bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developing a standard approach for monitoring freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) populations in European rivers
Authors: Boon Philip J. , Cooksley Susan L. , Geist Juergen , Killeen Ian J. , Moorkens Evelyn A. , Sime Iain
Published: January 2019

The freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is an endangered species in Europe, protected nationally and internationally, but with a steadily declining range and abundance owing to pressures such as pollution, river engineering, and illegal exploitation. Despite this, no consistent approaches have been developed around Europe for monitoring pearl mussel populations and their habitats.

To address this need, experts on pearl mussel ecology from 11 countries met at a series of workshops in order to develop a protocol for monitoring, published under the auspices of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). This standard is unique, as it is the first CEN standard dedicated to a single species of conservation concern.

The standard is aimed at scientists, conservation bodies, and environmental regulators, and can be used for designing national monitoring programmes as well as reporting on the conservation status of pearl mussel populations under the European Habitats Directive. It contains guidance at the individual site level to determine why populations are failing to recruit, but also addresses the need for a wider‐scale approach to ensure that catchment developments do not have adverse impacts on rivers containing pearl mussels.

A pearl mussel monitoring programme needs to investigate the size and viability of populations, as well as the fish hosts (Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, or brown trout, Salmo trutta) on which pearl mussel larvae depend. Water quality, including variables such as dissolved oxygen, acid–base chemistry, and nutrient levels, is also an essential monitoring component, together with the physical features of the river bed, river flow regimes, and sediment dynamics.

It is hoped that this pan‐European approach will improve the ability to compare data across many countries, and will ultimately ensure that the results of monitoring are translated into measures for improving the conservation status of the freshwater pearl mussel throughout its range.
Tropical invertebrate response to marine reserves varies with protection duration, habitat type, and exploitation history
Authors: Gillespie Kyle M. , Vincent Amanda C.J.
Published: January 2019

Macroinvertebrates play a critical role in marine processes, are important in global fisheries, and make up the vast majority of ocean biodiversity, yet are largely overlooked in fisheries stock assessment and conservation. Marine reserves are a heavily advocated method for promoting recovery of marine biodiversity, but the design of reserves and the methods for evaluating their performance often neglect invertebrate taxa, instead assessing changes in fish abundance or biomass.

The purpose of this study is to (1) measure the impacts of no‐take marine reserves on marine macroinvertebrates, (2) identify the correlates of changes to macroinvertebrate abundance, and (3) determine if the typical taxa used to measure reserve success (finfish) can predict changes in invertebrate abundance.

Non‐coral, non‐sponge, macroinvertebrates were sampled inside and outside of 10 community‐managed marine reserves in the Central Philippines and compared with abundances found at distant fished sites.

Using generalized linear mixed effects models with multimodel inference, positive reserve effects were found in exploited invertebrate taxa both inside and outside of reserves (1.5–2.3 times greater abundances), but no effect was found in unfished taxa.

Habitat composition and complexity were consistently associated with higher invertebrate abundance. Most surprisingly, invertebrate abundance was not consistently predicted by that of fish.

These results indicate fish, in isolation, may not be an ideal indicator for biodiversity response to reserves, and habitat considerations are important when creating reserves that support invertebrates. These results are particularly relevant to practitioners in developing regions, where community‐managed reserves are common and invertebrates are important in fisheries.
Inhibition of fatty acid desaturation impairs cuticle differentiation in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Wang Yiwen , Maier Annette , Gehring Nicole , Moussian Bernard
Published: January 2019

Previously, we showed that inhibition of the activity of fatty acid desaturases (Desat) perturbs signalling of the developmental timing hormone ecdysone in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. To understand the impact of this effect on cuticle differentiation, a process regulated by ecdysone, we analysed the cuticle of
D. melanogaster larvae fed with the Desat inhibitor CA10556. In these larvae, the expression of most of the key cuticle genes is normal or slightly elevated at day one of CA10556 feeding. As an exception, expression of
twdlM coding for a yet uncharacterised cuticle protein is completely suppressed. The cuticle of these larvae appears to be normal at the morphological level. However, these animals are sensitive to desiccation, a trait that according to our data, among others, may be associated with reduced TwdlM amounts. At day two of CA10556 feeding, expression of most of the cuticle genes tested including
twdlM is suppressed. Expression of
cpr47Eb coding for a chitin‐binding protein is, by contrast, highly elevated suggesting that Cpr47Eb participates at a specific compensation program. Overall, the cuticle of these larvae is thinner than the cuticle of control larvae. Taken together, lipid desaturation is necessary for a coordinated deployment of a normal cuticle differentiation program.
Development of an educational virtual reality training system for marine engineers
Authors: Shen Haosheng , Zhang Jundong , Yang Baicheng , Jia Baozhu
Published: January 2019

