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Reversible Dissociation of a Dialumene**
No full textDialumenes are neutral AlI compounds with Al=Al multiple bonds. We report the isolation of an amidophosphine‐supported dialumene. Our X‐ray crystallographic, spectroscopic, and computational DFT analyses reveal a long and extreme trans‐bent Al=Al bond with a low dissociation energy and bond order. In solution, the dialumene can dissociate into monomeric AlI species. Reactivity studies reveal two modes of reaction: as dialumene or as aluminyl monomers
A required isolation index to support the health system during the pandemic of Covid-19 in Minas Gerais, Brazil
No full textThis paper addresses the effect of isolation on the
spread of Covid-19 in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The
compartmental model SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious,
Recovered) has been employed. The parameters of the model
have been estimated with the help of optimization techniques
based on evolutionary strategies. From the model obtained, this work evaluates the impacts of reducing the isolation in the peak of infected people. Results show that the isolation has reduced the peak in 94%, which has played a crucial role in avoiding the health system collapse up to now. Moreover, around 70% of isolation guarantees a good quality of health system service to deal with the pandemic of Covid-19 according to the number of intensive care units and considering a reproductive number equals to 3.60. This is an important result to be considered during easing physical distancing measures
What business schools do to support academic entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review and future research agenda
No full textThe literature on academic entrepreneurship within business schools is limited and fragmented. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to address this deficit and to identify what business schools do to support academic entrepreneurship and to outline a future research agenda. Based on our systematic literature review we identified three main themes that business schools do to support academic entrepreneurship namely: entrepreneurial education; entrepreneurial networks; and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Furthermore, we identified two further embryonic themes, individual level factors and obstacles to entrepreneurship. Based on our review and analysis we present some future avenues for research
Retaillance: a conceptual framework and review of surveillance in retail
No full textRetaillance is surveillance in a brick-and-mortar retail setting. In today’s world, brick-and-mortar retailers are threatened by compe-tition from online retailers and the need to compete with sellers not just in the same city or country, but from all over the world. Retailers have, therefore, moved beyond the routine surveillance of consu-mers for security reasons, and begun to compete for consumers’ personal and shopping data, in an effort to gain competitive advan-tage. Surprisingly, published academic research relevant to surveil-lance in a retail setting is quite limited. To address this apparent gap, this interdisciplinary literature review will first provide both a new definition and conceptual model of what surveillance in physical retail entails, before reviewing how retailers view retail-lance, how retaillance impacts consumers and their relationships with retailers, along with associated moral and ethical dilemmas. Most importantly, we utilize our review as an opportunity to high-light a variety of directions for future research that can contribute to our understanding of the impact of retaillance and add to the vitality of the fields of retailing and marketing by opening new and unexplored areas of study
Aminopeptidase Expression in Multiple Myeloma Associates with Disease Progression and Sensitivity to Melflufen
No full textAbstract: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by extensive immunoglobulin production leading
to an excessive load on protein homeostasis in tumor cells. Aminopeptidases contribute to proteolysis
by catalyzing the hydrolysis of amino acids from proteins or peptides and function downstream of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. Notably, aminopeptidases can be utilized in the delivery of antibody and peptide-conjugated drugs, such as melflufen, currently in clinical trials. We analyzed
the expression of 39 aminopeptidase genes in MM samples from 122 patients treated at Finnish cancer centers and 892 patients from the CoMMpass database. Based on ranked abundance, LAP3, ERAP2, METAP2, TTP2, and DPP7 were highly expressed in MM. ERAP2, XPNPEP1, DPP3, RNPEP, and CTSV were differentially expressed between relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed MM samples (p < 0.05). Sensitivity to melflufen was detected ex vivo in 11/15 MM patient samples,
and high sensitivity was observed, especially in relapsed/refractory samples. Survival analysis
revealed that high expression of XPNPEP1, RNPEP, DPP3, and BLMH (p < 0.05) was associated with shorter overall survival. Hydrolysis analysis demonstrated that melflufen is a substrate for aminopeptidases LAP3, LTA4H, RNPEP, and ANPEP. The sensitivity of MM cell lines to melflufen
Cancers 2021, 13, 1527.
