bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wallace Stevens: Hypotheses and Contradictions
Authors: Vendler Helen
Published: February 2004

WALLACE STEVEN'S HYPOTHESES—his ifs and ors— and his contradictions—his buts—play a visibly large role in his poetry. They represent speculation, on the one hand, and the obstruction of speculation, on the other. Speculation is a way to resist the inertial forward movement of the mind; hypothesis is a way to swerve away from present thinking, as is contradiction (see "Earthy Anecdote," Stevens's first manifesto of the need for change and the means to change). Although speculative and contradictory forms of thought are indispensable to Stevens through his middle period, in the later part of his career he begins to resist them. From youth to age, he seeks out truth in different ways. First, by dialectical means, he seeks philosophical "truth." Conceiving of it as an absolute, he relies on a contrastive either/or characterized by tentative hypotheses and frequent selfcontradictions. Next, adopting a Nietzschean multiplicity or a cubist variety of perspectives, he argues not for "the" truth but for "truths," and relies on endless elaboration (as in "The Man with the Blue Guitar") to present many "truths" at once. But in the later work he seeks "a" truth, always a provisional one, and approaches it asymptotically, suggesting various metaphors, each of which comes in some way close to the essence of his goal. ''It is not in the premise that reality / Is a solid'' (An Ordinary Evening in New Haven). From a wish to systematize the access of poetry to ''truth,'' or to register and name all available ''truths,'' Stevens arrives at the emotional and personal reality of many ''shades'' or ''forces'' that present themselves to us, one by one, over time, as ''a'' truth valid for one mood or one hour, but which always must anticipate their own ''decreation.''
Rossetti's Goblin Marketing: Sweet to Tongue and Sound to Eye
Authors: Tucker Herbert F.
Published: February 2004

Recent criticism putting the market back in Christina Rossetti's ''Goblin Market'' (1862) makes, and leaves, space for consideration of the poem's relation to marketing-as-advertising. Written to be read by adults in silence as if out loud to children, the poem trades in the mystique of a virtual orality that is structurally analogous to its goblin merchants' mystification, through promotional language, of both the nature of their retail business and the origins of the produce they sell. The virtual-oral mode of the poem creates rich opportunities for local wordplay to highlight that mystification at a juncture in economic history when with new subtlety and aggressiveness a burgeoning advertising business was transforming Victorian consumerism. The miracle of a sister's redemption from goblin taste stakes on Rossetti's Christian belief her congruent faith as a poet: that a modern tongue may be redeemed by art, in spite of art's collusion with the forces by which it must circulate to earn a hearing.
Seeing Representations; or, The Hidden Master in Rembrandt's Syndics
Authors: Binstock Benjamin
Published: February 2004

Rembrandt's Syndics of the Drapers' Guild of 1662 is widely recognized as the crowning achievement of his career. Yet scholars cannot agree on what the five "sample-masters" positioned around a table are doing, or who they are looking at, if anyone. I propose that Rembrandt portrayed the sample-masters looking up from his studies of them in their account book and out at him. His brilliant solution for a specific artistic problem was based on the concrete circumstances of his process of composition and selfconsciously reflects on portraiture as a process in space and time. Rembrandt reveals himself as "hidden master" or invisible viewer, engaging his sitters in a dialectical relation, which we vicariously experience in turn.
Joseph Wright of Derby and the Sublime Art of Labor
Authors: Solkin David H.
Published: February 2004

This essay examines the five paintings of blacksmiths' shops and iron forges that Joseph Wright of Derby completed and exhibited between 1771 and 1773. It locates these works in the history of eighteenth-century British attitudes to labor and uncovers the role they played in the "forging" of Wright's artistic identity at a crucial turning point in his career. / Representations 83. Summer 2003 q The Regents
Aristotle's Notion of "Bringing-Before-the-Eyes": Its Contributions to Aristotelian and Contemporary Conceptualizations of Metaphor, Style, and Audience
Authors: Newman Sara
Published: February 2004

In the Rhetoric, Aristotle identifies "bringing-before-the-eyes" as a capacity that is crucial to metaphors because it allows rhetors to actualize actions immediately before audiences, leading those audiences to insight. Because this description suggests that metaphors activate cognitive mechanisms on the part of their listeners, "bringing-before-the-eyes" has been considered a key element within Aristotle's theory and the nexus of that approach to metaphor and contemporary conceptual ones. Yet, no study has probed these claims to any degree. Accordingly, this paper examines Aristotle's references to "bringing-before-the-eyes" as well as to two associated concerns, energeia/actualization and sense perception. This examination demonstrates that "bringing-before-the-eyes" is not explicitly cognitive but instead a perceptive capacity. In this, Aristotle's theory anticipates recent approaches to language because it allows the audience to participate in the persuasive process at a level that extends its role beyond the traditional Aristotelian understanding that it is the target of emotional appeals.
Mythes, fables et rhétorique à l'époque impériale
Authors: Gangloff Anne
Published: February 2004

