bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nb2O5/RGO Nanocomposite Modified Separators with Robust Polysulfide Traps and Catalytic Centers for Boosting Performance of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Guo Pengqian , Sun Kai , Shang Xiaonan , Liu Dequan , Wang Yanrong , Liu Qiming , Fu Yujun , He Deyan 
Published: August 2019

AbstractLithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have shown great potential for application in high‐density energy storage systems. However, the performance of LSBs is hindered by the shuttle effect and sluggish reaction kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Herein, heterostructual Nb2O5 nanocrystals/reduced graphene oxide (Nb2O5/RGO) composites are introduced into LSBs through separator modification for boosting the electrochemical performance. The Nb2O5/RGO heterostructures are designed as chemical trappers and conversion accelerators of LiPSs. Originating from the strong chemical interactions between Nb2O5 and LiPSs as well as the superior catalytic nature of Nb2O5, the Nb2O5/RGO nanocomposite possesses high trapping efficiency and efficient electrocatalytic activity to long‐chain LiPSs. The effective regulation of LiPSs conversion enables the LSBs enhanced redox kinetics and suppressed shuttle effect. Moreover, the Nb2O5/RGO nanocomposite has abundant sulfophilic sites and defective interfaces, which are beneficial for the nucleation and growth of Li2S, as evidenced by analysis of the cycled separators. As a result, LSBs with the Nb2O5/RGO‐modified separators exhibit excellent rate capability (816 mAh g−1 at 3 A g−1) and cyclic performance (628 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles). Remarkably, high specific capacity and stable cycling performance are demonstrated even at an elevated temperature of 50 °C or with higher sulfur loadings.
Amorphous Sn/Crystalline SnS2 Nanosheets via In Situ Electrochemical Reduction Methodology for Highly Efficient Ambient N2 Fixation
Authors: Li Pengxiang , Fu Wenzhi , Zhuang Peiyuan , Cao Yudong , Tang Can , Watson Angelica Blake , Dong Pei , Shen Jianfeng , Ye Mingxin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractElectrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) as a new strategy for synthesizing ammonia has attracted ever‐growing attention, due to its renewability, flexibility, and sustainability. However, the lack of efficient electrocatalysts has hampered the development of such reactions. Herein, a series of amorphous Sn/crystalline SnS2 (Sn/SnS2) nanosheets by an L‐cysteine‐based hydrothermal process, followed by in situ electrochemical reduction, are synthesized. The amount of reduced amorphous Sn can be adjusted by selecting electrolytes with different pH values. The optimized Sn/SnS2 catalyst can achieve a high ammonia yield of 23.8 µg h−1 mg−1, outperforming most reported noble‐metal NRR electrocatalysts. According to the electrochemical tests, the conversion of SnS2 to an amorphous Sn phase leads to the substantial increase of its catalytic activity, while the amorphous Sn is identified as the active phase. These results provide a guideline for a rational design of low‐cost and highly active Sn‐based catalysts thus paving a wider path for NRR.
Reliability of Click Chemistry on Drug Discovery: A Personal Account
Authors: Shankaraiah Nagula , Sakla Akash P. , Laxmikeshav Kritika , Tokala Ramya 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe unprecedented efficiency, reliability and adaptability in drug discovery, with the growing number of applications and impact, have made Click Chemistry fascinating to the scientific community. The specificity, biocompatibility along with other principles of click chemistry offers a reliable platform for the synthesis of drug‐like molecules that can expedite the drug discovery process. This account summarizes such successes of versatile click reactions from our research group towards the development of functional molecules.
Evolution of international carbon markets: lessons for the Paris Agreement
