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The electrolysis of dilute CO2 streams suffers from low concentrations of dissolved substrate and its rapid depletion at the electrolyte-electrocatalyst interface. These limitations require first energy-intensive CO2 capture and concentration, before electrolyzers can achieve acceptable performances. For direct electrocatalytic CO2 reduction from low-concentration sources, we in-troduce a strategy that mimics the carboxysome in cyanobacteria by utilizing microcompart-ments with nanoconfined and concentrated enzymes in a porous electrode. A carbonic anhy-drase accelerates CO2 hydration kinetics and minimizes substrate depletion by making all dis-solved carbon available for utilization, while a highly efficient formate dehydrogenase reduces CO2 cleanly to formate; down to even atmospheric concentrations of CO2. This bio-inspired concept demonstrates that the carboxysome provides a viable blueprint and strategy to achieve the reduction of low-concentration CO2 streams to chemicals.

The maritime industry has been following the paradigm shift toward the automation of typically intelligent procedures, with research regarding autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) having seen an upward trend in recent years. However, this type of vehicle cannot be employed on a full scale until a few challenges are solved. For example, the docking process of an ASV is still a demanding task that currently requires human intervention. This research work proposes a volumetric convolutional neural network (vCNN) for the detection of docking structures from 3-D data, developed according to a balance between precision and speed. Another contribution of this article is a set of synthetically generated data regarding the context of docking structures. The dataset is composed of LiDAR point clouds, stereo images, GPS, and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) information. Several robustness tests carried out with different levels of Gaussian noise demonstrated an average accuracy of 93.34% and a deviation of 5.46% for the worst case. Furthermore, the system was fine-tuned and evaluated in a real commercial harbor, achieving an accuracy of over 96%. The developed classifier is able to detect different types of structures and works faster than other state-of-the-art methods that establish their performance in real environments.

The automation of typically intelligent and decision-making processes in the maritime industry leads to fewer accidents and more cost-effective operations. However, there are still lots of challenges to solve until fully autonomous systems can be employed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has played a major role in this paradigm shift and shows great potential for solving some of these challenges, such as the docking process of an autonomous vessel. This work proposes a lightweight volumetric Convolutional Neural Network (vCNN) capable of recognizing different docking-based structures using 3D data in real-time. A synthetic-to-real domain adaptation approach is also proposed to accelerate the training process of the vCNN. This approach makes it possible to greatly decrease the cost of data acquisition and the need for advanced computational resources. Extensive experiments demonstrate an accuracy of over 90% in the recognition of different docking structures, using low resolution sensors. The inference time of the system was about 120ms on average. Results obtained using a real Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) demonstrated that the vCNN trained with the synthetic-to-real domain adaptation approach is suitable for maritime mobile robots. This novel AI recognition method, combined with the utilization of 3D data, contributes to an increased robustness of the docking process regarding environmental constraints, such as rain and fog, as well as insufficient lighting in nighttime operations.

Design and development of scale-down approaches, such as microbioreactor (μBR) technologies with integrated sensors, are an adequate solution for rapid, high-throughput and cost-effective screening of valuable reactions and/or production strains, with considerably reduced use of reagents and generation of waste. A significant challenge in the successful and widespread application of μBRs in biotechnology remains the lack of appropriate software and automated data interpretation of μBR experiments. Here, it is demonstrated how mathematical models can be usedas helpful tools, not only to exploit the capabilities of microfluidic platforms, but also to reveal the critical experimental conditions when monitoring cascade enzymatic reactions. A simplified mechanistic model was developed to describe the enzymatic reaction of glucose oxidase and glucose in the presence of catalase inside a commercial microfluidic platform with integrated oxygen sensor spots. The proposed model allowed an easy and rapid identification of the reaction mechanism, kinetics and limiting factors. The effect of fluid flow and enzyme adsorption inside the microfluidic chip on the optical sensor response and overall monitoring capabilities of the presented platform was evaluated via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Remarkably, the model predictions were independently confirmed for μL- and mL- scale experiments. It is expected that the mechanistic models will significantly contribute to the further promotion of μBRs in biocatalysis research and that the overall study will create a framework for screening and evaluation of critical system parameters, including sensor response, operating conditions, experimental and microbioreactor designs.

