bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High diversity droplet microfluidic libraries generated with a commercial liquid spotter
Authors: Zhang Jesse Q. , Siltanen Christian A. , Dolatmoradi Ata , Sun Chen , Chang Kai-Chun , Cole Russell H. , Gartner Zev J. , Abate Adam R.
Published: February 2021

Droplet libraries consisting of many reagents encapsulated in separate droplets are necessary for applications of microfluidics, including combinatorial chemical synthesis, DNA-encoded libraries, and massively multiplexed PCR. However, existing approaches for generating them are laborious and impractical. Here, we describe an automated approach using a commercial array spotter. The approach can controllably emulsify hundreds of different reagents in a fraction of the time of manual operation of a microfluidic device, and without any user intervention. We demonstrate that the droplets produced by the spotter are similarly uniform to those produced by microfluidics and automate the generation of a ~ 2 mL emulsion containing 192 different reagents in ~ 4 h. The ease with which it can generate high diversity droplet libraries should make combinatorial applications more feasible in droplet microfluidics. Moreover, the instrument serves as an automated droplet generator, allowing execution of droplet reactions without microfluidic expertise.
Automatic segmentation of inner ear on CT-scan using auto-context convolutional neural network
Authors: Hussain Raabid , Lalande Alain , Girum Kibrom Berihu , Guigou Caroline , Bozorg Grayeli Alexis
Published: February 2021

Temporal bone CT-scan is a prerequisite in most surgical procedures concerning the ear such as cochlear implants. The 3D vision of inner ear structures is crucial for diagnostic and surgical preplanning purposes. Since clinical CT-scans are acquired at relatively low resolutions, improved performance can be achieved by registering patient-specific CT images to a high-resolution inner ear model built from accurate 3D segmentations based on micro-CT of human temporal bone specimens. This paper presents a framework based on convolutional neural network for human inner ear segmentation from micro-CT images which can be used to build such a model from an extensive database. The proposed approach employs an auto-context based cascaded 2D U-net architecture with 3D connected component refinement to segment the cochlear scalae, semicircular canals, and the vestibule. The system was formulated on a data set composed of 17 micro-CT from public Hear-EU dataset. A Dice coefficient of 0.90 and Hausdorff distance of 0.74 mm were obtained. The system yielded precise and fast automatic inner-ear segmentations.
Retraction Note: Amelioration of obsessive-compulsive disorder in three mouse models treated with one epigenetic drug: unraveling the underlying mechanism
Authors: Todorov German , Mayilvahanan Karthikeyan , Ashurov David , Cunha Catarina
Published: February 2021

Editor's Note: this Article has been retracted; the Retraction Note is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84474-5.
Author Correction: Synergistic effects of combinatorial chitosan and polyphenol biomolecules on enhanced antibacterial activity of biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles
Authors: Rezazadeh Niloufar Hajarian , Buazar Foad , Matroodi Soheila
Published: February 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Electron–phonon coupling in superconducting 1T-PdTe2
Authors: Anemone Gloria , Casado Aguilar Pablo , Garnica Manuela , Calleja Fabian , Al Taleb Amjad , Kuo Chia-Nung , Lue Chin Shan , Politano Antonio , Vázquez de Parga Amadeo L. , Benedek Giorgio , Farías Daniel , Miranda Rodolfo
Published: February 2021

We have determined the electron–phonon interaction in type II Dirac semimetallic 1T-PdTe2 by means of helium atom scattering. While 1T-PdTe2 is isostructural with 1T-PtTe2, only the former is superconductor. The difference can be traced to the substantially larger value of the electron–phonon coupling in 1T-PdTe2, λ = 0.58, obtained from the Debye-Waller attenuation of the He specular peak. With this value and the surface Debye temperature, ΘD = 106.2 K, we have figured out the superconducting critical temperature, Tc = 1.83 K given by the BCS theory, which is in good agreement with Tc = (1.95 ± 0.03) K obtained with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The value of the effective mass related to ΘD indicates that the large electron–phonon coupling in 1T-PdTe2 is due to coupling, not only with the zone-center optical mode O2 at 9.2 meV, as proposed in a recent theoretical study, but also with the zone-boundary acoustic mode LA. Our results suggest that the topological states of a Dirac cone play a negligible role on the onset of superconductivity.
Presynaptic endoplasmic reticulum regulates short-term plasticity in hippocampal synapses
Authors: Singh Nishant , Bartol Thomas , Levine Herbert , Sejnowski Terrence , Nadkarni Suhita
Published: February 2021

Short-term plasticity preserves a brief history of synaptic activity that is communicated to the postsynaptic neuron. This is primarily regulated by a calcium signal initiated by voltage dependent calcium channels in the presynaptic terminal. Imaging studies of CA3-CA1 synapses reveal the presence of another source of calcium, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in all presynaptic terminals. However, the precise role of the ER in modifying STP remains unexplored. We performed in-silico experiments in synaptic geometries based on reconstructions of the rat CA3-CA1 synapses to investigate the contribution of ER. Our model predicts that presynaptic ER is critical in generating the observed short-term plasticity profile of CA3-CA1 synapses and allows synapses with low release probability to operate more reliably. Blocking the ER lowers facilitation in a manner similar to what has been previously characterized in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and underscores the important role played by presynaptic stores in normal function.
An experimental study of focused very high energy electron beams for radiotherapy
Authors: Kokurewicz Karolina , Brunetti Enrico , Curcio Alessandro , Gamba Davide , Garolfi Luca , Gilardi Antonio , Senes Eugenio , Sjobak Kyrre Ness , Farabolini Wilfrid , Corsini Roberto , Jaroszynski Dino Anthony
Published: February 2021

