bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhancing green product and process innovation: Towards an integrative framework of knowledge acquisition and environmental investment
Authors: Awan Usama , Arnold Marlen Gabriele , Gölgeci Ismail 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDespite the increasing interest in green innovation literature, little is known on how and under what conditions firms' knowledge transfer activities affect green innovation. There is lack of research that on how particular organizational capabilities are seen more useful and how it influences on green innovation performance. To address this research gap, we examine a mediation model in which we explore whether a firm's knowledge acquisition capability and investment in environmental management mediate the impact of buyer‐driven knowledge transfer activities on green product innovation and green process innovation. On the basis of an analysis of a sample of 239 manufacturing firms, we find that buyer‐driven knowledge activities have a greater positive impact on green product innovation than green process innovation. Investment in environmental management fully mediates the relationship between buyer‐driven knowledge transfer activities and green process innovation, and knowledge acquisition capability partially mediates the relationship between buyer‐driven knowledge transfer activities and green product innovation. The current study provides evidence that internal competencies and the role of buyers in knowledge transfer are critical for explaining the green product innovation and green process innovation. Our results suggest that buyer involvement pushes firms to develop resource acquisition capability to enhance green product innovation. Our results also highlight the importance of investment in environmental management for overcoming the environmental challenges in the manufacturing firms.
Diverticulitis in the sigmoid colon presenting with only lower anterior chest pain
Authors: Tago Masaki , Hirata Risa , Hisata Yoshio , Satsuki Oie , Yoshinori Tokushima , Aihara Hidetoshi , Fujiwara Motoshi , Yamashita Shu‐ichi 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAn 80‐year‐old man who presented with only lower anterior chest pain was diagnosed as sigmoid colon diverticulitis. His chest pain was considered to be referred pain from a disease at sigmoid colon, which should be suspected when other major causes of chest pain are excluded.
Kinetics and Efficiency of Triplet‐Triplet Annihilation Photon Upconversion under Pulsed Excitation Conditions
Authors: Ye Chen , Albinsson Bo , Börjesson Karl 
Published: November 2020

AbstractTriplet‐triplet annihilation is a promising method to convert low energy photons to high energy ones. Due to the long time‐scales and the bimolecular nature of the process, the overall efficiency of triplet‐triplet annihilation greatly depends on the excitation type and intensity. Upconversion efficiencies are usually measured using continuous wave conditions. Here we develop an analytical and experimental method to investigate how the excitation modulation affects the triplet‐triplet annihilation efficiency. The simulated and experimental results demonstrate high consistency. The triplet‐triplet annihilation efficiency drops as expected with increasing excitation frequency at a fixed average power density, which our simulations accurately predicts. The method described here allows to relate efficiencies measured at pulsed conditions with those measured at continuous wave conditions.
Smart meter‐based home energy report: Design and operation of automatic generation system of hourly usage indication message
Authors: Mukai Toshihiro , Nishio Ken‐ichiro , Komatsu Hidenori , Kobayashi Kazuyuki , Sasaki Masanobu , Maeki Wataru 
Published: November 2020

AbstractHome Energy Report (HER) is gathering attention as a method to promote energy conservation behavior in residential sector. Most of the existing efforts about HER assume the use of total monthly usage data. These usually compare customers’ monthly usages with that of similar neighbors. In our study, we developed a HER that uses smart meter data to give graphical information on customers’ monthly, weekly, daily and hourly electricity usages. In the smart meter‐based HER, the graphs that show hourly usage patterns are applied the method of automatically generating a message commenting the time zone to be paid attention by each customer. The automatic generation method uses smart meter data and several types of baseline hourly usages to analyze which time zone each customer should pay attention. In this paper, we provide a detailed explanation about the structure of the automatic generation method, and show analysis results of how the method have been worked by using the HER generation log data of approximately forty thousand households for twelve months.
