bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Co9S8 Nanoparticle‐Supported Nitrogen‐doped Carbon as a Robust Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Both Acidic and Alkaline Conditions
Authors: Illathvalappil Rajith , Kurungot Sreekumar 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe present work illustrates the synthesis of an efficient and durable catalyst for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) which is active both in the alkaline and acidic conditions by dispersing few‐layer graphitic carbon coated Co9S8 nanoparticles on the nitrogen‐doped carbon (NVC−G) support (Co9S8/NVC−G). The size of the Co9S8 nanoparticles is nearly 7–8 nm and the particles are found to be dispersed homogeneously on the NVC−G support. The few‐layer graphitic carbon formed on the surface of Co9S8 nanoparticles is assisting to accomplish their small size and it also prevents agglomeration of the nanoparticles. The ORR activity of the obtained material was analyzed in both 0.1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions. Co9S8/NVC−G displays nearly 70 mV overpotential compared to the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C in 0.1 M KOH solution. The half‐wave potential (E1/2) difference of the present system is nearly 75 mV with the commercial Pt/C. Co9S8/NVC−G displays promising ORR activity in the acidic conditions as well with nearly 140 mV overpotential compared to its Pt/C counterpart. The system shows about 170 mV lower E1/2 value with Pt/C. The system shows good stability both in acidic and basic conditions compared to the Pt/C system. Finally, testing of a single cell of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was performed by employing Co9S8/NVC−G as the cathode catalyst and Nafion‐212 as the proton exchange membrane. The system displays a maximum power density of 245 mW cm−2 in H2−O2 and 115 mW cm−2 in H2‐air feeding conditions.
Exosome Isolation by Ultracentrifugation and Precipitation and Techniques for Downstream Analyses
Authors: Coughlan Christina , Bruce Kimberley D. , Burgy Olivier , Boyd Timothy D. , Michel Cole R. , Garcia‐Perez Josselyn E. , Adame Vanesa , Anton Paige , Bettcher Brianne M. , Chial Heidi J. , Königshoff Melanie , Hsieh Elena W. Y. , Graner Michael , Potter Huntington 
Published: July 2020

AbstractExosomes are 50‐ to 150‐nm‐diameter extracellular vesicles secreted by all mammalian cells except mature red blood cells and contribute to diverse physiological and pathological functions within the body. Many methods have been used to isolate and analyze exosomes, resulting in inconsistencies across experiments and raising questions about how to compare results obtained using different approaches. Questions have also been raised regarding the purity of the various preparations with regard to the sizes and types of vesicles and to the presence of lipoproteins. Thus, investigators often find it challenging to identify the optimal exosome isolation protocol for their experimental needs. Our laboratories have compared ultracentrifugation and commercial precipitation‐ and column‐based exosome isolation kits for exosome preparation. Here, we present protocols for exosome isolation using two of the most commonly used methods, ultracentrifugation and precipitation, followed by downstream analyses. We use NanoSight nanoparticle tracking analysis and flow cytometry (Cytek®) to determine exosome concentrations and sizes. Imaging flow cytometry can be utilized to both size exosomes and immunophenotype surface markers on exosomes (ImageStream®). High‐performance liquid chromatography followed by nano‐flow liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS) of the exosome fractions can be used to determine the presence of lipoproteins, with LCMS able to provide a proteomic profile of the exosome preparations. We found that the precipitation method was six times faster and resulted in a ∼2.5‐fold higher concentration of exosomes per milliliter compared to ultracentrifugation. Both methods yielded extracellular vesicles in the size range of exosomes, and both preparations included apoproteins. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.Basic Protocol 1: Pre‐analytic fluid collection and processingBasic Protocol 2: Exosome isolation by ultracentrifugationAlternate Protocol 1: Exosome isolation by precipitationBasic Protocol 3: Analysis of exosomes by NanoSight nanoparticle tracking analysisAlternate Protocol 2: Analysis of exosomes by flow cytometry and imaging flow cytometryBasic Protocol 4: Downstream analysis of exosomes using high‐performance liquid chromatographyBasic Protocol 5: Downstream analysis of the exosome proteome using nano‐flow liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry
Parallelization implementation of the multi‐scale retinex image‐enhancement algorithm based on a many integrated core platform
Authors: Huang Fang 
Published: July 2020

