Simple Addition Research Articles

Rape myth acceptance and psychopathy as interacting predictors of rape proclivity

ABSTRACT Rape myth acceptance and psychopathy are well-documented predictors of rape proclivity. The present research (N = 185; convenience sample of German men) focused on the interplay of both risk factors in the prediction of rape proclivity. It was tested whether men with simultaneously high values on rape myth acceptance and psychopathy (1) show an added risk of behaving sexually aggressive (main effects only hypothesis), (2) show a similar level of risk compared to men who are only high on one trait (negative interaction hypothesis: one is sufficient), or (3) show a level of risk that surpasses the level of rape proclivity that a simple addition of main effects would predict (positive interaction hypothesis). The results support a positive interaction account. In particular, the combination of being high on both risk factors was predictive of sexual violence. Implications of the current research and future directions are discussed. Practice impact statement The present research indicates that psychopathy amplifies the proclivity to sexually offend that comes with a domain-specific risk factor such as rape myth acceptance. A refined understanding of which risk factors matter and how they work together is practically relevant in particular for preventive purposes (i.e. to identify high-risk males; to tailor intervention programs to a combination of risk factors).

Degradation of cellulose polymorphs into glucose by HCl gas with simultaneous suppression of oxidative discoloration

As cellulose is the main polysaccharide in biomass, its degradation into glucose is a major undertaking in research concerning biofuels and bio-based platform chemicals. Here, we show that pressurized HCl gas is able to efficiently hydrolyze fibers of different crystalline forms (polymorphs) of cellulose when the water content of the fibers is increased to 30–50 wt%. Simultaneously, the harmful formation of strongly chromophoric humins can be suppressed by a simple addition of chlorite into the reaction system. 50–70 % glucose yields were obtained from cellulose I and II polymorphs while >90 % monosaccharide conversion was acquired from cellulose IIIII after a mild post-hydrolysis step. Purification of the products is relatively unproblematic from a gas-solid mixture, and a gaseous catalyst is easier to recycle than the aqueous counterpart. The results lay down a basis for future practical solutions in cellulose hydrolysis where side reactions are controlled, conversion rates are efficient, and the recovery of products and reagents is effortless.

Transarterial viroembolization improves the therapeutic efficacy of immune-excluded liver cancer: Three birds with one stone

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism and efficacy of transarterial viroembolization (TAVE) with an oncolytic virus (OH2) for the treatment of liver cancer in rabbit VX2 tumor models. Materials and methodsSubcutaneous tumor and liver cancer models were established to determine the optimal viral titer and administration modality of OH2. Different liver cancer models were established to evaluate the locoregional tumor response, synergistic and standby effects, survival benefit, and specific antitumor immune memory after TAVE treatment. The immune cell densities in tumor tissues were measured. ResultsThe optimal viral titer of OH2 was 1 × 107 CCID50. TAVE was the most effective modality with greater homogeneous OH2 distribution and therapeutic efficacy compared to other administration routes of transarterial virus infusion (TAVI), commonly adopted intratumor injection (TI), and intravenous injection (IV). Additionally, TAVE treatment significantly improved the locoregional tumor response, standby effect, and survival benefit compared to the TAVI, transarterial embolization (TAE), and control groups. TAVE modified the immune cell densities for immune-excluded liver cancer, partially destroyed vessel metastases, and established antitumor immune memory. The synergistic treatment efficacy of TAVE was superior to the simple addition of two independent monotherapies. ConclusionTAVE was the optimal and a safe modality for treating immune-excluded liver cancer, and its synergistic effect achieved a remarkable tumor response, standby effect, survival benefit, and antitumor immune memory, which providing an innovative therapeutic modality for clinical practice. Data AvailabilityData is available from the corresponding author upon requirement.

