bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethics as Design and Its Two Distinctive Methods
Authors: Hoffmaster Barry , Hooker Cliff
Published: September 2019

The new conception of rationality as non-formal reason is completed by an explanation of how design in engineering can be brought to the design of practical problems in ethics, from which the notion of ethics as design for flourishing is developed. The conventional notions of balancing and specification in applied ethics are rejected and replaced by two methods that use non-formal reason: fully engaged moral compromise and wide reflective equilibrium. A case depicts a disagreement between a nurse and a doctor in an intensive care unit that is resolved by a compromise that emanates from a process of deliberation among the staff. Reflective equilibrium was widely adopted into moral philosophy, and it quickly expanded into wide reflective equilibrium. Here it is further enhanced by adding the three features of liberation, extension, and enrichment. The upshot of these developments is a completed initial account of non-formal rationality with four resources, two specific methods, and a shift from principles to values.
Designing Deliberation
Authors: Hoffmaster Barry , Hooker Cliff
Published: September 2019

Deliberation occurs when deliberate judgment has to be made. The best way to understand deliberation is by examining the operation of non-formal reason in examples of deliberation. Deliberation has been portrayed as an imaginative dramatic rehearsal. That is what the women in Chapter 1 did when deciding whether they would try to get pregnant. They imagined how their lives might be if they had a child with a genetic condition, and they examined their reactions. Telling, varying, and assessing narratives are other ways of deliberating. Deliberation often is shared, as in storytelling among occupational therapists and in conversing with a doctor or a clinical ethicist. Deliberation can also be institutionalized. A disagreement between doctors and nurses in an intensive care nursery emanates from their different professional training and their jobs. When participation is properly designed, deliberation can substantially reduce alienation by helping to reunite reason and motivation.
How Is Networked Press Freedom a Question of Infrastructure?
Authors: Ananny Mike
Published: September 2019

This chapter aims to trace the broadcast origins of press freedom, connect them to journalism's early computational tools and practices, and show how these influenced thinking about press freedom and social media. The main goal, though, is to argue that contemporary press freedom involves sociotechnical work. This is not only because today's news work involves connecting with diverse systems of people and machines but, more fundamentally, because the power to make publics—ideally, the press' chief concern—exists in subtle, often invisible, but always powerful relationships between humans and nonhumans that define the conditions under which shared consequences can be seen. The chapter shows that because publics arise from infrastructures of people and machines, so too must press freedom.
The Progressive in English
Authors: Ramchand Gillian
Published: September 2019

The syntax of the progressive is introduced, arguing that the progressive participle is in the lowest zone of the clause. Previous semantic treatments of the progressive are summarized and a new solution to the imperfective paradox proposed. An explicit semantics for the progressive participle and be auxiliary is given.
The Participle, the Perfect, and the Spatiotemporal Domain
Authors: Ramchand Gillian
Published: September 2019

A morphosemantic proposal is made for the unification of the passive participle of the previous chapter with the participle found in the perfect construction. Previous semantic analyses of the perfect are presented and discussed, and a new proposal is made for the semantic contribution of the perfect auxiliary have.
Summary and Outlook
Authors: Ramchand Gillian
Published: September 2019

The system in the book is summarized and all the new proposed denotations gathered together in one place. The full auxiliary articulation possible in English is examined to see how the proposed system accounts for the rigid ordering.
Smart Money: The Cultural Logic of Cleantech Venture Investing
Authors: Goldstein Jesse
Published: September 2019

Just as entrepreneurialism can function as a more general subjectivity and orientation to the world that extends beyond the specific individuals at the helm of new businesses, the same is true of venture capital. Venture investors have their own set of disciplinary obligations, or fiduciary responsibilities, whose influence extends far beyond specific investors and agreements, generating a general, pervasive and commonsense understanding of what projects, what futures, and, ultimately, what natures are possible to produce in the first place. In backstage venues such as the Funders Forum, even though there were not always a lot of investors present or money to be invested, there was no shortage of money’s “smarts.” A wide array of strategic consultants took on, experimented with and rehearsed the very distinct intelligence that it takes to be a venture investor. Venture investors were exalted as ‘smart money’ in the context of strategic consultants proving to entrepreneurs, investors, and themselves that they could exhibit these same smarts – that they were smart-without-money. These scripts of smart money portray capital’s abstract and abstracting logic as an unquestionable intelligence, ultimately demanding that all cleantech innovations accept the market’s gravitational force, which works to tether the green spirit to capital.
Sharing the Everyday
Authors: Humphreys Lee
Published: September 2019

This chapter focuses on the first of four media accounting practices: the ways in which people document and share everyday aspects of their lives through media accounting. It draws on theories of ritual, routine, and presence to reveal the ways that sharing mundane events and activities can be meaningful and important. It first reviews historical diarying to examine how people have used diaries for quotidian chronicling and sharing. It then draws on several key examples from the author's research on Twitter and mobile social networks to talk about the ways that people share small bits of their everyday lives, in ways that create meaning for them and those connected to them. The chapter also explores issues of videologs or vlogs, which are often considered highly narcissistic yet mundane, to explain not just sharing the mundane but our collective interest in consuming and bearing witness to quotidian media accounting.
Learning Paradigmatic Structure
Authors: Kapatsinski Vsevolod
Published: September 2019

