Functional Characterization of a Drosophila Transgenic Line Expressing a Chimeric Flightin: Implications on Flight Muscle Structure and Mating Behavior

The asynchronous, indirect flight muscles (IFM) of Drosophila are characterized by their remarkable crystalline myofilament lattice structure that has been proposed to have evolved to power skilled flight for survival, and to produce male courtship song, a sexually selected pre-mating behavior for reproduction. It is not known how physiologically and genetically IFM generates two distinct behaviors under separate evolutionary schemes. Flightin, a 20kDa myofibrillar myosin-binding protein that in Drosophila is exclusively expressed in the IFM, is required for muscle structural integrity and flight. The flightin N-terminal sequence (~65 aa in D. melanogaster) is highly variable among Drosophila species, unlike the rest of the Drosophila protein. Using electron microscopy, fourier image analyses, flight and wing beat frequency tests, I explored the hypothesis that the sequence of amino acids in flightin’s N-terminal region has a strong influence on myofilament lattice spacing and crystallinity. This is investigated by the creation of two independent D.melanogaster transgenic fly lines expressing a D.virilis-D.melanogaster chimeric flightin, both of which exhibit larger myofillament lattice spacing compared to the full length transgenic and D.virilis control fly lines, along with an intermediate wing beat frequency and an equal and/or improved flight ability compared to the control full length transgenic line. These results suggest the N-terminal region is under evolutionary pressures to optimize crystalline lattice structure

Health and Housing Trends of Single Homeless Adults in Chittenden County, Vermont

Introduction. Homeless individuals are at an increased risk for both physical and mental health comorbidities compared to those with stable housing. Prior studies have demonstrated that many of these individuals do not seek or receive proper medical care. This study provides a landscape analysis of health characteristics in the single adult homeless population in Chittenden County, Vermont. Methods. Interviews were conducted using a modified version of the Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool to determine vulnerability indices across a range of different health and social wellness domains. Single home- less adults were sampled from community self-help clinics and transitional living and homeless shelters from September to November 2017. Results. 56 in-person surveys were conducted. Mean age of participants was 45.3 years and over half were male (63%). Extended periods or multiple episodes of homelessness were experienced most by those who reported sleeping outdoors (89%); this group also reported the highest use of emergency services (47%). The highest incidence of abuse/trauma as a contributing factor for homelessness was reported most in the 18-30 age group (71%) and least in the above 51 age group (35%). Nearly all participants owned a cell phone (86%). Conclusions. Single homeless adults self-reported a variety of health and social is- sues, including substance abuse, increased emergency department use, and in- creased abuse, trauma, and deteriorated social relationships. This study highlights different risk factors that contribute to homelessness in this select population. Future research should evaluate how to individually address these vulnerabilities to optimize health care and well-being.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1255/thumbnail.jp

Sustainable Enzymatic Desizing of Cotton with Bio-surfactant Extracted from Soapnut

Surfactant is one of the major consuming auxiliaries in textile processing. The rising demand for petroleum-based surfactants is in focus and it is tremendously utilized to fulfil the need for surfactants in textile industries. These petroleum-based surfactants are one of the major pollutants of textile wastewater. Many attempts have been made to replace this with low toxicity to make the process sustainable. The present investigation works on the same objective to replace the petroleum-based surfactant from desizing by using soapnut extract as a wetting agent. The process was optimised by using a modern statistical technique of Response Surface Methodology [RSM]. The initial designing was conducted using 10 g/l soapnut extract and 2% enzyme for 30 min at 75 °C and found satisfactory results. Additional desizing experiments were performed to optimize the process using RSM with weight loss as the primary outcome. An optimised desizing recipe provided by DOE numerical optimisation, viz., a concentration of 10 g/l soapnut extract and 2% enzyme at 75 °C for 40 min, was performed to validate. The findings demonstrate that optimum weight loss (6.58%) and desirable levels of absorbency (14 s), whiteness (73.52), yellowness (22.84 indices, bending length (2.1 cm), Flexural rigidity (98.13 mg.cm), while minimally affecting tensile strength (10.77). Enzymatic desizing with synthetic or soapnut-extracted wetting agents yields identical results and satisfies performance standards for industrial use. The Sustainable way of enzymatic desizing of cotton with bio-surfactant extracted from soapnut may be the green alternative to synthetic surfactant-based desizing

Valorization of Corn Husk Waste for Textile Applications

Agriculture biomass is a widely known renewable source that has a high possibility of recycling. The present investigation deals with the extraction, pre-treatment, dyeing, and characterization of natural fiber obtained from agricultural residues of corn husk. Water retted corn husk fibers were subjected to two steps of scouring and bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. The process effectively reduced non-cellulosic impurities, increased cellulose content to almost 79%, enhanced water absorption (431.5%), and increased fiber whiteness (54) with minimal impact on breaking tenacity (17.17 CN/tex). Natural dyeing was performed by using dye extracted from Sappan wood, and it was observed that fiber dyed without mordant exhibits a good color strength (K/S) of 13.21. Optimum dyeing conditions were determined by the response surface methodology, where K/S was kept as the main response. Modern spectroscopic characterization techniques were used for confirmatory analysis. The optimized recipe for natural dyeing is a 20% liquid dye concentration at 70°C for 1 hour, which achieved a K/S of 10.2–10.5 with adequate wash and light fastness properties in the range of 3–4 and 7–8, respectively. The current study will pave the way for the efficient textile application of this abundant but unnecessarily wasted biomass

Recycling of waste PET for functionalised textile finishing

80-84The glycolysis of waste bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been carried out at 190oC for 8 h with sodium acetate catalyst. Products of reaction are then characterised by spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and calorimetry. The bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET) obtained from the reaction is formulated using an emulsifying and dispersing agent and further utilised as an antistatic finishing chemical for imparting functional effect on polyester textile. The application has been performed by padding polyester fabric with a solution containing antistatic agents of different concertations (10, 20 and 40 g/L), followed by drying at 110° C for 60 s and then thermoset at 170°C for 40 s. The treated fabric is compared with a commercial antistatic agent for functional performance and then evaluated in terms of absorbency, wicking height, charge decay time, and hand feel. The results show that the fabric finished with 20 g/L BHET based formulation performs better than the commercial antistatic agent finished fabric, and the waste PET bottles can be effectively utilised as a textile finishing chemical