bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prebiotics‐Encapsulated Probiotic Spores Regulate Gut Microbiota and Suppress Colon Cancer
Authors: Zheng Di‐Wei , Li Run‐Qing , An Jia‐Xin , Xie Tian‐Qiu , Han Zi‐Yi , Xu Rui , Fang Yu , Zhang Xian‐Zheng 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWhile microbial‐based therapy has been considered as an effective strategy for treating diseases such as colon cancer, its safety remains the biggest challenge. Here, probiotics and prebiotics, which possess ideal biocompatibility and are extensively used as additives in food and pharmaceutical products, are combined to construct a safe microbiota‐modulating material. Through the host–guest chemistry between commercial Clostridium butyricum and chemically modified prebiotic dextran, prebiotics‐encapsulated probiotic spores (spores‐dex) are prepared. It is found that spores‐dex can specifically enrich in colon cancers after oral administration. In the lesion, dextran is fermented by C. butyricum, and thereby produces anti‐cancer short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Additionally, spores‐dex regulate the gut microbiota, augment the abundance of SCFA‐producing bacteria (e.g., Eubacterium and Roseburia), and markedly increase the overall richness of microbiota. In subcutaneous and orthotopic tumor models, drug‐loaded spores‐dex inhibit tumor growth up to 89% and 65%, respectively. Importantly, no obvious adverse effect is found. The work sheds light on the possibility of using a highly safe strategy to regulate gut microbiota, and provides a promising avenue for treating various gastrointestinal diseases.
Highly Efficient Photoluminescence and Lasing from Hydroxide Coated Fully Inorganic Perovskite Micro/Nano‐Rods
Authors: Ying Guanhua , Jana Atanu , Osokin Vitaly , Farrow Tristan , Taylor Robert A. , Park Youngsin 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe effect of surface passivation on the photoluminescence (PL) emitted by CsPbBr3 micro/nano‐rods coated with Pb(OH)2 is investigated, where a high quantum yield and excellent stability for the emission are found. The CsPbBr3/Pb(OH)2 rods generally present a peak that is blue shifted compared to that seen in rods without a hydroxide cladding at low temperatures. By increasing the temperature, it is further shown that the passivated surface states are very robust against thermal effects and that the PL peak intensity only drops by a factor of 1.5. Localized stimulated emission at defect states found within larger rods is also demonstrated, clarified by spatially resolved confocal PL mapping along the length of the rods. The diffusion parameter of the carrier density distribution is measured to be 5.70 µm for the sky‐blue emission, whereas for the defect lasing site it is found to be smaller than this excitation spot size.
Anomalous Sodium Storage Behavior in Al/F Dual‐Doped P2‐Type Sodium Manganese Oxide Cathode for Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Chae Munseok S. , Kim Hyojeong J. , Lyoo Jeyne , Attias Ran , Gofer Yosef , Hong Seung‐Tae , Aurbach Doron 
Published: October 2020

AbstractVarious types of sodium manganese oxides are promising cathode materials for sodium storage systems. One of the most considerable advantages of this family of materials is their widespread natural abundance. So far, only a few host candidates have been reported and there is a need to develop new materials with improved practical electrochemical performance. Here, P2‐type Al/F‐doped sodium manganese oxide as well as its unique sodium storage mechanism is demonstrated by a combination of electrochemical characterization, structural analyses from powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) data, and 3D bond valence energy level calculations for the sodium diffusion pathways. The material exhibits a high reversible capacity of 164.3 mAh g−1 (0.3C rate) and capacity retention of 89.1% after 500 cycles (5C rate). The study clearly unravels the beneficial effect of the doping and the unique sodium intercalation mechanism devoid of the low diffusion O3 transformation.
Food Hardship during the COVID‐19 Pandemic and Great Recession
Authors: Ziliak James P. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractI compare the extent of food hardships in the United States among adults and seniors before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Food insufficiency increased threefold compared to 2019, and more than doubled relative to the Great Recession. Food insufficiency among seniors increased 75% during the COVID period, but more than doubled when including reduced intake of food varieties. Receipt of charitable foods among disadvantaged adults spiked 50% in the COVID period, but the initial response among seniors was a sharp reduction, before rising. These patterns are consistent with strong social distancing measures enacted in response to the pandemic.
