bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Histopathological Analysis of The Eye And Optic Nerve Structure In The Blind Mole Rat
Authors: İKİNCİ  KELEŞ Ayşe , BİTERGE SÜT Burcu , KANKILIÇ Teoman 
Published: September 2020

Objective: Blind mole rats (Nannospalax xanthodon Nehring, 1898) are subterranean mammals that are well-known for their high tolerance to hypoxia and resistance to cancer. Due to their unusual habitat, these animals have developed several adaptations during their evolution. Therefore, this study aimed to identify possible structural differences in Nannospalax visual system in comparison to other mammals that might have arisen as a result of adaptation to underground life.
Method: Six blind mole rats were used in the study. No procedure was performed on the rats. After the animals were anesthetized with ether, their eyes and optic nerves were removed. For this purpose, pseudo-eyes and optic nerves were harvested and fixed in 10% formaldehyde for a week. Tissues were embedded into paraffin and blocked via routine histological procedures. Five micrometer sections in thickness were taken and stained with Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) and Cresyl Violet.
Results: Histopathological analysis of the eye revealed the presence of cornea, retina, sclera, iris, zonula adherens, lacrimal gland and ducts, fatty tissue, muscle layer and the vascular structures. No pathology was observed of optic nerve.
Conclusions: We found that the visual system of N. xanthodon share some similarities with other blind mole rat species from Israel, while some histological properties were defined by our study for the first time in the literature.
Nar Kabuğu Ekstresinin Sıçanlarda Diyabetik Şartlarda Sepsis ile İndüklenen Akciğer Hasarına Karşı Etkileri
Authors: UĞAN Rüstem Anıl , YAYLA Muhammed , ÜN Harun , CİVELEK Maide Sena , KILIÇLE Pınar Aksu 
Published: September 2020

Amaç: Diabetes mellitus (DM), tam veya kısmi insülin yokluğuyla ortaya çıkan bir metabolik hastalıktır. Sepsis, konakçının enfeksiyona veya bir travmaya karşı göstermiş olduğu kompleks enflamatuvar yanıttır. Sepsisin klinik seyri diyabetli hastalarda normal bireylere nazaran daha ağır seyretmektedir. Nar kabuğu ekstresinin yüksek antioksidan kapasitesi, anti-kanser, antimikrobiyal, anti-enflamatuvar ve anti-diyabetik etkinliği vardır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, diyabetik şartlarda sepsis ile indüklenen akciğer hasarına karşı nar kabuğu ekstresinin anti-oksidan ve anti-sitokin özelliklerini araştırmaktır.
Yöntemler: Nar meyvesinin kabukları soyularak kurutuldu. Ekstraksiyon işlemleri uygulandı. Ekstraksiyon çözücüsü olarak etanol kullanıldı. Ekstraksiyon işlemlerinden sonra çözücü buharlaştırıldı ve nar kabuk ekstresi elde edildi. Bu Çalışmada, 30 adet sıçan kullanıldı. Gruplar; Grup 1: Kontrol, Grup 2: Sepsis, Grup 3: DM+S (Diyabet + Sepsis), Grup 4: DM+S+NKE250 (Diyabet + Sepsis + Nar kabuğu ekstresi 250 mg/kg), Grup 5: DM+S+NKE500 (Diyabet + Sepsis + Nar kabuğu ekstresi 500 mg/kg). Diyabet Tek doz 55 mg/kg streptozosin ile oluşturuldu. 72 saat sonra açlık kan şekerleri ölçüldü açlık kan şekerleri 250 mg/dl’den yüksek çıkan sıçanlar diyabet oldukları kabul edildi. Diyabet tespitinden sonra 10 gün boyunca nar kabuğu ekstresi 250 mg/kg ve 500 mg/kg dozlarında oral olarak uygulandı. 10. gün sonunda 5 mg/kg dozunda lipopolisakkarit intraperitoneal uygulandı. 12 saat sonra akciğer dokusu elde edildi. SOD aktivitesi, GSH ve MDA seviyeleri ile TNF-α ve IL-1β mRNA ekspresyonu seviyeleri akciğer dokusunda ölçüldü.