The overlooked benefits of synzoochory: rodents rescue seeds from aborted fruits
Authors: Fedriani Jose M. , Calvo Gemma , Delibes Miguel , Ayllón Daniel , Garrote Pedro J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractLarge‐scale abortion of immature fruits is a pervasive phenomenon across seed plants due to maternal physiological decisions associated with matching resources with fruit crop size. Aborted fruits are usually disqualified from studies of both fruit production and seed dispersal. However, a considerable number of developing seeds occur within immature aborted fruits. We evaluated the untested hypotheses that seeds within aborted fruits are viable and that incomplete predation of seeds within aborted fruits by hoarding rodents provides, in addition to seed movement, increased germination and seedling emergence. To this end, we studied the system composed by the Iberian pear Pyrus bourgaeana and several rodent species in Mediterranean Spain. About a third of aborted fruits found beneath tree canopies (n = 2430) were partially eaten by rodents. Using a seed sowing experiment, we revealed that a considerable fraction of seeds from P. bourgaeana aborted fruits are viable, germinating, and emerging seedlings. Paradoxically, however, these seeds are de facto unviable since they are confined within the extremely hard pericarp of aborted fruits, which prevents any seedling emergence and thus any contribution to tree recruitment. We show that only when rodents partially gnaw the pericarp walls of aborted fruits, seeds that escaped from predation have the prospect of emerging and thus potentially contributing to tree regeneration. Thus, in this and probably in many other similar synzoochore systems, rodents act as rescuers of seeds confined within aborted fruits, conferring the plants a largely overlooked benefit that could shape the reproductive strategy of many plant species.
Halide perovskites: A dark horse for direct X‐ray imaging
Authors: Xu Xiuwen , Qian Wei , Xiao Shuang , Wang Jian , Zheng Shizhao , Yang Shihe 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe high cost and difficulty of fabricating high‐quality, thick, large‐area X‐ray absorbers limit their widespread applications in flat‐panel direct hard X‐ray imaging. Then it comes to the recently rising halide perovskites, which show large carrier mobility and lifetime, contain high atomic number elements and are solution processible, making them ideal for large‐area direct hard X‐ray imaging. Over the past few years, direct X‐ray detectors based on a variety of perovskites have been developed, showing impressive progress in achieving high sensitivity and low detection limit. Alongside the developments, the underlying correlations between the intrinsic properties of the perovskites and their X‐ray detection performance have been intensively studied, providing valuable information to tackle the remaining challenges, such as large dark current, baseline drifting and so forth. However, it is surprising to find that there have been no efforts to bring together a comprehensive review and comparative analysis on these previous research endeavors, and some general principles and guidelines of engineering the perovskites toward advanced X‐ray detectors have yet to be creamed off. Here, recent advances in engineering perovskites for direct X‐ray detection are reviewed in the hope of providing fundamental understanding of this fast‐developing field. First, the operation principles of direct X‐ray detectors targeting flat‐panel X‐ray imaging will be introduced, particularly relevant to perovskite materials. Then, recent innovative works regarding the preparation and manipulation of single‐crystalline and poly‐crystalline perovskites are discussed in detail, through which specific effects of the intrinsic properties of the perovskite upon X‐ray detection are highlighted. This is followed by a summary of the review and outlook of future directions.image
Effects of flue gas recirculation on energy, exergy, environment, and economics in oxy‐coal circulating fluidized‐bed power plants with CO2 capture
Authors: Kim Semie , Lim Young‐Il , Lee Doyeon , Seo Myung Won , Mun Tae‐Young , Lee Jae‐Goo 
Published: November 2020

SummaryCO2 capture and storage(CCS) are required for coal‐fired power plants, which are major sources of anthropogenic CO2 emission. In this study, energy, exergy, environment, and economic (4E) analyses were performed for a 500‐MWe oxy‐coal ultra‐supercritical circulating fluidized‐bed (CFB) power plant with CO2 capture. The effect of the location of flue‐gas recirculation (FGR) on the 4E values was investigated for wet FGR (wFGR) at 170°C, dry FGR (dFGR) at 68°C, and 80% wet and 20% dry FGR (wdFGR). The net electricity efficiencies of the wFGR and dFGR power plants were 37% and 36%, respectively. The exergy loss was the largest in the combustor and boiler area, where process improvement was possible. The levelized cost of electricity was approximately 60 $/MWh. The return on investment was 6.7% and 6.1%/y for the wFGR and dFGR plants, respectively. The CO2 emission rate decreased by 90% (from 690 to 76 kg‐CO2/MWh) in the oxy‐coal power plants with CO2 capture. Relative to the wFGR, the dFGR was advantageous for preventing material corrosion because of the lower sulfur content in the FGR stream. For the wdFGR power plant, the process performance was intermediate, that is, between that of the wFGR plant and that of the dFGR plant. The study provided an effective tool for identifying the technological and economic effects of the FGR location for the oxy‐coal power plant with CCS via 4E analyses.
