Living labs: From scattered initiatives to a global movement

This study explores the emergence of the living labs movement based on a literature review and interviews with experts acquainted with early living labs. The study contributes to the growing literature on innovation through living labs by addressing a research gap on why and how this movement is evolving. So doing, the study discusses the emergence of living labs from the perspectives of: (i) early living lab pioneers; (ii) early living lab activities in Europe, especially at Nokia Corporation; (iii) EU funding that supported the creation of living labs; (iv) national living lab networks; and (v) the multinational European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). Moreover, upon highlighting major events in the emergence of living labs, the study identifies three consecutive phases of the global living lab movement: (i) toward a new paradigm; (ii) learning from experience; and (iii) professional living labs.     

Applicability of GC, GC/MS and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to screening for 140 pesticides in agricultural products

The applicability of GC, GC/MS and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to screening for 140 pesticides in agricultural products was examined. Validation of multi-residue screening methods for the determination of 88 pesticides in 12 crops (asparagus, cauliflower, burdock, carrot, broccoli, spinach, matsutake mushroom, orange, soybean, sesame, millet and tea) was done by GC and GC/MS. Of the 88 pesticides, 63 were obtained with recoveries in the range from 50 to 150% at the 0.1 microg/g level in the 12 crops. Applicability of the official methods in Japan to 74 pesticides, including 22 pesticides with low recovery (< 50%) by GC or GC/MS analysis, was also examined by LC/MS/MS. LC/MS/MS acquisition parameters were established for 67 pesticides in positive and negative electrospray ionization (ESI) modes. Of 67 pesticides validated in 7 crops using LC/MS/MS at the 0.1 microg/g level, 44 showed recoveries in the range from 50 to 150%. The occurrence of matrix interference in LC/MS/MS can lead to false-positive detection of MCPA in spinach, cabbage and orange and false-negative detection of four pesticides in orange, spinach, apple and unpolished rice. Good linearity was observed in the studied ranges by GC, GC/MS (r > 0.990) and LC/MS/MS (r > 0.995). Of the total of 140 pesticides validated by GC, GC/MS and LC/MS/MS, 107 were newly recognized as suitable subjects for screening.     

Molecular-biological approaches to studying gene expression during regeneration

This paper constitutes a review of the methodical approaches allowing analysis of the mechanisms underlying development and differentiation. Progress in investigation of the mechanisms underlying embryogenesis is related to the discovery of genic families in the Drosophila genome, which are responsible for different periods of embryogenesis. The true revolution in studies of developmental mechanisms began with the application of molecular-genetic methods for analysis of Drosophila mutant lines. The clarification and analysis of the genes controlling regeneration is one of the most effective paths toward an understanding of the mechanisms underlying regeneration. No mutations affecting regeneration are, and the development of alternative (i.e., not based on mutation analysis) methods of discovery of the genes controlling regeneration is necessary for investigation of the genetic mechanisms of regeneration. The advantages and drawbacks of the two main approaches for discovery of the genes controlling regeneration are considered. The first approach is based on the production of a bank of sequences expressed in the regenerating structures and subsequent screening of the bank by the known probes. This approach also involves analysis of the structure, function, and expression pattern of the obtained homologs. The second approach is based on subtractive hybridization, which allows identification of the genes specifically expressed in the regenerating structures. This approach was made it possible to identify, for the first time, new genes specifically expressed during lens and retina regeneration in amphibians.     

Flow through a convergence. Part 2: Mixing of high viscosity ratio polymer blends

Dispersive mixing of high viscosity ratio blends was studied in a converging flow using a capillary rheometer equipped with dies having different entry profiles. Three inhomogeneous bimodal polyolefin blends, with stress‐dependent viscosity ratios ranging from 8 to 450, were used in this work. Such magnitudes of viscosity ratio indicate that the dispersed droplets can be mixed only in an elongational flow field. The mixing efficiency was found to be dependent on both the profile of the convergence and flow rate. At the lowest flow rates, the dispersive mixing efficiency was very low, but it increased with an increasing flow rate until a profile‐dependent maximum. This maximum mixing efficiency was observed prior to fracture of the matrix material, after which the efficiency decreased. Stress and deformation fields within different profiles were estimated by numerical simulation using the K‐BKZ equation, and the results were used to interpret experimental results. The dispersive mixing efficiency was found to be proportional to the maximum elongational stress within the converging section, and to the length of the region where the critical conditions for elastic fracture of droplet material were met. It is shown that the dispersive mixing mechanism in high viscosity ratio blends is mainly dictated by elastic fracture of the droplet, and hence is applicable over a wide range of polymer blending processes.     

Lead(II)‐ion removal by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ligand functionalized magnetic chitosan–aluminum oxide–iron oxide nanoadsorbents and microadsorbents: Equilibrium,kinetics, and thermodynamics

Novel nanosized and microsized chitosan–Al₂O₃–Fe₃O₄ (CANF and CAMF, respectively) adsorbents were functionalized with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) ligands and applied to the removal of Pb(II) ions. The prepared adsorbents were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, and their adsorption potentials were investigated with Pb(II) as a target metal under various experimental conditions. Our results show that the EDTA functionalization of CANF and CAMF increased their adsorption capacities about 31.5 and 38 times, respectively. The optimum dosage obtained was 1.0 g/L for both EDTA‐functionalized adsorbents, and the maximum adsorption took place at pH = 5.3. The kinetic results revealed that the adsorption obeyed the pseudo‐second‐order model and that the pore diffusion process played a key role in the adsorption kinetics. Also, the results of equilibrium isotherms indicate the good fit of the experimental data by the Langmuir isotherm model under the studied concentration and temperature ranges, and the adsorptions of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution followed the monolayer coverage of the adsorbents. The maximum Pb(II)‐ion adsorption capacities of EDTA–CANF and EDTA–CAMF were 160 and 157 mg/g, respectively. These metal‐loaded adsorbents could be readily recovered from aqueous solution by magnetic separation and reused. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44360.     

