Groundwater sustainability assessment framework: A demonstration of environmental sustainability index for Hanoi, Vietnam.

There is mounting concern about how to support decision-makers in driving sustainable water resources management; science needs to support the decision-making process to promote evidence-based decisions. To this end, sustainability assessment is considered a useful technique, which provides enough information to assist management. This study proposed a groundwater sustainability assessment framework, which is developed from a regular sustainability assessment approach and analytical hierarchy process (AHP).

Design and demonstration of a bio-inspired flapping-wing-assisted jumping robot.

Jumping insects such as fleas, froghoppers, grasshoppers, and locusts take off from the ground using a catapult mechanism to push their legs against the surface of the ground while using their pairs of flapping wings to propel them into the air. Such combination of jumping and flapping is expected as an efficient way to overcome unspecified terrain or avoid large obstacles. In this work, we present the conceptual design and verification of a bio-inspired flapping-wing-assisted jumping robot, named Jump-flapper, which mimics jumping insects' locomotion strategy.

Antitumor effect of the integrin α4 signaling inhibitor JK273 in non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H460 cells.

Lung cancer accounts for the highest death rate among cancers worldwide, with most patients being diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), urging more effective therapies. We report that JK273, a pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine analog, which inhibits α4 integrin signaling, showed a selective cytotoxic effect against HCI-H460 NSCLC cells, with an IC of 0.98 ± 0.

Asymmetric Induction in Hydroacylation by Cooperative Iminium Ion-Transition-Metal Catalysis.

A new strategy for the rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydroacylation is described. This has been achieved through the merger of iminium ion catalysis and transition-metal catalysis such that asymmetric induction derives from a readily accessible, inexpensive chiral nonracemic secondary amine catalyst rather than a chiral nonracemic phosphine as is typical of conventional asymmetric hydroacylation methods.

Structure-function relationships of purple acid phosphatase from red kidney beans based on heterologously expressed mutants.

Purple acid phosphatases are binuclear metalloenzymes, which catalyze the conversion of orthophosphoric monoesters to alcohol and orthophosphate. The enzyme from red kidney beans is characterized with a Fe(III)-Zn(II) active center. So far, the reaction mechanisms postulated for PAPs assume the essentiality of two amino acids, residing near the bimetallic active site.

Porcine purple acid phosphatase: heterologous expression, characterization, and proteolytic analysis.

Uteroferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein, which is abundantly synthesized in porcine uterine glandular endometrium and believed to be involved in maternal/fetal iron transport. In the present study, uteroferrin has been cloned and functionally expressed using baculovirus-infected insect host cells Spodoptera frugiperda. The work also addresses the possible role of proteolytic cleavage to facilitate the release of uteroferrin-bound iron.