bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Photocatalytic Degradation of Plasmocorinth B with Titania Thin Films using Non‐Spectroscopic Methods
Authors: Žener Boštjan , Medoš Žiga , Rogač Marija Bešter , Korošec Romana Cerc 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDue to its advantageous properties, titanium dioxide has been one of the most researched metal oxides and extensively used in various fields, including photocatalysis. Metal (platinum) and non‐metal (sulfur, nitrogen) doped titania thin films were prepared via a particular sol‐gel synthesis, coated onto object glasses and then thermally treated to promote TiO2 crystallization. Until now, photocatalytic activity of titania thin films has mostly been measured with different spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV‐Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy). The aim of the work presented in this article was to find alternative, non‐spectroscopic methods for photocatalytic activity measurements. To achieve this, we performed in‐situ UV‐Vis absorption spectra, conductivity (κ) and pH measurements during photocatalytic degradation of Plasmocorinth B under UV light illumination. Results have shown that there exists a linear correlation between changes in conductivity (Δκ), pH (ΔpH) values and photocatalytic activity of the samples, measured with UV‐Vis spectroscopy.
Antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles supported by magnetite
Authors: Lazić Vesna , Mihajlovski Katarina , Mraković Ana , Illés Erzsébet , Stoiljković Milovan , Ahrenkiel S. Phil , Nedeljković Jovan M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAntibacterial and antifungal ability of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) supported by functionalized magnetite (Fe3O4) with 5‐aminosalicylic acid (5‐ASA) was tested against Gram‐negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Gram‐positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and yeast Candida albicans. Characterization of materials including transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, and inductively coupled plasma optic emission spectroscopy technique followed each step during the course of nanocomposite preparation. The synthesized powder consists of 30–50 nm in size silver particles surrounded by clusters of smaller (∼10 nm) Fe3O4 particles. The content of silver in the nanocomposite powder was found to be slightly above 40 wt.–%. Concentration‐dependent and time‐dependent bacterial reduction measurements in dark indicated that use of Ag NPs leads to the complete reduction of E. coli and S. aureus even at the concentration level of silver as low as 40 μg/mL. However, the negligible antifungal ability of synthesized nanocomposite was found against yeast C. albicans in the entire investigated concentration range (0.1‐2.0 mg/mL of the nanocomposite, i. e., 40–800 μg/mL of silver). Complete inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus was achieved in five repeated cycles indicated that synthesized nanocomposite can perform under long‐run working conditions. From the technological point of view, magnetic separation is the additional advantage of synthesized nanocomposite for potential use as an antibacterial agent.
Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activity of 9‐Formyl and 9‐Ethynyl Noscapines
Authors: Reddy Nagireddy Praveen Kumar , Kommalapati Vamsi Krishna , Manchukonda Naresh K. , Sridhar Balasubramanian , Tangutur Anjana Devi , Kantevari Srinivas 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAppending functional groups to the core skeleton of natural α‐noscapine, an FDA approved cough medicine, resulted in analogues with anticancer activity. In this study, we report the synthesis and antiproliferative activity of 9‐formyl and 9‐ethynylnoscapines. 9‐Formylnoscapine 5 was synthesized from 9‐bromonoscapine 2c via a three‐step reaction sequence involving palladium catalysed Heck reaction with ethyl acrylate leading to noscapinoid 7, dihydroxylation of 7 with OsO4 and oxidative cleavage of diol 8. Further, Seyferth‐Gilbert homologation of 9‐formylnoscapine using Bestmann‐Ohira reagent resulted in 9‐ethynylnoscapine 6 in excellent yield. Antiproliferative activity screening of new noscapinoids 5‐7 against NCI60 human tumor cell lines resulted in 9‐ethynylnoscapine 6 as a potent anticancer agent with the lowest mean percentage growth against the full 60‐cell line panel.
