bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Photosynthetic light‐use efficiency of rice leaves under fluctuating incident light
Authors: Tatsumi Kenichi , Kuwabara Yoshiki , Motobayashi Takashi 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe responsiveness of photosynthesis to continuously fluctuating light intensities can provide an estimate of the net assimilation rate (A) and photosynthetic light‐use efficiency (PLUE), which cannot be measured under steady‐state conditions. This study was conducted to investigate whether the leaves of rice (Oryza sativa L.) ‘Koshihikari’ and ‘Akitakomachi’ can efficiently utilize light under constantly fluctuating incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and also to determine the effect of leaf N concentration on the acclimation of photosynthesis to changing PPFD. To this end, the instantaneous A and continually fluctuating incident PPFD were measured for 16 youngest fully expanded leaves of individual plants from dawn to dusk at the vegetative and reproductive phases under open‐air field conditions using two portable photosynthesis systems. The results revealed that (a) daily PLUE and calculated as the slope of the linear regression of A for values of PPFD between the light compensation point and 200 μmol m−2 s−1 can be improved with leaf N; (b) rice leaves do not utilize light efficiently under constantly fluctuating light conditions; and (c) the stomatal conductance per unit PPFD decreases under higher daily incident PPFD and diurnal fluctuation. Overall, our findings will help in refining crop photosynthesis models and would assist with the selection of high‐PLUE lines in breeding programs.
Integrated weed management strategies with cereal rye mulch in processing vegetable legumes
Authors: Korres Nicholas E. , Hausman Nicholas , Moody James L. , Kitis Yasin E. , Williams Martin M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractLittle is known about the potential benefits of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) in combination with various weed management tactics in processing vegetable legume crops such as edamame, lima bean, and snap bean. Field experiments were conducted over 3 yr to determine the extent to which early‐terminated rye (ETR) and integrated weed management (IWM) tactics, including pre‐ and post‐emergence herbicides with (augmented) or without (standard) hand weeding, suppress weed density and biomass. Possible drawbacks on crop establishment and yield were also investigated. Early‐terminated rye (cereal rye terminated 4 wk before vegetable crops planting; i.e., Feekes growth stage 8.00 to 9.00) reduced total weed biomass 53 and 73% compared with stale seedbed (SSB) in edamame and snap bean, respectively. In contrast, total weed density and biomass were increased by 67 and 39%, respectively, in lima bean under ETR compared with SSB treatment. Early‐terminated rye did not influence edamame establishment or yield; however, snap and lima beans had reduced yield. Soil nitrate‐nitrogen 4 wk after planting was negatively correlated with soil moisture in all vegetable legume crops tested. The application of pre‐ and post‐emergence herbicides, particularly when followed by hand weeding, reduced weed density and biomass and improved yield in all crops, except snap bean, compared with weedy plots. Results show that ETR can serve as an important component of IWM in edamame.
Ecological correlates of space use patterns in wild western lowland gorillas
Authors: Seiler Nicole , Robbins Martha M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe distribution of resources is a crucial determinant of animals' space use (e.g., daily travel distance, monthly home range size, and revisitation patterns). We examined how variation in ecological parameters affected variability in space use patterns of western lowland gorillas, Gorilla gorilla gorilla. They are an interesting species for investigating this topic because key components of their diet are nonfruit items (herbaceous vegetation and tree leaves) that occur at low density and are sparsely distributed, and fruits, which show high spatiotemporal variation in availability. We estimated how availability of nonfruit foods and fruit, frugivory (proportion of feeding time consuming fruit), and swamps in areas used by the gorillas influenced daily travel distance, monthly home range size, and revisit frequency to grid cells in the home range of one habituated gorilla group in Loango National Park, Gabon. Using location data from 2015 to 2018, we found that the gorillas decreased their daily travel distance as both the density of nonfruit foods and the proportion of swamps in areas used increased. Daily travel distances were shorter when both frugivory and availability of fruit were higher, yet, daily travel distances were longer when availability of fruit was low but frugivory was still high. Furthermore, monthly home range size increased as frugivory increased and monthly revisit frequencies to an area increased as fruit availability of an area increased. In conclusion, the availability of both nonfruit and fruit influenced the gorillas' space use patterns. Gorillas decreased foraging effort when food availability was high but were willing to incur increasing foraging costs to feed on fruit when availability was low. This study highlights how animals have to adjust their space use with changing resource availability and it emphasizes the value of examining multiple parameters of space use.
