Interfacial Tension; a Stabilizing Factor for Janus Emulsions of Silicone Bixa Orellana Oils

The destabilization process was investigated for a Janus emulsion of silicone and Bixa Orellana oils stabilized by polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tw 80) and carboxymethyl cellulose. The emulsion stabilized with Tw 80 showed significant and fast creaming, a process that was prevented by the addition of the polymer. During the extensive coalescence of the emulsions stabilized by Tw 80, the Janus topology was retained for months of storage until, finally, separation of the oils occurred. This result strongly indicates an unexpected stabilizing action of the i nterfacial free energy. This conclusion was supported by a calculation for a realistic model system of the interfacial energy difference between two cases of coalescence. In the first case, the two coalescing Janus drops united into a larger Janus drop, while in the second case two drops formed, each with only one oil. The first case gave a spontaneous reaction (reduced interfacial energy), while the second one meant an increase of energy, i.e. it cannot happen without adding energy. The authors are aware that this stabilization is a new phenomenon in emulsion science with potential ramifications in future emulsion technology. However, it is essential to realize that the stabilization is of temporary occurrence in the destabilization process, and the free energy to give a final emulsion state with separated oils is overwhelmingly dominant. In short, Janus emulsions will, in the end, separate into layers of the liquids, like all emulsions.     

Sugarcane Serine Peptidase Inhibitors,Serine Peptidases,and Clp Protease System Subunits Associated with Sugarcane Borer (Diatraea saccharalis) Herbivory and Wounding

Sugarcane’s (Saccharum spp.) response to Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (Lepidoptera: (Crambidae) herbivory was investigated using a macroarray spotted with 248 sugarcane Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) encoding serine peptidase inhibitors, serine peptidases. and Clp protease system subunits. Our results showed that after nine hours of herbivory, 13 sugarcane genes were upregulated and nine were downregulated. Among the upregulated genes, nine were similar to serine peptidase inhibitors and four were similar to Bowman-Birk Inhibitors (BBIs). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these sequences belong to a phylogenetic group of sugarcane BBIs that are potentially involved in plant defense against insect predation. The remaining four upregulated genes included serine peptidases and one homolog to the Arabidopsis AAA+ chaperone subunit ClpD, which is a member of the Clp protease system. Among the downregulated genes, five were homologous to serine peptidases and four were homologous to Arabidopsis Clp subunits (three homologous to Clp AAA+ chaperones and one to a ClpP-related ClpR subunit). Although the roles of serine peptidase inhibitors in plant defenses against herbivory have been extensively investigated, the roles of plant serine peptidases and the Clp protease system represent a new and underexplored field of study. The up- and downregulated D. saccharalis genes presented in this study may be candidate genes for the further investigation of the sugarcane response to herbivory.     

AXL Receptor in Breast Cancer: Molecular Involvement and Therapeutic Limitations

Breast cancer was one of the first malignancies to benefit from targeted therapy, i.e., treatments directed against specific markers. Inhibitors against HER2 are a significant example and they improved the life expectancy of a large cohort of patients. Research on new biomarkers, therefore, is always current and important. AXL, a member of the TYRO-3, AXL and MER (TAM) subfamily, is, today, considered a predictive and prognostic biomarker in many tumor contexts, primarily breast cancer. Its oncogenic implications make it an ideal target for the development of new pharmacological agents; moreover, its recent role as immune-modulator makes AXL particularly attractive to researchers involved in the study of interactions between cancer and the tumor microenvironment (TME). All these peculiarities characterize AXL as compared to other members of the TAM family. In this review, we will illustrate the biological role played by AXL in breast tumor cells, highlighting its molecular and biological features, its involvement in tumor progression and its implication as a target in ongoing clinical trials.     

The effect of different cementing strategies and adhesive interface aging on microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of lithium disilicate ceramics to dentin

This study evaluated the effect of different cementing strategies and adhesive interface aging on microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of lithium disilicate ceramic (IPS e.max CAD) to dentin. Forty coronal dentin fragments were randomly assigned to four groups according to the cementing strategy used to bond lithium disilicate ceramic to coronal dentin surface (n = 10): U200 (self-adhesive resin cement (RC) RelyX U200®/3 M ESPE), SBU (single-step self-etching adhesive system (AS) Single Bond Universal®/3 M ESPE + RelyX ARC®/3 M ESPE RC), AdperSB (two-step etch-and-rinse AS Single Bond 2®/3 M + RelyX ARC®/3 M ESPE RC) and Scotchbond (three-step etch-and-rinse AS Scotchbond Multi-Purpose®/3 M + RelyX ARC®/3 M RC). After 48 h, the ceramic-tooth blocks were sectioned perpendicular to the adhesive interface in the form of sticks and randomly subdivided into two groups according to when they were to be submitted to μTBS testing: immediately or 6 months after storage in water. Some sticks were kept for analysis of the adhesive interface by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The μTBS test was performed in a universal testing machine (0.5 mm/min). The data (MPa) were analyzed using split-plot ANOVA and Tukey’s test (α = 0.05). Water storage decreased μTBS in all cementing strategies. The μTBS was greatest in the Scotchbond group and lowest in the U200 group, at both storage times. No signs of interface degradation were detected under SEM after water storage. In conclusion, water storage decreased bond strength, regardless of the adhesive cementation strategy, and that the three-step adhesive system/dual-cure resin cement ultimately performed better in terms of bond strength.     

