Two pilot scale desalination system employing carbon modified nano-sized, zero valent metals (n-ZVM) were maufactured and tested to determine (1) the degree to which high salt water (20 to 130 mS) could be desalinated and (2) if this degree of desalination could be maintained throughout an extended treatment period. Two pilot systems were tested (referred to as Generation 1 and Generation 2) consisting of parallel lines of 4 individual reactors in series, a settling tank and an activated carbon cell at the end of each reactor line. The system capacity was 300 gal in Generation 1 and 600 gal in Generation 2 total with a total hydraulic residence time of 6 hours per reactor line (one hour per cell/tank). A slurry of n-ZVM was introduced in the first reactor on each line to yield approximately 5 to 45 grams of nano-metal per 100 L of influent salt water. The n-ZVM slurry was made from mixing tea extract with metal salts (eg ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride) to produce the carbon modified metal slurry. Initial runs focused on dosing required to achieve maximum salt removal at each of three influent salt contents, 28 mS, 44 mS and 123 mS. Once dosing was set, continuous runs (14 days, 23 days and 9 days) were carried out to (1) examine the ability of the pilot to maintain the removal efficiency over an extended period, (2) to determine the weaknesses inherent in the pilot systems, and (3) to begin to develop CAPEX and OPEX estimates for the pilot and pre-design full scale mobile desalination unit (MDU) system. Results demonstrated that maximum removal occurred with 10 g/100L of salt for the 30 mS salt solution,16 g/100 L of salt for the 40 mS influent water and 40 g/100 L for the 130 mS influent. Salt removal (expressed as Na and Cl removed) approached 78% for the 30 mS influent and 41 mS influent respectively while removal for the highest salt influent (130 mS) approached 81 %. Addition of greater amounts of carbon modified slurry than those described resulted in a pH less than 6 which inhibits continued salt removal and would require addition of calcium or magnesium oxides/hydroxides or bicarbonate solutions at the influent side to achieve greater salt removal and of course greater cost per gallon. Continuous operation over the extended time-period showed no significant decrease in salt removal with typical day to day variation of no more than 10% suggesting that this approach to desalination could rapidly provide usable water from saline aquifers, seawater or even produced water. Treatment of saline waters at 30 mS or less yields effluent water in the range necessary for irrigation use of many crops while treatment of seawater or produced water levels of salt (40 mS or higher) yields effluent in the range of 8 to 10 mS a range ideal for RO influent that would prevent the production of large volumes of brine. Pilot testing continues with seawater extracted from Puget Sound, Seattle WA and higher levels of salt to better represent produced water.

Tissue regeneration is an essential requirement for wound healing and recovery of organs’ function. It has been demonstrated that wound healing can be facilitated by activating paracrine signaling mediated by exosomes secreted from stem cells, since exosomes deliver many functional molecules including growth factors (GFs) and neurotrophic factors (NFs) effective for tissue regeneration. In this study, an exosome-rich conditioned medium (ERCM) was collected from human amniotic membrane stem cells (AMSCs) by cultivating the cells under a low oxygen tension (2% O2 and 5% CO2). The contents of GFs and NFs including keratinocyte growth factor, epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor 1, transforming growth factor-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor responsible for skin regeneration were much higher (10-30 folds) in the ERCM than in normal conditioned medium (NCM). In was found that CM-DiI-labeled exosomes readily entered keratinocytes and fibroblasts, and that ERCM not only facilitated the proliferation of keratinocytes in normal condition, but also protected against H2O2 cytotoxicity. In cell-migration assay, the scratch wound in keratinocyte culture dish was rapidly closed by treatment with ERCM. Such wound-healing effects of ERCM were confirmed in a rat whole skin-excision model: i.e., the wound closure was significantly accelerated, remaining minimal crusts, by topical application of ERCM solution (4 x 109 exosome particles/100 μL) at 4-day intervals. In the wounded skin, the deposition of collagens was enhanced by treatment with ERCM, which was supported by the increased production of collagen-1 and collagen-3. In addition, enhanced angiogenesis in ERCM-treated wounds was confirmed by increased von Willebrand factor (vWF)-positive endothelial cells. The results indicate that ERCM from AMSCs with high concentrations of GFs and NFs improves wound healing through tissue regeneration not only by facilitating keratinocyte proliferation for skin repair, but also activating fibroblasts for extracellular matrix production, in addition to the regulation of angiogenesis and scar tissue formation.

