bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anthelmintic Activity of Ethanol Extract of Polygonum minus Leaves against Ascaridia galli
Authors: Maulidya Dara Agusti , Kahtan Muhammad Ibnu , Natalia Diana , Handini Mitra , Vidiyantoro Ari
Published: March 2018

Anthelmintic Activity of Ethanol
Extract of Polygonum minus Leaves against
Ascaridia galli

Dara Agusti
Maulidya1, Muhammad Ibnu Kahtan2, Diana Natalia2,
Mitra Handini3, Ari Widiyantoro4

1University of Tanjungpura, Faculty
of Medicine, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

2University of Tanjungpura, Faculty
of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

3University of Tanjungpura, Faculty
of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

4University of Tanjungpura, Faculty
of Mathematics and Science, Department of Chemistry, Pontianak, West
Kalimantan, Indonesia

 

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Helminth infection is one of the main matters that
cause health problems in developing countries. Polygonum minus are empirically used as an anthelmintic drug, but
there has been no scientific study that proves it.

Methods: This
study was aimed at determining the anthelmintic activity of ethanol extract of Polygonum minus leaves against Ascaridia galli in vitro. The extract
was prepared in three different concentrations i.e 0.5 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL and 2
mg/mL. NaCl 0.9% was used as a negative control group and albendazole 0.2
mg/mL, a broad spectrum anthelmintic was used as a positive control group. Ascaridia galli was used as the test
parasite. The study involved the determination of death time of the worms.

Results: The
death time of the worms that caused by the extract concentration 0.5 mg/mL, 1
mg/mL and 2 mg/mL, respectively were (mean±SD) 35±3.32 hours, 32.8±2.39 hours
and 25±3.39 hours. The death time that caused by negative and positive control
group were 76.6±8.30 hours and 19.2±1.48 hours. There is no significant
difference of death time of the worms between the extract concentration 2 mg/mL
and the positive control group.

Conclusion: The anthelmintic activity of ethanol extract of Polygonum minus leaves has been
confirmed and extract concentration 2 mg/mL has the same anthelmintic activity
with albendazole 0.2 mg/mL. J Microbiol
Infect Dis 2018; 8(1):23-26

Keywords:
Anthelmintic, Polygonum minus, Ascaridia
galli, ascariasis
A spermidine-based nutritional supplement prolongs the anagen phase of hair follicles in humans: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study
Authors: Rinaldi Fabio , Marzani Barbara , Pinto Daniela , Ramot Yuval
Published: March 2018

Background: Spermidine has been shown both in vitro and in mice models to have an anagen-prolonging effect on hair follicles (HFs).

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a spermidine-based nutritional supplement on the anagen phase of HFs in healthy human subjects in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 

Methods: One hundred healthy males and females were randomized to receive a tablet containing a spermidine-based nutritional supplement or a placebo once daily for 90 days. At the beginning and the end of the treatment period, 100 HFs were plucked and subjected to microscopic evaluation to determine the number of anagen V-VI HFs, and immunohistochemical examination was performed to quantify the Ki-67 and c-KIT levels in the hair bulbs. Pull test was performed after three and six months.

Results: The spermidine-based nutritional supplement increased the number of anagen V-VI HFs after three months of treatment, accompanied by increased Ki-67, a marker for cellular proliferation, and decreased c-KIT, a marker for apoptosis, levels. All results were also significantly better when compared to the placebo group. The pull test remained negative after six months in all patients receiving the spermidine supplement, while 68% of the subjects in the placebo group had a positive pull test. 

Conclusions: This preliminary study shows that a spermidine-based nutritional supplement can prolong the anagen phase in humans, and therefore might be beneficial for hair loss conditions. Further studies are needed to evaluate its effects in specific different clinical settings.
Nodular lesion with polymorphous vascular pattern
Authors: De Sousa Virgínia Coelho , Oliveira André
Published: March 2018

Dermatofibroma (DF) is one of the most common skin neoplasms seen by dermatologists.  Out of the various histopathological subtypes of DF, the atrophic variant is considered rare. Clinical and dermoscopic diagnosis of DF is straightforward in most cases. However, deeply atypical clinical and dermoscopic presentations can simulate other benign and malignant tumors. We present a case of atrophic DF, describing its dermoscopic features and the correlation with histopathology.
Confiança, comportamento oportunista e quebra de contratos na cadeia produtiva do tabaco
Authors: Begnis Heron Sergio Moreira , Arend Silvio Cesar , Alievi Rejane Maria
Published: March 2018

This study aimed to analyze the growers’ socioeconomic characteristics that are related to opportunistic behavior and contract breach in the tobacco productive chain in South Brazil. The nature of this research is predominantly quantitative and the data were collected through a survey with tobacco growers from the three states of South Brazil. Based on the literature of Transaction Costs Economics and inter-organizational relations, the analysis showed the main characteristics of the tobacco growers who are more likely to breach their contracts with the integrative companies.
Adoção de tecnologia da informação e sua relação com a gestão de negócios em Micro e Pequenas Empresas (MPES)
Authors: Lunardi Guilherme Lerch , Dolci Décio Bittencourt , Dolci Pietro Cunha
Published: March 2018

