bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Pyrazine‐Based 2D Conductive Metal‐Organic Framework for Efficient Lithium Storage†
Authors: Sun Xiaoxiao , Yan Xiaoli , Song Keming , Zhang Ting , Yang Zongfan , Su Xi , Chen Weihua , Chen Long
Published: February 2023

Comprehensive Summary

The merits of intrinsic electrical conductivity, high specific surface area, tunable chemical composition and tailor‐made properties enable two‐dimensional conductive metal‐organic frameworks (2D c‐MOFs) as promising next‐generation electrode materials in the field of energy storage and conversion. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a novel pyrazine‐based 2D c‐MOF (TPQG‐Cu‐MOF) bearing extended π‐conjugated structure and abundant redox active sites. Thanks to the excellent redox reversibility of pyrazine units and CuO2 units, as well as the insolubility of the rigid framework skeleton, TPQG‐Cu‐MOF as the cathode material of lithium‐ion battery exhibits a reversible specific capacity (150.2 mAh·g–1 at 20 mAh·g–1), good cycling stability (capacity retention of 82.6% after 500 cycles at 1 A·g–1) and excellent rate performance. Comprehensive ex‐situ spectroscopic studies revealed the reversible redox activity of pyrazine units and CuO2 units of TPQG‐Cu‐MOF during the Li+ insertion/extraction process. The deepening fundamental understanding of the structure‐property relationship was proposed, which might pave the way for further development of efficient MOF‐based energy storage devices.
On the Barton Copper‐Catalyzed C3‐Arylation of Indoles using Triarylbismuth bis(trifluoroacetate) Reagents
Authors: Fnaiche Ahmed , Bueno Bianca , McMullin Claire L. , Gagnon Alexandre
Published: February 2023

We disclose herein our detailed investigation into the Barton copper‐promoted C3‐arylation of indoles using triarylbismuth bis(trifluoroacetates). The arylation of unsubstituted 1H‐indole using Barton's conditions gave a low yield of the C3‐arylated indole, along with small amounts of the product of double C2/C3‐arylation and traces of the product of C2 arylation. On the contrary, the arylation of indoles blocked at the C2 position is highly efficient, affording the desired products of C3‐arylation in good to excellent yields. The reaction operates under simple conditions, shows good substrate scope, excellent functional group compatibility, and allows the transfer of electron‐neutral or deficient aryl groups. Computational studies propose a mechanism involving a trifluoroacetate‐assisted C−H activation step.
Generation of Photoinduced Phenalenyl‐Based Radicals: Towards Designing Reductive C−C Coupling Catalysis
Authors: Datta Paramita , Goswami Tanmay , Kandoth Noufal , Banik Ananya , Ahmed Jasimuddin , Bhaskaran Athul Santha , Saha Ramchandra , Kuniyil Rositha , Ghosh Hirendra N. , Mandal Swadhin K.
Published: February 2023

Organic photoredox catalysis is a versatile tool for accessing a wide range of synthetic transformations. Towards the development of a new class of organophotoredox catalysts, we have employed phenalenyl, an odd alternant hydrocarbon (OAH), for reductive C−C coupling reactions. Phenalenyl can adopt a stable open‐shell state (radical), using its non‐bonding molecular orbital. To date, chemically induced phenalenyl‐based radicals have been extensively explored in designing various intriguing organic materials and recently towards electron transfer catalysis. However, the photochemical generation of phenalenyl‐based radicals is rare. In this work, we report the photoinduced generation of phenalenyl‐based radicals with detailed mechanistic studies such as steady‐state absorption, time‐resolved transient absorption spectroscopy, and in‐situ absorption kinetic experiments to authenticate the generation of photo‐induced phenalenyl radicals. In addition, we present results demonstrating that this novel catalytic species can be applied to reductive pinacol coupling catalysis and reductive alkylation of terminal alkynes.
A big data–model integration approach for predicting epizootics and population recovery in a keystone species
Authors: Barrile Gabriel M. , Augustine David J. , Porensky Lauren M. , Duchardt Courtney J. , Shoemaker Kevin T. , Hartway Cynthia R. , Derner Justin D. , Hunter Elizabeth A. , Davidson Ana D.
Published: February 2023

Infectious diseases pose a significant threat to global health and biodiversity. Yet, predicting the spatiotemporal dynamics of wildlife epizootics remains challenging. Disease outbreaks result from complex nonlinear interactions among a large collection of variables that rarely adhere to the assumptions of parametric regression modeling. We adopted a nonparametric machine learning approach to model wildlife epizootics and population recovery, using the disease system of colonial black‐tailed prairie dogs (BTPD, Cynomys ludovicianus) and sylvatic plague as an example. We synthesized colony data between 2001 and 2020 from eight USDA Forest Service National Grasslands across the range of BTPDs in central North America. We then modeled extinctions due to plague and colony recovery of BTPDs in relation to complex interactions among climate, topoedaphic variables, colony characteristics, and disease history. Extinctions due to plague occurred more frequently when BTPD colonies were spatially clustered, in closer proximity to colonies decimated by plague during the previous year, following cooler than average temperatures the previous summer, and when wetter winter/springs were preceded by drier summers/falls. Rigorous cross‐validations and spatial predictions indicated that our final models predicted plague outbreaks and colony recovery in BTPD with high accuracy (e.g., AUC generally >0.80). Thus, these spatially explicit models can reliably predict the spatial and temporal dynamics of wildlife epizootics and subsequent population recovery in a highly complex host–pathogen system. Our models can be used to support strategic management planning (e.g., plague mitigation) to optimize benefits of this keystone species to associated wildlife communities and ecosystem functioning. This optimization can reduce conflicts among different landowners and resource managers, as well as economic losses to the ranching industry. More broadly, our big data–model integration approach provides a general framework for spatially explicit forecasting of disease‐induced population fluctuations for use in natural resource management decision‐making.
A Photochemical Protocol for the Synthesis of Weinreb and Morpholine Amides from Carboxylic Acids
Authors: Bourboula Asimina , Mountanea Olga G. , Krasakis George , Mantzourani Christiana , Kokotou Maroula G. , Kokotos Christoforos G. , Kokotos George
Published: February 2023

