A Potent Mimetic of the Siglec-8 Ligand 6’-Sulfo-Sialyl Lewisx

Siglecs are members of the immunoglobulin gene family containing sialic acid binding N-terminal domains. Among them, Siglec-8 is expressed on various cell types of the immune system such as eosinophils, mast cells and weakly on basophils. Cross-linking of Siglec-8 with monoclonal antibodies triggers apoptosis in eosinophils and inhibits degranulation of mast cells, making Siglec-8 a promising target for the treatment of eosinophil- and mast cell-associated diseases such as asthma. The tetrasaccharide 6’-sulfo-sialyl Lewis^x has been identified as a specific Siglec-8 ligand in glycan array screening. Here, we describe an extended study enlightening the pharmacophores of 6’-sulfo-sialyl Lewis^x and the successful development of a high-affinity mimetic. Retaining the neuraminic acid core, the introduction of a carbocyclic mimetic of the Gal moiety and a sulfonamide substituent in the 9-position gave a 20-fold improved binding affinity. Finally, the residence time, which usually is the Achilles tendon of carbohydrate/lectin interactions, could be improved.     

Future changes in wind energy resource over the Northwest Passage based on the CMIP6 climate projections

The preferential use of renewable energy sources such as wind power has been proposed as one of the most effective strategies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector. However, wind energy resources are vulnerable to climate change, which might have a huge impact on the area under consideration. In this research, we used the wind speed data obtained from the seven coupled global climate models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) to quantitatively analyze the differences in wind energy resource (WER) between the future and the historical period, geared toward understanding the impact of climate change on wind energy sources. Relevant results show that the future WER would decreases below 20% in the region south of the Northwest Passage, while would significantly increase in the north region of 72°N (specifically in the Beaufort Sea). Further, reports predict that by the end of the 21st century, if no interventions are made to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, the northern region's WER would increase even more with some grid points exceeding 30% and have a significant growth trend, but at the same time the intra‐annual variability in these region would also increase significantly with some grid points exceeding 140% of that in the historical period. Moreover, the maximum wind speed values would encounter a noteworthy increase of up to 20%, which will bring great challenge to the development of wind energy in these region. Although the current models still have great uncertainties in the future climate prediction, our work still has certain guiding significance for the future development of wind energy over the Northwest Passage.     

The management of the project-based organization: A personal reflection

In this paper I make a personal reflection on my research and writings in the field of Project Management over the past 30 years. My research has primarily been about the management of the project-based organization. Within that I have researched governance, organizational behaviour, contingency, marketing, success and shareholder value.     

One-step potentiostatic electrodeposition of Ni–Se–Mo film on Ni foam for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

Exploring efficient, abundant, low-cost and stable materials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly desired but still a challenging task. Herein, Ni–Se–Mo electrocatalysts supported on nickel foam (NF) substrate were synthesized by a facile one-step electrodeposition method. The Ni–Se–Mo film presents high electrocatalytic activity and stability toward HER, with a low overpotential of 101 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in 1.0 M KOH medium. Such excellent HER performance of Ni–Se–Mo film induced by the synergistic effects from Mo-doped Ni–Se film leads to the fast electron transfer. This work provides the validity of interface engineering strategy in preparing highly efficient transition metal chalcogenides based HER electrocatalysts.     

Review on nano-and microfiller-based polyamide 6 hybrid composite: Effect on mechanical properties and morphology

Polyamide 6 (PA6)-based composites are of evolving interest due to its high strength, wear resistance, and barrier properties. The use of binary composites mostly with nanomaterial and glass fibers has been reviewed and presented in literature. However to obtain a balance of properties like stiffness, toughness, and strength along with cost reduction, ternary composites of PA6 have been designed. To achieve the balance, PA6 blend-based composites, with combination of microfiller/nanofiller or PA6 with combination micro-microfiller, PA6 with microfiller/nanofiller and fiber have been designed. The properties of PA6-based ternary hybrid composites depend on type of dispersed phase used, presence of compatibilizer, type of filler used (nanofiller or microfiller or fiber or hybrid) and combination of fillers used. However, a review in this direction is not available in literature. Here, in this study, an overall understanding of various fillers, dispersed phase, and their combinations can be understood along with the discussion on effect of these on tensile properties and morphology of hybrid composite. In this study, an attempt has been made to review the various fillers and dispersed phase and their combinations which have been used in designing the PA6 hybrid composite with good balance of stiffness, toughness, and strength.     

