Substrate inhibition kinetics: Naphthalene degradation by Pseudomonas putida

A BSTRACT Biodegradation of naphthalene by Pseudomonas putida was studied in this article. The influence of pH, glucose concentration and inoculum concentrations on the growth and subsequent naphthalene degradation potential of P. putida were investigated. The naphthalene degradation and microbial growth was higher at optimum pH (pH 7), glucose concentration (500 mg/L) and inoculum concentration (3%). The non-ionic surfactants were used in the case of very high concentrations of naphthalene (500-2500 mg/L) to investigate the maximum naphthalene tolerance potential of P. putida. The surfactants used were Triton X-100 and Tween-80. These surfactants enhanced the availability of naphthalene to the microbes. Results indicated that naphthalene was completely degraded by P. putida at an initial naphthalene concentration of 500 mg/L. Further increase in naphthalene concentration decreases the degradation potential of P. putida. The inhibition characteristics of substrate were described using four kinetics models (Haldane, Webb, Edward and Aiba). These kinetics models fitted very well and effectively describe the dynamic behavior of naphthalene biodegradation by P. putida

Achieving competitive advantage through technology-driven proactive supply chain risk management: an empirical study

Whilst there has been previous work focused on the role of technologies in enhancing supply chain risk management and, through such an enhancement, increased competitive advantage, there is a research gap in terms of understanding the links between external institution pressures and internal adoption factors. We use institutional theory (IT) and the resource based view (RBV) of the firm to address this gap, developing a framework showing how a proactive technology-driven approach to supply chain risk management, combining both external with internal factors, can result in competitive advantage. We validate the framework through analysis of quantitative data collected via a survey of 218 firms in the manufacturing and logistics industry sectors in India. We specifically focus on the technologies of track-and-trace (T&T) and big data analytics (BDA). Our findings show that firms investing in T&T/BDA technologies can gain operational benefits in terms of uninterrupted information processing, reduced time disruptions and uninterrupted supply, which in turn gives them competitive advantage. We add further novelty to our study by demonstrating the moderating influences of organisational culture and flexibility on the relationship between the technological capabilities and the operational benefits

Tranexamic acid to improve functional status in adults with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage: the TICH-2 RCT

BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding after trauma and postpartum haemorrhage. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess if tranexamic acid is safe, reduces haematoma expansion and improves outcomes in adults with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). DESIGN: The TICH-2 (Tranexamic acid for hyperacute primary IntraCerebral Haemorrhage) study was a pragmatic, Phase III, prospective, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Acute stroke services at 124 hospitals in 12 countries (Denmark, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK). PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with ICH within 8 hours of onset. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Exclusion criteria were ICH secondary to anticoagulation, thrombolysis, trauma or a known underlying structural abnormality; patients for whom tranexamic acid was thought to be contraindicated; prestroke dependence (i.e. patients with a modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score > 4); life expectancy  4.5 hours after stroke onset. Pragmatic inclusion criteria led to a heterogeneous population of participants, some of whom had very large strokes. Although 12 countries enrolled participants, the majority (82.1%) were from the UK. CONCLUSIONS: Tranexamic acid did not affect a patient's functional status at 90 days after ICH, despite there being significant modest reductions in early death (by 7 days), haematoma expansion and SAEs, which is consistent with an antifibrinolytic effect. Tranexamic acid was safe, with no increase in thromboembolic events. FUTURE WORK: Future work should focus on enrolling and treating patients early after stroke and identify which participants are most likely to benefit from haemostatic therapy. Large randomised trials are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN93732214. FUNDING: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 23, No. 35. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. The project was also funded by the Pragmatic Trials, UK, funding call and the Swiss Heart Foundation in Switzerland

Tranexamic acid for hyperacute primary IntraCerebral Haemorrhage (TICH-2): an international randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 superiority trial

BackgroundTranexamic acid (TXA) reduces death due to bleeding after trauma and post-partum haemorrhage. The aim was to assess if tranexamic acid reduces haematoma expansion and improves outcome in adults with stroke due to intracerebral 6 haemorrhage (ICH). MethodsWe undertook an international, randomised placebo-controlled trial in adults with intracerebral haemorrhage. Participants received 1g intravenous tranexamic acid bolus followed by an 8 hour 1g infusion, or matching placebo, within 8 hours of symptom onset. The primary outcome was functional status at day 90, measured by shift in the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), using ordinal logistic regression, with adjustment for stratification and minimisation criteria. All analyses were performed on an intention to treat basis. This trial is registered as ISRCTN93732214.FindingsWe recruited 2,325 participants (TXA 1161, placebo 1164) from 124 hospitals in 12 countries between 2013 and 2017. Treatment groups were well balanced at baseline. The primary outcome was determined for 2307 (99·2%) participants. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for the primary outcome of functional status at day 90 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0·88, 95% CI 0·76-1·03, p=0·11). Although there were fewer deaths by day 7 in the TXA group (aOR 0·73, 95% CI 0·53-0·99, p=0·0406), there was no difference in case fatality at 90 days (adjusted hazard ratio 0·92, 95% CI 0·77 to 1·10, p =0·37). There were fewer serious adverse events after TXA vs. placebo by days 2 (p=0·0272), 7 (p=0·0200) and 90 (p=0·0393).InterpretationThere was no significant difference in functional status 90 days after intracerebral haemorrhage with tranexamic acid, despite a reduction in early deaths and serious adverse events. Larger randomised trials are needed to confirm or refute a clinically significant treatment effect

A REVIEW ON EFFICACIOUS METHODS TO DECOLORIZE REACTIVE AZO DYE

This paper deals with the intensive review of reactive azo dye, Reactive Black 5. Various physicochemical methods namely photo catalysis, electrochemical, adsorption, hydrolysis and biological methods like microbial degradation, biosorption and bioaccumulation have been analyzed thoroughly along with the merits and demerits of each method. Among these various methods, biological treatment methods are found to be the best for decolorization of Reactive Black 5. With respect to dye biosorption, microbial biomass (bacteria, fungi, microalgae, etc), and outperformed macroscopic materials (seaweeds, crab shell, etc.) are used for decolorization process. The use of living organisms may not be an option for the continuous treatment of highly toxic organic/inorganic contaminants. Once the toxicant concentration becomes too high or the process operated for a long time, the amount of toxicant accumulated will reach saturation. Beyond this point, an organism's metabolism may be interrupted, resulting in death of the organism. This scenario is not existed in the case of dead biomass, which is flexible to environmental conditions and toxicant concentrations. Thus, owing to its favorable characteristics, biosorption has received much attention in recent years

Effects of Concentrical Partial (Local) Compression on the Structural Behavior of Concrete Filled Steel Tubular Column

The objective of this present paper is to investigate the structural behavior of square and circular Concrete Filled Steel Tubular (CFST) stub columns subjected to axial partial/local compression. The experimental parameters were local compression area and section type. Among the twelve specimens, six specimens were tested under full compression and the remaining six specimens were tested under local compression. The experimental observation indicated that the failure pattern of the CFST column with partial compression is fairly different from the CFST column subjected to full compression. The confinement provided by the circular section is quite different than the confinement provided by the square section, when the CFST column is subjected to axially local compression. It was found that the elastic modulus (stiffness) and the ultimate bearing capacity of the CFST column decreased with the increase in local compression ratio. The circular and square CFST columns subjected to partial/local compression achieved an ultimate strength of 4.45% and 14.15%, respectively, less than that of the columns subjected to full compression. From the above observation, it can be inferred that the structural performance of the CFST column is significantly influenced by the local area compression ratio and this effect should be taken into account in design models