bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perovskite-polymer composite cross-linker approach for highly-stable and efficient perovskite solar cells
Authors: Han Tae-Hee , Lee Jin-Wook , Choi Chungseok , Tan Shaun , Lee Changsoo , Zhao Yepin , Dai Zhenghong , De Marco Nicholas , Lee Sung-Joon , Bae Sang-Hoon , Yuan Yonghai , Lee Hyuck Mo , Huang Yu , Yang Yang 
Published: January 2019

AbstractManipulation of grain boundaries in polycrystalline perovskite is an essential consideration for both the optoelectronic properties and environmental stability of solar cells as the solution-processing of perovskite films inevitably introduces many defects at grain boundaries. Though small molecule-based additives have proven to be effective defect passivating agents, their high volatility and diffusivity cannot render perovskite films robust enough against harsh environments. Here we suggest design rules for effective molecules by considering their molecular structure. From these, we introduce a strategy to form macromolecular intermediate phases using long chain polymers, which leads to the formation of a polymer-perovskite composite cross-linker. The cross-linker functions to bridge the perovskite grains, minimizing grain-to-grain electrical decoupling and yielding excellent environmental stability against moisture, light, and heat, which has not been attainable with small molecule defect passivating agents. Consequently, all photovoltaic parameters are significantly enhanced in the solar cells and the devices also show excellent stability.
High-throughput 3D reconstruction of stochastic heterogeneous microstructures in energy storage materials
Authors: Zhang Yanxiang , Yan Mufu , Wan Yanhong , Jiao Zhenjun , Chen Yu , Chen Fanglin , Xia Changrong , Ni Meng 
Published: January 2019

AbstractStochastic heterogeneous microstructures are widely applied in structural and functional materials, playing a crucial role in determining their performance. X-ray tomography and focused ion beam serial sectioning are frequently used methods to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) microstructures, yet are demanding techniques and are resolution-limited. Here, a high-throughput multi-stage 3D reconstruction method via distance correlation functions is developed using a single representatively large-sized 2D micrograph for stochastic microstructures, and verified by X-ray micro-tomography datasets of isotropic and anisotropic solid oxide fuel cell electrodes. This method provides an economic, easy-to-use and high-throughput approach for reconstructing stochastic heterogeneous microstructures for energy conversion and storage devices, and can readily be extended to other materials.
Characterization and immune regulation role of an immobilization antigen from Cryptocaryon irritans on groupers
Authors: Mo Ze-Quan , Xu Shun , Cassidy-Hanley Donna M. , Li Yan-Wei , Kolbin Daniel , Fricke Jennifer M. , Li An-Xing , Clark Theodore G. , Dan Xue-Ming 
Published: January 2019

AbstractImmobilization antigens (i-antigens) are surface membrane proteins that are widely recognized to be the ideal candidates as vaccines antigens for immunization against Cryptocaryon irritans. In this study, we cloned a putative i-antigen gene from C. irritans, which was expressed in all three stages of the C. irritans life-cycle, and localized primarily to the cell surface. The recombinant GDCI3 i-antigen was expressed and purified using the free-living ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila as an expression system. The purified recombinant protein was recognized by rabbit anti-C. irritans antiserum and was capable of eliciting immobilizing antibodies in rabbits and fish suggesting that the antigen itself was correctly folded. Following immunization and parasite challenge, groupers vaccinated with, recombinant GDCI3 i-antigen had a 25% cumulative percent survival rate compared to 8.3% for controls. Both non-specific and parasite-specific IgMs were generated in fish following immunization, with the levels of both increasing following challenge. Parasite-specific IgM in mucus could only be elicited after challenge of the GDCI3 i-antigen vaccinated groupers. To our knowledge, this is the first report using the Tetrahymena expression system to generate C. irritans i-antigens and investigate their use for fish vaccination.
Self-Propagating Heat Synthetic Reactivity of Fine Aluminum Particles via Spontaneously Coated Nickel Layer
Authors: Kim Dong Won , Kim Kyung Tae , Kwon Gu Hyun , Song Kyung , Son Injoon 
Published: January 2019

