bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Choline Chloride as a Nano‐Crowder Protects HP‐36 from Urea‐Induced Denaturation: Insights from Solvent Dynamics and Protein‐Solvent Interactions
Authors: Maity Atanu , Sarkar Soham , Theeyancheri Ligesh , Chakrabarti Rajarshi 
Published: January 2020

AbstractUrea at sufficiently high concentration unfolds the secondary structure of proteins leading to denaturation. In contrast, choline chloride (ChCl) and urea, in 1 : 2 molar ratio, form a deep eutectic mixture, a liquid at room temperature, protecting proteins from denaturation. In order to get a microscopic picture of this phenomenon, we perform extensive all‐atom molecular dynamics simulations on a model protein, HP‐36. Based on our calculation of Kirkwood‐Buff integrals, we analyze the relative accumulation of urea and ChCl around the protein. Additional insights are drawn from the translational and rotational dynamics of solvent molecules and hydrogen bond auto‐correlation functions. In the presence of urea, water shows slow subdiffusive dynamics around the protein owing to a strong interaction of water with the backbone atoms. Urea also shows subdiffusive motion. The addition of ChCl further slows down the dynamics of urea, restricting its accumulation around the protein backbone. Adding to this, choline cations in the first solvation shell of the protein show the strongest subdiffusive behavior. In other words, ChCl acts as a nano‐crowder by excluding urea from the protein backbone and thereby slowing down the dynamics of water around the protein. This prevents the protein from denaturation and makes it structurally rigid, which is supported by the smaller radius of gyration and root mean square deviation values of HP‐36.
The genetic architecture of biomechanical traits in sorghum
Authors: Gomez Francisco E. , Mullet John E. , Muliana Anastasia H. , Niklas Karl J. , Rooney William L. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is the fifth most commonly grown cereal crop worldwide with unrivaled drought tolerance compared with other cereal crops. Drought and heat tolerance and high biomass yield potential make sorghum a promising bioenergy crop. However, stem lodging is a significant problem that results in substantial yield losses. Stem biomechanical traits influence the mechanical stability of crops and breeding for desirable biomechanical traits may result in improved lodging resistance. In this study, we report the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for stem mechanical and morphological traits in three recombinant inbred line (RIL; populations from Tx623/Rio, Tx623/Della, and Tx631/Della) crosses between elite grain and sweet sorghum parents. The genetic architecture of stem biomechanical traits in the three RIL populations is multigenic and pleiotropic. Eight QTL affecting mechanical and morphological traits were detected; two main effects of these QTL were consistently found in all populations and colocated with previously identified dwarfing genes Dw1 and Dw3. These results indicate that dwarfing genes affect the mechanical properties of sorghum stems and their lodging resistance, while also having demonstrable effects on stem morphology. The identification of these QTL provides new opportunities for improving stem lodging resistance via genomics‐assisted breeding.
An Efficient and Practical System for the Synthesis of N,N‐Dimethylformamide by CO2 Hydrogenation using a Heterogeneous Ru Catalyst: From Batch to Continuous Flow
Authors: Gunasekar Gunniya Hariyanandam , Padmanaban Sudakar , Park Kwangho , Jung Kwang‐Deog , Yoon Sungho 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn the context of CO2 utilization, a number of CO2 conversion methods have been identified in laboratory‐scale research; however, only a very few transformations have been successfully scaled up and implemented industrially. The main bottleneck in realizing industrial application of these CO2 conversions is the lack of industrially viable catalytic systems and the need for practically implementable process developments. In this study, a simple, highly efficient and recyclable ruthenium‐grafted bisphosphine‐based porous organic polymer (Ru@PP‐POP) catalyst has been developed for the hydrogenation of CO2 to N,N‐dimethylformamide, which affords a highest ever turnover number of 160 000 and an initial turnover frequency of 29 000 h−1 in a batch process. The catalyst is successfully applied in a trickle‐bed reactor and utilized in an industrially feasible continuous‐flow process with an excellent durability and productivity of 915 mmol h−1 gRu−1.
