bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Addressing a forgotten struggle: Victims of enforced disappearance in Africa
Authors: Vicente Alejandra , Nudd Eva
Published: October 2021

Abstract: Enforced disappearance in Africa occurs on a daily basis and no one is immune from becoming a victim. The practice, which commenced during the colonial times, continues today. Governments routinely use enforced disappearance as a tool to oppress the opposition and instill fear among the population in order to retain power. It is also used in the context of migration, as well as in many other contexts and against a variety of victims. As enforced disappearance is a crime committed by State officials with an interest in concealing it, the statistics on its prevalence are limited and do not show the full extent of the crime in Africa. Further, the lack of political will to acknowledge the use of this practice means that many African States lack policies and laws to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators of enforced disappearance. In the last two years, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted two resolutions raising awareness of the crime and paving the way for drafting and adopting specific guidelines to address this crime, which would be a first step in setting up a holistic framework to eradicate enforced disappearances on the continent.
Triple-negative diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: A distinct entity
Authors: Slimani Yasmine , Hali Fouzia , El Fatoiki Fatima-Zohra
Published: October 2021

The Hans algorithm categorizes the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) into two major subtypes: the germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) DLBCL and the non-GCB DLBCL. This classification is based on three immunohistochemical markers: CD10, BCL6, and MUM1. The non-GCB subtype is associated with lower overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates compared to the GCB. DLBCL without positive staining for these three markers (CD10–, BCL6–, MUM1–), also called a triple negative or TN, are classified as the non-GCB subtype. However, they show different clinical characteristics and better prognosis than others assigned to the same cell-of-origin group. Herein, we report a case of a TN non-GCB DLBCL with a complete response after R-CHOP therapy. Together with previous reports of TN non-GCB DLBCLs, our case might depreciate the prognostic value of the Hans algorithm, which was already controversial in the literature, especially in the chemoimmunotherapy era.
Portrait in Western European porcelain of the XVIII century
Authors: Karyakina Tatyana Dmitrievna
Published: October 2021

This article is dedicated to portrait images in Western European porcelain of the XVIII century. Research is conducted on the works created in various European countries, such as Germany (Meissen), France (Sevres), Austria (Vienna), and England (Wedgwood Pottery Manufactory). Prominent masters of porcelain –Kendler, Boizot, Grassi – are the authors of the portraits. Sculptural portrait images of August III – painter of the court of the French Queen Marie Antoinette and the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II are notable for exquisite artistic merit. The article reviews porcelain sculpture, as well as oil painted portraits. Interpretation of the images manifests the features of three styles characteristic to art of the XVIII century: Baroque, Rococo and Classicism. Portrait images reflect the themes typical to the Age of Enlightenment. The article describes the peculiarities of the creations of artists who worked in various European porcelain manufactories. Research methodology is based on the detailed stylistic analysis of the works of Baroque, Rococo and Classicism; fundamental examination of the works in historical sequence for determining the evolutionary changes; comparative analysis for revealing national and authorial specificities. The novelty is defined by the fact that this article is first to comprehensively analyze the portrait images in porcelain of such countries as Germany, France, and Austria of the XVIII century, as well as in identification of the features characteristic to different artists.
Assessment of Growth and Fertility Hormones of Albino Rats Exposed to Quarry Dust at a Quarry Industry
Authors: Ugochukwu Madu Francis , Iroha Akubugwo Emmanuel , Obinwa Uhegbu Friday , Chinwenmeri Madu Miracle
Published: October 2021

Aim: Growth and fertility hormones of albino rats exposed to quarry dust were evaluated to determine if the inhaled quarry dust and heavy metals contained in it have any effect on the fertility and growth of the rats.

Methods: Sixty (30 in each of wet and dry seasons) male albino rats were used in this study and were housed in six (6) sterilized plastic cages with five (5) rats in each cage at Ugwuele quarry industry Uturu. The control (group 1) was housed at a distance of 7.2km from the quarry site. Group 2 was housed at the administration block of the quarry industry while groups 3,4,5,6 were housed at the gate, plant house, drilling pit and crusher positions of the quarry industry respectively. Heavy metals; lead, chromium, cobalt, arsenic, zinc and cadmium from dust samples were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometer while assay for hormones was also carried out using standard analytical methods.

Results: All the analyzed heavy metals were present in the dust. Concentrations of heavy metals in the quarry dust were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the control and higher in the dry season than in the wet season. Concentrations of prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone (GH) in the test samples were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to the control while the concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the test samples were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to the control. Results also show that the concentrations of prolactin, FSH, LH and GH were lower in the dry season than in the wet season whereas, the concentrations of TSH in the exposed rats were higher in the dry season than in the wet season. 

