The Center for Advancing Innovation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Bethesda, Maryland focused on accelerating technology transfer and commercialization, especially in biotechnology. It was founded by Rosemarie Truman, a consultant and former VP of Global Strategy at Marsh & McLennan. She was also a senior manager at Oracle and Goldman Sachs.Among its efforts to promote innovation, the Center organizes "challenges" in which experts judge hundreds of promising technologies and research projects in such areas as breast cancer and nanotechnology. It recently announced a new challenge for 2017 called "Space Race" in partnership with NASA and the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation.The Washington Post reported that the Center has “helped launch 32 biotechnology start-ups in the three years since its pilot competition."The Center was a recipient of a first-ever “Excellence in Federal Challenge & Prize Competition” award from the U.S. General Services Administration in the category of “Best in Business Plans/Entrepreneurship” for the Breast Cancer Startup Challenge it organized with the National Cancer Institute and Avon Foundation for Women. The Center’s efforts led to 478 people being trained in the “business of science” and entrepreneurship..
Oil-water separation is critical to ensuring the reliability of industrial oils. However, commonly used polymer separation materials can be difficult to degrade, contributing to white pollution. This study used electrospinning and seed-assisted in situ growth methods to combine the biodegradability of polylactic acid (PLA) with the high wettability and photocatalytic activity of a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8). The resulting PLA@ZIF-8 nanofiber composites exhibited both efficient oil-water separation and self-cleaning contaminant removal abilities. The mild growth conditions of ZIF-8 and the seed-assisted method overcame the limitations regarding the in situ growth of metal-organic frameworks on PLA substrates. Experiments and COMSOL simulations revealed that the rough papillary structure of the ZIF-8 formed on the surface of the nanofiber membrane improved the oleophilicity and hydrophobicity of the PLA materials, thereby enhancing the oil-water separation performance, realizing a separation efficiency of >99.8% and maximum flux of 6280 L m(-2) h(-1). Under UV light irradiation, the composite membrane achieved a diesel degradation rate of 92.8%, thereby addressing the problem of reduced service life owing to fouling and pore blockage in current oil-water separation applications. The removal rate of the water-soluble pollutant methylene blue was 99.7%. Notably, the PLA@ZIF-8 membrane demonstrated excellent biodegradability and almost completely degraded after being buried in outdoor soil for 120 days, thereby avoiding white pollution. The proposed multifunctional membrane provides an efficient and environmentally friendly solution for industrial oil-water separation processes.
We employed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the efficiency of polylactic acid (PLA)-, poly(caprolactone) (PCL)-, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based biodegradable copolymers as compatibilizers in PLA/PCL blends. Di- and triblock copolymers with various block sequences were systematically designed and studied. The findings reveal that the block type and architecture of the copolymers play a crucial role in determining their compatibilization efficiency. Specifically, our unentangled copolymers with PLA blocks at the chain ends, particularly triblock structures, exhibit good localization within both PLA and PCL homopolymer phases. This localization enhances interphase interactions and improves the melt tensile performance of the blends. In contrast, copolymers with PCL blocks at the chain ends, especially triblock architectures, tend to localize preferentially within the PCL phase, leading to less effective compatibilization. These insights could pave the way for the development of tailored compatibilizers to optimize the properties of immiscible polymer blends.
Shape memory polymers (SMPs), as a class of smart materials capable of altering their configurations in response to external stimuli, have garnered significant research attention. However, current studies on SMPs are limited by restricted response conditions, one-way responsive mode, and restricted adaptability. In this work, a core-shell micronano fiber membrane (T-P) with polyurethane elastomer (TPU) as the core layer and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as the shell layer was fabricated via coaxial electrospinning. The T-P was further integrated with a micronano fiber membrane (P-P) composed of a blend of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to construct a bilayer-structured all-polymer P-P/T-P. Owing to the significant contrast in hydrophilicity, thermal properties, and mechanical properties between the two layers, the developed P-P/T-P exhibited excellent dual stimuli-responsive capabilities and two-way shape memory functionality. Under temperature-responsive process, the P-P/T-P achieved a recoverable bending angle of 75 degrees with a shape recovery ratio of 98.67%. Under humidity-responsive process, the P-P/T-P achieved a recoverable bending angle of 32 degrees with a shape recovery ratio of nearly 100%. The developed P-P/T-P was further applied to the responsive unit structure of smart windows, providing a strategy for the development of SMP-based intelligent devices adapted to diverse environments.
Addressing extreme heat has emerged as a key frontier of urban climate adaptation planning. However, most studies have focused on large cities, whereas most of the existing urban population lives and urban growth occurs in small- to medium-sized municipalities within metropolitan areas in the U.S. and globally. We hypothesise based on structuration theory that these smaller municipalities face fundamentally different constraints and opportunities to enhance their heat planning capabilities than large cities. Accordingly, in this study we analyze heat planning capacity, current activities, and expansion opportunities in small- to medium-sized cities across two neighbouring but distinct regions in California: northern Los Angeles County (n = 20) and the southern San Joaquin Valley (n = 38). Using data from these 58 cities, we first comprehensively reviewed heat-related activities in their key planning documents. We then conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with local government planners, planning consultants, and utilities' staff to more holistically analyze how heat planning and implementation occurs on the ground. The planning document analysis shows that a narrow majority of cities identified heat as a general issue of concern. The most common long-term adaptation and resilience strategies were enhancing urban tree canopy, green infrastructure, and shade structures, but both prevalence and strategy type vary by heat exposure level, population size, and the socioeconomic status of cities. However, in interviews, we generally found that while local officials had high levels of heat awareness, they had low levels of focused capacity and deployed heat interventions compared with other climate adaptation efforts.