In this study, an educational virtual reality training system named “DMS‐VLCC3D” has been developed to help students or marine engineers learn the working principle of the marine engineering system and improve their ability of practical operation in a more efficient and vivid way. During the stage of establishing the geometric model of the virtual marine engine room, optimization methods including instantiation modeling, functional nodes optimization, level of detail, and texture mapping optimization are adopted to improve the fluency of the virtual marine engine room and the loading speed of geometric model resource. Reasonable human‐machine interactive mechanism is designed to promote the development efficiency and simulation efficiency. Several auxiliary learning and training tools are designed to make the DMS‐VLCC3D become a self‐learning and training platform for the trainees. Additionally, to fit different training purposes, the system provides three training mode: standalone and multi‐user collaborative training and evaluation. At last, 60 seniors majored in marine engineering from Dalian Maritime University are selected to carry out an assessment experiment to study the learning effectiveness of DMS‐VLCC3D, which shows a promising result. This training system is currently used to train thousands of students majored in marine engineering in about 20 maritime universities in China.
Development and validation of nomograms integrating immune‐related genomic signatures with clinicopathologic features to improve prognosis and predictive value of triple‐negative breast cancer: A gene expression‐based retrospective study
Authors: Wang Kang , Li Hai‐Lin , Xiong Yong‐Fu , Shi Yang , Li Zhu‐Yue , Li Jie , Zhang Xiang , Li Hong‐Yuan
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Accumulating evidence indicated that triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) can stimulate stronger immune responses than other subtypes of breast cancer. We hypothesized that integrating immune‐related genomic signatures with clinicopathologic factors may yield a predictive accuracy exceeding that of the currently available system.

Methods

Ten signatures that reflect specific immunogenic or immune microenvironmental features of TNBC were identified and re‐analyzed using bioinformatic methods. Then, clinically annotated TNBC (n = 711) with the corresponding expression profiles, which predicted a patient's probability of disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), was pooled to evaluate their prognostic values and establish a clinicopathologic‐genomic nomogram. Three and two immune features were, respectively, selected out of 10 immune features to construct nomogram for DFS and OS prediction based on multivariate backward stepwise Cox regression analyses.

Results

By integrating the above immune expression signatures with prognostic clinicopathologic features, clinicopathologic‐genomic nomograms were cautiously constructed, which showed reasonable prediction accuracies (DFS: HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.46‐2.18, P < 0.001; AUC, 0.71; OS: HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.54‐2.49; P < 0.001; AUC, 0.73). The nomogram showed low‐risk subgroup had higher immune checkpoint molecules (PD‐L1, PD‐1, CTLA‐4, LAG‐3) expression and benefited from radiotherapy (HR, 0.2, 95% CI, 0.05‐0.89; P = 0.034) rather than chemotherapy (HR, 1.26, 95% CI, 0.66‐2.43; P = 0.485).

Conclusions

These findings offer evidence that immune‐related genomic data provide independent and complementary prognostic information for TNBC, and the nomogram might be a practical predictive tool to identify TNBC patients who would benefit from chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and upcoming popularity of immunotherapy.
Ontological and epistemological reflexivity: A core skill for therapists
Authors: Willig Carla
Published: January 2019

This paper argues that a core skill needed to be an effective therapist is to have developed an awareness of one's own ontological and epistemological positions in relation to one's work as a therapist. In the same way that researchers need to develop reflexive awareness of their assumptions about what there is to know (ontology) and how they can come to know about it (epistemology), therapists need to be aware of their fundamental assumptions about human beings and the world they live in (ontology), as well as their beliefs about how best to develop an understanding of their clients and the meaning(s) of their experiences (epistemology). Regardless of which therapeutic model is adopted, the language used to talk about (and in) therapy, the kinds of questions asked of clients and the comments/interpretations offered, all presuppose and reinforce particular versions of human being and experiencing, which are themselves not usually questioned or challenged during the course of therapy. It is essential that therapists are aware of their own fundamental assumptions about what it means to be human and that they recognise their ontological and epistemological positions as positions that they are taking (rather than perceiving them to be self‐evident truths). This is important for two reasons: (a) if clients do not share the therapist's assumptions, the therapeutic work cannot proceed and be effective; and (b) without such an awareness, therapists are at risk of unwittingly imposing their own model of the person upon the client which raises ethical issues.
What's the subject? Brexit and politics as articulation
Authors: Clarke John , Newman Janet
Published: January 2019

This paper focuses on the moment of Brexit and its political aftermath in order to challenge dominant academic and popular conceptions of the political subject as singular and coherent. Instead, we suggest that there is an urgent political and analytical need for a view of the subject as multiple, contradictory, and dialogic. As interdisciplinary scholars working on the borders of policy studies and cultural studies, we think this is a critical site for transdisciplinary conversations about such conceptions of the subject. In the political field, such subjects are selectively and unevenly addressed and mobilized by political projects—such as Vote Leave—that invite them to recognize themselves as part of an imagined collective identity. In the twin disturbances of the European Union referendum and the 2017 general election, we suggest that it is possible to see that other voicings, other identifications, and other projects remain possible. Specific political mobilizations are neither singular nor stable.
The myths of Brexit
Authors: Cromby John
Published: January 2019

