Exploring the Structural Space of the Galectin‐1–Ligand Interaction

Galectin‐1 is a tumor‐associated protein recognizing the Galβ1‐4GlcNAc motif of cell‐surface glycoconjugates. Herein, we report the stepwise expansion of a multifunctional natural scaffold based on N‐acetyllactosamine (LacNAc). We obtained a LacNAc mimetic equipped with an alkynyl function on the 3′‐hydroxy group of the disaccharide facing towards a binding pocket adjacent to the carbohydrate‐recognition domain. It served as an anchor motif for further expansion by the Sharpless–Huisgen–Meldal reaction, which resulted in ligands with a binding mode almost identical to that of the natural carbohydrate template. X‐ray crystallography provided a structural understanding of the galectin‐1–ligand interactions. The results of this study enable the development of bespoke ligands for members of the galectin target family.     

Experimentelle Untersuchung zur Tropfenbildung in kontinuierlich betriebenen Rotor‐Stator‐Maschinen

Rotor‐stator‐machinery is characterized in continuous operation by a homogeneous power input and a defined residence time. The influence of the equipment configuration and process design in the laminar flow regime was considered little till now. In order to fill this knowledge gap, the process behavior of this type of device was systematically investigated experimentally under axial flow conditions, as well as an energetic optimization of the machine configuration was performed.     

A+C群脑膜炎球菌多糖疫苗大规模接种后的速发型接种反应观察

目的观察A+C群脑膜炎球菌多糖疫苗大规模接种后的速发接种反应。方法以A+C群脑膜炎球菌多糖疫苗为观察组,伤寒Vi多糖疫苗为对照组,按组群随机分层配对的原则,将观察现场分为108个组群,观察组和对照组各分配54个组群进行接种。建立接种反应监测系统,按统一表格和方法对两组的速发接种反应进行监测。结果两组共接种34 543人,其中A+C群脑膜炎球菌多糖疫苗接种18 167人,伤寒Vi多糖疫苗接种16 376人。A+C群脑膜炎球菌多糖疫苗速发接种反应率为0.44‰;伤寒Vi多糖疫苗速发接种反应率为0.79‰,二者差异无统计学意义;速发接种反应均出现在接种后15 min内,最早的出现在接种后5 min,速发接种反应中有2例为异常反应,但未出现严重反应。结论A+C群脑膜炎球菌多糖疫苗速发接种反应发生率低,预后良好。     

Elastoplastic buckling as source of misinterpretation of micropillar tests

Microscopic compression tests (micropillar tests) are typically used to obtain stiffness and strength properties of materials at small length scales. In this work it is shown that structural effects, in particular instabilities, have implications on the resulting load–displacement diagram. Care has to be taken when the measured load–displacement path of a micropillar is interpreted as a stress–strain path of the material. Several structural effects are discussed by means of computational analysis.     

Differential Regulation of Interferon Signaling Pathways in CD4+ T Cells of the Low Type-2 Obesity-Associated Asthma Phenotype

In the era of personalized medicine, insights into the molecular mechanisms that differentially contribute to disease phenotypes, such as asthma phenotypes including obesity-associated asthma, are urgently needed. Peripheral blood was drawn from 10 obese, non-atopic asthmatic adults with a high body mass index (BMI; 36.67 ± 6.90); 10 non-obese, non-atopic asthmatic adults with normal BMI (23.88 ± 2.73); and 10 healthy controls with normal BMI (23.62 ± 3.74). All asthmatic patients were considered to represent a low type-2 asthma phenotype according to selective clinical parameters. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was conducted on peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells. Thousands of differentially expressed genes were identified in both asthma groups compared with heathy controls. The expression of interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes associated with IFN-related signaling pathways was specifically affected in obese asthmatics, while the gap junction and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligand binding pathways were enriched in both asthma groups. Furthermore, obesity gene markers were also upregulated in CD4⁺ T cells from obese asthmatics compared with the two other groups. Additionally, the enriched genes of the three abovementioned pathways showed a unique correlation pattern with various laboratory and clinical parameters. The specific activation of IFN-related signaling and viral infection pathways might provide a novel view of the molecular mechanisms associated with the development of the low type-2 obesity-associated asthma phenotype, which is a step ahead in the development of new stratified therapeutic approaches.     

Ten Years of Boundary-Condition- Independent Compact Thermal Modeling of Electronic Parts: A Review

In order to reduce design-cycle time and physical prototyping, equipment manufacturers need to ascertain the thermal performance of new systems at the earliest possible stage of the design process. In the early 1990s, some European industries began to realize that the accurate prediction of the temperatures of critical electronic parts at the package, board, and system levels was seriously hampered by a lack of reliable, standardized input data that characterize the thermal behavior of these parts. It was the start of a number of European projects concerned with the creation and experimental calibration of thermal models for a range of electronic parts. The ultimate goal of these projects was to get component manufacturers to supply calibrated compact thermal models (CTMs) of their parts to end users by adopting the experimental techniques used to calibrate the detailed thermal conduction models of the parts and the methods to generate compact models. This review paper is written with the purpose of presenting a condensed overview of the history, background, philosophy, methodology, and standardization aspects of compact thermal modeling to non-experts. Some space is devoted to the basic concepts of thermal resistance and thermal characterization because many designers have an incorrect perception of the physics underlying these concepts.     

The efficiency of asset management strategies to reduce urban flood risk

In this study, three asset management strategies were compared with respect to their efficiency to reduce flood risk. Data from call centres at two municipalities were used to quantify urban flood risks associated with three causes of urban flooding: gully pot blockage, sewer pipe blockage and sewer overloading. The efficiency of three flood reduction strategies was assessed based on their effect on the causes contributing to flood risk. The sensitivity of the results to uncertainty in the data source, citizens' calls, was analysed through incorporation of uncertainty ranges taken from customer complaint literature. Based on the available data it could be shown that increasing gully pot blockage is the most efficient action to reduce flood risk, given data uncertainty. If differences between cause incidences are large, as in the presented case study, call data are sufficient to decide how flood risk can be most efficiently reduced. According to the results of this analysis, enlargement of sewer pipes is not an efficient strategy to reduce flood risk, because flood risk associated with sewer overloading is small compared to other failure mechanisms.     

Comment on the paper “Controlling intermetallic compound formation reaction between Sn and Ni-P by Zn addition” by X.F. Zhang, J.D. Guo, J.K. Shang, J. Alloys Compd. 479 (2009) 505–510

Zhang et al. recently reported about the formation of Ni₄(Sn,Zn) in the interlayer of a Sn–Zn/Ni(P) solder joint. This phase is claimed to be based on the binary Ni₄Sn phase. However, this phase as described in the literature by Mikulas and Thomassen, was ruled out for any existing phase diagram version. It could be proved that the diffraction pattern from Mikulas and Thomassen was composed of Ni and Ni₃Sn low-temperature phase. Thus the interpretation of their X-ray diffraction results is incorrect and the phase “Ni₄Sn” is an artefact. The indexing of Ni₄(Sn,Zn) by Zhang et al. is based on this artefact and therefore is incorrect, too. Furthermore, Tai et al. investigated IMC formation in Sn–3Ag–0.5Cu/Ni–8Zn–8P joints and could not observe any interdiffusion of Zn as stated by Zhang et al.