The abrupt halt of a bumble bee's flight when it impacts the almost invisible threads of an orb web provides an elegant example of the amazing strength and toughness of spider silk. Spiders depend upon these properties for survival, yet the impressive performance of silk is not limited solely to tensile mechanics. Here, we show that silk also exhibits powerful cyclic contractions, allowing it t...

The mango leaf webber, Orthaga exvinacea makes silken webs and galleries during its larval stage. Silk is produced from the silk gland of this insect. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of proteins from the silk glands of last three larval stages and pre-pupae were conducted. Significant differences were observed among different stages. SDS-PAGE of proteins from anterior, middle and posterio...

Emerging line research showed that silk nanoparticles (NPs) have toxicity on the fibroblastand Huvec cells without any toxicity recognized mechanisms. Recently, it suggested peripheralarterial disease confounds almost eight million Americans. Also, due to the main effect offibroblast in a production of extracellular matrix (ECM), adhesive molecules, glycoproteinsand various cytokines, it decide...

Oil spills from tanker or oil well have detrimental effects on environment and economy. One of the most economical and efficient methods for oil spill clean-up is mechanical extraction by sorbents which are not only the safest methods but also the least expensive of spill control. The potential use of agricultural by-products such as corn silk for adsorbent of crude oil from water systems was p...

the mass production of silk and its importance as goods exportable and strategic caused its monopoly by the shah-abbas i (996-1038 a.h.) and then the recruitment of the armenians merchants in his monopoly. therefore, the question is what function had the three related factors (silk, monopoly politics and armenians) in safavids economy and politics. for a careful investigation, after a review of...

Silk fabrics were modified by a treatment of silver nitrate solution (AgNO3) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizer then exposure to γ-irradiation to create antibacterial properties. Effects of the absorbed dose on treated fabrics were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were used to confirm the presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNP...

An ecological approach has been obtained by using natural dyes and mordant for dyeing process. Silk fabrics dyed using natural mordants: powder of sour pomegranate and sweet pomegranate and mixture them. A beautiful red color were obtained by using theses mordants. The color of dyed silk fabrics was investigated in CIE Lab L, a and b and K/S values. Finally, all dyed fabrics were tested for was...

background & aims of the study: p-chloronitrobenzene is a benzoic compound that widely used in many chemical industrials. p-chloronitrobenzene may be absorbed through the skin and is suspected to causing cancer. so, developing an easy method to remove of it from the environment is necessary. equilibrium isotherms and adsorption kinetics of p-chloronitrobenzene onto modified silk waste were stud...

Mechanical performance of biological structures, such as tendons, byssal threads, muscles, and spider webs, is determined by a complex interplay between material quality (intrinsic material properties, larger scale morphology) and proximate behaviour. Spider orb webs are a system in which fibrous biomaterials--silks--are arranged in a complex design resulting from stereotypical behavioural patt...