Improvements In Technology Research Articles

Metaverse-based education: literature review and a proposed framework

ABSTRACT In recent years, with the improvement of information and communication technologies and the step towards 5G technology in the Internet infrastructure, the use of technologies in education is increasing day by day. Metaverse is one of the important technologies that contribute to digital education processes. While various studies search the literature to synthesize Metaverse-related findings in education, there are few studies that describe the main features of the Metaverse-based education concept, systematically summarize the findings related to this concept. To fill this gap, this study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on the Metaverse-based education concept and propose a framework for this concept. The search was made in different databases, and both quantitative analysis and qualitative discussion were used to analyze the state of the art. This study contributes a structured overview of Metaverse-based education-related publications and reports on the existing state of literature, categorizes publications, analyzes and links trends, highlights gaps, and accordingly proposes a framework (i.e. characteristics, critical success and risk factors, technologies, and components). This study not only adds to the current Metaverse-based education knowledge body but also offers policymakers and practitioners with references for developing policies and good practices to support Metaverse-based education.

Engineering Escherichia coli for increased Und-P availability leads to material improvements in glycan expression technology

BackgroundBacterial surface glycans are assembled by glycosyltransferases (GTs) that transfer sugar monomers to long-chained lipid carriers. Most bacteria employ the 55-carbon chain undecaprenyl phosphate (Und-P) to scaffold glycan assembly. The amount of Und-P available for glycan synthesis is thought to be limited by the rate of Und-P synthesis and by competition for Und-P between phosphoglycosyl transferases (PGTs) and GTs that prime glycan assembly (which we collectively refer to as PGT/GTs). While decreasing Und-P availability disrupts glycan synthesis and promotes cell death, less is known about the effects of increased Und-P availability.ResultsTo determine if cells can maintain higher Und-P levels, we first reduced intracellular competition for Und-P by deleting all known non-essential PGT/GTs in the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli (hereafter called ΔPGT/GT cells). We then increased the rate of Und-P synthesis in ΔPGT/GT cells by overexpressing the Und-P(P) synthase uppS from a plasmid (puppS). Und-P quantitation revealed that ΔPGT/GT/puppS cells can be induced to maintain 3-fold more Und-P than wild type cells. Next, we determined how increasing Und-P availability affects glycan expression. Interestingly, increasing Und-P availability increased endogenous and recombinant glycan expression. In particular, ΔPGT/GT/puppS cells could be induced to express 7-fold more capsule from Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 4 than traditional E. coli cells used to express recombinant glycans.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that the biotechnology standard bacterium E. coli can be engineered to maintain higher levels of Und-P. The results also strongly suggest that Und-P pathways can be engineered to increase the expression of potentially any Und-P-dependent polymer. Given that many bacterial glycans are central to the production of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, increasing Und-P availability should be a foremost consideration when designing bacterial glycan expression systems.

Proteomics techniques in protein biomarker discovery

AbstractProtein biomarkers represent specific biological activities and processes, so they have had a critical role in cancer diagnosis and medical care for more than 50 years. With the recent improvement in proteomics technologies, thousands of protein biomarker candidates have been developed for diverse disease states. Studies have used different types of samples for proteomics diagnosis. Samples were pretreated with appropriate techniques to increase the selectivity and sensitivity of the downstream analysis and purified to remove the contaminants. The purified samples were analyzed by several principal proteomics techniques to identify the specific protein. In this study, recent improvements in protein biomarker discovery, verification, and validation are investigated. Furthermore, the advantages, and disadvantages of conventional techniques, are discussed. Studies have used mass spectroscopy (MS) as a critical technique in the identification and quantification of candidate biomarkers. Nevertheless, after protein biomarker discovery, verification and validation have been required to reduce the false‐positive rate where there have been higher number of samples. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), and selected reaction monitoring (SRM), in combination with stable isotope‐labeled internal standards, have been examined as options for biomarker verification, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for validation.