A combined experimental and computational thermodynamic study of fluoronitrophenol isomers

Combustion energies of the 5-fluoro-2-nitrophenol, 4-fluoro-2-nitrophenol, 3-fluoro-4-nitrophenol and 2-fluoro-4-nitrophenol isomers were obtained by means of a rotating-bomb combustion calorimeter. From these determinations, standard molar combustion enthalpies and standard molar formation enthalpies, at T = 298.15 K, in the crystalline state, were derived. The Knudsen mass-loss effusion technique was used to determine the standard molar enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs energies of sublimation, at T = 298.15 K, of the studied compounds. The standard molar enthalpies of sublimation of the four isomers were also measured by Calvet microcalorimetry. The gas-phase standard molar enthalpies of formation were derived from the experimental measurements, at T = 298.15 K, for the fluoronitrophenols studied.Additionally, the standard molar enthalpies of formation were estimated by means of computational methodology at the G3(MP2)//B3LYP level. The estimated values are in very good agreement with experimental data, giving us support to estimate the gas-phase enthalpies of formation of the remaining isomers whose values have not been determined experimentally.A simple group additivity scheme was successfully applied for prediction of molar enthalpies of formation.The computational study was also extended to the determination of OH bond dissociation enthalpies for all the isomers.

Theoretical and Experimental Insights of Benzimidazole Catalyzed by the Epoxy-Acrylic Acid Reaction.

This study focuses on the experimental and molecular-level investigation of epoxy acrylate formation. Epoxy acrylate vinyl ester resin was prepared by a reaction of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A-based epoxy resin and acrylic acid, using benzimidazole as a catalyst. It was confirmed that benzimidazole can effectively catalyze this reaction. FTIR analysis of the product revealed a simple addition esterification reaction between the epoxide group and carboxylic group of acrylic acid excluding the side reactions (e.g., etherification). DFT computational studies were performed to theoretically explore the insights of reaction mechanisms. The calculations revealed that the benzimidazole-catalyzed reaction dominates the uncatalyzed reaction. A comparison of calculated activation energies showed that concerted mechanisms are less significant in such reactions owing to their high activation barriers.

Rapid Bacterial Motility Monitoring Using Inexpensive 3D-Printed OpenFlexure Microscopy Allows Microfluidic Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing is vital to tackle the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Inexpensive digital CMOS cameras can be converted into portable digital microscopes using 3D printed x-y-z stages. Microscopic examination of bacterial motility can rapidly detect the response of microbes to antibiotics to determine susceptibility. Here, we present a new simple microdevice-miniature microscope cell measurement system for multiplexed antibiotic susceptibility testing. The microdevice is made using melt-extruded plastic film strips containing ten parallel 0.2 mm diameter microcapillaries. Two different antibiotics, ceftazidime and gentamicin, were prepared in Mueller-Hinton agar (0.4%) to produce an antibiotic-loaded microdevice for simple sample addition. This combination was selected to closely match current standard methods for both antibiotic susceptibility testing and motility testing. Use of low agar concentration permits observation of motile bacteria responding to antibiotic exposure as they enter capillaries. This device fits onto the OpenFlexure 3D-printed digital microscope using a Raspberry Pi computer and v2 camera, avoiding need for expensive laboratory microscopes. This inexpensive and portable digital microscope platform had sufficient magnification to detect motile bacteria, yet wide enough field of view to monitor bacteria behavior as they entered antibiotic-loaded microcapillaries. The image quality was sufficient to detect how bacterial motility was inhibited by different concentrations of antibiotic. We conclude that a 3D-printed Raspberry Pi-based microscope combined with disposable microfluidic test strips permit rapid, easy-to-use bacterial motility detection, with potential for aiding detection of antibiotic resistance.

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic modeling of the co-pyrolysis of a bituminous coal and poplar wood

The co-pyrolysis of coal and biomass has proven to be a promising route to produce liquid and gaseous fuels as well as specific value-added chemicals while contributing to mitigating CO2 emissions. The interactions between the co-processed feedstocks, however, need to be elucidated to support the development of such a thermochemical conversion process. In this context, the present work covers the kinetic analysis of the co-pyrolysis of a bituminous coal with poplar wood. In this research, biomass was blended with coal at two different mass ratios (10% (mass) and 20% (mass)). Thermogravimetric analyses were carried out with pure and blended samples at four heating rates (5, 10, 15 and 30 °C·min−1). A direct comparison of experimental and theoretical results (based on a simple additivity rule) failed to yield a clear-cut conclusion regarding the existence of synergistic effects. Kinetic analyses have therefore been achieved using two model-free methods (the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose models) to estimate the rate constant parameters related to the pyrolysis process. A significant decrease of the activation energy has thus been observed when adding wood to coal (activation energies associated with the blend containing 20% (mass) of biomass being even lower than those estimated for pure wood at low conversion degrees). This trend was attributed to the possible presence of synergies whose related mechanisms are discussed. The rate constant parameters derived by means of the two tested models were finally used to simulate the evolution of the conversion degree of each sample as a function of the temperature, thus leading to a satisfying agreement between measured and simulated data.

