bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE STUDIES OF STRESS-INDUCED I/C TRANSITION AND INTERFACE DYNAMICS IN NiTi ALLOY
Authors: ZHANG JIN-XIU  , LI JIANG-HONG  ,   中山大学物理系材料科学研究所
Published: November 2020

The internal friction (IF) Q-1, modulus f2, electrical resistance R and stress s of superelastic Ni51Ti49 alloy in the process of stress induced incommensurate/commensurate (I/C) transition was measured as a function of strain e by a middle torsion pendulum on a tensile testing machihe modified with a four-terminal potential equipment.The effects of number of stress cycles and strain rate e (in the range of 7×10-7/s to 1×10-4/s) were studied. An IF peak and a minimum of modulus were observed respectively in the Q-1-εand f2-εcurves. The IF peak height Qp-1 and modulus defect △M/M increase with an increasing of ε/ω, where ω is angular frequency of measuring. By utilizing an expression obtained from phase interface dynamics and experimental data of Qp-1 (as a function of ε/ω and amount of phase transition F), an explicit functional relationship of average I/C phase interface velocity V and effective phase transition driving force △G′= △G - △GR (where △GR is resistance) was derived as V =V*(△G - △CR)m, where V* and m are dynamic parameters an △GR is a resistance force exerting on the moving interface, which has the order of 1 cal/mol for stress-induced I/C transition of superelastisity NiTi alloy. The relationship between Q-1 and modulus defect △M/M and soft modulus effect are disussed.
SCATTERING OF LASER BEAM BY DIFFUSING SURFACES (Ⅲ)
Authors: CHENG LU  ,   南开大学物理系
Published: November 2020

This paper gives an "equivalent circle" model which modifies the bow-shaped area model in papers [1] and [2] .
THE JOSEPHSON TUNNELLING OF SUPERCONDUCTOR-GRAIN-SUPERCONDUCTOR JUNCTION (S-G-S)
Authors: WANG WEI  , YAO XI-XIAN  ,   南京大学物理系
Published: November 2020

Under the mean-field approximation, the Josephson tunnelling of superconductor-grain-superconductor junction is analyzed in this paper by using the path-integral formulation. For the cases with coupling and without coupling between the grains, the temperature deperdence of Josephson critical current Ic and the phase dependence of Josephson current I are obtained.
THE PRODUCTION KINETICS OF THERMAL DEFECTS IN CRYSTALS
Authors: XING XIU-SAN  ,   北京工业学院应用物理系
Published: November 2020

The production kinetics of thermal defects is discussed. The formula for thermal defect concentration has been derived.
THE MONTE-CARLO SIMULATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE SURFACE OXIDE LAYER ON THE LIFETIME MEASUREMENTS IN RESONANCE REACTIONS
Authors: PAN ZHENG-YING  , ZHOU PENG  ,   复旦大学原子核科学系
Published: November 2020

The binary collision Monte-Carlo method is used to calculate the blocking angular distri-bution of α-particles of about 2 MeV around〈110〉axis in Al single crystal, in which a surface Al2O3 amorphous layer of different thickness is considered. The thermal vibrations of lattice atoms and electronic multiple scattering are taken into account. The resulting angular distribution is closer to the experimental measurements than that with perfect crystal.
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE OF POLY (3-METHYL THIOPHENE)——P3MT
Authors: YUAN REN-KUAN  , HUANG ZHEN-CHUN  , ZHENG YOU-DOU  , TANG WEN-GUO  , LI ZI-YUAN  , SHEN XUE-CHU  ,   (1)南京大学物理系; (2)中国科学院上海技术物理研究所
Published: November 2020

The photoluminescence spectra of conducting polymer P3MT with different doping densities at different excitation intensities and temperatures are reported. It is demonstrated experimentally that there are three kinds of radiative transitions, i.e., direct interband transition, recombination of exciton and radiative transition between polaron level and edge of band for the conducting polymer P3MT with nondegenerate ground state.
GROWTH OF Ag ULTRAMICRO-PARTICLES IN BaO SEMICONDUCTOR FILM
Authors: ZHANG XU  , ZHOU JING-FU  , XUE ZHEN-QUAN  , WU QUAN-DE  ,   北京大学无线电电子学系
Published: November 2020

The growth of Ag ultramicro-particles in BaO semiconductor film are investigated bv tran missive electron microscope. The fine growth of Ag ultramicro-particles in BaO film are discovered in the samples after proper heat treatment. We also contrasted the structure difference of single-layer-made and multilayer-made Ag + BaO films. The growth properties of Ag ultramicro-particles in Ag + BaO films with different Ag content are also studied. The Ag ultramicro-particles do not form maze structure in Ag + BaO film with high Ag content, but form isolated Ag particles. There are BaO layer of a few nm thick between every two Ag particles.
TOPOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE MAGNETIC DOMAIN WALLS OF TUBE-AND ENVELOPE-TYPE
Authors: YAN FENG-LI  , LI BO-ZANG  ,   (1)河北师范大学物理系; (2)中国科学院物理研究所
Published: November 2020