Strategic analysis of green technology unilateral licensing under carbon cap‐and‐trade policy

AbstractWe investigate green technology unilateral licensing strategies between two competing manufacturers under carbon cap‐and‐trade policy. We construct Nash game models and compare the optimal strategies in the unilateral licensing situation with the no‐licensing situation. Comprehensive numerical experiments are taken to investigate the influence of some key parameters on optimal decisions. Our findings show that the green technology unilateral licensing strategy may benefit consumers; when green technology improvement is high, manufacturers tend to take the unilateral licensing strategy to obtain more profits; when initial unit carbon emission difference is moderate or large, the optimal strategy is that the manufacturer with lower level of green technology acts as the licensor; green technology unilateral licensing strategy may not necessarily reduce all manufacturers' total carbon emissions; only when green technology improvement is high, the unilateral licensing strategy is beneficial to environmental protection.

Wind Flow and Its Interaction with a Mobile Solar PV System Mounted on a Trailer

Efficient implementation of clean energy technologies is paramount, with mobile solar PV systems on trailers (MSPTs) emerging as pivotal solutions, particularly in regions with limited power grid access. This endeavour is vital for meeting escalating electricity demands and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), aimed at ensuring dependable and sustainable energy provision in developing countries. This study investigates the aerodynamic behaviour of a designed MSPT using numerical simulation and experimental methods, thereby offering optimization potential for MSPT design and enhancing overall performance and reliability. Specifically, the study focuses on the effects of wind velocity and tilt angles on the drag and lift forces, as well as drag and lift coefficients on the panel used in the MSPT system. The overall wind force on the entire MSPT, including nine large solar PV panels, is scrutinised, considering combined wind flow and system geometry effects. The numerical investigations were conducted using ANSYS-Fluent software (version 2022/R2) and experimental testing was performed within the C15-10 Wind Tunnel, utilizing scaled-down models to validate the accuracy of the simulation. The findings from the numerical investigations showed an increased turbulence caused by gaps between panels, resulting in almost 62% higher suction flow velocity and 22% higher suction pressure compared to a single panel. Drag and lift forces on the entire MSPT were approximately 6.7 and 7.8 times greater than those on a single panel with the same 30-degree tilt angle, respectively. The findings revealed that scaling forces on a single panel is insufficient for accurately predicting the aerodynamic forces on the entire MSPT. The insights and the knowledge from this study pave the way for further improvements in mobile solar PV technology.

Emerging use of air eDNA and its application to forensic investigations - A review.

Biological material is routinely collected at crime scenes and from exhibits and is a key type of evidence during criminal investigations. Improvements in DNA technologies allow collection and profiling of trace samples, comprised of few cells, significantly expanding the types of exhibits targeted for DNA analysis to include touched surfaces. However, success rates from trace and touch DNA samples tend to be poorer compared to other biological materials such as blood. Simultaneously, there have been recent advances in the utility of environmental DNA collection (eDNA) in identification and tracking of different biological organisms and species from bacteria to naked mole rats in different environments, including, soil, ice, snow, air and aquatic. This paper examines the emerging methods and research into eDNA collection, with a special emphasis on the potential forensic applications of human DNA collection from air including challenges and further studies required to progress implementation.

Improvement of technology for producing wine material for Tokaj wine

The object of this study is the production technology of Tokaj-type wine materials. The material used was white and red grape varieties, withered by twisting on the vine for 4–5 days. Wine materials were prepared from these grape varieties using new technology, i.e., by adding the wort to the alcohol along with the pulp. The technology for the production of environmentally friendly Tokaj-type sweet dessert wines using technical grape varieties cultivated in the foothills of the Goy-Gol and flat zone of the Samukh region has been improved. Providing the population with environmentally friendly food products, as well as wines, is one of the most important tasks of our time. Poor quality food creates conditions for the development of various diseases. For this purpose, a technological scheme for the production of Tokaj-type wine materials has been devised. The quality indicators of Tokaj wine material prepared by fermenting in alcohol must from grapes withered by twisting on the vine for 4–5 days with pulp for 3–4 days were studied. The rates of alcohol loss were calculated based on the contraction coefficient (0.08 %) during co-fermentation with wort. For wine materials prepared from grape varieties grown under the conditions of the Samukh region, alcohol consumption is reduced. This is due to the high sugar content in the wine material. In the prepared wine material, the amount of alcohol and sugar corresponded to the norm – the alcohol content reached 14–15 % and residual sugar 16 %. As a result of the tasting, wine material prepared from the Rkatsiteli grape variety in the Samukh region was rated 9.5 points, and wine material prepared from the red Madras grape variety 9.3 points. The results make it possible to regulate the desired quality of wine material and use it in the production of Tokaj wine

