A very compact waveguide orthomode transducer (OMT) is described in this paper. The design is characterized with a twofold rotationally symmetric cross-section in the probing area, adapted from a side-coupling OMT design, simultaneously enabling low port-to-port coupling and high cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) over a fractional bandwidth of about 15–20%. Compared to previously reported compact waveguide OMTs, the proposed design is simpler, thus facilitating its manufacture at millimeter-wave frequencies. The concept is demonstrated with a design in the K-band for a broadband communication satellite downlink over the frequency band of 17.3–20.2 GHz. For test purposes, transitions to standard waveguide WR42 are included, and the OMT is assembled with a conical horn antenna. The measured reflection and coupling coefficients are below −19.5 dB and −22.9 dB, respectively, over the nominal bandwidth, and they are in good agreement with the simulation’s results. The on-axis XPD, measured in an anechoic chamber, is better than 30 dB over the nominal bandwidth, which is also in line with simulations. The proposed waveguide OMT may be designed to fit in a lattice below one wavelength at the highest operating frequency, which is desirable for dual-polarized closely spaced array antennas in low and medium Earth orbit communication satellite systems. The simple mechanical design of the proposed OMT makes it particularly appealing for additive manufacturing techniques, as demonstrated with a variant of the design having folded single-mode waveguides, which preserves the RF properties of the original design. Waveguide orthomode transducers (OMTs), or dual-mode transducers, are microwave components that enable transmitting two independent electromagnetic signals through the same common waveguide, which is typically a square or circular waveguide. This functionality is essential in communication and radar antenna systems implementing polarization diversity. This waveguide component is widely used in communication satellite antennas to increase the overall system capacity, which is of particular importance in next-generation very high throughput satellite (VHTS) systems ,2. OMT dOne of the first and simplest OMT designs, introduced in the 1950s , consistExisting OMT solutions with their footprint fitting within the common waveguide cross-section are typically based on septum designs. These components were first introduced and are still mostly used in waveguide antenna designs to provide dual-circular polarizations ,14,15,16ribed in ,18 make ribed in  advantagpared to . HoweverA promising alternative design with a reduced footprint would comprise a folded standard turnstile junction as proposed in . A turnsThe probing cavity is compact and robust, avoiding small features present in similar previously reported designs ,22;The probing waveguides can be folded , providiHere, we investigate the adaptation of the compact side-coupling waveguide OMT design with twofold rotational symmetry introduced in ,24 to a These features make the proposed waveguide OMT design particularly suitable for large arrays with an element spacing below a wavelength, which may find applications in next-generation broadband communication satellites.The paper is organized as follows. When compared to a symmetrical four-probe waveguide OMT, the asymmetric geometry of a two-probe waveguide OMT typically degrades the port-to-port coupling and/or cross-polarization discrimination (XPD), which is defined as the ratio of the co-polarized to cross-polarized electric fields in the common waveguide. This problem was solved in  by usingA similar issue is observed in two-probe waveguide OMTs with longitudinal slots, and it was solved in ,24 by usrization ,26,27. IInterestingly, the design reported here is observed to have slightly different operations when compared to the design in . The keyFor test purposes, the conical horn design in  is reuseA full-wave model was implemented in Ansys HFSS and optimized over the frequency band of 17.3–20.2 GHz, corresponding to the range allocated to broadband communication satellite’s downlink in the K-band. The design targets include reflection and coupling coefficients below −20 dB and an XPD that is higher than 30 dB over the operating band. The optimized values for all design parameters are reported in A prototype was manufactured using high-precision milling. The waveguide OMT is composed of two parts, as shown in solid lines, where they are also compared to the simulation’s results in dashed lines. A reasonably good agreement was obtained with some small discrepancies, particularly with respect to the reflection coefficients; this may be attributed to manufacturing and assembly  errors, which were evaluated to be within ±30 dotted lines. As anticipated from the dual-linear operation of the OMT, the horn has very limited impact on port-to-port coupling. The impact on the reflection coefficient is more visible but remains within the target value over the nominal operating band.The complete assembly was tested in the compact antenna test range (CATR) at ESA-ESTEC, The Netherlands. The measured scattering parameters (reflection and coupling coefficients) are reported in solid lines and compared to the full-wave simulation’s results in dashed lines. The measured XPD of both ports is better than 31.2 dB over the frequency band of interest. The discrepancies between the performance of port 1 and port 2 are not only attributed to manufacturing errors but also measurement uncertainties. Overall, the results are in line with predictions and validate the proposed concept of the two-probe waveguide OMT. Here, the performance of the standalone OMT is also reported in dotted lines as reference, confirming the very little impact of the horn design. Next, we demonstrate that the proposed design maintains similar RF properties when introducing folded single-mode ports, as proposed in [The experimental evaluation of the XPD of the OMT was performed by measuring the on-axis co- and cross-polarized electric field components in a far-field setup, taking advantage of the symmetry of the horn’s design. However, the measurement results proved to be sensitive to room scattering and probe imbalance, specifically the lower levels of cross-polarized field. A dual-polarized probe is used in the CATR with some residual error between the horizontal and vertical components. These errors are filtered out by averaging two probe orientations with angular values posed in .The design described in 5 mm see , which iA full-wave model of this modified waveguide OMT was also implemented in Ansys HFSS, adding a milling radius of 1.1 mm to all outer edges, as carried out in the model of solid lines. For comparison, the simulation results of the reference case are also reported in dashed lines. Interestingly, this configuration was found to improve the scattering parameters, with worst case reflection and coupling coefficients of −24.9 dB and −24.8 dB, respectively, over the operating frequency band. For reference, the numerical results obtained for the standalone OMT with folded ports are also reported in dotted lines, confirming the little impact of the horn antenna also in this case.The simulated reflection and port-to-port coupling coefficients for this model are reported in solid lines. The results of the reference design are provided for comparison in dashed lines. The OMT design with folded ports achieved an XPD better than 30.1 dB over the nominal bandwidth, comparable to that of the reference OMT design. The performance of the standalone OMT with folded ports is reported in dotted lines, confirming that this parameter is also mostly unaffected by the horn antenna. Note that this design was still constrained with the width of the probing section being set equal to the width of the standard WR42 waveguide and the common port being constrained by the available horn design, indicating that even better performances may be achieved by using these parameters as optimization variables. In particular, the component shows the potential to extend its operation bandwidth up to 21.2 GHz, corresponding to a fractional bandwidth of approximately 20% and covering also the portion of the spectrum in the K-band that is typically allocated for governmental applications.The simulated on-axis XPD of the OMT assembled with the horn is reported in A detailed comparison with alternative compact two-probe waveguide OMT designs is provided in A novel compact waveguide OMT was discussed. It adapts the concept of twofold rotationally symmetric OMTs recently introduced in the case of side-coupling OMT designs. A specific design was optimized for operations in the K-band, and the experimental results were in line with full-wave model predictions. It has also been demonstrated that folding the single-mode ports has limited impact on the overall performance of the waveguide OMT, providing a design more adapted to additive manufacturing techniques. Compared to equivalent designs with similar very small volumes, the proposed solution has advantages in presenting a much simpler mechanical design, which is expected to reduce its manufacturing cost and to improve its yield. This is particularly significant for the design of large closely spaced array antennas that are currently considered for LEO/MEO satellite communication applications. The proposed OMT may also find applications in the design of passive dual-polarized mechanically steered arrays used for the ground segment. Future works will address the design, manufacture, and test of a representative closely spaced array based on the proposed OMT solution.