Food Insecurity during COVID‐19
Authors: Gundersen Craig , Hake Monica , Dewey Adam , Engelhard Emily 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFor a decade, Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap (MMG) has provided sub‐state‐level estimates of food insecurity for both the full population and for children. Along with being extensively used by food banks, it is widely used by state and local governments to help plan responses to food insecurity in their communities. In this paper, we describe the methods underpinning MMG, detail the approach Feeding America has used to make projections about the geography of food insecurity in 2020, and how food insecurity rates may have changed due to COVID‐19 since 2018. We project an increase of 17 million Americans who are food insecure in 2020 but this aggregate increase masks substantial geographic variation found in MMG.
Characterization of flavin binding in oxygen‐independent fluorescent reporters
Authors: Anderson Nolan T. , Weyant Kevin B. , Mukherjee Arnab 
Published: October 2020

AbstractFluorescent proteins based on light, oxygen, and voltage (LOV) sensing photoreceptors are among the few reporter gene technologies available for studying living systems in oxygen‐free environments that render reporters based on the green fluorescent protein nonfluorescent. LOV reporters develop fluorescence by binding flavin mononucleotide (FMN), which they endogenously obtain from cells. As FMN is essential to cell physiology as well as for determining fluorescence in LOV proteins, it is important to be able to study and characterize flavin binding in LOV reporters. To this end, we report a method for reversibly separating FMN from two commonly used LOV reporters to prepare stable and soluble apoproteins. Using fluorescence titration, we measured the equilibrium dissociation constant for binding with all three cellular flavins: FMN, flavin adenine dinucleotide, and riboflavin. Finally, we exploit the riboflavin affinity of apo LOV reporters, identified in this work, to develop a fluorescence turn‐on biosensor for vitamin B2.
Connection Structures of Topological Singularity in Micromechanics from a Viewpoint of Generalized Finsler Space
Authors: Yajima Takahiro , Nagahama Hiroyuki 
Published: October 2020

AbstractGeometric structures of Cosserat or micropolar continuum are discussed based on geometric objects in a non‐Riemannian space. A microrotation is described in a microscopic level than a macroscopic displacement level. In this case, a microscopic rotation can be expressed as a nonlocal internal variable attached to each point in a generalized Finsler space. Such non‐local hierarchy is geometrically realized by using a second‐order vector bundle viewpoint. Then, two kinds of torsion tensor in the second‐order vector bundle are obtained. One is characterized by the macroscopic displacement. The other is characterized by the microscopic rotation. These torsion tensors are equivalent to nonintegrability conditions for multivalued macroscopic displacement and microscopic rotation. Especially, a path dependency of the displacement and the microscopic rotation is represented by a non‐vanishing condition of torsion tensors. Moreover, the concept of non‐locality of the Finsler geometry implies that the approach of higher‐order geometry is applicable to a finite deformation in nonlinear mechanics. The singularity given by the multivalued function is also described as a boundary value problem. An application of the generalized Finsler geometry to a gradient theory is also discussed.
Multilayered ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene/natural graphite/boron nitride composites with enhanced thermal conductivity and electrical insulation by hot compression
Authors: Wang Xiao , Feng Chang‐Ping , Wang Min , Lu Hui , Ni Hai‐Ying , Chen Jun 
Published: October 2020

AbstractA scalable strategy to fabricate thermally conductive but electrically insulating polymer composites was urgently required in various applications including heat exchangers and electronic packages. In this work, multilayered ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/natural graphite (NG)/boron nitride (BN) composites were prepared by hot compressing the UHMWPE/NG layers and UHMWPE/BN layers alternately. Taking advantage of the internal properties of NG and BN fillers, the UHMWPE/NG layers played a decisive role in enhancing thermal conductivity (TC), while the UHMWPE/BN layers effectively blocked the electrically conductive pathways without affecting the thermal conductive pathways. The in‐plane TC, electrical insulation, and heat spreading ability of multilayered UHMWPE/NG/BN composites increased with the increasing layer numbers. At the total fillers loading of 40 wt%, the in‐plane TC of multilayered UHMWPE/NG/BN composites with nine layers was markedly improved to 6.319 Wm−1 K−1, outperforming UHMWPE/BN (4.735 Wm−1 K−1) and pure UHMWPE (0.305 Wm−1 K−1) by 33.45% and 1971.80%, respectively. Meanwhile, the UHMWPE/NG/BN composites still maintained an excellent electrically insulating property (volume resistance~5.40×1014 Ω cm; breakdown voltage~1.52 kV/mm). Moreover, the multilayered UHMWPE/NG/BN composites also exhibited surpassing heat dissipation capability and mechanical properties. Our results provided an effective method to fabricate highly thermal conductive and electrical insulating composites.