Bulgular: Kontrol grubuyla karşılaştırıldığında, sepsis grubunda, SOD aktivitesi ve GSH seviyesinin azaldığı görüldü. Diyabet+sepsis grubundaki SOD aktivitesi ve GSH seviyesinin hem kontrol hem de sepsis grubuna göre düştüğü bulundu. Sepsis grubunda TNF-α ve IL-1β mRNA ekspresyonu ile MDA seviyesinin Kontrol grubuna göre yükseldiği görüldü. Diyabet+sepsis grubundaki TNF-α ve IL-1β mRNA ekspresyonu ile MDA seviyesinin hem kontrol hem de sepsis grubuna göre arttığı bulundu. Diyabet+sepsis grubuyla karşılaştırıldığında, nar kabuğu ekstresi uygulanan gruplarda doza bağlı olarak SOD aktivitesinin, GSH seviyesinin arttığı ve TNF-α ve IL-1β mRNA ekspresyonu ve MDA seviyelerinin düştüğü görüldü.
Sonuç ve Yorum: Nar kabuğu ekstresi antioksidan ve oksidanlar arasındaki dengeyi düzenlemekte ve sitokin miktarını azaltmaktadır. Bu sebeplerle, antioksidan/oksidan dengesinin bozulduğu ve sitokin fırtınasının yoğun görüldüğü diyabet ve sepsis hastalıklarının birlikte olduğu durumlarda nar kabuğu ekstresinin kullanımı akciğer hasarında faydalı sonuçlar verecektir.
Kenya Education Management Institute’s Capacity Building Programme and Public Primary School Head Teachers’ Competencies in Teacher Supervision in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Authors: Ongori Josephine G. , Kitainge Kisilu , Kipkoech Lydia 
Published: September 2020

Aims: Education is the foundation and pillar of life. The study assessed the influence of Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI’s) capacity building programme on head teachers' competencies in teacher supervision in public primary schools in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.
Study Design: The study adopted a descriptive survey research design.
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Uasin Gishu County of North Rift region between January and March 2018.
Methodology: It targeted six Sub-County Education Officers and 471 head teachers in public primary schools in the County. Simple random sampling was used to select 30% (141) of the public primary schools proportionately from each of the six sub-counties in the County. All the head teachers of the public primary schools selected participated in the study. Data was also collected from all the six Sub-County Directors of Education of Moiben, Wareng, Turbo, Kapseret, Ainabkoi and Soy. Data was collected using interviews and questionnaire. Data analysis using descriptive statistics was computed with frequencies, percentages, means, medians and standard deviations. The findings were then presented using, tables, charts and graphs.
Results: Out of the 132 Head teachers, the research results indicated that there was a strong positive correlation between KEMI’s capacity building programme and head teachers’ competencies in teacher supervision, r (132) = 0.555, P = .05. KEMI should use the information from this study to organize teacher training programmes to improve their schools and put in place strategies to help enhance management practices in schools and ultimately the student academic achievement. The findings of the study may be importance to Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) in tailoring their training needs of head teachers to enhance professional development and leadership in schools.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that KEMI capacity building program had enhanced head teachers’ competence in monitoring teacher’s performance in class and outside class, and helped them in cultivating good relationship with the teachers and building motivating climate to enhance teamwork among teachers. Further, the findings also indicates that KEMI capacity building program had helped them in appraising teacher’s performance objectively and helped them in providing teacher’s opportunity for professional growth, proper delegation of duties and it had enhanced the recommendation of teachers for upward mobility.
The Production of Biodiesel from Sewage Sludge Via Soxlet Extraction Using Hexane and Ethyl Acetate in Ratio 2:1 As the Organic Solvent and Transesterification Reaction
Authors: Ivwurie W. , Okoro B. 
Published: September 2020

The Lipid/oil was extracted from reduced dried primary sewage sludge particle using soxhlet extraction method with Hexane and Ethyl Acetate in the ratio 2:1 as the extracting solvent. The extracted oil gave 15.03% percentage yield with density of 0.845 g/ml, pH value of 8.97, specific gravity of 0.845, viscosity of 41.20 mm2/sec, kinematic viscosity of 42.18 mm2/sec. The lipid/oil was brownish black in colour with a pungent smell. The chemical analyses revealed saponification value of 168.00 mgKOH/g, acid value of 5.60 mgKOH/g and free fatty acid value of 2.80%.
