Basic Agent Research Articles

Investigation of the main regularities of glycolysis of polycarbonate plastic during catalysis by basic agents

This research focuses on analyzing how different primary catalysts affect the glycolysis of plastic made from bisphenol A (PC) polycarbonate. It was found that the process of chemical decomposition of PC under the influence of ethylene glycol (EG) leads to the formation of products with high added value: bisphenol A (PC monomer, BPA), BPA, and ethylene carbonate or ethylene glycol co-ethers (BPA monohydroxyethyl ether, MHE-BPA; BPA bishydroxyethyl ether, BHE-BPA). A quantitative assessment of the yields of the reaction products was also carried out. The yield of products at 100% PC conversion was 33% for BPA, 50% for MHE-BPA, and 17% for BHE-BPA. The effectiveness of using various alkalis depending on the type of metal was also compared within the context of this investigation.

URJC-1: Stable and Efficient Catalyst for O-Arylation Cross-Coupling.

The design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) allows the definition of properties for their final application in small-scale heterogeneous catalysis. Incorporating various catalytic centers within a single structure can produce a synergistic effect, which is particularly intriguing for cross-coupling reactions. The URJC-1 material exhibits catalytic duality: the metal centers act as Lewis acid centers, while the nitrogen atoms of the organic ligand must behave as basic centers. The impact of reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, and basic agent concentration was evaluated. Several copper-based catalysts, including homogeneous and heterogeneous MOF catalysts with and without the presence of nitrogen atoms in the organic ligand, were assessed for their catalytic effect under optimal conditions. Among the catalysts tested, URJC-1 exhibited the highest catalytic activity, achieving complete conversion of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with only 3% mol copper concentration in one hour. Furthermore, URJC-1 maintained its crystalline structure even after five reaction cycles, demonstrating remarkable stability in the reaction medium. The study also examined the impact of various substituents of the substrate alcohol on the reaction using URJC-1. The results showed that the reaction had high activity when activating substituents were present and for most cyclic alcohols rather than linear ones.

Enhanced Naive Agent in Angry Birds AI Competition via Exploitation-Oriented Learning

The Angry Birds AI Competition engages artificial intelligence agents in a contest based on the game Angry Birds. This tournament has been conducted annually since 2012, with participants competing for high scores. The organizers of this competition provide a basic agent, termed “Naive Agent,” as a baseline indicator. This study enhanced the Naive Agent by integrating a profit-sharing approach known as exploitation-oriented learning, which is a type of experience-enhanced learning. The effectiveness of this method was substantiated through numerical experiments. Additionally, this study explored the use of level selection learning within a multi-agent environment and validated the utility of the rationality theorem concerning the indirect rewards in this environment.

Synthesis and characterization of Novel Igepal Co-520 surfactant coated Fe3O4 Nanoparticles: An evaluation of Vanadium enrichment in spice samples

In this study, novel Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with surfactant Igepal Co-520 (polyoxyethylene (5) nonylphenylether) as adsorbent were synthesized, and total vanadium recovery was performed by magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) method. Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with Igepal Co-520 were employed in the investigation of vanadium enrichment. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), X-Ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and total vanadium concentration was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The corresponding values for the pH, adsorbent amount, and contact time were 3, 5 mg, and 120 min. Total vanadium was recovered from an aqueous solution under the optimum conditions. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms, pseudo-first and pseudo-second order adsorption kinetics, foreign ion studies, desorption, and analytical value studies were performed. In isotherm studies, the effect on adsorption was examined by varying the vanadium concentration between 1 mg/L and 100 mg/L. The Langmuir model (R2>0.99) seems to be more compatible with vanadium adsorption than the Freundlich model (R2<0.87). Pseudo−first-order and pseudo-second-order equations were used to evaluate adsorption kinetic models. It has been observed that the pseudo-quadratic equation (R2>0.89) was more suitable for modeling than the pseudo-first-order equation (R2<0.56). The analytical performance parameters of the method were calculated as enrichment factor (EF) 114, the limit of detection (LOD) 8.3 µg/L, the limit of quantification (LOQ) 28.3 µg/L, and relative standard deviation (RSD) 1.20 %. At various molarities, the effects of acidic (HCl) and basic (NaOH) agents on the desorption of total vanadium ions adsorbed on the magnetic Fe3O4 surface were examined and compared. It was observed that the maximum recovery (100 %) was obtained using HCl as the desorption agent. The total vanadium concentration in spice samples was measured in an actual sample analysis. All the results demonstrate that the Fe3O4@Igepal Co-520 was successfully synthesized and has the potential to be a useful tool for heavy metal recovery.