In kidney transplant recipients, late graft failure is often multifactorial. In addition, primary endpoints in kidney transplantation studies seek to demonstrate the short-term efficacy and safety of clinical interventions. Although such endpoints might demonstrate short-term improvement in specific aspects of graft function or incidence of rejection, such findings do not automatically translate into meaningful long-term graft survival benefits. Combining many factors into a well-validated model is therefore more likely to predict long-term outcome and better reflect the complexity of late graft failure than using single endpoints. If conditional marketing authorization could be considered for therapies that aim to improve long-term outcomes following kidney transplantation, then the surrogate endpoint for graft failure in clinical trial settings needs clearer definition. This Consensus Report considers the potential benefits and drawbacks of several candidate surrogate endpoints  and composite scoring systems. The content was created from information prepared by a working group within the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT). The group submitted a Broad Scientific Advice request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), June 2020: the request focused on clinical trial design and endpoints in kidney transplantation. Following discussion and refinement, the EMA made final recommendations to ESOT in December 2020 regarding the potential to use surrogate endpoints in clinical studies that aim to improving late graft failure. Key primary endpoints in kidney transplantation are recipient death, graft failure, biopsy-confirmed acute rejection, and graft (dys)function. These endpoints have clear roles in research that aims to improve short-term clinical outcomes after transplantation, and they are also the efficacy endpoints used most often in clinical trials . HoweverIf conditional marketing authorization could be considered for therapies that aim to improve long-term outcomes , then tGraft failure/loss of graft function is defined as return to dialysis or pre-emptive re-transplantation. Death of the recipient with a functioning graft is typically a primary safety endpoint, but we do not recommend including this in a surrogate endpoint for kidney transplantation outcome because of the wide variety of underlying causes of death observed , lack of relation to graft functional status, and very different risk factors compared with those for graft failure , 4. ThesFurthermore, death with a functioning graft is a competing risk to loss of graft function, as is also the case in chronic kidney disease (CKD). In CKD, censoring for death increasingly overestimated the risk of kidney failure over time from 7% at 5 years to 19% at 10 years, especially in people at heightened risk of death . Althougde novo (dn) donor-specific antibodies (DSA); AMR histology; interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA); and transplant glomerulopathy (TG)  , 9.dnDSA (Single surrogate markers of graft function may not fully reflect the complexity of graft failure and death in kidney transplantation because some background (donor or recipient) risk factors—such as age and pre-existing immunological risk, including pre-transplant DSA—also affect outcome and graft-function markers. Late graft failure is more complex than renal failure resultant from native kidney disease because of competing risks involved at different time points. For example, the ZEUS trial  showed a slightly better GFR (the primary endpoint), but higher rates of DSA and AMR (with absence of effect on graft failure and increased risk of graft failure) in patients who developed dnDSA , 10. FurdnDSA .Conversely, considering only minor changes in a surrogate endpoint, such as eGFR or transplant glomerulopathy, increases the risk of error. For example, in histological terms, new or worsening transplant glomerulopathy could be considered as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials, but the intrinsic heterogeneity of this pathology and varied data on its association with death-censored graft survival  make it Combining multiple factors into a well-validated model is therefore more likely to predict long-term outcome (and better reflect the complexity of late graft failure) than using single endpoints or combining few factors. Relatively short-term improvements in such a complex score ideally would translate into long-term improvements in graft survival. It is also important that a valid surrogate marker for a well-understood disease process should have biological plausibility and a consistent relationship with outcome. Finally, treatment effects that change the surrogate marker should also have impact on clinical outcome.Here we review the putative surrogate endpoints, including composite endpoints for predicting long-term graft outcome (excluding death with a functioning graft), focusing on eGFR, proteinuria, histological lesions, DSA, and complex scoring systems .For in-depth discussion on the association between kidney function and graft failure, methodology for measuring kidney function and its validity as a primary endpoint for clinical trials, see Hilbrands et al. .Because graft failure is intrinsically defined by functional parameters such as dialysis reinitiation or repeat transplantation, graft functional assessment is directly related to the true endpoint, graft failure. Any intervention that stabilizes long-term graft function will inherently decrease the incidence of graft failure, therefore graft function is a direct measure of graft failure.Predicted graft survival based on 12-months eGFR correlates with observed graft survival ; consequAdditional graft injuries may develop slowly over time: declining renal function is the ultimate consequence of nephron loss but does not capture causes of nephron injury. Also, compensatory hyperfiltration may obscure initial damage. Moreover, the static absolute level of eGFR is also related to donor  and transplant  factors that might reduce the number of functioning nephrons at transplantation; using a single eGFR measurement as a surrogate endpoint would not take these into account.Clearly, GFR has limitations as a surrogate for late graft failure, since in the first year after transplantation it fails to capture ongoing disease processes that lead to late graft failure. Sensitive tools that better reflect the heterogeneity in causes of late graft failure are required.dn or recurrent glomerular disease  could be extremely relevant for graft outcomes. A seminal study described the key features and potential impact of alloantibodies in transplantation, demonstrating that immediate catastrophic graft failure is more likely to happen in multiparous female patients or in people receiving second transplants, and is seen in up to 80% of cases where there was a “positive crossmatch”  . The res® single-antigen bead (SAB) assays , which detect low-level DSA when the CDC test is negative. The definition of HLA antibody specificity by SAB assays added complexity to transplant risk stratification, by revealing extensive heterogeneity in the pathogenic potential of HLA-DSA. It is now well established that patients with pretransplant DSA detected by SAB, even with a negative CDC crossmatch, are at substantial risk of AMR and graft failure  showed significant reductions in the risk of dnDSA occurrence  may also play a role. The development of dnHLA-DSA has not been formally tested or validated as a surrogate endpoint for studies that aim to reduce graft failure because of AMR. In addition, as graft failure is heterogeneous and often no HLA-DSA are involved, dnDSA occurrence is insufficient as a surrogate for late graft failure by causes other than AMR.In summary, only the development of The risk of adverse outcomes at a given eGFR certainly increases with higher levels of albuminuria. In addition, integrating proteinuria and eGFR assessment is a good predictor of graft outcome , 25; stuAlthough potentially interesting as surrogate marker, the performance of a model that integrates proteinuria and eGFR has not been further validated in transplantation . HoweverLate graft failure (excluding death with a functioning graft) is a highly multifactorial state  that relA systematic review evaluated models developed to predict graft failure in kidney transplantation recipients . FourteeIn the study by Kasiske et al. , eGFR atFoucher et al. proposed a clinical scoring system, built on the French DIVAT registry . The scoThe first study to implement a previously developed risk score, in the context of a RCT aiming to improve long-term graft outcome, analyzed data from the USRDS registry (1995–2004) . Predictp < 0.001] and overall transplant failure . Compared with the USRDS-based calculator, significant and relevant risk reclassification for overall transplant failure was seen   .These scores have been externally validated : the risdnDSA, serum creatinine cluster , acute rejection, donor age, and pre-transplant non-donor-specific HLA antibodies. Predictive performance of the AdGFS was good and the accuracy of the score at predicting graft failure remained high in the validation dataset, and in the external dataset . However, the study had limitations: the cohort did not represent current practice, there was no evaluation of the AdGFS response to therapies that aim to improve long-term graft outcome, validity in living donor kidney transplants and in recipients with pretransplant DSA was not tested, and data on DSA were lacking. In addition, international validation has not been performed.Decision-curve analyses aimed to determine how risk prediction could be improved when histological data were added to the clinical risk model proposed by Shabir et al. . HoweverLoupy et al. developed the largest and only specifically designed multivariate model that predicts long-term death-censored graft failure: the iBox model was created after a study was undertaken in which parameters were collected from day of transplantation, to provide a holistic appraisal of potential risk factors . Their dp < 0.0001). In less-informed datasets, the new algorithm still performed with high accuracy ..p < 0.00post hoc analyses of data from three RCTs . This difference in graft failure failed to reach statistical significance because of low event rates and thus lack of power (The accuracy of the iBox risk score to predict long-term graft failure  was confree RCTs  62–64).–64.post of power  indicateof power . The modStatistical methodology used in iBox was directly derived from hazard ratio in the Cox analysis; other analyses  were tested but none of the models outperformed Cox, which is widely used in clinical research. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged the iBox as a “reasonably likely surrogate endpoint” biomarker to predict 5-years risk of graft failure in kidney transplantation . The devSeveral limitations of the iBox risk score should be noted. Firstly, the method is only useful for prediction of death-censored graft failure: adding death with a functioning graft as a safety endpoint remains necessary. The decision to use the iBox score for predicting death-censored graft failure rather than overall graft failure (including death with a functioning graft) was made because recipient death and loss of graft function have very different causes , 71, 84.Next, although the accuracy of the iBox model was maintained irrespective of whether histology was included as individual Banff lesion grades or histology diagnoses, scoring of individual histological lesions included in the composite score is hampered by reproducibility issues and interobserver variability. This limitation is relevant for any scoring system that includes histological parameters, is not specific for the iBox risk score, and needs to be addressed and mitigated in individual clinical trial designs and logistics. In addition, although the iBox score remained accurate across different centers using different methods of tissue typing and HLA antibody profiling, including the MFI of DSA means that this method is impacted by concerns relating to the absolute value of DSA-MFI, which is a semiquantitative rather than quantitative test. This must also be carefully addressed in clinical trial design.With current evidence, we believe that the approach of multivariate models could be proposed as a surrogate marker for (death-censored) graft failure, since it considers the heterogeneity of causes of graft failure (excluding patient death with a functioning graft). Although it has not yet been shown in randomized trials that improvements in surrogate score actually predict improvements in long-term graft survival, the iBox model is the best-performing and best-validated algorithm to date .• It is difficult to promote single markers as surrogate endpoints for late graft failure:○ GFR has limitations, since the early course of graft function fails to capture ongoing subclinical disease processes. More sensitive tools are required that reflect heterogeneity in causes of late graft failure.○ Early proteinuria is associated with late graft failure but has not been proposed or tested as a surrogate endpoint in kidney transplantation.○ Combining GFR and proteinuria has a better association with graft failure than either factor separately, but its potential validity as a surrogate endpoint has not been tested.dnHLA-DSA is associated with graft failure but has not been formally tested or validated as a surrogate endpoint in studies that aim to reduce graft failure caused by AMR. As graft failure also occurs in the absence of AMR, dnDSA occurrence is insufficient as a surrogate for late graft failure by causes other than AMR.○ Development of • AMR and TCMR are primary endpoints for kidney transplantation clinical trials, which diminishes the need to pursue their validation as surrogate endpoints for late graft failure.• Death of the recipient with a functioning graft is typically a primary safety endpoint:○ Death of the recipient with a functioning graft is a competing risk for graft failure, but the impact of this competing risk on the accuracy of predictive models is poorly described.○ We recommend not to include recipient death in a surrogate endpoint for late graft failure because of the wide variety of underlying causes of a death observed, different to the causes of graft failure.• Several composite scores have been proposed and could be useful surrogate endpoints for interventional studies evaluating late graft failure.○ The iBox model is already a well-validated composite score that illustrates the robustness of this integrative approach, although further evaluations are in progress.• The CHMP acknowledged that the ESOT proposes to combine several factors into a single well-validated model as a surrogate endpoint to predict long-term outcome. A surrogate would be expected to fulfill the following three criteria:○ Show biological relationship to the clinical outcome.○ Demonstrate, in epidemiological studies, prognostic value of the surrogate for clinical outcome.○ Provide evidence from clinical trial settings that treatment effect on the surrogate corresponds to effect on clinical outcome.• The CHMP noted that ESOT introduces the iBox model  to predi○ Time from transplant to risk evaluation after transplantation.○ eGFR.○ Proteinuria.○ Banff IFTA grade, g + ptc, cg, and i + t scores.○ MFI of donor-specific HLA antibodies.• Based on ESOT´s position and the publication by Loupy et al. , the sco• It is not clear if the third criterion above has been fulfilled, i.e., that treatment effect measured via iBox translates into corresponding effect on clinical outcome, i.e., graft failure. Furthermore, the following issues need to be addressed:○ The statistical model and iBox algorithm were not presented and the relative contribution of each factor of the model was not evident; several factors of the iBox are also interrelated, e.g., histological diagnosis and the various histological lesions.○ “Time from transplant” is an important prognostic marker but is never affected by therapy, therefore it cannot predict the effect of therapy on clinical outcome.○ Outcome of iBox included death-censored graft failure, which is not a robust and favored clinical endpoint to show surrogacy, as there are several limitations in using the score without additional sensitivity analyses.• ESOT showed the correlation of each variable in the final iBox model to death-censored functional outcome, a density plot of iBox evaluations post transplantation and the hazard ratio of each factor of the model.○ Sensitivity analysis of the iBox indicate that graft survival analysis was not affected by competition with patient death.○ ESOT noted that all-cause graft failure was multifactorial, with very different risk factors than death-censored graft failure, where grafts from patients who died with a functioning graft, were defined as functional grafts in the model.○ However, ESOT acknowledged the concern regarding the importance of all-cause mortality in clinical trials of kidney transplantation for regulatory purposes and proposed to include this as part of safety or composite endpoints.○ ESOT outlined the plans to further explore these issues with the FDA, including the preparation for a Drug Development Tool (DDT) qualification process.a priori to be used in clinical practice to guide decision making.• For the time being iBox is not qualified as a surrogate endpoint for regulatory purposes and thus cannot be proposed ○ Based on the high-level data provided, CHMP notes that there are still certain limitations in applying the iBox score for regulatory purposes: the applicability of this score seems limited to certain determinants of kidney graft and the death-censored functional aspect.○ A formal EMA Qualification of Novel Methodologies procedure for the finalized iBox as a surrogate marker would be very relevant way forward and is recommended.


B structure was observed in the back-slopping fermented starch. In addition, the relative crystallinity of the lactic acid bacteria fermented starch (34.16%) and the back-slopping fermented starch (39.43%) was significantly higher than that of the water-extracted starch (30.22%). Moreover, the swelling power, solubility, pasting, and thermal properties of the fermented starches were also improved. In conclusion, the fermentation extraction method, especially back-slopping fermentation, could improve the quality of the extracted common vetch starch when compared with the traditional water extraction method.Three extraction methods: water extraction, lactic acid bacteria fermentation, and back-slopping fermentation were applied to extract a new type of legume starch, common vetch starch. Our results showed that the lactic acid bacteria fermented starch had the highest amylose content (35.69%), followed by the back-slopping fermented starch (32.34%), and the water-extracted starch (30.25%). Furthermore, erosion surface, lower molecular weight, smaller particle size, larger specific surface area, and a higher proportion of B1 chain were observed in the fermented starch, especially in the back-slopping fermented starch. All the extracted starches showed a type C structure, but a type C Vicia sativa L.) is an annual high-quality legume crop widely grown worldwide, especially in China, Canada, and Mediterranean countries [Cereal, tuber, and legume starches are the main types of starches, and they are important sources of energy for humans . Compareountries ,8,9. It ountries ,11. MoreTo date, water extraction is the most widely used method for extracting starch from leguminous plants ,13. In rLongjian No. 1), which is widely grown in the Gansu province of China. The chemical composition, thermal and pasting properties, and morphological characteristics of the obtained starches were systematically evaluated to investigate the effects of the different extraction methods on common vetch starch.Accordingly, in the present study, three extraction methods: water extraction, lactic acid bacteria fermentation, and back-slopping fermentation were applied to extract the starch from common vetch (Longjian No. 1) with uniform size and fully ripe were provided by the Gansu Planting Base . The seed has the composition of 36.73 ± 2.33% protein, 45.58 ± 2.58% starch, 11.13 ± 0.66% moisture, 1.78 ± 0.05% fat, 4.27 ± 0.37% fiber, and 3.77 ± 0.02% ash. