bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The formation mechanism for printed silver-contacts for silicon solar cells
Authors: Fields Jeremy D. , Ahmad Md. Imteyaz , Pool Vanessa L. , Yu Jiafan , Van Campen Douglas G. , Parilla Philip A. , Toney Michael F. , van Hest Maikel F. A. M. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractScreen-printing provides an economically attractive means for making Ag electrical contacts to Si solar cells, but the use of Ag substantiates a significant manufacturing cost, and the glass frit used in the paste to enable contact formation contains Pb. To achieve optimal electrical performance and to develop pastes with alternative, abundant and non-toxic materials, a better understanding the contact formation process during firing is required. Here, we use in situ X-ray diffraction during firing to reveal the reaction sequence. The findings suggest that between 500 and 650 °C PbO in the frit etches the SiNx antireflective-coating on the solar cell, exposing the Si surface. Then, above 650 °C, Ag+ dissolves into the molten glass frit – key for enabling deposition of metallic Ag on the emitter surface and precipitation of Ag nanocrystals within the glass. Ultimately, this work clarifies contact formation mechanisms and suggests approaches for development of inexpensive, nontoxic solar cell contacting pastes.
Molecular characterization of a family 5 glycoside hydrolase suggests an induced-fit enzymatic mechanism
Authors: Liberato Marcelo V. , Silveira Rodrigo L. , Prates Érica T. , de Araujo Evandro A. , Pellegrini Vanessa O. A. , Camilo Cesar M. , Kadowaki Marco A. , Neto Mario de O. , Popov Alexander , Skaf Munir S. , Polikarpov Igor 
Published: April 2016

AbstractGlycoside hydrolases (GHs) play fundamental roles in the decomposition of lignocellulosic biomaterials. Here, we report the full-length structure of a cellulase from Bacillus licheniformis (BlCel5B), a member of the GH5 subfamily 4 that is entirely dependent on its two ancillary modules (Ig-like module and CBM46) for catalytic activity. Using X-ray crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations, we propose that the C-terminal CBM46 caps the distal N-terminal catalytic domain (CD) to establish a fully functional active site via a combination of large-scale multidomain conformational selection and induced-fit mechanisms. The Ig-like module is pivoting the packing and unpacking motions of CBM46 relative to CD in the assembly of the binding subsite. This is the first example of a multidomain GH relying on large amplitude motions of the CBM46 for assembly of the catalytically competent form of the enzyme.
Energy correlations of photon pairs generated by a silicon microring resonator probed by Stimulated Four Wave Mixing
Authors: Grassani Davide , Simbula Angelica , Pirotta Stefano , Galli Matteo , Menotti Matteo , Harris Nicholas C. , Baehr-Jones Tom , Hochberg Michael , Galland Christophe , Liscidini Marco , Bajoni Daniele 
Published: April 2016

AbstractCompact silicon integrated devices, such as micro-ring resonators, have recently been demonstrated as efficient sources of quantum correlated photon pairs. The mass production of integrated devices demands the implementation of fast and reliable techniques to monitor the device performances. In the case of time-energy correlations, this is particularly challenging, as it requires high spectral resolution that is not currently achievable in coincidence measurements. Here we reconstruct the joint spectral density of photons pairs generated by spontaneous four-wave mixing in a silicon ring resonator by studying the corresponding stimulated process, namely stimulated four wave mixing. We show that this approach, featuring high spectral resolution and short measurement times, allows one to discriminate between nearly-uncorrelated and highly-correlated photon pairs.
Extending the applicability of the Goldschmidt tolerance factor to arbitrary ionic compounds
Authors: Sato Toyoto , Takagi Shigeyuki , Deledda Stefano , Hauback Bjørn C. , Orimo Shin-ichi 
Published: April 2016

