Wettability of Nanostructured Surfaces

There are many studies in literature concerning contact angle measurements on different materials/substrates. It is documented that textiles can be coated with multifunctional materials in form of thin films or nanoparticles to acquire characteristics that can improve the protection and comfort of the wearer. The capacity of oxide nanostructures to inhibit fungal development and neutralize bacteria is a direct consequence of their wetting behavior [1–6]. Moreover, the radical modification of wetting behavior of nanostructures from hydrophilic to hydrophobic when changing the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) ambient will be thoroughly discussed

PENGARUH AMBIGUITAS PERAN TERHADAP KINERJA PEGAWAI DENGAN PENGAWASAN SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERASI PADA BADAN PENDAPATAN DAERAH KABUPATEN JAYAPURA

Penelitian ini untuk mengetahui pengaruh ambiguitas peran terhadap kinerja pagawai dan pengaruh pengawasan terhadap hubungan ambiguitas peran dan kinerja pegawai di BAPENDA Kabupaten Jayapura. Jumlah sampel sebanyak 55 orang responden pada Kantor Badan Pendapatan Daerah Kabupaten Jayapura. Dari hasil pengolahan datan, diperoleh hasil persamaan pertama Y=2,963+0,321X dan hasil persamaan kedua Y=10,991+(1,586)X1+(1,854)X2+0,454X1*X. Ambiguitas Peran berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap Kinerja Pegawai pada Badan Pengelola Pendapatan Daerah Kabupaten Jayapura. Hal ini ditunjukkan oleh nilai thitung > ttabel (5,183> 0,266) dengan nilai sig. 0,017 (p < 0,05), Pengaruh ambiguitas peran sebesar 10,3% terhadap kinerja pegawai dan pengawasan terhadap hubungan variable ambiguitas peran dengan kinerja pegawai adalah sebesar 19%.Kanta kunci: Ambiguitas Peran, Pengawasan, Kinerj

Optimization of culture conditions for exopolysaccharides production in Rhizobium sp. using the response surface method

The combined effects of the processing parameters for exopolysaccharides production by Rhizobium sp. was studied using the experimental design and response surface methodology. The experiments were carried out using a fermenter with 20 L capacity, as the reactor. All processing parameters were online monitored. The temperature [(30 \ub1 1)\ub0C] and pH value (7.0 \ub1 0.1) were kept constant throughout the experimental time. As statistical tools, a complete 23 factorial planning with central point and response surface were used to study the interactions among three relevant variables of the fermentation process: calcium carbonate concentration, aeration and agitation. The processing parameters setup for reaching a maximum response for exopolysaccharides production was obtained when applying the highest values for calcium carbonate concentration (1.1 g/L), aeration (1.3 vvm) and agitation (800 rpm). In addition, the combination of these optimum processing parameters yielded YP/S (g/g) = 0.35

Measurement of gauge blocks by interferometry

The key comparison EURAMET.L-K1.2011 on gauge blocks was carried out in the framework of a EURAMET project starting in 2012 and ending in 2015. It involved the participation of 24 National Metrology Institutes from Europe and Egypt, respectively. 38 gauge blocks of steel and ceramic with nominal central lengths between 0.5 mm and 500 mm were circulated. The comparison was conducted in two loops with two sets of artifacts. A statistical technique for linking the reference values was applied. As a consequence the reference value of one loop is influenced by the measurements of the other loop although they did not even see the artifacts of the others. This influence comes solely from three "linking laboratories" which measure both sets of artifacts. In total there were 44 results were not fully consistent with the reference values. This represents 10% of the full set of 420 results which is a considerable high number. At least 12 of them are clearly outliers where the participants have been informed by the pilot as soon as possible. The comparison results help to support the calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) of the laboratories involved in the CIPM MRA

Regulation of Bestrophins by Ca2+: A Theoretical and Experimental Study

Bestrophins are a recently discovered family of Cl− channels, for which no structural information is available. Some family members are activated by increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Bestrophins feature a well conserved Asp-rich tract in their COOH terminus (Asp-rich domain), which is homologous to Ca2+-binding motifs in human thrombospondins and in human big-conductance Ca2+- and voltage-gated K+ channels (BKCa). Consequently, the Asp-rich domain is also a candidate for Ca2+ binding in bestrophins. Based on these considerations, we constructed homology models of human bestrophin-1 (Best1) Asp-rich domain using human thrombospondin-1 X-ray structure as a template. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to identify Asp and Glu residues binding Ca2+ and to predict the effects of their mutations to alanine. We then proceeded to test selected mutations in the Asp-rich domain of the highly homologous mouse bestrophin-2. The mutants expressed in HEK-293 cells were investigated by electrophysiological experiments using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. Based on our molecular modeling results, we predicted that Asp-rich domain has two defined binding sites and that D301A and D304A mutations may impact the binding of the metal ions. The experiments confirmed that these mutations do actually affect the function of the protein causing a large decrease in the Ca2+-activated Cl− current, fully consistent with our predictions. In addition, other studied mutations (E306A, D312A) did not decrease Ca2+-activated Cl− current in agreement with modeling results