bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
2. Learning a Dead Birdsong
Authors: Lutz Warren Julianne
Published: April 2020

The birdsong of Huia, an extinct species of New Zealand wattlebird, is the focus of this chapter. Julianne Lutz Warren describes Huia, of traditional significance for Māori of New Zealand, and their commodification and loss in the ongoing aftermath of colonization. An old recording of a Māori man whistling songs of Huia is a source of hope, a source of ongoing opportunities to co-create contemporary soundscapes for listening to echoes escape, quite alive.
6. The Obligations of a Biologist and Eden No More
Authors: Lovejoy Thomas E.
Published: April 2020

Thomas Lovejoy elaborates on the importance of biodiversity for the Earth community, with particular attention to Latin American forests. Bringing science together with ethical and political issues, Lovejoy articulates the responsibilities of biologists and other scientists for promoting biodiversity and addressing contemporary ecological crises.
8. Affectual Insight
Authors: Haberman David L.
Published: April 2020

Focusing on religion and ecology in Hinduism, this chapter elucidates the value of love and devotion as ways of connecting to the natural world. In contrast to the detachment that characterizes abstractly intellectual forms of knowledge, these ways of connecting to nature yield emotional or affective knowledge, which promotes care for the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world.
9. Confucian Cosmology and Ecological Ethics
Authors: Tucker Mary Evelyn
Published: April 2020

Mary Evelyn Tucker presents contributions to ecological ethics in Confucianism, highlighting the importance of Confucian cosmology for understanding the material world as vibrant and lively, not passive and inert. Confucianism facilitates an approach to ethics for which personal and social concerns are embedded in the Earth community and the whole cosmos, such that ecological concern is not separate from the practice of self-cultivation.
10. Contemplative Studies of the 'Natural' World
Authors: Haskell David
Published: April 2020

To build a bridge between scientific and ethical perspectives on ecological issues, David Haskell advocates for contemplative exercise, in the sense of repeated, open-ended attention. Contemplative participation within the community of life deepens one’s sense of ecological aesthetics, and such appreciation for the beauty of nature provides an integrative ground for ethical actions informed by scientific knowledge.
16. Sensing, Minding, and Creating
Authors: Grim John
Published: April 2020

Drawing on the wisdom of indigenous traditions and the world’s religions, John Grim proposes a triad for understanding the world without separating nature from culture. All things exhibit capacities for external interaction (sensing) and an inner patterning or consciousness (minding), and those external and internal facets change over time as novel conditions arise (creating). The emergence of life from matter and of humans from other life forms can be understood as an explication of the dynamics of sensing, minding, and creating inherent in the universe.
17. Unsettling the Land
Authors: Burow Paul Berne , Brock Samara , Dove Michael R.
Published: April 2020

Revitalizing indigenous communities requires more than recognition of tribal sovereignty. Samara Brock shows how it also requires a recuperation of indigenous understandings of existence and ways of being. Including multiple ontologies opens up possibilities for creating relational, hybrid forms of practices that cultivate mutuality and reciprocity between humans and the land.
Introduction
Authors: Grim John , Tucker Mary Evelyn
Published: April 2020

This introduction outlines the different ways of knowing – from the analytical, mercantile mindset of contemporary society, to the organic wisdom (encompassing wonder, beauty, and imagination as ways of knowing) that it superseded. It explores the different metrics (e.g. price, utility, and efficiency) underpinning our current worldview and decision-making processes; examines the rational, analytical kinds of knowledge that this worldview relies upon; and delineates the long-term effects of such a worldview on the individual human decision-maker. It argues for the importance of multiple perspectives, and the integration of traditional environmental knowledge and science, in this vein invoking the versions of empirical observation found among Indigenous peoples, which encompass both rational and affective components.
Effects of 3D Printing Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds on Femoral Defect Restoration and Serum Factors
Authors: Wang Cunjin , Yang Jianjun , Gao Cheng , Wu Zhongyuan , Yang Yan , Liu Renzhang , Gu Fang
Published: April 2020

Many researches aim at materials promoting osteogenesis, but few of these articles focus on serum. Here, we made Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HA) scaffolds using 3D printing technology, and evaluated the effect of scaffolds promoting osteogenesis by serum detection
and other tests. Sixty Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were selected to grind out a 4 mm long fullthickness bone defect of the bilateral femurs and were randomly divided into a PLGA/HA group which implanted with PLGA/HA scaffolds and a control group with no scaffolds implanted. Bone specimens and
serum were collected on the 3rd day and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th week after operation and then detected respectively. Three-point bending test indicated that the bone strength of the control group was significantly lower than the PLGA/HA group in the later stage of the experiment. In terms
of serum indexes, the calcium (Ca) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expressions were much higher in the PLGA/HA group, while the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) level in the PLGA/HA group was lower in the early stage of the experiment. The level of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2)
in the PLGA/HA group was significantly higher than that of the control group on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th weeks. These results revealed that 3D printing PLGA/HA scaffolds can effectively promote bone tissue formation and inhibit bone absorption. The scaffold has a good potential application prospect
at clinic as a kind of bone tissue engineering material.
Effects of Shikonin on the Bone Microenvironment and Heterogeneity of Spinal Tumor Cells by Regulating the High Mobility Group Protein B1-Toll Like Receptor 4-Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Signaling Pathway
Authors: Chen Bo , Liu Bo , Nie Feng-Feng , Zhang Zai-Qing , Wan Fa-Qing
Published: April 2020

