bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bi‐based photocatalysts for light‐driven environmental and energy applications: Structural tuning, reaction mechanisms, and challenges
Authors: Chen Peng , Liu Hongjing , Cui Wen , Lee Shun Cheng , Wang Li'ao , Dong Fan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractEnvironmental pollution and energy crisis have become major challenges to sustainable development of human society. Solar‐driven photocatalytic technology is regarded as an extremely attractive solution to environmental remediation and energy conversion. Unfortunately, practical applications of traditional photocatalysts are restricted owing to the poor absorption of visible light, insufficient charge separation and undefined reaction mechanism. Therefore, developing novel visible light photocatalysts and exploring their modification strategies are significant in the area of photocatalysis. Bi‐based photocatalysts have attracted wide attention due to unique geometric structures, tunable electronic structure and decent photocatalytic activity under visible light. At present, Bi‐based photocatalysts can be mainly classified as bismuth metal, binary oxides, bismuth oxyhalogen, multicomponent oxides and binary sulfides, and so forth. Although they can be used as independent photocatalysts for environmental purification and energy development, their efficiency is not ideal. Therefore, many efforts have been made to enhance their photocatalytic performance in the past few decades. Significant progresses in determining the fundamental properties of photocatalysts, improving the photocatalytic performance and understanding the photocatalytic mechanism in important reactions have been made benefited from the various new developed concepts and approaches. This review introduces the structural properties of Bi‐based photocatalysts in detail and summarizes the design and modification strategy for improving the photocatalytic performance, including metal/nonmetal doping, construction of heterojunctions, regulation of crystal facet exposure, and structural defects. Furthermore, we discuss the catalysis mechanisms of Bi‐based materials in terms of semiconductor photocatalysis and plasmonic photocatalysis. Finally, the applications, challenges and prospects of Bi‐based photocatalysts are proposed to guide the future work.image
Biochar production: A sustainable solution for crop residue burning and related environmental issues
Authors: Khare Puja , Deshmukh Yogita , Yadav Vineet , Pandey Versha , Singh Asha , Verma Kirti 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe crop residue burning poses a threat to the environment and human health due to the emission of toxic gasses and particulate matter. This study examines the possibility of biochar production from corp residue and its utilization as a soil fertility enhancer and alternative fuel as a sustainable solution. The estimations of the total biochar production from major crop residues produced (wheat, rice, sugarcane, and maize) in India and the evaluation of its impact on CO2 sequestration potential, nutrient sequestration, and improvement in crop yield were made with the available data. The estimations indicate that the biochars produced from crop residue could have high carbon (45–83%), nutrients (N: 0.3–3.2 g/kg%, P: 0.1–7.99 g/kg and K: 2.64–224 g/kg), cation exchange capacity (10.9–97.3cmol/kg), water holding capacity (41–561%) with high heat value (15–28 MJ/kg). On applying crop residue derived biochar in soil, the revenue can be generated through CO2 sequestration ($0.29–3.63 million per year) and enhancement in crop productivity (0.02–0.94 million $/ha/year). The study advises that the production of biochar from crop residue could be beneficial not only for the environment but also for the farmers. Technological developments for biochar production at farmer levels are needed to discontinue the crop residue burning in India.
Milder operating parameters for one‐step conversion of fructose to levulinic acid over sulfonated H‐β zeolite in aqueous media
Authors: Bisen Swapneel K. , Niphadkar Prashant S. , Nandanwar Sachin U. , Simakova Irina , Bokade Vijay V. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe sulfonated H‐β zeolite was successfully prepared and used for the synthesis of levulinic acid (LA) from D‐fructose. The catalyst was characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, N2 physisorption, NH3‐temperature programmed desorption and carbon–hydrogen–nitrogen–sulfur analysis. The total acid amount is increased with increase in sulfur loading, confirmed that the sulfonic acid group (SO3‐H) is successfully grafted onto zeolite structure. The various parameters such as different amount of sulfur loading, reaction temperature, time, catalyst loading was studied for selective production of LA. The catalytic activity of sulfonated H‐β (S‐β) zeolite was found to be efficient for synthesis of LA from D‐fructose in aqueous media. Maximum LA yield of 43.5 mol%, low HMF yield (<1%) with 98.15% fructose conversion was obtained with 3% S‐β catalyst at 160°C for 7 hr. The catalyst was reusable for minimum three times by H2O2 regeneration. This study provides the new zeolitic catalyst for the efficient production of LA at shorter reaction time (7 hr) and low catalyst to substrate ratio (0.7:1).
