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Polymers Aug 2023Mechanical robustness and high energy efficiency of composite materials are immensely important in modern stretchable, self-powered electronic devices. However, the...
Fabrication of High-Performance Natural Rubber Composites with Enhanced Filler-Rubber Interactions by Stearic Acid-Modified Diatomaceous Earth and Carbon Nanotubes for Mechanical and Energy Harvesting Applications.
Mechanical robustness and high energy efficiency of composite materials are immensely important in modern stretchable, self-powered electronic devices. However, the availability of these materials and their toxicities are challenging factors. This paper presents the mechanical and energy-harvesting performances of low-cost natural rubber composites made of stearic acid-modified diatomaceous earth (mDE) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The obtained mechanical properties were significantly better than those of unfilled rubber. Compared to pristine diatomaceous earth, mDE has higher reinforcing efficiencies in terms of mechanical properties because of the effective chemical surface modification by stearic acid and enhanced filler-rubber interactions. The addition of a small amount of CNT as a component in the hybrid filler systems not only improves the mechanical properties but also improves the electrical properties of the rubber composites and has electromechanical sensitivity. For example, the fracture toughness of unfilled rubber (9.74 MJ/m) can be enhanced by approximately 484% in a composite (56.86 MJ/m) with 40 phr (per hundred grams of rubber) hybrid filler, whereas the composite showed electrical conductivity. At a similar mechanical load, the energy-harvesting efficiency of the composite containing 57 phr mDE and 3 phr CNT hybrid filler was nearly double that of the only 3 phr CNT-containing composite. The higher energy-harvesting efficiency of the mDE-filled conductive composites may be due to their increased dielectric behaviour. Because of their bio-based materials, rubber composites made by mDE can be considered eco-friendly composites for mechanical and energy harvesting applications and suitable electronic health monitoring devices.
PubMed: 37688238
DOI: 10.3390/polym15173612 -
Characterization of site-specific -glycosylation signatures of isolated uromodulin from human urine.The Analyst Oct 2023Uromodulin (Umod, Tamm-Horsfall protein) is the most abundant urinary -glycoprotein produced exclusively by the kidney. It can form filaments to antagonize the adhesion...
Uromodulin (Umod, Tamm-Horsfall protein) is the most abundant urinary -glycoprotein produced exclusively by the kidney. It can form filaments to antagonize the adhesion of uropathogens. However, the site-specific -glycosylation signatures of Umod in healthy individuals and patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) remain poorly understood due to the lack of suitable isolation and analytical methods. In this study, we first presented a simple and fast method based on diatomaceous earth adsorption to isolate Umod. These isolated glycoproteins were digested by trypsin and/or Glu-C. Intact -glycopeptides with or without HILIC enrichment were analyzed using our developed EThcD-sceHCD-MS/MS. Based on the optimized workflow, we identified a total of 780 unique intact -glycopeptides (7 -glycosites and 152 -glycan compositions) from healthy individuals. As anticipated, these glycosites exhibited glycoform heterogeneity. Almost all -glycosites were modified completely by the complex type, except for one -glycosite (N275), which was nearly entirely occupied by the high-mannose type for mediating Umod's antiadhesive activity. Then, we compared the -glycosylation of Umod between healthy controls ( = 9) and IgAN patients ( = 9). The -glycosylation of Umod in IgAN patients will drastically decrease and be lost. Finally, we profiled the most comprehensive site-specific -glycosylation map of Umod and revealed its alterations in IgAN patients. Our method provides a high-throughput workflow for characterizing the -glycosylation of Umod, which can aid in understanding its roles in physiology and pathology, as well as serving as a potential diagnostic tool for evolution of renal tubular function.
PubMed: 37667671
DOI: 10.1039/d3an01018j -
Microorganisms Jul 2023Ticks in the USA are the most important arthropod vector of microbes that cause human and animal disease. The blacklegged tick, , the focus of this study, is able to...
