Behavior of a periodic chromatic test with an achromatic Ronchi grating as a background

The aim of this article is to study the influence of an achromatic Ronchi grating (white and black stripes) used as a background, over a periodic chromatic test (red or green). Depending on the grating frequency, two parameters were used to study this influence: modulation ratio and grating contrast. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2012     

Size-dependent antimicrobial properties of sugar-encapsulated gold nanoparticles synthesized by a green method

The antimicrobial properties of dextrose-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (dGNPs) with average diameters of 25, 60, and 120 nm (± 5) and synthesized by green chemistry principles were investigated against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Studies were performed involving the effect of dGNPs on the growth, morphology, and ultrastructural properties of bacteria. dGNPs were found to have significant dose-dependent antibacterial activity which was also proportional to their size. Experiments revealed the dGNPs to be bacteriostatic as well as bactericidal. The dGNPs exhibited their bactericidal action by disrupting the bacterial cell membrane which leads to the leakage of cytoplasmic content. The overall outcome of this study suggests that green-synthesized dGNPs hold promise as a potent antibacterial agent against a wide range of disease-causing bacteria by preventing and controlling possible infections or diseases.     

Oil and fungal biomass dispersion in a stirred tank containing a simulated fermentation broth

The production of γ‐decalactone by the filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum involves four phases (oil–water–air–mycelium) and its dispersion is crucial during fermentation. Oil and biomass (when present) dispersion, as a function of the volumetric power drawn (P/V), was characterized, in two; three‐ and four‐phase systems agitated with Rushton turbines. Trichoderma harzianum mycelium was used as the solid phase in the four‐phase system. Two stages of the fermentation were simulated: the beginning (15% oil and 1.4 kgm^?3 of mycelium) and the end (2% oil and 10.6 kg m^?3 of mycelium). In the two‐phase system, the use of exhausted broth achieved higher oil dispersions at low P/V values as compared with distilled water. Aeration decreased the oil dispersion for the high‐oil system, but enhanced oil dispersion for the low‐oil system. Compared with the P/V used in the actual fermentation (0.2 kW m^?3), a high segregation of the system was observed for the high‐oil/low‐biomass system, due to the difficulty of mixing the thick oil–air emulsion present at the top of the tank. The system simulating the end of the fermentation reached almost complete homogeneity of oil and biomass, a phenomenon due to the high biomass/oil ratio and the biomass acting as an oil carrier. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rapid Parallel Synthesis of Bioactive Folded Cyclotides by Using a Tea‐Bag Approach

We report here the first rapid parallel production of bioactive folded cyclotides by using Fmoc‐based solid‐phase peptide synthesis in combination with a “tea‐bag” approach. Using this approach, we efficiently synthesized 15 analogues of the CXCR4 antagonist cyclotide MCo‐CVX‐5c. Cyclotides were synthesized in a single‐pot, cyclization/folding reaction in the presence of reduced glutathione. Natively folded cyclotides were quickly purified from the cyclization/folding crude mixture by activated thiol Sepharose‐based chromatography. The different folded cyclotide analogues were then tested for their ability to inhibit the CXCR4 receptor in a cell‐based assay. The results indicated that this approach can be used for the efficient chemical synthesis of libraries of cyclotides with improved biological properties that can be easily interfaced with solution or cell‐based assays for rapid screening.     

Conversion efficiency of glucose/xylose mixtures for ethanol production using Saccharomyces cerevisiae ITV01 and Pichia stipitis NRRL Y‐7124

BACKGROUND: Efficient conversion of glucose/xylose mixtures from lignocellulose is necessary for commercially viable ethanol production. Oxygen and carbon sources are of paramount importance for ethanol yield. The aim of this work was to evaluate different glucose/xylose mixtures for ethanol production using S. cerevisiae ITV‐01 (wild type yeast) and P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124 and the effect of supplying oxygen in separate and co‐culture processes. RESULTS: The complete conversion of a glucose/xylose mixture (75/30 g L^?1) was obtained using P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124 under aerobic conditions (0.6 vvm), the highest yield production being Y_p/s = 0.46 g g^?1, volumetric ethanol productivity Q_pmax = 0.24 g L^?1 h^?1 and maximum ethanol concentration P_max = 34.5 g L^?1. In the co‐culture process and under aerobic conditions, incomplete conversion of glucose/xylose mixture was observed (20.4% residual xylose), with a maximum ethanol production of 30.3 g L^?1, ethanol yield of 0.4 g g^?1 and Q_pmax = 1.26 g L^?1 h^?1. CONCLUSIONS: The oxygen present in the glucose/xylose mixture promotes complete sugar consumption by P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124 resulting in ethanol production. However, in co‐culture with S. cerevisiae ITV‐01 under aerobic conditions, incomplete fermentation occurs that could be caused by oxygen limitation and ethanol inhibition by P. stipitis NRRL Y‐7124; nevertheless the volumetric ethanol productivity increases fivefold compared with separate culture. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

A Chemoenzymatic Histology Method for O‐GlcNAc Detection

Modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins by the addition or removal of O‐GlcNAc dynamically impacts multiple biological processes. Here, we present the development of a chemoenzymatic histology method for the detection of O‐GlcNAc in tissue specimens. We applied this method to screen murine organs, uncovering specific O‐GlcNAc distribution patterns in different tissue structures. We then utilized our histology method for O‐GlcNAc detection in human brain specimens from healthy donors and donors with Alzheimer's disease and found higher levels of O‐GlcNAc in specimens from healthy donors. We also performed an analysis using a multiple cancer tissue array, uncovering different O‐GlcNAc levels between healthy and cancerous tissues, as well as different O‐GlcNAc cellular distributions within certain tissue specimens. This chemoenzymatic histology method therefore holds great potential for revealing the biology of O‐GlcNAc in physiopathological processes.     

Reinterpretation of the mechanical reinforcement of polymer nanocomposites reinforced with cellulose nanorods

The mechanical reinforcement of nanocomposites containing nanorods‐like fillers such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) is often interpreted by adapting the classical parallel–series model, assuming a simple hyperbolic dependence between the percolation threshold and aspect ratio. However, such assumptions are valid only for nanorods with high aspect ratio and often are misinterpreting the reinforcement obtained at low volume fraction of filler loading. To elucidate this intriguing scenario, we proposed a new approach and validated it by compiling and reinterpreting some of available literature that represent the experimental reinforcement with CNCs. Our approach showed better accuracy, specifically for the cases of CNC nanorods with lower aspect ratio. We conclude that this route permits a more realistic evaluation of the mechanical reinforcement, where a physical parameter accounting the polymer filler association is introduced. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45254.