International audience; Earth is unique in the Solar System as the only planet characterised by an active plate tectonic regime. However, there is still no consensus on whether this was fully operational in the Archaean or if it did not develop until the Proterozoic. The metamorphic record offers valuable insight into this debate, since paired, high and low T/P metamorphic conditions are a hallmark of modern plate tectonics. However, much of the metamorphic rock record has either been eroded or overprinted by subsequent tectonothermal events. To address this issue, we examine the detrital rock record and evaluate the potential of rutile, a mineral that forms during subduction and deep-crustal metamorphic processes, as a proxy to track the existence of low T/P and paired metamorphism. At temperatures of 550°C, rutile is mostly stable at pressures higher than ca. 13 kbar. We use this relationship and the Zr-in-rutile thermometer to determine peak metamorphic temperatures of detrital rutile grains to track the temporal distribution of low T/P metamorphism. We have compiled a dataset of detrital metamorphic rutile from Archaean to Permian age to trace the occurrence of low and high T/P metamorphism through time. The earliest evidence of low T/P from detrital rutile is at about 2.1 Ga. This agrees with the earliest evidence of eclogite facies conditions from the rock record and it also implies that these conditions must have been more prevalent than the present rock record seems to indicate. Together, our study confirms that subduction zone low T/P metamorphism has been fully operating since at least the late Palaeoproterozoic.

In recent years, research concerning the operation of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) has seen an upward trend, although the full-scale application of this type of vehicles still encounters diverse limitations. In particular, the docking and undocking processes of an ASV are tasks that currently require human intervention. Aiming to take one step further towards enabling a vessel to dock autonomously, this article presents a Deep Learning approach to detect a docking structure in the environment surrounding the vessel. The work also included the acquisition of a dataset composed of LiDAR scans and RGB images, along with IMU and GPS information, obtained in simulation. The developed network achieved an accuracy of 95.99 %, being robust to several degrees of Gaussian noise, with an average accuracy of 93.34% and a deviation of 5.46% for the worst case.

The application of conventional organic solvents has been essential in several steps of bioprocesses in order to achieve sufficient economic efficiency. The use of organic solvents is frequently used either to partly or fully replace water in the reaction medium or as a process aid for downstream separation. Nowadays, manufacturers are increasingly requested to avoid and substitute solvents with hazardous potential. Therefore, the solvent selection must account for potential environmental hazards, health and safety problems, in addition to fulfilling the ideal characteristics for application in a process. For the first time, criteria including Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), as well as the technical requirements for reaction and separation have been reviewed, collected and integrated in a single organic solvent screening strategy to be used as a guideline for narrowing down the list of solvents to test experimentally. Additionally, we have also included a solvent selection guide based on the methodology developed in the Innovative Medicines Initiative CHEM21 (IMI CHEM21) project and applied specifically to water-immiscible solvents commonly used in bioprocesses.

A microreactor with a square shaped reactor chamber was developed with the aim to correlate enzyme positioning with biocatalytic activity. The enzyme position as an important parameter to improve the contribution of the individual enzymes towards the overall reactor efficacy was therefore evaluated experimentally and by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Ultimately, such a correlation would lead to faster development through computational pre-screening and optimized experimental design. In this proof-of-concept study, microreactors were prepared in a 2-step curing process of an off-stoichiometric thiol-ene-epoxy (OSTE+) mixture employing both a thiol-ene (TEC) and a thiol-epoxy curing reaction. Subsequent surface functionalization of the remaining thiol groups on the reactor surface through stenciled photoinitiated TEC enabled the preparation of specific surface patterns in the reactor. Patterns were visualized using an allyl-functional disperse red dye, illustrating the successful preparation of a fully reacted surface, a half covered surface and 2 checkerboard patterns. Similarly, allyl glycidyl ether was exploited to functionalize the microreactor surface with epoxide groups, which were used for covalent immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the same patterns. Biocatalytic activity measurements confirmed a clear dependency of the overall reactor performance depending on the spatial distribution of the immobilized enzymes, where specifically the two checkerboard motifs were identified as being particularly effective compared to enzymes covering homogeneously the entire reactor surface. The performance of the same configurations was additionally determined by 3-dimensional CFD simulations. The computational model predicted the same tendencies for the overall reactor performance as obtained from experimental determination. This good agreement between the obtained experimental and computational results confirmed the high potential of CFD models for predicting and optimizing the biocatalytic performance of such a reactor.

