bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zebrafish Embryos Display Characteristic Bioelectric Signals during Early Development
Authors: Silic Martin R. , Dong Ziyu , Chen Yueyi , Kimbrough Adam , Zhang Guangjun
Published: November 2022

Bioelectricity is defined as endogenous electrical signaling mediated by the dynamic distribution of charged molecules. Recently, increasing evidence has revealed that cellular bioelectric signaling is critical for regulating embryonic development, regeneration, and congenital diseases. However, systematic real-time in vivo dynamic electrical activity monitoring of whole organisms has been limited, mainly due to the lack of a suitable model system and voltage measurement tools for in vivo biology. Here, we addressed this gap by utilizing a genetically stable zebrafish line, Tg (ubiquitin: ASAP1), and ASAP1 (Accelerated sensor of action potentials 1), a genetically encoded voltage indicator (GEVI). With light-sheet microscopy, we systematically investigated cell membrane potential (Vm) signals during different embryonic stages. We found cells of zebrafish embryos showed local membrane hyperpolarization at the cleavage furrows during the cleavage period of embryogenesis. This signal appeared before cytokinesis and fluctuated as it progressed. In contrast, whole-cell transient hyperpolarization was observed during the blastula and gastrula stages. These signals were generally limited to the superficial blastomere, but they could be detected within the deeper cells during the gastrulation period. Moreover, the zebrafish embryos exhibit tissue-level cell Vm signals during the segmentation period. Middle-aged somites had strong and dynamic Vm fluctuations starting at about the 12-somite stage. These embryonic stage-specific characteristic cellular bioelectric signals suggest that they might play a diverse role in zebrafish embryogenesis that could underlie human congenital diseases.
Engineering Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants through CRISPR Genome Editing
Authors: Rahman Mehboob-ur , Zulfiqar Sana , Raza Muhammad Ahmad , Ahmad Niaz , Zhang Baohong
Published: November 2022

Environmental abiotic stresses challenge food security by depressing crop yields often exceeding 50% of their annual production. Different methods, including conventional as well as genomic-assisted breeding, mutagenesis, and genetic engineering have been utilized to enhance stress resilience in several crop species. Plant breeding has been partly successful in developing crop varieties against abiotic stresses owning to the complex genetics of the traits as well as the narrow genetic base in the germplasm. Irrespective of the fact that genetic engineering can transfer gene(s) from any organism(s), transgenic crops have become controversial mainly due to the potential risk of transgene-outcrossing. Consequently, the cultivation of transgenic crops is banned in certain countries, particularly in European countries. In this scenario, the discovery of the CRISPR tool provides a platform for producing transgene-free genetically edited plants—similar to the mutagenized crops that are not extensively regulated such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Thus, the genome-edited plants without a transgene would likely go into the field without any restriction. Here, we focused on the deployment of CRISPR for the successful development of abiotic stress-tolerant crop plants for sustaining crop productivity under changing environments.
Tooth-Derived Matrix Granules for Enhanced Bone Healing: Chemical Composition, Morphological Aspects, and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Souza Júlio C. M. , Escobar Mario , Pimentel Inês Sofia , Caramês João , Teughels Wim , Silva Filipe , Henriques Bruno
Published: November 2022

Bone grafting has increasingly been used in surgical procedures for enhanced bone augmentation. Tooth-derived graft material has received considerable attention due to its chemical composition and autogenous source that can improve bone tissue healing. The main aim of this study was to provide a short and comprehensive review on the chemical composition, morphological aspects, and clinical outcomes of bone grafting using tooth-derived matrix granules. Dentin tissue has a chemical composition similar to that on bone tissues regarding the presence of hydroxyapatite, type I collagen, and different growth factors. Dentin-matrix granules are often processed at well-controlled size ranging from approximately 300 up to 1300 µm, while maintaining porosity and organic content. In addition, a dense collagen fiber network is still present after the milling and chemical treatment of dentin granules. Thus, dentin-matrix granules can improve the bone healing process considering their chemical composition, porous structure, and adequate size. However, further in vivo and in vitro studies should be performed taking into consideration different demineralization procedures, remnant organic content, porosity, and granule size.
Theoretical Study on the Structures, Electronic Properties, and Aromaticity of Thiophene Analogues of Anti-Kekulene
Authors: Hashimoto Shingo , Tahara Kazukuni
Published: November 2022

We predict the geometries, electronic properties, and aromaticity of thiophene analogues of anti-kekulene with six to nine thiophene rings 1–4, together with those of cyclobutadithiophenes (CDTs) and anti-kekulene as reference compounds, using density functional theory calculations. Investigation of the simplest reference compounds, CDTs, reveals that the local aromaticity of their thiophene rings is influenced by their fused position (b- or c-bond) to the four-membered ring (4MR). A thiophene ring fused at the b-position (b-TR) retains its aromatic character to some extent, whereas the aromatic character of one fused at the c-position is attenuated. The 4MR with two fused b-TRs retains a strong anti-aromatic character. Thiophene analogues of anti-kekulene with six to eight thiophene rings 1–3 favor bowl-shaped structures, in contrast to the planar structure of anti-kekulene, because of the shorter distances of the sulfur bridges. Compound 4, with nine thiophene rings, adopts a planar structure. The local aromaticity and anti-aromaticity of the thiophene ring and 4MR are significantly attenuated in 1–4 compared with the reference compounds, the CDTs and anti-kekulene. This can be attributed to the considerable contribution of the quinoidal electronic structure in 1–4. The present study provides new insight into the aromatic and electronic nature of systems containing cyclobutadienothiophene.
Elemental Determination in Stainless Steel via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Back-Propagation Artificial Intelligence Network with Spectral Pre-Processing
Authors: Ni Yang , Fan Bowen , Fang Bin , Meng Jiuling , Zhang Yubo , Lü Tao
Published: November 2022

