bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanosilver as a novel biocide for control of senescence in garden cosmos
Authors: Skutnik Ewa , Jędrzejuk Agata , Rabiza-Świder Julita , Rochala-Wojciechowska Julia , Latkowska Monika , Łukaszewska Aleksandra
Published: June 2020

To prolong their vase life, cut flowers are commonly kept in holding solutions. These must include a biocide to retard bacterial growth. In this study, the effect of nanosilver (NS) on certain aspects of senescence in cut garden cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) flowers was compared to that of the commonly used 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8-HQC). In combination with sucrose, both biocides prolonged cosmos vase life but did not prevent the occurrence of stem blockages. NS was more effective in limiting a reduction in endogenous soluble carbohydrates. The malondialdehyde (MDA) contents increased in senescing ray florets, both in intact and control cut flowers held in water. Both biocides were comparably effective in limiting this effect. The hydrogen peroxide content tripled in intact flowers but dropped in flowers held in water or the 8-HQC solutions; in flowers kept in NS solutions its increase was moderate. Also, the catalase activity increased in intact flowers but dropped in all cut flowers. Both biocides had similar effects on the enzyme activity, in both pure solutions and with sucrose. Most of these parameters were not significantly correlated with vase life. Overall, the effect of nanosilver on senescence in cut cosmos flowers was similar to that of 8-HQC.
Metabolomic and Lipidomic Profiling of Bone Marrow Plasma Differentiates Patients with Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance from Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Gonsalves Wilson I. , Broniowska Katarzyna , Jessen Erik , Petterson Xuan-Mai , Bush Alexander Graham , Gransee Jaimee , Lacy Martha Q. , Hitosugi Taro , Kumar Shaji K.
Published: June 2020

Oncogenic drivers of progression of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) to multiple myeloma (MM) such as c-MYC have downstream effects on intracellular metabolic pathways of clonal plasma cells (PCs). Thus, extracellular environments such as the bone marrow (BM) plasma likely have unique metabolite profiles that differ from patients with MGUS compared to MM. This study utilized an untargeted metabolite and targeted complex lipid profiling of BM plasma to identify significant differences in the relative metabolite levels between patients with MGUS and MM from an exploratory cohort. This was followed by verification of some of the metabolite differences of interest by targeted quantification of the metabolites using isotopic internal standards in the exploratory cohort as well as an independent validation cohort. Significant differences were noted in the amino acid profiles such as decreased branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) and increased catabolism of tryptophan to the active kynurenine metabolite 3-hydroxy-kynurenine between patients with MGUS and MM. A decrease in the total levels of complex lipids such as phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), lactosylceramides (LCER) and phosphatidylinositols (PI) were also detected in the BM plasma samples from MM compared to MGUS patients. Thus, metabolite and complex lipid profiling of the BM plasma identifies differences in levels of metabolites and lipids between patients with MGUS and MM. This may provide insight into the possible differences of the intracellular metabolic pathways of their clonal PCs.
Combinatory actions of CP29 phosphorylation by STN7 and stability regulate leaf age-dependent disassembly of photosynthetic complexes
Authors: Poudyal Roshan Sharma , Rodionova Margarita V. , Kim Hyunmin , Lee Seongsin , Do Eunjeong , Allakhverdiev Suleyman I. , Nam Hong Gil , Hwang Daehee , Kim Yumi
Published: June 2020

A predominant physiological change that occurs during leaf senescence is a decrease in photosynthetic efficiency. An optimal organization of photosynthesis complexes in plant leaves is critical for efficient photosynthesis. However, molecular mechanisms for regulating photosynthesis complexes during leaf senescence remain largely unknown. Here we tracked photosynthesis complexes alterations during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana. Grana stack is significantly thickened and photosynthesis complexes were disassembled in senescing leaves. Defects in STN7 and CP29 led to an altered chloroplast ultrastructure and a malformation of photosynthesis complex organization in stroma lamella. Both CP29 phosphorylation by STN7 and CP29 fragmentation are highly associated with the photosynthesis complex disassembly. In turn, CP29 functions as a molecular glue to facilitate protein complex formation leading phosphorylation cascade and to maintain photosynthetic efficiency during leaf senescence. These data suggest a novel molecular mechanism to modulate leaf senescence via CP29 phosphorylation and fragmentation, serving as an efficient strategy to control photosynthesis complexes.
Plasma Homocysteine Concentration is Associated with the Expression Level of Folate Receptor 3
Authors: Yoshitomi Ren , Nakayama Kai , Yamashita Shuya , Kumazoe Motofumi , Lin Ting-An , Mei Chen-Yi , Marugame Yuki , Fujimura Yoshinori , Maeda-Yamamoto Mari , Kuriyama Shinichi , Tachibana Hirofumi
Published: June 2020

