The influence of different surface properties holding to a modification of the substrate towards hydrophobic or superhydrophobic behavior was reviewed in this paper. Cell adhesion, their ...communication, and proliferation can be strongly manipulated, acting on interfacial relationship involving stiffness, surface charge, surface chemistry, roughness, or wettability. All these features can play mutual roles in determining the final properties of biomedical applications ranging from fabrics to cell biology devices. The focus of this work is the mammalian cell viability in contact with moderate to highly water repellent coatings or materials and also in combination with hydrophilic areas for more specific application. Few case studies illustrate a range of examples in which these surface properties and design can be fruitfully matched to the specific aim.
The risk of accidents caused by ice adhesion on critical aircraft surfaces is a significant concern. To combat this, active ice protection systems (AIPS) are installed on aircraft, which, while ...effective, also increase fuel consumption and add complexity to the aircraft systems. Replacing AIPS with Passive Ice Protection Systems (PIPS) or reducing the energy consumption of AIPS could significantly decrease aircraft fuel consumption. Superhydrophobic (SH) coatings have been developed to reduce water adherence to surfaces and have the potential to reduce ice adhesion, commonly referred to as icephobic coatings. The question remains whether such coatings could reduce the cost associated with AIPS and provide durability and performance through suitable tests. In this paper, we then review current knowledge of superhydrophobic and icephobic coatings as potential passive solutions to be utilized alternatively in combination with active systems. We can identify physical parameters, coating composition, structure, roughness, and morphology, durability as properties not to be neglected in the design and development of reliable protection systems in aircraft maintenance.
Microplastics, particles under 5 mm, pervade aquatic environments, notably in Tarragona's coastal region (NE Iberian Peninsula), hosting a major plastic production complex. To investigate weathering ...and yellowness impact on plastic pellets toxicity, sea-urchin embryo tests were conducted with pellets from three locations-near the source and at increasing distances. Strikingly, distant samples showed toxicity to invertebrate early stages, contrasting with innocuous results near the production site. Follow-up experiments highlighted the significance of weathering and yellowing in elevated pellet toxicity, with more weathered and colored pellets exhibiting toxicity. This research underscores the overlooked realm of plastic leachate impact on marine organisms while proposes that prolonged exposure of plastic pellets in the environment may lead to toxicity. Despite shedding light on potential chemical sorption as a toxicity source, further investigations are imperative to comprehend weathering, yellowing, and chemical accumulation in plastic particles.
An investigation is reported on the interfacial properties of nanometric colloidal silica dispersions in the presence of a cationic surfactant. These properties are the result of different phenomena ...such as the particle attachment at the interface and the surfactant adsorption at the liquid and at the particle interfaces. Since the latter strongly influences the hydrophobicity/lipophilicity of the particle, i.e., the particle affinity for the fluid interfacial environment, all those phenomena are closely correlated. The equilibrium and dynamic interfacial tensions of the liquid/air and liquid/oil interfaces have been measured as a function of the surfactant and particle concentration. The interfacial rheology of the same systems has been also investigated by measuring the dilational viscoelasticity as a function of the area perturbation frequency. These results are then crossed with the values of the surfactant adsorption on the silica particles, indirectly estimated through experiments based on the centrifugation of the dispersions. In this way it has been possible to point out the mechanisms determining the observed kinetic and equilibrium features. In particular, an important role in the mixed particle−surfactant layer reorganization is played by the Brownian transport of particles from the bulk to the interface and by the surfactant redistribution between the particle and fluid interface.
