Microbial manganese oxide formation and interaction with toxic metal ions

Diverse bacteria and fungi oxidize Mn(II) enzymatically and produce insoluble Mn(III, IV) oxides, and these organisms are considered to be the primal agents for the occurrence of natural Mn oxide phases in most environments. Biogenic Mn oxides have a high sorption capacity for metal cations and an ability to oxidize numerous inorganic and organic compounds, owing to their structural and redox features. Thus, the microbial process is of significance in both biogeochemical and biotechnological contexts. In this article we summarize the enzymatic Mn(II) oxidation and interactions of biogenic Mn oxides with toxic metal and metalloid ions. Although Mn oxide formation by fungi has not been fully characterized yet, recent researches with ascomycetes emphasize the similarity between the bacterial and fungal Mn(II) oxidation with respect to the involved catalyst (i.e., multicopper oxidase-type enzymes) and the reaction product [i.e., layer-type Mn(IV) oxides]. Laboratory cultures of bacterial and fungal Mn oxidizers are expected to provide fundamental knowledge in their potential use for remediation of environments and effluents contaminated with toxic metal(loid) ions.     

Multifunctional nanocellulose/metal and metal oxide nanoparticle hybrid nanomaterials

Abstract

Nanocellulose materials are derived from cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on the earth. Nanocellulose have been extensively used in the field of food packaging materials, wastewater treatment, drug delivery, tissue engineering, hydrogels, aerogels, sensors, pharmaceuticals, and electronic sectors due to their unique chemical structure and excellent mechanical properties. On the other hand, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NP) such as Ag NP, ZnO NP, CuO NP, and Fe₃O₄ NP have a variety of functional properties such as UV-barrier, antimicrobial, and magnetic properties. Recently, nanocelluloses materials have been used as a green template for producing metal or metal oxide nanoparticles. As a result, multifunctional nanocellulose/metal or metal oxide hybrid nanomaterials with high antibacterial properties, ultraviolet barrier properties, and mechanical properties were prepared. This review emphasized recent information on the synthesis, properties, and potential applications of multifunctional nanocellulose-based hybrid nanomaterials with metal or metal oxides such as Ag NP, ZnO NP, CuO NP, and Fe₃O₄ NP. The nanocellulose-based hybrid nanomaterials have huge potential applications in the area of food packaging, biopharmaceuticals, biomedical, and cosmetics.     

企业人力资源管理与吸引人才

1企业人力资源管理的特征 现阶段企业人力资源管理有如下特征： 第一,战略性.人力资源管理应当进入企业发展战略制订以及战略执行过程,人才管理的不完善将会导致企业的战略发展前景的缺失.     

The bacterial flora of non-carbonated, natural mineral water from the springs to reservoir and glass and plastic bottles

Quantitative and qualitative determinations of the bacterial flora of non-carbonated natural mineral water at the most important steps during bottling at a large water source yielded the following results: (i) Colony counts (on 1:10 diluted plate count agar, incubated at 20 degrees C for 14 days) for water of the five springs and the mixed water were less than 1 to 4 cfu ml-1. The Gram-negative bacterial flora (n = 50 isolates) showed a very different but constant spring specific species distributions with predominance of either eutrophic fluorescent pseudomonads, oligotrophic non-fluorescent pseudomonads or oligotrophic yellow bacteria. (ii) In the reservoir and immediately after bottling the counts were in the range of 10 cfu ml-1. But nearly 30% of the species of the spring water were no longer detectable and there was a significant increase of Gram-positive bacteria. (iii) After 1 week of storage at 20 degrees C colony counts of more than 10(5) cfu ml-1 were found in plastic bottles, but only about 10(4) cfu ml-1 in glass bottles. Besides, a very distinct change of the composition of the microflora occurred. In glass bottles slow-growing oligotrophic non-fluorescent pseudomonads, yellow bacteria and Acinetobacter predominated. In plastic bottles fast-growing eutrophic and mesotrophic fluorescent pseudomonads, Flexibacter and Acinetobacter were dominating. In mineral water, bottled into thoroughly cleaned glass bottles, colony counts of more than 10(5) cfu ml-1 were found within 4 days. In bottles, cleaned mechanically as usual, the increase was significantly slower with a maximum of only 5 x 10(3) cfu ml-1 after 8 days. The results of inoculation experiments in sterile filtered mineral and distilled water led to the suggestion that the difference between the two types of bottles is caused firstly by an inhibition of growth due to residues of cleaning detergents in the glass bottles. Growth promotion by dissolved organic substances in the plastic bottles only played a minor role. After repairing of the pump at a depth of 300 m in a warm mineral water spring, the colony counts at 20, 37 and 42 degrees C on 1:10 diluted and normal plate count agar increased beyond the limits required by the EC directive for mineral water stored a month. Then colony counts decreased slowly and reached the initial level after 1 year, except for the colony counts 1:10 diluted agar at 20 degrees C which stabilized at a relatively high number and a significant alteration of the microflora.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Effect of molecular scale roughness of glass beads on colloidal and bacterial deposition

