Ultrafine Bubbles Technology for Breaking Dormancy of Sandalwood Seeds (Santalum album L.

Sandalwood seed has two types of dormancy, namely physical dormancy and physiological dormancy which is a combination of the Two-part is called morphophysiological dormancy. There is for breaks dormancy in sandalwood for earlier embryo maturation and elongation also it has hard and impermeable skin. Its structure consists of layers of thick-walled palisade-like cells especially on the outermost surface and the inside has a waxy coating and curse material. The objective of this study was to break of seed dormancy with technology Ultrafine Bubbles (UFB) on the morphophysiological dormancy on sandalwood seeds. The experiments used a randomized complete block designed (RCBD) with 3 replications. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and will be continued using the DMRT test at the 5% level. The research was conducted from February - March 0f 2020. The results showed that immersion using UFB water with oxygen 20 ppm or either UFB free oxygen for 24 and 48 hours combined with physical scarification and chemical scarification could accelerate germination in 13 days after germination (appeared radicle), percentage of growth speed (GS) is 4.67%, maximum growth (MG) in 21 days after sowing is 66.67% with normal sprouts 2-4 leaves have grown.

BCG Substrains Change Their Outermost Surface as a Function of Growth Media

Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) efficacy as an immunotherapy tool can be influenced by the genetic background or immune status of the treated population and by the BCG substrain used. BCG comprises several substrains with genetic differences that elicit diverse phenotypic characteristics. Moreover, modifications of phenotypic characteristics can be influenced by culture conditions. However, several culture media formulations are used worldwide to produce BCG. To elucidate the influence of growth conditions on BCG characteristics, five different substrains were grown on two culture media, and the lipidic profile and physico-chemical properties were evaluated. Our results show that each BCG substrain displays a variety of lipidic profiles on the outermost surface depending on the growth conditions. These modifications lead to a breadth of hydrophobicity patterns and a different ability to reduce neutral red dye within the same BCG substrain, suggesting the influence of BCG growth conditions on the interaction between BCG cells and host cells.

Tribological Properties of a Mesh-Like Nanostructured Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Lubricated with a Fully Formulated Oil at DLC/Steel Contacts under Boundary Lubrication

The present paper describes the tribological properties of a mesh-like nanostructure of diamond-like carbon (DLC) in a formulated engine oil at DLC/steel contacts. This novel nanostructured DLC was characterized as a non-hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C) with a nano-mesh structure layer at the outermost surface, herein named NM-a-C. From the results of our friction tests, we observed that the NM-a-C/steel tribopair exhibited lower friction and higher wear-resistance than the a-C:H/steel tribopair, though the mechanical properties were nearly identical. The analytical result indicated that the tribofilm formation process and the chemical composition of the tribofilm varied depending on the types of the DLC. In particular, thicker MoS2-rich tribofilms formed on the NM-a-C surface. Hence, the NM-a-C structure promoted the formation of MoS2 under the lubrication with the fully formulated oil, leading to lower friction and high wear-resistance at the DLC/steel contact under boundary lubrication conditions.

Immunomics-Guided Antigen Discovery for Praziquantel-Induced Vaccination in Urogenital Human Schistosomiasis

Despite the enormous morbidity attributed to schistosomiasis, there is still no vaccine to combat the disease for the hundreds of millions of infected people. The anthelmintic drug, praziquantel, is the mainstay treatment option, although its molecular mechanism of action remains poorly defined. Praziquantel treatment damages the outermost surface of the parasite, the tegument, liberating surface antigens from dying worms that invoke a robust immune response which in some subjects results in immunologic resistance to reinfection. Herein we term this phenomenon Drug-Induced Vaccination (DIV). To identify the antigenic targets of DIV antibodies in urogenital schistosomiasis, we constructed a recombinant proteome array consisting of approximately 1,000 proteins informed by various secretome datasets including validated proteomes and bioinformatic predictions. Arrays were screened with sera from human subjects treated with praziquantel and shown 18 months later to be either reinfected (chronically infected subjects, CI) or resistant to reinfection (DIV). IgG responses to numerous antigens were significantly elevated in DIV compared to CI subjects, and indeed IgG responses to some antigens were completely undetectable in CI subjects but robustly recognized by DIV subjects. One antigen in particular, a cystatin cysteine protease inhibitor stood out as a unique target of DIV IgG, so recombinant cystatin was produced, and its vaccine efficacy assessed in a heterologous Schistosoma mansoni mouse challenge model. While there was no significant impact of vaccination with adjuvanted cystatin on adult worm numbers, highly significant reductions in liver egg burdens (45-55%, P<0.0001) and intestinal egg burdens (50-54%, P<0.0003) were achieved in mice vaccinated with cystatin in two independent trials. This study has revealed numerous antigens that are targets of DIV antibodies in urogenital schistosomiasis and offer promise as subunit vaccine targets for a drug-linked vaccination approach to controlling schistosomiasis.