SummaryImage‐enhancement algorithms, for example, median filtering algorithms, Gaussian filtering algorithms, and the multiscale Retinex (MSR) algorithm, are widely used in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image processing to resolve the problems of poor clarity, insufficient contrast, and weak adaptability of the aerial images. Aiming to improve the low efficiency of processing a large volume of UAV images using the MSR algorithm, this research realized a parallel MSR algorithm using the OpenMP programming model based on Intel's many integrated core (MIC) platform. First, the principle and serial implementation of the MSR algorithm were reviewed in detail, and the algorithm's hotspots were determined with the Intel VTune tool. Then, the corresponding parallel algorithm was designed and implemented. After checking the correctness of the parallel algorithm, systematical experiments on UAV images of different sizes were carried out. According to the experiments performed in the course of this work, the parallel MSR interpolation algorithm attained a speedup factor of 32 on two Intel MIC acceleration cards with 60 cores, which indicated that the parallel algorithm greatly reduced processing time and maximized speed and performance.
Conjugated and Conducting Organic Polymers: The First 150 Years
Authors: Rasmussen Seth C. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractConductive organic polymers are most commonly generated from the oxidation or reduction of conjugated polymers. Although such conjugated polymers are typically viewed as modern materials, the earliest examples of these polymers date back to the early 19th century. The modern era of conjugated polymers began with the first reports of their conductive nature in the early 1960s. However, it was advances in the 1970s that brought particular focus to these materials with the first example of conductivity values in the metallic regime, for which the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Hideki Shirakawa, Alan MacDiarmid, and Alan Heeger. Unfortunately, the historical narrative of these polymers is currently quite muddled in the primary literature, with various inaccuracies commonly propagated. In an effort to present a more accurate account as a resource for the field, the present report will review the first 150 years of the four primary parent polymers−polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, and polythiophene, from their early origins in 1834 to their rapid development in the mid‐1980s.
Performance analysis of M‐APSK generalised spatial modulation with constellation reassignment
Authors: Khalid Ahmad , Quazi Tahmid , Xu Hongjun , Patel Sulaiman Saleem 
Published: July 2020

SummaryGeneralised spatial modulation (GSM) is a recently developed multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) technique aimed at improving data rates over conventional spatial modulation (SM) systems. However, for identical antenna array size and configurations (AASC), the bit error rate (BER) of GSM systems in comparison with SM systems is degraded. Recently, a GSM system with constellation reassignment (GSM‐CR) was proposed in order to improve the BER of traditional GSM systems. However, this study focused on M‐ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M‐QAM) schemes. The focus of this paper is the application of a circular constellations scheme, in particular, amplitude phase shift keying (APSK) modulation, to GSM and GSM‐CR systems. An analytical bound for the average BER of the proposed M‐APSK GSM and M‐APSK GSM‐CR systems over fading channels is derived. The accuracy of this bound is verified using Monte Carlo simulation results. A 4 × 4 16‐APSK GSM‐CR system achieves a gain of 2.5 dB at BER of 10−5 over the traditional 16‐APSK GSM system with similar AASC. Similarly, a 6 × 4 32‐APSK GSM‐CR system achieves a gain of 2 dB at BER of 10−5 over equivalent 32‐APSK GSM system.
Hedonic hunger as a mechanism of action in outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa
Authors: Felonis Christina R. , Juarascio Adrienne S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractObjectiveHedonic hunger (i.e., the motivation to consume palatable foods in the absence of an energy deficit) has been associated with the onset and maintenance of loss of control (LOC) eating. However, it remains underexplored as a mechanism of action in outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa (BN). In the present study, we hypothesized that reductions in hedonic hunger would significantly mediate reductions in overall eating pathology and LOC episodes in two samples (N1 = 28, N2 = 23) of 20 and 16 sessions, respectively.MethodParticipants completed the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) and Power of Food Scale (PFS) at pre‐ and post‐treatment.Results:In both samples, EDE Global scores, LOC episodes, and PFS Total scores significantly improved over the course of treatment. In Sample 1, significant indirect effects of PFS Total scores on EDE Global scores and LOC episodes were observed. In Sample 2, the indirect effect of PFS Total scores was significant on EDE Global scores and nonsignificant on LOC episodes though it followed a similar pattern of change.DiscussionResults suggest that reductions in hedonic hunger are associated with better outcomes in CBT for BN. Replication and further research is needed to elucidate the treatment components driving these reductions.
A new direction for differentiating animal activity based on measuring angular velocity about the yaw axis
Authors: Gunner Richard M. , Wilson Rory P. , Holton Mark D. , Scott Rebecca , Hopkins Phil , Duarte Carlos M. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

