Polylactic Acid Piezo-Biopolymers: Chemistry, Structural Evolution, Fabrication Methods, and Tissue Engineering Applications

Polylactide acid (PLA), as an FDA-approved biomaterial, has been widely applied due to its unique merits, such as its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and piezoelectricity. Numerous utilizations, including sensors, actuators, and bio-application—its most exciting application to promote cell migration, differentiation, growth, and protein–surface interaction—originate from the piezoelectricity effect. Since PLA exhibits piezoelectricity in both crystalline structure and an amorphous state, it is crucial to study it closely to understand the source of such a phenomenon. In this respect, in the current study, we first reviewed the methods promoting piezoelectricity. The present work is a comprehensive review that was conducted to promote the low piezoelectric constant of PLA in numerous procedures. In this respect, its chemistry and structural origins have been explored in detail. Combining any other variables to induce a specific application or to improve any PLA barriers, namely, its hydrophobicity, poor electrical conductivity, or the tuning of its mechanical properties, especially in the application of cardiovascular tissue engineering, is also discussed wherever relevant.

OaAEP1-mediated PNA-protein conjugation enables erasable imaging of membrane protein

Methods to efficiently and site-specifically conjugate proteins to nucleic acids could enable exciting application in bioanalytics and biotechnology. Here, we report the use of the strict protein ligase to covalently ligate a protein to a peptide nucleic acid (PNA). The rapid ligation requires only a short N-terminal GL dipeptide in target protein and a C-terminal NGL tripeptide in PNA. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by conjugating three different types of proteins with a PNA strand. The biostable PNA strand then serves as a generic landing platform for nucleic acid hybridization. Lastly, we show the erasable imaging of EGFR on HEK293 cell membrane through toehold-mediated strand displacement. This work provides a controlled tool for precise conjugation of proteins with nucleic acids through an extremely small peptide linker and facilitates further study of membrane proteins.

A short overview of the CRISPR-Cas adaptation stage

CRISPR research began over 30 years ago with the incidental discovery of an unusual nucleotide arrangement in the Escherichia coli genome. It took 20 years to find the main function of CRISPR-Cas systems as an adaptive defence mechanism against invading nucleic acids, and our knowledge of their biology has steadily increased ever since. In parallel, the number of applications derived from CRISPR-Cas systems has risen spectacularly. The CRISPR-based genome editing tool is arguably the most exciting application in both basic and applied research. Lately, CRISPR-Cas research has partially shifted to the least understood aspect of its biology: the ability of CRISPR-Cas systems to acquire new immunities during the so-called adaptation step. To date, the most efficient natural system to readily acquire new spacers is the type II-A system of the gram-positive dairy bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus. The discovery of additional systems able to acquire new spacers will hopefully draw more attention to this step of CRISPR-Cas biology. This review focuses on the breakthroughs that have helped to unravel the adaptation phase and on questions that remain to be answered.

Portfolio recommendations to improve risk of default in microfinance

This article presents an exciting application of machine learning for loan origination in microfinance. Microfinance targets people who cannot build a credit history and therefore cannot access loans from banks or other financial institutions. We use data from a Mexican microfinance company that operates in several regions throughout the country. The objective is to guide intermediate lenders to choose their clients and achieve a lowerr credit default risk. We use several statistical models such as principal component analysis, clustering analysis and a regression tree. We obtain, as a result, a series of recommendations based on the characteristics of the clients.

Analisis Prinsip Muamalah terhadap Model Transaksi Jual Beli Online pada Aplikasi Bukalapak (Program Serbu Seru)

