bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Next Touch Point In A Customer Journey: A Use Case In Telecommunication
Authors: Hassani Marwan , Habets Stefan
Published: April 2021

Customer journey analysis is rapidly increasing in popularity, as it is essential for companies to understand how their customers think and behave. Recent studies investigate how customers traverse their journeys and how they can be improved for the future. However, those researches only focus on improving the process for future customers by analyzing the historical data. This research focuses on helping the current customer immediately, by analyzing if it is possible to predict what the customer will do next and accordingly take proactive steps. We propose a model to predict the customer's next contact type (touch point). At first we will analyze the customer journey data by applying process mining techniques. We will use these insights then together with the historical data of accumulated customer journeys to train several classifiers. The winning of those classifiers, namely XGBoost, is used to perform a prediction on a customer's journey while the journey is still active. We show on three different real datasets coming from interactions between a telecommunication company and its customers that we always beat a baseline classifier thanks to our thorough pre-processing of the data.
Macroeconometric Input-Output Model For Transport Sector Analysis
Authors: Ozolina Velga , Auzina-Emsina Astra
Published: April 2021

Effective government transport policy can be based only on realistic data, sophisticated and detailed transport sector analysis, and productive modelling. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the main elements used to develop a relatively small macro-economic input-output model with the emphasis on transport for one European Union (EU) country. Transport sector faces similar problems in various countries linked with emissions, transport flows, road accidents and other issues hence appropriate modelling tool should be selected. The model presented in this article consists of econometric and input-output relations. The research analyses and examines three scenarios and stresses the importance of the transport investment not only for development of the transport sector, but also for the economic development in general. The scenarios imply zero, 9 million and 6.7 million additional investment in transport sector eligible to the EU funding. As the result of additional investment, GDP recovers faster leading to 0.3-1.7%points faster growth rates as compared to the base scenario with no additional investment leading to faster cohesion with the average EU level, as well as higher number and turnover of passengers in the public and commercial transport, while the number of passenger cars is lower. The model can also be applied to study regional development, if it is possible to distinguish, which regions will benefit from the investment, as well as influence on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, if the investments are targeted to specific means of transport.
Pedestrian Simulation In SUMO Through Externally Modelled Agents
Authors: Garrido Daniel , Jacob Joao , Castro Silva Daniel , Rossetti Rosaldo J. F.
Published: April 2021

Pedestrian simulation is often forgotten or implemented poorly in most high profile traffic simulators. This is the case of SUMO, where the pedestrian models are very simple and not based in real human behaviour, making it impossible to study pedestrian safety with it. With this in mind, the ability to externally control pedestrians in SUMO was explored. Using Unity3D to create an external three dimensional representation of a running SUMO simulation, we were able to create and control pedestrians through the TraCI API. This also opened the possibility to use virtual reality immersed subjects to participate in the simulation, opening the door to study real pedestrian behaviour to create more elaborate models. It also allowed us to completely offload the pedestrian simulation from SUMO to Unity3D, which was tested with the external implementation of the social forces model, without losing SUMO's interactions between pedestrians and motorized vehicles.
Implementation Of Bone Graft Adaptation's FE Model In HyperMesh
Authors: Doczi Martin O. , Zwierczyk Peter T. , Szoedy Robert
Published: April 2021

Research significance: In the clinical practice, surgeons sometimes must deal with extended bone defects. Among others, bone grafts are used for filling the large absence. After implantation, the structure of the graft can change, and the graft's load-bearing effect can be significant. This leads to the idea, that during the design of an implant this effect should be taken into account in the finite element simulations. In this paper, the authors show the implementation of the bone graft adaptation. Methodology: This programming task was done by using Python, Tcl and the HyperMesh interface. The bone remodeling algorithm and the related parameters were from the literature research. The results are shown with a finite element model prepared for the Optistruct solver, where the geometry models were based on a patient's CT data. Results: Viewing the bone graft's elemental apparent density, the most loaded areas could be detected. Conclusion: The model can predict qualitatively the bone graft's change, which can provide additional information for the implant design. Further analyses are required to investigate the sensitivity of the results.
Real-Time Digital Twin Of Research Vessel For Remote Monitoring
Authors: Major Pierre , Li Guoyuan , Zhang Houxiang , Hildre Hans Petter
Published: April 2021

Real-time digital twins of ships in operation find many applications such as predictive maintenance, climbing the ladders of ship autonomy, and offshore operational excellence. The literature describes a focus on digital twinning of individual equipment such as navigation, propulsion, engine and power system, or crane. Yet, digital twinning and virtual prototyping for offshore operations are in their infancy and the onboard digitisation hardware and the telecommunication infrastructure are becoming accessible and affordable. Previous work has failed to address the need for building a holistic model and thus contextualising the equipment with the state of the whole vessel. A prototype of an online digital twin of a research vessel is proposed, its architecture described and its suitability for virtual prototyping demonstrated in a remote control centre. The study shows a viable proof of concept for remote monitoring and crew assistance in nominal and contingency response for offshore crane operations.
Research-Agenda For Process Simulation Dashboards
Authors: Simon Carlo , Haag Stefan , Zakfeld Lara
Published: April 2021

