bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Environmental Sanitation Factors and human Behaviour Associated with Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Rural Communities of Cameroon
Authors: Brice Natchema S. F. , E. Atembeh Noura , Lucia Nkengazong , Thierry Ebogo Belobo Jean , Nadyne Ngo Ngué Thérése , Monique Ngue , Amede Motsebo , Roger Moyou-Somo 
Published: February 2020

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infections still constitute major public health threats in many areas in Cameroon. To improve control measures, epidemiological data from environmental and human aspects are necessary to draw concrete control strategies to better follow-up the population at risk.
Aim of the Study: This study aimed to investigate environmental risk factors related to infections in the Lolodorf health district, a high risk area of south Cameroon.
Methods: A total of 325 participants who gave their informed consent were recruited for the study. Stool samples were collected and examined microscopically in search of helminth eggs and protozoan cysts using the Kato Katz and concentration Formol-ether techniques. Questionnaires were filled by participants to evaluate the risk factors.
Results: Overall, 117 (42.9%) among the 325 participants harbored at least one parasite species with 75 (27.5%) having single infections and 42 (15.4%) having multiple infections. Ascaris lumbricoides (11.0%), Trichuris trichiura (26.4%), Hookworms (12.5%), Entamoeba coli (10.6%) and Entamoeba histolytica / Entamoeba dispar (1,5%) were diagnosed. Females were more infected (48.7%; p=0.04) compared to males (35.2%). Infection rate varied significantly according to villages (p=0.001). Univariate analysis revealed the following: gender (48.7%; p= 0.04), agricultural activities (47.7%; p= 0.04) and absence of treatment (50.8%: p=0.02) to be risk factors correlated to infection. Other factors such as age (49.3%), family size (47.8%), absence of toilets (53.5%), irregular use of shoes (48.6%), not wearing shoes (60.0%), irregular hand washing before meals (48.4%) and eating raw food (45.5%) had high infestation rates though with no significance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that people who had never received any treatment had high risks of being infected (p=0.01; OR =0.17; 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.5).
Conclusion: Improved sanitation, water supply and regular and extended deworming in the entire communities are fundamental issues in controlling intestinal parasitic infections.
A Slacks-based Measure in the Presence of Ratio Variable with Convexity Consideration
Authors: Ghaffari Farzaneh , Haghiri Morteza 
Published: February 2020

The nature of input-output relationships in general and ratio data in particular has important consequences for practitioners when the data envelopment analysis method is used to measure technical efficiency of decision making units or production units. Since the data envelopment analysis approach was introduced several studies tried to develop the model from different aspects including when the model deals with ratio data. To date, none of these studies was able to address the aforementioned problem properly and as a result most of them suffered from a lack of clarity in the presence of input-and-output ratios. This study proposes a slacks-based measure of efficiency in the presence of ratio variable. Our approach deals directly with the input excess and the output shortfalls of the decision making units’ concerns, and as a result, improved measuring efficiency scores.
Screening Sorghum Accessions for Resistance against Anthracnose and Grain Mold through Inoculating with Pathogens
Authors: Prom Louis K. , Cuevas Hugo , Isakeit Thomas , Magill Clint 
Published: February 2020

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify resistant accessions against pathogens, causing anthracnose and grain mold.
Study Design: Study was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data for anthracnose rating, grain mold severity, seed weight, and percent germination rate were analyzed using the command PROC GLM.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at the Texas AgriLife Research Farm, Burleson County, Texas, in 2010, 2014, and 2015 growing seasons.
Methodology: Forty-seven accessions were planted in 6 m rows 0.31 m spacing. Plants were inoculated by placing Colletotrichum sublineola colonized grain in the plant whorls 30 days after planting. Disease evaluation was initiated 30 days post-inoculation and thereafter on a weekly basis for three consecutive weeks. Grain mold experiment: Three treatments were used: 1) plants sprayed with A. alternata alone, 2) a mixture of A. alternata, F. thapsinum and C. lunata, 3) control plants sprayed with sterilized water and exposed to natural infection. At 50% bloom, three panicles per line within replication were inoculated for each treatment.
