bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced ferroelectric switching speed of Si-doped HfO2 thin film tailored by oxygen deficiency
Authors: Lee Kyoungjun , Park Kunwoo , Lee Hyun-Jae , Song Myeong Seop , Lee Kyu Cheol , Namkung Jin , Lee Jun Hee , Park Jungwon , Chae Seung Chul
Published: March 2021

Investigations concerning oxygen deficiency will increase our understanding of those factors that govern the overall material properties. Various studies have examined the relationship between oxygen deficiency and the phase transformation from a nonpolar phase to a polar phase in HfO2 thin films. However, there are few reports on the effects of oxygen deficiencies on the switching dynamics of the ferroelectric phase itself. Herein, we report the oxygen- deficiency induced enhancement of ferroelectric switching properties of Si-doped HfO2 thin films. By controlling the annealing conditions, we controlled the oxygen deficiency concentration in the ferroelectric orthorhombic HfO2 phase. Rapid high-temperature (800 °C) annealing of the HfO2 film accelerated the characteristic switching speed compared to low-temperature (600 °C) annealing. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) revealed that thermal annealing increased oxygen deficiencies, and first-principles calculations demonstrated a reduction of the energy barrier of the polarization flip with increased oxygen deficiency. A Monte Carlo simulation for the variation in the energy barrier of the polarization flipping confirmed the increase of characteristic switching speed.
Hydromorphological evaluation of the river training impact on a multi-thread river system (Belá River, Carpathians, Slovakia)
Authors: Kidová Anna , Radecki-Pawlik Artur , Rusnák Miloš , Plesiński Karol
Published: March 2021

The paper evaluates the impact of river training works designed to address problems associated with flooding on the braided-wandering Belá River in Slovakian Carpathians. This impact was investigated after the flood event in July 2018 on 11 river reaches where the river engineering and management intervention was applied. We analyzed its impact by spatio-temporal variations in river morphology (12 channel parameters) and changes in cross-section and hydraulic parameters (flow velocity, shear stress, stream power, W/D ratio) between pre- and post-flood management periods. The research hypotheses related to decreasing geodiversity in managed river reaches, a rapid increase in flow velocity during an extreme flood in river reaches where there is no sufficient floodplain inundation due to artificially high banks built by river training works, and increasing erosive force in the channel zone thanks to river management intervention were confirmed. The intervention in the braidplain area of the Belá River resulted in an undesirable simplification of the river pattern, loss of geomorphic diversity, loss of channel–floodplain connectivity, and disturbance and restraint of hydromorphological continuity. Identification of main conflicts of the Belá River management is important for clarifying the different approaches of stakeholders in the study area and aims to provide an objective illustration of their consequences. The presented analyses could help in future management issues as well as in the more critical decision-making process in vulnerable and rare braided river systems on the present when we are losing so many natural rivers by human decisions.
Flexible annotation atlas of the mouse brain: combining and dividing brain structures of the Allen Brain Atlas while maintaining anatomical hierarchy
Authors: Takata Norio , Sato Nobuhiko , Komaki Yuji , Okano Hideyuki , Tanaka Kenji F.
Published: March 2021

A brain atlas is necessary for analyzing structure and function in neuroimaging research. Although various annotation volumes (AVs) for the mouse brain have been proposed, it is common in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the mouse brain that regions-of-interest (ROIs) for brain structures (nodes) are created arbitrarily according to each researcher’s necessity, leading to inconsistent ROIs among studies. One reason for such a situation is the fact that earlier AVs were fixed, i.e. combination and division of nodes were not implemented. This report presents a pipeline for constructing a flexible annotation atlas (FAA) of the mouse brain by leveraging public resources of the Allen Institute for Brain Science on brain structure, gene expression, and axonal projection. A mere two-step procedure with user-specified, text-based information and Python codes constructs FAA with nodes which can be combined or divided objectively while maintaining anatomical hierarchy of brain structures. Four FAAs with total node count of 4, 101, 866, and 1381 were demonstrated. Unique characteristics of FAA realized analysis of resting-state functional connectivity (FC) across the anatomical hierarchy and among cortical layers, which were thin but large brain structures. FAA can improve the consistency of whole brain ROI definition among laboratories by fulfilling various requests from researchers with its flexibility and reproducibility.
Time spent outdoors in childhood is associated with reduced risk of myopia as an adult
Authors: Lingham Gareth , Yazar Seyhan , Lucas Robyn M. , Milne Elizabeth , Hewitt Alex W. , Hammond Christopher J. , MacGregor Stuart , Rose Kathryn A. , Chen Fred K. , He Mingguang , Guggenheim Jeremy A. , Clarke Michael W. , Saw Seang-Mei , Williams Cathy , Coroneo Minas T. , Straker Leon , Mackey David A.
Published: March 2021

Myopia (near-sightedness) is an important public health issue. Spending more time outdoors can prevent myopia but the long-term association between this exposure and myopia has not been well characterised. We investigated the relationship between time spent outdoors in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and risk of myopia in young adulthood. The Kidskin Young Adult Myopia Study (KYAMS) was a follow-up of the Kidskin Study, a sun exposure-intervention study of 1776 children aged 6–12 years. Myopia status was assessed in 303 (17.6%) KYAMS participants (aged 25–30 years) and several subjective and objective measures of time spent outdoors were collected in childhood (8–12 years) and adulthood. Index measures of total, childhood and recent time spent outdoors were developed using confirmatory factor analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between a 0.1-unit change in the time outdoor indices and risk of myopia after adjusting for sex, education, outdoor occupation, parental myopia, parental education, ancestry and Kidskin Study intervention group. Spending more time outdoors during childhood was associated with reduced risk of myopia in young adulthood (multivariable odds ratio [OR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69, 0.98). Spending more time outdoors in later adolescence and young adulthood was associated with reduced risk of late-onset myopia (≥ 15 years of age, multivariable OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64, 0.98). Spending more time outdoors in both childhood and adolescence was associated with less myopia in young adulthood.
Evaluation of moxifloxacin-induced cytotoxicity on human corneal endothelial cells
Authors: Park Joo-Hee , Kim Martha , Chuck Roy S. , Park Choul Yong
Published: March 2021