Very high energy electron (VHEE) beams have been proposed as an alternative radiotherapy modality to megavoltage photons; they penetrate deeply without significant scattering in inhomogeneous tissue because of their high relativistic inertia. However, the depth dose distribution of a single, collimated VHEE beam is quasi-uniform, which can lead to healthy tissue being overexposed. This can be largely overcome by focusing the VHEE beam to a small spot. Here, we present experiments to demonstrate focusing as a means of concentrating dose into small volumetric elements inside a target. We find good agreement between measured dose distributions and Monte Carlo simulations. Focused radiation beams could be used to precisely target tumours or hypoxic regions of a tumour, which would enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy. The development of new accelerator technologies may provide future compact systems for delivering these focused beams to tumours, a concept that can also be extended to X-rays and hadrons.
Co-producing urban knowledge in Angola and Mozambique: towards meeting SDG 11
Authors: Croese Sylvia , Dominique Massamba , Raimundo Inês Macamo
Published: February 2021

The need to make cities in Africa more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (Sustainable Development Goal 11) is undisputed as rapid urban growth rates are set to make the African region a key hub in the global transition to a predominantly urban world. This perspective presents findings from a research project conducted in the cities of Luanda, Angola and Maputo, Mozambique, which used citizen science to generate data on selected indicators of the urban Sustainable Development Goal and use this data to inform more inclusive, sustainable and participatory urban planning and policymaking. Based on the research, we argue that meeting SDG 11 will ultimately depend on the spaces and mechanisms for knowledge co-production and sharing that are produced in the process.
Conceptual frameworks facilitate integration for transdisciplinary urban science
Authors: Zhou Weiqi , Pickett S. T. A. , McPhearson Timon
Published: February 2021

There are urgent calls for developing a comprehensive and globally-relevant urban science that emphasizes convergence among disciplines and practice. Advancing theory and conceptual frameworks is critical to developing a new urban systems science. We synthesize five frameworks that address features identified in calls for global urban science. The frameworks address the overarching urban conditions of complexity, diffuseness, connectivity, and diversity of cities across the globe. The frameworks also help evaluate how a project or study may advance sustainability. The metacity concept, a spatially scalable representation of mosaic change in urban systems, demonstrates how the frameworks apply to increasingly extensive, spatially heterogeneous, and dynamic urban regions. The metacity concept helps avoid static and isolated plans and management approaches and provides a conceptual foundation for an interdisciplinary urban systems science. The frameworks suggest a practical checklist that may help interventions, strategies, and research better align with goals for transforming urban systems toward sustainability.
Apocalypse now: Australian bushfires and the future of urban settlements
Authors: Norman Barbara , Newman Peter , Steffen Will
Published: February 2021

The apocalyptic Australian bushfires have challenged the way we plan settlements. What is the future for small urban settlements within fire-vulnerable forests and bushland? Could they create a new model for rural settlements with wider lessons for development in big cities? This paper draws together observations of the 2019/20 bushfire size, intensity and destructiveness and links the fires to the global nature of the climate crisis and an earlier case study that accurately predicted the fire impacts in southeast coastal Australia. The findings are set out in two scenarios suggesting that the fires can lead to a new model for climate resilient development that can flow into larger centres with multiple benefits.
Radical changes are needed for transformations to a good Anthropocene
Authors: McPhearson Timon , M. Raymond Christopher , Gulsrud Natalie , Albert Christian , Coles Neil , Fagerholm Nora , Nagatsu Michiru , Olafsson Anton Stahl , Soininen Niko , Vierikko Kati
Published: February 2021

The scale, pace, and intensity of human activity on the planet demands radical departures from the status quo to remain within planetary boundaries and achieve sustainability. The steering arms of society including embedded financial, legal, political, and governance systems must be radically realigned and recognize the connectivity among social, ecological, and technological domains of urban systems to deliver more just, equitable, sustainable, and resilient futures. We present five key principles requiring fundamental cognitive, behavioral, and cultural shifts including rethinking growth, rethinking efficiency, rethinking the state, rethinking the commons, and rethinking justice needed together to radically transform neighborhoods, cities, and regions.
Recycled calcium carbonate is an efficient oxidation agent under deep upper mantle conditions
Authors: Tao Renbiao , Fei Yingwei
Published: February 2021

Observations of high ferric iron content in diamond garnet inclusions and mantle plume melts suggest a highly heterogeneous distribution of ferric iron in the mantle. Recycling of oxidized materials such as carbonates from Earth’s surface by subduction could explain the observed variations. Here we present high-pressure high-temperature multi-anvil experiments to determine the redox reactions between calcium-, magnesium-, or iron-carbonate and ferrous iron-bearing silicate mineral (garnet or fayalite) at conditions representative of subduction zones with intermediate thermal structures. We show that both garnet and fayalite can be oxidized to ferric iron-rich garnets accompanied by reduction of calcium carbonate to form graphite. The ferric iron content in the synthetic garnets increases with increasing pressure, and is correlated with the Ca content in the garnets. We suggest that recycled sedimentary calcium carbonate could influence the evolution of the mantle oxidation state by efficiently increasing the ferric iron content in the deep upper mantle.
Success of coastal wetlands restoration is driven by sediment availability
Authors: Liu Zezheng , Fagherazzi Sergio , Cui Baoshan
Published: February 2021

