bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
N‐acetyloxfenicine strongly induces mitohormesis in mice as well as in insects
Authors: Matsumura Takashi , Ono Masaya , Osada Satoshi , Matsuhisa Fumikazu , Ochiai Masanori , Hayakawa Yoichi
Published: December 2022

Mitohormesis defines the increase in fitness induced by adaptive responses to mild mitochondrial stress. Here, we show that N‐acetyloxfenicine (NAO) exerted higher thermotolerance than an endogenous mitohormesis inducer, N‐acetyltyrosine (NAT). This activity was not observed in armyworm larvae injected with oxfenicine, suggesting the importance of N‐acetylation. NAO‐induced hormetic effect was triggered by transient perturbation of mitochondria, which causes a small increase in ROS production and leads to retrograde responses including enhanced expression of antioxidant enzyme genes via activation of FoxO transcription factors. Furthermore, pretreatment with NAO significantly repressed stress‐induced peroxidation of lipids in mice and growth of colorectal cancer HCT116 cells that had been transplanted into nude mice. Taken together, NAO is a potent mitohormesis inducer that is similar to NAT in terms of structure and functions.
Moisture abundance and proximity mediate seasonal use of mesic areas and survival of greater sage‐grouse broods
Authors: Severson John P. , Coates Peter S. , Milligan Megan C. , O'Neil Shawn T. , Ricca Mark A. , Abele Steve C. , Boone John D. , Casazza Michael L.
Published: December 2022

Water is a critical and limited resource, particularly in the arid West, but water availability is projected to decline even while demand increases due to growing human populations and increases in duration and severity of drought. Mesic areas provide important water resources for numerous wildlife species, including the greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage‐grouse), an indicator for the health of sagebrush ecosystems. Understanding how wildlife use these crucial areas is necessary to inform management and conservation of sensitive species. Specifically, the influence of anthropogenic water subsidies such as irrigated pastures is not well‐studied.

We evaluated brood‐rearing habitat selection and brood survival of sage‐grouse in Long Valley, California, an area where the water rights are primarily owned by the city of Los Angeles and water is used locally to irrigate for livestock. This area thus represents a unique balance between the needs of wildlife and people that could increasingly define future water management.

In this study, sage‐grouse broods moved closer to the edge of mesic areas and used more interior areas during the late brood‐rearing period, selecting for greener areas after 1 July. Mesic areas were particularly important during dry years, with broods using areas farther interior than in wet years. Brood survival was also positively influenced by the availability and condition of mesic resources, as indicated by variation in values of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), with survival peaking at moderate values of NDVI and just outside the edge but decreasing inside the mesic areas.

Our results highlight the importance of quality edge habitat of large mesic areas for sage‐grouse to balance habitat selection and survival, particularly during drier years and during the late brood‐rearing period, which is a critical period because chick survival has been shown to influence population growth.

This study highlights the implications of large‐scale anthropogenic water manipulation, and the balance between local irrigation and water distribution to benefit other regions, from the context of a species of high conservation concern in North American sagebrush ecosystems.
Ergasterion, ergastulum
Authors: Marzano Annalisa
Published: December 2022

The Greek termergasterionrefers primarily to workshops, both small and large, whereas the Latinergastulumnormally indicates the place where people condemned to forced labor are housed, the cell where slaves were confined for punishment, or the space where fettered agricultural slaves were locked up for the night.
Messianism, Jewish
Authors: Collins John J.
Published: December 2022

The word “Messiah” is derived from the Hebrew
mashiach
, “anointed one.” In the Hebrew Bible it refers most often to the king, but sometimes to the high priest. In the Second Temple period the word took on an eschatological sense. Most often it referred to one who would restore the kingdom of Israel. It could also refer to an eschatological high priest or prophet, or to a heavenly savior figure. The Greek equivalent,
christos
/Christ, is used as a title for Jesus in the New Testament.
Garama
Authors: MacDonald Eve
Published: December 2022

A city in the Sahara.
Fixed‐time fault‐tolerant control of uncertain MIMO switched interconnected systems subject to state delay, unknown control directions, and quantized nonlinear inputs
Authors: Ghoreishee Sayed Aref , Shahrokhi Mohammad , Vafa Ehsan , Moradvandi Ali
Published: December 2022

This paper investigates design of an adaptive fixed‐time fault‐tolerant decentralized controller for a class of uncertain multi‐input multi‐output (MIMO) switched large‐scale non‐strict interconnected systems under arbitrary switching subject to unknown control directions, quantized nonlinear inputs, actuator failures unknown external disturbances, and unmodeled dynamics. In addition to interconnected terms, time‐varying delayed interconnected terms have been considered in the system model which makes it more general than previous works in the literature. The proposed controller can handle switched systems with unknown switching signal and different types of input nonlinearities including, saturation, backlash, and dead‐zone. The singularity problem in designing the fixed time controller has been solved. The quantizer and actuators fault parameters are assumed to be unknown. The Razumikhin lemma has been used to deal with the delayed interconnected terms. To cope with the system unknown dynamics, neural networks (NNs) have been applied and by updating the maximum norms of the networks weight vectors the computational load has been reduced. The explosion of complexity occurring in the traditional back‐stepping technique has been avoided by applying dynamic surface control (DSC). Finally, by defining an appropriate common Lyapunov function (CLF), fixed‐time convergence of system outputs and the closed‐loop system stability have been established. The effectiveness of the proposed controller has been shown via simulation study.
Bioinspired Interlayer Adhesion Strategy for Additive Manufacturing in Space
Authors: Zhang Qi , Liu Ming , Liao Chaoqun , Luan Hengwei , Dong Wen , Jiao Zhiwei , Zhao Shaofan , Bai Haiyang , Wang Wei-Hua
Published: December 2022

