A Herbivore Tag-and-Trace System Reveals Contact- and Density-Dependent Repellence of a Root Toxin

Foraging behavior of root feeding organisms strongly affects plant-environment-interactions and ecosystem processes. However, the impact of plant chemistry on root herbivore movement in the soil is poorly understood. Here, we apply a simple technique to trace the movement of soil-dwelling insects in their habitats without disturbing or restricting their interactions with host plants. We tagged the root feeding larvae of Melolontha melolontha with a copper ring and repeatedly located their position in relation to their preferred host plant, Taraxacum officinale, using a commercial metal detector. This method was validated and used to study the influence of the sesquiterpene lactone taraxinic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G) on the foraging of M. melolontha. TA-G is stored in the latex of T. officinale and protects the roots from herbivory. Using behavioral arenas with TA-G deficient and control plants, we tested the impact of physical root access and plant distance on the effect of TA-G on M. melolontha. The larvae preferred TA-G deficient plants to control plants, but only when physical root contact was possible and the plants were separated by 5 cm. Melolontha melolontha showed no preference for TA-G deficient plants when the plants were grown 15 cm apart, which may indicate a trade-off between the cost of movement and the benefit of consuming less toxic food. We demonstrate that M. melolontha integrates host plant quality and distance into its foraging patterns and suggest that plant chemistry affects root herbivore behavior in a plant-density dependent manner.     

On the sound insulation of masonry wall façades

In this paper, laboratory measurements of sound reduction index for two types of cavity walls commonly used in façades are presented. The first type consists of “masonry–air cavity–brick” and the second one consists of “masonry–air cavity–-gypsum board”. Data are used to show that masonry walls with gypsum boards provide higher sound insulation than masonry cavity walls. The influence on sound reduction index of apertures made on external leaf of the wall to ventilate the cavity of the wall is also examined.     

Breaking the cycle of homelessness: Housing stability and social support as predictors of long-term well-being

It is increasingly acknowledged that homelessness involves more than just being without a house. Indeed, more recent definitions of what constitutes a home highlight the role of social connections and support (including, for example, access to space to engage in social relations). This study examined the role of secure housing and social support as predictors of psychological well-being of individuals following a period of homelessness. Using linear mixed models for longitudinal data, we investigated how changes in social support predicted changes in individuals’ self-reported personal well-being, life satisfaction and mood following a period of homelessness (n = 119), controlling for housing status, alcohol use and employment status. The results showed that remaining homeless predicted poorer personal well-being, life satisfaction and mood. In addition, changes in social support predicted well-being over and above housing stability. Implications of findings for policy and practice in the homeless sector are discussed.     

Asymmetric Synthesis with N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes. Application to the Copper‐Catalyzed Conjugate Addition

Chiral N‐heterocyclic carbenes are good ligands for the copper‐catalyzed conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to various Michael acceptors. With as little as 4% of chiral ligand, the enantioselectivity may reach 93% on cycloheptenone.     

Ionic Competition Effects in a Continuous Uranium Biosorptive Recovery Process

Immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus biomass was studied in a continuous sorption and desorption mode in order to identify factors that affect the long term uranium biosorptive uptake capacity performance of the immobilized biomass. Laboratory-scale continuous operation pilot plant experiments were performed using synthetic uranyl nitrate and industrial uranium mine leachate solutions. Analysis of the liquid solutions indicated that the immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus biomass successfully recovered all of the uranium from the dilute (less than 500 mg U dm⁻³) solutions. All uranium can subsequently be eluted, yielding highly concentrated uranium eluates. The immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus biomass maintained its uranium biosorptive uptake capacity over 12 successive sorption–elution cycles when synthetic uranyl nitrate solutions were used. However, when used with mine leachate solutions, an 18% reduction in the uranium biosorptive uptake capacity occurred within the first four adsorption–elution cycles. Spectral analysis indicated that, during continuous use and reuse, the immobilized biomass retained its structural integrity. EDAX, scanning and transmission electron microscopic techniques employed on the microbial biomass suggested that the presence of aluminium interferes with the uranium biosorption process. Spectral analysis also indicated that the presence of silicon enhances the negative effect of the presence of aluminium on the uranium biosorptive uptake capacity of the immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus biomass particles. © 1997 SCI     

The Role of Fc Receptors on the Effectiveness of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies

Since the approval of the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) in 1986, a huge effort has been made to guarantee safety and efficacy of therapeutic mAbs. As of July 2021, 118 mAbs are approved for the European market for a broad range of clinical indications. In order to ensure clinical efficacy and safety aspects, (pre-)clinical experimental approaches evaluate the respective modes of action (MoA). In addition to antigen-specificity including binding affinity and -avidity, MoA comprise Fc-mediated effector functions such as antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and the closely related antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). For this reason, a variety of cell-based assays have been established investigating effector functions of therapeutic mAbs with different effector/target-cell combinations and several readouts including Fcγ receptor (FcγR)-mediated lysis, fluorescence, or luminescence. Optimized FcγR-mediated effector functions regarding clinical safety and efficacy are addressed with modification strategies such as point mutations, altered glycosylation patterns, combination of different Fc subclasses (cross isotypes), and Fc-truncation of the mAb. These strategies opened the field for a next generation of therapeutic mAbs. In conclusion, it is of major importance to consider FcγR-mediated effector functions for the efficacy of therapeutic mAbs.     