This chapter reviews research on the acquisition of paradigmatic structure (including research on canonical antonyms, morphological paradigms, associative inference, grammatical gender and noun classes). It discusses the second-order schema hypothesis, which views paradigmatic structure as mappings between constructions. New evidence from miniature artificial language learning of morphology is reported, which suggests that paradigmatic mappings involve paradigmatic associations between corresponding structures as well as an operation, copying an activated representation into the production plan. Producing a novel form of a known word is argued to involve selecting a prosodic template and filling it out with segmental material using form-meaning connections, syntagmatic and paradigmatic form-form connections and copying, which is itself an outcome cued by both semantics and phonology.
Automatization and Sound Change
Authors: Kapatsinski Vsevolod
Published: September 2019

This chapter reviews research on automatization, both in the domain of action execution and in the domain of perception / comprehension. In comprehension, automatization is argued to lead to inability to direct conscious attention towards frequently used intermediate steps on the way from sound to meaning (leading to findings such as the missing letter effect). As a result, the cues we use to access meaning may be the cues we are least aware of. Chain and hierarchical representations of action sequences are compared. The chain model is argued to be under-appreciated as an execution-level representation for well-practiced sequences. Automatization of a sequence repeated in a fixed order is argued to turn a hierarchy into a chain. Execution-level representations for familiar words are argued to be networks of interlinked chains (connected through propagation filters) rather than hierarchies. Much of sound change is argued to be the result of automatization of word execution, throughout life, tempered by reinforcement learning (selection by consequences).
Beyond the Passive/Active Dichotomy: A Spectrum Model of the Brain’s Neural Activities
Authors: Northoff Georg
Published: September 2019

Neuroscience has made considerable progress over the last decades in revealing neuronal mechanisms on different levels of brain activity including genetic, molecular, cellular, regional and network levels. However, despite all this progress, no particular model of the brain has commanded consensus. A model of the brain should attribute clear features to the brain, such as its degree of participation in its own processing of stimuli. While primarily a theoretical issue, models of the brain may create major reverberations within neuroscientific investigation and philosophical work on the mind-brain problem. Both philosophers and neuroscientists often presuppose a passive model of the brain wherein the brain passively receives and processes external stimuli. However, recent empirical data do not support a passive view of the brain. Accordingly, I will advocate for an active model of the brain. The empirical support for an active model of brain comes from findings concerning its resting state or spontaneous activity. Empirical data shows that the brain’s stimulus-induced activity results from the integration of spontaneous activity and external stimuli. However, the brain’s activity can vary with respect to the extent of integration of resting state activity and external stimuli. This leads me to suggest what I describe as a spectrum model of the brain. The spectrum model claims that stimulus-induced activity is based on a spectrum or continuum of different possible relationships or balances between spontaneous activity and external stimuli.
Interaction Model of Brain and Consciousness
Authors: Northoff Georg
Published: September 2019

In addition to the spectrum model, I also introduced an interaction model to characterize the brain’s neural activity (chapter 2). Is the interaction model of brain also relevant for consciousness? That is the focus in the present chapter. I here present various lines of empirical evidence focusing on disorders of consciousness like vegetative state, anesthesia, and sleep. Based on empirical evidence, I show that the degree of non-additive interaction between spontaneous and stimulus-induced activity indexes the level of consciousness in a seemingly rather fine-grained way; for that reason, it may be considered a neural correlate of the level of consciousness, i.e., NCC. In contrast, the spontaneous activity and its spatiotemporal structure is rather a necessary condition of possible consciousness, that is, a neural predisposition of consciousness (NPC). The concept of NPC is further enriched by the concept of capacities for which I recruit Nancy Cartwright. I suggest that the brain’s non-additive interaction including the subsequent association of stimulus-induced activity with consciousness is based on the spontaneous activity’s capacity. Since that very same capacity, operating as NPC, can be traced to the spontaneous activity’s spatiotemporal features, I speak of “spatiotemporal capacity”. I conclude that the empirical data suggest a capacity-based approach (rather than law-based approach) to the brain and how it is related to consciousness.
Spatiotemporal Model of Consciousness I: Spatiotemporal Specificity and Neuronal-Phenomenal Correspondence
Authors: Northoff Georg
Published: September 2019

How and why can neural activity in general and specifically stimulus-induced activity be associated with consciousness? This is the central question in the present chapter. I suggest a Spatiotemporal model that conceives both brain and consciousness in predominantly Spatiotemporal terms rather than being based on specific contents and their neural processing by the brain. This amounts to a Spatiotemporal theory of consciousness (STC). I discuss two specific Spatiotemporal mechanisms that I deem relevant for consciousness. The first Spatiotemporal mechanism refers to “Spatiotemporal integration and nestedness” that describe how different frequencies/regions are coupled and linked, i.e., integrated, and subsequently contained, i.e., nested, with each other. Again, based on empirical findings, “Spatiotemporal integration and nestedness” may predispose the level/state of consciousness, i.e., NPC. The second Spatiotemporal mechanism consists in “Spatiotemporal expansion” that allows to expand the stimuli’ specific points in time and space beyond itself by the brain’s spontaneous activity and its spatiotemporal structure. Based on various empirical findings, I suggest “Spatiotemporal expansion” a sufficient neural condition of consciousness, i.e., a neural correlate of the content of consciousness (NCC). Both spatiotemporal mechanisms are specific in that they can distinguish consciousness and unconsciousness: there is “Spatiotemporal expansion” rather than “Spatiotemporal constriction” and there is “Spatiotemporal nestedness” rather than “Spatiotemporal isolation”. This illustrates the specificity of the Spatiotemporal mechanisms which argues against what can be described as “argument of non-specificity”. Moreover, the STC is based on Spatiotemporal mechanisms rather than mere Spatiotemporal features which renders our Spatiotemporal model non-trivial which can be put forward against what can be described as “argument of triviality”. Taken together, the Spatiotemporal model of consciousness as suggested in the STC is neither non-specific but specific in empirical terms nor trivial on conceptual-logical, phenomenal, and ontological grounds.
Spatiotemporal Model of Consciousness II: Spatiotemporal Alignment—Neuro-ecological Continuum and World–Brain Relation
Authors: Northoff Georg
Published: September 2019

