bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unfavorable Attitude and Perceived Stigma towards Leprosy: A Concern for Status Perpetuation in a Community in Cross River State, Nigeria
Authors: Ogban G. I. , Iwuafor A. A. , Emanghe U. E. , Ushie S. N. , Ndueso E. M. , Nwadiaro R. I. Ejemot- , Osuchukwu N. C. 
Published: July 2020

Background: Negative attitude and stigma against leprosy patients constrain them to resort to concealing their status thus resulting in delayed detection, treatment, complications and perpetuation of the condition in the locality. This study was aimed at finding out the prevailing attitude and stigma toward leprosy in the community with a view to addressing the fueling factors.
Materials and Methods: It was descriptive cross sectional study. Semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaires were used for data collection. Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC), was used to grade stigma against leprosy amongst participants. Answers to questions in the questionnaire were assigned scores which were summed up into percentage breakpoints. A respondent was interpreted as having favorable or unfavorable attitude to leprosy depending on his or her percentage sum of score.
Stigma was categorized based on the sum of an individual’s EMIC score as high, moderate or low level of stigma. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.
Results: The study revealed that only 44(15%) of respondents had favorable attitude towards leprosy whereas 250(85%) had unfavorable attitude towards this group. Attitude to leprosy was observed to be significantly related to age and sex of respondent, religion and ethnicity, p-value< 0.05. EMIC profile of the study respondents revealed that 47(16%) demonstrated low stigma, 81(28%) demonstrated moderate stigma and 166(56%) demonstrated high stigma towards leprosy. There was no statistically significant relationship between stigma and socio-demographic variables.
Conclusion: Misunderstanding and misconceptions about leprosy and leprosy patients is still well rooted in the norms and culture of the people of Ikun, breeding negative attitude and stigma toward leprosy. Vigorous leprosy awareness programs structured along the lines of attitude-stigma influencing socio-demographic variables, with emphasis on the cause, transmission, diagnosis and treatment of leprosy will help to stem the tide of myths and misconceptions.
PKAN neurodegeneration and residual PANK2 activities in patient erythrocytes
Authors: Werning Maike , Müllner Ernst W. , Mlynek Georg , Dobretzberger Verena , Djinovic‐Carugo Kristina , Baron David M. , Prokisch Holger , Büchner Boriana , Klopstock Thomas , Salzer Ulrich 
Published: July 2020

AbstractObjectivePantothenate kinase 2‐associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) gene. PKAN is associated with iron deposition in the basal ganglia and, occasionally, with the occurrence of misshaped erythrocytes (acanthocytes). The aim of this study was to assess residual activity of PANK2 in erythrocytes of PKAN patients and to correlate these data with the type of PANK2 mutations and the progression of neurodegeneration.MethodsResidual PANK2 activities in erythrocytes of 14 PKAN patients and 14 related carriers were assessed by a radiometric assay. Clinical data on neurodegeneration included the Barry–Albright Dystonia Scale (BAD‐Scale) besides further general patient features. A molecular visualization and analysis program was used to rationalize the influence of the PKAN causing mutations on a molecular level.ResultsErythrocytes of PKAN patients had markedly reduced or no PANK2 activity. However, patients with at least one allele of the c.1583C > T (T528M) or the c.833G > T (R278L) variant exhibited 12–56% of residual PANK2 activity. In line, molecular modeling indicated only minor effects on enzyme structure for these point mutations. On average, these patients with c.1583C > T or c.833G > T variant had lower BAD scores corresponding to lower symptom severity than patients with other PANK2 point mutations.InterpretationResidual erythrocyte PANK2 activity could be a predictor for the progression of neurodegeneration in PKAN patients. Erythrocytes are an interesting patient‐derived cell system with still underestimated diagnostic potential.
