bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Compact Dielectric Elastomer Linear Actuators
Authors: Zhao Huichan , Hussain Aftab M. , Duduta Mihai , Vogt Daniel M. , Wood Robert J. , Clarke David R. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe design and fabrication of a rolled dielectric elastomer actuator is described and the parametric dependence of the displacement and blocked force on the actuator geometry, elastomer layer thickness, voltage, and number of turns is analyzed. Combinations of different elastomers and carbon nanotube electrodes are investigated and optimized to meet performance characteristics appropriate to tactile display applications, namely operation up to 200 Hz with a combination of a 1 N blocked force and free displacement of 1 mm, all within a volume of less than 1 cm3. Lives in excess of 50 000 cycles have been obtained. Key to meeting these objectives is control of the multilayering fabrication process, the carbon nanotube electrode concentration, the selection of a soft elastomer with low viscous losses, and a proof‐testing procedure for enhancing life cycle reliability.
Mass Production of Large‐Sized, Nonlayered 2D Nanosheets: Their Directed Synthesis by a Rapid “Gel‐Blowing” Strategy, and Applications in Li/Na Storage and Catalysis
Authors: Wang Dong , Zhou Weiwei , Zhang Rui , Zeng Jinjue , Du Yu , Qi Shuai , Cong Chunxiao , Ding Chunyan , Huang Xiaoxiao , Wen Guangwu , Yu Ting 
Published: September 2018

Abstract2D nanomaterials are well suited for energy conversion and storage because of their thickness‐dependent physical and chemical properties. However, current synthetic methods for translating 2D materials from the laboratory to industry cannot integrate both advantages of liquid‐phase method (i.e., solution processibility, homogeneity, and massive production), and gas‐phase method (i.e., high quality and large lateral size). Here, inspired by Chinese Sugar Figure Blowing Art, a rapid “gel‐blowing” strategy is proposed for the mass production of 2D nonlayered nanosheets by thermally expanding the viscous gel precursors within a short time (≈1 min). A wide variety of 2D nanosheets including oxides, carbon, oxides/carbon and metal/carbon composites are synthesized on a large scale and with no impurities. Importantly, this method unifies the merits of both liquid‐phase and gas‐phase syntheses, giving rise to 2D products with high uniformity, nanometer thickness, and large lateral sizes (up to hundreds of micrometers) simultaneously. The success of this strategy highly relies on the speed of “blowing” and control of the amount of reactants. The as‐synthesized nanosheet electrodes manifest excellent electrochemical performance for alkali‐ion batteries and electrocatalysis. This method opens up a new avenue for economical and massive preparation of good‐quality nonlayered 2D nanosheets for energy‐related applications and beyond.
Single‐Electron Transfer Reactions in Frustrated and Conventional Silylium Ion/Phosphane Lewis Pairs
Authors: Merk Anastasia , Großekappenberg Henning , Schmidtmann Marc , Luecke Marcel‐Philip , Lorent Christian , Driess Matthias , Oestreich Martin , Klare Hendrik F. T. , Müller Thomas 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSilylium ions undergo a single‐electron reduction with phosphanes, leading to transient silyl radicals and the corresponding stable phosphoniumyl radical cations. As supported by DFT calculations, phosphanes with electron‐rich 2,6‐disubstituted aryl groups are sufficiently strong reductants to facilitate this single‐electron transfer (SET). Frustration as found in kinetically stabilized triarylsilylium ion/phosphane Lewis pairs is not essential, and silylphosphonium ions, which are generated by conventional Lewis adduct formation of solvent‐stabilized trialkylsilylium ions and phosphanes, engage in the same radical mechanism. The trityl cation, a Lewis acid with a higher electron affinity, even oxidizes trialkylphosphanes, such as tBu3P, which does not react with either B(C6F5)3 or silylium ions.
Model‐Free Estimation of Energy‐Transfer Timescales in a Closely Emitting CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dot and Rhodamine 6G FRET Couple
Authors: Bharadwaj Kiran , Koley Somnath , Jana Subhra , Ghosh Subhadip 
Published: September 2018

AbstractAnalysis of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) in nanoparticles is often complicated by a number of factors, such as close emission band positions of the donor and acceptor, the presence of simultaneous photoinduced electron transfer, fluorescence blinking, and natural excited‐state decay processes. To address these concerns, mostly from materials chemists and biologists, herein, a state‐of‐the‐art FRET analysis method that utilizes the bright green emission of a CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dot (QD) is proposed. The uniqueness of this model‐free FRET analysis demonstrates the potential of these QDs to be part of an efficient FRET assay in molecular ruler applications. Molecular distance calculations relying on the proposed FRET analysis complement nicely with the expected donor‐to‐acceptor separation distances; the QD, as a photoluminescent marker, is electrostatically attached to a compatible fluorescent dye, rhodamine 6G. The beneficial aspects of the model‐free FRET analysis provide many possibilities, including the use of low cytotoxicity QD‐based FRET assays as a next‐generation molecular ruler for the accurate estimation of distances inside a biological system.