Minor elements significantly influence the properties of stainless steel. In this study, a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique combined with a back-propagation artificial intelligence network (BP-ANN) was used to detect nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and titanium (Ti) in stainless steel. For data pre-processing, cubic spline interpolation and wavelet threshold transform algorithms were used to perform baseline removal and denoising. The results show that this set of pre-processing methods can effectively improve the signal-to-noise ratio, remove the baseline of spectral baseline, reduce the average relative error, and reduce relative standard deviation of BP-ANN predictions. It indicates that BP-ANN combined with pre-processing methods has promising applications for the determination of Ni, Cr, and Ti in stainless steel with LIBS and improves prediction accuracy and stability.
Machine Learning-Based Multi-Level Fusion Framework for a Hybrid Voltammetric and Impedimetric Metal Ions Electronic Tongue
Authors: Lu Tianqi , Al-Hamry Ammar , Hao Junfeng , Liu Yang , Qu Yunze , Kanoun Olfa
Published: November 2022

Electronic tongues and artificial gustation for crucial analytes in the environment, such as metal ions, are becoming increasingly important. In this contribution, we propose a multi-level fusion framework for a hybrid impedimetric and voltammetric electronic tongue to enhance the accuracy of K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ detection in an extensive concentration range (100.0 nM–1.0 mM). The proposed framework extracts electrochemical-based features and separately fuses, in the first step, impedimetric features, which are characteristic points and fixed frequency features, and the voltammetric features, which are current and potential features, for data reduction by LDA and classification by kNN. Then, in a second step, a decision fusion is carried out to combine the results for both measurement methods based on Dempster–Shafer (DS) evidence theory. The classification results reach an accuracy of 80.98% and 81.48% for voltammetric measurements and impedimetric measurements, respectively. The decision fusion based on DS evidence theory improves the total recognition accuracy to 91.60%, thus realizing significantly high accuracy in comparison to the state-of-the-art. In comparison, the feature fusion for both voltammetric and impedimetric features in one step reaches an accuracy of only 89.13%. The proposed hierarchical framework considers for the first time the fusion of impedimetric and voltammetric data and features from multiple electrochemical sensor arrays. The developed approach can be implemented for several further applications of pattern fusion, e.g., for electronic noses, measurement of environmental contaminants such as heavy metal ions, pesticides, explosives, and measurement of biomarkers, such as for the detection of cancers and diabetes.
Energy-Efficient Chemiresistive Sensor Array Based on SWCNT Networks, WO3 Nanochannels and SWCNT-Pt Heterojunctions for NH3 Detection against the Background Humidity
Authors: Romashkin Alexey V. , Lashkov Andrey V. , Sysoev Victor V. , Struchkov Nikolay S. , Alexandrov Evgeny V. , Levin Denis D.
Published: November 2022

Recently, promising results have been achieved in improving the sensitivity to ammonia in gas sensors through the use of structures composed of heterojunctions or nanochannels. However, their sensitivity is highly dependent on the background humidity under air conditions. The sensor structures which could ensure selective ammonia detection with a low detection limit, despite interference from changing background humidity, remain highly demanded. In this work, we consider sensing units containing (i) nanochannels formed by a continuous tungsten oxide nanolayer to appear in contact between single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and a Pt sublayer and (ii) SWCNT-Pt junctions in frames of mass-scale microelectronic technologies. SWCNTs were deposited by spray-coating on a thin WO3/Pt/W sublayer formed by a photolithographic pattern to be accompanied by satellite samples with just SWCNTs for reference purposes. We elucidate the specific differences that appeared in the response of sensors based on SWCNT-Pt junctions and WO3 nanochannels relative to satellite SWCNT samples with a similar SWCNT network density. Particularly, while a similar response to NH3 vapors mixed with dry air is observed for each sensor type, the response to NH3 is reduced significantly in the presence of background humidity, of 45 rel.%, especially in the case of WO3 nanochannel structures even at room temperature. A multisensor array based on the four various sensing structures involving SWCNT-Pt junctions, WO3 nanochannels, and their satellite-only-SWCNT ones allowed us to determine a correct ammonia concentration via utilizing the linear discriminant analysis despite the presence of background air humidity. Thus, such an energy-efficient multisensor system can be used for environmental monitoring of ammonia content, health monitoring, and other applications.
MIFNN: Molecular Information Feature Extraction and Fusion Deep Neural Network for Screening Potential Drugs
Authors: Wang Jingjing , Li Hongzhen , Zhao Wenhan , Pang Tinglin , Sun Zengzhao , Zhang Bo , Xu Huaqiang
Published: November 2022

