bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INSPIRE Hackathons and SmartAfriHub – Roadmap for Addressing the Agriculture Data Challenges in Africa
Authors:   Plan4all z.s., Horní Bříza, Czech Republic, Charvát Karel , Obot Akaninyene ,   Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria, Kalyesubula Stephen ,   Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, Zampati Foteini ,   GODAN, Montreal, Canada, Löytty Tuula ,   Smart & Lean Hub Oy, Lahti, Finland, Kubíčková Hana ,   Plan4all z.s., Horní Bříza, Czech Republic, Uhlíř Petr ,   Czech Center for Science and Society, Prague, Czech Republic, Zadražil František ,   Wirelessinfo, Litovel, Czech Republic
Published: December 2021

Digital farming holds enormous potential for agricultural development, and giving farmers the tools to boost productivity and profitability. Although the benefits of digitalization are numerous, farmers feel they are not the ones benefiting from the value of data collected on their farms. Several issues were identified as factors restricting farmers from benefiting from data-driven agriculture. From the farmers’ perspective, there is a distinct lack of awareness of the issues surrounding farm data, and the complexity of these issues. This feeds into the imbalance that exists between individual farmers and larger agribusinesses wherein the former lack enough resources to address and analyse the significance of data, and so cannot take advantage of the value in it. There is also limited legislation for the generation, flow, exchange and use of data; where legislation does exist, it is not well understood by farmer organisations. From a policy perspective, moreover, there is very little guidance as to which agricultural data can be considered personal data, and therefore protected by privacy laws. This paper analyses the interactions and effects of the 5 Concepts: Open Agricultural Data, Open-Source Software, Citizen Science, privacy and legal and ethical issues that are assumed to advance the digitalization of African Food System (AFS and the enabling Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) - SmartAfriHub (https://www.smartafrihub.com/home).
Evaluation of Frequencies for the IoT Telemetry in Smart Agriculture
Authors:   Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic, Vokoun Tomáš , Masner Jan ,   Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic, Vaněk Jiří ,   Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic, Šimek Pavel ,   Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic, Havránek Martin ,   Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
Published: December 2021

The IoT is becoming a widely known technology for the gathering of telemetry data, while mostly the concept of Smart cities is usually seen as the most challenging area for implementation. The different situations can be found in the smart agriculture concept, where different requirements and especially conditions exist. The purpose of this paper is to make an overview of IoT frequency bands available, with special focus on the situation in the EU, their theoretical usability and, using experimental measurements of typical background noise in different bands and calculations of transmission reliability on expected distance, estimate the practical usability of those technologies in the smart agriculture, compared to the smart city’s requirements. Most of the IoT installations outside 5G systems are in the 900 MHz band, but is this well-suitable for smart agriculture?
Older Adults’ Coping with the Digital Everyday Life
Authors: Rønning Wenche M. , Sølvberg Astrid M.
Published: December 2021

This study was motivated by a concern for how older adults adjust to their digital everyday life. Theories of motivation and self-efficacy are applied in order to understand how older adults master and adjust to the rapid development into a paper-free, online world. A sample of eighteen older adults (62-90 years) were interviewed about the reasons and motivations underlying their ICT usage, and how this affects their perception of mastering their everyday life. A semi-structured interview guide was developed for this purpose. The data were analyzed using an inductive coding procedure involving descriptive and interpretive phases based on the theoretical assumptions about motivation and mastery. Three overarching categories were evident in the data material; Challenges, Connectedness and Expanding. The first category describes new challenges mastering everyday life activities, and how this brings about feelings of pressure, barriers, and fear. The other two categories give a more positive picture of how older adults perceive the new developments. Internet and social media is perceived as positive because it enables them to stay connected to family, old and new friends. It also enables them to cultivate and expand leisure and hobby activities in new ways. Based on the findings we underscore the necessity of devising strategies that will prevent older people from being marginalized in relation to the digital everyday life.
FACEBOOK AS AN ACTOR - A CASE OF STUDENTS NEGOTIATING THEIR SOCIAL PRESENCE IN AN ONLINE COURSE
Authors: Johannesen Monica , Øgrim Leikny , Smørdal Ole
Published: December 2021

This article reports on a study of a higher education online course based on asynchronous communication. The selection of technology for online discussions aimed at creating a sense of togetherness among the teachers and the students. This choice proved to be a source of insights into the differences of agency of a virtual learning environment (VLE) compared to social media when it comes to social presence. We discuss the agency of Fronter, our formal VLE, and Facebook, when it comes to their effect on the relevant social networks at hand. Important issues identified are related to the quality and nature of the professional and social relations between teachers and students as well as their technology practices in the online course. The discussions are based on the concepts of immediacy and intimacy, as these issues kept appearing in the interviews with the students. The article suggests that the differences of materiality between VLEs and social media, exemplified here by Fronter and Facebook, matter in several respects: how social relations are established and sustained, the agency of the technology in respect to social presence and control and how the technologies affect the quality of dialogic pedagogy.
PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN SYNCHRONOUS NETWORKED ENVIRONMENTS: COMPARING ADOBE CONNECT AND SECOND LIFE
Authors: Mørch Anders I. , Mifsud Louise , Engen Bård Ketil
Published: December 2021