This study explored the potential synergism within chlorhexidine-silver nanoparticles conjugates against Influenza type A, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. Silver nanoparticles (SN) were obtained by the reduction of silver ions with green tea total phenolic extract and conjugated with chlorhexidine (Cx). The particles were characterized by UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopies, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. A stable negatively-charged nano-silver colloid (ζ=-50.01) was obtained with an average hydrodynamic diameter of 92.34 nm. In the presence of chlorhexidine, the spectral data and the shift of the zeta potential to positive values (ζ=+44.59) revealed the successful sorption of the drug onto the silver surface. The conjugates (SN-Cx) demonstrated potentiation in the effects against S. aureus and C. albicans, and synergism against E. coli with minimal inhibitory concentrations of SN 5.5 µg/mL+Cx 8.8 µg/mL. The SN showed excellent, increasing with time, virucidal properties, and low toxicity. The coupling of the cationic chlorhexidine with nano-silver, however, did not reduce its intrinsic cytotoxicity on various cell lines (MDCK, BJ, and А549). The newly-synthesized antimicrobial agent presented with an extended and promising therapeutic spectrum and needs to be further evaluated on relevant to the designated route of administration three-dimensional cell models (e.g., nasal, bronchial, dermal, ocular, etc.).

The DnaA protein has long been considered to play the key role in the initiation of chromosome replication in modern bacteria. Many questions about this role, however, remain unanswered. Here, we raise these questions within a framework based on the dynamics of hyperstructures alias large assemblies of molecules and macromolecules that perform a function. In this dynamics, hyperstructures can (1) emit and receive signals or (2) fuse and separate from one another. We ask whether the DnaA-based initiation hyperstructure acts as a logic gate receiving information from the membrane, the chromosome and metabolism to trigger replication; we try to phrase some of these questions in terms of DNA supercoiling, strand opening, glycolytic enzymes, SeqA, ribonucleotide reductase, the Macromolecular Synthesis operon, post-translational modifications and metabolic pools. Finally, we ask whether, underpinning the regulation of the cell cycle, there is a physico-chemical clock inherited from the first protocells, and whether this clock emits a single signal that triggers both chromosome replication and cell division.

Silica aerogels and their derivatives have outstanding thermal properties with exceptional values in the thermal insulation industry. However, the brittle nature restricts its large-scale commercialization. Thus, enhancing their mechanical strength without affecting their thermal insulating properties is essential. Therefore, for the first time, highly thermally stable Poly(acrylamide-Co-acrylic acid) partial sodium salt is used as a reinforcing polymer to synthesize hybrid P(AAm-CO-AAc)-silica aerogels via epoxy ring-opening polymerization in the present study. Functional groups in P(AAm-CO-AAc) partial sodium salts, such as CONH2 and COOH, acted as nucleophiles for the epoxy ring-opening reaction with (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, which resulted in a seven-fold enhancement in mechanical strength compared to that of a pristine silica aerogel while maintaining the thermal conductivity at less than 30.6 mW/mK and porosity of more than 93.68%. Moreover, the hybrid P(AAm-CO-AAc)-silica aerogel demonstrated improved thermal stability up to 343 ⁰C owing to the synergetic effect between P(AAm-CO-AAc) and the silica aerogel, corresponding to thermal stability and strong covalent bonding among them. These excellent results illustrate that this new synthetic approach for producing hybrid P(AAm-CO-AAc)-silica aerogels is useful for enhancing the mechanical strength of a pristine silica aerogel without impairing its thermal insulating property and shows potential as an industrial heat insulation material.

