24 research outputs found
An experimental and kinetic modelling study of the oxidation of the four isomers of butanol
Butanol, an alcohol which can be produced from biomass sources, has received
recent interest as an alternative to gasoline for use in spark ignition engines
and as a possible blending compound with fossil diesel or biodiesel. Therefore,
the autoignition of the four isomers of butanol (1-butanol, 2-butanol,
iso-butanol, and tert-butanol) has been experimentally studied at high
temperatures in a shock tube and a kinetic mechanism for description of their
high-temperature oxidation has been developed. Ignition delay times for
butanol/oxygen/argon mixtures have been measured behind reflected shock waves
at temperatures and pressures ranging from approximately 1200 to 1800 K and 1
to 4 bar. Electronically excited OH emission and pressure measurements were
used to determine ignition delay times. A detailed kinetic mechanism has been
developed to describe the oxidation of the butanol isomers and validated by
comparison to the shock tube measurements. Reaction flux and sensitivity
analysis indicate that the consumption of 1 butanol and iso-butanol, the most
reactive isomers, takes place primarily by H-atom abstraction resulting in the
formation of radicals, the decomposition of which yields highly reactive
branching agents, H-atoms and OH radicals. Conversely, the consumption of tert
butanol and 2-butanol, the least reactive isomers, takes place primarily via
dehydration, resulting in the formation of alkenes, which lead to resonance
stabilized radicals with very low reactivity. To our knowledge, the ignition
delay measurements and oxidation mechanism presented here for 2-butanol,
iso-butanol, and tert butanol are the first of their kind.
Probiotic Bacteria Induce a ‘Glow of Health’
Radiant skin and hair are universally recognized as indications of good health. However, this ‘glow of health’ display remains poorly understood. We found that feeding of probiotic bacteria to aged mice induced integumentary changes mimicking peak health and reproductive fitness characteristic of much younger animals. Eating probiotic yogurt triggered epithelial follicular anagen-phase shift with sebocytogenesis resulting in thick lustrous fur due to a bacteria-triggered interleukin-10-dependent mechanism. Aged male animals eating probiotics exhibited increased subcuticular folliculogenesis, when compared with matched controls, yielding luxuriant fur only in probiotic-fed subjects. Female animals displayed probiotic-induced hyperacidity coinciding with shinier hair, a feature that also aligns with fertility in human females. Together these data provide insights into mammalian evolution and novel strategies for integumentary health
Sweating the small stuff : glycoproteins in human sweat and their unexplored potential for microbial adhesion
There is increasing evidence that secretory fluids such as tears, saliva and milk play an important role in protecting the human body from infection via a washing mechanism involving glycan-mediated adhesion of potential pathogens to secretory glycoproteins. Interaction of sweat with bacteria is well established as the cause of sweat-associated malodor. However, the role of sweat glycoproteins in microbial attachment has received little, if any, research interest in the past. In this review, we demonstrate how recent published studies involving high-throughput proteomic analysis have inadvertently, and fortuitously, exposed an abundance of glycoproteins in sweat, many of which have also been identified in other secretory fluids. We bring together research demonstrating microbial adhesion to these secretory glycoproteins in tears, saliva and milk and suggest a similar role of the sweat glycoproteins in mediating microbial attachment to sweat and/or skin. The contribution of glycan-mediated microbial adhesion to sweat glycoproteins, and the associated impact on sweat derived malodor and pathogenic skin infections are unchartered new research areas that we are beginning to explore.12 page(s