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The quest for sustainable space exploration and colonization is a challenge in its infancy, which faces scarcity of resources and an inhospitable environment. In recent years, advancements in space biotechnology have emerged as potential solutions to the hurdles of prolonged space habitation. Taking cues from the oceans, this review focuses on the sundry types of marine organisms and marine-derived chemicals that have the potential of sustaining life beyond planet Earth. It addresses how marine life, including algae, invertebrates, and microorganisms, may be useful in bioregenerative life support systems, food production, pharmaceuticals, radiation shielding, energy sources, materials, and other applications in space habitats. With the considerable and still unexplored potential of Earth's oceans that can be employed in developing space colonization, we allow ourselves to dream of the future where people can expand to other planets, not only surviving but prospering. Implementing the blend of marine and space sciences is a giant leap toward fulfilling man's age-long desire of conquering and colonizing space, making it the final frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alphaviruses are known for being model viruses for studying cellular functions related to viral infections but also for causing epidemics in different parts of the world. More recently, alphavirus-based expression systems have demonstrated efficacy as vaccines against infectious diseases and as therapeutic applications for different cancers. Point mutations in the non-structural alphaviral replicase genes have generated enhanced transgene expression and created temperature-sensitive expression vectors. The recently engineered trans-amplifying RNA system can provide higher translational efficiency and eliminate interference with cellular translation. The self-replicating feature of alphaviruses has provided the advantage of extremely high transgene expression of vaccine-related antigens and therapeutic anti-tumor and immunostimulatory genes, which has also permitted significantly reduced doses for prophylactic and therapeutic applications, potentially reducing adverse events. Furthermore, alphaviruses have shown favorable flexibility as they can be delivered as recombinant viral particles, RNA replicons, or DNA-replicon-based plasmids. In the context of infectious diseases, robust immune responses against the surface proteins of target agents have been observed along with protection against challenges with lethal doses of infectious agents in rodents and primates. Similarly, the expression of anti-tumor genes and immunostimulatory genes from alphavirus vectors has provided tumor growth inhibition, tumor regression, and cures in animal cancer models. Moreover, protection against tumor challenges has been observed. In clinical settings, patient benefits have been reported. Alphaviruses have also been considered for the treatment of neurological disorders due to their neurotrophic preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the potential risk factors for failure of pregnancy termination is crucial for informed clinical decision making. Such insights can assist clinicians in adjusting the dosage or route of various regimens, as well as in counseling patients and predicting the likelihood of successful outcomes. However, research on these risk factors has been limited, and existing studies have yielded inconsistent results. To address this gap, we conducted a study with a large sample size, focusing on identifying the potential risk factors for failure of second-trimester termination using misoprostol as a single agent, specifically between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation. Methods: A secondary analysis based on a database of second-trimester terminations was conducted. The inclusion criteria were a singleton pregnancy, gestational age between 14 and 28 weeks, an unfavorable cervix, no spontaneous labor pain, intact membranes, and termination with misoprostol alone. Potential risk factors for failure of termination, defined as no abortion within 48 h, were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 1094 cases were included in the analysis, consisting of 991 successful cases and 103 (9.4%) cases of failure. The significant risk factors for failure of termination included early gestational age, live fetuses, sublingual regimen of 400 mcg every 6 h, and high maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. Previous cesarean sections and lower Bishop scores tended to increase the risk but did not reach a significant level. Conclusions: Second-trimester termination with misoprostol as a single agent was highly effective, with a failure rate of 9.4%. The risk factors for failure included gestational age, fetal viability, misoprostol regimen, and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, suggesting that these factors should be taken into consideration for second-trimester terminations with misoprostol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a refractory tumor with poor prognosis and high mortality. Many oncolytic viruses are currently being investigated for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on previous studies, we constructed a recombinant GM-CSF-carrying Sindbis virus, named SINV-GM-CSF, which contains a mutation (G to S) at amino acid 285 in the nsp1 protein of the viral vector. The potential of this mutated vector for liver cancer therapy was verified at the cellular level and in vivo, respectively, and the changes in the tumor microenvironment after treatment were also described. The results showed that the Sindbis virus could effectively infect hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and induce cell death. Furthermore, the addition of GM-CSF enhanced the tumor-killing effect of the Sindbis virus and increased the number of immune cells in the intra-tumor microenvironment during the treatment. In particular, SINV-GM-CSF was able to efficiently kill tumors in a mouse tumor model of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the elevation of M1-type macrophages (which have a tumor-resistant ability) and the decrease in M2-type macrophages (which have a tumor-promoting capacity). Overall, SINV-GM-CSF is an attractive vector platform with clinical potential