High water content silk protein-based hydrogels with tunable elasticity fabricated via a Ru(II) mediated photochemical cross-linking method

Silk is very promising in the field of biomaterials as a natural biomacromolecule. Silk protein can be made into various forms of materials, including hydrogels. However, silk protein-based hydrogels have not attracted much attention due to its weak mechanical properties. Here, we report high water content silk protein-based hydrogels with tunable elasticity which were fabricated through Ru(II) mediated photochemically cross-linking tyrosine residues in regenerated silk protein. The regenerated silk protein was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The gelation kinetics of the silk protein was studied by rheology measurements. The compressive mechanical properties of the silk protein-based hydrogels was investigated using compressive tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Compressive modulus of the hydrogels reached 349±64 MPa at 15 % strain. The fabricated silk protein-based hydrogels were also characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing an interconnected porous network structure, typical of hydrogels, with an average pore size of approximately 130 μm. Finally, biocompatibility of the silk protein-based hydrogels was demonstrated through cell culture studies using a human fibroblast cell line, HFL1. The reported silk protein-based hydrogels represent a promising candidate for biomaterial applications.     

Nano-calcium carbonate reinforced polypropylene and propylene-ethylene copolymer nanocomposites: Tensile vs. impact behavior

Improvement of both the tensile and impact strength of the same polymeric material has always been a great challenge for the plastic industry. The study focuses on the effect of incorporation of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (0.3 wt% to 15 wt%) into three polypropylene (PP) based matrices viz. PP homopolymer, propylene-ethylene (PP-PE) copolymer and the blend of PP:PP-PE (30:70) to improve their impact behavior without hampering the tensile strength much. A loss in both the tensile and impact properties was observed in PP based nanocomposite. However, PP-PE based nanocomposites showed a significant improvement in impact strength (47 %) at 10 wt% loading with a loss of tensile strength by 22 %. To minimize this loss a blend of PP:PP-PE (30:70) was explored as a matrix. At 10 wt% loading, this matrix showed an improvement of 30 % in impact strength whereas the tensile loss was minimized to 10 %. Further, silane coupling agent which promoted good interfacial adhesion was used for best compositions. The variation of crystalline morphology of the nanocomposites with various formulations was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction.     

Modeling multi-scale spatial ecological processes under the discrete event systems paradigm

A multi-scale spatial ecological model of a wet sclerophyllous forest subject to recurrent fires is presented. The model is specified in a Discrete Event Systems framework (DEVS) (Zeigler, 1990) interfaced with a Geographic Information System (GIS), and includes the ability to simulate landscape dynamics at several levels of resolution simultaneously. This is achieved by encoding a modular hierarchical representation of the forest landscape components into a set of nested, interconnected, and spatially referenced dynamic models. The results of the landscape dynamics simulations are displayed as sequences of maps through time, illustrating the potential of this modeling methodology for dealing with complex hierarchical structures that operate at several spatial and temporal resolutions.Research work supported by Junta Nacional de Investigaçäo Científica e Tecnológica, Portugal, and the Advanced Resource Technology Program, University of Arizona, USA.     

Laboratory diagnosis and disease occurrence in the current African swine fever eradication program in Spain, 1989–1991

The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of decline and geographical distribution by municipality of clinical and subclinical African swine fever (ASF) in the affected areas of Spain. A second aim was to evaluate the performance of diagnostic tests in the Spanish ASF eradication program. Clinical outbreaks were confirmed using both the direct and indirect immunofluorescence test (and if both were negative, by the hemabsorption test). The serological status of swine was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and suspect serum samples were confirmed by the immunoblot assay.

The number of clinical outbreaks (herds) of ASF for 1989, 1990 and 1991 was 170, 347 and 207, respectively. The numbers of municipalities within each affected province experiencing acute outbreaks for the same time periods were 49, 69 and 48, respectively. Serologically diagnosed animals positive for ASF were 1.1% of animals tested in 1989, 0.5% in 1990 and 0.8% in 1991. The corresponding positive predictive values of the standard ELISA test used were 99.0, 97.9 and 98.8, respectively. Similarly, the number of municipalities within each affected province experiencing serologically positive subclinically infected animals was 269, 178 and 147 for each of the years 1989, 1990 and 1991, respectively.     

Check-list for scientific names of common parasitic fungi. Series 3b: Fungi on bulbs: Amaryllidaceae and Iridaceae

This list is a continuation of Series 3a (Neth. J. Pl. Path. 94 (1988), Supplement 1), an account of the nomenclature of common parasitic fungi on bulbs as used in official publications of the Netherlands Society of Plant Pathology and the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The selected names include one new species,Curvularia gladioli Boerema & Hamers, one new pathogenic form,Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.croci Boerema & Hamers, and one new combination,Sclerotium narcissi (Sacc.) Boerema & Hamers.A contribution towards the costs of publication provided by the Landbouw Export Bureau Fund, Wageningen, is gratefully acknowledged.     

Sensitivity,specificity, and predictive values of reagent test strip estimations of blood urea nitrogen

Azostix-reagent-tests(R) strips (Ames, Miles, Inc., Diagnostic Division, Elkhart, IN) were used to measure blood urea nitrogen values in blood samples from 125 dogs and cats at the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Results of the tests were compared with standard serum urea nitrogen results. Sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive values were high (86.4, 90.3, and 96.5%, respectively). Positive predictive value was low, 65.5% of the dogs and cats with elevated blood urea nitrogen values were correctly classified as abnormal The test performs well when the prevalence of abnormal values is near 50%.     

‘Plantibodies’: a flexible approach to design resistance against pathogens

Engineering resistance against various diseases and pests is hampered by the lack of suitable genes. To overcome this problem we started a research program aimed at obtaining resistance by transfecting plants with genes encoding monoclonal antibodies against pathogen specific proteins. The idea is that monoclonal antibodies will inhibit the biological activity of molecules that are essential for the pathogenesis. Potato cyst nematodes are chosen as a model and it is thought that monoclonal antibodies are able to block the function of the saliva proteins of this parasite. These proteins are, among others, responsible for the induction of multinucleate transfer cells upon which the nematode feeds. It is well documented that the ability of antibodies to bind molecules is sufficient to inactivate the function of an antigen and in view of the potential of animals to synthesize antibodies to almost any molecular structure, this strategy should be feasible for a wide range of diseases and pests.Antibodies have several desirable features with regard to protein engineering. The antibody (IgG) is a Y-shaped molecule, in which the domains forming the tips of the arms bind to antigen and those forming the stem are responsible for triggering effector functions (Fc fragments) that eliminate the antigen from the animal. Domains carrying the antigen-binding loops (Fv and Fab fragments) can be used separately from the Fc fragments without loss of affinity. The antigen-binding domains can also be endowed with new properties by fusing them to toxins or enzymes. Antibody engineering is also facilitated by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). A systematic comparison of the nucleotide sequence of more than 100 antibodies revealed that not only the 3′-ends, but also the 5′-ends of the antibody genes are relatively conserved. We were able to design a small set of primers with restriction sites for forced cloning, which allowed the amplification of genes encoding antibodies specific for the saliva proteins ofGlobodera rostochiensis. Complete heavy and light chain genes as well as single chain Fv fragments (scFv), in which the variable parts of the light (V_L) and heavy chain (V_H) are linked by a peptide, will be transferred to potato plants. A major challenge will be to establish a correct expression of the antibody genes with regard to three dimensional folding, assembly and intracellular location.