Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems

Concentrations and types of airborne fungal spores and their aerodynamic sizes were studied in nine buildings with mould problems and in matched reference buildings in order to characterize the exposure in buildings with mould problems. Samples were taken with Andersen six-stage impactors in the autumn and winter. In winter, total concentrations of fungal spores in buildings with mould problems were twice those in reference buildings, even though all concentrations were quite small. In the autumn, the differences were less obvious due to the masking effect of outdoor air fungi. Also, the compositions of fungal genera differed in buildings with mould problems from that in reference buildings. The difference was most significant in the size range 2.1-4.7 μm. The size distribution of fungal spores in dwellings with mould problems skewed towards larger particles than in reference dwellings. The observed differences in size distribution indicate differences in airborne behaviour of fungal spores and, consequently, in respiratory exposure.     

Extension of the decidability of the marked PCP to instances with unique blocks

In the Post Correspondence Problem (PCP) an instance (h,g)$(h,g)$ consists of two morphisms h$h$ and g$g$, and the problem is to determine whether or not there exists a nonempty word w$w$ such that h(w)=g(w)$h\left(w\right)=g\left(w\right)$. Here we prove that the PCP is decidable for instances with unique blocks using the decidability of the marked PCP. Also, we show that it is decidable whether an instance satisfying the uniqueness condition for continuations has an infinite solution. These results establish a new and larger class of decidable instances of the PCP, including the class of marked instances.     

Effect of Austenite Pancaking on the Microstructure,Texture, and Bendability of an Ultrahigh-Strength Strip Steel

The effect of austenite pancaking in the non-recrystallization regime on microstructure and texture evolution and thereby on bendability was investigated in an ultrahigh-strength strip steel with a martensitic-bainitic microstructure. The results indicate that an increase in rolling reduction (R _tot) below the non-recrystallization temperature, which improves the strength and toughness properties, increases the intensities of the ~{554}〈225〉 _α and ~{112}〈110〉 _α texture components along the strip centerline and of the ~{112}〈111〉 _α component at the surface region. Even with the highest R _tot of 79 pct, the bendability along the rolling direction was good, but the preferred alignment of rod-shaped MA constituents along the rolling direction led to a dramatic decrease in the bendability transverse to the rolling direction, with severe cracking occurring even at small bending angles. The early cracking is attributed to localization of the strain in narrow shear bands. It is concluded that the R_tot value has to be limited to guarantee successful bendability.     

Introducing Glycolinkers for the Functionalization of Cytotoxic Drugs and Applications in Antibody–Drug Conjugation Chemistry

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are promising alternatives to naked antibodies for selective drug‐delivery applications and treatment of diseases such as cancer. Construction of ADCs relies upon site‐selective, efficient and mild conjugation technologies. The choice of a chemical linker is especially important, as it affects the overall properties of the ADC. We envisioned that hydrophilic bifunctional chemical linkers based on carbohydrates would be a useful class of derivatization agents for the construction of linker–drug conjugates and ADCs. Herein we describe the synthesis of carbohydrate‐based derivatization agents, glycolinker–drug conjugates featuring the tubulin inhibitor monomethyl auristatin E and an ADC based on an anti‐EGFR antibody. In addition, an initial in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of the individual components and the ADC is provided against EGFR‐positive cancer cells.