Authors: Michaelowa Axel , Shishlov Igor , Brescia Dario 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe Paris Agreement will greatly benefit from the past experience with international market mechanisms for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and related regulatory systems, which have gone through four periods with specific challenges. The first period 1997–2004 operationalized the mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI). Pilot activities in different sectors were undertaken by the public sector, and the first baseline and monitoring methodologies officially approved. Between 2005 and 2011, the carbon markets expanded massively. The EU emission trading scheme (EU ETS) was linked to the Kyoto mechanisms, creating demand for carbon credits from the private sector. During this “gold rush” period criticism emerged with regarding the uneven geographical distribution of projects, as well as environmental integrity problems related to baselines and additionality. The next period saw a collapse in carbon prices between 2012 and 2014, limiting the development of new projects. The quantitative limits on the use of offsets in the EU ETS were reached and the failure to agree on a new international regime resulted in a drying up of demand from governments. The 2015–2018 period is characterized by a gradual stabilization of the international climate regime. The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 increases complexity through global participation in mitigation. Future carbon markets will therefore face both old challenges—supply–demand balance, environmental integrity, transaction costs—and new ones—interactions with other policies and national targets, and sectoral/policy baselines and additionality checks preventing hot air proliferation.This article is categorized under:The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles, Behavior
Measuring sustainable development in the education area using multi-criteria methods: a case study
Authors: Roszkowska Ewa , Filipowicz-Chomko Marzena 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Sustainability is a holistic and complex multi-dimensional concept comprising economic, social and environmental issues. The EU Sustainable Development Goals’ indicator set, developed by European Commission, is implemented online in Eurostat’s database and constitutes the basis for assessing the level of sustainability assessment in different areas. The integration of the sustainability indicators was carried out in many studies by using the multi-criteria techniques. This work proposes a new methodological framework based on extended TOPSIS procedure, which takes into account EU targets and/or national targets in building positive ideal solution and negative ideal solution. This algorithm allows compensatory and non-compensatory approach in integrated sustainability assessment from the target point of view. This framework has been applied to measure sustainable development in the area of education in 28 EU countries in 2015. The results of this research also illustrate the complexity of measuring sustainable development, where multiple sustainability criteria and targets are considered.
Efficient production of glutathione with multi-pathway engineering in Corynebacterium glutamicum
Authors: Liu Wei , Zhu Xiangcheng , Lian Jiazhang , Huang Lei , Xu Zhinan 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Glutathione is a bioactive tripeptide composed of glycine, l-cysteine, and l-glutamate, and has been widely used in pharmaceutical, food, and healthy products. The current metabolic studies of glutathione were mainly focused on the native producing strains with precursor amino acid supplementation. In the present work, Corynebacterium glutamicum, a workhorse for industrial production of a series of amino acids, was engineered to produce glutathione. First, the introduction of glutathione synthetase gene gshF from Streptococcus agalactiae fulfilled the ability of glutathione production in C. glutamicum and revealed that l-cysteine was the limiting factor. Then, considering the inherent capability of l-glutamate synthesis and the availability of external addition of low-cost glycine, l-cysteine biosynthesis was enhanced using a varieties of pathway engineering methods, such as disrupting the degradation pathways of l-cysteine and l-serine, and removing the repressor responsible for sulfur metabolism. Finally, the simultaneously introduction of gshF and enhancement of cysteine formation enabled C. glutamicum strain to produce glutathione greatly. Without external addition of l-cysteine and l-glutamate, 756 mg/L glutathione was produced. This is first time to demonstrate the potential of the glutathione non-producing strain C. glutamicum for glutathione production and provide a novel strategy to construct glutathione-producing strains.
A treatment approach for couples with disrupted sperm DNA integrity and recurrent ART failure
Authors: Parrella Alessandra , Keating Derek , Cheung Stephanie , Xie Philip , Stewart Joshua D. , Rosenwaks Zev , Palermo Gianpiero D. 
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Objective
To test a novel method to select spermatozoa with high chromatin integrity.