Conclusion: Growth rate and fertility of the albino rats may have been compromised by the exposure to the quarry dust, since the growth and fertility hormones were all reduced.
An Analysis of Facilitative Factors in Farmer Field School (FFS) and Conventional Extension Method of Trainings among Women Groundnut Producers
Authors: Krishnan J. , Ranganathan T. T. , Siva Balan K. C. , Ravichamy P.
Published: October 2021

There has been a paradigm shift in extension purview all over the world to factor upon participation of farming fraternity in all possible ways of extension services. In spite of several efforts over three-four decades the technology transfer process and methodology still remains the same and unchanged. While the world bank introduced (in 1970s) Training and Visit (T&V) system of top down extension approach focusing on dissemination of Green Revolution technologies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) introduced Farmer Field School (FFS) (in 1980s) that emphasized mainly the bottom up-participatory-facilitative approaches in technology transfer process. The objective of this paper is to study the facilitative factors followed in both conventional and FFS way of training, this was assessed through 10 training topics covered in both the method of trainings. Three hundred (300) farm women who had involved in groundnut cultivation in Pennagaram villages, Dharmapuri, India who got trained under FFS and T&V ways separately were surveyed for this study. From 90 to 95% of the survey respondents indicated that they found the facilitative factors followed in FFS way of training was better effective than T&V way of conventional extension training. The mean scores of FFS ranged from 0.82 to 0.94 and significantly differed with the T&V way of conventional extension training score ranged from 0.03 to 0.16.
Design, Docking, ADMET and PASS Prediction Studies of Novel Chromen-4-one Derivatives for Prospective Anti-Cancer Agent
Authors: Ratra Shami , Naseer Arif , Kumar Umesh
Published: October 2021

In-silico analysis is being used nowadays as an efficient method for drug design to address the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug under study and also to predict the optimized orientation of the ligand against a specific drug target by docking software. It is a cost-effective and time saving technique that requires limited manpower. In this present study a library of substituted benzimidazolyl chromen-4-one chalcones and substituted benzimidazolyl pyrimidinyl chromen-4-one derivatives were designed, molecular docking was accomplished using AutoDock Vina and in-silico ADMET were estimated using online tools. Out of 16 analogues having lower binding energy only 12 were selected on the basis of “Lipinski Rule of Five” as orally bioavailable lead compounds. PASS (Prediction of activity spectra of substances) was also performed on the selected compounds. The pharmacokinetic information and molecular docking patterns of compounds obtained in this study can give an important lead in development of novel COX-2 inhibitors with safer pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics.
Contrast Sensitivity Measurement Tests and Methods
Authors: Karetsos George , Chandrinos Aristeidis
Published: October 2021

Contrast is a measure of the amount of lightness or darkness an object has in relationship to its background. Usually, it is described as Contrast Sensitivity (CS), which actually is the inverse of the contrast threshold. More often than not, stimulus set includes grating patterns of various sizes that are presented in a stationary manner or are dynamically presented by reversing the contrast at different rates.

A variety of tests were developed, in order to asses and evaluate contrast sensitivity, in many different ways. A classical method, to check for contrast sensitivity, is the Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity chart.

The Bailey-Lovie contrast sensitivity chart is another letter chart that deals with differences in the number of letters read on the high and low contrast charts, with a main drawback, the necessity to follow the size of the letters.

The Functional Acuity Contrast Test is designed to identify vision loss from a variety of disorders, many of which are not detected by high or low contrast Snellen Acuity tests. The MARS Letter Contrast Sensitivity Test shows good agreement with the Pelli-Robson test and possibly it may be the alternative to the Pelli-Robson chart, in clinical practice and research.
Versatile Titanates: Classification, Property, Preparation, and Sustainable Energy Catalysis
Authors: Wang Chunyang , Ma Tianyi , Zhang Yihe , Huang Hongwei
Published: October 2021

Global warming, energy deficiency, and environmental deterioration triggered by burning fossil fuels, may severely impair economic development and human life and health. Green solar power, mechanical energy, and temperature fluctuation heat energy abound in nature and are readily accessible. Thanks to various appealing characteristics, titanates are universally employed to harvest these sustainable energy sources to produce renewable fuels through photocatalysis, piezocatalysis, and pyrocatalysis, alleviating above serious issues. In this review, the research progress in energy catalysis driven by solar light, mechanical stress, and temperature fluctuation over titanates is comprehensively described. It starts with the classification and introduction of diverse titanates. Next, the main methods for preparing titanates are introduced. Highlighted are titanates acting as cocatalysts, photocatalysts, piezocatalysts, and pyrocatalysts to participate in water splitting reaction for H2 evolution and atmospheric CO2 reduction conversion into CO or hydrocarbons. In particular, the material modification strategies for improving photocatalytic performance are discussed. Finally, the rosy prospects of the future development of energy catalysis application for titanates are looked into.
Tunable 3D Hydrogel Microchannel Networks to Study Confined Mammalian Cell Migration
Authors: Siemsen Katharina , Rajput Sunil , Rasch Florian , Taheri Fereydoon , Adelung Rainer , Lammerding Jan , Selhuber‐Unkel Christine
Published: October 2021