Software Testing Using Cuckoo Search Algorithm with Machine Learning Techniques

Software testing are any errors, flaws, bugs, mistakes, failures in a piece of software that might cause the programme to produce incorrect or unexpected results. Testing in software almost always increase both the time and money needed to finish a project. And finding bugs and fixing them is a laborious and expensive software process in and of itself. While it's unrealistic to expect to completely eradicate all testing from a project, their severity may be mitigated. It is possible to predict where bugs may appear in software using a method known as software defect prediction (SDP). The goal of each software development project should be to provide a bug-free product. Predicting where bugs may appear in code, often known as software defect prediction (SDP), is an important part of fixing software. Software of a high calibre should have few bugs. A software metric is a quantitative or qualitative evaluation of some aspect of the programme or its requirements. One of the more recent population-based algorithms, Cuckoo Search (CS) was inspired by the flight patterns of some cuckoo species as well as the Lévy flying patterns of other birds and fruit flies. The needs for international convergence are met by CS. KNN is a significant non-parameter supervised learning technique. This paper presents an overview of Stochastic Diffusion Search (SDS) in the form of a social metaphor to illustrate the processes by which SDS allots resources. The best-fit pattern identification and matching difficulties were addressed by SDS using a novel probabilistic method. As a multiagent population-based global search and optimization method, SDS is a distributed model of computing that makes use of interaction amongst basic agents. The behaviour of SDS is described by studying its resource allocation, convergence to global optimum, resilience, minimum convergence criterion, and linear time complexity within a rigorous mathematical framework, setting it apart from many nature-inspired search algorithms. This paper proposes a hybrid optimization strategy based on CS-SDS techniques. By using the global search strategy solution of the SDS algorithm, this hybridization idea aims to enhance the cuckoo bird's search strategy for the optimum host nest. To that end, the SDS method would be used to place the cuckoo egg in the most advantageous location. When compared to other classifiers, PC2's improved performance may be attributed to its higher recall values. When compared to the Naive Bayes and Radial Bias Neural Network classifiers, the KNN performs 7.64% and 2.20% better, respectively.

The Evolution of Conformity, Malleability, and Influence in Simulated Online Agents.

The prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that filter the information given to internet users, such as recommender systems and diverse personalizers, may be creating troubling long-term side effects to the obvious short-term conveniences. Many worry that these automated influencers can subtly and unwittingly nudge individuals toward conformity, thereby (somewhat paradoxically) restricting the choices of each agent and/or the population as a whole. In its various guises, this problem has labels such as filter bubble, echo chamber, and personalization polarization. One key danger of diversity reduction is that it plays into the hands of a cadre of self-interested online actors who can leverage conformity to more easily predict and then control users' sentiments and behaviors, often in the direction of increased conformity and even greater ease of control. This emerging positive feedback loop and the compliance that fuels it are the focal points of this article, which presents several simple, abstract, agent-based models of both peer-to-peer and AI-to-user influence. One of these AI systems functions as a collaborative filter, whereas the other represents an actor the influential power of which derives directly from its ability to predict user behavior. Many versions of the model, with assorted parameter settings, display emergent polarization or universal convergence, but collaborative filtering exerts a weaker homogenizing force than expected. In addition, the combination of basic agents and a self-interested AI predictor yields an emergent positive feedback that can drive the agent population to complete conformity.