Cette étude se propose d'examiner la place et le rôle des mythes et des fables dans la rhétorique de l'époque impériale, en montrant comment cette dernière exploite ces deux types de merveilleux et comment elle les distingue l'un de l'autre grâce aux rapports qu'ils entretiennent avec la morale, la réalité et la vérité, ce qui nous permet de mieux comprendre comment est perçu le mythe àcette époque. On constate que la fable a un rôle pédagogique de première importance dans les Exercices, mais les Techniques privilégient la polyvalence et la séduction des mythes a fin de persuader leur auditoire.
La repreásentation des matheámatiques chez Jacques Peletier du Mans: Cosmos hieároglyphique ou ordre rheátorique?
Authors: Pantin Isabelle
Published: February 2004

A la Renaissance, la rhétorique tend à s'imposer non seulement comme l'art de persuader, mais comme un moyen d'organiser les discours (sur le plan logique aussi bien qu'esthétique), éventuellement applicable à tous les domaines du savoir. En mathématiques, Jacques Peletier du Mans, a joué à cet égard un rôle décisif. Poète, poéticien, philosophe et mathématicien, il a toujours défendu l'idée que dire c'est mettre en ordre, et pour s'en expliquer, il est passé tout naturellement par les catégories de la rhétorique. Mais Peletier assume aussi un autre héritage: celui de Nicolas de Cuse, pour qui les mathématiques peuvent être, par allégorie, une sorte de langue théologique. Leur discours, dans ce cadre, ne vaut plus essentiellement par son ordre, mais par le rayonnement de ses concepts: il fonctionne à la façon d'une langue hiéroglyphique et vise à mettre en correspondance le monde inférieur à un monde supérieur, au lieu de faciliter la communication entre les hommes. Cette étude présente la tension, dans l'oeuvre de Peletier, entre ces deux représentations du langage mathématique.
Inequalities, Democracy, and Fieldwork in the Chicago Schools of Yesterday and Today
Authors: Horowitz Ruth
Published: February 2004

Barriers to public discourse and participation in a democracy were central to the social reform concerns of Mead. Urban ethnographies of the last thirty years that are associated with the University of Chicago and the Chicago School contribute to this aspect of Mead's work. These ethnographies help to illuminate how extreme poverty and racism affect public discourse between groups. The Chicago tradition linked to the work of Park and Wirth has emphasized the importance of persistent inequalities and a lack of public discourse and participation rather than a symbolic interactionist approach that emphasizes the ability of people to create a place for themselves in an open, fluid world. Through field research in poor, often minority urban communities, the sociologists linked more closely to the former group have explored issues of the maintenance of patterns of extreme inequalities, the muting of public dialogue, and blockages to participation while maintaining a focus on the agency of the poor and their efforts to create their social worlds.
The Naked Self: Being a Body in Televideo Cybersex
Authors: Waskul Dennis D.
Published: February 2004

Unlike text‐based cybersex, televideo is an embodied experience. Participants present their bodies as an object to be looked at. Through in‐depth interviews this study examines the relationships among selfhood and the body and the context in which both are located. The body, much like the self, exists as both a viewed object and an experienced subject. Televideo cybersex participants manipulate this relationship by presenting themselves as only a body, the experience of which acts back in an erotic “looking glass” affecting how the self conceives of the body. While in some cases the medium serves to create a “disembodied” context for interaction, as this study illustrates, it may also serve to fully embody. The obvious relationships among self, body, and social situation made evident in any form of sexual experience are largely unexplored in sociology, yet fully within the realm of interest and theoretical models of symbolic interaction.
Symbolic Interactionism and I
Authors: Lopata Helena Znaniecka
Published: February 2004

This is a story of my involvement with symbolic interactionism and its influence on my thinking. The process included the following phases or stages: (1) an early foundation from Florian Znaniecki, David Hume, and Adam Smith; (2) participation in “the second Chicago school,” especially with Blumer, Hughes, and colleagues; (3) contact with an expanded circle of symbolic interactionists, working on various theories and concepts in many contexts, often united by the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction; (4) attempts at understanding and conceptualizing the interweave of my own work in several areas with my personal experiences; (5) use and development of four basic concepts: social roles, sentiments, identities, and self‐concept.
Nellie Longsworth: Champion for Historic Preservation
Authors: Putnam Miller Page , Longsworth Nellie
Published: February 2004

In December 1999 Page Putnam Miller interviewed Nellie Longsworth, who recently retired as president of Preservation Action. As the very respected leader of the only national grassroots lobby organization devoted exclusively to historic preservation issues, Longsworth is a pioneer in advocating the conservation of our nation's built environment. Her comments on how she led a fledgling organization to become a major force in the formation of historic preservation policy, her discussion of tactics and strategies, her reflections on teaching in a graduate program in this field, and her vision for the future provide valuable insights for public historians.
Exhibiting Antimodernism: History, Memory, and the Aestheticized Past in Mid-twentieth-century America
Authors: Hobbs Stuart D.
Published: February 2004

