bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Different Packaging Materials on Quality of Sapota (Manilkara achras) cv. Kalipatti
Authors: Harshitha D. Naga , Rao A. Manohar , Girwani A. , Joshi Veena
Published: February 2021

This study investigates the effect of packaging materials on physical parameters of sapota Cv. kalipatti. Ten different treatments involving five packaging materials, out of which four packaging materials were of 100 guage each with 1% and 2% ventilations, one gunny bag and control( no packaging) were tried in completely randomized design with three replications. Fruits packed with LDPE 200 guage with 2% ventilation (T7) recorded minimum physiological loss in weight (6.97%), maximum number of days for ripening (8.75 days), firmness (1.65 kg/cm2). While maximum ripening percentage (73.89%) was observed in gunny bag (T1).
Multi Slice Computed Tomography in Assessment of Posterior Mediastinal Lesions
Authors: Shalakany Nora Mostafa Mohamed El , Radwan Samah Ahmed , Taha Abdelhady Mohamed , Dawoud Mohemed Fathy
Published: February 2021

Background: Posterior Mediastinal lesions are relatively common and represent 23-30% of all mediastinal lesions; 40% of these lesions are an incidental finding. Multidetector CT (MDCT) has shorter imaging time and better spatial resolution than MRI, especially in mediastinum; it is more widely available & less expensive. The additional role of CT is in performing CT guided biopsies if needed. This study aimed to evaluate the role of MSCT in the diagnosis of mediastinal lesions based on the characteristic imaging appearances, which can lead to a correct diagnosis and optimal management. The post-processing technique further improves the diagnosis and surgical planning.

Patients and Methods: This study included 30 patients with posterior mediastinal lesions evaluated according to clinical data, diagnostic imaging procedure (MSCT), and histopathological evaluation. Most of the cases in this study had a lesion raised from the LN and vessels by 23.3%.

Results: Metastatic lymphadenopathy was the commonest lesion in our study, 13.3%, followed by lymphoma 10.3% and neurogenic tumors 10%. Benign lesions were 60%, while the malignant lesion represents 40% of all cases. Multiple CT features of each posterior mediastinal lesion were used to predict the nearest histological diagnosis. The accuracy of MSCT in our study was 93.3%.

Conclusion: MSCT has a practical and significant role in the assessment & evaluation of the posterior mediastinal lesions according to the anatomical origin, the CT feature of the lesion (solid or cystic), density, the effect on the surroundings, the distribution pattern, and extent of the lesion.
Economic Impacts of Possible Corrections to Withholding Income Tax Rates in the Brazilian Internal Environment
Authors: Zilli Julcemar Bruno , Amaral Abel Ângelo
Published: February 2021

The central theme addressed is the economic analysis caused by the absence of adequate corrections in the IRRF rates (income tax) between the period 2007 to 2017, through the IPCA index (consumer price index), to maintain or increase social well-being, the population's disposable income. taxpayer and consumer purchasing parity. From the data collection and applicability of the research methods, it was found that the contributing families collected 180 billion reais more in taxes. Through econometric models, with statistical significance of 1% and at most 5% in the variables, the Breusch and Pagan tests were used, and the adoption of the Pooling method for data extraction. After the analyzes, the models demonstrate in a crystalline way the reduction of disposable income by 0.0728%, of national savings by 0.0862% and in consumption by 0.0532% for each 1% increase in the new amount collected from taxes. Leading to a minimization of the declarants' well-being and how this value, if entered in the productive means, would contribute to the increase of economic indicators, however, according to the research purpose, the current IRRF table that should be in force is presented.
In‐depth peripheral CD4+ T profile correlates with myasthenic crisis
Authors: Huan Xiao , Luo Sushan , Zhong Huahua , Zheng Xueying , Song Jie , Zhou Lei , Lu Jun , Wang Ying , Xu Yafang , Xi Jianying , Zou Zhangyu , Chen Sheng , Zhao Chongbo
Published: February 2021

Objective

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease caused by autoantibodies against neuromuscular junctions. Myasthenic crisis (MC) represents the most severe state of MG with high in‐hospital mortality. We aimed to identify immune signatures using in‐depth profiling in MC, and to assess the correlations between immune biomarkers with clinical severity longitudinally.

Methods

We studied 181 participants including 57 healthy controls, 96 patients with MG who never experienced crisis and 28 MC patients from December 2018 through June 2020. Follow‐up visits occurred prospectively from crisis to 6 months off‐mechanical ventilation. The frequencies of 20 CD4+ T subpopulations and 18 serum cytokines were associated with clinical scores using correlations and principal component analysis.

Results

Patients in crisis exhibited a proinflammatory CD4+T response with elevated Th1 (P = 0.026), and Th17 cells (P = 0.032); decreased T follicular helper 2 (Tfh2) cells (P < 0.001), Tnaive in Tfh cells (P < 0.001), ICOS−Tfh cells (P = 0.017), and T central memory in Tfh (P = 0.022) compared with controls, and increased frequencies of Tregs (P = 0.026) and Tfh17 (P = 0.045) compared with non‐crisis MG. Cytokine cascade was identified in crisis including the ones associated with Th1 (IL‐1β/2/12p70/18/27/IFN‐γ/TNF‐α), Th2 (IL‐4/5/13), Th17 (IL‐6/17A/21/22/23/GM‐CSF), Th9 (IL‐9), and Treg (IL‐10). Longitudinally, seven immune biomarkers including Tregs, IL‐2/4/17A/IFN‐γ/TNF‐α/GM‐CSF had significant correlations with MG‐activities of daily living score.

