NIR Photoregulated Theranostic System Based on Hexagonal-Phase Upconverting Nanoparticles for Tumor-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy and Fluorescence Imaging

Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective, minimally invasive therapeutic modality with advantages in highly localized and specific tumor treatments, large and deep-seated cancers within the body cannot be successfully treated due to low transparency to visible light. To improve the therapeutic efficiency of tumor treatment in deep tissue and reduce the side effects in normal tissue, this study developed a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based photosensitizer (PS) carrier as a new theranostics system. The NaYF4:Yb/Er UCNPs were synthesized by a hydrothermal method, producing nanoparticles of a uniformly small size (≈20 nm) and crystalline morphology of the hexagonal phase. These UCNPs were modified with folic acid-conjugated biocompatible block copolymers through a bidentate dihydrolipoic acid linker. The polymer modified hexagonal phase UCNPs (FA-PEAH-UCNPs) showed an improved dispersibility in the aqueous solution and strong NIR-to-vis upconversion fluorescence. The hydrophobic PS, pheophorbide a (Pha), was then conjugated to the stable vectors. Moreover, these UCNP-based Pha carriers containing tumor targeting folic acid ligands exhibited the significantly enhanced cellular uptake efficiency as well as PDT treatment efficiency. These results suggested that this system could extend the excitation wavelength of PDT to the NIR region and effectively improve therapeutic efficiency of PSs.

The bibliometrical analysis of document flow within the topic “Research methods” (based on VINITI RAS Abstracts Journal “Informatics”)

Today the scientific research has become of increased significance for the library activities. This calls for implementing new research methods. The Abstracts Journal “Informatics” was analyzed for the publications on “Research methods” for the 10-year period; the findings are discussed, i.e. the rise of interest methods in the library and information community toward applying research, positive dynamics of the document flow with the 10-year doubling period. Over 100 research methods are identified. Thematically, the stable part of the document flows make approximately one-fifth of the total volume. Twenty three methods are used most frequently. The subject headings for these methods demonstrate stability which means permanent interest toward these methods and stable vectors of research methods development. Metric methods are dominating, including those being used in the digital environment. The increase of subject headings efficiency evidences on their increasing relevancy. Mobile document flows characterize the newest research methods. These are the methods being borrowed from other fields and used occasionally in the library and information studies. “The research methods” topic appears to be a trending and a developing one. The core methods are defined. Nevertheless, the major part of the document flow remains decentralized and comprises many new vectors that, while being quite relevant, have not found their niche in the library science research.

Livestock Protective Fencing (LPF) to protect dairy cattle against vectors in Serbia - project processes and methodology

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is among a number of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) threatening the Balkans and therefore, preventing feeding of insects on cattle would reduce the spread of VBDs. In order to test the efficiency of Livestock Protective Fences (LPF) in the protection of dairy cattle from insect bites, a case-control study was conducted, in the districts of Nisava, Pirot and Pcinja, Southern Serbia. It consisted in comparing the number of biting flies collected within time, between 10 farms protected with LPF and 10 non protected ones. The insects were collected using two types of traps; the monoconical Vavoua trap set outside in between forested areas or rivers and the actual farm, and the BGsentinel trap baited with CO2, placed in proximity of the cattle but outside the stable. Vectors were collected every 15 days for 48 hours from May to October 2018 and kept in vials containing 70% of ethanol. Catches per trap were separately stored and for each trap, insects were classified according to species and sex and then counted. Data on milk parameters were analyzed separately, on data collected within protected farms, before and after the LPF deployment, and on data without protection at all. It was not possible to detect a direct impact of LPF on vector densities but the number of bacteria colonies (CFU) values were reduced. Some corrections/adaption in the methodology used may lead to better impact.