In recent years, the development of light‐mediated methods for synthetic applications has attracted high interest, because such methods constitute alternative approaches for the production of valuable chemical products. We study herein a photochemical protocol for the synthesis of Weinreb amides and morpholine amides from carboxylic acids. Various carboxylic acids were directly coupled to N,O‐dimethylhydroxylamine, upon irradiation with either LED 370 nm or sunlight in the presence of 4‐dimethylaminopyridine and bromotrichloromethane, providing Weinreb amides in moderate to high yields. Similarly, morpholine amides were obtained in satisfactory to high yields under sunlight or LED 370 nm irradiation. Thus, the versatile building blocks Weinreb amides and morpholine amides may be efficiently synthesized directly from carboxylic acids by light‐mediated approaches, without the need of coupling reagents or pre‐activation of carboxylic acids.
Shaking table tests of a full‐scale 10‐story reinforced‐concrete building (2015). Phase II: Seismic resisting system
Authors: Kang Jae‐Do , Kajiwara Koichi , Tosauchi Yusuke , Sato Eiji , Inoue Takahito , Kabeyasawa Toshimi , Shiohara Hitoshi , Nagae Takuya , Kabeyasawa Toshikazu , Fukuyama Hiroshi , Mukai Tomohisa
Published: February 2023

A 10‐story reinforced‐concrete (RC) building was subjected to a shaking table test using E‐Defense, the largest three‐dimensional earthquake simulator in the world, to estimate the effects of a flexible foundation and seismic response of a mid‐rise building. Two structural systems with different base supporting conditions were adopted for two phases of tests for comparative purposes: the first system was free‐standing with base sliding and uplifting, and the second was a conventional RC seismic resisting system with a fixed base. This paper mainly reports the test results for the conventional RC seismic resisting system with a fixed base, which comprises a moment‐resisting frame system in the longitudinal direction and a frame system with multistory shear walls in the transverse direction. The objective of this research was to confirm the seismic capacity of a mid‐rise building designed in accordance with current Japanese building standards and guidelines. Even though the story drift ratio exceeded 3% under extreme motion exceeding the design earthquake, the structure remained stable throughout the tests, satisfying the design concept of collapse prevention performance, whereas relatively severe damage was observed in the beam–column joints. Crack observations indicated massive damage sustained by the beam–column joints. The measured shear deformations at the beam–column joints accounted for more than half of the inter‐story drift at the peak response.
AOP Report: Adverse Outcome Pathways for Aromatase Inhibition or Androgen Receptor Agonism Leading to Male-Biased Sex Ratio and Population Decline in Fish
Authors: Ankley Gerald T. , Santana-Rodriguez Kelvin , Jensen Kathleen M. , Miller David H. , Villeneuve Daniel L.
Published: February 2023

Screening and testing of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals for ecological effects are examples of risk assessment/regulatory activities that can employ adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) to establish linkages between readily measured alterations in endocrine function and whole organism– and population-level responses. Of particular concern are processes controlled by the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal/thyroidal (HPG/T) axes. However, the availability of AOPs suitable to meet this need is currently limited in terms of species and life-stage representation relative to the diversity of endpoints influenced by HPG/T function. In our report we describe two novel AOPs that comprise a simple AOP network focused on the effects of chemicals on sex differentiation during early development in fish. The first AOP (346) documents events starting with inhibition of cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19), resulting in decreased availability of 17β-estradiol during gonad differentiation, which increases the occurrence of testis formation, resulting in a male-biased sex ratio and consequent population-level declines. The second AOP (376) is initiated by activation of the androgen receptor (AR), also during sexual differentiation, again resulting in a male-biased sex ratio and population-level effects. Both AOPs are strongly supported by existing physiological and toxicological evidence, including numerous fish studies with model CYP19 inhibitors and AR agonists. Accordingly, AOPs 346 and 376 provide a basis for more focused screening and testing of chemicals with the potential to affect HPG function in fish during early development. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:747–756. Published 2023. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Detrital zircon U–Pb isotopes and whole‐rock geochemistry of early Palaeozoic sediments of the Baoshan and Lancang Blocks, SW China: Implications for Proto‐Tethys evolution and Gondwana reconstruction
Authors: Gao Yu , Li Gang , Liu Zhenghong , Liu Junlai , Wang Chen , Xu Zhongyuan , Wang Changbing
Published: February 2023

