ADC‐1013 treatment in this mouse model acted synergistically with a PD‐1 inhibitor. The results from the first‐in‐human study of ADC‐1013 indicate that intratumoral administration of ADC‐1013 into superficial lesions is well tolerated at clinically relevant doses and associated with pharmacodynamic responses.
Identification of a novel biomarker for pyridoxine‐dependent epilepsy: Implications for newborn screening
Authors: Wempe Michael F. , Kumar Amit , Kumar Vijay , Choi Yu J. , Swanson Michael A. , Friederich Marisa W. , Hyland Keith , Yue Wyatt W. , Van Hove Johan L. K. , Coughlin Curtis R.
Published: January 2019

Pyridoxine‐dependent epilepsy (PDE) is often characterized as an early onset epileptic encephalopathy with dramatic clinical improvement following pyridoxine supplementation. Unfortunately, not all patients present with classic neonatal seizures or respond to an initial pyridoxine trial, which can result in the under diagnosis of this treatable disorder. Restriction of lysine intake and transport is associated with improved neurologic outcomes, although treatment should be started in the first year of life to be effective. Because of the documented diagnostic delay and benefit of early treatment, we aimed to develop a newborn screening method for PDE. Previous studies have demonstrated the accumulation of Δ1‐piperideine‐6‐carboxylate and α‐aminoadipic semialdehyde in individuals with PDE, although these metabolites are unstable at room temperature (RT) limiting their utility for newborn screening. As a result, we sought to identify a biomarker that could be applied to current newborn screening paradigms. We identified a novel metabolite, 6‐oxo‐pipecolate (6‐oxo‐PIP), which accumulates in substantial amounts in blood, plasma, urine, and cerebral spinal fluid of individuals with PDE. Using a stable isotope‐labeled internal standard, we developed a nonderivatized liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry‐based method to quantify 6‐oxo‐PIP. This method replicates the analytical techniques used in many laboratories and could be used with few modifications in newborn screening programs. Furthermore, 6‐oxo‐PIP was measurable in urine for 4 months even when stored at RT. Herein, we report a novel biomarker for PDE that is stable at RT and can be quantified using current newborn screening techniques.
Predictive value of the induction test with atrial burst pacing with regard to long‐term recurrence after ablation in persistent atrial fibrillation
Authors: Kawai Shunsuke , Mukai Yasushi , Inoue Shujiro , Yakabe Daisuke , Nagaoka Kazuhiro , Sakamoto Kazuo , Takase Susumu , Chishaki Akiko , Tsutsui Hiroyuki
Published: January 2019

Background

Induction test of atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of endpoint measures in catheter ablation (CA). However, its predictive value in long‐term outcome remains controversial.

Methods

Ninety‐eight patients (61 years, 77 males) with persistent AF who underwent pulmonary vein antrum isolation‐based CA were retrospectively analyzed. We determined whether inducibility of AF/atrial tachyarrhythmias (AT) by atrial burst pacing at the end of CA and other characteristics were associated with the recurrence of AF/AT. Atrial burst pacing was performed with 30‐beat from the coronary sinus; increasing from 240 to 320 ppm. Inducibility was defined as AF/AT lasting ≥5 minutes following atrial burst pacing.

Results

AF/AT was induced in 50 patients (51%). During 1 year of follow‐up, 71 patients (72.4%) had no recurrence of AF/AT. A logistic regression analysis showed that female gender (OR 3.8; P = 0.02), multiple sessions (OR 3.5; P = 0.02), and early recurrence of AF/AT (OR 5.3; P = 0.004) were associated with clinical recurrence. AF/AT Inducibility was not associated with clinical recurrence (P = 0.65). A subanalysis in patients with enlarged LA (LA diameter ≥45 mm, n = 40) showed that AF/AT inducibility was associated with recurrence (OR 8.1; P = 0.04). The positive and negative predictive values of AF/AT inducibility for AF/AT recurrence were 41 and 89%, respectively. Negative predictive value was increased to 92.3% when the inducibility was defined as AF/AT of ≥30 seconds following atrial burst pacing.