It is widely recognized the importance of small and medium enterprises (SME) for a country to achieve and sustain their socioeconomic development. As the Information Technology (IT) acquisition becomes cheaper, more popular becomes its use in business. Thus, this article aims at better understanding the adoption of IT and its association with different management activities of SME. We conducted a survey with 4,341 SME located in Rio Grande do Sul, which respondents were the owners of their respective companies. The instrument assessed ten dimensions of business management: Planning, Customers, Work Team, Suppliers, Quality and Productivity, Point of Sale, Inventory, Sales, Credit, and Cash, as well as other categorical variables. The results show significant differences between computerized and not computerized companies, both in terms of profile and business management performance from companies that have adopted computers and Internet. In addition, the study showed a positive relationship between the amount of available computing resources in the company and the level of administrative activities.
GMPR: A robust normalization method for zero-inflated count data with application to microbiome sequencing data
Authors: Chen Li , Reeve James , Zhang Lujun , Huang Shengbing , Wang Xuefeng , Chen Jun
Published: March 2018

Normalization is the first critical step in microbiome sequencing data analysis used to account for variable library sizes. Current RNA-Seq based normalization methods that have been adapted for microbiome data fail to consider the unique characteristics of microbiome data, which contain a vast number of zeros due to the physical absence or under-sampling of the microbes. Normalization methods that specifically address the zero inflation remain largely undeveloped. Here we propose GMPR - a simple but effective normalization method - for zero-inflated sequencing data such as microbiome data. Simulation studies and real datasets analyses demonstrate that the proposed method is more robust than competing methods, leading to more powerful detection of differentially abundant taxa and higher reproducibility of the relative abundances of taxa.
Site-specific glycosylation regulates the form and function of the intermediate filament cytoskeleton
Authors: Tarbet Heather J , Dolat Lee , Smith Timothy J , Condon Brett M , O'Brien E Timothy , Valdivia Raphael H , Boyce Michael
Published: March 2018

Intermediate filaments (IF) are a major component of the metazoan cytoskeleton and are essential for normal cell morphology, motility, and signal transduction. Dysregulation of IFs causes a wide range of human diseases, including skin disorders, cardiomyopathies, lipodystrophy, and neuropathy. Despite this pathophysiological significance, how cells regulate IF structure, dynamics, and function remains poorly understood. Here, we show that site-specific modification of the prototypical IF protein vimentin with O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) mediates its homotypic protein-protein interactions and is required in human cells for IF morphology and cell migration. In addition, we show that the intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, which remodels the host IF cytoskeleton during infection, requires specific vimentin glycosylation sites and O-GlcNAc transferase activity to maintain its replicative niche. Our results provide new insight into the biochemical and cell biological functions of vimentin O-GlcNAcylation, and may have broad implications for our understanding of the regulation of IF proteins in general.
Distinct contributions of functional and deep neural network features to representational similarity of scenes in human brain and behavior
Authors: Groen Iris IA , Greene Michelle R , Baldassano Christopher , Fei-Fei Li , Beck Diane M , Baker Chris I
Published: March 2018

Inherent correlations between visual and semantic features in real-world scenes make it difficult to determine how different scene properties contribute to neural representations. Here, we assessed the contributions of multiple properties to scene representation by partitioning the variance explained in human behavioral and brain measurements by three feature models whose inter-correlations were minimized a priori through stimulus preselection. Behavioral assessments of scene similarity reflected unique contributions from a functional feature model indicating potential actions in scenes as well as high-level visual features from a deep neural network (DNN). In contrast, similarity of cortical responses in scene-selective areas was uniquely explained by mid- and high-level DNN features only, while an object label model did not contribute uniquely to either domain. The striking dissociation between functional and DNN features in their contribution to behavioral and brain representations of scenes indicates that scene-selective cortex represents only a subset of behaviorally relevant scene information.
A New Approach to Measuring the Correlation of Organizational Alignment and Performance
Authors: Jevtić Miloš , Jovanović Milica , Krivokapić Jovan
Published: March 2018

This paper focuses on measuring the alignment of organizational elements. Although several authors have analyzed this topic, there are few papers in which they propose a concept for measuring the alignment of key elements of the organization. In previous research, the concept of alignment is usually defined through categorical variables and different organizational configurations are suggested. Thus, this paper aims to propose a new approach to measuring organizational elements and their alignment. Based on the literature review we determined the organizational model for conducting the research in companies listed on the top 300 companies in Serbia. On the sample of 57 respondents theresults confirmed the defined hypothesis by which the alignment of the organizational elements has the positive correlation with the organizational performance. In order to measure the organizational elements we defined the 7-level scale which enables measuring the alignment of organizational elements. The research results confirm that it is necessary to look at the solutions based on some organizational elements simultaneously. However, in order to confirm the validity and reliability of the results, it is necessary to conduct a research on a larger sampling frame, since the sample from this research is relatively small in comparison to the total population. The defined scale can be used as a control tool for checking the proposed organizational design solutions in practice. Also, the rules of alignment of organizational elements can be applied at different hierarchical levels in the organization, which will be the subject of future research of the authors.
Association of Schizophrenia With the Risk of Breast Cancer Incidence
Authors: Zhuo Chuanjun , Triplett Patrick Todd
Published: March 2018

Importance

Patients with schizophrenia are considered to have many risk factors for the development of cancer. However, the incidence of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia compared with the general population remains uncertain.