Two level deacidification mathematical model for the description of transport of solid alkaline particles and diffusion of ions in a treated acid paper

Industrial progress in papermaking in the early nineteenth century led to the technologies that resulted in more acidic papers, which was caused mainly by the exploitation of alum (KAl(SO4)2) and rosin as sizing agents. The papers prepared by such technologies have degraded more quickly. From the 1930s various deacidification and preservation processes with basic agents have been developed. The most widespread deacidification process is with the aerosol (spray system) consisting of microscale particles MgO and perfluoroheptane (PFH) as a carrier (the so-called Bookkeeper process). The shortcomings of this process are the low dissolution of solid MgO particles and the transport to the interior of acidic paper. We have developed a theoretical two-level model of the Bookkeeper process suitable for prediction of deacidification extent. The model involves both the dissolution/reaction of the solid particles and transport of solvated ions and solid particles inside the bulk of paper. The developed model coincides with the results of the performed deacidification experiment. The model is also in good agreement with the Lucas–Washburn equation, which is usually used for the description of the penetration of a deacidifying agent into the paper.

Management of noncytotoxic extravasation injuries: A focused update on medications, treatment strategies, and peripheral administration of vasopressors and hypertonic saline.

Extravasation is the leakage of intravenous solutions into surrounding tissues, which can be influenced by drug properties, infusion techniques, and patient-related risk factors. Although peripheral administration of vesicants may increase the risk of extravasation injuries, the time and resources required for central venous catheter placement may delay administration of time-sensitive therapies. Recent literature gathered from the growing use of peripheral vasopressors and hypertonic sodium suggests low risk of harm for initiating these emergent therapies peripherally, which may prevent delays and improve patient outcomes. Physiochemical causes of tissue injury include vasoconstriction, pH-mediated, osmolar-mediated, and cytotoxic mechanisms of extravasation injuries. Acidic agents, such as promethazine, amiodarone, and vancomycin, may cause edema, sloughing, and necrosis secondary to cellular desiccation. Alternatively, basic agents, such as phenytoin and acyclovir, may be more caustic due to deeper tissue penetration of the dissociated hydroxide ions. Osmotically active agents cause cellular damage as a result of osmotic shifts across cellular membranes in addition to agent-specific toxicities, such as calcium-induced vasoconstriction and calcifications or arginine-induced leakage of potassium causing apoptosis. A new category has been proposed to identify absorption-refractory mechanisms of injury in which agents such as propofol and lipids may persist in the extravasated space and cause necrosis or compartment syndrome. Pharmacological antidotes may be useful in select extravasations but requires prompt recognition and frequently complex administration strategies. Historically, intradermal phentolamine has been the preferred agent for vasopressor extravasations, but frequent supply shortages have led to the emergence of terbutaline, a β2 -agonist, as an acceptable alternative treatment option. For hyperosmolar and pH-related mechanisms of injuries, hyaluronidase is most commonly used to facilitate absorption and dispersion of injected agents. However, extravasation management is largely supportive and requires a protocolized multidisciplinary approach for early detection, treatment, and timely surgical referral when required to minimize adverse events.

Investigation and analysis of interleaved dc-dc boost converter for grid-connected photovoltaic energy system

In this study, we focused on the synthesis of polymeric hydrogels that will support the sorption and controlled release of urea, which is a rich nitrogen source, from aqueous solutions and their usability in agricultural applications. N, N-Dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) and Starch (St) were selected as monomers, and their superior properties, such as chemical stability, high sorption properties, biocompatibility, and the presence of modifiable groups, were utilized. A redox polymerization technique was used to create a poly(DMAAm-co-St)-based hydrogel that was then modified with acidic and basic agents to improve the properties of starch. The synthesized acid- and base-modified hydrogels were named DSt, DSt1, and DSt2, respectively. Swelling analyses were performed to examine the structural and morphological properties of DSt, DSt1, and DSt2 hydrogels, and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Thermogravimetric Analyzers (TGA) were used. Intense cross-linking, porosity, and the presence of hydrophilic groups were successfully detected by instrumental analysis and swelling results. The successful results of urea sorption by DSt, DSt1, and DSt2 hydrogels show that they can both minimize the harmful effects of urea in the environment and contain the nitrogen necessary for plants. At the same time, urea sorption behaviors were evaluated in terms of sorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties, and it was observed that urea sorption conformed to the Langmuir isotherm. The urea release results showed that DSt, DSt1, and DSt2 hydrogels exhibited different release properties in different pH solutions, and these results reached 94% at pH 6–8, 100% at pH 6, and 100% at pH 8–10, respectively. As a result of the gradual decrease in the water resources on the earth, the increase in the use of fertilizers in agricultural production, and the insufficient use of fertilizers, our study draws attention to the development and support of materials that absorb/store water, and forms of controlled release fertilizers and provides potential ease of application

