Nanoscale Insight Into Lead‐Free BNT‐BT‐xKNN

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is used to afford insight into the nanoscale electromechanical behavior of lead‐free piezoceramics. Materials based on Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃ exhibit high strains mediated by a field‐induced phase transition. Using the band excitation technique the initial domain morphology, the poling behavior, the switching behavior, and the time‐dependent phase stability in the pseudo‐ternary system (1–x)(0.94Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃‐0.06BaTiO₃)‐xK_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ (0 <= x <= 18 mol%) are revealed. In the base material (x = 0 mol%), macroscopic domains and ferroelectric switching can be induced from the initial relaxor state with sufficiently high electric field, yielding large macroscopic remanent strain and polarization. The addition of KNN increases the threshold field required to induce long range order and decreases the stability thereof. For x = 3 mol% the field‐induced domains relax completely, which is also reflected in zero macroscopic remanence. Eventually, no long range order can be induced for x >= 3 mol%. This PFM study provides a novel perspective on the interplay between macroscopic and nanoscopic material properties in bulk lead‐free piezoceramics.     

Dimerization Tendency of 3CLpros of Human Coronaviruses Based on the X-ray Crystal Structure of the Catalytic Domain of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro

3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2 is a promising target for developing anti-COVID19 agents. In order to evaluate the catalytic activity of 3CLpros according to the presence or absence of the dimerization domain, two forms had been purified and tested. Enzyme kinetic studies with a FRET method revealed that the catalytic domain alone presents enzymatic activity, despite it being approximately 8.6 times less than that in the full domain. The catalytic domain was crystallized and its X-ray crystal structure has been determined to 2.3 Å resolution. There are four protomers in the asymmetric unit. Intriguingly, they were packed as a dimer though the dimerization domain was absent. The RMSD of superimposed two catalytic domains was 0.190 for 182 Cα atoms. A part of the long hinge loop (LH-loop) from Gln189 to Asp197 was not built in the model due to its flexibility. The crystal structure indicates that the decreased proteolytic activity of the catalytic domain was due to the incomplete construction of the substrate binding part built by the LH-loop. A structural survey with other 3CLpros showed that SARS-CoV families do not have interactions between DM-loop due to the conformational difference at the last turn of helix α7 compared with others. Therefore, we can conclude that the monomeric form contains nascent enzyme activity and that its efficiency increases by dimerization. This new insight may contribute to understanding the behavior of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and thus be useful in developing anti-COVID-19 agents.     

VI-116, A Novel Potent Inhibitor of VRAC with Minimal Effect on ANO1

Volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) is ubiquitously expressed and plays a pivotal role in vertebrate cell volume regulation. A heterologous complex of leucine-rich repeat containing 8A (LRRC8A) and LRRC8B-E constitutes the VRAC, which is involved in various processes such as cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, intercellular communication, and apoptosis. However, the lack of a potent and selective inhibitor of VRAC limits VRAC-related physiological and pathophysiological studies, and most previous VRAC inhibitors strongly blocked the calcium-activated chloride channel, anoctamin 1 (ANO1). In the present study, we performed a cell-based screening for the identification of potent and selective VRAC inhibitors. Screening of 55,000 drug-like small-molecules and subsequent chemical modification revealed 3,3′-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methylene)bis(4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one) (VI-116), a novel potent inhibitor of VRAC. VI-116 fully inhibited VRAC-mediated I⁻ quenching with an IC₅₀ of 1.27 ± 0.18 μM in LN215 cells and potently blocked endogenous VRAC activity in PC3, HT29 and HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, VI-116 had no effect on intracellular calcium signaling up to 10 μM, which completely inhibited VRAC, and showed high selectivity for VRAC compared to ANO1 and ANO2. However, DCPIB, a VRAC inhibitor, significantly affected ATP-induced increases in intracellular calcium levels and Eact-induced ANO1 activation. In addition, VI-116 showed minimal effect on hERG K⁺ channel activity up to 10 μM. These results indicate that VI-116 is a potent and selective VRAC inhibitor and a useful research tool for pharmacological dissection of VRAC.     

Effects of ozonized water and heat treatment on the papaya fruit epidermis

This study examined the effects of O₃ and hot water treatments on the epidermis of Golden papaya fruit. Heat treatments were applied in a hot water brushing (HWB) system. Papayas were brushed under a pressurized hot water rinse stage at 45, 55 and 65 °C for 60 s. In the HWB treatment, 4 ppm ozone was applied to the papayas for 1 or 2 min. The results show that ozone applications did not affect the fruit's cuticular surface, while heat treatments allowed natural fissures on the fruit epidermis to recover. Several crystalloid forms were identified on the epidermis of the papayas after the heat treatments. The predominant crystalloid forms on papayas are tubular and there is a positive response to temperature; the higher the temperature, the larger and more frequent the tubular crystalloids.     