Study on pore evolution and diagenesis division of a Permian Longtan transitional shale in Southwest Guizhou, China
Authors: Ma Xiao , Guo Shaobin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractOrganic‐rich shales, deposited in marine‐continental transitional environments, are widely distributed in southern China. The pore evolution of the Late Permian Longtan Formation shale (Guizhou Province) during its diagenesis and organic matter (OM) evolution was quantitatively and qualitatively investigated through thermal simulation, mercury intrusion capillary pressure, gas adsorption, fractal dimension, and field emission‐scanning electron microscopy observation. Diagenesis and OM evolution stage were subdivided on the basis of X‐ray diffraction, rock pyrolysis, and vitrinite reflectance test; moreover, the main controlling factors of pore structure during evolution were also discussed. Shales were heated to different temperatures with their vitrinite reflectance ranged between 1.23% and 3.12%, indicating that organic matter had evolved from a low‐ to a post‐mature stage. According to the changes in clay mineral composition, hydrocarbon generation, and Tmax, we subdivided diagenesis into four parts, each of which has a good correspondence with OM evolution. Pore volume (PV) varied between 0.012162 and 0.033482 cm3/g, while the specific surface area (SSA) varied between 13.3693 and 23.0094 m2/g. Mesopores were the main contributors to the total pore volume, while mesopores and micropores were the main contributors to the total specific surface area. In this study, the evolution of pore structure was not monotonous, but intermittent: The PV and SSA of shale samples first decreased and then increased. Maturity was the most important factor affecting the evolution of pore structure. The abundance of pores in OM, associated with hydrocarbon generation, resulted in large micro‐PV and micro‐SSA; moreover, the composition of clay minerals also influenced the pore structure evolution. The transformation of kaolinite into illite increased the content of illite and illite/smectite mixed layer, hence affecting the overall meso‐PV and meso‐SSA.
A Long-Term Study on the Effect of Cyanobacterial Crude Extracts from Lake Chapultepec (Mexico City) on Selected Zooplankton Species
Authors: Nandini S. , Zamora-Barrios C.A. , Sarma S.S.S. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Many urban lakes in Mexico City such as Lake Chapultepec are infested with high densities of cyanobacteria, particularly Microcystis. We tested the effect of cyanotoxins from cyanobacterial crude extracts on the demographic variables of zooplankton. The rotifers Brachionus havanaensis and Brachionus calyciflorus, and the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia dubia and Moina macrocopa were used for the assays. Temperature effects on the response of B. calyciflorus and 2 clones of M. macrocopa were tested. We hypothesized that with an increase in cyanotoxin concentration and temperature there would be an increase in the adverse effect on the test species and that the clone of Moina previously exposed to cyanobacteria from Lake Chapultepec would be more resistant to the cyanotoxins. Demography experiments showed that B. havanaensis was more sensitive than C. dubia. The negative effect of the cyanobacterial crude extract on B. calyciflorus was greater at 30 °C than at 20 °C or 25 °C. The strain of M. macrocopa isolated from Lake Chapultepec was more resistant to the cyanotoxins than the strain that had not been previously exposed to the cyanobacteria. The present study indicated that cyanobacteria in Lake Chapultepec are highly toxic and, considering the recreational use of this lake, should be controlled. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:2409–2419. © 2020 SETAC
Abstract
Effects of urban lake microcystins on zooplankton.
