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Atomic Antibiotics Developed by Czech Scientists Counter Bacterial Resistance

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OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Scientists from Palacký University Olomouc (UP) and the Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO), in collaboration with colleagues from China, have discovered a groundbreaking method for developing a new generation of antibiotics. These antibiotics not only combat a wide range of bacteria but also effectively prevent the development of bacterial resistance. By employing atomic engineering, the researchers transformed manganese—a trace element vital for human health—into a potent antibiotic by embedding it in the structure of chemically modified graphene. Tests conducted on animal models have demonstrated the material’s significant potential, particularly in localized therapies such as wound healing. The discovery has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials, and the team has filed a European patent to safeguard their innovation.

“The material we developed successfully kills and inhibits the growth of all bacteria we studied, including highly resistant pathogens. It operates at low concentrations, which are completely harmless to human cells. Furthermore, bacteria cannot develop resistance to it, thus addressing one of modern medicine’s most pressing challenges. These promising results position atomic antibiotics for practical use in the near future,” said Radek Zbořil, a physical chemist and author of the research concept, who works at the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN UP) and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB-TUO.

A Frontal Attack with Manganese

In developing this antibiotic, the scientists drew on their expertise in graphene chemistry and atomic engineering, fields they have extensively studied in recent years. This time, they utilized a graphene derivative enriched with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, chemically incorporating manganese—a transition metal that is involved in metabolism, bone formation, blood sugar regulation and cellular protection against oxidative stress.

“We chose to target one of the strongest defences of bacteria—the carbohydrates in their cell walls and membranes, which are crucial for their survival. These carbohydrates play a protective role, facilitate substance transfer, enable communication with the environment, and serve as energy reserves. By chemically binding manganese to specific carbohydrate groups, we suppressed these critical functions, ultimately causing cell death. The graphene carrier plays an essential role by ensuring the delivery of manganese ions to the bacterial surface, which enables a direct chemical attack on the carbohydrate molecules,” Zbořil explained.

Effective Against Even the Most Resistant Bacteria

The new material also shows remarkable efficacy against bacteria that existing antibiotics struggle to combat. “We observed an excellent bactericidal effect against all bacteria from the ESCAPE group, which includes highly resistant bacterial pathogens. These bacteria are particularly dangerous because they are resistant to conventional antibiotics, which complicates treatment and increases the risk of severe infections, especially in hospital settings. The atomic antibiotic was the only agent that proved effective against all resistant bacteria, compared to commercial antibiotics,” said David Panáček, the first author of the paper, from CATRIN UP and CEET VSB-TUO.

The researchers tested the atomic antibiotic’s effect not only in laboratory settings but also in mouse models in collaboration with their Chinese colleagues. “In in-vivo tests, skin infections caused by resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph) healed quickly and effectively, with all markers of inflammation significantly reduced. We are now considering its use for wound dressings or antibacterial treatments on surfaces of artificial materials. There is tremendous potential to prevent bacterial biofilms from forming on devices such as artificial joint replacements, stents, or cannulas. Given its mode of action, this new material could also help prevent secondary infections, which would have a major impact on healthcare,” said Milan Kolář, a microbiologist and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Palacký University Olomouc, who played a key role in the research.

Atomic Antibiotics Open New Possibilities

The research team plans to continue exploring the material’s potential for systemic antibiotic treatments. “Some serious infections are now untreatable with existing antibiotics, and bacterial sepsis is becoming an increasingly common cause of death. We aim to test atomic antibiotics’ effectiveness in treating the most severe bacterial diseases,” Kolář added.

According to the United Nations, if bacterial resistance continues to rise at its current pace, by 2050 untreatable infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria could become the leading cause of death worldwide. These so-called ‘superbugs’ pose a global threat, necessitating the development of new antibacterial agents that can bypass the defence mechanisms bacteria use to protect themselves. This research, which also involved colleagues from the Faculty of Science at Palacký University Olomouc and two Chinese institutions, highlights the untapped potential of atomic engineering in addressing one of humanity’s most urgent scientific and social challenges.

