RSC Advances Blog

RSC Advances Reviewer Panel: 2017 Outstanding Reviewers

24 May 2018

We are delighted to highlight the Outstanding Reviewers for RSC Advances in 2017, as selected by the editorial team, for their significant contribution to the journal. The reviewers have been chosen from the reviewer panel based on the quantity, quality and timeliness of the reports completed over the last 12 months.

A big thank you to those individuals listed here as well as to all of the reviewers on the RSC Advances reviewer panel that have supported the journal.

Each Outstanding Reviewer will receive a certificate to give recognition for their significant contribution.

Mr Rok Borstnar, Laboratory for genotoxicity
Dr Nghia Truong, Phuoc Monash University, ORCID: 0000-0001-9900-2644
Dr Wujun Fu, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dr S. Girish Kumar, CMR University, ORCID: 0000-0001-9132-1202
Dr Nicholas Geitner, Duke University, ORCID: 0000-0003-4313-372X
Dr Emanuele Curotto, University of Arcadia, ORCID: 0000-0001-9119-3263
Dr Yoong Ahm Kim, Chonnam National University, ORCID: 0000-0003-4074-7515
Dr Paul Trippier, Texas Tech University
Dr Michele Ceotto, Universita’ degli Studi di Milano, ORCID: 0000-0002-8270-3409
Dr Chunping Yang, Hunan University, ORCID: 0000-0003-3987-2722
Dr Wei Li, Utah State University, ORCID: 0000-0003-2802-7443
Dr Mark Waterland, Massey University, ORCID: 0000-0002-8493-9407
Dr Leo Small, Sandia National Laboratories, ORCID: 0000-0003-0404-6287
Dr Marija Gizdavic-Nikolaidis, The University of Auckland, ORCID: 0000-0002-8076-8508
Dr Xin Liu, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, ORCID: 0000-0002-4422-4108
Dr Zhijie Ma, University of Colorado Boulder, ORCID: 0000-0002-0734-1903
Dr Juliano Bonacin, University of Campinas, ORCID: 0000-0001-9399-1031
Dr Daniela Giacomazza, Istituto di Biofisica, ORCID: 0000-0002-6667-0205
Dr Ekkehard Lindner, Universitat Tubingen
Professor Zhenghua Tang, South China University of Technology, ORCID: 0000-0003-0718-3164
Dr Weixia Zhang, Harvard University, ORCID: 0000-0002-5835-2020
Dr Sreekuttan Unni, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, ORCID: 0000-0002-0403-9186
Professor Christian Robl, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Professor Stanislaw Slomkowski, Center of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, ORCID: 0000-0003-1543-535X
Dr Rui Oliveira, Universidade do Minho, ORCID: 0000-0002-3989-8925
Dr Wan Basirun, University of Malaya, ORCID: 0000-0001-8050-6113
Dr Yang Zhang, Arizona State University
Dr Maria Timofeeva, Novosibirsk State Technichal University
Dr Luis Simon, University of Salamanca, ORCID: 0000-0002-3781-0803
Dr Tsinghai Wang, National Tsing Hua University, ORCID: 0000-0003-4629-2005
Dr Thomas Mayer-Gall, Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West, ORCID: 0000-0002-2822-6461
Dr Guowei Zhou Qilu, University of Technology
Dr Xiehong Cao, Nanyang Technological University, ORCID: 0000-0002-3004-7518
Dr Quanjun Xiang, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, ORCID: 0000-0002-4486-7429
Dr Miklós Kubinyi, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, ORCID: 0000-0002-6343-0820
Dr Hu Li, Guizhou University, ORCID: 0000-0003-3604-9271
Dr Xuefeng Guo, Nanjing University, ORCID: 0000-0002-5492-5899
Dr Ahmad Zoolfakar, Universiti Teknologi MARA
Dr Bogdan-Marian Tofanica, Technical University of Iasi, ORCID: 0000-0002-4975-4650
Dr Zhiwei Xu, Tianjin Polytechnic University, ORCID: 0000-0003-1308-8884
Dr Tamás Vidóczy, Institute of Structuraél Chemistry
Dr Marinos Pitsikalis, University of Athens, ORCID: 0000-0002-7836-4862
Dr Haibo Shu, China Jiliang University, ORCID: 0000-0003-1728-2190
Dr Lin Zhang, Auburn University
Dr Ignacio Alfonso, Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña, ORCID: 0000-0003-0678-0362
Dr Igor Komarov, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, ORCID: 0000-0002-7908-9145
Dr Xiao-Yu Hu, Nanjing University, ORCID: 0000-0002-9634-315X
Dr Zhe Wang, National Institutes of Health
Dr Muhammad Hossain, Yeungnam University, ORCID: 0000-0002-3428-8271
Dr Vaibhav Mehta, Marwadi University, ORCID: 0000-0003-4426-3374