The classification of the static magnetic domain wall structures of tube- and envelope-type is made in an unified way using the homotopy theory. The sets of topological classes for such two kinds of magnetic domain walls, GWn and GWn, are corresponding respectively one-by-one to the sets of homotopy classes relative to n + l base points for the S2→S2 and S3→S4 continuous maps. Either GW(n) ro GW(n), therefore, can be constructed into group isomorphic to Z, the additive group of integers. (Then we call them the tube-wall group and the envelope-wall group of type n, respectively). The ‘winding number' introduced by Slon-czewski et al. is considered anew. The sufficient and necessary conditions under which the ‘winding number' is allowed to be taken as the index of tube-wall class are obtained. Finally, the topological classification of the magnetization states with M tube-walls and N envelope-walls coexisting is discussed. It is shown that the set of the corresponding topological classes, GW(M,N), can be constructed into group isomorphic to ZM+N, the M + N dimensional lattice vector group. (It is then referred to as the mix-wall group of type [M, N] ).
Sequential activation of transcriptional repressors promotes progenitor commitment by silencing stem cell identity genes
Authors: Rives-Quinto Noemi , Komori Hideyuki , Ostgaard Cyrina M , Janssens Derek H , Kondo Shu , Dai Qi , Moore Adrian W , Lee Cheng-Yu
Published: November 2020

Stem cells that indirectly generate differentiated cells through intermediate progenitors drives vertebrate brain evolution. Due to a lack of lineage information, how stem cell functionality, including the competency to generate intermediate progenitors, becomes extinguished during progenitor commitment remains unclear. Type II neuroblasts in fly larval brains divide asymmetrically to generate a neuroblast and a progeny that commits to an intermediate progenitor (INP) identity. We identified Tailless (Tll) as a master regulator of type II neuroblast functional identity, including the competency to generate INPs. Successive expression of transcriptional repressors functions through Hdac3 to silence tll during INP commitment. Reducing repressor activity allows re-activation of Notch in INPs to ectopically induce tll expression driving supernumerary neuroblast formation. Knocking-down hdac3 function prevents downregulation of tll during INP commitment. We propose that continual inactivation of stem cell identity genes allows intermediate progenitors to stably commit to generating diverse differentiated cells during indirect neurogenesis.
Magnesium efflux from Drosophila Kenyon cells is critical for normal and diet-enhanced long-term memory
Authors: Wu Yanying , Funato Yosuke , Meschi Eleonora , Jovanoski Kristijan D , Miki Hiroaki , Waddell Scott
Published: November 2020

Dietary magnesium (Mg2+) supplementation can enhance memory in young and aged rats. Memory-enhancing capacity was largely ascribed to increases in hippocampal synaptic density and elevated expression of the NR2B subunit of the NMDA-type glutamate receptor. Here we show that Mg2+feeding also enhances long-term memory inDrosophila. Normal and Mg2+-enhanced fly memory appears independent of NMDA receptors in the mushroom body and instead requires expression of a conserved CNNM-type Mg2+-efflux transporter encoded by theunextended(uex) gene. UEX contains a putative cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain and its mutation separates a vital role foruexfrom a function in memory. Moreover, UEX localization in mushroom body Kenyon cells (KCs) is altered in memory-defective flies harboring mutations in cAMP-related genes. Functional imaging suggests that UEX-dependent efflux is required for slow rhythmic maintenance of KC Mg2+. We propose that regulated neuronal Mg2+efflux is critical for normal and Mg2+-enhanced memory.
Walnut Shell Modified by Thionyl Chloride and Triethylamine: Synthesis and Characterization
Authors: Mao Zhijie , Zeng Zuoxiang , Xue Weilan , Wang Ying
Published: November 2020

A novel modified walnut shell (TWNS) was prepared through sequentially reacting the walnut shell (WNS) with thionyl chloride and triethylamine in N-methyl pyrrolidone to remove Reactive Brilliant Blue from dye wastewater. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the TWNS. The effects of different experimental conditions such as the reaction temperature, the reaction time, the dosage of thionyl chloride and triethylamine on the quaternary ammonium grafting percentage of TWNS have been studied. The results reveal the quaternary ammonium grafting percentage (Y) is up to 18.37% when the dosage of thionyl chloride (V1) is 35 mL, the reaction time (t1) is 3 h in the first step reaction; the dosage of triethylamine (V2) is 40 mL, the reaction temperature (T) is 80°C and the reaction time (t2) is 12 h in the second step reaction.
Ovipositional Behaviour of Two Fruit Flies, Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus, in Seven Fruit Hosts in the Laboratory
Authors: Sousa Ester Marques de , Louzeiro Léo Rodrigo Ferreira , Filho Miguel Francisco de Souza- , Raga Adalton
Published: November 2020

Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) are the most commonly found fruit fly species in fruit crops in Brazil. Both polyphagous species show similar host ranges, but specific knowledge regarding the ovipositional preference of either species is scarce. The present study aims to evaluate, in the laboratory, ovipositional behaviours in seven fruit host submitted to infestation by A. fraterculus and C. capitata. Except for C. capitata in Tahiti acid lime, the number of punctures containing eggs exceeded the number of punctures without eggs. The highest values for eggs per puncture were obtained in Fuyu persimmon, for which averages of 4.06 and 50.09 eggs per puncture were deposited by A. fraterculus and C. capitata, respectively. For A. fraterculus, the infestation ranking, based on the number of eggs per puncture from high to low, was Fuyu persimmon > papaya > Tahiti acid lime > carambola > coffee > guava > sweet orange. For C. capitata, the infestation ranking was Fuyu persimmon > carambola > papaya > guava > sweet orange > coffee > Tahiti acid lime. All punctures made to carambola and papaya contained eggs. Sweet orange exhibited the maximum number of punctures of A. fraterculus without egg deposition. The first day of medfly oviposition in Fuyu persimmon resulted in approximately three-fold more eggs per puncture than the second, third, and fourth days.
Productivity of Cucumber [Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitaceae)] F1 Tokyo Variety Cultivated on Soil Amended with Two Types of Organic Fertilizers Commonly Used in Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: Joseph Kouakou Kouassi , Aké Ako Olga Yolande , Edmond Sika Ahoua , Patrice N’Goran Kouassi
Published: November 2020

