bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
North American boreal forests are a large carbon source due to wildfires from 1986 to 2016
Authors: Zhao Bailu , Zhuang Qianlai , Shurpali Narasinha , Köster Kajar , Berninger Frank , Pumpanen Jukka
Published: April 2021

Wildfires are a major disturbance to forest carbon (C) balance through both immediate combustion emissions and post-fire ecosystem dynamics. Here we used a process-based biogeochemistry model, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (TEM), to simulate C budget in Alaska and Canada during 1986–2016, as impacted by fire disturbances. We extracted the data of difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) for fires from Landsat TM/ETM imagery and estimated the proportion of vegetation and soil C combustion. We observed that the region was a C source of 2.74 Pg C during the 31-year period. The observed C loss, 57.1 Tg C year−1, was attributed to fire emissions, overwhelming the net ecosystem production (1.9 Tg C year−1) in the region. Our simulated direct emissions for Alaska and Canada are within the range of field measurements and other model estimates. As burn severity increased, combustion emission tended to switch from vegetation origin towards soil origin. When dNBR is below 300, fires increase soil temperature and decrease soil moisture and thus, enhance soil respiration. However, the post-fire soil respiration decreases for moderate or high burn severity. The proportion of post-fire soil emission in total emissions increased with burn severity. Net nitrogen mineralization gradually recovered after fire, enhancing net primary production. Net ecosystem production recovered fast under higher burn severities. The impact of fire disturbance on the C balance of northern ecosystems and the associated uncertainties can be better characterized with long-term, prior-, during- and post-disturbance data across the geospatial spectrum. Our findings suggest that the regional source of carbon to the atmosphere will persist if the observed forest wildfire occurrence and severity continues into the future.
Unveiling the role of novel biogenic functionalized CuFe hybrid nanocomposites in boosting anticancer, antimicrobial and biosorption activities
Authors: Eltarahony Marwa , Abu-Serie Marwa , Hamad Hesham , Zaki Sahar , Abd-El-Haleem Desouky
Published: April 2021

The quest for eco-friendly and biocompatible nanoparticles (NPs) is an urgent issue in the agenda of the scientific community and applied technology, which compressing synthesis routes. For the first time, a simple route for the biosynthesis of functionalized CuFe-hybrid nanocomposites (FCFNCs) was achieved using Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus through a simultaneous bioreduction strategy of Cu and Fe salts. The suitability of FCFNCs was evaluated medically and environmentally as an anticancer agent, antimicrobial agent and dye bio-sorbent. The physicochemical characteristics of FCFNCs using XRD, EDX, elemental mapping, FTIR, UV–Vis., TEM and ζ-potential confirmed the formation of spheres agglomerated into chains (37 ± 2.2 nm), self-functionalized nanocomposite by proteinaceous moieties with considerable stability (− 26.2 mV). As an anticancer agent, FCFNCs displayed the highest apoptotic impact (> 77.7%) on Caco-2, HepG-2, MCF-7 and PC-3 cancer cells at IC50 ≤ 17.21 μg/mL with the maximum up regulation of p53 and caspase 3 expression and the lowest Ki-67 level, relative to both functionalized CuNPs (FCNPs) and FeNPs (FFNPs). Meanwhile, it maintained the viability of normal human cells by EC100 up to 1999.7 μg/mL. Regarding the antimicrobial activity, FCFNCs offered > 70% growth reduction among wide spectrum prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens. Additionally, the synergistic feature of FCFNCs disintegrated the pre-established biofilm and algal growth in a dose-dependent manner. However, as a bio-sorbent, FCFNCs decolorized > 68% of malachite green and congo red dyes (200 mg/L), reflecting considerable remediation efficiency, confirmed by FTIR of FCFNCs- adsorbed dyes and microtoxicity/cytotoxicity of solutions after remediation. This study offers new insights into promising CuFe-hybrid nanocomposites for recruitment in several applications.
Sulforaphane ameliorates lipid profile in rodents: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Du Kaili , Fan Yuxin , Li Dan
Published: April 2021

Sulforaphane (SFN), a naturally-occurring isothiocyanate enriched in cabbage and broccoli, has been provided as food supplements to improve weight management and reduce lipid levels. However, its effects on serum lipid profiles are contradictory. In this review, a meta-analysis and systematic review of SFN on lipid reduction and weight control is assessed with mice and rats fed on high-fat diet. The effects of SFN supplementation were evaluated by weighted mean difference (WMD) in body weight (BW), liver weight (LW) and also by its effect on serum lipids. A random-effects model was applied to estimate the overall summary effect. SFN reduced BW (WMD: − 2.76 g, 95% CI: − 4.19, − 1.34) and LW (WMD: − 0.93 g, 95% CI: − 1.63, − 0.23) significantly in our ten trials. Its effects on serum total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: − 15.62 mg/dL, 95% CI: − 24.07, − 7.18), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD: − 8.35 mg/dL, 95% CI: − 15.47, − 1.24) and triglyceride (TG) (WMD: − 40.85 mg/dL, 95% CI: − 67.46, − 14.24) were significant except for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) component (WMD: 1.05 mg/dL, 95% CI: − 3.44, 5.54). However, species, disease model, duration, SFN dosage as well as route of administration did not explain the heterogeneity among studies. In summary, these findings provide new insights concerning preclinical strategies for treating diseases including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as well as cardiovascular disease with SFN supplements.
Assessing the appropriateness of the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux in Australian children: a population-based sample survey
Authors: Arnolda Gaston , Hiscock Harriet , Moore David , Farrow Glen , Hibbert Peter D. , Wiles Louise K. , Ting Hseun P. , Molloy Charlotte J. , Warwick Meagan , Braithwaite Jeffrey
Published: April 2021

Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) is a common physiological state in infants and young children, with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) its pathological manifestation. Management of GOR/GORD requires elimination of possible underlying causes, parental reassurance, modification of feeding and symptom mitigation, monitoring, and referral to paediatricians if warning signs are present. Published clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) seek to support clinicians and improve management. This study aimed to measure the proportion of Australian GOR/GORD paediatric care that was in line with CPG recommendations. National and international CPGs for GOR/GORD were systematically identified and candidate indicators extracted; a Delphi process selected 32 indicators relevant to Australian paediatric care in 2012 and 2013. Medical records were identified in General Practices, the offices of general paediatricians, Emergency Departments and inpatient settings. Adherence to indicators was assessed by nine trained paediatric nurses undertaking retrospective medical record review. Medical records were reviewed in 115 healthcare sites; identifying 285 children, three-quarters aged < 1 year, who had 359 visits for management of GOR/GORD; 2250 eligible indicator assessments were performed. Estimated adherence rates are reported for 21 indicators with ≥ 25 assessments. Five indicators recommending differential diagnostic tests (e.g., urinalysis) for infants presenting with recurrent regurgitation and poor weight gain had ~ 10% adherence; conversely, avoidance of unrecommended tests (e.g., barium swallow and meal) was high (99.8% adherence: 95% CI 97.0–100). Avoidance of prescription of acid-suppression medication for infants at the first presentation was higher if they were healthy and thriving (86.9% adherence: 95% CI 86.0–96.8), intermediate if they had feeding refusal (73.1%: 95% CI 56.0–86.3) and lower if they presented with irritability and unexplained crying (58.8%: 95% CI 28.2–85.0). A guideline targeting Australian health professionals caring for infants and children with GOR/GORD is warranted, highlighting the importance of differential diagnostic testing and avoidance of acid-suppression medication in infants.
Electromagnetic microwave generation by acoustic vibrations gives rise to nanoradiophotonics
Authors: Shevchenko M. A. , Karpov M. A. , Kudryavtseva A. D. , Rozinskii D. V. , Tcherniega N. V. , Umanskaya S. F.
Published: April 2021

The development of new methods for generating pulsed electromagnetic microwave radiation is currently an actively developing area of research. Schemes for microwave radiation generation with optical pumping are of great interest. In this paper we propose and experimentally demonstrate principally new method for photonic generation of microwave electromagnetic radiation. This method is based on the use of radiation of charged submicron particles oscillating at their own acoustic frequency. Laser radiation of the optical range implements an effective buildup of acoustic vibrations of submicron particles forming the system under study, according to the Raman mechanism.
Relationship between 24-h venous blood glucose variation and mortality among patients with acute respiratory failure
Authors: Zhang Xiaoling , Zhang Jingjing , Li Jiamei , Gao Ya , Li Ruohan , Jin Xuting , Wang Xiaochuang , Huang Ye , Wang Gang
Published: April 2021

Evidence indicates that glucose variation (GV) plays an important role in mortality of critically ill patients. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the coefficient of variation of 24-h venous blood glucose (24-hVBGCV) and mortality among patients with acute respiratory failure. The records of 1625 patients in the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II (MIMIC II) database were extracted. The 24-hVBGCV was calculated as the ratio of the standard deviation (SD) to the mean venous blood glucose level, expressed as a percentage. The outcomes included ICU mortality and in-hospital mortality. Participants were divided into three subgroups based on tertiles of 24-hVBGCV. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between 24-hVBGCV and mortality. Sensitivity analyses were also performed in groups of patients with and without diabetes mellitus. Taking the lowest tertile as a reference, after adjustment for all the covariates, the highest tertile was significantly associated with ICU mortality [odds ratio (OR), 1.353; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.018–1.797] and in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.319; 95% CI, 1.003–1.735), especially in the population without diabetes. The 24-hVBGCV may be associated with ICU and in-hospital mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure in the ICU, especially in those without diabetes.
Molecular mechanisms detected in yak lung tissue via transcriptome-wide analysis provide insights into adaptation to high altitudes
Authors: Ge Qianyun , Guo Yongbo , Zheng Wangshan , Zhao Shengguo , Cai Yuan , Qi Xuebin
Published: April 2021

Due to their long-term colonization of and widespread distribution in plateau environments, yaks can serve as an ideal natural animal model for the adaptive evolution of other plateau species, including humans. Some studies reported that the lung and heart are two key organs that show adaptive transcriptional changes in response to high altitudes, and most of the genes that show differential expression in lung tissue across different altitudes display nonlinear regulation. To explore the molecular mechanisms that are activated in yak lung tissue in response to hypoxia, the mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs of lung tissue from 9 yaks living at three different altitudes (3400 m, 4200 m and 5000 m), with three repetitions per altitude, were sequenced. Two Zaosheng cattle from 1500 m were selected as low-altitude control. A total of 21,764 mRNAs, 14,168 lncRNAs and 1209 miRNAs (305 known and 904 novel miRNAs) were identified. In a comparison of yaks and cattle, 4975 mRNAs, 3326 lncRNAs and 75 miRNAs were differentially expressed. A total of 756 mRNAs, 346 lncRNAs and 83 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed among yaks living at three different altitudes (fold change ≥ 2 and P-value < 0.05). The differentially expressed genes between yaks and cattle were functionally enriched in long-chain fatty acid metabolic process and protein processing, while the differentially expressed genes among yaks living at three different altitudes were enriched in immune response and the cell cycle. Furthermore, competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were investigated to illustrate the roles of ceRNAs in this process, the result was also support the GO and KEGG analysis. The present research provides important genomic insights for discovering the mechanisms that are activated in response to hypoxia in yak lung tissue.
Combination of RNA-Seq transcriptomics and iTRAQ proteomics reveal the mechanism involved in fresh-cut yam yellowing
Authors: Guo Shuang , Wang Dan , Ma Yue , Zhang Yan , Zhao Xiaoyan
Published: April 2021

