bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Mixed Fruit Juices Prepared from Blend of Pineapple, Pawpaw and Watermelon Fruits Juices
Authors: Egbuta Chibuike Kalu , Chima Judith Uchenna
Published: December 2022

This study investigated the production of mixed fruit juices from pawpaw, watermelon and pineapple fruits, pawpaw and watermelon fruits. Fresh ripe fruits (pineapple, watermelon and pawpaw and watermelon) were washed, manually peeled, deseeded, sliced, squeezed and sieved to obtain pineapple, watermelon and pawpaw juice pawpaw and watermelon juice. The prepared juices were pasteurized at 85°C for 15 s,sec., packaged in air-tight plastic cans. The pineapple, watermelon and pawpaw juice and watermelon juice were blended in ratios of 100:0:0;0:100:0; 0:100:0; 20:20:60:20; 33.33:33.33:33.33; 60:20:20 and 40:30:30%. The juice samples were evaluated for physicochemical and sensory characteristics using standard procedures. The sensory results showed colour rating of (6.33 - 7.22), flavour (6.11 – 7.78), taste (6.44 – 7.78), and general acceptability of(6.89 – 8.00). Sample 100% PIN was rated the best (8.00) in general acceptability. However, all the juice samples were generally accepted. The physicochemical results showed the following range of values for titrabletitra table acidity (0.60 - 1.21%), total soluble solids (8.10 - 15.55%), total sugar (7.22 - 9.51%), pH (4.05 - 5.30) and vitamin C (4.80-17.00 mg/100g). Generally, the juice samples were within the regulatory specifications, and acceptable. The study showed that fruit juice with good physicochemical and sensory qualities could be formulated using pineapple, watermelon and using pineapple, pawpaw and watermelon blend. The formulated fruit juices could find domestic and industrial applications.
Study on Financial Ratio Analysis of A Food Industry Company
Authors: Irfan Shaik Mohammad , Gracy C. P. , Ganapathy M. S. , Siddayya . , Gaddi G. M. , Sharif Mahin
Published: December 2022

This paper discusses introduction, classification and detailed financial statement analysis and financial ratio analysis and their interpretation of food Industry company. Britannia Industries Limited is purposively selected for the study. The study is purely quantitative. Secondary data is used for the study. The liquidity, activity ratios showed a decreasing trend, whereas solvency, profitability ratios showed increasing trend for the selected period of 2017-18 to 2021-22. At last, the paper has concluded that the company’s overall financial performance and position has been improved over the past five years.
Assessment of the Effect of Advertising Channels on Sales Performance of Selected Small and Medium Enterprises in Lixle County, Burao Somaliland
Authors: Abdillahi Ali Ahmed , Obuba Robert Omundi
Published: December 2022

The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Lixle County carry out frequent advertisements of their products, but they still claim indifference in their sales. Therefore, the study sought to find out why the level of sales performance is at a standstill point on these small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In this regard, the main objective of the study was to assess the effect of advertising channels on sales performance of selected SMEs in Lixle County, Burao Somaliland. The specific objectives of the study were: to determine the effect of radio advertisement on sales performance of selected SMEs in Lixle County, to assess the effect of television advertisement on sales performance of selected SMEs in Lixle County, and to examine the effect of newspapers advertisement on sales performance of selected SMEs in Lixle County. This study adopted the Cultivation theory, the Gratification and the Hypodermic Needle Theory. This study was conducted through a descriptive survey design. The study covered 54 selected SMEs operating within Lixle County. The target population of the study comprised 162 employees. A sample of 115 respondents were selected using both stratified and simple random sampling techniques respectively. The study involved primary data which was gathered through questionnaires. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage distribution, mean and standard deviation were employed. Inferential statistics were also used to analyze the data and establish the relationship between the variables. Then the data were presented in the form of tables, pie charts or bar graphs to ease the analysis. The study found that advertisements made by TV, newspaper and radio respectively influenced most of the people in the area and impacted on the sales volume and the business performance of the selected small and medium enterprises in Lixle County.
Research on Mathematics Extracurricular Activities in Middle School in China
Authors: Sun Qin , Li Gang , Yang Zezhong
Published: December 2022

Mathematics extracurricular activities are not only conducive to students’ all-round development, but also a beneficial supplement to the current classroom teaching. In this study, 30 pieces of literature on mathematics extracurricular activities in middle school from 1993 to 2022 were selected from the database of China Knowledge Network（CNKI) as the data source. This paper qualitatively analyzed the literature to summarize and sort out the previous research and found that: (1) Current domestic studies mainly focus on the following four aspects: classification, forms and content of mathematics extracurricular activities; organizing principles of mathematics extracurricular activities; issues needing attention in mathematics extracurricular activities; evaluation of mathematics extracurricular activities. (2) The forms of mathematics extracurricular activities are various, mainly including extracurricular mathematics groups, mathematics special lectures, etc. The principles of organizing mathematics extracurricular activities have been studied very thoroughly. Previous studies have mainly discussed the issues needing attention from activity implementation, content selection, students and teachers. There are few studies on the evaluation of mathematics extracurricular activities. (3) Researchers mainly collected data based on observation and experience, and some researchers draw conclusions based on theoretical speculation or teaching experience, lacking strict experimental verification. Therefore, future research needs to adopt more scientific research tools, expand the scope of research, increase verification research, and give more scientific and effective suggestions, to make this research more comprehensive, systematic and profound.
Spatial Variability Mapping of Soil Chemical Properties Using GIS & GPS
Authors: Subhasree N. , Sajeena S. , Prasanthi K. , Hakkim V. M. Abdul
Published: December 2022

