Effects of carbon source and metabolic engineering on butyrate production in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

Butyrate was produced in recombinant Escherichia coli strains by applying metabolic engineering strategies. The genes for producing butyrate were cloned from Clostridium acetobutylicum and then expressed in E. coli. To study important factors for improving the productivity of butyrate, we deleted pta and ptsG genes in E. coli and compared the effects of these gene deletions in E. coli B and K strains. The effect of carbon sources, glucose and glycerol, was also compared. A significant improvement of butyrate production was made when glycerol was used as a carbon source, resulting in 0.56 g/l of butyrate in LB medium with 1% (v/v) glycerol.     

Hydrotropic effect and thermodynamic analysis on the solubility and mass transfer coefficient enhancement of ethylbenzene

Concentrated aqueous solutions of a large number of hydrotropic agents, urea, nicotinamide, and sodium salicylate, have been employed to enhance the aqueous solubilities of poorly water soluble organic compounds. The influence of a wide range of hydrotrope concentrations (0–3.0mol·L^?1) and different system temperatures (303–333 K) on the solubility of ethylbenzene has been studied. The solubility of ethylbenzene increases with increase in hydrotrope concentration and also with system temperature. Consequent to the increase in the solubility of ethylbenzene, the mass transfer coefficient was also found to increase with increase in hydrotrope concentration at 303 K. The enhancement factor, which is the ratio of the value in the presence and absence of a hydrotrope, is reported for both solubility and mass transfer coefficient of ethylbenzene. The Setschenow constant, K _s , a measure of the effectiveness of a hydrotrope, was determined for each case. To ascertain the hydrotropic aggregation behavior of ethylbenzene, thermodynamic parameters such as Gibb’s free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of ethylbenzene were determined.     

Fermentation of Allium chinense Bulbs With Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY 2013 Shows Enhanced Biofunctionalities,and Nutritional and Chemical Properties

In this study, fermentation of Allium chinense bulbs was carried out with Lactobacillus plantarum ZDY 2013. A decrease in pH from 6.8 to 3.5 and a stable lactic acid bacteria population were observed during 7‐d fermentation. The total phenolic content increased by 2.7‐fold in the aqueous and ethanol extracts of A. chinense bulbs after fermentation. Antioxidant capacity including 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical‐scavenging effect and reducing power of both extracts was significantly (P < 0.05) improved after fermentation. Antagonistic test against 6 pathogens showed that fermentation significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced the antimicrobial activity in both extracts of fermented bulbs, especially in the ethanol extracts of fermented bulbs against L. monocytogenes. Analysis of the free amino acid (FAA) profile by ion‐exchange chromatography revealed that fermentation significantly (P < 0.05) increased total FAA content. In addition, among 27 kinds of volatile components analyzed by headspace–solid phase microextraction–gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, sulfur‐containing compounds accounted for 65.23%, but decreased to 43.65% after fermentation. Our results suggested that fermentation of A. chinense bulbs with L. plantarum could improve their biofunctionalities, and nutritional and chemical properties.     

Tropolone-Conjugated DNA: A Fluorescent Thymidine Analogue Exhibits Solvatochromism,Enzymatic Incorporation into DNA and HeLa Cell Internalization

Tropolone is a non-benzenoid aromatic scaffold with unique photophysical and metal-chelating properties. Recently, it has been conjugated with DNA, and the photophysical properties of this conjugate have been explored. Tropolonyl-deoxyuridine (tr-dU) is a synthetic fluorescent DNA nucleoside analogue that exhibits pH-dependent emissions. However, its solvent-dependent fluorescence properties are unexplored owing to its poor solubility in most organic solvents. It would be interesting to incorporate it into DNA primer enzymatically. This report describes the solvent-dependent fluorescence properties of the silyl-derivative, and enzymatic incorporation of its triphosphate analogue. For practical use, its cell-internalization and cytotoxicity are also explored. tr-dU nucleoside was found to be a potential analogue to design DNA probes and can be explored for various therapeutic applications in the future.     

Development of high temperature material for cellular ceramic regenerative storage heater

Ceramic Regenerative Storage Heater (RSH) is the preferable solution to provide clean hot air in Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) and Scramjet Test facilities to prevent the liquefaction of air during expansion in the high Mach number nozzles. Selection of the heater storage material for such operational requirements is a challenging task. As per the theoretical background; alumina, zirconia or mullite compositions have the capability to withstand at such high operating conditions. In the current study, a series of experiments were carried out to estimate the thermal characteristics of the material. This paper highlights the simplified approach by combining theoretical and experimental methods for economic (reduced time and cost) selection process of high temperature material. The desired material must possess good thermal shock resistance and low dust generation characteristics. Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ based matrix composition fused in a transcrystalline phase exhibits significant improvement on the overall material integrity. Several Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ matrix compositions were examined and the final matrix composite ratio of 90% of Al₂O₃ and 10% of SiO₂ is considered as the desired candidate material. The ceramic matrix was sintered at a temperature of 2123?K, under the specific pressure of 1400?kg/cm² for a period of 2?h, at a heating rate of 3.5?°C/min. The results of the thermal shock tests on various samples are presented. To improve the anti-dust characteristics, the final samples were coated with fine particles (5?µm) of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ matrix. Based on the experimental evaluation, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ fused matrix composition found to be meeting all the requirements of high temperature storage material.     