for use as a safe and effective oncolytic virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PTFE coatings were manufactured using the pulsed electron beam deposition (PED) technique and deposited on Si substrates. The deposition was carried out at constant parameters: temperature 24 °C, discharge voltages 12 kV, and 5000 electron pulses with a pulse frequency of 5 Hz. Nitrogen was used as the background gas. The gas pressure varied from 3 to 11 mTorr. The coating adhesion was evaluated using micro scratch testing and the residual scratch morphology was characterized by atomic force microscopy. Detailed studies of the chemical and physical structure were conducted using infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. These analyses were then correlated with the mechanical response of the coatings observed during the scratch tests. Drawing upon a review of the literature concerning energetic beam interactions with PTFE material, hypotheses were posed to explain why only specific conditions of the PED process yielded PTFE coatings with rubber-like properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article provides a comprehensive overview of a novel Sindbis virus vaccine platform as potential immunotherapy for ovarian cancer patients. Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of all gynecological malignancies. The majority of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients are diagnosed with advanced disease. Current treatment options are very aggressive and limited, resulting in tumor recurrences and 50–60% patient mortality within 5 years. The unique properties of armed oncolytic Sindbis virus vectors (SV) in vivo have garnered significant interest in recent years to potently target and treat ovarian cancer. We discuss the molecular biology of Sindbis virus, its mechanisms of action against ovarian cancer cells, preclinical in vivo studies, and future perspectives. The potential of Sindbis virus-based therapies for ovarian cancer treatment holds great promise and warrants further investigation. Investigations using other oncolytic viruses in preclinical studies and clinical trials are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease results from the incomplete resolution of thrombi, leading to fibrotic obstructions. These vascular obstructions and additional microvasculopathy may lead to chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) with increased pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, which, if left untreated, can lead to right heart failure and death. The pathobiology of CTEPH has been challenging to unravel due to its rarity, possible interference of results with anticoagulation, difficulty in selecting the most relevant study time point in relation to presentation with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), and lack of animal models. In this article, we review the most relevant multifaceted cross-talking pathogenic mechanisms and advances in understanding the pathobiology in CTEPH, as well as its challenges and future direction. There appears to be a genetic background affecting the relevant pathological pathways. This includes genetic associations with dysfibrinogenemia resulting in fibrinolysis resistance, defective angiogenesis affecting thrombus resolution, and inflammatory mediators driving chronic inflammation in CTEPH. However, these are not necessarily specific to CTEPH and some of the pathways are also described in acute PE or deep vein thrombosis. In addition, there is a complex interplay between angiogenic and inflammatory mediators driving thrombus non-resolution, endothelial dysfunction, and vascular remodeling. Furthermore, there are data to suggest that infection, the microbiome, circulating microparticles, and the plasma metabolome are contributing to the pathobiology of CTEPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Gliomas account for 27% of all primary central nervous system tumors and have a highly aggressive growth pattern, leading most patients to be insensitive to conventional treatment. Viotherapy as a progressive therapeutic tool may be beneficial to improve the outcome of brain tumor treatment. However, the viruses used for glioma treatment at this stage are mostly limited to a few engineered replication-free defective viruses. In this study, we provide a replication-competent sindbis virus as a glioma treatment that, when combined with cytokines, is effective in slowing glioma progression both by intratumoral injection and systemic administration. This provides a promising concept for the treatment of glioma and also provides valuable data on the safety of using replicable sindbis virus as a glioma-killing agent. Background: The characteristics of glioblastoma, such as drug resistance during treatment, short patient survival, and high recurrence rates, have made patients with glioblastoma more likely to benefit from oncolytic therapy. Methods: In this study, we investigated the safety of the sindbis virus by injecting virus intravenously and intracranially in mice and evaluated the therapeutic effect of the virus carrying different combinations of IL-12, IL-7, and GM-CSF on glioma in a glioma-bearing mouse model. Results: SINV was autologously eliminated from the serum and organs as well as from neural networks after entering mice. Furthermore, SINV was restricted to the injection site in the tree shrew brain and did not spread throughout the whole brain. In addition, we found that SINV-induced apoptosis in conjunction with the stimulation of the immune system by tumor-killing cytokines substantially suppressed tumor development. It is worth mentioning that SINV carrying IL-7 and IL-12 had the most notable glioma-killing effect. Furthermore, in an intracranial glioma model, SINV containing IL-7 and IL-12 effectively prolonged the survival time of mice and inhibited glioma progression. Conclusions: These results suggest that SINV has a significant safety profile as an oncolytic virus and that combining SINV with cytokines is an efficient treatment option for malignant gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilms remain one of the most pervasive complications of the medical field, representing 50–70% of all nosocomial infections and up to 80% of total microbial infections. Since biofilms contain intricately small matrices, different microenvironments, and