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A dynamic membrane (DM) is a biofilm that forms on a support material, acting as a filter to retain high-density biomass. This study aims to explain the effects of alginate immobilization on DM formation during dark-H2 fermentation. Galactose is used as a model substrate. Heat-treated anaerobic sludge, with and without immobilization, is used for an inoculum for two identical lab-scale DM bioreactors (DMBR). The DMBRs are continuously operated for more than 40 days by changing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from 12 to 3 h. Biomass retention and H2 production performance are significantly improved at an HRT of 3 h with immobilization. The alginate-added bioreactor shows higher extracellular polymeric substance content both in the mixed liquor and the DM. At an HRT of 3 h with immobilization, the fraction of Sporolactobacillus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. increases, possibly contributing to DM formation. However, lactic-acid concentration does not increase, implying it can be further consumed by the dominant bacteria, Clostridium butyricum.

In this study, maize bran biomass was subjected to soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) pretreatment to reduce and eliminate lignin, a major component that hinders biological digestibility. The effect of SAA pretreatment on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of maize bran were investigated by using statistical techniques on batch anaerobic test. Response surface methodology by the central-composite design has verified the effects and the interactions of three variables, pretreatment temperature (10–110 °C), pretreatment time (1–11 h) and solid to liquid (S/L) ratio (0.068–0.307) on the responses: methane yield (MY), methane productivity rate (MPR), delignification and sugar recovery were monitored keenly. The optimal regions predicted via overlay plots for the multiple response falls within the following ranges: pretreatment temperatures between 55 and 70 °C, pretreatment time of 5 to 8 h and S/L ratio of 0.14 to 0.185. The optimal conditions were found at 72.5 °C, an S/L ratio of 0.14, and 7.02 h resulting to an MY of 293.8 mL/g COD, and an MPR of 106.0 mL CH4/g VSS-day. The model equations for the multiple responses were within p

We attempted to improve the low water resistance of isosorbide glycidyl methacrylate (IsoGMA), which was developed to replace bisphenol-A glycidyl methacrylate (BisGMA), a bisphenol-A based dental material. For this purpose, a new isosorbide-based methacrylate, isosorbide propyl methacrylate (IsoPMA), which has no hydroxyl groups, was synthesized. IsoPMA had low viscosity compared to IsoGMA (246.6 cP vs 6810 cP at 25 °C) and less water sorption when it was used as a binder of a composite (2.07 vs 28 μg/mm3). Although the flexural strength of the IsoPMA resin was much lower than that of IsoGMA (38.5 vs 74.2 MPa), the reinforcing effect by barium silicate on the flexural strength of IsoPMA was larger than that of IsoGMA (38.5 → 93.0 MPa for IsoPMA vs 74.2 → 78.6 MPa for IsoGMA) because fewer voids were formed. Unlike in the IsoGMA composite, no internal cracks were found in the IsoPMA composite after the water uptake experiment; its flexural strength decreased by 40% from the initial value, but was better than the flexural strength of IsoGMA, which decreased by 70%.

Pretreatment of the empty fruit brunch (EFB) from oil palm was investigated for H2 fermentation. The EFB was hydrolyzed at various temperatures, H2SO4 concentrations, and reaction times. Subsequently, the acid-hydrolysate underwent enzymatic saccharification under various temperature, pH, and enzymatic loading conditions. Response surface methodology derived the optimum sugar concentration (SC), hydrogen production rate (HPR), and hydrogen yield (HY) as 28.30 g L−1, 2601.24 mL H2 L−1d−1, and 275.75 mL H2 g−1 total sugar (TS), respectively, at 120 °C, 60 min of reaction, and 6 vol% H2SO4, with the combined severity factor of 1.75. Enzymatic hydrolysis enhanced the SC, HY, and HPR to 34.52 g L−1, 283.91 mL H2 g−1 TS, and 3266.86 mL H2 L−1d−1, respectively, at 45 °C, pH 5.0, and 1.17 mg enzyme mL−1. Dilute acid hydrolysis would be a viable pretreatment for biohydrogen production from EFB. Subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis can be performed if enhanced HPR is required.

Background and Objective: Since methomyl shows a highly significant toxicity, the clinical outcome of acute methomyl pesticide intoxication is extremely critical. Methomyl is a kind of carbamate poisons. Similar to intoxications with other carbamate insecticides, methomyl intoxication inhibits the activity of acetylcholinesterase, which is contained within synaptic junctions between neurons. Most of the methomyl intoxication cases present with symptoms of cholinergic excess, which provokes respiratory failure, cardiovascular failure, and/or cardiorespiratory failure. Methomyl poisoning in humans has not yet been fully evaluated and most studies have reported sporadic cases or series of intoxication. Methomyl poisoning remains a continuing challenge, because this difficult-to-treat clinical condition is frequently associated with significantly high mortality and morbidity. We evaluated the usefulness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the treatment of methomyl intoxication. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines without language restriction. We searched for scientific publications via PubMed, Embase, Cochrane central register of controlled trial, Google Scholar, the KoreaMed, and the Research Information Sharing Service database. The goal of this study was to report on incidence, associated complications, and morbidity/mortality of methomyl poisoning, and to draw special attention to its management with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Results: Only 1 case of a child treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for carbamate or organophosphate intoxication was identified in the literature. After carbamate or organophosphate intoxication, the patient suffered from severe complications including neurological deficits, renal insufficiency, and severe respiratory failure. This child was treated with continuous hemofiltration and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, but expired after 38 days of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In case of our patient, he recovered from the methomyl intoxication after 7 days of VA-ECMO. Conclusions: With only a few exceptions, acute methomyl poisoning is potentially life-threatening and has high incidences of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, physicians should keep in mind the possibility of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the quick support of intoxication. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support might be an alternative to overcome the cholinergic excess, such as respiratory failure, cardiovascular failure, and/or cardiorespiratory failure, especially in the case of severe acute methomyl intoxication.

