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1.
ACS Nano ; 18(29): 19003-19013, 2024 Jul 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38984530

ABSTRACT

The development of highly reversible zinc (Zn) metal anodes is pivotal for determining the feasibility of rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries. Our research quantitively evalulates how the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) adversely affects Zn reversibility in batteries and emphasizes the importance of substrate design in modulating HER and its associated side reactions. When the cathodic reaction is dominated by HER, the Zn electrode exhibits low plating/stripping efficiency, characterized by extensive coverage of a passivation layer that encompasses the electrochemical inactive Zn. Therefore, we propose a strike-plating strategy that modifies the pristine substrate by initiating Zn plating at a high current density for a short time. This straightforward and effective approach has been proven to suppress hydrogen evolution and transform the electrodeposition mode into one dominated by Zn reduction. Notably, Zn metal exhibits exceptionally high average reversibility of 98.80% over 200 h on a stainless steel substrate, which was typically precluded in aqueous electrolytes because of their favorable HER capability. Additionally, our strike-plating strategy demonstrates an appliable pathway to achieve high Zn reversibility on Cu substrate, showing an average efficiency of 99.83% over 540 h at a high areal capacity of 10 mAh cm-2 and high-performance Zn full cells with low N/P ratios. This research provides a foundation for future investigations into the underlying mechanisms of HER and strategies to optimize Zn-based battery performance.

2.
Adv Sci (Weinh) ; : e2403156, 2024 Jun 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38864372

ABSTRACT

With the comprehensive understanding of microorganisms and the rapid advances of physiochemical engineering and bioengineering technologies, scientists are advancing rationally-engineered bacteria as emerging drugs for treating various diseases in clinical disease management. Engineered bacteria specifically refer to advanced physiochemical or genetic technologies in combination with cutting edge nanotechnology or physical technologies, which have been validated to play significant roles in lysing tumors, regulating immunity, influencing the metabolic pathways, etc. However, there has no specific reviews that concurrently cover physiochemically- and genetically-engineered bacteria and their derivatives yet, let alone their distinctive design principles and various functions and applications. Herein, the applications of physiochemically and genetically-engineered bacteria, and classify and discuss significant breakthroughs with an emphasis on their specific design principles and engineering methods objective to different specific uses and diseases beyond cancer is described. The combined strategies for developing in vivo biotherapeutic agents based on these physiochemically- and genetically-engineered bacteria or bacterial derivatives, and elucidated how they repress cancer and other diseases is also underlined. Additionally, the challenges faced by clinical translation and the future development directions are discussed. This review is expected to provide an overall impression on physiochemically- and genetically-engineered bacteria and enlighten more researchers.

3.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces ; 16(22): 28590-28598, 2024 Jun 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38772346

ABSTRACT

Rational design principles are one pathway to discovering new materials. However, technological breakthroughs rarely occur in this way because these design principles are usually based on incremental advances that seldom lead to disruptive applications. The emergence of machine-learning (ML) and high-throughput (HT) techniques has changed the paradigm, opening up new possibilities for efficiently screening large chemical spaces and creating on-the-fly design principles for the discovery of novel materials with desired properties. In this work, the approach is used to discover novel thermoelectric (TE) materials based on quaternary diamond-like chalcogenides. A HT framework that integrates density functional theory calculations, ML, and the solution of the Boltzmann transport equation is used to efficiently rationalize the transport properties of these compounds and identify those with potential as TE materials, achieving ZT values above 2.

4.
Small Methods ; : e2400158, 2024 May 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38745530

ABSTRACT

Water electrolysis, a key enabler of hydrogen energy production, presents significant potential as a strategy for achieving net-zero emissions. However, the widespread deployment of water electrolysis is currently limited by the high-cost and scarce noble metal electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Given this challenge, design and synthesis of cost-effective and high-performance alternative catalysts have become a research focus, which necessitates insightful understandings of HER fundamentals and material engineering strategies. Distinct from typical reviews that concentrate only on the summary of recent catalyst materials, this review article shifts focus to material engineering strategies for developing efficient HER catalysts. In-depth analysis of key material design approaches for HER catalysts, such as doping, vacancy defect creation, phase engineering, and metal-support engineering, are illustrated along with typical research cases. A special emphasis is placed on designing noble metal-free catalysts with a brief discussion on recent advancements in electrocatalytic water-splitting technology. The article also delves into important descriptors, reliable evaluation parameters and characterization techniques, aiming to link the fundamental mechanisms of HER with its catalytic performance. In conclusion, it explores future trends in HER catalysts by integrating theoretical, experimental and industrial perspectives, while acknowledging the challenges that remain.