accumulations of biodiverse microorganisms of different resistances, these structures end up being difficult to target. As we review in this paper, 3D printing and nanotechnology help overcome these unique challenges of targeting biofilms, especially within the medical field. These technologies bring versatility and more precise control to personalized reusable medical device development and implants, with enhanced antimicrobial characteristics. They allow for decreased surface roughness of the implants, smaller pores, more targeted topography, and even added antibiotic or drug-releasing abilities for the medical devices. Furthermore, combining 3D with nanoparticles allows for the creation of anodized nanosurfaces of medical implants with increased osseointegration and reduced polymerization while promoting cost efficiency, durability, and biocompatibility. In this review, we explore the potentially valuable antimicrobial consequences of applying 3D technology and nanoengineering to dental and orthodontic implants, oral prostheses, hearing aids, joint replacements, catheters, stents, endotracheal tubes, prosthetics, and bone scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantages of the proposed novel magnetic energy-harvesting suspension (MEHS) are high safety, compact structure and convenient maintenance, compared with the previous studies. However, the force generated by the energy harvester with harvesting energy can affect the motion of the mechanical system. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the ride comfort and road handling of the MEHS, and investigates the dynamic performance of the MEHS. Firstly, the structure and the working principle of the MEHS are illustrated and introduced, and the dynamic mechanism of the quarter-vehicle with the MEHS is revealed and investigated. Secondly, the effects of the electromechanical coupling coefficient and external load resistance on the dynamic performance are investigated by numerical calculation. An experimental setup is established to verify the dynamic performance of the proposed MEHS. According to the experimental results, the dynamic performance of the suspension is contradictory with the increase of the external load resistance at the periodic frequency 7 Hz. And compared with the passive suspension, the dynamic performance of the MEHS is changed at various excitations, in which the sprung displacement and relative dynamic load of the tire of MEHS at the periodic frequency 3.3 Hz are reduced by 39.45% and 41.18%, respectively. Overall, the external load resistance of the proposed MEHS can be utilized to realize the variable damping of the suspension system and reduce the effect of vibration on the suspension system at the resonance frequency. And the dynamic performance has been verified in the laboratory, which lays the foundation for the dynamic analysis in a real vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer represents one of the most important malignancies among women worldwide. Current therapeutic approaches for cervical cancer are reported not only to be inadequate for metastatic cervical cancer, but are also considered as cytotoxic for several patients leading to serious side effects, which can have negative implications on the quality of life of women. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of innovative and effective treatment options. Oncolytic viruses can eventually become effective biological agents, since they preferentially infect and kill cancer cells, while leaving the normal tissue unaffected. Moreover, they are also able to leverage the host immune system response to limit tumor growth. This review aims to systematically describe and discuss the different types of oncolytic viruses generated for targeting cervical cancer cells, as well as the outcome of the combination of virotherapy with conventional therapies. Although many preclinical studies have evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic viruses in cervical cancer, the number of clinical trials so far is limited, while their oncolytic properties are currently being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of other malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral vectors have been used for a broad spectrum of gene therapy for both acute and chronic diseases. In the context of cancer gene therapy, viral vectors expressing anti-tumor, toxic, suicide and immunostimulatory genes, such as cytokines and chemokines, have been applied. Oncolytic viruses, which specifically replicate in and kill tumor cells, have provided tumor eradication, and even cure of cancers in animal models. In a broader meaning, vaccine development against infectious diseases and various cancers has been considered as a type of gene therapy. Especially in the case of COVID-19 vaccines, adenovirus-based vaccines such as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and Ad26.COV2.S have demonstrated excellent safety and vaccine efficacy in clinical trials, leading to Emergency Use Authorization in many countries. Viral vectors have shown great promise in the treatment of chronic diseases such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, β-thalassemia, and sickle cell disease (SCD). Proof-of-concept has been established in preclinical studies in various animal models. Clinical gene therapy trials have confirmed good safety, tolerability, and therapeutic efficacy. Viral-based drugs have been approved for cancer, hematological, metabolic, neurological, and ophthalmological diseases as well as for vaccines. For example, the adenovirus-based drug Gendicine® for non-small-cell lung cancer, the reovirus-based drug Reolysin® for ovarian cancer, the oncolytic HSV T-VEC for melanoma, lentivirus-based treatment of ADA-SCID disease, and the rhabdovirus-based vaccine Ervebo against Ebola virus disease have been approved for human use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manuscript discusses the application of dimeric imidazolium ionic liquids with an aliphatic linker of different lengths, constituting a new class of compounds called gemini, for the modification of renewable materials. This innovative functionalization with the use of ionic liquids made it possible to obtain polymer composite nanomaterials with renewable fillers, which will reduce the consumption of petroleum-based raw materials