The aim of this study was to examine the regulation of transcriptomics and proteomics related to the yellowing of fresh-cut yams after storage. The comparison of yellow fresh-cut yam (YFY) vs. white fresh-cut yam (control) revealed 6894 upregulated and 6800 downregulated differentially expressed genes along with 1277 upregulated and 677 downregulated differentially expressed proteins. The results showed that the total carotenoids, flavonoids, and bisdemethoxycurcumin in YFY were higher than in the control due to the significant up-regulation of critical genes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, and stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid, and gingerol biosynthesis pathway. In addition, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were both enhanced in YFY compared to the control, providing energy and precursors for the formation of yellow pigments. The results suggest that the synthesis of yellow pigments is regulated by critical genes, which might explain the yellowing of fresh-cut yam after storage.
Olig2 regulates p53-mediated apoptosis, migration and invasion of melanoma cells
Authors: Lee Ji Eun , Ahn Sungjin , Jeong Haengdueng , An Seungchan , Myung Cheol Hwan , Lee Jeong Ah , Hong Sung Chan , Kim Youn Jin , Kim Jin Young , Ryu Jong Hyuk , Noh Minsoo , Nam Ki Taek , Hwang Jae Sung
Published: April 2021

Melanoma is a disease with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis; therefore, the need for targeted therapeutics is steadily increasing. Oligodendrocyte transcription factor2 (Olig2) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that is expressed in the central nervous system during embryonic development. Olig2 is overexpressed in various malignant cell lines such as lung carcinoma, glioma and melanoma. Olig2 is known as a key transcription factor that promotes tumor growth in malignant glioma. However, the role of Olig2 in melanoma is not well characterized. We analyzed the role of Olig2 in apoptosis, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells. We confirmed that Olig2 was overexpressed in melanoma cells and tissues. Reduction of Olig2 increased apoptosis in melanoma cells by increasing p53 level and caspase-3/-7 enzyme activity. In addition, downregulation of Olig2 suppressed migration and invasion of melanoma cells by inhibiting EMT. Reduction of Olig2 inhibited expression of MMP-1 and the enzyme activity of MMP-2/-9 induced by TGF-β. Moreover, Olig2 was involved in the downstream stages of MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT, which are major signaling pathways in metastatic progression of melanoma. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the crucial roles of Olig2 in apoptosis, migration, and invasion of melanoma and may help to further our understanding of the relationship between Olig2 and melanoma progression.
Gender-specific differences in feasibility of pre-lacrimal window approach
Authors: Andrianakis A. , Moser U. , Wolf A. , Kiss P. , Holzmeister C. , Andrianakis D. , Tomazic P. V.
Published: April 2021

The feasibility and surgical effort of a pre-lacrimal window approach (PLWA) depends on the width of the bony window anterior to the nasolacrimal duct. This study aimed to investigate gender-specific differences in feasibility of PLWA. A consecutive series of paranasal computed tomography scans from 50 females (n = 100) and 50 males (n = 100) were retrospectively analyzed. The primary outcome measure was the antero-posterior length of the bony pre-lacrimal window (BPLWA). The secondary outcome measure was the distribution of Simmen’s PLWA feasibility types (major, moderate and minor surgical effort). On average, males had a 1.5 mm (95% CI 0.8–2.2) significantly higher BPLW length in comparison to females [t(198) = 4.4,p < 0.0001]. The requirement of major surgical effort occurred 29% more frequently in females [χ2(1) = 17.7,p < 0.0001], whereas the necessity of moderate surgical effort was 21% more prevalent in males [χ2(1) = 8.8,p = 0.003]. The need of only minor surgical effort was twice as high in males compared to females [χ2(1) = 3,p = 0.081]. Our data indicates that females require more significant surgical effort during a PLWA to gain access to the maxillary sinus. These results are highly informative as a high amount of bone removal and nasolacrimal duct dislocation are associated with a higher likelihood of complications.
Author Correction: Difference in lifestyle and metabolic profile of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with raised alanine amino-transferases between obese and non-overweight subjects
Authors: Sharma Mithun , Kulkarni Anand , Kumar Pramod , Nori Vijay Bhaskar , Jagtap Nitin , Gupta Rajesh , Reddy Duvurr Nageshwar , Rao Padaki Nagaraja
Published: April 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Increasing prevalence of resistance to second-line drugs among multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Kuwait
Authors: Al-Mutairi Noura M. , Ahmad Suhail , Mokaddas Eiman
Published: April 2021