Reciprocal arrangements: The life story of “Rosalind”—Woman worker, mother, and Jamaican
Authors: Bolles Lynn 
Published: September 2020

AbstractFor thirty‐four years, there was talk, revelation, and friendship between two women, ending in 2012 when “Rosalind” lost her battle with cancer. Our conversations continue in materials and thoughts left behind via handwritten letters that were sent to the ethnographer by Rosalind over the years. I present these letters in the form of a life story because those documents chronicle Rosalind's personal experiences and emotions as shared with me. The fragments of her letters narrate her days as a working‐class woman living through the social, economic, and political violence and uncertainty during the 1980s and 1990s in Jamaica.
Nondestructive monitoring of polyphenols and caffeine during green tea processing using Vis‐NIR spectroscopy
Authors: Sanaeifar Alireza , Huang Xinyao , Chen Mengyuan , Zhao Zhangfeng , Ji Yifan , Li Xiaoli , He Yong , Zhu Yi , Chen Xi , Yu Xinxin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIncreasing consumption of green tea is attributed to the beneficial effects of its constituents, especially polyphenols, on human health, which can be varied during leaf processing. Processing technology has the most important effect on green tea quality. This study investigated the system dynamics of eight catechins, gallic acid, and caffeine in the processing of two varieties of tea, from fresh leaves to finished tea. It was found that complex biochemical changes can occur through hydrolysis under different humidity and heating conditions during the tea processing. This process had a significant effect on catechin composition in the finished tea. The potential application of visible and near‐infrared (Vis‐NIR) spectroscopy for fast monitoring polyphenol and caffeine contents in tea leaves during the processing procedure has been investigated. It was found that a combination of PCA (principal component analysis) and Vis‐NIR spectroscopy can successfully classify the two varieties of tea samples and the five tea processing procedures, while quantitative determination of the constituents was realized by combined regression analysis and Vis‐NIR spectra. Furthermore, successive projections algorithm (SPA) was proposed to extract and optimize spectral variables that reflected the molecular characteristics of the constituents for the development of determination models. Modeling results showed that the models had good predictability and robustness based on the extracted spectral characteristics. The coefficients of determination for all calibration sets and prediction sets were higher than 0.862 and 0.834, respectively, which indicated high capability of Vis‐NIR spectroscopy for the determination of the constituents during the leaf processing. Meanwhile, this analytical method could quickly monitor quality characteristics and provide feedback for real‐time controlling of tea processing machines. Furthermore, the study on complex biochemical changes that occurred during the tea processing would provide a theoretical basis for improving the content of quality components and effective controlling processes.
Extraction, modification, and property characterization of dietary fiber from Agrocybe cylindracea
Authors: Jia Fengjuan , Liu Xuecheng , Gong Zhiqing , Cui Wenjia , Wang Yansheng , Wang Wenliang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDietary fiber (DF) has gained a great attention owing to its potential health benefits. Agrocybe cylindracea is an edible fungus with high protein and low fat contents, which is also an enriched source of DF. However, limited study has been conducted on optimizing the conditions of A. cylindracea‐derived DF extraction and modification as well as characterizing its properties. In this study, ultrasound‐assisted enzymatic method for DF extraction was optimized as the following conditions: liquid material ratio of 29 ml/g, α‐amylase concentration of 1.50%, protamex concentration of 1.20%, and ultrasonic power of 150 W, which improved the DF extraction yield to 37.70%. Moreover, high temperature modification (HTM) and cellulase modification (CEM) were applied to modify A. cylindracea‐derived DF. The results showed that HTM had more potential capacity in converting insoluble DF into soluble DF, and DF with HTM exhibited more advantages in its physicochemical properties than DF with CEM. The DF with both HTM and CEM showed antioxidant activities, reflected by the increased reducing power as well as DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, and ABTS+ scavenging capabilities in vitro. These findings could offer a reference for the extraction, modification, and characterizing various properties of DF from A. cylindracea, which would establish the foundation for the comprehensive application of fungi‐derived DF.
Mendelian randomization analysis with survival outcomes
Authors: Cho Youngjoo , Rau Andrea , Reiner Alex , Auer Paul L. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractMendelian randomization (MR) is an established approach for assessing the causal effects of heritable exposures on outcomes. Outcomes of interest often include binary clinical endpoints, but may also include censored survival times. We explore the implications of both the Cox proportional hazard model and the additive hazard model in the context of MR, with a specific emphasis on two‐stage methods. We show that naive application of standard MR approaches to censored survival times may induce significant bias. Through simulations and analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative, we provide practical advice on modeling survival outcomes in MRs.