In‐space manufacturing draws great attentions due to its potential applications in space exploration. However, the high‐vacuum and microgravity environment introduces extrascientific and technical challenges. Biological experiments in the International Space Station show that spiders can build webs under microgravity conditions, which indicates that the spiderweb building could be independent of gravity. Herein, inspired by the spiderweb, a strategy for additive manufacturing in space, that is, building a 3D structure composed of metallic ribbons and bonded joints, is proposed. Several kinds of 3D metallic structures are manufactured and the flexibility and strength of the obtained jointed‐ribbons are tested. It is showed in the results that the tensile strength of the 3D metallic structures reaches about 70% of that of the raw materials, while their hardness almost keeps unchanged. Herein, an effective method to realize the manufacturing of the complex metallic structures in space is provided.
Sonochemical Approach of Highly Thermal, Mechanical, and Corrosion Inhibition Performance of Metal–Organic Framework (ZIF‐8)‐Decorated Waterborne Polyurethane Nanocomposite
Authors: Borse Rahul Anil , Kale Manoj B. , Srinivasan Sivaprakash , Sonawane Shirish H. , Wang Yaobing
Published: December 2022

Herein, highly porous metal–organic framework (ZIF‐8)‐decorated environmental friendly waterborne polyurethane (WPU) (ZIF‐8@WPU) nanocomposites via facile sonochemical technique are synthesized. The ZIF‐8@WPU shows threefold excellent mechanical performance (tensile strength ≈23 MPa and elongation 670%) at a very low 2.5 wt% filler loading compared to pristine WPU. In addition, the synthesized ZIF‐8@WPU exhibits high thermal stability and water vapor permeability properties with increasing nanofiller concentration. Interestingly, the incorporation of ZIF‐8 into WPU potentially improves the corrosion inhibition performance with a superior corrosion rate (υcorr) 1.7 × 10−2 mm year−1 and ≈94% protection efficiency (PE) at lower filler (2.5 wt%) loading, attributing to the facile synthesis methods, internal structural arrangement, well interaction of filler and matrix, high surface area, and tuneable pore size of filler material. The crystallinity of ZIF‐8 and ZIF‐8@WPU is analyzed by powder X‐ray diffraction, morphology by scanning electron microscopy, thermal properties by thermogravimetric analysis, and mechanical properties by the universal testing machine. This new insight has potential toward the green approach for synthesizing and structural engineering high‐performance advanced nanocomposites in the coating, breathable devices, and food packaging industrial utilization.
An Artificial Autonomic Nervous System That Implements Heart and Pupil as Controlled by Artificial Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nerves
Authors: Liu Lu , Ni Yao , Liu Jiaqi , Wang Yihang , Jiang Chengpeng , Xu Wentao
Published: December 2022

The autonomic nervous system maintains homeostasis in organisms through complex neural pathways and responds adaptively to changes in the external and internal environment. The fabrication of an artificial autonomic nervous system is reported that replicates combined effects of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves on cardiac activity and pupillary control, to mimic the regulation of autonomic nervous system to external changes. The artificial autonomic nerve‐controlled pupil contraction and relaxation, modulating the rate of heartbeats for normal cardiac rhythm and arrhythmia as reflected by blink rates of a signal indicator. These functions are switched by using a parallel‐channeled synaptic transistor with a special n‐i‐p heterostructure that has a 2D h‐BN insulator in the middle to provide barrier against ion injection into the 2D MoS2 bottom n‐channel and enable short‐term plasticity as induced by acetylcholine, and the electrochemical doping reaction occurred at the P3HT nanowire p‐channels on top to enable relatively long‐term plasticity as induced by noradrenaline. Low‐energy consumption down to femtojoule and an ultrahigh paired‐pulse facilitation index up to ≈455% are demonstrated. An artificial neural network based on device characteristics achieves a high recognition accuracy for electrocardiogram patterns. This study extends insights into artificial nerves‐inspired biological signal processing and recognition.
An Integrated Wearable Sweat Sensing Patch for Passive Continuous Analysis of Stress Biomarkers at Rest
Authors: Zhao Hao , Zhang Xieli , Qin Yanxia , Xia Yong , Xu Xin , Sun Xiguang , Yu Dehai , Mugo Samuel M. , Wang Dong , Zhang Qiang
Published: December 2022