Aim: The present study was conducted with an attempt to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of shikonin on spinal tumors in vivo and its mechanism. Methods: The morphology of rat spinal tumor was observed by H&E staining, and apoptosis of rat spinal tumor
was detected by transfection method and TUNEL method. In addition, the expression of cytokine mRNA and related proteins in spinal tumors of rats were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting assays. Results: At the same period, the BBB score in the model group was significantly
lower than that in the sham operation group and the shikonin group (P < 0.05). Compared with the sham operation group, the BBB score in the shikonin group was significantly lower than that in the sham operation group (P < 0.05), but significantly higher than that in the
model group (P < 0.05). Based on the RT-PCR results, the level of HMGB1 mRNA in the shikonin group was significantly lower than that of the model group (P < 0.05), and the level of TLR4 mRNA in the model group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P
< 0.05). Moreover, the NF-κB mRNA level in the shikonin group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The expression level of HMGB1, TLR4 and NF- B in the shikonin group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05).
Together, the results revealed that shikonin reduced the expression of HMGB1, TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA and protein. The apoptosis rate of tumor cells in the shikonin group was significantly higher than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The expression of caspase-3 in the
shikonin group was significantly higher than that in the model group, which further indicated that shikonin could promote apoptosis of spinal tumor cells in rats. Conclusion : Shikonin has the potential to affect the heterogeneity of the bone microenvironment and spinal tumor cells by regulating
the HMGB1-TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway.
Experimental Study of Anti-Interventional Endothelial Progenitor Cells Combined with Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Large Femoral Defects
Authors: Chen Jialian , Hu Fei , Peng Xiong
Published: April 2020

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and vascular endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have the potential for self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation. Their combination therapy is beneficial for treating orthopedic diseases. However, the role of antibiotic-interventional EPCs combined
with MSCs in large femoral defects remains unclear. Rabbit MSCs and EPCs were isolated and EPCs were cultured in the presence of 1% green chain double antibody. The femoral segmental bone defect model was prepared and randomly divided into control group, MSCs group, EPCs group, EPCs + MSCs
group, and autologous oxygen release nano-bionic scaffolds were combined with MSCs, EPCs, EPCs + MSCs followed by analysis of osteophytes by HE staining, bone density, ALP activity, TGF-β1 secretion by ELISA, and level of VEGF, Runx2 and OC by Real time PCR. MSCs, EPCs and combined
treatment for large femoral bone defects can significantly improve osteophyte growth, promote bone density, increase ALP activity and TGF-β1 secretion, as well as increase VEGF, Runx2 and OC expression. Compared with control group, there was a significant difference (P <
0.05) with combined treatment group having more significant effect on bone repair. Antibioticintervention of EPCs combined with MSCs promotes osteogenic activity and bone repair ability in large femoral defects.
Protective Effect of Hydroxysafflor Yellow A on Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Fibrosis in Rats
Authors: Li Yuan , Wu Xiangnian , Mao Yifan
Published: April 2020

Aim: Present research was to explore the effects and mechanisms of hydroxysafflor yellow A in treatment of isoproterenol-induced myocardial fibrosis in rats. Methods: Dividing 50 SD rats as the normal control, ISO and HSYA treated groups, 10 rats in each group. Administering
Rats by ISO subcutaneously (2 mg/kg · d) for 10 days induce myocardial fibrosis. HSYA treated groups were treated with 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg · d HSYA for 4 weeks (ig). The normal control and the model groups were treated with saline at equivalent volume. Measurement of hemodynamics
index to evaluate the changes of cardiac function. And evaluating the relative index of difference groups. Results: Treatment of HSYA significantly inhibited heart rate (HR) and LVEDP, meanwhile improving LVSP compared with model group with dose-dependent. HE staining and Masson staining
showed that diltiazem improve heart structure disorder, excessive accumulation of collagen fibers, meanwhile decreasing the value of collagen volume fraction (CVF) (P < 0.05). The result showed diltiazem inhibited Collagen I and Collagen II which were up-regulation (P <
0.001). HSYA could significantly increase SOD, GSH-Px levels (P < 0.001), meanwhile reducing the MDA levels in ISO-induced myocardial fibrosis model (P < 0.001) with dose-dependent. In addition, the elevated NF-κB, TGF-β1, CTGF expressions were
effectively restored by HSYA(P < 0.001). Conclusion: HSYA alleviated ISO induced myocardial fibrosis in rat, which might be correlation with the improvement of reduction of oxidative stress and inhibition of NF-κB signal pathway.
In Vitro Cell Adhesion, Proliferation and Differentiation of Adipose Derived Stem Cells on Tulbaghia violacea Loaded Polycaprolactone (PCL) Nanofibers
Authors: Madike Lerato N. , Pillay M. , Popat Ketul C.
Published: April 2020

