In Vivo Versus In Vitro Degradation of a 3D Printed Resorbable Device for Ligation of Vascular Tissue in Horses.

A resorbable 3D printed polydioxanone (PDO) device is manufactured to facilitate ligation of vascular tissue during surgery. The device must provide sufficient mechanical performance throughout the healing period. Therefore, degradation and mechanical performance of the device are investigated as a function of in vivo and in vitro aging.

Potential natural polymer-based nanofibres for the development of facemasks in countering viral outbreaks.

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly increased the demand for facemasks as a measure to reduce the rapid spread of the pathogen. Throughout the pandemic, some countries such as Italy had a monthly demand of ca. 90 million facemasks.

Disturbance interval modulates the starting point for vegetation succession.

Increased frequency and new types of disturbances caused by global change calls for deepened insights into possible alterations of successional pathways. Despite current interest in disturbance interactions there is a striking lack of studies focusing on the implication of decreasing times between disturbances. We surveyed forest-floor vegetation (vascular plants and bryophytes) in a Pinus sylvestris-dominated, even-aged production forest landscape, unique because of the presence of stands under a precisely dated disturbance interval gradient, ranging from 0 to 123 yr between clearcutting and a subsequent megafire.

Bio-based films from wheat bran feruloylated arabinoxylan: Effect of extraction technique, acetylation and feruloylation.

This study demonstrates the potential of feruloylated arabinoxylan (AX) from wheat bran for the preparation of bioactive barrier films with antioxidant properties. We have comprehensively evaluated the influence of the structural features and chemical acetylation of feruloylated AX extracted by subcritical water on their film properties, in comparison with alkaline extracted AX and a reference wheat endosperm AX. The degree of substitution (DS) of AX had a large influence on film formation, higher DS yielded better thermal and mechanical properties.

Cascade extraction of proteins and feruloylated arabinoxylans from wheat bran.

A cascade process for the sequential recovery of proteins and feruloylated arabinoxylan from wheat bran is proposed, involving a protein isolation step, enzymatic destarching and subcritical water extraction. The protein isolation step combining lactic acid fermentation and cold alkaline extraction reduced the recalcitrance of wheat bran, thus improving the total yields of the subsequent subcritical water extraction. The time evolution of subcritical water extraction of feruloylated arabinoxylan was compared at two temperatures (160 °C and 180 °C).

The need for fully bio-based facemasks to counter coronavirus outbreaks: A perspective.

The onset of coronavirus pandemic has sparked a shortage of facemasks in almost all nations. Without this personal protective equipment, healthcare providers, essential workers, and the general public are exposed to the risk of infection. In light of the aforementioned, it is critical to balance the supply and demand for masks.

Extrusion of Porous Protein-Based Polymers and Their Liquid Absorption Characteristics.

The production of porous wheat gluten (WG) absorbent materials by means of extrusion processing is presented for the future development of sustainable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). Different temperatures, formulations, and WG compositions were used to determine a useful protocol that provides the best combination of porosity and water swelling properties. The most optimal formulation was based on 50 wt.

Carboxylated Wheat Gluten Proteins: A Green Solution for Production of Sustainable Superabsorbent Materials.

Functionalized wheat gluten (WG) protein particles with the ability to absorb fluids within the superabsorbent range are presented. Ethyleneditetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD), a nontoxic acylation agent, was used for the functionalization of the WG protein at higher protein content than previously reported and no additional chemical cross-linking. The 150-550 μm protein particles had 50-150 nm nanopores induced by drying.

Superabsorbent and Fully Biobased Protein Foams with a Natural Cross-Linker and Cellulose Nanofibers.

The development of fully natural wheat gluten foams showing rapid and high uptake of water, sheep blood, and saline solution, while maintaining high mechanical stability in the swollen state, is presented. Genipin was added as a natural and polar cross-linker to increase the polarity of the protein chains, whereas cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were added as a reinforcement/stiffener of the foams, alone or in combination with the genipin. The presence of only genipin resulted in a foam that absorbed up to 25 g of water per gram of foam and a more than 15 g uptake in only 8 min.