Conclusions

AF/AT inducibility cannot predict long‐term clinical recurrence in patients with persistent AF. However, it may have a prognostic value especially in patients with enlarged LA.
Counterion‐Mediated Self‐Assembly of Ion‐Containing Block Copolymers on the Basis of the Hofmeister Series
Authors: Zhong Jiaxing , Luo Haipeng , Tang Qiuju , Lei Zhentao , Tong Zaizai
Published: January 2019

A Cl− and I− ion‐containing amphiphilic diblock copolymer [PEO‐b‐P(qVBC‐co‐St)], IBCP, which comprises the poly(ethylene oxide) block and poly(quaternized 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride‐co‐styrene) is prepared by sequence reactions. Then the counterion‐mediated self‐assembly behavior in aqueous solution is investigated in detail. The hydrophilicity of anion containing units (qVBC) is controlled by the nature of the different counterions after ion exchange, which is crucial in regulating the self‐assembly process. The addition of Br−, I−, and SCN− counterions (based on the Hofmeister series) results in the formation of tighter ion‐pairs with cations (i.e., more hydrophobic as the qVBC units), which triggers spheres to vesicles, micro‐meter long cylinders and “branched wormlike” aggregates, respectively. Moreover, addition of different amounts of Cl− also causes morphological transition from spheres to long cylinders. And this morphological transition is totally reversible after removing additional Cl−. The adhesive collisions of spherical particles may contribute to the observed sphere‐to‐cylinder morphological transition.
ETA‐m‐PAN and its Composite Membrane with High Performance Prepared by In Situ Modification/NIPS Principle
Authors: Qin Yang , Wang Yi‐Xing , Yang Hu , Xu Zhen‐liang
Published: January 2019

Ethanolamine‐modified polyacrylonitrile (ETA‐m‐PAN) membrane is prepared by in situ modification integrated with a nonsolvent‐induced phase separation method for the first time. The results reveal that both the morphology and the separation performance of the modified membrane change greatly with condition parameters. The membrane formation mechanism is carefully investigated, which is related to the change in the molecular structure and hydrophilic property of ETA‐m‐PAN. The cross‐linked structure leads to the formation of ETA‐m‐PAN spongy membrane. The optimized condition parameters are determined by permeability‐selectivity analysis. Furthermore, the composite membrane with ETA‐m‐PAN as the selective layer is prepared by a dual‐casting method. The obtained membrane shows a good property, flux of 650L m−2 h−1 bar−1, 82% BSA rejection, and 84% water flux recovery ratio. This work demonstrates the great potential of this integrated method for new membrane preparation.
Campylobacter spp. and bacteriophages from broiler chickens: Characterization of antibiotic susceptibility profiles and lytic bacteriophages
Authors: Nowaczek Anna , Urban‐Chmiel Renata , Dec Marta , Puchalski Andrzej , Stępień‐Pyśniak Dagmara , Marek Agnieszka , Pyzik Ewelina
Published: January 2019

Bacteria of the genus Campylobacter are the most common pathogens causing zoonotic diseases in humans. Therefore, the aim of the study was to isolate Campylobacter bacteria from broiler chickens and evaluate their susceptibility to selected antibiotics by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), followed by isolation and characterization of bacteriophages specific for Campylobacter spp. The material for the study consisted of field isolates of Campylobacter spp. obtained from the gut (cecum) of broiler chickens directly after slaughter in slaughterhouses, and bacteriophages specific for these strains. We isolated 48 strains from poultry (140 broiler chickens): 31 strains of Campylobacter jejuni and 17 of Campylobacter coli. Identification of the strains was confirmed by multiplex PCR and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. Over 83% of Campylobacter strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin, and over half the isolates were resistant to erythromycin, gentamicin, and tetracycline. Resistance to three or more antibiotics was observed in 91.6% of all strains. Four bacteriophages were obtained, and on the basis of their morphological structure, they were assigned to two families of the order Caudovirales: Myoviridae and Siphoviridae. A high percentage of the Campylobacter strains were resistant to at least three of the antibiotic groups tested. All of the phages exhibited lytic activity against the Campylobacter spp. isolates, but the antibacterial effect of the phages was not observed for all strains.
Ancrocorticia populi gen. nov., sp. nov, isolated from the symptomatic bark of Populus × euramericana canker
Authors: Xu Guan‐tang , Xue Han , Piao Chun‐gen , Guo Min‐wei , Li Yong
Published: January 2019