Results: Eleven accessions, including PI641874, PI656070, PI656115, and PI534167 were consistently resistant when challenged with the anthracnose pathogen, C. sublineola. Accessions PI534047 and PI574455, exhibited resistance to moderately resistance grain mold response when challenged with the treatments. Seed weight, germination rate, and mycoflora analysis which are factors in determining grain mold resistance also were measured. Across the accessions, mean seed weight ranged from1.4 g to 4.3 g per 100 kernel and germination rate ranged from 26 to 87%.
Conclusion: The resistant accessions identified in this study can be used in breeding programs to develop anthracnose and grain mold resistance lines.
miR‐21‐5p promotes cell proliferation and G1/S transition in melanoma by targeting CDKN2C
Authors: Yang Zhaohui , Liao Bo , Xiang Xiaoyan , Ke Sha 
Published: February 2020

Human melanoma is a highly malignant tumor originating from cutaneous melanocytes. The noncoding RNA microRNA (miR)‐21‐5p has been reported to be expressed at high levels in malignant melanocytic skin tissues, but its potential functional role in melanoma remains poorly understood. Here, we explored the cellular effects of miR‐21‐5p on melanoma in vitro and the underlying mechanisms. Quantitative real‐time PCR was used to show that miR‐21‐5p is significantly up‐regulated in clinical samples from patients with melanoma as compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Overexpression of miR‐21‐5p significantly enhanced, whereas knockdown attenuated, cell proliferation and G1/S transition in melanoma cell lines (A375 and M14). Luciferase reporter assays were used to show that the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor 2C (CDKN2C) is a downstream target of miR‐21‐5p. Furthermore, miR‐21‐5p mimics resulted in a decrease in CDKN2C expression, and CDKN2C expression was observed to be inversely correlated with miR‐21‐5p expression in melanoma tissues. Rescue experiments were performed to show that overexpression of CDKN2C partially reversed the effects of miR‐21‐5p up‐regulation on A375 cells. Consistently, knockdown of CDKN2C abolished the effects of miR‐21‐5p down‐regulation on A375 cells. Overall, our studies demonstrate that miR‐21‐5p can promote the growth of melanoma cells by targeting CDKN2C, which may induce G0/G1 phase arrest of melanoma cells.
Basic study on thermal environment of condominium dwelling units, Part 2—Database creation and analysis example of relationship between dwelling units and cooling load
Authors: Nihei Shimon , Satoh Shinya , Hirao Shinichi , Tasaki Atsushi 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn our previous report (Nihei et al. [2015] J Architect Plann (Transactions of AIJ), 80, 2429–2437), we created a list of building elements and net quantities of the dwelling unit design to investigate the condominium design that takes the thermal environment into consideration. In this report, we added “Cooling Load,” “Heat Loss Amount,” “Solar Heat Gain Amount in Cool Period,” and “Eaves Depth/Opening Height” to the study. First, we demonstrated the validity of the design criteria related to insulation. Next, we clarified the possibility of reducing the cooling load according to the dwelling unit design, excluding external conditions.
Poly(cyclodextrin)‐Polydrug Nanocomplexes as Synthetic Oncolytic Virus for Locoregional Melanoma Chemoimmunotherapy
Authors: Kim Jihoon , Sestito Lauren F. , Im Sooseok , Kim Won Jong , Thomas Susan N. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDespite the approval of oncolytic virus (OV) therapy for advanced melanoma, its intrinsic limitations that include the risk of persistent viral infection and cost‐intensive manufacturing motivate the development of analogous approaches that are free from the disadvantages of virus‐based therapies. Herein, reported is a nanoassembly comprised of multivalent host–guest interactions between polymerized paclitaxel (pPTX) and nitric oxide‐incorporated polymerized β‐cyclodextrin (pCD‐pSNO) that through its bioactive components and when used locoregionally recapitulates the therapeutic effects of OV. The resultant pPTX/pCD‐pSNO exhibits significantly enhanced cytotoxicity, immunogenic cell death, dendritic cell (DC) activation, and T cell expansion in vitro compared to free agents alone or in combination. In vivo, intratumoral administration of pPTX/pCD‐pSNO results in activation and expansion of DCs systemically, but with a corresponding expansion of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells and suppression of CD8+ T cell expansion. When combined with antibody targeting cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen‐4 that blunts this molecule's signaling effects on T cells, intratumoral pPTX/pCD‐pSNO treatment elicits potent anticancer effects that significantly prolong animal survival. This formulation thus leverages the chemo‐ and immunotherapeutic synergies of PTX and nitric oxide and suggests the potential for virus‐free nanoformulations to mimic the therapeutic action and benefits of OVs.
