bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In vitro Degradation and Reduction of Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Marine Bacteria Isolated from Contaminated Marine Environments of Niger Delta
Authors: Uba Bright Obidinma , Chukwura Edna Ifeoma , Okoye Ebele Linda , Ubani Onyedikachi , Chude Charles Onuora , Akabueze Ugochukwu Christopher 
Published: March 2019

Aims: To determine the in vitro degradation and reduction of aromatic hydrocarbons by marine bacteria isolated from contaminated marine environments of Niger Delta.
Study Design: Nine treatments and nine controls designs were set up in triplicates containing 100 mL of sterile modified mineral basal medium in 500 mL conical flasks supplemented with 1 mg /L of xylene, anthracene and pyrene each; nine marine hydrocarbon degraders and incubated at 24 ºC for 24 days study. The nine treatments and control set ups designated as ANT1, XYL2, PYR3, ANT4, PYR5, ANT6, XYL7, XYL8, PYR9 and CTRL (Without hydrocarbons) were used to determine the aromatic hydrocarbons degradability and reduction by the marine bacteria.
Place and Duration of Study: The studied sites were Abonema Wharf Water Front in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Nembe Water-Side in Port Harcourt Local Government Area and Onne Light Flow Terminal Seaport located in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria between September, 2014 and March, 2017.
Methodology: A laboratory scale study was carried on six composite samples of the sediment and water samples from the three studied areas using enrichment, screening, phenotypical, degradation and TLC techniques.
Results: The results showed that the three studied areas harbour numerous promising aromatic degrading bacterial strains belonging to the genera: Providencia, Alcaligenes, Brevundimonas, Myroides, Serratia, and Bacillus. The bacterial strains especially Serratia marcescens XYL7 significantly (P = .05) had 99.50 ± 0.05 % and 60.00 ± 0.02 % degradations in weights of xylene and pyrene, respectively while Alcaligenes faecalis PYR5 significantly (P =.05) degraded 97.40 ± 0.01 % in weight of anthracene. TLC result revealed evidences of large spots size reductions or losses of test samples compare to control samples with minor spot sizes.
Conclusion: Thus, the outstanding degradative abilities of these strains could be exploited in bioremediation campaigns in Nigeria.
High Thermoelectric Performance Achieved in GeTe–Bi2Te3 Pseudo‐Binary via Van der Waals Gap‐Induced Hierarchical Ferroelectric Domain Structure
Authors: Wu Di , Xie Lin , Xu Xiao , He Jiaqing 
Published: March 2019

AbstractGeTe is an interesting material presenting both spontaneous polarization (ferroelectrics) and outstanding electrical conductivity (ideal for thermoelectrics). Pristine GeTe exhibits classic 71° and 109° submicron ferroelectric domains, and near unity thermoelectric figure of merit ZT at 773 K. In this work, it is demonstrated that Bi2Te3 alloying in GeTe lattice can introduce vast Ge vacancies which can further evolve into nanoscale van der Waals gaps upon proper heat treatment, and that these vacancy gaps can induce 180° nanoscale ferroelectric domain boundaries. These microstructures eventually become a hierarchical ferroelectric domain structure, with size varying from submicron to nanoscale and polarization from 71°, 109° to 180°. The establishment of hierarchical ferroelectric domain structure, together with the nanoscale Ge vacancy van der Waals gaps, has profound effects on the electrical and thermal transport properties, resulting in a striking peak thermoelectric ZT ≈ 2.4 at 773 K. These findings might provide an alternative conception for thermoelectric optimization via microstructure modulation.
Soft Conducting Elastomer for Peripheral Nerve Interface
Authors: Zheng Xin , Woeppel Kevin M. , Griffith Azante Y. , Chang Emily , Looker Michael J. , Fisher Lee E. , Clapsaddle Brady J. , Cui Xinyan Tracy 
Published: March 2019