Cells adapt and move due to chemical, physical, and mechanical cues from their microenvironment. It is therefore important to create materials that mimic human tissue physiology by surface chemistry, architecture, and dimensionality to control cells in biomedical settings. The impact of the environmental architecture is particularly relevant in the context of cancer cell metastasis, where cells migrate through small constrictions in their microenvironment to invade surrounding tissues. Here, a synthetic hydrogel scaffold with an interconnected, random, 3D microchannel network is presented that is functionalized with collagen to promote cell adhesion. It is shown that cancer cells can invade such scaffolds within days, and both the microarchitecture and stiffness of the hydrogel modulate cell invasion and nuclear dynamics of the cells. Specifically, it is found that cell migration through the microchannels is a function of hydrogel stiffness. In addition to this, it is shown that the hydrogel stiffness and confinement, influence the occurrence of nuclear envelope ruptures of cells. The tunable hydrogel microarchitecture and stiffness thus provide a novel tool to investigate cancer cell invasion as a function of the 3D microenvironment. Furthermore, the material provides a promising strategy to control cell positioning, migration, and cellular function in biological applications, such as tissue engineering.
Strong Rashba‐Dresselhaus Effect in Nonchiral 2D Ruddlesden‐Popper Perovskites
Authors: Pham Minh T. , Amerling Eric , Ngo Tu Anh , Luong Hoang M. , Hansen Kameron , Pham Huy T. , Vu Tuoc N. , Tran Huan , Whittaker‐Brooks Luisa , Nguyen Tho D.
Published: October 2021

Chirality transfer from organic chiral molecules to lead halides is theorized as the origin of the strong Rashba‐Dresselhaus effect causing large circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in metal halide perovskites (MHPs). Here, a concrete empirical evidence is provided that such strong CD and CPL can occur even in nonchiral 2D Ruddlesden‐Popper perovskites (RPPs) (BA)2(MA)n−1PbnI3n+1 (where MA = CH3NH3 and BA = CH3(CH2)3NH3). The CD and CPL responses occurring at the excitonic transition of the MHPs are strongest (≈100 mdeg and 4.8%, respectively) when a single lead halide octahedral [PbI6]4− layer is repeatedly stacked between two nonchiral molecules BA+ (n = 1). However, they are rapidly quenched as n increases. It is hypothesized that strong Rashba‐Dresselhaus splitting in the 2D RPPs originates the strong CD and CPL signatures. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the large interlayer distortions in the inorganic layers at the organic/inorganic interface give rise to the strong Rashba‐Dresselhaus splitting. A Rashba‐Dresselhaus field of ≈600 and ≈50 mT for n = 1 and 2, respectively, is estimated by magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. The studies may have significant impact on designing 2D RPPs with large Rashba‐Dresselhaus effects at room temperature for spintronic applications.
Coding Metasurfaces with Reconfiguration Capabilities Based on Optical Activation of Phase‐Change Materials for Terahertz Beam Manipulations
Authors: Lin Quan‐Wei , Wong Hang , Huitema Laure , Crunteanu Aurelian
Published: October 2021

Ultrafast reconfigurable devices with high‐speed responses, high‐resolution capabilities, and ultracompact sizes will be essential for future real‐time terahertz imaging, chemical detection, nondestructive biosensing, and communication systems. Multifunctional terahertz metasurfaces with active, programmable controls have enabled conspicuous functionalities of subwavelength planar devices and components for manipulating electromagnetic (EM) waves such as beam focusing, polarization modification, generation of exotic EM modes, or multibeam scanning applications. However, active metasurface technologies for EM beam manipulation, capable of dynamical topology change, or induced‐phase reconfiguration are usually requiring various semiconductor‐based controlling elements (e.g., PN diodes and transistors), which are difficult to implement in the high‐frequency spectrum of terahertz waves. In this work, a coding metasurface is introduced integrating patterned GeTe phase‐change materials as command elements, which allows the optical control of terahertz wave propagation. The suggested metasurface design brings plentiful of remarkable functionalities through different coding patterns and is highly effective to control beam tilting, directivity, and splitting of terahertz beams. The proposed concepts of coding metasurfaces integrating optically active phase‐change materials are successfully confirmed by experimental demonstration and can be extended to more complex terahertz systems for imaging, tomography, sensing, and 6G communication applications.
A Versatile Metasurface Enabling Superwettability for Self‐Cleaning and Dynamic Color Response
Authors: Lu Jinlong , Sain Basudeb , Georgi Philip , Protte Maximilian , Bartley Tim , Zentgraf Thomas
Published: October 2021

