Unique Synergies Research Articles

I Single-Atom Doped P-Rich CoPn Nanocluster@CoP with Enhanced HER.

Constructing I single-atom (ISA) doped CoP electrocatalyst for HER is extremely challenging and has not been reported to date. Herein, an ISA doping-phosphatization strategy is proposed to prepare a novel I single-atom doped P-rich CoPn nanocluster@CoP electrocatalyst (ISA-CoPn/CoP) with enhanced HER performance first. ISA-CoPn/CoP shows a low overpotential of only 44 and 81mV in 0.5m H2SO4 solution, to drive a current density of 10 and 100mAcm-2. ISA and P-rich CoPn nanocluster show unique synergies, which can optimize the H adsorption energy and accelerate the kinetics of HER in the CoP system. The intermediate I─H bond vibration peak is directly observed through in situ Raman testing, demonstrating that ISA doping helps accelerate the HER process. Additionally, the ΔGH of ISA-CoPn/CoP is only 0.05eV by density functional theory (DFT) calculation, which is conducive to H2 evolution.

Composition and application prospect of several novel quantum dot-polymer composites

Composition and application prospect of several novel quantum dot-polymer composites

Abstract LB026: Exploring MCT4 inhibitor Ful-23 and cytarabine synergy in acute myeloid leukemia therapeutics

Abstract In the ongoing pursuit of addressing the formidable challenge presented by Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) treatment, this comprehensive study delves into the intricate antileukemic effects of Ful-23, our newly developed Monocarboxylate Transporter 4 (MCT4) inhibitor. Positioned as a promising candidate, Ful-23's unique mechanisms and potential synergies with established chemotherapeutic agents, such as Cytarabine, are elucidated in this research. Intracellular alkalinization stands as a crucial factor contributing to the evasion of chemotherapy by cancer cells. It serves as the primary determinant for the heightened resistance exhibited by cancer cells against chemotherapy interventions. The investigation reveals the multifaceted impact of Ful-23 on AML cells, showcasing its capacity to induce intracellular lactate accumulation and acidification. These metabolic alterations correlate with a substantial inhibition of proliferation, as evidenced by an IC50 of approximately 0.55 μM, and a marked induction of apoptosis, particularly notable in the MV411 AML cell line. These findings underscore Ful-23's potential as a potent antileukemic agent with distinct cellular effects. A collaborative approach involves the combination of low concentrations of Ful-23 (0.312 μM) with Cytarabine (0.312 μM), revealing a significant enhancement in cytarabine-induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis when Ful-23 is introduced concurrently. Importantly, the translational impact of these findings extends to a zebrafish model, utilizing both MV411 cells and transplanted primary AML patient-derived bone marrow cells. In the zebrafish AML model, the combination treatment of Ful-23 and Cytarabine demonstrates a significant enhancement in their respective antitumor effects compared to monotherapy, indicating a pronounced synergistic effect. This additional validation strengthens the clinical relevance of the observed synergistic antileukemic interactions between Ful-23 and Cytarabine. Essentially, this investigation advances our understanding of AML treatment dynamics, emphasizing the crucial role of MCT4 inhibition and elucidating the mechanism by which it leads to intracellular acidification in synergistic therapeutic approaches for this intricate and formidable disease. Citation Format: Yong Wu, Ke Wu, Jay Vadgama. Exploring MCT4 inhibitor Ful-23 and cytarabine synergy in acute myeloid leukemia therapeutics [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr LB026.

Sterling: Synergistic Representation Learning on Bipartite Graphs

A fundamental challenge of bipartite graph representation learning is how to extract informative node embeddings. Self-Supervised Learning (SSL) is a promising paradigm to address this challenge. Most recent bipartite graph SSL methods are based on contrastive learning which learns embeddings by discriminating positive and negative node pairs. Contrastive learning usually requires a large number of negative node pairs, which could lead to computational burden and semantic errors. In this paper, we introduce a novel synergistic representation learning model (STERLING) to learn node embeddings without negative node pairs. STERLING preserves the unique local and global synergies in bipartite graphs. The local synergies are captured by maximizing the similarity of the inter-type and intra-type positive node pairs, and the global synergies are captured by maximizing the mutual information of co-clusters. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that STERLING could improve the connectivity between different node types in the embedding space. Extensive empirical evaluation on various benchmark datasets and tasks demonstrates the effectiveness of STERLING for extracting node embeddings.

