bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La dualidad en la ficción televisiva fantástica. Análisis ideológico de The Passage y The Society
Authors:   Universidad de Sevilla (España), Donstrup Mayte , Algaba Cristina ,   Universidad Loyola Andalucía (España)
Published: January 2021

La dualidad o tema del doble emerge de la ficción literaria, cinematográfica y televisiva como parte de una construcción mental mítica presente en la psique del hombre. El presente trabajo se propone estudiar cómo se refleja esta dualidad en la ficción televisiva actual a través del análisis crítico del discurso ideológico de dos series: The Society (Netflix, 2019) y The Passage (Fox, 2019). Con esta aportación se visibiliza la presencia de elementos ideológicos en las series de televisión del género fantástico, así como la importancia de su estudio y comparación con otras producciones de ficción dentro de un periodo de emisión concreto.
Génesis de la publicidad técnica en España. El caso de El Bazar Murciano (1892-1929)
Authors:   Universidad Católica de Murcia España), Arroyo Cabello María
Published: January 2021

La publicidad técnica comienza a gestarse en España en el primer tercio del siglo XX, impulsada por Pedro Prat Gaballí, seguidor de la publicidad científica que Claude Hopkins desarrollaba en Estados Unidos. En ese contexto, este artículo aborda la actividad publicitaria de un comerciante que a finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX lleva a cabo estrategias publicitarias modernas, todavía innominadas. El descubrimiento de contenido de marca en El Bazar Murciano, órgano de prensa (house organ) del comercio del mismo nombre, plantea el estudio desde la inédita perspectiva publicitaria en el contexto económico, social y cultural del momento. La metodología utilizada en este trabajo consiste en la revisión hemerográfica del periódico anual El Bazar Murciano desde su fundación en 1892 hasta su cese en 1929. En total son 38 ejemplares, que se encuentran digitalizados en el Archivo Municipal de Murcia. Para la muestra se han seleccionado seis textos representativos del elenco de colaboraciones, a los que se les ha aplicado un análisis de contenido para evidenciar que se trata de un órgano de prensa que responde a la estrategia publicitaria de información de marca. Los resultados revelan que el fundador de El Bazar Murciano creó uno de los primeros house organs que se editaron en España, un periódico pionero en aplicar el contenido de marca optimizando el auge del periodismo literario, costumbrista y humorístico del primer tercio del siglo XX.
Enseñanza del periodismo transmedia en Colombia, una experiencia pedagógica con estudiantes universitarios
Authors:   Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano (Colombia), Nieto Borda Nelson
Published: January 2021

Este artículo socializa la sistematización de la experiencia pedagógica de la enseñanza del periodismo transmedia con base en el proceso de Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas (ABP), utilizado con estudiantes de periodismo de la Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano en los años 2016 y 2017. En su abordaje, los estudiantes trabajaron en la propuesta, investigación, producción y publicación de contenidos periodísticos, un ejercicio que tuvo como objetivo principal facilitar la comprensión teórica y práctica de los procesos convergentes, la producción de narrativas periodísticas y la interacción con las audiencias. La sistematización se sustenta en la observación de once proyectos en las etapas de conceptualización, producción de medios y contenidos a nivel narrativo y tecnológico, así como la gestión de redes sociales y la realización de actividades en escenarios no digitales. Asimismo, se basa en la valoración de la percepción de aprendizaje otorgada por los estudiantes de los grupos de proyecto. Estas observaciones permiten afirmar que el ABP resulta clave para lograr un aprendizaje significativo e integral; este método desarrolla habilidades en materia de estrategia, producción técnica y periodística para la multiplataforma, y otorga a los estudiantes competencias para relacionarse con sus audiencias. Del mismo modo, evidencia que el periodismo transmedia, desde la academia, necesita ser complementado y articulado sinérgicamente con otras propuestas y espacios mediáticos de formación, más allá del salón de clase. Este documento aporta elementos a considerar en la configuración de estrategias educativas en la enseñanza-aprendizaje del periodismo transmedia
Lifelong Learning Policies and Provisions for Senior Citizens in India: An Overview
Authors: Mittal Ruchi , Misra Pradeep Kumar
Published: January 2021

The population of senior citizens is on the rise in India. Keeping senior citizens engaged and active throughout their lives is a challenge that can be met by offering need-based lifelong learning opportunities to them. Senior citizens, in addition to their will and efforts, need support from the government and community to engage in lifelong learning in a productive and meaningful manner. Therefore, the right kind of policies and opportunities can help senior citizens practice lifelong learning and have maximum benefit. This paper analyses significant policies and provisions related to senior citizens' lifelong learning since India's independence in 1947. Based on this analysis, the paper suggests potential measures to realize the vision of 'Lifelong Learning for All Senior Citizens' in India.
Curcumin: Natural Antimicrobial and Anti Inflammatory Agent
Authors: Belma Pehlivanović , Kenan Čaklovica , Dina Lagumdžija , Naida Omerović , Nermina Žiga Smajić , Selma Škrbo , Fahir Bečić
Published: January 2021