Does creatine supplementation improve the plasma lipid profile in healthy male subjects undergoing aerobic training?

   

We aimed to investigate the effects of creatine (Cr) supplementation on the plasma lipid profile in sedentary male subjects undergoing aerobic training.     

Antioxidant packaging development and optimization using agroindustrial wastes

The increasing use of non-biodegradable materials and the difficulty in recycling most of the available packaging have been pushing the development of biodegradable packaging. In this study, the potential uses of agroindustrial wastes to produce biodegradable films with antioxidant capacity were investigated. Starch films were produced by casting method using bran from jaboticaba peel, mango peel, and broccoli stalk. The influence of the concentration or type of bran in the properties of the films was evaluated through a central composite design. The results were analyzed by response surface and desirability function. Except for elongation and water solubility, the fitted equations were predictive in all studied properties. The films prepared from a higher concentration of mango peel exhibited better antioxidant capacity, while the broccoli stalk had no significant effect on antioxidant properties. The optimal formulation of the film (2.8% of jaboticaba peel and 20.0% of mango peel) and their predicted response variables (0.8 MPa for tensile strength, 40.0 MPa for Young's modulus, 4.5 mg/ml for IC₅₀, and 41.6% for inhibition percentage) were defined according to the results. The optimization was satisfactory and the film presented high antioxidant capacity and moderate mechanical properties, proving to be an alternative to replace plastic packaging.     

Development and characterisation of a Y2Ti2O7-based glass-ceramic as a potential oxidation protective coating for titanium suboxide (TiOx)

A silica-based glass-ceramic, with Y₂Ti₂O₇ as the major crystalline phase, is designed, characterised and tested as an oxidation-protective coating for a titanium suboxide (TiO_x) thermoelectric material at temperatures of up to 600 °C. The optimised sinter-crystallisation treatment temperatures are found to be 1300 °C and 855 °C for a duration of 30 min, and this treatment leads to a glass-ceramic with cubic Y₂Ti₂O₇ and CaAl₂Si₂O₈ as crystalline phases. An increase of ~270 °C in the dilatometric softening temperature is observed after devitrification of the parent glass, thus further extending its working temperature range.Excellent adhesion of the glass-ceramic coating to the thermoelectric material is maintained after exposure to a temperature of 600 °C for 120 h under oxidising conditions, thus confirming the effectiveness of the T1 glass-ceramic in protecting the TiO_x material.     

Primary structure of water buffalo alpha-lactalbumin variants A and B

A novel electrophoretic alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-la) variant was detected in the Italian water buffalo breed. The isoelectric point of the variant, labelled A, was lower than the most frequent variant B. It presented an allelic frequency of 0.5% compared with the 97.1% of the BB allele. From Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization/Mass spectrometry, the molecular mass of the two alpha-la A and B variants were measured as 14,235.1+/-0.8 and 14,236.1+/-0.9 Da, respectively. The two proteins were sequenced and differentiated from one another by a single amino acid substitution, Asn45(B)-->Asp45(A). As this amino acid substitution altered the N-glycosylation sequence consensus Asn45-X-Ser46 it may be deduced that the protein glycosylation level of the alpha-la A would decrease.     

Nonhydrolytic sol-gel synthesis and characterization of YAG

Yttrium–aluminum oxides are interesting compounds, which are widely used as hosts for lasers and phosphors due to their stable physical and chemical properties. The manufacture of YAG has been investigated thoroughly. YAG powders are traditionally synthesized through the reaction of aluminum and yttrium powders at high temperatures. The work reported here involved an investigation into the preparation of YAG by a nonhydrolytic sol-gel route and the influence of heating time at low temperatures to obtain YAG from inorganic precursors (yttrium and aluminum chloride). AlCl₃, YCl₃ and ethanol were reflux reacted under an argon atmosphere. Europium III chloride was added as a structural probe. The powder was treated at 800 °C for 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 h. The YAG structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermal analysis (TA) and photoluminescence (PL). The XRD revealed only peaks corresponding to the YAG phase. PL data showed that the YAG phase was formed in 2 min with samples pretreated at 50 °C. For the samples pretreated at 800 °C, the YAG phase appeared in 30 s. The excitation spectra presented a maximum of 394 nm corresponding to the ⁵L₆ level, while the emission spectra of Eu III ions showed characteristic transition bands arising from the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F _J (J = 1, 2, 3, 4) manifolds at maximum excitation. The magnetic dipole ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ transition exhibited greater intensity than the electric dipole ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition. This methodology proved efficient for obtaining YAG phase.