AbstractState‐of‐the‐art intraneural electrodes made from silicon or polyimide substrates have shown promise in selectively modulating efferent and afferent activity in the peripheral nervous system. However, when chronically implanted, these devices trigger a multiphase foreign body response ending in device encapsulation. The presence of encapsulation increases the distance between the electrode and the excitable tissue, which not only reduces the recordable signal amplitude but also requires increased current to activate nearby axons. Herein, this study reports a novel conducting polymer based intraneural electrode which has Young's moduli similar to that of nerve tissue. The study first describes material optimization of the soft wire conductive matrix and evaluates their mechanical and electrochemical properties. Second, the study demonstrates 3T3 cell survival when cultured with media eluted from the soft wires. Third, the study presents acute in vivo functionality for stimulation of peripheral nerves to evoke force and compound muscle action potential in a rat model. Furthermore, comprehensive histological analyses show that soft wires elicit significantly less scar tissue encapsulation, less changes to axon size, density and morphology, and reduced macrophage activation compared to polyimide implants in the sciatic nerves at 1 month postimplantation.
The First 2D Homochiral Lead Iodide Perovskite Ferroelectrics: [R‐ and S‐1‐(4‐Chlorophenyl)ethylammonium]2PbI4
Authors: Yang Chen‐Kai , Chen Wang‐Nan , Ding Yan‐Ting , Wang Jing , Rao Yin , Liao Wei‐Qiang , Tang Yuan‐Yuan , Li Peng‐Fei , Wang Zhong‐Xia , Xiong Ren‐Gen 
Published: March 2019

Abstract2D organic–inorganic lead iodide perovskites have recently received tremendous attention as promising light absorbers for solar cells, due to their excellent optoelectronic properties, structural tunability, and environmental stability. However, although great efforts have been made, no 2D lead iodide perovskites have been discovered as ferroelectrics, in which the ferroelectricity may improve the photovoltaic performance. Here, by incorporating homochiral cations, 2D lead iodide perovskite ferroelectrics [R‐1‐(4‐chlorophenyl)ethylammonium]2PbI4 and [S‐1‐(4‐chlorophenyl)ethylammonium]2PbI4 are successfully obtained. The vibrational circular dichroism spectra and crystal structural analysis reveal their homochirality. They both crystalize in a polar space group P1 at room temperature, and undergo a 422F1 type ferroelectric phase transition with transition temperature as high as 483 and 473.2 K, respectively, showing a multiaxial ferroelectric nature. They also possess semiconductor characteristics with a direct bandgap of 2.34 eV. Nevertheless, their racemic analogue adopts a centrosymmetric space group P21/c at room temperature, exhibiting no high‐temperature phase transition. The homochirality in 2D lead iodide perovskites facilitates crystallization in polar space groups. This finding indicates an effective way to design high‐performance 2D lead iodide perovskite ferroelectrics with great application prospects.
Hierarchically Porous Carbon Plates Derived from Wood as Bifunctional ORR/OER Electrodes
Authors: Peng Xinwen , Zhang Lei , Chen Zhongxin , Zhong Linxin , Zhao Dengke , Chi Xiao , Zhao Xiaoxu , Li Ligui , Lu Xihong , Leng Kai , Liu Cuibo , Liu Wei , Tang Wei , Loh Kian Ping 
Published: March 2019