Drug-facilitated crimes using date-rape drugs are on the rise. Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a notorious date-rape drug, is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and therefore difficult to detect in beverages. The ingestion of GHB can severely incapacitate individuals by inducing dizziness, drowsiness, and unconsciousness, making them vulnerable to crimes. To prevent drug-facilitated crimes, a GHB detection kit is developed in which PCDA-gabazine and PCDA, which strongly interact with GHB, are used as sensing materials, while PEO and PVDF are used as matrix materials that enable rapid GHB detection in a short time by increasing the penetration rate of the liquid samples. Detection kits are fabricated by electrospinning a solution containing the sensing materials and matrix materials mixed in an optimal ratio. The color of the kit distinctly changes from blue to red when a drink spiked with GHB is dropped on it (limit of detection: about 0.0096 wt%). The fabricated GHB detection kit is easy to carry and provides a visually distinguishable detection result without requiring any complicated procedure, equipment, or trained personnel. Importantly, the kit can detect GHB in colored and alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, a mobile application is developed that can aid GHB detection using the kit in diverse environments.

In this study, we determined the effect of organosolv pretreatment on herbaceous biomasses corn stover and wheat straw, by using high-concentration ethanol as the solvent. A high-concentration of ethanol allows for the easy reuse and recycling of the solvent. First, we tested the effects of ethanol pretreatments at 60 and 99.5% (w/w) and found that highest solvent concentration resulted in low glucose digestibility. The maximum enzymatic glucose digestibility with 60% ethanol was 92.6% at 190°C for 120 min (using corn stover) and 86.9% at 190°C for 120 min (using wheat straw). In contrast, the digestion rates with 99.5% ethanol were 68.8 and 77.4% under the same conditions, respectively, indicating that there is a limit to the use of high-concentration ethanol as the solvent. To overcome this limitation, we applied a mechanical pretreatment step before the chemical pretreatment. Subsequently, glucose digestibility increased significantly to 93.1% with 99.5% ethanol as the solvent. Additionally the enzymatic digestibility of mechanically pretreated corn stover was higher than that of non-pretreated corn stover by about 40%. Taken together, these results confirm the efficacy of using high-concentration ethanol as a solvent for organosolv pretreatment when done in conjunction with mechanical pretreatment.

Polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposite films were fabricated with graphene oxide (GO) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) as a hybrid-co-filler with GOCNT fraction varying from 0.05 to 0.4% by weight. The effect of the GOCNT on the physical, thermal, morphological, gas permeation, and optical properties was investigated. The X-ray diffraction test reveals no restacking and coagulation of GOCNT in the composite films. Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis shows an insignificant shift of glass transition and melting temperature but enhanced crystallization resulting from the existence of GOCNT as a nucleating agent. Scanning Electron Microscope scans indicate GOCNT embedded homogeneously without considerable aggregates in the PLA. Transmission of ultraviolet-visible radiation decreases to 30% with increasing fraction of GOCNT while Oxygen Transmission Rate diminishes to 67% in the film. These are attributed to the tortuous pathways provided by the well-dispersed hybrid GOCNT in the PLA. Compared to the pristine PLA film, the composite film shows an increase of 75% and 130% in the tensile strength and Young's modulus, respectively. Taken together, all of these improvements observed in the hybrid GOCNT-PLA composites should provide useful guidelines in customizing designs for applications across a range of fields including packaging, life sciences, cosmetics, and conventional synthetic plastics.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:A thermo-sensitive anti-adhesive with a property of sol-gel transition was manufactured by a physical mixture of Poloxamer, Chitosan and Gelatin. Poloxamer-based thermo-...

A lab scale bioreactor with the submerged polyester mesh of pore size 100 μm, was used for biohydrogen production under mesophilic condition (35 °C). The reactor was continuously fed with glucose (15 g/L) for 90 days with a hydraulic retention time (HRT), ranging from 12 to 1.5 h. Peak hydrogen yield (HY) was achieved at 3 h HRT as 3.22 ± 0.22 mol H2/mol glucose added and the hydrogen production rate was achieved at 2 h HRT as 54.07 ± 3.69 L H2/L-d, respectively. When HRT was reduced to 1.5 h, the hydrogen yield decreased to 1.04 ± 0.44 mol H2/mol glucose added. Washout of the hydrogen producing population and metabolic flux shift to non-hydrogen producing at 1.5 h HRT might have attributed to the lower performance of the bioreactor.

The pretreatment of Helianthus tuberosus residue was studied for fermentable sugar production. The pretreatment was performed by varying the temperature, type of chemical solution, and concentration. Two different catalytic pretreatments using sulfuric acid and aqueous ammonia were operated and compared in a flow-through column reactor system. The flow-through process was required to increase the sugar production yield of biomass. To selectively remove the lignin of biomass and achieve fractionation of hemicellulose in the liquid phase to produce pentose, the flow-through process could be controlled by the pretreatment conditions. Furthermore, the remaining solid underwent enzymatic hydrolysis for hexose production. The mass balances of biomass pretreated with aqueous ammonia and sulfuric acid solution were compared in terms of production of fermentable sugars. The glucose recovery compared to the initial biomass was 71.2% in the pretreatment using aqueous ammonia at 170 °C, and pretreatment using sulfuric acid solution at 150 °C was 52.3%.

The native form of lignocellulosic biomass is resistant to enzymatic breakdown. A well-designed pretreatment that can promote enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass with reasonable processing cost is therefore necessary. To this end, a number of different types of pretreatment technologies have been developed with a common goal of making biomass more susceptible to enzymatic saccharification. Among those, a pretreatment method using alkaline reagent has emerged as one of the most viable process options due primarily to its strong pretreatment effect and relatively simple process scheme. The main features of alkaline pretreatment are that it selectively removes lignin without degrading carbohydrates, and increases porosity and surface area, thereby enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis. In this review, the leading alkaline pretreatment technologies are described and their features and comparative performances are discussed from a process viewpoint. Attempts were also made to give insights into the chemical and physical changes of biomass brought about by pretreatment.

Surface area and pore size distribution of Eucalyptus samples pretreated by different methods were determined by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) technique. Three methods were applied to prepare cellulosic biomass samples for BET measurements: air, freeze, and critical point drying (CPD). Air and freeze drying caused severe collapse of biomass pore structures, but CPD effectively preserved biomass morphology. Surface area of CPD prepared Eucalyptus samples was determined to be 58–161 m2/g, whereas air and freeze dried samples were 0.5–1.3 and 1.0–2.4 m2/g, respectively. Average pore diameter of CPD prepared Eucalyptus samples were 61–70Å. CPD preserved Eucalyptus sample morphology by replacing water with a non-polar solvent, CO2 fluid, which prevented hydrogen bond reformation in the cellulose.

