bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic Nanocarriers Inhibit Chemotherapy‐Induced Breast Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Li Tianyu , Akinade Tolulope , Zhou Jie , Wang Hongxia , Tong Qisong , He Siyu , Rinebold Emily , Valencia Salazar Luis E. , Bhansali Divya , Zhong Yiling , Ruan Jing , Du Jinzhi , Dalerba Piero , Leong Kam W.
Published: October 2022

Chemotherapy, although effective against primary tumors, may promote metastasis by causing the release of proinflammatory factors from damaged cells. Here, polymeric nanoparticles that deliver chemotherapeutics and scavenge proinflammatory factors simultaneously to inhibit chemotherapy‐induced breast cancer metastasis are developed. The cationic nanoparticles can adsorb cell‐free nucleic acids (cfNAs) based on charge–charge interaction, which downregulates the expression of Toll‐like receptors and then reduces the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Through in vitro structural optimization, cationic polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers modified with drug‐binding dodecyl groups and diethylethanolamine surface groups (PAMAM‐G3‐C125‐DEEA20) exhibit the most desirable combination of nanoparticle size (≈140 nm), drug loading, cytotoxicity, cfNA binding, and anti‐inflammatory activity. In the mouse models of breast cancer metastasis, paclitaxel‐loaded nanoparticles reduce serum levels of cfNAs and inflammatory cytokines compared with paclitaxel treatment alone and inhibit both primary tumor growth and tumor metastasis. Additionally, no significant side effects are detected in the serum or major organs. These results provide a strategy to deliver chemotherapeutics to primary tumors while reducing the prometastatic effects of chemotherapy.
Response of dark red kidney beans to nitrogen on irrigated, sandy soil
Authors: Liang Guolong , Ruark Matthew D. , Wang Yi
Published: October 2022

There is a lack of nitrogen response research on dark red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). This is of particular importance as most cultivars form nodules and are commonly grown on sandy soil. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of nitrogen rates and irrigation amounts on leaf area index, white mold occurrence, yield, and N uptake of dark red kidney beans. The study occurred at the University of Wisconsin Hancock Agricultural Research Station over two growing seasons (2020 and 2021), across four N rates, three irrigation levels, and five cultivars. Preceding crop for each study year was potato and field corn, respectively. More heavy rainfall events that may lead to leaching were observed in 2021. Neither irrigation effect nor general cultivar difference was observed on bean yield, disease resistance, and nitrogen use across the 2 years. Bean yield was significantly influenced by N rates across the five cultivars in 2020 but not in 2021, with 56 kg ha−1 more total N uptake at the lowest N rate in 2021. This highlights large site‐year influences on N supply from fixation. Furthermore, although greater N application did lead to greater yield in 1 year, it was also associated with greater white mold disease pressure and lower partial factor productivity (PFP). Thus, there is economic risk in N application to dark red kidney beans on irrigated sandy soil from reduced quality (mold damage) and lower N use efficiency (indicated by lower PFP), although site‐year effects remain unknown.
Split applications of molybdenum fertilizer on common bean increase molybdenum in seed
Authors: Prado Adalgisa L. , Araujo Eduardo F. , Carneiro José Eustáquio S. , Araujo Roberto F. , Braun Heder , Paula Trazilbo J. , Teixeira Pablo H. , Vieira Rogério F.
Published: October 2022

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants sprayed with molybdenum (Mo) fertilizer produce Mo‐enriched seeds, which may increase yield in Mo‐poor soils. The challenge has been to produce Mo‐enriched seeds with less fertilizer. Split applications of Mo increase seed Mo content (SMoC), but the number of splits that maximize SMoC has not been studied sufficiently. In three sprinkler‐irrigated field trials, we evaluated the effects of split‐applied Mo fertilizer on SMoC and seed physiological quality. All treatments received NPK fertilizer at sowing. In two treatments, 69 kg ha−1 of urea‐N was top‐dressed or not applied. In six treatments, Na2MoO4·2H2O was foliar‐sprayed once at either 90 or 600 g ha−1 of Mo at the 4th trifoliolate leaf (V4) growth stage, or 600 g ha−1 was split equally at V4 and bud initiation (R5); V4, R5, and full flowering (R6); V4, R5, R6, and early pod formation (R7); or V4, R5, R6, and early and late R7 growth stages. Seed yield for each trial ranged from 3723 to 4621 kg ha−1. Site‐treatment interaction was significant for SMoC and seed germination (p < 0.001). SMoC ranged from 0.11 to 0.23 (only NPK‐fertilized), 1.81 to 3.31 (600 g ha−1, no split), and 5.22 to 6.29 μg (four splits). Four and five splits did not differ significantly for any variable. In two trials, seeds from 600 g ha−1 of Mo had a 3.9% higher germination than seeds from 90 g ha−1. In conclusion, SMoC increases as the number of splits increase up to four times. Additionally, Mo applied at 600 g ha−1 may improve seed germination rate.
An estimation of the informal economy in the agricultural sector in the EU‐15 from 1996 to 2019
Authors: Schneider Friedrich , Morkunas Mangirdas , Quendler Erika
Published: October 2022

