4,333 results
Search Results
2. Contribution of Hydrogen Bonds to Paper Strength Properties.
- Author
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Przybysz, Piotr, Dubowik, Marcin, Kucner, Marta Anna, Przybysz, Kazimierz, and Przybysz Buzała, Kamila
- Subjects
PAPER analysis ,HYDROGEN bonding ,PAPER pulp ,DIPOLE moments ,BUTANOL - Abstract
The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of hydrogen bonds between fibres on static and dynamic strength properties of paper. A commercial bleached pinewood kraft pulp was soaked in water, refined in a PFI, and used to form paper webs in different solvents, such as water, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol and n-butanol, to determine the effect of their dipole moment on static and dynamic strength properties of resulting paper sheets. Paper which was formed in water, being the solvent of the highest dipole moment among the tested ones, showed the highest breaking length and tear resistance. When paper webs were formed in n-butanol, which was the least polar among the solvents, these parameters were reduced by around 75%. These results provide evidence of the importance of water in paper web formation and strong impact of hydrogen bonds between fibres on strength properties of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Design of a novel filter paper based construct for rapid analysis of acetone.
- Author
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Rauf, Sajid, Ali, Yaqeen, Hussain, Sabir, Ullah, Fakhar, and Hayat, Akhtar
- Subjects
SODIUM alginate ,COLORIMETRY ,BIOLOGICAL assay ,FILTER paper ,CHEMICAL detectors - Abstract
The present work was focused to design a cheap, rapid, portable and easy to use filter paper based assay for the qualitative and quantitate analysis of acetone. Sodium alginate gel was loaded with the acetone specific optical signal probe, and subsequently coated onto filter paper surface to design portable colorimetric assays for acetone monitoring. The color of the paper sensor strip was observed to change from dark yellow to light yellowish in the presence of varying concentrations of acetone. Three different color analyzing models including RGB, HSV, and LAB were employed to probe the output optical signal, and their performance was compared in terms of better interpretation of the generated signal. The LAB model was found to provide better analytical figures of merit with a linear response for the acetone concentration ranging from 2.5 to 1500 ppm, and a limit of detection of 0.5 ppm. Furthermore, the specificity of the designed filter paper based sensor was demonstrated against different common interfering compounds. The results demonstrated the potential of our proposed filter paper based sensor as a novel tool for the analysis of acetone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Design of a novel filter paper based construct for rapid analysis of acetone
- Author
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Yaqeen Ali, Fakhar Ullah, Sajid Rauf, Akhtar Hayat, and Sabir Hussain
- Subjects
Time Factors ,Economics ,Social Sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,Diazo Compounds ,02 engineering and technology ,HSL and HSV ,01 natural sciences ,Signal ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Endocrinology ,Filter Paper ,Limit of Detection ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Nanotechnology ,lcsh:Science ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Laboratory Equipment ,Signal Filtering ,Chemistry ,Bioassays and Physiological Analysis ,Physical Sciences ,Costs and Cost Analysis ,Engineering and Technology ,0210 nano-technology ,Biological system ,Research Article ,Paper ,Employment ,Materials science ,Alginates ,Endocrine Disorders ,Materials Science ,Equipment ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Acetone ,Acetones ,Diabetes Mellitus ,Figure of merit ,Colorimetric Assays ,Materials by Attribute ,Nanomaterials ,Detection limit ,Filter paper ,Organic Chemistry ,010401 analytical chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Chemical Compounds ,Ranging ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry ,Metabolic Disorders ,Labor Economics ,Signal Processing ,RGB color model ,lcsh:Q ,Biochemical Analysis ,Filtration - Abstract
The present work was focused to design a cheap, rapid, portable and easy to use filter paper based assay for the qualitative and quantitate analysis of acetone. Sodium alginate gel was loaded with the acetone specific optical signal probe, and subsequently coated onto filter paper surface to design portable colorimetric assays for acetone monitoring. The color of the paper sensor strip was observed to change from dark yellow to light yellowish in the presence of varying concentrations of acetone. Three different color analyzing models including RGB, HSV, and LAB were employed to probe the output optical signal, and their performance was compared in terms of better interpretation of the generated signal. The LAB model was found to provide better analytical figures of merit with a linear response for the acetone concentration ranging from 2.5 to 1500 ppm, and a limit of detection of 0.5 ppm. Furthermore, the specificity of the designed filter paper based sensor was demonstrated against different common interfering compounds. The results demonstrated the potential of our proposed filter paper based sensor as a novel tool for the analysis of acetone.
- Published
- 2018
5. Facile Preparation of Nanostructured, Superhydrophobic Filter Paper for Efficient Water/Oil Separation.
- Author
-
Wang, Jianhua, Wong, Jessica X. H., Kwok, Honoria, Li, Xiaochun, and Yu, Hua-Zhong
- Subjects
- *
NANOSTRUCTURED materials , *OIL-water interfaces , *FILTER paper , *SEPARATION (Technology) , *SURFACE preparation , *SUPERHYDROPHOBIC surfaces - Abstract
In this paper, we present a facile and cost-effective method to obtain superhydrophobic filter paper and demonstrate its application for efficient water/oil separation. By coupling structurally distinct organosilane precursors (e.g., octadecyltrichlorosilane and methyltrichlorosilane) to paper fibers under controlled reaction conditions, we have formulated a simple, inexpensive, and efficient protocol to achieve a desirable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface on conventional filter paper. The silanized superhydrophobic filter paper showed nanostructured morphology and demonstrated great separation efficiency (up to 99.4%) for water/oil mixtures. The modified filter paper is stable in both aqueous solutions and organic solvents, and can be reused multiple times. The present study shows that our newly developed binary silanization is a promising method of modifying cellulose-based materials for practical applications, in particular the treatment of industrial waste water and ecosystem recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. A comprehensive examination of the lysine acetylation targets in paper mulberry based on proteomics analyses
- Author
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Ping Li, Chao Chen, and Yibo Dong
- Subjects
Proteomics ,Chloroplasts ,Lysine ,Amino Acid Motifs ,Enzyme Metabolism ,Plant Science ,Biochemistry ,Serine ,Tandem Mass Spectrometry ,Nanotechnology ,Threonine ,Post-Translational Modification ,Amino Acids ,Photosynthesis ,Enzyme Chemistry ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ,Protein Metabolism ,Multidisciplinary ,Chemistry ,Organic Compounds ,Plant Biochemistry ,Chemical Reactions ,Acetylation ,Physical Sciences ,Amino Acid Analysis ,Medicine ,Basic Amino Acids ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,Cellular Types ,Research Article ,Plant Cell Biology ,Science ,Protein domain ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Protein Domains ,Plant Cells ,HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ,Secondary metabolism ,Molecular Biology Techniques ,Molecular Biology ,Histidine ,Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase ,Molecular Biology Assays and Analysis Techniques ,Organic Chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Proteins ,Cell Biology ,Gene Ontology ,Metabolism ,Enzymology ,Morus - Abstract
Rocky desertification is a bottleneck that reduces ecological and environmental security in karst areas. Paper mulberry, a unique deciduous tree, shows good performance in rocky desertification areas. Its resistance mechanisms are therefore of high interest. In this study, a lysine acetylation proteomics analysis of paper mulberry seedling leaves was conducted in combination with the purification of acetylated protein by high-precision nano LC-MS/MS. We identified a total of 7130 acetylation sites in 3179 proteins. Analysis of the modified sites showed a predominance of nine motifs. Six positively charged residues: lysine (K), arginine (R), and histidine (H), serine (S), threonine (T), and tyrosine (Y) occurred most frequently at the +1 position, phenylalanine (F) was both detected both upstream and downstream of the acetylated lysines; and the sequence logos showed a strong preference for lysine and arginine around acetylated lysines. Functional annotation revealed that the identified enzymes were mainly involved in translation, transcription, ribosomal structure and biological processes, showing that lysine acetylation can regulate various aspects of primary carbon and nitrogen metabolism and secondary metabolism. Acetylated proteins were enriched in the chloroplast, cytoplasm, and nucleus, and many stress response-related proteins were also discovered to be acetylated, including PAL, HSP70, and ERF. HSP70, an important protein involved in plant abiotic and disease stress responses, was identified in paper mulberry, although it is rarely found in woody plants. This may be further examined in research in other plants and could explain the good adaptation of paper mulberry to the karst environment. However, these hypotheses require further verification. Our data can provide a new starting point for the further analysis of the acetylation function in paper mulberry and other plants.
- Published
- 2021
7. Preserving cultural heritage: Analyzing the antifungal potential of ionic liquids tested in paper restoration.
- Author
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Schmitz, Kevin, Wagner, Sebastian, Reppke, Manfred, Maier, Christian Ludwig, Windeisen-Holzhauser, Elisabeth, and Benz, J. Philipp
- Subjects
IONIC liquids ,CULTURAL property ,FUNGAL growth ,FUNGICIDES ,TEMPERATURE control ,MANUFACTURING processes ,ANTIFUNGAL agents - Abstract
Early industrialization and the development of cheap production processes for paper have led to an exponential accumulation of paper-based documents during the last two centuries. Archives and libraries harbor vast amounts of ancient and modern documents and have to undertake extensive endeavors to protect them from abiotic and biotic deterioration. While services for mechanical preservation such as ex post de-acidification of historic documents are already commercially available, the possibilities for long-term protection of paper-based documents against fungal attack (apart from temperature and humidity control) are very limited. Novel processes for mechanical enhancement of damaged cellulosic documents use Ionic Liquids (IL) as essential process components. With some of these ILs having azole-functionalities similar to well-known fungicides such as Clotrimazole, the possibility of antifungal activities of these ILs was proposed but has not yet been experimentally confirmed. We evaluated the potency of four ILs with potential application in paper restoration for suppression of fungal growth on five relevant paper-infesting molds. The results revealed a general antifungal activity of all ILs, which increased with the size of the non-polar group. Physiological experiments and ultimate elemental analysis allowed to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration of each IL as well as the residual IL concentration in process-treated paper. These results provide valuable guidelines for IL-applications in paper restoration processes with antifungal activity as an added benefit. With azoles remaining in the paper after the process, simultaneous repair and biotic protection in treated documents could be facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Contribution of Hydrogen Bonds to Paper Strength Properties
- Author
-
Kazimierz Przybysz, Marcin Dubowik, Kamila Przybysz Buzała, Marta Kucner, and Piotr Przybysz
- Subjects
Hydrogen ,lcsh:Medicine ,02 engineering and technology ,Physical Chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Composite material ,lcsh:Science ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Hydrogen bond ,Physics ,Butanol ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Solvent ,Chemistry ,Kraft process ,Physical Sciences ,Polar ,0210 nano-technology ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Paper ,Propanol ,Materials science ,Materials by Structure ,Materials Science ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Dipole Moments ,010402 general chemistry ,Electromagnetism ,Tear resistance ,Chemical Bonding ,Ethanol ,Organic Chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Chemical Compounds ,Water ,Hydrogen Bonding ,0104 chemical sciences ,Oxygen ,Dipole ,Slurries ,chemistry ,Alcohols ,Mixtures ,Solvents ,lcsh:Q ,Methanol - Abstract
The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of hydrogen bonds between fibres on static and dynamic strength properties of paper. A commercial bleached pinewood kraft pulp was soaked in water, refined in a PFI, and used to form paper webs in different solvents, such as water, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol and n-butanol, to determine the effect of their dipole moment on static and dynamic strength properties of resulting paper sheets. Paper which was formed in water, being the solvent of the highest dipole moment among the tested ones, showed the highest breaking length and tear resistance. When paper webs were formed in n-butanol, which was the least polar among the solvents, these parameters were reduced by around 75%. These results provide evidence of the importance of water in paper web formation and strong impact of hydrogen bonds between fibres on strength properties of paper.
- Published
- 2016
9. Preserving cultural heritage: Analyzing the antifungal potential of ionic liquids tested in paper restoration
- Author
-
Sebastian Wagner, J. Philipp Benz, Elisabeth Windeisen-Holzhauser, Manfred Reppke, Christian Ludwig Maier, and Kevin Schmitz
- Subjects
Antifungal ,Fungal Growth ,Fungal growth ,Antifungal Agents ,Research Facilities ,medicine.drug_class ,Science ,Libraries ,Ionic Liquids ,Microbial Sensitivity Tests ,Mycology ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Information Centers ,Microbiology ,Fungal Reproduction ,Microbial Control ,Microbial Physiology ,medicine ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Fungal Spores ,Cellulose ,Pharmacology ,Antifungals ,Fungal attack ,Molecular Structure ,Antimicrobials ,Organic Compounds ,Archives ,Organic Chemistry ,Organisms ,Fungi ,Chemical Compounds ,Microbial Growth and Development ,Drugs ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Eukaryota ,Cultural heritage ,Chemistry ,Aspergillus ,Fungal Molds ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Environmental science ,Biochemical engineering ,Research Article ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Early industrialization and the development of cheap production processes for paper have led to an exponential accumulation of paper-based documents during the last two centuries. Archives and libraries harbor vast amounts of ancient and modern documents and have to undertake extensive endeavors to protect them from abiotic and biotic deterioration. While services for mechanical preservation such as ex post de-acidification of historic documents are already commercially available, the possibilities for long-term protection of paper-based documents against fungal attack (apart from temperature and humidity control) are very limited. Novel processes for mechanical enhancement of damaged cellulosic documents use Ionic Liquids (IL) as essential process components. With some of these ILs having azole-functionalities similar to well-known fungicides such as Clotrimazole, the possibility of antifungal activities of these ILs was proposed but has not yet been experimentally confirmed.We evaluated the potency of four ILs with potential application in paper restoration for suppression of fungal growth on five relevant paper-infesting molds. The results revealed a general antifungal activity of all ILs, which increased with the size of the non-polar group. Physiological experiments and ultimate elemental analysis allowed to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration of each IL as well as the residual IL concentration in process-treated paper. These results provide valuable guidelines for IL-applications in paper restoration processes with antifungal activity as an added benefit. With azoles remaining in the paper after the process, simultaneous repair and biotic protection in treated documents could be facilitated.