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was chromatographically pure and purchased from Merck KGaA . All other reagents and chemicals used in the study were reagent grade.The seeds of common vetch , the starch was obtained according to the method of Fayemi et al. with some modifications [v/v), and then the mixture was fermented for 8 h at 37 °C and stirred every 1 h. After the fermentation, the starch extraction followed the water extraction procedure. For the lactic acid bacteria fermentation method (LS), the lactic acid bacteria was first isolated from the water previously used for soaking (48 h), and then the slurry was mixed with the isolated lactic acid bacteria (8.78 log10 CFU/mL) at a ratio of 20:1, fermented at 37 °C for 8 h, and stirred every 1 h. After the fermentation, the starch extraction followed the water extraction procedure. Common vetch seeds were washed and then mixed with distilled water at a ratio of 1:4, and left at room temperature for 4 h. Then the soaked seeds were ground using a homogenizer  to prepare the common vetch seed slurry, and the slurry was collected after being sieved through a 150-mesh sieve. For water extraction (WS), the common vetch starch was extracted according to the method of Li et al. . BrieflyMoisture, lipid, and protein content of the starches extracted by the different methods were determined according to the methods of AACCI and AOAC . The totThe starch powder was evenly sprinkled on a double-sided carbon tape and coated with gold-palladium. Morphological pictures of the starch granules were obtained using a scanning electron microscope  with an accelerating voltage of 10.0 kV and a magnification of 500× and 1000×. The starch samples were uniformly dispersed in distilled water, and the particle size distribution of starch samples was measured using a Malvern Mastersizer 2000  with the refractive index set to 1.52 and absorbance set to 0.1.w/w) solution were measured on a DAWN HELEOS-II laser photometer  equipped with three tandem columns , which was held at 60 °C using a model column heater. The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min. Data were acquired and processed using ASTRA6.1 . The amylopectin chain-length distributions were analyzed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography on a CarboPac PA 100 anion-exchange column with a pulsed amperometric detector  [w/v), acetate buffer , and isoamylase  and incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. The above mixture was then mixed with sodium borohydride 0.5% (w/v) and left at room temperature for 20 h; 600 μL of the above mixture was vacuum dried at room temperature and then dissolved in 20 μL of 1 M NaOH. Finally, the mixture was diluted with 580 μL of distilled water before injection. The parameter settings of the HPAEC-PAD were adopted according to the previously established method [The homogeneity and molecular weight of the starch samples were measured using SEC-MALLS-RI . The weiMA, USA) . Starch The crystalline structure of the starch was analyzed using a D8 Advance X-ray diffractometer (XRD)  with Ni-filtered Cu Ka radiation . The X-ray diffractogram was recorded by scanning from the diffraction angle (2θ) of 4°–45° at a scanning speed of 3°/min and a step size of 0.02°. The relative crystallinity of starch was calculated using JADE software 5.0  .−1 and 400 cm−1 with a scan speed of 4 cm−1. The Raman spectra of starch samples were measured using a Renishaw inVia confocal Raman microscope  with a 785 nm green diode laser source [−1 and 100 cm−1 with a scan speed of 7 cm−1.The FT-IR spectra of starch samples were measured using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer . The starch samples were prepared at the ratio of 1 g starch/100 g KBr and then compressed into pellets. The spectra were recorded between 4000 cmr source . The spe13C CP/MAS NMR analysis of the starch was performed on a JNM-ECZ600R spectrometer ; the frequency of 150.913 MHz, tube diameter of 3.2 mm, magic-angle spinning frequency of 12 kHz, relaxation delay of 2 s, and scans of 1221 were used during the experiments. The specific relative crystallinity, double helix content, and the amorphous phase were calculated according to previously established methods [The  methods ,28. w/w) starch slurry was used for the detection; the initial temperature was set to 50 °C, then heated to 95 °C at a rate of 7.5 °C/min for 5 min, and then cooled to 50 °C at a rate of 7.5 °C/min for 1 min.The pasting properties of starch were evaluated using a rapid viscometer  . The 10%The thermal property of the starch was detected by a differential scanning calorimeter  according to the method of Wang et al., with slight modifications . Brieflyw/v) was continuously stirred in a 90 °C water bath for 30 min, then cooled to room temperature and centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 20 min. The supernatant was poured out in an aluminum box and dried at 105 °C for 3 h. Then, the weight of the precipitate after centrifugation (m2) and the starch in the aluminum box (m1) were weighed, respectively. Then, the solubility (SA) and swelling power (SP) were calculated according to the following formulas:The starch solution  using one-way ANOVA with Tukey adjustment. Pearson correlations were also analyzed using SPSS  at the level of p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 for significant and quite significant correlations, respectively.All measurements were performed in triplicate. The statistics were calculated using SPSS  and Origin software . The data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation and the difference was considered to be at the 95% level of significance  and number-average molecular weight (Mn) of three starches are presented in w and Mn of the starches extracted by fermentation were significantly lower, especially the starch extracted by natural fermentation. These results indicated that the common vetch starch granules were degraded during the fermentation extraction, and the decomposition of starch by natural bacteria may be stronger than that of lactic acid bacteria. Similar results were also observed for fermented corn starch, potato starch, and tapioca starch [The weight-average molecular weight  characterizing the changes in the crystalline and amorphous regions of the starch granules [−1/1022 cm−1 band (DD) characterizing the degree of the double helix structure of the starch granules [−1 [−1 for the three starches was the water extracted starch, lactic acid bacteria fermented starch, and back-slopping fermented starch (p < 0.05), which were in agreement with FT-IR spectra results. These results all suggested that there was a decrease in the amorphous region and an increase in the double helix content of the fermented starches.The granules ,41 and tgranules  were difules [−1 , and smaThe pasting properties of the starches are shown in 0), peak temperature (TP), gelatinization end temperature (Tc), and gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH) of the obtained starches are shown in p of the obtained starches was similar and did not show significant difference (p > 0.05), while T0 of the fermented starches was lower than the non-fermented starch as the moisture was more likely to enter the fermented starch during the gelatinization process [c and ΔH of the fermented starch were higher than the non-fermented starch, which was correlated with the relative crystallinity and the double helical structure content of the starches [c and ΔH of the back-slopping fermented starch with high relative crystallinity were lower than that of the starch extracted by lactic acid bacteria fermentation. This may be due to the formation of new structures during the rapid retrogradation of amylose, and higher temperature and energy were required to disrupt these structures during gelation [Thermal properties of the gelatinization start temperature  and swelling power (SP) of the obtained starches are presented in p < 0.05). Similar results were also found in annatto seed starch and corn starch [p < 0.05). In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between the molecular weight and pasting viscosity; whereas, the specific surface area and pasting viscosity showed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05), which suggested that the starch granules extracted by the fermentation method were damaged and had higher gelatinization properties. There was a significant negative correlation between the swelling power and pasting temperature (p < 0.05), indicating that earlier viscosity onset was associated with an increase in swelling power. These results suggested that the variations in solubility, swelling power, pasting properties, and thermal properties of the obtained starches were induced by changes in the granule morphology, molecular weight, refined structure, and crystalline structure affected by fermentation.Correlation analysis  was performed to further investigate the effects of different extraction methods on the properties of common vetch starches. As demonstrated in n starch . It can B-type crystals with higher-order, double helix content, and relative crystallinity, suggesting that the surface erosion was more serious, and the structure dominated by A-type crystals in the outer layer of the crystallization zone was destroyed in the back-slopping fermented starch. These results induced higher swelling power and pasting viscosity and lower enthalpy values. The morphology, internal refined composition, and crystal structure of the starch granules were comprehensively regulated during the extraction of fermentation, especially by back-slopping fermentation. This study provides very useful information for the future use of common vetch starch in the food industry.Water extraction, lactic acid bacteria fermentation, and back-slopping fermentation were all effective methods for extracting common vetch starch, and the purity of the obtained starch was higher than 90%. There was no significant difference in the composition, chemical bonds, and type of crystal structure of the starches extracted by different methods, but fermented starches had higher amylose content, eroded particle surface, smaller molecular weight, larger specific surface area, a higher proportion of amylopectin B1 chain, and lower proportion of A chain. In addition, the fermented starches had higher crystal order and double helical structure content, and higher relative crystallinity. This indicated that fermentation destroyed the surface morphology and changed the internal refined composition and structure of the starch granules, leading to higher solubility, swelling power, enthalpy change, and pasting viscosity of fermentation-extracted starches. Moreover, compared with the starch extracted by lactic acid bacteria fermentation, the starch extracted by back-slopping fermentation had lower amylose content, smaller particle and molecular weight, a larger proportion of B1 chain, larger specific surface area, and formed C