O presente artigo é decorrente de observações, registros e análises de estudos realizadas a partir de uma oficina pedagógica onde foi utilizado o aplicativo Google para elaboração e compartilhamento de formulários de avaliação. O percurso metodológico foi baseado na abordagem mista que combina técnicas de pesquisa quantitativa e qualitativa. A concretização do estudo aconteceu durante a realização do curso professor na era digital, disciplina criação de formulários online utilizando como recurso de interação e colaboração o Ambiente Colaborativo de Aprendizagem (e-Proinfo) o qual contou com a participação de 26 (vinte e seis) professores, para os quais foi aplicado um questionário com perguntas diretas. O estudo mostrou que as tecnologias educacionais despontam como alvissareiras e propícias para a melhoria do processo de ensino e aprendizagem no contexto atual caracterizado por intensas modificações sociais, culturais, educacionais e tecnológicas, entretanto, o estudo também apontou a necessidade de estruturas mais adequadas para que as formações aconteçam com mais êxito.

The evolution of social networks made the brands start using DOL (Digital Opinion Leaders) as their voice. The function of DOL is to communicate to their followers what brands have to offer. With this article, we want to understand if the promotion of products, services and events made by DOL, on social networks, has positive impact on brands or not. With a quantitative study, based on an online questionnaire, with 200 participants, it was possible to conclude that brands should use LOD as their representatives. However, it is important that the brand choose partners with a good relationship with the followers and someone who really knows the content of what is advertised.

Reactor design is commonly constrained to already well-known reactor shapes. This article presents an innovative application of shape optimization techniques to design biocatalytic microreactors. Currently, the optimization of reactor performance is often done by considering solely the process conditions. However, common reactor types used in (bio)chemical processes do not always give the optimal conditions for executing the reaction, and it is therefore necessary to look into new approaches to further improve the performance of reactors. The new application of shape optimization described in this paper has as its main goal the design of a reactor by compensating for the limitations of the reaction system by modifying the reactor configuration. Random search was the optimization method chosen for transforming the initial reactor configuration to a more optimal one. The case study presented here investigates the impact of a change to the microreactor shape on the active mixing of two parallel streams (one containing an enzyme, amino transaminase, and the other the substrates, acetophenone and isopropylamine) and consequently its influence on the reaction yield. Compared to the original reactor configuration, the shape optimization resulted in changes of the microreactor wall surfaces leading to an 8.4-fold improvement of the reactor yield. This innovative optimization also offers the opportunity to obtain new structures which can later be tested experimentally.

Hexachloro-1:3-butadiene (HCBD) causes damage specifically to the renal proximal tubule in rats. In the present study, injury to the nephron of male Hanover Wistar rats was characterized at 24 h following dosing with HCBD in the range 5–90 mg kg−1 to determine the most sensitive biomarkers of damage, that is, the biomarkers demonstrating significant changes at the lowest dose of HCBD, using a range of measurements in serum and urine, renal histopathology, and renal and hepatic gene expression. Histologically, kidney degeneration was noted at doses as low as 10 mg kg−1 HCBD. Significant changes in the hepatic and renal gene expression categories of xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress were observed at 5 mg kg−1 HCBD, and in the kidney alone, evidence of inflammation at 90 mg kg−1 HCBD. Increases in the urinary excretion of α-glutathione S-transferase (α-GST) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) were seen at 10 mg kg−1 HCBD, and increases in urinary excretion of albumin and total protein were evident at 15 mg kg−1 HCBD. The most sensitive, noninvasive biomarkers of HCBD-induced renal toxicity in Hanover Wistar rats were urinary α-GST and KIM-1. Urinary albumin measurement is also recommended as, although it is not the most sensitive biomarker, together with α-GST, albumin showed the largest relative increase of all the biomarkers investigated, and the protein is easily measured. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hexachloro-1:3-butadiene (HCBD) causes kidney injury specific to the pars recta of the proximal tubule. In the present studies, injury to the nephron was characterized at 24 h following a single dose of HCBD, using a range of quantitative urinary measurements, renal histopathology and gene expression. Multiplexed renal biomarker measurements were performed using both the Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) and Rules Based Medicine platforms. In a second study, rats were treated with a single nephrotoxic dose of HCBD and the time course release of a range of traditional and newer urinary biomarkers was followed over a 25 day period. Urinary albumin (a marker of both proximal tubular function and glomerular integrity) and α-glutathione S-transferase (α-GST, a proximal tubular cell marker of cytoplasmic leakage) showed the largest fold change at 24 h (day 1) after dosing. Most other markers measured on either the MSD or RBM platforms peaked on day 1 or 2 post-dosing, whereas levels of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), a marker of tubular regeneration, peaked on day 3/4. Therefore, in rat proximal tubular nephrotoxicity, the measurement of urinary albumin, α-GST and KIM-1 is recommended as they potentially provide useful information about the function, degree of damage and repair of the proximal tubule. Gene expression data provided useful confirmatory information regarding exposure of the kidney and liver to HCBD, and the response of these tissues to HCBD in terms of metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, and regeneration and repair.

