27 research outputs found
Evaluation of a gelatin-based adhesive for historic paintings that incorporates citronella oil as an eco-friendly biocide
[EN] The presented study focuses on evaluating the efficiency of a gelatin-based product that incorporates a plasticizer (glycerol) and a biocide (citronella oil), proposed as an eco-friendly adhesive for polychrome decoration applied in different parts of the architectural complex of the Longshan Temple in Lukang (eighteenth century, Taiwan). Seven laboratory physico-chemical tests were performed: (a) viscosity measurement; (b) drying curves; (c) moisture content determination; (d) water vapor permeability test; (e) mechanical test; (f) adhesion test; (g) susceptibility to fungi colonization test, which provide information on the workability, water content and water barrier properties, as well as mechanical, adhesion, and the biocide properties of the proposed product. The obtained results indicate that the workability, mechanical and adhesive properties of the new adhesive are adequate. Permeability in polychromies is slightly reduced due to the additional barrier effect of the adhesive incorporated into the paint film. The efficiency of citronella oil for preventing the growth of fungus Aspergillus niger on paintings consolidated with the adhesive was also probed. In parallel to these laboratory trials, the micro-invasive tests carried out, using nanoindentation combined with atomic force microscopy (NI-AFM), provided direct evidence for the improvement in the mechanical properties induced by applying the new adhesive to the original polychromies.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO), the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (ERDF), and the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI).Lee, Y.; Martín Rey, S.; Osete Cortina, L.; Martín-Sánchez, I.; Domenech Carbo, MT.; Bolivar-Galiano, F. (2018). Evaluation of a gelatin-based adhesive for historic paintings that incorporates citronella oil as an eco-friendly biocide. Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology. 32(21):2320-2349. https://doi.org/10.1080/01694243.2018.1477411S23202349322
Kernel Architecture of the Genetic Circuitry of the Arabidopsis Circadian System
A wide range of organisms features molecular machines, circadian clocks,
which generate endogenous oscillations with ~24 h periodicity and thereby
synchronize biological processes to diurnal environmental fluctuations.
Recently, it has become clear that plants harbor more complex gene regulatory
circuits within the core circadian clocks than other organisms, inspiring a
fundamental question: are all these regulatory interactions between clock genes
equally crucial for the establishment and maintenance of circadian rhythms? Our
mechanistic simulation for Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrates that at least half
of the total regulatory interactions must be present to express the circadian
molecular profiles observed in wild-type plants. A set of those essential
interactions is called herein a kernel of the circadian system. The kernel
structure unbiasedly reveals four interlocked negative feedback loops
contributing to circadian rhythms, and three feedback loops among them drive
the autonomous oscillation itself. Strikingly, the kernel structure, as well as
the whole clock circuitry, is overwhelmingly composed of inhibitory, rather
than activating, interactions between genes. We found that this tendency
underlies plant circadian molecular profiles which often exhibit
sharply-shaped, cuspidate waveforms. Through the generation of these cuspidate
profiles, inhibitory interactions may facilitate the global coordination of
temporally-distant clock events that are markedly peaked at very specific times
of day. Our systematic approach resulting in experimentally-testable
predictions provides insights into a design principle of biological clockwork,
with implications for synthetic biology.Comment: Supplementary material is available at the journal websit