Exploring the anticancer properties of essential oils from family Lamiaceae

Lamiaceae is among the largest families of flowering plants with about 250 genera and over 7,000 species distributed around the world. It is considered as the important source of essential oils, for example, menthol, geraniol, eucalyptol, camphor and thymol. Therefore, it is imperative to study these economically important compounds under in vitro conditions for their sustainable and enhanced production. In addition to proven biological activities, essential oils from this family have recently been evaluated for anticancer activities and considered as a source of anticancer drugs. Mechanisms involved in the essential oils-mediated antiproliferative activity include cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and DNA repair mechanisms. Essential oils also act in the reduction of tumors, inhibiting metastasis and as anti-multidrug resistance molecules. The aim of this review is to assess the anticancer properties of essential oils obtained from different members of family Lamiaceae. The available reports on active components of essential oils and their effect on cancer type and cell line have been discussed. Biotechnological studies to improve the production of essential oils have also been highlighted. Various methods have been adopted to obtain essential oils under in vitro conditions from different plant species of family Lamiaceae, and their production is affected by culture conditions, cultivation mode, utilization of nutrient media and plant growth regulators. The literature survey suggests that essential oils obtained from family Lamiaceae have perspective for the development of new alternatives for disease treatment and prevention.     

Bioleaching of metal from waste stream using a native strain of Acidithiobacillus isolated from a coal mine drainage

In this study, the feasibility of using a biohydrometallurgical technique for selective metals recovery from electronic waste (e‐waste) by bacterial bioleaching was investigated. Acidithiobacillus was identified in coal mining acid mine drainage (AMD). The microorganism was studied using specific sequencing of a 16s rDNA fragment. The potential for the dissolution of copper from waste printed wire boards (PWBs) using the isolated Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferroxidans) was evaluated. The bioleaching experiments were performed in an orbital shaker at 30 °C and 170 rpm, with 10 % (v/v) inoculum and a pulp density of 30 g/L. The copper concentration was determined by energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (XRF). The result shows that copper recovery from PWBs using our A. ferrooxidans strain was 95 % after 8 days, which showed the feasibility of this process.     

Comparison of the stress response of Listeria monocytogenes strains with sprout colonization

Twenty-nine strains of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes were tested for their ability to colonize alfalfa, radish, and broccoli sprouts and their capacity to withstand acid and oxidative stress, two stresses common to the sprouting environment. Wide variation in the ability of different strains to colonize alfalfa sprouts were confirmed, but the variations among radish and broccoli sprouts were not as large. With a few exceptions, strains that were poor colonizers of alfalfa tended to be among the poorer colonizers of radish and broccoli and vice versa. The strains also were variable in their resistance to both acid and oxidative stress. Statistical analysis revealed no correlation between acid stress and sprout colonization, but there was a positive correlation between resistance to oxidative stress and colonization of all three sprout types. Although the response to oxidative stress is important for L. monocytogenes virulence, it also may be important for life outside of a host.     

Femtosecond Ti: Sa ultra short-pulse laser irradiation effects on the properties and morphology of the zirconia surface after ageing

Femtosecond pulses from a Ti:Sapphire laser were used to irradiate specimens of yttria-stabilised (35% mol) tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) with the purpose of studying the effects of the irradiations on their surface properties and morphology after ageing. Zirconia disks were divided into eight groups (n = 32) according to their surface treatment and subsequent ageing: Control: no treatment; sandblasting: Al₂O₃ sandblasting 50 μm; and ultrashort laser pulses irradiation with 25 μJ pulses, considering two different scanning steps based on the width between two grooves. These groups were duplicated and submitted to ageing. The surfaces were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction. A finite element analysis, a biaxial flexure test, as well as fractographic and Weibull analyses, were performed. The strengths of the disks were statistically different for the treatment factor, and the principal stresses seemed to be concentrated at the centre of the specimens, as predicted by the computer simulations. Ageing decreased the strengths for all groups and increased the Weibull modulus for the laser group with the 40 μm-width between two grooves. The sandblasting group presented the highest monoclinic phase peak. Although the most significant strength was found within the sandblasting group, the phase transformation was favourable to the laser groups. The Weibull modulus was higher for the laser group with the 60 μm-width between two grooves, confirming the highest homogeneity of its failure distribution. Regardless of the surface treatment, strength was decreased with ageing in all groups. The femtosecond Ti:Sa ultra-short pulse laser irradiation can be suggested as an alternative to the gold standard sandblasting in long-term Y-TZP zirconia rehabilitations, such as crowns and veneers.     

Assessing and building municipal open data capability

Information Systems and e-Business Management - In the past decade, cities around the world have published their open data as a new service. Some have used this service innovatively, as a vehicle...     

Exploring the biomechanics of walking and crowd “flow”

Crowd movement simulation models are generally based on aggregated speed and flow data collected more than 50 years ago. There appears to be no validated modelling capability to include the impact of recent and future changes in population demographics, resulting from an ageing population and increasing obesity rates. New analytical approaches and data gathering are required to successfully model crowd movement and safety for current and future generations. This study carried out (a) a review of the primary components of crowd movement, demographics and analytical techniques, (b) prototype experiments to investigate age-related aspects of space and potential points of contact and (c) a new predictive model for crowd flow analysis based on pedestrian biomechanics and anthropometric data. The model uses the physical space taken up by the biomechanical walking process and the spatial buffer between points of potential contact with other pedestrians to predict the speed of movement at different levels of congestion. The new analytical model was used to predict single file speeds (for people with different demographics in congested space), which compared well with published experimental data. The next steps for model development for wider “flows” and additional experiments to provide data sets for wider demographics are also proposed.     

Nanoemulsions of Acai Oil: Physicochemical Characterization for the Topical Delivery of Antifungal Drugs

Nanoemulsion-based acai oil was obtained by the phase inversion method using two nonionic surfactants, Ceteareth-20 (Brij™ CS20) and polyoxyethylene-hydrogenated castor oil (Croduret™ 50), with the concentration of each surfactant varying from 7 to 10 %. The formulation with 10 % Brij CS20 presented the best values for droplet size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index (PDI). Ketoconazole was incorporated into this formulation, with an encapsulation efficiency of 98.31 % and equally good zeta potential, droplet size, and PDI, and spherical shape when observed by transmission electron microscopy. Overall, nanoemulsions of acai oil proved to be a good vehicle for imidazole antifungals such as ketoconazole.     

Regional science: economy and geography in France and French-speaking countries

The objective of this paper is to assess the French-speaking countries contributions to regional science since its creation in the 1950s. France, and other French-speaking countries, very quickly adhered to the approach of the founding fathers of regional science. French-language research developed for several years without maintaining major relations with the main streams that flow through regional science. However, the years 2000 and 2010 saw the emergence of streams of thought that strongly irrigate at the international level. The authors of this paper are part of this movement. Here we trace the origins and development of the French-speaking contribution to regional sciences, while highlighting the originality of the French-language approach. First, the question of academic and institutional contexts is discussed, with the role of the founders and the peculiar place of Journals and public institutions. Further sections analyse the main contributions coming from economics (local systems of production and innovation, innovative milieus and proximity analysis) and geography (regional development at a global scale, and urban systems and complexity). We conclude with cross-disciplinary contributions including intra-urban organization and mobility, territorial governance and territorial development, as well as other approaches to the social sciences, in the contemporary issues of city and territorial governance.     

3D Printing of Customized Li‐Ion Batteries with Thick Electrodes

The growing demand for rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) with higher capacity in customized geometries underscores the need for new battery materials, architectures, and assembly strategies. Here, the design, fabrication, and electrochemical performance of fully 3D printed LIBs composed of thick semisolid electrodes that exhibit high areal capacity are reported. Specifically, semisolid cathode and anode inks, as well as UV curable packaging and separator inks for direct writing of LIBs in arbitrary geometries are created. These fully 3D printed and packaged LIBs, which are encased between two glassy carbon current collectors, deliver an areal capacity of 4.45 mAh cm^?2 at a current density of 0.14 mA cm^?2, which is equivalent to 17.3 Ah L^?1. The ability to produce high‐performance LIBs in customized form factors opens new avenues for integrating batteries directly within 3D printed objects.     

The evolution of the exhaust diesel soot adsorptive properties after NO2 exposure and according to their SOF content

Several samples of exhaust diesel soot are investigated by inverse gas chromatography and linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) modelling according to their soluble organic fraction content and their time of exposure in oxidative conditions. The results demonstrate the evolution of the adsorptive properties of the studied materials towards volatile compounds during the oxidation under NO₂.