Microfluidic Design of Magnetoresponsive Photonic Microcylinders with Multicompartments

Colloidal photonic structures have been designed to have granular format to use them for paint pigments, encoded carriers, and display pixels. However, conventional approaches only provide spherical or discoid shapes, restricting their applications. Cylindrical granules with fan‐shaped compartments in the cross section are appealing for microcarriers with abundant optical codes and active display pigments for color switching. In this work, a stratified laminar flow of concentrated silica particles is employed, formed in a cylindrical microchannel, to produce cylindrical photonic microparticles with multiple compartments. To accomplish this, a microfluidic device is designed to have one cylindrical main channel connected with four branch channels. Four different photocurable suspensions are independently injected through the branches to form quarter‐cylindrically compartmentalized streams in the main channel. Local ultraviolet irradiation on the main channel polymerizes the suspension, thereby forming cylindrical microparticles with four compartments. In each compartment, silica particles form ordered array which develops particle size–dependent structural color. Therefore, different colors can be incorporated into single microcylinder by employing different sizes of silica particles. Moreover, one of the compartments can be rendered to be magnetoresponsive by embedding aligned magnetic particles, which enables the remote control of microcylinder orientation and therefore the switching of structural colors.     

Influence of modified atmosphere packaging and storage temperature on the sensory and microbiological quality of fresh peeled white asparagus

The sensory and microbiological quality of fresh peeled white asparagus packaged in two different types of P-Plus films and stored at two different temperatures (5 °C and 10 °C) for up to 14 days, was studied. The shelf life limiting alterations at each temperature were evaluated. The best modified atmosphere was determined.At 10 °C, the shelf life was 6 days, the loss of freshness was the main cause of quality loss, as indicated by colour darkening and presence of blotches. Moreover the sensorial acceptance of cooked asparagus was affected, being on the limit.Fresh appearance was maintained better at 5 °C than at 10 °C, being microbial spoilage the main limiting factor. The atmosphere generated with film A (around 7% CO₂ and 15% O₂) inhibited spoilage and maintained the acidity of asparagus better than the atmosphere generated by film B (around 2% CO₂ and 20% O₂). The shelf life of asparagus packaged in film A and stored at 5 °C was 14 days.Mesophiles and enterobacteriaceae counts in asparagus stored at 5 °C were acceptable during 14 days being around 7 log cfu/g. Mesophiles counts were slightly higher in asparagus stored at 10 °C than at 5 °C, while the increase in enterobacteriaceae was clearly higher in asparagus stored at 10 °C.     

High cell density culture of Anabaena variabilis using repeated injections of carbon dioxide for the production of hydrogen

Cyanobacteria have the unique characteristic of using CO₂ in the air as a carbon source and solar energy as an energy source. Reducing equivalents from the fermentation of carbohydrates are used as the primary electron donors in cyanobacteria for the hydrogen producing enzymes. The cells take up CO₂ first to produce cellular substances, which are subsequently used for H₂ production. Since the optimal operating conditions for the CO₂ uptake and H₂ production are different, a two-stage system can be effectively employed to separate these two phases. In this study, for the efficient production of H₂ in the second stage, the conditions for the effective CO₂ uptake and cell growth in the first stage were characterized, and high cell density culture was carried out using repeated injections of CO₂. The specific growth rate and growth yield based on CO₂ decreased with an increase in light intensity or CO₂ concentration. However, the effect of CO₂ concentration on the growth yield was much smaller than that of a light intensity. A CO₂ uptake rate per unit cell decreased linearly with the initial CO₂ concentration in the gas phase. With repeated injections of CO₂, the CO₂ was continuously consumed and the cell concentration reached 3.7 g dry cell/l in 20 days, which is 6.7 times higher than that in a batch culture without further supply of CO₂. The CO₂ injection in the cell growth phase increased not only the cell concentration but also the hydrogen production per gram cell.     

High-yield biohydrogen production from biodiesel manufacturing waste by Thermotoga neapolitana

Efficient conversion of glycerol waste from biodiesel manufacturing processes into biohydrogen by the hyperthermophilic eubacterium Thermotoga neapolitana DSM 4359 was investigated. Biohydrogen production by T. neapolitana was examined using the batch cultivation mode in culture medium containing pure glycerol or glycerol waste as the sole substrate. Pre-treated glycerol waste showed higher hydrogen (H₂) production than untreated waste. Nitrogen (N₂) sparging and pH control were successfully implemented to maintain the culture pH and to reduce H₂ partial pressure in the headspace for optimal growth rate and to enhance hydrogen production from the glycerol waste. It was found that hydrogen production increased from 1.24 ± 0.06 to 1.98 ± 0.1 mol-H₂ mol⁻¹ glycerol_consumed by optimising N₂ sparging and pH control. We observed that in medium containing 0.05 M HEPES, with three cycles of N₂ sparging, the H₂ yield increased to 2.73 ± 0.14 mol-H₂ mol⁻¹ glycerol_consumed, which was 2.22-fold higher than the non-N₂ sparged H₂ yield (1.23 ± 0.06 mol-H₂ mol⁻¹ glycerol_consumed).     

