Using normative ethics for building a good evaluation of research practices: towards the assessment of researcher’s virtues

This paper is an attempt of using co-citation analysis to sort out and to analyze the development and evolution of a latest hot area, open innovation from the perspective of network embedding. A dataset of 1437 records published between 1990 and 2019 is collected from Web of Science database. The empirical results show the latest hot topics in the open innovation study focus on innovation performance and value creation. In addition, we make a new interpretation of open innovation from four aspects: innovation and entrepreneurship, resource acquisition, knowledge sharing and innovation performance, then combines the importance of network embedding to the innovation and development of enterprises, and proposes the future research direction of open innovation. Our research in this paper is helpful to systematically sort out the knowledge context of open innovation, which is of great significance to the construction and development of open innovation knowledge system. The conclusions and implications in this paper will be particularly illuminating for both academic research and enterprises’ practice application.

     

A comparison of three multidisciplinarity indices based on the diversity of Scopus subject areas of authors’ documents,their bibliography and their citing papers

Scientometrics - In this paper, we compare the distribution of Elsevier Scopus subject areas of authors’ documents, their bibliographical references and their citing documents. We compute the...     

Tunable,Grating-Gated,Graphene-On-Polyimide Terahertz Modulators

An electrically switchable graphene terahertz (THz) modulator with a tunable-by-design optical bandwidth is presented and it is exploited to compensate the cavity dispersion of a quantum cascade laser (QCL). Electrostatic gating is achieved by a metal grating used as a gate electrode, with an HfO₂/AlO_x gate dielectric on top. This is patterned on a polyimide layer, which acts as a quarter wave resonance cavity, coupled with an Au reflector underneath. The authors achieve 90% modulation depth of the intensity, combined with a 20 kHz electrical bandwidth in the 1.9–2.7 THz range. The modulator is then integrated with a multimode THz QCL. By adjusting the modulator operational bandwidth, the authors demonstrate that the graphene modulator can partially compensate the QCL cavity dispersion, resulting in an integrated laser behaving as a stable frequency comb over 35% of the operational range, with 98 equidistant optical modes and a spectral coverage ~1.2 THz. This paves the way for applications in the terahertz, such as tunable transformation-optics devices, active photonic components, adaptive and quantum optics, and metrological tools for spectroscopy at THz frequencies.     

A comprehensive investigation of dye–chitosan blended films for green chemistry applications

In this paper, the ability of chitosan film to remove dyestuff from wastewater was evaluated for environmental applications, using three commercial direct azo dyes. Two chitosan films were adopted: the standard one prepared following a well‐known procedure to form it, and a novel one, with a weakly acidic character. Moreover, to improve the adsorption process, the hydrophobic character of the films was investigated. The pH of the dye solutions was also changed, showing an excellent ability in dye removal at pH 12. The films were characterized by means of spectroscopic and morphologic methods to better understand the nature of interactions between dyes and chitosan chains. Swelling ratio measurements were also performed. All analyses suggest that all dyes showed a strong affinity to chitosan polymer chains, with the presence of extended hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals forces perturbing the chitosan network. Interestingly, very good results were obtained in recycling experiments related to the dyeing capacities of chitosan blended films in the presence of textiles. An ecofriendly application is thus presented in this paper. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45945.     

Improved in vitro anti-tumoral activity, intracellular uptake and apoptotic induction of gemcitabine-loaded pegylated unilamellar liposomes

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is one of the most aggressive and lethal solid carcinomas affecting humans. A major limit of the chemotherapeutic agents is represented by their low therapeutic index. In this work, we investigated the possibility of improving the anti-tumoral activity of gemcitabine by using pegylated unilamellar liposomes. Liposomes were made up of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospocholine monohydrate/cholesterol/N-(carbonyl-methoxypolyethylene glycol-2000)-1, 2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (6:3:1 molar ratio) and they were prepared with a pH gradient to improve the gemcitabine loading capacity. The anti-tumoral efficacy of the liposomal formulation was tested in vitro on human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells (ARO) in culture, comparing the effects with those of the free drug. Gemcitabine-loaded unilamellar liposomes had a mean size approximately 200 nm with a zeta potential approximately -2 mV. The liposomal carrier noticeably improved the anti-tumoral activity of gemcitabine against ARO cells in terms of both dose-dependent cytotoxic effect and of drug exposition effect. Namely, gemcitabine-loaded liposomes showed a cytotoxic effect (58.2% increase of cell mortality at 1 microM with respect to free drug) after 12 h incubation, while the free drug showed a significant activity only after 72 h incubation. Moreover, a significant effect on the cell mortality appeared at 0.1 microM and 100% mortality was detected at a concentration of 1 microM of gemcitabine-loaded liposomes, while the free drug elicited the same effect at a concentration of 100 microM. The improved anti-tumoral activity of gemcitabine determined by the liposomal carrier was due to a greater intracellular uptake. The intracellular gemcitabine levels as a function of time showed a sinusoidal profile with peaks after 2 h, 6 h and 11 h, related to the cellular cycle of ARO. PARP cleavage and DNA fragmentation analysis provided clear evidence of the apoptosis induction in ARO cells by treatment with liposomally entrapped gemcitabine after 72 h incubation. Thus, gemcitabine-loaded liposomes may have a potential therapeutic relevance for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.     

