bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acute Toxicity and Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility Studies of Methanol Leaf Extract of Asystasia vogeliana in Rats
Authors: Ugwuanyi Hillary Emeka , Aba Patrick Emeka , Udem Samuel Chukwuneke , Madubuinyi Innocent Ifeanyi 
Published: March 2020

Aim: To investigate the phytoconstituents of methanol and petroleum leaf extracts of Asystasia vogeliana (MLEAV and PLEAV), the median lethal dose (LD50) and the effects of MLEAV on body weight, organosomatic indices in vital organs and erythrocyte membrane of Albino Wistar rats during sub-acute administration.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2017.
Methodology: The crude extracts of MLEAV and PLEAV were used in determining the qualitative and quantitative analyses. The rats were assigned into four groups and dosed orally with distilled water (0.5 ml/100 g) as Group I, 62.5 mg/kg MLEAV (Group II), 125 mg/kg MLEAV (Group III) and 250 mg/kg MLEAV (Group IV) once daily for 28 days. Blood samples were collected from all the rats via the medial canthus into EDTA bottles for erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) study on day 29. Relative organ-body weight indices of vital organs (spleen, heart, liver and kidney) were also evaluated.
Results: MLEAV and PLEAV showed the presence of saponins, flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, anthraquinones and steroids. The total phenolic contents of MLEAV (3704.30 ± 44.00) significantly increase (P = 0.000) when compared with PLEAV (1349.46 ± 35.25). The LD50 of MLEAV is above 5000 mg/kg. There were significant (P < 0.05) decreases in the body weights of rats in Groups III and IV from 3rd to 4th week when compared with their baseline weights. There were significant (P < 0.05) increases in the relative spleen-body weight in Group IV when compared with other groups. There was no significant change (P > 0.05) in the hemolysis of rats in Group II when compared with the control group at 0.9% NaCl concentration.
Conclusions: The findings reveal that MLEAV showed better antioxidant capacity than PLEAV, and that 62.5 mg/kg of MLEAV is safe during the sub-acute administration.
Gendered Analysis in Academic Career Advancement: Fifteen Years’ Trend at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
Authors: Massawe Fatihiya Ally , Sife Alfred Said 
Published: March 2020

Aims: Despite notable success in reducing gender disparity in some sectors, the problem still persists in many higher learning institutions in Tanzania. Using fifteen years data of staff employment from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), this study assessed gender disparity in employment and career advancement among academic staff.
Study Design: The study adopted the descriptive research design by describing the current situation using SUA as a case study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Sokoine University of Agriculture between March and May 2017 using data of academic staff.
Methodology: The Publish or Perish software was used to retrieve data on scholarly publications of individual academic staff between 1985 to 2017 for cohorts employed between 1985 and 2011. Descriptive analysis was employed to establish gender disparity in staffing and publication productivity.
Results: The findings show female academic staff increased from 5.3% to 20.78% only between the academic year 2000/2001 to 2015/2016. Likewise, gender gaps are observed across all academic ranks since the majority of staff are at the lower academic ranks where women were less in each aspect. Age-wise, the university is composed of aging senior academic staff where among 33.22% of all professors almost 15% (13.5% M & 1.1%F) were above 60 years old. On scientific publications, findings reveal female staff to be below the cohort/ group average for almost all years against their counterparts.
Conclusion: There is a clear disparity between male and female staff based on age, academic qualifications, ranks and publication productivity that implies the existence of some obstacles.
Chemo-typing of Three Egyptian Rosemary Oil for Their Chemical Composition and Anti-oxidant Activity
Authors: Elshorbagy Menna I. , Elsbaey Marwa , Baraka Hany N. , Lahloub Mohamed Farid 
Published: March 2020

Aims: To study the chemical composition of volatile oil samples from different place in Egypt (Mansoura, Gamsa and Assuit) and study their antioxidant activity determined by DPPH assay.
Study Design: Hydro distillation of volatile oil samples and their GC/MS analysis and determination of their antioxidant activity by DPPH assay.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of pharmacy, Mansoura university, Egypt, between June 2015 and November 2017.