Thank you to the RSC Advances board and our community for their continued support of the journal, as authors, reviewers and readers.

If you would like to become a reviewer for our journal, just email us with details of your research interests and an up-to-date CV or résumé. You can find more details in our author and reviewer resource centre

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Read our most downloaded RSC Advances articles of 2017

18 Apr 2018

By Aliya Anwar.

We are delighted to present a collection which showcases some of the most accessed RSC Advances articles published in 2017. This provides an easy way to access the most important papers published in RSC Advances in this year in your area of research.

RSC Advances is the largest open access chemistry journal, bringing you the latest research from right across the chemical sciences. For enhanced browsing and discoverability, topic-modelling technology automatically categorises articles into one or more of the 12 main subject categories and over 100 further subcategories.

The articles in the collection highlight the most exciting and important research published across analytical chemistry, biological chemistry, catalysis, chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, energy, environmental chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, nanoscience, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.

Follow the link to find our most downloaded articles in your research area.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles!

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RSC Advances celebrates Open Access week 2017!

19 Oct 2017

By Michelle Canning.

As we prepare to celebrate the 8^th International Open Access week from 23-29 October 2017, it is an opportunity to highlight the benefits of Open Access and what it means for the RSC Advances research community…

We have published over 5600 open access articles so far in 2017, all of which are freely available to read on our website!

Open access refers to the free and permanent unrestricted online access to scholarly research and aims to maximise the visibility of research.

RSC Advances provides a high quality, open access option that helps get our authors’ work the attention that it deserves. Community-led, with an international team of associate editors, a dedicated reviewer panel and features such as article-based publishing, RSC Advances has been gold open access since January 2017, with one of the lowest article processing charges in the industry.

We deliberately push the boundaries with RSC Advances, always looking for new and unique ways to make the scientific developments we publish accessible to the widest possible audience.

See below for a sample of some of these articles that can be read for free, starting with our 5000^th published article this year!

Fabrication of nanoporous copper with tunable ligaments and promising sonocatalytic performance by dealloying Cu–Y metallic glasses

Ning Wang, Ye Pan, Shikai Wu, Enming Zhang and Weiji Dai

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 43255-43265

DOI: 10.1039/C7RA08390D

High-quality CsPbBr₃ perovskite nanocrystals for quantum dot light-emitting diodes

Xiafang Du, Guan Wu, Jian Cheng, Hui Dang, Kangzhe Ma, Ya-Wen Zhang, Peng-Feng Tan and Su Chen

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 10391-10396

DOI: 10.1039/C6RA27665b

Auxetic mechanical metamaterials

H. M. A. Kolken and A. A. Zadpoor

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 5111-5129

DOI: 10.1039/C7RA27333e

Enhanced seed germination and plant growth by atmospheric pressure cold air plasma: combined effect of seed and water treatment

L. Sivachandiran and A. Khacef

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 1822-1832

DOI: 10.1039/C6RA24762H

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Equation to end bond order contention

05 Oct 2017

By Aliya Anwar.

Written by Jennifer Newton for Chemistry World

A researcher in the US has proposed a new way of computing bond order, which he says is more general and more consistently accurate across diverse kinds of materials.

Computed bond orders in red, sum of bond orders in blue, and net atomic charges in black for two hexafluorides

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry SF6 contains six single-order S–F bonds and confirms that SF6transcends the Lewis octet rule that predicts four rather than six shared electron pairs around the central sulfur atom. The Db–F bond order (0.75) is lower than the S–F bond order (0.95)

Bond order quantifies how many electrons two atoms in a material share. But it’s a theoretical concept, not something you observe experimentally, so defining it and calculating it can get a bit fuzzy. ‘Some new chemistry students find it difficult to memorise which rules apply to which chemicals. For example, why should N₂ and CF₄ be described by a Lewis structure while triplet O₂ and SF₆are not?’ says Thomas Manz of New Mexico State University. ‘My method introduces a unifying principle where you no longer have to memorise different rules for different materials. All you have to do is calculate and you will get the accurate bond order,’ he explains.

Interested? The full story can be read in Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below and is free to access until the 13^th November 2017:

Introducing DDEC6 atomic population analysis: part 3. Comprehensive method to compute bond orders
Thomas A. Manz
RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 45552-45581
DOI:10.1039/C7RA07400J

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Overwhelmed to death: an anti-cancer gene therapy approach paired with an immune-activating distress signal

13 Jul 2017

By Anand Devasthanam.

Frontline therapies for treating colorectal cancer have shortcomings. These include their inability to impede local tumor recurrence and metastatic spread to distant sites such as the abdomen.

Researchers have now utilized a gene therapy approach that simultaneously compromises cancer cell survival while activating immune system cells with cancer-killing abilities.

Gene therapy – an advanced technique developed to insert or inject therapeutic genes into human cells – has shown some success in treating the disease. In a previous study, Xiao and co-investigators at State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, and the Department of Thoracic Oncology Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, had used a gene therapy approach to induce cancer cell death. Their study found that Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein (VSVMP), when inserted into a cancer cell, compromises the cellular skeletal framework, which is made up of structural proteins. Cell death ensued as a consequence.

In the current study, the research team further armed with VSVMP gene delivery vessel with Interleukin-12 (IL-12) – a protein known to recruit and switch on the cancer-killing functions of immune cells.

The novel drug particles are based on Heparin-polyethyleneimine (HPEI) nanoparticles. To overcome the high toxicity and non-biocompatible nature of PEI, the team used a method to covalently conjugate this substance with heparin.

Their results, based on lab-grown cancer cells and animal studies, suggest that this novel complexed drug molecule (particle size: 53nm) increases tumor cell death, reduces division frequency, and stimulates the recruitment and activation of two types of cancer-killing cells: T cells and NK cells.

Specifically, the drug inhibited the growth of C-26 colon cancer cells. Animal studies showed that the drug reduced tumor weight. Metastatic spread of tumor cells to the abdomen was also reduced. The team proposes that the drug-derived IL-12 induces a secondary cascade of chemical mediators, which in turn recruit and activate cancer-killing immune cells. Their data supports this proposal. Interestingly, their study also found that the complexed drug molecule did not show adverse side effects within the major organs.

Read the full article here:

Nanoparticles co-delivering pVSVMP and pIL12 for synergistic gene therapy of colon cancer

Yuanyuan Xiao, Yuping Yang, Yujiao Wu, Chunmei Wang, Hao Cheng, Wei Zhao, Yang Li, Beibei Liu, Jianlin Long, Wenhao Guo, Guangping Gaoa and Maling Gou

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RSC Advances 2016 Impact Factor – 3.108

23 Jun 2017

By Aliya Anwar.

The 2016 Journal Citation Reports® have just been released and we are pleased to announce that RSC Advances received an Impact Factor of 3.108.

We would like to thank all our authors, referees and readers who have contributed to this success, as well our Editorial and Advisory Boards for their hard work and continued support. Because of you, RSC Advances has maintained its position as a high quality, broad multidisciplinary journal.

We invite you to submit your best work to RSC Advances!

Here are the top five articles that contributed to the 2016 Impact Factor. All of these articles will be free to access for 4 weeks.

Size-controlled silver nanoparticles synthesized over the range 5–100 nm using the same protocol and their antibacterial efficacy
Shekhar Agnihotri, Soumyo Mukherji and Suparna Mukherji*
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA44507K, (Open Access)
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 3974-3983, Paper

Zinc oxide based photocatalysis: tailoring surface-bulk structure and related interfacial charge carrier dynamics for better environmental applications
S. Girish Kumar and K. S. R. Koteswara Rao*
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA13299H
RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 3306-3351, Review Article

Recent developments in heterogeneous photocatalytic water treatment using visible light-responsive photocatalysts: a review
Shuying Dong, Jinglan Feng, Maohong Fan, Yunqing Pi, Limin Hu, Xiao Han, Menglin Liu, Jingyu Sun* and Jianhui Sun*
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA13734E
RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 14610-14630, Review Article

Removal of basic dye Auramine-O by ZnS:Cu nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon: optimization of parameters using response surface methodology with central composite design
Arash Asfaram, Mehrorang Ghaedi, Shilpi Agarwal, Inderjeet Tyagi and Vinod Kumar Gupta*
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA15637D
RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 18438-18450, Paper

Glutaraldehyde in bio-catalysts design: a useful crosslinker and a versatile tool in enzyme immobilization
Oveimar Barbosa, Claudia Ortiz, Ángel Berenguer-Murcia, Rodrigo Torres, Rafael C. Rodrigues* and Roberto Fernandez-Lafuente*
DOI: 10.1039/C3RA45991H
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 1583-1600, Review Article

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A closer look at clean dishes: detection of domestic detergent residues with LIBS technology

05 Jun 2017

By Anand Devasthanam.

Dish detergents help keep our dishes clean; however, the long term health effects of detergent residues on tableware and cookware is yet to be discussed publicly. Studies suggest that certain household detergents may be linked with disturbances in hormone regulation in humans.

As a first step in uncovering the role of domestic dish detergent in affecting health, a research team comprising scientists from China Agricultural University, China Research Center of Intelligent Equipment for Agriculture, and Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, have developed a method to detect detergent residue rapidly and in real-time, i.e., the process does not involve dissolving, preparing, or conditioning the residue prior to detection.

This method is based on a process called Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). Detergent residues are first vaporized by a high-power laser, leading to the generation of vaporized plasma. At the end of the laser pulse, these atoms and ions spontaneously return from a higher energy state to a lower energy state. This energy decay is associated with the emission of optical radiation of specific wavelengths. The emitted radiation is collected and channeled toward a spectrometer, which converts wavelength information into readable numbers that scientists can record and analyze.

Although the LIBS technology has existed for several years, and is used routinely by researchers in the field, this study let by Zhao an colleagues is the first to use this method to measure household detergents.

Graphical abstract for C7RA04304J

Analogous to how a sensor at a grocery store is programmed to recognize barcodes printed on different items, the scientists used the numbers generated by the spectrometer to generate ‘signatures’ to help them recognize the different detergents used in the study. Using this method, the team found that detergent detection in real-time can be more flexible, used with tableware of different shapes, used to measure trace amounts of detergent, compatible with dry and wet dishes, and safe on tableware.

To demonstrate the utility of the method to real world applications, the team conducted a series of timed dish washes and residue analyses. Their results suggest that a 16-minute rinse removes detergent residues. They also suggest that this information will be useful in designing and programming commercial dishwashers.

This study may someday inspire public health advocates to take a closer look at the prevalence of dish residues in public and household settings. When this day arrives, LIBS technology for residue detection may be pivotal in conducting studies to better understand the relationship between dish residues and overall wellbeing.