Shorelines and their ecosystems are endangered by sea-level rise. Nature-based coastal protection is becoming a global strategy to enhance coastal resilience through the cost-effective creation, restoration and sustainable use of coastal wetlands. However, the resilience to sea-level rise of coastal wetlands created under Nature-based Solution has been assessed largely on a regional scale. Here we assess, using a meta-analysis, the difference in accretion, elevation, and sediment deposition rates between natural and restored coastal wetlands across the world. Our results show that restored coastal wetlands can trap more sediment and that the effectiveness of these restoration projects is primarily driven by sediment availability, not by wetland elevation, tidal range, local rates of sea-level rise, and significant wave height. Our results suggest that Nature-based Solutions can mitigate coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise, but are effective only in coastal locations where abundant sediment supply is available.
The molecular design of photo-curable and high-strength benzoxazine for 3D printing
Authors: Lu Yong , Ng Kok Wei Joseph , Chen Hui , Chen Xuelong , Lim Song Kiat Jacob , Yan Weili , Hu Xiao
Published: February 2021

Photo-curable benzoxazines with high strength are designed and synthesized for use in projection micro-stereolithography (PμSL) 3D printing.
Functionalized nanoprobes forin situdetection of telomerase
Authors: Yu Zhengze , Jiang Fan , Hu Chenchen , Tang Bo
Published: February 2021

Telomerase can maintain the length and stability of telomeres and plays an important role in cell proliferation and differentiation. Based on different materials, various functionalized nanoprobes were developed forin situtelomerase detection.
Thermodynamic aspect of sulfur, polysulfide anion and lithium polysulfide: plausible reaction path during discharge of lithium–sulfur battery
Authors: Tsuzuki Seiji , Kaneko Tomoaki , Sodeyama Keitaro , Umebayashi Yasuhiro , Shinoda Wataru , Seki Shiro , Ueno Kazuhide , Dokko Kaoru , Watanabe Masayoshi
Published: February 2021

The discharge voltage of reactions for formation of Li2Sn from S8 is higher than that for formation of Li2S from Li2Sn.
Simulating fullerene polyhedral formation from planar precursors
Authors: Heuser Benjamin , Mikkelsen Kurt V. , Avery James E.
Published: February 2021

The synthesis path of the C60-Buckyball fullerene from a planar precursor developed by [Scott et al., Science, 2002, 295, 5559] is investigated with density functional theory (DFT) methods.
Through spaceJFHspin–spin coupling constant transmission pathways in 2-(trifluoromethyl)thiophenol: formation of unusual stabilizing bifurcated CF⋯HS and CF⋯SH interactions
Authors: Port Vinícius C. , Zeoly Lucas A. , Coelho Fernando , Cormanich Rodrigo A.
Published: February 2021

Experimental and theoretical evidences of formation of unusual bifurcated CF⋯HS hydrogen bonds and CF⋯SH stabilizing interactions and their implications to the observed through spaceJFHspin spin coupling in 2-(trifluoromethyl)thiophenol.
Quantum and semiclassical dynamical studies of nonadiabatic processes in solution: achievements and perspectives
Authors: Santoro Fabrizio , Green James A. , Martinez-Fernandez Lara , Cerezo Javier , Improta Roberto
Published: February 2021

We concisely review the most used methodological approaches to model nonadiabatic dynamics in isotropic solutions and their applications.
Unravelling the nature of the α-keratin EPR signal: an ab initio study
Authors: Babaei Bidmeshki Nadia , T. Azar Yavar , Ziaie Farhood , Janbazi Mehdi
Published: February 2021

We conducted a theoretical study of the RIS radicals and mechanisms to propose robust methods to distinguish the original signal from the irradiated fingernail’s unwanted noise.
Effect of strain engineering on superlubricity in a double-walled carbon nanotube
Authors: Li Jiahao , Peng Yong , Tang Xianqiong , Xu Qian , Bai Lichun
Published: February 2021

Strain engineering induces the achievement of superlubricity in a double-walled carbon nanotube due to the formation of a mismatched lattice constant between the two carbon nanotubes.
Magnetism at the interface of non-magnetic Cu and C60
Authors: Sharangi Purbasha , Gargiani Pierluigi , Valvidares Manuel , Bedanta Subhankar
Published: February 2021

XMCD measurements show that magnetic moment induced in Cu at the Cu/C60 interface is ∼0.01 μB per atom.
Dielectric response of light, heavy and heavy-oxygen water: isotope effects on the hydrogen-bonding network's collective relaxation dynamics
Authors: Kutus Bence , Shalit Andrey , Hamm Peter , Hunger Johannes
Published: February 2021

Dielectric relaxation experiments on light, heavy-, and heavy-oxygen water reveal that classical mass effects on the reorientational relaxation of water can be accounted for by a translational mass factor.
Experimental and theoretical assessment of protonated Hoogsteen 9-methylguanine–1-methylcytosine base-pair dissociation: kinetics within a statistical reaction framework
Authors: Moe May Myat , Benny Jonathan , Sun Yan , Liu Jianbo
Published: February 2021