An improved foraging heuristic considering reduced fog latency
Authors: Wang Qing , Luo Hai‐Wei , Xiong Jian 
Published: January 2020

SummaryMost often, in centralized distributed computing, users are getting impatient by experiencing the delays in loading the content of the web applications over the internet; it is usually caused by the poor latency management and is becoming a catastrophic situation in availing the services and applications of the centralized‐cloud computing; cloud being a distributed platform, its customers are facing the latencies issues at the various tiers of the cloud. Workloads distributions are occurring concurrently on various virtual cloud platforms. Latency‐oriented applications and services usually in cloud platform are running over various virtual machines and possess the high complexities while interacting and face the difficulties in the consolidations of the various applications containing heterogenetic workloads. In this paper, we study the fog computing and consider that it will be a feasible platform to get rid of the cloud high‐latency issues and to reduce the delay time and workflow across the network. The main purpose is to enhance the latency across the various nodes in a network. The factors like interference, availability, and interaction among various participating nodes with nearer VMware are of importance for reducing the latencies. Reduced latencies will enhance the quality of service parameters, resources, and services availability. Latency can be an important factor for the resource optimization issues in cloud computing. The comparisons with existing technologies greatly show that latency in fog is quite efficient than in the cloud paradigm.
Weighting and aggregating expert ecological judgments
Authors: Hemming Victoria , Hanea Anca M. , Walshe Terry , Burgman Mark A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractPerformance weighted aggregation of expert judgments, using calibration questions, has been advocated to improve pooled quantitative judgments for ecological questions. However, there is little discussion or practical advice in the ecological literature regarding the application, advantages or challenges of performance weighting. In this paper we (1) illustrate how theIDEAprotocol with four‐step question format can be extended to include performance weighted aggregation from the Classical Model, and (2) explore the extent to which this extension improves pooled judgments for a range of performance measures. Our case study demonstrates that performance weights can improve judgments derived from theIDEAprotocol with four‐step question format. However, there is noa‐prioriguarantee of improvement. We conclude that the merits of the method lie in demonstrating that the final aggregation of judgments provides the best representation of uncertainty (i.e., validation), whether that be via equally weighted or performance weighted aggregation. Whether the time and effort entailed in performance weights can be justified is a matter for decision‐makers. Our case study outlines the rationale, challenges, and benefits of performance weighted aggregations. It will help to inform decisions about the deployment of performance weighting and avoid common pitfalls in its application.
Forest management influences the effects of streamside wet areas on stream ecosystems
Authors: Erdozain Maitane , Emilson Caroline E. , Kreutzweiser David P. , Kidd Karen A. , Mykytczuk Nadia , Sibley Paul K. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractRiparian zones contain areas of strong hydrological connectivity between land and stream, referred to as variable source areas (VSAs), and are considered biogeochemical control points. However, little is known about whether VSAs influence stream communities and whether this connectivity is affected by forest management. To address this, we used multiple biotic and abiotic indicators to (1) examine the influence of VSAs on riparian vegetation and stream ecosystems by comparing VSA and non‐VSA reaches and (2) explore how forest management may affect the influence of VSAs on stream ecosystems. We detected some significant differences between VSA and non‐VSA reaches in the riparian vegetation (greater understory and lower tree density) and stream ecosystem indicators (greater dissolved organic matter aromaticity, microbial biomass, peroxidase activity and collector‐gatherer density, and lower dissolved organic carbon concentrations, algal biomass, and predatory macroinvertebrate density), which suggests that VSAs may create a more heterotrophic ecosystem locally. However, we show some evidence that forest management activities (specifically, road density) can alter the influence of VSAs and eliminate the differences observed at lower forest management intensities, and that the most hydrologically connected areas seem more sensitive to disturbance. Therefore, we suggest that the heterogeneity in hydrological connectivity along riparian zones should be considered when planning forest harvesting operations and road building (e.g., wider riparian buffers around VSAs).