Cassirer's notion of myth and Langer's process philosophy are used to provide a novel perspective upon how feelings were both expressed and organised in the Brexit referendum, showing how multiple, overlapping organisations of feelings created a set of emergent rationalities. Political parties and campaigns, the media, and lived experience serve as analytic foci, and various feelings are identified. It is concluded that the result was largely rational on its own terms and that understanding this is central to the social psychology of Brexit.
Leave or remain? European identification, legitimacy of European integration, and political attitudes towards the EU
Authors: Sindic Denis , Chryssochoou Xenia , Condor Susan , Jasinskaja‐Lahti Inga , Bourguignon David , Waldzus Sven
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we look at the relationship between European identification and political support for (or opposition to) EU membership. First, we argue that conceptualizing political attitudes towards the EU as a direct product of European identification (a) neglects the distinction between the social reality of Europe and the political reality of the EU and (b) leads to psychological reductionism. We propose that the relationship should instead be conceptualized as mediated by legitimacy perceptions and as moderated by social‐level variables. Second, we look at three spheres of European integration and propose that their perceived legitimacy is appraised through the following principles: (a) normative solidarity for wealth sharing, (b) political authority for sharing political decisions, and (c) collective self‐realization for the sharing of practices. We illustrate the key mediating role of those principles by drawing on data from a survey ran across five European countries. Third, we argue that these meditational relationships are in turn moderated by social, political, and ideological realities and illustrate this point by looking at the case of United Kingdom in the context of the EU membership referendum. We point to an ideological assumption in the U.K. political landscape about the illegitimacy of EU supranational decision making and argue that this contributed to shape both the debate of the referendum campaign and its result.
The use of the political categories of Brexiter and Remainer in online comments about the EU referendum
Authors: Meredith Joanne , Richardson Emma
Published: January 2019

In June 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum on EU membership; 52% of those who voted, voted to leave, and 48% voted to remain. During the referendum campaign, two identities emerged: “Brexiter” and “Remainer,” which remained salient post‐referendum. This study explores how the categories of Brexiter and Remainer were deployed by posters online. Data comprise comment threads collected from four online newspapers both during the campaign and after the vote, which focus on the Brexit campaign promise: “We send £350m a week to the EU. Let's fund our NHS instead.” We draw on membership categorization analysis and discursive psychology to analyse when categories were made salient and what responses to the invocation of categories were. Analysis revealed that posters explicitly categorize the out‐group and in doing so implicitly define their group. Posters resisted other political identities when attributed to them in relation to the referendum. The analysis shows how Brexiter and Remainer are new, albeit contested, political categories and identities in their own right, with other political identities resisted when used. The paper highlights implications for the political system in the United Kingdom and for social divisions within U.K. society.
Glycosylated Cell‐Penetrating Peptides (GCPPs)
Authors: Gallego Iván , Rioboo Alicia , Reina José J. , Díaz Bernardo , Canales Ángeles , Cañada F. Javier , Guerra‐Varela Jorge , Sánchez Laura , Montenegro Javier
Published: January 2019

The cell membrane regulates the exchange of molecules and information with the external environment. However, this control barrier hinders the delivery of exogenous bioactive molecules that can be applied to correct cellular malfunctions. Therefore, the traffic of macromolecules across the cell membrane represents a great challenge for the development of the next generation of therapies and diagnostic methods. Cell‐penetrating peptides are short peptide sequences capable of delivering a broad range of biomacromolecules across the cellular membrane. However, penetrating peptides still suffer from limitations, mainly related to their lack of specificity and potential toxicity. Glycosylation has emerged as a potential promising strategy for the biological improvement of synthetic materials. In this work we have developed a new convergent strategy for the synthesis of penetrating peptides functionalized with glycan residues by an oxime bond connection. The uptake efficiency and intracellular distribution of these glycopeptides have been systematically characterized by means of flow cytometry and confocal microscopy and in zebrafish animal models. The incorporation of these glycan residues into the peptide structure influenced the internalization efficiency and cellular toxicity of the resulting glycopeptide hybrids in the different cell lines tested. The results reported herein highlight the potential of the glycosylation of penetrating peptides to modulate their activity.
Modulating Protein–Protein Interactions with Visible‐Light‐Responsive Peptide Backbone Photoswitches
Authors: Albert Lea , Peñalver Alberto , Djokovic Nemanja , Werel Laura , Hoffarth Malte , Ruzic Dusan , Xu Jing , Essen Lars‐Oliver , Nikolic Katarina , Dou Yali , Vázquez Olalla
Published: January 2019

Life relies on a myriad of carefully orchestrated processes, in which proteins and their direct interplay ultimately determine cellular function and disease. Modulation of this complex crosstalk has recently attracted attention, even as a novel therapeutic strategy. Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterization of two visible‐light‐responsive peptide backbone photoswitches based on azobenzene derivatives, to exert optical control over protein–protein interactions (PPI). The novel peptidomimetics undergo fast and reversible isomerization with low photochemical fatigue under alternatively blue‐/green‐light irradiation cycles. Both bind in the nanomolar range to the protein of interest. Importantly, the best peptidomimetic displays a clear difference between isomers in its protein‐binding capacity and, in turn, in its potential to inhibit enzymatic activity through PPI disruption. In addition, crystal structure determination, docking and molecular dynamics calculations allow a molecular interpretation and open up new avenues in the design and synthesis of future photoswitchable PPI modulators.
Transesterification of a Tertiary Alcohol by Engineered Candida antarctica Lipase A
Authors: Löfgren Johanna , Görbe Tamás , Oschmann Michael , Svedendahl Humble Maria , Bäckvall Jan‐E.
Published: January 2019

