bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tubercular Mediastinal Abscess in Non-immunocompromised Patient: A Rare Case Presentation
Authors: Rana Yash , Chouhan Vijendra , Kumar Saket , Shah Kusum V , Shah Arti D.
Published: April 2021

Mediastinal tuberculosis is a rare infection resulting from direct inoculation of organisms or through hematogenous spread. Infected lymph nodes may also transfer the bacilli through lymphatic route. Mediastinal tuberculosis may resemble a pyogenic abscess or tumour which might indicate tubercular aetiology and remains a clinical challenge. In tuberculosis endemic countries like India, all the abscesses indolent to routine treatment need investigation to rule out mycobacterial causes. Authors hereby report a case of 60-year-old male with anterior mediastinal tubercular abscess.
Performance of Day 1 Paediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 Score in Children with Severe Sepsis: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Ali Mohd Kashif , Islam Rehanul , Naim Eeman
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Judicious allocation of scarce resources in hospitals of developing countries is important. When a child is admitted to a hospital, it is important to judge the severity of illness and also to predict the mortality risk so that best available resources may be provided. The deranged clinical and laboratory parameters in sick children have been utilised to construct various scores to predict the mortality risk. One such score is Paediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2) which is devised to predict mortality risk in children admitted to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The usefulness of PELOD-2 score needs to be tested in developing countries. Aim: To evaluate the performance of PELOD-2 scores in predicting the outcome in severe sepsis patients admitted to PICU of a Tertiary Care Centre. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was done in a tertiary level PICU of a teaching Hospital in the Department of Paediatrics, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. PELOD-2 scores were calculated on day 1 of admission in PICU to predict the mortality risk patients of age between 1 month to 14 years admitted for severe sepsis. Results: Total 203 cases were enrolled in the study, with mean age of 37 (SD±46.97) months. The observed mortality was 52.21% (106), while PELOD-2 score predicted 57.63% (117) mortality. Mean PELOD-2 score in survivors was 5.95 (±2.47), while in non-survivors it was 12.87 (±4.73). Total 149 (73.4%) cases had 3 or more organ dysfunction. The area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.89, showing excellent discrimination. Sensitivity and specificity for predicting mortality at PELOD-2 score of 7.5 was 90.56% and 78.35%, respectively. Hosmer-lemeshow goodness for fit test showed good calibration at Chi-square of 2.44 and p-value of 0.11. Conclusion: Day 1 PELOD-2 scores can reliably assess the multiple Organ Dysfunctions (OD) and predict outcomes in severe sepsis patients admitted to PICU in a developing country.
ENTENDIMENTOS DE CIÊNCIA AO LONGO DE UM CURSO DE LICENCIATURA EM CIÊNCIAS BIOLÓGICAS / SCIENCE UNDERSTANDINGS OF STUDENTS ALONG A BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES UNDEGRADUATE COURSE THAT FORMS SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY TEACHERS
Authors: Souza Pedro Leal , Silva Peterson Fernando Kepps , Schwantes Lavínia
Published: April 2021

As pesquisas no campo da Educação em Ciências, têm nos mostrado como as reflexões em torno da História e Filosofia da Ciência (HFC) contribuem para a formação de professores mais críticos. No presente trabalho, objetivamos investigar os entendimentos que duas turmas de um curso de Ciências Biológicas Licenciatura possuem acerca da ciência. Aplicamos em ambas, um questionário com dez questões tanto na entrada no curso, quanto na saída. Dessas dez, selecionamos uma: diga o que você entende por ciência? Conseguimos, analisar como esse entendimento se modificou ou não e articula-lo com diversos autores da HFC como Chalmers (1993) e Feyerabend (1977) além de outros mais contemporâneos como Lyotard (2009) e Sousa-Santos (2008). A multiplicidade presente nas respostas, nos possibilitou inferir se há ou não uma influência do curso sobre as concepções dos estudantes e a importância dessas discussões para a formação docente.
LEITURA E INTERPRETAÇÃO DE GRÁFICOS ESTATÍSTICOS: UMA ANÁLISE SOBRE O ENTENDIMENTO DE ALUNOS DE UM 9.º ANO / READING AND INTERPRETATION OF STATISTICAL GRAPHS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE UNDERSTANDING OF 9TH GRADE STUDENTS
Authors: Santos Sidney Silva , Barbosa Geovane Carlos , Lopes Celi Espasandin
Published: April 2021

O presente artigo tem por objetivo investigar o desempenho de um grupo de alunos, por meio de três atividades que envolvem a leitura e a interpretação de gráficos de barras, setores e linhas. Participaram deste estudo 32 alunos do 9.º ano (14 anos) do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola particular do litoral sul do estado de São Paulo. Para tanto, realizou-se uma análise qualitativa na perspectiva diagnóstica e descritiva. O processo de análise da compreensão da linguagem gráfica pautou-se nas ideias proposta por Curcio (1989), que considera três níveis de compreensão da linguagem gráfica. Concluímos que esse grupo de alunos possuem baixo desempenho na compreensão da linguagem gráfica do segundo nível, porém no primeiro e no terceiro níveis os estudantes tiveram maior desenvoltura nos três tipos de gráficos avaliados.
Some Technological Treatments to Enlarge the Shelf Life of Puff Pastry
Authors: Mahmoud Ashgan Mohamed Aly , Kamel Masoud Abdel-Azem , Shaban Hala Hussien
Published: April 2021