Excessive application of fertilizers can cause wastage of fertilizer which increases input cost and environmental pollution. Implementation of Precision Agriculture through site specific nutrient management is the best suitable solution to increase nutrient application efficiency and thereby increase crop productivity. The present study was carried out in the Instructional Farm of KCAET campus, Tavanur, Malappuram, Kerala, to access the spatial variability of different soil chemical properties. The methodology follows the delineation of the study area, location of sampling points and soil samples were collected and analysed for the soil chemical properties such as pH, Electric Conductivity, Available Nitrogen, Available Phosphorous, Available Potassium, Boron and Sulphur using standard methods. Spatial variability maps of soil chemical properties were prepared by using Inverse Distance Weighing method of interpolation in ArcGIS. From this study, it could be concluded that, GIS along with GPS could be used as an effective tool for preparation of spatial variability maps for determining the spatial distribution of chemical properties of soils and thereby helps to achieve site specific nutrient recommendation which improves crop productivity, quality and reduce environmental stress. It also involves a lesser number of soil analysis and thus reduces the cost of operation compared to plot-to-plot analysis.
Adaptation Reasons for Agroforestry in the Study Area of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Divya Bodiga , Daniel Sameer , Raj Antony Joseph , Saritha J. D.
Published: December 2022

It is paramount to assess the social and economic status of the farmers in the adaptation of any agroecosystem. Studies on the impact of socio-economic factors specifically in the agroforestry system adaption are meager in Uttar Pradesh. The present research was carried out in the villages of the three selected districts (Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, and Allahabad) of Eastern Uttar Pradesh with 750 respondents in 2020. The investigation aimed to assess the reasons in the study area to adopt the agroforestry models. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select the respondents and primary, as well as secondary data, were used for qualitative and quantitative analysis by using an appropriate statistical design. Results showed that socio-economic factors, like family size, education, and age of the farmers greatly impacted the adaptation and difference in combinations of agroforestry systems. The land area under Agroforestry in Kaushambi with 54% followed by Pratapgarh (52%) and Allahabad (50%). the majority of the farmers adopted trees on their farmland for traditional purposes in the Kaushambi district (72%) and in Pratapgarh and Allahabad districts 72% and 70% respectively. The adoption of agroforestry systems for commercial purposes was observed highest in Allahabad (18%) followed by Kaushambi (16%) and Pratapgarh (12%). The Agrisilviculture system is practiced in the three districts and there were different combinations recorded in Pratapgarh (Teak+paddy: 96%); Allahabad (Eucalyptus+mustard: 96%) and Kaushambi (Teak+ mustard: 95.6%) districts. Conclusively, this study would be an asset and provide an idea for the policymakers in implementing or promoting agroforestry system practices in Uttar Pradesh.
Effects of Seed Soaking and Growing Media on Germination and Survivability of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle)
Authors: Lunagariya Radhika J. , Jat R. K. , Solanki Sandhya M.
Published: December 2022

Seed germination is the most important aspect for raising the nursery for successful seedling production of acid lime. The present study was carried out to explore the effect of different seed soaking treatment with growing media on seed germination and survivability of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) under net house condition. The experiments were laid out as a Completely Randomized Design with Factorial concept comprising twenty four treatment combinations with three replicates. The seeds of acid lime were treated with different seed soaking: water, GA3 @ 50 ppm, GA3 @ 100 ppm, cow urine @ 25%, cow urine @ 50% and cow dung slurry (1:1, cow dung:water w/w) and sowed in different growing media combinations: Sand + Vermicompost (1:1 v/v), Sand + Farmyard manure (1:1 v/v), Sand + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (1:1:1 v/v/v), Sand + Farmyard manure + Cocopeat (1:1:1 v/v/v). The result indicated that GA3 @ 100 ppm was found to be the most effective for better germination parameters, growth parameters and survival percentage of acid lime seedlings. Among the different growing media, Sand + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (1:1:1 v/v/v) recorded higher values for germination parameters, growth parameters and survival percentage of acid lime seedlings. The treatment combination of GA3 @ 100 ppm and Sand + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (1:1:1 v/v/v) showed better germination parameters, growth parameters and survival percentage. In conclusion, the combination of GA3 @ 100 ppm and Sand + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (1:1:1 v/v/v) was found most suitable for better growth of acid lime seedling.
Improving Yield Potential of Pigeonpea through Foliar Nutrition
Authors: Fanish S. Anitta , Kartiba L. , Shanmugam P. S. , Gnanamalar R. P.
Published: December 2022

