bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of a Dielectric Elastomer Augmented Aorta
Authors: Almanza Morgan , Clavica Francesco , Chavanne Jonathan , Moser David , Obrist Dominik , Carrel Thierry , Civet Yoan , Perriard Yves 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAlthough heart transplantation is a gold standard for severe heart failure, there is a need for alternative effective therapies. A dielectric‐elastomer aorta is used to augment the physiological role of the aorta in the human circulatory system. To this end, the authors developed a tubular dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) able to assist the heart by easing the deformation of the aorta in the systole and by increasing its recoil force in the diastole. In vitro experiments using a pulsatile flow‐loop, replicating human physiological flow and pressure conditions, show a reduction of 5.5% (47 mJ per cycle) of the heart energy with this device. Here, the controlled stiffness of the DEA graft, which is usually difficult to exploit for actuators, is perfectly matching the assistance principle. At the same time, the physiological aortic pressure is exploited to offer a prestretch to the DEA which otherwise would require an additional bulky pre‐stretching system to reach high performances.
Charge Transfer Doping of 2D PdSe2 Thin Film and Its Application in Fabrication of Heterostructures
Authors: Withanage Sajeevi S. , Chamlagain Bhim , Johnston Ammon C. , Khondaker Saiful I. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPalladium diselenide (PdSe2) is an emerging 2D material with exotic optical and electrical properties and widely tunable layer dependent band gap in the infrared regime. The ability to further tune the electronic properties of PdSe2 via doping is of fundamental importance for a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic device applications. Here, surface charge transfer doping of chemical vapor deposition grown p‐type PdSe2 thin film using benzyl viologen (BV) molecules is reported. The electrical transport measurements of the PdSe2 device show an increase in resistance by ≈1700 percent from 2.1 MΩ for the pristine sample to 36.2 MΩ upon BV doping, revealing electrons are transferred from BV molecules to PdSe2 resulting in an n‐doping. Raman characterization shows a red‐shift and broadening of A3g characteristic peak for the doped sample, while X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows a negative shift in Pd 3d and Se 3d binding energies confirming n‐doping by BV. Kelvin force probe microscopy measurements show a ≈0.3 eV decrease in work function for doped PdSe2, consistent with the n‐doping by BV molecules. A selective doping of PdSe2 channel is implemented for the fabrication of lateral heterojunction device which shows good current rectifying behavior with a rectification ratio of up to ≈55.
Scalable Fabrication of >90 cm2 Perovskite Solar Modules with >1000 h Operational Stability Based on the Intermediate Phase Strategy
Authors: Tong Guoqing , Son Dae‐Yong , Ono Luis K. , Liu Yuqiang , Hu Yanqiang , Zhang Hui , Jamshaid Afshan , Qiu Longbin , Liu Zonghao , Qi Yabing 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn addition to high efficiencies, upscaling and long‐term operational stability are key pre‐requisites for moving perovskite solar cells toward commercial applications. In this work, a strategy to fabricate large‐area uniform and dense perovskite films with a thickness over one‐micrometer via a two‐step coating process by introducing NH4Cl as an additive in the PbI2 precursor solution is developed. Incorporation of NH4Cl induces the formation of the intermediate phases of x[NH4+]·[PbI2Clx]x− and HPbI3−xClx, which can effectively retard the crystallization rate of perovskite leading to uniform and compact full‐coverage perovskite layers across large areas with high crystallinity, large grain sizes, and small surface roughness. The 5 × 5 and 10 × 10 cm2 perovskite solar modules (PSMs) based on this method achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.55% and 10.25%, respectively. These PSMs also exhibit good operational stability with a T80 lifetime (the time during which the solar module PCE drops to 80% of its initial value) under continuous light illumination exceeding 1600 h (5 × 5 cm2) and 1100 h (10 × 10 cm2), respectively.