The use of animal‐attached data loggers to quantify animal movement has increased in popularity and application in recent years. High‐resolution tri‐axial acceleration and magnetometry measurements have been fundamental in elucidating fine‐scale animal movements, providing information on posture, traveling speed, energy expenditure, and associated behavioral patterns. Heading is a key variable obtained from the tandem use of magnetometers and accelerometers, although few field investigations have explored fine‐scale changes in heading to elucidate differences in animal activity (beyond the notable exceptions of dead‐reckoning).

This paper provides an overview of the value and use of animal heading and a prime derivative, angular velocity about the yaw axis, as an important element for assessing activity extent with potential to allude to behaviors, using “free‐ranging” Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) as a model species.

We also demonstrate the value of yaw rotation for assessing activity extent, which varies over the time scales considered and show that various scales of body rotation, particularly rate of change of yaw, can help resolve differences between fine‐scale behavior‐specific movements. For example, oscillating yaw movements about a central point of the body's arc implies bouts of foraging, while unusual circling behavior, indicative of conspecific interactions, could be identified from complete revolutions of the longitudinal axis.

We believe this approach should help identification of behaviors and “space‐state” approaches to enhance our interpretation of behavior‐based movements, particularly in scenarios where acceleration metrics have limited value, such as for slow‐moving animals.
Unlocking the potential of historical abundance datasets to study biomass change in flying insects
Authors: Kinsella Rebecca S. , Thomas Chris D. , Crawford Terry J. , Hill Jane K. , Mayhew Peter J. , Macgregor Callum J. 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Trends in insect abundance are well established in some datasets, but far less is known about how abundance measures translate into biomass trends. Moths (Lepidoptera) provide particularly good opportunities to study trends and drivers of biomass change at large spatial and temporal scales, given the existence of long‐term abundance datasets. However, data on the body masses of moths are required for these analyses, but such data do not currently exist.

To address this data gap, we collected empirical data in 2018 on the forewing length and dry mass of field‐sampled moths, and used these to train and test a statistical model that predicts the body mass of moth species from their forewing lengths (with refined parameters for Crambidae, Erebidae, Geometridae and Noctuidae).

Modeled biomass was positively correlated, with high explanatory power, with measured biomass of moth species (R2 = 0.886 ± 0.0006, across 10,000 bootstrapped replicates) and of mixed‐species samples of moths (R2 = 0.873 ± 0.0003), showing that it is possible to predict biomass to an informative level of accuracy, and prediction error was smaller with larger sample sizes.

Our model allows biomass to be estimated for historical moth abundance datasets, and so our approach will create opportunities to investigate trends and drivers of insect biomass change over long timescales and broad geographic regions.
Microglia modulate gliotransmission through the regulation of VAMP2 proteins in astrocytes
Authors: Takata‐Tsuji Fuyuko , Chounlamountri Naura , Do Le‐Duy , Philippot Camille , Novion Ducassou Julia , Couté Yohann , Ben Achour Sarrah , Honnorat Jérôme , Place Christophe , Pascual Olivier 
Published: July 2020

