scholarly journals Recent developments in sustainably sourced protein-based biomaterials

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Agnieray ◽  
J.L. Glasson ◽  
Q. Chen ◽  
M. Kaur ◽  
L.J. Domigan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Innovative Biomaterials ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Advanced Biomaterials ◽  
Insight Into

Research into the development of sustainable biomaterials is increasing in both interest and global importance due to the increasing demand for materials with decreased environmental impact. This research field utilises natural, renewable resources to develop innovative biomaterials. The development of sustainable biomaterials encompasses the entire material life cycle, from desirable traits, and environmental impact from production through to recycling or disposal. The main objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive definition of sustainable biomaterials and to give an overview of the use of natural proteins in biomaterial development. Proteins such as collagen, gelatin, keratin, and silk, are biocompatible, biodegradable, and may form materials with varying properties. Proteins, therefore, provide an intriguing source of biomaterials for numerous applications, including additive manufacturing, nanotechnology, and tissue engineering. We give an insight into current research and future directions in each of these areas, to expand knowledge on the capabilities of sustainably sourced proteins as advanced biomaterials.

Green Synthesized Nanomaterials as Theranostic Platforms for Cancer Treatment: Principles, Challenges and the Road Ahead

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1311-1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pala Rajasekharreddy ◽  
Chao Huang ◽  
Siddhardha Busi ◽  
Jobina Rajkumari ◽  
Ming-Hong Tai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nanoparticle Synthesis ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Synthesis Methods ◽  
Synthetic Approach ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Road ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Theranostic Applications ◽  
Insight Into

With the emergence of nanotechnology, new methods have been developed for engineering various nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Nanotheranostics is a burgeoning research field with tremendous prospects for the improvement of diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. However, the development of biocompatible and efficient drug/gene delivery theranostic systems still remains a challenge. Green synthetic approach of nanoparticles with low capital and operating expenses, reduced environmental pollution and better biocompatibility and stability is a latest and novel field, which is advantageous over chemical or physical nanoparticle synthesis methods. In this article, we summarize the recent research progresses related to green synthesized nanoparticles for cancer theranostic applications, and we also conclude with a look at the current challenges and insight into the future directions based on recent developments in these areas.

scholarly journals The evolving definition of salivary gland stem cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Rocchi ◽  
Lara Barazzuol ◽  
Rob P. Coppes
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Salivary Gland ◽  
Adult Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Research Field ◽  
New Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Radiation Induced ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractDysfunction of the salivary gland and irreversible hyposalivation are the main side effects of radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer leading to a drastic decrease of the quality of life of the patients. Approaches aimed at regenerating damaged salivary glands have been proposed as means to provide long-term restoration of tissue function in the affected patients. In studies to elucidate salivary gland regenerative mechanisms, more and more evidence suggests that salivary gland stem/progenitor cell behavior, like many other adult tissues, does not follow that of the hard-wired professional stem cells of the hematopoietic system. In this review, we provide evidence showing that several cell types within the salivary gland epithelium can serve as stem/progenitor-like cells. While these cell populations seem to function mostly as lineage-restricted progenitors during homeostasis, we indicate that upon damage specific plasticity mechanisms might be activated to take part in regeneration of the tissue. In light of these insights, we provide an overview of how recent developments in the adult stem cell research field are changing our thinking of the definition of salivary gland stem cells and their potential plasticity upon damage. These new perspectives may have important implications on the development of new therapeutic approaches to rescue radiation-induced hyposalivation.

scholarly journals Wavefront manipulation by acoustic metasurfaces: from physics and applications

Nanophotonics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1191-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Liang ◽  
Jian-chun Cheng ◽  
Cheng-Wei Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Waves ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
New Physics ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Acoustic Metamaterials ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
The Past ◽  
Recent Developments