5.
J Colloid Interface Sci ; 670: 687-697, 2024 Sep 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38788436

ABSTRACT

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is one of the most promising approaches to achieving green and efficient NH3 production. However, the designs of efficient NRR catalysts with high activity and selectivity still are severely hampered by inherent linear scaling relations among the adsorption energies of NRR intermediates. Herein, the properties of ten M3B4 type MBenes have been initially investigated for efficient N2 activation and reduction to NH3via first-principles calculations. We highlight that Cr3B4 MBene possesses remarkable NRR activity with a record-low limiting potential (-0.13 V). Then, this work proposes descriptor-based design principles that can effectively evaluate the catalytic activity of MBenes, which have been further employed to design bimetallic M2M'B4 MBenes. As a result, 5 promising candidates including Ti2YB4, V2YB4, V2MoB4, Nb2YB4, and Nb2CrB4 with excellent NRR performance have been extracted from 20 bimetallic MBenes. Further analysis illuminates that constructing bimetallic MBenes can selectively tune the adsorption strength of NHNH2** and NH2NH2**, and break the linear scaling relations between their adsorption energies, rendering them ideal for NRR. This work not only pioneers the application of MBenes as efficient NRR catalysts but also proposes rational design principles for boosting their catalytic performance.

6.
Nanomicro Lett ; 16(1): 162, 2024 Mar 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38530476

ABSTRACT

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are promising energy storage systems because of high theoretical energy density, safety, low cost, and abundance of zinc. However, the slow multi-step reaction of oxygen and heavy reliance on noble-metal catalysts hinder the practical applications of ZABs. Therefore, feasible and advanced non-noble-metal electrocatalysts for air cathodes need to be identified to promote the oxygen catalytic reaction. In this review, we initially introduced the advancement of ZABs in the past two decades and provided an overview of key developments in this field. Then, we discussed the working mechanism and the design of bifunctional electrocatalysts from the perspective of morphology design, crystal structure tuning, interface strategy, and atomic engineering. We also included theoretical studies, machine learning, and advanced characterization technologies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure-performance relationship of electrocatalysts and the reaction pathways of the oxygen redox reactions. Finally, we discussed the challenges and prospects related to designing advanced non-noble-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for ZABs.

7.
Methods Mol Biol ; 2760: 35-56, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38468081

ABSTRACT

Establishing a mapping between (from and to) the functionality of interest and the underlying network structure (design principles) remains a crucial step toward understanding and design of bio-systems. Perfect adaptation is one such crucial functionality that enables every living organism to regulate its essential activities in the presence of external disturbances. Previous approaches to deducing the design principles for adaptation have either relied on computationally burdensome brute-force methods or rule-based design strategies detecting only a subset of all possible adaptive network structures. This chapter outlines a scalable and generalizable method inspired by systems theory that unravels an exhaustive set of adaptation-capable structures. We first use the well-known performance parameters to characterize perfect adaptation. These performance parameters are then mapped back to a few parameters (poles, zeros, gain) characteristic of the underlying dynamical system constituted by the rate equations. Therefore, the performance parameters evaluated for the scenario of perfect adaptation can be expressed as a set of precise mathematical conditions involving the system parameters. Finally, we use algebraic graph theory to translate these abstract mathematical conditions to certain structural requirements for adaptation. The proposed algorithm does not assume any particular dynamics and is applicable to networks of any size. Moreover, the results offer a significant advancement in the realm of understanding and designing complex biochemical networks.


Subject(s)
Adaptation, Biological , Algorithms , Models, Biological
8.
BMC Med Educ ; 24(1): 113, 2024 Feb 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38317141