Tissue engineering has been used for decades to restructure, replace and repair damaged tissue in the body. However, there are a number of challenges that have been identified, with the biggest one currently being the development of scaffolds with the ideal properties that can promote
cell-scaffold interactions to enhance cell proliferation and differentiation. There is currently very little research on the incorporation of extracts of medicinal plants in scaffold fabrication with the aim of enhancing the surface properties of the scaffold. For this study, Tulbaghia
violacea-based PCL scaffolds were fabricated and evaluated for their osteogenic potential on adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) in osteogenic media. The short-term studies illustrated enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation with low levels of toxicity as well as the formation of elongated
cells in the T. violacea-based scaffolds when compared to the control PCL scaffold. The long term studies indicated increased alkaline phosphate activity (ALP) in the T. violacea scaffolds when compared to PCL and overall higher levels of osteocalcin production over a period
of 3 weeks. Immunofluorescence imaging of marker proteins also illustrated that the T. violacea incorporated scaffolds supported better osteocalcin production which is a specific extracellular matrix (ECM) marker for cartilaginous tissue. These results support the incorporation of T.
violacea plant extracts for the enhancement of nanofiber scaffolds with the potential for tissue engineering applications.
A Novel Segmentation Method for Brain MRI Using a Maximum Entropy Clustering Algorithm Based on Cluster Center Transfer
Authors: Zhang Hui
Published: April 2020

As the pace of life accelerates and stress increases, brain diseases begin to seriously threaten the quality of human life and survival. Effective segmentation of brain images is the key to diagnosing brain diseases. In this article, a maximum entropy clustering (MEC) algorithm is introduced
to segment brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. Due to the imaging mechanism, noise is inevitably introduced when acquiring medical images, and the segmentation results of traditional image segmentation algorithms will be affected to some extent. To effectively increase the robustness
of the algorithm to noise, this paper introduces a knowledge transfer mechanism based on a historical cluster center. After combining this mechanism with the MEC algorithm, an MEC algorithm based on cluster center transfer (CCT-MEC) is proposed. A series of comparative experiments show that
the proposed CCT-MEC algorithm outperforms the other algorithms in brain MRI images with a better segmentation accuracy and noise reduction performance and has a certain reference value.
The Breast Cancer Tumor Region Mapping Model Based on Multiple Sequences of Magnetic Resonance Images and Clustering Algorithms
Authors: Yuan Gao-Teng , Liu Yi-Hui , Huang Wei
Published: April 2020

The objective of this research is to solve the problem of target location mapping in breast cancer (BC) radiotherapy. We proposed a BC magnetic resonance (MR) images mapping model based on clustering algorithms. Compared with Digital Radiography (DR) and Computed Tomography (CT), MR
images have unparalleled advantages in soft tissue imaging, and it can clearly distinguish the invasive range of breast tumors and surrounding tissues. The work used T1-weighted, T2-weighted, fat suppression sequence and enhancement sequence MR images from 12 patients with breast cancer to
study. The MR images of the four sequences were clustered and compared using k-means and fuzzy c-means clustering methods. The experimental results show that using clustering algorithm, especially the k-means clustering combined with the MR images of multiple sequences,
can well determine the region of breast tumors. At the same time, we compared the snake model and mapped the breast cancer MR images of the T1 sequence. The experimental results show that the k-means clustering combined with the multi-sequence MR images has higher mapping accuracy and
robustness to noise. This shows that our method is feasible. It can solve the problem of lack of standard in breast cancer bed mapping.
Death Risk Prediction of Intensive Care Unit Patients Combined with Treatment Process Mining
Authors: Lu Faming , Li Pengfei , Bao Yunxia , Liu Cong , Zeng Qingtian
Published: April 2020

Precise death risk prediction of ICU patients plays an important role in developing follow-up treatment options and reducing rescue cost. Previous work mainly relied on the vital signs of patients to predict the risk of death. In fact, patients’ treatment process also implies
valuable information about patient’s condition. To use the treatment process information in patient risk assessment, this paper proposes a new death risk prediction method combined with treatment process mining. Specifically, historical patients are firstly clustered into several classes
according to their final treatment outcome and the drugs they took. Patients in one cluster are assumed to share the same treatment process. Then, these treatment processes are mined by means of the LDA topic model and the probability suffix tree training method. Next, for a patient to do
death risk prediction, the similarity between his/her treatment procedure and those probability suffix trees is computed. The similarity value is taken as a new feature complementary to those traditional ones in disease severity scoring systems. Finally, the random forest algorithm is used
to train the death risk prediction model based on the extended feature set. Taking the prescription data of sepsis patients in the MIMIC-III database as input, an experiment is conduced to evaluate the proposed method. As expected, the proposed method achieves better prediction accuracy, recall
rate, and F1 score compared to methods.
Identification of Epileptic Electroencephalograms Signals Using an Integrated Transfer Radius Basis Function Neural Network
Authors: Hua Chi , Liu Li , Kuang Liang , Pi Dechang
Published: April 2020