Renewable Soybean Pulp Derived N‐Doped Carbon Materials for Efficient Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Halogenated Nitrobenzenes
Authors: Lv Jing , Zheng Yunfeng , Zhu Yangyang , Yuan Man , Chang Yanlong , Dong Zhengping 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe development of N‐doped catalysts from biomass remains an important objective of chemical research. In this study, a simple fabrication process for renewable N‐doped carbon (RNC, N content 6.5 wt%) is provided to take the inexpensive of soybean pulp for efficient chemoselective hydrogenation of halogenated nitrobenzenes. The RNC precursor was activated by KOH and carbonized at high temperatures; this resulted in dramatically increased specific surface area and accessible active sites. Natural N atoms in the carbon matrix provide out‐of‐domain charge and modulate the electronic property of RNC as a metal‐like structure. The obtained RNC material shows excellent catalytic activity in the catalytic hydrogenation of halogenated nitrobenzenes using N2H4⋅H2O as the reducing agent under mild reaction conditions. The catalytic activity of RNC only slightly decrease after repeated reaction cycles.
An Efficient Synthesis of 1,2‐Diketones by Oxidative Cross‐coupling of Alkynes and Aryl Triazenes using Copper Catalysis
Authors: Vishwakarma Ramesh Kumar , Kumar Saurabh , Sharma Anup Kumar , Singh Rahul , Singh Krishna Nand 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAn efficient and mild approach to 1,2‐diketones has been developed via oxidative cross‐coupling of alkynes and aryl triazenes using copper catalysis under open atmosphere. The approach is convenient, clean, and offers a wide range of substrate scope and functional group tolerance.
Carbon‐Based Alloy‐Type Composite Anode Materials toward Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Yang Guorui , Ilango P. Robert , Wang Silan , Nasir Muhammad Salman , Li Linlin , Ji Dongxiao , Hu Yuxiang , Ramakrishna Seeram , Yan Wei , Peng Shengjie 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn the scenario of renewable clean energy gradually replacing fossil energy, grid‐scale energy storage systems are urgently necessary, where Na‐ion batteries (SIBs) could supply crucial support, due to abundant Na raw materials and a similar electrochemical mechanism to Li‐ion batteries. The limited energy density is one of the major challenges hindering the commercialization of SIBs. Alloy‐type anodes with high theoretical capacities provide good opportunities to address this issue. However, these anodes suffer from the large volume expansion and inferior conductivity, which induce rapid capacity fading, poor rate properties, and safety issues. Carbon‐based alloy‐type composites (CAC) have been extensively applied in the effective construction of anodes that improved electrochemical performance, as the carbon component could alleviate the volume change and increase the conductivity. Here, state‐of‐the‐art CAC anode materials applied in SIBs are summarized, including their design principle, characterization, and electrochemical performance. The corresponding alloying mechanism along with its advantages and disadvantages is briefly presented. The crucial roles and working mechanism of the carbon matrix in CAC anodes are discussed in depth. Lastly, the existing challenges and the perspectives are proposed. Such an understanding critically paves the way for tailoring and designing suitable alloy‐type anodes toward practical applications.
Ligand Engineering for Improved All‐Inorganic Perovskite Quantum Dot‐MoS2 Monolayer Mixed Dimensional van der Waals Phototransistor
Authors: Wu Hualin , Kang Zhuo , Zhang Zihan , Si Haonan , Zhang Suicai , Zhang Zheng , Liao Qingliang , Zhang Yue 
Published: April 2019

AbstractCombining intriguing physical properties of 2D crystals and intrinsically remarkable optical properties of halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs), the 0D–2D perovskite QD–based mixed dimensional van der Waals heterostructure (MvdWH) is considered as promising for optoelectronic applications. Even though the interfacial electronic structure of MvdWHs is sufficiently engineered to manipulate the charge carrier behavior, the issue of interfacial charge transfer efficiency originating from the residue ligands that are inevitably introduced by the QDs is still prominently remained. From this perspective, for the first time, a solution‐processed surface ligand density control strategy is demonstrated to balance the QD surface passivation and the interfacial charge carrier extraction and injection efficiency in the 0D–2D MvdWH system. The accurate adjustment of ligand density outside QDs enables the subsequent modulation on interfacial charge carrier transfer efficiency from the aspect of electronic and optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, such kind of ligand engineering toward MvdWH interface is substantially demonstrated in a photogating mechanism–based phototransistor with an improved photoresponsivity as high as 1.13 × 105 A W−1. These results may push forward the evolution of 0D–2D mixed dimensional van der Waals optoelectronics.