A field experiment was conducted in research farm at Department of Pulses, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University during kharif season of 2018 to 2020 to assess the effect of foliar nutrition to enhance the productivity of pigeonpea under rainfed condition. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications and eight treatments. Treatments consist of foliar application with urea 2%, MAP 1%, All nineteen 0.5%, Pulse magic 1%, ZnSO4 0.5 %, FeSO4 0.5 % and ZnSO4 0.5 % + FeSO4 @ 0.5 % along with no foliar nutrition spray. 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (25:50:25:20 kg NPKS ha-1) was applied to all treatments. The yield parameters such as number of pods per plant and number of seed per pods were significantly influenced by foliar nutrition. All the foliar spray treatments recorded higher seed yield as compared to control (without foliar spray). Among the different foliar nutrition, 0.5% all nineteen recorded significantly higher seed yield of 1118 kg ha-1. Result concluded that retention of flowers is possible through foliar application of macronutrients during flower initiation stage and it helps to enhance the productivity of pigeonpea under rainfed situation.
The Covid-19 Pandemic and TVET Learning- A Critical Perspective
Authors: Ngure Susan Wanuri
Published: December 2022

Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (Covid 19) emergence has had a huge impact on all levels of learning. The disruption to training was unprecedented in all parts of the world. TVET being a physical and interruptive process is still reeling from processes that were initiated to cope with diverse ways of dealing with the disruption. Such activities like digital and remote learning, was not only difficult to be impactful but also difficult to implement. The speed at which experimental learning methods were being introduced was potentially harmful.

Kenya being in the developing world experienced immense challenges in coping with training during the COVID pandemic. All training institutions were closed and various training methods hastily suggested.

This paper gives a critical perspective of the pandemic, it’s effect on training, the government response and the opportunities arising from the experience. The paper borrows from researchers, Kenya government documents and pronouncements, and institutional (such as UNESCO, World Bank and ILO) documents to expound and analyse on how COVID 19 affected TVET learning.
Glioblastoma stem cells express non‐canonical proteins and exclusive mesenchymal‐like or non‐mesenchymal‐like protein signatures
Authors: Babačić Haris , Galardi Silvia , Umer Husen M. , Hellström Mats , Uhrbom Lene , Maturi Nagaprathyusha , Cardinali Deborah , Pellegatta Serena , Michienzi Alessandro , Trevisi Gianluca , Mangiola Annunziato , Lehtiö Janne , Ciafrè Silvia Anna , Pernemalm Maria
Published: December 2022

Glioblastoma (GBM) cancer stem cells (GSCs) contribute to GBM's origin, recurrence, and resistance to treatment. However, the understanding of how mRNA expression patterns of GBM subtypes are reflected at global proteome level in GSCs is limited. To characterize protein expression in GSCs, we performed in‐depth proteogenomic analysis of patient‐derived GSCs by RNA‐sequencing and mass‐spectrometry. We quantified > 10 000 proteins in two independent GSC panels and propose a GSC‐associated proteomic signature characterizing two distinct phenotypic conditions; one defined by proteins upregulated in proneural and classical GSCs (GPC‐like), and another by proteins upregulated in mesenchymal GSCs (GM‐like). The GM‐like protein set in GBM tissue was associated with necrosis, recurrence, and worse overall survival. Through proteogenomics, we discovered 252 non‐canonical peptides in the GSCs, i.e., protein sequences that are variant or derive from genome regions previously considered non‐protein‐coding, including variants of the heterogeneous ribonucleoproteins implicated in RNA splicing. In summary, GSCs express two protein sets that have an inverse association with clinical outcomes in GBM. The discovery of non‐canonical protein sequences questions existing gene models and pinpoints new protein targets for research in GBM.
Cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumor DNA depicts profiling of brain metastasis in NSCLC
Authors: Wu Jun , Liu Zhiqiang , Huang Tianxiang , Wang Ying , Song Meng Meng , Song Tao , Long Gretchen , Zhang Xiaobing , Li Xi , Zhang Longbo
Published: December 2022

Brain metastasis (BM) genetically diverges from the primary tumor in non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hence, accurately capturing clinically relevant alterations is pivotal for the delivery of targeted therapies. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing has emerged as a promising liquid biopsy in the biomarker‐based clinical management of recurrent and extracranial metastatic NSCLC. However, the absence of simultaneous sequencing data from brain metastatic sites prevents the definitive evaluation of the efficacy of ctDNA in representing genetic profiles in BM. Here, we performed parallel genomic comparisons between matched BM and primary tumor DNA, plasma ctDNA, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ctDNA. The results indicated that CSF ctDNA had a greater ability than plasma ctDNA to comprehensively represent the mutational landscape of BM, with CSF ctDNA detecting all BM mutations in 83.33% of patients, while plasma ctDNA was only 27.78%. Mutant allele frequency (MAF) in CSF ctDNA was highly correlated with the tumor size of BM (r = 0.95), and the mean MAF in CSF ctDNA was higher than that in plasma ctDNA (38.05% vs. 4.57%, respectively). MAF and tumor mutational burden in CSF ctDNA were strongly associated with those in BM (r = 0.96 and 0.97, respectively). Of note, CSF ctDNA had significantly higher concordance with BM than plasma ctDNA (99.33% vs. 67.44%), facilitating the identification of clinically relevant mutations. Moreover, we found that plasma ctDNA has stronger profiling performance, with a concordance of 93.01% in multiple brain metastases, equivalent to CSF ctDNA. Collectively, our study indicates that CSF ctDNA is superior to plasma ctDNA in accurately representing the profiling of single BM. Plasma ctDNA could be an alternative liquid biopsy material to be applied in multiple brain metastatic NSCLC.
Integrated analysis of racial disparities in genomic architecture identifies a trans‐ancestry prognostic subtype in bladder cancer
Authors: Zhang Baifeng , Jia Peilin , Wang Jiayin , Pei Guangsheng , Wang Changxi , Pei Shimei , Li Xiangchun , Zhao Zhongming , Yi Xin , Guan Xin‐yuan , Huang Yi
Published: December 2022