AbstractCrystal structure determination is essential for characterizing materials and their properties and can be facilitated by various tools and indicators. For instance, the Goldschmidt tolerance factor (T) for perovskite compounds is acknowledged for evaluating crystal structures in terms of the ionic packing. However, its applicability is limited to perovskite compounds. Here, we report on extending the applicability of T to ionic compounds with arbitrary ionic arrangements and compositions. By focussing on the occupancy of constituent spherical ions in the crystal structure, we define the ionic filling fraction (IFF), which is obtained from the volumes of crystal structure and constituent ions. Ionic compounds, including perovskites, are arranged linearly by the IFF, providing consistent results with T. The linearity guides towards finding suitable unit cell and composition, thus tackling the main obstacle for determining new crystal structures. We demonstrate the utility of the IFF by solving the structure of three hydrides with new crystal structures.
Conducting LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces on atomically-flat substrates prepared by deionized-water
Authors: Connell J. G. , Nichols J. , Gruenewald J. H. , Kim D.-W. , Seo S. S. A. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractWe have investigated how the recently-developed water-leaching method for atomically-flat SrTiO3 (STO) substrates affects the transport properties of LaAlO3 (LAO) and STO heterointerfaces. Using pulsed laser deposition at identical growth conditions, we have synthesized epitaxial LAO thin-films on two different STO substrates, which are prepared by water-leaching and buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF) etching methods. The structural, transport, and optical properties of LAO/STO heterostructures grown on water-leached substrates show the same high-quality as the samples grown on BHF-etched substrates. These results indicate that the water-leaching method can be used to grow complex oxide heterostructures with atomically well-defined heterointerfaces without safety concerns.
Uniform and accelerated degradation of pure iron patterned by Pt disc arrays
Authors: Huang Tao , Zheng Yufeng 
Published: April 2016

AbstractPure iron has been confirmed as a promising biodegradable metal. However, the degradation rate of pure iron should be accelerated to meet the clinical requirements. In this work, two different designs of platinum disc arrays, including sizes of Φ20 μm × S5 μm and Φ4 μm × S4 μm, have been coated on the surface of pure iron. Corrosion tests showed the platinum discs formed plenty of galvanic cells with the iron matrix which significantly accelerated the degradation of pure iron. Simultaneously, due to the designability of the shape, size as well as distribution of Pt discs, the degradation rate as well as degradation uniformity of pure iron can be effectively controlled by coating with platinum discs. The cytotoxicity test results unveiled that Pt discs patterned pure iron exhibited almost no toxicity to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, but a significant inhibition on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, the hemolysis rate of Pt discs patterned pure iron was lower than 1%. Moreover, Pt discs also effectively reduced the number of adhered platelets. All these results indicated that Pt discs patterning is an effective way to accelerate degradation and improve biocompatibility of pure iron.
Phase transitions via selective elemental vacancy engineering in complex oxide thin films
Authors: Lee Sang A. , Jeong Hoidong , Woo Sungmin , Hwang Jae-Yeol , Choi Si-Young , Kim Sung-Dae , Choi Minseok , Roh Seulki , Yu Hosung , Hwang Jungseek , Kim Sung Wng , Choi Woo Seok 
Published: April 2016

AbstractDefect engineering has brought about a unique level of control for Si-based semiconductors, leading to the optimization of various opto-electronic properties and devices. With regard to perovskite transition metal oxides, O vacancies have been a key ingredient in defect engineering, as they play a central role in determining the crystal field and consequent electronic structure, leading to important electronic and magnetic phase transitions. Therefore, experimental approaches toward understanding the role of defects in complex oxides have been largely limited to controlling O vacancies. In this study, we report on the selective formation of different types of elemental vacancies and their individual roles in determining the atomic and electronic structures of perovskite SrTiO3 (STO) homoepitaxial thin films fabricated by pulsed laser epitaxy. Structural and electronic transitions have been achieved via selective control of the Sr and O vacancy concentrations, respectively, indicating a decoupling between the two phase transitions. In particular, O vacancies were responsible for metal-insulator transitions, but did not influence the Sr vacancy induced cubic-to-tetragonal structural transition in epitaxial STO thin film. The independent control of multiple phase transitions in complex oxides by exploiting selective vacancy engineering opens up an unprecedented opportunity toward understanding and customizing complex oxide thin films.
Mild decrease in TBX20 promoter activity is a potentially protective factor against congenital heart defects in the Han Chinese population
Authors: Yu Li-Wei , Wang Feng , Yang Xue-Yan , Sun Shu-Na , Zheng Yu-Fang , Li Bin-Bin , Gui Yong-Hao , Wang Hong-Yan 
Published: April 2016