This study is the first to calculate the size and development of the informal/shadow economies in the agricultural sector for 15 “old” EU countries over 1996–2019. The multiple indicators multiple causes model was used for the estimation of levels and development of informal economies of these countries. The results show higher levels of informal economies in agriculture compared with those in the overall economies. One main contributing factor to this development was a change in the subsidization regime, namely, decoupling Common Agricultural Policy payments from quantities of products produced, introduced in 2003. The effects of taxation, share of imports, and factor income in agriculture are also important for the size of the informal agricultural economy. Finally, we disaggregate the informal work into subcategories, such as self‐employed, family and nonfamily, and household work. The biggest potential for the development of informal economy comes from taxation, regulation, and self‐employment, followed by family work and unreported employment. [EconLit Citations: Q11, Q14, Q19].
Workplace hazards and health among informally employed domestic workers in 14 cities, United States, 2011–2012: Using four approaches to characterize workers’ patterns of exposures
Authors: Wright Emily , Chen Jarvis T. , Beckfield Jason , Theodore Nik , Krieger Nancy
Published: October 2022

Background

We characterized informally employed US domestic workers’ (DWers) exposure to patterns of workplace hazards, as well as to single hazards, and examined associations with DWers’ work‐related and general health.

Methods

We analyzed cross‐sectional data from the sole nationwide survey of informally employed US DWers with work‐related hazards data, conducted in 14 cities (2011–2012; N = 2086). We characterized DWers’ exposures using four approaches: single exposures (n = 19 hazards), composite exposure to hazards selected a priori, classification trees, and latent class analysis. We used city fixed effects regression to estimate the risk ratio (RR) of work‐related back injury, work‐related illness, and fair‐to‐poor self‐rated health associated with exposure as defined by each approach.

Results

Across all four approaches—net of individual, household, and occupational characteristics, and city fixed effects—exposure to workplace hazards was associated with increased risk of the three health outcomes. For work‐related back injury, the estimated RR associated with heavy lifting (the single hazard with the largest RR), exposure to all three hazards selected a priori (worker did heavy lifting, climbed to clean, and worked long hours) versus none, exposure to the two hazards identified by classification trees (heavy lifting, verbally abused) versus “no heavy lifting,” and membership in the most‐ versus least‐exposed latent class were, respectively, 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.7–4.1); 6.5 (95% CI 4.8–8.7); 4.4 (95% CI 3.6–5.3), and 6.6 (95% CI 4.6–9.4).

Conclusions

Measures of joint work‐related exposures were more strongly associated than single exposures with informally employed US DWers’ health profiles.
Quantum Optics Parity Effect on Generalized NOON States and Its Implications for Quantum Metrology
Authors: Migliore Agostino , Messina Antonino
Published: October 2022

NOON states are entangled states of great interest in the development of quantum technologies, because they enable high‐precision phase measurements in interferometric schemes relevant to quantum metrology and sensing. This study shows that two degenerate modes of a cavity field coupled to an atom or molecule that can be modeled as a two‐level system through two‐photon interactions, initially prepared in a (generalized) NOON state, experience a dynamical evolution that distinctly depends on the parity of the photon number. When the total photon number is even, the system dynamics is characterized by a time range in which the state of the system evolves near maximally entangled states that may be fed to an optical interferometer to make phase measurements essentially at the Heisenberg limit. Such entangled states cannot be achieved for odd photon numbers instead. The parity effect thus emerges as a potential control factor in quantum metrology, sensing, and lithography.
Overcoming Hypoxia‐Induced Ferroptosis Resistance via a19F/1H‐MRI Traceable Core‐Shell Nanostructure
Authors: Dong Zhe , Liang Peng , Guan Guoqiang , Yin Baoli , Wang Youjuan , Yue Renye , Zhang Xiaobing , Song Guosheng
Published: October 2022

Lipid peroxides accumulation induced ferroptosis is an effective cell death pathway for cancer therapy. However, the hypoxic condition of tumor microenvironment significantly suppresses the efficacy of ferroptosis. Here, we design a novel nanoplatform to overcome hypoxia‐induced ferroptosis resistance. Specifically, we synthesize a novel kind of perfluorocarbon (PFOB)@manganese oxide (MnOx) core‐shell nanoparticles (PM‐CS NPs). Owing to the good carrier of O2as fuel, PM‐CS NPs can induce higher level of ROS generation, lipid peroxidation and GSH depletion, as well as lower activity of GPX4, compared with MnOx NPs alone. Moreover, the supplement of O2can relieve tumor hypoxia to break down the storage of intracellular lipid droplets and increase expression of ACSL4 (a symbol for ferroptosis sensitivity). Furthermore, upon stimulus of GSH or acidity, PM‐CS NPs exhibit the “turn on”19F‐MRI signal and activatable T1/T2‐MRI contrast for correlating with the release of Mn. Finally, PM‐CS NPs exert high cancer inhibition rate for ferroptosis based therapy via synergetic combination of O2‐mediated enhancement of key pathways of ferroptosis.
Apparent 6‐endo‐trig Carbofluorination of Alkenes Enabled by Palladium‐Based Dyotropic Rearrangement
Authors: Gong Jing , Wang Qian , Zhu Jieping
Published: October 2022

