bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Causal Relationship between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Ovarian Cancer: Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization
Authors: Victor Langat Kipkirui , Lang’at Reuben Cheruiyot , Okango Ayubu Anapapa 
Published: June 2021

Aims: This research aimed at determining the causal relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and ovarian cancer using two-sample Mendelian randomization technique. This is because there is an assumption that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has a causal relationship with ovarian cancer due to the alarming rising incidence statistics.
Study design: This study used a two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) design to undertake the causal relationship investigation. Mendelian randomization technique uses genetic variants as instrumental variables, which undergo random allocation at conception and are non-modifiable. This makes it not to be affected by confounding factors and reverse causation. The MR techniques employed are MR-Egger and Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW.)
Data sources: The outcome (ovarian cancer) summary statistics was retrieved from Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC), which has 66,450 samples (number of cases=25,509, number of controls=40,941) of European population. The exposure (T2DM) summary genetic data came from DIAGRAM plus Metabochip consortium which involved approximately 149,821 samples (number of cases=34,840, number of controls=114,981) of mixed population.
Results: The study indicated that there was no evidence of causal relationship between T2DM and ovarian cancer (MR-Egger: b= -0.0476, se = 0.0619, p-value = 0.4479, IVW: b = -0.0165, se = 0.0257, p-value = 0.5217). The odds ratios indicated that the two-sample Mendelian randomization had the power to detect 0.0464 and 0.0164 decrease in variability per 1 SD for MR-Egger and IVW respectively (MR-Egger: OR = 0.9536, CI: 0.8447, 1.0765, IVW: OR = 0.9836, CI: 0.9352, 1.0345).
Conclusion: This approach alleviated the usual problem of reverse causation and confounding factors hence depicting clearly that there is no causal relationship between T2DM and Ovarian cancer.
Engineering Janus Chemoreactive Nanosonosensitizers for Bilaterally Augmented Sonodynamic and Chemodynamic Cancer Nanotherapy
Authors: Xu Wenwen , Dong Caihong , Hu Hui , Qian Xiaoqin , Chang Ling , Jiang Qvzi , Yu Luodan , Chen Yu , Zhou Jianqiao 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAs a non‐invasive treatment modality with high tissue‐penetration depth, ultrasound‐triggered sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has been extensively explored and is regarded as the alternative choice to overcome the drawbacks of conventional photo‐triggered therapies. Nevertheless, the low quantum yield of sonosensitizer, tumor hypoxia, and undesirable therapeutic efficiency are still the major concerns of SDT. It is highly challenging but necessary to explore the SDT‐based synergistic, augmented, and noninvasive therapeutic modalities. Herein, a distinct TiO2Fe3O4@PEG Janus nanostructure composed of the typical sonosensitizer TiO2 and nanoenzyme Fe3O4 is rationally designed and engineered for bilaterally enhanced SDT and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). The deposition of Fe3O4 component on the surface of TiO2 can not only endow the Janus nanosonosensitizers with Fenton‐catalytic activity to generate hydroxyl radicals (•OH) from tumor‐endogenous overexpressed H2O2 for CDT but also enhance the SDT performance of TiO2 via narrowing the band gap of TiO2 and reducing the recombination rate of the electrons (e–/h+) pair. In turn, the US activation can both accelerate mass transfer and chemical reaction rates of the Fenton reaction to enhance the CDT effect. The high efficacy of bilaterally enhanced SDT and CDT is systematically demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.