CT scans are currently the most common imaging modality used for suspected stroke patients due to their short acquisition time and wide availability. However, MRI offers superior tissue contrast and image quality. In this study, eight deep learning models are developed, trained, and tested using a dataset of 181 CT/MR pairs from stroke patients. The resultant synthetic MRIs generated by these models are compared through a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. The synthetic MRIs generated by a 3D UNet model consistently demonstrated superior performance across all methods of evaluation. Overall, the generation of synthetic MRIs from CT scans using the methods described in this paper produces realistic MRIs that can guide the registration of CT scans to MRI atlases. The synthetic MRIs enable the segmentation of white matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid using algorithms designed for MRIs, exhibiting a high degree of similarity to true MRIs.

A quantitative method is proposed to determine of Stone-Wales defects for carbon nanostructures with sp2 hybridization of carbon atoms. The technique is based on the diene synthesis reaction (Diels-Alder reaction). The proposed method was used to determine Stone-Wales defects in the few-layer graphene (FLG) nanostructures synthesized by the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process, in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) synthesized based on the method of Hammers and in the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) TUBAL trademark, Russia. Our research has shown that the structure of FLG is free of Stone-Wales defects, while the surface concentration of Stone-Wales defects in TUBAL carbon nanotubes is 1.1×10-5 mol/m2 and 3.6×10-5 mol/m2 for rGO.

Synergistic effects between reactions, reagents and catalysts can lead to minor heats of reaction and occur as an inherent result of multi-component reactions (MCRs) and their extensions. They enable syntheses to be performed at a low energy level and the number of synthesis steps to be drastically reduced in comparison with ‘classical’ two-component reactions. The very high potential for variability, diversity and complexity of MCRs additionally generates an extremely diverse range of products, thus bringing us closer to the aim of being able to produce tailor-made and extremely low-priced materials, drugs and libraries.

We conducted a comparative study on the development of two synthetic methods. The solvent-free synthesis is a green chemistry method developed in a bid to ameliorate environmental adverse effects of the conventional solvent-based synthesis. The synthesis of novel dichloro and polymethoxy p-nitrophenylhydrazones through solvent free technique gave moderate to high yields which were however lower than those of the solvent-based method. The established solvent-free approach has several benefits, including universality and simplicity of the approach, catalyst-free conditions, non-use of an organic solvent, quick reaction time, fast and efficient workup, and un-solvated pure products in moderate to high yields.

Using of the organic base tetramethylammonium hydroxides (TMAH) is a viable, cheap and fast route, for the MgZnAl-LDH type materials synthesis by both co-precipitation and mechano-chemical methods. TMAH provided several advantages as smaller quantity of water required in the washing step compared to the use of inorganic alkalis, prevention of LDH contamination with alkali cations, acting as template molecule in texture tailoring along with disadvantages as its presence in small quantities in the resulting layered materials. Regardless the use of organic / inorganic bases and co-precipitation / mechano-chemical methods, zincite stable phase was found in all the synthesized solids. The basicity of catalysts followed the trend: mixed oxides > reconstructed > parent LDH. The memory effect of LDH is supported only by the presence of Mg and Al cations, while Zn remains as zincite stable phase. The catalytic activities for Claisen-Schmidt condensation of benzaldehyde with cyclohexanone provided values higher than 90% after 2h, with a total selectivity in 2,6-dibenzylidenecyclohexanone, while in self-condensation of cyclohexanone no more than 7.29% after 5h. These behaviors depended on catalysts basicity as well as the planar rigidity of the compound.

Nicastrin (NICT) is a transmembrane protein physically associated with the polytypical aspartyl protease presenilin that plays a vital role in the correct localization and stabilization of presenilin to the membrane-bound γ-secretase complex. This complex is involved in the regulation of a wide range of cellular events including cell signaling and the regulation of endocytosed membrane proteins for their trafficking and protein processing. Mehtods: In Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of the Chagas disease, an NICT-like protein (Tc/NICT) was identified with a short C-terminus orthologous to the human protein, a large ectodomain (ECD) with numerous glycosylation sites and a single core transmembrane domain containing a putative TM-domain (457GSVGA461) important for the γ-secretase complex activity. Results: Using the Spot-synthesis strategy with Chagasic patient sera, five extracellular epitopes were identified and synthetic forms were used to generate rabbit anti-Tc/NICT polyclonal serum that recognized a ~72-kDa molecule in immunoblots of T. cruzi epimastigote extracts. Confocal microscopy suggests that Tc/NICT is localized in the flagellar pocket, which is consistent with data from our previous studies with a T. cruzi presenilin-like protein. Phylogenetically, Tc/NICT was localized within a subgroup with the T. rangeli protein that are clearly detached from the other Trypanosomatidae such as T. brucei. These results, together with a comparative analysis of the selected peptide sequence regions between the T. cruzi and mammalian proteins suggest a divergence from the human NICT that might be relevant to Chagas disease pathology. As a whole, our data show that an NICT-like protein is expressed in the infective and replicative stages of T. cruzi and may be considered further evidence for a γ-secretase complex in trypanosomatids.