Starch-based composites with different modified starches were prepared by combining starches with sisal fibers to investigate the effects of single-modification/cross-modification of starch on the mechanical properties of new biodegradable composites. Mechanical test results showed that cross-modification of starch improved the toughness of the composites, whereas single-modification improved the tensile strength. The oxidized esterified starch-based composite (OESC) exhibited the best toughness, with improved elongation at break and Young’s modulus by 136.1% and 54.3%, respectively, compared with a native starch-based composite. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the esterified starch-based composite (ESC) improved by 61.6%. The hydrogen bonds, crystallinity, and micro-structure of the composites were investigated to reveal the inherent mechanism of the changes in performance. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that modification of starch changed the functional groups of starch. Thus, the ESC formed the strongest hydrogen bonds. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the crystallinity decreased after the starches were modified. The OESC exhibited the lowest crystallinity, with a severely damaged structure. Many starch branches were combined with sisal fibers so that the composite was not easily pulled off. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the OESC formed good cell structures internally when starch uniformly attached to the surface of the fibers. Starch-based composites with different modified starches were prepared by combining starches with sisal fibers to investigate the effects of single-modification/cross-modification of starch on the mechanical properties of new biodegradable composites. Therefore, starch-based composites have become a research ‘hot spot’ worldwide.4New biodegradable composites are a type of starch-based composite, a kind of material with plant fiber as the skeleton and starch as a binder.5,6 Mir et al.7–9 studied starch-based composites reinforced by different types of plant fibers. Mechanical property test results showed that the mechanical properties of the composites were best when reinforced by sisal fibers. The micro-mechanism which gave rise to the differences in mechanical properties was found by microscopic analysis to be that the combination of sisal fibers and starch was so strong that the tensile strength was improved. Yusoff et al.10–12 found that native starch (NS) was bonded tightly by a series of colloidal molecules to form a relatively closed internal structure. The NS crystallinity was extremely high, hindering its combination with other polymers. These factors led to the poor mechanical properties of the NS-based composite. Guimarães et al.13,14 prepared starch-based composites from plant fibers. The tensile test results showed that starch modification and the mechanical strength of the composites were closely related. The reason was that the degree of crystallinity of the modified starches was reduced, leading to the change in the internal structure of the starches. Thus, despite the poor mechanical properties of NS-based composites, the problems can be solved by modifying the starch. Starch modification is an effective solution, thus, studies on modified starch are valuable.Numerous scholars have conducted multiple studies on biodegradable starch-based composites.15,16 oxidation,17 esterification,18 etherification,19 graft copolymerization,20 and cross-modification.21 Angellier et al.10,22,23 studied the mechanism of the plasticization modification of starch and found that plasticizers are typically low-molecular-weight substances that can be easily incorporated into the polymer matrix. This can destroy the molecular structure of starch and lead it to form extremely strong hydrogen bonds. The mechanical properties of starch-based composites have been significantly improved. Compound plasticizers, which are composed of glycerol and ethylene glycol, exert good plasticizing effects. Moreover, the best plasticization ratio was mstarch : mplasticizer = 10 : 3. Zhang et al.24,25 explored the best process for preparing oxidized starch and produced oxidized starch with a high degree of substitution. Mechanical test results showed a considerably enhanced mechanical performance of an oxidized starch-based composite compared with the NS-based composite. H2O2 is the most suitable oxidizer, and the optimal oxidation ratio is mstarch : moxidant = 10 : 1.5. Z. F. Wang et al.26,27 prepared esterified starch (ES) with good ductility, viscosity stability, good film formation and high transparency. Starch/natural rubber composites were prepared by mixing ES and the natural rubber latex. The results revealed improved thermal stability and mechanical properties, especially for the tensile strength of these composites compared with NS. In addition, the corn starch after esterification had significantly reduced moisture sensitivity and surface hydrophilicity. The team concluded that the esterification modification gives an excellent synthesized performance compared with other single-modification starches. Polylactic acid/etherified starch composites were prepared by Liu et al.,28–30 and the thermal stability and the tensile strength of etherified starch-based composites presented a similar trend in mechanical properties as ES. However, other aspects of the performance were obviously inferior to ES. Hebeish et al.31–33 optimized the synthesis of graft-copolymerized starch and applied the modification. The results showed that modified starch exhibits good rheology. Zhang et al.34 studied the effects of plasticization and oxidation on starch-based composites. Their findings revealed that cross-modified starch-based composites display advantages in some aspects, such as cushioning properties and water resistance, etc. However, the effects of single-modification and cross-modification of starch on the properties of composites were not investigated in detail in his study. A relatively uniform open cell structure was formed in the plasticized oxygen-based composite with certain cushioning properties. The starch-based composites had widely distributed cell structures. Due to their sound-absorbing, heat-insulating, and cushioning properties, starch-based composites can be used in different applications, including transportation, packaging, and interior decoration.35,36 In summary, we can draw the following conclusions. (1) Starch-based composites reinforced by sisal fibers exhibited the best mechanical properties. (2) For the purpose of this study, ES showed better properties and a higher research value compared with other single-modification starches. (3) Cross-modification starches presented superior properties compared with single-modification starches in some aspects. To date, although scholars have found that the single-modification/cross-modification of starch exerts different effects on the performance of composites, no systematic study can prove this phenomenon and the corresponding microcosmic mechanism. It is very meaningful that we can demonstrate this phenomenon by conducting experiments as it will have a direct effect on the manufacture of cushioned packaging.To date, starch modifications include plasticization,In this study, extensive research on the above problem has been carried out to demonstrate that we can modify starch according to our requirements to prepare products with specific performances. Single-modified/cross-modified starch-based composites were prepared at the optimal modified ratio in accordance with the aforementioned ratio by molding foam at a certain temperature. Only the ES was further modified in this article owing to its high research value. The single-modification starches included plasticized starch (TPS), oxidized starch (OS), and esterified starch (ES). The cross-modification starches included plasticized esterified starch (TPES) and oxidized esterified starch (OES).Through tensile and compression tests, the tensile curves and cushioning coefficient curves of the composites were obtained. Toughness was characterized by the elongation at break and Young’s modulus in this paper. A large elongation at break and a small Young’s modulus meant that the composites had a high toughness. The microscopic mechanism for the difference between the single-modification starch and the cross-modification starch was analyzed from the perspective of hydrogen bonds and crystallinity through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the starch and fiber were closely combined in the single-modified/cross-modified starch-based composites. The composites all formed a cell structure with different evenness and quantities, thus verifying the accuracy of the FTIR spectroscopy and XRD.2.2.12O2  and esterified acetic anhydride  were purchased from Luqiang Chemical Reagent Field in Jinan. NaOH, the foaming agent AR, and other additives were purchased from Yantai Shuangshuang Chemical Co. Ltd.Sisal fibers with an average length of 6–10 mm were self-made. The ratio of length to diameter of sisal fibers was 120. The binder, that is, corn starch with an average particle diameter of 80 nm, was purchased from Hebei Huachen Starch Sugar Co. Ltd. Glycerol and ethylene glycol (99% purity) as plasticizers were purchased from Tianjin Fuyu Fine Chemical Co. Ltd. H2.2TPS was prepared according to the following procedures: NS (50 g) was mixed with distilled water (200 mL) in a round-bottomed flask. The flask was heated at 85 °C in a water bath for half an hour with mild stirring. Glycerol and ethylene glycol as plasticizers were added into the mixture with the best ratio (glycerol and ethylene glycol) of 2 : 1. The slurry was stirred at 120 rpm for 2 h in a constant-temperature water bath at 85 °C for 12 h.2O2 and 5 g of the catalyst CuSO4 were added to the mixture with 20 mL of distilled water. The solution was added in drops into the gelatinized suspension after the temperature of water bath cooled to 25 °C. During oxidation, vigorous stirring was performed with a mechanical stirrer to ensure uniform dispersion of H2O2 into the gelatinized starch.OS was prepared as follows: distilled water (200 mL) and NS (50 g) were placed into a 500 mL round-bottomed flask in a constant-temperature water bath at 85 °C for 30 min with mild stirring. Then, 7.5 mL of the oxidant HES was prepared as follows: NS (50 g) was mixed with distilled water (200 mL) in a round-bottomed flask. The flask was heated at 85 °C in a water bath for 30 min with mild stirring. Esterified acetic anhydride (10 mL) was added to the mixture. The slurry was stirred at 120 rpm for 2 h in a constant-temperature water bath at 85 °C for 12 h.TPES was modified through changing the plasticizer and esterifying agent. The preparation procedure was similar to that for TPS formulation, but ES was used instead of NS as in the preparation of TPS.OES was modified through changing the oxidant and esterifying agent. The preparation procedure was similar to that for OS formulation, but ES was used instead of NS as in the preparation of OS.Lastly, all mixtures were subsequently washed 10 times with 250 mL of distilled water.2.337 The mixture was placed in a mixing machine and strongly stirred for 30 min to obtain six groups of starch-based composite slurries. Then, the composite slurries were wrapped with plastic wraps and marked corresponding to the type of starch. The labels were NS composite, TPS composite, OS composite, ES composite, TPES composite, and OES composite.Approximately 50 g of the six groups of composites were weighed and placed into a hot-pressing machine of the double column-single station as shown in 2.42.4.138 were tested using the standard method according to the national standard (−1 for tensile strength testing.Samples (100 mm × 25 mm × 5 mm)standard . Tensile2.4.239 were tested using the national standard method d method . The comAll tests were performed using five samples, and the average of the data was obtained.2.4.340 Thus, a cushioning coefficient–stress curve (C–δ curve) was drawn.Test data were obtained by a compressive strength test, and the stress–strain curves of the samples were plotted to calculate the increment of the unit volume of the samples under different stress conditions to obtain the cushioning coefficients.C) and to plot the C–δ curve were as follows.The basic steps to determine the cushioning factor ((1) The area under the stress–strain curve was divided into several small areas. A small divided area means high data accuracy.