bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of DNA extraction kits on freshwater fungal DNA metabarcoding
Authors: Matsuoka Shunsuke , Sugiyama Yoriko , Nagano Mariko , Doi Hideyuki 
Published: May 2022

Background
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a common technique for efficient biodiversity monitoring, especially of microbes. Recently, the usefulness of aquatic eDNA in monitoring the diversity of both terrestrial and aquatic fungi has been suggested. In eDNA studies, different experimental factors, such as DNA extraction kits or methods, can affect the subsequent analyses and the results of DNA metabarcoding. However, few methodological studies have been carried out on eDNA of fungi, and little is known about how experimental procedures can affect the results of biodiversity analysis. In this study, we focused on the effect of DNA extraction method on fungal DNA metabarcoding using freshwater samples obtained from rivers and lakes.

Methods
DNA was extracted from freshwater samples using the DNeasy PowerSoil kit, which is mainly used to extractmicrobial DNA from soil, and the DNeasy Blood & Tissue kit, which is commonly used for eDNA studies on animals. We then compared PCR inhibition and fungal DNA metabarcoding results; i.e., operational taxonomic unit (OTU) number and composition of the extracted samples.

Results
No PCR inhibition was detected in any of the samples, and no significant differences in the number of OTUs and OTU compositions were detected between the samples processed using different kits. These results indicate that both DNA extraction kits may provide similar diversity results for the river and lake samples evaluated in this study. Therefore, it may be possible to evaluate the diversity of fungi using a unified experimental method, even with samples obtained for diversity studies on other taxa such as those of animals.
Environmental Effect of KPO-Fire in Niger Delta and Future Health Implication
Authors: Fyneface Amadi Chikadibia , Ngowari Aleruchi-Didia Tarila , Eedee Konne Felix , Ugochukwu Nyenke Clement 
Published: May 2022

Crude oil discovery and exploration in the Niger Delta of Nigeria which includes Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Edo and Ondo States of Nigeria, has led to significant economic growth of the nation especially in the creation of job opportunities also the generation of revenue. Unfortunately, Oil thefts have become the idea that replaced the most crisis and agitations in the Niger Delta communities against the perceived neglect of the areas. This had resulted to widespread operation of illegal oil bunkering activities called Kpofire. Kpofire, as described by the Niger deltans, is a process of burning crude oil by illegal oil operatives or thieves at isolated locations called bunkering sites or dumpsites in order to extract refined petroleum products. The design for the extraction of the petroleum products involves the sections of steaming and collection. These sections are connected by a very long pipe. Heat is applied to the steaming section using wood from the mangroves that is called ‘Ngala’ or ‘Agala’, thereafter, crude oil is used. The products extracted are fuel, kerosene and diesel. One of the major problems of Kpofire is the introduction of soot into the environment. Soot is a product is uncontrolled and incomplete combustion or pyrolisis of materials that contain carbon. The highest constituent of soot is the Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The Niger Delta people are faced with daily environmental challenges such as inadequate housing facilities, contaminated drinking water sources, barren lands for agriculture, dead rivers for fishing activities and poor health conditions, soot, which has become a gradual but huge challenge in many Niger Delta communities, has been shown to play a huge role in respiratory, skin, and reproductive health conditions. However, vulnerability is seen more in babies and children (particularly because their respiratory organs are not matured enough), the elderly, and people with preexisting health conditions, also heart or lung diseases (such as asthma). High exposure to PAH at prenatal stages is linked to a low IQ and lead to increased behavioral problems in the early-age child and childhood asthma. A collective effort is needed to put a stop this menace called kpofire in order to avoid environmental pollution thereby endangering the health of the people of Niger Delta.
Procalcitonin as a Biomarker and Risk Stratification Tool in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Shah O. M. , Alaouabda N. 
Published: May 2022

