Enhancing antimicrobial activity for chitosan by adding Jojoba liquid wax

Influence of moisturizer and relative humidity on human emissions of fluorescent biological aerosol particles

Utilizing the ultraviolet light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF) measurement technique as embodied in the Waveband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS-4A), we evaluated the fluorescent particle emissions associated with human shedding while walking in a chamber. The mean emission rates of supermicron (1-10 μm) fluorescent particles were in the range 6.8-7.5 million particles per person-h (~0.3 mg per person-h) across three participants, for conditions when the relative humidity was 60%-70% and no moisturizer was applied after showering. The fluorescent particles displayed a lognormal distribution with the geometric mean diameter in the range 2.5-4 μm and exhibited asymmetry factors that increased with particle size. Use of moisturizer was associated with changes in number and mass emission rates, size distribution, and particle shape. Emission rates were lower when the relative humidity was reduced, but these differences were not statistically significant.

Lipid functionalized biopolymers: A review

Lipids are the main source of energy and widely used for various applications. In this review, the modification of lipids by using them in combination with other biomaterials like natural and synthetic polymers is elaborated. These new blends have characteristic features of both polymers and are characterized by different techniques (NMR, DSC, TGA, IR and Raman spectroscopy etc.) to understand their structure, properties and functional behavior. Lipids are hydrophobic, have anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties and thus impart hydrophobicity and flexibility to the polymers. While the polymers, on the other hand, make the lipids tougher. Properties of few polymers such as starch, polyethylene protein and chitosan that have brittleness, low combustion rate and hydrophobicity, are improved by incorporation of lipids ultimately increased their flexibility, combustion rate and hydrophobicity respectively. This review article is also focused on emerging fields for the applications of these composite materials. The most notable application of composite materials are in the field of paint industry.

An efficient and reproducible indirect shoot regeneration from female leaf explants of Simmondsia chinensis, a liquid-wax producing shrub

Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider is a perennial, dioecious, drought resistant and multipurpose seed oil crop grown in arid and semi-arid conditions throughout the world. A reproducible and more efficient method for indirect shoot organogenesis from female leaf explants has been standardized. The leaf explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 1.0 mg l(-1) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) alone produced the highest frequency of callus compared with 1.5 mg l(-1) IBA. Maximum proliferation of callus was observed on MS medium containing a combination of 1.0 mg l(-1) 2,4-D with 0.5 mg l(-1) BAP. For shoot differentiation, the proliferated callus was subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (1.0-4.0 mg l(-1)) along with 40 mg l(-1) adenine sulphate as additive or in combination with α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Optimum shoots differentiated from callus was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg l(-1) BAP and 0.2 mg l(-1) NAA. On this medium, 100 % cultures were responded with an average number of 14.44 shoots per explant with their mean length of 4.78 cm. In vitro rooting (6.22 roots per explant) was achieved on half strength MS medium containing 2 % sucrose with 3.0 mg l(-1) IBA and 300 mg l(-1) activated charcoal (AC). Rooted plantlets were successfully hardened under control conditions and acclimatized under field conditions with 90 % success rate. The present protocol is highly efficient, reproducible and economically viable for large scale production of female plants.