The palaeogeographic reconstruction of the microcontinents on the northern margin of Gondwanaland and the tectonic evolution model of the Proto‐Tethys in the Early Palaeozoic remain controversial. The Baoshan and Lancang Blocks in SW Yunnan, China, were located on the northern margin of the Gondwana continent during the Early Palaeozoic. In this study, we present new zircon U–Pb ages and whole‐rock geochemistry data for the sedimentary rocks of the Lancang Group in the Lancang Block and the Mengtong Group in the Baoshan Block to reveal the nature of sedimentary provenance with a further tectonic evolution model of the Proto‐Tethys. Our new detrital zircon U–Pb results, in conjunction with the published age of the metamorphic volcanic rock interlayers, suggest that the Mengtong and Lancang groups were probably deposited during the Early Palaeozoic. The Mengtong and Lancang groups have similar detrital zircon age spectra and display three distinctive age peaks at 1.2–1.1 Ga, ~0.95 Ga, and 0.6–0.5 Ga. This implies that the Baoshan‐Lancang Block was situated in the transitional zone between India and Australia on the Gondwana margin and received detritus from both cratons. Combined with abundant volcanic rocks in the Lancang Group and SSZ‐type ophiolites in the Changning‐Menglian belt, the Lancang Block should be reconstructed as a continental island arc of the Baoshan Block in the Early Palaeozoic. The geochemical analysis results show that the sediments of the two strata were primarily sourced from felsic rocks in the upper crust, and they were deposited in the active continental margin. Combined with previous research, we propose a new tectonic evolution model for the Proto‐Tethys Ocean in the Early Palaeozoic, from bisubduction to collisional orogeny.
Contextual fear conditioning with a time interval induces CREB phosphorylation in the dorsal hippocampus and amygdala nuclei that depend on prelimbic cortex activity
Authors: Santos Thays Brenner , Kramer‐Soares Juliana Carlota , Oliveira Maria Gabriela Menezes
Published: February 2023

In temporal associations, a conditioned stimulus (CS) is separated by a time interval from the unconditioned stimulus (US), which activates the prelimbic cortex (PL) to maintain a CS representation over time. However, it is unknown whether the PL participates, besides the encoding, in the memory consolidation, and thus directly, with activity‐dependent changes or indirectly, by modulation of activity‐dependent changes in other brain regions. We investigated brain regions supporting the consolidation of associations with intervals and the influence of PL activity in this consolidation process. For this, we observed in Wistar rats the effect of pre‐training PL inactivation by muscimol in CREB (cAMP response element‐binding protein) phosphorylation, which is essential for memory consolidation, in subdivisions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus, and amygdala 3 h after the training in the contextual fear conditioning (CFC) or CFC with 5‐s interval (CFC‐5s), fear associations without or with an interval between the CS and US, respectively. Both the CFC‐5s and CFC training increased phosphorylation of CREB in the PL and infralimbic cortex (IL); lateral (LA) and basolateral (BLA) amygdala; dorsal CA1 (dCA1); dorsal (dDG), and ventral dentate gyrus, and the CFC‐5s training in the central amygdala (CEA). PL activity was necessary for the CREB phosphorylation in the PL, BLA, CEA, dCA1, and dDG only in animals trained in the CFC‐5s. The cingulate cortex, ventral CA1, and ventral subiculum did not have learning‐induced phosphorylation of CREB. These results suggest that the mPFC, hippocampus, and amygdala support the consolidation of associations with or without intervals and that PL activity influences consolidation in the dorsal hippocampus and amygdala in temporal associations. Thereby, the PL contributes directly and indirectly by modulation to memory consolidation. The time interval engaged the PL early in recent memory consolidation. Results expanded PL's role beyond the time interval and remote memory consolidation.
AI tools such as ChatGPT will disrupt hydrology, too
Authors: Halloran Landon J. S. , Mhanna Saeed , Brunner Philip
Published: February 2023

Since its public release in late 2022, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT has generated considerable excitement and consternation. Many scientists, including hydrologists, view this tool and others like it as threats, while others dismiss them as irrelevant distractions. Although the capability of this technology to ‘do’ hydrological research is lacking, AI tools like ChatGPT present significant opportunities—with caveats—for the hydrology community and deserve close inspection by all.
Adjuvant treatment of in‐transit melanoma: Narrowing the knowledge gap left by clinical trials
Authors: de Meza Melissa M. , Blokx Willeke A. M. , Bonenkamp Han J. , Blank Cristian U. , Aarts Maureen J. B. , van den Berkmortel Franchette W. P. J. , Boers‐Sonderen Marye J. , de Groot Jan Willem B. , Haanen John B. , Hospers Geke A. P. , Kapiteijn Ellen W. , van Not Olivier J. , Piersma Djura , van Rijn Rozemarijn S. , Stevense‐Den Boer Marion A. , van der Veldt Astrid A. M. , Vreugdenhil Gerard , van den Eertwegh Alfons J. M. , Suijkerbuijk Karijn P. M. , Wouters Michel W. J. M.
Published: February 2023

