RNA-targeting Therapy: A Promising Approach to Reach Non-Druggable Targets

The term "non-druggable" refers to a protein that cannot be targeted pharmacologically; recently, significant efforts have been made to convert these proteins into targets that are reachable or "druggable." Pharmacologically targeting these difficult proteins has emerged as a major challenge in modern drug development, necessitating the innovation and development of new technologies. The idea of using RNA-targeting therapeutics as a platform to reach unreachable targets is very appealing. Antisense oligonucleotides, nucleic acid or aptamers, RNA interference therapeutics, microRNA, and synthetic RNA are examples of RNA-targeting therapeutics. Many of these agents were FDA-approved for the treatment of rare or genetic diseases, as well as molecular markers for disease diagnosis. As a promising type of therapeutic, many studies are being conducted in order for more and more of them to be approved and used in different disease treatments and to shift them from treating rare diseases only to being used as more specific targeting agents in the treatment of various common diseases. This article will look at some of the most recent technological and pharmaceutical advances that have contributed to the erosion of the concept of undruggability.

Preliminary layout of the main technological equipment of a self-propelled machine with a rod mechanism for installing and fixing the end tower for a mobile ropeway

Mobile ropeways for carrying out transport operations, formed with the help of terminal transport units connected by a single cable system on the basis of self-propelled wheeled or tracked chassis of increased carrying capacity and cross-country ability, are a promising type of lifting and transport equipment that ensures the rapid deployment of the necessary technological means. The article discusses the issues of preliminary arrangement of the rod mechanism for installation and fixation in the working position of the end tower using a folding rod consisting of two articulated links for a constructive variant of the outrigger placement of the tower on a rotary platform. The design and principle of operation of the rod mechanism is considered. A mathematical model has been developed that provides the required normative vertical dimension of a self-propelled vehicle for the purpose of its safe independent movement to the deployment site on general-purpose highways. The analysis of the influence of normative dimensional requirements, the structural dimensions of the bearing frame of the chassis and the height of the end tower on the main structural dimensions of the articulated folding rod in the transport position is carried out.

Removal of Organic Pollutants from Textile Mill Effluent using Azadirachta Indica Powder

Due to stringent environmental regulations and increased awareness about the environment, effluent treatment has always been a key aspect of research. Textile industry is one of the oldest and technologically advanced complex industrial sectors employing variety of chemicals and large amount of fresh water consumption. These effluents contain substantial amount of organic pollutants and suspended impurities in varying compositions and hence cannot be discharged directly into the environment. The current research work focused on the utilization of Azadirachta Indica powder as a natural adsorbent for the effective removal of organic and suspended pollutants from textile mill effluent. A series of batch experimental studies were performed by varying the pH of textile mill effluent, stirring time, stirring speed and dosage of Azadirachta Indica powder. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), conductivity, and turbidity were estimated to study the performance of Azadirachta Indica powder in the removal of pollutants. The characterizations of Azadirachta Indica powder before and after treatment are performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The best processing conditions for the effective removal of pollutants from textile mill effluent was obtained at an effluent solution pH 4.0, stirring time 90 min, stirring speed 150 rpm with 1.0 g of Azadirachta Indica powder. The surface morphological structure of Azadirachta Indica powder after batch treatment using scanning electron microscopy indicated that the pollutants are accumulated in the form of clusters on the adsorbent surface. The FTIR spectral analysis indicates the chemical interaction between adsorbent powder and organic pollutants illustrate the characteristic peaks. The study demonstrates that the Azadirachta indica is a promising type of biomass for the effective removal of pollutants from textile mill effluent. HIGHLIGHTS In this research, Azadirachta Indica powder was employed as a natural adsorbent for the effective removal of pollutants from textile mill effluent Batch experimental studies were performed by varying the pH of textile mill effluent, stirring time, stirring speed and dosage of Azadirachta Indica powder and the optimum processing conditions were established The study demonstrates that the Azadirachta indica is a promising type of biomass for the effective removal of pollutants from textile mill effluent GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Concrete Strengthening by Introducing Polymer-Based Additives into the Cement Matrix—A Mini Review

The modern types of concrete are a mixture of aggregates, cement, water and optional additives and admixtures. In particular, polymer additives seem to be a promising type of component that can significantly change concrete and mortar properties. Currently, the most popular polymer additives include superplasticizers, latexes and redispersible powders. Moreover, in order to improve the properties of concrete-based composite admixtures, which enhance the resistance to cracking, polymer fibres and recycled polymers have been researched. All the types of polymeric materials mentioned above are broadly used in the construction industry. This work summarizes the current knowledge on the different types of popular polymeric additives. Moreover, it describes the correlation between the chemical structure of additives and the macro-behaviour of the obtained concrete.

