Production and characterization of ureaurethane elastomers with rapeseed‐based polyol

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of rapeseed‐oil‐based (RO) polyol on the thermal and mechanical properties of tested ureaurethane elastomers (EPUUs). The chemical structure and degree of phase separation connected to the value of hydrogen bonds were tested by infrared spectroscopy. Thermal degradation was examined by TGA. The glass transition temperature and the enthalpy of heat effects were analysed by DSC. The mechanical properties were tested by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and static tensile strength. The physicomechanical properties were also examined, including wear resistance and hardness of the tested materials. The use of RO polyol in 10–40 wt% concentration in polyol premixes changed the chemical structure of the EPUUs indicating a change in the quantity of hydrogen bonds and the degree of phase separation. DSC analysis showed that addition of the RO polyol causes an increase in the glass transition temperature of the soft phase in the EPUUs. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

Psychiatric disorders among children of parents with cancer: A S wedish register‐based matched cohort study

Objective To investigate the risk of psychiatric disorders among children of parents with cancer in a nationwide population‐based setting. Methods Based on Swedish national registers, the study included 101 339 children with parental cancer diagnosed either during pregnancy (N = 1047) or after birth (N = 100 292) that were born during 1983 to 2000. For each exposed child, we randomly selected 10 unexposed children from the general population after individual matching by year of birth and sex. The matched cohort was followed during 2001 to 2010. Clinical diagnoses of psychiatric disorders and use of prescribed psychiatric medications were identified for all children. Cox regression and logistic regression were used to evaluate the associations of parental cancer with psychiatric disorder diagnosis and psychiatric medication use, respectively. Results Parental cancer during pregnancy was not associated with the risk of psychiatric disorders overall, although paternal cancer during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of psychiatric medication use among females. Parental cancer after birth was associated with higher risks of psychiatric disorder diagnoses, particularly stress reaction and adjustment disorders (males: hazard ratio [HR]: 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08‐1.43; females: HR: 1.27, 95% CI, 1.14‐1.41), and use of psychiatric medication (males: odds ratio [OR]: 1.09, 95% CI, 1.04‐1.13; females: OR: 1.14, 95% CI, 1.10‐1.18). The positive associations were stronger for parental cancer with poor expected survival and for parental death after cancer diagnosis. Conclusions Parental cancer, primarily the life‐threatening cancer, might confer a higher risk of psychiatric disorders among children. These findings have potential implications for health care professionals in providing targeted support to children living with a parent with cancer.

Relationship between sustainable strategies and export performance: An analysis of companies in the Brazilian gems and jewelry industry

This study was conducted to develop an understanding of how the adoption of sustainable management strategies influences the export performance of Brazilian industrial companies internationalized in the gems and jewelry industry. The sustainable strategies were evaluated based on the adaptation of Battelle American Institute's strategic model as presented by Placet et al. (2005, Research‐Technology Management, 48, 32–41), which notably considers innovation as a perspective as it addresses the interactions of the economic, social, and environmental aspects that are reflected in a company and in society. The surveyed companies’ export performances were analyzed based on an adaptation of a model by Papadopoulos and Martín (2010, International Business Review, 19, 388–406), which develops and tests a formative measure of export performance and identifies and quantifies the relative contribution of its consequences within the economic and strategic dimensions. The research consisted of a descriptive study, and it was also characterized as quantitative research through the application of a survey. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analysis. It was possible to observe which dimensions of sustainable development influenced the export performance of the companies in the gems and jewelry industry and to establish significant correlations. The results may contribute to a better understanding of this industry, which has been contributing to Brazil's positive balance of the trade on a yearly basis. The companies surveyed are in the early stages of internationalization. The changes that accrue to industrial companies undergoing internationalization in this sector can be perceived, and they have an influence on the strategic management and growth of these companies.

Towards a Semiotic-Based Approach to the Design of Therapeutic Digital Games

Healthcare professionals may employ therapeutic games as playful activities to promote rehabilitation for their patients. However, despite the importance, currently the literature does not provide multidisciplinary approaches to support designing these games. To overcome this scenario, we propose a semiotic-based approach to aid stakeholders with different backgrounds on designing therapeutic digital games. The approach results from a study of the literature and reports of the experience of a multidisciplinary team on the creation of therapeutic games. It explores Participatory Design and Organizational Semiotics methods and artifacts to promote the Problem Clarification, Interaction Modeling, Design Materialization, and Evaluation as fundamental design practices of effective solutions. The approach was evaluated to design new therapeutic games and the results suggest that it helps the team on identifying therapeutic objectives and reaching them.

