scholarly journals Rational design of FRET sensor proteins based on mutually exclusive domain interactions

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1201-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Merkx ◽  
Misha V. Golynskiy ◽  
Laurens H. Lindenburg ◽  
Jan L. Vinkenborg
Keyword(s):  
Rational Design ◽  
Large Change ◽  
Robust Method ◽  
Molecular Processes ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Domain Interactions ◽  
Sensor Proteins ◽  
Generic Design ◽  
And Control

Proteins that switch between distinct conformational states are ideal to monitor and control molecular processes within the complexity of biological systems. Inspired by the modular architecture of natural signalling proteins, our group explores generic design strategies for the construction of FRET-based sensor proteins and other protein switches. In the present article, I show that designing FRET sensors based on mutually exclusive domain interactions provides a robust method to engineer sensors with predictable properties and an inherently large change in emission ratio. The modularity of this approach should make it easily transferable to other applications of protein switches in fields ranging from synthetic biology, optogenetics and molecular diagnostics.

scholarly journals Developing Pandemic Prevention and Control by ANP-QFD Approach: A Case Study on Urban Furniture Design in China Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2653
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Khairul Manami Kamarudin ◽  
Yuqi Liu ◽  
Jinzhi Zou
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Analytic Network Process ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Furniture Design ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
And Control

Background: An infectious disease can affect human beings at an alarming speed in modern society, where Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a worldwide pandemic, posing grave threats to public security and the social economies. However, as one of the closest attachments of urban dwellers, urban furniture hardly contributes to pandemic prevention and control. Methods: Given this critical challenge, this article aims to propose a feasible solution to coping with pandemic situations through urban furniture design, using an integrated method of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). Eight communities in China are selected as the research sites, since people working and living in these places have successful experience preventing and containing pandemics. Results: Three user requirements (URs), namely, usability and easy access, sanitation, and health and emotional pleasure, are determined. Meanwhile, seven design requirements (DRs) are identified, including contact reduction, effective disinfection, good appearance, social and cultural symbols, ergonomics, smart system and technology and sustainability. The overall priorities of URs and DRs and their inner dependencies are subsequently determined through the ANP-QFD method, comprising the House of Quality (HQQ). According to the theoretical results, we propose five design strategies for pandemic prevention and control. Conclusion: It is demonstrated that the incorporated method of ANP-QFD has applicability and effectiveness in the conceptual product design process. This article can also provide a new perspective for pandemic prevention and control in densely populated communities in terms of product design and development.

HIEQ LAB: A NOVEL FULL-SCALE FACILITY WITH OCCUPANTS TO INVESTIGATE INTEGRATIVE LIGHTING AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE IN A MULTI-DOMAIN APPROACH

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Giovannini ◽  
V.R.M. Lo Verso ◽  
F. Favoino ◽  
V. Serra ◽  
A. Pellegrino
Keyword(s):  
Human Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Real Space ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Building Components ◽  
Lighting Systems ◽  
And Control

The new HIEQ Lab (Health, well-being and Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory) is presented. It is a living lab, primarily intended for research on human performance, comfort, and well-being, integrated with the energy performance in a completely controlled real space. Users are involved as active players in controlling and assessing building components and design strategies for health, well-being and IEQ requirements. Experimental activities will be addressed through a multi-domain approach that combines lighting, acoustic, air quality and thermal issues. For what concerns lighting, the laboratory is conceived to study the performance of daylighting and electric lighting systems and control solutions, focusing on the relationship between lighting conditions and human performance, comfort, and well-being. The paper reports the results of a literature review on existing lighting research facilities, and then describes the features of the new HIEQ Lab and its main research objectives, with a focus on lighting and daylighting research opportunities.

scholarly journals Polymeric micelles and molecular modeling applied to the development of radiopharmaceuticals

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibila Roberta Marques Grallert ◽  
Carlota de Oliveira Rangel-Yagui ◽  
Kerly Fernanda Mesquita Pasqualoto ◽  
Leoberto Costa Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Modeling ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Polymeric Micelles ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Photon Emission ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Emission Computed Tomography ◽  
Amphiphilic Copolymers ◽  
Design Strategies

Micelles composed of amphiphilic copolymers linked to a radioactive element are used in nuclear medicine predominantly as a diagnostic application. A relevant advantage of polymeric micelles in aqueous solution is their resulting particle size, which can vary from 10 to 100 nm in diameter. In this review, polymeric micelles labeled with radioisotopes including technetium (99mTc) and indium (111In), and their clinical applications for several diagnostic techniques, such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), gamma-scintigraphy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), were discussed. Also, micelle use primarily for the diagnosis of lymphatic ducts and sentinel lymph nodes received special attention. Notably, the employment of these diagnostic techniques can be considered a significant tool for functionally exploring body systems as well as investigating molecular pathways involved in the disease process. The use of molecular modeling methodologies and computer-aided drug design strategies can also yield valuable information for the rational design and development of novel radiopharmaceuticals.

scholarly journals A Modular Digital Twinning Framework for Safety Assurance of Collaborative Robotics

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Douthwaite ◽  
B. Lesage ◽  
M. Gleirscher ◽  
R. Calinescu ◽  
J. M. Aitken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Testing Strategy ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
Safety Assurance ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Hardware Platforms ◽  
And Control

Digital twins offer a unique opportunity to design, test, deploy, monitor, and control real-world robotic processes. In this paper we present a novel, modular digital twinning framework developed for the investigation of safety within collaborative robotic manufacturing processes. The modular architecture supports scalable representations of user-defined cyber-physical environments, and tools for safety analysis and control. This versatile research tool facilitates the creation of mixed environments of Digital Models, Digital Shadows, and Digital Twins, whilst standardising communication and physical system representation across different hardware platforms. The framework is demonstrated as applied to an industrial case-study focused on the safety assurance of a collaborative robotic manufacturing process. We describe the creation of a digital twin scenario, consisting of individual digital twins of entities in the manufacturing case study, and the application of a synthesised safety controller from our wider work. We show how the framework is able to provide adequate evidence to virtually assess safety claims made against the safety controller using a supporting validation module and testing strategy. The implementation, evidence and safety investigation is presented and discussed, raising exciting possibilities for the use of digital twins in robotic safety assurance.