Molecular property prediction is essential for drug screening and reducing the cost of drug discovery. Current approaches combined with deep learning for drug prediction have proven their viability. Based on the previous deep learning networks, we propose the Molecular Information Fusion Neural Network (MIFNN). The features of MIFNN are as follows: (1) we extracted directed molecular information using 1D-CNN and the Morgan fingerprint using 2D-CNN to obtain more comprehensive feature information; (2) we fused two molecular features from one-dimensional and two-dimensional space, and we used the directed message-passing method to reduce the repeated collection of information and improve efficiency; (3) we used a bidirectional long short-term memory and attention module to adjust the molecular feature information and improve classification accuracy; (4) we used the particle swarm optimization algorithm to improve the traditional support vector machine. We tested the performance of the model on eight publicly available datasets. In addition to comparing the overall classification capability with the baseline model, we conducted a series of ablation experiments to verify the optimization of different modules in the model. Compared with the baseline model, our model achieved a maximum improvement of 14% on the ToxCast dataset. The performance was very stable on most datasets. On the basis of the current experimental results, MIFNN performed better than previous models on the datasets applied in this paper.
Effect of Dispersing Agents on the Stability of Recycled Paints
Authors: Jacob Jessie , Grelier Stéphane , Grau Maïlys , Chorein Blandine
Published: November 2022

In a circular economy approach, paint waste is recycled and reformulated to be transformed into new paints. In this regard, the lifespan of recycled paints must be properly assessed and extended beyond their preliminary specifications. This study aimed to improve the stability of waterborne acrylic paints by adding dispersing agents. Seventeen dispersing agents were added to two formulations of recycled paints: one stable, and one showing signs of instability. Their stability was characterized by analytical centrifugation and quantification of the supernatant. Among the tested dispersing agents, four showed a significant improvement in stability in both tests. These dispersants belong to the four possible categories of stabilization mechanisms: electrostatic, steric, electrosteric, and controlled stabilization. Electrosteric dispersing agents are especially effective in both paints. The combination of two dispersants does not have a synergistic effect.
Research Progress of Self-Healing Thermal Barrier Coatings: A Review
Authors: Liu Bin , Zhou Jianping , Wang Liang , Wang You
Published: November 2022

Reliability and durability are two important performance indicators for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). The reliability of TBCs usually includes high adhesive strength, low thermal conductivity and high thermal shock resistance. The high reliability of TBCs ensures basic usage requirements. Durability demands TBCs have a long service lifetime before their eventual failure. The lifetimes of TBCs under actual service conditions are strongly dependent on crack initiation and propagation. Controlling and delaying the dynamic process of crack initiation and propagation is a direct approach to prolonging the service lifetime of TBCs. Self-healing TBCs usually have the specific function of inhibiting crack propagation, and thus promote the self-healing process of TBCs. The research progress of self-healing TBCs was reviewed. Firstly, the concept of self-healing or self-healing materials is clarified. Secondly, the research progress about some self-healing ceramic materials as well as self-healing TBCs is reviewed. Based on the review, the micro-structure design, propagation patterns of the crack and self-healing mechanism are discussed systematically. Additionally, the future development trend of the self-healing TBCs is also overviewed in this paper.
Mechanical Response Analysis of Asphalt Pavement Structure with Embedded Sensor
Authors: Wang Pengcheng , Zhong Guoqiang , Xin Xue , Xiao Fei , Liang Ming , Wang Chao , Jiao Yuepeng , Zhu Yanli , Liu Shang , Wang Hao
Published: November 2022

Long-term and real-time monitoring of asphalt pavement can be carried out by using embedded sensors to perceive and predict structural damage during pavement operation period, so as to avoid sustained development of damage. However, the influence of embedded sensors on the mechanical properties of asphalt pavement structure and the structural optimization of sensing elements needs to be further studied. Based on the finite element numerical simulation method, static load model and three-point bending test mode were conducted with three “pavement-sensor” coupling model without sensor, with embedded I-shape sensor, with embedded corrugated-shape sensor. Three simulated conditions were studied comparatively of the sensing element embedding effect on the mechanical response of asphalt pavement structure. Results show that the sensing elements embedded with the two structures have a certain influence on the stress and strain field of asphalt concrete. Within the range of 60–100 mm the asphalt mixture is in a state of tension; the stress values increase with depth and show a maximum tensile stress state at the bottom of the beam. In the compression zone, the strain of the I-shape sensing element embedded is closer to that of the strain without the sensing element embedded. Along the axis of the two sensing elements, the axial strain of the I-shape sensing element is smoother and uniform, which ensures the deformation coordination in the road state. The optimal length L of the sensing element is 14 cm, the diameter φ of the sensor is 10 mm, and the I-beam length GL is 10 cm.
Nanocellulose and Cellulose Making with Bio-Enzymes from Different Particle Sizes of Neosinocalamus Affinis
Authors: Zhao Jiaxin , Wu Xiaoxiao , Yuan Xushuo , Yang Xinjie , Guo Haiyang , Yao Wentao , Ji Decai , Li Xiaoping , Zhang Lianpeng
Published: November 2022