Salmonella in eggs: From shopping to consumption—A review providing an evidence-based analysis of risk factors

Nontyphoidal salmonellae are among the most prevalent foodborne pathogens causing gastrointestinal infections worldwide. A high number of cases and outbreaks of salmonellosis are associated with the consumption of eggs and egg products, and several of these occur at the household level. The aim of the current study is to critically evaluate the current status of knowledge on Salmonella in eggs from a consumer's perspective, analyzing the hazard occurrence and the good practices that should be applied to reduce salmonellosis risk. Following a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) based approach, some steps along the food journey were identified as Critical Consumer Handling (CCH)—steps in which consumers, through their behavior or choice, can significantly reduce the level of Salmonella in eggs and egg products. From shopping/collecting to consumption, each of these steps is discussed in this review to provide an evidence-based overview of risk factors of human salmonellosis related to egg consumption. The main message to consumers is to choose Salmonella-free eggs (those that some official entity or producer guarantees that does not contain Salmonella), when available, especially for dishes that are not fully heat treated. Second, as guaranteed Salmonella-free eggs are only available in a few countries, refrigerated storage from the point of collection and proper cooking will significantly reduce the risk of salmonellosis. This will require a revision of the actual recommendations/regulations, as not all ensure that eggs are maintained at temperatures that prevent growth of Salmonella from collection until the time of purchasing.     

One-point-plus for 5-DOF localization of vehicle-mounted omnidirectional camera in long-range motion

This paper proposes a method for localization of vehicle using one point plus an edge matching region of monocular vision in wide urban environments. The five degree of freedom (5-DoF) localization estimated by monocular omnidirectional camera improves the planar motion assumption in most of conventional researches. In recent year, the car-like motion model with planar motion is often investigated to reduce the requirements of correspondence until one point. However, in the real application of long-range motion in outdoor scene, the motion may not satisfy this condition. This leads to the inaccurate vehicle localization. In this proposed method, the car-like model is also utilized for 5-DoF localization however the requirements of correspondence are reduced to only one point plus an edge matching region which is much simpler than the conventional 5-point RANSAC. The cumulative errors of visual odometry are excluded by using global positioning system (GPS) correction under equation of maximum likelihood estimation in Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) frame work. The real application in hills and mountainous regions demonstrates the accuracy of vehicle localization using this proposed method.     

Gaseous Nanocarving‐Mediated Carbon Framework with Spontaneous Metal Assembly for Structure‐Tunable Metal/Carbon Nanofibers

Vapor phase carbon (C)‐reduction‐based syntheses of C nanotubes and graphene, which are highly functional solid C nanomaterials, have received extensive attention in the field of materials science. This study suggests a revolutionary method for precisely controlling the C structures by oxidizing solid C nanomaterials into gaseous products in the opposite manner of the conventional approach. This gaseous nanocarving enables the modulation of inherent metal assembly in metal/C hybrid nanomaterials because of the promoted C oxidation at the metal/C interface, which produces inner pores inside C nanomaterials. This phenomenon is revealed by investigating the aspects of structure formation with selective C oxidation in the metal/C nanofibers, and density functional theory calculation. Interestingly, the tendency of C oxidation and calculated oxygen binding energy at the metal surface plane is coincident with the order Co > Ni > Cu > Pt. The customizable control of the structural factors of metal/C nanomaterials through thermodynamic‐calculation‐derived processing parameters is reported for the first time in this work. This approach can open a new class of gas–solid reaction‐based synthetic routes that dramatically broaden the structure‐design range of metal/C hybrid nanomaterials. It represents an advancement toward overcoming the limitations of intrinsic activities in various applications.     

Web-GIS models: accomplishing modularity with aspects

Spatial concerns of Web geographical information systems (Web-GIS) are inherently crosscutting and volatile: crosscutting because they affect multiple functionalities of Web-GIS systems, and volatile because their status may change often. If these concerns are not modularized properly, the quality of Web-GIS services, particularly with regard to adaptation and evolution, can be severely compromised. This paper uses aspect-orientation to model crosscutting and volatile spatial concerns. By modeling both types of concerns, crosscutting and volatile, as candidate aspects, one can use dynamic weaving to add or remove them from a system at runtime. The aspect-oriented approach proposed starts with the identification and specification of crosscutting concerns and follows by composing these using modeling aspects using a transformation approach, an aspect-oriented modeling technique. The conflicts that can emerge due to the composition order are also taken into consideration. Finally, this paper proposes a set of reusable GIS crosscutting concerns, documenting them in a concern catalogue.     

Structural Effect of Potassium Sulfamate on Synthesis of Ammonium Dinitramide

Potassium sulfamate (PS) is an efficient starting material for the nitration reaction used in the synthesis of ammonium dinitramide (ADN), which is an environmentally friendly high-energy oxidizer for propellants that does not release chlorine-based compounds. PS is a core structure to form dinitramide, -N(NO₂)₂, by taking NO₂^? from nitric acid. In this work, five test batches of PS were prepared using a few solvents including ethanol, methanol, acetone, isopropanol, and their mixtures. The lab-made PSs matched well with the commercial PS in terms of the chemical structure. The use of acetone led to a high recovery of PS up to 97 w/w% and ultimately contributed to the formation of high-purity and (99.2%) and a high yield (57.3%) that are greater than those for commercial PS (87.3% purity and 31.3% yield). Therefore, we proved that the crystallinity and homogeneity of PS influenced the properties of ADN and the synthesis efficiency.