The incidence of bladder cancer and patient survival vary greatly among different populations, but the influence of the associated molecular features and evolutionary processes on its clinical treatment and prognostication remains unknown. Here, we analyze the genomic architectures of 505 bladder cancer patients from Asian/Black/White populations. We identify a previously unknown association between AHNAK mutations and activity of the APOBEC‐a mutational signature, the activity of which varied substantially across populations. All significantly mutated genes but only half of arm‐level somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) are enriched with clonal events, indicating large‐scale SCNAs as rich sources of bladder cancer clonal diversities. The prevalence of TP53 and ATM clonal mutations as well as the associated burden of SCNAs is significantly higher in Whites/Blacks than in Asians. We identify a trans‐ancestry prognostic subtype of bladder cancer characterized by enrichment of non‐muscle‐invasive patients and muscle‐invasive patients with good prognosis, increased CREBBP/FGFR3/HRAS/NFE2L2 mutations, decreased intra‐tumor heterogeneity and genome instability, and an activated tumor microenvironment.
Fully automatic tumor segmentation of breast ultrasound images with deep learning
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Liao Mei , Wang Jing , Zhu Yongyi , Zhang Yanling , Zhang Jian , Zheng Rongqin , Lv Linyang , Zhu Dejiang , Chen Hao , Wang Wei
Published: December 2022

Background

Breast ultrasound (BUS) imaging is one of the most prevalent approaches for the detection of breast cancers. Tumor segmentation of BUS images can facilitate doctors in localizing tumors and is a necessary step for computer‐aided diagnosis systems. While the majority of clinical BUS scans are normal ones without tumors, segmentation approaches such as U‐Net often predict mass regions for these images. Such false‐positive problem becomes serious if a fully automatic artificial intelligence system is used for routine screening.

Methods

In this study, we proposed a novel model which is more suitable for routine BUS screening. The model contains a classification branch that determines whether the image is normal or with tumors, and a segmentation branch that outlines tumors. Two branches share the same encoder network. We also built a new dataset that contains 1600 BUS images from 625 patients for training and a testing dataset with 130 images from 120 patients for testing. The dataset is the largest one with pixel‐wise masks manually segmented by experienced radiologists. Our code is available at https://github.com/szhangNJU/BUS_segmentation.

Results

The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for classifying images into normal/abnormal categories was 0.991. The dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for segmentation of mass regions was 0.898, better than the state‐of‐the‐art models. Testing on an external dataset gave a similar performance, demonstrating a good transferability of our model. Moreover, we simulated the use of the model in actual clinic practice by processing videos recorded during BUS scans; the model gave very low false‐positive predictions on normal images without sacrificing sensitivities for images with tumors.

Conclusions

Our model achieved better segmentation performance than the state‐of‐the‐art models and showed a good transferability on an external test set. The proposed deep learning architecture holds potential for use in fully automatic BUS health screening.
SAMHSA‐funded OTP census reveals 91% of patients get liquid methadone
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: December 2022

An extraordinary (because it is the first time documenting actual patients) research project, a census of all patients in all opioid treatment programs (OTPs), has been under way by the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) and the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD). Last week, the two organizations released the results of the census, which was conducted on all OTPs certified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (1,826 OTPs) and had an 85% response rate (1,547 OTPs). A total of 512,224 patients in OTPs were reflected in the survey, which is not an extrapolation — it is a head‐by‐head count, not patient‐identified. The State Opioid Treatment Authorities (SOTAs), part of NASADAD, helped collect the data.
Digital provider delivering bupe sets out to be long‐term presence with VC funding
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: December 2022

A digital opioid addiction treatment program that as of late 2021 had raised around $68 million in capital financing has made it clear that it sees buprenorphine treatment delivered virtually as a permanent solution to the opioid crisis, rather than a pandemic‐era stopgap.
Part 2 update: NPRM raises many concerns
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: December 2022

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its plan for revamping 42 CFR Part 2, the confidentiality regulation protecting alcohol and drug use treatment records (see “HHS issues NPRM on 42 CFR Part 2,” ADAW, Dec. 5; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adaw.33628). The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) officially last week; we covered it based on the draft. There were no significant changes between the draft and the final. Both significantly weaken privacy protections.
Marijuana research bill signed into law
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: December 2022

Last week, President Biden signed H.R. 8454, the “Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act,” into law.
National dashboard to track nonfatal opioid ODs
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: December 2022