Real‐time monitoring of mental stress biomarkers in sweat provides the possibility to evaluate mental status in a precise manner. In general, wearable sweat sensors suffer from inconvenient sweat collection, low levels of diagnostic biomarkers in sweat, sophisticated signal processing, and challenges with data visualization. To overcome these challenges, herein an integrated wearable sweat‐sensing patch for continuous analysis of stress biomarkers (cortisol, Mg2+, and pH) at rest is demonstrated. The sweat sensing patch comprised a microfluidic chip, a highly sensitive sensing platform, an on‐site signal processing circuitry (SPCs), and a smartphone installed with a home‐developed display software. The sweat collection at rest is realized using a microfluidic chip without perspiration assistance. A ternary composite electrode is designed to obtain good conductivity, high surface area, and massive reactive sites, thereby yielding excellent electrochemical performances and high sensitivity to trace stress biomarkers. The on‐site SPC has the function of signal transduction, conditioning, processing, and wireless transmission. The detection results can be displayed on a smartphone through the software. This work represents a significant scientific and technological advancement toward indexing mental stress status and can be used as an innovative tool for psychological diagnosis.
Oxidative Stress Amplifiers as Immunogenic Cell Death Nanoinducers Disrupting Mitochondrial Redox Homeostasis for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Wan Jia , Zhang Xianghong , Li Zhihong , Mo Fuhao , Tang Dongsheng , Xiao Haihua , Wang Jingcheng , Rong Guanghua , Liu Tang
Published: December 2022

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induced oxidative stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is generally believed to be an important prerequisite for immunogenic cell death (ICD) which can trigger antitumor immune responses for cancer immunotherapy. However, thus far, little is known between the oxidative stress in a certain organelle other than ER and ICD. Herein, polymers for preparing ROS‐responsive nanoparticles (NP‐I‐CA‐TPP) with mitochondrial targeting performance as ICD nanoinducers are designed. It is believed that NP‐I‐CA‐TPP can target mitochondria which are extremely important organelles intimately involved in cellular stress signaling to play an important role in the induction of ICD. NP‐I‐CA‐TPP can amplify cinnamaldehyde (CA)‐induced ROS damage by iodo–thiol click chemistry‐mediated glutathione depletion in cancer cells. Finally, NP‐I‐CA‐TPP is shown to disrupt mitochondrial redox homeostasis, amplify mitochondrial oxidative stress, promote cancer cell apoptosis via inducing ICD, and triggering the body's antitumor immune response for cancer immunotherapy.
Macroscale Fabrication of Lightweight and Strong Porous Carbon Foams through Template‐Coating Pair Design
Authors: Suresh Adarsh , Rowan Stuart J. , Liu Chong
Published: December 2022

Manufacturing of low‐density‐high‐strength carbon foams can benefit the construction, transportation, and packaging industries. One successful route to lightweight and mechanically strong carbon foams involves pyrolysis of polymeric architectures, which is inevitably accompanied by drastic volumetric shrinkage (usually >98%). As such, a challenge of these materials lies in maintaining bulk dimensions of building struts that span orders of magnitude difference in length scale from centimeters to nanometers. This work demonstrates fabrication of macroscale low‐density‐high‐strength carbon foams that feature exceptional dimensional stability through pyrolysis of robust template‐coating pairs. The template serves as the architectural blueprint and contains strength‐imparting properties (e.g., high node density and small strut dimensions); it is composed of a low char‐yielding porous polystyrene backbone with a high carbonization‐onset temperature. The coating serves to imprint and transcribe the template architecture into pyrolytic carbon; it is composed of a high char‐yielding conjugated polymer with a relatively low carbonization‐onset temperature. The designed carbonization mismatch enables structural inheritance, while the decomposition mismatch affords hollow struts, minimizing density. The carbons synthesized through this new framework exhibit remarkable dimensional stability (≈80% dimension retention; ≈50% volume retention) and some of the highest specific strengths (≈0.13 GPa g−1 cm3) among reported carbon foams derived from porous polymer templates.
Correlated Rattling of Sodium‐Chains Suppressing Thermal Conduction in Thermoelectric Stannides
Authors: Yamada Takahiro , Yoshiya Masato , Kanno Masahiro , Takatsu Hiroshi , Ikeda Takuji , Nagai Hideaki , Yamane Hisanori , Kageyama Hiroshi
Published: December 2022

Tin‐based intermetallics with tunnel frameworks containing zigzag Na chains that excite correlated rattling impinging on the framework phonons are attractive as thermoelectric materials owing to their low lattice thermal conductivity. The correlated rattling of Na atoms in the zigzag chains and the origin of the low thermal conductivity is uncovered via experimental and computational analyses. The Na atoms behave as oscillators along the tunnel, resulting in substantial interactions between Na atoms in the chain and between the chain and framework. In these intermetallic compounds, a shorter inter‐rattler distance results in lower thermal conductivity, suggesting that phonon scattering by the correlated rattling Na‐chains is enhanced. These results provide new insights into the behavior of thermoelectric materials with low thermal conductivity and suggest strategies for the development of such materials that utilize the correlated rattling.
A BF3‐Doped MXene Dual‐Layer Interphase for a Reliable Lithium‐Metal Anode
Authors: Shang Mingwei , Shovon Osman Goni , Wong Francis En Yoong , Niu Junjie
Published: December 2022