The surface area and pore size distribution of Eucalyptus samples that were pretreated by different methods were determined by the Brunauer&ndash, Emmett&ndash, Teller (BET) technique. Three methods were applied to prepare cellulosic biomass samples for the BET measurements, air, freeze, and critical point drying (CPD). The air and freeze drying caused a severe collapse of the biomass pore structures, but the CPD effectively preserved the biomass morphology. The surface area of the CPD prepared Eucalyptus samples were determined to be 58&ndash, 161 m2/g, whereas the air and freeze dried samples were 0.5&ndash, 1.3 and 1.0&ndash, 2.4 m2/g, respectively. The average pore diameter of the CPD prepared Eucalyptus samples were 61&ndash, 70 &Aring, The CPD preserved the Eucalyptus sample morphology by replacing water with a non-polar solvent, CO2 fluid, which prevented hydrogen bond reformation in the cellulose.

In this study, the optimum conditions for pretreatment of corn stover using organosolv were determined. The predicted optimum conditions, determined using the response surface methodology, were ethanol concentration of 56.6 wt %, reaction temperature of 187.5 °C, and 320 mL of liquid throughput. Moreover, the pretreatment using recycled organosolv was carried out under the predicted optimum conditions. The pretreatment effect of the organosolv decreased as the organosolv was reused in the pretreatment process. When performing pretreatment with the initial organosolv, enzymatic digestibility for glucan was 71.0%. The digestibility was reduced as low as less than 66% in the first reuse process. Nevertheless, when repeatedly reusing the organosolv, the glucan digestibility remained mostly stable. It was confirmed that organosolv can be reused in the flow-through pretreatment of corn stover.

본 연구에서는 목질계 바이오매스인 돼지감자 줄기에 대한 전처리 공정을 수행하였다. 공정은 효소 당화 수율을 높이기 위하여 흐름형 침출 전처리 공정에 2단 전처리 공정으로 적용하였다. 전처리 용매로 암모니아수에 의한 탈 리그닌 효과와 황산 용액에 의한 헤미셀룰로오스의 분해가 효소당화 및 발효에 미치는 영향을 확인하였다. 암모니아수와 황산용액을 이용한 2단 전처리 공정을 수행하였다. 먼저 1단계 공정은 40분 동안 $163.2^{\circ}C$ 의 온도에서 암모니아수로 처리를 진행하였고 다음 2단계 공정은 $169.7^{\circ}C$ 에서 20분 동안 황산 용액으로 처리를 수행하여 물질수지를 구하였다. 그리고 앞의 공정과 반대의 순서로 황산 용액을 먼저 처리한 후 암모니아수를 처리한 2단 전처리 공정을 수행하였다. 이때 암모니아수를 먼저 처리한 공정에서 글루코오스 생산량은 30.7 g으로 72.4%의 수율이 나타났다. 반대로 황산 용액을 먼저 처리한 후 암모니아수를 처리한 2단 전처리 공정에서는 글루코오스 생산량이 20.9 g으로 49.3%의 수율을 보였다. 【In this study, the pretreatment of Helianthus tuberosus residue had been performed. The two-stage pretreatment on flow-through process were applied in the interests of increase of sugar production yield on enzymatic saccharification. The delignification by aqueous ammonia and the fractionation of hemicellulose by sulfuric acid solution as pretreatment solution were confirmed for effects of enzymatic saccharification. Two-stage pretreatment process was performed using aqueous ammonia and sulfuric acid. The first step was performed with aqueous ammonia for 40 min at $163.2^{\circ}C$ and the second step was performed with sulfuric acid solution for 20 min at $169.7^{\circ}C$ . And then, the first step was performed with sulfuric acid solution and the second step was pretreated with aqueous ammonia. At this time, the glucose production was 30.7 g and the glucose yield was 72.4% in the first step process with aqueous ammonia. And, the glucose production was 20.9 g and the glucose yield was 49.3% in the first step process with sulfuric acid solution.】

Objectives Development of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is relatively common and associated with increased mortality. Recently, plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) was used for the prediction of AKI. We evaluated the clinical usefulness of plasma NGAL. Design and methods One hundred twelve adult patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery with CPB were included. Blood samples were obtained at baseline, at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and 24 h after ICU admission. The development of AKI, which is defined as an increase in serum creatinine by more than 50% within 3 postoperative days, was monitored. NGAL levels were analyzed by a Biosite Triage meter (Alere Medical, USA). Diagnostic performance of NGAL was analyzed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results In AKI patients (n = 13), plasma NGAL levels at ICU admission were significantly higher than those at baseline [177 (122–402) vs. 121 (74–158) ng/mL, median (interquartile range), p = 0.028], whereas serum creatinine showed no significant change. The predictive value of NGAL at ICU admission was 0.812 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.68 to 0.95] with a cut-off value of 168.5 ng/mL (sensitivity, 61.5%; specificity, 88.9%). After the exclusion of 35 patients with preoperative decreased renal function, the predictive value was increased to 0.911 (95% CI, 0.82 to 1.00). Conclusions This study showed that plasma NGAL may serve as a useful biomarker for the early detection of AKI in adult patients following CPB.

Liver plays a crucial role in controlling energy homeostasis in mammals, although the exact mechanism by which it influences other peripheral tissues has yet to be addressed. Here we show that Creb regulates transcriptional co-activator (Crtc) 2 is a major regulator of whole-body energy metabolism. Crtc2 liver-specific knockout lowers blood glucose levels with improved glucose and insulin tolerance. Liver-specific knockout mice display increased energy expenditure with smaller lipid droplets in adipose depots. Both plasma and hepatic Fgf21 levels are increased in Crtc2 liver-specific knockout mice, as a result of the reduced miR-34a expression regulated by Creb/Crtc2 and the induction of Sirt1 and Pparα. Ectopic expression of miR-34a reverses the metabolic changes in knockout liver. We suggest that Creb/Crtc2 negatively regulates the Sirt1/Pparα/Fgf21 axis via the induction of miR-34a under diet-induced obesity and insulin-resistant conditions., CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 2, CRTC2, has been associated with regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis. Here Han et al. show that Creb/Crtc2 modulates lipid and glucose metabolism by inhibiting the expression of mi-R34 that, in turn, represses the expression of Sirt1 and PPARα and consequently Fgf21 levels.

A response surface methodology (RSM) tool with the Box-Behnken design was used to determine the optimum pretreatment conditions of Helianthus tuberosus residue for the enzymatic production of fermentable sugar with aqueous ammonia and sulfuric acid solutions, for various parameters such as pretreatment solution concentration, temperature, and reaction time. The pretreatment of biomass was performed using these optimized parameters in aqueous ammonia and sulfuric acid solution, followed by hot water, under the same conditions. The process was then performed by changing the sequence.