Molecular methods detect genetic mutations associated with drug resistance. This study detected resistance-conferring mutations ingyrA/gyrBfor fluoroquinolones andrrs/eisgenes for second-line injectable drugs (SLIDs) among multidrug-resistantMycobacterium tuberculosis(MDR-TB) isolates in Kuwait. Fifty pansusceptibleM. tuberculosisand 102 MDR-TB strains were tested. Phenotypic susceptibility testing was performed by MGIT 960 system using SIRE drug kit. GenoType MTBDRslversion 1 (gMTBDRslv1) and GenoType MTBDRslversion 2 (gMTBDRslv2) tests were used for mutation detection. Results were validated by PCR-sequencing of respective genes. Fingerprinting was performed by spoligotyping. No mutations were detected in pansusceptible isolates. gMTBDRslv1 detectedgyrAmutations in 12 andrrsmutations in 8 MDR-TB isolates. gMTBDRsl2 additionally detectedgyrBmutations in 2 andeismutation in 1 isolate. Mutations in bothgyrA/gyrBandrrs/eiswere not detected. gMTBDRslv1 also detected ethambutol resistance-conferringembBmutations in 59 isolates. Although XDR-TB was not detected, frequency of resistance-conferring mutations for fluoroquinolones or SLIDs was significantly higher among isolates collected during 2013–2019 versus 2006–2012. Application of both tests is warranted for proper management of MDR-TB patients in Kuwait as gMTBDRslv2 detected resistance to fluoroquinolones and/or SLIDs in 3 additional isolates while gMTBDRslv1 additionally detected resistance to ethambutol in 58% of MDR-TB isolates.
Development of a multivariable prediction model for severe COVID-19 disease: a population-based study from Hong Kong
Authors: Zhou Jiandong , Lee Sharen , Wang Xiansong , Li Yi , Wu William Ka Kei , Liu Tong , Cao Zhidong , Zeng Daniel Dajun , Leung Keith Sai Kit , Wai Abraham Ka Chung , Wong Ian Chi Kei , Cheung Bernard Man Yung , Zhang Qingpeng , Tse Gary
Published: April 2021

Recent studies have reported numerous predictors for adverse outcomes in COVID-19 disease. However, there have been few simple clinical risk scores available for prompt risk stratification. The objective is to develop a simple risk score for predicting severe COVID-19 disease using territory-wide data based on simple clinical and laboratory variables. Consecutive patients admitted to Hong Kong’s public hospitals between 1 January and 22 August 2020 and diagnosed with COVID-19, as confirmed by RT-PCR, were included. The primary outcome was composite intensive care unit admission, need for intubation or death with follow-up until 8 September 2020. An external independent cohort from Wuhan was used for model validation. COVID-19 testing was performed in 237,493 patients and 4442 patients (median age 44.8 years old, 95% confidence interval (CI): [28.9, 60.8]); 50% males) were tested positive. Of these, 209 patients (4.8%) met the primary outcome. A risk score including the following components was derived from Cox regression: gender, age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, dementia, liver diseases, gastrointestinal bleeding, cancer, increases in neutrophil count, potassium, urea, creatinine, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, bilirubin, D-dimer, high sensitive troponin-I, lactate dehydrogenase, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, and C-reactive protein, as well as decreases in lymphocyte count, platelet, hematocrit, albumin, sodium, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, glucose, and base excess. The model based on test results taken on the day of admission demonstrated an excellent predictive value. Incorporation of test results on successive time points did not further improve risk prediction. The derived score system was evaluated with out-of-sample five-cross-validation (AUC: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.82–0.91) and external validation (N = 202, AUC: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85–0.93). A simple clinical score accurately predicted severe COVID-19 disease, even without including symptoms, blood pressure or oxygen status on presentation, or chest radiograph results.
Spin-singlet to triplet Cooper pair converter interface
Authors: Rogers Matthew , Walton Alistair , Flokstra Machiel G. , Al Ma’Mari Fatma , Stewart Rhea , Lee Stephen L. , Prokscha Thomas , Caruana Andrew J. , Kinane Christian J. , Langridge Sean , Bradshaw Harry , Moorsom Timothy , Ali Mannan , Burnell Gavin , Hickey Bryan J. , Cespedes Oscar
Published: April 2021

Combining magnetic and superconducting functionalities enables lower energy spin transfer and magnetic switching in quantum computing and information storage, owing to the dissipationless nature of quasi-particle mediated supercurrents. Here, we put forward a system where emergent spin-ordering and diffusion of Cooper pairs are achieved at a non-intrinsically magnetic nor superconducting metallo-molecular interface. Electron transport, magnetometry and low-energy muon spin rotation are used to probe time-reversal symmetry breaking in these structures. By comparing the Meissner expulsion in a system including a Cu/C60 spin-converter interface to one without, we observe a paramagnetic contribution that can be explained due to the conversion of spin-singlet Cooper pair states into odd-frequency triplet states. These results demonstrate the potential of metallo-molecular interfaces to achieve singlet to triplet Cooper pair conversion, a capability not present in either metal or molecule separately that could be used in the generation and controlled diffusion of spin polarised dissipationless currents.
Global mantle convection models produce transform offsets along divergent plate boundaries
Authors: Langemeyer Sean M. , Lowman Julian P. , Tackley Paul J.
Published: April 2021