- Published
- 2019
10. Not stealing from the treasure chest (or just a bit): Analyses on plant derived writing supports and non-invasive DNA sampling.
- Author
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Schulz, Anna, Lautner, Silke, Fromm, Jörg, and Fischer, Markus
- Subjects
WRITTEN communication ,MODERN civilization ,DNA ,PLANT diversity ,PAPER product manufacturing - Abstract
Written communication plays a crucial role in the history of modern civilizations as manuscripts do not only exist contemporarily, but are passed on to subsequent generations. Besides a document’s content, information is stored in the materials used for its production. Analyses of the composition allow, for example, identifying the biological origins of materials, dating, and help to understand degradation patterns. A combination of microscopic and DNA approaches was applied in order to analyze various plant derived writing sheets. Given their diversity and abundance in museum collections, plant based writing supports are yet an underexplored target for DNA studies. DNA retrieval of paper is low compared to raw paper plant material, which is likely due to the loss of organic components during paper production. Optimizing DNA extraction for each respective material drastically increased DNA recovery. Finally, we present a non-invasive DNA sampling method that utilizes nylon membranes, commonly used for bacterial DNA sampling and that is applicable to delicate material. Although bacterial infestation was visible on one sample, as indicated by scanning electron microscopy, endogenous DNA was retrieved. The results presented here are promising as they extend the scope of sources for DNA analyses by demonstrating that DNA molecules can be retrieved from a variety of plant derived writing supports. In future, such analyses can help to explore the biological diversity not only of plants and of additives utilized for producing writing supports, but also of the plenty products made from paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Facile Preparation of Nanostructured, Superhydrophobic Filter Paper for Efficient Water/Oil Separation
- Author
-
Jessica X. H. Wong, Wang Jianhua, Honoria Kwok, Xiaochun Li, and Hua-Zhong Yu
- Subjects
Fossil Fuels ,lcsh:Medicine ,Nanoparticle ,02 engineering and technology ,Biochemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Nanomaterials ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Filter Paper ,Nanotechnology ,lcsh:Science ,Multidisciplinary ,Aqueous solution ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Lipids ,Pollution ,Octadecyltrichlorosilane ,Laboratory Equipment ,Solutions ,Chemistry ,Particulates ,Silanization ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Organic Solvents ,0210 nano-technology ,Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ,Gasoline ,Research Article ,Paper ,Environmental Engineering ,Materials science ,Materials by Structure ,Materials Science ,Equipment ,Fuels ,010402 general chemistry ,Cellulose ,Materials by Attribute ,Filter paper ,lcsh:R ,Water Pollution ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Water ,Nanostructures ,0104 chemical sciences ,Methyltrichlorosilane ,Energy and Power ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Mixtures ,Solvents ,Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ,Nanoparticles ,lcsh:Q ,Oils - Abstract
In this paper, we present a facile and cost-effective method to obtain superhydrophobic filter paper and demonstrate its application for efficient water/oil separation. By coupling structurally distinct organosilane precursors (e.g., octadecyltrichlorosilane and methyltrichlorosilane) to paper fibers under controlled reaction conditions, we have formulated a simple, inexpensive, and efficient protocol to achieve a desirable superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface on conventional filter paper. The silanized superhydrophobic filter paper showed nanostructured morphology and demonstrated great separation efficiency (up to 99.4%) for water/oil mixtures. The modified filter paper is stable in both aqueous solutions and organic solvents, and can be reused multiple times. The present study shows that our newly developed binary silanization is a promising method of modifying cellulose-based materials for practical applications, in particular the treatment of industrial waste water and ecosystem recovery.
- Published
- 2016
12. DipTest: A litmus test for E. coli detection in water.
- Author
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Gunda, Naga Siva Kumar, Dasgupta, Saumyadeb, and Mitra, Sushanta K.
- Subjects
AQUATIC microbiology ,ESCHERICHIA coli ,LITMUS paper (Testing strips) ,CHEMOTAXIS ,WATER sampling - Abstract
We have developed a new litmus paper test (DipTest) for detecting Escherichia coli (E. coli) in water samples by performing enzymatic reactions directly on the porous paper substrate. The paper strip consists of a long narrow piece of cellulose blotting paper coated with chemoattractant (at bottom edge), wax hydrophobic barrier (at the top edge), and custom formulated chemical reagents (at reaction zone immediately below the wax hydrophobic barrier). When the paper strip is dipped in water, E. coli in the water sample is attracted toward the paper strip due to a chemotaxic mechanism followed by the ascent along the paper strip toward the reaction zone due to a capillary wicking mechanism, and finally the capillary motion is arrested at the top edge of the paper strip by the hydrophobic barrier. The E. coli concentrated at the reaction zone of the paper strip will react with custom formulated chemical reagents to produce a pinkish-red color. Such a color change on the paper strip when dipped into water samples indicates the presence of E. coli contamination in potable water. The performance of the DipTest device has been checked with different known concentrations of E. coli contaminated water samples using different dip and wait times. The DipTest device has also been tested with different interfering bacteria and chemical contaminants. It has been observed that the different interfering contaminants do not have any impact on the DipTest, and it can become a potential solution for screening water samples for E. coli contamination at the point of source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
13. Green design of a paper test card for urinary iodine analysis.
- Author
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Myers, Nicholas M., Leung, Ivan C., McGee, Sean W., Eggleson, Kathleen, and Lieberman, Marya
- Subjects
- *
URINALYSIS , *PUBLIC health , *IODINE analysis , *MICRONUTRIENTS , *QUANTITATIVE research , *ARSENIC poisoning - Abstract
When young children do not receive adequate amounts of the micronutrient iodine in their diet, their growth and cognitive development can be impaired. Nearly every country in the world has programs in place to track iodine intake and provide supplemental iodine if needed, usually in the form of fortified salt. The iodine nutrition status of a population can be tracked by monitoring iodine levels in urine samples to see if the median value falls in the range of 100–300 micrograms of iodine per liter of urine (μg I/L), which indicates adequate or more than adequate iodine nutrition. Many low and middle-income countries (LMIC) do not have a laboratory capable of carrying out this challenging assay, so samples must be sent out for assay in external labs, which is expensive and time-consuming. In most LMIC, population iodine surveys are carried out every 5–10 years, which limits the utility of the data for program monitoring and evaluation. To solve this problem, we developed a field-friendly paper test card that uses the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction to measure urinary iodine levels. A blind internal validation study showed that 93% of samples (n = 60) of iodide in an artificial urine matrix were categorized correctly by visual analysis as deficient, adequate, or excessive for levels set forth by the World Health Organization. Quantitative measurements based on computer image analysis had an error of 40 ± 20 μg I/L (n = 35 for samples in the calibration range) and these results categorized 88% of the samples (n = 60) correctly. We employed lifecycle analysis principles to address the known toxicity of arsenic, which is an obligatory reagent in the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. Disposal of the cards in a landfill (their most likely destination after use) could let arsenic leach into groundwater; toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests showed that the level of arsenic leached from the cards was 28.78 ppm, which is above the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s limit of 5 parts per million for solid waste. We integrated a remediation module into the card. This module contains oxone, to oxidize As(III) to As(V) oxyacids, and the iron oxide goethite. TCLP testing showed that the leachable amount of arsenic was reduced by at least 97.6%—from 28.8 ppm to lower than 0.7 ± 0.7 ppm (n = 20). This upstream intervention rendered the test card suitable for landfilling while retaining its functionality to perform a critical public health evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Green design of a paper test card for urinary iodine analysis
- Author
-
Kathleen Eggleson, Ivan C. Leung, Sean W. McGee, Marya Lieberman, and Nicholas M. Myers
- Subjects
Physiology ,Iodide ,lcsh:Medicine ,02 engineering and technology ,Urine ,01 natural sciences ,Toxicology ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,lcsh:Science ,Child ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,education.field_of_study ,Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure ,Analysts ,Multidisciplinary ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Nutritional Deficiencies ,Oxides ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Micronutrient ,Body Fluids ,Chemistry ,Professions ,Micronutrient Deficiencies ,Physical Sciences ,Anatomy ,0210 nano-technology ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Iodine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Urinalysis ,Imaging Techniques ,Population ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Nutritional Status ,Image Analysis ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Arsenic ,Iron Oxides ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,Nutrition ,business.industry ,lcsh:R ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Iodides ,0104 chemical sciences ,Endocrinology ,chemistry ,People and Places ,lcsh:Q ,Population Groupings ,business - Abstract
When young children do not receive adequate amounts of the micronutrient iodine in their diet, their growth and cognitive development can be impaired. Nearly every country in the world has programs in place to track iodine intake and provide supplemental iodine if needed, usually in the form of fortified salt. The iodine nutrition status of a population can be tracked by monitoring iodine levels in urine samples to see if the median value falls in the range of 100-300 micrograms of iodine per liter of urine (μg I/L), which indicates adequate or more than adequate iodine nutrition. Many low and middle-income countries (LMIC) do not have a laboratory capable of carrying out this challenging assay, so samples must be sent out for assay in external labs, which is expensive and time-consuming. In most LMIC, population iodine surveys are carried out every 5-10 years, which limits the utility of the data for program monitoring and evaluation. To solve this problem, we developed a field-friendly paper test card that uses the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction to measure urinary iodine levels. A blind internal validation study showed that 93% of samples (n = 60) of iodide in an artificial urine matrix were categorized correctly by visual analysis as deficient, adequate, or excessive for levels set forth by the World Health Organization. Quantitative measurements based on computer image analysis had an error of 40 ± 20 μg I/L (n = 35 for samples in the calibration range) and these results categorized 88% of the samples (n = 60) correctly. We employed lifecycle analysis principles to address the known toxicity of arsenic, which is an obligatory reagent in the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. Disposal of the cards in a landfill (their most likely destination after use) could let arsenic leach into groundwater; toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests showed that the level of arsenic leached from the cards was 28.78 ppm, which is above the United States Environmental Protection Agency's limit of 5 parts per million for solid waste. We integrated a remediation module into the card. This module contains oxone, to oxidize As(III) to As(V) oxyacids, and the iron oxide goethite. TCLP testing showed that the leachable amount of arsenic was reduced by at least 97.6%-from 28.8 ppm to lower than 0.7 ± 0.7 ppm (n = 20). This upstream intervention rendered the test card suitable for landfilling while retaining its functionality to perform a critical public health evaluation.
- Published
- 2017
15. Assessment of Adverse Events in Protocols, Clinical Study Reports, and Published Papers of Trials of Orlistat: A Document Analysis
- Author
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Peter C Gøtzsche, Elisabeth I. Penninga, and Jeppe Schroll
- Subjects
Physiology ,Social Sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Lactones ,0302 clinical medicine ,Clinical Protocols ,Sociology ,Quality of life ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Defecation ,Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ,Marketing ,Organic Compounds ,Vitamins ,General Medicine ,Chemistry ,Treatment Outcome ,Systematic review ,Research Design ,Physical Sciences ,Periodicals as Topic ,Research Article ,medicine.drug ,Diarrhea ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Drug Research and Development ,Clinical Research Design ,MEDLINE ,Gastroenterology and Hepatology ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Placebo ,03 medical and health sciences ,Signs and Symptoms ,Adverse Reactions ,Diagnostic Medicine ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Clinical Trials ,Obesity ,Adverse effect ,Orlistat ,Pharmacology ,Protocol (science) ,business.industry ,Organic Chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Communications ,Health Care ,Clinical trial ,Bibliometrics ,Quality of Life ,Anti-Obesity Agents ,Adverse Events ,Clinical Medicine ,Physiological Processes ,business - Abstract
Background Little is known about how adverse events are summarised and reported in trials, as detailed information is usually considered confidential. We have acquired clinical study reports (CSRs) from the European Medicines Agency through the Freedom of Information Act. The CSRs describe the results of studies conducted as part of the application for marketing authorisation for the slimming pill orlistat. The purpose of this study was to study how adverse events were summarised and reported in study protocols, CSRs, and published papers of orlistat trials. Methods and Findings We received the CSRs from seven randomised placebo controlled orlistat trials (4,225 participants) submitted by Roche. The CSRs consisted of 8,716 pages and included protocols. Two researchers independently extracted data on adverse events from protocols and CSRs. Corresponding published papers were identified on PubMed and adverse event data were extracted from this source as well. All three sources were compared. Individual adverse events from one trial were summed and compared to the totals in the summary report. None of the protocols or CSRs contained instructions for investigators on how to question participants about adverse events. In CSRs, gastrointestinal adverse events were only coded if the participant reported that they were “bothersome,” a condition that was not specified in the protocol for two of the trials. Serious adverse events were assessed for relationship to the drug by the sponsor, and all adverse events were coded by the sponsor using a glossary that could be updated by the sponsor. The criteria for withdrawal due to adverse events were in one case related to efficacy (high fasting glucose led to withdrawal), which meant that one trial had more withdrawals due to adverse events in the placebo group. Finally, only between 3% and 33% of the total number of investigator-reported adverse events from the trials were reported in the publications because of post hoc filters, though six of seven papers stated that “all adverse events were recorded.” For one trial, we identified an additional 1,318 adverse events that were not listed or mentioned in the CSR itself but could be identified through manually counting individual adverse events reported in an appendix. We discovered that the majority of patients had multiple episodes of the same adverse event that were only counted once, though this was not described in the CSRs. We also discovered that participants treated with orlistat experienced twice as many days with adverse events as participants treated with placebo (22.7 d versus 14.9 d, p-value < 0.0001, Student’s t test). Furthermore, compared with the placebo group, adverse events in the orlistat group were more severe. None of this was stated in the CSR or in the published paper. Our analysis was restricted to one drug tested in the mid-1990s; our results might therefore not be applicable for newer drugs. Conclusions In the orlistat trials, we identified important disparities in the reporting of adverse events between protocols, clinical study reports, and published papers. Reports of these trials seemed to have systematically understated adverse events. Based on these findings, systematic reviews of drugs might be improved by including protocols and CSRs in addition to published articles., In a document analysis, Jeppe B. Schroll and colleagues seek insights into potential bias and underreporting in documentation of adverse events from the mid-1990s clinical trials of the anti-obesity drug orlistat., Author Summary Why Was This Study Done? Most drugs have adverse effects, or harms, that may become evident in clinical trials. Pharmaceutical companies seeking to market a new drug must report adverse effects observed in trial participants in the Clinical Study Reports (CSRs), which they provide to regulatory authorities. Additionally, investigators may report harms in published reports of their trials. We sought to understand the accuracy, and potential bias, in harms reporting for trials of orlistat, a slimming drug from Roche approved in Europe in 1998 and still marketed in Europe today. What Did The Researchers Do And Find? Using a Freedom of Information Act request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), we obtained CSRs describing seven clinical trials of orlistat. We studied protocol instructions to investigators for reporting harms, the actual reporting of harms in individual CSR records versus summaries, and the final reporting of harms in published papers. We found that protocol instructions to trial investigators had the potential to dilute the appearance of drug-associated harms. Between 3% and 33% of the total adverse effects from CSR summaries were described in published papers. In one trial, we counted adverse events individually and found that both the number of adverse effects and the number of days with adverse effects in participants taking the drug were understated in the corresponding publication. What Do These Findings Mean? The reporting of trials of orlistat in the 1990s understated harms in the summarised results submitted to the EMA for drug approval and in the published papers. Based on the characteristics of harms observed and reported in these trials, we suggest that reports of harms include duration of adverse effects. We also suggest that systematic reviews of drugs might be improved by including protocols and CSRs in addition to published articles.
