Key Assumptions Used in the Calculation of Sustainability Parameters for Metals Processing Operations

JOM - No matter how sophisticated a model for prediction of important sustainability parameters, a number of assumptions must be made to yield the desired information. Some of these assumptions are...     

Privacy protection vs. utility in visual data

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Ubiquitous and networked sensors impose a huge challenge for privacy protection which has become an emerging problem of modern society. Protecting the privacy of...     

Identification and Optimization of the First Highly Selective GLUT1 Inhibitor BAY‐876

Despite the long‐known fact that the facilitative glucose transporter GLUT1 is one of the key players safeguarding the increase in glucose consumption of many tumor entities even under conditions of normal oxygen supply (known as the Warburg effect), only few endeavors have been undertaken to find a GLUT1‐selective small‐molecule inhibitor. Because other transporters of the GLUT1 family are involved in crucial processes, these transporters should not be addressed by such an inhibitor. A high‐throughput screen against a library of ～3 million compounds was performed to find a small molecule with this challenging potency and selectivity profile. The N‐(1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl)quinoline‐4‐carboxamides were identified as an excellent starting point for further compound optimization. After extensive structure–activity relationship explorations, single‐digit nanomolar inhibitors with a selectivity factor of >100 against GLUT2, GLUT3, and GLUT4 were obtained. The most promising compound, BAY‐876 [N⁴‐[1‐(4‐cyanobenzyl)‐5‐methyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl]‐7‐fluoroquinoline‐2,4‐dicarboxamide], showed good metabolic stability in vitro and high oral bioavailability in vivo.     

Structured Raney Nickel Catalysts for Liquid‐Phase Hydrogenation

Structured catalysts consisting of metal sheets on which Raney nickel was deposited by the thermal spraying method were tested for the liquid‐phase hydrogenation of glucose to sorbitol and 2‐nitrotoluene to 2‐methylaniline, used as model reactions. Catalytic tests performed in a bench‐scale (1 L) reactor showed that the catalytic activity of Raney Ni sheets is significantly higher than the one of the pellets used for fixed‐bed applications, but lower than the activity of the powder catalyst used in slurry mode. The activity could be significantly improved when applying a two‐phase co‐current flow through a monolith. In this case, the activity was superior to the one obtained with the slurry catalyst. These results confirm the potential of Raney Ni monoliths as structured catalysts.     

A decomposition-based approach for the selection of standardized modular containers

The standardisation of packaging and containers for product handling has potential benefits from transportation, material handling and environmental perspectives. Likewise, standardised modular containers play an important role in the Physical Internet (PI). To support implementation of standard modular containers, we introduce a mathematical model to select a requisite number of modular containers to pack a set of products to maximise space utilisation. A decomposition-based solution methodology is developed and presented. Computational results from industry-based problem instances indicate that using standardised modular containers results in increased space utilisation at the unit load level. This finding substantiates the use of modular containers in moving toward the PI.     

Injection of Microporous Annealing Particle (MAP) Hydrogels in the Stroke Cavity Reduces Gliosis and Inflammation and Promotes NPC Migration to the Lesion

With the number of deaths due to stroke decreasing, more individuals are forced to live with crippling disability resulting from the stroke. To date, no therapeutics exist after the first 4.5 h after the stroke onset, aside from rest and physical therapy. Following stroke, a large influx of astrocytes and microglia releasing proinflammatory cytokines leads to dramatic inflammation and glial scar formation, affecting brain tissue's ability to repair itself. Pathological conditions, such as a stroke, trigger neural progenitor cells (NPCs) proliferation and migration toward the damaged site. However, these progenitors are often found far from the cavity or the peri‐infarct tissue. Poststroke tissue remodeling results in a compartmentalized cavity that can directly accept a therapeutic material injection. Here, this paper shows that the injection of a porous hyaluronic acid hydrogel into the stroke cavity significantly reduces the inflammatory response following stroke while increasing peri‐infarct vascularization compared to nonporous hydrogel controls and stroke only controls. In addition, it is shown that the injection of this material impacts NPCs proliferation and migration at the subventricular zone niche and results, for the first time, in NPC migration into the stroke site.