Using the Science Talk–Writing Heuristic to Build a New Era of Scientific Literacy
Authors: Chen Ying‐Chih 
Published: April 2019

AbstractOne of the major goals of science education is preparing students to be scientifically literate. Argumentation is a core practice to promote both scientific literacy and science learning. However, incorporating argumentation into science teaching can be challenging for both teachers and students. The author introduces the Science Talk–Writing Heuristic as a teaching approach that science teachers can use to integrate literacy practices and science learning in an argumentative environment.
Performance of broilers fed diets supplemented with two yeast cell wall strains using two feeding strategies
Authors: Hashim Mohammed M. , Leyva‐Jimenez Hector E. , Al‐Ajeeli Morouj N. , Jameel Yasser J. , Gaydos Thomas A. , Bailey Christopher A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDifferent supplements or strategies have been proposed as alternatives to the use of antibiotics at sub‐therapeutic levels in chickens. Mannan oligosaccharides and β‐glucans, yeast cell wall fractions (YCW), have been reported to beneficially influence broiler performance and health. Two differently produced yeast cell wall fractions derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were evaluated in this study using two different supplementation strategies offered to full‐term broilers. The birds were placed in floor pens on used pine‐shaving litter to increase potential microbial stress and mimic industry practice. The study utilized a three‐phase feeding program with a 1‐ to 21‐day starter, 21‐ to 35‐day grower and 35‐ to 42‐day finisher phases. Five dietary treatments were compared in this study. The experimental diets consisted of a control basal broiler diet; or the basal diet supplemented with the two differently produced fractions of YCW. The YCW products were supplemented at a constant 250 ppm or a decreasing concentration program (500, 250, 125 ppm) throughout the three feeding phases. Birds fed diets supplemented with either YCW products at any inclusion regimen demonstrated higher (P < 0.05) body weight (BW) in all three phases than control birds. The difference in final 42‐day BW of the YCW treatments (3041 g) averaged 165 g higher (P < 0.05) than the control group. For all YCW treatments, productivity index was higher (P < 0.05) in the grower (418) and finisher phase (441) versus control birds (389 grower and 415 finisher). These results suggested that both YCW fractions prepared from Saccharomyces cerevisiae can improve broiler performance when added at either a constant rate (250 ppm) or at a decreasing rate from 500 ppm for the starter to 125 ppm for the finisher phase.
Antibody and antibody derivatives as cancer therapeutics
Authors: Arlotta Keith J. , Owen Shawn C. 
Published: April 2019

Antibodies are an important class of therapeutic for treating a wide range of diseases. These versatile macromolecules can be engineered to target many different antigens and to utilize several mechanisms of action to produce a pharmacological effect. The most common antibody platform used for therapeutics is immunoglobulin G (IgG). Advances in protein‐display and genetic engineering have enabled the construction and manipulation of IgG to enhance desired activity such as increasing antigen affinity, modulating pharmacokinetics, and enhancing effector functions. IgGs can also be altered to suppress undesired effects, such as immunogenicity. The main approaches to control IgG behavior include engineering the protein sequence and glycosylation of intact IgG; constructing IgG‐based derivatives, including bispecific and multivalent binders; and fusing small‐drug molecules or proteins to IgG‐derived scaffolds. Often, a single modification applied to a given IgG can alter more than one property. The desired effects of an antibody therapeutic should be carefully tailored to the physiology and characteristics of each disease condition.This article is categorized under:
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Peptide‐Based Structures
Introduction
Authors: Vickstrom Erik R. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractImmigration and its economic, political, cultural, and social consequences have recently emerged as increasingly contentious issues in Europe. Although some European countries have long histories of welcoming immigrants, the relative cultural and ethnic homogeneity of many others has thrown recent increases in foreign-born populations into sharp relief. European anxiety over immigrant integration has also increased with the recognition that unauthorized immigration has been a persistent and seemingly intractable challenge for the continent’s immigration policies. While quantifying irregular migration in Europe remains an exercise in “counting the uncountable” (Vogel et al. 2011), recent research estimated the EU’s stock of irregular migrants to be between two and four million (Triandafyllidou 2009; Vogel et al. 2011).