AbstractMolding the wavefront of acoustic waves into the desired shape is of paramount significance in acoustics, which however are usually constrained by the acoustical response of naturally available materials. The emergence of acoustic metamaterials built by assembling artificial subwavelength elements provides distinct response to acoustic waves unattainable in nature. More recently, acoustic metasurfaces, a class of metamaterials with a reduced dimensionality, empower new physics and lead to extended functionalities different from their three-dimensional counterparts, enabling controlling, transmitted or reflected acoustic waves in ways that were not possible before. In this review paper, we present a comprehensive view of this rapidly growing research field by introducing the basic concepts of acoustic metasurfaces and the recent developments that have occurred over the past few years. We review the interesting properties of acoustic metasurfaces and their important functionalities of wavefront manipulation, followed by an outlook for promising future directions and potential practical applications.

scholarly journals RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ON BIOMASS UTILIZATION FOR BIOENERGY PRODUCTION IN PAKISTAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Salman Raza Naqvi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Load Shedding ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Bioenergy Production ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Biomass Resources ◽  
Promising Source ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Lignocellulose Biomass

Pakistan is facing an undersupply of electricity, causing load shedding several hours per day due to the adherence to conventional energy resources having socioeconomic and environmental limitations. This study presents a critical analysis of the present energy sector of Pakistan and recent developments towards bioenergy production from renewable resources. This study also provides insight into the potential of lignocellulose biomass resources to generate electricity for the national grid on a larger scale. It concludes that biomass is the promising source of sustainable, available, implementable and environment-friendly resource of bioenergy production in Pakistan.

scholarly journals The evolution of knowledge in sericultural research as observed through a science mapping approach

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giselle Zambrano-Gonzalez ◽  
Gustavo Ramirez-Gonzalez ◽  
Martha I. Almanza-P
Keyword(s):  
Web Of Science ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
R Package ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Science Mapping ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Insight Into

Background: Sericulture, since its discovery in China, has spread to become a valued activity in a range of other countries. China remains the leading producer of silk, followed by India and other Asian countries, Europe, Brazil and Colombia. This article examines the evolution of sericultural research between 1892 and 2016, identifying the main themes and applications. Methods: The SciMat software tool and the Bibliometrix R package were used as tools for data analysis in this study, based on records from the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. Results: The results show that research has been growing, both in number of publications from the 1990s onwards, and in the emergence of topics closely related to the sericulture research field, a field that proves to be multi-disciplinary, exhibiting expansion and vitality. Conclusions: The information gathered will contribute greatly to the definition of relevant research strands, bearing in mind a number of significant gaps in information in this field. It will furthermore provide a better insight into the development of sericulture research over time.

scholarly journals A Perspective on Reversibility in Controlled Polymerization Systems: Recent Progress and New Opportunities

Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houliang Tang ◽  
Yi Luan ◽  
Lu Yang ◽  
Hao Sun
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Polymer Materials ◽  
Controlled Polymerization ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Structure And Property ◽  
Vinyl Polymers ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
General Concern ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Significant Effort

The field of controlled polymerization is growing and evolving at unprecedented rates, facilitating polymer scientists to engineer the structure and property of polymer materials for a variety of applications. However, the lack of degradability, particularly in vinyl polymers, is a general concern not only for environmental sustainability, but also for biomedical applications. In recent years, there has been a significant effort to develop reversible polymerization approaches in those well-established controlled polymerization systems. Reversible polymerization typically involves two steps, including (i) forward polymerization, which converts small monomers into macromolecule; and (ii) depolymerization, which is capable of regenerating original monomers. Furthermore, recycled monomers can be repolymerized into new polymers. In this perspective, we highlight recent developments of reversible polymerization in those controlled polymerization systems and offer insight into the promise and utility of reversible polymerization systems. More importantly, the current challenges and future directions to solve those problems are discussed. We hope this perspective can serve as an “initiator” to promote continuing innovations in this fairly new area.

scholarly journals The Role of Protein Persulfidation in Brain Aging and Neurodegeneration

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dunja Petrovic ◽  
Emilia Kouroussis ◽  
Thibaut Vignane ◽  
Milos R. Filipovic
Keyword(s):  
Brain Aging ◽  
Chemical Reactivity ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Link Protein ◽  
Cellular Defense ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Cysteine Thiols

