Brewers' spent grain and thin stillage as raw materials in l‐(+)‐lactic acid fermentation

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) hydrolysates were used for l ‐(+)‐lactic acid (LA) fermentation by Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 7469. In this study the effect of the addition of various amounts of thin stillage (TS) in BSG hydrolysate on LA fermentation parameters were evaluated. TS addition significantly increased utilization of glucose by up to 43.0%. In batch fermentation the highest LA concentration and volumetric productivity of 31.0 g/L, and 0.93 g/L/h, respectively, were obtained with the addition of 50% TS. L. rhamnosus cell viability also increased with the addition of 50% TS (by 2.4%). TS addition significantly increased free amino nitrogen concentration (by up to 209%) which is important for bacterial growth. A strong positive correlation between free amino nitrogen and LA concentration was noted. Compared with the results obtained in the batch fermentation (50% TS), significantly higher LA concentration, yield and volumetric productivity (54.8, 1.9 and 4.0%, respectively) were achieved in fed‐batch fermentation with glucose and TS addition. The results suggest that the combination of the by‐products of brewing and bioethanol industries could be suitable for LA production. Copyright © 2017 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Lipid peroxidative damage on Cisplatin exposure and alterations in antioxidant defense system in rat kidneys: a possible protective effect of selenium

Cisplatin (Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II, CP) is an important chemotherapeutic agent, useful in the treatment of several cancers, but with several side effects such as nephrotoxicity. The present study investigated the possible protective effect of selenium (Se) against CP-induced oxidative stress in the rat kidneys. Male Wistar albino rats were injected with a single dose of cisplatin (7 mg CP/kg b.m., i.p.) and selenium (6 mg Se/kg b.m, as Na(2)SeO(3), i.p.), alone or in combination. The obtained results showed that CP increased lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations, suggesting the CP-induced oxidative stress, while Se treatment reversed this change to control values. Acute intoxication of rats with CP was followed by statistically significant decreased activity of antioxidant defense enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Treatment with Se reversed CP-induced alterations of antioxidant defense enzyme activities and significantly prevented the CP-induced kidney damage.     

Mapping local microstructure and mechanical performance around carbon nanotube grafted silica fibres: methodologies for hierarchical composites

The introduction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) modifies bulk polymer properties, depending on intrinsic quality, dispersion, alignment, interfacial chemistry and mechanical properties of the nanofiller. These effects can be exploited to enhance the matrices of conventional microscale fibre-reinforced polymer composites, by using primary reinforcing fibres grafted with CNTs. This paper presents a methodology that combines atomic force microscopy, polarised Raman spectroscopy, and nanoindentation techniques, to study the distribution, alignment and orientation of CNTs in the vicinity of epoxy-embedded micrometre-scale silica fibres, as well as, the resulting local mechanical properties of the matrix. Raman maps of key features in the CNT spectra clearly show the CNT distribution and orientation, including a 'parted' morphology associated with long grafted CNTs. The hardness and indentation modulus of the epoxy matrix were improved locally by 28% and 24%, respectively, due to the reinforcing effects of CNTs. Moreover, a slower stress relaxation was observed in the epoxy region containing CNTs, which may be due to restricted molecular mobility of the matrix. The proposed methodology is likely to be relevant to further studies of nanocomposites and hierarchical composites.     

Crystallography and Morphology of MC Carbides in Niobium-Titanium Modified As-Cast HP Alloys

The microstructures of two as-cast heats of HP alloy stainless steels modified with niobium and titanium were examined with particular attention paid to the interdendritic niobium-titanium-rich carbides formed during solidification of these alloys. Generally, these precipitates obtain a blocky morphology in the as-cast condition. However, the (NbTi)C precipitates may obtain a nodular morphology. To provide further insight to the origin of the two different morphologies obtained by the (NbTi)C precipitates in the HP-NbTi alloy, the microstructure and crystallography of each have been studied in detail using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, various electron diffraction methods (EBSD, SAD, and CBED), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.     

Structural Analysis,Electrochemical Behavior,and Biocompatibility of Novel Quaternary Titanium Alloy with near β Structure

This article analyses the microstructure, electrochemical behavior, and biocompatibility of a novel Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy with low Young’s modulus (59 GPa) much closer to that of bone, between 10 and 30 GPa, than Ti and other Ti alloys used as implant biomaterial. XRD and SEM measurements revealed a near β crystalline microstructure containing β phase matrix and secondary α phase, with a typical grain size of around 200 μm. The corrosion behavior in neutral Ringer solution evidenced: self-passivation behavior characterizing a very resistant passive film; an easy passivation as a result of favorable influence of the alloying elements Nb, Zr, and Ta that participate with their passive oxides to the formation of the alloy passive film; low corrosion and ion release rates corresponding with very low toxicity. In MEM solution, the novel alloy demonstrated very high corrosion resistance and no susceptibility to localized corrosion. Biocompatibility was evaluated on in vitro human osteoblast-like and human immortalized pulmonary fibroblast cell (Wi-38) lines and the new Ti-20Nb-10Zr-5Ta alloy exhibited no cytotoxicity. The new Ti-20Nb-10Zr5Ta alloy is a promising material for implants due to combined properties of low elastic modulus, very low corrosion rate, and good biocompatibility.     

