A systematic study on the effects of doping agents on polypyrrole coating of fabrics

Polypyrrole is widely used as coating to produce electrically conductive textiles. Counter‐ions (i.e. doping agents) were embedded in polypyrrole to improve electrical conductivity. Good electrical performances are required for several applications, such as microwave attenuation/electro‐magnetic interference shielding, heat generation, electro‐static discharge protection, sensing, and energy storage. In this work, a systematic study was carried out on the effects of doping agents in coating cotton fabrics with a thin polypyrrole layer. A total of 11 compounds were selected and compared as counter‐ions. The electrical performances of the coated fabrics were assessed with measures of electrical conductivity. Moreover, evenness and morphology of the resulting polypyrrole layer were discussed. As the final result, the best performances in terms of electrical conductivity (i.e. low surface resistivity) were measured using on dicyclohexyl sulfosuccinate, 2,6‐naphthalenedisulfonate or 1,5‐naphthalenedisulfonate as doping agents. The weight increases after polypyrrole deposition on the fabrics were greater than 15% and polypyrrole deposited on the fibers as a uniform film. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 132, 42831.     

Survival of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains inoculated in cheese matrix during simulated human digestion

Survival of probiotic bacteria during transit through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is influenced by a number of environmental variables including stomach acidity, bile salts, digestive enzymes and food matrix. This study assessed survival of seven selected Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains delivered within a model cheese system to the human upper GI tract using a dynamic gastric model (DGM). Good survival rates for all tested strains were recorded during both simulated gastric and duodenal digestion. Strains H12, H25 and N24 demonstrated higher survival capacities during gastric digestion than L. rhamnosus GG strain used as control, with H12 and N24 continuing to grow during duodenal digestion. Strains L. rhamnosus F17, N24 and R61 showed adhesion properties to both HT-29 and Caco-2 cells. The ability to attach to the cheese matrix during digestion was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, also indicating production of extracellular polysaccharides as a response to acid stress.     

Functional foods as carriers for SYNBIO®, a probiotic bacteria combination

The popularity of functional foods continues to increase as consumers desire flavorful foods that will fulfil their health needs. Among these foods, probiotics may exert positive effects on the composition of gut microbiota and overall health. However, in order to be beneficial, the bacterial cultures have to remain live and active at the time of consumption. The aim of this study was to develop new probiotic food products, such as seasoned cheeses, salami, chocolate and ice-cream with a final probiotic concentration of approximately 10?CFU/daily dose of Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501? and Lactobacillus paracasei IMC 502? mixed 1:1 (SYNBIO?). The survival and viability of probiotics were determined during the foods shelf-life. The values of viable probiotic bacteria of all dairy and non-dairy foods were between 10? and 10?CFU/g of food at the end of the shelf-life and for some of them the values were maintained even after the expiry date. Based on the results of the current study, all the dairy ("Caciotta" cheese, "Pecorino" cheese, "Büscion" Swiss cheese and "Fiordilatte" ice-cream) and non-dairy ("Ciauscolo" salami, Larded salami, Swiss small salami, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, organic jam and chocolate mousse) food products studied would be excellent vehicles to deliver the probiotic health effects because of the high viability of probiotics during the shelf-life of foods and in some cases even after their expiry date.     

Current challenges of microalgae applications: exploiting the potential of non-conventional microalgae species

The intensified attention to health, the growth of an elderly population, the changing lifestyles, and the medical discoveries have increased demand for natural and nutrient-rich foods, shaping the popularity of microalgae products. Microalgae thanks to their metabolic versatility represent a promising solution for a ‘green’ economy, exploiting non-arable land, non-potable water, capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and solar energy. The interest in microalgae is justified by their high content of bioactive molecules, such as amino acids, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, polysaccharides, polyunsaturated fatty acids (as ω-3 fatty acids), pigments (as β-carotene, astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, phycocyanin, zeaxanthin and lutein), or mineral elements. Such molecules are of interest for human and animal nutrition, cosmetic and biofuel production, for which microalgae are potential renewable sources. Microalgae, also, represent effective biological systems for treating a variety of wastewaters and can be used as a CO₂ mitigation approach, helping to combat greenhouse gases and global warming emergencies. Recently a growing interest has focused on extremophilic microalgae species, which are easier to cultivate axenically and represent good candidates for open pond cultivation. In some cases, the cultivation and/or harvesting systems are still immature, but novel techniques appear as promising solutions to overcome such barriers. This review provides an overview on the actual microalgae cultivation systems and the current state of their biotechnological applications to obtain high value compounds or ingredients. Moreover, potential and future research opportunities for environment, human and animal benefits are pointed out. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Rate‐dependent self‐healing behavior of an ethylene‐co‐methacrylic acid ionomer under high‐energy impact conditions

In this work, the mechanical and the self‐healing behaviors of an ethylene‐co‐methacrylic acid ionomer were investigated in different testing conditions. The self‐healing capability was explored by ballistic impact tests at low‐velocity, midvelocity, and hypervelocity bullet speed; different experimental conditions such as sample thickness and bullet diameter were examined; in all impact tests, spherical projectiles were used. These experiments, in particular those at low and midspeed, allowed to define a critical ratio between sample thickness and bullet diameter below which full repair was not observed. After ballistic damage, the healing efficiency was evaluated by applying a pressure gradient through tested samples. Subsequently, morphology analysis of the affected areas was made observing all tested samples by scanning electron microscope. This analysis revealed different characteristic features of the damaged zones affected at different projectile speed. Stress–strain curves in uniaxial tension performed at different temperatures and strain rates revealed yield strength and postyield behavior significantly affected by these two parameters. A rise of temperature during high strain rate tests in the viscoplastic deformation region was also detected. This behavior has a strong influence on the self‐repairing mechanism exhibited by the studied material during high‐energy impact tests. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1949–1958, 2013     