Folic acid and folate receptors (FOLRs) play an important role in the downregulation of homocysteine (Hcy), a risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease, thrombosis, neuropsychiatric illness and fractures. While several studies have reported that FOLR1 and FOLR2 import folic acid into cells, the role of FOLR3 remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated the impact of FOLR3 on the metabolism of Hcy alongside its protective effect against homocysteine-induced neurotoxicity. To reveal the role of FOLR3, we constructed FOLR3-overexpressed HEK293 cells (FOLR3+ cells) and evaluated cell growth, folic acid intake and Hcy-induced neurotoxicity. Subjects with a high expression of FOLR3 exhibited low levels of plasma homocysteine. The ectopic expression of FOLR3 enhanced cell growth, and the enhanced effect was neutralised by folic acid-deficient media. The Western blot analysis revealed that FOLR3 is secreted into cell supernatant. The folic acid intake of FOLR3+ cells was higher than that of wild-type cells. Supernatant from FOLR3+ cells showed a protective effect on Hcy-induced cytotoxicity. FOLR3 expression in plasma is negatively correlated with plasma homocysteine. Our study emphasizes the role of FOLR3 in the intake of folic acid into cells on the one hand and its protective role in Hcy-induced cytotoxicity on the other.
Rolling circle amplification of synthetic DNA accelerates biocatalytic determination of enzyme activity relative to conventional methods
Authors: Hadi Timin , Nozzi Nicole , Melby Joel O. , Gao Wei , Fuerst Douglas E. , Kvam Erik
Published: June 2020

The ability to quickly and easily assess the activity of large collections of enzymes for a desired substrate holds great promise in the field of biocatalysis. Cell-free synthesis, although not practically amenable for large-scale enzyme production, provides a way to accelerate the timeline for screening enzyme candidates using small-scale reactions. However, because cell-free enzyme synthesis requires a considerable amount of template DNA, the preparation of high-quality DNA “parts” in large quantities represents a costly and rate-limiting prerequisite for high throughput screening. Based on time-cost analysis and comparative activity data, a cell-free workflow using synthetic DNA minicircles and rolling circle amplification enables comparable biocatalytic activity to cell-based workflows in almost half the time. We demonstrate this capability using a panel of sequences from the carbon-nitrogen hydrolase superfamily that represent possible green catalysts for synthesizing small molecules with less waste compared to traditional industrial chemistry. This method provides a new alternative to more cumbersome plasmid- or PCR-based protein expression workflows and should be amenable to automation for accelerating enzyme screening in industrial applications.
Hypertension is associated with oral, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer: a nationwide population-based study
Authors: Seo Jae-Hyun , Kim Young-Du , Park Chan-Seok , Han Kyung-do , Joo Young-Hoon
Published: June 2020

Several studies have reported an association between hypertension and upper aerodigestive tract cancer, but no large-scale, population-based studies have been conducted to confirm this.The aim of this study was to explore the association between hypertension and risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancer in Koreans. Participants who underwent a national health screening examination from January 1 to December 31, 2009 (n = 9,746,606) were enrolled. We assessed the development of oral, laryngeal, or esophageal cancer until 2016 using records from the Korean Health Insurance claims database during the study period. During the seven-year follow-up period, 6,062, 2,658, and 4,752 subjects were newly diagnosed with oral, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer, respectively. Participants with metabolic syndrome had the highest risk of developing oral cancer (hazard ratio (HR) 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.16), laryngeal cancer (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.17–1.38), and esophageal cancer (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04–1.19). Hypertension was a remarkable risk factor for each cancer (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04–1.17 for oral cancer; HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.13–1.33 for laryngeal cancer; HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.18–1.33 for esophageal cancer) after adjusting for age and other variables including gender, smoking status, alcohol intake, exercise, body mass index, and diabetes. Patients with untreated hypertension were at highest risk of developing oral cancer (HR 1.15; 95% CI 1.05–1.26), laryngeal cancer (HR 1.25; 95% CI 1.09–1.44), and esophageal cancer (HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.33–1.63) after adjusting for confounders. Hypertension was associated with the risk of oral, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer, despite of the lack of detailed biochemical information including the cancer cell types (squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma), cancer stage, physical findings and other medical history. Further studies are warranted to determine the reasons for this association and to establish effective interventions in this vulnerable population.
A new registration algorithm of electronic portal imaging devices images based on the automatic detection of bone edges during radiotherapy
Authors: Chen Cheng , Wu Chaoyan , Zhong Yahua , Xie Conghua , Zhou Yunfeng , Liu Hui , Zhang Jun , Sheng Jiuling , Jiang Dazheng , Zhao Hongli , Yu Haijun
Published: June 2020

The precision and efficiency of the registration of megavolt-level electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) images with the naked eye in the orthogonal window are reduced. This study aims to develop a new registration algorithm with enhanced accuracy and efficiency. Ten setup errors with different translation and rotation were simulated with the phantom. For each error, one set of simulated computer tomography images and EPID images were acquired and registered with the traditional and the new method. The traditional method was performed by two senior physicists with the Varian Offline Review software. The new method is basing on the comparison of the precise contours of the same bone structure in the digital reconstruction radiography images and the EPID images, and the contours were fitted with an automatic edge detection algorithm based on gradient images. The average error of the new method was decreased by 44.44%, 28.33%, 49.09% in the translation of X, Y, and Z axes (The traditional vs. the new: X axes, 0.45 mm vs. 0.25 mm; Y axes, 0.75 mm vs. 0.35 mm; Z axes, 0.55 mm vs. 0.28 mm), 42.86% and 40.48% in the rotation of X and Z axes (The traditional vs. the new: X axes, 0.49° vs. 0.28°; Z axes, 0.42° vs. 0.25°), respectively. The average elapsed time in the new method was reduced by 11.14% (The traditional vs. the new: 44 s vs. 39.1 s). The new registration method has significant advantages of accuracy and efficiency compared with the traditional method.
Silicon addition improves plant productivity and soil nutrient availability without changing the grass:legume ratio response to N fertilization
Authors: Xu Danghui , Gao Tianpeng , Fang Xiangwen , Bu Haiyan , Li Qiuxia , Wang Xiaona , Zhang Renyi
Published: June 2020