Moxifloxacin hydrochloride (MXF) is widely used for the prevention of bacterial endophthalmitis after intraocular surgeries. However, the safety issue of intracameral injection of MXF for human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) is still debatable. In this study, we investigated concentration-dependent cytotoxicity (0.05–1 mg/ml) of MXF for immortalized HCECs (B4G12 cell) and the underlying mechanism. Reactive oxygen generation (ROS) and cell viability after MXF exposure was measured. Flow cytometric analysis and TUNEL assay was used to detect apoptotic HCECs after MXF exposure. Ultrastructure of damaged HCECs by MXF was imaged by transmission electron microscope. Western blot analysis and caspase 2, 3 and 8 analysis were used to reveal the underlying mechanism of MXF induced damage in HCECs. We found that MXF induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity in HCECs. MXF exposure increased ROS generation and induced autophagy in HCECs. Increased LDH release represented the cellular membrane damage by MXF. In addition, caspases activation, Bax/Bcl-xL-dependent apoptosis pathway and apoptosis inducing factor nuclear translocation were all involved in MXF induced HCECs’ damage, especially after exposure to high dose of MXF (0.5 and 1.0 mg/ml). These findings suggest that MXF toxicity on HCECs should be thoroughly considered by ophthalmologists when intracameral injection of MXF is planned.
Acute liver injury following acetaminophen administration does not activate atrophic pathways in the mouse diaphragm
Authors: Bruells C. S. , Duschner P. , Marx G. , Gayan-Ramirez G. , Frank N. , Breuer T. , Krenkel O. , Tacke F. , Mossanen J. C.
Published: March 2021

N-acetyl-para-amino phenol (APAP, usually named paracetamol), which is commonly used for its analgesic and antipyretic properties may lead to hepatotoxicity and acute liver damage in case of overdoses. Released cytokines and oxidative stress following acute liver damage may affect other organs’ function notably the diaphragm, which is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress and circulating cytokines. We addressed this issue in a mouse model of acute liver injury induced by administration of APAP. C57BL/6J mice (each n = 8) were treated with N-acetyl-para-amino phenol (APAP) to induce acute drug caused liver injury and sacrificed 12 or 24 h afterwards. An untreated group served as controls. Key markers of inflammation, proteolysis, autophagy and oxidative stress were measured in diaphragm samples. In APAP treated animals, liver damage was proven by the enhanced serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. In the diaphragm, besides a significant increase in IL 6 and lipid peroxidation, no changes were observed in key markers of the proteolytic, and autophagy signaling pathways, other inflammatory markers and fiber dimensions. The first 24 h of acute liver damage did not impair diaphragm atrophic pathways although it slightly enhanced IL-6 and lipid peroxidation. Whether longer exposure might affect the diaphragm needs to be addressed in future experiments.
The effects of myelin on macrophage activation are phenotypic specific via cPLA2 in the context of spinal cord injury inflammation
Authors: Kopper Timothy J. , Zhang Bei , Bailey William M. , Bethel Kara E. , Gensel John C.
Published: March 2021

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces chronic, pro-inflammatory macrophage activation that impairs recovery. The mechanisms driving this chronic inflammation are not well understood. Here, we detail the effects of myelin debris on macrophage physiology and demonstrate a novel, activation state-dependent role for cytosolic phospholipase-A2 (cPLA2) in myelin-mediated potentiation of pro-inflammatory macrophage activation. We hypothesized that cPLA2 and myelin debris are key mediators of persistent pro-inflammatory macrophage responses after SCI. To test this, we examined spinal cord tissue 28-days after thoracic contusion SCI in 3-month-old female mice and observed both cPLA2 activation and intracellular accumulation of lipid-rich myelin debris in macrophages. In vitro, we utilized bone marrow-derived macrophages to determine myelin’s effects across a spectrum of activation states. We observed phenotype-specific responses with myelin potentiating only pro-inflammatory (LPS + INF-γ; M1) macrophage activation, whereas myelin did not induce pro-inflammatory responses in unstimulated or anti-inflammatory (IL-4; M2) macrophages. Specifically, myelin increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species, and nitric oxide production in M1 macrophages as well as M1-mediated neurotoxicity. PACOCF3 (cPLA2 inhibitor) blocked myelin’s detrimental effects. Collectively, we provide novel spatiotemporal evidence that myelin and cPLA2 play an important role in the pathophysiology of SCI inflammation and the phenotype-specific response to myelin implicate diverse roles of myelin in neuroinflammatory conditions.
Preliminary clinical experience of robot-assisted surgery in treatment with genioplasty
Authors: Lin Li , Xu Cheng , Shi Yunyong , Zhou Chaozheng , Zhu Ming , Chai Gang , Xie Le
Published: March 2021

