Guiding collaborative revision of science explanations

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - This paper illustrates how the combination of teacher and computer guidance can strengthen collaborative revision and identifies...     

Precise Extraction of Charge Carrier Mobility for Organic Transistors

Unreliable mobility values, and particularly greatly overestimated values and severely distorted temperature dependences, have recently hampered the development of the organic transistor field. Given that organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) have been routinely used to evaluate mobility, precise parameter extraction using the electrical properties of OFETs is thus of primary importance. This review examines the origins of the various mobilities that must be determined for OFET applications, the relevant extraction methods, and the data selection limitations, which help in avoiding conceptual errors during mobility extraction. For increased precision, the review also discusses device fabrication considerations, calibration of both the specific gate‐dielectric capacitance and the threshold voltage, the contact effects, and the bias and temperature dependences, which must actually be handled with great care but have mostly been overlooked to date. This review serves as a systematic overview of the OFET mobility extraction process to ensure high precision and will also aid in improving future research.     

Click-Chemistry (CuAAC) Trimerization of an αvβ6 Integrin Targeting Ga-68-Peptide: Enhanced Contrast for in-Vivo PET Imaging of Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Xenografts

α_vβ₆ Integrin is an epithelial transmembrane protein that recognizes latency-associated peptide (LAP) and primarily activates transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). It is overexpressed in carcinomas (most notably, pancreatic) and other conditions associated with α_vβ₆ integrin-dependent TGF-β dysregulation, such as fibrosis. We have designed a trimeric Ga-68-labeled TRAP conjugate of the α_vβ₆-specific cyclic pentapeptide SDM17 (cyclo[RGD-Chg-E]-CONH₂) to enhance α_vβ₆ integrin affinity as well as target-specific in-vivo uptake. Ga-68-TRAP(SDM17)₃ showed a 28-fold higher α_vβ₆ affinity than the corresponding monomer Ga-68-NOTA-SDM17 (IC₅₀ of 0.26 vs. 7.4 nM, respectively), a 13-fold higher IC₅₀-based selectivity over the related integrin α_vβ₈ (factors of 662 vs. 49), and a threefold higher tumor uptake (2.1 vs. 0.66 %ID/g) in biodistribution experiments with H2009 tumor-bearing SCID mice. The remarkably high tumor/organ ratios (tumor-to-blood 11.2; -to-liver 8.7; -to-pancreas 29.7) enabled high-contrast tumor delineation in PET images. We conclude that Ga-68-TRAP(SDM17)₃ holds promise for improved clinical PET diagnostics of carcinomas and fibrosis.     

Interplay of the phase and the chemical composition of the powder feedstock on the properties of porous 8YSZ thermal barrier coatings

Some chemical impurities enhance sintering kinetics of ceramic Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) which can cause their premature failure during operation in gas turbine engine by causing reduction in coating’s strain compliance as well as faster bond-coat oxidation due to increased thermal conductivity. Certain chemical impurities are also believed to suppress resistance to tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation in 8YSZ, which can also be an important factor regarding TBC’s performance. Most of the impurities and some of the monoclinic phase present in the powder feedstocks can survive into the as-sprayed coating. Therefore, there is a general trend towards OEMs requiring the lowest amounts of chemical impurities and the lowest amounts of monoclinic phase in the powder feedstocks. This paper presents a comprehensive investigation aimed at understanding the role and the relative importance of the chemical and phase purities of the powder feedstock for the properties and performance of thick 8YSZ TBCs.     

Substrate Flexibility of the Flavin-Dependent Dihydropyrrole Oxidases PigB and HapB Involved in Antibiotic Prodigiosin Biosynthesis

In the biosynthesis of the tripyrrolic pigment prodigiosin, PigB is a predicted flavin-dependent oxidase responsible for the formation of 2-methyl-3-amylpyrrole (MAP) from a dihydropyrrole. To prove which dihydropyrrole is the true intermediate, both possibilities, 5-methyl-4-pentyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrole ( 5 a , resulting from transamination of the aldehyde of 3-acetyloctanal) and 2-methyl-3-pentyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrole ( 6 , resulting from transamination of the ketone), were synthesised. Only 5 a restored pigment production in a strain of Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 blocked earlier in MAP biosynthesis. PigB is membrane-associated and inactive when its transmembrane domain was deleted, but HapB, its homologue in Hahella chejuensis, lacks the transmembrane domain and is active in solution. Two colourimetric assays for PigB and HapB were developed, and the HapB-catalysed reaction was kinetically characterised. Ten analogues of 5 a were synthesised, varying in the C2 and C3 side chains, and tested as substrates of HapB in vitro and for restoration of pigment production in Serratia ΔpigD in vivo. All lengths of side chain tested at C3 were accepted, but only short side chains at C2 were accepted. The knowledge that 5 a is an intermediate in prodigiosin biosynthesis and the ease of synthesis of analogues of 5 a makes a range of prodigiosin analogues readily available by mutasynthesis.     