Design
Specimens with high sperm chromatin fragmentation (SCF) were selected by density gradient selection (DGS) and microfluidic sperm sorting (MSS).

Setting
Academic medical center.

Patient(s)
Ejaculates from consenting men were processed by DGS/MSS. Couples underwent ICSI cycles with spermatozoa processed by DGS/MSS. Clinical outcomes were evaluated after embryo transfer.

Intervention(s)
SCF was measured by TUNEL. ICSI with spermatozoa selected by DGS and MSS was performed.

Main outcome measure(s)
Fertilization, embryo implantation, and pregnancy outcomes were compared between DGS and MSS.

Result(s)
A total of 23 men had an average SCF of 20.7 ± 10%. After DGS and MSS, the SCF was 12.5 ± 5% and 1.8 ± 1%, respectively. In couples who underwent ICSI, the average SCF was 28.8 ± 9%, which fell to 21.0 ± 9% after DGS and 1.3 ± 0.7% after MSS. Four couples underwent 11 ICSI cycles with DGS and achieved one (25%) pregnancy that resulted in pregnancy loss. In four subsequent ICSI cycles with MSS, an ongoing clinical pregnancy rate of 50% was achieved. Five additional couples underwent 12 cycles of ICSI with DGS. After preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, 30.3% of the embryos were euploid. One pregnancy was achieved, resulting in pregnancy loss. With MSS, 31.5% of the embryos were euploid and 4 couples obtained a pregnancy. Finally, sixteen couples underwent 20 ICSI cycles solely with MSS at our center. Of these couples, 8 had failed 13 ICSI cycles with DGS elsewhere. These couples achieved an overall implantation of 34.5% (10/29) and a pregnancy rate of 58.8% (10/17).

Conclusion(s)
Microfluidic selection yielded spermatozoa with optimal genomic integrity and improved chances of obtaining a euploid conceptus.
Guidance for Autonomous Aerial Manipulator Using Stereo Vision
Authors: Kanellakis Christoforos , Nikolakopoulos George 
Published: August 2019

AbstractCombining the agility of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV) with the dexterity of robotic arms leads to a new era of Aerial Robotic Workers (ARW) targeting infrastructure inspection and maintenance tasks. Towards this vision, this work focuses on the autonomous guidance of the aerial end-effector to either reach or keep desired distance from areas/objects of interest. The proposed system: 1) is structured around a real-time object tracker, 2) employs stereo depth perception to extract the target location within the surrounding scene, and finally 3) generates feasible poses for both the arm and the MAV relative to the target. The performance of the proposed scheme is experimentally demonstrated in multiple scenarios of increasing complexity.
Syngas for biorefineries from thermochemical gasification of lignocellulosic fuels and residues—5 years’ experience with an advanced dual fluidized bed gasifier design
Authors: Schmid Johannes Christian , Benedikt Florian , Fuchs Josef , Mauerhofer Anna Magdalena , Müller Stefan , Hofbauer Hermann 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn many processes proposed for biorefineries, recycling procedures, and industrial or agricultural production processes, residue is generated which could be further transformed by thermochemical conversion via gasification. The technology of dual fluidized bed steam gasification is capable of producing a valuable product gas out of such residue. The generated nitrogen-free product gas can be used for heat and power production and is suitable for separating gases (e.g. hydrogen). However, if the product gas is cleaned, its use as syngas is more beneficial for manufacturing renewable chemical substances, like synthetic natural gas, methanol, Fischer–Tropsch liquids, or mixed alcohols. This paper presents the results of experimental research from gasification test runs of different biogenic fuels, carried out with an advanced 100 kW pilot plant over the last 5 years at TU Wien. The focus is to provide an overview of measured results validated by mass and energy balances and to present key calculated performance indicating key figures of the test runs. In this way, the influence of various operational parameters and the composition of the product gas are evaluated. The presented results form the basis for the proper design of suitable gas-cleaning equipment. Subsequently, the clean syngas is available for several synthesis applications in future biorefineries.
Family Systems and Parents’ Financial Support for Education in Early Adulthood
Authors: Fomby Paula , Kravitz-Wirtz Nicole 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Young adults raised outside of two-parent families receive less financial support from their families for education compared with peers who always lived with both parents. We consider how parents’ union status over time shapes contributions for young adult children’s education. Our approach emphasizes the dynamic relationship between family structure and family economic resources. Marginal structural models with inverse probability weights estimate the association of parents’ union status history with eventual financial transfers while not overcontrolling for the effects of union status operating indirectly through time-varying characteristics, such as coresident family composition and economic circumstances. The analytic sample includes parents of a recent cohort of young adults (Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 1983–2013, N = 2,754). Compared with parents who lived continuously with a child’s other parent, unpartnered parents’ transfers to children were 44 % to 90 % smaller, and repartnered parents’ transfers were one- to two-thirds smaller, depending on how long the parent was unpartnered or repartnered. Through its influence on subsequent coresident family composition and family economic resources, parents’ union status has indirect as well as direct associations with financial transfers to adult children for education.
Xenophobia’s Contours During an Ebola Epidemic: Proximity and the Targeting of Peul Migrants in Senegal
Authors: Onoma Ato Kwamena 
Published: August 2019