Interpretation

Vigorous inflammatory CD4+ T signatures were identified in MC and are associated with clinical severity. Future research is needed to explore its potential candidacy for therapeutic intervention and predicting impending crisis.
Critical Current Density in Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries: Mechanism, Influences, and Strategies
Authors: Lu Yang , Zhao Chen‐Zi , Yuan Hong , Cheng Xin‐Bing , Huang Jia‐Qi , Zhang Qiang
Published: February 2021

Solid‐state lithium (Li) metal batteries (SSLMBs) have become a research hotspot in the energy storage field due to the much‐enhanced safety and high energy density. However, the SSLMBs suffer from failures including dendrite‐induced short circuits and contact‐loss‐induced high impedance, which are highly related to the Li plating/stripping kinetics and hinder the practical application of SSLMBs. The maximum endurable current density of lithium battery cycling without cell failure in SSLMB is generally defined as critical current density (CCD). Therefore, CCD is an important parameter for the application of SSLMBs, which can help to determine the rate‐determining steps of Li kinetics in solid‐state batteries. Herein, the theoretical and practical meanings for CCD from the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic principles, failure mechanisms, CCD identifications, and influence factors for improving CCD performances are systematically reviewed. Based on these fundamental understandings, a series of strategies and outlooks for future researches on SSLMB are presented, endeavoring on increasing CCD for practical SSLMBs.
Ultrafast Photo‐Thermal Switching of Terahertz Spin Currents
Authors: Agarwal Piyush , Medwal Rohit , Kumar Abhishek , Asada Hironori , Fukuma Yasuhiro , Rawat Rajdeep Singh , Battiato Marco , Singh Ranjan
Published: February 2021

Dissipationless and scattering‐free spin‐based terahertz electronics is the futuristic technology for energy‐efficient information processing. Femtosecond light pulse provides an ideal pathway for exciting the ferromagnet (FM) out‐of‐equilibrium, causing ultrafast demagnetization and superdiffusive spin transport at sub‐picosecond timescale, giving rise to transient terahertz radiation. Concomitantly, light pulses also deposit thermal energy at short timescales, suggesting the possibility of abrupt change in magnetic anisotropy of the FM that could cause ultrafast photo‐thermal switching (PTS) of terahertz spin currents. Here, a single light pulse induced PTS of the terahertz spin current manifested through the phase reversal of the emitted terahertz photons is demonstrated. The switching of the transient spin current is due to the reversal of the magnetization state across the energy barrier of the FM layer. This demonstration opens a new paradigm for on‐chip spintronic devices enabling ultralow‐power hybrid electronics and photonics fueled by the interplay of charge, spin, thermal, and optical signals.
A Potentiometric Electronic Skin for Thermosensation and Mechanosensation
Authors: Wu Xiaodong , Zhu Juan , Evans James W. , Lu Canhui , Arias Ana C.
Published: February 2021

Electronic skins (e‐skins) that mimic the thermosensation and mechanosensation functionalities of natural skin are highly desired for the emerging fields of prosthetics and robotics. Advances in the materials and architecture of e‐skins have been made; nevertheless, sensing mechanism innovations are rarely explored. Here, inspired by the skin sensory behaviors, a single potentiometric sensing scheme for both thermosensation and mechanosensation functionalities are presented. Through careful materials selection, component optimization, and structure configuration, the coupling effect between thermosensation and mechanosensation can be significantly minimized. Such a potentiometric sensing scheme enables one to create a new class of energy‐efficient e‐skin with distinctive characteristics that are highly analogous to those of natural human skin. The e‐skin reported here features ultralow power consumption (at nanowatt level), greatly simplified operation (only voltage output), ultrahigh sensitivity (non‐contact sensing capability), all‐solution‐processing fabrication, and, more importantly, good capability for simultaneous monitoring/mapping of both thermal and mechanical stimulations. In addition to proposing a new sensory mechanism, integration of the dual‐functional e‐skin with a soft robotic gripper for object manipulation is demonstrated. The presented concise yet efficient sensing scheme for both thermosensation and mechanosensation opens up previously unexplored avenues for the future design of skin prosthetics, humanoid robotics, and wearable electronics.
In Search of Excellence: Convex versus Concave Noble Metal Nanostructures for Electrocatalytic Applications
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad , Bando Yoshio , Sun Ziqi , Wu Kevin C.‐W. , Rowan Alan E. , Na Jongbeom , Guan Bu Yuan , Yamauchi Yusuke
Published: February 2021

Controlling the shape of noble metal nanoparticles is a challenging but important task in electrocatalysis. Apart from hollow and nanocage structures, concave noble metal nanoparticles are considered a new class of unconventional electrocatalysts that exhibit superior electrocatalytic properties as compared with those of conventional nanoparticles (including convex and flat ones). Herein, several facile and highly reproducible routes for synthesizing nanostructured concave noble metal materials reported in the literature are discussed, together with their advantages over noble metal nanoparticles with convex shapes. In addition, possible ways of optimizing the synthesis procedure and enhancing the electrocatalytic characteristics of concave metal nanoparticles are suggested. Nanostructured noble metals with concave features are found to show better catalytic activity and stability hence improve their practical applicability in electrocatalysis.
Fabrication Strategies of Twisted Bilayer Graphenes and Their Unique Properties
Authors: Cai Le , Yu Gui
Published: February 2021

Twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) exhibits a host of innovative physical phenomena owing to the formation of moiré superlattice. Especially, the discovery of superconducting behavior has generated new interest in graphene. The growing studies of tBLG mainly focus on its physical properties, while the fabrication of high‐quality tBLG is a prerequisite for achieving the desired properties due to the great dependence on the twist angle and the interfacial contact. Here, the cutting‐edge preparation strategies and challenges of tBLG fabrication are reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial growth on silicon carbide, stacking monolayer graphene, and folding monolayer graphene methods for the fabrication of tBLG are analyzed in detail, providing a reference for further development of preparation methods. Moreover, the characterization methods of twist angle for the tBLG are presented. Then, the unique physicochemical properties and corresponding applications of tBLG, containing correlated insulating and superconducting states, ferromagnetic state, soliton, enhanced optical absorption, tunable bandgap, and lithium intercalation and diffusion, are described. Finally, the opportunities and challenges for fabricating high‐quality and large‐area tBLG are discussed, unique physical properties are displayed, and new applications inferred from its angle‐dependent features are explored, thereby impelling the commercialization of tBLG from laboratory to market.
Infrared Metasurface Augmented by Deep Learning for Monitoring Dynamics between All Major Classes of Biomolecules
Authors: John‐Herpin Aurelian , Kavungal Deepthy , von Mücke Lea , Altug Hatice
Published: February 2021

Insights into the fascinating molecular world of biological processes are crucial for understanding diseases, developing diagnostics, and effective therapeutics. These processes are complex as they involve interactions between four major classes of biomolecules, i.e., proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids, which makes it important to be able to discriminate between all these different biomolecular species. In this work, a deep learning‐augmented, chemically‐specific nanoplasmonic technique that enables such a feat in a label‐free manner to not disrupt native processes is presented. The method uses a highly sensitive multiresonant plasmonic metasurface in a microfluidic device, which enhances infrared absorption across a broadband mid‐IR spectrum and in water, despite its strongly overlapping absorption bands. The real‐time format of the optofluidic method enables the collection of a vast amount of spectrotemporal data, which allows the construction of a deep neural network to discriminate accurately between all major classes of biomolecules. The capabilities of the new method are demonstrated by monitoring of a multistep bioassay containing sucrose‐ and nucleotides‐loaded liposomes interacting with a small, lipid membrane‐perforating peptide. It is envisioned that the presented technology will impact the fields of biology, bioanalytics, and pharmacology from fundamental research and disease diagnostics to drug development.
Angle‐Independent Structurally Colored Materials with Superhydrophobicity and Self‐Healing Capability
Authors: Feng Yechang , Sun Jie , Xu Lirong , Hong Wei
Published: February 2021

Bioinspired structurally colored materials with superwettability have aroused considerable interest, but it is still a formidable challenge to produce large‐scale superhydrophobic photonic materials with high mechanical durability. Herein, a superhydrophobic photonic composite with angle‐independent structural colors and self‐healing capability is reported, by embedding photonic glass on a healable supramolecular polymer with hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane segments. Superhydrophobicity of the composite originates from the migration of the supramolecular polymer around the photonic glass pigments with micro–nano structure. This superhydrophobic characteristic has long‐term stability that can maintain for months. Based on the self‐cleaning property, nonwettability and vivid angle‐independent structural colors, the composite can be applied as large‐area antifouling and coloring coatings. Moreover, the reversible hydrogen bonds endow the composite with self‐healing ability and mechanical durability properties, which is crucial to practical applications as biomimetic decorative materials and wearable devices.
Omnidirectional, Broadband, and Polarization‐Independent Near‐Perfect Light Absorption from Surface Plasmonic Excitation of a Corrugated Au–SiO2–Au Structure Fabricated with a Self‐Assembled Silica Opal Template
Authors: Tsai Meng-Long , Wu Shin-Hong , Kan Hung-Chih
Published: February 2021

A corrugated metal–insulator–metal (cMIM) structural design for omnidirectional, broadband, and polarization‐independent near‐perfect light absorption (NPA) is proposed and demonstrated. The optimal structure consists of a (6 nm Au layer)–(70 nm SiO2 layer)–(90 nm Au layer) MIM structure on top of a self‐assembled silica opal template, which consists of monodisperse SiO2 nanospheres with an average diameter of 295 nm. The optical measurement demonstrates greater than 95% absorption for this optimal cMIM structure with incident light with wavelengths between 400 and 800 nm, and the incident angle varies from normal incidence to 60° off normal for both TE and TM polarizations. For the figure of merit (FOM) of the device performance, the spectral averaged absorption at normal incidence is calculated. The optimal cMIM structure demonstrates an FOM of 99.2%. Numerical simulations with rigorous coupling wave analysis (RCWA) and the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method to simulate the interaction between the incident light and the cMIM structure is carried out. The results qualitatively reproduce the structural dependence of the absorption of cMIM structures. They further indicate that multiple modes of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitation at various wavelengths are responsible for the NPA of the cMIM structure.
Enhanced Humoral Immune Response by High Density TLR Agonist Presentation on Hyperbranched Polymers
Authors: Liong Celine S. , Smith Anton A. A. , Mann Joseph L. , Roth Gillie A. , Gale Emily C. , Maikawa Caitlin L. , Ou Ben S. , Appel Eric. A.
Published: February 2021

