bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Guidance method of underwater vehicle for rugged seafloor observation in close proximity
Authors: Noguchi Yukiyasu , Sekimori Yuki , Maki Toshihiro 
Published: November 2023

AbstractObtaining detailed information about the ocean through seafloor optical imaging is crucial, yet poses significant challenges due to the high attenuation of light, which necessitates the camera to be positioned within several meters of the seafloor. This paper proposes a method for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to track the seafloor at a close range suitable for optical survey. Through the probabilistic processing of measurements from a mechanical scanning imaging sonar, the AUV can safely follow the seafloor, even in the presence of large obstacles or overhanging geometries. The method was implemented on the low‐cost AUV, HATTORI, and its effectiveness was confirmed by sea experiments around Nishinoshima island, an uninhabited volcanic island located about 1000 km south of Tokyo, Japan. Detailed images of the rugged seafloor were successfully captured under the challenging condition of strong currents.
Preparation of 2,5‐Disubstituted Tetrazoles using a Copper‐Catalysed Regioselective Direct Coupling of Tetrazoles with Free NH Groups and Boronic Acid Derivatives
Authors: Kataky Sudhamoyee , Sarma Bipul , Thakur Ashim Jyoti 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe development of a mild and efficient protocol that allows the direct C−N coupling of N−H free tetrazole and low toxic boronic acid was presented. A careful optimization of the reaction conditions revealed that reaction proceeded smoothly in presence of a 10 mol % copper complex catalytic system without the need of any additives. Thus, the results presented herein represents a reliable and efficient protocol for the synthesis of regioselective 2,5‐disubstituted tetrazoles.
A Feasible Synthesis of (−)‐Menthol‐Amino Acid Conjugates as Potential TRPM8 Agonists
Authors: Deepalekshmi P. , Mahadevaprasad B. , Apoorva S. N. , Shreya K. , Bettadaiah B. K. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractA simple and feasible protocol for synthesizing the menthol‐amino acid conjugates by reacting t‐Boc‐amino acids with (1R,2S,5R)‐(−)‐menthol is reported. The synthesis involved the formation of an ester bond between the protected amino acid and (−)‐menthol using DCC, and DMAP as reagents. The t‐Boc‐menthol conjugates are deprotected using TFA in DCM to afford the menthol‐amino acid conjugates in excellent yield (>85 %). (−)‐Menthol possesses therapeutic properties, while amino acids are known for their diverse chemical functionalities and biological activities, making them a promising platform for designing TRPM8 agonists. By combining the unique characteristics of (−)‐menthol and amino acids, this conjugation approach can enhance TRPM8 agonistic activity. The synthesized conjugates are characterized through various spectroscopic techniques.
Concave Structural Carbon Co‐Doped with Iron Atom Pairs and Nitrogen as Ultra‐High Performance Catalyst Toward Oxygen Reduction
Authors: Shi Xiudong , Pu Zonghua , Chi Bin , Yu Siyan , Hu Jingsong , Sun Shuhui , Liao Shijun 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIt is crucial to rationally design and synthesize atomic‐scale transition metal‐doped carbon catalysts with high electrocatalytic activity to achieve a high‐efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, an electrocatalyst comprised of Fe–Fe dual atom pairs and N‐doped concave carbon are reported (N‐CC@Fe DA) that achieves ultrahigh electrocatalytic ORR activity. The catalyst is prepared by a gaseous doping approach, with zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) as the carbon framework precursor and cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl dimer as the Fe–Fe atom pair precursor. The catalyst exhibits high cathodic ORR catalytic performance in an alkaline Zn/air battery and proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), yielding peak power densities of 241 mW cm−2 and 724 mW cm−2, respectively, compared to 127 mW cm−2 and 1.20 W cm−2 with conventional Pt/C catalysts as cathodes. The presence of Fe atom pairs coordinate with N atoms is revealed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation results show that the Fe–Fe pair structure is beneficial for adsorbing oxygen molecules, activating the O─O bond, and desorbing OH* intermediates formed during oxygen reduction, resulting in a more efficient oxygen reaction. The findings may provide a new pathway for preparing ultra‐high‐performance doped carbon catalysts with Fe–Fe atom pair structures.