Mathematics Integration on the Development of a 3d Action Role-Playing Game: The Light of End

The game entitled “Mathematics Integration on the Development of a 3d Action Role-Playing Game: The Light of End” used a 3d graphic presentation of characters, equipment, quest and monsters that were rendered using two powerful software: Unreal 4 and Blender 2.8. The researchers developed the base gameplay systems in C++ using Unreal 4. It is an action role-playing game with a combination of mathematical operations like addition and subtraction that the players need to solve to gain player’s stamina during combat battle. This helped gamers and students in the study of simple addition in mathematics because they need to answer the problems as quick as possible. The action role-playing game is based on the Philippine myths where characters like IbongAdarna, AnitunTabo, Maria Makiling, Bathala and Sitan were created, and proper blending / textures were carefully applied. This game has an open world where various quests can be selected like Forest, Caves, Castle and Ice Lands. Each quest contains different monsters and Boss. The player’s goal is to destroy or kill all the monsters and the final stage is to defeat the Boss during combat battle. Solving the addition problem that will appear during the battle will help the player to regenerate stamina that will surely help in defeating the Boss. Thus, this action role-playing game helped the player to develop critical thinking skills by solving addition problems and continue the quests successfully. Various assets / materials for the player to use were carefully designed and proper effects were applied. The game can be accessed even without internet connection. This is good for those students or players that would like to play the game but lack of data or no access to internet. Rad Methodology, which serves as a guide and steps in the development of the framework, was used by the researchers. Under Rad Methodology, the researchers cautiously followed activities under each phase: Planning for requirements, User Interface Design, Construction and Cutover. The evaluation of the respondents included seventeen (17) IT professionals, fifty-four (54) IT students, twenty-eight (28) Bulacan State University (BulSU) students, and ninety-one (91) non-BulSU students. It also demonstrates the interpretation of the mean distributions, which varies from Bad, Fair, Good, Very Good, and Excellent as the highest interpretation. The researchers devised an assessment instrument that is based on the Software Quality Model following a five-point Likert scale. The game got a computed total mean score of 4.76 with an Excellent evaluation.

Strategies toward the Difunctionalizations of Enamide Derivatives for Synthesizing α,β-Substituted Amines.

Enamide and enecarbamate derivatives containing a nucleophilic center at the β-position from their nitrogen atom as well as a latent electrophilic site at their α-position are interesting motifs in organic chemistry. This dual reactivity─analogous that of the enamines─enables difunctionalization and increased structural complexity. Furthermore, an electron-withdrawing group on nitrogen drastically increases their stability. In that respect, enamides and enecarbamates are excellent partners for multicomponent transformations, and our research primarily focuses on these compounds in particular.Difunctionalization generally occurs through the nucleophilic addition of the enecarbamate on an electrophile to form iminium, which can subsequently react with a nucleophilic species. Although potent, such an approach is highly challenging due to the low stability of the intermediate iminium, leading to undesired hydrolysis or oligomerization. Epimerization, competitivity, and compatibility issues between the reaction partners are additional hindrances to developing these methodologies. To overcome these limitations, we described many complementary strategies.To control the enantioselectivity of these transformations, chiral phosphoric acids were found to be particularly well-suited to activate multiple reactants due to the formation of a hydrogen bonds network, allowing for an organized transition state in a chiral pocket. Interestingly, when deprotonated as phosphates, they can also play the role of ligands for Lewis acidic metals.To avoid iminium oligomerization, we successfully used stabilized α-arylated enamides. However, this approach was restricted to a simple nucleophilic addition at the β-position. To achieve the difunctionalizations of α-unsubstituted derivatives, we explored reversibly linked nucleophile and electrophile to address their compatibility problem. Alternatively, we devised a sequential methodology for resolving the stability issue of the N-acyl iminium based on its intermediate trapping using a temporary nucleophile (alcohol or thiol). Interestingly, the trapping agent could further be displaced by the desired final α-substituent under Lewis acidic or photocatalytic activation. This led us to design new chiral and bifunctional phosphoric acid catalysts bearing chromophores to merge asymmetric organocatalysis and photochemistry.These photocatalysis studies incited us to focus on radical processes to manage original functionalizations that would not be feasible otherwise. β-Alkylation and β-trifluoromethylation of enecarbamates via visible-light-promoted atom transfer radical additions were successfully performed. As β-allylations remained unattainable with the precedent methods, we eventually turned our attention to cerium(IV)-mediated oxidative single electron transfers. It allowed for singly occupied molecular orbital activation of these substrates to elicit their umpolung reactivity.Thus, the functionalization of enecarbamate derivatives appears as a valid synthetic strategy for obtaining important building blocks for agrochemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, including diamines, haloamines, aminotryptamines, and less accessible trifluoromethylated or allylic compounds.