The European Conference on Modelling and Simulation is a prominent but not the only conference showing possibilities and relevance of simulation. Meanwhile, it is an important field of research worldwide and current discussions about the industry of the future and especially the idea of digital twins for the simulation of forecasts in parallel to an existing reality increase its importance. All these efforts led to highly elaborated simulation modeling methods and tools that can be applied to different fields from air traffic management to zoo building. However, based on conference participations, literature research, and conversations with other researchers and practitioners, we observe that simulations are by far not being used as often as possible in day-to-day business. And if they are used, typically individual software solutions are developed that can hardly be transferred to other applications. So, how can we reduce the barriers for using simulation? Any simulation comes along with a profound domain knowledge, a modeling method, a tool for the definition and simulation of models, and the visualization of the simulation results. Different roles conduct these tasks: Domain experts deliver the domain specific knowledge and – as is the case for further members of staff – must be able to interpret the simulation results. Modeling and visualization experts develop the simulations but also deliver a proper presentation for the domain experts, probably without having a deeper understanding of these results. A decision on whether a simulation is conducted at all is made by management, possibly together with the information systems department. The latter roles need information concerning the benefits both in advance as well as in retrospect. Since we mainly work in the field of process modeling and simulation with the aid of Petri nets for production and logistics, the above made considerations encouraged further studies on the usage of simulation with a special focus on dashboard visualization of the simulation results in this field. A holistic approach includes the process of simulation development and use. The research agenda for which a grant could be won is explained within this paper and may animate other researchers to participate.
Telling Faults From Cyber-Attacks In A Multi-Modal Logistic System With Complex Network Analysis
Authors: Guidotti Dario , Cicala Giuseppe , Gili Tommaso , Tacchella Armando
Published: April 2021

We investigate the application of methodologies for the analysis of complex networks to understand the properties of systems of systems in a cybersecurity context. We are interested to resilience and attribution: the first relates to the behavior of the system in case of faults/attacks, namely to its capacity to recover full or partial functionality after a fault/attack; the second corresponds to the capability to tell faults from attacks, namely to trace the cause of an observed malfunction back to its originating cause(s). We present experiments to witness the effectiveness of our methodology considering a discrete event simulation of a multimodal logistic network featuring 40 nodes distributed across Italy and a daily traffic roughly corresponding to the number of containers shipped through in Italian ports yearly, averaged on a daily basis.
Ciència, científics i literatura. El paper de la literatura en la divulgació de la ciència i la tecnologia
Authors: Solbes Matarredona Jordi , Traver Ribes Manel Josep
Published: April 2021

La presència de la ciència i la tecnologia a través de les seues idees innovadores i avanços tecnològics s'ha vist reflectida en nombroses obres ben conegudes i representatitives de la literatura universal. Aquest fet es dóna, sobretot, a partir del segle XIX quan comença l'impacte social més notori de l'activitat científica en la societat. Amb aquest article volem mostrar com el debat entre les ciències i les humanitats, qüestionat ja per autors com Snow, és estèril, ja que la influència mútua d'aquestes dues formes de pensament mostra que són igualment humanes i s'han influït constantment, més encara com ens acostem a l'actualitat. En l'article s'esmenten innombrables exemples de novel·les i narracions influenciades per noves idees de la ciència i també algun cas en què la creativitat literària ha subministrat paraules per al vocabulari científic més original.
Poe: corazón científico. Los antecedentes de la ciencia ficción
Authors: Ballesteros Roselló Fernando J. , Llácer Llorca Eusebio V.
Published: April 2021

Al hablar sobre los orígenes de la ciencia ficción y la literatura de anticipación, inmediatamente pensamos en los nombres de Herbert G. Wells o Julio Verne, prolíficos autores de finales del xix y fuente de inspiración de posteriores generaciones. Pocos incluyen a Edgar Allan Poe, autor de principios del mismo siglo y fuente de inspiración de los ya mencionados. Y es que si Verne y Wells fueron los padres de la ciencia ficción, sin duda Poe fue el abuelo.
Science as a quest: Don Quixote, neuroscience and the interrogation of truth
Authors: Reyes-Peschl Romén
Published: April 2021

Neuroscientist Rodrigo Quian Quiroga has wondered whether «scientists, embarked upon their personal quests – their quixotic endeavours – spend their time just thinking». This adjectival invocation of Cervantes’s Don Quixote pitches science as an epic quest that equates scientific rationality with the Don’s delusions. Does science quest after truth in a quixotic, literary way that philosopher Nicholas Maxwell terms «rationalistically neurotic»?
¿Hay un agujero en la capa de ozono de tu cambio climático? De la cultura científica a la cultura común
Authors: Meira Cartea Pablo Ángel
Published: April 2021

Ocho de cada diez españoles creen que el agujero en la capa de ozono, provocado por la acción humana, es la clave física causal que explica el cambio climático. Esta creencia, construida con mimbres científicos (conceptos, imágenes, íconos, discursos), es producto de la cultura común. Nunca la ciencia ha establecido tal conexión. Es la capacidad de la cultura común para integrar, según su propia epistemología, los «objetos» científicos quien la ha establecido y difundido hasta convertirla en una creencia cultural a escala global. La divergencia entre representación social y científica invita a reflexionar sobre cómo las sociedades contemporáneas interiorizan y remodelan la cultura científica para construir representaciones que permitan interpretar la realidad y guiar la acción (o inhibición) ante aquellas amenazas que la misma ciencia es capaz de identificar.
La ciencia en Verne y Poe: El caso Pym
Authors: Bonet Safont Juan Marcos
Published: April 2021

