Template‐Assisted Electroforming of Fully Semi‐Hard‐Magnetic Helical Microactuators

The authors report on the fabrication of semi‐hard‐magnetic microhelices using template‐assisted electroforming. The method consists of electrodepositing a material on a sacrificial mandrel on which a pattern has been previously written. To electroform the helical microswimmers, a helical template on a polymer‐coated metallic mandrel is created using a laser, which precisely ablates the polymer coating and exposes the mandrel surface. Subsequently, the semi‐hard‐magnetic material is electrodeposited in the trenches produced by the laser. In this investigation, the helical structures are obtained from an electrolyte, which enables the production of hard‐magnetic CoPt alloys. The authors also show that electroformed semi‐hard‐magnetic helical microswimmers can propel in viscous environments such as silicon oil in three dimensions and against gravity. Their manufacturing approach can be used for the fabrication of more complex architectures for a wide range of applications and can be potentially extended to any electroplatable material.

     

Hydrogen production by the thermophilic eubacterium Thermotoga neapolitana from storage polysaccharides of the CO2-fixing diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii

Planktic diatoms are the largest primary producers in marine and freshwater habitats. Their dry biomass accumulates up to 50% of lipids and contains water-soluble β-1,3-glucans as major storage products. Because of the world-wide abundance of these photosynthetic protists, β-1,3-glucans may rival cellulose as the polysaccharide with the highest annual production on Earth. Here we show the feasibility of a simple and efficient process leading to bio-hydrogen by dark fermentation of microalgal biomass with the thermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana. Production of the biogas on minimum medium supplemented only with the extract of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii proved that algal biomass per se can serve as substrate for sustaining the biotechnological process with no requirement of any pretreatment and external integration of other nutrients. At the same time, lipids unused for the anaerobic production of the biogas, can be employed for production of bio-diesel, thus considerably increasing the economic potential of these renewable feedstocks.     

Photovoltaic field emulation including dynamic and partial shadow conditions

In this paper the development of a new laboratory prototype for the emulation of a photovoltaic (PV) field is presented. The proposed system is based on a DC/DC step-down converter topology and allows to obtain the solar array I–V curves, taking into account the environmental changes in solar irradiance and cell temperature. The DC/DC converter control strategy is deduced by using a comprehensive mathematical model of the PV field whose parameters are obtained from the knowledge of: (a) maximum power point data, measured when the PV plant power converter is running, (b) open circuit voltage and short-circuit current, measured off-line. This approach allows the most accurate representation of the PV source. Computer simulations and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed circuit acts as a highly accurate and efficient laboratory simulator of the photovoltaic array electrical characteristics both in steady state and transient conditions. Partial shading and fluctuating conditions can be reproduced too. Moreover the dynamic behaviour of the proposed laboratory emulator is suitable to its effective connection to power electronic interface to the utility or to load through a DC/DC boost converter.     

Wine Processing: A Critical Review of Physical,Chemical, and Sensory Implications of Innovative Vinification Procedures

Wine is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the world, although it is mainly consumed in European and South American countries. Several thousand years have passed since the product of grape fermentation was accidentally discovered. Over the last 100–150 years, winemaking has been completely revolutionized in terms of procedures and equipment. This work is aimed to give a comprehensive overview of the consolidated use of winemaking innovations that are still in the development stage or already applied to commercial products. Their effects on physical, chemical, and sensory characteristics of wines will also be discussed in comparison with the consolidated vinification procedures.     

