A comparison of tarsal morphology and traction force in the two burying beetles Nicrophorus nepalensis and Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

• Liesa Schnee,
• Benjamin Sampalla,
• Josef K. Müller and
• Oliver Betz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 47–61, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.5

• . Instead, they are specialized in the burying of carrion and thus need to be able to cling firmly onto the skin and fur of their (mammal) carrion while tunnelling under its body. In our study, the attachment performance of animals having all tarsi attached to the ground has been quantified by means of

• traction force measurements of entire animals, whereas the performance of single fore tarsi has been measured with a nanotribometer. Both the number and the special morphology of the tarsal tenent hairs of the fore, middle and hind tarsi have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The

• push) direction. This behaviour is related to the arrangement angle of the tenent hairs on the tarsal surface. The traction force of entire animals and the friction force of single tarsi were tested on smooth, micro-rough and rough surfaces. All the used polymer surfaces were tested in duplicate, i.e

A new bioinspired method for pressure and flow sensing based on the underwater air-retaining surface of the backswimmer Notonecta

• Matthias Mail,
• Adrian Klein,
• Horst Bleckmann,
• Anke Schmitz,
• Torsten Scherer,
• Peter T. Rühr,
• Goran Lovric,
• Robin Fröhlingsdorf,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3039–3047, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.282

• . Keywords: mechanoreceptor; Notonecta sensor; pressure sensor; Salvinia effect; superhydrophobic surfaces; Introduction The surfaces of animals and plants are interfaces between the organisms and the environment. Since animals and plants inhabit many different environments, it is not surprising that over

• adhesive pads [6] or the structural colors of Morpho menelaus [7]. Superhydrophobic surfaces are also important in the above context. Several plants and animals, which can maintain stable air layers while submerged (Salvinia effect [8]), have been analyzed. Especially the floating ferns of the genus

• underwater sensors. Experimental Animals Adult Notonecta glauca and N. maculata, caught between 2011 and 2017 in a semi-natural pond (“Melbweiher”) in the Botanical Garden of the University of Bonn, have been studied. For our experiments, the hemelytra of Notonecta were either fresh, fixed for electron

Characterization of the microscopic tribological properties of sandfish (Scincus scincus) scales by atomic force microscopy

• Weibin Wu,
• Christian Lutz,
• Simon Mersch,
• Richard Thelen,
• Christian Greiner,
• Guillaume Gomard and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2618–2627, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.243

• studies where classical tribometer experiments with animals are challenging. Rechenberg’s studies [3][7][8] and subsequent studies of Staudt et al. [9][11] revealed that this granular friction angle of preserved sandfish is about θ = 21° (corresponding friction coefficient μgr = tan θ = 0.38). This value

• . [13] sedated animals, put them on a tilted flat covered with a monolayer of granular particles, and determined the angle at which the animal started to slide in forward direction on its ventral scales. The static friction coefficient µst, determined in this more classical way, was higher for sandfish

• , mechanisms are likely to be involved. Experimental Moulted sandfish skin collected from kept animals was cut in small pieces or scales were singled before sample preparation (Figure 1b). In some cases it is possible to distinguish between dorsal and ventral scales through their different colour and

Friction reduction through biologically inspired scale-like laser surface textures

• Johannes Schneider,
• Vergil Djamiykov and
• Christian Greiner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2561–2572, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.238

• allow for tribologically optimized surfaces [17]. Among the animals and biological structures that have been considered are butterfly wings [18], beetles and earthworms [19], scorpions [20] as well as (and most importantly) the skin of snakes and sand fish lizards [21][22][23][24]. It has been

• demonstrated, for example, that sandfish skin exhibits low friction and little wear [25][26]. The development of manufactured surface textures that are inspired by animals with scale-like surface morphology has resulted in fascinating insights. For texturing a titanium alloy, a lithography-based method was

• slurries, and in contacts containing dry, fine oxide powders in order to simulate the environment that animals like sandfish encounter in their natural habitats. Preliminary results indicate that under these conditions, laser-generated scale-like surface morphologies have the potential to significantly

Nanocellulose: Recent advances and its prospects in environmental remediation

• Katrina Pui Yee Shak,
• Yean Ling Pang and
• Shee Keat Mah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2479–2498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.232

• marine invertebrate animals). Many studies have identified the use of sea squirts in particular as a contemporary alternative for nanocellulose fabrication. In general, cellulose is formed on the outer tissue of the tunicates (tunic) and is comprised of highly pure and crystalline cellulose of CIβ

Nanoscale characterization of the temporary adhesive of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

• Ana S. Viana and
• Romana Santos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2277–2286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.212

• urchins Individual Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) were collected intertidally in Ericeira, Portugal. They were kept in a marine aquarium with closed circulation (18 °C, 33% salinity) and fed algae (Laminaria sp.). To collect the sea urchin adhesive material, the animals were overturned and the oral