En 1897, se publica, tanto en entregas periódicas como en formato de libro, la novela La esfinge de los hielos de Jules Verne. Es la continuación de La narración de Arthur Gordon Pym (1838) de Edgar Allan Poe. En este trabajo usaremos estas dos novelas, unidas argumentalmente, para mostrar la imagen de la ciencia y de la técnica que en ellas nos dan los autores. Nos acercaremos a la forma de entender la ciencia de Verne y Poe que, inevitablemente, se destila en sus relatos de ficción. Expondremos cómo las descripciones científicas en el relato de Verne son mucho más extensas y detalladas que en Poe, y cómo muestran el carácter racional y educativo que lo caracteriza, mientras que Poe presenta una imagen científica mucho más mezclada con aspectos fantásticos e imaginativos.
La educación en tiempos de cambio climático: Facilitar el aprendizaje para construir una cultura de cuidado del clima
Authors: Heras Hernández Francisco
Published: April 2021

El cambio climático plantea importantes retos educativos: es necesario saber sobre sus causas, para poder reconocer las raíces del problema; y saber sobre sus consecuencias, porque es preciso construir una percepción más realista de los riesgos climáticos y comprender mejor nuestras vulnerabilidades. Pero, sobre todo, es necesario saber sobre sus soluciones, porque hace falta capacitación urgente para construir una cultura «baja en carbono», que evite interferencias peligrosas sobre el sistema climático. Las organizaciones educativas, incluyendo las que promueven el aprendizaje no formal, deberán considerar cuál va a ser su contribución ante estas necesidades de conocimiento y cambio social. Porque el cambio climático va a determinar de forma muy relevante nuestro futuro y porque todos jugamos un papel en la compleja red de responsabilidades que lo alimenta.
The causal role of auditory cortex in auditory working memory
Authors: Yu Liping , Hu Jiawei , Shi Chenlin , Zhou Li , Tian Maozhi , Zhang Jiping , Xu Jinghong
Published: April 2021

Working memory (WM), the ability to actively hold information in memory over a delay period of seconds, is a fundamental constituent of cognition. Delay-period activity in sensory cortices has been observed in WM tasks, but whether and when the activity plays a functional role for memory maintenance remains unclear. Here, we investigated the causal role of auditory cortex (AC) for memory maintenance in mice performing an auditory WM task. Electrophysiological recordings revealed that AC neurons were active not only during the presentation of the auditory stimulus but also early in the delay period. Furthermore, optogenetic suppression of neural activity in AC during the stimulus epoch and early delay period impaired WM performance, whereas suppression later in the delay period did not. Thus, AC is essential for information encoding and maintenance in auditory WM task, especially during the early delay period.
Foliar Micro-nutrition of Vegetable Crops - A Critical Review
Authors: Zahed Zahedullah , Kumar Shamal S. , Mahale Ananta G. , Krishna J. Radha , Mufti Shahnaz
Published: April 2021

Foliar Micro-nutrition is the application of micronutrients to plants by spraying directly onto their leaves. Although it is not economical to spray macronutrients and micronutrients through foliar spraying, researchers prefer soil application for macronutrients and foliar applications of micronutrients. Several researches have demonstrated that the method which is used to deliver the required micronutrient in appropriate concentration to improve nutrient status along with increased yield and quality potential are adapted by combining applications of FeSO4 at a dose of 0.2%, Calcium nitrate at 0.2%, Boron at 0.1% and ZnSO4 at 0.2% has revealed a 51% increase as compared to control in potato. Application of ZnSO4 (0.4%) and ZnSO4 (0.6%) provides significant impact on growth and yield characteristic of Chilli; Zinc Sulfate (0.5%) and Borax (0.5%) also shows better result on the number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and yield per plant in Eggplant. Applying ZnSO4 (0.5%) shows better results on plant height, weight of head and yield of head in cabbage cultivations. Combined application of Boron (100 ppm) + Molybdenum (50 ppm) along with 60 kg/fed of Nitrogen. The results showed increased 38.02% on curd yield of cauliflower over control. A study reveals that application of (0.5%) Zn+ (0.1%) B along with 75 kg/ha of potassium in combination showed 31.73% increases yield of watermelon. Application of boron at 0.25% and zinc 0.5% showed a 31.17% increase in the total onion yield. The combined application of MgSO4 (0.5%), MnSO4 (0.5%), FeSO4 (0.5%) and ZnSO4 (0.5%) has increased yield of okra 31.8% over control. In general this critical review lays an emphasis from the review point of that micronutrients have been found to show satisfactory results than control conditions and has an immense potential in vegetable production to increase yield attributes.
Assessment of Patient’s Response about Adverse Drug Reactions Receiving AC (Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide) Therapy: A Survey Research
Authors: Jamali Jameela , Dayo Abdullah , Memon Naheed , Mughal Ubed-ur-Rehman , Khatri Muhammad Akram , Muhammad Shaib , Qureshi Yasmeen , Khan Tooba
Published: April 2021

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are most common among cancer patients receiving treatment. AC therapy which is a combination protocol of Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cyclophosphamide are the common therapies used for breast cancer treatment due to their effectiveness and cost of therapy breast cancer. AC combination is administered every 3 weeks, and 4 cycles are given.

Objectives: To assess various ADRs reported by patients on AC combination therapy and their severity to ensure safe and effective treatment.