As a common brain disease, epilepsy is rapidly increasing in terms of the number of patients. Long-term repeated sudden seizures seriously affect the physical and mental health of patients. Epileptic electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are an effective tool in the hands of clinicians
for diagnosing epilepsy, and how to use computer technology to automatically analyze and detect epileptic EEG signals has become very meaningful. This article proposes a method for effectively identifying epileptic EEGs for further diagnosis of epilepsy. The traditional modeling method default
is to train on training samples and test samples that obey the same distribution, which usually does not match the actual situation. Therefore, a transfer learning (TL) mechanism is introduced to a classical radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). Considering the limited stability of
a single classifier, this article introduces an integration strategy and proposes an integrated transfer RBFNN (ITRBFNN) algorithm. Experimental results of EEG signal recognition for epilepsy show that the algorithm has better adaptability of scene transfer and stability.
Segmentation of Breast Mass and Diagnosis of Benign and Malignant Breast Tumors Based on Edge Constraint in Pulse Coupled Neural Network
Authors: Hu Haozhong
Published: April 2020

In order to segment breast tumor accurately, an improved Unit-Linking Pulse-Coupled Neural Networks based mammography image segmentation method is proposed. Firstly, the link input and coupled parameter in the original model are improved according to the relationship between this neuron
and its neighbors. Then, the improved model is used to segment the breast tumor image to obtain multiple output images. Finally, the gradient algorithm is used to calculate the edges of the original image and each output image respectively, and the minimum mean square error (MMSE) of the two
edge images is calculated to find the best output image. The final experimental results indicate that the improved method can accurately segment breast tumor images in different environments. In addition, based on the segmentation results, we use the SVM method to diagnose the type of tumor,
and its classification accuracy is much higher than the existing deep classification algorithm.
Nuclear Magnetic Image Segmentation of Rectal Cancer Based on Improved Genetic Neural Network
Authors: Li Danyang , Sun Yumei , Liu Wanqing , Hu Bing , Wu Jianlin , Zhang Qing
Published: April 2020

Image segmentation is the basis of image analysis and understanding, and has an unshakable position in the field of computer vision. In order to improve the accuracy of nuclear magnetic image segmentation of rectal cancer, this paper proposes an improved genetic neural network algorithm
for the problems of traditional BP neural network algorithm. In order to enhance the network performance, this paper improves the genetic neural network from the two aspects of fitness function and genetic operator, which makes the training speed and convergence precision greatly improved.
Target samples were analyzed by image histogram analysis, and the improved genetic neural network was used to learn the samples to obtain the training network. Taking the pixel matrix of the image as the input vector, it is put into the trained network for classification, and finally the segmentation
is realized. The simulation experiment proves that compared with the classical image segmentation method, the improved genetic neural network image segmentation method has a good segmentation effect and is a feasible image segmentation method.
Application of Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Based on Magnetic Resonance in Radiation Therapy of Brain Tumors
Authors: Liu Chenghuan
Published: April 2020

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) method that is newly used in clinical practice with no traumatic advantages, which can quantitatively analyze the microstructure of the brain, such as quantitative analysis of the dispersion characteristics of
lesions and normal tissues, thus providing more information for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of diseases. At the same time, DTI has a unique advantage in the imaging of white matter fibers in the brain, can visually show the relationship between intracranial lesions, especially
tumors and autologous fibers, more conducive to guiding the operation, in order to maximize the removal of tumors and protect functional areas. In order to make the dispersal volume better applied to clinical, this topic mainly hopes to provide a new basis for the benign-malignant classification
of brain tumors and the diagnosis of different brain tumors, FA (fractional anisotropy) value. It can provide a stronger basis for the diagnosis of brain tumors, which is rarely done in previous research institutes. Previous studies have rarely dealt with the signal strength of FA diagrams,
and extensive research in this area is needed. It is hoped that the signal strength of FA graphs will help diagnose different tumors and grade the malignant degree of brain tumors. Through this experiment, it can be proved that this purpose can be achieved by magnetic resonance dispersion
volume imaging. In this study, a comparative analysis method was used to determine the ADC and FA values on the magnetic resonance dispersion weighted image and dispersal volume image of glioma and benign malignant meningioma, thus revealing the important role of this method in the diagnosis
and differential diagnosis of tumors in the brain and its application value.
Evaluation of Conventional, Gadolinium-Enhanced, and Diffusion-Weighted MRI for Revealing Brucellosis Spondylitis of the Lumbar Spine
Authors: Xiong Chunmei , Xiao Lianxiang , Cui Lei , Lin Xiangtao
Published: April 2020