Present study was conducted on experimental plot of University Nangui Abrogoua to evaluate effect of different rates of two types of organic fertilizers marketed in Côte d'Ivoire, Vital Plus and Fertinova, on crop agronomic performance of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) F1 Tokyo variety. Sowing was done on beds of 2 m2. Vital Plus fertilizer, at rates of 2 Kg and 4 Kg per 2 m2, gives better results in terms of germination, flowering as well as fruit ripening. while at Fertinova fertilizer level, phenological parameters are delayed with all rates applied. All Fertinova rates delay phenological parameters, but prove to be more effective than Vital Plus in terms of growth and yield parameters at a rate of 6 kg per 2 m2. Results indicate that these two fertilizers have a high potential in fertility management.
Lower Limb Varicose Veins's Clinical Profile and Management
Authors: Perdeshi C. Z. , Kulkani Kustub A. , Yadav Revendra N. , Nagwakar Mayur , Patil Niten H.
Published: November 2020

The lower limbs’ venous system has the pressure of posture, and blood has to be pushed against gravity into the heart cavity. This issue is generally approached either by a cautious approach or by surgical interference, all of which are constrained. Attempts to study different clinical manifestations of varicose veins are being made in the present study. The overall number of 50 varicose vein patients was analysed and the study results were reported. Varicosity veins of the lower limb is a fairly normal pathological entity. In the 20-50 age range, the condition is more common. The main modality of the procedure is surgery. The most common technique performed is Saphenofemoral flush ligation with stripping.
High‐Performance Packaged 3D Lithium‐Ion Microbatteries Fabricated Using Imprint Lithography
Authors: Sun Pengcheng , Li Xiangming , Shao Jinyou , Braun Paul V.
Published: November 2020

Fabrication of high‐energy‐density and high‐power‐density packaged long‐cycle‐life rechargeable microbatteries remains a considerable challenge. Here, high‐performance microbatteries with high active volume fraction, thick, 3D‐structured electrodes (V2O5 cathode and Li metal anode) are realized through a combination of imprint lithography, self‐assembly, and electrodeposition. To assist the critical challenge of hermetic packaging, the microbattery is infilled with a gel electrolyte. The packaged cell exhibits high areal energy and power densities of 1.24 J cm−2 and 75.5 mW cm−2, respectively, and can be cycled 550 times in argon or 200 times in air with 75% capacity retention of the initial discharge capacity. An unpackaged cell, using a liquid electrolyte, provides a power density of 218 mW cm−2. As far as it is known, the microbatteries have the highest peak power density among all reported microbatteries.
A Versatile Flexible Polymer Actuator System for Pumps, Valves, and Injectors Enabling Fully Disposable Active Microfluidics
Authors: Zhong Yong , Filippini Daniel , Jager Edwin W. H.
Published: November 2020

To control and manipulate fluids in lab‐on‐a‐chip (LOC) devices, active components such as pumps, valves, and injectors are necessary. However, such components are often complex and expensive to fabricate, limiting integration in disposable LOCs. A new type of flexible, all‐polymer diaphragm actuator system, called Double Diaphragm Active Polymer Actuator (DDAPA), is presented as a single modular unit that can be repurposed to diverse active microfluidic components. To demonstrate the versatility of the DDAPA concept, the DDAPA devices are investigated in three different configurations: as a single operation microinjector, as a flow regulating element, and as a pump in a hybrid configuration with unibody‐LOC unidirectional systems. The working principle, fabrication process, and the three examples of microfluidic components are presented. The trilayer diaphragm actuator is realized using the conductive polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate as the actuating material and thiol‐acrylate‐based ionogels as solid‐state electrolyte and base material. The three demonstrators show the feasibility of using the DDAPA module to inject liquids, regulate flow, and unidirectionally pump fluids up to 112 µL min−1 when coupled with a 3D printed unibody check valve. Hence, the presented concept with a simple mechanism and easy manufacturability, broadens the choice of disposable actuators compatible with fully disposable autonomous LOC solutions.
Experimental design to evaluate the efficiency of maghemite nanoparticles incorporation in styrene‐divinylbenzene copolymers
Authors: Ramos Gabriela Soares Macello , Mendes Matheus de Souza Lima , Neves Marcia Angélica Fernandes e Silva , Pedrosa Marcelo Sierpe , da Silva Manoel Ribeiro
Published: November 2020

Magnetized styrene‐divinylbenzene resins can be obtained by inserting superparamagnetic nanoparticles of maghemite (γ‐Fe2O3) in the polymeric matrix. The incorporation of this nanoparticulate material can be influenced by several factors. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of these variables through an experimental design, where three factors were evaluated: cross‐linking degree, initiator content and porogenic agent, at two levels. Subsequently, to evaluate the properties of the synthesized magnetized resins, magnetization curves were plotted using a vibrating sample magnetometer, thermal stability of the magnetized copolymer was determined by thermogravimetric analysis and the morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The highest initiator content produced the greatest synthesis yield, and the presence of toluene had a positive effect on saturation magnetization, indicating that incorporation of maghemite in the polymer matrix and thermal degradation were influenced by higher divinylbenzene content.
5‐Arylidene‐2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)aminothiazol‐4(5H)‐ones with selective inhibitory activity against some leukemia cell lines
Authors: Subtelna Ivanna , Kryshchyshyn‐Dylevych Anna , Jia Ruochen , Lelyukh Maryan , Ringler Anna , Kubicek Stefan , Zagrijtschuk Oleh , Kralovics Robert , Lesyk Roman
Published: November 2020

