Identification and Structure–Activity Relationship Studies of Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of the Methyllysine Reader Protein Spindlin1

The methyllysine reader protein Spindlin1 has been implicated in the tumorigenesis of several types of cancer and may be an attractive novel therapeutic target. Small‐molecule inhibitors of Spindlin1 should be valuable as chemical probes as well as potential new therapeutics. We applied an iterative virtual screening campaign, encompassing structure‐ and ligand‐based approaches, to identify potential Spindlin1 inhibitors from databases of commercially available compounds. Our in silico studies coupled with in vitro testing were successful in identifying novel Spindlin1 inhibitors. Several 4‐aminoquinazoline and quinazolinethione derivatives were among the active hit compounds, which indicated that these scaffolds represent promising lead structures for the development of Spindlin1 inhibitors. Subsequent lead optimization studies were hence carried out, and numerous derivatives of both lead scaffolds were synthesized. This resulted in the discovery of novel inhibitors of Spindlin1 and helped explore the structure–activity relationships of these inhibitor series.     

A Catalytic Nanoreactor Based on in Vivo Encapsulation of Multiple Enzymes in an Engineered Protein Nanocompartment

Bacterial protein compartments concentrate and sequester enzymes, thereby regulating biochemical reactions. Here, we generated a new functional nanocompartment in Escherichia coli by engineering the MS2 phage capsid protein to encapsulate multiple cargo proteins. Sequestration of multiple proteins in MS2‐based capsids was achieved by SpyTag/SpyCatcher protein fusions that covalently crosslinked with the interior surface of the capsid. Further, the functional two‐enzyme indigo biosynthetic pathway could be targeted to the engineered capsids, leading to a 60 % increase in indigo production in vivo. The enzyme‐loaded particles could be purified in their active form and showed enhanced long‐term stability in vitro (about 95 % activity after seven days) compared with free enzymes (about 5 % activity after seven days). In summary, this engineered in vivo encapsulation system provides a simple and versatile way for generating highly stable multi‐enzyme nanoreactors for in vivo and in vitro applications.     

Multicriteria optimization as enabler for Sustainable Ceramic Matrix Composites

Over the past 40 years, development of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) has focused mainly on the improvement of material performance and optimization of cost-efficient production routes. Recently, more fields of application have opened up for CMCs, in which environmental impacts are relevant. These impacts have barely been investigated so far but receive growing interest due to increasing awareness of the environmental consequences. Our innovative approach frames material properties in relation to environmental impacts (e.g., global warming potential in CO₂ emission) by varying process parameters to balance optimum performance against environmental considerations. First, the process of wet filament winding has been investigated up to the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) state by changing both the curing and tempering temperatures. During the production of CFRP plates, mass and energy flows were tracked in each step. Three point-bending and interlaminar shear tests have been performed on the resulting samples to identify basic mechanical properties. The environmental impacts are determined by a cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), using the software SimaPro. The resulting tradeoffs between mechanical properties and environmental impacts show nonlinear behavior, thus revealing optimum points above which improved mechanical properties are associated with significantly higher CO₂ emissions.     

CO2双级系统的运行特性

本文论述了CO2双级系统在超市应用中各种运行工况和相应的运行特性，也论及不同负荷和运行工况下的主要原则和挑战。另外，分析了小型双级制冷系统中模拟和测量的运行结果，以帮助系统设计人员建模并避免可能存在的问题。     

Hot tool and high temperature welding of filled reinforced thermoplastics

Abstract

The existing technologies of hot tool butt and high temperature welding are changing with the additives and fillers which are being added to thermoplastics to improve their properties. This necessitates modification of the welding apparatus. The details are discussed using PVC-VM and chalk-filled polypropylene as examples.     

Reoptimization of the Shortest Common Superstring Problem

A reoptimization problem describes the following scenario: given an instance of an optimization problem together with an optimal solution for it, we want to find a good solution for a locally modified instance.     

Changes in volatile composition during fruit development and ripening of ‘Alphonso’ mango

BACKGROUND: Volatile blends of five developing and five ripening stages of mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. Alphonso) were investigated along with those of flowers and leaves. Raw and ripe fruits of cv. Sabja were also used for comparison. RESULTS: A total of 55 volatiles belonging to various chemical classes such as aldehydes, alcohols, mono‐ and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, lactones and furanones were identified. In all Alphonso tissues monoterpenes quantitatively dominated, with 57–99% contribution; in particular, (Z)‐ocimene was found in the highest amount. Ripeness was characterized by the de novo appearance of lactones and furanones in the blend of monoterpenes. Sabja was distinguished by the abundance of monoterpene hydrocarbons in the raw fruit, and that of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and their derivatives in the ripe stage. CONCLUSION: Various stages of the Alphonso fruit during transition from flower to ripe fruit are characterized by unique volatile signatures that are distinguished from each other by the qualitative and quantitative appearance of different volatile compounds. Thus volatiles can be highly informative markers while studying the development and ripening of mango. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

A genetic algorithm for the two-dimensional knapsack problem with rectangular pieces

Given a set of rectangular pieces and a rectangular container, the two-dimensional knapsack problem (2D-KP) consists of orthogonally packing a subset of the pieces within the container such that the sum of the values of the packed pieces is maximized. If the value of a piece is given by its area, the objective is to maximize the covered area of the container. A genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed addressing the guillotine case of the 2D-KP as well as the non-guillotine case. Moreover, an orientation constraint may optionally be taken into account and the given piece set may be constrained or unconstrained. The GA is subjected to an extensive test using well-known benchmark instances. Compared with recently published methods, the GA yields competitive results.     

Microtensile testing of submicrometer thick functional polymer samples

Organic electronic devices are currently being introduced in commercial applications such as flexible displays. Due to the mechanical loading of these devices during bending, it is important to know the mechanical properties in order to assess reliability. It is therefore essential to develop experimental setups for the mechanical characterization of submicrometer thick functional polymer layers. In this paper a new microtensile approach is presented along with first results for Young's modulus of polyimide (PI) and the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS obtained using this method. The microtensile specimen are made of a bilayer consisting of PI as the substrate layer and of a submicron layer of PEDOT:PSS deposited on top of it. The mechanical properties are derived from comparison of measurements performed on samples with and without the functional layer and by varying this layer's thickness. A thorough error analysis is also presented to provide an overview of the precision inherent in this approach. The experiments yield Young's moduli of 3.28 ± 0.34 GPa for PI and of 4.51 ± 0.34 GPa for PEDOT:PSS.