Metabolic Glycoengineering in hMSC-TERT as a Model for Skeletal Precursors by Using Modified Azide/Alkyne Monosaccharides

Metabolic glycoengineering enables a directed modification of cell surfaces by introducing target molecules to surface proteins displaying new features. Biochemical pathways involving glycans differ in dependence on the cell type; therefore, this technique should be tailored for the best results. We characterized metabolic glycoengineering in telomerase-immortalized human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC-TERT) as a model for primary hMSC, to investigate its applicability in TERT-modified cell lines. The metabolic incorporation of N-azidoacetylmannosamine (Ac₄ManNAz) and N-alkyneacetylmannosamine (Ac₄ManNAl) into the glycocalyx as a first step in the glycoengineering process revealed no adverse effects on cell viability or gene expression, and the in vitro multipotency (osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential) was maintained under these adapted culture conditions. In the second step, glycoengineered cells were modified with fluorescent dyes using Cu-mediated click chemistry. In these analyses, the two mannose derivatives showed superior incorporation efficiencies compared to glucose and galactose isomers. In time-dependent experiments, the incorporation of Ac₄ManNAz was detectable for up to six days while Ac₄ManNAl-derived metabolites were absent after two days. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the successful metabolic glycoengineering of immortalized hMSC resulting in transient cell surface modifications, and thus present a useful model to address different scientific questions regarding glycosylation processes in skeletal precursors.     

风情西班牙 马德里AXEL酒店

正Axel酒店坐落于马德里文学街区中心的一栋19世纪的大楼内,在西班牙"黄金世纪"时期,这一地区曾是一个重要的文化中心。经过岁月的洗礼,大楼至今仍保留着橙色的外墙和典雅的阳台。接手此次酒店设计的是西班牙室内设计工作室EL EQUIPO CREATIVO,设计师以西班牙著名导演佩德罗·阿莫多瓦(Pedro Almodóvar)的电影为灵感,在酒店内融入了马德里非常传统并广受欢迎的特色元素和一些著名的视觉元素。     

Power-to-X im Kontext der Energiewende und des Klimaschutzes in Deutschland

In order to examine the impact of different Power-to-X technologies on the transformation of the German energy system and meeting the climate change mitigation goals, a cross-sectoral energy system model was developed. The results show that Power-to-X will be essential for a successful energy transition. Especially in applications where high energy densities are required and only few other options for defossilization exist, Power-to-X technologies become essential.     

Finite element analyses of slope stability problems using non-associated plasticity

In recent years, finite element analyses have increasingly been utilized for slope stability problems. In comparison to limit equilibrium methods, numerical analyses do not require any definition of the failure mechanism a priori and enable the determination of the safety level more accurately. The paper compares the performances of strength reduction finite element analysis (SRFEA) with finite element limit analysis (FELA), whereby the focus is related to non-associated plasticity. Displacement-based finite element analyses using a strength reduction technique suffer from numerical instabilities when using non-associated plasticity, especially when dealing with high friction angles but moderate dilatancy angles. The FELA on the other hand provides rigorous upper and lower bounds of the factor of safety (FoS) but is restricted to associated flow rules. Suggestions to overcome this problem, proposed by Davis (1968), lead to conservative FoSs; therefore, an enhanced procedure has been investigated. When using the modified approach, both the SRFEA and the FELA provide very similar results. Further studies highlight the advantages of using an adaptive mesh refinement to determine FoSs. Additionally, it is shown that the initial stress field does not affect the FoS when using a Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion.     

Mapping the Density of States Distribution of Organic Semiconductors by Employing Energy Resolved–Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Although the density of states (DOS) distribution of charge transporting states in an organic semiconductor is vital for device operation, its experimental assessment is not at all straightforward. In this work, the technique of energy resolved–electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ER-EIS) is employed to determine the DOS distributions of valence (highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)) as well as electron (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO)) states in several organic semiconductors in the form of neat and blended films. In all cases, the core of the inferred DOS distributions are Gaussians that sometimes carry low energy tails. A comparison of the HOMO and LUMO DOS of P3HT inferred from ER-EIS and photoemission (PE) or inverse PE (IPE) spectroscopy indicates that the PE/IPE spectra are by a factor of 2–3 broader than the ER-EIS spectra, implying that they overestimate the width of the distributions. A comparison of neat films of MeLPPP and SF-PDI₂ or PC(61)BM with corresponding blends reveals an increased width of the DOS in the blends. The results demonstrate that this technique does not only allow mapping the DOS distributions over five orders of magnitude and over a wide energy window of 7 eV, but can also delineate changes that occur upon blending.     

Potential of the crude glycerol and citric acid mixture as a binder in medium-density fiberboard manufacturing

European Journal of Wood and Wood Products - Urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin is the main commercial adhesive used for medium-density fiberboard (MDF) manufacturing. UF resin is used to produce...     

New printing inks with barrier performance for packaging applications: Design and investigation

Barrier properties of packaging materials against moisture and oxygen penetration are of high relevance. Enhanced protection of existing materials against weather conditions can be achieved by application of printed coatings. To improve barrier performance of packaging materials, new inks for obtaining printed coatings with a layered structure were developed and investigated. The proposed ink compositions for flexographic printing on paper substrates are based on an environmentally friendly acrylic binder and contain inorganic fillers with platelet particles incorporated in the polymer matrix. Coatings based on the developed printing inks demonstrate significantly decreased water vapour permeability compared to traditional polymer inks. The effect of decreased permeability was investigated considering inks rheological behaviour, the coating structure, mechanical properties, surface energy and water uptake for different ink formulations. The developed inks provide variable optical properties including coatings with a relatively high transparency. The development of the functional barrier inks contributes to saving natural resources by prolonging life performance of packaging materials and goods.