Prophylactic vaccines often exploit adjuvants to drive potent and directed immune responses. Small‐molecule toll‐like receptor (TLR) agonists are promising adjuvant candidates; however, the poor pharmacokinetics and rapid distribution of these relatively hydrophilic small molecules results in systemic side effects that have limited their usage to topical application. In this study, TLR7/8 agonists are covalently attached to the highly dense end‐groups of hyperbranched polymers synthesized by controlled radical polymerization techniques. Subcutaneous administration of these adjuvants results in a potent and prolonged type I interferon response. When co‐administered in a model subunit vaccine, with ovalbumin or the HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120, these hyperbranched polymeric adjuvants potentiate an enhanced immunoglobulin response and near‐immediate type‐switching to IgG2c, suggesting they promote the type of strong T helper cell 1 immune response that is desirable for the treatment of intracellular pathogens such as mycobacterial and viral infections. Controlling the pharmacokinetics of potent TLR agonists through conjugation to hyperbranched polymers, therefore, enables the development of potent adjuvants in vaccines to drive durable and high‐quality humoral immunity.
Robust tracking control of column froth flotation process with an unknown disturbance
Authors: Xu Xiaodong , Dubljevic Stevan
Published: February 2021

This manuscript develops a robust output regulator for the column froth flotation process in the presence of unknown disturbance. In particular, motivated by relevant physical modeling setting, all information (including magnitude, phase, bias, and frequency) of the disturbance is unavailable. The system considered is consisting of froth and collection zones and is governed by a set of conservative heterodirectional transport hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Moreover, the transport related time delay between the froth and the collection region is considered, and is associated with the boundary conditions of the PDEs. The velocity of the feed is considered the input and the concentration of the solid particle with air phase at the top of froth region as the output. We propose a disturbance frequency identifier and formulate a robust controller according to the internal model principle such that the output tracks the desired concentration despite the model uncertainties and unknown disturbance.
A rare case of Holmes tremor in a worker with occupational carbon monoxide poisoning
Authors: Rutchik Jonathan , Bowler Rosemarie M. , Ratner Marcia H.
Published: February 2021

Parkinsonism and encephalopathy are frequently seen in patients who survive carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Neurological findings associated with CO poisoning can emerge immediately after cessation of exposure or following a brief period of pseudo‐recovery. When present, the tremor associated with CO poisoning is typical of the postural/intention type. Here, we report on a rare case of toxic encephalopathy with a dominant‐hand Holmes‐type tremor, characterized by resting, as well as postural and kinetic/intentional components, in a previously healthy 53‐year‐old man exposed to CO while actively engaged in the process of performing a physically demanding skilled labor task. The unique neuropathological and functional changes that give rise to Holmes‐type tremor and how this relates to the selective vulnerability of the inhibitory indirect pathway of the basal ganglia to glutamatergic excitotoxicity mediated by tissue hypoxia are discussed.
Self‐reported work activities, eye, nose, and throat symptoms, and respiratory health outcomes among an industrial hog operation worker cohort, North Carolina, USA
Authors: Coffman Vanessa R. , Hall Devon J. , Pisanic Nora , Love David C. , Nadimpalli Maya , McCormack Meredith , Diener‐West Marie , Davis Meghan F. , Heaney Christopher D.
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Respiratory disease among industrial hog operation (IHO) workers is well documented; however, it remains unclear whether specific work activities are more harmful and if personal protective equipment (PPE), as used by workers, can reduce adverse health outcomes.

Methods

IHO workers (n = 103) completed baseline and up to eight bi‐weekly study visits. Workers reported typical (baseline) and transient (bi‐weekly) work activities, PPE use, and physical health symptoms. Baseline and longitudinal associations were assessed using generalized logistic and fixed‐effects logistic regression models, respectively.

Results

At baseline, reports of ever versus never drawing pig blood, applying pesticides, and increasing years worked at any IHO were positively associated with reports of eye, nose, and/or throat irritation. Over time, transient exposures, associated with dustiness in barns, cleaning of barns, and pig contact were associated with increased odds of sneezing, headache, and eye or nose irritation, particularly in the highest categories of exposure. When PPE was used, workers had lower odds of symptoms interfering with sleep (odds ratio [OR]: 0.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.8), and eye or nose irritation (OR: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.02–0.9). Similarly, when they washed their hands eight times or more per shift (median frequency) versus less frequently, the odds of any respiratory symptom were reduced (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1–0.8).