In "Exhibiting Antimodernism: History, Memory and the Aestheticized Past in Mid-Twentieth-Century America," Stuart D. Hobbs explores the reasons why aesthetic concerns have trumped history and turned too many historic house museums into decorative arts museums. Hobbs uses the 1950s restoration of a house designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe as a case study. He argues that the painstaking research required for the restoration created a momentum of its own, and the story of the house as architecture and the story of the interior as decorative arts became the story at this and other historic sites. More fundamentally, though, he maintains that the antimodernism of many history museum professionals drew them to decorative arts interpretations. These antimodernists rejected twentieth century urbanism, mass production, and perceived cultural homogeneity. Anxious about a contemporary American society they interpreted as in decline, antimodernists celebrated an idealized artisan past as a means to cultural renewal.
Restoring the Photographed Past
Authors: Bousé Derek
Published: February 2004

This article points to cases around the world in which old photographs have been used as the basis for restoring damaged or destroyed public treasures to their "original" condition. The author asks, however, whether photographs can really be reliable historical documents of the past of some object or place that is much older than the art of photography itself. Among his conclusions is that in historical restoration efforts, photographic "evidence" often depicts an arbitrary point in history that is taken at face value and institutionalized as "official truth." He offers some tentative recommendations for future restoration efforts involving photographic evidence.
Him Mark Lai: Reclaiming Chinese American History
Authors: Yung Judy , Lai Him Mark
Published: February 2004

In this interview with colleague Judy Yung, Him Mark Lai discusses at length the driving forces behind his passion for researching Chinese American history—his working-class background, progressive politics, training as a mechanical engineer, bilingual skills, and strong ethnic identity. Internationally recognized as the foremost authority on Chinese American history, Lai describes in detail his development as a pragmatic historian while researching and writing about such new topics as Angel Island poems, Pearl River Delta, Chinese American newspapers, regional groups, and Left movements.
Teaching Public History: Strategies for Undergraduate Program Development
Authors: Welch Deborah
Published: February 2004

This essay argues that history departments must pay greater attention to their undergraduate curricular development in public history. To that end, it offers a model of how a strong concentration in public history may be developed within the history major employing interdisciplinary cooperation to prepare students at the B.A. level with solid grounding in a variety of public history fields. It offers strategies on the development of internship programs even for those campuses not located near historic sites, museums, repositories, etc. Still further, this essay includes specific examples of how the pedagogical techniques of public history may be incorporated into traditional survey classes to draw more and talented students to the public history major by providing brief "hands-on" experiences in the sheer fun of "doing history."
Community-Based Archaeology in Central New York: Workshops Involving Native American Youth
Authors: Kerber Jordan E.
Published: February 2004

Beginning in 1995, Colgate University has offered seven two-week summer workshops in archaeology to members of the Oneida (Iroquois) Indian Nation of New York Youth Work/Learn Program. These workshops, directed by Jordan Kerber and funded by the Oneida Indian Nation, Colgate University, and the John Ben Snow Foundation, have provided more than one hundred Oneida teenagers with hands-on experiences in the limited excavation and laboratory processing of prehistoric and historic Native American remains in central New York State. This article also discusses the various challenges and benefits of involving a Native American descendant community in archaeological research.
Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy? Accessing Government Records in the Wake of 9/11/2001
Authors: Smock Raymond W.
Published: February 2004

Access to some federal government records has become more difficult since the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Some records previously opened have been reclassified. Records related to the infrastructure of cities, construction plans of government buildings, development of military weapons, biological warfare subjects, and biographical information on U. S. citizens were the first categories to be tightened. Historians should keep a watchful eye on these developments. Balancing issues of national security with the public's right to government information is a crucial debate in a democracy that depends on information to make proper judgments about the workings of government.
Report From the Field: Not the Same Old Freedom Trail—A View from the Paul Revere House
Authors: Zannieri Nina
Published: February 2004

One of the key public history venues in the country is Boston's Freedom Trail. The Trail is a wonderfully confusing collection of public buildings, churches, museums, and historic markers. The manner in which the sites along Boston's Freedom Trail interpret history is a function of many factors, including the impact of evolving scholarship, how the sites are governed, and audience expectations. Over the years, how the story of the American Revolution is related has changed. The Paul Revere House provides an informative example of one site's response to changing times and heightened expectations.
Report from the Field: Public History at Howard University
Authors: Clark-Lewis Elizabeth
Published: February 2004

At Howard University, the public history program uses new empirical methodologies and pedagogies to engage students and nonacademic audiences. This article outlines the specialized knowledge, perspectives, approaches, practices, issues, and critical concerns of this program. It illustrates how focused, innovative research opportunities simultaneously move students beyond the boundaries of academic theories, publicly funded agencies, private corporations, or entrepreneurial firms while helping them remain sensitive to community-based programs, projects, institutions, and constituencies. Public history is congruent with service, a core value of Howard University, and it strengthens the university's ability to reach beyond the confines of academe; define, shape, and immerse students in challenging new historical syntheses; and inclusively document social, economic, political, and cultural histories that might otherwise go untold.
The (Un)Making of a Historical Drama: A Historian/Screenwriter Confronts Hollywood
Authors: Smith Daniel Blake
Published: February 2004

