Surface functionalized waste-silk fabric engineered with polylactic acid & activated charcoal for oil/solvent recovery from oily wastewater

The present study reports using waste silk fabric functionalized using Polylactic acid (PLA) and Activated charcoal for oil/solvent recovery from simulated seawater (3.5% NaCl-based water). An average of 91% separation was visible in the functionalized waste silk fabric with an efficiency up to 20 cycles towards petroleum oils/solvents from simulated seawater. Further, the functionalized waste fabric showed hydrophobic properties with a water-based contact angle of 105° and oil/solvent absorption towards petroleum oils and organic solvent, with a surface free energy of 52.46 mN m⁻¹. The functionalized waste silk also showed permeation flux of 658, 386, and 993 L m⁻² h⁻¹, for Petrol, Diesel, and n-Hexane, respectively. The results show that PLA/Activated-charcoal engineered waste silk can be effectively applied for practical oil/solvent recovery from simulated seawater. Utilizing waste silk fabric further supports in reducing the global carbon footprints as silk does not emit and/-or produce carbon dioxide due to its green origin and generating the circular economy approach.     

Polyketides with different post-modifications from desert endophytic fungus Paraphoma sp.

Three new polyketides 4,6,8-trihydroxy-5-methyl-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one (1), 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(1-hydroxyethyl)-3,4-dimethylisobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (2) and 1-(4-hydroxy-6-methoxy-1,7-dimethyl-3-oxo-1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran-1-yl) ethyl acetate (3) together with seven known analogues (4–10) were isolated from desert endophytic fungus Paraphoma sp. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by analysis of NMR data. The absolute configuration of (1–3) was established on the basis of CD experiments. The possible biosynthetic pathway of compounds (1–10) was suggested, which implied that these secondary metabolites might be originated from polyketide biosynthesis with different post-modification reactions. Compounds 2, and 5–8 were evaluated for bioactivities against plant pathogen A. solani, whereas none of them displayed any biological effects. In addition, compounds 1, 2 and 5–10 were also tested for cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines (HepG2 cells, MCF-7 cells and Hela cells) without biological effects.     

Impacts of aerosol chemical compositions on optical properties in urban Beijing,China

The optical properties of aerosols and their chemical composition,including water-soluble ions,organic carbon（OC）,and elemental carbon（EC） in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀,were measured from 26 May to 30 June of 2012 at an urban site in Beijing.The daily average concentrations of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were 103.2 and 159.6 μg/m³,respectively.On average,the OC and EC contributed 20.1% and 4.3% ,respectively,to PM_2.5 and 16.3% and3.9% ,respectively,to PM₁₀.Secondary ions(SO₄^2-,NO₃^-,and NH₄⁺) dominated the water-soluble ions and accounted for 57.9% and 62.6% of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀,respectively.The wind dependence of PM_2.5,OC,SO₄^2-,and NO₃^- implied that the pollution sources mainly came from south and southeast of Beijing during the summer.The monthly mean values of the scattering coefficient(σ_sc) and absorption coefficient(σ_ab) at525 nm were 312.9 and 28.7 Mm^-1,respectively,and the mean single-scattering albedo（ω） was 0.85.The wind dependence of σ_sc revealed that this value was mainly influenced by regional transport during the summer,and the relationship between σ_ab and wind indicated that a high σ_ab resulted from the joint effects of local emissions and regional transport.The reconstructed σ_sc that was derived from the revised IMPROVE equation agreed well with the observations.The contribution of different chemical species toσ_sc was investigated under different pollution levels,and it was found that secondary inorganic aerosols accounted for a large part of σ_sc during pollution episodes（35.7% ）,while organic matter was the main contributor to σ_sc under clean conditions（33.6% ）.     

Localization and chemical forms of cadmium in plant samples by combining analytical electron microscopy and X-ray spectromicroscopy

Cadmium (Cd) is a metal of high toxicity for plants. Resolving its distribution and speciation in plants is essential for understanding the mechanisms involved in Cd tolerance, trafficking and accumulation. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was exposed to cadmium under controlled conditions. Elemental distributions in the roots and in the leaves were determined using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDX), and synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), which offers a better sensitivity. The chemical form(s) of cadmium was investigated using Cd L_III-edge (3538 eV) micro X-ray absorption near edge structure (μ-XANES) spectroscopy. Plant μ-XANES spectra were fitted by linear combination of Cd reference spectra. Biological sample preparation and conditioning is a critical point because of possible artifacts. In this work we compared freeze-dried samples analyzed at ambient temperature and frozen hydrated samples analyzed at −170 °C. Our results suggest that in the roots Cd is localized in vascular bundles, and coordinated to S ligands. In the leaves, trichomes (epidermal hairs) represent the main compartment of Cd accumulation. In these specialized cells, μ-XANES results show that the majority of Cd is bound to O/N ligands likely provided by the cell wall, and a minor fraction could be bound to S-containing ligands. No significant difference in Cd speciation was observed between freeze-dried and frozen hydrated samples. This work illustrates the interest and the sensitivity of Cd L_III-edge XANES spectroscopy, which is applied here for the first time to plant samples. Combining μ-XRF and Cd L_III-edge μ-XANES spectroscopy offers promising tools to study Cd storage and trafficking mechanisms in plants and other biological samples.     

Glycoproteomics: Past,present and future

This invited paper charts the origins and progress of glycoproteomics mass spectrometry research at Imperial College, and in celebration of Donald Hunt's 65th birthday it puts into perspective some of the scientific influence which each group has had on the other over a period of some 35 years. We then describe and illustrate current nano-LC–ES–MS and MS/MS strategies for the structural assignment of N-linked glycosylation in proteins involved in sperm/egg fertilisation. Finally, we present recent progress in the automated interpretation of these glycopeptide data sets, which promises to supersede manual interpretation for many applications.     

In situ 19F NMR spectroscopy study of enzymatic transglycosylation reactions using α-d-aldohexopyranosyl fluorides as donors and acceptors

The use of ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy to study the kinetics of the self-condensation reaction of α-d-aldohexopyranosyl fluorides catalysed by α-glycosidases is described. The corresponding fluorinated disaccharides thus synthesised present separate individual fluorine resonances allowing the integration of each species. This method looks particularly useful to help in the choice of donor in enzymatic transglycosylation reactions since the self-condensation reaction always remains in competition with the condensation reaction (reaction of the donor with acceptors other than itself).