Silicon (Si) plays an important role in plant nutrient capture and absorption, and also promotes plant mechanical strength and light interception in alpine meadows. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to examine the effect of nitrogen (N) application, with (N + Si) and without Si (N-only), on the potential for soil nutrient and the growth of grass and legume plant functional types (PFTs) in an alpine meadow. It was found that N + Si resulted in higher soil nutrient contents, leaf N and P concentrations, abundance and biomass of legume and grass PFTs than N-only. The aboveground biomass of grass (598 g m−2) and legume (12.68 g m−2) PFTs under 600 kg ha−1 ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) per year addition with Si was significantly higher than that under the same level of N addition without Si (515 and 8.68 g m−2, respectively). The grass:legume biomass ratio did not differ significantly between the N + Si and N-only. This demonstrates that Si enhances N fertilization with apparently little effect on grass:legume ratio and increases plant-available nutrients, indicating that Si is essential for the plant community in alpine meadows.
Preoperative incidence and locations of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of lower extremity following ankle fractures
Authors: Luo Zixuan , Chen Wei , Li Yansen , Wang Xiaomeng , Zhang Weili , Zhu Yanbin , Zhang Fengqi
Published: June 2020

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the preoperative incidence and locations of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients undergoing surgeries for ankle fractures and identify the associated risk factors. From January 2016 to June 2019, 1,532 patients undergoing surgery of ankle fractures were included. Their inpatient medical records were inquired for data collection, including demographics, comorbidities, injury-related data and preoperative laboratory biomarkers. DVT of bilateral lower extremities was diagnosed by routine preoperative Doppler examination. Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the independent risk factors. Totally, 98 patients had a preoperative DVT, indicating an incidence rate of 6.4%. A total of 164 clots for 6 veins were found, representing an average of 1.7 for each patient. The detailed DVTs involving veins were as follows: 2 in femoral common vein, 7 in superficial femoral vein, 2 in deep femoral vein, 16 in popliteal vein, 49 in posterior tibial vein, and 88 in peroneal vein. In the multivariate model, 5 risk factors were identified to be associated with DVT, including age (10-year increase), gender, lower ALB level, reduced LYM count and elevated D-dimer level. There was a tendency for diabetes mellitus to increase the risk of DVT, although there was no statistical significance (p = 0.063). These epidemiologic data on DVT may help counsel patients about the risk of DVT, individualized risk assessment and accordingly the risk stratification.
Trans-interlamina percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy for symptomatic cervical spondylotic radiculopathy using the new Delta system
Authors: Haijun Ma , Xiaobing Zhao , Bin Geng , Jinwen He , Dacheng Zhao , Shenghong Wang , Honggang Zhou , Yayi Xia
Published: June 2020

To describe the rationale and surgical technique and compare the clinical effect of posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical discectomy (PPECD) using the Delta system versus that of conventional PPECD (key-hole) surgery for the treatment of symptomatic cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). A retrospective analysis was performed on 106 single-segment CSR patients between February 2016 and February 2017, 50 of whom underwent conventional PPECD (key-hole), and 56 underwent PPECD using the Delta system. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative complications and postoperative hospital stay were recorded, and the clinical effect was evaluated by the indicators of the Neck Disability Index (NDI), arm-visual analog scale (arm-VAS), neck-VAS, EQ-5D and MacNab classification at the last follow-up. All patients underwent the operation successfully, and 106 patients were followed up. The operative time of the Delta group was 60.47 ± 0.71 min, while the operative time of the key-hole group was 75.46 ± 0.41 min. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of blood loss and hospital stay (P > 0.05). The VAS, NDI and EQ-5D scores of the neck and upper limbs in the two groups were significantly better than those before surgery at 1 week after surgery and at the last follow-up (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups at the last follow-up (P > 0.05). At the last follow-up, there was no significant difference between the two surgical methods when evaluated using the modified MacNab criteria. The imaging results showed that the herniated disc was removed completely and the nerve root was decompressed. The complication rate in the Delta group (3/56, 5.35%) was significantly lower than that in the conventional key-hole group (5/50, 10.0%). PPECD using the Delta system for CSR may be a feasible and promising alternative surgical plan. Compared with the traditional key-hole method, this surgical system can not only provide the surgeon with a larger surgical field of vision but also reduces the operation time and complication rates.
Author Correction: Past continental shelf evolution increased Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to climatic conditions
Authors: Colleoni Florence , De Santis Laura , Montoli Enea , Olivo Elisabetta , Sorlien Christopher C. , Bart Philip J. , Gasson Edward G. W. , Bergamasco Andrea , Sauli Chiara , Wardell Nigel , Prato Stefano
Published: June 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Low-dimensional representations of Niño 3.4 evolution and the spring persistence barrier
Authors: Tippett Michael K. , L’Heureux Michelle L.
Published: June 2020

