bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A note on using expanded graphite for achieving energy‐ and time‐efficient production of graphene nanoplatelets via liquid phase exfoliation
Authors: Awada Hassan , Kontopoulou Marianna , Docoslis Aristides
Published: August 2022

Although easily scalable, the production of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) by the means of liquid‐phase exfoliation of graphite flakes (GF) remains an energy‐ and time‐intensive process. In this work, we demonstrate that significant time and energy can be saved in GNP production when employing expanded graphite (EG) in a surfactant‐assisted liquid phase exfoliation process. Owing to its increased interlayer distance, the exfoliation of EG can be accomplished in a much shorter time (<30 min) compared to GF (approximately 7 h in the present case). Moreover, the energy required for the EG exfoliation is close to 80‐fold lower than that for GF exfoliation. Monitoring of the mean lateral dimension, specific surface area, and graphite flake‐to‐GNP transition during exfoliation was performed experimentally using several analytical techniques. The EG‐derived GNPs are produced much faster and require less energy for exfoliation compared to GF, thus making it a more efficient alternative technique.
Activity performance and kinetics for glycerol carbonylation with urea over Zn‐Co mixed metal oxide catalyst
Authors: Kondawar Sharda E. , Kasar Gaytri B. , Khatua Angshuman S. , Rode Chandrashekhar V.
Published: August 2022

Efficient carbonylation of glycerol using urea with Zn‐Co mixed metal oxide (MMO) catalyst has been achieved. Various methods of catalyst preparation were explored for glycerol carbonate (GC) synthesis. The optimized method of catalyst preparation was found to be co‐precipitation (CP) with a Zn:Co ratio of 70:30, achieving 81% glycerol conversion with 97% GC selectivity. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed the formation of ZnO, Co3 O4, and spinel ZnCo2O4 phases. Thermal treatment given to the catalyst allows insertion of Zn cations into Co3O4 lattice forming ZnCo2O4 phase which was also evidenced in X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. Herein, for the first time, reaction kinetics was studied to propose the rate equation, based on which a plausible reaction pathway is proposed involving two‐site adsorption of glycerol (basic site) and urea (acidic site), which undergo carbonylation followed by cyclization into GC. A recycle study and hot filtration test have proven the reusability of the catalyst.
Cu(II) ions removal from wastewater using starch nanoparticles (SNPs): An eco‐sustainable approach
Authors: Hakke Vikas S. , Landge Vividha K. , Sonawane Shirish H. , Babu G. Uday Bhaskar , Manickam Sivakumar , Boczkaj Grzegorz
Published: August 2022

The complex structured starch particles were reduced to the nanoscale size range through hydrolysis utilizing low concentration acid assisted by ultrasound irradiation. The synthesized starch nanoparticles (SNPs) were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The synthesized SNPs possessed surface activated entities, as many cationic functional groups were confirmed through the FTIR spectrum. Also, these SNPs were effectively utilized to separate heavy Cu metal ions from the synthetic ion solution. The SNPs were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis for the surface modification after the adsorption process. The weak electrostatic interaction between the SNP surface and Cu ion was confirmed by the XPS spectrum and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The maximum efficiency of Cu ions removal was about 93% at an optimal pH 5 and 25 mg/ml dosage. The adsorption equilibrium was obtained in 60 min. The nitrogen isotherm BET analysis of SNPs after adsorption shows a higher specific surface area of 18.552 m2/g, attributed to the interaction and presence of Cu ions on the SNP surface. The process feasibility was validated by the Langmuir isotherm model. The process exhibits pseudo‐second‐order adsorption kinetics and follows the Langmuir isotherm. The RL predicted by the Langmuir isotherm mechanism is 0.017, implying favourable adsorption. The process is reproducible and allows for the separation of heavy metal ions from the wastewater through biosorption effectively.
Microenvironment Modulation of Imine‐Based Covalent Organic Frameworks for CO2 Photoreduction
Authors: Dong Man , Li Wei , Zhou Jie , You Si‐Qi , Sun Chun‐Yi , Yao Xiao‐Hui , Qin Chao , Wang Xin‐Long , Su Zhong‐Min
Published: August 2022

Comprehensive Summary

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to fuels and chemicals has been considered as the promising avenue to realize carbon resource recycling. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with pre‐designed and tailorable structures are promising platforms for studying the influence of the microenvironment of catalysts on photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Herein, we report three isomorphic COFs (TPHH‐COF, TPPD‐COF and TPBD‐COF) as heterogeneous photocatalysts for CO2 reduction and investigate the different levels of conjugation and planarity of COFs effect on the catalytic activity. Photoelectrochemical measurements show that TPPD‐COF has a narrower band gap and faster photocurrent response compared to TPHH‐COF and TPBD‐COF, probably due to the moderate conjugation and planarity. As the photocatalyst, TPPD‐COF showed the most outstanding photocatalytic activity with the production rates of 951 and 157 μmol·g–1·h–1 for CO and H2, respectively. This study illustrates the close relation between microenvironment and photocatalytic activity and provides new insights for designing high‐performance photocatalysts.
NIR‐triggered Tandem Photothermal and Photochemical Cancer Therapy Based on Nanoscale MOFs under Hypoxic Conditions
Authors: He Miao , Yang Jian , Li Ke , Wang Qinghua , Gu Jinlou
Published: August 2022

