1,2,3-Triazolium-based poly(acrylate ionic liquid)s

Nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization of a tailor-made acrylate carrying a 1,2,3-triazole group with an undecanoyl spacer affords a well-defined (M_n = 7860 g mol⁻¹ and D = 1.39) neutral polyacrylate precursor. A series of 1,2,3-triazolium-based poly(ionic liquid)s (TPILs) is then obtained by straightforward quaternization of the 1,2,3-triazole groups with methyl iodide and subsequent anion metathesis reactions. Among the prepared materials, TPIL with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide anion exhibits low glass transition temperature (T_g = −40 °C), high thermal stability (T_d10 = 325 °C) and anhydrous ionic conductivity of 4 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹ at 30 °C, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and broadband dielectric spectroscopy, respectively.     

COVID-19 Pandemic: Escape of Pathogenic Variants and MHC Evolution

We propose a new hypothesis that explains the maintenance and evolution of MHC polymorphism. It is based on two phenomena: the constitution of the repertoire of naive T lymphocytes and the evolution of the pathogen and its impact on the immune memory of T lymphocytes. Concerning the latter, pathogen evolution will have a different impact on reinfection depending on the MHC allomorph. If a mutation occurs in a given region, in the case of MHC allotypes, which do not recognize the peptide in this region, the mutation will have no impact on the memory repertoire. In the case where the MHC allomorph binds to the ancestral peptides and not to the mutated peptide, that individual will have a higher chance of being reinfected. This difference in fitness will lead to a variation of the allele frequency in the next generation. Data from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic already support a significant part of this hypothesis and following up on these data may enable it to be confirmed. This hypothesis could explain why some individuals after vaccination respond less well than others to variants and leads to predict the probability of reinfection after a first infection depending upon the variant and the HLA allomorph.     

Analysis of Integrin αIIb Subunit Dynamics Reveals Long-Range Effects of Missense Mutations on Calf Domains

Integrin α_IIbβ₃, a glycoprotein complex expressed at the platelet surface, is involved in platelet aggregation and contributes to primary haemostasis. Several integrin α_IIbβ₃ polymorphisms prevent the aggregation that causes haemorrhagic syndromes, such as Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT). Access to 3D structure allows understanding the structural effects of polymorphisms related to GT. In a previous analysis using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of α_IIb Calf-1 domain structure, it was observed that GT associated with single amino acid variation affects distant loops, but not the mutated position. In this study, experiments are extended to Calf-1, Thigh, and Calf-2 domains. Two loops in Calf-2 are unstructured and therefore are modelled expertly using biophysical restraints. Surprisingly, MD revealed the presence of rigid zones in these loops. Detailed analysis with structural alphabet, the Proteins Blocks (PBs), allowed observing local changes in highly flexible regions. The variant P741R located at C-terminal of Calf-1 revealed that the Calf-2 presence did not affect the results obtained with isolated Calf-1 domain. Simulations for Calf-1 + Calf-2, and Thigh + Calf-1 variant systems are designed to comprehend the impact of five single amino acid variations in these domains. Distant conformational changes are observed, thus highlighting the potential role of allostery in the structural basis of GT.     

A phase-locked loop using ESO-based loop filter for grid-connected converter:performance analysis

An extended state observer(ESO)-based loop filter is designed for the phase-locked loop(PLL)involved in a disturbed grid-connected converter(GcC).This ESO-based...     

新型短程硝化反硝化工艺处理高浓度氨氮废水

研发了一种新型短程硝化反硝化工艺——ANITATMShunt,它通过特殊的自控系统来控制N2O的释放。采用500 L的SBR中试装置处理消化污泥脱水上清液,经过18个月的稳定运行表明:通过短程硝化反硝化途径可以实现90%的脱氮率,并且释放的N2O不足总脱氮量的0.7%。将通过pH值、温度和在线监测的NO-2-N浓度实时计算的亚硝酸浓度与亚硝酸浓度设定值进行比对,以便对曝气过程进行调控,从而抑制了N2O的释放并实现了对SBR短程硝化反硝化工艺的自动控制。同时证实了在低溶解氧条件下,由氨氧化菌(AOB)在短程硝化反硝化过程中产生的N2O并非与高亚硝酸盐浓度有直接关系,而是与游离亚硝酸浓度有关。     

Fermentation by Amylolytic Lactic Acid Bacteria and Consequences for Starch Digestibility of Plantain, Breadfruit, and Sweet Potato Flours