- Published
- 2016
16. Assessment of Adverse Events in Protocols, Clinical Study Reports, and Published Papers of Trials of Orlistat: A Document Analysis.
- Author
-
Schroll, Jeppe Bennekou, Penninga, Elisabeth I., and Gøtzsche, Peter C.
- Subjects
ADVERSE health care events ,RESEARCH protocols ,ORLISTAT ,FREEDOM of information ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,BIBLIOMETRICS ,NEWSLETTERS ,OBESITY ,ORGANIC compounds ,ANTIOBESITY agents ,TREATMENT effectiveness ,STANDARDS ,THERAPEUTICS - Abstract
Background: Little is known about how adverse events are summarised and reported in trials, as detailed information is usually considered confidential. We have acquired clinical study reports (CSRs) from the European Medicines Agency through the Freedom of Information Act. The CSRs describe the results of studies conducted as part of the application for marketing authorisation for the slimming pill orlistat. The purpose of this study was to study how adverse events were summarised and reported in study protocols, CSRs, and published papers of orlistat trials.Methods and Findings: We received the CSRs from seven randomised placebo controlled orlistat trials (4,225 participants) submitted by Roche. The CSRs consisted of 8,716 pages and included protocols. Two researchers independently extracted data on adverse events from protocols and CSRs. Corresponding published papers were identified on PubMed and adverse event data were extracted from this source as well. All three sources were compared. Individual adverse events from one trial were summed and compared to the totals in the summary report. None of the protocols or CSRs contained instructions for investigators on how to question participants about adverse events. In CSRs, gastrointestinal adverse events were only coded if the participant reported that they were "bothersome," a condition that was not specified in the protocol for two of the trials. Serious adverse events were assessed for relationship to the drug by the sponsor, and all adverse events were coded by the sponsor using a glossary that could be updated by the sponsor. The criteria for withdrawal due to adverse events were in one case related to efficacy (high fasting glucose led to withdrawal), which meant that one trial had more withdrawals due to adverse events in the placebo group. Finally, only between 3% and 33% of the total number of investigator-reported adverse events from the trials were reported in the publications because of post hoc filters, though six of seven papers stated that "all adverse events were recorded." For one trial, we identified an additional 1,318 adverse events that were not listed or mentioned in the CSR itself but could be identified through manually counting individual adverse events reported in an appendix. We discovered that the majority of patients had multiple episodes of the same adverse event that were only counted once, though this was not described in the CSRs. We also discovered that participants treated with orlistat experienced twice as many days with adverse events as participants treated with placebo (22.7 d versus 14.9 d, p-value < 0.0001, Student's t test). Furthermore, compared with the placebo group, adverse events in the orlistat group were more severe. None of this was stated in the CSR or in the published paper. Our analysis was restricted to one drug tested in the mid-1990s; our results might therefore not be applicable for newer drugs.Conclusions: In the orlistat trials, we identified important disparities in the reporting of adverse events between protocols, clinical study reports, and published papers. Reports of these trials seemed to have systematically understated adverse events. Based on these findings, systematic reviews of drugs might be improved by including protocols and CSRs in addition to published articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
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17. A comprehensive review of Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey: chemical composition, pharmacology, toxicology, status of resources development, and applications.
- Author
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Huaxue Huang, Zhi Peng, Shuang Zhan, Wei Li, Dai Liu, Sirui Huang, Yizhun Zhu, and Wei Wang
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ESSENTIAL oils ,NATURAL resources ,TOXICOLOGY ,PHARMACOLOGY ,NATURAL sweeteners ,CARIOGENIC agents - Abstract
Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C. Jeffrey (S. grosvenorii), a perennial indigenous liana from the Cucurbitaceae family, has historically played a significant role in southern China's traditional remedies for various ailments. Its dual classification by the Chinese Ministry of Health for both medicinal and food utility underscores its has the potential of versatile applications. Recent research has shed light on the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and toxicity of S. grosvenorii. Its active ingredients include triterpenoids, flavonoids, amino acids, volatile oils, polysaccharides, minerals, vitamins, and other microconstituents. Apart from being a natural sweetener, S. grosvenorii has been found to have numerous pharmacological effects, including alleviating cough and phlegm, preventing dental caries, exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects, anti-aging and anti-oxidative, hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, anti-depression, anti-fatigue, anti-schizophrenic, anti-Parkinson, anti-fibrotic, and anti-tumor activities. Despite its versatile potential, there is still a lack of systematic research on S. grosvenorii to date. This paper aims to address this gap by providing an overview of the main active components, pharmacological efficacy, toxicity, current status of development and application, development dilemmas, and strategies for intensive exploitation and utilization of S. grosvenorii. This paper aims to serve as a guide for researchers and practitioners committed to exploiting the biological resources of S. grosvenorii and further exploring its interdisciplinary potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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18. Effect of Cellulases and Xylanases on Refining Process and Kraft Pulp Properties.
- Author
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Przybysz Buzała, Kamila, Przybysz, Piotr, Kalinowska, Halina, and Derkowska, Małgorzata
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PINE ,CELLULASE ,XYLANASES ,SULFATE pulping process ,MULTIENZYME complexes ,HYDROLYSIS ,XYLANS - Abstract
Samples of bleached kraft pine cellulosic pulp, either treated with an enzyme preparation (a Thermomyces lanuginosus xylanase, an Aspergillus sp. cellulase, and a multienzyme preparation NS-22086 containing both these activities) or untreated, were refined in a laboratory PFI mill. The treatment with cellulases contained in the last two preparations significantly improved the pulp’s susceptibility to refining (the target freeness value of 30°SR was achieved in a significantly shorter time), increased water retention value (WRV) and fines contents while the weighted average fiber length was significantly reduced. These changes of pulp parameters caused deterioration of paper strength properties. The treatment with the xylanase, which partially hydrolyzed xylan, small amounts of which are associated with cellulose fibers, only slightly loosened the structure of fibers. These subtle changes positively affected the susceptibility of the pulp to refining (refining energy was significantly reduced) and improved the static strength properties of paper. Thus, the treatment of kraft pulps with xylanases may lead to substantial savings of refining energy without negative effects on paper characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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19. Statistical analysis for chemical compound based on several species of Aquilaria essential oil.
- Author
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Ahmad Sabri, Noor Aida Syakira, Nik Kamaruzaman, Nik Fasha Edora, Ismail, Nurlaila, Yusoff, Zakiah Mohd, Almisreb, Ali Abd, Tajuddin, Saiful Nizam, and Taib, Mohd Nasir
- Subjects
DATA distribution ,ESSENTIAL oils ,ANALYTICAL chemistry ,STATISTICS ,SPECTROMETRY ,GAS chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) - Abstract
The paper examines the characterization of Aquilaria essential oils from different species, namely Aquilaria malaccensis, Aquilaria beccariana, Aquilaria crassna, and Aquilaria subintegra, renowned for agarwood production in Malaysia. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) were employed for extracting essential oil data, facilitating compound identification. Subsequently, a preliminary analysis focused on classifying significant chemical compounds in the samples. The study then utilized boxplot pre-processing for visualizing and interpreting data distribution. The statistical analyses were performed using MATLAB software version R2021b, considering two key parameters which are the peak area (%) of significant chemical compounds and the classification of Aquilaria species (A. beccariana, A. malaccensis, A. crassna, and A. subintegra) based on their chemical composition. The results, presented through boxplot analyses, demonstrated a clear representation of the parameters and their distribution in the data. This method not only confirmed the potential of boxplot analysis in statistical evaluation of significant compounds in Aquilaria essential oil but also suggested its applicability for further classification work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Optimizing an eDNA protocol for estuarine environments: Balancing sensitivity, cost and time
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Andrea D. Schreier and Thiago M. Sanches
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0106 biological sciences ,Molecular biology ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,Artificial Gene Amplification and Extension ,Molecular biology assays and analysis techniques ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,01 natural sciences ,Filter Paper ,Salmon ,Nitrocellulose ,Environmental DNA ,Turbidity ,DNA extraction ,Materials ,Mcmc algorithm ,Mathematics ,Multidisciplinary ,Dna concentration ,Esters ,Pulp and paper industry ,Laboratory Equipment ,Chemistry ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Estuaries ,Environmental Monitoring ,Research Article ,Amorphous Solids ,Science ,Materials Science ,Equipment ,Biomolecular isolation ,010603 evolutionary biology ,Extraction techniques ,Animals ,DNA filter assay ,Biology and life sciences ,Filter paper ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Chemical Compounds ,Water ,Dipstick ,Bodies of Water ,DNA, Environmental ,DNA isolation ,Research and analysis methods ,Molecular biology techniques ,Earth Sciences ,Extraction methods ,Glass ,Filtration - Abstract
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has gained traction as a precise and cost-effective method for species and waterways management. To date, publications on eDNA protocol optimization have focused primarily on DNA yield. Therefore, it has not been possible to evaluate the cost and speed of specific components of the eDNA protocol, such as water filtration and DNA extraction method when designing or choosing an eDNA protocol. At the same time, these two parameters are essential for the experimental design of a project. Here we evaluate and rank 27 different eDNA protocols in the context of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) eDNA detection in an estuarine environment. We present a comprehensive evaluation of multiple eDNA protocol parameters, balancing time, cost and DNA yield. We collected samples composed of 500 mL estuarine water from Deverton Slough (38°11'16.7"N 121°58'34.5"W) and 500 mL from tank water containing 1.3 juvenile Chinook Salmon per liter. Then, we compared extraction methods, filter types, use of inhibitor removal kit for DNA yield, processing time, and protocol cost. Lastly, we used an MCMC algorithm together with machine learning to understand the DNA yield of each step of the protocol as well as the interactions between those steps. Glass fiber filtration was to be the most resilient to high turbidites, filtering the samples in 2.32 ± 0.08 min instead of 14.16 ± 1.86 min and 6.72 ± 1.99 min for nitrocellulose and paper filter N1, respectively. The filtration DNA yield percentages for paper filter N1, glass fiber, and nitrocellulose were 0.00045 ± 0.00013, 0.00107 ± 0.00013, 0.00172 ± 0.00013. The DNA extraction yield percentage for QIagen, dipstick, NaOH, magnetic beads, and direct dipstick ranged from 0.047 ± 0.0388 to 0.475 ± 0.0357. For estuarine waters, which are challenging for eDNA studies due to high turbidity, variable salinity, and the presence of PCR inhibitors, we found that a protocol combining glass filters, magnetic beads, and an extra step for PCR inhibitor removal, is the method that best balances time, cost, and yield. In addition, we provide a generalized decision tree for determining the optimal eDNA protocol for other studies in aquatic systems. Our findings should be applicable to most aquatic environments and provide a clear guide for determining which eDNA protocol should be used under different study constraints.
