bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Morphology‐Controlled Ultrafast Relaxation Processes of Aggregated Porphyrin
Authors: Mondal Bodhisatwa , Bera Rajesh , Ghosh Srijon , Nayak Sandip K. , Patra Amitava 
Published: July 2020

AbstractHere, we have synthesized rod and flake shaped morphology of porphyrin aggregates from 5, 10, 15, 20‐tetra (4‐n‐octyloxyphenyl) porphyrin (4‐opTPP) molecule which are evident from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The formation of J‐type aggregation is evident from steady state and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopic studies. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopic studies reveal that the excited state lifetime is controlled by the morphology and the time constant for S1→S0 relaxation changes from 3.05 ps to 744 ps with changing the shape from rod to flake, respectively. In spite of similar exciton coupling energy in both the aggregates, the flake shaped aggregates undergo a faster exciton relaxation process and the non‐radiative relaxation channels are found to depend on the shape of aggregates. The fundamental understanding of morphology controlled ultrafast relaxation processes of aggregated porphyrin is important for designing efficient light harvesting devices.
Dirhodium Coordination Polymers for Asymmetric Cyclopropanation of Diazooxindoles with Olefins: Synthesis and Spectroscopic Analysis
Authors: Li Zhenzhong , Rösler Lorenz , Herr Kevin , Brodrecht Martin , Breitzke Hergen , Hofmann Kathrin , Limbach Hans‐Heinrich , Gutmann Torsten , Buntkowsky Gerd 
Published: July 2020

AbstractA facile approach is reported for the preparation of dirhodium coordination polymers [Rh2(L1)2]n (Rh2‐L1) and [Rh2(L2)2]n (Rh2‐L2; L1=N,N’‐(pyromellitoyl)‐bis‐L‐phenylalanine diacid anion, L2=bis‐N,N’‐(L‐phenylalanyl) naphthalene‐1,4,5,8‐tetracarboxylate diimide) from chiral dicarboxylic acids by ligand exchange. Multiple techniques including FTIR, XPS, and 1H→13C CP MAS NMR spectroscopy reveal the formation of the coordination polymers. 19F MAS NMR was utilized to investigate the remaining TFA groups in the obtained coordination polymers, and demonstrated near‐quantitative ligand exchange. DR‐UV‐vis and XPS confirm the oxidation state of the Rh center and that the Rh‐single bond in the dirhodium node is maintained in the synthesis of Rh2‐L1 and Rh2‐L2. Both coordination polymers exhibit excellent catalytic performance in the asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction between styrene and diazooxindole. The catalysts can be easily recycled and reused without significant reduction in their catalytic efficiency.
Conjunctive Photoluminescence Enhancement Through Plasmonic and Photonic Band‐Gap Pathways in a Chiral Self‐Assembled System
Authors: Baral Marlin , Krishna Prasad S. , Bhat Sachin A. , Nayak Rashmi A. , Yelamaggad C. V. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe front cover artwork is provided by the Prasad group at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences at Bengaluru (India). The image shows the enhancement of photoluminescence by deploying metal nanoparticles and creating an appropriate chiral environment. Besides exhibiting an electric‐field modulation of photoluminescence, the system quite effectively performs chiral discrimination of the emitted light. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/cptc.2020000077.
Relating angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers with incidence or mortality of COVID‐19
Authors: Wong Martin C.S. , Wong Sunny , Huang Junjie , Yan Bryan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe present Perspective examined the latest evidence on the association between the use of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and the incidence/mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Our critical appraisal from existing literature does not support discontinuation of ACEIs/ARBs in clinical practice as there is absence of solid evidence. However, we do recommend future research perspective in formulation and implementation of practice‐changing guidelines.