Cellulose is one of the most abundant, widely distributed and abundant polysaccharides on earth, and is the most valuable natural renewable resource for human beings. In this study, three different particle sizes (250, 178, and 150 μm) of Neosinocalamus affinis cellulose were extracted from Neosinocalamus affinis powder using bio-enzyme digestion and prepared into nanocellulose (CNMs). The cellulose contents of 250, 178, and 150 μm particle sizes were 53.44%, 63.38%, and 74.08%, respectively; the crystallinity was 54.21%, 56.03% and 63.58%, respectively. The thermal stability of cellulose increased gradually with smaller particle sizes. The yields of CNMs for 250, 178, and 150 μm particle sizes were 14.27%, 15.44%, and 16.38%, respectively. The results showed that the Neosinocalamus affinis powder was successfully removed from lignin, hemicellulose, and impurities (pectin, resin, etc.) by the treatment of bio-enzyme A (ligninase:hemicellulose:pectinase = 1:1:1) combined with NH3·H2O and H2O2/CH3COOH. Extraction of cellulose from Neosinocalamus affinis using bio-enzyme A, the smaller the particle size of Neosinocalamus affinis powder, the more cellulose content extracted, the higher the crystallinity, the better the thermal stability, and the higher the purity. Subsequently, nanocellulose (CNMs) were prepared by using bio-enzyme B (cellulase:pectinase = 1:1). The CNMs prepared by bio-enzyme B showed a network structure and fibrous bundle shape. Therefore, the ones prepared in this study belong to cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). This study provides a reference in the extraction of cellulose from bamboo using bio-enzymes and the preparation of nanocellulose. To a certain extent, the utilization of bamboo as a biomass material was improved.
Modified Ammonium Polyphosphate and Its Application in Polypropylene Resins
Authors: Meng Lingyu , Li Xiangrui , Liu Mingli , Li Chunfeng , Meng Lipeng , Hou Sen
Published: November 2022

Herein, a simple and environment-friendly method of coupling agent treatment of APP (ammonium polyphosphate) is provided and an optimum process of modification via coupling agent is identified. The effects of coupling agent type, dosage, modification time, and modification temperature on the modification of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) were investigated using an orthogonal experimental design. The modified ammonium polyphosphate (KAPP) was characterized under optimal process conditions using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetry (TG), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The treatment greatly improved the water solubility, dispersibility, and thermal stability of KAPP; and the application of KAPP in polypropylene (PP) was investigated. The flexural properties, thermal stability, and flame retardancy were studied using mechanical testing, thermogravimetric analysis, oxygen index, and UL-94 vertical combustion. The results show that the KAPP-added polypropylene composites have better bending properties when compared with the APP-added PP composites. SEM analysis suggests that the surface of KAPP became smoother and flat; dispersion was better, compatibility with the PP matrix was improved, and there were no prominent voids and gaps in the cross-section. A different degree of improvement in flame retardancy was also observed as per the LOI and vertical combustion results, wherein the PP composites prepared by adding 20% KAPP achieved the LOI of 27.6% and passed the UL-94 test with V-0 rating.
Features Engineering for Malware Family Classification Based API Call
Authors: Daeef Ammar Yahya , Al-Naji Ali , Chahl Javaan
Published: November 2022

Malware is used to carry out malicious operations on networks and computer systems. Consequently, malware classification is crucial for preventing malicious attacks. Application programming interfaces (APIs) are ideal candidates for characterizing malware behavior. However, the primary challenge is to produce API call features for classification algorithms to achieve high classification accuracy. To achieve this aim, this work employed the Jaccard similarity and visualization analysis to find the hidden patterns created by various malware API calls. Traditional machine learning classifiers, i.e., random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and k-nearest neighborhood (KNN), were used in this research as alternatives to existing neural networks, which use millions of length API call sequences. The benchmark dataset used in this study contains 7107 samples of API call sequences (labeled to eight different malware families). The results showed that RF with the proposed API call features outperformed the LSTM (long short-term memory) and gated recurrent unit (GRU)-based methods against overall evaluation metrics.
Construction of Laminated Luminescent Solar Concentrator “Smart” Window Based on Thermoresponsive Polymer and Carbon Quantum Dots
Authors: Xu Bing , Wang Jianying , Cai Chen , Xin Wei , Wei Lai , Yang Qinsi , Peng Bo , Hu Yuandu , Li Jinhua , Wang Xianbao
Published: November 2022

Conventional luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) lack the ability of dynamic modulation, energy saving, and privacy protection. In this work, a thermoresponsive laminated LSC was created and further used as a “smart” window (SW). The laminated LSC “smart” window (LSC-SW) was prepared by introducing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into the sandwiched LSCs filled with aqueous thermosensitive polymer (PNIPAm) solution. To realize better compatibility, two types of fluorescent materials, hydrophilic CQDs (blue and green emitting CQDs), had been synthesized. The LSC-SW showed a good dynamic response to the ambient temperature and solar irradiation, which can be switched between transparent (<32 °C) and opaque states (>32 °C). Besides, the optimal LSC-SW had high transmittance (>80%) at the transparent state and low transmittance (<10%) at the opaque state. More importantly, the opaque state enabled the LSC-SW with higher external optical efficiency (ηopt of 7.49%), energy saving.
Investigation of Chemical Bath Deposited Transition Metals/GO Nanocomposites for Supercapacitive Electrodes
Authors: Alshoaibi Adil , Awada Chawki , Alnaim Nisrin , Almulhem Najla , Obodo Raphael M. , Maaza Malik , Ezema Fabian I.
Published: November 2022

