PENGARUH DEBIT ALIRAN RESIN BISPHENOL A LP-1Q-EX PADA METODE VACUUM INFUSION RESIN TERHADAP KEKUATAN TARIK KOMPOSIT SERAT KULIT POHON WARU (HIBISCUS TILIACEUS)

Research on natural fiber composites is being carried out in various parts of the world to produce solutions to environmental problems by utilizing natural fiber materials prepared for environmentally friendly and renewable materials. The natural fiber currently being developed for composite reinforcement is hibiscus bark fiber. This study aims to determine the effect of the flow rate of bisphenol A resin LP-1Q-EX on the vacuum infusion resin method on the tensile strength of hibiscus bark fiber composites. The method used in this study is the fiber structure model in the direction of tensile load, composite using hibiscus bark fiber (Hibiscus tiliaceus), composite using bisphenol A resin LP-1Q-EX, composite using mass fraction with a ratio of 60 fibers: 40 resin, Waru tree bark was treated with 6% NaOH alkaline soaking (aquades 938.8 grams, and NaOH 61.2 grams) for 120 minutes, the number of hibiscus tiliaceus bark fibers in one composite material was 22 fibers with a material thickness of 3.2 mm (according to ASTM D638-03 Type 1 standard), the composite was produced using the vacuum infusion resin method with variations in resin flow rate of 1.19 ml/s, 3.66 ml/s, 4.67 ml/s. The testing process in this study is a composite tensile test using the ASTM D638-03 Type I standard. The analysis of the fractures that occur in each specimen uses macro photos, namely the process of taking several photos of the fracture after the specimen is subjected to a tensile test using a digital camera placed on the ground. topped a tripod. The results of the composite tensile test showed that the variation of resin flow rate of 1.19 ml/s had the lowest tensile strength of 282.94 MPa, while the variation of flow discharge of 3.66 ml/s had the highest tensile strength of 301.75 MPa. and the flow variation of 4.67 ml/s has a tensile strength of 284.54 MPa. Based on the results of the tensile test of the hibiscus tiliaceus bark fiber composite using the vacuum infusion resin method, the highest strength was obtained at a variation of the resin flow rate of 3.66 ml/s

Blueberry polyphenols as natural antimicrobial agents against foodborne viruses: Towards understanding their mechanism and applications in food systems

Foodborne viruses are recognized as public health concerns worldwide and therefore effective strategies to control their spread are being researched. Blueberries are known for their health benefits and antimicrobial properties. This study aimed to (1) determine the antiviral effects of blueberry juice (BJ) and blueberry proanthocyanidins (B-PAC) against the infectivity of hepatitis A virus (HAV), Aichi virus (AiV) and human norovirus surrogates (feline calicivirus (FCV-F9) and murine norovirus (MNV-1)) at 37oC over 24-h using standard plaque assays; (2) evaluate antiviral effects in model foods (apple juice (AJ) and 2% milk) and simulated gastrointestinal conditions at 37oC; and (3) determine the mechanism of action of B-PAC by comparing activity of monomeric catechins, procyanidin B2, B-type PAC from blueberries (B-PAC) and A-type PAC from cranberries (C-PAC), effects on viral structure using transmission electron microscopy, and on adsorption and replication. FCV-F9, MNV-1, HAV and AiV titers were reduced to undetectable levels after 5 min, 3-h, 30 min and 3-h with 1, 1, 2, and 5 mg/ml B-PAC, respectively. BJ reduced FCV-F9, MNV-1, AiV to undetectable levels and HAV by ~2 log PFU/ml after 3, 6, 24 and 24-h, respectively. All tested viruses were reduced to undetectable levels within 15 min with B-PAC (1, 2 and 5 mg/ml) in AJ (pH 3.6). B-PAC effects decreased in milk, where FCV-F9, MNV-1, HAV and AiV were reduced by ~1 log PFU/ml with 5 mg/ml after 24-h. B-PAC at 5 mg/ml in simulated intestinal fluid reduced all tested viruses to undetectable levels within 30 min. Monomeric catechins and procyanidin B2 were less effective than the polymeric B-PAC. Time of addition assays indicated that B-PAC had modest effects in preventing viral adsorption, with no significant effect on viral replication. TEM observations revealed moderate effects on virus structure with either damaged viral capsid or virus binding to B-PAC, possibly preventing virus attachment to host cells. Overall, this study demonstrated the ability of BJ and B-PAC to reduce viral titers in model food systems and under simulated gastric conditions, suggesting their potential as preventive and therapeutic options against foodborne viral illnesses