Conclusions

In this healthy volunteer worker population, increasingly unfavorable IHO activities were associated with self‐reported eye, nose, throat, and respiratory health symptoms. Strong protective associations were seen between PPE use and handwashing and the odds of symptoms, warranting further investigation.
Au‐Ag‐Bimetallkatalyse: 3‐Alkinylbenzofurane aus Phenolen durch Tandem‐C‐H‐Alkinylierung/Oxyalkinylierung
Authors: Hu Long , Dietl Martin C. , Han Chunyu , Rudolph Matthias , Rominger Frank , Hashmi A. Stephen K.
Published: February 2021

Die Entwicklung neuer Methoden, die einen einfachen Zugang zu wertvollen heterozyklischen Gerüsten ermöglichen, ist ein wichtiger Forschungsgegenstand. In diesem Zusammenhang beschreiben wir einen dualen Katalysezyklus, bei dem die C‐H‐Alkinylierung von Phenolen und die Oxyalkinylierung der neu eingeführten Dreifachbindung unter Verwendung einer einzigartigen Redoxeigenschaft und der carbophilen π‐Acidität von Gold verschmelzen. Mechanistische Studien stützen die Beteiligung einer Bimetall‐Gold‐Silber‐Spezies. Das Eintopfverfahren bietet einen direkten, einfachen und regiospezifischen Ansatz zur Synthese von 3‐Alkinylbenzofuranen aus leicht verfügbaren Phenolen. Ein breites Spektrum von Substraten, einschließlich Heterozyklen, wird mit ausgezeichneter Toleranz gegenüber funktionellen Gruppen umgesetzt. Somit kann diese Methodik für den Einbau von Benzofuranen im späten Stadium von Synthesen verwendet werden.
Ligand Strain and Its Conformational Complexity Is a Major Factor in the Binding of Cyclic Dinucleotides to STING Protein
Authors: Smola Miroslav , Gutten Ondrej , Dejmek Milan , Kožíšek Milan , Evangelidis Thomas , Tehrani Zahra Aliakbar , Novotná Barbora , Nencka Radim , Birkuš Gabriel , Rulíšek Lubomír , Boura Evzen
Published: February 2021

STING (stimulator of interferon genes) is a key regulator of innate immunity that has recently been recognized as a promising drug target. STING is activated by cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) which eventually leads to expression of type I interferons and other cytokines. Factors underlying the affinity of various CDN analogues are poorly understood. Herein, we correlate structural biology, isothermal calorimetry (ITC) and computational modeling to elucidate factors contributing to binding of six CDNs—three pairs of natural (ribo) and fluorinated (2′‐fluororibo) 3′,3′‐CDNs. X‐ray structural analyses of six {STING:CDN} complexes did not offer any explanation for the different affinities of the studied ligands. ITC showed entropy/enthalpy compensation up to 25 kcal mol−1 for this set of similar ligands. The higher affinities of fluorinated analogues are explained with help of computational methods by smaller loss of entropy upon binding and by smaller strain (free) energy.
Fatty Acids and their Derivatives as Renewable Platform Molecules for the Chemical Industry
Authors: Biermann Ursula , Bornscheuer Uwe T. , Feussner Ivo , Meier Michael A. R. , Metzger Jürgen O.
Published: February 2021

Oils and fats of vegetable and animal origin remain an important renewable feedstock for the chemical industry. Their industrial use has increased during the last 10 years from 31 to 51 million tonnes annually. Remarkable achievements made in the field of oleochemistry in this timeframe are summarized herein, including the reduction of fatty esters to ethers, the selective oxidation and oxidative cleavage of C–C double bonds, the synthesis of alkyl‐branched fatty compounds, the isomerizing hydroformylation and alkoxycarbonylation, and olefin metathesis. The use of oleochemicals for the synthesis of a great variety of polymeric materials has increased tremendously, too. In addition to lipases and phospholipases, other enzymes have found their way into biocatalytic oleochemistry. Important achievements have also generated new oil qualities in existing crop plants or by using microorganisms optimized by metabolic engineering.
Stimulation of Redox‐Induced Electron Transfer by Interligand Hydrogen Bonding in a Cobalt Complex with Redox‐Active Guanidine Ligand
Authors: Lohmeyer Lukas , Schön Florian , Kaifer Elisabeth , Himmel Hans‐Jörg
Published: February 2021

Octahedrally coordinated cobalt(II) complexes with a redox‐active bisguanidine ligand and acac co‐ligands were synthesized and their redox chemistry analysed in detail. The N−H functions in a bisguanidine ligand with partially alkylated guanidino groups form N−H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds with the acac co‐ligands, thereby massively influencing the redox chemistry. For all complexes, the first one‐electron oxidation is metal‐centred, leading to CoIII complexes with neutral bisguanidine ligand units. Further one‐electron oxidation is ligand‐centred in the case of Co–bisguanidine complexes with fully alkylated guanidino groups, giving CoIII complexes with radical monocationic bisguanidine ligands. On the other hand, the hydrogen‐bond strengthening upon oxidation of the Co–bisguanidine complex with partially alkylated guanidino groups initiates metal reduction (CoIII→CoII) and two‐electron oxidation of the guanidine ligand, providing the first example for the stimulation of redox‐induced electron transfer by interligand hydrogen bonding.
Dye‐sensitized solar cells using silicon phthalocyanine photosensitizers with pyridine anchor: Preparation, evaluation of photophysical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties
Authors: Güzel Emre , Baş Hüseyin , Biyiklioglu Zekeriya , Şişman İlkay
Published: February 2021

