Biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL) microcapsules containing pseudomonas were prepared by W/O/ W emulsion system. The characteristics and release behaviors of the microcapsules were investigated as a function of manufacturing conditions. The morphology and particle distribution of the microcapsules were observed by a scanning electron microscope and a particle size analyzer. The release behaviors of the pseudomonas were determined using a cell culture method. It was found that smooth and spherical microcapsules were formed by W/O/W emulsion system and particle size was in the range of 10 to 60 µm. The release behaviors of the pseudomonas were influenced by the manufacturing conditions. It was indicated that the increase of the surfactant content and stirring rate led to an increased release rate, resulting from the high specific surface area of the smaller particle size, and the increase of the PCL content provided the sustained release behaviors by the delay effect of diffusion in the release medium.
In this work, the anodic oxidation of carbon fibers was carried out to enhance the mechanical interfacial properties of carbon fibers-reinforced epoxy matrix composites. The surface characteristics of the carbon fibers were studied by FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, the mechanical interfacial properties of the composites were studied with interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), critical stress intensity factor (K IC), and critical strain energy release rate (G IC). The anodic oxidation led to a significant change in the surface characteristics of the carbon fibers. The anodic oxidation of carbon fiber improved the mechanical interfacial properties, such as ILSS, K IC , and G IC of the composites. The mechanical interfacial properties of the composites anodized at 20% sulfuric/nitric (3/1) were the highest values among the anodized carbon fibers. These results were attributed to the increase of the degree of adhesion at interfaces between the carbon fibers and the matrix resins in the composite systems.
Bacterial blotch caused by Pseudomonas tolaasii is one of the major diseases of oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. Application of bacteriophages is a very useful tool to decrease the density of pathogens and it has been successful to making diseasefree cultivation area, known as phage therapy. Effect of phages on pathogen sterilization is very limited to the specific host strains. Minor variations of the host strains may cause changes in phage sensitivity. The phage-resistant strains of P. tolaasii were isolated and their pathogenic characters were investigated to improve the effectiveness of phage therapy. In the phylogenetic analysis, both phage-resistant strains and the corresponding host strains were identical based on the sequence comparison of 16S rRNA genes. The pathogenic characters, such as hemolytic activity and brown blotch formation, were measured on the phage-resistant strains and no correlation between phage-resistance and pathogenic characters was observed. Nevertheless, pathogenic characters were sometimes changed in the phage-resistant strains depending on the host strains. In order to make the phage therapy successful, the bacteriophages having a wide host range should be isolated.
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