- Published
- 2020
21. An inexpensive, high-throughput μPAD assay of microbial growth rate and motility on solid surfaces using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli as model organisms
- Author
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Alyssa Francesca Levy, Leslie D. Knecht, Anthony Labrador, and J. David Van Dyken
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Sucrose ,Microfluidics ,Yeast and Fungal Models ,02 engineering and technology ,Bacterial growth ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Disaccharides ,medicine.disease_cause ,01 natural sciences ,law.invention ,Filter Paper ,law ,Lab-On-A-Chip Devices ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Agar ,Materials ,Fluids ,Multidisciplinary ,Microbial Viability ,Organic Compounds ,Chemistry ,Physics ,Pipette ,Eukaryota ,Software Engineering ,Equipment Design ,Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Laboratory Equipment ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Physical Sciences ,Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Fluidics ,Pathogens ,Organic Materials ,0210 nano-technology ,Research Article ,Pathogen Motility ,Paper ,Computer and Information Sciences ,States of Matter ,food.ingredient ,Virulence Factors ,Science ,Materials Science ,Carbohydrates ,Equipment ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Models, Biological ,Computer Software ,Saccharomyces ,Model Organisms ,food ,Escherichia coli ,medicine ,Chromatography ,Filter paper ,Petri dish ,Organic Chemistry ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Organisms ,Fungi ,Chemical Compounds ,Biofilm ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Reproducibility of Results ,Liquids ,Yeast ,0104 chemical sciences ,Waxes ,Animal Studies - Abstract
Many microbial phenotypes are differentially or exclusively expressed on agar surfaces, including biofilms, motility, and sociality. However, agar-based assays are limited by their low throughput, which increases costs, lab waste, space requirements, and the time required to conduct experiments. Here, we demonstrate the use of wax-printed microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) to measure linear growth rate of microbes on an agar growth media as a means of circumventing the aforementioned limitations. The main production materials of the proposed μPAD design are a wax printer, filter paper, and empty pipet boxes. A single wax-printed μPAD allowing 8 independent, agar-grown colonies costs $0.07, compared to $0.20 and $9.37 for the same number of replicates on traditional microtiter/spectrophotometry and Petri dish assays, respectively. We optimized the μPAD design for channel width (3 mm), agar volume (780 μL/channel), and microbe inoculation method (razor-blade). Comparative analyses of the traditional and proposed μPAD methods for measuring growth rate of nonmotile (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and motile (flagellated Escherichia coli) microorganisms suggested the μPAD assays conferred a comparable degree of accuracy and reliability to growth rate measurements as their traditional counterparts. We substantiated this claim with strong, positive correlations between the traditional and μPAD assay, a significant nonzero slope in the model relating the two assays, a nonsignificant difference between the relative standard errors of the two techniques, and an analysis of inter-device reliability. Therefore, μPAD designs merit consideration for the development of enhanced-throughput, low-cost microbial growth and motility assays.
- Published
- 2020
22. Whole Proteome Analyses on Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum Show a Modulation of the Cellulolysis Machinery in Response to Cellulosic Materials with Subtle Differences in Chemical and Structural Properties.
- Author
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Badalato, Nelly, Guillot, Alain, Sabarly, Victor, Dubois, Marc, Pourette, Nina, Pontoire, Bruno, Robert, Paul, Bridier, Arnaud, Monnet, Véronique, Sousa, Diana Z., Durand, Sylvie, Mazéas, Laurent, Buléon, Alain, Bouchez, Théodore, Mortha, Gérard, and Bize, Ariane
- Subjects
PROTEOMICS ,CELLULOSE ,SOLID waste ,ANAEROBIC digestion ,CELLULOLYTIC bacteria - Abstract
Lignocellulosic materials from municipal solid waste emerge as attractive resources for anaerobic digestion biorefinery. To increase the knowledge required for establishing efficient bioprocesses, dynamics of batch fermentation by the cellulolytic bacterium Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum were compared using three cellulosic materials, paper handkerchief, cotton discs and Whatman filter paper. Fermentation of paper handkerchief occurred the fastest and resulted in a specific metabolic profile: it resulted in the lowest acetate-to-lactate and acetate-to-ethanol ratios. By shotgun proteomic analyses of paper handkerchief and Whatman paper incubations, 151 proteins with significantly different levels were detected, including 20 of the 65 cellulosomal components, 8 non-cellulosomal CAZymes and 44 distinct extracytoplasmic proteins. Consistent with the specific metabolic profile observed, many enzymes from the central carbon catabolic pathways had higher levels in paper handkerchief incubations. Among the quantified CAZymes and cellulosomal components, 10 endoglucanases mainly from the GH9 families and 7 other cellulosomal subunits had lower levels in paper handkerchief incubations. An in-depth characterization of the materials used showed that the lower levels of endoglucanases in paper handkerchief incubations could hypothetically result from its lower crystallinity index (50%) and degree of polymerization (970). By contrast, the higher hemicellulose rate in paper handkerchief (13.87%) did not result in the enhanced expression of enzyme with xylanase as primary activity, including enzymes from the “xyl-doc” cluster. It suggests the absence, in this material, of molecular structures that specifically lead to xylanase induction. The integrated approach developed in this work shows that subtle differences among cellulosic materials regarding chemical and structural characteristics have significant effects on expressed bacterial functions, in particular the cellulolysis machinery, resulting in different metabolic patterns and degradation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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23. Kraft pulp and chemical properties of Cecropia palmata wood
- Author
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C. H. Pupo, C. A. Sansigolo, F. M. L. de Souza, F. W. Calonego, and Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
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chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Kraft process ,Imbauba ,fibre ,Cecropia palmata ,Lignin ,Forestry ,chemical compounds ,Pulp and paper industry ,pulp yield ,Chemical composition ,pulp properties - Abstract
Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T16:59:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Coordinator for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel, Brazil The present study was aimed at evaluating the chemical properties and the kraft pulp produced for Cecropia palmata wood and comparing them with Eucalyptus grandis wood. Discs along the stem of 6-year-old trees were transformed into chips. Half of the chips were used for characterisation of wood chemical properties and the rest was cooked to produce kraft pulp. The properties of the pulp were determined and results showed that: (1) there was a decrease of 3.8% in the yield of C. palmata pulp compared with E. grandis; (2) specific volume of C. palmata wood pulp increased with increasing refining time but the time to reach the same Schopper-Riegler degree was shorter than E. grandis pulp; and (3) C. palmata had higher air resistance and tear index than E. grandis, while the opposite was observed for tensile index, burst index and stretch. Cecropia palmata wood had lower lignin content and higher total extractives and holocellulose contents than E. grandis wood. Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Agr, Fazenda Expt Lageado S-N, BR-18610034 Botucatu, SP, Brazil Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Agr, Fazenda Expt Lageado S-N, BR-18610034 Botucatu, SP, Brazil
- Published
- 2019
24. Research on drinking water purification technologies for household use by reducing total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Author
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Bill B.L. Wang
- Subjects
Hot Temperature ,Social Sciences ,law.invention ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,law ,Natural Resources ,Water Quality ,Electrochemistry ,Psychology ,Magnesium ,Magnesium ion ,Multidisciplinary ,Vaporization ,Physics ,Bottled water ,Pulp and paper industry ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Chemistry ,Taste ,Physical Sciences ,Water Resources ,Medicine ,Boiling ,Sensory Perception ,Phase Transitions ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Environmental Monitoring ,Science ,Portable water purification ,Electrolysis ,Water Purification ,Tap water ,Sodium bicarbonate ,Nitrates ,Drinking Water ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Cognitive Psychology ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Total dissolved solids ,Bicarbonates ,chemistry ,Environmental science ,Cognitive Science ,Perception ,Water quality ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Neuroscience - Abstract
This study, based in San Bernardino County, Southern California, collected and examined tap water samples within the area to explore the feasibility of adopting non-industrial equipment and methods to reduce water hardness and total dissolved solids(TDS). We investigated how water quality could be improved by utilizing water boiling, activated carbon and sodium bicarbonate additives, as well as electrolysis methods. The results show that heating is effective at lower temperatures rather than long boils, as none of the boiling tests were lower than the original value. Activated carbon is unable to lower TDS, because it is unable to bind to any impurities present in the water. This resulted in an overall TDS increase of 3.5%. However, adding small amounts of sodium bicarbonate(NaHCO3) will further eliminate water hardness by reacting with magnesium ions and improve taste, while increasing the pH. When added to room temperature tap water, there is a continuous increase in TDS of 24.8% at the 30 mg/L mark. The new findings presented in this study showed that electrolysis was the most successful method in eliminating TDS, showing an inverse proportion where an increasing electrical current and duration of electrical lowers more amounts of solids. This method created a maximum decrease in TDS by a maximum of 22.7%, with 3 tests resulting in 15.3–16.6% decreases. Furthermore, when water is heated to a temperature around 50°C (122°F), a decrease in TDS of around 16% was also shown. The reduction of these solids will help lower water hardness and improve the taste of tap water. These results will help direct residents to drink more tap water rather than bottled water with similar taste and health benefits for a cheaper price as well as a reduction on plastic usage.
- Published
- 2021
25. Experimental Evolution of Trichoderma citrinoviride for Faster Deconstruction of Cellulose.
- Author
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Lin, Hui, Travisano, Michael, and Kazlauskas, Romas J.
- Subjects
TRICHODERMA ,CELLULOSE ,GLUCOSIDASES ,ENZYMOLOGY ,CELLULOSE 1,4-beta-cellobiosidase ,POLYMERASE chain reaction - Abstract
Engineering faster cellulose deconstruction is difficult because it is a complex, cooperative, multi-enzyme process. Here we use experimental evolution to select for populations of Trichoderma citrinoviride that deconstruct up to five-fold more cellulose. Ten replicate populations of T. citrinoviride were selected for growth on filter paper by serial culture. After 125 periods of growth and transfer to fresh media, the filter paper deconstruction increased an average of 2.5 fold. Two populations were examined in more detail. The activity of the secreted cellulase mixtures increased more than two-fold relative to the ancestor and the largest increase was in the extracellular β-glucosidase activity. qPCR showed at least 16-fold more transcribed RNA for egl4 (endoglucanase IV gene), cbh1 (cellobiohydrolase I gene) and bgl1 (extracellular β-glucosidase I gene) in selected populations as compared to the ancestor, and earlier peak expressions of these genes. Deep sequencing shows that the regulatory strategies used to alter cellulase secretion differ in the two strains. The improvements in cellulose deconstruction come from earlier expression of all cellulases and increased relative amount of β-glucosidase, but with small increases in the total secreted protein and therefore little increase in metabolic cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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26. Comparison of different preparation techniques of dried blood spot quality controls in newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Author
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Nóra Grecsó, Ákos Baráth, Péter Monostori, Gábor Rácz, Zsolt Galla, Anita Zádori, and Csaba Bereczki
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Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia ,Physiology ,Systems Engineering ,Biochemistry ,Mass Spectrometry ,Cortisol ,Analytical Chemistry ,Medical Conditions ,Spectrum Analysis Techniques ,Filter Paper ,Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry ,Tandem Mass Spectrometry ,Animal Cells ,Red Blood Cells ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,03.02. Klinikai orvostan ,Lipid Hormones ,Dried blood ,Liquid Chromatography ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone ,Chromatographic Techniques ,Dried blood spot ,Body Fluids ,Laboratory Equipment ,Chemistry ,Blood ,Genetic Diseases ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Steroids ,Anatomy ,Cellular Types ,Research Article ,Analyte ,Science ,Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Cortodoxone ,Equipment ,Steroid biosynthesis ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Neonatal Screening ,Autosomal Recessive Diseases ,medicine ,Humans ,Congenital adrenal hyperplasia ,Clinical Genetics ,Reproducibility ,Newborn screening ,Steroid Hormones ,Chromatography ,Blood Cells ,Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital ,business.industry ,Organic Chemistry ,Androstenedione ,Infant, Newborn ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Cell Biology ,medicine.disease ,Hormones ,Dried Blood Spot Testing ,business ,Quality Assurance - Abstract
In newborn screening, samples suspected for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a potentially lethal inborn error of steroid biosynthesis, need to be confirmed using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Daily quality controls (QCs) for the 2nd-tier CAH assay are not commercially available and are therefore generally prepared within the laboratory. For the first time, we aimed to compare five different QC preparation approaches used in routine diagnostics for CAH on the concentrations of cortisol, 21-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, 4-androstenedione and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in dried blood spots. The techniques from Prep1 to Prep5 were tested at two analyte concentrations by spiking aliquots of a steroid-depleted blood, derived from washed erythrocyte suspension and steroid-depleted serum. The preparation processes differed in the sequence of the preparation steps and whether freeze-thaw cycles were used to facilitate blood homogeneity. The five types of dried blood spot QCs were assayed and quantitated in duplicate on five different days using a single calibration row per day. Inter-assay variations less than 15% and concentrations within ±15% of the nominal values were considered acceptable. Results obtained by means of the four dried blood spot QC preparation techniques (Prep1, Prep2, Prep4 and Prep5) were statistically similar and remained within the ±15% ranges in terms of both reproducibility and nominal values. However, concentration results for Prep3 (spiking prior to three freeze-thaw cycles) were significantly lower than the nominal values in this setting, with differences exceeding the ±15% range in many cases despite acceptable inter-assay variations. These findings have implications for the in-house preparation of QC samples in laboratory developed tests for CAH, including 2nd-tier assays in newborn screening.