Due to the limited penetration depth of visible light and insufficient oxygen supply in hypoxic tumor tissues, the development of near‐infrared (NIR) triggered and oxygen‐independent photodynamic therapy (PDT) to generate active radicals is necessary for cancer treatment. Herein, we developed a NIR‐triggered photothermal therapy (PTT) and oxygen‐independent PDT system based on metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), which integrated indocyanine green (ICG) and 2,2’‐azobis[2‐(2‐imidazolin‐2‐yl)propane] dihydrochloride (AIPH) as NIR‐triggered photothermal units and temperature‐sensitive free radical initiator into ZIF‐8, respectively. AIPH was introduced into ZIF‐8 via a one‐pot strategy with high loading capacity (125 mg g−1). Through the irradiation of 808 nm laser, the ICG units could efficiently absorb NIR light to rapidly raise the local temperature to 44 °C within 3 minutes. Meanwhile, the local high temperature further induced the AIPH to continuously generate toxic alkyl radicals (R−C⋅). The combination of PTT and free radical therapy is significantly better than the single treatment mode. More importantly, the NIR‐triggered synergistic therapy could induce extensive apoptosis of cancer cells in hypoxic conditions, which sheds new light on the development of MOFs‐based photochemical therapy platform in the actual tumor microenvironment.
High‐Throughput Cell‐Free Screening of Eukaryotic Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mimetics
Authors: Bruni Renato
Published: August 2022

Membrane proteins (MPs) carry out important functions in the metabolism of cells, such as the detection of extracellular activities and the transport of small molecules across the plasma and organelle membranes. Expression of MPs for biochemical, biophysical, and structural analysis is in most cases achieved by overexpression of the desired target in an appropriate host, such as a bacterium. However, overexpression of MPs is usually toxic to the host cells and can lead to aggregation of target protein and to resistance to detergent extraction. An alternative to cell‐based MP expression is cell‐free (CF), or in vitro, expression. CF expression of MPs has several advantages over cell‐based methods, including lack of toxicity issues, no requirement for detergent extraction, and direct incorporation of target proteins in various lipidic mimetics. This article describes a high‐throughput method for the expression and purification of eukaryotic membrane proteins used in the author's lab. Basic Protocol 1 describes the selection and cloning of target genes into appropriate vectors for CF expression. Basic Protocol 2 describes the assembly of CF reactions for high‐throughput screening. Basic Protocol 3 outlines methods for purification and detection of target proteins. Support Protocols 1‐6 describe various accessory procedures: amplification of target, treatment of vectors to prepare them for ligation‐independent cloning, and the preparation of S30 extract, T7 RNA polymerase, liposomes, and nanodiscs. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Target selection, construct design, and cloning into pET‐based expression vectors

Support Protocol 1: Amplification of target DNA

Support Protocol 2: Preparation of ligation‐independent cloning (LIC)‐compatible vectors

Basic Protocol 2: Assembly of small‐scale cell‐free reactions for high‐throughput screening

Support Protocol 3: Preparation of Escherichia coli S30 extract

Support Protocol 4: Preparation of T7 RNA polymerase

Support Protocol 5: Preparation of liposomes

Support Protocol 6: Preparation of nanodiscs

Basic Protocol 3: Purification and detection of cell‐free reaction products
Eastern monarch larval performance may not be affected by shifts in phenological synchrony with milkweed
Authors: Gilmour Sydney M. , Kharouba Heather M.
Published: August 2022

Interacting species are experiencing disruptions in the relative timing of their key life‐history events due to climate change. These shifts can sometimes be detrimental to the fitness of the consumer in trophic interactions but not always.

The potential consequences of phenological asynchrony for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and its host plant (Asclepiasspp.) have not been well‐studied. Given that plants generally undergo seasonal declines in quality, if climate change delays the timing of the larval stage relative to the availability of younger milkweed plants, monarch performance could be negatively affected.

Here, we explore the potential consequences for the eastern monarch population due to probable asynchrony with milkweed. We used field surveys around Ottawa, Canada, to determine monarch oviposition preference on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) plants and the seasonal availability of these plants. To determine the potential fitness consequences when females oviposit on nonpreferred plants, we conducted a field experiment to assess the effect of milkweed size on monarch larval performance (e.g., development time and final size).

Preferred oviposition plants (earlier stages of development and better condition) were consistently available in large proportion over the summer season. We also found that declines in leaf quality (more latex and thicker leaves) with plant size did not translate into decreases in larval performance.

