Microfluidic Preparation of Polymer-Nucleic Acid Nanocomplexes Improves Nonviral Gene Transfer

As the designs of polymer systems used to deliver nucleic acids continue to evolve, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the basic bulk manufacturing techniques of the past will be insufficient to produce polymer-nucleic acid nanocomplexes that possess the uniformity, stability, and potency required for their successful clinical translation and widespread commercialization. Traditional bulk-prepared products are often physicochemically heterogeneous and may vary significantly from one batch to the next. Here we show that preparation of bioreducible nanocomplexes with an emulsion-based droplet microfluidic system produces significantly improved nanoparticles that are up to fifty percent smaller, more uniform, and are less prone to aggregation. The intracellular integrity of nanocomplexes prepared with this microfluidic method is significantly prolonged, as detected using a high-throughput flow cytometric quantum dot Förster resonance energy transfer nanosensor system. These physical attributes conspire to consistently enhance the delivery of both plasmid DNA and messenger RNA payloads in stem cells, primary cells, and human cell lines. Innovation in processing is necessary to move the field toward the broader clinical implementation of safe and effective nonviral nucleic acid therapeutics, and preparation with droplet microfluidics represents a step forward in addressing the critical barrier of robust and reproducible nanocomplex productio

Mediation Effect of Resilience on The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Competitiveness Among University Students

This study aims to evaluate the mediation role of resilience on the link between self-efficacy and competitiveness among university students in Malaysia. One hundred and thirty-six participants from several universities in Malaysia were recruited to respond to an online form consisted of the following scales: adapted versions of brief resilience scale from Smith et al, self-efficacy scale from Biemann, Kearney and Marggraf, and Personal Development Competitive Attitude Scale  from Ryckman, Hammer, Kaczor and Gold. Data was analyzed by using SPSS with PROCESS Macro and full mediation has been observed. Bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval test indicated that the indirect effect of self-efficacy on competitiveness was significant and the Sobel test had confirmed the significance of the mediation. Further discussion, limitation and suggestion are discussed in the end of the paper

Ion-beam modification of fullerene

The response of thin films of fullerene (C60) to energetic ion impact is investigated. The diagnostics employed include Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopies, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. By combining the information obtained from these diagnostics with that from the dependence of the conductivity on ion dose, it is concluded that each C60 molecule completely disintegrates when hit by an energetic ion. The cross section for the destruction is about 6×10-13 cm2 for irradiation with 620-keV Xe ions. The disintegration occurs when C atoms are knocked out of the molecule either directly by the impinging ion or by an energetic knock-on C atom within the damage cascade. This process is quite different from the Coulomb-explosion mechanism previously proposed in the literature. For very low ion doses

Preparation and characterization of inclusion complexes of biodegradable amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers with cyclodextrins

10.1021/ma0213347Macromolecules3641209-1214MAMO

Performances of geotextile stabilized unpaved road systems subjected to pretensioning

Geotechnical Special Publication130-142297-309GSPU

Role of intermolecular interaction between hydrophobic blocks in block-selected inclusion complexation of amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers with cyclodextrins

10.1016/j.polymer.2004.07.038Polymer45206845-6851POLM

Design of a wideband microstrip bowtie patch antenna

IEE Proceedings: Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation1453137-140IMIP

Aptamer nanomedicine for cancer therapeutics: Barriers and potential for translation

10.1021/nn507494pACS Nano932235-225

Synthesis and characterization of new biodegradable amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly [(R)-3-hydroxy butyrate]-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers

10.1021/ma025725xMacromolecules3682661-2667MAMO