Statistical mechanism-driven dissociation of Hoogsteen guanine–cytosine base pair.
Interface chemistry of two-dimensional heterostructures – fundamentals to applications
Authors: Gbadamasi Sharafadeen , Mohiuddin Md , Krishnamurthi Vaishnavi , Verma Rajni , Khan Muhammad Waqas , Pathak Saurabh , Kalantar-Zadeh Kourosh , Mahmood Nasir
Published: February 2021

To harvest the unique properties offered by 2D HSs, creation of well-defined heterointerfaces on a large scale is a prerequisite, where the chemistry and nature of heterointerfaces define the targeted applications.
Copper chloride complexes with substituted 4′-phenyl-terpyridine ligands: synthesis, characterization, antiproliferative activities and DNA interactions
Authors: Li Jiahe , Yan Hao , Wang Zhiyuan , Liu Rongping , Luo Baomei , Yang Dengfeng , Chen Hailan , Pan Lixia , Ma Zhen
Published: February 2021

Eleven copper chloride complexes with substituted 4′-phenyl-terpyridine ligands: high antiproliferative activities against five human carcinoma cell lines, strong affinity for binding with DNA as intercalators and multiple molecular docking results.
Theoretical study of the influence of doped niobium on the electronic properties of CsPbBr3
Authors: Liang Xingyou , Ren Xuefeng , Yang Shuzhang , Liu Lizhao , Xiong Wei , Cheng Li , Ma Tingli , Liu Anmin
Published: February 2021

CsPbBr3 is an excellent material for improving the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Doping a certain concentration of Nb in CsPbBr3 will greatly improve the power conversion efficiency and long-term stability.
Tailoring surface-supported water–melamine complexes by cooperative H-bonding interactions
Authors: Lanzilotto Valeria , Grazioli Cesare , Stredansky Matus , Zhang Teng , Schio Luca , Goldoni Andrea , Floreano Luca , Motta Alessandro , Cossaro Albano , Puglia Carla
Published: February 2021

A surface science approach provides synthetic and characterization tools for an accurate assessment of the H-binding configuration in water/organocatalyst interfaces.
Ferroptosis/pyroptosis dual-inductive combinational anti-cancer therapy achieved by transferrin decorated nanoMOF
Authors: Xu Rui , Yang Jie , Qian Yun , Deng Huizi , Wang Zhihua , Ma Siyu , Wei Yawen , Yang Ning , Shen Qi
Published: February 2021

Novel nanoMof (Tf-LipoMof@PL) can induce both ferroptosis and pyroptosis by iron and ROS enrichment, which provides new choices for anti-cancer therapy.
Study on heteropolyacid-based catalysts with high activity and reusability for isoprene synthesis from formaldehyde and isobutene
Authors: Wang Qingxue , Luo Xu , Liu Li , Tao Shenghui , Xu Shan
Published: February 2021

SiW/S-1 catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic activity and reusability due to the highly dispersed SiW and MFI structure of S-1.
Bottromycins - biosynthesis, synthesis and activity
Authors: Franz Laura , Kazmaier Uli , Truman Andrew W. , Koehnke Jesko
Published: February 2021

This review summarizes bottromycin research from the 1950s to 2020, including structure elucidation, activity, mechanism of action, total synthesis, biosynthetic gene cluster and biosynthesis, biosynthetic enzymes and heterologous expression.
Anion exchange induced formation of kesterite copper zinc tin sulphide–copper zinc tin selenide nanoheterostructures
Authors: Yin Deqiang , Li Qi , Liu Yang , Swihart Mark T.
Published: February 2021

Kesterite CZTS–CZTSe nanoheterostructures are synthesized by anion exchange in pristine kesterite CZTS nanostructures, which grow from cubic Cu9S5 nanotemplates.
Integrated experimental/computational approaches to characterize the systems formed by vanadium with proteins and enzymes
Authors: Sciortino Giuseppe , Maréchal Jean-Didier , Garribba Eugenio
Published: February 2021

An integrated instrumental/computational approach to characterize metallodrug–protein adducts at the molecular level is reviewed. A series of applications are described, focusing on potential vanadium drugs with a generalization to other metals.
Organocatalytic dimensions to the C–H functionalization of the carbocyclic core in indoles: a review update
Authors: Bhattacharjee Prantika , Bora Utpal
Published: February 2021

A review highlighting important research findings in remote C–H activation processes using effectual organocatalytic perspectives. The challenging indole carbocyclic ring positions were successfully accessed with proper regio- and stereocontrols.
Effect of addition of HTa to Al/PTFE under quasi-static compression on the properties of the developed energetic composite material
Authors: Ren Xinxin , Li Yuchun , Huang Junyi , Wu Jiaxiang , Wu Shuangzhang , Liu Qiang , Wang Ruiqi , Feng Bin
Published: February 2021

To study the mechanical properties and reaction characteristics of Al/HTa/PTFE reactive materials under quasi-static compression, five types of Al/HTa/PTFE specimens with different HTa contents were prepared for quasi-static compression tests.
A lysosome-targeted probe for the real-time detection of hypobromous acid in living human cancer cells
Authors: Wang Yali , Zhang Yuan , Yang Lijun , Wu Huiyuan , Finney Nathaniel
Published: February 2021

We describe here LysOBr, one of the most sensitive HOBr-responsive fluorescent probes known. Imaging in live Hela cells shows that it localizes in the lysosome, and provides ∼50-fold fluorescence enhancement upon reaction with HOBr.
Photo-responsive host–guest complexation directs dynamic covalent condensation of phenyl boronic acid andd-fructose
Authors: Klepel Florian , Ravoo Bart Jan
Published: February 2021