The data on the pharmacology of 4‐thiazolidinones showed that 5‐ene‐2‐(imino)amino‐4‐thiazolidinones are likely to comprise one of the most promising groups of compounds possessing anticancer properties. A series of 5‐arylidene‐2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)aminothiazol‐4(5H)‐ones was designed, synthesized, and studied against 10 leukemia cell lines, including the HL‐60, Jurkat, K‐562, Dami, KBM‐7, and some Ba/F3 cell lines. The structure–activity relationship analysis shows that almost all tested 5‐arylidene‐2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)aminothiazol‐4(5H)‐ones were characterized by ІС50 values lower or comparable to that of the control drug chlorambucil. Among the tested compounds, (5Z)‐5‐(2‐methoxybenzylidene)‐ (12), (5Z)‐(2‐ethoxybenzylidene)‐ (21), (5Z)‐5‐(2‐benzyloxybenzylidene)‐ (25), and (5Z)‐5‐(2‐allyloxybenzylidene)‐2‐(4‐hydroxyphenylamino)thiazol‐4(5H)‐ones (28) possessed the highest antileukemic activity at submicromolar concentrations (ІС50 = 0.10–0.95 µM).
Futuristic avenues of metabolic engineering techniques in bioremediation
Authors: Sharma Babita , Shukla Pratyoosh
Published: November 2020

Bioremediation is a promising technology for the treatment of environmental contaminants and paving new avenues for the betterment of the environment. Over the last some years, several approaches have been employed to optimize the genetic machinery of microorganisms relevant to bioremediation. Metabolic engineering is one of them that provides a new insight for bioremediation. This review envisages the critical role of these techniques toward exploring the possibilities of the creation of a new pathway, leading to pathway expansion to new substrates by assembling of catabolic modules from different origins in the same microbial cell. The recombinant DNA technology and gene editing tools were also explored for the construction of metabolically engineered microbial strains for the degradation of complex pollutants. Moreover, the importance of CRISPR–Cas system for knock‐in and knock‐out of genes was described by using recent studies. Further, the idea of the cocultivation of more than one metabolic engineered microbial communities is also discussed, which can be crucial in the bioremediation of multiple and complex pollutants. Finally, this review also elucidates the effective application of metabolic engineering in bioremediation through these techniques and tools.
Dense multiview stereo based on image texture enhancement
Authors: Liao Jie , Wei Mengqiang , Fu Yanping , Yan Qingan , Xiao Chunxia
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we propose a novel Multiview Stereo (MVS) method which can effectively estimate geometry in low‐textured regions. Conventional MVS algorithms predict geometry by performing dense correspondence estimation across multiple views under the constraint of epipolar geometry. As low‐textured regions contain less feature information for reliable matching, estimating geometry for low‐textured regions remains hard work for previous MVS methods. To address this issue, we propose an MVS method based on texture enhancement. By enhancing texture information for each input image via our multiscale bilateral decomposition and reconstruction algorithm, our method can estimate reliable geometry for low‐textured regions that are intractable for previous MVS methods. To densify the final output point cloud, we further propose a novel selective joint bilateral propagation filter, which can effectively propagate reliable geometry estimation to neighboring unpredicted regions. We validate the effectiveness of our method on the ETH3D benchmark. Quantitative and qualitative comparisons demonstrate that our method can significantly improve the quality of reconstruction in low‐textured regions.
Left main coronary artery compression in pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Labin Jonathan E. , Saggar Rajan , Yang Eric H. , Lluri Gentian , Sayah David , Channick Richard , Ardehali Abbas , Aksoy Olcay , Parikh Rushi V.
Published: November 2020

Extrinsic compression of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) by a dilated pulmonary artery (PA) in the setting of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an increasingly recognized disease entity. LMCA compression has been associated with angina, arrhythmia, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death in patients with PAH. Recent studies suggest that at least 6% of patients with PAH have significant LMCA compression. Screening for LMCA compression can be achieved with computed coronary tomography angiography, with a particular emphasis on assessment of PA size and any associated downward displacement and reduced takeoff angle of the LMCA. Indeed, evidence of a dilated PA (>40 mm), a reduced LMCA takeoff angle (<60°), and/or LMCA stenosis on CCTA imaging should prompt further diagnostic evaluation. Coronary angiography in conjunction with intravascular imaging has proven effective in diagnosing LMCA compression and guiding subsequent treatment. While optimal medical therapy and surgical correction remain in the clinician's arsenal, percutaneous coronary intervention has emerged as an effective treatment for LMCA compression. Given the prevalence of LMCA compression, its associated morbidity, and mortality, and the wide array of successful treatment strategies, maintaining a high degree of suspicion for this condition, and understanding the potential treatment strategies is critical.
Viscosity Ratio Influence on Liquid‐Liquid Flow in a T‐shaped Microchannel
Authors: Kovalev Alexander V. , Yagodnitsyna Anna A. , Bilsky Artur V.
Published: November 2020

