bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact-Losses, Reboot-Gain and Agricultural Effect during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Kumar Anil , Bhople Balkrishna S. , Kumar Arun , Kapoor Renu , Kumar Balwinder
Published: April 2021

The emerging infectious diseases are increasing in frequency exerting significant impact on human health and severely threatening global economy. Now at present, the whole globe is facing the challenges evolved owing to Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has set the clock backwards on the developmental progress of several nations including India and pauses the global economy owing to repeated lockdowns. The agricultural sector owing to its diverse output (crops, horticulture, dairying, fisheries, etc.) only showed positive growth in Indian GDP (gross domestic product) despite various challenges faced by this sector especially labour shortage, transportation, marketing, etc. The central as well as several state governments also issued supportive steps to favour agricultural related activities and provided incentives to farmers to unlock growth. Still, there is necessity to support and promote digital platforms to scale up on an emergency basis and provide an outlet for the farmers’ produce immediately. The government should think to build storage facilities on villages’ level as well as brought policies to support pricing (minimum support price) for other nutritious cereals like sorghum and millets.
A Study on Indicators for Safety Inspections at Domestic Construction Sites Based on the Type of Industrial Accident Occurrence
Authors: Lee Daeseong , Yi Waonho
Published: April 2021

In this study, we derived a construction site safety inspection list by identifying the problems of the existing safety inspection indicators. This list can prevent accidents and improve the safety of domestic construction sites. The research was conducted in the order of related laws and previous study research, meta-analysis of existing inspection indicators, derivation of safety level inspection checklist using the type of accident occurrence, and verification of the suitability of the evaluation checklist using research from a group of experts. As a key index, the construction site safety inspection index was derived by reflecting the risk factors for each type of industrial accident occurrence at the construction site. The final inspection checklist is intended to contribute to the establishment of safety management at construction sites and reduction of accident rates by deriving the actual status and problems of safety management implementation at construction sites, and presenting improvement plans.
Lifespan Characteristics of SMD-Type LED Exit Lights
Authors: Jung Jongjin
Published: April 2021

In this study, the electrical characteristics of SMD-type LED light sources, which have been used for most exit lights since 2007, were analyzed. The relationship between the electrical characteristics of the LED light source and the life of the light source was analyzed. An LED exit light that used a top-view LED and a power LED was used for this experiment. The sizes of the exit lights were medium and small. In addition, the electrical characteristics of the LED light source were analyzed by measuring the input current, light source current, and power values related to the life of the LED. As a result, when the exit lights were of the same size, the top-view LED exit light required less power and lower current than the power LED exit light, and the current and power waveforms were also good. It was also confirmed that the power LED exit light was out of the range of rated power for some samples. Therefore, when developing an LED exit light, checking the voltage, current, power, and heat dissipation of the light source together will improve product quality and future management.
Experimental Study on Occurrence Limit Heat Release Rate of Flashover in a Building Fire
Authors: Kang Seunggoo , Shin Yi Chul
Published: April 2021

In this study, to allow the flashover to occur, combustion tests were conducted by setting the conditions of a fire source using a large-scale compartment and changing the opening condition. As a result, the inside temperature of the compartment was measured under the fire source conditions. Moreover, according to the “Handbook on Design Calculation Methods of Fire Behavior” by the Architectural Institute of Japan, the validity of the heat release rate required for the flashover to occur was verified through the correlation between QFO/Qvmax and AT(kpc)1/2/cP0.5AH1/2.
Survey on Optimization of Walking Assistive Device for Evacuation and Realization of Fire for Visually Impaired
Authors: Cho Kyungsuk , Seo Donggu , Donggu Sangheon , Lee Jongho
Published: April 2021

To develop a walking aid tool that can help the visually impaired to evacuate in the event of fire, a questionnaire was devised and 100 visually impaired people were surveyed. The questionnaire was divided into four categories: fire safety education and training, self-evacuation in the event of fire, direction checking method, and applicability of an auxiliary evacuation tool. The questionnaire was conducted through a web survey and was followed by an in-depth interview with the visually impaired. The questionnaire results indicated that the respondents prefer wristband-type and conventional cane-type aid tools, which are convenient to wear and render both hands free, as evacuation walking aid tools as well as voice and touch as information sharing methods.
MXD/MIZ1 transcription regulatory complexes activate the expression of MYC‐repressed genes
Authors: Shostak Anton , Schermann Géza , Diernfellner Axel , Brunner Michael
Published: April 2021

MXDs are transcription repressors that antagonize MYC‐mediated gene activation. MYC, when associated with MIZ1, acts also as a repressor of a subset of genes, including p15 and p21. A role for MXDs in regulation of MYC‐repressed genes is not known. We report that MXDs activate transcription of p15 and p21 in U2OS cells. This activation required DNA binding by MXDs and their interaction with MIZ1. MXD mutants deficient in MIZ1 binding interacted with the MYC‐binding partner MAX and were active as repressors of MYC‐activated genes but failed to activate MYC‐repressed genes. Mutant MXDs with reduced DNA‐binding affinity interacted with MAX and MIZ1 but neither repressed nor activated transcription. Our data show that MXDs and MYC have a reciprocally antagonistic potential to regulate transcription of target genes.
Facile Design of Sulfide‐Based all Solid‐State Lithium Metal Battery: In Situ Polymerization within Self‐Supported Porous Argyrodite Skeleton
Authors: Wang Yantao , Ju Jiangwei , Dong Shanmu , Yan Yiyuan , Jiang Feng , Cui Longfei , Wang Qinglei , Han Xiaoqi , Cui Guanglei
Published: April 2021

All solid‐state batteries holds great promise for superiorly safe and high energy electrochemical energy storage. The ionic conductivity of electrolytes and its interfacial compatibility with the electrode are two critical factors in determining the electrochemical performance of all solid‐state batteries. It is a great challenge to simultaneously demonstrate fantastic ionic conductivity and compatible electrolyte/electrode interface to acquire a well‐performed all solid‐state battery. By in situ polymerizing poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate within a self‐supported 3D porous Li‐argyrodite (Li6PS5Cl) skeleton, the two bottlenecks are tackled successfully at once. As a result, all solid‐state lithium metal batteries with a 4.5 V LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode designed by this integrated strategy demonstrates a high Coulombic efficiency exceeding 99% at room temperature. Solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance data suggest that Li+ mainly migrates along the continuous Li6PS5Cl phase to result in a room temperature conductivity of 4.6 × 10−4 S cm−1, which is 128 times higher than that of the corresponding polymer. Meanwhile, the inferior solid–solid electrolyte/electrode interface is integrated via in situ polymerization to lessen the interfacial resistance significantly. This study thereby provides a very promising strategy of solid electrolyte design to simultaneously meet both high ionic conductivity and good interfacial compatibility towards practical high‐energy‐density all solid‐state lithium batteries.
General Synthesis of Ultrafine Monodispersed Hybrid Nanoparticles from Highly Stable Monomicelles
Authors: Zhao Zaiwang , Wang Xiao , Jing Xinxin , Zhao Yujuan , Lan Kun , Zhang Wei , Duan Linlin , Guo Dingyi , Wang Changyao , Peng Liang , Zhang Xingmiao , An Zesheng , Li Wei , Nie Zhihong , Fan Chunhai , Zhao Dongyuan
Published: April 2021

Ultrafine nanoparticles with organic–inorganic hybridization have essential roles in myriad applications. Over the past three decades, although various efforts on the formation of organic or inorganic ultrasmall nanoparticles have been made, ultrafine organic–inorganic hybrid nanoparticles have scarcely been achieved. Herein, a family of ultrasmall hybrid nanoparticles with a monodisperse, uniform size is synthesized by a facile thermo‐kinetics‐mediated copolymer monomicelle approach. These thermo‐kinetics‐mediated monomicelles with amphiphilic ABC triblock copolymers are structurally robust due to their solidified polystyrene core, endowing them with ultrahigh thermodynamic stability, which is difficult to achieve using Pluronic surfactant‐based micelles (e.g., F127). This great stability combined with a core–shell–corona structure makes the monodispersed monomicelles a robust template for the precise synthesis of ultrasmall hybrid nanoparticles with a highly uniform size. As a demonstration, the obtained micelles/SiO2 hybrid nanoparticles display ultrafine sizes, excellent uniformity, monodispersity, and tunable structural parameters (diameters: 24–47 nm and thin shell thickness: 2.0–4.0 nm). Notably, this approach is universal for creating a variety of multifunctional ultrasmall hybrid nanostructures, involving organic/organic micelle/polymers (polydopamine) nanoparticles, organic/inorganic micelle/metal oxides (ZnO, TiO2, Fe2O3), micelle/hydroxides (Co(OH)2), micelle/noble metals (Ag), and micelle/TiO2/SiO2 hybrid composites. As a proof of concept, the ultrasmall micelle/SiO2 hybrid nanoparticles demonstrate superior toughness as biomimetic materials.
Plasmonic Anti‐counterfeiting Labels Based on the Au@SiO2‐Embedded Electrospun Fibers
Authors: Feng Yueqi , Gu Yue , Wang Meimei , Xu Xinrui , Liu Youlin , Li Dongyan
Published: April 2021

A new type of plasmonic anti‐counterfeiting labels is designed on the basis of Au@SiO2 core–shell nanoparticles (Au@SiO2 NPs) and electrospun fibers. The fingerprint information of Raman active molecules is amplified by the plasmonic Au nanoparticles, and silica layers endow the stability of encoding information. Electrospun fibers with unordered breathable structure play the role of polymer matrix and own the flexible features. Au@SiO2 NPs are first adsorbed on the surface of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (PMMA/P4VP) fibers by noncovalent interactions, and then are decorated in/on the fibers by controlling the temperature. That is, when the temperature is higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polymer matrix, partial Au@SiO2 NPs are embedded in the PMMA/P4VP fibers. The composite fibers based on the Au@SiO2 and PMMA/P4VP fibers are fabricated, and the signals of Raman active molecules are amplified in the Au@SiO2/PMMA/P4VP fibers. The peak positions and intensity of spectra from surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy are transferred into plasmonic anti‐counterfeiting labels with different spaces and widths. The anti‐counterfeiting labels are further encrypted into quick response (QR) codes and decrypted by the smartphone. The QR codes are difficult to copy and easy to authenticate, and composite fibers possess superior stability and show potential application in the field of anti‐counterfeiting.
Potentially Wearable Thermo‐Electrochemical Cells for Body Heat Harvesting: From Mechanism, Materials, Strategies to Applications
Authors: Liu Yuqing , Wang Hongbo , Sherrell Peter C. , Liu Lili , Wang Yong , Chen Jun
Published: April 2021

Wearable electronics are becoming one of the key technologies in health care applications including health monitoring, data acquisitions, and real‐time diagnosis. The commercialization of next‐generation devices has been stymied by the lack of ultrathin, flexible, and reliable power sources. Wearable thermo‐electrochemical cells (TECs), which can convert body heat to electricity via an electrochemical process, are showing great promise as power sources for such wearable systems. TECs harvest orders of magnitude more voltage per temperature difference (Seebeck coefficient (1–34 mV K−1)) when compared to the more common thermoelectric generators (Seebeck coefficient ≈tens or hundreds of µV K−1). However, there still remain great challenges for TECs progressing towards wearable applications. This review summarizes the recent development of potentially wearable TECs with promise for body‐heat harvesting, with a specific focus on flexible electrode materials, solid‐state electrolytes, device fabrication, and strategies toward applications. It also clarifies the challenges and gives some future direction to enhance future investigations on high‐performance wearable TECs for practical and self‐powered wearable devices.
Identification of a novel pathogenic variant in CKAP2L and literature review in a child with Filippi syndrome and congenital talipes equinovarus
Authors: Karakaya Taner , Bilgic Ali Evren , Eris Deniz , Baser Burak , Mermer Serdar , Yildiz Onur
Published: April 2021

Filippi syndrome (MIM #272440), one of the craniodigital syndromes, is a rare genetic entity with autosomal recessive inheritance and characterized by pre‐ and postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, distinctive facial appearance, developmental delay/intellectual disability, and variable syndactylies of the fingers and toes. In this report, a further female patient of Filippi syndrome who additionally had a unilateral congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), a feature not previously recorded, is described. Genetic testing revealed a novel homozygous frameshift pathogenic variant (c.552_555delCAAA, p.Asn184Lysfs*8) in CKAP2L and thus confirmed the diagnosis of Filippi syndrome. We hope that the newly recognized feature (CTEV) will contribute to expand the clinical spectrum of this extremely rare condition. In view of the paucity of reported cases, the full spectrum of clinical findings of Filippi syndrome necessitates obviously further affected individuals/pedigrees delineation in order to elucidate the etiological and phenotypic aspects of this orphan disease appropriately.
4‐NH2‐TEMPO Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Silylation of Alcohols
Authors: Xu Dandan , Chen Jingchao , Li Jiayan , Zhu Yuanbin , Wu Shiyuan , Zhang Jianqiang , Liu Xingyuan , Fan Baomin
Published: April 2021

A metal‐free and effective method for the preparation of silyl ether is described. The protocol employed commercially available and easy to handle 4‐NH2‐TEMPO as catalyst to enable the dehydrogenative coupling of silanes with alcohols by releasing H2 gas as by‐product. The scope of the coupling partners is wide and delivers the desired products in good to excellent yields.
Production of clean hydrogen from methane decomposition over molten NiO‐LiOH catalyst systems supported on CaO: Synergistic effect of molten LiOH on catalyst activity
Authors: Musamali Ronald W. , Isa Yusuf M.
Published: April 2021

Mature hydrogen producing technologies like steam methane reforming, coal combustion, and hydrogenation of hydrocarbons are leading emitters of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Catalytic decomposition of methane into carbon and hydrogen is a sure way of controlling the net emission of this greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. In this study, we present an environmentally benign approach of producing hydrogen from methane over a supported molten metal oxide catalyst. Catalyst systems were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and characterized for crystallinity, shape and size, and surface area using various techniques. Methane conversion experiments were done in a packed bed reactor over three different catalyst systems synthesized from nickel oxide, lithium hydroxide, and calcium oxide (CaO) under various process conditions. Gaseous products from the reactor were analyzed using gas chromatography. Using catalyst 38N12L, 45.9% hydrogen yield was obtained at 650°C and GHSV of 1.2 Lg−1cath−1. The molten environment provided by LiOH enhanced hydrogen yields by 12.6% through surface reaction and chemisorption. Calcium oxide played a bifunctional role as a catalyst support and an adsorbent of in situ generated CO/CO2 gases thereby improving hydrogen quality.
Fabrication of MoO3/TiO2‐SiO2 with hollow spherical shape using resin as the template: Effect of decomposition of resins
Authors: Kuznetsova Svetlana A. , Khalipova Olga S. , Lisitsa Konstantin V. , Ditts Alexander A. , Malchik Alexandra G. , Chen Yu‐Wen , Kozik Vladimir V.
Published: April 2021

Anion exchange resins are widely used in template synthesis of oxide composites. The present work is aimed to study the thermal destruction of anion exchangers with divinyl‐benzene and polyacrylate matrices in order to obtain hollow spherical MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 composites from these resins preliminarily saturated with paramolybate ion and coated with tetrabutoxytitanium sol with tetroethoxysilane. It is shown that the processes of resins decomposition affect the strength of spherical composites. Decomposition of the resin with a polyacrylate matrix, accompanied by random nucleation and burnout of the organic matrix at 350°C, leads to the formation of spherical oxide composites with cracks on the surface. The decomposition reactions of the resin with a divinylbenzene matrix occurring at the boundaries of the phases of cylindrical and spherical symmetry, as well as a lower burnout temperature of the organic matrix (290°C), contribute to the formation of dense MoO3/TiO2–SiO2 spheres. Hollow spherical composites 0.3–0.5 mm in size are orthorhombic α‐MoO3 coated with a mixture of titanium dioxide with anatase structure and amorphous silicon dioxide.
Preparation of polyurethane foam fine polishing wheel for stainless steel surface
Authors: Song Xudong , Jian Yaliu , Zou Wenjun , Peng Jin , Liu Pengzhan , Xiao Furen
Published: April 2021

Comparing with dry polishing, the wet‐polishing of the stainless steel surface can significantly reduce dust, noise and other pollution, and improve the polished quality. Thus, it is important to develop new polishing tools. In this work, the effects of the foaming agent and diluents on the mechanical properties of the polyurethane foam (PUF) system were investigated, and then the effect of the filler of graphite on the structure and mechanical properties of PUF was studied. Furthermore, the PUF fine polishing wheel with aluminum oxide was prepared. Results show that the bi‐component diluents combined cyclohexane and dimethylformamide significantly affects the porosity and hardness of the PUF matrix. The filler of graphite can decrease the mechanical properties of the polyurethane matrix and increase the porosity of PUF, consequently, improve the self‐sharpening of the PUF polishing wheel. The PUF fine polishing wheel with aluminum oxide shows fine polishing performance.
Synthesis of a hydrosoluble reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer agent and application in the preparation of micro/nano‐polyacrylamide gel dispersions
Authors: Yang Ziteng , Dai Yaxing , Zhang Fengrunze , Zhang Yixi , Zheng Hongmei , Zhang Peng , Zhou Chengyu
Published: April 2021

A hydrosoluble reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent named S‐(2‐propionic acid)‐S′‐(2‐methylpropionic acid) trithiocarbonate (PAMPATTC) is successfully synthesized. Then the micro/nano‐polyacrylamide gel dispersions are prepared via one‐pot RAFT polymerization in water to solve the problems of complicated preparation process and particle size control of common profile‐controlling and flooding agents. The structure of the RAFT agent is characterized and confirmed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR). The effects of different reaction conditions on the properties of polyacrylamide gel dispersions are studied. The polymer dispersity index (PDI) of the polyacrylamide gel dispersions is tested by aqueous gel permeation chromatography, confirming the activity characteristics of RAFT polymerization. The rheological characteristics of the polyacrylamide gel dispersions and liner polyacrylamide are characterized. Compared with the liner polyacrylamide at similar viscosities, it is confirmed that the polyacrylamide gel dispersions were closer to Newtonian fluid, especially at high shear rates and the increasing amount of RAFT agent. The viscoelasticity tests under frequency scanning further confirm that the polyacrylamide gel dispersions are successfully synthesized via aqueous RAFT polymerization. The particle sizes are measured to show that the particle size of the polyacrylamide gel dispersions is micro/nano‐scale. The micromorphology of polyacrylamide gel dispersions is determined to indicate the irregular spherical structure, confirming that the micro‐particles are indeed formed by the aggregation of nano‐particles.
Information structures in sociology research papers: Modeling cause–effect and comparison relations in research objective and result statements1
Authors: Cheng Wei‐Ning , Khoo Christopher S. G.
Published: April 2021

When writing a research paper, the author has to select information to include in the paper to support various arguments. The information has to be organized and synthesized into a coherent whole through relationships and information structures. There is hardly any research on the information structure of research papers, and how information structure supports rhetorical and argument structures. Thus, this study is focused on information organization in the Abstract and Introduction sections of sociology research papers, analyzing the information structure of research objective, question, hypothesis, and result statements. The study is limited to research papers reporting research that investigated cause–effect relations between two concepts. Two semantic frames were developed to specify the types of information associated with cause–effect and comparison relations, and used as coding schemes to annotate the text for different information types. Six link patterns between the two frames were identified—showing how comparisons are used to support the claim that the cause‐effect relation is valid. This study demonstrated how semantic frames can be incorporated in discourse analysis to identify deep structures underlying the argument structure. The results carry implications for the knowledge representation of academic research in knowledge graphs, for semantic relation extraction, and teaching of academic writing.
Recent Progress on Addressing the Key Challenges in Organic Thermoelectrics
Authors: Li Jia‐Tong , Lei Ting
Published: April 2021

Compared with inorganic thermoelectric materials, organic thermoelectric (OTE) materials have attracted increasing attention due to their advantages of low toxicity, high mechanical flexibility, and large‐scale solution processability. In the past few years, OTE materials have made remarkable progress in terms of their design, synthesis, and device performance. However, some challenges remain, including the low doping efficiency in n‐type materials, poor doping stability with molecular dopants, and the largely reduced Seebeck coefficient after heavily doping,etc. All these factors hinder the further development of OTEs for commercial applications. In this Minireview, we highlight several key challenges during the development of OTEs and summarize recent understandings and efforts to address these challenges.
Robust fault‐tolerant consensus control for nonlinear multi‐agent systems with prescribed transient and steady‐state performance
Authors: Jiang Yunbiao , Liu Zhongxin , Chen Zengqiang
Published: April 2021

This paper investigates the finite‐time consensus tracking problem for second‐order nonlinear multi‐agent systems subject to the actuator bias fault. Based on the sliding mode control and prescribed performance control, two distributed fault‐tolerant consensus protocols are proposed for the sudden bias fault and the slowly varying bias fault of the actuator. The first protocol adopts a passive fault‐tolerant control scheme based on the robustness of the system, which has a simple structure, and is timely and effective against sudden faults. In the second protocol, a novel nonlinear recursive sliding mode surface is designed, and a distributed fault observer is proposed to compensate the influences caused by actuator faults actively. Both of the protocols can prescribe the transient and steady‐state performance of the system. Finally, the performances of the two protocols are verified by two simulation cases for the attitude systems of multiple unmanned underwater vehicles.
Pragmatic mAb lead molecule engineering from a developability perspective
Authors: Chi Bertie , De Oliveira Geoffrey , Gallagher Tom , Mitchell Laura , Knightley Louise , Gonzalez Cynthia C. , Russell Shannon , Germaschewski Volker , Pearce Claire , Sellick Christopher A.
Published: April 2021

As the number of antibody drugs being approved and marketed increases, our knowledge of what makes potential drug candidates a successful product has increased tremendously. One of the critical parameters that have become clear in the field is the importance of mAb “developability.” Efforts are being increasingly focused on simultaneously selecting molecules that exhibit both desirable biological potencies and manufacturability attributes. In the current study mutations to improve the developability profile of a problematic antibody that inconsistently precipitates in a batch scale‐dependent fashion using a standard platform purification process are described. Initial bioinformatic analysis showed the molecule has no obvious sequence or structural liabilities that might lead it to precipitate. Subsequent analysis of the molecule revealed the presence of two unusual positively charged mutations on the light chain at the interface of VH and VL domains, which were hypothesized to be the primary contributor to molecule precipitation during process development. To investigate this hypothesis, straightforward reversion to the germline of these residues was carried out. The resulting mutants have improved expression titers and recovered stability within a forced precipitation assay, without any change to biological activity. Given the time pressures of drug development in industry, process optimization of the lead molecule was carried out in parallel to the “retrospective” mutagenesis approach. Bespoke process optimization for large‐scale manufacturing was successful. However, we propose that such context‐dependent sequence liabilities should be included in the arsenal of in silico developability screening early in development; particularly since this specific issue can be efficiently mitigated without the requirement for extensive screening of lead molecule variants.
Evaluation of tissue integration of injectable, cell‐laden hydrogels of cocultures of mesenchymal stem cells and articular chondrocytes with an ex vivo cartilage explant model
Authors: Kim Yu Seon , Mehta Shail M. , Guo Jason L. , Pearce Hannah A. , Smith Brandon T. , Watson Emma , Koons Gerry L. , Navara Adam M. , Lam Johnny , Grande‐Allen K. Jane , Mikos Antonios G.
Published: April 2021

This study investigated the chondrogenic activity of encapsulated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and articular chondrocytes (ACs) and its impact on the mechanical properties of injectable poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐based dual‐network hydrogels loaded with poly(
l
‐lysine) (PLL). To this effect, an ex vivo study model was employed to assess the behavior of the injected hydrogels—specifically, their surface stiffness and integration strength with the surrounding cartilage. The highest chondrogenic activity was observed from AC‐encapsulated hydrogels, while the effect of PLL on MSC chondrogenesis was not apparent from biochemical analyses. Mechanical testing showed that there were no significant differences in either surface stiffness or integration strength among the different study groups. Altogether, the results suggest that the ex vivo model can allow further understanding of the relationship between biochemical changes within the hydrogel and their impact on the hydrogel's mechanical properties.
Process intensification to produce a difficult‐to‐express therapeutic enzyme by high cell density perfusion or enhanced fed‐batch
Authors: Särnlund Sigrid , Jiang Yun , Chotteau Veronique
Published: April 2021

Intensified bioprocesses have caught industrial interest in the field of biomanufacturing in recent years. Thanks to new technology, intensified processes can support high cell densities, higher productivities and longer process times, which together can offer lower cost of goods. In this study two different intensified process modes, high cell density perfusion and enhanced fed‐batch, were evaluated and compared with a conventional fed‐batch process for a difficult‐to‐express therapeutic enzyme. The intensified process modes were cultivated with a target cell density of 100 × 106 cells/ml and with alternating tangential flow filtration, ATF, as cell retention device. The processes were designed to resemble an established optimized fed‐batch process using the knowledge of this process without new dedicated optimization for the intensified modes. The design strategy included decision of the ratio of feed concentrate to base medium and glucose supplementation, which were based on target cell‐specific consumption rates of key amino acids and glucose, using a targeted feeding approach (TAFE). A difficult‐to‐express therapeutic enzyme with multiple glycosylation sites was expressed and analyzed in the different production processes. The two new intensified processes both achieved 10 times higher volumetric productivity (mg/L/day) with retained protein quality and minor changes to the glycan profile compared to the fed‐batch process. The study demonstrates the potential of using intensified processes for sensitive complex enzymes. It is shown here that it is possible to transfer a developed fed‐batch process into high cell density processes either in intensified fed‐batch or steady‐state perfusion without new dedicated optimization. The results demonstrated as well that these intensified modes significantly increase the productivity while maintaining the desired product quality, for instance the same amount of product was obtained in 1 day during the perfusion process than in a whole fed‐batch run. Without any prior optimization of the perfusion rate, the high cell density perfusion process resulted in only 1.2 times higher medium cost per gram produced protein.
Reinforcement of the Unfolded Protein Response Mitigates Cytotoxicity Induced by Human Z‐Type α1‐Antitrypsin
Authors: Lim Jaeyeon , Lee Kyunghee , Im Hana
Published: April 2021