Our results suggest that even if asynchrony of the monarch–milkweed interaction occurs due to climate change, the larval stage of the eastern monarch may not face negative consequences. Future studies should determine how the relative timing of the interaction will change in the region.
Assessment of the stream invertebrate β‐diversity along an elevation gradient using a bidimensional null model analysis
Authors: Timoner Pablo , Marle Pierre , Castella Emmanuel , Lehmann Anthony
Published: August 2022

‐Diversity, commonly defined as the compositional variation among localities that links local diversity (α‐diversity) and regional diversity (γ‐diversity), can arise from two different ecological phenomena, namely the spatial species turnover (i.e., species replacement) and the nestedness of assemblages (i.e., species loss). However, any assessment that does not account for stochasticity in community assembly could be biased and misinform conservation management. In this study, we aimed to provide a better understanding of the overall ecological phenomena underlying stream ‐diversity along elevation gradients and to contribute to the rich debate on null model approaches to identify nonrandom patterns in the distribution of taxa. Based on presence‐absence data of 78 stream invertebrate families from 309 sites located in the Swiss Alpine region, we analyzed the effect size of nonrandom spatial distribution of stream invertebrates on the ‐diversity and its two components (i.e., turnover and nestedness). We used a modeling framework that allows exploring the complete range of existing algorithms used in null model analysis and assessing how distribution patterns vary according to an array of possible ecological assumptions. Overall, the turnover of stream invertebrates and the nestedness of assemblages were significantly lower and higher, respectively, than the ones expected by chance. This pattern increased with elevation, and the consistent trend observed along the altitudinal gradient, even in the most conservative analysis, strengthened our findings. Our study suggests that deterministic distribution of stream invertebrates in the Swiss Alpine region is significantly driven by differential dispersal capacity and environmental stress gradients. As long as the ecological assumptions for constructing the null models and their implications are acknowledged, we believe that they still represent useful tools to measure the effect size of nonrandom spatial distribution of taxa on ‐diversity.
Transgenerational exposure to marine heatwaves ameliorates the lethal effect on tropical copepods regardless of predation stress
Authors: Truong Kiem N. , Vu Ngoc‐Anh , Doan Nam X. , Bui Canh V. , Le Minh‐Hoang , Vu Minh T. T. , Dinh Khuong V.
Published: August 2022

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are emerging as a severe stressor in marine ecosystems. Extreme warm sea surface temperatures during MHWs often exceed the optimal thermal range for more than one generation of tropical coastal zooplankton. However, it is relatively unknown whether transgenerational plasticity (TGP) to MHWs may shape the offspring's fitness, particularly in an ecologically relevant context with biotic interactions such as predation stress. We addressed these novel research questions by determining the survival, reproductive success, and grazing rate of the copepod Pseudodiaptomus incisus exposed to MHW and fish predator cues (FPC) for two generations (F1 and F2). The experiment was designed in a full orthogonal manner with 4 treatments in F1 and 16 treatments in F2 generation. In both generations, MHW reduced P. incisus survival, reproductive parameters, and grazing by 10%–62% in MHW, but these parameters increased by 2%–15% with exposure to FPC, particularly at control temperature. F2 reproductive success and grazing rate as indicated by cumulative fecal pellets were reduced by 20%–30% in F1‐MHW, but increased by ~2% in F1‐FPC. Strikingly, MHW exposure reduced 17%–18% survival, but transgenerational exposure to MHWs fully ameliorated its lethal effect and this transgenerational effect was independent of FPC. Increased survival came with a cost of reduced reproductive success, constrained by reduced grazing. The rapid transgenerational MHW acclimation and its associated costs are likely widespread and crucial mechanisms underlying the resilience of coastal tropical zooplankton to MHWs in tropical coastal marine ecosystems.
Pattern of play behavior in infant (age 1 to 12 months) white‐headed langurs in limestone forests, southwest China
Authors: Yang Liting , Sun Tao , Zhou Yingming , Tang Chuangbin , Huang Chengming , Fan Penglai , Zhou Qihai
Published: August 2022

Play behavior is a significant trait of immature nonhuman primates (hereafter primates) that plays an important role in sensory, locomotor, socio‐cognitive, and developmental processes. It has been suggested that the function of play is to practice and improve motor skills related to foraging, avoiding predators, attracting mates, raising offspring, and strengthening the skills needed for the formation and maintenance of social bonds. From September 2009 to August 2010, we investigated the play behavior of 1–12 month‐old infant white‐headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) a Critically Endangered primate species endemic to China. We carried out this study in the Guangxi Chongzuo White‐headed Langur National Nature Reserve, and recorded 4421 play bouts and 1302 min of play engaged in by seven infants. We found that infants of different ages exhibited different patterns of play behavior. Specifically, nonsocial play behaviors appeared at one month of age, social play behaviors at two months, and an expanded repertoire of social and non‐social play behaviors at three months of age. The frequency and duration of nonsocial play peaked at five months of age and then decreased, while social play gradually increased with age. Nonsocial play did not differ between the sexes, whereas social play showed sex specificity, with a higher frequency and longer duration of social play in male infants compared to female infants. In addition, male and female white‐headed langur infants appeared to prefer individuals of same sex as social playmates, but no obvious choice preference for a specific individual. In conclusion, we provide the first report of play behavior in a population of wild Critically Endangered white‐headed langurs. We suggest that age‐ and sex‐specific differences in play behavior of infants form the bases for age and sex‐based differences in the social interactions of adult langurs.
Genetic diversity and differentiation of populations of Anthyllis vulneraria along elevational and latitudinal gradients
Authors: Daco Laura , Matthies Diethart , Hermant Sylvie , Colling Guy
Published: August 2022