Few clinical trials address efficacy of adjuvant systemic treatment in patients with in‐transit melanoma (ITM). This study describes adjuvant systemic therapy of ITM patients beyond clinical trials. In this study, we included stage III adjuvant‐treated melanoma patients registered in the nationwide Dutch Melanoma Treatment Registry between July 2018 and December 2020. Patients were divided into three groups: nodal disease only, ITM only and ITM and nodal disease. Recurrence patterns, recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) at 12‐months were analyzed. In our study population of 1037 patients, 66.8% had nodal disease only, 16.7% had ITM only and 16.2% had ITM with nodal disease. RFS at 12‐months was comparable in the nodal only and ITM only group (72.2% vs70.1%,P = .97) but lower in ITM and nodal disease patients (57.8%;P = .01,P < .01). Locoregional metastases occurred as first recurrence in 38.9% nodal disease only, 71.9% of ITM‐only and 44.0% of ITM and nodal disease patients. Distant recurrences occurred in 42.3%, 18.8% and 36.0%, respectively (P = .02). 12‐months OS was not significantly different for nodal disease only patients compared with ITM‐only (94.4% vs 97.6%,P = .06) but was significantly higher for ITM‐only compared with ITM and nodal disease patients (97.6% vs 91.0%,P < .01). In conclusion, we showed that in the adjuvant setting, RFS rates in ITM‐only patients are similar to non‐ITM, though better than in ITM and nodal disease patients. Adjuvant‐treated ITM‐only patients less often experience distant recurrences and have a superior OS compared with ITM and nodal disease patients.
The advance anticancer role of polymeric core‐shell ZnO nanoparticles containing oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer
Authors: Alavi Negin , Maghami Parvaneh , Fani Pakdel Azar , Rezaei Majid , Avan Amir
Published: February 2023

We evaluated the activity of core‐shell ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO‐NPs@polymer shell) containing Oxaliplatin via polymerization through in vitro studies and in vivo mouse models of colorectal cancer. ZnO NPs were synthesized in situ when the polymerization step was completed by co‐precipitation. Gadolinium coordinated‐ZnONPs@polymer shell (ZnO‐Gd NPs@polymer shell) was synthesized by exploiting Gd's oxophilicity (III). The biophysical properties of the NPs were studied using powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, Ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (UV‐Vis), field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and z‐potential. (3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)−2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) (MTT) was used to determine the antiproliferative activity of ZnO‐Gd‐OXA. Moreover, a xenograft mouse model of colon cancer was exerted to survey its antitumor activity and effect on tumor growth. In the following, the model was also evaluated by histological staining (H‐E; Hematoxylin & Eosin and trichrome staining) and gene expression analyses through the application of RT‐PCR/ELISA, which included biochemical evaluation (MDA, thiols, SOD, CAT). The formation of ZnO NPs, which contained a crystallite size of 16.8 nm, was confirmed by the outcomes of the PXRD analysis. The Plate‐like morphology and presence of Pt were obtained in EDX outcomes. TEM analysis displayed the attained ZnO NPs in a spherical shape and a diameter of 33 ± 8.5 nm, while the hydrodynamic sizes indicated that the particles were highly aggregated. The biological results demonstrated that ZnO‐Gd‐OXA inhibited tumor growth by inducing reactive oxygen species and inhibiting fibrosis, warranting further research on this novel colorectal cancer treatment agent.
Alum reduced phosphorus release from flooded soils under cold spring weather conditions
Authors: Lasisi Ahmed , Weerasekara Chamara S. , Kumaragamage Darshani , Akinremi Olalekan O.
Published: February 2023

The effectiveness of amendments such as alum [Al2(SO4)3·18H2O] in reducing phosphorus (P) loss to floodwater has been reported under summer conditions and laboratory‐controlled environments, but not under actual spring weather conditions in cold climate regions with high diurnal temperature variations when potential for P losses is high. The effectiveness of alum in reducing P release under Manitoba spring weather conditions was evaluated in a 42‐day experiment using 15‐cm soil monoliths from eight agricultural soils, which were unamended or alum‐amended (5 Mg ha−1) and flooded to a 10‐cm head. Dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations and pH of porewater and floodwater were determined on flooding day and every 7 days after flooding (DAF). Porewater and floodwater DRP concentrations in unamended soils increased 1.4‐ to 4.5‐fold, and 1.8‐ to 15.3‐fold, respectively, from 7 to 42 DAF. In alum‐amended soils, DRP concentrations averaged across soils was 43%–73% (1.0–2.0 mg L−1) lower in porewater, and 27%–64% (0.1–1.2 mg L−1) lower in floodwater than unamended soils during the flooding period. The reduction of DRP by alum was more pronounced under high fluctuating diurnal spring air temperature than with controlled air temperature (4°C) in a previous similar study. Acidic pH in porewater and floodwater due to alum did not persist over 7 days. This study showed that alum application is a viable option in reducing P released to floodwater in agricultural soils of cold regions where flooding‐induced P loss is prevalent in the spring.
Effects of atmospheric and manure surface conditions on H2S emissions from an in‐ground finisher hog manure slurry tank
Authors: Grant Richard H. , Boehm Matthew T.
Published: February 2023

