Early Project Research Articles

ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ULTRA HIGH-THROUGHPUT PROTEIN PRODUCTION PLATFORM (ULTRA 96) FOR EARLY STAGE IN VITRO STUDIES

Abstract Proteins are known as the building blocks of life which play many critical roles in the body. In early stage drug discovery, numerous μg to mg scale high quality proteins need to be produced for in vitro functional studies and therapeutic evaluation, including antigens, monoclonal antibodies (mAb), bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) as well as other Fc fusion proteins. High-throughput production (HTP) of various proteins with high quality in very short time is a big challenge in industry. Here we present how WuXi Biologics has created a powerful ultra HTP protein production platform (termed as “Ultra 96”) that can automatically produce proteins within 3 weeks with one step purification at 1~3mL expression scale by using 96 and 24 well DWP. High titer of expression, high quality of products, short timeline as well as low cost make “Ultra 96” a robust platform which can empower our clients and dramatically accelerate their early stage drug discovery projects.

A First Glance at the NFT Quebec Gaming Scene

This article examines the discourses surrounding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in gaming and identifies companies involved in NFTs in the Quebec gaming scene. NFTs boomed in the gaming industry in 2021 and continued to grow in 2022, even as the value of gaming coins plummeted. If successful, some believe they could bring new opportunities to the gaming landscape. We conducted an online ethnography in early 2022 through an innovative web-scanning approach and curation process powered by a professional market intelligence platform. Data was collected from various sources and analyzed via statistical analysis software to understand the discourses of companies, gamers, researchers, and insiders. Findings show that the technical and economic discourse is at least ambivalent if not negative, while the gamer discourse is mostly negative. The burgeoning Quebec scene is currently very limited and divided into two groups: large gaming companies and startups. Despite the crypto-enthusiast craze, our analysis shows that early projects were often criticized by traditional gamers and that professionals in the sector remain skeptical.

Boolean logic in synthetic biology and biomaterials: Towards living materials in mammalian cell therapeutics.

The intersection of synthetic biology and biomaterials promises to enhance safety and efficacy in novel therapeutics. Both fields increasingly employ Boolean logic, which allows for specific therapeutic outputs (e.g., drug release, peptide synthesis) in response to inputs such as disease markers or bio-orthogonal stimuli. Examples include stimuli-responsive drug delivery devices and logic-gated chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. In this review, we explore recent manuscripts highlighting the potential of synthetic biology and biomaterials with Boolean logic to create novel and efficacious living therapeutics. Collaborations in synthetic biology and biomaterials have led to significant advancements in drug delivery and cell therapy. Borrowing from synthetic biology, researchers have created Boolean-responsive biomaterials sensitive to multiple inputs including pH, light, enzymes and more to produce functional outputs such as degradation, gel-sol transition and conformational change. Biomaterials also enhance synthetic biology, particularly CAR T and adoptive T cell therapy, by modulating therapeutic immune cells in vivo. Nanoparticles and hydrogels also enable in situ generation of CAR T cells, which promises to drive down production costs and expand access to these therapies to a larger population. Biomaterials are also used to interface with logic-gated CAR T cell therapies, creating controllable cellular therapies that enhance safety and efficacy. Finally, designer cells acting as living therapeutic factories benefit from biomaterials that improve biocompatibility and stability in vivo. By using Boolean logic in both cellular therapy and drug delivery devices, researchers have achieved better safety and efficacy outcomes. While early projects show incredible promise, coordination between these fields is ongoing and growing. We expect that these collaborations will continue to grow and realize the next generation of living biomaterial therapeutics.

Sustainable land management policy to address land degradation: linking old forest management practices in Senegal with new REDD+ requirements

Prior to the UN Policy framework REDD+, the Government of Senegal (GoS) initiated for many decades, important land management programs to address deforestation and land degradation which affects the country’s food production, ecosystem benefits and livelihoods. A lot of investment and policies have been implemented in various ecologies to improve tree cover and ecosystem services. Reviewing and analyzing the past and present tree recovery actions that are consistent with REDD + policy, this paper explores the way REDD + initiative could play a role in consolidating land management strategies in non-forested area. We use a method based on the wide range of experience of the Senegalese Forest Service, forest development projects and NGOs involved in the management of natural resources and a review of seven selected forestry projects/programs through the country, We found many opportunities for Senegal in implementing REDD + activities (e.g., tree plantation, agroforestry, bush fires management, soil erosion control, sustainable intensification, ecosystem (carbon) and socio-economic (livelihoods) services, etc.). Based on the lessons learned from early land restoration and management projects, the REDD + program could take stock from existing tools and frameworks to advance the agenda and leap in the country’s preparedness as a REDD + country. For that, the national context dictates an expansion of REDD scope 5 (enhancement of forest carbon stock) to AFOLU and afforestation/reforestation and trees outside of forest, which means moving REDD + from LULUCF to AFOLU. The GoS needs to address two (02) key areas: 1) the land ownership issue by pursuing the land tenure reform and integrate regulations about who has access to land, who can benefit from land use services and how the benefits sharing and carbon rights must be organized and; 2) the promotion of more engagement of local communities in forest resource management through community forestry and the sustainable practices of agriculture, forestry and agroforestry.