The photo-responsive host-guest interaction of an azo-based photoswitch with permethylated cyclodextrin is used to modulate the dynamic covalent interaction of a phenyl boronic acid and D-fructose by irradiation with light.
Controlling fluorescence resonance energy transfer of donor–acceptor dyes by Diels–Alder dynamic covalent bonds
Authors: Cui Yanhui , Li Fen , Zhang Xin
Published: February 2021

Two new dyes, consisting of an aromatic amine donor and dansyl acceptor connected by Diels–Alder bonds, display a switchable energy transfer. Dynamic covalent properties enable the mutual conversion of the two dyes by maleimide exchanges.
Conquering peaks and illuminating depths: developing stereocontrolled organic reactions to unlock nature's macrolide treasure trove
Authors: Lam Nelson Y. S. , Stockdale Tegan P. , Anketell Matthew J. , Paterson Ian
Published: February 2021

Exemplified by a representative selection of macrolide natural products, this personal perspective reflects on the trials, tribulations and serendipitous discoveries experienced in pursuit of their total synthesis exploiting aldol methodology.
Single gold nanostars with multiple branches as multispectral orientation probes in single-particle rotational tracking
Authors: Kim Geun Wan , Ha Ji Won
Published: February 2021

Herein, we performed a single-particle correlation study to characterize the optical properties of gold nanostars (AuNSs) with multiple sharp branches under dark-field (DF) and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, and to examine their use as multispectral orientation probes.
A controlled synthesis of γ-MnOOH nanorods via a facile hydrothermal method for high-performance Li-ion batteries
Authors: Zhang Yuting , Dong Xuelu , Li Haibo , Cui Chuansheng , Fu Chonggang , Zeng Suyuan , Wang Lei
Published: February 2021

A hydrothermal reduction route was used for the controlled production of MnOOH nanostructures. The formed γ-MnOOH nanorods can be used as one of the high performance anodes for the preparation of lithium ion batteries.
Liquid droplets of protein LAF1 provide a vehicle to regulate storage of the signaling protein K-Ras4B and its transport to the lipid membrane
Authors: Li Lei , Herzog Marius , Möbitz Simone , Winter Roland
Published: February 2021

We found that membrane-less protein condensates, such as of P-granule protein LAF1, are able to provide an additional vehicle to regulate storage and transport of membrane-associated signaling proteins such as K-Ras4B to the lipid membrane.
Wetting of nanopores probed with pressure
Authors: Marion Sanjin , Macha Michal , Davis Sebastian J. , Chernev Andrey , Radenovic Aleksandra
Published: February 2021

By combining hydraulic pressure with ultrathin and 2D nanopores we demonstrate how pressure can support wetting of nanopores, as well as how pressure induced fluid flow can be used to identify and eliminate wetting artifacts.
Influence of cellulose nanocrystal surface functionalization on the bending response of cellulose nanocrystal/ionic liquid soft actuators
Authors: Correia Daniela M. , Lizundia Erlantz , Fernandes Liliana C. , Costa Carlos M. , Lanceros-Méndez Senentxu
Published: February 2021

This work reports the development of renewable cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and ionic liquid (IL) hybrid materials for bending actuator applications.
SIMS simultaneous measurement of oxygen–hydrogen isotopes and water content for hydrous geological samples
Authors: Yang Qing , Xia Xiao-Ping , Cui Ze-Xian , Zhang Wan-Feng , Zhang Yan-Qiang , Lai Chun-Kit
Published: February 2021

In this study, we developed two new SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) analytical protocols to simultaneously measure oxygen–hydrogen (O–H) isotopic compositions and water content for hydrous geological samples.
In situ construction of MoS2@CoS2 spherical hydrangea-shaped clusters for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole
Authors: Pan Liushu , Jiao Chunlin , Liang Yinna , Xiong Jianhua , Wang Shuangfei , Zhu Hongxiang , Chen Guoning , Song Hainong
Published: February 2021

This article explores the rich element cobalt, found in the earth's crust, to replace noble metals as co-catalysts that serve as electron traps to enhance the efficiency of electron transfer from molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) to cobalt sulfide (CoS2).
Nitrile-containing copper(ii) porphyrin coordination complexes for efficient anticancer activity and mechanism research
Authors: Zhang Qian , Liu Jin-Li , Feng Xiao-Xia , Liu Jia-Cheng
Published: February 2021

Synthesis and anticancer activity of nitrile-containing copper(ii) porphyrin coordination complexes.
Hot off the Press
Authors: Hill Robert A. , Sutherland Andrew
Published: February 2021

A personal selection of 32 recent papers is presented covering various aspects of current developments in bioorganic chemistry and novel natural products such as pedrolide from Euphorbia pedroi.
A mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticle enables highly efficient manganese encapsulation for enhanced MRI-guided photothermal therapy
Authors: Wu Yan , Huang Yu , Tu Chunlai , Wu Fengren , Tong Gangsheng , Su Yue , Xu Li , Zhang Xiaoqin , Xiong Shuqiang , Zhu Xinyuan
Published: February 2021

Biocompatible mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDAPs/Mn) enable high manganese encapsulation and photothermal conversion efficiency for enhanced MRI-guided photothermal cancer therapy.
Metal-induced microporous aminosilica creates a highly permeable gas-separation membrane
Authors: Anggarini Ufafa , Yu Liang , Nagasawa Hiroki , Kanezashi Masakoto , Tsuru Toshinori
Published: February 2021