In this work, the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique was utilized in the synthesis of transition metals/GO nanocomposites (Co3O4/MnO2/NiO/GO) for applications in supercapacitor electrodes. The nanocomposites after characterization showed that the electrically conductive nature and wide surface area of graphene oxide (GO) accounted for its incorporation into the nanocomposites. The synergy between the nanocomposites accounts for their improved performance and stable phase. The XRD results revealed cubic, orthorhombic, cubic, and mixed phases for the Co3O4/GO (CG), MnO2/GO (MG), NiO/GO (NG), and Co3O4/MnO2/NiO/GO (CMNG), respectively; their morphologies showed platelet nanoparticles with few agglomerates, with an average particle size of 69 ± 12 nm, 37 ± 09 nm, 58 ± 36 nm, and 36 ± 08 nm, respectively. For the produced materials, electrochemical results revealed maximum specific capacitance values of 2482 F/g from cyclic voltammograms and 1280.48 F/g from the galvanometric test. The results showed that the composites outperform single transition metal oxide (TMO) electrodes, with graphene oxide boosting the electrode performance.
The Effect of the Degree of Polymerization and Polymer Composition on the Temperature Responsiveness of Cholesteric Semi-Interpenetrating Networks
Authors: Yue Lansong , Zhou Guofu , de Haan Laurens T.
Published: November 2022

Cholesteric liquid crystal oligomers and polymers are promising materials for creating materials and devices with stimuli-responsive structural color, and the cholesteric to smectic pre-transition effect is of particular interest as it leads to a strong redshift in the reflected color upon cooling. Cholesteric polymers can be stabilized by the formation of semi-interpenetrating networks to obtain more robust photonic materials, but this tends to strongly suppress the pre-transition effect. Here, we show that the pre-transition effect in semi-interpenetrating networks based on main-chain cholesteric oligomers can be amplified by incorporating a smectic monomer and by increasing the degree of polymerization of the oligomers. This amplification counteracts the suppressing effect of the semi-interpenetrating network, and the resulting materials still show a significant band shift upon cooling. Presumably, both methods lead to the formation of more smectic domains in the cholesteric helix, which causes an amplified pre-transitional effect. The results bring us closer to the use of cholesteric semi-interpenetrating cholesteric networks for applications in smart sensing, healthcare, and safety devices.
Terahertz Refractive Index Sensor Based on Enhanced Extraordinary Optical Transmission
Authors: Sun Kaixiang , Fang Jiukai , Shi Yanpeng , Shi Shengnan , Zhang Shan , Song Jinmei , Li Meiping , Wang Xiaodong , Yang Fuhua
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a structure for refractive index sensors in the terahertz (THz) band. The THZ sensor is studied in simulation, utilizing the strong local electromagnetic field intensity produced by the enhanced extraordinary optical transmission. Depending on the different sensing positions of the sensor, their sensing basis is also different, such as Mie scattering, surface plasmon polaritons, etc. The sensing sensitivity based on Mie scattering can reach 51.56 GHz/RIU; meanwhile the sensing sensitivity based on surface plasmon polaritons is only 5.13 GHz/RIU. The sensor can also detect the thickness of the analyte, with the lowest detectable height of 0.2 µm. Additionally, we find that the sensitivity can be increased by replacing the silicon particle with the analyte.
Radiation Response Properties of Tb-Doped MgGa2O4 Single Crystals
Authors: Takebuchi Yuma , Honjo Satoshi , Naoe Kazumitsu , Kato Takumi , Nakauchi Daisuke , Kawaguchi Noriaki , Yanagida Takayuki
Published: November 2022

Tb-doped MgGa2O4 single crystals (0.3, 1, 3, and 5%) were synthesized by the floating zone method. The synthesized crystals had a single phase of MgGa2O4 confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high transparency in the visible wavelength. Tb3+ acted as a luminescence center in both photoluminescence (PL) and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) processes. In the TSL dose response functions, the minimum detectable dose of the crystals was 0.01 mGy, which was comparable with some commercial dosimetric materials. In the X-ray imaging test taken based on TSL, the spatial resolution of the 1% Tb-doped crystal was estimated to be 8.90 LP/mm (56.2 μm).
Mix-and-Match Diols: Adjusting Self-Assembly of Micellar Phases in Choline Chloride Eutectics
Authors: Hammond Oliver S. , Sanchez-Fernandez Adrian , Tyte Rachel , Dalgliesh Robert , Smith Andrew J. , Edler Karen J.
Published: November 2022

The common Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) ‘ethaline’ (1:2 choline chloride:ethylene glycol) was examined here as a basis for the self-assembly of the surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB). A phase diagram was constructed, showing evidence for a L1 (micellar) phase, confirmed by tensiometry to have a room temperature critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 1.2 wt.%. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements indicate formation of interacting globular micelles with slightly smaller apparent radii than in water. The apparent mesophase/multiphase region was studied using SWAXS, demonstrating rich mesoscopic lyotropic liquid crystalline phase behaviour, with evidence for lamellar Lα peaks, alongside potential co-crystalline phases. We attempted to tailor the self-assembly by studying binary DES containing longer diols including 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, and 1,5-pentanediol, and ternary DES where the HBD component was a 1:1 ethylene glycol:diol mixture. However, synchrotron SAXS showed that only ternary ‘propethaline’ mixtures displayed signs of self-assembly and micellization, perhaps due to the reduction in calculated Gordon parameter, which decreases linearly with increasing alkyl chain length. Systematic differences were thus observed in the ability of the solvents to modulate assembly, from globular micelles in ChCl:EG, to weaker assembly in long-tail DES, and complete solubilisation in butaline and pentaline.
Effects of Processing Strategies and La + Sm Co-Doping on the Thermoelectric Performance of A-Site-Deficient SrTiO3-δ Ceramics
Authors: Iyasara Adindu C. , Lu Zhilun , Schmidt Whitney L. , Sinclair Derek C. , Reaney Ian M.
Published: November 2022