Cephalopod‐Inspired High Dynamic Range Mechano‐Imaging in Polymeric Materials
Authors: Clough Jess M. , van der Gucht Jasper , Kodger Thomas E. , Sprakel Joris 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCephalopods, such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses, use an array of responsive absorptive and photonic dermal structures to achieve rapid and reversible color changes for spectacular camouflage and signaling displays. Challenges remain in designing synthetic soft materials with similar multiple and dynamic responsivity for the development of optical sensors for the sensitive detection of mechanical stresses and strains. Here, a high dynamic range mechano‐imaging (HDR‐MI) polymeric material integrating physical and chemical mechanochromism is designed providing a continuous optical read‐out of strain upon mechanical deformation. By combining a colloidal photonic array with a mechanically responsive dye, the material architecture significantly improves the mechanochromic sensitivity, which is moreover readily tuned, and expands the range of detectable strains and stresses at both microscopic and nanoscopic length scales. This multi‐functional material is highlighted by creating detailed HDR mechanographs of membrane deformation and around defects using a low‐cost hyperspectral camera, which is found to be in excellent agreement with the results of finite element simulations. This multi‐scale approach to mechano‐sensing and ‐imaging provides a platform to develop mechanochromic composites with high sensitivity and high dynamic mechanical range.
Construction of Built‐In Electric Field within Silver Phosphate Photocatalyst for Enhanced Removal of Recalcitrant Organic Pollutants
Authors: Lin Yan , Yang Chunping , Wu Shaohua , Li Xiang , Chen Yingjie , Yang William L. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSemiconductor photocatalysis technology has aroused great interest in photocatalytic degradation, but it suffers from the drawbacks of fast electron‐hole recombination and unsatisfactory degradation efficiency. Herein, a novel photocatalyst Ag3PO4@NC with excellent photocatalytic activity is successfully prepared, characterized, and evaluated for the efficient removal of organic pollutants. After visible light irradiation for 5, 8, and 12 min, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of norfloxacin, diclofenac, and phenol on the composite catalyst reaches 100%, and the apparent rate constant of which is 19.2, 48.7, and 23.2 times than that of the pure Ag3PO4, respectively. The density functional theory calculation results indicate that there is a built‐in electric field from N‐doped carbon (NC) to Ag3PO4 at the interface of the composite catalyst. Driven by the electric field, the photogenerated electrons of Ag3PO4 can be readily transferred to the NC, leading to the efficient separation of photogenerated carriers and the significant improvement of the catalytic performance. The results of radical trapping experiments and electron spin resonance analysis show that photogenerated holes and O2− play an important role in the photodegradation process. This work provides a universal strategy of construction built‐in electric field through coupling with NC to improve the photocatalytic performance of photocatalysts.
All‐Organic, Temporally Pure White Afterglow in Amorphous Films Using Complementary Blue and Greenish‐Yellow Ultralong Room Temperature Phosphors
Authors: Kuila Suman , Garain Swadhin , Bandi Sreenivasulu , George Subi J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractOrganic molecules exhibiting afterglow emission (lifetime longer than 0.1 s) under ambient conditions have sparked tremendous attention in recent years as a sustainable energy source with potential applications in displays, lighting, and bioimaging. However, white afterglow organic materials with color purity during the entire period of delayed emission, after the cessation of excitation source, are yet to be achieved due to the different excited state lifetimes of its primary or complementary components. Herein, a remarkable, ambient “temporally pure white afterglow,” which lasts for over 7 s, by coorganizing complementary blue and greenish‐yellow organic room temperature phosphors with similar ultralong lifetimes and efficiency, in an amorphous polymer film is demonstrated. One of the most efficient blue afterglow room temperature phosphors is also reported, with an ultralong lifetime up to 2.26 s and maximum quantum efficiency of 36.8%, from purely organic triazatruxenes en route to the realization of this white afterglow. Further, broad and complementary absorption features of the coorganized phosphors in the visible region facilitates an excitation‐dependent dynamic color‐tuning of the afterglow from sky‐blue to greenish‐yellow.