Eco-friendly and biodegradable dimethylacrylamide/starch hydrogels for controlled release of urea and its water retention

In this study, we focused on the synthesis of polymeric hydrogels that will support the sorption and controlled release of urea, which is a rich nitrogen source, from aqueous solutions and their usability in agricultural applications. N, N-Dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) and Starch (St) were selected as monomers, and their superior properties, such as chemical stability, high sorption properties, biocompatibility, and the presence of modifiable groups, were utilized. A redox polymerization technique was used to create a poly(DMAAm-co-St)-based hydrogel that was then modified with acidic and basic agents to improve the properties of starch. The synthesized acid- and base-modified hydrogels were named DSt, DSt1, and DSt2, respectively. Swelling analyses were performed to examine the structural and morphological properties of DSt, DSt1, and DSt2 hydrogels, and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Thermogravimetric Analyzers (TGA) were used. Intense cross-linking, porosity, and the presence of hydrophilic groups were successfully detected by instrumental analysis and swelling results. The successful results of urea sorption by DSt, DSt1, and DSt2 hydrogels show that they can both minimize the harmful effects of urea in the environment and contain the nitrogen necessary for plants. At the same time, urea sorption behaviors were evaluated in terms of sorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties, and it was observed that urea sorption conformed to the Langmuir isotherm. The urea release results showed that DSt, DSt1, and DSt2 hydrogels exhibited different release properties in different pH solutions, and these results reached 94% at pH 6–8, 100% at pH 6, and 100% at pH 8–10, respectively. As a result of the gradual decrease in the water resources on the earth, the increase in the use of fertilizers in agricultural production, and the insufficient use of fertilizers, our study draws attention to the development and support of materials that absorb/store water, and forms of controlled release fertilizers and provides potential ease of application

Front Cover: Hexanuclear Niobium Cluster Alcoholates – First Representatives with Isopropanolato Ligands (Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 20/2022)

The cover picture shows the nucleophilic attack of alkoxides on the hexanuclear cluster compound, which carries halide (iodido and chloride) ligands, [Nb6Cl12I6]2−. Li(OC3H7) is used as strongly basic agent in solution-based chemical reactions near room temperature. The first representatives of cluster compounds with isopropanolato ligands on the inner coordination sites of the octahedral metal atom cores are formed.(DOI: 10.1002/zaac.202200241).

Skills to Drive: Successor Features for Autonomous Highway Pilot

Reinforcement learning applications are spreading among different domains, including autonomous vehicle control. The diverse situations that can happen during, for instance, at a highway commute are infinite, and with labeled data, the perfect coverage of all use-cases sounds ambitious. However, with the complex tasks and complicated scenarios faced during an autonomous vehicle system design, the credit assignment problem arises. How to construct appropriate objectives for the artificial intelligence to learn and the preferences between the different goals also matter of the designer’s choice. This work attempts to tackle the problem by utilizing successor features and providing a possible decomposition of the reward functions, guiding the agent’s actions. This method makes the training easier for the agent and enables immediate, profound performance on new combined tasks. Furthermore, with the optimal composition, the desired behavior can be fine-tuned, and as an auxiliary gain, the decomposition empowers different driving styles and makes driving preferences rapidly changeable. We introduce the adaptation of FastRL algorithm to autonomous vehicle domain, meanwhile developing a stabilizing way of using Successor Features, namely DoubleFastRL. We compare our solution for a highway driving scenario with basic agents such as Q-learning having multi-objective training.