Objective

To perform an updated meta-analysis to evaluate the association between schizophrenia and the risk of breast cancer.

Data Sources

A systematic search of the PubMed and EMBASE databases was conducted using the search terms schizophrenia, schizophrenic, psychosis, combined with breast and cancer, tumor, neoplasm, or carcinoma. The final literature search was performed on August 15, 2017.

Study Selection

Cohort studies reporting the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for the risk of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia compared with the general population.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

The meta-analysis adhered to Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Data extraction was performed independently. A random-effects model was used to pool the results, and a recently proposed prediction interval was calculated to describe the heterogeneity.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The SIR for the risk of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia compared with the general population or those without schizophrenia.

Results

Twelve cohorts were included in this meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that schizophrenia was associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer incidence in women (SIR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.15-1.51; P < .001), with significant heterogeneity (P < .001; I2 = 90%). Substantial between-study variance was also suggested by the wide prediction interval (0.82-2.11), which indicated that it is possible that a future study will show a decreased breast cancer risk in women with schizophrenia compared with the general population. The subgroup analysis results showed that the association was not significantly affected by whether breast cancer cases were excluded at baseline or the sample size of the included studies.

Conclusions and Relevance

The incidence of breast cancer in women with schizophrenia is higher than that of the general female population. However, significant heterogeneity exists among the included studies. Women with schizophrenia deserve intensive prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Site‐specificity of serine integrase demonstrated by the attB sequence preference of ɸBT1 integrase
Authors: Lei Xiaolai , Wang Lu , Zhao Guoping , Ding Xiaoming
Published: March 2018

Serine integrases mediate site‐specific recombination and are extensively applied in genetic engineering and synthetic biology. However, which regions of the attachment sites determine site‐specificity and how these regions function in recombination remain elusive. Here, we explored the sequence features of attB attachment sites recognized by ɸBT1 integrase, a representative serine integrase. A 34‐bp DNA motif is found that displays distinct base‐specific preference for every position. Further investigation of mutations at different positions within the attB sequence shows different recombination efficiencies and binding affinities. We found four conserved regions within the attB motif that coincide with the results of recombination assays, and mutations in the attB sequence that hamper recombination almost all cause reduced binding affinity.
Comment on “Pulsating Auroras Produced by Interactions of Electrons and Time Domain Structures” by Mozer Et Al.
Authors: Nishimura Y. , Bortnik J. , Li W. , Angelopoulos V. , Donovan E. F. , Spanswick E. L.
Published: March 2018

Mozer et al. (2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024223) suggested that time domain structures (TDSs) drive pulsating aurora (with additional contributions by kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs)) and that chorus waves have negligible effects. In this comment, we point out that electrons scattered by TDS or KAW (dominantly at ~0.1–3 keV, <1 s modulation) cannot explain key features of pulsating aurora, which require precipitation above a few keV with a couple of tens of second modulation. Their study did not conduct quantitative evaluations of wave‐aurora correlation. The use of short burst mode data (~<10 s) may only cover a single pulse of pulsating aurora and is not suitable for examining connections to pulsating aurora. “Field‐aligned” electrons do not necessarily represent loss cone population, and their characteristic energy (hundreds of eV) is much lower than typical precipitation over pulsating aurora. By reexamining the events studied by Mozer et al., we quantitatively demonstrate that TDS and KAW are uncorrelated with pulsating aurora and that only chorus waves showed high correlations with pulsating aurora. Occasional simultaneous occurrence of TDS/KAW and pulsating aurora is found to be coincidental, because the correlation over a time scale of minutes is poor. Several auroral features analyzed in that paper are not pulsating aurora but other types of aurora. We also show that the chorus‐pulsating aurora correlation can last for 2 h or longer and can be used to highlight dynamic changes in magnetic field mapping. Chorus waves can resonate with electrons above a few keV and are in agreement with pulsating auroral properties.
Local, Regional, and Remote Seismo‐acoustic Observations of the April 2015 VEI 4 Eruption of Calbuco Volcano, Chile
Authors: Matoza Robin S. , Fee David , Green David N. , Le Pichon Alexis , Vergoz Julien , Haney Matthew M. , Mikesell T. Dylan , Franco Luis , Valderrama O. Alberto , Kelley Megan R. , McKee Kathleen , Ceranna Lars
Published: March 2018

