bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Energy Migration Layer Modulated Lanthanide Luminescent Nanoparticles Toward Multimode Ratio Fluorescence Thermometers
Authors: Sun Renrui , Li Jiwei , Chen Jiabo , Xie Yao , Sun Lining
Published: February 2024

Fluorescent temperature sensing is considered as a research hotspot in the fields of life sciences and medicine. Despite the existence of numerous materials, the low sensitivity still limits their broader application. Herein, a core‐shell‐shell structure of lanthanide‐doped nanoparticles is designed, which can adjust the energy transfer process by controlling the Yb3+ concentration in the energy migration layer, so as to generate different but regular visible upconversion and near‐infrared downshifting emission modes depending on 808 or 980 nm excitation wavelengths. And the energy migration, cross relaxation, and energy cycling processes involved in energy migration ions are analyzed and summarized. Subsequently, unlike traditional thermal coupled fluorescence thermometers, the visible and near‐infrared emission under different excitations is selected as the fluorescence intensity ratio by combining both thermal quenching and enhancement. Thus, a new type of fluorescence thermometer with deep penetration capability and high sensitivity within the biological temperature range is obtained, which can inspire a new design strategy for the future biosensing field.
Knitting Interconnected Perovskite Grains with A Π‐Conjugated Passivator for Blue Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Liu Lihui , Wang Yun , Liu Chenxi , Chen Jian , Hou Zijie , Liu Xuejing , Cao Kun , Shen Wei , Chen Shufen
Published: February 2024

Metal halide perovskite light‐emitting diode (PeLED) is the most promising candidate for next‐generation display technology. However, the development of the blue PeLEDs is far behind the expectations. Mixed‐halide perovskites demonstrate to be the most facile method to realize blue emission, which confronts serious spectra stability problem arising from the halide segregation. Here, a polymerizable passivator is introduced into the Cl/Br‐mixed perovskites, which can simultaneously cross‐link perovskite grains by interconnecting halides through hydrogen bonding, and transport the carriers through its π‐conjugated backbone. Consequently, this cross‐linked blue perovskite film demonstrates a significantly improved spectra stability under various external stimuli of high humidity, UV radiation, and electrical field, and the corresponding PeLED yields a decent external quantum efficiency of 12.0% at high brightness of 3390 cd m−2 with the emission at 478 nm. Notably, this work provides a unique cross‐link agent with in situ polymerizability to address the ion migration and phase segregation issues without sacrificing the conducting capacity in mixed‐halide perovskites.
Increasing the Structural Rigidity and Quantum Yield of Highly Emissive Hybrid Antimony Chlorides Using a Diverse Set of Solvent Guests
Authors: Xie Peiran , Wang Pan , Zhou Jiaqian , Guo Zhu , Mao Lingling
Published: February 2024

0D organic–inorganic antimony halides have attracted increasing attention due to the non‐toxicity, high stability, and superior photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, a series of hybrid antimony chlorides with the same organic cation ethyltriphenylphosphonium (Ph3EtP+), including non‐emissive (Ph3EtP)2Sb2Cl8 and nine (Ph3EtP)2SbCl5‐based emissive compounds, are synthesized and characterized. These emissive compounds are namely, the guest‐free (Ph3EtP)2SbCl5 and (Ph3EtP)2SbCl5·guest (guest = glycol, acetic acid, methanol, ethanol, n‐propanol, i‐propanol, acetone, and acetonitrile). The solvent used can alter the coordination mode of Sb because the solvation effect affects the reactivity of the anions ([SbCl4]− and Cl−), leading to the formation of either A2Sb2Cl8 or A2SbCl5. The solvents can be even incorporated into the crystal structure, where stronger interaction with [SbCl5]2− leads to higher temperature of the escape of the solvent. The guest molecules could increase the structural rigidity of [SbCl5]2− via hydrogen bonding and dipole–dipole interactions, which tends to reduce the room‐temperature photoluminescence (PL) Stokes shift and temperature‐dependent PL shift by decreasing the [SbCl5]2− deformability, along with enhanced PLQY from 81% in guest‐free to near‐unity in (Ph3EtP)2SbCl5·glycol. This work shows that targeted synthesis and diversified choices of solvents provide an efficient tool to generate steady variations in hybrid emissive materials for optoelectronics.
A surrogate‐based framework for feasibility‐driven optimization of expensive simulations
Authors: Tian Huayu , Ierapetritou Marianthi G.
Published: February 2024

Surrogate‐based optimization approaches have been widely adopted in industrial problems due to their potential to reduce the number of simulation runs required in the optimization process. The surrogate‐based optimization framework has been extended to feasibility analysis in pharmaceutical manufacturing to characterize the design space. Most surrogate‐based approaches for feasibility analysis are limited to the construction of a regression model for the feasibility function. In this work, we developed a framework with the feasibility problem considered as a classification problem, and additional stages introduced to improve local exploitation and global exploration. We illustrate the efficiency of the proposed framework on three test problems and implement it in a realistic case study describing the production of solid‐based drugs using wet granulation, aimed to reduce the operation cost, improve product quality, and increase process flexibility and robustness.
Coral‐tentacle‐inspired antifouling membrane spacer: A natural solution for biofouling prevention
Authors: Huang Jiachen , Lu Xiaotian , Chen Guoqiang , Wan Yinhua , Luo Jianquan
Published: February 2024