Wheat bran is generally considered a byproduct of the flour milling industry, but it is a great source of fibers, minerals, and antioxidants that are important for human health. This study examined values of functional component for product from two bioprocessing (germination and fermentation) for wheat Giza171 variety. Also, it was examined for puff pastry (the pate) product, evaluated functional component (phenolic compound and antioxidant activity), sensory attribute, texture parameter, and mineral content. The results showed that total phenolic compound (TPC) and antioxidant activity (%RSA) values were highest in fermentation bran cell (with 2% yeast) (3115, 45.69), respectively. The volume increased with increasing percentage germination, while specific volume recorded the highest value for control (4.24). Sensory attributes of pate had the highest value from germination whole meal flour. Hardness decreased in all puff pastry from treatment compared with the control pate, where, puff pastry made from 50% germination whole meal flour in storage period. Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity for the product during storage period had the highest values for pate made from fermentation bran with 2% yeast during storage periods (TPC= 1960 and 1432.5; %RSA= 49.61 and 43.31, respectively). Also, mineral content increased for all treatments compared with the control. Functional whole wheat products with enhanced health-promoting value and safety without renouncing the good-tasting standards whereas required for consumers. In this concept, functional whole wheat was demonstrated for two bioprocessing: improve eating quality, nutrition and shelf life for pate product.
Impact of Training Program on Adoption Behavior of Mango Growers in Faizabad District of Uttar Pradesh
Authors: Islam Alimul , Bose Dipak Kumar , Alam Naushad
Published: April 2021

Mango fruit (Mangifera indica) is national fruit of Indian and most popular, nutritionally rich tropical fruit with unique flavor, fragrance, taste, and promoting qualities for health. In India harvest and sale of mango is during March, April and May, and this is annually covered by news magazines. Several hundred cultivars of mango depending on the cultivars of mango. The field survey was conducted the year of 2014-15. Exist survey was carried out to determine the extent of adoption of recommended Mango production practices by the farmers in Masaudha and another block of  Sohawal, Faizabad District in Uttar Pradesh. One hundred thirty respondents were selected randomly and descriptive research design was followed for the research. The study inferred that there are 47.70 per cent trainees and 56.93 per cent non-trainees were having medium level socio-economic status whereas 41.54 per cent trainees and 35.38 per cent non-trainees were having low socio-economic status while 10.76 per cent trainees and 7.69 per cent non trainees were having high socio-economic status. It was also observed from the results that there were 32.30 per cent trainees, 24.61 per cent non-trainees had medium level of adoption, 26.15 per cent trainees and 49.23 per cent non-trainees having low level adoption followed by 41.53 per cent trainees and 26.15 per cent non-trainees having high level of adoption of improved Mango production practices. Govt. should take proper steps and appropriate extension strategies to be followed for recommended adoption of mango production practices.
Essentials of Healthcare Marketing
Authors: Syed Marium , Ahmed Farah , Zahid Nisha , Khalid Nimra , Israr Noor
Published: April 2021

This is a systemic review to identify the essentials of health care marketing. The objective of this study is to critically analyze, assess, and document the literature [1,2,3] (Balogun and Ogunnaike, 2017; Awaand Eze, 2013) on elements of health care marketing, to establish its scope and to identify its gaps in various studies literature and to make further recommendations related to this field. Practitioners and researchers are slowly and gradually recognizing and identifying the importance of health care marketing for the growth of this industry. However, all have not yet embraced the methodical application of marketing theories. The data, which is available on diversity of service providers, different care services that are available and their comparative and respective impact on health care marketing have limitations.
The Epidemiology Pattern of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquire Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Diagnostic, Transmission and Prevention in Nigeria-Past and Present
Authors: Oguh C. E. , Obiwulu E. N. O. , Sheshi I. M. , Ameh S. E. , Okpaka C. O. , Oluwadepo T. J. , Ejiofor U. M.
Published: April 2021

Human immune Virus/Acquire immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic is one of the major public health challenges faced by Nigeria. The review present the Epidemiology of Human immune Virus/Acquire immune deficiency syndrome, diagnostic and Prevention in Nigeria. The method use was based on the data obtain in Nigeria. Nigeria’s first two AIDS cases were diagnosed in 1985 in Lagos. Today, Nigeria’s epidemic is characterized as one the most rapidly increased rates of HIV/AIDS cases in West Africa. Nigeria's population of 160 million and estimated HIV prevalence of 3.34% (2011) makes Nigeria the second highest HIV burden worldwide, with 3.2 million people living with HIV (PLHIV). Recently, it is estimated that about 3, 229, 757 people live with HIV in Nigeria and about 220, 393 new HIV infections occurred in 2013 and 210,031 died from AIDS- related causes. As of 2020 in Nigeria, the HIV prevalence rate among adults ages 15–49 was 3.1 percent Nigeria has the second-largest number of people living with HIV. In some states, the epidemic is more concentrated and driven by high-risk behaviors, while other states have more generalized epidemics that are sustained primarily by multiple sexual partnerships in the general population. HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person and by blood or body fluid exchange through sharing of contaminated needles or transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Infants born to HIV-infected women may become infected in gestation, during birth, or through breastfeeding. An antenatal clinic (ANC) HIV seroprevalence sentinel survey has been conducted biennially in Nigeria since 1991 to track the epidemic. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 3.5 million Nigerian adults and children were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2001. Among sex workers in Lagos, HIV prevalence rose from 2 percent in 1988–89 to 12 percent in 1990–91. By 1995–96, up to 70 percent of sex workers tested positive. As a result of the epidemic, the crude death rate in Nigeria was about 20 percent higher in 2000 than in 1990. In 2019, 170,000 adults and children died of AIDS and UNAIDS estimated that 1 million children orphaned by AIDS were living in Nigeria. The main thrust of HIV prevention strategies in Nigeria is based on the following: Information, Education, and Communication; Condom Promotion; Behavior Change; and Vaccine Development.
Full Mouth Rehabilitation Using Alveolar Ridge Splitting Technique with Immediate Implant Placement in the Maxilla and Delayed Implant Placement in the Mandible: A Case Report with 4 Years Follow-Up
Authors: Hamdan Houssam Abou , Salame Talal H. , Aoun Georges
Published: April 2021