Electroactive Bi‐Functional Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators
Authors: Liu Gaoyu , Deng Yakui , Ni Bin , Nguyen Giao T. M. , Vancaeyzeele Cédric , Brûlet Annie , Vidal Frédéric , Plesse Cédric , Li Min‐Hui 
Published: November 2023

AbstractLiquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) with promising applications in the field of actuators and soft robotics are reported. However, most of them are activated by external heating or light illumination. The examples of electroactive LCEs are still limited; moreover, they are monofunctional with one type of deformation (bending or contraction). Here, the study reports on trilayer electroactive LCE (eLCE) by intimate combination of LCE and ionic electroactive polymer device (i‐EAD). This eLCE is bi‐functional and can perform either bending or contractile deformations by the control of the low‐voltage stimulation. By applying a voltage of ±2 V at 0.1 Hz, the redox behavior and associated ionic motion provide a bending strain difference of 0.80%. Besides, by applying a voltage of ±6 V at 10 Hz, the ionic current‐induced Joule heating triggers the muscle‐like linear contraction with 20% strain for eLCE without load. With load, eLCE can lift a weight of 270 times of eLCE‐actuator weight, while keeping 20% strain and affording 5.38 kJ·m−3work capacity. This approach of combining two smart polymer technologies (LCE and i‐EAD) in a single device is promising for the development of smart materials with multiple degrees of freedom in soft robotics, electronic devices, and sensors.
A Dual‐Polythiophene Blending Strategy to Reduce the Efficiency‐Stability‐Cost Gap of Solar Cells
Authors: Qi Qingchun , Wang Jingjing , Gao Mengyuan , Ke Huizhen , Zhao Wenchao , Zhang Kai , Li Sunsun , He Chunyong , Kuvondikov Vakhobjon , Ye Long 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBenefiting from the photovoltaic material innovation and delicate device optimization, high‐efficiency solar cells employing polymeric materials are thriving. Reducing the gap of cost, efficiency, and stability is the critical challenge faced by the emerging solar cells such as organics, quantum dots and perovskites. Poly(3‐alkylthiophene) demonstrates great potential in organic solar cells and quantum dot solar cells as the active layer or the hole transport layer due to its large scalability, excellent photoelectric performance, and favorable hydrophobicity. The present low efficiency and insufficient stability, restrict its commercial application. In this work, a facile strategy of blending two simple polythiophenes is put forward to manipulate the film microstructure and enhance the device efficiency and thermal stability of solar cells. The introduction of P3PT can improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a benchmark cost‐effective blend P3HT:O‐IDTBR to 7.41%, and the developed ternary solar cells also exhibit increased thermal stability. More strikingly, the quantum dot solar cells with the dual‐polythiophene hole transport layer achieve the highest PCE of 10.51%, which is among the topmost efficiencies for quantum dots/polythiophene solar cells. Together, this work provides an effective route to simultaneously optimize the device efficiency and thermal stability of solar cells.
Free‐Electron Inversive Modulation to Charge Antibonding Orbital of ReS2 Cocatalyst for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation
Authors: Gao Duoduo , Zhong Wei , Zhang Xidong , Wang Ping , Yu Huogen 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe free electron transfer between cocatalyst and photocatalyst has a great effect on the bonding strength between the active site and adsorbed hydrogen atom (Hads), but there is still a lack of effective means to purposely manipulate the electron transfer in a beneficial direction of H adsorption/desorption activity. Herein, when ReSx cocatalyst is loaded on TiO2 surface, a spontaneous free‐electron transfer from ReSx to TiO2 happens due to the smaller work function of ReSx, causing an over‐strong S‐Hads bond. To prevent the over‐strong S‐Hads bonds of ReSx in the ReSx/TiO2 , a free‐electron reversal transfer strategy is developed to weaken the strong S‐Hads bonds via increasing the work function of ReSx by incorporating O to produce ReOSx cocatalyst. Research results attest that a larger work function of ReOSx than that of TiO2 can induce reversal transfer of electrons from TiO2 to ReOSx to produce electron‐rich S(2+δ)−, causing the increased antibonding‐orbital occupancy of S‐Hads in ReOSx/TiO2 . Accordingly, the stability of adsorbed H on S sites is availably decreased, thus weakening the S‐Hads of ReOSx. In this case, an electron‐rich S(2+δ)−‐mediated “capture‐hybridization‐conversion” mechanism is raised . Benefiting from such property, the resultant ReOSx/TiO2 photocatalyst exhibits a superior H2‐evolution rate of 7168 µmol h−1 g−1 .