The presence of offsets, appearing at intervals ranging from 10s to 100s of kilometres, is a distinct characteristic of constructive tectonic plate margins. By comparison, boundaries associated with subduction exhibit uninterrupted continuity. Here, we present global mantle convection calculations that result in a mobile lithosphere featuring dynamically derived plate boundaries exhibiting a contrasting superficial structure which distinguishes convergence and divergence. Implementing a yield-stress that governs the viscosity in the lithosphere, spreading boundaries at the top of a vigorously convecting mantle form as divergent linear segments regularly offset by similar length zones that correlate with a large degree of shear but comparatively minimal divergence. Analogous offset segments do not emerge in the boundaries associated with surface convergence. Comparing the similarity in the morphologies of the model plate margins to the Earth’s plate boundaries demonstrates that transform-like offsets are a result of stress induced weakness in the lithosphere owing to passive rupturing.
Non-contact detection of thiodiglycol vapors and associated degradation products using atmospheric flow tube mass spectrometry
Authors: Morrison Kelsey A. , Clowers Brian H.
Published: April 2021

Thiodiglycol (TDG) is a synthetic precursor and an environmental degradation product of sulfur mustard (HD).
Challenges for density functional theory: calculation of CO adsorption on electrocatalytically relevant metals
Authors: Lininger Christianna N. , Gauthier Joseph A. , Li Wan-Lu , Rossomme Elliot , Welborn Valerie Vaissier , Lin Zhou , Head-Gordon Teresa , Head-Gordon Martin , Bell Alexis T.
Published: April 2021

We assess four DFT functionals, RTPSS, RPBE, SCAN and B97M-rV, for surface interactions. We find that B97M-rV predicts the correct site preference for CO binding on Ag and Au while RTPSS performs well for surface relaxations and binding of CO on Pt and Cu.
Environmental factor assisted chlorophyll-a prediction and water quality eutrophication grade classification: a comparative analysis of multiple hybrid models based on a SVM
Authors: Xia Jingjing , Zeng Jin
Published: April 2021

Multiple SVM-based hybrid models are proposed and compared to understand the relationship between Chl-a prediction, water quality eutrophication grade classification and environmental factors.
Highly efficient and low efficiency roll-off organic light-emitting diodes with double-exciplex forming co-hosts
Authors: Zhang Tianmu , Yao Jingwen , Zhang Shuai , Xiao Shu , Liu Wei , Wu Zhongbin , Ma Dongge
Published: April 2021

Double-exciplex hosts possessing multiple energy transfer routes including two reversed intersystem crossing processes are employed to enhance the exciton utilization.
A new lead-free 1D hybrid copper perovskite and its structural, thermal, vibrational, optical and magnetic characterization
Authors: Bourwina Mansoura , Msalmi Rawia , Walha Sandra , Turnbull Mark M. , Roisnel Thierry , Costantino Ferdinando , Mosconi Edoardo , Naïli Houcine
Published: April 2021

A 1D perovskite, (C5H14N2) CuCl4, is stabilized as alternative lead-free material for more environmentally friendly solar cells. The absence of magnetic properties results from the cancelation of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic contributions.
Gold–iron selenide nanocomposites for amplified tumor oxidative stress-augmented photo-radiotherapy
Authors: Lu Jingsong , Guo Zhenhu , Xie Wensheng , Chi Yongjie , Zhang Junxin , Xu Wanling , Guo Xiaoxiao , Ye Jielin , Wei Yen , Wu Hong , Yu Jing , Huang Yu-Fen , Zhao Lingyun
Published: April 2021

Schematic illustration of the preparation of Au-FeSe2 NCs and enhanced photo-radiotherapy for combined therapy.
Organic photovoltaic electron acceptors showing aggregation-induced emission for reduced nonradiative recombination
Authors: Li Yawen , Zhang Yihang , Zuo Xia , Lin Yuze
Published: April 2021

Tetraphenylethylene-substituted fused-ring electron acceptors present enhanced emission with reduced nonradiative energy loss, improving open circuit voltages in solar cells.
Measurement and modelling solubility of amino acids and peptides in aqueous 2-propanol solutions
Authors: Do Hoang Tam , Franke Patrick , Volpert Sophia , Klinksiek Marcel , Thome Max , Held Christoph
Published: April 2021

In this work the solubility of 15 amino acids and 18 peptides in aqueous 2-propanol solutions was successfully modelled using PC-SAFT that used recently determined experimental melting properties as input data.
How does the solvent composition influence the transport properties of electrolyte solutions? LiPF6 and LiFSA in EC and DMC binary solvent
Authors: Uchida Satoshi , Kiyobayashi Tetsu
Published: April 2021

Competitive Li+-solvation between EC and DMC and the hydrodynamic size of transporting entities are quantitatively examined as a function of the solvent composition from the experimentally determined data.
New potential pyrrhotite and pentlandite reference materials for sulfur and iron isotope microanalysis
Authors: Chen Lei , Liu Yu , Li Yang , Li Qiu-Li , Li Xian-Hua
Published: April 2021

In this study, natural pyrrhotite and pentlandite were investigated as two new potential reference materials for both sulfur and iron isotopes by micro-beam methods.
Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in atomic spectrometry and related techniques
Authors: Evans E. Hywel , Pisonero Jorge , Smith Clare M. M. , Taylor Rex N.
Published: April 2021

This review covers advances in atomic spectrometric techniques, including atomic emission, absorption, fluorescence and mass spectrometry. Material on speciation and coupled techniques is not covered as this is included in a separate ASU review.
Zero-dimensional plate-shaped copper halide crystals with green-yellow emissions
Authors: Liu Feng , Mondal Debayan , Zhang Kai , Zhang Ying , Huang Keke , Wang Dayang , Yang Wensheng , Mahadevan Priya , Xie Renguo
Published: April 2021

