bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multifunctions of Polymer Nanocomposites: Environmental Remediation, Electromagnetic Interference Shielding, And Sensing Applications
Authors: Wei Huige , Wang Hui , Li Ang , Cui Dapeng , Zhao Zinian , Chu Liqiang , Wei Xin , Wang Lin , Pan Duo , Fan Jincheng , Li Yingchun , Zhang Jiaoxia , Liu Chuntai , Wei Suying , Guo Zhanhu 
Published: January 2020

AbstractPolymer nanocomposites (PNCs), i. e. nanofillers dispersed in a polymer matrix, have become a prominent area of current research promoted by rapid developments in the polymer science and nanotechnology. As a promising alternative to conventional composites which are reinforced with micro‐scale fillers, PNCs exhibit substantially improved overall performance and simplified processing at much lower nanofiller loadings. PNCs have great potentials for a broad range of applications, e. g. environmental remediation, energy storage/conversion, transportation, and national defense. In this regard, the most recent advances in PNCs for the environmental remediation, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and sensing & actuation applications are presented. Challenges and perspectives of PNCs are also discussed.
Neoteric Conjugative Electrospinning towards Alloplastic Nanofiber Yarns Affording Enhanced Upconversion Luminescence and Tailored Magnetism
Authors: Sheng Yuqi , Tian Jiao , Xie Yunrui , Yang Xiuling , Qi Haina , Ma Qianli , Yu Wensheng , Dong Xiangting , Yu Hui , Liu Guixia 
Published: January 2020

AbstractUpconversion luminescent‐magnetic [Y2O3:Yb3+, Er3+/polyacrylonitrile (PAN)]//[CoFe2O4/PAN] alloplastic nanofiber yarns (ANYs) are successfully prepared by a novel conjugative electrospinning. The ANYs consist of two different kinds of nanofibers, respectively called as [CoFe2O4/PAN] magnetic nanofibers and [Y2O3:Yb3+, Er3+/PAN] upconversion luminescent nanofibers, and the two kinds of nanofibers are combined together and twisted to form ANYs. Pumped by 980‐nm laser, the ANYs exhibit excellent upconversion luminescence (UCL) and orange‐red fluorescence. ANYs demonstrate tailored saturation magnetization by modulating CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) content. The influence mechanism of magnetic CoFe2O4 NPs on the UCL of ANYs is detailedly explored. The relationship between mechanical properties and twist for ANYs is explored through the tensile test. Compared with the counterpart coessential nanofiber yarns (CNYs), ANYs exhibit about 10 times stronger UCL intensity owing to the complete separation of the upconversion luminescent substance from the magnetic substance and thereby great reduction of impact of the magnetic substance on the upconversion luminescent substance. Thus, concurrent enhancive upconversion luminescence (UCL) and tunable magnetism of the ANYs are successfully achieved. The detailed formation mechanism of ANYs is advanced and a novel fabrication technique of yarns is established and can be popularized to prepare other bi‐ and multi‐functional nanofibrous yarns.
Tuning the Electronic Properties of Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons by Bottom‐Up Fabrication
Authors: Hao Zhenliang , Zhang Hui , Ruan Zilin , Yan Cuixia , Lu Jianchen , Cai Jinming 
Published: January 2020

AbstractGraphene, a monolayer of graphite, is predicted to be one of the most promising materials to replace silicon in future electronic instruments. Despite its extraordinary electronic and thermal properties, the lack of an electronic band gap severely hampers its potential for applications in digital electronics. In contrast, narrow stripes of graphene, so called graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are semiconductors, due to the quantum confinement with the tunable band gap by variation with the width and edge structure that is armchair, zigzag or the combination of both edges. This review covers the recent progress in bottom‐up approaches based on the surface‐catalyzed assembly of molecular precursors and tuning of the electronic properties of GNRs by fabricating atomically precise GNRs of different widths, various edge structures as well as doped structures. In addition, this review also indicates the challenges ahead and possible promising ways to finely tune the electronic structures of GNRs through slight modifications of the molecular configurations of the precursors.
