The Thermoelectric Properties Investigation of X\u3csub\u3e0.05\u3c/sub\u3eMo\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3eSb\u3csub\u3e7-y\u3c/sub\u3eTe\u3csub\u3ey\u3c/sub\u3e (X=Mn, Fe, Ni, Co; y=1.5, 1.6, 1.7)

With ever increasing energy costs, dwindling resources, and terms with the prefix \u27green\u27 filling headlines, the need for environmentally friendly energy sources has never been greater. Since the mid-20th century researchers have been pursuing greater efficiency in thermoelectric materials. Thermoelectric materials achieve energy conversion via the Seebeck effect (heat to electric power) and the Peltier effect (electricity to cooling power). Presented herein are the measured electrical and thermal transport properties and phenomenal analysis of the Ir3Ge7-type system: X0.05Mo3Sb7-yTey (X=Mn, Fe, Ni, Co; y=1.5, 1.6, 1.7) where \u27X\u27 are interstitially doped metal ions. First, the effect of the substitution ratio of Te was studied in the Fe subsystem. Te, having one more electron than Sb, decreases carrier concentration as Mo3(Sb,Te)7 has been observed to be p-type. Because of the decrease in the majority charge carrier, it is expected that both the Seebeck coefficient and resistivity will increase with tellurium content. Holding y=1.6 and varying the transition metal ion atomic number allowed for an analysis of the effectiveness of the dopants as a means to lower thermal conductivity. A prediction of the effect of dopant atomic number on thermal conductivity is not possible as too many factors come into play, such as bond strength between the dopant and parent matrix and atomic radius of the dopant

Highly porous flame-retardant and sustainable biofoams based on wheat gluten and in situ polymerized silica

Wheat gluten from ethanol production is presented as flame-retardant silica hybrid biofoams for insulation. The porosity of 90% and self-extinguishing nature make them an attractive alternative to petroleum-based foams.</p

Air Pollution–Related Prothrombotic Changes in Persons with Diabetes

Background: Population studies suggest that persons with diabetes are more sensitive to the effects of particulate matter (PM) air pollution. However, the biological mechanisms of a possible prothrombotic effect underlying this enhanced susceptibility remain largely unknown.Objective: We hypothesized that exposure to PM causes prothrombotic changes in persons with diabetes, possibly via systemic inflammation.Methods: Our study included 137 nonsmoking adults with diabetes who were outpatients at the University Hospital Leuven. Recent exposure (2 hr before examination) to ambient PM was measured at the entrance of the hospital. Individual chronic exposure to PM was assessed by measuring the area occupied by carbon in airway macrophages obtained by sputum induction. Platelet function was measured ex vivo with the PFA-100 platelet function analyzer, which simulates a damaged blood vessel; we analyzed the function of platelets in primary hemostasis under high shear conditions. Total and differential blood leukocytes were counted.Results: Independent of antiplatelet medication, an interquartile range (IQR) increase of 39.2 microg/m3 in PM10 (PM with aerodynamic diameter </= 10 microm) concentration measured 2 hr before the clinical examination (recent exposure) was associated with a decrease of 21.1 sec [95% confidence interval (CI), 35.3 to 6.8] in the PFA-100 closure time (i.e., increased platelet activation) and an increase in blood leukocytes of 512 per microliter of blood (95% CI, 45.2979). Each area increase of 0.25 microm2 (IQR) in carbon load of airway macrophages (chronic exposure) was associated with an increase of 687 leukocytes per microliter of blood (95% CI, 2241,150).Conclusions: A relevant increase in recent PM exposure was associated with a change in platelet function toward a greater prothrombotic tendency. The magnitude of the change was about two-thirds (in the opposite direction) of the average effect of antiplatelet medication. Diabetic patients showed evidence of proinflammatory response to both recent and chronic exposure to PM air pollution. Editor's SummaryDiabetics are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, and the association between particulate matter (PM) air pollution and cardiovascular outcomes may be stronger among diabetics than among nondiabetics. Jacobs et al. (p. 191) hypothesized that susceptibility to adverse cardiovascular outcomes among diabetics might be related to prothrombotic and inflammatory effects of PM. The authors estimated associations between PM exposures and measures of platelet function (estimated using the PFA-100 platelet function analyzer) and systemic inflammation (total and differential white blood cell counts) among 63 well-controlled diabetics (29 type I, 34 type II). Exposures included modeled estimates of average ambient residential PM10 (PM with aerodynamic diameter </= 10 microm), recent PM10 and PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter </= 2.5 microm) exposures (at the study hospital), and a proxy measure of chronic carbon load (median area occupied by carbon in 50 airway macrophages from an induced sputum sample.) The authors report that recent PM10 exposure was associated with increased platelet activation, both before and after adjustment for type of diabetes and use of medications that inhibit platelet aggregation, and that carbon load was positively associated with platelet and white blood cell counts. The authors conclude that findings are consistent with proinflammatory responses to PM air pollution among diabetics.status: publishe