Plate-shaped (DTA)2Cu2I4 crystals with green-yellow emissions, 0D structures and waveguide behavior were prepared by the employment of long alkyl chain molecules.
Photoluminescence and electroluminescence characterization of high-performance near-infrared emitters based on 1,5-naphthyridin-4-ol-containing heteroleptic platinum(ii) complexes
Authors: Kidanu Hagos Tesfay , Lee Jian Haur , Chen Chin-Ti
Published: April 2021

Four 1,5-naphthyridin-4-ol-containing platinum complexes, AtFOND, AtFNND, PBSOND, and PBSNND, have been synthesized and characterized for their photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) properties.
Radiation synthesis of imidazolium-based ionic liquid modified silica adsorbents for ReO4− adsorption
Authors: Xie Kangjun , Dong Zhen , Wang Nan , Qi Wei , Zhao Long
Published: April 2021

A series of ionic liquid functionalized silica-based adsorbents were synthesized and used to remove ReO4− from simulated radioactive wastewater.
Highly efficient photocatalytic CO2reduction by a ruthenium complex sensitizing g-C3N4/MOF hybrid photocatalyst
Authors: Sun Wenxuan , Chen Xuyang , Meng Xiangfen , Gao Yan
Published: April 2021

A ruthenium complex sensitizing g-C3N4/MOF hybrid (RuL2L′@C3N4/MOF) was exploited that displayed extremely high photocatalytic performance for the reduction of CO2to CO.
Semiconducting α′-boron sheet with high mobility and low all-boron contact resistance: a first-principles study
Authors: Zhang Jun-Jie , Altalhi Tariq , Yang Ji-Hui , Yakobson Boris I.
Published: April 2021

Design of fully boron-sheet-based FETs in the real 2D atomically-thin limit.
Selective area grown AlInGaN nanowire arrays with core–shell structures for photovoltaics on silicon
Authors: Wang Renjie , Cheng Shaobo , Vanka Srinivas , Botton Gianluigi A. , Mi Zetian
Published: April 2021

By employing a conductive buffer layer, the selective area growth of close-packed AlInGaN core–shell nanowire array and its photovoltaic applications with higher efficiency and higher Voc are demonstrated on Si substrate.
Retraction: A polyurethane–chitosan brush as an injectable hydrogel for controlled drug delivery and tissue engineering
Authors: Southall Maria
Published: April 2021

Retraction of ‘A polyurethane–chitosan brush as an injectable hydrogel for controlled drug delivery and tissue engineering’ by Arun Kumar Mahanta et al., Polym. Chem., 2017, 8, 6233–6249, DOI: 10.1039/C7PY01218G.
Triptycene-supported bimetallic salen porous organic polymers for high efficiency CO2 fixation to cyclic carbonates
Authors: Zheng Yingting , Wang Xiqian , Liu Chao , Yu Baoqiu , Li Wenliang , Wang Hailong , Sun Tingting , Jiang Jianzhuang
Published: April 2021

Triptycene units in bimetallic salen POPs are envisaged to support the alignment of bimetallic salen macrocycles in side walls of channels for exposing more metal active sites resulting in the high efficiency coupling reaction of epoxides with CO2.
Arm modulation of triarylamines to fine-tune the properties of linear D–π–D HTMs for robust higher performance perovskite solar cells
Authors: Zhang Heng , Wu Bingxue , Wu Quanping , Wang Zhihui , Xue Song , Liang Mao
Published: April 2021

Most organic hole-transport materials (HTMs) toward efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs) thus far still rely on methoxytriphenylamine, which limits the photovoltage and decrease the stability of PSCs.
An electrolyte- and catalyst-free electrooxidative sulfonylation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines
Authors: Han Lili , Huang Mengmeng , Li Yabo , Zhang Jianye , Zhu Yu , Kim Jung Keun , Wu Yangjie
Published: April 2021

An electrolyte- and catalyst-free electrooxidative C–H activation reaction is developed to afford 3-sulfonylated imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines in good to excellent yields.
Euphopias D–F from Euphorbia L.: quantum chemical calculation-based structure elucidation and their bioactivity of inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Authors: Shi Qiang-Qiang , Zhang Yu , Wang Ting-Ting , Xiong Feng , Zhang Rui-Han , Li Xiao-Li , Ji Xu , Zhang Xing-Jie , Wang Wei-Guang , Xiao Wei-Lie
Published: April 2021

Euphopias D–F (1–3), three novel carbon skeleton diterpenoids with an inhibitory effect on NLRP3 inflammasome, were isolated and identified from the whole plants of Euphorbia helioscopia.
Engineering tunability through electro-optic effects to manifest a multifunctional metadevice
Authors: Naeem Taimoor , Khaliq Hafiz Saad , Zubair Muhammad , Tauqeer Tauseef , Mehmood Muhammad Qasim
Published: April 2021

Engineering tunability through electro-optic effects, which demonstrates a multifunctional metadevice by controlling resonance wavelength tuning and zoom focusing.
Hybrid renewable energy/hybrid desalination potentials for remote areas: selected cases studied in Egypt
Authors: El-Hady B. Kashyout Abd , Hassan Amany , Hassan Gasser , El-Banna Fath Hassan , El-Wahab Kassem Abd , Elshimy Hisham , RanjanVepa  , Shaheed Mohammad H.
Published: April 2021