A knitted smart sneaker system based on piezoresistive strain sensing for stride counting

Currently, smart shoes are not as common as other wearable devices such as fitness trackers or smartwatches. However, with the continuous improvement in sensor and IOT technologies, it is expected that shoes with smart capabilities will catch up with the other popular wearables. The emergence of 3D knitting and its subsequent application in footwear manufacture has revolutionized the shoe manufacturing process. The use of knitwear allows for shoe parts such as the upper or the sole (insole, Strobel sole, midsole and/or outer sole) to be tailored with specific areas having different characteristics and providing different functions with low production effort. This study presents the design and manufacture of a knitted smart sneaker for cadence mensuration. The specified part of the sneaker is knitted with silverplated polyester yarn to serve as a strain sensor. During the weight-bearing and release phases of the foot, while walking, this strain sensor is stressed and relaxed by this oscillatory phenomenon thus allowing footstep data to be measured. Stride estimate tests were carried out and the results established that strides taken by a user can accurately be correlated to the readings of the system. This study is the first to develop a smart shoe-sensing system where the sensor is inherently embedded within the shoe upper.

Energy Storage in Urban Areas: The Role of Energy Storage Facilities, a Review

Positive Energy Districts can be defined as connected urban areas, or energy-efficient and flexible buildings, which emit zero greenhouse gases and manage surpluses of renewable energy production. Energy storage is crucial for providing flexibility and supporting renewable energy integration into the energy system. It can balance centralized and distributed energy generation, while contributing to energy security. Energy storage can respond to supplement demand, provide flexible generation, and complement grid development. Photovoltaics and wind turbines together with solar thermal systems and biomass are widely used to generate electricity and heating, respectively, coupled with energy system storage facilities for electricity (i.e., batteries) or heat storage using latent or sensible heat. Energy storage technologies are crucial in modern grids and able to avoid peak charges by ensuring the reliability and efficiency of energy supply, while supporting a growing transition to nondepletable power sources. This work aims to broaden the scientific and practical understanding of energy storage in urban areas in order to explore the flexibility potential in adopting feasible solutions at district scale where exploiting the space and resource-saving systems. The main objective is to present and critically discuss the available options for energy storage that can be used in urban areas to collect and distribute stored energy. The concerns regarding the installation and use of Energy Storage Systems are analyzed by referring to regulations, and technical and environmental requirements, as part of broader distribution systems, or as separate parts. Electricity, heat energy, and hydrogen are the most favorable types of storage. However, most of them need new regulations, technological improvement, and dissemination of knowledge to all people with the aim of better understanding the benefits provided.

Method development for an untargeted HS-SPME-GC–MS analysis of terpenes and cannabinoids for the geographical sourcing of Marijuana

Despite growing decriminalization of Cannabis sativa (i.e., marijuana) possession throughout the United States of America, there remains to be an ongoing interest in the detection of unlawfully possessed and transported marijuana. This issue has resulted in an increasing interest regarding the generalization and specification related to the canine detection of marijuana. More specifically, canine trainers have expressed concerns on whether canines can generalize on the odor of marijuana regardless of the origin of their training materials. This research aims to differentiate multiple marijuana headspace samples from three regions in the USA based solely on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in their odor profiles. In this study, a heated headspace solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) technique was optimized and implemented for the collection of both volatile terpenes and cannabinoids from marijuana. The headspace samples were analyzed using two full-scan, untargeted, optimized methods on a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC–MS), and a variety of chemometric tools were applied to the data to enable differentiation and potential classification between sample populations. Principal component analysis and sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) employed in this study have demonstrated a disparity between marijuana varieties based on geography using the VOCs extracted from their odor profiles. With this research, it is intended to determine some fundamental differences between Cannabis of different geographical origins and set a foundation for the development and advancement of instrumental applications for other non-contact marijuana detection techniques in support of the improvement of illicit substance detection technology.