Hybrid microporous aminosilica membranes have been successfully synthesizedviadoping with Ag-, Cu- and Ni-into dense bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] amine (BTPA) membranes, which creates microporesviathe crosslinking between donor pairs of electrons in the amine moiety and electron acceptors in the empty “d” orbital of a transition metal.
Towards practical cells: combined use of titanium black as a cathode additive and sparingly solvating electrolyte for high-energy-density lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Liu Jiali , Li Shanglin , Marium Mayeesha , Wang Binshen , Ueno Kazuhide , Dokko Kaoru , Watanabe Masayoshi
Published: February 2021

Combined use of titanium black as a cathode additive and sparingly solvating electrolyte is promising for practical lithium–sulfur batteries.
BCNO silica gel-based green transparent and efficient luminescent downshifting layer for Si solar cells
Authors: Sekar S. , Venkataprasad Bhat S.
Published: February 2021

Transparent, highly luminescent BCNO silica gel-based LDS layer boosts the PCE of Si solar cells.
Modeling the electrochemical behavior and interfacial junction profiles of bipolar membranes at solar flux relevant operating current densities
Authors: Lin Meng , Digdaya Ibadillah A. , Xiang Chengxiang
Published: February 2021

A 1D, multi-physics model that accounts for the migration and diffusion of species, electrostatics, and chemical reactions, in particular water dissociation, at BPM interfaces was developed to study the electrochemical behavior.
Comparative analysis of extracellular proteomes reveals putative effectors of the boxwood blight pathogens, Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata
Authors: Yang Xiao , McMahon Michael B. , Ramachandran Sowmya R. , Garrett Wesley M. , LeBlanc Nicholas , Crouch Jo Anne , Shishkoff Nina , Luster Douglas G.
Published: February 2021

Calonectria henricotiae (Che) and C. pseudonaviculata (Cps) are destructive fungal pathogens causing boxwood blight, a persistent threat to horticultural production, landscape industries, established gardens, and native ecosystems. Although extracellular proteins including effectors produced by fungal pathogens are known to play a fundamental role in pathogenesis, the composition of Che and Cps extracellular proteins has not been examined. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and bioinformatics prediction tools, 630 extracellular proteins and 251 cell membrane proteins of Che and Cps were identified in the classical secretion pathway in the present study. In the non-classical secretion pathway, 79 extracellular proteins were identified. The cohort of proteins belonged to 364 OrthoMCL clusters, with the majority (62%) present in both species, and a subset unique to Che (19%) and Cps (20%). These extracellular proteins were predicted to play important roles in cell structure, regulation, metabolism, and pathogenesis. A total of 124 proteins were identified as putative effectors. Many of them are orthologs of proteins with documented roles in suppressing host defense and facilitating infection processes in other pathosystems, such as SnodProt1-like proteins in the OrthoMCL cluster OG5_152723 and PhiA-like cell wall proteins in the cluster OG5_155754. This exploratory study provides a repository of secreted proteins and putative effectors that can provide insights into the virulence mechanisms of the boxwood blight pathogens.
Inflammatory effect of Bothropstoxin-I from Bothrops jararacussu venom mediated by NLRP3 inflammasome involves ATP and P2X7 receptor
Authors: Ranéia e Silva Priscila Andrade , de Lima Dhêmerson Souza , Mesquita Luiz João Paulo , Câmara Niels Olsen Saraiva , Alves-Filho José Carlos Farias , Pontillo Alessandra , Bortoluci Karina Ramalho , Faquim-Mauro Eliana L.
Published: February 2021

Muscle tissue damage is one of the local effects described in bothropic envenomations. Bothropstoxin-I (BthTX-I), from Bothrops jararacussu venom, is a K49-phospholipase A2 (PLA2) that induces a massive muscle tissue injury, and, consequently, local inflammatory reaction. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a sensor that triggers inflammation by activating caspase 1 and releasing interleukin (IL)-1β and/or inducing pyroptotic cell death in response to tissue damage. We, therefore, aimed to address activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by BthTX-I-associated injury and the mechanism involved in this process. Intramuscular injection of BthTX-I results in infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages in gastrocnemius muscle, which is reduced in NLRP3- and Caspase-1-deficient mice. The in vitro IL-1β production induced by BthTX-I in peritoneal macrophages (PMs) requires caspase 1/11, ASC and NLRP3 and is dependent on adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP)-induced K+ efflux and P2X7 receptor (P2X7R). BthTX-I induces a dramatic release of ATP from C2C12 myotubes, therefore representing the major mechanism for P2X7R-dependent inflammasome activation in macrophages. A similar result was obtained when human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDMs) were treated with BthTX-I. These findings demonstrated the inflammatory effect of BthTX-I on muscle tissue, pointing out a role for the ATP released by damaged cells for the NLRP3 activation on macrophages, contributing to the understanding of the microenvironment of the tissue damage of the Bothrops envenomation.
Developmental Language Disorder and Uninhibited Primitive Reflexes in Young Children
Authors: Matuszkiewicz Maria , Gałkowski Tadeusz
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a developmental disorder where children fail to acquire language in the absence of a clear cause. Many studies have reported general motor deficits in children with DLD, but no studies have uncovered a cure. The purpose of our study is to better understand the underlying motor deficits in DLD, starting from uninhibited primary reflexes—which are the most basic stage of motor development. Knowledge of this motor–language relationship should lead to earlier and more targeted interventions in young children with DLD.

