CALCULATION PROCEDURE FOR FLOODING IN PACKED COLUMNS USING A CHANNEL MODEL

The combined effect of a channel-based approach for dry pressure drop and the Buchanan equation for wet pressure drop in packed beds has been numerically evaluated within the flooding region. The flooding point is an important design parameter since it establishes the maximum hydrodynamic capacity at which a packed column can operate. Upon analyzing the aforementioned approach, it was found that the usual practice of fixing a “reasonable” wet pressure drop at the flooding point (e.g., 1025 Pa/m) may not yield the correct flooding velocity of the gas, particularly at higher liquid loads. In fact, numerical evaluations of the aforementioned model showed a rather “retrograde” non-monotonic behavior of pressure drop with respect to the f factor of the gas near flooding at different liquid loads. A calculation procedure was therefore devised in this work to correctly compute the flooding point for a given liquid load when using the aforementioned modeling approach. Interestingly, it was found that the correct flooding velocity can be directly computed from liquid holdup below the gas loading point. To illustrate the use of the procedure, maximum capacity calculations were performed for a well-known random packing, a conventional structured packing, and a novel catalytic structured packing.     

The KlTrk1 gene encodes a low affinity transporter of the K+ uptake system in the budding yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

Potassium uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by at least two proteins, known as Trk1p and Trk2p. Direct involvement in cation movements has been demonstrated for Trk1p, which is the high affinity transporter. S. cerevisiae cells also show low affinity potassium uptake, perhaps mediated by Trk2p. Mutants lacking Trk1p, lose high affinity system, but when grown with moderate potassium concentrations, Trk2p seems to replace it. Mutants lacking both proteins are viable but require at least 10 mM K(+) in the medium to sustain growth. Here we report the cloning and characterization of a gene from Kluyveromyces lactis encoding a homologue of these two proteins. KlTrkp is a 1070 amino acid peptide that shows, overall, higher homology with Trk2p than with Trk1p, and its disruption gives rise to cells with deficient potassium transport and with an increased K(+) requirement for normal growth. Determination of kinetic parameters in the K. lactis wild-type and Kltrk1Delta strains, as well as in Sctrk1Delta Sctrk2Delta S. cerevisiae cells expressing KlTrk1, indicated that this is a low affinity component of a major potassium uptake system in K. lactis.     

Mechanistic insights into phosphoprotein-binding FHA domains

[Structure: see text]. FHA domains are protein modules that switch signals in diverse biological pathways by monitoring the phosphorylation of threonine residues of target proteins. As part of the effort to gain insight into cellular avoidance of cancer, FHA domains involved in the cellular response to DNA damage have been especially well-characterized. The complete protein where the FHA domain resides and the interaction partners determine the nature of the signaling. Thus, a key biochemical question is how do FHA domains pick out their partners from among thousands of alternatives in the cell? This Account discusses the structure, affinity, and specificity of FHA domains and the formation of their functional structure. Although FHA domains share sequence identity at only five loop residues, they all fold into a beta-sandwich of two beta-sheets. The conserved arginine and serine of the recognition loops recognize the phosphorylation of the threonine targeted. Side chains emanating from loops that join beta-strand 4 with 5, 6 with 7, or 10 with 11 make specific contacts with amino acids of the ligand that tailor sequence preferences. Many FHA domains choose a partner in extended conformation, somewhat according to the residue three after the phosphothreonine in sequence (pT + 3 position). One group of FHA domains chooses a short carboxylate-containing side chain at pT + 3. Another group chooses a long, branched aliphatic side chain. A third group prefers other hydrophobic or uncharged polar side chains at pT + 3. However, another FHA domain instead chooses on the basis of pT - 2, pT - 3, and pT + 1 positions. An FHA domain from a marker of human cancer instead chooses a much longer protein fragment that adds a beta-strand to its beta-sheet and that presents hydrophobic residues from a novel helix to the usual recognition surface. This novel recognition site and more remote sites for the binding of other types of protein partners were predicted for the entire family of FHA domains by a bioinformatics approach. The phosphopeptide-dependent dynamics of an FHA domain, SH2 domain, and PTB domain suggest a common theme: rigid, preformed binding surfaces support van der Waals contacts that provide favorable binding enthalpy. Despite the lack of pronounced conformational changes in FHA domains linked to binding events, more subtle adjustments may be possible. In the one FHA domain tested, phosphothreonine peptide binding is accompanied by increased flexibility just outside the binding site and increased rigidity across the beta-sandwich. The folding of the same FHA domain progresses through near-native intermediates that stabilize the recognition loops in the center of the phosphoprotein-binding surface; this may promote rigidity in the interface and affinity for targets phosphorylated on threonine.     