An environmental perspective of energy consumption, overpopulation, and human capital barriers in South Asia

Prior literature is substantive in highlighting the nexus between pollutant and socio-economic predictors; however, the role of human interaction has not been sufficiently explored. Thus, the present study examines the validity of the environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in the presence of energy consumption, overpopulation, and human capital index in five South Asian countries. It employs fixed effects, random effects, and dynamic panel causality techniques with a set of panel data from 1972 to 2021. The baseline results validate the existence of the EKC hypothesis in the recipient panel. Nevertheless, the findings reveal that energy consumption and population density have positive effects, while human capital has negative impacts on CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the study observes that energy consumption and per capita GDP have a significant causal link with CO2 emissions, whereas CO2 emissions are evident to have causality with population density and human capital index. The results are robust and suggest that the consolidation of an effective regulatory framework and technological improvements are substantial measures to improve environmental quality in South Asia. Moreover, allocating sufficient resources to uplift contemporary educational and health status would be imperative to improving environmental quality as aspired to by the Paris Agreement.

Research on grasping model based on visual recognition robot arm

This article mainly systematically describes the research based on the visual recognition robotic arm. With the advancement of science and technology, the robot industry has also seen significant improvement in recent years. The amount of the use of robots, especially robotic arms, is increasing rapidly. After large-scale improvements, some companies have abandoned simple traditional robotic arms that have been eliminated from the industry and cannot meet the demands of the industry but install more high-tech elements on the robotic arm for use. In the upgrade of the robot arm, whether it is for the system or hardware, or software, there are some breakthrough improvements. Some companies use visual sensors in robotic arms to find and detect target objects and perform actions. Due to the gradual improvement of visual recognition technology, visual recognition technology has been widely used. Based on the understanding of the field of the visual recognition robot arm and consulting a lot of literature, this paper summarizes the current situation of the existing visual recognition robot arm and analyzes the principle and design of the visual recognition grasping robot arm. This paper focuses on analyzing how the existing visual recognition analysis works, how the robot arm recognizes the coordinates of the object and analyzes the object, and then grabs the object and puts it into the corresponding position, to achieve flexible and smooth use, then put it into the industry. After understanding the current situation, this paper will discuss and analyze the existing CNN model and transformer model for visual recognition applications, analyze and explain the principles and characteristic analysis methods of these two models, while comparing the two models, analyze the advantages and disadvantages, and propose areas that can be optimized.

Intelligent mine safety risk based on knowledge graph: hotspots and frontiers.

The safety of mining has always been a concern. The occurrence of safety accidents not only endangers human health, but also causes serious damage to the ecological environment. With the continuous upgrade and improvement of mining technology, most mines are undergoing intelligent construction and transformation. In order to analyze security risks that should be focused on the construction of intelligent mines and the technical challenges that will be faced, we used the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection to identify 283 publications on the field of security risks in intelligent mines from 2013 to 2022. We combined the Vosviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix R software packages to conduct an in-depth analysis and exquisite visualization of the literature, including the authors, journals, countries, hot topics, and research frontiers. This paper can help scholars comprehensively and quickly understand the research status and hotspots in the field of intelligent mine safety and risk, and it provides theoretical support for further research and exploration in the future.

