bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Char Temperature on CO2 Gasification of High Ash Coal and Biomass
Authors: Kumari Neelam , Datta Sudipta , Sahu Gajanan , Sarkar Pinaki , Saha Sujan , Chavan Prakash D , Chauhan Vishal , Gupta Pavan Kumar
Published: October 2022

Information on comparative gasification reactivity of high temperature chars in CO2 with high ash coal (C), sawdust (SD) and rice husk (RH) under identical condition is important for clean energy development drive particularly in countries like India, where energy matrix is dominated by coal and introduction of larger quantity of biomass in energy‐mix is attracting global interests. Therefore, TGA‐studies on char‐gasification reactivity using CO2 as a gasifying agent were performed at temperatures 850–1000 °C. In case of coal and RH‐chars, CO2 reactivity found to increase with increasing the BET surface area and reverse trend was observed with SD‐chars. Both the biomass‐chars showed increased specific micro pore surface area with increasing char preparation temperature through t‐plot analysis, still keeping unusual behavior of CO2 reactivity of SD‐char unexplained. The estimations indicating the presence of catalytically active alkali and alkaline earth metals in substantial quantity is only important criteria found to explain the decreasing trend of gasification reactivity of SD‐char prepared at various temperatures despite the increase in surface area. Catalytic activity of the components decreases with the rise in char preparation temperature. Kinetic analysis reveal that activation energy values of SD‐chars varied in the range123–182 kJ mole−1, whereas those for coal‐ and RH‐chars remained in the range 204–214 kJ mole−1.
Molecular Dynamics and TD‐DFT Study of the Ternary Complexes of Cucurbit[8]uril with Aromatic Amino Acids and Auxiliary Ligands
Authors: Bodoor Khaled , El‐Barghouthi Musa I. , Abuhasan Osama M. , Rawashdeh Abdel Monem M. , Assaf Khaleel I. , Hourani Baker Jawabrah Al
Published: October 2022

In the present work, we used molecular dynamics (MD) and TD‐DFT calculations to investigate the formation of the heteroternary complexes formed by cucurbit[8]uril (CB8) with amino acids (AAs), tryptophan, phenylalanine and tyrosine in the presence of different auxiliary ligands (ALs): methyl viologen (MV), 2,7‐dimethyldiazaphenanthrenium (DPT) and tetramethyl benzobis(imidazolium) (MBBI). All complexes exhibited encapsulation of the hydrophobic side chain of each AA; complexes with sufficient inclusion of AL exhibited AA‐AL π‐π stacking. MM‐PBSA yielded favorable complex binding free energies, with favorable electrostatic and van der Waals contributions. The AAs bind to 1 : 1 CB8 complexes with ALs more favorably than to CB8 by ∼0.5–4.5 kcal mol−1. TD‐DFT was used to compute the UV‐Visible spectra of the ternary complexes; results revealed the appearance of new bands for some complexes that were not present in the spectra of the free molecules. These bands originate from transitions corresponding to AA‐AL charge transfer (CT) complexes confined in the CB8 cavity.
Fe‐Ce Composite Oxide Catalysts Supported on 3D Nickel Foam for Catalytic Oxidation of Soot
Authors: Wang Xie , Wei Kun , Xu Kaixuan , Shi Liming , Xue Zhifeng , Wang Huan , Jiang Caihong , Wang Junwei , Zhang Xianlong
Published: October 2022

To reduce the combustion temperature of diesel soot, the Fe−Ce composite oxide catalysts with varying composition supported by three‐dimensional nickel foams were prepared by hydrothermal reaction and impregnation method. The internal structure and performance of the monolithic catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Raman, scanning electron microscope, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and catalyst activity evaluation techniques. The results revealed that when the molar ratio of Ce and Fe was 0.5, the CeO2/Fe2O3@NF catalyst showed the best catalytic activity of soot oxidation, good stability and water resistance. Besides, the addition of NO and H2O was helpful to improve the catalytic performance for soot oxidation, when 10 % H2O and 800 ppm NO were mixed into 20 %O2/N2 atmosphere, the T10, T50 and T90 values could decrease to 299 °C, 344 °C and 389 °C, respectively.
A Copper‐catalysed Facile Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Aryl Sulphones in Guanidinium IL(GIL) aided with Ultrasound
Authors: Malunavar Shruti S. , Anchi Athmanand , Prabhala Pavankumar , Sutar Suraj M. , Sindogi Kishorkumar , Kalkhambkar Rajesh G. , Refat Moamen S. , Alsuhaibani Amnah Mohammed
Published: October 2022

Ultrasonication aided copper catalyzed facile synthesis of highly functionalized aryl sulphones has been demonstrated by employing aryl sulphonyl hydrazides as suitable substrates in excellent yields in short time. Various 1‐aryltriazene derivatives were used as a coupling partner in the presence of a [TMG][CH3COO] IL without any base or additives. The potential for the recycling and reuse of IL was also explored. Similarly, we elaborated the reaction scope by synthesizing copper‐catalyzed aryl sulphones aided by ultrasonication replacing aryltriazenes with aryl boronic acids as coupling partner in [TMG][CH3COO].
Inhibitory Mechanisms of Three Modified Small Molecules on the Misfolding of Cu2+‐Aβ42 Complex in Different pH Conditions: Insights from MD/QM Studies
Authors: Gao Wenqi , Li Ye , Xu Wen , Mei Jinfei , Wang Chuanbo , Sajjad Ahmad , Ai Hongqi
Published: October 2022