This video demonstrates a transvaginal technique for vaginal vault suspension using an apical sling suspended from the sacrospinous ligaments.This was a retrospective review of apical sling procedures performed from July 2013 to November 2014. The technique is started by marking the vaginal apex. A posterior dissection is performed and the sacrospinous ligaments are identified after dissection into the pararectal space. A 10-cm piece of monofilament, inelastic polypropylene tape is attached to the underside of the vaginal apex. Polypropylene sutures are placed into the sacrospinous ligament and threaded though the lateral edges of the apical sling and tied down, restoring apical support. Finally, the vaginal epithelium is closed.A total of 67 women underwent an apical sling procedure with 70 % (47/67) completing 6 months follow-up. The subjective cure rate ("cured" or "greatly improved") was 78.7 % and the objective cure rate (anatomical success, defined as apical prolapse stage ≤1) was 100 % (47 patients).Our apical sling sacrospinous ligament fixation approach is a unique, minimal mesh approach using a tape commonly used for midurethral slings to suspend the vaginal apex. We achieved high anatomical success and patient satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to assess the antimicrobial efficacy of a peracetic acid-based disinfectant for decontamination of heat-polymerized, chemically activated and microwave-polymerized acrylic resins. Resin plates were contaminated in vivo upon intraoral use by 10 volunteers for 7 nights and slabs were contaminated in vitro by contact with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus stearothermophilus. The contaminated acrylic resin specimens were immersed in a 0.2% peracetic acid-based disinfectant (Sterilife®; Lifemed) for 5 min or 10 min and placed in a BHI culture medium. After incubation at 37°C for 48 h, bacterial growth was assessed by analyzing turbidity of the medium. For all types of acrylic resin, no turbidity of the medium was observed for any of the resin specimens immersed in the peracetic acid-based disinfectant for either 5 or 10 min. On the other hand, the media with specimens that were not immersed in the disinfectant (control) showed turbidity in 100% of the cases, indicating the presence of microorganisms in both tested conditions. In conclusion, immersion for at least 5 min in a 0.2% peracetic acid-based disinfectant promoted high-level disinfection of heat-polymerized, chemically activated and microwave-polymerized acrylic resins contaminated with either human saliva or Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus stearothermophilus. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficácia antimicrobiológica de um desinfetante à base de ácido peracético na descontaminação de resinas acrílicas termicamente ativada, quimicamente ativada e polimerizada em forno de microondas. Placas de resina foram contaminadas in vivo por meio do uso intraoral por 10 voluntários durante 7 noites e corpos-de-prova de resina foram contaminados in vitro por meio do contato com microrganismos conhecidos: Bacillus subtilis e Bacillus stearothermophilus. Os espécimes contaminados foram imersos em desinfetante à base de ácido peracético a 0,2% (Sterilife®; Lifemed) durante 5 ou 10 min e então colocados no meio de cultura BHI. Após incubação a 37°C for 48 h, o crescimento bacteriano foi avaliado por meio análise da turvação do meio de cultura. Todos os espécimes imersos em ácido peracético por 5 ou 10 min não apresentaram turvação do meio de cultura, enquanto os espécimes contaminados e colocados diretamente no meio de cultura (grupo controle) apresentaram turvação. Concluiu-se que a imersão em ácido peracético por pelo menos 5 min foi eficaz na desinfecção de resinas acrílicas termicamente ativada, quimicamente ativada e polimerizada em forno de microondas contaminadas tanto com saliva humana quanto com Bacillus subtilis ou Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Objectives The search for agents that are capable of preventing restenosis and reduce the risk of late thrombosis is of utmost importance. In this study we aim to evaluate the in vitro effects of ibuprofen on proliferation and migration of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and on endothelial cells. Methods Cell proliferation was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion. Cell migration was assessed by wound-healing ‘scratch’ assay and time-lapse video microscopy. Protein expression was assessed by immunoblotting, and morphology by immunocytochemistry. The involvement of the PPARγ pathway was studied with the agonist troglitazone, and the use of selective antagonists such as PGF2α and GW9662. Key findings We demonstrate that ibuprofen inhibits proliferation and migration of HCASMCs and induces a switch in HCASMCs towards a differentiated and contractile phenotype, and that these effects are mediated through the PPARγ pathway. Importantly we also show that the effects of ibuprofen are cell type-specific as it does not affect migration and proliferation of endothelial cells. Conclusions Taken together, our results suggest that ibuprofen could be an effective drug for the development of novel drug-eluting stents that could lead to reduced rates of restenosis and potentially other complications of DES implantation.

