bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Graphene nanosheets derived from plastic waste for the application of DSSCs and supercapacitors
Authors: Pandey Sandeep , Karakoti Manoj , Surana Karan , Dhapola Pawan Singh , SanthiBhushan Boddepalli , Ganguly Swaroop , Singh Pramod K. , Abbas Ali , Srivastava Anurag , Sahoo Nanda Gopal
Published: February 2021

The present study reports the upcycling process of waste plastics into value-added product graphene nanosheets (GNs) and their subsequent applications in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and supercapacitors. Bentonite nanoclay has been used as an agent for the degradation of waste plastics with two step pyrolysis processes at 450 °C and 945 °C in an inert atmosphere of N2 gas to obtain GNs. The GNs with few layers were confirmed by the RAMAN spectroscopy, XRD and HRTEM analyses. Further, FT-IR and EDX analyses also performed for the identification and quantitative analysis of functional groups in GNs. The GNs thus synthesized from plastic waste have been used for the fabrication of DSSCs and supercapacitors. The DSSC fabrication with GNs as part of photo-anode with polymeric electrolyte showed a high fill factor of 86.4% and high Voc of 0.77 V, which were also supported by the computational findings. On the other hand, the utilization of GNs as an active layer material of supercapacitor electrodes offered a high specific capacitance of 398 F/g with a scan rate of 0.005 V/s. The supercapacitor also exhibited significant energy density (Ed) and power density (Pd) of 38 Wh/kg and 1009.74 W/kg, respectively. Thus, the process illustrated the utility of waste plastics upcycling for conservation of EEE i.e., ecology, economy and energy for better tomorrow.
89Zr anti-CD44 immuno-PET monitors CD44 expression on splenic myeloid cells and HT29 colon cancer cells
Authors: Park Jin Won , Jung Kyung-Ho , Lee Jin Hee , Moon Seung Hwan , Cho Young Seok , Lee Kyung-Han
Published: February 2021

CD44 is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell–cell interaction, adhesion, and migration. CD44 is found on colon cancer cells and on immune cells. Previous studies of 89Zr PET imaging of CD44 have relied on an anti-human antibody (Ab), which can influence biodistribution in murine models. In this study, we used an Ab that cross-reacts with both human and mouse origin CD44 of all isoforms to unveil the type of leukocyte responsible for high splenic anti-CD44 uptake and investigate how its regulation can influence tumor immuno-PET. The Ab was site-specifically labeled with 89Zr-deferoxamine on cysteine residues. 89Zr-anti-CD44 demonstrated high-specific binding to HT29 human colon cancer cells and monocytic cells that showed CD44 expression. When 89Zr-anti-CD44 was administered to Balb/C nude mice, there was remarkably high splenic uptake but low SNU-C5 tumor uptake (1.2 ± 0.7%ID/g). Among cells isolated from Balb/C mouse spleen, there was greater CD44 expression on CD11b positive myeloid cells than lymphocytes. In cultured monocytic and macrophage cells, LPS stimulation upregulated CD44 expression and increased 89Zr-anti-CD44 binding. Similarly, normal Balb/C mice that underwent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation showed a significant upregulation of CD44 expression on splenic myeloid cells. Furthermore, LPS treatment stimulated a 2.44-fold increase of 89Zr-anti-CD44 accumulation in the spleen, which was attributable to splenic myeloid cells. Finally, in Balb/C nude mice bearing HT29 tumors, we injected 89Zr-anti-CD44 with greater Ab doses to reduce binding to splenic cells. The results showed lower spleen uptake and improved tumor uptake (2.9 ± 1.3%ID/g) with a total of 300 μg of Ab dose, and further reduction of spleen uptake and greater tumor uptake (5.7 ± 0.0%ID/g) with 700 μg Ab dose. Thus, using an 89Zr labeled Ab that cross-reacts with both human and mouse CD44, we demonstrate that CD44 immuno-PET has the capacity to monitor CD44 regulation on splenic myeloid cells and may also be useful for imaging colon tumors.
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase is a possible regulator of cross-talk between oocytes and granulosa cells through GDF-9 and SCF feedback system
Authors: Iizuka Takashi , Wakae Kousho , Ono Masanori , Suzuki Takuma , Mizumoto Yasunari , Kitamura Kouichi , Horike Shin-ichi , Muramatsu Masamichi , Fujiwara Hiroshi
Published: February 2021

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID, Aicda) is a master gene regulating class switching of immunoglobulin genes. In this study, we investigated the significance of AID expression in the ovary. Immunohistological study and RT-PCR showed that AID was expressed in murine granulosa cells and oocytes. However, using the Aicda-Cre/Rosa-tdRFP reporter mouse, its transcriptional history in oocytes was not detected, suggesting that AID mRNA in oocytes has an exogenous origin. Microarray and qPCR validation revealed that mRNA expressions of growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) in oocytes and stem cell factor (SCF) in granulosa cells were significantly decreased in AID-knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. A 6-h incubation of primary granuloma cells markedly reduced AID expression, whereas it was maintained by recombinant GDF-9. In contrast, SCF expression was induced by more than threefold, whereas GDF-9 completely inhibited its increase. In the presence of GDF-9, knockdown of AID by siRNA further decreased SCF expression. However, in AID-suppressed granulosa cells and ovarian tissues of AID-knockout mice, there were no differences in the methylation of SCF and GDF-9. These findings suggest that AID is a novel candidate that regulates cross-talk between oocytes and granulosa cells through a GDF-9 and SCF feedback system, probably in a methylation-independent manner.
Family environmental risk factors for developmental speech delay in children in Northern China
Authors: Fan Shengfu , Zhang Ying , Qin Jiangbo , Song Xuan , Wang Meiyun , Ma Jiangping
Published: February 2021

