Potential Applications of Cucurbit[n]urils Inclusion Complexes in Photodynamic Therapy

Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s) have emerged as potential candidates for drug delivery in several areas due to their strong binding interactions and low toxicity. More recently, their benefits for a type of cancer treatment termed Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) have been recognized. The outcomes of this therapy rely on better drug delivery strategies and improving overall photoactivity of the drugs, which is where CB[n]s could have a strong impact. The effects of these molecular containers on photoactivity are discussed and new interesting work is highlighted.     

Viscosity reduction of isotonic solutions of the photosensitizer TPCS2a by cyclodextrin complexation

Meso-tetraphenyl chlorin disulphonate (TPCS_2a) is a photosensitizer (PS) particularly developed and patented for use in the technology of photochemical internalization (PCI) against cancer. TPCS_2a is known to aggregate in aqueous media even at low concentrations (≥0.1?µM) and to form a high-viscosity network at clinically relevant concentrations (mM). The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of two hydroxypropylated cyclodextrin derivatives of beta and gamma type, respectively i.e. HPβCD and HPγCD, on the aggregation and solubilization of TPCS_2a in isotonic solutions. Samples containing micromolar concentrations of TPCS_2a were studied spectrophotometrically, while samples containing a clinical relevant concentration (10?mM?=?9?mg/ml) of TPCS_2a were evaluated by dynamic viscosity measurements. HPβCD was determined to be a more suitable solubilizer of TPCS_2a than HPγCD in aqueous media both in the absence and presence of salt. The complexation stoichiometry between TPCS_2a/HPβCD at micromolar to millimolar concentrations of TPCS_2a was determined to be 1:3 and 1:2 in the absence and presence of isotonic NaCl, respectively. The network of TPCS_2a (10?mM) was broken down in the presence of 3% w/v (=?20?mM) HPβCD, i.e. a 1:2 molar ratio between TPCS_2a and the cyclodextrin. Formation of the inclusion complex resulted in low viscosity samples both in water and in the presence of isotonic NaCl or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 25?°C and 37?°C.     

耐蚀合金中TiN析出机制

摘要：TiN颗粒尺寸及其分布对耐蚀合金性能有明显的影响，因此有必要对TiN在铸坯中的分布及其析出行为进行研究。采用扫描电镜(SEM)、金相显微镜（OM）观察了TiN夹杂物在铸坯中的分布、尺寸及其形貌；基于热力学和动力学理论分析了耐蚀合金铸坯中TiN夹杂物的析出时机及其尺寸，结合试验结果和理论计算明确了TiN夹杂物在凝固后铸坯中的位置和尺寸与析出时机的关系，为控制TiN夹杂物提供理论指导。结果表明，冶炼过程中析出的TiN夹杂物尺寸较大，在凝固过程中被枝晶吞没，位于铸坯枝晶内和等轴晶内；微观偏析计算结果表明，在凝固分数为0.55时，TiN开始析出，最开始析出TiN夹杂物的逐渐长大，长大后的TiN易于被二次枝晶吞没，最终位于铸坯中的枝晶间和等轴晶内，后期析出的TiN则在枝晶间和等轴晶间。固相中析出的TiN夹杂物长大较慢，尺寸细小，最终位于奥氏体晶界。     

诱发IAF夹杂物与原晶粒的尺寸匹配关系

 对于氧化物冶金船板钢而言，细小弥散分布的夹杂物会对其原始晶粒产生钉扎和诱发晶内铁素体的双重作用，且研究发现诱发晶内铁素体的夹杂物尺寸与原始奥氏体晶粒尺寸存在一定的匹配关系。围绕上述问题进行了系统的分析研究和数据统计,结果表明，不同晶粒尺寸下，诱发晶内铁素体的夹杂物尺寸与原奥氏体晶粒度间存在近似线性关系，且随着奥氏体晶粒度的增大，诱发晶内铁素体的夹杂物尺寸则相应减小。     