Bioinspired Copper Single‐Atom Catalysts for Tumor Parallel Catalytic Therapy
Authors: Lu Xiangyu , Gao Shanshan , Lin Han , Yu Luodan , Han Yunhu , Zhu Piao , Bao Weichao , Yao Heliang , Chen Yu , Shi Jianlin 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe oxidation of intracellular biomolecules by reactive oxygen species (ROS) forms the basis for ROS‐based tumor therapy. However, the current therapeutic modalities cannot catalyze H2O2 and O2 concurrently for ROS generation, thereby leading to unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy. Herein, it is reported a bioinspired hollow N‐doped carbon sphere doped with a single‐atom copper species (Cu‐HNCS) that can directly catalyze the decomposition of both oxygen and hydrogen peroxide to ROS, namely superoxide ion (O2•−) and the hydroxyl radical (•OH), respectively, in an acidic tumor microenvironment for the oxidation of intracellular biomolecules without external energy input, thus resulting in an enhanced tumor growth inhibitory effect. Notably, the Fenton reaction turnover frequency of Cu species in Cu‐HNCS is ≈5000 times higher than that of Fe in commercial Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations reveal that the high catalytic activity of Cu‐HNCS originates from the single‐atom copper, and the calculation predicts a next‐generation Fenton catalyst. This work provides an effective paradigm of tumor parallel catalytic therapy for considerably enhanced therapeutic efficacy.
Long‐Range Ordered Amorphous Atomic Chains as Building Blocks of a Superconducting Quasi‐One‐Dimensional Crystal
Authors: An Chao , Zhou Yonghui , Chen Chunhua , Fei Fucong , Song Fengqi , Park Changyong , Zhou Jianhui , Rubahn Horst‐Günter , Moshchalkov Victor V. , Chen Xuliang , Zhang Gufei , Yang Zhaorong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCrystalline and amorphous structures are two of the most common solid‐state phases. Crystals having orientational and periodic translation symmetries are usually both short‐range and long‐range ordered, while amorphous materials have no long‐range order. Short‐range ordered but long‐range disordered materials are generally categorized into amorphous phases. In contrast to the extensively studied crystalline and amorphous phases, the combination of short‐range disordered and long‐range ordered structures at the atomic level is extremely rare and so far has only been reported for solvated fullerenes under compression. Here, a report on the creation and investigation of a superconducting quasi‐1D material with long‐range ordered amorphous building blocks is presented. Using a diamond anvil cell, monocrystalline (TaSe4)2I is compressed and a system is created where the TaSe4 atomic chains are in amorphous state without breaking the orientational and periodic translation symmetries of the chain lattice. Strikingly, along with the amorphization of the atomic chains, the insulating (TaSe4)2I becomes a superconductor. The data provide critical insight into a new phase of solid‐state materials. The findings demonstrate a first ever case where superconductivity is hosted by a lattice with periodic but amorphous constituent atomic chains.
Palladium/Norbornene‐Catalyzed Sequential ortho‐Acylation and ipso‐Alkenylation with Carboxylic Acid: Access to Polysubstituted Aryl Ketones
Authors: Yang Shimin , Feng Yunxia , Zhao Shen , Chen Lei , Li Xinjin , Zhang Daopeng , Liu Hui , Dong Yunhui , Sun Feng‐Gang 
Published: July 2020

AbstractHerein a palladium/norbornene‐catalyzed sequential ortho‐acylation and ispo‐alkenylation for access to polysubstituted aryl ketones has been developed. By exploiting dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as activator, aryl with electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing functionalities, alkyl, and heteroaryl carboxylic acids were compatible in this transformation, affording the desired products in decent to good yields.magnified image
Blue Energy Collection toward All‐Hours Self‐Powered Chemical Energy Conversion
Authors: Zhai Ningning , Wen Zhen , Chen Xiaoping , Wei Aimin , Sha Mo , Fu Jingjing , Liu Yina , Zhong Jun , Sun Xuhui 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe conversion and transmission of blue energy in the ocean are critical issues. By employing triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), blue energy can be harvested but the corresponding electricity transmission and storage are still great challenges. In this work, an automatic high‐efficiency self‐powered energy collection and conversion system is proposed that converts blue energy to chemical energy. A gear‐driven unidirectional acceleration TENG is designed to convert disordered and low‐frequency water wave energy to low voltage and high current DC output. The output bias from the TENG can be used to drive a Ti–Fe2O3/FeNiOOH based photoelectrochemical cell under sunlight to produce hydrogen. Moreover, under the situation without sunlight, the self‐powered system can be automatically switched to another working state to charge a Co3O4 based lithium‐ion battery. The hydrogen production rate reaches to 4.65 µL min‐1 under sunlight at the rotation speed of 120 rpm. The conversion efficiency of the whole system is calculated to be 2.29%. The system triggered by photoswitches can automatically switch between two working states with or without sunlight and convert the blue energy to either hydrogen energy or battery energy for easy storage and transmission, which widens the future applications for blue energy.
