Kinetic,thermodynamic parameters and in vitro digestion of tannase from Aspergillus tamarii URM 7115

Tannase is an enzyme used in various industries and produced by a large number of microorganisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate tannase production to determine the biochemical, kinetic, and thermodynamic properties and to simulate tannase in vitro digestion. The tannase-producing fungal strain was isolated from “jamun” leaves and identified as Aspergillus tamarii. Temperature at 26°C for 67?h was the best combination for maximum tannase activity (6.35-fold; initial activity in Plackett–Burman design—15.53?U/mL and average final activity in Doehlert design—98.68?U/mL). The crude extract of tannase was optimally active at 40°C, pH 5.5 and 6.5. Moreover, tannase was stimulated by Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Mn²⁺. The half-life at 40°C lasted 247.55?min. The free energy of Gibbs, enthalpy, and entropy, at 40°C, was 81.47, 16.85, and ?0.21?kJ/mol?·?K, respectively. After total digestion, 123.95% of the original activity was retained. Results suggested that tannase from A. tamarii URM 7115 is an enzyme of interest for industrial applications, such as gallic acid production, additive for feed industry, and for beverage manufacturing, due to its catalytic and thermodynamic properties.     

An algorithm for architecture partitioning in high-speed networks with bursty traffic

This paper analyzes the performance of a switching architecture. The performance measures include the elapsed time of packet transfer and the waiting time to begin transfer. The architecture is partitioned depending on the type of network used and the expected traffic in the network. Every partition has a switch with a buffer that can absorb surges of bursty traffic within the network partition. The buffer size depends on the type of the network and incoming traffic. The partition size depends on the network bandwidth, network traffic, packet size and buffer size. Examples of different networks are used to show the applications of the model. The results show that the elapsed time of packet switch transfer depends exponentially on the number of partitions in the network.     

Evidence for two types of spatial representations: Hemispheric specialization for categorical and coordinate relations.

Analyses of human object recognition abilities led to the hypothesis that 2 kinds of spatial relation representations are used in human vision. Evidence for the distinction between abstract categorical spatial relation representations and specific coordinate spatial relation representations was provided in 4 experiments. These results indicate that Ss make categorical judgments—on/off, left/right, and above/below—faster when stimuli are initially presented to the left cerebral hemisphere, whereas they make evaluations of distance—in relation to 2 mm, 3 mm, or 1 in. (2.54 cm)—faster when stimuli are initially presented to the right cerebral hemisphere. In addition, there was evidence that categorical representations developed with practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new method for manufacturing nanostructured electrodes on glass substrates

The present paper describes a new method for manufacturing a nanostructured porous layer of TiO₂ on a conducting glass substrate for use in a dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell. The method involves deposition of a layer of semiconductor particles onto a conducting substrate and compression of the particle layer to form a mechanically stable, electrically conducting, and porous nanostructured film at room temperature. Photoelectrochemical characteristics and morphology of the resulting nanostructured films are presented. The potential use of the new manufacturing method in the future applications of nanostructured systems is discussed.     

Development of catalysts for hydrogen generation from hydride compounds

Catalytic hydrolysis of NaBH₄ and NH₃BH₃ has been studied. It was shown that the nature of the support and the active component of the catalyst affect the H₂ generation rate. Despite similar sizes of rhodium particles formed on the surface of different supports (γ-Al₂O₃, TiO₂, carbon), their reactivity is different. Rh/TiO₂ with low rhodium concentration (1 wt.%) is the most active catalyst both in the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ and NH₃BH₃. The obtained results show that the rhodium chloride interaction with titania determines the reactivity of rhodium particles formed under action of NaBH₄ medium. TEM, DRS UV–vis and XPS were used to characterize the catalysts.     

To treat or not to treat: comparison of different criteria used to determine whether weight loss is to be recommended

Background  

Excess body fat is a major risk factor for disease primarily due to its endocrine activity. In recent years several criteria have been introduced to evaluate this factor. Nevertheless, treatment need is currently assessed only on the basis of an individual's Body Mass Index (BMI), calculated as body weight (in kg) divided by height in m². The aim of our study was to determine whether application of the BMI, compared to adiposity-based criteria, results in underestimation of the number of subjects needing lifestyle intervention.     

"What is in a word? No versus Yes differentially engage the lateral orbitofrontal cortex": Correction.

Reports an error in "What is in a word? No versus Yes differentially engage the lateral orbitofrontal cortex" by Nelly Alia-Klein, Rita Z. Goldstein, Dardo Tomasi, Lei Zhang, Stephanie Fagin-Jones, Frank Telang, Gene-Jack Wang, Joanna S. Fowler and Nora D. Volkow (Emotion, 2007[Aug], Vol 7[3], 649-659). The supplemental materials link should appear as follows: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.7.3.649.supp. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-11660-018.) The words "No" and "Yes" are involved in conditioning to prohibit or encourage behavior, respectively. The authors, therefore, hypothesized that these words would be attributed to endogenous valence, activating neuronal circuits involved with valence and emotional control. Functional MRI (fMRI) at 4 Tesla was used to record regional brain activity while participants were exposed to emphatic vocalizations of the words. Results showed that No and Yes were associated with opposite brain-behavior responses; while No was negatively valenced, produced slower response times, and evoked a negative signal in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), Yes was positively valenced, produced faster response times, and evoked a positive signal in a contiguous region of the OFC. Attribution of negative valence to No and trait anger control were associated with increased responsivity of the OFC to No. Inasmuch as sensitivity to the prohibitive command No develops during childhood through interaction with primary caregivers as the first social objects, our findings may implicate the lateral OFC in the neurobiology of emotion regulation and subsequent social development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of the oxygen content of low-rank coals on the development of porosity during carbonization

The development of porosity in the course of carbonization of a flame coal, original and pre-oxidized, was studied by means of the adsorption of benzene and carbon dioxide. The results were compared with corresponding data for cokes from a xylitic brown coal. The influence of coal oxygen content on the formation of coke porosity and its thermal dependence is discussed.     

Influence of Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions on structural and magnetic properties of NiZn ferrites

The paper is devoted to the preparation of NiZn ferrite with small substitutions of copper by means of ceramic technology. The influence of small Cu substitution on the microstructural and magnetic properties of NiZn ferrites have been analysed by means of various experimental methods and interpreted from the point of view of preparation technology optimisation and possible applications of such materials. A strong correlation between the substituent content and resulting properties has been observed, thus allowing preparation of material with the properties tailored for any particular application.     

Balancing User Priorities for Sustainability versus Security

In these times of global change, many facility emphases are competing for limited resources. Competing factors include, but are not limited to, sustainable design or green buildings; security, hardening or force protection; accessibility; historic preservation; aesthetics; and functionality. Yet, unlimited resources are seldom, if ever, available to fulfill all of these competing requirements in private or public construction. The Georgia Institute of Technology designed a decision matrix to allow owners and planners to balance these competing requirements on a project-by-project basis and to document the rationale.