Exploring data storage innovations: From DNA to holography

This paper delves into the evolution of data storage technologies, focusing on the solid-state drive (SSD) and hard disk drive (HDD) and their working principles. It explores the advancements in DNA as a storage medium, highlighting its exceptional data density and potential as a long-term storage solution. The paper discusses the challenges and limitations of DNA data storage, emphasizing the need for further research to overcome these hurdles. Additionally, the paper introduces holographic data storage as a novel optical storage technology and discusses its potential applications. It also touches on the decline of the optical disc industry due to the emergence of alternative storage technologies. The use of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) in optical disks is explored, emphasizing their role in high-contrast imaging and data storage. The paper concludes by highlighting the diverse methods of data storage, each with its unique advantages and drawbacks, and anticipates future improvements in electronic information processing technology, leading to faster data transmission and increased data storage capacity within the same volume of storage media.

How does China's energy-consumption trading policy affect the carbon abatement costs? An analysis based on spatial difference-in-differences method

To attain China's target of carbon neutrality by 2060, the implementation of the Energy Consumption Trading (ECT) system serves as an effective approach to improve energy efficiency and mitigate CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, it is crucial to consider not only the importance of carbon reduction effect caused by ECT system but also the associated cost. Therefore, this paper applies the spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model to assess the direct and spillover impacts of the ECT policy on the carbon abatement cost, which is measured by shadow price of CO2 emissions and calculated using SBM-DEA model. Panel data encompassing 279 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2019 are employed for analysis, with additional insights provided through heterogeneity and mechanism analyses. The results show that ECT policy increases the local carbon abatement cost in pilot cities but decreases the cost of surrounding cities. Meanwhile, such a declination effect in neighboring cities with a spatial attenuation boundary of 1000 km. The heterogeneity analysis suggests that the implementation of ECT policy leads to an increase in the carbon abatement cost in cities located in non-Eastern Coastal regions, cities with abundant natural resources and cities with small populations. The mechanism analysis indicates that the ECT policy implementation facilitates the improvement of green technology in the neighboring cities of the pilot project, consequently lowering the carbon abatement cost. Besides, this policy also results in a decrease in the carbon intensity of the pilot cities. Owing to the U-shaped association between carbon intensity and the carbon abatement cost, the policy implementation stimulates an increase in the cost within the pilot cities.

CFD simulation of a forced draft biomass cookstove for different airflow conditions

Households in developing countries rely on traditional cooking methods despite low-efficiency and high risks of air pollution and health. Various improved biomass cookstove technologies have been developed to address this issue, but there is still room for improvement in biomass cooking technology. This research aims to enhance the biomass cookstove by investigating its performance under different air inlet conditions using computational fluid dynamics analysis. The impact of air flow rate and the position of the secondary air inlet on the thermal efficiency of the biomass cookstove is examined. The eddy dissipation combustion model and k-epsilon turbulence model are utilized in ANSYS Fluent to simulate the combustion process. The cookstove's performance is assessed at three different air flow rates (0.01, 0.02, and 0.03 kg/s) and at two different secondary air inlet positions. The highest thermal efficiency is observed at secondary air inlet located 50 mm below the outlet at a flow rate of 0.03 kg/s. The computational findings from this investigation show a significant connection between the air inlet conditions and the thermal efficiency of the biomass cookstove. Repositioning the secondary air inlet to a location with more available space for complete combustion improves thermal efficiency compared to traditional designs.

Development of Dual Intake Port Technology in ORC-Based Power Unit Driven by Solar-Assisted Reservoir