A study on facial features of children with Williams syndrome in China based on three‐dimensional anthropometric measurement technology
Authors: Ji Chai , Yao Dan , Li Ming‐Yan , Chen Wei‐Jun , Lin Sheng‐Liang , Zhao Zheng‐Yan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractTo describe special facial features of children with Williams syndrome in China by using method of three‐dimensional craniofacial anthropometry. Using three‐dimensional stereo photogrammetric device, 14 craniofacial anthropometric measurements were performed and five indices were calculated in 52 children with Williams syndrome and 208 age and sex matched controls of Han Chinese ethnicity. Except intercanthal width, mouth breadth, morphological face height, nasal height‐breadth index, nasal breadth‐depth index, morphological ear index, the Williams syndrome group under 3 years old were smaller than the control group in the other 12 variables. Compared with the control group, the Williams syndrome group aged 3–5 years old had smaller biocular breadth, nasal length, nasorostral angle, bitragal breadth, ear width, morphological ear index and face depth. The Williams syndrome group aged above 6 years old had smaller biocular breadth, nasal breadth, bitragal breadth, ear width, ear length and face depth than the control group. The craniofacial variability index of the Williams syndrome group was greater than the control group. Greater variation was found among children with Williams syndrome than normal in China, specifically at eye, nose, ear and face shape, which demonstrate the usefulness of three‐dimensional stereo photogrammetric analysis in supporting accurate diagnose of the patient with Williams syndrome.
Reconfigurable Assembly of Active Liquid Metal Colloidal Cluster
Authors: Li Zesheng , Zhang Hongyue , Wang Daolin , Gao Changyong , Sun Mengmeng , Wu Zhiguang , He Qiang 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe report the reconfigurable assembly of rod‐shaped eutectic gallium–indium alloy (EGaIn) liquid metal colloidal motors by mimicking the growth behavior of a dandelion. EGaIn nanorods with a diameter of 210 nm and a length of 850 nm were synthesized via an ultrasound‐assisted physical dispersion method. The nanorods possess a core–shell structure with a 30 nm GaOOH shell and zero‐valent liquid core. The EGaIn motors move autonomously at a speed of 41.2 μm s−1 under an acoustic field. By modulating the frequency of the applied acoustic field, the EGaIn colloidal motors self‐organize into various striped and circular patterns, followed by a flower‐like cluster. The dandelion‐like EGaIn colloidal motor clusters move collectively and redisperse when the applied acoustic frequency is changed. Numerical simulations reveal that the flower‐like clusters are created by the acoustic propulsion in combination with steric repulsion and hydrodynamics.
Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to 1‐Butanol on Oxide‐Derived Copper
Authors: Ting Louisa Rui Lin , García‐Muelas Rodrigo , Martín Antonio J. , Veenstra Florentine L. P. , Chen Stuart Tze‐Jin , Peng Yujie , Per Edwin Yu Xuan , Pablo‐García Sergio , López Núria , Pérez‐Ramírez Javier , Yeo Boon Siang 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe electroreduction of carbon dioxide using renewable electricity is an appealing strategy for the sustainable synthesis of chemicals and fuels. Extensive research has focused on the production of ethylene, ethanol and n‐propanol, but more complex C4 molecules have been scarcely reported. Herein, we report the first direct electroreduction of CO2 to 1‐butanol in alkaline electrolyte on Cu gas diffusion electrodes (Faradaic efficiency=0.056 %, j1‐Butanol=−0.080 mA cm−2 at −0.48 V vs. RHE) and elucidate its formation mechanism. Electrolysis of possible molecular intermediates, coupled with density functional theory, led us to propose that CO2 first electroreduces to acetaldehyde‐a key C2 intermediate to 1‐butanol. Acetaldehyde then undergoes a base‐catalyzed aldol condensation to give crotonaldehyde via electrochemical promotion by the catalyst surface. Crotonaldehyde is subsequently electroreduced to butanal, and then to 1‐butanol. In a broad context, our results point to the relevance of coupling chemical and electrochemical processes for the synthesis of higher molecular weight products from CO2.