The two major explosive phases of the 22–23 April 2015 eruption of Calbuco volcano, Chile, produced powerful seismicity and infrasound. The eruption was recorded on seismo‐acoustic stations out to 1,540 km and on five stations (IS02, IS08, IS09, IS27, and IS49) of the International Monitoring System (IMS) infrasound network at distances from 1,525 to 5,122 km. The remote IMS infrasound stations provide an accurate explosion chronology consistent with the regional and local seismo‐acoustic data and with previous studies of lightning and plume observations. We use the IMS network to detect and locate the eruption signals using a brute‐force, grid‐search, cross‐bearings approach. After incorporating azimuth deviation corrections from stratospheric crosswinds using 3‐D ray tracing, the estimated source location is 172 km from true. This case study highlights the significant capability of the IMS infrasound network to provide automated detection, characterization, and timing estimates of global explosive volcanic activity. Augmenting the IMS with regional seismo‐acoustic networks will dramatically enhance volcanic signal detection, reduce latency, and improve discrimination capability.
First Top‐Down Estimates of Anthropogenic NOx Emissions Using High‐Resolution Airborne Remote Sensing Observations
Authors: Souri Amir H. , Choi Yunsoo , Pan Shuai , Curci Gabriele , Nowlan Caroline R. , Janz Scott J. , Kowalewski Matthew G. , Liu Junjie , Herman Jay R. , Weinheimer Andrew J.
Published: March 2018

A number of satellite‐based instruments have become an essential part of monitoring emissions. Despite sound theoretical inversion techniques, the insufficient samples and the footprint size of current observations have introduced an obstacle to narrow the inversion window for regional models. These key limitations can be partially resolved by a set of modest high‐quality measurements from airborne remote sensing. This study illustrates the feasibility of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns from the Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events Airborne Simulator (GCAS) to constrain anthropogenic NOx emissions in the Houston‐Galveston‐Brazoria area. We convert slant column densities to vertical columns using a radiative transfer model with (i) NO2 profiles from a high‐resolution regional model (1 × 1 km2) constrained by P‐3B aircraft measurements, (ii) the consideration of aerosol optical thickness impacts on radiance at NO2 absorption line, and (iii) high‐resolution surface albedo constrained by ground‐based spectrometers. We characterize errors in the GCAS NO2 columns by comparing them to Pandora measurements and find a striking correlation (r > 0.74) with an uncertainty of 3.5 × 1015 molecules cm−2. On 9 of 10 total days, the constrained anthropogenic emissions by a Kalman filter yield an overall 2–50% reduction in polluted areas, partly counterbalancing the well‐documented positive bias of the model. The inversion, however, boosts emissions by 94% in the same areas on a day when an unprecedented local emissions event potentially occurred, significantly mitigating the bias of the model. The capability of GCAS at detecting such an event ensures the significance of forthcoming geostationary satellites for timely estimates of top‐down emissions.
The Embrace Magnetometer Network for South America: First Scientific Results
Authors: Denardini C. M. , Chen S. S. , Resende L. C. A. , Moro J. , Bilibio A. V. , Fagundes P. R. , Gende M. A. , Cabrera M. A. , Bolzan M. J. A. , Padilha A. L. , Schuch N. J. , Hormaechea J. L. , Alves L. R. , Barbosa Neto P. F. , Nogueira P. A. B. , Picanço G. A. S. , Bertollotto T. O.
Published: March 2018

The present work is the second of a two‐part paper on the Embrace Magnetometer Network. In this part, we provide some of the first scientific findings that we have already achieved with this network. We identified the diurnal and the seasonal natural variations of the H component. We provided the precise determination of sudden storm commencements and sudden impulse. We showed that the ΔH amplitudes derived from the Embrace MagNet during intense magnetic storm are in very good agreement with the Dst index. We showed that it is possible to investigate the effects on the solar quiet ionospheric current systems as a response to the X‐class solar flares occurring during daytime under magnetically quiet conditions.
Comparison of MLC error sensitivity of various commercial devices for VMAT pre‐treatment quality assurance
Authors: Saito Masahide , Sano Naoki , Shibata Yuki , Kuriyama Kengo , Komiyama Takafumi , Marino Kan , Aoki Shinichi , Ashizawa Kazunari , Yoshizawa Kazuya , Onishi Hiroshi
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study was to compare the MLC error sensitivity of various measurement devices for VMAT pre‐treatment quality assurance (QA). This study used four QA devices (Scandidos Delta4, PTW 2D‐array, iRT systems IQM, and PTW Farmer chamber). Nine retrospective VMAT plans were used and nine MLC error plans were generated for all nine original VMAT plans. The IQM and Farmer chamber were evaluated using the cumulative signal difference between the baseline and error‐induced measurements. In addition, to investigate the sensitivity of the Delta4 device and the 2D‐array, global gamma analysis (1%/1, 2%/2, and 3%/3 mm), dose difference (1%, 2%, and 3%) were used between the baseline and error‐induced measurements. Some deviations of the MLC error sensitivity for the evaluation metrics and MLC error ranges were observed. For the two ionization devices, the sensitivity of the IQM was significantly better than that of the Farmer chamber (P < 0.01) while both devices had good linearly correlation between the cumulative signal difference and the magnitude of MLC errors. The pass rates decreased as the magnitude of the MLC error increased for both Delta4 and 2D‐array. However, the small MLC error for small aperture sizes, such as for lung SBRT, could not be detected using the loosest gamma criteria (3%/3 mm). Our results indicate that DD could be more useful than gamma analysis for daily MLC QA, and that a large‐area ionization chamber has a greater advantage for detecting systematic MLC error because of the large sensitive volume, while the other devices could not detect this error for some cases with a small range of MLC error.
What Imaging‐Detected Pathologies Are Associated With Shoulder Symptoms and Their Persistence? A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Tran Gui , Cowling Paul , Smith Toby , Bury Julie , Lucas Adam , Barr Andrew , Kingsbury Sarah R. , Conaghan Philip G.
Published: March 2018

Objective

Shoulder symptoms are common, and imaging is being increasingly used to help with management. However, the relationship between imaging and symptoms remains unclear. This review aims to understand the relationship between imaging‐detected pathologies, symptoms, and their persistence.