The physicochemical analyses of the biodiesel produced gave a c percentage yield of 40% biodiesel, density of 0.845 Kg/ml, pH value of 8.50, specific gravity of 0.845, kinematic viscosity of 4.80 mm2/s, acid value of 0.37 mg KOH/g, and flash point of 150°C, cloud point of 5°C and pour point of -2°C. The results of the physicochemical parameters from the research shows that the feedstock (primary sewage sludge) would be a good source for the production of biodiesel.
Timing of Childhood‐Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Diagnosis Relative to Menarche and the Impact on Final Adult Height
Authors: Sontichai Watchareewan , Liao Fangming , Dominguez Daniela , Levy Deborah M. , Al Mutairi Muna , Ng Lawrence , Silverio Frank , Silverman Earl D. , Wasserman Jonathan D. , Hiraki Linda T. 
Published: September 2020

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the impact of timing of a childhood‐onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosis relative to menarchal status, on final height, accounting for disease‐associated factors.MethodsWe conducted a cohort study of female patients age <18 years at childhood‐onset SLE diagnosis, followed at a tertiary care pediatric center from July 1982 to March 2016 and restricted to patients with documented age of menarche and final height. We compared final height between patients diagnosed pre‐ and postmenarche. We tested the association of the timing of childhood‐onset SLE diagnosis with final height, adjusted for ethnicity, in linear regression models. We performed subgroup analyses of patients with growth during follow‐up, additionally adjusting for average daily corticosteroid dose and disease activity.ResultsOf 401 female childhood‐onset SLE patients in the study, 115 patients (29%) were diagnosed premenarche and 286 (71%) postmenarche. Patients diagnosed premenarche were older at menarche compared with patients diagnosed postmenarche (mean ± SD age 13.5 ± 1.4 versus 12.5 ± 1.3 years; P < 0.001). The mean ± SD final height for girls diagnosed postmenarche (161.4 ± 6.9 cm) was greater than for those diagnosed premenarche (158.8 ± 7.3 cm; P = 0.001). In regression analysis, those diagnosed postmenarche were significantly taller than those diagnosed premenarche, as adjusted for ethnicity and disease severity (mean ± SD β = 2.6 ± 0.7 cm; P = 0.0006).ConclusionIn this large cohort study of girls with childhood‐onset SLE, patients diagnosed postmenarche achieved a taller final height than those diagnosed premenarche, even after accounting for ethnicity and disease severity.
A Stretchable Highoutput Triboelectric Nanogenerator Improved by MXene Liquid Electrode with High Electronegativity
Authors: Cao Wen‐Tao , Ouyang Han , Xin Wei , Chao Shengyu , Ma Chang , Li Zhou , Chen Feng , Ma Ming‐Guo 
Published: September 2020

AbstractGrowing demand in intelligent wearable electronics raises an urgent requirement to develop deformable and durable power sources with high electrical performance. Here, a stretchable and shape‐adaptive triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on a MXene liquid electrode is proposed. The open‐circuit voltage of an MXene‐based TENG reaches up to 300 V. The excellent fluidity and highly electronegativity of the MXene liquid electrode, gives the TENG long‐term reliability and stable electrical output regardless of diverse extreme deformations. With harvesting mechanical energy from hand tapping motion, the TENG in a self‐charging system can charge up capacitors to drive wearable electronics. Moreover, the TENG can be attached to both human skin and clothes as a human motion monitoring sensor, which can inspect the frequency and amplitude of various physiological movements. This work provides a new methodology for the construction of stretchable power sources and self‐powered sensors, which have potential applications in diverse fields such as robotics, kinesiology, and biomechanics.
4D Printing Auxetic Metamaterials with Tunable, Programmable, and Reconfigurable Mechanical Properties
Authors: Xin Xiaozhou , Liu Liwu , Liu Yanju , Leng Jinsong 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAuxetic mechanical metamaterials, which expand transversally when axially stretched, are widely used in flexible electronics and aerospace. However, these chiral metamaterials suffer from three severe limitations as a typical auxetic metamaterials: narrow strain range, non‐tunable mechanical behaviors, and fixed properties after fabrication. In this work, 4D printing chiral metamaterials with tunable, programmable, and reconfigurable properties are developed. The deformation mode transforms from bending dominated to stretching dominated under large deformation, leading to the stress–deformation (σ–λ) behavior of the auxetic metamaterials similar to those of the biomaterials (“J”‐shaped), such as tissues or organs. The programmability and reconfigurability of the developed chiral metamaterials allow mechanical behavior to change between different biomaterials with high precision. Furthermore, scaffolds with personalized mechanical properties as well as configurations and metamaterials‐based light‐emitting diode integrated devices demonstrate potential applications in tissue engineering and programmable flexible electronics.