Highly enhanced tire performance achieved by using combined carbon nanotubes and soybean oil
Authors: Kang Chang‐Hwan , Jung Woo‐Bin , Kim Hak‐Joo , Jung Hee‐Tae 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn this study, the previously noted limitations of high‐performance passenger tire tread were overcome by adding rough‐surface carbon nanotubes and soybean oil to a high‐loading silica‐based elastomer composite. The results of the practical tire test demonstrated improved wet braking, dry braking, snow traction, and rolling resistance in comparison with the unmodified silica‐based composite. Moreover, the wear resistance was enhanced by greater than 20% while commercially acceptable levels of the other properties were maintained, thereby minimizing the trade‐off. The wet traction and dry stability of the tires were enhanced by the inclusion of carbon nanotubes, while the improved snow traction and wear resistance were increased by the soybean oil. Therefore, this carbon nanotube/soybean oil‐based composite may represent a useful and practical means of improving high‐loading silica‐based elastomer composites.
Effect of special structure of clam shell powder on structure and properties of castor oil‐based composites
Authors: Zhang Peirui , Weng Fangqing , Koranteng Ernest , Guo Duyu , Cao Pengfei , Wu Qiangxian 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCastor oil (CO) is an environmentally friendly renewable green resource and ideal alternative to petroleum resources. The preparation of high strength and high toughness castor oil‐based polyurethane prepolymer (COPU) composites has significant applications such as supporting material and engineering plastic sheet. In this study, unmodified clam shell powder (CSP) with a unique CaCO3‐proteoglycan structure was used as a filler to prepare compatible reinforced COPU composite materials. Investigation of the mechanical properties revealed that the elastic modulus of the composite COPU reinforced with 50 wt% of CSP had increased to 5859.0 ± 8.4 MPa representing 187.77% to obtain stiffer and stronger material over pure COPU (2036.6 ± 196.9 MPa). Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and contact angle results demonstrated that the reinforced COPU composites have better compatibility, thermal stability, and water resistance than pure COPU. This work will promote the application prospects of CO‐based polyurethane.
Cellulose triacetate/LUDOX‐SiO2 nanocomposite for synthesis of pervaporation desalination membranes
Authors: Prihatiningtyas Indah , Hartanto Yusak , Ballesteros Maria Sandra Reyes , Van der Bruggen Bart 
Published: October 2020

AbstractA series of cellulose triacetate/Ludox‐silica nancomposite pervaporation membranes was successfully prepared via solution casting, aiming to improve the performance of cellulose triacetate membranes for desalination. The fabricated nanocomposite membranes were characterized to study the membrane morphology, chemical composition, mechanical properties, and surface hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the desalination performance was investigated as a function of silica (SiO2) loading (ranging from 1 to 4 wt%) and feed concentration at 30 and 60 g/L of sodium chloride (NaCl). Pervaporation experiments showed that incorporating 4 wt% SiO2 into a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane increased the water flux by a factor 2.5 compared with pristine CTA (from 2.2 to 6.1 kg m−2 h−1) for a 30 g/L NaCl feed solution at 70°C, while the salt rejection remained above 99%. The CTA/4 wt% SiO2 membrane was found to have only 21% flux reduction when tested with a 60 g/L NaCl feed solution, without changes in membrane selectivity. This suggests that the developed CTA/Ludox‐SiO2 nanocomposite pervaporation membrane is suitable for desalination.