Alkene difunctionalization featuring an intramolecular carbometallation step has been developed into a powerful transformation in organic synthesis. The 5‐exo‐trig carbometallation is in general highly favored over the alternative 6‐endo‐trig cyclization. We report herein a formal 6‐endo‐trig carbofluorination protocol by combining the conventional 5‐exo‐trig carbopalladation with a chemoselective 1,2‐aryl/Pd dyotropic rearrangement. Treatment of 2‐(2‐alkylallyloxy)phenyl boronic acid derivatives in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(dba)2, 4,4′‐di‐tert‐butyl‐2,2′‐bipyridine and Selectfluor affords chromanes with concurrent generation of a tertiary alkyl fluoride function. A σ‐alkyl‐PdII species resulting from the 5‐exo‐trig carbopalladation process is isolated and characterized by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. Its oxidation to PdIV complex triggers the chemoselective dyotropic rearrangement leading to the ring expansion product.
Catecholamine‐induced acute myocardial stunning after accidental intra‐operative noradrenaline bolus
Authors: Rémond C. , Leporati J. , Proeschel M. , Deroche E. , de la Brière F.
Published: October 2022

We report a case of catecholamine‐induced acute myocardial stunning that occurred in a six‐year‐old girl. This was triggered by an accidental noradrenaline injection during general anaesthesia for dental surgery. The clinical course was favourable, although cardiac enzymes and echocardiography were significantly altered. The child was discharged home on the second postoperative day, after complete clinical resolution. We emphasise the need to consider shortening the surgical procedure, and to closely monitor patients following a medication error involving vasopressors even in the absence of symptoms. We highlight the importance of a controlled process for storing, identifying, preparing, and handling medications. The identification of weaknesses in the overall process of drug prescription and administration is of utmost importance.
The Critically Endangered El Rincon stream frog: Population viability and management actions in Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Velasco Melina Alicia , Berkunsky Igor , Di Pietro Diego Omar , Arellano María Luz , Williams Jorge Daniel , Kacoliris Federico Pablo
Published: October 2022

The El Rincon stream frog (Pleurodema somuncurense) is a microendemic species currently restricted to the thermal headwaters of the Valcheta Stream in the Somuncura Plateau, Northern Patagonia, Argentina. This species is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The critical status of the El Rincon stream frog requires urgent management actions.

Population viability analysis is one of the most effective tools to predict extinction risk and assess the potential effect of management actions. It is also helpful in knowing the minimum viable population (MVP) and minimum area requirements (MAR). However, this tool is rarely used to model viability in endangered amphibians.

This work aimed to: (i) estimate the extinction risk of each local population of El Rincon stream frogs; (ii) estimate the MVP and MAR; and (iii) model reintroduction and supplementation of the population as management strategies for this species. Practical management actions are also suggested for each relict population.

Population viability analyses were developed in Vortex 10.3.5.0 to estimate each local population's extinction risk, MVP and MAR. Supplementation and reinforcement of individuals were also modelled for local populations that are below the MVP.

The estimated MVP was 430 individuals, while MAR reached 683 m2. Modelling of reintroducing individuals showed that a single reintroduction of at least 50 adults, 140 juveniles, or 1,000 tadpoles would be needed to achieve a viable population. Local populations below the MVP would benefit from supplementation of a pair of adult frogs every 17 to 20 years.

This study provides a fundamental basis for assessing and improving current management and planning future conservation strategies within the framework of the El Rincon stream frog action plan.
OP3‐4 peptide sustained‐release hydrogel inhibits osteoclast formation and promotes vascularization to promote bone regeneration in a rat femoral defect model
Authors: Luo Peng , Fang Jiarui , Yang Dazhi , Yu Lan , Chen Houqing , Jiang Changging , Guo Rui , Zhu Tao , Tang Shuo
Published: October 2022

Bone injury caused changes to surrounding tissues, leading to a large number of osteoclasts appeared to clear the damaged bone tissue before bone regeneration. However, overactive osteoclasts will inhibit bone formation. In this study, we prepared methacrylylated gelatin (GelMA)‐based hydrogel to co‐crosslink with OP3‐4 peptide, a receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL) binding agent, to achieve the slow release of OP3‐4 peptide to inhibit the activation of osteoclasts, thus preventing the long‐term existence of osteoclasts from affecting bone regeneration, and promoting osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, CXCL9 secreted by osteoblasts will bind to endogenous VEGF and inhibit vascularization, finally hinder bone formation. Thus, anti‐CXCL9 antibodies (A‐CXCL9) were also loaded in the hydrogel to neutralize excess CXCL9. The hydrogel slow released of OP3‐4 cyclic peptide and A‐CXCL9 to simultaneously inhibiting osteoclast activation and promoting vascularization, thereby accelerating the healing of femur defect. Further analysis of osteogenic protein expression and signal pathways showed that the hydrogel may be through activating the AKT‐RUNX2‐ALP pathway and ultimately promote osteogenic differentiation. This dual‐acting hydrogel can effectively prevent nonunion caused by low vascularization and provide long‐term support for the treatment of bone injury.
Confidentiality: Law versus good practice
Authors: Masinter Michael R.
Published: October 2022