Methodology: The essential oil was isolated by hydro-distillation for 5 h using a Clevenger-type all-glass apparatus according to the standard procedure of the European pharmacopeia and volatile oils analysis was performed by GC and GC-MS. GC analysis was carried out using Focus-DSQ-ӀI GC/MS instrument (Thermo Scientific, MA, USA) equipped with TR-5 fused silica column (30 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 µm).
Results: The yield of the essential oils of three rosemary plants growing in Mansoura (RM), Gamsa (RG) and Assiut (RA) were 0.20% v/w, 0.32% v/w and 0.24% v/w, respectively. Their chemical composition was analyzed by GC/MS, RM and RG were found to be α-pinene dominated chemotypes, 32.4% and 29.6%, respectively, meanwhile RA was camphor dominated chemotype (17.2%). Furthermore, their antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH assay. Their IC50 values of essential oils of RM, RG and RA were 8.66 ± 0.7, 8.18 ± 0.5 and 9.74 ± 0.2, respectively.
Conclusion: The GC/MS spectral data revealed the considerable difference between the chemical composition of essential oil constituents of RM, RG and RA which lead to different chemotypes. The present results also demonstrate that REO obtained from different areas in Egypt exhibited free radical scavenging activity determined by DPPH assay due to the synergistic effect between their constituents.
A Novel Flexible Hybrid Battery–Supercapacitor Based on a Self‐Assembled Vanadium‐Graphene Hydrogel
Authors: Khazaeli Ali , Godbille‐Cardona Gabrielle , Barz Dominik P. J. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractA novel flexible hybrid battery–supercapacitor device is proposed consisting of high specific surface area electrodes paired with an electrolyte, which contains a redox species that can exist in more than two oxidation states. The two initially equal half‐cells of the device consist of a reduced graphene oxide hydrogel which encapsulates vanadium ions, synthesized with a single‐step method. During charge, the oxidation state of the vanadium ions changes, resulting in two half‐cells with different potentials which considerably increases the energy density. The achieved maximum capacity of more than 225 mAh g−1 is roughly eight times higher than that of comparable graphene hydrogel supercapacitors without vanadium content, but the potentiostatic charging time is only double. Operated as a supercapacitor, it retains 95% of the initial capacitance over 1000 cycles. As battery, the losses are more significant, retaining around 50% of the initial capacity. However, these losses during battery operation can be almost entirely restored by electric measures. The vanadium ion addition also improves the self‐discharge characteristics of the device. Moreover, the self‐discharge does not permanently damage the hybrid device since both half‐cells initially consist of the same vanadium graphene hydrogel and discharging resets it to initial conditions.
Unprecedented Surface Plasmon Modes in Monoclinic MoO2 Nanostructures
Authors: Zhu Yun‐Pei , El‐Demellawi Jehad K. , Yin Jun , Lopatin Sergei , Lei Yongjiu , Liu Zhixiong , Miao Xiaohe , Mohammed Omar F. , Alshareef Husam N. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractDeveloping stable plasmonic materials featuring earth‐abundant compositions with continuous band structures, similar to those of typical metals, has received special research interest. Owing to their metal‐like behavior, monoclinic MoO2 nanostructures have been found to support stable and intense surface plasmon (SP) resonances. However, no progress has been made on their energy and spatial distributions over individual nanostructures, nor the origin of their possibly existing specific SP modes. Here, various MoO2 nanostructures are designed via polydopamine chemistry and managed to visualize multiple longitudinal and transversal SP modes supported by the monoclinic MoO2, along with intrinsic interband transitions, using scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with ultrahigh‐resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The identified geometry‐dependent SP energies are tuned by either controlling the shape and thickness of MoO2 nanostructures through their well‐designed chemical synthesis, or by altering their length using a developed electron‐beam patterning technique. Theoretical calculations reveal that the strong plasmonic behavior of the monoclinic MoO2 is associated with the abundant delocalized electrons in the Mo d orbitals. This work not only provides a significant improvement in imaging and tailoring SPs of nonconventional metallic nanostructures, but also highlights the potential of MoO2 nanostructures for micro–nano optical and optoelectronic applications.
