Microarray‐Based Identification of Lectins for the Purification of Human Urinary Extracellular Vesicles Directly from Urine Samples

As cellular‐derived vesicles largely maintain the biomolecule composition of their original tissue, exosomes, which are found in nearly all body fluids, have enormous potential as clinical disease markers. A major bottleneck in the development of exosome‐based diagnostic assays is the challenging purification of these vesicles; this requires time‐consuming and instrument‐based procedures. We employed lectin arrays to identify potential lectins as probes for affinity‐based isolation of exosomes from the urinary matrix. We found three lectins that showed specific interactions to vesicles and no (or only residual) interaction with matrix proteins. Based on these findings a bead‐based method for lectin‐based isolation of exosomes from urine was developed as a sample preparation step for exosome‐based biomarker research.     

Quaternized microgels as soft templates for polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer assemblies

A cationic microgel with quaternized amine groups was prepared and used as a soft template for layer-by-layer (LbL) assemblies. The presence of quaternized amine groups inside the microgels was necessary to prevent rearrangements and subsequent bridging between the coated microgels, which were observed for the precursor microgels containing protonated primary amino groups. Sequentially, negatively charged polyelectrolyte poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and positively charged polyelectrolyte poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) were added to a suspension of quaternized microgels. This leads to an odd-even effect with respect to particle size and surface charge of the formed microgel–polyelectrolyte complexes (MPECs). MPECs with an even number of layers exhibit positive surface charge due to PDADMAC as the outermost layer and are larger compared to complexes with an odd number of layers, which are negatively charged having PSS in the outermost layer. Taking into account previous results (Macromolecules,2009,42, 1229), these observations show that electrostatic interactions are the major force for the odd-even effect in polyelectrolyte multilayers on microgels: the cationic groups of PDADMAC compete with the cationic moieties of the microgel for binding with the sulfonate groups of PSS. Concomitantly, a fluctuating size of the MPECs is induced by an osmotic pressure modulation within the microgel. In contrast, surface tension effects invoked by a possible varying hydrophilicity of the different terminal layers are negligible.     

Polymer optical fibers for textile applications – Bicomponent melt spinning from cyclic olefin polymer and structural characteristics revealed by wide angle X-ray diffraction

To obtain thin and flexible polymer optical fibers (POFs) for textile applications, bicomponent melt-spun fibers with a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) in the core and a tetrafluoroethylene–hexafluoropropylene–vinylidene fluoride terpolymer (THV) in the sheath have been co-extruded on the pilot scale. With higher draw ratio, the orientation within the amorphous COP core increases and the preferred interchain distances gradually change in response to the drawing parameters, as could be revealed by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The bicomponent arrangement can promote the formation of a regular core surface because irregularities at the interface between the core and the sheath component can even out thanks to thermal shielding by the sheath component. Light propagation loss (9 dB/m at 652 nm for the most transparent fibers) and tensile properties of the fibers turned out to be adequate to enable their use in industrially produced luminous textiles.     

Grundwassergleichenplan für Brandenburg – Interpolation mittels Kriging mit externer Drift

In Brandenburg, Germany, state-wide water table contours that are based on data at a common reference date were created for the first time. These contour maps are needed as a basis for hydrological and hydrogeological analyses. All hydraulic heads were measured in 2011 using data from the regional authority and from about 100 other official institutions. Regionalisation was achieved with geostatistical interpolation using “kriging with external drift”. Additional information exists in terms of a conceptual model, which characterises water table contours and was used as a secondary variable in the kriging process. This method provides a significantly better approximation of the groundwater system in comparison to ordinary kriging while decreasing the number of required supporting points and improving reproducibility. The water table contours of 2011 can be used as a basis for external drift in future mapping campaigns, which will help to reduce the need for field measurements and mapping.     

Planning Education in The Environment Of Poverty: Training Resident Planners in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Some of the difficulties in achieving planning goals stem from the tendency in planning to maintain the status quo. Planning philosophy must be redefined and must provide a new concept of planning education to include: recognizing the political influence on planning education; overcoming inadequate internship periods for students; encouraging recruitment of members of client groups into the professional schools; sponsoring and supporting training of ghetto residents as para-professionals; and making it possible for ghetto residents to share in the processes of problem definition, goal formulation, and program implementation. This new concept was the basis for the community-based planning education program for residents of the Bedford-Stuyvesant area in Brooklyn.     

Experimental and numerical analysis of hot tearing susceptibility for Mg–Y alloys

The influences of Y content and initial mold temperatures on the hot tearing susceptibility (HTS) of binary Mg–Y alloys were investigated using a constrained rod casting (CRC) apparatus, which is equipped with a load cell and data acquisition systems. The hot crack formation was monitored during CRC experiments. The experimental results show that HTS first increases with increase in the Y content, reaches the maximum at about 1.5 wt% Y and then decreases with further increase in the content of Y. The severest of hot tearing is found in Mg–1.5 wt% Y alloy which is due to its large columnar grain structure, wide solidification range, and small amount of eutectic. The resistance to hot tearing is apparently improved by increasing the initial mold temperature. ProCAST simulation software was used to predict the hot tearing of Mg–Y alloys in CRC. The simulation results show a good agreement with the experimental measurements. The numerical simulations will be helpful and valuable to optimize the alloy composition and casting parameters to minimize the hot tearing defects.