The effect of calcining in either air (VSTO-A) or 5% H2/N2 (VSTO-H) on the thermoelectric performance of La and Sm co-doped A-site-deficient Sr1-3x/2Lax/2Smx/2TiO3-δ ceramics is reported. All calcined powders were sintered 6 h in 5% H2/N2 at 1773 K to ≥96% relative density. All peaks in X-ray diffraction patterns indexed as a cubic perovskite phase. Scanning electron microscopy revealed grain sizes ~14 and ~10 μm for VSTO-A and VSTO-H ceramics, respectively. x = 0.30 showed the lowest k (2.99 W/m.K at 973 K) for VSTO-A, whereas x = 0.20 had the lowest (2.67 W/m.K at 973 K) for the VSTO-H ceramics. x = 0.30 VSTO-A showed a thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT = 0.25 (at 973 K), whereas the maximum ZT = 0.30 (at 973 K) was achieved for x = 0.20 VSTO-H ceramics, demonstrating that thermoelectric properties are optimized when all processing is carried out in 5% H2/N2.
Grain Boundary Engineering and Its Effect on Intergranular Corrosion Resistance of a Ni-Cr-Mo Based C276 Superalloy
Authors: Zhang Chi , Lin Ling , Chen Renchao , Zhang Liwen , Shao Zhiwen
Published: November 2022

A Ni-Cr-Mo-based C276 superalloy was cold rolled to 5–40% and annealed at 1050 °C for 30 min. The microstructure and grain boundary character distribution after cold rolling and annealing were characterized. Grain refinement and a certain amount of coincident-site lattice (CSL) boundaries were obtained through recrystallization. The fraction of CSL boundaries reached peak at the cold rolling of 15% and annealing at 1050 °C for 30 min, which was the critical condition for completed recrystallization. In addition, sensitization treatments and double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reaction (DL-EPR) tests were applied to the cold rolled and annealed samples. The samples with a high fraction of CSL boundaries showed higher intergranular corrosion resistance as compared to the ones with a low fraction of CSL boundaries. It implies that the intergranular corrosion resistance of C276 superalloy can be enhanced by optimizing the grain boundary structure through cold rolling and annealing.
A Novel Understanding of the Thermal Reaction Behavior and Mechanism of Ni/Al Energetic Structural Materials
Authors: Wang Kunyu , Deng Peng , Liu Rui , Ge Chao , Wang Haifu , Chen Pengwan
Published: November 2022

Ni/Al energetic structural materials have attracted much attention due to their high energy release, but understanding their thermal reaction behavior and mechanism in order to guide their practical application is still a challenge. We reported a novel understanding of the thermal reaction behavior and mechanism of Ni/Al energetic structural materials in the inert atmosphere. The reaction kinetic model of Ni/Al energetic structural materials with Ni:Al molar ratios was obtained. The effect of the Ni:Al molar ratios on their thermal reactions was discussed based on the products of a Ni/Al thermal reaction. Moreover, depending on the melting point of Al, the thermal reaction stages were divided into two stages: the hard contact stage and soft contact stage. The liquid Al was adsorbed on the surface of Ni with high contact areas, leading in an aggravated thermal reaction of Ni/Al.
A Robotic Completely Intercorporeal Jejunal Pouch Reconstruction after Gastrectomy
Authors: Stoyanova Ani , Berg Ann-Kathrin , Beyer Katharina
Published: November 2022

Robotic surgery is increasingly gaining importance. While initial results suggest an advantage of the robotic over the minimally invasive approach in patients with gastric cancer, definitive proof of its superiority has yet to be provided. There are numerous approaches to recreate a gastric reservoir after a total gastrectomy. However, a major disadvantage of most conventional reconstructions are long term effects such as dumping syndrome, afferent loop syndrome and poor nutrition intake with severe impact on the patient quality of life. The jejunal pouch reconstruction is a beneficial reconstruction, which provides a larger reservoir capacity after gastrectomy and prevents anastomotic stenosis and dumping syndrome. The completely intercorporeal approach with a Pfannenstiel incision instead of an unfavorable midline incision can potentially decrease delayed complications such as incision hernias. With the increased deployment of robotic surgery, a complete intercorporeal reconstruction is now possible without major increase in operating time or further technical weak points. We provide for the first time a detailed technical explanation of the completely intercorporeal robotic jejunal pouch reconstruction after gastrectomy.
The Effects of Landscape Heterogeneity on East China Anuran Communities: Identifying Spatial Scales in an Urbanizing Landscape
Authors: Zhang Wei , Li Ben , Yang Gang
Published: November 2022