δi and εi on the stress–strain curve  were recorded.(2) The values of each of (3) The increment of strain energy for each stress section was determined, that is, each divided area was calculated.δi(ui) was calculated.(4) Strain energy corresponding to each stress δi was calculated.(5) The cushioning coefficient corresponding to each stress C)–stress (δ) curve was plotted with the cushioning coefficient C as the ordinate and the stress δ as the abscissa.(6) The cushioning coefficient  range of 5–65° was analyzed at a speed of 5° min−1.Starch samples were dried in a vacuum oven at 80 °C for 12 h. Anhydrous starch was ground in an agate mortar and passed through a 200 mesh screen. The sample was flattened to make the surface parallel to the glass frame. The assay was operated at room temperature using Ni-filtered Cu radiation and a curved graphite crystal monochromator. The slit system was DS/RS/SS = 1°/0.16 mm/1°. An angle  at an accelerating voltage of 10 kV. Prior to SEM, all samples were mounted on a piece of aluminium using a carbon ribbon and sputtered on the surface to result in a conductive sample.3.3.1The tensile stress–strain test results of the NS-based composite (NS composite) and the single-modified/cross-modified starch-based composites are shown in The cushioning coefficient–strain test results of the NS composite and single-modified/cross-modified starch-based composites are shown in 41 The minimum tensile strength (1.24 MPa) of the starch-based composites studied in this work was significantly superior to that of EPS. After starch modification, the cushioning coefficients (4.8–5.2) of the composites were similar to that of EPS. Thus, compared with EPS, starch-based composites exhibit obvious advantages in mechanical properties, which can become an interesting topic for future research.After the process, the tensile strength of EPS was approximately 0.15 MPa, its compressive strength was approximately 0.3 MPa, and its corresponding minimum cushioning coefficient was 4 to 5.3.2−1. The formation of hydrogen bonds significantly changed the vibrational frequency of the hydroxyl groups. Strong hydrogen bonds indicated a low vibrational frequency of the hydroxyl groups and a wide vibrational band.42To explore the microscopic mechanism of the single-modification/cross-modification of starch on the mechanical properties of the composites, the modified starches were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. In this study, FTIR spectroscopy was focused on the O–H stretching vibration absorption peak and the absorption peak was located at 3300–3600 cm2− can be easily accessible owing to the large number of hydroxyl groups in the starch molecule, which tends to combine with modifier binders to form highly polar H+ ions. Because of the high polarity of H+, it forms strong hydrogen bonds, demonstrating the accuracy of the infrared spectroscopy test. In this study, the ES composites with the best tensile strength, the TPES composite and the OES composite, are selected for analysis to study the difference between single-modification and cross-modification of starch in the formation of hydrogen bonds.θ = 14.85°/17.58°/23.85°, correspondingly. ES presented one set of diffraction peaks located at 2θ = 17.48°. OES presented only one set of diffraction peaks located at 2θ = 19.25°. Furthermore, the figure shows that the crystalline types of NS, ES, and OES were significantly different.In order to further study the effects of single-modification/cross-modification of starch on the mechanical properties of composites and the accuracy of FTIR spectroscopy, we selected the most representative modified starch  for XRD analysis. Data were processed and fitted by MDI Jade software. The crystallinity index of NS was 19.68%, whereas the crystallinity index of ES was 14.58% and that of OES was 9.24%. The results indicated that the cross-modified starch exhibited a lower degree of crystallinity compared to the single-modified starch. The internal structure of the cross-modified starch was severely damaged. Numerous branches were exposed, enabling the starch to combine easily with sisal fibers. Thus, numerous good cell structures were formed, verifying the accuracy of FTIR spectroscopy. Tensile test results showed that the tensile strength of the OES composite was larger than that of the NS composite. Although the OES composite almost exclusively involved hydrogen bonds, and the NS composite only contained chemical bonds, numerous branches of cross-modified starch were exposed, allowing easy combination of these branches with sisal fibers. Therefore, many strong hydrogen bonds occurred in the composites, resulting in a large tensile strength compared to the NS composite, a large elongation at break, and a small Young’s modulus. This result proved the rationality of mechanical testing.3.3To further investigate the micro-mechanism of the composites, we conducted SEM analysis of NS, ES, and OES, and their corresponding composites, and the results are shown in 4.A new biomass-cushioned packaging product is composed of a starch-based composite with plant fiber as the skeleton and starch as the binder and is synthesized by a molding-foam method.Cross-modification of starch improved the toughness of the composites, whereas single-modification of starch increased the tensile strength of the composites. The ES composite improved the tensile strength of the composite by 61.6%, whereas the OES composite improved the elongation at break and the Young’s modulus by 136.1% and 54.3% respectively, compared with the NS composite. The cushioning coefficient of the modified starch-based composites was significantly lower than that of the NS composite, and this result was basically the same as that of EPS. Starch-based composites offer evident advantages in mechanical properties compared with EPS. Starch-based composites can be the focus of future studies.FTIR spectroscopy showed that starch formed additional strong hydrogen bonds after modification. Although the hydrogen bond strength of ES was slightly higher than that of the cross-modified starch, the tensile strength of ES was obviously stronger than that of the cross-modified starch because of the chemical bonds. The chemical bonds inside the starch molecules and the hydrogen bonds of the ES composite existed simultaneously, whereas only the hydrogen bonds played an important role in the OES composite. This is because cross-modification extensively damaged the molecular structure of starch, causing the chemical bonds to almost disappear for the OES composite. In addition, less force was required during deformation, and the easy deformation was due to hydrogen bonds being weaker than chemical bonds for the OES composite, compared with the ES composite. Specifically, the OES composite has a good toughness, whereas ES has a high tensile strength. The results of the XRD analysis showed that ES has a high crystallinity and a relatively intact internal structure; thus more chemical bonds still existed and fewer branches were exposed to combine with fibers compared with OES. The results of XRD were consistent with the analysis of the FTIR spectra.The SEM images showed the evident structure of ES. ES presents few bare branches and a closed structure to a certain degree, resulting in low binding of starch and sisal fibers in the ES composite. The cell structure was poorly formed and sparse. Starches were unevenly distributed on the surfaces of fibers. However, the molecular structure of OES was basically completely destroyed, and the starch molecules were relatively dispersed. This phenomenon exposed a large number of branches and allowed easy combination with sisal fibers, forming several good cell structures. Starches were evenly distributed on the surfaces of sisal fibers. The results of SEM were consistent with the analytical results from XRD and FTIR spectroscopy.There are no conflicts of interest to declare.


Recently the layman's media has seen unsettling news concerning fraud in scientific publications, which included: improper conduct and data manipulation by renowned scientists.KremerHowever, in the daily routine of scientific journal editors there are problems which are much more mundane. Sometimes due to author's slyness. Nonetheless, most of the times I prefer to believe it is because of the lack of knowledge about the journal's rules, or even lack of attention from the authors of a scientific paper.KosovskiThus, just as scientific journal editors must follow COPE (Committee On Publication Ethics) rules, which developed the “Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” – some sort of o Code of Ethics of those responsible for the publication of papers in a scientific journal -, authors must also be subjected to the journal's rules and, moreover, guide their conduct according to Ethics and Moral principles.There is one aspect of this issue which is critical for its full understanding. In Brazil, as it happens elsewhere in the world, the publishing pressure has plagued the lives of researchers. Those who do not regularly publish in high-impact, or at least indexed, journals end up being left behind in the academic ranking, regardless of their intellectual capacity or their preference for teaching and not for research. This is the “publish or perish” saying, which has impacted the Brazilian Academy for some time now.Therefore, it is to be expected that in the rush to publish and push one's scientific career forward, some researchers my make ethical mistakes. If it happens in the US and in Europe, why wouldn't it happen here?One of the aforementioned mundane problems with which the editor has to deal is sending the same paper to two different journals at the same time.This sometimes happens, but I wish to believe it does more because of naiveness than slyness. Nonetheless, problems arise when the author sends the paper to two different journals at the same time.The major problem here is specifically associated with copyrights, or intellectual property. Initially, the property of a paper belongs to those who developed the research and then wrote the paper. When the paper is submitted for publication, it is implicit (and then explicit and signed) a sort of pre-contract, which states that if accepted, the author is transferring the copyright to the journal.In exchange for the all the work the journal, its editors and revisers have of assessing the paper, it gains the right of publishing it, should it be merited.Therefore, to send a paper to two different journals would imply in double transfer of the same copyright. This would characterize a type of intellectual fraud. It is unnecessary and redundant to comment on the ethical and moral aspects of this type of conduct.The Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology repudiates such act and recommends that authors should wait for the final report from our revisers before submitting their papers to another journal. This is the proper and ethical conduct in this case.