Synthesis of a Novel Rocksalt‐Type Ternary Nitride Semiconductor MgSnN2 Using the Metathesis Reaction Under High Pressure
Authors: Kawamura Fumio , Imura Masataka , Murata Hidenobu , Yamada Naoomi , Taniguchi Takashi 
Published: January 2020

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is the group of Fumio Kawamura from the National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. The cover image shows a crystal of the ternary nitride semiconductor MgSnN2 synthesized in this work, the SEM image of its powder, and a representative high‐pressure apparatus used in the laboratory.
Emblicanin Rich Emblica officinalis Encapsulated Double Emulsion and its Antioxidant Stability during Storage
Authors: Chaudhary Neha , Sabikhi Latha , Hussain Shaik Abdul , Kumar Rajender , Choudhary Urmila 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEmblicanin rich water‐soluble extract of Emblica officinalis (EEO) is encapsulated in the inner phase of double emulsion (DE) by using emulsifiers in different phases at different concentrations. The effects of other variables like homogenization speed, salt and herbal concentration are also investigated on various phases of DE to obtain a stable matrix. Finally, optimized EEO encapsulated DE has 2% w/w NaCl and 50% w/w EEO in inner (W1) phase, 4% w/w polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) in middle oil‐phase and 2% w/w low‐methoxy‐pectin and reverse osmosis water in outer (W2) phase. Ultra‐Turrax high shear homogenizer is employed to prepare primary emulsion (W1/O) at 20 000 rpm and DE (W1/O in W2) at 12 000 rpm. The EEO encapsulated DE has been characterized for encapsulation efficiency (>90%), viscosity (0.715 ± 0.18 Pa s), sedimentation stability, zeta potential (−32.17 ±1.17 mV), and particle size. Light and confocal laser microscopy are used for elaborating the microscopic structure of EEO encapsulated DEs. DE has shown storage stability up to 42 days and protect antioxidant activities as compared to control (herbal extract was not encapsulated in the inner phase). The present study demonstrates that the optimized DE matrix can be used to protect the bioactive properties of EEO for its use in functional food formulation.
Permselectivity of Gramicidin A Channels Based on Single‐channel Recordings
Authors: Yamaguchi Takuya , Kitazumi Yuki , Kano Kenji , Shirai Osamu 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe expression mechanism of permselectivity through a gramicidin A (gA) channel between two aqueous phases (W1 and W2) was investigated. When the concentration of CsCl or CsBr in W1 was equivalent to that in W2, the single‐channel current was proportional to the absolute value of the applied membrane potential. Although the single‐channel current linearly increased with increasing electrolyte concentration in W1 and W2 until about 0.1 M (mol dm−3), it began to level off around 0.1 M, indicating that ion permeation across the channel pore is the rate‐determining step and that the saturation of the transporting ion within the channel pore provokes the leveling off. In the case of asymmetric composition of the electrolyte in W1 and W2, the monovalent cation and the counter anion were transported in the opposite direction through the gA channel pore or the bilayer lipid membrane around the gA channel. Finally, the experimental data was fitted using the Goldman‐Hodgkin‐Katz equation based on the relationship between the membrane potential and the single‐channel current to define the ratio of the diffusion coefficients of Cs+, Cl−, and Br− as 5.7 : 1.0 : 0.26.