Most reported risk factors for developmental speech delay (DSD) remain controversial, and studies on paternal influencing factors are rare. This study investigated family environmental risk factors for DSD in northern China. The medical records of 276 patients diagnosed with DSD at four centres between October 2018 and October 2019 were retrospectively analysed. A questionnaire was designed that contained items such as maternal age at the child’s birth, child sex, child age, birth order, family type and parental personality. Patients whose medical records lacked complete information for this investigation were contacted by e-mail or phone. Additionally, 339 families whose children received routine physical examinations at the four involved centres completed the survey. Data were collected, and potential risk factors were analysed using the t test or chi-square test; the obtained outcomes were subjected to multivariable logistic regression for further analysis. The multivariable regression showed that older maternal age at the child’s birth (OR = 1.312 (1.192–1.444), P < 0.001), introverted paternal personality (OR = 0.023 (0.011–0.048), P < 0.001), low average parental education level (OR = 2.771 (1.226–6.263), P = 0.014), low monthly family income (OR = 4.447 (1.934–10.222), P < 0.001), and rare parent–child communication (OR = 6.445 (3.441–12.072), P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for DSD in children in North China. The study results may provide useful data for broadening and deepening the understanding of family risk factors for DSD.
Effects of organic fertilizers via quick artificial decomposition on crop growth
Authors: Ma Xuemiao , Li Haixiao , Xu Yan , Liu Cunshou
Published: February 2021

Applying organic matters into the soil would help to improve soil quality and sustain crop production. In addition, the small molecular organic matters could be active in influencing soil nutrient cycling and crop development. Thus, this study has firstly induced a new technology of quick artificial decomposition to produce fertilizers containing small molecular organic compounds from crop residues and other biological wastes. The fertilizers were produced via the quick artificial decomposition from biological wastes. The small organic species in the fertilizers were identified by the LC–MS. Field experiments of kiwifruit were conducted to test the effects of fertilizers. In total, 341 species of small organic matters have been determined in the produced fertilizers. The results showed that the organic fertilizers could significantly increase the yields of kiwifruit by 15.2% in contrast with mineral fertilizer treatments. Whereas, the organic fertilizers could enhance the contents of nutritive components in kiwifruits. These results proved that the organic fertilizers containing more small organic matter could be more efficient in promoting crop production.
Development of a rapid field testing method for metals in horizontal directional drilling residuals with XRF sensor
Authors: Zhang Hailin , Antonangelo João , Penn Chad
Published: February 2021

Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer allows fast in-situ elemental determination without wet digestion for soils or geological materials, but the use of XRF on wet materials is not well documented. Our objective was to develop a rapid field method using pXRF to measure metals in the residues from horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operations so that proper disposal decisions can be made in-situ. To establish the procedure, we spiked soil samples with 4 concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb up to 1000 mg kg−1, and then the metal concentrations were determined by wet chemical method after drying and acid digestion (standard method), and by pXRF, also at laboratory conditions, after drying and at two different moisture conditions. The measurements by pXRF and standard method after drying and after removal of excess water (AREW) were highly correlated with slopes ranging from 0.83 ± 0.01 to 1.08 ± 0.01 (P < 0.001) for all metals. The relationship was better AREW than the saturated paste without removal of excess water and the moisture content affected only the accuracy of As, Cd, and Pb. The procedure established was successfully used for HDD residues collected from 26 states of US with moisture content ranging from 14 to 83% AREW. The pXRF was proven to be a reliable tool for fast detection of common metals in dried soils and HDD residues, and samples containing < 30% moisture content without needing to correct for moisture. If the moisture is > 30%, excess water in samples need to be removed with a commercially available filter press to achieve high accuracy. The developed procedures reduce time of metal detection from days to about an hour which allows drilling operators to make quick decisions on soil or HDD disposal.
Respiratory viral co-infections among SARS-CoV-2 cases confirmed by virome capture sequencing
Authors: Kim Ki Wook , Deveson Ira W. , Pang Chi Nam I. , Yeang Malinna , Naing Zin , Adikari Thiruni , Hammond Jillian M. , Stevanovski Igor , Beukers Alicia G. , Verich Andrey , Yin Simon , McFarlane David , Wilkins Marc R. , Stelzer-Braid Sacha , Bull Rowena A. , Craig Maria E. , van Hal Sebastiaan J. , Rawlinson William D.
Published: February 2021

Accumulating evidence supports the high prevalence of co-infections among Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients, and their potential to worsen the clinical outcome of COVID-19. However, there are few data on Southern Hemisphere populations, and most studies to date have investigated a narrow spectrum of viruses using targeted qRT-PCR. Here we assessed respiratory viral co-infections among SARS-CoV-2 patients in Australia, through respiratory virome characterization. Nasopharyngeal swabs of 92 SARS-CoV-2-positive cases were sequenced using pan-viral hybrid-capture and the Twist Respiratory Virus Panel. In total, 8% of cases were co-infected, with rhinovirus (6%) or influenzavirus (2%). Twist capture also achieved near-complete sequencing (> 90% coverage, > tenfold depth) of the SARS-CoV-2 genome in 95% of specimens with Ct < 30. Our results highlight the importance of assessing all pathogens in symptomatic patients, and the dual-functionality of Twist hybrid-capture, for SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing without amplicon generation and the simultaneous identification of viral co-infections with ease.
Pairwise maximum entropy model explains the role of white matter structure in shaping emergent co-activation states
Authors: Ashourvan Arian , Shah Preya , Pines Adam , Gu Shi , Lynn Christopher W. , Bassett Danielle S. , Davis Kathryn A. , Litt Brian
Published: February 2021