A historian-turned-screenwriter struggles to get his historical drama made into a feature film. In doing so, he discovers that, despite Hollywood's strong interest in his civil rights film project (a drama about the 1960 lunch counter sit-in protests in Greensboro, North Carolina), a host of forces unrelated to the merits of the story threaten the entire enterprise.
A Trademark Approach to the Past: Ken Burns, the Historical Profession, and Assessing Popular Presentations of the Past
Authors: Rose Vivien Ellen , Corley Julie
Published: February 2004

A review of Not for Ourselves Alone, a historical documentary film by Ken Burns about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony's leadership of the nineteenthcentury women's rights movement, indicates serious concerns about the impact of historical documentary filmmaking on public understanding of the past. New ways to engage the public in the process of historical analysis and understanding are suggested.
Changes in Homelessness Among US Veterans After Implementation of the Ending Veteran Homelessness Initiative
Authors: O’Toole Thomas P. , Pape Lisa M. , Kane Vincent , Diaz Monica , Dunn Anne , Rudolph James L. , Elnahal Shereef
Published: January 2024

Importance

Homelessness is a persistent and growing problem. What role health systems should play and how that role is incorporated into larger strategic efforts are not well-defined.

Objective

To compare homelessness among veterans with that in the general population during a 16-year study period before and after implementation of the Ending Veteran Homelessness Initiative, a program to rehouse veterans experiencing homelessness.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This national retrospective cohort study using a mixed-methods approach examined annualized administrative (January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2022) and population data prior to (2007-2009) and during (2010-2022) the Ending Veteran Homelessness initiative. Participants included unhoused adults in the US between 2007 and 2022.

Exposure

Enrollment in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Homeless Program Office components providing housing, case management, and wrap-around clinical and supportive services.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Point-in-time (PIT) count data for unhoused veterans and nonveterans during the study period, number of Section 8 housing vouchers provided by Housing and Urban Development–Veterans Administration Supportive Housing, number of community grants awarded by Supportive Services for Veterans and Families, and total number of veterans housed each year. Semistructured interviews with VHA leadership were performed to gain insight into the strategy.

Results

In 2022, 33 129 veterans were identified in the PIT count. They were predominantly male (88.7%), and 40.9% were unsheltered. During the active years of the Ending Veteran Homelessness initiative, veteran homelessness decreased 55.3% compared with 8.6% for the general population. The proportion of veterans in this cohort also declined from 11.6% to 5.3%. This change occurred during a shift to “housing first” as agency policy to create low-barrier housing availability. It was also coupled with substantial growth in housing vouchers, grants to community partner agencies, and growth in VHA clinical and social programming to provide homeless-tailored wrap-around services and support once participants were housed. Key respondent interviews consistently cited the shift to housing first, the engagement with community partners, and use of real-time data as critical.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of the federal Ending Veteran Homelessness initiative, after program implementation, there was a substantially greater decrease in homelessness among veterans than in the general population. These findings suggest an important role for health systems in addressing complex social determinants of health. While some conditions unique to the VHA facilitated the change in homelessness, lessons learned here are applicable to other health systems.
Dietary (poly)phenols as modulators of the biophysical properties in endothelial cell membranes: its impact on nitric oxide bioavailability in hypertension
Authors: Reis Ana , Rocha Barbara S. , Laranjinha João , de Freitas Victor
Published: January 2024

Hypertension is a major contributor to premature death, owing to the associated increased risk of damage to the heart, brain and kidneys. Although hypertension is manageable by medication and lifestyle changes, the risk increases with age. In an increasingly aged society, the incidence of hypertension is escalating, and is expected to increase the prevalence of (cerebro)vascular events and their associated mortality. Adherence to plant‐based diets improves blood pressure and vascular markers in individuals with hypertension. Food flavonoids have an inhibitory effect towards angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE1) and although this effect is greatly diminished upon metabolization, their microbial metabolites have been found to improve endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity. Considering the transmembrane location of ACE1 and eNOS, the ability of (poly)phenols to interact with membrane lipids modulate the cell membrane's biophysical properties and impact on nitric oxide (·NO) synthesis and bioavailability, remain poorly studied. Herein, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on the lipid remodeling of endothelial membranes with age, its impact on the cell membrane's biophysical properties and ·NO permeability across the endothelial barrier. We also discuss the potential of (poly)phenols and other plant‐based compounds as key players in hypertension management, and address the caveats and challenges in adopted methodologies.
Distributed joint parameter and state estimation algorithm for large‐scale interconnected systems
Authors: Hamdi Mounira , Kamoun Samira , Idoumghar Lhassane , Chaoui Mondher , Kachouri Abdenaceur
Published: January 2024