Consciousness is neuronal as it is based on the brain and its neural activity. This is what neuroscience tell us citing strong empirical evidence. At the same time, consciousness is ecological in that it extends beyond the brain to body and world – this is what philosophers tell us when they invoke concepts like embodiment, embeddedness, extendedness, and enactment. Is consciousness neuronal or ecological? This amounts to what I describe as “argument of inclusion”: do we need to include body and world in our account of the brain and how is that very same inclusion important for consciousness? I argue that the “spatiotemporal model” of consciousness can well address the “argument of inclusion” by linking and integrating both neuronal and ecological characterizations of consciousness. I demonstrate various data showing how the brain’s spontaneous activity couples and aligns itself to the spatiotemporal structure in the ongoing activities of both body and world. That amounts to a specific spatiotemporal mechanism of the brain that I describe as ‘spatiotemporal alignment’. Conceptually, such ‘spatiotemporal alignment’ corresponds to “body-brain relation” and “world-brain relation”, as I say. World-brain relation and body-brain relation allow for spatiotemporal relation and integration between the different spatiotemporal scales or ranges of world, body, and brain with all three being spatiotemporally aligned and nested within each other. Based on various empirical findings, I argue that such spatiotemporal nestedness between world, body, and brain establishes a “neuro-ecological continuum” and world-brain relation. Both neuro-ecological continuum and world-brain relation are here understood in an empirical sense and can be regarded as necessary condition of possible consciousness, i.e., neural predisposition of consciousness (NPC) (as distinguished from the neural correlates of consciousness/NCC). In sum, the spatiotemporal model determines consciousness by “neuro-ecological continuum” and world-brain relation (with body-brain relation being a subset). Taken in such sense, the spatiotemporal model can well address the “argument of inclusion”. We need to include body and world in our account of the brain in terms of “neuro-ecological continuum” and world-brain relation since otherwise, due to their role as NPC, consciousness remains impossible.
Introducing Mhesvi and Ruzivo Rwemhesvi
Authors: Mavhunga Clapperton Chakanetsa
Published: September 2019

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the book's main themes. It begins with a discussion of the term mhesvi, the name that vedzimbahwe—the people associated with the zimbabwe (stone building) culture from which the name Zimbabwe came—gave to the insect that Setswana speakers (vedzimbahwe's neighbors to the west) called tsetse. After encountering the insect for the first time and being told its name, white travelers then publicized tsetse fly as the official name of the insect. The chapter then sets out the book's purpose, which is to position mhesvi in such a way that the trajectory of knowledge production concerning it can be recovered.
How to Trap a Fly
Authors: Mavhunga Clapperton Chakanetsa
Published: September 2019

This chapter considers one of the stratagems developing out of an intelligence system of mhesvi, trapping systems. This approach was based on the underlying principle that the chipukanana had very small reproductive potential, that a slight reduction in the chipukanana's reproductive rate or increase in its mortality rate was enough to control its entire population. To do so, mhesvi had to be attracted to artificial baits laced with killing or sterilizing agents. These “attractant studies” targeted mhesvi's mobilities, sensory system, and feeding behavior; once attracted, the next step was to trap the flies and, once trapped, kill or sterilize them.
Attacking the Fly from Within: Parasitization and Sterilization
Authors: Mavhunga Clapperton Chakanetsa
Published: September 2019

This chapter discusses the method of killing the mhesvi from within its body. The argument made is that attacking mhesvi from within represents the applied value of the knowledge of mhesvi's bionomics and internal mobilities, both internally (nyongororo moving within its body) and in situations of intimacy (nuptial flights). The first section deals with research (from the 1920s to the 1970s) on parasitization—the destruction of the mhesvi through deliberately promoting the proliferation of nyongororo naturally found in its body. These hutachiwana either were naturally lethal to mhesvi or could be genetically engineered to be so. The second type of research focused on sterilizing the chipukanana through the capture and release of sterile males by means of chemical sterilants and gamma radiation.
Starving the Fly
Authors: Mavhunga Clapperton Chakanetsa
Published: September 2019

