The effects of processing variables on electrospun poly(ethylene glycol) fibrous hydrogels formed from the thiol-norbornene click reaction

Electrospinning has been used to create scaffolds with tunable micro/nano architecture, stiffness, and porosity to mimic native extracellular matrix. This study investigated the effects of electrospinning parameters and hydrogel formulation (solvent and crosslinker type) on the architecture and properties of fibrous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels formed from a photoclick thiol-norbornene reaction. Fibrous hydrogels were prepared using hydrogel precursors (four-arm PEG norbornene and multi-thiol crosslinker), sacrificial poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, 400 kDa), and photoinitiator (I2959) in either 2,2-triflouroethanol (TFE) or water. Three thiol crosslinkers- 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)diethanethiol (EDT), pentaerythritol tetrakis(3mercaptopropionate) (PTMP), and PEG dithiol (PEGDT)- were investigated. Fibrous PEG networks with uniform fibers were produced at applied voltages of 10 or 12 kV for TFE and 16 kV for water. Fiber diameters of electrospun hydrogels were largely affected by the solvent when combined with PEO concentration and ranged from 0.5 to 3.5 mm in dry state. While the effect of crosslinker type on fiber diameter, morphology, and porosity of the fibrous hydrogel was minimal, it did modulate its shear modulus. To this end, this study provides the groundwork for selecting processing parameters to achieve desired properties of fibrous PEG thiol-norbornene hydrogels for intended tissue engineering applications ranging from neural, cardiovascular to musculoskeletal.     

Modification of Triclosan Scaffold in Search of Improved Inhibitors for Enoyl‐Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP) Reductase in Toxoplasma gondii

Through our focused effort to discover new and effective agents against toxoplasmosis, a structure‐based drug design approach was used to develop a series of potent inhibitors of the enoyl‐acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase (ENR) enzyme in Toxoplasma gondii (TgENR). Modifications to positions 5 and 4′ of the well‐known ENR inhibitor triclosan afforded a series of 29 new analogues. Among the resulting compounds, many showed high potency and improved physicochemical properties in comparison with the lead. The most potent compounds 16 a and 16 c have IC₅₀ values of 250 nM against Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites without apparent toxicity to the host cells. Their IC₅₀ values against recombinant TgENR were found to be 43 and 26 nM , respectively. Additionally, 11 other analogues in this series had IC₅₀ values ranging from 17 to 130 nM in the enzyme‐based assay. With respect to their excellent in vitro activity as well as improved drug‐like properties, the lead compounds 16 a and 16 c are deemed to be excellent starting points for the development of new medicines to effectively treat Toxoplasma gondii infections.     

Teaching color theory for automotive coatings: A computer‐based approach

“Color Theory for Automotive Coatings” is a state‐of‐the‐art learning approach to the world of automotive color. This learning tool provides important information to design engineers, color formulators, chemists, paint shop managers, color technicians, and anyone who wants to be more discerning about the science and communication of color. The content synthesizes both historic and current relevant color knowledge bases. The interactive educational design incorporates concepts of adult learning. The fundamentals of color and its application to the automotive industry are presented at the student's own pace. The learner has control of the learning process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 28, 327–334, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10176     

Hedonic ratings and consumption of school lunch among preschool children

Hedonic ratings of lunch items belonging to 20 school meals were collected from 71 children, 4 to 5 years old, over 2 months. During the subsequent lunch, the leftovers of each individual and menu item were recorded. The most preferred dishes were second courses (mainly based on meat or fish) and the least preferred dishes were vegetables. For all dishes, hedonic ratings predicted the amount uneaten (r = −0.96). Ratings of parents who completed a questionnaire on their children’s preferences also predicted successfully the amount uneaten (r = −.91). The more frequently a lunch item was served at home, the less were the leftovers, but the predictive equation for vegetables vs. other items were clearly different. A composite hedonic response index (HRI), based on ratings of all lunch items predicted low waste index (WI). In conclusion, hedonic ratings of 4–5-year-old children were a valid and highly predictive measure of consumption. Low and variable ratings of vegetable dishes raise the question on how vegetables should be served to encourage their consumption in young children.     

The Dual Role of Inflammation in Colon Carcinogenesis

Chronic inflammation characterizing patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents a major risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer. Mechanisms underlying this neoplastic transformation are not fully understood though studies in experimental models of colon carcinogenesis suggest that inflammatory cell-derived cytokines either directly or indirectly stimulate the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. Nevertheless, under specific inflammatory conditions, immune cells can boost an anti-tumor immune response with the down-stream effect of eliminating dysplastic and cancerous cells. This review outlines the beneficial and detrimental role of inflammation in colon carcinogenesis.     

15 Gb/s multichannel optical interconnect laser array transmitteroperating at λ=1.3 μm

We have fabricated and measured detailed bit error rate experiments on a 12 channel optical interconnect transmitter operating at rates up to 1.25 Gb/s per channel, using InGaAsP/InP λ=1.3 μm lasers. The lasers are highly uniform, the channel crosstalk is less than 1 dB, and the mode selective losses are low (<1 dB). This transmitter has been demonstrated in an architecture which would allow the transmission of 120 channels of 100-Mb/s uncompressed video signals     

Physical activity assessment: A review of methods

In order to determine the actual threshold level of habitual physical activity necessary to obtain protective effects against degenerative diseases, valid, reliable, nonreactive, and precise instruments are needed. Because regular, low‐intensity exercise provides prophylactic effects, the ability to distinguish activity patterns should be a primary consideration when choosing an instrument to assess activity in the field. Although self‐report methods in the form of questionnaires are the instruments of choice when large populations are to be assessed, they are somewhat limited in their objectivity. The doubly labeled water (DLW) technique is a highly accurate and objective technique for assessing total daily energy expenditure that should be utilized more as a criterion measure for validating questionnaires that assess energy expenditure. However, the DLW technique remains too costly to be considered practical for large‐scale studies. Supplementing questionnaires with a personal interview does elicit more detailed data, but activity monitors provide a more objective measure of activity that can be used as an adjunct to questionnaires. Several models of activity monitors are capable of collecting and storing data for many days, weeks, or even months. More importantly, the internal real‐time clocks of these monitors allow the discrimination of activity patterns. Future studies should combine the use of these monitors with a suitable questionnaire.     

Performance analysis of visualmarkers for indoor navigation systems

The massive diffusion of smartphones, the growing interest in wearable devices and the Internet of Things, and the exponential rise of location based services (LBSs) have made the problem of localization and navigation inside buildings one of the most important technological challenges of recent years. Indoor positioning systems have a huge market in the retail sector and contextual advertising; in addition, they can be fundamental to increasing the quality of life for citizens if deployed inside public buildings such as hospitals, airports, and museums. Sometimes, in emergency situations, they can make the difference between life and death. Various approaches have been proposed in the literature. Recently, thanks to the high performance of smartphones’ cameras, marker-less and marker-based computer vision approaches have been investigated. In a previous paper, we proposed a technique for indoor localization and navigation using both Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and a 2D visual marker system deployed into the floor. In this paper, we presented a qualitative performance evaluation of three 2D visual markers, Vuforia, ArUco marker, and AprilTag, which are suitable for real-time applications. Our analysis focused on specific case study of visual markers placed onto the tiles, to improve the efficiency of our indoor localization and navigation approach by choosing the best visual marker system.