A Gram‐staining positive facultative anaerobic, non‐motile strain, sk1b4T, was isolated from canker of symptomatic bark tissue of a Populus × euramericana. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that strain sk1b4T shared the highest similarity with Arcanobacterium phocisimile (94.1%). Within the phylogenetic tree, the novel isolate formed a distinct branch from Actinobaculum, Arcanobacterium, and Trueperella. The percentage of conserved proteins calculated from genomic sequence indicated a low level of relatedness between the novel strain and its phylogenetic neighbors. Growth of the novel strain occurred at temperatures between 10 and 41°C, and within a pH range of 6.0–9.0; optimal growth occurred at 30°C and at pH 6.0–9.0. Growth also occurred within a NaCl concentration of 1%–5% (w/v). The major fatty acids of the strain were C14:0, C16:0, and C18:1 ω9c, and major polar lipids were glycolipid, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, phospholipid, diphosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylglycerol. Respiratory quinone was absent. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, we propose that the novel isolate should be classified as a novel species in a new genus: Ancrocorticia populi gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is sk1b4T (=CFCC 14564T= KCTC 39919T).
The existence of solutions for an impulsive fractional coupled system of (p, q)‐Laplacian type without the Ambrosetti‐Rabinowitz condition
Authors: Li Dongping , Chen Fangqi , An Yukun
Published: January 2019

In this article, based on the variational approach, the existence of at least one nontrivial solution is studied for (p, q)‐Laplacian type impulsive fractional differential equations involving Riemann‐Liouville derivatives. Without the usual Ambrosetti‐Rabinowitz condition, the nonlinearity f in the paper is considered under some suitable assumptions.
Difference equations with a point interaction
Authors: Bairamov Elgiz , Cebesoy Serifenur , Erdal Ibrahim
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we consider an impulsive second‐order difference equation on the whole axis. We determine eigenvalues, spectral singularities, continuous spectrum corresponding to this difference equation with an impulsive condition by using the asymptotic properties of Jost functions, and uniqueness theorems of analytic functions. Finally, we demonstrate that the impulsive difference equation has finite number of eigenvalues and spectral singularities with finite multiplicities under certain conditions.
A multicomponent flow model in deformable porous media
Authors: Detmann Bettina , Krejčí Pavel
Published: January 2019

We propose a model for multicomponent flow of immiscible fluids in a deformable porous medium accounting for capillary hysteresis. Oil, water, and air in the soil pores offer a typical example of a real situation occurring in practice. We state the problem within the formalism of continuum mechanics as a slow diffusion process in Lagrange coordinates. The balance laws for volumes, masses, and momentum lead to a degenerate parabolic PDE system. In the special case of a rigid solid matrix material and three fluid components, we prove under further technical assumptions that the system is mathematically well posed in a small neighborhood of an equilibrium.
Full 1H and 13C NMR spectral assignment of conjugated valerolactone metabolites isolated from urine of black tea consumers by means of SPE‐prepLC–MS–LC–MS‐NMR
Authors: de Roo Niels , Wilmsen Sanne M. J. , Mihaleva Velitchka V. , Jacobs Doris M. , van Duynhoven John P. M.
Published: January 2019