scholarly journals Research fronts of Chemical Biology

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Lv
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Chemical Biology ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Binding Assays ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Diagnostic Technologies

Abstract Over the past decades, researchers have witnessed substantially increasing and ever-growing interests and efforts in Chemical Biology studies, thanks to the development of genome and epi-genome sequencing (revealing potential drug targets), synthetic chemistry (producing new medicines), bioorthogonal chemistry (chemistry in living systems) and high-throughput screening technologies (in vitro cell systems, protein binding assays and phenotypic assays). This report presents literature search results for current research in Chemical Biology, to explore basic principles, summarize recent advances, identify key challenges, and provide suggestions for future research (with a focus on Chemical Biology in the context of human health and diseases). Chemical Biology research can positively contribute to delivering a better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that accompany pathology underlying diseases, as well as developing improved methods for diagnosis, drug discovery, and therapeutic delivery. While much progress has been made, as shown in this report, there are still further needs and opportunities. For instance, pressing challenges still exist in selecting appropriate targets in biological systems and adopting more rational design strategies for the development of innovative and sustainable diagnostic technologies and medical treatments. Therefore, more than ever, researchers from different disciplines need to collaborate to address the challenges in Chemical Biology.

Scandinavian Design: On Participation and Skill

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelle Ehn
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
The United States ◽  
User Participation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Controversial Issue ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
And Control

In Scandinavia we have for two decades been concerned with participation and skill in the design and use of computer-based systems. Collaboration between researchers and trade unions on this theme, starting with the pioneering work of Kristen Nygaard and the Norwegian Metal Workers’ Union, and including leading projects like DEMOS and UTOPIA, has been based on a strong commitment to the idea of industrial democracy. This kind of politically significant, interdisciplinary, and action-oriented research on resources and control in the processes of design and use has contributed to what is often viewed abroad as a distinctively Scandinavian approach to systems design. This Scandinavian approach might be called a work-oriented design approach. Democratic participation and skill enhancement, and not only productivity and product quality, are themselves considered objective of design. [Based on the two research projects, DEMOS and UTOPIA, I have elaborated this approach in detail in Work-Oriented Design of Computer Artifacts (1989). This paper is based on that work.] Two important features of participatory design shape its trajectory as a design strategy. The political one is obvious. Participatory design raises questions of democracy, power, and control in the workplace. In this sense it is a deeply controversial issue, especially from a management point of view. The other major feature is technical—its promise that the participation of skilled users in the design process can contribute importantly to successful design and high-quality products. Some experiences, perhaps most developed in Scandinavia, support this prediction and contribute to the growing interest in participatory design in the United States and other countries; by contrast, “expert” design strategies have too often turned out to be failures in terms of the usability of the resulting systems. These two features together suggest that there should be a strong link between the skill and product quality aspect of user participation and the democracy and control aspect, or else participatory design will be a deeply controversial issue from the point of view of the employees and trade unions. The trade-union-oriented democracy aspect of skill and participation in design is discussed in the first part of the chapter.

scholarly journals Pathogenic Viruses Commonly Present in the Oral Cavity and Relevant Antiviral Compounds Derived from Natural Products

Medicines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Asai ◽  
Hideki Nakashima
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Human Oral Cavity ◽  
Antiviral Compounds

Many viruses, such as human herpesviruses, may be present in the human oral cavity, but most are usually asymptomatic. However, if individuals become immunocompromised by age, illness, or as a side effect of therapy, these dormant viruses can be activated and produce a variety of pathological changes in the oral mucosa. Unfortunately, available treatments for viral infectious diseases are limited, because (1) there are diseases for which no treatment is available; (2) drug-resistant strains of virus may appear; (3) incomplete eradication of virus may lead to recurrence. Rational design strategies are widely used to optimize the potency and selectivity of drug candidates, but discovery of leads for new antiviral agents, especially leads with novel structures, still relies mostly on large-scale screening programs, and many hits are found among natural products, such as extracts of marine sponges, sea algae, plants, and arthropods. Here, we review representative viruses found in the human oral cavity and their effects, together with relevant antiviral compounds derived from natural products. We also highlight some recent emerging pharmaceutical technologies with potential to deliver antivirals more effectively for disease prevention and therapy.

Lanthanide Doped Complexes and Organometallic Clusters: Design Strategies and their Applications in Biology and Photonics

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gangadharan A. Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Nanostructured Materials ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Organic Ligand ◽  
Central Core ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Ceramic Core ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Lanthanide Atoms

In this review, we discuss the rational design of a new class of lanthanide-doped organometallic nanostructured materials called `molecular minerals`. Molecular minerals are nanostructured materials with a ceramic core made from chalcogenide groups and other heavy metals. Part of the central core atoms is replaced by suitable lanthanide atoms to impart fluorescent spectral properties. The ceramic core is surrounded by various types of organic networks thus making the structure partly ceramic and organic. The central core has superior optical properties and the surrounding organic ligand makes it easy to dissolve several kinds of organic solvents and fluoropolymers to make several kinds of active and passive photonic devices. This chapter starts with elaborate design strategies of lanthanidebased near-infrared emitting materials followed by the experimental results of selected near-infrared emitting lanthanide clusters. Finally, their potential applications in telecommunication, light-emitting diodes and medical imaging are discussed.

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