Alkaline Protease Production from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brevibacterium luteolum</Emphasis> (MTCC 5982) Under Solid-State Fermentation and Its Application for Sulfide-Free Unhairing of Cowhides

Enzyme-based unhairing in replacement of conventional lime sulfide system has been attempted as an alternative for tackling pollution. The exorbitant cost of enzyme and the need for stringent process control need to be addressed yet. This study developed a mechanism for regulated release of protease from cheaper agro-wastes, which overcomes the necessity for stringent process control along with total cost reduction. The maximum protease activity of 1193.77 U/g was obtained after 96 h of incubation with 15% inoculum of the actinomycete strain Brevibacterium luteolum (MTCC 5982) under solid-state fermentation (SSF). The medium after SSF was used for unhairing without the downstream processing to avoid the cost involved in enzyme extraction. This also helped in the regulated release of enzyme from bran to the process liquor for controlled unhairing and avoided the problem of grain-pitting. Unhairing process parameters were standardized as 20% enzyme offer, 40% Hide-Float ratio at 5 ± 1 rpm, and process pH of 9.0. The cost of production of 1000 kU of the protease was calculated as 0.44 USD. The techno-economic feasibility studies for setting up an SSF enzyme production plant showed a high return on investment of 15.58% with a payback period of 6.4 years.     

Synthesis,DNA binding,and antimicrobial studies of novel metal complexes containing a pyrazolone derivative Schiff base

A novel series of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and VO(IV) complexes has been synthesized from the Schiff base derived from 4-[(3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)amino]-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1,2-dihydropyrazol-3-one and 1,2-diaminobenzene. Structural features were determined by analytical and spectral techniques. Binding of synthesized complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) was studied by spectroscopic methods and viscosity measurements. Experimental results indicate that the complexes are able to form adducts with DNA and to distort the double helix by changing the base stacking. Lower DNA affinity of the VO(IV) complex is caused by the change of coordination geometry by the vanadyl ion resulting in a somewhat unfavorable configuration for the DNA binding. Oxidative DNA cleavage activities of the complexes were studied with supercoiled (SC) pUC19 DNA using gel electrophoresis; the mechanism studies revealed that the hydroxyl radical is likely to be the reactive species responsible for the cleavage of pUC19 DNA by the synthesized complexes. The in vitro antimicrobial screening effects of the investigated compounds were monitored by the disc diffusion method. The synthesized Schiff base complexes exhibit higher antimicrobial activity than the respective free Schiff base.     

Implementation of the virtual element method for coupled thermo-elasticity in Abaqus

Numerical Algorithms - In this paper, we employ the virtual element method for the numerical solution of linear thermo-elastic problems in two dimensions. The framework is implemented within the...     

A novel access to highly functionalised β-lactams by regio- and stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

A highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of novel spiro pyrrolidines/pyrrolizidines containing β-lactam and oxazolone moieties under two different conditions is achieved using [3+2] cycloaddition methodology in moderate to good yield.     

Multicomponent domino protocol for the stereoselective synthesis of novel pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolinone hybrid heterocycles

A series of structurally intriguing novel pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolinone heterocyclic hybrids have been synthesized for the first time via a one-pot multicomponent domino reaction sequence that involves a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and two subsequent annulation steps. Baylis-Hillman adducts derived from various substituted benzaldehyde and methyl acrylate in presence of DABCO were used as a dipolarophiles, while the 1,3-dipole components were azomethine ylides, formed in situ from isatin derivatives and l-phenylalanine. The reaction generated five new bonds, three new rings and four contiguous stereocenters, which were created with full diastereomeric control.     

Photoacoustic studies on two new organic NLO materials: L‐threonine and L‐prolinium tartrate

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) is a non‐destructive testing (NDT) tool and used here for analyzing the physical properties such as thermal diffusivity, thermal diffusion length, thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity of L‐Threonine and L‐Prolinium tartrate. These two crystals belong to a group of recently developed NLO materials, in our laboratory. The single crystals of the two compounds were grown by using submerged seed solution growth method. Characterization of the crystals was made by using single crystal X‐ray diffraction. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Exhibition of low hyperfine coupling constant for copper(II) in magnesium rubidium sulphate hexahydrate

Single crystal EPR studies of Cu(II) incorporated in magnesium rubidium sulphate hexahydrate are carried out at RT and 77 K. Since the hyperfine lines are not resolved at RT, single crystal rotations have been carried out at 77 K. The spin Hamiltonian parameters calculated from the 77 K spectra are: g₁₁=2.133, g₂₂=2.137, g₃₃=2.327, A₁₁=0.01, A₂₂=1.44 and . The impurity ion occupies an interstitial position in this crystal lattice, which is not very common for copper ion. In addition, the low hyperfine coupling constant is explained by considering an admixture of dx²-y² ground state with dz² excited state. Bonding parameters, κ=0.254, , α²=0.706, α=0.8406 have also been calculated. The present study has helped to understand the static nature of JT, for which the present system is an example.     

Stratified flow boiling heat transfer study of a HFC/HC refrigerant mixture in smooth horizontal tubes

The flow boiling heat transfer coefficients of R-134a/R-290/R-600a (91%:4.068%:4.932% by mass) refrigerant mixture are experimentally arrived in two tubes of diameter 9.52 and 12.7 mm. The tests are conducted to target the varied heat flux condition and stratified flow pattern found in evaporators of refrigerators and deep freezers. The varied heat flux condition is imposed on the refrigerant using a coaxial counter-current heat exchanger test section. The experiments are performed for mass flow rates of the refrigerant mixture between 3 and 5 g s⁻¹ and entry temperature between −8.59 and 5.33°C which are bubble temperatures corresponding to a pressure of 3.2 and 5 bar. The influences of heat flux, mass flow rate, pressure, flow pattern, tube diameter on the heat transfer coefficient are discussed. The profound effects of nucleate boiling prevailing even at higher vapor qualities in evaporators are highlighted. The heat transfer coefficient of the refrigerant mixture is also compared with that of R-134a.     

Electron density distribution in GaAs using MEM

Electron density distribution of GaAs is determined by means of the maximum entropy method (MEM) using reasonably good X-ray data collected at room temperature and 200 K. The bonding electron distributions are clearly visible in the MEM map and the mixed covalent-ionic character in GaAs is evidenced. The density distributions at 200 K show more condensed electronic clouds as compared to the room temperature map, preserving the trend in the bonding characters. The electron densities at the middle of the bond are 0.79 and 0.70 e/ų at 200 K and at room temperature, respectively. The refined harmonic thermal factors are in good agreement with the published values.