Background: COVID-19 is a systemic disease with a highly variable clinical course, ranging from being asymptomatic to manifestations like bilateral interstitial pneumonia, and multi-organ failure.
Aims & Objectives: To evaluate whether Procalcitonin can act as a biomarker for risk stratification and identify patients at risk for clinical deterioration-critical disease.
Study Design: This was a prospective cohort study.
Place and Duration of Study: Medical High Care & Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Ayr, UK between January 2021, and March 2021.
Methodology: The patients were classified into two groups, Low Procalcitonin (PCT) group (<0.5 μg/L) and High Procalcitonin (PCT) group (>0.5 μg/L) at 48 hr. of admission to the unit. Primary outcomes compared were requirement of invasive ventilation, multi-organ failure, antibiotic consumption, and mortality. Continuous variables were analyzed using two-sample unpaired t test while categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s exact test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 40 COVID-19 patients were included in the study, with 23 patients in the low PCT group and 17 patients were included in the high PCT group. The mean PCT at 48 hrs in the low PCT group was 0.327±0.098 μg/L, whereas in the high PCT group, it was 2.862±1.409 μg/L, the differences being statistically significant (p<0.0001). 56.52% patients(n=13) had multi-organ failure & mortality remained 26.09% in the Low PCT group whereas 94.12% of the patients (n=16) developed multi-organ failure & the mortality was 70.59% in the high PCT group, differences being statistically significant. Also, significant differences were noted in the usage of antibiotics between the two groups.
Conclusion: We concluded that Procalcitonin levels could be used reliably for risk stratification and raised PCT values would help identify a subgroup of COVID-19 patients with increased likelihood of critical disease and poor outcome.
Recent Progress of Metal Sulfide Photocatalysts for Solar Energy Conversion
Authors: Zhu Qiaohong , Xu Qing , Du Mengmeng , Zeng Xiaofei , Zhong Guofu , Qiu Bocheng , Zhang Jinlong 
Published: May 2022

AbstractArtificial photosynthetic solar‐to‐chemical cycles enable an entire environment to operate in a more complex, yet effective, way to perform natural photosynthesis. However, such artificial systems suffer from a lack of well‐established photocatalysts with the ability to harvest the solar spectrum and rich catalytic active‐site density. Benefiting from extensive experimental and theoretical investigations, this bottleneck may be overcome by devising a photocatalytic platform based on metal sulfides with predominant electronic, physical, and chemical properties. These tunable properties can endow them with abundant active sites, favorable light utilization, and expedited charge transportation for solar‐to‐chemical conversion. Here, it is described how some vital lessons extracted from previous investigations are employed to promote the further development of metal sulfides for artificial photosynthesis, including water splitting, CO2 reduction, N2 reduction, and pollutant removal. Their functions, properties, synthetic strategies, emerging issues, design principles, and intrinsic functional mechanisms for photocatalytic redox reactions are discussed in detail. Finally, the associated challenges and prospects for the utilization of metal sulfides are highlighted and future development trends in photocatalysis are envisioned.
Revealing the Structural Coloration of Self‐Assembled Chitin Nanocrystal Films
Authors: Narkevicius Aurimas , Parker Richard M. , Ferrer‐Orri Jordi , Parton Thomas G. , Lu Zihao , van de Kerkhof Gea T. , Frka‐Petesic Bruno , Vignolini Silvia 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe structural coloration of arthropods often arises from helicoidal structures made primarily of chitin. Although it is possible to achieve analogous helicoidal architectures by exploiting the self‐assembly of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs), to date no evidence of structural coloration has been reported from such structures. Previous studies are identified to have been constrained by both the experimental inability to access sub‐micrometer helicoidal pitches and the intrinsically low birefringence of crystalline chitin. To expand the range of accessible pitches, here, ChNCs are isolated from two phylogenetically distinct sources of α‐chitin, namely fungi and shrimp, while to increase the birefringence, an in situ alkaline treatment is performed, increasing the intensity of the reflected color by nearly two orders of magnitude. By combining this treatment with precise control over ChNC suspension formulation, structurally colored chitin‐based films are demonstrated with reflection tunable from blue to near infrared.
Synthesis of Quinolines and 2‐Functionalized Quinolines by Difluorocarbene Incorporation
Authors: Jiang Ben‐Jie , Zhang Song‐Lin 
Published: May 2022