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Medical education increasingly relies on digital learning materials. Despite recognition by the Association of American Medical Colleges Institute for Improving Medical Education, medical education design often fails to consider quality multimedia design principles. Further, the AAMC-IIME issued a call to study the role of design principles in medical education. Thus, the current study investigated the cognitive and affective effects of redesigning PowerPoint slides used to support pharmacology content during the preclinical years of medical school training. METHODS: Researchers implemented a quasi-experimental design, using traditionally-designed (original) slides with a Traditional group (n = 100) and slides redesigned to follow principles from the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning with an Experimental group (n = 40). Participants in the Experimental group completed a post-survey incorporating the Situational Interest Survey for Multimedia to indicate motivational engagement with the media. Students in the Experimental group also responded to additional preference questions. Researchers analyzed survey responses and students' scores in pharmacology-related coursework across the preclinical Foundations Phase of training to determine the impact on achievement and motivation. RESULTS: Findings related to learner achievement showed a modest but significant increase in the Experimental group compared to the Traditional group in the Cardiac, Pulmonary, and Renal (CPR) educational block (105%, normalized to Traditional group, p = 0.013) and cumulative pharmacology grades (101%, normalized to Traditional group, p = 0.043). Additionally, participants in the Experimental group indicated a significantly higher average triggered situational interest in redesigned slides (M = 4.85, SD = 0.25) than the original slides (M = 3.23, SD = 1.40, t=-6.33, p < 0.001). Similarly, the interest rating of the redesigned slides (M = 4.87, SD = 0.24) was significantly greater than that of the original slides (M = 3.89, SD = 0.86, t=-6.824, p < 0.001). Moreover, results further indicated significant differences in the maintained-feeling and maintained-value constructs, and all participants in the Experimental group indicated a preference for the redesigned slides. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide strong evidence in support of using the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning design principles to intentionally design media in medical education. In addition to increased achievement scores, students in the Experimental group demonstrated significantly higher levels of situational interest in the redesigned slides, especially triggered interest and maintained-feeling interest. Medical education learning designers should seriously consider redesigning media to achieve similar results.


Subject(s)
Learning , Multimedia , Humans , Students , Motivation , Educational Measurement
9.
Proc Inst Mech Eng H ; 238(2): 187-197, 2024 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38314816

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the outcome of a data review of patients treated with the IOS external fixation system at the Royal Stoke University Hospital: a fixation designed to meet four requirements for external fixation proposed in this paper. Demographic data and outcome were collected and assessed. From 69 initial patients, 64 patients (55 males and 9 females) had an average age of 35.9 years. The mean time to union was 127 days. There were no incidences of malunion, or refracture post fixation removal attributable to the treatment method. In addition, in this cohort, there was no incidence of pin tract infection resulting in osteomyelitis. Of all the factors assessed the only factor to have any significant effect on healing was smoking: an average delay of 31 days. An examination of RUST (radiographic union score tibia) and modified RUST scores illustrated a potential false negative of up to 80%. Hence, this study cannot support the use of either scoring system to diagnose fracture healing. IOS external fixation was shown to be an effective method for the treatment of unstable tibial fractures. The reduction at fixation removal was shown to be very good. There was no incidence of osteomyelitis. It is, therefore, suggested that appropriately used external fixation is a viable alternative to intramedullary nailing if designed and surgically applied using four design principles outlined in this paper. Furthermore, it is proposed that external fixation be designed and applied to meet these four principles.


Subject(s)
Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary , Osteomyelitis , Tibial Fractures , Male , Female , Humans , Adult , Tibial Fractures/diagnostic imaging , Tibial Fractures/surgery , Tibia , Fracture Fixation/methods , Fracture Healing , Osteomyelitis/etiology , Treatment Outcome , External Fixators
10.
Small ; 20(25): e2311228, 2024 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38225708

ABSTRACT

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) as a promising non-invasive anti-tumor means features the preferable penetration depth, which nevertheless, usually can't work without sonosensitizers. Sonosensitizers produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of ultrasound to directly kill tumor cells, and concurrently activate anti-tumor immunity especially after integration with tumor microenvironment (TME)-engineered nanobiotechnologies and combined therapy. Current sonosensitizers are classified into organic and inorganic ones, and current most reviews only cover organic sonosensitizers and highlighted their anti-tumor applications. However, there have few specific reviews that focus on inorganic sonosensitizers including their design principles, microenvironment regulation, etc. In this review, inorganic sonosensitizers are first classified according to their design rationales rather than composition, and the action rationales and underlying chemistry features are highlighted. Afterward, what and how TME is regulated based on the inorganic sonosensitizers-based SDT nanoplatform with an emphasis on the TME targets-engineered nanobiotechnologies are elucidated. Additionally, the combined therapy and their applications in non-cancer diseases are also outlined. Finally, the setbacks and challenges, and proposed the potential solutions and future directions is pointed out. This review provides a comprehensive and detailed horizon on inorganic sonosensitizers, and will arouse more attentions on SDT.