The bone split technique is used to increase the width of a narrow ridge for implant placement with high success rates. This technique was performed on a 53-year-old patient with bilateral mandibular posterior edentulous and fully edentulous maxilla. Implants placement was performed afterward with two-step modus operandi on the mandible and immediate placement on maxilla. A successful prosthetic rehabilitation was done following the healing phase. This approach led to full restoration of function and esthetic with a predictable outcome.
Thanatology Students’ Attitudes When Facing Patients Death
Authors: Pancardo Diana Cecilia Tapia
Published: April 2021

Background: Health professionals constantly face patients’ death in their work places, along with a series of changes that develop during the mourn process of the human being in both, patient´s relatives and themselves. They intervene in some steps of the process since, consciously or unconsciously they interact with the hospitalized dying patient and relatives, either in a public or private institution. Health professionals receive some training in the subject, but it is not common so that they seek to get it. The aim of the study was to identify the attitudes of the thanatology diplomat students when facing death in their professional and personal lives, in order to promote their continuum improvement in thanatology attention.

Methods: the study was quantitative, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective; a questionnaire was applied to 33 students of the thanatology diplomat from National Autonomous University of Mexico with hospital practice. The questionnaire had 7 items with a Likert scale of frequent, infrequent, never, that included the variables of study, such as death process in different life steps, death due to suicide, sudden death, due to HIV/AIDS, etc. An Excel data base was created and descriptive statistics was used in the analysis.

Results: When a child was dying, 27 students were empathetic in communicating affection and companionship during the process, while the rest had difficulty doing so. For the death of the adolescents, 27 students behaved empathetic and affective, while 2 showed difficulty in accepting the death of the patient and the rest avoided interaction with the patient and relatives. In the case of adult death, 28 students behaved empathetic and affectionate; while for the older ones, 24 students behaved empathetic and affective, 3 believed it as a natural process that comes to an end.

Conclusion: Attitudes of thanatology diplomat students facing death, along their professional and personal lives improve once they received information for dealing with patients and relatives.
Antimalarial Activity of Ethanol Extract of Mucuna pruriens Leaves on Nk65 Chloroquine Sensitive Strain of Plasmodium berghei
Authors: Ezim O. E. , Alagbe O. V. , Idih F. M.
Published: April 2021

Mucuna pruriens leaves are used in some part of Nigeria for the treatment of malaria and anemia. With an estimated 3.3 billion people in 97 countries and territories at risk of being infected with malaria according to the WHO, researching into new chemotherapeutic agent against this disease is indeed necessary. This study was designed to evaluate the antimalarial effect of ethanol extract of Mucuna pruriens leaves on NK65 chloroquine sensitive strain of plasmodium berghei in mice. The bioactive compounds in the extract were identified using GC-MS. The experimental animals were divided into 6 groups: negative control, normal control, groups treated with chloroquine (10 mg/kg), Artemeter/Lumefantrine-ACT (20 mg/120 mg/kg), 500 mg/kg of M. pruriens, 1000 mg/kg of M. pruriens and 2000 mg/kg of M. pruriens respectively. Parasite inoculation was done by intraperitoneal injection of 0.2ml of the inoculum (1×107 infected erythrocytes). The GCMS result revealed the extract contains n-hexadeconoic acid, a compound known to possess antimalarial properties. The study revealed that the administrations M. pruriens leaves extracts at suitable doses reduced the parasite load and were able to maintain the PCV at a normal range with a stabilising effect on body weight.
Evaluation of Thrombocytopenia: A Prospective Study at Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, India
Authors: Sripati Tirumala Kanakadurga , Palaniandavan S. , Govindarajan . , Thanka J.
Published: April 2021