Method

Children with DLD (n= 75, age range: 4–10 years) and 99 age-matched typically developing (TD) children completed a nonword repetition test to assess DLD and six other tests to assess primitive reflexes.

Results

Children with DLD demonstrated higher levels of persistent primitive reflexes compared to TD children. As the scores for neuromotor immaturity increased, nonword repetition test scores decreased (r= −.44,p< .01). Results indicated that TD children exhibited lower neuromotor immaturity (M= 7.63,SD= 3.75) compared to children with DLD (M= 13.51,SD= 4.47). All primitive reflexes (the Moro reflex, the symmetrical tonic neck reflex in flexion and in extension, the asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, the tonic labyrinthine reflex, and the Galant reflex) turned out to be statistically significantly different for the TD and DLD groups (p< .001). We also observed some differences between sexes.

Conclusions

Children with impaired language development underwent slower neuromotor development. However, further research is needed to determine whether motor intervention programs that inhibit primitive reflexes are helpful for children with DLD.
Effects of Parents' Mealtime Conversation Techniques for Preschool Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Listening and Spoken Language
Authors: Smolen Elaine R. , Wang Ye , Hartman Maria C. , Lee Young-Sun
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This mixed-methods study aimed to examine the conversation techniques used by parents of young children with hearing loss (HL) during dinnertime at home. Parents' usage rates of open- and closed-ended language elicitation, reformulation, imitation, directives, and explicit vocabulary instruction were examined in relation to children's receptive vocabulary and basic-concepts skills.

Method

Twenty-minute dinnertime segments were extracted from naturalistic, daylong recordings of 37 preschoolers with HL who used listening and spoken language. The segments were hand-coded for parents' use of conversation techniques. Children's receptive vocabulary and basic concepts were assessed using standardized measures.

Results

Parents' use of conversation techniques varied widely, with closed-ended elicitation and directives used most frequently during dinner. Explicit vocabulary instruction was correlated with general receptive vocabulary and basic-concepts skills. Thematic analysis of the conversations revealed common themes, including concrete topics and sibling speakers. In addition, parents who used many techniques often introduced abstract conversation topics; electronic media was present in all conversations with few techniques.

Conclusions

Parents of preschoolers with HL may benefit from specific coaching to elicit language and introduce new vocabulary during home routines. These techniques may help develop their children's receptive language.
Human motion intention recognition based on EMG signal and angle signal
Authors: Sun Baixin , Cheng Guang , Dai Quanmin , Chen Tianlin , Liu Weifeng , Xu Xiaorong
Published: February 2021

As the traditional single biological signal or physical signal is not good at predicting the angle value of the knee joint, the innovative fusion of biological signals and physical signals is used to analyze the movement posture of the lower limbs. In order to solve the problem of human movement intention recognition, a wearable is designed. The signal‐acquisition experiment platform uses muscle electrical signals and joint angle signals as motion data. After the signals are processed, the KNN algorithm is used to identify the four gait motion modes of the human body to walk naturally, climb stairs, descend stairs, and cross obstacles. The test results show that it is feasible to use the KNN algorithm to analyze the strength of the active and passive muscles of the knee joint movement according to different thigh lift heights, and to predict the knee joint angle value when the human body goes up and down the stairs. The comprehensive prediction accuracy rate reaches 91.45%.
Personal‐specific gait recognition based on latent orthogonal feature space
Authors: Zhou Quan , Shan Jianhua , Fang Bin , Zhang Shixin , Sun Fuchun , Ding Wenlong , Wang Chengyin , Zhang Qin
Published: February 2021

Exoskeleton has been applied in the field of medical rehabilitation and assistance. However, there are still some problems in the interaction between human and exoskeleton, such as time delay, the existence of certain constraints on the human body, and the movement in time is hard to follow. A human motion pattern recognition model based on the long short‐term memory (LSTM) is proposed, which can recognise the state of the human body. Meanwhile, the orthogonalisation method is integrated to make personal‐specific disentangling, and it can effectively improve the generalisation ability of different groups of people, so as to improve the effective follower ability of the exoskeleton. Compared with some other traditional methods, this model has better performance and stronger generalisation ability, which has certain significance in the field of exoskeleton algorithm.
Cloning and training collective intelligence with generative adversarial networks
Authors: Terziyan Vagan , Gavriushenko Mariia , Girka Anastasiia , Gontarenko Andrii , Kaikova Olena
Published: February 2021

Industry 4.0 and highly automated critical infrastructure can be seen as cyber‐physical‐social systems controlled by the Collective Intelligence. Such systems are essential for the functioning of the society and economy. On one hand, they have flexible infrastructure of heterogeneous systems and assets. On the other hand, they are social systems, which include collaborating humans and artificial decision makers. Such (human plus machine) resources must be pre‐trained to perform their mission with high efficiency. Both human and machine learning approaches must be bridged to enable such training. The importance of these systems requires the anticipation of the potential and previously unknown worst‐case scenarios during training. In this paper, we provide an adversarial training framework for the collective intelligence. We show how cognitive capabilities can be copied (“cloned”) from humans and trained as a (responsible) collective intelligence. We made some modifications to the Generative Adversarial Networks architectures and adapted them for the cloning and training tasks. We modified the Discriminator component to a so‐called “Turing Discriminator”, which includes one or several human and artificial discriminators working together. We also discussed the concept of cellular intelligence, where a person can act and collaborate in a group together with their own cognitive clones.
An interactive instance segmentation system with multi‐resolution convolutional neural networks
Authors: Sung Po‐Wei , Yang Wei‐Jong , Yang Jar‐Ferr , Chan Din‐Yuan
Published: February 2021