Recent Advances in Plasmonic Nanostructures for Enhanced Photocatalysis and Electrocatalysis
Authors: Li Siwei , Miao Peng , Zhang Yuanyuan , Wu Jie , Zhang Bin , Du Yunchen , Han Xijiang , Sun Jianmin , Xu Ping 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPlasmonic nanomaterials coupled with catalytically active surfaces can provide unique opportunities for various catalysis applications, where surface plasmons produced upon proper light excitation can be adopted to drive and/or facilitate various chemical reactions. A brief introduction to the localized surface plasmon resonance and recent design and fabrication of highly efficient plasmonic nanostructures, including plasmonic metal nanostructures and metal/semiconductor heterostructures is given. Taking advantage of these plasmonic nanostructures, the following highlights summarize recent advances in plasmon‐driven photochemical reactions (coupling reactions, O2 dissociation and oxidation reactions, H2 dissociation and hydrogenation reactions, N2 fixation and NH3 decomposition, and CO2 reduction) and plasmon‐enhanced electrocatalytic reactions (hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, alcohol oxidation reaction, and CO2 reduction). Theoretical and experimental approaches for understanding the underlying mechanism of surface plasmon are discussed. A proper discussion and perspective of the remaining challenges and future opportunities for plasmonic nanomaterials and plasmon‐related chemistry in the field of energy conversion and storage is given in conclusion.
New Metrics of Green Sorbents for CO2Capturing
Authors: Eftaiha Ala'a F. , Qaroush Abdussalam K. , Abu‐Daabes Malyuba A. , Alsyouri Hatem M. , Assaf Khaleel I. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractSignificant progress has been made in the past decades in the capture, storage, and utilization of greenhouse gases, particularly CO2. In general, the synthesis of most of the available CO2sorbents is not ecofriendly and can require multistep synthesis in order to prepare and/or activate, which is considered a strict violation of green chemistry principles (GCPs). Therefore, thinking of green frameworks to design chemical products and processes becomes essential to mitigate these challenges. This paper provides an in‐depth review of available green sorbents for CO2capture with an emphasis on those prepared from biorenewable materials and ionic liquids. A new metric is presented to classify these sorbents based on their degree of compliance to the GCPs, which could be a useful tool in selection of green alternatives. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this research topic, a wide range of literature is available in multiple areas including but not limited to chemistry and engineering. Hence, this review targets a wide range of scientists including chemists, biotechnologists, material scientists, and meteorologists, as well as green industrial corporations.
Virus‐Like Particles as Theranostic Platforms
Authors: Sun Xianxun , Cui Zongqiang 
Published: March 2020

AbstractIn recent years, theranostics have received enormous attention for their use in individualized diagnosis and treatment. The ability of viral coat protein subunits to assemble hierarchically can be used to package various kinds of foreign compounds. Moreover, numerous chemistries and modification strategies allow the functionalization of these virus‐like particles (VLPs) with imaging reagents, targeting ligands, or therapeutic molecules. VLP nanoplatforms have great potential utility in the design of sophisticated multifunctional theranostic platforms. Numerous studies have reported the construction of multifunctional nanoparticles using VLPs for targeted diagnoses and treatment. In this paper, the latest progress in molecular imaging, drug delivery, and multifunctional theranostic nanodevices based on VLPs is reviewed.
Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG)—Sparking an Energy and Sensor Revolution
Authors: Wang Zhong Lin 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe study presents the fundamental scientific understanding of electron transfer in contact electrification in solid–solid and liquid–solid cases and a newly revised model for the formation of electric double layer. The potential revolutionary impacts of triboelectric nanogenerators as energy sources and sensors are presented in the fields of health care, environmental science, wearable electronics, internet of things, human–machine interfacing, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
A study of scientific publications on the greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus, Temminck 1827)
Authors: Mustapha Oluwaseun Ahmed , Teriba Ebunoluwa Elizabeth , Ezekiel Oluwaseun Samuel , Olude Ayokunle Matthew , Akinloye Adebayo Koyuum , Olopade James Olukayode 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe greater cane rat (GCR), reputed to be African's second largest rodent, is a precocial hystricomorph with an uncommon phenotype and life history. Scientific and socio‐economic interests in the GCR have led to heightened research efforts targeted towards a better understanding of its biology and exploration of its economic and translational usefulness.MethodsRecords of all online scientific publications on the GCR from Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, science.gov, Ebscohost and Worldwide science, with the exception of research theses, proceedings, unpublished projects and abstracts, were collated and analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 146 published scholarly articles spanning about six decades were retrieved, with 98% of the GCR publications originating from African countries. Nigeria boasts the highest number of publications (58.22%) followed by Ghana (21.23%) and South Africa (5.48%) while Senegal contributed the least (0.69%). Publications were sorted into ten field categories. The field with the highest number of articles (41.78%) was animal breeding and management recording, closely followed by anatomy (37.67%). Lesser contributions were made by parasitology (5.48%), biochemistry/hematology (4.8%), pharmacology/toxicology (4.11%), pathology (2.06%), and surgery/anesthesia and physiology (1.37% apiece). The fields with fewest contributions were microbiology and developmental biology (0.69% each).ConclusionThis study chronicles the spectrum of knowledge available on the GCR, highlighting the knowledge gap that still exists in various fields in order to provide advocacy for new frontiers in research efforts on this rodent. We suggest the need for a clearly defined and well integrated national/regional policy aimed at establishing Africa's foremost micro‐livestock rodent, the greater cane rat, on the world's scientific radar.
Powering Artificial Enzymatic Cascades with Electrical Energy
Authors: Al‐Shameri Ammar , Petrich Marie‐Christine , junge Puring Kai , Apfel Ulf‐Peter , Nestl Bettina M. , Lauterbach Lars 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWe have developed a scalable platform that employs electrolysis for an in vitro synthetic enzymatic cascade in a continuous flow reactor. Both H2 and O2 were produced by electrolysis and transferred through a gas‐permeable membrane into the flow system. The membrane enabled the separation of the electrolyte from the biocatalysts in the flow system, where H2 and O2 served as electron mediators for the biocatalysts. We demonstrate the production of methylated N‐heterocycles from diamines with up to 99 % product formation as well as excellent regioselective labeling with stable isotopes. Our platform can be applied for a broad panel of oxidoreductases to exploit electrical energy for the synthesis of fine chemicals.
Iridium‐Catalysed C−H Borylation of Heteroarenes: Balancing Steric and Electronic Regiocontrol
Authors: Wright Jay S. , Scott Peter J. H. , Steel Patrick G. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe iridium‐catalysed borylation of aromatic C−H bonds has become the preferred method for the synthesis of aromatic organoboron compounds. The reaction is highly efficient, tolerant of a broad range of substituents and can be applied to both carbocyclic and heterocyclic substrates. The regioselectivity of C−H activation is dominated by steric considerations and there have been considerable efforts to develop more selective processes for less constrained substrates. However, most of these have focused on benzenoid‐type substrates and in contrast, heteroarenes remain much desired but more challenging substrates with the position and/or nature of the heteroatom(s) significantly affecting reactivity and regioselectivity. This review will survey the borylation of heteroarenes, focusing on the influence of steric and electronic effects on regiochemical outcome and, by linking to current mechanistic understandings, will provide insights to what is currently possible and where further developments are required.
Radical Chemistry and Reaction Mechanisms of Propane Oxidative Dehydrogenation over Hexagonal Boron Nitride Catalysts
Authors: Zhang Xuanyu , You Rui , Wei Zeyue , Jiang Xiao , Yang Jiuzhong , Pan Yang , Wu Peiwen , Jia Qingdong , Bao Zhenghong , Bai Lei , Jin Mingzhou , Sumpter Bobby , Fung Victor , Huang Weixin , Wu Zili 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAlthough hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) has recently been identified as a highly efficient catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) reaction, the reaction mechanisms, especially regarding radical chemistry of this system, remain elusive. Now, the first direct experimental evidence of gas‐phase methyl radicals (CH3.) in the ODHP reaction over boron‐based catalysts is achieved by using online synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectroscopy (SVUV‐PIMS), which uncovers the existence of gas‐phase radical pathways. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the results demonstrate that propene is mainly generated on the catalyst surface from the C−H activation of propane, while C2 and C1 products can be formed via both surface‐mediated and gas‐phase pathways. These observations provide new insights towards understanding the ODHP reaction mechanisms over boron‐based catalysts.
