Assessment of synthetic cannabinoid FUB-AMB and its ester hydrolysis metabolite in human liver microsomes and human blood samples using UHPLC–MS/MS

FUB-AMB, an indazole carboxamide synthetic cannabinoid recreational drug, was one of the compounds most frequently reported to governmental agencies worldwide between 2016 and 2019. It has been implicated in intoxications and fatalities, posing a risk to public health. In the current study, FUB-AMB was incubated with human liver microsomes (HLM) to assess its metabolic fate and stability and to determine if its major ester hydrolysis metabolite (M1) was present in 12 authentic forensic human blood samples from driving under the influence of drug cases and postmortem investigations using UHPLC–MS/MS. FUB-AMB was rapidly metabolized in HLM, generating M1 that was stable through a 120-min incubation period, a finding that indicates a potential long detection window in human biological samples. M1 was identified in all blood samples, and no parent drug was detected. The authors propose that M1 is a reliable marker for inclusion in laboratory blood screens for FUB-AMB; this metabolite may be pharmacologically active like its precursor FUB-AMB. M1 frequently appears in samples in which the parent drug is undetectable and can point to the causative agent. The results suggest that it is imperative that synthetic cannabinoid laboratory assay panels include metabolites, especially known or potential pharmacologically active metabolites, particularly for compounds with short half-lives.     

Catalytic Platinum Nanoparticles Decorated with Subnanometer Molybdenum Clusters for Biomass Processing

The development of improved technologies for biomass processing into transportation fuels and industrial chemicals is hindered due to a lack of efficient catalysts for selective oxygen removal. Here we report that platinum nanoparticles decorated with subnanometer molybdenum clusters can efficiently catalyze hydrodeoxygenation of acetic acid, which serves as a model biomass compound. In contrast with monometallic Mo catalysts that are inactive and monometallic Pt catalysts that have low activities and selectivities, bimetallic Pt–Mo catalysts exhibit synergistic effects with high activities and selectivities. The maximum activity occurs at a Pt to Mo molar ratio of three. Although Mo atoms themselves are catalytically inactive, they serve as preferential binding anchors for oxygen atoms while a catalytic transformation proceeds on neighboring surface Pt atoms. Beyond biomass processing, Pt–Mo nanoparticles are promising catalysts for a wide variety of reactions that require a transformation of molecules with an oxygen atom and, more broadly, in other fields of science and technology that require tuning of surface–oxygen interactions.     

Determination of tensile strength of UHMWPE fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Quasi-static tensile test of UHMWPE fiber-reinforced composite laminate is challenging to perform due to low interlaminar shear strength and low coefficient of friction. Tensile tests proposed in the literature were conducted and limitations associated with each method led to the evolution of a new method. Tensile test of single-ply was realized as the best representative of tensile strength of a composite than tensile test of UHMWPE laminate. A fixture was developed for single-ply tests which increased friction and provided the mechanical constraint to slipping. The fixture is easy to fabricate and has provided repeatable results for eight grades of UHMWPE fiber-based (0/90) fabrics. Reported tensile strengths are in quite high range of 900–1500 MPa.     

Silica microbeads capture fetal nucleated red blood cells for noninvasive prenatal testing of fetal ABO genotype

ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn (ABO-HDN), which may cause neonatal jaundice and polycythemia, or even stillbirth or neonatal death, is widespread in China. Prenatal testing for the fetal ABO blood group can reduce unnecessary concerns or ensure prompt treatment. Herein, we presented a method to employ high-density silica microbeads (SiO₂ MBs) for capturing fetal nucleated red blood cells (fnRBCs) in maternal peripheral blood, and we detected the ABO genotype of the fetus using these captured cells. We evaluated 52 patients using the SiO₂ MBs. Among 26 pregnant women with type O blood, 8 (30.8%) of the fetuses had type A blood, 5 (19.2%) had type B blood, and 13 (50%) had type O blood. SRY genes were detected in all 27 male fetuses. This study represents a simple and effective method for noninvasive prenatal detection of the fetal ABO genotype. We believe that this method has great potential for noninvasive prenatal testing of the fetal Rh blood group and other fetal diseases as well.     

An experimental investigation into non-linear wave loading on horizontal axis tidal turbines

Tidal turbines are subject to large hydrodynamic loads from combinations of currents and waves, which contribute significantly to fatigue, extreme loading and power flow requirements. Physical model testing enables these loads and power fluctuations to be assessed and understood in a controlled and repeatable environment. In this work, a 1:15 scale tidal turbine model is utilised to further the fundamental understanding of the influence of waves on tidal turbines. A wide range of regular waves are generated in both following-current and opposing-current conditions. Wave frequencies range from 0.31 Hz to 0.55 Hz & wave heights from 0.025 m to 0.37 m in a fixed 0.81 m/s current velocity. Waves are selected and programmed specifically to facilitate frequency domain analysis, and techniques are employed to isolate the effect of non-linear waves on turbine power and thrust.Results demonstrate that wave action induces large variations in turbine power and thrust compared to current only conditions. For the range of conditions tested, peak values of thrust and power exceed current-only values by between 7%–65% and 13%–160% respectively. These wave-induced fluctuations are shown to increase with wave amplitude and decrease with wave frequency. Following wave conditions exhibit greater variations than opposing for waves with the same wave height and frequency due to the lower associated wavenumbers.A model is developed and presented to aid the understanding of the high-order harmonic response of the turbine to waves, which is further demonstrated using steady state coefficients under assumptions of pseudo-stationarity. This approach is proven to be effective at estimating wave-induced power and thrust fluctuations for the combinations of waves, currents and turbine state tested. The outcome of which shows promise as a rapid design tool that can evaluate the effect of site-specific wave–current conditions on turbine performance.     