Electrocatalytic Production of Hydrogen‐peroxide from Molecular Oxygen by Rare Earth (Pr, Nd, Sm or Gd) Oxide Nanorods
Authors: Hota Ipsha , Debnath A. K , Muthe K. P , Varadwaj K. S. K , Parhi Purnendu 
Published: July 2020

AbstractHighly selective two electron oxygen reduction pathway to generate hydrogen peroxide using four different rare earth (Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd) oxides has been studied. From the rotating‐ring‐disc electrochemical experimental observations, it can be concluded that among the four rare earth oxides, Gd2O3 shows higher ring current and can efficiently produce H2O2 (yield of HO2−=80 %) following 2 electron (number of electrons involved in the process was calculated as 2.2) pathway in 0.1 M KOH. The selectivity for H2O2 was improved by the synergistic coexistence of volcano carbon (VC) with rare‐earth oxides, while Nd2O3 mixed with VC ink showed maximum (91.91 %) selectivity for the H2O2 production. The electrochemical active surface area calculated by measuring the charging current of the electric double layer is compared. The ORR kinetics of the synthesized catalysts were studied by comparing the rate constants and tafel slopes at selected potential ranges.
Microelectrode Combinations of Gold and Polypyrrole Enable Highly Stable Two‐electrode Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements under Turbulent Flow Conditions
Authors: Kremers Tom , Tintelott Marcel , Pachauri Vivek , Vu Xuan Thang , Ingebrandt Sven , Schnakenberg Uwe 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAn electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensor design is proposed based on a standard interdigitated electrode layout in which the smaller working electrode consists of gold (Au) whereas the larger combined counter and reference electrode is coated with a porous layer of polypyrrole (PPy) doped with polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) (PPy : PSS). Each electrode material was first characterized by EIS in a standard 3‐electrode setup with subsequent spectra fitting by a modified Randles equivalent circuit. The differences in the spectra obtained by the PPy : PSS coated electrodes can be explained by an increased electroactive surface area due to the porous polymer film. The changes in morphology of the film are discussed with respect to the evolution of the elements of the electric equivalent circuit. When applying the Au/PPy : PSS electrode combination to a standard 2‐electrode arrangement, the enlarged highly electroactive surface area of the PPy : PSS coating lowers the interfacial impedance in a way that mainly the gold working electrode contributes to the overall system impedance. Therefore, obtaining reproducible EIS signals depends only on the electrode's open‐circuit potential (OCP) and on additional adsorption events at the gold electrode/electrolyte interface. We present a protocol for microelectrode coating with PPy : PSS, which enables highly stable 2‐electrode EIS experiments without the need of a reference electrode. This combination is believed to be very useful if an integration of sensing electrodes inside Micro Total Analysis Systems is aspired.
Enzymeless Electrochemical Glucose Sensor Based on Carboxylated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Nickel (II) Electrocatalyst and Self‐assembled Molecularly Imprinted Polyethylenimine
Authors: Okhokhonin A. , Stepanova V. , Malysheva N. , Matern A. , Kozitsina A. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this paper a new enzymeless electrochemical glucose sensor based on carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNT) with immobilized nickel (II) acetylacetonate (NiL) as electrocatalyst and molecularly imprinted polymer fabricated through electrostatic self‐assembling of polyethyleneimine (PEI) crosslinked with glutaric dialdehyde (GDA). The electrocatalytic properties of NiL and PEI‐cMWCNT, PEI‐GDA and PEI‐glucose interactions is studied for the first time. Developed sensor demonstrates excellent electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation and possessing high stability, sensitivity of 5897.42±161.00 μA ⋅ mM−1 cm−2, LOD of 0.138 mM and high selectivity in the presence of creatinine, L‐alanine, glycine, D‐glutamine, uric acid, L‐ascorbic acid, urea and BSA.
