Opuntia ficus-indica (Ofi) cactus non-gelling (NE) mucilage nanofibers were electrospun with acetic acid solution and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a polymer. The best fiber coverage was achieved with an aqueous 50% acetic acid solution and 9% low molecular weight PVA at a 70:30 PVA:Mucilage volume ratio. Other volume ratios (30:70 and 50:50) produced beads and other deformities. Fibers were formed with an average diameter of 180nm as measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Favorable electrospinning conditions were used to fabricate a 1 cm x 1 cm Ofi nanofiber biomembrane. Heat flow (W/g) versus temperature peaks ranged from 214 – 222°C, which is comparable to endothermic peak ranges observed for crystalline PVA. This could possibly further indicate some form of crystallinity within the Ofi nanofiber membrane. The electrospun process used precursors that were biodegradable, non-toxic, and sustainable to optimize the mucilage nanofiber formation, which will help enhance the potential performance of the Ofi nanofiber biomembrane in filtration and sensory systems.

Disruption of cell membranes triggers rapid metabolic energy exhaustion, then acute cellular necrosis. Cell membrane dysfunction due to loss of structure integrity is the pathology of tissue death in trauma, muscular dystrophies, reperfusion injuries and common diseases. It is now established that certain PEG-based biocompatible polymers, such as Poloxamer 188, Poloxamine 1107 and PEG, are effective in sealing of injured cell membranes, and thus can prevent acute necrosis if delivered within a few hours after injury. Despite these broad applications of PEG-based polymers for human health, the fundamental mechanisms of how PEG-based polymers interact with cell membranes are still under debate. Here, the effects of PEG-based biocompatible polymers on phospholipid membrane integrity under external stimuli (osmotic stress and oxidative stress) were explored using giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) as model cell membranes. Through fluorescence leakage assays and time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, we directly observed that the surface-adsorbed P188 can efficiently inhibits the loss of structural integrity of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) under hypo-osmotic stress. We propose that the adsorption of polymers on the membrane surface is responsible for the cell membrane resealing process, while the insertion of the hydrophobic portion of the polymers increases membrane permeability. To elucidate the mechanism by which hydrophilic polymers help restore membrane integrity while their hydrophobic counterparts disrupt it, 1H Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (ODNP)-NMR spectroscopy, a newly developed NMR technique that provides unprecedented resolution for differentiating weak surface adsorption versus translocation of polymers to membranes, was employed to sensitively detect polymer-lipid membrane interactions through the modulation of local hydration dynamics in lipid membranes. Our study shows that P188—the most hydrophilic poloxamer known as a membrane sealant—weakly adsorbs onto the membrane surface, yet effectively retards membrane hydration dynamics. Contrarily, P181—the most hydrophobic poloxamer known as a membrane permeabilizer—initially penetrates past lipid headgroups and enhances intrabilayer water diffusivity. Consequently, our results illustrate that the relative hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio of the polymer dictates its functions. These findings gleaned from local hydration dynamics are well supported by our thermodynamics and fluorescence data.

We report, for the first time, the application of the photoacoustic spectroscopy for monitoring the optical absorption spectra in aquatic lirium (Eichhornia Crassipes), before and after it was exposed to ultrasonic irradiations. We obtained a decrease in the amplitude of the bands of the chlorophylls a and b for the irradiated samples with ultrasound of 17 kHz and 1.5 mW/cm2 of power density, and therefore, damage in the centers producing the photosynthesis, due to the irradiation. These results show the utility of the ultrasonic irradiation, as well as, of the photosynthesis monitoring by means of the photoacoustic technique, for the elaboration and establishment of methodologies in the control of this aquatic plant, whose propagation causes many consequences extremely unfavorable for the environment, as well as for the diverse human activities that are developed in the bodies of water in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.

Increasing concentrations of selenium oxoanions in the environment are placing many animals at risk for reproduction failure and deformities. The understanding of binding mechanisms of selenium oxoanions to iron and manganese based oxide minerals could lead to enhanced understanding of selenium mobility in the environment. In this study, the binding mechanisms of selenium oxoanions, selenite and selenate, to non microwave-assisted and microwave-assisted synthetic Fe3O4, Mn3O4, and MnFe2O4 nanomaterials were investigated through the use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy studies revealed the oxidation state of selenite and selenate remains the same after binding occurs to all nanomaterials in pH 2, 4, or 6 environments. The binding modes of selenite and selenate were determined to be bidentate binuclear through use of Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and were independent of nanomaterials, synthetic technique, and pH.

In this paper the spore-crystal complex of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) was immobilized by the sol-gel process in a hybrid polymer using as precursors the inorganic tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and the organic Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS); in order to combine the advantages of both materials in a hybrid matrix to improve aspects such as the thermal stability, the hydrophobic properties and the porosity. Bti produces different crystals during sporulation phase; these are of protein nature and are used as bio-insecticides. It is important to mention that the insecticide attack is specific to the mosquito larva that causes dengue and black flies. The samples were characterized to ensure viability by performing growth kinetics with fermentations immersed in a flask, this microbial growth was monitored by dry weight, glucose consumption and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to observe the interaction of materials with spore-crystal complex.