Background: Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by exposure to contaminated unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat, or contact with the secretions of infected animals. Although laboratory tests are the gold standard for diagnosis of brucellosis, the positive rate
remains low (<50%). A complication of brucellosis is lumbar brucellosis spondylitis (LBS). LBS is conventionally diagnosed using X-ray and computed tomography, however, they have low sensitivity in imaging the spine. Previous studies demonstrated that T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and gadolinium
(GD)-based MRI can detect LBS. Note that diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is able to probe tissue microstructures quantitatively. However, the viability of DWI to diagnose LBS is unknown. Purpose: In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using DWI for diagnosing LBS, and also evaluated
T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and Gd-MRI images. Materials and Methods: 79 patients (22–75 y) with brucellosis, which was confirmed by brucellosis serum agglutination test, underwent DWI as well as T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and Gd-MRI. Results: Among the 79 patients, 72.2%
(57/79) showed various degrees of LBS. Relative to those without LBS, patients with LBS differed significantly with regard to maximum and minimum ADC values; maximum and minimum signal intensities of b-values= 500; and minimum signal intensities of b-value =800. The conventional MRI and Gd-MRI
results were consistent with previous studies. Conclusion: Conventional MRI and Gd-MRI are able to detect LBS-induced changes, and DWI can quantitatively identify LBS. The combined use of conventional MRI, Gd-MRI, and quantitative DWI has great value for diagnosing LBS.
Disability and Risk Factors of Drinking Behavior: Health Informatics Analysis
Authors: Chun Dong Il , Kim Dae-Gun , Kim Hye-Young , Kwak Yi Sub
Published: April 2020

It is well reported that obesity, smoking, and drinking were cardiovascular risk factors for disabled people. Among them, drinking is the one of the greatest risk factor for disabled. On the other hand, a recent study found that regular physical exercise prevents the health problems
from drinking unhealthy people. Even though problem drinking is seriously affected by the disability of a person, research on the influence of the disabled person on their drinking problem is very limited. Therefore, this study used the National Health and Nutrition Survey, which is a statistical
data designated by the government, in order to investigate the factors influencing problem drinking of disabled people, as well as promote their healthy living and prevent more diseases. Therefore, we used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is a statistical data designated
by the Government of the Republic of Korea. This study implemented descriptive statistics and frequency analysis in order to find the influencing factors of the relationship between individual problem drinking status and variable. A logistic regression model was adopted in order to analyze
an individual problem drinking status factoring in dependent variable. STATA/MP 13.0 were used for the analysis. The analysis results were shown as follows. The influencing factor of the drinking problem status was an existing common factor without reference to disability status, and the factor
in discrimination appeared depending on the disability status. Smoking was found to have a strong influence in every population without age in this study. Furthermore, weight control status was verified as appearing with a dissimilar effect as per disability status. In the non-disability group,
having experience to try weight control was predicted to have a relatively higher problem drinking possibility than not having an experience in trying weight control. Nevertheless, in disability the group, the relationship between the two variables was not found to be of statistical significance.
Control of Flexibility, Pore Structure and Hydrophobicity of Tetraethylorthosilicate/Methyltriethoxysilane Aerogels by Hybridization
Authors: Kim Chang-Yeoul , Koo Eunhae
Published: April 2020

The flexibility, pore structures and hydrophobicity could be controlled by changing TEOS/MTEOS ratio. A methyl functional group of MTEOS causes the difficulty of hydrolysis and condensation reactions, so that strong basic catalyst needs to be added for the gelation of MTEOS. Therefore,
increasing of MTEOS ratio forms larger pore sizes and large primary particles with about one micrometer. MTEOS-based aerogels show the lowest specific area due to macropores with more than one thousand nanometers, although they are very flexible to elongate two times as long as their original
sample length. For TEOS/MTEOS hybrid aerogels with 0.4–0.6 of TEOS ratio, they have the large specific surface area and pore volume, a little flexibility and hydrophobicity due to the remaining alkyl functional groups. This research presents the possibility of controlling flexibility,
pore structures, hydrophobicity through hybridization of alkoxide and silane. It suggests a way of overcoming weaknesses of silica aerogels like brittleness and hydrophilicity.
Molecular Dynamics Study of Graphene Nanoflake Shuttle Device on Graphene Nanoribbon with Carbon Nanotube Blocks
Authors: Kang Jeong Won , Kim Ki-Sub , Kwon Oh-Kuen
Published: April 2020

Superlubric motions of graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) on graphene have opened up more applications of graphene for micromachines and nanomachines. Here, we investigate the dynamic behavior of a GNF shuttle on a graphene nanoribbon (GNR) with carbon nanotube (CNT) blocks via molecular dynamics
simulations. The GNF moves on a GNR superlubrically, and the CNTs as building blocks induce bistable potential wells so that the GNF is stabilized. MD simulation results indicate that when a GNF shuttle approaches the CNTs, a potential well is created by an increase in the attractive van der
Waals energy between the GNF and CNTs, and bistability at the local energy minima positions can be achieved near the CNTs. In order for the GNF shuttle to escape the local energy minima positions, a high external force must be applied to overcome the potential energy barrier. However, after
the GNF shuttle escapes from one of the bistable positions, only a low external force is required to stabilize the GNF shuttle. This work explicitly demonstrates that a GNF-GNR/CNT system could be applied to alternative nonvolatile memory and high-speed mass storage by using GNR-CNT arrays.
Catalytic Pyrolysis of Polyethylene Terephthalate Over Desilicated Beta
Authors: Lee Heejin , Kim Young-Min , Jung Sang-Chul , Park Young-Kwon
Published: April 2020