What shapes the probability weighting function? Influence of affect, numeric competencies, and information formats
Authors: Petrova Dafina , Traczyk Jakub , Garcia‐Retamero Rocio 
Published: September 2018

AbstractResearch suggests that people are less sensitive to variations in probability in affect‐rich compared with affect‐poor risky choices. This effect is modeled by a more curved probability weighting function (PWF). We investigated the role of different numeric competencies and the effectiveness of several intervention strategies to decrease this affect‐laden probability distortion. In two experiments, we manipulated the affect‐richness of a risky prospect. In Experiment 1 (N = 467), we measured numeracy and symbolic‐number mapping (i.e., the ability to accurately map numbers onto their underlying magnitudes). The affect‐based manipulations showed the expected effects only in participants with more accurate symbolic‐number mapping, who also reported more differentiated emotional reactions to the various probabilities and displayed more linear PWFs. Instructions to focus on the probability information decreased probability distortion and revealed differences in the use of probability information on the basis of symbolic‐number mapping ability. In Experiment 2 (N = 417), we manipulated the format in which the probability information was presented: using visual aids versus no visual aids and a positive frame (e.g., one person wins) versus combined frame (e.g., one person wins and 99 persons do not win). The affect‐based manipulations had no effect but both the visual aids and combined frame decreased probability distortion. Whereas affect‐richness manipulations require further research, results suggest that probability weighting is at least partially driven by the inability to translate numerical information into meaningful and well‐calibrated affective intuitions. Visual aids and simple framing manipulations designed to calibrate these intuitions can help decision makers extract the gist and increase sensitivity to probabilities.
Von ‚Fehlanpassungen‘ und ‚metabolischen Ghettos‘: Zur Konzeptualisierung globaler Gesundheitsunterschiede im Feld der Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Authors: Penkler Michael , Müller Ruth 
Published: September 2018

AbstractOn ‘Mismatch’ and ‘Metabolic Ghettos:’ The Conceptualization of Global Health Differences in Research on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Epigenetic approaches to human health have received growing attention in the past two decades. They allow to view the development of human organisms as plastic, i.e. as open to influences from the social and material environment such as nutrition, stress, and trauma. This has lent new credence to approaches in biomedicine that aim to draw attention to the importance of development for later life health. Some scholars in the social sciences and humanities have welcomed such approaches as a departure from gene‐centric perspectives and as an opportunity for highlighting the social and political determinants of health and illness. Others have warned that they might lead to new forms of biological reductionisms and determinisms. In this article, we explore how research on developmental plasticity addresses and articulates global health disparities, specifically in the context of postcolonial India. We discuss two prominent approaches from the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) that build on epigenetic perspectives on health and illness and view different global rates of disease susceptibility as the result of developmental processes: first, the ‘mismatch paradigm’ by Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson and second, the ‘metabolic ghetto’ concept by Jonathan Wells. We highlight how both approaches render historical and social factors meaningful for the development of global health disparities, but emphasize how they at the same time remain prone to determinisms and reductionisms reminiscent of a gene‐centric perspective. DOHaD actors themselves are critical of these tendencies, and in conclusion we explore novel opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations enabled by this critical potential.
Where in the Cell Is our Cargo? Methods Currently Used To Study Intracellular Cytosolic Localisation
Authors: Méndez‐Ardoy Alejandro , Lostalé‐Seijo Irene , Montenegro Javier 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe internalisation and delivery of active substances into cells is a field of growing interest for chemical biology and therapeutics. As we move from small‐molecule‐based drugs towards bigger cargos, such as antibodies, enzymes, nucleases or nucleic acids, the development of efficient delivery systems becomes critical for their practical application. Different strategies and synthetic carriers have been developed; these include cationic lipids, gold nanoparticles, polymers, cell‐penetrating peptides (CPPs), protein surface modification etc. However, all of these methodologies still present limitations relating to the precise targeting of the different intracellular compartments and, in particular, difficulties in access to the cellular cytosol. Additionally, the precise quantification of the cellular uptake of a compound is not enough to demonstrate delivery and/or functional activity. Therefore, methods to determine cellular distributions of cargos and carriers are of critical importance for identifying the barriers that are blocking the activity. Herein we survey the different techniques that can currently be used to track and to monitor the subcellular localisation of the synthetic compounds that we deliver inside cells.