Radiometric and signal-to-noise ratio properties of multiplex dispersive spectrometry

Recent theoretical investigations have shown important radiometric disadvantages of interferential multiplexing in Fourier transform spectrometry that apparently can be applied even to coded aperture spectrometers. We have reexamined the methods of noninterferential multiplexing in order to assess their signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance, relying on a theoretical modeling of the multiplexed signals. We are able to show that quite similar SNR and radiometric disadvantages affect multiplex dispersive spectrometry. The effect of noise on spectral estimations is discussed.     

Interactions of Spike-RBD of SARS-CoV-2 and Platelet Factor 4: New Insights in the Etiopathogenesis of Thrombosis

The rare but dangerous adverse events evidenced after massive vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 are represented by thrombosis and thrombocytopenia. The patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19 may develop a pro-thrombotic state with a much higher frequency, thus we decided to investigate the role of Spike protein (the only common product of the two conditions) or the anti-Spike antibodies in the etiopathogenesis of thrombosis. A pathogenic Platelet Factor 4 (PF4)-dependent syndrome, unrelated to the use of heparin therapy, has been reported after the administration of vaccines in the patients manifesting acute thrombocytopenia and thrombosis. Thus, we aimed at shedding light on the structural similarities of Spike of SARS-CoV-2 and PF4 on their eventual biochemical interactions and on the role of their specific antibodies. The similarities between PF4 and Spike-RBD proteins were evaluated by a comparison of the structures and by testing the cross-reactivity of their specific antibodies by ELISA assays. We found that the anti-Spike antibodies do not recognize PF4, on the contrary, the anti-PF4 antibodies show some cross-reactivity for Spike-RBD. More interestingly, we report for the first time that the PF4 and Spike-RBD proteins can bind each other. These data suggest that the interaction of the two proteins could be involved in the generation of anti-PF4 antibodies, their binding to Spike-RBD, which could lead to platelets aggregation due also to their high expression of ACE2.     

Duncan's model for X̄‐control charts: sensitivity analysis to input parameters

Duncan's model is a well‐known procedure to build a control chart with specific reference to the production process it has to be applied to. Although many papers report true applications proving the procedure's noteworthy economic advantages over control charts set purely on the basis of standard statistical criteria, this method is often perceived only as an academic exercise. Perhaps the greater barrier preventing its practical application stems from the difficulty in making cost items explicit. In this paper a sensitivity analysis is proposed for misspecification in the cost parameters for optimal solutions of Duncan's model. While similar contributions published in the literature perform sensitivity analyses with a one‐factor‐at‐a‐time scheme, the original contribution of this paper is represented by the focus given on interactions among changes in values of different cost parameters. The results obtained here denote that all factors significantly affect optimal solutions through quite complicated interactions. This should not, in our opinion, discourage the implementation of Duncan's model, pointing conversely to its robust versions, already available in the current literature. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MS-275 (Entinostat) Promotes Radio-Sensitivity in PAX3-FOXO1 Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood. About 25% of RMS expresses fusion oncoproteins such as PAX3/PAX7-FOXO1 (fusion-positive, FP) while fusion-negative (FN)-RMS harbors RAS mutations. Radiotherapy (RT) plays a crucial role in local control but metastatic RMS is often radio-resistant. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) radio-sensitize different cancer cells types. Thus, we evaluated MS-275 (Entinostat), a Class I and IV HDACi, in combination with RT on RMS cells in vitro and in vivo. MS-275 reversibly hampered cell survival in vitro in FN-RMS RD (RASmut) and irreversibly in FP-RMS RH30 cell lines down-regulating cyclin A, B, and D1, up-regulating p21 and p27 and reducing ERKs activity, and c-Myc expression in RD and PI3K/Akt/mTOR activity and N-Myc expression in RH30 cells. Further, MS-275 and RT combination reduced colony formation ability of RH30 cells. In both cell lines, co-treatment increased DNA damage repair inhibition and reactive oxygen species formation, down-regulated NRF2, SOD, CAT and GPx4 anti-oxidant genes and improved RT ability to induce G2 growth arrest. MS-275 inhibited in vivo growth of RH30 cells and completely prevented the growth of RT-unresponsive RH30 xenografts when combined with radiation. Thus, MS-275 could be considered as a radio-sensitizing agent for the treatment of intrinsically radio-resistant PAX3-FOXO1 RMS.     

Occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in green table olives

Microbiological safety of green table olives from different cultivars, prepared by both the Spanish-style and biological methods and fermented with starter cultures of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus pentosus), was investigated. The fermentation process was monitored by measuring pH values, titratable acidities, and growth of lactic acid bacteria over time. During fermentation, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts were major microbial populations. Microbiological safety was evaluated by analysis for Listeria monocytogenes with the use of an enrichment method during storage (from 55 days to 18 months). Results demonstrated that L. monocytogenes can survive and grow in green table olives. L. monocytogenes was found in one of the commercial (thermally treated) samples analyzed and in all samples older than 2 months, irrespective of olive cultivar, lactic acid bacteria starter used, pH and titratable acidity of brine samples, or treatment applied.