Geopolymer leaching in water and acetic acid

Elemental leaching of metakaolin based geopolymers was investigated by immersing hardened paste specimens in a solution. For this, pure water and 0.1 molar acetic acid solutions were replenished ten times distributed over 56 days in total. Dissolution and diffusion of the elements through and from the geopolymer paste into the surrounding solutions was investigated on cross-sections of specimens by SEM-EDS microscopy, indentation, X-ray powder diffraction analysis and measuring the eluted elements by ICP-MS when replenishing the solution over time. The presented new methodological approach thus combines the dissolution rate kinetics obtained via wet chemistry (ICP) with the complementary solid state characterisation methods to gain new insights into the complex geopolymer dissolution mechanisms. Results indicated a relatively small leachability of geopolymers, limited only to the surface layer which is directly exposed to the aggressive solution, while the more inner parts of the geopolymer framework remain intact. Elemental maps revealed dissolution of aluminates that occurred across the outermost surface parts of the sections, while potassium leached out gradually but reached deeper inner parts. However, there was still a high portion of potassium being left bonded inside the geopolymer, even for the harsh acidic conditions, limited by the diffusion-reaction mechanism which took place within the geopolymer. The obtained experimental results represent a first approach towards feeding reactive transport numerical modeling approaches still to be developed for simulating leaching and degradation of geopolymer materials when exposed to water or acidic solutions.

Normal stress distribution in infinite elastic matrix with a locally curved triple-walled carbon nanotube

Nanocomposite materials are produced by using of nanotubes, the most significant structural elements of nanomaterials used in nanotechnologic applications. In the reinforcement (in the fibers) of the structure of composite materials, the appearance of the self-balancing stresses results from the initial curvature, caused by either structural reasons or technological processes. Because of exceeding safety limits of material caused by high magnitude self-balancing stresses, investigating the mechanical behaviors of the material theoretically, both under tensile and compression in the direction of strengthening (fiber) is essential for the engineering. Unlike the literature, in this study, composite materials containing triple-walled nanotube are investigated in the scope of the piecewise homogeneous body model by using of geometric non-linear exact equations of the 3-D theory of elasticity. The normal stress analysis, on the outermost surface of the carbon nanotube and the matrix intersection, is investigated under various external effects. Nanotube is first formed as having a small local curvature. Van der Waals forces existing between the carbon nanotube walls are taken into consideration.

Awareness of Medicinal Applications of Rice Bran Oil among Dental Students

In the process of polishing rice , a specific vegetable oil high in antioxidant is generated first from outermost surface of rice designated Rice Bran Oil (RBO).a Experiments across the world have verified the anti lipidemic activity owing to the presence of special nutritional supplement in this oil recognized as oryzanol or tocotrienols. Raw rice bran product is usually made up of glycerides phospho and glycolipids as well as free fatty acids.The purpose of this survey was for assessing the awareness of medicinal applications of Rice bran oil among dental students. A cross sectional study was performed with a self-administered questionnaire with 10 queries circulated among 100 dental students. The questionnaire assessed the awareness about Rice bran oil therapy in medical applications ,their anti lipedemic properties, anti oxidant applications, harmone regulatin applications and immune enhancement activity.The responses were recorded and analysed.94% of the respondents were not aware of medicinal applications of Rice bran oiltherapy. 87% were not aware of anti lipedemic properties of Rice bran oiltherapy. 85% were not aware of anti oxidant properties of Rice bran oiltherapy.84% were not aware of armone regulation properties of Rice bran oiltherapy. 89% were not aware of immune enhancements properties of Rice bran oiltherapy.The awareness about the use of Rice bran oil therapy in medical applications is low among dental students.Increased awareness programs and sensitization and continuing dental education programs along with greater importance to the curricular modifications can further enhance knowledge and awareness about Rice bran oil therapy.

Functionalization and Surface Modifications of Bioactive Glasses (BGs): Tailoring of the Biological Response Working on the Outermost Surface Layer

Bioactive glasses (BGs) are routinely being used as potent materials for hard and soft tissue engineering applications; however, improving their biological activities through surface functionalization and modification has been underestimated so far. The surface characteristics of BGs are key factors in determining the success of any implanted BG-based material in vivo since they regulate the affinity and binding of different biological macromolecules and thereby the interactions between cells and the implant. Therefore, a number of strategies using chemical agents (e.g., glutaraldehyde, silanes) and physical methods (e.g., laser treatment) have been evaluated and applied to design properly, tailor, and improve the surface properties of BGs. All these approaches aim at enhancing the biological activities of BGs, including the induction of cell proliferation and subsequent osteogenesis, as well as the inhibition of bacterial growth and adhesion, thereby reducing infection. In this study, we present an overview of the currently used approaches of surface functionalization and modifications of BGs, along with discussing the biological outputs induced by these changes.