A dual‐layer interphase that consists of an in‐situ‐formed lithium carboxylate organic layer and a thin BF3‐doped monolayer Ti3C2 MXene on Li metal is reported. The honeycomb‐structured organic layer increases the wetting of electrolyte, leading to a thin solid electrolyte interface (SEI). While the BF3‐doped monolayer MXene provides abundant active sites for lithium homogeneous nucleation and growth, resulting in about 50% reduced thickness of inorganic‐rich components among the SEI layer. A low overpotential of less than 30 mV over 1000 h cycling in symmetric cells is received. The functional BF3 groups, along with the excellent electronic conductivity and smooth surface of the MXene, greatly reduce the lithium plating/stripping energy barrier, enabling a dendrite‐free lithium‐metal anode. The battery with this dual‐layer coated lithium metal as the anode displays greatly improved electrochemical performance. A high capacity‐retention of 175.4 mAh g−1 at 1.0 C is achieved after 350 cycles. In a pouch cell with a capacity of 475 mAh, the battery still exhibits a high discharge capacity of 165.6 mAh g−1 with a capacity retention of 90.2% after 200 cycles. In contrast to the fast capacity decay of pure Li metal, the battery using NCA as the cathode also displays excellent capacity retention in both coin and pouch cells. The dual‐layer modified surface provides an effective approach in stabilizing the Li‐metal anode.
Probing Surfactant Bilayer Interactions by Tracking Optically Trapped Single Nanoparticles
Authors: Kim Jeonghyeon , Martin Olivier J. F.
Published: December 2022

Single‐particle tracking and optical tweezers are powerful techniques for studying diverse processes at the microscopic scale. The stochastic behavior of a microscopic particle contains information about its interaction with surrounding molecules, and an optical tweezer can further facilitate this observation with its ability to constrain the particle to an area of interest. Although these techniques found their initial applications in biology, they can also shed new light on microscopic interface phenomena by unveiling nanoscale morphologies and molecular‐level interactions in real time, which are obscured in traditional ensemble analysis. Here, the application of single‐particle tracking and optical tweezers are demonstrated for studying molecular interactions at solid–liquid interfaces. Specifically, the surfactant behaviors at the water–glass interface are investigated by tracing gold nanoparticles that are optically trapped on these molecules. The underlying mechanisms governing the particle motion, which can be explained by hydrophobic interactions, disruptions, and rearrangements among surfactant monomers at the interfaces, are discovered. These interpretations are further supported by statistical analysis of an individual trajectory and comparison with theoretical predictions. The findings provide new insights into the surfactant dynamics and also illustrate the promise of single‐particle tracking and optical manipulation for studying nanoscale physics and chemistry of surfaces and interfaces.
Sustainable Repellent Coatings Based on Renewable Drying and Nondrying Oils
Authors: Dehm Katharina E. , Walter Teresa , Weichselgartner Matthias , Crisp Ryan W. , Wommer Kirsten , Aust Martin , Vogel Nicolas
Published: December 2022

Contamination of surfaces can cause loss of performance in a variety of applications. Bioinspired coatings based on the lotus or pitcher plants provide surface topographies that create superhydrophobic or slippery features with self‐cleaning properties. However, typical fabrication procedures often involve potentially toxic chemicals, perfluorinated compounds, nondegradable polymers, and energy‐intensive methods, with negative consequences for the environment. Here, a sustainable coating process based on renewable materials to prepare superhydrophobic and liquid‐infused coatings with minimal environmental impact is presented. A scalable spray coating protocol is used. Synthetic liquid and polymeric materials are substituted with natural drying oils, i.e., oils that react with ambient oxygen and cure to solid materials, as polymeric binder in which silica particles are partially embedded. The self‐cleaning characteristics against aqueous contaminations are investigated as a function of the drying oil used as binder. The assessment of the mechanical stability reveals the advantage of an underlying “primer layer” of the pure oil. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that oils from renewable sources can act as lubricants for the creation of slippery surfaces. The efficiency of such sustainable slippery coatings in reducing concrete adhesion points toward their applicability in real world scenarios.
Spatially‐Modulated Silicon Interface Energetics Via Hydrogen Plasma‐Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition of Ultrathin Alumina
Authors: Henning Alex , Bartl Johannes D. , Wolz Lukas , Christis Maximilian , Rauh Felix , Bissolo Michele , Grünleitner Theresa , Eichhorn Johanna , Zeller Patrick , Amati Matteo , Gregoratti Luca , Finley Jonathan J. , Rieger Bernhard , Stutzmann Martin , Sharp Ian D.
Published: December 2022

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a key technique for the continued scaling of semiconductor devices, which increasingly relies on scalable processes for interface manipulation of structured surfaces on the atomic level. While ALD allows the synthesis of conformal films with utmost control over the thickness, atomically‐defined closed coatings and surface modifications are challenging to achieve because of 3D growth during nucleation. Here, a route is presented toward the sub‐nanometer thin and continuous aluminum oxide (AlOx) coatings on silicon substrates for the spatial control of the surface charge density and interface energetics. Trimethylaluminum in combination with remote hydrogen plasma is used instead of a gas‐phase oxidant for the transformation of silicon dioxide (SiO2) into alumina. Depending on the number of ALD cycles, the SiO2 can be partially or fully transformed, which is exploited to deposit ultrathin AlOx layers in selected regions defined by lithographic patterning. The resulting patterned surfaces are characterized by lateral AlOx/SiO2 interfaces possessing 0.3 nm step heights and surface potential steps exceeding 0.4 V. In addition, the introduction of fixed negative charges of 9 × 1012 cm−2 enables modulation of the surface band bending, which is relevant to the field‐effect passivation of silicon and low‐impedance charge transfer across contact interfaces.
Using Photonic Glasses as Colored Covers for Solar Energy Harvesting
Authors: Li Zhenpeng , Li Sinan , Ma Tao
Published: December 2022

