Effects of Alzheimer-Like Pathology on Homocysteine and Homocysteic Acid Levels—An Exploratory In Vivo Kinetic Study

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been suggested potentially to contribute to a variety of pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the impact of hyperhomocysteinemia on AD has been investigated extensively, there are scarce data on the effect of AD on hyperhomocysteinemia. The aim of this in vivo study was to investigate the kinetics of homocysteine (HCys) and homocysteic acid (HCA) and effects of AD-like pathology on the endogenous levels. The mice received a B-vitamin deficient diet for eight weeks, followed by the return to a balanced control diet for another eight weeks. Serum, urine, and brain tissues of App^NL-G-F knock-in and C57BL/6J wild type mice were analyzed for HCys and HCA using LC-MS/MS methods. Hyperhomocysteinemic levels were found in wild type and knock-in mice due to the consumption of the deficient diet for eight weeks, followed by a rapid normalization of the levels after the return to control chow. Hyperhomocysteinemic App^NL-G-F mice had significantly higher HCys in all matrices, but not HCA, compared to wild type control. Higher serum concentrations were associated with elevated levels in both the brain and in urine. Our findings confirm a significant impact of AD-like pathology on hyperhomocysteinemia in the App^NL-G-F mouse model. The immediate normalization of HCys and HCA after the supply of B-vitamins strengthens the idea of a B-vitamin intervention as a potentially preventive treatment option for HCys-related disorders such as AD.     

Testing adaptation policies for software components

Self-adaptive systems have to implement adaptation policies described by sets of rules that express how the components are reconfigured within the system, the priority of a given reconfiguration to happen, when a given (sequence of) event(s) occurs, and when specific conditions on the system state are satisfied. However, when this priority is given by a fuzzy value (e.g., high, medium, low) depending on external and internal events, it has to be implemented inside the software with particular implementation choices made. This paper is dedicated to the validation of adaptation policies, using a model-based testing approach and a verdict establishment that is based on both the runtime verification of temporal properties, and the detection of inconsistencies between the adaptation policy and the reconfigurations implemented in the self-adaptive system. We propose means to establish a test verdict based on the respect of the adaptation policy by the implementation, along with coverage measures of the rules. This provides interesting feedback on the adaptation policy rules, allowing to detect reconfigurations that should not have occurred, high-priority reconfigurations that are never triggered, or low-priority reconfigurations that are too frequently executed, potential inconsistencies in the rules, or wrong interpretation of priorities. The test verdict is made based on the analysis of the execution traces of the system, which is stimulated using a usage model that describes the probabilities of external events to occur. An experiment, performed on a vehicular ad-hoc network of autonomous vehicles, illustrates the interest of the approach.

     

Organic acid catalyzed synthesis of 5-methylresorcinol based organic aerogels in acetonitrile

A method of preparing 5-methylresorcinol and formaldehyde based organic aerogels in non-aqueous media with a benzoic acid derivative as a catalyst is being proposed in this paper. Here acetonitrile is used as a solvent that allows direct drying with carbon dioxide over the supercritical state without the need for a solvent exchange. The acidic properties of 2,6-dihydroxy-4-methyl benzoic acid promote the reaction of sol–gel polymerization, and at the same time it takes part in the reaction as a co-monomer and influences the nanostructure of the material. The evolution of the polymer was monitored using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the structure of the resulting organic aerogels depending on the molar ratio of 5-methylresorcinol to 2,6-dihydroxy-4-methyl benzoic acid was studied by nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectrometry.     

Articular cartilage: New directions and barriers of scaffolds development – review

Despite progress which has been made in recent years in the field of cell-based therapies or cell scaffolds for cartilage regeneration, a lot of work still needs to be done. Scaffolds remain a great base for tissue regeneration. However, proper implantation procedures or post-treatment still await development.

In this review we summarize paths of cartilage treatment, especially focusing on cell scaffold design and manufacture. As well as the advantages and disadvantages of available or investigated methods and materials, especially focusing on cartilage scaffold design. We show the most promising directions and barriers in the creation of healthy tissue.     

Main parameters influencing the design of photocatalytic reactors for wastewater treatment: a mini review

The research in the heterogeneous photocatalysis to remove different types of pollutants in liquid phase has notably increased in the last years. The main objectives of the research dealing with photocatalysis were: (i) to shift the photoactivity of catalysts in the visible light range or to increase the degradation rate; (ii) the use of the artificial light sources (low pressure lamp, high pressure lamp, LEDs, and optical fibers) and solar light; (iii) photocatalysts recovering and deactivation; (iv) photoreactor configuration; (v) photodegradation of contaminants of emerging concern; and (vi) verification of induced effects from the photocatalytic treatment, such as the induction of bacterial resistance. Here, one of the main problems in the practical application of photocatalysis, which is the photoreactors scale-up, is addressed with the use of mathematical modeling. In this perspective, this mini review reports a literature exam of the main parameters that are important to take into account for the design and the development of photoreactors for wastewater treatment, and through the use of computational fluid dynamics models (CFD). © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Direct Imaging of Dopant and Impurity Distributions in 2D MoS2

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheet is a two-dimensional (2D) material with high electron mobility and with high potential for applications in catalysis and electronics. MoS₂ nanosheets are synthesized using a one-pot wet-chemical synthesis route with and without Re doping. Atom probe tomography reveals that 3.8 at% Re is homogeneously distributed within the Re-doped sheets. Other impurities are also found integrated within the material: light elements including C, N, O, and Na, locally enriched up to 0.1 at%, as well as heavy elements such as V and W. Analysis of the nondoped sample reveals that the W and V likely originate from the Mo precursor. It is shown how wet-chemical synthesis results in an uncontrolled integration of species from the solution that can affect the material's activity. The results of this work are expected to contribute to an improved understanding of the relationships linking composition to properties of 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide materials.     

Photocatalytic Degradation of Eriochrome Black-T Azo Dye Using Eu-Doped ZnO Prepared by Supercritical Antisolvent Precipitation Route: A Preliminary Investigation

Topics in Catalysis - The aim of this work is to preliminary investigate the photocatalytic performances toward the removal of eriochrome black-T dye under UV and visible irradiation using Eu-doped...     

A method to optimize evacuation instructions

In this paper, an optimization method is presented for instructions to evacuate by car the population of a region threatened by a hazard. By giving the optimized instructions to the evacuees, traffic conditions and, therefore, the evacuation efficiency are optimized. The instructions, containing a departure time, a safe destination, and a route, are created using an optimization method consisting of two phases: the generation of the search space and the algorithm AES⁺ evacuation, a version of ant colony optimization. The main contributions of the proposed optimization method are the unique approach to generate the search space in which network degeneration is taken into consideration, the possibility to optimize instructions under the assumption of both full and partial compliance of the evacuees with the instructions, and the flexibility in the sense that the user of the method can define his or her own objective function and choose a suitable traffic simulation model. The paper contains a comprehensive case study. The case study shows that the effectiveness of the optimized instructions is more than doubled when compared with the effectiveness of instructions set up by straightforward rules (like evacuating to the nearest destination using the shortest route). Further, the case study shows that the number of arrivals under optimized, but possibly sub-optimal instructions is equal to at least 90% of the theoretical upper bound on this number of arrivals.