Macrocystis pyrifera Extract Residual as Nutrient Source for the Production of Sophorolipids Compounds by Marine Yeast Rhodotorula rubra

Seaweed processing generates liquid fraction residual that could be used as a low-cost nutrient source for microbial production of metabolites. The Rhodotorula strain is able to produce antimicrobial compounds known as sophorolipids. Our aim was to evaluate sophorolipid production, with antibacterial activity, by marine Rhodotorula rubra using liquid fraction residual (LFR) from the brown seaweed Macrocystis pyrifera as the nutrient source. LFR having a composition of 32% w/w carbohydrate, 1% w/w lipids, 15% w/w protein and 52% w/w ash. The best culture condition for sophorolipid production was LFR 40% v/v, without yeast extract, artificial seawater 80% v/v at 15 °C by 3 growth days, with the antibacterial activity of 24.4 ± 3.1 % on Escherichia coli and 21.1 ± 3.8 % on Staphylococcus aureus. It was possible to identify mono-acetylated acidic and methyl ester acidic sophorolipid. These compounds possess potential as pathogen controllers for application in the food industry.     

A fuzzy extension of Analytic Hierarchy Process based on the constrained fuzzy arithmetic

The aim of the paper is to highlight the necessity of applying the concept of constrained fuzzy arithmetic instead of the concept of standard fuzzy arithmetic in a fuzzy extension of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Emphasis is put on preserving the reciprocity of pairwise comparisons during the computations. For deriving fuzzy weights from a fuzzy pairwise comparison matrix, we consider a fuzzy extension of the geometric mean method and simplify the formulas proposed by Enea and Piazza (Fuzzy Optim Decis Mak 3:39–62, 2004). As for the computation of the overall fuzzy weights of alternatives, we reveal the inappropriateness of applying the concept of standard fuzzy arithmetic and propose the proper formulas where the interactions among the fuzzy weights are taken into account. The advantage of our approach is elimination of the false increase of uncertainty of the overall fuzzy weights. Finally, we advocate the validity of the proposed fuzzy extension of AHP; we show by an illustrative example that by neglecting the information about uncertainty of intensity of preferences we lose an important part of knowledge about the decision making problem which can cause the change in ordering of alternatives.     

Studies on the Uptake of Rare Earth Elements on Polyacrylamidoxime Resins from Natural Concentrate Leachate Solutions

Synthesis of poly(acrylamidoxime) resin from polyacrylonitrile performed with different crosslinking ratios 2, 5, and 10 wt% of divinylbenzene as crosslinking agent, using methylbenzoate and dioctylphthalate as pore producing solvent, the reaction mixture occurred under nitrogen. Studies carried out on diluted solution from rare earth elements (REEs) concentrate contains impurities as Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Al³⁺, Si⁴⁺, Th⁴⁺, U⁶⁺, Ca²⁺, and K⁺. Changing some parameters as pH of the solution, time of feeding and type of acid as HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄. The adsorption efficiency of resin is in the order pH 6 > pH 5 > pH 4 > pH 2 with excluding pH 6 due to the precipitation of some of REEs with the impurities and complete precipitation of Dy ion during pH adjustment, the adsorption in HNO₃ > HCl > H₂SO₄ media.     

Reactions along the astrophysical s-process path and prospects for neutron radiotherapy with the Liquid-Lithium Target (LiLiT) at the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF)

The European Physical Journal A - An empirical formula is proposed for the two-proton decay half-lives. This study is an extension of the empirical formula reported recently by us for calculating...     

Preparation and characterization of 1,2,3‐triazole‐cured polymers from endcapped azides and alkynes

Fourteen commercial polyols have been characterized by GPC, NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. From these, eight corresponding tosylates, six nitrate esters, seven mesylates, 13 alkynes, and 14 azides have been prepared and all these derivatives have been fully characterized. Five alkyne monomers and eight azide monomers were also prepared. Twelve alkynes and 13 azides (functionality 2–4) were combined in 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions under neat conditions to prepare triazole‐cured polymers, avoiding any heavy metal catalyst. Characterization by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and gel permeation chromatography indicated triazole polymers 14 , 22 , 23 , 28 , and 30 with degrees of polymerization of 17–28 to be the best candidates for future work. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 238–256, 2008     

Structure-activity relationships of antibacterial acyl-lysine oligomers

We describe structure-activity relationships that emerged from biophysical data obtained with a library of antimicrobial peptide mimetics composed of 103 oligoacyllysines (OAKs) designed to pin down the importance of hydrophobicity (H) and charge (Q). Based on results obtained with OAKs displaying minimal inhibitory concentration < or = 3 microM, the data indicate that potent inhibitory activity of the gram-negative Escherichia coli and the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus required a relatively narrow yet distinct window of HQ values where the acyl length played multiple and critical roles, both in molecular organization and in selective activity. Thus, incorporation of long-but not short-acyl chains within a peptide backbone is shown to lead to rigid supramolecular organization responsible for poor antibacterial activity and enhanced hemolytic activity. However, sequence manipulations, including introduction of a tandem lysine motif into the oligomer backbone, enabled disassembly of aggregated OAKs and subsequently revealed tiny, nonhemolytic, yet potent antibacterial derivatives.     