Tertiary alcohols are known to be challenging substrates for applications in asymmetric synthesis due to their complexity and steric hinderance. The occurrence of tertiary alcohols and their esters in nature indicates the presence of natural biocatalytic synthetic routes for their preparation. Lipase A from Candida antarctica (CalA) is a hydrolase that has previously been shown to catalyze the transesterification of racemic 2‐phenylbut‐3‐yn‐2‐ol at a low rate. In this work, the activity of that enzyme was improved by protein engineering through a semi‐rational design strategy. An enzyme library was created and screened for transesterification activity towards racemic 2‐phenylbut‐3‐yn‐2‐ol in an organic solvent. One successful enzyme variant (L367G) showed a tenfold increased reaction rate compared to the wild‐type enzyme, while maintaining a high enantioselectivity.
Tropolone‐Conjugated DNA: Fluorescence Enhancement in the Duplex
Authors: Bollu Amarnath , Sharma Nagendra K.
Published: January 2019

Tropolone (2‐hydroxycyclohepta‐2,4,6‐triene‐1‐one and tautomer) is a non‐benzenoid bioactive natural chromophore with pH‐dependent fluorescence character and extraordinary metal binding affinities, especially with transition‐metal ions Cu2+/Zn2+/Ni2+. This report describes the syntheses and biophysical studies of a new tropolonyl thymidine [(4(5)‐hydroxy‐5(4)‐oxo‐5(4)H‐cyclohepta‐1,3,6‐trienyl)thymidine] (tr‐T) nucleoside and of corresponding tropolone‐conjugated DNA oligonucleotides that form B‐form DNA duplex structures with a complementary DNA strand, although their duplex structures are less stable than that of the control. Furthermore, the stabilities of those DNA duplex structures are lowered by the presence of increasing numbers of tr‐T residue or by decreasing pH of their environments. Most importantly, these duplex structures are made fluorescent because of the presence of the tropolone moieties conjugated to the thymidine residues. The fluorescence behavior of those duplex structures exhibits pH dependence, with stronger fluorescence at lower pH and weaker fluorescence at high pH. Importantly, the fluorescence characters of tr‐DNA oligonucleotides are significantly enhanced by nearly threefold after duplex structure formation with their complementary control DNA oligonucleotide. Further, the fluorescence behavior of these tr‐DNA duplex structures is also dependent on the pH conditions. Hence, tropolonyl‐conjugated DNA represents a class of new fluorescent analogues that might be be employed for sensing DNA duplex formation and provide opportunities to improve fluorescence properties further.
Improvements in chemical carriers of proteins and peptides
Authors: Bolhassani Azam
Published: January 2019

The successful intracellular delivery of biologically active proteins and peptides plays an important role for therapeutic applications. Indeed, protein/peptide delivery could overcome some problems of gene therapy, for example, controlling the expression levels and the integration of transgene into the host cell genome. Thus, protein/peptide drug delivery showed a promising and safe approach for treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Due to the unique physical and chemical properties of proteins, their production (e.g., isolation, purification & formulation) and delivery represented significant challenges in pharmaceutical studies. Modification in the structural moieties of these protein/peptide drugs could improve their solubility, stability, crystallinity, lipophilicity, enzymatic susceptibility and targetability, and subsequently, therapies and cures against various diseases. Using the structural modification of protein/peptide, their delivery provided overall higher success rates including high specificity, high activity, bioreactivity and safety. Recently, biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies have tried to find novel techniques for the modifications and improve delivery systems/carriers. However, each carrier has its own benefits and drawbacks, and an appropriate carrier is often established by the physicochemical properties of protein or peptide, the ideal route of injection, and clinical characteristics of therapy. In this review, an attempt was made to give an overview on the chemical carriers for proteins and peptides as well as the recent advances in this field.
Percutaneous edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair may rescue select patients in cardiogenic shock: Findings from a single center case series
Authors: Flint Kelsey , Brieke Andreas , Wiktor Dominik , Carroll John
Published: January 2019

Background

Patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and cardiogenic shock are typically too high risk for immediate surgery; however, percutaneous edge‐to‐edge mitral valve repair (pMVr) may be reasonable in select patients.

Aim

Describe characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent pMVr with and without shock at a single center.

Methods

Chart review of all patients who underwent non‐investigational pMVr from November 2013 to October 2018. Shock was defined as dependence on an intravenous (IV) inotrope, IV afterload reduction, and/or temporary mechanical circulatory support immediately preceding pMVr.

Results

There were 135 patients. Mean age was 80 ± 12 years and 56 (41%) were female. Twelve (8.9%) had shock. All patients had 3+ or 4+ MR at baseline. Post‐procedure, all shock patients had 2+ or less MR. Two (17%) shock patients and 4 (3%) non‐shock patients died within 30 days of pMVr (P = 0.03). Six (50%) shock patients had resolution of shock and discharged home (primary outcome). Five shock patients had acute MI, four of whom met the primary outcome. Four shock patients had chronic MR (>21 days), three of whom did not meet the primary outcome. Overall, follow‐up time for mortality was median (IQR) 198 (42–379) days. Shock patients who survived to 30 days post‐procedure had significantly shorter time from diagnosis of MR to pMVr compared to those who died (35 ± 68 vs. 374 ± 111 days; P = 0.0001).