AbstractPorous carbon electrodes have emerged as important cathode materials for metal–air battery systems. However, most approaches for fabricating porous carbon electrodes from biomass are highly energy inefficient as they require the breaking down of the biomass and its subsequent reconstitution into powder‐like carbon. Here, enzymes are explored to effectively hydrolyze the partial cellulose in bulk raw wood to form a large number of nanopores, which helps to maximally expose the inner parts of the raw wood to sufficiently dope nitrogen onto the carbon skeletons during the subsequent pyrolysis process. The resulting carbons exhibit excellent catalytic activity with respect to the oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. As‐fabricated cellulose‐digested, carbonized wood plates are mechanically strong, have high conductivity, and contain a crosslinked network and natural ion‐transport channels and can be employed directly as metal‐free electrodes without carbon paper, polymer binders, or carbon black. When used as metal‐free cathodes in zinc–air batteries, they result in a specific capacity of 801 mA h g−1 and an energy density of 955 W h kg−1 with the long‐term stability of the batteries being as high as 110 h. This work paves the way for the ready conversion of abundant biomass into high‐value engineering products for energy‐related applications.
A Tungsten Nitride‐Based O2 Self‐Sufficient Nanoplatform for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy against Hypoxic Tumors
Authors: Wang Shi‐Bo , Zhang Cheng , Liu Xin‐Hua , Chen Zhao‐Xia , Peng Si‐Yuan , Zhong Zhen‐Lin , Zhang Xian‐Zheng 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe hypoxic microenvironment of tumors is a natural barrier to photodynamic therapy (PDT) and closely related to the tumor metastasis. Here, chlorine e6 (Ce6) decorated tungsten nitride nanoparticles (WN NPs) with a folic acid (FA) modification are fabricated to produce FA‐WN‐Ce6 (FWC) NPs for enhanced photodynamic therapy against hypoxic tumors. FWC NPs can efficiently accumulate in tumor sites via FA‐mediated specific tumor targeting. With 630 nm laser irradiation, the WN in FWC can act as a photocatalyst for water splitting to provide oxygen (O2), which significantly improves the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation ability of Ce6 in hypoxia and achieves an enhanced PDT effect both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the O2 produced by FWC NPs can also weaken the hypoxia level in tumor tissue, and thus reduces the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Additionally, no apparent systemic toxicity is observed after the treatment of FWC NPs. Overall, these results indicate the great potential of FWC NPs as safe and effective nanoplatform for both enhanced tumor PDT and against metastasis.
High‐Performance Graphene‐Based Cementitious Composites
Authors: Krystek Małgorzata , Pakulski Dawid , Patroniak Violetta , Górski Marcin , Szojda Leszek , Ciesielski Artur , Samorì Paolo 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis study reports on the development of a cementitious composite incorporating electrochemically exfoliated graphene (EEG). This hybrid functional material features significantly enhanced microstructure and mechanical properties, as well as unaffected workability; thus, it outperforms previously reported cementitious composites containing graphene derivatives. The manufacturing of the composite relies on a simple and efficient method that enables the uniform dispersion of EEG within cement matrix in the absence of surfactants. Different from graphene oxide, EEG is found to not agglomerate in cement alkaline environment, thereby not affecting the fluidity of cementitious composites. The addition of 0.05 wt% graphene content to ordinary Portland cement results in an increase up to 79%, 8%, and 9% for the tensile strength, compressive strength, and Young's modulus, respectively. Remarkably, it is found that the addition of EEG promotes the hydration reaction of both alite and belite, thus leading to the formation of a large fraction of 3CaO·2SiO2·3H2O (C‐S‐H) phase. These findings represent a major step forward toward the practical application of nanomaterials in civil engineering.
Silk‐Enabled Conformal Multifunctional Bioelectronics for Investigation of Spatiotemporal Epileptiform Activities and Multimodal Neural Encoding/Decoding
Authors: Shi Zhifeng , Zheng Faming , Zhou Zhitao , Li Meng , Fan Zhen , Ye Huanpeng , Zhang Shan , Xiao Ting , Chen Liang , Tao Tiger H. , Sun Yun‐Lu , Mao Ying 
Published: March 2019

AbstractFlexible electronics can serve as powerful tools for biomedical diagnosis and therapies of neurological disorders, particularly for application cases with brain–machine interfaces (BMIs). Existing conformal soft bioelectrodes are applicable for basic electrocorticogram (ECoG) collecting/monitoring. Nevertheless, as an emerging and promising approach, further multidisciplinary efforts are still demanded for in‐depth exploitations with these conformal soft electronics toward their practical neurophysiological applications in both scientific research and real‐world clinical operation. Here, clinically‐friendly silk‐supported/delivered soft bioelectronics are developed, and multiple functions and features valuable for customizable intracranial applications (e.g., biocompatible and spontaneously conformal coupling with cortical surface, spatiotemporal ECoG detecting/monitoring, electro‐neurophysiological neural stimulating/decoding, controllable loading/delivery of therapeutic molecules, and parallel optical readouts of operating states) are integrated.
Rational Design of Hierarchical “Ceramic‐in‐Polymer” and “Polymer‐in‐Ceramic” Electrolytes for Dendrite‐Free Solid‐State Batteries
Authors: Huo Hanyu , Chen Yue , Luo Jing , Yang Xiaofei , Guo Xiangxin , Sun Xueliang 
Published: March 2019