The health benefits of black tea have been linked to polyphenol metabolites that target specific modes of action in the human body. A major bottleneck in unravelling the underlying mechanisms is the preparative isolation of these metabolites, which hampers their structural elucidation and assessment of in vitro bioactivity. A solid phase extraction (SPE)‐preparative liquid chromatography (prepLC)–MS–LC–MS‐NMR workflow was implemented for preparative isolation of conjugated valerolactone metabolites of catechin‐based polyphenols from urine of black tea consumers. First, the urine was cleaned and preconcentrated using an SPE method. Subsequently, the clean urine concentrate was injected on a preparative LC column, and conjugated valerolactones were obtained by MS‐guided collection. Reconstituted fractions were further separated on an analytical LC column, and valerolactone fractions were collected in an MS‐guided manner. These were reconstituted in methanol‐d4 and identified and quantified using 1D and 2D homo‐ and hetereonuclear NMR experiments (at a field strength of 14.1 T), in combination with mass spectrometry. This resulted in the full spectral 1H and 13C NMR assignments of five conjugated valerolactones. These metabolites were collected in quantities of 8–160 μg and purities of 70–91%. The SPE‐prepLC–MS–LC–MS‐NMR workflow is suitable for isolating metabolites that occur at sub‐μM concentrations in a complex biofluid such as urine. The workflow also provides an alternative for cumbersome and expensive de novo synthesis of tea metabolites for testing in bioactivity assays or for use as authentic analytical standards for quantification by mass spectrometry.
SUPER: A blockwise curve‐fitting method for accelerating MR parametric mapping with fast reconstruction
Authors: Hu Chenxi , Peters Dana C.
Published: January 2019

Purpose

To investigate Shift Undersampling improves Parametric mapping Efficiency and Resolution (SUPER), a novel blockwise curve‐fitting method for accelerating parametric mapping with very fast reconstruction.

Methods

SUPER uses interleaved k‐space undersampling, which enables a blockwise decomposition of the otherwise large‐scale cost function to improve the reconstruction efficiency. SUPER can be readily combined with SENSE to achieve at least 4‐fold acceleration. D‐factor, a parametric‐mapping counterpart of g‐factor, was proposed and formulated to compare spatially heterogeneous noise amplification because of different acceleration methods. As a proof‐of‐concept, SUPER/SUPER‐SENSE was validated using T1 mapping, by comparing them to alternative model‐based methods, including MARTINI and GRAPPATINI, via simulations, phantom imaging, and in vivo brain imaging (N = 5), over criteria of normalized root‐mean‐squares error (NRMSE), average d‐factor, and computational time per voxel (TPV). A novel SUPER‐SENSE MOLLI cardiac T1‐mapping sequence with improved resolution (1.4 mm × 1.4 mm) was compared to standard MOLLI (1.9 mm × 2.5 mm) in 8 healthy subjects.

Results

In brain imaging, 2‐fold SUPER achieved lower NRMSE (0.04 ± 0.02 vs. 0.11 ± 0.02, P < 0.01), lower average d‐factor (1.01 ± 0.002 vs. 1.12 ± 0.004, P < 0.001), and lower TPV (4.6 ms ± 0.2 ms vs. 79 ms ± 3 ms, P < 0.001) than 2‐fold MARTINI. Similarly, 4‐fold SUPER‐SENSE achieved lower NRMSE (0.07 ± 0.01 vs. 0.13 ± 0.03, P = 0.02), lower average d‐factor (1.15 ± 0.01 vs. 1.20 ± 0.01, P < 0.001), and lower TPV (4.0 ms ± 0.1 ms vs. 72 ms ± 3 ms, P < 0.001) than 4‐fold GRAPPATINI. In cardiac T1 mapping, SUPER‐SENSE MOLLI yielded similar myocardial T1 (1151 ms ± 63 ms vs. 1159 ms ± 32 ms, P = 0.6), slightly lower blood T1 (1643 ms ± 86 ms vs. 1680 ms ± 79 ms, P = 0.004), but improved spatial resolution compared with standard MOLLI in the same imaging time.

Conclusion

SUPER and SUPER‐SENSE provide fast model‐based reconstruction methods for accelerating parametric mapping and improving its clinical appeal.
Ultrasound appears to be a reliable technique for the diagnosis of piriformis syndrome
Authors: Zhang Wenhua , Luo Fangqiong , Sun Hongjun , Ding Hongyu
Published: January 2019

