Purification and characterization of extracellular caseinolytic enzyme of Micrococcus sp. MCC-315 isolated from cheddar cheese

Micrococcus sp. MCC-315, an organism isolated from Cheddar cheese, produced an extracellular calcium metalloenzyme. This protease was purified to homogeneity from culture supernatant by precipitation with ammonium sulfate (50 to 70% saturation) and gel filtration through Sephadex G-100, resulting in about 82 times increase of specific activity and 53% recovery of the enzyme. The protease exhibited a pH optimum at 10.6 for both whole casein and beta-casein. It had optimum activity for whole casein in the presence and absence of calcium++ at 60 and 50 degrees C, respectively, and at 37 to 40 degrees C for beta-casein with or without calcium++. The enzyme was stable at 45 degrees C but lost activity at higher temperatures. It was inhibited by heavy metal ions but calcium++, cobalt++, manganese++, strontium++, and iron++ had a slight stimulatory effect. The enzyme was inhibited completely and irreversibly by metal chelating agents. Calcium ions were required for maintenance of an active conformation of the enzyme. The enzyme had molecular weight of 28,900 and Michaelis constants 6.66 and 5.00 mg/ml for whole casein and beta-casein. Amino acid analysis of the hydrolyzed enzyme revealed the absence of sulfhydryl groups as was indicated also by lack of inhibition by thiol reagents.     

Laboratory Process Development and Physicochemical Characterization of a Low Amylose and Hydrothermally Treated Ready-to-Eat Rice Product Requiring No Cooking

A low amylose and hydrothermally treated ready-to-eat rice product that requires no cooking was prepared in the laboratory. Hot soaking for 1–3 min with subsequent variable steaming at open and under pressures remarkably altered the kernel and flour properties. Increase in water absorption and lowering of cooking time with extent of steaming were prominent. Soaking of the product at 50 °C for 20 min gave texture values more similar to cooked samples. The viscosity parameters of hot soaking alone were in between those of hot soaking with open steaming and pressure steaming. Pressure steamed samples exhibited almost constantly increasing slurry viscosity throughout the heating and cooling phases of the rapid viscosity analyzer profile. Steaming variably altered the native A-type X-ray diffraction pattern. Pressure steaming of samples with 3 min hot soaking caused complete loss of the A-type conformation with feeble peaks for B- and V-type patterns. The open steamed samples showed peaks for all A-, B-, and V-type patterns. No endotherms for amylose-lipid complexes were however found in the differential scanning calorimetry of the pressure steamed samples. The raw rice flour was highly resistant to α-amylolysis. In open steamed samples, steaming severity decreased the hydrolysis rate indicating formation of enzyme-resistant fractions, while pressure steamed samples showed higher digestibility with treatment severity.     

Comparison of balloon angioplasty versus debulking devices versus stenting in right coronary ostial lesions

Angioplasty of aorto-ostial stenosis is associated with lower procedural success and a higher complication rate. The aim of the present study was to compare the acute and long-term results of balloon and new device angioplasty in 110 consecutive patients with right coronary ostial lesions. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the angioplasty device used: group I (balloon only, n = 26), group II (debulking devices including excimer laser, directional and rotational atherectomy, n = 26), group III (stent, n = 58). Procedural success was highest in group III (96%) followed by group I (88%), and group II (77%). In-hospital complications were similar among the groups (p = NS). Patients in group III achieved the highest acute gain (2.61 mm) followed by groups II (1.92 mm), and I (1.39 mm, p <0.05). During follow up, target lesion revascularization and/or bypass surgery was required in 24% of patients in group III compared with 47% and 40% in groups I and II, respectively (p <0.05). Cardiac-event free survival was highest in the stent group (74%, p <0.005) and was similar between the balloon (39%) and debulking device groups (45%). Thus, among the currently available technologies, stenting of right coronary ostial lesions appears to provide excellent angiographic and long-term results.     