Design: Prospective observational.

Setting: Cancer hospital Jamshoro Pakistan.

Patients and Methods: A hospital based observational study included 160 female patients suffering from breast cancer and receiving AC combination for treatment by purposive sampling method from June 2015- January 2018 at cancer hospital Jamshoro Pakistan. ADRs reported were compared against international standard references of drug literature such as British National Formulary (BNF) 2017 and ADR severity assessment scale (Modified Hartwig and Siegel scale).

Main Outcome Measures: Frequency and severity of ADRs.

Results: The common ADRs reported were, nausea and vomiting, acidity, fatigue, hair fall as common non-hematologic and leukopenia among hematologic ADRs. Those patients reported high severity ADRs according to severity scale persist for longer duration and required antidote for management with medical intervention.

Conclusion: The present study shows that a patient’s response towards AC therapy is critical and therefore each patient must be monitored and those at high risk of developing ADRs from this therapy must be provided additional care.
Disinfection of Tank Water Using Biogenic Silver Nanosilica as Anti-Microbial Agents in Jeddah City
Authors: Abdelkader Hayam S. , Alhazmi Nuha M.
Published: April 2021

The need for clean water is becoming urgent all over the world. The risk of microbial contamination of drinking water and its growing ability under poor nutritional conditions occur frequently and existing water management systems do not efficiently eliminate these micropollutants. The major goal of this research is to analyze and test the drinking water quality at random locations in Jeddah City and to investigate the integration of polyurethane foam coated nano-silica silver nanoparticles (NSAgNPs) into the water purification system. The study was conducted in Jeddah city at random intervals during August to December 2020. Twenty-five samples (n = 25) of drinking water (tank water) were collected from different locations in Jeddah. The water samples were found contaminated with E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae. and the most prevalent yeast species was Candida albicans. The multi-drug resistance isolates were positively identified by PCR amplification of 16S rDNA gene fragments. The antimicrobial activity of nano-silica silver nanoparticles (NSAgNP) was analyzed and their optimal concentrations that remove potentially harmful microbes were determined. The cytotoxicity of NSAgNPs by Sulforhodamine B colorimetric (SRB) assay against breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) showed no cytotoxic effect at concentrations ≤100 µg/mL. The 50% growth inhibition concentration (IC 50) of NSAgNPs after 72 h was 35.8 µg/mL. The excellent performance of NSAgNPs can be attributed to the capping surface functional groups and smaller particle size 8.931 nm, as verified by TEM. In conclusion, the purified water obtained by using 100 mg/L NSAgNPs is free from microbial contaminants and completely safe to drink. We recommend the integration of biosynthesized foam coated silver nanoparticles with water purification system to achieve the desired final water quality.
Development of Photocrosslinked Poly(glycerol dodecanedioate)—A Biodegradable Shape Memory Polymer for 3D‐Printed Tissue Engineering Applications
Authors: Akman Ryan , Ramaraju Harsha , Hollister Scott J.
Published: April 2021

Surgical procedures increasingly use minimally invasive techniques, which often use shape memory materials for device deployment. Poly(glycerol‐dodecanedioate) (PGD), a biodegradable shape memory thermosetting polymer with melt transition (Tm) ≥ 37 ± 1.1 °C, is well positioned for this application. However, the use of thermosetting crosslinks limits potential applications for PGD. Herein is described a UV‐curable polymer developed via acrylation of PGD (APGD), which removes the need for thermal curing while retaining its shape memory properties. Control of APGD thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties is shown across a range of acrylation percentage (Acr%) and two molecular weights (MW). In vitro APGD biocompatibility is demonstrated through cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, and attachment assays. APGD resin is used to 3D print biodegradable shape memory samples on an extrusion printer. Few biodegradable shape memory polymers (SMPs) are 3D printed, and they exhibit significant translational limitations due to a shape memory transition range well outside body temperature. In contrast, the photocurable APGD developed and 3D printed herein retains shape memory transition behavior at body temperature. APGD shows promise as a novel material for use in the development of patient‐specific devices for the structural repair of soft tissue via minimally invasive procedures.
Skin‐Inspired Double‐Hydrophobic‐Coating Encapsulated Hydrogels with Enhanced Water Retention Capacity
Authors: Zhu Tang , Jiang Chi , Wang Mingliang , Zhu Caizhen , Zhao Ning , Xu Jian
Published: April 2021

Traditional hydrogels always lose their flexibility and functions in dry environments because the internal water inevitably undergoes evaporation. In this study, a skin‐inspired, facile, and versatile strategy for developing encapsulated hydrogels with excellent water retention capacity through a double‐hydrophobic coating is proposed. The robust double‐layer coating, which integrates a hydrophobic polymer coating with a hydrophobic oil layer simultaneously, can provide a barrier to prevent the evaporation of water. To overcome the weak interfacial strength between the hydrophilic hydrogel surface and the double‐hydrophobic coating, (3‐aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) is utilized as a chemical binding agent. Furthermore, the overall mechanical properties of the bulk hydrogel are not significantly affected, because the coating is only anchored to the surface and its thickness is much lower than that of the native hydrogel. Moreover, it is demonstrated that this proposed strategy particularly holds the capability of encapsulating various types and different shapes of hydrogels, leading to enhanced stability and a prolonged lifetime in air. Therefore, the proposed technology provides new insights for multifarious surface functionalization of hydrogel and broadens the range of hydrogel applications.
Graphene‐Like Hydrogen‐Bonded Melamine–Cyanuric Acid Supramolecular Nanosheets as Pseudo‐Porous Catalyst Support
Authors: Wu Jun‐Xi , Bag Partha Pratim , Xu Yan‐Tong , Gong Li , He Chun‐Ting , Chen Xiao‐Ming , Zhang Jie‐Peng
Published: April 2021