Thrombocytopenia is a physiological deficiency in platelet counting. Fragmented RBC can be a chronic   trigger   for a subclinical micro angiopathy that results in chronic consumption of platelets. The platelet is a small, lentiform, anucleated cell that play a vital role in hemostasis and are produced in the bone marrow from megakaryocytes. To evaluate different etiological factors of thrombocytopenia by the study of clinical profile and laboratory parameters in patients with thrombocytopenia carried out in Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. After evaluating all cases of thrombocytopenia, it is concluded that infective causes are more common than non-infective causes. Infections like dengue, malaria and septicemia were the common causes of thrombocytopenia along with megaloblastic anemia. Whenever thrombocytopenia is detected, a further investigation has to be done for specific diagnosis in the most of the cases so that appropriate treatment can be given.
Strain Field Development of a Rectangular Dislocation Loop in a Semi-Infinite Medium with Verification
Authors: Li Luo , Khraishi Tariq A.
Published: April 2021

This paper considers a rectangular Volterra dislocation loop lying beneath and parallel to a free surface in a semi-infinite material. The paper utilizes the displacement field of an  infinitesimal dislocation loop to obtain the strain field and then integrate over a finite rectangular area. For the loop, it can have three non-zero Burgers vector components. The stress field   is also obtained from Hooke’s law for isotropic materials. Analytical and numerical verifications of the strain and stress fields are performed. In addition, the effect of the free surface on  stresses is displayed versus depth from the surface. Verification includes satisfaction of the zero-traction boundary condition, the stress equilibrium equations and the strain compatibility  equations.
A Qualitative Examination of Collaborative Infrastructure within Sexual Assault Response Teams
Authors: Wegrzyn Annie , Greeson Megan R. , Mihelicova Martina
Published: April 2021

Sexual assault response teams (SARTs) are multidisciplinary interventions that seek to improve the response to sexual assault in their community. SARTs bring together relevant stakeholders (e.g., sexual assault advocates, medical/forensic examiners, police, prosecutors) to coordinate the response to sexual assault and improve survivors’ help‐seeking experiences. SARTs may adopt various infrastructures to guide their team (e.g., case review, subcommittees), but little is known about how infrastructure influences SART effectiveness. Therefore, this qualitative study examined the helpful versus challenging aspects of SART infrastructure. Interviews from a national random sample of 169 SART leaders revealed helpful versus challenging aspects of mission statements, formal protocols, subcommittees, team roles, trainings, meetings, and case review. Participants believed infrastructures have positive influences on interdisciplinary relationships, team efficiency, and creating improvements in responding to sexual assault. However, certain infrastructures were difficult to implement for some teams. Additionally, some infrastructures can have unintended consequences, such as exacerbating team conflict. Findings suggest that SARTs may benefit from first focusing on infrastructures that build trusting interdisciplinary relationships and widespread buy‐in prior to implementing accountability‐focused measures (e.g., protocols, case review).
Design of ethylene oxide production process based on adaptive design of experiments and Bayesian optimization
Authors: Iwama Ryo , Kaneko Hiromasa
Published: April 2021

In process design, the values of design variables X for equipment and operating conditions should be appropriately selected for entire processes, including all unit operations, such as reactors and distillation columns, to consider effects between unit operations. However, as the number of X increases, many more simulations are required to search for the optimal X values. Furthermore, multiple objective variables Y, such as yields, make the optimization problem difficult. We propose a process design method based on adaptive design of experiments and Bayesian optimization. Selection of X values that satisfy the target values of multiple Y variables are searched, and simulations for the selected X values are then repeated. Therefore, the X will be selected by a small number of simulations. We verify the effectiveness of this method by simulating an ethylene oxide production plant.
Novel Insight into Proximal DNA Domain Interactions from Temperature‐Controlled Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Pruška Adam , Marchand Adrien , Zenobi Renato
Published: April 2021

Quadruplexes are non‐canonical nucleic acid structures essential for many cellular processes. Hybrid quadruplex–duplex oligonucleotide assemblies comprised of multiple domains are challenging to study with conventional biophysical methods due to their structural complexity. Here, we introduce a novel method based on native mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with a custom‐built temperature‐controlled nanoelectrospray ionization (TCnESI) source designed to investigate interactions between proximal DNA domains. Thermal denaturation experiments were aimed to study unfolding of multi‐stranded oligonucleotide constructs derived from biologically relevant structures and to identify unfolding intermediates. Using the TCnESI MS, we observed changes in Tm and thermodynamic characteristics of proximal DNA domains depending on the number of domains, their position, and order in a single experiment.
LiZn(OH)CO3: A Deep‐Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Hydroxycarbonate Designed from a Diamond‐like Structure
Authors: Liu Xiaomeng , Kang Lei , Gong Pifu , Lin Zheshuai
Published: April 2021

Deep‐ultraviolet (DUV) nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals are vital to the development of science and state‐of‐the‐art technologies, but the exploration of these important optoelectronic materials is hindered by the contradiction between NLO effect and energy band gap as well as the sensitivity of DUV phase‐matching to optical birefringence. Here, in order to achieve a well balanced DUV NLO performance, we chose the diamond‐like structure as the prototype template for the material design and synthesized the first DUV NLO hydroxycarbonate crystal, LiZn(OH)CO3. This compound simultaneously has a wide band gap (>6.53 eV), a strong second harmonic generation response (ca. 3.2×KDP), and a large birefringence (0.147 at 1064 nm) with the shortest DUV phase‐matching capability (λPM<190 nm) among all reported NLO carbonates. Moreover, the structure–property relationships in LiZn(OH)CO3 are analyzed by first‐principles calculations. This work presents an effective design strategy to push the NLO performance of hydroxycarbonates into the DUV region.
Self‐Assembly of Copper–DNAzyme Nanohybrids for Dual‐Catalytic Tumor Therapy
Authors: Liu Congzhi , Chen Yaoxuan , Zhao Jian , Wang Yong , Shao Yulei , Gu Zhanjun , Li Lele , Zhao Yuliang
Published: April 2021