Metasurfaces provide applications for a variety of flat elements and devices due to the ability to modulate light with subwavelength structures. The working principle meanwhile gives rise to the crucial problem and challenge to protect the metasurface from dust or clean the unavoidable contaminants during daily usage. Here, taking advantage of the intelligent bioinspired surfaces which exhibit self‐cleaning properties, a versatile dielectric metasurface benefiting from the obtained superhydrophilic or quasi‐superhydrophobic states is shown. The design is realized by embedding the metasurface inside a large area of wettability supporting structures, which is highly efficient in fabrication, and achieves both optical and wettability functionality at the same time. The superhydrophilic state enables an enhanced optical response with water, while the quasi‐superhydrophobic state imparts the fragile antennas an ability to self‐clean dust contamination. Furthermore, the metasurface can be easily switched and repeated between these two wettability or functional states by appropriate treatments in a repeatable way, without degrading the optical performance. The proposed design strategy will bring new opportunities to smart metasurfaces with improved optical performance, versatility, and physical stability.
Hollow Multi‐Shelled V2O5 Microstructures Integrating Multiple Synergistic Resonances for Enhanced Semiconductor SERS
Authors: Ji Wei , Li Linfang , Guan Jing , Mu Ming , Song Wei , Sun Lei , Zhao Bing , Ozaki Yukihiro
Published: October 2021

Enhancement of the light‐matter coupling is a promising approach to improve the sensitivity and universality of semiconductor‐based surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Herein, it is demonstrated that hollow multi‐shelled V2O5 microstructure can be utilized as an active substrate to integrate multiple synergistic contributions. The experiments and numerical simulations clearly reveal that the excellent SERS activity originates from the unique double‐shelled hollow structures, which allow multiple reflections of electromagnetic waves. This light‐trapping effect provides an efficient resonance absorption for charge‐transfer (CT) and exciton enhancements. More importantly, the coupling of outer and inner shells remarkably generates high electric field contribution for SERS enhancement. Besides, the symmetry analysis of vibrational modes based on density functional theory well explains the origin of the CT coupling of Herzberg–Teller selection rules. The synergy of all factors contributes to a significant increase in the sensitivity and universality of semiconductor SERS. It is anticipated that the strategy demonstrated in this study will widen the scope of currently available methodologies for designing substrates with high semiconductor SERS activity.
Surface Passivation Treatment to Improve Performance and Stability of Solution‐Processed Metal Oxide Transistors for Hybrid Complementary Circuits on Polymer Substrates
Authors: Kang Moon Hyo , Armitage John , Andaji‐Garmaroudi Zahra , Sirringhaus Henning
Published: October 2021

Hybrid integration of n‐type oxide with p‐type polymer transistors is an attractive approach for realizing high performance complementary circuits on flexible substrates. However, the stability of solution‐processed oxide transistors is limiting the lifetime and reliability of such circuits. Oxygen vacancies are the main defect degrading metal oxide transistor performance when ambient oxygen adsorbs onto metal oxide films. Here, an effective surface passivation treatment based on negative oxygen ion exposure combined with UV light is demonstrated, that is able to significantly reduce surface oxygen vacancy concentration and improve the field effect mobility to values up to 41 cm2 V−1 s−1 with high on–off current ratio of 108. The treatment also reduces the threshold voltage shift after 2 days in air from 5 to 0.07 V. The improved stability of the oxide transistors also improves the lifetime of hybrid complementary circuits and stable operation of complementary, analog amplifiers is confirmed for 60 days in air. The suggested approach is facile and can be widely applicable for flexible electronics using low‐temperature solution‐processed metal oxide semiconductors.
Tunable Proton Conductivity and Color in a Nonporous Coordination Polymer via Lattice Accommodation to Small Molecules
Authors: Develioglu Aysegul , Resines‐Urien Esther , Poloni Roberta , Martín‐Pérez Lucía , Costa Jose Sanchez , Burzurí Enrique
Published: October 2021

Nonporous coordination polymers (npCPs) able to accommodate molecules through internal lattice reorganization are uncommon materials with applications in sensing and selective gas adsorption. Proton conduction, extensively studied in the analogue metal‐organic frameworks under high‐humidity conditions, is however largely unexplored in spite of the opportunities provided by the particular sensitivity of npCPs to lattice perturbations. Here, AC admittance spectroscopy is used to unveil the mechanism behind charge transport in the nonporous 1·2CH3CN. The conductance in the crystals is found to be of protonic origin. A vehicle mechanism is triggered by the dynamics of the weakly coupled acetonitrile molecules in the lattice that can be maintained by a combination of thermal cycles, even at low humidity levels. An analogue 1·pyrrole npCP is formed by in situ exchange of these weakly bound acetonitrile molecules by pyrrole. The color and conduction properties are determined by the molecules weakly bonded in the lattice. This is the first example of acetonitrile‐mediated proton transport in an npCP showing distinct optical response to different molecules. These findings open the door to the design of switchable protonic conductors and capacitive sensors working at low humidity levels and with selectivity to different molecules.
From Bioinspiration to Computer Generation: Developments in Autonomous Soft Robot Design
Authors: Pinskier Joshua , Howard David
Published: October 2021