The paper reports in silico three modified small molecules, two negatively charged E1C and E2C and one neutral TQ, which show more potent inhibitory effect than their parental molecules CQ3, TS0, and ER on the Cu2+ induced Aβ42 aggregation. In the acidic condition, TQ is the most powerful inhibitor, as it not only decreases the helix content of Cu2+‐Aβ42 complex but also increases the oxidizability; E1C/E2C however decreases the helix content of Cu2+‐Aβ42 complex but also with increased oxidizability, indicating that the inhibitory effect of the two charged molecules depends on the multiple factors, at least including the composite mechanism of helix decrease and oxidizability increase. In the basic condition, any of three modified molecules can increase the helix content of the Cu2+‐Aβ42 complex. Anyway, small molecules containing neutral and larger hydrophobic aromatic groups are always more effective in inhibiting Cu2+‐induced Aβ42 aggregation in both basic and acidic conditions.
Seladoeflavones G‐I, Three New flavonoids from Selaginella doederleinii Hieron.
Authors: Chen Min‐Yu , Wang Si.‐Si , Cheng Hai‐Tao , Wan Ding‐Rong , Lu Ru‐Mei , Yang Xin‐Zhou
Published: October 2022

Three new flavonoids, seladoeflavones G‐I (1–3), together with six known flavonoids, involvenflavone E (4), involvenflavone F (5), unciflavone F (6), 3‐[5,7‐dihydroxy‐2‐(4‐methoxy‐phenyl)‐4‐oxo‐4H‐chromen‐8‐yl]‐4‐methoxy‐ benzoic acid (7), naringenin (8), and eriodictyol (9) were isolated from the petroleum ether and the ethyl acetate fractions of the whole herbs of Selaginella doederleinii. The structures of new flavonoids were established by 1D NMR (1H, 13C and DEPT), 2D NMR (HMBC, 1H‐1H COSY and HSQC), HRMS and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Compounds 1–7 are apigenin or naringin derivatives with aryl substituents at the C‐8 or C‐3′ positions, in which the new compounds 1 and 2 were identified as S configuration. In addition, compounds 4 and 5 exhibited strong cytotoxicity against human laryngeal cancer cells (Hep‐2 and Fadu) with IC50 values in the range of 1.41‐3.22 μg/mL. The results of this study could enrich the flavonoids diversity and be regarded as some further insight into the chemotaxonomic diversity of natural products in Selaginella.
Synthesis, Structural Characterization, X‐ray, Hirshfeld Surfaces, DFT calculations, In Silico ADME Approach and a Molecular Docking Study of a New Nickel(II) Complex
Authors: Souza Rafael Aparecido Carvalho , Cunha Vito Labruna , de Faria Franca Eduardo , Deflon Victor Marcelo , Maia Pedro I. S. , Oliveira Carolina Gonçalves
Published: October 2022

In this study, synthesis, characterization, DFT and evaluation of the theoretical antibacterial activity through molecular docking of two different Nickel(II) complexes based on 2‐acetylpyridine‐N(4)‐R‐thiosemicarbazone are described. The ligand where R=ethyl is named L1 and its complex [NiII(L1)2] (Complex 1) while, for the second complex, R is phenyl (L2) resulting in a novel [NiII(L2)2] complex (Complex 2). The compounds were characterized by infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The molecular structure of 1 was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The complex crystallizes in monoclinic crystal system, adopting a distorted octahedral geometry and the crystal lattice is stabilized by H⋅⋅⋅H, C⋅⋅⋅H/H⋅⋅⋅C, N⋅⋅⋅H/H⋅⋅⋅N and S⋅⋅⋅H/H⋅⋅⋅S interactions (Hirshfeld Surfaces). The results of density functional theory provided information about molecular structures, molecular frontier orbital and theorical IR and the UV‐Vis spectra of 1 and 2. The molecular docking and in silico analysis of pharmacokinetic parameters of the compounds showed promising results.
Preparation and Evaluation of a Sulfadimethoxine‐Conjugated Hydrogel Based on N‐isopropylacrylamide as a Sustained Release Drug Delivery System
Authors: Khorsandi Hesam , Karimi Ali Reza , Azadikhah Farnaz
Published: October 2022

The burst release of drugs limited the development of the thermo‐responsive hydrogels based on poly N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) for application in drug delivery systems. To overcome this problem, the drug sulfadimethoxine (SDMO) was conjugated via amide bond to the PNIPAAm hydrogel instead of loaded into the system. Therefore, SDMO was modified using maleic anhydride to get N‐maleyl sulfadimethoxine (NMSDMO) and then utilized that to synthesize the sulfadimethoxine‐conjugated PNIPAAm hydrogel (P[NIPAAm‐co‐NMSDMO]). The resultant monomer was then grafted into the hydrogel network at different weight percentage through radical polymerization. The NMSDMO monomer and the P[NIPAAm‐co‐NMSDMO] hydrogels were fully investigated. The in vitro drug released displayed sustained release in pH 5 and 7.4 for 24 h. Hydrolysis of the amide bond causes the release rate and total amount of drug to be greatest at pH 5, as compared to pH 7.4. As a result, the P[NIPAAm‐co‐NMSDMO] hydrogel was an effective sustained drug delivery system.
Spray Synthesized Mn‐doped CuO Electrodes for High Performance Supercapacitor
Authors: More Pravin , Kadam Sujit A. , Ma Yuan‐Ron , Chen Yan‐Ruei , Tarwal Nilesh , Navale Yuvraj , Salunkhe Amol , Patil Vikas
Published: October 2022