Sulfonation and Antioxidative Evaluation of Polysaccharides from Pleurotus Mushroom and Streptococcus thermophilus Bacteria: A Review

Human beings are equipped with antioxidant defense systems to neutralize free radicals as free radicals could damage macromolecules, subsequently resulting in serious diseases. Researchers have been attracted to search for potential natural antioxidants to reduce oxidative damage. Pleurotus and Streptococcus thermophilus have been chosen as sources of sustainable bioactive compounds that have been consumed for thousands of years. Polysaccharides are important bioactive components produced by Pleurotus mushrooms and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria. Additionally, there is a continued interest in sulfonation of crude polysaccharides from both sources, since sulfonation has been found to improve or create new bioactive properties in polysaccharides. Both crude and sulfated polysaccharides with good antioxidant capacities have great potential for the further development as commercial products. This review focuses on characterization, sulfonation methods, and antioxidant capacity evaluations of polysaccharides from Pleurotus and S. thermophilus. Common antioxidant capacity assays, including the mechanisms underlying each assay, and various experimental procedures are also discussed.     

Structures and properties of hydroentangled nonwovens: effect of number of manifolds

Hydroentangling is a process in which fibers are entangled by impinging of a curtain of high-speed water jets to form mechanically strong, soft, and textile-like fabrics. Hydroentangled nonwovens are finding a gamut of applications without knowing the entangling mechanisms. In most applications, hydroentangling is carried out using multiple manifolds. This study focuses on the formation of hydroentangled web structures with multiple manifolds and their properties. The 3D analysis revealed the internal structures of hydroentangled nonwovens disclosing formation of fiber loops at jet impact regions. We also report changes of fiber orientations and fiber interlocking within web structures in nonwovens hydroentanged with multiple manifolds.     

Carotenoids and antioxidant capacities from Canarium odontophyllum Miq. fruit

Carotenoids were isolated and identified from peel, pulp and seed fractions of Canarium odontophyllum Miq., and their antioxidant capacities were evaluated. all-trans-β-carotene was present in a large amount in peel (69.5 ± 1.0 mg/kg), followed by pulp (31.1 ± 0.76 mg/kg) and seed (15.1 ± 3.0 mg/kg). Additionally, 15-cis-β-carotene, 9-cis-β-carotene and 13-cis-β-carotenes were also major contributors to carotenoid contents in peel, pulp and seed fractions. Pulp exhibited excellent β-carotene bleaching activity, significantly higher than peel and seed; high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity, whereas peel exhibited significantly higher scavenging activity of 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals. All the extracts exhibited good inhibitory effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced haemoglobin oxidation, ranging from 45.3 to 59.7%. This is the first report about carotenoids and antioxidant capacities from C. odontophyllum fruit, and indicates that this fruit can be explored and promoted as a potential source of natural antioxidants.     

Structural characteristics of oligosaccharides from soy sauce lees and their potential prebiotic effect on lactic acid bacteria

Oligosaccharides have attracted much attention due to the beneficial health effect on human beings. Oligosaccharides were extracted from soy sauce lees (SSLO) and were purified in this work. It was a mixture of oligosaccharides, which accounted for 80.5% of the total weight, and free monosaccharides. Only two monosaccharides, xylose and mannose, were detected in the molecular chain of SSLO. Their relative molar percentages were 53.2% and 46.8% for the oligosaccharide and monosaccharide fractions, respectively. A dose-dependent behaviour was observed for the growth promoting effect of SSLO on Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. When 200 μg/ml of SSLO was applied, the L. bulgaricus concentration was 15.7-fold higher than the control, whilst the S. thermophilus concentration was 34.7-fold higher than the control. The analysis of DPPH radical scavenging activity indicated poor antioxidant activity of SSLO. It also suggested that the prebiotic effect was not correlated with antioxidant activity.     

Hydromagnetic non‐Newtonian nanofluid transport phenomena from an isothermal vertical cone with partial slip: Aerospace nanomaterial enrobing simulation

In this article, the combined magneto‐hydrodynamic heat, momentum, and mass (species) transfer in external boundary layer flow of Casson nanofluid from a vertical cone surface with convective conditions under an applied magnetic field is studied theoretically. The effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis are incorporated in the model in the presence of both heat and nanoparticle mass transfer convective conditions. The governing partial differential equations (PDEs) are transformed into highly nonlinear, coupled, multidegree, nonsimilar PDEs consisting of the momentum, energy, and concentration equations via appropriate nonsimilarity transformations. These transformed conservation equations are solved subject to appropriate boundary conditions with a second‐order, accurate finite difference method of the implicit type. The influences of the emerging parameters, that is, magnetic parameter (M), Casson fluid parameter (β), Brownian motion parameter (Nb), thermophoresis parameter (Nt), Lewis number (Le), Prandtl number (Pr), velocity slip (S_f) and thermal slip (S_T) on velocity, temperature, and nanoparticle concentration distributions is illustrated graphically and interpreted at length. Validation of solutions with a Nakamura tridiagonal method has been included. The study is relevant to enrobing processes for electrically conductive nanomaterials, of potential use in aerospace and other industries.