Experimental-Theoretic Approach to Drug-Lymphocyte Interactome Networks with Flow Cytometry and Spectral Moments Perturbation Theory

Modelos matematicos y citometria de flujoAbstract: We can combine experimental techniques like Flow Cytometry Analysis (FCA) with Chemoinformatics methods to predict the complex networks of interactions between organic compounds and targets in the immune system. In this work, we determined experimentally the values of EC50 = 17.82 μg/mL and Cytotoxicity = 20.6 % for the antimicrobial / anti-parasite drug Dermofural over Balb/C CD9 lymphocytes using flow cytometry. After that, we developed a new Perturbation-theory model for Drug-Cell Target Interactome in Lymphocytes based on dispersion-polarization moments of drug structure. The models correctly classifies 34591 out of 42715 (Accuracy = 80.9%) cases of perturbations in assay endpoints of 11492 drugs (including both train and validation series). Each endpoint correspond to one out of 2616 assays, 38 molecular and cellular targets, 77 standard type measures, in four possible (human and rodentsCONACY

Sharpening the A→Z(∗)hA\to Z^{(*)}h Signature of the Type-II 2HDM at the LHC through Advanced Machine Learning

The $A\to Z^{(*)}h$ decay signature has been highlighted as possibly being the first testable probe of the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson discovered in 2012 ($h$) interacting with Higgs companion states, such as those existing in a 2-Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM), chiefly, a CP-odd one ($A$). The production mechanism of the latter at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) takes place via $b\bar b$-annihilation and/or $gg$-fusion, depending on the 2HDM parameters, in turn dictated by the Yukawa structure of this Beyond the SM (BSM) scenario. Among the possible incarnations of the 2HDM, we test here the so-called Type-II, for a twofold reason. On the one hand, it intriguingly offers two very distinct parameter regions compliant with the SM-like Higgs measurements, i.e., where the so-called `SM limit' of the 2HDM can be achieved. On the other hand, in both configurations, the $AZh$ coupling is generally small, hence the signal is strongly polluted by backgrounds, so that the exploitation of Machine Learning (ML) techniques becomes extremely useful. In this paper, we show that the application of advanced ML implementations can be decisive in establishing such a signal. This is true for all distinctive kinematical configurations involving the $A\to Z^{(*)}h$ decay, i.e., below threshold ($m_A<m_Z+m_h$), at its maximum ($m_Z+m_h<m_A<2m_t$) and near the onset of $t\bar t$ pair production ($m_A \approx 2m_t$), for which we propose Benchmark Points (BPs) for future phenomenological analyses.Comment: JHEP accepted version., 33 pages, 15 figures, 2 table

A cartilage tissue engineering approach combining starch-polycaprolactone fibre mesh scaffolds with bovine articular chondrocytes