Large-scale synthesis of centrifugally spun tantalum oxynitride fiber electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Tantalum oxynitride (TaO_xN_1−x) fibers were synthesized and evaluated for their electrocatalytic hydrogen activity using an in-house developed centrifugal spinning setup. By tailoring the composition of the spinning solution and optimizing collector distance and rotation speed of the spinneret, bead-free TaO_xN_1−x fibers with a diameter of 800 nm were obtained. The fibers were structurally characterized through phase and elemental analysis, confirming the formation of monoclinic TaO_xN_1−x with clear splitting of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy peaks indicating Ta was in +5 oxidation state. The resulting oxynitride fibers exhibited superior electrocatalytic performance with low overpotentials (250 mV) to generate 10 mA/cm² compared to Ta₂O₅ oxide fibers. Interestingly, the enhanced activity of oxynitride fibers was observed to be suppressed in basic medium due to the high oxophilicity of tantalum ions and a negative Gibbs adsorption-free energy, leading to poisoning of the active sites. This work demonstrates a facile pathway for the fabrication of high-performance electrocatalysts, based on TaO_xN_1−x fibers, from a cost-effective and energy-efficient centrifugal spinning technique.     

Controlling Degree of Inversion in MgFe2O4 Spinel Films Grown in External Magnetic Fields

Single-phase magnesium ferrite spinel films (MgFe₂O₄) were grown by magnetic field-assisted chemical vapor deposition (mfCVD) of a mixed-metal precursor compound, [MgFe₂(O^tBu)₈]. The formation of monophasic MgFe₂O₄ deposits as a function of the applied magnetic field strength (B = 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 T) was investigated and confirmed by X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. Thin film cross-sectional electron microscopic analysis (FIB-SEM) exhibited higher grain growth and densification in MgFe₂O₄ films obtained under the magnetic field influence when compared to spinel samples grown under zero-field conditions. Application of an external magnetic field of varying strengths during the chemical vapor deposition process resulted in a change in the light absorption properties and crystal orientation in the MgFe₂O₄ films, evident in the decreased photoabsorbance analyzed by the UV-Vis spectra and the decrease of intensity of the (400) peak in MgFe₂O₄ films grown under magnetic field. A comprehensive analysis of X-ray diffraction and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) results indicated a higher degree of inversion in MgFe₂O₄ deposits grown in an external magnetic field corroborated by a larger contribution of ligand field transitions of tetrahedrally coordinated Fe(III) centers affecting the visible light absorption of MgFe₂O₄ films.     

Influence of reinforcement and lubrication on abrasive wear performance of polyamide

This paper presents the results of studies on the wear performance of various composites of polyamide (nylon 6,6) reinforced with short carbon fibres and lubricated with a solid lubricant, PTFE, under adverse sliding conditions (abrasive wear). The effects of increasing amounts of fillers, fibre orientation, and experimental parameters such as load, and abrading particle size were investigated. The studies revealed that fillers that are very much suitable for adhesive wear applications are detrimental for the abrasive wear mode. Moreover, wear performance showed deterioration with increasing amount of filler concentration. The combination of heterogeneous fillers proved to be detrimental for wear performance. Efforts were made to correlate these investigations with appropriate mechanical properties. It was found that wear performance was greatly influenced by selected experimental parameters. Worn surfaces were examined with SEM to have better insight of the wear mechanism.     

Electrospun Electroluminescent CsPbBr3 Fibers as Flexible Perovskite Networks for Light-Emitting Application

Thin-film perovskite light-emitting diodes have gained increasing attention in the last 6 years. With the possibility to process the emitting layer from solution, the way for 1D morphology of the semiconductor for flexible devices is paved. Herein, for the first time single-step fabrication of CsPbBr₃@PVP nanofibers in a customized electrospinning process performed under ambient conditions from a water-based precursor solution is reported. The water-based approach allows the incorporation of a conductive polymer into the compound fiber by blending the perovskite precursor ink with commercially available PEDOT:PSS dispersion. The results demonstrate electrospun fiber mats which are stable at ambient conditions for at least 5 months and can be utilized in electroluminescence devices. Photoluminescence studies on the perovskite fibers reveal a blueshift of the emission peak compared to thin films possibly due to the generation of nanocrystals of ≈12 nm by in situ nanocrystal pinning as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. A proof-of-concept electrically pumped light-emitting device is built with the obtained fiber mat. The perovskite nanofibers offer promising applications in flexible and stretchable optoelectronics.