A phase I clinical trial adding OX40 agonism to in situ therapeutic cancer vaccination in patients with low-grade B cell lymphoma highlights challenges in translation from mouse to human studies.

Purpose: Activating T cell costimulatory receptors is a promising approach for cancer immunotherapy. In preclinical work, adding an OX40 agonist to in situ vaccination (ISV) with SD101, a TLR9 agonist, was curative in a mouse model of lymphoma. We sought to test this combination in a Phase I clinical trial for patients with low-grade B cell lymphoma.

Development of complete hydrometallurgical processes for gold recovery from ICs and CPUs using ionic liquids.

Integrated circuits (ICs) and central processing units (CPUs), essential components of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), are complex composite materials rich in recyclable high-value strategic and critical metals, with many in concentrations higher than in their natural ores. With gold the most valuable metal present, increase in demand for gold for EEE and its limited availability have led to a steep rise in the market price of gold, making gold recycling a high priority to meet demand. To overcome the limitations associated with conventional technologies for recycling e-waste, the use of greener technologies (ionic liquids (ILs) as leaching agents), offers greater potential for the recovery of gold from e-waste components.

Socio-economic development drives solid waste management performance in cities: A global analysis using machine learning.

Mismanaged municipal solid waste (MSW), the major source of plastics pollution and a key contributor to climate forcing, in Global South cities poses public health and environmental problems. This study analyses the first consistent and quality assured dataset available for cities distributed worldwide, featuring a comprehensive set of solid waste management performance indicators (Wasteaware Cities Benchmark Indicators - WABI). Machine learning (multivariate random forest) and univariate non-linear regression are applied, identifying best-fit converging models for a broad range of explanatory socioeconomic variables.

Process development options for electronic waste fractionation to achieve maximum material value recovery.

Revised legislation and bans on imports of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) into many Asian countries for treatment are driving the need for more efficient WEEE fractionation in Europe by expanding the capacity of treatment plants and improving the percentage recovery of materials of economic value. Data from a key stakeholder survey and consultation are combined with the results of a detailed literature survey to provide weighted matrix input into multi-criteria decision analysis calculations to carry out the following tasks: (a) assess the relative importance of 12 process options against the 6 industry-derived in-process economic potential criteria, that is, increase in product quality, increase in recycling rate, increase in process capacity, decrease in labour costs, decrease in energy costs and decrease in disposal costs; and (b) rank 25 key technologies that have been selected as being the most likely to benefit the efficient sorting of WEEE. The results indicate that the first stage in the development of any total system to achieve maximum economic recovery of materials from WEEE has to be the selection and application of appropriate fractionation process technologies to concentrate valuable components such as critical metals into the smallest possible fractions to achieve their recovery while minimising the disposal costs of low-value products.

Intestinal Enteroendocrine Lineage Cells Possess Homeostatic and Injury-Inducible Stem Cell Activity.

Several cell populations have been reported to possess intestinal stem cell (ISC) activity during homeostasis and injury-induced regeneration. Here, we explored inter-relationships between putative mouse ISC populations by comparative RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). The transcriptomes of multiple cycling ISC populations closely resembled Lgr5 ISCs, the most well-defined ISC pool, but Bmi1-GFP cells were distinct and enriched for enteroendocrine (EE) markers, including Prox1.

Properties of ceramics prepared using dry discharged waste to energy bottom ash dust.

The fine dust of incinerator bottom ash generated from dry discharge systems can be transformed into an inert material suitable for the production of hard, dense ceramics. Processing involves the addition of glass, ball milling and calcining to remove volatile components from the incinerator bottom ash. This transforms the major crystalline phases present in fine incinerator bottom ash dust from quartz (SiO(2)), calcite (CaCO(3)), gehlenite (Ca(2)Al(2)SiO(7)) and hematite (Fe(2)O(3)), to the pyroxene group minerals diopside (CaMgSi(2)O(6)), clinoenstatite (MgSi(2)O(6)), wollastonite (CaSiO(3)) together with some albite (NaAlSi(3)O(8)) and andradite (Ca(3)Fe(2)Si(3)O(12)).

The Human OligoGenome Resource: a database of oligonucleotide capture probes for resequencing target regions across the human genome.

Recent exponential growth in the throughput of next-generation DNA sequencing platforms has dramatically spurred the use of accessible and scalable targeted resequencing approaches. This includes candidate region diagnostic resequencing and novel variant validation from whole genome or exome sequencing analysis. We have previously demonstrated that selective genomic circularization is a robust in-solution approach for capturing and resequencing thousands of target human genome loci such as exons and regulatory sequences.

Extended producer responsibility for packaging wastes and WEEE - a comparison of implementation and the role of local authorities across Europe.

A comparison of the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) to packaging waste and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is presented for a representative sample of eleven European Union countries based on five indicators: stakeholders and responsibilities; compliance mechanisms; role of local authorities; financing mechanisms and merits and limitations, with four countries selected for more detailed case study analysis. Similarities, trends and differences in national systems are highlighted with particular focus on the role of local authorities and their relationship with obligated producers and the effect on the operation and success of each system. The national systems vary considerably in design, in terms of influence of pre-existing policy and systems, methods of achieving producer compliance (multiple or single collective schemes), fee structures, targets, waste stream prioritization and local authority involvement.

Report: Potential environmental impact of exempt site materials - a case study of bituminous road planings and waste soils.

The use of waste materials for ecological benefit, agricultural improvement or as part of construction works are often exempt from waste management control in order to maximize the reuse of material that would otherwise be disposed of to landfill. It is important, however, to determine whether there is potential for such waste to cause environmental harm in the context of the basis for granting exemptions under the relevant framework objective to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals. The potential for environmental harm was investigated by leaching studies on two wastes commonly found at exempt sites: bituminous road planings and waste soils.

Noble metal catalysts for methane removal.

Using a bench-scale rig, the activities of Pt, Pd and Pt+Pd catalysts supported on gamma-Al(2)O(3) and on TiO(2) (anatase) for the complete oxidation of methane (300 ppmv) in air have been measured as a function of temperature; values of T(10), T(50) and T(90) together with the Arrhenius parameters (activation energy and pre-exponential factor) are reported. Pt is less active than Pd when deposited on the surface of the TiO(2), but more active when deposited on gamma-Al(2)O(3), however when combined, the Pt+Pd mixture is more active than either metal individually. The T(10) for Pt+Pd/gamma-Al(2)O(3) was being as low as 228 degrees C.