AOGS is an old scientific journal in obstetrics and gynecology and has a history that spans back more than 100 years. In fact, we planned for a large celebration of its 100 years anniversary in 2021 at the Nordic Congress in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Reykjavik, but as with many other planned celebrations during 2020 and 2021, it ended in a digital event. At least, we managed to mark AOGS 100 years of serving the scientific community, however without the real‐life dimension that is so important for all living creatures.Quant geeks, like us, love all that is quantifiable and medical journals tend to be evaluated and appreciated by their journal impact factor. This goes for the whole scientific community, submitting authors at all stages, editors, funding agencies, universities, and public authorities. A lot has been written about this metric and it is discussed whether it measures true impact, impact on life and people and impact on treatment of our patients. As recently stated by a fellow scientist: “The journal impact factor is wrong in so many ways, but it is so easy.”Epidemiology and The International Journal of Epidemiology was sparked by an editorial in Epidemiology, where it was suggested that the impact factor did not influence where authors choose to submit papers.Epidemiology was based on a before‐and‐after comparison of the ratio of submissions in the second half of 2011 to those in the first half, as impact factors are released typically in June each year. The editors of International Journal of Epidemiology responded by showing a close relation between their impact factor as released in June of each year by number of submissions to the journal in the subsequent year.Epidemiology to do the same calculations on their numbers, finding a similar pattern, with rising impact factor and number of submissions. However, the editors of Epidemiology were not quite sure what to make of this ecological association in their reply. It could be a causal effect of impact factor on submissions, as interpreted by the editors of International Journal of Epidemiology, or that the two trends may simply reflect the natural growth of healthy journals.A few years ago, a correspondence between editors of If we do the same with the AOGS numbers, plotting impact factor by year and number of submissions (summarized from July to June), we see a somewhat similar pattern. The impact factor has had a steady increase and we must admit that also the editorial board of AOGS has been pleased by the increase over the last years, rising from 2.426 in 2014 to 4.544 in 2021. Currently, AOGS is ranked number 15 among 85 journals within obstetrics and gynecology. At the same time, submissions have shown an increasing tendency, with a clear corona‐bump in 2020. Another notable figure is the slightly reduced percentage of acceptance over these years. We probably had more papers to select the best publishable from. To those who think that AOGS is a regional journal, I must disappoint you. Submissions come from all over the world, so keep submitting to our international journal. For the relevant numbers, please see Table I have over the last 8 years had the pleasure of serving at the editorial board of AOGS, as an associate editor appointed by the Norwegian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The journal is owned by the Nordic Federation of Associations in Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG) and each of the five member countries appoint editors to AOGS for a maximum period of 8 years. My watch has now come to an end, and it is time to wrap up and reflect. First, in my opinion, the limited time‐period for associate editors is one important factor in a healthy medical journal. By this rule, the NFOG has assured that people do not stay forever, and that new ideas and opinions are allowed to flow continuously into the journal's editorial board.It has for me personally been a joyful journey with a steep learning curve that would have been impossible without all the people I have collaborated with and met over the past 8 years. People and their relations are in my opinion also a crucial factor in the development of a healthy medical journal. First and foremost, thanks to our chief editor Ganesh Acharya for being such an inspiring and involving boss. You are dedicated with an ability to see people and combine scientific toughness with a kind and mild personality that truly believes in people. Advice is given without offending, combined with an ability to seek advice when needed. You have managed to create a friendly environment on the board and arranged inspiring learning sessions, involving external capacities that both have enlightened us and given food for thought. All this has inspired me and others to work harder.p‐value <0.05. To me it does not matter who said: “Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted,” because it bears a truth whenever life and people are involved, also for a healthy scientific journal, like AOGS.Thanks to all fellow associate editors and international collaborators over the years. We have always managed to have a good tone at meetings, creative learning sessions, inspiring and fruitful discussions, and not to forget our social gatherings with laughter and good meals together. Then of course, thanks to all colleagues around the globe I have asked to review manuscripts, sometimes at inconvenient times and thanks to all authors that have sent quality papers to AOGS. Without you there would be no AOGS! Clearly, even a scientific journal, based on reporting of rigorous facts and truth is about people, their relations, creative collaboration, and about being critical friends. The latter may though be controversial for some, at a time when impartiality is the word of the day. Value of relations, collaboration and extensive and rigorous review efforts are difficult to measure and count. Reductionists like us are reluctant when things in life cannot be measured and given a number that preferably should be significant, with a


Marinobacter adhaerens (PBVC038) was isolated from a harmful algal bloom event caused by the toxic dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum (P. bahamense) in Sepanggar Bay, Sabah, Malaysia, in December 2012. Blooms of P. bahamense are frequently linked to paralytic shellfish poisoning, resulting in morbidity and mortality. Prior experimental evidence has implicated the role of symbiotic bacteria in bloom dynamics and the synthesis of biotoxins. The draft genome sequence data of a harmful algal bloom-associated bacterium, Marinobacter adhaerens PBVC038 is presented here. The genome is made up of 21 contigs with an estimated 4,246,508 bases in genome size and a GC content of 57.19%. The raw data files can be retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) under the Bioproject number PRJNA320140. The assessment of bacterial communities associated with harmful algal bloom should be studied more extensively as more data is needed to ascertain the functions of these associated bacteria during a bloom event. Specifications TableValue of the Data•Marinobacter adhaerens strain PBVC038 in a toxic algal bloom associated with the P. bahamense in Sepanggar Bay, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.The genome analysis showed the presence of •Marinobacter adhaerens, during a toxic bloom, by analyzing the genes associated with bloom dynamics and the biosynthesis of toxins.The dataset aids in understanding the function of an associated bacterium, •Marine researchers can use the data to compare with the genomes of other harmful algal bloom-associated bacteria.•Researchers could use the genome information provided here to comprehend the genetic-related mechanisms of a marine bacterium responsible for harmful algal bloom and toxin production.1P. bahamense var. compressum, used the 16S rRNA gene as a DNA barcoding marker and 16S metagenome sequencing to study the associated bacterial community. The studies uncovered several intriguing bacterial species previously reported to be associated with toxic, harmful algal bloom and involved directly and indirectly with toxin production. Hence, this genome dataset was acquired to analyze the genes associated with bloom dynamics and toxin biosynthesis comprehensively.The primary goal of generating this dataset was to study how the associated bacteria contribute to bloom dynamics and the production of biotoxins based on next-generation sequencing. Previous studies on the associated bacteria of the same harmful marine microalga, 2P. bahamense, occurred in the coastal waters of west Sabah, Malaysia, in December 2012. Following the detection of the toxic bloom in the coastal waters, the state Department of Fisheries issued a warning to the public to prevent them from consuming any shellfish or bivalves harvested from the affected areas. The shellfish samples collected from the affected regions have toxin levels as high as 4010 Mouse Units (MU), where 400 MU is considered the lowest amount harmful to humans Marinobacter adhaerens PBVC038  of more than 95% with its closely related M. adhaerens strains t76_800, MES15, and ih7  and incubated for at least 72 h at 37 °C. Once the bacteria had grown, the individual bacterial colonies were sub-cultured onto a fresh, sterile marine agar plate. The bacterium PBVC038 was effectively recovered from the agar plate after an overnight 37 °C incubation period.Seawater samples from the bloom areas were collected using a plankton net of 20 µm mesh size and stored in sterile sampling bottles. Single cells of 3.3g for 15 min after two days of incubation. The sample preparation for SEM was carried out according to Yik et al. In order to prepare for SEM, the bacterium was cultivated in marine broth (Difco) and agitated at 200 rpm in an orbital shaker, with an incubation temperature of 25 °C. The bacterial cells were collected by centrifuging at 11,000 × 3.4For DNA extraction, the overnight (15–16 h) bacterial cell culture was pooled by centrifuging at 5000 × g for 10 min. The DNA extraction method was carried out according to protocols described in the Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit manual (Qiagen Biotechnology). The quality of the extracted DNA was examined using the Qubit dsDNA HS Assay kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific).3.5De Brujin Graph De Novo Assembler IDBA-UD software was used to de novo assemble the trimmed reads A standard genomic 250 bp paired-end library was produced after DNA extraction using the Illumina Nextera XT DNA Library Preparation Kit. Libraries were quantified and normalized to 4 nM before pooling and sequencing the libraries using the Illumina MiSeq system. Quality filtering of the acquired sequencing reads was conducted using the Fastq Quality Filter in Fastx Toolkit 3.6Marinobacter strains were subjected to pan-genome analysis using Roary v3.11.2 Marinobacter adhaerens PBVC038) and GenBank files obtained from the NCBI website (20 strains). The threshold of 99% was used to determine core genes across all strains, whereas BLASTP was used to compare the sequences of different strains using a user-defined percentage of sequence identity of 95% http://enve-omics.ce.gatech.edu/ani/) A total of 21 genomes of Since the work provided here did not involve employing human participants, animal trials, or data obtained from social media platforms, no ethical statements were required for this data.Grace Joy Wei Lie Chin: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Supervision, Writing – original draft. Jaeyres Jani: Software, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – review & editing. Salley Venda Law: Resources, Investigation. Kenneth Francis Rodrigues: Methodology, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing.The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.