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emitted by livestock operations can be detrimental to human health. The storage of hog manure is a significant agricultural source of H2S emissions. H2S emissions from a ground‐level Midwestern hog finisher manure tank were measured for 8–20 days each quarter over a 15‐month period. After excluding 4 days with outlier emissions the mean daily emission was 1.89 g H2S m−2 day−1. Mean daily emission was 1.39 g H2S m−2 day−1 when the slurry surface was liquid and 3.00 g H2S m−2 day−1 when crusted. Emissions however were not significantly different whether the surface was liquid or crusted when differences in temperature were considered. Diurnal variation in emissions was not correlated with air temperature, water vapor saturation deficit, or wind speed when the manure surface was crusted but was positively correlated with these variables when the surface was not crusted. Daily H2S emissions were modeled according to two‐film theory incorporating resistance approach with limited success. Additional emissions measurements with greater documentation of the manure liquid composition and crust characteristics are needed to assess the component transport resistances in the emissions model.
Clinical efficacy and safety of molnupiravir for nonhospitalized and hospitalized patients with COVID‐19: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized control trials
Authors: Huang Po‐Yu , Liu Ting‐Hui , Wu Jheng‐Yan , Tsai Ya‐Wen , Lai Chih‐Cheng
Published: February 2023

The efficacy of molnupiravir in treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has been inconsistent across randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Thus, this meta‐analysis was conducted to clarify the literature. A literature search of electronic databases—PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library—was performed to identify relevant articles published up to December 31, 2022. Only RCTs that investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of molnupiravir for patients with COVID‐19 were included. The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality at 28–30 days. This pooled analysis of nine RCTs did not reveal a significant difference in all‐cause mortality between molnupiravir and control groups (risk ratio [RR], 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10–1.77) for overall patients. However, the risks of mortality and hospitalization were lower in the molnupiravir group than in the control group (mortality: RR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10–0.79; hospitalization: RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45–0.99) among nonhospitalized patients. In addition, molnupiravir use was associated with a borderline higher virological eradication rate relative to the control (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00–1.11). Finally, no significant difference in adverse event risk was discovered between the groups (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.89–1.08). The findings reveal the clinical benefits of molnupiravir for nonhospitalized patients with COVID‐19. However, molnupiravir may not improve the clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients. These findings support the recommended use of molnupiravir for treating nonhospitalized patients with COVID‐19 but not for hospitalized patients.
Ultrahigh Power Density LuAG:Ce Green Converters For High‐Luminance Laser‐Driven Solid State Lighting
Authors: Wen Qianxiong , Wang Yu , Zhao Cong , Xu Li , Wang Xidong , Xu Yusai , Lin Sai , Liang Xiaojuan , Liu Jianping , Xiang Weidong
Published: February 2023

Lu3Al5O12:Ce (LuAG:Ce) phosphor has been designed and fabricated into various forms of green fluorescent converters and plays a critical role in the field of solid‐state laser lighting. Phosphor in glass (PiG) and phosphor in glass film (PiGF) are expected to be viable strategies for high‐power and high‐brightness laser diode (LD) illumination due to their easy synthesis and low cost. In this study, LuAG:Ce‐PiG with an internal quantum efficiency of 90.5% is prepared by investigating the sintering conditions and combining with a borosilicate glass. It possesses a luminous flux (LF) of 584 lm and luminous efficiency (LE) of 225 lm W−1 @ 20 W mm−2. On this basis, LuAG:Ce‐PiG sapphire film (LuAG:Ce‐PiGSF) with high thermal conduction (10.26 W (m K) −1) is successfully sintered on the sapphire to obtain the LF of 833 lm and LE of 252 lm W−1 @ 36.36 W mm−2. The maximum tolerated power density can reach 45.45 W mm−2. In addition, when the color converters are placed in a commercial LD transmission module and continuously light for 24 h at 16.5 W, the relative light intensity only decreases by 14.15% and 12.82%, respectively. Therefore, it is believed that the work has promising applications in laser illumination and accelerating the development of LD lighting.
Pricey therefore good? Price affects expectations, but not quality perceptions and liking
Authors: Kurz Jacqueline , Efendić Emir , Goukens Caroline
Published: February 2023

Price and quality are positively related in people's minds. Saying a product costs more ought to lead to higher expectations of quality and liking. Importantly, this price‐quality heuristic is argued to affect perceived quality and liking—known as the marketing placebo effect. To investigate the robustness of this effect, we conducted six studies (total N = 2842; with students from an international Dutch university and US participants from Prolific and MTurk)—expanding on previous methodological approaches with larger samples and using products not commonly investigated in previous research. In all our studies, higher prices led to higher quality and liking expectations as suggested by the price‐quality heuristic. However, we did not find a consistent effect on perceived quality and liking once people experienced the product. Our data imply that the marketing placebo effect may be less robust or generalizable as previously assumed. This (in)efficacy should bring marketers to pause on when and whether to rely on it at all.
Human microbiomes in cancer development and therapy
Authors: Xia Chenglai , Su Jiyan , Liu Can , Mai Zhikai , Yin Shuanghong , Yang Chuansheng , Fu Liwu
Published: February 2023