Improvement of financial analysis of cluster activities

This research paper addresses the critical need for an advanced framework to elevate the financial analysis of cluster activities. Clusters, defined as geographically proximate groups of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, have emerged as key drivers of economic growth. However, the existing financial analysis methods often fall short in capturing the complex dynamics and interdependencies within these clusters. The paper delves into the current challenges and limitations of conventional financial analysis in the context of cluster activities. It highlights the inadequacy of standard metrics in capturing the unique characteristics and synergies inherent in clusters, leading to suboptimal decision-making processes. By integrating data analytics, risk assessment models, and qualitative assessments, the framework aims to provide a holistic view of the financial landscape within clusters. Also explores the broader impact on regional economic development and the potential scalability of the framework across various industries. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on financial analysis methodologies, specifically tailored for cluster activities. The proposed framework offers a sophisticated and practical solution to address the shortcomings of conventional approaches, thereby empowering stakeholders to make more informed decisions in the dynamic and interconnected landscape of cluster- based economies.

Supporting circularity in construction with performance-based deconstruction

Growing needs for sustainable consumption and production of resources call for controlling substantial amounts of waste in the construction sector. Planned dismantling of structures (i.e., deconstruction) maximizes the utilization of resources and enables Circularity in Construction (CiC). Since there is a lack of comprehensive guidance for deconstruction, this paper aims to develop a conceptual model that extracts resources from the built environment through targeted deconstruction and helps to reuse them in new construction. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed to identify the stakeholders' needs and requirements; factors that strongly affect deconstruction processes; technologies to be adopted; and the guidelines to follow. The quantitative study included Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental analysis, Co-occurrence Network analysis, and interaction analysis. The results unveiled 37 unified barriers to CiC across six categories; 42 deconstruction-related factors among four categories: Feasibility, processes, profitability, and environmental impact; and 32 unique synergies between deconstruction-related factors and Construction 4.0 technologies. The proposed model formalizes the link between existing facilities' resources and new construction projects for efficient decision-making in the planning and execution of deconstruction. The novelty of this model lies in considering people, processes, technology, and guidelines at every step to ensure the desired change.

Characterization of Quantum Frequency Processors

Frequency-bin qubits possess unique synergies with wavelength-multiplexed lightwave communications, suggesting valuable opportunities for quantum networking with the existing fiber-optic infrastructure. Although the coherent manipulation of frequency-bin states requires highly controllable multi-spectral-mode interference, the quantum frequency processor (QFP) provides a scalable path for gate synthesis leveraging standard telecom components. Here we summarize the state of the art in experimental QFP characterization. Distinguishing between physically motivated “open box” approaches that treat the QFP as a multiport interferometer, and “black box” approaches that view the QFP as a general quantum operation, we highlight the assumptions and results of multiple techniques, including quantum process tomography of a tunable beamsplitter—to our knowledge the first full process tomography of any frequency-bin operation. Our findings should inform future characterization efforts as the QFP increasingly moves beyond proof-of-principle tabletop demonstrations toward integrated devices and deployed quantum networking experiments.

Exploiting the latency of carbon as catalyst in CO2 hydrogenation

The versatility of carbon has made it propitious for catalyst fabrication across various sectors of heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, a fundamental insight into the effects of carbon-supports in CO2 hydrogenation is established by facilely preparing and investigating diversely configured carbon supported Fe catalysts. Although the active component remains Fe, unique synergies attained over the Fe-carbon interfaces created an ambience disparate among the catalysts for enhanced activity and selective distribution. Generally, the carbons facilitated C–C coupling but more C5 + hydrocarbons are observed in the products when there is a stronger interaction between the carbon support and Fe phases. The selectivity for C5+ hydrocarbons reached the highest of ∼ 40 % in total hydrocarbon products when Fe and Na were encapsulated in carbon. Carbide formation was eased as a result of enhanced CO2 adsorption by the carbon supports whereas some surface functional groups attached to carbon surfaces improved C–C coupling to olefins and heavy hydrocarbons. The results presented maintains carbon as a promising catalytic material while the emphasis on structure, configuration, and surface properties reveal essentials in designing carbon-based catalysts in heterogeneous catalysis.