Deficient human α1‐antitrypsin (AAT) variants are involved in pulmonary emphysema and liver cirrhosis. Especially, the Z‐type AAT (Z AAT) variant folds very slowly, and thus accumulates protein folding intermediates prone to aggregation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of hepatocytes. Misfolded proteins accumulated in the ER lead to persistent ER stress and subsequent cell death. In this study, the contribution of unfolded protein response (UPR) in Z AAT‐induced cytotoxicity was investigated. Deletions of each UPR element severely hampered growth of Z AAT‐overexpressing yeast cells. Overexpression of UPR elements, except kar2, alleviated the slow growth phenotype of Z AAT‐overexpressing cells, possibly through augmentation of folding capacity. Furthermore, reinforcement of UPR elements promoted extracellular secretion of Z AAT, which may have mitigated the plasma deficiency of AAT. Our results therefore provide further information on therapeutic strategies to address protein folding diseases.
Nuclear respiratory factor 1 protects H9C2 cells against hypoxia‐induced apoptosis via the death receptor pathway and mitochondrial pathway
Authors: Li Hui , Niu Nan , Yang Jihui , Dong Fei , Zhang Tingrui , Li Shasha , Zhao Wei
Published: April 2021

Hypoxia‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis is one of the leading causes of heart failure. Nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF‐1) was suggested as a protector against cell apoptosis; However, the mechanism is not clear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the role of NRF‐1 in hypoxia‐induced H9C2 cardiomyocyte apoptosis and to explore its effect on regulating the death receptor pathway and mitochondrial pathway. NRF‐1 was overexpressed or knocked down in H9C2 cells, which were then exposed to a hypoxia condition for 0, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h. Changes in cell proliferation, cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were investigated. The activities of caspase‐3, ‐8, and ‐9, apoptosis rate, and the gene and protein expression levels of the death receptor pathway and mitochondrial pathway were analyzed. Under hypoxia exposure, NRF‐1 overexpression improved the proliferation and viability of H9C2 cells and decreased ROS generation, MMP loss, caspase activities, and the apoptosis rate. However, the NRF‐1 knockdown group showed the opposite results. Additionally, NRF‐1 upregulated the expression of antiapoptotic molecules involved in the death receptor and mitochondrial pathways, such as CASP8 and FADD‐like apoptosis regulator, B‐cell lymphoma 2, B‐cell lymphoma‐extra‐large, and cytochrome C. Conversely, the expression of proapoptotic molecules, such as caspase‐8, BH3‐interacting domain death agonist, Bcl‐2‐associated X protein, caspase‐9, and caspase‐3 was downregulated by NRF‐1 overexpression in hypoxia‐induced H9C2 cells. These results suggest that NRF‐1 functions as an antiapoptotic factor in the death receptor and mitochondrial pathways to mitigate hypoxia‐induced apoptosis in H9C2 cardiomyocytes.
Clinicopathologic correlates and natural history of atypical chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Montalban‐Bravo Guillermo , Kanagal‐Shamanna Rashmi , Sasaki Koji , Masarova Lucia , Naqvi Kiran , Jabbour Elias , DiNardo Courtney D. , Takahashi Koichi , Konopleva Marina , Pemmaraju Naveen , Kadia Tapan M. , Ravandi Farhad , Daver Naval , Borthakur Gautam , Estrov Zeev , Khoury Joseph D. , Loghavi Sanam , Soltysiak Kelly A. , Pierce Sherry , Bueso‐Ramos Carlos , Patel Keyur P. , Verstovsek Srdan , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Bose Prithviraj , Garcia‐Manero Guillermo
Published: April 2021

Background

There are limited data on the clonal mechanisms underlying leukemogenesis, prognostic factors, and optimal therapy for atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML).

Methods

The authors evaluated the clinicopathologic features, outcomes, and responses to therapy of 65 patients with aCML. The median age was 67 years (range, 46‐89 years).

Results

The most frequently mutated genes included ASXL1 (83%), SRSF2 (68%), and SETBP1 (58%). Mutations in SETBP1, SRSF2, TET2, and GATA2 appeared at variant allele frequencies (VAFs) greater than 40%, whereas other RAS pathway mutations were more likely to appear at low VAFs. The acquisition of new, previously undetectable mutations at transformation was observed in 63% of the evaluable patients, with the most common involving signaling pathway mutations. Hypomethylating agents (HMAs) were associated with the highest response rates but with a short duration of response (median, 2.7 months). Therapy with ruxolitinib was not associated with clinically significant responses as a single agent or in combination with an HMA. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation was the only therapy associated with improved outcomes (hazard ratio, 0.144; 95% CI, 0.035‐0.593; P = .007). Age, platelet counts, bone marrow blast percentages, and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were independent predictors of survival and were integrated in a multivariable model that allowed the prediction of 1‐ and 3‐year survival.

