MacAB-TolC Contributes to the Development of Acinetobacter baumannii Biofilm at the Solid–Liquid Interface

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as one of the most problematic bacterial pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired and community infections worldwide. Besides its high capacity to acquire antibiotic resistance mechanisms, it also presents high adhesion abilities on inert and living surfaces leading to biofilm development. This lifestyle confers additional protection against various treatments and allows it to persist for long periods in various hospital niches. Due to their remarkable antimicrobial tolerance, A. baumannii biofilms are difficult to control and ultimately eradicate. Further insights into the mechanism of biofilm development will help to overcome this challenge and to develop novel antibiofilm strategies. To unravel critical determinants of this sessile lifestyle, the proteomic profiles of two A. baumannii strains (ATTC17978 and SDF) grown in planktonic stationary phase or in mature solid–liquid (S-L) biofilm were compared using a semiquantitative proteomic study. Of interest, among the 69 common proteins determinants accumulated in the two strains at the S-L interface, we sorted out the MacAB-TolC system. This tripartite efflux pump played a role in A. baumannii biofilm formation as demonstrated by using ΔmacAB-tolC deletion mutant. Complementary approaches allowed us to get an overview of the impact of macAB-tolC deletion in A. baumannii physiology. Indeed, this efflux pump appeared to be involved in the envelope stress response occurring in mature biofilm. It contributes to maintain wild type (WT) membrane rigidity and provides tolerance to high osmolarity conditions. In addition, this system is probably involved in the maintenance of iron and sulfur homeostasis. MacAB-TolC might help this pathogen face and adapt to deleterious conditions occurring in mature biofilms. Increasing our knowledge of A. baumannii biofilm formation will undoubtedly help us develop new therapeutic strategies to tackle this emerging threat to human health.

Wearproof Composite Coatings on Ti

In this work the formation of protective coatings on VT1-0 commercially pure titanium by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and subsequent fluoropolymer treatment is presented. The structure, morphology, corrosion, and mechanical properties of the formed composite coatings were studied. It was established that PEO coatings are an excellent basis for the formation of a solid composite layer with high adhesion to its surface. The presence of polytetrafluoroethylene in the composition of the coating reduces the corrosion current density by 4 orders of magnitude and increases the wear resistance by 2 orders of magnitude in comparison with the base PEO coating.

PROMISING COMPOSITE MATERIALS BASED ON NANOSCALE APATITE WITH GELATIN AS A BINDING AGENT

Порошки наноразмерных гидроксиапатита и фторапатита синтезированы методом осаждения из растворов. В качестве связующего вещества использован пищевой желатин. Такая композиция имеет высокую адгезию на материалах различной природы и пористости. Получены также пористые пленки и гранулы с развитой удельной поверхностью. Рассмотрены их микроструктуры. Изучена возможность использования коллоидной суспензии и водной суспензии кристаллического апатита в сочетании с раствором желатина в качестве биоактивного материала, как для создания покрытий, так и получения гранул. Установлено, что использование порошка апатита совместно с желатином позволяет существенно сократить сроки формирования биоактивного покрытия и значительно повысить его адгезионную прочность. Сопоставлены получаемые гранулы апатита по размерам в зависимости от концентрации желатина в водном растворе. На разработанные биоактивные покрытия и гранулированный материал на основе наноразмерного апатита со связующим агентом поданы заявки на патент. Nanoscale hydroxyapatite and fluorapatite powders were synthesized by precipitation from solutions. Food gelatin is used as a binder. This composition has a high adhesion on materials of different nature and porosity. Porous films and granules with a developed specific surface area were also obtained. Their microstructures are considered. The possibility of using a colloidal suspension and an aqueous suspension of crystalline apatite in combination with a gelatin solution as a bioactive material, both for creating coatings and obtaining granules, has been studied. It is established that the use of apatite powder together with gelatin can significantly reduce the time of formation of a bioactive coating and significantly increase its adhesive strength. The obtained apatite granules are compared in size depending on the concentration of gelatin in an aqueous solution. Patent applications have been filed for the developed bioactive coatings and granular material based on nanoscale apatite with a binding agent.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF PORUS ASPHALT MIXTURE USING ANTI-PELALING AGENTS WITH REAM SPECIFICATIONS