Reconciling Monolayer and Bilayer J_{eff}=1/2 Square Lattices in Hybrid Oxide Superlattice.

The number of atomic layers confined in a two-dimensional structure is crucial for the electronic and magnetic properties. Single-layer and bilayer J_{eff}=1/2 square lattices are well-known examples where the presence of the extra layer turns the XY anisotropy to the c-axis anisotropy. We report on experimental realization of a hybrid SrIrO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} superlattice that integrates monolayer and bilayer square lattices in one layered structure. By synchrotron x-ray diffraction, resonant x-ray magnetic scattering, magnetization, and resistivity measurements, we found that the hybrid superlattice exhibits properties that are distinct from both the single-layer and bilayer systems and cannot be explained by a simple addition of them. In particular, the entire hybrid superlattice orders simultaneously through a single antiferromagnetic transition at temperatures similar to the bilayer system but with all the J_{eff}=1/2 moments mainly pointing in the ab plane similar to the single-layer system. The results show that bringing monolayer and bilayer with orthogonal properties in proximity to each other in a hybrid superlattice structure is a powerful way to stabilize a unique state not obtainable in a uniform structure.

Combined effects of humic substances and clay minerals on U(VI) bioreduction

In the last several decades, microbial reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) has been applied as a method to remediate uranium contamination in situ. The U(VI) bioreduction kinetics and resulting U(IV) speciation are affected by various environmental factors, such as humic substances (HS) and Fe-bearing clay minerals. Previous studies have largely focused on their individual effects on U(VI) bioreduction. However, HS and Fe(III)-bearing clay minerals often co-exist at uranium contaminated sites, their joint effects may be different from the sum of their individual ones, due to either synergistic or antagonistic interactions between the two. In this work, we investigated the combined effects of HS and Fe(III)-bearing clay minerals (Fe-rich nontronite and Fe-poor montmorillonite) on U(VI) reduction by Shewanella putrefaciens and the resulting U(IV) speciation. HS alone exhibited an inhibitory effect on U(VI) bioreduction, likely because HS retained a fraction of electrons from microbial oxidation of lactate. The resulting U(IV) was in the form of aqueous U(IV)-HS complex. Clay minerals alone also inhibited U(VI) bioreduction because a fraction of reduced U(IV) was likely re-oxidized by structural Fe(III) and thus electrons were partially diverged from U(VI) to structural Fe(III). Bioreduced U(IV) was in a solid phase. However, in the presence of both HS and clay minerals, their combined effect of inhibition on U(VI) bioreduction was not a simple addition of the two individual ones. In the co-presence of clay minerals and a low concentration of HS (10 and 20 mg C/L), their combined inhibition effect on U(VI) bioreduction was stronger than that of HS but weaker than that of clays. The stronger inhibition than that of HS alone was due to electron diversion by clay minerals. The weaker inhibition than that of clays alone was because HS and/or Fe(III)-HS/Fe(II)-HS served as electron shuttles to accelerate the rate of Fe(III) reduction. These double shuttles decreased the ability of structural Fe(III) in clays to diverge electrons from U(VI) and thus partially negated the inhibitory effect of clay minerals. In the co-presence of clay minerals and a high concentration of HS (100 mg C/L), their combined effect on U(VI) bioreduction was initially similar to that in the low concentration of HS scenario. However, over extended time, clay minerals partially negated the inhibitory effect of HS, likely because clay minerals adsorbed a fraction of HS and thus lowered the ability of residual aqueous HS to retain electrons. Biogenic U(IV) was sequestered in solid in the presence of Fe-rich nontronite and HS but partially remained soluble in the presence of Fe-poor montmorillonite and HS. This study highlights the importance of the complex interaction between HS and Fe-bearing clays in bioreduction of U(VI) and speciation of the resulting U(IV).