Fouling of membrane spacers leads to increased pressure drop and reduced lifespan of membrane modules. Cleaning these fouled spacers is challenging due to strong foulant‐membrane spacer interactions. To address this issue, we introduce a novel spacer, PP‐N‐F, inspired by coral's antifouling properties. This spacer features on‐demand antifouling capabilities through a sequential growth process of functional polymer brushes on its surface. It not only possesses lower surface free energy characteristics than polypropylene spacers, but also exhibits controllable morphological changes similar to swaying coral tentacles. Temperature control strengthens the interfacial hydration layer, mitigating the trade‐off between anti‐adsorption and hydrophobicity of fluorinated surface. The temperature‐responsive surface changes enhance foulant desorption efficiency. Compared to a commercial spacer, PP‐N‐F shows an 89.3% reduction in foulant adsorption and a 61.7% decrease in pressure drop increment after 48 h cross‐flow filtration experiments. This work provides valuable insights for advanced anti‐fouling membrane module design.
RMRP‐related short stature: A report of six additional Japanese individuals with cartilage hair hypoplasia and literature review
Authors: Uchida Noboru , Ishii Tomohiro , Nishimura Gen , Sato Takeshi , Kuratsuji Gen , Nagasaki Keisuke , Hosokawa Yuki , Adachi Eriko , Takasawa Kei , Kashimada Kenichi , Tsujioka Yuko , Hasegawa Tomonobu
Published: February 2024

Biallelic pathogenic variants in RMRP, the gene encoding the RNA component of RNase mitochondrial RNA processing enzyme complex, have been reported in individuals with cartilage hair hypoplasia (CHH). CHH is prevalent in Finnish and Amish populations due to a founder pathogenic variant, n.71A > G. Based on the manifestations in the Finnish and Amish individuals, the hallmarks of CHH are prenatal‐onset growth failure, metaphyseal dysplasia, hair hypoplasia, immunodeficiency, and other extraskeletal manifestations. Herein, we report six Japanese individuals with CHH from four families. All probands presented with moderate short stature with mild metaphyseal dysplasia or brachydactyly. One of them had hair hypoplasia and the other immunodeficiency. By contrast, the affected siblings of two families showed only mild short stature. We also reviewed all previously reported 13 Japanese individuals. No n.71A > G allele was detected. The proportions of Japanese versus Finnish individuals were 0% versus 70% for birth length < −2.0 SD, 84% versus 100% for metaphyseal dysplasia and 26% versus 88% for hair hypoplasia. Milder manifestations in the Japanese individuals may be related to the difference of genotypes. The mildest form of CHH phenotypes is mild short stature without overt skeletal alteration or extraskeletal manifestation and can be termed “RMRP‐related short stature”.
Pied tamarins change their vocal behavior in response to noise levels in the largest city in the Amazon
Authors: Sobroza Tainara Venturini , Gordo Marcelo , Dunn Jacob C. , Pequeno Pedro Aurélio Costa Lima , Naissinger Bruna Mendel , Barnett Adrian Paul Ashton
Published: February 2024

Many animal species depend on sound to communicate with conspecifics. However, human‐generated (anthropogenic) noise may mask acoustic signals and so disrupt behavior. Animals may use various strategies to circumvent this, including shifts in the timing of vocal activity and changes to the acoustic parameters of their calls. We tested whether pied tamarins (Saguinus bicolor) adjust their vocal behavior in response to city noise. We predicted that both the probability of occurrence and the number of long calls would increase in response to anthropogenic noise and that pied tamarins would temporally shift their vocal activity to avoid noisier periods. At a finer scale, we anticipated that the temporal parameters of tamarin calls (e.g., call duration and syllable repetition rate) would increase with noise amplitude. We collected information on the acoustic environment and the emission of long calls in nine wild pied tamarin groups in Manaus, Brazil. We found that the probability of long‐call occurrence increased with higher levels of anthropogenic noise, though the number of long calls did not. The number of long calls was related to the time of day and the distance from home range borders—a proxy for the distance to neighboring groups. Neither long‐call occurrence nor call rate was related to noise levels at different times of day. We found that pied tamarins decreased their syllable repetition rate in response to anthropogenic noise. Long calls are important for group cohesion and intergroup communication. Thus, it is possible that the tamarins emit one long call with lower syllable repetition, which might facilitate signal reception. The occurrence and quantity of pied tamarin' long calls, as well as their acoustic proprieties, seem to be governed by anthropogenic noise, time of the day, and social mechanisms such as proximity to neighboring groups.
Multifunctional Trifluoroborate Additive for Simultaneous Carrier Dynamics Governance and Defects Passivation to Boost Efficiency and Stability of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Li Jun , Xie Lisha , Liu Guanhao , Pu Zhenwei , Tong Xinyu , Yang Shuncheng , Yang Mengjin , Liu Jian , Chen Jiujiang , Meng Yuanyuan , Wang Ying , Wang Tao , Ge Ziyi
Published: February 2024