When the solvent extraction of the hydrolysate from barley straw was performed using ethyl acetate (EA), the logarithm of the partition coefficient (log P) of the phenols and furans for EA was found to be more than 1.00, which means that more than 90% of the inhibitors were removed from the hydrolysate layer. Cephalosporin C (CPC) was produced from the hydrolysate of dilute acid pretreatment (DAP) by Acremonium chrysogenum M35. A. chrysogenum M35 was cultured using the hydrolysate and the amount of CPC produced was found to be 10.35 g/L at 144 h. Also, the dry cell weight was about 101.5 g/L at 120 h. The utilization of the hydrolysate for CPC production was effective and the solvent extraction method for the removal of inhibitory substances could contribute to the biorefinery process.

섬유소계 바이오매스의 주요 구성요소 간의 관계에 의한 물리적, 화학적 장벽은 셀룰로오스를 발효 가능한 당으로 전환시키는 효소당화를 방해한다. 전처리의 주 목적은 셀룰로오스의 효소당화율을 향상시키기 위하여 기질로의 효소접근성을 높이는 것으로, 전처리 공정의 발전은 지속적으로 요구되고 있다. 본 연구에서는, 간단하고, 상대적으로 저비용인 암모니아수에 의한 침지공정을 전처리방법로 채택하였다. 기질로는 국내 농업 잔류물 중 생산량이 높은 볏짚을 채택하였다. 암모니아수에 의한 침지 공정은 3, 12, 24 그리고 72시간 동안 수행되었다. 그리고 동시당화발효에 미치는 전처리의 효과를 조사하기 위해, 효소당화와 동시당화발효를 30, 40 그리고 50℃에서 수행하였다. 연구 결과에 따르면, 볏짚이 암모니아수에 의한 침지 처리 되었을 때, 기존의 보편적인 동시당화발효와 비교하여 상대적으로 적은 효소사용량과 낮은 온도(30℃) 조건에서도 당화와 동시당화발효가 수행될 수 있음을 확인하였다. 그리고 암모니아수에 의한 침지 처리는 초기 당화속도를 증가시킴으로써 24시간 이내에 발효를 종료시켰다.

Medium components for β-glucosidase (BGL) production in Schizophyllum commune KUC9397 were optimized using a central composite design and response surface methodology. From the various medium components tested, cellulose, soy peptone, and thiamine HCl were selected as the optimal carbon, nitrogen, and vitamin sources, respectively. The highest BGL production was obtained with 2.96% cellulose, 2.30% soy peptone, and 0.11% thiamine HCl. BGL production in the optimized medium was increased 7.2-fold compared to production in an unoptimized medium. Crude enzyme preparation from S. commune KUC9397 was used to saccharify pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. The crude enzyme preparations showed statistically equal saccharification rates as Cellobiase, a commercial BGL. This finding indicates that crude enzymes produced by S. commune KUC9397 have good potential for application in cellulosic biomass conversion systems in place of Cellobiase.

Red algal biomass is a promising alternative feedstock for bioethanol production, due to several advantages including high carbohydrate content, growth rate, ethanol yield, and CO 2 fixation ability. However, it has been known that most yeast strains can not utilize galactose, the major sugar of red algae, as efficiently it can utilize glucose. The authors report a novel ethanogenic strain capable of fermenting galactose, Saccharomyces cerevisiae . This mutant yeast strain exhibited exceptional fermentative performance on galactose and a mixture of galactose and glucose. At 120 g/L of initial galactose concentration, ethanol concentration reached 6.9% (v/v) within 36 h with 88.3% of theoretical ethanol yield (0.51 g ethanol/g galactose). The ethanol concentration and yield were higher than that for glucose at the same initial concentration. In a mixed sugar (galactose + glucose) condition, the existence of glucose retarded galactose utilization however, 120 g/L of the mixed sugar was completely consumed within 60 h at any galactose concentration. The critical inhibitory levels of formic acid, levulinic acid and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) on ethanol fermentation were 0.5, 2.0, and 10.0 g/L; respectively. From this result, the ethanol fermentation efficiency of the novel S. cerevisiae strain using the galactose base of red algae was superior to the fermentation efficiency when using the wild type strain, and the novel strain was found to have resistance to the major inhibitors generated during the saccharification process.

The efficacy of extrusion pretreatment was evaluated by enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with straw of rapeseed, Brassica napus, an agricultural residue. An acceptable pretreatment result was obtained at a barrel temperature of 165 °C, acid concentration of 20 g L−1, liquid feeding rate of 13.4 cm3 min−1, solid feeding rate of 1.0 g min−1, screw rotation speed of 6.3 rad s−1, and residence time of 10.2 min, with a yield of xmg, representing the sum of the corresponding hydrolyzed sugars; xylose, mannose and galactose, of 794.3 g kg−1 and a glucose release of 21.0 g kg−1. These were calculated to be 963.0 g kg−1 and 910.3 g kg−1 based on cellulose and hemicellulose recoveries,respectively. The highest enzymatic digestibility of 781.0 g kg−1was higher than that obtained from the batch pretreatment with dilute acid by 1.4-fold. The SSF process afforded an ethanol concentration of 16.0 g L−1, corresponding to an ethanol yield of 790 g kg−1 based on the total available cellulose in the pretreated rapeseed straw.

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induces variable systemic inflammatory reactions associated with major organ dysfunction via polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). Ulinastatin, a urinary trypsin inhibitor, inhibits PMN activity and reduces systemic inflammatory responses. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of ulinastatin on postoperative blood loss and laboratory changes in patients undergoing open heart surgery. Materials and Methods: Between January 2008 and February 2009, 110 patients who underwent atrioventricular valve surgery through right thoracotomy were divided into two groups. Patients received either 5,000 U/kg ulinastatin (ulinastatin group, n=41) or the equivalent volume of normal saline (control group, n=69) before aortic cross clamping. The primary end points were early coagulation profile changes, postoperative blood loss, transfusion requirements, and duration of intubation and intensive care unit stay. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in early coagulation profile, other perioperative laboratory data, and postoperative blood loss with transfusion requirements. Conclusion: Administration of ulinastatin during operation did not improve the early coagulation profile, postoperative blood loss, or transfusion requirements of patients undergoing open heart surgery. In addition, no significant effect of ulinastatin was observed in major organs dysfunction, systemic inflammatory reactions, or other postoperative profiles.