In the present work we originally tested the suitability of corn starch-polycaprolactone (SPCL) scaffolds for pursuing a cartilage tissue engineering approach. Bovine articular chondrocytes were seeded on SPCL scaffolds under dynamic conditions using spinner flasks (total of 4 scaffolds per spinner flask using cell suspensions of 0.5×106 cells/ml) and cultured under orbital agitation for a total of 6 weeks. Poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) non-woven scaffolds and bovine native articular cartilage were used as standard controls for the conducted experiments. PGA is a kind of standard in tissue engineering approaches and it was used as a control in that sense. The tissue engineered constructs were characterized at different time periods by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and toluidine blue stainings, immunolocalisation of collagen types I and II, and dimethylmethylene blue (DMB) assay for glycosaminoglycans (GAG) quantification assay. SEM results for SPCL constructs showed that the chondrocytes presented normal morphological features, with extensive cells presence at the surface of the support structures, and penetrating the scaffolds pores. These observations were further corroborated by H&E staining. Toluidine blue and immunohistochemistry exhibited extracellular matrix deposition throughout the 3D structure. Glycosaminoglycans, and collagen types I and II were detected. However, stronger staining for collagen type II was observed when compared to collagen type I. The PGA constructs presented similar features toSPCLat the end of the 6 weeks. PGA constructs exhibited higher amounts of matrix glycosaminoglycans when compared to the SPCL scaffolds. However, we also observed a lack of tissue in the central area of the PGA scaffolds. Reasons for these occurrences may include inefficient cells penetration, necrosis due to high cell densities, or necrosis related with acidic by-products degradation. Such situation was not detected in the SPCL scaffolds, indicating the much better biocompatibility of the starch based scaffolds

Fibroblast Growth Factor–23 and Cardiac Structure and Function

Background: Fibroblast growth factor–23 (FGF‐23) is a phosphaturic factor previously associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction among individuals with chronic kidney disease. Whether FGF‐23 acts directly to induce left ventricular hypertrophy, potentially independent of its klotho coreceptor, remains uncertain. We investigated associations of FGF‐23 with cardiac structural abnormalities among individuals with a broad range of kidney function and explored potential biological mechanisms using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and histology in klotho‐null mice, an established model of constitutively elevated FGF‐23. Methods and Results: Among 887 participants with coronary artery disease in the Heart and Soul Study, FGF‐23 was modestly associated with worse left ventricular ejection fraction (−1.0% per standard deviation increase in lnFGF‐23; standard error, 0.4%), but was not associated with the overall prevalence of concentric hypertrophy (odds ratio, 1.5; CI, 0.9 to 2.4) or eccentric hypertrophy (odds ratio, 1.1; CI, 0.9 to 1.3). FGF‐23 was only associated with concentric hypertrophy among individuals with diminished kidney function (eGFR <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2; odds ratio, 2.3; CI, 1.0 to 5.3; P‐interaction=0.28). Comparing klotho‐null with wild‐type mice, null mice did not have greater left ventricular mass (P=0.37) or a lower ejection fraction (P=0.94). Conclusions: Together, our results suggest that FGF‐23 is unlikely to have major effects on cardiovascular structure and function among patients free of substantial chronic kidney disease, and these effects may not be independent of the klotho coreceptor

TiO2 Sol-gel Coating as a Transducer Substrate for Impedimetric Immunosensors

Given the importance of the transducer elements in the performance of sensors for various applications, as well as the growing search for devices that are capable of providing the response in shorter time, in this work, titanium dioxide was examined as a candidate for application in an electrochemical biosensor. A TiO2 coating deposited by sol-gel method on a silicon wafer was obtained with an anatase crystalline structure, as an n-type semiconductor with donor density equal to 2.954 · 1017 cm–3. Its surface was functionalized to be tested as a biosensor to detect snake venom of the Bothrops genera, and each step of the functionalization was investigated using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Cyclic voltammetry. Despite being less sensitive than the reference method ELISA, the TiO2-based biosensor was also capable of detecting the analyte of interest at 20 μg mL–1, revealing an increase in its leakage resistance and phase shift after incubation in this solution. Furthermore, the total time for carrying out the biodetection with the TiO2-coated device (41.24 ± 0.05 min) was estimated to be approximately 80 % shorter than that required by the labelled standard assay, which indicates that TiO2 is a promising electrochemical transducer for biosensing applications. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License