Influence of Pluronic coating formulation on iron oxide nanoparticle transport in natural and oil-impacted sandy aquifer media

Targeted delivery of nanoparticles has the potential to enhance remediation and characterization of sites contaminated with non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) by ensuring delivery of treatment or contrast agents to the NAPL/water interface. For a targeted delivery technique to be successful, nanoparticles must be capable of transporting through porous media and binding to NAPLs under relevant geological conditions. In this study, successful targeted delivery of nanoparticles to sandy aquifer material mixed with crude oil was achieved using an active targeting technique based on an amphiphilic polymer coating. It was determined that the molecular structure and concentration of the nanoparticle coating greatly influenced the recovery of nanoparticles injected into saturated columns. Coatings with longer polymer molecules and lower polymer concentrations reduced recovery, and the nanoparticle coating formulation could be adjusted to improve transport while maintaining targeted binding behaviour. This study demonstrated that nanoparticle retention in oil-impacted sand exceeded that of clean sand in flow through experiments, indicating that a nanoparticle targeted delivery strategy for soil contaminated with LNAPLs such as crude oil is possible under the experimental conditions explored.     

Farm-scale bio-power-to-methane: Comparative analyses of economic and environmental feasibility

Power-to-gas technologies are considered to be part of the future energy system, but their viability and applicability need to be assessed. Therefore, models for the viability of farm-scale bio-power-to-methane supply chains to produce green gas were analysed in terms of levelised cost of energy, energy efficiency and saving of greenhouse gas emission. In bio-power-to-methane, hydrogen from electrolysis driven by surplus renewable electricity and carbon dioxide from biogas are converted to methane by microbes in an ex situ trickle-bed reactor. Such bio-methanation could replace the current upgrading of biogas to green gas with membrane technology. Four scenarios were compared: a reference scenario without bio-methanation (A), bio-methanation (B), bio-methanation combined with membrane upgrading (C) and the latter with use of renewable energy only (all-green; D). The reference scenario (A) has the lowest costs for green gas production, but the bio-methanation scenarios (B-D) have higher energy efficiencies and environmental benefits. The higher costs of the bio-methanation scenarios are largely due to electrolysis, whereas the environmental benefits are due to the use of renewable electricity. Only the all-green scenario (D) meets the 2026 EU goal of 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but it would require a CO₂ price of 200 € t⁻¹ to achieve the levelised cost of energy of 65 €ct Nm⁻³ of the reference scenario. Inclusion of the intermittency of renewable energy in the scenarios substantially increases the costs. Further greening of the bio-methanation supply chain and how intermittency is best taken into account need further investigation.     

Flow and spawning habitat relationships for Dolly Varden: Understanding habitat–population dynamics in the Canadian Western Arctic

Northern form Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma malma) have been designated as a species of Special Concern in Canada due to declines in population abundance and potential threats. Concern over detrimental effects of low flows on population abundance prompted research on how variability in discharge regimes influence habitat availability. Habitat suitability indices for prespawning and spawning adult anadromous Dolly Varden from two streams were integrated into a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic habitat model to assess the effect of flow variability on usable habitat. Regional hydrographs were used to identify an ecologically relevant range of flows that provided optimal spawning habitat for these populations and examine the relationship between abundance and discharge. Adults spawned in the tail end of pools at moderate water depths and water velocities, and used pebble‐ to cobble‐sized substrate for building redds; whereas, prespawning adults occupied deeper pools with moderate velocities and used cobble for cover. Model outputs showed that spawning habitat availability was optimized at flow rates between 1.6 and 3.0 m³/s and between 1.0 and 6.0 m³/s in Fish Hole Creek (FHC) and Little Fish Creek, respectively. A positive relationship between flows during the fall spawning period and abundance of the FHC population suggests that higher flows coinciding with optimal habitat availability may have contributed to positive recruitment. To strengthen and refine this habitat–population relationship for Dolly Varden in this area requires investigation of a broader suite of variables associated with environmental regimes and physical habitat in reaches used for spawning.