The purpose of the study is to investigate the possibility of using wine industry wastes, such as red and white grape bagasse, to produce bacterial cellulose (BC) instead of using a costly commercial medium. BC was produced using grape bagasse as a carbon source replacement and the sole nutrient in the medium. The BC films were evaluated for their productivity and water-holding capacity. The BC films were also investigated for their morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), their viscoelastic properties using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and their chemical composition using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Although the use of grape bagasse as the sole nutrient was successful in the preparation of BC, the BC films had inferior viscoelastic properties to other produced BC films. White grape bagasse proved to be an excellent carbon substitute as the production of BC and its water-holding capacity were five times higher and the produced BC films were up to 72% more flexible than the bacterial cellulose produced using standard HS medium.

Physicochemical investigations of (UHD) solutions subjected to certain physical factors (like shaking) are becoming more frequent and increasingly yielding convincing results. A much less studied phenomenon is the transfer of molecular information (UHD signals) from one fluid to another without an intermediate liquid phase. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of such a UHD signal transfer from UHD solutions into the receiver fluid, especially when the molecular source used in solutions was a biologically active molecule of antibodies to interferon-gamma. We used physicochemical measurements and UV spectroscopy for this purpose. The results of this large pilot study confirm the possibility of such a transfer and a rough similarity to the original UHD signal donors, the weaker signal detection relative to the original donor fluids, and that exposure time improves the effect.

Physicochemical examinations of very high dilution (UHD) solutions subjected to certain physical factors (such as shaking) are becoming more frequent and are increasingly producing conclusive results. A much less studied phenomenon is the transfer of molecular information (i.e., UHD signals of dilute substances) from one liquid to another without an intermediate liquid phase. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of such a transfer of the UHD signal from the UHD solutions to the receiver solution, in particular, if the molecular source used in the donor solutions was the biologically active antibodies to interferon-gamma molecule. We were especially interested in how the transfer of the UHD signal is affected by the time of exposure of the receiver to the donor, the distance between the two, and how the transfer is affected by activation (striking) versus exposure alone. Signal transfer was evaluated by differential measurements of electrical conductivity, ORP, pH, and UV/VIS spectroscopy of the exposed liquid. The results showed that activation strongly influences signal transfer and that this can be compensated to some extent by prolonged direct exposure. In principle, exposure time has a positive effect on signal transfer. Interestingly, the results of different distances between the donor and receiver showed similar changes in the parameters in the range of 0–4 cm, as estimated in this study. While the study mainly confirms the two hypotheses, it also raises a number of new questions and provides clues for further research.

Cellulose produced by bacteria (BC) is considered a promising material for the textile industry, but the fragile and sensitive nature of BC membranes limits their broad applicability. Production of all-cellulose biocomposites, in which the BC is cultivated in situ on a cotton fabric, could solve this problem, but here a new issue arises, namely poor adhesion. To overcome this challenge, cotton fabric was modified with low-pressure oxygen plasma in either afterglow, E-mode, or H-mode. All-cellulose biocomposites were prepared in situ by placing the samples of cotton fabric in BC culture medium and incubating for 7 days to allow BC microfibril networks to form on the fabric. Modification of cotton fabric with oxygen plasma afterglow led to additional functionalization with polar groups, and modification with oxygen plasma in H-mode led also to etching and surface roughening of the cotton fibers, which improved the adhesion within the biocomposite. In addition, these biocomposites showed higher deformation capacities. Modification of the cotton fabric over a longer period in E-mode was found to be unsuitable, as this caused strong etching, which led to the defibrillation of cotton fibers and poor adhesion of BC. This study highlights the potential of low-pressure plasma treatment as an environmentally friendly method to improve the performance of cellulose-based biocomposites.

This study explores the physicochemical changes provoked by the physical transmission of highly diluted (HD) solutions of Arnica montana extract on three receiver solutions differing by their pH. Three dilutions (potencies), one modest (D6), one very high (C30), and another ultra-high (C200) extract of A. montana, were used as a source of HD signal transfer. The HD signal transfer was enhanced by an initial knocking at the start of the experiment and then allowed to interact with the receiver solution for 24 h of exposure. The results confirmed the detectability of the HD signal transfer in solutions with different pH, the general effect of this signal on pH increase, the differential effect of the signal depending on the initial dilution level (potency), and the effect on the decrease in both the electrical voltage in water (ORP) and the conductivity. The overall findings of the study offer valuable new insights and suggest innovative approaches for further research, particularly in detecting the HD signal in solutions with varying pH levels, focusing on interactions with hydroxide and hydronium ions.

Lactose is widely used as a pharmaceutical excipient, yet little is known about how its physicochemical behavior may be influenced by pretreatment history and weak environmental magnetic conditions. In this pilot study, we investigated oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and UV absorbance of 0.2% aqueous lactose solutions prepared from lactose powders with different pretreatment histories: Active water, Native water, and untreated control. Samples were exposed for 30 min to three static magnetic field conditions: weak geomagnetic field (~4 µT), ambient geomagnetic field (~30 µT), and elevated static field (~750 µT). UV/VIS spectroscopy was performed in the 200–400 nm range, with particular focus on the deep-UV absorption maximum near 200 nm. The strongest differentiation between pretreated samples and control occurred under weak geomagnetic conditions. In this weak-field regime, pretreated lactose solutions showed higher ORP values and a same-direction trend toward increased UV absorbance near 200 nm relative to untreated lactose. Across all samples, both ORP and UV absorbance decreased with increasing magnetic field strength, indicating a consistent field-dependent shift in the overall physicochemical state of the lactose solutions, particularly in redox balance and deep-UV optical response. The same-direction changes in ORP and increased 200 nm absorbance at the group level suggests that weak-field conditions may influence oxidation-related processes, potentially including the formation or stabilization of lactose oxidation products such as lactobionic acid. These findings indicate that lactose-containing aqueous systems may be sensitive to both pretreatment history and low-intensity magnetic environments, with potential implications for pharmaceutical formulation stability, quality control, and biotechnological reproducibility.