Magnetic‐Field Tunable Intertwined Checkerboard Charge Order and Nematicity in the Surface Layer of Sr2RuO4
Authors: Marques Carolina A. , Rhodes Luke C. , Fittipaldi Rosalba , Granata Veronica , Yim Chi Ming , Buzio Renato , Gerbi Andrea , Vecchione Antonio , Rost Andreas W. , Wahl Peter 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn strongly correlated electron materials, the electronic, spin, and charge degrees of freedom are closely intertwined. This often leads to the stabilization of emergent orders that are highly sensitive to external physical stimuli promising opportunities for technological applications. In perovskite ruthenates, this sensitivity manifests in dramatic changes of the physical properties with subtle structural details of the RuO6octahedra, stabilizing enigmatic correlated ground states, from a hotly debated superconducting state via electronic nematicity and metamagnetic quantum criticality to ferromagnetism. Here, it is demonstrated that the rotation of the RuO6octahedra in the surface layer of Sr2RuO4generates new emergent orders not observed in the bulk material. Through atomic‐scale spectroscopic characterization of the low‐energy electronic states, four van Hove singularities are identified in the vicinity of the Fermi energy. The singularities can be directly linked to intertwined nematic and checkerboard charge order. Tuning of one of these van Hove singularities by magnetic field is demonstrated, suggesting that the surface layer undergoes a Lifshitz transition at a magnetic field of ≈32T. The results establish the surface layer of Sr2RuO4as an exciting 2D correlated electron system and highlight the opportunities for engineering the low‐energy electronic states in these systems.
Construction of Aramid Engineering Materials via Polymerization‐Induced para‐Aramid Nanofiber Hydrogel
Authors: Xie Chunjie , Guo Zhao‐Xia , Qiu Teng , Tuo Xinlin 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe processing of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) has long been a great challenge. This work reports a simple “monomers‐nanofibers‐macroscopic product” (MNM) hierarchical self‐assembly approach to build 3D all‐PPTA engineering materials. This approach mainly includes the preparation of polymerization‐induced aramid nanofibers (PANFs) from monomers and the fabrication of all‐PPTA materials from PANF hydrogel. Various 3D architectures, including simple solid bulks and sophisticated honeycombs (HCs), are obtained after the dehydration and shrinking of the PANF hydrogel. The tensile strength and compressive yield strength of PANF bulk are more than 62 and 90 MPa, respectively, which are comparable to typical engineering plastics. The compressive strength of PANF HC with a density of 360 kg m−3 is more than 24 MPa. The thermal stability of PANF bulk and PANF HC are as good as that of Kevlar fiber and almost no decomposition occurred before 500 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Furthermore, the MNM process is performed under mild conditions, without high temperature, high pressure, or corrosive solvent. The MNM process is a novel strategy for the processing of all aromatic polyamide materials with complex structures and high performances and would be another development since the breakthrough of liquid crystal spinning technology of PPTA.
Electrostatically Tunable Near‐Infrared Plasmonic Resonances in Solution‐Processed Atomically Thin NbSe2
Authors: Zhao Meng , Li Jing , Sebek Matej , Yang Le , Liu Yan Jun , Bosman Michel , Wang Qian , Zheng Xinting , Lu Jiong , Teng Jinghua 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn the broad spectral range, near‐infrared (NIR) plasmonics find applications in telecommunication, energy harvesting, sensing, and more, all of which would benefit from an electrostatically controllable NIR plasmon source. However, it is difficult to control bulk NIR plasmonics directly with electrostatics because of the strong electric‐field screening effect and high carrier concentration required to support NIR plasmons. Here, this constraint is overcome and the observation of NIR plasmonic resonances that can be modulated electrostatically over a range of ≈360 cm–1 in few‐layer NbSe2 gratings is reported, thanks to the enhanced electrostatics of atomically thin 2D materials and the high‐quality film produced by a solution method. NbSe2 plasmons also render strong field confinement due to their atomic thickness and provide an extra degree of resonance frequency modulation from the layered structure. This study identifies metallic 2D materials as promising (easily produced and well‐performing) candidates to extend electrostatically tunable plasmonics to the technologically important NIR range.
Tunable Photocatalytic Activity of PEO‐Stabilized ZnO–Polyoxometalate Nanostructures in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Bernhardt Sarah , Düring Jasmin , Haschke Sandra , Barr Maissa K. S. , Stiegler Lisa , Schühle Patrick , Bachmann Julien , Hirsch Andreas , Gröhn Franziska 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe photocatalytic activity and selectivity of novel binary and ternary composite nanostructures from polyethylene oxide‐stabilized zinc oxide (PEO–ZnO) with and without polyoxometalate (H4[Si(W3O10)4], POM) are determined in aqueous solution under UV‐light. Mono‐ and di‐COOH‐end‐functionalized PEO polymers are used as surface modifiers, influencing the morphology and stability of the ZnO nanoparticles being synthesized in water. POM acts as an additional versatile photocatalytically active building block resulting in a ternary hybrid structure with tunable photocatalytic activity. Catalytic selectivity is demonstrated by studying photocatalytic dye degradations as model reactions, where the chemical backbone of the dyes and their charge turn out to be the basis for the selectivity. All samples are characterized with dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy, and ζ‐potential measurements. With the functionalized PEOs, large ZnO clusters consisting of leaves are formed while 2‐[2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy) ethoxy] acetic acid (TODA) yields ZnO flower‐like structures.