Modelling the Earth's geomagnetic environment on Cray machines using PETSc and SLEPc
Authors: Brown Nick , Bainbridge Brian , Beggan Ciarán , Brown William , Hamilton Brian , Macmillan Susan 
Published: January 2020

SummaryThe British Geological Survey's global geomagnetic model, Model of the Earth's Magnetic Environment (MEME), is an important tool for calculating the strength and direction of the Earth's magnetic field, which is continually in flux. While the ability to collect data from ground‐based observation sites and satellites has grown rapidly, the memory bound nature of the original code has proved a significant limitation on the size of the modelling problem required. In this paper, we describe work done replacing the bespoke, sequential, eigensolver with that of the PETSc/SLEPc package for solving the system of normal equations. Adopting PETSc/SLEPc also required fundamental changes in how we built and distributed the data structures, and as such, we describe an approach for building symmetric matrices that provides good load balance and avoids the need for close coordination between the processes or replication of work. We also study the memory bound nature of the code from an irregular memory accesses perspective and combine detailed profiling with software cache prefetching to significantly optimise this. Performance and scaling characteristics are explored on ARCHER, a Cray XC30, where we achieved a speed up for the solver of 294 times by replacing the model's bespoke approach with SLEPc.
Ring‐Strain‐Promoted Ultrafast Diaryltetrazole–Alkyne Photoclick Reactions Triggered by Visible Light
Authors: Jiang Shichao , Wu Xueting , Liu Hui , Deng Jiajie , Zhang Xiaocui , Yao Zhuojun , Zheng Yuanqin , Li Bo , Yu Zhipeng 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBy exploiting the scope of dipolarophiles, we discovered that endo‐bicyclo[6.1.0]non‐4‐yn‐9‐ylmethanol (BCN) is an appropriate chemical reporter for the 2,5‐diaryltetrazole (DATet) based photoclick reaction, which proceeds via an ultrafast cycloaddition rate (∼105 M−1 s−1). Introduction of a 2,6‐(CF3)2phenyl moiety on the C5‐position of the tetrazole core brings a significant improvement of the chemical selectivity toward BCN without loss of reactivity. The high selectivity benefits from a combination of the steric and the electrostatic sheltering effect of a nitrile imine (NI) intermediate generated from photolysis of the DATet. In the absence of BCN, the oligothiophene moiety on the N2‐position of the tetrazole was found to induce self‐quenching of the NI intermediate instead of nucleophilic addition by 10 mM glutathione, demonstrating the fidelity of the DATet reagent. We also investigated the bioorthogonality of the DATet‐BCN photoclick chemistry for covalent bioconjugation toward BCN tags on proteins with visible‐light illumination.
The Chemistry and Kinetics of Polyethylene Pyrolysis: A Process to Produce Fuels and Chemicals
Authors: Zhao Dongting , Wang Xianhua , Miller James B. , Huber George W. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe annual global production of plastics reached 335 million metric tons in 2016. Most waste plastics are landfilled or enter the natural environment in an uncontrolled manner. Pyrolysis can convert waste plastics, such as polyethylene (PE), to smaller hydrocarbons that can be used as fuels or chemicals. In this work, pyrolysis of PE was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and in a fluidized‐bed reactor. A kinetic model based on two parallel first‐order random‐scission steps was developed on the basis of the TGA results. PE was pyrolyzed in a fluidized‐bed reactor over the temperature range of 500–600 °C and at residence times of 12.4–20.4 s. The yield of gas‐phase products increased from 8.2 to 56.8 wt %, and the yield of liquid‐phase products decreased from 81.2 to 28.5 wt % as the temperature increased from 500 to 600 °C. Detailed analysis of the gas‐ and liquid‐phase products revealed their potential as precursors for production of fuels and chemicals. Gas‐phase products included hydrogen, C1–C4 paraffins, C2–C4 olefins, and 1,3‐butadiene. The major liquid‐phase products were mono‐olefins and cycloalkanes/alkadienes with smaller amounts of n‐paraffins, isoparaffins, and aromatics. The carbon‐number distribution of the fluidized‐bed pyrolysis products suggested contributions of nonrandom reactions of random‐scission fragments at low conversion.