A major challenge in neuroscience is determining a quantitative relationship between the brain’s white matter structural connectivity and emergent activity. We seek to uncover the intrinsic relationship among brain regions fundamental to their functional activity by constructing a pairwise maximum entropy model (MEM) of the inter-ictal activation patterns of five patients with medically refractory epilepsy over an average of ~14 hours of band-passed intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings per patient. We find that the pairwise MEM accurately predicts iEEG electrodes’ activation patterns’ probability and their pairwise correlations. We demonstrate that the estimated pairwise MEM’s interaction weights predict structural connectivity and its strength over several frequencies significantly beyond what is expected based solely on sampled regions’ distance in most patients. Together, the pairwise MEM offers a framework for explaining iEEG functional connectivity and provides insight into how the brain’s structural connectome gives rise to large-scale activation patterns by promoting co-activation between connected structures.
Environmental palaeogenomic reconstruction of an Ice Age algal population
Authors: Lammers Youri , Heintzman Peter D. , Alsos Inger Greve
Published: February 2021

Palaeogenomics has greatly increased our knowledge of past evolutionary and ecological change, but has been restricted to the study of species that preserve either as or within fossils. Here we show the potential of shotgun metagenomics to reveal population genomic information for a taxon that does not preserve in the body fossil record, the algae Nannochloropsis. We shotgun sequenced two lake sediment samples dated to the Last Glacial Maximum and reconstructed full chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes to explore within-lake population genomic variation. This revealed two major haplogroups for each organellar genome, which could be assigned to known varieties of N. limnetica, although we show that at least three haplotypes were present using our minimum haplotype diversity estimation method. These approaches demonstrate the utility of lake sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) for population genomic analysis, thereby opening the door to environmental palaeogenomics, which will unlock the full potential of sedaDNA.
Lipidomic and in-gel analysis of maleic acid co-polymer nanodiscs reveals differences in composition of solubilized membranes
Authors: Barniol-Xicota Marta , Verhelst Steven H. L.
Published: February 2021

Membrane proteins are key in a large number of physiological and pathological processes. Their study often involves a prior detergent solubilization step, which strips away the membrane and can jeopardize membrane protein integrity. A recent alternative to detergents encompasses maleic acid based copolymers (xMAs), which disrupt the lipid bilayer and form lipid protein nanodiscs (xMALPs) soluble in aqueous buffer. Although xMALPs are often referred to as native nanodiscs, little is known about the resemblance of their lipid and protein content to the native bilayer. Here we have analyzed prokaryotic and eukaryotic xMALPs using lipidomics and in-gel analysis. Our results show that the xMALPs content varies with the chemical properties of the used xMA.
Feedback mechanisms stabilise degraded turf algal systems at a CO2 seep site
Authors: Harvey Ben P. , Allen Ro , Agostini Sylvain , Hoffmann Linn J. , Kon Koetsu , Summerfield Tina C. , Wada Shigeki , Hall-Spencer Jason M.
Published: February 2021

Human activities are rapidly changing the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems. Large-scale replacement of kelp forests and coral reefs with turf algal mats is resulting in homogenous habitats that have less ecological and human value. Ocean acidification has strong potential to substantially favour turf algae growth, which led us to examine the mechanisms that stabilise turf algal states. Here we show that ocean acidification promotes turf algae over corals and macroalgae, mediating new habitat conditions that create stabilising feedback loops (altered physicochemical environment and microbial community, and an inhibition of recruitment) capable of locking turf systems in place. Such feedbacks help explain why degraded coastal habitats persist after being initially pushed past the tipping point by global and local anthropogenic stressors. An understanding of the mechanisms that stabilise degraded coastal habitats can be incorporated into adaptive management to better protect the contribution of coastal systems to human wellbeing.
Evolutionary and genomic comparisons of hybrid uninucleate and nonhybrid Rhizoctonia fungi
Authors: Li Cheng , Guo Zejian , Zhou Shanyue , Han Qingyue , Zhang Manman , Peng Youliang , Hsiang Tom , Chen Xujun
Published: February 2021

The basidiomycetous fungal genus,Rhizoctonia, can cause severe damage to many plants and is composed of multinucleate, binucleate, and uninucleate species differing in pathogenicity. Here we generated chromosome-scale genome assemblies of the three nuclear types ofRhizoctoniaisolates. The genomic comparisons revealed that the uninucleate JN strain likely arose by somatic hybridization of two binucleate isolates, and maintained a diploid nucleus. Homeolog gene pairs in the JN genome have experienced both decelerated or accelerated evolution. Homeolog expression dominance occurred between JN subgenomes, in which differentially expressed genes show potentially less evolutionary constraint than the genes without. Analysis of mating-type genes suggested thatRhizoctoniamaintains the ancestral tetrapolarity of the Basidiomycota. Long terminal repeat-retrotransposons displayed a reciprocal correlation with the chromosomal GC content in the three chromosome-scale genomes. The more aggressive multinucleate XN strain had more genes encoding enzymes for host cell wall decomposition. These findings demonstrate some evolutionary changes of a recently derived hybrid and in multiple nuclear types ofRhizoctonia.
Identification of efficient prokaryotic cell-penetrating peptides with applications in bacterial biotechnology
Authors: Lee Hyang-Mi , Ren Jun , Tran Kha Mong , Jeon Byeong-Min , Park Won-Ung , Kim Hyunjoo , Lee Kyung Eun , Oh Yuna , Choi Myungback , Kim Dae-Sung , Na Dokyun
Published: February 2021