Ticks in the USA are the most important arthropod vector of microbes that cause human and animal disease. The blacklegged tick, , the focus of this study, is able to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in humans in the USA. The main approach to tick control is the use of chemical acaricides and repellents, but known and potential tick resistance to these chemicals requires the discovery of new methods of control. Volcanic glass, Imergard, was recently developed to mimic the insecticide mode of action of the minerals from diatoms (diatomaceous earth, DE) for the control of malaria mosquitoes in Africa. However, studies on the use of these minerals for tick control are minimal. In a dipping assay, which was put into DE (Celite), the times of 50 and 90% death of adult female were 7.3 and 10.5 h, respectively. Our mimic of DE, Imergard, killed ticks in 6.7 and 11.2 h, respectively. In a choice-mortality assay, ticks moved onto a treated surface of Imergard and died at 11.2 and 15.8 h, respectively. Ticks had greater locomotor activity before death when treated by dipping for both Imergard and Celite versus the no-mineral control. The ticks after making contact with Imergard had the mineral covering most of their body surface shown by scanning electron microscopy with evidence of Imergard inside their respiratory system. Although the assumed mode of action of Imergard and Celite is dehydration, the minerals are not hygroscopic, there was no evidence of cuticle damage, and death occurred in as little as 2 h, suggesting minimal abrasive action of the cuticle. Semi-field and field studies are needed in the future to examine the practical use of Imergard and Celite for tick control, and studies need to examine their effect on tick breathing and respiratory retention of water.
PubMed: 37630466
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11081906 -
Biomolecules Aug 2023Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) serve as vectors for transmitting protozoan parasites, spp., that cause the disease called leishmaniasis. The main approach to...
Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) serve as vectors for transmitting protozoan parasites, spp., that cause the disease called leishmaniasis. The main approach to controlling sand flies is the use of chemical insecticides. The discovery of alternative methods for their control is needed because of potential health risks of chemical insecticides and development of sand fly resistance to these pesticides. The biomineral produced by diatoms (diatomaceous earth, DE; Celite) and a volcanic glass bio-mimic (Imergard) have been shown by our group to be efficacious against mosquitoes, filth flies, and ticks but never studied for the control of sand flies. In a modified World Health Organization cone test, 50% of adult sand flies at 29 ± 1 °C, 55 ± 5% RH, and 12:12 LD, when exposed to Imergard and Celite, were dead in 13.08 and 7.57 h, respectively. Proof of concept was established for the use of these biominerals for sand fly and leishmaniasis disease control. Using a light source as an attractant to the minerals had no significant effect on the LT, the time to 50% mortality. The LT at a higher relative humidity of 70 ± 5% increased to 20.91 and 20.56 h for Imergard and Celite, respectively, suggesting their mode of action was dehydration. Scanning electron microscopy of dead sand flies showed high coating levels of Celite only on the sides of the thorax and on the tarsi, suggesting an alternative mode of action for mechanical insecticides.
Topics: Animals; Diatomaceous Earth; Insecticides; Leishmania; Minerals; Parasites; Psychodidae
PubMed: 37627300
DOI: 10.3390/biom13081235 -
Marine Drugs Aug 2023Diatom microalgae are a natural source of fossil biosilica shells, namely the diatomaceous earth (DE), abundantly available at low cost. High surface area, mesoporosity...
Diatom microalgae are a natural source of fossil biosilica shells, namely the diatomaceous earth (DE), abundantly available at low cost. High surface area, mesoporosity and biocompatibility, as well as the availability of a variety of approaches for surface chemical modification, make DE highly profitable as a nanostructured material for drug delivery applications. Despite this, the studies reported so far in the literature are generally limited to the development of biohybrid systems for drug delivery by oral or parenteral administration. Here we demonstrate the suitability of diatomaceous earth properly functionalized on the surface with -octyl chains as an efficient system for local drug delivery to skin tissues. Naproxen was selected as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory model drug for experiments performed both in vitro by immersion of the drug-loaded DE in an artificial sweat solution and, for the first time, by trans-epidermal drug permeation through a 3D-organotypic tissue that better mimics the in vivo permeation mechanism of drugs in human skin tissues. Octyl chains were demonstrated to both favour the DE adhesion onto porcine skin tissues and to control the gradual release and the trans-epidermal permeation of Naproxen within 24 h of the beginning of experiments. The evidence of the viability of human epithelial cells after permeation of the drug released from diatomaceous earth, also confirmed the biocompatibility with human skin of both Naproxen and mesoporous biosilica from diatom microalgae, disclosing promising applications of these drug-delivery systems for therapies of skin diseases.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Swine; Diatoms; Microalgae; Naproxen; Diatomaceous Earth; Drug Delivery Systems; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
PubMed: 37623719
DOI: 10.3390/md21080438 -
Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 2023Diatomaceous earth is an organic naturally occurring material rich in silicon. This silicon source can be used in organic agriculture, it also has a great potential of...
