Floral volatiles ofTanacetum vulgare L. attractive toLobesia botrana den. et schiff. females

The European grapevine moth (EGVM),Lobesia botrana, is a major pest of grapes in Europe. Females are attracted to a nonhost plant: tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.), which is a common weed in Slovakian vineyards. A steam distillate extract of tansy flowers was analyzed by means of a GC-EAG technique to screen constituents detected by the olfactory receptors of EGVM females. From more than 200 GC peaks, nine peaks corresponding to monoterpenoids released an EAG response in more than 70% of the females (N=15):p-cymene,d-limonene,-thujene,-thujone,-thujone, thujyl alcohol, terpinene-4-ol, (Z)-verbenol, and piperitone. The steam distillate of tansy as well as a synthetic blend of identified compounds released consistent attraction in a field cage. The use of nonhost plants and host plant odors in integrated pest management is discussed.     

A two-level approach to implicit surface modeling with compactly supported radial basis functions

We describe a two-level method for computing a function whose zero-level set is the surface reconstructed from given points scattered over the surface and associated with surface normal vectors. The function is defined as a linear combination of compactly supported radial basis functions (CSRBFs). The method preserves the simplicity and efficiency of implicit surface interpolation with CSRBFs and the reconstructed implicit surface owns the attributes, which are previously only associated with globally supported or globally regularized radial basis functions, such as exhibiting less extra zero-level sets, suitable for inside and outside tests. First, in the coarse scale approximation, we choose basis function centers on a grid that covers the enlarged bounding box of the given point set and compute their signed distances to the underlying surface using local quadratic approximations of the nearest surface points. Then a fitting to the residual errors on the surface points and additional off-surface points is performed with fine scale basis functions. The final function is the sum of the two intermediate functions and is a good approximation of the signed distance field to the surface in the bounding box. Examples of surface reconstruction and set operations between shapes are provided.     

Targeting CD10 on B-Cell Leukemia Using the Universal CAR T-Cell Platform (UniCAR)

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T-cells are without a doubt a breakthrough therapy for hematological malignancies. Despite their success, clinical experience has revealed several challenges, which include relapse after targeting single antigens such as CD19 in the case of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), and the occurrence of side effects that could be severe in some cases. Therefore, it became clear that improved safety approaches, and targeting multiple antigens, should be considered to further improve CAR T-cell therapy for B-ALL. In this paper, we address both issues by investigating the use of CD10 as a therapeutic target for B-ALL with our switchable UniCAR system. The UniCAR platform is a modular platform that depends on the presence of two elements to function. These include UniCAR T-cells and the target modules (TMs), which cross-link the T-cells to their respective targets on tumor cells. The TMs function as keys that control the switchability of UniCAR T-cells. Here, we demonstrate that UniCAR T-cells, armed with anti-CD10 TM, can efficiently kill B-ALL cell lines, as well as patient-derived B-ALL blasts, thereby highlighting the exciting possibility for using CD10 as an emerging therapeutic target for B-cell malignancies.     

Grafting of gold nanoparticles and nanorods on plasma-treated polymers by thiols

Grafting of gold nanoparticles and nanorods on the surface of polymers, modified by plasma discharge, is studied with the aim to create structures with potential applications in electronics or tissue engineering. Surfaces of polyethyleneterephthalate and polytetrafluoroethylene were modified by plasma discharge and subsequently, grafted with 2-mercaptoethanol, 4,4′-biphenyldithiol, and cysteamine. The thiols are expected to be fixed via one of –OH, –SH or –NH₂ groups to reactive places on the polymer surface created by the plasma treatment. “Free” –SH groups are allowed to interact (graft) with gold nanoparticles and nanorods. Gold nano-objects were characterized before grafting by transmission electron microscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and electrokinetic analysis (zeta potential determination) were used for the characterization of polymer surface at different modification phases. It was proved by FTIR and XPS measurements that the thiols were chemically bonded on the surface of the plasma-treated polymers, and they mediate subsequent grafting of the gold nano-objects. On the surfaces, modified polymers were indicated some objects by AFM, size of which was dramatically larger in comparison with that of original nanoparticles and nanorods. This result and the other results of UV–Vis spectroscopy indicate an aggregation of deposited gold nano-objects.     

Novel inorganic precursors [Co4.32Zn1.68(HCO2)18(C2H8N)6]/SiO2 and Co4.32Zn1.68(HCO2)18(C2H8N)6]/Al2O3 for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

The silica- and alumina-supported Co–Zn catalysts were synthesized by thermal decomposition of new inorganic precursors [Co_4.32Zn_1.68(HCO₂)₁₈(C₂H₈N)₆]/SiO₂ or Al₂O₃. A novel coordination polymer formulated as [Co_4.32Zn_1.68(HCO₂)₁₈(C₂H₈N)₆] (1) was prepared using the solvothermal technique and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-infrared spectroscopy. Thermal stability of the complex 1 was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, and its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Characterization of catalysts was carried out using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET specific surface area. The catalysts were evaluated for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) in the temperature range 200–300 °C. The results revealed that the synthesized catalysts have higher selectivity to the desired products at 260 °C. The performance of the catalysts was compared to those of catalysts constructed via impregnation method and the fabricated catalysts show higher activity and selectivity than the reference catalysts.     

