Mucosal Adjuvants Delivered by a Mucoadhesive Patch for Sublingual Administration of Subunit Vaccines

Among mucosal administration routes for vaccines, the sublingual route has been proven capable of inducing a potent systemic and mucosal immune response. However, the absence of a simple and compliant delivery system and the lack of robust mucosal adjuvants impede the development of sublingual vaccines. Here, we describe a mucoadhesive patch made of a layer-by-layer assembly of polysaccharides, chitosan, and hyaluronic acid. The mucoadhesive patch was covered by adjuvanted nanoparticles carrying viral proteins. We showed that the nanoparticles effectively cross the outer layers of the sublingual mucosa to reach the epithelium. Furthermore, the encapsulated adjuvants, 3M-052 and mifamurtide, targeting toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-2 (NOD2), respectively, remain fully active after encapsulation into nanoparticles and exhibit a cytokine/chemokine signature similar to the mucosal gold-standard adjuvant, the cholera toxin. However, the particulate adjuvants induced more moderate levels of proinflammatory interleukin (IL)-6 and keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC), suggesting a controlled activation of the innate immune response.     

Adaptive river segmentation in SAR images

There is difficulty for distinguishing of river and shadow in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. A method of river segmentation in SAR images based on wavelet energy and gradient is proposed in this paper. It mainly includes two algorithms: coarse segmentation and refined segmentation. Firstly, The river regions are coarsely segmented by the wavelet energy feature,and then refined segmented accurately by the gradient threshold which is got adaptively. The experimental results show the validity of the method, which provides a good foundation for targets detection above the river.     

Design of cavern blasting based on controllable parameters

After a thorough review of some controllable parameters, which included field investigations, cavern dimensions, explosive, rock strength etc., cut, contour, lifters and stoping holes were introduced for blasting cavern of nucleus submarine. These design were conducted using a U. Langefors and B. Kihlstrom theory. Supported by the Navy Cavern Project Foundation of China (02)     

Macrophage-Mediated Melanoma Reduction after HP-NAP Treatment in a Zebrafish Xenograft Model

The Helicobacter pylori Neutrophil Activating Protein (HP-NAP) is endowed with immunomodulatory properties that make it a potential candidate for anticancer therapeutic applications. By activating cytotoxic Th1 responses, HP-NAP inhibits the growth of bladder cancer and enhances the anti-tumor activity of oncolytic viruses in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. The possibility that HP-NAP exerts its anti-tumor effect also by modulating the activity of innate immune cells has not yet been explored. Taking advantage of the zebrafish model, we examined the therapeutic efficacy of HP-NAP against metastatic human melanoma, limiting the observational window to 9 days post-fertilization, well before the maturation of the adaptive immunity. Human melanoma cells were xenotransplanted into zebrafish embryos and tracked in the presence or absence of HP-NAP. The behavior and phenotype of macrophages and the impact of their drug-induced depletion were analyzed exploiting macrophage-expressed transgenes. HP-NAP administration efficiently inhibited tumor growth and metastasis and this was accompanied by strong recruitment of macrophages with a pro-inflammatory profile at the tumor site. The depletion of macrophages almost completely abrogated the ability of HP-NAP to counteract tumor growth. Our findings highlight the pivotal role of activated macrophages in counteracting melanoma growth and support the notion that HP-NAP might become a new biological therapeutic agent for the treatment of metastatic melanomas.     

Experimental Investigation and Thermodynamic Description of the Cu-Zr System

The Cu-Zr binary system is re-investigated via experiment and thermodynamic modeling. Four alloys were prepared by arc melting in order to check the controversial phase equilibria reported in the literature. Both as-cast and annealed alloys were examined by optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis, and the phase transformation temperatures were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The intermetallic compounds, Cu₂₄Zr₁₃, Cu₂Zr and Cu₅Zr₈, were demonstrated to be not the stable phases. Based on the literature information and present experimental data, the Cu-Zr system was critically evaluated by means of CALculation of PHAse Diagram approach. A set of self-consistent thermodynamic parameters was obtained, and the calculated phase diagram and thermodynamic properties are in a satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.     