AbstractA general method is developed to allow de novo construction of quinolines and C2‐functionalized quinolines from ortho‐alkenyl anilines in the presence of a difluorocarbene precursor. This method exploits a crucial reactivity of in‐situ generation of isocyanides from condensation of primary aniline with difluorocarbene. Subsequent α‐addition of isocyanide by neighbouring alkenyl group constructs the quinoline ring. Furthermore, when a combination of difluorocarbene precursor and Se are present, selenoisocyanate intermediates are tentatively generated that upon nucleophilic addition by ortho‐alkenyl produce 2‐SeH quinolines. In the presence of a second nucleophile such as anilines, competing nucleophilic addition of anilines to the selenoisocyanate is preferred, generating selenourea intermediate. Further nucleophilic addition of the ortho‐alkenyl to selenourea followed by elimination of H2Se produces 2‐aminoquinolines. This allows one‐step multi‐component modular preparation of various C2‐functionalized quinolines from readily available starting compounds. This method shows good yields, scope and chemoselectivity. It is operationally convenient and friendly without manipulating unpleasant isocyanides. The difluorocarbene‐enabled primary amine to isocyanide conversion may be exploited to develop other interesting reactions.magnified image
Boosted Spontaneous Formation of High‐Aspect Ratio Nanopeaks on Ultrafast Laser‐Irradiated Ni Surface
Authors: Nakhoul Anthony , Rudenko Anton , Maurice Claire , Reynaud Stéphanie , Garrelie Florence , Pigeon Florent , Colombier Jean‐Philippe 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe capacity to synthesize and design highly intricated nanoscale objects of different sizes, surfaces, and shapes dramatically conditions the development of multifunctional nanomaterials. Ultrafast laser technology holds great promise as a contactless process able to rationally and rapidly manufacture complex nanostructures bringing innovative surface functions. The most critical challenge in controlling the growth of laser‐induced structures below the light diffraction limit is the absence of external order associated to the inherent local interaction due to the self‐organizing nature of the phenomenon. Here high aspect‐ratio nanopatterns driven by near‐field surface coupling and architectured by timely‐controlled polarization pulse shaping are reported. Electromagnetic coupled with hydrodynamic simulations reveal why this unique optical manipulation allows peaks generation by inhomogeneous local absorption sustained by nanoscale convection. The obtained high aspect‐ratio surface nanotopography is expected to prevent bacterial proliferation, and have great potential for catalysis, vacuum to deep UV photonics and sensing.
Monolayer MXene Nanoelectromechanical Piezo‐Resonators with 0.2 Zeptogram Mass Resolution
Authors: Tan Dongchen , Cao Xuguang , Huang Jijie , Peng Yan , Zeng Lijun , Guo Qinglei , Sun Nan , Bi Sheng , Ji Ruonan , Jiang Chengming 
Published: May 2022

Abstract2D materials‐based nanoelectromechanical resonant systems with high sensitivity can precisely trace quantities of ultra‐small mass molecules and therefore are broadly applied in biological analysis, chemical sensing, and physical detection. However, conventional optical and capacitive transconductance schemes struggle to measure high‐order mode resonant effectively, which is the scientific key to further achieving higher accuracy and lower noise. In the present study, the different vibrations of monolayer Ti3C2Tx MXene piezo‐resonators are investigated, and achieve a high‐order f2,3 resonant mode with a ≈234.59 ± 0.05 MHz characteristic peak due to the special piezoelectrical structure of the Ti3C2Tx MXene layer. The effective measurements of signals have a low thermomechanical motion spectral density (9.66 ± 0.01 ) and an extensive dynamic range (118.49 ± 0.42 dB) with sub‐zeptograms resolution (0.22 ± 0.01 zg) at 300 K temperature and 1 atm. Furthermore, the functional groups of the Ti3C2Tx MXene with unique adsorption properties enable a high working range ratio of ≈3100 and excellent repeatability. This Ti3C2Tx MXene device demonstrates encouraging performance advancements over other nano‐resonators and will lead the related engineering applications including high‐sensitivity mass detectors.
Flucytosine‐based prodrug activation by cold physical plasma
Authors: Ahmadi Mohsen , Potlitz Felix , Link Andreas , von Woedtke Thomas , Nasri Zahra , Wende Kristian 
Published: May 2022

AbstractReactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to trigger drug release from arylboronate‐containing ROS‐responsive prodrugs. In cancer cells, elevated levels of ROS can be exploited for the selective activation of prodrugs via Baeyer–Villiger type oxidation rearrangement sequences. Here, we report a proof of concept to demonstrate that these cascades can as well be initiated by cold physical plasma (CPP). An analog of a recently reported fluorouracil prodrug based on the less toxic drug 5‐fluorocytosine (5‐FC) was synthesized with a view to laboratory safety reasons and used as a model compound to prove our hypothesis that CPP is suitable as a trigger for the prodrug activation. Although the envisioned oxidation and rearrangement with successive loss of boronic acid species could be achieved by plasma treatment, the anticipated spontaneous liberation of 5‐FC was inefficient in the model case. However, the obtained results suggest that custom‐tailored CPP‐responsive prodrugs might become an evolving research field.
Observing Electrocatalytic Processes via In Situ Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Latest Advances
Authors: Zheng Weiran , Lee Lawrence Yoon Suk 
Published: May 2022

AbstractElectrocatalysis is the foundation of many techniques currently used to address environmental and energy problems. Therefore, understanding the electrocatalytic processes is essential to guide the rational design of electrocatalysts. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), developed in the 1980s, remains one of the few techniques that allow surface imaging at the atomic level, making it incredibly useful in electrocatalytic research. In this review, we introduced the basic concept and latest applications of the STM technique for in situ studies of electrocatalytic processes, particularly its capability in active site identification, species adsorption/desorption analysis, surface reconstruction imaging, and electrocatalyst dissolution detection, as well as its advantages and limitations.
Cobalt Doped in Zn‐MOF‐5 Nanoparticles to Regulate Tumor Microenvironment for Tumor Chemo/Chemodynamic Therapy
Authors: Gong Yishu , Leng Junke , Guo Zhaoming , Ji Peijun , Qi Xiuyu , Meng Yulan , Song Xue‐Zhi , Tan Zhenquan 
Published: May 2022

AbstractMetal‐organic frameworks are often used as a chemotherapeutic drug carrier due to their diverse metal sites and good acid degradation ability. Herein Co‐doped Zn‐MOF‐5 nanoparticles with a high Co doping rate of 60% were synthesized for chemo‐chemodynamic synergistic therapy of tumor. Co ions can mediate chemodynamic therapy through Fenton‐like reaction and regulate the tumor microenvironment by consuming the reduced glutathione. The CoZn‐MOF‐5 shows high drug loading capacity with doxorubicin loading rate of 72.8%. The CoZn‐MOF‐5@PEG@DOX nanodrugs has a strong killing effect on 4T1 cancer cells, suggesting the chemo‐chemodynamic synergistic effect on tumor therapy.
Design, analysis, set‐up fabrication, control, and a novel analytical approach of a levitation prototype for a symmetric shaped object
Authors: Kundu Janardan 
Published: May 2022

