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Castilla-Casadiego DA, Morton LD, Loh DH, Pineda-Hernandez A, Chavda AP, Garcia F, Rosales AM. Peptoid-Cross-Linked Hydrogel Stiffness Modulates Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Immunoregulatory Potential in the Presence of Interferon-Gamma. Macromol Biosci 2024; 24:e2400111. [PMID: 38567626 PMCID: PMC11250919 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202400111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Human mesenchymal stromal cell (hMSC) manufacturing requires the production of large numbers of therapeutically potent cells. Licensing with soluble cytokines improves hMSC therapeutic potency by enhancing secretion of immunoactive factors but typically decreases proliferative ability. Soft hydrogels, however, have shown promise for boosting immunomodulatory potential, which may compensate for decreased proliferation. Here, hydrogels are cross-linked with peptoids of different secondary structures to generate substrates of various bulk stiffnesses but fixed network connectivity. Secretions of interleukin 6, monocyte chemoattractive protein-1, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor are shown to depend on hydrogel stiffness in the presence of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) supplementation, with soft substrates further improving secretion. The immunological function of these secreted cytokines is then investigated via coculture of hMSCs seeded on hydrogels with primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the presence and absence of IFN-γ. Cocultures with hMSCs seeded on softer hydrogels show decreased PBMC proliferation with IFN-γ. To probe possible signaling pathways, immunofluorescent studies probe the nuclear factor kappa B pathway and demonstrate that IFN-γ supplementation and softer hydrogel mechanics lead to higher activation of this pathway. Overall, these studies may allow for production of more efficacious therapeutic hMSCs in the presence of IFN-γ.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Logan D. Morton
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Darren H. Loh
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Aldaly Pineda-Hernandez
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Ajay P. Chavda
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Francis Garcia
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Adrianne M. Rosales
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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Pinzon-Herrera L, Magness J, Apodaca-Reyes H, Sanchez J, Almodovar J. Surface Modification of Nerve Guide Conduits with ECM Coatings and Investigating Their Impact on Schwann Cell Response. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2304103. [PMID: 38400540 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202304103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
In this study, layer-by-layer coatings composed of heparin and collagen are proposed as an extracellular mimetic environment on nerve guide conduits (NGC) to modulate the behavior of Schwann cells (hSCs). The authors evaluated the stability, degradation over time, and bioactivity of six bilayers of heparin/collagen layer-by-layer coatings, denoted as (HEP/COL)6. The stability study reveals that (HEP/COL)6 is stable after incubating the coatings in cell media for up to 21 days. The impact of (HEP/COL)6 on hSCs viability, protein expression, and migration is evaluated. These assays show that hSCs cultured in (HEP/COL)6 have enhanced protein expression and migration. This condition increases the expression of neurotrophic and immunomodulatory factors up to 1.5-fold compared to controls, and hSCs migrated 1.34 times faster than in the uncoated surfaces. Finally, (HEP/COL)6 is also applied to a commercial collagen-based NGC, NeuraGen, and hSC viability and adhesion are studied after 6 days of culture. The morphology of NeuraGen is not altered by the presence of (HEP/COL)6 and a nearly 170% increase of the cell viability is observed in the condition where NeuraGen is used with (HEP/COL)6. Additionally, cell adhesion on the coated samples is successfully demonstrated. This work demonstrates the reparative enhancing potential of extracellular mimetic coatings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pinzon-Herrera
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
| | - John Magness
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Hector Apodaca-Reyes
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Jesus Sanchez
- Science & Mathematics Division, Northwest Arkansas Community College, 1418 Burns Hall, Bentonville, AR, 72712, USA
| | - Jorge Almodovar
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
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Haseli M, Pinzon-Herrera L, Hao X, Wickramasinghe SR, Almodovar J. Novel Strategy to Enhance Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Immunosuppression: Harnessing Interferon-Gamma Presentation in Metal-Organic Frameworks Embedded on Heparin/Collagen Multilayers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:16472-16483. [PMID: 37944116 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The immunomodulatory potential of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) can be boosted when exposed to interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). While pretreating hMSCs with IFN-γ is a common practice to enhance their immunomodulatory effects, the challenge lies in maintaining a continuous IFN-γ presence within cellular environments. Therefore, in this research, we investigate the sustainable presence of IFN-γ in the cell culture medium by immobilizing it in