Last week, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), launched a national data dashboard of nonfatal opioid overdoses across the country. A person who is rescued from an opioid overdose is more than twice as likely to die from an opioid overdose in the future, said ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta, M.D., in announcing the dashboard Dec. 7.
Monolithic Perovskite/Silicon Tandems with >28% Efficiency: Role of Silicon‐Surface Texture on Perovskite Properties
Authors: De Bastiani Michele , Jalmood Rawan , Liu Jiang , Ossig Christina , Vlk Aleš , Vegso Karol , Babics Maxime , Isikgor Furkan H. , Selvin Anand S. , Azmi Randi , Ugur Esma , Banerjee Swarnendu , Mirabelli Alessandro J. , Aydin Erkan , Allen Thomas G. , Ur Rehman Atteq , Van Kerschaver Emmanuel , Siffalovic Peter , Stuckelberger Michael E. , Ledinsky Martin , De Wolf Stefaan
Published: December 2022

Textured silicon wafers used in silicon solar cell manufacturing offer superior light trapping, which is a critical enabler for high‐performance photovoltaics. A similar optical benefit can be obtained in monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, enhancing the current output of the silicon bottom cell. Yet, such complex silicon surfaces may affect the structural and optoelectronic properties of the overlying perovskite films. Here, through extensive characterization based on optical and microstructural spectroscopy, it is found that the main effect of such substrate morphology lies in an altering of the photoluminescence response of the perovskite, which is associated with thickness variations of the perovskite, rather than lattice strain or compositional changes. With this understanding, the design of high‐performance perovskite/silicon tandems is rationalized, yielding certified power conversion efficiencies of >28%.
Rational Design of Transition Metal Phosphide‐Based Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Liu Dong , Xu Guangyu , Yang Huan , Wang Haitao , Xia Bao Yu
Published: December 2022

Developing efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical to the commercial viability of electrochemical clean energy technologies. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs), with the merits of abundant reserves, unique structure, tunable composition, and high electronic conductivity, are recognized as attractive HER catalytic materials. Nevertheless, the HER electrocatalytic activity of TMPs is still limited by various thorough issues and inherent performance bottlenecks. In this review, these issues are carefully sorted, and the corresponding reasonable explanations and solutions are elucidated on the basis of the HER catalytic activity origins of TMPs. Subsequently, highly targeted multiscale strategies to improve the HER performance of TMPs are comprehensively presented. Additionally, critical scientific issues for constructing high‐efficiency TMP‐based electrocatalysts are proposed. Finally, the HER reaction process, catalytic mechanism research, TMP‐based catalyst construction, and their application expansion are mentioned as challenges and future directions for this research field. Expectedly, this review offers professional and targeted guidelines for the rational design and practical application of TMP‐based HER catalysts.
Biodegradable Materials for Transient Organic Transistors
Authors: Stephen Meera , Nawaz Ali , Lee Sang Yeon , Sonar Prashant , Leong Wei Lin
Published: December 2022

Electronic devices that can physically disappear in a controlled manner without harmful by‐products unveil a wide range of opportunities in medical devices, environmental monitoring, and next‐generation consumer electronics. Their property of transience is indispensable for mitigating the global problem of electronic waste accumulation. Additionally, transient technologies that are biocompatible and can be biologically resorbed are of great potential for applications in temporary medical implants, since it eliminates the need for expensive device recovery surgery. Transistors are the key building blocks of modern electronics, and their fabrication using organic materials is beneficial due to their low cost, unprecedented flexibility and facile processing. This contribution reviews the technological application of biodegradable materials in four major classes of organic transistors, namely organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs), organic synaptic transistors, electrolyte‐gated OFETs, and organic electrochemical transistors. The fundamental biodegradation mechanism is discussed in detail, followed by a perspective of various biodegradable materials utilized as active semiconductors, dielectrics, electrolytes and substrates in the various types of organic transistor devices. This contribution comprehensively discusses the role and application of biodegradable materials in all of the key modern‐day organic transistors, highlighting their unique properties that allow the fabrication of biodegradable, eco‐friendly, and sustainable devices.
Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of In Situ Grown MOF‐Derived Oriented Zr‐Mn‐oxide and Solution‐Free CuO as Hybrid Electrode for Supercapacitors
Authors: Hussain Iftikhar , Sahoo Sumanta , Hussain Tanveer , Ahmad Muhammad , Javed Muhammad Sufyan , Lamiel Charmaine , Gu Shuai , Kaewmaraya Thanayut , Sayed Mostafa Saad , Zhang Kaili
Published: December 2022

Recently metal‐organic framework (MOF) derived electrode materials have grown considerable research interest in the field of supercapacitor (SC) technology. Herein, MOF‐derived Zr‐Mn‐oxide is successively combined with solution‐free CuO nanowires not only to avoid the structural limitations of MOF but also to fabricate a positive‐negative hybrid electrode material. The MOF‐derived mixed metal oxide prepared through in situ fabrication allows the uniform and unidirectional growth of oriented Zr‐Mn‐oxide@CuO@Cu. The hybrid electrode exhibited over 100% stability after 20,000 cycles in a three‐electrode setup with a wide potential window range of 1.2 V (−0.6 to 0.6 V). Further, the obtained Zr‐Mn‐oxide@CuO@Cu hybrid electrode exhibited 14.1‐ and 5.5‐fold higher capacity over its MOF‐derived Zr‐Mn‐oxide counterpart (−0.6 to 0.1 V) and CuO (0.0 to 0.5 V), respectively. Additionally, the hybrid device with hybrid Zr‐Mn‐oxide@CuO@Cu as the positive electrode and reduced graphene oxide as the negative electrode also displayed promising energy and power densities. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations are employed to study the hybrid electrode material's properties. Overall, the unidirectional and vertically aligned MOF‐derived Zr‐Mn‐oxide@CuO@Cu hybrid electrode material with notable electrochemical performance can be useful for the fabrication of next‐generation supercapacitor electrodes.
Bioinspired Dynamic Camouflage in Programmable Thermochromic‐Patterned Photonic Films for Sophisticated Anti‐Counterfeiting
Authors: Wu Yue , Sun Ruikang , Ren Jie , Zhang Shufen , Wu Suli
Published: December 2022