Chemical Synthesis of a Synthetic Analogue of the Sialic Acid‐Binding Lectin Siglec‐7

As a basis for the development of an artificial carbohydrate‐binding lectin, we chemically synthesized a domain of siglec‐7, a well‐characterized sialic‐acid‐binding lectin. The full polypeptide (127 amino acids) was constructed by sequential native chemical ligation (NCL) of five peptide segments. Because of poor cysteine availability for NCL, cysteine residues were introduced at suitable ligation sites; these cysteine residues were alkylated in order to mimic native glutamine or asparagine residues, or converted to an alanine residue by desulfurization after NCL. After folding the full‐length polypeptide, the sialic‐acid‐binding activity of the synthetic siglec‐7 was clearly demonstrated by STD NMR and ELISA experiments. We succeeded in the synthesis of siglec‐7 by installing three extra cysteine residues with side‐chain modifications and found that these modifications did not affect the binding activity.     

Syntheses of group 4 transition metal complexes bearing 2-pyridinethiolate ligands and their catalytic activities for ethylene polymerization

Titanium bis(2-pyridinethiolate) complexes, Ti(6-R-SPy)₂(NMe₂)₂ (6-R-SPy = 6-R-2-pyridinethiolate, 3a: R = H; 3b: R = Me; 3c: R = Ph; 3d: R = C₆H₄-4-Me; 3e: R = C₆H₄-4-t-Bu; 3f: R = C₆H₃-3,5-Me₂), and the titanium bis(2-pyridinolate) complexes, Ti(6-Ph-OPy)₂(NMe₂)₂ (6-Ph-OPy = 6-phenyl-2-pyridinolate, 8) were prepared by treating Ti(NMe₂)₄ with 2 equiv. of 6-R-2-pyridinethiol or 6-Ph-2-pyridinol. The cis-configuration of the diamido moieties in the pseudo octahedral geometry was elucidated by X-ray crystallography for 3a. Reaction of M(NMe₂)₄ (M = Ti, Zr) with 4 equiv. of 2-pyridinethiol cleanly gave tetrakis(pyridinethiolate) complexes, M(6-H-SPy)₄·THF (6: M = Ti; 7: M = Zr). The triangular dodecahedral geometries of 6 and 7 were also revealed by X-ray crystallography. These complexes catalyzed ethylene polymerization upon activation with MAO (methylaluminoxane) or MMAO (modified MAO). The catalytic activities of titanium bis(6-aryl-pyridinethiolate) systems were found to be remarkably higher than that of titanium bis(6-methyl-pyridinethiolate) system. Among the complexes synthesized in this study, Ti[6-(C₆H₃-3,5-Me₂)-SPy]₂(NMe₂)₂ (3f)/MMAO showed the highest activity (1200 kg/Ti-mol h atm) for ethylene polymerization at 60 °C under atmospheric pressure. In contrast, the activity of the corresponding 6-aryl-pyridinolate system 8/MMAO was rather low (9.3 kg/Ti-mol h atm). Both the N-S chelating structure and the bulky aryl substituents are essential for the high activities of the 6-aryl-pyridinethiolate complexes.     

What Types of Defects Are Really Discovered in Code Reviews?

Research on code reviews has often focused on defect counts instead of defect types, which offers an imperfect view of code review benefits. In this paper, we classified the defects of nine industrial (C/C++) and 23 student (Java) code reviews, detecting 388 and 371 defects, respectively. First, we discovered that 75 percent of defects found during the review do not affect the visible functionality of the software. Instead, these defects improved software evolvability by making it easier to understand and modify. Second, we created a defect classification consisting of functional and evolvability defects. The evolvability defect classification is based on the defect types found in this study, but, for the functional defects, we studied and compared existing functional defect classifications. The classification can be useful for assigning code review roles, creating checklists, assessing software evolvability, and building software engineering tools. We conclude that, in addition to functional defects, code reviews find many evolvability defects and, thus, offer additional benefits over execution-based quality assurance methods that cannot detect evolvability defects. We suggest that code reviews may be most valuable for software products with long life cycles as the value of discovering evolvability defects in them is greater than for short life cycle systems.     

Considerations for Synchronization in Body Area Networks for Human Activity Monitoring

In this paper, we highlight considerations for synchronization issues in body area networks. Requirements for the synchronization accuracy in body area networks depend on the application at hand. Synchronization may be needed for power management, sample ordering, calculation of stimulus responses and for sensor fusion. This paper provides a theoretical exercise to help understand the accuracy required for typical human motion sensing. It gives an overview of various synchronisation strategies used and implemented in prototype systems. Lessons learnt from practical implementations using Bluetooth, an IEEE 802.15.4 proprietary network and Nanonet are presented to illustrate the principles involved. The discussion provides some considerations and the requirements for typical WBAN applications.     

Effect of ultrasound on removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from different types of soils

A new and promising technology is utilization of sonochemistry on decontamination of polluted soil. The feasibility of this technology on treatment of contaminated soils (synthetic clay, natural farm clay, and kaolin) was studied by using two target persistent organic pollutants (POPs): hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and phenanthrene (PHE). The soils were highly contaminated in 500 mg/kg. The laboratory experiments were conducted with various conditions (moisture, power, and time duration). The effects of these parameters on ultrasonication (as well as the removal of contaminants) were examined. The reasonable moisture ratio of the slurry could be in range of 2:1–3:1. The process did not change pH values of soils. Experimental results showed that ultrasonication has a potential to reduce the high concentrations of these POPs.