Performance Evaluation of Graphene Oxide Based Co3O4@GO, MnO2@GO and Co3O4/MnO2@GO Electrodes for Supercapacitors
Authors: Obodo Raphael M. , Onah Emmanuel O. , Nsude Hope E. , Agbogu Ada , Nwanya Assumpta C. , Ahmad Ishaq , Zhao Tingkai , Ejikeme Paul M. , Maaza M. , Ezema Fabian I. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractHydrothermally synthesized electrodes of Co3O4@GO, MnO2@GO and Co3O4/MnO2@GO were produced for usages in supercapacitors. Graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated in the nanocomposites used for electrodes synthesis due to its great surface area and electrical conductivity. The synergistic alliance among these composites and GO enhance electrodes performance, life span and stability. The structural properties as obtained from the X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results suggest that nanocomposites are crystalline in nature. The morphological studies indicated that the nanocomposites have platelet nanoparticles with some agglomerations. The energy bandgaps estimated for the Co3O4@GO, MnO2@GO and Co3O4/MnO2@GO are 2.38 eV, 2.05 eV and 2.33 eV respectively The electrochemical studies provided highest specific capacitance from CV using 10 mV/s scan rates and GCD using 1.0 A/g current density were 765, 1215, 1518 and 975, 1358, 1718 F/g for Co3O4@GO, MnO2@GO and Co3O4/MnO2@GO respectively. These results obviously indicate that composites perform better than single transition metal oxide and the addition of graphene oxide enhanced electrodes performance.
A critical analysis of the bat algorithm
Authors: Gagnon Iannick , April Alain , Abran Alain 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis article presents an analysis of the bat algorithm (BA) based on elementary mathematical analysis and statistical comparisons of the first hitting time performance metric distributions obtained on a test set comprising five carefully selected objective functions. The findings show that the BA is not an original contribution to the metaheuristics literature and that it is not generally superior to the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm when fair comparisons are made. It is also shown that some components of the BA can be either replaced by simpler alternatives or be removed entirely to increase performance. Finally, the results suggest that the best version of the BA is in fact a simple hybrid between Particle Swarm Optimization and Simulated Annealing. To encourage more transparency in metaheuristics research, the entirety of the MATLAB code used in this article is available in a GitHub repository for suggestions and/or corrections.
Structural health building response induced by earthquakes: Material softening and recovery
Authors: Astorga Ariana , Guéguen Philippe 
Published: July 2020

AbstractUnder proper loading conditions, micro‐to‐nanoscale heterogeneities (ie, the bond system) that are commonly found within the materials of a system can coalesce until causing macroscopic alterations of the system properties. The bond system is responsible for atypical and invariant‐scale nonlinear elastic processes in granular media, from laboratory‐tested materials (mm) to the Earth's crust (km). The unusual observed behavior involves slow recovery, or relaxation, of the elastic properties after dynamic loading. Several models have been designed to explain non‐linear elasticity, although their physics is still partially unknown. Here, we show that recovery processes are also observed at intermediary scales (m) in civil engineering structures, and that they might be related to structural health due to the healing of cracks. For Japanese buildings subjected to earthquakes, we observe rapid co‐seismic reductions of their resonance frequency, followed by fascinating recoveries over different time scales. For the first time, slow recovery is presented in buildings over short times (ie, seconds) for a single earthquake; over intermediate times (ie, months) for a sequence of aftershocks; and over long times (ie, years) for a series of earthquakes. This study focuses on the analysis of long‐term recovery and recovery during aftershocks, in order to detect permanent damage. By comparing two buildings with different damage levels after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, we show how relaxation models can characterize the level of cracking caused by damaging events. Our results demonstrate that nonlinear elasticity, combined with existing monitoring techniques, can be a powerful approach for damage detection and damage characterization.