A pristine copper oxide and manganese‐doped copper oxide nanostructured films were prepared by simple spray pyrolysis technique. A study of the effects of Mn doping with three different concentrations as 2, 4, and 6 wt % were studied in the view of enhancement of supercapacitive performance of copper oxide electrode. The 6 wt % manganese‐doped copper oxide thin film changed their surface morphology considerably favorable to the exchange of ions in the Na2SO4 electrolyte. The electrochemical properties of the pristine copper oxide and manganese‐doped copper oxide were investigated in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte within the potential window of −1.0 to 0.4 V. A maximum specific capacitance of 801.61 F/g was obtained for the manganese‐doped copper oxide thin film electrode.
Two‐step Synthesis of a New Twenty‐Membered Macrocycle: Spectroscopic Characterization and Theoretical Calculations
Authors: Andreo Luca , Volpi Giorgio , Rossi Federica , Benzi Paola , Diana Eliano
Published: October 2022

A highly symmetrical substituted macrocycle was designed, synthesized and characterized as a novel supramolecular scaffold, whose structure was unequivocally characterized by 1H, 13C, COSY, HMBC, HMQC and DOSY NMR, UV‐Vis, FTIR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. With its defined and electron‐rich aromatic cavity, this macrocycle could be a potential host for inorganic and organic cations. Preliminary investigations on the coordinating abilities of the studied macrocycle show a noticeable interaction between the obtained product and Pb2+ ions. These interactions have been highlighted by mass spectrometry, UV‐Vis spectroscopy, and supported by DFT and TD‐DFT modelling, making this new macrocycle an interesting candidate for possible heavy metal ions removal or for the design of artificial molecular machines. Good reaction yields, accessibility of reagents and absence of catalysts make this synthetic approach useful for systematic screening and up‐scaling of a large number of compounds.
Asymmetric Diels‐Alder Reaction Catalyzed by Facile Recoverable Ionically Core‐Corona Polymer Microsphere‐Immobilized MacMillan Catalyst
Authors: Wali Ullah Md. , Haraguchi Naoki
Published: October 2022

Core‐corona polymer microsphere having sulfonic acid moiety was successfully synthesized by the surface initiated‐atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP) of an achiral monomer with phenyl p‐styrenesulfonate using benzyl halide‐functionalized polymer microsphere, followed by the regeneration of sulfonic acid. Ionically core‐corona polymer microsphere‐immobilized MacMillan catalyst was successfully synthesized by the neutralization reaction between core‐corona polymer microsphere having sulfonic acid moiety and chiral imidazolidinone precursor. The catalyst containing hydrophobic core and corona exhibited high catalytic activity with excellent enantioselectivity (99% ee for the exo isomer and >99% for the endo isomer) in the asymmetric Diels‐Alder reaction of trans‐cinnamaldehyde and 1,3‐cyclopentadiene. The catalyst with more than 1μm diameter could be recovered quantitatively by centrifugation and reused at least four cycles without loss of the enantioselectivity.
Fabrication of Nitrogen/Boron Highly Co‐Doped Graphene Electrode for Enhanced Electrochemical Performance
Authors: Du Xiangxiang , Wang Wenjie , Han Meng , Guo Xiaoyuan , Shi Xuejun , Cao Kesheng
Published: October 2022

A facile hydrothermal and freeze‐drying approach was employed to prepare N, B co‐doped graphene gel (N/BGR). Positively charged [BMIm][BF4] ionic liquid as N/B source and negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) as graphene precursor are capable of combining and self‐assembly by electrostatic force. The high doped concentrations of N and B elements are 8.16 at% and 6.31 at% (total 14.47 at%). The N/BGR was fabricated as electrode material in the three‐electrode system. The as‐prepared N/BGR‐2 electrode could achieve a specific capacitance of 133.6 F/g at 0.5 A/g. The N/BGR electrode presented enhanced capacitance performance. Compared with the specific capacitance of pure GR at the same current density of 0.5 A/g, the specific capacitances of N/BGR‐2 and N/BGR‐1 have increased by 68.5 % and 49.4 %. The enhanced capacitance of N and B co‐doped graphene could be attributed to the promotion of rapid electron migration and charge transfer and production of redox active sites that provide pseudocapacitance. In addition, N/BGR‐2 electrode exhibits good cycling durability with the capacity retention of 93.2 %% after 1500 cycles at a high current density of 10 A/g. Those provide a high co‐doped content fabrication strategy for high‐performance supercapacitors carbon‐based electrode materials.
Rhus Semialata Derived Carbon Quantum Dots Decorated Pt Deposited TiO2 for Efficient Light‐Driven Hydrogen Production
Authors: NagaVenkata Satyanarayana Gavidi , Raghavan Akshaya , Jayachitra S. , Sathish M. , Saikat Roy Subhra , Ghosh Sutapa
Published: October 2022