Solid‐Liquid Equilibrium in the System 2‐Keto‐L‐Gulonic Acid + L‐Ascorbic Acid + Water
Authors: Jirasek Fabian , Galeotti Nadia , Burger Jakob , Hasse Hans 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe solid‐liquid equilibrium (SLE) in the ternary system 2‐keto‐L‐gulonic acid (HKGA) + L‐ascorbic acid (vitamin C) + water was investigated experimentally at temperatures between 276 K and 308 K at ambient pressure, i.e., under conditions that are of particular interest for industrial applications. Phase diagrams with one eutonic point were obtained for all temperatures. The dissociation constant and the solubility constant of vitamin C were determined as a function of temperature. Based on an extended version of the Debye‐Hückel theory, a physicochemical model was developed that describes the SLE in the ternary system. The agreement between experimental data and results from the model is excellent.
Utilizing a Pyrazine‐Containing Aggregation‐Induced Emission Luminogen as an Efficient Photosensitizer for Imaging‐Guided Two‐Photon Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Chen Ming , Xie Weisi , Li Dongyu , Zebibula Abudureheman , Wang Yalun , Qian Jun , Qin Anjun , Tang Ben Zhong 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe development of novel photosensitizers with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics has aroused tremendous interest, because it could combine efficient bioimaging with precise photodynamic therapy, which would thus dramatically promote applications in biomedical treatment. Among various AIE luminogens (AIEgens), heterocycle‐containing molecules are highly promising for this usage because of their high photostability and tunable electronic properties. In this work, a pyrazine‐containing AIEgen with a dicyanopyrazine moiety as an electron acceptor and a triphenylamine unit as an electron donor was chosen for study. The V‐shaped donor‐π‐acceptor‐π‐donor structure of the AIEgen endowed its nanoparticles with excellent nonlinear optical properties for two‐photon cell imaging under near‐infrared laser excitation. Also, under the same excitation, the nanoparticles could produce reactive oxygen species and further kill the cells efficiently and accurately. The present work thus presents a pyrazine‐containing AIEgen as a new photosensitizer for imaging‐guided two‐photon photodynamic therapy and gives more opportunities for deep‐tissue treatment of cancer in future research.
National trends in hospitalizations and outcomes in patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ram Pradhum , Lo Kevin B. , Shah Mahek , Patel Brijesh , Rangaswami Janani , Figueredo Vincent M. 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundNumerous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the natural history and outcomes with alcoholic cardiomyopathy (AC).HypothesisDetermining the trends in hospitalization among patients with AC and associated outcomes will facilitate a better understanding of this disease.MethodsWe conducted our analysis on discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project‐Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP‐NIS) from 2002 through 2014. We obtained data from patients aged ≥18 years with diagnosis of “Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy.” Death was defined within the NIS as in‐hospital mortality. By using International Classification of Disease‐9th edition‐Clinical Modification (ICD‐9CM) diagnoses and diagnosis‐related groups different comorbidities were identified.ResultsWe studied a total of 45 365 admissions among patients with AC. The absolute number of admissions decreased from 2002 to 2014 (3866‐2834 admissions). In‐hospital mortality was variable throughout study duration without a clinically relevant trend (Mean 4.5%, range 3.6%‐5.6%). The patients were mostly male (87%) and Caucasian (50.5%). Commonest age groups involved were 45‐59 years (46.7%) followed by 60‐74 years (29.2%). Trends in associated comorbidities such as smoking, drug abuse, depression, and hypertension increased over the same time period. Among all admissions, almost half were for cardiovascular etiologies (48.9%) and heart failure (≈24%) was the commonest reason for hospital admission.ConclusionWhile the overall admissions among patients with AC decreased over time, the proportion of patients with high‐risk characteristics such as smoking, depression, and drug abuse increased. Patients aged 45 and older were largely affected and cardiovascular etiologies predominated among causes for admission.
Structure‐Based Virtual Screening of LsrK Kinase Inhibitors to Target Quorum Sensing
Authors: Medarametla Prasanthi , Gatta Viviana , Kajander Tommi , Laitinen Tuomo , Tammela Päivi , Poso Antti 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIn the era of increased antibiotic resistance, targeting enzymes involved in bacterial communication (quorum sensing) represents a new strategy to fight bacterial infections. LsrK is a kinase responsible for the phosphorylation of autoinducer‐2, a signaling molecule involved in quorum sensing. Inhibiting LsrK would lead to quorum sensing inactivation and interfere with the pathogenesis. In this study, we built the first LsrK 3D model and performed virtual screening of a locally available database. Selected compounds were tested against LsrK, and the analogue search conducted based on the positive hits led to the identification of low‐micromolar LsrK inhibitors. These results prove the utility of the model and provide the first class of LsrK inhibitors to be further optimized as antivirulence agents.