Elektrokatalyse als Nexus für nachhaltige erneuerbare Energien – der gordische Knoten aus Aktivität, Stabilität und Selektivität
Authors: Masa Justus , Andronescu Corina , Schuhmann Wolfgang 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDie Nutzung erneuerbarer Energie mittels elektrochemischer Techniken durch Konversion von H2O, CO2 und N2 in chemische Energieträger und Rohstoffe, ist die Basis zur Sicherung einer zukünftigen nachhaltigen “grünen” Energieversorgung. Es werden einige Schwächen und Inkohärenzen in der Praxis der Bestimmung der elektrokatalytischen Leistung diskutiert, die ein rationales Bottom‐up‐Katalysatordesign verhindert. Große Diskrepanzen in den Materialeigenschaften sowie hinsichtlich der elektrokatalytischen Aktivität und Stabilität werden offensichtlich, wenn Materialien unter den Bedingungen ihres geplanten Einsatzes im Gegensatz zu den üblichen Laborbedingungen getestet werden. Es wird für einheitliche Aktivitäts‐Stabilitäts‐Korrelationen bei anwendungsrelevanten Bedingungen plädiert, und es wird die Notwendigkeit zur eindeutigen Darstellung der elektrokatalytischen Leistung durch Kontextualisierung in Bezug auf die funktionelle Untersuchung oder den Fortschritt in Richtung Anwendung betont.
Modeling the mechanical response of polymers and nano‐filled polymers: Effects of porosity and fillers content
Authors: Alasfar Reema , Ahzi Saïd , Wang Kui , Barth Nicolas 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this study, models are developed to predict the mechanical behavior of porous polymer‐based membranes, since they are exposed to temperature and pressure load under service conditions. To the best of our knowledge, existing studies related to numerical simulations of mechanical behavior of polymer nanocomposites do not explicitly report porosity in the modeling. Hence, the proposed models attempt to explicitly examine the effect of porosity. The first model predicts the elastic modulus of porous polymer nanocomposites which is based on Weibull statistical analysis. The results show the combined effects of fillers content and porosity on the modulus. The second model predicts the yield stress for porous polymer nanocomposites. The coupled effects of fillers content and porosity on the yield stress is examined via our proposed extension of the cooperative model. A parametric study is conducted to show the influence of a single parameter used to model the influence of porosity.
Electrochemical inspection of polypyrrole/chitosan/zinc oxide hybrid composites
Authors: Antony Neethu , Mohanty Smita , Nayak Sanjay K. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPolymer nanocomposite composed of polypyrrole, chitosan, and zinc oxide nanoparticles has been synthesized and it has been evaluated for various electrochemical aspects of the current electrochemical industry. The polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized by the chemical oxidative polymerization reaction by employing ammonium persulfate as oxidizing agent. Composites of polypyrrole/chitosan (PPy/Chy) and polypyrrole/chitosan/ZnO (PCZ) composites were synthesized by the solution blending method. Detailed structural, morphological, thermal characterization of PPy, PPy/Chy, and PCZ were performed to characterize the specific features of the systems. The composites exhibit better thermal stability and high surface area and the addition of ZnO nanoparticle increase the crystallinity of the composite. Electrochemical characterization of the ITO electrodes modified with PPy, PPy/Chy, and PCZ were performed using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and amperometry techniques. The present study highlights the role of a bio‐compatible material with high surface area and conductive constituent for designing of various high performing electronic noninvasive sensors, biosensors, and so forth.