This chapter focuses on the deployment of huntsmen called magocha to eliminate mhuka, the primary bloodmeal source of mhesvi, and thus starve it. It opens with an interview with one such magocha. These huntsmen were known in society as magocha (the ones who are always roasting meat) due to the massive amounts of meat at their disposal. Next, it examines the relationship between magocha and the white tsetse field officers (TFOs) who supervised them and the work of indiscriminate and discriminate hunting. Because many technical aspects of the hunting itself have already been discussed elsewhere, the chapter instead focuses on the perspectives of vatema covered only thinly or not covered in the earlier work.
Bombing Flies
Authors: Mavhunga Clapperton Chakanetsa
Published: September 2019

This chapter explores the use of aircraft to spray organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). It begins by tracing the origins of the practice in KwaZulu, South Africa, where ndege were adopted for pesticide spraying because of their ease of use, capacity for large-scale coverage, very few personnel required, and capability to reach mpukane habitats otherwise inaccessible by ground spraying. The second section examines the technical aspects of aerial spraying as an example of the extension of methods designed in the United States for agricultural or military purposes to deal with zvipukanana and with conditions for which they were not originally designed. In the final sections, the deployment and performance of first fixed-wing aircraft and then helicopters are closely examined.
Conclusion: Vatema as Intellectual Agents
Authors: Mavhunga Clapperton Chakanetsa
Published: September 2019

This concluding chapter returns to the question of munhu mutema as intellectual agent, reemphasizing that mhesvi is one venue in which ruzivo was applied, produced, and extended in different directions. It argues that the process of writing for and as munhu mutema is one of continuing rehumanization, and we should be clear that the Africanist—the one for whom Africa is an object and subject of study—is justified in seeing Africa from a different place. It insists that the Africanist understands that we all write from a particular analytical location, that no one viewing platform is more legitimate than another. We just need to understand its reasons for articulation and, as people of Africa variously located, to judge for ourselves whether it expresses us or something else entirely.
Characteristics of spatiotemporal variations of primary and secondary streamers under pulsed-voltage in air at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Komuro Atsushi , Suzuki Kento , Yoshida Keigo , Ando Akira
Published: September 2019

A pulsed positive streamer discharge was simulated using a two-dimensional axisymmetric model to investigate the characteristics of primary and secondary streamers in air at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. The spatiotemporal variations of the reduced electric field and the electron density during propagation of the primary streamer were clarified, and their relationships with the applied voltage were discussed. The phenomenon of the secondary streamer was introduced according to the previously developed “attachment instability” theory, and the spatiotemporal variations of the net-attachment frequency were presented to validate the theory. The results indicated that variations in the reduced electric field and electron density can be approximately estimated by the theory even in conditions involving a pulsed voltage and non-uniform Laplacian field. Because the primary and secondary streamers have spatiotemporal characteristics related to the chemical reactivity in the streamer discharge, understanding these characteristics is valuable for the development of atmospheric-pressure plasma applications.
A new record of kelp Lessonia spicata (Suhr) Santelices in the Sub-Antarctic Channels: implications for the conservation of the “huiro negro” in the Chilean coast
Authors: Rosenfeld Sebastián , Mendez Fabio , Calderon Martha S. , Bahamonde Francisco , Rodríguez Juan Pablo , Ojeda Jaime , Marambio Johanna , Gorny Matthias , Mansilla Andrés
Published: September 2019

The Katalalixar National Reserve (KNR) lies in an isolated marine protected area of Magellan Sub-Antarctic channels, which represent an important area for marine biodiversity and macroalgal conservation. The present study is the first report of the species Lessonia spicata, “huiro negro”, in the Magellan Sub-Antarctic channels. This finding has implications for macroalgal biogeography and conservation concerns in the Chilean coast. In the ecological assessments of the KNR in 2018 we found populations of L. spicata, specifically on rocky shores of Torpedo Island and Castillo Channel. The morphological identification and molecular phylogeny based on nuclear (ITS1) sequences revealed that these populations of Lessonia are within the lineage of L. spicata of central Chile. This report increases the species richness of kelps for the Magellan Sub-Antarctic Channels from two to three confirmed species (L. flavicans, L. searlesiana and L. spicata), and it also extends the southern distribution range of L. spicata. This species has high harvest demand and is moving towards southern Chile; thus, these populations should be considered as essential for macroalgal conservation in high latitudes of South America.
Influence of the Habitat on Marine Macroalgae Toxicity
Authors: Alvarez-Hernández Sergio , Lozano-Ramírez Cruz , Rodríguez-Palacio Mónica
Published: September 2019

Macroalgae synthesize molecules that may be toxic to other organisms. These molecules are synthesized as a defense strategy against herbivores. It has been proven that the synthesis process is directed by several physiological, chemical and even spatial-temporal variables. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the complexity of the habitat influences on the expression of marine macroalgae toxicity. Algae of 31 species (39 samples) were collected in localities with different habitat morphology: a coral reef in the Mexican Caribbean, three myxohaline localities in the Yucatán peninsula and six rocky intertidal localities, four of these in the Mexican Pacific and two in the Gulf of Mexico. Results identified 19 strongly toxic species from the reef, followed by algae collected in the rocky intertidal area, and the least number of toxic species in the myxohaline environments. The results support the hypothesis established by several researchers worldwide regarding the complexity of coral reefs, which promotes the synthesis of toxic substances as a defense against herbivores. These substances have been employed as molecules that are useful in the fight against diseases or as synthesis matrices of other compounds with pharmacological potential.
Influence of Organic and Inorganic Soil Amendments on Soil Moisture Content and Micronutrients
Authors: Kago E. K. , Kinyua Z. M. , Maingi J. M. , Okemo P. O.
Published: September 2019

Aims: This study was carried out to evaluate the influence of organic and inorganic soil amendments on soil moisture content and micronutrients in semi and arid areas.  