School districts as constrained leaders in the WoW Bus rural early childhood outreach collaborative

ABSTRACT Rural communities are challenged to provide early childhood education and care due to low population density, sometimes lengthy or complex travel, and fluctuations in seasonal activity. Opportunities exist for stable partners, like schools, to anchor early childhood supports. Collaborative planning theory is used to explore a provincial capacity-building initiative (Success by 6) that provided local funding for a two-year rural early childhood outreach project, the WoW Bus project. The analysis shows that while community partners were enthusiastic and there was consistent family engagement, there were also tensions between collaboration and hierarchical responsibilities that ultimately undermined project sustainability. The collaborative planning theory lens, applied here to a social planning initiative, helped elucidate the need for legitimating accountability for outreach and diverse engagement. In sum, while schools provide an under-explored opportunity to anchor rural innovation in early childhood supports, a shift in funder accountabilities is needed.

The Role of Partnerships to Shift Power Asymmetries in Research with Vulnerable Communities: Reflections from an Early Childhood Development Project in South Africa

ABSTRACT The majority of the world’s children live in low- and middle-income countries, yet the majority of early childhood cognitive research is done with a small proportion of high-income countries. These findings cannot be assumed to apply across all contexts. It is therefore necessary to confront entrenched systems of power and privilege in early childhood cognitive development research as they relate to researchers and vulnerable communities. South Africa (SA) is a previously colonized, Majority World country with a history of white supremacy and racial segregation. Although early cognitive development is a growing field of research in SA, power and privilege in this field of research are yet to be properly considered. Within SA’s unique context, we highlight the valuable role of partnerships in shifting power asymmetries; in our case, between early cognitive development researchers and a community-based organization with a 50-year history of working in vulnerable communities to promote young children’s development. Our work together thus far has largely focused on executive function and numeracy skills (inspired by Minority World country research) in vulnerable SA children. We reflect on the authors’ positionality, the intersectionality of privilege where relevant, and discuss three themes: the assessment of young children’s development in vulnerable SA settings; formation of a more equitable partnership with individuals and communities whose voices are not often heard in this research; and translation and dissemination of research findings. We include recommendations for researchers to help with decolonizing early cognitive development research in order to add value to research from diverse settings.

Uses and Considerations for Cinematic Virtual Reality in Health Care.

Through the combination of virtual reality (VR) technology with techniques from theater, filmmaking, and gaming, individuals from the Game Research and Immersive Design Laboratory (GRID Lab) at Ohio University have developed an approach to train soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and interpersonal skills which shows great promise. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of VR and cinematic-VR (cine-VR). This article serves as a preface to the VR research included in this special issue. In this article, we define VR, review key terminology, present a case study, and offer future directions. Prior research with cine-VR has demonstrated the effectiveness in improving provider attitudes and cultural self-efficacy. While cine-VR may differ from other types of VR applications, we have been able to leverage the strengths of cine-VR to create training programs which are user friendly and highly effective. Early projects on diabetes care and opioid use disorder were sufficiently successful that the team received additional funding to pursue series addressing elder abuse/neglect and intimate partner violence. Their work has gone beyond health care and is currently being leveraged for law enforcement training as well. While this article will explore Ohio University's approach to cine-VR training, details of their research including efficacy can be found in McCalla et al, Wardian et al, and Beverly et al. When produced correctly, cine-VR has the potential to become a mainstay component of training for soft skill applications across a multitude of industries.