The emerging field of soft robotics presents a new paradigm for robot design in which “precision through rigidity” is replaced by “cognition through compliance.” Lightweight and flexible, soft robots have vast potential to interact with fragile objects and navigate unstructured environments. Like octopuses and worms in nature, soft robots’ flexible bodies conform to hard objects and reconfigure for different tasks, delegating the burden of control from brain to body through embodied cognition. However, because of the lack of efficient modeling and simulation tools, soft robots are primarily designed by hand. Typically, hard components from rigid robots or living creatures are heuristically substituted for comparable soft ones. Autonomous design and manufacturing methodologies are urgently required to produce bespoke, high‐performing robots. Currently, design methodologies exist between simple but realistic parametric optimizations, and evolutionary algorithms which simulate morphology and control coevolution. To find high‐performing designs, novel high‐fidelity simulators and high‐throughput manufacturing and testing processes are required to explore the complex soft material, morphology and control landscape, blending simulation, and experimental data. This article reviews the state of the art in autonomous soft robotic design. Existing manual and automated designs are surveyed and future directions to automate soft robot design and manufacturing are presented.
Biological Characteristics of Cell Similarity Measure
Authors: Hu Qingqing , Zhang Hongfei , Zheng Yusi , Qin Hongwei , Hu Bo , Yu Qiang , Tian Jie
Published: October 2021

Similarity measures play an important role in many data analysis fields. However, the current cell similarity measures are poor used in data characteristics. Herein, a novel similarity measure named segment weighting similarity (SWS) is developed for the analysis of single‐cell Raman spectra. SWS segments the spectra by the cell biological characteristics and quantifies the significant factors per region, which can increase the contribution of intrinsic biological features and reduce noise. The similarity heat maps of SWS and three other kinds of traditional similarities, including cosine similarity, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Euclidean distance, show that SWS has high accuracy and low bias in distinguishing cell spectra. K‐nearest‐neighbor classifiers have the identification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.852, 0.853, and 0.965, respectively. The purity of the clustering model could increase by 0.31 in some tasks of the K‐means and spectral clustering. The classification and clustering results demonstrate that SWS is more effective than common ones. SWS, based on the basic data and intrinsic biological characteristics, provides a new thought and formula in the similarity measure for most of the Raman and infrared technologies, and has great potential for enhancing the performance of machine learning algorithms.
Magnetic Arthropod Millirobots Fabricated by 3D‐Printed Hydrogels
Authors: Sun Bonan , Jia Rong , Yang Hang , Chen Xi , Tan Kai , Deng Qian , Tang Jingda
Published: October 2021

Magnetically driven small‐scale soft robots are promising for applications in biomedicine, due to their fast, programmable deformation, and remote, untethered actuation to accomplish complicated tasks. Although diverse materials and designs have been proposed for magnetic soft robots with programmable shape transformation, it is still challenging to produce strong actuation by a small magnetic field. Inspired by arthropod species, magnetic soft millirobots with joint structures by 3D printing hydrogels have been developed. The joints can turn the bending deformation into the folding deformation, with the jointed region deforming locally. Different from homogeneous bending deformation, such local deformation allows larger motions of robots and reduces the overall energy consumption at the same time. Through experiments and numerical simulations, it is shown that the magnetic arthropod millirobots are capable of performing multimodal locomotion and programmed shape transformation, such as move, flip, catch, carry, and release. Finally, ex vivo experiments of removing a foreign object from porcine organs (e.g., aorta, stomach, and intestine) are presented to demonstrate the potential surgery application of magnetic arthropod millirobots.
The hypoxia adaptation of small mammals to plateau and underground burrow conditions
Authors: Li Mengke , Pan Dan , Sun Hong , Zhang Lei , Cheng Han , Shao Tian , Wang Zhenlong
Published: October 2021

Oxygen is one of the important substances for the survival of most life systems on the earth, and plateau and underground burrow systems are two typical hypoxic environments. Small mammals living in hypoxic environments have evolved different adaptation strategies, which include increased oxygen delivery, metabolic regulation of physiological responses and other physiological responses that change tissue oxygen utilization. Multi‐omics predictions have also shown that these animals have evolved different adaptations to extreme environments. In particular, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and erythropoietin (EPO), which have specific functions in the control of O2delivery, have evolved adaptively in small mammals in hypoxic environments. Naked mole‐rats and blind mole‐rats are typical hypoxic model animals as they have some resistance to cancer. This review primarily summarizes the main living environment of hypoxia tolerant small mammals, as well as the changes of phenotype, physiochemical characteristics and gene expression mode of their long‐term living in hypoxia environment.
Synthesis and wound healing performance of new water‐soluble chitosan derivatives
Authors: Shahzadi Lubna , Jamal Arshad , Hajivand Pegah , Mahmood Nasir , Anwar Chaudhry Aqif , ur Rehman Ihtesham , Yar Muhammad
Published: October 2021