Investigation of the double input power converter with N stages of voltage multiplier using PSO‐based MPPT technique for the thermoelectric energy harvesting system
Authors: Thankakan Rakesh , Samuel Nadar Edward Rajan 
Published: January 2020

SummaryThis research work presents a thermoelectric energy harvesting system comprises of a double input DC‐DC converter with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique under varying temperature conditions (VTCs). The converter has two inputs with N stages of diode‐capacitor to boost the output voltage. It has the advantages of higher voltage gain and flexibility of power‐sharing by both the independent sources. The perturb and observe (P&O)‐based MPPT algorithm is an efficient and simple method to track the maximum power. However, the power‐current (P‐I) characteristics of the thermoelectric modules exhibit multiple peaks at VTCs; it fails to identify the global peak point (GPP) and gets track the local peak point. To overcome the drawback of the P&O technique, a particle swarm optimization (PSO)‐based MPPT technique is implemented to track the GPP. A comparison is performed between the P&O and PSO technique in terms of MPPT tracking efficiency and oscillation around the maximum power point. From the acquired results of simulation and experiment, it is recommended that the PSO‐based MPPT technique has furnished better overall performance.
Content of free and protein‐binding Nε‐carboxymethyllysine and Nε‐carboxyethyllysine in different parts of braised chicken
Authors: Zhu Zongshuai , Fang Rui , Cheng Yiqun , Khan Iftikhar Ali , Huang Jichao , Li Bin , Huang Ming 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn order to illustrate the levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in Chinese traditional braised chicken, the distribution of free and protein‐binding Nε‐carboxymethyllysine (CML) and Nε‐carboxyethyllysine (CEL) in four parts of processed chicken including chest (X), leg (T), skin (P), and the mixed whole body (M) was investigated. Our results showed that the content of free CML was 1,186.63–1,795.43 ng/g meat and protein‐binding CML was 11,693.91–16,122.90 ng/g meat. Differently, the content of free CEL was 24.81–41.62 ng/g meat and protein‐binding CEL was 270.11–385.49 ng/g meat. It was found that the total contents of CML were 31.5–56.8 folds higher than those of CEL. Protein‐binding AGEs (CML + CEL) were 6.6–9.9 times higher than those of free AGEs (CML + CEL). Pearson's correlation of AGEs and oxidation in four parts of braised chicken were also investigated, and the results showed that oxidation had a significant effect on levels of CEL; especially, the protein carbonyl was negatively correlated with free CEL (p < .05). TBARs value was significantly positively correlated with protein‐binding and total CEL (p < .01). In conclusion, our findings are important for better understanding of the AGEs formation in braised meat.
Archaeology and paleogeography of a Lake‐Wetland complex: Modeling the postglacial evolution of the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
Authors: Conolly James 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis study uses a combination of isostatic rebound, hydrological flow, and sedimentation models to generate predictions about the postglacial evolution (from ca. 12.0 ka cal BP to the modern‐day) of the Kawartha Lakes region of central Ontario, Canada. Changes in shoreline and wetland configuration are mapped and quantified so as to inform understanding of the environmental history of the region and illuminate the manner of its evolution. This knowledge is discussed in the context of the human history of the region, particularly the relationship between ancestral Indigenous communities and their relationship to lakes and wetlands. Areas of significant shoreline transgression are identified and thus where inundated archaeological sites are likely to exist. The scale of loss of wetland areas as a result of 19th‐century dam construction is also estimated along with the impacts of settler dams on Michi Saagigg Nishaabeg First Nations traditional harvesting practices.
Palliative chemotherapy with or without cetuximab in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Indian tertiary care retrospective analysis
Authors: Bahl Ankur , Bhatia Komal , Choudhary Pragati , Singhla Suhas , Shrivastava Gunjan , Bal Jaspriya , Anand Anil K. , Chaturvedi Harit , Dua Bharat 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackgroundWe report our experience with Indian patients who received palliative chemotherapy with/without cetuximab for recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN).MethodsData from 229 R/M SCCHN patients treated with cetuximab and chemotherapy (n = 140) or chemotherapy alone (n = 89) were retrospectively analyzed for response rate (RR), progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.ResultsPatients receiving cetuximab with chemotherapy demonstrated significant increase in RR (77.1% vs 44.9%, P = .0001), PFS (8.1 vs 6.1 months, P = .039), and OS (11.8 vs 8.0 months, P = .002) compared with patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Continuing cetuximab and changing chemotherapy combination (second line and beyond) in fit patients doubled OS (13.5 vs 6.1 months, P = .001). Adverse effects, except skin reactions (more in the cetuximab with chemotherapy group; P = .001), were similar in both groups.ConclusionAdding cetuximab to chemotherapy improved ORR, PFS, and OS in Indian R/M SCCHN patients, and cetuximab was well tolerated.