AbstractCongenital heart defects (CHDs) are one of the most common human birth defects worldwide. TBX20 is a crucial transcription factor for the development of embryonic cardiovascular system. Previous studies have demonstrated that mutations in the TBX20 coding region contribute to familial and sporadic CHD occurrence. However, it remains largely unknown whether variants in the TBX20 regulatory region are also related to CHDs. In this study, we sequenced the 2 kb region upstream of the TBX20 transcription start site in 228 CHD patients and 292 controls in a Han Chinese population. Among the 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified, six SNPs are in strong linkage disequilibrium and the minor alleles are associated with lower CHD risk (for rs10235849 chosen as tag SNP, p = 0.0069, OR (95% CI) = 0.68 (0.51–0.90)). Functional analysis showed that the minor alleles have lower transcriptional activity than major alleles in both human heart tissues and three cell lines. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay suggested that TBX20 minor alleles may exhibit higher binding affinity with certain transcription repressors. Our results indicate that a moderately lower TBX20 activity potentially reduces CHD risk in the Han Chinese population, providing new insight in the study of CHD etiology.
Targeted disruption of influenza A virus hemagglutinin in genetically modified mice reduces viral replication and improves disease outcome
Authors: Wang Song , Chen Chao , Yang Zhou , Chi Xiaojuan , Zhang Jing , Chen Ji-Long 
Published: April 2016

AbstractInfluenza A virus can cause acute respiratory infection in animals and humans around the globe and is still a major threat to animal husbandry and public health. Due to antigenic drift and antigenic shift of the virus, development of novel anti-influenza strategies has become an urgent task. Here we generated transgenic (TG) mice stably expressing a short-hairpin RNA specifically targeting hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza A virus and investigated the susceptibility of the mice to influenza virus infection. We found that HA expression was dramatically disrupted in TG mice infected with WSN or PR8 virus. Importantly, the animals showed reduced virus production in lungs, slower weight loss, attenuated acute organ injury and consequently increased survival rates as compared to wild type (WT) mice after the viral infection. Moreover, TG mice exhibited a normal level of white blood cells following the virus infection, whereas the number of these cells was significantly decreased in WT mice with same challenge. Together, these experiments demonstrate that the TG mice are less permissive for influenza virus replication and suggest that shRNA-based efficient disruption of viral gene expression in animals may be a useful strategy for prevention and control of a viral zoonosis.
Large-scale Generation of Patterned Bubble Arrays on Printed Bi-functional Boiling Surfaces
Authors: Choi Chang-Ho , David Michele , Gao Zhongwei , Chang Alvin , Allen Marshall , Wang Hailei , Chang Chih-hung 
Published: April 2016