For many socio-economic and demographic issues, majority of the Egyptian population live near the Nile River for thousands of years.
Light-guided intrabodies for on-demand in situ target recognition in human cells
Authors: Joest Eike F. , Winter Christian , Wesalo Joshua S. , Deiters Alexander , Tampé Robert
Published: April 2021

Nanobodies are ideal to visualize and modulate targets in living cells. We designed a versatile platform for generating photo-conditional intrabodies by genetic code expansion. After illumination, the intrabodies show fast and stable binding.
NanoFAST: structure-based design of a small fluorogen-activating protein with only 98 amino acids
Authors: Mineev Konstantin S. , Goncharuk Sergey A. , Goncharuk Marina V. , Povarova Natalia V. , Sokolov Anatolii I. , Baleeva Nadezhda S. , Smirnov Alexander Yu. , Myasnyanko Ivan N. , Ruchkin Dmitry A. , Bukhdruker Sergey , Remeeva Alina , Mishin Alexey , Borshchevskiy Valentin , Gordeliy Valentin , Arseniev Alexander S. , Gorbachev Dmitriy A. , Gavrikov Alexey S. , Mishin Alexander S. , Baranov Mikhail S.
Published: April 2021

We solved the structure of a fluorogen-activating protein FAST and synthesized the library of potential fluorogens. Using these data, we designed the shortest genetically encoded fluorescent tag among all known.
Durability of La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3-based SOFC anodes: identifying sources of degradation in Ni and Pt/ceria co-impregnated fuel electrode microstructures
Authors: Price Robert , Weissen Ueli , Grolig Jan G. , Cassidy Mark , Mai Andreas , Irvine John T. S.
Published: April 2021

Mechanisms of degradation in SOFC containing Ni/CGO, Ni/CeO2 and Pt/CGO co-impregnated La0.20Sr0.25Ca0.45TiO3 anodes are elucidated during long-term, industrially-relevant testing, using AC impedance spectroscopic and microscopic analyses.
Bio-inspired vertically aligned polyaniline nanofiber layers enabling extremely high-efficiency solar membrane distillation for water purification
Authors: Peng Yubing , Wang Yunjie , Li Wenwei , Jin Jian
Published: April 2021

A bio-inspired PANI nanofiber layer was fabricated on the surface of a hydrophobic PVDF microfiltration membrane for solar-driven distillation. This membrane possesses high solar energy-to-collected water efficiency for freshwater production under one sun irradiation.
Achieving 10% efficiency in non-fullerene all-small-molecule organic solar cells without extra treatments
Authors: Yang Daobin , Yu Kuibao , Xu Jun , Zhang Jinsheng , Zhang Jianqi , Gao Jing , Song Wei , Li Dandan , Chen Zhenyu , Ge Ziyi
Published: April 2021

A small molecule (3BDT-5)-based organic solar cell with Y6 as an acceptor exhibits a PCE breaking 10% without extra treatment.
Systematic study of SYBR green chromophore reveals major improvement with one heteroatom difference
Authors: Saarnio Ville K. , Alaranta Johanna M. , Lahtinen Tanja M.
Published: April 2021

Five nucleic acid binding cyanine dyes were synthesized and their photophysical characteristics were evaluated. Changing a heteroatom in the chromophore caused major differences in properties between dyes improving upon available commercial products.
Comparing Emotion Recognition and Word Recognition in Background Noise
Authors: Morgan Shae D.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Word recognition in quiet and in background noise has been thoroughly investigated in previous research to establish segmental speech recognition performance as a function of stimulus characteristics (e.g., audibility). Similar methods to investigate recognition performance for suprasegmental information (e.g., acoustic cues used to make judgments of talker age, sex, or emotional state) have not been performed. In this work, we directly compared emotion and word recognition performance in different levels of background noise to identify psychoacoustic properties of emotion recognition (globally and for specific emotion categories) relative to word recognition.

Method

Twenty young adult listeners with normal hearing listened to sentences and either reported a target word in each sentence or selected the emotion of the talker from a list of options (angry, calm, happy, and sad) at four signal-to-noise ratios in a background of white noise. Psychometric functions were fit to the recognition data and used to estimate thresholds (midway points on the function) and slopes for word and emotion recognition.

Results

Thresholds for emotion recognition were approximately 10 dB better than word recognition thresholds, and slopes for emotion recognition were half of those measured for word recognition. Low-arousal emotions had poorer thresholds and shallower slopes than high-arousal emotions, suggesting greater confusion when distinguishing low-arousal emotional speech content.

Conclusions

Communication of a talker's emotional state continues to be perceptible to listeners in competitive listening environments, even after words are rendered inaudible. The arousal of emotional speech affects listeners' ability to discriminate between emotion categories.
An improved picture‐based prediction method of PM2.5 concentration
Authors: Chen Qili , Chen Wenbai , Pan Guangyuan
Published: April 2021