The ratio of the dispersed phase viscosity to that of the continuous phase is a critical parameter for microfluidic two‐phase flows. Here, the influence of the viscosity ratio on liquid‐liquid flow in T‐shaped microchannels is studied experimentally. Three basic flow patterns, i.e., parallel, plug, and droplet flow, are observed for different sets of immiscible liquids. Flow pattern maps are plotted and generalized using a combination of Weber and Ohnesorge dimensionless numbers. In the plug flow pattern, interface deformations occur for low viscosity ratios. Existing correlations from the literature are tested against experimental data for plug velocity and lengths. Despite the significant plug interface deformations, the influence of the viscosity ratio on the plug length and velocity is negligible.
Tapis v3 Streams API: Time‐series and data‐driven event support in science gateway infrastructure
Authors: Cleveland Sean B. , Jamthe Anagha , Padhy Smruti , Stubbs Joe , Terry Steven , Looney Julia , Cardone Richard , Packard Michael , Dahan Maytal , Jacobs Gwen A.
Published: November 2020

The explosion of IoT devices and sensors in recent years has led to a demand for efficiently storing, processing and analyzing time‐series data. Geoscience researchers use time‐series data stores such as Hydroserver, Virtual Observatory and Ecological Informatics System (VOEIS), and Cloud‐Hosted Real‐time Data Service (CHORDS). Many of these tools require a great deal of infrastructure to deploy and expertise to manage and scale. The Tapis framework, an NSF funded project, provides science as a service APIs to allow researchers to achieve faster scientific results, by eliminating the need to set up a complex infrastructure stack. The University of Hawai'i (UH) and Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) have collaborated to develop an open source Tapis Streams API that builds on the concepts of the CHORDS time series data service to support research. This new hosted service allows storing, processing, annotating, archiving, and querying time‐series data in the Tapis multi‐user and multi‐tenant collaborative platform. The Streams API provides a hosted production level middleware service that enables new data‐driven event workflows capabilities that may be leveraged by researchers and Tapis powered science gateways for handling spatially indexed time‐series datasets.
Improving Lithium‐Ion Half‐/Full‐Cell Performance of WO3‐Protected SnO2 Core‐Shell Nanoarchitectures
Authors: Iftikhar Muhammad , Ali Basit , Nisar Talha , Wagner Veit , Haider Ali , Ata‐ur‐Rehman  , Hussain Sajjad , Bahadar Ali , Saleem Muhammad , Abbas Syed Mustansar
Published: November 2020

Anodes derived from SnO2 offer a greater specific capacity comparative to graphitic carbon in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs); hence, it is imperative to find a simple but effective approach for the fabrication of SnO2. The intelligent surfacing of transition metal oxides is one of the favorite strategies to dramatically boost cycling efficiency, and currently most work is primarily aimed at coating and/or compositing with carbon‐based materials. Such coating materials, however, face major challenges, including tedious processing and low capacity. This study successfully reports a new and simple WO3 coating to produce a core‐shell structure on the surface of SnO2. The empty space permitted natural expansion for the SnO2 nanostructures, retaining a higher specific capacity for over 100 cycles that did not appear in the pristine SnO2 without WO3 shell. Using WO3‐protected SnO2 nanoparticles as anode, a coin half‐cell battery was designed with Li‐foil as counter‐electrode. Furthermore, the anode was paired with commercial LiFePO4 as cathode for a coin‐type full cell and tested for lithium storage performance. The WO3 shell proved to be an effective and strong enhancer for both current rate and specific capacity of SnO2 nanoarchitectures; additionally, an enhancement of cyclic stability was achieved. The findings demonstrate that the WO3 can be used for the improvement of cyclic characteristics of other metal oxide materials as a new coating material.
A Metal–Organic Framework‐5‐Incorporated All‐Solid‐State Composite Polymer Electrolyte Membrane with Enhanced Performances for High‐Safety Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Wen Wen , Wang Zhinan , Wang Ailian , Zeng Qinghui , Chen Pingping , Wen Xin , Li Zhenfeng , Li Zengxi , Liu Wei , Zhang Liaoyun
Published: November 2020

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have been one of the most promising candidates to replace nonaqueous liquid electrolyte for achieving high‐safety lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the extremely low ionic transport capacities of SPEs have seriously hindered their applications in LIBs. Herein, a metal–organic framework (MOF) material MOF‐5 is applied to polymer electrolyte for enhancing electrochemical performances of SPEs. Specifically, a polymer matrix is first obtained via a strategy of random copolymerization of trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA). Then, a free‐standing flexible composite SPE (CSPE) membrane composed of P(TFEMA‐ran‐PEGMA) polymer, lithium salt, and MOF‐5 (nanofillers) is prepared by the solution casting technique. The results indicate that the room temperature ionic conductivity of the CSPE is 1.5 times higher than that of neat SPEs and lithium‐ion transference number of CSPE remarkably enhances from 0.25 to 0.51. In addition, the as‐prepared CSPE has a very wide electrochemical window of 5.38 V. Moreover, the assembled solid cell LiFePO4/CSPE/Li presents an outstanding specific discharge capacity retention of 92.2% after 25 cycles. Thus, the superior comprehensive properties of the MOF‐incorporated composite polymer electrolyte exhibit a promising potential application in solid electrolyte for high‐safety solid LIBs.
Sol‐gel synthesized lithium orthosilicate as a reusable solid catalyst for biodiesel production
Authors: Nguyen Hoang Chinh , Pan Jing‐Wei , Su Chia‐Hung , Ong Hwai Chyuan , Chern Jia‐Ming , Lin Jeng‐Yu
Published: November 2020

Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) is a promising solid catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. However, Li4SiO4 is traditionally prepared by a solid‐state reaction, which results in the unstable activity for the reaction. In the present study, Li4SiO4 was successfully prepared using a simple sol‐gel method and employed as an efficient solid alkali catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. The molar ratio of precursors and calcination temperature were optimized for the synthesis of Li4SiO4 by using the sol‐gel method. The physical and chemical properties were determined using X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction particle size, and thermogravimetric analysis. The as‐prepared Li4SiO4 catalyst had much smaller particle size, pore volume, and pore size, but higher surface area and basicity than Li4SiO4 catalyst prepared by the solid‐state reaction. It was then used to transesterify methanol and soybean oil into biodiesel. The effect of reaction factors (reaction time from 1 to 3 hours, catalyst concentration from 3 to 9%; molar ratio of methanol to oil from 6:1 to 18:1, and temperature from 55°C to 75°C) on the Li4SiO4‐catalyzed transesterification was systematically examined. The highest biodiesel conversion of 91% was reached under the following conditions: reaction time of 2 hours, Li4SiO4 concentration of 6%, 12:1 methanol:oil molar ratio, and temperature of 65°C. Notably, Li4SiO4 could be efficiently reused for at least 10 times without significant loss of its activity; this suggests that the sol‐gel synthesized Li4SiO4 is a potential solid alkali catalyst for biodiesel synthesis.
Lightweight routing protocol for low‐tension narrowband powerline systems
Authors: El‐Awamry Ahmed
Published: November 2020

This article proposes a combination between source routing technique and on‐demand ad hoc routing algorithm to increase link reliability in power line communications over low‐tension power grid. The proposed methodology is an enhanced low‐complexity routing protocol for smart metering application (ELCSM). The algorithm considers data concentrator (DC) located directly after the low‐tension step‐down transformer. The data concentrator is polling the reachable meters connected to the power line and then it sends information about energy consumption, loading profile and any other crucial data to the utility through the cloud. The designed protocol minimizes the processing complexity at the meter's side, whereas most of the intelligence is shifted to the DC. The protocol takes into consideration the asymmetric characteristics of the power line channel, where some nodes could suffer from very bad downlink quality due to significant noise at the meter's side. These nodes that suffer from bad channel conditions and could not receive data sent from DC and/or other nodes are therefore classified as deaf nodes, although their transmission could be received properly by adjacent nodes. Moreover, unique lightweight packet structure is proposed to minimize algorithm overhead and to enhance the system robustness. The protocol performance is compared to LCSM and LOADng‐CTP in terms of protocol overhead, end‐to‐end delay, and packet delivery ratio.
Full space‐time adaptive method based on collocation strategy and implicit multirate time stepping
Authors: Malenica Luka , Gotovac Hrvoje
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we present a full space‐time Adaptive Fup Collocation Method (AFCM) for solving initial‐boundary value problems with particular application on advection‐dominated advection‐diffusion problems. The spatial adaptive strategy dynamically changes the computational grid at each global time step, while the adaptive time‐marching algorithm uses different local time steps for different collocation points based on temporal accuracy criteria. Contrary to the existing space‐time adaptive methods that are based on explicit temporal discretization and scale‐dependent local time stepping, the presented method is implicit and resolves all spatial and temporal scales independently of each other. This means that smaller local time steps are used only for spatial zones where temporal solution changes are intensive, which are not necessarily the zones with finest spatial discretization. In this manner, the computationally efficient full space‐time adaptive strategy accurately resolves small‐scale features and controls numerical error and spurious oscillations. The efficiency and accuracy of AFCM are verified with some classical one‐ and two‐dimensional benchmark test cases.
Type I interferon‐activated microglia are critical for neuromyelitis optica pathology
Authors: Wlodarczyk Agnieszka , Khorooshi Reza , Marczynska Joanna , Holtman Inge R. , Burton Mark , Jensen Kirstine Nolling , Blaabjerg Morten , Meyer Morten , Thomassen Mads , Eggen Bart J. L. , Asgari Nasrin , Owens Trevor
Published: November 2020

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) most frequently mediated by serum autoantibodies against the water channel aquaporin 4, expressed on CNS astrocytes, resulting in primary astrocytopathy. There is no cure for NMO, and treatment with Type I interferon (IFNI)‐IFNβ is ineffective or even detrimental. We have previously shown that both NMO lesions and associated microglial activation were reduced in mice lacking the receptor for IFNβ. However, the role of microglia in NMO is not well understood. In this study, we clarify the pathomechanism for IFNI dependence of and the role of microglia in experimental NMO. Transcriptome analysis showed a strong IFNI footprint in affected CNS tissue as well as in microglial subpopulations. Treatment with IFNβ led to exacerbated pathology and further microglial activation as evidenced by expansion of a CD11c+ subset of microglia. Importantly, depletion of microglia led to suppression of pathology and decrease of IFNI signature genes. Our data show a pro‐pathologic role for IFNI‐activated microglia in NMO and open new perspectives for microglia‐targeted therapies.
Chronic stress has different immediate and delayed effects on hippocampal calretinin‐ and somatostatin‐positive cells
Authors: Ortiz J. Bryce , Newbern Jason , Conrad Cheryl D.
Published: November 2020