Colonies formed by bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viral groups and their genomes, metabolites, and expressed proteins constitute complex human microbiomes. An increasing evidences showed that carcinogenesis and disease progression were link to microbiomes. Different organ sources, their microbial species, and their metabolites are different; the mechanisms of carcinogenic or procancerous are also different. Here, we summarize how microbiomes contribute to carcinogenesis and disease progression in cancers of the skin, mouth, esophagus, lung, gastrointestinal, genital, blood, and lymph malignancy. We also insight into the molecular mechanisms of triggering, promoting, or inhibiting carcinogenesis and disease progress induced by microbiomes or/and their secretions of bioactive metabolites. And then, the strategies of application of microorganisms in cancer treatment were discussed in detail. However, the mechanisms by which human microbiomes function are still poorly understood. The bidirectional interactions between microbiotas and endocrine systems need to be clarified. Probiotics and prebiotics are believed to benefit human health via a variety of mechanisms, in particular, in tumor inhibition. It is largely unknown how microbial agents cause cancer or how cancer progresses. We expect this review may open new perspectives on possible therapeutic approaches of patients with cancer.
Central factorial numbers associated with sequences of polynomials
Authors: San Kim Dae , Kim Taekyun
Published: February 2023

Many important special numbers appear in the expansions of some polynomials in terms of central factorials and vice versa, for example, central factorial numbers, degenerate central factorial numbers, and central Lah numbers which are recently introduced. Here we generalize this to any sequence of polynomials such that deg  . The aim of this paper is to study the central factorial numbers of the second kind associated with any sequence of polynomials and of the first kind associated with any sequence of polynomials, in a unified and systematic way with the help of umbral calculus technique. The central factorial numbers associated with any sequence of polynomials enjoy orthogonality and inverse relations. We illustrate our results with many examples and obtain interesting orthogonality and inverse relations by applying such relations for the central factorial numbers associated with any sequence of polynomials to each of our examples.
Clinical capability of modern brain tumor segmentation models
Authors: Berkley Adam , Saueressig Camillo , Shukla Utkarsh , Chowdhury Imran , Munoz‐Gauna Anthony , Shehu Olalekan , Singh Ritambhara , Munbodh Reshma
Published: February 2023

Purpose

State‐of‐the‐art automated segmentation methods achieve exceptionally high performance on the Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) challenge, a dataset of uniformly processed and standardized magnetic resonance generated images (MRIs) of gliomas. However, a reasonable concern is that these models may not fare well on clinical MRIs that do not belong to the specially curated BraTS dataset. Research using the previous generation of deep learning models indicates significant performance loss on cross‐institutional predictions. Here, we evaluate the cross‐institutional applicability and generalzsability of state‐of‐the‐art deep learning models on new clinical data.

Methods

We train a state‐of‐the‐art 3D U‐Net model on the conventional BraTS dataset comprising low‐ and high‐grade gliomas. We then evaluate the performance of this model for automatic tumor segmentation of brain tumors on in‐house clinical data. This dataset contains MRIs of different tumor types, resolutions, and standardization than those found in the BraTS dataset. Ground truth segmentations to validate the automated segmentation for in‐house clinical data were obtained from expert radiation oncologists.

Results

We report average Dice scores of 0.764, 0.648, and 0.61 for the whole tumor, tumor core, and enhancing tumor, respectively, in the clinical MRIs. These means are higher than numbers reported previously on same institution and cross‐institution datasets of different origin using different methods. There is no statistically significant difference when comparing the dice scores to the inter‐annotation variability between two expert clinical radiation oncologists. Although performance on the clinical data is lower than on the BraTS data, these numbers indicate that models trained on the BraTS dataset have impressive segmentation performance on previously unseen images obtained at a separate clinical institution. These images differ in the imaging resolutions, standardization pipelines, and tumor types from the BraTS data.

Conclusions

State‐of‐the‐art deep learning models demonstrate promising performance on cross‐institutional predictions. They considerably improve on previous models and can transfer knowledge to new types of brain tumors without additional modeling.
Numerical analysis of energy piles in a hypoplastic soft clay under cyclic thermal loading
Authors: Iodice Chiara , Di Laora Raffaele , Tamagnini Claudio , Viggiani Giulia M.B. , Mandolini Alessandro
Published: February 2023

This work is a numerical investigation of the effect of thermally induced volumetric collapse of normally consolidated clays on the performance of energy piles. A series of coupled thermo‐hydro‐mechanical Finite Element simulations were carried out using the commercial software ABAQUS. These examined a single free‐head energy pile embedded in a normally consolidated clay layer subjected to a constant mechanical load and to a number of heating/cooling cycles, to reproduce operating conditions. The soil behaviour was described with two advanced hypoplastic constitutive models for clays, one of which incorporates the thermally induced volumetric collapse using an ad‐hoc algorithm developed by the authors. Both models predict a cyclic accumulation of settlement and excess pore water pressure, especially when the thermal collapse effect is considered. While the excess pore pressure distribution stabilises within a few cycles, the rate of settlement of the pile head does not show any tendency to decrease from one cycle to another. These results are in agreement with data from small scale tests on an isolated energy pile in normally consolidated clay, indicating that the numerical model developed in this study can be used to investigate the complex soil/pile/raft interaction processes occurring in real piled foundations incorporating energy piles.
The raptor lockdown menu—Shifts in prey composition suggest urban peregrine diets are linked to human activities
Authors: Mak Brandon , Drewitt Edward J. A. , Francis Robert A. , Chadwick Michael A.
Published: February 2023

Raptors can thrive in cities where food supplies are abundant and seasonally stable. The availability of such resources may be linked to spatiotemporally predictable human activities generating reliable food subsidies for both raptors and their prey, capable of sustaining large populations. However, raptors may become affected by shifts in human behaviour.