The desilication effect of Beta on the catalytic pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was investigated in this study. Compared to parent Beta, desilicated Beta revealed the higher aromatics formation efficiency due to its larger pore size allowing the efficient diffusion of
PET pyrolysis intermediates to the catalyst pore. Compared to the in-situ catalytic pyrolysis, ex-situ catalytic PET pyrolysis over desilicated Beta produced a larger amount of aromatics. The desilicated catalyst could be re-used without catalyst regeneration due to the small
extent of catalyst deactivation.
Smooth Muscle Cell Derived Microparticles Acts as Autocrine Activation of Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation by Mitogen Associated Protein Kinase Upregulation
Authors: Paudel Keshav Raj , Oak Min-Ho , Kim Dong-Wook
Published: April 2020

Microparticles (MP); also know as microvesicles are extracellular vesicles (0.1 to 1.0 μm) released by cells in response to cell activation or apoptosis. The high level of circulating MP is one of the important indicators of altered vascular function. Vascular smooth muscle
cell (VSMC) derived MP could mediate proliferation and migration of VSMC leading to vascular inflammation. Proliferation of VSMC is mediated by mitogen associated protein kinase (MAPK) and proliferation cell nuclei antigen (PCNA) signaling pathway whereas migration is mediated by metalloproteinase
and cytoskeletal remodeling pathway. In this study, VSMC-MP were isolated from confluent VSMC stimulated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. VSMC-MP were treated to VSMC to investigate the VSMC proliferation marker using in vitro assay. In comparison to normal (VSMC-MP
untreated group), VSMC-MP treatment results in proliferation of VSMC as revealed by MTT assay. VSMC-MP and TNF-α induce proliferation by 34% and 67% respectively. VSMC-MP also induce over expression of PCNA in both immuno-fluorescence and western blot experiment. VSMC-MP and TNF-α
increase the PCNA expression by 1.86-fold and 1.95-fold respectively. Similarly, VSMC-MP treatment results in over expression of MAPK pathway protein expression in VSMC. As compared to normal, the MAPK protein (pERK1/2, pP38 and pJNK) were increased by 1.41-fold, 1.42-fold and 1.48-fold, respectively
in VSMC-MP treated VSMC. Our results provide the evidence of VSMC-MP involvement in proliferation of VSMC. Thus, VSMC-MP could be considered as a potential marker of vascular inflammatory disorder such as atherosclerosis.
Surface Observation of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation-Treated Ti–6Al–4V Alloy After 2-Step Nano-Mesh Formation
Authors: Lim Sang-Gyu , Choe Han-Cheol
Published: April 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the surface observation of PEO-treated Ti–6Al–4V alloy after 2-step nano-mesh formation was investigated by FE-SEM, EDS, and XRD. Anodic oxidation treatment was performed on the electrolyte containing 0.8 wt.% Na/F and 1M H3PO4
to form a nanotube structure on the Ti–6Al–4V alloy. After removing the nanotube layer, PEO-treatment was performed on the electrolyte containing Mg and Zn ions. After forming the nanotubes, the nanomesh surface was obtained by removing the layer, and the surface roughness increased
with cycle number of nanotube formation. Also, as the number of nanotubes increased, the anatase peak increased.
Fabrication of Bioabsorbable Polylactic-Co-Glycolic Acid/Polycaprolactone Nanofiber Coated Stent and Investigation of Biodegradability in Porcine Animal Model
Authors: Hwang Tae In , Lee Seo Yeon , Lee Do Hee , Park Jun-Kyu , Park Chan Hee , Kim Cheol Sang
Published: April 2020

Stent-mediated therapy is minimally invasive and fairly effective for the specific tissue and organs with tubal structures such as the esophagus, intestine, and blood vessels. Cerebral arteries are one of the most critical tubal structures to maintain the physiological function and
the life of the human. Since the retrieval of the implanted vascular stent is difficult and risky, the one-step stent therapy is imperative. However, the placement of a current pipe-typed stent can also limit the nutritional supply to the vascular wall. Also, the non-degradable polymeric layer
is possibly sensitized to the recipient as a foreign body after prolonged period after implantation. Herein, we developed PLGA/PCL nanofiber-coated stent for blocking the flow towards the aneurysm cavity as well as allowing nutritional support to the vessel with the biodegradability. The PLGA/PCL
nanofiber-coated stent (NCS) was fabricated via electrospinning composite nanofibers onto a self-expandable mater metal stent. The as-fabricated NCS was physicochemically characterized using FT-IR, FE-SEM, and UTM, and experimented in vivo as implanted in porcine models and radiologically
and histologically analyzed. The NCS demonstrated improved physicochemical properties for intracranial aneurysmal treatment including enhanced mechanical properties. The bioabsorbability of NCS was confirmed in the animal model.
Adsorption Behaviour of Cr(VI) from Ternary Mesoporous Mg/Fe/Al Oxide Using Glucose as a Soft Template
Authors: Shen Jia-Chao , Zeng Hong-Yan , Gohi Bi Foua Claude Alain , Chen Chao-Rong
Published: April 2020