The pursuance of novel antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents has been expanding due to a significant need for more efficient pharmacotherapy of various infections and chronic diseases. During the last decade, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacological properties of curcumin have been extensively studied. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of curcumin against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as its antifungal activity by using in vitro agar well diffusion assay. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin was determined with in vitro assay of inhibition of protein denaturation. Results demonstrated wide antimicrobial activity of curcumin upon all of the test bacteria and fungi. The strongest activity of curcumin was observed at a concentration of 0.50 mg/ml against S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans, resulting in a maximum zone of inhibition of 14.7 mm, 14.3 mm, 13.7 mm, 10.7 mm and 10.7 mm, respectively. Findings suggested that the antimicrobial activity of curcuminis dependent upon the concentrations. Furthermore, results demonstrated high effectiveness of curcumin compared to standard acetylsalicylic acid in inhibiting heat-induced protein denaturation, which activity is also depended upon the concentrations. The present study emphasises the potential application of curcumin as a natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent. However, findings of this study are restricted to in vitro assays and consideration should be given to conducting a study involving wider dose range test substances as well as including further research on in vivo models.
Antidermatophytic Activity of Essential Oils from Plants
Authors: Saxena Pankaj
Published: January 2021

Superficial mycoses are the strictly surface infections involving skin, hair, nails and mucosa. It is caused by dermatophytes that infect only keratin rich tissues without involving the living tissue and they are incapable of penetrating subcutaneous tissues. Ringworm or Dermatophytosis is found world-wide with most prevalence in hot climatic countries. Nowadays, the increasing impact of these infections, the limitations encountered in their treatment like antibiotic resistance, side-effects and high toxicity and the rising over prescription and overuse of conventional antifungals all stimulate a search for alternative natural drugs. In general, plant-derived essential oils are non-phytotoxic and potentially effective against all fungal pathogens & dermatophytes. They can be used as a natural therapy to inhibit the growth of these fungal pathogens. In recent years there has been a gradual revival of interest in the use of medicinal products such as essential oil and other botanical products in response to the ever increasing incidence of adverse side effects associated with conventional drugs, high cost medicines, long duration of treatment time and emergence of resistance to antifungal drugs especially in case of dermatophytosis.
Anti-Inflammatory Formulation and Characterization of an Herbal Formulation
Authors: Pattnaik Snigdha , Moharana Laxmidhar
Published: January 2021

Anti-inflammatory refers to group of medication that is utilized for curing pain and inflammation. Many synthetic products are used as anti-inflammatory agents but the effects caused by them is not satisfactory. Cordis obliqua is an anti-inflammatory herb that is enormously involved in pain reduction. The present paper aims to develop a topical gel formulation comprising herbs i.e. Cordis obliqua and curcumin with potent anti-inflammatory activity. The gel formulation was then subjected to characterization studies which involve pH, viscosity, excrudability, spreadability and in vitro analysis. pH of gel formulation was found to be 7.2±1.01 which is almost equivalent to the skin pH. In viscosity test, it was observed that viscosity of gel formulation was found to be effective. Moreover, spreadability co-efficient of the formulation satisfactory which indicates that sanitizer gel easily adhers on the skin and covers the bacteria residing on the skin, if any.
Recent Advances and Developments in Hyphenated Techniques and their Applications
Authors: Wilson Jero Victor , Karthikeyan L. V. , Parida Shubham Kumar , Nath Bikash Chandra , Jeyaprakash M. R.
Published: January 2021

Background: A hyphenated technique is blend or coupling of two distinctive analytical methods like chromatographic and spectral methods with appropriate interface.

Objective: This article describes about the various hyphenated techniques, a brief note on their instrumentation and working principles that are used in the current setup of industries. Like-wise their remarkable improvement and efficiency over the past decade. The techniques like single quadrupole inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-Q-MS), ICP- Triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QQQ), Liquid chromatography-Two -dimensional Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-GCXGC-MS/MS), Two dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC), Fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR) ,etc. are considered as recent improvements in this trend.

Conclusion: This development in the hyphenated techniques supports in different scientific fields, biomedical research, food and drug analysis. In addition to this improvement produced remarkable dimensional changes in the natural product analysis and elemental specifications.
Sustainable Dough‐Based Gel Electrolytes for Aqueous Energy Storage Devices
Authors: Wang Rui , Yao Minjie , Huang Shuo , Tian Jinlei , Niu Zhiqiang
Published: January 2021

Polymer gel electrolytes are usually utilized in various energy storage devices due to their advantages of excellent ionic conductivity and outstanding mechanical properties. However, they are often not biodegradable and lose their flexibility and electrochemical performance during the dehydration/hydration process. Herein, sustainable dough‐based gel electrolytes with high biosafety and environmental friendliness are developed. In the dough electrolytes, gluten molecules connect with each other through disulfide bonds to construct gluten network and water that contains abundant ions adheres on it to achieve a continuous ion transport pathway. Therefore, the dough electrolytes possess outstanding mechanical properties and excellent ionic conductivities. More impressively, they also exhibit the ability to recover their electrochemical and mechanical performance after dehydration/hydration cycles as well as the self‐adhering, degradable, and edible behaviors. As a proof of concept, the dough electrolytes are used in supercapacitors and zinc‐ion batteries. The resultant devices display comparable electrochemical performance in comparison with the counterparts with polymer gel electrolytes. Furthermore, the multiple functions of dough electrolytes are also integrated into the supercapacitors and zinc‐ion batteries devices. This work provides a promising route to design highly sustainable gel electrolytes for different aqueous energy storage devices.
3D Particle‐Free Printing of Biocompatible Conductive Hydrogel Platforms for Neuron Growth and Electrophysiological Recording
Authors: Wang Chen , Rubakhin Stanislav S. , Enright Michael J. , Sweedler Jonathan V. , Nuzzo Ralph G.
Published: January 2021