Molecular-scale surface roughness and charge heterogeneity have been hypothesized as factors that can affect the deposition rates of colloids during their transport in porous media. To test their relative importance, a single batch of cleaned glass beads was divided in half and chemically treated with acid or base to alter surface roughness. Analysis of the topography of 20 glass beads with an atomic force microscope (AFM) indicated that the chromic acid-treated (rough) beads had a root-mean-square roughness of 38.1 +/- 3.9 nm, while the sodium hydroxide-treated (smooth) beads had root-mean-square surface roughness of 15.0 +/- 1.9 nm. AFM force volume imaging of glass bead surfaces did not reveal surface charge heterogeneity. Filtration experiments with inorganic colloids (latex microspheres, 1 microm diameter) consistently demonstrated that there was a greater retention of latex microspheres on rough than smooth glass beads suspended in either low (10(-5) M) or higher (10(-1) M) ionic strength (IS) solutions. Collision efficiencies for rough beads were 30-50% larger than for smooth beads. Collision efficiencies of bacteria using rough glass beads were also equal to or greater than those measured for smooth beads. In experiments with the perchlorate-reducing bacterial isolate KJ, collision efficiencies were significantly greater on rough rather than smooth beads for two different ionic strength solutions (IS = 0.05 or 1 M). In another case (IS = 0.1 M) for KJ, and in filtration experiments with E coli, collision efficiencies were not significantly different between the rough and smooth beads. We hypothesize that the consistently greater deposition rates of microspheres, but not bacteria, on rough rather than smooth beads are due in part to the presence of polymers on the surfaces of bacteria.     

Detection of metal,glass and plastic pieces in bottled beverages using ultrasound

The detection system is composed of a pulse/echo transducer, a water jet nozzle and an x–y table. Foreign bodies such as glass, metal and plastic pieces were detected by scanning the flat bottom of the beverage container. Based on acoustic modeling, a method for detection and identification of foreign bodies is developed and tested. A signal processing algorithm for time–frequency analysis is used to discriminate between beverage and contaminants from ultrasound echoes. Effective detection ability for materials such as glass, metals, and plastic, with sizes from 10 to 2.5 mm² is demonstrated. Experiments were also performed using ultrasonic beam penetrating glass material to detect steel balls of different sizes. This is closer to the case of real foreign body in terms of orthogonality and cross-section to ultrasound beam.     

Ceramide binding to African-American hair fibre correlates with resistance to hair breakage

Repetitive hair-relaxing treatments often applied to African–American hair weaken the hair structure. Therefore hair breakage is a common feature of African–American hair and an important cause of hair loss. Recently, by analysing the lipids extracted from human hair, a fraction of free-ceramide was isolated in which sphinganine was predominant. This study shows that this sphinganine-derived ceramide (i.e. C18-dhCer) binds to African–American hair and protects it from weakening caused by chemicals. To show this binding, we used two methods: radioactivity detection with a microimager^TM and secondary ion mass spectrometry.
We evaluated the benefits of C18-dhCer on African–American hair fibre, relaxed by guanidine hydroxide, using a new method called the Break'in Brush Technique (BBT^®). This method determines the hair breakage resistance during a brushing. Using this technique, we have shown less breakage when applying a shampoo with ceramide.
The present study opens new prospects for the development of products able to increase the protection, provide better care and meet the needs of African–American hair thanks to the effect of ceramide binding.     