The main obstacles to promoting the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) include their record power conversion efficiency (PCE), which still remains below the Shockley–Queisser limit, and poor long‐term stability, attributable to crystallographic defects in perovskite films and open‐circuit voltage (Voc) loss in devices. In this study, potassium (4‐tert‐butoxycarbonylpiperazin‐1‐yl) methyl trifluoroborate (PTFBK) was employed as a multifunctional additive to target and modulate bulk perovskite defects and carrier dynamics of PSCs. Apart from simultaneously passivating anionic and cationic defects, PTFBK could also optimize the energy‐level alignment of devices and weaken the interaction between carriers and longitudinal optical phonons, resulting in a carrier lifetime of greater than 3 μs. Furthermore, it inhibited non‐radiative recombination and improved the crystallization capacity in the target perovskite film. Hence, the target rigid and flexible p‐i‐n PSCs yielded champion PCEs of 24.99 % and 23.48 %, respectively. More importantly, due to hydrogen bonding between formamidinium and fluorine, the target devices exhibited remarkable thermal, humidity, and operational tracking at maximum power point stabilities. The reduced Young's modulus and residual stress in the perovskite layer also provided excellent bending stability for flexible target devices.
Reduction of Superoxide Radical Intermediate by Polydopamine for Efficient Hydrogen Peroxide Photosynthesis
Authors: Deng Yihan , Liu Wei , Xu Run , Gao Rong , Huang Niu , Zheng Yong , Huang Yingping , Li Hao , Kong Xin Ying , Ye Liqun
Published: February 2024

The synthesis of hydrogen peroxide through artificial photosynthesis is a green and promising technology with advantages in sustainability, economy and safety. However, superoxide radical (⋅O2−), an important intermediate in photocatalytic oxygen reduction to H2O2 production, has strong oxidizing properties that potentially destabilize the catalyst. Therefore, avoiding the accumulation of ⋅O2− for its rapid conversion to H2O2 is of paramount significance in improving catalyst stability and H2O2 yield. In this work, a strategy was developed to utilize protonated groups for the rapid depletion of converted ⋅O2−, thereby the efficiency of photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2 from CN was successfully enhanced by 47‐fold. The experimental findings demonstrated that polydopamine not only improved carrier separation efficiency, and more importantly, provided the adsorption reduction active site for ⋅O2− for efficient H2O2 production. This work offers a versatile approach for synthesizing efficient and stable photocatalysts.
Flexible Organic Chiral Crystals with Thermal and Excitation Modulation of the Emission for Information Transmission, Writing, and Storage
Authors: Pan Xiuhong , Lan Linfeng , Li Liang , Naumov Panče , Zhang Hongyu
Published: February 2024

Organic single crystals quickly emerge as dense yet light and nearly defect‐free media for emissive elements. Integration of functionalities and control over the emissive properties is currently being explored for a wide range of these materials to benchmark their performance against organic emissive materials diluted in powders or films. Here, we report mechanically flexible emissive chiral organic crystals capable of an unprecedented combination of fast, reversible, and low‐fatigue responses. UV‐excited single crystals of both enantiomers of the material, 4‐chloro‐2‐(((1‐phenylidene)imino)methyl)phenol, exhibit a drastic yet reversible change in the emission color from green to orange‐yellow within a second and can be cycled at least 2000 times. The photoresponse was found to depend strongly on the excitation intensity and temperature. Combining chirality, mechanical compliance, rapid emission switching, multiple responses, and writability by UV light, this material provides a unique and versatile platform for developing organic crystal‐based materials for on‐demand signal transfer, information storage, and cryptography.
Facile Fabrication of Hollow Nanoporous Carbon Architectures by Controlling MOF Crystalline Inhomogeneity for Ultra‐Stable Na‐Ion Storage
Authors: Zheng Ze‐Lin , Wu Ming‐Min , Zeng Xian , Zhu Xiao‐Wei , Luo Dong , Chen Xue‐Ling , Chen Yan‐Fei , Yang Guo‐Zhan , Bin De‐Shan , Zhou Xiao‐Ping , Li Dan
Published: February 2024

Hollow nanoporous carbon architectures (HNCs) present significant utilitarian value for a wide variety of applications. Facile and efficient preparation of HNCs has long been pursued but still remains challenging. Herein, we for the first time demonstrate that single‐component metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) crystals, rather than the widely reported hybrid ones which necessitate tedious operations for preparation, could enable the facile and versatile syntheses of functional HNCs. By controlling the growth kinetics, the MOFs crystals (STU‐1) are readily engineered into different shapes with designated styles of crystalline inhomogeneity. A subsequent one‐step pyrolysis of these MOFs with intraparticle difference can induce a simultaneous self‐hollowing and carbonization process, thereby producing various functional HNCs including yolk‐shell polyhedrons, hollow microspheres, mesoporous architectures, and superstructures. Superior to the existing methods, this synthetic strategy relies only on the complex nature of single‐component MOFs crystals without involving tedious operations like coating, etching, or ligand exchange, making it convenient, efficient, and easy to scale up. An ultra‐stable Na‐ion battery anode is demonstrated by the HNCs with extraordinary cyclability (93 % capacity retention over 8000 cycles), highlighting a high level of functionality of the HNCs.
pKa as a Predictive Descriptor for Electrochemical Anion Adsorption
Authors: Hasan Mohammad H. , McCrum Ian T.
Published: February 2024