We describe our experiences with two networked learning environments: Adobe Connect (AC) and Second Life (SL) for supporting teaching and learning in distance education courses. We collected data in two separate case studies: one in Norway (AC) and the other in the United States (SL), using different but comparable methods of data analysis (qualitative methods). We compare the two environments through the lens of problem-based learning (PBL), using four application characteristics of PBL (learner activity, collaborative learning, feedback, and valuation of previous knowledge). AC’s strength is its easy-to-use interface and its high-quality audio and video streaming that support facial expression and gesturing in communication. The SL interface is more complicated to learn, but it allows for movement in virtual reality by an avatar and interaction with three-dimensional (3D) objects. The avatar makes the users feel less apprehensive during communication.
Toys as Tools for Skill-building and Creativity in Adult Life
Authors: Heljakka Katriina
Published: December 2021

Previous understandings of adult use of toys are connected with ideas of collecting and hobbying, not playing. This study aims to address toys as play objects employed in imaginative scenarios and as learning devices. This article situates toys (particularly, character toys such as Blythe dolls) as socially shared tools for skill-building and learning in adult life. The interviews with Finnish doll players and analyses of examples of their productive, toy-related play patterns showcased in both offline and digital playscapes reveal how toy play leads to skill-building and creativity at a mature age.The meanings attached to and developed around playthings expand purposely by means of digital and social media. (Audio)visual content-sharing platforms, such as Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, invite mature audiences to join playful dialogues involving mass-produced toys enhanced through do-it-yourself practices. Activities circulated in digital play spaces, such as blogs and photo management applications, demonstrate how adults, as non-professional ‘everyday players’, approach, manipulate and creatively cultivate contemporary playthings. Mature players educate potential players by introducing how to use and develop skills by sharing play patterns associated with their playthings. Producing and broadcasting tutorials on how to play creatively with toys encourage others to build their skills through play.
Old Literacies and the “New” Literacy Studies: Revisiting Reading and Writing
Authors: Friesen Ph.D. Norm
Published: December 2021

As media coverage of standardized test results shows, student reading, writing and math scores are a matter of keen national and international concern. It is therefore astonishing that dominant theories of “literacies” do not systematically differentiate between these “tested” abilities and much more vernacular forms. This paper addresses this gulf between theory and practice beginning with a brief précis of the now-dominant “new” or “multimodal” literacy studies, and of the development of these approaches from work in comparative cultural anthropology. It then highlights findings from recent archeological research that suggests quite different conclusions about the development and reproduction of sophisticated inscriptive and interpretive practices in human societies. The paper concludes by considering the broad implications of these findings, and of the concomitant normative investment of education to established textual forms and standards.
Philosophical speech act theory and challenges in interactive dialogue: Experiences of narrow communication
Authors: Nordby Halvor
Published: December 2021

Background. Modern information conveying technology can facilitate interactive communication that transcends the possibilities of information exchange in ordinary face-to-face dialogue. However, interactive communication has its limits, related to lack of personal and physical closeness between communicators. When a communication channel is narrow – when written signs or verbal utterances are the only interpretive clues – misinterpretation and poor dialogue happens more easily than in face-to-face encounters. Design. The article analyses the concept of interactive narrowness on the basis of philosophical speech act theory and a study on interaction between paramedics and health personnel working in acute medical communication centers. Method. The article uses a combination of theoretical interpretation and experimental philosophy – philosophical analysis ‘from below’ – to develop a conceptual analysis of interactive narrowness that is grounded in actual experiences of this form of communication. Analysis. The paramedics held that it was difficult to secure interactive communication in hectic and unpredictable situations involving emotional disagreement and conflicts about choices of actions. Even when it was possible to discuss difficult situations on the phone, this could not replace face-to-face dialogue. Discussion. The paramedics’ experiences support the conclusion that there is an irreducible interpretive element in face-to-face dialogue that is not present in interactive communication. Speech act theory can shed further light on this irreducibility and, more specifically, on the importance of personal closeness in communication. Implications. Face-to-face communication is crucial in contexts that have similarities to the sensitive situations described by the paramedics. The article indicates how this and related implications apply in various settings and uses interactive dialogue between teachers and students in distance learning courses as an example area to clarify the main implications.
From Classroom to Digital Arena in Seeking Higher-level Learning: Student Experience
Authors: Brown Mark
Published: December 2021