The potential of tropical starchy plants such as plantain (Musa paradisiaca), breadfruit (Artocarpus communis), and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) for the development of new fermented foods was investigated by exploiting the capacity of some lactic acid bacteria to hydrolyze starch. The amylolytic lactic acid bacteria (ALAB) Lactobacillus plantarum A6 and Lactobacillus fermentum Ogi E1 were able to change the consistency of thick sticky gelatinized slurries of these starchy fruits and tubers into semiliquid to liquid products. Consequently, a decrease in apparent viscosity and an increase in Bostwick flow were observed. These changes and the production of maltooligosaccharides confirmed starch hydrolysis. Sucrose in sweet potato was not fermented by strain A6 and poorly fermented by strain Ogi E1, suggesting possible inhibition of sucrose fermentation. In all 3 starchy plants, rapidly digestible starch (RDS) was higher than slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) represented between 17% and 30% dry matter (DM). The digestibility of plantain was not affected by fermentation, whereas the RDS content of breadfruit and sweet potato decreased and the RS content increased after fermentation. Practical Application: The characteristics resulting from different combinations of gluten free starchy plants (plantain, breadfruit, sweet potato) and amylolytic lactic acid bacteria (ALAB) offer opportunities to develop new functional fermented beverages, mainly for breadfruit and sweet potato, after further investigation of their formulation, sensory attributes, nutritional, and prebiotic characteristics.     

Three-dimensional simulation of the coupled convective, conductive, and radiative heat transfer during decay heat removal in an HTR

A three-dimensional model has been constructed to simulate the passive heat removal in a modular prismatic-block high temperature reactor during a loss of active cooling accident. This model, developed using the STAR-CD general computational fluid dynamics code, solves the combined conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer within a 30° section of the core and reactor vessel. To accommodate the different spatial scales, it uses homogeneous equivalent media to represent the coolant flow and the prismatic fuel blocks. A customized procedure that manages solving alternatively the dynamic and thermal fields permits the computation of very long transients, which typically are performed for 100 or more hours of simulated time.The global methodology and specific modeling procedures are explained, and key points of the CFD analysis are highlighted. Next, the results of several calculations are presented, and the physical phenomena represented are described. Two commonly investigated loss of active cooling scenarios are considered: depressurized conduction cooldown and pressurized conduction cooldown. The results for these two scenarios are compared to assess the effect of heat transfer via internal natural convection – which is negligible during the depressurized event – on the thermal behavior of the system. In addition, the evolution of the natural convection flow through the core and in the annular spaces is examined and discussed.     

Machine learning in vehicular networking: An overview

As vehicle complexity and road congestion increase, combined with the emergence of electric vehicles, the need for intelligent transportation systems to improve on-road safety and transportation efficiency using vehicular networks has become essential. The evolution of high mobility wireless networks will provide improved support for connected vehicles through highly dynamic heterogeneous networks. Particularly, 5G deployment introduces new features and technologies that enable operators to capitalize on emerging infrastructure capabilities. Machine Learning (ML), a powerful methodology for adaptive and predictive system development, has emerged in both vehicular and conventional wireless networks. Adopting data-centric methods enables ML to address highly dynamic vehicular network issues faced by conventional solutions, such as traditional control loop design and optimization techniques. This article provides a short survey of ML applications in vehicular networks from the networking aspect. Research topics covered in this article include network control containing handover management and routing decision making, resource management, and energy efficiency in vehicular networks. The findings of this paper suggest more attention should be paid to network forming/deforming decision making. ML applications in vehicular networks should focus on researching multi-agent cooperated oriented methods and overall complexity reduction while utilizing enabling technologies, such as mobile edge computing for real-world deployment. Research datasets, simulation environment standardization, and method interpretability also require more research attention.     

Determination of the optical depth of a DI diesel spray

The optical depth is responsible of limiting the optical diagnostic using visible wavelength in the sprays. This paper proposes to measure the optical depth directly in a real Diesel spray through line-of-sight laser extinction measurements. This easily reproducible method which does not require expensive or complex optical techniques is detailed and the measurement procedure is presented in this paper. As diesel sprays are mostly optically thick, the measurements in the denser region are not reliable and a fuel concentration model has been used to derive the results to the entire spray. This work provides values of SMD at different distance from the nozzle tip depending on the specific parameters like injection pressure or discharge density. The values extracted from a combined experimental/computational approach have been compared to PDPA measurements under the same testing conditions. The results have shown that the maximum optical depth was higher than 10 and that an increase of the injection pressure led to higher τ values. The SMD values appeared to be below the results measured by the PDPA and the droplet diameter showed to be the main responsible of the optical depth of the jet under the tested conditions.