Diversity and functional characteristics of lactic acid bacteria from traditional kefir grains

Traditional kefir grains were collected from distinct parts of Turkey, and their microbial profile was determined. A wide bacterial biota was observed formed by distinct lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in which Lactococcus lactis strains appeared to be dominant. Yeast species were also identified in kefir grains. Significant levels of antifungal and antibacterial activities were monitored in kefir isolates. All tested LAB produced an exopolysaccharide (EPS) containing glucose and galactose, and some strains formed a fructan‐type EPS. Importantly, low levels of antibiotic resistance were observed among the kefir isolates.     

Production of the biomimetic small diameter blood vessels for cardiovascular tissue engineering

A novel biomimetic vascular graft scaffolds were produced by electrospinning method with the most superior characteristics to be a proper biomimetic small diameter blood vessel using Polycaprolactone(PCL), Ethyl Cellulose(EC) and Collagen Type-1 were used to create the most convenient synergy of a natural and synthetic polymer to achieve similarity to native small diameter blood vessels. Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry Analysis(DSC), tensile measurement tests, and in-vitro and in-vivo applications were performed. Results indicated significant properties such as having 39.33?nm minimum, 104.98?nm average fiber diameter, 3.2?MPa young modulus and 135% relative cell viability.     

Fastest random walk on a path

In this paper, we consider two convex optimisation problems in order to maximise the mixing rate of a Markov chain on an undirected path. In the first formulation, the holding probabilities of vertices are identical and the transition probabilities from a vertex to its neighbours are equal, whereas the second formulation is the more general reversible Markov chain with the same degree proportional stationary distribution. We derive analytical results on the solutions of the optimisation problems and compare the spectra of the associated transition probability matrices.     

Monotonic torsional resistance and fatigue resistance of novel SCOPE RS instruments

To evaluate monotonic torsional resistance and fatigue resistance of novel SCOPE RS instruments and to compare ROTATE, Hyflex CM, OneCurve, and ProTaper Next instruments as a counterpart. The instrument groups were as follows: SCOPE RS; ROTATE; HyflexCM; OneCurve; ProTaperNext. The cyclic fatigue resistance of unused instruments was tested at both room and body temperatures (n = 10). The time to fracture, the mean number of cycles until failure, and the length of the fractured fragments were analyzed. The monotonic torsional resistance of new instruments was measured in accordingly American National Standards/American Dental Association No. 28 and International Organization for Standardization 3630–1:2008 specifications (n = 10). The maximum torque and angular deflection at break were recorded. The fractographic examination was performed by scanning electron microscope. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy was used to investigate the microstructure of NiTi instruments. One‐way ANOVA with Games‐Howell Post Hoc multiple comparisons tests were used (p < .05). The ROTATE had superior cyclic fatigue resistance than other groups in both temperature conditions (p < .01). However, it exhibited lower torsional resistance than SCOPE RS (p < .01). SCOPE RS had superior torsional resistance than other groups (p < .01). Micrographs revealed typical features of fatigue behaviors in all groups. Weight percentages of the Ni and Ti revealed similarity for all instruments. The novel SCOPE RS instruments presented superior monotonic torsional resistance but failed to show any improvement in the cyclic fatigue resistance compared with its counterparts, ROTATE, HyflexCM, and OneCurve.     

Effects of particle size and sintering atmosphere on the structure and performance of 316L/SiC composite hollow fiber membranes

Journal of Porous Materials - 316L stainless steel hollow fiber membranes (HFs) are alternatives for polymer and ceramic based membranes. Chemical and waste treatment industries are application...     

Simulation and Fabrication of Stronger,Larger, and Faster Walking Biohybrid Machines

Advancing biologically driven soft robotics and actuators will involve employing different scaffold geometries and cellular constructs to enable a controllable emergence for increased production of force. By using hydrogel scaffolds and muscle tissue, soft biological robotic actuators that are capable of motility have been successfully engineered with varying morphologies. Having the flexibility of altering geometry while ensuring tissue viability can enable advancing functional output from these machines through the implementation of new construction concepts and fabrication approaches. This study reports a forward engineering approach to computationally design the next generation of biological machines via direct numerical simulations. This was subsequently followed by fabrication and characterization of high force producing biological machines. These biological machines show millinewton forces capable of driving locomotion at speeds above 0.5 mm s^?1. It is important to note that these results are predicted by computational simulations, ultimately showing excellent agreement of the predictive models and experimental results, further providing the ability to forward design future generations of these biological machines. This study aims to develop the building blocks and modular technologies capable of scaling force and complexity of these devices for applications toward solving real world problems in medicine, environment, and manufacturing.     

A branch and bound algorithm for scheduling unit size jobs on parallel batching machines to minimize makespan

In this paper, we present a branch and bound algorithm for the parallel batch scheduling of jobs having different processing times, release dates and unit sizes. There are identical machines with a fixed capacity and the number of jobs in a batch cannot exceed the machine capacity. All batched jobs are processed together and the processing time of a batch is given by the greatest processing time of jobs in that batch. We compare our method to a mixed integer program as well as a method from the literature that is capable of optimally solving instances with a single machine. Computational experiments show that our method is much more efficient than the other two methods in terms of solution time for finding the optimal solution.     

Highly Hydrophobic ZIF‐8/Carbon Nitride Foam with Hierarchical Porosity for Oil Capture and Chemical Fixation of CO2

The introduction of hierarchical porosity into metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) has been of considerable interest in gas separation and heterogeneous catalysis due to the efficient mass transfer kinetics through meso/macropores. Here, a facile, scalable approach is reported for the preparation of carbon nitride (CN) foams as structural templates with micrometer‐sized pores and high nitrogen content of 25.6 wt% by the fast carbonization of low‐cost melamine foam. The nitrogen functionalities of CN foam facilitate chemical anchoring and growth of ZIF‐8 (zeolitic imidazolate frameworks) crystals, which leads to the development of hierarchical porosity. The growth of ZIF‐8 crystals also renders CN foam, which is hydrophilic in nature, highly hydrophobic exhibiting 135° of water contact angle due to the enhanced surface roughness, thus creating a natural shield for the MOF crystals against water. The introduction of ZIF‐8 crystals onto the CN foam enables selective absorption of oils up to 58 wt% from water/oil mixtures and also facilitates the highly efficient conversion of CO₂ to chloropropene carbonate in a quantitative yield with excellent product selectivity. Importantly, this present approach could be extended to the vast number of MOF structures, including the ones suffering from water instability, for the preparation of highly functional materials for various applications.     

The production and characterization of poly(lactic acid) fibers dyeable with anionic dyes using octaammonium polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanoparticle

In this study, acid dyeable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fiber was produced with the addition of octaammonium polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OA-POSS) nanoparticle during the melt spinning. The tensile, thermal and morphological properties of the fiber samples were characterized by tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Two different anionic dyes, a disulphonated 1:2 premetallised acid dye and monosulphonated non-metallised, were used. The effects of dyeing conditions including dyeing temperature and time, OA-POSS concentration, anionic dye types and concentrations were investigated on the dyeability properties of the PLA fiber samples. It was concluded that the percent crystallinity and the tensile strength of pure PLA fiber decreased as the added amount of OA-POSS increased. According to the dyeing results, the addition of OA-POSS greatly improved the dyeability of the PLA fiber with anionic dyes by introducing ion–ion interaction between the terminal ammonium groups of POSS nanoparticle and the sulphonyl groups of dye molecules.