Behaving as structural protectors and electronic modulators, catalyst supports such as graphene derivatives are generally constructed by covalent bonds. Here, hydrogen‐bonded ultrathin nanosheets are reported as a new type of catalyst support. Melamine (M) and cyanuric acid (CA) molecules self‐assemble to form the graphite‐like hydrogen‐bonded co‐crystal M‐CA, which can be easily exfoliated by ultrasonic treatment to yield ultrathin nanosheets with thickness of ≈1.6 nm and high stability at pH = 0. The dynamic nanosheets form adaptive defects/pores in the synthetic process of CoP nanoparticles, giving embedded composite with high hydrogen evolution activity (overpotential of 66 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and stability. Computational calculations, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy unveil the electron modulation effects of the nanosheets. This pseudo‐porous catalyst support also can be applied to other metal phosphides.
Micro‐Bio‐Chemo‐Mechanical‐Systems: Micromotors, Microfluidics, and Nanozymes for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Mujtaba Jawayria , Liu Jinrun , Dey Krishna K. , Li Tianlong , Chakraborty Rik , Xu Kailiang , Makarov Denys , Barmin Roman A. , Gorin Dmitry A. , Tolstoy Valeri P. , Huang Gaoshan , Solovev Alexander A. , Mei Yongfeng
Published: April 2021

Wireless nano‐/micromotors powered by chemical reactions and/or external fields generate motive forces, perform tasks, and significantly extend short‐range dynamic responses of passive biomedical microcarriers. However, before micromotors can be translated into clinical use, several major problems, including the biocompatibility of materials, the toxicity of chemical fuels, and deep tissue imaging methods, must be solved. Nanomaterials with enzyme‐like characteristics (e.g., catalase, oxidase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase), that is, nanozymes, can significantly expand the scope of micromotors’ chemical fuels. A convergence of nanozymes, micromotors, and microfluidics can lead to a paradigm shift in the fabrication of multifunctional micromotors in reasonable quantities, encapsulation of desired subsystems, and engineering of FDA‐approved core–shell structures with tuneable biological, physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Microfluidic methods are used to prepare stable bubbles/microbubbles and capsules integrating ultrasound, optoacoustic, fluorescent, and magnetic resonance imaging modalities. The aim here is to discuss an interdisciplinary approach of three independent emerging topics: micromotors, nanozymes, and microfluidics to creatively: 1) embrace new ideas, 2) think across boundaries, and 3) solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline toward the development of micro‐bio‐chemo‐mechanical‐systems for diverse bioapplications.
Upregulating Aggregation‐Induced‐Emission Nanoparticles with Blood–Tumor‐Barrier Permeability for Precise Photothermal Eradication of Brain Tumors and Induction of Local Immune Responses
Authors: Zhang Ming , Wang Wentao , Mohammadniaei Mohsen , Zheng Tao , Zhang Qicheng , Ashley Jon , Liu Shunjie , Sun Yi , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: April 2021

Compared to other tumors, glioblastoma (GBM) is extremely difficult to treat. Recently, photothermal therapy (PTT) has demonstrated advanced therapeutic efficacy; however, because of the relatively low tissue‐penetration efficiency of laser light, its application in deep‐seated tumors remains challenging. Herein, bradykinin (BK) aggregation‐induced‐emission nanoparticles (BK@AIE NPs) are synthesized; these offer selective penetration through the blood–tumor barrier (BTB) and strong absorbance in the near‐infrared region (NIR). The BK ligand can prompt BTB adenosine receptor activation, which enhances transportation and accumulation inside tumors, as confirmed by T1‐weighted magnetic resonance and fluorescence imaging. The BK@AIE NPs exhibit high photothermal conversion efficiency under 980 nm NIR laser irradiation, facilitating the treatment of deep‐seated tumors. Tumor progression can be effectively inhibited to extend the survival span of mice after spatiotemporal PTT. NIR irradiation can eradicate tumor tissues and release tumor‐associated antigens. It is observed that the PTT treatment of GBM‐bearing mice activates natural killer cells, CD3+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and M1 macrophages in the GBM area, increasing the therapeutic efficacy. This study demonstrates that NIR‐assisted BK@AIE NPs represent a promising strategy for the improved systematic elimination of GBMs and the activation of local brain immune privilege.
TEMPO‐Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers: A Renewable Nanomaterial for Environmental and Energy Applications
Authors: Liu Shasha , Low Ze‐Xian , Xie Zongli , Wang Huanting
Published: April 2021

