bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrated Pest Management Technology as a Means to Cost Efficiency for Cotton Crop in Rajasthan, India
Authors: Panda Shubhaom , Sharma Amita , Tyagi Seema 
Published: May 2022

Aim: This research is an attempt to uncover the production opportunities of cotton grown with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technology in Rajasthan, India.
Study Design: The study is based on both descriptive and exploratory type of research design.
Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted at Institute of Agri Business Management, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, Rajasthan. Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan were selected under cotton cultivation for the study. The time duration of the project was for the crop year 2017–18.
Methodology: The respondents for the study were cotton farmers following different pest control measures in the study area. Multistage stratified random sampling method was followed for the research. Two major districts of Irrigated North Western Plain Zone (Zone Ib) were purposely selected. Based on experts’ opinion, villages were selected under three technologies viz. IPM, conventional and mix of both technologies. The list of farmers following IPM and mix of both technologies was collected from Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPMC), Sri Ganganagar and lists of farmers following conventional technology were collected from respective gram panchayats. The sample size for the study was limited to 90 in numbers. The selection of farmers was based on probability proportional to size (PPS) method on the basis of their land holdings from each village. The analysis was done by calculating returns over variable cost, benefit-cost ratio and resource use efficiency of data collected from the field.
Results: The variable costs for the cultivation of cotton per hectare are ₹ 48001.78, ₹ 49105.66 and ₹ 48441.93 for the farmers following IPM, conventional and the mix of both technologies, respectively. The benefit to cost ratio in IPM was found to be the highest i.e. 2.23, followed by 2.04 for mix of both technology, and 1.85 for conventional technology. The estimation of resource use efficiency in cotton indicated the under-utilization of human labour in case of IPM and mix of both technologies and over-utilization of machine labour in case of conventional and IPM technology.
Conclusion: The IPM technology was found to be economical for the farmers growing cotton in the study area. The resources like human labour, machine labour, fertilizers and manure as well as plant protection measures were suggested to be effectively utilized for better cost effectiveness among the farmers in the study area.
Influence of Trust in the Adoption of Digital Banking Platforms: A Case Study of a Public Ghanaian Bank
Authors: Asante Kwame Gyeabour , Baafi Nana Kojo Ayimadu 
Published: May 2022

Digital banking has existed within the Ghanaian banking sector over the years and has evolved to incorporate more technological developments and are playing a more significant role in the development of the Ghanaian economy. The banking sector has been pursuing various policies to ensure that more customers adopt digital banking for their transactions. Despite the rapid rollout of numerous banking services in the country, adoption of digital banking has been generally slow. This present study seeks to examine the influence of trust on the adoption of digital banking services. The aim of the study was specifically to examine the influence of knowledge based trust on digital banking service adoption, to examine the influence of institution based trust on digital banking service adoption and to examine the influence of propensity to trust on digital banking service adoption. The positivism paradigm was the philosophical framework that guided the study and a quantitative approach. Data was obtained through the use of a survey and was analysed using simple linear regression. The population of the study consisted of customers of various banks within the Accra sub-metro. Using convenient sampling technique, 150 participant took part in the study. From the analysis of the data, the results showed propensity to trust had a positive relationship with adoption of digital banking platforms. Institution based trust had no significant relationship to adoption of digital banking platforms. Knowledge based trust had a positive relationship with adoption of digital banking platforms. The findings of the study can be applied to improve upon the adoption and use of digital banking platforms by banks. Particularly, banks can focus on providing quality banking experiences across its digital channels and physical banking channels. In addition, digital banking service providers need to highlight improving on their level of integrity, competence and benevolence in order to facilitate users’ adoption and usage of mobile banking.
Screening for the Optimum Concentration of Chitosan through Seed Priming in Mungbean Genotypes
Authors: Hidangmayum Akash , Dwivedi Padmanabh , Sahni Sangita , Prasad Bishun Deo 
Published: May 2022

Four different concentrations of chitosan and four mungbean genotypes were studied to determine the optimum concentration of chitosan seed priming. The experiment results revealed that germination percentage, shoot length, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, and seedling vigor index differed significantly among the treatments and genotypes. The greatest impact was observed at lower concentrations of 0.15% in all four genotypes showing consistent improvements in all the studied parameters. The highest concentration of 0.35% appears to be at par with the control and shows no statistical significance. However, root length was affected in IPM 2-14 and IPM 2-3 at high concentrations. In terms of seedling vigor index, IPM 2-3 showed significant reductions at 0.35%, while other genotypes recorded improvement. Based on our results, we conclude that chitosan seed priming has genotype-specific responses, and lower chitosan concentrations have significant positive effects on all parameters and provide important results for deployment in sustainable agricultural practices.
Controlling and Monitoring Crack Propagation in Monolayer Graphene Single Crystals
Authors: Zhao Xin , Mao Boyang , Liu Mufeng , Cao Jianyun , Haigh Sarah J. , Papageorgiou Dimitrios G. , Li Zheling , Young Robert J. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe evolution and propagation of cracks in exfoliated monolayer graphene single crystals and their associated stress fields are studied using Raman spectroscopy as a strain sensor. Such stress fields are found to extend over several microns, and their analysis leads to the fracture behavior of graphene being interpreted using linear elastic fracture mechanics. It is shown that propagation of a sharp crack occurs at a critical stress intensity factor Kc ≈ 4.0 MPa m1/2, similar to the earlier findings of theoretical simulations. In contrast, a blunt crack lying along an irrational direction of the crystal is found to have a less localized stress field at the crack tip and propagate at a value of Kc > 9 MPa m1/2. It is also shown that once crack propagation takes place, the cracks rotate to become aligned approximately perpendicular to the tensile axis, regardless of the crystallographic orientation of the graphene. Based upon this, a simple strain engineering method is proposed to control the propagation of cracks. This has important implications for the use of graphene in practical applications and suggests a simple method to control the formation of cracks in graphene through the application of strain.
Synthetic and Biodegradable Molybdenum(IV) Diselenide Triggers the Cascade Photo‐ and Immunotherapy of Tumor
Authors: Zhao Jiulong , Zhang Yao , Zhang Jing , Wu Hang , Li Jinfeng , Zhao Yizhou , Zhang Liying , Zou Duowu , Li Zhaoshen , Wang Shige 
Published: May 2022

AbstractIn this study, a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)‐decorated MoSe2 (MoSe2‐PVP) nanoparticle with excellent photothermal transforming ability and chlorin E6 (Ce6) loading capacity is designed for combined tumor photothermal therapy (PTT), tumor photodynamic therapy (PDT), and immunotherapy. The light‐to‐heat conversion efficiency under irradiation with an 808 nm near‐infrared laser is as high as 59.28%. The MoSe2‐PVP NPs could function as an artificial catalase and catalyze the decomposition of H2O2. Their catalytic activity and thermal durability are higher than the native catalase, which relieve the tumor hypoxia status and sensitize the tumor PDT. The data show that the synthetic MoSe2‐PVP is biodegradable, owing to the oxidation of the Mo4+ to Mo6+. Moreover, its degradation products could increase the proportion of mature dendritic cells and CD8+ thymus (T) cells and promote the infiltration of active CD8+ T cells in tumors. The immune checkpoint inhibitor, programmed cell death protein 1 monoclonal antibody is combined with MoSe2‐PVP and it is found that its degradation product could efficiently change the immune microenvironment of the tumor.
Phonon Symphony of Stacked Multilayers and Weak Bonds Lowers Lattice Thermal Conductivity
Authors: Ma Ni , Zhang Zhou , Nan Pengfei , Bai Wei , Li Kai , Zhao Jiyin , Zhou Shiming , Ge Binghui , Yang Jiong , Xiao Chong , Xie Yi 
Published: May 2022

AbstractControlling lattice vibrations to obtain intrinsic low thermal conductivity play a critical role in thermal management of electronic and photonic devices, energy converters, and thermal insulation, which necessitates exploring new compounds and a thorough understanding of their chemical structure, bonding, and lattice dynamics. Herein, a new chalcogenide, Ga6Cr5Se16, shows intrinsic low lattice thermal conductivity κlat, which crystallizes in the monoclinic phase (C2/m) with the stacked inverse GaSe4 layers (g'), close‐packed Cr3+Se6 layers (c), GaSe4 layers (g) and loosely‐stacked Cr2+Se6 layers (c') along the c‐axis. In this structure, a wide variety of chemical bonding is arranged in each layer, such as covalent Ga–Se, covalent Cr3+–Se, and weaker Cr2+–Se bonding, which endow it with a large phonon symphony by strong coupling of soft acoustic and low‐lying optical phonons. As a result, Ga6Cr5Se16 realizes an intrinsic low κlat of 0.79 W m−1 K−1 at 323 K, which is almost four times, or twice lower than that of Cr3Se4 (2.95 W m−1 K−1), or Cr2Se3 (1.56 W m−1 K−1), Ga2Se3 (1.36 W m−1 K−1) at 323 K, respectively. These insights will offer comprehensive understanding of the phonon propagation in complex layered chalcogenides, and also shed useful light on future design of low‐κlat solids.
Upgrading a Consumer Stereolithographic 3D Printer to Produce a Physiologically Relevant Model with Human Liver Cancer Organoids
Authors: Breideband Louise , Wächtershäuser Kaja N. , Hafa Levin , Wieland Konstantin , Frangakis Achilleas S. , Stelzer Ernst H. K. , Pampaloni Francesco 
Published: May 2022

AbstractA widespread application of 3D bioprinting in basic and translational research requires accessibility to affordable printers able to produce physiologically relevant tissue models. To facilitate the use of bioprinting as a standard technique in biology, an open‐source device based on a consumer‐grade 3D stereolithography apparatus (SLA) printer is developed. This SLA bioprinter can produce complex constructs that preserve cell viability and recapitulate the physiology of tissues. The detailed documentation of the modifications apported to the printer as well as a throughout performance analysis allow for a straightforward adoption of the device in other labs and its customization for specific applications. Given the low cost, several modified bioprinters could be simultaneously operated for a parallelized tissue production. To showcase the capability of the bioprinter, constructs consisting of patient‐derived cholangiocarcinoma organoids encapsulated in a gelatin methacrylate (GelMA)/polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel are produced. A thorough characterization of different GelMA/PEGDA ratios reveals that the mechanical properties of the bioprinted tumor model can be accurately fine‐tuned to mimic a specific tumor micro‐environment. Immunofluorescence and gene expression analyses of tumor markers confirm that the bioprinted synthetic hydrogel provides a flexible and adequate replacement of animal‐derived reconstituted extracellular matrix.
Rapid Profiling of Tumor‐Immune Interaction Using Acoustically Assembled Patient‐Derived Cell Clusters
Authors: Ao Zheng , Wu Zhuhao , Cai Hongwei , Hu Liya , Li Xiang , Kaurich Connor , Chang Jackson , Gu Mingxia , Cheng Liang , Lu Xin , Guo Feng 
Published: May 2022

AbstractTumor microenvironment crosstalk, in particular interactions between cancer cells, T cells, and myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), mediates tumor initiation, progression, and response to treatment. However, current patient‐derived models such as tumor organoids and 2D cultures lack some essential niche cell types (e.g., MDSCs) and fail to model complex tumor‐immune interactions. Here, the authors present the novel acoustically assembled patient‐derived cell clusters (APCCs) that can preserve original tumor/immune cell compositions, model their interactions in 3D microenvironments, and test the treatment responses of primary tumors in a rapid, scalable, and user‐friendly manner. By incorporating a large array of 3D acoustic trappings within the extracellular matrix, hundreds of APCCs can be assembled within a petri dish within 2 min. Moreover, the APCCs can preserve sensitive and short‐lived (≈1 to 2‐day lifespan in vivo) tumor‐induced MDSCs and model their dynamic suppression of T cell tumor toxicity for up to 24 h. Finally, using the APCCs, the authors succesully model the combinational therapeutic effect of a multi‐kinase inhibitor targeting MDSCs (cabozantinib) and an anti‐PD‐1 immune checkpoint inhibitor (pembrolizumab). The novel APCCs may hold promising potential in predicting treatment response for personalized cancer adjuvant therapy as well as screening novel cancer immunotherapy and combinational therapy.
Unraveling the Design Principles of Battery‐Supercapacitor Hybrid Devices: From Fundamental Mechanisms to Microstructure Engineering and Challenging Perspectives
Authors: Xing Feifei , Bi Zhihong , Su Feng , Liu Fangyan , Wu Zhong‐Shuai 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBattery‐supercapacitor hybrid devices (BSHDs) are aimed to be competitive complements to conventional batteries and supercapacitors by simultaneously achieving high energy density, high power density, and excellent cycling stability. However, the cooperative coupling of different energy storage mechanisms between batteries and supercapacitors is still challenging. Therefore, it is important to have a holistic understanding of BSHDs from material synthesis to final application. In this review, the basic concept and working principles of BSHDs are first discussed, which helps identify the related key scientific problems arising from hybridization. Then the ways in which some of these issues have been mitigated are discussed, for example by developing advanced microstructures and engineering the interface between electrode|current collector, electrode|electrolyte, and battery‐type(b‐type)|capacitor‐type(c‐type) materials. Furthermore, along with shedding light on innovative approaches for expanding the BSHDs’ cell voltage unconventional charge‐storage mechanisms and device configurations like dual ion and hydrogen ion hybrid supercapacitors are also summarized to push their performance even higher. Finally, a perspective on the technological challenges and future prospects of BSHDs from both an academic and industrial point of view is provided. This review is expected to serve as a window to look at the past and guide the future development of high‐performance BSHDs.
Analysis of the relationship between serum alanine aminotransferase and body composition in Chinese women
Authors: Li Shuang , Wang Yi , He Jieyu , Huang Wu , Liao Eryuan , Liu Youshuo , Zhan Junkun , Wang Yanjiao 
Published: May 2022

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the relationships between serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and body composition among postmenopausal women in China.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted with 776 postmenopausal women in China from May to July 2008. Clinical information was collected using a standardized questionnaire. Measures of body composition were obtained using dual X‐ray absorptiometry. Body lean mass and fat mass indices were calculated by dividing total body lean/fat weight (kg) by body height squared (kg/m2). Blood samples were collected to assess liver and renal functions and lipid profiles. Analysis of variance, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression were used to analyze the associations between serum ALT and body composition.ResultsWe found negative relationships of serum ALT with age, menopause duration, and serum HDL‐C levels. Serum ALT was positively correlated with BMI, serum TG levels, and the lean mass index and fat mass index. In a multivariate model adjusted for age, menopause duration, serum TG, and HDL‐C levels, a 1‐unit increase in the fat mass index was associated with a 0.176 U/L increase in ALT (95% CI 0.020 to 0.050, P < 0.001).ConclusionSerum ALT was positively associated with the body fat mass index of postmenopausal women in China.
Quantifying the impact of temporal analysis of products reactor initial state uncertainties on kinetic parameters
Authors: Yonge Adam , Gusmão Gabriel S. , Batchu Rakesh , Kunz M. Ross , Fang Zongtang , Fushimi Rebecca , Medford Andrew J. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor provides a route to extract intrinsic kinetics from transient measurements. Current TAP uncertainty quantification only considers the experimental noise present in the outlet flow signal. Additional sources of uncertainty such as initial surface coverages, catalyst zone location, inert void fraction, gas pulse intensity, and pulse delay, are not included. For this reason, a framework for quantifying initial state uncertainties present in TAP experiments is presented and applied to a carbon monoxide oxidation case study. Two methods for quantifying these sources of uncertainty are introduced. The first utilizes initial state sensitivities to approximate the parameter variances and provide insights into the structural certainty of the model. The second generates parameter confidence distributions through an ensemble‐based sampling algorithm. The initial state covariance matrix can ultimately be merged with the experimental noise covariance matrix, providing a unified description of the parameter uncertainties for a TAP experiment.
Prediction of cell penetrating peptides and their uptake efficiency using random forest‐based feature selections
Authors: Liu Peng , Ding Yijie , Rong Ying , Chen Dong 
Published: May 2022

AbstractCell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides that can carry biomolecules of varying sizes across the cell membrane into the cytoplasm. Correctly identifying CPPs is the basis for studying their functions and mechanisms. Here, we propose a novel CPP predictor that is able to predict CPPs and their uptake efficiency. In our method, five feature descriptors are applied to encode the sequence and compose a hybrid feature vector. Afterward, the wrapper + random forest algorithm is employed, which combines feature selection with the prediction process to find features that are crucial for identifying CPPs. The jackknife cross validation result shows that our predictor is comparable to state‐of‐the‐art CPP predictors, and our method reduces the feature dimension, which improves computational efficiency and avoids overfitting, allowing our predictor to be adopted to identify large‐scale CPP data.
Iodine‐catalyzed Regioselective Electrophilic (Fluoroalkyl) Sulfenylation of Indoles with (RSO2)2O via Deoxygenative Reduction
Authors: Mumtaz Yasir , Liu Jie 
Published: May 2022

AbstractA method for electrophilic C−H sulfenylation by deoxygenative reduction from less expensive and easily available sulfonic anhydrides is reported. This C−S bond‐forming reaction allows a general access to sulfenyl electrophiles, including important trifluoromethyl, perfluoroalkyl and aryl derivatives that are otherwise difficult to afford. Under metal‐free conditions, the reaction yielded 3‐arylthio (Fluoroalkylthio) indoles in good to excellent yields. The catalytic technique tolerates a wide range of functional groups.
Coot bird optimization algorithm for the temperature control of continuous stirred tank reactor process
Authors: Begum K. Ghousiya 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe demand for novel and innovative control techniques has increased due to complexity in the process control industries which expect better control with enhanced performance. The optimization of proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller parameters plays a significant role in the petrochemical and biochemical industries. In all these industries, controlling of continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) is highly deployed whose dynamic characteristics are non‐linear and difficult to control as there is a risk of its temperature deviating from the set point. To have an efficient control, a metaheuristic optimization technique‐based PID, fractional‐order PID controller (FOPID) control evolved using the behaviour of a swarm of birds named coot bird optimization algorithm (CBOA) has been highlighted in this paper. The tuning has been done using the weighted combination of fitness functions, specifically the overshoot (Os) and the settling time (
. The simulated results demonstrate the improvement of the time domain response parameters of CBOA tuned PID, FOPID controllers providing an optimum performance when compared to other optimization algorithms and a conventional controller.
Biological study of polyethyleneimine functionalized polycaprolactone 3D‐printed scaffolds for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Khoshnood Negin , Shahrezayee Mohammad Hossein , Shahrezayee Mostafa , Shams Alireza , Zamanian Ali 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPolycaprolactone (PCL) is one of the most usable polymers in biomedical applications. Despite this, PCL has a natural hydrophobic character and a lack of active site for interaction with other materials. For overcome this limitation, surface modification using polyethyleneimine (PEI) was carried out to provide suitable hydrophilic surface for cell adhesion and proliferation. The 3D printed scaffolds were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection‐Fourier transform‐infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy, contact angle, and ninhydrin assay. Finally, enzymatic degradation behavior and cellular activities were carried out to investigate the possible application in bone tissue engineering. The results indicated the formation of uniform PEI coating along with increase in the surface hydrophilicity through absorption of 43% of free amine groups, improvement of enzymatic degradation of PCL scaffolds about four times from 1.51% to 5.77% after 4 days. Also, the biological studies indicated that modification of PCL scaffolds surface with PEI provided a suitable platform for attachment, differentiation and proliferation of MC3T3 cells in the PCL‐based scaffolds. Taken together, the results suggest that the 3D composite scaffolds could be used in bone tissue engineering.