Methods

A systematic review using Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, and grey literature was conducted to April 2017. The cross‐sectional and longitudinal relationships between imaging‐detected abnormalities and symptoms were analyzed and associations qualitatively characterized by a best‐evidence synthesis based on study design, covariate adjustment, and the Grade of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Modalities included ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiographs, positron emission tomography (PET), bone scintigraphy, and computed tomography.

Results

A total of 6,569 abstracts was screened and 56 articles were included. In total, 50 studies did not adjust for covariates and 36 analyzed individual pathologies only. The majority of studies showed conflicting results. There was no significant association between most imaging features and symptoms among high‐quality, cross‐sectional studies. There was low‐quality evidence that enhancement of the joint capsule on MRI and increased uptake on PET were associated with symptoms in adhesive capsulitis. Based on high‐quality longitudinal studies, enlarging rotator cuff tears were associated with an increased incidence of symptoms.

Conclusion

There were conflicting results on the association of imaging features with shoulder symptoms and their persistence. The existing evidence was very low in quality, based on the GRADE methodology. Further high‐quality studies are required to understand the relationship between imaging and shoulder symptoms and to determine the appropriate role of imaging in care pathways.
Adaptive time‐frequency representation for weak chirp signals based on Duffing oscillator stopping oscillation system
Authors: Hou Jian , Yan Xiao‐peng , Li Ping , Hao Xin‐hong
Published: March 2018

To investigate high‐resolution time‐frequency representations for any type of weak chirp signals with a very low signal‐noise ratio, we revisit the inherent deficiencies of conventional Duffing oscillator detection methods and propose a novel Duffing oscillator stopping oscillation detection system. As a result, the detection of chirp signals can be successfully realized, and the influence of nondetection zones and critical thresholds on the detection accuracy is successfully eliminated. Furthermore, we propose an adaptive Duffing oscillator stopping oscillation detection method to measure the instantaneous frequency variation of a highly dynamic chirp signal within a large frequency range. The simulation results indicate that, compared with the conventional Duffing oscillator detection methods and the Choi‐Williams distribution, the proposed method greatly expands the frequency detection range of a single Duffing oscillator and has a lower computing cost and effective real‐time performance in detecting a high‐precision weak chirp signal, which provides a new solution for the time‐frequency representation of weak chirp signals at a lower signal‐noise ration and reveals broad prospects for applications in engineering.
Light‐Triggered Retention and Cascaded Therapy of Albumin‐Based Theranostic Nanomedicines to Alleviate Tumor Adaptive Treatment Tolerance
Authors: Chen Jing , Liu Lu , Motevalli Seyed Mohammad , Wu Xiaoli , Yang Xiao‐Hong , Li Xianlei , Han Lu , Magrini Andrea , Guo Weisheng , Chang Jin , Bottini Massimo , Liang Xing‐Jie
Published: March 2018

Tumor adaptive treatment tolerance associated with chemotherapy originates from low tumor accumulation and adverse effects and remains a formidable challenge for cancer therapy. Herein, human serum albumin (HSA)‐based nanomedicines modified with diazirine and loaded with indocyanine green (ICG) and tirapazamine (TPZ), denoted as ICG/TPZ@HSA dNMs are developed. The obtained ICG/TPZ@HSA dNMs can efficiently eradicate the tumors through a cascade of synergistic events triggered by the sequential irradiation of lasers in the tumor area. Upon a 405 nm laser irradiation, the ICG/TPZ@HSA dNMs are able to form aggregates via crosslinking and thus realized enhanced tumor site accumulation and prolonged retention time. The following irradiation at tumor area with an 808 nm laser‐generated local hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species, which results in efficient tumor ablation and increased local hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment. The resulted local hypoxia further activates the initially nontoxic TPZ to a highly cytotoxic derivative, by which precisely bioactivated chemotherapy is achieved following the phototherapy. Thus, upon the laser irradiations, a cascade of aggregation, phototherapy, and bioactivated chemotherapy is successfully triggered, which achieves efficient precise eradication of tumors without detectable side effects in vivo.
Biosensor Array of Interpenetrating Polymer Network with Photonic Film Templated from Reactive Cholesteric Liquid Crystal and Enzyme‐Immobilized Hydrogel Polymer
Authors: Noh Kyung‐Gyu , Park Soo‐Young
Published: March 2018