Usefulness of lymphocyte transformation test and in vitro cytokine release in differentiating between independent and cross‐reacting nickel/palladium allergy
Authors: Kapp Florian , Summer Burkhard , Thomas Peter 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundOften concomitant patch test (PT) reactivity to palladium (Pd) and nickel (Ni) is found.ObjectivesTo determine whether lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) could be useful in discrimination between cross‐reacting or distinct PT results, and to compare the results with in vitro cytokine production upon Pd or Ni stimulation.Materials and MethodsThe study population consisted of two groups: 13 individuals with Pd PT reactions (10 with concomitant Ni PT reaction, 3 individuals with only Pd PT reactivity) and 10 Ni/Pd PT negative individuals. LTT and assessment of cytokine release (interferon‐gamma, interleukin‐5 [IL‐5], IL‐8, IL‐17A, tumor necrosis factor alpha) by cytometric bead assay were performed.ResultsAll 10 patients with positive PT to Ni and Pd showed positive LTT to Ni (P < .05) as compared with the 10 Pd/Ni PT negative patients—but had no significant LTT reaction to Pd. In all, 9 out of 10 Pd/Ni PT negative patients were also LTT negative to Ni and 10 out of 10 to Pd. In the 3 only Pd PT reactors 2 out of 3 remained LTT negative to Ni and 0 out of 3 to Pd. As a major finding, cytokine production gave clearly enhanced IL‐5 response to Ni in Ni PT positive individuals (P < .05), whereas Pd PT reactivity was not linked with such enhanced IL‐5 production in vitro to Pd.ConclusionsPd and Ni sensitization are mostly found concomitantly, and cross‐reactivity is questioned. By different LTT reactions and particularly IL‐5 production in vitro, predominant Ni sensitization becomes more evident.
Cross‐shareholding networks and stock price synchronicity: Evidence from China
Authors: Wen Fenghua , Yuan Yujie , Zhou Wei‐Xing 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis article investigates the effect of cross‐shareholdings on stock price synchronicity, as a measure of price informativeness, of the listed firms in the Chinese stock market. We gauge firms' levels of cross‐shareholdings in terms of centrality in the cross‐shareholding network. It is confirmed that it is through a noise‐reducing process that cross‐shareholdings promotes price synchronicity and reduces price delay. More importantly, this effect on price informativeness is pronounced for large firms and in the periods of market downturns. Overall, our analyses provide insights into the relation between the ownership structure and price informativeness.
Banking sector stability and economic growth in post‐transition European Union countries
Authors: Bayar Yilmaz , Borozan Djula , Gavriletea Marius Dan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractEconomic growth is considered to be an essential means for poverty alleviation and improving countries' well‐being. Disturbances and instability in the banking sector may jeopardize financial stability and generate adverse, considerable and long‐lasting consequences therefor. This study analyzed the dynamic and causal effects of various indicators of banking sector stability on economic growth by employing new generation panel cointegration and causality tests in post‐transition European Union countries over the period 1998–2016. Taking into account cross‐sectional dependence between countries, the presence of heterogeneity in the errors, endogeneity and structural breaks, the long and short run analyses revealed the cointegration relation between the variables, the statistically significant positive effect of banking sector stability on economic growth and the efficiency of the error correction mechanism. The causality analysis disclosed the opposite causality direction between the particular banking sector stability indicators and economic growth, suggesting that banking sector stability is a complex, hierarchically structured multidimensional construct. Its different dimensions require different policy responses aiming at preventing future shocks and mitigating the adverse effects, while encouraging economic growth.
Are crises sentimental?
Authors: Chen Tao , So Erin P. K. , Yan Isabel K. M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis paper examines the role of investor sentiment in signalling the onset of equity crises in a panel of over 50 countries. We find that although poor economic fundamentals are significant determinants of the vulnerability of countries, a shift from bullish to bearish investor sentiment acts as the final trigger. Bearish investor sentiment in regional and local markets exhibits significant predictive power for the outbreak of equity crises in the subsequent one to eight quarters, beyond that forecasted by pure economic fundamentals. The results remain broadly unchanged even after we orthogonalize the sentiment indices to information about economic fundamentals.