Read the paper at: Single Atom Engineered Antibiotics Overcome Bacterial Resistance – Panáček – Advanced Materials – Wiley Online Library

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/atomic-antibiotics-developed-by-czech-scientists-counter-bacterial-resistance-302266579.html

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Spoke Custom Expands Headquarters to Accelerate Growth and Enhance Print-On-Demand Fulfillment Capabilities

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October 3, 2024

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New Norcross Facility to Double Production Capacity, Supporting Long-Term Growth and Innovation

NORCROSS, Ga., Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Spoke Custom , a leading provider of print-on-demand hard goods decoration and a subsidiary of Polyconcept North America (PCNA), today announced the relocation and expansion of its headquarters to a new, state-of-the-art facility at 4350 Peachtree Industrial Blvd in Norcross. This new 107,000-square-foot facility more than doubles the company’s production capacity, positioning Spoke Custom to better meet the growing demands of its customers while enhancing operational efficiency.

The expansion comes on the heels of five consecutive months of double-digit growth and reflects Spoke Custom’s commitment to leading innovation within the print-on-demand industry. The expanded Norcross facility is climate controlled to facilitate best in class printing operations. New equipment, material flow and automation enable significantly increased peak season capacities and decoration method growth. The larger facility will support additional product inventory, expanded decorating capacity, and increased demand from its Givee Select platform . PCNA launched Givee Select in January 2024 , providing distributors with an all-in-one simple solution for creating online storefronts featuring curated, personalized on-demand products fulfilled through Spoke Custom.

“We are thrilled to announce the expansion of Spoke’s national headquarters in Norcross, which marks a significant milestone in our growth journey,” said Neil Ringel, CEO of PCNA. “The move into this state-of-the-art facility enables us to scale operations, enhance efficiency, and continue delivering the high-quality, personalized products that Spoke is known for.”

In addition to enhancing production capabilities, the new headquarters will support Spoke Custom’s long-term growth with expanded warehousing capacities to accommodate product inventory expansion. Currently, Spoke Custom offers over 120 distinct hard goods across 10+ exclusive retail brands, utilizing a range of printing technologies, including sublimation, laser and digital printing. This allows for highly customized and full-color decorated products, available with no minimum order quantities and order shipments within 72 hours or less.

This move also allows Spoke Custom to significantly scale its workforce to meet increasing demand. Currently, PCNA employs 28 full-time Spoke Custom team members in Georgia, alongside additional outsourced staff, and operates facilities in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Arizona.

“This expansion reflects our commitment to innovation and growth in the print-on-demand industry,” said Doug Mitchell, Chief Growth Officer at PCNA. “We are devoted to empowering our customers to meet the increasing and diverse demands of the market.”

For media inquiries, please contact: Heather Poulsen, hpoulsen@pcna.com

About PCNA

PCNA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Polyconcept, the world’s leading promotional products supplier. With headquarters near Pittsburgh, Pa., PCNA operates Trimark, Leed’s, Bullet, JournalBooks, ETS Express and Spoke Custom, offering customers the industry’s biggest and most diverse collection of products. To learn more, go to www.pcna.com.

About Spoke Custom

Founded in 2013 following a management buyout of Case-Mate’s custom products division, Spoke Custom was acquired by PCNA in 2022. The company offers comprehensive end-to-end print-on-demand solutions, serving enterprise marketplaces and aggregators with a diverse product catalog, state-of-the-art print-on-demand technology and fast fulfillment services. Spoke operates facilities in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Visit www.spokecustom.com for more information.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spoke-custom-expands-headquarters-to-accelerate-growth-and-enhance-print-on-demand-fulfillment-capabilities-302266248.html

SOURCE Polyconcept North America (PCNA)