A biosensor array is fabricated using an interpenetrating polymer network consisting of photonic film templated from reactive cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) and enzyme‐immobilized polyacrylic acid (PAA). The solid‐state photonic film on the glass substrate is successfully templated by ultraviolet (UV) curing of the reactive CLC mixture of a reactive mesogen mixture of RMM 727 (from Merck) and a nonreactive chiral dopant of (S)‐4‐cyano‐4′‐(2‐methylbutyl)biphenyl following the extraction of the chiral dopant. The acrylic acid monomer mixed with a cross‐linker of tri(propylene glycol) diacrylate is infiltrated into the extracted space of the photonic film, and UV‐cured with a photomask to obtain a patterned array‐dot film. The interpenetrated cholesteric liquid crystal/hydrogel polymer network (CLC‐hydrogel‐IPN) array is further functionalized in the individual dots with urease, for a model study of biosensor array applications. The dots of the CLC‐hydrogel‐IPN array respond independently to the urea by a color change with high sensitivity and stability. Thus, the patterned CLC‐hydrogel‐IPN can be used as a new biosensor array for cost‐effective and easy visual detection without any sophisticated instruments.
Design and Development of Biomimetic Nanovesicles Using a Microfluidic Approach
Authors: Molinaro Roberto , Evangelopoulos Michael , Hoffman Jessica R. , Corbo Claudia , Taraballi Francesca , Martinez Jonathan O. , Hartman Kelly A. , Cosco Donato , Costa Giosue' , Romeo Isabella , Sherman Michael , Paolino Donatella , Alcaro Stefano , Tasciotti Ennio
Published: March 2018

The advancement of nanotechnology toward more sophisticated bioinspired approaches has highlighted the gap between the advantages of biomimetic and biohybrid platforms and the availability of manufacturing processes to scale up their production. Though the advantages of transferring biological features from cells to synthetic nanoparticles for drug delivery purposes have recently been reported, a standardizable, batch‐to‐batch consistent, scalable, and high‐throughput assembly method is required to further develop these platforms. Microfluidics has offered a robust tool for the controlled synthesis of nanoparticles in a versatile and reproducible approach. In this study, the incorporation of membrane proteins within the bilayer of biomimetic nanovesicles (leukosomes) using a microfluidic‐based platform is demonstrated. The physical, pharmaceutical, and biological properties of microfluidic‐formulated leukosomes (called NA‐Leuko) are characterized. NA‐Leuko show extended shelf life and retention of the biological functions of donor cells (i.e., macrophage avoidance and targeting of inflamed vasculature). The NA approach represents a universal, versatile, robust, and scalable tool, which is extensively used for the assembly of lipid nanoparticles and adapted here for the manufacturing of biomimetic nanovesicles.
Polypyrenes as High‐Performance Cathode Materials for Aluminum Batteries
Authors: Walter Marc , Kravchyk Kostiantyn V. , Böfer Cornelia , Widmer Roland , Kovalenko Maksym V.
Published: March 2018

The pressing need for low‐cost and large‐scale stationary storage of electricity has led to a new wave of research on novel batteries made entirely of components that have high natural abundances and are easy to manufacture. One example of such an anode–electrolyte–cathode architecture comprises metallic aluminum, AlCl3:[EMIm]Cl (1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride) ionic liquid and graphite. Various forms of synthetic and natural graphite cathodes have been tested in recent years in this context. Here, a new type of compelling cathode based on inexpensive pyrene polymers is demonstrated. During charging, the condensed aromatic rings of these polymers are oxidized, which is accompanied by the uptake of aluminum tetrachloride anions (AlCl4−) from the chloroaluminate ionic liquid. Discharge is the fast inverse process of reduction and the release of AlCl4−. The electrochemical properties of the polypyrenes can be fine‐tuned by the appropriate chemical derivatization. This process is showcased here by poly(nitropyrene‐co‐pyrene), which has a storage capacity of 100 mAh g−1, higher than the neat polypyrene (70 mAh g−1) or crystalline pyrene (20 mAh g−1), at a high discharge voltage (≈1.7 V), energy efficiency (≈86%), and cyclic stability (at least 1000 cycles).
Printable Superelastic Conductors with Extreme Stretchability and Robust Cycling Endurance Enabled by Liquid‐Metal Particles
Authors: Wang Jiangxin , Cai Guofa , Li Shaohui , Gao Dace , Xiong Jiaqing , Lee Pooi See
Published: March 2018

Stretchable conductors are vital and indispensable components in soft electronic systems. The development for stretchable conductors has been highly motivated with different approaches established to address the dilemma in the conductivity and stretchability trade‐offs to some extent. Here, a new strategy to achieve superelastic conductors with high conductivity and stable electrical performance under stretching is reported. It is demonstrated that by electrically anchoring conductive fillers with eutectic gallium indium particles (EGaInPs), significant improvement in stretchability and durability can be achieved in stretchable conductors. Different from the strategy of modulating the chemical interactions between the conductive fillers and host polymers, the EGaInPs provide dynamic and robust electrical anchors between the conductive fillers. A superelastic conductor which can achieve a high stretchability with 1000% strain at initial conductivity of 8331 S cm−1 and excellent cycling durability with about eight times resistance change (compared to the initial resistance at 0% strain before stretching) after reversibly stretching to 800% strain for 10 000 times is demonstrated. Applications of the superelastic conductor in an interactive soft touch device and a stretchable light‐emitting system are also demonstrated, featuring its promising applications in soft robotics or soft and interactive human–machine interfaces.
The Impact of Atmosphere on the Local Luminescence Properties of Metal Halide Perovskite Grains
Authors: Brenes Roberto , Eames Christopher , Bulović Vladimir , Islam M. Saiful , Stranks Samuel D.
Published: March 2018