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of climate variability on interannual time scales, and its temporal evolution can be summarized using the Niño 3.4 index. Here we used EOF analysis to construct low-dimensional representations of the 12-month evolution of Niño 3.4 during different times of the year. The leading EOF explains more than 90% of the variance of the Niño 3.4 evolution from June to May, which means that the differences in evolution from one year to another are essentially differences in amplitude. Two EOFs explained 94% or more of the evolution variance for other 12-month periods of the year. The two-dimensional nature of the Niño 3.4 trajectories is a direct expression of the spring persistence barrier since the first EOF describes wintertime ENSO events, and the second EOF describes independent behavior during the antecedent spring. A periodic second-order autoregressive (AR2) model reproduced the observed properties, but a first-order model did not. Niño 3.4 EOFs in ocean-atmosphere coupled model forecasts matched observed EOFs with varying levels of fidelity depending on model and time of year. Forecast models with more accurate climatological covariance also have lower mean-squared error (MSE). Low-dimensional EOF-based statistical corrections reduced forecast MSE.
Learning endometriosis phenotypes from patient-generated data
Authors: Urteaga Iñigo , McKillop Mollie , Elhadad Noémie
Published: June 2020

Endometriosis is a systemic and chronic condition in women of childbearing age, yet a highly enigmatic disease with unresolved questions: there are no known biomarkers, nor established clinical stages. We here investigate the use of patient-generated health data and data-driven phenotyping to characterize endometriosis patient subtypes, based on their reported signs and symptoms. We aim at unsupervised learning of endometriosis phenotypes using self-tracking data from personal smartphones. We leverage data from an observational research study of over 4000 women with endometriosis that track their condition over more than 2 years. We extend a classical mixed-membership model to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of the data at hand, i.e., the multimodality and uncertainty of the self-tracked variables. The proposed method, by jointly modeling a wide range of observations (i.e., participant symptoms, quality of life, treatments), identifies clinically relevant endometriosis subtypes. Experiments show that our method is robust to different hyperparameter choices and the biases of self-tracking data (e.g., the wide variations in tracking frequency among participants). With this work, we show the promise of unsupervised learning of endometriosis subtypes from self-tracked data, as learned phenotypes align well with what is already known about the disease, but also suggest new clinically actionable findings. More generally, we argue that a continued research effort on unsupervised phenotyping methods with patient-generated health data via new mobile and digital technologies will have significant impact on the study of enigmatic diseases in particular, and health in general.
Farnesoid X receptor activation inhibits TGFBR1/TAK1-mediated vascular inflammation and calcification via miR-135a-5p
Authors: Li Chao , Zhang Shijun , Chen Xiaoqing , Ji Jingkang , Yang Wenqing , Gui Ting , Gai Zhibo , Li Yunlun
Published: June 2020

Chronic inflammation plays a crucial role in vascular calcification. However, only a few studies have revealed the mechanisms underlying the development of inflammation under high-phosphate conditions in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Here, we show that inflammation resulting from the activation of the TGFBR1/TAK1 pathway is involved in calcification in CKD rats or osteogenic medium-cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). Moreover, miR-135a-5p is demonstrated to be a key regulator of the TGFBR1/TAK1 pathway, which has been reported to be decreased in CKD rats. We further reveal that farnesoid X receptor (FXR) activation increases miR-135a-5p expression, thereby inhibiting the activation of the TGFBR1/TAK1 pathway, ultimately resulting in the attenuation of vascular inflammation and calcification in CKD rats. Our findings provide advanced insights into the mechanisms underlying the development of inflammation in vascular calcification, and evidence that FXR activation could serve as a therapeutic strategy for retarding vascular calcification in CKD patients.
Tough and injectable fiber reinforced calcium phosphate cement as an alternative to polymethylmethacrylate cement for vertebral augmentation: a biomechanical study
Authors: de Lacerda Schickert Sónia , Pinto João Castro , Jansen John , Leeuwenburgh Sander C. G. , van den Beucken Jeroen J. J. P.
Published: June 2020

A novel injectable calcium phosphate cement, reinforced with poly(vinyl alcohol) fibers has been developed and demonstratedin vitroandex vivobio-mechanical suitability for vertebral augmentation procedures.
Janus and core@shell gold nanorod@Cu2−xS supraparticles: reactive site regulation fabrication, optical/catalytic synergetic effects and enhanced photothermal efficiency/photostability
Authors: Wang Biao , Li Ruirui , Guo Ge , Xia Yunsheng
Published: June 2020

We herein present a reactive site regulation strategy for fabricating well-defined Janus and core@shell gold nanorod-Cu2−xS dual metal–semiconductor plasmonic supraparticles.
Organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of β,β-diaryl ketones via one-pot tandem dehydration/1,6-addition/decarboxylation transformation of β-keto acids and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohols
Authors: Niu Jia-Pan , Nie Jing , Li Shen , Ma Jun-An
Published: June 2020

An one-pot tandem dehydration/1,6-addition/decarboxylation transformation of β-keto acids and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohols provides an metal-free protocol to chiral β,β-diaryl ketones.
Dopamine polymer derived isolated single-atom site metals/N-doped porous carbon for benzene oxidation
Authors: Wu Konglin , Zhan Fei , Tu Renyong , Cheong Weng-Chon , Cheng Yuansheng , Zheng Lirong , Yan Wensheng , Zhang Qinghua , Chen Zheng , Chen Chen
Published: June 2020