Integrating Conductive Metal–Organic Framework with Graphene Oxide to Highly Sensitive Platform for Electrochemical Sensing
Authors: Shi Xiaofei , Xu Yulong , Zhao Bo , Li Pingping , Song Min , Jia Jingjing , Yu Huijun , Lu Guang 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe rational selection and integration of materials play important roles in advancing electrochemical sensing. Herein, a highly sensitive electrochemical platform based on composites of graphene oxide (GO) and conductive YbHHTP metal–organic framework (HHTP = 2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexahydroxytriphenylene) for the detection of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) is reported. The composites are prepared by the introduction of GO into the hydrothermal synthesis of YbHHTP. The morphology, structure, and property of the resultant GO/YbHHTP composites are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cycle voltammetry. The results show that this in situ integration strategy facilitates the homogeneous anchoring of YbHHTP nanorods on the surface of GO sheets to achieve a considerable conductivity in the composites and fast electrochemical kinetics for probe molecules. As a result, the GO(2.0)/YbHHTP‐modified electrodes exhibit ultrahigh sensitivity in detection of DA (3.62 µA µm−1) and UA (1.97 µA µm−1) as well as excellent reproducibility, stability, and anti‐interfere ability.
Fast Water Evaporation from Nanopores
Authors: Huang Zhi , Chen Bo , Mo Xiaobao , Yang Xuelong , Yu Liangying , Hu Xuejiao , Liu Kang 
Published: June 2021

AbstractFast water evaporation is of fundamental importance for natural biological regulation and industry applications. Here, for the first time, it is demonstrated that fast evaporation can be facilely achieved by putting a membrane with perpendicularly ordered pores on the water surface. Compared with the evaporation rate of bulk water, evaporation of water from nanopores is 6.4 to 0.5 times faster at the relative humidity range from 90% to 25%. Additionally, the evaporation rate Jnano exhibits a negative correlation with the pore size and the normalized evaporation rate Jnano/Jbulk displays no obvious relation with the liquid species. Further analysis shows that the evaporation enhancement is induced by the enhanced vapor density close to the evaporating surface. These results provide a simple geometrical method for evaporation enhancement and may stimulate new inspirations on phase change phenomena and applications.
Curvature and Stress Effects on the Performance of Contour‐Mode Resonant ΔE Effect Magnetometers
Authors: Matyushov Alexei D. , Spetzler Benjamin , Zaeimbashi Mohsen , Zhou James , Qian Zhenyun , Golubeva Elizaveta V. , Tu Cheng , Guo Yingxue , Chen Brian F. , Wang Damo , Will‐Cole Alexandria , Chen Huaihao , Rinaldi Matteo , McCord Jeffrey , Faupel Franz , Sun Nian X. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMiniaturized piezoelectric/magnetostrictive contour‐mode resonators are effective magnetometers by exploiting the ΔE effect. With dimensions of ≈100–200 µm across and <1 µm thick, they offer high spatial resolution, portability, low power consumption, and low cost. However, a thorough understanding of the magnetic material behavior in these devices is lacking, hindering performance optimization. This manuscript reports on the strong, nonlinear correlation observed between the frequency response of these sensors and the stress‐induced curvature of the resonator plate. The resonance frequency shift caused by DC magnetic fields drops off rapidly with increasing curvature: about two orders of magnitude separate the highest and lowest frequency shift in otherwise identical devices. Similarly, an inverse correlation with the quality factor is found, suggesting a magnetic loss mechanism. The mechanical and magnetic properties are theoretically analyzed using magnetoelastic finite‐element and magnetic domain‐phase models. The resulting model fits the measurements well and is generally consistent with additional results from magneto‐optical domain imaging. Thus, the origin of the observed behavior is identified and broader implications for the design of nanomagnetoelastic devices are derived. By fabricating a magnetoelectric nanoplate resonator with low curvature, a record‐high DC magnetic field sensitivity of 5 Hz nT–1 is achieved.
