Sustainable functional finishing for cotton fabrics using screen-printing process and gallotannin

To seek a more environmentally friendly textile finishing technique, the screen-printing method was adopted to apply functional material to cotton fabrics. In addition, gallotannin was used as a functional material because it is naturally abundant in many plant-derived substances and shows various health-promoting features such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and other attractive properties. Therefore, a gallotannin/thickener paste was applied to the surface of cotton fabrics through the screen-printing technique, and the gallotannin-printed cotton fabrics were thoroughly investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and other methods. The gallotannin printed area was substantially brown in appearance, and gallotannin moiety appeared to combine with cotton cellulose through heat treatment. Furthermore, functional properties of the gallotannin-printed cotton fabrics were examined in terms of antibacterial activity, deodorizing property, and ultraviolet-blocking property, of which it demonstrated excellent abilities. However, the antibacterial ability toward Gram-negative bacteria (K. pneumoniae) decreased as the laundry cycle increased.

Development of Multifunctional Pullulan/Chitosan-Based Composite Films Reinforced with ZnO Nanoparticles and Propolis for Meat Packaging Applications

Pullulan/chitosan-based multifunctional edible composite films were fabricated by reinforcing mushroom-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and propolis. The ZnONPs were synthesized using enoki mushroom extract and characterized using physicochemical methods. The mushroom-mediated ZnONPs showed an irregular shape with an average size of 26.7 ± 8.9 nm. The combined incorporation of ZnONPs and propolis pointedly improved the composite film’s UV-blocking property without losing transparency. The reinforcement with ZnONPs and propolis improved the mechanical strength of the pullulan/chitosan-based film by ~25%. Additionally, the water vapor barrier property and hydrophobicity of the film were slightly increased. In addition, the pullulan/chitosan-based biocomposite film exhibited good antioxidant activity due to the propolis and excellent antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens due to the ZnONPs. The developed edible pullulan/chitosan-based film was used for pork belly packaging, and the peroxide value and total number of aerobic microorganisms were significantly reduced in meat wrapped with the pullulan/chitosan/ZnONPs/propolis film.

High-capacity strictly non-blocking optical switches based on new dual principle

In this paper the new dual principle of designing high-capacity strictly non-blocking optical switches is presented for the first time. The new type of switches with decentralized control based on the dual principle has been developed for the first time too. In accordance with the scheme topology this type of switching system was called as the quasi-complete dual switch. It also is analysed the optical signals minimal transmission time that provide the non-blocking property of the new schemes. For the circuit and link complexity calculations the accurate analytical expressions are obtained for the first time. The numerical investigation shows that the proposed schemes significantly benefit in comparison with the well-known switches, for example, the crossbar and Clos schemes. The results of comparing of the dual switch and other types of self-routing switches throughput show an obvious advantage of the proposed scheme. It also is shown that the offered switch type can be considered as a perspective for high-capacity strictly non-blocking optical systems. Indeed, the strictly non-blocking property, the scalability, high throughput, and the decentralized control are the main advantages of offered switches.

Characteristics of Concentrated Lignocellulosic Nanofibrils Suspension

Lignocellulosic nanofibrils (LCNF) is usually isolated from biomass with concentration less than 2.0 wt%. The low concentration limited the transportation and end-use application of LCNF. Therefore, the development of concentration process and the characteristics of concentrated LCNF become desirable and important for commercial deployment of LCNF application. In this study, 1.0 wt% LCNF suspension was dewatered to solid concentration of 5.9 wt%, 16.3 wt% and 25.9 wt% by a centrifuge, respectively. The un-concentrated LCNF suspension showed obviously stable translucent and well dispersed in water, while the concentrated LCNF exhibited the gel-like behavior or “solid-like” behavior based on the concentration degree. The bundle-like fibrils were observed in the concentrated LCNF, and average diameter of concentrated LCNF became large but still less than 100 nm. The crystallinity and crystallite size of un-concentrated LCNF and concentrated LCNF were similar, and it was indicated that the morphological structure changes of LCNF mainly occurred in the amorphous region of fibrils. The concentrated LCNF films still had relatively good UV-blocking property, water absorption and oxygen permeability. The increasing basis weight of films was benefit for enhancing the surface smoothness of films and interweaves between fibrils, resulting in the tensile index and specific modulus of films increasing. In sum, the concentration process affected the morphology structure of LCNF, but the concentrated LCNF still kept relatively good properties. Concentration process of LCNF suspension may be a feasible strategy for large-scale LCNF production and storage.

Contribution of Connexin Hemichannels to the Pathogenesis of Acute Lung Injury

Connexin (Cx) family members form hemichannels (HCs) and gap junctions (GJs). Biological functions of Cx HCs have not been adequately characterized due to the inability to selectively target HCs or GJs. Recently, we developed a 6-mer peptide mimetic (P5) of the first extracellular loop of Cx43 and showed that it can block the permeability of HCs but not GJs formed by Cx43. In this study, we further characterized the HC blocking property of P5 and investigated the role of Cx HCs in acute lung injury (ALI). We found that P5 administration decreased HC permeability, in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, HepG2 cells, and even Cx43-deficient astrocytes, which express different sets of Cxs, suggesting that P5 is a broad spectrum Cx HC blocker. In addition, P5 reduced HC permeability of alveolar cells in vivo. Moreover, P5 decreased endotoxin-induced release, by vascular endothelial cells in vitro, of high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1), a critical mediator of acute lung injury (ALI), and reduced HMGB1 accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice subjected to intratracheal endotoxin instillation. Furthermore, P5 administration resulted in a significant decrease in the concentrations of ALT, AST, and LDH in the BALF, the accumulation of leukocytes in alveoli, and the mortality rate of mice subjected to ALI. Wright-Giemsa staining showed that P5 caused similar reductions of both neutrophils and monocytes in BALF of ALI mice. Together, these results suggest that Cx HCs mediate HMGB1 release, augment leukocyte recruitment, and contribute to ALI pathology.