Conclusion

Percutaneous edge‐to‐edge MVr may be reasonable in shock patients with acute MR and/or acute MI. This case series should guide larger studies designed to improve selection of shock patients for pMVr.
Effect of Glu‐D1 gene introgression and amylose content on breadmaking potential of blends of durum and hexaploid wheat
Authors: Sissons Mike , Pleming Denise , Sestili Francesco , Lafiandra Domenico
Published: January 2019

Background and objectives

Durum wheat is used to make leavened bread; however, durum bread has inferior loaf volume, structure, and texture compared to bread made from common wheat. One approach to overcome this is to transfer key storage protein genes present at the Glu‐D1 locus from bread wheat into durum. Durum wheat Svevo missing Glu‐B1subunits 7 + 8 and Lira biotypes with low molecular weight glutenin subunits types 1 and 2 were evaluated for their breadmaking potential with and without high molecular weight glutenin subunits 2 + 12 or 5 + 10.

Findings

Bread made from blends of durum and a commercial baker's flour (10%, 25%, 50% w/w) assessed over two seasons in 10 different genotypes showed that as more durum was included in the mixture, loaf volume and texture score declined. Incorporation of the 2 + 12 subunit pair in the genotypes Lira42 and Lira45 improved bread quality but not in Svevo, whereas including 5 + 10 improved bread quality of Lira42 had no effect on Lira45 but reduced quality of Svevo. Low amylose Svevo had similar loaf quality to Svevo while adding 5 + 10 had minimal impact except at 50% with a small improvement in loaf quality. Bread stored up to 7 days became firmer partly due to increased starch retrogradation, and loaves were similar to bread made from baker's flour. Low amylose Svevo kept the loaf fresher but only up to 3 days of storage. Subunit pair 5 + 10 made the loaf firmer after 7 days compared to control.

Conclusions

Addition of the 2 + 12 or 5 + 10 benefited the weaker type gluten as found in Lira 42 (LMW‐1, HMW 20) but not with stronger dough in Svevo even in the absence of HMW 7 + 8. It appears that while Glu‐D1 subunits are critical for good breadmaking in hexaploid wheat, they appear to have limited value in improving loaf volume and structure in durum bread.

Significance and novelty

Some improvements in bread quality can be obtained by introducing genes coding for Glu‐D1subunits 2 + 12 and 5 + 10 in durum wheat depending on the genotype, especially weak dough types, and the results presented comprise the first report of such effect.
W/O/W Multiple Emulsions as the Functional Component of Dairy Products
Authors: Klojdová Iveta , Štětina Jiří , Horáčková Šárka
Published: January 2019

Water‐in‐oil‐in‐water (w/o/w) multiple emulsions are considered that could be suitable components of functional dairy products. Such emulsions enable the preparation of low‐calorie products, encapsulation of bioactive components or microorganisms, and their protection during digestion. Because of the large phase interface, w/o/w emulsions are thermodynamically unstable. Therefore, their preparation and stabilization requires specific conditions. This review describes a potential industrial application of w/o/w emulsions in dairy products in detail and summarizes the value, preparation, stabilization, and evaluation of w/o/w emulsions in a dairy system.
Core‐Shell Structure of SnO2@C/PEDOT : PSS Microspheres with Dual Protection Layers for Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance
Authors: Li Hui , Zhang Bao , Ou Xing , Zhou Qijie , Wang Chunhui , Peng Chunli , Zhang Jiafeng
Published: January 2019

Abundant material SnO2 is considered as a promising lithium‐ion battery (LIB) anode candidate due to its high theoretical capacity. Yet, the achieved capacity is restricted by the severe cycling degradation. Rational structural design can mitigate the volume expansion of SnO2, improving the structural stability and reaction kinetics at the same time. Herein, core‐shell structured SnO2@C/PEDOT : PSS microspheres are synthesized through a facile approach combined with hydrothermal treatment and polymerization. In the well‐designed architecture, amorphous carbon coated ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticles are aggregated into regular microspheres and wrapped by a PEDOT : PSS layer, forming a robust core‐shell structure with dual protection layers. Such hierarchical structure provides sufficient ion/electron ingress/transport channels, restrains the adverse reaction of the electrolyte, improves the conductivity and buffers the interior stress of the entire electrode, resulting in the stable cycle performance. When evaluated as LIB anode, it demonstrates an initial reversible capacity of 1170.5 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C, maintaining a high capacity of 441.5 mAh g−1 after 1200 stable cycles at high rate of 2 C. The strategy gives a rational avenue to design the oxide anodes with efficient hierarchical structure for LIB development.
Bio‐Electrosynthesis of Vectorially Imprinted Polymer Nanofilms for Cytochrome P450cam
Authors: Jetzschmann Katharina J. , Tank Steffen , Jágerszki Gyula , Gyurcsányi Róbert E. , Wollenberger Ulla , Scheller Frieder W.
Published: January 2019