In bacterial biotechnology, instead of producing functional proteins from plasmids, it is often necessary to deliver functional proteins directly into live cells for genetic manipulation or physiological modification. We constructed a library of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) capable of delivering protein cargo into bacteria and developed an efficient delivery method for CPP-conjugated proteins. We screened the library for highly efficient CPPs with no significant cytotoxicity in Escherichia coli and developed a model for predicting the penetration efficiency of a query peptide, enabling the design of new and efficient CPPs. As a proof-of-concept, we used the CPPs for plasmid curing in E. coli and marker gene excision in Methylomonas sp. DH-1. In summary, we demonstrated the utility of CPPs in bacterial engineering. The use of CPPs would facilitate bacterial biotechnology such as genetic engineering, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and physiology studies.
Depth-dependent parental effects create invisible barriers to coral dispersal
Authors: Shlesinger Tom , Loya Yossi
Published: February 2021

Historically, marine populations were considered to be interconnected across large geographic regions due to the lack of apparent physical barriers to dispersal, coupled with a potentially widely dispersive pelagic larval stage. Recent studies, however, are providing increasing evidence of small-scale genetic segregation of populations across habitats and depths, separated in some cases by only a few dozen meters. Here, we performed a series of ex-situ and in-situ experiments using coral larvae of three brooding species from contrasting shallow- and deep-water reef habitats, and show that their settlement success, habitat choices, and subsequent survival are substantially influenced by parental effects in a habitat-dependent manner. Generally, larvae originating from deep-water corals, which experience less variable conditions, expressed more specific responses than shallow-water larvae, with a higher settlement success in simulated parental-habitat conditions. Survival of juvenile corals experimentally translocated to the sea was significantly lower when not at parental depths. We conclude that local adaptations and parental effects alongside larval selectivity and phenotype-environment mismatches combine to create invisible semipermeable barriers to coral dispersal and connectivity, leading to habitat-dependent population segregation.
Dissipation-driven selection of states in non-equilibrium chemical networks
Authors: Busiello Daniel Maria , Liang Shiling , Piazza Francesco , De Los Rios Paolo
Published: February 2021

Life has most likely originated as a consequence of processes taking place in non-equilibrium conditions (e.g. in the proximity of deep-sea thermal vents) selecting states of matter that would have been otherwise unfavorable at equilibrium. Here we present a simple chemical network in which the selection of states is driven by the thermodynamic necessity of dissipating heat as rapidly as possible in the presence of a thermal gradient: states participating to faster reactions contribute the most to the dissipation rate, and are the most populated ones in non-equilibrium steady-state conditions. Building upon these results, we show that, as the complexity of the chemical network increases, the velocity of the reaction path leading to a given state determines its selection, giving rise to non-trivial localization phenomena in state space. A byproduct of our studies is that, in the presence of a temperature gradient, thermophoresis-like behavior inevitably appears depending on the transport properties of each individual state, thus hinting at a possible microscopic explanation of this intriguing yet still not fully understood phenomenon.
Record high solar irradiance in Western Europe during first COVID-19 lockdown largely due to unusual weather
Authors: van Heerwaarden Chiel C. , Mol Wouter B. , Veerman Menno A. , Benedict Imme , Heusinkveld Bert G. , Knap Wouter H. , Kazadzis Stelios , Kouremeti Natalia , Fiedler Stephanie
Published: February 2021

Spring 2020 broke sunshine duration records across Western Europe. The Netherlands recorded the highest surface irradiance since 1928, exceeding the previous extreme of 2011 by 13%, and the diffuse fraction of the irradiance measured a record low percentage (38%). The coinciding irradiance extreme and a reduction in anthropogenic pollution due to COVID-19 measures triggered the hypothesis that cleaner-than-usual air contributed to the record. Based on analyses of ground-based and satellite observations and experiments with a radiative transfer model, we estimate a 1.3% (2.3 W m−2) increase in surface irradiance with respect to the 2010–2019 mean due to a low median aerosol optical depth, and a 17.6% (30.7 W m−2) increase due to several exceptionally dry days and a very low cloud fraction overall. Our analyses show that the reduced aerosols and contrails due to the COVID-19 measures are far less important in the irradiance record than the dry and particularly cloud-free weather.
The in situ formation of an electrolyte via the lithiation of Mg(BH4)2 in an all-solid-state lithium battery
Authors: Sato Hiroki , Sakamoto Ryo , Minami Hironari , Izumi Hiroaki , Ideta Keiko , Inoishi Atsushi , Okada Shigeto
Published: February 2021

A Mg(BH4)2 electrode in an all-solid-state battery reversibly operated without solid electrolyte in the electrode mixture.
Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of perylene diimide (PDI) supramolecular nanorods with Pt QDs deposited in situ
Authors: Liu Di , Chen Liping , Chen Wenbin , Qin Mengtao , Wei Siqi
Published: February 2021