The role of salinity in fluvio‐deltaic morphodynamics: A long‐term modelling study
Authors: Zhou Zeng , Chen Luying , Tao Jianfeng , Gong Zheng , Guo Leicheng , van der Wegen Mick , Townend Ian , Zhang Changkuan 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSalinity difference between terrestrial river discharge and oceanic tidal water plays a role in modifying the local flow field and, as a consequence, estuarine morphodynamics. Although widely recognized, recent numerical studies exploring the long‐term morphological evolution of river‐influenced estuaries with two‐dimensional, depth‐averaged models have mostly neglected salinity. Using a three‐dimensional morphodynamic model, we aim to gain more insight into the effect of salinity on the morphodynamics of fluvio‐deltaic systems. Model results indicate that the resultant estuarine morphology established after 600 years differs remarkably when a salinity gradient is included. A fan‐shaped river‐mouth delta exhibits less seaward expansion and is cut through by narrower channels when salinity is included. The inclusion of salinity tends to generate estuarine circulation, which favours landward sediment transport and hence limits the growth of the delta while enhancing the development of intertidal areas. The formation of deltaic channel–shoal patterns resulting from morphodynamic evolution tends to strengthen salinity stratification, which is characterized by an increased gradient Richardson number. The direction of the depth‐averaged residual sediment transport over a tide may be opposite to the direction of residual velocity, indicating the significant influence of baroclinic effects on the net sediment transport direction (and hence morphological change). The effect of salinity on morphological evolution becomes less profound when the strength of tidal or fluvial forcing is dominant over the other. The effects of sediment type and flocculation, which are particularly important when salinity gradients are present, are also discussed. Overall, this study highlights that neglecting salinity to simulate long‐term estuarine morphodynamics requires more careful justification, particularly when the environment is characterized by fine sediment types (favouring suspended transport), and relatively large river discharge and estuarine depth (favouring baroclinic effects). © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exploring an ‘ideal hill': how lithology and transport mechanisms affect the possibility of a steady state during weathering and erosion
Authors: Lebedeva Marina I. , Brantley Susan L. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTWe present a model of chemical reaction within hills to explore how evolving porosity (and by inference, permeability) affects flow pathways and weathering. The model consists of hydrologic and reactive‐transport equations that describe alteration of ferrous minerals and feldspar. These reactions were chosen because previous work emphasized that oxygen‐ and acid‐driven weathering affects porosity differently in felsic and mafic rocks. A parameter controlling the order of the fronts is presented. In the absence of erosion, the two reaction fronts move at different velocities and the relative depths depend on geochemical conditions and starting composition. In turn, the fronts and associated changes in porosity drastically affect both the vertical and lateral velocities of water flow. For these cases, estimates of weathering advance rates based on simple models that posit unidirectional constant‐velocity advection do not apply.In the model hills, weathering advance rates diminish with time as the Darcy velocities decrease with depth. The system can thus attain a dynamical steady state at any erosion rate where the regolith thickness is constant in time and velocities of both fronts become equal to one another and to the erosion rate. The slower the advection velocities in a system, the faster it attains a steady state. For example, a massive rock with relatively fast‐dissolving minerals such as diabase – where solute transport across the reaction front mainly occurs by diffusion – can reach a steady state more quickly than granitoid rocks in which advection contributes to solute transport. The attainment of a steady state is controlled by coupling between weathering and hydrologic processes that force water to flow horizontally above reaction fronts where permeability changes rapidly with depth and acts as a partial barrier to fluid flow. Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
New fjords, new coasts, new landscapes: The geomorphology of paraglacial coasts formed after recent glacier retreat in Brepollen (Hornsund, southern Svalbard)
Authors: Strzelecki Mateusz C. , Szczuciński Witold , Dominiczak Aleksander , Zagórski Piotr , Dudek Justyna , Knight Jasper 
Published: January 2020

