Recombinant Spider Silk Protein and Delignified Wood Form a Strong Adhesive System

For developing novel fully biological materials, a central question is how we can utilize natural components in combination with biomimetic strategies in ways that both allow feasible processing and high performance. Within this development, adhesives play a central role. Here, we have combined two of nature's excellent materials, silk and cellulose, to function as an adhesive system. As an initial step in processing, wood was delignified. Without lignin, the essential microstructure and alignment of the wood remain, giving a strong scaffold that is versatile to process further. A recombinant spider silk protein was used as a fully biological and water-based adhesive. The adhesive strength was excellent with an average value of 6.7 MPa, with a maximum value of up to 10 MPa. Samples of different strengths showed characteristic features, with high tear-outs for weaker samples and only little tear-out for strong samples. As references, bovine serum albumin and starch were used. Based on the combined data, we propose an overall model for the system and highlight how multiple variables affect performance. Adhesives, in particular, biobased ones, must be developed to be compatible with the overall adherend system for suitable infiltration and so that their mechanical properties match the adherend. The engineering of proteins gives an unmatched potential for designing adhesive systems that additionally have desired properties such as being fully water-based, biologically produced, and renewable.Peer reviewe

Recombinant Spider Silk Protein and Delignified Wood Form a Strong Adhesive System

Funding Information: This work was performed within the project “Strong Composite” supported under the umbrella of ERANET Cofund ForestValue, funded by Academy of Finland projects #308772, #317395, #326345, and #333238. The authors are grateful for the support by the FinnCERES Materials Bioeconomy Ecosystem, the Bioeconomy Infrastructure, and the OtaNano─Nanomicroscopy Center (Aalto-NMC) at Aalto University. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.For developing novel fully biological materials, a central question is how we can utilize natural components in combination with biomimetic strategies in ways that both allow feasible processing and high performance. Within this development, adhesives play a central role. Here, we have combined two of nature's excellent materials, silk and cellulose, to function as an adhesive system. As an initial step in processing, wood was delignified. Without lignin, the essential microstructure and alignment of the wood remain, giving a strong scaffold that is versatile to process further. A recombinant spider silk protein was used as a fully biological and water-based adhesive. The adhesive strength was excellent with an average value of 6.7 MPa, with a maximum value of up to 10 MPa. Samples of different strengths showed characteristic features, with high tear-outs for weaker samples and only little tear-out for strong samples. As references, bovine serum albumin and starch were used. Based on the combined data, we propose an overall model for the system and highlight how multiple variables affect performance. Adhesives, in particular, biobased ones, must be developed to be compatible with the overall adherend system for suitable infiltration and so that their mechanical properties match the adherend. The engineering of proteins gives an unmatched potential for designing adhesive systems that additionally have desired properties such as being fully water-based, biologically produced, and renewable.Peer reviewe

Inter ISO Market Coordination by Calculating Border Locational Marginal Prices

In this paper the methodology for solving Locational Marginal Price (LMP) differences (inconsistency of LMPs) that arise at the boundary buses between separate power markets is proposed. The algorithm developed enables us to obtain consistent LMP values at the boundary buses between interconnected ISOs. A Primal-Dual Interior Point based optimal power flow (OPF) is applied, with complete set of power system physical limit constraints, to solve a regional spot market. The OPF is implemented such that producer and consumer behaviors are modeled simultaneously, while the welfare is maximized. In this paper a generalized methodology for multiple ISOs case is proposed and later it is practically applied on two interconnected independent entities. The algorithm for approximation of cost coefficients of generators and dispatchable loads for neighboring ISOs is proposed. The developed algorithm enables participating ISOs to obtain LMPs at the boundary buses with other interconnected ISOs. By controlling interchange of electric power at the scheduled level, regional spot markets are resolved eliminating possible exercise of market power by individual interconnected ISOs. Results of proposed methodology are tested on the IEEE 118-bus power system

Design, Synthesis, and Pharmacological Characterization of a Neutral, Non Prodrug Thrombin Inhibitor with Good Oral Pharmacokinetics