Amyloid‐β Oligomer‐Targeted Gadolinium‐Based NIR/MR Dual‐Modal Theranostic Nanoprobe for Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Wang Chengke , Wang Xueli , Chan Hei‐Nga , Liu Guifeng , Wang Zhenxin , Li Hung‐Wing , Wong Man Shing 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWhile the deposition of amyloid‐β (Aβ) plaques is one of the main pathological hallmarks of incurable Alzheimer's disease (AD), Aβ oligomers have been identified as a more appealing AD biomarker due to their being more pathogenic and neurotoxic. Therefore, the development of a sensitive and effective technique for oligomeric Aβ detection and imaging is beneficial for the early detection of AD, monitoring disease progression, and assessing the efficacy of potential AD drugs. Herein, the development and investigation of the first Aβ oligomer‐specific Gd3+‐based nanoparticles (NPs), NP@SiO2@F‐SLOH as a multimodal near‐infrared imaging (NIRI)/T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent for real‐time visualization of Aβ contents in an AD mouse model is reported. Remarkably, the NP@SiO2@F‐SLOH is successfully applied for in vivo and ex vivo NIRI with high sensitivity and selectivity for Aβ oligomers and for MRI with good spatial resolution in different age groups in an AD mouse model. Furthermore, the NP probe exhibits a noticeable inhibitory effect on Aβ fibrillation and neuroprotection against Aβ‐induced toxicity indicating its desirable therapeutic potential for AD. All these results illustrate the tremendous potential of this versatile and sensitive nanomaterial as an effective theranostic MRI nanoprobe for practical use.
Overcoming the Limits of the Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya Interaction by Antiferromagnetic Order in Multiferroic Heterostructures
Authors: Wang Han , Dai Yingying , Liu Zhongran , Xie Qidong , Liu Chao , Lin Weinan , Liu Liang , Yang Ping , Wang John , Venkatesan Thirumalai Venky , Chow Gan Moog , Tian He , Zhang Zhidong , Chen Jingsheng 
Published: February 2020

AbstractTopologically protected magnetic states have a variety of potential applications in future spintronics owing to their nanoscale size (<100 nm) and unique dynamics. These fascinating states, however, usually are located at the interfaces or surfaces of ultrathin systems due to the short interaction range of the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI). Here, magnetic topological states in a 40‐unit cells (16 nm) SrRuO3 layer are successfully created via an interlayer exchange coupling mechanism and the interfacial DMI. By controlling the thickness of an antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layer, interfacial ionic polarization, as well as the transformation between ferromagnetic and magnetic topological states, can be modulated. Using micromagnetic simulations, the formation and stability of robust magnetic skyrmions in SrRuO3/BiFeO3 heterostructures are elucidated. Magnetic skyrmions in thick multiferroic heterostructures are promising for the development of topological electronics as well as rendering a practical approach to extend the interfacial topological phenomena to bulk via antiferromagnetic order.
Josephson Effect and Charge Distribution in Thin Bi2Te3 Topological Insulators
Authors: Stehno Martin P. , Ngabonziza Prosper , Myoren Hiroaki , Brinkman Alexander 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThin layers of topological insulator materials are quasi‐2D systems featuring a complex interplay between quantum confinement and topological band structure. To understand the role of the spatial distribution of carriers in electrical transport, the Josephson effect, magnetotransport, and weak anti‐localization are studied in bottom‐gated thin Bi2Te3 topological insulator films. The experimental carrier densities are compared to a model based on the solutions of the self‐consistent Schrödinger–Poisson equations and they are in excellent agreement. The modeling allows for a quantitative interpretation of the weak antilocalization correction to the conduction and of the critical current of Josephson junctions with weak links made from such films without any ad hoc assumptions.