Eco-friendly methods of synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of sulfonamide derivatives of cyclic arylguanidines

The chemotype of arylsulfonamide derivatives of cyclic arylguanidines is a source of molecules with valuable biological activities, including antimicrobial and antitumor properties. The methods of the synthesis presented in the literature are characterized with low selectivity and high environmental nuisance. In this publication, we present a developed alternative and earlier undescribed pathway C, for the synthesis of arylsulfonamide derivatives of cyclic arylguanidines (N-(1H-arylimidazol-2-yl)arylsulfonamides and N-(1,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)arylsulfonamides), including reaction between 2-(methylsulfanyl)-benzimidazole or 2-(methylsulfanyl)-3,4-dihydroquinazoline with arylsulfonamides. We also optimized previously reported methods; A (reaction of 2-aminobenzimidazole or 2-amino-3,4-dihydroquinazoline with arylsulfonyl chlorides) and B (reaction of dimethyl-(arylsulfonyl)carbonodithioimidate with aryldiamines). The conducted research allowed achieving two independent ecological and quick methods of obtaining the desired products. We used ecological methods of ultrasound-assisted or microwave synthesis, solvent-free reactions and a“green” reaction environment. In both pathways, it has proven advantageous to use H2O as the solvent and K2CO3 (1 or 3 equivalent) as the basic agent. In the sonochemical variant, the efficiency reached B: 37–89 %, C: 90 % in 60 min (P = 80 W and f = 40 kHz), while in the microwave synthesis it was B: 38–74 %, C: 63–85 % in 0.5–4 min (P = 50 W). Path A led to a complementary substitution product (i.e. 1-(arylsulfonyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-amine or 1-(arylsulfonyl)-1,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-amine). We obtained a small group of compounds that were tested for cytotoxicity. The 10f (N-(1,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)naphthalene-1-sulfonamide) showed cytotoxic activity towards human astrocytoma cell line 1321 N1. The calculated IC50 value was 8.22 µM at 24 h timepoint (doxorubicin suppressed 1321 N1 cell viability with IC50 of 1.1 µM). The viability of the cells exposed to 10f for 24 h dropped to 48.0 % compared to vehicle control, while the cells treated with doxorubicin experienced decline to 47.5 %. We assessed its potential usefulness in pharmacotherapy in the ADMET study, confirming its ability to cross the blood–brain barrier (Pe = 5.0 ± 1.5 × 10-6 cm/s) and the safety of its potential use in terms of DDI and hepatotoxicity.

Venous Thromboembolic Disease in COVID-19, Pathophysiology, Therapy and Prophylaxis.

For over two years, the world has been facing the epidemiological and health challenge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Growing problems are also complications after the development of COVID-19 in the form of post and long- COVID syndromes, posing a challenge for the medical community, both for clinicians and the scientific world. SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, especially thromboembolic complications, which are associated with both thrombosis of small and very small vessels due to immunothrombosis, and the development of venous thromboembolism. Low molecular wight heparin (LMHW) are the basic agents used in the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic complications in COVID-19. There is still a great deal of controversy regarding both the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic complications, including the prophylaxis dose or the optimal duration of anticoagulant treatment in patients with an episode of venous thromboembolism.

Electronic property of alkoxo‐bridged tetranuclear Fe(II) cluster and CO2 hydrogenation reactivity

AbstractHere we report on the synthesis of tetranuclear Fe(II) cluster [Fe4I2(O2C14H11)6] (1) derived from a benzoin‐based scaffold. The Fe centers displayed a rhombus‐like core structure, including two types of coordination environments: trigonal bipyramid and trigonal prism. The binding energy of the trigonal prismatic Fe(II) 2p electron appeared ~1.43 eV higher than that of the trigonal bipyramidal Fe(II) 2p electron because of more Fe–O bonds. The trigonal bipyramidal Fe site exhibited stoichiometric CO2 hydrogenation reactivity with the assistance of an external Lewis basic agent.