As a fuel, hydrogen may effectively replace the traditional fossil fuels. TiO2 has been in use the most in semiconductors for photocatalytic hydrogen generation, according to a detailed review of the prior art. In our research, we created a photocatalytic system made of an H‐CD/Pt−TiO2 heterostructure, where carbon dots (H‐CD) were derived from a natural plant source called Rhus Semialata and 1 wt% Pt−TiO2 using photo‐deposition technique. After thorough characterization using various techniques including XPS, XRD, UV‐DRS, etc., the nanocomposites as‐prepared as well as the pristine materials were examined for their hydrogen generation capabilities using a 450 W Xe−Hg lamp. Inference from the experimental data showed that 1 wt %‐ Pt/TiO2 nanocomposite with 1 % H‐CD demonstrated a higher rate of hydrogen production (180.7 mmol h−1 g−1cat) than 1 wt%‐ Pt/TiO2. In this work, H‐CD and Pt play the role of photosensitizer and co‐catalyst respectively in enhancing the hydrogen generation of the nanocomposite compared to that of pure anatase TiO2 under similar conditions.
Application of Titanium Oxide Decorated Multi‐walled Carbon Nanotubes/Polyaniline as a Transducer Polymer for the Potentiometric Determination of Mirtazapine
Authors: Abdallah Nehad A.
Published: October 2022

Recently, mortality linked to the intake of the antidepressant mirtazapine (MTZ) together with other drugs has been recently detected, and measuring the MTZ concentration in biological fluids has become crucial. The proposed electrode is thought to be the first potentiometric carbon paste electrode for quantifying MTZ in various biological matrices. It is based on the covalent polymerization of the aniline monomers onto the surface of the multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) /TiO2 nanocomposite to be applied as an ion‐to‐electron transducer element with 18‐crown‐6‐ether as a recognition element. The MWCNTs/TiO2/Polyaniline (PANI) composite was characterized by XRD and FT‐IR. The electrode demonstrated a wide linearity range of 1×10−7 M to 1×10−2 M with a Nernstian slope of 59.76±1.55 mV/concentration decade and a LOD of 3.2×10−8 M. It was successfully applied for the determination of MTZ in spiked plasma, urine, and artificial cerebrospinal fluid without any significant interference from matrix components, with average recovery, ranged from 97.91 % to 99.31 %.
Earring Porphyrins Bearing 1,9‐Di(pyrid‐2‐yl)dipyrromethene Unit and Their BODIPY Conjugates
Authors: Yin Bangshao , Liu Yang , Rao Yutao , Xu Ling , Zhou Mingbo , Osuka Atsuhiro , Song Jianxin
Published: October 2022

Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions of 2,18‐di(6‐bromopyrid‐2‐yl)‐substituted NiII porphyrin and 2,8,12,18‐tetrakis(6‐bromopyrid‐2‐yl)‐substituted NiII porphyrin with 1,9‐biboryl‐5‐mesityl dipyrromethene and subsequent oxidation with p‐chloranil gave single earring and double earring NiII porphyrins, respectively, which bear 1,9‐(dipyrid‐2‐yl)dipyrromethene unit. These NiII complexes were converted to free base porphyrins and then to ZnII porphyrins. Treatment of earring NiII and earring ZnII porphyrins with BF3⋅Et2O afforded the corresponding BODIPY (boron dipyrrin) conjugates and the ZnII porphyrin‐BODIPY conjugates were converted to free base porphyrin‐BODIPY conjugates. Bent structures of earring NiII porphyrins and the corresponding BODIPY conjugates have been revealed by X‐ray diffraction analysis. ZnII porphyrin‐BODIPYs show efficient fluorescence quenching, which is ascribed to fast intramolecular electron transfer from the ZnII porphyrin to the BODIPY moiety.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Calcium Hydroxide Nanoparticles Against Gram‐Positive and Gram‐Negative Bacteria
Authors: Harish  , Kumari Sapna , Parihar Jagdish , Akash  , Kumari Jyoti , Kumar Lalit , Debnath Mousumi , Kumar Vipin , Mishra Rajneesh Kumar , Gwag Jin Seog , Singhal Rahul , Mukhopadhyay Anoop Kumar , Kumar Pushpendra
Published: October 2022

Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles (Ca(OH)2 NPs) are of great interest in the development of new products due to their antibacterial properties. Chemical precipitation process was used for synthesizing Ca(OH)2 NPs. The synthesized Ca(OH)2 NPs were characterized by using X‐ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transmission Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV‐Visible spectroscopy, DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering) techniques. Ca(OH)2 NPs were assessed for antibacterial activity against gram‐positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The results showed reasonable bactericidal activity and flash out that the antibacterial activity of Ca(OH)2 had an important inhibitory activity against B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa which are gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria respectively. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of Ca(OH)2 NPs were also studied and shows significant results against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. From the analysis of the results, it was observed that Ca(OH)2 shows the best antibacterial activity against gram‐positive bacteria B. subtilis. Further, the possible mechanisms of antibacterial behaviour of Ca(OH)2 against each bacteria were suggested. These outcomes indicate that Ca(OH)2 could be utilized as a functional antibacterial material.
Technological learning: Lessons learned on energy technologies
Authors: Haas Reinhard , Sayer Marlene , Ajanovic Amela , Auer Hans
Published: October 2022

The concept of technological learning is a method to anticipate the future development of the costs of technologies. It has been discussed since the 1930s as a tool for determining manufacturing cost reductions, starting in an airplane manufacturing plant, by means of learning curves and has been widely used since the 2000s in energy models to endogenize technological change. In this paper, the theoretical concept of technological learning based on energy technologies is analyzed based on examples from the literature. The main low‐carbon power generation technologies, photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, wind and nuclear energy were analyzed, showing different cost trends. Additionally, the impact of policy support on technological learning was discussed in concrete examples of bioethanol and heat pumps. We find that the homogeneity and the modularity of a technology are essential for high learning rates. A good proof is the manufacturing cost development of photovoltaics in recent decades, where a rather stable learning rate of 20% has been identified. On the contrary, nuclear power did not evolve into a homogeneous technology due to required environmental adaptations caused by accidents and the lack of standardization and application of new engineering approaches. In that case, the overall price further increased. Finally, another important condition is stable legal and regulatory conditions regarding the implementation.