Downregulation of gap junctional intercellular communication and connexin 43 expression by bisphenol A in human granulosa cells
Authors: Lin Ta‐Chin , Wang Kai‐Hung , Chuang Kuo‐Hsiang , Kao An‐Pei , Kuo Tsung‐Cheng 
Published: July 2020

AbstractGap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is the transfer of ions, metabolites, and second messengers between neighboring cells through intercellular junctions. Connexin 43 (Cx43) was found to be the type of gap junction protein responsible for human granulosa cells (GCs) and oocyte communication, which is required for folliculogenesis and oocyte maturation. Bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogenic‐like endocrine‐disrupting chemical, is one of the most widely produced chemicals around the world. There are reports that the chemical might cause endometrial tumorigenesis and several female reproductive disorders. This study demonstrated that cell culture medium, containing antioxidants (N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine andl‐ascorbic acid‐2‐phosphate), was able to enhance the survival and self‐renewal of GCs. In addition, we found that BPA at environmentally relevant concentration (10−7 M) reduced Cx43 expression and GJIC in GCs through estrogen receptor and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways. The results of this study not only reveal the reproductive toxicity of BPA but also provide possible mechanisms by which BPA inhibited GJIC in GCs.
Binding of levobupivacaine‐loaded gold nanoparticles to human serum albumin: a simulated physiological study
Authors: Cui Yanhong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractTechniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectra, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) and spectroscopy were applied to elucidate the formation, structure and physicochemical properties of levobupivacaine–gold nanoparticle (LGN) binding to human serum albumin (HSA). Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG = −2.58 × 104 J·mol−1, ΔS = −7.80 J·mol−1·K−1, and ΔS = −2.82 × 104 J·mol−1 at 305 K) suggested one weak binding site on HSA, which was governed by van der Waals forces as well as hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the outcomes of UV–vis, CD, FTIR, synchronous and three‐dimensional fluorescence suggested that the microenvironment of HSA had been changed with addition of LGN. Based on the results of fluorescence resonance energy transfer, a distance of 2.8 nm between the LGN and HSA was observed. This approach has potential value for illustrating the pharmacodynamics of LGN when in combination with transmembrane transport, biomolecular function effect, and other experiments.
Synthesis and luminescence characterization of Eu3+‐doped Ca7Mg2(PO4)6 phosphor for eco‐friendly white light‐emitting diodes and thermoluminescence dosimetric applications
Authors: Parauha Yatish R. , Dhoble S.J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractA Eu3+‐activated Ca7Mg2(PO4)6 phosphor was prepared at high temperature (800°C) using a solid‐state reaction method. The crystal structure, phase formation of the prepared phosphor was characterized using X‐ray diffraction patterns and Fourier transformed infrared analysis. The luminescence properties of the synthesized phosphor were characterized using photoluminescence and thermoluminescence techniques. The prepared phosphor showed two emission peaks at 594 nm with an orange colour due to the 5D0→7F1 transition and at 612 nm a red colour due to the 5D0→7F2 transition under 396 nm near‐UV excitation. The prepared phosphors were irradiated with different doses of γ‐rays from a 60Co gamma irradiation source. Thermoluminescence glow curves for this sample phosphor were obtained using a Nucleonix 1009I TL reader. Synthesized phosphor samples were exposed to a 3.6 kGy dose of γ‐rays. The thermoluminescence glow curve of the Ca7Mg2(PO4)6:0.05 mol%Eu3+ phosphor showed maximum intensity at all concentrations of Eu3+ ions. The Ca7Mg2(PO4)6:0.05 mol%Eu3+ phosphor was irradiated with different doses of 60Co γ‐irradiation and a linear response was observed between 0.6 kGy and 3.6 kGy. Trapping parameters such as activation energy, frequency factor and order of kinetics were calculated. The CIE chromaticity diagram showed the colour coordinates of the synthesized phosphor in the orange and red regions of the visible spectrum; this spectral feature revealed high colour purity and excellent chromaticity coordinate characteristics. Photoluminescence and thermoluminescence properties revealed that the prepared phosphor could be a potential red‐emitting phosphor for eco‐friendly white light generation and an excellent thermoluminescent dosimeter material for thermoluminescence dosimetric applications.