TEMPO (2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl radical)‐mediated oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNFs), which are derived from abundantly available wood biomass, possess uniform and ultrafine diameters of 3–10 nm and high aspect ratios, and are functionalized with carboxyl groups. The fabrication process of TOCNFs is more environmentally friendly than that of other types of cellulose, such as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and TOCNFs possess a more uniform and ultrafine diameter. In recent years, TOCNF‐based adsorbents, nanocomposites, and membranes have been studied extensively in various fields, such as environmental remediation, energy, and smart materials. This review summarizes the recent advances in the applications of TOCNFs in the abovementioned fields. In particular, the preparation, adsorption ability, and removal efficiency of TOCNF‐based absorbents, separation performance of various kinds of TOCNF‐based membranes, wide applications of TOCNFs in energy storage and conversion, and TOCNF‐based smart materials are discussed. The beneficial role of TOCNFs in the abovementioned applications is highlighted, including their low environmental impact, high aspect ratio, high strength, ability to be functionalized, and renewability. It is believed that this timely review will facilitate further research on the innovation and applications of TOCNFs in fields such as environmental remediation, energy, and smart materials.
Ultratransparent PMN‐PT Electro‐Optic Ceramics and Its Application in Optical Communication
Authors: Fang Ze , Jiang Xiaodong , Tian Xue , Zheng Fengji , Cheng Mingqiang , Zhao Erding , Ye Wanneng , Qin Yalin , Zhang Yongcheng
Published: April 2021

Electro‐optic (E‐O) materials are essential to modern information society, especially for optical switches, modulators, and filters in optical communication. In this paper, ultrahigh transparent (1−x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3‐xPbTiO3 (PMN‐PT) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics are fabricated. The effect of Sm‐doping content (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mol%) on PMN‐PT transparent ceramics is systematically investigated on the optical transparency, electro‐optic coefficient, extinction ratio, and half‐wave voltage. Results indicate that 0.5 mol% Sm‐doped PMN‐PT ceramic shows the optimal comprehensive performance, including high transparency of 69.6%, large quadratic E‐O coefficient of 35 × 10–16 m2 V−2, decent extinction ratio of 32 dB, and low half‐wave voltage (113 V at d = L = 1 mm). An electro‐optic modulator is designed based on the PMN‐PT transparent ceramics and its application in optical communication is realized, such as rapid information modulation, analog signal (audio frequency), and digital signal (graphic patterns) transmission. These results indicate that Sm‐doped PMN–xPT transparent ceramics are promising candidates for E‐O modulation applications.
Dual‐Stimuli‐Responsive Photoluminescence of Enantiomeric Two‐Dimensional Lead Halide Perovskites
Authors: Gao Fei‐Fei , Li Xiang , Qin Yan , Li Zhi‐Gang , Guo Tian‐Meng , Zhang Zhuo‐Zhen , Su Guo‐Dong , Jiang Chongyun , Azeem Muhammad , Li Wei , Wu Xiang , Bu Xian‐He
Published: April 2021

2D hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) are highly responsive to external stimuli and therefore have application potential as sensing materials. Though their optical properties upon singular thermal or pressure stimulation have been recently investigated, their dual‐stimuli‐responsive behaviors have not yet been explored. Here, the dual‐stimuli‐responsive luminescence of a pair of new enantiomeric 2D Dion–Jacobson HOIPs, R+[(4‐aminophenyl)ethylamine]PbI4 and S‐[(4‐aminophenyl)ethylamine]PbI4, is reported. The photoluminescence results show that their 485 nm emissions can be red‐shifted by ≈6 nm upon heating, and further increased to 529 nm under pressure. Such dual‐stimuli‐responsive emissions expand their Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coordinates successively from (0.140, 0.272) to (0.283, 0.473). Detailed structural analysis and first principles calculations reveal that the temperature‐ and pressure‐responsive behaviors arise from the predominant electron–phonon interactions over thermal expansion effect and pressure‐induced in‐plane PbI bond contraction, respectively. The findings open up a new pathway to successively tune the optical emission of 2D HOIPs via a dual‐stimuli‐responsive approach.
Organic Doping at Ultralow Concentrations
Authors: Radha Krishnan Raj Kishen , Liu Shiyi , Dahal Drona , Paudel Pushpa Raj , Lüssem Björn
Published: April 2021

Organic doping is widely used for defining the majority charge carriers of organic thin films, tuning the Fermi level, and improving and stabilizing the performance of organic light‐emitting diodes and organic solar cells. However, in contrast to inorganic semiconductors, the doping concentrations commonly used are quite high (in the wt% range). Such high concentrations not only limit the scope of doping in organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs), but also limit the doping process itself resulting in a low doping efficiency. Here, the mechanism of doping at ultralow doping concentrations is studied. Doped C60 metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (MOS) junctions are used to study doping at the 100 ppm level. With the help of a small‐signal drift‐diffusion model, it is possible to disentangle effects of traps at the gate dielectric/organic semiconductor interface from effects of doping and to determine the doping efficiency and activation energy of the doping process. Doped C60 OFETs with an ultralow operation voltage of 800 mV and an excellent on/off ratio of up to 107 are realized. The devices have low subthreshold swing in the range of 80 mV dec−1 and a large transconductance of up to 8 mS mm−1.
On‐Chip Metasurface‐on‐Facets for Ultra‐High Transmission through Waveguides in Near‐Infrared
Authors: Falek Eran , Katiyi Aviad , Greenberg Yakov , Karabchevsky Alina
Published: April 2021