Read the full article here:

Detection of domestic detergent residues on porcelain tableware using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy
Xiande Zhao, Daming Dong, Yang Lic and Chunjiang Zhao
RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 28689-28695 (Open Access)

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Tomography keeps its cool to analyse ice cream

30 Mar 2017

By Aliya Anwar.

Written by Aurora Walshe for Chemistry World

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry This 3D rendered image shows a central air cell bounded by faceted ice crystals. Scale bar is 100mm

Researchers from the UK have developed a new 3D x-ray tomography (XRT) method to visualise the effects of changing temperature on the microstructure of ice cream.

Ice cream is a mixture of milk, fats, sugars, proteins, emulsifiers, stabilisers and flavours that are aerated and then frozen to form a soft solid comprising about 30% ice, 50% air, and 5–15% fat droplets suspended in a sugar solution. Its quality depends on the size of its ice crystals and air bubbles: smaller crystals and bubbles make it smoother and creamier. And since this complex colloid is unstable above –30˚C, its microstructure will change during shipping and storage (domestic freezers are usually at around –18˚C), which will affect its taste and texture.

Interested? The full article can be read in Chemistry World.

The original RSC Advances article can be read below and is open access:

Synchrotron X-ray tomographic quantification of microstructural evolution in ice cream – a multi-phase soft solid
Enyo Guo et al.,
RSC Adv.,2017, 7, 15561-15573
DOI: 10.1039/C7RA00642J

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Can this quantum sized double-edged sword help diagnose and treat breast cancer?

09 Mar 2017

By Anand Devasthanam.

In a study led by Ko and colleagues at the Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Korea, researchers armed graphene QDs with two therapeutic moieties: a HER-targeting antibody meant to help the therapeutic QDs find HER2-expressing breast cancer cells; and doxorubicin (DOX) – a chemotherapeutic drug used widely in treating breast cancer.

Consistent with previously established criteria (size, shape etc.) for drug carriers, the current study found that the estimated size of 222 nm makes the nanocarriers good candidates for further development toward diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Further, the nanocarriers had excitation and emission wavelengths of 370 nm and 450 nm respectively, making them glow in the ultraviolet range and as a result, optimal for medical imaging applications. The research team showed through chemical binding analysis that anti-HER antibodies were firmly bound to the QDs, and that the QDs were hydrophilic. The team conducted thermal stability studies and showed that the nanocarriers were stable at temperature ranges much greater than the physiological body temperature range.

The study also analyzed whether the therapeutic nanocarriers were able to specifically target and enter breast cancer cells, release the DOX payload under specific pH and temperature conditions, and subsequently induce breast cancer cell death. Using a HER2-expressing breast cancer cell line, the team showed that the nanocarriers could kill cells in a dose dependent manner. A temperature of 37oC and pH of 5.5 were optimal for DOX release. Results in fluorescent microscopy studies suggested that DOX was released immediately after the nanocarriers entered HER2-expressing cells.

This study proposes that graphene-based QDs, when armed with anti-HER antibodies and DOX, have great potential for translation. In addition, with biomarker-based treatment decisions entering clinical practice in oncology settings, QD-based therapeutic nanocarriers are likely to have a notable impact on cancer therapy.
Read the full article here:

Graphene quantum dot-based theranostic agents for active targeting of breast cancer
N. R. Ko, M. Nafiujjaman, J. S. Lee, H.-N. Lim,a Y.-k. Lee and I. K. Kwon

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RSC Advances Blog

RSC Advances Reviewer Panel: 2017 Outstanding Reviewers

Read our most downloaded RSC Advances articles of 2017

RSC Advances celebrates Open Access week 2017!

Equation to end bond order contention

Overwhelmed to death: an anti-cancer gene therapy approach paired with an immune-activating distress signal

RSC Advances 2016 Impact Factor – 3.108

A closer look at clean dishes: detection of domestic detergent residues with LIBS technology

Top 10 most downloaded articles – January-March 2017

Tomography keeps its cool to analyse ice cream

Can this quantum sized double-edged sword help diagnose and treat breast cancer?

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