The ternary mesoporous MgFeAl oxide (MgFeAlO) material was designed and prepared using glucose as a soft template by calcination of its MgFeAl hydrotalcite precursor. The MgFeAlO showed significantly better Cr(VI) adsorption performance than binary MgAlO. The effect of Fe3+
on Cr(VI) removal in simulated wastewater was studied by researching the microstructure, adsorption properties and mechanism of the material. The results showed that the addition of Fe3+ affected the microstructure of MgAlO, where the partial substitution of Al3+ by Fe3+
into the host layers resulted in an increase in the interlayer region and specific area (SBET) as well as an enlargement in mesoporous feature into the MgFeAlO. The Cr(VI) adsorption process, taking place by the reconstruction of the MgFeAlO oxide with water (memory effect)
companying with the intercalation of CrO2−4 anions, was much more efficient than that occurring in the binary MgAlO. MgFeAlO’s adsorption of Cr(VI) follows the pseudo-second-order model and it is controlled by intra particle diffusion. The adsorption isotherm
was better fitted by the Langmuir model, suggesting that the Cr(VI) adsorption was a monolayer adsorption onto the homogeneous support surface. All thermodynamic and kinetic calculations suggested that the Cr(VI) adsorption process on the MgFeAlO was of chemisorption nature, in which activation
energy (Ea) and enthalpy change (ΔH) were 30.01 and 193.58 kJ·mol−1, respectively.
Plasma-Assisted Functionalization of the Carbon Black Surface: Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Carbon Black/Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) Nanofibers
Authors: Zhang Jingjing , Park Yeong Min , Tan Xing Yan , Bae Mun Ki , Hong Seung Pyo , Lee Seung Whan , Kim Tae Gyu
Published: April 2020

Dispersion of carbon black (CB) powder in CB/polymer composites considerably influences their mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductance. In this study, with the aim to improve the dispersion of CB powder in the CB/polymer composites, CB was treated with
oxygen and nitrogen plasma generated by radio frequency-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD), and then, dispersed in a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVDF-HFP) solution. The solution was then subjected to electrospinning, leading to the formation of a nanofiber
mat. The dispersion states of plasma treated CBs have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. A stress–strain curve was used to investigate the influence of dispersion on the mechanical properties of CB/polymer composites.
Visible-Light Driven Effective Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye Using Perforated Curly Zn0.1Ni0.9O Nanosheets
Authors: Karthikeyan V. , Gnanamoorthy G. , Varun Prasath P. , Narayanan V. , Sagadevan Suresh , Umar Ahmad , Ajmal Khan M. , Yousef El Sayed , Ahmad Naushad
Published: April 2020

Herein, we report the facile synthesis, characterization and visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of perforated curly Zn0.1Ni0.9O nanosheets synthesized by hydrothermal process. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies
confirmed the cubic phase crystalline structure and growth of high density perforated curly Zn0.1Ni0.9O nanosheets, respectively. As a photocatalyst, using methylene blue (MB) as model pollutant, the synthesized nanosheets demonstrated a high degradation efficiency of
~76% in 60 min under visible light irradiation. The observed results suggest that the synthesized Zn0.1Ni0.9O nanosheets are attractive photocatalysts for the degradation of toxic organic waste in the water under visible light.
Preparation of Flexible Electrodes Based on Silver Nanoparticles-Carbon Nanotubes (AgNPs-CNTs) and Elastomer Composites for Soft Electronics
Authors: Lim Hanwhuy , Kim Eunkyoung , Kim Baek-Jin
Published: April 2020

For flexible electronics devices, a composite of silver nanoparticles-carbon nanotubes (AgNPs-CNTs) and polydimethylsiloxane elastomer were well mixed using a planetary mixer and a 3-roll mill. The ratio of Ag/polymer was varied by adding different size of AgNPs and modified with 12
kinds of flexible electrode compositions. The electrical and mechanical stability of the electrode was measured by combining universal test machine and cyclic voltammetry at once and it showed remarkable stability during 200% strain and 100 cycle duration test. The stable and repeatable electrical
circuit was demonstrated while bending and stretching the electrode even higher than 120% strain. Furthermore, the soft gripper incorporating a flexible electrode was fabricated to lift a thin target paper based on electroadhesive force.
Recent Advances in the Fabrication of All-Solid-State Nanostructured TiO2-Based Z-scheme Heterojunctions for Environmental Remediation
Authors: Du Meiqi , Cao Shengxin , Ye Xiaozhou , Ye Jianfeng
Published: April 2020

Nanostructured TiO2-based Z-scheme heterojunctions have been widely accepted to be among the most effective photocatalysts for environmental remediation owing to their broadened light absorbance, high efficiency of photogenerated charge carrier separation, and well-preserved
strong oxidation and reduction capability. In this review, we will first introduce the photogenerated charge carrier transportation mechanism of three different types of Z-scheme heterojunction systems, namely, liquid-phase Z-scheme photocatalytic system, all-solid-state indirect Z-scheme
photocatalytic system, and all-solid-state direct Z-scheme photocatalytic system. Subsequently, we will describe the recent advances toward the rational design and fabrication of all-solid-state nanostructured TiO2-based Z-scheme heterojunctions. The applications of the thus-constructed
all-solid-state nanostructured TiO2-based Z-scheme heterojunctions in the degradation of volatile organic compounds, removal of waste water organic pollutants, and upgradation of greenhouse gas CO2 will then be presented one by one. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages
of all-solid-state nanostructured TiO2-based Z-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic environmental remediation will be briefly discussed, and the direction of future development will be prospected as well.
Impacts of Ice-Shelf Melting on Water-Mass Transformation in the Southern Ocean from E3SM Simulations
Authors: Jeong Hyein , Asay-Davis Xylar S. , Turner Adrian K. , Comeau Darin S. , Price Stephen F. , Abernathey Ryan P. , Veneziani Milena , Petersen Mark R. , Hoffman Matthew J. , Mazloff Matthew R. , Ringler Todd D.
Published: April 2020

