Hard and transparent films formed by nanocellulose-TiO2 nanoparticle hybrids

T he formation of hybrids of nanofibrillated cellulose and titania nanoparticles in aqueous media has been studied. Their transparency and mechanical behavior have been assessed by spectrophotometry and nanoindentation. The results show that limiting the titania nanoparticle concentration below 16 vol% yields homogeneous hybrids with a very high Young's modulus and hardness, of up to 44 GPa and 3.4 GPa, respectively, and an optical transmittance above 80%. Electron microscopy shows that higher nanoparticle contents result in agglomeration and an inhomogeneous hybrid nanostructure with a concomitant reduction of hardness and optical transmittance. Infrared spectroscopy suggests that the nanostructure of the hybrids is controlled by electrostatic adsorption of the titania nanoparticles on the negatively charged nanocellulose surfaces

Defect formation of lytic peptides in lipid membranes and their influence on the thermodynamic properties of the pore environment

We present an experimental study of the pore formation processes of small amphipathic peptides in model phosphocholine lipid membranes. We used atomic force microscopy to characterize the spatial organization and structure of alamethicin- and melittin- induced defects in lipid bilayer membranes and the influence of the peptide on local membrane properties. Alamethicin induced holes in gel DPPC membranes were directly visualized at different peptide concentrations. We found that the thermodynamic state of lipids in gel membranes can be influenced by the presence of alamethicin such that nanoscopic domains of fluid lipids form close to the peptide pores, and that the elastic constants of the membrane are altered in their vicinity. Melittin-induced holes were visualized in DPPC and DLPC membranes at room temperature in order to study the influence of the membrane state on the peptide induced hole formation. Also differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the effect of alamethicin on the lipid membrane phase behavior.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Experimentelle Untersuchungen von Lipidmembranen: Bildung von Lipiddomänen und Aggregation von Peptiden.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde versucht das Verständnis über die Mechanismen, die zu Formation räumlich homogener Membranen führen, mir Hilfe verschiedener Lipide und/oder Transmembranpeptide, zu vertiefen. Die auf der mikroskopischen Ebene vorgestellte Organisation von Lipidmakrodomänen, im Falle einfacher zwei Komponenten Lipidbilayer, steht im vorrangigen Interesse der aktuellen Biologieforschung. Gegenwärtig wird der Ursprung und die Funktion der Lipiddomänen intensiv diskutiert. Das Phasenverhalten und die Strukturformation der Domänen, kommt dem Verhalten der realen Zellmembranen in der natürlichen Umgebung sehr nahe und weist einen Weg für das Verständnis der physikalisch-chemischen Eigenschaften der Zellmembranen und der zugehöreigen Zellphysiologie auf. In dem Zusammenhang, direkt beobachtete und quantitativ analysierte Peptidaggregation in phospholine Membranen, erlaubt Einblicke in die Mechanismen hinter den Protein-Lipid-Interaktionen, deren Funktion für das Verständnis der biologischen Membranen von großer Bedeutung ist

Ефективність витрат на впровадження нових сортів і гібридів у рослинництві

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the results of a study devoted to the development of approaches to optimizing the level of costs for the implementation of new varieties and hybrids in crop production, including under conditions of its financing through borrowed capital. Methodology / approach. Based on the dialectical method of cognition, the abstract-and-logical method (systematization of the publications on agroinnovations and crediting of the agricultural sector, theoretical generalizations and conclusions), the nonlinear correlation and regression analysis (establishing the interdependence between the intensity of plant products production and the results of the functioning of the branch), optimization modeling (development of tools to determine the optimal amount of the credit in terms of innovation) were used. Results. The approach has been developed that takes into account the agrobiological, economic and financial aspects of the agricultural branch and allows assessing the appropriateness of the credit covered expenses of implementing an innovative solution at the stage of planning the production process and its financial support; the methodological tools have been tested, which allow determining the optimal values of the costs under different conditions and forms of financing, as well as the optimal amount of credit support, which maximizes profits taking into account the expected increase in crop capacity due to the implementation of new varieties and hybrids. Originality / scientific novelty. The approach to determining the optimal amount of credit support for innovation, which in contrast to the traditional one, that is based on the effect of the financial leverage, takes into account the nonlinearity of the cost and the efficiency indicators of the agricultural sector caused by the effect of diminishing returns. Practical value / implications. The application of the proposed methodological approach allows determining the optimal values of the production costs and their credit coverage, taking into account the expected increase in productivity, which provides the implementation of a new variety or hybrid of plants

Lipid membrane domain formation and alamethicin aggregation studied by calorimetry, sound velocity measurements, and atomic force microscopy

International audienc

Real-time clinician text feeds from electronic health records

Analyses of search engine and social media feeds have been attempted for infectious disease outbreaks, but have been found to be susceptible to artefactual distortions from health scares or keyword spamming in social media or the public internet. We describe an approach using real-time aggregation of keywords and phrases of freetext from real-time clinician-generated documentation in electronic health records to produce a customisable real-time viral pneumonia signal providing up to 4 days warning for secondary care capacity planning. This low-cost approach is open-source, is locally customisable, is not dependent on any specific electronic health record system and can provide an ensemble of signals if deployed at multiple organisational scales