Electrically conductive 3D periodic microscaffolds are fabricated using a particle‐free direct ink writing approach for use as neuronal growth and electrophysiological recording platforms. A poly (2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/pyrrole ink, followed by chemical in situ polymerization of pyrrole, enables hydrogel printing through nozzles as small as 1 µm. These conductive hydrogels can pattern complex 2D and 3D structures and have good biocompatibility with test cell cultures (≈94.5% viability after 7 days). Hydrogel arrays promote extensive neurite outgrowth of cultured Aplysia californica pedal ganglion neurons. This platform allows extracellular electrophysiological recording of steady‐state and stimulated electrical neuronal activities. In summation, this 3D conductive ink printing process enables the preparation of biocompatible and micron‐sized structures to create customized in vitro electrophysiological recording platforms.
Precision in Thermal Therapy: Clinical Requirements and Solutions from Nanotechnology
Authors: Gschwend Pascal M. , Hintze Justin M. , Herrmann Inge K. , Pratsinis Sotiris E. , Starsich Fabian H. L.
Published: January 2021

The heating of diseased tissue as a therapeutic measure has gained increased clinical attention, mostly due to its target‐specificity that minimizes side effects. However, to ensure a successful therapy, heating has to be homogeneous and highly localized, as well as, within a certain temperature range. Therefore, precise control over thermal treatments is a clinical prerequisite to minimize treatment and safety margins. Although this requirement is mentioned frequently, past research has focused predominantly on improving thermometry resolution and heating efficiency through tedious material optimization. Here, current clinical applications of thermal therapy with their challenges are first highlighted, especially with respect to treatment control and margins. Thereafter, it is quantitatively shown that clinically available thermometry fulfills the requirements and future research should focus on achieving better temperature control instead. With nanotechnology, novel strategies based on self‐limiting nanoparticle systems and particle‐based thermometers with active feed‐back control have also become available and are discussed. All of these approaches are systematically compared and analyzed with respect to their clinical applicability. The extent to which control over thermal therapy is necessary is also discussed alongside a presentation of the existing methods which fulfill the set requirements for clinical success and what issues remain to be tackled by research in the near future.
Naphthalene Monoimide Derivative Ameliorates Amyloid Burden and Cognitive Decline in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Samanta Sourav , Rajasekhar Kolla , Ramesh Madhu , Murugan Natarajan Arul , Alam Shadab , Shah Devanshi , Clement James Premdas , Govindaraju Thimmaiah
Published: January 2021

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Predominantly, misfolding and aggregation of amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides associated with multifaceted toxicity is the neuropathological hallmark of AD pathogenesis and, thus the primary therapeutic target to ameliorate neuronal toxicity and cognitive deficits. Herein, the design, synthesis, and evaluation of small molecule inhibitors with naphthalene monoimide scaffold to ameliorate in vitro and in vivo amyloid induced neurotoxicity are reported. The detailed studies establish TGR63 as the lead candidate to rescue neuronal cells from amyloid toxicity. The in silico studies show the disruption of salt bridges and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions within Aβ42 fibrils by the interaction of TGR63, causing destabilization of Aβ42 assembly. Remarkably, TGR63 treatment shows a significant reduction in cortical and hippocampal amyloid burden in the progressive stages of APP/PS1 AD mice brain. Various behavioral tests demonstrate rescued cognitive deficits. The excellent biocompatibility, blood–brain barrier permeability, and therapeutic efficacy to reduce the amyloid burden make TGR63 a promising candidate for the treatment of AD.
On‐Chip Biogenesis of Circulating NK Cell‐Derived Exosomes in Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer Exhibits Antitumoral Activity
Authors: Kang Yoon‐Tae , Niu Zeqi , Hadlock Thomas , Purcell Emma , Lo Ting‐Wen , Zeinali Mina , Owen Sarah , Keshamouni Venkateshwar G. , Reddy Rishindra , Ramnath Nithya , Nagrath Sunitha
Published: January 2021