SummaryThis paper highlights the design, electromagnetic analysis, system modelling, set‐up fabrication, and finally control of an attraction type lab developed levitation prototype. The objectives of this work are parameters' evaluation, for example, force, inductance, and current‐air‐gap characteristics using a novel analytical model, electromagnetic results, and practical experiments. The FE model has been built using standard packages. A novel permeance function‐based approach is developed for the analytical evaluation of parameters. These are verified by actual experiments too with excellent correlation between the sets of results. Agreement between analytical and practical values also show that the modelling is perfect and reliable which further leads to accurate design, fabrication, and implementation of the controller. A simple but reliable controller has been designed, analyzed, and implemented. The performances have been significantly improved. Finally, the steel object has been successfully and steadily levitated in robust condition.
Ultrathin Magnesium Metal Anode – An Essential Component for High‐Energy‐Density Magnesium Battery Materialization
Authors: Mandai Toshihiko , Somekawa Hidetoshi 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe practical loading, i. e., thickness, of metal anodes predominates the practical energy density of batteries that incorporate elemental metals as anode active materials. Despite its significance for achieving high‐energy‐density rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs), the application of ultrathin magnesium foils remains a challenge because of the brittleness and unworkability of magnesium. This work provides a critical component of a geometric size applicable to laminate‐type cells of dimensions 42×32 mm2 or larger. Ultrathin magnesium foil without cracked edges can be fabricated by controlling the initial microstructure. Furthermore, the rolling temperature determines the resulting microstructure and thus the electrochemical properties. The optimal sample, a warm‐rolled magnesium foil, exhibited excellent electrochemical characteristics owing to its favorable microstructure, which facilitated a homogeneous distribution of reaction sites. Battery performance using such ultrathin magnesium anodes was investigated with MgMn2O4 and α‐MnO2 cathodes. Considering the weights of both the cathodes and anodes, the gravimetric energy density of primitive [α‐MnO2 || pMg] cells was estimated to be 72 Wh kgelectrode−1.
A Guide to Low‐Valent Titanocene Complexes as Tunable Single‐Electron Transfer Catalysts for Applications in Organic Chemistry
Authors: Hilche Tobias , Younas Sara L. , Gansäuer Andreas , Streuff Jan 
Published: May 2022

AbstractLow‐valent titanocene catalysts are a versatile tool for organic synthesis. They promote inter‐ and intramolecular reactions ranging from homolytic bond cleavages to reductive umpolung reactions to additions and cyclizations in single electron steps. These reactions heavily depend on the redox potential of an in situ formed titanium(III) center, which can be adjusted by the choice of appropriate ligands. We herein review various chiral and achiral ligand‐modified titanocene catalysts and their reduction potentials Ep/2 obtained via cyclic voltammetry. The latter are found to correlate with the Hammett parameters σp of the cyclopentadienyl substituents and to the pKa values of the corresponding acids of the Ti−X ligands. For selected examples, we further discuss how the adjustment of the redox properties through modifications of the titanocene ligands can lead to greatly improved reaction outcomes in titanium(III) catalyzed single‐electron transfer reactions.
A novel approach to QoS‐aware resource allocation in NOMA cellular HetNets using multi‐layer optimization
Authors: Mirzaei Abbas 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe dense deployment of small cells is a key feature of the next‐generation cellular networks aimed at providing the necessary capacity increase. But in such networks the problem of green networking will be of great importance, because the uncontrolled installation of too many cells may increase operational costs and emit more carbon dioxide. Nowadays, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer an efficient approach to improve the quality, data rate, and meet the demanding performance requirements of applications in ultra‐dense cellular networks. This article proposes a dynamic optimization model which minimizes the overall energy consumption of UAV cellular networks in addition to guarantying the essential coverage and capacity. The proposed model optimizes user association and power utility to meet users' QoS requirements with the highest level of energy efficiency (EE). For this purpose, the surplus energy pattern of UAVs is first mathematically formulated and then applied to calculate its ruin probability. In fact, the ruin probability denotes the vulnerability of a UAV when it runs out of energy. The ruin probability is used in the next step to efficiently connect every user to the UAVs. Also, power allocation is implemented for the applications to achieve the optimal value of the accessible network's data rate through the water‐filling method. This model also performs coded routing in the multi‐hop backhauls to efficiently use the existing infrastructure of the cooperative networks for coding dual‐hop transmissions. The simulation results exhibit considerable network throughput and EE increase by 42% and 30%, respectively, for the proposed ruin‐based energy‐efficient approach in comparison with the conventional signal‐to‐interference/noise ratio‐based schemes.