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In this work, we have examined the predictive capability of a machine leaning model based on the XGBoost framework as regards the solubility of active pharmaceutical ingredient-like molecules in organic solvents over a wide range of temperatures. A total of 30 binary mixtures has been investigated. The dataset was divided in two sets, with one set for training, testing and validation including solubility data for four solute compounds (butyl paraben, fenofibrate, risperidone, fenoxycarb) consisting of a total of 224 data points, and the second set used for prediction consisting of the solubility data for butamben, with 50 data points in total. The calculated root mean square errors (RMSLE) for the calculated solubility (train, test, validation) were 0.05, 0.09, 0.13 and 0.15, respectively, while the average RMSLE for the predicted solubility of butamben was 0.41. A total of 10 descriptors were considered in this work, comprising parameters for solute (heat of fusion, melting temperature, heat capacity and Hansen solubility parameter), two descriptors representing the solvent (dielectric constant and boiling temperature) as well as temperature, and drug and solvent names. The temperature-dependence of solubility has been captured accurately by setting a constraint on the XGBoost algorithm. A comparison between the performance of the machine learning model proposed and evaluated in this work, and the semi-predictive Flory-Huggins and the temperature-dependent NRTL-SAC models on the other hand, shows that for all the studied compounds, the machine learning model can deliver significantly improved capability to model as well as predict solubility.

Li-ion battery materials have been widely studied over the past decades. The metal salts that serve as starting materials for cathode and production, including Li2CO3, NiSO4, CoSO4 and MnSO4, are mainly produced using hydrometallurgical processes. In hydrometallurgy, aqueous precipitation and crystallization are important unit operations. Precipitation is mainly used in the processes of impurity removal, separation and preliminary production, while controlled crystallization can be very important to produce a pure product that separates well from the liquid solution. Precipitation and crystallization are often considered in the development of sustainable technologies, and there is still room for applying novel techniques. This review focuses on precipitation and crystallization applied to the production of metal salts for Li-ion battery materials. A number of novel and promising precipitation and crystallization methods, including eutectic freeze crystallization, antisolvent crystallization, and homogeneous precipitation are discussed. Finally, the application of precipitation and crystallization techniques in hydrometallurgical recycling processes for Li-ion batteries are reviewed.

Background A possible association between mucosal immunization and inflammation, as well as the initiation and propagation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is attracting renewed interest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible occurrence and clinical correlations of circulating secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) antibodies against the second-generation cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) among patients with recent-onset RA followed prospectively over 3 years. Methods Baseline serum samples from 636 patients with recent-onset RA were analyzed for SIgA anti-CCP antibodies by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a secondary antibody directed against secretory component. SIgA anti-CCP status at baseline was analyzed in relation to smoking, HLA-DRB1/shared epitope (SE), and the disease course over 3 years. Significant findings were evaluated in regression analysis that included age, sex, smoking, and SE. Results Seventeen percent of the patients tested positive for circulating SIgA anti-CCP, and the occurrence was confirmed by detection of secretory component in an affinity-purified IgA anti-CCP fraction. SIgA anti-CCP positivity at baseline was associated with slightly higher baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (mean 38 vs. 31 mm/first hour, p  = 0.004) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (mean 30 vs. 23 mg/L, p  = 0.047). During follow-up, SIgA anti-CCP-positive patients had a higher mean AUC regarding ESR (adjusted p  = 0.003), although there were no significant differences regarding CRP, tender and swollen joint counts, or radiological joint damage (median Larsen progression 1.0 vs. 1.0, p  = 0.22). SIgA anti-CCP was associated significantly with smoking (79 % ever smokers among SIgA anti-CCP-positive patients vs. 59 % in SIgA anti-CCP-negative patients, adjusted OR 2.19, 95 % CI 1.01–4.37, p  = 0.027) but not with carriage of the SE (80 % vs. 73 %, p  = 0.62). Conclusions Circulating SIgA anti-CCP, which is present in a subgroup of patients with early RA, is not related to SE, but it is environmentally linked to cigarette smoking. This finding strengthens the hypothesis that immunization against citrullinated peptides and/or proteins may occur at mucosal surfaces of the airways. Analysis of SIgA antibodies in serum may be a convenient and more versatile means to investigate the “mucosal connection” in RA compared with analyses in mucosal fluid samples.

