bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sharp Spectral Variations of the Ultrafast Transient Light Extinction by Bimetallic Nanoparticles in the Near‐UV
Authors: Otomalo Tadele Orbula , Di Mario Lorenzo , Hamon Cyrille , Constantin Doru , Do Khanh‐Van , O'Keeffe Patrick , Catone Daniele , Paladini Alessandra , Palpant Bruno 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNoble metal nanoparticles exhibit localized plasmon resonance modes that span the visible and near‐infrared spectral ranges and have many applications. Modifying the size, shape, and composition of the nanoparticles changes the number of modes and their properties. The characteristics of these modes are transiently affected when illuminating the nano‐objects with ultrashort laser pulses. Here, core–shell gold–silver nanocuboids are synthesized and their spectral signature in the stationary and ultrafast transient regimes are measured. Their dipolar transverse mode vanishes with increasing Ag‐shell thickness, while higher‐order modes grow in the near‐ultraviolet range where no plasmon resonance can be generated with single noble metal nanoparticles. These higher‐energy modes are associated with sharp spectral variations of the ultrafast transient light extinction by the bimetallic nanocuboids. By carrying out a theoretical investigation, the different contributions to this response are broken down and a physical interpretation of its spectral profile is provided. The transient optical signal is then shown to reveal resonance modes hidden in the stationary regime spectra.
Composition Optimization of Multifunctional CsPb(Br/I)3 Perovskite Nanocrystals Glasses with High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield
Authors: Wang Qin , Jin Mengfeifei , Chen Ya , Zhao Yi , Tong Yao , He Ziyao , Liang Xiaojuan , Xiang Weidong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCurrently, high optical purity, perfect stability, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) are very important, being the key to obtain high‐quality luminescent materials. The research of perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) as optical materials is in full swing. Nevertheless, the low PLQY value, especially for the red‐emitting perovskite NCs, is a main obstacle to applications in display. This work reports the optimized components to synthesize CsPb(Br/I)3 NCs glasses whose PLQY achieves a big boost from 15.4% to ≈60% for the first time. Furthermore, the specimens exhibit exceptional tolerance to water and thermal and hence contribute to applicability in high‐performance light‐emitting diode (LED) and 3D printing. By combining CsPb(Br/I)3 NCs glass powder and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Ce phosphor with blue chips, the assembled white LEDs reach a high luminous efficiency at 113.0 lm W−1. The resulting high PLQY is to the benefit of a substantial step toward the practical application of inorganic perovskite materials in the fields of optoelectronic devices and additive manufacturing.
A Robust Oxygen Microbubble Radiosensitizer for Iodine‐125 Brachytherapy
Authors: Peng Sheng , Song Ruyuan , Lin Qingguang , Zhang Yanling , Yang Yuanzhong , Luo Ma , Zhong Zhihui , Xu Xiaonan , Lu Ligong , Yao Shuhuai , Zhang Fujun 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIodine‐125 (125I) brachytherapy, a promising form of radiotherapy, is increasingly applied in the clinical treatment of a wide range of solid tumors. However, the extremely hypoxic microenvironment in solid tumors can cause hypoxia‐induced radioresistance to 125I brachytherapy, resulting in therapeutic inefficacy. In this study, the aim is to sensitize hypoxic areas in solid tumors using ultrasound‐activated oxygen microbubbles for 125I brachytherapy. A modified emulsion freeze‐drying method is developed to prepare microbubbles that can be lyophilized for storage and easily reconstituted in situ before administration. The filling gas of the microbubbles is modified by the addition of sulfur hexafluoride to oxygen such that the obtained O2/SF6 microbubbles (OS MBs) achieve a much longer half‐life (>3×) than that of oxygen microbubbles. The OS MBs are tested in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CNE2) tumor‐bearing mice and oxygen delivery by the OS MBs induced by ultrasound irradiation relieve hypoxia instantly. The post‐treatment results of brachytherapy combined with the ultrasound‐triggered OS MBs show a greatly improved therapeutic efficacy compared with brachytherapy alone, illustrating ultrasound‐mediated oxygen delivery with the developed OS MBs as a promising strategy to improve the therapeutic outcome of 125I brachytherapy in hypoxic tumors.
