Search

Significance Most shape-morphing materials rely on nonrenewable fossil resources or finely extracted biomaterials, which need strict reaction control, elaborate processing equipment, or prefabricated templates to achieve controllable transformation. To circumvent these challenges, we developed an eco-friendly and scalable strategy for programmable shape evolution that integrates easy-to-process pollen biomass with cost-effective digital printing. Using this approach, specific geometrical features and architectures were customized to build complex materials with user-defined, shape-morphing abilities. These fabrication efforts were complemented by computational simulations to build quantitative and mechanistic insights into the biomaterial’s characteristics for creating complex shapes with methods that are suitable for scalable manufacturing., We demonstrate how programmable shape evolution and deformation can be induced in plant-based natural materials through standard digital printing technologies. With nonallergenic pollen paper as the substrate material, we show how specific geometrical features and architectures can be custom designed through digital printing of patterns to modulate hygrophobicity, geometry, and complex shapes. These autonomously hygromorphing configurations can be “frozen” by postprocessing coatings to meet the needs of a wide spectrum of uses and applications. Through computational simulations involving the finite element method and accompanying experiments, we develop quantitative insights and a general framework for creating complex shapes in eco-friendly natural materials with potential sustainable applications for scalable manufacturing.

Three experiments were undertaken to establish the potential for forensic palynological analysis in cases of suspected document fraud. The first study tested 6 different types of paper and 9 different types of ink (n = 54) and it was established that the best retainer of particulates (in this case a proxy was used in the form of UV powder) was medium biro ink and Wove and Connoisseur paper. It was found that for the different paper types 42–52% of the particulates collected were found in the ink and thus both the paper and the ink are potentially valuable sources of trace evidence in a forensic investigation. The second study sought to address the differences in the spatial distribution of particulates on documents when writing took place before or after the paper was treated with UV particulates. Ninety-six observations were made for each piece of paper tested and it was found that when the writing took place after the particulates were applied to the paper; more particulates were retained on the paper in contrast to when the writing took place before the particulate treatment. The spatial distribution of particulates was also affected, with particulates being retained in the folds of the paper when the writing took place before particulate treatment in contrast to a more erratic pattern that emerged due to the pressure of the hand of the writer when the writing took place after the particulate treatment. The third study utilised lily ( Lilium ) pollen grains and the findings broadly concurred with the second study. The main difference identified was when the writing took place before the particulates were applied; when UV powder was used the particulates were retained in the folds of the paper whereas this pattern was not seen to the same degree when pollen grains were used due to their ‘stickier’ nature. Envelopes and the pen nibs were also found to be rich sources of pollen grains after the experiments were undertaken. These studies have implications for the application of forensic palynology in cases of suspected document fraud. Pollen grains may well be present, and their analysis has the potential to reveal not only the timing of the generation of the document, but the spatial trends revealed indicate that it may well be possible to establish the sequence of significant events for forensic reconstruction. As such forensic palynology is demonstrated to have great potential in aiding forensic investigations, and is as yet an under-utilised form of trace evidence.

In vitro testing is useful for detecting pollen and fungal-allergen sensitivities in nasobronchial-allergy patients. However, allergen-coated discs or solid-phases supplied in kits do not contain all the relevant extracts. The present study was aimed to develop a safe and credible procedure of allergen coating on paper discs for allergy diagnosis by ELISA. Paper discs were coated with indigenous allergens using poly(vinyl alcohol) and glutaraldehyde. ELISAs were carried out to standardize the allergen-coated discs using skin-test-positive-patients' sera. The cut-off value (A) for ELISA was worked out by analysing normal human sera (NHS) and is based on the mean+/-2 S.D. for the NHS value. The allergen-coated discs, i.e. Centre for Biochemical Technology (CBT) discs, demonstrated excellent comparison with plate-binding method and Pharmacia discs [Prosopis juliflora (mesquite), critical value 0.879 at 5% probability+/-0.599, n=11, is significant]. Inter- and Intra-assay coefficients of variations ranged from 2.5-14.05% to 4. 8-11.5% with different allergens. Results of skin tests and ELISA with CBT discs showed 60-70% correlation.