AbstractBubble nucleation control, growth and departure dynamics is important in understanding boiling phenomena and enhancing nucleate boiling heat transfer performance. We report a novel bi-functional heterogeneous surface structure that is capable of tuning bubble nucleation, growth and departure dynamics. For the fabrication of the surface, hydrophobic polymer dot arrays are first printed on a substrate, followed by hydrophilic ZnO nanostructure deposition via microreactor-assisted nanomaterial deposition (MAND) processing. Wettability contrast between the hydrophobic polymer dot arrays and aqueous ZnO solution allows for the fabrication of heterogeneous surfaces with distinct wettability regions. Heterogeneous surfaces with various configurations were fabricated and their bubble dynamics were examined at elevated heat flux, revealing various nucleate boiling phenomena. In particular, aligned and patterned bubbles with a tunable departure frequency and diameter were demonstrated in a boiling experiment for the first time. Taking advantage of our fabrication method, a 6 inch wafer size heterogeneous surface was prepared. Pool boiling experiments were also performed to demonstrate a heat flux enhancement up to 3X at the same surface superheat using bi-functional surfaces, compared to a bare stainless steel surface.
Irreversible electroporation of the liver: is there a safe limit to the ablation volume?
Authors: Sánchez-Velázquez P. , Castellví Q. , Villanueva A. , Quesada R. , Pañella C. , Cáceres M. , Dorcaratto D. , Andaluz A. , Moll X. , Trujillo M. , Burdío J. M. , Berjano E. , Grande L. , Ivorra A. , Burdío F. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIrreversible electroporation is a fast-growing liver ablation technique. Although safety has been well documented in small ablations, our aim is to assess its safety and feasibility when a large portion of liver is ablated. Eighty-seven mice were subjected to high voltage pulses directly delivered across parallel plate electrodes comprising around 40% of mouse liver. One group consisted in 55 athymic-nude, in which a tumor from the KM12C cell line was grown and the other thirty-two C57-Bl6 non-tumoral mice. Both groups were subsequently divided into subsets according to the delivered field strength (1000 V/cm, 2000 V/cm) and whether or not they received anti-hyperkalemia therapy. Early mortality (less than 24 hours post-IRE) in the 2000 V/cm group was observed and revealed considerably higher mean potassium levels. In contrast, the animals subjected to a 2000 V/cm field treated with the anti-hyperkalemia therapy had higher survival rates (OR = 0.1, 95%CI = 0.02–0.32, p < 0.001). Early mortality also depended on the electric field magnitude of the IRE protocol, as mice given 1000 V/cm survived longer than those given 2000 V/cm (OR = 4.7, 95%CI = 1.8–11.8, p = 0.001). Our findings suggest that ionic disturbances, mainly due to potassium alterations, should be warned and envisioned when large volume ablations are performed by IRE.
The first description of complete invertebrate arginine metabolism pathways implies dose-dependent pathogen regulation in Apostichopus japonicus
Authors: Yina Shao , Chenghua Li , Weiwei Zhang , Zhenhui Wang , Zhimeng Lv 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIn this study, three typical members representative of different arginine metabolic pathways were firstly identified from Apostichopus japonicus, including nitric oxide synthase (NOS), arginase, and agmatinase. Spatial expression analysis revealed that the AjNOS transcript presented negative expression patterns relative to those of Ajarginase or Ajagmatinase in most detected tissues. Furthermore, Vibrio splendidus-challenged coelomocytes and intestine, and LPS-exposed primary coelomocytes could significantly induce AjNOS expression, followed by obviously inhibited Arginase and AjAgmatinase transcripts at the most detected time points. Silencing the three members with two specific siRNAs in vivo and in vitro collectively indicated that AjNOS not only compete with Ajarginase but also with Ajagmatinase in arginine metabolism. Interestingly, Ajarginase and Ajagmatinase displayed cooperative expression profiles in arginine utilization. More importantly, live pathogens of V. splendidus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus co-incubated with primary cells also induced NO production and suppressed arginase activity in a time-dependent at an appropriate multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10, without non-pathogen Escherichia coli. When increasing the pathogen dose (MOI = 100), arginase activity was significantly elevated, and NO production was depressed, with a larger magnitude in V. splendidus co-incubation. The present study expands our understanding of the connection between arginine’s metabolic and immune responses in non-model invertebrates.
p53-upregulated-modulator-of-apoptosis (PUMA) deficiency affects food intake but does not impact on body weight or glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obesity.
Authors: Litwak Sara A. , Loh Kim , Stanley William J. , Pappas Evan G. , Wali Jibran A. , Selck Claudia , Strasser Andreas , Thomas Helen E. , Gurzov Esteban N. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractBCL-2 proteins have been implicated in the control of glucose homeostasis and metabolism in different cell types. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the role of the pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein, p53-upregulated-modulator-of-apoptosis (PUMA), in metabolic changes mediated by diet-induced obesity, using PUMA deficient mice. At 10 weeks of age, knockout and wild type mice either continued consuming a low fat chow diet (6% fat), or were fed with a high fat diet (23% fat) for 14–17 weeks. We measured body composition, glucose and insulin tolerance, insulin response in peripheral tissues, energy expenditure, oxygen consumption and respiratory exchange ratio in vivo. All these parameters were indistinguishable between wild type and knockout mice on chow diet and were modified equally by diet-induced obesity. Interestingly, we observed decreased food intake and ambulatory capacity of PUMA knockout mice on high fat diet. This was associated with increased adipocyte size and fasted leptin concentration in the blood. Our findings suggest that although PUMA is dispensable for glucose homeostasis in lean and obese mice, it can affect leptin levels and food intake during obesity.
Photo-induced reduction of graphene oxide coating on optical waveguide and consequent optical intermodulation
Authors: Chong W. Y. , Lim W. H. , Yap Y. K. , Lai C. K. , De La Rue R. M. , Ahmad H. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIncreased absorption of transverse-magnetic (TM) - polarised light by a graphene-oxide (GO) coated polymer waveguide has been observed in the presence of transverse-electric (TE) - polarised light. The GO-coated waveguide exhibits very strong photo-absorption of TE-polarised light - and acts as a TM-pass waveguide polariser. The absorbed TE-polarised light causes a significant temperature increase in the GO film and induces thermal reduction of the GO, resulting in an increase in optical-frequency conductivity and consequently increased optical propagation loss. This behaviour in a GO-coated waveguide gives the action of an inverted optical switch/modulator. By varying the incident TE-polarised light power, a maximum modulation efficiency of 72% was measured, with application of an incident optical power level of 57 mW. The GO-coated waveguide was able to respond clearly to modulated TE-polarised light with a pulse duration of as little as 100 μs. In addition, no wavelength dependence was observed in the response of either the modulation (TE-polarised light) or the signal (TM-polarised light).
Effects of Additional Intra-aortic Balloon Counter-Pulsation Therapy to Cardiogenic Shock Patients Supported by Extra-corporeal Membranous Oxygenation
Authors: Lin Lian-Yu , Liao Che-Wei , Wang Chih-Hsien , Chi Nai-Hsin , Yu Hsi-Yu , Chou Nai-Kuan , Hwang Juey-Jen , Lin Jiunn-Lee , Chiang Fu-Tien , Chen Yih-Sharng 
Published: April 2016