Despite the great efforts of using DNAzyme for gene therapy, its clinical success is limited by the lack of simple delivery systems and limited anticancer efficacy. Here, we develop a simple approach for the synthesis of hybrid nanostructures that exclusively consist of DNAzyme and Cu2+ with ultra‐high loading capacity. The Cu–DNAzyme nanohybrids allow to effectively co‐deliver DNAzyme and Cu2+ into cancer cells for combinational catalytic therapy. The released Cu2+ can be reduced to Cu+ by glutathione and then catalyze endogenous H2O2 to form cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals for chemodynamic therapy (CDT), while the 10–23 DNAzyme enables the catalytic cleavage of VEGFR2 mRNA and activates gene silencing for gene therapy. We demonstrate that the system can efficiently accumulate in the tumor and exhibit amplified cascade antitumor effects with negligible systemic toxicity. Our work paves an extremely simple way to integrate DNAzyme with CDT for the dual‐catalytic tumor treatment.
Tuneable Control of Organocatalytic Activity through Host–Guest Chemistry
Authors: Li Guotai , Trausel Fanny , van der Helm Michelle P. , Klemm Benjamin , Brevé Tobias G. , van Rossum Susan A. P. , Hartono Muhamad , Gerlings Harm H. P. J. , Lovrak Matija , van Esch Jan H. , Eelkema Rienk
Published: April 2021

Dynamic regulation of chemical reactivity is important in many complex chemical reaction networks, such as cascade reactions and signal transduction processes. Signal responsive catalysts could play a crucial role in regulating these reaction pathways. Recently, supramolecular encapsulation was reported to regulate the activities of artificial catalysts. We present a host‐guest chemistry strategy to modulate the activity of commercially available synthetic organocatalysts. The molecular container cucurbit[7]uril was successfully applied to change the activity of four different organocatalysts and one initiator, enabling up‐ or down‐regulation of the reaction rates of four different classes of chemical reactions. In most cases CB[7] encapsulation results in catalyst inhibition, however in one case catalyst activation by binding to CB[7] was observed. The mechanism behind this unexpected behavior was explored by NMR binding studies and pKa measurements. The catalytic activity can be instantaneously switched during operation, by addition of either supramolecular host or competitive binding molecules, and the reaction rate can be predicted with a kinetic model. Overall, this signal responsive system proves a promising tool to control catalytic activity.
Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Norzoanthamine
Authors: Xin Zhengyuan , Wang Hui , He Haibing , Zhao Xiaoli , Gao Shuanhu
Published: April 2021

We report herein the asymmetric total synthesis of norzoanthamine using radical reactions as key steps for rapid access to the congested carbocyclic core, which is the major synthetic challenge for most zoanthamine alkaloids. (1) The Ueno–Stork radical cyclization was applied to construct the adjacent quaternary centers at the C‐9 and C‐22 positions; (2) a Co‐catalyzed HAT radical reaction was successfully applied to construct the quaternary center at C‐12 via Csp3‐Csp2 bond formation; (3) a Mn‐catalyzed HAT radical reaction was used to stereospecifically reduce the tetra‐substituted olefin (C13=C18) and install the contiguous stereocenters in proximity to the quaternary center. A one‐pot bio‐inspired cyclization step was finally applied to forge the unstable bis‐amino acetal skeleton. Our approach can precisely control the stereochemistry of seven vicinal stereocenters and effectively construct the highly congested heptacyclic skeleton.
UV Solar‐Blind‐Region Phase‐Matchable Optical Nonlinearity and Anisotropy in a π‐Conjugated Cation‐Containing Phosphate
Authors: Wu Chao , Jiang Xingxing , Wang Zujian , Sha Hongyuan , Lin Zheshuai , Huang Zhipeng , Long Xifa , Humphrey Mark G. , Zhang Chi
Published: April 2021

Wide ultraviolet (UV) transparency, strong second‐harmonic generation (SHG) response, and sufficient optical birefringence for phase‐matching (PM) at short SHG wavelengths are vital for practical UV nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. However, simultaneously optimizing these properties is a major challenge, particularly for metal phosphates. Herein, we report a non‐traditional π‐conjugated cation‐based UV NLO phosphate [C(NH2)3]6(PO4)2⋅3 H2O (GPO) with a short UV cutoff edge. GPO is SHG active at 1064 nm (3.8 × KH2PO4 @ 1064 nm) and 532 nm (0.3 × β‐BaB2O4 @ 532 nm) and also possesses a significant birefringence (0.078 @ 546 nm) with a band gap >6.0 eV. The PM SHG capability of GPO can extend to 250 nm, indicating GPO is a promising UV solar‐blind NLO material. Calculations and crystal structure analysis show that the rare coexistence of wide UV transparency, large SHG response, and optical anisotropy is due to the introduction of π‐conjugated cations [C(NH2)3]+ and their favorable arrangement with [PO4]3− anions.
Full‐Color and White Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Hydrogen‐Bonded Ionic Organic Microcrystals
Authors: Li Zhong‐Qiu , Gong Zhong‐Liang , Shao Jiang‐Yang , Yao Jiannian , Zhong Yu‐Wu
Published: April 2021