Conclusions

aCML is characterized by high frequencies of ASXL1, SRSF2, and SETBP1 mutations and is associated with a high risk of acute myeloid leukemia transformation. Response and survival outcomes with current therapies remain poor. The incorporation of age, platelet counts, bone marrow blast percentages, and LDH levels can allow survival prediction, and allogeneic stem cell transplantation should be considered for all eligible patients.
A 3D Hierarchical Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction
Authors: Song Qinjun , Shen Baojia , Yu Jiaguo , Cao Shaowen
Published: April 2021

The construction of three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchical photocatalysts from two‐dimensional (2D) nanosheets has attracted lots of interest due to its unique structural properties. Herein we design a 3D hierarchical structure of Ti3C2Tx based on its 2D prototype as a precursor. TiO2 is in‐situ formed on the surface of Ti3C2Tx nanosheet by calcination, thereby obtaining a 3D hierarchical TiO2/Ti3C2Tx heterojunction. The rational design induces the intimate coupling of TiO2 and Ti3C2Tx, and macro‐mesopores in the hierarchical structure. The optimized sample exhibits a relatively high photocatalytic CH4 evolution activity of 4.41 μmol ⋅ g−1 ⋅ h−1, which is almost twice that of P25 (2.32 μmol ⋅ g−1 ⋅ h−1). The enhanced photocatalytic performance arises from the more efficient electron‐hole separation and better light harvesting of the 3D hierarchical structure. Moreover, the excellent CO2 adsorption ability of Ti3C2Tx also ensures effective contact between CO2 molecules and photoinduced electrons from TiO2. This work demonstrates a facile strategy for the preparation of precursor‐induced functional materials toward various applications.
Catalytic Cooperation between a Copper Oxide Electrocatalyst and a Microbial Community for Microbial Electrosynthesis
Authors: Chatzipanagiotou Konstantina‐Roxani , Soekhoe Virangni , Jourdin Ludovic , Buisman Cees J. N. , Bitter J. Harry , Strik David P. B. T. B.
Published: April 2021

Electrocatalytic metals and microorganisms can be combined for CO2 conversion in microbial electrosynthesis (MES). However, a systematic investigation on the nature of interactions between metals and MES is still lacking. To investigate this nature, we integrated a copper electrocatalyst, converting CO2 to formate, with microorganisms, converting CO2 to acetate. A co‐catalytic (i. e. metabolic) relationship was evident, as up to 140 mg L−1 of formate was produced solely by copper oxide, while formate was also evidently produced by copper and consumed by microorganisms producing acetate. Due to non‐metabolic interactions, current density decreased by over 4 times, though acetate yield increased by 3.3 times. Despite the antimicrobial role of copper, biofilm formation was possible on a pure copper surface. Overall, we show for the first time that a CO2‐reducing copper electrocatalyst can be combined with MES under biological conditions, resulting in metabolic and non‐metabolic interactions.
Experimental investigation on the control strategy of split source inverter for grid‐connected wind power generation system
Authors: Nannam Hari Charan , Banerjee Atanu , B Chitti Babu
Published: April 2021

The utilization of an impedance network in power electronic applications overcame traditional two‐stage converters' drawbacks, including a dc‐dc and dc‐ac stage. A well‐designed impedance‐based converter shuns the necessity of multiple network stages that, in turn, enhance operational performance and reliability. The split source inverter (SSI) belongs to such a single‐stage system that consists of an impedance network with a voltage source inverter. The work's primary purpose is to explore the performance of grid‐connected SSI in the application of wind energy systems. A novel peak power tracking controller is proposed for the SSI‐based wind energy systems for tracking the maximum power available in the wind. The grid‐side controller's current regulator is modified to sense the intermittent wind's perturbation and to regulate the SSI output current. The theoretical analysis is validated by simulation, and different case studies are analyzed by considering the mutual effects of SSI and variable wind speed. A laboratory prototype is designed for the experimental investigation of the SSI that consists of a 5‐kVA three‐phase grid‐tied SSI and wind emulator prototype. A field‐programmable gate array (Xilinx) is used to program the control algorithm. Different test cases are analyzed experimentally to prove the robustness of the proposed controller.
The myeloid cell type I IFN system promotes antitumor immunity over pro‐tumoral inflammation in cancer T‐cell therapy
Authors: Ruotsalainen Janne , Lopez‐Ramos Dorys , Rogava Meri , Shridhar Naveen , Glodde Nicole , Gaffal Evelyn , Hölzel Michael , Bald Tobias , Tüting Thomas
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Type I interferons are evolutionally conserved cytokines, with broad antimicrobial and immunoregulatory functions. Despite well‐characterised role in spontaneous cancer immunosurveillance, the function of type I IFNs in cancer immunotherapy remains incompletely understood.

Methods

We utilised genetic mouse models to explore the role of the type I IFN system in CD8+ T‐cell immunotherapy targeting the melanocytic lineage antigen gp100.