Facile electrodeposition synthesis and super performance of nano-porous Ni-Fe-Cu-Co-W high entropy alloy electrocatalyst

Establishing efficient nano-porous electrocatalysts for facilitating electron transfer is a one of the useful ways for enhance water splitting. Herein, Ni-Fe-Cu-Co-W high entropy alloy (NFCCW-HEA) electrocatalysts on the iron sheet substrate have been successfully prepared by a simple and efficient one-step electrodeposition method. High entropy alloys have a variety of active sites and unique atomic scale synergies, which makes the catalyst have good catalytic performance and stability. Meanwhile, the HEA coating like cauliflower by electrodeposition can provide more attachment sites, and significantly upgrade the OER catalytic activity. NFCCW-HEA catalysts exhibit an excellent overpotential of 247.3 mV under the current density of 10 mA·cm−2, and a low Tafel slope of 62.9 mV dec−1. The electrocatalyst shows long term stability of electrolysis for over 24 h in 1 mol·L−1 KOH alkaline solution, which shows good stability. We expect to provide a new idea for the preparation of nano porous high entropy alloy electrocatalysts by one-step electrodeposition technology.

Wearable and high-performance piezoresistive sensor based on nanofiber/sodium alginate synergistically enhanced MXene composite aerogel

The emerging wearable electronics promote the rapid development of flexible piezoresistive sensors. However, it remains a big challenge to develop a high-performance piezoresistive sensor with high sensitivity, wide pressure range, and stable output. Here, an lightweight (17.33 mg cm−3) cellulose acetate nanofiber/sodium alginate synergistically enhanced MXene composite aerogel is fabricated through a liquid nitrogen-assisted unidirectional-freezing strategy. The conductive MXene-based aerogel possesses excellent mechanical performance and high compressive strength (16 kPa). Importantly, the unique synergies endow the aerogel assembled piezoresistive sensor with an ultra-high sensitivity up to 114.55 kPa−1 in a wide pressure range up to 21.78 kPa, and it can withstand more than 24,000 cycles of compression. More interestingly, the prepared sensor can be used to realize real-time monitoring of various human activities and developed as a wireless device to transmit information. The unparalleled sensing performance endows the MXene composite aerogel with a broad application prospect in the field of flexible intelligent wearable devices.

Agentic and Receptive Hope: Understanding Hope in the Context of Religiousness and Spirituality through the Narratives of Salvadoran Youth

Hope contributes to positive development in adolescents, and religious and spiritual contexts may be particularly important for developing and supporting hope. However, extant literature on hope, religion, and spirituality neglects their synergistic relation, leaving questions about how they work together to support development. In this study, we explore how religiousness and spirituality (R/S) inform hope by identifying unique synergies that might be particularly useful in difficult contexts. Multilevel qualitative content analyses of interviews conducted with 18 thriving Salvadoran adolescents (50% female, Mage = 16.39 years, SD = 1.83) involved in a faith-based program provided evidence that the ideological and relational resources associated with R/S informed these adolescents’ agentic and receptive hopes. Agentic hopes, identified through expressed hopeful future expectations, revealed that adolescents held beyond-the-self hopes focused on benefiting three distinct targets: God, community, and family. Youth also described “sanctified hopes”, which were hopes focused on fulfilling God’s purposes directly and indirectly. Analyses of receptive hopes, which consider how hope is shaped and empowered by context, revealed that for these youth, hope was experienced in seven key contexts: self, caring adult relationships, family, God, youth development sponsor, social activities, and peers. Implications for fostering hope in R/S contexts within low-to-middle-income countries are discussed.

Controlled Formation of Dimers and Spatially Isolated Atoms in Bimetallic Au-Ru Catalysts via Carbon-Host Functionalization.