Molecular analysis indicates high levels of carabid weed seed consumption in cereal fields across Central Europe
Authors: Frei Britta , Guenay Yasemin , Bohan David A. , Traugott Michael , Wallinger Corinna 
Published: April 2019

AbstractCarabid beetles are abundant in temperate agroecosystems and can play a pivotal role as biocontrol agents. While there is good knowledge regarding their effects on invertebrate pests in some systems, comparably little is known on the rate of seed feeding under field conditions. Molecular approaches are ideally suited for investigating carabid feeding interactions; to date, however, they have only been applied to animal prey. We sampled adult carabid beetles in organic cereal fields in three regions along a Central European transect. Regurgitates from populations of the three most common species,Poecilus cupreus, Pseudoophonus rufipesandPterostichus melanarius, were screened for plant DNA, cereal aphids, collembolans and earthworms. The frequency of carabid individuals positive for plant DNA was high (> 70%) and independent of carabid species, sex, region and the time point of sampling. Detections for non-pest and pest prey were comparably lower, with 21.6% for collembolans, 18.1% for earthworms and 4.2% for aphids, respectively. Despite the prolonged detection period of plant DNA in carabid guts, as compared to animal prey, these first results suggest that weed seeds form an important part of the adult carabid diet. It would also lend support to the hypothesis that seed-feeding carabids are biocontrol agents of weeds, with effects of regulation on the weed seedbank that depend on behavioural and contextual factors including carabid species preferences for weed seed species, their life stage and tillage practices.
Single plant selection for improving root rot disease (Phytophthora medicaginis) resistance in Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Miranda John Hubert 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe root rot caused by Phytophthora medicaginis is a major disease of chickpea in Australia. Grain yield loss of 50 to 70% due to the disease was noted in the farmers’ fields and in the experimental plots, respectively. To overcome the problem, resistant single plants were selected from the National Chickpea Multi Environment Trials (NCMET)—Stage 3 (S3) of NCMET-S1 to S3, which were conducted in an artificially infected phytophthora screening field nursery in the Hermitage Research Station, Queensland. The inheritance of resistance of these selected resistant single plants were tested in the next generation in three different trials, (1) at seedling stage in a shade house during the off-season, (2) as bulked single plants and (3) as individual single plants in the disease screening filed nursery during the next season. The results of the tests showed that many of the selected single plants had higher level of resistance and seed yield (P < 0.05) than the best resistant cultivars used as checks. The single plants with bidirectional expression of anthocyanin pigment, both at the shoot apex and at the base of stem, showed higher level of resistance than plants without it. The results also indicated certain level of heterozygosity-induced heterogeneity, which could cause higher levels of susceptibility, if the selected single plants were not screened further for the disease resistance in advanced generation/s. The genetics of resistance to PRR disease was confirmed as quantitative in nature.
The Many-Valued Logic of Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Pykacz Jarosław 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIt is shown that any quantum logic in the Birkhoff - von Neumann sense that possesses an ordering set of probability measures can be isomorphically represented as a particular kind of infinite-valued Łukasiewicz logic with partially defined conjunction and disjunction. It is argued that such non-classical features of BvN quantum logic as lack of distributivity or validity of the orthomodular law follow from properties of Łukasiewicz conjunction and disjunction.