<p>Flexible pavement is very weak against waterlogging because water can loosen the bond between aggregate and asphalt. Porous Asphalt has lower durability because it has high pores so that it can be passed by water. Poor bonding of asphalt and aggregate will cause stripping. This peeling can cause water absorption which will eventually accelerate road damage. Derbo 401 anti-peeling material is one of the new breakthroughs, in the form of additives that can change the properties of aggregates and asphalt, increase adhesion and bonding, and reduce the negative effects caused by water so as to produce a mixture of asphalt with high adhesion. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of adding anti-stripping agent type Derbo-401 to the permeability value and to determine the resistance of the porous asphalt mixture with the addition of anti-striping agent type Derbo-401 in the Cantabro test and to determine the microstructure of the porous asphalt mixture. Using the REAM-2008 Specification. Based on the results of the study, the Permeability Coefficient Value of the porous asphalt mixture was 0.254 cm3/sec. the lowest percentage Derbo 0.4%, the lowest Cantabro Loss value at 0.3% addition percentage gets an average value of 6.13%, Has met the required specifications max 15%. The elements that make up the porous asphalt mixture with the addition of Derbo percentage are more in the elements Si (silicon) 19.93%, Ca (calcium) 21.12%, S (sulfur) 8.45%, Fe (ferrum) 8.80%, K (potassium) 2.42% and the other elements are less.</p>

Research and development of processes of vacuum ion-plasma parts surface treatment

The application of electron-ion-plasma technologies for increasing the service life of machine parts, tools and technological equipment has been investigated. The technology of vacuum ion-plasma surface treatment is proposed for the deposition of coatings, which makes it possible to create internal, external and combined coatings. The manufacturability of coating methods is largely determined by the level of the developed equipment. The entire technological process of deposition of wear-resistant coatings on parts of friction units is carried out in one cycle on a BRV600F vacuum unit, which is equipped with all the necessary technical means. A method has been developed for the technology of obtaining a superhard carbon-metal coating with desired properties, namely, improving the quality of diamond-like films by changing their structure and composition, while the lower layer should have high adhesion to the substrate material, the middle layer should have high hardness and increased wear resistance, and the upper layer should have good thermal conductivity and heat resistance with low coefficient of friction.

Analysis of the use of paint coatings to protect the hull from corrosion

The most common and reliable method of protecting a ship’s hull from corrosion is paint coatings. Paint coatings can be used to paint products of any size. In case of complete or partial destruction, the paintwork can be easily restored by tinting or completely repainting the surface. Paints and varnishes are easily combined with other methods of corrosion protection. The use of paint coatings is more economical in comparison with other types of corrosion protection. Therefore, it is currently the most common method of protecting ship hulls. In order to determine the quality, the experimental studies of various paints and varnishes were carried out. Experimental prototypes were made. The effect of low temperatures and the effect of an impending water flow on paint and coatings were considered. The main conclusions were drawn from the results of the experiments. For long-term protection from the external environment, it is necessary that the coating film should maintain high adhesion to the surface maintain continuous, have minimal water absorption, devoid of pores and be solid. Samples with a two-layer and three-layer coating of Jotun paint have the best adhesion. Satisfactory results were also obtained on samples with a three-layer coating of XC-436 enamel and with a two-layer coating of stone red.

Review of materials for preparation of printing table surface of 3D-printer for printing

To produce a quality product, in the process of 3D-printing it is necessary to ensure high adhesion between material and the surface of a 3D-printer table. The main methods of table surface preparation, used materials, and the field of their application are considered. The further study direction is formulated to determine the optimal parameters of preparation for printing.

3D-Printed Mortars with Combined Steel and Polypropylene Fibers

Fibers of various origins are of great importance for the manufacture of new generation cement composites. The use of modified composite binders allows these highly efficient building materials to be used for 3D-printing of structures for various functional purposes. In this article, changes in building codes are proposed, in particular, the concept of the rheological technological index (RTI) mixtures is introduced, the hardware and method for determining which will reproduce the key features of real processes. An instrument was developed to determine a RTI value. The mixes based on composite binders and combined steel and polypropylene fibers were created. The optimally designed composition made it possible to obtain composites with a compressive strength of 93 MPa and a tensile strength of 11 MPa. At the same time, improved durability characteristics were achieved, such as water absorption of 2.5% and the F300 frost resistance grade. The obtained fine-grained fiber-reinforced concrete composite is characterized by high adhesion strength of the fiber with the cement paste. The microstructure of the developed composite, and especially the interfacial transition zone, has a denser structure compared to traditional concrete. The obtained materials, due to their high strength characteristics due to the use of a composite binder and combined fiber, can be recommended for use in high-rise construction.