Novel spray-dried PHA microparticles for antitumor drug release

The production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate/polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based microparticles, loaded with antitumor drugs paclitaxel (PTX) and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) by spray-drying technique, was investigated. The average diameter of microparticles was found to be 3.4?±?0.5?µm and zeta potential was about ?44?mV. The addition of surfactant PEG did not show any effect on the morphological characteristics of the particles. But the chemical structure of drug influenced on the properties. Microparticles had heterogeneous pores on the surface when the hydrophobic PTX was encapsulated. It was established that the addition of surfactant positively influenced on the properties of particles and led to the loading of 5-FU directly into the matrix. This is confirmed by the results of electron microscopy and dynamics of drug release in vitro. As a whole, the release profiles of PTX and 5-FU from composite P3HB/PEG microparticles were less than from P3HB microparticles. The results of the morphological evaluation of Hela cells demonstrated that the use of cytostatic drugs loaded in P3HB microparticles induces morphological changes associated with apoptosis (chromatin condensation, core fragmentation, margination of nucleus). Thus, the obtained results can serve as the basis for the development of new antitumor drugs of prolonged action, intended for various modes of administration.     

On the Benefits and Challenges of Crowd-Sourced Network Performance Measurements for IoT Scenarios

Wireless Personal Communications - Systems within IoT domains such as ITS, Smart City, Smart Grid and other, often rely on real-time information and communication. These types of systems often...     

Poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) and bovine serum albumin blend prepared by electrospinning

Electrospinning is a method for the preparation of nanosized polymer fibers. Here, electrospinning is used to prepare a blend of a polyester, poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and a globular protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). The electrospun blend film is compared with a solution‐cast blend film and with single‐component electrospun films made of PHBV and BSA. In the electrospun blend films, BSA manifests itself as flat ribbons and a fine network formed from fibers less than 50 nm in diameter. The dissolution rate of BSA from the electrospun blended film is lower than from the solution‐cast one. The films are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and contact‐angle measurements. The obtained PHBV+BSA blend films have several emergent properties: a slow BSA dissolution rate, a fine BSA network, and unusual thermal behavior. Thus, the PHBV+BSA blend films introduce a new class of polymer–protein blends. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45090.     

Macroporous hydrogels based on chitosan derivatives: Preparation,characterization, and in vitro evaluation

Chitosan‐based hydrogels are considered as promising biomaterials for tissue engineering. Biological properties of chitosan could be significantly improved by modification of its chemical structure. This study was aimed at characterizing macroporous hydrogels fabricated by freeze‐drying technique from chitosan, which has been N‐acetylated by 2,2‐bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid or l ,d ‐lactide. The nature of the acetylated agent was shown to significantly affect hydrogels morphology, swelling behavior, zeta‐potential, and protein sorption as well as their degradation by lysozyme. According to scanning electron and confocal laser scanning microscopy, the hydrogels possessed interconnected macroporous network that facilitated cells penetration into the interior regions of the hydrogel. Chemical modification of chitosan significantly influenced L929 cell growth behavior on hydrogel compared to the non‐modified chitosan. The proposed chemical strategy for modification of chitosan could be considered as promising approach for improvement of chitosan hydrogels. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44651.     

Find it if you can: usability case study of search engines for young users

The Internet is an integral part of the lives of our children nowadays. Using the Internet, in particular search engines, children search for information for school, for their individual interests or simply for entertainment. Unfortunately, research shows that children face many difficulties when searching and browsing for information, even though there are several search engines that are designed especially for children. In this paper, we review recent work in this field and evaluate to what extent current search engines for children are appropriately supporting the motor and cognitive skills of elementary school-age children. We base our study on findings of previous research and derive criteria to assess existing search engines. Our results suggest that most of them still require improvements in order to fit the skills and competencies of children.     

A Microstructural and Fractographic Study on the Failure of Surgical Torch Meters

As in the case of implants, the increase of the life expectancy and of the risk of accidents, thus causing a higher incidence of surgeries, has led to an increased use of surgical instruments. The reliability of these instruments, used in applications of considerable responsibility, depends on the characteristics of the materials, as well as on the conditions of manufacture. Using some techniques such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and hardness tests, this work has as purpose the identification of the possible causes of failure of surgical torch meters used for dental implants fixation, trying to correlate with the microstructural characteristics of the austenitic and martensitic stainless steels used in their manufacture. The results thus obtained allowed the identification of the main causes of the failure, primarily related to microstructural heterogeneities which resulted from inadequate heat treatment and with the presence of non-metallic inclusions, which favored brittle fracture and corrosion.     

Tannase from Aspergillus melleus improves the antioxidant activity of green tea: purification and biochemical characterisation

Tannase is an inducible enzyme used extensively in food, feed, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. In this study, tannase production and its biochemical properties were evaluated. From 42 Aspergillus strains analysed for potential tannase selection, Aspergillus melleus yielded the best results. Production was analysed using a complete factorial planning of 2³. Maximum activity (452.55 U mL^?1) was obtained in the optimal conditions of substrate (5.0 g), initial moisture (60%), tannic acid (2%) and 48 h of fermentation. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated as 69.52 kDa; its optimum temperature and pH were 40 °C and 5.5, respectively. Regarding the chemical effectors used, tannase was inhibited by ZnCl₂, ZnSO₄, Triton X‐100 and SDS. The addition of tannase to green tea improved its antioxidant potential by approximately 85% when compared to the control. The present results suggest that tannase may be used as an adjuvant to increase the antioxidant potential of green tea.     

It's all in your head: Why is the body inversion effect abolished for headless bodies?

It has been recently argued that human bodies are processed by a specialized processing mechanism. Central evidence was that body inversion reduces recognition abilities (body inversion effect; BIE) as much as it does for faces, but more than for other objects. Here we showed that the BIE is markedly reduced for headless bodies and examined the reason for this unexpected finding. Two alternative hypotheses were examined. Either the BIE is reduced for any type of incomplete body, or the head plays a special role in discrimination of body posture. Results show that omission of other body parts (leg or arms) did not influence the magnitude of the BIE relative to complete bodies. Analogous manipulations with faces did not influence the magnitude of the face inversion effect. Importantly, similar to effects we found for headless bodies, discrimination abilities for upright bodies and the BIE were markedly reduced for complete bodies that did not differ in head posture. We conclude that intact discrimination of body posture relies heavily on the head position. Our findings also imply that the BIE and the face inversion effect may be generated by different mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From industry 4.0 to society 4.0, there and back

The new industrial paradigm Industry 4.0, or smart industry, is at the core of contemporary debates. The public debate on Industry 4.0 typically offers two main perspectives: the technological one and the one about industrial policies. On the contrary, the discussion on the social and organizational effects of the new paradigm is still underdeveloped. The article specifically examines this aspect, and analyzes the change that workers are subject to, along with the work organization, smart digital factories. The study originates from an empirical survey conducted by the author together with a multidisciplinary research group between 2014 and 2015 in some of the largest Italian factories.In particular, the article analyzes the links between digital society, digital culture and Industry 4.0, focusing on the issue of people’s participation in the process of change, within a specific case study from the railway sector.Many elements of the Industry 4.0 paradigm are widespread outside the factory, in society; they are not only technological elements but also cultural. One of the key aspects of the analysis is the question of participation and the “person-centered” culture. The subject is addressed critically by presenting both the RE-personalization processes (from the centrality of the users–consumers in consumption practices to the centrality of the worker in the work paradigm 4.0) and the new processes of DE personalization caused by digital automation.