Effects of aqueous polymeric surfactants on silicone-hydrogel soft- contact-lens wettability and bacterial adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa binding to soft-contact lenses (SCLs) may curtail sight-threatening microbial keratitis. Substrate surface wettability is known to modulate adhesion of P. aeruginosa. This study investigates the use of aqueous alkoxylate block co-polymer surfactants for enhanced wettability and antibacterial adhesion of SCLs under leaching conditions. Specifically, Pluronic^® F127 (PF) and three ethylene oxide-butylene oxide (EOBO) surfactants were studied with four commercially available silicone–hydrogel contact lenses: Pure Vision?, Acuvue Advance?, Acuvue Oasys? and O₂Optix?. Dilute aqueous PF and EOBO surfactants impregnated all four soft-contact lenses, as demonstrated by surface-tension decline for leached surfactant. For PF surfactant, significant surface-wettability improvement upon rinsing occurred only after overnight leaching. EOBO surfactant showed a similar pattern with O₂Optix? lenses. EOBO-pretreated Pure Vision? lenses, however, showed fast leaching and a significant change in surface energy towards improved wettability. Adhesion assays of P. aeruginosa displayed a small decrease in the binding rate of PAK bacteria for EOBO-pretreated Pure Vision? lenses, but not for EOBO-pretreated O₂Optix? lenses. P. aeruginosa strain-PAO1 bacteria adhesion to all lenses was independent of surface wettability. Despite the ability of polymeric surfactants to lower advancing contact angles under leaching conditions, increased lens wettability is not a universal panacea for antifouling of soft-contact lenses.     

零价铁/氧化石墨烯复合吸附剂对染料和重金属的吸附性能

针对目前酸性染料染色废水中染料和重金属Cr(Ⅵ)引起的严重环境污染问题,以零价铁(Fe⁰)/氧化石墨烯(GO)复合物作为吸附剂,以分别含有弱酸性蓝AS和Cr(Ⅵ)的水溶液模拟染色废水,探究Fe⁰与GO的质量比、溶液pH值及染料与Cr(Ⅵ)的初始质量浓度对吸附性能的影响,考察Fe⁰/GO吸附剂对酸性染料与Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附机制,研究其吸附热力学与动力学。结果表明：Fe⁰与GO吸附剂在质量比为4∶1时具有最佳吸附效果,弱酸性蓝AS染液初始质量浓度为75 mg/L,温度为30℃,pH值为4.0时,12 h后去除率为85.6%,最大吸附量达到85.6 mg/g; Cr(Ⅵ)溶液初始质量浓度为75 mg/L,温度为30℃,pH值为3.0时,12 h后去除率为95.8%,最大吸附量达到95.8 mg/g; Fe⁰/GO对2种污染物的吸附过程均符合Langmuir模型和准二级动力学模型。     

Catalytic ozonation of propanal using wood fly ash and metal oxide nanoparticle impregnated carbon

Catalytic ozonation of propanal at ambient temperatures (23-25 degrees C) was investigated by varying propanal and ozone concentrations and catalyst type. The catalysts tested included wood fly ash (WFA), magnetically separated ash, synthetic hematite and magnetite, and metal oxide nanoparticle impregnated activated carbon and peanut hull char. A power law model independent of ozone concentration for WFA (r(w), moles g(-1) s(-1)) and magnetite (r(m)) were, respectively, r(w) = k'(w) C(R(0.89)) and r(m) = k'(m)C(R(1.55)), where kw, and k'(m) were 2.36 x 10(-6) g(-1) s(-1) (moles)(-0.11) (m3)(0.89) and 6.5 x 10(-4) g(-1) s(-1) (moles)(-0.55) (m3)(1.55), respectively (5-15 ppmv). Magnetite and hematite present in the WFA were theorized to be the primary active sites, since magnetically separated WFA had a significantly higher reaction rate (approximately 12x, mol m(-2) s(-1)) than that of WFA. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated a qualitative increase in magnetite and hematite in the magnetically separated ash, and synthetic magnetite and hematite had reaction rates >80x and 200x that of WFA or activated carbon (surface area basis). Supercritical deposition of hematite on/in peanut hull char successfully generated a porous, pelleted catalystfrom an agricultural residue capable of oxidizing propanal at rates 12x activated carbon and similar to commercially available catalysts (per mass basis). Water vapor significantly increased the propanal reaction rate when using wood fly ash and activated carbon.     

