Within-class multimodal classification

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In many real-world classification problems there exist multiple subclasses (or clusters) within a class; in other words, the underlying data distribution is...     

Microwave dielectric properties of ultra-low loss Li2MgTi0.7(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.3O4 ceramics sintered at low temperature by LiF addition

In this work, ultra-low loss Li₂MgTi_0.7(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.3O₄ ceramics were successfully prepared via the conventional solid-state method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) and bond energy were used to determine the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic dielectric loss in (Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)⁴⁺ ions substituted ceramics. The addition of (Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)⁴⁺ ions enhances the bond energy in unit cell without changing the crystal structure of Li₂MgTiO₄, which results in high Q·f value as an intrinsic factor. The extrinsic factors such as porosity and grain size influence the dielectric loss at lower sintering temperature, while the oxygen vacancies play dominant role when the ceramics densified at 1400?°C. The Li₂MgTi_0.7(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.3O₄ ceramics sintered at 1400?°C can achieve an excellent combination of microwave dielectric properties: ε_r =?16.19, Q·f?=?160,000?GHz and τ_f =??3.14?ppm/°C. In addition, a certain amount of LiF can effectively lower the sintering temperature of the matrix, and the Li₂MgTi_0.7(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.3O₄-3?wt% LiF ceramics sintered at 1100?°C possess balanced properties with ε_r?=?16.32, Q·f?=?145,384?GHz and τ_f =??16.33?ppm/°C.     

The reported point centromeres of Scheffersomyces stipitis are retrotransposon long terminal repeats

Point centromeres, found in some ascomycete yeasts such Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are very different in structure from the centromeres of other eukaryotes. They are tiny and nonrepetitive and contain only two short conserved sequence motifs. Until recently, point centromeres were thought to have a single evolutionary origin, in the budding yeast family Saccharomycetaceae. Most yeasts outside this family have centromeres that are many kilobases in size. Some have centromeres consisting of a large inverted repeat sequence, others have centromeric clusters of retrotransposons, and a third group including Candida albicans has centromeres with no conserved sequence features. It was recently reported that Scheffersomyces stipitis has point centromeres with a strongly conserved 125-bp core sequence, which is unexpected because S. stipitis is only distantly related to the known point-centromere species. We show here that the 125-bp core sequence is actually part of the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the Ty5-like retrotransposon Tps5, which forms a cluster in the centromeric region of each S. stipitis chromosome. Thus, the LTR of a centromere-associated retrotransposon confers centromere-like mitotic stability when cloned into a plasmid. The centromeric regions of S. stipitis contain three types of Tps5 element (Tps5a, Tps5b, and Tps5c) and a noncoding nonautonomous large retrotransposon derivative.     

Improving weld formability by a novel dual-rotation bobbin tool friction stir welding

A novel dual-rotation bobbin tool friction stir welding (DBT-FSW) was developed, in which the upper shoulder (US) and lower shoulder (LS) have different rotational speeds. This process was tried to weld 3.2 mm thick aluminum-lithium alloy sheets. The metallographic analysis and torque measurement were carried out to characterize the weld formability. Experimental results show that compared to conventional bobbin tool friction stir welding, the DBT-FSW has an excellent process stability, and can produce the defect-free joints in a wider range of welding parameters. These can be attributed to the significant improvement of material flow caused by the formation of a staggered layer structure and the unbalanced force between the US and LS during the DBT-FSW process.     

Discovery of Affinity-Based Probes for Btk Occupancy Assays

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is an attractive target for the treatment of a wide array of B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Small-molecule covalent irreversible Btk inhibitors targeting Cys481 have been developed for the treatment of such diseases. In clinical trials, probe molecules are required in occupancy studies to measure the level of engagement of the protein by these covalent irreversible inhibitors. The result of this pharmacodynamic (PD) activity provides guidance for appropriate dosage selection to optimize inhibition of the drug target and correlation of target inhibition with disease treatment efficacy. This information is crucial for successful evaluation of drug candidates in clinical trials. Based on the pyridine carboxamide scaffold of a novel solvent-accessible pocket (SAP) series of covalent irreversible Btk inhibitors, we successfully developed a potent and selective affinity-based biotinylated probe 12 (2-[(4-{4-[5-(1-{5-[(3aS,4S,6aR)-2-oxo-hexahydro-1H-thieno[3,4-d]imidazol-4-yl]pentanamido}-3,6,9,12-tetraoxapentadecan-15-amido)pentanoyl]piperazine-1-carbonyl}phenyl)amino]-6-[1-(prop-2-enoyl)piperidin-4-yl]pyridine-3-carboxamide). Compound 12 has been used in Btk occupancy assays for preclinical studies to determine the therapeutic efficacy of Btk inhibition in two mouse lupus models driven by TLR7 activation and type I interferon.     