AbstractAluminum powders are known to provide outstanding volumetric exothermic enthalpy energy during thermal oxidation. However, the amount of energy released tends to be limited by the dense surface oxide (Al2O3) layer of the powder. Hence, a prerequisite for improving the reactivity of passivated Al particles is to remove the Al2O3 film from the surface. Considering that the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) reaction of Ni and Al can generate additional exothermic heat in Al powder, Ni can be considered as a promising alternative to the surface oxide layer. Here, we report oxide-layer-free fine Al particles with a characteristic Ni/Al interface, where a Ni layer replaces the Al2O3 film. The microstructure of the synthesized powder consists of a 200-nm-thick Ni layer homogeneously coated on the Al surface, which has nanosized craters caused by the geometrical removal of Al2O3. Thermal analysis and in-situ heating transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results clearly show that active interdiffusion of atoms through the Ni/Al interface results in the formation of intermetallic compounds to provide additional exothermic energy, compared to the result for simply mixing Ni and Al powders. Hence, these findings provide new routes for the design and application of reactive metallic particles using the SHS reaction.
Molecular Evolution of Human Adenovirus (HAdV) Species C
Authors: Dhingra Akshay , Hage Elias , Ganzenmueller Tina , Böttcher Sindy , Hofmann Jörg , Hamprecht Klaus , Obermeier Patrick , Rath Barbara , Hausmann Fabian , Dobner Thomas , Heim Albert 
Published: January 2019

AbstractCurrently, 88 different Human Adenovirus (HAdV) types are grouped into seven HAdV species A to G. Most types (57) belong to species HAdV-D. Recombination between capsid genes (hexon, penton and fiber) is the main factor contributing to the diversity in species HAdV-D. Noteworthy, species HAdV-C contains so far only five types, although species HAdV-C is highly prevalent and clinically significant in immunosuppressed patients. Therefore, the evolution of species HAdV-C was studied by generating 51 complete genome sequences from circulating strains. Clustering of the whole genome HAdV-C sequences confirmed classical typing results (fifteen HAdV-C1, thirty HAdV-C2, four HAdV-C5, two HAdV-C6). However, two HAdV-C2 strains had a novel penton base sequence and thus were re-labeled as the novel type HAdV-C89. Fiber and early gene region 3 (E3) sequences clustered always with the corresponding prototype sequence but clustering of the E4 region indicated recombination events in 26 out of the 51 sequenced specimens. Recombination of the E1 gene region was detected in 16 circulating strains. As early gene region sequences are not considered in the type definition of HAdVs, evolution of HAdV-C remains on the subtype level. Nonetheless, recombination of the E1 and E4 gene regions may influence the virulence of HAdV-C strains.
Memory-like Liver Natural Killer Cells are Responsible for Islet Destruction in Secondary Islet Transplantation
Authors: Saeki Y. , Ishiyama K. , Ishida N. , Tanaka Y. , Ohdan H. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractWe previously demonstrated the pivotal role of natural killer (NK) cells in islet graft loss during the early phase after intraportal syngeneic islet transplantation (IT). Liver-resident DX5−NK cells were reported to possess memory-like properties, distinguishing them from conventional DX5+NK cells. Here, we investigated the impact of primary IT-induced liver DX5−NK cells on the engraftment of secondary-transplanted islets in mice. The culture of liver NK cells isolated from naive mice with TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-lβ, mimicking instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction, led to significantly increased DX5−NK cell percentage among total liver NK cells. Consistently, the prolonged expansion of DX5−CD69+TRAIL+CXCR3+NK cells was observed after intraportal IT of 300 syngeneic islets (marginal mass). In most diabetic mice, 400 syngeneic islets of primary IT were sufficient to achieve normoglycaemia, whereas the same mass after secondary IT failed to induce normoglycaemia in mice that received 200 syngeneic islets during primary IT. These findings indicated that liver-resident DX5−NK cells significantly expanded even after syngeneic IT, and that these memory-like NK cells may target both originally engrafted and secondary-transplanted islets. Furthermore, anti-TNF-α treatment suppressed the expansion of liver-resident DX5−NK cells, resulting in successful islet engraftment after sequential ITs.
Fabrication of 9.6 V High-performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors Stack Based on Nickel Hexacyanoferrate-derived Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets and Bio-derived Activated Carbon
Authors: Kaipannan Subramani , Marappan Sathish 
Published: January 2019