The study of bioproduct production, such as bioethanol and biochemicals, from inexpensive biomass has recently attracted considerable attention. Compared to land biomass, marine biomass can be grown rapidly and is easily cultivated without the need for expensive equipment. In addition, annual CO 2 absorption by marine biomass is five to seven times higher than that of wood-biomass and the carbohydrate content is higher and can easily be converted to chemicals through proper chemical processes. In the production of various biochemicals from marine biomass, levulinic acid is a highly versatile chemical with numerous industrial uses and the potential to become a commodity chemical. It can be used as a raw material for resins, plasticizers, textiles, animal feed, coatings and antifreeze. The present study was carried out to determine the optimum conditions of temperature, acid concentration and reaction time for levulinic acid production from marine biomass Gelidium amansii using two-step treatment. In the first hydrolysis step, solid-state cellulose was obtained through acid soaking and used to produce ethanol by fermentation and liquid-state galactose. In the second hydrolysis step, the liquid-state galactose was converted into levulinic acid via a high-temperature reaction in a batch reactor. The overall production conversion of G. amansii biomass to levulinic acid in the two-step acid hydrolysis was approximately 20.6%.

Rice straw was utilized for the cultivation of Phanerochaete chrysoporium to produce cellobiose dehydrogenase. The composition of the rice straw after fermentation was found to be 28.77% glucan, 19.05% xylan and 54.81% other lignin containing sugars. The glucan and xylan content decreased due to the consumption of glucan and xylan by P. chrysoporium . After fermentation, the rice straw waste was subjected to chemical pretreatment to remove lignin. The effect of dilute acid pretreatment was not notable because of the glucose loss. However, when the rice straw after fermentation was treated with aqueous ammonia, the composition changed to 44.73% glucan, 25.43% xylan and 29.52% other lignin containing sugars. The aqueous ammonia pretreatment was optimized and an ammonia concentration, reaction time and temperature of 20%, 6 h and 60 °C, respectively, were determined to be the optimal pretreatment conditions After removal of lignin, the initial reaction rate was increased to 0.009583 g/L s, which was about 3 fold higher than the rice straw after fermentation. X-ray diffractometry was performed to investigate the crystallinity index, and the XRD results showed that biological treatment and the combination of both biological treatment and chemical pretreatment decreased the crystallinity index.

This study compares the efficacy of soaking and percolation pretreatments with alkaline solutions for lignocellulosic biomass. The pretreated biomasses underwent enzymatic hydrolysis. Various biomasses such as rice straw and barley were pretreated by soaking processes in various alkaline solutions including sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, aqueous ammonia and sodium carbonate. The enzymatic digestibility of rice straw and barley that had been pretreated by soaking in aqueous ammonia was 85% and 95%, respectively. Eucalyptus residue, Larix leptolepis and Pinus rigida exhibited relatively low enzymatic digestibility in the range of 3.2%–8.3%. Nevertheless, the enzymatic digestibility of pretreated eucalyptus residue was increased by five times compared to that of the initial biomass. In the pretreatment of eucalyptus residue, delignification was more than doubled with percolation pretreatment compared to soaking pretreatment. The enzymatic digestibility of the percolation pretreated eucalyptus residue was increased 12 times.

최근의 식량자원과 충돌의 우려가 있는 전분질계 에탄올 생산에 문제점이 대두되고 있고, 기존의 화석에너지를 대신할 새로운 재생가능 에너지개발에 대한 요구가 지속적으로 증가하면서 새로운 에너지 자원으로서 셀룰로오즈 계열 바이오매스가 지속적인 주목을 받고 있다. 하지만 지난 수십 년 간의 연구에도 불구하고 셀룰로오직 에탄올이 가격 경쟁력을 가지지 못하는 이유는 셀룰로오스 계열 바이오매스의 구성성분인 셀룰로오스, 헤미셀룰로오스, 리그닌의 분리과정이 어렵고, 전처리 과정 중 생산되는 부산물질에 의한 당화 및 발효율이 낮다는 점과, 당화를 위해 다량의 효소가 필요하고 가격이 비싸다는 점이다. 바이오 에탄올 생산을 위한 전처리 공정 기술을 상용화 단계까지 효율적이고, 경제적으로 구축하기 위해서는 경제성이 확보되고 원천 기술 적용이 가능한 바이오매스의 선정과 더불어 기존 기술들의 문제점을 파악, 극복하면서 전체 생산 수율을 높이는 동시에 에너지 저감형태의 새로운 전처리 공정 기술 개발이 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 이러한 문제 점을 해결하기 위해 이전부터 많은 연구가 이루어진 농업 부산물 계열의 볏짚과 그 특성이 비슷할 것으로 보이는 보릿짚을 바이오매스로 선택하여 보편적으로 이용되고 있는 염기 전처리를 적용하여 그 특성에 대하여 파악해 보고자 하였다. 보릿짚은 볏짚과 비교하였을 때 셀룰로오스와 리그닌의 함량이 각각 41.60%와 17.56%로 그 함량이 비슷하게 나타났고 가축 사료로 사용되고 있는 볏짚에 비해 수급단가 또한 상대적으로 낮아 매우 경제적인 바이오매스로 보여진다. 보릿짚을 이용한 암모니아 침지 반응을 통한 볏짚과의 비교에서는 암모니아 농도; 15%, 반응온도; 60 ℃ 반응시간; 24hr의 조건에서 전처리 후 리그닌 제거율 29.09%, 가수분해도 64.78%(16.01 g/L), 에탄올 수율 56.50%(8.65 g/L)로 나타나 볏짚에 비해 그 효과가 낮은 것으로 나타났지만 암모니아에 의한 전처리에 상당한 효과가 있는 것으로 보여진다. NaOH 침지 반응은 NaOH 농도; 2%, 반응온도; 85 ℃, 반응시간; 1hr 동안 반응하여 볏짚과 암모니아 침지 반응에 대한 비교를 통해 그 특성을 파악하였다. NaOH 침지 반응 후 보릿짚의 상대적인 리그닌 제거율; 24.15%, 가수분해도; 58.40%(15.39 g/L), 에탄올 수율 52.56%(8.35 g/L)의 결과를 얻어, 보릿짚이 암모니아를 이용한 전처리와 NaOH를 이용한 전처리 즉 염기 용매를 이용한 전처리에 있어 효과적인 리그닌 제거가 가능한 것으로 결론 지을 수 있고 본 연구 결과를 바탕으로 차 후 NaOH와 암모니아 침지 반응 및 침출 반응의 최적화 연구를 통해 각 전처리의 최적화 조건을 설정할 수 있을 것으로 보인다.