Subject(s)
Tumor Microenvironment , Humans , Animals , Ultrasonic Therapy/methods , Neoplasms/therapy , Inorganic Chemicals/chemistry , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism
11.
Chemistry ; 30(20): e202302705, 2024 Apr 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38179824

ABSTRACT

The detection of analytes with small molecular probes is crucial for the analysis and understanding of chemical, medicinal, environmental and biological situations as well as processes. Classic detection approaches rely on the concept of molecular recognition and bond formation reactions. Bond breakage reactions have been less explored in similar contexts. This concept article introduces metal-salen and metal-imine complexes as "covalent-disassembly"-based (DB)-probes for detecting polyoxophosphates, thiols, amino acids, HCN and changes in pH. It discusses the roles, importance and combinations of structurally functionalized molecular building blocks in the construction of DB-probes. Applications of optimized DB-probes for analyte detection in live cells and foodstuff are also discussed. Furthermore, the mechanism of the disassembly of a Fe(III)-salen probe upon pyrophosphate binding is presented. Extraordinary selectivity for this analyte was achieved by a multistep disassembly sequence including an unprecedented structural change of the metal complex (i. e. "induced-fit" principle). Design principles of probes for sensing applications following the "covalent-disassembly" approach are summarized, which will help improving current systems, but will also facilitate the development of new DB-probes for challenging analytic targets.


Subject(s)
Coordination Complexes , Ferric Compounds , Ferric Compounds/chemistry , Metals , Ethylenediamines , Coordination Complexes/chemistry
12.
Hum Factors ; : 187208241226838, 2024 Jan 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38240077

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of nondriving-related task (NDRT) touchscreen location and NDRT difficulty level on the driver task performance, eye gaze behavior, and workload during SAE Level 3 conditionally automated driving. Two driver tasks were considered: a visuomanual NDRT and a take-over task. BACKGROUND: Touchscreens are expected to play important roles inside automated vehicles. However, few studies have investigated the driver-touchscreen interaction during automated driving. METHOD: A driving simulator experiment was conducted. The experimental task consisted of two successive subtasks: an NDRT followed by a take-over task. NDRT touchscreen location (Upper Left, Upper Right, and Lower Right) and NDRT difficulty level (Easy and Hard) were the independent variables. A set of driver task performance, eye gaze behavior, and perceived workload measures were employed for each subtask as the dependent variables. RESULTS: NDRT touchscreen location significantly affected both the NDRT and the take-over task performance. Lower Right was superior to Upper Right in the NDRT performance but was inferior in the take-over task performance. NDRT touchscreen location affected the perceived physical workload of the NDRT. NDRT difficulty level affected the perceived workload of the take-over task. CONCLUSION: The research findings enhance our understanding of how NDRT touchscreen location and NDRT difficulty level impact the driver task performance during conditionally automated driving, and, further provide useful design implications and knowledge. APPLICATION: The study results would inform the NDRT touchscreen interface design and the NDRT design for conditionally automated vehicles.

13.
Small ; 20(8): e2307384, 2024 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37828642

ABSTRACT

The slow kinetics of cathodic oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in fuel cells and the high cost of commercial Pt-based catalysts limit their large-scale application. Cu-based single-atom catalysts (SACs) have received increasing attention as a promising ORR catalyst due to their high atom utilization, high thermodynamic activity, adjustable electronic structure, and low cost. Herein, the recent research progress of Cu-based catalysts is reviewed from single atom to polymetallic active sites for ORR. First, the design and synthesis method of Cu-based SACs are summarized. Then the atomic-level structure regulation strategy of Cu-based catalyst is proposed to improve the ORR performance. The different ORR catalytic mechanism based on the different Cu active sites is further revealed. Finally, the design principle of high-performance Cu-based SACs is proposed for ORR and the opportunities and challenges are further prospected.

14.
J Theor Biol ; 576: 111655, 2024 01 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37944592

ABSTRACT

Michael Savageau's Biochemical Systems Analysis I, II, IIIpapers, published in volumes 25 and 26 of the journal,kickstarted a research programme that originated many of the core concepts and tools of Systems Biology. This article briefly summarizes these papers anddiscusses the most relevant developments in Biochemical Systems Theory since their publication.