AbstractSolid polymer electrolytes as one of the promising solid‐state electrolytes have received extensive attention due to their excellent flexibility. However, the issues of lithium (Li) dendrite growth still hinder their practical applications in solid‐state batteries (SSBs). Herein, composite electrolytes from “ceramic‐in‐polymer” (CIP) to “polymer‐in‐ceramic” (PIC) with different sizes of garnet particles are investigated for their effectiveness in dendrite suppression. While the CIP electrolyte with 20 vol% 200 nm Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) particles (CIP‐200 nm) exhibits the highest ionic conductivity of 1.6 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 30 °C and excellent flexibility, the PIC electrolyte with 80 vol% 5 µm LLZTO (PIC‐5 µm) shows the highest tensile strength of 12.7 MPa. A sandwich‐type composite electrolyte (SCE) with hierarchical garnet particles (a PIC‐5 µm interlayer sandwiched between two CIP‐200 nm thin layers) is constructed to simultaneously achieve dendrite suppression and excellent interfacial contact with Li metal. The SCE enables highly stable Li plating/stripping cycling for over 400 h at 0.2 mA cm−2 at 30 °C. The LiFePO4/SCE/Li cells also demonstrate excellent cycle performance at room temperature. Fabricating sandwich‐type composite electrolytes with hierarchical filler designs can be an effective strategy to achieve dendrite‐free SSBs with high performance and high safety at room temperature.
Evolution of RADIALIS and DIVARICATA gene lineages in flowering plants with an expanded sampling in non‐core eudicots
Authors: Madrigal Yesenia , Alzate Juan Fernando , González Favio , Pabón‐Mora Natalia 
Published: March 2019

Premise of the StudyBilateral symmetry in core eudicot flowers is established by the differential expression of CYCLOIDEA (CYC), DICHOTOMA (DICH), and RADIALIS (RAD), which are restricted to the dorsal portion of the flower, and DIVARICATA (DIV), restricted to the ventral and lateral petals. Little is known regarding the evolution of these gene lineages in non‐core eudicots, and there are no reports on gene expression that can be used to assess whether the network predates the diversification of core eudicots.MethodsHomologs of the RAD and DIV lineages were isolated from available genomes and transcriptomes, including those of three selected non‐core eudicot species, the magnoliid Aristolochia fimbriata and the monocots Cattleya trianae and Hypoxis decumbens. Phylogenetic analyses for each gene lineage were performed. RT‐PCR was used to evaluate the expression and putative contribution to floral symmetry in dissected floral organs of the selected species.Key ResultsRAD‐like genes have undergone at least two duplication events before eudicot diversification, three before monocots and at least four in Orchidaceae. DIV‐like genes also duplicated twice before eudicot diversification and underwent independent duplications specific to Orchidaceae. RAD‐like and DIV‐like genes have differential dorsiventral expression only in C. trianae, which contrasts with the homogeneous expression in the perianth of A. fimbriata.ConclusionsOur results point to a common genetic regulatory network for floral symmetry in monocots and core eudicots, while alternative genetic mechanisms are likely driving the bilateral perianth symmetry in the early‐diverging angiosperm Aristolochia.
A Highly Accurate Refractive Index Sensor with Two Operation Modes Based on Photonic Crystal Ring Resonator
Authors: Vakili Mahsa , Noori Mina 
Published: March 2019