볏짚은 한국에서 매년 대량 생산되는 주요 작물이다. 침지공정을 이용한 목질계 바이오매스의 전처리는 대기압과 $60^{\circ}C$ 의 온도에서 온화한 조건에서 수행되었다. 본 연구에서는 전처리된 바이오매스의 효소당화 조건을 찾아보았다. 볏짚의 경우에 이전의 목질계 바이오매스와 비교하여 당화시간이 다른 것들보다 짧은 것으로 나타났다. SAA(Soaking in Aqueous Ammonia) 전처리 볏짚의 당화는 40~48시간 사이에 종료가 되었고 $50^{\circ}C$ 에서 높은 글루코스 전환율을 나타냈다. 글루코스 전환율은 효소사용량이 각각 65 FPU/ml과 32 CbU/ml일 때 높았다. 기질 농도가 5%(w/v)일 때 전환율은 72시간 동안 당화 후에 83.8%로 나타났다. SAA 전처리 볏짚의 동시당화발효(SSF; Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation) 실험에서는 $40^{\circ}C$ 에서 높은 에탄올 생산수율을 보였다. 그때의 수율은 48시간에서 33.05%로 나타났다. 【Rice straw is the main grain straw and is produced in large quantities every year in Korea. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass using soaking process was carried out mild conditions at atmospheric pressure and temperature of $60^{\circ}C$ . We found enzymatic hydrolysis condition of pretreated biomass. In case of a rice straw, compared with previous lignocellulosic biomass, we found that hydrolysis time was a shorter than others. Hydrolysis of SAA-treated rice straw has shown conversion rate was higher at $50^{\circ}C$ . Hydrolysis was ended between 40~48 hour. Glucose conversion rate was higher when enzyme loading is 65 FPU/ml and 32 CbU/ml. When substrate concentration was 5%(w/v), it was that conversion rate was 83.8% after hydrolysis for 72 hr. In simultaneous saccharification and fermentation(SSF) experiment about SAA-treated rice straw, ethanol productive yield was highest from $40^{\circ}C$ . The yield of that time was 33.05% from 48 hour.】

In this study, the optimization of the major factors for efficient dilute acid pretreatment (DAP) of Korean barley straw was conducted by response surface method (RSM). In addition, saccharification of the optimized pretreated barley straw as well as fermentation of solubilized hemicellulose and enzymatic hydrolysates was performed for bioethanol production. The factors optimized by RSM were concentration of sulfuric acid, reaction time and temperature. Optimization experiments were carried out within the scope of 0.16 ∼ 1.84% sulfuric acid, 10 ∼ 20 min of reaction time, and 116 ∼ 183°C of temperature using a statistical program, and optimal conditions (1.16% of sulfuric acid, 16.9 min of reaction time, and 150°C) were determined based on reliable statistical indicators. The predicted value at stationary point and the experimental value were 81.38 and 80.66%, respectively. Saccharification was performed at 50°C using Celluclast (cellulase) and Novozyme 188 (β-glucosidase) as biocatalysts in an enzyme loading test. Conversion of the saccharification process was approximately 65%. In addition, fermentation of glucose after saccharification and solubilization of xylose solution by DAP were performed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis at 30°C and 200 rpm for 12 h.

Liberation of fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass is one of the key challenges in production ofcellulosic ethanol. Aqueous ammonia cleaves ether and ester bonds in lignin carbohydrate complexes. It is an effectiveswelling reagent for lignocellulosic biomass. The aqueous ammonia pretreatment selectively reduces the lignin contentof biomass. However, at high temperatures, this process solubilizes more than 50% of the hemicellulose in the biomass.Here we conducted a SAA(Soaking in Aqueous Ammonia) process by moderate reaction temperatures at atmosphericpressure using various lignocellulosicbiomass. The optimum condition of this process was 15 wt% of aqueous ammoniaat 50 of reaction time during 72 hr. The delignification was up to 60% basis on initial biomass and the enzymatic digest-ibility was 60~90% for agricultural biomass, respectively. Key words: Biomass Pretreatment, SAA, Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Bio Ethanol

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a mixture of hyaluronic acid and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Guardix-sol ⓡ ) on experimental pericardial adhesion. Material and Method: Thirty rats were divided into 2 groups of 15 rats each and pericardial mesothelial injury was induced during surgery by abrasion. In the control group, blood and normal saline were administered into pericardium; in the test group, blood and HA-CMC solution were administered. Pericardial adhesions were evaluated at 2 weeks (n=5), 4 weeks (n=5), and 6 weeks (n=5) after surgery. The severity of adhesions was graded by macroscopic examination, and the adhesion tissue thickness was analyzed microscopically with Masson trichrome stain and an image processing program. Result: The test group had significantly lower macroscopic adhesion scores (2.9±0.6 : 3.9±0.4, p＜0.000) compared with the control group. For microscopic adhesion tissue thickness, the test group had lower scores compared with the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (91.73±49.91 : 117.67±46.4, p=0.106). Conclusion: We conclude that an HA-CMC solution (Guardix-sol ⓡ ) reduces the formation of pericardial adhesions in this animal model.

Organic/inorganic hybrid coating materials were synthesized using acrylate end-capped polyester, 1,6-hexanediolacrylate, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and 3-trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate (TMSPM). The hybrid materials were cast onto a polycarbonate (PC) substrate and cured by UV irradiation to give a hybrid film with covalent linkage between the inorganic and the organic networks. The coating layer was characterized by FT-IR and 29Si-NMR, and pencil hardness and oxygen permeation rate of coated films were investigated. The pencil hardness of all samples examined in this study was higher than 1H, whereas that of uncoated PC substrate was 6B. The hardness enhancement after coating may due to incorporation of organic acrylate resin. The oxygen permeability coefficient of the film coated with hybrid material on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTEOS) pretreated polycarbonate substrate was 1.67×10−3 GPU, the lowest value in this work, whereas that of uncoated PC substrate was 8.07×10−3 GPU. The lower oxygen permeation rates of these films are attributed to the good adhesion between organic/inorganic hybrid coating layer and PC substrate and a dense structure induced by an increase of network density.