Forage species and summer management impacts on soil carbon and nitrogen in winter stockpiled grazing systems
Authors: Tilhou Neal Wepking , Nave Renata L. G. , Jagadamma Sindhu , Eash Neal , Mulliniks J. Travis 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSoil organic matter (SOM) in managed grasslands have economic and environmental benefits. This experiment evaluated a stockpiled winter grazing system with two summer management treatments (grazing or hay harvest) and three forage species treatments: tall fescue (TF, Schedonorus arundinaceus Schreb.), switchgrass (SG, Panicum virgatum L.), and mixed big bluestem–Indiangrass [BBIG, Andropogon gerardii Vitman–Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash]. Soil was sampled on 18 dates (January 2016–July 2017) at two depths (0–5 and 5–15 cm) in 15 paddocks in central Tennessee. Total organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations in 0–5‐cm samples were greater in grazed paddocks relative to hay harvest, and greater in TF relative to BBIG and SG. Summer grazing also resulted in greater 0–5‐cm permanganate‐oxidizable carbon (POXC) and 5–15 cm hot‐water extract ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (A254). Hot‐water extractable carbon, A254, and POXC concentrations were reduced in SG soils compared with TF and BBIG. Summer hay harvests, compared with grazing, reduced hot‐water extractable C/N in both soil horizons in TF. The interactions between management and plant species suggests contrasting nutrient cycling associated with TF and the morphologically different native grasses BBIG and SG. This study represents the first observations of soil impacts within stockpiled grazing systems and the first observations of grazed native grass species in the southeastern United States.
Welfare analysis of introducing private label packaged salads into the US market
Authors: Meng Xiao , Jaenicke Edward C. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this study, we use the Berry, Levinsohn, and Pakes (BLP) method to study consumer demand and firm supply to the 2005 US market for packaged salads. Our results show that, although consumers in general are price sensitive, their sensitivity decreases as income increases. Moreover, consumers exhibit strong brand loyalty if they prefer specific features, such as the organic claim of a brand. Using our estimation results, we conduct a welfare analysis of introducing private label (store brands) packaged salads. Our results show that the hypothetical elimination of private label brands would result in the packaged salad market becoming less competitive, implying total welfare increased and consumers fared much better after the introduction of private label packaged salads. [EconLit citations: D12, Q13, Q18].
Turbulence damping above the cloud height in suspensions of concentrated slurries in stirred tanks
Authors: Ayranci Inci , Kresta Suzanne M. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPoor mixing in the clear liquid layer above the cloud height has been reported by several authors. This study uses LDV measurements to quantify turbulence above the cloud using a liquid level of 1.5 T to remove the barrier of a free surface at H = T. A D = T/3, down‐pumping PBT was used at an off‐bottom clearance of C = T/3. Three slurries were tested at impeller speeds 0.8, 1, and 1.2Njs. The change in turbulence was quantified using the normalized root mean square (RMS) of the fluctuating velocity summed and averaged over each radial traverse. A significant difference between the fluctuating values of the cloud height—minimum, average, and maximum—was observed. The turbulence decays until the maximum cloud height. Beyond that, it remains constant and near zero. The effects of both particle size and solids concentration prove to be important.
Interfacial properties between ionic‐liquid‐based electrolytes and lithium‐ion‐battery separator
Authors: Sun Yanjun , Wang Jian , Prausnitz John M. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFor lithium salts, ionic liquids (ILs) are promising alternatives to conventional solvents in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) due to a more favorable high‐voltage operating window, and due to improved safety through reduction of flammability. Toward better understanding of wetting properties of IL‐based electrolytes on a LIB separator, wetting properties affect electrochemical performance, experimental studies were made to determine the influence of solvent, lithium‐salt type and salt concentration. Surface tensions and advancing contact angles were measured for two pure ILs ([C4C1im][BF4] and [C4C1im][OTf]) and for four IL/alkylcarbonate solvent blends (1:1 mass ratio, [C4C1im][BF4]/PC, [C4C1im][BF4]/DMC, [C4C1im][OTf]/PC, and [C4C1im][OTf]/ DMC) with several concentrations of a lithium salt (LiClO4, LiPF6, and LiTFSI). A significant improvement of wettability of pure ILs was observed by adding DMC, while adding PC with surface tension higher than that of pure ILs is detrimental to wetting behavior. Contact angles decrease by adding LiTFSI but show almost no change upon addition of LiPF6 or LiClO4. Surface tensions follow the same trend as that for contact angles. Incorporation of TFSI− anion gives favorable separator wettability. Estimates were made for interfacial properties of the separator (dispersive and polar components of the surface free energy for solid‐vapor, for liquid–vapor, and for solid–liquid interfacial free energy).