Effects of vinyltrimethoxy silane on thermal properties and dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene–wood flour composites

The viability of vinyltrimethoxy silane was investigated as a coupling agent for the manufacture of wood–plastic composites (WPC). The effect of silane pretreatment of the wood flour on the thermal and the dynamic mechanical properties and thermal degradation properties of the composites were studied. Moreover, the effect of organosilane on the properties of composites was compared with the effect of maleated polypropylene (MAPP). DSC studies indicated that the wood flour acts as a PP-nucleating agent, increasing the PP crystallization rate. In general, pretreatment with small amounts of silane improved this behavior in all the WPCs studied. Thermal degradation studies of the WPCs indicated that the presence of wood flour delayed degradation of the PP. Silane pretreatment of the wood flour augmented this effect, though without significantly affecting cellulose degradation. Studies of dynamic mechanical properties revealed that the wood flour (at up to 30 wt %) increased storage modulus values with respect to those of pure PP; in WPCs with a higher wood flour amount, there was no additional increase in storage modulus. Pretreatment of the wood flour with silane basically had no effect on the dynamic mechanical properties of the WPC. These results show that with small amounts of vinyltrimethoxy silane similar properties to the MAPP are reached. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Pickling brine treatment for possible recycling using high‐pressure homogenization

Pickling is a preservation method of vegetables by brine immersion. Residual pickling solutions cannot be reused owing to high yeast content and the presence of polygalacturonase, which may produce vegetable softening. It has been reported that high‐pressure homogenization can reduce enzyme activity and microbial population in liquid foods. An investigation was aimed at studying the effect of high‐pressure homogenization cycles on polygalacturonase activity and yeast survival of residual pickling solutions, from processing of six vegetables. Each pickling solution was pumped through a homogenizing valve at 69 MPa pressure and was recirculated up to 15 times. Yeast counts and polygalacturonase activity were determined in treated solutions after being subjected to 1, 2, 5, 10, and 15 pressure cycles. Untreated and thermally treated solutions were used for comparison. Up to 4 log reductions in yeast inactivation was observed after five high‐pressure cycles treatments, contrasted with only 2 log reductions in thermal treatment. No clear relationship between enzyme inactivation and the number of high pressure cycles, or a thermal parallel effect, were observed. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidant activity and dietary fibre in durum wheat bran by-products

Milling of wheat generates by-products, which can be used to improve the technological performance and/or to integrate foods with healthy compounds. The aim of this paper was to select fractions of durum wheat bran having different functional and nutritional characteristics. Wheat bran by-products were obtained by an industrial milling process. Beside the single fractions, two commercial products Bran & Brain 50 and 70, obtained by blending some of the durum wheat fractions were also studied. All samples were investigated for water holding capacity, soluble and insoluble dietary fibre content and for their antioxidant activity. The soluble fibre content of the durum wheat by-product ranged between 0.9% and 4.1%; while that of insoluble fibre between 21% and 64%. B&B 70 has a TDF content of 61%, while B&B 50 has 42%. The water holding capacity of each fraction is strictly related to the amount of insoluble fibre and to the granulometry of the by-products. Cooking-extrusion process does not affect the amount of soluble fibre; by contrast, a significant increase of the insoluble fibre was detected. The antioxidant activity is higher for the internal bran fraction and it increases in fractions having reduced granulometry. The antioxidant activity of some durum wheat by-product fractions is comparable to that of widespread fruits and fresh vegetables, likely due to the presence of fibre-bound phenol compounds. The high fibre content and antioxidant activity of durum wheat bran by-products can be of particular interest for their use in cereal-based products.     