The abundant centre model (ACM) predicts that the suitability of environmental conditions for a species decreases from the centre of its distribution toward its range periphery and, consequently, its populations will become scarcer, smaller and more isolated, resulting in lower genetic diversity and increased differentiation. However, little is known about whether genetic diversity shows similar patterns along elevational and latitudinal gradients with similar changes in important environmental conditions. Using microsatellite markers, we studied the genetic diversity and structure of 20 populations each of Anthyllis vulneraria along elevational gradients in the Alps from the valleys to the elevational limit (2500 m) and along a latitudinal gradient (2500 km) from Central Europe to the range margin in northern Scandinavia. Both types of gradients corresponded to an 11.5°C difference in mean annual temperature. Genetic diversity strongly declined and differentiation increased with latitude in line with the predictions of the ACM. However, as population size did not decline with latitude and genetic diversity was not related to population size in A. vulneraria, this pattern is not likely to be due to less favorable conditions in the North, but due to serial founder effects during the post‐glacial recolonization process. Genetic diversity was not related to elevation, but we found significant isolation by distance along both gradients, although the elevational gradient was shorter by orders of magnitude. Subarctic populations differed genetically from alpine populations indicating that the northern populations did not originate from high elevational Alpine ones. Our results support the notion that postglacial latitudinal colonization over large distances resulted in a larger loss of genetic diversity than elevational range shifts. The lack of genetic diversity in subarctic populations may threaten their long‐term persistence in the face of climate change, whereas alpine populations could benefit from gene flow from low‐elevation populations.
US and Global Energy Security: Where We Are Falling Short
Authors: Russo Thomas N.
Published: August 2022

As the United States and nations around the world seek to transition to a low‐carbon economy and increase our energy security, our current energy technology and regulatory tools appear woefully inadequate. In their current state, these tools won't expedite the planning, building, and operating of our future energy infrastructures. Rather than creating a policy toolbox capable of successfully aiding the transition, the tools leveraged in the United States are creating a circular self‐propagating system that only painstakingly “moves the needle” forward to achieve energy security and long‐term sustainability.
An examination of the state of awareness of the problem of climate change in Turkey for those living in cities: The case of Eskişehir Province
Authors: Ağırbaş Nihal C. , Sarıçam Sibel
Published: August 2022

Climate change directly or indirectly affects the standard of living and quality of life for everyone, and so it has generated widespread interest and concern. Human awareness of global climate change, knowledge of the dimensions of the problem, and its consequences, are the first and most important steps towards a solution. However much the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement are seen as global efforts  to combat climate change, economic outcomes overshadow worries about climate change. Therefore, even if individual awareness seems small for such a large problem, it is as an effective first step. In this regard, a survey was conducted among 384 people living in the districts of Odunpazarı and Tepebaşı of Eskişehir province to determine their levels of awareness and knowledge of climate change. Survey participants were evaluated with regard to the district in which they lived and their gender, age group, education, membership in nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and income. Correlations between various determinant characteristics of the participants and their knowledge of climate change and readiness to pay more for goods produced without harming the environment are presented with χ2 analysis, percentages, and proportions. No statistically significant correlation was found between knowledge of climate change of the participants and district, age, or gender, but a significant correlation was found between education and income levels, and NGO membership. There was no correlation between being willing to pay more for goods produced without harming the environment and district. No correlation was found between NGO membership and readiness to pay more for goods produced without harming the environment. Both central districts are close to each other and are very similar in terms of lifestyle, income, and the practices of local administrations regarding climate change and environmental problems. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:382–394. © 2022 SETAC
Green business practices and corporate financialization: Role of female directors in Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
Authors: Huang ChengMing , Mirza Sultan Sikandar
Published: August 2022

This study examines the impact of green business practices (GBP) on firm financialization and, analyzes the moderating role of female directorship in China. A‐share listed non‐financial firms are sampled (total 1049 firms including 284 small and medium enterprises [SMEs]) from Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2009 to 2020. OLS and fixed‐effects regression techniques are applied and the results show a significantly positive relationship between GBP and firms’ financialization level (FIN) in the whole sample. Also, greater female directorship strengthens this relationship in Chinese firms. However, for SMEs in China, this study does not support a relationship between GBP and firm financialization. Nonetheless, the moderating role of female directorship is more significant among SMEs. The findings of this study may assist policymakers in devising policies tailored separately for SMEs and non‐SMEs in China.
Porphyromonas gingivalis and dental stem cells crosstalk amplify inflammation and bone loss in the periodontitis niche
Authors: Ezhilarasan Devaraj , Varghese Sheeja S.
Published: August 2022