Cities are growing rapidly worldwide, with over half of the human population living in cities. Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates on our planet and are particularly vulnerable to the effects of urbanization. While it is known that landscape features and scales are important for amphibians in urban areas, we do not adequately understand how the urban landscape affects diversity patterns, nor have we identified which spatial scale is most appropriate for evaluating how amphibians respond to urban environments. In this study, we examined the relationships between anuran abundance/richness and landscape features at four spatial scales in Shanghai, China. In order to determine the relative importance of landscape variables and the most appropriate spatial scale, a multi-model inference approach was used to evaluate and compare model weighted mean coefficients. Our results show that large spatial scales, i.e., 1500 m and 2000 m, best predicted relative anuran abundance and richness, while the total anuran abundance responded most strongly to landscape variables at smaller scales, i.e., 500 m and 1000 m. Patch richness and the interspersion and juxtaposition index play a large role in predicting the anuran species’ richness and abundance. The abundance of P. nigromaculatus, F. multistriata, and B. gargarizans increased with patch richness. Species richness and total abundance were most strongly related to the interspersion and juxtaposition index. Our research highlights the importance of identifying the most suitable spatial scale in urban environments because not all anuran respond to the same spatial scale. We found that the relationships between anuran relative abundance and species and urban habitat features are not consistent with the prediction of other landscapes (e.g., farmland, forest, and island). Additionally, constructing diverse habitat patches and more neighboring habitats may maintain or improve anuran communities in urbanizing landscapes.
Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Hepatotoxicity of Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Black-Spotted Frogs (Rana nigromaculata)
Authors: Lin Huikang , Feng Yixuan , Zheng Yueyue , Han Yu , Yuan Xia , Gao Panpan , Zhang Hangjun , Zhong Yuchi , Liu Zhiquan
Published: November 2022

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is frequently detected in the environment and accumulates in amphibians such as black-spotted frogs (Rana nigromaculata) with toxic effects; however, the mechanism underlying this toxicity is unclear. In this study, male black-spotted frogs were exposed to 10 μg/L waterborne PFOA for 21 days. Subsequently, the effect of PFOA exposure on gene expression in liver tissue was investigated using transcriptomic techniques. In total, 754 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; 389 up-regulated and 365 down-regulated) were identified. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment and Gene Ontology functional enrichment analyses, the DEGs were mainly involved in lipid metabolism, endocrine functions, and immunity. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of 15 selected DEGs revealed a high correlation (R2 = 0.9917) with the transcriptomic results. These results indicated that the PFOA hepatotoxicity in frogs is mediated mainly by lipid metabolism dysregulation, endocrine system disruption, and immunotoxicity. This study provides insights into the hepatotoxic mechanism of PFOA and other perfluorinated compounds in amphibians.
Mechanistic Thermal Modeling of Late Triassic Terrestrial Amniotes Predicts Biogeographic Distribution
Authors: Hartman Scott A. , Lovelace David M. , Linzmeier Benjamin J. , Mathewson Paul D. , Porter Warren P.
Published: November 2022

The biogeography of terrestrial amniotes is controlled by historical contingency interacting with paleoclimate, morphology and physiological constraints to dispersal. Thermal tolerance is the intersection between organismal requirements and climate conditions which constrains modern organisms to specific locations and was likely a major control on ancient tetrapods. Here, we test the extent of controls exerted by thermal tolerance on the biogeography of 13 Late Triassic tetrapods using a mechanistic modeling program, Niche Mapper. This program accounts for heat and mass transfer into and out of organisms within microclimates. We model our 13 tetrapods in four different climates (cool and warm at low and high latitudes) using environmental conditions that are set using geochemical proxy-based general circulation models. Organismal conditions for the taxa are from proxy-based physiological values and phylogenetic bracketing. We find that thermal tolerances are a sufficient predictor for the latitudinal distribution of our 13 test taxa in the Late Triassic. Our modeled small mammaliamorph can persist at high latitudes with nocturnal activity and daytime burrowing but large pseudosuchians are excluded because they cannot seek nighttime shelter in burrows to retain elevated body temperatures. Our work demonstrates physiological modeling is useful for quantitative testing of the thermal exclusion hypothesis for tetrapods in deep time.
New Botrylloides, Botryllus, and Symplegma (Ascidiacea: Styelidae) in Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean Sea
Authors: Palomino-Alvarez Lilian A. , Nydam Marie L. , Rocha Rosana M. , Simões Nuno
Published: November 2022