Among the alphabet soup of laws and associated regulations — the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act — that potentially govern the confidentiality of student educational and medical records submitted to a Disability Services Office, only FERPA limits access by university officials and faculty. Although institutions that seek to establish best practices may impose greater restrictions, federal law does not. Disability services professionals who must respond to a request from a faculty member or administrator to access a student's educational or medical records should be familiar with both the law and institutional policy before responding.
Navigating peer relationships: What do friendships look like for children whose parents have mental illnesses?
Authors: Cudjoe Ebenezer , Chiu Marcus Y. L. , Tam Cherry H. L.
Published: October 2022

Peer support programmes among children whose parents have mental illnesses have rarely focused on how these children relate with peers in the general population. Therefore, this phenomenological study in Ghana involved interviews with 13 children (ages 10 to 17) living with parental mental illness to learn about their peer relationships. Data were analysed to identify the phenomenon's essential features and constituents. The study finds that peer relations entail secrecy, peer victimisation and abuse. To these children, keeping secrets about parental mental illness ensures they have ‘normal’ peer relationships like others, as troubled peer relationships can develop when peers are informed about the parents' mental illness. Name‐calling, teasing and withdrawal persists when peers are aware of one's parental mental illness. Although the children perceive that they may find comfort in children who are in a similar situation, the pros and cons of developing peer support out of these in‐groups have to be verified rather than assumed. It is recommended that helping professionals educate school children and address myths they have about mental illness and its impact on their relationships.
Minorize–maximize algorithm for the generalized odds rate model for clustered current status data
Authors: Wang Tong , He Kejun , Ma Wei , Bandyopadhyay Dipankar , Sinha Samiran
Published: October 2022

Current status data are widely used in epidemiology and public health, where the only observable information is the random inspection time and the event status at inspection. This article presents a unified methodology to analyze such complex data subject to clustering. Given the random clustering effect, the time to event is assumed to follow a semiparametric generalized odds rate (GOR) model. The nonparametric component of the GOR model is approximated via penalized splines, with a set of knot points that increase with the sample size. The within‐subject correlation is accounted for by a random (frailty) effect. For estimation, a novel MM algorithm is developed that allows the separation of the parametric and nonparametric components of the model. This separation makes the problem conducive to applying the Newton–Raphson algorithm that quickly returns the roots. The work is accompanied by a complexity analysis of the algorithm, a rigorous asymptotic proof, and the related semiparametric efficiency of the proposed methodology. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is assessed via simulation studies. Furthermore, the proposed methodology is illustrated via real data analysis on periodontal disease studies accompanied by diagnostic checks to identify influential observations.
Causal inference for multiple treatments using fractional factorial designs
Authors: Pashley Nicole E. , Bind Marie‐Abèle C.
Published: October 2022

We consider the design and analysis of multi‐factor experiments using fractional factorial and incomplete designs within the potential outcome framework. These designs are particularly useful when limited resources make running a full factorial design infeasible. We connect our design‐based methods to standard regression methods. We further motivate the usefulness of these designs in multi‐factor observational studies, where certain treatment combinations may be so rare that there are no measured outcomes in the observed data corresponding to them. Therefore, conceptualizing a hypothetical fractional factorial experiment instead of a full factorial experiment allows for appropriate analysis in those settings. We illustrate our approach using biomedical data from the 2003–2004 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the effects of four common pesticides on body mass index.
An improved deep convolutional neural network for detecting plant leaf diseases
Authors: Arun Pandian J. , Kanchanadevi K.
Published: October 2022

This research proposes a novel dense convolutional neural network with five dense blocks (5DB‐DenseConvNet) for the detection of plant leaf diseases. Five dense blocks and four transition layers were used to develop the 5DB‐DenseConvNet. The 5DB‐DenseConvNet was trained and tested using a plant leaf disease image dataset. Such advanced data augmentation techniques as color augmentations, geometric transformations, neural style transfer, principal component analysis, color augmentation, random erasing, and super‐resolution generative adversarial network were used to increase the dataset size. The dataset contains 97 diseased and healthy image classes of 21 plants and comprises 145,500 images of healthy and diseased plant leaves. The Bayesian searching technique was used to optimize the hyperparameter values of 5DB‐DenseConvNet. Compression factor was introduced in the transition layer to improve the compactness of the 5DB‐DenseConvNet. The 5DB‐DenseConvNet was trained on a graphics processing unit environment for 1000 epochs. The trained 5DB‐DenseConvNet performed at an average classification accuracy of 99.36% and at an average precision of 98.83% on the test dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that the performance and reliability of the proposed 5DB‐DenseConvNet on plant disease detection are superior to prior transfer learning techniques.
RNA Chemical Labeling with Site‐Specific, Relative Quantification by Mass Spectrometry for the Structural Study of a Neomycin‐Sensing Riboswitch Aptamer Domain
Authors: Palasser Michael , Breuker Kathrin
Published: October 2022