As the recognition between natural killer (NK) cells and cancer cells does not require antigen presentation, NK cells are being actively studied for use in adoptive cell therapies in the rapidly evolving armamentarium of cancer immunotherapy. In addition to utilizing NK cells, recent studies have shown that exosomes derived from NK cells also exhibit antitumor properties. Furthermore, these NK cell‐derived exosomes exhibit higher stability, greater modification potentials and less immunogenicity compared to NK cells. Therefore, technologies that allow highly sensitive and specific isolation of NK cells and NK cell‐derived exosomes can enable personalized NK‐mediated cancer therapeutics in the future. Here, a novel microfluidic system to collect patient‐specific NK cells and on‐chip biogenesis of NK‐exosomes is proposed. In a small cohort of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, both NK cells and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were isolated, and it is found NSCLC patients have high numbers of NK and NK‐exosomes compared with healthy donors, and these concentrations show a trend of positive and negative correlations with bloodborne CTC numbers, respectively. It is further demonstrated that the NK‐exosomes harvested from NK‐graphene oxide chip exhibit cytotoxic effect on CTCs. This versatile system is expected to be used for patient‐specific NK‐based immunotherapies along with CTCs for potential prognostic/diagnostic applications.
A Tunable Resonant Circuit Based on Graphene Quantum Capacitor
Authors: Zhang Danlu , Zhang Le , Feng Xuemeng , Han Tianyi , Gao Ruiyan , Chen Shouheng , Wang Ning , Chen Xiaolong
Published: January 2021

Graphene has been widely investigated for electronic applications due to its outstanding physical properties, such as high carrier mobility, electrically tunable physical properties, and excellent compatibility with silicon technology. Here, taking advantage of the gate‐tunable physical properties of graphene, an LC resonant circuit based on graphene quantum capacitors is demonstrated, in which the resonant frequency can be electrically tuned from 1.45 to 1.73 MHz. At the same time, a quality factor ranging from 65 to 25 is achieved. The investigation suggests graphene is a promising material for signal processing applications.
Recent advances in analytical techniques for high throughput experimentation
Authors: Vervoort Nico , Goossens Karel , Baeten Mattijs , Chen Qinghao
Published: January 2021

High throughput experimentation is a growing and evolving field that allows to execute dozens to several thousands of experiments per day with relatively limited resources. Through miniaturization, typically a high degree of automation and the use of digital data tools, many parallel reactions or experiments at a time can be run in such workflows. High throughput experimentation also requires fast analytical techniques capable of generating critically important analytical data in line with the increased rate of experimentation. As traditional techniques usually do not deliver the speed required, some unique approaches are required to enable workflows to function as designed. This review covers the recent developments (2019‐2020) in this field and was intended to give a comprehensive overview of the current “state‐of‐the‐art.”
Galaxy: Dark matter connection in cosmology
Authors: Fromenteau Sébastien , Vargas Magaña Mariana , Toledo Ortiz Marcos Iram , Tapia Benavides Brenda Izamar , Rodriguez Otero Matias , Sandoval Ramos Beatriz Miroslava
Published: January 2021

We present a new approach to improve the forward modeling of reconstruction method for the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations study. We use probability information from the Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) function of a given type of galaxies in order to enhance the estimation of the local density field of the dark matter. We couple the HOD information to the Conditional Luminosity Function of red type galaxies to exemplify the possibility to enhance the connection between dark matter and a well‐established tracer as Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs). However, the main purpose is to enhance this connection for more complicated tracers as Emission Line Galaxies (ELGs) and quasars (QSOs).
Vom Handwerk zur individualisierten Serienfertigung
Authors: Mark Peter , Lanza Gisela , Lordick Daniel , Albers Albert , König Markus , Borrmann Andre , Stempniewski Lothar , Forman Patrick , Frey Alex Maximilian , Renz Robert , Manny Agemar
Published: January 2021

Bauen im Regen, eine katastrophale Vorstellung, doch Praxis auf Baustellen. Es bringt Ungenauigkeit, behindert den Einsatz moderner Hochleistungswerkstoffe und kostet Zeit, da Störungen im Bauprozess oft umständliche Rückläufe in den Planungsprozess bedeuten. Dennoch gilt der handwerklich geprägte Bauprozess als unvermeidlich, da jedes Bauwerk individuell und in Handarbeit vor Ort zu erstellen ist. Tatsächlich? Das von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft eingerichtete Schwerpunktprogramm „Adaptive Modulbauweisen mit Fließfertigungsmethoden“ setzt auf einen gänzlich neuen Ansatz. Baustrukturen werden in ähnliche modulare Betonfertigteile zerlegt, in Serienfertigung mit Fließprinzip vorgefertigt, in ihrer Qualität gesichert und auf der Baustelle nur noch zusammengefügt. Die Bauzeiten reduzieren sich auf wenige Tage oder Wochen. Vergleichbar einem Puzzle aus vielen Teilen, bleibt die Einzigartigkeit des Tragwerks erhalten. Es gilt: „Individualität im Großen – Ähnlichkeit im Kleinen“. Der Beitrag zeigt Ansätze zur Modularisierung, Produktionskonzepte und verknüpfende digitale Modelle. Durch die ortsfeste Vorfertigung in Serie entstehen hohe Produktionsgeschwindigkeiten und schlanke, ressourceneffiziente Module, die zu Tragwerken mit geringen Maßabweichungen assembliert werden. Eine durchgängige Digitalisierung sichert die Qualität aller Einzelschritte. Sie reicht von der Fertigung über den Zusammenbau bis in die Nutzungszeit des Tragwerks. Es entsteht ein verschwendungsarmer, ressourceneffizienter Gesamtprozess.
Clinical applications of a brief experimental analysis for problem behavior: Analysis of treatment effects and durability
Authors: Schmidt Jonathan D. , Goetzel Amanda L. , Rooker Griffin , Falligant John Michael , Beard Lisa
Published: January 2021