Introduction: Piriformis muscle syndrome (PS) is a disorder encompassing a constellation of symptoms, including buttock and hip pain. In this study we aimed to assess the value of ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of PS. Methods: Thirty‐three clinically diagnosed PS patients and 26 healthy volunteers underwent a clinical PS scoring examination and US and MRI assessment of the bilateral piriformis muscles. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) of the US parameters (i.e., increased thickness [iTh] and increased cross‐sectional area [iCSA]) for piriformis muscle were evaluated. Results: On US and MRI, the thickness and CSA were increased in PS patients. The AUROCs for the iTh and iCSA for discriminating stage 0 (healthy volunteers) from stage 1 through stage 3 (PS patients) were 0.88 and 0.95, respectively. Discussion: US may be a reliable technique for the clinical diagnosis of PS. Muscle Nerve 59:411–416, 2019
Improving piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of electrospun PVDF nanofibers using nanofillers for energy harvesting application
Authors: Abbasipour Mina , Khajavi Ramin , Yousefi Ali Akbar , Yazdanshenas Mohammad Esmail , Razaghian Farhad , Akbarzadeh Abdolhamid
Published: January 2019

In this study, it was aimed to increase the piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers simultaneously by using specific nanofillers. Graphene oxide (GO), graphene, and halloysite nanotubes with different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.4, and 1.6% wt/wt) were combined with PVDF solution and were fabricated in the form of nanofibers through electrospinning. Pyroelectric properties of samples were measured by submerging sealed samples in hot water (360°K) and ice (270°K). The piezoelectric properties of the samples were evaluated through bending tests. The microstructural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the electrospun PVDF nanocomposite were investigated using scanning electron microscope, Instron instrument, and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. To further support the experimental observations for generating electric voltage in the bended nanogenerator, the PVDF nanogenerator (PNG) was also modeled by a finite element analysis based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software. Experimental results showed that adding nanofillers could improve the piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of all samples, associated with the increment of β‐phase in the nanofibers. It was concluded that adding nanofillers could increase pyroelectricity about 50% more than piezoelectricity in pristine PVDF nanofiber web. The PNG containing 1.6 wt% GO showed the highest efficiency in terms of piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity. In addition, the results showed that the ratio of piezoelectric to pyroelectric coefficients was constant (~1.5) and it was independent of the nanofiller type and content. The effect of external force and vibration frequency on the output voltage was also investigated. Increasing the compressive force and vibration frequency caused a greater output voltage. Finally, the fabricated nanogenerator was integrated on insole and elbow to investigate its energy harvesting capabilities from body movement.
Investigation of catalyzed thermal recycling for glass fiber‐reinforced epoxy using fluidized bed process
Authors: Pender Kyle , Yang Liu
Published: January 2019

An investigation of the effect of metal catalysts on thermal recycling of glass fiber‐reinforced epoxy was carried out within a fluidized bed system. CuO nanopowder was integrated with epoxy to assess its ability in reducing the epoxy thermal stability and in turn reducing the typical temperatures required thermal recycling for epoxy composites. It was found that the CuO was able to significantly accelerate the thermal degradation of the selected epoxy. The CuO loading of 5 wt% of epoxy provided the largest reduction in thermal stability and activation energy of the second stage of decomposition. It was also demonstrated that the addition of CuO did not negatively affect epoxy mechanical properties or curing and in fact increased the epoxy glass transition temperature. When applied to glass fiber‐epoxy (GF‐epoxy) recycling within the fluidized bed process, glass fibers were recycled at just 400°C with a yield of up to 59%. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3510–3519, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Investigation on temperature behavior of CFRP during lightning strike using experiment and simulation
Authors: Fu Shangchen , Guo Yifan , Shi Lihua , Zhou Yinghui
Published: January 2019

Artificial lightning strike tests on carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) were conducted, and the temperature variation on the surface of the specimen was investigated with an all‐fiber transient high‐temperature sensor. The results showed that the temperature increase on the surface of the CFRP was synchronous with the conduction of current, resulting in a fast rising rate. By contrast, the decrease of temperature was much slower, as it was mainly influenced by heat convection with the surroundings. Next, the temperature dependence of electrical conductivity up to the decomposition of the matrix resin was measured, and the results revealed that the melt and decomposition of the resin matrix caused significant variation in the conductivity, especially in the transverse and through‐thickness directions. Based on the measured electrical conductivity, a finite element interaction model of the tested specimen was built, and coupled thermal‐electrical analysis was then implemented. The good consistency between simulation and experiment results indicated that the numerical model was very effective in anticipating lightning Joule heating effects and obtaining an accurate and real‐time temperature value of a specific location during a lightning strike. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3541–3549, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Barriers and facilitators to participating in physical activity for adults with breast cancer receiving adjuvant treatment: A qualitative metasynthesis
Authors: Lavallée Jacqueline F. , Abdin Shanara , Faulkner James , Husted Margaret
Published: January 2019