Machine learning methods for developments of binding kinetic models in predicting protein‐ligand dissociation rate constants
Authors: Zhao Yujing , Liu Qilei , Du Jian , Meng Qingwei , Zhang Lei 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBinding kinetic properties of protein–ligand complexes are crucial factors affecting the drug potency. Nevertheless, the current in silico techniques are insufficient in providing accurate and robust predictions for binding kinetic properties. To this end, this work develops a variety of binding kinetic models for predicting a critical binding kinetic property, dissociation rate constant, using eight machine learning (ML) methods (Bayesian Neural Network (BNN), partial least squares regression, Bayesian ridge, Gaussian process regression, principal component regression, random forest, support vector machine, extreme gradient boosting) and the descriptors of the van der Waals/electrostatic interaction energies. These eight models are applied to two case studies involving the HSP90 and RIP1 kinase inhibitors. Both regression results of two case studies indicate that the BNN model has the state‐of‐the‐art prediction accuracy (HSP90: , MAEtest = 0.184, rtest = 0.976, RMSEtest = 0.220; RIP1 kinase: , MAEtest = 0.188, rtest = 0.961, RMSEtest = 0.290) in comparison with other seven ML models.
Quantitative analysis of diurnal CO2 flux variations above an alkaline playa
Authors: Doucet Anne‐Martine , Jones Frances , Raymond Katherine E. , Dipple Gregory , Black Thomas Andrew , Ladd Bethany , Mayer Klaus Ulrich 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe alkaline playas at Atlin, BC, provide a unique opportunity for studying the carbonate–bicarbonate system and carbonate mineral stability at the Earth's surface. In this study, dynamic closed chambers (DCCs) and pore‐gas sampling were used to directly quantify carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates and characterize processes governing the CO2 exchange across the playa‐atmosphere interface. Data were collected at the Atlin site continuously over 27 days in 2020 and 14 days in 2021. Results indicate minimal net exchange of CO2 across the playa‐atmosphere interface during the monitoring periods, with average fluxes over the two periods of −0.03 and 0.09 µmol m−2 s−1 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. However, distinct diurnal oscillations of CO2 fluxes were measured with average daytime fluxes of 0.15 ± 0.34 µmol m−2 s−1 (2020) and 0.15 ± 0.19 µmol m−2 s−1 (2021) and nighttime fluxes of −0.24 ± 0.31 µmol m−2 s−1 (2020) and 0.04 ± 0.18 µmol m−2 s−1 (2021). These observations, supported by reactive transport modeling, indicate that CO2 exchange is predominantly governed by changes in CO2 solubility in alkaline porewater related to diurnal temperature fluctuations and variations in CO2 concentrations in ambient air above the ground surface. Even though CO2 concentrations exceed 8000 ppmv at 1‐m depth, CO2 emissions to the atmosphere were found to be minimal, likely due to high moisture contents, low connectivity, and tortuosity, limiting upward CO2 migration. These findings provide insights into CO2 flux dynamics in alkaline arid regions and show promise for the application of the DCC method for monitoring ex situ carbon mineralization at sites with enhanced mineral weathering.