Periodontitis is the sixth most prevalent disease, and almost 3.5 billion people are affected globally by dental caries and periodontal diseases. The microbial shift from a symbiotic microbiota to a dysbiotic microbiota in the oral cavity generally initiates periodontal disease. Pathogens in the periodontal microenvironment interact with stem cells to modulate their regenerative potential. Therefore, this review focuses on the interaction between microbes and stem cells in periodontitis conditions. Microbes direct dental stem cells to secrete a variety of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which increase the inflammatory burden in the damaged periodontal tissue, which further aggravates periodontitis. Microbial interaction also decreases the osteogenic differentiation potential of dental stem cells by downregulating alkaline phosphatase, runt‐related transcription factor 2, type 1 collagen, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and so on. Microbe and stem cell interaction amplifies pro‐inflammatory cytokine signaling in the periodontitis niche, decreasing the osteogenic commitment of dental stem cells. A clear understanding of microbial stem cell interactions is crucial in designing regenerative therapies using stem cells in the management of periodontitis.
Seroprevalence of Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus and risk factors in Jiuquan area, China
Authors: Fang Yuan , Li Wenli , Zhang Ying , Zhou Chang , Wu Huanwu , Zhang Yiting , Dai Tao , Wang Jinzhi , Wang Lei , Chen Tongqing , Zhu Yulin , Wang Linding
Published: August 2022

The seroprevalence of Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is high in Xinjiang, China. But the seroprevalence of KSHV and risk factors are still unknown in Gansu which is adjacent to Xinjiang. Six hundred and seventy‐eight serum samples of the general population and 87 serum samples of syphilis patients from Jiuquan, Gansu were tested for antibodies against KSHV, including one latent protein (ORF73) and two lytic proteins (ORF65 and K8.1) using the ELISA. The total KSHV‐seropositive rate was 15.9% in 678 serum samples in the Jiuquan area, and the KSHV‐seropositive rate of males was higher than females (18.0% vs. 14.6%, p > 0.05). The Uygur, Kazakh, Hui, Manchu, and Mongolian populations had a higher seroprevalence of KSHV than the Han population (43.8%, 40.0%, 34.5%, 30.3%, 35.0% vs. 11.0%, respectively) among the ethnic groups in Jiuquan. Compared to the Han, Uygur, Kazak, Hui, Manchu, and Mongolian people had an increase in the risk of KSHV of 528.9%, 439.1%, 325.6%, 251.6%, and 335.4% (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.003, respectively). The serum prevalence of KSHV in subjects aged < 20 years, 20−50 years, and >50 years was 13.8%, 14.7%, and 20.1%, respectively. Compared to the subjects aged < 20 years, 20−50 years and >50 years had an increase in the risk of KSHV of 7.4% and 56.9% (p = 0.829 and p = 0.204, respectively). Compared to the positive rate of KSHV in the general population of Anhui, the positive rate of KSHV was significantly higher in the general population of the Jiuquan area (15.9% vs. 9%, p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the positive rate of KSHV between the Han population of Jiuquan and the Han population of Anhui (p > 0.05). In the population of syphilis patients in the Jiuquan area, the positive rate of KSHV was 30.7%, which was higher than that of the general population in the Gansu area (p < 0.05). This study indicates that Gansu has a high seroprevalence of KSHV. Ethnicity and syphilis are risk factors for KSHV infection.
Are the Verbal TTCT Forms Actually Interchangeable?
Authors: Grajzel Katalin , Dumas Denis , Acar Selcuk
Published: August 2022

One of the best‐known and most frequently used measures of creative idea generation is the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The TTCT Verbal, assessing verbal ideation, contains two forms created to be used interchangeably by researchers and practitioners. However, the parallel forms reliability of the two versions of the TTCT Verbal has not been examined for over 50 years. This study provides a long‐needed evaluation of the parallel forms reliability of the TTCT Verbal by correlating publisher generated and text‐mining‐based scores across the forms. The relatively weak relationship between the two forms, ranging between .21 and .40 for the overall TTCT Verbal and ranging between .03 and .33 for the individual TTCT Verbal tasks, suggests that caution should be exercised when researchers and practitioners use the two forms as equivalent measures of verbal creative idea generation.
Micellization, aggregation, and molecular interactions involved in CTAB‐Alizarin Red S complexation
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Hingrajiya Jay , Modi Jigisha , Rathod Vikram , Kuperkar Ketan
Published: August 2022