The introduction of a foreign metal atom in the coordination environment of single-atom catalysts constitutes an exciting frontier of active-site engineering, generating bimetallic low-nuclearity catalysts often exhibiting unique catalytic synergies. To date, the exploration of their full scope is thwarted by (i) the lack of synthetic techniques with control over intermetallic coordination, and (ii) the challenging characterization of these materials. Herein, carbon-host functionalization is presented as a strategy to selectively generate Au-Ru dimers and isolated sites by simple incipient wetness impregnation, as corroborated by careful X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis. The distinct catalytic fingerprints are unveiled via the hydrogen evolution reaction, employed as a probe for proton adsorption properties. Intriguingly, the virtually inactive Au atoms enhance the reaction kinetics of their Ru counterparts already when spatially isolated, by shifting the proton adsorption free energy closer to neutrality. Remarkably, the effect is magnified by a factor of 2 in dimers. These results exemplify the relevance of controlling intermetallic coordination for the rational design of bimetallic low-nuclearity catalysts.

How Does an Incumbent News Media Organization Become a Platform? Employing Intra-Firm Synergies to Launch the Platform Business Model in a News Agency

ABSTRACT Digital platforms have disrupted traditional news organizations, with new platform-based models gaining ground. However, the incumbents can defend their positions and reap the benefits of multi-sided market structures by establishing a platform business model themselves. We examine a case study of the Austrian News Agency (APA), which gradually formulated a strategy that resulted in a platform-based business model. Platform features were strategized and innovated over time and in phases, with the intent of creating value for customers on both sides of the platform. We found that APA’s platform transformation was enabled by a visionary value proposition backed by a trusted institution’s legitimacy and a co-operative organizational model that provided added incentives for the participating news media companies. The strategy and the business model emerged on the basis of external developments and internal realizations concerning the feasibility of the new platform strategy. Based on our results, we develop a framework for an incumbent strategy formation process towards a platform business model. This framework demonstrates the incumbent organization’s emergent, as well as deliberate, strategic ability to introduce platform features into its business model, based on unique intra-firm synergies with established parts of the business, and highlighting a potential for “incumbent advantage.”

Achieving Unique Synergies in Antibody Expression

Achieving Unique Synergies in Antibody Expression

Target choice and unique synergies in global mobile telephony: a dyadic approach

In this paper we evaluate the heterogeneous effects of online copyright enforcement. We ask whether the unexpected shutdown of the popular file hosting platform Megaupload had a differential effect on box office revenues of wide-release vs. niche movies. Identification comes from a comparison of movies that were available on Megaupload to those that were not. We show that only movies that premiere in a relatively large number of theaters benefitted from the shutdown of Megaupload. The average effect, however, is negative. We provide suggestive evidence that this result is driven by information externalities. The idea is that online piracy acts as a mechanism to spread information about product characteristics across consumers with different valuations for the product. Our results question the effectiveness of blanket public anti piracy policy, not only from a consumer perspective, but also from a producer perspective.

Alternative to What? Agroecology, Food Sovereignty, and Cuba's Agricultural Revolution

In Cuba, the transition from industrial agriculture towards agroecology since the Special Period of the early 1990s has provided both an incredible example for alternative, sustainable food systems elsewhere as well as its own suite of challenges and struggles. This paper reviews recent literature on the Cuban agroecological transition, especially as this work situates Cuban agroecology in practice alongside the increasingly popular political framework of food sovereignty. In particular, this paper highlights the unique synergies between agroecology and food sovereignty, as well as the unique tensions that arise in applying these frameworks to the Cuban context. By probing the question as to what the Cuban agroecological experience represents an “alternative,” a more inclusive definition of food sovereignty is developed to better accommodate not only Cuban agroecology, but alternative food systems more broadly. Rather than simply an alternative to capitalist food systems or the globalized corporate food regime, agroecology, food sovereignty and other alternatives instead represent a more fundamental critique of industrialization and modernity. Building off of the specific contours of agroecological practice within Cuban Socialism, it is argued that food sovereignty in Cuba is an expression of what James Ferguson has recently termed “distributive political economy.” By applying this distributive political economic framework to the Cuban agroecological experience, the author aims not only to address some of the underlying tensions with traditional definitions of food sovereignty, but also to provide an actionable agenda for future research in Cuba and beyond.