Much of the impetus in introducing digital technologies has come from distance-learning courses rather than from traditional classroom-based activity. However, classroom-based teaching faces a resource squeeze for which digital technology offers a possible solution; in order to provide students with higher-level learning opportunities, teaching hours will probably have to be reallocated from lower levels of classroom-based learning activity. This article reports some results from a teaching project in which we moved a mid-level learning process out of the classroom and into a digital learning environment to free up teaching time for higher-level learning. The findings confirm previous work showing that students respond very positively to such reflective learning opportunities. More importantly, this article contributes to an understanding of how students, who are used to cooperating in a classroom, respond to being moved into a digital learning environment. The findings are based on results from a student questionnaire. The variation in responses to different aspects of the experience underlines the importance of offering choice in a digital learning environment.
Reflections on academic video
Authors: Eriksson Thommy , Sørensen Inge Ejbye
Published: December 2021

As academics we study, research and teach audiovisual media, yet rarely disseminate and mediate through it. Today, developments in production technologies have enabled academic researchers to create videos and mediate audiovisually. In academia it is taken for granted that everyone can write a text. Is it now time to assume that everyone can make a video essay? Using the online journal of academic videos Audiovisual Thinking and the videos published in it as a case study, this article seeks to reflect on the emergence and legacy of academic audiovisual dissemination. Anchoring academic video and audiovisual dissemination of knowledge in two critical traditions, documentary theory and semiotics, we will argue that academic video is in fact already present in a variety of academic disciplines, and that academic audiovisual essays are bringing trends and developments that have long been part of academic discourse to their logical conclusion.
How can we make junior business students understand the importance of learning organizational behaviour and management?
Authors: Asting Cecile , Swanberg Anne B.
Published: December 2021

Teaching behavioural subjects to business students is a challenge, increasingly so with growing class sizes. In this paper we focus on these special challenges, particularly drawing attention to how feedback can enhance student learning and understanding. One-to-one feedback is not possible in large classes, but students can receive feedback on their progress through well-planned teaching and learning activities. We implemented a range of different feedback activities in our course to support student learning. Measuring learning effects is difficult and, in this case, comparison of grades was not possible. Our experience, however, led to a somewhat better understanding of what can be done and what needs further development to provide valuable feedback for students in their learning process.
Whole-body kinematic and dynamic modeling for quadruped robot under different gaits and mechanism topologies
Authors: Yan Wei , Pan Yang , Che Junjie , Yu Jiexian , Han Zhuchen
Published: December 2021

Dynamic locomotion plays a crucial role for legged robots to fulfill tasks in unstructured environments. This paper proposes whole-body kinematic and dynamic modeling method s based on screw theory for a quadruped robot using different gaits and mechanism topologies. Unlike simplified models such as centroid or inverse pendulum models, the methods proposed here can handle 10-dimensional mass and inertia for each part. The only simplification is that foot contact models are treated as spherical joints. Models of three different mechanism topologies are formulated: (1) Standing phase: a system consisting of one end-effector, the body, and four limbs, the legs; (2) Walking phase: a system consisting of one or two lifting legs (depending on the chosen gait), two or three supporting legs; (3) Floating phase: a system in which all legs detach from the ground. Control strategies based on our models are also introduced, which includes walk and trot gait plans. In our control system, two additional types of information are provided: (1) contacting forces are given by force sensors installed under feet; (2) body poses are determined by an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Combined with the sensor data and calibrated mass, inertia, and friction, the joint torque can be estimated accurately in simulation and experiment. Our prototype, the “XiLing” robot, is built to verify the methods proposed in this paper, and the results show that the models can be solved quickly and leads to steady locomotions.
Identification of evolutionary relationships and DNA markers in the medicinally important genus Fritillaria based on chloroplast genomics
Authors: Zhang Tian , Huang Sipei , Song Simin , Zou Meng , Yang Tiechui , Wang Weiwei , Zhou Jiayu , Liao Hai
Published: December 2021