Angiopoietin‐like protein 4 promotes very‐low‐density lipoprotein assembly and secretion in bovine hepatocytes in vitro
Authors: Kong Yezi , Zhao Chenxu , Huang Yan , Liu Yaoquan , Liu Siqi , Guo Yazhou , Li Manxia , Xu Tingxuan , Zhao Baoyu , Wang Jianguo 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn dairy cows, fatty liver is one of the most common metabolic diseases that occurs during the periparturient period. Angiopoietin‐like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) is a well‐known downstream target of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARs), which regulate the glucose and fatty acid metabolisms. The inhibition of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity interferes with the storage of triglycerides (TG) in adipocytes, which plays an essential role in lipid metabolism in rodents. However, it remains unclear whether ANGPTL4 is involved in the pathological process of fatty liver in dairy cows as a result of the regulation of the hepatocellular lipid transport system. This study intended to investigate the effect of ANGPTL4 on the very‐low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL) assembly and secretion in bovine hepatocytes. Bovine hepatocytes were isolated using a modified two‐step perfusion and collagenase digestion process, and treated with different concentrations of ANGPTL4 (0, 4, 12, and 24 ng/ml) for 24 hr. The results showed that a high concentration of ANGPTL4 could significantly increase the extracellular concentration of VLDL while reducing the intracellular content of TG. Thus, it was confirmed that ANGPTL4 could promote the transport of TG in the form of VLDL by partially regulating the expression of related proteins in hepatocytes, thereby contributing to the partial adaptive regulation of lipid transport in dairy cows.
Synthesis, anti‐inflammatory activity, and molecular docking study of novel azo bis antipyrine derivatives against cyclooxygenase‐2 enzyme
Authors: Bhuvaneswari Kaliyan , Nagasundaram Nagarajan , Lalitha Appaswami 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe have synthesized a new series of azo‐bis antipyrine derivatives from a one‐pot multicomponent Knoevenagel/Michael addition reaction of antipyrine, with a diversity of azo aldehydes in ethanol and L‐Proline as a catalyst under reflux condition. The anti‐inflammatory activity of the final products was assessed using the inhibition of albumin denaturation technique. Compound 3f showed an inhibitory effect with IC50 values of 3.6 μM with respect to the standard anti‐inflammatory drug Aspirin, with IC50 values of 2 μM. In addition, molecular docking was performed to confirm the in vitro results against the enzymatic inhibition activity of COX‐2 enzymes in which compound 3f showed good binding affinity with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 1.79 nM.
Application of PBPK Modeling and Simulation for Regulatory Decision Making and Its Impact on US Prescribing Information: An Update on the 2018‐2019 Submissions to the US FDA's Office of Clinical Pharmacology
Authors: Zhang Xinyuan , Yang Yuching , Grimstein Manuela , Fan Jianghong , Grillo Joseph A. , Huang Shiew‐Mei , Zhu Hao , Wang Yaning 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSince 2016, results from physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) analyses have been routinely found in the clinical pharmacology section of regulatory applications submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Clinical Pharmacology published a commentary summarizing the application of PBPK modeling in the submissions it received between 2008 and 2017 and its impact on prescribing information. In this commentary, we provide an update on the application of PBPK modeling in submissions received between 2018 and 2019 and highlight a few notable examples.