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Open Mainframe Project Announces Zowe’s Long Term Support V3 Release Designed for Mission-Critical Applications and Data Processing, Ensuring the Future of the Mainframe

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October 3, 2024

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Zowe increases product durability, stability and security with the support of a large open source community and a Conformance Program

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Open Mainframe Project, an open source initiative that enables collaboration across the mainframe community to develop shared tool sets and resources, announced the launch of Zowe‘s Long Term Support (LTS) V3 Release. Zowe, an open source software framework for the mainframe that strengthens integration with modern enterprise processes & tools, offers vendors and customers the ability to execute on modernization initiatives with stability, security, interoperability as well as easy installation and a continuous delivery model for receiving upgraded features.

According to the Arcati Mainframe Yearbook 2024, the independent annual guide for users of mainframe systems, 85% of mainframe organizations will be adopting Zowe by the end of the year or have already adopted it into their modern enterprise solutions. 

“The continued success of Zowe as a community-driven project highlights the importance of the mainframe as an open platform supporting hybrid cloud architectures,” said George Decandio, chief technology officer, Mainframe Software Division, Broadcom. “The latest V3 release introduces new components that expand capabilities to client SDKs and additional IDEs, reflecting Zowe’s ongoing evolution to meet the needs of the mainframe ecosystem. Notably, this update enhances the Zowe API Mediation Layer, a key component our customers view as essential in transforming the role of the mainframe in their multi-platform environments.”

“Zowe’s progress underscores a broader commitment to open, interoperable standards, enabling organizations to maximize the value of their mainframe and IT infrastructure investments,” said Decandio. “Broadcom is proud to be a leading contributor to this community and is committed to supporting the project’s continued growth.”

Zowe, the integrated and extensible open source framework for z/OS, comes with a core set of applications out of the box in combination with the APIs and OS capabilities future applications will depend on. It offers modern interfaces to interact with z/OS and allows you to work with z/OS in a way that is similar to what you experience on cloud platforms today. Developers can use these interfaces as delivered or through plug-ins and extensions that are created by clients or third-party vendors. For example, Zowe V3 offers new support for the IntelliJ Zowe Explorer plugin as well as the simplified install wizard.

Some of the benefits of the LTS V3 include:

Durability: A refreshed number of core components that make up the software stack to give a secure stable shelf life, which ensures years of use with continued updates and support.Stability: The installation and configuration have been stabilized through V3. Organizations can confidently adopt the technology for enterprise use and upgrade when appropriate for their environment, minimizing the risk of disruption.Enhanced Security: An enhanced security posture by actively monitoring dependencies and upgrading them proactively. This helps mitigate risks associated with outdated or vulnerable dependencies, offering more robust security features compared to earlier versions.

“Zowe V3 is the culmination of five years of work by volunteers from around the world,” said Bruce Armstrong, IBM Z Principal Product Manager at IBM and member of the Zowe Advisory Council (ZAC). “I am particularly proud of the fact that Zowe has revolutionized access to z/OS-based services for thousands of next-generation developers and system programmers that will continue the platform’s success for decades to come.”

“Rocket Software is a proud founding contributor of Zowe,” said Tim Willging, Fellow and VP of Software Engineering at Rocket Software. “It’s been incredible to see the success and passion of the open source community in supporting hybrid cloud initiatives. The expanded capabilities in the V3 release will help accelerate an organization’s modernization journey and provide them with enhanced security, maintainability, and scalability needed to match their customers’ needs—now and in the future.”

Community Leadership
Zowe is a contributor-led community with participating vendors such as, but are not limited to, Broadcom, IBM, Phoenix Software, Rocket Software, and Vicom Infinity. As a result of their extensive collaboration, the following Zowe extensions have been transformed in Zowe V3:

Explorer for IntelliJ provides the developers within the IntelliJ IDEs with the capability to work with the z/OS platform.Kotlin and Java SDKs are Generally Available Extensions simplifying interaction with z/OS from the Java and Kotlin applications.The IMS service and the current CLI extensions are archived. IBM is working on replacements.