Maternal Early Warning System Optimization Project

Maternal Early Warning System Optimization Project

Maintaining early diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in Japan: Local resilience against COVID-19

Background and aimsThis study evaluated the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) practice in our region and discussed the effects of our institution's regional collaborative system, the “Early Stage Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis Project," which was originally unrelated to this study's purpose. MethodsWe retrospectively investigated 150 patients with PA at Yokohama Rosai Hospital by defining three time periods: before (C0), during the first year (C1), and during the second year (C2) of the COVID-19 pandemic. ResultsAmong the three periods (C0, C1, and C2), there were significantly less patients with stage I PA (14.0%, 0%, and 7.4%, p = 0.032) in C1, and significantly more patients with stage III PA (10.0%, 28.3%, and 9.3%, p = 0.014) in C1. The pandemic significantly prolonged the median durations from disease onset to patients’ first visits (28, 49, and 14 days, p = 0.012). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the median durations from referral to first visit to our institution (4, 4, and 6 days, p = 0.391). ConclusionsThe pandemic advanced the stage of PA in our region. Although the pancreatic referral network remained functional during the pandemic, there were delays from disease onset to patients' first visit to healthcare providers, including clinics. While the pandemic caused temporary damage to PA practice, the routine regional collaboration provided by our institution's project allowed for early resilience. A notable limitation is that the impact of the pandemic on PA prognosis was not evaluated.

Accidental vs Intentional Project Managers: A Case Study

Project management has increasingly become an important part of business globally. Once referred to as the “accidental profession”, project management has recently made strides to become more professionalized. What results are now available? This project uses the case study research methodology to take an in-depth look into project management at a small to medium-sized enterprise. The case employs an empirically proven framework to compare and contrast accidental and intentional project management attitudes and traditional versus protean career approaches. Based on semi-structured interviews, documented evidence, and direct observation, the project suggests that accidental project management is still prevalent in industry, as are protean career attitudes. Additionally, this study recommends that a greater focus on early project management education may result in increased intentional entry into the profession.

EE570 Development and Pilot Testing of a Standardized Simplified Modeling Tool for Health Technology Assessment Scoping

After a topic has been chosen for assessment, early project scoping phases comprise literature review, stakeholder input, and PICOTS identification. We aimed to develop and pilot a semi-flexible, simplistic modeling tool for use during early scoping phases of health technology assessments.

The Smart City – Does the Individual Matter?

ABSTRACT Early smart city projects tended to be technology-driven, conceiving of the citizen as a data provider. New citizen-centered projects have emerged that challenge the role of the individual in these second-generation smart cities. While some works describe the political role that individuals play in these cities, they only indirectly address the place of technology in determining the participation of the individual in these projects. In this article, we draw on the work done on another technical system—cyberspace—to address the relationship between individuals and technology in the smart city and its consequences. Adapting a typology initially developed for cyberspace and using examples of the City of Montréal, we identify three potential categories of the individual’s role within the smart city: (1) Active role (involved individual), (2) Passive role (synchronized individual), and (3) Victim (disadvantaged individual). We show that the individual is a misinformed figure, despite attempts to focus smart development on citizens. Moreover, we posit that the individual cannot have a real political role as long as the political vision of the city does not precede the technical dimension.

P260 INCIDENCE, CHARACTERISTICS, AND OUTCOMES OF OUT–OF–HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARREST DUE TO VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION IN THE GENERAL POPULATION: DATA FROM A SINGLE–CENTER LONG–TERM REGISTRY

Abstract Out–of–hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major public health problem, and ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the most frequently encountered initial rhythm when cardiac disease is the cause of the arrest. It can be treated with successful defibrillation, if prompt intervention, otherwise it rapidly progresses to non–shockable rhythms, with survival rates ranging from 3 to 10%. The early defibrillation strategy led to a significant improvement in outcome; although Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are still used in <3% of OHCAs. All consecutive OHCAs registered in Piacenza from January 2013 to June 2022 in which CPR was initiated were analysed. "Progetto Vita", the first European early defibrillation project, was born in Piacenza in 1999, with the aim of improving the diffusion of AEDs in public places, sports centres, workplaces and homes, in order to allow timely treatment of the OHCA by non–medical personnel (citizens, police…) awaiting the arrival of advanced emergency services (EMS). During the review period, 3,124 patients were treated for OHCA; 323 had VF; VF occurred predominantly at home (73%), in men (75%); the mean age was 70 years. CPR by lay citizens was performed in 35 cases (11%) with a survival rate of 63%. AED used by lay or police was used in 30 cases (9%) with a survival rate of 77%. Cardiac comorbidities were observed in 67 patients (21%), predominantly male, with CAD being the most common disease. The main characteristics are listed in Table 1. There were 237 deaths (73% fatality rate), 41 (17%) recorded after EMS arrival. Among hospitalized patients, VF was related to coronary artery disease (70%) and STEMI was the most frequent manifestation. Overall, 87 (27%) patients survived and were hospitalized. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that layman CPR (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.04, 6.1, p=0.04) and AED use (OR 7.15; 95% CI 2.66, 19.19, p<0.001) were both independent predictors of survival. VF in the general population is still poorly predictable and mortality remains high: the implementation of the diffusion of public AEDs seems effective in improving survival.