The structural and chemical basis of temporary adhesion in the sea star Asterina gibbosa

• Birgit Lengerer,
• Marie Bonneel,
• Mathilde Lefevre,
• Elise Hennebert,
• Philippe Leclère,
• Emmanuel Gosselin,
• Peter Ladurner and
• Patrick Flammang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2071–2086, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.196

• supportive cells and their microvilli collar prevented the animals from attaching themselves [37][41]. In asteroids, the area of attachment is an order of magnitude larger and completely covered by normal and specialized microvilli. The microvilli are embedded in a cuticle, which is poorly preserved in

• resembled that described in A. rubens [22][25][26]. Similar footprint structures have been described in many temporary adhering animals, from other sea star species [20][25], to sea urchins [12], ectoparasitic flatworms [42], and the cnidarian Hydra [43]. It is noteworthy that in A. gibbosa the described

• footprint structures were only observed after animals attached firmly for at least one minute to the substrate (see Experimental). When animals just walked on glass slides without agitation, no detectable footprints were observed. Therefore, we assume that adhesive strength might be adjusted by the amount

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• produced nanomaterials, which can be found in the bodies of organisms, insects, plants, animals and human bodies. However, the distinctions between naturally occurring, incidental, and manufactured NPs are often blurred. In some cases, for example, incidental NMs can be considered as a subcategory of

• plants and animals, which is frequent in nature, contributes to NP composition in nature. Dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires are events of natural origin that are reported to produce high quantities of nanoparticulate matter that significantly affect worldwide air quality. Similarly

• smoke and ash, and are known to cause respiratory problems in humans and animals [78][79][80]. Smoke containing very small particles can worsen pre-existing cardiopulmonary conditions in patients [73]. It has also been reported that smoke inhalation causes 75% of fire-related deaths [64]. Sea salt

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• and animal kingdoms created through evolution. Plants and animals approach healing in similar ways but with unique pathways, such as damage containment in plants or clotting in animals. After analyzing the examples of healing and defense mechanisms found in living nature, eight prevalent mechanisms

• avenues of insight and research into self-healing materials. Keywords: animals; biomimetics, bioinspired; capsules; functional coatings; healing mechanisms; plants; protective surfaces; self-healing; vascular systems; Review Introduction The ability to heal is intrinsic to all multicellular organisms

• . Every organism has evolved to occupy a specific role in the ecosystem, with underlying themes in reproduction, animal complexity, the food chain, and the environment [1][2][3]. Evolution has created a very large amount of diversity in the animal and plant kingdoms. Approximately 1 M of the 7.7 M animals

Optimal fractal tree-like microchannel networks with slip for laminar-flow-modified Murray’s law

• Dalei Jing,
• Shiyu Song,
• Yunlu Pan and
• Xiaoming Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 482–489, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.46

• better convective heat transfer performance, but needs a larger pumping power. Thus, the optimal design of the channel layout to achieve better mass and heat transfer performance is needed. Fractal tree-like branched networks are found abundant in nature, for example, in the vascular systems of animals

Liquid-crystalline nanoarchitectures for tissue engineering

• Baeckkyoung Sung and
• Min-Ho Kim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 205–215, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.22

• twisted plywood structure with a curvature [64]. Similar architectures can be found in the exoskeletal tissues of invertebrate animals, which are mineralized dense matrices of aligned chitin nanofibrils [16]. In these tissues, ultrastructures analogous to cholesteric mesophase are displayed as Bouligand

Humidity-dependent wound sealing in succulent leaves of Delosperma cooperi – An adaptation to seasonal drought stress

• Olga Speck,
• Mark Schlechtendahl,
• Florian Borm,
• Tim Kampowski and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 175–186, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.20

• ) restoration of the mechanical properties of the injured organ. Often self-repair is used as an umbrella term comprising both self-sealing and self-healing. Interestingly, these definitions hold true for the self-repair in plants, animals and technical materials, whereas in the latter, the sealing and the

Hyperthermic intracavitary nanoaerosol therapy (HINAT) as an improved approach for pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC): Technical description, experimental validation and first proof of concept

• Daniel Göhler,
• Stephan Große,
• Alexander Bellendorf,
• Thomas Albert Falkenstein,
• Mehdi Ouaissi,
• Jürgen Zieren,
• Michael Stintz and
• Urs Giger-Pabst

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2729–2740, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.272

• to PIPAC-MIP, HINAT provides the opportunity to perform further studies concerning the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis or other aerosol-accessible kinds of cancer (e.g., lung cancer) on animals even smaller than pigs due to the minimal required access space for feeding nanometre-sized aerosols

• ), Johnson & Johnson, Hummelsbütteler Steindamm 71, Norderstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The permission was obtained from the local authorities and the local board on animal welfare. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals and handling with