The genome of the eukaryotic protist Giardia lamblia, an important human intestinal parasite, is compact in structure and content, contains few introns or mitochondrial relics, and has simplified machinery for DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing, and most metabolic pathways. Protein kinases comprise the single largest protein class and reflect Giardia's requirement for a complex signal transduction network for coordinating differentiation. Lateral gene transfer from bacterial and archaeal donors has shaped Giardia's genome, and previously unknown gene families, for example, cysteine-rich structural proteins, have been discovered. Unexpectedly, the genome shows little evidence of heterozygosity, supporting recent speculations that this organism is sexual. This genome sequence will not only be valuable for investigating the evolution of eukaryotes, but will also be applied to the search for new therapeutics for this parasite.

Diplomonads, parabasalids, as represented by trichomonads, and microsporidia are three protist lineages lacking mitochondria that branch earlier than all other eukaryotes in small subunit rRNA and elongation factor phylogenies. The absence of mitochondria and plastids in these organisms suggested that they diverged before the origin of these organelles. However, recent discoveries of mitochondrial-like heat shock protein 70 and/or chaperonin 60 (cpn60) genes in trichomonads and microsporidia imply that the ancestors of these two groups once harbored mitochondria or their endosymbiotic progenitors. In this report, we describe a mitochondrial-like cpn60 homolog from the diplomonad parasite Giardia lamblia. Northern and Western blots reveal that the expression of cpn60 is independent of cellular stress and, except during excystation, occurs throughout the G. lamblia life cycle. Phylogenetic analyses position the G. lamblia cpn60 in a clade that includes mitochondrial and hydrogenosomal cpn60 proteins. The most parsimonious interpretation of these data is that the cpn60 gene was transferred from the endosymbiotic ancestors of mitochondria to the nucleus early in eukaryotic evolution, before the divergence of the diplomonads and trichomonads from other extant eukaryotic lineages. A more complicated explanation requires that these genes originated from distinct α -proteobacterial endosymbioses that formed transiently within these protist lineages.

In this paper, beam diagnostic and monitoring tools developed by the MAX IV Operations Group are discussed. In particular, beam position monitoring and accelerator tunes visualization software tools, as well as tools that directly influence the beam quality and stability, are introduced. An availability and downtime monitoring application is also presented.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis involves early gut immune alterations that precede clinical onset and systemic bone involvement. Using mouse and human imaging mass cytometry (IMC) and tissue sequencing, this study shows that intestinal endothelial and immune changes emerge before or coincide with arthritis symptom development. In the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model, intestinal vascular permeability and endothelial gene activation promoting leukocyte trafficking appeared prior to synovial inflammation. Spatial mapping of murine and human ileal tissues predicted enhanced epithelial–immune interactions and lymphoid activation, suggesting mucosal immune priming before joint pathology. Both gut–selective α4β7 integrin blockade with vedolizumab and endothelial barrier enhancement by imatinib significantly reduced arthritis severity in CIA mice. After clinical onset, microbiota–specific IgG responses expanded to recognize rare gut bacteria, reflecting increased microbial exposure. Bone marrow endothelium exhibited interferon I–driven inflammation and vascular activation, indicating tissue–specific endothelial dysfunction. Microbiota–reactive IgG increased during CIA – likely a response to translocating gut bacteria and immune cell activation. Integrating mouse and human data, these findings define a mechanistic framework where endothelial barrier impairment, microbial translocation, and systemic endothelial activation initiate RA autoimmunity, revealing endothelial and mucosal pathways as targets for early intervention.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.Funder Information DeclaredDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, https://ror.org/018mejw64, GRK 2740/447268119, SFB/TRR369 DIONE (501752319), 543936725 ZA 899/22-1, DFG - TRR 41IZKF, P144King Gustaf V's 80-year foundationSwedish Research CouncilSwedish Rheumatism AssociationALF grants from region Östergötland