Genioplasty is the main way to treat diseases such as chin asymmetry, dysplasia and overdevelopment, which involve the three-dimensional direction abnormalities of the chin. Since this kind of surgery mainly uses intraoral incisions, the narrow surgical field of intraoral incisions and the surrounding important neurovascular tissues make it easy for complications, to occur during the osteotomy process, which results in greater surgical risks. The first craniofacial-plastic surgical robot (CPSR-I) system is developed to complete the precise positioning and improve the surgeon's force perception ability. The Kalman filtering method is adopted to reduce the interference of sensor signal noise. An adaptive fuzzy control system, which has strong robustness and adaptability to the environment, is designed to improve the stability of robot-assisted surgical operations. To solve the problem of the depth perception, we propose an automatic bone drilling control strategy that combines position and force conditions to ensure that the robot can automatically stop when the bone is penetrated. On the basis of model surgery and animal experiments, preliminary experiments were carried out clinically. Based on the early results of 6 patients, the robot-assisted approach appears to be a safe and effective strategy for genioplasty.
Correlation between family history and characteristics of breast cancer
Authors: Liu Lei , Hao Xiaomeng , Song Zian , Zhi Xiangcheng , Zhang Sheng , Zhang Jin
Published: March 2021

Family history is a major risk factor for breast cancer; approximately 5–10% cases of breast cancer are associated with a family history. Herein, we investigated the link between family history and breast cancer features to elucidate the importance of family history in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Data from 10,549 patients with breast cancer were collected from 2014 to 2017. Detailed information about the family history of the patients including the degree and number of relatives affected and the types of cancer was recorded. The tumors were pathologically and clinically classified based on the stage, grade, ER, PR, HER2, Ki-67 status, and subtypes, according to standard guidelines. Data were analyzed using χ2 test and multiple logistic regression. Patients with a family history of other cancer types were significantly older at diagnosis than patients with a family history of breast/ovarian cancer (p = 0.002) and those without a family history of cancer (p < 0.001). Patients without a family history of cancer were typically diagnosed at a later stage, including high frequency in N2 (p = 0.035) and TNM stage III (p = 0.015). Compared with patients with second-/third-degree relatives, those with first-degree relatives having breast/ovarian cancer had a higher median age (54.1, p < 0.001) at diagnosis and showed more advanced disease. No significant difference was found between ER, PR, and HER2 status in patients with and without a family history of cancer. Family history of breast cancer can influence the cancer characteristics of the patients at diagnosis, especially patient age, tumor stage, and grade.
Mitogenomic analysis of diversity of key whitefly pests in Kenya and its implication to their sustainable management
Authors: Khamis Fathiya M. , Ombura Fidelis L. O. , Ajene Inusa J. , Akutse Komivi S. , Subramanian Sevgan , Mohamed Samira A. , Dubois Thomas , Tanga Chrysantus M. , Ekesi Sunday
Published: March 2021

Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are devastating agricultural pests of economic importance vectoring pathogenic plant viruses. Knowledge on their diversity and distribution in Kenya is scanty, limiting development of effective sustainable management strategies. The present study is aimed at identifying whitefly pest species present in Kenya across different agroecological zones and establish predictive models for the most abundant species in Africa. Whiteflies were sampled in Kenya from key crops known to be severely infested and identified using 16S rRNA markers and complete mitochondrial genomes. Four whitefly species were identified: Aleyrodes proletella, Aleurodicus dispersus, Bemisia afer and Trialeurodesvaporariorum, the latter being the most dominant species across all the agroecology. The assembly of complete mitogenomes and comparative analysis of all 13 protein coding genes confirmed the identities of the four species. Furthermore, prediction spatial models indicated high climatic suitability of T. vaporariorum in Africa, Europe, Central America, parts of Southern America, parts of Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Consequently, our findings provide information to guide biosecurity agencies on protocols to be adopted for precise identification of pest whitefly species in Kenya to serve as an early warning tool against T. vaporariorum invasion into unaffected areas and guide appropriate decision-making on their management.
Rapid online assessment of reading ability
Authors: Yeatman Jason D. , Tang Kenny An , Donnelly Patrick M. , Yablonski Maya , Ramamurthy Mahalakshmi , Karipidis Iliana I. , Caffarra Sendy , Takada Megumi E. , Kanopka Klint , Ben-Shachar Michal , Domingue Benjamin W.
Published: March 2021

An accurate model of the factors that contribute to individual differences in reading ability depends on data collection in large, diverse and representative samples of research participants. However, that is rarely feasible due to the constraints imposed by standardized measures of reading ability which require test administration by trained clinicians or researchers. Here we explore whether a simple, two-alternative forced choice, time limited lexical decision task (LDT), self-delivered through the web-browser, can serve as an accurate and reliable measure of reading ability. We found that performance on the LDT is highly correlated with scores on standardized measures of reading ability such as the Woodcock-Johnson Letter Word Identification test (r = 0.91, disattenuated r = 0.94). Importantly, the LDT reading ability measure is highly reliable (r = 0.97). After optimizing the list of words and pseudowords based on item response theory, we found that a short experiment with 76 trials (2–3 min) provides a reliable (r = 0.95) measure of reading ability. Thus, the self-administered, Rapid Online Assessment of Reading ability (ROAR) developed here overcomes the constraints of resource-intensive, in-person reading assessment, and provides an efficient and automated tool for effective online research into the mechanisms of reading (dis)ability.
Serum testosterone levels are positively associated with serum anti-mullerian hormone levels in infertile women
Authors: Lin Li-Te , Li Chia-Jung , Tsui Kuan-Hao
Published: March 2021

Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and testosterone (T) both play distinct roles in the early stages of folliculogenesis. However, the relationship between serum T and AMH levels is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum T and AMH levels in infertile women. A total of 1935 infertile women aged 20–46 years were included in the cross-sectional study and divided into four quartile groups (Q1 to Q4) based on serum T levels. Compared to the subjects in the highest T quartile (Q4), those in the lowest T quartile (Q1) showed significantly lower AMH levels. After adjustment for age, body weight, body mass index and FSH, increasing T quartile categories were associated with higher AMH levels. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that the odds for the risk of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) were 11.44-fold higher in Q1 than in Q4 and the odds for the risk of excess ovarian reserve (EOR) were 10.41-fold higher in Q4 than in Q1. Our data show that serum T levels are positively associated with serum AMH levels and suggest that androgen insufficiency may be a potential risk factor for DOR; androgen excess may lead to EOR in infertile women.
LASCA: loop and significant contact annotation pipeline
Authors: Luzhin Artem V. , Golov Arkadiy K. , Gavrilov Alexey A. , Velichko Artem K. , Ulianov Sergey V. , Razin Sergey V. , Kantidze Omar L.
Published: March 2021

Chromatin loops represent one of the major levels of hierarchical folding of the genome. Although the situation is evolving, current methods have various difficulties with the accurate mapping of loops even in mammalian Hi-C data, and most of them fail to identify chromatin loops in animal species with substantially different genome architecture. This paper presents the loop and significant contact annotation (LASCA) pipeline, which uses Weibull distribution-based modeling to effectively identify loops and enhancer–promoter interactions in Hi-C data from evolutionarily distant species: from yeast and worms to mammals. Available at:https://github.com/ArtemLuzhin/LASCA_pipeline.
Fabrication and application of a novel electrochemical biosensor based on a mesoporous carbon sphere@UiO-66-NH2/Lac complex enzyme for tetracycline detection
Authors: Zhong Xiaomin , Wang Fang , Piao Jinhua , Chen Yitao
Published: March 2021

Electrochemical biosensor for tetracycline detection based on MCS@UiO-66-NH2/Lac complex enzyme.
Understanding of the C–H stretch region of infra-red spectroscopy: an analysis of the final state wavefunctions
Authors: Yadav Swati , Banik Subrata , Prasad M. Durga
Published: March 2021

The nature of wavefunctions associated with the final states in the CH stretch region of several medium sized molecules are analysed.
Reply to the ‘comment on “impact of water on the BrO + HO2 gas-phase reaction: mechanism, kinetics and products”’ by R. Chow, D. K. W. Mok, E. P. F. Lee and J. M. Dyke, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23, DOI: 10.1039/D0CP00222D
Authors: Tsona Narcisse T. , Tang Shanshan , Du Lin
Published: March 2021

Free energy surfaces of the BrO + HO2 reaction on the singlet and triplet surfaces.
Applications of bioluminescence in biotechnology and beyond
Authors: Syed Aisha J. , Anderson James C.
Published: March 2021

Bioluminescent probes have hugely benefited from the input of synthetic chemistry and protein engineering. Here we review the latest applications of these probes in biotechnology and beyond, with an eye on current limitations and future directions.
Deciphering lignin heterogeneity in ball milled softwood: unravelling the synergy between the supramolecular cell wall structure and molecular events
Authors: Sapouna Ioanna , Lawoko Martin
Published: March 2021

Mechanical milling of lignocellulose has been used in several studies as a key pretreatment enabling the extraction of lignin from various sources for structural analysis.
Nanotherapeutics using all-natural materials. Effective treatment of wound biofilm infections using crosslinked nanoemulsions
Authors: Li Cheng-Hsuan , Landis Ryan F. , Makabenta Jessa Marie , Nabawy Ahmed , Tronchet Tiphaine , Archambault Danielle , Liu Yuanchang , Huang Rui , Golan Morgane , Cui Wei , Mager Jesse , Gupta Akash , Schmidt-Malan Suzannah , Patel Robin , Rotello Vincent M.
Published: March 2021

All-natural cross-linked nanoemulsions provide effective treatment of wound biofilm infections.
Cerebrospinal fluid lipidomics for biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Byeon Seul Kee , Madugundu Anil K. , Jain Ankit P. , Bhat Firdous A. , Jung Jae Hun , Renuse Santosh , Darrow Jacqueline , Bakker Arnold , Albert Marilyn , Moghekar Abhay , Pandey Akhilesh
Published: March 2021

Cerebrospinal fluid lipid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease were discovered using tandem mass spectrometry.
Structure-directing study of 1-methylimidazolium-based dication with tetramethylene as spacer length in the synthesis of microporous silicoaluminophosphates
Authors: Tavares Thayara Kellen , Almeida Gabrielli , Variani Yuri Miguel , Bernardo-Gusmão Katia , Vinaches Paloma , Alcântara Ana C. S. , Paiva Antônio Ernandes Macedo , Gómez-Hortigüela Luis , Rojas Alex
Published: March 2021

The molecular sieves, AFO, AEI and CHA-t, were synthesized using the 4BI cation as OSDAs. The crystallization of AEI and AFO phases was through in hydroxide media, while in the presence of fluoride induces the formation of triclinic chabazite (CHA-t).
Highly catalytically active CeO2−x-based heterojunction nanostructures with mixed micro/meso-porous architectures
Authors: S. Mofarah Sajjad , Schreck Luisa , Cazorla Claudio , Zheng Xiaoran , Adabifiroozjaei Esmaeil , Tsounis Constantine , Scott Jason , Shahmiri Reza , Yao Yin , Abbasi Roozbeh , Wang Yuan , Arandiyan Hamidreza , Sheppard Leigh , Wong Vienna , Doustkhah Esmail , Koshy Pramod , Sorrell Charles C.
Published: March 2021