Observation of zero current density in the core of jet discharges with lower hybrid heating and current drive

Simultaneous current ramping and application of lower hybrid heating and current drive (LHCD) have produced a region with zero current density within measurement errors in the core ( r/a< or =0.2) of JET tokamak optimized shear discharges. The reduction of core current density is consistent with a simple physical explanation and numerical simulations of radial current diffusion including the effects of LHCD. However, the core current density is clamped at zero, indicating the existence of a physical mechanism which prevents it from becoming negative.     

Determination of nifuroxazide and drotaverine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations by three independent analytical methods

Three new, different, simple, sensitive, and accurate methods were developed for quantitative determination of nifuroxazide (I) and drotaverine hydrochloride (II) in a binary mixture. The first method was spectrophotometry, which allowed determination of I in the presence of II using a zero-order spectrum with an analytically useful maximum at 364.5 nm that obeyed Beer's law over a concentration range of 2-10 microg/mL with mean percentage recovery of 100.08 +/- 0.61. Determination of II in presence of I was obtained by second derivative spectrophotometry at 243.6 nm, which obeyed Beer's law over a concentration range of 2-10 microg/mL with mean recovery of 99.82 +/- 1.46%. The second method was spectrodensitometry, with which both drugs were separated on a silica gel plate using chloroform-acetone-methanol-glacial acetic acid (6 + 3 + 0.9 + 0.1) as the mobile phase and ultraviolet (UV) detection at 365 nm over a concentration range of 0.2-1 microg/band for both drugs, with mean recoveries of 99.99 +/- 0.15 and 100.00 +/- 0.34% for I and II, respectively. The third method was reversed-phase liquid chromatography using acetonitrile-water (40 + 60, v/v; adjusted to pH 2.55 with orthophosphoric acid) as the mobile phase and pentoxifylline as the internal standard at a flow rate of 1 mU/min with UV detection at 285 nm at ambient temperature over a concentration range of 2-10 microg/mL for both drugs, with mean recoveries of 100.24 +/- 1.51 and 100.08 +/- 0.78% for I and II, respectively. The proposed methods were checked using laboratory-prepared mixtures and were successfully applied for the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations containing the above drugs with no interference from other dosage form additives. The validity of the suggested procedures was further assessed by applying the standard addition technique which was found to be satisfactory, and the percentage recoveries obtained were in accordance with those given by the EVA Pharma reference spectrophotometric method.     

DBU-catalyzed transprotection of N-Fmoc-cysteine di- and tripeptides into S-Fm-cysteine di- and tripeptides

The transprotection of N-Fmoc-cysteine containing di- and tripeptides possessing a free SH group to produce the corresponding S-Fm-cysteine di- and tripeptides bearing a free amino group is accomplished efficiently with DBU in dry THF. The N-Fmoc to S-Fm transformation mechanism is discussed. S-Fm-Cysteine di- and tripeptides readily form amide bonds on coupling with N-(Pg-α-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles and N-(Pg-α-dipeptidoyl)benzotriazoles to give larger peptides.     

New methods for determination of cinnarizine in mixture with piracetam by spectrodensitometry, spectrophotometry, and liquid chromatography

Four new methods were developed and validated for the determination of cinnarizine HCl in its binary mixture with piracetam in pure and pharmaceutical preparations. The first one was a densitometric analysis that provides a simple and rapid method for the separation and quantification of cinnarizine HCI. The method depends on the quantitative densitometric evaluation of thin-layer chromatograms of cinnarizine HCI at 252 nm over concentration range of 1-6 microg/spot, with a mean accuracy of 100.05 +/- 0.91%. The second method was determination of the drug using a colorimetric method that utilizes the reaction of 3-methyl-benzothiazolin-2-one in the presence of FeCl3 as an oxidant. The green color of the resulting product was measured at 630 nm over concentration range 10-40 microg/mL, with a mean accuracy of 100.10 +/- 1.13%. The third method was a direct spectrophotometric determination of cinnarizine HCI at 252 nm over the concentration range 7-20 microg/mL, while piracetam was determined by derivative ratio spectrophotometry at 221.6 nm over concentration range 5-30 microg/mL, with a mean accuracy of 100.14 +/- 0.79 and 100.26 +/- 1.24% for cinnarizine HCI and piracetam, respectively. The last method was a liquid chromatography analysis of both cinnarizine HCI and piracetam, depending on quantitative evaluation of chromatograms of cinnarizine HCI and piracetam at 252 and 212 nm, respectively, over the concentration range 10-200 microg/mL for cinnarizine HCI and 20-500 microg/mL for piracetam, with a mean accuracy of 100.03 +/- 0.89 and 100.40 +/- 0.94% for cinnarizine HCI and piracetam, respectively. The proposed procedures were checked using laboratory-prepared mixtures and successfully applied for the analysis of their pharmaceutical preparations. The validity of the proposed procedures was further assessed by applying the standard addition technique. Recoveries were quantitative, and the results obtained agreed with those obtained by other reported methods.