In present work, an efficient method for the preparation of water‐soluble chitosan (CS) is reported. It is based on simple synthetic method, which is easy to handle and delivered good water solubility. This article describes the effect of various factors such as the concentration of reactants and the amount of solvents on the reactions' outcome as well as cytocompatibility of the resulting water‐soluble CS derivatives. CS derivatives with different ratios of polyethyleneimine (PEI) (80:20 (CP1), 90:20 (CP2), 95:5 (CP3), 99:1 (CP4), and 99.6:0.4 [CP5]), at optimized conditions (50 g of CS, 1 L of 0.5 M acetic acid solution at 80°C for 24 h) were synthesized. It was noted that the amount of PEI was critical for the cytocompatibility, decreasing the amount of PEI led to increasing the cytocompatibility of the obtained water soluble CS derivatives. To show the biomedical and drug delivery applications of the newly synthesized CS derivative, this was used to prepare membranes by freeze‐drying and was loaded with thyroxine, respectively. The angiogenic potential of the thyroxine loaded membranes was tested in chorio allantoic membrane assay, which showed good level of neovascularization. For wound healing studies full thickness wounds rat model was used and thyroxine loaded hydrogels showed complete wound healing at day 23.
Synthesis and properties of neat, hybrid, and copolymeric polyamide 12 microparticles and composites on their basis
Authors: Vasileva Dencheva Nadya , Braz Joana Filipa Barros , Denchev Zlatan Zlatev
Published: October 2021

Neat and hybrid polyamide 12 (PA12) based powders are important raw materials for additive manufacturing. This study describes a facile method for the synthesis of pure, hybrid and copolymeric microparticulate materials based on one‐pot activated anionic ring‐opening polymerization (AAROP) of laurolactam in solution. The results reveal the possibility to obtain in good yields, for reaction times of 2 h and temperatures of up to 110°C neat and hybrid PA12 microparticles (MP) carrying metal or carbon fillers. Copolymeric PA12/PA6 MP can also be successfully prepared. All MP materials are analyzed by spectral, microscopy, thermal, and synchrotron X‐ray scattering methods in order to clarify their morphology, chemical and crystalline structure, melting and degradation behavior. The melting temperature of the PA12 MP is lower than of the commercial PA12, the presence of metal particles or copolymerization with PA6 additionally decrease it well below 170°C. The composites prepared by compression molding of PA12 MP display elastic modulus of up to 1.49 GPa, the stresses at yield and break reaching 50 and 69 MPa, respectively. It is concluded that the neat, hybrid, and copolymeric pulverulent materials obtained via microencapsulation by AAROP in solution may be useful in additive manufacturing processing.
Cellulose nanocrystals supported—PolyHIPE foams for low‐temperature latent heat storage applications
Authors: Türkoğlu Zehra , Mert Hatice Hande , Mert Emine Hilal , Ocak Hale , Mert Mehmet Selçuk
Published: October 2021

Paraffin‐based shape‐stabilized composite phase change materials (PCM) containing surface modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) for thermal energy storage applications were prepared. In this respect, a three‐step experimental procedure consisting nanoparticle modification, macroporous foam synthesis, and composite PCM preparation was implemented. While CNCs were modified via freeze‐templating, high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating was used for the synthesis of polymeric foams ‐ known as polyHIPEs. Meanwhile a simple method was applied to impregnate n‐hexadecane (HD), which is a paraffin‐based PCM within the polyHIPE foam matrix. It was demonstrated that surface modified CNCs can be efficiently used to prepare polyHIPE foams with improved properties. It was also shown that the impregnation of HD into the ‐polyHIPE foam matrix supported by CTAB‐CNCs can be achieved with an incorporation rate of up to 55.7%. Moreover, the phase transition temperature and thermal energy storage capacity of the obtained composite PCM was determined as 22.7°C and 117 J/g, respectively.
First Description of Late‐Onset Autoinflammatory Disease Due to Somatic NLRC4 Mosaicism
Authors: Ionescu Daniela , Peñín‐Franch Alejandro , Mensa‐Vilaró Anna , Castillo Paola , Hurtado‐Navarro Laura , Molina‐López Cristina , Romero‐Chala Silvia , Plaza Susana , Fabregat Virginia , Buján Segundo , Marques Joana , Casals Ferran , Yagüe Jordi , Oliva Baldomero , Fernández‐Pereira Luis Miguel , Pelegrín Pablo , Aróstegui Juan I.
Published: October 2021

Objective

Autoinflammatory diseases are inherited disorders of innate immunity that usually start during childhood. However, several recent reports have described an increasing number of patients with autoinflammatory disease starting in adulthood. This study was undertaken to investigate the underlying cause of a case of late‐onset uncharacterized autoinflammatory disease.

Methods

Genetics studies were performed using Sanger sequencing and next‐generation sequencing (NGS) methods. In silico, in vitro, and ex vivo analyses were performed to determine the functional consequences of the detected variant.