The adsorption of anions onto metal surfaces is important in many applications including effective (electro)catalyst design, metal surface modification, and contaminant removal in wastewater treatment. In electrocatalysis, anions can be both reactive intermediates or site‐blocking spectators, where their adsorption strength therefore dictates the rate of reaction. In this work, we have measured the adsorption energy of a series of carboxylic acids on a Pt (111) single‐crystal electrode surface from aqueous solution. We find that the adsorption strength of the carboxylate anion is linearly correlated with its acid‐dissociation constant (pKa) and therefore the heterolytic O−H bond dissociation strength in solution. Using density functional theory modeling, we split the anion adsorption energy into a sum of the adsorption energy and electron affinity of a neutral (carboxyl) radical. Surprisingly, the adsorption energy of the carboxyl radicals are similar and therefore the large difference in electron affinity is what dictates anion adsorption strength; the greater the cost in energy to remove the electron from the anion upon adsorption, the weaker its binding. Therefore, at least within a class of anions with similar structure and surface binding atoms, both electron affinity and acidity are predictive descriptors of adsorption strength.
Ir‐Doped CuPd Single‐Crystalline Mesoporous Nanotetrahedrons for Ethylene Glycol Oxidation Electrocatalysis: Enhanced Selective Cleavage of C−C Bond
Authors: Lv Hao , Mao Yumeng , Yao Huiqin , Ma Huazhong , Han Chenyu , Yang Yao‐Yue , Qiao Zhen‐An , Liu Ben
Published: February 2024

The development of highly efficient electrocatalysts for complete oxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) in direct EG fuel cells is of decisive importance to hold higher energy efficiency. Despite some achievements, their progress, especially electrocatalytic selectivity to complete oxidated C1 products, is remarkably slower than expected. In this work, we developed a facile aqueous synthesis of Ir‐doped CuPd single‐crystalline mesoporous nanotetrahedrons (Ir‐CuPd SMTs) as high‐performance electrocatalyst for promoting oxidation cleavage of C−C bond in alkaline EG oxidation reaction (EGOR) electrocatalysis. The synthesis relied on precise reduction/co‐nucleation and epitaxial growth of Ir, Cu and Pd precursors with cetyltrimethylammonium chloride as the mesopore‐forming surfactant and extra Br− as the facet‐selective agent under ambient conditions. The products featured concave nanotetrahedron morphology enclosed by well‐defined (111) facets, single‐crystalline and mesoporous structure radiated from the center, and uniform elemental composition without any phase separation. Ir‐CuPd SMTs disclosed remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability as well as superior selectivity of C1 products for alkaline EGOR electrocatalysis. Detailed mechanism studies demonstrated that performance improvement came from structural and compositional synergies, which kinetically accelerated transports of electrons/reactants within active sites of penetrated mesopores and facilitated oxidation cleavage of high‐energy‐barrier C−C bond of EG for desired C1 products. More interestingly, Ir‐CuPd SMTs performed well in coupled electrocatalysis of anode EGOR and cathode nitrate reduction, highlighting its high potential as bifunctional electrocatalyst in various applications.
Preparation of light‐responsive block copolymer modified cellulose nanocrystal@polydopamine particle and its application in fluorinated polyacrylate film
Authors: Zhou Jianhua , Li Yan , Li Sitong , Zhou Mengyuan , Lu Kai , Yu Jiarui
Published: February 2024

Light‐responsive cellulose nanocrystal@polydopamine (CNC@PDA) modified fluorinated polyacrylate was synthesized by Pickering emulsion polymerization with light‐responsive block copolymer modified CNC@PDA as stabilizer. The epoxy groups in poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide)‐b‐poly(glycidyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(hexafluorobutyl acrylate‐co‐coumarin) amphiphilic triblock copolymer reacted with the hydroxyl and amino groups on the surface of CNC@PDA to form the modified CNC@PDA. The successful preparation of modified CNC@PDA was confirmed by means of FT‐IR, XRD, TG, UV–Vis, surface tension measurement, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The results showed that the modified CNC@PDA had light‐responsive and amphiphilic properties, and could be used as stabilizer to form stable Pickering emulsion. And the influence of modified CNC@PDA dosage on emulsion polymerization and film performance was systematically studied. The latex particle size decreased initially with increasing modified CNC@PDA dosage, from 0.6 to 1.0 wt%, and then increased. The mechanical, self‐healing, and water–oil repellent properties of film were enhanced initially with increasing modified CNC@PDA dosage, from 0.6 to 1.0 wt%, and then declined. Atomic force microscope confirmed that the latex film had a rough surface. Moreover, the latex film comprising 1.0 wt% modified CNC@PDA presented not only high tensile strength (4.92 MPa), large elongation at break (657.70%), and superior oil/water repellency but also excellent self‐healing property.
Variation in harms and benefits of prostate‐specific antigen screening for prostate cancer by socio‐clinical risk factors: A rapid review
Authors: Tesfai Abel , Norori Natalia , Harding Thomas A. , Wong Yui Hang , Hobbs Matthew David
Published: February 2024

Objective

To analyse the latest evidence on the relative harms and benefits of screening and diagnostic pathways with close examination of (i) men aged 50 years or older, (ii) men whose ethnicity places them at higher risk and (iii) men with a family history.