The increasing demand for renewable energy is promoting technologies that integrate solar energy harvesting materials with the human living environment, such as building‐integrated photovoltaics. This places requirements on developing colored covers with a trade‐off between efficiency and aesthetics, providing a new stage for the large‐scale application of structural color technologies. This study investigates the theoretic feasibility of employing the photonic glass, a random packing of monodisperse dielectric microspheres, as the colored cover for solar energy harvesting. Based on numerous optical simulations, the color and average solar transmissivity of the photonic glasses with varying parameters are evaluated. Results show that using non‐absorbing microspheres with relatively high refractive index, about 3 µm thick photonic glasses can enable colors with lightness over 50 while keeping average solar transmissivity over 80%. Due to the short‐range structural correlation, it is demonstrated that photonic glasses can generate purple, blue, cyan, light green, and gray colors, but cannot help with yellow and red hues. Finally, the effects of several enhancement methods are clarified, and possible ways for expanding the color range are demonstrated. These results provide a comprehensive guide to the practical implementations of structural color using photonic glasses, particularly in the colorization of solar energy materials.
Adipocytes Encapsulating Telratolimod Recruit and Polarize Tumor‐Associated Macrophages for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Wen Di , Liang Tingxizi , Chen Guojun , Li Hongjun , Wang Zejun , Wang Jinqiang , Fu Ruxing , Han Xiao , Ci Tianyuan , Zhang Yuqi , Abdou Peter , Li Ruoxin , Bu Linlin , Dotti Gianpietro , Gu Zhen
Published: December 2022

Tumor‐associated adipocytes (TAAs) recruit monocytes and promote their differentiation into tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) that support tumor development. Here, TAAs are engineered to promote the polarization of TAMs to the tumor suppressive M1 phenotype. Telratolimod, a toll‐like receptor 7/8 agonist, is loaded into the lipid droplets of adipocytes to be released at the tumor site upon tumor cell‐triggered lipolysis. Locally administered drug‐loaded adipocytes increased tumor suppressive M1 macrophages in both primary and distant tumors and suppressed tumor growth in a melanoma model. Furthermore, drug‐loaded adipocytes improved CD8+ T cell‐mediated immune responses within the tumor microenvironment and favored dendritic cell maturation in the tumor draining lymph nodes.
Nutrient‐charged biochars increased nutrient‐use efficiency in a cotton–maize rotation in Burkina Faso
Authors: Saba Fatimata , Cornelis Jean‐Thomas , Sawadogo Hamado , Lefebvre David , Bacia Rabiatou K. I. , Cisse Drissa , Bandaogo Alimata A. , Mamadou Traore , Nacro Hassan‐Bismarck
Published: December 2022

Soil nutrient depletion, low crop nutrient‐use efficiency, and limited access to fertilizers are serious issues leading to poor yield in agroecosystems of Burkina Faso. Blending biochars with organic or inorganic nutrients could slow down nutrient release, which can enhance fertilizer‐use efficiency. This study investigates whether charging biochar with nutrients and Acacia gum (Acacia senegal L.) coating can improve nutrient‐use efficiency in a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)–maize (Zea mays L.) rotation system using low application rates (<5 t ha−1). The experiment was conducted in western Burkina Faso during three cropping seasons (2018–2020) with five treatments: T0, control; T1, conventional practice with compost and nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) application; T2, microdose (planting hole application) of NPK; T3. nutrient‐charged biochar activated with dissolved NPK; T4, nutrient‐charged biochar activated with dissolved NPK and coated with Acacia gum. Biochar‐based fertilizers significantly increased soil organic C content, as well as bioavailable P and calcium (Ca), without significantly improving crop yields, compared to conventional practice and microdose of NPK. When nutrient‐charged biochar was coated with Acacia gum, N‐use efficiency (NUE; N recovered in grain/N fertilized) was improved compared to uncoated nutrient‐charged biochar, although the difference was not significant. Despite no significant effects on crop yields during three cropping seasons, the use of coated biochar‐based fertilizer may be a technically effective solution to improve NUE in the long term in agroecosystems characterized by nutrient‐impoverished soils under a constraining South‐Sudanese climate.
The Caturo: A Submillimeter Diameter Glass Concentric Tube Robot with High Curvature
Authors: Nwafor Chibundo J. , Laurent Guillaume J. , Rougeot Patrick , Rabenorosoa Kanty
Published: December 2022