The ORC-based micro-cogeneration systems exploiting a solar source to generate electricity and domestic hot water (DHW) simultaneously are a promising solution to reduce CO2 emissions in the residential sector. In recent years, a huge amount of attention was focused on the development of a technological solution allowing improved performance of solar ORC-based systems frequently working under off-design conditions due to the intermittence of the solar source availability and to the variability in domestic hot water demand. The optimization efforts are focused on the improvement of component technology and plant architecture. The expander is retained as the key component of such micro-cogeneration units. Generally, volumetric machines are adopted thanks to their better capability to deal with severe off-design conditions. Among the volumetric expanders, scroll machines are one of the best candidates thanks to their reliability and to their flexibility in managing two-phase working fluid. Their good efficiency adds further interest to place them among the best candidate machines to be considered. Nevertheless, similarly to other volumetric expanders, an additional research effort is needed toward efficiency improvement. The fixed built-in volume ratio, in fact, could produce an unsteady under- or over-expansion during vane filling and emptying, mainly when the operating conditions depart from the designed ones. To overcome this phenomenon, a dual intake port (DIP) technology was also introduced for the scroll expander. Such technology allows widening the angular extension of the intake phase, thus adapting the ratio between the intake and exhaust volume (so called built-in volume ratio) to the operating condition. Moreover, DIP technology allows increasing the permeability of the machine, ensuring a resulting higher mass flow rate for a given pressure difference at the expander side. On the other hand, for a given mass flow rate, the expander intake pressure diminishes with a positive benefit on scroll efficiency. DIP benefits were already proven experimentally and theoretically in previous works by the authors for Sliding Rotary Vane Expanders (SVRE). In the present paper, the impact of the DIP technology was assessed in a solar-assisted ORC-based micro-cogeneration system operating with scroll expanders and being characterized by reduced power (hundreds of W). It was found that the DIP Scroll allows elaboration of a 32% higher mass flow rate for a given pressure difference between intake and expander sides for the application at hand. This leads to an average power increase of 10% and to an improvement of up to 5% of the expander mechanical efficiency. Such results are particularly interesting for micro-cogeneration ORC-based units that are solar-assisted. Indeed, the high variability of hot source and DHW demand makes the operation of the DIP expander at a wide range of operating conditions. The experimental activity conducted confirms the suitability of the DIP expander to exploit as much as possible the thermal power available from a hot source even when at variable temperatures during operation.

Patient resource to improve the effectiveness of oncological care for the population

Background. Improving oncological care for the population is defined as one of the main priorities for the development of domestic health care, which is determined by the high medical and social significance of malignant neoplasms. The problem of improving cancer care is multidimensional. However, there are not enough scientific papers that consider the patient's resource as a factor in achieving a greater level of effectiveness of cancer care.
 Aim. To assess the state and possibilities for improving the patient's resource of cancer care.
 Materials and methods. The study was conducted at the Ivanovo Regional Oncology Center, Ivanovo in the period 2020-2022 on the basis of a comprehensive program using traditional methods: sociological, expert assessment, analytical, documentary. The assessment of the patient's resource of oncological care was carried out according to the original methodology, which included 10 parameters. A survey of 1000 oncological patients at different stages of diagnosis and treatment of malignant neoplasms was carried out and its results were analyzed, taking into account the factors of the staging of the oncological process, medical and demographic characteristics of patients. The assessment of the quality of life of patients was carried out using the SF12 (12Item ShortForm Health Survey) questionnaire. Based on the examination data of 410 cases of the provision of oncological medical services by experts of medical insurance companies, according to regulatory medical, economic and clinical criteria, as well as an assessment of patient satisfaction with the care provided, all cases are divided into 2 groups with an optimal and non-optimal level of care effectiveness. Statistical data processing was carried out on the basis of electronic databases using applied computer programs and provided for the calculation of relative values, the reliability of the difference in indicators, and the Spearman correlation coefficient.
 Results. Data were obtained on the decrease in the patient resource of oncological care for all its selected components and its established relationship with the effectiveness of care, which requires the improvement of medical and organizational technology for working with oncological patients. A medical and organizational technology for providing assistance to oncological patients in the conditions of passing through the stages of the treatment and diagnostic process is proposed.
 Conclusion. An integral assessment of the 10 components of the patient resource at the stages of clinical observation of patients in an oncological dispensary makes it possible to monitor the main factors on the part of the patient that determine the effectiveness of care, as well as to carry out planned measures to correct adverse and strengthen favorable factors. The proposed approach is the basis for making management decisions.