AbstractHydrated Ni(OH)2and activated carbon based electrodes are widely used in electrochemical applications. Here we report the fabrication of symmetric supercapacitors using Ni(OH)2nanosheets and activated carbon as positive and negative electrodes in aqueous electrolyte, respectively. The asymmetric supercapacitors stack connected in series exhibited a stable device voltage of 9.6 V and delivered a stored high energy and power of 30 mWh and 1632 mW, respectively. The fabricated device shows an excellent electrochemical stability and high retention of 81% initial capacitance after 100,000 charge-discharges cycling at high charging current of 500 mA. The positive electrode material Ni(OH)2nanosheets was prepared through chemical decomposition of nickel hexacyanoferrate complex. The XRD pattern revealed the high crystalline nature of Ni(OH)2with an average crystallite size of ~10 nm. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms of Ni(OH)2nanosheets indicate the formation of mesoporous Ni(OH)2nanosheets. The chemical synthesis of Ni(OH)2results the formation of hierarchical nanosheets that are randomly oriented which was confirmed by FE-SEM and HR-TEM analysis. The negative electrode, activated porous carbon (OPAA-700) was obtained from orange peel waste. The electrochemical properties of Ni(OH)2nanosheets and OPAA-700 were studied and exhibit a high specific capacity of 1126 C/g and high specific capacitance of 311 F/g at current density of 2 A/g, respectively. Ni(OH)2nanosheets delivered a good rate performance and remarkable capacitance retention of 96% at high current density of 32 A/g.
North Atlantic Ocean Circulation and Decadal Sea Level Change During the Altimetry Era
Authors: Chafik Léon , Nilsen Jan Even Øie , Dangendorf Sönke , Reverdin Gilles , Frederikse Thomas 
Published: January 2019

AbstractRegional sea-level rise is characterized by decadal acceleration and deceleration periods that typically stem from oceanic climate variability. Here, we investigate decadal sea-level trends during the altimetry era and pin down the associated ocean circulation changes. We find that decadal subpolar gyre cooling (warming), strengthening (weakening), widening (shrinking) since the mid-2000s (early 1990s) resulted in negative (positive) sea level trends of −7.1 mm/yr ± 1.3 mm/yr (3.9 mm/yr ± 1.5 mm/yr). These large-scale changes further coincide with steric sea-level trends, and are driven by decadal-scale ocean circulation variability. Sea level on the European shelf, however, is found to correlate well with along-slope winds (R = 0.78), suggesting it plays a central role in driving the associated low-frequency dynamic sea level variability. Furthermore, when the North Atlantic is in a cooling (warming) period, the winds along the eastern boundary are predominantly from the North (South), which jointly drive a slowdown (rapid increase) in shelf and coastal sea level rise. Understanding the mechanisms that produce these connections may be critical for interpreting future regional sea-level trends.
Electronic origin of antimicrobial activity owing to surface effect
Authors: Miyazawa Naoki , Sakakibara Susumu , Hakamada Masataka , Mabuchi Mamoru 
Published: January 2019