Extracellular matrix decorated polycaprolactone scaffolds for improved mesenchymal stem/stromal cell osteogenesis towards a patient‐tailored bone tissue engineering approach
Authors: Silva João C. , Carvalho Marta S. , Udangawa Ranodhi N. , Moura Carla S. , Cabral Joaquim M. S. , L. da Silva Cláudia , Ferreira Frederico Castelo , Vashishth Deepak , Linhardt Robert J. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe clinical demand for tissue‐engineered bone is growing due to the increase of non‐union fractures and delayed healing in an aging population. Herein, we present a method combining additive manufacturing (AM) techniques with cell‐derived extracellular matrix (ECM) to generate structurally well‐defined bioactive scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (BTE). In this work, highly porous three‐dimensional polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds with desired size and architecture were fabricated by fused deposition modeling and subsequently decorated with human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)‐derived ECM produced in situ. The successful deposition of MSC‐derived ECM onto PCL scaffolds (PCL‐MSC ECM) was confirmed after decellularization using scanning electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and immunofluorescence. The presence of cell‐derived ECM within the PCL scaffolds significantly enhanced MSC attachment and proliferation, with and without osteogenic supplementation. Additionally, under osteogenic induction, PCL‐MSC ECM scaffolds promoted significantly higher calcium deposition and elevated relative expression of bone‐specific genes, particularly the gene encoding osteopontin, when compared to pristine scaffolds. Overall, our results demonstrated the favorable effects of combining MSC‐derived ECM and AM‐based scaffolds on the osteogenic differentiation of MSC, resulting from a closer mimicry of the native bone niche. This strategy is highly promising for the development of novel personalized BTE approaches enabling the fabrication of patient defect‐tailored scaffolds with enhanced biological performance and osteoinductive properties.
Indomethacin and juglone inhibit inflammatory molecules to induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells
Authors: Seetha Alagesan , Devaraj Halagowder , Sudhandiran Ganapasam 
Published: January 2020

AbstractColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common fatal cancer. Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug, is known to reduce the occurrence of CRC. This study evaluated the potential anticolon cancer effects of juglone (5‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone) in combination with indomethacin. Human colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT29) were subjected to treatment with indomethacin, juglone, and a combination of both. Morphological analysis, cell cycle regulation, and dual staining using acridine orange and ethidium bromide in control and treated cells revealed the apoptotic potential of these compounds. Bcl2 and inflammatory molecules (tumor necrosis factor‐α, nuclear factor kappa B, and Cox‐2) were found to be decreased with a concomitant increase in the expression of proapoptotic molecules (Bad, Bax, cytochrome c, and PUMA) as a result of the molecular regulation of Wnt, Notch, and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ signaling. Treatment with juglone was not as effective as with indomethacin; however, a combination of both was shown to be more effective, suggesting that juglone may be considered for therapeutic intervention of colon cancer.
Neuroprotective activity of different monosaccharide‐modified gastrodin analogs
Authors: Xu Kun‐Lun , Yu Lan 
Published: January 2020

AbstractGastrodin is a very important and well‐known bioactive glycoside compound in Chinese medicine. It is also known as a drug with neuroprotective function. Here, a practical diversified synthesis of a series of gastrodin analogs was reported, which involved four‐step procedures consisting of bromination, oxidation, etherification, and reduction. Various gastrodin analogs were obtained in good yields. The compound 4c in this study has a good neuroprotective function: it can significantly downregulate tumor necrosis factor‐α and inducible nitric oxide synthase protein levels. The results of this study can provide a research basis for the development of neuroprotective drugs.
