Fourier Transform IR Study of NO + CH4 + O2 Coadsorption on In-ZSM-5 DeNOx Catalyst

Reactivity of the NO and NO₂ adspecies in the coadsorption of NO with CH₄ and O₂, and the effect of Si/Al ratio of In-ZSM-5 were studied by FTIR in situ. The relation between the adsorbed species and catalytic activity in the SCR of NO_x to N₂ was also investigated. The adsorption of NO over this catalyst was performed at room temperature with pure NO followed by purging with vacuum. When NO was introduced to the samples, three peaks were observed by FTIR: 1622 and 1575 cm^-1, which can be assigned to adsorbed (ONO)- over InO⁺ site and NO² over InO⁺ site, respectively, and at 1680 cm^-1 corresponding to NO₃ ^--H. Coadsorption of nitrogen monoxide, methane and oxygen at room temperature of the samples with Si/Al ratio of 17(a), 27(b) and 50(c), allowed us to determine that sample (b) has large amount of NO₂–InO⁺ adsorbed species, which are the most important intermediates in the SCR of NO_x. The bands at 1575 and 1680 cm^-1 are more intense in samples (a) and (c). When the coadsorption of the mixture was performed at 400 °C, we can see that the adsorbed species are larger in sample (b). Taking into account the catalytic performance of the catalysts and the PAC results obtained by us earlier, this last indium specie, only present in the sample with Si/Al = 27, should be associated with the catalytic active specie for the SCR of NO_x.     

Carboxymethylcellulose synthesis in organic media containing ethanol and/or acetone

A study of the carboxymethylation of wood pulp cellulose and cotton linters cellulose in different organic media, namely, ethanol, acetone, and ethanol-acetone mixtures, is performed. Previously, the ethanol-acetone 1 : 1 (w/w) mixture used as reaction medium was found to give a higher degree of substitution (DS) than the pure solvents separately. In the present work, the kinetic investigation of cellulose carboxymethylation was carried out in ethanol-acetone 3 : 7 (w/w) mixture, as well as in acetone as reaction media, and the same synergistic effect of the solvents mixture was observed. The data suggested a pseudo-first-order kinetic behavior satisfactorily described by the following equation: ln(1.11 − DS) = −kt. The two reaction steps observed are related to the transformations of less ordered regions with higher reaction rate and more ordered regions with smaller reaction rates, respectively. A possible explanation for this behaviour is given, taking into account the different structural changes of cellulose crystallinity and accessibility produced by ethanol-acetone 3 : 7 (w/w) mixture, ethanol, and acetone, as revealed by X-ray diffraction and calorimetry determinations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67: 481–486, 1998     

Isolation and sequence analysis of the orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase gene (URA3) of Candida utilis. Comparison with the OMP decarboxylase gene family

The URA3 gene of Candida utilis encoding orotidine-5′-phosphate decarboxylase enzyme was isolated by complementation in Escherichia coli pyrF mutation. The deduced amino-acid sequence is highly similar to that of the Ura3 proteins from other yeast and fungal species. An extensive analysis of the family of orotidine-5′-phosphate decarboxylase is shown. The URA3 gene of C. utilis was able to complement functionally the ura3 mutation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sequence presented here has been deposited in the EMBL data library under Accession Number Y12660. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Small Step,a Giant Leap: Somatic Hypermutation of a Single Amino Acid Leads to Anti-La Autoreactivity

The anti-La mab 312B, which was established by hybridoma technology from human-La transgenic mice after adoptive transfer of anti-human La T cells, immunoprecipitates both native eukaryotic human and murine La protein. Therefore, it represents a true anti-La autoantibody. During maturation, the anti-La mab 312B acquired somatic hypermutations (SHMs) which resulted in the replacement of four aa in the complementarity determining regions (CDR) and seven aa in the framework regions. The recombinant derivative of the anti-La mab 312B in which all the SHMs were corrected to the germline sequence failed to recognize the La antigen. We therefore wanted to learn which SHM(s) is (are) responsible for anti-La autoreactivity. Humanization of the 312B ab by grafting its CDR regions to a human Ig backbone confirms that the CDR sequences are mainly responsible for anti-La autoreactivity. Finally, we identified that a single amino acid replacement (D > Y) in the germline sequence of the CDR3 region of the heavy chain of the anti-La mab 312B is sufficient for anti-La autoreactivity.     