Two-Stage vs Single-Stage Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion: Comparison of Energy Production and Biodegradation Efficiencies

Two-stage anaerobic digestion (AD) for integrated biohydrogen and biomethane production from organic materials has been reported to promise higher process efficiency and energy recoveries as compared to traditional one-stage AD. This work presents a comparison between two-stage (reactors R1 and R2) and one-stage (reactor R3) AD systems, fed with identical organic substrates and loading rates, focusing the attention on chemical and microbiological aspects. Contrary to previous experiences, no significant differences in overall energy recovery were found for the two-stage and one-stage AD systems. However, an accumulation in R2 of undegraded intermediate metabolites (volatile fatty acids, ketones, amines, amino acids, and phenols) was observed by GC-MS. These compounds were thought to be both cause and effect of this partial inefficiency of the two-stage system, as confirmed also by the less diverse, and thereby less efficient, population of fermentative bacteria observed (by PCR-DGGE) in R2. The extreme environment of R1 (low pH and high metabolites concentrations) probably acted as selector of metabolic pathways, favoring H(2)-producing bacteria able to degrade such a wide variability of intermediate metabolites while limiting other strains. Therefore, if two-stage AD may potentially lead to higher energy recoveries, further efforts should be directed to ensure process efficiency and stability.     

The stability and degradation of dietary DNA in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals: implications for horizontal gene transfer and the biosafety of GMOs

The fate of dietary DNA in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of animals has gained renewed interest after the commercial introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO). Among the concerns regarding GM food, are the possible consequences of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of recombinant dietary DNA to bacteria or animal cells. The exposure of the GIT to dietary DNA is related to the extent of food processing, food composition, and to the level of intake. Animal feeding studies have demonstrated that a minor amount of fragmented dietary DNA may resist the digestive process. Mammals have been shown to take up dietary DNA from the GIT, but stable integration and expression of internalized DNA has not been demonstrated. Despite the ability of several bacterial species to acquire external DNA by natural transformation, in vivo transfer of dietary DNA to bacteria in the intestine has not been detected in the few experimental studies conducted so far. However, major methodological limitations and knowledge gaps of the mechanistic aspects of HGT calls for methodological improvements and further studies to understand the fate of various types of dietary DNA in the GIT.     

Individual factors affecting the risk of death for rear-seated passengers in road crashes

We studied the effect of age, gender, use of restraint systems and seat position on the risk of death for rear-seated passengers of cars involved in road crashes. The data source was the Spanish register of traffic crashes with victims compiled by the Government's General Traffic Directorate. Data for crashes recorded from 1993 to 2002, inclusive, were studied. We used a matched cohort design to analyze all 5260 rear-seated passengers in vehicles occupied by two or three rear-seated passengers for accidents in which at least one of these passengers was killed. Conditional Poisson regression with death as the dependent variable was used. An increased risk of death was observed for females and children aged <3 years. For passengers aged 25 years and older, the risk increased with age. The use of restraint systems and central and right-side seats was associated with a lower risk. These results should be considered in research focused on passenger fragility and strategies to prevent injury and death.     

The sensory quality of dry fermented sausages as affected by fermentation stage and curing agents

The effects on the quality of dry fermented sausages of applying either a slow or rapid fermentation stage, and the addition of either nitrate or nitrite was studied. In the slow fermentation process, TBARS were higher in the batch made with nitrite than in the batch containing nitrate. For rapid fermentation, both batches, with added nitrate and nitrite, presented intermediate TBARS levels. Volatile compounds coming from lipid oxidation and microbial lipid β-oxidation were more abundant (p < 0.05) in the samples submitted to a rapid fermentation stage, whilst compounds coming from amino acid catabolism and carbohydrate fermentation were higher (p < 0.05) in samples subjected to a slow fermentation stage. A significant preference (p < 0.05) was shown during sensory analysis for the batch made with nitrate and submitted to the slow fermentation process in aroma, taste and overall quality, whilst no differences in sensory analysis were detected among batches in the rapid fermentation process. Therefore, the use of nitrate is only justified in slow fermented processes due to its positive effect on the sensory quality of fermented sausages.