Methods

We conducted a literature search using PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases and other sources, from January 1990 to 25 January 2023. Two independent reviewers selected for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies which met our inclusion criteria.

Results

Twenty‐eight articles were selected, from six trials, including the Göteborg trial—reported separately from European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC). Prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐based screening led to the increased detection of low‐grade cancer and reduction of advanced/metastatic disease but had contradictory effects on prostate cancer (PCa)‐specific mortality (no difference or reduced), possibly due to issues of contamination or compliance. Screening men from a relatively young age (50–55) reduced risk of PCa‐specific mortality in a subanalysis of an 18‐year follow‐up study and in a 17‐year cohort study from the main Göteborg trial. Moreover, one Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial analysis reported a trend of reduced risk of PCa‐specific mortality for men with a family history who were screened. [Correction added on 05 March 2024, after first online publication: “Cancer Screening Trial” has been added to the preceding sentence.] However, we did not find relevant studies for ethnicity.

Conclusion

Under current UK practice, the choice to conduct a PSA test relies on a shared decision‐making approach guided by known risk factors. However, we found there was a lack of strong evidence on the harms and benefits of PSA screening by socio‐clinical risk factors and suggest further research is required to understand the long‐term impact of screening on high‐risk populations in the current diagnostic setting.
Molecular dyad exhibiting strong multi‐resonance blue fluorescence
Authors: Jhun Byung Hak , You Youngmin
Published: February 2024

A multi‐resonance (MR) fluorophore exhibiting circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) holds a significant promise for enhancing the utility of organic light‐emitting devices. To meet this demand, we have devised molecular dyads having azaoxaborin MR emitters based on homochiral (R)‐ and (S)‐1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol. The synthesized 12,12′‐di‐tert‐butyl‐9,9′‐bi(8,8′‐dioxa‐4b,4′b‐diaza‐14b,14′b‐diborafluorantheno[1,2,3‐de]tetracene) products (TBNBOCz) exhibit strong blue fluorescence, with a remarkable 100% fluorescence quantum yield and an extremely narrow full width at half‐maximum of 22 nm. However, unexpectedly, TBNBOCz exhibits negligible electric circular dichroism and CPL activities. Chiroptical investigations into the reaction precursors reveals an occurrence of racemization in the borylation step. This result emphasizes the importance of understanding synthetic processes and their impact on the chiroptical properties.
Induced Absolute Configuration of Achiral Tetradentate Ligands in Metal–Organic Frameworks for Circularly Polarized Luminescence
Authors: Fu Hong‐Ru , Ren Dan‐Dan , Zhang Kun , Chen Hong , Lu Xiaoyan , Ding Qing‐Rong , Ma Lu‐Fang
Published: February 2024

Comprehensive Summary

The crystallization of chiral molecules is of great significance to understand the origin and evolution of hierarchical chirality and reveal the relationships between structural chirality and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity. Here, we report two pairs of chiral metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) (DCF‐17/LCF‐17, DCF‐18/LCF‐18) by utilizing tetradentate ligands tetra(3‐imidazoylphenyl)ethylene (TIPE) and 4,4'‐[4',5'‐bis[4‐(4‐pyridinyl)phenyl][1,1':2',1”‐terphenyl]‐4,4”‐diyl]bis[pyridine] (TPPP) as linkers. It can be observed that the spontaneous resolution of the achiral ligands is converted into the induced resolution, and the ligands form the absolute configuration by using enantiopure camphoric acid (cam) as chiral induced reagent (CIR). As a result, the racemate MOFs can be driven to generate absolute homochiral crystallization. Another two achiral MOFs [Cd(D‐cam)(TPPP)0.5] (AF‐1, AF = achiral framework) and [Cd(L‐cam)(TPPP)0.5] (AF‐2) were prepared. The position disorder of D/L‐cam skeleton causes the generation of nonchiralization, further leading to disappearance of symmetry breaking of TPPP. For the perspective of structure, this is the first report which reveals the chiral transfer and nonchiralization between chiral induced agents and tetradentate ligands. Besides, DCF‐17 and LCF‐17 show CPL with luminescence dissymmetry factor (glum) of –1.0 × 10‐2 and +9.2 × 10–3, respectively. This work provides the useful evidences to reveal the induced chiral crystallization and the construction of CPL‐active crystalline materials.
Challenges in clinical trials for high‐risk but curable prostate cancer
Authors: Dorff Tanya Barauskas , Bryce Alan H.
Published: February 2024

Clinical trials studying neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy around prostatectomy for patients with high‐risk prostate cancer have faced multiple challenges. Patients who have a very good response to neoadjuvant therapy may not wish to continue to adjuvant treatment, and prostate‐specific antigen–based end points are difficult to interpret because of variations in testosterone recovery.
Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from directors' and officers' liability insurance
Authors: Xia Hui , Ling Shixian , Liu Zhangxin (Frank) , Treepongkaruna Sirimon
Published: February 2024