Advanced Methods for the Characterization of Supramolecular Hydrogels

With the increased research on supramolecular hydrogels, many spectroscopic, diffraction, microscopic, and rheological techniques have been employed to better understand and characterize the material properties of these hydrogels. Specifically, spectroscopic methods are used to characterize the structure of supramolecular hydrogels on the atomic and molecular scales. Diffraction techniques rely on measurements of crystallinity and help in analyzing the structure of supramolecular hydrogels, whereas microscopy allows researchers to inspect these hydrogels at high resolution and acquire a deeper understanding of the morphology and structure of the materials. Furthermore, mechanical characterization is also important for the application of supramolecular hydrogels in different fields. This can be achieved through atomic force microscopy measurements where a probe interacts with the surface of the material. Additionally, rheological characterization can investigate the stiffness as well as the shear-thinning and self-healing properties of the hydrogels. Further, mechanical and surface characterization can be performed by micro-rheology, dynamic light scattering, and tribology methods, among others. In this review, we highlight state-of-the-art techniques for these different characterization methods, focusing on examples where they have been applied to supramolecular hydrogels, and we also provide future directions for research on the various strategies used to analyze this promising type of material.

Imparting multi-functionality to covalent organic framework nanoparticles by the dual-ligand assistant encapsulation strategy

The potential applications of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) can be further developed by encapsulating functional nanoparticles within the frameworks. However, the synthesis of monodispersed core@shell structured COF nanocomposites without agglomeration remains a significant challenge. Herein, we present a versatile dual-ligand assistant strategy for interfacial growth of COFs on the functional nanoparticles with abundant physicochemical properties. Regardless of the composition, geometry or surface properties of the core, the obtained core@shell structured nanocomposites with controllable shell-thickness are very uniform without agglomeration. The derived bowl-shape, yolk@shell, core@satellites@shell nanostructures can also be fabricated delicately. As a promising type of photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT), the porphyrin-based COFs were grown onto upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). With the assistance of the near-infrared (NIR) to visible optical property of UCNPs core and the intrinsic porosity of COF shell, the core@shell nanocomposites can be applied as a nanoplatform for NIR-activated PDT with deep tissue penetration and chemotherapeutic drug delivery.

Providing the vertical dimension of a self-propelled machine with a rod mechanism for install-ing and fixing the end tower for a mobile ropeway

Mobile ropeways for carrying out loading and unloading and transport and transfer operations in previously unsettled or inaccessible areas, formed with the help of terminal base stations connected by a single rope system on the basis of self-propelled wheeled or tracked chassis of increased carrying capacity and cross-country ability, are a promising type of lifting and transport equipment ensuring the prompt deployment of the necessary technological tools. The article deals with the layout of the mechanism for installing and fixing the end tower using a folding bar, consisting of two articulated links. A mathematical model has been developed that provides the required normative vertical dimension of a self-propelled base station of a mobile ropeway with the aim of its safe independent movement to the place of deployment of the ropeway along general roads. The analysis of the influence of standard dimensional requirements, design dimensions of the chassis carrying frame and the height of the end tower on the main design dimensions of the articulated folding rod in the transport position is carried out. Calculations have shown that the considered design makes it possible to provide the standard vertical dimension of a base station on a 6-axle self-propelled chassis with an end tower length of up to 18 m.

SELECTION OF THE MASHING MODE IN THE PREPARATION OF BEER WORT BY USING THE WHEAT MALT

In recent years, according to the sharp increase in the number of breweries and high competition on the consumer market, it is very important to extend the raw material base of the industry and the range of produced beer from the recommended raw materials. One of the ways to expand the raw material base of breweries is developing recommendations for the use of new zoned varieties of barley, in particular as well as the use of special malts, wheat malt, the development of new recipes and technologies for beer producing. As it is known, barley, wheat, rye, and malt produced from these cereal crops are processed to a greater extent at present. Along with traditional types of cereals, such cereals as amaranth, buckwheat, triticale, sorghum, oats, etc. are used. Among the listed alternative crops, wheat should be noted as the most promising type of cereal raw materials. Wheat (Triticum) is an herbaceous annual plant of the cereal family. Hard wheat (T. durum) and soft wheat (T. aestivum) are the most important. Both species are holo-grain, i.e., the grain is covered with fruiting and seed shells, fused and consisting of several layers of cells, and do not have flower (chaff) shells. At present time, high-yielding winter and spring wheat (T.aestivum) is mainly cultivated. This species has loose floury grains and rather low protein content. It should be noted that unmalted wheat is rarely used in brewing. This is because that the use of this cereal as unmalted material leads to significant deviations in the technological process, in particular, the filtration of wort and beer slows down, reduces the colloidal stability of the final product. At the same time, as a raw material for malt, wheat has some advantages over barley. The article deals with the effect of different amounts of wheat malt on the mashing process, the percentage of mashing and mashing modes of barley and wheat malt are selected experimentally.

Exact Reduction of the Generalized Lotka–Volterra Equations via Integral and Algebraic Substitutions

Systems of interacting species, such as biological environments or chemical reactions, are often described mathematically by sets of coupled ordinary differential equations. While a large number β of species may be involved in the coupled dynamics, often only α<β species are of interest or of consequence. In this paper, we explored how to construct models that include only those given α species, but still recreate the dynamics of the original β-species model. Under some conditions detailed here, this reduction can be completed exactly, such that the information in the reduced model is exactly the same as the original one, but over fewer equations. Moreover, this reduction process suggests a promising type of approximate model—no longer exact, but computationally quite simple.

ALTERNATIVE DIRECTIONS OF PEAT USE

Peat extraction and processing in the world is a highly profitable and promising type of business. This section describes and discloses the essence of alternative uses of peat. The physical and chemical properties of peat are given. Emphasis is placed directly on the use of peat in the world and in Ukraine.