Chiral Purity of Crystals Using Low‐Frequency Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Nemtsov Irena , Mastai Yitzhak , Tischler Yaakov R. , Aviv Hagit 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe pharmaceutical industry is in need of new techniques to identify the chirality of solids due to regulatory and safety concerns regarding the biological activity of enantiomers. In this study, we present for the first time the application of low‐frequency Raman spectroscopy as a new and sensitive method for analyzing the chiral purity of crystals. Using this method, we were able to identify small amounts, as low as 1 % w/w, of an enantiomer in racemic crystals. To demonstrate the capabilities of the method, we used a model system based on chiral crystals of enantiopure, racemic crystals and their mixtures in various ratios. We found that the low‐frequency Raman spectra of racemic and enantiopure crystals are significantly different, reflecting the different hydrogen bond networks. Moreover, a comparison of the sensitivity of enantiomeric excess in chiral crystals to that of circular dichroism and X‐ray diffraction measurements showed that low‐frequency Raman attains high sensitivity comparable to chiral optical methods used for solutions. Overall, our proposed approach of using Raman spectroscopy for determining enantiomeric excess in crystals is simple, fast, and offers a high degree of chiral sensitivity.
Limited ecosystem recovery from simulated chronic nitrogen deposition
Authors: Bowman William D. , Ayyad Asma , Bueno de Mesquita Clifton P. , Fierer Noah , Potter Teal S. , Sternagel Stefanie 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe realization that anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is causing significant environmental change in many ecosystems has led to lower emissions of reactive N and deposition rates in many regions. However, the impacts of N deposition on terrestrial ecosystems can be long lasting, with significant inertia in the return of the biota and biogeochemical processes to baseline levels. To better understand patterns of recovery and the factors that may contribute to slow or no responses following declines in N deposition, we followed plant species composition, microbial abundance, N cycling rates, soil pH, and pools of NO3− and extractable cations in an impacted alpine ecosystem following cessation of 12‐yr experiment increasing N deposition rates by 0, 20, 40, and 60 kg N·ha−1·yr−1. Simulated N deposition had resulted in a tripling in the cover of the nitrophilic species Carex rupestris, while the dominant sedge Kobresia myosuroides had decreased by more than half at the highest N input level. In addition, nitrification rates were elevated, soil extractable magnesium (Mg2+) and pH decreased, and aluminum (Al3+) and manganese (Mn2+) were elevated at the highest N treatment inputs. Over the nine years following cessation of N additions to the impacted plots, only the cover of the nitrophilic C. rupestris showed any recovery to prior levels. Abundances of both bacteria and fungi were lower with N addition in both treatment and recovery plots. Rates of nitrification and pools of NO3− remained elevated in the recovery plots, likely contributing to the lack of biotic response to the cessation of N inputs. In addition, nutrient base cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) and soil pH remained depressed, and the toxic metal cations (Al3+ and Mn2+) remained elevated in recovery plots, also potentially influencing biotic recovery. These results emphasize the importance of considering long‐term environmental impacts of N deposition associated with legacy effects, such as elevated N cycling and losses of base cations, in determining environmental standards such as the metrics used for critical loads.
Foliar pathogens are unlikely to stabilize coexistence of competing species in a California grassland
Authors: Spear Erin R. , Mordecai Erin A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractPathogen infection is common in wild plants and animals, and may regulate their populations. If pathogens have narrow host ranges and increase with the density of their favored hosts, they may promote host species diversity by suppressing common species to the benefit of rare species. Yet, because many pathogens infect multiple co‐occurring hosts, they may not strongly respond to the relative abundance of a single host species. Are natural communities dominated by specialized pathogens that respond to the relative abundance of a specific host or by pathogens with broad host ranges and limited responses to the relative abundance of single host? The answer determines the potential for pathogens to promote host coexistence, as often hypothesized, or to have negligible or even negative effects on host coexistence. We lack a systematic understanding of the impacts, identities, and host ranges of pathogens in natural communities. Here we characterize a community of foliar fungal pathogens and evaluate their host specificity and fitness impacts in a California grassland community of native and exotic species. We found that most of the commonly isolated fungal pathogens were multi‐host, with intermediate to low specialization. The amount of pathogen damage each host experienced was independent of host species local relative abundance. Despite pathogen sharing among the host species, fungal communities slightly differed in composition across host species. Plants with high pathogen damage tended to have lower seed production but the relationship was weak, suggesting limited fitness impacts. Moreover, seed production was not dependent on the local relative abundance of each plant species, suggesting that stabilizing coexistence mechanisms may operate at larger spatial scales in this community. Because foliar pathogens in this grassland community are multi‐host and have small fitness impacts, they are unlikely to promote negative frequency dependence or plant species coexistence in this system. Still, given that pathogen community composition differentiates across host species, some more subtle feedbacks between host relative abundance and pathogen community composition, damage, and fitness impacts are possible, which could, in turn, promote either coexistence or competitive exclusion.