The clinical significance of serum chitinase 3‐like 1 in hepatitis B–related chronic liver diseases
Authors: Jiang Zhenluo , Wang Shuwei , Jin Jiancheng , Ying Sheng , Chen Zhigang , Zhu Dedong , Xiao Bingxiu , Hu Yaoren , Qian Yunsong , Cai Ting , Fu Liyun 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimIn the present study, we purposed to determine serum chitinase 3‐like 1 (CHI3L1) expression characteristics in chronic liver diseases monoinfected with hepatitis B virus and analyze its diagnostic value in liver fibrosis.MethodsA total of 467 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, 312 liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, and 104 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients at our institution were enrolled, and clinical indicators were analyzed.ResultsOur data have shown that the expression level of serum CHI3L1 was steadily increased from CHB to LC to HCC (P < .001). Serum CHI3L1 expression levels were positively associated with liver stiffness measurement (LSM), fibrosis‐4 (FIB‐4) index, aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI), and HCC stage. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve proved that serum CHI3L1 was superior to other noninvasive methods (LSM, FIB‐4, and APRI) with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.97 in diagnosing significant fibrosis.ConclusionsSerum CHI3L1 harbors significant clinical value in chronic liver diseases infected with hepatitis B virus, especially in the diagnosis of fibrosis.
Molybdenum modified Montmonrillonite clay as an efficient catalyst for low temperature NH3‐SCR
Authors: Chen Dingsheng , Feng Jinxi , Sun Jingxiang , Cen Chaoping , Tian Shuanghong , Yang Juan , Xiong Ya 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackgroundSelective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with ammonia (NH3‐SCR) is an effective method for the nitrogen oxides (NOx) removal. This study aimed to develop a highly efficient NH3‐SCR catalyst using the naturally available Montmonrillonite (Mt) clay as the catalyst support.ResultsMt was processed into PILC by Al/Zr intercalations, impregnated with MnCe mixed active components and loaded with transition metals to achieve X‐AlZr‐PILC‐MnCe (X = V, W, Co or Mo) catalysts. The optimized Mo‐AlZr‐PILC‐MnCe showed the best NH3‐SCR performance with a NO conversion rate of nearly 100% in the temperature range of 240–300 °C, and N2 selectivity of above 85% in the range of 140–300 °C.ConclusionsThe catalysts were characterized by SEM, BET, XRD, XPS, H2‐TPR, NH3‐TPD to define the relationships between structure, chemical properties and catalytic activity. The enhanced catalytic performance of Mo‐AlZr‐PILC‐MnCe was mainly owing to the increased acidity and better redox ability. In situ DRIFT studies indicated the deposition of Mo changed the reaction from the E‐R to the L‐H mechanism. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Control of extractive distillation processes with intermediate impurities removed as a side withdrawal from the extractive distillation column
Authors: He Yongchao , Li Ye , Jiang Yanan , Li Weisong , Xu Chunjian 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe design and control of extractive distillation (ED) for separating azeotropes has been widely investigated. However, most researches only deal with simple binary azeotropes without considering impurities. In fact, in industrial practices, intermediate impurities can be removed as a side withdrawal from the extractive distillation column. The dynamic control of such processes has not been investigated. Furthermore, there are many heat‐integrated alternatives of basic ED sequence. When considering impurities withdrawn, the dynamic control of these alternatives may face some difficulties. Thus, this article aims to establish the effective control structures of ED processes for separating azeotropes with intermediate impurities, including basic sequence and heat‐integrated alternatives. Ethanol dehydration is selected to be explored, including a basic sequence (BS), a heat‐integrated sequence (HIS) which combines the pre‐concentration column and the entrainer recovery column into one column and the thermodynamic equivalent sequence of the HIS (TEHIS). Overall assessment of the dynamic performances of these sequences is implemented.RESULTSFor all the sequences, the dynamic performance with entrainer recycling stream being proportional to the extractive distillation column (EDC) feed is better than being proportional to the fresh feed. Meanwhile, large negative transient deviations in the water product purity and intensive fluctuations of sensitive‐stage temperatures can be observed for the HIS, but not for the TEHIS.CONCLUSIONSThe TEHIS is the best sequence considering both economics and dynamics. These sequences and the analyses of their dynamic controllability are valuable in practice for multicompoent azeotropes purification. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry