bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of bPNA Backbone Structural Constraints and Composition on Triplex Hybridization with DNA
Authors: Munyaradzi Oliver , Rundell Sarah , Bong Dennis 
Published: February 2022

AbstractWe report herein a study on the impact of bifacial peptide nucleic acid (bPNA) amino acid composition and backbone modification on DNA binding. A series of bPNA backbone variants with identical net charge were synthesized to display either 4 or 6 melamine (M) bases. These bases form thymine‐melamine‐thymine (TMT) base‐triples, resulting in triplex hybrid stem structures with T‐rich DNAs. Analyses of 6 M bPNA‐DNA hybrids suggested that hybrid stability was linked to amino acid secondary structure propensities, prompting a more detailed study in shorter 4 M bPNAs. We synthesized 4 M bPNAs predisposed to adopt helical secondary structure via helix‐turn nucleation in 7‐residue bPNAs using double‐click covalent stapling. Generally, hybrid stability improved upon stapling, but amino acid composition had a more significant effect. We also pursued an alternative strategy for bPNA structural preorganization by incorporation of residues with strong backbone amide conformational preferences such as 4R‐ and 4S‐fluoroprolines. Notably, these derivatives exhibited an additional improvement in hybrid stability beyond both unsubstituted proline bPNA analogues and the helically patterned bPNAs. Overall, these findings demonstrate the tunability of bPNA‐DNA hybrid stability through bPNA backbone structural propensities and amino acid composition.
Deciphering Internal and External π‐Conjugation in C3‐Symmetric Multiple Azobenzene Connected Systems in Self‐Assembly
Authors: Grewal Surbhi , Kumar Pravesh , Roy Saonli , Bala Indu , Sah Chitranjan , Kumar Pal Santanu , Venkataramani Sugumar 
Published: February 2022

AbstractTwo tripodal C3‐symmetric photoswitchable molecular systems T1 and T2 are reported that have extended conjugation at external and internal positions using an acryl group. The influence of the extended π‐bonds in their absorption properties, thermal relaxation of the photoisomers and their propensities in forming supramolecular self‐assemblies have been explored through spectroscopy, and microscopic studies. In particular, the investigations on the self‐assembly have been carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), polarized optical microscopy (POM), X‐ray diffraction studies (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Remarkably, the position of the acryl group influences the behaviour of the two target molecules in supramolecular assembly, and also in the formation of photoresponsive organic hydrogels or microcrystals.
Kinetics of the Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydroaminomethylation of 1‐Decene in a Thermomorphic Solvent System
Authors: Kortuz Wieland , Kirschtowski Sabine , Seidel‐Morgenstern Andreas , Hamel Christof 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe homogenously rhodium‐catalyzed tandem reaction of the hydroaminomethylation of 1‐decene is investigated in a thermomorphic solvent system consisting of methanol and n‐dodecane with the ligand sulfoxantphos. The influence of temperature, pressure and catalyst concentration is studied experimentally as the basis for kinetic modeling and parameter estimation. A kinetic model for the hydroaminomethylation is developed by connecting and reparametrizing a mechanistic approach for the hydroformylation with a reductive amination model. Simulations and experimental data are in good agreement indicating the transferability of mechanistic kinetic models.
Structure‐Function Correlation and Dynamic Restructuring of Cu for Highly Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Conversion
Authors: Zhu Chenyuan , Zhao Siwen , Shi Guoshuai , Zhang Liming 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe increasing global demand for sustainable energy sources and emerging environmental issues have pushed the development of energy conversion and storage technologies to the forefront of chemical research. Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion provides an attractive approach to synthesizing fuels and chemical feedstocks using renewable energy. On the path to deploying this technology, basic and applied scientific hurdles remain. Copper, as the only metal catalyst that is capable to produce C2+ fuels from CO2 reduction (CO2R), still faces challenges in the improvement of electrosynthesis pathways for highly selective fuel production. In this regard, mechanistically understanding CO2R on Cu‐based electrocatalysts, particularly identifying the structure–function correlation, is crucial. Here, a broad view of the variable structural parameters and their complex interplay in CO2R catalysis on Cu was given, with the purpose of providing deep insights and guiding the future rational design of CO2R electrocatalysts. First, this Review described the progress and recent advances in the development of well‐defined nanostructured catalysts and the mechanistic understanding on the influences from a particular structure of a catalyst, such as facet, defects, morphology, oxidation state, composition, and interface. Next, the in‐situ dynamic restructuring of Cu was presented. The importance of operando characterization methods to understand the catalyst structure‐sensitivity was also discussed. Finally, some perspectives on the future outlook for electrochemical CO2R were offered.
Edge tokamak transport in regimes with high collisionality
Authors: Rozhansky Vladimir , Baranovsky Ilya , Kobelev Anton 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn the strongly detached regimes, especially in future tokamak reactors, plasma in the divertor and in some special regions like vicinity of highly radiating X‐point is strongly collisional. Ion gyrofrequency becomes less than Coulomb collision frequency and might be of the order of ion‐neutral collision frequency. For such parameters, parallel and perpendicular ion diffusion and mobility caused by ion‐neutral collision becomes important and can to large extent determine density profiles and currents distribution in the divertor. In the present article, plasma profiles in the vicinity of divertor plates were analysed. It is demonstrated that density profiles are determined by combination of parallel and perpendicular ambipolar diffusion. Results of analytic calculations are compared with Particle‐In‐Cell Monte‐Carlo Collisions (PIC MCC) simulations of magnetized plasma and collisional transport of magnetized ions from quasi‐neutral region to the material surface. Analytic expressions are compared with the results of particle in cell simulations done for different angles between magnetic field and material surface and different plasma parameters. Impact of velocity of neutral particles on ion fluxes and currents is also investigated. Consequences for divertor plasma typical for ITER and other future tokamak‐reactors are discussed.
Contrasting responses of native and introduced mammal communities to fire mosaics in a modified landscape
Authors: Zylinski Simeon , Swan Matthew , Sitters Holly 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPlanned fire is increasingly recognized as an important tool in conservation, but other factors such as land‐use change may hinder the ability of land managers to use fire for the benefit of biodiversity. The mosaic of past fires in native vegetation may interact with the mosaic of other land‐cover types in human‐modified landscapes, yet the effects of these interactions on mammal communities are unknown. We investigated the responses of ground‐dwelling mammal community composition and species richness to interactions between land cover and post‐fire vegetation growth‐stage mosaics in southern Australia. This fire‐prone, human‐modified landscape features a fine‐scale fire mosaic in native vegetation patches surrounded by pasture, horticulture, and peri‐urban environments. We measured the composition of land‐cover types and fire mosaics (landscape structure) at multiple scales of up to 1257 ha surrounding 129 study sites, and considered native and introduced species together and separately. Land‐cover composition was the primary driver of community composition: native species favored areas with a greater proportion of native heathy woodland, whereas introduced species were associated with landscapes comprising more cleared land. The fire mosaic also influenced community composition and species richness: greater growth‐stage diversity was associated with native habitat‐specialist communities and fewer introduced species. In areas with more cleared land, native species richness increased when there was a greater proportion of mid‐successional vegetation, demonstrating that the effect of fire mosaics on mammal diversity depended on land‐cover composition. The positive relationship between introduced species richness and cleared land extent was also stronger in recently burned sites than in other growth stages, suggesting that introduced species are well suited to more modified areas of the landscape. Land managers need to consider the underlying land‐cover composition and the potential interactions it may have with fire mosaics and species composition. In this landscape a greater diversity of growth stages may disadvantage introduced species yet an increase in mid‐successional vegetation in more modified areas would be likely to benefit native mammal communities. Our study highlights that fire management may need to be tailored depending on the context of land use and the species of interest.
Seagrass meadows mixed with calcareous algae have higher plant productivity and sedimentary blue carbon storage
Authors: Kalokora Olivia J. , Gullström Martin , Buriyo Amelia S. , Mtolera Matern S. P. , Björk Mats 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSeagrass meadows capture and store large amounts of carbon in the sediment beneath, thereby serving as efficient sinks of atmospheric CO2. Carbon sequestration levels may however differ greatly among meadows depending on, among other factors, the plant community composition. Tropical seagrass meadows are often intermixed with macroalgae, many of which are calcareous, which may compete with seagrass for nutrients, light, and space. While the photosynthetic CO2 uptake by both seagrasses and calcareous algae may increase the overall calcification in the system (by increasing the calcium carbonate saturation state, Ω), the calcification process of calcareous algae may lead to a release of CO2, thereby affecting both productivity and calcification, and eventually also the meadows’ carbon storage. This study estimated how plant productivity, CaCO3 production, and sediment carbon levels were affected by plant community composition (seagrass and calcareous algae) in a tropical seagrass‐dominated embayment (Zanzibar, Tanzania). Overall, the patterns of variability in productivity differed between the plant types, with net areal biomass productivity being highest in meadows containing both seagrass and calcareous algae. Low and moderate densities of calcareous algae enhanced seagrass biomass growth, while the presence of seagrass reduced the productivity of calcareous algae but increased their CaCO3 content. Sedimentary carbon levels were highest when seagrasses were mixed with low or moderate cover of calcareous algae. The findings show that plant community composition can be an important driver for ecosystem productivity and blue carbon sequestration.