МІСЦЕ ЛЕФЛУНОМІДА В ХВОРОБОМОДИФІКУЮЧІЙ ТЕРАПІЇ РЕВМАТОЇДНОГО АРТРИТУ: НОВІ АКЦЕНТИ

A new mechanism of lefl unomide (LEF) action was recently discovered, namely its ability to infl uence the intracellular mechanism of the infl ammatory process by inhibiting JAK kinases, which brings it closer to the new most eff ective group for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – Janus kinase inhibitors. The article presents data from both our own and other authors’ studies on the eff ectiveness and safety of the drug in comparison with other synthetic and biological basic agents. The aim of our study was a comparative evaluation of LEF, methotrex- ate (MTX), sulfasalazine (SS) and their combinations (CDT) in 402 patients with RA. Obtained results showed advantages of LEF and СDT over the use of SS (at any RA duration) and MTX (at late RA). Adverse events were the lowest in the SS group, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) discontinuation due to complications was the lowest in the LEF group. Based on the results of multifactor regression analysis, we developed a scheme of individualized selection of the most eff ective DMARD depending on the initial characteristics of RA patients. The article also presents international study data. It analyses the comparative effi cacy of LEF (10-20 mg/d) and low doses of rituximab (500 mg twice daily) in patients refractory to MTX therapy; effi cacy of LEF in monotherapy (5-40 mg/d) and combination with other DMARD; LEF at a dose of 100 mg/week and MTX at a dose of 10 mg/week; LEF at a dose of 50 mg once a week and 10 mg daily. The eff ect of LEF on uric acid levels and bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in patients with RA was studied.

Abstract 5608: Deciphering role of NLRP3 inflammasome in acute myeloid leukemia microenvironment

Abstract Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), the most common form of leukemia in adults. Despite intensive chemotherapy regimen, approximately 60% of patients subsequently relapse. Inflammatory cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) which are part of bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, play a critical role in cancer progression. Current strategies are focused on understanding cell-cell contact dependent/independent communication within the leukemic stem cell niche. NLRP3 is a part of innate immune mechanisms, resulting in the release of IL-1β and IL-18 immunomodulatory cytokines. Current study was aimed at analyzing NLRP3 pathway regulation at phenotypic and genotypic level in AML BM-MSC compared to healthy BM-MSC and their cross-talk with immune function in AML stem cell niche. MSC were isolated and cultured from AML BM that exhibited heterogenous fibroblastoid shape. Multi-color flow cytometry of AML BM-MSC revealed characteristic high expression of CD90 and minimal expression of CD45. They also expressed immune checkpoint markers TIM3, PDL-1, adenosine receptors A1R/A2BR, vimentin and NLRP3. Cultured AML BM MSC and fresh leukemic blasts demonstrated tunneling nanotubules, increased vesicles and increase in mitochondria which were of irregular shapes and sizes as seen by transmission electron microscopy. Microarray data revealed genes of NLRP3 damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP) pathway viz. Nlrp3, NME8, Pycard and IL-18 were distinctly upregulated in AML BM-MSC compared to uninvolved BM-MSC. AML peripheral blood (PB) plasma showed immunosuppressive effect on healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells. NK cell cytotoxicity was found to be significantly reduced in presence of culture supernatant of AML cell line and further reduced with supernatant of cells activated for NLRP3 pathway. Immunofluorescence demonstrated NLRP3 expression in AML BM-MSC and also in vesicles released from MSC. NLRP3 pathway activation was observed in AML cell line which was significantly abrogated upon treatment with NLRP3 inhibitor. NLRP3 pathway is stimulated using basic DAMP agent LPS and secondary activators ATP or Nigericin. Activation was visualized by colocalization of NLRP3 and caspase-1, in the presence/absence of NLRP3 inhibitor. Expression of IL-1β was observed using immunofluorescence and its release in culture supernatants was measured by ELISA. Inhibition of NLRP3 corroborated with decreased secretion of IL-1β in AML cell line. Thus, a positive correlation of IL-1β release was observed with expression of NLRP3. Paraffin sections of AML BM are being evaluated for NLRP3 pathway markers by immunohistochemistry. Understanding remodelling of BM-MSC, leukemia target and immune cell dynamics through NLRP3 pathway regulation in stroma microenvironment may provide crucial leads in therapeutic modulation of the immune response within the stem cell niche. Citation Format: Monalisa Sahoo, Manasi Nagare, Naythan Dcunha, Meena Patkar, Manju Sengar, Navin Khattry, Anant Gokarn, Sachin Punatar, Sridhar Epari, Tanuja Shet, Jyoti Kode. Deciphering role of NLRP3 inflammasome in acute myeloid leukemia microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5608.