This paper proposes a distributed joint parameter and state variables estimation algorithm for large‐scale state‐space interconnected systems. In this distributed estimation scheme, each interconnected sub‐system is described by a linear discrete‐time state space mathematical model. Each sub‐system is supposed to be controlled by an intelligent controller that can communicate with its interconnected neighbors and exchange information, such as state variables. The proposed approach comprises two recursive estimation algorithms, a parameter estimation algorithm considering the state space model and a distributed Kalman filter for state variables estimation. It is a fully distributed cooperative approach that allows to reduce complexity and saves computational and communication resources. Theoretical analysis and numerical examples are provided to prove the feasibility and effectiveness of this joint estimation algorithm.
White House touts naloxone in health, housing, and buildings
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: January 2024

Last month the White House quietly announced plans to expand access to naloxone across housing, community development organizations and federal buildings.
Researchers decry lack of LAI buprenorphine in facilities
Authors: Kent Robert
Published: January 2024

Using survey data collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), researchers at the University of Chicago reported that most treatment facilities don't offer long‐acting injectable (LAI) buprenorphine. A total of 14,240 facilities were included in the survey data, which SAMHSA collected online, by mail, and by telephone between April 2021 and January 2022. Of these, 8,813 (61.9%) offered any medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and of these, 32.6% of substance use treatment facilities offered LAI buprenorphine.
Antioxidant Microgels Support Peroxide‐Challenged Hepatic Cells
Authors: Westensee Isabella Nymann , Thomsen Karen Louise , Mookerjee Rajeshwar Prosad , Städler Brigitte
Published: January 2024

Access to therapeutic strategies that counter cellular stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important, long‐standing challenge. Here, the assembly of antioxidant artificial cells is based on alginate hydrogels equipped with non‐native catalysts, namely platinum nanoparticles and an EUK compound. These artificial cells are able to preserve the viability and lower the intracellular ROS levels of challenged hepatic cells by removing peroxides from the extracellular environment. Conceptually, this strategy illustrates the potential use of artificial cells with a synthetic catalyst toward long‐term support of hepatic cells and potentially other mammalian cells.
Mechanical and Degradation Behavior of Zinc‐Based Biodegradable Metal Foams
Authors: Kádár Csilla , Gorejová Radka , Kubelka Pierre , Oriňaková Renata , Orbulov Imre Norbert
Published: January 2024

Zinc has gained interest as a biodegradable material due to its adequate degradation behavior under physiological conditions and acceptable biocompatibility. However, during the use of zinc as a degradable orthopedical implant, the mechanical properties are expected to change while the implant needs to maintain its function and mechanical support for 12–24 months with the load gradually transferred from the degrading implant to the healing bone. For such investigation, six different kinds of open‐cell zinc foams are fabricated by a modified investment casting method displaying different pore densities and strut thicknesses. Compressive properties and corrosion behavior in simulated body fluids are studied to determine the map of the most relevant parameters that influence the degradation properties. After 4 weeks of immersion in Hank's solution, changes in the slope in the “plateau” region and strain localization are observed. These changes can be explained by supposing microcrack propagation into the depth of the struts due to the progressing corrosion attack.
Mechanically Tough Micellar Cubic Liquid‐Crystalline Polymer Electrolytes for Electromechanical Actuators
Authors: Yoshio Masafumi , Wu Che‐Hao , Liu Chengyang
Published: January 2024

This study presents a novel micellar cubic ionic liquid‐crystalline polymer electrolyte, featuring an alignment‐free spherical structure with unimpeded 3D ionic pathways, aimed at enhancing the performance of an ionic electroactive polymer actuator. The development involved creating a mechanically tough and high ion‐conductive cubic polymer film through the self‐assembly of a wedge‐shaped vinyl imidazolium salt and an imidazolium ionic liquid, followed by in situ photopolymerization. The 300 µm‐thick‐trilayer films, consisting of the cubic polymer electrolyte sandwiched between poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)‐poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) electrodes, exhibit remarkable capabilities. These include bearing substantial loads of 4 g with a high blocking force under a DC voltage of 2 V, achieving a high bending strain of 0.63% under a low input voltage (±2 V, 0.1 Hz), and boasting a maximum response frequency of 70 Hz. These properties position the material for potential applications in soft robots and tactile sensing devices.
Infinite Self‐Propulsion of Circularly On/Discharged Droplets
Authors: Han Xiao , Jin Rongyu , Sun Yue , Han Keyu , Che Pengda , Wang Xuan , Guo Pu , Tan Shengda , Sun Xu , Dai Haoyu , Dong Zhichao , Heng Liping , Jiang Lei
Published: January 2024

Self‐propulsion of droplets in a controlled and long path at a high‐speed is crucial for organic synthesis, pathological diagnosis and programable lab‐on‐a‐chip. To date, extensive efforts have been made to achieve droplet self‐propulsion by asymmetric gradient, yet, existing structural, chemical, or charge density gradients can only last for a while (<50 mm). Here, this work designs a symmetrical waved alternating potential (WAP) on a superhydrophobic surface to charge or discharge the droplets during the transport process. By deeply studying the motion mechanisms for neutral droplets and charged droplets, the circularly on/discharged droplets achieve the infinite self‐propulsion (>1000 mm) with an ultrahigh velocity of meters per second. In addition, after permutation and combination of two motion styles of the droplets, it can be competent for more interesting work, such as liquid diode and liquid logic gate. Being assembled into a microfluidic chip, the strategy would be applied in chemical synthesis, cell culture, and diagnostic kits.
Knocking the Stability of Solar Cells with Fluorescent Protein Donors upon Rationalizing Design, Integration, and Mechanism
Authors: Chowdhury Sanchari , Nieddu Mattia , Patrian Marta , Gutiérrez‐Armayor David , Cavinato Luca M. , Fuenzalida‐Werner Juan Pablo , Lleó Miquel García , Ligi Simone , Costa Rubén D.
Published: January 2024