Surfactant–dye complexation between anionic dye: Alizarin Red S (ARS) and cationic surfactant:cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was investigated in an aqueous medium at 303.15 K employing various physicochemical characterization to offer an understanding of the micellization conduct. Here, micellization and thermodynamic parameters have been calculated using the tensiometry and conductivity approach. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of CTAB is observed to decrease in presence of ARS. The Gibbs energy of micellization () remains be negative on increasing the ARS content which indicated the spontaneity of the overall micellization process. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) reflected the impact of interactions between CTAB and ARS. ARS solubilization in CTAB micelles caused a red (bathochromic) shift in the ultraviolet–visible spectrum below the CMC thereby inferring that ARS undergoes J‐type aggregation in the pre‐micellar region. The intercept drawn following the Job's (corrected absorbance vs. CTAB volume ratio plot) method depicted the volume fractions of (equimolar) ARS (VARS) and CTAB (VCTAB) expressed in v/v occurring at VARS/VCTAB = 0.52/0.48, suggesting their stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 amid each molecule of ARS and CTAB leading to CTAB‐ARS ion‐pair complexation. A computational simulation method using molecular orbital energy calculations was used to evaluate the successive correlation between CTAB and ARS to comprehend the binding mechanism. The lower energy gap (ΔE) value of CTAB‐ARS indicated the favorable interaction of ARS with CTAB. Thus, the present work will reflect the significance of surfactant–dye systems in analytical and biochemistry research; and may open novel possibilities in dye absorption and their applications in the removal of dyes using surfactants.
Authors publishing repeatedly in predatory journals: An analysis of Scopus articles
Authors: Frandsen Tove Faber
Published: August 2022

Scholars engage with so‐called predatory or questionable journals for many different reasons. Among the contributing factors are monetary payoffs and the possibility of fast track faculty positions or promotion. It has been claimed that fast tracking promotion by using predatory publication outlets is an increasing problem. This study analyses the authors publishing in predatory journals with a focus on authors repeatedly publishing in predatory journals. In this study, a set of so‐called predatory journals indexed in Scopus was used. The data included 243,396 authorships of articles and reviews published from 2004 to 2021 by 169,742 unique authors. This study finds that 55% of the authors publish in one of these journals only once, 34.5% publish 2–5 times in these journals, 6.3% publish in them 6–10 times, and 4.2% publish more than 10 times. Furthermore, this study finds that the mean and median number of articles and reviews is correlated with the number of articles and reviews in predatory journals. Finally, authors publishing in predatory journals do not confine themselves to these journals and also publish in validated journals as well.
Molecular Exchange of Dynamic Imine Bond for the Etching of Polymer Particles
Authors: Mao Jie , Wu Tong , Tang Zhenbin , Xia Long , He Liu , Zeng Birong , Xu Yiting , Yuan Conghui , Dai Lizong
Published: August 2022

The underlying trend of colloidal synthesis has focused on extending the structure and composition complexity of colloidal particles. Hollow and yolk–shell particles are successful examples that have potential applications in frontier fields. In this paper, a facile and controllable etching method based on the molecular exchange of the dynamic imine bond to generate cavities in polymer particles is developed. Starting from boronate ester polymer particles and inorganic@boronate core–shell particles with the imine bonds incorporated in the polymer networks, the etching method easily affords hollow and yolk–shell particles with tunable shell thicknesses. The molecular exchange dynamics analysis indicates that guest amine molecules cause the reconstruction of imine bonds and the leakage of molecular and oligomer fragments, resulting in the formation of the hollow structure. This molecular exchange‐based etching method may be of interest in the construction of polymer architectures with increased composition and structure complexities.
A Test of Deriving Sex-Composition Data for the Directed Pacific Halibut Fishery via At-Sea Marking
Authors: Loher Timothy , McCarthy Orion , Sadorus Lauri L. , Erikson Lara M. , Simeon Anna , Drinan Daniel P. , Hauser Lorenz , Planas Josep V. , Stewart Ian J.
Published: August 2022

Sensitivity analyses have identified uncertainty regarding sex ratios within commercial landings of Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis as an influential source of variance within annual stock assessments for this species in U.S. and Canadian waters. Sex composition of dockside landings cannot be directly observed because all retained fish must be eviscerated at sea, and sex cannot be visually determined in the absence of the gonads. In the current study, a marking program was evaluated in which sex-specific marks were applied by fishers to their retained catch, the mark was recorded during dockside monitoring, and the accuracy of the recorded sexes was validated using genetic techniques. The chosen marks (two vertical cuts in the dorsal fin for females and a single cut in the operculum of males) were considered by fishers to be easy to apply during at-sea processing and produced sex-ratio estimates that were equivalent to genetic results for 65% of sampled landings. However, vessel- and region-specific accuracy was variable. Additional incentives to encourage vessels to participate in the program, continued outreach, or potentially a regulatory requirement to mark fish would be required to produce sufficient data to satisfy stock assessment needs, and ongoing validation would likely need to accompany such a program to ensure consistent and acceptable data quality.
Controlling axonal regeneration with acellular nerve allograft limits neuroma formation in peripheral nerve transection: An experimental study in a swine model
Authors: Grimm Patrick D. , Wheatley Benjamin M. , Tomasino Allison , Leonhardt Crystal , Hunter Daniel A. , Wood Matthew D. , Moore Amy M. , Davis Thomas A. , Tintle Scott M.
Published: August 2022

Background

Symptomatic neuromata are a common indication for revision surgery following amputation. Previously described treatments, including traction neurectomy, nerve transposition, targeted muscle re‐innervation, and nerve capping, have provided inconsistent results or are technically challenging. Prior research using acellular nerve allografts (ANA) has shown controlled termination of axonal regrowth in long grafts. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of a long ANA to prevent neuroma formation following transection of a peripheral nerve in a swine model.