Key Considerations for the Development of Safe and Effective SARS‐CoV‐2 Subunit Vaccine: A Peptide‐Based Vaccine Alternative
Authors: Shalash Ahmed O. , Hussein Waleed M. , Skwarczynski Mariusz , Toth Istvan 
Published: June 2021

AbstractCOVID‐19 is disastrous to global health and the economy. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection exhibits similar clinical symptoms and immunopathological sequelae to SARS‐CoV infection. Therefore, much of the developmental progress on SARS‐CoV vaccines can be utilized for the development of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines. Careful antigen selection during development is always of utmost importance for the production of effective vaccines that do not compromise recipient safety. This holds especially true for SARS‐CoV vaccines, as several immunopathological disorders are associated with the activity of structural and nonstructural proteins encoded in the virus's genetic material. Whole viral protein and RNA‐encoding full‐length proteins contain both protective and “dangerous” sequences, unless pathological fragments are deleted. In light of recent advances, peptide vaccines may present a very safe and effective alternative. Peptide vaccines can avoid immunopathological pro‐inflammatory sequences, focus immune responses on neutralizing immunogenic epitopes, avoid off‐target antigen loss, combine antigens with different protective roles or mechanisms, even from different viral proteins, and avoid mutant escape by employing highly conserved cryptic epitopes. In this review, an attempt is made to exploit the similarities between SARS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV‐2 in vaccine antigen screening, with particular attention to the pathological and immunogenic properties of SARS proteins.
The Role of the Internal Capacitance in Organic Memristive Device for Neuromorphic and Sensing Applications
Authors: Battistoni Silvia , Cocuzza Matteo , Marasso Simone Luigi , Verna Alessio , Erokhin Victor 
Published: June 2021

AbstractOrganic electronics has recently emerged as a promising candidate for the emulation of brain‐like functionalities, especially at the device level. Among the proposed technologies, memristive devices have gained an increasing attention due to their non‐volatile behavior which makes them suitable for the implementation of artificial neuronal networks. However, most of them have an energy‐costly switching mechanism which limits the approach of brain like energy efficiency. Different from them, organic memristive devices (OMDs) have a narrow switching window and implement neuromorphic characteristics at voltages ≤ 1 V. Despite OMDs potentialities in bioinspired electronics, guidelines for the design of devices and materials are still missing. Here it is shown that the device capacitance represents a significant degree of freedom for targeting devices applications. It is also shown that a single OMD emulates activity dependent synaptic functions and neuronal temporal and spatial summation, taking advantage of its three‐terminals configuration. Interestingly, despite the neuromorphic applications, OMDs can also sense and amplify incoming signals on the basis of their capacitive and/or resistive values. This spectrum of applications, ranging from volatile to non‐volatile characteristics and from neuromorphic computing to bio signals sensing, sets the stage for the realization of integrated circuits for adaptive sensing.