The present work reports a template-free approach to fabricate 3D mesoporous CeO2−x-based heterojunction nanostructures comprised of holey 2D nanosheets with outstanding densities of active sites that deliver excellent CO conversion performance.
[Zn(Salen)] metal complex-derived ZnO-implanted carbon slabs as anode material for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Duraisamy E. , Prabunathan P. , Mani G. , Alshgari R. A. , Elumalai P.
Published: March 2021

Zinc oxide-implanted carbon slabs (ZnO@CS) were prepared by conventional pyrolysis of a [Zn(salen)] complex.
Nanophotonic devices and circuits based on colloidal quantum dots
Authors: Chen Jianjun , Rong Kexiu
Published: March 2021

Colloidal quantum dots provide a powerful platform to achieve numerous classes of solution-processed photonic devices. This review summarizes the recent progress in CQD-based passive and active nanophotonic devices as well as nanophotonic circuits.
Spectroscopic sensing and quantification of AP-endonucleases using fluorescence-enhancement by cis–trans isomerization of cyanine dyes
Authors: Cho JunHo , Oh Sanghoon , Lee DongHun , Han Jae Won , Yoo Jungmin , Park Daeho , Lee Gwangrog
Published: March 2021

Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases are vital DNA repair enzymes, and proposed to be a prognostic biomarker for various types of cancer in humans.
Microstructure–mechanical properties of Ag0/Au0 doped K–Mg–Al–Si–O–F glass-ceramics
Authors: Garai Mrinmoy , Reka Arianit A. , Karmakar Basudeb , Molla Atiar R.
Published: March 2021

In understanding the catalytic efficacy of silver (Ag0) and gold (Au0) nanoparticles (NPs) on glass-ceramic (GC) crystallization, the microstructure–machinability correlation of a SiO2–MgO–Al2O3–B2O3–K2O–MgF2 system is studied.
Epitope-imprinted polymers: applications in protein recognition and separation
Authors: Khumsap Tabkrich , Corpuz Angelica , Nguyen Loc Thai
Published: March 2021

Advances in synthesis and applications of epitope-imprinted polymers (EIPs) for protein recognition and separation.
Co/Ni-polyoxotungstate photocatalysts as precursor materials for electrocatalytic water oxidation
Authors: Güttinger Robin , Wiprächtiger Giann , Blacque Olivier , Patzke Greta R.
Published: March 2021

Open-core polyoxometalates are powerful precursors with pre-organized metal centers for the tunable synthesis of cobalt tungstate-based water oxidation electrocatalysts.
Deciphering the evolution of supramolecular nanofibers in solution and solid-state: a combined microscopic and spectroscopic approach
Authors: Kundu Subhankar , Chowdhury Arkaprava , Nandi Somen , Bhattacharyya Kankan , Patra Abhijit
Published: March 2021

Supramolecular nanofiber evolution in solution and solid-state, including stimuli-responsive reversible interconversion among diverse nanoarchitectures, was probed through a combined spectroscopic and microscopic approach.
Dual cascade isothermal amplification reaction based glucometer sensors for point-of-care diagnostics of cancer-related microRNAs
Authors: Fu Pan , Xu Mengjia , Xing Shu , Zhao Yang , Zhao Chao
Published: March 2021

A convenient and sensitive PGM sensor was developed for the quantitative detection of cancer-related miRNAs in human serum using a PNA capture probe and the dual cascaded nucleic acid circuit amplification strategy.
Nonlinear and vibrational microscopy for label-free characterization of amyloid-β plaques in Alzheimer's disease model
Authors: Cunha Renan , Lafeta Lucas , Fonseca Emerson A. , Barbosa Alexandre , Romano-Silva Marco A. , Vieira Rafael , Jorio Ado , Malard Leandro M.
Published: March 2021

Multimodal optical imaging was used for characterization of amyloid-β plaques in mouse brain tissues. We obtained high-resolution images for different biomarkers and investigated vibrational fingerprints that could be used for diagnostic purposes.
Low-cost laser-cut patterned chips for acoustic concentration of micro- to nanoparticles and cells by operating over a wide frequency range
Authors: Qian Jingui , Huang Wei , Yang Renhua , Lam Raymond H. W. , Lee Joshua E.-Y.
Published: March 2021

Acoustic concentration of micro/nanoparticles and cells on low-cost periodic patterned chips by operating over a wide frequency range.
Rapid,in situdetection of chemical warfare agent simulants and hydrolysis products in bulk soils by low-cost 3D-printed cone spray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Brown Hilary M. , McDaniel Trevor J. , Doppalapudi Karan R. , Mulligan Christopher C. , Fedick Patrick W.
Published: March 2021

A new ambient ionization method, 3D-printed cone spray ionization mass spectrometry (3D-PCSI-MS), is implemented for rapid profiling of chemical warfare agent (CWA) simulants in unprepared soil samples.
A homogeneous digital biosensor for circulating tumor DNA by the enumeration of a dual-color quantum dot complex
Authors: Liu Xiaojun , Wu Zhangjian , Lin Xinyi , Bu Wei , Qin Lei , Gai Hongwei
Published: March 2021

The one-step quantification of ctDNA was achieved by identifying and counting target-induced two-color QD aggregates.
Precisely tuning the electronic structure of a structurally ordered PtCoFe alloy via a dual-component promoter strategy for oxygen reduction
Authors: Wang Qingmei , Tang Hao , Wang Meng , Guo Lin , Chen Siguo , Wei Zidong
Published: March 2021