AbstractExtra-corporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO) has been applied in patients with cardiopulmonary failure. One critical drawback of peripheral ECMO is an increase in left ventricular (LV) afterload which could be counterbalanced by the combination of intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation (IABP) therapy. We hypothesized that an add-on therapy with IABP could improve outcomes in patients receiving ECMO support. We included patients (>18 years old) from 2002 to 2013 requiring ECMO support due to cardiogenic shock in a medical center. A total of 529 patients (227 ECMO alone and 302 combined IABP plus ECMO) were included. The mortality rates at 2 weeks (48.5 vs. 47.7%) after ECMO implantation were not different between the two groups (ECMO vs. combined group). After adjustment for propensity score and potential confounders, the odds ratios of outcomes within 14 days (combined group vs. ECMO) for poor LV systolic function, high preload, multi-organ failure and mortality were not different. The results remained similar for subgroup analysis. Compared with ECMO alone, combined IABP and ECMO treatment did not improve outcomes in patients with circulatory failure.
A partly-contacted epitaxial lateral overgrowth method applied to GaN material
Authors: Xiao Ming , Zhang Jincheng , Duan Xiaoling , Shan Hengsheng , Yu Ting , Ning Jing , Hao Yue 
Published: April 2016

AbstractWe have discussed a new crystal epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) method, partly-contacted ELO (PC-ELO) method, of which the overgrowth layer partly-contacts with underlying seed layer. The passage also illustrates special mask structures with and without lithography and provides three essential conditions to achieve the PC-ELO method. What is remarkable in PC-ELO method is that the tilt angle of overgrowth stripes could be eliminated by contacting with seed layer. Moreover, we report an improved monolayer microsphere mask method without lithography of PC-ELO method, which was used to grow GaN. From the results of scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence, x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM), overgrowth layer shows no tilt angle relative to the seed layer and high quality coalescence front (with average linear dislocation density <6.4 × 103 cm−1). Wing stripes peak splitting of the XRD rocking curve due to tilt is no longer detectable. After coalescence, surface steps of AFM show rare discontinuities due to the low misorientation of the overgrowth regions.