Effect of low-salt on the survival of mussel Mytilus coruscus and its molecular responses to chronic prolonged low-salt stress

Mussel Mytilus coruscus is a coastal economic culture species. However, massive mortalities associated with low-salt environments caused by persistent rainfall and freshwater inflow threaten its development. Herein, we examined its survival under different low-salt conditions. The survival rate of umbo and eyed larvae significantly decreased with the decline in salinity or prolonged stress time. The umbo larvae were more tolerant to low-salt stress than the eyed larvae. When the salinity levels dropped suddenly, the adults could not survive below 16‰ salinity, and their survival rate decreased faster with the increase in salinity span or the decrease in final stress salinity. However, the adults could tolerate a lower salinity levels when it dropped slowly, and their low-salt tolerance limit was 10‰. Therefore, mussel M. coruscus could adapt to a lower salinity only when the salinity levels dropped gradually. We also explored the physiological and adaptive responses of the foot in response to chronic prolonged low-salt stress by transcriptome analysis. We found that most genes in the “calcium ion binding” term and the osmoregulation-related genes were significantly induced in the salt 12 and 14 groups, suggesting the strong positive response in calcium signal transduction and osmoregulation under prolonged low-salt stress. The HSP70 and IAP genes were upregulated, suggesting that mussel M. coruscus protects itself from low-salt environments by inhibiting apoptosis. The cytoskeleton and cell cycle were inhibited, and the byssus attachment-related genes, such as tyrosinase and foot-protein genes, were suppressed, suggesting a negative response of cell division and byssus thread attachment during prolonged low-salt stress. The enhancement of carbohydrate metabolism indicated its positive role in maintaining energy homeostasis during prolonged low-salt stress. Our findings contribute to the improvement of culture technology and the guidance of selective breeding program for mussel M. coruscus and enhance our understanding of low-salt adaptation mechanism.

CAR-T Therapy of Multiple Myeloma, Based on the Congresses ASH-2021 and ASCO-2022

Current treatment of multiple myeloma (ММ) based on proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulating drugs, and monoclonal antibodies has, to a certain extent, reached the limit of its potential. Despite considerable clinical advance, ММ still remains a chronic incurable disease. Tumor-specific T-cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is a new evolution step towards achieving MM cure. Today, B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is regarded as the primary target of CAR-T treatment of MM. This receptor is mainly expressed on the surface of tumor plasma cells in ММ as well as in B-cells of late differentiation stages and normal plasma cells. In 2021–2022, two CAR-T drugs, idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), were approved for clinical use in the USA and the European Union for patients with relapsed/refractory MM. The studies of these drugs yielded encouraging clinical results. Other antigen (GPRC5D, SLAMF7) cell-based drugs are now in early stages of development. The present review is concerned with latest advances in CAR-T therapy for MM reported at the recent congresses ASH-2021 and ASCO-2022. The review comprehensively discusses the results of the KarMMa (ide-cel, stage II) and CARTITUDE-1 (cilta-cel, stage IB/II) studies. It also provides historical background of CAR-Т cell generation as well as preclinical and on-going clinical trial data on MM. It outlines potential failure causes and prospects of further improvement of the new technology.of its potential. Despite considerable clinical advance, ММstill remains a chronic incurable disease. Tumor-specific T-cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) isa new evolution step towards achieving MM cure. Today,B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is regarded as the primary target of CAR-T treatment of MM. This receptor is mainlyexpressed on the surface of tumor plasma cells in ММ aswell as in B-cells of late differentiation stages and normalplasma cells. In 2021–2022, two CAR-T drugs, idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel(cilta-cel), were approved for clinical use in the USA andthe European Union for patients with relapsed/refractoryMM. The studies of these drugs yielded encouraging clinical results. Other antigen (GPRC5D, SLAMF7) cell-baseddrugs are now in early stages of development. The presentreview is concerned with latest advances in CAR-T therapyfor MM reported at the recent congresses ASH-2021 andASCO-2022. The review comprehensively discusses theresults of the KarMMa (ide-cel, stage II) and CARTITUDE-1(cilta-cel, stage IB/II) studies. It also provides historicalbackground of CAR-Т cell generation as well as preclinicaland on-going clinical trial data on MM. It outlines potentialfailure causes and prospects of further improvement of thenew technology.