Alkyne Coupling and Cyclization on Metal Cluster Complexes. Additions and Couplings of Dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to Ru6(μ6-C)(CO)14(μ3-η4-C4H4)

Reactions of the hexaruthenium cluster complex Ru6(μ6-C)(CO)14(μ3−η4−C4H4), 2 with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) at 25 °C yielded five new compounds: Ru6(μ5-C)(CO)16(μ−η4−C4H4), 3; Ru6(μ6-C)(CO)14[η6-1,2-C6H4(CO2Me)2], 4; Ru6(μ5-C)(CO)14(μ−η4−C4H4)[μ3−C2(CO2Me)2], 5; Ru6(μ5-C)(CO)14(μ−η4−C4H4)[μ3−C2(CO2Me)2], 6 and Ru6(μ6-C)(CO)14[μ3−η6−1,2−C6H4(CO2Me)2], 7. Compounds 4 and 7 are isomers that contain the six-membered arene, dimethyl phthalate, 1,2−C6H4(CO2Me)2, as a ligand. Compound 3 was formed as a side product in low yield (6%) by the simple addition of CO to 2. The addition of CO to 2 causes the cluster to open to that of a spiked, square pyramid. Direct reaction of CO to 2 provided 3 in a good yield (72%). A DMAD ligand was added to the cluster of 2 as a simple triply-bridging ligand to form open Ru6 clusters in compounds 5 and 6. Addition of DMAD to 3 yielded the DMAD derivative Ru6(μ5-C)(CO)15(μ−η4−C4H4)[μ−C2(CO2Me)2], 8 which contains a DMAD ligand bridging a basal edge of an opened spiked-square pyramidal Ru6 cluster. Compound 5 was thermally converted to the new complex Ru6(μ5-C)(CO)14[μ4−η6−CHCHCHCC(CO2Me)C(CO2Me)](μ-H), 9 that contains a bridging CHCHCHCC(CO2Me)C(CO2Me) ligand formed by a coupling of the DMAD ligand to the bridging C4H4 ligand in 5 accompanied by a cleavage of one CH bond and formation of a bridging hydrido ligand. Decarbonylation of 3 with Me3NO yielded the NMe3 derivative Ru6(μ5-C)(CO)15(μ−η4−C4H4)(NMe3), 10 in which the NMe3 ligand is coordinated to the spiked metal atom on the square-pyramidal Ru5 cluster. Treatment of 4 and 7 with CO at 25 °C induced elimination of the 1,2−C6H4(CO2Me)2 ligand to yield free dimethyl phthalate, 11 and formation of the known parent carbonyl complex Ru6(μ6-C)(CO)17. All of the new cluster compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.

A Simple and General Nickel‐Catalyzed Michael‐Type Hydroamination of Activated Olefins Using Arylamines

AbstractA simple and general addition of aromatic amines to activated olefins viz; acrylonitrile, phenyl vinyl sulfone and dimethyl maleate were realized using a combination of 1–10 mol% of NiBr2 and 2–20 mol% of AgOTf at 27–100 °C in toluene as solvent. A variety of aromatic amines bearing both electron donating and electron withdrawing groups including sterically demanding ones, as well as heteroaromatic amines could be added to activated olefins giving rise to the desired β‐amino acid derivatives or β‐amino sulfones in good yields. Addition of anilines to acrylonitrile was also found to be progressing when AgOTf alone was used as catalyst but was far less effective when compared to catalysis in the presence of NiBr2.

Update on Systematic Cycle and Calendar Aging of NMC and NCA 18650 Li-Ion Batteries