A novel and powerful visible-light-driven photocatalyst constructed by PDI supramolecular nanorods in situ decorated with Pt quantum dots (Pt QDs).
Biosafety evaluation of Nannochloropsis oculata and Schizochytrium sp. oils as novel human milk fat substitutes
Authors: Qiu Changyang , He Yongjin , Huang Zicheng , Qiu Weisang , Huang Jian , Wang Mingzi , Chen Bilian
Published: February 2021

The biosafety assessment of novel human milk fat substitutes (HMFs) from microalgae oils of Nannochloropsis oculata and Schizochytrium sp.
Polypyrrole–polyaniline copolymer coated green rice husk ash as an effective adsorbent for the removal of hexavalent chromium from contaminated water
Authors: Dutta Soumi , Srivastava Suneel Kumar , Gupta Ashok Kumar
Published: February 2021

Sustainable remediation of Cr(vi) removal from contaminated water and real wastewater samples is reported using a polypyrrole–polyaniline copolymer coated green rice husk ash adsorbent.
Electrocatalysis of gold-based nanoparticles and nanoclusters
Authors: Li Chunjie , Chai Osburg Jin Huang , Yao Qiaofeng , Liu Zhihe , Wang Liang , Wang Hongjing , Xie Jianping
Published: February 2021

Gold-based nanomaterials can be used in various electrocatalytic reactions. The rational tuning of their composition, architecture, and particle size can achieve enhanced electrocatalytic activity.
Investigating the reactive oxygen species production of Rose Bengal and Merocyanine 540-loaded radioluminescent nanoparticles
Authors: Nsubuga Anne , Mandl Gabrielle A. , Capobianco John A.
Published: February 2021

Mesoporous silica-coated NaLuF4:Dy3+,Gd3+ radioluminescent nanoparticles were loaded with photosensitizers – Rose Bengal and Merocyanine 540. ABDA, DPBF, NaN3 and EPR assays were used to determine that a type I mechanism was prevalent for this X-PDT nanosystem.
Fluorene-terminated hole transporting materials with a spiro[fluorene-9,9′-xanthene] core for perovskite solar cells
Authors: Chen Yan , Wang Yanqing , Wu Di , Wu Wenfei , Wu Yu , Li Sicheng , Qin Chunlan , Lin Hongyu , Shen Huachen , Shi Chengwu
Published: February 2021

SFX-FM with four FPA groups (two meta-substituted FPA groups of the xanthene unit) exhibited a maximum PCE of 17.29%.
Effect of the acid used in the evaporation-induced self-assembly method on Ce–Cu–Al trimetallic composite catalyst for its simultaneous removal of H2S and PH3
Authors: Wang Yingwu , Lin Qiang , Ning Ping , Wang Chi , Zeng Heping , Sun Xin , Song Xin , Li Kai
Published: February 2021

The performance of Ce–Cu–Al trimetallic composite catalyst was further improved by examining the influence of the acid used. The effects of acids on the structural features, surface functionality, and activity of the catalysts were examined.
Two dimensional CrGa2Se4: a spin-gapless ferromagnetic semiconductor with inclined uniaxial anisotropy
Authors: Chen Qian , Wang Ruqian , Huang Zhaocong , Yuan Shijun , Wang Haowei , Ma Liang , Wang Jinlan
Published: February 2021

The CrGa2Se4 monolayer is predicated as a 2D spin-gapless ferromagnetic semiconductor, in which the type of spin conductivity with 100% polarization is sensitive to the gate voltage.
Perovskite and quantum dot tandem solar cells with interlayer modification for improved optical semitransparency and stability
Authors: Andruszkiewicz Aneta , Zhang Xiaoliang , Johansson Malin B. , Yuan Lin , Johansson Erik M. J.
Published: February 2021

In this work, four-terminal (4T) tandem solar cells were fabricated by using a methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite solar cell (PSC) as the front-cell and a lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dot solar cell (CQDSC) as the back-cell.
Synthesis and free radical photopolymerization of triphenylamine-based oxime ester photoinitiators
Authors: Lee Zhong-Han , Hammoud Fatima , Hijazi Akram , Graff Bernadette , Lalevée Jacques , Chen Yung-Chung
Published: February 2021

Four visible light triphenylamine-based oxime ester photoinitiators (TP-1–4) were synthesized successfully. Photochemical reaction, photoreactivity and 3D pattern experiments were also conducted.
Highly crystalline anatase TiO2 nanocuboids as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen generation
Authors: Damkale Shubhangi R. , Arbuj Sudhir S. , Umarji Govind G. , Rane Sunit B. , Kale Bharat B.
Published: February 2021

Highly crystalline TiO2 nanocuboids have been prepared and their photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity was evaluated via water splitting.
Palladium nanoparticle-decorated multi-layer Ti3C2Tx dual-functioning as a highly sensitive hydrogen gas sensor and hydrogen storage
Authors: Phuong Doan Thanh Hoang , Hong Won G. , Noh Jin-Seo
Published: February 2021

Nanocomposites of PdNPs and ML-Ti3C2Tx MXene are synthesized using a facile two-step process, and it is demonstrated that they can dual-function as a highly sensitive hydrogen sensor and hydrogen storage.
One-step hexaplex immunoassays by on-line paper substrate-based electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for combined cancer biomarker screening
Authors: Xu Shuting , Liu Mingxia , Feng Jie , Yan Guangtao , Bai Yu , Liu Huwei
Published: February 2021