Fatty acid esters of 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol in edible oils.

A series of 25 virgin and refined edible oils, obtained from retailers, was analyzed for levels of free 3-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and 3-MCPD released from esters with higher fatty acids (bound 3-MCPD). Oils containing free 3-MCPD ranging from <3 microg kg-1 (LOD) to 24 microg kg-1. Surprisingly, bound 3-MCPD levels were much higher and varied between <100 (LOD) and 2462 microg kg-1. On average, virgin oils had relatively low levels of bound 3-MCPD, ranging from <100 (LOD) to <300 microg kg-1 (LOQ). Higher levels of bound 3-MCPD were found in oils from roasted oilseeds (337 microg kg-1) and in the majority of refined oils (<300-2462 microg kg-1), including refined olive oils. In general, it appears that the formation of bound 3-MCPD in oils is linked to preliminary heat treatment of oilseeds and to the process of oil refining. Analysis of unrefined, de-gummed, bleached, and deodorized rapeseed oil showed that the level of bound MCPD decreased during the refining process. However, additional heating of seed oils for 30 min at temperatures ranging from 100 to 280 degrees C, and heating at 230 degrees C (260 degrees C) for up to 8 h, led to an increase in bound 3-MCPD levels. On the other hand, heating of olive oil resulted in a decrease in bound 3-MCPD levels. For comparison, fat isolated from salami was analyzed for intact fatty acid esters of 3-MCPD. This fat contained bound 3-MCPD at a level of 1670 microg kg-1 and the fatty acid esters of 3-MCPD mainly consisted of 3-MCPD diesters; monoesters of 3-MCPD were present in smaller amounts. The major types of 3-MCPD diesters (about 85%) were mixed diesters of palmitic acid with C18 fatty acids (stearic, oleic, linoleic acids). These diesters were followed by 3-MCPD distearate (11%) and 3-MCPD dipalmitate (4%). Generally, very little 3-MCPD existed as the free compound (31 microg kg-1).     

Water-assisted cold isostatic pressing to enhance sinterability of alumina ceramics

Water-Assisted cold isostatic Pressing (WAP) enabled pressure-less sintering of fine grained (0.6 μm) and nearly full dense (99.3%) weakly translucent alumina ceramics. As a term of comparison, Dry Pressed (DP) samples, prepared under identical processing conditions, maintained an opaque appearance, and their relative density did not exceed 97.7%. The enhanced compaction of WAP allowed to lower the sintering temperature down to 1350°C, which is approximately 100–150°C lower than that of DP powder. WAP samples resulted in an apparent activation energy for sintering (640 kJ/mol) matching literature values, confirming that the enhanced sinterability was attributed to an improved green density rather than a change in sintering mechanisms.     

Detailed structural analysis of semiconductors with X-ray scattering

Some of the most important material systems, GaInN alloys and quantum dot structures create interesting and complex challenges for structural analysis. This paper concentrates on the interpretation of the microstructure of both these materials, the former to assess the defect separation and the latter to obtain the shape and composition of the quantum dots. The methods used are based on mapping the X-ray intensity in reciprocal space and simulating proposed models to achieve good agreement with the experimental results. An indication of the reliability of these methods is presented.The simulation of the 0002 reciprocal space map of a 0 0 0 1 orientated InGaN/GaN sample yielded a range of dimensions of the perfect regions between defects of 60 and 220 μm. This comes from careful fitting of the tails of the scattering parallel to the surface plane. The average composition within an InGaAs quantum dot has been determined to a reliability of ±3% and the dimensions of these buried dots evaluated from simulating the reciprocal space maps using the in-plane scattering geometry.     

Ablation behavior and mechanism of boron nitride - magnesium aluminum silicate ceramic composites in an oxyacetylene combustion flame

In the present study, ablation behavior and properties of BN-MAS (magnesium aluminum silicate) composites impinged with an oxyacetylene flame at temperatures up to 3100 °C were investigated. As ablation time ranged from 5 to 30 s, the mass and linear ablation rates increased from 0.0027 g/s and 0.001 mm/s to 0.0254 g/s and 0.087 mm/s, respectively. A SiO₂-rich protective oxide layer formed during the ablation process, which contributed to the oxidation resistance of the composites. Ablation products mainly consisted of magnesium-aluminum borosilicate glass, mullite, spinel and indialite. The thermal oxidation of h-BN during flame ablation and scouring of MAS by high-speed gas flow were the main ablation mechanisms.