and also be directly related to the reduction of energy intensity. Renewable filler in the form of nanocellulose modified with ionic liquids, as well as polymer composites with such filler obtained by extrusion and injection molding techniques, were subjected to detailed characterization using techniques like: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), dispersion studies (DLS), morphological analysis (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot-stage polarized light microscopy and characterization of mechanical properties. The use of innovative dimeric ionic liquids proved to be an effective method to carry out efficient functionalization of cellulose. This provided a stable space structure between polysaccharide particles, limiting aggregate formation. It was shown that chemical modification with ionic liquids has a significant effect on the nucleation activity of cellulose fillers and the formation of the supermolecular structure of the polymer matrix, which consequently allowed to obtain polymer composites with excellent strength characteristics and increased flexibility, which will allow to increase their application potential. Innovative ionic liquids have contributed to obtaining green nanomaterials with excellent functional properties, which have not been described in the literature so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-replicating RNA viruses have become attractive delivery vehicles for therapeutic applications. They are easy to handle, can be rapidly produced in large quantities, and can be delivered as recombinant viral particles, naked or nanoparticle-encapsulated RNA, or plasmid DNA-based vectors. The self-replication of RNA in infected host cells provides the means for generating much higher transgene expression levels and the possibility to apply substantially reduced amounts of RNA to achieve similar expression levels or immune responses compared to conventional synthetic mRNA. Alphaviruses and flaviviruses, possessing a single-stranded RNA genome of positive polarity, as well as measles viruses and rhabdoviruses with a negative-stranded RNA genome, have frequently been utilized for therapeutic applications. Both naturally and engineered oncolytic self-replicating RNA viruses providing specific replication in tumor cells have been evaluated for cancer therapy. Therapeutic efficacy has been demonstrated in animal models. Furthermore, the safe application of oncolytic viruses has been confirmed in clinical trials. Multiple myeloma patients treated with an oncolytic measles virus (MV-NIS) resulted in increased T-cell responses against the measles virus and several tumor-associated antigen responses and complete remission in one patient. Furthermore, MV-CEA administration to patients with ovarian cancer resulted in a stable disease and more than doubled the median overall survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HfO2 can assume different crystalline structures, such as monoclinic, orthorhombic, and cubic polymorphs, each one characterized by unical properties. The peculiarities of this material are also strongly related to the presence of doping elements in the unit cell. Thus, the present paper has the main purpose of studying and comparing twelve different systems characterized by diverse polymorphs and doping percentages. In particular, three different crystalline structures were considered: the monoclinic P21/c, the orthorhombic Pca21, and the cubic Fm 3 ¯ m phases of HfO2. Each one has been studied by using Y as a doping agent with three different contents: 0% Y:HfO2, 8% Y:HfO2, 12% Y:HfO2, and 16% Y:HfO2. For all the systems, density functional theory (DFT) methods based on PBE/GGA, and on the HSE hybrid functionals were used to optimize the geometry as well as to study their optical properties. Depending on the polymorphs, Y affects the formation energy in different ways and causes changes in the optical properties. When the percentage of Y did not exceed 12%, a stabilization of the cubic phase fraction and an increase of the dielectric constant was observed. Additionally, the calculated optical bandgap energies and the refractive index are examined to provide an overview of the systems and are compared with experimental data. The bandgaps obtained are in perfect agreement with the experimental values and show a slight increase as the doping percentage grows, while only minor differences are found between the three polymorphs in terms of both refractive index and optical band gap. The adopted first principles study generates a reasonable prediction of the physical-chemical properties of all the systems, thus identifying the effects of doping phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantages of the proposed dual-mode magnetic suspension are it having a high level of safety and a compact structure compared with the previous studies. However, the structure parameters can affect the energy harvesting of the suspension system. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the energy-harvesting characteristics of the proposed dual-mode magnetic suspension. Firstly, the structure and working principle of the proposed suspension are introduced. Then, the influences of the various parameters for the actuator on the energy regeneration characteristics are analyzed by the finite element method, such as the magnetic ring, the fixed plug thickness, the heat dissipation, and the air gap, and the actuator parameters are defined by the orthogonal analysis method. Furthermore, the numerical results of the energy harvesting are calculated. Finally, the vibration experimental setup is manufactured, and the simulation analysis is verified by the experiment. The results demonstrate that the excitation amplitude is 3.1 mm, the frequency is 18 Hz, and the maximum induced EMF is 8.8 V. Additionally, compared with passive suspension, the energy harvesting of the proposed suspension has been verified in the laboratory, which lays the foundation for the design and analysis of the dual-mode magnetic suspension in a real vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of cellulose to its full potential is constrained by its recalcitrance to dissolution resulting from the rigidity of polymeric chains, high crystallinity, high molecular weight, and extensive intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding network. Therefore, pretreatment of cellulose is usually considered as a step that can help facilitate its dissolution. We investigated the use of microwave oxygen plasma as a pre-treatment strategy to enhance the dissolution of cotton fibers in aqueous NaOH/Urea solution, which is considered to be a greener solvent system compared to others. Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Powder X-ray Diffraction analyses revealed that plasma pretreatment of cotton cellulose leads to physicochemical changes of cotton fibers. Pretreatment of cotton cellulose with oxygen plasma for 20 and 40 min resulted in the reduction of the molecular weight of cellulose by 36% and 60% and crystallinity by 16% and 25%, respectively. This reduction in molecular weight and crystallinity led to a 34% and 68% increase in the dissolution of 1% (w/v) cotton cellulose in NaOH/Urea solvent system. Thus, treating cotton cellulose with microwave oxygen plasma alters its physicochemical properties and enhanced its dissolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-temperature (HT) behavior of BaAs2Zn2O8∙H2O was studied by in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) and hot stage Raman spectroscopy (HTRS) up to dehydration and the associated phase transition. During heating, the studied compound undergoes the dehydration process with the formation of BaAs2Zn2O8, which is stable up to at least 525 °C. The evolution of the fourteen main Raman bands was traced during heating. The abrupt shift of all Raman bands in the 70–1100 cm−1 spectral region was detected at 150 °C, whereas in the spectral region 3000–3600 cm−1 all the bands disappeared, which confirms the dehydration process of BaAs2Zn2O8∙H2O. The transition from BaAs2Zn2O8∙H2O to BaAs2Zn2O8 is accompanied by symmetry increasing from P21 to P21/c with the preservation of the framework topology. Depending on the research method, the temperature of the phase transition is 150 °C (HTRS) or 300 °C (HT SCXRD). According to the HT SCXRD data, in the temperature range 25–300 °C the studied compound demonstrates anisotropic thermal expansion (αmax/αmin = 9.4), which is explained by flexible crankshaft chains of TO4 (T = As, Zn) tetrahedra. Additionally, we discussed some crystal-chemical aspects of minerals with both (ZnOn) and (AsOm) polyhedra (n = 4, 5, 6; m = 3, 4) as main structural units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrite represents one of the most typical contaminants in aqueous species. The research was conducted to evaluate the impacts of nitrite exposure on the survival, gill morphology, hematological parameters, immune response, and meat flavor of pearl gentian grouper. The fish were exposed to 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/L of nitrite for 96 h (note: N-0, N-5, N-10, and N-20 indicate nitrite concentrations of 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/L, respectively). The blood, gills, and muscles were collected from fish to determine hematological parameters, immune response, oxidative stress, and meat flavor after 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, and 96 h of exposure. The data showed that the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cortisol (COR), malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and free amino acids (FAAs) contents were significantly increased, while the glutathione (GSH), immunoglobulin M (IgM), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lysozyme (LZM) contents were remarkably declined in the N-20 group after 72 h of exposure. In gills, exposure to the higher concentrations of nitrite resulted in the proliferation and hypertrophy of epithelial cells of gill lamellae, as well as an increase in mucous cells. In addition, all fish in the N-10 and N-20 groups died after 96 h of exposure. Our findings suggested that exposure to higher concentrations of nitrite disrupted blood physiology and oxidative stress, leading to dysfunction in the pearl gentian grouper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The red-crowned crane is an endangered bird species in the Far East Eurasian continent and Hokkaido, Japan. Individual identification has been achieved with banding and installed transmitters in only a few cranes, though individual identification is essential for various assessments of cranes on their behavioral characteristics, for example. An insertion/deletion (InDel) mutation is a mutation ranging from 1 to 50 bp and is very useful for genetic studies. If primer sets across InDels (>20 bp) can be designed, an InDel polymorphism can be determined with conventional agarose gel electrophoresis, as reported in some plant species. We found a sufficient number of InDel primer sets to be used for individual identification and analysis of population genetics of red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido. The method has additional advantages, such as convenience and low cost, without sequencing and an expensive apparatus. Red-crowned crane Grus japonensis is an endangered species in two separate populations: the mainland population in the Eurasian continent and the island population in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We found 11 insertion/deletion (InDel) markers in the genome of the red-crowned crane and designed primer sets across these InDels that can be analyzed with conventional agarose gel electrophoresis. Sixty-six samples of whole blood and skeletal muscle obtained from red-crowned cranes, including 12 families in eastern Hokkaido from 1994 to 2021, showed different patterns in gel images of 11 InDel PCR reactions except for two pairs. The combined non-exclusion probability of the 11 markers indicates that individuals can be determined with a probability of 99.9%. In 39 non-relative chicks, the expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.316, suggesting low genetic diversity. This might not be caused by high levels of inbreeding since the average FIS was not significantly different from zero (0.095, p = 0.075). The results suggest that the 11 InDel primer sets can be used for fairly accurate individual identification as well as genetic population analyses in red-crowned cranes in the island population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alphaviruses have been engineered as expression vectors for vaccine development and gene therapy. Due to the