This article is categorized under:

Policy and Economics > Green Economics and Financing
Chapter 11: Factor Analysis
Authors: Mathai Arak , Provost Serge , Haubold Hans
Published: October 2022

Factor analysis is a statistical method aiming at identifying a relatively small number of underlying (unobserved) factors that could explain certain interdependencies among a larger set of observed variables. Factor analysis proves useful for analyzing causal mechanisms. A suitable general linear model is posited and the maximum likelihood estimates of its parameters are derived. As well, the likelihood ratio statistic is determined and its asymptotic distribution, specified.
Chapter 12: Classification Problems
Authors: Mathai Arak , Provost Serge , Haubold Hans
Published: October 2022

Given certain measurements made on an individual, classification problems arise when one wishes to determine to which one of several categories (populations) this individual belongs. The cases of two populations with known distributions and two Gaussian populations having unknown parameters are initially considered. In the latter instance, the classification problem is extended to k categories. The maximum likelihood approach is also investigated for certain cases.
The zeroth law of black hole thermodynamics in arbitrary higher derivative theories of gravity
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sayantani , Biswas Parthajit , Dinda Anirban , Kundu Nilay
Published: October 2022

Abstract

We consider diffeomorphism invariant theories of gravity with arbitrary higher derivative terms in the Lagrangian as corrections to the leading two derivative theory of Einstein’s general relativity. We construct a proof of the zeroth law of black hole thermo-dynamics in such theories. We assume that a stationary black hole solution in an arbitrary higher derivative theory can be obtained by starting with the corresponding stationary solution in general relativity and correcting it order by order in a perturbative expansion in the coupling constants of the higher derivative Lagrangian. We prove that surface gravity remains constant on its horizon when computed for such stationary black holes, which is the zeroth law. We argue that the constancy of surface gravity on the horizon is related to specific components of the equations of motion in such theories. We further use a specific boost symmetry of the near horizon space-time of the stationary black hole to constrain the off-shell structure of the equations of motion. Our proof for the zeroth law is valid up to arbitrary order in the expansion in the higher derivative couplings.
Normal and disordered gastric emptying in diabetes: recent insights into (patho)physiology, management and impact on glycaemic control
Authors: Jalleh Ryan J. , Jones Karen L. , Rayner Christopher K. , Marathe Chinmay S. , Wu Tongzhi , Horowitz Michael
Published: October 2022

Gastric emptying is a major determinant of postprandial blood glucose, accounting for ~35% of variance in peak glucose in both healthy individuals and those with type 2 diabetes. Gastric emptying is frequently disordered in individuals with diabetes (both abnormally delayed and accelerated). Delayed gastric emptying, i.e. diabetic gastroparesis, may be linked to upper gastrointestinal symptoms for which current treatment remains suboptimal; pharmacological acceleration of delayed emptying is only weakly associated with symptom improvement. Accordingly, the relationship between symptoms and delayed gastric emptying is not simply ‘cause and effect’. In insulin-treated patients, disordered gastric emptying, even when not associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, can cause a mismatch between the onset of insulin action and the availability of absorbed carbohydrate, leading to suboptimal glycaemic control. In patients with type 2 diabetes, interventions that slow gastric emptying, e.g. glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, reduce postprandial blood glucose. This review focuses on recent insights into the impact of gastric emptying on postprandial blood glucose, effects of diabetes therapy on gastric emptying and the management of disordered gastric emptying in diabetes. In view of the broad relevance of gastric emptying to diabetes management, it is important that future clinical trials evaluating novel therapies that may affect gastric emptying should quantify the latter with an appropriate technique, such as scintigraphy or a stable isotope breath test.

Graphical abstract
Eight Become One: the EURECA-PRO University Network
Authors: Kircher Volkmar , Feiel Susanne , Bongaerts Jan C. , Sishchuk Julia , Drebenstedt Carsten , Lagoudakis Michail , Fragkedaki Konstantina , García-Llamas Paula , Suárez-Corona Adriana , Fernández-Raga María , Baelo-Álvarez Roberto , Górski Marcin , Pawełczyk Marek , Hochstein Synnöve , Walter Stefanie , Speck Maria , Ravas Oana , Van Hellemont Elke , Vancauwenbergh Sadia
Published: October 2022

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 is the foundation of the European University on Responsible Consumption and Production consortium (EURECA-PRO). This article introduces the eight EURECA-PRO partner universities: Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany), Technical University of Crete (Greece), University of León (Spain), Silesian University of Technology (Poland), Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (Germany), University of Petroşani (Romania), and Hasselt University (Belgium). In addition, each university’s role within the alliance and unique research and study programmes are outlined. The synergy created by EURECA-PRO enables the pursuit of an ambitious research agenda with five research “Lighthouse Missions” as well as the implementation of joint study programmes.
Effects of soil subsidence on plantation agriculture in Indonesian peatlands
Authors: Hein Lars , Sumarga Elham , Quiñones Marcela , Suwarno Aritta
Published: October 2022