The increasing interest in biocatalytic processes means there is a clear need for a new systematic devel- opment paradigm which encompasses both protein engi- neering and process engineering. This paper argues that through the use of a new microfluidic platform, data can be collected more rapidly and integrated with process modeling, can provide the basis for validating a reduced number of potential processes. The miniaturized platform should use a smaller reagent inventory and make better use of precious biocatalysts. The EC funded BIOINTENSE project will use ω-transaminase based synthesis of chiral amines as a test-bed for assessing the viability of such a high throughput biocatalytic process development, and in this paper, such a vision for the future is presented.

The focus of this work is on process systems engineering (PSE) methods and tools, and especially on how such PSE methods and tools can be used to accelerate and support systematic bioprocess development at a miniature scale. After a short presentation of the PSE methods and the bioprocess development drivers, three case studies are presented. In the first example it is demonstrated how experimental investigations of the bi-enzymatic production of lactobionic acid can be modeled with help of a new mechanistic mathematical model. The reaction was performed at lab scale and the prediction quality analyzed. In the second example a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model is used to study mass transfer phenomena in a microreactor. In this example the model is not only used to predict the transient dynamics of the reactor system but also to extract material properties like the diffusion velocities of substrate and product, which is otherwise difficult to access. In the last example, a new approach to the design of microbioreactor layouts using topology optimization is presented and discussed. Finally, the PSE methods are carefully discussed with respect to the complexity of the presented approaches, the applicability with respect to practical considerations and the opportunity to analyze experimental results and transfer the knowledge between different scales.

Hexachloro-1:3-butadiene (HCBD) causes segment-specific injury to the proximal renal tubule. A time course study of traditional and more recently proposed urinary biomarkers was performed in male Hanover Wistar rats receiving a single intraperitoneal (ip) injection of 45 mg/kg HCBD. Animals were killed on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, and 28 postdosing and the temporal response of renal biomarkers was characterized using kidney histopathology, urinary and serum biochemistry, and gene expression. Histopathologic evidence of tubular degeneration was seen from day 1 until day 3 postdosing and correlated with increased urinary levels of α-glutathione S-transferase (α-GST), albumin, glucose, and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and increased gene expression of KIM-1, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase, quinone 1, and heme oxygenase (decycling) 1. Histopathologic evidence of tubular regeneration was seen from day 2 postdosing and correlated with raised levels of urinary KIM-1 and osteopontin and increased gene expression of KIM-1 and annexin A7. Traditional renal biomarkers generally demonstrated low sensitivity. It is concluded that in rat proximal tubular injury, measurement of a range of renal biomarkers, in conjunction with gene expression analysis, provides an understanding of the extent of degenerative changes induced in the kidney and the process of regeneration.