A new approach to prepare functional polymeric micelles in a one step reaction using the unique catalytic property of PHA synthase is described. A biopolymer-based nanocarrier with cancer targeting capability was successfully synthesized from genetically engineered PHA synthase fused with RGD peptide.

BACKGROUND Oregano essential oil (EO) was incorporated into film-forming dispersions (FFDs) based on biopolymers (chitosan and/or methylcellulose) at two different concentrations. The effect of the application of the FFDs was evaluated on tomato plants (cultivar Micro-Tom) at three different stages of development, and on pre-harvest and postharvest applications on tomato fruit. RESULTS The ap...

Numerical results on the translocation of long biopolymers through mid-sized and wide pores are presented. The simulations are based on a novel methodology which couples molecular motion to a mesoscopic fluid solvent. Thousands of events of long polymers (up to 8000 monomers) are monitored as they pass through nanopores. Comparison between the different pore sizes shows that wide pores can host...

Plasmonics based sensors have been a prominent area of research. Plasmonics based sensors are widely used in bio sensing and many other applications. The basic mechanism in which these sensors operate is that there are metal nano particles that are separated by a very small distance between them. The dimensions of these nano particles is much smaller than the incident light [1]. For sensing pur...

Kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium) gum (KG), a natural tree exudate, was investigated for its morphological, adsorption and metal interaction behavior with various toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr and Fe). SEM, AFM and TEM techniques were used to study the morphological changes occurring after metal adsorption onto the biopolymer structure. The degree of biosorption of metals on KG biopolyme...

Abstract Electrospinning is a relatively simple technique for producing continuous fibers of various sizes and morphologies. In this study, an intrinsically hydrophilic poly(3-hydroxybutarate- co -3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biopolymer strain was electrospun from solution under optimal processing conditions to produce bilayers beadless micro-fibers beaded nano-fibers. The fibrous mats produced th...

BACKGROUND Aesthetic facial appearance following neurosurgical ablation of frontal fossa tumors is a primary concern for patients and neurosurgeons alike. Craniofacial reconstruction procedures have drastically evolved since the development of three-dimensional computed tomography imaging and computer-assisted programming. Traditionally, two-stage approaches for resection and reconstruction wer...

Nowadays, t he bi otechnologically pr oduced p olymers, e .g. p oly(3hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), a re widely used for biomedical ap plications ( e.g. in t issue e ngineering), because of bi odegradation a nd high biocompatibility. PHAs are used for development of various medical devices. These biopolymers can be also used for development of experimental models, e.g. 3D cell culture model. To dev...

Biopolymer Networks play an important role in coordinating and regulating collective cellular dynamics via a number of signaling pathways. Here, we investigate the mechanical response of a model biopolymer network due to the active contraction of embedded cells. Specifically, a graph (bond-node) model derived from confocal microscopy data is used to represent the network microstructure, and cel...

Summary The potential environmental and health impacts of nano-technologies triggered a recent surge of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on nano-technologies. Focusing on the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions impacts, we reviewed 22 LCA-based studies on nano-materials, coatings, photovoltaic devices, and fabrication technologies that were published until 2011. The rev...