AbstractVesicular release is one of the release mechanisms of various signaling molecules. In neurons, the molecular machinery involved in vesicular release has been designed through evolution to trigger fast and synchronous release of neurotransmitters. Similar machinery with a slower kinetic and a slightly different molecular assembly allows astrocytes to release various transmitters such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), glutamate, and D‐serine. Astrocytes are important modulators of neurotransmission through gliotransmitter release. We recently demonstrated that microglia, another type of glia, release ATP to modulate synaptic transmission using astrocytes as intermediate. We now report that microglia regulate astrocytic gliotransmission through the regulation of SNARE proteins in astrocytes. Indeed, we found that gliotransmission triggered by P2Y1 agonist is impaired in slices from transgenic mice devoid of microglia. Using total internal reflection fluorescence imaging, we found that the vesicular release of gliotransmitter by astrocytes was different in cultures lacking microglia compared to vesicular release in astrocytes cocultured with microglia. Quantification of the kinetic of vesicular release indicates that the overall release appears to be faster in pure astrocyte cultures with more vesicles close to the membrane when compared to astrocytes cocultured with microglia. Finally, biochemical investigation of SNARE protein expression indicates an upregulation of VAMP2 in absence of microglia. Altogether, these results indicate that microglia seems to be involved in the regulation of an astrocytic phenotype compatible with proper gliotransmission. The mechanisms described in this study could be of importance for central nervous system diseases where microglia are activated.
A comparative study of 3E (energy, exergy, and economy) analysis of various solar stills
Authors: Muthu Manokar A. , Vimala M. , Prince Winston D. , Rajendran D. R. , Sathyamurthy Ravishankar , Kabeel A. E. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this paper, an experimental study of the conventional solar still (CSS), the conventional solar still with glass cooling (CSSGC), the conventional solar still with basin heating (CSSBH), and the conventional solar still with glass cooling and basin heating (CSSGCBH) was carried out on the basis of the distilled water production, the energy efficiency (EnE), the exergy efficiency (ExE), and economic analysis. The CSSGC and CSSBH contain Peltier modules for cooling the glass and heating the basin. The evaporative heat transfer coefficient for all the experimental stills was calculated. The values of daily distilled water production from the CSSGCBH, CSSBH, CSSGC, and CSS were 4.56, 3.79, 2.49, and 1.89 kg/m2, respectively. The daily distilled yield of the CSSBH and CSSGCBH were increased by 58.55% and 50.13%, respectively, as compared with the CSS. Moreover, the daily EnE and ExE of the CSSGCBH were 27.03% and 3.5%, respectively, whereas the EnE and ExE of the CSS were 10.88% and 1.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the cost of distilled water production was found to be 0.26, 0.35, 0.53, and 0.64 $/day for the CSS, CSSGC, CSSBH, and CSSGCBH, respectively, if the selling price of the distilled water was Rs10.
Defining in vivo dose‐response curves for kidney DNA adduct formation of aristolochic acid I in rat, mouse and human by an in vitro and physiologically based kinetic modeling approach
Authors: Abdullah Rozaini , Wesseling Sebastiaan , Spenkelink Bert , Louisse Jochem , Punt Ans , Rietjens Ivonne M.C.M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAristolochic acid I (AAI) is a well‐known genotoxic kidney carcinogen. Metabolic conversion of AAI into the DNA‐reactive aristolactam‐nitrenium ion is involved in the mode of action of tumor formation. This study aims to predict in vivo AAI‐DNA adduct formation in the kidney of rat, mouse and human by translating the in vitro concentration‐response curves for AAI‐DNA adduct formation to the in vivo situation using physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modeling‐based reverse dosimetry. DNA adduct formation in kidney proximal tubular LLC‐PK1 cells exposed to AAI was quantified by liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry. Subsequently, the in vitro concentration‐response curves were converted to predicted in vivo dose‐response curves in rat, mouse and human kidney using PBK models. Results obtained revealed a dose‐dependent increase in AAI‐DNA adduct formation in the rat, mouse and human kidney and the predicted DNA adduct levels were generally within an order of magnitude compared with values reported in the literature. It is concluded that the combined in vitro PBK modeling approach provides a novel way to define in vivo dose‐response curves for kidney DNA adduct formation in rat, mouse and human and contributes to the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal testing.