On-line paper substrate based electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for hexaplex immunoassays.
Impact of the number of rhamnose moieties of rhamnolipids on the structure, lateral organization and morphology of model biomembranes
Authors: Herzog Marius , Li Lei , Blesken Christian C. , Welsing Gina , Tiso Till , Blank Lars M. , Winter Roland
Published: February 2021

Various studies have described remarkable biological activities and surface-active properties of rhamnolipids, leading to their proposed use in a wide range of industrial applications.
Changes in membrane elasticity caused by the hydrophobic surfactant proteins correlate poorly with adsorption of lipid vesicles
Authors: Loney Ryan W. , Brandner Bret , Dagan Maayan P. , Smith Paige N. , Roche Megan , Fritz Jonathan R. , Hall Stephen B. , Tristram-Nagle Stephanie A.
Published: February 2021

We used X-ray diffuse scattering to determine the bending modulus of lipid bilayers and an order parameter of the acyl chains to establish how the hydrophobic surfactant proteins, SP-B and SP-C, promote adsorption of lipids to an air/water interface.
Well-defined Cu2O photocatalysts for solar fuels and chemicals
Authors: Rej Sourav , Bisetto Matteo , Naldoni Alberto , Fornasiero Paolo
Published: February 2021

In this review, we critically discuss the recent advances, developments and remaining challenges and future development on photocatalytic application of well-defined hybrid Cu2O nanostructures for organic reactions, H2evolution and CO2reduction.
Efficient capture of PM2.5by intertwined tubular conjugated microporous polymer-based filters with high stability in a humid environment
Authors: Tian Zhuoyue , Lei Yang , Fan Yukang , Zhou Peilei , Liu Fang , Zhu Zhaoqi , Sun Hanxue , Liang Weidong , Li An
Published: February 2021

Tubular conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) synthesisedviaa one-step cross-coupling reaction for the effective removal of particle matter from the air.
Doping mechanism directed graphene applications for energy conversion and storage
Authors: Nguyen Trang H. , Yang Dan , Zhu Bo , Lin Han , Ma Tianyi , Jia Baohua
Published: February 2021

This review provides insight into the major mechanisms, structures, properties, and synthesis methods of doped graphene. The recent applications of doped graphene in energy conversion and storage are reviewed, and future prospects are highlighted.
Fabricating ultra-flexible photodetectors at the neutral mechanical plane by encapsulation
Authors: Ding Guomin , Chen Honglei , Yu Zuxi , Liu Nan , Wang Min
Published: February 2021

The as-fabricated encapsulated photodetectors at the neutral mechanical plane are supposed to perform stably during the bending process no matter how large the strain of the outside surface is. Meanwhile, they show an ultra-stable performance with almost unvaried photoresponse properties after 10 000 bending cycles or a bending duration of 1000 h with a radius of curvature of 5 mm. Furthermore, they can work as long-term stable rollable photodetectors.
Imaging vicinal dithiol of arsenic-binding proteins in the mouse brain with amplification by gold nanocluster Au22(GSH)18
Authors: Li Yin-Hao , Wei Xing , Liu Xun , Zhang Xiao-Ping , Shu Yang , Wang Jian-Hua
Published: February 2021

Au22(GSH)18 nanocluster couples to 2-p-aminophenyl-1,3,2-dithiarsenolane (PAO-EDT). PAO-EDT binds vicinal dithiol (VD) of arsenic-binding proteins with 1 : 1 stoichiometry. Au22(GSH)18 ensures 22-fold amplification for VD assay in LA-ICP-MS detection.
Aggregation-induced emission fluorophores based on strong electron-acceptor 2,2′-(anthracene-9,10-diylidene) dimalononitrile for biological imaging in the NIR-II window
Authors: Yang Zhicheng , Fan Xiaoxiao , Liu Xianglong , Chu Yanmeng , Zhang Zhiyun , Hu Yue , Lin Hui , Qian Jun , Hua Jianli
Published: February 2021

The novel second near-infrared AIE fluorophores based on strong electron-acceptor 2,2′-(anthracene-9,10-diylidene) dimalononitrile have been successfully used in mouse vessel imaging with high resolution after capsuling into nanoparticles.
Mixing divalent ionic liquids: effects of charge and side-chains
Authors: Bakis Eduards , van den Bruinhorst Adriaan , Pison Laure , Palazzo Ivan , Chang Thomas , Kjellberg Marianne , Weber Cameron C. , Costa Gomes Margarida , Welton Tom
Published: February 2021

We have prepared novel divalent ionic liquids based on the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion where two charged imidazolium groups in the cations are either directly bound to each other or linked by a single atom.
A pyridyl-decorated Zr-organic framework for enhanced gas separation and CO2 transformation
Authors: Liu Yong-Liang , Di Yanqing , Chen Fengying , Zhou Chunsheng , Liu Bo
Published: February 2021

A stable pyridyl-decorated zirconium MOF, Py-UiO-66, was easily synthesized, and shows selective capture of C2H2 and CO2 rather than CH4, and high catalytic efficiency in CO2 cycloaddition.
Reactive capture using metal looping: the effect of oxygen
Authors: Dowson George R. M. , Cooper Joshua , Styring Peter
Published: February 2021

By looping magnesium via electrolysis, capture and conversion of CO2 to higher-value products can happen simultaneously. The effect of other gases on this process, particularly oxygen, in waste CO2 streams is investigated and shown not to cause adverse effects.
Synthesis of naked vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles
Authors: Taylor Patrick , Kusper Matthew , Hesabizadeh Tina , Geoffrion Luke D. , Watanabe Fumiya , Herth Etienne , Guisbiers Grégory
Published: February 2021

