Explaining Scientific Collaboration: a General Functional Account

For two centuries, collaborative research has become increasingly widespread. Various explanations of this trend have been proposed. Here, we offer a novel functional explanation of it. It differs from ac- counts like that of Wray (2002) by the precise socio-epistemic mech- anism that grounds the beneficialness of collaboration. Boyer-Kassem and Imbert (2015) show how minor differences in the step-efficiency of collaborative groups can make them much more successful in particular configurations. We investigate this model further, derive robust social patterns concerning the general successfulness of collaborative groups, and argue that these patterns can be used to defend a general functional account

Scientific Collaboration: Do Two Heads Need to Be More than Twice Better than One?

Epistemic accounts of scientific collaboration usually assume that, one way or another, two heads really are more than twice better than one. We show that this hypothesis is unduly strong. We present a deliberately crude model with unfavorable hypotheses. We show that, even then, when the priority rule is applied, large differences in successfulness can emerge from small differences in efficiency, with sometimes increasing marginal returns. We emphasize that success is sensitive to the structure of competing communities. Our results suggest that purely epistemic explanations of the efficiency of collaborations are less plausible but have much more powerful socioepistemic version

Effect of molecular weight and drying temperature on the physicochemical properties of chitosan edible film

Background Chitosan is the second most abundant polysaccharide abundant in nature after cellulose. In this study chitosan edible films with three different molecular weights (low [LMW], medium [MMW] and high [HMW] molecular weights) were prepared by drying them at room (21°C), 40 and 50°C and their physicochemical properties were characterized. Results Molecular weight had a positive effect on the thickness, tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EAB) and swelling ability (SA) of the films. However, film solubility(S) and water vapor permeability (WVP) were negatively affected. Higher drying temperatures increased the TS of the films whereas lower drying temperatures increased the MC, S, WVP and the EAB of the films. All the films prepared were transparent; however, films made with LMW chitosan were yellowish color. FTIR spectra of the films were influenced by the molecular weight of chitosan and the drying temperature, which revealed that there was an interaction between MW and the drying temperature. Conclusion This study demonstrated that films made with medium MW chitosan by drying at room temperature had the most favorable properties for food packaging applications

Explaining Scientific Collaboration: a General Functional Account

For two centuries, collaborative research has become increasingly widespread. Various explanations of this trend have been proposed. Here, we offer a novel functional explanation of it. It differs from ac- counts like that of Wray (2002) by the precise socio-epistemic mech- anism that grounds the beneficialness of collaboration. Boyer-Kassem and Imbert (2015) show how minor differences in the step-efficiency of collaborative groups can make them much more successful in particular configurations. We investigate this model further, derive robust social patterns concerning the general successfulness of collaborative groups, and argue that these patterns can be used to defend a general functional account

Photo-Induced Depolymerisation: Recent Advances and Future Challenges

Facing the growing environmental issues provoked by the use of nondegradable polymers in many fields (for example, packing, building, and clothing), tremendous efforts have been made to explore photodegradable materials to alleviate the increase in plastic pollution. Photodegradable materials would exploit significant advantages presented by the use of light, such as abundance, safety and the ability to easily tune intensity and wavelength. In particular, photo-induced depolymerisation has received increasing attention, which could enable polymers to degrade to their original monomers or small molecules under certain photoirradiation conditions. Most importantly, the obtained molecules or monomers via photo-induced depolymerisation could be conveniently recycled or further transformed to other high-value-added products, which is of great benefit for environmental protection. This Review summarizes recent advances in the growing field of photo-induced depolymerisation and also considers future challenges that must be addressed. It aims to encourage new researchers to enter this flourishing area and presents a brief guide to the field

Polymers for fluorescence imaging of formaldehyde in living systems via the Hantzsch reaction

Formaldehyde (FA) has been detected via the Hantzsch reaction for many decades. However, the Hantzsch reaction has been rarely used to detect FA in biological systems due to the disadvantages of small-molecule probes (including toxicity and poor water solubility). In this study, polymeric fluorescent probes were developed to resolve these issues associated with small molecules, and FA in living systems was successfully detected via the Hantzsch reaction. These water-soluble polymers were easily scaled-up (∼25 g) by radical polymerization using commercial monomers. These polymers exhibited similar, albeit better, sensitivity to FA compared to water-soluble small molecules, primarily indicative of the advantages of polymers for the detection of FA via the Hantzsch reaction. The polymer structures were highly biocompatible with the probes; thus, these polymers can effectively detect endogenous FA in cells or zebrafish in a safe manner. This result confirmed the superiority of polymers in safety as biocompatible materials. This study highlights a straightforward method for exploring probes for the detection of FA in living systems. It offers functional polymers for bioimaging and extends the application scope of the Hantzsch reaction, reflecting the utility of a broad study of organic reactions in interdisciplinary fields as well as possible key implications in organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and polymer chemistry

Insight into Bioactivity of In‐situ Trapped Enzyme‐Covalent‐Organic Frameworks

Selecting a suitable support material for enzyme immobilization with excellent biocatalytic activity and stability is a critical aspect in the development of functional biosystems. The highly stable and metal‐free properties of covalent‐organic frameworks (COFs) make them ideal supports for enzyme immobilization. Herein, we constructed three kinds of COFs via a biofriendly and one‐pot synthetic strategy at room temperature in aqueous solution. Among the three developed COFs (COF‐LZU1, RT‐COF‐1 and ACOF‐1), the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)‐incorporated COF‐LZU1 is found to retain the highest activity. Structural analysis reveals that a weakest interaction between the hydrated enzyme and COF‐LZU1, an easiest accessibility by the COF‐LZU1 to the substrate, as well as an optimal conformation of enzyme together promote the bioactivity of HRP‐COF‐LZU1. Furthermore, the COF‐LZU1 is revealed to be a versatile nanoplatform for encapsulating multiple enzymes. The COF‐LZU1 also offers superior protection for the immobilized enzymes under harsh conditions and during recycling. The comprehensive understanding of interfacial interactions of COF host and enzyme guest, the substrate diffusion, as well as the enzyme conformation alteration within COF matrices represents an opportunity to design the ideal biocatalysts and opens a broad range of applications of these nanosystems

Copper(0)-mediated radical polymerisation in a self-generating biphasic system

Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of well-defined poly(n-alkyl acrylate)s via copper(0)-mediated radical polymerisation in a self-generating biphasic system. During the polymerisation of n-butyl acrylate in DMSO, the polymer phase separates to yield a polymer-rich layer with very low copper content (ICP-MS analysis: 0.016 wt%). The poly(n-butyl acrylate) has been characterized by a range of techniques, including GPC, NMR and MALDI-TOF, to confirm both the controlled character of the polymerisation and the end group fidelity. Moreover, we have successfully chain extended poly(n-butyl acrylate) in this biphasic system several times with n-butyl acrylate to high conversion without intermediate purification steps. A range of other alkyl acrylates have been investigated and the control over the polymerisation is lost as the hydrophobicity of the polymer increases due to the increase in alkyl chain length indicating that it is important for the monomer to be soluble in the polar solvent

Author Correction:3D-printed liquid metal polymer composites as NIR-responsive 4D printing soft robot

Correction to: Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43667-4, published online 28 November 2023