Theoretical theories underpin the governance effect of directors' and officers' (D&O) liability insurance include agency costs and stakeholder interests. Motivated by mixed evidence on the corporate governance effects of D&O, we ask whether and how the directors' and officers' (D&O) liability insurance affects corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance in China, one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world. We develop two contrasting hypotheses: (1) supervision and incentives versus (2) opportunism. To test these hypotheses, we rely on Chinese A‐share market data and fixed effect panel regressions, along with a battery of robustness checks, including Heckman sample selection bias, two‐stage least square instrumental variable (2SLS‐IV), difference‐in‐difference (DiD), propensity score matching (PSM) analyses. Consistent with supervision and incentives hypotheses and stakeholder theory, we find that D&O liability insurance significantly increases firm's CSR performance and firms renewing D&O liability insurance with the same insurers tend to have better CSR performance. Two possible mechanisms supporting this positive relation between D&O liability insurance and CSR performance are information transparency and accounting conservatism. Aside from theoretical contributions, our findings offer important practical contributions such as promoting D&O as external governance and ensuring the functions of D&O insurance comprehensively and correctly understood. Integrating D&O insurance with CSR can be viewed as an important business strategy by mitigating risks, enhancing reputation, ensuring legal compliance, and supporting responsible decision‐making.
−COOH & −OH Condensation Reaction Utilization for Biomass FDCA‐based Polyesters
Authors: Yi Jing , Dai Yuze , Li Yuxuan , Zhao Yuhao , Wu Yuanpeng , Jiang Min , Zhou Guangyuan
Published: February 2024

A green and sustainable −COOH & −OH condensation solution polymerization method was hereby reported for FDCA‐based polyesters to avoid discoloration and toxic solvents. First, taking poly(ethylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) (PEF) as the representative of FDCA‐based polyester, enabling good white appearance PEF with Mn=6.51×103 g mol−1 from FDCA and ethylene glycol in green solvent γ‐valerolactone (GVL), catalyzed by 4‐dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) and N‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)‐N’‐ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Additionally, the molecular weight of PEF was rapidly improved (Mn >2.5×104 g mol−1) via remelting polycondensation within minutes, with the dispersity still kept relatively low dispersity (Đ<1.40). Importantly, the −COOH & −OH condensation solution polymerization method was successfully applied for the synthesis of various FDCA‐based polyesters, including diols with varying carbon chain lengths (3 to 11 carbons) and cycloalkyl diols, especially the applicability of this method to diols containing C=C double bonds, which was found to exhibit low heat resistance. Lastly, assisting with 13C labeled 1,4‐succinic acid and in‐situ 13C‐NMR, an in‐depth study of the possible catalytic mechanism was proposed, by which, EDC activated FDCA, and then DMAP catalyzed it with diol to yield macromolecular chain of polyester. Overall, the results provided a green and sustainable strategy for the synthesis of FDCA‐based polyesters.
Sensitivity calculation for Monte Carlo particle simulations of neutrals in the plasma edge
Authors: Horsten Niels , Carli Stefano , Dekeyser Wouter
Published: February 2024

Algorithmic differentiation (AD) is a promising tool to accurately and efficiently compute sensitivities of several code outputs w.r.t. the code input parameters for the complex Monte Carlo code EIRENE. We illustrate the procedure by assessing the sensitivity of the total atom content w.r.t. the atomic and molecular cross‐sections and rate coefficients. AD does not suffer from decorrelation between primal and perturbed particle trajectories, which easily happens for finite difference (FD) sensitivity calculations. Consequently, the resulting statistical errors on AD sensitivities are up to five orders of magnitude smaller than the statistical errors on FD sensitivities for a JET low‐recycling background plasma. Although this statistical error reduction is promising for the application of the AD sensitivities in a future optimization or uncertainty quantification framework, we show that the AD sensitivities can blow up for a minority of long‐lived particles, especially occurring in detachment. Finally, we conclude that the Monte Carlo simulation and estimator type possibly need to be adapted to improve the accuracy of the sensitivities.
Fusion of old and new: Employing touch imprint slides for next generation sequencing in solid tumors
Authors: Aydin Mericoz Cisel , Eren Ozgur Can , Kulac Ibrahim , Firat Pinar
Published: February 2024

Background

Cytomorphological evaluation of tissue touch imprints during rapid on‐site evaluation or intraoperative pathology consultation has crucial value. However, literature on their utility for molecular testing is limited. In this study, we emphasize a further benefit of touch imprint slides and scrutinize our institutional experience on their use in molecular testing, specifically next generation sequencing (NGS).

Materials and Methods

NGS‐based reports (2019–2023) of Koç University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed and circumstances in which sequencing was conducted on touch imprint slides were retrieved (n = 18). Type/location of the biopsy, diagnosis, results, and quality metrics were recorded.

Results

Touch imprints were addressed when they harbored more neoplastic cells compared with permanent biopsies, when suboptimal fixation mitigated deoxyribonucleic acid/ribonucleic acid (DNA/RNA) yield in resections or when the sample was obtained from bone and required decalcification. Diagnoses were diverse, namely non‐small‐cell lung cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, glial tumor, Ewing sarcoma, and carcinoma of unknown primary. The percentage of tumor cells on slides stretched between 15% and 70%. Molecular findings ranged from KRAS mutations to TRIM1::NTRK2 and EWSR::FLI1 fusions. For five cases, sequencing did not yield any alteration, one study was not completed because it did not yield high‐quality RNA.