Concentric tube robots (CTRs) are considered promising in medical applications involving intracorporeal confined spaces, high dexterity, and 3D path following. Most CTRs are currently made of Nitinol due to its superelastic properties and biocompatibility. Herein, glass–polymer composite tubes to ease the shape setting, decrease friction, and benefit linear elasticity are proposed. A new generation of CTR: Caturo, which is made of flexible and miniaturized submillimeter glass–polymer tubes, is presented. Caturo has also an unprecedented radius of curvature that reaches as low as 5 mm. It is fabricated through the thermal treatment of a thin heat‐shrink polymer tube on a glass capillary in a 3D‐printed mold. The fabrication process is quick, versatile, and relatively low cost. Various free space deployment operations are demonstrated, such as 3D helical precurved tube deployment, conical–spiral deployment, and constrained 3D deployment through needle orifices. The forward kinematic model (FKM), inverse kinematic model (IKM), and stability analysis are experimentally validated. Finally, precurved optic fiber deployment with laser emission capability, fluid sample suction, and delivery operation is proposed. There is also a proposed vitreoretinal surgery using a fish‐eye under optical coherence tomography (OCT) visualization.
Subjective cognitive decline, object cognition and emotional states in older Peruvian adults during COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Soto‐Añari Marcio , Guzman‐Velez Edmarie , Rivera‐Fernandez Claudia , Carbajal María Gracia , Quiroz Yakeel T.
Published: December 2022

Background

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is considered a risk factor for developing dementia. Its relationship with objective cognitive performance and emotional functioning is not yet clear. We investigated the association between SCD, objective cognition and emotional states in older adults from Arequipa, Peru.

Methods

43 older adults between 55 and 86 years old (mean = 69.72) completed a clinical and neuropsychological evaluation prior the lockdown for COVID‐19 pandemic. We used the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and Pfeffer functional scale as a clinical protocol. The Peruvian version of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), the Trail Making Test (TMT A and B), the Stroop test, the Rey‐Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) and verbal fluency tasks were used to assess cognition. All participants were also evaluated by telephone during the COVID‐19 pandemic using a broad psychological protocol that included the everyday cognition (E‐COG) as a measure of SCD and the total score and emotional subscale of the Epidemic Pandemic Impact Inventory (EPII). We used nonparametric correlation statistics.

Results

We observed significant associations between the BDI scores and the total E‐COG (Rho = .347, p = .022) and between the BDI and the memory subscale of E‐COG (Rho = .425, p = .004). Further, we observed significant relationships between the emotional subscale of the EPII and the total E‐COG (Rho = .344, p = .023). There were no significant relationships between neuropsychological measures with the E‐COG and EPII.

Conclusions

Our findings are consistent with previous studies that have shown that SCD is more associated with emotional states than with objective cognitive performance. Likewise, findings suggest that reported emotional changes during the pandemic may have impacted SCD, but not cognitive performance.
The association between serum mercury concentration and mild cognitive impairment: the REGARDS study
Authors: Zhang Yijia , Lu Liping , Angley Meghan , Bejerano Shai , Kahe Ka
Published: December 2022

Background

Animal studies have demonstrated the toxicology and pathology of mercury in relation to brain function. However, human studies provided mixed findings in relation to cognitive aging. This study aims to examine the association between serum mercury concentration and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Method

Participants were from a random sub‐cohort (n = 2666) of the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke cohort study (2003–present). After excluding participants with baseline MCI and stroke, and those with missing baseline serum mercury concentration, the final sample size was 2136. Participants were classified into tertiles based on serum mercury concentration (<0.023, 0.023–0.049, and >0.049 µg/dL). MCI was determined primarily based on most recent performance on the enhanced cognitive battery (ECB) containing assessments of Word List Learning, Delayed Recall, Animal Fluency, and letter F Fluency. For those who did not have a score on ECB (n = 474), the Six Item Screener (SIS) was used to determine MCI instead. Therefore, the outcome included three levels: MCI based on the ECB, MCI based on the SIS, and control. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess serum mercury concentration in relation to incident MCI. We also performed stratified analyses to assess whether gender and race modified the potential associations. All tests were two‐sided with α = 0.05.

Result

The number of participants with MCI on the ECB and SIS were 48 and 36, respectively. After adjustment for the demographic and clinical characteristics in model 2 (Table 1), the direction suggests a positive association between mercury and incident MCI, although this is not statistically significant presumably due to insufficient statistical power (Tertile 3 vs. tertile 1: odds ratio (OR), 1.68; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79–3.55; P for trend = 0.025). After further adjustment for fish oil intake, the association became significant (OR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.003‐6.55; P for trend = 0.043). The observed association was not materially modified by sex or race. We did not observe an association between serum mercury and impairment on SIS.