feature of RNA self-replication, alphaviruses can provide exceptional direct cytoplasmic expression of transgenes based on the delivery of recombinant particles, naked or nanoparticle-encapsulated RNA or plasmid-based DNA replicons. Alphavirus vectors have been utilized for the expression of various antigens targeting different types of cancers, and cytotoxic and antitumor genes. The most common alphavirus vectors are based on the Semliki Forest virus, Sindbis virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, but the oncolytic M1 alphavirus has also been used. Delivery of immunostimulatory cytokine genes has been the basis for immunotherapy demonstrating efficacy in different animal tumor models for brain, breast, cervical, colon, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and skin cancers. Typically, therapeutic effects including tumor regression, tumor eradication and complete cure as well as protection against tumor challenges have been observed. Alphavirus vectors have also been subjected to clinical evaluations. For example, therapeutic responses in all cervical cancer patients treated with an alphavirus vector expressing the human papilloma virus E6 and E7 envelope proteins have been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has examined the possibility of recovering energy from mechanical vibration induced by a vehicle shock absorber using piezoelectric and electromagnetic transducers. In terms of automotive applications, piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting shows promise for recapturing some (even if small) amounts of vehicle vibration energy, which would otherwise be wasted through the vehicle dampers. Functional materials, such as piezoelectric materials, are capable of converting mechanical energy into useful electrical energy and vice versa. In this paper, an innovative rotational piezoelectric vibration-energy-harvesting device is presented that employs a magnetic coupling mechanism and provides robust performance over a range of frequencies. The piezoelectric energy harvester is driven by a unidirectional suspension system. An experimental investigation was carried out to study the performance of the manufactured prototype. We observed no damage to the prototype after operating continuously at a vibration amplitude of 5 mm at a frequency of 2.5 Hz for over 10,000 cycles. In addition, the presented regenerative suspension system is capable of producing high and relatively steady open-circuit voltages, irrespective of excitation frequencies. The results demonstrate that regenerative shock absorber is robust and has a broad frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have fabricated poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) films with flat and honeycomb-patterned (HCP) structures to coat polyaniline (PANI) on the film surface. In addition, the effect of chemical modification of PANI by sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was also studied for antibacterial activity. The flat and HCP PCL films were obtained by simple evaporation of the solvent and via the breath figure (BF) method, respectively. The morphology and chemical composition of PANI coated on the film surface were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were obtained to identify the PANI coating. The wettability and conductivity of the films were also measured. Applicational aspects were evaluated by assessing antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The EDX, TGA, and FT-IR findings indicated chemical modification of PCL film by PANI and H2SO4. The conductivity of the films was increased by the coating of PANI to the patterned surface and additionally increased by the chemically modified PANI. The antibacterial activity was 69.79%, 78.27%, and 88% against E. coli, and 32.73%, 62.65%, and 87.97% against S. aureus, for flat PANI, HCP PANI, and H2SO4-treated HCP films, respectively. Likewise, the PANI coated flat, HCP, and H2SO4-treated HCP films inhibited E. coli biofilm formation by around 41.62%, 63%, and 83.88% and S. aureus biofilm formation by 17.81%, 69.83%, and 96.57%, respectively. The antibacterial activity of the HCP film was higher than that of flat PANI films, probably due to the higher coating of PANI on the HCP surface. Moreover, sulfonation of the HCP film with H2SO4 might have improved the wettability, thereby enhancing the antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. Our results showed that topographical changes, as well as doping, offer simple and cost-effective ways to modify the structural and functional properties of films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For smart cities using clean energy, optimal energy management has made the development of electric vehicles more popular. However, the fear of range anxiety—that a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination—is slowing down the adoption of EVs. The integration of an auxiliary power unit (APU) can extend the range of a vehicle, making them more attractive to consumers. The increased interest in optimizing electric vehicles is generating research around range extenders. These days, many systems and configurations of extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) have been proposed to recover energy. However, it is necessary to summarize all those efforts made by researchers and industry to find the optimal solution regarding range extenders. This paper analyzes the most relevant technologies that recover energy, the current topologies and configurations of EREVs, and the state-of-the-art in control methods used to manage energy. The analysis presented mainly focuses on finding maximum fuel economy, reducing emissions, minimizing the system's costs, and providing optimal driving performance. Our summary and evaluation of range extenders for electric vehicles seeks to guide researchers and automakers to generate new topologies and configurations for EVs with optimized range, improved functionality, and low emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a control method based the lateral interconnected air suspension system, in order to improve the road handling of vehicles. A seven-DOF (Degree of freedom) full-vehicle model has been developed, which considers the features of the interconnected air suspension system, for example, the modeling of the interconnected pipelines