Though photon‐induced electron donor features of fluorescent proteins (FPs) in solution suggest them as excellent photosensitizers, their poor stability upon device fabrication/operation is the today's frontier. This relates to their immediate denaturation in water‐free/less environments: inorganic/organic device interfaces and/or organic solvent surroundings. This study provides a fresh solution with a family of hybrid FPs, in which the peripheral carboxylic groups of archetypal FPs ‐superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) and mCherry‐ are transformed into alkoxysilane groups, enabling a straightforward integration with surprising stabilities over months in devices – arbitrary n/p‐type semiconducting metal oxide/FP/organic‐solvent electrolyte interfaces – attributed to the formation of an ion‐silica shell around the FP. This further allowed to understand the charge injection mechanism applying steady‐state/time‐resolved spectroscopy on different FP‐variants with key single‐point aromatic amino acid mutations at the chromophore nearest, revealing the electron‐donor hopping pathway via the initial loop of the strand β7. Finally, devices with state‐of‐the‐art solar‐to‐energy conversion efficiencies that are stable >2,000 h under operation nicely outperform the prior‐art stability of a few seconds/minutes in FP‐based solar cells. Hence, this work solves the integration/stability issues which blocking the application of FP‐based sensitizer, as well provides a solid understanding of their photo‐induced electron transfer mechanism.
Light Effect on Amorphous Tin Oxide Thin‐Film Transistors
Authors: Avis Christophe , Billah Mohammad Masum , Jang Jin
Published: January 2024

Amorphous tin oxide (a‐SnOx) is a potential transparent oxide semiconductor candidate for future large‐area electronic applications. The thin‐film transistor (TFT) mobilities reach ≈100 cm2 Vs−1, a mobility higher than other multiple cation‐based oxide semiconductor TFTs. Few optical properties have been reported so far and therefore both the effect of visible light and negative bias illumination stress (NBIS) on a‐SnOx TFT performances, known to dramatically impact oxide semiconductor‐based TFTs, have been investigated. The variation of density of states (DOS) due to NBIS by device simulation is analyzed, and a fourfold increase of the donor‐like states and a decrease in the band edge DOS from 2.3 to 2.0 × 1019 cm−3 eV−1 are showed. The evaluation of the effect of neutral, singly, and doubly ionized oxygen vacancies by density functional theory using 95 atoms reveals not only states in the gap of SnO2, but also variations in the electron density, and modifications in the crystal parameters compared to a structure without an oxygen vacancy. Material and device simulation analysis reveal that the oxygen vacancies have a dramatical impact on the DOS in the gap of SnO2 and can explain the NBIS phenomenon observed in a‐SnOx TFT.
Allogeneic “Zombie Cell” as Off‐The‐Shelf Vaccine for Postsurgical Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Li Bo , Zhang Ping , Li Junlin , Zhou Rui , Zhou Minglu , Liu Chendong , Liu Xi , Chen Liqiang , Li Lian
Published: January 2024

Allogeneic tumor cell vaccines provide off‐the‐shelf convenience but lack patient specificity due to heterogeneity in tumor antigens. Here, allogeneic tumor cell corpses are converted into “zombie cells” capable of assimilating heterogeneous tumor by seizing cancer cells and spreading adjuvant infection. This causes pseudo‐oncolysis of tumors, transforming them into immunogenic targets for enhanced phagocytosis. It is shown that in postoperative tumor models, localized delivery of premade “zombie cells” through stepwise gelation in resection cavity consolidates tumor surgery. Compared to analogous vaccines lacking “seizing” or “assimilating” capability, “zombie cell” platform effectively mobilizes T cell response against residual tumors, and establishes immunological memory against tumor re‐challenge, showing less susceptibility to immune evasion. Despite using allogeneic sources, “zombie cell” platform functions as generalizable framework to produce long‐term antitumor immunity in different tumor models, showing comparable effect to autologous vaccine. Together, with the potential of off‐the‐shelf availability and personalized relevance to heterogenous tumor antigens, this study suggests an alternative strategy for timely therapy after tumor surgery.
Cloud‐Integrated Smart Nanomembrane Wearables for Remote Wireless Continuous Health Monitoring of Postpartum Women
Authors: Matthews Jared , Soltis Ira , Villegas‐Downs Michelle , Peters Tara A. , Fink Anne M. , Kim Jihoon , Zhou Lauren , Romero Lissette , McFarlin Barbara L. , Yeo Woon‐Hong
Published: January 2024