In this study, novel two silicon phthalocyanine photosensitizers (3PY‐Si and 4PY‐Si) containing pyridine groups as an electron‐withdrawing and anchoring group have been prepared and chemically characterized for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Photoelectrochemical and photovoltaic properties of the photosensitizers were evaluated. The new photosensitizers elucidated by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. As reported by fluorescence measurements, the silicon phthalocyanine photosensitizers exhibited slightly higher fluorescence quantum yield (ΦF = 0.25) than the unsubstituted zinc phthalocyanine which is favorable for photophysical applications. The DSSC based on complex 3PY‐Si shows the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.53% with the Jsc, Voc and FF values of 1.205 mA cm−2, 0.612 V, and 0.72, respectively, in the presence of the coadsorbent. These silicon phthalocyanine photosensitizers with bulky axial pyridine substituents found to be important materials for (DSSCs) since they show strong absorption in the red region and their ligands hamper the stacking of rings. This situation prevented the formation of aggregates with a common tendency to photosensitizers on the TiO2 surface.
Morphological, mechanical, and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness characteristics of glass fiber/epoxy resin/MWCNT buckypaper composites
Authors: Rojas Jefersson Alexander , de Paula Santos Luis Felipe , Botelho Edson Cocchieri , Ribeiro Bruno , Rezende Mirabel Cerqueira
Published: February 2021

Glass fiber/epoxy resin composites (GF/EP) using one and three multi‐walled carbon nanotube buckypapers (BP) were obtained and their complex parameters, reflectivity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) at X‐band (8.2–12.4 GHz) and Ku‐band (12.4–18 GHz) were evaluated. The preparation of BP used polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers (PF These composites show both large storage and energy loss capacity in both bands revealing promising results related to EMI SE applications. Besides, a high attenuation of around 67% and 72% were achieved for BP based composites. The cross‐section view of the buckypaper and the laminates was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of the CNT film into the laminates showed no improvements in the elastic properties through dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA). Nevertheless, a decrease in the shear properties by the compression shear test (CST) and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) has been observed. GF/EP/BP/PF composite presented a reduction of 29 and 39% in its ILSS properties compared to the base laminate (GF/EP). Also, the decrease was even more significant, revealing a steep reduction in its CST properties. On the other hand, the removal of the pan nanofiber (PF) led to better mechanical properties for GF/EP/BP/RPF composites. Results have shown ILSS values of 47.4 ± 2.2 MPa which are close to the base laminate (52.4 ± 3.1 MPa). The removal of the PF provided larger porous in the CNT network, making the impregnation by epoxy easier in the BP/RPF which resulted in improved shear properties compared to GF/EP/BP/PF samples.
A high Cr (VI) absorption efficiency and easy recovery adsorbent: Electrospun polyethersulfone/polydopamine nanofibers
Authors: Wei Zhimei , Zhang Shouyu , Wang Xiaojun , Long Shengru , Yang Jie
Published: February 2021

Cr (VI) is a highly toxic pollutant to humans, to achieve high adsorption capacity, easy recovery, and good reusability, polyethersulfone/polydopamine (PES/PDA) ultrafine fibers were prepared successfully. A series of preparing effect factors were investigated systematically and the optimum one is 8.5 pH value at room temperature and 2 g/L dopamine concentration. And then they were used as an adsorbent for the removal of Cr (VI) ions from wastewater. The effect factors pH, the adsorbent dosage, and time were discussed on Cr (VI) adsorption process and the Cr (VI) adsorption behavior was investigated. It is found that the maximum Cr (VI) adsorption capacity is 115.2 ± 4.8 mg/g at pH = 3 using 0.06 g PES/PDA with 80 mins. The Cr (VI) adsorption process followed the pseudo‐second‐order model (r2 ≥ 0.99) and adsorption isotherms were fitted to the Langmuir model (R2 ≥ 0.999). Furthermore, the Cr (VI) adsorption mechanism was supposed according to the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic results. Finally, PES/PDA ultrafine fibers were considered to be a promising adsorbent with good stability (decomposing temperature, 356°C), high adsorption efficiency (112.1 ± 2.5 mg/g), and good reusability (three times) on the coexistence of anions and the actual industry wastewater environment.
Open is not forever: A study of vanished open access journals
Authors: Laakso Mikael , Matthias Lisa , Jahn Najko
Published: February 2021

The preservation of the scholarly record has been a point of concern since the beginning of knowledge production. With print publications, the responsibility rested primarily with librarians, but the shift toward digital publishing and, in particular, the introduction of open access (OA) have caused ambiguity and complexity. Consequently, the long‐term accessibility of journals is not always guaranteed, and they can even disappear from the web completely. The focus of this exploratory study is on the phenomenon of vanished journals, something that has not been carried out before. For the analysis, we consulted several major bibliographic indexes, such as Scopus, Ulrichsweb, and the Directory of Open Access Journals, and traced the journals through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. We found 174 OA journals that, through lack of comprehensive and open archives, vanished from the web between 2000 and 2019, spanning all major research disciplines and geographic regions of the world. Our results raise vital concern for the integrity of the scholarly record and highlight the urgency to take collaborative action to ensure continued access and prevent the loss of more scholarly knowledge. We encourage those interested in the phenomenon of vanished journals to use the public dataset for their own research.
One‐pot Synthesis of Pd/Azo‐polymer as an Efficient Catalyst for 4‐Nitrophenol Reduction and Suzuki‐Miyaura Coupling Reaction
Authors: Yu Yanlin , Gong Yuzhu , Cao Binbin , Liu Haidong , Zhang Xiaoli , Han Xu , Lu Shuanglong , Cao Xueqin , Gu Hongwei
Published: February 2021