Stoichiometric analysis of Kluyveromyces fragilis growth on lactose

This paper describes results of the application of simple metabolic model principles to aerobic growth of Kluyveromyces fragilis during the utilisation of a semi‐synthetic medium simulating dairy waste (whey). The theoretical yield coefficients (maximum, true and real) of biomass on lactose and oxygen, available electrons and ATP were determined and compared with experimental data. The experimental runs were performed in a B Brown fermenter (15 dm³ of operating capacity). The yeast K fragilis was cultured in semi‐synthetic medium containing lactose (40 g dm⁻³) as a main carbon and energy source and ammonia salts as a main nitrogen source (C/N = 8.74). The yeast growth is closely related to the concentration of oxygen in the media. The experimental yields of biomass on lactose and oxygen reached 94% and 88% of real maximum theoretical values, respectively. Calculated true biomass yield coefficients were closely correlated with the values resulting from the balance analysis of stoichiometric equations. The specific maintenance requirement (m_ATP) was 14.7 mmole ATP(g DM h)^‐1. Determination of the elemental composition of the biomass during the course of fermentation resulted in observations of the cellular C/N ratio changes. The conversion of lactose carbon to biomass and CO₂ was 74.3%–81.2%. The recovery of ATP reached 79%, and the recovery of oxygen 96.2%. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Self-Oxygenation of Tissues Orchestrates Full-Thickness Vascularization of Living Implants

Bioengineering of tissues and organs has the potential to generate functional replacement organs. However, achieving the full-thickness vascularization that is required for long-term survival of living implants has remained a grand challenge, especially for clinically sized implants. During the pre-vascular phase, implanted engineered tissues are forced to metabolically rely on the diffusion of nutrients from adjacent host-tissue, which for larger living implants results in anoxia, cell death, and ultimately implant failure. Here it is reported that this challenge can be addressed by engineering self-oxygenating tissues, which is achieved via the incorporation of hydrophobic oxygen-generating micromaterials into engineered tissues. Self-oxygenation of tissues transforms anoxic stresses into hypoxic stimulation in a homogenous and tissue size-independent manner. The in situ elevation of oxygen tension enables the sustained production of high quantities of angiogenic factors by implanted cells, which are offered a metabolically protected pro-angiogenic microenvironment. Numerical simulations predict that self-oxygenation of living tissues will effectively orchestrate rapid full-thickness vascularization of implanted tissues, which is empirically confirmed via in vivo experimentation. Self-oxygenation of tissues thus represents a novel, effective, and widely applicable strategy to enable the vascularization living implants, which is expected to advance organ transplantation and regenerative medicine applications.     

The role of the surface on microglia function: implications for central nervous system tissue engineering

In tissue engineering, it is well accepted that a scaffold surface has a decisive impact on cell behaviour. Here we focused on microglia—the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS)—and on their response to poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-ε-caprolactone) (P(TMC-CL)) fibrous and flat surfaces obtained by electrospinning and solvent cast, respectively. This study aims to provide cues for the design of instructive surfaces that can contribute to the challenging process of CNS regeneration. Cell morphology was evidently affected by the substrate, mirroring the surface main features. Cells cultured on flat substrates presented a round shape, while cells with elongated processes were observed on the electrospun fibres. A higher concentration of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α was detected in culture media from microglia on fibres. Still, astrogliosis is not exacerbated when astrocytes are cultured in the presence of microglia-conditioned media obtained from cultures in contact with either substrate. Furthermore, a significant percentage of microglia was found to participate in the process of myelin phagocytosis, with the formation of multinucleated giant cells being observed only on films. Altogether, the results presented suggest that microglia in contact with the tested substrates may contribute to the regeneration process, putting forward P(TMC-CL) substrates as supporting matrices for nerve regeneration.