The brief experimental analysis (BEA) is an empirical method for comparing multiple academic interventions in a short amount of time and predicting intervention effects in subsequent extended evaluations. This study extended the BEA literature by evaluating its utility for identifying effective interventions for decreasing problem behavior and increasing compliance for two individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability who engaged in escape‐maintained problem behavior. Across individuals, four treatment arrangements were compared to a baseline‐control condition: noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) with food, NCR with toys, differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) with food, and DRO with toys. Using an alternating treatment embedded within a withdrawal design, conditions from the BEA associated with the lowest rates of problem behavior and the highest rates of adaptive behavior (i.e., compliance) were further evaluated during schedule thinning. For both individuals, the two most effective interventions from the BEA maintained effects during extended application and schedule thinning. These findings extend the utility of the BEA to identify durable interventions for decreasing problem behavior and increasing adaptive behavior.
EMT‐associated microRNAs and their roles in cancer stemness and drug resistance
Authors: Pan Guangtao , Liu Yuhan , Shang Luorui , Zhou Fangyuan , Yang Shenglan
Published: January 2021

Epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is implicated in a wide array of malignant behaviors of cancers, including proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Most notably, previou studies have indicated that both cancer stem‐like properties and drug resistance were associated with EMT. Furthermore, microRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal role in the regulation of EMT phenotype, as a result, some miRNAs impact cancer stemness and drug resistance. Therefore, understanding the relationship between EMT‐associated miRNAs and cancer stemness/drug resistance is beneficial to both basic research and clinical treatment. In this review, we preliminarily looked into the various roles that the EMT‐associated miRNAs play in the stem‐like nature of malignant cells. Then, we reviewed the interaction between EMT‐associated miRNAs and the drug‐resistant complex signaling pathways of multiple cancers including lung cancer, gastric cancer, gynecologic cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer. We finally discussed the relationship between EMT, cancer stemness, and drug resistance, as well as looked forward to the potential applications of miRNA therapy for malignant tumors.
Tunable Synthesis of Hierarchical Yolk/Double‐Shelled SiOx@TiO2@C Nanospheres for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Gong Qinghua , Wang Haiqing , Song Wenhua , Sun Bin , Cao Pei , Gu Shaonan , Sun Xuefeng , Zhou Guowei
Published: January 2021

Invited for the cover of this issue is Qinghua Gong, Guowei Zhou, and co‐workers at Qilu University of Technology. The dial represents the etching time of SiOx yolk in NaOH solution and the brightness of the Chinese red lantern represents the electrochemical performance of the composites. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202003246.
Experimental methods in chemical engineering: High performance liquid chromatography—HPLC
Authors: Schieppati Dalma , Patience Nicolas A. , Campisi Sebastiano , Patience Gregory S.
Published: January 2021

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identifies compounds in a sample and quantifies their concentration. The instrument consists of an injector that introduces a μL sample to a mobile phase that carries the analytes across a column filled with an adsorbing substance. The analytes adsorb and desorb at different rates as they flow down the column and are thereby separated. Detectors record a signal proportional to the concentration of the analyte in the mobile phase. Laboratories apply modern HPLC systems for research and development, quality control, safety, and validation. Academia and industry resort to HPLC to purify, identify, and characterize a wide variety of molecules at all stages of a process. Developing an HPLC analytical method is a long and laborious process requiring standards, calibration curves, derivatization, and multiple tests to identify an appropriate column, stationary phase, flow rate, temperature, and mobile phase. Optimal operating conditions maintain a good resolution (high signal‐to‐noise ratio and low peak overlap) while minimizing analysis time. Web of Science Core Collection indexed 8900 articles in 2019, which is relatively few compared to x‐ray and scanning electron microscopy. However, it is such an ubiquitous technique and we estimate that the number of articles that report it in the experimental section is an order of magnitude higher. The bibliometric analysis of the keywords identified four research clusters: phenolics and flavonoids, extraction and pharmacokinetics, in vitro and oxidative stress, and optimization. Here, we detail a walkthrough for the basic steps required to develop a chromatographic method.
Safe chemistry lessons – the check of substitute substances using the example of traditional solvents
Authors: Klemeyer Horst
Published: January 2021

Am Beispiel der Ester aus primären n‐Alkanolen mit unverzweigten gesättigten Carbonsäuren wird aufgezeigt, wie unter Anwendung des GHS‐Spaltenmodells zur Ersatzstoffprüfung sicherheitsoptimierte Synthesen für den Unterricht mit Schülerfreihandversuchen ausgewählt werden können. Es gelingt dabei, Situationen zu vermeiden, bei denen Stoffe mit einem hohen Freisetzungsverhalten, leichter Entzündbarkeit und chronischen Gesundheitsgefahren verwendet werden. Der Unterricht mit den Estern, die als natürliche Aromen bedeutsam sind, kann bei Schülerinnen und Schüler schon aufgrund der olfaktorischen und affektiven Wirkung sehr motivierend sein. Hier wird aufgezeigt, wie dies noch durch haptische und praktische Arbeiten unterstützt werden kann. Zudem wird für den Unterricht das Netzdiagramm als Hilfsmittel zur Beschreibung von Gerüchen vorgestellt.
Preparing (Metalla)carboranes for Nanomedicine
Authors: Gozzi Marta , Schwarze Benedikt , Hey‐Hawkins Evamarie
Published: January 2021