The study presents a mathematical modeling for supporting the premise that our body is composed of blockchain systems. A cell population is considered a space with peer-to-peer communication networks for applying blockchain protocol. Transaction is defined as gene expression that constantly occurs for protein synthesis in each cell. The transaction process proceeds according to the blockchain protocol with sharing and recording the data on the blockchain ledger. The premise comes from the clues of the previous research such that the cell population is a complex structured network system having cell-to-cell connections. Although individual cells exhibit stochastic nonlinear dynamic behavior, cell population shows consensus behavior that reaches to ensemble through interaction among cells. It is inferred that gene expression is not regulated by the corresponding cell only nor determined by external intelligence such as the brain. This is achieved through a consensus through stochastic interactions between cells over the whole cell population. These findings imply that mathematical blockchain modeling is a suitable for gene expression process. The original contribution of the study is a methodology for applying mathematically the blockchain protocol to the real biological gene expression process. In other words, the DNA sequence is converted into a numeral bit sequence that makes it possible to implement the blockchain protocol. A new DNA sequence scheme is proposed with adding methylated cytosine and adenine as the 5th and 6th bases for including epigenetic information which has profound effect on gene expression and regulation. The methodology was applied to the real biological synthesis process of protein samples. The protein is composed of amino acids that are encoded by triplet codons of 216 kinds with 6 base RNA sequence. The gene expression information is traced backward from a synthesized protein sample, amino acids of codons, RNA transcript up to DNA sequence. One of the results is a numeric value in the form of a bit sequence with which mathematical blockchain modeling is applicable. The cryptographic authentication and the consensus process are mathematically proven to work properly by the blockchain protocol. It implies that the same protein is synthesized, but with different epigenetic data, then protein's latent material properties will certainly be different. Although the result has not been justified by the biologic experiment yet, it is sure that the biological hidden algorithm inside DNA sequence will be revealed by the binary bit-logic with physical on/off states which is mathematically proven. The research will greatly contribute to disease treatment and medicine development as well as epigenetics in the future.

A simple method is presented for the continuous generation of carbon nanotube forests stably anchored on stainless-steel surfaces using a reactive-roll-to-roll (RR2R) configuration. No addition of catalyst nanoparticles is required for the CNT-forest generation, the stainless-steel substrate itself being tuned to generate the catalytic growth sites. The process enables very larges surfaces covered with CNT forests having individual CNT roots anchored to the metallic ground through primary bonds. Fog water harvesting is demonstrated and tested as one potential application using long CNT-covered wires. The RR2R is performed in the gas phase, no solution processing of CNT suspensions is used contrary to usual R2R CNT-based technologies. Full or partial CNT-forest coverage provides tuning of the ratio and shape of hydrophobic and hydrophilic zones on the surface. This enables optimization of fog water harvesters for droplet capture through the hydrophobic CNT forest, and water removal from the hydrophilic SS surface. Water recovery tests using small harp-type harvesters with CNT-forest generate water capture of up to 2.2 g/cm2h under ultrasound-generated fog flow. The strong CNT root anchoring on the stainless steel surfaces provides opportunities for (i) robustness and easy transport of the composite structure, (ii) chemical functionalization and/or nanoparticle decoration of the structures, and opens the road for a series of applications on large scale surfaces, including fog harvesting.