- Published
- 2021
27. Removal of cyanobacteria from a water supply reservoir by sedimentation using flocculants and suspended solids as ballast : Case of Legedadi Reservoir (Ethiopia)
- Author
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Hanna Habtemariam, Seyoum Leta, Maíra Mucci, Demeke Kifle, Miquel Lürling, and Aquatic Ecology (AqE)
- Subjects
Cyanobacteria ,Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management ,Sedimentation (water treatment) ,Physiology ,Turbidity ,Materials Physics ,Natural Resources ,Moringa oleifera ,Suspended solids ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Physics ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,international ,Physical Sciences ,Seeds ,Water Resources ,Medicine ,Plan_S-Compliant_OA ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Flocculation ,Lysis (Medicine) ,Science ,Materials Science ,Portable water purification ,Water Purification ,Settling ,Chlorides ,Surface Water ,Water Supply ,Tissue Repair ,Life Science ,Chitosan ,WIMEK ,Bacteria ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Aquatische Ecologie en Waterkwaliteitsbeheer ,biology.organism_classification ,Anabaena ,Lakes ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,Ethiopia ,Hydrology ,Physiological Processes ,Surface water ,Aluminum - Abstract
The massive growth of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in water supply reservoirs, such as Legedadi Reservoir (Ethiopia), poses a huge burden to water purification units and represents a serious threat to public health. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of the flocculants/coagulants chitosan, Moringa oleifera seed (MOS), and poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) in settling cyanobacterial species present in the Legedadi Reservoir. We also tested whether coagulant-treated reservoir water promotes cyanobacteria growth. Our data showed that suspended solids in the turbid reservoir acted as ballast, thereby enhancing settling and hence the removal of cyanobacterial species coagulated with chitosan, Moringa oleifera seed, or their combination. Compared to other coagulants, MOS of 30 mg/L concentration, with the removal efficiency of 93.6%, was the most effective in removing cyanobacterial species without causing cell lysis. Contrary to our expectation, PAC was the least effective coagulant. Moreover, reservoir water treated with MOS alone or MOS combined with chitosan did not support any growth of cyanobacteria during the first two weeks of the experiment. Our data indicate that the efficacy of a flocculant/coagulant in the removal of cyanobacteria is influenced by the uniqueness of individual lakes/reservoirs, implying that mitigation methods should consider the unique characteristic of the lake/reservoir.
- Published
- 2021
28. Organic cultivation practices enhanced antioxidant activities and secondary metabolites in giant granadilla (Passiflora quadrangularis L.)
- Author
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Huei Hong Lee, Nur Shahirah Shahbani, Muta Harah Zakaria, Shiamala Devi Ramaiya, Yong Jun Xiao, and Japar Sidik Bujang
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Leaves ,Antioxidant ,DPPH ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Flavonoid ,Phytochemicals ,Plant Science ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Antioxidants ,Mass Spectrometry ,Passiflora ,Anthocyanins ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Metabolites ,Food science ,Secondary Metabolites ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,0303 health sciences ,Organic Agriculture ,Principal Component Analysis ,Microscopy ,Multidisciplinary ,Giant granadilla ,biology ,Chemistry ,Pulp (paper) ,Plant Anatomy ,Discriminant Analysis ,Eukaryota ,Light Microscopy ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Phytochemical ,Physical Sciences ,Metabolome ,Medicine ,Agrochemicals ,Research Article ,Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching ,Science ,engineering.material ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Fruits ,03 medical and health sciences ,Isomerism ,Phenols ,medicine ,Fertilizers ,030304 developmental biology ,Flavonoids ,Plant Extracts ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Terpenoid ,Plant Leaves ,Metabolism ,Fruit ,engineering ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Passiflora quadrangularis L. belongs to the family Passifloraceae which bears larger fruit with edible juicy mesocarp and pulp known as a good source of phytochemicals. Cultivation and plant management practices are known to influence the phytochemical compositions of agricultural produce. This study aimed to examine the influence of the cultivation practices on the antioxidant activities and secondary metabolites of the organically and conventionally grown P. quadrangularis. Findings revealed organically treated P. quadrangularis plants showed enhancement in their antioxidant properties and secondary metabolites profiles. Among the plant parts, leaves of P. quadrangularis grown organically possessed higher antioxidant activities compared to the conventional in all assays evaluated. The antioxidant activities in the edible parts of the P. quadrangularis fruit have also been enhanced through organic cultivation with significantly higher total phenolic content and DPPH in mesocarp, and the pulp showed higher total flavonoid content, DPPH and FRAP. This observation is supported by a higher level of vitamins and secondary metabolites in the samples. The secondary metabolites profile showed mesocarps were phenolic rich, the pulps were flavonoids rich while leaves showed good composition of phenolics, flavonoids and terpenoids with outstanding antioxidant activities. The common secondary metabolites for organically produced P. quadrangularis in different plant parts include 2-isopropyl-3-methoxycinnamic acid (mesocarp and pulp), myricetin isomers (pulp and leaves), and malvidin-3-O-arabinoside isomers (pulp and leaves). This study confirmed that organic cultivated P. quadrangularis possessed higher antioxidant activities contributed by its vitamins and secondary metabolites.
- Published
- 2021
29. Effect of container shape on freeze concentration of apple juice
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Tsuyoshi Yoda, Tomoaki Saito, and Hiroshi Miyaki
- Subjects
Materials science ,Grapes ,Melting temperature ,Science ,Equipment ,Thawing ,Container (type theory) ,Fruits ,Beverages ,Food Preservation ,Freezing ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Nutrition ,Acetic Acid ,Centrifuge ,Multidisciplinary ,Apples ,Physics ,Food Packaging ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Eukaryota ,Melting ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Diet ,Fruit and Vegetable Juices ,Chemistry ,Malus ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Phase Transitions ,Acids ,Research Article - Abstract
Concentrating fruit juices by freezing supports the maintenance of both nutrients and flavors. Development of the freezing concentration process has introduced equipment such as centrifuge or block freezing systems, which are suitable for large-scale commercial processing. However, the necessary characteristics of freeze concentration methods for juices include simplicity and low cost. This study examined the effects of different container shapes on the processes of freezing and melting. The shape of the container was found to be more important than the melting temperature, across a relatively large scale. Furthermore, the nutrient procyanidin B2 and saccharides were concentrated. The methods concentrated juice components under low cost conditions without complex equipment. This research thus not only offers benefits for commercial juice preparation but also provides new insight into effects of shape differences in concentration technologies.
- Published
- 2021
30. A comparative analysis of biogas production from tomato bio-waste in mesophilic batch and continuous anaerobic digestion systems
- Author
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Attila Bodor, Balázs Kakuk, Viktória Markó, Árpád Szilágyi, Roland Wirth, László Bodai, Naila Bounedjoum, Zoltán Bagi, Kornél L. Kovács, Ágnes Szepesi, Gábor Rákhely, and Norbert Tolvai
- Subjects
Metabolic Processes ,Leaves ,Fruit Crops ,Biogas ,Biomass ,Plant Science ,Biochemistry ,Lignin ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Bioreactors ,Solanum lycopersicum ,Bioenergy ,Anaerobiosis ,Materials ,Tomatine ,Multidisciplinary ,Microbiota ,Plant Anatomy ,Eukaryota ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Crop Production ,Chemistry ,Corn stover ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Methane ,Research Article ,Mesophile ,Science ,Materials Science ,Crops ,Fuels ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Zea mays ,Fruits ,Model Organisms ,Tomatoes ,Plant and Algal Models ,Grasses ,Effluent ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Maize ,Energy and Power ,Anaerobic digestion ,Metabolism ,chemistry ,Biofuels ,Fermentation ,Animal Studies ,Metagenomics ,Crop Science - Abstract
Annually, agricultural activity produces an enormous amount of plant biomass by-product. Many studies have reported the biomethane potential of agro-industrial wastes, but only a few studies have investigated applying the substrates in both batch and continuous mode. Tomato is one of the most popular vegetables globally; its processing releases a substantial amount of by-product, such as stems and leaves. This study examined the BMP of tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. L. cv. Alfred) waste. A comparative test revealed that the BMPs of corn stover, tomato waste,and their combination were approximately the same, around 280 mL methane/g Volatile Solid. In contrast, the relative biogas production decreased in the presence of tomato waste in a continuous mesophilic anaerobic digestion system; the daily biogas productions were 860 ± 80, 290 ± 50, and 570 ± 70 mL biogas/gVolatile Solid/day in the case of corn stover, tomato waste, and their mixture, respectively. The methane content of biogas was around 46–48%. The fermentation parameters of the continuous AD experiments were optimal in all cases; thus, TW might have an inhibitory effect on the microbial community. Tomato plant materials contain e.g. flavonoids, glycoalkaloids (such as tomatine and tomatidine), etc. known as antimicrobial and antifungal agents. The negative effect of tomatine on the biogas yield was confirmed in batch fermentation experiments. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the tomato plant waste caused significant rearrangements in the microbial communities in the continuously operated reactors. The results demonstrated that tomato waste could be a good mono-substrate in batch fermentations or a co-substrate with corn stover in a proper ratio in continuous anaerobic fermentations for biogas production. These results also point to the importance of running long-term continuous fermentations to test the suitability of a novel biomass substrate for industrial biogas production.
- Published
- 2021
31. DipTest: A litmus test for E. coli detection in water
- Author
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Saumyadeb Dasgupta, Naga Siva Kumar Gunda, and Sushanta K. Mitra
- Subjects
Microbiological Techniques ,Capillary action ,lcsh:Medicine ,Chemical Composition ,02 engineering and technology ,01 natural sciences ,Fluorides ,Contaminants ,Blotting paper ,Water pollution ,lcsh:Science ,Wax ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Monosaccharides ,Contamination ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Pollution ,Chemistry ,visual_art ,Physical Sciences ,visual_art.visual_art_medium ,Engineering and Technology ,Organic Materials ,0210 nano-technology ,Water Microbiology ,Research Article ,Paper ,Materials science ,Environmental Engineering ,Materials Science ,Carbohydrates ,Color ,Chlorides ,Surface Water ,Escherichia coli ,Materials by Attribute ,010401 analytical chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Water Pollution ,Organic Chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Substrate (chemistry) ,0104 chemical sciences ,Culture Media ,Glucose ,Chemical engineering ,Reagent ,Waxes ,Earth Sciences ,lcsh:Q ,Hydrology ,Surface water - Abstract
We have developed a new litmus paper test (DipTest) for detecting Escherichia coli (E. coli) in water samples by performing enzymatic reactions directly on the porous paper substrate. The paper strip consists of a long narrow piece of cellulose blotting paper coated with chemoattractant (at bottom edge), wax hydrophobic barrier (at the top edge), and custom formulated chemical reagents (at reaction zone immediately below the wax hydrophobic barrier). When the paper strip is dipped in water, E. coli in the water sample is attracted toward the paper strip due to a chemotaxic mechanism followed by the ascent along the paper strip toward the reaction zone due to a capillary wicking mechanism, and finally the capillary motion is arrested at the top edge of the paper strip by the hydrophobic barrier. The E. coli concentrated at the reaction zone of the paper strip will react with custom formulated chemical reagents to produce a pinkish-red color. Such a color change on the paper strip when dipped into water samples indicates the presence of E. coli contamination in potable water. The performance of the DipTest device has been checked with different known concentrations of E. coli contaminated water samples using different dip and wait times. The DipTest device has also been tested with different interfering bacteria and chemical contaminants. It has been observed that the different interfering contaminants do not have any impact on the DipTest, and it can become a potential solution for screening water samples for E. coli contamination at the point of source.
- Published
- 2017
32. An expansin-like protein expands forage cell walls and synergistically increases hydrolysis, digestibility and fermentation of livestock feeds by fibrolytic enzymes
- Author
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Claudio F. Gonzalez, Adegbola T. Adesogan, Diwakar Vyas, John J. Bromfield, Muhammad Irfan, Nicolas DiLorenzo, Y. Jiang, Felipe X. Amaro, Ibukun M Ogunade, Andres A Pech-Cervantes, and Kathy G. Arriola
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Metabolic Processes ,Biochemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Filter Paper ,Cell Wall ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Cellulases ,Food science ,Silage ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Organic Compounds ,Hydrolysis ,Chemical Reactions ,Eukaryota ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Plants ,Recombinant Proteins ,Enzymes ,Laboratory Equipment ,Chemistry ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,medicine.drug ,Bacillus subtilis ,Research Article ,Science ,Equipment ,Cellulase ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Zea mays ,03 medical and health sciences ,Model Organisms ,Bacterial Proteins ,Plant and Algal Models ,medicine ,Hemicellulose ,Grasses ,Cellulose ,Nutrition ,Organic Chemistry ,0402 animal and dairy science ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Membrane Proteins ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Proteins ,040201 dairy & animal science ,Carboxymethyl cellulose ,Maize ,Diet ,030104 developmental biology ,Metabolism ,chemistry ,Fibrolytic bacterium ,Cynodon ,Fermentation ,biology.protein ,Enzymology ,Animal Studies - Abstract
Bacterial expansin-like proteins have synergistically increased cellulose hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes during the initial stages of biofuel production, but they have not been tested on livestock feeds. The objectives of this study were to: isolate and express an expansin-like protein (BsEXLX1), to verify its disruptive activity (expansion) on cotton fibers by immunodetection (Experiment 1), and to determine the effect of dose, pH and temperature for BsEXLX1 and cellulase to synergistically hydrolyze filter paper (FP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) under laboratory (Experiment 2) and simulated ruminal (Experiment 3) conditions. In addition, we determined the ability of BsEXLX1 to synergistically increase hydrolysis of corn and bermudagrass silages by an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme (EFE) (Experiment 4) and how different doses of BsEXLX1 and EFE affect the gas production (GP), in vitro digestibility and fermentation of a diet for dairy cows (Experiment 5). In Experiment 1, immunofluorescence-based examination of cotton microfiber treated without or with recombinant expansin-like protein expressed from Bacillus subtilis (BsEXLX1) increased the surface area by > 100% compared to the untreated control. In Experiment 2, adding BsEXLX1 (100 μg/g FP) to cellulase (0.0148 FPU) increased release of reducing sugars compared to cellulase alone by more than 40% (P < 0.01) at optimal pH (4.0) and temperature (50°C) after 24 h. In Experiment 3 and 4, adding BsEXLX1 to cellulase or EFE, synergistically increased release of reducing sugars from FP, corn and bermudagrass silages under simulated ruminal conditions (pH 6.0, 39°C). In Experiment 5, increasing the concentration of BsEXLX1 linearly increased (P < 0.01) GP from fermentation of a diet for dairy cows by up to 17.8%. Synergistic effects between BsEXLX1 and EFE increased in vitro NDF digestibility of the diet by 23.3% compared to the control. In vitro digestibility of hemicellulose and butyrate concentration were linearly increased by BsEXLX1 compared to the control. This study demonstrated that BsEXLX1 can improve the efficacy of cellulase and EFE at hydrolyzing pure substrates and dairy cow feeds, respectively.