Conclusion

This prospective study suggests that serum mercury concentrations are associated with incident MCI assessed by ECB in US population.
A Highly Stable, Capacity Dense Carboxylate Viologen Anolyte towards Long‐Duration Energy Storage
Authors: Wu Wenda , Wang Abigail P. , Luo Jian , Liu T. Leo
Published: December 2022

Aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs) have received increasing attention as an emergent battery technology for grid‐scale renewable energy storage. However, physicochemical properties of redox‐active organic electrolytes remain fine refinement to maximize their performance in RFBs. Herein, we report a carboxylate functionalized viologen derivative, N,N′‐dibutyrate‐4,4′‐bipyridinium, (CBu)2V, as a highly stable, high capacity anolyte material under near pH neutral conditions. (CBu)2V can achieve solubility of 2.1 M and display a reversible, kinetically fast reduction at −0.43 V vs NHE at pH 9. DFT studies revealed that the high solubility of (CBu)2V is attributed to its high molecular polarity while its negative reduction potential is benefitted from electron‐donating carboxylate groups. A 0.89 V (CBu)2V/(NH)4Fe(CN)6 AORFB demonstrated exceptional energy storage performance, specifically, 100 % capacity retention with a discharge energy density of 9.5 Wh L−1 for 1000 cycles, power densities of up to 85 mW cm−2, and an energy efficiency of 70 % at 60 mA cm−2. (CBu)2V not only represents the most capacity dense viologen with pendant ionic groups and also exhibits the longest (1200 hours or 50 days) and the most stable flow battery performance to date.
Hydrogen Bond Networks Stabilized High‐Capacity Organic Cathode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Zheng Shibing , Shi Dongjie , Sun Tianjiang , Zhang Letian , Zhang Weijia , Li Yixin , Guo Zhenbo , Tao Zhanliang , Chen Jun
Published: December 2022

High‐capacity small organic materials are plagued by their high solubility. Here we proposed constructing hydrogen bond networks (HBN) via intermolecular hydrogen bonds to suppress the solubility of active material. The illustrated 2, 7‐ diamino‐4, 5, 9, 10‐tetraone (PTO‐NH2) molecule with intermolecular hydrogen (H) bond between O in −C=O and H in −NH2, which make PTO‐NH2 presents transverse two‐dimensional extension and longitudinal π–π stacking structure. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has tracked the reversible evolution of H‐bonds, further confirming the existence of HBN structure can stabilize the intermediate 2‐electron reaction state. Therefore, PTO‐NH2 with HBN structure has higher active site utilization (95 %), better cycle stability and rate performance. This study uncovers the H‐bond effect and evolution during the electrochemical process and provides a strategy for materials design.
Consequences of Different Pressures and Electrolytes on the Irreversible Expansion of Lithium Metal Half Cells
Authors: Daubinger Philip , Göttlinger Mara , Hartmann Sarah , Giffin. Guinevere A.
Published: December 2022

Lithium metal is considered as the ‘holy‐grail’ among anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries, but it also has some serious drawbacks such as the formation of dendritic and dead lithium. In this study, the interplay of external pressure and different carbonate‐ and ether‐based electrolytes on the (ir)reversible expansion of lithium metal during cycling against lithium titanate and lithium iron phosphate is studied. In carbonate‐based electrolytes without any additives, lithium metal shows tremendous irreversible expansion and significant capacity reduction at elevated current densities due to the formation of mossy and dead lithium. The addition of fluoroethylene carbonate can reduce irreversible expansion and capacity reduction, especially when a high external pressure is applied. When an ether‐based electrolyte is used, the irreversible dilation of the lithium metal is suppressed when applying increased external pressures. Overall, increased external pressure appears to reduce the formation of mossy and dead lithium and improve the performance.
The influence of torrefaction temperature and reaction time on the properties of torrefied sun‐dried millet and sorghum straws from the arid and semi‐arid zones of western Africa
Authors: Ajikashile Joshua Oluyinka , Alhnidi Muhammad‐Jamal , Bishir Musa , Kruse Andrea
Published: December 2022

There are increasing demands for syngas production. Fossil‐based fuels are expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Affordable, sustainable, and environmentally healthy alternatives and sustainable fuel sources are needed. This study focused on producing tor‐chars from two different tropical biomasses (from Nigeria, West Africa), which were torrefied and characterized to improve their properties for potential use as sustainable feedstocks in an entrained flow gasifier for syngas production. Torrefaction temperatures of 230, 240, 250, and 270 °C and residence times of 30 and 60 min were used to torrefy sundried sorghum straw (SS) and millet straw (MS) at particle size ≤5 mm. The properties of torrefied MS and SS improved significantly due to torrefaction. The optimum conditions for pretreatment of sundried MS and SS were 240 °C and 60 min, at which increased energy density significantly compensated for the severe mass loss and significant degradation of hemicellulose and cellulose. Under these conditions, the respective mass and energy yields were 53 wt% and 75% for millet straw and 49 wt% and 75% for sorghum straw. The O:C atomic ratio decreased to 0.3 in MS tor‐chars and 0.2 in SS tor‐chars resulting in higher heating values of 25 MJ kg−1 and 27 MJ kg−1, respectively. Under optimum conditions, the ash content increased by 107% to be approximately 7 wt% in MS tor‐char, and by 118% to about 7 wt% in SS tor‐char. These properties are promising for potential feedstocks in co‐firing plants or gasification systems. © 2022 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
VFST: Virtual and fully software based toolchain for PC interfacing education and research
Authors: Mohamed Mokhtar A. A.
Published: December 2022