Revisiting the influence of learning in predator functional response, how it can lead to shapes different from type III
Authors: Bruzzone Octavio Augusto , Aguirre María Belén , Hill Jorge Guillermo , Virla Eduardo Gabriel , Logarzo Guillermo 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPredator/parasitoid functional response is one of the main tools used to study predation behavior, and in assessing the potential of biological control candidates. It is generally accepted that predator learning in prey searching and manipulation can produce the appearance of a type III functional response. Holling proposed that in the presence of alternative prey, at some point the predator would shift the preferred prey, leading to the appearance of a sigmoid function that characterized that functional response. This is supported by the analogy between enzyme kinetics and functional response that Holling used as the basis for developing this theory. However, after several decades, sigmoidal functional responses appear in the absence of alternative prey in most of the biological taxa studied. Here, we propose modeling the effect of learning on the functional response by using the explicit incorporation of learning curves in the parameters of the Holling functional response, the attack rate (a), and the manipulation time (h). We then study how the variation in the parameters of the learning curves causes variations in the shape of the functional response curve. We found that the functional response product of learning can be either type I, II, or III, depending on what parameters act on the organism, and how much it can learn throughout the length of the study. Therefore, the presence of other types of curves should not be automatically associated with the absence of learning. These results are important from an ecological point of view because when type III functional response is associated with learning, it is generally accepted that it can operate as a stabilizing factor in population dynamics. Our results, to the contrary, suggest that depending on how it acts, it may even be destabilizing by generating the appearance of functional responses close to type I.
Snail communities increase submerged macrophyte growth by grazing epiphytic algae and phytoplankton in a mesocosm experiment
Authors: Lv Tian , Guan Xin , Fan Shufeng , Han Chen , Gao Zhongyao , Liu Chunhua 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe relationships between producers (e.g., macrophytes, phytoplankton and epiphytic algae) and snails play an important role in maintaining the function and stability of shallow ecosystems. Complex relationships exist among macrophytes, epiphytic algae, phytoplankton, and snails. We studied the effects of snail communities (consisting of Radix swinhoei, Hippeutis cantori, Bellamya aeruginosa, and Parafossarulus striatulus) on the biomass of phytoplankton and epiphytic algae as well as on the growth of three species of submerged macrophytes (Hydrilla verticillata, Vallisneria natans, and one exotic submerged plant, Elodea nuttallii) in a 90‐day outdoor mesocosm experiment conducted on the shore of subtropical Lake Liangzihu, China. A structural equation model showed that the snail communities affected the submerged macrophytes by grazing phytoplankton and epiphytic algae (reduction in phytoplankton Chl‐a and epiphytic algal abundance), enhancing the biomass of submerged macrophytes. Highly branched macrophytes with high surfaces and morphologies and many microhabitats supported the most snails and epiphytic algae (the biomass of the snail communities and epiphytic algae on H. verticillata was greater than that on V. natans), and snails preferred to feed on native plants. Competition drove the snails to change their grazing preferences to achieve coexistence.
Streamlining of a synthetic co‐culture towards an individually controllable one‐pot process for polyhydroxyalkanoate production from light and CO2
Authors: Kratzl Franziska , Kremling Andreas , Pflüger‐Grau Katharina 
Published: February 2022

AbstractRationally designed synthetic microbial consortia carry a vast potential for biotechnological applications. The application of such a consortium in a bioprocess, however, requires tight and individual controllability of the involved microbes. Here, we present the streamlining of a co‐cultivation process consisting of Synechococcus elongatus cscB and Pseudomonas putida for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from light and CO2. First, the process was improved by employing P. putida cscRABY, a strain with a higher metabolic activity towards sucrose. Next, the individual controllability of the co‐culture partners was addressed by providing different nitrogen sources, each exclusively available for one strain. By this, the growth rate of the co‐culture partners could be regulated individually, and defined conditions could be set. The molC/molN ratio, a key value for PHA accumulation, was estimated from the experimental data, and the necessary feeding rates to obtain a specific ratio could be predicted. This information was then implemented in the co‐cultivation process, following the concept of a DBTL‐cycle. In total, the streamlining of the process resulted in an increased maximal PHA titer of 393 mg/L and a PHA production rate of 42.1 mg/(L•day).
Performance analysis of a runner for gravitational water vortex power plant
Authors: Faraji Adam , Jande Yusufu Abeid Chande , Kivevele Thomas 
Published: February 2022

AbstractMicro‐hydropower can be used to meet the needs of both isolated and rural communities for electricity. Due to its inexpensive initial investment, simple design, easy maintenance and low‐head utilisation, the gravitational water vortex power plant (GWVPP) has recently piqued interest. The findings of numerical work employing a numerical simulation and analytical approach for the GWVPP are presented in this study. To understand the influence of each on the efficiency of GWVPP, four parameters (speed, hub‐blade angle, number of blades and runner profile) were explored. Design‐Expert software was used to investigate the interplay of each parameter/factor in order to maximise the contribution of each. Design‐Optimal Expert's (custom) design tool was used to construct twenty‐four experimental runs. To calculate the system efficiency, these runs were simulated in commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software called Ansys CFX.The numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results, which yielded R2 values of 0.9507 and 0.9603 for flat and curved profiles, respectively. Furthermore, the findings show that the chosen parameters have an impact on the GWVPP's efficiency via interaction as seen in response surface methodology (RSM). Furthermore, numerical analysis increased the curved blade profile runner's total efficiency by 3.65%. In comparison with the unoptimised scenarios, the efficiency of the flat runner profile increased by 1.69%.
