Correction to: Classifying MOOC forum posts using corpora semantic similarities: a study on transferability across different courses

Neural Computing and Applications - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-021-05904-z     

Promising Antifungal and Antibacterial Agents Based on 5-Aryl-2,2′-bipyridines and Their Heteroligand Salicylate Metal Complexes: Synthesis,Bioevaluation, Molecular Docking

A series of new 5-aryl-2,2′-bipyridines and their (polyfluoro)salicylate complexes of Cu(II), Co(II) and Mn(II) were synthesized. Their antimicrobial activity was evaluated in vitro against six strains of Trichophytons, E. floccosum, M. canis, C. ablicans and Gram-negative bacteria N. gonorrhoeae. Among azo-ligands, Ph-bipy and Tol-bipy showed promising antifungal activity (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)<0.8–27 μM). Their antifungal action was found can be realized via binding Fe(III) ions. Tol-bipy suppressed growth of Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus, S. aureus MRSA and their monospecies biofilms (MIC 6–16 μM). Using molecular docking, the anti-staphylococcal action mechanism based on the inhibition of S. aureus DNA gyrase GyrB was proposed for the lead compounds. Among metal complexes, Cu(II) and Mn(II) complexes based on tetrafluorosalicylic acid and Tol-bipy or Ph-bipy had the high antifungal activity (MIC<0.24–32 μM). Mn(SalF₄−2H)₂(Tol-bipy)₂] suppressed the growth of seven Candida strains at MIC 12–24 μM. [Cu(Sal−2H)(Ph-bipy)] and [Cu(SalF₃−2H)(Ph-bipy)₂] showed the promising anti-gonorrhoeae activity (MIC 4.2–5.2 μM). (Cu(SalF_n−2H)(Tol-bipy)₂], [Cu(SalF₄−2H)(Ph-bipy)₂] and [Cu(SalF₃−2H)(Ph-bipy)₂]) were found active against the bacteria of S. aureus, S. aureus MRSA and their biofilms (MIC 2.4–41.4 μM). The most active compounds were tested for toxicity in vitro against human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells and in vivo experiments with CD-1 mice.     

Nanoparticle-Based Strain Gauges: Anisotropic Response Characteristics,Multidirectional Strain Sensing,and Novel Approaches to Healthcare Applications

Directional strain sensing is essential for advanced sensor applications in the field of human-machine interfaces and healthcare. Here, the angle dependent anisotropic strain sensitivity caused by charge carriers percolating through cross-linked gold nanoparticle (GNP) networks is studied and these versatile materials are used for the fabrication of wearable triaxial pulse and gesture sensors. More specifically, the anisotropic response of 1,9-nonanedithiol cross-linked GNP films is separated into geometric and piezoresistive contributions by fitting the measured data with an analytic model. Hereby, piezoresistive coefficients of g₁₁ ∼ 32 and g₁₂ ∼ 21 are extracted, indicating a slightly anisotropic response behavior of the GNP-based material. To use the material for healthcare applications, arrangements of three GNP transducers are patterned lithographically and fully embedded into a highly flexible silicone polymer (Dragon Skin 30). The new encapsulation method ensures good and robust electrical contacts and enables facile handling and protection from external influences. A facile read-out with wireless data transmission using off-the-shelf electrical components underlines the great potential of these devices for applications as skin-wearable healthcare sensors.     