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), originally considered a toxic gas, is now a recognized gasotransmitter. Numerous studies have revealed the role of H2S as a redox signaling molecule that controls important physiological/pathophysiological functions. The underlying mechanism postulated to serve as an explanation of these effects is protein persulfidation (P-SSH, also known as S-sulfhydration), an oxidative posttranslational modification of cysteine thiols. Protein persulfidation has remained understudied due to its instability and chemical reactivity similar to other cysteine modifications, making it very difficult to selectively label. Recent developments of persulfide labeling techniques have started unraveling the role of this modification in (patho)physiology. PSSH levels are important for the cellular defense against oxidative injury, albeit they decrease with aging, leaving proteins vulnerable to oxidative damage. Aging is one of the main risk factors for many neurodegenerative diseases. Persulfidation has been shown to be dysregulated in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's disease, and Spinocerebellar ataxia 3. This article reviews the latest discoveries that link protein persulfidation, aging and neurodegeneration, and provides future directions for this research field that could result in development of targeted drug design.

scholarly journals Reversibility in Controlled Polymerization Systems: Recent Progress and New Opportunities

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houliang Tang ◽  
Yi Luan ◽  
Lu Yang ◽  
Hao Sun
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Polymer Materials ◽  
Controlled Polymerization ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Structure And Property ◽  
Vinyl Polymers ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
General Concern ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Significant Effort

The field of controlled polymerization is growing and evolving at unprecedented rates, facilitating polymer scientists to engineer the structure and property of polymer materials for a variety of applications. However, the lack of degradability, particularly in vinyl polymers, is a general concern for not only environmental sustainability but also biomedical applications. In recent years, there has been a significant effort to develop reversible polymerization approaches in those well-established controlled polymerization systems. Reversible polymerization typically involves two steps including (i) forward polymerization which converts small monomers into macromolecules, and (ii) depolymerization capable of regenerating original monomers. Furthermore, recycled monomers can be repolymerized into new polymers. In this perspective, we highlight recent developments of reversible polymerization in those controlled polymerization systems and offer insight into the promise and utility of reversible polymerization systems. More importantly, the current challenges and future directions to solve those problems are discussed. We hope this perspective can serve as an “initiator” to promote continuing innovations in this fairly new area.

No fear of George Kingsley Zipf

10.1558/37291 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-263
Author(s):  
Stefano Rastelli ◽  
Kook-Hee Gil
Keyword(s):  
Minimalist Program ◽  
Classroom Research ◽  
Language Design ◽  
Efficient Computation ◽  
Generative Linguistics ◽  
The Third ◽  
Factor Effect ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Insight Into

This paper offers a new insight into GenSLA classroom research in light of recent developments in the Minimalist Program (MP). Recent research in GenSLA has shown how generative linguistics and acquisition studies can inform the language classroom, mostly focusing on what linguistic aspects of target properties should be integrated as a part of the classroom input. Based on insights from Chomsky’s ‘three factors for language design’ – which bring together the Faculty of Language, input and general principles of economy and efficient computation (the third factor effect) for language development – we put forward a theoretical rationale for how classroom research can offer a unique environment to test the learnability in L2 through the statistical enhancement of the input to which learners are exposed.

Empathy as moderator of gender differences in Chinese insurance agents' business ethical sensitivity

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1029-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Zhang ◽  
Jian Zhang ◽  
Jing Wang
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Ethical Sensitivity ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Insurance Agents ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Ethics Research ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

To expand the business ethics research field, and to increase society's understanding of Chinese insurance agents' business ethics, we investigated how gender differences are related to agents' business ethical sensitivity and whether or not these relationships are moderated by empathy. Through a regression analysis of the factors associated with the business ethical sensitivity of 417 Chinese insurance agents, we found that gender played an important role in affecting business ethical sensitivity, and empathy significantly affected business ethical sensitivity. Furthermore, empathy had a moderating effect on the relationship between gender and business ethical sensitivity. Both men and women with strong empathy scored high on business ethical sensitivity; however, men with strong empathy had higher levels of business ethical sensitivity than did women with little empathy. The findings add to the literature by providing insight into the mechanisms responsible for the benefits of empathy in increasing business ethical sensitivity.

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