Coffee processing generates a huge amount of waste which contains many natural products. Here, we report the discovery of a panel novel cell-penetrating and metal-ion binding microproteins designated coffeetide cC1a-c and cL1-6 from the husk of two popular coffee plants, Coffea canephora and Coffea liberica, respectively. Combining sequence determination and database search, we showed that the prototypic coffeetide cC1a is a 37-residue, eight-cysteine microprotein with a hevein-like cysteine motif but without a chitin-binding domain. NMR determination of cC1a revealed a compact structure that confers it resistance to heat and proteolytic degradation. Disulfide mapping together with chemical synthesis revealed that cC1a has a ginsentide-like, and not a hevein-like, disulfide connectivity. In addition, transcriptomic analysis showed that the 98-residue micrcoproten-like coffeetide precursor contains a three-domain arrangement like ginsentide precursors. Molecular modeling together with experimental validation revealed a Mg2+ and Fe3+ binding pocket at the N-terminus formed by three glutamic acids. Importantly, cC1a is amphipathic with a continuous stretch of 19 apolar amino acids, and which enables its cell penetration to target intracellular proteins, despite being highly negatively charged. Our findings suggest that coffee by-products could provide a source of ginsentide-like bioactive peptides that have potential to target intracellular proteins.

Research on healthy ageing shows that lifespan reductions are often caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, it is very interesting that the deletion of mitochondrial matrix peptidase LonP1 was observed to abolish embryogenesis, while deletion of the mitochondrial matrix peptidase ClpP prolonged survival. To unveil the targets of each enzyme, we documented the global proteome of LonP1^+/- mouse embryonal fibroblasts (MEF), for comparison with ClpP^-/- depletion. Proteomic profiles of LonP1^+/- MEF generated by label-free mass spectrometry were further processed with the STRING webserver Heidelberg for protein interactions. ClpP was previously reported to degrade Eral1 as a chaperone involved in mitoribosome assembly, so ClpP deficiency triggers accumulation of mitoribosomal subunits and inefficient translation. LonP1^+/- MEF also showed Eral1 accumulation, but no systematic effect on mitoribosomal subunits. In contrast to ClpP^-/- profiles, several components of the respiratory complex I membrane arm were accumulated, whereas the upregulation of numerous innate immune defense components was similar. Overall, LonP1 as opposed to ClpP appears to have no effect on translational machinery, instead it shows enhanced respiratory dysfunction; this agrees with reports on the human CODAS syndrome caused by LonP1 mutations.

Despite huge effort has been devoted to the design of the initiators and reaction conditions, it remains challenging to synthesize high molecular weight polypeptides with conventional solution phase synthesis. In this work, surface-initiated vapor deposition polymerization (SI-VDP) was utilized to graft synthetic polypeptides poly (γ-benzyl L-glutamate) (PBLG) from polystyrene (PS) resin beads by ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). It was demonstrated for the first time that high molecular weight bulk PBLG (> 500,000) could be readily obtained within one hour via solvent-free synthetic method which paves the way for the synthesis of copolypeptides with high molecular weight.

A paper impregnated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been prepared. For the preparation of the substrates, aqueous suspensions of pulp fines, a side product from the paper production, have been mixed with Ag nanoparticles (AgNP) suspensions. The nanoparticle synthesis thereof was carried out via laser ablation of pure Ag in water. After the sheet formation process, the leaching of the AgNPs was determined to be low while the sheets exhibited antimicrobial activity towards E. Coli.

Carbon supported nanoparticles of monometallic Ni catalyst and binary Ni-Transition Metal (Ni-TM/C) electrocatalytic composites were synthesized via chemical reduction method, where TM stands for the doping elements Fe, Co, and Cu. The chemical composition, structure and morphology of the Ni-TM/C materials were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The electrochemical properties towards hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline medium were studied using the rotating disc electrode and cycling voltammetry methods. A significant role of the TM dopant in the promotion of the hydrogen electrooxidation kinetics of the binary Ni-TM/C materials were revealed. A record-high in exchange current density value of 0.060 mA cm²_Ni was measured for Ni₃Fe₁/C, whereas the monometallic Ni/C counterpart has only shown 0.039 mA cm²_Ni. In order to predict the feasibility of the electrocatalysts for hydrogen chemisorption, density functional theory was applied to calculate the hydrogen binding energy and hydroxide binding energy values for bare Ni and Ni₃TM₁.