Holocene sedimentary history of the Silala River (Antofagasta Region, Chile)
Authors: Latorre Claudio , Frugone‐Álvarez Matías 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAssessing past and ongoing climate change in the central Andes is critical for understanding the impact of future environmental changes under anthropogenic warming. Emerging from springs located in Bolivia and flowing into northern Chile's Atacama Desert, the Silala River contains inset, terraced wetland (or in‐stream) deposits that provide a unique opportunity to study the impact of past hydroclimate change in a sensitive groundwater system with a small catchment area. After an initial (late Pleistocene) period of deep incision to form the present ravine, in‐stream wetland fine‐grained deposits formed during three phases of aggradation dated to >8.5–1.9 ka (Unit 1), >0.65–0.2 ka (Unit 2), and <0.2 ka to the recent 20th century (Unit 4). These phases of accumulation were coeval with periods of well‐dated records of elevated groundwater tables throughout northern Chile. Phases of abrupt downcutting occurred due to a lowering of the water table after 1.9 ka and before 0.2 ka. The cycle of erosion and deposition clearly continues to the present as evinced by the very recent (21st century) incision of Unit 4 (>1.5 m in some areas) throughout sectors of the Silala where dried‐out standing vegetation can be seen. Such recent incision may be due to multiple different factors, including recent climate change coupled with intense extraction of groundwater resources by the copper mining industry.This article is categorized under:
Human Water > Water Governance
Science of Water > Hydrological Processes
Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change
Character Strengths and Its Utility for Military Leadership: A View from Positive Psychology
Authors: Cosentino Alejandro César , Solano Alejandro Castro 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPositive individual traits have been considered important by both Eastern and Western cultures. According to military academy manuals, the positive traits of individuals are significant elements for people who will hold military leadership positions. Since the dawn of the twenty-first century, positive psychology has had a positive trait classification of six virtues that include a total of 24 character strengths originating from the proposals of Peterson and Seligman. Because character strengths can be assessed using reliable and valid measurement instruments, several empirical investigations have been carried out in military populations in the American and European continents. The studies conducted on the 24 character strengths have been mostly on cadets. The results of these studies have shown that character strengths are related to the military population. Thus, the relationship between the 24 character strengths and several points of interest, such as membership in military academic institutions, cadets’ family of origin, and academic and military performance, among other findings, have been empirically studied.
Introduction to Environmental Pollutants and Human Exposure
Authors: Caserta Donatella , Costanzi Flavia , De Marco Maria Paola , Besharat Aris , Ruscito Ilary 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe new millennium started with more public attention dedicated to the close relationship between environmental pollutants and human health. In this introductive chapter, the main pollutants and their effects on the human beings will be analyzed. Environmental contaminants can be divided into three main categories: biological agents, chemical agents, and radiation. Contamination can be found in air, water, food, and soil.The effects of the exposure to various environmental pollutants on humans are numerous and very heterogeneous. In addition to the prominent roles of radiation and biological agents, chemical agents are playing an increasing central role in human health. Specifically, endocrine disruptors (EDs) belong to a category of pollutants, which act individually and synergically, by interfering at different levels of human health and by acting with the pathophysiological mechanisms of the primary diseases, cancerogenesis, and infertility.
Endocrine Disruption in Women: A Cause of PCOS, Early Puberty, or Endometriosis
Authors: Wenger Jean Marie , Marci Roberto 
Published: November 2023

AbstractA growing number of scientific studies have shown, since the last decade, increasing evidence suggesting that the human health and wildlife could be affected by a wide range of substances broadly disseminated in the environment and also found recurrently in a wide array of everyday products. These products were identified as toxicants with various effects on endocrine processes and functions as neoplasm development, reproductive dysfunctions, and immunological and thyroid disorders [1]. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are defined as “an exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that interferes with any aspect of hormone action” [2], are not rogue pharmaceuticals or rare contaminants.
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) and Reproductive Outcomes
Authors: D’Angelo Arianna , St Pier Georgina 
Published: November 2023

AbstractEndocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are prevalent throughout the environment and known to negatively impact fertility. As the prevalence of unexplained subfertility increases worldwide, it is important to understand the impact EDCs might have on reproduction and fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF). This chapter examines the impact of EDCs on assisted reproduction treatments and pregnancy outcomes. The literature is frequently conflicting; however, the association between exposure to EDCs and poor reproductive outcomes is undeniable. Women of a reproductive age should therefore minimise exposure to these chemicals where possible, with healthcare professionals actively advocating their avoidance where possible. Further research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms of action of these substances, to identify which specific chemicals have the greatest effect and to provide recommendations for how to mitigate these effects.