The porous polymer matrix with good stability and confined microenvironment is considered as ideal support to stabilize isolated metal centers for catalysis. Herein, we report a “one‐pot” method to prepare a kind of palladium complexed with azo porous organic polymer nanospheres (Pd‐azo‐POPs). The method combines the synthesis of azo‐POPs with the reduction of the Pd ion, where azo serves as an anchoring group to limit the growth of Pd. The unique structure is conductive to the formation of a uniform active center and provides improved electron transfer. Pd‐azo‐POPs‐80 exhibits a high catalytic activity and cycling stability both in 4‐nitrophenol reduction and Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling. The knor for the 4‐nitrophenol reduction was 174.7 min−1 mM−1 and the conversion remains above 90% after 6 cycles. Meanwhile, the yield was still up to 94.5% after 5 cycles for the Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reaction of benzene derivatives with I/Br under mild conditions.
Alexithymia is related to poor social competence in autistic and nonautistic children
Authors: Scheerer Nichole E. , Boucher Troy Q. , Iarocci Grace
Published: February 2021

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others. These challenges with understanding emotions in people with alexithymia may give rise to difficulties with social interactions. Given that alexithymia frequently co‐occurs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and that both populations have difficulties with social interactions, it is of interest to determine whether alexithymia can help to parse some of the heterogeneity in social competence in autistic and nonautistic individuals. The caregivers of 241 children (6–14 years old), including 120 autistic, and 121 nonautistic, rated their child's social competence using the Multidimensional Social Competence Scale (MSCS), autism traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and alexithymia traits using the Children's Alexithymia Measure (CAM). Regression analyses indicated that age, IQ, sex, AQ, and CAM scores accounted for 40.2% of the variance in autistic children's, and 68.2% of the variance in nonautistic children's, parent‐reported social competence. Importantly, after controlling for age, IQ, sex, and AQ scores, CAM scores alone accounted for an additional 16.2% of the variance in autistic children's, and 17.4% of the variance in nonautistic children's social competence. These results indicate that higher alexithymia traits predict lower levels of social competence, suggesting that increased difficulty in identifying and describing one's own emotions and the emotions of others is associated with poorer social competence. Furthermore, CAM scores were found to partially mediate the relationship between autistic traits and social competence, suggesting that comorbid alexithymia traits may be partially responsible for poor social competence in individuals with high autistic traits. This research contributes to the understanding of the factors associated with the development of social competence and highlights alexithymia as a potential target for identification and intervention to improve social competence.

Lay Summary

Alexithymia is a condition where people find it hard to think and talk about their (and others') feelings. About 50% of autistic people have alexithymia. This might be why they have social and emotional difficulties. Parents answered questions about alexithymia and social difficulties their children have. Children with more alexithymia problems had poorer social skills. Thus, alexithymia may be related to social problems faced by autistic and nonautistic children.
A CRISPR/Cas9 eraser strategy for contamination‐free PCR end‐point detection
Authors: Lin Wei , Tian Tian , Jiang Yongzhong , Xiong Erhu , Zhu Debin , Zhou Xiaoming
Published: February 2021

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a central technology for molecular diagnostics, is highly sensitive but susceptible to the risk of false positives caused by aerosol contamination, especially when an end‐point detection mode is applied. Here, we proposed a solution by designing a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 eraser strategy for eliminating potential contamination amplification. The CRISPR/Cas9 engineered eraser is firstly adopted into artpcr reverse‐transcription PCR (RT‐PCR) system to achieve contamination‐free RNA detection. Subsequently, we extended this CRISPR/Cas9 eraser to the PCR system. We engineered conventional PCR primers to enable the amplified products to contain an implanted NGG (protospacer adjacent motif, PAM) site, which is used as a code for specific CRISPR/Cas9 recognition. Pre‐incubation of Cas9/sgRNA with PCR mix leads to a selective cleavage of contamination amplicons, thus only the template DNA is amplified. The developed CRISPR/Cas9 eraser, adopted by both RT‐PCR and PCR systems, showed high‐fidelity detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 and African swine fever virus with a convenient strip test.
Implementation and characterization of a physiologically relevant flow waveform in a 3D microfluidic model of the blood–brain barrier
Authors: Bouhrira Nesrine , DeOre Brandon J. , Galie Peter A.
Published: February 2021

Previous in vitro studies interrogating the endothelial response to physiologically relevant flow regimes require specialized pumps to deliver time‐dependent waveforms that imitate in vivo blood flow. The aim of this study is to create a low‐cost and broadly adaptable approach to mimic physiological flow, and then use this system to characterize the effect of flow separation on velocity and shear stress profiles in a three‐dimensional (3D) topology. The flow apparatus incorporates a programmable linear actuator that superposes oscillations on a constant mean flow driven by a peristaltic pump to emulate flow in the carotid artery. The flow is perfused through a 3D in vitro model of the blood–brain barrier designed to induce separated flow. Experimental flow patterns measured by microparticle image velocimetry and modeled by computational fluid dynamics reveal periodic changes in the instantaneous shear stress along the channel wall. Moreover, the time‐dependent flow causes periodic flow separation zones, resulting in variable reattachment points during the cycle. The effects of these complex flow regimes are assessed by evaluating the integrity of the in vitro blood–brain barrier model. Permeability assays and immunostaining for proteins associated with tight junctions reveal barrier breakdown in the region of disturbed flow. In conclusion, the flow system described here creates complex, physiologically relevant flow profiles that provide deeper insight into the fluid dynamics of separated flow and pave the way for future studies interrogating the cellular response to complex flow regimes.
Exploring lipid biomarkers of coronary heart disease for elucidating the biological effects of gelanxinning capsule by lipidomics method based on LC–MS
Authors: Gao Xin , Hu Xiao‐hu , Zhang Qiong , Wang Xi‐jing , Wen Xiu‐hong , Wang Yuan , Zhang Yan‐xia , Sun Wen‐jun
Published: February 2021