The Southern Ocean overturning circulation is driven by winds, heat fluxes, and freshwater sources. Among these sources of freshwater, Antarctic sea ice formation and melting play the dominant role. Even though ice-shelf melt is relatively small in magnitude, it is located close to regions of convection, where it may influence dense water formation. Here, we explore the impacts of ice-shelf melting on Southern Ocean water-mass transformation (WMT) using simulations from the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) both with and without the explicit representation of melt fluxes from beneath Antarctic ice shelves. We find that ice-shelf melting enhances transformation of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water, converting it to lower density values. While the overall differences in Southern Ocean WMT between the two simulations are moderate, freshwater fluxes produced by ice-shelf melting have a further, indirect impact on the Southern Ocean overturning circulation through their interaction with sea ice formation and melting, which also cause considerable upwelling. We further find that surface freshening and cooling by ice-shelf melting cause increased Antarctic sea ice production and stronger density stratification near the Antarctic coast. In addition, ice-shelf melting causes decreasing air temperature, which may be directly related to sea ice expansion. The increased stratification reduces vertical heat transport from the deeper ocean. Although the addition of ice-shelf melting processes leads to no significant changes in Southern Ocean WMT, the simulations and analysis conducted here point to a relationship between increased Antarctic ice-shelf melting and the increased role of sea ice in Southern Ocean overturning.
Topological Constraints by the Greenland–Scotland Ridge on AMOC and Climate
Authors: Rheinlænder Jonathan W. , Ferreira David , Nisancioglu Kerim H.
Published: April 2020

Changes in the geometry of ocean basins have been influential in driving climate change throughout Earth’s history. Here, we focus on the emergence of the Greenland–Scotland Ridge (GSR) and its influence on the ocean state, including large-scale circulation, heat transport, water mass properties, and global climate. Using a coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice model, we consider the impact of introducing the GSR in an idealized Earth-like geometry, comprising a narrow Atlantic-like basin and a wide Pacific-like basin. Without the GSR, deep-water formation occurs near the North Pole in the Atlantic basin, associated with a deep meridional overturning circulation (MOC). By introducing the GSR, the volume transport across the sill decreases by 64% and deep convection shifts south of the GSR, dramatically altering the structure of the high-latitude MOC. Due to compensation by the subpolar gyre, the northward ocean heat transport across the GSR only decreases by ~30%. As in the modern Atlantic Ocean, a bidirectional circulation regime is established with warm Atlantic water inflow and a cold dense overflow across the GSR. In sharp contrast to the large changes north of the GSR, the strength of the Atlantic MOC south of the GSR is unaffected. Outside the high latitudes of the Atlantic basin, the surface climate response is surprisingly small, suggesting that the GSR has little impact on global climate. Our results suggest that caution is required when interpreting paleoproxy and ocean records, which may record large local changes, as indicators of basin-scale changes in the overturning circulation and global climate.
What Leads to Persisting Surface Air Temperature Anomalies from Winter to Following Spring over Mid- to High-Latitude Eurasia?
Authors: Wu Renguang , Chen Shangfeng
Published: April 2020

Surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies tend to persist from winter to the following spring over the mid- to high latitudes of Eurasia. The present study compares two distinct cases of Eurasian SAT anomaly evolution and investigates the reasons for the persistence of continental-scale mid- to high-latitude Eurasian SAT anomalies from winter to following spring (termed persistent cases). The persisting SAT anomalies are closely associated with the sustenance of large-scale atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern over the North Atlantic and Eurasia, featuring a combination of the North Atlantic Oscillation/Arctic Oscillation (NAO/AO) and the Scandinavian pattern, from winter to spring. The combined circulation anomalies result in SAT warming over most of mid- to high-latitude Eurasia via anomalous wind-induced temperature advection. The sustenance of atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern is related to the maintenance of the North Atlantic triple sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly pattern due to air–sea interaction processes. The Barents Sea ice anomalies, which form in winter and increase in spring, also partly contribute to the sustenance of atmospheric circulation anomalies via modulating thermal state of the lower troposphere. In the cases that notable SAT warming (cooling) in winter is replaced by pronounced SAT cooling (warming) in the subsequent spring—termed reverse cases—the North Atlantic SST anomalies become small and the Greenland Sea ice change is a response to atmospheric change in spring. Without the support of lower boundary forcing, the atmospheric circulation anomaly pattern experiences a reverse in the spatial distribution from winter to spring likely due to internal atmospheric processes.