In this paper the internal contactor is a newly developed device for the primary recovery of protein from crude feedstock. Ion exchanges (DEAE-Streamline) are confined inside the internal contactor in a stirred tank. Interactions between the ion exchange in the internal contactor and protein (BSA) in yeast suspension have been studied. For better performance, two strategies are considered: to determine the ion conductivity of a simulated yeast suspension, and to select the optimum process time for adsorption. In this system, advantages of both batch adsorption and expanded bed adsorption were obtained. Furthermore, in denser cell concentration (50 g/L) where EBA cannot be operated, the primary recovery was carried out in 1–2 hr. The efficiency of yield is higher than 80% in this condition.

Citric acid production using Aspergillus niger NRRL 567 grown on peat moss has been optimized in a column bioreactor using a statistically based method. A 23 full factorial design with eight fermentation conditions was applied to evaluate significance on citric acid production and their interactions between variables, where the three independent variables evaluated were aeration rate, bed depth and temperature. Aeration rate and fermentation temperature were identified to be significant variables. Citric acid production markedly increases with aeration rate and fermentation temperature; however, the bed depth of solid substrate showed an insignificant effect on citric acid production. The optimum fermentation condition for citric acid production in a column bioreactor consisted of aeration rate of 0.84 vvm, bed depth of 22 cm and fermentation temperature of 32 °C. Under a given condition, a maximum citric acid production of 120.6 g/l was predicted and matched well with the experimental value of 123.9 g/kg.

To examine antitumor activity of the edible plant Zanthoxylum schinifolium, the cytotoxic effect of various organic solvent extracts of its stems on human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells was investigated. Among these extracts such as methanol extract (SS-7), methylene chloride extract (SS-8), ethyl acetate extract (SS-9), n-butanol extract (SS-10), and residual fraction (SL-11), SS-8 exhibited the most cytotoxic activity against Jurkat T cells. The methylene chloride extract (SS-8) possessed the apoptogenic activity capable of inducing sub-G1 peak along with apoptotic DNA fragmentation in Jurkat T cells. Western blot analysis revealed that SS-8 induced apoptosis via mitochondrial cytochrome c release into cytoplasm, subsequent activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP, which could be blocked by overexpression of Bcl-xL. Jurkat T cell clone I2.1 (FADD -/- ) and Jurkat T cell clone I9.2 (caspase-8 -/- ) were as sensitive as was the wild-type Jurkat T cell clone A3 to the cytotoxic effect of SS-8, suggesting no contribution of Fas/FasL system to the SS-8-mediated apoptosis. The GC-MS analysis of SS-8 showed that it was composed of 16 ingredients including 9,12-octadecanoic acid (18.62%), 2,4-dihydro-5-methyl-4- (1-methylethylidene)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-3H- pyrazol-3-one (14.97%), hexadecanoic acid (14.23%), (z,z)-6,9-pentadecadien- 1-ol (13.73%), 5,6-dimethoxy-2-methyl benzofuran (10.95%), and 4-methoxy-2-methylcinnamic acid (5.38%). These results demonstrate that the methylene chloride extract of the stems of Z. schinifolium can induce apoptotic cell death in Jurkat T cells via intrinsic mitochondria-dependent caspase cascade regulated by Bcl-xL without involvement of the Fas/FasL system.

A batch reactor was used to investigate the dilute acid hydrolysis reaction of alpha-cellulose and sugar decomposition reactions. Varying the sulfuric acid concentration from 0.07 to 5.0% for reaction temperatures between 180 and 220°C significantly affected glucose yields, which ranged from about 70% to below 10%. Increasing the reaction temperature enhanced this effect. Similar experimental results were obtained for the decomposition of xylose. For sugar decomposition reactions, less than 0.3 g/L of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) were produced from glucose and xylose in the absence of sulfuric acid at 190°C and 15 min of reaction time, but adding a small amount of sulfuric acid (0.5%) dramatically increased the decomposition rate and led to the formation of four undesireable products: formic acid, 5-HMF, acetic acid, and furfural. In both hydrolysis and fermentation reactions formic acid, acetic acid, and 5-HMF severely inhibited ethanol fermentation, while furfural had less of an inhibition effect.

The organic-inorganic hybrid membranes of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and 3- aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTEOS) were prepared by sol-gel process and their permeation properties of N2 and O2 were studied. The gas permeability coefficients of N2 and O2 are increased with increasing temperature in a range of 30-50°C. The positive dependence on temperature and higher ideal separation factor than theoretical Knudsen value indicates that PVP/APTEOS hybrid membranes follow solution-diffusion mechanism, which is applied to nonporous membrane. The permeability coefficients of N2 and O2 are decreased with increasing PVP content, at a given temperature. It can be explained that the stronger interaction between PVP and APTEOS reduces available free volume, although the increasing of PVP content may lead to an enhancement of chain flexibility.

Nanophase tin powder having sizes ranging from 6 to 40 nm was synthesized by the inert gas condensation method using helium as the convection gas. As-synthesized particles smaller than 8 nm were the amorphous tin oxide. As-synthesized particles larger than 10 nm can be characterized by the core-shell structure comprising inner crystalline tin core and outer amorphous tin oxide shell having a thickness of about 4 nm. Upon annealing in air, the oxidation of nanophase tin particles strongly depended on particle size. With increasing particle size, the transformation into the crystalline phases took places at a higher temperature. Calculation of the size dependent melting temperature of tin particles indicates that melting of the tin encapsulated with the amorphous tin oxide took place prior to the oxidation.