Scanning Electron Microscopy‐based palynological characterization of selected Euphorbiaceae taxa colonized in Pakistan
Authors: Alyas Tahira , Shaheen Shabnum , Hussain Farzeen , Harun Nidaa , Hussain Khadim , Sajjad Sumera , Ahmed Mushtaq , Khan Farah 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe present study was carried out on scanning electron microscopic‐based palynological characterization of selected 20 Euphorbiaceae taxa. In this study, important pollen qualitative and quantitative features of selected Euphorbiaceae species such as polar diameter, equatorial diameter, P/E ratio, sculpturing of pollen, exine thickness, intine thickness, presence or absence of colpi and length of colpi, and pollen fertility were examined. Remarkable variations in these pollen characters had been observed among these species. In both polar and equatorial views, Riccinus communis L. exhibited the highest pollen size (polar = 264.1 μm, Equatorial = 270 μm), while Acalypha wilkesiana Mull Arg. showed lowest pollen size (Polar = 17 μm, Equatorial = 18.5 μm). Most of the pollen varied from oblate to spheroidal in shape. With regard to the P/E ratio, Sapium sebiferum L. Roxb showed the highest ratio while Bischofia javanica Blume showed minimum, that is, 1.18 and 0.85, respectively. Intine and exine thickness also varied. Most of the pollen grains were monade. Tricolporate, tricolpate, monocolpate, pentaporate, and polyporate pollen aperture types have been observed. Most of the plants showed regular, reticulate, and echinate pollen sculpturing. Pollen fertility also varied from species to species but most of the plant showed pollen fertility between 70 and 80%. Through this work, it has been concluded that quantitative and qualitative pollen features are helpful at the specific level as well as the generic level and can provide a fruitful taxonomic solution.
Inducing regulated necrosis and shifting macrophage polarization with anti-EMMPRIN antibody (161-pAb) and complement factors
Authors: Hijaze Nizar , Ledersnaider Max , Simanovich Elina , Kassem Sameer , Rahat Michal A 
Published: November 2020

AbstractTreatment of solid tumors is often hindered by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that prevents effector immune cells from eradicating tumor cells and promotes tumor progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Therefore, targeting components of the TME to restore the ability of immune cells to drive anti-tumoral responses has become an important goal. One option is to induce an immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells that would trigger an adaptive anti-tumoral immune response. Here we show that incubating mouse renal cell carcinoma (RENCA) and colon carcinoma cell lines with an anti-extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer polyclonal antibody (161-pAb) together with complement factors can induce cell death that inhibits caspase-8 activity and enhances the phosphorylation of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) and mixed-lineage kinase-like domain (MLKL). This regulated necrotic death releases high levels of dsRNA molecules to the conditioned medium (CM) relative to the necrotic death of tumor cells induced by H2O2 or the apoptotic death induced by etoposide. RAW 264.7 macrophages incubated with the CM derived from these dying cells markedly enhanced the secretion of IFNβ, and enhanced their cytotoxicity. Furthermore, degradation of the dsRNA in the CM abolished the ability of RAW 264.7 macrophages to secrete IFNβ, IFNγ-induced protein 10 (IP-10), and TRAIL. When mice bearing RENCA tumors were immunized with the 161-pAb, their lysates displayed elevated levels of phosphorylated RIPK3 and MLKL, as well as increased concentrations of dsRNA, IFNβ, IP-10, and TRAIL. This shows that an antigen-targeted therapy using an antibody and complement factors that triggers ICD can shift the mode of macrophage activation by triggering regulated necrotic death of tumor cells.