Here, we explore how urban peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus diets respond to changes in human activity levels amidst COVID‐19 pandemic social restrictions. We used online nest cameras to study peregrine diets and reproduction across 31 sites in 27 UK cities over three breeding seasons, including one during lockdown.

Prey composition changed significantly between years, and these differences varied by region. During lockdown, London peregrines took a lower proportion of pigeons (−14.5%), offset by a greater proportion of starlings Sturnus vulgaris (+6.9%) and ring‐necked parakeets Psittacula krameri (+3.2%). In other cities, lockdown diets showed no change for pigeons (+0.3%), starlings comprised a lower prey proportion (−4.3%), while non‐dominant corvid prey (+2.3%) and waterbirds (+2%) had greater importance. Racing pigeon prey also decreased during lockdown, significantly outside London.

However, breeding parameters (number of eggs, hatchlings, fledglings) were not significantly different, suggesting urban peregrines may not have experienced food shortages amidst restrictions.

Thus, our study demonstrates that human activity can influence urban peregrine predation opportunities but is unlikely to be more important than other factors like habitat availability. It also highlights how impacts can vary regionally, which may have been driven by social and geographical differences between the capital and other cities.

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Enhancing thermal conductivity of epoxy composites via f‐BN@f‐MgO hybrid fillers assisted by hot pressing
Authors: Wu Xudong , Yu Haojie , Wang Li , Meng Xingguang , Huang Zhikun , Liu Xiaowei , Gong Xiaodan , Liu Jinyi
Published: February 2023

High thermal conductive polymeric composites are extremely desired for the thermal management of electronic devices due to the rapid development of the modern microelectronic industry. Herein, the functionalized boron nitride (BN) and magnesium oxide (MgO) hybrid fillers (f‐BN@f‐MgO) were synthesized and used to prepare the enhanced thermal conductive epoxy (EP) composites through the hot‐pressing method. The results demonstrated that the covalent binding of BN and MgO in the hybrid fillers reduced the interface thermal resistance effectively between fillers and matrix and the hot‐pressing induced force facilitated the construction of the continuous thermal conduction paths. Consequently, the as‐prepared epoxy composite at 40 wt% hybrid fillers loading had high thermal conductivity (TC) (1.97 W/[m·K]), outstanding insulating performance (6.9 × 1015 Ω cm) and excellent thermal stability. Furthermore, a probable thermal conduction mechanism was proposed to illustrate the high TC of the epoxy composite. Therefore, this study provides a new approach to preparing epoxy composites with outstanding performances.
Comparison of Semen Aesculi species from different geographical origins and horse chestnut based on metabolomics and chemometrics analysis
Authors: Wang Wei‐Wei , Liu Zi‐Wei , Sun Ya‐Zhe , Liu Li‐Fang
Published: February 2023

Background

Semen Aesculi, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has a long history of use for treating chest and abdominal pain with distension. In addition, the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) is another species of Aesculus in Europe and has notable clinical significance in alleviating chronic venous insufficiency, hemorrhoids, and postoperative edema. Thus, highlighting the comparative study of Semen Aesculi and horse chestnut may broaden clinical applications.

Objectives

To conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis on the chemical profiling of these two varieties and determine whether they have equivalent clinical efficacy by integrating plant metabolomics and multivariate statistical methods.

Methods

Initially, a comprehensive characterisation was performed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐QTOF‐MS/MS) platform, and in total 44 active ingredients were identified. Then, untargeted metabolomics combined with principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) was applied for the discrimination of a German species and three official Chinese species. Next, 24 marker compounds responsible for the discrimination of different species were screened out and used to predict the species of unknown samples by genetic algorithm‐optimised support vector machine (GA‐SVM) with a high prediction accuracy. Finally, a heatmap visualisation was employed for clarifying the distribution of the identified active ingredients.

Results

The three species of Chinese Semen Aesculi showed distinct separation from each other, while European horse chestnut and Aesculus chinensis Bunge were similar in chemical composition.

Conclusions

This work provided experimental evidence for further expanding the clinical application of Chinese Semen Aesculi and promoted the species identification and quality control of Semen Aesculi.
Interplay between nitrogen oxides and ozone in a filamentary dielectric barrier discharge at various frequencies
Authors: Remy Antoine , De Geyter Nathalie , Reniers François
Published: February 2023