Introduction: Organization as a Scientific Blind Spot
Authors: Mossio Matteo 
Published: November 2023

AbstractFor most of the twentieth century, biology forgot or largely neglected organization. By this term, I mean a certain mode of interaction among the parts of a system, which is by hypothesis distinctively realized by biological systems. While a systemic trend is progressively pervading various biological fields – notably Evolutionary Biology, Systems Biology and Origins of Life – I suggest that organization still remains a blind spot of biological thinking. Therefore, I submit, biology should be enriched by an explicit and specific notion of organization, drawing in particular on the theory of autonomy, of which I recall some central tenets. I conclude with a brief overview of the scientific and philosophical tradition which has explicitly elaborated on biological organization, and of the more recent literature to which this book aims to contribute.
There Are No Intermediate Stages: An Organizational View on Development
Authors: Bich Leonardo , Skillings Derek 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTheoretical accounts of development exhibit several internal tensions and face multiple challenges. They span from the problem of the identification of the temporal boundaries of development (beginning and end) to the characterization of the distinctive type of change involved compared to other biological processes. They include questions such as the role to ascribe to the environment or what types of biological systems can undergo development and whether they should include colonies or even ecosystems. In this chapter we discuss these conceptual issues, and we argue that adopting an organizational approach may help solve or clarify them.While development is usually identified with the achievement of an adult form with the capability to reproduce and therefore maintain a lineage, adopting the organizational approach may provide a different strategy, which focuses also on the maintenance of the current organization of the organism. By doing so an organizational approach favors a switch in perspective which consists in analyzing how organisms maintain their viability at each moment of development rather than considering them as going through intermediate stages of a process directed toward a specific goal state. This developmental dimension of biological organization has yet to be given a general and detailed analysis within the organizational theoretical perspective, apart from some preliminary attempts. How a biological organization is maintained through a series of radical organizational changes and what these changes are issues that still require clarification. In this chapter we offer the beginnings of such an analysis of developmental transitions, understood as changes in functionality brought forth by regulatory mechanisms in the context of the continued maintenance of organizational viability at every step.
Low glycemic index diet restrains epileptogenesis in a gender-specific fashion
Authors: Michetti Caterina , Ferrante Daniele , Parisi Barbara , Ciano Lorenzo , Prestigio Cosimo , Casagrande Silvia , Martinoia Sergio , Terranova Fabio , Millo Enrico , Valente Pierluigi , Giovedi’ Silvia , Benfenati Fabio , Baldelli Pietro 
Published: November 2023

AbstractDietary restriction, such as low glycemic index diet (LGID), have been successfully used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy. However, if such diet could also counteract antiepileptogenesis is still unclear. Here, we investigated whether the administration of LGID during the latent pre-epileptic period, prevents or delays the appearance of the overt epileptic phenotype. To this aim, we used the Synapsin II knockout (SynIIKO) mouse, a model of temporal lobe epilepsy in which seizures manifest 2–3 months after birth, offering a temporal window in which LGID may affect epileptogenesis. Pregnant SynIIKO mice were fed with either LGID or standard diet during gestation and lactation. Both diets were maintained in weaned mice up to 5 months of age. LGID delayed the seizure onset and induced a reduction of seizures severity only in female SynIIKO mice. In parallel with the epileptic phenotype, high-density multielectrode array recordings revealed a reduction of frequency, amplitude, duration, velocity of propagation and spread of interictal events by LGID in the hippocampus of SynIIKO females, but not mutant males, confirming the gender-specific effect. ELISA-based analysis revealed that LGID increased cortico-hippocampal allopregnanolone (ALLO) levels only in females, while it was unable to affect ALLO plasma concentrations in either sex. The results indicate that the gender-specific interference of LGID with the epileptogenic process can be ascribed to a gender-specific increase in cortical ALLO, a neurosteroid known to strengthen GABAergic transmission. The study highlights the possibility of developing a personalized gender-based therapy for temporal lobe epilepsy.