High‐resolution mass spectrometry was used for the label‐free, direct localization and relative quantification of CMC+‐modifications of a neomycin‐sensing riboswitch aptamer domain in the absence and presence of the aminoglycoside ligands neomycin B, ribostamycin, and paromomycin. The chemical probing and MS data for the free riboswitch show high exposure to solvent of the uridine nucleobases U7, U8, U13, U14, U18 as part of the proposed internal and apical loops, but those of U10 and U21 as part of the proposed internal loop were found to be far less exposed than expected. Thus, our data are in better agreement with the proposed secondary structure of the riboswitch in complexes with aminoglycosides than with that of free RNA. For the riboswitch in complexes with neomycin B, ribostamycin, and paromomycin, we found highly similar CMC+‐modification patterns and excellent agreement with previous NMR studies. Differences between the chemical probing and MS data in the absence and presence of the aminoglycoside ligands were quantitative rather than qualitative (i. e., the same nucleobases were labeled, but to different extents) and can be rationalized by stabilization of both the proposed bulge and the apical loop by aminoglycoside binding. Our study shows that chemical probing and mass spectrometry can provide important structural information and complement other techniques such as NMR spectroscopy.
Study: Hospitals neglect patients with SUDs
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: October 2022

One out of nine hospitalized young adults and adults has a substance use disorder (SUD), and most are not in treatment for addiction when they are admitted to the hospital, the researchers wrote in their article, published as a “Perspective” in the Aug. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Different configurations of transferred atmospheric pressure plasma jet and their application to polymer treatment
Authors: do Nascimento Fellype , Quade Antje , Canesqui Mara Adriana , Kostov Konstantin Georgiev
Published: October 2022

The employment of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) in a large sort of applications is limited by the adversities related to the size of the treated area and the difficulty to reach the target. The use of devices that employ long tubes in their structure has contributed significantly to overcome these challenges. In this work, two different plasma systems employing the jet transfer technique are compared. The main difference between the two devices is how the long plastic tube was assembled. The first one uses a copper wire placed inside a long plastic tube. The other device has a metallic mesh installed in a concentric arrangement between two coaxial plastic tubes. As a result, the two APPJ systems exhibit different properties, with the wire assembly being more powerful, also presenting higher values for the electrical current and rotational temperature when compared to the mesh mounting. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrates that both configurations were capable of inserting O‐containing functional groups on the polypropylene (PP) surface. However, the transferred plasma jet with wire assembly was able to add more functional groups on the PP surface. The results from XPS analysis were corroborated with water contact angle measurements (WCA), being that lower WCA values were obtained when the PP surface presented higher amounts of O‐containing groups. Furthermore, the results suggest that the APPJ with wire configuration is more appropriate for material treatments, while the transferred jet with mesh arrangement tends to present lower electrical current values, being more suitable for biological applications.
Drought and coyotes mediate mesopredator response to human disturbance
Authors: Parren Molly K. , Furnas Brett J. , Barton Daniel C. , Nelson Misty D. , Clucas Barbara
Published: October 2022

Mesopredators in western North America are facing major changes to their ecosystems, including drought and the expansion of human disturbance. To balance resource needs and risk‐taking on the landscape, mesopredators are likely to shift their habitat use and interspecies interactions. As part of a large‐scale study to help evaluate responses of terrestrial wildlife to severe drought, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife surveyed mesopredator presence across 585 sites in the Mojave Desert (MD) and Central Valley (CV) ecoregions of California. This study spanned a drought year (2016) and a post‐drought year (2017), providing the opportunity to investigate how drought and interspecific interactions may mediate spatial patterns of mesopredator occurrence across a continuum of human disturbance levels. We used single‐season, single‐species, and conditional two‐species occupancy models to elucidate these relationships in both ecoregions. We examined the occupancy and detection of coyotes (Canis latrans) and smaller mesopredators, including bobcats (Lynx rufus) in both ecoregions, raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the CV, and desert kit foxes in the MD (Vulpes macrotis arsipus). The presence of coyotes influenced the detection probability of all other mesopredator species, and the influence of drought varied by species and ecoregion. Detection of mesopredators in the CV was typically higher in 2016, especially at low disturbance sites, suggesting species may have become more active during the drought to meet resource needs. However, detection of mesopredators in the MD tended to increase after the drought, suggesting a response to an increase in resources (e.g., prey). Coyotes in the MD became more detectable in high human disturbance in 2016 and less detectable in 2017, possibly increasing activity during the drought in human‐disturbed areas to obtain anthropogenic resources. Drought not only affects individual species and their relationships to human disturbance, but it can also influence their interspecies interactions and use of different landscape features.
Modular, multi‐barcode amplicon sequencing for improved species‐level detection of fungal phytopathogens: A case study of pipeline establishment targeting the Ophiostomatales
Authors: Trollip Conrad , Kaur Jatinder , Piper Alexander M. , Martoni Francesco , Mann Ross , Dinh Quang , Carnegie Angus J. , Rodoni Brendan , Edwards Jaqueline
Published: October 2022