The true useful life of secondary Li-ion batteries is currently not well characterized. 80% of initial capacity, a decades old metric for vehicle applications, is a common endpoint in literature cycling studies and commercial cell specification sheets. As such, much is not known about cell performance beyond this metric. The 80% cutoff may not be applicable for non-vehicle applications, like grid energy storage, where there are different requirements for performance. Degradation data beyond the 80% capacity threshold is needed to make these evaluations.To address this, we have been conducting a multi-year study of both cycling and calendar aging of 18650 cells. During this study, LiNixCoyAl1-x-yO2/NCA, and LiNixMnyCo1-x-yO2/NMC cells have been cycled at systematically varied temperature, state of charge (SOC) ranges, and cycling rates. Cells were cycled at different state of charge (SOC) ranges (0-100%, 20-80%, and 40-60%), temperatures (15, 25, and 35 °C) and discharge rates (0.5C, 1C, 2C, and 3C). Additionally, we present data from a concurrent calendar aging study at different temperatures (15, 25, and 35 °C) and SOCs (25, 50, and 90%). Our group has previously reported on trends for cycle aging down to 80% capacity [1]. Here, we present an update on performance of cells cycled beyond 80% capacity to an end of life (EOL) of 40% capacity and cells undergoing calendar aging.Results so far suggest that SOC range continues to be the largest factor in capacity fade rate for both chemistries. Combining stress factors (NMC at high SOC and low temperature) causes rapid capacity fade beyond what would be expected by simple addition of degradation rates from the individual stress factors. Depending on the conditions of cycling, so called knee points do not always appear when a cell is cycled beyond 80%. When a knee point occurs varies by cycling conditions. We also consider additional metrics by which battery performance can be measured such as round-trip efficiency (RTE), total discharged energy, and internal resistance (IR). And find that IR increases generally matches well with capacity fade and appear to increase dramatically at observed knee points. For the calendar aging study, we find that holding cells at higher SOCs and temperatures generally increases the rate of fade. This study represents the broadest public report of post 80% capacity cycling across multiple chemistries. It will inform cell lifetime prediction and allow for better utilization of battery systems.Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2022-5089 A

Teres ligamentum wrap covering the pancreaticojejunostomy following pancreatoduodenectomy is associated with a lower rate of postoperative pancreas fistula: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPost-operative pancreas fistula (POPF) is a common complication after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). A Teres Ligamentum (TL)-wrap covering the pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) is suggested as a potential solution to reduce POPF. The aim of this study was to compare POPF incidence (grade B/C) in patients with or without a TL-wrap. MethodsA prospective cohort study was performed between January 2019–December 2021. All consecutive patients were included. Patient, tumor and surgical characteristics and postoperative complications were compared in both open and robot-assisted surgery. ResultsA total of 118 consecutive patients were included. The first 57 patients were treated without and the following 61 patients with a TL-wrap. There were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding patient, pre-operative treatment and surgical characteristics. The occurrence of POPF was strongly reduced in the TL-wrap group compared to patients without a TL-wrap (3.3% vs 28.1%, P < 0.001). Also mean length of hospital stay was reduced (11.5 vs 18.8 days, P = 0.030). ConclusionThe use of a TL-wrap covering the PJ as addition to the modified Blumgart anastomosis technique is associated with a significantly reduced POPF rate and a reduced length of hospital stay. A TL-wrap is a simple addition to a PJ that may be considered to improve postoperative outcome. This association must be studied more definitively in a randomized controlled trial.

An unexpected synergistic toxicity caused by competitive bioconcentration of perfluoroalkyl acid mixtures to Daphnia magna: Further promoted by elevated temperature

The mixed pollution of the global water environment by perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and their ecological risks have aroused widespread concern. However, the relationship between the combined toxicity of PFAA mixtures and their accumulation in aquatic organisms is not well understood in the context of global warming. Here, we study the bioconcentration and combined toxicity of three PFAA mixtures (PFOA, PFDA, PFDoA) to Daphnia magna (D. magna) under different exposure concentrations and temperatures. The results show that although competitive bioconcentration exists, the combined toxicity of the PFAA mixtures to D. magna is synergistic. These contradictory phenomena occur because although the longer-chain PFDoA inhibits the bioconcentration of the shorter-chain PFOA and PFDA, the bioconcentration of PFDoA itself is promoted, and PFDoA is more toxic to D. magna than PFOA and PFDA. The toxic equivalent concentration for the PFAA mixture is 1.38–1.67 times higher than that obtained from simple addition for the three PFAAs when exposed separately. Moreover, elevated temperature promotes not only the bioconcentration of each PFAA and the competition of bioconcentration between shorter-chain and longer-chain PAFF, but also the synergistic toxicity of PFAA mixtures to D. magna. This study suggests that the effect of the interactions among different PFAAs on their bioconcentration and toxicity under different water environmental conditions, such as temperature, should be considered for ecological risk assessment of PFAA mixtures.