With increasing selenium levels, the amylose content, peak viscosity, breakdown, relative crystallinity, pasting temperature and gelatinization enthalpy first decreased and then increased, while the transparency showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing. All samples exhibited a typical A-type pattern, while at high selenium level, the degree of short-range order of common buckwheat starches changed. From the rheological properties, it can be seen that the starch paste is dominated by elastic properties, while the low selenium treatment decreases the viscosity of the starch paste. These results showed that spraying different concentrations of selenium solutions at different periods significantly affected the physicochemical properties of common buckwheat starch.Selenium is an important element that affects human growth and development, and also affects the yield and quality of common buckwheat. In our study, two common buckwheat varieties were sprayed with different concentrations (0 g/hm Fagopyrum of Polygonaceae, which is native to China , Se5 (low selenium), Se20 (high selenium) were treated with different concentrations of sodium selenite. Other practices were in conformity with local recommendations.Common buckwheat varieties of Xinong 9976 (XN9976) and Beizaosheng (BZS) provided by the Minor Coarse Laboratory of the Northwest A & F University were used as materials, and sodium selenite was used as selenium source, the leaves were sprayed during the initial flowering (I) and full flowering periods (F), respectively. The split zone design was adopted, and 3 selenium application levels were set to 0, 5, 20, g/hmMature common buckwheat seeds (500 g) were taken, pulverized using a universal high-speed pulverizer , and then passed through a 200-mesh sieve to obtain common buckwheat flour. Common buckwheat flour with 80% ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:20 was treated ultrasonically at 500 W and at 50°C for 30 min to remove flavonoids. A 0.3% NaOH solution (1000 mL) was added and placed at 25°C for 22 h to remove impurities such as crude fibres. This suspension was centrifuged at 4000 r/min for 10 min to remove the supernatant. After the starch was washed and precipitated with 0.3% NaOH solution, the above process was repeated thrice. Finally, the pH was adjusted to 7.0 with 0.1 mol/L HCl, and the starch was dried in an oven at 40°C and kept in a refrigerator at 4°C for later use .Common buckwheat starch sample (0.01g) was weighed, placed in a 15mL centrifuge tube, 100 μl of absolute ethanol (for wetting starch) and sodium hydroxide solution , was added in turn, heated at 35°C for 30 minutes, added with 8.9 mL of distilled water and set as the original solution. The stock solution  was added to neutralize, iodine (200 μl) was added, distilled water (9.4 mL) was added, shaken and left for 20 minutes. The absorbance was measured at 620 nm and 510 nm by using a visible-light spectrophotometer  .The morphological characteristics of common buckwheat starch were measured by scanning electron microscope . The dried starch sample was fixed on the loading platform with double-sided tape and sputtered with gold. Then the samples were observed at 20 kV and 8000x magnification.A laser diffraction particle size analyzer  was used to measure the particle size, which can measure starch samples between 0.1 and 1000 μm. Starch was added to distilled water and stirred .XRD  was used to measure the crystalline structure. The powder sample was scanned in a 2θ range between 5° and 50°. At a target voltage of 40 kV, the scan rate was 10°/min .-1 and 1022/995 cm-1 band strength ratio , which had a DTGS detector equipped with an ATR single reflection cell, and the calculated values of 1045/1022 cmth ratio .Common buckwheat starch (1 g) was accurately weighed to prepare starch homogenate with a mass concentration of 1.0%, and gelatinized in a boiling water bath for 30 min, while stirring to prevent starch from agglomerating. After the water bath, it was cooled to 25°C, distilled water was added to the original scale, and the light transmittance of the starch paste was measured with a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 620 nm.o), peak temperature (Tp), endset temperature (Tc) and gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH)  . The dried starch sample (3.0 mg) was mixed with twice the volume of water and sealed in an aluminum pan at room temperature for 2 h. The sample pan was heated to 110°C at a rate of 10°C/min, and an empty aluminum pan was used as a control. The starch gelatinization parameters shown in the differential scanning calorimetry curve are the onset temperature (Tlpy (ΔH) .The pasting properties of common buckwheat starch were determined by a rapid viscosity analyzer . The samples (2.5 g) with a moisture content of 14.0% were directly weighed into an aluminum RVA tank, and then 25.0 mL of distilled water was added to bring the total weight to 28.0 g. Set the following parameters: hold the slurry at 50°C for 1 min, heat from 50°C to 95°C for 3.7 min, and hold at 95°C for 2.5 min. Finally, let the sample cool to 50°C for 3.8 min, and keep it at 50°C for 2 min .The rheological properties of common buckwheat starch were measured by a DHR-1 rheometer from Waters Corporation, USA. The parallel metal plate of rheometer diameter was set at 40 mm and the gap at 1000 µm. The sample starch (0.4 g) and 5 mL distilled water were taken into a 10 mL centrifuge tube, and gelatinize in a boiling water bath for 10 min. The mixture was loaded onto the rheometer plate, and the gap edge was coated with a thin layer of low-density silicone oil  and modified .Each experiment was repeated three times, and all data were expressed as the mean standard deviation. Data processing and graphs were analyzed using SPSS 19.0  and Origin software .2 selenium (Se5) treatment level at the two periods , while the amylose content under the 20 g/hm2 selenium (Se20) treatment level was highest. Previous studies reported that the activities of soluble starch synthase (SSS) and starch branching enzymes (SBE) involved in the biosynthesis of branched components in starch granules may affect the amylose content of different starch components The amylose content of starch ranged from 33.58% to 40.18% and varied significantly among the different treatment levels Figure 1Amylose content is an important indicator for evaluating starch properties. High amylose starches are characterized by high gelling strength, which can be used to produce coatings for pasta, confectionery, bread and fried products, while low amylose starches form less retrograded starch in hydrothermal product processing while having better dough kneading characteristics, especially important for noodle making . AmyloseThe appearance and morphology of common buckwheat starch treated with different selenium were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) Figure 2The XRD patterns of common buckwheat starch observed under different selenium treatment levels are shown in The particle size distribution of buckwheat starch granules under different selenium treatment levels is shown in -1 is associated with the degree of short-range order in starch, and that of 1022/995 cm-1 can be used to quantify the proportion of amorphous to ordered carbohydrate structure  treatment level, the short-range orderliness changes, showing a downward trend and the band ratio of 1022/995 cm-1 ranged from 0.64 to 0.72. The ratio of quantitative amorphous to ordered carbohydrate structure of BZS will increase with the increase of selenium level, while the quantitative amorphous and quantitative ratio of XN9976 will decrease with the increase of selenium level.The crystalline region of starch was formed by the lateral arrangement of double helix branches of amylopectin into a crystal lattice, which can usually be detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy . Accorditructure . FigureThe light transmittance (%) of common buckwheat starch paste under different varieties, periods and selenium treatment levels is shown in o), peak temperature (Tp) and endset temperature (Tc) of all common buckwheat starch the samples were 62.02~64.33°C, 68.16~70.50°C, 77.09~81.61°C, respectively. With increasing selenium levels, the onset temperature, peak temperature, endset temperature and enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔH), decreased at first and then increased. The differences in gelatinization temperature of buckwheat starch at three selenium levels may be related to amylose content, amylopectin chain length and amylose to amylopectin ratio  and loss modulus (G’’) are used to determine the elasticity and viscosity of starch. Storage modulus (G’) was a measure of the energy stored in the material and recovered from each cycle. It was the ratio of elastic stress to strain; Loss modulus (G’’) was a measure of energy consumed or lost in each sinusoidal deformation cycle, and is the ratio of viscous stress to strain . The G’ The ability of starch pastes to resist fluidity is called viscosity. The size is measured by viscosity, and the viscosity of starch paste is reduced by shearing. The relationship between the viscosity of the common buckwheat starch paste treated with different selenium concentrations and the shear rate is shown in In our study, two buckwheat varieties were grown under three levels of selenium treatment and were treated with selenium at the initial flowering and full flowering period, respectively, and changes in the structural and physicochemical properties on common buckwheat starch affected by selenium solution were investigated. Low selenium (Se5) application significantly reduced the amylose content of common buckwheat starch, and with increasing selenium levels, peak viscosity, pasting temperature, breakdown viscosity and gelatinization enthalpy of the two varieties first decreased and then increased, while the transparency first increased and then decreased. Selenium solution changed the relative crystallinity, short-range order, storage modulus and loss modulus of starch but not its crystalline structure. In general, selenium solution changed the physicochemical properties of common buckwheat starch, and there were significant differences in the physicochemical properties of starch between the two varieties. A future goal is to explore how the selenium solution affects the fine structure and its physicochemical properties on common buckwheat starch.The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.JW: Writing original draft and Data curation. JL: Methodology and Data curation. LG: Software. MH: Resources. YW: Methodology. XL: Validation. JG: Funding acquisition and Writing - review and editing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.This research was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2020YFD1000805-03), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31671631), Shaanxi Science and Technology Key R&D Program (2022NY-178), Shaanxi Province Minor Cereals Industrial Technology System (NYKJ-2021-YL (XN) 40).The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.