Metal halide perovskites are exceptional candidates for inexpensive yet high‐performing optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, polycrystalline perovskite films are still limited by nonradiative losses due to charge carrier trap states that can be affected by illumination. Here, in situ microphotoluminescence measurements are used to elucidate the impact of light‐soaking individual methylammonium lead iodide grains in high‐quality polycrystalline films while immersing them with different atmospheric environments. It is shown that emission from each grain depends sensitively on both the environment and the nature of the specific grain, i.e., whether it shows good (bright grain) or poor (dark grain) luminescence properties. It is found that the dark grains show substantial rises in emission, while the bright grain emission is steady when illuminated in the presence of oxygen and/or water molecules. The results are explained using density functional theory calculations, which reveal strong adsorption energies of the molecules to the perovskite surfaces. It is also found that oxygen molecules bind particularly strongly to surface iodide vacancies which, in the presence of photoexcited electrons, lead to efficient passivation of the carrier trap states that arise from these vacancies. The work reveals a unique insight into the nature of nonradiative decay and the impact of atmospheric passivation on the microscale properties of perovskite films.
Programmable Self‐Locking Origami Mechanical Metamaterials
Authors: Fang Hongbin , Chu Shih‐Cheng A. , Xia Yutong , Wang Kon‐Well
Published: March 2018

Developing mechanical metamaterials with programmable properties is an emerging topic receiving wide attention. While the programmability mainly originates from structural multistability in previously designed metamaterials, here it is shown that nonflat‐foldable origami provides a new platform to achieve programmability via its intrinsic self‐locking and reconfiguration capabilities. Working with the single‐collinear degree‐4 vertex origami tessellation, it is found that each unit cell can self‐lock at a nonflat configuration and, therefore, possesses wide design space to program its foldability and relative density. Experiments and numerical analyses are combined to demonstrate that by switching the deformation modes of the constituent cell from prelocking folding to postlocking pressing, its stiffness experiences a sudden jump, implying a limiting‐stopper effect. Such a stiffness jump is generalized to a multisegment piecewise stiffness profile in a multilayer model. Furthermore, it is revealed that via strategically switching the constituent cells' deformation modes through passive or active means, the n‐layer metamaterial's stiffness is controllable among 2n target stiffness values. Additionally, the piecewise stiffness can also trigger bistable responses dynamically under harmonic excitations, highlighting the metamaterial's rich dynamic performance. These unique characteristics of self‐locking origami present new paths for creating programmable mechanical metamaterials with in situ controllable mechanical properties.
Nanostructuring Multilayer Hyperbolic Metamaterials for Ultrafast and Bright Green InGaN Quantum Wells
Authors: Lu Dylan , Qian Haoliang , Wang Kangwei , Shen Hao , Wei Feifei , Jiang Yunfeng , Fullerton Eric E. , Yu Paul K. L. , Liu Zhaowei
Published: March 2018

Semiconductor quantum well (QW) light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) have limited temporal modulation bandwidth of a few hundred MHz due to the long carrier recombination lifetime. Material doping and structure engineering typically leads to incremental change in the carrier recombination rate, whereas the plasmonic‐based Purcell effect enables dramatic improvement for modulation frequency beyond the GHz limit. By stacking Ag‐Si multilayers, the resulting hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) have shown tunability in the plasmonic density of states for enhancing light emission at various wavelengths. Here, nanopatterned Ag‐Si multilayer HMMs are utilized for enhancing spontaneous carrier recombination rates in InGaN/GaN QWs. An enhancement of close to 160‐fold is achieved in the spontaneous recombination rate across a broadband of working wavelengths accompanied by over tenfold enhancement in the QW peak emission intensity, thanks to the outcoupling of dominating HMM modes. The integration of nanopatterned HMMs with InGaN QWs will lead to ultrafast and bright QW LEDs with a 3 dB modulation bandwidth beyond 100 GHz for applications in high‐speed optoelectronic devices, optical wireless communications, and light‐fidelity networks.
Enhancing the Performance of Polymer Solar Cells via Core Engineering of NIR‐Absorbing Electron Acceptors
Authors: Dai Shuixing , Li Tengfei , Wang Wei , Xiao Yiqun , Lau Tsz‐Ki , Li Zeyuan , Liu Kuan , Lu Xinhui , Zhan Xiaowei
Published: March 2018

