Recombinant antibodies against viral interleukin-6

The genome of KaposisÕs sarcoma associated herpesvirus, encodes several ORFs for putative oncogenes, which are homologues to cellular host genes. One of these genes encodes viral interleukin-6 (vIL-6). The viral cytokine is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of KaposiÕs sarcoma as well as PEL, multicentic CastelmanÕs disease and perhaps multiple myeloma. Therefore, vIL-6 is a promising target for novel therapies directed against HHV-8-associated diseases. In this study a recombinant antibody (scFv) against vIL-6 was screened from a phage display human antibody library. vIL-6 was demonstrated to be specifically recognised by this antibody (called MAV). MAV binds to recombinant vIL-6 immobilised on a solid phase and to the native cytokine in solution. MAV was shown to inhibit vIL-6-induced signaling in human hepatoma cells. Based on the idea to block vIL-6 secretion, a strategy for the neutralisation of vIL-6 was developed and tested. The recombinant antibody MAV was fused with the endoplasmicretention sequence KDEL (MAV-KDEL) to be retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. As a result, cells secreting vIL-6 ceased to secrete the cytokine after transfection with MAV-KDEL

Influence of wire geometry on the mechanical behavior of the TiNi design

The present article is aimed at studying the deformation behavior of TiNi wire and knitted metal TiNi mesh under uniaxial tension and revealing the role of wire geometry on their main mechanical characteristics and mechanisms of deformation behavior. The temperature dependence curve of the electrical resistance indicates that a two-stage martensitic transformation of B2!R!B190 is occurring, and is responsible for the superelasticity effect. The TEM results showed that at room temperature, the TiNi wire has a nanocrystalline structure composed of B2 austenite grains. A change in the deformation mechanism was established under the uniaxial tension, where the TiNi wire exhibits the effect of superelasticity, while the knitted metal TiNi mesh made from this wire is characterized by hyperelastic behavior. Fracturing of the knitted metal TiNi mesh requires significant loads of up to 3500 MPa compared to the fracture load of the TiNi wire. With the uniaxial tension of the wire, which maximally repeats the geometry of the wire in knitted metal mesh, an increase in mechanical characteristics was observed

Garbage Patches and Their Environmental Implications in a Plastisphere

This Communication reports on the increases in the sizes of garbage patches, and their environmental implications, outlining the dimensions of what is a growing problem connected with the “plastisphere”. The paper presents some data on the distribution of garbage patches in the world’s oceans and makes some predictions on future growth, which is partly associated with the future increases in worldwide plastics production. The findings demonstrate that the size of the main garbage patches is increasing, posing a threat to the environment and marine life. The paper urges for better plastic waste management to prevent it from reaching the oceans, along with concerted actions in respect of plastic collection and cleaning up the oceans, which may include new technological solutions

Experimental study of ammonia addition in premixed methane flames

Ammonia is a hydrogen carrier fuel that does not produce CO2 emissions in direct combustion. While ammonia combustion systems have been successfully trialled in a wide range of applications including aircraft engines and gas turbines, ammonia’s low laminar burning velocity and high ignition energy is one of the barriers to its more widespread use. The design and use of ammonia-methane combustors helps overcome these barriers, while also acting as a pathway to a lower-carbon economy. Hence the purpose of this study was to investigate the flame behaviour in terms of stability and emissions production in premixed methane swirl stabilised flames with both diffusion and premixed ammonia injection configurations. Temperature measurements, OH*, and NH2* chemiluminescence measurements were taken. Product gas values were measured for up to 50% (vol.) of ammonia and for 0.8 to 1.4 equivalence ratios at two power ratings (i.e. 6.4 and 10.7 kW). Chemiluminescence results for these conditions show radical concentration’s centre of gravity moving lower with an increase in ammonia concentration. NH2* radicals peaking at 30% ammonia volume fraction. This study also found correlations between radical formation and temperature profiles for numerical validation purposes

Empirical and numerical investigation of turbulent flows in a novel design burner for ammonia/hydrogen combustion

Ammonia-hydrogen fuel blends are an attractive option for the decarbonization of the energy sector with improved combustion characteristics over pure ammonia fuels. However, further research into methods of reducing NOx and NH3 emissions is necessary for combustors operating with these fuel blends. This paper details a novel burner design for partially premixed ammonia-hydrogen fuel injection incorporating considerations for waste heat, unburnt ammonia and improved combustion residence times. Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and computational fluid dynamics using a 3D RANS realizable k-epsilon model were employed to characterise the three-dimensional isothermal flow field of the design. The results show a promising flow profile with an anchored flame, a central recirculation zone and increased residence times

In Vitro Maturation of a Humanized Shark VNAR Domain to Improve Its Biophysical Properties to Facilitate Clinical Development

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support for this work from Scottish Enterprise [VNAR_001(2012)] and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K010905/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Understanding needs and potentials for gender-balanced empowerment and leadership in climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa

The past years were marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downfall, the 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, and the end of the African Women’s Decade. According to the latest projections, African countries will continue to face increasing inequalities, as well as risks to human health, water and food security, due to climate change. African countries are also struggling to reduce gender-related power imbalances in adaptation and mitigation that magnify existing vulnerabilities, particularly those of women. Therefore, any advances made in this narrative are significant. This paper investigates the needs and potential for gender-balanced leadership/empowerment in adaptation and mitigation based on climate change experts’ views on the advances made in Africa. This is complemented by a bibliometric analysis of the literature published on the topic between the years 2015 and 2022. The study suggests that although women’s influence on climate change related decisions is growing, a series of barriers need to be overcome, among which are lack of knowledge and political will. The COVID-19 pandemic is seen as having both positive and negative potentials for gender-balanced leadership/empowerment. The findings provide a premise for identifying possible directions of further actions towards gender-balanced leadership/empowerment in climate change in African countries

Product gas analysis of laminar premixed ammonia-methane flames in stagnation flows

Ammonia is a promising hydrogen energy vector and a carbon-free fuel; hence the use of ammonia-hydrocarbon fuel blends can be viewed as an intermediate step towards a hydrogen economy. The characterization of methane-ammonia emissions is essential for designing combustors for a broader range of fuels while fulfilling strict NOx emission requirements and global warming targets. The product gas trends of laminar premixed ammonia-methane flames at atmospheric pressure were studied for 0.1 to 0.6 ammonia heat ratios at the operable range of equivalence ratios. Gases including NO, N2O, NO2, HCN, CO and NH3 were measured using the dual dilution gas method and compared against numerical predictions. Experimental results showed the highest NO emissions at approximately 8,000 ppm for the 0.3 and 0.4 ammonia heat ratios, reducing twofold at the extreme heat ratio conditions. The optimal condition for reducing NOx emissions while maintaining low unburnt NH3 was found to occur at a 1.20 equivalence ratio for higher ammonia ratios, moving incrementally closer towards 1.35 as the methane ratio was increased. These results can aid a further reaction model analysis due to the availability of stain stabilised stagnation flame models in numerical software