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This study reports on male-biased sex ratios in west Mediterranean populations of the freshwater anostracan Branchipus schaefferi (Crustacea, Anostraca, Branchipodidae), in contrast to populations elsewhere. Crossing experiments over several generations indicate a clear paternal inheritance of the trait, possibly with a dosage effect. Various mechanisms

The incorporation of active oxygen scavengers in polymer packaging materials is essential to allow packaging of oxidation sensitive products. Opposed to the currently available chemical oxygen scavengers, systems based upon natural and biological components could have advantages towards consumer perception and sustainability. A modelsystem for a new oxygen scavenging poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottle is proposed using an endospore-forming bacteria genus Bacillus amyloliquefaciens as the active ingredient. Spores were incorporated in poly(ethylene terephthalate, 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol) (PETG), an amorphous PET copolymer having a considerable lower processing temperature and higher moisture absorption compared to PET. To asses spore viability after incorporation, a method was optimized to extract spores from PETG using a chloroform/water mixture. Samples were also analyzed using a Live/Dead BacLight Bacterial Viability kit. It was shown that endospores were able to survive incorporation in PETG at 210°C. Incorporated spores could actively consume oxygen for minimum 15 days, after an activation period of 1-2 days at 30°C under high humidity conditions. Industrial relevance: The study describes a modelsystem for the use of incorporated spores genus Bacillus amyloliquefaciens as an active oxygen scavenger in PET multilayer bottles using PETG as the middle layer material. Industrially, oxygen scavengers using incorporated viable spores as the active compound could have advantages towards consumer perception, recyclability, safety, material compatibility, production costs, … compared to currently available chemical oxygen scavengers.

No abstract

Recently, the use of repellents for preventing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is getting increasingly more attention. However, most of the current repellents are volatile in nature and must be frequently re-applied as their efficacy is only limited to a short period of time. Therefore, a slow release and abrasion-resistant mechanism is needed for prolonging the protection time of the repellents. The focus of this study is on the direct micro-encapsulation of repellents from an emulsion and integration of already encapsulated repellents into nanofibres via electrospinning. Different repellents were electrospun in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous structures, namely p -menthane-3,8-diol micro-capsules, permethrin, chilli and catnip oil. The repellents were successfully incorporated in the nanofibres and the tensile properties of the resulting samples did not have a significant change. This means that the newly created textiles were identical to current PVA nanofibrous textiles with the added benefit of being mosquito repellent. Principally, all incorporated repellents in the nanofibrous structures showed a significantly reduced number of mosquito landings compared to the control. Consequently, the currently described method resulted in a new and very effective repelling textile material that can be used in the prevention against mosquito-associated diseases.