Low-cost modular system of machine-to-computer communication for a flexible machining cell

Cranfield Robotics and Automation Group (CRAG) in collaboration with Texas Instruments (UK) manufacturing systems research group has built a flexible machining cell and established computer integrated manufacturing support facilities to demonstrate a low-cost, modular system of machine-to-computer communication.     

Strategies to Combine the Functions of Ecology and Navigation in the Scheldt Estuary

During recent years, water management in The Netherlands has been broadening its scope by: (a) including aspects of economics, sociology and physical planning, and (b) introducing interactive policy making; this paper illustrates these developments using the Westerschelde estuary as an example. The Westerschelde strategy aims at optimizing the multi-national use of this estuary. The main functions are navigation and ecology, and the paper shows how these functions can be combined. An interactive management model, the 'COSMO-Westerschelde'is described, which assists decision makers in comparing strategies for estuarine management under different scenarios.     

Models of parallel applications with large computation and I/Orequirements

A fundamental understanding of the interplay between computation and I/O activities in parallel applications that manipulate huge amounts of data is critical to achieving good application performance, as well as correctly characterizing the workloads of large-scale high-performance parallel systems. We present a formal model of the behavior of CPU and I/O interactions in scientific applications, from which we derive various formulas that characterize application performance. Our model captures the I/O and CPU activity at different levels of granularity, where results from the model are shown to be in excellent agreement with measurement data from a set of I/O-intensive applications. Using the formulas from our model, which explicitly take I/O activity into account, we also present examples of possible applications of the model     

Post-Construction Effects of the Cameroonian Lagdo Dam on the River Benue

This paper examines the immediate and long-term effects of the Lagdo dam on the Upper Benue river basin in Nigeria. From routine monitoring of the River Benue, it was found that some immediate deleterious effects were (a) siltation of the river bed and channel, (b) frequent flooding events, and (c) reduction in flow. Consequently, these factors have constrained irrigation, navigation and fishing activities which were formerly undertaken along the river. Similarly, water-supply intake structures and irrigation abstraction facilities along the river have either been silted up or threatened. Allowing for assumptions on a real-time operational schedule of the dam, coupled with future water demands in north Cameroon, longterm effects of the dam on the Benue basin within Nigeria are predicted.     

Correlation between In Vitro Neutralization Assay and Serological Tests for Protective Antibodies Detection

Serological assays are useful in investigating the development of humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in the context of epidemiological studies focusing on the spread of protective immunity. The plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) is the gold standard method to assess the titer of protective antibodies in serum samples. However, to provide a result, the PRNT requires several days, skilled operators, and biosafety level 3 laboratories. Therefore, alternative methods are being assessed to establish a relationship between their outcomes and PRNT results. In this work, four different immunoassays (Roche Elecsys^® Anti SARS-CoV-2 S, Snibe MAGLUMI^® SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD IgG, Snibe MAGLUMI^® 2019-nCoV IgG, and EUROIMMUN^® SARS-CoV-2 NeutraLISA assays, respectively) have been performed on individuals healed after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The correlation between each assay and the reference method has been explored through linear regression modeling, as well as through the calculation of Pearson’s and Spearman’s coefficients. Furthermore, the ability of serological tests to discriminate samples with high titers of neutralizing antibodies (>160) has been assessed by ROC curve analyses, Cohen’s Kappa coefficient, and positive predictive agreement. The EUROIMMUN^® NeutraLISA assay displayed the best correlation with PRNT results (Pearson and Spearman coefficients equal to 0.660 and 0.784, respectively), as well as the ROC curve with the highest accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity (0.857, 0.889, and 0.829, respectively).     