A new approach for synthesizing a “vectorially” imprinted polymer (VIP) is presented for the microbial cytochrome P450cam enzyme. A surface attached binding motif of a natural reaction partner of the target protein, putidaredoxin (Pdx), is the anchor to the underlying transducer. The 15 amino acid peptide anchor, which stems from the largest continuous amino acid chain within the binding site of Pdx was modified: (i) internal cysteines were replaced by serines to prevent disulfide bond formation; (ii) 2 ethylene glycol units were attached to the N‐terminus as a spacer region; and (iii) an N‐terminal cysteine was added to allow the immobilization on the gold electrode surface. Immobilization on GCE was achieved via an N‐(1‐pyrenyl)maleimide (NPM) cross‐linker. In this way oriented immobilization of P450cam was accomplished by binding it to a peptide‐modified gold or glassy carbon electrode (GCE) prior to the electrosynthesis of a polymer nanofilm around the immobilized target. This VIP nanofilm enabled reversible oriented docking of P450cam as it is indicated by the catalytic oxygen reduction via direct electron transfer between the enzyme and the underlying electrode. Catalysis of oxygen reduction by P450cam bound to the VIP‐modified GCE was used to measure rebinding to the VIP. The “mild” coupling of an oxidoreductase with the electrode may be appropriate for realizing electrode‐driven substrate conversion by instable P450 enzymes without the need of NADPH co‐factor.
Intramolecular Energy Transfer in Dithienogermole Derivatives
Authors: Adachi Yohei , Nomura Takanori , Ohshita Joji
Published: January 2019

Dithienogermole (DTG) has been applied as a useful building unit of optical/semiconducting materials for organic optoelectronic devices because of its extended conjugation, high chemical stability, and good emissive properties. Although DTG has two substituents on the Ge atom, the substituents have been limited to simple alkyl and aryl groups in previous work. In this work, to further uncover the new functionalities of this useful building unit, various π‐conjugated groups were introduced on Ge of DTG. It was expected that the introduction of π‐conjugated groups would give rise to efficient energy transfer between the substituents and the DTG core, which are in proximity and linked by a Ge atom. The thus‐prepared DTG compounds with fluorene, terthiophene, and pyrene units on Ge possessed well‐separated frontier orbitals on the substituents and the DTG core, as proved by the absorption spectra and DFT calculations. The substituted DTG derivatives showed clear emission only from the energy acceptor even though the energy donor was photoexcited. This indicated the highly efficient energy transfer in these compounds. We also prepared more π‐extended compound DTGFl2‐Ph with phenyl groups on the DTG thiophene rings. DTGFl2‐Ph showed strong emission in the visible region with efficient energy transfer properties. These results clearly indicate the potential application of the present DTG system as optical functional materials.
Harnessing Brightness in Naphthalene Diimides
Authors: Maniam Subashani , Higginbotham Heather F. , Bell Toby D. M. , Langford Steven J.
Published: January 2019

The development of brightly emissive compounds is of great research and commercial interest, with established and emerging applications across chemistry, biology, physics, medicine and engineering. Among the many types of molecules available, naphthalene diimides have been widely used for both fundamental photophysical studies and in practical applications that utilise fluorescence as an information readout. The monomeric naphthalene diimide is weakly fluorescent, however through various methods of core‐derivatisation, it can be developed to be highly fluorescent and further functionalised to add utility. In this review, we highlight recent advances made in naphthalene diimide chemistry that have led to development of molecules with improved optical properties, and the design strategies utilised to produce bright fluorescence emission as small molecules or in supramolecular architectures.
π‐Concave Hosts for Curved Carbon Nanomaterials
Authors: Selmani Serxho , Schipper Derek J.
Published: January 2019

Carbon nanomaterials have been at the forefront of nanotechnology since its inception. At the heart of this research are the curved carbon nanomaterial families: fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. While both have incredible properties that have been capitalized upon in a wide variety of applications, there is an aspect that is not commonly exploited by nanoscientists and organic chemists alike: the interaction of curved carbon nanomaterials with curved organic small molecules. By taking advantage of these interactions, new avenues are opened for the use of fullerenes and carbon nanotubes.
Enantioselective liquid‐liquid extraction of DL‐mandelic acid using chiral diphosphine ligands as extractants
Authors: Ma Yu , Liu Xiong , Zhou Wenqi , Cao Ting
Published: January 2019

In order to expand the application range of chiral diphosphine ligands, (S)‐BINAP, (S)‐SEGPHOS, and (S)‐MeO‐BIPHEP were employed as extractants to recognize DL‐mandelic acid. The results indicated that (S)‐SEGPHOS‐Cu exhibited considerable ability to recognize DL‐mandelic acid with operational enantioselectivity (α) of 2.677. The process of extraction of DL‐mandelic acid using (S)‐SEGPHOS‐Cu as extractant was systematically investigated. Performance factor (pf) was adopted to comprehensively evaluate the extraction. After optimization by response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal extraction condition is temperature of 5.5°C, (S)‐SEGPHOS‐Cu concentration of 3.0 mmol/L, and pH of 8.0. And the predicted and experimental maximum values of pf were 0.26374 and 0.26839, respectively.
Synthesis of Alumina‐Coated Natural Graphite for Highly Cycling Stability and Safety of Li‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Xu Tao , Zhou Chengkun , Zhou Haihui , Wang Zekun , Ren Jianguo
Published: January 2019