Subject(s)
Systems Biology , Systems Theory , Systems Analysis
15.
Elife ; 132023 Dec 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38054655

ABSTRACT

Biphasic responses are encountered at all levels in biological systems. At the cellular level, biphasic dose-responses are widely encountered in cell signaling and post-translational modification systems and represent safeguards against overactivation or overexpression of species. In this paper, we provide a unified theoretical synthesis of biphasic responses in cell signaling systems, by assessing signaling systems ranging from basic biochemical building blocks to canonical network structures to well-characterized exemplars on one hand, and examining different types of doses on the other. By using analytical and computational approaches applied to a range of systems across levels (described by broadly employed models), we reveal (i) design principles enabling the presence of biphasic responses, including in almost all instances, an explicit characterization of the parameter space (ii) structural factors which preclude the possibility of biphasic responses (iii) different combinations of the presence or absence of enzyme-biphasic and substrate-biphasic responses, representing safeguards against overactivation and overexpression, respectively (iv) the possibility of broadly robust biphasic responses (v) the complete alteration of signaling behavior in a network due to biphasic interactions between species (biphasic regulation) (vi) the propensity of different co-existing biphasic responses in the Erk signaling network. These results both individually and in totality have a number of important consequences for systems and synthetic biology.


Subject(s)
Protein Processing, Post-Translational , Signal Transduction
16.
Front Psychol ; 14: 1253549, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37876838

ABSTRACT

The integration of gamification into educational settings has gained recognition for its potential to boost student motivation, engagement, interest, and learning outcomes. Despite its popularity, research on gamification has produced mixed results regarding student learning outcomes. This meta-analysis aims to synthesize the existing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of gamification as a tool for promoting teaching and learning in educational settings. Forty-one studies with 49 independent samples involving more than 5,071 participants were included in our analysis. Results from random effects models showed an overall significant large effect size (g = 0.822 [0.567 to 1.078]). The research performed the moderator analysis to scrutinize the effects of a number of factors on the relationship between gamification and student learning outcomes. The study uncovered significant moderating effects for user type, educational discipline, design principles for educational gamification, duration of "gameful" experience, and learning environment. However, measurement of student outcomes and publication type did not appear to have any significant moderating effect. Those findings hold important implications for improving and implementing gamification to promote teaching and learning in future research.

17.
Hum Factors ; : 187208231192756, 2023 Aug 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37561918

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the word recognition effects of the use of all-uppercase (e.g., VALENCIA) or titled-case (e.g., Valencia) for city names in traffic signs, controlling for word size, and comparing stationary and dynamic viewing situations. BACKGROUND: Prior studies provide mixed evidence regarding the effects of word case on the recognition of city names in traffic signs. Moreover, the evidence on the potential impact of visual motion on these effects is scarce. METHOD: We carried out an experimental study using simulated traffic signs. The task was to indicate, for each sign, whether it contained a given city name or not (word search task, 50% positive trials). Visual motion of signs was manipulated as a between-participants factor: stationary (the sign was still) versus dynamic (the sign expanded as if the participant was approaching to it). Word case was manipulated as a within-participants factor: all-uppercase versus two titled-case conditions varying in font size: width-matched titled-case and point size-matched titled-case. RESULTS: In both the stationary and dynamic conditions, all-uppercase resulted in more incorrect responses and slower latencies than width-matched titled-case. When compared to point size-matched titled-case, all-uppercase produced slower correct responses in the stationary condition, whereas faster in the dynamic condition. CONCLUSION: Other factors being equal, all-uppercase city names will be recognized worse than their titled-case versions in traffic signs, both in stationary and dynamic situations. APPLICATION: Results in the current experimental study would be of interest in the design of traffic signs and other circumstances in which text is presented in motion.