Monitoring Anti-PEG Antibodies Level upon Repeated Lipid Nanoparticle-Based COVID-19 Vaccine Administration

PEGylated lipids are one of the four constituents of lipid nanoparticle mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, various concerns have been raised on the generation of anti-PEG antibodies and their potential role in inducing hypersensitivity reactions following vaccination or in reducing vaccine efficacy due to anti-carrier immunity. Here, we assess the prevalence of anti-PEG antibodies, in a cohort of vaccinated individuals, and give an overview of their time evolution after repeated vaccine administrations. Results indicate that, in our cohort, the presence of PEG in the formulation did not influence the level of anti-Spike antibodies generated upon vaccination and was not related to any reported, serious adverse effects. The time-course analysis of anti-PEG IgG showed no significant booster effect after each dose, whereas for IgM a significant increase in antibody levels was detected after the first and third dose. Data suggest that the presence of PEG in the formulation does not affect safety or efficacy of lipid-nanoparticle-based COVID-19 vaccines.     

The New Microtubule-Targeting Agent SIX2G Induces Immunogenic Cell Death in Multiple Myeloma

Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are effective drugs for cancer treatment. A novel diaryl [1,2]oxazole class of compounds binding the colchicine site was synthesized as cis-restricted-combretastatin-A-4-analogue and then chemically modified to have improved solubility and a wider therapeutic index as compared to vinca alkaloids and taxanes. On these bases, a new class of tricyclic compounds, containing the [1,2]oxazole ring and an isoindole moiety, has been synthetized, among which SIX2G emerged as improved MTA. Several findings highlighted the ability of some chemotherapeutics to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD), which is defined by the cell surface translocation of Calreticulin (CALR) via dissociation of the PP1/GADD34 complex. In this regard, we computationally predicted the ability of SIX2G to induce CALR exposure by interacting with the PP1 RVxF domain. We then assessed both the potential cytotoxic and immunogenic activity of SIX2G on in vitro models of multiple myeloma (MM), which is an incurable hematological malignancy characterized by an immunosuppressive milieu. We found that the treatment with SIX2G inhibited cell viability by inducing G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, we observed the increase of hallmarks of ICD such as CALR exposure, ATP release and phospho-eIF2α protein level. Through co-culture experiments with immune cells, we demonstrated the increase of (i) CD86 maturation marker on dendritic cells, (ii) CD69 activation marker on cytotoxic T cells, and (iii) phagocytosis of tumor cells following treatment with SIX2G, confirming the onset of an immunogenic cascade. In conclusion, our findings provide a framework for further development of SIX2G as a new potential anti-MM agent.     

Substrate Removal by In-Sewer Oxygenation

This paper describes a study which was carried out to investigate the degree of in-sewer treatment which could be achieved by suspended heterotrophs (normally present in domestic sewage), under aerobic conditions and under different retention periods and sewage strengths.     

Microbiological characteristics of poultry patties in relation to packaging atmospheres

Microbial characteristics under different atmospheres (vacuum, air, MAP₁: 80% O₂/20% CO₂ and MAP₂: 5% O₂/65% N₂/30% CO₂) of poultry patties made of a mixture of ostrich, chicken and turkey meat were evaluated. The meat preparations were examined for changes in pH, colour properties (CIE L*, a*, b*), headspace composition, and bacterial counts (total viable cell, psychrotrophs, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Staphylococcus spp., Brochothrix thermosphacta, Pseudomonas spp.). The use of a high O₂ atmosphere (MAP₁) quickly leads to a loss of the appealing red colour. A limited alteration occurred with use of MAP₂ and vacuum. For total viable counts a cell load higher than 8 log cfu g^?1 for the samples packaged in air, MAP₁ and MAP₂ at the end of storage was observed. Whereas, for the vacuum packed samples the cell load never reached values higher than 8 log cfu g^?1. Enterobacteriaceae, B. thermosphacta and Pseudomonas spp. cell load was less with the vacuum (7.60, 5.06 and 7.17 log cfu g^?1, respectively) and MAP₂ packaging (7.08, 5.60 and 7.40 log cfu g^?1, respectively). However, the high microbial loads suggest that an improvement of the microbiological quality of poultry meat is necessary if the producers are going to propose this new meat preparation on the market.