Preparation and evaluation of alpha‐cellulose sulfate based new heterogeneous catalyst for production of biodiesel
Authors: Jumina  , Yasodhara Yuvindra , Triono Sugeng , Kurniawan Yehezkiel Steven , Priastomo Yoga , Chawla Har Mohindra , Kumar Naresh 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAlpha‐cellulose obtained from wood sawdust wastes in 29.0% yield was reacted with sulfuric acid to produce alpha‐cellulose sulfate materials. These catalyst materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and specular reflectance‐UV spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and laser scattering particle size distribution. The concentration of sulfate groups on the cellulosic matrix was determined by turbidimetry. The obtained alpha‐cellulose sulfates can be used as efficient heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production from palm oil when evaluated with methylation of palmitic acid and oleic acid as the model reaction. The density of sulfate functional groups on the alpha‐cellulose sulfate materials was 2.18–16.74% wt/wt as determined by turbidimetry. Standardization of deployed alpha‐cellulose sulfate catalysts was achieved using different ratios of alpha‐cellulose and sulfate (1:0.5, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 m/v). Additionally, the Bronsted acid sites on the alpha‐cellulose sulfate catalyst play a pivotal role in the catalytic process.
Terminally cross‐linking polyrotaxane hydrogels applicable for cellular microenvironments
Authors: Arisaka Yoshinori , Tonegawa Asato , Tamura Atsushi , Yui Nobuhiko 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPolyrotaxanes, composed of multiple cyclic molecules threaded onto a polymer chain axis capped with bulky molecules, exhibit unique structural features wherein cyclic molecules can move along a chain. We have previously constructed biointerfaces that utilize the molecular mobility of polyrotaxanes for controlling cellular responses. To implement the features in a three‐dimensionally engineered cellular microenvironment, this study developed supramolecular hydrogels using polyrotaxane cross‐linkers capped with 4‐vinylbenzyl groups at the terminals of a polymer chain axis, where the 4‐vinylbenzyl groups in the polyrotaxane allow polymerization with other polyrotaxanes to form polyrotaxane networks. Polyrotaxane hydrogels are successfully prepared without any additional monomers via redox polymerization. The dynamic viscoelasticity and swellability of the hydrogels can be varied depending on the concentration of the polyrotaxanes. When fibroblasts are cultured on hydrogels, sufficient adhesion for cultivation is observed. Therefore, polyrotaxane hydrogels demonstrate suitable potential as new supramolecular biomaterials with dynamic structural features.
Predicting biomarkers from classifier for liver metastasis of colorectal adenocarcinomas using machine learning models
Authors: Shuwen Han , Xi Yang , Qing Zhou , Jing Zhuang , Wei Wu 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundEarly diagnosis of liver metastasis is of great importance for enhancing the survival of colorectal adenocarcinoma (CAD) patients, and the combined use of a single biomarker in a classier model has shown great improvement in predicting the metastasis of several types of cancers. However, it is little reported for CAD. This study therefore aimed to screen an optimal classier model of CAD with liver metastasis and explore the metastatic mechanisms of genes when applying this classier model.MethodsThe differentially expressed genes between primary CAD samples and CAD with metastasis samples were screened from the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) dataset GSE131418. The classification performances of six selected algorithms, namely, LR, RF, SVM, GBDT, NN, and CatBoost, for classification of CAD with liver metastasis samples were compared using the MCC dataset GSE131418 by detecting their classification test accuracy. In addition, the consortium datasets of GSE131418 and GSE81558 were used as internal and external validation sets to screen the optimal method. Subsequently, functional analyses and a drug‐targeted network construction of the feature genes when applying the optimal method were conducted.ResultsThe optimal CatBoost model with the highest accuracy of 99%, and an area under the curve of 1, was screened, which consisted of 33 feature genes. A functional analysis showed that the feature genes were closely associated with a “steroid metabolic process” and “lipoprotein particle receptor binding” (eg APOB and APOC3). In addition, the feature genes were significantly enriched in the “complement and coagulation cascade” pathways (eg FGA, F2, and F9). In a drug‐target interaction network, F2 and F9 were predicted as targets of menadione.ConclusionThe CatBoost model constructed using 33 feature genes showed the optimal classification performance for identifying CAD with liver metastasis.