A simple and general method is presented herein for the in situ preparations of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)‐active microcrystals with a large luminescence dissymmetry factor glum, high fluorescence quantum efficiency (ΦFL), wide emission color tenability, and well‐ordered morphology. The reactions of pyridine‐containing achiral molecules 1–7 with chiral camphor sulfonic acid ((±)‐CSA) gave crystalline microplates formed by hydrogen bonding interactions between the protonated pyridinium units and the sulfonic anions. The chiral information of CSA are effectively transferred to the microcrystals by hydrogen bonding to afford full‐color CPL from deep‐blue to red with glum in the order of 10−2 and ΦFL up to 80 %. Moreover, organic microcrystals with high‐performance white CPL (ΦFL=46 %; |glum|=0.025) are achieved via the light‐harvesting energy transfer between blue and yellow emitters.
A sustainable approach for efficient one‐pot synthesis of 1‐aryl 1,2,3‐triazoles using copper iodide supported on 3‐thionicotinyl‐urea‐modified magnetic nanoparticles in DES
Authors: Mirshafiee Sogand , Salamatmanesh Arefe , Heydari Akbar
Published: April 2021

An efficient and retrievable copper(I) catalyst was synthesized by immobilizing of copper iodide on 3‐thionicotinyl‐urea‐modified magnetic nanoparticles and characterized using a variety of analysis techniques. The catalytic activity of these nanoparticles was investigated in the one‐pot three‐component reaction of aryl halides, sodium azide, and terminal alkynes using choline chloride/PEG deep eutectic mixture as a green and recoverable solvent. The PEGylated deep eutectic solvent (DES), due to its favorable polarity and solubility, can make an effective association of polar and non‐polar reactants during the reaction, thereby accelerating the catalysis process. An array of 1‐aryl 1,2,3‐triazoles were obtained in good to excellent yields. The catalyst system can be readily recovered and reused at least five times with no appreciable loss of its activity.
Trypsin Inhibitor Assay: Expressing, Calculating, and Standardizing Inhibitor Activity in Absolute Amounts of Trypsin Inhibited or Trypsin Inhibitors
Authors: Liu Keshun
Published: April 2021

For expressing trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), trypsin units inhibited (TUI), trypsin inhibited, and trypsin inhibitors have been used. Although the last two units are preferred, their calculations in current practices require refinement. With the proposed AOCS method Ba 12a‐2020, four experiments were conducted, using four trypsin preparations having specific activity of 11,625, 12,602, 13,728, and 14,926 Nα‐benzoyl‐L‐arginine ethyl ester (BAEE) units/mg protein, respectively. Experiment 1 determined the relationship between absorbance at 410 nm (A410) and trypsin concentration. Experiment 2 involved assaying raw and heated soybeans, expressing TIA as TUI/mg sample and μg trypsin inhibited/mg sample, and determining conversion factors between the two units. Experiment 3 resembled Experiment 2 except for using purified soybean Kunitz inhibitor (KTI) and Bowman‐Birk inhibitor (BBI). Conversion factors determined correlated highly with trypsin‐specific activity (R2 = 0.9789). After standardizing against a reference trypsin having 15,000 BAEE units/mg protein, a standardized conversion factor of 0.03 A410 (1.5 TUI) = 1 μg trypsin inhibited was determined. It remained consistent regardless of trypsin specific activity, with or without inhibitors, and type of inhibitor samples. By using purified inhibitors (Experiment 3), conversion values between TUI and μg trypsin inhibitor and between μg trypsin inhibited and μg trypsin inhibitor could also be calculated, enabling expression of TIA in amounts of pure KTI, BBI or their equivalents. Furthermore, when the AOCS method was modified with half substrate concentration, half trypsin concentration or half both (Experiment 4), TIA values in TUI could change with modifications but values in mg trypsin inhibited (standardized) or trypsin inhibitor remained consistent.
Overflow oscillations‐free realization of discrete‐time 2D Roesser models under quantization and overflow constraints
Authors: Malik Saddam Hussain , Tufail Muhammad , Rehan Muhammad , Rashid Haroon ur
Published: April 2021

This brief proposes novel linear matrix inequalities‐based criteria to investigate the asymptotic convergence of states to an overflow oscillations‐free ellipsoidal region for a two‐dimensional Roesser digital model subjected to quantization and overflow effects of a digital hardware. Existence of a novel region for two‐dimensional Rosser systems is shown in the present study, in which overflow oscillations can be completely removed for realization of a system. New realization conditions for Roesser systems in the absence and presence of external interference along with stability and overflow‐free regional behavior are investigated by application of regional analysis, convex routines, and Lyapunov redesign. In contrast to existing literature that primarily focus on a specific type of quantitation and global asymptotic stability, the conditions in the presented work are derived by considering the generalized quantization arithmetic and for guaranteeing convergence of states in a convex oscillations‐free region (in the steady‐state) in both the absence and presence of bounded interference. The localized stable regions can be directly associated with the word‐length employed to realize the two‐dimensional systems on a digital hardware. Simulation results are also furnished to validate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Effects of Long‐Term Exposure of Intermediate Frequency Magnetic Fields (20 kHz, 360 µT) on the Development, Pathological Findings, and Behavior of Female Mice
Authors: Lerchl Alexander , Drees (née Grote) Karen , Gronau Isabel , Fischer Dirk , Bauch Julia , Hoppe Axel
Published: April 2021

