Improvement of Water Vapor Barrier Properties of Chitosan-Collagen Laminated Casings using Beeswax

Collagen casings are commercially used in sausage production. In this paper, collagen film that is used for sausage casings was laminated with chitosan film to produce barrier casing film. Chitosan coating was prepared by dissolving chitosan powder in 1% acetic acid. After dissolving chitosan, caraway essential oil, wetting agent Tween 20 and different amounts of beeswax, from 0 to 25 g were added to the solution. The solution was coated on collagen film surface in three layers, using a sponge brush to make laminated films. Films were air dried at temperature t = 23 °C ± 2 °C. Uncoated collagen film was used as reference. Film thickness, water vapor barrier properties and FTIR spectra were determined. With growing amount of beeswax added to the chitosan layer, film thickness grew from 112 µm for laminated film with 5 g of beeswax to 225 µm for film with 25 g of beeswax, compared to 83 µm for collagen film. Water vapor barrier properties improved with growing amount of beeswax in chitosan layer, ranging from 130.71 g/m224h for laminated film with added 5 g of beeswax to 66.96 g/m224h for the film with 25 g of beeswax, compared to 290.64 g/m224h for collagen film. Addition of beeswax showed great potential in lowering water vapor permeability of laminated collagen-chitosan film. FTIR spectra could be used to determine quantitative law dependency between added amount of beeswax and spectra absorption values,as well as to prove compactness of chitosan-beeswax layer

Improvement of water vapor barrier properties of chitosan-collagen laminated casings using beeswax

Collagen casings are commercially used in sausage production. In this paper, collagen film that is used for sausage casings was laminated with chitosan film to produce barrier casing film. Chitosan coating was prepared by dissolving chitosan powder in 1% acetic acid. After dissolving chitosan, caraway essential oil, wetting agent Tween 20 and different amounts of beeswax, from 0 to 25 g were added to the solution. The solution was coated on collagen film surface in three layers, using a sponge brush to make laminated films. Films were air dried at temperature t =23 °C ± 2 °C. Uncoated collagen film was used as reference. Film thickness, water vapor barrier properties and FTIR spectra were determined. With growing amount of beeswax added to the chitosan layer, film thickness grew from 112 µm for laminated film with 5 g of beeswax to 225 µm for film with 25 g of beeswax, compared to 83 µm for collagen film. Water vapor barrier properties improved with growing amount of beeswax in chitosan layer, ranging from 130.71 g/m2 24h for laminated film with added 5 g of beeswax to 66.96 g/m2 24h for the film with 25 g of beeswax, compared to 290.64 g/m2 24h for collagen film. Addition of beeswax showed great potential in lowering water vapor permeability of laminated collagen-chitosan film. FTIR spectra could be used to determine quantitative law dependency between added amount of beeswax and spectra absorption values,as well as to prove compactness of chitosan-beeswax layer

The first record of the Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) in Montenegro

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), Chinese pond mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) is one of the most invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate species found in Europe. We report the Chinese pond mussel for the first time in Montenegro, in August 2012, in Lake Šasko (Adriatic part of the Central Mediterranean subarea). One specimen of the Chinese pond mussel was observed in a habitat with a predominantly silt-clay substrate. The main pathway of species introduction was evaluated to be via fish stocking. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 43002 i br. ON 173025

The first record of the Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) in Montenegro

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), Chinese pond mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) is one of the most invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate species found in Europe. We report the Chinese pond mussel for the first time in Montenegro, in August 2012, in Lake Šasko (Adriatic part of the Central Mediterranean subarea). One specimen of the Chinese pond mussel was observed in a habitat with a predominantly silt-clay substrate. The main pathway of species introduction was evaluated to be via fish stocking

The anthropogenic impact on water quality of the river Danube in Serbia: Microbiological analysis and genotoxicity monitoring

The aim of this work was to examine the impact of urban wastewaters on the water quality of the Danube River in Serbia. Samples of water and sediments for microbiological analysis and genotoxicity monitoring were collected from 6 sites during spring and/or autumn 2010. Sanitary analysis, i.e. enumeration of total and fecal coliforms and intestinal enterococci, indicated moderate to critical fecal contamination, while organic load assessment (oligotroph to heterotroph ratio, index of phosphatase activity) revealed the category of moderately polluted water. Mercury-resistant bacteria were detected in all water samples, with high numbers at locations positioned downstream of Belgrade. There was no correlation of the microbiological parameters of the sediment and water samples. Genotoxicity monitoring, performed by the comet assay on hemocytes of mussels Sinanodonta woodiana, indicated a significant increase of DNA damage in mussels collected from the studied sites compared with the control group.Projekat ministarstva br. 173025 i br. 4300

The first record of the Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) in Montenegro

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), Chinese pond mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) is one of the most invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate species found in Europe. We report the Chinese pond mussel for the first time in Montenegro, in August 2012, in Lake Šasko (Adriatic part of the Central Mediterranean subarea). One specimen of the Chinese pond mussel was observed in a habitat with a predominantly silt-clay substrate. The main pathway of species introduction was evaluated to be via fish stocking.Projekat ministarstva br. III 43002 i br. ON 17302

The anthropogenic impact on water quality of the river Danube in Serbia: Microbiological analysis and genotoxicity monitoring