The genus Fritillaria has attracted great attention because of its medicinal and ornamental values. At least three reasons, including the accurate discrimination between various Fritillaria species, protection and sustainable development of rare Fritillaria resources as well as understanding of relationship of some perplexing species, have prompted phylogenetic analyses and development of molecular markers for Fritillaria species. Here we determined the complete chloroplast (CP) genomes for F. unibracteata, F. przewalskii, F. delavayi, and F. sinica through Illumina sequencing, followed by de novo assembly. The lengths of the genomes ranged from 151,076 in F. unibracteata to 152,043 in F. przewalskii. Those CP genomes displayed a typical quadripartite structure, all including a pair of inverted repeats (26,078 to 26,355 bp) separated by the large single-copy (81,383 to 81,804 bp) and small single-copy (17,537 to 17,569 bp) regions. Fritillaria przewalskii, F. delavayi, and F. sinica equivalently encoded 133 unique genes consisting of 38 transfer RNA genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 87 protein coding genes, whereas F. unibracteata contained 132 unique genes due to absence of the rps16 gene. Subsequently, comparative analysis of the complete CP genomes revealed that ycf1, trnL, trnF, ndhD, trnN-trnR, trnE-trnT, trnN, psbM-trnD, atpI, and rps19 to be useful molecular markers in taxonomic studies owning to their interspecies variations. Based on the comprehensive CP genome data collected from 53 species in Fritillaria and Lilium genera, a phylogenomic study was carried out with three Cardiocrinum species and five Amana species as outgroups. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that Fritillaria was a sister to Lilium, and the interspecies relationships within subgenus Fritillaria were well resolved. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis based on the CP genome was proved to be a promising method in selecting potential novel medicinal resources to substitute current medicinal species that are on the verge of extinction.
Algebraic Points of Degree at Most 5 on the Affine Curve y\(^{2}\) = x\(^{5}\) - 243
Authors: Sow EL Hadji , Sarr Pape Modou , Sall Oumar
Published: December 2021

In this work, we determine the set of algebraic points of degree at most 5 on the ane curve y2 = x5 - 243. This result extends a result of J.TH Mulholland who described in [4] the set of \(\mathbb{Q}\)- rational points i.e the set of points of degree one over \(\mathbb{Q}\) on this curve.
Isolation and Characterization of Quercetin from Bambusa arundinacea
Authors: Awasthi Akanksha , Juyal Divya , Singh Mamta F. , Sharma Saurabh
Published: December 2021

Flavonoids are natural antioxidants that are formed from plants and found in meals such as fruits and vegetables. They have the capacity to bind to free radicals. Because of its abundant prevalence in foods, Quercetin, which belongs to the flavonol subclass of flavonoids, has gotten a lot of attention. Quercetin is also found in Bambusa arundinacea. The plant was obtained and authenticated. Further the isolation procedure was done and was analyzed via TLC, FT-IR, and UV, 1 H NMR, Mass and XRD Analysis. The results obtained from the above parameters showed the resemblance with standard quercetin. Thus it was concluded for the presence of quercetin from Bambusa arundinacea.
Open VS Closed Techniques for Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgeries
Authors: Haseeb Obaid Ul , Rashid Haris , Ahmed Afrin , Ali Mir Arsalan , Alam Shakil , Sidhwani Santosh Kumar , Khan Fatima Zehra
Published: December 2021

Background: Laparoscopic surgery or "minimally invasive" surgery is a type of specialist surgery. The most crucial, demanding, and risky part of the laparoscopy is the creation of pneumoperitoneum. The two most prevalent methods for creating a pneumoperitoneum are the closed and open approaches. Despite the fact that there is no universal consensus on the best approach to gain access to the peritoneal cavity in order to create a pneumoperitoneum. The aim of present study was to compare the operative time and post-operative outcome associated with closed technique and open classic technique.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial was carried out by recruiting patients presented in surgery department of Ziauddin Hospital North campus. The samples were divided into two equal groups A and B. Group A was operated for Laparascopic abdominal surgery by open technique while group B operated through closed technique. Effectiveness of procedures was measured by number of complications occurred during and after surgery. Chi-square test and independent T-test were applied for association. P-value of < 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: Mean age was found to be 45.5±16 years and mean weight was 68±10.5 kilograms. Mean time of operations was 84.5±18.5 minutes. 60 (69.8%) of patients included underwent the laparoscopic cholecystectomy while 15 (17.4%) patients had laparoscopic appendectomy. 13/86: 15.1% of patients had the minor complication including 12/43: 27.9% in group B and 1/43: 2.3% in group A. The comparative analysis between the two groups in terms of effectiveness of either method compared by means of development of the complications was found to be highly significant with p value 0.002.

Conclusion: The open approach to laparoscopic entrance has been linked to fewer surgical problems than the closed approach.
Evaluation of Diuretic activity of Fractional Extracts of Ajuga remota Benth (Lamiaceae) in Albino mice
Authors: Chilo Desalegn , Raju N. J.
Published: December 2021

The present study was evaluated the in vivo diuretic activity of fractional extracts of A. remota in albino mice. The dried aqueous crude extracts were subjected to soxhlet extraction by n-butanol, methanol and water solvents. The mice were randomly divided into eleven groups with 8 mice in each. All fractions were administered orally at doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg to adult male mice, and the positive and negative controls were treated with furosemide (10 mg/kg, p.o) and the vehicle distilled water (2 ml/100 gm of body weight) respectively. The diuretic effect of the extracts was evaluated by measuring urine volume, urinary electrolytes and urinary pH. The result indicates that aqueous and methanolic fractions at 1000 mg/kg dose produced significant (p<0.001) increase in urine output and electrolyte excretion (p<0.001) when compared to control. Additionally, potassium sparing activity (27%, p<0.05) and high natriuretic index (2.7-3.03) were produced by the n-butanol fraction relatively even if it showed minimal effect on urine output. Therefore, from the present study it may be concluded that the compounds present in methanolic and aqueous fraction are responsible for diuretic activity. This finding together with previous results on the aqueous crude extracts provides a quantitative basis for developing a new diuretic medicine from A. remota plant.
IMPACT OF SIMPLE VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
Authors: Redyantanu Bramasta Putra , Asri Altrerosje
Published: December 2021

