Applied Research最新文献

Antiradical, antioxidant agents are of great importance in health, materials, and technology applications. Usually, DPPH^● are the radicals typically used as probes in the evaluation of antioxidant materials and technologies. Hydroxyl radicals (^●OH) are also omnipresent; however, assessment of their pervasive role on DPPH^●-antioxidants remains challenging. In this study, we introduce novel hybrid antioxidant materials with enhanced durability as DPPH^●-scavengers, demonstrating high resistance to ^●OH. The hybrid antioxidants were synthesized by immobilizing the two monomers of hyaluronic acid (D-Glucuronic Acid [GLA], and N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine [GLAM]) onto the surface of degummed silk fibers. Hyaluronic acid, a prominent product widely utilized in cosmetics and medical applications, is renowned for its biochemical and therapeutic properties. Silk, commonly known as the “queen of textiles,” possesses remarkable structural and mechanical attributes. The hybrid materials' hydrogen atom transfer antioxidant activity was evaluated through their reactivity toward DPPH^● radicals. GLA@SFd@GLAM, exhibited the highest performance, effectively scavenging a total amount of 11 μmol of DPPH radicals per gram of material. All three hybrid materials demonstrated reusability, maintaining their efficacy in scavenging DPPH radicals over multiple cycles. The resilience of the hybrids, against hydroxyl radicals (^●OH), was evaluated in-situ using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The materials SFd@GLA, SFd@GLAM, and GLA@SFd@GLAM retained their DPPH-antioxidant activity after exposure to ^●OH radicals for up to two consecutive cycles of use. We discuss the physicochemical basis and mechanisms of the interactions of the {Silk@Hyaluronic-Acid} hybrids with DPPH^● and ^●OH radicals.

Applied Research is a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on bridging fundamental research and practical applications, supporting sustainable problem-solving and global initiatives. The journal covers high-quality research in fields such as Materials, Applied Physics, Chemistry, Applied Biology, Food Science, Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, and Social Sciences. Authors can submit various article types, including Reviews, Tutorials, and Research Articles. The journal aims to highlight innovative research that demonstrates the application of knowledge, methods, instrumentation, and technology into solutions.

The oligodendrocyte-derived membrane protein Nogo-A is one of the most potent inhibitors of neurite growth and regeneration in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS). It has been recently shown that the administration of an antibody targeting Nogo-A promoted functional and histopathological recovery in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke. Based on these results, this study aims to develop rationally designed nanobodies to target Nogo-A for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, as these antibody variants offer therapeutic opportunities for their small size and CNS penetrance. In the first step of our approach, we carried out computational and functional analyses of Nogo-A to identify targetable epitopes. We then rationally designed epitope-specific CDR3 loops and grafted them onto a pre-optimised human V_HH scaffold to create a panel of nanobodies. These designed nanobodies were then screened in terms of their thermostability, solubility and binding affinity towards the target antigen to select the best candidate. In this way, we identified a nanobody that binds to an epitope within the ectodomain of human Nogo-A. These results indicate that the rational design method used in this study may facilitate the initial stages of nanobody development for Nogo-A detection and inhibition for CNS therapeutic applications.

Photovoltaic modules are determinant in producing sustainable energy with a reduced environmental impact. This article explores the progressive modeling of photovoltaic modules, from the straightforward but approximate one-diode model to the more accurate but more complex two-diode model. It focuses on the parameters to be considered and the judicious choice of hypotheses to obtain electrical behavior close to that obtained experimentally for different environmental conditions. A reverse coupled saturation current and the Newton−Raphson method are both used for theoretical calculation and the simulation, respectively. Simulations show that the root mean square error (RMSE) on the I–V curves is reduced by 11.2% for irradiance of 1000 W/m² and by 28.3% on the P–V curves at 60°C. Additionally, the parallel resistance estimated with the two-diode model is lower than with the single-diode model (310 to 110.8 Ω), indicating a better consideration of leakage currents. Although the computation time is increased by around 40%, the improvement in accuracy justifies this added complexity. In conclusion, the study confirms the relevance of the two-diode model for a more realistic representation of photovoltaic module performance under various environmental conditions.

In additive manufacturing, infill patterns have a significant impact on both printing time and mechanical performance, creating a necessary trade-off between the two from an industrial perspective. This study aims therefore to find an easy-to-handle procedure for rapid evaluation of the influence of infill density and raster angle on the elastic properties of 3D-printed components, from the perspective of their adoption in the industrial process of component design. In particular, the study's goal is to predict the elastic modulus in three directions. Tensile tests were carried out on bulk specimens according to ISO 527 to determine the elastic properties of 3D-printed PLA necessary for the numerical analysis. Cubic specimens were then manufactured with three densities (20%, 40%, and 60%) and two raster angles (−45°/45° and 0°/90°). Quasi-static compression tests were conducted on those specimens to assess their homogenized elastic behavior in three directions. One important result of the experimental phase was the relationship between Young's modulus (E) in the three directions. The average of E in directions 1 and 2 (build plate) is named E_1,2 and on the build-up directions is E₃, for α = 0°/90° was E_1,2 = 0.8E₃ and for α = −45°/45° was E_1,2 = 0.28E₃. Three finite element models were developed and run with the elastic properties determined by tensile tests, namely: (a) a shell model (SHL) where the internal and external walls of the specimens were modeled using shell elements with the nominal geometry; (b) a solid model (SLD) with the nominal geometry and (c) a nonuniform section model (NUS) in which the geometry was taken from microscope image to account for manufacturing imperfections. The difference between simulation and experiment for SHL was 19%, SLD was 15%, and NUS was 13%, indicating an overall good correspondence and, at the same time, that the real geometry resulting from the manufacturing process has a non-negligible impact on the homogenized value. Besides validating the values and relationships, FEM elucidated which sections of the cubes experienced stress and contributed to stiffness under various patterns and loading scenarios.