The aim of this work was to examine the impact of urban wastewaters on the water quality of the Danube River in Serbia. Samples of water and sediments for microbiological analysis and genotoxicity monitoring were collected from 6 sites during spring and/or autumn 2010. Sanitary analysis, i.e. enumeration of total and fecal coliforms and intestinal enterococci, indicated moderate to critical fecal contamination, while organic load assessment (oligotroph to heterotroph ratio, index of phosphatase activity) revealed the category of moderately polluted water. Mercury-resistant bacteria were detected in all water samples, with high numbers at locations positioned downstream of Belgrade. There was no correlation of the microbiological parameters of the sediment and water samples. Genotoxicity monitoring, performed by the comet assay on hemocytes of mussels Sinanodonta woodiana, indicated a significant increase of DNA damage in mussels collected from the studied sites compared with the control group.Projekat ministarstva br. 173025 i br. 4300

The first record of the Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) in Montenegro

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), Chinese pond mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) is one of the most invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate species found in Europe. We report the Chinese pond mussel for the first time in Montenegro, in August 2012, in Lake Šasko (Adriatic part of the Central Mediterranean subarea). One specimen of the Chinese pond mussel was observed in a habitat with a predominantly silt-clay substrate. The main pathway of species introduction was evaluated to be via fish stocking.Projekat ministarstva br. III 43002 i br. ON 17302

Mehanizam gašenja fotoluminescencije u tankim filmovima N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)benzidine osvetljenih UV svetlošću u vazduhu

The mechanism of photoluminescence (PL) quenching of thin amorphous N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)- N,N'-bis(phenyl)benzidine (TPD) films exposed to UV light in air is studied. TPD is small organic molecule widely used in production of organic light emmiting devices (OLEDs). Photoluminescence of TPD films decays exponentially with time of irradiation, i.e. with the increase of concentration of impurities (photo-oxidized TPD molecules) generated by UV irradiation in air. Intensity of PL decreases to half of its original value when the concentration of impurities reaches 0.4%. Average distance between impurities (acceptors) is almost an order of magnitude larger than average distance between host TPD molecules (donors). Direct long range Forster energy transfer is ruled out as the mechanism of PL quenching, as the overlap between donor and acceptor is lacking, and exciton self-diffusion in TPD films is postulated for the mechanism. The presence of oxidation products is confirmed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Vibrational spectra of TPD molecule and few other possible products of photo-oxidation of TPD molecule, obtained by density functional theory, are compared to experimental IR spectra.U ovom radu je prikazana studija mehanizma gašenja fotoluminescencije (FL) tankih amorfnih filmova N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)benzidine (TPD) izloženih UV zračenju u vazduhu. TPD je organski molekul koji se često koristi u izradi organskih svetlećih dioda (OLED). Prilikom izlaganja TPD filmova UV zračenju u vazduhu, dolazi do fotooksidacije TPD molekula, te iz tog razloga fotoluminescencija TPD filmova opada eksponencijalno sa vremenom osvetljavanja filmova, odnosno sa povećanjem koncentracije nečistoća nastalih usled fotooksidacije. Intenzitet fotoluminescencije opadne na polovinu svoje početne vrednosti u slučaju kada je 0.4 % nečistoća prisutno u filmu. U tom slučaju je srednje rastojanje između nečistoća (akceptora) šest puta veće od srednjeg rastojanja između TPD molekula (donora). Direktan dugodometni Forsterov transfer energije je odbačen kao mehanizam gašenja fotoluminescencije jer je spektralno preklapanje emisije donora i apsorpcije akceptora zanemarljivo. Iz ovog razloga je postulirana ekscitonska difuzija u TPD filmovima, analogno nalazima u postojećoj literaturi. Prisustvo produkata oksidacije je potvrđeno uz pomoć infracrvene (IR) spektroskopije. Takodje, izračunat je IR spektar koristeći teoriju funkcionala gustine (DFT) i dobijeno je dobro slaganje sa eksperimentalnim rezultatima

Docking studies, cytotoxicity evaluation and interactions of binuclear copper(ii) complexes with s-isoalkyl derivatives of thiosalicylic acid with some relevant biomolecules

The numerous side effects of platinum based chemotherapy has led to the design of new therapeutics with platinum replaced by another transition metal. Here, we investigated the interactions of previously reported copper(II) complexes containing S-isoalkyl derivatives, the salicylic acid with guanosine-5′-monophosphate and calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and their antitumor effects, in a colon carcinoma model. All three copper(II) complexes exhibited an affinity for binding to CT-DNA, but there was no indication of intercalation or the displacement of ethidium bromide. Molecular docking studies revealed a significant affinity of the complexes for binding to the minor groove of B-form DNA, which coincided with DNA elongation, and a higher affinity for binding to Z-form DNA, supporting the hypothesis that the complex binding to CT-DNA induces a local transition from B-form to Z-form DNA. These complexes show a moderate, but selective cytotoxic effect toward colon cancer cells in vitro. Binuclear complex of copper(II) with S-isoamyl derivative of thiosalicylic acid showed the highest cytotoxic effect, arrested tumor cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and significantly reduced the expression of inflammatory molecules pro-IL-1β, TNF-α, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 in the tissue of primary heterotopic murine colon cancer, which was accompanied by a significantly reduced tumor growth and metastases in the lung and liver