Enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-exploded and ethanol organosolv-pretreated douglas-fir by novel and commercial fungal cellulases

Softwood residues are the most abundant feedstock available for bioconversion in many northern countries. However, the high costs for delignification and enzymatic hydrolysis currently deter commercialization of softwood bioconversion processes. This study evaluates the abilities of two novel fungal preparations (MSUBC1 and MSUBC2) and two commercial cellulase preparations (TR1 and TR2) to hydrolyze cellulose in Douglas-fir pretreated by steam explosion or ethanol organosolv process. MSUBC1 showed significantly better performance than the other preparations on both lignocellulosic substrates. In particular, MSUBC1 achieved >76% cellulose conversion for hydrolysis of steam-exploded Douglas-fir (～44% lignin) after 72 h at low enzyme loading (10 filter paper units/g of cellulose) and without β-glucosidase supplementation.     

Evaluation of gamma irradiation effect on physico-chemical properties of a mixed beverage based in soy milk and grape juice

The effects of the main operation variables on the electrochemical oxidation of simulated tributyl phosphate (TBP) waste by a boron-doped diamond anode are individually studied. The optimum operating conditions are obtained as follows: 4 g L^?1 initial TBP concentration, 180 min degradation time, 40 mA cm^?2 current density, 0.5 mol L^?1 Na₂SO₄ as the supporting electrolyte, and unadjusted pH of the aqueous phase. Under such conditions, a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal ratio of 82.3% is achieved, and the energy consumption is 26.16 kWh m^?3. A degradation mechanism of TBP is tentatively proposed.     

A simple and high‐resolution HPLC‐PDA method for simultaneous quantification of local anesthetics in in vitro buccal permeation enhancement studies

A simple, isocratic, high‐resolution and prompt HPLC‐PDA method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of prilocaine (PCL) and lidocaine (LCL) hydrochlorides in in vitro buccal iontophoresis‐driven permeation studies. A reversed‐phase C₁₈ column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 3μm, 110Å) was used for the chromatographic separation. The mobile phase contained acetonitrile: 0.1M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 (1:1, v/v), plus 0.05% (v/v) diethylamine. The isocratic flow rate was set at 1 mL/min and the detection wavelength was 203 nm. PCL and LCL eluted in 8.9 min and 13 min, respectively, and the system suitability parameters varied within an acceptable range. The method was selective, sensitive, precise, accurate and robust, producing a linear plot at the concentration range of 0.25 to 10 µg/mL. The application of this method was demonstrated by a significant enhancement of the permeation of PCL and LCL with the application of iontophoresis (1 mA/cm² per 1 h) through isolated porcine esophageal epithelium. The amount of the drug retained in the epithelium also increased with the application of an electrical current. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analytical performance of glucometers in a tertiary care hospital

Point-of-care (POC) testing of glucose (glucometers) represents a convenient alternative to monitor glycemia since the measurement procedure is performed without delay after sampling of the capillary blood, thereby avoiding the metabolism by the blood cells of glucose present in plasma. Likely because of sample instability, there is no proficiency test provider in Brazil for this type of POC sample. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the analytical performance of glucometers used in a tertiary care hospital. The glucometers used were the Accu-Chek Performa^® model from Roche Diagnostics, which use the principle of amperometry. The reference method was the reaction with modified hexokinase/glucose-6-phosphate in a Dimension^® device. The stability evaluation of the control samples showed that it can be performed up to 90 min after the collection of whole blood samples. In the two rounds performed, only one result of the 17 glucometers evaluated was out of the threshold of two standard deviation. Thus, this method for control of glucometers met the expectations and enabled comparing the glucometers in a hospital. Given the current quality guidelines, daily internal quality control of glucometers is recommended, besides at least two annual comparisons between the results of the glucometers and the reference method and one EQA every 3 months.     

Cleavage by halogens of carbon—cobalt bonds in organometallic complexes of cobalt(III) : III. Kinetics and mechanism of the reactions of organobis(dimethylglyoximato)cobalt(III) complexes with iodine in chloroform

The kinetics of the reaction between organocobaloximes, RCo(DH)₂H₂O, and iodine have been investigated. They reveal the participation of an RCo(DH)₂H₂O · I₂ intermediate which undergoes intramolecular transalkylation and acts as an electrophile towards a second organocobaloxime molecule. The trend in reactivity as the R group is varied is discussed.     

Multicoordinational excited state twisting of indan-1,3-dione derivatives

Excited state relaxation of indan-1,3-dione derivatives with different substituents attached to the phenyl ring and with the bridged amino group was investigated by means of the steady-state fluorescence and femtosecond time-resolved absorption pump–probe spectroscopy. Bridging of the amino group increases the fluorescence quantum yield and the excited state lifetime. Analysis of the results indicates that the phenyl ring twisting around a single central bond leads to the nonradiative state formation and to subsequent fast relaxation to the ground state. Double bond twisting takes place in molecules with the bridged amino group and causes a large Stokes shift and slightly slower excited state relaxation.     

Polyfunctionalized pyrrolidines by Ugi multicomponent reaction followed by palladium-mediated SN2' cyclizations

A 4-component Ugi reaction with a suitable isocyanide, followed by a novel secondary transformation involving a Pd(II)-mediated (R5 = H) or a Pd(0)-mediated (R5 = CO2Me) SN2' cyclization to give highly functionalized N-acyl-2-vinylpyrrolidines, is reported. The overall yields are usually good and in most cases the Pd(0)-catalyzed reaction gave the final product in almost quantitative yield.     

Electrochemical wiring of alpha, omega-alkanedithiol molecules into an electrical circuit

The intrinsic electrical conductivity of alpha, omega-alkanedithiol increases if both ends of the molecule are covalently bonded to metallic contacts.