Evaluating the toxicity of TiO₂-based nanoparticles to Chinese hamster ovary cells and Escherichia coli: a complementary experimental and computational approach

• Alicja Mikolajczyk,
• Natalia Sizochenko,
• Ewa Mulkiewicz,
• Anna Malankowska,
• Michal Nischk,
• Przemyslaw Jurczak,
• Seishiro Hirano,
• Grzegorz Nowaczyk,
• Adriana Zaleska-Medynska,
• Jerzy Leszczynski,
• Agnieszka Gajewicz and
• Tomasz Puzyn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2171–2180, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.216

• workers, consumers and the environment. The conventional (i.e., experimental) risk assessment approaches using laboratory animals are often expensive, time-consuming and problematic from an ethical point of view. Thus novel, fast and cheaper procedures for risk assessment are necessary, without the

Collembola cuticles and the three-phase line tension

• Håkon Gundersen,
• Hans Petter Leinaas and
• Christian Thaulow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1714–1722, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.172

• on Collembola cuticles has been the subject of recent studies where surface features with overhanging geometries are presented as having a decisive role [4][7]. Such geometry occurs in several Collembola species [4] but is not a universal trait in these animals [5][6]. The presence or lack of

• wetting states with any value of θ0 [26], but such structures are not a universal trait in these animals [5][6]. The upper limit of θ0 is about 120° for real surfaces, observed on perfluorinated polymers, or 156 ° for a theoretical surface with no surface tension [27]. Insect waxes fall in the range of 90

• °, below the contact angle observed in both summer- and winter-acclimated animals (Figure 5). The coverage of epicuticular wax was previously assumed to be either the top of the cuticular granules, leaving the areas between the granules exposed, or the entirety of the cuticle, recent studies conclude that

Air–water interface of submerged superhydrophobic surfaces imaged by atomic force microscopy

• Markus Moosmann,
• Thomas Schimmel,
• Wilhelm Barthlott and
• Matthias Mail

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1671–1679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.167

• sensory systems. Biological surfaces are the basis of the discovery and are models for the development of biomimetic surfaces. The conquest of land some 450 million years ago led to the evolution of an almost endless variety of surface structures and functionalities in plants and animals [3]. One of the

Nanoantenna-assisted plasmonic enhancement of IR absorption of vibrational modes of organic molecules

• Alexander G. Milekhin,
• Olga Cherkasova,
• Sergei A. Kuznetsov,
• Ilya A. Milekhin,
• Ekatherina E. Rodyakina,
• Alexander V. Latyshev,
• Sreetama Banerjee,
• Georgeta Salvan and
• Dietrich R. T. Zahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 975–981, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.99

• A similar approach was used for the investigation of cortisol using SEIRA. Among other organic compounds, the steroid hormones are of great importance because they influence many physiological processes in humans and animals. Cortisol is the major glucocorticoid hormone produced in the adrenal gland

When the going gets rough – studying the effect of surface roughness on the adhesive abilities of tree frogs

• Niall Crawford,
• Thomas Endlein,
• Jonathan T. Pham,
• Mathis Riehle and
• W. Jon P. Barnes

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2116–2131, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.201

• [18][19][24]. Comparing performance with other climbing organisms Several previous studies have examined the effect of surface roughness on the climbing capabilities of other adhesive pad bearing organisms. These include animals with hairy rather than smooth adhesive pads, as well as animals which

• possess claws as well as adhesive pads. Additionally, there are studies of plant surfaces that have evolved to be anti-adhesive as far as insects are concerned. The effects of surface roughness on animals with hairy pads (geckos, spiders, insects such as beetles) are reasonably predictable. When the

• medical field, as Chen et al. already demonstrated their potential for use as surgical graspers [54]. Experimental Experimental animals Tree frogs Litoria caerulea (n = 8), were used in these investigations. Their mass was 16.7 ± 6.5 g (mean ± standard deviation) and snout-vent length 57.6 ± 5.5 mm. The

“Sticky invasion” – the physical properties of Plantago lanceolata L. seed mucilage

• Agnieszka Kreitschitz,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1918–1927, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.183

• characteristic of plants that grow in dry or disturbed habitats [1][3]. The presence of mucilage results in different benefits for the plant including (1) fixation of diaspores to the ground, (2) water supply essential for germinating an embryo or (3) egzo- and endozoochoric dispersal by animals [1][2][3

• subarctic and low-lying tropical areas [5][7]. Species of the genus Plantago are used as a source of mucilage produced by vegetative parts [6] as well as by seeds [1]. Plantago seeds are dispersed by animals [8][9]. They can be eaten by sparrows and then spread by their droppings (endozoochory). Also, they

• can stick to the feet of the animals, the fur or the bird plumage enabling further dispersal (epizoochory) [8]. P. lanceolata seed mucilage was identified as an acid polysaccharide complex containing, in addition to pectins, different sugars, e.g., pentose, galactose, xylose [10][11]. The mucilage