In computer science and engineering education, teaching PC interfacing courses and laboratory experiments are strongly required. PC interfacing is the field of developing or simulating real/virtual solutions for exchanging data/commands between PC and the outer world of sensors and actuators. Recently, virtual experiments and Labs have been adopted by engineering educators to preclude the physical presence of students and tutors and to provide effective skills acquisition and hands‐on experience in a virtual manner. High‐cost LabVIEW from National Instruments company is the dominant platform to develop, execute, and animate virtual PC interfacing experiments similar to real ones. This paper presents a toolchain, the course contents, and virtual experiments that cover many different PC interfacing technologies such as UART, SPI, RS232, USB, SD card interfacing, and wireless GSM/GPRS. The virtual nature of VFST toolchain refers to enabling the students to design, animate, and run their prototypes or solutions inside only PC programs without the need to build physical or real ones until making sure of their prototypes' functionality. The main aim of the VFST platform is to make students able to develop C# based applications and to implement solutions with an aesthetic similar to LabVIEW capabilities to become a low‐cost alternative of it. VFST consists of a group of free‐of‐charge and third‐party software programs such as VSPD, Virtual USB driver, WinImage, and Real‐Term alongside with Proteus simulator and C# programming language. This paper presents qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the benefits and effectiveness of VFST. Findings are collected via feedback responses using an online questionnaire survey. These findings clarify that the student cohort is, in general, supportive that VFST Lab's content and virtual experiments have a considerable effect on their career after and before their graduation.
Multiple external root resorptions in a patient with Stage IV, Grade C periodontitis and autoimmune diseases: A case report
Authors: Thandi Beant Singh , Ip Ho , Hirschfeld Josefine
Published: December 2022

Background

Pathological root resorption affects permanent teeth and is usually triggered by infectious‐inflammatory stimuli and/or dental trauma. Periodontitis and traumatic occlusion have been reported as possible causative factors of root resorptions, whilst the impact of systemic diseases is less well understood. This case highlights the need for consideration of multiple risk factors, especially when presenting in combination.

Methods and Results

A 62‐year‐old South Asian female presented with unstable Stage IV Grade C periodontitis, poor oral hygiene and multiple autoimmune conditions including oral lichen planus. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed multiple advanced apical and external root resorptions of the patient's molars associated with periapical bone loss, despite of a minimally restored dental status.

Conclusion

A likely etiology of this patient's multiple root resorptions is the presence of unstable periodontitis with periodontal‐endodontic lesions, exacerbated by a dysbalanced immune response to infectious agents. Appropriate monitoring and managing of such patients can prevent or limit the pathological process of inflammatory root resorption.

Key points

Why is this case new information?

This is the first report documenting advanced multiple external inflammatory root resorptions in a periodontitis patient with oral and systemic co‐morbidities.

What are the keys to successful management of this case?

Early diagnosis, prevention and intervention to limit periodontal inflammation, endodontic infection and occlusal trauma.

What are the primary limitations to success in this case?

Late diagnosis of multiple root resorptions, palliative periodontal treatment due to poor oral hygiene compliance, and poorly controlled systemic inflammation favoring the persistence of a dysregulated immune response to the oral microbiota.
Optimizing minimum spanning tree using stochastic–Variable neighborhood search for efficient clustering of cancer gene data
Authors: M Pavithra , RMS Parvathi
Published: December 2022

With the rapid advancement of DNA microarray technologies, researchers in biology can now monitor several gene expression levels in one single experiment that is very useful in detecting or classifying specific types of tumors. The microarray data and its high‐dimensional nature, along with a small set of samples, have presented a new but well‐known phenomenon called the curse of dimensionality. The process of organizing all objects into various groups based on their traits that are either similar or dissimilar is known as clustering. The framework has the foundation of a minimum spanning tree (MST), which is the representation of one set of gene expression data that is multidimensional. The main property of such representations is that every cluster of this expression data will correspond to a subtree in the MST that can convert the problem of multidimensional Clustering to the problem of tree partitioning. A stochastic diffusion search (SDS) has been deployed for clustering. The algorithm was used to be a multi‐agent technique of search and optimization. A variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm has been proposed to be a metaheuristic that solves problems of global and combinatorial optimization. The goal of this method was proceeded to get a systematic change to the neighborhood in a local search algorithm. The algorithm will continue to remain the same as an optimal solution that explores the far neighborhoods until better solutions are identified.
Large submucosal hematoma after cold snare polypectomy for colorectal adenoma
Authors: Arakane Naomi , Yoshida Kosuke , Murata Shoma , Mizuno Rika , Furuta Koichi , Tojo Masaya , Tamagawa Hiroki , Miyanaga Ryoichi , Watanabe Kazuyo , Fukuhara Seiichiro
Published: December 2022

Cold snare polypectomy (CSP), for the treatment of colorectal polyps, has become widespread due to its low incidence of adverse events compared to that of endoscopic procedures such as endoscopic mucosal resection. However, we experienced a case of large hematoma development shortly after CSP for a colorectal adenoma despite no bleeding during the procedure. The patient underwent CSP for a 7‐mm type Isp lesion in the ascending colon. She returned the following day because of hematochezia. Computed tomography showed a 70‐mm, high‐intensity mass in the ascending colon, consistent with the large hematoma that was detected by colonoscopy. Although the patient initially had right‐sided abdominal pain, it gradually improved with conservative treatment. The hematoma decreased in size, and she was discharged 20 days after emergency admission. Although CSP can be a favorable alternative to more invasive procedures and is expected to be performed more frequently, adverse events, such as that described in this case, should be anticipated.