一种高性能低VOC尼龙6复合材料的研究

通过研究基料、无机填料、增韧剂、润滑剂对尼龙6(PA6)复合材料的物理性能、VOC的影响,得到一种高性能低VOC的PA6复合材料。结果表明:以PA6 IM为基料、滑石粉为无机填料、EPDM 3092M为增韧剂、E525为润滑剂的尼龙6复合材料,具有高性能、低VOC的优点。     

Comprehensive performance evaluation of distributed and dynamic mobility routing strategy

In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive performance study of distributed and dynamic mobility management (DDMM). DDMM presents a new architectural paradigm for a sustainable mobile networking against an ever-increasing amount of Internet data traffic, providing IP mobility management with distributed deployment of mobility anchors and dynamic activation when mobility is needed. Such a distributed mobility management concept is generally and intuitively accepted in terms of effective distribution of mobile traffic when compared with centralized mobility management (CMM) approaches. Nevertheless, the routing strategy of DDMM has not yet been properly examined through performance studies, and especially the impact of potential mobility routing strategies on the user plane is an open question. We perform a mathematical analysis of DDMM and present numerical results aiming to identify in which conditions, by which factors, and how much, DDMM improves mobility performance. For comparison, Mobile IPv6, Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6), and PMIPv6 localized routing (PMIPv6-LR) were considered as representative IP mobility protocols following CMM approaches. Analytical results demonstrate that DDMM generally achieves higher performance when compared with CMM-based protocols in terms of packet delivery cost, tunneling overhead, and throughput, but specific performance varies in function of multiple input parameters.     

Fretting fatigue tests on shrink-fit specimens and investigations into the strength enhancement induced by deep rolling

The shrink-fit connection undergoes fretting fatigue at the edge of the contact, where both stress concentration and micro-slip take place. A fretting test set-up with a round-shaped specimen is proposed that eliminates lateral edge contact and misalignment, and is also appropriate for deep rolling. Comparative experiments showed a notable strength improvement, induced by deep rolling, along with the beneficial effect of friction reduction due to lubrication. Multiple cracks with clear shallow paths were evident after SEM observation, thus the maximum shear stress amplitude was assumed as a correlating parameter, while the crack arrest was inappropriate especially for deep rolled specimens.     

Rapid crystallization of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) via aryl amide derivatives

ABSTRACT

A very small amount of aryl amide derivative (TMB-5) was used for nucleating Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphathalate) (PEN) by melt blending. The crystalline temperature, crystallinity, and nucleation efficiency of the composites were increased as a result of the addition of TMB-5. The half-time of crystallization decreased upon the addition of TMB-5 and the work required in folding polymer chains were reduced simultaneously in the polymer mixtures. The crystal size of the PEN/TMB-5 blends became smaller due to the increase of nucleation sites. The TMB-5 had no effect on the PEN crystal type. TMB-5 slightly increased the impact strength of PEN.     

New observations on wear characteristics of solid Al2O3/Si3N4 ceramic tool in high speed milling of additive manufactured Ti6Al4V

Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies applied to the titanium alloys have attracted attention from industries in recent years. Despite one of the main goals of AM is the reduction of manufacturing steps, semi-finish/finish machining operations are still required so as to obtain the desired geometrical tolerance and surface features. In this study, the solid end mill was manufactured by Al₂O₃/Si₃N₄ (Sialon) ceramic materials and employed in high-speed slot milling of Ti6Al4V alloy fabricated by the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) AM technology to study the tool wear characteristics during processing. The Raman spectroscopic method was employed to characterize the molecular structures of Sialon ceramics for the manufacturing of the cutting tool. The morphologies and elemental maps of wear region of the ceramic tool were examined by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques. The results show that the adhesion wear and diffusion wear are the dominant wear mechanisms, and the chemical stability of Al₂O₃/Si₃N₄ (Sialon) ceramics fabricated as the solid ceramic tool to the attack of the atoms from additive manufactured Ti6Al4V is relatively weak under the atmosphere. The difference of thermal expansion coefficients of diffusion layer and tool substrate accelerates the initiation and propagation of thermal cracks formed on the diffusion interface. Moreover, fracturing and crater-like groves near the tool edge were finally formed due to the removal of adhered workpiece material.