Although the encrypted anti‐counterfeiting technology based on infiltration‐controlled photonic crystals has attracted widespread attention, the information has only hidden and display states. The more diverse and complex encryption effect requires a continuous and programmable color transformation. Inspired by the dynamic camouflage in chameleons and cephalopods, a programmable thermochromic patterned photonic film is developed for encrypted anti‐counterfeiting, which is constructed by infiltrating thermoresponsive poly(oligo ethylene glycol acrylate) copolymers in SiO2‐coated ZnS photonic crystals. The responsive temperature range is determined by the lower critical solution temperature of filled copolymers, which is tunable by controlling the ratios of different monomers in copolymerization. Based on this, the responsive range is adjusted to 5–55 °C and decoding temperature is set at 20 °C. The pattern is hidden either when the water temperature is >55 °C or <5 °C. Only when the water temperature accurately matches the decoding temperature (20 °C), do the different areas display the preset colors, resulting in the complete pattern being revealed. The design of this programmable thermochromic patterned photonic film indicates a new direction for the encrypted anti‐counterfeiting technology, which can carry more abundant information and encrypt them more complex and sophisticated.
Enhanced Charge Transfer Kinetics for the Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide on Silver Electrodes Functionalized with Cationic Surfactants
Authors: Teh Wei Jie , Kolb Manuel J. , Calle‐Vallejo Federico , Yeo Boon Siang
Published: December 2022

Cationic ammonium surfactants can be used together with a suitable catalyst to enhance the electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR). However, the underlying reasons for the improvements are not yet well understood. In this study, it is shown that didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB; [(C12H25)2N(CH3)2]Br), when added to the catholyte, can increase the rate of CO2 reduction to CO on silver electrodes by 12‐fold at −0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. More importantly, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that DDAB lowers the charge transfer resistance (RCT) for CO2RR on silver, and these changes can be correlated with enhancements in partial current densities of CO. Interestingly, when DDAB is added onto two other CO‐producing metals, namely, zinc and gold, the CO2RR charge transfer kinetics are improved only on Zn, but not on Au electrodes. By means of a semiempirical model combining density functional theory calculations and experimental data, it is concluded that DDAB generally strengthens the adsorption energies of the *COOH intermediate, which leads to enhanced CO production on silver and zinc, but not on gold.
Revealing the Reactant Mediation Role of Low‐Valence Mo for Accelerated Urea‐Assisted Water Splitting
Authors: Zhou Yue , Wang Yanmin , Kong Deqiang , Zhao Qianqian , Zhao Lei , Zhang Jialin , Chen Xuemin , Li Yanan , Xu Yan , Meng Chao
Published: December 2022

Construction of bifunctional catalysts with balanced adsorption toward multiple reactants and intermediates is crucial for efficient urea‐assisted water splitting. Nickel Sulfide (NiS) is considered as a promising choice for both urea oxidation reaction (UOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), whereas the highly occupied d orbital of Ni sites results in too weak reactant adsorption to achieve satisfactory bifunctionality. Herein, considering the adsorption‐energy scaling limitations, another Mo4+ site with empty d orbital is introduced into NiS crumpled nanoflowers as a reactant mediator for accelerated urea electrolysis. Based on the in situ characterizations and theoretical calculations, a dual‐center catalytic mechanism is proposed that the Mo4+ sites govern the reactant adsorption, subsequently cooperate with nearby Ni sites to promote the reactant dissociation, intermediate formation, and product desorption. The crumpled flower‐like nanostructure also provides abundant active sites and rapid mass transfer. Consequently, the Mo‐NiS exhibits excellent UOR/HER bifunctionality in an anion‐exchange membrane (AEM) flow electrolyzer. Compared with the pure‐water electrolysis system, the urea‐assisted water electrolyzer saves 15% energy to produce hydrogen. Besides, this electrolyzer obtains an ampere‐level current density of 1 A cm−2 at the cell voltage of 2.0 V, about 2.56 times higher than that of the assembly of RuO2||Pt/C, and robust durability.
Recent Progress in Functional Dye‐Doped Liquid Crystal Devices
Authors: Shen Wenbo , Zhang Huimin , Miao Zongcheng , Ye Zihui
Published: December 2022