We achieve further tuning of the electronic structure of the obtained ordered PtCoFe NPs via a dual-component promoter strategy and monodisperse structurally ordered trimetallic PtCoFe NPs can be obtained.
Quantum states of the endohedral fullerene Li+@C60 surrounded by anions: energy decomposition analysis of nuclear wave functions
Authors: Ando Hideo , Nakao Yoshihide
Published: March 2021

Lithium is the lightest metal element. To date, little is known about its quantized nuclear motion in nanoscale porous structures.
Remote controlled optical manipulation of bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts using peptides
Authors: Lawrence Randy L. , Olagunju Mary O. , Liu Yang , Mahalingam Krishnamurthy , Slocik Joseph M. , Naik Rajesh R. , Frenkel Anatoly I. , Knecht Marc R.
Published: March 2021

Remote optical manipulation of peptide ligands on bimetallic nanoparticle surfaces allows for tunable catalytic reactivity.
Enhanced electrochemical activities of morphologically tuned MnFe2O4 nanoneedles and nanoparticles integrated on reduced graphene oxide for highly efficient supercapacitor electrodes
Authors: Rajalakshmi R. , Remya K. P. , Viswanathan C. , Ponpandian N.
Published: March 2021

Morphology of one-dimensional MnFe2O4 nanoneedles nanocomposited with rGO revealed enhanced electrochemical properties compared to MnFe2O4 nanoparticles thereby increasing the EDLC behaviour of supercapacitor electrodes.
Tantalum(iv) pyrazolate: new wine in the old wineskin
Authors: Petrov Pavel A. , Laricheva Yuliya A. , Sukhikh Taisiya S. , Sokolov Maxim N.
Published: March 2021

Homoleptic binuclear Ta(iv) pyrazolate [Ta2(pz)8] with Ta–Ta distance of 3.1895(7) Å was obtained in a reaction of Ta(NMe2)5with unsubstituted pyrazole Hpz.
Impact of the phenolic O–H vs. C-ring C–H bond cleavage on the antioxidant potency of dihydrokaempferol
Authors: Amić Ana , Milenković Dejan , Marković Zoran , Cagardová Denisa , Rodríguez-Guerra Pedregal Jaime , Dimitrić Marković Jasmina M.
Published: March 2021

In order to correctly estimate hydrogen atom abstraction from polyphenols, kinetic analysis including suitable tunneling effects should be mandatory.
White-light emission from the quadruple-stranded dinuclear Eu(iii) helicate decorated with pendent tetraphenylethylene (TPE)
Authors: Li Yuying , Zhou Yanyan , Yao Yuan , Gao Ting , Yan Pengfei , Li Hongfeng
Published: March 2021

The hybrid film doped with a quadruple-stranded Eu3+ helicate displayed tuneable emission and white light.
Syntheses, structures and magnetic properties of two isostructural dicyanamide-bridged 2D polymers
Authors: Kliuikov Andrii , Bukrynov Oleksandr , Čižmár Erik , Váhovská Lucia , Vitushkina Svitlana , Samoľová Erika , Potočňák Ivan
Published: March 2021

Complexes [Co(biq)(μ1,5-dca)2]n(1) and [Ni(biq)(μ1,5-dca)2]n(2) (biq is 2,2′-biquinoline, dca is dicyanamide anion, N(CN)2−) have been characterized by crystal structure analysis, and spectral and magnetic measurements.
Anderson-type polyoxometalates: from structures to functions
Authors: Wu Pingfan , Wang Yu , Huang Bo , Xiao Zicheng
Published: March 2021

This review provides a deep discussion on the recent progress in the synthetic methodology, structural exploration, and promising applications of Anderson-type polyoxometalates.
An in situ TEM nanoindentation-induced new nanostructure in cadmium zinc telluride
Authors: Liu Dongdong , Zhang Zhenyu , Chen Leilei , Wang Dong , Cui Junfeng , Chang Keke , Guo Dongming
Published: March 2021

A new nanostructure induced by in situ TEM nanoindentation was observed, consisting of a single crystal, slip bands, stacking faults, a superlattice, a new tetragonal phase, and Moiré fringes.
Morphology effect on zinc oxide quantum photoinitiators for radical polymerization
Authors: Pinkas Alex , Waiskopf Nir , Gigi Shira , Naor Tom , Layani Almog , Banin Uri
Published: March 2021

Quantum photoinitiators present an alternative to traditional organic PIs. Herein, superior photoinitiation performances by ZnO nanorods compared to pyramids are observed and assigned to the morphology and facet dependent photocatalytic activities.
Synthesis of fused 1,2-naphthoquinones with cytotoxic activity using a one-pot three-step reaction
Authors: Nechaev Anton A. , Jagtap Pratap R. , Bažíková Ema , Neumannová Johana , Císařová Ivana , Matoušová Eliška
Published: March 2021

Biologically active 1,2-naphthoquinones, structurally related to natural products, were synthesised using a palladium-catalysed tandem reaction to form naphthalenes, followed by oxidation with trivalent iodine reagents.
Binaphthyl–prolinol chiral ligands: design and their application in enantioselective arylation of aromatic aldehydes
Authors: Yao Chao , Chen Yaoqi , Sun Ruize , Wang Chao , Huang Yue , Li Lin , Li Yue-Ming
Published: March 2021