The Molecular Basis for Purine Binding Selectivity in the Bacterial ATP Synthase ϵ Subunit
Authors: Krah Alexander , Huber Roland G. , McMillan Duncan G. G. , Bond Peter J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe ϵ subunit of ATP synthases has been proposed to regulate ATP hydrolysis in bacteria. Prevailing evidence supports the notion that when the ATP concentration falls below a certain threshold, the ϵ subunit changes its conformation from a non‐inhibitory down‐state to an extended up‐state that then inhibits enzymatic ATP hydrolysis by binding to the catalytic domain. It has been demonstrated that the ϵ subunit from Bacillus PS3 is selective for ATP over other nucleotides, including GTP. In this study, the purine triphosphate selectivity is rationalized by using results from MD simulations and free energy calculations for the R103A/R115A mutant of the ϵ subunit from Bacillus PS3, which binds ATP more strongly than the wild‐type protein. Our results are in good agreement with experimental data, and the elucidated molecular basis for selectivity could help to guide the design of novel GTP sensors.
Divide et impera: How disentangling common and distinctive variability in multiset data analysis can aid industrial process troubleshooting and understanding
Authors: Vitale Raffaele , de Noord Onno E. , Westerhuis Johan A. , Smilde Age K. , Ferrer Alberto 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe possibility of addressing the problem of process troubleshooting and understanding by modelling common and distinctive sources of variation (factors or components) underlying two sets of measurements was explored in a real‐world industrial case study. The used strategy includes a novel approach to systematically detect the number of common and distinctive components. An extension of this strategy for the analysis of a larger number of data blocks, which allows the comparison of data from multiple processing units, is also discussed.
Three‐way clustering around latent variables approach with constraints on the configurations to facilitate interpretation
Authors: Cariou Véronique , Alexandre‐Gouabau Marie‐Cécile , Wilderjans Tom F. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe set‐up of comprehensive studies in life sciences involving a longitudinal dimension—as appears in time‐scale metabolomics—calls for the use of dimension reduction techniques for three‐way data structures (e.g., samples by variables by time points). For this purpose, a clustering around latent variables for three‐way data approach, CLV3W, has been proposed. CLV3W aims at both partitioning the variables into nonoverlapping clusters and estimating within each cluster a rank‐one Parafac model consisting of a latent component (resp. a weighting system) associated with the first mode (resp. third mode) and a vector of loadings reflecting the degree of closeness of each variable of the second mode to its cluster. In this paper, two constrained CLV3W models are discussed. First, a nonnegativity constraint is defined implying that clusters are composed of positively correlated variables. Second, it is proposed to constrain the weighting system to be the same for all clusters. These two constraints aim at providing more parsimonious models with configurations that are easier to interpret. The appropriateness of both constraints is evaluated in a simulation study and illustrated on two case studies pertaining to sensory evaluation and metabolomics data. Regarding the first case study, CLV3W yields the identification of two consumer segments together with one common emotional pleasantness dimension associated with coffee aromas. CLV3W analysis of human preterm breast milk metabolomics data provided three clusters of lipid species that are responsible for specific functions (i.e., milk fat globules membrane‐constituents, fatty acid oxidation‐products, lipid mediators as eicosanoids and endocannabinoids).
Moore–Penrose generalized inverse mixture design applied in low‐density dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction
Authors: Bazzana Matheus Julien Ferreira , Saczk Adelir Aparecida , Faria Letícia Rodrigues , Campos João Pedro , Alves Nadja Gomes , Borges Cleber Nogueira 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe modification in the nutritional composition of the ruminant diet causes significant alterations in the fatty acids (FAs) structure supplemented because of the action of rumen microorganisms. The modification in the FAs structure alters the role that these play in the ruminant metabolism. The Folch method is the most often used to determine fatty acids in these animals' tissues and presents certain disadvantages such as the great volume of solvent and low mass transfer from the analyte to the extracting phase. Thus, we tested the low‐density dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (LD‐DLLME) as an alternative method to determine these substances. In this paper, a simples‐augmented mixture design was used. The Scheffé's polynomial was applied in that design, and Moore–Penrose generalized matrix inverse was used because of the possibility of concurrently determining value estimates of coefficients of the parameters that represent cubic terms. The application of the modeling allowed the chemical interpretation of the LD‐DLLME best extraction condition for linoleic acid in ruminant serum samples.