Colonization of oil palm empty fruit bunches by basidiomycetes from the Brazilian cerrado: Enzyme production
Authors: da Silva Elias Alves , Mendes Thais Demarchi , Pacheco Thályta Fraga , Wischral Daiana , dos Santos Dulce Cristine , Mendonça Simone , Camassola Marli , de Siqueira Félix Gonçalves , Souza Manoel Teixeira 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe use of residual lignocellulosic biomass appears as an opportunity to obtain high added value products like enzymes. The present work goal was to select basidiomycetes capable of metabolizing empty fruit bunches (EB) or sludge decanter (SD) from the oil palm industry to produce enzymatic cocktails. First, eight macro‐basidiomycetes strains from the Brazilian cerrado were selected based on genomic DNA analyses out of an initial group of 30. The selected basidiomycetes and two ascomycetes (commercial mushrooms) were cultured to obtain ligninolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, respectively. All the extracts produced had proteins, and enzymatic profiles evaluated. The enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated EB used cocktails of basidiomycetes extracts combined with commercial cellulases or ascomycetes extracts. The best combination of enzymatic extracts for hydrolyses of hydrothermally pretreated EB was the cocktail with Trichoderma reesei, Aspergillus aculeatus, and Pleurotus sp. extracts, reaching 19.7% of glucose yield and 22.8% of xylose yield. These results show that enzymes and sugars are products derivable from residues produced in large quantities by the oil palm industry. This study corroborates the hypothesis that basidiomycetes from the Brazilian cerrado present an enormous biotechnological potential, still unexplored.
Quantification and classification of grainflow morphology on natural dunes
Authors: Zhang Pei , Sherman Douglas J. , Pelletier Jon D. , Ellis Jean T. , Farrell Eugene J. , Li Bailiang 
Published: February 2022

AbstractGrainflows (or avalanches) are fundamental mechanisms associated with the evolution and migration of dunes. This study addresses grainflow morphology on the 21.3 m and 54.5 m high slipfaces of two barchans. A series of metrics to characterize shape developed with the perspective that this approach may provide a key to recognizing different grainflow morphodynamic regimes. We provide the first detailed and objective measurements of grainflow morphometry based on terrestrial laser scanning and subsequent image analysis of 1243 grainflows on the larger dune and 1609 from the smaller dune. Grainflow shape was classified based on five representative morphometric attributes: average length, average width, rectangularity, triangularity, and elongation. Cluster analysis indicated three recognizable grainflow types: elongated, narrow grainflows (Type 1); long, triangular grainflows (Type 2); and short, rectangular grainflows (Type 3). The distributions of grainflow types were substantially different on the larger and smaller dune, and different from distributions found on smaller dunes in other studies.
The oxidative and thermal stability of optimal synergistic mixture of sesame and grapeseed oils as affected by frying process
Authors: Khakbaz Heshmati Maryam , Jafarzadeh‐Moghaddam Maryam , Pezeshki Akram , Shaddel Rezvan 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn spite of grapeseed oil high contents of linoleic acid, its oxidative stability is relatively low, and mixing with more stable oils such as sesame oil can be a good way to improve the oxidative stability of this oil. The aim of this study was to increase the oil oxidative stability by producing an optimum formulation due to the combination of grapeseed and sesame oil. For this purpose, some of the qualitative properties of the optimum formulation were investigated during frying process. For finding the best formulation, the quantities of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of sesame oil were blended with 100, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0% of grapeseed oil. The results show that the highest percentage of fatty acid in various samples (sesame oil, grapeseed oil, and mixed formulations) is related to the linoleic acid, followed by oleic, palmitic, and stearic acid. In conclusion the addition of sesame oil to grapeseed oil increased the number of phenolic compounds, antioxidant strength, and oxidative stability of the mixed oil samples. Considering the price of the product and the importance of the nutritional quality and stability of the oil, combining 75% sesame oil and 25% grapeseed oil has the best nutritional quality and lower cost than pure sesame oil formula. After frying process, comparison of sesame and grapeseed oil different factors with national Iranian standard limits showed that the parameters of acid number and peroxide value were more than Iran’s national standard, but the content of polar compounds was within the permissible content. Finally, the mixture of sesame and grapeseed oil is not suitable for long‐term heating and frying.