Past studies find that chronic stress alters inhibitory, GABAergic circuitry of neurons in distinct hippocampal subregions. Less clear is whether these effects persist weeks after chronic stress ends, and whether these effects involve changes in the total number of hippocampal GABAergic neurons or modulates the function of specific GABAergic subtypes. A transgenic mouse line (VGAT:Cre Ai9) containing an indelible marker for GABAergic neurons (tdTomato) throughout the brain was used to determine whether chronic stress alters total GABAergic neuronal number or the expression of two key GABAergic cell subtypes, calretinin expressing (CR+) and somatostatin expressing (SOM+) neurons, and whether these changes endure weeks later. Male and female mice were chronically stressed in wire mesh restrainers for 6h/d/21d (Str) or not (Con), and then allowed a 3 week rest period (Str‐Rest) and compared to those without a rest period (Str‐NoRest). Epifluorescent microscope images of immunohistochemistry‐processed brains were quantified to estimate the total number of fluorescently‐labeled hippocampal GABAergic neurons and the proportion that were CR+ or SOM+. Neither chronic stress nor sex altered the total number of GABAergic cells. In contrast, chronic stress reduced the expression of CR+ in the CA3 region of the hippocampus in both males and females, with robust reductions in the DG region of males, but not females, and these changes reversed following a rest period. Chronic stress also reduced the proportion of hippocampal SOM+ neurons and this reduction persisted even with a rest period. These results show chronic stress dynamically reduced CR expression without changing total inhibitory neuronal number and point to CR as a potential new lead to understand mechanisms by which chronic stress alters hippocampal function.
P2Y12 antagonism results in altered interactions between platelets and regulatory T cells during sepsis
Authors: Albayati Samara , Vemulapalli Harika , Tsygankov Alexander Y , Liverani Elisabetta
Published: November 2020

Sepsis is a complex clinical condition resulting from a serious bloodstream infection. With mortality rates as high as 50%, improved treatments are needed. Regulatory T cells (Tregs), a subset of T lymphocytes, promote the resolution of inflammation. Septic patients have elevated levels of circulating Tregs. Platelets influence the proliferation and activation of Tregs in vitro. However, modulating platelet-Tregs interaction during sepsis may restraing Treg proliferation, leading to the restoration of immunologic homeostasis. P2Y12 is a purinergic receptor present on platelets and T lymphocytes. Blocking P2Y12 improves the outcome of sepsis. We investigated whether blocking P2Y12 alters platelet–Treg interaction in vivo. We used the murine model of sepsis, cecal ligation, and puncture (CLP) and we blocked P2Y12 using the P2Y12 antagonist, clopidogrel. Twenty-four hours after surgery, we measured Treg population sizes in the spleens of the Sham, CLP, and CLP + clopidogrel groups. We investigated the effect of blocking P2Y12 in vitro using cocultures of human platelets and T cells with or without anti-CD3/CD28. P2Y12 was blocked using AR-C69931MX. Treg population sizes were reduced in the septic mice treated with clopidogrel compared with untreated septic mice. Aggregation of platelets and CD4+ T cells was reduced in treated CLP mice compared with untreated CLP mice. P2Y12 antagonism changes how platelets influence T cells in vitro, depending on T-cell activation. In conclusion, blockade of the P2Y12 signaling pathway restrains Treg proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Targeting platelets to control Treg proliferation and activity may be a promising strategy for treating sepsis.
A detailed chemical kinetic modeling and experimental investigation of the low‐ and high‐temperature chemistry of n‐butylcyclohexane
Authors: Pitz William J. , Liang Jinhu , Kukkadapu Goutham , Zhang Kuiwen , Conroy Christine , Bugler John , Curran Henry J.
Published: November 2020

Chemical kinetic models of gasoline, jet, and diesel fuels and their mixtures with bioderived fuels are needed to assess fuel property effects on efficiency, emissions, and other performance metrics in internal combustion and gas turbine engines. As these real fuels have too many fuel components to be included in a chemical kinetic model, surrogate fuels containing fewer components are used to represent them. These surrogate fuels mimic the chemical classes or molecular structures contained in the real fuel. One of the important chemical classes in gasoline, jet, and diesel fuels comprises cyclohexanes. Cyclohexanes comprise about 30% or more by weight in diesel fuel. Also, Mueller et al (Energy Fuels. 2012;26(6):3284‐3303) proposed n‐butylcyclohexane (nBCH) as a component in a nine‐component surrogate palette to represent the ignition properties, distillation curve, density, and molecular structures of a diesel certification fuel. In this work, experimental measurements of the ignition delay times (IDTs) of nBCH in a shock tube and in a rapid compression machine are reported over a wide range of temperature, pressure, and equivalence ratio important for enabling the validation of a chemical kinetic model for nBCH for combustion in diesel engines. The range of conditions are temperatures of 630–1420 K, pressures of 10, 30, and 50 bar, and equivalence ratios of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 in ‘air’. A detailed chemical model is developed for nBCH to simulate its ignition at both low and high‐temperature conditions and at relevant elevated pressures. The experimentally measured IDTs are used to improve and validate the chemical kinetic model.
Effectiveness of high‐density polyethylene container and Super Grain Bag for the storage system of cowpea grain for smallholder farmers
Authors: Tivana Lucas D. , Nguenha Rafael J. , Viola Paula , Monjane Isabel , Lungu Olipa , Kafwamfwa Nswana
Published: November 2020