This case study focuses on exploring the potential of biogas as a direct substitute for conventional fossil fuels in industrial applications. Instead of being limited to its common uses as a vehicle fuel or for power generation, this research aims to investigate how biogas can be integrated into industrial processes as an advanced and sustainable energy solution. By conducting a detailed analysis of the financial implications associated with the utilization of landfill gas and gas derived from biomass, a comprehensive understanding of their practical applications in the industrial sector can be obtained. This research goes beyond a superficial examination and delves into the intricate aspects of incorporating biogas as a viable alternative fuel source. When we say that utilizing biogas is technically feasible, it means that the necessary infrastructure and technologies are available to support its integration into industrial processes. This implies that there are existing methods and systems in place that can efficiently harness and utilize biogas for various industrial applications. These technologies ensure a seamless transition from conventional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, leading to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial landscape. Moreover, the statement that utilizing biogas is economically feasible emphasizes that the financial viability of employing biogas in industrial processes is advantageous. This research explores the potential cost savings and benefits associated with substituting conventional fuels with biogas. By carefully examining the economic aspects, such as initial investments, operational costs, and potential revenue streams, a comprehensive understanding of the financial impact of adopting biogas solutions in the industrial sector can be gained. By expanding and broadening the understanding of the technical and economic feasibility of biogas integration, this research aims to provide valuable insights into the potential of advanced biogas solutions for industrial applications. Indeed, to make biogas a viable and sustainable option as a raw material, it is necessary to establish farming subsidies and financial support specifically tailored for biogas production, similar to the existing support provided for food production. These subsidies and financial incentives play a crucial role in promoting and encouraging the growth of the biogas industry. By establishing such support systems, farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector can be incentivized to participate in the production of biogas. This can involve the utilization of agricultural waste, organic residues, or dedicated energy crops for biogas generation. The financial assistance can help offset the initial investment costs, provide incentives for production, and ensure the economic viability of biogas projects. Moreover, when considering large-scale landfills or situations where industrial demands for energy are relatively low, landfill gas becomes a viable and practical option. Landfill gas, which is generated by the decomposition of organic waste in landfills, can be harnessed and utilized for various industrial purposes. This not only helps in managing waste but also provides a valuable source of renewable energy. In summary, while farming subsidies and financial support are crucial for promoting biogas production, landfill gas remains a viable option for large landfills or situations with minor industrial demands. The combination of these two approaches offers a comprehensive outlook on utilizing biogas as a renewable energy source for industrial applications.

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the main approaches of cancer therapy, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Radiation-induced DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs), single-stranded DNA breaks (SSBs) and oxidized nucleobases cause replication fork stalling, chromosomal instability or point mutagenesis and can lead to cell death. Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is one of the DNA damage tolerance (DDT) pathways promoting replication of damaged DNA. Here, we explored the effects of the knockout of primase-polymerase PRIMPOL (PRIMPOL −/−) and TLS polymerase POLI (POLI −/−) genes in two different monoclonal lines derived from human NSCLC A549 cells. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of their absence on the susceptibility of these cells to ionizing radiation (IR)-induced stress. Without IR, cells that do not have PRIMPOL or POLI experience a considerable rise in apoptosis by day 7 of continuous cultivation and a noteworthy decline in cell migration under spatial confinement when compared to the parental wild-type cells. Despite this, we have found that PRIMPOL −/− exhibited higher clonogenic survival compared to wild-type cell lines in response to IR stress. Both of these cell lines demonstrated remarkable resilience to radiation stress, surpassing the survival rate of the original A549 cells. POLI deficiency reduces cellular γH2AX foci accumulation, while the presence of highest number of γH2AX foci in PRIMPOL−/− cells was ATM-independent. We report for the first time that increased post-irradiation clonogenic survival of PRIMPOL −/− A549 cells might be associated with the increase of CD133+ but not CD44+ populations of cancer stem-like cells.