Materials and Methods

Twenty‐two adult female Yucatan miniature swine (Sus scrofa; 4–6 months, 15–25 kg) were assigned to control (ulnar nerve transection only, n = 10), treatment (ulnar transection and coaptation of 50 mm ANA, n = 10), or donor (n = 2) groups. Nerves harvested from donor group animals were treated to create the ANA. After 20 weeks, the transected nerves including any neuroma or graft were harvested. Both qualitative (nerve architecture, axonal sprouting) and quantitative histologic analyses (myelinated axon number, cross sectional area of nerve tissue) were performed.

Results

Qualitative histologic analysis of control specimens revealed robust axon growth into dense scar tissue. In contrast, the treatment group revealed dwindling axons in the terminal tissue, consistent with attenuated neuroma formation. Quantitative analysis revealed a significantly decreased number of myelinated axons in the treatment group (1232 ± 540) compared to the control group (44,380 ± 7204) (p < .0001). Cross sectional area of nerve tissue was significantly smaller in treatment group (2.83 ± 1.53 mm2) compared to the control group (9.14 ± 1.19 mm2) (p = .0012).

Conclusions

Aberrant axonal growth is controlled to termination with coaptation of a 50 mm ANA in a swine model of nerve injury. These early results suggest further investigation of this technique to prevent and/or treat neuroma formation.
Extending Lasenby's embedding of octonions in space‐time algebra Cl(1,3), to all three‐ and four dimensional Clifford geometric algebras Cl(p,q), n=p+q=3,4
Authors: Hitzer Eckhard
Published: August 2022

We study the embedding of octonions in the Clifford geometric algebra for space‐time STA
, as suggested by Anthony Lasenby at AGACSE 2021. As far as possible, we extend the approach to similar octonion embeddings for all three‐ and four‐dimensional Clifford geometric algebras
,
. Noticeably, the lack of a quaternionic subalgebra in
seems to prevent the construction of an octonion embedding in this case and necessitates a special approach in
. As examples, we present for
the nonassociativity of the octonionic product in terms of multivector grade parts with cyclic symmetry and show how octonion products and involutions can be combined to make the opposite transition from octonions to the Clifford geometric algebra
and how octonionic multiplication can be represented with (complex) biquaternions or Pauli matrix algebra.
Recovery of the unknown coefficients in a two‐dimensional hyperbolic equation
Authors: Mehraliyev Yashar T. , Yang He , Azizbayov Elvin I.
Published: August 2022

In this paper, an inverse boundary value problem for a two‐dimensional hyperbolic equation with overdetermination conditions is studied. To investigate the solvability of the original problem, we first consider an auxiliary inverse boundary value problem and prove its equivalence to the original problem in a certain sense. We then use the Fourier method to reduce such an equivalent problem to a system of integral equations. Furthermore, we prove the existence and uniqueness theorem for the auxiliary problem by the contraction mappings principle. Based on the equivalency of these problems, the existence and uniqueness theorem for the classical solution of the original inverse problem is proved. Some discussions on the numerical solutions for this inverse problem are presented including some numerical examples.
Automatic segmentation of prostate MRI based on 3D pyramid pooling Unet
Authors: Li Yuchun , Lin Cong , Zhang Yu , Feng Siling , Huang Mengxing , Bai Zhiming
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Automatic segmentation of prostate magnetic resonance (MR) images is crucial for the diagnosis, evaluation, and prognosis of prostate diseases (including prostate cancer). In recent years, the mainstream segmentation method for the prostate has been converted to convolutional neural networks. However, owing to the complexity of the tissue structure in MR images and the limitations of existing methods in spatial context modeling, the segmentation performance should be improved further.

Methods

In this study, we proposed a novel 3D pyramid pool Unet that benefits from the pyramid pooling structure embedded in the skip connection (SC) and the deep supervision (DS) in the up‐sampling of the 3D Unet. The parallel SC of the conventional 3D Unet network causes low‐resolution information to be sent to the feature map repeatedly, resulting in blurred image features. To overcome the shortcomings of the conventional 3D Unet, we merge each decoder layer with the feature map of the same scale as the encoder and the smaller scale feature map of the pyramid pooling encoder. This SC combines the low‐level details and high‐level semantics at two different levels of feature maps. In addition, pyramid pooling performs multifaceted feature extraction on each image behind the convolutional layer, and DS learns hierarchical representations from comprehensive aggregated feature maps, which can improve the accuracy of the task.

Results

Experiments on 3D prostate MR images of 78 patients demonstrated that our results were highly correlated with expert manual segmentation. The average relative volume difference and Dice similarity coefficient of the prostate volume area were 2.32% and 91.03%, respectively.