Pursuing more efficient nitrogen fixation in the context of the current climate crisis is of prime importance. The Haber‐Bosch process (NH3 production) accounts for at least 2% of the yearly released greenhouse gases. Alternatively, different atmospheric nonthermal discharges have proven their ability to convert nitrogen and oxygen from the air into nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, and HNO3 hereafter referred as NOx). Among them, dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in N2/O2 are very interesting as they are characterized by microdischarges (MDs) developing into filaments under specific conditions (gap length, voltage, frequency, nature of the dielectrics). In this work, we used a sinusoidal voltage at 4, 12, 17.5, and 30 kHz as a key parameter to manipulate the MDs behaviors in an N2/O2 DBD and tailor the chemistry of the discharge. We characterized the MDs distribution by high‐speed camera imaging. Two different nitrogen emission systems, that is, the second positive system (SPS) and the first negative system (FNS), were used to assess the filament temperature and what we define as the delayed‐glow temperature, respectively. The influence of the filament's distribution on the overall discharge temperature has also been evaluated, by using a novel approach allowing the generation of heat distribution maps directly on a thermosensitive paper exposed to the discharge. Finally, the effect of the filaments on ozone (O3) and NOx production has been monitored by in situ Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR). The DBD can be tuned between homogenously distributed MDs at 4 and 12 kHz to highly localized filaments at 17.5 and 30 kHz. A high filament temperature combined with a cold delayed‐glow is observed at 17.5 kHz while both the filament and the delayed‐glow temperature are high at 30 kHz. Low frequencies lead to heat spreading into the whole discharge volume, while localization of heat along the filament's paths is observed at high frequencies. High‐temperature filaments in the 30 kHz discharge and in the globally heated discharge at low frequencies quickly remove O3 from the discharge and consequently limit the overall NOx production by removing important oxidation pathways. On the contrary, filaments surrounded by cold gas observed at 17.5 kHz allowed to maintain a high concentration of O3 necessary for a faster oxidation of NO and thus increase the HNO3 production, even after 250 s, by avoiding backward reactions.
Comparison of direct and indirect low‐temperature plasma triggering immunogenic cell death in B16F10 melanoma
Authors: Wang Xiangni , Liu Na , Liu Jinren , Cui Yixin , Wang Xiying , Lu Jiajia , Kang Chuchu , Gao Lingge , Shi Xingmin , Zhang Guanjun
Published: February 2023

The potential antitumor application of low‐temperature plasma (LTP) in immunotherapy has attracted wide attention from researchers. The induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) is one of the possible mechanisms underlying this event. In this work, the immunogenicity of B16F10 melanoma cells treated with direct and indirect LTP protocols was investigated. The results revealed the concentrations of H2O2, NO, and NO2− increased as LTP treatment time was longer, while the cell viability decreased. By comparison, the direct treatment induced a stronger expression of ICD markers. In vivo, the LTP‐treated B16F10 reduced tumor burden in C57BL/6 mice. This study demonstrated both direct and indirect LTP treatments triggered immunogenic cell death and were expected to provide an effective immunotherapy strategy.
Adding the X‐ray Bragg reflection physical process in crystal to the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit, part I: reflection from a crystal slab
Authors: Guan Fada , Asai Makoto , Bartkoski Dirk A. , Kleckner Michael , Harel Ze'ev , Salehpour Mohammad
Published: February 2023

X‐ray diffraction from a solid crystal shows the wave nature of photons. It is an important electromagnetic (EM) physics process when X‐ray photons interact with a crystal. Bragg diffraction, often called Bragg reflection, is a special case of the general form of X‐ray diffraction, known as Laue diffraction. When the Bragg's law is met, the incident photon beam is reflected from the crystal plane behaving as a specular reflection at the Bragg angle. However, the Bragg reflection physical process has not been integrated into the general‐purpose Monte Carlo simulation toolkit Geant4 for particle physics. In the current study, we developed a new EM physical process class “G4CrystalBraggReflection” and a new EM physical model class “G4DarwinDynamicalModel” for modeling the Bragg reflection physical process within a crystal. We added the Bragg reflection physical process to the EM physics category of Geant4. The preliminary results of photon tracking in a silicon crystal slab have shown the feasibility of simulating the Bragg reflection process in addition to the standard EM processes in the framework of Geant4.
Scoring methodology for comparing the environmental performance of food packaging
Authors: Frojan Julia , Bisquert Pierre , Buche Patrice , Gontard Nathalie , Boone Lieselot , Nhu Thuy Trang , Vermeulen An , Ragaert Peter , Dewulf Jo , Guillard Valérie
Published: February 2023

The objective of this work was to propose an environmental scoring tool for food packaging based on the assessment of three key pillars of packaging sustainability: Materials, Functionality and Post‐Usage fate. A participatory process involving relevant food‐packaging experts and end users was applied to define the relevant criteria for each pillar. Each criterion was translated into a question for users, and the answers are converted into a score between 0 (worst option) and 1 (best option) per pillar. For the Materials pillar, two scores were computed from a streamlined calculation of resource (CEENE) and carbon footprints (IPCC) while for the Functionality and Post‐Usage pillars, scores were computed from Yes/No answers provided by the users. A fourth pillar considers the potential risk of long‐term environmental pollution. Then, the packaging options for the same food are ranked according to the Borda voting rule, considering the individual rankings obtained for the various pillars. The proposed methodology was applied to three commercial (milk and sugar) and non‐commercial (strawberry) packaging case studies. The obtained ranking is discussed with respect to current knowledge in the field. The provided methodology is easy to understand, science based, and combines quantitative and qualitative assessments. The developed tool could be handled by non‐experts in environmental sciences such as food manufacturers, packaging converters and policy makers. The resulting indicators provide answers to user concerns regarding the environmental impacts of food packaging and guide their choice of the most sustainable option. The proposed scoring method considers the functionality of the packaging with respect to preserving food and reducing food waste, which is rarely considered in packaging environmental assessments.