Cancers 2021, 13, 1527 2 of 21
was reduced by aminopeptidase inhibitors. These results indicate critical roles of aminopeptidases in
disease progression and the activity of melflufen in MM
Multivalent Presentations of Glycomimetic Inhibitor of the Adhesion of Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans to Human Buccal Epithelial Cells
No full textCandida albicans causes some of the most prevalent
hospital-acquired fungal infections, particularly threatening for immunocompromised patients. C. albicans strongly adheres to the surface of epithelial cells so that subsequent colonization and biofilm formation can take place. Divalent galactoside glycomimetic 1 was found to be a potent inhibitor of the adhesion of C. albicans to buccal epithelial cells. In this work, we explore the effect
of multivalent presentations of glycomimetic 1 on its ability to inhibit yeast adhesion and biofilm formation. Tetra-, hexa-, and hexadecavalent displays of compound 1 were built on RAFT cyclopeptide- and polylysine-based scaffolds with a highly efficient and modular synthesis. Biological evaluation revealed that the scaffold choice significantly influences the activity of the lower
valency conjugates, with compound 16, constructed on a tetravalent polylysine scaffold, found to inhibit the adhesion of C. albicans to human buccal epithelial cells more effectively than the glycomimetic 1; however, the latter performed better in the biofilm reduction assays. Interestingly, the higher valency glycoconjugates did not outperform the anti-adhesion activity of the original
compound 1, and no significant effect of the core scaffold could be appreciated. SEM images of C. albicans cells treated with compounds 1, 14, and 16 revealed significant differences in the aggregation patterns of the yeast cells
A Summary of the Meetings of the Development of a Core Outcome Set for Therapeutic Studies in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (COREOS) International Multidisciplinary Consensus
No full textThe Core Outcome Set for Therapeutic Studies in
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (COREOS) collaborators
are a group of more than 70 gastroenterologists, pathologists, allergists, researchers, dietitians, psychologists, and
methodologists who convened in a series of in-person and
virtual meetings between 2018 and 2020 with the aim of
developing a core outcome set (COS) for use in therapeutic
studies of pharmacologic and dietary therapies for the
treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Given heterogeneity in reported outcomes and uncertainties regarding
the most appropriate end points for use in both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies
involving EoE patients, the EoE experts launched the
COREOS exercise in 2018 to standardize outcome definitions using methods established by the Core Outcome
Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative.1,2 The
COS was developed using a multiphase approach, which is
summarized in Figure 1. In the first phase, systematic reviews of the literature and patient engagement surveys
were conducted to identify candidate outcomes that have
been previously measured and are important to patients
with EoE. Next, this information was used to build a
framework of different outcome domains, and working
groups for each domain were assembled to review the
literature for relevant end points.3–6 The relative importance of these domains was categorized in a Delphi survey
as core, important, and research agenda domains, and
discussed in a moderated in-person meeting on May 17,
2019 at Digestive Disease Week (San Diego, CA). In phase
3, a comprehensive list of outcome measures within each
of the core domains was evaluated by the COREOS collaborators in a 2-round Delphi survey and, finally, outcomes were ratified in a virtual meeting on December 8,
2020. In this meeting summary, we highlight the major
points of discussion that occurred during the development
of the EoE COS
Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern B.1.1.7, B.1.351 or P.1: data from seven EU/EEA countries, weeks 38/2020 to 10/2021
No full textWe compared 19,207 cases of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7/S gene target failure (SGTF), 436 B.1.351
and 352 P.1 to non-variant cases reported by seven
European countries. COVID-19 cases with these variants had significantly higher adjusted odds ratios
for hospitalisation (B.1.1.7/SGTF: 1.7, 95% confidence
interval (CI): 1.0–2.9; B.1.351: 3.6, 95% CI: 2.1–6.2; P.1:
2.6, 95% CI: 1.4–4.8) and B.1.1.7/SGTF and P.1 cases
also for intensive care admission (B.1.1.7/SGTF: 2.3,
95% CI: 1.4–3.5; P.1: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.7–2.8).
Here, we analyse coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases
infected with any of the three severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of
concern (VOC): B.1.1.7/S gene target failure (SGTF),
B.1.351 or P.1. We compare them with cases reported
as infected with non-VOC virus with a focus on disease
severity
DEVELOPMENT OF RIGOROUS METHODS IN FLUID MECHANICS AND THEORY OF WATER WAVES
No full textThe transformation of surface waves over varying obstacles is far from a new problem, but it has become an increasing challenge in our world due to growing environmental,
societal and technological needs. Many stakeholders, from scientists and engineers through to governments and private companies, are searching for superior models to
describe the influences of changes in depth of the ocean or cross-section of canals, and how the speed of the current affects the wave transformation. This research can
have many impacts, from protecting coastlines or natural treasures like the Great Barrier Reef and bringing greater safety to marine vessels and offshore structures,
to answering complex new theories and concepts, including the application of the Hawking effect in relation to black holes. Whenever a wave passes over a surface, the
size of the transmitted wave may be significantly increased compared to the amplitude and speed of the incident wave. The impact of a transmitted wave on offshore or
coastal structures is impossible to calculate without closely calculating the transmitted waves. It is also impossible to trust the numerical results without deep analytical modelling of these problems due to the complex nature of the effects. This research looks at four important considerations: the transformation of long linear waves in an ocean with a variable depth, long-wave scattering in a canal with a rapidly varying cross-section, long linear surface waves on stationary currents in a canal of constant
depth and variable width, and the re-estimation of the forced Korteweg–de Vries equation to describe a resonant interaction of a solitary wave with external pulse-type
perturbations
Squaramide‐Based Self‐Associating Amphiphiles for Anion Recognition
No full textThe synthesis and characterisation of two novel self-assembled amphiphiles (SSAs) SQS-1 and SQS-2 are reported. Both compounds, based on the squaramide motif, were fully soluble in a range of solvents and were shown to undergo self-assembly through a range of physical techniques. Self-assembly was shown to favour the formation of crystalline domains on the nanoscale but also fibrillar film formation, as suggested by SEM analysis. Moreover, both SQS-1 and SQS-2 were capable of anion recognition in DMSO solution as demonstrated using 1 HNMR and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, but displayed lower binding affinities for various anions when compared against other squaramide based receptors. In more competitive solvent mixtures SQS-1 gave rise to a colourimetric response in the presence of HPO4
2 anion when compared against other biologically relevant anion