Results

We studied a 57‐year‐old woman who at the age of 47 years began to have recurrent episodes of fever, myalgias, arthralgias, diffuse abdominal pain, diarrhea, adenopathies, and systemic inflammation, which were relatively well controlled with anti–interleukin‐1 (anti‐IL‐1) drugs. NGS analyses did not detect germline variants in any of the known autoinflammatory disease–associated genes, but they identified the p.Ser171Phe NLRC4 variant in unfractionated blood, with an allele fraction (2–4%) compatible with gene mosaicism. Structural modeling analyses suggested that this missense variant might favor the open, active conformation of the NLRC4 protein, and in vitro and ex vivo analyses confirmed its propensity to oligomerize and activate the NLRC4 inflammasome, with subsequent overproduction of IL‐18.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that the postzygotic p.Ser171Phe NLRC4 variant is a plausible cause of the disease in the enrolled patient. Functional and structural studies clearly support, for the first time, its gain‐of‐function behavior, consistent with previously reported NLRC4 pathogenic variants. These novel findings should be considered in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with adult‐onset uncharacterized autoinflammatory disease.
Fairness in digital sharing legal professional attitudes toward digital piracy and digital commons
Authors: Ciesielska Malgorzata , Jemielniak Dariusz
Published: October 2021

Contrary to a popular belief of lawyers having the most strict perception of law, law professionals actually strongly skew toward more favorable views of digital sharing. According to our qualitative study, relying on in‐depth interviews with 50 Harvard lawyers, digital piracy is quite acceptable. It is considered fair, especially among friends and for noncommercial purposes. We argue that this not only can indicate that the existing law is becoming outdated because of its inability to be enforced, but also that ethically it is not corresponding to what is considered fair, good service, or being societally beneficial. The common perception of relying on a fixed price for digital content is eroding. We show that on the verges of business, society, and law, there is a potential for the new paradigm of digital commons to emerge.
Methods for a feminist technoscience of information practice: Design justice and speculative futurities
Authors: Floegel Diana , Costello Kaitlin L.
Published: October 2021

This article builds on the argument that feminist technoscience will advance information practice scholarship beyond its current limitations. These limitations reflect neoliberalism in the field of information science and include a reliance on extractive logics in theories and models, monological individualism, binaries constructed between people and technologies, and techno‐solutionism. Here, we address the question: what does it look like to apply technofeminism to the study of information practice at methodological and methods levels? We first outline our metatheoretical conception of feminist technoscience, which embraces intersectionality and assemblage theory in order to move past white and colonialist logics embedded in cyborg theory. We next offer design justice as a methodological framework and movement that provides a necessary overhaul of the neoliberal ways that information science approaches scholarship, particularly in terms of participatory research. We suggest that speculative futurities provide a promising method for advancing technofeminism in information practice research because they explicitly reject neoliberalism and its techno‐solutionist bent. Overall, a feminist technoscience of information practice offers directions for our field that are rooted in liberatory epistemologies. We emphasize that in order to achieve liberation, a major overhaul in how our discipline approaches arrangements of information, people, and technologies is sorely needed.
Self‐Assembly Methods for Recently Reported Discrete Supramolecular Structures Based on Terpyridine
Authors: Shi Junjuan , Wang Ming
Published: October 2021

In this Review, self‐assembly methods of discrete metallo‐supramolecules based on 2,2′ : 6′,2′′‐terpyridine (tpy) are comprehensively summarized. With the development of self‐assembly, strategies for discrete 2D and 3D supramolecular architectures have boomed, including the geometry‐directed method, template‐driven method, and stepwise method. Ligand geometry‐directed method mainly depends on the geometry of ligands (i. e., angle, geometric strain, and rigidity), and it is suitable for dual‐component systems, while the template‐driven method can guide the self‐assembly of predesigned supramolecules by the introduction of specific templates. Meanwhile, stepwise method, breaking the inherent self‐sorting of ligands and reducing the probability of mismatch, is suitable for multicomponent systems to yield predesigned supramolecules. This review focuses on self‐assembly methods and aims to provide a guideline for constructing supramolecular architectures using a suitable approach.
Protective mechanism of FoxO1 against early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage by regulating autophagy
Authors: Hao Haitao , Bai Yahui , Liu Yu , Liang Junxin , Guo Shichao
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Early brain injury (EBI) plays a key role in the devastating outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Autophagy and apoptosis may share a common molecular inducer that regulates the process of cell death. FoxO1, as a key regulator of neuronal autophagy which is involved in apoptosis, has not been reported in SAH rats. This work was to investigate the protective and anti‐inflammatory effects of FoxO1 on EBI after SAH by regulating autophagy.

Methods

In this study, we constructed the SAH model. In experiment I, low dose (50 μl of 1 × 108 IU/ml) or high dose (50 μl of 1 × 1010 IU/ml) of FoxO1 gene overexpressed adenovirus vector was injected into the lateral ventricle of rats before SAH. In experiment II, we reported the effect of FoxO1 overexpress on nerve function recovery, oedema, BBB leakage, neuronal death in rats after SAH through autophagy regulation. Post‐SAH evaluation included neurological function score, brain water content, evans blue exosmosis, pathological changes, inflammatory response and apoptosis.