Anthocyanins protect plants against various biotic and abiotic stresses, and anthocyanin-rich foods exert benefits on human health due to their antioxidant activity. Nevertheless, little information ...is available on the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the anthocyanin content in olive fruits. Based on this consideration, the total anthocyanin content, the genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis, and three putative R2R3-MYB transcription factors were evaluated at different ripening stages in the drupes of the Carolea and Tondina cultivars, sampled at different altitudes in the Calabria region, Italy. During drupe ripening, the total anthocyanin content and the transcript levels of analyzed genes gradually increased. In line with the anthocyanin content, a different level of expression of anthocyanin structural genes was observed in 'Carolea' compared to 'Tondina', and in relation to the cultivation area. Furthermore, we identified Oeu050989.1 as a putative R2R3-MYB involved in the regulation of anthocyanin structural genes correlated with the environmental temperature change response. We conclude that anthocyanin accumulation is strongly regulated by development, genotype, and also by environmental factors such as temperature, associated with the altitude gradient. The obtained results contribute to reducing the current information gap regarding the molecular mechanisms on anthocyanin biosynthesis regulation related to the environmental conditions in
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The most common pediatric mitochondrial disease is Leigh syndrome, an episodic, subacute neurodegeneration that can lead to death within the first few years of life, for which there are no proven ...general therapies.Mice lacking the complex I subunit, Ndufs4, develop a fatal progressive encephalopathy resembling Leigh syndrome and die at ≈60 d of age. We previously reported that continuously breathing normobaric 11% O₂ from an early age prevents neurological disease and dramatically improves survival in these mice. Here, we report three advances. First, we report updated survival curves and organ pathology in Ndufs4 KO mice exposed to hypoxia or hyperoxia. Whereas normoxia-treated KO mice die from neurodegeneration at about 60 d, hypoxia-treated mice eventually die at about 270 d, likely from cardiac disease, and hyperoxia-treated mice die within days from acute pulmonary edema. Second, we report that more conservative hypoxia regimens, such as continuous normobaric 17% O₂ or intermittent hypoxia, are ineffective in preventing neuropathology. Finally, we show that breathing normobaric 11% O₂ in mice with late-stage encephalopathy reverses their established neurological disease, evidenced by improved behavior, circulating disease biomarkers, and survival rates. Importantly, the pathognomonic MRI brain lesions and neurohistopathologic findings are reversed after 4 wk of hypoxia. Upon return to normoxia, Ndufs4 KO mice die within days. Future work is required to determine if hypoxia can be used to prevent and reverse neurodegeneration in other animal models, and to determine if it can be provided in a safe and practical manner to allow in-hospital human therapeutic trials.
The large and necessary diffusion of huge solar plants in extra urban areas implies the adoption of maintenance strategies especially where human intervention would require high costs and logistic ...problems. Animal dejections like bird droppings and agricultural sprays are environmental agents able to significantly decrease light absorption and, in some cases, cause serious damage to the electric conversion systems in a photovoltaic panel. In this work, the performance of a superhydrophobic (SH) coating in terms of durable self-cleaning properties and transparency has been studied in the presence of commercial and simulated contaminants on glass reference and solar panel surfaces. Wettability studies have been carried out both in static and dynamic conditions in order to compare the compositional effect of commercial liquids used as fertilizers or pesticides and molecules like pancreatin as model substances simulating bird droppings. From these studies, it can be observed that the superhydrophobic coating, independently from the surface where it is applied, is able to repel water and substances used such as fertilizers or pesticides and substances simulating bird droppings, maintaining its properties and transparency. This kind of approach can provide information to design suitable spray formulations without the above-mentioned drawbacks to be used in natural environment areas and agrosolar plants.
The effect of the incorporation of hydrophilic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on the interfacial properties of Langmuir monolayers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) has ...been evaluated combining interfacial thermodynamic studies, dilatational rheology, and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). The results show that the TiO2 nanoparticles are able to penetrate DPPC layers, modifying the organization of the molecules and, consequently, the phase behavior and viscoelastic properties of the systems. Measurements of dilational viscoelasticity against the frequency have been performed, using the oscillatory barrier method, at different values of the surface pressure corresponding to different degrees of compression of the monolayer. The presence of TiO2 nanoparticles also affects the dynamic response of the monolayer modifying both the quasi-equilibrium dilatational elasticity and the high frequency limit of the viscoelastic modulus. The principal aim of this work is to understand the fundamental physicochemical bases related to the incorporation of specific nanoparticles of technological interest into the interfacial layer with biological relevance such as phospholipid layers. This can provide information on potential adverse effects of nanoparticles for health and the environment.
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