Isolated single-atom sites metals/nitrogen-doped porous carbon (ISAS M/NPC, M = Fe, Co, Ni) are prepared by a polymerization-pyrolysis-etching-activation strategy, which can be used as high efficiency and selectivity benzene oxidation catalysts.
An ester electrolyte for lithium–sulfur batteries capable of ultra-low temperature cycling
Authors: Cai Guorui , Holoubek John , Xia Dawei , Li Mingqian , Yin Yijie , Xing Xing , Liu Ping , Chen Zheng
Published: June 2020

Li||SPAN batteries in the lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide methyl propionate/fluoroethylene carbonate (LiFSI MP/FEC) electrolyte system can charge and discharge at −40 °C with over 78% room temperature capacity retention.
Variability of structural motifs in the crystal structure of U(vi) complexes with p-methoxybenzoic acid
Authors: Andreev Grigory , Budantseva Nina , Levtsova Anastasiya
Published: June 2020

An unexpected crystal structure based on the simultaneous presence of 0D and 1D uranyl-containing building units was obtained.
Towards focusing of a swarm of magnetic micro/nanomotors
Authors: Morozov Konstantin I. , Leshansky Alexander M.
Published: June 2020

The right-handed magnetic helices are focused in the rotating magnetic field and azymuthal field of a linear current.
Barrierless methane-to-methanol conversion: the unique mechanism of AlO+
Authors: Sweeny Brendan C. , McDonald David C. , Ard Shaun G. , Viggiano Albert A. , Shuman Nicholas S.
Published: June 2020

Alcohol for free? Aluminum can: aluminum enables oxygen transfer to methane via a unique, barrierless formation of R-Al–MeOH. The key Al–MeOH bond strength is tunable by controlling the acidity of the Al via electron-donating or withdrawing R groups.
Supercritical hydrothermal synthesis of MoS2 nanosheets with controllable layer number and phase structure
Authors: Takahashi Yuki , Nakayasu Yuta , Iwase Kazuyuki , Kobayashi Hiroaki , Honma Itaru
Published: June 2020

Supercritical hydrothermal processing with different organic substances for different reaction times provides MoS2 with a controllable number of layers and morphology.
Structural changes in the model of the outer cell membrane of Gram-negative bacteria interacting with melittin: an in situ spectroelectrochemical study
Authors: Brand Izabella , Khairalla Bishoy
Published: June 2020

Molecular scale changes in Gram-negative bacteria model membranes exposed to physiological electric fields and interacting with melittin antimicrobial peptide are discussed.
Zn(0)-Catalysed mild and selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes
Authors: Sun Shuting , Du Muyao , Zhao Ruixiang , Jv Xinchun , Hu Pan , Zhang Qun , Wang Bo
Published: June 2020

The hydrogenation of nitroarenes is one of the most important strategies for the preparation of anilines.
Recent advances, design guidelines, and prospects of flexible organic/inorganic thermoelectric composites
Authors: Jiang Qinghui , Yang Junyou , Hing Peter , Ye Haitao
Published: June 2020

Thermoelectrics can recover waste heat, environmental heat or heats from different sources and convert it to electricity.
Spectral characteristics upon harvesting plasmonic hot electrons at the Ag/ZnO heteromicrostructures
Authors: Rahman Dewan S. , Pal Sudip Kumar , Singha Shib Shankar , Kundu Susmita , Basu Soumen , Ghosh Sujit Kumar
Published: June 2020

The spectral characteristics of silver/zinc oxide heteromicrostructures with different interesting morphologies upon metal–semiconductor interfacial modification have been elucidated.
Largely boosted methanol electrooxidation using ionic liquid/PdCu aerogels via interface engineering
Authors: Wang Hengjia , Zhang Songlin , Cai Weiwei , Xu Bo Z. , Cai Zhixiang , Wu Yu , Luo Xin , Wei Xiaoqian , Liu Zhao , Gu Wenling , Eychmüller Alexander , Zhu Chengzhou , Chen Jun
Published: June 2020

PdCu aerogels with an ionic liquid by interface engineering demonstrated splendid electrocatalytic activity for the methanol oxidation reaction.
Efficient heterogeneous catalysis by pendant metalloporphyrin-functionalized polythiophenes for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide
Authors: Watpathomsub Supranee , Luangchaiyaporn Jirapong , Sariciftci Niyazi Serdar , Thamyongkit Patchanita
Published: June 2020

Pendant metalloporphyrin-functionalized polythiophenes serve as efficient catalysts for the practical heterogeneous electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide under ambient conditions in aqueous media.
Synthesis of hierarchically porous MnO/C composites via a sol–gel process followed by two-step combustion for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Liu Wei , Feng Daoyan , Yang Hui , Guo Xingzhong
Published: June 2020

Hierarchically porous MnO/C composites with interconnected macropores and co-continuous skeletons were fabricated via a sol–gel process combined with phase separation, followed by a two-step combustion.
Sustainable lignin-derived hierarchically porous carbon for capacitive deionization applications
Authors: Chaleawlert-umpon Saowaluk , Pimpha Nuttaporn
Published: June 2020

Cross-linked lignin with glyoxal leads to a support mesopore structure of lignin-based porous carbon with improved capacitive deionization performance.
Zn2+ stabilized Pd clusters with enhanced covalent metal–support interaction via the formation of Pd–Zn bonds to promote catalytic thermal stability
Authors: Jing Kai-Qiang , Fu Yu-Qing , Wang Zhi-Qiao , Chen Zhe-Ning , Tan Hong-Zi , Sun Jing , Xu Zhong-Ning , Guo Guo-Cong
Published: June 2020