The development of technology cannot be separated from the development of science, including the learning method. There is an elective course named Virtual Reality Architecture in Architecture Department of Petra Chrisitan University. This course focuses on the process of learning architecture at the stage of presenting and communicating ideas. The virtual technology used as a learning method includes three types of technology, animation, augmented reality and virtual reality. The three technologies are elaborated as a simulation method. The simplicity of its application can be seen in the support for hardware, software, and special devices used by students in their daily lives. This study aims to test the achievement of goals at the final level of learning. Students who have attended this lecture are then interviewed and observed, in relation to proving whether this simple virtual technology can be a supporter in the learning process in the architecture study program.
UM NOME PARA CHAMAR DE MEU
Authors: MOREIRA OLIVEIRA CLARICE ROCHA , MATOS ALEXANDRA GOMES DOS SANTOS
Published: December 2021

Este trabalho é engendrado pela seguinte problemática: o Provimento n.° 73/2018 do CNJ traz quais inovações normativas, no que tange ao direito de alteração do prenome dos transgêneros, nos cartórios de Registro Civil do Brasil? Para responder a essa questão, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa é analisar a alteração dos prenomes pelos transgêneros, nos Cartórios de Registro Civil das Pessoas Naturais do Brasil, enquanto um direito fundamentalmente humano, advindo da decisão do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), em controle abstrato de constitucionalidade, que motiva a edição do Provimento n.º 73, de 28 de junho de 2018, pelo Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ). Para tanto, definem-se os seguintes objetivos específicos: identificar o lugar do transexual no curso da história do Brasil, reconhecendo as  as ideologias de exclusão que demarcam esse processo, por meio de abordagens que abranjam os aspectos legais, sociais e culturais; reconhecer a necessidade e a importância do nome, de modo a dar relevo ao  procedimento administrativo, constante no Provimento n.º 73/2018 do CNJ, como importante baliza para a efetivação da dignidade humana, princípio basilar da Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil (CRFB/88) e especificar a regulamentação desse Provimento, evidenciando quais sejam os mecanismos necessários para que o requerente realize a alteração do prenome e do gênero, em respeito ao direito de pessoa humana dos transexuais. O artigo é bibliográfico e apresenta coleta de dados qualitativa. Na pesquisa, verificam-se os avanços sociais, assim como os constitucionais do direito dos transgêneros, sendo um deles a alteração do prenome e do gênero, enfatizando a sua relevância, no âmbito social, no sentido de que o sujeito é identificado por meio do prenome. A partir disso, analisa-se o procedimento adotado para que essa alteração seja realizada pela via extrajudicial.
DEBATES DE GÊNERO NA POLÍCIA MILITAR DO PARANÁ: DISCUSSÃO DA CONSTITUCIONALIDADE DO EDITAL E O LIMITE DE VAGAS PARA MULHERES
Authors: Borges dos Santos Leônidas Vinício , Mazaro Juliana Luiza
Published: December 2021

Este trabalho teve como objetivo discutir à luz do princípio constitucional da isonomia; se há coerência em uma candidata não ser nomeada após ser aprovada dentro das vagas em concurso público, pelo fato de ser mulher. A Polícia Militar do Paraná foi criada em 10 de agosto de 1854 e, por muito tempo, foi composta exclusivamente por homens. No ano de 1976, as primeiras mulheres ingressaram na Corporação sem o direito a portar armas de fogo, tiveram a missão de cuidar das crianças, mulheres e idosos. Com o passar dos anos, a mulher conquistou seu espaço na Instituição e em 2018 chegou ao Comando-Geral. Porém, na contramão das conquistas sociais de gênero, em 2020, o edital 01 para o Curso de Formação de Oficiais, amparado na Lei estadual 7.815 de 2000, estabeleceu o limite máximo de ingresso de 50% (cinquenta por cento) de mulheres na Polícia Militar, com a justificativa que tal medida atende ao interesse público e à função especial da carreira. Como tais termos e regras não foram explicados pelo legislador, eles devem ser analisados à luz dos princípios constitucionais, como o da isonomia, pelo flagrante disparato com os anseios sociais. Diante do exposto, conclui-se que a limitação de número máximo de mulheres na PMPR é inconstitucional, por violar o princípio da Isonomia. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão bibliográfica de legislação e obras pertinentes ao tema.
Osteocalcin and the physiology of danger
Authors: Berger Julian Meyer , Karsenty Gerard
Published: December 2021