Several million hectares of Indonesian peatlands have been converted to plantations, with oil palm being the most important plantation crop. This has contributed to the economic development of Indonesia. At the same time, it poses environmental challenges. An as yet insufficiently understood concern is that the drainage required for cultivation of peatlands causes soil subsidence. Subsidence progressively increases flood risks in plantations and will, over time, render peatlands unsuitable for cultivation since oil palm and other plantation crops are sensitive to waterlogged conditions. This paper assesses subsidence and flood risk in the main peatlands of Sumatra, and examines when peatlands will become unfit for crop production. We show that, under current management, 21% of oil palm production will be lost due to flooding, and 17% of oil palm plantations in East Sumatran peatlands will become unfit for agriculture in the coming 30 years. Over time, all peatlands will be lost for agriculture. With reduced drainage, these effects can be postponed, but not avoided. In the medium and long term, the only sustainable and economically profitable option for Indonesia is to use peatlands for no-drainage land use including crops that do not require drainage (paludiculture). This also strongly reduces the carbon footprint of cultivating in peatlands. Profitable no-drainage land use options have been tested, but their scaling up urgently needs further support from the government, industry, and international donors to materialize.
Progressive Myoklonusepilepsien
Authors: Krämer Günter
Published: October 2022

Progressive Myoklonusepilepsien (PME) sind eine heterogene Gruppe von Krankheiten, die bei zunächst normal entwickelten Kindern und Jugendlichen sowie ausnahmsweise auch Erwachsenen zu immer stärker werdenden und in der Regel therapierefraktären Myoklonien und anderen epileptischen Anfällen führen. Zusätzliche, ebenfalls progrediente Symptome bestehen in einer Ataxie und kognitiven Beeinträchtigungen bis hin zur Demenz. Die bislang genetisch differenzierten 12 Formen werden kurz vorgestellt und die Erkrankungen sowie Gene genannt, die darüber hinaus mit einer PME assoziiert sind. Therapeutische Aspekte werden kurz gestreift.
StateAFL: Greybox fuzzing for stateful network servers
Authors: Natella Roberto
Published: October 2022

Fuzzing network servers is a technical challenge, since the behavior of the target server depends on its state over a sequence of multiple messages. Existing solutions are costly and difficult to use, as they rely on manually-customized artifacts such as protocol models, protocol parsers, and learning frameworks. The aim of this work is to develop a greybox fuzzer (StateAFL) for network servers that only relies on lightweight analysis of the target program, with no manual customization, in a similar way to what the AFL fuzzer achieved for stateless programs. The proposed fuzzer instruments the target server at compile-time, to insert probes on memory allocations and network I/O operations. At run-time, it infers the current protocol state of the target server by taking snapshots of long-lived memory areas, and by applying a fuzzy hashing algorithm (Locality-Sensitive Hashing) to map memory contents to a unique state identifier. The fuzzer incrementally builds a protocol state machine for guiding fuzzing. We implemented and released StateAFL as open-source software. As a basis for reproducible experimentation, we integrated StateAFL with a large set of network servers for popular protocols, with no manual customization to accomodate for the protocol. The experimental results show that the fuzzer can be applied with no manual customization on a large set of network servers for popular protocols, and that it can achieve comparable, or even better code coverage and bug detection than customized fuzzing. Moreover, our qualitative analysis shows that states inferred from memory better reflect the server behavior than only using response codes from messages.
Childhood executive functions and ADHD symptoms predict psychopathology symptoms in emerging adults with and without ADHD: a 10-year longitudinal study
Authors: Orm Stian , Andersen Per Normann , Teicher Martin Hersch , Fossum Ingrid Nesdal , Øie Merete Glenne , Skogli Erik Winther
Published: October 2022

Deficits in executive functions (EFs) are theorized to play an important role in causing functional impairment and associated psychopathology in individuals with ADHD. The objective of this study was to examine the role of EFs and ADHD symptoms as longitudinal predictors of psychopathology symptoms in individuals with ADHD and typically developing individuals. We assessed individuals with and without ADHD (N = 135) with neuropsychological tests of EFs and scales of ADHD symptoms and psychopathology symptoms at baseline (T1; Mage = 11.59, 57.8% boys), 2-year follow-up (T2; Mage = 13.63, 97% retention), and 10-year follow-up (Mage = 21.18, 75% retention). Baseline EFs predicted psychopathology symptoms at the 2- and the 10-year follow-up, explaining 17% and 12% of the variance, respectively. Baseline EFs predicted both internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and the predictive value of EFs on psychopathology symptoms at 10-year follow-up was accounted for by cognitive flexibility. Baseline ADHD symptoms were a significant predictor of all symptom domains at all time points. Thus, childhood EFs, in particular cognitive flexibility, can predict psychopathology symptoms in emerging adulthood beyond the effect of ADHD symptoms. This supports dominating theories of ADHD stating that executive dysfunction contributes to the observed phenotype, including associated psychopathology symptoms, and suggests that EFs are important targets of interventional efforts.
Mapping the venture capital and private equity research: a bibliometric review and future research agenda
Authors: Cumming Douglas , Kumar Satish , Lim Weng Marc , Pandey Nitesh
Published: October 2022