Gain and pain: resilience of home mobility in early Shabiyat housing of Ras Al-Khaimah

The Social Housing Program initiated by the United Arab Emirates Government in 1971 aimed to upgrade the living conditions of the local Emiratis. The early housing projects were later known as Shabiyat. Individuals living in harsh conditions in the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah were willingly and within a short period relocated to new houses an approximate distance from their original homes, and they had to adapt to the new lifestyle and place. Due to changes in these individuals’ everyday practices, they questioned the resilience of their new houses. This study aimed to investigate the degree of resilience of the early Shabiyat housing and examine the notion of home mobility and how it is related to resilience through physical and nonphysical spatial transformation and everyday practice. The study is structured into two sections: first, understanding the resilience of the traditional settlements in the mountains; and second, examining the main characteristics of early Shabiyat, its main concept, and how it has addressed the Emirati society’s needs. This will assist in tracing these structures’ patterns of resilience and offer some practical guidance for professionals and the public in developing policies toward maximizing the sustainability of proposed future social housing projects.

How to Develop Organometallic Catalytic Reactions in the Pharmaceutical Industry

From a careful analysis of the recent literature, it seems clear that many transition-metal-catalyzed processes used in API synthesis are developed without resorting to any kind of kinetic analysis. Even acknowledging that some of these processes were developed for early development projects and did not need to be thoroughly optimized, the lack of kinetic work is surprising. This Perspective suggests that, in addition to the utilization of modern technologies such as high-throughput experimentation (HTE) and classical optimization tools such as Design of Experiments (DOE), a modest level of kinetic analysis is necessary to develop truly effective catalytic reactions. We offer some basic theoretical considerations and suggest some rather simple tools which can be employed to integrate kinetic analysis of catalytic steps into API development.

Living and Dying with Marcel Proust

Living and Dying with Marcel Proust

Udo Krüger Charts TechnoTeam's Journey

Udo Krüger Charts TechnoTeam's Journey

Farm Fields as Toxic Sinkhole

Farm Fields as Toxic Sinkhole

The Nature Smart Cities business model: A rapid decision-support and scenario analysis tool to reveal the multi-benefits of green infrastructure investments

Incorporating natural spaces within urban areas has been shown to have multiple benefits. However, despite greening and adaptation strategies at different levels of government, progress remains slow with a lack of easy to use and comprehensive tools identified as key to overcoming this. This paper presents a co-designed tool with academic and local authority partners to demonstrate the ecosystem service benefits of small-scale urban green infrastructure projects. Through the tool, users can readily assess the impact of green infrastructure investments on the delivery of a selection of ecosystem services in the early stages of a project. Furthermore, the tool provides a standardised assessment of cultural ecosystem services’ contributions, as well as offering a method to score spatial designs on the impact on habitat for biodiversity. Use of the tool is demonstrated using a pilot study in Kapelle, the Netherlands. The results set out an overview of the impacts of the spatial design on estimated ecosystem service delivery. They also show the tool’s potential to add value in early project stages and as a planning and design tool, helping to maximise the benefits that can be achieved through green infrastructure design. Complementing these arguments with ball-park estimations on green infrastructure costs, the Nature Smart Cities Business Model aims to offer public sector officers the means to create a business case for green infrastructure measures, facilitating the translation from strategies to actual plans, thus benefitting green infrastructure implementation in the public realm.

PROBING IRAQ STATE SINCE 2003 THROUGH INTERNATIONAL LAW: IS IT ABSENT SOVEREIGNTY OR SEMI-SOVEREIGNTY?

During the wave of movements to end colonialism in the 20th century, the League of Nations was the first to recognise Iraq as a legal sovereign state. It also became a place where early development laboratory projects for examining sovereignty. In light of this regard, this article suggests to probe Iraq sovereignty from the prospective of International Law. In order to accomplish this, I begin by analysing the deviation of sovereignty meaning specially after U.S.A invasion of Iraq. The analysing also included Iraqi sovereignty and the multinational corporations and the accidents that these companies were committed. The study adopted a descriptive and content analysis as an effective approach. The results indicated that Iraqi sovereignty is still oscillating from its existing in reality and its absence. The Iraq law system also lack to law frames that could delineate the international investment in Iraq. The international law is influenced by opaques in dealing with Iraq as a special case of sovereignty.