Surface decorated platinum carbonyl clusters

Four molecular Pt-carbonyl clusters decorated by Cd-Br fragments, i.e., [Pt(13)(CO)(12){Cd(5)(μ-Br)(5)Br(2)(dmf)(3)}(2)](2-) (1), [Pt(19)(CO)(17){Cd(5)(μ-Br)(5)Br(3)(Me(2)CO)(2)}{Cd(5)(μ-Br)(5)Br(Me(2)CO)(4)}](2-) (2), [H(2)Pt(26)(CO)(20)(CdBr)(12)](8-) (3) and [H(4)Pt(26)(CO)(20)(CdBr)(12)(PtBr)(x)](6-) (4) (x = 0-2), have been obtained from the reactions between [Pt(3n)(CO)(6n)](2-) (n = 2-6) and CdBr(2)·H(2)O in dmf at 120 °C. The structures of these molecular clusters with diameters of 1.5-2 nm have been determined by X-ray crystallography. Both 1 and 2 are composed of icosahedral or bis-icosahedral Pt-CO cores decorated on the surface by Cd-Br motifs, whereas 3 and 4 display a cubic close packed Pt(26)Cd(12) metal frame decorated by CO and Br ligands. An oversimplified and unifying approach to interpret the electron count of these surface decorated platinum carbonyl clusters is suggested, and extended to other low-valent organometallic clusters and Au-thiolate nanoclusters.     

Antibody phage display libraries: contributions to oncology

Since the advent of phage display technology, dating back to 1985, antibody libraries displayed on filamentous phage surfaces have been used to identify specific binders for many different purposes, including the recognition of tumors. Phage display represents a high-throughput technique for screening billions of random fusion antibodies against virtually any target on the surface or inside cancer cells, or even soluble markers found in patient serum. Many phage display derived binders targeting important tumor markers have been identified. Selection directed to tumoral cells' surfaces lead to the identification of unknown tumoral markers. Also the improvement of methods that require smaller amounts of cells has opened the possibility to use this approach on patient samples. Robust techniques combining an antibody library displayed on the phage surface and protein microarray allowed the identification of auto antibodies recognized by patient sera. Many Ab molecules directly or indirectly targeting angiogenesis have been identified, and one of them, ramucirumab, has been tested in 27 phase I-III clinical trials in a broad array of cancers. Examples of such antibodies will be discussed here with emphasis on those used as probes for molecular imaging and other clinical trials.     

Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Assay as an In Vivo Model to Study the Effect of Newly Identified Molecules on Ovarian Cancer Invasion and Metastasis

The majority of ovarian cancer patients present with advanced disease and despite aggressive treatment, prognosis remains poor. Significant improvement in ovarian cancer survival will require the development of more effective molecularly targeted therapeutics. Commonly, mouse models are used for the in vivo assessment of potential new therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer. However, animal models are costly and time consuming. Other models, such as the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, are therefore an attractive alternative. CAM assays have been widely used to study angiogenesis and tumor invasion of colorectal, prostate and brain cancers. However, there have been limited studies that have used CAM assays to assess ovarian cancer invasion and metastasis. We have therefore developed a CAM assay protocol to monitor the metastatic properties of ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3, SKOV-3 and OV-90) and to study the effect of potential therapeutic molecules in vivo. The results from the CAM assay are consistent with cancer cell motility and invasion observed in in vitro assays. Our results demonstrate that the CAM assay is a robust and cost effective model to study ovarian cancer cell metastasis. It is therefore a very useful in vivo model for screening of potential novel therapeutics.     

Toxin-producing Ostreopsis cf. ovata are likely to bloom undetected along coastal areas

Mass appearances of the toxic dinoflagellate genus Ostreopsis are known to cause dangerous respiratory symptoms in humans exposed to aerosols. The outbreaks can appear in shallow marine waters of temperate regions around the globe. We followed a massive bloom event on a public beach on the northern Adriatic coast near Rovinj, Croatia. We identified the responsible species and the produced toxins as well as the dynamics of the event with respect to environmental conditions. Ostreopsis cf. ovata appeared in masses from September through October 2010 on a public beach near Rovinj, Croatia but stayed undetected by public health organizations. Respiratory symptoms were observed whenever humans were exposed to substrate samples containing large numbers of Ostreopsis cells. During the mass abundance of O. cf. ovata also exposure to the aerosols on the beach evoked respiratory symptoms in humans. Our measurements showed high cell abundances and high toxin contents with a stable relative contribution of putative Palytoxin and Ovatoxins a-e. Artificial beach structures proved to dramatically reduce settling of the observed Ostreopsis biofilm. Blooms like those reported herein have a high potential to happen undetected with a high potential of affecting the health of coastal human populations. Increased monitoring efforts are therefore required to understand the ecology and toxicology of those bloom events and reduce their negative impact on coastal populations.