“There's plenty of room at the bottom” (Richard Feynman, 1959): an invitation for (metalla)carboranes to enter the (new) field of nanomedicine. For two decades, the number of publications on boron cluster compounds designed for potential applications in medicine has been constantly increasing. Hundreds of compounds have been screened in vitro or in vivo for a variety of biological activities (chemotherapeutics, radiotherapeutics, antiviral, etc.), and some have shown rather promising potential for further development. However, until now, no boron cluster compounds have made it to the clinic, and even clinical trials have been very sparse. This review introduces a new perspective in the field of medicinal boron chemistry, namely that boron‐based drugs should be regarded as nanomedicine platforms, due to their peculiar self‐assembly behaviour in aqueous solutions, and treated as such. Examples for boron‐based 12‐ and 11‐vertex clusters and appropriate comparative studies from medicinal (in)organic chemistry and nanomedicine, highlighting similarities, differences and gaps in physicochemical and biological characterisation methods, are provided to encourage medicinal boron chemists to fill in the gaps between chemistry laboratory and real applications in living systems by employing bioanalytical and biophysical methods for characterising and controlling the aggregation behaviour of the clusters in solution.
Magnetic line source diffraction by a conductive half‐plane in an anisotropic plasma
Authors: Basdemir Husnu Deniz
Published: January 2021

An integral theory that is associated with the scattered fields is considered for the solution of H‐polarized line source diffraction by a conductive half‐plane, which is surrounded by an anisotropic plasma. As the anisotropy does not affect an E‐polarized incident wave, only one polarization case is considered. The cold plasma medium is characterized by the dielectric tensor. The constant external magnetic field producing the anisotropy in a cold plasma is applied parallel to the edge of the half‐plane. The total, scattered, and diffracted waves are derived in terms of the Fresnel functions. Therefore, finite magnitude values at the transition boundaries are obtained. The wave behaviours are investigated numerically for different quantities of the medium.
Ion energy distribution in a radio frequency sheath of plasma with Kappa electron velocity distribution
Authors: Ou Jing , Huang Yueheng
Published: January 2021

A hybrid model consisting of a one‐dimensional radio frequency sheath model and an equivalent circuit model is used to investigate the effect of the non‐Maxwellian plasma with enhanced electron tails on ion energy distribution (IED) at the plasma–wall interface. With the assumption that electrons obey the Kappa distribution in which the parameter κ characterizes the deviation from Maxwellian distribution, the bimodal shape of the IED can always be found with the decrease of κ under the condition of current experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) discharges during the ion cyclotron range of frequency wave heating. However, the height of the low‐energy peak of the IED decreases, while the high‐energy peak does not change significantly. In addition, the IED shifts towards the higher‐energy regime, and the width of the IED expands with the decrease of κ. It is also shown that frequency and amplitude of the disturbance current, bulk plasma density, and ion temperature are the crucial parameters for determining the shape of IED even in the presence of super‐thermal electrons.
Macroion effective charge in complex plasmas with regard to microion correlations
Authors: Martynova Inna A. , Iosilevskiy Igor L.
Published: January 2021

In the present paper, features of high‐charged macroions screening by microions are analysed in classical asymmetrically charged complex plasmas. We consider a two‐component electroneutral system of classical macroions and oppositely charged microions in a spherically symmetrical electroneutral Wigner–Seitz cell with a central macroion in its centre. The present paper is devoted to a problem of a relation between the effective macroion charge and an initial one with regard to a non‐linear screening effect and microions correlations. We show how this relation changes with the number of the central macroion charge value on the rise. Characteristics of two different parts of the relation between the effective charge and the initial one are calculated.
Teaching an experiential field course via online participatory science projects: A COVID‐19 case study of a UC California Naturalist course
Authors: Gerhart Laci M. , Jadallah Christopher C. , Angulo Sarah S. , Ira Gregory C.
Published: January 2021

Experience and training in field work are critical components of undergraduate education in ecology, and many university courses incorporate field‐based or experiential components into the curriculum in order to provide students hands‐on experience. Due to the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the sudden shift to remote instruction in the spring of 2020, many instructors of such courses found themselves struggling to identify strategies for developing rigorous field activities that could be completed online, solo, and from a student's backyard. This case study illustrates the process by which one field‐based course, a UC California Naturalist certification course offered at the University of California, Davis, transitioned to fully remote instruction. The transition relied on established, publicly available, online participatory science platforms (e.g., iNaturalist) to which the students contributed data and field observations remotely. Student feedback on the course and voluntary‐continued engagement with the participatory science platforms indicates that the student perspective of the experience was on par with previous traditional offerings of the course. This case study also includes topics and participatory science resources for consideration by faculty facing a similar transition from group field activities to remote, individual field‐based experiences.
Georeferenced phylogenetic analysis of a global collection of wild and cultivated Citrullus species
Authors: Achigan‐Dako Enoch G. , Degbey Hervé , Hale Iago , Blattner Frank R.
Published: January 2021