In order to utilize the near‐infrared (NIR) solar photons like silicon‐based solar cells, extensive research efforts have been devoted to the development of organic donor and acceptor materials with strong NIR absorption. However, single‐junction organic solar cells (OSCs) with photoresponse extending into >1000 nm and power conversion efficiency (PCE) >11% have rarely been reported. Herein, three fused‐ring electron acceptors with varying core size are reported. These three molecules exhibit strong absorption from 600 to 1000 nm and high electron mobility (>1 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1). It is proposed that core engineering is a promising approach to elevate energy levels, enhance absorption and electron mobility, and finally achieve high device performance. This approach can maximize both short‐circuit current density (  JSC) and open‐circuit voltage (VOC) at the same time, differing from the commonly used end group engineering that is generally unable to realize simultaneous enhancement in both VOC and JSC. Finally, the single‐junction OSCs based on these acceptors in combination with the widely polymer donor PTB7‐Th yield JSC as high as 26.00 mA cm−2 and PCE as high as 12.3%.
Fabrication of Various Structures of Nanostraw Arrays and Their Applications in Gene Delivery
Authors: He Gen , Chen Hui‐Jiuan , Liu Di , Feng Yuping , Yang Chengduan , Hang Tian , Wu Jiangming , Cao Yuhong , Xie Xi
Published: March 2018

Nanowires have a wide variety of biomedical applications, including drug delivery, cellular manipulation, cellular interfacing, and biosensing. Specifically, hollow nanowire arrays, or “nanostraws,” are recently developed to penetrate cell membranes and to provide temporal and dose controlled delivery of biomolecules into the cells. The fabrication of nanostraw arrays uses nanoporous membranes as starting templates. However, nanoporous membranes with custom‐designed diameters and densities are often expensive or commercially unavailable. As a result, nanostraws reported in literature consist of a limited number of structures with restricted applications. In this work, a simple approach of preparing nanostraws with differing structures, including various diameters, lengths, and densities, is developed. Furthermore, the application of nanostraws in gene transfection is assessed. To fabricate the nanostraw arrays, O2 plasma etching is applied to the template membrane with a desirable pore density to produce nanopores with matching sizes. Then, a series of nanostraws with controllable diameters, densities, and lengths is consistently fabricated. Finally, the nanostraws are integrated with a microfluidic device to penetrate the cell membrane or coupled with external techniques to achieve DNA transfection. This work demonstrates a simple yet versatile approach to fabricate a variety of hollow nanowires for broad biomedical device applications.
Low‐Temperature High‐Rate Capabilities of Lithium Batteries via Polarization‐Assisted Ion Pathways
Authors: Teranishi Takashi , Katsuji Naoto , Chajima Keisuke , Yasuhara Sou , Inohara Masahiro , Yoshikawa Yumi , Yasui Shintaro , Hayashi Hidetaka , Kishimoto Akira , Itoh Mitsuru
Published: March 2018

On‐board vehicle applications dictate the need for improved low‐temperature power densities of rechargeable batteries. Integration of high‐permittivity artificial dielectric solid electrolyte interfaces (SEIs) into the lithium ion battery architecture is a promising path to satisfy this need. The relationship between the permittivity of various artificial dielectric SEIs and the resulting high‐rate capability at low temperatures is investigated. Room‐temperature studies reveal a weak relationship between these variables. However, at low temperatures, the correlation between the larger permittivity of the dielectric SEIs and the greater high‐rate capabilities of the cells is striking. The high‐rate capabilities for pulsed laser deposition‐synthesized cathode thin films with various BaTiO3 (BTO) SEIs covering configurations are evaluated. A remarkable improvement in the high‐rate capability is observed for LiCoO2 (LCO) modified with dot BTOs, while the rate capability for planar BTO (fully covered LCO) is weakened significantly. A series of experimental results prove that a large polarization, P, in the dielectric SEIs intensified with permittivity accelerates interfacial charge transfer near the dielectrics–LCO–electrolyte triple junction.
The future is now: Technology's impact on the practice of genetic counseling
Authors: Gordon Erynn S. , Babu Deepti , Laney Dawn A.
Published: March 2018

Smartphones, artificial intelligence, automation, digital communication, and other types of technology are playing an increasingly important role in our daily lives. It is no surprise that technology is also shaping the practice of medicine, and more specifically the practice of genetic counseling. While digital tools have been part of the practice of medical genetics for decades, such as internet‐ or CD‐ROM‐based tools like Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man and Pictures of Standard Syndromes and Undiagnosed Malformations in the 1980s, the potential for emerging tools to change how we practice and the way patients consume information is startling. Technology has the potential to aid in at‐risk patient identification, assist in generating a differential diagnosis, improve efficiency in medical history collection and risk assessment, provide educational support for patients, and streamline follow‐up. Here we review the historic and current uses of technology in genetic counseling, identify challenges to integration, and propose future applications of technology that can shape the practice of genetic counseling.
Quantum Temporal Steering in a Dephasing Channel With Quantum Criticality
Authors: Liu Bo , Huang Yixiao , Sun Zhe
Published: March 2018

We investigate the quantum temporal steering (TS), i.e., a temporal analogue of Einstein‐Podolsky‐Rosen steering, in a dephasing channel which is modeled by a central spin half surrounded by a spin‐1/2 XY chain where quantum phase transition happens. The TS parameter and the TS weight are employed to characterize the TS dynamics. We analytically obtain the dependence of on the decoherence factor. The numerical results show an obvious suppression of and when the XY chain approaches to the critical point. In view of the significance of quantum channel, we develop a new concept, TS weight power, in order to quantify the capacity of the quantum channel in dominating TS behavior. This new quantity enables us to indicate the quantum criticality of the environment by the quantum correlation of TS in the coupled system.