Mechanism of Iodine(III)‐Promoted Oxidative Dearomatizing Hydroxylation of Phenols: Evidence for a Radical‐Chain Pathway
Authors: Kraszewski Karol , Tomczyk Ireneusz , Drabinska Aneta , Bienkowski Krzysztof , Solarska Renata , Kalek Marcin 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe oxidative dearomatization of phenols with the addition of nucleophiles to the aromatic ring induced by hypervalent iodine(III) reagents and catalysts has emerged as a highly useful synthetic approach. However, experimental mechanistic studies of this important process have been extremely scarce. In this report, we describe systematic investigations of the dearomatizing hydroxylation of phenols using an array of experimental techniques. Kinetics, EPR spectroscopy, and reactions with radical probes demonstrate that the transformation proceeds by a radical‐chain mechanism, with a phenoxyl radical being the key chain‐carrying intermediate. Moreover, UV and NMR spectroscopy, high‐resolution mass spectrometry, and cyclic voltammetry show that before reacting with the phenoxyl radical, the water molecule becomes activated by the interaction with the iodine(III) center, causing the Umpolung of this formally nucleophilic substrate. The radical‐chain mechanism allows the rationalization of all existing observations regarding the iodine(III)‐promoted oxidative dearomatization of phenols.
Construction of Rich Conductive Pathways from Bottom to Top: A Highly Efficient Charge‐Transfer System Used in Durable Li/Na‐Ion Batteries at −20 °C
Authors: Xue Yan , Li Huanhuan , Zhang Yuting , Zhuo Kelei , Bai Guangyue 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe construction of potential electrode materials with wide temperature property for high‐energy‐density secondary batteries has attracted great interest in recent years. Herein, a hybrid electrode, consisting of a nitrogen‐doped carbon/α‐MnS/flake graphite composite (α‐MnS@N‐C/FG), is prepared through a post‐sulfurization route. In the α‐MnS@N‐C/FG composite, α‐MnS nanoparticles wrapped by the N−C layer are uniformly embedded onto FG, forming a novel nanofoam structure. The as‐obtained α‐MnS@N‐C/FG shows excellent lithium/sodium storage performance, with a specific capacity of 712 mA h g−1 in the 700th cycle at 1.0 A g−1 or 186.4 mA h g−1 in the 100th cycle at 100 mA g−1 using lithium or sodium foil as the counter electrode, respectively. Moreover, even operated at −20 °C, the α‐MnS@N‐C/FG can still attain a high specific capacity of 350 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles at 100mA g−1 for LIBs. This exceptional electrochemical response is attributed to the synergetic effect of the smart design of a hybrid nanofoam structure, in which the FG skeleton and N‐C coating layer can significantly enhance the conductivity of the whole electrode from bottom to top. Accordingly, the enhanced redox kinetics endow the electrode with pseudocapacitive‐dominated electrochemical behavior, leading to fast electrode reactions and robust structural stability in the whole electrode.
Chalcogen‐Bonding Interactions in Telluroether Heterocycles [Te(CH2)m]n(n=1–4;m=3–7)
Authors: Rodewald Marko , Rautiainen J. Mikko , Niksch Tobias , Görls Helmar , Oilunkaniemi Raija , Weigand Wolfgang , Laitinen Risto S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe Te⋅⋅⋅Te secondary bonding interactions (SBIs) in solid cyclic telluroethers were explored by preparing and structurally characterizing a series of [Te(CH2)m]n(n=1–4;m=3–7) species. The SBIs in 1,7‐Te2(CH2)10, 1,8‐Te2(CH2)12, 1,5,9‐Te3(CH2)9, 1,8,15‐Te3(CH2)18, 1,7,13,19‐Te4(CH2)20, 1,8,15,22‐Te4(CH2)24and 1,9,17,25‐Te4(CH2)28lead to tubular packing of the molecules, as has been observed previously for related thio‐ and selenoether rings. The nature of the intermolecular interactions was explored by solid‐state PBE0‐D3/pob‐TZVP calculations involving periodic boundary conditions. The molecular packing in 1,7,13,19‐Te4(CH2)20, 1,8,15,22‐Te4(CH2)24and 1,9,17,25‐Te4(CH2)28forms infinite shafts. The electron densities at bond critical points indicate a narrow range of Te⋅⋅⋅Te bond orders of 0.12–0.14. The formation of the shafts can be rationalized by frontier orbital overlap and charge transfer.