Cloning and functional characterization of Komagataella phaffii centromeres by a color-based plasmid stability assay

The yeast Komagataella phaffii is widely used as a microbial host for heterologous protein production. However, molecular tools for this yeast are basically restricted to a few integrative and replicative plasmids. Four sequences that have recently been proposed as the K. phaffii centromeres could be used to develop a new class of mitotically stable vectors. In this work we designed a color-based genetic assay to investigate genetic stability in K. phaffii. Plasmids bearing K. phaffii centromeres and the ADE3 marker were evaluated in terms of mitotic stability in an ade2/ade3 auxotrophic strain which allows plasmid screening through colony color. Plasmid copy number was verified through qPCR. Our results confirmed that the centromeric plasmids were maintained at low copy number as a result of typical chromosome-like segregation during cell division. These features, combined with high transformation efficiency and in vivo assembly possibilities, prompt these plasmids as a new addition to the K. phaffii genetic toolbox.

Translation of Sentence Lampung-Indonesian Languages with Neural Machine Translation Attention Based Approach

In this research, automatically Lampung language translation into the Indonesian language was using neural machine translation (NMT) attention based approach. NMT, a new approach method in machine translation technology, that has worked by combining the encoder and decoder. The encoder in NMT is a recurrent neural network component that encrypts the source language to several length-stable vectors and the decoder is a recurrent neural networks component that generates translation result comprehensive. NMT Research has begun with creating a pair of 3000 parallel sentences of Lampung language (api dialect) and Indonesian language. Then it continues to decide the NMT parameter model for the data training process. The next step is building NMT model and evaluate it. The testing of this approach has used 25 single sentences without out-of-vocabulary (OOV), 25 single sentences with OOV, 25 plural sentences without OOV, and 25 plural sentences with OOV. The testing translation result using NMT attention shows the bilingual evaluation understudy (BLEU) an average value is 51, 96 %.

The ΦBT1 large serine recombinase catalyzes DNA integration at pseudo-attB sites in the genus Nocardia

Plasmid vectors based on bacteriophage integrases are important tools in molecular microbiology for the introduction of foreign DNA, especially into bacterial species where other systems for genetic manipulation are limited. Site specific integrases catalyze recombination between phage and bacterial attachment sites (attP and attB, respectively) and the best studied integrases in the actinomycetes are the serine integrases from the Streptomyces bacteriophages ΦC31 and ΦBT1. As this reaction is unidirectional and highly stable, vectors containing phage integrase systems have been used in a number of genetic engineering applications. Plasmids bearing the ΦBT1 integrase have been used to introduce DNA into Streptomyces and Amycolatopsis strains; however, they have not been widely studied in other actinobacterial genera. Here, we show that vectors based on ΦBT1 integrase can stably integrate into the chromosomes of a range of Nocardia species, and that this integration occurs despite the absence of canonical attB sites in these genomes. Furthermore, we show that a ΦBT1 integrase-based vector can insert at multiple pseudo-attB sites within a single strain and we determine the sequence of a pseudo-attB motif. These data suggest that ΦBT1 integrase-based vectors can be used to readily and semi-randomly introduce foreign DNA into the genomes of a range of Nocardia species. However, the precise site of insertion will likely require empirical determination in each species to avoid unexpected off-target effects.

Stable vectors in Moy–Prasad filtrations

Let $k$ be a finite extension of $\mathbb{Q}_{p}$, let ${\mathcal{G}}$ be an absolutely simple split reductive group over $k$, and let $K$ be a maximal unramified extension of $k$. To each point in the Bruhat–Tits building of ${\mathcal{G}}_{K}$, Moy and Prasad have attached a filtration of ${\mathcal{G}}(K)$ by bounded subgroups. In this paper we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the dual of the first Moy–Prasad filtration quotient to contain stable vectors for the action of the reductive quotient. Our work extends earlier results by Reeder and Yu, who gave a classification in the case when $p$ is sufficiently large. By passing to a finite unramified extension of $k$ if necessary, we obtain new supercuspidal representations of ${\mathcal{G}}(k)$.