Methodology: The study was laid out as randomized complete block design (RCBD) in split plot arrangement for two seasons. The treatments were ChalimTM, Super-hydro-grow polymer and Metham sodium, Metham sodium, Metham sodium + Orange peel, Super-hydro-grow polymer, Control, Brassica tissue, ChalimTM + Super-hydro-grow polymer, Brassica tissue + Orange peel and Metham sodium + Super-hydro-grow polymer. Soils were sampled from each experimental site, dried and taken to laboratories for determination of Zinc, Iron, Manganese and copper both at initial and at the end of the experiment using a SpectrAA- 40 atomic absorption spectrometer, PSC-56 programmable sample changer. Moisture content was calculated by subtracting total dry soil plus Petri dish weight from total wet soil plus Petri dish weight. Calculated moisture content was recorded in all samples across the two seasons for analysis.

Results: There was a significant difference (p≤0.05) in the treatment effect on soil moisture content in except for MS and CM+OP in both season one and season two in the green house. A combination of both organic and inorganic soil amendments like BT+OP, BT+ SHG had the highest moisture content. There was significant difference (p≤0.05) in the soil amendments effect on the amount of Micronutrients in the beginning and end of the experiement.

Conclusion: Through this study, it was realized significant difference (p≤0.05) in the soil amendments effect on soil moisture content in all the treatment in both seasons. BT +SHG soil amendment was superior in maintaining soil moisture content in both season 1 and 2. It is therefore recommended that Metham sodium should not be applied in very dry soil to avoid reduction of the moisture content. There was micronutrient increment in all the treatments. BT+ SHG was superior soil amendment in increment of micronutrients.
Endophthalmitis: 5 Years Experience in a Tertiary Eye Care Center Mohammed V Military Medical Training Hospital
Authors: Zerrouk Rachid , Malek Yassine , Elkhoyaali Adil , Mouzari Yassine , Reda Karim , Oubaaz Abdelbarre
Published: September 2019

Aims: To describe endophthalmitis profile in a tertiary eye care center.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Place and Duration of Study: The ophthalmology department of The Mohammed V Military Medical Training Hospital in Rabat, and covering all patients hospitalized for endogenous and exogenous endophthalmitis between January the 1st 2014, and 31 of December 2018.

Methodology: We included 41 eyes from 41 patients with endophthalmitis.

Results: On a total of 41 eyes, mean age was 53,8 years, with a sex ratio of 1,7. Mean time from onset of symptoms to presentation was 8 +/- 4 days (3 to 32) for postoperative endophthalmitis, and 13 +/- 9 days (2 – 30) for other causes. 98% of patients presented decreased vision, and 88% showed ocular pain. 94% of patients had a visual acuity less than hand motion. Gram positive bacteria were isolated in 76% of the patients.

Conclusion: Our epidemiological, clinical and microbial findings are similar to some occidental and other oriental series.
Flux Pinning and Superconducting Properties of Bulk MgB2 with MgB4 Addition
Authors: Miryala Muralidhar , Arvapalli Sai Srikanth , Diko Pavel , Jirsa Milos , Murakami Masato
Published: September 2019

The improved performance of bulk MgB2 material with added nanometer‐sized MgB4 particles is presented. Bulk polycrystalline MgB2 samples with varying amount of MgB4 x (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 wt%) are fabricated by solid‐state sintering at 775 °C for 3 h in pure argon gas. Microstructural studies indicate formation of nanometer‐sized grains when MgB4 is added. Density of nano‐grains is inversely proportional to the MgB4 content. The MgB2 sample with 1 wt% of MgB4 shows the best performance, with its self‐field critical current density reaching 385 and 315 kAcm−2 at 15 and 20 K, respectively. Flux pinning diagrams reveal the domination of grain boundary pinning mechanism.
Correlative Nano‐Computed Tomography and Focused Ion‐Beam Sectioning: A Case Study on a Co‐Base Superalloy Oxide Scale
Authors: Lenz Malte , Wirth Janis , Englisch Silvan , Rosiwal Jan , Buchinger Nadine , Weiser Martin , Virtanen Sannakaisa , Apeleo Zubiri Benjamin , Spiecker Erdmann
Published: September 2019

Herein, the capabilities of a correlative tomography approach combining laboratory nano X‐ray computed tomography, focused ion‐beam sectioning, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy are utilized for the characterization of multilayered oxide scales of Co‐base superalloys regarding their 3D morphology and chemical composition. The combination of complementary 3D imaging techniques allows for a precise and reliable segmentation of the pore space, oxide precipitates, and different phases of the initial material. Such information is instrumental to a microscopic understanding of oxidation in this new class of superalloys and key to improvement of oxidation resistance in the next‐generation high‐temperature materials.
Epoxy‐Based Ceramic‐Polymer Composite with Excellent Millimeter‐Wave Broadband Absorption Properties by Facile Approach
Authors: Xiao Bin , Chen Meiyu , Hu Renchao , Xu Xinwei , Deng Xinglei , Niu Yujuan , Li Xiaoguang , Wang Hong
Published: September 2019