Enhancement of effector functions of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody by increased afucosylation in CHO cell line through cell culture medium optimization

BackgroundRecombinant therapeutic anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) is used for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a common B cell lymphoma constituting 80% of all lymphomas. Anti-CD20 mAb contains an Fc-linked biantennary glycan. Although, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies are being increasingly used for immunotherapy, their efficacy is limited in a section of patients with drug resistance to immunotherapy. There is a need to improve the efficacy by increasing the effector functions, such as the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. ResultsWe developed a simple and cost-effective approach to enhance ADCC effector activity in an in-house developed clone of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody by increasing afucosylation in a new clone of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells using 8X uridine, manganese, and galactose (UMG) to modulate the osmolality of the medium. The purified anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody from 8X UMG-containing medium showed a 2-fold increase in afucose content and 203% ADCC activity in comparison to control antibody. ConclusionsOur study reports enhanced ADCC activity by modulating afucosylation using osmolality by altering simple feed additives in the culture medium.

An Error Analysis on Dialogue Script Written by Eighth Grade of SMPN 3 Kota Jambi

In learning English especially in writing, the students made errors to write dialogue. They have lack of vocabulary and less idea in writing English sentence. They also need to consider about the grammatical components of English that differ from Indonesian language. The aim of this research was to describe errors made by the students in writing dialogue script. Thirty students from Eighth grade of SMPN 3 Kota Jambi were asked to write about free essay in dialogue script. All students writing are, then, analyzed in order to investigate students' errors. Based on findings of this research in linguistic category and surface strategy, it can be concluded that the students have difficulties in grammar (tenses, preposition, agreement, article), lexicon (vocabulary and spelling), punctuation for linguistic category and addition (double marking, regularization, simple addition), omission, misformation (regularization, archi- form, alternating form), misordering for surface strategy. Most students tend to have difficulties in spelling and omission.

Guest Encapsulation Scope of a Triptycene-Based Pd2L4 Coordination Cage

The scope of a lantern-shaped, triptycene-based Pd2L4 coordination cage to encapsulate various carbon-rich guests was investigated. The cage was found to bind two molecules of corannulene and a variety of C60 derivatives in moderate to quantitative yields. Non-disruptive extraction of encapsulated fullerene derivative PC61BM from the cage was demonstrated by the simple addition of CS2 into an acetonitrile solution of the host–guest complex. This process can be accomplished in a layer-to-layer fashion, and thus, the recovered cage can be further utilized in a recycling process. As this self-assembled host is readily synthesized and able to transfer fullerenes and a range of its derivatives into polar organic solvents, it allows facilitating purification, chemical modification and solid-state processing of fullerenes for a range of materials applications.

Pasting and gelation behaviors and in vitro digestibility of high-amylose maize starch blended with wheat or potato starch evaluated at different heating temperatures

Different approaches have been adopted to overcome the inherent shortcomings of native starches, and blending of different native starches has attracted much attention due to the “clean-label” feature and the low processing effort and cost. In the current study, we blended high-amylose maize starch (HA7) with wheat (WHE) or potato (POT) starch at 1:1 ratio (dry weight basis; dwb) and then comprehensively examined their thermal properties, pasting and gelling behaviors over the heating temperature range of 95–140 °C, and in vitro digestibility in comparison with three individual starches. With an excess amount of water (starch:water = 1:3), gelatinization of individual starches generally appeared to be independent in the two starch blends. An exceptionally low percentage of retrogradation was observed for gelatinized HA7-WHE blend during cold storage, which could be partially ascribed to the formation of a large amount of amylose-lipid complexes (ALC). Greater resistance to thermal degradation and thixotropic breakdown during pasting at 120 °C was found with HA7-WHE blend when compared with HA7-POT blend. Both starch blends could form gels with moderate strength (74.3–109.4 g) after cooking at 120 and 140 °C. The determined resistant starch (RS) and slowly digestible starch (SDS) contents of water-boiled HA7-WHE blend were higher than the calculated values when assuming simple additivity of the two starches. The interactions at both granular and molecular levels and the presence of ALC were responsible for the reported unique techno-functional attributes of HA7-WHE blend, which rendered it suitable for diverse food and industrial applications. • More amylose-lipid complex in high-amylose (HA7)-wheat (WHE) starch blend (1:1 dwb). • Gelatinized HA7-WHE blend had the least %retrogradation (9.2%) of all the starches. • HA7-WHE blend showed strong resistance against high-temperature cooking at 120 °C. • Starch blends had moderate gel strength (74.3–109.4 g) after 120 and 140 °C cooking. • Water-boiled HA7-WHE blend showed enhanced in vitro enzymatic resistance.