Diatomaceous earth is an organic naturally occurring material rich in silicon. This silicon source can be used in organic agriculture, it also has a great potential of use in the acclimatization of crops. However, there are no reports of the effects of diatomaceous earth supplementation on the micropropagation of sweet potato. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of diatomaceous earth applied in vitro on the growth, physiology and anatomy of sweet potato cv. 'Brazlândia Branca' after acclimatization. Four concentrations of diatomaceous earth. After 30 days of in vitro growth, the plants were transferred to a greenhouse for acclimatization. After 45 days, leaf number, shoot and root length, fresh and dry shoot and root mass, gas exchange, chlorophyll content, root and leaf anatomy. The experimental design was completely randomized. The supplementation of diatomaceous earth in the in vitro cultivation had beneficial effects, increasing the accumulation of mass, improving the photosynthetic apparatus and promoting favorable anatomical characteristics during the acclimatization of the sweet potato plants. In addition, the use of diatomaceous earth achieved adequate seedling development, with higher seedling quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic effects than attained with control treatment.
Topics: Diatomaceous Earth; Solanum tuberosum; Ipomoea batatas; Silicon; Acclimatization
PubMed: 37585889
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320200021 -
Journal of Plant Diseases and... 2023Recent outbreaks of ' Phytoplasma solani' resulted in severe losses in potatoes, vegetable crops and grapevines in certain regions of Austria and constituted a major...
UNLABELLED
Recent outbreaks of ' Phytoplasma solani' resulted in severe losses in potatoes, vegetable crops and grapevines in certain regions of Austria and constituted a major challenge for seed potato production. Therefore, the effects of various insecticides and insect deterrents on pathogen spread were studied both in laboratory and field experiments from 2018 to 2021. In laboratory transmission experiments, field captured were caged on differently treated for five days The insecticides lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, esfenvalerate, acetamiprid and chlorpyriphos showed the most rapid impact on insect survival and fully prevented phytoplasma transmission. The particle film forming products kaolin and diatomaceous earth had some effect. A transfer of the promising laboratory results to potato fields, however, was achieved to a limited extent only. Treatments with pyrethroids and acetamiprid every 8-10 days over the flight period of roughly halved the number of symptomatic plants and tubers in case of moderately susceptible varieties and moderate infection pressure. In the event of susceptible varieties and high disease pressure, treatment effects were hardy discernible. In practical terms, the experiments indicate that insecticide applications alone are not sufficient to mitigate the disease. Spraying of diatomaceous earth and mineral oil did not affect disease incidence in the field.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41348-023-00768-y.
PubMed: 37576720
DOI: 10.1007/s41348-023-00768-y -
Biometals : An International Journal on... Feb 2024Diatomaceous earth or diatomite is a fossil rock deposit of diatoms made up of silica and other minerals. A distinguishing feature of diatoms that placed them in the...