Summary of main observation and conclusion

The natural graphite (NG) uniformly coated with alumina ceramics (Al2O3) was successfully synthesized through sol‐gel method. The aluminum plastic film soft‐packed battery prepared using Al2O3‐coated NG as anode material exhibits excellent cycle performance and safety performance. The cycling retention of AN‐1 is 84.95% after 200 cycles at a rate of 1 C in a potential window ranging from 3.0 to 4.35 V, which is much greater than 75.07% of NG under the same test conditions. The result of the nail penetration tests shows that the successful nail penetration rate of the NG used as anode is 0%, while that of Al2O3 coated samples AN‐1 is 100%. The test results show that the Al2O3 coating could act as a solid electrolyte to suppress side reactions, improve cycle stability, and prevent a thermal runaway under mechanical abuse.
Reducing plastic waste – experiments with insects and enzymes
Authors: Müller Sarah Christin , Heimann Rebekka
Published: January 2019

Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags werden drei Experimente beschrieben, mit denen neuere Ansätze zur Reduzierung des Kunststoffmülls im Chemieunterricht und im fächerübergreifenden Unterricht erarbeitet werden können. Mögliche Schlussfolgerungen aus den experimentellen Ergebnissen und Aussagegrenzen können mit den Schülerinnen und Schülern kritisch diskutiert werden.
Discovery of N‐Aryloxypropylbenzylamines as Voltage‐Gated Sodium Channel NaV1.2‐Subtype‐Selective Inhibitors
Authors: van der Peet Phillip L. , Sandanayake Saman , Jarrott Bevyn , Williams Spencer J.
Published: January 2019

We previously reported that a lipophilic N‐(4′‐hydroxy‐3′,5′‐di‐tert‐butylbenzyl) derivative (1) of the voltage‐gated sodium channel blocker mexiletine, was a more potent sodium channel blocker in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that replacing the chiral methylethylene linker between the amine and di‐tert‐butylphenol with an achiral 1,3‐propylene linker (to give (2)) maintains potency in vitro. We synthesized 25 analogues bearing the 1,3‐propylene linker and found that minor structural changes resulted in pronounced changes in state dependence of blocking human NaV1.2 and 1.6 channels by high‐throughput patch‐clamp analysis. Compared to mexiletine, compounds 1 and 2 are highly selective NaV1.2 inhibitors and >500 times less potent in inhibiting NaV1.6 channels. On the other hand, a derivative (compound 4) bearing 2,6‐dimethoxy groups in place of the 2,6‐dimethyl groups found in mexiletine was found to be the most potent inhibitor, but is nonselective against both channels in the tonic, frequency‐dependent and inactivated states. In a kindled mouse model of refractory epilepsy, compound 2 inhibited seizures induced by 6 Hz 44 mA electrical stimulation with an IC50 value of 49.9±1.6 mg kg−1. As established sodium channel blockers do not suppress seizures in this mouse model, this indicates that 2 could be a promising candidate for treating pharmaco‐resistant epilepsy.
Influence of Renal Function on Evolocumab Exposure, Pharmacodynamics, and Safety
Authors: Lee Edward , Gibbs John P. , Emery Maurice G. , Block Geoffrey , Wasserman Scott M. , Hamilton Lisa , Kasichayanula Sreeneeranj , Hanafin Patrick , Somaratne Ransi , Egbuna Ogo
Published: January 2019

We evaluated the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of evolocumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody against proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9), in an open‐label, parallel‐design study in participants with normal renal function (n = 6), severe renal impairment (RI; n = 6), or end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving hemodialysis (n = 6) who received a single 140‐mg dose of evolocumab. The effects of evolocumab treatment on low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) lowering and unbound PCSK9 concentrations were similar in the normal renal function group and the renally impaired groups. Geometric mean Cmax and AUClast values in the severe RI and ESRD hemodialysis groups compared with the normal renal function group were lower but within 37% of the normal renal function group (Jonckheere‐Terpstra trend test; Cmax, P = .23; AUClast, P = .22) and within 26% after adjusting for body weight (mean body weight was approximately 9% higher in the renally impaired groups compared with the normal renal function group). No correlations were observed between exposure and baseline creatinine clearance. No adverse event was determined by the investigators to be related to evolocumab, and there were no trends indicative of clinically important effects on laboratory variables or vital signs. Overall, there were no meaningful differences in evolocumab exposure, as assessed by Cmax and AUClast, in patients with severe RI and ESRD hemodialysis compared with patients with normal renal function, and LDL‐C‐lowering effects were similar across groups. These results support the use of evolocumab without dose adjustment in patients who have severe RI or ESRD.
Exploration of virtual human running based on CCD algorithm
Authors: Bao Dapeng
Published: January 2019

To make a more thorough understanding of human movement, the research of virtual human running based on the CCD (Cyclic‐Coordinate Descent) algorithm was focused on. First of all, the CCD algorithm, the rotation range of the human joint, the running cycle, the key moment of running movement, and the decomposition of running movement were introduced in detail. Then, the inverse kinematics based on the CCD algorithm was solved, the inverse kinematics in the running was solved, and the motion simulation of the upper body and the specified path were carried out. Finally, the simulation results were analyzed. The results showed that the parameters such as the percentage of the support period, the vacant height, the running level, the step frequency, and the frame rate were adjusted by the interactive mode. In a word, it makes the running posture generated diversified and more characteristic.
Influence of Urbach Energy, Temperature, and Longitudinal Position in the Active Layer on Carrier Diffusion Length in Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Mehdizadeh‐Rad Hooman , Singh Jai
Published: January 2019

