Search results for "Plastics"
showing 10 items of 2724 documents
Conductive polycaprolactone/gelatin/polyaniline nanofibres as functional scaffolds for cardiac tissue regeneration
2022
Abstract The endorsement of functional features such as biocompatibility, mechanical integrity, or electrical conductivity to tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds is essential to stimulate cell adhesion and proliferation. In this study, electrospun nanofibers based on polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin (Ge) (ratios 60/40, 50/50, and 40/60), and polyaniline (PAni) particles (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00%wt) were prepared. The time of dissolution in an acid solvent mixture before electrospinning allowed for obtaining nanofibers with controlled features. Changes in the molar mass (Mn from 90·103 to 15·103 g·mol−1), in the crystalline microstructure (Xc from 60 to 25%) and the surface morphology (diameter…
Evaluation of nanoparticle aggregation in human blood serum.
2010
In a certain stage of development, the performance of nanoparticle- or polymer-drug conjugates is tested "in vivo", that is, in mice or rats. Besides pharmaceutical and chemical characterization, the structural characterization of such drug carrier systems in terms of size, size distribution, and shape is typically performed in physiological salt solution prior to animal tests. The present work introduces a simple method based on dynamic light scattering to monitor the particle size in blood serum. Utilizing a model system of pegylated poly-l-lysines (PLL-g-PEOx) of various degrees of pegylation, x, it is demonstrated that large aggregates may form in human serum solution that are not obser…
Aggregation behavior of cationic nanohydrogel particles in human blood serum.
2014
For systemic siRNA delivery applications, well-defined drug carriers are required that guarantee stability for both carrier and cargo. Among various concepts progressing in market or final development, cationic nanohydrogel particles may serve as novel transport media especially designed for siRNA-in vivo experiments. In this work, the interaction of nanohydrogel particles with proteins and serum components was studied via dynamic light scattering in human blood serum as novel screening method prior to applications in vivo. The formation of larger aggregates mostly caused by charge interaction with albumin could be suppressed by nanogel loading with siRNA affording a neutral zeta potential …
Tuning the surface of nanoparticles: Impact of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) on protein adsorption in serum and cellular uptake
2016
Item does not contain fulltext Due to the adsorption of biomolecules, the control of the biodistribution of nanoparticles is still one of the major challenges of nanomedicine. Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) for surface modification of nanoparticles is applied and both protein adsorption and cellular uptake of PEtOxylated nanoparticles versus nanoparticles coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and non-coated positively and negatively charged nanoparticles are compared. Therefore, fluorescent poly(organosiloxane) nanoparticles of 15 nm radius are synthesized, which are used as a scaffold for surface modification in a grafting onto approach. With multi-angle dynamic light scattering, asym…
Service Shutdowns and Compensation: Cash Refunds or Vouchers?
2021
Government mandated shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a vast number of service cancellations and a heated debate on compensation policies. Service providers pushed for vouchers as a means of compensation, whereas customers demand cash refunds or generous vouchers that compensate for postponed service. Regulators, at the same time, insist that customers must be granted the right to be reimbursed in money. To address the debate, this paper develops an analytical framework to study the profitability and efficiency of different compensation policies following shutdown. Surprisingly, we find that the voucher-only policy dominates the hybrid policy that offers customers t…
Microplastics and the functional traits of fishes: A global meta‐analysis
2021
Over the years, concern about the effects of microplastics has grown. Here, we answered the main question “What are the impacts of microplastics on the functional traits of fish species?” through a meta-analysis. The general impact of microplastic exposure on the functional traits of fishes and specifically on eight variables, namely, behaviour, development, fecundity, feeding, growth, health, hatching and survival was explored. Subgroup analyses were performed to detect correlations between the impact of microplastics and the following factors: species, life stage, habitat, water column habitat, day of exposure to microplastics and microplastic size, type and shape. A meta-regression analy…
Cetacean presence and distribution in the central Mediterranean Sea and potential risks deriving from plastic pollution
2021
Abstract The Sardinian and Sicilian Channels are considered hotspots of biodiversity and key ecological passages between Mediterranean sub-basins, but with significant knowledge gaps about marine mammal presence and potential threats they face. Using data collected between 2013 and 2019 along fixed transects, inter and intra-annual cetacean index of abundance was assessed. Habitat suitability, seasonal hot spots, and risk exposure for plastic were performed using the Kernel analysis and the Biomod2 R-package. 661 sightings of 8 cetacean species were recorded, with bottlenose and striped dolphins as the most sighted species. The north-eastern pelagic sector, the coastal waters and areas near…
Polymer aging affects the bioavailability of microplastics-associated contaminants in sea urchin embryos
2022
Microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment undergo complex weathering factors that can affect their ability to interact with different coexisting environmental contaminants (termed here co-contaminants). In this study, the influence of artificially aging using UV on the sorption of a complex mixture of co-contaminants onto MPs was investigated in order to provide meaningful hypotheses on their individual and combined toxicities on sea urchin embryos. A mixture of artificially aged MPs (PS particles and PA microfibers) combined with 2,2′ ,4,4′ - tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), or Cd or Cu, both alone and in a mix, were used to expose embryos of Paracentrotus lividus. The effects of pol…
Indoor spectroradiometric characterization of plastic litters commonly polluting the Mediterranean Sea: toward the application of multispectral image…
2020
AbstractAround 350 million tonnes of plastics are annually produced worldwide. A remarkable percentage of these products is dispersed in the environment, finally reaching and dispersed in the marine environment. Recent field surveys detected microplastics’ concentrations in the Mediterranean Sea. The most commonly polymers found were polyethylene, polypropylene and viscose, ethylene vinyl acetate and polystyrene. In general, the in-situ monitoring of microplastic pollution is difficult and time consuming. The main goals of this work were to spectrally characterize the most commonly polymers and to quantify their spectral separability that may allow to determine optimal band combinations for…
PLASTICS RECOVERY FROM MUNICIPAL WASTE: MAINSTREAMS AND BY-PRODUCTS IN A CASE STUDY IN NORTHERN ITALY.
2014
In the case study dealt with here, the factory treatments of dry Municipal Solid Waste are aimed primarily at materials recovery; restraining energy recovery to the hardly recyclable by-products. The main input consists of the so-called multipak from MSW source-sorted collection; plus packaging waste, paper and cardboard and other similar waste from curb-side collection. The principal fractions produced by the selection plant, own and operated by the Public Company in charge of MSW management, in the Year 2012 were 27 064 tonnes of plastics, 5 066 of paper, 3 014 of tin coated steel and 4 886 tonnes of extraneous fraction to dispose of. A minor – though valuable – product was aluminium. The…