High‐throughput lipidomics technology was used to explore the potential therapeutic targets and mechanism of action of gelanxinning capsule on rat model with coronary heart disease (CHD). This study attempts to provide a novel method to interpret the molecular mechanism of traditional medicine. The lipid markers of CHD were determined by full‐scan analysis based on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐high‐definition mass spectrometry. Then, the metabolic changes associated with gelanxinning capsule treatment via the modulation of lipid biomarkers and pathway in rats were characterized. After gelanxinning treatment, the metabolic profile tended to recover compared with the model group. A total of 26 potential biomarkers were identified to represent the disorders of lipid metabolism in CHD animal model, of which 19 were regulated by gelanxinning capsule administration, and four metabolic pathways such as glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchor biosynthesis, and glycerolipid metabolism were involved. From the pathway analysis, it was found that glycerophospholipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism with significant differences have the potential to be regarded as new targets for the treatment of CHD. Gelanxinning capsule with its good therapeutic effect protects against CHD by regulating lipid biomarkers and pathway from lipidomics‐guided biochemical analysis.
Neurological symptoms in Covid‐19 patients in the emergency department
Authors: García‐Azorín David , Trigo Javier , Martínez‐Pías Enrique , Hernández‐Pérez Isabel , Valle‐Peñacoba Gonzalo , Talavera Blanca , Simón‐Campo Paula , de Lera Mercedes , Chavarría‐Miranda Alba , López‐Sanz Cristina , Gutiérrez‐Sánchez María , Martínez‐Velasco Elena , Pedraza María , Sierra Álvaro , Gómez‐Vicente Beatriz , Guerrero Ángel , Arenillas Juan Francisco
Published: February 2021

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) might present neurological symptoms. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of them at the moment of emergency department (ED) visit and their impact in the prognosis.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study including all consecutive hospitalized cases between March 8th and April 11th, 2020. Covid‐19 diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction test and/or serology. We compared, in patients with and without neurological symptoms on admission, demographic, clinical presentation, and frequency and type of abnormal laboratory values. We analyzed the variables that were associated with in‐hospital all‐cause mortality by Cox‐regression log‐rank test.

Results

We included 576 hospitalized patients, 250 (43.3%) female, aged 67.2 years. At the moment of ED visit, 320 (55.6%) described neurological symptoms, including anosmia (146, 25.3%), myalgia (139, 24.1%), headache (137, 23.8%), and altered mental status (98, 17.0%). Neurological symptoms started the first symptomatic day in 198 (54.2%) cases. Patients with neurological symptoms presented later to the ED (7.9 versus. 6.6 days, p = .019). Only four (0.6%) cases had no typical Covid‐19 general symptoms, and only six (1.9%) had a normal laboratory results, for a sensitivity of 98.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 96.6%–99.6%) and 98.1% (95% CI: 95.7%–99.2%), respectively. In the multivariate Cox‐regression of mortality predictors, anosmia (HR: 0.358, 95%CI: 0.140–0.916) and altered mental status (HR: 1.867, 95%CI: 1.162–3.001) were significant.

Conclusion

Neurological symptoms were the most frequent extrapulmonary symptoms. They were present in half of the Covid‐19 patients at the time of the ED visit. Anosmia on admission was an independent predictor of lower in‐hospital mortality and altered mental status on admission predicted in‐hospital mortality.
Serum neurofilament light chain in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
Authors: Hayashi Tomohiro , Nukui Takamasa , Piao Jin‐Lan , Sugimoto Tomoyuki , Anada Ryoko , Matsuda Noriyuki , Yamamoto Mamoru , Konishi Hirofumi , Dougu Nobuhiro , Nakatsuji Yuji
Published: February 2021

Objectives

Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels have been suggested as reflecting axonal damage in various inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders, including acquired peripheral neuropathies. We aimed to investigate if serum NfL (sNfL) levels can be a biomarker of disease activity and treatment response in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).

Materials and methods

The sNfL levels of eleven newly diagnosed patients with CIDP were retrospectively assayed and compared with seven healthy volunteers. The levels were assayed before and after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in patients with CIDP and were also assayed in the remission period.

Results

Baseline sNfL levels in patients with CIDP before treatment were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. The levels significantly decreased overtime after one month of treatment and in remission period. There were significant negative correlations between the sNfL levels and the disease duration (the interval between the onset of the disease and the time of sampling), and weak correlations between the sNfL levels and overall neuropathy limitations scale.

Conclusions

sNfL may be a potential biomarker reflecting the disease activity in patients with CIDP.