Chitosan-based nanoparticles for improved anticancer efficacy and bioavailability of mifepristone

• Huijuan Zhang,
• Fuqiang Wu,
• Yazhen Li,
• Xiping Yang,
• Jiamei Huang,
• Tingting Lv,
• Yingying Zhang,
• Jianzhong Chen,
• Haijun Chen,
• Yu Gao,
• Guannan Liu and
• Lee Jia

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1861–1870, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.178

• microplate reader. Pharmacokinetic study Animals Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (180–220 g) were supplied by the Experimental Animal Center of Zhejiang Province and were housed with a 12 h dark/light cycle for three days before starting the experiment. The rats were fed a standard diet with water to drink ad

• libitum. Before drug administration, the rats were fasted overnight with free access to water. All studies involving animals were carried out in accordance with the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) regulation concerning the care and use of experimental animals and approved by our Animal

• Care and Use Committee to reduce the suffering and use of animals. Oral administration Eight male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups (n = 4). Group 1 was given a single 30 mg/kg dose of MIF (in soybean oil solution) and Group 2 was given a single dose of MCNs equivalent to the same dosage of

Effective intercalation of zein into Na-montmorillonite: role of the protein components and use of the developed biointerfaces

• Ana C. S. Alcântara,
• Margarita Darder,
• Pilar Aranda and
• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1772–1782, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.170

• interactions that can occur in less-studied proteins. Zein is the major storage protein of corn and an important source of protein in the human diet either through direct consumption or through consumption of animals whose feed is based on corn, such as poultry or swines [13]. Although zein is known since 1821

Antitumor magnetic hyperthermia induced by RGD-functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, in an experimental model of colorectal liver metastases

• Oihane K. Arriortua,
• Eneko Garaio,
• Borja Herrero de la Parte,
• Maite Insausti,
• Luis Lezama,
• Fernando Plazaola,
• Jose Angel García,
• Jesús M. Aizpurua,
• Maialen Sagartzazu,
• Mireia Irazola,
• Nestor Etxebarria,
• Ignacio García-Alonso,
• Alberto Saiz-López and
• José Javier Echevarria-Uraga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1532–1542, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.147

• hyperthermia values above 500 W/g for magnetic fluids. These fluids have been administrated to rats, but instead of injecting MNP fluid directly into liver tumors, intravascular administration of MNPs in animals with induced colorectal tumors has been performed. Afterwards the animals were exposed to an

• of the Fe3O4@PMAO_RGD nanoparticles were administered through the splenic artery into the hepatic artery in a group of eight rats (MNpG), without observation of aggregation or arterial thrombosis in any of the animals. The other eight rats were intra-arterially infused with saline and used as

• field intensity of 14 kA/m until a liver temperature of 43 °C was reached and then this temperature was maintained for 21 min. In all the animals exposed to the electromagnetic applicator (EA), the body temperature remained within safe margins, and rapidly reverted to normal values after returning the

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• wet adhesive system of C. septempunctata? (2) Is the attachment ability in both sexes likewise affected by ambient humidity? Experimental Animals For this study, the seven-spotted ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata LINNAEUS 1758 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) was chosen (Figure 1A). This beetle

• traction force is dependent on the attachment ability of the pulling animal. This method has been used in previous studies [7][14][40]. We let the beetle pull for one minute and then repeated the experiment in a second run, to make sure that the performance of individual animals was stable. In total, 10

• Experiment 1. To exclude an influence of physiological conditions of individual animals on different experimental days, a second run was executed. In this run, 9 beetles (3 females and 6 males) were tested. Individual beetles were tested on one day at all three levels of relative humidity in a randomized

High antiviral effect of TiO₂·PL–DNA nanocomposites targeted to conservative regions of (−)RNA and (+)RNA of influenza A virus in cell culture

• Asya S. Levina,
• Marina N. Repkova,
• Elena V. Bessudnova,
• Ekaterina I. Filippova,
• Natalia A. Mazurkova and
• Valentina F. Zarytova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1166–1173, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.108

• . Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are prominent in infectious diseases of humans and animals and periodically cause epidemics and epizootics. At present, the development of new antiviral drugs based on native or chemically modified nucleic acids is under scrutiny. Researchers all over the world explore the

Multiwalled carbon nanotube hybrids as MRI contrast agents

• Nikodem Kuźnik and
• Mateusz M. Tomczyk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1086–1103, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.102

• concentrations up to 400 µg/mL, did not express hemolytic activity higher than 5% [38][39]. Several toxicity studies of the hybrids in animals have already been reported. SPIO@Lac-Gly/PDDA/oMWCNT#Liu was injected into mice (tail vein) at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Short-term discoloration of the tails was observed, but