The diffusion length of charge carriers in the active layer of a perovskite solar cell (PSC) of the structure Glass/PEDOT: PSS/CH3NH3PbI3/PC60BM/Al is modelled. It is found that the diffusion length depends on the position x in the active layer measured from the PEDOT: PSS interface, Urbach energy and temperature. By varying the voltage in the range from zero to
, it is shown that the dependence of diffusion length on the position x in the active layer reduces at higher voltage. The combined influence of applied voltage and temperature on the diffusion length of charge carriers is investigated and it is found that in the low voltage range the diffusion length is temperature independent, but it becomes significantly temperature dependent at higher voltages. Also, it is found that the diffusion length decreases as the applied voltage increases and this reduction becomes much more significant at higher voltage and temperatures. The combined influence of applied voltage and Urbach energy on diffusion length of charge carriers reveals that the diffusion length decreases when both the applied voltage and Urbach energy increase. However, the reduction in the diffusion length due to the increase in Urbach energy becomes less significant at higher voltage.
Co–Sn Nanocrystalline Solid Solutions as Anode Materials in Lithium‐Ion Batteries with High Pseudocapacitive Contribution
Authors: Li Junshan , Xu Xijun , Luo Zhishan , Zhang Chaoqi , Zuo Yong , Zhang Ting , Tang Pengyi , Infante‐Carrió Maria F. , Arbiol Jordi , Llorca Jordi , Liu Jun , Cabot Andreu
Published: January 2019

Co–Sn solid‐solution nanoparticles with Sn crystal structure and tuned metal ratios were synthesized by a facile one pot solution‐based procedure involving the initial reduction of a Sn precursor followed by incorporation of Co within the Sn lattice. These nanoparticles were used as anode materials for Li‐ion batteries. Among the different compositions tested, Co0.7Sn and Co0.9Sn electrodes provided the highest capacities with values above 1500 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.2 A g−1 after 220 cycles, and up to 800 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 400 cycles. Up to 81 % pseudocapacitance contribution was measured for these electrodes at a sweep rate of 1.0 mV s−1, thereby indicating fast kinetics and long durability. The excellent performance of Co–Sn nanoparticle alloy‐based electrodes was attributed to both the small size of the crystal domains and their suitable composition, which buffered volume changes of Sn and contributed to a suitable electrode restructuration.
Membrane Fractionation of Liquors from Lignin‐First Biorefining
Authors: Sultan Zafar , Graça Inês , Li Yueqin , Lima Sérgio , Peeva Ludmila G. , Kim Daeok , Ebrahim Mahmood A. , Rinaldi Roberto , Livingston Andrew G.
Published: January 2019

For the utilization of each lignin fraction in the lignin liquors, the development of separation strategies to fractionate the lignin streams by molecular weight ranges constitutes a timely challenge to be tackled. Herein, membrane filtration was applied to the refining of lignin streams obtained from a lignin‐first biorefining process based on H‐transfer reactions catalyzed by Raney Ni, by using 2‐PrOH as a part of the lignin extraction liquor and as an H‐donor. A two‐stage membrane cascade was considered to separate and concentrate the monophenol‐rich fraction from the liquor. Building on the results, an economic evaluation of the potential of membrane filtration for the refining of lignin streams was undertaken. In this proof‐of‐concept report, a detailed analysis is presented of future developments in the performance required for the utilization of membrane filtration for lignin refining and, more aspiringly, solvent reclamation.
Utility of cytomorphology in distinguishing solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of pancreas from pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor with emphasis on nuclear folds and nuclear grooves
Authors: Misra Sunayana , Saran RK , Srivastava Siddharth , Barman Sandip , Dahale Amol
Published: January 2019

Background

Pancreatic solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPN) and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (Pan‐NET) have close resemblance on imaging and cytomorphology, though they differ in their prognosis and treatment strategy. SPNs are low‐grade indolent tumors while Pan‐NETs harbor malignant potential with propensity to metastasize. We aim to differentiate SPN from Pan‐NET based on cyto‐morphology; to classify nuclear membrane (NM) irregularities or nuclear folds into four grades and see whether they bear any difference with respect to the two entities.

Methods

Eighteen and ten confirmed cases of SPN and Pan‐NET were included in the study. Smears were assessed for architecture, background changes, cellular, and nuclear features, which were compared between the two study groups. Nuclear folds were classified into four grades. Nuclear folds and nuclear grooves were also compared between the two groups.

Results

All SPN patients were females; mean age of 28 years. Pan‐NET patients had equal male to female ratio; mean age of 46 years. Both SPN (78%) and Pan‐NET (71%) showed predilection for pancreatic head. Mean size of lesion was 4.8 cm and 3.1 cm in SPN and Pan‐NET groups. Papillary pattern, branching capillaries, degenerative background were significantly more prominent in SPN; sudden anisonucleosis and cytoplasmic granularity in Pan‐NET. Metachromatic matrix, hyaline globules, and nuclear grooves were noted exclusively in SPNs. Nuclear fold grades 2 and 3 were more characteristic of SPN than Pan‐NET (P = 0.041 and 0.002, respectively).

Conclusions

Cytomorphology is vital in differentiating SPN from Pan‐NET with nuclear folds being an important nuclear feature.