Bone biology has long been driven by the question as to what molecules affect cell differentiation or the functions of bone. Exploring this issue has been an extraordinarily powerful way to improve our knowledge of bone development and physiology. More recently, a second question has emerged: does bone have other functions besides making bone? Addressing this conundrum revealed that the bone‐derived hormone osteocalcin affects a surprisingly large number of organs and physiological processes, including acute stress response. This review will focus on this emerging aspect of bone biology taking osteocalcin as a case study and will show how classical and endocrine functions of bone help to define a new functional identity for this tissue.
Emergence of Quantum Tunneling in Ambipolar Black Phosphorus Multilayers without Heterojunctions
Authors: Kim Yeeun , Kim Chulmin , Kim Soo Yeon , Lee Byung Chul , Seo Youkyung , Cho Hyeran , Kim Gyu‐Tae , Joo Min‐Kyu
Published: December 2021

Negative differential resistance (NDR) is an exotic quantum tunneling phenomenon that is exhibited in narrow p‐n junctions with heavy doping concentrations. However, the presence of multiple heterojunctions in a conventional tunneling device often hampers the observance of NDR and a deep understanding of its origin, particularly in 2D van der Waals heterojunctions. Herein, the emergence of quantum tunneling at the charge neutrality point (VCNP) in ambipolar multilayered black phosphorus (BP) transistors without heterojunctions is reported. The nearly identical electron and hole carrier densities at VCNP in the presence of a drain bias (VD) result in a lateral p‐i‐n configuration inside the BP multilayers similar to that in a tunneling field‐effect transistor. The variation of the local carrier density profile and tunneling barrier with VD at VCNP drives a sharp enhancement of the activation energy and local resistance, which consequently allows to observe band‐to‐band tunneling at up to 340 K. The enhancement of the local doping profile along the BP channel and the NDR behavior in the fabricated reconfigurable top‐gate BP device with an h‐BN top‐dielectric provide further evidence for the origin of NDR in 2D ambipolar materials.
Recent Advances in Nanozymes: From Matters to Bioapplications
Authors: Ai Yongjian , Hu Ze‐Nan , Liang Xiaoping , Sun Hong‐bin , Xin Hongbo , Liang Qionglin
Published: December 2021

The manufacture of bionic materials to simulate the natural counterparts has attracted extensive attention. As one of the subcategories of biomimetic materials, the development of artificial enzyme is intensive pursuing. As a kind of artificial enzyme, nanozymes are dedicated to solve the limitations of natural enzymes. In recent years, attributed to the explosive development of nanotechnology, biotechnology, catalysis science, computational design and theory calculation, research on nanozymes has made great progress. To highlight these achievements and help researchers to understand the current investigation status of nanozyme, the state‐of‐the‐art development in nanozymes from fabrication materials to bioapplications are summarized. First different raw materials are summarized, including metal‐based, metal‐free, metal‐organic frameworks‐based, and some other novel matters, which are applied to fabricate nanozymes. The different types of enzymes‐like catalytic activities of nanozymes are briefly discussed. Subsequently, the wide applications of nanozymes such as anti‐oxidation, curing diseases, anti‐bacteria, biosensing, and bioimaging are discussed. Finally, the current challenges faced by nanozymes are outlined and the future directions for advancing nanozyme research are outlooked. The authors hope this review can inspire research in the fields of nanotechnology, chemistry, biology, materials science, and theoretical computing, and can contribute to the development of nanozymes.
Tumor‐Associated Immune‐Cell‐Mediated Tumor‐Targeting Mechanism with NIR‐II Fluorescence Imaging
Authors: Kang Homan , Shamim Md , Yin Xiaoran , Adluru Eeswar , Fukuda Takeshi , Yokomizo Shinya , Chang Hyejin , Park Seung Hun , Cui Yanan , Moy Austin J. , Kashiwagi Satoshi , Henary Maged , Choi Hak Soo
Published: December 2021

The strategy of structure‐inherent tumor targeting (SITT) with cyanine‐based fluorophores is receiving more attention because no chemical conjugation of targeting moieties is required. However, the targeting mechanism behind SITT has not yet been well explained. Here, it is demonstrated that heptamethine‐cyanine‐based fluorophores possess not only targetability of tumor microenvironments without the need for additional targeting ligands but also second near‐infrared spectral window (NIR‐II) imaging capabilities, i.e., minimum scattering and ultralow autofluorescence. The new SITT mechanism suggests that bone‐marrow‐derived and/or tissue‐resident/tumor‐associated immune cells can be a principal target for cancer detection due to their abundance in tumoral tissues. Among the tested, SH1 provides ubiquitous tumor targetability and a high tumor‐to‐background ratio (TBR) ranging from 9.5 to 47 in pancreatic, breast, and lung cancer mouse models upon a single bolus intravenous injection. Furthermore, SH1 can be used to detect small cancerous tissues smaller than 2 mm in diameter in orthotopic lung cancer models. Thus, SH1 could be a promising cancer‐targeting agent and have a bright future for intraoperative optical imaging and image‐guided cancer surgery.
Molecular Insights of Carbon Nanodots Formation and Their Two‐Photon Emission Properties
Authors: Naskar Nilanjon , Wagner Manfred , Räder Hans Joachim , Qi Haoyuan , Kaiser Ute , Weil Tanja , Chakrabortty Sabyasachi
Published: December 2021