Recent advances in the field of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding have produced a promising platform for early detection and broad‐spectrum monitoring of plant pests and pathogens. To date, the majority of fungal metabarcoding assays have relied upon universal primers amplifying segments of the ribosomal DNA, to ensure broad taxonomic coverage while studying changes in community composition, or more recently, to screen for presence/absence of target species. In a diagnostics framework however, single, universal molecular barcodes do not discriminate accurately enough for many groups of important fungal phytopathogens at the required species level. Here, a modular, multi‐barcode amplicon sequencing pipeline was established to provide rapid and reliable diagnostics targeting the Ophiostomatales, an order containing economically important phytopathogens vectored by bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae). Using compositionally varied mock communities, we evaluated five barcoding loci: ITS1, ITS2, the large ribosomal sub‐unit (LSU), translation elongation factor 1‐alpha (TEF1α) and calmodulin (CAL), for their ability to provide species‐level resolution. The sensitivity and detection limit of the assay was established by spiking genomic DNA of the exotic Dutch elm disease pathogen, Ophiostoma novo‐ulmi Brasier, into both the controlled mock communities and eDNA sampled from Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) beetles collected in New South Wales, Australia. The TEF1α barcode successfully detected the Dutch elm pathogen DNA with 100% accuracy down to approx. 5 pg/μl, while the ITS1 barcode had a 100% accuracy down to approx. 0.4 pg/μl within a given sample. Our results demonstrate that a dual‐barcode approach targeting the ITS1 and TEF1α regions simultaneously is sufficient for accurate species level detection and characterisation of the Ophiostomatales and offers confident detection of low‐abundance taxa (relative read abundances of 0.1%–0.01%). Multi‐barcode metabarcoding provides a framework which can quickly and efficiently be adapted to new targets when establishing high throughput diagnostics for post‐border biosecurity surveillance of fungal phytopathogens.
Pd−X Bond Homolysis Dissociation Free Energy (BDFE) Scales of [(tmeda)Pd(4‐F−C6H4)X] (X=OR, NHAr) in DMSO
Authors: Wu Jun‐Yan , Yang Jin‐Dong , Cheng Jin‐Pei
Published: October 2022

Transition metal intermediates bearing M−X σ‐bonds are ubiquitous in metal‐mediated C−X bond transformations. Thermodynamic knowledge of M−X bond cleavage is crucial to explore relevant reactions; but little was accumulated till present due to lack of suitable determination methods. We here report the first systematic study of the Pd−X bond homolysis dissociation free energies [BDFE(Pd−X)] of representative [(tmeda)Pd(4‐F−C6H4)X] (tmeda=N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine, X=OR or NHAr) in DMSO on the basis of reliable measurement of their bond heterolysis energies (ΔGhet(Pd−X)). Despite ΔGhet(Pd−O)s of palladium‐phenoxides are generally found about 8 kcal/mol smaller than ΔGhet(Pd−N)s of palladium‐amidos, their BDFE(Pd−X)s are observed comparable. The structure‐property relationship was investigated to disclose an enhancement effect of electron‐withdrawing groups on BDFE(Pd−X)s. Linear free energy relationship analysis revealed that Pd−X bonds are more sensitive than X−H bonds to structural variation. The energetic propensity of reductive elimination from arylpalladium complexes was evaluated by combinatorial use of BDFE(Pd−X)s and BDFE(C−X)s, indicating an overall thermodynamic bias to C−N bond formation.
Duplex dual‐labeled fluorescence probe‐based melting curve and endpoint genotyping assays for genotyping of rs2000999 and haptoglobin gene deletion
Authors: Soejima Mikiko , Koda Yoshiro
Published: October 2022

Haptoglobin (Hp) is a hemoglobin‐binding serum glycoprotein. Some variations in the Hp gene (HP) or Hp‐related gene (HPR), including a single‐nucleotide polymorphism in intron 2 of HRP, rs2000999, and a complete deletion of the HP gene (HPdel), one of the rare variants of HP, have been reported to correlate with the serum cholesterol concentration as well as the serum Hp concentration. In this study, we developed a duplex dual‐labeled fluorescence probe‐based method to simultaneously determine the rs2000999 G > A polymorphism by melting curve genotyping and the zygosity of HPdel by endpoint genotyping. This method was then validated by using the genomic DNA from 94 Japanese subjects for whom genotypes of rs2000999 and HPdel zygosity had already been determined. The results obtained with this method were in perfect agreement with the previous ones. Thus, the present method enables us to estimate these two polymorphisms in relatively large‐scale groups of subjects, especially in Asian populations where the HPdel is distributed.
Sentiment analysis on social media tweets using dimensionality reduction and natural language processing
Authors: Omuya Erick Odhiambo , Okeyo George , Kimwele Michael
Published: October 2022

Social media has been embraced by different people as a convenient and official medium of communication. People write or share messages and attach images and videos on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. It therefore generates a lot of data that is rich in sentiments. Sentiment analysis has been used to determine the opinions of clients, for instance, relating to a particular product or company. Lexicon and machine learning approaches are the strategies that have been used to analyze these sentiments. The performance of sentiment analysis is, however, distorted by noise, the curse of dimensionality, the data domains and the size of data used for training and testing. This article aims at developing a model for sentiment analysis of social media data in which dimensionality reduction and natural language processing with part of speech tagging are incorporated. The model is tested using Naïve Bayes, support vector machine, and K‐nearest neighbor algorithms, and its performance compared with that of two other sentiment analysis models. Experimental results show that the model improves sentiment analysis performance using machine learning techniques.
A Perspective on Innovative Drying Methods for Energy‐Efficient Solvent‐Based Production of Lithium‐Ion Battery Electrodes
Authors: von Horstig Max-Wolfram , Schoo Alexander , Loellhoeffel Thomas , Mayer Julian K. , Kwade Arno
Published: October 2022