A versatile and efficient method to fabricate superhydrophobic biomass for removing/ collecting oil contaminants

A highly efficient and versatile method was developed to prepare durable, superhydrophobic surface on various biomass substrates in order to remove organic contaminants from polluted water. This method employed PPy/nanoparticles (TiO2, Ag and SiO2) in combination with HDTMS modification. The coated biomass possessed durable superhydeophobicity with highest WCA of 168.4°, which could collect the oil from oil-water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsion. The collected organic contaminants could also be decomposed by photocatalysis process with TiO2 coated corn stalk. The durable evaluation results proved the outstanding resistance to friction, long-term exposure in environment, high temperature, acidic and basic agents. The method suggested in this work provides a facile and efficient route to synthesize large-scale, durable, and mechanically stable superhydrophobic surface for water pollution control.

Extraction of heavy metals and phosphorus from sewage sludge with elimination of antibiotics and biological risks

The sewage sludge generated by the wastewater treatment plants is quite a hazardous waste. It may contain heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria (including those resistant to antibiotics due to their interaction with them) and viruses, helminths, acrylamide and drugs, including antibiotics. The selective elimination of certain risks does not make the sewage sludge safe for the environment.The purpose of this article is to implement a common sludge processing methodology with the elimination of biological risks, antibiotics and heavy metals. Incineration can eliminate most of the risks associated with sludge, leaving only heavy metals.Although the content of heavy metals in the ash increases (due to the destruction of organic matter and water vaporization), at the same time it is a prospective source of phosphorus (20.59 ± 0,00 % P2O5).The extraction of phosphorus from the ash sludge has a very good yield in the extremely acidic environment of 83.57%, using nitric acid. Extraction yield for most heavy metals investigated has a yield of over 50% (Cu – 66.54 %, Mn – 66.28 %, Zr – 61.33 %, Zn – 60.59 %, Cr – 57.47 %), less Ni with 29.94 %. Si and Ti migrate very slightly (0 % and 0,48 %, respectively).By treating the extract solution with a basic agent (eg KOH), most of the components studied (Al, Ni, P, Cu, Cl, Cd, Co, Zn, Fe, Pb and S in form of SO42-) decant with a yield > 90%, only Cr has a precipitation yield < 80%. As the pH increases, P, Cl, Fe, SO42- decant similarly to Al in the solution. Heavy metals Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni tend to settle at a higher pH than P, while Pb and Cr under the same conditions as P.

Are ABM explanations in the social sciences inevitably individualist?

Agent-based models (ABMs) are increasingly important in social science research. They have two obvious apparent virtues: they can model complex macrosociological phenomena without strong assumptions about agents and without analytic solutions for models, and they seem to instantiate the methodological individualist program in a concrete way. We argue that the latter claim is false. After providing schematic accounts of ABM models and a first introduction to ways in which to characterize individualist explanations, we work through six conceptions of individualist explanations that are decreasingly "less individualist" and argue that ABM-based explanations in the social sciences are not inevitably individualist in any of these senses. ABMs allow for explanatory relations among social entities and properties in the model environment and they are silent on what basic agents are, allowing social entities and properties to play basic explanatory roles.