Sequencing, Scheduling and Tooling Single-Stage Multifunctional Machines in a Small Batch Environment

Single-Stage multifunctional Machining Systems (SSMSs) are an important integral part of automated, flexible manufacturing systems. However, the SSMS frequently becomes the bottleneck of the entire manufacturing system by virtue of protracted internal set-up requirements. A key aspect of achieving full SSMS utilization is the ability to reduce as much as possible these demands at the expense of increasing external set-up. As of today, fixturing devices have not received much attention in the modeling literature. Nevertheless, fixturing devices are in some cases a limited resource which, may affect the shop scheduling decisions and the shop performance and as such can not be omitted. This study presents a {0–1} programming model which takes the fixturing device's limitation in to consideration when determining the weekly sequence of jobs to be produced. The model tries to minimize the non-productive machine time. Based on this model, a heuristic procedure is developed and tested using data of four production weeks obtained from a hi-tech company that produces medical imaging systems.     

Temporal response of biochemical and biological sensors with bimodal surface adsorption from a finite sample

Microsystem Technologies - The importance of adsorption-based biochemical/biological sensors in biochemistry and biophysics is paramount. Their temporal response gives information about the...     

A computational investigation of airfoil aeroacoustics for structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades

A generalized computational methodology for reduced order acoustic‐structural coupled modeling of the aeroacoustics of a wind turbine blade is presented. This methodology is used to investigate the acoustic pressure distribution in and around airfoils to guide the development of a passive damage detection approach for structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades for the first time. The output of a k ? ε turbulence model computational fluid dynamics simulation is used to calculate simple acoustic sources on the basis of model tuning with published experimental data. The methodology is then applied to a computational case study of a 0.3048‐m chord NACA 0012 airfoil with two internal cavities, each with a microphone placed along the shear web. Five damage locations and four damage sizes are studied and compared with the healthy baseline case for three strategically selected acoustic frequencies: 1, 5, and 10 kHz. In 22 of the 36 cases in which the front cavity is damaged, the front cavity microphone measures an increase in sound pressure level (SPL) above 3 dB, while rear cavity damage only results in six out of 24 cases with a 3‐dB increase in the rear cavity. The 1‐ and 5‐kHz cases show a more consistent increase in SPL than the 10‐kHz case, illustrating the spectral dependency of the model. The case study shows how passive acoustic detection could be used to identify blade damage, while providing a template for application of the methodology to investigate the feasibility of passive detection for any specific turbine blade.     

Combined antineoplastic and antiretroviral therapy for patients with Hodgkin's disease and human immunodeficiency virus infection. A prospective study of 17 patients. The Italian Cooperative Group on AIDS and Tumors (GICAT)

BACKGROUND: The optimal therapeutic approach for patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is unknown. In an attempt to improve the results obtained with standard chemotherapy and to decrease the occurrence of opportunistic infections (OI) during chemotherapy and follow-up observed in a previous experience, the authors designed a prospective combined antineoplastic and antiretroviral approach. METHODS: Between March 1989 and March 1992, 17 consecutive previously untreated patients (median age, 30 years) with HD and HIV infection were enrolled. They had Stage III and IV or Stage I and II disease with adverse prognostic factors. The median CD4+ cell count was 184/microliters. Patients were stratified in two groups and treated accordingly. Group A was made up of patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of less than 3 and without OI. These patients received epirubicin 70 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1, bleomycin 10 mg/m2 IV on day 1, and vinblastine 6 mg/m2 IV on day 1 (regimen EBV). Group B was made up of patients with PS of 3 or greater or previous OI who had received a 50% reduced dose of epirubicin and vinblastine and a full dose of bleomycin. Courses were repeated every 21 days for six cycles. Zidovudine was given at the dose of 500 mg/day from the beginning of chemotherapy in Group B and after the third cycle in Group A. RESULTS: Overall, 14 of 17 (82%) patients had an objective response and 9 of 17 (53%) achieved a complete remission (CR) of disease for a median duration of 20 months. Toxicity was moderate with Grade 3-4 leukopenia in eight patients and Grade 3 thrombocytopenia in one patient. Thirteen of 17 patients received zidovudine as planned with a median duration of 9 months. Only one patient had OI during or after chemotherapy (median follow-up, 11 months). No worsening of HIV markers during the combined therapy was seen, with the median CD4+ cell count before and after therapy being 184/microliters and 203/microliters, respectively. The median survival time was 11 months, with an actuarial survival rate of 48% at 36 months. The median survival time for the nine patients with CR has not been reached at the time of this analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results revealed the feasibility and the activity of the combination of EBV regimen and zidovudine. Objective response rate seems similar to those previously observed in patients receiving standard chemotherapy, but only one patient had OI, and this compares favorably with the 16 OI observed in 28 patients treated with standard chemotherapy (6% versus 57%) in the authors' previous experience. Thus, it seems that the addition of antiretroviral therapy to the EBV regimen decreased the occurrence of OI during chemotherapy or follow-up.