Nature has long inspired scientists and engineers to develop transparent surfaces via constructing anti‐reflective surfaces. In absence of anti‐reflection (AR) coating, silicon reflects about 35% of light for a single interface air−silicon. Here, inspired by jellyfish anti‐reflective eyes, a man‐made anti‐reflective surface on the facet of the waveguide is proposed and demonstrated for waveguides transparency in near‐infrared. The optimized metamaterial with unit cells of 560 × 560 nm shows transparency of 2.6 times better as compared to the waveguide with blank facet. Metasurfaces are milled on the waveguides facets with a focused ion beam. Silicon‐on‐insulator waveguides are tested with an inline set‐up. Far‐field scattering diagrams reveal that it is the special geometry of the unit cells of the engraved metamaterial, which can be associated with the directional scattering resulting in combined effect: on one hand the ultra‐high transparency of the device and on the other hand the efficient coupling to the low‐order modes due to the focusing dielectric nano‐antennas effect. Reported here waveguide facets as AR metamaterials on a chip, opens up opportunities to engineer transparent on‐chip devices with high coupling efficiency for diverse applications from sensing to quantum technologies.
Overcoming the Tumor Microenvironmental Barriers of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas for Achieving Better Treatment Outcomes
Authors: Alzhrani Rami , Alsaab Hashem O. , Vanamala Kushal , Bhise Ketki , Tatiparti Katyayani , Barari Ayatakshi , Sau Samaresh , Iyer Arun K.
Published: April 2021

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive disease with the lowest survival rate among all solid tumors. The lethality of PDAC arises from late detection and propensity of the tumor to metastasize and develop resistance against chemo and radiation therapy. A highly complex tumor microenvironment composed of dense stroma, immune cells, fibroblast, and disorganized blood vessels, is the main obstacle to current PDAC therapy. Despite the tremendous success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancers, PDAC remains one of the poorest responders of ICIs therapy. The immunologically “cold” phenotype of PDAC is attributed to the low mutational burden, high infiltration of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells and T‐regs, contributing to a significant immunotherapy resistance mechanism. Thus, the development of innovative strategies for turning immunologically “cold” tumor into “hot” ones is an unmet need to improve the outcome of PDAC ICIs therapies. Other smart strategies, such as nanomedicines, sonic Hedgehog inhibitor, or smoothened inhibitor, are discussed to enhance chemotherapeutic agents' efficiency by disrupting the PDAC stroma. This review highlights the current challenges and various preclinical and clinical strategies to overcome current PDAC therapy difficulties, thus significantly advancing PDAC research knowledge.
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Expedite Identification of Therapeutic Phytochemical Combination for Alcoholic Hepatic Injury
Authors: Sang Xiao , Wang Boqian , Zhao Peng , Ding Xiaolong , Ahmad Khan Zara , Yu Jianhua , Ding Xianting
Published: April 2021

Plant‐originated compounds, also known as phytochemicals, could improve health through either daily consumption or medical treatments. Conventional developments of phytochemical therapies are often based on the action mechanism of single compounds. However, compounds within a plant or across different plants are numerous, and their interactions potentially mold its therapeutic effect, which is hard to explore with conventional approaches. To address such challenges, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform featuring Monte Carlo method‐based modeling (MCM2) for rapid identification of the optimal dose combinations is devised. MCM2 utilizes both the mean and variances within multiple replicates, and thus maximizes the optimization efficiency. MCM2 is applied to optimize the therapeutic effect on alcoholic hepatic injury of a quaternary dose combination of products from Gynostemma pentaphyllum and Lotus leaf, which are identified through in vitro screening of 50 products extracted from 24 herbal medicine candidates. The optimal combination identified by MCM2 is then tested on murine model. Both in vitro and in vivo results confirmed the AI‐optimized phytochemical combination significantly reduced acute alcoholic liver injury. The AI platform introduced in this study could serve to promptly identify optimal combinatorial regimens with potential synergy, which enhances the efficiency during the development of compound medicine.
Spatial Engineering of Microbial Consortium for Long‐Lasting, Self‐Sustaining, and High‐Power Generation in a Bacteria‐Powered Biobattery
Authors: Liu Lin , Mohammadifar Maedeh , Elhadad Anwar , Tahernia Mehdi , Zhang Yunxiang , Zhao Wenfeng , Choi Seokheun
Published: April 2021

Bacteria‐powered biobatteries using multiple microbial species under well‐mixed conditions demonstrate a temporary performance enhancement through their cooperative interaction, where one species produces a resource that another species needs but cannot synthesize. Despite excitement about the artificial microbial consortium, those mixed populations cannot be robust to environmental changes and have difficulty generating long‐lasting power because individual species compete with their neighbors for space and resources. In nature, microbial communities are organized spatially as multiple species are separated by a few hundred micrometers to balance their interaction and competition. However, it has been challenging to define a microscale spatial microbial structure in miniature biobatteries. Here, an innovative technique to design microscale spatial structures with microbial multispecies for significant improvement of the biobattery performance is demonstrated. A solid‐state layer‐by‐layer agar‐based culture platform is proposed, where individual microcolonies separately confined in microscale agar layers form a 3‐D spatial structure allowing for the exchange of metabolites without physical contact between the individual species. The optimized microbial co‐cultures are determined from selected hypothesis‐driven naturally‐occurring bacteria. Vertically and horizontally structured 3‐D microbial communities in solid‐state agar‐based microcompartments demonstrate the practicability of the biobattery, generating longer and greater power in a more self‐sustaining manner than monocultures and other mixed populations.
Architecting Amorphous Vanadium Oxide/MXene Nanohybrid via Tunable Anodic Oxidation for High‐Performance Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhang Wang , Peng Jian , Hua Weibo , Liu Ying , Wang Jinsong , Liang Yaru , Lai Weihong , Jiang Yue , Huang Yang , Zhang Wei , Yang Huiling , Yang Yingguo , Li Lina , Liu Zhenjie , Wang Lei , Chou Shu‐Lei
Published: April 2021