Mealworms as Food Ingredient-Sensory Investigation of a Model System.

The use of insects as food is a sustainable alternative to meat and as a protein source is fully comparable to meat, fish and soybeans. The next step is to make insects available for use in the more widespread production of food and meals. Sensory attributes are of great importance in being able to increase the understanding of insects as an ingredient in cooking and production.

Self-assembly of plant protein fibrils interacting with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

In situ fibrillation of plant proteins in presence of the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NP) promoted formation of a hybrid nanocomposite. The morphology of NP-fibril composite was revealed using ex-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) in air. The NP-fibrils were associated into extended multi-fibril structures, indicating that the addition of NPs promoted protein association via β-sheet assembly.

A Protein-Based Material from a New Approach Using Whole Defatted Larvae, and Its Interaction with Moisture.

A protein-based material created from a new approach using whole defatted larvae of the Black Soldier fly is presented. The larvae turn organic waste into their own biomass with high content of protein and lipids, which can be used as animal feed or for material production. After removing the larva lipid and adding a plasticizer, the ground material was compression molded into plates/films.

A Comparison of Three Holistic Approaches to Health: One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health.

Several holistic and interdisciplinary approaches exist to safeguard health. Three of the most influential concepts at the moment, One Health, EcoHealth, and Planetary Health, are analyzed in this paper, revealing similarities and differences at the theoretical conceptual level. These approaches may appear synonymous, as they all promote the underlying assumption of humans and other animals sharing the same planet and the same environmental challenges, infections and infectious agents as well as other aspects of physical-and possibly mental-health.

Potential disease transmission from wild geese and swans to livestock, poultry and humans: a review of the scientific literature from a One Health perspective.

There are more herbivorous waterfowl (swans and geese) close to humans, livestock and poultry than ever before. This creates widespread conflict with agriculture and other human interests, but also debate about the role of swans and geese as potential vectors of disease of relevance for human and animal health. Using a One Health perspective, we provide the first comprehensive review of the scientific literature about the most relevant viral, bacterial, and unicellular pathogens occurring in wild geese and swans.

Large-Scale Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Mediterranean Cephalopod Diversity.

Species diversity is widely recognized as an important trait of ecosystems' functioning and resilience. Understanding the causes of diversity patterns and their interaction with the environmental conditions is essential in order to effectively assess and preserve existing diversity. While diversity patterns of most recurrent groups such as fish are commonly studied, other important taxa such as cephalopods have received less attention.

The plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa induces changes in Arabidopsis thaliana gene expression: a possible connection between biotic and abiotic stress responses.

This paper addresses changes in plant gene expression induced by inoculation with plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). A gnotobiotic system was established with Arabidopsis thaliana as model plant, and isolates of Paenibacillus polymyxa as PGPR. Subsequent challenge by either the pathogen Erwinia carotovora (biotic stress) or induction of drought (abiotic stress) indicated that inoculated plants were more resistant than control plants.

Natural (13)C abundance reveals trophic status of fungi and host-origin of carbon in mycorrhizal fungi in mixed forests.

Fungi play crucial roles in the biogeochemistry of terrestrial ecosystems, most notably as saprophytes decomposing organic matter and as mycorrhizal fungi enhancing plant nutrient uptake. However, a recurrent problem in fungal ecology is to establish the trophic status of species in the field. Our interpretations and conclusions are too often based on extrapolations from laboratory microcosm experiments or on anecdotal field evidence.

Degradation pathway of CopA, the antisense RNA that controls replication of plasmid R1.

RNA decay in bacteria is carried out by a number of enzymes that participate in the coordinated degradation of their substrates. Endo- and exonucleolytic cleavages as well as polyadenylation are generally involved in determining the half-life of RNAs. Small, untranslated antisense RNAs are suitable model systems to study decay.