Toward a micro‐level perspective on acculturation among U.S. Hispanic college students: A daily diary study
Authors: Schwartz Seth J. , Martinez  Charles R. , Meca Alan , Szabó Ágnes , Ward Colleen , Cobb Cory L. , Cano Miguel Ángel , Unger Jennifer B. , Salas‐Wright Christopher P. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractObjectiveThe present study introduces a daily, micro‐level perspective on acculturation using a sample of Hispanic college students in Miami.MethodsWe conducted a 12‐day diary study with a sample of first‐ and second‐generation Hispanic college students in Miami. Outcome variables were measured on Days 1 and 12, and acculturation components (practices, identities, and values) were measured on Days 2–11. Daily fluctuations in acculturation components between Days 2 and 11 were examined as predictors of well‐being, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing problems on Day 12.ResultsFluctuations in comfort with speaking English negatively predicted three of the four well‐being outcomes and positively predicted all of the internalizing and externalizing indicators. Fluctuations in collectivist values predicted two of the well‐being outcomes and both anxiety and depressive symptoms, and fluctuations in ethnic identity predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms.ConclusionDaily volatility in comfort with English, collectivist values, and ethnic identity appear to be most distressing.
Recovering gold from mine tailings: a selection of reactors for bio‐oxidation at high pulp densities
Authors: Rodrigues Michael LM , Giardini Romeu MN , Pereira Igor JUV , Leão Versiane A 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDBiomining is one of the few cost‐effective technologies that can be applied to low‐grade ores and also mining tailings. In the current work, the bio‐oxidation of a gold sulfide flotation tailing at high pulp densities was investigated and information concerning the high cyanide consumption commonly reported in bio‐oxidative processes is discussed in order to promote less use of this chemical reagent during cyanidation.RESULTSVarious reactors were compared alongside the performance of strains of At. ferrooxidans and S. thermosulfidooxidans. Shaking flask tests performed using 5% (w/v) solids revealed that the mesophiles presented a faster adaptation to the solids and resulted in better tailings oxidation as compared to the moderate thermophile. Rolling bottle (pilot‐scale rotating drum) experiments, carried out afterwards, enabled the adaptation of the At. ferrooxidans strain to 20% (w/v) solids. This adapted strain was thus utilized in a 10 L stirred tank reactor (pilot‐scale stirred tank) experiment at the same pulp density. The concentration of the ferrous iron used in the bio‐oxidation step had a detrimental effect on the cyanide consumption during cyanidation of the bio‐oxidized material. The cyanide consumption varied from 6.9 to 13.7 kg t−1 as the initial Fe2+ concentration increased from 0.0 to 10.0 g L−1 Fe2+, respectively, in the shaking flasks.CONCLUSIONSHigher pulp densities (20% (w/v) solids) resulted in a lower cyanide consumption, which was around 7.0 kg t−1 in the experiments carried out in both rolling bottle and stirred tank reactors when 5.0 g L−1 Fe2+ was used during bio‐oxidation. This cyanide consumption was associated with a gold extraction of around 95%.
Click chemistry‐inspired design, synthesis, and molecular docking studies of biscoumarin derivatives using carbon‐based acid catalyst
Authors: Agarwal Dinesh K. , Sethiya Ayushi , Teli Pankaj , Manhas Anu , Soni Jay , Sahiba Nusrat , Jha Prakash C. , Agarwal Shikha , Goyal Pradeep K. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractA green and eco‐benign synthesis of biscoumarin derivatives using carbon sulfonic acid, a solid support catalyst has been described. The reaction involved a one‐pot two‐component reaction of 4‐hydroxycoumarin and aldehyde using carbon sulfonic acid involving Knoevenegal‐Michael condensation. A series of aromatic (bearing electron withdrawing and releasing group) and heteroaromatic aldehydes has been converted to biscoumarins with excellent isolated yields. The reaction is in compliance with green principles, that is, inexpensive catalyst, easy to prepare, nontoxic, easy handling, reusable up to five recycle runs, easy separation, short reaction time, no need of time consuming column purification, high yielding, and so on. The synthesized catalyst and biscoumarin derivatives were well characterized by spectral analysis. The molecular modeling studies showed that the designed molecular scaffolds (3a‐j) showed outstanding interaction with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) proteins. It was noticed that 3f (−17.55 kJ/mol) and 3d (−26.23 kJ/mol) showed the highest docking score against CYP3A4 and MTHFR proteins, respectively.