The geographical origin of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) remains debated. While a first hypothesis suggests the center of origin to be West Africa, where the endemic sister species C. mucosospermus thrives, a second hypothesis suggests northeastern Africa where the white‐fleshed Sudanese Kordophan melon is cultivated. In this study, we infer biogeographical and haplotype genealogy for C. lanatus, C. mucosospermus, C. amarus, and C. colocynthis using noncoding cpDNA sequences (trnT‐trnL and ndhF‐rpl32 regions) from a global collection of 135 accessions. In total, we identified 38 haplotypes in C. lanatus, C. mucosospermus, C. amarus, and C. colocynthis; of these, 21 were found in Africa and 17 appear endemic to the continent. The least diverse species was C. mucosospermus (5 haplotypes) and the most diverse was C. colocynthis (16 haplotypes). Some haplotypes of C. mucosospermus were nearly exclusive to West Africa, and C. lanatus and C. mucosospermus shared haplotypes that were distinct from those of both C. amarus and C. colocynthis. The results support previous findings that revealed C. mucosospermus to be the closest relative to C. lanatus (including subsp. cordophanus). West Africa, as a center of endemism of C. mucosospermus, is an area of interest in the search of the origin of C. lanatus. This calls for further historical and phylogeographical investigations and wider collection of samples in West and northeastern Africa.
Effects of experimental watering but not warming on herbivory vary across a gradient of precipitation
Authors: Pepi Adam , Karban Richard
Published: January 2021

Climate change can affect biotic interactions, and the impacts of climate on biotic interactions may vary across climate gradients. Climate affects biotic interactions through multiple drivers, although few studies have investigated multiple climate drivers in experiments. We examined the effects of experimental watering, warming, and predator access on leaf water content and herbivory rates of woolly bear caterpillars (Arctia virginalis) on a native perennial plant, pacific silverweed (Argentina anserina ssp. pacifica), at two sites across a gradient of precipitation in coastal California. Based on theory, we predicted that watering should increase herbivory at the drier end of the gradient, predation should decrease herbivory, and watering and warming should have positive interacting effects on herbivory. Consistent with our predictions, we found that watering only increased herbivory under drier conditions. However, watering increased leaf water content at both wetter and drier sites. Warming increased herbivory irrespective of local climate and did not interact with watering. Predation did not affect herbivory rates. Given predictions that the study locales will become warmer and drier with climate change, our results suggest that the effects of future warming and drying on herbivory may counteract each other in drier regions of the range of Argentina anserina. Our findings suggest a useful role for range‐limit theory and the stress‐gradient hypothesis in predicting climate change effects on herbivory across stress gradients. Specifically, if climate change decreases stress, herbivory may increase, and vice versa for increasing stress. In addition, our work supports previous suggestions that multiple climate drivers are likely to have dampening effects on biotic interactions due to effects in different directions, though this is context‐dependent.
Male‐biased dispersal in a fungus‐gardening ant symbiosis
Authors: Matthews Alix E. , Kellner Katrin , Seal Jon N.
Published: January 2021

For nearly all organisms, dispersal is a fundamental life‐history trait that can shape their ecology and evolution. Variation in dispersal capabilities within a species exists and can influence population genetic structure and ecological interactions. In fungus‐gardening (attine) ants, co‐dispersal of ants and mutualistic fungi is crucial to the success of this obligate symbiosis. Female‐biased dispersal (and gene flow) may be favored in attines because virgin queens carry the responsibility of dispersing the fungi, but a paucity of research has made this conclusion difficult. Here, we investigate dispersal of the fungus‐gardening antTrachymyrmex septentrionalisusing a combination of maternally (mitochondrial DNA) and biparentally inherited (microsatellites) markers. We found three distinct, spatially isolated mitochondrial DNA haplotypes; two were found in the Florida panhandle and the other in the Florida peninsula. In contrast, biparental markers illustrated significant gene flow across this region and minimal spatial structure. The differential patterns uncovered from mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers suggest that most long‐distance ant dispersal is male‐biased and that females (and concomitantly the fungus) have more limited dispersal capabilities. Consequently, the limited female dispersal is likely an important bottleneck for the fungal symbiont. This bottleneck could slow fungal genetic diversification, which has significant implications for both ant hosts and fungal symbionts regarding population genetics, species distributions, adaptive responses to environmental change, and coevolutionary patterns.
Evaluation and speciation of cobalt, copper, and zinc in saline soil bymicrowave‐assistedsingle extraction
Authors: Waris Muhammad , Kazi Tasneem G. , Baig Jameel A.
Published: January 2021