AbstractA 2D hole‐type hexagonal lattice photonic crystal is utilized, herein, to detect the refractive index change of the material infiltrated into the designed circular sensing area which also resembles a ring resonator. The accuracy of the detection process is enhanced considering the simultaneous shift of the resonance wavelengths and the intensity modulation which occur in two separate spectral regions. The presented structure has the ability to detect liquids, material concentrations in fluids and gases having refractive indices in the range of n = 1–2 with sensitivity and quality factor of 61 nm/RIU and 3000, respectively, for resonance‐wavelength‐shift‐based operation. The detection range of n = 1–1.4 with the sensitivity of S = 0.69 NI/RIU is achieved for the intensity‐based measurement and the results show good linearity in the operating range.
Surface modification PVA hydrogel with zwitterionic via PET‐RAFT to improve the antifouling property
Authors: Zhou Jinsheng , Ye Lin , Lin Yanming , Wang Ling , Zhou Li , Hu Huiyuan , Zhang Qilong , Yang Hui , Luo Zhongkuan 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACTTo improve the antifouling property, polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel was successfully grafted with [2‐(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] dimethyl‐(3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide (MEDSAH) via photoinduced electron transfer–reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (PET‐RAFT) polymerization under a 10 W blue (450–460 nm) light‐emitting diodes. It is surprising that the reaction could be performed in the presence of oxygen, which meant that the reaction has a great prospect of industrialization. The highest grafting percentage (GP) was 55.77% by adding triethylamine and changed the MEDSAH usage in the absence of oxygen. Thermal gravimetric analysis exhibited that grafted MEDSAH affects the thermal property of PVA hydrogel. Also, there was no influence on the ultraviolet–visible transmittance, and the PVA‐g‐pMEDSAH hydrogel became hydrophilicity after grafting. Moreover,in vitrocytotoxicity of both PVA and PVA‐g‐pMEDSAH hydrogel was noncytotoxic according to ISO 10993‐2009. The antifouling property of PVA‐g‐pMEDSAH hydrogel was increased about 53.05%. Thus, the PVA‐g‐pMEDSAH hydrogel can be an ideal optical biomaterial candidate. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci.2019,136, 47653.
Epoxy nanocomposites with reduced coefficient of thermal expansion
Authors: Hirata Tatsuya , Li Peng , Lei Fan , Hawkins Spencer , Mullins Michael J. , Sue Hung‐Jue 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACTControl of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of polymeric materials is critical in many applications, particularly the electronics industry where CTE mismatches have caused failures. In theory, adding exfoliated nanoplatelets with high aspect ratios would offer an effective solution for reducing CTE, but reported results have not been compelling due to poor dispersion. In this study, α‐zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanoplatelets, along with organic surfactants, were added to epoxy thermosets. The CTE reduction and glass‐transition temperature (Tg) were measured while the molecular weight of the surfactant was varied. High‐molecular‐weight surfactants are effective for ZrP exfoliation and dispersion, but they can also lead to a reduction in Tg and hinder the drop in CTE. A combination of two low‐molecular‐weight tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and 2‐methoxyethylamine surfactants for exfoliation of ZrP were found to give a CTE reduction of 40% with just 3.5 vol % of ZrP added. This CTE reduction correlates well with theory. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47703.
Integrating herbarium specimen observations into global phenology data systems
Authors: Brenskelle Laura , Stucky Brian J. , Deck John , Walls Ramona , Guralnick Rob P. 
Published: March 2019

Premise of the StudyThe Plant Phenology Ontology (PPO) was originally developed to integrate phenology observations of whole plants across different global observation networks. Here we describe a new release of the PPO and associated data pipelines that supports integration of phenology observations from herbarium specimens, which provide historical and modern phenology data.Methods and ResultsCritical changes to the PPO include key terms that describe how measurements from parts of plants, which are captured in most imaged herbarium specimens, relate to whole plants. We provide proof of concept for ingesting annotations from imaged herbarium sheets of Prunus serotina, the common black cherry. We then provide an example analysis of changes in flowering timing over the past 125 years, demonstrating the value of integrating herbarium and observational phenology data sets.ConclusionsThese conceptual and technical advances will support the addition of phenology data from herbaria, but also could be expanded upon to facilitate the inclusion of data from photograph‐based citizen science platforms. With the incorporation of herbarium phenology data, new historical baseline data will strengthen the capability to monitor, model, and forecast plant phenology changes.
Confidence intervals for the difference in the success rates of two treatments in the analysis of correlated binary responses
Authors: Saha Krishna K. , Wang Suojin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn clinical studies, we often compare the success rates of two treatment groups where post‐treatment responses of subjects within clusters are usually correlated. To estimate the difference between the success rates, interval estimation procedures that do not account for this intraclass correlation are likely inappropriate. To address this issue, we propose three interval procedures by direct extensions of recently proposed methods for independent binary data based on the concepts of design effect and effective sample size used in sample surveys. Each of them is then evaluated with four competing variance estimates. We also extend three existing methods recommended for complex survey data using different weighting schemes required for those three existing methods. An extensive simulation study is conducted for the purposes of evaluating and comparing the performance of the proposed methods in terms of coverage and expected width. The interval estimation procedures are illustrated using three examples in clinical and social science studies. Our analytic arguments and numerical studies suggest that the methods proposed in this work may be useful in clustered data analyses.