The development of polymer‐based absorbers in millimeter‐wave frequency range has triggered a surge of interest due to the ever‐growing demands of 5G communication applications. Herein, a systematic investigation on a novel biphase composite, i.e., BaNb0.6Fe11.4O19 (BNFO)/epoxy, is presented. BNFO is the only filler phase that can generate dielectric loss and magnetic loss simultaneously, and epoxy is used as matrix phase for its advantages as a widely used electronic packaging material. The millimeter‐wave broadband absorption properties of the composite and related mechanisms are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. When the BNFO content is higher than 60 wt%, a millimeter‐wave broadband absorption performance is observed with a decreased matching thickness and a wider effective bandwidth covering the entire R band. The maximum reflection loss of the composite can achieve −28.74 dB at 31.43 GHz and −44.36 dB at 27.18 GHz with a matching thickness of only 0.98 and 0.97 mm when the BNFO contents are 60 and 75 wt%, respectively. The comprehensive advantages of the composite, including millimeter‐wave broadband absorption properties, facile manufacturing processes, small matching thickness, and good compatibility with current electronic packaging materials, facilitate it to be utilized in next‐generation electronic devices.
Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles by Rapid, High‐Temperature 3D Microwave Heating
Authors: Zhong Geng , Xu Shaomao , Chen Chaoji , Kline Dylan Jacob , Giroux Michael , Pei Yong , Jiao Miaolun , Liu Dapeng , Mi Ruiyu , Xie Hua , Yang Bao , Wang Chao , Zachariah Michael R. , Hu Liangbing
Published: September 2019

Microwave‐assisted fabrication has propelled the recent synthesis and processing approaches of various nanomaterials. However, in most previous studies, the synthesis temperature is limited to below 1100 K, which restricts its application. Here, a rapid, in situ 3D heating method to manufacture well‐dispersed metal oxide nanoparticles on a 3D carbonized wood (denoted as C‐wood) host using microwaves as the driving power is reported. The moderate electronic conductivity of C‐wood contributes to the local Joule heating and the good thermal conductivity guarantees the rapid 3D heating of the overall material. The temperature of the C‐wood increases from room temperature to ≈2200 K in 4 s (≈550 K s−1), stabilizing to 1400 K, and then cooling back down to room temperature within 2 s. The preloaded precursor salts rapidly decompose and form ultrafine (≈11 nm) metal oxide nanoparticles on the surface of the C‐wood during the rapid quenching. The process takes place in air, which helps prevent the metal oxides from being reduced by the carbon. The 3D heating method offers an effective route to the rapid and scalable synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles.
Chiral Metalens of Circular Polarization Dichroism with Helical Surface Arrays in Mid‐Infrared Region
Authors: He Cun , Sun Ti , Guo Junjie , Cao Meng , Xia Jie , Hu Jingpei , Yan Ying , Wang Chinhua
Published: September 2019

A chiral metalens of circular polarization dichroism (CPD) in the mid‐infrared region of 3–5 µm is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally, in which one of the circularly polarized light beams (either left‐handed or right‐handed) is transmissively focused at a designed focal length, while the other beam is reflected. The metalens consists of subwavelength helical surface arrays covered by a gold thin film that gives rise to CPD with the handedness of the metallic helical surface, while the focusing is realized with a phase distribution that is found to be determined by the rotation angle of each individual helical surface along the radial direction of the lens. A chiral metalens of circular dichroism (CMCD) operating in the 3–5 µm region is designed and experimentally fabricated by the 3D laser direct writing technique followed by electron beam evaporation. Experimental focusing of the circularly polarized lights is demonstrated successfully with the lock‐in thermography technique to eliminate the severe background infrared radiation in the 3–5 µm wavelength region, and it is found that the results are consistent with the theoretical simulation. The demonstrated CMCD provides a new idea of implementing integrated functions of both imaging and circular dichroism with a single element.
Highly Biocompatible Functionalized Layer‐by‐Layer Ginger Lipid Nano Vectors Targeting P‐Selectin for Delivery of Doxorubicin to Treat Colon Cancer
Authors: Zhang Mingzhen , Yang Chunhua , Yan Xiangji , Sung Junsik , Garg Pallavi , Merlin Didier
Published: September 2019

A biocompatible natural nanoparticle drug delivery system that has specific cancer‐targeting function holds vast promise for cancer therapy. Here, a fucoidan/poly‐lysine‐functionalized layer‐by‐layer ginger‐derived lipid vector (LbL‐GDLV) is designed to target P‐selectin and deliver a loaded drug into vascularized colon cancer. LbL‐GDLVs selectively bound to P‐selectin, and the degradation of the fucoidan result in rapid attachment of the cancer cell and internalization of the remaining positively charged poly‐lysine coated‐GDLVs. Upon enzymolysis of the poly‐lysine layer inside the cancer cell, the GDLV core releases loaded doxorubicin (Dox) which has the expected effects. Bio‐distribution studies show that intravenously injected LbL‐GDLVs exhibit enhanced accumulation at the vascularized tumor site (≈4.4‐fold higher than control), presumably due to P‐selectin‐mediated targeting plus the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR). In two animal models (Luc‐HT‐29 and HCT‐116 xenografts), Dox‐loaded LbL‐GDLVs (LbL‐GDLVs/Dox) significantly inhibit tumor growth and demonstrate much better therapeutic efficiency than free Dox. More importantly, LbL‐GDLVs exhibit excellent biocompatibility, and LbL‐GDLVs encapsulation largely reduces the cardiotoxicity of free Dox and avoids the notorious drug resistance of colon cells against free Dox. Together, these findings demonstrate the potential of our newly designed and highly biocompatible plant‐derived LbL nanoparticles and their precise colon cancer drug delivery function.
Neonatal temperament and neuromotor differences are predictive of adolescent alcohol intake in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Wood Elizabeth K. , Champoux Maribeth , Lindell Stephen G. , Barr Christina S. , Suomi Stephen J. , Higley J. Dee
Published: September 2019