Sera of 60 allergic persons and 20 healthy RAST-negative control persons were examined using immunoblotting to establish the presence of grass pollen-specific antibodies. These antibodies were depicted by an enzymatic, immunoglobulin class-specific indicator system. Seven bands of the timothy pollen extract proved to be major allergens. One of the 4 grass pollen-specific monoclonal antibodies tested (Bo 1) recognized the 7 major allergen bands. The possibility of employing monoclonal antibodies for the isolation of allergens is discussed.

Monoclonal antibodies against major allergens of the short ragweed pollen were produced by fusion of NS-1 cells with splenic cells from BaLB/C mice that had been immunized separately with the major allergens, AgE-B+E-C and AgK, of the short ragweed pollen. These monoclonal antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and further characterized by immunoblot analysis using the crude extract and highly purified allergens of the ragweed pollen. Three monoclonal antibodies obtained by immunization with AgE-B+E-C, designated as 36-6, 27-2 and 48-5, reacted mainly with the beta (36-6) and alpha (27-2) subunit of AgE and both AgE and AgK (48-5), respectively. Two monoclonal antibodies obtained by immunization with AgK, 4-7 and 8-5, had a similar reactivity with AgE-B+E-C, AgK, AgK-A and AgK-B. In addition, however, antibody 4-7 also reacted with AgE-B2 as well as the 36- and the 24- to 22-kilodalton antigens of the crude extract. All 5 monoclonal antibodies were characterized as IgG1 subclass. Besides, monoclonal antibody 48-5 also showed cross-reactivity to components of sage pollen. Beyond academic interests, the monoclonal antibodies described here may also be useful in clinical allergy.

A method has been developed for the assay of allergens and may be summarized as follows: 1. Filter paper discs are activated with BrCN. 2. The allergens are coupled to the reactive groups on the paper disc carrier. 3. IgE immunoglobulin, present in the sera of allergic patients, then attaches itself to the allergen coupled to the paper discs. 4. 125 I-labeled anti-IgE antibodies thereafter interact with the IgE molecules attached via the allergens to the paper carrier. Examples of the assay with the use of dog, cat, horse, cow, and timothy allergens are presented. The allergen assay method can conveniently be used to compare the "potency" of different allergen extracts and to check the extraction procedure, storage, and further treatment of allergens.

Birch pollen and dog epithelium allergen extracts were studied by ultracentrifugation in linear sucrose gradients. The various sucrose-gradient fractions were then tested for allergenic activity by the paper disc radioallergosorbent test, using sera from allergen sensitive patients.

Parietaria judaica pollen allergens, fractionated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, were identified using 52 sera collected in Australia and Sicily from P. judaica pollen-allergic patients. IgE-binding pollen components transferred to nitrocellulose were detected by reaction with 125I-anti-human IgE and autoradiography. Nine pollen components, ranging in molecular weight (MW) from approximately 10,000 to 80,000 daltons, bound IgE antibodies but the two fastest migrating components sometimes each separated into two very closely migrating bands. The faster of the two components exhibiting doublet formation (MW approximately 10,000 daltons) showed by far the highest frequency of IgE binding, being recognised by 50 of the 52 sera examined. Although patients' IgE reaction patterns to P. judaica allergens were heterogeneous, the degree of heterogeneity was much less than that observed with house dust mite and other pollen extracts studied by electrophoretic transfer analysis. Results with gradient gel-nitrocellulose transfer experiments which showed no IgE-binding components with MWs less than 70,000 daltons, and comparisons of our electroblotting results with crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis results of others, suggested that the doublet proteins with MWs of approximately 10,000 probably bind to higher MW proteins in P. judaica pollen extracts.

Some workers when using cyanogen bromide activated paper as a solid immunoabsorbent have reported variable success in radio immuno assays. A quantitative investigation has been made of some of the factors which effect the activation of various papers with CNBr, and also of the subsequent coupling reaction with the sensitizing antigen. Different papers have been found to react in different ways, and some papers take up so little antigen that they are unsuitable for use for this purpose.

The effect of polyethylene glycol on the solid phase radioimmunoassay procedure for the estimation of reagins was studied. The enhanced uptake of specific anti-IgE antibodies to either sorbent-allergen-IgE- or sorbent-antiallergen-allergen-IgE-complex in the presence of polyethylene glycol was observed.