The structure formation of carbon nanodots (C‐dots) prepared from three different organic precursors is discussed at the molecular level. During microwave synthesis, organic chromophores associated with C‐dot structures are formed that exhibit distinct optical features. The molecular structure of these fluorophores is elucidated and their optical properties with and without the C‐dots are investigated. The emergence of two‐photon emission is observed and correlated with the hybridization state of the carbon atoms within the C‐dot as well as the formation of the fluorophores. Varying contents of sp2‐ and sp3‐hybridization in different C‐dots also affect their one‐photon and two‐photon emission characteristics. Understanding the molecular structure of the carbon nanocore and the organic fluorophores formed in C‐dots would enable rational design of C‐dots with improved optical features, which would be of great relevance for their applications, for example, in bioimaging.
A Dual‐Origami Design that Enables the Quasisequential Deployment and Bending Motion of Soft Robots and Grippers
Authors: Kim Woongbae , Eom Jaemin , Cho Kyu-Jin
Published: December 2021

Soft fluidic actuators produce continuous and life‐like motions that are intrinsically safe, but current designs are not yet mature enough to enable large deployment with high force and low‐cost fabrication methods. Herein, soft fluidic actuators with two superimposed origami architectures are reported. Driven by a fluid input, the presented dual‐origami soft actuators produce quasisequential deployment and bending motion that is guided by unsymmetric unfolding of low‐stretchable origami components. The dominance between the deployment and bending can be shifted by varying the unfolding behavior, enabling preprogramming of the motion. The proposed origami‐inspired soft actuators are directly fabricated by low‐cost fused deposition modeling 3D printing and subjected to heat treatment postprocessing to enhance the fluid sealing performance. Finally, soft gripper applications are presented and they successfully demonstrate gripping tasks where each requires strength, delicacy, precision, and dexterity. The dual‐origami approach offers a design guidance for soft robots to embody grow‐and‐retract motion with a small initial form factor, promising for applications in next‐generation soft robotic systems. An interactive preprint version of the article can be found here:https://www.authorea.com/doi/full/10.22541/au.163698906.68661340.
Machine‐Learned Light‐Field Camera that Reads Facial Expression from High‐Contrast and Illumination Invariant 3D Facial Images
Authors: Bae Sang-In , Lee Sangyeon , Kwon Jae-Myeong , Kim Hyun-Kyung , Jang Kyung-Won , Lee Doheon , Jeong Ki-Hun
Published: December 2021

Facial expression conveys nonverbal communication information to help humans better perceive physical or psychophysical situations. Accurate 3D imaging provides stable topographic changes for reading facial expression. In particular, light‐field cameras (LFCs) have high potential for constructing depth maps, thanks to a simple configuration of microlens arrays and an objective lens. Herein, machine‐learned NIR‐based LFCs (NIR‐LFCs) for facial expression reading by extracting Euclidean distances of 3D facial landmarks in pairwise fashion are reported. The NIR‐LFC contains microlens arrays with asymmetric Fabry−Perot filter and NIR bandpass filter on CMOS image sensor, fully packaged with two vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers. The NIR‐LFC not only increases the image contrast by 2.1 times compared with conventional LFCs, but also reduces the reconstruction errors by up to 54%, regardless of ambient illumination conditions. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) classifies input vectors, consisting of 78 pairwise distances on the facial depth map of happiness, anger, sadness, and disgust, and also exhibits exceptional average accuracy of 0.85 (p<0.05). This LFC provides a new platform for quantitatively labeling facial expression and emotion in point‐of‐care biomedical, social perception, or human−machine interaction applications.
Water‐Assisted and Catalyst‐Free Hetero‐Michael Additions: Mechanistic Insights from DFT Investigations
Authors: Yang Hui , Wong Ming Wah
Published: December 2021