Airway fire during awake tracheostomy using high‐flow nasal oxygen
Authors: Adams T. R. P. , Ricciardelli A. 
Published: March 2020

SummaryHigh‐flow nasal oxygen is increasingly used in complex head and neck surgical procedures and difficult airway management. We describe a case where an operating room fire occurred while using high‐flow nasal oxygen during an awake tracheostomy for an obese patient in airway extremis due to supraglottitis. Shortly after the operation began, and before incision of the trachea, electrical diathermy applied to bleeding sub‐cutaneous vessels ignited a small flame. This was extinguished without harm to the patient and the procedure was completed without further complication. Fire requires three components: fuel; heat; and an oxidiser. We speculate that high‐flow oxygen channelled under the drapes and acted as the oxidiser; either tissue eschar or vapourised fat were the fuel; and the diathermy supplied a source of ignition to complete the fire triad. When using high flows of concentrated oxygen, practitioners should aim to minimise all of these factors and be alert for the risk of fire at every stage of the operation.
Development, physical‐chemical properties, and photodegradation of pectin film reinforced with malt bagasse fibers by continuous casting
Authors: Mendes Juliana Farinassi , Norcino Laís Bruno , Manrich Anny , Pinheiro Ana Carla Marques , Oliveira Juliano Elvis , Mattoso Luiz Henrique Capparelli 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThis work aims to develop composite films from renewable sources and to use a residue from the brewing industry, malt bagasse, as a reinforcing agent. The composites were prepared with 0–15 wt%/wt% of malt bagasse, using the continuous casting process. All films were characterized in terms of their microstructure, physicochemical, mechanical, and photodegradation properties. The properties of the films were influenced by the concentration variation of the malt bagasse fiber, allowing the deformation of the films to increase by approximately 57%. The incorporation of 15 wt%/wt% of malt bagasse provided a reduction in the water vapor transmission rate and in the hygroscopicity of the pectin films. However, the fibers acted as UV light blockers, making it difficult to photodegradate the films. Therefore, the composite films based on pectin and malt bagasse presented adequate properties to be used in the packaging industry.
Supernova antineutrino energy losses of 59Co, 56Co, 56Ni, and 56Fe by β−‐decay in strongly screened plasma
Authors: Liu Jing Jing , Liu Dong Mei 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBased on the shell and pair effects and the decay energy, we investigate the comparative half‐lives of β−‐decay for some iron group nuclei and mainly discuss the electron energy, beta decay threshold energy, and the antineutrino energy losses by β−‐decay of several typical iron isotopes in the presence of strong electron screening (SES) and in the framework of linear response theory. Our main findings include the following: (a) antineutrino energy losses increase greatly by the SES, and the screening enhancement factor can reach 1,018 due to the Q‐value correction and shell and pairing effects in the case of SES; (b) the antineutrino energy loss rates can be suppressed at a relatively lower density and in a higher temperature environment (e.g., 0.1 < ρ7 < 900, T9 > 30); and (c) the screening enhancement factor can be decreased by about 16.62% (e.g., for 56Co).
Optimizing Calcium Electrolytes by Solvent Manipulation for Calcium Batteries
Authors: Nielson Kevin V. , Luo Jian , Liu T. Leo 
Published: March 2020

AbstractCalcium is a highly attractive metal anode because of its high earth abundance and low reduction potential. However, the lack of calcium electrolytes for reversible calcium deposition significantly hampers the development of Ca rechargeable batteries. Herein, the calcium deposition/stripping behaviors of a calcium salt electrolyte, Ca[B(hfip)4]2 ([B(hfip)4]−=tetrakis(hexafluoroisopropyloxy)borate) were systematically studied using different working electrodes (GC, Pt, Cu, and Al) and different solvents including tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethoxyethane (DME), and diglyme (DGM). It was found that the Ca[B(hfip)4]2/DGM electrolyte demonstrated the highest reversibility and stability in cyclic voltammetry and symmetric Ca/Ca half‐cell studies. The Ca[B(hfip)4]2/DGM electrolyte was further employed to demonstrate a 3.4 V Ca battery using a FePO4 cathode with a discharge capacity of 120 Ah/mg.