High-Throughput Determination of Interdiffusion Coefficients for Co-Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni High-Entropy Alloys

In this report, a combination of the diffusion multiple technique and the recently developed pragmatic numerical inverse method was employed for a high-throughput determination of interdiffusivity matrices in Co-Cr-FeMn-Ni high-entropy alloys (HEAs). Firstly, one face-centered cubic (fcc) quinary Co-Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni diffusion multiple at 1373 K was carefully prepared by means of the hot-pressing technique. Based on the composition profiles measured by the field emission electron probe micro analysis (FE-EPMA), the composition-dependent interdiffusivity matrices in quinary Co-Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni system at 1373 K were then efficiently determined using the pragmatic numerical inverse method. The determined interdiffusivities show good agreement with the limited results available in the literature. Moreover, the further comparison with the interdiffusivities in the lower-order systems indicates the sluggish diffusion effect in Co-Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni HEAs, which is however not observed in tracer diffusivities. In order for the convenience in further analysis, a generalized transformation relation among interdiffusivities with different dependent components in multicomponent systems was finally derived.     

Weldability and microstructural variations in weldments of Ti-5Ta-1.8Nb alloy

The successful replacement of the present generation of corrosion-resistant materials (nitric acid-grade stainless steel and Ti) by Ti-5Ta-1.8Nb, which has better corrosion resistance, depends on its weldability characteristics. This article presents the results of a study on the fabrication, qualification, and microstructural characterization of the welds. Welding was carried out using the direct current electrode negative (DCEN) polarity tungsten inert gas (TIG) (manual) welding method with high-purity Ar shielding. Testing was carried out as per the ASME standard (section IX, welding and brazing). Qualification tests found that the weldment met the required properties. The weldment showed heterogeneous microstructures, which are rationalized based on differences in phase transformation mechanisms that are dictated by the thermal cycles experienced by various microscopic regions. The results, described in this article, confirm that the weldability of the developmental Ti-Ta-Nb alloy is excellent. A preliminary evaluation of the corrosion behavior of the welds showed rates comparable to that of the base metal, establishing that this alloy could be considered as an alternative material for use in highly corrosive environments.     

Template-free hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystalline SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocauliflowers and their optical properties

Large-scale single-crystalline SnO₂ nanocauliflowers were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal growth method without any template. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). FE-SEM images show that the as-grown SnO₂ nanocauliflowers are constructed of tetragonal prisms with a width of 500–600 nm. XRD, EDS, and SAED results indicate that the as-grown SnO₂ nanocauliflowers are single crystalline with the tetragonal rutile crystalline structure. The growth mechanism of SnO₂ nanocauliflowers is also preliminarily discussed on the basis of different Sn(OH)₆²⁻ concentrations, and it is found that Sn(OH)₆²⁻ concentration plays an important role in determining the shape of the prepared SnO₂. Room temperature photoluminescence was further carried out on SnO₂ nanocauliflowers to investigate their optical properties. An intense blue luminescence centered at a wavelength of 424 nm is observed in the as-grown SnO₂ nanocauliflowers.     

A study of job shop standard setup time quota

For the multi-item and small lot size production mode and single machine job shop scheduling sequence independent setup time, many setup times are difficult to estimate accurately, which influences the ability to achieve accurate production cycles and costs of products. The survey shows that the length of the setup time depends on the level of employee’s knowledge. Therefore, a method for determining the standard setup time quota based on the level of employees’ knowledge is proposed. First, an evaluation index system for the level of employee’s knowledge is built; the level of employee’s knowledge is estimated by the masses and experts fuzzy comprehension evaluation and entropy method. Second, the range and definition of the level of employees’ knowledge index are developed. Third, the relational model of the employee’s knowledge level and the level of employees’ knowledge index is constructed through the least squares method. Finally, an example application is presented to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model.