A deimmunised form of the ribotoxin, α-sarcin, lacking CD4+ T cell epitopes and its use as an immunotoxin warhead

Fungal ribotoxins that block protein synthesis can be useful warheads in the context of a targeted immunotoxin. α-Sarcin is a small (17 kDa) fungal ribonuclease produced by Aspergillus giganteus that functions by catalytically cleaving a single phosphodiester bond in the sarcin–ricin loop of the large ribosomal subunit, thus making the ribosome unrecognisable to elongation factors and leading to inhibition of protein synthesis. Peptide mapping using an ex vivo human T cell assay determined that α-sarcin contained two T cell epitopes; one in the N-terminal 20 amino acids and the other in the C-terminal 20 amino acids. Various mutations were tested individually within each epitope and then in combination to isolate deimmunised α-sarcin variants that had the desired properties of silencing T cell epitopes and retention of the ability to inhibit protein synthesis (equivalent to wild-type, WT α-sarcin). A deimmunised variant (D9T/Q142T) demonstrated a complete lack of T cell activation in in vitro whole protein human T cell assays using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from donors with diverse HLA allotypes. Generation of an immunotoxin by fusion of the D9T/Q142T variant to a single-chain Fv targeting Her2 demonstrated potent cell killing equivalent to a fusion protein comprising the WT α-sarcin. These results represent the first fungal ribotoxin to be deimmunised with the potential to construct a new generation of deimmunised immunotoxin therapeutics

Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people

Air pollution is the environmental public health problem of our time. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out clear guidance to protecting the rights of children and young people, including a child's right to the best possible health (Article 24) and the right to a good standard of living. Unicef also consider that clean air is a right for all children. The UK Royal Medical Colleges vigorously advocate for a healthy environment at the population level and in local communities, especially where socio-economic circumstances limit the choice of where people can live, and which school children attend. Despite substantial progress in understanding outdoor air pollution, the potential risk to health, especially that of children and young people, from the indoor air has been largely overlooked, yet in modern times, the indoor environment has never been more important as lockdown with the Covi-19 virus pandemic has shown us. Here we provide an abridged version of the RCPCH/RCP Report The inside story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people but without the section on recommendations. The full Report along with recommendations, released on 28 January 2020, can be accessed at https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/inside-story-health-effects-indoor-air-quality-children-young-people. While we recognise that some aspects of this commentary are UK specific, much of the content has wide implication

The INNs and outs of antibody nonproprietary names

An important step in drug development is the assignment of an International Nonproprietary Name (INN) by the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides healthcare professionals with a unique and universally available designated name to identify each pharmaceutical substance. Monoclonal antibody INNs comprise a –mab suffix preceded by a substem indicating the antibody type, e.g., chimeric (-xi-), humanized (-zu-), or human (-u-). The WHO publishes INN definitions that specify how new monoclonal antibody therapeutics are categorized and adapts the definitions to new technologies. However, rapid progress in antibody technologies has blurred the boundaries between existing antibody categories and created a burgeoning array of new antibody formats. Thus, revising the INN system for antibodies is akin to aiming for a rapidly moving target. The WHO recently revised INN definitions for antibodies now to be based on amino acid sequence identity. These new definitions, however, are critically flawed as they are ambiguous and go against decades of scientific literature. A key concern is the imposition of an arbitrary threshold for identity against human germline antibody variable region sequences. This leads to inconsistent classification of somatically mutated human antibodies, humanized antibodies as well as antibodies derived from semi-synthetic/synthetic libraries and transgenic animals. Such sequence-based classification implies clear functional distinction between categories (e.g., immunogenicity). However, there is no scientific evidence to support this. Dialog between the WHO INN Expert Group and key stakeholders is needed to develop a new INN system for antibodies and to avoid confusion and miscommunication between researchers and clinicians prescribing antibodies