Evaluation von Software zur Generierung von Baugrundschichtenmodellen
Authors: Stütz Dominik , Herten Markus 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIm „Stufenplan Digitales Planen und Bauen“ des Bundesministeriums für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur wird für öffentliche Infrastrukturprojekte gefordert, die Methode Building Information Modeling anzuwenden. Daraus folgt die Forderung der Bundesfachabteilung Spezialtiefbau im Hauptverband der Deutschen Bauindustrie e. V. nach einem Fachmodell Baugrund vom Auftraggeber. Das Fachmodell soll aus der Erdoberfläche in Form eines digitalen Geländemodells, dem Bodenschichtenmodell und auch den zugrunde liegenden Daten von Bohrungen, Vermessung etc. bestehen sowie Schichtinformationen und Bodenkennwerte des Baugrunds auf der Basis des geotechnischen Berichts enthalten. Der Verlauf der Schichtgrenzen zwischen den Aufschlüssen ist dabei durch Anwendung von Interpolationsmethoden abzuleiten und durch manuelle Nachbearbeitung anzupassen. Um diese Herausforderungen zu meistern, werden hierfür verschiedene Softwares evaluiert.
The delicate balance between neurotoxicity and neuroprotection in the context of HIV‐1 infection
Authors: Sénécal Vincent , Barat Corinne , Tremblay Michel J. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus type‐1 (HIV‐1) causes a spectrum of neurological impairments, termed HIV‐associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), following the infiltration of infected cells into the brain. Even though the implementation of antiretroviral therapy reduced the systemic viral load, the prevalence of HAND remains unchanged and infected patients develop persisting neurological disturbances affecting their quality of life. As a result, HAND have gained importance in basic and clinical researches, warranting the need of developing new adjunctive treatments. Nonetheless, a better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms remains necessary. Several studies consolidated their efforts into elucidating the neurotoxic signaling leading to HAND including the deleterious actions of HIV‐1 viral proteins and inflammatory mediators. However, the scope of these studies is not sufficient to address all the complexity related to HAND development. Fewer studies focused on an altered neuroprotective capacity of the brain to respond to HIV‐1 infection. Neurotrophic factors are endogenous polyproteins involved in neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis. Any defects in the processing or production of these crucial factors might compose a risk factor rendering the brain more vulnerable to neuronal damages. Due to their essential roles, they have been investigated for their diverse interplays with HIV‐1 infection. In this review, we present a complete description of the neurotrophic factors involved in HAND. We discuss emerging concepts for their therapeutic applications and summarize the complex mechanisms that down‐regulate their production in favor of a neurotoxic environment. For certain factors, we finally address opposing roles that rather lead to increased inflammation.
Interferon Type I Regulates Inflammasome Activation and High Mobility Group Box 1 Translocation in Hepatocytes During Ehrlichia -Induced Acute Liver Injury
Authors: Kader Muhamuda , El Andaloussi Abdeljabar , Vorhaour Jennie , Tamama Kenichi , Nieto Natalia , Scott Melanie J. , Ismail Nahed 
Published: September 2020

IFN-I signaling exacerbate liver pathology and contribute to sepsis following fatal Ehrlichia infection by promoting Ehrlichia replication and mediating detrimental inflammasome activation.