Objective

Physical activity can improve the health and well‐being of individuals receiving adjuvant treatment for breast cancer, but engagement in physical activity can be low. This review synthesises the barriers and facilitators to engaging with and participating in physical activity whilst receiving treatment.

Methods

The metasynthesis of qualitative studies is reported in line with the PRISMA statement. We systematically searched eight databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, CINAHL, British Library, OpenGrey, and Conference Proceedings Citation Index) from inception to November 30, 2017. A total of 1276 abstracts were retrieved and screened by two reviewers independently. Data from eligible studies were extracted and critically appraised. As this review concerns qualitative studies only, a CER‐QUAL GRADE assessment was completed.

Results

A total of 13 studies were included. Four clear themes emerged (side effects of treatment, beliefs about physical activity, focus on health not illness, and social factors) each containing both barriers and facilitators. Key facilitators to participating in physical activity during adjuvant treatment included positive physical benefits, improvements in psychological well‐being, and increased self‐esteem and empowerment. Further, having a knowledgeable instructor, tailored information, and a supportive environment were important to women undergoing treatment. Main barriers included fatigue and pain, as well as work and caring responsibilities.

Conclusions

Incorporating physical activity into treatment regimens is important. Focusing on being less sedentary and providing accurate, tailored information should be prioritised within future interventions. Having a supportive environment and accounting for the particular barriers or facilitators to engagement identified here should aid the success of future interventions.
PSMA expression in the Hi‐Myc model; extended utility of a representative model of prostate adenocarcinoma for biological insight and as a drug discovery tool
Authors: Simons Brian W. , Turtle Norman F. , Ulmert David H. , Abou Diane S. , Thorek Daniel L. J.
Published: January 2019

Prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA), also known as glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), is highly overexpressed in primary and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). This has led to the development of radiopharmaceuticals for targeted imaging and therapy under current clinical evaluation. Despite this progress, the exact biological role of the protein in prostate cancer development and progression has not been fully elucidated. This is in part because the human PSMA and mouse PSMA (mPSMA) have different patterns of anatomical expression which confound study in the most widely utilized model organisms. Most notably, mPSMA is not expressed in the healthy murine prostate. Here, we reveal that mPSMA is highly upregulated in the prostate adenocarcinoma of the spontaneous Hi‐Myc mouse model, a highly accurate and well characterized mouse model of prostate cancer development. Antibody detection and molecular imaging tools are used to confirm that mPSMA is expressed from early prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) through adenocarcinoma.
Scaling up sustainability: Concepts and practices of the ecovillage approach
Authors: Singh Bijay , Keitsch Martina M. , Shrestha Mahesh
Published: January 2019

Since the Brundtland definition, practitioners and theoreticians have strived to deal with incoherencies in the concept of sustainability or sustainable development, partly because the concept is defined on a global level and applied through local level initiatives. Explanatorily, describing the three sustainability dimensions (social, economic and ecological), the pillar model of sustainability has become popular. However, several authors indicate that a comprehensive understanding, methods and tools on how the dimensions relate to each other in the pillar model of sustainability, are absent. Further, sustainable interventions must express their relations through visible spatial terms and interpret them with the help of values and beliefs that can be handed over to future generations (temporal aspect). Many interventions that are expressed in sustainability dimensions often lack these spatial and temporal considerations. As a result, interventions lack case‐ and context‐specific concerns, objectives, priorities and possibilities, and often seem short‐term goal‐oriented. Within tensions between global and local, and spatial–temporal necessity, ecovillage is an emerging approach for shaping a sustainable future at grass roots level, and an opportunity to deal with the challenge of managing nature conservation in a community with culturally, socially and economically diverse actors. Hence, the overall objective of this article is to identify concepts and practices of ecovillage as sustainable way of living connected to a context. The attempt is to construe integrative understanding to sustainability and to express spatial and temporal aspects analytically. This understanding can be scaled up to strategies and policies. The article uses a literature review of various secondary sources, journals, narratives, and conference papers on sustainability and ecovillage. The article assumes that it is important to develop the framework analytically prior to empirical research. Findings indicate that to yield sustainable, inclusive and equitable outcomes, it is important to focus on the cultural and regional aspects. This focus can also provide a transition from local to national and global interventions and thereby become a mediator between different levels of sustainability, global and local.
Study on Five Porphyrin‐Based Photosensitizers for Singlet Oxygen Generation
Authors: Zu Guo‐Ping , Wang Jin‐Jin , Zhang Yan , Chen Wang‐Bin , Shi Yu‐Zhong , Guo Sheng‐Wei , Wang Xiao‐Rong
Published: January 2019