The use of magnetic fields in the intermediate‐frequency (IF) range to wirelessly charge electric cars with power transfer in the kilowatt range has become increasingly widespread, leading to unavoidable stray fields in the microtesla range. Only a handful of studies have assessed the potential biological risks associated with exposure to such fields. We exposed female mice (n = 80 per group) to either 20 kHz, 360 µT (rms), or sham in Helmholtz coils to conduct a blind design study. Exposure started at 3 months of age (24 h/day). Body mass was recorded every 1–2 weeks. At 10 months of age, three behavioral tests were performed on 24 animals per group. Three months later, the mice were sacrificed and organs (brain, liver, kidney, spleen, and lung) were removed and prepared for microscopic analysis. Our findings demonstrate no differences in the development of body mass and survival rates (96% and 89%, respectively). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in tumor incidence rates. When it comes to behavioral tests, the 8‐arm maze results revealed no significant differences. In contrast, the Rotarod data were significantly (P < 0.001) different with longer retention times seen in the exposed mice. In the open field, the number of supported rears was significantly lower (P < 0.01), whereas the other endpoints did not show any differences. Overall, our data reveal no adverse effects of exposure to 20 kHz, 360 µT on the development and tumor incidences, while the significant differences in the behavioral tests may indicate higher levels of alertness in mice.
Does adoption of ISO 56002‐2019 and green innovation reporting enhance the firm sustainable development goal performance? An emerging paradigm
Authors: Khan Parvez Alam , Johl Satirenjit Kaur , Johl Shireenjit K.
Published: April 2021

Reporting is a means of communication for companies to their respective stakeholders. The literature on non‐financial reporting has mostly focused on operational, Carbon Discloser Project (CDP), and environmental disclosure to firm performance. This reporting and disclosure approach adopted by companies in their sustainability practices appears to be a normative approach. However, there has been a growing demand by stakeholders to incorporate proactive approach in business activities. To meet that, green innovation practices (GIPs) has been integrated as a new element in environmental reporting, thereby reflecting the proactiveness of companies in their adoption of green innovation reporting (GIR). The objective of this study is to advocate for greater disclosure on sustainability reporting by incorporating the GIPs of companies and substantial, sustainable development goal contribution, along with the moderation of the newly upgraded ISO 56002‐2019 innovation management system. Adoption of green innovation reporting and ISO 56002‐2019 will enhance the level of transparency of business activities and create greater stakeholder confidence along with enhancing the firm's sustainable development of goal performance. Furthermore, an extensive literature review was undertaken to create a GIR framework (i.e., product, process, service and technology) for firms to integrate GIPs into sustainability reporting. The conceptual model proposed the adoption of green innovation reporting and ISO 56002‐2019 innovation management system to firm sustainable development goal. This needs to be injected into the sustainable reporting of companies to reflect their innovativeness, actual sustainable business practices and sustainable development goal performance for the firm.
Voluntary carbon offsetting and consumer choices for environmentally critical products—An experimental study
Authors: Warburg Johan , Frommeyer Britta , Koch Julia , Gerdt Sven‐Olaf , Schewe Gerhard
Published: April 2021

Purchases of voluntary carbon offsets (VCOs) are growing tremendously. At the same time, the number of activities and products for which VCOs are available is increasing. Experts discuss whether offering VCOs is exclusively associated with positive effects on the environment or if it instead may lead to increased consumption of environmentally critical products. To date, empirical evidence on such adverse effects is scarce. Therefore, this study uses a randomized controlled trial design to investigate how the availability of VCOs affects consumers' choices for environmentally critical products. The results suggest that when VCOs are available, the likelihood of environmentally critical consumption increases. From a mental accounting perspective, our findings support the theoretical rationale of VCOs as an instrument for moral licensing. Additionally, our results indicate that individuals tend to trivialize the harmfulness of the environmentally critical product and overestimate the effectiveness of VCOs for environmental protection, which we consider strategies for reducing cognitive dissonance and guilt.
Antifungal Biphenyl Derivatives from Sorbus pohuashanensis Leaves Infected by Alternaria tenuissi and Their Effect against Crop Pathogens
Authors: Song Chenggang , Wang Xing , Yang Jian , Kuang Yi , Wang Yuxuan , Yang Shengxiang , Qin Jianchun , Guo Lanping
Published: April 2021

Eight natural biphenyl‐type phytoalexins exhibiting antifungal effect were isolated from the leaves of Sorbus pohuashanensis, which invaded by Alternaria tenuissi, and their growth inhibition rate towards A. tenuissi were 50.3 %, 54.0 %, 66.4 %, 58.8 %, 48.5 %, 51.0 %, 33.3 %, and 37.0 %, respectively. In vivo activity assay verified the protective effect of these natural biphenyls on tobacco leaves. The observation of mycelial morphology revealed that these compounds possessed adverse effects on mycelial growth of A. tenuissi. Subsequently, the most potent active compounds, 3′,4′,5′‐trimethoxy[1,1′‐biphenyl]‐4‐ol (3) and 3,4,4′,5‐tetramethoxy‐1,1′‐biphenyl (4), were conducted to the further antifungal evaluation and showed significant activity against the other four crop pathogens, Fusarium graminearum, Helminthosporium maydis, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Exserohilum turcicum. Further, the structure‐activity relationships and biosynthesis of these compounds were speculated in this work.
Biochemical and Thermochemical Routes of H2 Production from Food Waste: A Comparative Review
Authors: Yadav Sanjeev , Singh Dharminder , Mohanty Pravakar , Sarangi Prakash Kumar
Published: April 2021