Results

The therapeutic efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells was found to depend on a functional type I IFN system in myeloid immune cells. Compromised type I IFN signalling in myeloid immune cells did not prevent expansion, tumor infiltration or effector function of melanoma‐specific Pmel‐1 CD8+ T cells. However, melanomas growing in globally (Ifnar1−/−) or conditionally (Ifnar1ΔLysM) type I IFN system‐deficient mice displayed increased myeloid infiltration, hypoxia and melanoma cell dedifferentiation. Mechanistically, hypoxia was found to induce dedifferentiation and loss of the gp100 target antigen in melanoma cells and type I IFN could directly inhibit the inflammatory activation of myeloid cells. Unexpectedly, the immunotherapy induced significant reduction in tumor blood vessel density and whereas host type I IFN system was not required for the vasculosculpting, it promoted vessel permeability.

Conclusion

Our results substantiate a complex and plastic phenotypic interconnection between melanoma and myeloid cells in the context of T‐cell immunotherapy. Type I IFN signalling in myeloid cells was identified as a key regulator of the balance between antitumor immunity and disease‐promoting inflammation, thus supporting the development of novel combinatorial immunotherapies targeting this immune cell compartment.
Chronological Harris hawks‐based deep LSTM classifier in wireless sensor network for aqua status prediction
Authors: Babu Chandanapalli Suresh , Rao Annam Jagadeeswara , Srinivas Kalyanapu , Narayana Satyala
Published: April 2021

Aquaculture becomes very popular in economic where aquatic organisms, like fishes and prawns, are mainly dependent on the quality of water in aquaculture pond. Also, the water quality constraints, which include turbidity, carbon dioxide, temperature, pH level, dissolved oxygen and phosphorus, are considered for achieving better performance. Hence, this paper presents an approach for aqua status prediction based on Deep Long Short‐Term Memory (Deep LSTM) classifier. The sensor nodes are placed in the aqua pond for measuring the parameters of water quality, and then the cell network transformation is done using the Voronoi partition. After that, the Cluster Head (CH) selection is carried out using Piecewise Fuzzy C‐means clustering (piFCM). Once the clusters are selected, the Chronological Harris Hawks (Chronological HH) optimization algorithm is introduced for optimal sink placement where the constraints for enabling the optimal sink placement are the distance and energy of the nodes. Finally, the aqua status is predicted using Deep LSTM. The performance of the Chronological HH‐based Deep LSTM is computed in terms of accuracy, energy and the number of dead nodes. The proposed Chronological HH‐based Deep LSTM outperformed other methods with maximal accuracy of 92.65%, maximal energy of 0.976 and the minimal dead nodes of 32.
Electronic Coupling of Single Atom and FePS3 Boosts Water Electrolysis
Authors: Tang Chongyang , He Dong , Zhang Nan , Song Xianyin , Jia Shuangfeng , Ke Zunjian , Liu Jiangchao , Wang Jianbo , Jiang Changzhong , Wang Ziyu , Huang Xiaoqing , Xiao Xiangheng
Published: April 2021

Engineering the electronic structure of surface active sites at the atomic level can be an efficient way to modulate the reactivity of catalysts. Herein, we report the rational tuning of surface electronic structure of FePS3 nanosheets (NSs) by anchoring atomically dispersed metal atom. Theoretical calculations predict that the strong electronic coupling effect in single‐atom Ni‐FePS3 facilitates electron aggregation from Fe atom to the nearby Ni‐S bond and enhances the electron‐transfer of Ni and S sites, which balances the oxygen species adsorption capacity, reinforces water adsorption and dissociation process to accelerate corresponding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The optimal Ni‐FePS3 NSs/C exhibits outstanding electrochemical water‐splitting activities, delivering an overpotential of 287 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 41.1 mV dec−1 for OER; as well as an overpotential decrease of 219 mV for HER compared with pure FePS3 NSs/C. The concept of electronic coupling interaction between the substrate and implanted single active species offers an additional method for catalyst design and beyond.
Expert consensus on the monitoring of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy
Authors: Garcia‐Pavia Pablo , Bengel Frank , Brito Dulce , Damy Thibaud , Duca Franz , Dorbala Sharmila , Nativi‐Nicolau Jose , Obici Laura , Rapezzi Claudio , Sekijima Yoshiki , Elliott Perry M.
Published: April 2021

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR‐CM) is a life‐threatening condition with a heterogeneous clinical presentation. The recent availability of treatment for ATTR‐CM has stimulated increased awareness of the disease and patient identification. Stratification of patients with ATTR‐CM is critical for optimal management and treatment; however, monitoring disease progression is challenging and currently lacks best‐practice guidance. In this report, experts with experience in treating amyloidosis and ATTR‐CM developed consensus recommendations for monitoring the course of patients with ATTR‐CM and proposed meaningful thresholds and frequency for specific parameters. A set of 11 measurable features across three separate domains were evaluated: (i) clinical and functional endpoints, (ii) biomarkers and laboratory markers, and (iii) imaging and electrocardiographic parameters. Experts recommended that one marker from each of the three domains provides the minimum requirements for assessing disease progression. Assessment of cardiac disease status should be part of a multiparametric evaluation in which progression, stability or improvement of other involved systems in transthyretin amyloidosis should also be considered. Additional data from placebo arms of clinical trials and future studies assessing ATTR‐CM will help to elucidate, refine and define these and other measurements.