Optimal intervention under stress scenarios: A case of the Korean financial system

We consider optimal intervention methods under budget constraints when financial systems face economic shocks. We propose two policies formulated by mixed-integer linear programs where regulators inject cash into institutions. One is to minimize systemic losses, and the other is to minimize the number of defaulting institutions. Using publicly available data on the Korean financial system, we construct its entire network and apply stress scenarios to the system to compare the performances of intervention strategies and derive insights on their workings.     

Measuring densities of polymers by magneto-archimedes levitation

In magneto-Archimedes levitation, a polymer can be levitated to a balanced position, and its levitation height is mainly related to the density of the polymer. Here, a novel method for measuring the density of polymers based on magneto- Archimedes levitation is proposed. For a designed measurement device, an equation can be fitted by a series of experiments with standard density glass beads. Then, the polymer's density can be calculated via the equation. In this paper, a device with magnets at a distance of 60 mm was chosen as an example. Experimental results showed that the proposed method could measure all types of polymer with an accuracy of 0.002–0.01 g/cm³. Moreover, the proposed method can clearly distinguish between polymers with small density differences (<0.03 g/cm³). Because of its high accuracy, high sensitivity, low cost and convenience, the proposed method could be widely used in polymer testing, especially in density-based testing.     

用计算全息法检测卡塞格林系统主镜

为实现对卡塞格林光学系统中的非球面主镜表面面形的高精度检测,设计了一种二元位相型计算全息图(CGH)。介绍了工作原理,对CGH的相位模型参数的优化设计、衍射次级分离以及台阶位置与深度计算等关键问题进行了讨论。通过引入虚拟玻璃的概念快速建立非球面检测模型,针对卡塞格林系统主镜中心开孔的特点,通过加入同轴载波实现了衍射次级的完全分离,相比目前常用的倾斜载波方法简化了相位量化复杂度,数值仿真计算出了最优的台阶深度,降低了加工难度。给出了相应的设计方法及实例,研制投产了CGH。测试得到主镜面形的均方根误差为0.018λ,并与传统补偿器结果(RMS=0.019λ)进行对比,两者测试结果吻合,验证了该设计与检测方法的正确性,该设计方法简单快捷,适用于卡塞格林光学系统主镜面形检测。     

具有遗传性疾病和性状的遗传位点分析

随着信息技术的进步和发展,现代生物学越来越多地将这些技术用于大规模生物数据的收集、分析、挖掘等过程.大量计算机技术,特别是统计方法被用来进行复杂疾病的分析.大量研究表明,人体的许多表型性状差异以及对药物和疾病的易感性等都可能与某些位点相关联,或和包含有多个位点的基因相关联.因此,定位与性状或疾病相关联的位点在染色体或基因中的位置,能帮助研究人员了解性状和一些疾病的遗传机理,也能使人们对致病位点加以干预,防止一些遗传病的发生.利用随机森林方法、Bootstrap重抽样、logistic回归等大数据分析方法,意在解决优化生物学位点关联性分析中单一致病位点识别、多位点相互作用和多性状位点关联性分析等子问题.     

Sensitivity enhancement of capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis-based method for characterization of drug-protein interactions using on-line sample preconcentration

Capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis is one of the most frequently used approaches for the study of plasma protein-drug interactions as a substantial part of new drug development. However, the capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis typically combined with ultraviolet-visible detection suffers from insufficient concentration sensitivity, particularly for substances with limited solubility and low molar absorption coefficient. The sensitivity problem has been solved in this work by its combination with an on-line sample preconcentration. According to the knowledge of the authors this combination has never been used to characterize plasma protein-drug binding. It resulted in a fully automated and versatile methodology for the characterization of binding interactions. Further, the validated method minimalizes the experimental errors due to a reduction in the manipulation of samples. Moreover, employing an on-line preconcentration strategy with capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis using human serum albumin-salicylic acid as a model system improves the drug concentration sensitivity 17-fold compared to the conventional method. The value of binding constant (1.51 ± 0.63) · 10⁴ L/mol obtained by this new capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis modification is in agreement with the value (1.13 ± 0.28) ·10⁴ L/mol estimated by a conventional variant of capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis without the preconcentration step, as well as with literature data obtained using different techniques.