The reaction mechanism of six catalyst‐free hetero‐Michael addition reactions in water has been investigated using DFT calculations. Our theoretical results revealed the direct involvement of multiple water molecules in the transition states. The water molecules play a catalytic role in lowering the activation barrier for the three thia‐Michael reactions. Concerted transition state with two bridging water molecules yields the lowest energy barrier. The formation of a hydrogen bonding network via one or more water molecules in the transition state facilitates proton shuttling from the nucleophile to the electrophile. For the aza‐Michael reactions considered, they follow a stepwise mechanism involving the formation of a stable zwitterionic intermediate. In these cases, water influences the reactions via strong (nonspecific) solvent effect and the catalytic role of water is less important for enones that adopt a stable s‐cis conformation. The calculated low reaction barriers (44–83 kJ/mol) of the six studied reactions are in excellent accord with the observed facile hetero‐Michael reactions in water.
Misspecified modeling of subsequent waves during COVID‐19 outbreak: A change‐point growth model
Authors: Girardi Paolo , Greco Luca , Ventura Laura
Published: December 2021

In the analysis of cumulative counts of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections, such as deaths or cases, common parametric models based on log‐logistic growth curves adapt well to describe a single wave at a time. Unfortunately, in Italy, as well as all over the globe, from February 2020 to March 2021 more than one wave has been observed. In this paper, we propose a method to fit more than one wave in the same model. In particular, we discuss an approach based on a change‐point model in a pseudo‐likelihood framework that takes into account some model misspecification issues, such as those concerning the assumption of Poisson marginals and those relating to overdispersion and autocorrelation. An application to data collected in Italy is discussed.
Understand how to comply with NCAA sexual assault policy
Authors: O'Brien Timothy
Published: December 2021

The NCAA has continued to enhance its approach to preventing and addressing sexual violence since 2010. In support of that effort, the NCAA initially provided and later updated a comprehensive toolkit with suggested actions for member institutions to help guide them in developing and implementing effective practices, procedures, and education on the subject. (See https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ssi/violence/SSI_SexualViolencePreventionToolkit.pdf.)
The five universal truths of leadership
Authors: Miles David
Published: December 2021

In my last article, I reviewed the five universal truths to use when considering how people want to be treated. Now, I want to consider more universal truths to guide your decisions and behavior.
Monitoring the microstructural deterioration of concrete exposed to leaching in purified water
Authors: Schulte Holthausen Robert , Merkel Melanie , Breit Wolfgang , Raupach Michael
Published: December 2021

Concrete is considered to be durable in permanent contact with water, making it a preferred material for the construction of drinking water reservoirs. More severe conditions, however, such as contact with purified water lead to the leaching of calcium and the deterioration of concrete surfaces. Due to the diffusive nature, deterioration begins superficially and ingresses with time. Consequently, concrete surfaces are severely damaged and the rebar‐protective alkalinity can be lost. In this study, results from long‐term laboratory leaching experiments in purified water of differently prepared concrete surfaces relevant for drinking water reservoirs are reported. Samples are monitored by both conventional laboratory techniques and, for the first time, by single‐sided 1H nuclear magnetic resonance to gain knowledge on appearance and performance as well as the microstructural changes with sub‐millimeter depth resolution. Results give a deepened insight into the time‐ and depth‐depending material changes. Concrete with a lower w/c ratio, more durable cement, or a densified surface shows a slowed deterioration. The progressing leaching deterioration is described using a combined diffusion‐erosion model that allows a more direct comparison of results to other exposures.
Artificial photosynthesis for high‐value‐added chemicals: Old material, new opportunity
Authors: Kim Sungsoon , Kim Kwang Hee , Oh Cheoulwoo , Zhang Kan , Park Jong Hyeok
Published: December 2021

Solar energy utilization has drawn attention due to ever‐increasing environmental and energy issues. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photocatalytic (PC) water splitting for hydrogen production, which is the most popular and well‐established solar‐to‐chemical conversion process, has been studied thoroughly to date but is now facing limitations related to low conversion efficiency. To resolve this issue, research in PEC cells or photocatalysts has recently aimed to produce alternative value‐added chemicals by modifying their redox reactions, which potentially enables high economic reward to compensate for the low efficiency. Here, various kinds of redox reactions that decouple classic water splitting reactions to produce value‐added chemicals via PEC and PC processes are introduced. Successful coupling of CO2 reduction, O2 reduction and organic synthesis with either water oxidation or water reduction is comprehensively discussed from the perspective of basic fundamental and product selectivity in terms of the band structure of materials, cocatalyst design, and thermodynamics and kinetics of the reactions. Throughout the review, future challenges and opportunities are suggested with respect to the redesigned artificial synthesis, which might be an alternative development for the commercialization of PEC or PC value‐added chemical production technologies in the near future.
How 5 f Electron Polarisability Drives Covalency and Selectivity in Actinide N‐Donor Complexes
Authors: Köhler Luisa , Patzschke Michael , Schmidt Moritz , Stumpf Thorsten , März Juliane
Published: December 2021

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Moritz Schmidt at the Helmholtz‐Zentrum Dresden–Rossendorf. The image depicts the relative strength of bonds from an actinide to a pyrrole‐based ligand in comparison with the salen ligand. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202102849.