Erratum zu: Amplitude of brain signals classify hunger status based on machine learning in resting-state fMRI

Gauge contribution to the $1/N_F$ expansion of the Yukawa coupling beta function

We provide a closed analytical form for the gauge contribution to the betafunction of a generic Yukawa coupling in the limit of large $N_F$, where $N_F$is the number of heavy vector-like fermions charged under an abelian ornon-abelian gauge group. The resummed expression is finite and for the abeliancase presents a pole at the same location as for the corresponding gauge betafunction. When applied to new physics scenarios characterized by large Yukawacouplings, the contribution calculated here can cure their pathological UVbehavior and make the couplings asymptotically free.

Flavor anomalies and dark matter in SUSY with an extra U(1)

Motivated by the recent anomalies in $b\rightarrow s$ transitions thatemerged at LHCb, we consider a model with an $L_\mu - L_\tau$ gauge symmetryand additional vector-like fermions. We find that by introducing supersymmetrythe model can be made consistent with the long-standing deviation in themeasured value of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, $g-2$, andneutralino dark matter of broad mass ranges and properties. In particular, darkmatter candidates include the well-known 1 TeV higgsino, which in the MSSM istypically not compatible with solutions to the $g-2$ puzzle. Moreover, itsspin-independent cross section could be at the origin of the recent smallexcess in XENON-1T data. We apply to the model constraints arising from flavorprecision measurements and direct searches at the Large Hadron Collider andshow that they do not currently exclude the relevant parameter space regions.

PUM1 and PUM2 exhibit different modes of regulation for SIAH1 that involve cooperativity with NANOS paralogues

Pumilio (PUM) proteins are RNA-binding proteins that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression in many organisms. Their PUF domain recognizes specific PUM-binding elements (PBE) in the 3' untranslated region of target mRNAs while engaging protein cofactors such as NANOS that repress the expression of target mRNAs through the recruitment of effector complexes. Although the general process whereby PUM recognizes individual mRNAs has been studied extensively, the particulars of the mechanism underlying PUM-NANOS cooperation in mRNA regulation and the functional overlap among PUM and NANOS paralogues in mammals have not been elucidated. Here, using the novel PUM1 and PUM2 mRNA target SIAH1 as a model, we show mechanistic differences between PUM1 and PUM2 and between NANOS1, 2, and 3 paralogues in the regulation of SIAH1. Specifically, unlike PUM2, PUM1 exhibited PBE-independent repression of SIAH1 3'UTR-dependent luciferase expression. Concordantly, the PUF domains of PUM1 and PUM2 showed different EMSA complex formation patterns with SIAH1 3'UTRs. Importantly, we show direct binding of NANOS3, but not NANOS2, to SIAH1 3'UTR, which did not require PBEs or the PUF domain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report, showing that an NANOS protein directly binds RNA. Finally, using NANOS1 and NANOS3 constructs carrying mutations identified in infertile patients, we show that these mutations disrupt repression of the SIAH1-luciferase reporter and that the central region in NANOS1 appears to contribute to the regulation of SIAH1. Our findings highlight the mechanistic versatility of the PUM/NANOS machinery in mammalian posttranscriptional regulation.

State-of-the-art and novel developments of in vivo haploid technologies

The ability to generate (doubled) haploid plants significantly accelerates the crop breeding process. Haploids have been induced mainly through the generation of plants from cultivated gametophic (haploid) cells and tissues, i.e., in vitro haploid technologies, or through the selective loss of a parental chromosome set upon inter- or intraspecific hybridization. Here, we focus our review on the mechanisms responsible for the in vivo formation of haploids in the context of inter- and intraspecific hybridization. The application of a modified CENH3 for uniparental genome elimination, the IG1 system used for paternal as well as the BBM-like and the patatin-like phospholipase essential for maternal haploidy induction are discussed in detail.

Acute Lethal Toxicity of Heavy Metals to the Seeds of Plants of High Importance to Humans

Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the effects of highly toxic and dangerous metals (Pb, Cd, Hg) and essential microelements (Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn) on the seed germination process in vetch and eight plant species of major importance to human consumption. The degree of metal toxicity was determined on the basis of acute LC50 values calculated by means of two different methods. All the metals were found to inhibit the germination process, but in a varying, species-dependent degree. Of all the plant seeds under study, the most sensitive to the presence of the examined metals during germination were the seeds of cress (Cu, Pb, Hg), rye (Ni, Zn, Cd) and barley (Cr), while vetch (Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg), rape (Cr, Cu) and pea (Ni, Cd) were found to be least affected.