An increasing number of production plants for lithium‐ion batteries (LIB) are being built every year to meet the global battery demand for battery electric vehicles, mobile devices, and stationary energy storage systems. Currently, the state‐of‐the‐art convective drying process employed during solvent‐based electrode production is a key reason for the high electrical energy consumption of the LIB production process and also requires long dryer sections with huge investment costs. The need for energy, CO2footprint, and cost reductions in LIB production has sparked interest in developing innovative electrode drying technologies that improve the drying rate and introduce the heat more efficiently into the coating. Herein, a perspective of possible drying technologies, which are used in other industries and can be adapted for LIB electrode production, is given. Furthermore, a combination of convective and inductive drying technologies for simultaneous double‐sided coating is proposed. The complementary heat introduction pathways may offer an advantageous approach to meet the demand for rapid and high‐efficiency electrode drying.
Underpinnings of Multiscale Interactions and Heterogeneities in Li‐Ion Batteries: Electrode Microstructure to Cell Format
Authors: Parmananda Mukul , Vishnugopi Bairav S. , Garg Hemanshul , Mukherjee Partha P.
Published: October 2022

Lithium‐ion batteries exhibit a coupled set of electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical interactions ranging over different length scales. Microstructure‐scale electrode characteristics govern the intrinsic and kinetic processes and lead to distinct signatures in electrochemical performance and degradation (e.g., lithium plating). Accurate prediction of cell response relies on advanced physics‐based models that can analyze the spatial heterogeneity in pore‐scale and electrode‐scale features. Herein, a hierarchical modeling framework that captures the mechanistic interactions stemming from electrode microstructure and systematically connects this to the lithium‐ion pouch cell performance/degradation response is developed. In conjunction with the microstructural arrangement, the roles of cell format on spatiotemporal heterogeneity in intercalation/plating dynamics, internal heat generation, and mechanical stresses across the pouch cell that are important aspects for fast charging are analyzed. Based on the cell design and operating conditions, unique attributes with respect to the location of plating onset, presence of thermal/mechanical hotspots, and the manifestation of temperature gradients across the pouch cell. are delineated. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of the multiscale interactions and heterogeneity underlying the electrochemical–thermal–mechanical response of lithium‐ion batteries, critical for operational extremes such as fast charging.
Lithium‐Ion Battery Thermal Management Techniques and Their Current Readiness Level
Authors: Rana Suraj , Kumar Rajan , Bharj Rabinder Singh
Published: October 2022

The lithium‐ion battery (LiB) is currently an essential part of electric vehicles (EVs). The popularity of LiBs among EV manufacturers is because of their long life, fewer memory effects, high specific energy density, and lightweight. However, temperature affects the LiB life and performance to a great extent. The burden on battery thermal management (BTM) is significantly increased by the need to increase battery capacity and decrease the battery charging time. Hence, reliable and effective BTM is the need of the hour. Herein, the current status of different battery cooling techniques has been discussed along with their merits and demerits. The main objective of this paper is to inform the readers and give them a clear understanding of various cooling techniques and their current status and highlight any novel approaches being used by the researchers to improve these cooling techniques. Future needs and opportunities in this field have also been discussed.
Controlling Product Distribution of CO2 Reduction on CuO‐Based Gas Diffusion Electrodes by Manipulating Back Pressure
Authors: Sahin Baran , Leung Jane J. , Magori Erhard , Laumen Steffen , Tawil Angelika , Simon Elfriede , Hinrichsen Olaf
Published: October 2022

The electrochemical reduction reaction of CO2 (CO2RR) is a promising avenue toward the renewable energy‐driven transformation of a greenhouse gas toward fuels and value‐added chemicals. While copper uniquely can catalyze this reaction to longer carbon chains, Cu‐based electrodes continue to face numerous challenges, including low selectivity toward desired products and poor stability. To unlock its potential for large‐scale industrial implementation, great interest is shown in tackling these challenges, primarily focusing on catalyst and electrode modifications and thereby leaving a research gap in the effects of operation conditions. Herein, back pressure application is introduced in CO2 electrolyzers at industrially relevant current densities (200 mA cm−2) in order to steer selectivity toward C2+ products. The back pressure adjusts CO2 availability at the electrode surface, with a high CO2 surface coverage achieved at ΔP = 130 mbar suppressing the competing hydrogen evolving reaction for 72 h and doubling of stable ethylene production duration. Faradaic efficiency of 60% for C2+ products and overall C2+ conversion efficiency of 19.8% are achieved with the easily implementable back pressure operation mode presented in this study. It is proven to be a promising tool for product selectivity control in future upscaled Cu‐based CO2 electrolysis cells.
Additive Engineering for High‐Performance Two‐Dimensional Dion–Jacobson Pb–Sn Alloyed Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Shi Hongxi , Zhang Lei , Huang Hao , Ou Yali , Wang Xiaoting , Li Ziyu , Chi Dan , Huang Shihua
Published: October 2022