PM2.5 can bring serious harm to people's health and life because it easily causes cardiovascular disease and increases the risk of cancer. Hence, monitoring PM2.5 real‐timely becomes a key problem in environmental protection. Towards this end, this paper proposes an improved picture‐based prediction method of PM2.5 concentration using artificial neural network (ANN). Firstly, the weather image is transformed into Hue, Saturation, Value (HSV) color space to extract its saturation map, then the corresponding spatial and transform‐based entropy features of image space are extracted. Secondly, the PM2.5 concentration model is built based on the two extracted features from the weather image using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) theory. Thirdly, an ANN model is trained using the pre‐processed data. The training parameters and conditions are also explored through multiple experiments to achieve the best model accuracy. Experimental results show that the model has the best prediction effect when comparing to other state‐of‐the‐art models.
Compressed dual‐channel neural network with application to image‐based smoke detection
Authors: Zhang Jiedong , Xie Wenhui , Liu Hongyan , Dang Wenyi , Yu Anfeng , Liu Di
Published: April 2021

Effective detection of smoke from visual scenes can play a vital role not only in industrial safety as an early warning system but also in forest fire prevention. However, it is difficult to detect smoke based on texture and color. Therefore, many researches have been conducted on this issue and derived detection methods based on convolutional neural networks (such as DNCNN and DCNN etc.). However, in the process of convolution, with the superposition of convolutions times, the parameters of the network increase gradually and thus cause a large computational burden, which brings about the problem of unsatisfactory operating efficiency. Thus, this paper mainly introduces the depthwise separable convolution into the state‐of‐the‐art DCNN developed specifically for smoke detection, dubbed as the improved DCNN (IDCNN). Compared with standard convolution, by introducing the depthwise separable convolution, the convolution parameters and the corresponding calculation amount in the process of convolution can be greatly reduced, so that the network can deal with more data in a shorter time which improves operating efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of IDCNN as compared with the state‐of‐the‐art deep networks for smoke detection based on standard convolution in terms of parameter quantity and running speed.
Electrical discharge resistance of polymeric nanocomposites
Authors: Banerjee Srijib , Saini Shelly , Prasad D Shakthi
Published: April 2021

The trend of choosing insulating materials has changed in the past few decades, and a considerable shift has occurred from conventional ceramic to non‐ceramic insulating materials. The addition of inorganic fillers has greatly improved the thermal conductivity, discharge resistance, hydrophobicity recovery, and vandalism‐resistance properties of polymeric insulating materials. Since the beginning of the present century, the field of nanomaterial research has gained much attention. Several studies have been conducted to investigate and analyze polymer nanocomposites by adding nanoparticles of varying size and concentration as fillers. The aim is to improve the characteristics and reformation of thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties of existing polymeric insulation materials. However, certain inconsistencies are prevalent with results obtained for polymer nanocomposites. A comprehensive review is presented based on available literature focussing on the advancement from polymeric insulating materials to polymeric nanocomposites and its impact on partial discharge resistance, surface charging, and tracking and erosion resistance. It is observed that the weight percent and dispersion of nano‐ or micro‐sized particles into the base polymer matrix governs the performance of polymer composites. At higher filler loading, resistance to partial discharge and tracking and erosion decreases as a result of the agglomeration of fillers, whereas resistance to surface charge accumulation increases at higher filler loading because the formation of shallow traps increases the charge decay rate. It is suggested that when both micro‐ and nanofillers are mixed in proper proportion, micro–nano hybrid composites provide better performance than composites filled with only nano‐ or microfillers.
Optimisation, benchmark testing and comparison of droop control variants in microgrids
Authors: Eberlein Simon , Rudion Krzysztof
Published: April 2021

Grid‐forming inverter control is recently discussed for bulk power systems and is already in use for islanded microgrids. A common control type is the droop control. Numerous variants of the basic droop control have been proposed. However, there is lack of performance comparison of the droop variants in literature. Their superiority has only been demonstrated for some specific microgrid scenarios. This work composes benchmark scenarios to assess and compare the applicability of droop control variants and also their combination with virtual impedances under practical conditions. A number of microgrid topologies and the interaction with synchronous machines are considered to benchmark the performance. Static criteria, such as the steady‐state power sharing, as well as dynamic stability criteria, are taken into account for modal analysis. To guarantee a meaningful comparison, a genetic algorithm tailored to the problem is used to optimise controller parameters for each controller type. Results indicate that the combination with virtual impedance has a more decisive effect on stability than the droop variant. The outcome is relevant for microgrid stability analysis in numerous contexts, such as optimal placement of inverters or topology optimisation, where the choice of the most suitable controller type with optimised parameter sets is key.
Distributed control strategy for DC microgrids based on average consensus and fractional‐order local controllers
Authors: Doostinia Mehdi , Beheshti Mohammad T. H. , Alavi Seyed A. , Guerrero Josep M.
Published: April 2021

A novel distributed secondary layer control strategy based on average consensus and fractional‐order proportional‐integral (FOPI) local controllers is proposed for the regulation of the bus voltages and energy level balancing of the energy storage systems (ESSs) in DC microgrids. The distributed consensus protocol works based on an undirected sparse communication network. Fractional‐order local controllers increase the degree of freedom in the tuning of closed‐loop controllers, which is required for DC microgrids with high order dynamics. Therefore, here, FOPI local controllers are proposed for enhanced energy balancing of ESSs and improved regulation of the bus voltages across the microgrid. The proposed control strategy operates in both islanded and grid‐connected modes of a DC microgrid. In both modes, the average voltage of the microgrid converges to the microgrid desired reference voltage. The charging/discharging of ESSs is controlled independent of the microgrid operating mode to maintain a balanced energy level. The performance of the proposed distributed control strategy is validated in a 38‐ V DC microgrid case study, simulated by Simulink real‐time desktop, consisting of 10 buses and a photovoltaic renewable energy source.