Fabrication of Highly Dense Silk Fibroin Biomemristor Array and Its Resistive Switching Characteristics
Authors: Kook Geon , Jeong Sohyeon , Kim Mi Kyung , Lee Sungwoo , Choi Nakwon , Lee Hyunjoo J. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDevelopment of polymeric memristors is of great interest for wearable and implantable applications because of its flexibility and transparency. One of distinguished polymeric memristor materials is silk fibroin, which is a biodegradable protein extracted from Bombyx mori cocoons. However, fibroin memristors demonstrated earlier show low memory cell density (<100 cells mm−2). In this paper, silk fibroin memristors with cell density 25 times higher than that of the previously reported silk fibroin memristors by utilizing wafer‐scale UV photolithography are reported. Unlike shadow masking technique adopted in the previous researches, UV photolithography allows single‐micrometer‐scale alignment between layers to obtain a much denser structure. Memristive characteristics of the silk fibroin memristors are studied under different values of compliance current during SET process with different thickness of silk fibroin films. The ON/OFF ratio of the fabricated memristors is maintained over 1000 s of measurement, and remains the same during bending over a cylinder with a radius of curvature of 1.3 mm. It is shown that silk fibroin remains biocompatible and biodegradable after undergoing the fabrication process. Demonstrated transparency and lightweight characteristics are desirable for electronic components for wearable and implantable systems.
Fundamentals, Materials, and Applications for Daytime Radiative Cooling
Authors: Li Zizhong , Chen Qiyuan , Song Yan , Zhu Bin , Zhu Jia 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDaytime radiative cooling is emerging as a passive and environmentally friendly cooling strategy, compared to traditional cooling methods that consume a vast amount of energy with a significant carbon footprint. To achieve the best cooling performance, materials tailored for daytime radiative cooling need to generate high emission in the atmospheric transmission window (8–13 µm) for radiating heat out directly to the universe and simultaneously reflect the entire solar radiation to minimize the thermal load. Recently, daytime subambient radiative cooling has been demonstrated through a range of novel material strategies. Herein, the fundamental principles for nighttime and daytime radiative cooling are summarized, and different designs of materials and structures suitable for substantial cooling performances are highlighted, together with various real‐world applications including building, water cooling, and clothing. Several possible pathways of daytime radiative cooling for further development are also outlined. It is anticipated that this review will provide an overall picture of recent progress and inspire more efforts into the fundamental understanding and practical applications of daytime radiative cooling.
High‐Performance Near‐Infrared Harvesting Transparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators
Authors: Yang Chenchen , Moemeni Mehdi , Bates Matthew , Sheng Wei , Borhan Babak , Lunt Richard R. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractTransparent luminescent solar concentrators (TLSCs) selectively harvest ultraviolet and near‐infrared photons. Due to the absence of electrodes, busbars, and collection grids over the solar harvesting area, the device structure enables these devices to achieve the highest levels of transparency and aesthetics. Recently, COi8DFIC has been developed as a nonfullerene acceptor in organic photovoltaics with unprecedented performance. In this work, nonfullerene acceptors are introduced into TLSCs as the luminophores. The impact of COi8DFIC concentration on power conversion efficiency (PCE), aesthetic quality, and scalability is systematically studied. After device optimization, the COi8DFIC TLSCs are shown to achieve a PCE over 1.2% while the average visible transmittance exceeds 74% and color rendering index exceeds 80. This work reports the highest TLSC device efficiency at the highest visibly transparency and highlights that the photoluminescent properties of these emerging low bandgap organic molecules providing an encouraging path to higher TLSC performance.