Conclusion

Touch imprint slides provide a reliable alternative, especially when neoplastic cells are scarce in permanent biopsies or decalcification deters nucleic acid quality. Based on our experience, we suggest making touch imprints on a routine basis, especially for every bone biopsy. Once digitally scanned duplicates are made, original slides can be safely used for DNA‐/RNA‐based molecular studies.
A case of anal canal carcinoma with pagetoid spread that was curatively resected by multiple endoscopic and surgical treatments
Authors: Furuta Koichi , Kimoto Yoshiaki , Kano Yuki , Sakuno Takashi , Ono Kohei , Minato Yohei , Nakajima Kentaro , Miura Sakiko , Morikawa Teppei , Ohata Ken
Published: February 2024

A 57‐year‐old woman with no significant medical history was referred after a colonoscopy for abdominal distension, which revealed a tumor in the lower rectum. Pre‐operative colonoscopy showed the tumor was 12 mm in size, located from the anorectal junction to beyond the dentate line, and was diagnosed as high‐grade intramucosal neoplasia or shallow submucosal invasive cancer. Endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed, and the lesion was resected en bloc. Pathological examination revealed moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma with tubulovillous adenoma. The stratified squamous epithelium adjacent to the anal side of the lesion showed pagetoid spread of atypical cells with positive horizontal margins. We referred her to a surgeon for radical treatment. The mucosa surrounding the endoscopic submucosal dissection scar was normal on narrow‐band imaging magnification. We marked its oral side endoscopically as the resected boundary. Transanal local excision was performed. The horizontal margins were positive because atypical cells had spread into the stratified squamous epithelium of the anorectal side of the lesion. The patient was followed on an outpatient basis. Sixty days postoperatively, residual tumor growth was observed. The second local resection was performed after mapping biopsy. All resection margins were negative, there was no lymphovascular invasion. One year after surgery, no recurrence was observed. Regarding endoscopic findings, there are no reports of endoscopic findings of the rectal mucosa, or the squamous epithelium of the anus of pagetoid spread. Here, we report a review of perianal Paget's Disease that resulted in difficulties in borderline diagnosis of pagetoid spread, resulting in multiple therapeutic interventions.
Constructing a database of alien plants in the Himalaya to test patterns structuring diversity
Authors: Rana Suresh K. , Dangwal Bhawana , Rawat Gopal S. , Price Trevor D.
Published: February 2024

Differences in the number of alien plant species in different locations may reflect climatic and other controls that similarly affect native species and/or propagule pressure accompanied with delayed spread from the point of introduction. We set out to examine these alternatives for Himalayan plants, in a phylogenetic framework. We build a database of alien plant distributions for the Himalaya. Focusing on the well‐documented regions of Jammu & Kashmir (west) and Bhutan (east) we compare alien and native species for (1) richness patterns, (2) degree of phylogenetic clustering, (3) the extent to which species‐poor regions are subsets of species‐rich regions and (4) continental and climatic affinities/source. We document 1470 alien species (at least 600 naturalised), which comprise ~14% of the vascular plants known from the Himalaya. Alien plant species with tropical affinities decline in richness with elevation and species at high elevations form a subset of those at lower elevations, supporting location of introduction as an important driver of alien plant richness patterns. Separately, elevations which are especially rich in native plant species are also rich in alien plant species, suggesting an important role for climate (high productivity) in determining both native and alien richness. We find no support for the proposition that variance in human disturbance or numbers of native species correlate with alien distributions. Results imply an ongoing expansion of alien species from low elevation sources, some of which are highly invasive.
Drivers of plant diversity, community composition, functional traits, and soil processes along an alpine gradient in the central Chilean Andes
Authors: Schroeder Lucy , Robles Valeria , Jara‐Arancio Paola , Lapadat Cathleen , Hobbie Sarah E. , Arroyo Mary T. K. , Cavender‐Bares Jeannine
Published: February 2024

High alpine regions are threatened but understudied ecosystems that harbor diverse endemic species, making them an important biome for testing the role of environmental factors in driving functional trait‐mediated community assembly processes. We tested the hypothesis that plant community assembly along a climatic and elevation gradient is influenced by shifts in habitat suitability, which drive plant functional, phylogenetic, and spectral diversity. In a high mountain system (2400–3500 m) Región Metropolitana in the central Chilean Andes (33°S, 70°W). We surveyed vegetation and spectroscopic reflectance (400–2400 nm) to quantify taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, and spectral diversity at five sites from 2400 to 3500 m elevation. We characterized soil attributes and processes by measuring water content, carbon and nitrogen, and net nitrogen mineralization rates. At high elevation, colder temperatures reduced available soil nitrogen, while at warmer, lower elevations, soil moisture was lower. Metrics of taxonomic, functional, and spectral alpha diversity peaked at mid‐elevations, while phylogenetic species richness was highest at low elevation. Leaf nitrogen increased with elevation at the community level and within individual species, consistent with global patterns of increasing leaf nitrogen with colder temperatures. The increase in leaf nitrogen, coupled with shifts in taxonomic and functional diversity associated with turnover in lineages, indicate that the ability to acquire and retain nitrogen in colder temperatures may be important in plant community assembly in this range. Such environmental filters have important implications for forecasting shifts in alpine plant communities under a warming climate.
Long‐term fertilization and cultivation impacts on nematode abundance and community structure in tall fescue turfgrass
Authors: Waldo Benjamin D. , Shahoveisi Fereshteh , Carroll Mark J.
Published: February 2024