Bacteria‐Based Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Huang Xuehui , Pan Jingmei , Xu Funeng , Shao Binfen , Wang Yi , Guo Xing , Zhou Shaobing 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn the past decade, bacteria‐based cancer immunotherapy has attracted much attention in the academic circle due to its unique mechanism and abundant applications in triggering the host anti‐tumor immunity. One advantage of bacteria lies in their capability in targeting tumors and preferentially colonizing the core area of the tumor. Because bacteria are abundant in pathogen‐associated molecular patterns that can effectively activate the immune cells even in the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment, they are capable of enhancing the specific immune recognition and elimination of tumor cells. More attractively, during the rapid development of synthetic biology, using gene technology to enable bacteria to be an efficient producer of immunotherapeutic agents has led to many creative immunotherapy paradigms. The combination of bacteria and nanomaterials also displays infinite imagination in the multifunctional endowment for cancer immunotherapy. The current progress report summarizes the recent advances in bacteria‐based cancer immunotherapy with specific foci on the applications of naive bacteria‐, engineered bacteria‐, and bacterial components‐based cancer immunotherapy, and at the same time discusses future directions in this field of research based on the present developments.
Large‐Peptide Permeation Through a Membrane Channel: Understanding Protamine Translocation Through CymA from Klebsiella Oxytoca**
Authors: Pangeni Sushil , Prajapati Jigneshkumar Dahyabhai , Bafna Jayesh , Nilam Mohamed , Nau Werner M. , Kleinekathöfer Ulrich , Winterhalter Mathias 
Published: February 2021

AbstractQuantifying the passage of the large peptide protamine (Ptm) across CymA, a passive channel for cyclodextrin uptake, is in the focus of this study. Using a reporter‐pair‐based fluorescence membrane assay we detected the entry of Ptm into liposomes containing CymA. The kinetics of the Ptm entry was independent of its concentration suggesting that the permeation through CymA is the rate‐limiting factor. Furthermore, we reconstituted single CymA channels into planar lipid bilayers and recorded the ion current fluctuations in the presence of Ptm. To this end, we were able to resolve the voltage‐dependent entry of single Ptm peptide molecules into the channel. Extrapolation to zero voltage revealed about 1–2 events per second and long dwell times, in agreement with the liposome study. Applied‐field and steered molecular dynamics simulations added an atomistic view of the permeation events. It can be concluded that a concentration gradient of 1 μm Ptm leads to a translocation rate of about one molecule per second and per channel.
Growth and sexual dimorphism of the hyoid bone and its relationship to the mandible from birth to 19 years: A three‐dimensional computed tomography study
Authors: Werner Helen M. , Miller Courtney A. , Tillman Katelyn K. , Wang Yuan , Vorperian Houri K. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe hyoid bone and the hyomandibular complex subserve the functions of respiration, deglutition, and speech. This study quantified the growth of the hyoid bone and the hyomandibular relationships in males and females from birth to 19 years. Using 97 computed tomography (CT) scans, from a previous study (Kelly et al., 2017) on mandibular growth from 49 individuals (16 with longitudinal scans), landmarks were placed on 3D CT models and used to calculate four distance, and three angular measurements. A general increase in growth trend was observed in hyoid bone linear measurements—length, width, and depth—as well as relational mandible‐to‐hyoid distance, throughout the developmental ages examined in both males and females, with most variables having larger measurements for females up to age 10 years. A general decrease in all three angular measurements was observed in both males and females up to approximately age 12 years, at which time male angular measurements gradually increased with significant sexual dimorphism emerging after age 15 years. As expected, postpubertal males had greater hyoid angle than females; they also had greater hyoid angle of inclination than mandible body inclination (with inclination relative to the anterior–posterior nasal plane), likely related to hyo‐laryngeal descent. This study contributes to normative data on hyoid bone and hyomandibular relational growth in typically developing individuals and provides a baseline against which structural and functional influences on anatomic growth may be examined by clinical disciplines that address the aerodigestive and speech functions, as well as the fields of anatomy, forensics, and anthropology.