Validation of automatic passenger counting: introducing the t-test-induced equivalence test
Authors: Siebert Michael , Ellenberger David 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Automatic passenger counting (APC) in public transport has been introduced in the 1970s and has been rapidly emerging in recent years. Still, real-world applications continue to face events that are difficult to classify. The induced imprecision needs to be handled as statistical noise and thus methods have been defined to ensure that measurement errors do not exceed certain bounds. Various recommendations for such an APC validation have been made to establish criteria that limit the bias and the variability of the measurement errors. In those works, the misinterpretation of non-significance in statistical hypothesis tests for the detection of differences (e.g. Student’s t-test) proves to be prevalent, although existing methods which were developed under the term equivalence testing in biostatistics (i.e. bioequivalence trials, Schuirmann in J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn 15(6):657–680, 1987) would be appropriate instead. This heavily affects the calibration and validation process of APC systems and has been the reason for unexpected results when the sample sizes were not suitably chosen: Large sample sizes were assumed to improve the assessment of systematic measurement errors of the devices from a user’s perspective as well as from a manufacturers perspective, but the regular t-test fails to achieve that. We introduce a variant of the t-test, the revised t-test, which addresses both type I and type II errors appropriately and allows a comprehensible transition from the long-established t-test in a widely used industrial recommendation. This test is appealing, but still it is susceptible to numerical instability. Finally, we analytically reformulate it as a numerically stable equivalence test, which is thus easier to use. Our results therefore allow to induce an equivalence test from a t-test and increase the comparability of both tests, especially for decision makers.
The Survivorship of the Uncemented Iso-Elastic Monoblock Acetabular Component at a Mean of 6-Year Follow-up
Authors: Snijders T. E. , Halma J. J. , Massier J. R. A. , van Gaalen S. M. , de Gast A. 
Published: April 2019

Background Aseptic loosening, caused by wear and osteolysis, is the most frequent reason for hip replacement revision in the UK. To prevent aseptic loosening, an acetabular component with vitamin E added to irradiated highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) was developed to reduce oxidative degradation. Questions/Purposes A prior study of the vitamin E–blended HXLPE acetabular component after 2 years of follow-up reported no adverse reactions or abnormal mechanical behavior. To further examine this hypothesis of reducing wear and osteolysis, we sought to evaluate outcomes after 6-year follow-up. Methods A cohort of 95 of the 112 initial patients (84.2%) completed the 6 years of follow-up after receiving a vitamin E–blended HXLPE acetabular component. Evaluation was performed in terms of clinical (visual analog scale [VAS] score, VAS score with weight-bearing, VAS score for satisfaction, and Harris Hip Score) and radiological (inclination, polar gap, radiolucencies, migration, and 2-D linear femoral head penetration rate) assessment. Results The mean VAS score for patient satisfaction was 8.75 and the mean Harris Hip Score was 91.8. There were two revisions because of deep infections and one because of a peri-prosthetic femoral fracture. Two acetabular components migrated initially; however, delayed acetabular stabilization occurred. Both patients had good clinical scores at 72 months. The mean femoral head penetration rate was 0.036 mm/year. Conclusions This prospective cohort study has shown no adverse reactions concerning the vitamin E additive, promising wear rates, no signs of osteolysis, a 100% survival rate for aseptic loosening, and an all-cause survivorship percentage of 97.4% at 6 years of follow-up.
Modifying layered double hydroxide nanoparticles for tumor imaging and therapy
Authors: Li Li , Li Bei , Gu Wenyi , Xu Zhi Ping 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTumor theranostics (a portmanteau of therapeutics and diagnostics) is now achieved in various ways with complex nanoparticle systems. Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles are effective at drug/gene delivery and as imaging agents in potential tumor theranostics. This mini-review paper summarizes recent progress in developing LDH nanoparticles as a pH-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, as a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent, and as a co-delivery platform for two therapeutic agents for tumor diagnosis and therapy. These results have indicated clearly the potential application of LDH nanoparticles for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of cancers.