AbstractNanomaterials have displayed promising potential as antimicrobial materials. However, the antimicrobial mechanism owing to surface effects, where the emission of harmful substances such as metallic ions and reactive oxygen species is not required, is still poorly understood. It is important to figure out relationship between the physical properties and antimicrobial activity based on deep understanding of antimicrobial mechanism for their safe and effective applications. Here, we show that the work function is representative of the surface effect leading to antimicrobial activity, which originates from the electronic states of the surface. We investigated the antimicrobial activity and the work function of nanoporous Au-Pt and Au without the emission of Ag ion, and found that there was a positive correlation between them. In addition, we performed a first-principles calculation and molecular dynamics simulation to analyze the electronic states of the Au surface and the cell wall. These demonstrated that positive correlation was owing to peculiar electronic states at the Au surface, namely, the spilling out phenomenon of electrons. Our finding will contribute to advance the understanding of biological phenomena from a physical view.
Fornix white matter glia damage causes hippocampal gray matter damage during age-dependent limbic decline
Authors: Metzler-Baddeley Claudia , Mole Jilu P. , Sims Rebecca , Fasano Fabrizio , Evans John , Jones Derek K. , Aggleton John P. , Baddeley Roland J. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractAging leads to gray and white matter decline but their causation remains unclear. We explored two classes of models of age and dementia risk related brain changes. The first class of models emphasises the importance of gray matter: age and risk-related processes cause neurodegeneration and this causes damage in associated white matter tracts. The second class of models reverses the direction of causation: aging and risk factors cause white matter damage and this leads to gray matter damage. We compared these models with linear mediation analysis and quantitative MRI indices (from diffusion, quantitative magnetization transfer and relaxometry imaging) of tissue properties in two limbic structures implicated in age-related memory decline: the hippocampus and the fornix in 166 asymptomatic individuals (aged 38–71 years). Aging was associated with apparent glia but not neurite density damage in the fornix and the hippocampus. Mediation analysis supported white matter damage causing gray matter decline; controlling for fornix glia damage, the correlations between age and hippocampal damage disappear, but notvice versa. Fornix and hippocampal differences were both associated with reductions in episodic memory performance. These results suggest that fornix white matter glia damage may cause hippocampal gray matter damage during age-dependent limbic decline.
On the origin of second harmonic generation in silicon waveguides with silicon nitride cladding
Authors: Castellan Claudio , Trenti Alessandro , Vecchi Chiara , Marchesini Alessandro , Mancinelli Mattia , Ghulinyan Mher , Pucker Georg , Pavesi Lorenzo 
Published: January 2019

AbstractStrained silicon waveguides have been proposed to break the silicon centrosymmetry, which inhibits second-order nonlinearities. Even if electro-optic effect and second harmonic generation (SHG) were measured, the published results presented plenty of ambiguities due to the concurrence of different effects affecting the process. In this work, the origin of SHG in a silicon waveguide strained by a silicon nitride cladding is investigated in detail. From the measured SHG efficiencies, an effective second-order nonlinear susceptibility of ~0.5 pmV−1 is extracted. To evidence the role of strain, SHG is studied under an external mechanical load, demonstrating no significant dependence on the applied stress. On the contrary, a 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) exposure of the strained silicon waveguide suppresses completely the SHG signal. Since UV irradiation is known to passivate charged defects accumulated in the silicon nitride cladding, this measurement evidences the crucial role of charged centers. In fact, charged defects cause an electric field in the waveguide that via the third order silicon nonlinearity induces the SHG. This conclusion is supported by numerical simulations, which accurately model the experimental results.
The cell type resolved mouse transcriptome in neuron-enriched brain tissues from the hippocampus and cerebellum during prion disease
Authors: Majer Anna , Medina Sarah J. , Sorensen Debra , Martin Matthew J. , Frost Kathy L. , Phillipson Clark , Manguiat Kathy , Booth Stephanie A. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractMultiple cell types and complex connection networks are an intrinsic feature of brain tissue. In this study we used expression profiling of specific microscopic regions of heterogeneous tissue sections isolated by laser capture microdissection (LCM) to determine insights into the molecular basis of brain pathology in prion disease. Temporal profiles in two mouse models of prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and a mouse-adapted strain of scrapie (RML) were performed in microdissected regions of the CA1 hippocampus and granular layer of the cerebellum which are both enriched in neuronal cell bodies. We noted that during clinical disease the number of activated microglia and astrocytes that occur in these areas are increased, thereby likely diluting the neuronal gene expression signature. We performed a comparative analysis with gene expression profiles determined from isolated populations of neurons, microglia and astrocytes to identify transcripts that are enriched in each of these cell types. Although the incubation periods of these two models are quite different, over 300 days for BSE and ~160 days for RML scrapie, these regional microdissections revealed broadly similar profiles. Microglial and astrocyte-enriched genes contributed a profound inflammatory profile consisting of inflammatory cytokines, genes related to phagocytosis, proteolysis and genes coding for extracellular matrix proteins. CA1 pyramidal neurons displayed a net upregulation of transcription factors and stress induced genes at pre-clinical stages of disease while all tissues showed profound decrease of overlapping genes related to neuronal function, in particular transcripts related to neuronal communication including glutamate receptors, phosphatase subunits and numerous synapse-related markers. Of note, we found a small number of genes expressed in neurons that were upregulated during clinical disease including, COX6A2, FZD9, RXRG and SOX11, that may be biomarkers of neurodegeneration.
Acoustic extraordinary transmission manipulation based on proximity effects of heterojunctions
Authors: Tao Zhi-Yong , Liu Ting , Zhang Chuan , Fan Ya-Xian 
Published: January 2019