Diatomaceous earth or diatomite is a fossil rock deposit of diatoms made up of silica and other minerals. A distinguishing feature of diatoms that placed them in the single class of microalgae Bacillariophyceae, is the frustule, a transparent, hard-shelled cell wall. It's interesting to note that the diatom has specific proteins and enzymes for heavy metal detoxification and can intake and store more heavy metals in its frustule. Consequently, an attempt has been made in this study to determine the bioaccumulation of metals in the frustules of the diatom. Hence, a centric diatom was isolated from the freshwater sample collected from the Adyar River, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The diameter of the cell was 5-7.5 µm and 20-23 striations with radial arrangement. A single, dark off-center fultoportula and marginal fultoportula on the striae are found in the diatom. Additionally, one rimoportula between two marginal fultoportula distributed on the striae between the costa was also seen. As a result, the isolated diatom was morphologically identified as Cyclotella atomus Hust. Simultaneously, the bioaccumulation study reveals that the Titanium (Ti) was found accumulated in the frustules of the diatom incubated in the Ti-supplemented culture medium based on the scanning electron microscope-energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDAX). Therefore, the biogenic accumulation and fabrication of Titanium frustules in diatom have advantages in enhancing the efficiency of solar cells.
Topics: Diatoms; Titanium; Bioaccumulation; India; Silicon Dioxide
PubMed: 37566151
DOI: 10.1007/s10534-023-00528-3 -
International Journal of Biological... Nov 2023Here, highly sensitive blueberry anthocyanin (BBA)-induced intelligent indicating films were fabricated by incorporating a novel composite ingredient, diatomite (DA),...
Simultaneously realizing enhancement of sensitivity for freshness monitoring and multinomial properties of carrageenan/konjac glucomannan/blueberry anthocyanin-based intelligent film by diatomite.
Here, highly sensitive blueberry anthocyanin (BBA)-induced intelligent indicating films were fabricated by incorporating a novel composite ingredient, diatomite (DA), into a matrix of konjac glucomannan (KGM), carrageenan (CAR) and BBA. We systematically investigated the effects of introducing DA and BBA on the structure, physical properties, colorimetric response, and practical application of the KGM/CAR film. Our findings revealed that the DA particles and BBA were well-distributed in the KGM/CAR matrix through hydrogen bonding interactions. This distribution significantly improved tensile strength, surface hydrophobicity, thermal stability, and barrier properties of the KGM/CAR film. Notably, the KGM/CAR-based intelligent film loaded with 6 % DA exhibited the most optimal properties. Furthermore, DA exhibited a hierarchical porous structure, enabling the KGM/CAR film to detect volatile amines with heightened sensitivity. When applied to monitor shrimp spoilage in transparent plastic packaging, the color of the composite film underwent remarkable changes from bright pink to bluish violet. These color changes correlated well with the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and pH changes in the shrimp, as determined by standard laboratory procedures. Our work presents a promising approach to the development of high-performance and intelligent food packaging materials. These materials hold great potential for practical applications in the field of food packaging.
Topics: Mannans; Anthocyanins; Carrageenan; Food Packaging; Blueberry Plants; Tensile Strength; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Animals; Diatomaceous Earth
PubMed: 37558038
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126192 -
Insects Jul 2023Diatomaceous earth (DE) formulations are promising alternatives over the use of traditional insecticides. In the present study, a series of laboratory bioassays was...
Diatomaceous earth (DE) formulations are promising alternatives over the use of traditional insecticides. In the present study, a series of laboratory bioassays was carried out to assess the efficacy of three diatomaceous earth formulations, i.e., Silicid, Celatom MN-23, and SilicoSec, for the control of a wide range of stored-product insect species in soft wheat. The species tested were , , , , , , and . Different dose rates, i.e., 0 (control), 100, 300, 500, and 1000 ppm, were used for each of the aforementioned dust formulations. Mortality levels of the exposed individuals were assessed after 3, 7, 14, and 21 days of exposure. Moreover, progeny were counted 65 days later. Based on our results, dust formulations were effective for the control of most of the stored-product beetle species tested. Among the DE formulations tested, Silicid could adequately control the stored-product insect species. Complete suppression of offspring was observed only for secondary species (, , , and ). For primary species (, , and ), the lowest number of progeny was observed in wheat treated with Silicid. For instance, in the case of , significantly fewer individuals were produced in Silicid-treated wheat at the highest dose rate. The results of the present study aim to encourage the utilization of DE in stored-product protection as an integrated pest management tool. Additional experimentation is required to apply the tested DE formulations in the field and on different surfaces.
PubMed: 37504662
DOI: 10.3390/insects14070656