Fine‐Grained FSMD Power Gating Considering Power Overhead

As a fine‐grained power gating method for achieving greater power savings, our approach takes advantage of the finite state machine with a datapath (FSMD) characteristic which shows sequential idleness among subcircuits. In an FSMD‐based power gating, while only an active subcircuit is expected to be turned on, more subcircuits should be activated due to the power overhead. To reduce the number of missed opportunities for power savings, we deactivated some of the turned‐on subcircuits by slowing the FSMD down and predicting its behavior. Our microprocessor experiments showed that the power savings are close to the upper bound.     

Design and manufacture of a toroidal-type SMES for combination with real-time digital simulator (RTDS)

The authors designed and manufactured a toroidal-type superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system. The toroidal-type SMES was designed using a 3D CAD program. The toroidal-type magnet consists of 30 double pancake coils (DPCs). The single pancake coils (SPCs), which constitute the double pancake coils, are arranged at an angle of 6° from each other, based on the central axis of the toroidal-type magnet. The cooling method used for the toroidal-type SMES is the conduction cooling type. When the cooling method for the toroidal-type SMES was designed, the two-stage Gifford–McMahon (GM) refrigerator was considered. The Bi-2223 HTS wire, which was made by soldering brass on both sides of the superconductor, is used for the magnet winding. Finally, the authors connected the toroidal-type SMES to a real-time digital simulator (RSCAD/RTDS) to simulate voltage sag compensation in a power utility.     

Benzoylpaeoniflorin Activates Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms to Mitigate Sepsis in Cell-Culture and Mouse Sepsis Models

Xuebijing injection (XBJI) (comprising of five herbs) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine for sepsis treatment. However, the bioactive components of XBJI and the mechanisms responsible for its sepsis-mitigating action have not been experimentally determined. One of the main bioactive compounds in XBJI—benzoylpaeoniflorin (BPF)—inhibits the expressions of key mediators of inflammation such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), and COX-2. However, its effects on sepsis have not been determined yet. Therefore, here, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of BPF on severely inflamed endothelial cells, THP-1 macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and mice. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and THP-1-macrophages were activated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after pretreatment with BPF. Subsequently, changes in the expression profiles of pro-inflammatory molecules including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, we monitored the phosphorylation of NF-kB and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) to determine their activation levels. Using the LPS-induced mouse model of sepsis, we studied the effects of BPF on inflammatory cytokine production, pulmonary histopathology, and survival rates. Finally, we evaluated whether BPF protects against cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis, as it closely mimics human sepsis. BPF pretreatment inhibited LPS-induced increase in mRNA and protein levels of iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-6 in HUVECs and THP-1-macrophages. It also suppressed LPS-mediated phosphorylation of p65, p38, JNK, and ERK. Mice with LPS-induced-sepsis who were treated with BPF had lower serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, CXCL1, and CXCL2 than the control mice treated with BPF. Histopathology revealed that BPF treatment alleviated LPS-induced lung damage. In addition, in mice given a lethal dose of LPS, BPF treatment showed a dose-dependent improvement in survival rates. BPF treatment dose-dependently inhibited the LPS-induced IL-6, TNF-α, and CXCL1 production in peritoneal macrophages. BPF treatment also dose-dependently improved the survival rates in mice with CLP-induced sepsis. These results show that BPF alleviates LPS-stimulated septic conditions and protects mice from CLP-induced sepsis. Our research marks BPF as a potential drug in the treatment of sepsis and various inflammatory diseases.     

A Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugate Targeting Nectin-2 Suppresses Ovarian Cancer Progression in Mouse Xenograft Models

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer, followed by front line is mostly platinum agents and PARP inhibitors, and very limited option in later lines. Therefore, there is a need for alternative therapeutic options. Nectin-2, which is overexpressed in ovarian cancer, is a known immune checkpoint that deregulates immune cell function. In this study, we generated a novel anti-nectin-2 antibody (chimeric 12G1, c12G1), and further characterized it using epitope mapping, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and internalization assays. The c12G1 antibody specifically bound to the C2 domain of human nectin-2 with high affinity (K_D = 2.90 × 10⁻¹⁰ M), but not to mouse nectin-2. We then generated an antibody-drug conjugate comprising the c12G1 antibody conjugated to DM1 and investigated its cytotoxic effects against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. c12G1-DM1 induced cell cycle arrest at the mitotic phase in nectin-2-positive ovarian cancer cells, but not in nectin-2-negative cancer cells. c12G1-DM1 induced ~100-fold cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells, with an IC₅₀ in the range of 0.1 nM~7.4 nM, compared to normal IgG-DM1. In addition, c12G1-DM1 showed ~91% tumor growth inhibition in mouse xenograft models transplanted with OV-90 cells. These results suggest that c12G1-DM1 could be used as a potential therapeutic agent against nectin-2-positive ovarian cancers.     

Static strength analysis of CANDU-6 reactor fuel bundle

A static analysis, finite-element (FE) model was developed to simulate out-reactor fuel–string strength tests with use of the well-known, structural analysis computer code ABAQUS. The FE model takes into account the deflection of fuel elements, and stress and displacement in endplates subjected to hydraulic drag loads. It was adapted to the strength tests performed for CANFLEX 43-element bundles and the existing 37-element bundles. The FE model was found to be in good agreement with experiment results. With use of the FE model, the static behavior of the fuel bundle string, such as load transfer between ring elements, endplate rib effects, hydraulic drag load incurring plastic deformation in fuel string and hydraulic flow rate effects were investigated.