Base cation saturation ratios vs. sufficiency level of nutrients: A false dichotomy in practice
Authors: Culman Steve W. , Brock Caroline , Doohan Douglas , Jackson‐Smith Douglas , Herms Catherine , Chaganti Vijayasatya N. , Kleinhenz Matthew , Sprunger Christine D. , Spargo John 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBase cation saturation ratio (BCSR) or “soil balancing” is a soil management philosophy which strives to maintain targeted base cation saturation percentages in soil. Despite lack of Land Grant University (LGU) endorsement for decades, BCSR is widely practiced by many farmers in the United States, particularly in the organic farming community. Here, we explore BCSR persistence and present a framework around BCSR that reflects how it is conceived and practiced on working farms, with a key premise that BCSR practitioners typically use both LGU‐endorsed sufficiency level of available nutrients (SLAN) and BCSR in a hybrid approach. Drawing on (a) a survey of LGU soil fertility scientists’ perspectives on BCSR, (b) decades of published literature on impacts of lime and gypsum application, (c) soil test data from organic corn fields in a four‐state region of the Midwest, and (d) a large state‐wide soil test dataset from Ohio, we examined and tested five unique hypotheses about BCSR. We provide evidence to support the following statements: (a) published peer‐reviewed literature on BCSR is limited and dated, (b) there is widespread agreement among soil fertility scientists that BCSR is not a legitimate practice of soil management, (c) studies of lime and gypsum application on soils can lend insight into the efficacy of BCSR, and (d) in many soils, managing soil acidity will also balance soils in BCSR ideal saturation percentages. Collectively, we summarize key findings from our interdisciplinary effort to provide an updated overview and a more nuanced perspective of BCSR in practice.
An integrated dimensionality reduction and surrogate optimization approach for plant‐wide chemical process operation
Authors: Savage Thomas R. , Almeida‐Trasvina Fernando , del‐Rio Chanona Ehecatl A. , Smith Robin , Zhang Dondga 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWith liquefied natural gas becoming increasingly prevalent as a flexible source of energy, the design and optimization of industrial refrigeration cycles becomes even more important. In this article, we propose an integrated surrogate modeling and optimization framework to model and optimize the complex CryoMan Cascade refrigeration cycle. Dimensionality reduction techniques are used to reduce the large number of process decision variables which are subsequently supplied to an array of Gaussian processes, modeling both the process objective as well as feasibility constraints. Through iterative resampling of the rigorous model, this data‐driven surrogate is continually refined and subsequently optimized. This approach was not only able to improve on the results of directly optimizing the process flow sheet but also located the set of optimal operating conditions in only 2 h as opposed to the original 3 weeks, facilitating its use in the operational optimization and enhanced process design of large‐scale industrial chemical systems.
Chemistry of lignin and hemicellulose structures interacts with hydrothermal pretreatment severity and affects cellulose conversion
Authors: Deralia Parveen Kumar , Jensen Anders , Felby Claus , Thygesen Lisbeth Garbrecht 
Published: June 2021

AbstractUnderstanding of how the plant cell walls of different plant species respond to pretreatment can help improve saccharification in bioconversion processes. Here, we studied the chemical and structural modifications in lignin and hemicellulose in hydrothermally pretreated poplar and wheat straw using wet chemistry and 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and their effects on cellulose conversion. Increased pretreatment severity reduced the levels of β─O─4 linkages with concomitant relatively increased levels of β─5 and β─β structures in the NMR spectra. β─5 structures appeared at medium and high severities for wheat straw while only β─β structures were observed at all pretreatment severities for poplar. These structural differences accounted for the differences in cellulose conversion for these biomasses at different severities. Changes in the hemicellulose component include a complete removal of arabinosyl and 4‐O‐methyl glucuronosyl substituents at low and medium pretreatment severities while acetyl groups were found to be relatively resistant toward hydrothermal pretreatment. This illustrates the importance of these groups, rather than xylan content, in the detrimental role of xylan in cellulose saccharification and helps explain the higher poplar recalcitrance compared to wheat straw. The results point toward the need for both enzyme preparation development and pretreatment technologies to target specific plant species.
Base‐Promoted Synthesis of 3‐Alkenyl‐2‐pyridones from N‐Propargyl‐β‐enaminones and Aryl Aldehydes
Authors: Tian Qingyu , Xiao Shangyun , Cheng Guolin 
Published: June 2021

Main observation and conclusionIn this article, we report a base‐promoted sequential cyclization/aldol‐type condensation/isomerization cascade reaction of N‐propargyl‐β‐enaminones with aryl aldehydes. The key step in this protocol is the generation of 1,4‐oxazepine anions from N‐propargyl‐β‐enaminones under basic conditions, which are captured by aryl aldehydes. The method allows the formation of one pyridone core and one C—C double bond in “one pot”, and the preparation of a variety of densely decorated pyridone derivatives in moderate to good yields with broad functional group tolerance.