Open source implementation of glued sphere discrete element method and nonspherical biomass fast pyrolysis simulation
Authors: Lu Liqiang , Gao Xi , Shahnam Mehrdad , Rogers William A. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this research, a glued‐sphere discrete element method was implemented in the open‐source, computational fluid dynamics software MFiX. The implementation was verified using a cylinder‐wall collision and then validated by simulating the packing and fluidization of nonspherical particles. The validated code was applied to simulate fast pyrolysis of nonspherical biomass particles in a bubbling fluidized bed. The glued sphere occupancy ratio was proposed to quantify the quality of shape resolution using glued sphere. Shape resolution showed significant influence on the packing height in the simulation of particle packing and an occupancy ratio of 80% was recommended. Its influence is minor in fully fluidized bed but can be eight times higher in packed bed. Three tested heat transfer models predicted similar yields of elongated biomass fast pyrolysis. The solver developed in this research can be used to simulate other multiphase reacting flows involving nonspherical particles.
Noonan syndrome with loose anagen hair with variants in the PPP1CB gene: First familial case reported
Authors: Huckstadt Victoria , Chinton Josefina , Gomez Abel , Obregon María Gabriela , Gravina Luis Pablo 
Published: January 2021

AbstractRasopathies are a group of phenotypically overlapping conditions that include Noonan, Noonan with multiple lentigines, Noonan with loose anagen hair, Costello, Cardio‐facio‐cutaneous, and Neurofibromatosis‐Noonan syndromes. Noonan syndrome with loose anagen hair (NS‐LAH) is clinically characterized by prominent forehead, macrocephaly, growth hormone deficiency, sparse, loose and slow‐growing anagen hair, hyperpigmented skin with eczema or ichthyosis, mild psychomotor delays, hypernasal voices, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Variants in SHOC2 are responsible for the majority of the cases. Gripp et al. identified four unrelated individuals with similar phenotype to NS‐LAH with pathogenic variants in PPP1CB. In this study, we present one family and one patient with NS‐LAH and variants in PPP1CB. The first patient belongs to a family with a likely pathogenic variant, c.545T>A (p.Met182Lys), the first family published so far with a variant in this gene. The second patient harbors a de novo pathogenic variant, c.146C>G (p.Pro49Arg). This study presents two additional patients with this rare syndrome in order to increase the clinical characterization of the syndrome and provide more evidence of the pathogenicity of the c.545T>A (p.Met182Lys) variant in PPP1CB, a gene recently associated with NS‐LAH.
Enhanced Concanavalin A Binding to Preorganized Mannose Nanoarrays in Glycodendrimersomes Revealed Multivalent Interactions
Authors: Yu. Kostina Nina , Söder Dominik , Haraszti Tamás , Xiao Qi , Rahimi Khosrow , Partridge Benjamin E. , Klein Michael L. , Percec Virgil , Rodriguez‐Emmenegger Cesar 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe effect of the two‐dimensional glycan display on glycan‐lectin recognition remains poorly understood despite the importance of these interactions in a plethora of cellular processes, in (patho)physiology, as well as its potential for advanced therapeutics. Faced with this challenge we utilized glycodendrimersomes, a type of synthetic vesicles whose membrane mimics the surface of a cell and offers a means to probe the carbohydrate biological activity. These single‐component vesicles were formed by the self‐assembly of sequence‐defined mannose‐Janus dendrimers, which serve as surrogates for glycolipids. Using atomic force microscopy and molecular modeling we demonstrated that even mannose, a monosaccharide, was capable of organizing the sugar moieties into periodic nanoarrays without the need of the formation of liquid‐ordered phases as assumed necessary for rafts. Kinetics studies of Concanavalin A binding revealed that those nanoarrays resulted in a new effective ligand yielding a ten‐fold increase in the kinetic and thermodynamic constant of association.
