The Use of Biopreservatives in the Control of Bacterial Contaminants of Sugarcane Alcohol Fermentation

ABSTRACT: Efficacy and safety of biopreservatives were studied for microbiological control of alcohol fermentation. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of nisin and lysozyme, and combinations with EDTA and Tween 20, were determined for Lactobacillus plantarum, L. fermentum , and L. confusus. The highest MIC value for nisin was 9.0 ppm for L. fermentum. Lysozyme was efficient against L. plantarum (700 ppm). A 2⁴ factorial design was used to study the effect of biopreservatives and potentiators on the growth kinetics of Lactobacillus fermentum. The combination of 8.6 ppm of nisin plus 0.1% of Tween 20 delayed the lag phase by 12 h. The biopreservatives did not affect the fermentation kinetics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Langmuir films of polycyclic molecules on mercury

Langmuir films (LFs) of biphenyl and anthracene derivatives on the surface of liquid mercury were studied by surface-specific X-ray and surface tension measurements. Phases of lying-down, side-lying and standing-up molecules were found, some of which exhibit long-range lateral order. The molecular symmetry and the position and nature of the side-, end-, and headgroups are shown to dominate the structural evolution of the LFs with surface coverage.     

Stages of surface erosion under ion irradiation

Initial stages of surface erosion have been studied for NaCl and LiF single crystals bombarded by Ar⁺ ions with 20 keV. For irradiation with doses D=10¹⁰-10¹¹ ions/cm², exoelectron emission has been used, whereas for higher doses, we have used electron microscopy. Two stages of initial surface erosion have been identified; for small doses, there is slow development of atomic-scale roughening, which reaches its peak when areas damaged by closest incident ions start to overlap, and then, beginning with D=10¹⁶ ions/cm², there is rapid etching, deep into the crystal, followed by the emergence of secondary microscopic structure, i.e. caverns, concentric closed steps and terraces. Ion-induced surface structure of alkali halide crystals has been shown to depend strongly on the presence of foreign particles on the surface, as well as on segregation. Topography of thin carbon films and some metals have been discussed.     

Synthesis of magnesium borate nanorods

Single-crystalline magnesium borate Mg₂B₂O₅ nanorods have been synthesized via a simple route based on the calcinations of mixed powders containing Mg(OH)₂ and H₃BO₃. The nanorods have the typical diameters in the range of 70-120 nm and the lengths up to a few micrometers. An optimal synthesis temperature for Mg₂B₂O₅ nanorods was obtained, and the possible growth mechanism was also presented.     

Why are Websites co-linked? The case of Canadian universities

This study examined why Websites were co-linked using Canadian university Websites as the test set. Pages that co-linked to these university Websites were located using Yahool. A random sample of 859 co-linking pages (the page that initiated the co-link) was retrieved and the contents of the page, as well as the context of the link, were manually examined to record the following variables: language, country, type of Website, and the reasons for co-linking. The study found that in over 94% of cases, the two co-linked universities were related academically; many of these cases (38%) showed a relationship specifically in teaching or research. This confirms results, from previous quantitative studies, that Web co-links can be a measure of the similarity or relatedness of sites being co-linked and that Web co-link analysis can thus be used to study relationships among linked Websites.     

Cointegration of Gate-All-Around MOSFETs and Local Silicon-on-Insulator Optical Waveguides on Bulk Silicon

In this work we present a bulk silicon technology platform able to cointegrate gate-all-around (GAA) MOSFETs and local SOI waveguides with pentagonal cross section. Wire diagonals of 100-800 nm are obtained using a lithographic resolution of 0.8 mum. Well-functioning triangular multigate MOSFETs are reported, and tested up to 150 degC. A significant increase is observed in the low-field mobility mu₀ for small devices (W_effles500 nm), which is attributed to local volume inversion in the corners. Preliminary characterization of the optical waveguides is carried out, showing optical losses of a few dB/cm. The processing is entirely CMOS compatible, does not require access to advanced lithography equipment, and is based on a silicon bulk substrate. Thus, this technology might serve as the basis for a low-cost, high-performance optical signaling platform     

Grating Couplers Fabricated by Electron-Beam Lithography for Coupling Free-Space Light Into Nanophotonic Devices

Grating couplers with nanoscale periodicity have been fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. A versatile experimental apparatus has been implemented to measure the efficiency of these gratings in coupling free-space radiation into planar waveguides. This coupling efficiency has been measured as a function of grating depth and the angle and wavelength of incident radiation. Coupling efficiencies of at least 5% and as high as 20% are demonstrated for wavelengths in the vicinity of 1550 nm and incident angles around 45deg.     

Functions for relative maximization

We introduce functions for relative maximization in a general context: the beta and alpha applications. After a systematic study of different kinds of regularities, we investigate how to approximate certain values of these functions using periodic orbits. We also show that the differential of an alpha application determines the asymptotic behavior of the optimal trajectories.