Abstract:This article examines the effect of geographical proximity on targeting patterns during Ebola-era xenophobic outbursts by Senegalese against a migrant Peul population of Guinean origins. It highlights the limited extent to which epidemics shape the micro-dynamics of outbreaks of xenophobia during public health crises, demonstrating that epidemics are not defining events that inflect inter-group relations. They mostly reinforce long-persisting patterns of exclusion. The conclusion is that the contours of xenophobia in contexts marked by public health crises and in those situations in which these issues of public health do not constitute a major concern tend to mirror each other.
Producing Monyul as Buffer: Spatial politics in a colonial frontier
Authors: GOHAIN SWARGAJYOTI 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThis article focuses on the Tawang and West Kameng districts of Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, collectively known as Monyul. It was ruled by Tibet for three centuries before the 1914 McMahon Line boundary included it in India. Even after that, cross-border exchanges between Monyul and Tibet continued until the 1962 Sino-Indian war, following which border passages between the two were closed. Today, Monyul is a marginal region, geographically distant from centres of industry and education, and lacking in terms of infrastructure. This article traces Monyul's marginality not simply to the border war, but to spatial practices of the British colonial state, beginning with the mapping of the boundary in 1914. It shows how Monyul was constructed as a buffer, despite being within a delimited boundary, first, by excluding it from regular administration, and, secondly, by pushing back the older Tibetan administration, thereby, making it (what I call) a ‘zone of difference/indifference’. But the buffer project was subject to contestation, mostly from the Tibetan religious aristocracy, whose temporal hold over, and material interests in, Monyul were challenged by the latter's incorporation into colonial India.
The transformation of an urban political elite: oligarchy and aristocracy in sixteenth-century Ghent
Authors: Baguet Jelten 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe composition of the political elites in sixteenth-century Ghent, one of the political and economic centres of the county of Flanders, changed from a relatively open elite group that included representatives from the craft guilds into a compact, aristocratic class. This article analyses the reasons for this transformation. First, the number of office-holders in the city council declined and power was increasingly concentrated in the hands of a smaller political elite because of interventions in the urban political framework by the Habsburg authorities in the wake of a fiscal rebellion (1537–40) and a Calvinist takeover of power (1578–84). Secondly, the once dominant position of the craft guilds on Ghent's two benches of aldermen was weakened by institutional reforms, a Catholic backlash against Calvinism and an economic recession. Thirdly, the growing wealth gap between rulers and the ruled, coupled with an influx of noblemen into Ghent City Council, gave urban politics a more aristocratic character. Consequently, a series of interconnected changes gave rise to a trend towards oligarchy and aristocracy on the city's benches of aldermen.
Stimulation of Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Metabolism in the Mixing Zone of the Kuroshio Current and Northern South China Sea: Implications for Export Production
Authors: Huang Yibin , Laws Edward , Chen Bingzhang , Huang Bangqin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractTo evaluate the influences of the Kuroshio Current intrusion on the biogeochemistry of the northern South China Sea (NSCS), we conducted field observations of the responses of microbial metabolism to the intrusions of the Kuroshio Current into the NSCS. We used an isopycnal mixing model to quantitatively assess the extent of the Kuroshio intrusion into the NSCS and found that bacterial abundance, production, and growth efficiency were unimodal functions of the fraction of Kuroshio water. Values were maximal at ~60% Kuroshio water and decreased monotonically as the percent of Kuroshio water deviated from 60%. The patterns of gross primary production and nitrate concentration were similar, but the peaks occurred at ~50% Kuroshio water. The Kuroshio intrusion, however, had little impact on bacterial and community respiration. The observed elevation of nitrate concentrations at ~50% Kuroshio water was quantitatively consistent with estimates of the amount of inorganic nitrogen released by remineralization of dissolved organic nitrogen by bacteria. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that dissolved organic matter in the Kuroshio water stimulates bacterial activity, and catabolism of the dissolved organic matter releases inorganic nutrients that stimulate primary production in the NSCS basin. The concomitant elevation of net community production subsequently enhances export production and thereby strengthens the biological pump in the nitrogen‐limited NSCS basin. Recognition of this mechanism underscores the role of horizontal currents in regional carbon and nitrogen cycles and broadens understanding of the processes that sustain export production in the oligotrophic ocean.
Influence of Seasonal Frozen Soil on Near‐Surface Shear Wave Velocity in Eastern Hokkaido, Japan
Authors: Miao Y. , Shi Y. , Zhuang H. Y. , Wang S. Y. , Liu H. B. , Yu X. B. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe measured shear wave velocities in the shallow subsurface by applying seismic interferometry to earthquake records from eight vertical borehole arrays in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We detected an increase of several percent in the seismic velocity during January to March due to seasonal frost dynamics. The velocity changes associated with seasonal frozen soil are affected by the frost depth and the extent of freezing, while the frost depth and the extent of freezing are mainly controlled by the cumulative temperature and the current temperature, respectively. Thus, a weighted cumulative freezing degree day is proposed to consider these two factors and used for stage division of the annual freeze‐thaw cycle. Based on the results of observation, we present an empirical model to relate the velocity changes with the weighted cumulative freezing degree days, which allows us to estimate the influence of seasonal frozen soil on near‐surface seismic velocity.
Prominent Precession Band Variance in ENSO Intensity Over the Last 300,000 Years
Authors: Lu Zhengyao , Liu Zhengyu , Chen Guangshan , Guan Jian 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThree transient National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model, version 3 model simulations were analyzed to study the responses of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the equatorial Pacific annual cycle (AC) to external forcings over the last 300,000 years. The time‐varying boundary conditions of insolation, greenhouse gases, and continental ice sheets, accelerated by a factor of 100, were sequentially added in these simulations. The simulated ENSO and AC amplitudes change in phase, and both have pronounced precession band variance (~21,000 years). The precession‐modulated slow (orbital time scales) ENSO evolution is dominated linearly by the change of the coupled ocean‐atmosphere instability, notably the Ekman upwelling feedback and thermocline feedback. In contrast, the greenhouse gases and ice sheet forcings (~100,000‐year cycles) are opposed to each other as they influence ENSO variability through changes in AC amplitude via a common nonlinear frequency entrainment mechanism. The acceleration technique could dampen and delay the precession signals below the surface ocean associated with ENSO intensity.
Upper Mantle P and S Wave Velocity Structure of the Kalahari Craton and Surrounding Proterozoic Terranes, Southern Africa
Authors: Ortiz Kameron , Nyblade Andrew , van der Meijde Mark , Paulssen Hanneke , Kwadiba Motsamai , Ntibinyane Onkgopotse , Durrheim Raymond , Fadel Islam , Homman Kyle 
Published: August 2019

AbstractNew broadband seismic data from Botswana and South Africa have been combined with existing data from the region to develop improved P and S wave velocity models for investigating the upper mantle structure of southern Africa. Higher craton‐like velocities are imaged beneath the Rehoboth Province and parts of the northern Okwa Terrane and the Magondi Belt, indicating that the northern edge of the greater Kalahari Craton lithosphere lies along the northern boundary of these terranes. Lower off‐craton velocities are imaged beneath the Damara‐Ghanzi‐Chobe Belt, and may in part reflect thinning of the lithosphere beneath the incipient Okavango Rift. Lower velocities are also imaged to the north and northwest of the Bushveld Complex beneath parts of the Okwa Terrane, Magondi Belt, and Limpopo Belt, indicating that cratonic upper mantle in some areas beneath these terranes may have been modified by the 2.05‐Ga Bushveld and/or 1.1‐Ga Umkondo magmatic events.