- Published
- 2019
33. New methods of removing debris and high-throughput counting of cyst nematode eggs extracted from field soil
- Author
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Upender Kalwa, Gregory L. Tylka, Santosh Pandey, Elizabeth Wlezien, and Christopher Legner
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Sucrose ,Microfluidics ,Soybean cyst nematode ,Holography ,Video Recording ,Centrifugation ,Disaccharides ,01 natural sciences ,Quantitative Biology - Quantitative Methods ,Machine Learning ,Soil ,Filter Paper ,Computer software ,Quantitative Methods (q-bio.QM) ,Video recording ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Heterodera ,Organic Compounds ,Image and Video Processing (eess.IV) ,Laboratory Equipment ,Horticulture ,Separation Processes ,Chemistry ,Physical Sciences ,embryonic structures ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Fluidics ,Algorithms ,Research Article ,Density Gradient Centrifugation ,Computer and Information Sciences ,Soil test ,Imaging Techniques ,Science ,Carbohydrates ,Equipment ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Computer Software ,03 medical and health sciences ,Deep Learning ,Artificial Intelligence ,Field soil ,FOS: Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Animals ,Tylenchoidea ,030304 developmental biology ,Ovum ,Organic Chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Image and Video Processing ,biology.organism_classification ,Debris ,Nematode ,FOS: Biological sciences ,Parasitology ,Software ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is the most damaging pathogen of soybeans in the United States. To assess the severity of nematode infestations in the field, SCN egg population densities are determined. Cysts (dead females) of the nematode must be extracted from soil samples and then ground to extract the eggs within. Sucrose centrifugation commonly is used to separate debris from suspensions of extracted nematode eggs. We present a method using OptiPrep as a density gradient medium with improved separation and recovery of extracted eggs compared to the sucrose centrifugation technique. Also, computerized methods were developed to automate the identification and counting of nematode eggs from the processed samples. In one approach, a high-resolution scanner was used to take static images of extracted eggs and debris on filter papers, and a deep learning network was trained to identify and count the eggs among the debris. In the second approach, a lensless imaging setup was developed using off-the-shelf components, and the processed egg samples were passed through a microfluidic flow chip made from double-sided adhesive tape. Holographic videos were recorded of the passing eggs and debris, and the videos were reconstructed and processed by custom software program to obtain egg counts. The performance of the software programs for egg counting was characterized with SCN-infested soil collected from two farms, and the results using these methods were compared with those obtained through manual counting.
- Published
- 2019
34. Potential application of novel technology developed for instant decontamination of personal protective equipment before the doffing step
- Author
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Jailson B. de Andrade, Leone Peter Correia da Silva Andrade, Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado, Luis Alberto Breda Mascarenhas, Katharine Valéria Saraiva Hodel, Paulo Roberto Freitas Neves, Milena Botelho Pereira Soares, Alex Álisson Bandeira Santos, Leticia de Alencar Pereira Rodrigues, and Roberto Badaró
- Subjects
Face shield ,RNA viruses ,business.product_category ,Sanitization ,Coronaviruses ,Yeast and Fungal Models ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Respirators ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Medical Conditions ,Protective Clothing ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Infection control ,Public and Occupational Health ,Respirator ,Respiratory Protective Devices ,Decontamination ,Candida ,Fungal Pathogens ,Multidisciplinary ,Hypochlorites ,Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ,Eukaryota ,Human decontamination ,Bacterial Infections ,Contamination ,Pulp and paper industry ,Bacterial Pathogens ,Chemistry ,Infectious Diseases ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Medical Microbiology ,Sodium hypochlorite ,Physical Sciences ,Viruses ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Safety Equipment ,Safety ,Pathogens ,SARS CoV 2 ,Research Article ,Biotechnology ,Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ,Infectious Disease Control ,SARS coronavirus ,Science ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Equipment ,Bioengineering ,Enterococcus Faecalis ,Mycology ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Microbiology ,Pseudomonas ,Humans ,Candida Albicans ,Personal protective equipment ,Microbial Pathogens ,Infection Control ,Bacteria ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Viral pathogens ,Fungi ,COVID-19 ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Yeast ,Health Care ,Disinfection ,chemistry ,Animal Studies ,Environmental science ,Salts ,Medical Devices and Equipment ,Preventive Medicine ,business ,Enterococcus - Abstract
The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been considered the most effective way to avoid the contamination of healthcare workers by different microorganisms, including SARS-CoV-2. A spray disinfection technology (chamber) was developed, and its efficacy in instant decontamination of previously contaminated surfaces was evaluated in two exposure times. Seven test microorganisms were prepared and inoculated on the surface of seven types of PPE (respirator mask, face shield, shoe, glove, cap, safety glasses and lab coat). The tests were performed on previously contaminated PPE using a manikin with a motion device for exposure to the chamber with biocidal agent (sodium hypochlorite) for 10 and 30s. In 96.93% of the experimental conditions analyzed, the percentage reduction was >99% (the number of viable cells found on the surface ranged from 4.3x106 to E. faecalis collected from the glove showed the lowest percentages reduction, with 86.000 and 86.500% for exposure times of 10 and 30 s, respectively. The log10 reduction values varied between 0.85 log10 (E. faecalis at 30 s in glove surface) and 9.69 log10 (E. coli at 10 and 30 s in lab coat surface). In general, E. coli, S. aureus, C. freundii, P. mirabilis, C. albicans and C. parapsilosis showed susceptibility to the biocidal agent under the tested conditions, with >99% reduction after 10 and 30s, while E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa showed a lower susceptibility. The 30s exposure time was more effective for the inactivation of the tested microorganisms. The results show that the spray disinfection technology has the potential for instant decontamination of PPE, which can contribute to an additional barrier for infection control of healthcare workers in the hospital environment.
- Published
- 2020
35. Comparison of the efficiency of Deebag and jute made bag for faecal sludge management and wastewater treatment
- Author
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Muhammed Alamgir, Mehedi Hasan Mishuk, and S. M. Tariqul Islam
- Subjects
Biochemical oxygen demand ,Polymers ,Chemical Oxygen Demand ,0208 environmental biotechnology ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Waste Disposal, Fluid ,Sludge ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Feces ,Electricity ,Water Quality ,Materials ,Suspended solids ,Bangladesh ,Multidisciplinary ,Sewage ,Textiles ,Physics ,Chemical oxygen demand ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Wastewater ,Macromolecules ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Sewage treatment ,Research Article ,Science ,Materials Science ,Solid Waste Management ,Phloem ,Polypropylenes ,Water Purification ,Phosphates ,Chlorides ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Polypropylene ,Nitrates ,Sewage Treatment ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Chemical Compounds ,Electric Conductivity ,Polymer Chemistry ,Dewatering ,020801 environmental engineering ,chemistry ,Environmental science ,Sanitary Engineering ,Filtration ,Waste disposal - Abstract
Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) has become a prominent environmental concern in the today’s world. Dewatering of sludge and the treatment of wastewater (WW) are the prime spiny issue because of the deleterious essence of faecal sludge (FS) and WW in the environment. The main focus of this study was on FSM by ‘Deebag’ and ‘Jute Bag’ through dewatering and filtering. Deebag is a dewatering as well as filtering media which is made with geotextile and polypropylene. Contrariwise, three types of jute bags were made of jute fiber for using as the same purposes of Deebag. A polyacrylamide polymer was used in this study and both filtering and dewatering were done in two ways—with and without the presence of polymer. Biochemical Oxygen Demand at 5 days (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Chloride (Cl-), Phosphate (PO43-), Nitrate (NO3-), Total Suspended Solid (TSS) and Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) parameters of raw and filtering samples were analyzed to assess the performance of WW treatment by Deebag and jute bags. Only using polymer was observed as one kind of treatment of WW. Deebag has been found to show the maximum dewatering capacity as well as treatment efficiency comparing with the jute bags. However, among three types of jute bags, double jute layered bag has shown the best performance. Maximum dewatering for Deebag and jute bags were found 88% and 83% respectively while using the polymer.
- Published
- 2020
36. Canary in the coliform mine: Exploring the industrial application limits of a microbial respiration alarm system
- Author
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Marthinus J. Booysen, Wendy Stone, Gideon M. Wolfaardt, and Tobi M. Louw
- Subjects
Canaries ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,030501 epidemiology ,Wastewater ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Bioreactors ,Water Quality ,Natural Resources ,Anaerobiosis ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,Physics ,Classical Mechanics ,Eukaryota ,Contamination ,Pulp and paper industry ,Pollution ,6. Clean water ,Chemistry ,Carbon dioxide ,Physical Sciences ,Vertebrates ,Water Resources ,Medicine ,0305 other medical science ,Water Microbiology ,Anaerobic exercise ,Environmental Monitoring ,Research Article ,Freshwater Environments ,Science ,Partial Pressure ,12. Responsible consumption ,Birds ,03 medical and health sciences ,Rivers ,Surface Water ,Respiration ,Bioreactor ,Pressure ,Animals ,Ecosystem ,Bacteria ,030306 microbiology ,Drinking Water ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Water Pollution ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Aquatic Environments ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Carbon Dioxide ,Bodies of Water ,Fecal coliform ,chemistry ,13. Climate action ,Greenhouse gas ,Biofilms ,Amniotes ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,Water quality ,Hydrology ,Zoology - Abstract
Fundamental ecological principles of ecosystem-level respiration are extensively applied in greenhouse gas and elemental cycle studies. A laboratory system termed CEMS (Carbon Dioxide Evolution Measurement System), developed to explore microbial biofilm growth and metabolic responses, was evaluated as an early-warning system for microbial disturbances in industrial settings: in (a) potable water system contamination, and (b) bioreactor inhibition. Respiration was detected as CO2 production, rather than O2 consumption, including aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. Design, thresholds, and benefits of the remote CO2 monitoring technology were described. Headspace CO2 correlated with contamination levels, as well as chemical (R2 > 0.83–0.96) and microbiological water quality indicators (R2 > 0.78–0.88). Detection thresholds were limiting factors in monitoring drinking water to national and international standards (0 CFU/100 mL fecal coliforms) in both open- (>1500 CFU/mL) and closed-loop CO2 measuring regimes (>100 CFU/100 mL). However, closed-loop detection thresholds allow for the detection of significant contamination events, and monitoring less stringent systems such as irrigation water (2 fluctuations from chemical CO2 dynamics, to optimize this real-time, sustainable, low-waste technology, facilitating timeous responses to biological disturbances in bioreactors.
- Published
- 2020
37. Use of corn stover as bulking agent in dairy manure composting toward Japanese circular dairy farming
- Author
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Koki Maeda
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,Hot Temperature ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Methane ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Japan ,Plant Products ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Animal Management ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Multidisciplinary ,Eukaryota ,Straw ,Agriculture ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Corn stover ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Wheat ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Research Article ,Livestock ,020209 energy ,Science ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Zea mays ,Greenhouse Gases ,Model Organisms ,Plant and Algal Models ,Environmental Chemistry ,Organic matter ,Grasses ,Dairy farming ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Composting ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Carbon Dioxide ,Total dissolved solids ,Manure ,Agronomy ,Maize ,chemistry ,Atmospheric Chemistry ,Greenhouse gas ,Animal Studies ,Earth Sciences ,Environmental science ,Crop Science - Abstract
In response to the recent development of ear corn feeding systems and the shortage of bulking agents for manure composting in the Hokkaido region, the plausibility of using corn stover (a residue of ear corn harvesting) as an alternative bulking agent for dairy manure composting was tested. The temperature profile, quality of the final product, and greenhouse gas emissions were evaluated and compared with the values obtained from manure that used wheat straw, a typical bulking agent. A sufficiently high temperature profile (>70°C) and active organic matter degradation were achieved by mixing in corn stover. After active organic matter degradation for 8 weeks, CO2 production was significantly lower and the stable final products were obtained. The total solids level increased significantly, to 48.8–50.4%, while the C/N ratio dropped significantly, from 19.9–21.8 to 11.2–12.8. Methane emission from the corn-stover-based pile was 0.36% of initial volatile solids, while nitrous oxide emission was 0.58% of initial N, proving that the use of corn stover can mitigate greenhouse gas emission and that its mitigating effect was comparable to those of other bulking agents. Together, the results showed that the use of corn stover can be a suitable alternative bulking agent for dairy manure composting and can serve as part of an ecologically friendly and “circular” method of dairy farming.