As a typical representative of dopants, organic functional dyes have demonstrated their significant roles in novel smart liquid crystal (LC) devices, and dye‐doped LCs have also been a source of inspiration for scientists to design and fabricate stimuli‐gated materials or devices for envisioned applications in a wide range of areas. In this review, the focus on dichroic dyes, fluorescent dyes, and photothermal dyes, and the recent progress of the LC devices employing these dyes as dopants are overviewed. The review highlights the developments of the novel LC devices doped with these dyes. The structures, designs, and applications of these devices are outlined. The underlying principles of dichroic dyes, fluorescent dyes, and photothermal dyes which are utilized as functional dopants in LC devices are first introduced. Subsequently, the novel developments of functional dye‐doped LC devices in the application fields of smart windows, attenuators for augmented reality (AR) systems, color‐changeable textiles, dichroic color filters, dual‐mode circular polarizers, chirality detectors, optical limiters, switchable luminescent solar concentrators, multiple information encryption, anti‐counterfeiting, photo‐addressed transparent displays, circularly polarized luminescence, tunable lasers, and light‐driven soft actuators are discussed. Finally, the challenge and the strategies for the future improvement of dye‐doped LC devices are also discussed.
Recent Advances on Nanocrystals Embedding for High Performance Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Li Huixin , Guo Pengfei , Wang Hongyue , Guo Yangyang , Wei Yang , Cao Fengren , Li Liang , Wang Hongqiang
Published: December 2022

Interfacial loss arising from defect trapping, contact barrier, and energy level alignment in the emerged perovskite solar cells (PSCs), is one of the most important issues to address for both improved photoconversion efficiency and long‐term operational stability. The recent endeavors on the interfacial embedding of nanocrystals (NCs) in desired locations of PSCs have shown great success in terms of eliminating the interfacial loss in PSCs, while there is a lack of review to summarize the advances of NCs embedding for improved carrier dynamics and inhibited environmental degradation. Present study systematically analyzes the recent achievements on the embedding of a series of NCs including carbon dots, perovskite NCs, II‐VI semiconductor NCs, metal/alloy NCs, which are intentionally introduced in desired layers/interfaces of PSCs. The specific functionality of the NCs embedding including carrier dynamic modulation, crystallinity enhancement, defect passivation, light trapping, and stability enhancement are sorted out, according to the requirement of each layer in PSCs. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of NCs embedding for perovskite‐based optoelectronic devices is outlook. The present study provides a guide for developing NCs‐based additives for high‐performance PSCs is believed.
Dense Platinum/Nickel Oxide Heterointerfaces with Abundant Oxygen Vacancies Enable Ampere‐Level Current Density Ultrastable Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline
Authors: Wang Kaixi , Wang Shuo , Hui Kwan San , Li Junfeng , Zha Chenyang , Dinh Duc Anh , Shao Zongping , Yan Bo , Tang Zikang , Hui Kwun Nam
Published: December 2022

Platinum (Pt) remains the benchmark electrocatalyst for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but its industry‐scale hydrogen production is severely hampered by the lack of well‐designed durable Pt‐based materials that can operate at ampere‐level current densities. Herein, based on the original oxide layer and parallel convex structure on the surface of nickel foam (NF), a 3D quasi‐parallel architecture consisting of dense Pt nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized oxygen vacancy‐rich NiOx heterojunctions (Pt/NiOx‐OV) as an alkaline HER catalyst is developed. A combined experimental and theoretical studies manifest that anchoring Pt NPs on NiOx‐OV leads to electron‐rich Pt species with altered density of states (DOS) distribution, which can efficiently optimize the d‐band center and the adsorption of reaction intermediates as well as enhance the water dissociation ability. The as‐prepared catalyst exhibits extraordinary HER performance with a low overpotential of 19.4 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a mass activity 16.3‐fold higher than that of 20% Pt/C, and a long durability of more than 100 h at 1000 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the assembled alkaline electrolyzer combined with NiFe‐layered double hydroxide requires extremely low voltage of 1.776 V to attain 1000 mA cm−2, and can operate stably for more than 400 h, which is rarely achieved.
Restraining Shuttle Effect in Rechargeable Batteries by Multifunctional Zeolite Coated Separator
Authors: Li Zhengang , Zhou Shiyuan , Wu Xiaohong , Zhang Baodan , Yu Xiaoyu , Pei Fei , Liao Hong‐Gang , Qiao Yu , Zhou Haoshen , Sun Shi‐Gang
Published: December 2022

The detrimental shuttle of soluble species from cathode to anode inside battery, is a critical thorn limiting stability and reversibility of rechargeable battery. Herein, an ordered pore‐window of zeolite molecular sieve is employed to effectively block shuttle of soluble matters, and prepared zeolite powder into thin zeolite layer (5 µm thick) coated on celgard separator (zeolite@celgard) with flexible and grid‐scale fabrication features. External pressure is applied to press zeolite@celgard to reduce existed interparticle gaps among zeolite particles. The separation function toward soluble species and attached H2O scavenger role of zeolite@celgard are demonstrated via 1H/19F Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra, Inductive Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer and X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy results collected from Li/LiMn2O4 battery, time‐dependent in situ Raman tests in Li/S battery, and penetration experiments of redox mediator shuttle in Li/O2 battery. Replacing typically‐used celgard/glassfiber separators, a series of side reactions (active material outflowing, low coulombic efficiency, and anode corrosion) induced via shuttle of soluble species are addressed, resulting in battery performance improvement of Li/LiMn2O4, Li/S, and Li/O2 batteries. Both scientific hypothesis of utilizing pore‐size effect of zeolite for physically block soluble species, and cost‐effective, grid‐scale, and flexible zeolite‐based separators can be extended to other rechargeable battery systems based on flowing/soluble species.
Magnetic Large‐Mesoporous Nanoreactors Enable Enzymatically Regulated Background‐Free and Persistently Signalling Diseases Diagnosis
Authors: Li Juan , Huang Jinhua , Jiang Yongjian , Wu Limin , Deng Yonghui
Published: December 2022