When Do Acquiring Firms Earn Abnormal Returns

Prior research argues that acquirers need to enjoy private, unique and inimitable synergy benefits with the potential target to earn abnormal returns from that acquisition. Yet, our understanding of factors that enable acquirers to identify such unique and inimitable synergies remains somewhat under-developed. In this paper, we build on social network theory to show that the positional embeddedness of the acquirer, in terms of its central location in a network of inter-firm relationships, provides it with preferential and timely information about private synergies with potential targets that other firms cannot either identify or replicate and thereby, enjoy abnormal returns from such acquisitions. However, if the target is also centrally located in the same network, information regarding synergy benefits in combining with it is not “sufficiently private” and status conferred by the target’s own positional embeddedness allows it to negotiate away some of those benefits from the acquirer. We develop hypotheses to explain how the positional embeddedness of the acquirer and target firm have a direct and joint impact on the acquirer’s ability to realize abnormal returns to their acquisitions and find empirical support by studying 410 acquisitions in a network of 13, 104 inter-firm ties in the US software industry.

Composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini.

The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn carries the composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) designed to study thermal emission from Saturn and its rings and moons. CIRS, a Fourier transform spectrometer, is an indispensable part of the payload providing unique measurements and important synergies with the other instruments. It takes full advantage of Cassini's 13-year-long mission and surpasses the capabilities of previous spectrometers on Voyager 1 and 2. The instrument, consisting of two interferometers sharing a telescope and a scan mechanism, covers over a factor of 100 in wavelength in the mid and far infrared. It is used to study temperature, composition, structure, and dynamics of the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan, the rings of Saturn, and surfaces of the icy moons. CIRS has returned a large volume of scientific results, the culmination of over 30 years of instrument development, operation, data calibration, and analysis. As Cassini and CIRS reach the end of their mission in 2017, we expect that archived spectra will be used by scientists for many years to come.

Novel Heterogeneous Hybrid of Yolk−Shell CuO@CuFe2O4: Facile Synthesis and Enhanced Lithium‐Storage Performance

AbstractConstructing heterogeneous components with a yolk−shell structure is highly desirable for improving the lithium‐storage performance of metal oxides, owing to the unique synergies of nanostructures and composite materials. In this work, a novel heterogeneous hybrid of yolk−shell CuO@CuFe2O4 was synthesized through a simple two‐step method. Starting with Cu2O, the yolk−shell precursor was prepared through an interfacial reaction. After subsequent heat treatment of the precursor in air, yolk−shell CuO@CuFe2O4 was obtained. A reasonable mechanism for the formation process of the yolk−shell CuO@CuFe2O4 has been presented. The relatively high electrical conductivity of CuFe2O4, unique yolk−shell structure, and firm shell of the CuO@CuFe2O4 account for the extremely enhanced electrochemical properties compared to bare CuO. In particular, discharge capacities of 505 and 36 mA h g−1 were delivered after 200 cycles at 500 mA g−1 by the yolk−shell CuO@CuFe2O4 and bare CuO, respectively. This work not only provides a promising alternative anode material for lithium‐ion batteries, but also develops a new strategy to design the nanostructure and components of metal oxides for application in lithium‐ion batteries.

Merck KGaA: Sole survivor

Bayer, Hoechst, ICI, Rhone-Poulenc, Solvay, and other European corporate giants broke their drug and chemical businesses into separate firms in the name of progress and shareholder value. Today, Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA is the only major European company making both chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Merck’s performance materials business, featuring its chemical activities, posted a decline in sales last year, putting pressure on the company to take action. In 2014, facing similar conditions, Bayer decided to sell off its MaterialScience business, ending 150 years of industrial chemical production at the company. While some Merck watchers might consider it time for a breakup there as well, the firm’s chief executive officer, Stefan Oschmann, made clear at its recent financial results briefing that he intends to keep the business together. Merck is different, Oschmann said, and he expects unique synergies between its businesses to emerge with the digitization of health care. The sales slip