Five porphyrin derivatives were synthesized and characterized in order to be utilized as photosensitizers for singlet oxygen generation. UV‐Vis absorption properties of porphyrins were experimentally and theoretically discussed. The results indicated that the increase in π‐conjugation of porphyrin core can lower the S1‐T1 energy gap and is favorable for efficient energy transfer. The singlet oxygen generation ability of porphyrins was measured and compared under both simulated sunlight and yellow light. As for the results using simulated sunlight, EBHPP and CEBHPP exhibited best and similar performance because they bear strong near‐IR absorption and S1‐T1 interactions. However, under yellow light conditions CEBHPP has better ability for singlet oxygen generation because of its strong absorbance from 650–750 nm. The DNA photocleavage measurements were performed to evaluate the biological activity of the porphyrin derivatives. The photocleavage activities were in the order of TPP < TPP‐NO2 < BHPP < EBHPP < CEBHPP, and the possible reasons were discussed. This work is useful for the design of more efficient photosensitizers.
Rapid Microwave‐Assisted, Solvent‐Free Approach to Functionalization of 8‐Methylquinolines via Rh‐Catalyzed C(sp3)‐H Activation
Authors: Zhu You‐Quan , He Jing‐Li , Niu Yun‐Xia , Han Ting‐Feng , Zhu Kun
Published: January 2019

A microwave‐assisted method for the synthesis of 8‐methylquinoline derivatives via Rh‐catalyzed C(sp3)‐H activation under solvent‐free condition is reported. In comparison with traditional method, this reaction proceeded more efficiently with excellent yield, a broad range substrate scope and good functional group tolerance.
Playing with Imagined Others: Developing a Musical Ear in Conversation with Recordings
Authors: Maslen Sarah
Published: January 2019

This article presents an analysis of musical skill development through transcription, playing along with recordings, and score reading. Grounded in Becker's understanding of music‐making as the product of collective action and Mead's notion of the self, I argue that musicians can form their musical ear and proprioceptive skills in playing in relation to an imagined musical other. The mechanisms through which imagined interactions form musical selves include use of contrast pairs, imagined reactions, and provision of exemplars to imitate. Recordings can take on such significance that they become the primary reference point for musicians' concepts of sound.
Note on ETH of descendant states in 2D CFT
Authors: Guo Wu-zhong , Lin Feng-Li , Zhang Jiaju
Published: January 2019

Abstract

We investigate the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) of highly excited descendant states in two-dimensional large central charge c conformal field theory. We use operator product expansion of twist operators to calculate the short interval expansions of entanglement entropy and relative entropy for an interval of length ℓ up to order ℓ
12. Using these results to ensure ETH of a heavy state when compared with the canonical ensemble state up to various orders of c, we get the constraints on the expectation values of the first few quasiprimary operators in the vacuum conformal family at the corresponding order of c. Similarly, we also obtain the constraints from the expectation values of the first few Korteweg-de Vries charges. We check these constraints for some types of special descendant excited states. Among the descendant states we consider, we find that at most only the leading order ones of the ETH constraints can be satisfied for the descendant states that are slightly excited on top of a heavy primary state. Otherwise, the ETH constraints are violated for the descendant states that are heavily excited on top of a primary state.