Impacts of long‐term fertilization and cultivation were evaluated on nematode communities associated with tall fescue turfgrass following 11 years of treatment applications. Fertilizer treatments of biosolid, synthetic, and plant‐based fertilizers and cultivation treatments of 0×, 1×, and 2× aerification passes were applied to randomized and replicated tall fescue plots at the University of Maryland Paint Branch Turfgrass facility in College Park, Maryland. Free‐living and plant‐parasitic nematodes were identified, enumerated, and categorized into functional groups. Nematode count data were compared using generalized linear mixed modeling with negative binomial distribution and two‐way ANOVA was used to compare nematode ecological indices. Biosolid treatments resulted in lower omnivore‐predator densities than plant‐based fertilizer treatments (p ≤ .001) and significantly greater Hoplolaimus densities than plant‐based fertilizer plots (p ≤ .05). Synthetic fertilizer applications resulted in the greatest Eucephalobus (p ≤ .05) and total bacterivore densities (p ≤ .001) of all fertilizer treatments. Plant‐based fertilizer‐treated plots had the largest Maturity Index cp 2‐5 and Structure Index (p ≤ .05). Cultivation of 1× resulted in fewer total bacterivore densities than 2× (p ≤ .01) while omnivore‐predator densities were greater in 1× than 0× (p ≤ .001). Plant health, as measured by NDVI, was lowest in biosolid‐treated turfgrass (p ≤ .05). These findings suggest that long‐term turfgrass management practices can have variable impacts on nematode abundance and community structure in tall fescue and provide insights into ecological impacts of turfgrass management practices.
Mechanisms, costs, and carry‐over effects of cannibal‐induced developmental plasticity in invasive cane toads
Authors: Crossland Michael R. , Shine Richard , DeVore Jayna L.
Published: February 2024

Inducible defences can improve survival in variable environments by allowing individuals to produce defences if they detect predators. These defences are often expressed as inter‐related developmental, morphological, and behavioural changes. However, producing defences can incur costs, which may be expressed immediately and/or during subsequent life stages. In Australia, waterborne cues of potentially cannibalistic conspecific tadpoles induce hatchlings of invasive cane toads to accelerate their developmental rate, thereby reducing their window of vulnerability. However, the mechanisms and costs of such accelerated development are poorly understood, and whether cane toad embryos show cannibal‐induced plasticity in other traits is unknown. Here, we found no evidence of altered time of hatching for embryos exposed to non‐feeding conspecific cannibal tadpole cues. Additionally, hatchling dispersal behaviours were not affected by exposure to these cues. However, developmental acceleration of hatchlings induced by exposure to tadpole cues was accompanied by reduced hatchling growth, indicating a trade‐off between these processes. At the conclusion of the hatchling stage, cannibal‐exposed individuals were smaller and morphologically distinct from control siblings. This size reduction affected performance during the subsequent tadpole stage: smaller cannibal‐exposed individuals were more likely to die, and initial size tended to be positively associated with subsequent tadpole growth and development across treatments (respectively, p = .07 and p = .06). However, even accounting for variation in initial size, there was an additional negative effect of cannibal exposure on tadpole growth and development, demonstrating that the fitness costs associated with developmental acceleration are not entirely attributable to size reductions.
Dillenia (Dilleniaceae) pollen heteromorphy and presentation, and implications for pollination by bats
Authors: Petit Sophie , Scanlon Annette T. , Naikatini Alivereti , Pukala Tara
Published: February 2024

Bat pollination of Dillenia in Fiji, a genus that was presumed to be pollinated by bees, posits that other Dillenia species may be bat‐pollinated, with implications for conservation and the understanding of angiosperm evolution. Botanical descriptions of some corolla behaviours (‘falling as a whole’) suggest bat removal of permanently closed corollas, as in D. biflora. Considering the remoteness of species of interest, we reviewed some Dillenia floral traits to hypothesise what they may mean for bat pollination of the genus. We investigated D. biflora pollen grains apertures and reviewed Dillenia literature concerning corolla behaviour and colour, and pollen apertures and presentation, including pores and staminodes. Our samples had dramatically different ratios of tricolpate to tetracolpate pollen grains, a trait that does not exclude pollination by bees. Petal colour polymorphism occurs, with mixed colours proportionately less common in flowers with corollas that open. The proportion of species with staminodes did not differ between those presumed to be pollinated by bats and others, but anthers of the former were significantly more likely to have apical pores, and stamens all had similar length or were slightly longer in the middle, whereas stamens in two distinct groups occurred in 55% of bee‐pollinated species. Pollen heteromorphy may facilitate pollination by different taxa in tropical environments. However, anther apical pores and stamen uniformity are more likely to be associated with bat‐pollinated species than are other morphologies. Dillenia could be a useful model to examine evolutionary aspects of colour, heteranthery, staminodes and pollen heteromorphy. Only field work will verify bat pollination and the implications of bat dependence for Dillenia species.