Compound styelid ascidians are distributed in all marine environments and usually exhibit high morphological plasticity and complexity. In particular, Botrylloides, Botryllus, and Symplegma species show high morphological variations leading to confusion in traditional taxonomy assignments and to ambiguity in species delineation. Fewer than 20 species in these genera are registered in the Atlantic region. Here we surveyed the coral reefs of the southern Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean Sea, barcoded a total of 110 samples collected in seven reefs in 24 sites using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (or 1), as well as performed a detailed morphological study. Species delimitation analyses of barcoding sequencing revealed twelve botryllid species and three Symplegma species. Two of the botryllid species were identified as Botrylloides niger and Botryllus humilis; the latter is the first record for the Gulf of México. The remaining 10 botryllid species and the two Symplegma species are not currently described in the literature and have no close matches in GenBank. One of the Symplegma samples could not be identified as an existing species and current characters do not support the description of a new species. Here we describe twelve new species, seven in Botryllus: B. bonanzus sp. nov., B. camur sp. nov., B. hartensis sp. nov., B. lambertorum sp. nov., B. nortensis sp. nov., B. tunnelli sp. nov., and B. unamensis sp. nov., three in Botrylloides: B. alacranensis sp. nov., B. ampullarius sp. nov., B. catalitinae sp. nov., and two in Symplegma: S. papillata sp. nov., and S. sisalensis sp. nov. We also present a tabular identification key of Botryllus, Botrylloides and Symplegma Atlantic species.
Employing Energy and Statistical Features for Automatic Diagnosis of Voice Disorders
Authors: Shrivas Avinash , Deshpande Shrinivas , Gidaye Girish , Nirmal Jagannath , Ezzine Kadria , Frikha Mondher , Desai Kamalakar , Shinde Sachin , Oza Ankit D. , Burduhos-Nergis Dumitru Doru , Burduhos-Nergis Diana Petronela
Published: November 2022

The presence of laryngeal disease affects vocal fold(s) dynamics and thus causes changes in pitch, loudness, and other characteristics of the human voice. Many frameworks based on the acoustic analysis of speech signals have been created in recent years; however, they are evaluated on just one or two corpora and are not independent to voice illnesses and human bias. In this article, a unified wavelet-based paradigm for evaluating voice diseases is presented. This approach is independent of voice diseases, human bias, or dialect. The vocal folds’ dynamics are impacted by the voice disorder, and this further modifies the sound source. Therefore, inverse filtering is used to capture the modified voice source. Furthermore, the fundamental frequency independent statistical and energy metrics are derived from each spectral sub-band to characterize the retrieved voice source. Speech recordings of the sustained vowel /a/ were collected from four different datasets in German, Spanish, English, and Arabic to run the several intra and inter-dataset experiments. The classifiers’ achieved performance indicators show that energy and statistical features uncover vital information on a variety of clinical voices, and therefore the suggested approach can be used as a complementary means for the automatic medical assessment of voice diseases.
Clinical Predictors of Grade Group Upgrading for Radical Prostatectomy Specimens Compared to Those of Preoperative Needle Biopsy Specimens
Authors: Tomioka Masayuki , Saigo Chiemi , Kawashima Keisuke , Suzui Natsuko , Miyazaki Tatsuhiko , Takeuchi Shinichi , Kawase Makoto , Kawase Kota , Kato Daiki , Takai Manabu , Iinuma Koji , Nakane Keita , Takeuchi Tamotsu , Koie Takuya
Published: November 2022

Background: Decision-making and selection of treatment modalities for newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) are often determined by risk stratification using grade group (GG), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and clinical stage. The discrepancies between needle biopsy (NB) and radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens often occur because of the sampling errors in NB or multifocal features of PCa. Thus, we aimed to estimate the preoperative clinical factors for predicting GG upgrading after robot-assisted RP (RARP). Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the clinical and pathological records of patients who underwent RARP at Gifu University Hospital. We focused on patients with organ-confined PCa who had not received neoadjuvant therapy prior to RARP. The primary endpoint was identified as the predictive factor of GG upgrading for RARP specimens compared to those of NB specimens. Results: Eighty-one patients were included in this study. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups: those who had GG upgrading for RARP specimens (the NB upgrade group) or those who did not have GG upgrading (the no upgrade group). The median age of all patients was 70 years, and the median body mass index (BMI) was 22.9 kg/m2. The median neutrophil count was 3720/μL, lymphocyte count was 1543/μL, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was 2.24. In univariate analysis, BMI, PSA, neutrophil count, and NLR were significantly associated with GG upgrading in RARP specimens compared to NB specimens. BMI and NLR were identified as strong predictive factors for GG upgrading in RARP specimens in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Although this study’s small number of enrolled patients was a vital weakness, BMI and NLR might have been significantly correlated with GG upgrading for RP specimens compared with NB specimens. Therefore, BMI and NLR may have potential benefits for newly diagnosed patients with PCa in terms of decision-making and the selection of treatment modalities.
Identification of Uric Acid Crystals Accumulation in Human and Animal Tissues Using Combined Morphological and Raman Spectroscopy Analysis
Authors: Soare Teodoru , Iordache Ana Maria , Nicolae George , Iordache Stefan-Marian , Baciu Cosmin , Marinescu Silviu , Rizac Raluca Ioana , Militaru Manuella
Published: November 2022

Gout is a metabolic condition, common to animals and humans, issuing from the excessive accumulation of end products of proteins degradation. In this study, histopathological and cytological examinations, combined with Raman spectroscopy, have been performed to investigate tissue samples from reptiles, chickens, and humans, presenting lesions produced by uric acid accumulation. As a result of classic processing and staining techniques commonly used in the anatomopathological diagnosis, uric acid crystals lose their structural characteristics, thus making difficult a precise diagnostic. Therefore, complementary diagnostic methods, such as Raman spectroscopy, are needed. This study compares from several perspectives the above mentioned diagnostic methods, concluding that Raman spectroscopy provides highlights in the diagnosis of gout in humans and animals, also adding useful information to differential diagnosis of lesions.