Breakdown of the adiabatic Born-Oppenheimer approximation in graphene

The adiabatic Born-Oppenheimer approximation (ABO) has been the standard ansatz to describe the interaction between electrons and nuclei since the early days of quantum mechanics. ABO assumes that the lighter electrons adjust adiabatically to the motion of the heavier nuclei, remaining at any time in their instantaneous ground state. ABO is well justified when the energy gap between ground and excited electronic states is larger than the energy scale of the nuclear motion. In metals, the gap is zero and phenomena beyond ABO (such as phonon-mediated superconductivity or phonon-induced renormalization of the electronic properties) occur. The use of ABO to describe lattice motion in metals is, therefore, questionable. In spite of this, ABO has proved effective for the accurate determination of chemical reactions, molecular dynamics and phonon frequencies in a wide range of metallic systems. Here, we show that ABO fails in graphene. Graphene, recently discovered in the free state, is a zero-bandgap semiconductor that becomes a metal if the Fermi energy is tuned applying a gate voltage, Vg. This induces a stiffening of the Raman G peak that cannot be described within ABO.     

Topologically controlled growth of magnetic-metal-functionalized semiconductor oxide nanorods

Colloidal semiconductor-magnetic hybrid nanocrystals with topologically controlled composition are fabricated by heterogeneous nucleation of spherical epsilon-Co domains onto anatase TiO2 nanorods. The latter can be selectively decorated at either their tips or at multiple locations along their longitudinal sidewalls, forming lattice-matched heterointerfaces regardless of the metal deposition sites. The possibility of switching between either heterostructure growth modes arises from the facet-dependent chemical reactivity of the oxide seeds, which is governed mainly by selective adhesion of the surfactants rather than by small differences in misfit-induced interfacial strain at the relevant junction points.     

In situ observations of catalyst dynamics during surface-bound carbon nanotube nucleation

We present atomic-scale, video-rate environmental transmission electron microscopy and in situ time-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of surface-bound catalytic chemical vapor deposition of single-walled carbon nanotubes and nanofibers. We observe that transition metal catalyst nanoparticles on SiOx support show crystalline lattice fringe contrast and high deformability before and during nanotube formation. A single-walled carbon nanotube nucleates by lift-off of a carbon cap. Cap stabilization and nanotube growth involve the dynamic reshaping of the catalyst nanocrystal itself. For a carbon nanofiber, the graphene layer stacking is determined by the successive elongation and contraction of the catalyst nanoparticle at its tip.     

The Emerging Role of Presepsin (P-SEP) in the Diagnosis of Sepsis in the Critically Ill Infant: A Literature Review

Sepsis causes high rates of morbidity and mortality in NICUs. The estimated incidence varies between 5 and 170 per 1000 births, depending on the social context. In very low birth-weight neonates, the level of mortality increases with the duration of hospitalization, reaching 36% among infants aged 8–14 days and 52% among infants aged 15–28 days. Early diagnosis is the only tool to improve the poor prognosis of neonatal sepsis. Blood culture, the gold standard for diagnosis, is time-consuming and poorly sensitive. C-reactive protein and procalcitonin, currently used as sepsis biomarkers, are influenced by several maternal and fetal pro-inflammatory conditions in the perinatal age. Presepsin is the N-terminal fragment of soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST): it is released in the bloodstream by monocytes and macrophages, in response to bacterial invasion. Presepsin seems to be a new, promising biomarker for the early diagnosis of sepsis in neonates as it is not modified by perinatal confounding inflammatory factors. The aim of the present review is to collect current knowledge about the role of presepsin in critically ill neonates.