A facile and environmentally benign method for a single-phase barium titanate synthesis in water vapor medium was studied to reveal the mechanism of phase transformation of the initial simple oxides mixture and estimate the capability of the product to be used as a raw material for low-frequency dielectric ceramics. The composition and structure of the reaction mixture treated in vapor at 130…150 °C as well as 230 °C for various time were investigated by means of XRD, SEM, HRTEM, EDX, and FTIR methods. The kinetics of the occurring phase transformation was described by Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Erofeev equation. The reaction between the initial oxides was considered as a topochemical process with an apparent activation energy of 74…80 kJ mol^-1. A crucial role in this process belonged to the water vapor medium, which facilitated the generation of the reaction zone and its spreading inward the solid particles. The synthesized tetragonal barium titanate powder (mean particle size of 135 ± 24 nm) was sintered by a conventional technique at 1250 °C to obtain ceramics with grains of about 2 μm. Capacitance measurements performed a dielectric constant and loss tangent of ceramics, which reached 3879 and 6.7 10^-3, respectively, at 1 kHz and room temperature.

Multi-Alignment method coupled with phylogenetic analysis we disclosed the Nsp9 and Nsp10 non-structural proteins of Corona Virus as rRNA RlmH/K methyltransferases with similarities with bin recombinase and int-core integrase fold. Further, Nsp9 has similarities to S8 ribosomal protein and Nap10 has similarity to S10 ribosomal protein. Previously, we showed Nsp13, Nsp14, Nsp15 and Nsp16 are also different types of rRNA RlmE/N and Cfr-like methyltransferases-ribonuclease with RNA helicase domains. Two domains of Nsp13 astonishingly have similarities to ribosomal proteins L6 and L9. Taken together, Nsp9/10 and Nsp13-16 proteins could mimic host ribosome assembly and also could methylate rRNA of mitobibosome preventing mitochondrial protein synthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Low ATP synthesis causes lowering blood pressure following coma but very ATP concentration (1-10nM) surely induces platelets aggregation through vWA, collagen and GpIIb/IIIa proteins followed by fibrin formation and blood clotting as recently have seen in the lung of many Corona virus infected patients. We have also postulated that two polyproteins itself resemble like 28S and 38S mitoribosome subunits and compete with rRNAs inhibiting the ribosome turnover and new protein synthesis due to their similarities with many ribosomal proteins. Such finding may be valuable in computer-based novel drug design against Corona virus.

The term ‘Hallmarks of Cancer’ was coined by Hanahan and Weinberg in their influential reviews and they described genome instability as a property of cells enabling cancer development [1, 2]. Accurate DNA replication of genomes is central to diminish genome instability. Here, the understanding of the initiation of DNA synthesis in origins of DNA replication to start leading strand synthesis and the initiation of Okazaki fragment on the lagging strand are crucial to control genome instability. Recent findings have provided new insights into the mechanism of the remodelling of the prime initiation enzyme, DNA polymerase α-primase, during primer synthesis, how the enzyme complex achieves lagging strand synthesis, and how it is linked to replication forks to achieve optimal initiation of Okazaki fragments. Moreover, the central roles of RNA primer synthesis by Pol-prim in multiple genome stability pathways such as replication fork restart and protection of DNA against degradation by exonucleases during double-strand break repair is discussed.

Clock Network Design (CDN) is a critical step while designing any Integrated-Circuits (ICs). It holds vital importance in the performance of entire circuit. Due to continuous scaling, 3D ICs stacked with TSV are gaining importance, with an objective to continue with the Moore's law. Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) provides the vertical interconnection between two die, which allows the electrical signal to flow through it. 3D ICs has many advantages over conventional 2D planar ICs like reduced power, area, cost, wire-length etc. The proposed work is mainly focused on power reduction and obstacle avoidance for 3D ICs. Various techniques have already been introduced for minimizing clock power within specified clock constraints of the 3D CND network. Proposed 3D Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) is a combination of various algorithms with an objective to meet reduction in power as well as avoidance of obstacle or blockages while routing the clock signal from one sink to other sink. These blockages like RAM, ROM, PLL etc. are fixed during the placement process. The work is carried out mainly in three steps- first is Generation of 3D Clock tree avoiding the blockages, then Buffering and Embedding and finally validating the results by SPICE simulation. The experimental result shows that our CTS approach results in significant 9% reduction in power as compare to the existing work.