- Published
- 2020
38. Distributed flux balance analysis simulations of serial biomass fermentation by two organisms
- Author
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Zohar Yakhini, Edward Vitkin, Alexander Golberg, Mark Polikovsky, Amichai Gillis, and Barak Bender
- Subjects
Metabolic Processes ,Biomass ,Yeast and Fungal Models ,02 engineering and technology ,Ethanol fermentation ,Biochemistry ,Ulva ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Ethanol fuel ,Bioenergy ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Hydrolysis ,Monosaccharides ,food and beverages ,Eukaryota ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Flux balance analysis ,Chemistry ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Scientific method ,Physical Sciences ,Bioenergy Feedstock ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Computer-Aided Design ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Computer and Information Sciences ,Science ,020209 energy ,Carbohydrates ,Saccharomyces cerevisiae ,Raw material ,Research and Analysis Methods ,complex mixtures ,Models, Biological ,Zea mays ,03 medical and health sciences ,Saccharomyces ,Model Organisms ,Plant and Algal Models ,Escherichia coli ,Computer Simulation ,Grasses ,030304 developmental biology ,Ethanol ,Organic Chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Fungi ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Cloud Computing ,Biorefinery ,Computing Methods ,Yeast ,Maize ,Energy and Power ,Oxygen ,Metabolism ,Glucose ,Alcohols ,Fermentation ,Rhodophyta ,Animal Studies ,Environmental science - Abstract
Intelligent biorefinery design that addresses both the composition of the biomass feedstock as well as fermentation microorganisms could benefit from dedicated tools for computational simulation and computer-assisted optimization. Here we present the BioLego Vn2.0 framework, based on Microsoft Azure Cloud, which supports large-scale simulations of biomass serial fermentation processes by two different organisms. BioLego enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple fermentation scenarios and the comparison of fermentation potential of multiple feedstock compositions. Thanks to the effective use of cloud computing it further allows resource intensive analysis and exploration of media and organism modifications. We use BioLego to obtain biological and validation results, including (1) exploratory search for the optimal utilization of corn biomasses-corn cobs, corn fiber and corn stover-in fermentation biorefineries; (2) analysis of the possible effects of changes in the composition of K. alvarezi biomass on the ethanol production yield in an anaerobic two-step process (S. cerevisiae followed by E. coli); (3) analysis of the impact, on the estimated ethanol production yield, of knocking out single organism reactions either in one or in both organisms in an anaerobic two-step fermentation process of Ulva sp. into ethanol (S. cerevisiae followed by E. coli); and (4) comparison of several experimentally measured ethanol fermentation rates with the predictions of BioLego.
- Published
- 2020
39. Diversity and functional prediction of microbial communities involved in the first aerobic bioreactor of coking wastewater treatment system
- Author
-
Junting Xie, Baoshan Zhang, Guanglei Qiu, Shuang Zhu, Deng Jinsi, Haizhen Wu, Zemin Li, and Chaohai Wei
- Subjects
Denitrification ,Chemical Oxygen Demand ,ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species ,Wastewater ,Toxicology ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Sludge ,Biochemistry ,Benzoates ,Thiobacillus ,Bioreactors ,RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ,Water Quality ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Materials ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Chemistry ,Organic Compounds ,Microbiota ,Chemical oxygen demand ,Pulp and paper industry ,Pollution ,Aerobiosis ,Nucleic acids ,Ribosomal RNA ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Proteobacteria ,Research Article ,Cell biology ,Cellular structures and organelles ,Science ,Materials Science ,Toxic Agents ,Naphthalenes ,complex mixtures ,Water Purification ,Phenols ,Bioreactor ,Non-coding RNA ,Effluent ,Cyanides ,Bacteria ,Biology and life sciences ,ved/biology ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Organic Chemistry ,Water Pollution ,Chemical Compounds ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,biology.organism_classification ,Activated sludge ,Microbial population biology ,RNA ,Salts ,Ribosomes - Abstract
The pre-aerobic process of coking wastewater treatment has strong capacity of decarbonization and detoxification, which contribute to the subsequent dinitrogen of non-carbon source/heterotrophic denitrification. The COD removal rate can reach > 90% in the first aerobic bioreactor of the novel O/H/O coking wastewater treatment system during long-term operation. The physico-chemical characteristics of influent and effluent coking wastewater in the first aerobic bioreactor were analyzed to examine how they correlated with bacterial communities. The diversity of the activated sludge microbial community was investigated using a culture-independent molecular approach. The microbial community functional profiling and detailed pathways were predicted from the 16S rRNA gene-sequencing data by the PICRUSt software and the KEGG database. High-throughput MiSeq sequencing results revealed a distinct microbial composition in the activated sludge of the first aerobic bioreactor of the O/H/O system. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chlorobi were the decarbonization and detoxification dominant phyla with the relative abundance of 84.07 ± 5.45, 10.89 ± 6.31, and 2.96 ± 1.12%, respectively. Thiobacillus, Rhodoplanes, Lysobacter, and Leucobacter were the potential major genera involved in the crucial functional pathways related to the degradation of phenols, cyanide, benzoate, and naphthalene. These results indicated that the comprehensive understanding of the structure and function diversity of the microbial community in the bioreactor will be conducive to the optimal coking wastewater treatment.
- Published
- 2020
40. Pulp obtained after isolation of starch from red and purple potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) as an innovative ingredient in the production of gluten-free bread
- Author
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Magdalena Surma, Rafał Ziobro, Jarosław Korus, and Dorota Gumul
- Subjects
Dietary Fiber ,Starch ,Flour ,Social Sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Starches ,Antioxidants ,Ingredient ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Flavonols ,Vegetables ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Psychology ,Food science ,Potato starch ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Acrylamide ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Pulp (paper) ,digestive, oral, and skin physiology ,Food Ingredients ,food and beverages ,Eukaryota ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Bread ,Plants ,040401 food science ,Smell ,Chemistry ,Taste ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Sensory Perception ,Potato ,Nutritive Value ,Porosity ,Research Article ,Glutens ,Science ,Carbohydrates ,engineering.material ,Raw material ,Solanum ,0404 agricultural biotechnology ,Phenols ,Humans ,Nutrition ,Solanum tuberosum ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Organic Chemistry ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Cognitive Psychology ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Polyphenols ,0104 chemical sciences ,Diet ,Celiac Disease ,Freeze Drying ,chemistry ,Polyphenol ,Food ,engineering ,Cognitive Science ,Perception ,Neuroscience - Abstract
Starch based gluten-free bread (formulations containing mixture of corn and potato starch with hydrocolloids) are deficient in nutrients and do not contain health promoting compounds. Therefore they could be supplemented with raw materials rich in such components, especially antioxidants. Among them pseudo-cereals, seeds, fruits and vegetables are often applied to this purpose. Potato pulp produced by processing red fleshed (Magenta Love) and purple fleshed (Violetta) varieties could become a new innovative substrate for gluten-free bread enrichment, because of high levels of endogenous polyphenols, namely flavonoids, flavonols, phenolic acids and especially anthocyanins with high antioxidant potential, as well as dietary fiber. Study material consisted of gluten-free bread enriched in the pulp. Dietary fiber, acrylamide content and antioxidant and antiradical potential of the bread were determined. Sensory evaluation included crumb elasticity, porosity and other characteristics, taste and smell. Among all analyzed gluten-free breads, the sample containing 7.5% share of freeze-dried red potato pulp Magenta Love was characterized by high content of phenolic compounds and dietary fiber, pronounced antioxidant activity, low levels of potentially dangerous acrylamide and good physical and sensory characteristics. Therefore such an addition (7.5% Magenta Love) could be recommended for industrial production of gluten-free bread.
- Published
- 2019
41. Impact of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation on new silicone half-piece elastometric respirator (VJR-NMU) performance, structural integrity and sterility during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Author
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Uraporn Phumisantiphong, Jakravoot Maneerit, Chayanee Setthabramote, Anan Manomaipiboon, Bunpot Seakow, Thananda Trakarnvanich, Supanit Porntheeraphat, and Sujaree Pupipatpab
- Subjects
business.product_category ,Light ,Sanitization ,Staphylococcus ,Silicones ,Economic shortage ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Respirators ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Medical Conditions ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Medicine ,Public and Occupational Health ,Respiratory Protective Devices ,Respirator ,Decontamination ,Virus Testing ,Multidisciplinary ,Organic Compounds ,Physics ,Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ,Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation ,Human decontamination ,Pulp and paper industry ,Bacterial Pathogens ,Physical sciences ,Chemistry ,Infectious Diseases ,Medical Microbiology ,Engineering and Technology ,Pathogens ,Research Article ,Biotechnology ,Ultraviolet radiation ,Infectious Disease Control ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Ultraviolet Rays ,Science ,Bioengineering ,Microbiology ,Silicone ,Electromagnetic radiation ,Diagnostic Medicine ,Pseudomonas ,Humans ,Staphylococcus Epidermidis ,Pandemics ,Microbial Pathogens ,Ventilators, Mechanical ,Bacteria ,business.industry ,Uvc irradiation ,Organic Chemistry ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,COVID-19 ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Structural integrity ,Health Care ,chemistry ,Alcohols ,Medical Devices and Equipment ,Preventive Medicine ,Ultraviolet C ,business - Abstract
Since the innovation of our new half-piece elastometric respirator, this type of filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) has been used widely in Thailand. Decontamination methods including ultraviolet C (UVC) germicidal irradiation and 70% alcohol have been implemented to decontaminate these respirators. We then examined the inactivation potential of different decontamination processes on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and numerous bacterial strains, most of which were skin-derived. To enable rigorous integrity of the masks after repeated decontamination processes, fit tests by the Bitrex test, tensile strength and elongation at break were also evaluated. Our results showed that UVC irradiation at a dose of 3 J/cm2 can eradicate bacteria after 60 min and viruses after 10 min. No fungi were found on the mask surface before decontamination. The good fit test results, tensile strength and elongation at break were still maintained after multiple cycles of decontamination. No evidence of physical degradation was found by gross visual inspection. Alcohol (70%) is also an easy and effective way to eradicate microorganisms on respirators. As the current pandemic is expected to continue for months to years, the need to supply adequate reserves of personnel protective equipment (PPE) and develop effective PPE reprocessing methods is crucial. Our studies demonstrated that the novel silicone mask can be safely reprocessed and decontaminated for many cycles by UVC irradiation, which will help ameliorate the shortage of important protective devices in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
- Published
- 2021
42. Effect of Cellulases and Xylanases on Refining Process and Kraft Pulp Properties
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Kamila Przybysz Buzała, Halina Kalinowska, Małgorzata Derkowska, and Piotr Przybysz
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0106 biological sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,02 engineering and technology ,Biochemistry ,01 natural sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Filter Paper ,Cellulases ,Electron Microscopy ,lcsh:Science ,Microscopy ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Organic Compounds ,Hydrolysis ,Pulp (paper) ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Pulp and paper industry ,Enzyme structure ,Enzymes ,Laboratory Equipment ,Chemistry ,Xylosidases ,Aspergillus ,Kraft process ,Physical Sciences ,Xylanase ,Engineering and Technology ,Scanning Electron Microscopy ,Alternative Energy ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,0210 nano-technology ,Kraft paper ,Research Article ,Paper ,Equipment ,Cellulase ,engineering.material ,Research and Analysis Methods ,010608 biotechnology ,Cellulose ,Filter paper ,business.industry ,Organic Chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Organisms ,Fungi ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Proteins ,Cell Biology ,Pinus ,Molds (Fungi) ,Biotechnology ,Energy and Power ,chemistry ,Enzyme Structure ,Enzymology ,engineering ,biology.protein ,lcsh:Q ,business - Abstract
Samples of bleached kraft pine cellulosic pulp, either treated with an enzyme preparation (a Thermomyces lanuginosus xylanase, an Aspergillus sp. cellulase, and a multienzyme preparation NS-22086 containing both these activities) or untreated, were refined in a laboratory PFI mill. The treatment with cellulases contained in the last two preparations significantly improved the pulp’s susceptibility to refining (the target freeness value of 30°SR was achieved in a significantly shorter time), increased water retention value (WRV) and fines contents while the weighted average fiber length was significantly reduced. These changes of pulp parameters caused deterioration of paper strength properties. The treatment with the xylanase, which partially hydrolyzed xylan, small amounts of which are associated with cellulose fibers, only slightly loosened the structure of fibers. These subtle changes positively affected the susceptibility of the pulp to refining (refining energy was significantly reduced) and improved the static strength properties of paper. Thus, the treatment of kraft pulps with xylanases may lead to substantial savings of refining energy without negative effects on paper characteristics.
- Published
- 2016
43. A technique for lyopreservation of Clostridium ljungdahlii in a biocomposite matrix for CO absorption.
- Author
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Schulte, Mark J., Solocinski, Jason, Wang, Mian, Kovacs, Michelle, Kilgore, Ryan, Osgood, Quinn, Underwood, Lukas, Flickinger, Michael C., and Chakraborty, Nilay
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CLOSTRIDIUM biotechnology ,COMPOSITE materials ,CARBON monoxide ,BIOCATALYSIS ,CRYOGENICS - Abstract
A system capable of biocatalytic conversion of distributed sources of single carbon gases such as carbon monoxide into hydrocarbons can be highly beneficial for developing commercially viable biotechnology applications in alternative energy. Several anaerobic bacterial strains can be used for such conversion. The anaerobic carbon monoxide-fixing bacteria Clostridium ljungdahlii OTA1 is a model CO assimilating microorganism that currently requires cryogenic temperature for storage of the viable strains. If these organisms can be stabilized and concentrated in thin films in advanced porous materials, it will enable development of high gas fraction, biocomposite absorbers with elevated carbon monoxide (CO) mass transfer rate, that require minimal power input and liquid, and demonstrate elevated substrate consumption rate compared to conventional suspended cell bioreactors. We report development of a technique for dry-stabilization of C. ljungdahlii OTA1 on a paper biocomposite. Bacterial samples coated onto paper were desiccated in the presence of trehalose using convective drying and stored at 4°C. Optimal dryness was ~1g H
2 O per gram of dry weight (gDW ). CO uptake directly following biocomposite rehydration steadily increases over time indicating immediate cellular metabolic recovery. A high-resolution Raman microspectroscopic hyperspectral imaging technique was employed to spatially quantify the residual moisture content. We have demonstrated for the first time that convectively dried and stored C. ljungdahlii strains were stabilized in a desiccated state for over 38 days without a loss in CO absorbing reactivity. The Raman hyperspectral imaging technique described here is a non-invasive characterization tool to support development of dry-stabilization techniques for microorganisms on inexpensive porous support materials. The present study successfully extends and implements the principles of dry-stabilization for preservation of strictly anaerobic bacteria as an alternative to lyophilization or spray drying that could enable centralized biocomposite biocatalyst fabrication and decentralized bioprocessing of CO to liquid fuels or chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. СРПСКА ХЕМИЈСКА ТЕРМИНОЛОГИЈА У ДЕЛУ „HISTORIAE NATVRALIS” АНДРЕАСА ВОЛНОГ (1805).