Zn2+-Modified MgAl-LDH with ultra-low Pd cluster loading was synthesized. The higher adsorption energy and strong covalent metal–support interaction via forming Pd–Zn bonds over Pd/ZnMgAl-LDH account for the robust catalytic performance.
Sandwiched graphene/hBN/graphene photonic crystal fibers with high electro-optical modulation depth and speed
Authors: Cheng Xu , Zhou Xu , Tao Langyi , Yu Wentao , Liu Can , Cheng Yi , Ma Chaojie , Shang Nianze , Xie Jin , Liu Kaihui , Liu Zhongfan
Published: June 2020

We theoretically proposed a fiber modulator based on PCFs with a graphene/hBN/graphene film attached to its hole walls, which shows high modulation depth and speed with a broad wavelength range.
Synergistic transdermal delivery of nanoethosomes embedded in hyaluronic acid nanogels for enhancing photodynamic therapy
Authors: Chen Yunsheng , Zhang Zheng , Xin Yu , Zhou Rong , Jiang Kai , Sun Xiyang , He Dannong , Song Jie , Zhang Yixin
Published: June 2020

HA/ES-ALA transdermal nanogels improves ALA utilization and enhances photodynamic therapy by its synergistic effect.
Cobalt doping of FePS3 promotes intrinsic active sites for the efficient hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Wang Shuang , Xiao Beibei , Shen Shijie , Song Kai , Lin Zhiping , Wang Zongpeng , Chen Yuchao , Zhong Wenwu
Published: June 2020

High HER activity FePS3 was constructed by doping of cobalt based on theoretical calculations that Co dopants improve H affinity on P sites and electrical conductivity.
Direct writing of 3D conjugated polymer micro/nanostructures for organic electronics and bioelectronics
Authors: Kee Seyoung , Zhang Peikai , Travas-Sejdic Jadranka
Published: June 2020

3D direct writing and meniscus-guided pen writing methods, which are capable of fabricating 3D micro/nanostructures from soluble π-conjugated polymers (CPs) and CP precursors, and recent advances in these techniques are addressed in this review.
Efficient luminescence control in dithienylethene functionalized cyclen macrocyclic lanthanide complexes
Authors: Al Sabea Hassan , Hamon Nadège , Galangau Olivier , Norel Lucie , Maury Olivier , Riobé François , Tripier Raphaël , Rigaut Stéphane
Published: June 2020

We report the synthesis of an original ligand scaffold based on a dimethyl-cyclen platform Medo2pa with two dithienylethene units attached to each picolinate arm and the corresponding yttrium(iii), europium(iii) and ytterbium(iii) complexes.
Rapid synthesis of vertically aligned α-MoO3 nanostructures on substrates
Authors: Noby Sohaila Z. , Wong Ka Kan , Ramadoss Ananthakumar , Siroky Stephan , Hagner Matthias , Boldt Klaus , Schmidt-Mende Lukas
Published: June 2020

We report a procedure for large scale, reproducible and fast synthesis of polycrystalline, dense, vertically aligned α-MoO3 nanostructures on conducting (FTO) and non-conducting substrates (Si/SiO2) by using a simple, low-cost hydrothermal technique.
Treatment of oil refinery effluent using bio-adsorbent developed from activated palm kernel shell and zeolite
Authors: Jun Kwong Chia , Abdul Raman Abdul Aziz , Buthiyappan Archina
Published: June 2020

This study investigated the potential of palm kernel shell (PKS) as a biomass feed for adsorbent production.
Experimental and theoretical investigations of four amine derivatives as effective corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in HCl medium
Authors: Boughoues Yasmine , Benamira Messaoud , Messaadia Lyamine , Bouider Nafila , Abdelaziz Samia
Published: June 2020

Four amine derivative compounds were synthesized and used as organic corrosion inhibitors.
An indirect analytical approach based on ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for determining the FFA content in vegetable oils
Authors: Dong Yaoyao , Shi Shaoxia , Li Qi , Zhang Lingyan , Yu Xiuzhu
Published: June 2020

In this study, we developed a novel approach for determining a free fatty acid (FFA) in vegetable oils using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.
Gas phase methanol synthesis with Raman spectroscopy for gas composition monitoring
Authors: Maksimov Pavel , Laari Arto , Ruuskanen Vesa , Koiranen Tuomas , Ahola Jero
Published: June 2020

Applicability of Raman spectroscopy for time-resolved gas composition monitoring during direct methanol synthesis via carbon dioxide hydrogenation is investigated.
Late-stage and strain-accelerated oxidation enabled synthesis of haouamine A
Authors: Park Kun Ho (Kenny) , Rizzo Antonio , Chen David Y.-K.
Published: June 2020

Synthesis of the strained cyclophane alkaloid haouamine A has been accomplished via a late-stage and strain-accelerated oxidation to access the challenging biphenol cyclophane system.
Phase engineering in lead–bismuth system for advanced magnesium ion batteries
Authors: Song Meijia , Niu Jiazheng , Gao Hui , Kou Tianyi , Wang Zekun , Zhang Zhonghua
Published: June 2020