AbstractHeterojunctions between two crystalline semiconductor layers or regions can always lead to engineering the electronic energy bands in various devices, including transistors, solar cells, lasers, and organic electronic devices. The performance of these heterojunction devices depends crucially on the band alignments and their bending at the interfaces, which have been investigated for years according to Anderson’s rule, Schottky-Mott rule, Lindhard theory, quantum capacitance, and so on. Here, we demonstrate that by engineering two different acoustic waveguides with forbidden bands, one can achieve an acoustic heterojunction with an extraordinary transmission peak arising in the middle of the former gaps. We experimentally reveal that such a transmission is spatially dependent and disappears for a special junction structure. The junction proximity effect has been realized by manipulating the acoustic impedance ratios, which have been proven to be related to the geometrical (Zak) phases of the bulk bands. Acoustic heterojunctions bring the concepts of quantum physics into the classical waves and the macroscopic scale, opening up the investigations of phononic, photonic, and microwave innovation devices.
Significant Expansion of Real-Time PCR Multiplexing with Traditional Chemistries using Amplitude Modulation
Authors: Rajagopal Aditya , Yurk Dominic , Shin Claudia , Menge Karen , Jacky Lucien , Fraser Scott , Tombrello Thomas A. , Tsongalis Gregory J. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThe real time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) is an essential method for detecting nucleic acids that has a wide range of clinical and research applications. Current multiplexed rtPCR is capable of detecting four to six nucleic acid targets in a single sample. However, advances in clinical medicine are driving the need to measure many more targets at once. We demonstrate a novel method which significantly increases the multiplexing capability of any existing rtPCR instrument without new hardware, software, or chemistry. The technique works by varying the relative TaqMan probe concentrations amongst targets that are measured in a single fluorometric channel. Our fluorescent amplitude modulation method generates a unique rtPCR signature for every combination of targets present in a reaction. We demonstrate this technique by measuring nine different targets across three color channels with TaqMan reporting probes, yielding a detection accuracy of 98.9% across all combinations of targets. In principle this method could be extended to measure 6 or more targets per color channel across any number of color channels without loss in specificity.
A Facile Approach to Fabricate Dual Purpose Hybrid Materials for Tissue Engineering and Water Remediation
Authors: Kalirajan Cheirmadurai , Hameed Pearlin , Subbiah Nagaraj , Palanisamy Thanikaivelan 
Published: January 2019

AbstractCreating hybrid materials with multifunctionality and robust mechanical stability from natural resources is a challenging proposition in materials science. Here, we report the scalable synthesis of hybrid collagen scaffolds using collagen extracted from leather industry wastes and sago starch derived from agro-industry. The hybrid scaffolds were incorporated with TiO2 nanoparticles and cross-linked with oxidized sago starch. The biocompatibility, thermal stability and antimicrobial property of hybrid scaffold enabled its application in burn wound healing demonstrated through albino rat models. The highly porous hybrid scaffolds are shown to be super-compressible, which is typically forbidden in materials of biological origin. We demonstrate that the hybrid scaffolds concurrently display both adsorption and absorption behavior in the removal of oil and dye molecules, respectively from contaminated water. This study paves the way for the development of novel multifunctional and shape recoverable hybrid materials specifically from renewable resources.