The phenomenon of buying and selling online through programs that place lower prices makes interest in buying these items, cheap prices outside the normal price make people interested in participating in the program from BukalapakSerbuSeru. There is an imbalance between what is issued with what is received, people just need to pay 1 Rupiah, they have the opportunity to get cars, motorcycles, cellphones and other types of goods, even there are invaders who have won the goods they choose but do not receive the goods. Then it is necessary to conduct research to discuss the muamalah principle analysis of this transaction. This study aims to determine the muamalah principle of online buying and selling transaction models in electronic media, online buying and selling transaction models in the Bukalapak Seru Exciting application, and analysis of the muamalah principle of the transaction models in the BukuapakSerbu Exciting application. This research is qualitative, with a descriptive analytical approach. This type of research is a field (field research) with data collection methods: observation, interviews and literature studies. The results of this study are: First, the muamalah principle of the online sale and purchase transaction model in electronic media has fulfilled the nine muamalah principles. Second, the Transactions on the BukalapakSerbuSeru application have an unbalanced price, the delivery of goods that are not in accordance with the provisions, and there are other costs whose value is greater than the price being promoted. Third, the muamalah principle analysis of the online trading transaction model in the BukuapakSerbuSeru application that has fulfilled the muamalah principle, namely: mubah, halal, maslahah, benefits, willingness, and written principles. But what does not meet the muamalah principle is: the principle of balance, trust and justice.Key words : Muamalah Principle, Buying and SellingOnline, Bukalapak Abstrak. Fenomena transaksi jual beli online melalui program yang menaruh harga lebih rendah membuat ketertarikan untuk membeli barang tersebut, harga murah diluar harga normal membuat masyarakat tertarik untuk mengikuti program dari Bukalapak Serbu Seru. Adanya ketidakseimbangan antara apa yang dikeluarkan dengan apa yang diterima, masyarakat cukup membayar 1 Rupiah sudah berkesempatan mendapatkan mobil, motor, handphone dan jenis barang lainnya, bahkan terdapat penyerbu yang sudah memenangkan barang yang dipilihnya namun tidak menerima barang tersebut. Maka perlu dilakukan penelitian untuk membahas analisis prinsip muamalah terhadap transaksi ini. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui prinsip muamalah terhadap model transaksi jual beli online pada media elektronik, model transaksi jual beli online pada aplikasi Bukalapak Serbu Seru, dan analisis prinsip muamalah terhadap model transaksi pada aplikasi Bukalapak Serbu Seru. Penelitian ini bersifat kualitatif, dengan pendekatan deskriptif analitis. Jenis penelitian adalah lapangan (field research) dengan metode pengumpulan data: observasi, wawancara dan studi literatur. Hasil penelitian ini bahwa: Pertama, prinsip muamalah terhadap model transaksi jual beli online pada media elektronik sudah memenuhi sembilan prinsip muamalah. Kedua, Transaksi pada aplikasi Bukalapak Serbu Seru terdapat harga yang tidak seimbang, penyerahan barang yang ditidak sesuai ketentuan, dan terdapat biaya-biaya lain yang nilainya lebih besar dari harga yang dipromosikan. Ketiga analisis prinsip muamalah terhadap model transaksi jual beli online pada aplikasi Bukalapak Serbu Seru yang sudah memenuhiprinsip muamalah yaitu: prinsip mubah,halal, maslahah, manfaat, kerelaan, dan tertulis. Namun yang tidak memenuhi prinsip muamalah yaitu: prinsip keseimbangan, amanah dan keadilan.Kata Kunci: Prinsip Muamalah, Jual Beli Online, Bukalapak

Gamification in Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is complex. It involves an ever-changing interaction of the rehabilitation patient with different clinical environments and healthcare providers. Gamification for rehabilitation goes beyond simply creating a “fun” and “exciting” application or environment in which to complete rehabilitation exercises and interventions. A delicate balance of the demands of the task and the patient's abilities must be achieved. High-cost and commercially available systems are limited in their applications to gamification for rehabilitation. Furthermore, the created game and system must be usable across treatment settings and at different phases in the recovery process. Insurance companies are also requiring more data from rehabilitation therapists and therapists have minimal time to be able to learn and use a game. Pairing low-cost devices with customized games will allow for better “fit” with each patient, provide appropriate data to therapists and insurance companies, and eventually lead to effective games for rehabilitation.

Engineering-scale superlubricity of the fingerprint-like carbon films based on high power pulsed plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Engineering scale superlubricity was realized by the fingerprint-like carbon films, which offer exciting application opportunity in vehicles, turbines, and manufacturing equipment.

From Single-Cell Neuropathology to Mathematics Education

One of the most productive research directions in numerical cognition is its combination with neuroscience. This navigator aims to provide the current outlook to this exciting line of studies, together with future directions. I will cover here studies from single-cell neurophysiology in monkeys, to non-invasive neuroimaging studies in children and adults, and will end by discussing a particularly exciting application of neuroscience to education.

Location-Based Social Networks

The ability to gather and manipulate real world contextual data, such as user location, in modern software systems presents opportunities for new and exciting application areas. A key focus among those working in the area of Location-Based services today has been the creation of social networks which allow mobile device users to exchange details of their personal location as a key point of interaction. While the initial interest in these services has been exceptionally high, they are plagued by the same challenges as all Location Based services, regarding the privacy and security of users and their data. This chapter aims to investigate the area of Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs), with a view to documenting how they contribute to a new form of expertise due to the now accurate knowledge of where people are actually located at a moment in time.

Abstracting UML Behavior Diagrams for Verification

UML (Unified Modeling Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) related technologies have matured, and at present many novel applications of both languages are frequently appearing. This chapter discusses the combined use of both UML and XML in the exciting application domain of software abstraction for verification. In particular, software development environments that use UML notations are now including verification capabilities based on state exploration. This method is effective for many realistic problems, although it is well known that it is affected by the state explosion problem for many complex systems and that some kind of abstraction is needed. This is the point where XML can be used as a powerful technology, due to its features for program transformation. We describe how to use XML-related standards like dom or xmi in order to extend UML verification tools with automatic abstraction.