Hydrogen production from food waste by biochemical and thermochemical methods is reviewed herein. Generally, fermentation, a biochemical method, is considered to be more suitable for hydrogen production from food waste, and the performance of fermentation units depends on many factors, e.g., substrate composition, type of pretreatment, reactor configuration, and operating parameters, e.g., organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time, pH, and temperature. Controlling so many factors is tedious, expensive, and results in a slow process. On the other hand, thermochemical methods involve fewer factors and steps, can be much faster and less costly, and can also be used for efficient hydrogen production from food waste. Steam gasification has produced good hydrogen yields from raw food waste.
Contribution of Metal Additives on the Electrochemical Process Involving Solid Sulfur and Soluble Lithium Polysulfide in Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Kazahaya Natsuho , Katayama Yu , Tsutsumi Hiromori
Published: April 2021

Lithium‐sulfur (Li−S) batteries have attracted remarkable attention as next‐generation batteries due to their low cost and high theoretical specific energy density. However, they have encountered several difficulties, including low specific capacity due to the insulating nature of sulfur as well as poor cycle performance. Here, we introduce the Li−S batteries using metal‐deposited graphite as a positive electrode, together with S8 and Li2S8 as active materials to achieve high initial discharge capacity and improved cyclability. Galvanostatic charge‐discharge measurements for the S8‐impregnated electrode highlight the positive effect of Au additives on the initial discharge capacity (mAh cm−3); 48.1 (G)<56.1 (Ag/G)<84.1 (Au/G). Furthermore, improved cyclability was observed for the Au‐decorated electrode with a Li2S8 catholyte system; capacity retention rate was in order of Ag/G<G<Au/G. The validity of the design strategy for both electrode and active material was confirmed by observing the highest discharge capacity at the 50th cycle for Au‐decorated electrode (84.8 mAh cm−3) using both S8 and Li2S8 active materials. We concluded that (1) the enhanced electrochemical solid⇄liquid conversion of sulfur and (2) high sulfur affinity of Au particle enabled the efficient utilization of insulated solid sulfur active materials (S8 and Li2S) as well as liquid lithium polysulfide intermediates, contributing to the high initial discharge capacity and better cyclability.
Synthesis and Characterization of Bis‐1,2,3‐Triazole Ligand and its Corresponding Copper Complex for the Development of Electrochemical Affinity Biosensors
Authors: Kanso Hussein , Ben Jrad Amani , Inguimbert Nicolas , Rammal Wassim , Philouze Christian , Thomas Fabrice , Noguer Thierry , Calas‐Blanchard Carole
Published: April 2021

The bis‐triazole ligand and its corresponding copper complexes were synthesized and characterized for the first time and proposed as new labels for the development of electrochemical aptasensors. The bis‐triazole ligand was prepared from methyl 1,6‐heptadiyne‐4‐carboxylate and 2‐(azidomethyl)phenol using classical CuAAC in presence of different copper salts. The X‐ray structure of bis‐triazole showed a symmetry center (C1). UV‐Vis and X‐band EPR spectra showed that the coordination capacity of the bis‐triazole ligand was improved in the presence of triethylamine due to deprotonation of the triazole and phenolate moieties. After complexation with copper, the obtained complex was successfully attached to an anti‐estradiol aptamer through thiol‐maleimide coupling, and the resulting labelled aptamer was immobilized on a carbon screen‐printed electrode by carbodiimide coupling. The electrochemical response of the resulting sensor was shown to decrease in the presence of estradiol, demonstrating that the developed complexes can be applied for the development of aptasensors.
The Guerbet Reaction Network – a Ball‐in‐a‐Maze‐Game or: Why Ru‐MACHO‐BH is Poor in Coupling two Ethanol to n‐Butanol
Authors: Ohligschläger Andreas , van Staalduinen Nils , Cormann Carsten , Mühlhans Jan , Wurm Jan , Liauw Marcel A.
Published: April 2021

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Marcel A. Liauw at the RWTH Aachen University (Germany). The cover picture shows a playable version of the homogeneously catalyzed Guerbet‐coupling from ethanol to n‐butanol. The 2D ball‐in‐a‐maze‐game is shown here because the reaction steps are either performed in presence of a redox catalyst (top‐down) or in presence of a base (left‐right). Both axes can be moved independently from each other and substances are connected with humps in the height of the activation barrier. Playing the game repeatedly for a defined time and writing down the outcomes (see blackboard) yields the composition of the reaction mixture at a given time. Alas, the highly active redox catalyst Ru‐MACHO shows unsatisfying yields and selectivities of n‐butanol. But why?  Read the full text of their Full Paper at 10.1002/cmtd.202000056.