In this paper, a fast interactive instance segmentation (IIS) system is proposed and it is composed of an effective heatmap generator, a multi‐resolution network (MRNet), and an adaptive threshold refiner to promptly and precisely predict the masks of the objects. The proposed heatmap generator after interaction clicks can help the MRNet to successfully learn the sensitive features for better prediction. Based on convolutional neural network models, the proposed MRNet backbone produces multiple features across multiple resolutions and can intrinsically predict the sharp contour of the object. After the probabilistic prediction achieved by the MRNet, the Otsu's threshold refiner is proposed to further remove some uncertain pixels in the predicted mask. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed IIS system can promptly predict sharp masks of the targeted objects with mIoU of 89.1% in PASCAL VOC 2012 [1] validation set. Compared to other existing interactive methods, the proposed system can effectively predict the segmentation mask with higher accuracy and less interaction efforts.
A tri‐attention enhanced graph convolutional network for skeleton‐based action recognition
Authors: Li Xingming , Zhai Wei , Cao Yang
Published: February 2021

Skeleton‐based action recognition has recently attracted a lot of research interests due to its advantage in computational efficiency. Some recent work building upon Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) has shown promising performance in this task by modelling intrinsic spatial correlations between skeleton joints. However, these methods only consider local properties of action sequences in the spatial‐temporal domain, and consequently, are limited in distinguishing complex actions with similar local movements. To address this problem, a novel tri‐attention module (TAM) is proposed to guide GCNs to perceive significant variations across local movements. Specifically, the devised TAM is implemented in three steps: i) A dimension permuting unit is proposed to characterise skeleton action sequences in three different domains: body poses, joint trajectories, and evolving projections. ii) A global statistical modelling unit is introduced to aggregate the first‐order and second‐order properties of global contexts to perceive the significant movement variations of each domain. iii) A fusion unit is presented to integrate the features of these three domains together and leverage as orientation for graph convolution at each layer. Through these three steps, significant‐variation frames, joints, and channels can be enhanced. We conduct extensive experiments on two large‐scale benchmark datasets, NTU RGB‐D and Kinetics‐Skeleton. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed TAM can be easily plugged into existing GCNs and achieve comparable performance with the state‐of‐the‐art methods.
TanhExp: A smooth activation function with high convergence speed for lightweight neural networks
Authors: Liu Xinyu , Di Xiaoguang
Published: February 2021

Lightweight or mobile neural networks used for real‐time computer vision tasks contain fewer parameters than normal networks, which lead to a constrained performance. Herein, a novel activation function named as Tanh Exponential Activation Function (TanhExp) is proposed which can improve the performance for these networks on image classification task significantly. The definition of TanhExp is f(x) = x tanh(ex). The simplicity, efficiency, and robustness of TanhExp on various datasets and network models is demonstrated and TanhExp outperforms its counterparts in both convergence speed and accuracy. Its behaviour also remains stable even with noise added and dataset altered. It is shown that without increasing the size of the network, the capacity of lightweight neural networks can be enhanced by TanhExp with only a few training epochs and no extra parameters added.
Stochastic exponential stabilization of hybrid systems with time‐varying delays via adaptive control
Authors: He Xiuli , Zhang Huiyan
Published: February 2021

The problem of stochastic stabilization for a class of hybrid dynamical systems with time‐varying delays is investigated by adaptive control approach. An adaptive controller is designed to stabilize the hybrid systems, and a sufficient criterion for exponential stabilization is derived based on certain conditions. The time‐varying delay observations on the states of noise are made and the least upper bound of time‐varying delays is also obtained. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed new techniques.
Non‐linear dynamic behaviour modelling for broadband power amplifiers based on deep convolution generative adversarial networks
Authors: Su Rina , Liu Taijun , Ye Yan , Xu Gaoming
Published: February 2021

This letter presents a non‐linear dynamic behaviour model for characterising the broadband power amplifiers (PAs) by using deep convolution generative adversarial networks (DCGAN). The DCGAN structure is based on the convolution neural network model and combines the generative adversarial networks to improve its linearisation ability of the digital predistortion. The DCGAN contains a generation model and a discriminant model. It imports convolution with steps and deconvolution into the structure, respectively, which makes the accuracy of the power amplifier non‐linear model to improve further. For verification, a 5G NR test signal with 100 MHz bandwidth is employed for testing a Doherty RF‐PA that operates at 1800 MHz. The experimental results illustrate that the normalised mean square error value is at least 12 dB higher than the traditional models, and the out‐of‐band suppression of the DCGAN predistorter can be up to 15 dB better than other models.
A new target scattering vector
Authors: Yin Junjun , Yang Jian
Published: February 2021

This study proposes a new scattering vector parameterisation method for interpreting the coherent target scattering. This new scattering model, which has the same form as the α/β model, consists of five polarimetric parameters including the normalisation factor. Validation is performed on ALOS‐2/PALSAR data. In comparison with the current vector models, the new coherent scattering vector is superior in distinguishing targets with different physical scattering behaviours.