Two‐dimensional perovskite materials attract great attentions for the application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to the regulable bandgap and high stability. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2D PSCs is far behind in that of three‐dimensional PSCs. Herein, Dion–Jacobson (DJ) phase Pb–Sn perovskite of (PhDMA)MA4(Pb0.5Sn0.5)5I16 in 2D PSCs is introduced, which has suitable bandgap of 1.27 eV and offers the candidate for the absorber of bottom device in all perovskite tandem solar cells. The nonlinear bandgap behavior of 2D Pb–Sn perovskite materials is certified by adjusting the recipe of precursors to vary the bandgap of perovskite films. Moreover, MACl is employed to improve the film quality of 2D Pb–Sn perovskite, leading to the suppression of the defect density and nonradiative recombination for 2D PSCs. As a result, a high PCE of 12.2% is achieved for DJ phase 2D Pb–Sn PSCs.
A Guideline Value for Dioxin-Like Compounds in Marine Sediments
Authors: Manning Therese , Batley Graeme E.
Published: October 2022

Sediments to be dredged as part of the installation of a harbor crossing in Sydney, Australia, contained measurable concentrations of dioxin-like compounds. To assess the suitability of these sediments for ocean disposal, a defensible sediment quality guideline value (SQGV) for dioxin-like compounds, expressed as pg toxic equivalent (TEQ)fish/g dry weight, was required. There were deemed to be too many uncertainties associated with a value derived using effects data from field studies. A similar issue was associated with values based on equilibrium partitioning from sediment to pore water, largely associated with the wide range of reported sediment:water partition coefficients. Greater certainty was associated with the use of a tissue residue approach based on equilibrium partitioning between sediment and organisms determined using tissue concentrations in fish, the most sensitive aquatic biota, and biota:sediment accumulation factors. The calculation of an appropriate SQGV used data for dioxin-like compounds in both fish and sediments from Sydney Harbor. A conservative SQGV for dioxin-like compounds of 70 pg TEQ/g dry weight was deemed to be adequately protective of biota that might be exposed to these contaminants in sediments at the ocean spoil ground. The approach is transferable to similar situations internationally. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:257–271. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Point‐of‐care CRISPR/Cas biosensing technology: A promising tool for preventing the possible COVID‐19 resurgence caused by contaminated cold‐chain food and packaging
Authors: Zhang Xianlong , Yang Yan , Cao Juanjuan , Qi Zihe , Li Guoliang
Published: October 2022

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has caused great public health concern and has been a global threat due to its high transmissibility and morbidity. Although the SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission mainly relies on the person‐to‐person route through the respiratory droplets, the possible transmission through the contaminated cold‐chain food and packaging to humans has raised widespread concerns. This review discussed the possibility of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission via the contaminated cold‐chain food and packaging by tracing the occurrence, the survival of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the contaminated cold‐chain food and packaging, as well as the transmission and outbreaks related to the contaminated cold‐chain food and packaging. Rapid, accurate, and reliable diagnostics of SARS‐CoV‐2 is of great importance for preventing and controlling the COVID‐19 resurgence. Therefore, we summarized the recent advances on the emerging clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas system‐based biosensing technology that is promising and powerful for preventing the possible COVID‐19 resurgence caused by the contaminated cold‐chain food and packaging during the COVID‐19 pandemic, including CRISPR/Cas system‐based biosensors and their integration with portable devices (e.g., smartphone, lateral flow assays, microfluidic chips, and nanopores). Impressively, this review not only provided an insight on the possibility of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission through the food supply chain, but also proposed the future opportunities and challenges on the development of CRISPR/Cas system‐based detection methods for the diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2.
Digital sales channels and the relationship between product and international diversification: Evidence from going digital retail MNEs
Authors: Batsakis Georgios , Konara Palitha , Theoharakis Vasilis
Published: October 2022

Research Summary

We argue that in the era of e‐commerce, retail firms can simultaneously grow their product and international portfolio by adopting a multichannel strategy, that is, using digital and physical channels. Drawing on the resource bundling perspective, we argue that the previously advocated negative relationship between product and international diversification is mitigated by the retail firm's digital sales intensity. By separately examining product and international diversification across digital and physical channels, we find that while increased product diversification in physical channels relates negatively with international diversification in both physical and digital channels, increased product diversification in digital channels relates positively with international diversification in both channels. Our hypotheses are tested against a sample of 122 born physical ‐ going digital retail MNEs over the period 2006–2016.

Managerial Summary

The decision on how firm resources should be allocated for growing a firm's product and international scope has been a continuing debate in corporate strategy. While our research supports the conventional wisdom that product portfolio growth relates negatively to international market growth, we show that firms which increase their digital sales are able to mitigate the costs associated with this relationship. Based on longitudinal data of some of the world's largest retail MNEs, our research shows that retail firms with increased digital sales activity are more capable of mutually benefiting from simultaneously growing their product portfolio and international market presence. Therefore, if a retail firm aims at simultaneously growing its product portfolio and international market presence, it is advisable that they increase their proportion of digital sales (i.e., e‐commerce activity).