Binaphthyl–prolinol chiral ligands were designed and evaluated with enantioselective arylation of aromatic aldehydes and related reactions. Under optimized conditions, the desired products could be obtained in high yields with up to 99% ee's.
Iron and nitrogen Co-doped CoSe2 nanosheet arrays for robust electrocatalytic water oxidation
Authors: Li Di , Xing Yingying , Zhou Changjian , Lu Yikai , Xu Shengjie , Shi Xiangli , Jiang Deli , Shi Weidong
Published: March 2021

Fe–N–CoSe2 electrocatalysts with good OER performance and long-term durability were synthesized using an anion and cation co-doping strategy.
Site engineering strategy toward enhanced luminescence thermostability of a Cr3+-doped broadband NIR phosphor and its application
Authors: Liu Shengqiang , Cai Hao , Zhang Shiyou , Song Zhen , Xia Zhiguo , Liu Quanlin
Published: March 2021

We demonstrate an strategy for improving the luminescence thermostability by tuning site symmetry in the SrGa12O19–LaMgGa11O19:Cr3+ system. End-member SrGa12O19:Cr3+ with 45% EQE has potentials in high-power and efficient NIR pc-LED applications.
Highly efficient visible-light photocatalytic ethane oxidation into ethyl hydroperoxide as a radical reservoir
Authors: Zhu Yao , Fang Siyuan , Chen Shaoqin , Tong Youjie , Wang Chunling , Hu Yun Hang
Published: March 2021

Highly efficient visible-light driven photocatalytic oxidation of ethane into ethyl hydroperoxide was realized for the first time over Au/WO3.
N-Bromosuccinimide as a p-type dopant for a Spiro-OMeTAD hole transport material to enhance the performance of perovskite solar cells
Authors: Pan Siqi , Yang Xichuan , Cai Bin , Yang Kaiyuan , Ge Mingyao , Zhang Tian , Cui Haiyang , Sun Licheng , Ji Wenxi
Published: March 2021

Low cost N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) was applied as an effective p-type dopant in 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9-spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD), an important hole transport material (HTM) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs).
Design of an amorphous and defect-rich CoMoOF layer as a pH-universal catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Lei Lei , Huang Danlian , Chen Yashi , Chen Sha , Deng Rui
Published: March 2021

Amorphous and defective CoMoO/GF was employed as a structure-induced template to induce the formation of CoMoOF/GF with more rich defects and a larger pore structure via proper anodic treatment.
Indacenodithiophene-based N-type conjugated polymers provide highly thermally stable ternary organic photovoltaics displaying a performance of 17.5%
Authors: Elsayed Mohamed Hammad , Jiang Bing-Huang , Wang Yi-Peng , Chang Po-Yen , Chiu Yu-Cheng , Jeng Ru-Jong , Chou Ho-Hsiu , Chen Chih-Ping
Published: March 2021

We describe indacenodithiophene-based conjugated polymers (PITIC-Ph, PITIC-Th, and PITIC-ThF) that we tested as third components for PM6:Y6-based ternary OPVs to provide high-power conversion efficiencies and long-term thermal stabilities.
Large-size free-standing single-crystal β-Ga2O3 membranes fabricated by hydrogen implantation and lift-off
Authors: Zheng Yixiong , Feng Zixuan , Bhuiyan A. F. M. Anhar Uddin , Meng Lingyu , Dhole Samyak , Jia Quanxi , Zhao Hongping , Seo Jung-Hun
Published: March 2021

This paper reports the first successful demonstration of large-size free-standing single-crystal β-Ga2O3 NMs fabricated by the hydrogen implantation and lift-off process directly from MOCVD grown β-Ga2O3 epifilms on native substrates.
Appropriate aglycone modification significantly expands the glycan substrate acceptability of α1,6-fucosyltransferase (FUT8)
Authors: Zhang Roushu , Yang Qiang , Boruah Bhargavi M. , Zong Guanghui , Li Chao , Chapla Digantkumar , Yang Jeong-Yeh , Moremen Kelley W. , Wang Lai-Xi
Published: March 2021

The α1,6-fucosyltransferase, FUT8, is the sole enzyme catalyzing the core-fucosylation of N-glycoproteins in mammalian systems. Previous studies using free N-glycans as acceptor substrates indicated that a terminal β1,2-GlcNAc moiety on the Man-α1,3-Man arm of N-glycan substrates is required for efficient FUT8-catalyzed core-fucosylation. In contrast, we recently demonstrated that, in a proper protein context, FUT8 could also fucosylate Man5GlcNAc2 without a GlcNAc at the non-reducing end. We describe here a further study of the substrate specificity of FUT8 using a range of N-glycans containing different aglycones. We found that FUT8 could fucosylate most of high-mannose and complex-type N-glycans, including highly branched N-glycans from chicken ovalbumin, when the aglycone moiety is modified with a 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) moiety or in a suitable peptide/protein context, even if they lack the terminal GlcNAc moiety on the Man-α1,3-Man arm. FUT8 could also fucosylate paucimannose structures when they are on glycoprotein substrates. Such core-fucosylated paucimannosylation is a prominent feature of lysosomal proteins of human neutrophils and several types of cancers. We also found that sialylation of N-glycans significantly reduced their activity as a substrate of FUT8. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that Fmoc aglycone modification could either improve the turnover rate or decrease the KM value depending on the nature of the substrates, thus significantly enhancing the overall efficiency of FUT8 catalyzed fucosylation. Our results indicate that an appropriate aglycone context of N-glycans could significantly broaden the acceptor substrate specificity of FUT8 beyond what has previously been thought.
The Effectiveness of Verbal–Gestural Treatment on Verb Naming in Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation
Authors: Armour Michelle , del Toro Christina M.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of verbal–gestural treatment on verb production in patients with acute aphasia.