Heat Transport without Heating?—An Ultrafast X‐Ray Perspective into a Metal Heterostructure
Authors: Pudell Jan‐Etienne , Mattern Maximilian , Hehn Michel , Malinowski Grégory , Herzog Marc , Bargheer Matias 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWhen the spatial dimensions of metallic heterostructures shrink below the mean free path of its conduction electrons, the transport of electrons and hence the transport of thermal energy by electrons continuously changes from diffusive to ballistic. Electron–phonon coupling sets the mean free path to the nanoscale and the time for equilibration of electron and lattice temperatures to the picosecond range. A particularly intriguing situation occurs in trilayer heterostructures combining metals with very different electron–phonon coupling strength: Heat energy deposited in few atomic layers of Pt is transported into a nanometric Ni film, which is heated more than the Cu film through which the heat is released. Femtosecond pump‐probe experiments with hard X‐ray pulses provide a layer‐specific probe of the heat energy. A purely diffusive two‐temperature model with increased thermal conductivity of hot electrons excellently reproduces the observed signals from all three layers. At the time when the Ni lattice is maximally heated, no significant heat has entered the Cu lattice. This phenomenon would be enhanced in thinner layers where ballistic transport dominates. In this context it is shown that purely diffusive transport can lead to a linear time‐to‐length dependence that must not be misinterpreted as ballistic transport.
Frequency‐Coded Passive Multifunctional Elastic Metasurfaces
Authors: Rong Junjie , Ye Wenjing , Zhang Shengyuan , Liu Yijun 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAs an emerging material, metasurfaces open the door to a wide range of applications based on ultrasonic and elastic waves. However, most of the existing elastic metasurfaces have a fixed functionality and operate at a fixed frequency, which make them difficult to adapt to changing working requirements and/or environments. Although several recently proposed reconfigurable designs can relax this limitation, they either need laborious tuning or complex active control systems. In this work, by encoding multiple functionalities onto a single metasurface through operation frequencies, passive metasurfaces with switchable multifunctionalities are proposed and realized. Different wave manipulation functions of a single metasurface can be switched from one to another simply by changing the operation frequency. The design of these metasurfaces is realized using a systematic design approach based on topology optimization. Frequency‐coded multiple elastic wave manipulation functions, including wave beam steering and focusing, are numerically and experimentally demonstrated. Good agreement between the numerical simulations and experimental measurements is achieved. The proposed design strategy significantly enhances the functionalities and adaptivity of metasurfaces, moving them closer towards real‐world applications.
Ionic Liquid‐Based Stimuli‐Responsive Functional Materials
Authors: Cui Jiecheng , Li Yi , Chen Dong , Zhan Tian‐Guang , Zhang Kang‐Da 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIonic liquids (ILs) have many attractive properties. For example, their physical and chemical properties can be tuned by a judicious design of the cations and anions, making them ideal candidates for designable building blocks of stimuli‐responsive materials. Numerous IL‐based stimuli‐responsive materials have been developed by chemical modification (covalent, coordination, or ionic functionalization) or physical blending of ILs with other functional materials. The flexible tunability of ILs provides a great opportunity to achieve the desired physicochemical properties for task‐specific applications, such as sensing, display, gas capture, and so on. This review aims to address the recent advances in IL‐based stimuli‐responsive materials, which are categorized by the type of external stimuli, including gas‐responsive, organic solvent‐responsive, ion‐responsive, pH‐responsive, thermo‐responsive, photo‐responsive, and electro‐responsive materials.