Ultra‐High and Fast Ultraviolet Response Photodetectors Based on Lateral Porous GaN/Ag Nanowires Composite Nanostructure
Authors: Li Jing , Xi Xin , Li Xiaodong , Lin Shan , Ma Zhanhong , Xiu Huixin , Zhao Lixia 
Published: February 2020

AbstractComposite nanostructures with plasmonic metals can introduce optical resonances and enhance optoelectronic performance significantly. In this work, novel lateral porous GaN/Ag nanowires (NWs) composite nanostructure‐based UV photodetectors were designed and fabricated, and the detectivity is up to 1015 Jones at V = 1 V with a fast response speed of ≈180 µs under UV illumination, which is more than ≈105 times faster than that of the photodetectors without Ag NWs. Combined with finite‐difference time‐domain simulations, the results show that such superior performance is mainly attributed to the surface plasmon resonance effect, which leads to a strong light trapping and efficient carriers' transport process at the lateral porous GaN/Ag NWs interfaces. This approach paves a way to realize ultra‐sensitive UV photodetectors with fast response through plasmonic metal/semiconductor nanocomposites, which are desirable for applications in optical switches, optical logical operations, and lightwave communications.
Crosslinking‐Induced White Light Emission of Poly(Hydroxyurethane) Microspheres for White LEDs
Authors: Liu Bin , Chu Bo , Wang Ya‐Ling , Chen Zheng , Zhang Xing‐Hong 
Published: February 2020

AbstractNonconjugated luminescent polymers with white light emission are promising for a wide range of applications in display and lighting devices, but their preparation remains a big challenge. Herein, a white‐light‐emitting nonconjugated poly(hydroxyurethane) microsphere (PHUM) synthesized from the crosslinking reaction of trimethylolpropane tri(cyclic carbonate) ether and 1,6‐hexanediamine in chloroform is reported. The resultant PHUMs possess uniform sizes ranging from 12.6 to 21.5 µm. It is proposed that a high crosslinking degree and various hydrogen‐bonding strengths induce the formation of carbamate clusters with different sizes and broad distributions, which result in a broad emission spectrum. The cluster‐size distribution effect leads to multiple n–π* transitions from various carbamate clusters via through‐space conjugation of carbamates, realizing white light emission. In addition, the application of PHUMs as single phosphor combined with a 365 nm UV chip is also demonstrated, with which a white‐light‐emitting diode with a high color rendering index of up to 95 is obtained. This work confirms that crosslinking can induce multiple emissions, which provides a new clusteroluminescence and polymerization‐induced emission system for tunable luminescence emission.
Delayed Charge Recombination by Open‐Shell Organics: Its Application in Achieving Superb Photodetectors with Broadband (400–1160 nm) Ultrahigh Sensitivity and Stability
Authors: Shen Shin‐Wei , Chen Deng‐Gao , Chen I‐Tung , Chang Kai‐Hsin , Lee Chuan‐Wei , Fang Chia‐Te , Chen Yi‐Ting , Chuang Wei‐Tsung , Lee Yi‐Hsien , Wu Yao‐Ting , Chou Pi‐Tai , Wu Chih‐I 
Published: February 2020

AbstractMonolayer transition‐metal dichalcogenides have inspired worldwide efforts in optoelectronic devices but real applications are hindered with their reduced optical absorption due to their atomically ultrathin signature. In this study, by utilizing their biradical nature such as excellent absorption coefficient, broad bandwidth from the ultraviolet to near‐infrared region, and small triplet–singlet energy gap, a series of helicene 5,14‐diaryldiindeno[2,1‐f:1′,2′‐j]picene (DDP) derivatives (1ab, 1ac, and 1bb) are integrated with monolayer MoS2 for extraordinary photodetector performance and outstanding stability. Via comprehensive time‐resolved studies, the interfacial charge‐transfer process from the DDPs to the MoS2 layer is evidenced by the stabilized exciton property of the organics (1ac)/MoS2 heterostructure. Significantly, the 1ac/MoS2 photodetector exhibits an ultrahigh photoresponsivity of 5 × 107 A W−1 and a fast response speed of 45 ms due to the highly efficient photoexcited carrier separation and the matched type‐II energy band alignment. The biradical 1ac/MoS2 hybrid photodetector shows no sign of degradation after one‐month operation. The results pave a new avenue for biradical based high‐performance and super‐broadband optoelectronic devices.