Method

Treatment was delivered during inpatient stay to four participants using a single-subject design.

Results

All patients demonstrated improvements in verbal expression. Some patients' improvements generalized to untrained verbs and nouns.

Conclusions

This study indicates verbal–gestural treatment can be an effective treatment model for acute aphasia in a hospital environment. Concurrent deficits resulting from stroke may impact the success with verbal–gestural treatment at this acute phase of recovery.
Vehicular task scheduling strategy with resource matching computing in cloud‐edge collaboration
Authors: Hu Fangyi , Lv Lingling , Zhang TongLiang , Shi Yanjun
Published: March 2021

In future transportation, on board unit (OBU) is a key component of connected vehicles with limited computing resources, and may not tackle the heavy computing burden from V2X networks. For these cases, we herein employ multi‐access edge cloud (MEC) and remote cloud to schedule the OBUs' tasks. This schedule tries to minimise the total completion time of all tasks and the number of computing units of the MEC server. We first introduce a multi‐objective optimisation model considering the tasks and cloud‐edge collaboration. Then, we propose a task scheduling strategy considering the resource matching degree for this model. In this strategy, we propose an improved hybrid genetic algorithm and employ the resource matching measure between the tasks and computing units in terms of computing, storage and network bandwidth resources to obtain better solutions for generations. The numerical results showed the effectiveness of our strategy.
Side channel attacks for architecture extraction of neural networks
Authors: Chabanne Hervé , Danger Jean‐Luc , Guiga Linda , Kühne Ulrich
Published: March 2021

Side channel attacks (SCAs) on neural networks (NNs) are particularly efficient for retrieving secret information from NNs. We differentiate multiple types of threat scenarios regarding what kind of information is available before the attack and its purpose: recovering hyperparameters (the architecture) of the targeted NN, its weights (parameters), or its inputs. In this survey article, we consider the most relevant attacks to extract the architecture of CNNs. We also categorize SCAs, depending on access with respect to the victim: physical, local, or remote. Attacks targeting the architecture via local SCAs are most common. As of today, physical access seems necessary to retrieve the weights of an NN. We notably describe cache attacks, which are local SCAs aiming to extract the NN's underlying architecture. Few countermeasures have emerged; these are presented at the end of the survey.
Modelling and prediction of current harmonics generated by power converters in distribution networks
Authors: Moradi Arash , Yaghoobi Jalil , Alduraibi Abdulrahman , Zare Firuz , Kumar Dinesh , Sharma Rahul
Published: March 2021

Predicting current harmonics in distribution networks is essential to find harmonic losses and power quality indices. In order to predict the current harmonics, the effect of grid impedance and voltage distortions on grid‐connected power converters need to be considered. The effects of these parameters on current harmonics can be nonlinear, which complicates the system analysis. Consequently, this paper investigates the impacts of background voltage harmonics, grid impedance, and multi‐parallel grid‐connected converters on current harmonics at a point of common coupling. Moreover, a novel method called combined least squares and kriging (CLSK) is proposed to predict the current harmonics after evaluating the level of system nonlinearity. In the proposed CLSK method, the prediction model is developed by measured voltage and current harmonics at the point of common coupling to identify and predict the current harmonics. This analysis shows that using the proposed CLSK method, the accuracy of the current harmonic prediction is increased compared to the existing methods. The accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed CLSK method are verified by lab experimental results and field measurement data.
Speed tracking control for hydraulic transformer system based on active regulating common pressure rail
Authors: Shen Wei , Shen Chao , Su Xiaoyu
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the speed tracking control problem for the new hydraulic transformer controlled system based on the active regulating common pressure rail with both input delay and strong interference. Firstly, the Pade approximation approach is adopted to approximate and compensate for the input delay of the valve plate rotating controlled by the hydraulic swing motor. Then, the Levant filter is introduced to solve the ‘explosion of complexity’ caused by repeated differentiation of the virtual control signals, and the compensation mechanism is constructed to compensate for the filtering errors. Besides, due to the strong non‐linear characteristics of the proposed system, the pi‐sigma fuzzy neural network is employed as the function approximator to address the non‐linear terms. Based on finite‐time command control technology and the barrier Lyapunov functionals, a robust controller is synthesised to ensure a better error convergence performance while without violating the state constraint. Finally, the effectiveness of the controller is verified by comparison with the traditional control method and simulation result.
Cross‐modal semantic correlation learning by Bi‐CNN network
Authors: Wang Chaoyi , Li Liang , Yan Chenggang , Wang Zhan , Sun Yaoqi , Zhang Jiyong
Published: March 2021

Cross modal retrieval can retrieve images through a text query and vice versa. In recent years, cross modal retrieval has attracted extensive attention. The purpose of most now available cross modal retrieval methods is to find a common subspace and maximize the different modal correlation. To generate specific representations consistent with cross
modal tasks, this paper proposes a novel cross modal retrieval framework, which integrates feature learning and latent space embedding. In detail, we proposed a deep CNN and a shallow CNN to extract the feature of the samples. The deep CNN is used to extract the representation of images, and the shallow CNN uses a multi‐dimensional kernel to extract multi‐level semantic representation of text. Meanwhile, we enhance the semantic manifold by constructing cross modal ranking and within‐modal discriminant loss to improve the division of semantic representation. Moreover, the most representative samples are selected by using online sampling strategy, so that the approach can be implemented on a large‐scale data. This approach not only increases the discriminative ability among different categories, but also maximizes the relativity between different modalities. Experiments on three real word datasets show that the proposed method is superior to the popular methods.