Noncommunicable diseases (NCD), such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are defining healthcare challenges of the 21st century. Medical infrastructure, which for decades sought to reduce the incidence and severity of communicable diseases, has proven insufficient in meeting the intensive, long‐term monitoring needs of many NCD disease patient groups. In addition, existing portable devices with rigid electronics are still limited in clinical use due to unreliable data, limited functionality, and lack of continuous measurement ability. Here, a wearable system for at‐home cardiovascular monitoring of postpartum women—a group with urgently unmet NCD needs in the United States—using a cloud‐integrated soft sternal device with conformal nanomembrane sensors is introduced. A supporting mobile application provides device data to a custom cloud architecture for real‐time waveform analytics, including medical device‐grade blood pressure prediction via deep learning, and shares the results with both patient and clinician to complete a robust and highly scalable remote monitoring ecosystem. Validated in a month‐long clinical study with 20 postpartum Black women, the system demonstrates its ability to remotely monitor existing disease progression, stratify patient risk, and augment clinical decision‐making by informing interventions for groups whose healthcare needs otherwise remain unmet in standard clinical practice.
Catalyzing Battery Materials Research via Lab‐Made, Sub‐Ampere‐Hour‐Scale Pouch Cells, and Long‐Term Electrochemical Monitoring by a Reparable Reference Electrode
Authors: Wang Yong , Li Zhiyuan , Li Xiaoqiao , Ma Zi‐Feng , Li Linsen
Published: January 2024

Battery materials research is of crucial importance to the development of next‐generation batteries. However, the transition from lab‐scale studies, typically in gram quantities, to industrially relevant ones (i.e., kilogram scale) has been holding back by challenges in scale‐up synthesis and a lack of reliable approaches to verify the electrochemical performance of the lab‐made materials. Here the design and assembly procedures of sub‐Ah‐scale pouch cells that provide validations of several lab‐made Li‐ion and Na‐ion cathode materials available in a limited quantity (<5 g) are reported. These lab‐made pouch cells show superior cycle stability and consistency over the widely used coin cells, exemplified by multiple Ni‐rich layered oxide‐graphite full batteries retaining 84.29 ± 0.16% of the initial capacities over 1000 cycles. A four‐electrode pouch cell with a reparable reference electrode is further designed to monitor impedance growth and Li plating during long‐term electrochemical tests. It can be further integrated with in situ ultrasonic imaging to enable multi‐modal studies. This work provides a powerful platform to evaluate and boost the technology readiness levels of laboratory‐discovered battery materials.
Ligand‐engineered Zr‐MOF membranes with fast water transport channels for alcohol–water separation
Authors: Mo Binyu , Jin Yuanhang , Zhou Guangyuan , Liu Guozhen , Chen Cailing , Liu Zhengkun , Liu Gongping , Jin Wanqin
Published: January 2024

Metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes with rich functionality and a tunable pore system are promising for molecular separation. However, an inadequate pore microenvironment and low water stability may hamper the extension of their use in gas separation to liquid separation (e.g., organic solvent dehydration). In this study, we report a high‐valence Zr‐MOF membrane with high stability and tunable pore microenvironment, prepared using a mixed‐ligand strategy based on fumarate (fum) and 2‐methylfumarate (mes) ligands for the pervaporation dehydration of alcohols. The introduction of a methyl group in the ligand side chain narrowed the aperture size while balancing the hydrophilicity, thus facilitating the fast and selective permeation of water over alcohol molecules. The resulting mes/fum‐Zr‐MOF membrane with a mes content of 30% displayed excellent butanol/water separation performance with total flux of 5226 g−1·m−2·h−1, separation factor of 1281, and water content of 99.3% in the permeate, transcending the upper‐bound of state‐of‐the‐art MOF and polymer membranes, thereby exhibiting immense potential for alcohols dehydration.
Periodontitis and brain magnetic resonance imaging markers of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive aging
Authors: Rubinstein Tom , Brickman Adam M. , Cheng Bin , Burkett Sandra , Park Heekuk , Annavajhala Medini K. , Uhlemann Anne‐Catrin , Andrews Howard , Gutierrez Jose , Paster Bruce J. , Noble James M. , Papapanou Panos N.
Published: January 2024

INTRODUCTION

We examined the association of clinical, microbiological, and host response features of periodontitis with MRI markers of atrophy/cerebrovascular disease in the Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP) Ancillary Study of Oral Health.

METHODS

We analyzed 468 participants with clinical periodontal data, microbial plaque and serum samples, and brain MRIs. We tested the association of periodontitis features with MRI features, after adjusting for multiple risk factors for Alzheimer's disease/Alzheimer's disease‐related dementia (AD/ADRD).

RESULTS

In fully adjusted models, having more teeth was associated with lower odds for infarcts, lower white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, higher entorhinal cortex volume, and higher cortical thickness. Higher extent of periodontitis was associated with lower entorhinal cortex volume and lower cortical thickness. Differential associations emerged between colonization by specific bacteria/serum antibacterial IgG responses and MRI outcomes.