18.
Acta Geotech ; 18(6): 3213-3227, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37324171

ABSTRACT

Sustainable biopolymer additives offer a promising soil stabilisation methodology, with a strong potential to be tuned to soil's specific nature, allowing the tailoring of mechanical properties for a range of geotechnical applications. However, the biopolymer chemical characteristics driving soil mechanical property modifications have yet to be fully established. Within this study we employ a cross-scale approach, utilising the differing galactose:mannose (G:M) ratios of various Galactomannan biopolymers (Guar Gum G:M 1:2, Locust Bean Gum G:M 1:4, Cassia Gum G:M 1:5) to investigate the effect of microscale chemical functionality upon macroscale soil mechanical properties. Molecular weight effects are also investigated, utilising Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC). Soil systems comprising of SiO2 (100%) (SiO2) and a Mine Tailing (MT) exemplar composed of SiO2 (90%) + Fe2O3 (10%) (SiO2 + Fe) are investigated. The critical importance of biopolymer additive chemical functionality for the resultant soil mechanical properties, is demonstrated..For Galactomannan G:M 1:5 stabilised soils the 'high-affinity, high-strength', mannose-Fe interactions at the microscale (confirmed by mineral binding characterisation) are attributed to the 297% increase in the SiO2 + Fe systems Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS), relative to SiO2 only. Conversely for SiO2 Galactomannan-stabilised soils, when increasing the G:M ratio from 1:2 to 1:5, a 85% reduction in UCS is observed, attributed to mannose's inability to interact with SiO2. UCS variations of up to a factor of 12 were observed across the biopolymer-soil mixes studied, in line with theoretically and experimentally expected values, due to the differences in the G:M ratios. The limited impact of molecular weight upon soil strength properties is also shown in CMC-stabilised soils. When considering a soil's stiffness and energy absorbance, the importance of biopolymer-biopolymer interaction strength and quantity is discussed, further deciphering biopolymer characteristics driving soil property modifications. This study highlights the importance of biopolymer chemistry for biopolymer stabilisation studies, illustrating the use of simple low-cost, accessible chemistry-based instrumental tools and outlining key design principles for the tailoring of biopolymer-soil composites for specific geotechnical applications. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11440-022-01732-0.

19.
Am J Pharm Educ ; 87(5): 100066, 2023 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37288696

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a pilot investigation about the alignment between didactic multimedia materials utilized by pharmacy faculty, with Mayer's Principles for Multimedia Learning and faculty characteristics associated with greater alignment. METHODS: An investigatory systematic process was used which included a modified Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) to evaluate the faculty video-recorded lectures for alignment with Mayer's Principles of Multimedia Learning, hence capturing the number and type of misalignments. Correlations were performed to evaluate the association between faculty characteristics; and ratings and proportions of misalignments. RESULTS: Five hundred fifty-five PowerPoint slides of 13 lectures from 13 faculty members were reviewed. The average (SD) LORI score per slide was 4.44 (0.84) out of 5 with an average score per lecture ranging from 3.83 (0.96) to 4.95 (0.53). Across all lecture slides, misalignments with multimedia principles were captured in 20.2% of slides. For each lecture, the average percentage of misalignments was 27.6% ranging from 0% to 49%. Principal misalignments included violation of the principles of coherence (66.1%), signaling (15.2%), and segmenting (8%). No faculty characteristics were significantly associated with LORI ratings or proportion of misalignments within lectures. CONCLUSIONS: Faculty had high LORI ratings for their multimedia material but these varied significantly between lectures. Misalignments with multimedia principles were identified and were related primarily to extraneous processing. These misalignments, when addressed, have the potential to improve learning, thus suggesting an opportunity for the faculty to develop ways to optimize multimedia educational delivery. Future investigation is needed to clarify how clinical pharmacy faculty can develop multimedia material and the impact of faculty development on the application of multimedia principles and learning outcomes.


Subject(s)
Education, Pharmacy , Multimedia , Humans , Faculty, Pharmacy , Learning , Educational Measurement
20.
Pharmaceutics ; 15(6)2023 May 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37376020

ABSTRACT

Viral and synthetic vectors to deliver nucleic acids were key to the rapid development of extraordinarily efficient COVID-19 vaccines. The four-component lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), containing phospholipids, PEG-conjugated lipids, cholesterol, and ionizable lipids, co-assembled with mRNA via a microfluidic technology, are the leading nonviral delivery vector used by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna to access COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. LNPs exhibit a statistical distribution of their four components when delivering mRNA. Here, we report a methodology that involves screening libraries to discover the molecular design principles required to realize organ-targeted mRNA delivery and mediate activity with a one-component ionizable multifunctional amphiphilic Janus dendrimer (IAJD) derived from plant phenolic acids. IAJDs co-assemble with mRNA into monodisperse dendrimersome nanoparticles (DNPs) with predictable dimensions, via the simple injection of their ethanol solution in a buffer. The precise location of the functional groups in one-component IAJDs demonstrated that the targeted organs, including the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and lung, are selected based on the hydrophilic region, while activity is associated with the hydrophobic domain of IAJDs. These principles, and a mechanistic hypothesis to explain activity, simplify the synthesis of IAJDs, the assembly of DNPs, handling, and storage of vaccines, and reduce price, despite employing renewable plant starting materials. Using simple molecular design principles will lead to increased accessibility to a large diversity of mRNA-based vaccines and nanotherapeutics.

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