and valves by considering the throttling and hysteresis effects. On the basis of the well-developed model, a sliding mode controller has been designed, with a focus on constraining and minimizing the roll motion of the sprung mass caused by the road excitations or lateral acceleration of the vehicle. Moreover, reasonable road excitations have been generated for the simulation based on the coherence of right and left parts of the road. Afterwards, different simulations have been done by applying both bumpy and random road excitations with different levels of roughness and varying vehicle lateral accelerations. The simulation results indicate that the interconnected air suspension without control can improve the ride comfort, but worsen the road handling performance in many cases. However, by applying the proposed sliding mode controller, the road handling of the sprung mass can be improved by 20% to 85% compared with the interconnected or non-interconnected mode at a little cost of comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modifying bio-based degradable polymers such as polylactide (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) with non-degradable agents will compromise the 100% degradability of their resultant composites. This work developed a facile and solvent-free route in order to fabricate 100% bio-based and degradable ternary cellulose/PHBV/PLA composite materials. The effects of ball milling on the physicochemical properties of pulp cellulose fibers, and the ball-milled cellulose particles on the morphology and mechanical properties of PHBV/PLA blends, were investigated experimentally and statistically. The results showed that more ball-milling time resulted in a smaller particle size and lower crystallinity by way of mechanical disintegration. Filling PHBV/PLA blends with the ball-milled celluloses dramatically increased the stiffness at all of the levels of particle size and filling content, and improved their elongation at the break and fracture work at certain levels of particle size and filling content. It was also found that the high filling content of the ball-milled cellulose particles was detrimental to the mechanical properties for the resultant composite materials. The ternary cellulose/PHBV/PLA composite materials have some potential applications, such as in packaging materials and automobile inner decoration parts. Furthermore, filling content contributes more to the variations of their mechanical properties than particle size does. Statistical analysis combined with experimental tests provide a new pathway to quantitatively evaluate the effects of multiple variables on a specific property, and figure out the dominant one for the resultant composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncolytic viruses show specific targeting and killing of tumor cells and therefore provide attractive assets for cancer immunotherapy. In parallel to oncolytic viral vectors based on adenoviruses and herpes simplex viruses, oncolytic RNA viruses and particularly alphaviruses have been evaluated as delivery vehicles. Immunization studies in experimental rodent models for various cancers including glioblastoma, hematologic, hepatocellular, colon, cervix, and lung cancer as well as melanoma have been conducted with naturally occurring oncolytic alphavirus strains such as M1 and Sindbis AR339. Moreover, animals were vaccinated with engineered oncolytic replication-deficient and -competent Semliki Forest virus, Sindbis virus and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus vectors expressing various antigens. Vaccinations elicited strong antibody responses and resulted in tumor growth inhibition, tumor regression and even complete tumor eradication. Vaccination also led to prolonged survival in several animal models. Furthermore, preclinical evaluation demonstrated both prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic alphavirus administration. Clinical trials in humans have mainly been limited to safety studies so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This review is focused on enlisting viral proteins from different host sources, irrespective of their origin, that may act as future cancer curatives. Unlike the viral proteins that are responsible for tumor progression, these newly emerged viral proteins function as tumor suppressors. Their ability to regulate various cell signaling mechanisms specifically in cancer cells makes them interesting candidates to explore their use in cancer therapy. The discussion about such viral components may provide new insights into cancer treatment in the absence of any adverse effects to normal cells. The study also highlights avian viral proteins as a substitute to human oncolytic viruses for their ability to evade pre-existing immunity. Viruses are obligatory intracellular parasites that originated millions of years ago. Viral elements cover almost half of the human genome sequence and have evolved as genetic blueprints in humans. They have existed as endosymbionts as they are largely dependent on host cell metabolism. Viral proteins are known to regulate different mechanisms in the host cells by hijacking cellular metabolism to benefit viral replication. Amicable viral proteins, on the other hand, from several viruses can participate in mediating growth retardation of cancer cells based on genetic abnormalities while sparing normal cells. These proteins exert discreet yet converging pathways to regulate events like cell cycle and apoptosis in human cancer cells. This property of viral proteins could be harnessed for their use in cancer therapy. In this review, we discuss viral proteins from different sources as potential anticancer therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a lot of work related to Energy Harvesting Shock Absorbers (EHSA). These devices harvest energy from the movement of the vehicle's shock absorbers caused by road roughness, braking, acceleration and turning. There are different technologies that can be used in these systems, but it is not clear which would be the best option if you want to replace a conventional shock absorber with an EHSA. This article presents a methodology to compare the performance of different EHSA technologies that can replace a shock absorber with a given damping coefficient. The methodology allows to include different analysis