Conclusion

Quantitative experiments demonstrate that, compared with other methods, the results of our method are highly consistent with the expert manual segmentation.
DL‐based inpainting for metal artifact reduction for cone beam CT using metal path length information
Authors: Gottschalk Tristan M. , Maier Andreas , Kordon Florian , Kreher Björn W.
Published: August 2022

Background

Metallic implants, which are inserted into the patient's body during trauma interventions, are the main cause of heavy artifacts in 3D X‐ray acquisitions. These artifacts then hinder the evaluation of the correct implant's positioning, thus leading to a disturbed patient's healing process and increased revision rates.

Purpose

This problem is tackled by so‐called metal artifact reduction (MAR) methods. This paper examines possible advances in the inpainting process of such MAR methods to decrease disruptive artifacts while simultaneously preserving important anatomical structures adjacent to the inserted implants.

Methods

In this paper, a learning‐based inpainting method for cone‐beam computed tomography is proposed that couples a convolutional neural network (CNN) with an estimated metal path length as prior knowledge. Further, the proposed method is solely trained and evaluated on real measured data.

Results

The proposed inpainting approach shows advantages over the inpainting method used by the currently clinically approved frequency split metal artifact reduction (fsMAR) method as well as the learning‐based state‐of‐the‐art (SOTA) method PConv‐Net. The major improvement of the proposed inpainting method lies in the ability to correctly preserve important anatomical structures in those regions adjacent to the metal implants. Especially these regions are highly important for a correct implant's positioning in an intraoperative setup. Using the proposed inpainting, the corresponding MAR volumes reach a mean structural similarity index measure (SSIM) score of 0.9974 and outperform the other methods by up to 6 dB on single slices regarding the peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR) score. Furthermore, it can be shown that the proposed method can generalize to clinical cases at hand.

Conclusions

In this paper, a learning‐based inpainting network is proposed that leverages prior knowledge about the metal path length of the inserted implant. Evaluations on real measured data reveal an increased overall MAR performance, especially regarding the preservation of anatomical structures adjacent to the inserted implants. Further evaluations suggest the ability of the proposed approach to generalize to clinical cases.
Simultaneous slope design optimisation and stability assessment using a genetic algorithm and a fully automatic image‐based analysis
Authors: Wijesinghe Dakshith Ruvin , Dyson Ashley , You Greg , Khandelwal Manoj , Song Chongmin , Ooi Ean Tat
Published: August 2022

Mine slope design is a complex task that requires consideration of geotechnical analysis, structural stability, economics and the environment. Economic factors usually drive mine slope design, particularly in the case of open‐pit designs, where the process of steepening slope walls by several degrees can have profound financial implications. Due to the risks associated with catastrophic slope collapse, slope stability analysis is an integral component of open‐pit engineering projects. However, initial design concepts and geotechnical assessments are often considered separately. In this study, a technique is developed that combines the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) with genetic algorithms (GAs) to simultaneously perform slope stability analysis and optimise the slope profile. The iterative design approach optimises characteristics of the slope profile such as the slope height, width, angle and number of benches while ensuring the factor of safety (FoS) remains above a threshold value. A salient feature of the technique is the ability to automatically address the modifications to the geometry of the slope by updating the digital images used in the analysis to assess the stability of each instance in the optimisation process and determine the optimum slope geometry. The results highlight the application of the developed technique to determine appropriate slope excavation designs as well as slope backfilling scenarios. The method is exemplified in several cases where complex stratigraphies and spatially variable materials are considered. As such, the GA‐driven slope design process conveys an optimised, automated tool, combining mine slope design and slope stability analysis.
Statistical quality control using image intelligence: A sparse learning approach
Authors: Kang Yicheng
Published: August 2022

Advances in image acquisition technology have made it convenient and economic to collect large amounts of image data. In manufacturing and service industries, images are increasingly used for quality control purposes because of their ability to quickly provide information about product geometry, surface defects, and nonconforming patterns. In production line monitoring, image data often take the form of image streams in the sense that images from the process are being collected over time. In such applications, a fundamental task is to properly analyze image data streams. This image monitoring problem is challenging for several reasons. First, images often have complicated structures such as edges and singularities, which render many traditional smoothing methods inapplicable. Second, a typical grayscale image contains tens of thousands of pixels, so the data is high‐dimensional. It has been shown in the statistical process control (SPC) literature that conventional multivariate control charts have limited power of detecting process shifts when the data dimension is high. In this article, we propose to transform images using a two‐dimensional wavelet basis and monitor the wavelet coefficients by sparse learning‐based multivariate control charts. By adapting the sparse learning algorithm to our quality control problem, the proposed method is able to detect shifts in the wavelet coefficients in a timely fashion and simultaneously identify those shifted coefficients. Combining this feature with the localization property of the wavelet basis, our method also enables accurate diagnosis of faulty image regions. In addition, the proposed charting statistics have explicit formulas, so they are easy to compute. Theoretical justifications and numerical comparisons with an existing method show that our method works well in applications.