Phase engineering was used in Pb–Bi system to design high-performance anodes for rechargeable Mg ion batteries.
Recent progress on metal–organic frameworks and their derived materials for electrocatalytic water splitting
Authors: Tan Jing-Bo , Li Gao-Ren
Published: June 2020

The review article discusses the recent progress of MOFs and MOF-derived materials, and the challenges in electrocatalytic water splitting.
Interconnected Ni nanowires integrated with LixMnO2 as fast charging and high volumetric capacity cathodes for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Zankowski Stanislaw P. , Chaykina Diana , Vereecken Philippe M.
Published: June 2020

High surface area 3D nanowires give access to all the lithium in LixMnO2, boosting the capacity and (dis)charging of Li-ion cathodes.
Garnet–PVDF composite film modified lithium manganese oxide cathode and sulfurized carbon anode from polyacrylonitrile for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Berhe Gebregziabher Brhane , Su Wei-Nien , Abrha Ljalem Hadush , Bezabh Hailemariam Kassa , Hagos Teklay Mezgebe , Hagos Tesfaye Teka , Huang Chen-Jui , Sahalie Niguse Aweke , Jote Bikila Alemu , Thirumalraj Balamurugan , Kurniawan Darwin , Wang Chia-Hsin , Hwang Bing Joe
Published: June 2020

Composite film of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and Li5.6Ga0.26La2.9Zr1.87Nb0.05O12 garnet improves the cycling stability and rate capability of lithium manganese oxide (LMO) cathode.
Photo-degradable micelles for co-delivery of nitric oxide and doxorubicin
Authors: Ding Zhanling , He Kewu , Duan Yutian , Shen Zhiqiang , Cheng Jian , Zhang Guoying , Hu Jinming
Published: June 2020

Photo-degradable triblock copolymers enable the co-delivery of nitric oxide and doxorubicin exerting an improved therapeutic effect.
Anisotropic, porous hydrogels templated by lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals
Authors: Wang Suitu , Maruri Daniel P. , Boothby Jennifer M. , Lu Xili , Rivera-Tarazona Laura K. , Varner Victor D. , Ware Taylor H.
Published: June 2020

Approaches to control the microstructure of hydrogels enable the control of cell–material interactions and the design of stimuli-responsive materials.
Recent advances in materials and device technologies for soft active matrix electronics
Authors: Shim Hyunseok , Sim Kyoseung , Ershad Faheem , Jang Seonmin , Yu Cunjiang
Published: June 2020

This review paper provides an overview of the recent developments in flexible and stretchable active matrix electronics for various applications.
Exploration of prognostic index based on immune-related genes in patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Shi Weidong , Feng Lanyun , Dong Shu , Ning Zhouyu , Hua Yongqiang , Liu Luming , Chen Zhen , Meng Zhiqiang
Published: June 2020

The present study aimed to screen the immune-related genes (IRGs) in patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and construct a synthetic index for indicating the prognostic outcomes. The bioinformatic analysis was performed on the data of 374 cancer tissues and 50 normal tissues, which were downloaded from TCGA database. We observed that 17 differentially expressed IRGs were significantly associated with survival in LIHC patients. These LIHC-specific IRGs were validated with function analysis and molecular characteristics. Cox analysis was applied for constructing a RiskScore for predicting the survival. The RiskScore involved six IRGs and corresponding coefficients, which was calculated with the following formula: RiskScore = [Expression level of FABP5 *(0.064)] + [Expression level of TRAF3 * (0.198)] + [Expression level of CSPG5 * (0.416)] + [Expression level of IL17D * (0.197)] + [Expression level of STC2 * (0.036)] + [Expression level of BRD8 * (0.140)]. The RiskScore was positively associated with the poor survival, which was verified with the dataset from ICGC database. Further analysis revealed that the RiskScore was independent of any other clinical feature, while it was linked with the infiltration levels of six types of immune cells. Our study reported the survival-associated IRGs in LIHC and then constructed IRGs-based RiskScore as prognostic indicator for screening patients with high risk of short survival. Both the screened IRGs and IRGs-based RiskScore were clinically significant, which may be informative for promoting the individualized immunotherapy against LIHC.
Adipose biology, cardiovascular, and cardiometabolic disease: novel insights and new targets for intervention
Authors: El-Yazbi Ahmed F. , Oudit Gavin Y.
Published: June 2020

Adipose biology research has grown rapidly offering new insights into the physiological and pathophysiological roles of different body fat depots. This Thematic Collection of Clinical Science brings a well-rounded timely view of the recent development in this field. We highlight the state of the art on adipose tissue function/dysfunction in the context of cardiovascular and metabolic pathologies.
Structural view of the yeast Dam1 complex, a ring-shaped molecular coupler for the dynamic microtubule end
Authors: Wu Shaowen , Grishchuk Ekaterina L.
Published: June 2020