Socially responsible investing portfolio: An almost stochastic dominance approach
Authors: Do Trung K. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis study investigates whether socially responsible investing (SRI) portfolio performs better than the market indexes using the utility‐based nonparametric approach. The results from realized return distribution show that SRI portfolio outperforms the market indexes in term of almost stochastic dominance. The outperformance of SRI portfolio is robust to various robustness tests. Overall, our findings indicate that the SRI strategy indeed generates better performance. It is also suggested that past SRI ratings are valuable information for investors to incorporate socially responsible firms into their investment decision and yield a high return.
What determines China's housing price dynamics? New evidence from a DSGE‐VAR
Authors: Liu Chunping , Ou Zhirong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWe investigate what determines China's housing price dynamics using a DSGE‐VAR estimated with priors allowing for the featured operating of normal and “shadow” banks in China, with data observed between 2001 and 2014. We find that the housing demand shock, which is the essential factor for housing price “bubbles” to happen, accounts for near 90% of the housing price fluctuation. We also find that a prosperous housing market could have led to future economic growth, though quantitatively its marginal impact is small. But this also means that, for policy‐makers who wish to stabilize the housing market, the cost on output reduction would be rather limited.
Deconstructing three‐stage overall efficiency into input, output and stability efficiency components with consideration of market power and loan loss provision: An application to Chinese banks
Authors: Fukuyama Hirofumi , Tan Yong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe current study proposes a new three‐stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to estimate three different types of efficiencies. More specifically, the input efficiency is estimated in the first stage, followed by the evaluation of stability efficiency in the second stage, and finally, the output efficiency is derived from the final stage. In particular, we consider market power in deposits and market power in loans in the banking production process. Rather than using non‐performing loans as an undesirable output, this paper innovatively uses loan loss provisions in bank production. We argue that the loan loss provisions are helpful to improve bank stability because they provide a cushion to absorb unexpected losses, therefore we treat it as a good intermediate output in the second stage and a good intermediate input in the third stage. The results exhibit that the scores of stability inefficiency are the highest, followed by output inefficiency, while Chinese commercial banks have the lowest level of input inefficiency. Not only did we observe that the Chinese banking industry has the highest level of stability inefficiency, but we also noticed that the stability inefficiency had the strongest volatility during 2007–2017. We also explore the impact of non‐performing loan ratios from three different geographical areas on bank efficiency in China in a second‐phase regression analysis, the results of which show that the input inefficiency results from higher levels of financial risk from the central area in China, while the western area in China has the opposite sign.
Olfactory ensheathing cells seeded decellularized scaffold promotes axonal regeneration in spinal cord injury rats
Authors: Yu Fangzheng , Li Peifeng , Du Shenghu , Lui KoonHei W. , Lin Yutian , Chen Lumin , Ren Qi , Wang Jian , Mei Jin , Xiao Jian , Zhu Junyi 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSpinal cord decellularized (DC) scaffolds can promote axonal regeneration and restore hindlimb motor function of spinal cord defect rats. However, scarring caused by damage to the astrocytes at the margin of injury can hinder axon regeneration. Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) integrate and migrate with astrocytes at the site of spinal cord injury, providing a bridge for axons to penetrate the scars and grow into lesion cores. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether DC scaffolds carrying OECs could better promote axon growth. For these studies, DC scaffolds were cocultured with primary extracted and purified OECs. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy were used for verification of cells adhere and growth on the scaffold. Scaffolds with OECs were transplanted into rat spinal cord defects to evaluate axon regeneration and functional recovery of hind limbs. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring was used to assess motor function recovery, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and NF200‐stained tissue sections were used to evaluate axonal regeneration and astrological scar distribution. Our results indicated that spinal cord DC scaffolds have good histocompatibility and spatial structure, and can promote the proliferation of adherent OECs. In animal experiments, scaffolds carrying OECs have better axon regeneration promoting protein expression than the SCI model, and improve the proliferation and distribution of astrocytes at the site of injury. These results proved that the spinal cord DC scaffold with OECs can promote axon regeneration at the site of injury, providing a new basis for clinical application.