Diverse diseases and increasing prevalence pose a serious threat to public health. Point‐of‐care testing (POCT) techniques have imposed superior requirements over sensitivity, selectivity, robustness, affordability, and high‐throughput. However, transient signal, complex sample pretreatment, and low signal‐to‐noise ratio make POCT severely limited in detection accuracy, efficiency, and sensitivity. Here, an enzyme‐assisted magnetic large‐mesoporous nanoreactor (FS) is constructed for achieving persistent‐chemiluminescence signal output and eliminating matrix interference in disease diagnosis. The core‐shell structured FS synthesized via an interface coassembly method exhibits uniform size, large and open mesopores (≈22 nm), and intrinsic magnetic separability. Such unique FS acts as efficient nanoreactor for confined cascade reactions enable efficient persistent‐chemiluminescence (pCL) signal transduction and high‐SNR chromogenic analysis of diverse biomarkers. The developed pCL assays facilitate high‐sensitive determination of chronic disease biomarkers glucose and uric acid with detection limits (DL) of 5.4 mg L−1 and 151.2 ng L−1, respectively. The proposed chromogenic immunoassay enables an ultrasensitive and visual determination of alpha‐fetoprotein with a DL of 1.2 ng L−1, which is superior to previously published immunoassays. The feasibility of the developed methods for real‐world applications are demonstrated in 159 clinical serum samples, and the determination results agree well with the clinical data. The proposed technique is expected to promote highly sensitive disease diagnosis in primary medical institutions and resource‐limited areas since not relying on expensive automatic sampling and testing instruments. The good flexibility of the customizable nanoreactor makes it a powerful tool for developing various POCT techniques for rapid, sensitive, and accurate diseases diagnosis.
Biofabrication of Modular Spheroids as Tumor‐Scale Microenvironments for Drug Screening
Authors: Mekhileri Naveen Vijayan , Major Gretel , Lim Khoon , Mutreja Isha , Chitcholtan Kenny , Phillips Elisabeth , Hooper Gary , Woodfield Tim
Published: December 2022

To streamline the drug discovery pipeline, there is a pressing need for preclinical models which replicate the complexity and scale of native tumors. While there have been advancements in the formation of microscale tumor units, these models are cell‐line dependent, time‐consuming and have not improved clinical trial success rates. In this study, two methods for generating 3D tumor microenvironments are compared, rapidly fabricated hydrogel microspheres and traditional cell‐dense spheroids. These modules are then bioassembled into 3D printed thermoplastic scaffolds, using an automated biofabrication process, to form tumor‐scale models. Modules are formed with SKOV3 and HFF cells as monocultures and cocultures, and the fabrication efficiency, cell architecture, and drug response profiles are characterized, both as single modules and as multimodular constructs. Cell‐encapsulated Gel‐MA microspheres are fabricated with high‐reproducibility and dimensions necessary for automated tumor‐scale bioassembly regardless of cell type, however, only cocultured spheroids form compact modules suitable for bioassembly. Chemosensitivity assays demonstrate the reduced potency of doxorubicin in coculture bioassembled constructs and a ≈five‐fold increase in drug resistance of cocultured cells in 3D modules compared with 2D monolayers. This bioassembly system is efficient and tailorable so that a variety of relevant‐sized tumor constructs could be developed to study tumorigenesis and modernize drug discovery.
Reactive Oxygen Species‐Triggered Hydrogen Sulfide Release and Cancer‐Selective Antiproliferative Effect of Anethole Dithiolethione‐Containing Polymeric Micelles
Authors: van der Vlies André J. , Ghasemi Masoud , Adair Bernadette M. , Adair James H. , Gomez Enrique D. , Hasegawa Urara
Published: December 2022

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gaseous signaling molecule in the human body and has attracted attention in cancer therapy due to its regulatory roles in cancer cell proliferation and migration. Accumulating evidence suggests that continuous delivery of H2S to cancer cells for extended periods of time suppresses cancer progression. However, one major challenge in therapeutic applications of H2S is its controlled delivery. To solve this problem, polymeric micelles are developed containing H2S donating‐anethole dithiolethione (ADT) groups, with H2S release profiles optimal for suppressing cancer cell proliferation. The micelles release H2S upon oxidation by reactive oxygens species (ROS) that are present inside the cells. The H2S release profiles can be controlled by changing the polymer design. Furthermore, the micelles that show a moderate H2S release rate exert the strongest anti‐proliferative effect in human colon cancer cells in in vitro assays as well as the chick chorioallantoic membrane cancer model, while the micelles do not affect proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. This study shows the importance of fine‐tuning H2S release profiles using a micelle approach for realizing the full therapeutic potential of H2S in cancer treatment.