Vanadium pentoxide α-phase and β-phase synthesized by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids, exhibiting a 2.50 eV and 3.65 eV energy bandgap.
Chemical and topographical patterns combined with solution shear for selective-area deposition of highly-aligned semiconducting carbon nanotubes
Authors: Dwyer Jonathan H. , Suresh Anjali , Jinkins Katherine R. , Zheng Xiaoqi , Arnold Michael S. , Berson Arganthaël , Gopalan Padma
Published: February 2021

Selective shear deposition of polymer-wrapped semiconducting carbon nanotubes (s-CNTs) into densely packed, highly aligned arrays of s-CNTs using removable chemical and topographical patterns.
Aerobically stable and substitutionally labile α-diimine rhenium dicarbonyl complexes
Authors: Schindler Kevin , Crochet Aurélien , Zobi Fabio
Published: February 2021

New synthetic routes to aerobically stable and substitutionally labile α-diimine rhenium(i) dicarbonyl complexes offer a convenient entry in the chemistry of the cis-[Re(CO)2]+ core.
Commercialisation of high energy density sodium-ion batteries: Faradion's journey and outlook
Authors: Rudola Ashish , Rennie Anthony J. R. , Heap Richard , Meysami Seyyed Shayan , Lowbridge Alex , Mazzali Francesco , Sayers Ruth , Wright Christopher J. , Barker Jerry
Published: February 2021

The thinking behind Faradion's historical and current commercial Na-ion technology and the importance of some crucial experimental factors in battery research are discussed.
Synthesis of PEG-dendron for surface modification of pancreatic islets and suppression of the immune response
Authors: Jeon Seong Ik , Jeong Jee-Heon , Kim Ju Eun , Haque Muhammad R. , Kim Jungahn , Byun Youngro , Ahn Cheol-Hee
Published: February 2021

A surface modification technology with dendritic-structured poly(ethylene glycol) to protect islets from the host immune system was proposed for pancreatic islet transplantation.
2D materials as a diagnostic platform for the detection and sensing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: a bird's-eye view
Authors: Ranjan Pranay , Thomas Vinoy , Kumar Prashant
Published: February 2021

This article reviews the use of two-dimensional materials as diagnostic platforms for the detection and sensing of the SARS-CoV-19 virus.
Multi-valued logic system: new opportunities from emerging materials and devices
Authors: Yoo Hocheon , Kim Chang-Hyun
Published: February 2021

New materials and device approaches to multi-valued logic systems are introduced.
Torque sensitivity analysis for triple‐speed coaxial magnetic gear using finite element method
Authors: Moghimi Ali , Hosseini Aliabadi Mahmood , Feshki Farahani Hassan
Published: February 2021

The authors introduce a new type of triple‐speed coaxial magnetic gear (TSCMG) and analyses its operation with sensitivity analysis. The effect of various factors is evaluated on TSCMG performance, including the yoke thickness, permanent magnet (PM) thickness, number of pole pairs (gear ratios), axial length, pole‐arc coefficient, PMs and air gap length. At first, a preliminary design of TSCMG is made, and then its optimal parameters are selected using sensitivity analysis based on the finite element method (FEM). Then, TSCMG is simulated by applying both preliminary and optimal design parameters. The flux density distribution and rotor torque within TSCMG are extracted. Analysis results show that TSCMG can offer higher pull‐out torque and lower maximum flux density at the edges and corners of TSCMG. Finally, the performance of the designed TSCMG is validated with a prototype.
Analytical investigation of the armature current influence on the torque and radial force in eccentric consequent‐pole PM machines
Authors: Taghipour Boroujeni Samad , Emami Seyed Payam , Takorabet Noureddine , Mahmoudi Amin
Published: February 2021

In this work, the electromagnetic torque and the unbalanced magnetic force (UMF) in eccentric consequent pole PM (CPPM) machines are investigated. For this investigation, in the first part of the paper, an exact analytical model is provided for the CPPM machine by solving the Poisson equation in the eccentric and salient air gap. In the analytical modelling process, the concept of equivalent magnetizing current (EMC), the subdomain technique, and a bilinear transformation are applied. The obtained model is verified by means of FEA. In the second part of the paper, by using the developed model, the relationship between the machine electromagnetic torque and the UMF to the d‐ and q‐axis components of the armature current is studied. It is shown that in CPPM machines, the influence of the q‐axis current on the electromagnetic torque is much higher than the effect of the d‐axis current. On the other hand, the eccentric machine UMF is strongly dependent on the d‐axis armature current while the variation of the UMF due to the changes in the q‐axis current is small. Therefore, in eccentric CPPM machines, UMF could be suppressed by injecting a negative d‐axis armature current (flux weakening).
Optimal rotation angle for finite constellation over additive white Gaussian noise multiple access wiretap channel
Authors: Shah Shahid Mehraj , Riyaz Rufaidah , Wani Taiba Majid , Ashraf Arieb , Naz Syed Farah
Published: February 2021