Post‐translational Wnt receptor regulation: Is the fog slowly clearing?
Authors: Tsukiyama Tadasuke , Koo Bon‐Kyoung , Hatakeyama Shigetsugu 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWnt signaling plays pivotal roles during our entire lives, from conception to death, through the regulation of morphogenesis in developing embryos and the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in adults. The regulation of Wnt signaling occurs on several levels: at the receptor level on the plasma membrane, at the β‐catenin protein level in the cytoplasm, and through transcriptional regulation in the nucleus. Several recent studies have focused on the mechanisms of Wnt receptor regulation, following the discovery that the Wnt receptor frizzled (Fzd) is a target of the ubiquitin ligases, RNF43 and ZNRF3. RNF43 and ZNRF3 are homologous genes that are mutated in several cancers. The details underlying their mechanism of action continue to unfold, while at the same time raising many new questions. In this review, we discuss advances and controversies in our understanding of Wnt receptor regulation.
A staged representation electrochemical stimulated strategy to regulate intracellular reducing power for improving succinate production by Escherichia coli AFP111
Authors: Zheng Tianwen , Xu Bin , Ji Yaliang , Zhang Wenming , Xin Fengxue , Dong Weiliang , Wei Ping , Ma Jiangfeng , Jiang Min 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundEscherichia coli AFP111 was previously engineered for succinate production by eliminating byproducts of synthesis pathways. Still, the succinate yield is limited due to the insufficient NADH supplement, when fed with glucose. Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) allows microorganisms to perform unbalanced fermentation by establishing polarized cathode interaction.Methods and ResultsIn this study, a cathode electrode was used as an additional electron donor to improve succinate synthesis by E. coli AFP111. In MEC with ‐0.65 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) poised on cathode electrode, 95.72% electrons were transferred into cells via neutral red (NR), and the ratio of NADH/NAD+ increased by 2.5‐fold. Meanwhile, compared with the control experiment, the value of oxidation‐reduction potential (ORP) changed from −240 to −265 mV in MEC, which was beneficial for NADH generation. During two‐stage fermentation (no potential growth stage followed by electric stimulation) in MEC, succinate yield was increased by 29.09% (the final yield was 0.71 g g−1), and glucose consumption rate was enhanced by 36.22%. In addition, the carbon flux was pumped to succinate and pyruvate metabolism was enhanced.Conclusion and implicationsStaged representation of electrochemical stimulated strategy is effective for succinate producing in engineered E. coli by regulating intracellular reducing power, which provides a new concept for producing reduced metabolite in unbalanced fermentation.
A genome‐scale metabolic network model and machine learning predict amino acid concentrations in Chinese Hamster Ovary cell cultures
Authors: Schinn Song‐Min , Morrison Carly , Wei Wei , Zhang Lin , Lewis Nathan E. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe control of nutrient availability is critical to large‐scale manufacturing of biotherapeutics. However, the quantification of proteinogenic amino acids is time‐consuming and thus is difficult to implement for real‐time in situ bioprocess control. Genome‐scale metabolic models describe the metabolic conversion from media nutrients to proliferation and recombinant protein production, and therefore are a promising platform for in silico monitoring and prediction of amino acid concentrations. This potential has not been realized due to unresolved challenges: (1) the models assume an optimal and highly efficient metabolism, and therefore tend to underestimate amino acid consumption, and (2) the models assume a steady state, and therefore have a short forecast range. We address these challenges by integrating machine learning with the metabolic models. Through this we demonstrate accurate and time‐course dependent prediction of individual amino acid concentration in culture medium throughout the production process. Thus, these models can be deployed to control nutrient feeding to avoid premature nutrient depletion or provide early predictions of failed bioreactor runs.