Structural engineering and creating atomic disorder in electrodes are promising strategies for highly efficient and rapid charge storage in advanced batteries. Herein, a nanohybrid architecture is presented with amorphous vanadium oxide conformally coated on layered V2C MXene (a‐VOx/V2C) via tunable anodic oxidation, which exhibits a high reversible capacity of 307 mAh g–1 at 50 mA g–1, decent rate capability with capacity up to 96 mAh g–1 at 2000 mA g–1, and good cycling stability as a cathode for sodium‐ion batteries. The a‐VOx layer enables reversible and fast Na+ insertion/extraction by providing sufficient vacancies and open pathways in the amorphous framework, unlike the irreversible phase transition in its crystalline counterpart, while layered V2C MXene offers abundant electron/ion transfer channels, which are joined together to boost the electrochemical performance. Notably the improved reversibility and structural superiority of the a‐VOx/V2C nanohybrid are clearly revealed by in situ Raman, in situ transmission electron microscopy, in situ synchrotron X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations, demonstrating a reversible V–O vibration and valence oscillation between V4+ and V5+ in the disordered framework, with robust structural stability and unobstructed Na+ diffusion. This work provides a meaningful reference for the elaborate design of MXene‐based nanostructured electrodes toward advanced rechargeable batteries.
Evaluation of soil potassium‐holding capacity based on waterlogging‐simulation experiments
Authors: Zhao Xinlin , Gao Shuaishuai , Lu Dianjun , Chen Xiaoqin , Wang Huoyan , Zhou Jianmin
Published: April 2021

Evaluating the capacity and loss risk of soil nutrients is helpful to make fertilization strategies. Herein, the term of soil potassium (K)‐holding capacity (SKHC) was put forward to assess the capacity and loss risk of plant‐available K of specific soils. In this study, SKHC was evaluated via soil waterlogging‐simulation experiments using 14 different soils. The K concentrations in surface water were measured, and a critical K concentration was selected to indicate high soil K loss. Results showed that the surface water K concentration (Ksw) was significantly affected by waterlogging time, temperature, and soil thickness. The average Ksw of 5‐cm soil columns waterlogged for 24 h for the 14 soils was 5 mg L–1 (1.57–8.57 mg L–1); this was subsequently used as the critical K concentration. By repeating the waterlogging simulation experiment with soils treated with different rates of K fertilizer, a quadratic relationship between the K rate and Ksw was found and used to determine the K rate required making the Ksw reach the critical K concentration. For the 14 soils, SKHC ranged from 133 to 2,054 mg kg–1 and can be classified into four levels: low, <500 mg kg–1; moderate, 500–1,000 mg kg–1; high, 1,000–1,500 mg kg–‐1; and extremely high, >1,500 mg kg–1. These results allowed the preliminary establishment of an SKHC evaluation method and grading system. Future studies should verify the SKHC under field conditions and optimize the assessment method proposed in this study.
Regiodivergent Functionalization of Isoquinoline‐1,3(2H,4H)‐dione Derivatives via Aerobic Umpolung
Authors: Li Ying‐Xian , Feng Xiao‐Bing , Jia Xue‐Min , Jin Huang , Chen Fei , Zhao Yong‐Long , Zhang Ji‐Quan , Wang Jian‐Ta , Guo Bing , Tang Lei , Yang Yuan‐Yong
Published: April 2021

A mild and green methodology for the regiodivergent functionalization of isoquinoline‐1,3(2H,4H)‐diones under aerobic conditions was developed. Under a catalytic amount of base, heteroatom nucleophiles went through an imide opening/ring contraction sequence to give the thermodynamic controlled product; while carbon based nucleophiles led to kinetic controlled aldol type product. Moreover, the aldol type product was transformed into the benzo[c]phenanthridine core structures under transition metal free condition, which provides an environmental benign access to this framework.
Multi‐Mode Reconfigurable DNA‐Based Chemical Reaction Circuits for Soft Matter Computing and Control
Authors: Tang Qian , Lai Wei , Wang Peipei , Xiong Xiewei , Xiao Mingshu , Li Li , Fan Chunhai , Pei Hao
Published: April 2021

Developing smart material systems for performing different tasks in diverse environments remains challenging. Here, we show that by integrating stimuli‐responsive soft materials with multi‐mode reconfigurable DNA‐based chemical reaction circuits (D‐CRCs), it can control size change of microgels with multiple reaction pathways and adapt expansion behaviors to meet diverse environments. We first use pH‐responsive intramolecular conformational switches for regulating DNA strand displacement reactions (SDRs). The ability to regulate SDRs with tunable pH‐dependence allows to build dynamic chemical reaction networks with diverse reaction pathways. We confirm that the designed DNA switching circuits are reconfigurable at different pH and perform different logic operations, and the swelling of DNA switching circuit‐integrated microgel systems can be programmably directed by D‐CRCs. Our approach provides insight into building smart responsive materials and fabricating autonomous soft robots.