Effects of serum amyloid protein A on influenza A virus replication and viral interactions with neutrophils
Authors: White Mitchell R , Hsieh I-Ni , De Luna Xavier , Hartshorn Kevan L 
Published: November 2020

AbstractInnate immunity is vital for the early control of influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Serum amyloid A (SAA1) is an acute phase reactant produced in the liver and lung that rises dramatically during IAV infection. The potential role of SAA1 in host defense against IAV is unknown. SAA1 has been reported to directly activate neutrophils and to recruit them to the lung during infectious and inflammatory processes. Neutrophils are the most abundant cell recruited to the lung in the early phase of IAV infection. There are different forms and preparations of SAA1 that have found to have different effects on phagocyte responses, through various receptors. In this paper, we test the direct effects of various preparations of serum derived or recombinant SAA on IAV and how it modulates the interactions of IAV with neutrophils. All SAA preparations bound to IAV in vitro but caused minimal hemagglutination inhibition or viral aggregation. The human serum-derived SAA1 or the complex of SAA1 with HDL did have IAV neutralizing activity in vitro, whereas the recombinant SAA1 preparations did not. We found that different SAA preparations also had markedly different effects on neutrophil functions, with E. coli-derived SAA1 triggering some responses in neutrophils on its own or in presence of IAV whereas mammalian cell-derived SAA1 did not. This discrepancy could be explained by the reported contamination of the former preparation with bacterial components. Of interest, however, serum SAA alone, serum SAA complexed with HDL, or HDL alone potentiated some neutrophil responses to IAV. Our results suggest that SAA may play some role in host response to IAV, but further work needs to be done to clarify the role of different variants of SAA alone or complexed with HDL.
Lignin‐Based Polyurethane: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives
Authors: Ma Xiaozhen , Chen Jing , Zhu Jin , Yan Ning 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPolyurethane (PU), as a polymer material with versatile product forms and excellent performance, is used in coatings, elastomers, adhesives, and foams widely. However, the raw materials (polyols and isocyanates) of PU are usually made using petroleum‐derived chemicals. With the concern for depletion of petroleum resources and the associated negative impact on the environment, developing technologies that can use renewable raw materials as feedstock has become a research hotspot. Lignin, as an abundant, natural, and renewable organic carbon resource, has been explored as raw material for making polyurethanes because it possesses rich hydroxyl groups on its surface. Meanwhile, compared to vegetable oils, lignin does not compete with food supply and performance of the resulting products is superior. Lignin or modified lignin has been shown to impart the polyurethane material with additional functionalities, such as UV‐blocking ability, hydrophobicity, and flame retardancy. However, the utilization of lignin has encountered some challenges, such as product isolation, heterogeneity, aggregation, steric hindrance, and low activity. This paper summarizes recent research progress on utilizing lignin and modified lignin for bio‐based polyurethane synthesis with a focus on elastomers and foams. Opportunities and challenges for application of the lignin‐based polyurethanes in various fields are also discussed.
Immobilization of Ionic Liquids with a New Cellulose Ester Containing Imidazolium Cation for High‐Performance CO2 Separation Membranes
Authors: Cheng Yaohui , Zhang Xin , Yin Chunchun , Zhang Jinming , Yu Jian , Zhang Jun 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCO2 gas separation is of significant importance to protect the environment and utilize the carbon resource. In this work, two kinds of new cellulose esters containing imidazolium cation, cellulose acetate (CA) 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride and CA 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (CA‐BmimTf2N), are designed and synthesized. The resultant cationized cellulose esters effectively lock various ionic liquids (ILs) via electrostatic interactions. Due to the strong attraction interactions, the obtained cellulose ester/ILs composite membranes are uniform, smooth, and highly transparent. Moreover, the added ILs with a long alkyl chain in the cation and a bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide anion remarkably improve the CO2 permeability of the cellulose ester/ILs membranes, because of the dramatic increase of the CO2 diffusion rate. The CA‐BmimTf2N/C10mimTf2N membranes exhibit the highest CO2 permeability, which is 3800% higher than that of CA membrane and 1700% higher than that of CA‐BmimTf2N membrane. More importantly, the CA‐BmimTf2N/C10mimTf2N membranes have good mechanical properties and thermal stability. Such high‐performance CO2 separation membranes with high CO2 permeability, high transparency, and good mechanical property have a huge potential in the practical utilization for gas separation.
On new exact solutions of the generalized Fitzhugh–Nagumo equation with variable coefficients
Authors: Hashemi Mir Sajjad , Akgül Ali 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn this article, Heir‐equations method has been used to investigate nonclassical symmetries and new exact solutions of the generalized Fitzhugh–Nagumo equation with variable coefficients. Different types of variable coefficients with corresponding exact solutions have been considered.