water-stable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [PCN-333(Fe)]. The immobilized IFN-γ in MOFs was coated on top of multilayers composed of combinations of heparin (HEP) and collagen (COL) that were used as a bioactive surface. Multilayers were created by using a layer-by-layer assembly technique, with the final layer alternating between collagen (COL) and heparin (HEP). We evaluated the viability, differentiation, and immunomodulatory activity of hMSCs cultured on (HEP/COL) coated with immobilized IFN-γ in MOFs after 3 and 6 days of culture. Cell viability, compared to tissue culture plastic, was not affected by immobilized IFN-γ in MOFs when they were coated on (HEP/COL) multilayers. We also verified that the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of the hMSCs remained unchanged. The immunomodulatory activity of hMSCs was evaluated by examining the expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and 11 essential immunomodulatory markers. After 6 days of culture, IDO expression and the expression of 11 immunomodulatory markers were higher in (HEP/COL) coated with immobilized IFN-γ in MOFs. Overall, (HEP/COL) multilayers coated with immobilized IFN-γ in MOFs provide a sustained presentation of cytokines to potentiate the hMSC immunomodulatory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Haseli
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Luis Pinzon-Herrera
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Xiaolei Hao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arkansas, John A. White, Jr. Engineering Hall, 790 W. Dickson St. Suite 120, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - S Ranil Wickramasinghe
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Jorge Almodovar
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
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Phipps J, Haseli M, Pinzon-Herrera L, Wilson B, Corbitt J, Servoss S, Almodovar J. Delivery of Immobilized IFN-γ With PCN-333 and Its Effect on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:671-679. [PMID: 36598843 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c01038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) plays a vital role in modulating the immunosuppressive properties of human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hMSCs) used in cell therapies. However, IFN-γ suffers from low bioavailability and degrades in media, creating a challenge when using IFN-γ during the manufacturing of hMSCs. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with their porous interiors, biocompatibility, high loading capacity, and ability to be functionalized for targeting, have become an increasingly suitable platform for protein delivery. In this work, we synthesize the MOF PCN-333(Fe) and show that it can be utilized to immobilize and deliver IFN-γ to the local extracellular environment of hMSCs. In doing so, the cells proliferate and differentiate appropriately with no observed side effects. We demonstrate that PCN-333(Fe) MOFs containing IFN-γ are not cytotoxic to hMSCs, can promote the expression of proteins that play a role in immune response, and are capable of inducing indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) production similar to that of soluble IFN-γ at lower concentrations. Overall, using MOFs to deliver IFN-γ may be leveraged in the future in the manufacturing of therapeutically relevant hMSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Phipps
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Mahsa Haseli
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Luis Pinzon-Herrera
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Ben Wilson
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Joshua Corbitt
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Shannon Servoss
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
| | - Jorge Almodovar
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States.,Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, United States
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Local IL-10 delivery modulates the immune response and enhances repair of volumetric muscle loss muscle injury. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1983. [PMID: 36737628 PMCID: PMC9898301 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27981-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This study was designed to test the hypothesis that in addition to repairing the architectural and cellular cues via regenerative medicine, the delivery of immune cues (immunotherapy) may be needed to enhance regeneration following volumetric muscle loss (VML) injury. We identified IL-10 signaling as a promising immunotherapeutic target. To explore the impact of targeting IL-10 signaling, tibialis anterior (TA) VML injuries were created and then treated in rats using autologous minced muscle (MM). Animals received either recombinant rat IL-10 or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) controls injections at the site of VML repair beginning 7 days post injury (DPI) and continuing every other day (4 injections total) until 14 DPI. At 56 DPI (study endpoint), significant improvements to TA contractile torque (82% of uninjured values & 170% of PBS values), TA mass, and myofiber size in response to IL-10 treatment were detected. Whole transcriptome analysis at 14 DPI revealed activation of IL-10 signaling, muscle hypertrophy, and lymphocytes signaling pathways. Expression of ST2, a regulatory T (Treg) cell receptor, was dramatically increased at the VML repair site in response to IL-10 treatment when compared to PBS controls. The findings suggest that the positive effect of delayed IL-10 delivery might be due to immuno-suppressive Treg cell recruitment.