DISCUSSION

In an elderly cohort, clinical, microbiological, and serological features of periodontitis were associated with MRI findings related to ADRD risk. Further investigation of causal associations is warranted.
Biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration in dried blood spots—A new collection method for remote settings
Authors: Huber Hanna , Blennow Kaj , Zetterberg Henrik , Boada Mercé , Jeromin Andreas , Weninger Haley , Nuñez‐Llaves Raul , Aguilera Núria , Ramis Maribel , Simrén Joel , Nilsson Johanna , Lantero‐Rodriguez Juan , Orellana Adelina , García‐Gutiérrez Fernando , Morató Xavier , Ashton Nicholas J. , Montoliu‐Gaya Laia
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the precision of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and neurodegeneration biomarker measurements from venous dried plasma spots (DPSvenous) for the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases in remote settings.

METHODS

In a discovery (n = 154) and a validation cohort (n = 115), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP); neurofilament light (NfL); amyloid beta (Aβ) 40, Aβ42; and phosphorylated tau (p‐tau181 and p‐tau217) were measured in paired DPSvenous and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid plasma samples with single‐molecule array. In the validation cohort, a subset of participants (n = 99) had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

RESULTS

All DPSvenous and plasma analytes correlated significantly, except for Aβ42. In the validation cohort, DPSvenous GFAP, NfL, p‐tau181, and p‐tau217 differed between CSF Aβ‐positive and ‐negative individuals and were associated with worsening cognition.

DISCUSSION

Our data suggest that measuring blood biomarkers related to AD pathology and neurodegeneration from DPSvenous extends the utility of blood‐based biomarkers to remote settings with simplified sampling conditions, storage, and logistics.

Highlights

A wide array of biomarkers related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and neurodegeneration were detectable in dried plasma spots (DPSvenous).

DPSvenous biomarkers correlated with standard procedures and cognitive status.

DPSvenous biomarkers had a good diagnostic accuracy discriminating amyloid status.

Our findings show the potential interchangeability of DPSvenous and plasma sampling.

DPSvenous may facilitate remote and temperature‐independent sampling for AD biomarker measurement.

Innovative tools for blood biomarker sampling may help recognizing the earliest changes of AD.
Dual‐Function Microwave Devices Based on Metamaterials
Authors: Pan Ze‐Yu , Wu Hai‐Bin , Lv Bo
Published: January 2024

Microwave detectors play a crucial role in modern technological applications, but traditional detectors suffer from limited functionality, limited detection accuracy, and difficulties in large‐scale deployment. This study proposes a dual‐function microwave detector based on metamaterials, capable of simultaneously measuring microwave power and polarization angle. The detector consists of a metal disc with 12 concave grooves, a dielectric layer, a metal reflector, and a resistive network. The designed detector achieves efficient absorption of 93.54% of microwave energy, with 75.4% dissipated in the resistive component and converted into heat. By detecting the temperature using a thermocouple thermometer, the incoming wave power can be determined, and by discriminating between different resistive temperatures, the polarization angle of the incoming wave can be identified. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the outstanding detection efficiency and stability of this detector. It exhibits a linear response to different incident power densities and polarization angles, showing potential application value in the field of microwave wireless power transmission.
Enhanced antistatic and solvent resistant polycarbonate blends: Fabrication and characterization
Authors: Wu Fang , Pu Zejun , Yu DaYang , Zheng Pan , Zhu Rongli , Wang Xu , Yue Mengjie , Zhong Jiachun
Published: January 2024

This study presents the development of advanced antistatic and solvent resistant polycarbonate blends by incorporating antistatic agents (AAs) into bisphenol A‐type polycarbonate (PBPA) and polycarbonate‐polysiloxane copolymer (P‐Si). A straightforward one‐step melt blending was employed to fabricate PBPA/P‐Si/AA blends. Comprehensive characterization methods, including Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), optical microscope, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and both tensile and impact tests were deployed to study the structure, morphology, thermal, and mechanical behaviors of the synthesized blends. The results demonstrated effective mixing of PBPA and P‐Si. The Tg of PBPA/P‐Si/AA blends is decreased relative to PBPA, because the chain flexibility of the blends will be increased after adding AA, which is reflected in the impact strength and elongation at break of PBPA/P‐Si/AA blends. On the other hand, the thermal stability of PBPA/P‐Si/AA is reduced relative to PBPA. The most significant result is that the resistance of the blends to ethyl acetate is enhanced. This is because the addition of P‐Si to the matrix introduces a high bonding energy SiO bond, which makes PHBPA/P‐Si less prone to detachment and cracking and swelling when exposed to ethyl acetate. While improving the solvent resistance, the blends also have excellent antistatic property, only the concentration of AA is increased to 6 wt.%, and the surface resistance of PBPA/P‐Si/AA is reduced from 106 GΩ to only 1 GΩ. This dramatic decrease is a result of the widespread distribution of the positive charge of the ammonium ion throughout the material, promoting the formation of a continuous conductive network within the matrix and thereby enhancing conductivity. In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into improving the solvent resistance and antistatic characteristics of polycarbonate blends.