Dendri-LEC Family: Establishing the Bright Future for Dendrimer Emitters in Traditional and Graphene-Based Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells

A rational implementation and optimization of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) dendrimer emitters in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) sets in the Dendri-LEC family. They feature outstanding stabilities (90/1050 h for green/yellow devices) that are comparable to the best green/yellow Ir(III)-complexes (450/500 h) and conjugated polymers (33/5500 h), while offering benefits of low-cost synthesis and easy upscaling. In particular, a fundamental molecular design that capitalizes on exchanging peripheral substituents (tert-butyl vs methoxy) to tune photophysical, electrochemical, morphological, and ion conductivity features in thin films is rationalized by temperature-dependent steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, atomic force microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Herein, a TADF mechanism associated to a reduced photoluminescence quantum yield, but an enhanced electrochemical stability and ion conductivity enables to clarify the reduced device efficiency and brightness (4.0 lm W⁻¹@110 cd m⁻² vs 3.2 lm W⁻¹@55 cd m⁻²) and increased stability (90 vs 1050 h) upon using methoxy groups. What is more, this substitution enables an excellent compatibility with biogenic electrolytes keeping device performances (1.9 lm W⁻¹@35 cd m⁻² and 1300 h), while graphene-devices achieve on par figures to traditional indium–tin oxide-devices. Overall, this work establishes the bright future of dendrimer emitters toward highly stable and truly sustainable lighting sources.     

Selective Display of a Chemoattractant Agonist on Cancer Cells Activates the Formyl Peptide Receptor 1 on Immune Cells**

Current immunotherapeutics often work by directing components of the immune system to recognize biomarkers on the surface of cancer cells to generate an immune response. However, variable changes in biomarker distribution and expression can result in inconsistent patient response. The development of a more universal tumor-homing strategy has the potential to improve selectivity and extend therapy to cancers with decreased expression or absence of specific biomarkers. Here, we designed a bifunctional agent that exploits the inherent acidic microenvironment of most solid tumors to selectively graft the surface of cancer cells with a formyl peptide receptor ligand (FPRL). Our approach is based on the pH(Low) insertion peptide (pHLIP), a unique peptide that selectively targets tumors in vivo by anchoring to cancer cells in a pH-dependent manner. We establish that selectively remodeling cancer cells with a pHLIP-based FPRL activates formyl peptide receptors on recruited immune cells, potentially initiating an immune response towards tumors.     

Evaluation of a novel 8-channel RX coil for speech production MRI at 0.55 T

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - Speech production MRI benefits from lower magnetic fields due to reduced off-resonance effects at air-tissue interfaces and from the...     

Low Energy Blue Pulsed Light-Activated Injectable Materials for Restoring Thinning Corneas

Many alternatives to human donor corneas are being developed to meet the global shortage of donated tissues. However, corneal transplantation remains the gold standard for diseases resulting in thinning corneas. In this study, transparent low energy photoactivated extracellular matrix-mimicking materials are developed for intrastromal injection to restore stromal thickness. The injectable biomaterials are comprised of short peptides and glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin, hyaluronic acid) that assemble into a hydrogel when pulsed with low-energy blue light. The dosage of pulsed-blue light needed for material activation is minimal at 8.5 mW cm⁻², thus circumventing any blue light cytotoxicity. Intrastromal injection of these light-activated biomaterials in rat corneas shows that two iterations of the formulations remain stable in situ without stimulating significant inflammation or neovascularization. The use of low light intensities and the ability of the developed materials to stably rebuild and change the curvature of the cornea tissue make these formulations attractive for clinical translation.     

Modulating Secondary Structure Motifs Through Photo-Labile Peptide Staples

Peptide-protein interactions (PPIs) are facilitated by the well-defined three-dimensional structure of bioactive peptides, interesting compounds for the development of new therapeutic agents. Their secondary structure and thus their propensity to engage in PPIs can be influenced by the introduction of peptide staples on the side chains. In particular, light-controlled staples based on azobenzene photoswitches and their structural influence on helical peptides have been studied extensively. In contrast, photolabile staples bearing photocages as a structural key motif, have mainly been used to block supramolecular interactions. Their influence on the secondary structure of the target peptide is under-investigated. Thus, in this study we use a combination of spectroscopic techniques and in silico simulations to systematically study a series of helical peptides with varying length of the photo-labile staple to obtain a detailed insight into the structure-property relationship in such photoresponsive biomolecules.