The fields of venture capital and private equity are rooted in financing research on capital budgeting and initial public offering (IPO). Both fields have grown considerably in recent times with a heterogenous set of themes being explored. This review presents an analysis of research in both fields. Using a large corpus from the Web of Science, this study used bibliometric analysis to present a comprehensive encapsulation of the fields’ geographical focus, methodological choices, prominent themes, and future research directions. Noteworthily, the foundational themes in venture capital research are venture capital adoption and financing processes, venture capital roles in business, venture capital governance, venture capital syndication, and venture capital and creation of public organizations. In private equity research, style drift into venture capital emerges as a key theme alongside buyouts and privatization, and valuation and performance of private equity investment.
Association between physical activity and health-related quality of life: time to deterioration model analysis in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhuang Jinman , Liu Yuhang , Xu Xinying , Cai Yuxin , Liu Maolin , Chen Zishan , Yang Shuyan , Lin Jianbo , Hu Zhijian , Kang Mingqiang , Lin Mengxin , He Fei
Published: October 2022

Background and purpose 

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a key aspect of care for cancer survivors that can be improved by physical activity. Our aim was to explore the relationship between physical activity and time to deterioration (TTD) of the HRQoL in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods

We conducted a hospital-based prospective study. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire long-form (IPAQ-L) was used to investigate the pre-treatment physical activity levels, and the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer (EORTC QLQ-LC13) were used to assess HRQoL at baseline and during follow-up. The QoLR package was used to calculate the HRQoL scores and determine TTD events (minimal clinically important difference=5 points). The effect of physical activity on the HRQoL was assessed using Cox regression analysis.

Results

For EORTC QLQ-C30, TTD events of physical functioning (PF) and dyspnea (DY) in functional scales and symptom scales were the most common during follow-up. Pre-treatment physical activity was found to significantly delay TTD of insomnia (HR=0.635, 95%CI: 0.437–0.922,P=0.017) and diarrhea (HR=0.475, 95%CI: 0.291–0.774,P=0.003). For EORTC QLQ-LC13 scales, deterioration of dyspnea (LC-DY) was the most common event. Physical activity was found to delay the TTD of dyspnea (HR=0.654, 95%CI: 0.474–0.903,P=0.010), sore mouth (HR=0.457, 95%CI: 0.244–0.856,P=0.015), and dysphagia (HR=0.315, 95%CI: 0.172–0.580,P<0.001).

Conclusions

Pre-treatment physical activity of LUAD patients may delay the TTD of multiple HRQoL indicators in EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC13.

Implication for Cancer Survivors

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a key aspect of care for cancer survivors (someone who is living with or beyond cancer), that can be improved by physical activity. Our aim was to explore the relationship between physical activity and time to deterioration (TTD) of the HRQoL in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).
Impact of audio on navigation strategies in children and adults with dyslexia
Authors: Knoop-van Campen Carolien A. N. , Segers Eliane , Verhoeven Ludo
Published: October 2022

Children and adults with dyslexia are often provided with audio-support, which reads the written text for the learner. The present study examined to what extent audio-support as a form of external regulation impacts navigation patterns in children and adults with and without dyslexia. We compared navigation patterns in multimedia lessons of learners with (36 children, 41 adults), and without dyslexia (46 children, 44 adults) in a text-condition vs. text-audio-condition. Log files were recorded to identify navigation patterns. Four patterns could be distinguished: linear reading (linear), linear reading with rereading (big peak), reading with going back to previous pages (small peaks), and a combination of strategies (combined peaks). Children generally used linear navigation strategies in both conditions, whereas adults mostly used combined-peaks strategies in the text-condition, but linear strategies in the text-audio-condition. No differences were found between learners with and without dyslexia. Audio-support does not impact navigation strategies in children but does seem to impact navigation strategies in adult learners, towards the use of more linear navigation patterns, reflecting less self-regulation.
A static modeling approach to the Brown Limestone carbonate reservoir, Geisum Oilfield, Gulf of Suez, Egypt
Authors: Osman Mohamed , Sadoun Mohamed , Fathy Mohamed
Published: October 2022

The Gulf of Suez in Egypt contains more than 80 conventional oil fields with reservoirs from Precambrian up to Quaternary age. To date, these fields have all been conventional resources. This abstract will take part of the Gulf of Suez sequence within the fields of Petrogulf Misr Company and present a work process for unconventional resource assessment of the Brown Limestone formation within one of these areas. The Brown Limestone formation is a Late Cretaceous Pre-rift mega sequence succession and plays an important role in the conventional system of Gulf of Suez, Brown Limestone formation is not only as one of the important source rocks, but also a fractured carbonate reservoir in multiple fields especially is the southern Geisum oil field. However, this formation is characterized by uncertainty due to the complexity of reservoir architecture, various lithologies, lateral facies variations, and heterogeneous reservoir quality. These reservoir challenges, in turn, affect the effectiveness of further exploitation of this reservoir along the Gulf of Suez Basin. In this work, we conduct an integrated study using multidisciplinary datasets and techniques to determine the precise structural, petrophysical, and facies characteristics of the Brown Limestone Formation and predict their complex geometry in 3D space. The Brown Limestone formation is considered to be as a reservoir in the study area. The value of water saturation ranges from 15 to 45%, where the value of Effective Porosity ranges from 11 to 15% for the selected potential intervals in Brown Limestone due to the highly structural setting in the study area, so Reservoir thickness was used as the proxy for reservoir effectiveness where thicker reservoir had a higher chance of containing multiple intervals for good potential intervals.
Diverse and Dynamic Alpha-Neurotoxicity Within Venoms from the Palearctic Viperid Snake Clade of Daboia, Macrovipera, Montivipera, and Vipera
Authors: Chowdhury Abhinandan , Zdenek Christina N. , Fry Bryan G.
Published: October 2022