Importance of Counterions in Gold‐hydrogen Bonding Cooperative Catalytic Approach to Spirocyclic Rings: Insights on Mechanism and Origins
Authors: Li Yunhe , Zhao Xiang 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe detailed mechanism and origins of gold‐catalyzed intramolecular dearomatization of naphthols to spirocarbocycles are systematically studied. Specifically, the hydrogen‐bonding mediated cooperative Brønsted‐acid catalysis mechanism was the most plausible mechanism for dearomatization to spirocarbocycles because of its intricate interplay between hydrogen bonds and conjugated π systems in the spirointermediates. Three activation modes are established, and the important role of counterion via hydrogen bonding in determining the experimentally observed chemoselectivity is well rationalized by our calculations.
An Advanced Apralog with Increased in vitro and in vivo Activity toward Gram‐negative Pathogens and Reduced ex vivo Cochleotoxicity
Authors: Sonousi Amr , Quirke Jonathan C. K. , Waduge Prabuddha , Janusic Tanja , Gysin Marina , Haldimann Klara , Xu Shan , Hobbie Sven N. , Sha Su‐Hua , Schacht Jochen , Chow Christine S. , Vasella Andrea , Böttger Erik C. , Crich David 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe describe the convergent synthesis of a 5‐O‐β‐D‐ribofuranosyl‐based apramycin derivative (apralog) that displays significantly improved antibacterial activity over the parent apramycin against wild‐type ESKAPE pathogens. In addition, the new apralog retains excellent antibacterial activity in the presence of the only aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (AAC(3)‐IV) acting on the parent, without incurring susceptibility to the APH(3’) mechanism that disables other 5‐O‐β‐D‐ribofuranosyl 2‐deoxystreptamine type aminoglycosides by phosphorylation at the ribose 5‐position. Consistent with this antibacterial activity, the new apralog has excellent 30 nM activity (IC50) for the inhibition of protein synthesis by the bacterial ribosome in a cell‐free translation assay, while retaining the excellent across‐the‐board selectivity of the parent for inhibition of bacterial over eukaryotic ribosomes. Overall, these characteristics translate into excellent in vivo efficacy against E. coli in a mouse thigh infection model and reduced ototoxicity vis à vis the parent in mouse cochlear explants.
Sampling business process event logs using graph‐based ranking model
Authors: Liu Cong , Pei Yulong , Cheng Long , Zeng Qingtian , Duan Hua 
Published: October 2020

SummaryModern information systems are continuously collecting and storing large volumes of business process event logs. The analysis of event logs can provide valuable insights for business process re‐engineering and enhancement. Process discovery, as one of the most challenging event log analysis techniques, aims to discover a business process model from an event log. Many process discovery approaches have been proposed in the past two decades, however, most of them suffer from efficiency problem when dealing with large‐scale event logs. Motivated by PageRank, we propose LogRank, a graph‐based ranking model, for event log sampling in this paper. The LogRank is capable of sampling a large‐scale event log to a smaller size that can be efficiently handled by existing discovery approaches. To support real‐life applications, we instantiate the LogRank model for two typical types of event logs, that is, simple event logs and lifecycle event logs. To quantify the quality of a sample log with respect to the original one, we introduce a general evaluation framework that can be instantiated for different quality metrics. The proposed sampling approach has been implemented in the open‐source process mining toolkit ProM. By experiments with both synthetic and real‐life event logs, we demonstrate that the proposed LogRank‐based sampling approach provides an effective means to improve process discovery efficiency as well as guaranteeing high quality of discovered models.
Effects of sinomenine on the proliferation, cytokine production, and regulatory T‐cell frequency in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of rheumatoid arthritis patients
Authors: Xu Wencheng , Chen Shuhe , Wang Xiaoqin , Wu Hongguang , Tahara Koichiro , Tanaka Sachiko , Sugiyama Kentaro , Yamada Haruki , Sawada Tetsuji , Hirano Toshihiko 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSinomenine (SN) is a plant‐derived alkaloid isolated from Caulis Sinomenii. It has been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) nearly 20 years ago. To investigate the anti‐RA mechanism of SN, a lot of scholars reported the immunosuppressive effect of SN on T lymphocytes. We continued to evaluate the suppressive function of SN by using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from RA patients. As the positive control, 10 ng/ml of methylprednisolone (MP) showed the antiproliferation effect on mitogen‐activated PBMCs of RA patients significantly (*p < .05). Meanwhile, MP decreased the frequency of CD4+ CD25+ T cells and suppressed the secretion of inflammatory Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines such as IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐17, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α. However, SN at concentrations of 0.3–30 μM, showed little suppressive effects on the proliferation of PBMCs of RA patients. We did not observe any suppressive effects of SN on percentages of CD4+ T cells and CD4+ CD25+ T cells in the mitogen‐activated PBMCs of RA patients. The influence of SN on the percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells was also limited. Finally, even 30 μM of SN did not influence the secretion of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine significantly. The present study provided evidence that anti‐RA mechanism of SN seems not to be related with the suppressive effects on peripheral T cells.
