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The extracellular RNA communication consortium (ERCC) is an NIH-funded program aiming to promote the development of new technologies, resources, and knowledge about exRNAs and their carriers. After Phase 1 (2013-2018), Phase 2 of the program (ERCC2, 2019-2023) aims to fill critical gaps in knowledge and technology to enable rigorous and reproducible methods for separation and characterization of both bulk populations of exRNA carriers and single EVs. ERCC2 investigators are also developing new bioinformatic pipelines to promote data integration through the exRNA atlas database. ERCC2 has established several Working Groups (Resource Sharing, Reagent Development, Data Analysis and Coordination, Technology Development, nomenclature, and Scientific Outreach) to promote collaboration between ERCC2 members and the broader scientific community. We expect that ERCC2's current and future achievements will significantly improve our understanding of exRNA biology and the development of accurate and efficient exRNA-based diagnostic, prognostic, and theranostic biomarker assays.

High performance carbon nanotube (CNT) nanopaper (NP) reinforced polyurethane (PU) nanocomposite coating with high potential for aerospace and automotive applications was successfully fabricated and evaluated in this work. Different PU formulations were used to fabricate nanocomposites to study the effect of hard segment content on resin infiltration and nanocomposite mechanical properties. The process window of PU infiltration into the CNT NP was established by rheology measurements and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The micro-structure morphology of the nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Uniform CNT distribution in PU matrix was observed in the high-resolution SEM images, which indicated good resin impregnation quality. Based on mechanical properties and process window, a PU formulation was selected as matrix to fabricate NP/PU nanocomposite coating for carbon fiber/epoxy composites (CFPC) substrate. The flexural strength and impact resistance of the CFPC were significantly improved by 9% and 14.7% after applying the NP/PU nanocomposite coating. Aimed at industrial applications, a continuous nanopaper fabrication process was successfully demonstrated in this work. Through the process window study, a continuous process to fabricate nanocomposite is proposed for future scale-up. KEYWORDS carbon nanotube, coating, mechanical properties, nanopaper, polyurethane, 1 | INTRODUCTION Polyurethane (PU) has been widely used as coating and adhesive materials in automotive, aerospace, construction, packaging, and footwear industries, because of its superior adhesion strength, high resistance [...]

Finishing, in most cases, is the most expensive step for manufacturing plastic parts in automotive and truck industry; being electrostatic painting is the desired approach for improved quality. For plastic parts to be painted electrostatically, a conductive primer needs to be applied first. In the case of SMC compression molded parts, in-mold coating (IMC) is the primer material of choice, as it also serves to fill the surface porosity typical in SMC parts. To make the IMC conductive, the current approach is to add carbon black (CB), which results in a black colored primer. In this research, single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) was evaluated, as an alternative to CB, to develop a clearer version of conductive IMC. The effect of SWCNTs on both degree of lightness and electrical conductivity was experimentally evaluated. The results indicate that a clearer and slightly more conductive coating than standard IMC can be obtained by adding 0.15 wt% SWCNTs into the base IMC resin, which results in approximately 12.5% paint saving compared to standard IMC. The processability of the modified coating was shown to be only slightly less favorable than standard coating. KEYWORDS electrostatic painting, in-Mold coating, multi-criteria optimization, paint transfer efficiency, Pareto frontier, single wall carbon nanotube, 1 | INTRODUCTION Plastics are playing an increasingly important role in the automotive and truck industry due to their lightweight and relatively low cost. It enables compliance with fuel economy [...]

Localized micro/nano-electroporation (MEP/NEP) shows tremendous potential in cell transfection with high cell viability, precise dose control, and good transfection efficacy. In MEP/NEP, micro or nanochannels are used to tailor the electric field distribution. Cells are positioned tightly by a micron or nanochannel, and the cargoes are delivered into the cell via the channel by electrophoresis (EP). Such confined geometries with micro and nanochannels are also widely used in sorting, isolation, and condensing of biomolecules and cells. Theoretical studies on the electrokinetic phenomena in these applications have been well established. However, for MEP/NEP applications, electrokinetic phenomena and their impact on the cell transfection efficiency and cell survival rate have not been studied comprehensively. In this work, we reveal the coupling between electric field, Joule heating, electroosmosis (EO), and EP in MEP/NEP at different channel sizes. A microfluidic biochip is used to investigate the electrokinetic phenomena in MEP/NEP on a single cell level. Bubble formation is observed at a threshold voltage due to Joule heating. The bubble is pushed to the cargo side due to EO and grows at the outlet of the nanochannel. As the voltage increases, the cargo transport efficiency decreases due to more intense EO, particularly for plasmid DNAs (3.5 kbp) with a low EP mobility. An 'electroporation zone' is defined for NEP/MEP systems with different channel sizes to avoid bubble formation and excessive EO velocity that may reduce the cargo delivery efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neuroendocrine effects of leptin on metabolism hold promise to be translated into a complementary therapy to traditional insulin therapy for diabetes and obesity. However, injections of leptin can provoke inflammation. We tested the effects of leptin, produced in the physiological adipocyte location, on metabolism in mouse models of genetic and dietary obesity. We generated 3T3-L1 adipocytes constitutively secreting leptin and encapsulated them in a poly-L-lysine membrane, which protects the cells from immune rejection. Ob/ob mice (OB) were injected with capsules containing no cells (empty, OB[Emp]), adipocytes (OB[3T3]), or adipocytes overexpressing leptin (OB[Lep]) into both visceral fat depots. Leptin was found in the plasma of OB[Lep], but not OB[Emp] and OB[3T3] mice at the end of treatment (72 days). The OB[Lep] and OB[3T3] mice have transiently suppressed appetite and weight loss compared to OB[Emp]. Only OB[Lep] mice have greater brown fat mass, metabolic rate, and reduced resistin plasma levels compared to OB[Emp]. Glucose tolerance was markedly better in OB[Lep] vs. OB[Emp] and OB[3T3] mice as well as in wild type mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance treated with encapsulated leptin-producing adipocytes. Our proof-of-principle study provides evidence of long-term improvement of glucose tolerance with encapsulated adipocytes producing leptin.

In-mold coating (IMC) is applied to compression molded sheet molding compound (SMC) exterior automotive or truck body panels as an environmentally friendly primer to make the part conductive for subsequent electrostatic painting operations. The coating is a thermosetting liquid that when injected onto the surface of the part cures and bonds to provide a smooth conductive surface. In order to identify the processability of IMC for SMC, it is essential to predict the time available for flow, that is the time before the viscosity starts to increase as well as the time when the coating has enough structural integrity so that the mold can be opened without damaging the part surface (mold opening time). In the present work, we study cure behavior of IMC based on differential scanning calorimetry and rheological experiments and show its relevance to both flow and mold opening time for the IMC process during SMC compression molding., INTRODUCTION In recent years, the processing of thermosetting resins has received increased attention from automotive and aerospace industries as excellent choices for lightweight materials. Unlike the processing of thermoplastic materials, [...]