Development of xylose-fermenting yeasts for ethanol production at high acetic acid concentrations

Mutants resistant to comparatively high levels of acetic acid were isolated from the xylose-fermenting yeastsCandida shehatae andPichia stipitis by adapting these cultures to increasing concentrations of acetic acid grown in shake-flask cultures. These mutants were tested for their ability to ferment xylose in presence of high acetic acid concentrations, in acid hydrolysates of wood, and in hardwood spent sulfite liquor, and compared with their wild-type counterparts and between themselves. TheP. stipitis mutant exhibited faster fermentation times, better tolerance to acid hydrolysates, and tolerance to lower pH.     

Antioxidant,Anti-Bacterial,and Congo Red Dye Degradation Activity of AgxO-Decorated Mustard Oil-Derived rGO Nanocomposites

Scaling up the production of functional reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and its composites requires the use of low-cost, simple, and sustainable synthesis methods, and renewable feedstocks. In this study, silver oxide-decorated rGO (Ag_xO−rGO) composites were prepared by open-air combustion of mustard oil, essential oil-containing cooking oil commercially produced from the seeds of Brassica juncea. Silver oxide (Ag_xO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using Coleus aromaticus leaf extract as a reducing agent. Formation of mustard seed rGO and Ag_xO NPs was confirmed by UV-visible characteristic peaks at 258 nm and 444 nm, respectively. rGO had a flake-like morphology and a crystalline structure, with Raman spectra showing clear D and G bands with an I_D/I_G ratio of 0.992, confirming the fewer defects in the as-prepared mustard oil-derived rGO (M−rGO). The rGO-Ag_xO composite showed a degradation efficiency of 81.9% with a rate constant k⁻¹ of 0.9506 min⁻¹ for the sodium salt of benzidinediazo-bis-1-naphthylamine-4-sulfonic acid (known as the azo dye Congo Red) in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The composite also showed some antimicrobial activity against Klebsilla pneomoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus bacterial cells, with inhibition zones of ~15, 18, and 14 mm, respectively, for a concentration of 300 µg/mL. At 600 µg/mL concentration, the composite also showed moderate scavenging activity for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl of ~30.6%, with significantly lower activities measured for Ag_xO (at ~18.1%) and rGO (~8%) when compared to control.     

New Insights into Dietary Pterostilbene: Sources,Metabolism, and Health Promotion Effects

Pterostilbene (PTS), a compound most abundantly found in blueberries, is a natural analog of resveratrol. Several plant species, such as peanuts and grapes, produce PTS. While resveratrol has been extensively studied for its antioxidant properties, recent evidence also points out the diverse therapeutic potential of PTS. Several studies have identified the robust pharmacodynamic features of PTS, including better intestinal absorption and elevated hepatic stability than resveratrol. Indeed, due to its higher bioavailability paired with reduced toxicity compared to other stilbenes, PTS has become an attractive drug candidate for the treatment of several disease conditions, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and aging. This review article provides an extensive summary of the nutraceutical potential of PTS in various disease conditions while discussing the crucial mechanistic pathways implicated. In particular, we share insights from our studies about the Nrf2-mediated effect of PTS in diabetes and associated complications. Moreover, we elucidate the important sources of PTS and discuss in detail its pharmacokinetics and the range of formulations and routes of administration used across experimental studies and human clinical trials. Furthermore, this review also summarizes the strategies successfully used to improve dietary availability and the bio-accessibility of PTS.     

Ionic Interactions of Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate in Aqueous Calcium Chloride Solutions: Solubilities, Densities, Viscosities, and Electrical Conductivities at 30°C

Different physicochemical properties such as solubilities, densities, viscosities, and electrical conductivities of calcium sulfate dihydrate in aqueous calcium chloride solutions have been measured at 30°C to examine the ionic interactions in the system. Density values have been used to calculate the mean apparent molar volumes of ternary mixtures. Viscosity values have been analyzed using different empirical equations and the experimental values of viscosity were combined with conductivity values to get the Walden product. The experimental data have been fitted by a polynomial equation for least-squares analysis to obtain the coefficients and the standard errors. Results have been examined in the light of the structure making or structure breaking effect of the various ions present in the solution.     

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films prepared by pulsed laser ablation

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films (Ce_0.85Gd_0.15 O_1.925) prepared by pulsed laser ablation on silicon substrates in the temperature range 473–973 K are presented. Thermal diffusivities and thermal conductivities were evaluated using photoacoustic spectroscopy. The influence of grain size on thermal properties of the films as a function of deposition temperature is studied. It is observed that the thermal diffusivity and the conductivity of these films decreases up to 873 K and then increases with substrate temperatures. The thermal properties obtained in these films are discussed on the basis of influence of grain size on phonon scattering.     

Ionic Interactions of Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate in Aqueous Sodium Chloride Solutions: Solubilities,Densities, Viscosities,Electrical Conductivities,and Surface Tensions at 35 <Superscript>∘</Superscript>C

The thermodynamic, volumetric, transport, and surface properties, solubilities, densities, viscosities, electrical conductivities, and surface tensions of calcium sulfate dihydrate in aqueous sodium chloride solutions have been measured at 35 C, with a view to determine the ionic interactions that occur in these solutions. The experimental density values have been used to calculate the mean apparent molar volumes of the ternary mixtures. Viscosity values have been analyzed using different empirical equations and the experimental values of the viscosity were combined with conductivity to yield the Walden product. Molar surface energies have been computed using experimental surface tension data. The experimental data have been fitted to polynomial equations by a least-squares analysis to obtain the coefficients and their standard errors. Results have been examined in the light of structure making or structure breaking effects of the various ions present in the solutions.     

An off-axis 50-period electromagnet wiggler for millimeter-wavefree-electron laser experiment

An off-axis 50-period planar, short-wavelength (~10 mm) electromagnet wiggler is developed and characterized for millimeter-wave generation using a sheet electron beam in a free-electron laser experiment. Three-dimensional (3-D) magnetic field measurements of the electromagnet wiggler have been carried out. The measured wiggler magnetic field is 0.16 G/A ±3% while the mean value of wiggler wavelength is 0.998±3% cm. Due to off-axis arrangement of poles, there is a magnetic mirror field in the X direction, to confine the sheet beam     

High temperature x‐ray diffraction studies of zirconia thin films prepared by reactive pulsed laser deposition

Zirconium oxide thin films have been deposited on Si (100) substrates at room temperature at an optimized oxygen partial pressure of 3x10^‐2 mbar by reactive pulsed laser deposition. High temperature x‐ray diffraction (HTXRD) studies of the film in the temperature range room temperature‐1473 K revealed that the film contained only monoclinic phase at temperatures ≤ 673 K and both monoclinic and tetragonal phases were present at temperatures ≥ 773 K. The tetragonal phase content was significantly dominating over monoclinic phase with the increase of temperature. The phase evolution was accompanied with the increase in the crystallite size from 20 to 40 nm for the tetragonal phase. The mean thermal expansion coefficients for the tetragonal phase have been found to be 10.58x10^‐6 K^‐1 and 20.92x10^‐6K^‐1 along a and c‐axes, respectively. The mean volume thermal expansion coefficient is 42.34x10^‐6 K^‐1 in the temperature range 773‐1473 K. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Injectable chitosan-fibrin/nanocurcumin composite hydrogel for the enhancement of angiogenesis

Research on Chemical Intermediates - The work focuses on the development of an injectable chitosan-fibrin (CF) based nanocomposite hydrogel for angiogenic response. The hydrogel base is made of...