Chemical Properties Determine Solubility and Stability in βγ‐Crystallins of the Eye Lens
Authors: Rocha Megan A. , Sprague‐Piercy Marc A. , Kwok Ashley O. , Roskamp Kyle W. , Martin Rachel W. 
Published: February 2021

Abstractβγ‐Crystallins are the primary structural and refractive proteins found in the vertebrate eye lens. Because crystallins are not replaced after early eye development, their solubility and stability must be maintained for a lifetime, which is even more remarkable given the high protein concentration in the lens. Aggregation of crystallins caused by mutations or post‐translational modifications can reduce crystallin protein stability and alter intermolecular interactions. Common post‐translational modifications that can cause age‐related cataracts include deamidation, oxidation, and tryptophan derivatization. Metal ion binding can also trigger reduced crystallin solubility through a variety of mechanisms. Interprotein interactions are critical to maintaining lens transparency: crystallins can undergo domain swapping, disulfide bonding, and liquid‐liquid phase separation, all of which can cause opacity depending on the context. Important experimental techniques for assessing crystallin conformation in the absence of a high‐resolution structure include dye‐binding assays, circular dichroism, fluorescence, light scattering, and transition metal FRET.
Resource‐saving in buildings through material substitution: A preliminary study of structural dependencies
Authors: Ortlepp Regine 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAround the world, building stocks are the dominant consumers of mineral resources. Mining activities for the supply of construction materials can lead to conflicts in land use. In order to minimize such sources of conflict, we need improved knowledge of material consumption in the built environment. For this, we can make use of material flow analysis (MFA), which in turn requires the determination of material composition indicators (MCIs). Usually, such indicators are defined for a building type. Currently, there is a lack of research on the impact of material substitution on these MCIs as well as studies on the potential for resource‐saving that take technical issues into account. This contribution describes a preliminary study on material substitution in six different reference buildings which compare the bill of materials for structures constructed using standard clay bricks vs potential material substitutes such as hollow, lightweight, or autoclaved aerated concrete blocks. The results show that considerable reductions in material consumption can thereby be achieved for certain parts of the considered buildings. In the future, these effects should be incorporated in the MCIs as key variables for an MFA.
What is failing us? An examination of diversity initiatives in financial planning
Authors: Sunder Aman , Pasztor James , Henderson Rebecca 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis paper examines the lack of diversity in the financial planning profession by expanding the variable focus to include both the household side (i.e., consumer demand for financial advice) and the aspiring and existing financial planner professional side (i.e., the supply of financial advice). This study uses data from 13,507 households from the 2004 to 2016 waves of Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and data from 37,665 students enrolled at the College for Financial Planning for 2005 to 2018. We found that any amount of racial bias against non‐White financial planners could substantially reduce their market. Previous studies have focused almost exclusively on macro‐demographic comparisons. Therefore, reliable information on the extent of racial bias and satisfaction among racially discordant financial planner‐client relationships is not available. Black and Latinx households lag White and other households to attain high school diplomas and undergraduate degrees, partially explaining the lack of a diverse pipeline into the profession. We argue that there continues to be a need to eliminate survivorship bias when attempting to understand the realities faced by non‐White financial planning professionals by surveying those who were not successful in becoming financial planners.