Direct and indirect effects of a keystone engineer on a shrubland‐prairie food web
Authors: Duchardt Courtney J. , Porensky Lauren M. , Pearse Ian S. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractKeystone engineers are critical drivers of biodiversity throughout ecosystems worldwide. Within the North American Great Plains, the black‐tailed prairie dog is an imperiled ecosystem engineer and keystone species with well‐documented impacts on the flora and fauna of rangeland systems. However, because this species affects ecosystem structure and function in myriad ways (i.e., as a consumer, a prey resource, and a disturbance vector), it is unclear which effects are most impactful for any given prairie dog associate. We applied structural equation models (SEM) to disentangle direct and indirect effects of prairie dogs on multiple trophic levels (vegetation, arthropods, and birds) in the Thunder Basin National Grassland. Arthropods did not show any direct response to prairie dog occupation, but multiple bird species and vegetation parameters were directly affected. Surprisingly, the direct impact of prairie dogs on colony‐associated avifauna (Horned Lark [Eremophila alpestris] and Mountain Plover [Charadrius montanus]) had greater support than a mediated effect via vegetation structure, indicating that prairie dog disturbance may be greater than the sum of its parts in terms of impacts on localized vegetation structure. Overall, our models point to a combination of direct and indirect impacts of prairie dogs on associated vegetation, arthropods, and avifauna. The variation in these impacts highlights the importance of examining the various impacts of keystone engineers, as well as highlighting the diverse ways that black‐tailed prairie dogs are critical for the conservation of associated species.
Implementierung und Integration digitaler Lösungen in Prozesse des Spezialtiefbaus
Authors: Bachi Mirna Mamar , Bellato Diego 
Published: October 2020

AbstractDer Bericht stellt den Stand der Digitalisierung von Bauprozessen und ihres Datenflusses bei der Züblin Spezialtiefbau GmbH vor. Personal und Geräte werden den Projekten effizienter zugewiesen, indem ein parametrisiertes digitales Ressourcenplanungssystem alle in Vorbereitung und Durchführung befindlichen Projekte sowie Beschränkungen bei der Auswahl geeigneter Ressourcen berücksichtigt. Building Information Modeling (BIM) wird in der Ausschreibung nicht nur zur Mengenermittlung, sondern durch Einführung von 4D‐Methoden auch zur Früherkennung von Risiken und zur Planungsoptimierung eingesetzt. BIM wird auch in der Ausführung als Datenbasis verwendet, um verschiedene Datenarten, z. B. Entwurfsdaten, mit den zugehörigen 3D‐Bauteilen zusammenzuführen und deren Status zu verfolgen. Dies verbessert den Überblick über die laufenden Bauarbeiten. Die Herstelldaten werden von den Ausführenden mit Apps gesammelt und in einer Cloud‐Datenbank gespeichert. Sie ermöglichen Soll‐Ist‐Vergleiche und andere Auswertungen, z. B. Leistungsanalysen. Die von den Bohrgeräten erfassten Maschinendaten werden interpretiert, um die Dauer aller Phasen des Bohrvorgangs zu erkennen. Auf dieser Grundlage können Netto‐ und Brutto‐Bohrleistungen bestimmt und ein besserer Einblick in das tatsächliche Bodenprofil gewonnen werden. Die Kombination dieser Lösungen sorgt für Klarheit in Bauplanung und ‐betrieb, eine höhere Zuverlässigkeit und Güte der Daten und ganz allgemein für eine Verbesserung der Bauprozesse.