- Author
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Радоја, Ксенија
- Abstract
Copyright of Prilozi Proucavanju Jezika is the property of Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. From waste to food: Optimising the breakdown of oil palm waste to provide substrate for insects farmed as animal feed
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Marc Parker, James Donarski, Maureen Wakefield, Mark Harrison, Elizabeth Dickinson, Adrian J. Charlton, Michael Dickinson, Aida Rafat, Julie Wilson, Florence J. V. Gschwend, Jason P. Hallett, Rosie Nolan, and Royal Academy Of Engineering
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Life Cycles ,Insecta ,Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ,Biomass ,Biogas ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Palm Oil ,Spectrum analysis techniques ,01 natural sciences ,Lignin ,Biochemistry ,Larvae ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Metabolites ,Bioenergy ,Oil Palm ,Anaerobiosis ,Materials ,Principal Component Analysis ,Multidisciplinary ,food and beverages ,Eukaryota ,Plants ,Pulp and paper industry ,Insects ,Chemistry ,Data Acquisition ,Biofuel ,Digestate ,Physical Sciences ,Metabolome ,Medicine ,Engineering and Technology ,Research Article ,Computer and Information Sciences ,Arthropoda ,General Science & Technology ,Animal feed ,Science ,020209 energy ,Materials Science ,Steaming ,Fuels ,NMR spectroscopy ,Animals ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Waste Products ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Pressure cooking ,Feeding Behavior ,Animal Feed ,Invertebrates ,Energy and Power ,Research and analysis methods ,Anaerobic digestion ,Metabolism ,Biofuels ,Environmental science ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Waste biomass from the palm oil industry is currently burned as a means of disposal and solutions are required to reduce the environmental impact. Whilst some waste biomass can be recycled to provide green energy such as biogas, this investigation aimed to optimise experimental conditions for recycling palm waste into substrate for insects, farmed as a sustainable high-protein animal feed. NMR spectroscopy and LC-HRMS were used to analyse the composition of palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) under experimental conditions optimised to produce nutritious substrate rather than biogas. Statistical pattern recognition techniques were used to investigate differences in composition for various combinations of pre-processing and anaerobic digestion (AD) methods. Pre-processing methods included steaming, pressure cooking, composting, microwaving, and breaking down the EFB using ionic liquids. AD conditions which were modified in combination with pre-processing methods were ratios of EFB:digestate and pH. Results show that the selection of pre-processing method affects the breakdown of the palm waste and subsequently the substrate composition and biogas production. Although large-scale insect feeding trials will be required to determine nutritional content, we found that conditions can be optimised to recycle palm waste for the production of substrate for insect rearing. Pre-processing EFB using ionic liquid before AD at pH6 with a 2:1 digestate:EFB ratio were found to be the best combination of experimental conditions.
- Published
- 2019
46. A Simple way to Improve a Conventional A/O-MBR for High Simultaneous Carbon and Nutrients Removal from Synthetic Municipal Wastewater
- Author
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Chayakorn Pumas, Dome Adoonsook, Chang Chia-Yuan, and Aunnop Wongrueng
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0208 environmental biotechnology ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,Biomass ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Bacterial growth ,Wastewater ,Membrane bioreactor ,01 natural sciences ,Sludge ,Bioreactors ,Nutrient ,Water Quality ,Limnology ,Materials ,Multidisciplinary ,Sewage ,Ecology ,biology ,Microbiota ,Chemical Reactions ,Pulp and paper industry ,Anoxic waters ,Nitrification ,Aerobiosis ,Chemistry ,Shannon Index ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Research Article ,DNA, Bacterial ,Ecological Metrics ,Nitrogen ,Science ,Materials Science ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Microbiology ,Water Purification ,Phosphates ,Bioreactor ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Bacteria ,Phosphorus ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Membrane fouling ,Chemical Compounds ,Organisms ,Biofilm ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Species Diversity ,Nutrients ,biology.organism_classification ,Carbon ,020801 environmental engineering ,Effluent ,chemistry ,Microbial population biology ,Biofilms ,Earth Sciences - Abstract
In this study, two anoxic-oxic membrane bioreactor (A/O-MBR) systems, i.e. conventional and biofilm anoxic-oxic-membrane bioreactors (C-A/O-MBR and BF-A/O-MBR, respectively), were operated in parallel under conditions of complete sludge retention for the purposes of comparing system performance and microbial community composition. Moreover, with the microbial communities, comparisons were made between the adhesive stage and the suspended stage. High average removal of COD, NH4+-N and TN was achieved in both systems. However, TP removal efficiency was remarkably higher in BF-A/O-MBR when compared with C-A/O-MBR. TP mass balance analysis suggested that under complete sludge retention, polyurethane sponges that were added into the anoxic tank played a key role in both phosphorus release and accumulation. The qPCR analysis showed that sponge biomass could maintain a higher level of abundance of total bacteria than the suspended sludge. Meanwhile, AOB and denitrifiers were enriched in the suspended sludge but not in the sponge biomass. Results of illumina sequencing reveal that the compacted sponge in BF-A/O-MBR could promote the growth of bacteria involved in nutrient removal and reduce the amount of filamentous and bacterial growth that is related to membrane fouling in the suspended sludge.
- Published
- 2019
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47. A modified approach to recover and enumerate Ascaris ova in wastewater and sludge
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Vivek B. Ravindran, Nicholas D. Crosbie, Nagalakshmi Haleyur, Jonathan Schmidt, Sarvesh K. Soni, Esmaeil Shahsavari, Andrew S. Ball, and Aravind Surapaneni
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Ascaris Lumbricoides ,Biosolids ,Nematoda ,Surfactants ,Sewage ,Wastewater ,Sludge ,Physical Chemistry ,From Innovation to Application ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Magnesium ,Materials ,Specific Gravity ,Ascariasis ,biology ,Sulfates ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,Ascaris ,Eukaryota ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Infectious Diseases ,Helminth Infections ,Physical Sciences ,Ascaris lumbricoides ,Neglected Tropical Diseases ,Chemical Elements ,lcsh:Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ,lcsh:RC955-962 ,Materials Science ,Water Purification ,Helminths ,Parasitic Diseases ,Animals ,Ovum ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,biology.organism_classification ,Tropical Diseases ,Invertebrates ,Chemical Properties ,Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases ,Salts ,business ,Parasitic Intestinal Diseases - Published
- 2019
48. Evaluating the effectiveness of HOCl application on odor reduction and earthworm population growth during vermicomposting of food waste employing Eisenia fetida
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Chanwoo Kim, Kyo Suh, Hangkyo Lim, Yooan Kim, Younggu Her, and Chanhoon Jung
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02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Nutrient ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Annelids ,Amines ,Materials ,Fluids ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Organic Compounds ,Physics ,Eukaryota ,Pulp and paper industry ,Chemistry ,Biodegradation, Environmental ,Physical Sciences ,Medicine ,Gases ,Organic Materials ,Research Article ,Eisenia fetida ,States of Matter ,Hypochlorous acid ,Population Size ,020209 energy ,Science ,Materials Science ,Population Metrics ,Ammonia ,Animals ,Earthworms ,Oligochaeta ,Population Growth ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Waste Products ,Population Biology ,Bacteria ,Composting ,Earthworm ,Organic Chemistry ,Gut Bacteria ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Biodegradable waste ,Biodegradation ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,Hypochlorous Acid ,Food waste ,chemistry ,Odor ,Food ,Odorants ,Environmental science - Abstract
Vermicomposting has been recommended as an eco-friendly method to transform organic waste into nutrient resources with minimum energy input. However, odor and pest issues associated with this method limit the use of vermicomposting, especially in indoor conditions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of applying hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to deodorize the vermicomposting process and improve the breeding environment for earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The deodorization performance of HOCl was compared by measuring the amount of ammonia (NH3) and amine (R-NH2) released from the decaying process of two types of food waste: HOCl-treated (HTW) waste and non-treated waste (NTW). The total and individual weights of earthworms in the waste treated with HOCl was measured to evaluate the impact on earthworm reproduction after applying HOCl. The results showed that HOCl application could reduce NH3 by 40% and R-NH2 by 80%, and increase the earthworm population size and total weight by up to 29% and 92%, respectively, compared to the control group. These results suggest that HOCl application is potentially an efficient method to control the odor and to boost earthworm reproduction and thus facilitate vermicomposting for improved food waste treatment and environmental quality.
- Published
- 2019
49. Root-endophytic Chaetomium cupreum chemically enhances aluminium tolerance in Miscanthus sinensis via increasing the aluminium detoxicants, chlorogenic acid and oosporein
- Author
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Kazuyoshi Ogawa, Hayato Masuya, Toshikatsu Haruma, Naofumi Kozai, Keiko Yamaji, and Yurina Sekine
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Siderophore ,Fungal Structure ,Miscanthus sinensis ,Plant Science ,Chaetomium ,Heavy Metals ,Toxicology ,Pathology and Laboratory Medicine ,Plant Roots ,01 natural sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Filter Paper ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Benzoquinones ,Toxins ,Food science ,Mycelium ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Eukaryota ,Plants ,Equipment Sterilization ,Laboratory Equipment ,Chemistry ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Cellular Structures and Organelles ,Plant Cell Walls ,Cellular Types ,Chlorogenic Acid ,Citric acid ,Research Article ,Chemical Elements ,Equipment Preparation ,Plant Cell Biology ,Science ,Toxic Agents ,Equipment ,Mycology ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Poaceae ,Citric Acid ,Cell wall ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cell Walls ,Chlorogenic acid ,Plant Cells ,Filter Sterilization ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Cell Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,Seedlings ,Seedling ,Malic acid ,Acids ,Aluminum ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Miscanthus sinensis Andersson is a pioneer plant species that grows naturally at mining sites. Miscanthus sinensis can detoxify aluminium (Al) by producing phytosiderophores, such as chlorogenic acid, citric acid, and malic acid, and localizing Al in cell walls. Root-endophytic Chaetomium cupreum, which produces microbial siderophores, enhances Al tolerance in M. sinensis. However, we could not determine whether the siderophores produced by C. cupreum actually enhance Al tolerance in M. sinensis, because the microbial siderophores have not yet been identified in previous research. The purpose of this study was to clarify how C. cupreum chemically increases Al tolerance in M. sinensis under acidic mining site conditions, especially considering siderophores. Using instrumental analyses, the siderophore produced by C. cupreum was identified as oosporein. Comparison of the stability constant between Al and phytosiderophores and oosporein indicated that oosporein could detoxify Al similarly to chlorogenic acid, which shows higher stability constant than citric acid and malic acid. Inoculation test of C. cupreum onto M. sinensis in acidic mine soil showed that C. cupreum promoted seedling growth, and enhanced Al tolerance via inducing chlorogenic-acid production and producing oosporein. These results suggested that C. cupreum could chemically enhance Al tolerance and might promote growth via reducing excessive Al in cell walls, the main site of Al accumulation. In addition, the chemical enhancement of Al tolerance by C. cupreum might be important for M. sinensis to adapt to acidic mining sites.
- Published
- 2019
50. A popular Indian clove-based mosquito repellent is less effective against Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti than DEET
- Author
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Walter S. Leal, Gabriel B. Faierstein, Kaiming Tan, Pingxi Xu, Rosângela Maria Rodrigues Barbosa, Garrison K. Buss, and Hwang, Jiang-Shiou
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Time Factors ,Xenopus ,Syzygium ,Disease Vectors ,Receptors, Odorant ,Mosquitoes ,Biochemistry ,Toxicology ,DEET ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Filter Paper ,Aedes ,Receptors ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Active ingredient ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Organic Compounds ,Eukaryota ,Animal Models ,Lipids ,3. Good health ,Insects ,Laboratory Equipment ,Eugenol ,Chemistry ,Culex ,Infectious Diseases ,Odorant ,Experimental Organism Systems ,Xenopus Oocytes ,Vertebrates ,Physical Sciences ,Frogs ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Research Article ,animal structures ,Arthropoda ,General Science & Technology ,First line ,Science ,030231 tropical medicine ,Equipment ,Aedes aegypti ,Aedes Aegypti ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Culex Quinquefasciatus ,Amphibians ,03 medical and health sciences ,Model Organisms ,Animals ,REPELENTES ,Ethanol ,Extramural ,Plant Extracts ,Organic Chemistry ,fungi ,Organisms ,Chemical Compounds ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Invertebrates ,Culex quinquefasciatus ,Insect Vectors ,Vector-Borne Diseases ,Species Interactions ,Emerging Infectious Diseases ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,Alcohols ,Odorant Receptor ,Insect Repellents ,Animal Studies ,Oocytes ,Oils - Abstract
Insect repellents are widely used as the first line of defense against mosquito bites and transmission of disease-causing agents. However, the cost of daily applications of even the most affordable and the gold standard of insect repellents, DEET, is still high for low-income populations where repellents are needed the most. An Indian clove-based homemade recipe has been presented as a panacea. We analyzed this homemade repellent and confirmed by behavioral measurements and odorant receptor responses that eugenol is the active ingredient in this formulation. Prepared as advertised, this homemade repellent is ineffective, whereas 5x more concentrated extracts from the brand most enriched in eugenol showed moderate repellency activity against Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti. DEET showed higher performance when compared to the 5x concentrated formulation and is available in the same market at a lower price than the cost of the ingredients to prepare the homemade formulation.
- Published
- 2019
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