options, including different types of driving cycles, computer vehicle models, input signals and road types. The article tests the methodology in selecting the optimal EHSA technology for a particular shock absorber and vehicle, optimizing at the same time energy recovery. In addition, a study of parameters in each type of technology is included to analyze its influence on the final objective. In the example analyzed, the EHSA technology with a rack and pinion system turned out to be the best. The proposed methodology can be extrapolated to other case studies and design objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a lot of work related to Energy Harvesting Shock Absorbers (EHSA). These devices harvest energy from the movement of the vehicle's shock absorbers caused by road roughness, braking, acceleration and turning. There are different technologies that can be used in these systems, but it is not clear which would be the best option if you want to replace a conventional shock absorber with an EHSA. This article presents a methodology to compare the performance of different EHSA technologies that can replace a shock absorber with a given damping coefficient. The methodology allows to include different analysis options, including different types of driving cycles, computer vehicle models, input signals and road types. The article tests the methodology in selecting the optimal EHSA technology for a particular shock absorber and vehicle, optimizing at the same time energy recovery. In addition, a study of parameters in each type of technology is included to analyze its influence on the final objective. In the example analyzed, the EHSA technology with a rack and pinion system turned out to be the best. The proposed methodology can be extrapolated to other case studies and design objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megalobrama terminalis, which inhabits the Sino-Russian Heilong-Amur River Basin, has decreased critically since the 1960s. It has been listed in the Red Book of Endangered Fish Species by the Russian Federation in 2004. To guide the utilization and conservation programs of M. terminalis in the Heilong River (MTH), 3.1 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) concatenated sequences and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers (15 primer combinations) were applied to explore the genetic divergence and population differentiation of MTH within the genus Megalobrama. Clear genetic divergence between MTH and six other populations of the genus Megalobrama was found by haplotype network (mtDNA) and principal component (SRAP) analyses. Moreover, the STRUCTURE analysis based on SRAP data showed that MTH could be assigned to a particular cluster, whereas conspecific M. terminalis in the Qiantang River and Jinsha River Reservoir belonged to the same cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and Fst statistics for the mtDNA and SRAP data revealed significant genetic variance and differentiation among all detected populations. Taken together, the results suggest that MTH has a strong genetic differentiation from other populations within the genus Megalobrama, which contributes to effective utilization in artificial cultivation and breeding of MTH. Furthermore, these results also provide a scientific basis for the management of MTH as a separate conservation unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the automotive paradigm shifts towards electric, limited range remains a key challenge. Increasing the battery size adds weight, which yields diminishing returns in range per kilowatt-hour. Therefore, energy recovery systems, such as regenerative braking and photovoltaic cells, are desirable to recharge the onboard batteries in between hub charge cycles. While some reports of regenerative suspension do exist, they all harvest energy in a parasitic manner, and the predicted power output is extremely low, since the majority of the energy is still dissipated to the environment by the suspension. This paper proposes a fundamental suspension redesign using a magnetically-levitated spring mechanism and aims to increase the recoverable energy significantly by directly coupling an electromagnetic transducer as the main damper. Furthermore, the highly nonlinear magnetic restoring force can also potentially enhance rider comfort. Analytical and numerical models have been constructed. Road roughness data from an Australian road were used to numerically simulate a representative environment response. Simulation suggests that 10's of kW to >100 kW can theoretically be generated by a medium-sized car travelling on a typical paved road (about 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than literature reports on parasitic regenerative suspension schemes), while still maintaining well below the discomfort threshold for passengers (<0.315 m/s 2 on average). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) in recirculating aquaculture systems is of great significance for the health assessment of the living environment of aquatic animals. Unfortunately, the commonly used spectrophotometric methods often yield unstable results, especially when the ambient temperature varies greatly in the field measurement. Here, we have developed a novel handheld absorbance measurement sensor based on the thymol-NO3-N chromogenic rearrangement reaction. In terms of hardware, the sensor adopts a dual channel/dual wavelength colorimeter structure that features a modulated light source transmitter and a synchronous detector receiver. The circuit measures the ratio of light absorbed by the sample and reference containers at two LEDs with peak wavelengths at 420 nm and 450 nm. Using the modulated source and synchronous detector rather than a constant (DC) source eliminates measurement errors due to ambient light and low frequency noise and provides higher accuracy. In terms of software, we design a new quantitative analysis algorithm for absorbance by studying colloid absorbing behavior. The application of a buffer operator embedded in the algorithm makes the sensor get the environmental correction function. The results have shown that the sensitivity, repeatability, precision and environmental stability are higher than that by ordinary spectrophotometry. Lastly, we have a brief overview of future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]