Steering Electron–Hole Migration Pathways Using Oxygen Vacancies in Tungsten Oxides to Enhance Their Photocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Performance
Authors: Wei Zhen , Wang Wenchao , Li Wenlu , Bai Xueqin , Zhao Jianfeng , Tse Edmund C. M. , Phillips David Lee , Zhu Yongfa 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe overall water splitting efficiency is mainly restricted by the slow kinetics of oxygen evolution. Therefore, it is essential to develop active oxygen evolution catalysts. In this context, we designed and synthesized a tungsten oxide catalyst with oxygen vacancies for photocatalytic oxygen evolution, which exhibited a higher oxygen evolution rate of 683 μmol h−1 g−1 than that of pure WO3 (159 μmol h−1 g−1). Subsequent studies through transient absorption spectroscopy found that the oxygen vacancies can produce electron trapping states to inhibit the direct recombination of photogenerated carriers. Additionally, a Pt cocatalyst can promote electron trap states to participate in the reaction to improve the photocatalytic performance further. This work uses femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to explain the photocatalytic oxygen evolution mechanism of inorganic materials and provides new insights into the design of high‐efficiency water‐splitting catalysts.
GlycoBODIPYs: Sugars Serving as a Natural Stock for Water‐soluble Fluorescent Probes of Complex Chiral Morphology
Authors: Patalag Lukas J. , Ahadi Somayeh , Lashchuk Olesia , Jones Peter G. , Ebbinghaus Simon , Werz Daniel B. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA range of unprocessed, reducing sugar substrates (mono‐, di‐, and trisaccharides) is shown to take part in a straightforward four‐step synthetic route to water‐soluble, uncharged BODIPY derivatives with unimpaired chiral integrity and high fluorescence efficiency. A wide compatibility with several postfunctionalizations is demonstrated, thus suggesting a universal utility of the multifunctional glycoconjugates, which we call GlycoBODIPYs. Knoevenagel condensations are able to promote a red‐shift in the spectra, thereby furnishing strongly fluorescent red and far‐red glycoconjugates of high hydrophilicity. The synthetic outcome was studied by X‐ray crystallography and by comprehensive photophysical investigations in several solvent systems. Furthermore, cell experiments illustrate efficient cell uptake and demonstrate differential cell targeting as a function of the integrated chiral information.
Dynamically Unveiling Metal–Nitrogen Coordination during Thermal Activation to Design High‐Efficient Atomically Dispersed CoN4 Active Sites
Authors: He Yanghua , Shi Qiurong , Shan Weitao , Li Xing , Kropf A. Jeremy , Wegener Evan C. , Wright Joshua , Karakalos Stavros , Su Dong , Cullen David A. , Wang Guofeng , Myers Deborah J. , Wu Gang 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWe elucidate the structural evolution of CoN4 sites during thermal activation by developing a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)‐8‐derived carbon host as an ideal model for Co2+ ion adsorption. Subsequent in situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy analysis can dynamically track the conversion from inactive Co−OH and Co−O species into active CoN4 sites. The critical transition occurs at 700 °C and becomes optimal at 900 °C, generating the highest intrinsic activity and four‐electron selectivity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). DFT calculations elucidate that the ORR is kinetically favored by the thermal‐induced compressive strain of Co−N bonds in CoN4 active sites formed at 900 °C. Further, we developed a two‐step (i.e., Co ion doping and adsorption) Co‐N‐C catalyst with increased CoN4 site density and optimized porosity for mass transport, and demonstrated its outstanding fuel cell performance and durability.
Synthesis and in vitro antileishmanial efficacy of novel benzothiadiazine‐1,1‐dioxide derivatives
Authors: Mangwegape Daisy K. , Zuma Nonkululeko H. , Aucamp Janine , N'Da David D. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractLeishmaniasis is a major vector‐borne parasitic disease that affects thousands of people in tropical and subtropical developing countries. In 2019 alone, it killed 26,000–65,000 individuals. Leishmaniasis is curable, yet its eradication and elimination are hampered by major hurdles, such as the availability of only a handful of clinical toxic drugs and the emergence of pathogenic resistance against them. This underscores the imperative need for new and effective antileishmanial drugs. In search for such agents, we synthesized and evaluated the in vitro antileishmanial potential of a small library of benzothiadiazine derivatives by assessing their activity against the promastigotes of three strains of Leishmania and toxicity in healthy cells. The derivatives were found to have no toxicity to the mammalian cells and were, in general, active against all parasites. The benzothiadiazine derivative 1e, 3‐methyl‐2‐[3‐(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]‐2H‐benzo[e][1,2,4]thiadiazine 1,1‐dioxide, was found to be the most active (IC50, 0.2 μM) against Leishmania major, responsible for the most prevalent disease form, cutaneous leishmaniasis. Conversely, benzothiadiazine 2c, 2‐(4‐bromobenzyl)‐3‐phenyl‐2H‐benzo[e][1,2,4]thiadiazine 1,1‐dioxide, was the most potent (IC50, 6.5 μM) against Leishmania donovani, a causative strain of the lethal visceral leishmaniasis. Both compounds stand as antipromastigote hits for further lead investigation into their potential to act as new antileishmanial agents.
Phytochemical characterization and effects on cell proliferation ofPinus nigraArn. bark
Authors: Milić Nataša , Milanović Maja , Četojević‐Simin Dragana , Malenčić Đorđe , Prvulović Dejan , Pavkov Nina , Radulović Zlatan , Milošević Nataša , Rašković Aleksandar , Mandić Anamarija 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPinus nigraArn. bark extracts from Mokra gora (MG) and Tara mountains were analyzed with regard to their polyphenolic profile and antioxidative and antiproliferative activity. The ethanol extract from MG showed the highest phenolic, flavonoid, tannin, and proanthocyanidin content when compared with the acetone and methanol extracts from both sites. The same extract exhibited the highest ABTS (2,2ʹ‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) radical scavenging ability and total antioxidant activity (TAA). On the basis of high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis, catechin, caffeic, syringic,p‐coumaric, and ferulic acids were predominantly present in the MG extracts. The ethanol extract from MG was rich in syringic acid, epicatechin and its derivatives, and ferulic acid and its derivatives. The bark extracts also exerted a high cytotoxic bioactivity against all evaluated cell lines (HeLa, MCF7, HT‐29, and MRC‐5). The antiproliferative activity ofP. nigrabark is probably related to the ferulic acid content and its synergistic activity to caffeic acid and taxifolin. The antioxidative role of the presented phenols was confirmed through the obtained significant linear correlation between the total phenolic content and DPPH (r = .934) as well as the FRAP% of the extracts (r = .948). Also, the TAA significantly depended on the proanthocyanidins (r = .902) and tannin contents (r = .914). The composition of the presented compounds could be related to promising antioxidant and antiproliferative efficacy of MG bark.
Prevalence and Age of Onset of Regression in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analytical Update
Authors: Tan Christine , Frewer Veronica , Cox Georgina , Williams Katrina , Ure Alexandra 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA systematic review published in 2013 reported 32% of children on the autism spectrum experience skill loss, known asautistic regression. However, the frequency varied depending on definition and measures used to capture skills. Retrospective parent report and prospective observation indicate loss of language and/or social skills, with motor skills typically unaffected. Our aim was to update the prevalence and age of onset of autistic regression through a meta‐analysis of the literature to understand if there have been changes to the reported onset and prevalence since 2010. A systematic literature search was conducted using Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library databases and included studies published from 2010 onward. Risk of bias assessment was performed on included studies. A random effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence and age of onset of autistic regression. Ninety‐seven studies were included in the systematic review, of which 75 studies involving 33,014 participants had sufficient data for meta‐analytic syntheses. The pooled proportion of autistic regression was 30% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27–32%) but heterogeneity was high (I2= 96.91) and did not reduce with sensitivity or subgroup analyses based on study design or clinical differences, respectively. Prevalence varied according to risk of bias (low: 27%) and definition of regression (language: 20%, language/social: 40%, mixed: 30%, and unspecified: 27%). Weighted average age of onset was 19.8 months. Findings from this meta‐analysis highlight the importance of developing a standardized definition of autistic regression, and tools to measure this at multiple time points during early childhood development.Lay summaryAbout a third of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder experience loss of skills, which is also known asautistic regression. This paper provides an update of the rate of autistic regression in children and the age when they first experience loss of skills, based on current studies. The findings from this review contribute to our understanding of the onset patterns of autistic regression. Unfortunately, studies are not sufficiently similar, making it difficult to provide clear answers on the exact timing or type of regression seen in different children.