Near‐Zero Power MOF‐Based Sensors for NO2 Detection
Authors: Small Leo J. , Henkelis Susan E. , Rademacher David X. , Schindelholz Mara E. , Krumhansl James L. , Vogel Dayton J. , Nenoff Tina M. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDetection and capture of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) is important for emissions control of exhaust gases and general public health. The ability to directly electrically detect trace (0.5–5 ppm) NO2 by a metal–organic framework (MOF)‐74‐based sensor at relatively low temperatures (50 °C) is demonstrated via changes in electrical properties of M‐MOF‐74, M = Co, Mg, Ni. The magnitude of the change is ordered Ni > Co > Mg and explained by each variant's NO2 adsorption capacity and specific chemical interaction. Ni‐MOF‐74 provides the highest sensitivity to NO2; a 725× decrease in resistance at 5 ppm NO2 and detection limit <0.5 ppm, levels relevant for industry and public health. Furthermore, the Ni‐MOF‐74‐based sensor is selective to NO2 over N2, SO2, and air. Linking this fundamental research with future technologies, the high impedance of MOF‐74 enables applications requiring a near‐zero power sensor or dosimeter, with the active material drawing <15 pW for a macroscale device 35 mm2 with 0.8 mg MOF‐74. This represents a 104–106× decrease in power consumption compared to other MOF sensors and demonstrates the potential for MOFs as active components for long‐lived, near‐zero power chemical sensors in smart industrial systems and the internet of things.
3D Printing Hydrogel Scaffolds with Nanohydroxyapatite Gradient to Effectively Repair Osteochondral Defects in Rats
Authors: Zhang Hui , Huang Haofei , Hao Guangrun , Zhang Yongsheng , Ding Hao , Fan Zengjie , Sun Luyi 
Published: September 2020

AbstractOsteochondral (OC) defects pose an enormous challenge with no entirely satisfactory repair strategy to date. Herein, a 3D printed gradient hydrogel scaffold with a similar structure to that of OC tissue is designed, involving a pure hydrogel‐based top cartilage layer, an intermediate layer for calcified cartilage with 40% (w w−1) nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) and 60% (w w−1) hydrogel, and a 70/30% (w w−1) nHA/hydrogel‐based bottom subchondral bone layer. This study is conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the scaffold with nHA gradients in terms of its ability to promote OC defect repair. The fabricated composites are evaluated for physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties, and then implanted into the OC defects in 56 rats. Overall, bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs)‐loaded gradient scaffolds exhibit superior repair results as compared to other scaffolds based on gross examination, micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT), as well as histologic and immunohistochemical analyses, confirming the ability of this novel OC graft to facilitate simultaneous regeneration of cartilage‐subchondral bone.
Human Retinal Microvasculature‐on‐a‐Chip for Drug Discovery
Authors: Ragelle Héloïse , Dernick Karen , Khemais Sonia , Keppler Cordula , Cousin Lucien , Farouz Yohan , Louche Chris , Fauser Sascha , Kustermann Stefan , Tibbitt Mark W. , Westenskow Peter D. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractRetinal cells within neurovascular units generate the blood–retinal barrier (BRB) to regulate the local retinal microenvironment and to limit access to inflammatory cells. Breakdown of the endothelial junctional complexes in the BRB negatively affects neuronal signaling and ultimately causes vision loss. As new therapeutics are being developed either to prevent barrier disruption or to restore barrier function, access to physiologically relevant human in vitro tissue models that recapitulate important features of barrier biology is essential for disease modeling, target validation, and toxicity assessment. Here, a tunable organ‐on‐a‐chip model of the retinal microvasculature using human retinal microvascular endothelial cells with integrated flow is described. Automated imaging and image analysis methods are employed for facile screening of leakage mediators and cytokine inhibitors on barrier properties. The developed retinal microvasculature‐on‐a‐chip will enable improved understanding of BRB biology and provide an additional tool for drug discovery.
Rashba Effect in Functional Spintronic Devices
Authors: Koo Hyun Cheol , Kim Seong Been , Kim Hansung , Park Tae‐Eon , Choi Jun Woo , Kim Kyoung‐Whan , Go Gyungchoon , Oh Jung Hyun , Lee Dong‐Kyu , Park Eun‐Sang , Hong Ik‐Sun , Lee Kyung‐Jin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractExploiting spin transport increases the functionality of electronic devices and enables such devices to overcome physical limitations related to speed and power. Utilizing the Rashba effect at the interface of heterostructures provides promising opportunities toward the development of high‐performance devices because it enables electrical control of the spin information. Herein, the focus is mainly on progress related to the two most compelling devices that exploit the Rashba effect: spin transistors and spin–orbit torque devices. For spin field‐effect transistors, the gate‐voltage manipulation of the Rashba effect and subsequent control of the spin precession are discussed, including for all‐electric spin field‐effect transistors. For spin–orbit torque devices, recent theories and experiments on interface‐generated spin current are discussed. The future directions of manipulating the Rashba effect to realize fully integrated spin logic and memory devices are also discussed.