AbstractChanges in the properties and dynamics of tidewater glacier systems are key indicators of the state of Arctic climate and environment. Calving of tidewater glacier fronts is currently the dominant form of ice mass loss and a major contributor to global sea‐level rise. An important yet under‐studied aspect of this process is transformation of Arctic landscapes, where new lands and coastal systems are revealed due to the recession of marine‐terminating ice masses. The evolution of those freshly exposed paraglacial coastal environments is controlled by nearshore marine, coastal and terrestrial geomorphic processes, which rework glacial‐derived sediments to create new coastal paraglacial landforms and landscapes. Here, we present the first study of the paraglacial coasts of Brepollen, one of the youngest bays of Svalbard revealed by ice retreat. We describe and classify coastal systems and the variety of landforms (deltas, cliffs, tidal flats, beaches) developed along the shores of Brepollen during the last 100 years. We further discuss the main modes of sediment supply to the coast in different parts of the new bay, highlighting the fast rate of coastal transformation as a paraglacial response to rapid deglaciation in the Arctic. This study provides an exemplar of likely coastal responses to be anticipated in similar tidewater settings under future climate change. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Qualitative analysis of thermal explosion of sodium droplet with variable thermophysical properties and thermal radiations
Authors: Adegbie K. S. , Obideyi B. D. , Animasaun I. L. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThere are many coolants frequently used in the industry for controlling not only heat transfer, but also temperature distribution in a confined domain. However, little is known on the thermal properties of sodium droplets. The qualitative analysis of differential equations that model the thermal explosion, nonlinear dynamic of sodium droplet with variable thermophysical properties when thermal radiations are considered as suggested by Cogley et al, Sohrab et al, and P‐1 approximation Sazhin et al is deliberated upon in this study. The governing equations, first‐order nonlinear ordinary differential equations, are nondimensionalized using the appropriate similarity variables. The existence and uniqueness of the solutions, concavity, and convexity of the temperature distribution, and positivity nature of the solutions of the dimensionless governing equations are established. It is concluded that there exists a solution for a certain range of the admissible parameters and when the reduced activation energy is negative and temperature distribution fits concavity. More so, the major criteria to obtain a positive solution are outlined in this study.
IMPACTS OF IRRIGATION WATER USER ALLOCATIONS ON WATER QUALITY AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY: THE LCC IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN PAKISTAN
Authors: Culas Richard J. , Baig Irfan A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIrrigated agricultural sectors in many countries are facing the challenge of low crop yields and this trend is made worse by inequality of water allocation among water users. This paper analyses prospects for equitable allocation of canal and groundwater to improve livelihoods of farmers by increasing crop production and reducing the negative effect of groundwater salinity on crop yield. Using data from farm surveys conducted in the 2010 and 2012 cropping seasons in the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) irrigation system in Pakistan, this study uses econometric models to analyse crop productivity under different water‐use scenarios. The results show that the distributary at the head location of the system can extract more of the groundwater while the one at the tail end of the system should utilize more of the canal (surface) water. Further, an input‐oriented data envelope analysis (DEA) was conducted to measure the efficiency of resources use related to the crops produced in the study area. The DEA estimates show that farmers at the tail end of the system are more efficient in relation to resource use. A redistribution of the water use (optimal scenario) can therefore improve groundwater quality, water productivity and crop productivity in the system. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Repurposing biodegradable tissue engineering scaffolds for localized chemotherapeutic delivery
Authors: Cyphert Erika L. , Bil Monika , von Recum Horst A. , Święszkowski Wojciech 
Published: January 2020

AbstractWhile highly porous biodegradable sponges have typically been used as tissue engineering scaffolds, they could be applicable in settings requiring drug delivery. Since most drug delivery devices are intentionally solid, nonporous polymers, a detailed structure–function relationship of delivery from a porous degradable sponges would allow researchers to develop such devices for either delivery alone, or in conjunction with tissue engineering. Two fabrication techniques (salt‐leaching and solvent‐quenching) were used to prepare several different variations of poly(DL‐lactide‐glycolide) and poly(caprolactone)‐co‐poly(lactide) porous sponges. Upon fabrication, an in‐depth structure–function analysis was carried out where the functions of loading capacity and release profile of cisplatin, as a model drug, were evaluated in terms of the swelling, porosity, and degradation properties of the sponges. Swelling, pore volume fraction, and the number of pores per volume were all found to be positively correlated with both the loading capacity and amount of cisplatin released after 2 hr. Knowledge of these relationships can be used to assist in the design of other porous delivery systems.