Inflammasomes are an important innate immune host defense against intracellular microbial infection. Activation of inflammasomes by microbial or host ligands results in cleavage of caspase-1 (canonical pathway) or caspase-11 (noncanonical pathway), release of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and inflammatory cell death known as pyroptosis. Ehrlichia are obligate, intracellular, gram-negative bacteria that lack lipopolysaccharide but cause potentially life-threatening monocytic ehrlichiosis in humans and mice that is characterized by liver injury followed by sepsis and multiorgan failure. Employing murine models of mild and fatal ehrlichiosis caused by infection with mildly and highly virulent Ehrlichia muris (EM) and Ixodes ovatus Ehrlichia (IOE), respectively, we have previously shown that IOE infection triggers type I interferon (IFN-I) response and deleterious caspase-11 activation in liver tissues, which promotes liver injury and sepsis. In this study, we examined the contribution of IFN-I signaling in hepatocytes (HCs) to Ehrlichia-induced liver injury. Compared to EM infection, we found that IOE enter and replicate in vitro cultured primary murine HCs and induce secretion of IFNβ and several chemokines, including regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1), monokine induced by gamma (MIG)/chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP1α), keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Notably, in vitro stimulation of uninfected and Ehrlichia-infected HCs with recombinant IFNβ triggered activation of caspase-1/11, cytosolic translocation of HMGB1, and enhanced autophagy and intracellular bacterial replication. Secretion of HMGB1 by IOE-infected HCs was dependent on caspase-11. Primary HCs from IOE- but not EM-infected mice also expressed active caspase-1/11. Conclusion: HC-specific IFN-I signaling may exacerbate liver pathology during infection with obligate intracellular Ehrlichia by promoting bacterial replication and detrimental caspase-11-mediated inflammasome activation.
Implications for groundwater recharge from stable isotopic composition of precipitation in Hawai'i during the 2017–2018 La Niña
Authors: Dores Daniel , Glenn Craig R. , Torri Giuseppe , Whittier Robert B. , Popp Brian N. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe project captured a subset of the hydrological cycle for the tropical island of O'ahu, linking precipitation to groundwater recharge and aquifer storage. We determined seasonal storm events contributed more to aquifer recharge than year‐round baseline orographic trade wind rainfall. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope values from an island‐wide rain collector network with 20 locations deployed for 16 months and sampled at 3‐month intervals were used to create the first local meteoric water line for O'ahu. Isotopic measurements were influenced by the amount effect, seasonality, storm type, and La Niña, though little elevation control was noted. Certain groundwater compositions from legacy data showed a strong similarity with collected precipitation from our stations. The majority of these significant relationships were between wet season precipitation and groundwater. A high number of moderate and heavy rainfall days during the dry season, large percentage of event‐based rainfall, and wind directions outside of the typical NE trade wind direction were characteristics of the 2017–2018 wet season. This indicates that the majority of wet season precipitation is from event‐based storms rather than typical trade wind weather. The deuterium‐excess values provided the strongest evidence of a relationship between groundwater and different precipitation sources, indicating that this may be a useful metric for determining the extent of recharge from different rain events and systems.
Effects of the Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding after Birth training on near miss morbidity and mortality in Uganda: A cluster‐randomized trial
Authors: Hanson Claudia , Atuhairwe Susan , Lucy Atim Joyce , Marrone Gaetano , Morris Jessica L. , Kaharuza Frank 
Published: September 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the effect of Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding after Birth training on postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) near miss and case fatality rates in Uganda.MethodsTraining was evaluated using a cluster‐randomized design between June 2016 and September 2017 in 18 typical rural districts (clusters) in Eastern and Central Uganda of which nine districts were randomly assigned to the intervention. The main outcome was PPH near miss defined using the World Health Organization’s disease and management‐based approach. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to estimate the difference in the change of outcomes.ResultsOutcomes of 58 000 and 95 455 deliveries during the 6‐month baseline and 10‐month endline periods, respectively, were included. A reduction of PPH near misses was observed in the intervention compared to the comparison districts (difference‐in‐difference of slopes 4.19, 95% CI, –7.64 to –0.74); P<0.05). There was an increase in overall reported near miss cases (difference‐in‐difference 1.24, 95% CI, 0.37–2.10; P<0.001) and an increase in PPH case fatality rate (difference‐in‐difference 2.13, 95% CI, 0.14–4.12; P<0.05).ConclusionThis pragmatic cluster‐randomized trial conducted in typical rural districts of Uganda indicated a reduction of severe PPH cases while case fatality did not improve, suggesting that this basic training needs to be complemented by additional measures for sustained mortality reduction.Trial registration: PACTR201604001582128.