Mitochondrial Targeting Strategy for Enhanced Photothermal Cancer Therapy
Authors: Yang Shouning , Xue Yuyan , Zhang Yanmin , Lu Sijia , Wu Junli , Yang Lin , Yang Huayan , Yu Shaoning 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPhotothermal therapy (PTT) is a light‐triggered therapeutic method showing great promise in cancer treatment. For safe and effective PTT, minimal invasion and high specificity are needed. Mitochondria have been recognized as an attractive target to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatment. Here, we present a unique type of CaCO3‐encapsulated Bi2S3 nanorods (Bi2S3@CaCO3 NRs) for improving PTT therapeutic efficacy based on a novel mitochondria‐targeted strategy. Such NRs with Bi2S3 NRs as the photothermal agent, carboxylated short‐chain PEG as bridging group and CaCO3 as pH responsive surface coating showed not only remarkable promotion of cancer uptake efficiency, but also enhanced mitochondria targeting ability. The significant improvement of phototherapeutic efficacy of Bi2S3@CaCO3 suggests that our mitochondria‐targeting strategy is a reliable and useful method for efficient cancer therapy.
Photochemical CO2 Reduction Using Rhenium(I) Tricarbonyl Complexes with Bipyridyl‐Type Ligands with and without Second Coordination Sphere Effects
Authors: Rotundo Laura , Grills David C. , Gobetto Roberto , Priola Emanuele , Nervi Carlo , Polyansky Dmitry E. , Fujita Etsuko 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe effect of phenyl, phenol, aniline, amino, and CF3 substituents of the 2,2′‐bipyridine ligand in fac‐ReCl(L)(CO)3 (L=2,2′‐bipyridine derivative) catalysts on photochemical CO2 reduction in dimethylacetamide is examined, in order to understand the structure‐function relationships and to compare the catalytic activities with the previously published electrochemical results. All complexes including ReCl(bpy)(CO)3 have similar excited‐state lifetimes and emission spectra, but complex 1 with the Ph‐NH2 moiety exhibits a significantly larger molar absorption coefficient for its metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (MLCT) band. All complexes we tested produce CO with only a negligible amount of H2 and formate in self‐sensitized systems in the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) and in some cases, BIH (1,3‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐benzo[d]‐imidazole). The presence of the Ph‐NH2 moiety (complex 1) has a beneficial effect on both electrochemical and photochemical activity, allowing a turnover number (TON) of 32 and 120 for photochemical CO production (without and with BIH, respectively). In the case of the Ph‐OH group in the second coordination sphere (complexes 4 and 6), these complexes are active for photochemical CO2 reduction, despite the formation of a stable 6‐coordinate Re‐OPh intermediate via reductive deprotonation as previously observed under electrochemical conditions. Overall, BIH accelerates the rate of formation of the one‐electron reduced species (OERS) of the Re catalysts and allows higher turnover frequency (TOF) and TON for CO formation. The X‐ray structures of complexes 1 and 4 were determined to have distorted octahedral Re centres, and show π‐π stacking interactions with neighboring molecules as well as intramolecular hydrogen bonds to the internal chloride ligands. The unusually high absorptivity of the MLCT absorption of complex 1 has been explained by TD‐DFT calculations.
Growth Kinetics Analysis and Morphological Characterization by Electron Microscopy of Anhydrous Uric Acid Crystals
Authors: Chávez‐Reyes Jesús , Hernández‐Cuellar Eduardo , González‐Ponce Herson A. , Rodríguez Martín Gerardo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn vitro synthesis of uric acid crystals provides an important source to study the process of crystal formation and to understand how the deposition of these crystals induces disease; nevertheless, the described methodologies for the synthesis of uric acid crystals are time‐consuming, depend on the use of high volumes, and the time scale precludes the kinetics study of the crystal growth. In the present work, it is described a fast method for the synthesis of anhydrous uric acid (AUA) crystals using microvolumes, and the crystal growth kinetics is characterized by light field microscopy using nonlinear adjustment. In addition, a crystal morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction is made, disclosing that the AUA crystals are arranged in stacked layer sheets with an orthorhombic‐like shape. These results help to understand the phenomenon of crystallization of uric acid, which is a trigger event on the development of uric acid nephrolithiasis.