Identifying predictors of teenage alcohol use disorder (AUDs) is a major health initiative, with studies suggesting that there are distinct personality‐related traits that underlie patterns of alcohol intake. As temperament is biologically based, identifiable early in life, and stable across time, it is considered the foundation of personality. As such, we hypothesized that neonatal temperament traits would predict anxiety‐mediated adolescent alcohol consumption. To test this, N = 145 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) infants (14 days of age), reared in a neonatal nursery (n = 82) or in a control condition with their mothers (n = 63) were assessed with a widely used standardized nonhuman primate testing battery, the Infant Behavioral Assessment Scale (IBAS), modeled after the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale, evaluating visual orienting, temperament, motor maturity and, more recently, sensory sensitivity. As adolescents (3–4 years of age), these same subjects were allowed unfettered access to a sweetened‐alcohol solution for 1 hr/day, 4 days/week, over 5–7 weeks. Subjects were allowed to self‐administer alcohol while housed alone (n = 70) or socially in their home cage (n = 55). Linear regressions showed that alcohol intake was predicted by neonatal orienting ability (β = −.35; p = .01), state control (β = −.19; p = .04), and motor maturity (β = −.24; p = .01). Poor neonatal orienting, state control (ease of consolability), and motor maturity were associated with higher adolescent alcohol intake in rhesus monkeys. These findings suggest that neonatal temperament is predictive of patterns of adolescent alcohol intake. To the extent that these results generalize to humans, they provide evidence that early‐life temperament and neurodevelopment may be important risk factors for adolescent AUDs and that the IBAS may be used as an assessment tool for identifying such risk.
Autophagy is involved in allergic rhinitis by inducing airway remodeling
Authors: Li Jing , Li Yong
Published: September 2019

Background

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an allergic disorder affecting 10‐40% of the population worldwide. Autophagy has been implicated in numerous biological processes, including aging, immunity, development, and differentiation, and has been shown to affect the pathogenesis of allergic disease and airway remodeling. In this study we attempted to determine the association between autophagy and AR pathogenesis.

Methods

The severity of nasal and extranasal symptoms was measured with visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Autophagosome formation was detected in the nasal epithelium by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Western blots and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to examine expression levels of autophagic markers. Collagen deposition was detected via Masson trichrome staining and collagen III expression was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between autophagy, AR symptoms, and collagen levels.

Results

Patients with AR had more autophagosomes, increased levels of Beclin‐1 mRNA, and higher Beclin‐1 and LC3‐II protein expression. Collagen III protein expression was also higher in patients with AR than in the controls. Higher expression of Beclin‐1 was associated with higher VAS scores (Spearman's rho = 0.905, p < 0.01), higher collagen deposition (Spearman's rho = 0.862, p < 0.01), and higher collagen III protein (Spearman's rho = 0.849, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The autophagosome and autophagic markers are highly expressed in the upper airways of patients with AR and are associated with corresponding changes in airway remodeling markers. Our data suggest a link between autophagy and airway remodeling in AR.
Transition‐Metal‐Free Acceptorless Decarbonylation of Formic Acid Enabled by a Liquid Chemical‐Looping Strategy
Authors: Imberdis Arnaud , Lefèvre Guillaume , Cantat Thibault
Published: September 2019

The selective decarbonylation of formic acid was achieved under transition‐metal‐free conditions. Using a liquid chemical‐looping strategy, the thermodynamically favored dehydrogenation of formic acid was shut down, yielding a pure stream of CO with no H2or CO2contamination. The transformation involves a two‐step sequence where methanol is used as a recyclable looping agent to yield methylformate, which is subsequently decomposed to carbon monoxide using alkoxides as catalysts.
Tuning the Electron Localization of Gold Enables the Control of Nitrogen‐to‐Ammonia Fixation
Authors: Zheng Jianyun , Lyu Yanhong , Qiao Man , Veder Jean P. , Marco Roland D. , Bradley John , Wang Ruilun , Li Yafei , Huang Aibin , Jiang San Ping , Wang Shuangyin
Published: September 2019