The present research assessed the chemical fractionation of Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn), detected in saline soil samples of Hyderabad Pakistan. The partitioning of Co, Cu, and Zn in soil samples was carried by single‐step extraction using microwave irradiation energy. The validity of the methods was confirmed using the same operating conditions applied and checked as in BCR sequential extraction fractionation using certified reference material BCR‐701 and the standard method of addition (recoveries 96%–102%). Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to test extractable Co, Cu, and Zn contents obtained by the comparative method. Using compromised microwave conditions steps 1–3 of the sequential extraction (excluding hydrogen peroxide digestion in step 3) could be accomplished with an ultrasonic bath between 15 and 30 min, whereas 60–120 s were needed for microwave single‐extraction (MSE). The total concentrations of Co, Cu, and Zn extractable metals produced by three separate extractions ranged from 1.02–3.30, 5.02–9.95, and 3.97–8.01 μg/g respectively. Consequently, the use of single‐step extraction with the aid of microwave and ultrasound energy to reduce the time required for single‐step extraction based on the BCR sequential extraction method. However, with the aid of developed single‐step extraction methods, the obtained results were comparable to those values obtained from BCR sequential extraction method. For further study, the MSE can be frequently used to know the metal‐bound intensity with a different chemical fraction on environmental solid samples.
Characteristics of gas‐production, electricity‐generation, and anode biofilm microorganisms based on electrochemical anaerobic digestion of different substrates
Authors: Long Xiangang , Wang Huabin , Yang Sixia , Xu Kunde , Liu Haibo , Wang Nan , Liu Hongzhou , Li Jianchang
Published: January 2021

In this article, it intends to find out the dominant strains on the anode biofilm that prominently contribute to the improvement of biogas quality and methane (CH4) conversion, the relationships between the gas‐producing potential, electricity‐generating capacity, and anode biofilm microbial characteristics were investigated by using volatile fatty acids (intermediates of AD) and glucose as substrates. The experimental results showed that the gas‐producing potential and electricity‐generating capacity of EAD systems both are acetate > butyrate > propionate > glucose. The acetate experimental group had better gas‐producing potential and higher content of hydrogen and methane accounting for 16.12 and 82.61%, respectively. The electrochemical activity of anodic biofilms has been proved to be positively correlated with the electricity‐generating capacity of different substrates, and the acetate experimental group had a greater electricity‐generating capacity with a peak current of 23.07 mA and a coulombic efficiency of 57.69%. The more remarkable gas‐producing potential and electricity‐generating capacity of the experimental group are, and the larger quantities of electroactive microorganisms on the anode biofilm is, there are two strains commonly shared by four different substrate anode biofilms that contribute the most to improve biogas quality and CH4 yield, namely F. Clostridium Perfringens with a hydrogen‐producing ability and P. Geobacter Lovleyi with a power‐generating capacity. All results concerned above will contribute to enormously improve the CH4 conversion rate and the biogas quality. Moreover, these electroactive microorganisms also have very broad application prospects in terms of organic sewage treatment and kitchen waste treatment.
Synthesis of t‐B.PWFe/NiO nanocomposite as an efficient and heterogeneous green nanocatalyst for catalytic oxidative‐extractive desulfurization of gasoline
Authors: Rezvani Mohammad A. , Aghmasheh Masomeh
Published: January 2021

This study aimed to improve the efficiency of sulfur removal from real and model liquid fuel, which is still a challenge. The heterogeneous nanocatalyst was synthesized successfully by supporting ([n‐C4H9]4N)4H[PW11FeO39] (t‐B.PWFe), on nickel oxide (NiO) as a new nanocomposite (t‐B.PWFe/NiO) via sol–gel method. The catalytic activity of the nanocomposite was evaluated for oxidative–extractive desulfurization (OEDS) of model fuel and real gasoline using CH3COOH/H2O2 as an oxidant. The synthesized nanocatalyst was characterized by means of X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and cyclic voltammetry. From UV–Vis, the bandgap energy is found. After OEDS treatments, the obtained results were specified that mercaptans and total sulfur content of real gasoline lowered with about 97% yield. Mechanisms, kinetic studies, and the effect of various operational parameters were evaluated, such as temperature and time on the oxidation reaction. The unique performance of the t‐B.PWFe/NiO proved the extreme capability of this system for sulfur removal to achieve purified and clean gasoline.
Optimal design of inerter‐based nonpacked particle damper considering particle rolling
Authors: Huang Xuhong , Li Xiaojun , Wang Jin
Published: January 2021

This paper presents an optimal design method for a nonpacked particle damper (NPPD) based on a simplified mechanical model and corresponding damping mechanism analysis. First, an equivalent inertial single‐particle mechanics model (EISM) and the corresponding equivalent principle were proposed to consider the influence of particle rolling on the vibration reduction. The experimental verification of the EISM under seismic ground motion was subsequently carried out. Based on a reasonable verification of the proposed model, an analytical solution of the EISM single‐degree‐of‐freedom structure system for the symmetric two‐impacts‐per‐cycle motion was obtained. The influence analyses of collision distance on the damping effect and the damping mechanism under resonance and nonresonance harmonic excitation were performed. The theoretical calculation formula for the optimal collision distance for energy consumption was obtained based on the damping mechanism analysis. Finally, numerical simulations under harmonic excitation and seismic ground motion were carried out to verify the rationality and generalization of the proposed optimal collision distance. Accordingly, an optimal design method for the NPPD was proposed. Based on the proposed optimization method, the vibration reduction effect of NPPD under far‐field records, near‐fault pulse‐like records, and near‐fault nonpulse records are discussed. The analysis results show that the vibration reduction effect of the NPPD is affected by the response frequency of the uncontrolled structure. The proposed optimization method can be used as the basis for the optimization of NPPD under earthquakes.