异型中间包结构优化对帘线钢夹杂物的影响

为了解决帘线钢中因大颗粒夹杂物导致的拉拔断裂问题，通过水模型研究结果对异型中间包结构改进优化，并将优化异型中间包结构进行工业试验。结果表明，挡墙优化结构后,去除夹杂物的效果明显提高，采用优化的挡墙中间包生产的帘线钢铸坯中夹杂物尺寸不大于10 μm比例为87.95%，平均尺寸为6.7 μm；大颗粒的高MgO类和高SiO2类夹杂物已得到有效去除，盘条中B细不大于0.5级比例达到97.56%。     

Production of the Carboxylate Reductase from Nocardia otitidiscaviarum in a Soluble,Active Form for in vitro Applications

Accessing aldehydes from carboxylate moieties is often a challenging task. In this regard, carboxylate reductases (CARs) are promising catalysts provided by nature that are able to accomplish this task in just one step, avoiding over-reduction to the alcohol product. However, the heterologous expression of CARs can be quite difficult due to the excessive formation of insoluble protein, thus hindering further characterization and application of the enzyme. Here, the heterologous production of the carboxylate reductase from Nocardia otitidiscaviarum (NoCAR) was optimized by a combination of i) optimized cultivation conditions, ii) post-translational modification with a phosphopantetheinyl transferase and iii) selection of an appropriate expression strain. Especially, the selection of Escherichia coli tuner cells as host had a strong effect on the final 110-fold increase in the specific activity of NoCAR. This highly active NoCAR was used to reduce sodium benzoate to benzaldehyde, and it was successfully assembled with an in vitro regeneration of ATP and NADPH, being capable of reducing about 30 mM sodium benzoate with high selectivity in only 2 h of reaction.     

Digital inclusion of people with disabilities: a qualitative study of intra-disability diversity in the digital realm

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an in-depth study of intra-disability diversity in the digital realm and the related role of individuality and selectiveness in the digital choices and experiences of people with disabilities (PwD). The study adopts the interactionist model of disability and problematises conceptual uniformity in research that focuses on the medical and socially-constructed features of disability as those determining digital constraints and affordances for PwD. Through primary qualitative evidence, it argues that individuality and selectiveness shape a complex terrain of intra-disability diversity, which forms the nuances and experiences of digital inclusion for PwD. Thus, it invites researchers to move beyond disability-fixed categorisations and offers a 3-tier recommendation for future research to explain the range of PwD’ perceptions and experiences in the digital realm.     

Exploring design trade-offs for achieving social inclusion in multi-tiered design problems

ABSTRACT

The digital age of the future is ‘not out there to be discovered’, but it needs to be ‘designed’. The design challenge has to address questions about how we want to live, work, and learn (as individuals and as communities) and what we value and appreciate, e.g.: reflecting on quality of life and creating inclusive societies. An overriding design trade-off for the digital age is whether new developments will increase the digital divide or will create more inclusive societies. Sustaining inclusive societies means allowing people of all ages and all abilities to exploit information technologies for personally meaningful activities. Meta-design fosters the design of socio-technical environments that end-user developers can modify and evolve at use time to improve their quality of life and favour their inclusion in the society. This paper describes three case studies in the domain of assistive technologies in which end users themselves cannot act as end-user developers, but someone else (e.g.: a caregiver or a clinician) must accept this role requiring multi-tiered architectures. The design trade-offs and requirements for meta-design identified in the context of the case studies and other researchers’ projects are described to inform the development of future socio-technical environments focused on social inclusion.     

The application and prospects of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes and polymers in the food industry: a review

Cyclodextrin is an odorless and tasteless cyclic oligosaccharide widely used in various fields such as food, medicine and the environment. Cyclodextrin can improve solubility and stability, and can mask the bad taste of specific substances. Cyclodextrins and their polymers primarily act by forming complexes in foods, and can be applied in food packing, food analysis, enhancing the properties of antioxidants, antibacterials, for stability and so on. The challenges and opportunities facing this area are reviewed. It is hoped that the review will provide useful information for future applications of cyclodextrin in the food industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

钢中非金属夹杂物标准评级图法解析及修订建议

从标准图谱、术语、夹杂物类型和系列的划分、级别评定和检验方法深入剖析了GB/T 10561-2005《钢中非金属夹杂物标准评级图显微检验法》存在的问题，提出对标准评级图片修订和评定方法完善的具体建议，以规范评定方法，消除歧义，推进标准修订工作。