Study of hydrogen production by three strains of Chlorella isolated from the soil in the Algerian Sahara

In this study, the photosynthetic hydrogen production rates by some strains of green microalgae were investigated. Three strains of Chlorella isolated from arid soil and foggaras's water in the Algerian Sahara were used. Chlorella sorokiniana strain Ce, Chlorella salina strain Mt and Chlorella sp strain Pt6 produced hydrogen gas under sulphur-deprived conditions, but its rate was dependent on strain type and oxygen partial pressure in medium. In C. sorokiniana strain Ce, the maximum value of hydrogen accumulated was 147 ml at 222 h at 2% of O₂ pressure. Compared to C. sorokiniana strain Ce, C. salina strain Mt and Chlorella sp strain Pt6 produced less amount of hydrogen, but they were able to sustain with an O₂ partial pressure of up to 11–15.4%. Our data were compared with hydrogen production by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In this communication, the relationship between physiological behaviour, biochemical characteristic (starch and protein) and rates gas production (O₂ and H₂) was also specified.     

Modifying the structure of red mud by simple treatments for high and stable performance in COx-free hydrogen production from ammonia

Red mud (RM) modified by various treatments was used as a catalyst for ammonia decomposition. Catalytic activity measurements performed at 500 °C and differential conversions illustrated that the rate increases with a decrease in the size of Fe₃N_y nanoparticles formed during activation in NH₃ flow. Measurements at 700 °C showed that a catalyst prepared by digesting RM in 6 M HCl followed by calcination at 900 °C provides a stable ammonia conversion of 98.8 ± 0.5% for more than 70 h at a space velocity of 120 000 cm³ NH₃ h^?1 g_cat^?1. This rate is premier among all iron-based catalysts in terms of both activity and stability and even on par with the performance of other non-noble metal catalysts. Detailed characterization indicated Fe₃N_y species readily available on the surface as the active species. Results provided here enable the utilization of RM as an environmentally-friendly, highly efficient, and almost cost-free catalyst for CO_x-free hydrogen production.     

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory properties and SDS-PAGE of red lentil protein hydrolysates

Several research studies have shown that protein hydrolysates from milk and soy contain peptides that possess angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory properties and may help to prevent hypertension. To date, no studies have been conducted to determine if red lentil (Lens culinaris) proteins contain peptides with ACE-inhibitory properties. The objective of the present work was to characterize the proteins present in red lentils and determine if tryptic hydrolysis could liberate peptides with ACE-inhibitory properties. Red lentil protein extracts were prepared and fractionated to obtain enriched albumin, legumin and vicilin fractions. Protein/peptide profiles were studied by electrophoresis and ACE-inhibitory activity was measured using the HPLC hippuryl-His-Leu (HHL) substrate method. Our results revealed that red lentil protein hydrolysates posses ACE-inhibitory properties. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the ACE-inhibitory property of the hydrolysates varied as a function of the protein fraction with the total lentil protein hydrolysate having the lowest half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) (111 ± 1 μmol/L) (i.e., highest ACE-inhibitory activity), followed by the enriched legumin (119 ± 0.5 μmol/L), albumin (127 ± 2 μmol/L) and vicilin (135 ± 2 μmol/L) fractions, respectively.     

Comparison Between the Induced Changes in the Intensities of Mid and Near Infrared Absorption Bands of Poly[Vinyl Alcohol] Due to Temperature and Solvents

The temperature induced changes in the intensities of the infrared absorption bands of PVA in both MID and NIR regions are presented. The absorption band at 1141cm^-1 is the only band among the bands in the mid region which is markedly affected by temperature. This band is taken as a measure of crystallinity of PVA. PVA shows two phase transitions at 80c⁰ and 120c⁰. The absorbances of the 1940nm in the near region is also temperature sensititve. The temperature dependence of the other bands in either mid or near regions is very weak. The effect of non polar and polar solvents such as n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, chloroform, methanol and acetone is discussed. Comparison between the solvent induced changes in the intensities of the bands in mid and near regions is carried out. The data demonstrate that the bands in the near region ( overtone and combinations) are more sensitive to solvents than the bands in the mid regions. The combined effect of temperature and solvents on the intensities of absorption bands of PVA is also studied.     

Resource Management in a Peer to Peer Cloud Network for IoT

Wireless Personal Communications - Software-Defined Internet of Things (SDIoT) is defined as merging heterogeneous objects in a form of interaction among physical and virtual entities. Large scale...     

Electrochemical synthesis of novel π-extended phenoxazine derivatives of porphyrincatecholes

Three new functionalized phenoxazine-catechol porphyrins 7a–c have been synthesized by a green one-pot method and structurally characterized by spectroscopic analysis. The electro-oxidation of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,3-dihydroxyphenyl) porphyrins(1a–c) with four catechol units in the presence of 2-aminophenol 8 as bidentate nucleophile has been done and phenoxazine rings have been formed by intermolecular and intramolecular Michael addition reactions. Spectroscopic characterization and voltammetry results have allowed us to propose four independent ECEC mechanisms for the electrochemical oxidation pathway. The functionalization of the porphyrins affected their photophysical properties. Expansion of the UV–vis spectrum range and the decrease of the fluorescence intensity of the products would support the energy transfer between the porphyrin core excited states to the four substitutions as the electron acceptor subunits. SEM images indicate that this method produces regularly shaped manganese porphyrin nano-particles 7c that possess a cubic nano structure.