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Morton LD, Castilla-Casadiego DA, Palmer AC, Rosales AM. Crosslinker structure modulates bulk mechanical properties and dictates hMSC behavior on hyaluronic acid hydrogels. Acta Biomater 2023; 155:258-270. [PMID: 36423819 PMCID: PMC9805514 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic hydrogels are attractive platforms due in part to their highly tunable mechanics, which impact cell behavior and secretory profile. These mechanics are often controlled by altering the number of crosslinks or the total polymer concentration in the gel, leading to structure-property relationships that inherently couple network connectivity to the overall modulus. In contrast, the native extracellular matrix (ECM) contains structured biopolymers that enable stiff gels even at low polymer content, facilitating 3D cell culture and permeability of soluble factors. To mimic the hierarchical order of natural ECM, this work describes a synthetic hydrogel system in which mechanics are tuned using the structure of sequence-defined peptoid crosslinkers, while fixing network connectivity. Peptoid crosslinkers with different secondary structures are investigated: 1) a helical, molecularly stiff peptoid, 2) a non-helical, less stiff peptoid, and 3) an unstructured, relatively flexible peptoid. Bulk hydrogel storage modulus increases when crosslinkers of higher chain stiffness are used. In-vitro studies assess the viability, proliferation, cell morphology, and immunomodulatory activity of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on each hydrogel substrate. Matrix mechanics regulate the morphology of hMSCs on the developed substrates, and all of the hydrogels studied upregulate IDO production over culture on TCP. Softer substrates further this upregulation to a plateau. Overall, this system offers a biomimetic strategy for decoupling hydrogel storage modulus from network connectivity, enabling systematic study of biomaterial properties on hMSC behavior and enhancement of cellular functionality for therapeutic applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Various strategies to tune hydrogel mechanics have been developed to control human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) behavior and regulate their immunomodulatory potential. However, these strategies typically couple mechanics to network connectivity, which in turn changes other hydrogel properties such as permeability that may have unintended effects on hMSC behavior. This work presents a strategy to tune hydrogel mechanics using crosslinkers with different secondary structure and molecular rigidity. This strategy successfully decouples hydrogel moduli from crosslinker stoichiometry and mimics the hierarchical nature of the native extracellular matrix. The moduli of the developed hydrogels led to significant impacts on hMSC morphology and proliferation, and increased immunomodulatory potential, indicating that molecular rigidity is a promising avenue to control engineered ECM mechanics for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan D Morton
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
| | - David A Castilla-Casadiego
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
| | - Ajay C Palmer
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
| | - Adrianne M Rosales
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, United States.
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Timsina H, McTyer J, Rao RR, Almodovar J. A comparative evaluation of layer-by-layer assembly techniques for surface modification of microcarriers used in human mesenchymal stromal cell manufacturing. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100605. [PMID: 35377534 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The demand for large quantities of highly potent human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) is growing given their therapeutic potential. To meet high production needs, suspension-based cell cultures using microcarriers are commonly used. Microcarriers are commonly made of or coated with extracellular matrix proteins or charged compounds to promote cell adhesion and proliferation. In this work, we demonstrate a simple method (draining filter) to perform layer by layer (LbL) assembly on microcarriers to create multilayers of heparin and collagen and further demonstrate that these multilayers have a positive effect on hMSC viability after 48 hours of culture. The draining filter method is evaluated against two other methods found in literature - centrifugation and fluidized bed, showing that the draining filter method can perform the surface modification with greater efficiency and with less materials and steps needed in the coating process. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemanta Timsina
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Jasmine McTyer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, 127 Earle Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Raj R Rao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Jorge Almodovar
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
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Haseli M, Castilla-Casadiego DA, Pinzon-Herrera L, Hillsley A, Miranda-Munoz KA, Sivaraman S, Rosales AM, Rao RR, Almodovar J. Immunomodulatory functions of human mesenchymal stromal cells are enhanced when cultured on HEP/COL multilayers supplemented with interferon-gamma. Mater Today Bio 2022; 13:100194. [PMID: 35005599 PMCID: PMC8715375 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2021.100194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) are multipotent cells that have been proposed for cell therapies due to their immunosuppressive capacity that can be enhanced in the presence of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). In this study, multilayers of heparin (HEP) and collagen (COL) (HEP/COL) were used as a bioactive surface to enhance the immunomodulatory activity of hMSCs using soluble IFN-γ. Multilayers were formed, via layer-by-layer assembly, varying the final layer between COL and HEP and supplemented with IFN-γ in the culture medium. We evaluated the viability, adhesion, real-time growth, differentiation, and immunomodulatory activity of hMSCs on (HEP/COL) multilayers. HMSCs viability, adhesion, and growth were superior when cultured on (HEP/COL) multilayers compared to tissue culture plastic. We also confirmed that hMSCs osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation remained unaffected when cultured in (HEP/COL) multilayers in the presence of IFN-γ. We measured the immunomodulatory activity of hMSCs by measuring the level of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) expression. IDO expression was higher on (HEP/COL) multilayers treated with IFN-γ. Lastly, we evaluated the suppression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation when co-cultured with hMSCs on (HEP/COL) multilayers with IFN-γ. hMSCs cultured in (HEP/COL) multilayers in the presence of soluble IFN-γ have a greater capacity to suppress PBMC proliferation. Altogether, (HEP/COL) multilayers with IFN-γ in culture medium provides a potent means of enhancing and sustaining immunomodulatory activity to control hMSCs immunomodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Haseli
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - David A. Castilla-Casadiego
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Luis Pinzon-Herrera
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Alexander Hillsley
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Katherine A. Miranda-Munoz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Srikanth Sivaraman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Adrianne M. Rosales
- Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Raj R. Rao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Jorge Almodovar
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 3202 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
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