PURPOSE Paclitaxel is a very effective agent in the treatment of breast cancer. Samyang Corporation has developed its own process to produce paclitaxel in a large volume using plant cell culture technology. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Genexol(R) in patients with metastatic breast cancer who have failed to respond to standard therapy, we performed a prospective, multi- center phase II clinical trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with metastatic breast cancer were included in this study. Enrollees were required to have histologically confirmed breast cancer with bidimensionally measurable metastatic disease. Genexol(R) was administered at 175 mg/m2 as a 3-hour intravenous infusion every 3 weeks. All patients were premedicated with hydrocortisone, pheniramine maleate, and H2 blocker 30 minutes prior to paclitaxel. We planned to administer at least 4 courses of paclitaxel unless there was disease progression or unacceptable toxicity and to continue treatment up to a total of 6 courses in cases of objective response following 4 courses. RESULTS The median duration of follow-up was 8.9 (2.07~13.7) months. Forty-five patients were registered and 43 were eligible. The performance status of patients was ECOG 0~1 in 39 patients (90.7%) and 2 in 4 (9.3%). The location of metastases at the start of the study were the lung (15 patients), liver (8 patients), lymph nodes (22 patients), and other (7 patients). Among the 40 evaluable patients, 15 patients obtained partial responses (PRs) (37.5%, 95% CI: 22.5~52.5%). The median duration of response was 11.67 (4.1~11.7) months and the median time to progression was 7.73 (2.8~11.7) months. The median survival time was not reached at 13.7 months, and the overall survival rate at 13.7 months was 70.1%. The hematologic toxicity was primarily neutropenia with grade 3 or 4 in 10 patients (23.3%). The grade 3 or 4 non-hematologic toxicities included alopecia (17, 39.5%), myalgia (2, 4.7%), neuropathy (2, 4.7%), and pruritus (1, 2.3%). Mild hypersensitivity reaction was observed in 2 patients, although it did not cause withdrawal of the test drug. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the Genexol injection is an effective anticancer formulation for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and toxicity is acceptable.

Trichoderma species are widely used for the commercial production of cellulolytic enzymes. In the present investigation, medium components were optimized using a central composite design and response surface methodology to produce endoglucanase (EG) from Trichoderma harzianum KUC1716. From the various medium components tested, cellulose, soy peptone, and thiamine HCl were selected as the optimal carbon, nitrogen, and vitamin sources, respectively. The highest EG (1.97 U/mL) production was obtained with 1.85% cellulose, 0.48% soy peptone, and 0.10% thiamine HCl. EG production in the optimized medium was 2.6 fold higher than in the unoptimized medium. In addition, the crude enzyme preparation from T. harzianum KUC1716 supplemented with β-glucosidase from Schizophyllum commune KUC9397 was used to hydrolyze various types of lignocellulosic materials and showed significant saccharification yields on all lignocellulosic materials, surpassing that of a commercial enzyme cocktail. It was verified that the crude enzyme preparation derived from T. harzianum KUC1716 could replace the commercial enzymes. This highlights the potential of the crude enzymes for use in biomass conversion systems.

Eight aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (M, K, Q, D, R, I, EP and LARS) and three auxiliary proteins (AIMP1, 2 and 3) are known to form a multi-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC) in mammalian cells. We combined size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with reversed-phase liquid chromatography multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (RPLC-MRM-MS) to characterize MSC components and free ARS proteins in human embryonic kidney (HEK 293T) cells. Crude cell extract and affinity-purified proteins were fractionated by SEC in non-denaturing state and ARSs were monitored in each fraction by MRM-MS. The eleven MSC components appeared mostly in earlier SEC fractions demonstrating their participation in complex formation. TARSL2 and AIMP2-DX2, despite their low abundance, were co-purified with KARS and detected in the SEC fractions, where MSC appeared. Moreover, other large complex-forming ARS proteins, such as VARS and FARS, were detected in earlier fractions. The MRM-MS results were further confirmed by western blot analysis. Our study demonstrates usefulness of combined SEC-MRM analysis for the characterization of protein complexes and in understanding the behavior of minor isoforms or variant proteins.

To understand antitumor activity of Zanthoxylum schinifolium, which has been used as an aromatic and medicinal plant in Korea, the cytotoxic effect of various organic solvent extracts of its leaves on human tumor cells were investigated. Among these extracts such as methanol extract (SL-13), methylene chloride extract (SL-14), ethyl acetate extract (SL-15), n-butanol extract (SL-16), and residual fraction (SL-17), SL-14 appeared to contain the most cytotoxic activity against leukemia and breast cancer cells tested. The methylene chloride extract (SL-14) possessed an apoptogenic activity causing apoptotic DNA fragmentation of human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells via mitochondrial cytochrome c release into cytoplasm, subsequent activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP, which could be negatively regulated by antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL. The GC-MS analysis of SL-14 revealed that the twenty-two ingredients of SL-14 were 9,19-cyclolanost-24-en-3-ol (15.1%), 2-a-methyl-17, b-hop-21-ene (15.1%), 15-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H benzazepin (11.95%), phytol (10.38%), lupeol (9.92%), 12-methylbenzofuran (8.23%), hexadecanoic acid (5.96%), cis,cis,cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid-methylester (5.49%), 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid-methylester (3.59%), 15-methyl-4-(1-methylethylidene)-2-(4-nitrophenyl) (3.36%), hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (1.93%), vitamine E (1.88%), beta-amyrin (0.96%), and auraptene (0.89%). These results demonstrate that the cytotoxicity of the methylene chloride extract of the leaves of Z. schinifolium toward Jurkat T cells is mainly attributable to apoptosis mediated by mitochondria-dependent caspase cascade regulated by Bcl-xL, and provide an insight into the mechanism underlying antitumor activity of the edible plant Z. schinifolium.

A pretreatment method using aqueous ammonia was investigated with the intent of minimizing the liquid throughput. This process uses a flowthrough packed column reactor (or percolation reactor). In comparison to the ammonia recycle percolation (ARP) process developed previously in our laboratory, this process significantly reduces the liquid throughput to one reactor void volume in packed bed (2.0-4.7 mL of liquid/g of corn stover) and, thus, is termed low-liquid ARP (LLARP). In addition to attaining short residence time and reduced energy input, this process achieves 59-70% of lignin removal and 48-57% of xylan retention. With optimum operation of the LLARP to corn stover, enzymatic digestibilities of 95, 90, and 86% were achieved with 60, 15, and 7.5 filter paper units/g of glucan, respectively. In the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation test of the LLARP samples using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (NREL-D5A), an ethanol yield of 84% of the theoretical maximum was achieved with 6% (w/v) glucan loading. In the simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF) test using recombinant Escherichia coli (KO11), both the glucan and xylan in the solid were effectively utilized, giving an overall ethanol yield of 109% of the theoretical maximum based on glucan, a clear indication that the xylan content was converted into ethanol. The xylooligomers existing in the LLARP effluent were not effectively hydrolyzed by cellulase enzyme, achieving only 60% of digestibility. SSCF of the treated corn stover was severely hampered when the substrate was supplemented with the LLARP effluent, giving only 56% the overall yield of ethanol. The effluent appears to significantly inhibit cellulase and microbial activities.