Despite extensive research on small molecule thrombin inhibitors for oral application in the past decades, only a single double prodrug with very modest oral bioavailability has reached human therapy as a marketed drug. We have undertaken major efforts to identify neutral, non prodrug inhibitors. Using a holistic analysis of all available internal data, we were able to build computational models and apply these for the selection of a lead series with the highest possibility of achieving oral bioavailability. In our design, we relied on protein structure knowledge to address potency and identified a small window of favorable physicochemical properties to balance absorption and metabolic stability. Protein structure information on the pregnane X receptor helped in overcoming a persistent cytochrome P450 3A4 induction problem. The selected compound series was optimized to a highly potent, neutral, non prodrug thrombin inhibitor by designing, synthesizing, and testing derivatives. The resulting optimized compound, BAY1217224, has reached first clinical trials, which have confirmed the desired pharmacokinetic propertie

The novel selective PDE9 inhibitor BAY 73-6691 improves learning and memory in rodents.

The present study investigated the putative pro-cognitive effects of the novel selective PDE9 inhibitor BAY 73-6691. The effects on basal synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) were investigated in rat hippocampal slices. Pro-cognitive effects were assessed in a series of learning and memory tasks using rodents as subjects. BAY 73-6691 had no effect on basal synaptic transmission in hippocampal slices prepared from young adult (7- to 8-week-old) Wistar rats. A dose of 10 mu M, but not 30 mu M BAY 73-6691 enhanced early LTP after weak tetanic stimulation. The dose effective in young adult Wistar rats did not affect LTP in hippocampal slices prepared from young (7- to 8-week-old) Fischer 344 X Brown Norway (FBNF1) rats, probably reflecting strain differences. However, it increased basal synaptic transmission and enhanced early LTP after weak tetanic stimulation in hippocampal slices prepared from very old (31 - to 35-month-old) FBNF1 rats. BAY 73-6691 enhanced acquisition, consolidation, and retention of long-term memory (LTM) in a social recognition task and tended to enhance LTM in an object recognition task. Bay 73-6691 attenuated the scoplamine-induced retention deficit in a passive avoidance task, and the MK-801-induced short-term memory deficits in a T-maze alternation task. The mechanism of action, possibly through modulation of the NO/cGMP-PKG/CREB pathway, is discussed. Our findings support the notion that PDE9 inhibition may be a novel target for treating memory deficits that are associated with aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease

Coupling of ferredoxin and heterodisulfide reduction via electron bifurcation in hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea

In methanogenic archaea growing on H2 and CO2 the first step in methanogenesis is the ferredoxin-dependent endergonic reduction of CO2 with H2 to formylmethanofuran and the last step is the exergonic reduction of the heterodisulfide CoM-S-S-CoB with H2 to coenzyme M (CoM-SH) and coenzyme B (CoB-SH). We recently proposed that in hydrogenotrophic methanogens the two reactions are energetically coupled via the cytoplasmic MvhADG/HdrABC complex. It is reported here that the purified complex from Methanothermobacter marburgensis catalyzes the CoM-S-S-CoB-dependent reduction of ferredoxin with H2. Per mole CoM-S-S-CoB added, 1 mol of ferredoxin (Fd) was reduced, indicating an electron bifurcation coupling mechanism: This stoichiometry of coupling is consistent with an ATP gain per mole methane from 4 H2 and CO2 of near 0.5 deduced from an H2-threshold concentration of 8 Pa and a growth yield of up to 3 g/mol methane

Ausschreibungen für erneuerbare Energien. Wissenschaftliche Empfehlungen: Studie im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie. Projektnummer: DESDE15240. 07. Juli 2015

Eine Grundlage für die Eckpunkte zur Ausschreibung für die Förderung erneuerbarer Energien sind die Zwischenergebnisse einer wissenschaftlichen Studie zum Ausschreibungsdesign erneuerbarer Energien. Der Bericht analysiert die Marktsituation der verschiedenen erneuerbaren Energien und spricht Empfehlungen für ein Ausschreibungsdesign aus. Er wurde von einem Forschungskonsortium, das sich aus Ecofys, Fraunhofer ISI, Consentec, dem Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), Takon und den Rechtsanwaltskanzleien Görg sowie BBG und Partner zusammensetzt, erarbeitet