Membrane reactor microstructure for polymer grade olefin production and hydrogen cogeneration

The current communication describes research work on effective membrane reactor nanostructures and nanoreaction-nanoseparation technology for polymer grade olefin production via catalytic paraffin dehydrogenation reactions. Emphasis is given in systems of permreactors and permeators to perform the described reactive and separative operations. We elaborate on new membrane microstructure designs for paraffin dehydrogenations including the design of experiments, operation, and best parameter selection and optimization of such systems. The described processes are of current significance in the area of new microreactor design and operation including hydrocarbon processing and conversion to valuable fuels and chemicals such as hydrogen, olefins, and polyolefins. These improved results are because of the unique design characteristics of the examined microreactor systems to perform accurate multiphase and heterogeneous functions into one unit operation. A number of membrane reactor configurations were made and tested on stream for the catalytic propane dehydrogenation reaction to propylene with successful results. Some of the results are discussed below which show the better performance of nanostructured membrane reactors for the specific dehydrogenation.     

Experimental Study of Heat Transfer Enhancement for Fluid Flow Inside Annulus with Spiral Wires

The evaluation of heat transfer and pressure drop in a water flow inside an annulus of a double concentric-tube heat exchanger with spiral wires inserts was carried out. Three spiral wires with a constant pitch and different wire diameter were tested for a Reynolds number from 1500 to 5500 and a Prandtl number from 5 to 8. The results obtained showed that the spiral wires increased the heat transfer and the pressure drop in comparison with a fluid flow inside a smooth annulus. From the heat transfer point of view, this increase was proportional to the wire diameter but the effect decreases when the Reynolds number increases. General empirical correlations based on dimensionless parameters to calculate the convective heat transfer coefficient and friction factor were developed with an uncertainty of ±6.1% and ±7.6%, respectively, when these estimates were compared against experimental data. The empirical correlations developed were also compared with the estimates calculated by empirical correlations proposed by other researchers, resulting in a good agreement with these values. After the validation analysis, it was demonstrated that the new equations developed provide a good and reliable tool for the design of double concentric-tube heat exchangers with spiral wires inserted inside annulus.     

Characterisation of a metallic foam–cement composite under selected loading conditions

An open-cell metallic foam was employed as an analogue material for human trabecular bone to interface with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement to produce composite foam–cement interface specimens. The stress-displacement curves of the specimens were obtained experimentally under tension, shear, mixed tension and shear (mixed-mode), and step-wise compression loadings. In addition, under step-wise compression, an image-guided failure assessment (IGFA) was used to monitor the evolution of micro-damage of the interface. Microcomputed tomography (µCT) images were used to build a subject-specific model, which was then used to perform finite element (FE) analysis under tension, shear and compression. For tension–shear loading conditions, the strengths of the interface specimens were found to increase with the increase of the loading angle reaching the maximum under shear loading condition, and the results compare reasonably well with those from bone–cement interface. Under compression, however, the mechanical strength measured from the foam–cement interface is much lower than that from bone–cement interface. Furthermore, load transfer between the foam and the cement appears to be poor under both tension and compression, hence the use of the foam should be discouraged as a bone analogue material for cement fixation studies in joint replacements.     

Structural characterization and computer-aided optimization of a small-molecule inhibitor of the Arp2/3 complex, a key regulator of the actin cytoskeleton

CK-666 (1) is a recently discovered small-molecule inhibitor of the actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex, a key actin cytoskeleton regulator with roles in bacterial pathogenesis and cancer cell motility. Although 1 is commercially available, the crystal structure of Arp2/3 complex with 1 bound has not been reported, making its mechanism of action uncertain. Furthermore, its relatively low potency increases its potential for off-target effects in vivo, complicating interpretation of its influence in cell biological studies and precluding its clinical use. Herein we report the crystal structure of 1 bound to Arp2/3 complex, which reveals that 1 binds between the Arp2 and Arp3 subunits to stabilize the inactive conformation of the complex. Based on the crystal structure, we used computational docking and free-energy perturbation calculations of monosubstituted derivatives of 1 to guide optimization efforts. Biochemical assays of ten newly synthesized compounds led to the identification of compound 2, which exhibits a threefold increase in inhibitory activity in vitro relative to 1. In addition, our computational analyses unveiled a surface groove at the interface of the Arp2 and Arp3 subunits that can be exploited for additional structure-based optimization.