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of high‐density polyethylene container combined or not with Super Grain Bag for cowpea grain storage. The experiments were conducted on‐station and on‐farm. The storage systems tested included high‐density polyethylene container (PC), Super Grain Bag (SGB), and polypropylene bag (PB). The insect infestation level and grain damage were determined monthly for 6 months at on‐station and every 2 months for 8 months at on‐farm trials. Acceptability test of the stored grain was carried out at the end of on‐station trials with farmers. Naturally infested grain was used, with an initial infestation level of 117 insects/kg and a percentage of damaged grain of 27%. After 6 months of storage on‐station, PB resulted in an increase of insect infestation to above 1300 insects/kg of cowpea grain and an increase of damaged grain to 79%. In the SGB and PC, the number of insects increased to 573 and 364 insects/kg, while the grain damage increased to 40% and 36%, respectively. After 4 months of storage the SGB was perforated by insects, compromising its hermeticity. The combination of PC with SGB (PC + SGB) reduced the proliferation of insects and grain damage, resulting in 257 insects/kg and 34%, respectively. The farmers highly accepted grain stored at PC and PC + SGB systems. The on‐farm trials confirmed the effectiveness of the polyethylene container on limiting insects multiplication and grain damage. Thus, the polyethylene container, associated or not with Super Grain Bag, showed to be effective for storage and preservation of cowpea grain, making it suitable for smallholder farmers, thereby reducing cowpea grain losses during storage.
Procyanidin B1 promotes in vitro maturation of pig oocytes by reducing oxidative stress
Authors: Gao Wei , Jin Yongxun , Hao Jindong , Huang Siyi , Wang Dongxu , Quan Fushi , Ren Wenzhi , Zhang Jiabao , Zhang Mingjun , Yu Xianfeng
Published: November 2020

Oxidative stress negatively affects the in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes. Procyanidin B1 (PB1) is a natural polyphenolic compound that has antioxidant properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of PB1 supplementation during IVM of porcine oocytes. Treatment with 100 μM PB1 significantly increased the MII oocytes rate (p <0.05), the parthenogenetic (PA) blastocyst rate (p <0.01) and the total cell number in the PA blastocyst (p < 0.01) which were cultured in regular in vitro culture (IVC) medium. The PA blastocyst rate of regular MII oocytes activated and cultured in IVC medium supplemented with 100 and 150 μM PB1 significantly increased compared with control (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05). We also evaluated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) levels, glutathione (GSH) levels, and apoptotic levels in MII oocytes and cumulus cells following 100 μM PB1 treatment. The results showed that the PB1 supplementation decreased ROS production and apoptotic levels. In addition, PB1 was found to increase Δψm levels and GSH levels. In conclusion, PB1 inhibited apoptosis of oocytes and cumulus cells by reducing oxidative stress. Moreover, PB1 improved the quality of oocytes and promoted PA embryo development. Taken together, our results suggest that PB1 is a promising antioxidant additive for IVM of oocytes.
Synthesis of Ti(OH)OF ⋅ 0.66 H2O in Imidazolium‐based Ionic Liquids
Authors: Sieland Melanie , Camus‐Genot Valentine , Djerdj Igor , Smarsly Bernd M.
Published: November 2020

The influence of the cation of imidazolium‐derived ionic liquids (ILs) on a low‐temperature solution‐based synthesis of hexagonal tungsten bronze (HTB) type Ti(OH)OF ⋅ 0.66 H2O and bronze‐type TiO2(B) is investigated. The IL (Cxmim BF4) acts as solvent and also as reaction partner with respect to the decomposition of [BF4]−, releasing F−. In the present study, the chain length of the alkyl chain side groups attached to the imidazolium ring was varied (C2mim BF4 to C10mim BF4), and the obtained solids were analyzed by Powder X‐Ray diffraction (PXRD) followed by Rietveld refinement. As a main finding these analyses indicate a transformation of Ti(OH)OF ⋅ 0.66 H2O into TiO2(B), and upon prolonged reaction time finally also into anatase TiO2. Rietveld analysis suggests that when using ILs with longer alkyl chains, the conversion of Ti(OH)OF ⋅ 0.66 H2O is slower compared to syntheses performed with smaller alkyl chains. Hence, Ti(OH)OF ⋅ 0.66 H2O appears to be metastable and is stabilized by long‐chain ILs serving as surfactant attached to the crystallites’ surface. In this view, the ILs shield the nanoparticles and thus slow down the conversion into the more stable compounds. This confirms previous findings that ILs act as both, solvent and reaction medium in this reaction, thus enabling the synthesis of peculiar Ti‐oxides.
One‐step treated wood by using natural source phytic acid and uracil for enhanced mechanical properties and flame retardancy
Authors: Zhang Lichen , Yi Deqi , Hao Jianwei , Gao Ming
Published: November 2020

Wood has always maintained an important position in construction engineering and decoration due to its unique excellent characteristics, but its flammability has limited various application. In this study, phytic acid (PA) derived from plant seeds and uracil (U) derived from ribonucleic acid (RNA) were prepared as water solution, and natural wood just through physical infiltration in the water solution to obtain wood/PA/uracil (flame retardant [FR] wood), which was environmentally friendly, high strength and fire‐resistant. The three‐point bending test performance was basically unchanged, compressive strength was increased by 15.3%. The peak heat release rate, total heat release, smoke production rate, and total smoke production of FR wood were reduced up to 41%, 30%, 61%, 56%, respectively, compared with the natural wood. Limiting oxygen index value of FR wood can reach 31.8%, and UL‐94 V‐0 rating can be reached. These results suggested that wood/PA/uracil could be promising green construction applications.