Non-covalent binding of proteins to polyphenols correlates with their amino acid sequence

The present paper describes the assessment of non-covalent binding (NCB) between milk proteins and polyphenols and its correlation with the physicochemical parameters of proteins. A method based on ultrafiltration and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyse free and non-covalently bound polyphenols (ligands) in mixtures with major milk proteins. Binding strength values of individual polyphenols were normalised to those obtained with quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside), used as a reference compound. NCB data acquired by experiments at pH 6.6 without any preliminary protein denaturation were correlated with the physicochemical parameters of ligands and proteins. Unsupervised multivariate analysis revealed that NCB of proteins clustered according to their family (caseins separated from albumins). Based on this model, a predictive relationship was observed between protein-polyphenol binding strength and primary/secondary structure parameters of the proteins e.g. number of charges, proline residues and extended strand. These results confirm that, under the investigated experimental conditions, the NCB between polyphenols and protein mixtures can be predicted and optimised based on the molecular structures.     

Lactobacillus helveticus HY7801 ameliorates bacterial vaginosis by inhibiting biofilm formation and epithelial cell adhesion of Gardnerella vaginalis

Food Science and Biotechnology - Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is caused by a microbial imbalance in the vaginal ecosystem, which causes genital discomfort and a variety of potential complications in...     

Xylella genomics and bacterial pathogenicity to plants

Xylella fastidiosa, a pathogen of citrus, is the first plant pathogenic bacterium for which the complete genome sequence has been published. Inspection of the sequence reveals high relatedness to many genes of other pathogens, notably Xanthomonas campestris. Based on this, we suggest that Xylella possesses certain easily testable properties that contribute to pathogenicity. We also present some general considerations for deriving information on pathogenicity from bacterial genomics.     

Sorption of pyrene by regular and nanoscaled metal oxide particles: influence of adsorbed organic matter

Sorption of pyrene by regular and nanoscaled aluminum, zinc, and titanium oxides was examined. All oxides had low sorption for pyrene because of sorbed water molecules. Due to the larger surface area (SA) of nanoparticles, they had higher sorption for pyrene than the regular ones. Organic matter (OM) coating greatly enhanced pyrene sorption by all oxides, noting the importance of sorbed OM in sorption of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs). Due to higher sorption site density in the sorbed OM phase on the regular oxide surfaces, SA-normalized distribution coefficients (K(dSA)) of pyrene by OM-regular oxide complexes (6.0-40.6) were greater than the OM-coated oxide nanoparticles (0.7-12.5). Furthermore, the OM-regular oxide complexes had higher organic carbon content-normalized K(dSA) values of pyrene (48-17 300) than the OM-nanoscaled oxide complexes (15-1530). This variation may be due to different physical forms and fractionation of the loaded OM on regular and nanoscaled oxide particles.     

Search for a more adequate test to predict the long-term migration from the PVC gaskets of metal lids into oily foods in glass jars

As shown previously, the conventional testing procedure for simulating long-term migration from the gaskets of metal closures into oily foods does not adequately reflect reality. It appears to be impossible to accelerate migration to the extent that the situation at the end of the shelf life of a product can be anticipated in a few days or weeks. Therefore, we investigated whether long-term migration could be extrapolated from migration rates determined for new lids. Jars were kept in the normal upright position. Since heat treatment may have a strong temporary impact, migration during the initial heating for pasteurization or sterilization and storage at ambient temperature were determined using different lids. Commercial products were recalled from sales points throughout Europe to determine the real migration over extended periods of time and for jars with differing histories. This migration was compared with data from the short-term testing to investigate whether an empirical relationship could be derived. The results show that the short-term test enables the comparison of lids and plasticizers in the initial phase of migration, but that long-term extrapolation presupposes more complex kinetic modeling. The results also demonstrate that the legal relevance of “official” testing methods should be reconsidered to avoid conflict when food contact materials comply with migration limits in the test but not in actual application.     

大豆蛋白-氢氧化钙复合胶粘剂的研制

对大豆蛋白与氢氧化钙复合制备大豆胶粘剂进行了研究.考察了大豆蛋白与水质量比、大豆蛋白与氢氧化钙质量比、黏度改良剂乙醇与大豆蛋白质量比对复合胶粘剂耐水性的影响.通过正交实验优化出最佳配方为:大豆蛋白与水质量比1:8,大豆蛋白与氢氧化钙质量比3:1,乙醇与大豆蛋白质量比1:10.在此条件下制得的大豆胶粘剂施在胡桃木样品上,样品经3个浸泡干燥循环(48 h水浸泡和48 h空气干燥)后其剪切强度由未浸泡前的80 MPa降至72.8 MPa,仅下降了9%.结果表明,乙醇增黏后将大豆蛋白与氢氧化钙混合,可得到耐水性较好的复合胶粘剂.