The (photo)electrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR) provides a favorable avenue for the production of NH3 using renewable energy in mild operating conditions. Understanding and building an efficient catalyst with high NH3 selectivity represents an area of intense interest for the early stages of development for NRR. Herein, we introduce a CoOx layer to tune the local electronic structure of Au nanoparticles with positive valence sites for boosting conversion of N2 to NH3. The catalysts, possessing high average oxidation states (ca. 40 %), achieve a high NH3 yield rate of 15.1 μg cm−2 h−1 and a good faradic efficiency of 19 % at −0.5 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Experimental results and simulations reveal that the ability to tune the oxidation state of Au enables the control of N2 adsorption and the concomitant energy barrier of NRR. Altering the Au oxidation state provides a unique strategy for control of NRR in the production of valuable NH3.
The Feasibility of Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis in Molten LiCl–KCl Eutectics
Authors: McPherson Ian J. , Sudmeier Tim , Fellowes Joshua P. , Wilkinson Ian , Hughes Tim , Tsang S. C. Edman
Published: September 2019

Molten LiCl and related eutectic electrolytes are known to permit direct electrochemical reduction of N2 to N3− with high efficiency. It had been proposed that this could be coupled with H2 oxidation in an electrolytic cell to produce NH3 at ambient pressure. Here, this proposal is tested in a LiCl–KCl–Li3N cell and is found not to be the case, as the previous assumption of the direct electrochemical oxidation of N3− to NH3 is grossly over‐simplified. We find that Li3N added to the molten electrolyte promotes the spontaneous and simultaneous chemical disproportionation of H2 (H oxidation state 0) into H− (H oxidation state −1) and H+ in the form of NH2−/NH2−/NH3 (H oxidation state +1) in the absence of applied current, resulting in non‐Faradaic release of NH3. It is further observed that NH2− and NH2− possess their own redox chemistry. However, these spontaneous reactions allow us to propose an alternative, truly catalytic cycle. By adding LiH, rather than Li3N, N2 can be reduced to N3− while stoichiometric amounts of H− are oxidised to H2. The H2 can then react spontaneously with N3− to form NH3, regenerating H− and closing the catalytic cycle. Initial tests show a peak NH3 synthesis rate of 2.4×10−8 mol cm−2 s−1 at a maximum current efficiency of 4.2 %. Isotopic labelling with 15N2 confirms the resulting NH3 is from catalytic N2 reduction.
Synergy of Epoxy Chemical Tethers and Defect‐Free Graphene in Enabling Stable Lithium Cycling of Silicon Nanoparticles
Authors: Liu Wei , Li Hongju , Jin Jialun , Wang Yizhe , Zhang Zheng , Chen Zidong , Wang Qin , Chen Yungui , Paek Eunsu , Mitlin David
Published: September 2019

We report a new approach for nanosilicon–graphene hybrids with uniquely stable solid electrolyte interphase. Expanded graphite is gently exfoliated creating “defect‐free” graphene that is non‐catalytic towards electrolyte decomposition, simultaneously introducing high mass loading (48 wt. %) Si nanoparticles. Silane surface treatment creates epoxy chemical tethers, mechanically binding nano‐Si to CMC binder through epoxy ring‐opening reaction while stabilizing the Si surface chemistry. Epoxy‐tethered silicon pristine–graphene hybrid “E‐Si‐pG” exhibits state‐of‐the‐art performance in full battery opposing commercial mass loading (12 mg cm−2) LiCoO2 (LCO) cathode. At 0.4 C, with areal capacity of 1.62 mAh cm−2 and energy of 437 Wh kg−1, achieving 1.32 mAh cm−2, 340.4 Wh kg−1 at 1 C. After 150 cycles, it retains 1.25 mAh cm−2, 306.5 Wh kg−1. Sputter‐down XPS demonstrates survival of surface C‐Si‐O‐Si groups in E‐Si‐pG after repeated cycling. The discovered synergy between support defects, chemical‐mechanical stabilization of Si surfaces, and SEI‐related failure may become key LIB anode design rule.
Chalcogen Bonding Catalysis of a Nitro‐Michael Reaction
Authors: Wonner Patrick , Dreger Alexander , Vogel Lukas , Engelage Elric , Huber Stefan M.
Published: September 2019

Chalcogen bonding is the non‐covalent interaction between Lewis acidic chalcogen substituents and Lewis bases. Herein, we present the first application of dicationic tellurium‐based chalcogen bond donors in the nitro‐Michael reaction between trans‐β‐nitrostyrene and indoles. This also constitutes the first activation of nitro derivatives by chalcogen bonding (and halogen bonding). The catalysts showed rate accelerations of more than a factor of 300 compared to strongly Lewis acidic hydrogen bond donors. Several comparison experiments, titrations, and DFT calculations support a chalcogen‐bonding‐based mode of activation of β‐nitrostyrene.
A Fluorescent Activatable AND‐Gate Chemokine CCL2 Enables In Vivo Detection of Metastasis‐Associated Macrophages
Authors: Fernandez Antonio , Thompson Emily J. , Pollard Jeffrey W. , Kitamura Takanori , Vendrell Marc
Published: September 2019

We report the novel chemical design of fluorescent activatable chemokines as highly specific functional probes for imaging subpopulations of immune cells in live tumours. Activatable chemokines behave as AND‐gates since they emit only after receptor binding and intracellular activation, showing enhanced selectivity over existing agents. We have applied this strategy to produce mCCL2‐MAF as the first probe for in vivo detection of metastasis‐associated macrophages in a preclinical model of lung metastasis. This strategy will accelerate the preparation of new chemokine‐based probes for imaging immune cell function in tumours.