Results

The experiment I showed that either low or high dose of ad‐FoxO1 could significantly improve nerve function, reduce cerebral water content and reduce blood‐brain barrier (BBB) destruction in rats, indicating that ad‐FoxO1 had a protective effect on brain injury in rats EBI after SAH. In addition, ad‐FoxO1 promoted autophagy in rat hippocampal tissue, as evidenced by accumulation of LC3II/I and Beclin‐1 and degradation of p62. Furthermore, ad‐FoxO1 inhibited the inflammatory response and apoptosis of rat hippocampal neurons after SAH. The experiment II showed that both ad‐FoxO1 and rapamycin attenuated the injury of nerve function in rats after SAH, and this synergistic effect further reduced cerebral edema and evansblue extravasation, decreased hippocampus neuronal cell apoptosis, and declined inflammatory response. However, this was contrary to the results of chloroquine. These findings suggested that FoxO1 regulated the neural function of EBI after SAH through the autophagy pathway.

Conclusions

The findings in this study was beneficial for identifying the novel therapeutic target for the treatment of SAH.
Unravelling the design process of business models from linear to circular: An empirical investigation
Authors: Franzò Simone , Urbinati Andrea , Chiaroni Davide , Chiesa Vittorio
Published: October 2021

In the last years, circular economy has represented one of the most‐debated topics in management research. Although the understanding of this industrial paradigm has significantly improved over the last decade, a number of important research questions still remain unanswered. Among them, the design process of business model through which established firms evolve from being linear to circular deserves further investigation. Existing research still falls short to investigate how companies design the dimensions of value creation, value transfer, and value capture of their business models to launch circular products into the market. By leveraging a multiple case study analysis of four companies in the paper and beverage industries that have launched six circular products, the paper examines the process that these companies have followed to face the transition toward a circular business model. The paper contributes to the research field in the intersection between new product development and circular business models, by showing that the process toward a circular business model occurs along three major phases, that is, idea generation, product development, and commercialization. In each phase, companies implement peculiar managerial practices for launching circular products into the market, which typically address all the dimensions of the business model and follows a recurrent path over time.
Rational, emotional, or both? Subcomponents of psychopathy predict opposing moral decisions
Authors: Hauser Nicole Claire , Neumann Craig S. , Marshall Julia , Mokros Andreas
Published: October 2021

Recent research has documented a small but significant correlation between psychopathic capacities and utilitarian moral judgment, although the findings are generally inconsistent and unclear. We propose that one way to make sense of mixed findings is to consider variation in perspective‐taking capacities of psychopathic individuals. With this in mind, we had criminal offenders (n = 60), who varied in their psychopathy levels according to the Psychopathy Checklist‐Revised (PCL‐R), respond to common sacrificial moral dilemmas (e.g., trolley dilemmas) under different conditions. In a baseline condition, participants simply responded to the sacrificial moral dilemmas as is typically done in previous research. In an “emotion‐salient” condition, participants had to reason about the emotions of another person after solving moral dilemmas (deliberative processing). In the “emotion‐ambiguous” condition, participants saw images of people in distress, after solving moral dilemmas, but did not have to explicitly reason about such emotions (spontaneous processing). The four PCL‐R facets predicted distinct interference effects depending on spontaneous versus deliberative processing of hypothetical victim's emotions. The findings suggest that the use of a multi‐faceted approach to account for cognitive and moral correlates of psychopathy may help address previously mixed results. Implications and future directions for theory and research are discussed.
Copy number variation analysis of m6A regulators identified METTL3 as a prognostic and immune‐related biomarker in bladder cancer
Authors: Wang Xiaoshuai , Yu Jingwei , Chen Jinbao , Hou Yingdong , Du Zefeng , Huang Haoyang , Tang Siqi , Han Yueyin , Ding Changhai , Xue Zhicheng
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Growing evidence has demonstrated an indispensable role for N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) in human diseases, but the copy number variations (CNVs) of m6A regulatory genes in bladder cancer (BLCA) remains largely unknown.

Methods

We investigated the CNVs on all known m6A regulatory genes using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The association between CNV events and clinicopathological as well as molecular characteristics of BLCA patients were explored. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was implemented to reveal relative cellular processes. Association between m6A regulatory genes and immune infiltrates was analyzed by The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database.

Results

CNV events of m6A regulatory genes were frequently observed in BLCA. CNVs of METTL3, METTL14, and METTL16 correlated with molecular characteristics of BLCA patients including TP53 mutation. CNVs of METTL3 associated with the overall survival (OS) of BLCA patients. METTL3 was also associated with several cancer‐related cellular processes, including mitotic spindle assembly, G2/M checkpoint, and E2F targets signaling pathway. Besides, the CNVs of m6A regulatory genes were correlated with specific kinds of immune infiltrates.

Conclusions

There are significant correlations between m6A regulatory genes with CNVs and clinicopathological characteristics. METTL3 with CNVs were associated with the immune infiltrates and performed as a prognostic marker in BLCA.