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This review article summarizes the results obtained from the combined efforts of a joint academic and industrial initiative to solve the real-life challenge of determining low levels of peptide-related impurities (typically 0.05-1% of the drug substance) in the presence of the related biologically active peptide at a high concentration. A rational screening strategy for pharmaceutical^ important peptides has been developed that uses combinations of reversed-phase ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) columns and mobile phases that exhibit complementary reversed-phase chromatographic selectivity using either UV- or mass spectrometry (MS)-compatible conditions. Numerous stationary and mobile phases were categorized using the chemometric tool of principal component analysis (PCA), employing a novel characterization protocol utilizing specifically designed peptide probes. This was successfully applied to the development of a strategy for the detection of impurities (especially isomers) in peptide drug substances using two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with MS detection (2D-LC-MS). KEY POINTS * A column and mobile phase reversed-phase chromatography characterization protocol employing relevant peptide probes is described. * Principal component analysis of the characterization database allowed the identification of column and mobile phase combinations with differing or similar chromatographic selectivity., The movement from small molecule-based new drug entities to larger and more complex biomolecules, such as peptides and proteins, has increased in recent years (1,2). This has led to a [...]

During pregnancy the maternal–fetal interface plays vital roles in fetal development. Its disruption is frequently found in pregnancy complications. Recent studies show increased incidences of adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with COVID-19; however, the mechanism remains unclear. Here we analysed the molecular impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the maternal–fetal interface. Generating bulk and single-nucleus transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles from patients with COVID-19 and control samples, we discovered aberrant immune activation and angiogenesis patterns in distinct cells from patients. Surprisingly, retrotransposons were also dysregulated in specific cell types. Notably, reduced enhancer activities of LTR8B elements were functionally linked to the downregulation of pregnancy-specific glycoprotein genes in syncytiotrophoblasts. Our findings revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection induced substantial changes to the epigenome and transcriptome at the maternal–fetal interface, which may be associated with pregnancy complications.

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The demand for wearable sensors is growing in many emerging fields, such as health monitoring, human-machine interfaces, robotics and personalized medicine. Here, we report the integration of skin-mountable, flexible, stretchable, dual-functional sensors and switches together with silicon-based electronics to create a novel healthcare system. We employ a facile approach to design highly stretchable graphene foam (GF)/PDMS composite films with tunable sensitivities and switching capabilities by simply controlling the thickness of GF. The GF/PDMS composite films deliver a high gauge factor of 24 at a 10% strain, tunable stretchability up to 70% and an excellent on/off switching ratio on the order of 1000. The highly reversible switching capability of the composite films is realized by identifying abnormal resistance changes at strains beyond a threshold value. To bridge the gap between signal transmission, wireless communication and post-processing in wearable devices, the sensors are combined with electronics, allowing data transmission to a smartphone using a custom-developed application consisting of a user-friendly interface. The novel approaches reported here offer a wide range of practical applications, including medical diagnosis, health monitoring and patient healthcare.

ABSTRACTA website is considered to be the centrepiece of a company's information gateway on the one hand, but is also an object particularly vulnerable to copyright infringement on the internet on the other. This paper addresses the copyright challenges encountered by the website design industry in Hong Kong and explores whether the existing copyright law and policy are adequately equipped to deal with those challenges. A questionnaire survey was administered to 203 creative directors in Hong Kong to get an understanding of the status of copyright infringement and copyright awareness, as well as the sufficiency of the self-protection and legal protection measures available to the industry. The survey results discussed here have far-reaching implications for copyright protection in the digital environment.

ABSTRACTThis paper details the design process of an innovative surgical product called the non-invasive patient tracker, based on user-centred research carried out in the operating rooms of a hospital in Hong Kong. Through examination of the first two phases of Cagan and Vogel's integrated New Product Development (iNPD) process, the author makes an inquiry into design thinking in the healthcare arena. Innovative surgery teeters on the horns of a dilemma. Although a surgical innovation may offer substantial improvement over conventional treatment strategies on the one hand, it may be perceived by both the surgeon and the patient as involving significant risk on the other. The author argues that surgical innovation, as well as the responses to it, develops through a process of ‘nested’ circular causalities that arise from a linearly directed intention, i.e. the intention to cure illness. She also argues that rigid and unquestioning adherence to prevailing assumptions and practices can serve to stifle originality. Surprise and novelty emerge only when the surgeon challenges both existing assumptions and the validity of their constituent elements.

Currently, different sequencing platforms are used to generate plant genomes and no workflow has been properly developed to optimize time, cost, and assembly quality. We present LeafGo, a complete de novo plant genome workflow, that starts from tissue and produces genomes with modest laboratory and bioinformatic resources in approximately 7 days and using one long-read sequencing technology. LeafGo is optimized with ten different plant species, three of which are used to generate high-quality chromosome-level assemblies without any scaffolding technologies. Finally, we report the diploid genomes of Eucalyptus rudisand E. camaldulensisand the allotetraploid genome of Arachis hypogaea.

This study focuses on the role of psychosocial variables affecting the level of depression among teenagers in Hong Kong. A sample of 500 pupils completed a number of social- psychological scales. Results indicated a high prevalence of depression. High scores on the other scales also indicated social-psychological problems. No significant relationships between the demographic variables such as age, sex, family income, etc., and scores on scales were found. Also, no significant relationship was found between family relations, peer relations and the level of depression. Significant correlations between self-esteem (by using factor analysis) and other scales were found.

The article reports that researchers Dr. Ming Feng and colleagues have warned that the ocean warming will result in tropicalisation of marine biological communities off the Western Australian coast. In the study, they selected 30 species of fish and shellfish that are representative of Western Australia's marine biological community. Marine fish and invertebrates are highly sensitive to environmental change.

The authors propose using a non-symmetric window to search for the best matched domain block based on the local variances method. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can achieve a speedup of 50% with only slight degradation in PSNR and compression ratio.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.