The achievable secrecy rate regions of various multi‐user channels with Gaussian inputs are well‐known in the literature. To gain more practical insights into the achievable rates, it is more useful to consider channels with inputs from finite constellations, such as M‐ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M‐QAM), M‐ary phaseshift keying (MPSK), M‐ary amplitude phase‐shift keying (M‐APSK) etc. The authors study the achievable secrecy rates with a constrained constellation input for a multiple access wiretap channel with an eavesdropper. They also show that if the constellation points are rotated relatively for the two users then the secrecy sum‐rate can be improved. They perform Monte–Carlo simulations for computing these secrecy rates for classical modulation schemes including BPSK, quadrature phase‐shift keying, M‐QAM, M‐PSK, M‐PAM, and M‐APSK. They also derived an approximate function, whose argument of supremum provides an approximately optimal rotation angle for obtaining a maximum secrecy sum‐rate. they also show, via simulations, that rotation of constellation is helpful for some range of signal‐to‐noise ratio only, which is contrary to the results of multiple access channel without security constraint. Finally, they consider a more realistic scenario, where the channel from transmitters to receivers and eavesdroppers is time‐varying. They consider the case of complex circularly symmetric Gaussian random channel gains and compute the optimal rotation angle, which will maximise the expected value of an upper bound of the secrecy sum‐rate.
Mitigating the effect of negative link correlation on contention mechanism of MAC protocols in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Sharma Neeraj , Jun Junghyun , Pal Sujata
Published: February 2021

The existence of link correlation has been empirically validated, and different exemplary works exploit the link correlation in the designing of various network protocols. In this work, the authors investigated the impact of this link correlation in contention mechanism of medium access control (MAC). They illustrated negative link correlation could deteriorate the contention mechanism designed to handle hidden terminal problems and, consequently, increase the packet collision rate between the neighbours. They also showed that negative link correlation could increase the chance of an exposed terminal problem. Therefore, ignoring negative link correlation could lead to overestimate overall network throughput and underestimate packet delay. Next, instead of designing a new contention mechanism exploiting the link correlation, they proposed a new routing tree which mitigates the negative effect of negative link correlation without altering the underlying MAC layer. They evaluated this routing tree on Indriya testbed with TelosB nodes and compared it to the minimum spanning tree based on link quality only. The results show improvement in end‐to‐end throughput and packet reception ratio at each node.
Novel secure positioning method in ultra‐wide band framework based on overshadowing attack probabilistic model
Authors: Orouji Niloofar , Mosavi Mohammad Reza
Published: February 2021

The extensive use of Internet of things (IoT) devices demonstrates an increasing demand for secure frameworks. Position altering attacks are amongst the most severe vulnerabilities in two‐way time of arrival distance measurement technique, which is the most common in distance measurements by IoT devices. The overshadowing attack as a distance enlargement attack replays the authentic signal with a certain amount of delay and sensible power amplification. Therefore, the attack detection is difficult and requires a precise model to estimate its behaviour. The contribution of this study is a location estimation method based on the overshadowing attack probabilistic model that estimates the attack outcome delay and corrects the erroneous measurements. The overshadow delay, which is the delay between the authentic signal and the attacked one, plays a key role in this process. The method has been evaluated by three attack scenarios and compared to the conventional maximum likelihood (CML) and mixture secure location of things (M‐SLOT) methods. The results of the proposed method demonstrate root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.48 in position estimation. With the same dataset, RMSEs of M‐SLOT and CML methods are 4.69 and 9.84, respectively, which confirm the better performance of the proposed method.
Cooperative computing schemes in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Zha Yukun , Zhi Hui , Fang Xiaotong
Published: February 2021

This study proposes three‐node cooperative computing schemes for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), including parallel offload cooperative computing (POCC) and serial offload cooperative computing (SOCC). The cooperation system includes a task node with execution tasks and two peer help nodes. Specifically, the authors fully mobilise the computing and communication resources in the network by means of cooperative computing to minimise the energy consumption of processing tasks in the WSN while satisfying the delay constraints. The authors characterise these problems as optimal problems and find the optimal solutions using corresponding iterative algorithms, respectively. The simulation results show the superior performance of the proposed schemes in terms of energy consumption and node fairness. For different cases the superiority of POCC and SOCC is verified separately, and the SOCC is more suitable for the case where task node is located at the edge of WSN. Furthermore, the authors introduce a trade‐off scheme between POCC and SOCC, which can always achieve the optimal scheme in different cases.
Neuro‐fuzzy and fuzzy schemes for cooperative communication in wireless sensor network: a military battlefield scenario
Authors: Jain Nitin Kumar , Yadav Dharmendra Singh , Verma Ajay
Published: February 2021

In the military battlefield, maintaining high survivability of energy constraint wireless sensor network (WSN) when some nodes are destroyed by the foe troops is one of the prominent issues for the researchers. This study proposes the fuzzy and neuro‐fuzzy based relay selection schemes for cooperative WSN which reduce the bit error rate (BER) while improving the network lifetime. Meanwhile, the proposed model maintains the uninterrupted communication between military nodes in a warfare situation. The proposed proposed strategies are compared with the maximum residual energy‐based relay selection (MRERS), minimum energy consumption‐based relay selection (MECRS), and random relay selection (RRS) strategies. The performance of the proposed and existing strategies is evaluated on the basis of BER, network lifetime, number of dead nodes, and average energy of nodes in the network. The simulation results demonstrate that proposed schemes has 13.19–19.28% improvement in BER than the existing strategies. Moreover, 76.00–90.88% network lifetime improves when compared with the MECRS and RRS strategies. However, 6–7.76% is less than MRERS strategy. Furthermore, the results show that network survivability and average network energy is also better when the number of dead nodes in the network increases.