In a dividing eukaryotic cell, proper chromosome segregation requires the dynamic yet persistent attachment of kinetochores to spindle microtubules. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this function is especially crucial because each kinetochore is attached to a single microtubule; consequently, loss of attachment could lead to unrecoverable chromosome loss. The highly specialized heterodecameric Dam1 protein complex achieves this coupling by assembling into a microtubule-encircling ring that glides near the end of the dynamic microtubule to mediate chromosome motion. In recent years, we have learned a great deal about the structural properties of the Dam1 heterodecamer, its mechanism of self-assembly into rings, and its tethering to the kinetochore by the elongated Ndc80 complex. The most remarkable progress has resulted from defining the fine structures of helical bundles within Dam1 heterodecamer. In this review, we critically analyze structural observations collected by diverse approaches with the goal of obtaining a unified view of Dam1 ring architecture. A considerable consistency between different studies supports a coherent model of the circular core of the Dam1 ring. However, there are persistent uncertainties about the composition of ring protrusions and flexible extensions, as well as their roles in mediating ring core assembly and interactions with the Ndc80 complex and microtubule.
Druggable binding sites in the multicomponent assemblies that characterise DNA double-strand-break repair through non-homologous end joining
Authors: Kefala Stavridi Antonia , Appleby Robert , Liang Shikang , Blundell Tom L. , Chaplin Amanda K.
Published: June 2020

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is one of the two principal damage repair pathways for DNA double-strand breaks in cells. In this review, we give a brief overview of the system including a discussion of the effects of deregulation of NHEJ components in carcinogenesis and resistance to cancer therapy. We then discuss the relevance of targeting NHEJ components pharmacologically as a potential cancer therapy and review previous approaches to orthosteric regulation of NHEJ factors. Given the limited success of previous investigations to develop inhibitors against individual components, we give a brief discussion of the recent advances in computational and structural biology that allow us to explore different targets, with a particular focus on modulating protein–protein interaction interfaces. We illustrate this discussion with three examples showcasing some current approaches to developing protein–protein interaction inhibitors to modulate the assembly of NHEJ multiprotein complexes in space and time.
An Eye-Tracking Study on Audiovisual Speech Perception Strategies Adopted by Normal-Hearing and Deaf Adults Under Different Language Familiarities
Authors: Wang Jianrong , Zhu Yumeng , Chen Yu , Mamat Abdilbar , Yu Mei , Zhang Ju , Dang Jianwu
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the audiovisual speech perception strategies.80.23.47 adopted by normal-hearing and deaf people in processing familiar and unfamiliar languages. Our primary hypothesis was that they would adopt different perception strategies due to different sensory experiences at an early age, limitations of the physical device, and the developmental gap of language, and others.

Method

Thirty normal-hearing adults and 33 prelingually deaf adults participated in the study. They were asked to perform judgment and listening tasks while watching videos of a Uygur–Mandarin bilingual speaker in a familiar language (Standard Chinese) or an unfamiliar language (Modern Uygur) while their eye movements were recorded by eye-tracking technology.

Results

Task had a slight influence on the distribution of selective attention, whereas subject and language had significant influences. To be specific, the normal-hearing and the d10eaf participants mainly gazed at the speaker's eyes and mouth, respectively, in the experiment; moreover, while the normal-hearing participants had to stare longer at the speaker's mouth when they confronted with the unfamiliar language Modern Uygur, the deaf participant did not change their attention allocation pattern when perceiving the two languages.

Conclusions

Normal-hearing and deaf adults adopt different audiovisual speech perception strategies: Normal-hearing adults mainly look at the eyes, and deaf adults mainly look at the mouth. Additionally, language and task can also modulate the speech perception strategy.
Improving the ageing rate of transformer fleet using imperialist competitive algorithm
Authors: Hosseinkhanloo Mohsen , Motlagh Seyed Hadi Mousavi , Jahromi Ali Naderian , Kalantari Navid Taghizadeghan
Published: June 2020

Power transformers are vital to delivering energy in power grids and they bear considerable maintenance costs annually. One of the major issues for power transformers is the ageing of the insulation paper used in windings that affects the life of transformers significantly. Utilising an appropriate procedure for loading of transformers can reduce the ageing rate of insulation and can improve the life expectancy. Therefore, it is crucial to obtain the values for the ageing rate which are optimum and to prevent transformer fleet from accelerated ageing. Although techniques are available to calculate the ageing rate and loss of life of a single transformer, utilities looking into the transformer fleet ageing need a better tool to improve the ageing rate of all transformers together. The main contribution of this study is to provide a method for the transformer fleet ageing optimisation rather than single unit ageing approach. This study proposes a novel approach utilising different optimisation techniques that are capable of representing different factors in order to obtain an optimum ageing rate for a fleet of transformers. The optimum ageing rate can provide a technical tool for asset managers, utility engineers and owners for better power transformer fleet management.
Optimal hierarchical energy management scheme for networked microgrids considering uncertainties, demand response, and adjustable power
Authors: Movahednia Mohadese , Karimi Hamid , Jadid Shahram
Published: June 2020

In this study, a novel strategy for transactive energy in the networked microgrids (MGs) is presented. This strategy consists of three stages: local optimisation, global optimisation, and re‐local optimisation. In the local optimisation, the daily cost of each MG is minimised by local energy management systems (EMSs). The results of the local optimisation are sent to the central energy management system (CEMS), and global optimisation is performed by CEMS. Finally, the primary scheduling of MGs is modified in re‐local optimisation. The adjustable power concept is introduced to provide power exchange among MGs and external units. Various uncertainties, such as loads, renewable generations, and market prices are deliberated to the model. To do so, the worst condition of forecasted values of renewable generations and load consumptions are considered to assign a safety margin. Besides, the uncertainty of market prices is implemented by using the variance matrix based on forecasted and real values of market prices in D days in advance. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed model, it is tested on a standard case study. The simulation results show that the cost of MGs in the grid‐connected mode is improved effectively.