The targeting of specific prey by snake venom toxins is a fascinating aspect of molecular and ecological evolution. Neurotoxic targeting by elapid snakes dominates the literature in this regard; however, recent studies have revealed viper toxins also induce neurotoxic effect. While this effect is thought to primarily be driven by prey selectivity, no study has quantified the taxonomically specific neurotoxicity of the viper clade consisting of Daboia, Macrovipera, Montivipera, and Vipera genera. Here, we tested venom toxin binding from 28 species of vipers from the four genera on the alpha 1 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) orthosteric sites of amphibian, avian, lizard, rodent, and human mimotopes (synthetic peptides) using the Octet HTX biolayer interferometry platform. Daboia siamensis and D. russelii had broad binding affinity towards all mimotopes, while D. palestinae had selectivity toward lizard. Macrovipera species, on the other hand, were observed to have a higher affinity for amphibian mimotopes except for M. schweizeri, which inclined more toward lizard mimotopes. All Montivipera and most Vipera species also had higher affinity toward lizard mimotopes. Vipera a. montandoni, V. latastei, V. nikolski, and V. transcaucasina had the least binding to any of the mimotopes of the study. While a wide range of affinity binding towards various mimotopes were observed within the clade, the lowest affinity occurred towards the human target. Daboia siamensis and Macrovipera lebetina exhibited the greatest affinity toward the human mimotope, albeit still the least targeted of the mimotopes within those species. Overlaying this toxin-targeting trait over phylogeny of this clade revealed multiple cases of amplification of this trait and several cases of secondary loss. Overall, our results reveal dynamic variation, amplification, and some secondary loss of the prey targeting trait by alpha-neurotoxins within the venoms of this clade, indicating evolutionary selection pressure shaping the basic biochemistry of these venoms. Our work illustrates the successful use of this biophysical assay to further research snake venom neurotoxins and emphasizes the risk of generalizing venom effects observed on laboratory animals to have similar effects on humans.
A Novel CTLA-4 affinity peptide for cancer immunotherapy by increasing the integrin αvβ3 targeting
Authors: Zhou Ying , Song Shuyi , Yuan Baomei , Wu Yahong , Gao Yanfeng , Wan Guangming , Li Guodong
Published: October 2022

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are changing all aspects of malignant tumour therapy as an immunotherapy subverter in oncology. However, the current ICIs might induce systemic immune activation in other tissues and organs since they are not tumour-specific, causing the immune system to attack some normal tissues and organs of the human body. The toxicity can also amplify greatly although combined immunotherapy for cancer has increased the curative efficacy. The LC4 peptide was modified to improve its tumour-targeting ability and reduce peripheral immune system activation, which was obtained through phage display peptide library screening and could block the CTLA-4/CD80 interaction. The LC4 peptide as a result, like other ICIs, exerts anti-tumour effects by refreshing T cell function, and also activates the peripheral immune system. We used the PLGLAG peptide as a linker at the C-terminal of LC4 to connect with a tumour-targeting peptide RGD to increase the tumour tissue targeting ability, and obtain LC4-PLG-RGD. Further experiments demonstrated that the anti-tumour LC4-PLG-RGD activity was better than LC4 in vivo, and the ability to activate the peripheral immune system was weakened. In conclusion, LC4-PLG-RGD can increase the ICIs tumour-targeting and reduce excessive peripheral tissue immune activation, thereby reducing the side effects of ICIs, while increasing their anti-tumour efficacy. This study confirmed that enhanced ICI tumour targeting can effectively reduce immune-related adverse reaction occurrence.
Illuminating informal cross-border trade in processed small pelagic fish in West Africa
Authors: Ayilu Raymond K. , Nyiawung Richard A.
Published: October 2022

Trade in processed small pelagic fish and informal cross-border trade (ICBT) are linked to livelihood activities in West Africa. Although these fish products are being traded informally in West Africa, research on this topic is limited. This study builds on a multi-partner supported ‘FishTrade’ initiative in Africa to illuminate the volume and value of informal fish trade across the Ghana–Togo–Benin (GTB) borders, and the socio-demographic determinants supporting participation and profitability in this trade. We used a structured survey and focus group interviews to obtain data from women fish traders, who handle the entire fish trade in three major Ghanaian markets where ICBT activities are concentrated. Our results showed ICBT across these borders constitutes significant economic and livelihood potential, estimated at about 6000 MT in volume and US$14 million in market value per annum. Furthermore, socio-demographic factors, such as fish traders’ years of experience and membership in an unofficial market cooperative, positively influence participation and profitability, but access to market information negatively affects participation. However, geographical distance, large household size and access to micro-finance negatively affect ICBT profitability. Our findings illuminate that consumers’ purchasing power, fish taste and preference, ICBT’s economic opportunities and a shared heritage and connection significantly influence this form of trading along the GTB borders. We conclude that ICBT in these small pelagic processed fish represents untapped potential for local livelihood and highlight the need for further research on this topic.