Computational Analysis of the Solid-State and Solvation Properties of Carbamazepine in Relation to its Polymorphism

The solvent-dependent polymorphism of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) carbamazepine is interpreted from calculations of the solid-state and API-solvent intermolecular interactions. These simulations suggested that apolar solute-solute interactions could be disrupted by apolar solvents. In contrast, the polar solute-solute interactions were found to be easily disrupted by polar and protic solvents. This is consistent with experimental observations that the crystallization of the metastable form II is more dominant in apolar solvents. The Mercury program remains the gold standard in terms of usability; however, further expansion into more complex simulation techniques could make this package of even greater use in pharmaceutical manufacturing workflows.     

Macrophage Immunomodulation Through New Polymers that Recapitulate Functional Effects of Itaconate as a Power House of Innate Immunity

Itaconate (ITA) is an emerging powerhouse of innate immunity with therapeutic potential that is limited in its ability to be administered in a soluble form. A library of polyester materials that incorporate ITA into polymer backbones resulting in materials with inherent immunoregulatory behavior is developed. Harnessing hydrolytic degradation release from polyester backbones, ITA polymers result in the mechanism specific immunoregulatory properties on macrophage polarization in vitro. In a functional assay, the polymer-released ITA inhibits bacterial growth on acetate. Translation to an in vivo model of biomaterial associated inflammation, intraperitoneal injection of ITA polymers demonstrate a rapid resolution of inflammation in comparison to a control polymer silicone, demonstrating the value of sustained biomimetic presentation of ITA.     

High-Tg porous polyimide films with low dielectric constant derived from spiro-(adamantane-2,9′(2′,7′-diamino)-fluorene)

Porous polyimide (PI) films with low dielectric constants and excellent thermal properties have been a pressing demand for the next generation of high-performance, miniature, and ultrathin microelectronic devices. A series of novel porous PI films containing fluorenyl-adamantane groups were prepared successfully via thermolysis of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) added in the PI matrix. The cross-sectional morphologies of porous PI films showed closed pores with diameters ranging from 135 to 158 nm, which were uniform and regular in shape without interconnectivity. These porous PI films exhibited excellent thermal properties with a glass-transition temperature at 376 °C whereas the 5% weight loss temperature in air excess of 405 °C due to enhanced rigidity afforded by fluorenyl-adamantane groups. Accompanied by thermolysis content of PEG increasing from 0 to 20 wt %, the density of porous PI films decreased, and the corresponding porosity grew significantly from 0 to 11.48%. Depending on porosity, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of porous PI films significantly declined from 2.89 to 2.37 and from 0.050 to 0.021, respectively. These excellent properties benefit the as-prepared porous PI films for application as interlayer dielectrics, integrated circuit chips, or multichip modules in microelectronic fields. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47313.     

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) treatment of supernatant of cow manure by thermal pre-treatment.

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) methane fermentation treatment of cow manure that was subjected to screw pressing, thermal treatment and subsequent solid-liquid separation was studied. Conducting batch scale tests at temperatures between 140 and 180 degrees C, the optimal temperature for sludge settling and the color suppression was found to be between 160-170 degrees C. UASB treatment was carried out with a supernatant obtained from the thermal treatment at the optimal conditions (170 degrees C for 30 minutes) and polymer-dosed solid-liquid separation. In the UASB treatment with a COD(Cr) loading of 11.7 kg/m3/d and water temperature of 32.2 degrees C, the COD(Cr) level dropped from 16,360 mg/L in raw water to 3,940 mg/L in treated water (COD(Cr), removal rate of 75.9%), and the methane production rate per COD(Cr) was 0.187 Nm3/kg. Using wastewater thermal-treated at the optimal conditions, also a methane fermentation treatment with a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was conducted (COD(Cr) in raw water: 38,000 mg/L, hydraulic retention time (HRT): 20 days, 35 degrees C). At the COD(Cr) loading of 1.9 kg/m3/d, the methane production rate per COD(Cr), was 0.153 Nm3/kg. This result shows that UASB treatment using thermal pre-treatment provides a COD(Cr), loading of four times or more and a methane production rate of 1.3 times higher than the CSTR treatment.     

Analysis of phosphorus removal and anaerobic selector performance in a full-scale activated sludge process in Singapore.

This paper analyses the performance of the anaerobic selector (A/O process) in a full-scale activated sludge process receiving mostly industrial sewage discharge (> 60%) in Singapore. In addition to the sludge settleability, enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was studied. The sludge volume index (SVI) reduced from 200 to 80 ml g(-1) and foaming was suppressed significantly, indicating the effectiveness of the anaerobic selector in improving sludge settleability. The phosphorus removal efficiency was 66%, and 7.5 mg HAc-COD was consumed per mg PO4(3-) -P removed. In the anaerobic compartment, 31% of the SCOD and 73% of the acetic acid in the settled sewage were removed with PO4(3-) -P release of 14.1 mg PO4(3-)-P l(-1). The linear correlation between PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment and PO4(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment indicates that there is about 0.8 mg PO4(3-) -P release in the anaerobic compartment per mg PO34(3-) -P uptake in the aerobic compartment. The fates of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and its short chain acids (SCAs) in the process were studied and discussed.