The Zowe Conformance Program is Updated with LTS V3 Guidelines
Aimed to build a vendor-neutral ecosystem around Zowe, Open Mainframe Project’s Zowe Conformance Program launched in 2019.  The program has helped Open Mainframe Project members incorporate Zowe with new and existing products that enable integration of mainframe applications and data across the enterprise.

To date, 77 products have implemented extensions based on the Zowe framework and earned these members conformance badges.

Zowe will also be featured in several sessions at Community Day at IBM’s TechXchange on Monday, October 21. Check out Open Mainframe Project’s complete schedule here.

Additional Resources:

Zowe GitHub RepositoryZowe Community WebsiteGetting Started documentation siteOpen Mainframe Project’s I am a Mainframer Podcast

About the Open Mainframe Project
The Open Mainframe Project is intended to serve as a focal point for deployment and use of Linux and Open Source in a mainframe computing environment. With a vision of Open Source on the Mainframe as the standard for enterprise class systems and applications, the project’s mission is to Build community and adoption of Open Source on the mainframe by eliminating barriers to Open Source adoption on the mainframe, demonstrating value of the mainframe on technical and business levels, and strengthening collaboration points and resources for the community to thrive. Learn more about the project at https://www.openmainframeproject.org.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, OpenChain, OpenSSF, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, Zephyr, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact:
Maemalynn Meanor
Maemalynn@linuxfoundation.org 

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SOURCE Open Mainframe Project

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/R E P E A T — MEDIA ADVISORY – AdapT–Research Institute on Resilient and Circular Infrastructure, in collaboration with Union des municipalités du Québec, is organizing a day of discussions and workshops on municipal infrastructure resilience, as a first step towards concrete action in this area/

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October 3, 2024

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MONTREAL, Oct. 1, 2024 /CNW/ – Our society’s infrastructure, the true pillars of our communities, is being severely tested by climate change, whether through extreme weather events, rising water levels, permafrost thawing, or the increasing frequency of heat waves. To build a resilient future, the AdapT Institute of the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) and Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) invite you to a day of discussions and workshops to collectively envision innovative and sustainable solutions to this societal challenge.

WHAT:

 A day of discussions and workshops on infrastructure resilience in the face of climate change. This event is a call to action, aiming to identify the most promising research avenues, mobilize stakeholders (researchers, elected officials, industry leaders, etc.), and foster collaborations.

The discussions will focus on three main areas:

Identifying the challenges municipalities face in adapting their infrastructurePresenting existing solutions, ongoing initiatives, and research advancementsIncubating new collaborative research projects among various partners.

 

WHEN:

Thursday, October 3, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM ET
For the detailed schedule: Municipalities in Action Event—ÉTS Montreal

WHERE:

École de technologie supérieure
1220 Notre-Dame Street West
Salon des diplômés (E-2023)

WHO:  

Luc Sirois, Chief Innovation Officer (Québec)
Martin Damphousse, President of Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ)
Éric Bosco, Executive Director of AdapT
Catherine Fournier, Mayor of Longueuil
Mathieu Lapointe, Mayor of Carleton-sur-Mer
Nathalie Pelletier, Mayor of Magog
Isabelle Perreault, Mayor of Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez
Marie-Andrée Mauger, Mayor of Verdun Borough and Member of the
Executive Committee and Responsible for Ecological Transition and
Environment, City of Montreal

 

Ageing infrastructure, ever-increasing maintenance costs and increasingly frequent extreme weather events all highlight the urgent need for action. To meet these challenges, the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) and the AdapT Institute have decided to pool their expertise, mobilize knowledge and implement concrete solutions to make municipal infrastructures more resilient. This partnership is essential to extend our reach and amplify our impact.

Please note that most of the discussions will take place primarily in French.

SOURCE École de Technologie Supérieure

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