Effects of pretreatment methods on solubilization of beet-pulp and bio-hydrogen production yield,” Int

a b s t r a c t Sugar processing wastewater and beet-pulp are two major waste streams of sugar-beet processing plants. Contrary to wastewater, beet-pulp is generally used as animal feed in cattle-raising industry. However, it can serve as a substrate for bio-hydrogen production which corresponds to a higher valorization of beet-pulp. Moreover, pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials like beet-pulp is needed in order to improve overall energy efficiency and enable economic feasibility of bio-hydrogen production. Therefore, the effect pretreatment methods (alkaline, thermal, microwave, thermal-alkaline and microwavealkaline) on bio-hydrogen production from sugar beet-pulp through dark fermentation were investigated in this study. Reactors pretreated with alkaline, microwave-alkaline and thermal-alkaline methods yielded significant solubilization of beet-pulp compared to others. Therefore, in the second phase of the study, they were used to pretreat the beetpulp which was then subjected to dark fermentation for bio-hydrogen production. Maximum bio-hydrogen production yield of 115.6 mL H 2 /g COD was observed in reactor which contained alkaline pretreated beet-pulp. ª 2010 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Hydrogen is a clean and environmentally friendly fuel since the combustion of hydrogen produces only water vapor instead of greenhouse gases like CO 2 . Furthermore, hydrogen has a high energy yield of 122 kJ/g, which is about 2.75 times greater than that of hydrocarbon fuels From the perspective of global environmental impacts, such as greenhouse effect and resource recovery, biological hydrogen production from renewable biomass reduces dependence on fossil fuel, decrease carbon dioxide emission and recovers bio-energy. Moreover, in order to establish Abbreviations: AD, Anaerobic Digestion; BES, 2-Bromoethanesulfonate; BM, Basal Medium; COD, Chemical Oxygen Demand; GC, Gas Chromatograph; HeAc, Acetic Acid; H-Bu, n-Butyric Acid; HePr, Propionic Acid; HRT, Hydraulic Retention A v a i l a b l e a t w w w . s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 6 ( 2 0 1 1 ) 3 8 2 e3 8

BBF RFC 108: Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.0.0

The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) has been developed as a standard to support the specification and exchange of biological design information in synthetic biology, filling a need not satisfied by other pre-existing standards

Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.0.0

Synthetic biology builds upon the techniques and successes of genetics, molecular biology, and metabolic engineering by applying engineering principles to the design of biological systems. The field still faces substantial challenges, including long deve

BBF RFC 112: Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.1.0

BBF RFC 112 (the SBOL 2.1.0 standard) replaces BBF RFC 108 (the SBOL 2.0 standard), as well as the minor update SBOL 2.0.1.The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) has been developed as a standard to support the specification and exchange of biological design information

Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 1.1.0

In this BioBricks Foundation Request for Comments (BBF RFC), we specify the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 1.1.0 to enable the electronic exchange of information describing DNA components used in synthetic biology. We define: 1. the vocabulary, a set of preferred terms and 2. the core data model, a common computational representation

Elevated gamma glutamyl transferase levels are associated with the location of acute pulmonary embolism. Cross-sectional evaluation in hospital setting

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The location of embolism is associated with clinical findings and disease severity in cases of acute pulmonary embolism. The level of gamma-glutamyl transferase increases under oxidative stress-related conditions. In this study, we investigated whether gamma-glutamyl transferase levels could predict the location of pulmonary embolism. DESIGN AND SETTING: Hospital-based cross-sectional study at Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey. METHODS : 120 patients who were diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism through computed tomography-assisted pulmonary angiography were evaluated. They were divided into two main groups (proximally and distally located), and subsequently into subgroups according to thrombus localization as follows: first group (thrombus in main pulmonary artery; n = 9); second group (thrombus in main pulmonary artery branches; n = 71); third group (thrombus in pulmonary artery segmental branches; n = 34); and fourth group (thrombus in pulmonary artery subsegmental branches; n = 8). RESULTS : Gamma-glutamyl transferase levels on admission, heart rate, oxygen saturation, right ventricular dilatation/hypokinesia, pulmonary artery systolic pressure and cardiopulmonary resuscitation requirement showed prognostic significance in univariate analysis. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that gamma-glutamyl transferase level on admission (odds ratio, OR = 1.044; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.011-1.079; P = 0.009) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (OR = 1.063; 95% CI: 1.005-1.124; P = 0.033) remained independently associated with proximally localized thrombus in pulmonary artery. CONCLUSIONS : The findings revealed a significant association between increased existing embolism load in the pulmonary artery and increased serum gamma-glutamyl transferase levels

Cardiac disease in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis: presentation, diagnosis and management

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are inherited lysosomal storage disorders caused by the absence of functional enzymes that contribute to the degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The progressive systemic deposition of GAGs results in multi-organ system dysfunction that varies with the particular GAG deposited and the specific enzyme mutation(s) present. Cardiac involvement has been reported in all MPS syndromes and is a common and early feature, particularly for those with MPS I, II, and VI. Cardiac valve thickening, dysfunction (more severe for left-sided than for right-sided valves), and hypertrophy are commonly present; conduction abnormalities, coronary artery and other vascular involvement may also occur. Cardiac disease emerges silently and contributes significantly to early mortality

Hypoglycemic activity of Urtica pilulifera in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

The hypoglycemic activity of lectin isolated from Urtica pilulifera L. seeds (Urticaceae) was investigated in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. Significant hypoglycemic effect was found at the dose of 100 mg/kg after i.p. administration for 30 days. Blood glucose (BG) level, food and fluid intake, body weight (BW) loss and histopathologic findings of the normal and diabetic animals were evaluated. The group treated with UPSL (U. pilulifera seed lectin) was also compared against glipizide (oral antidiabetic agent, Carlo-Erba) as a standard. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved