The Role of White-rot Fungi in Herbicide Transformation

Understanding herbicide transformation is necessary for pesticide development for their safe and efficient use, as well as for developing pesticide bioremediation strategies for contaminated soil and water. Recent studies persuasively demonstrated the key role of soil white-rot fungi in biotransformation of various anthropogenic environmental contaminants. However, often this common knowledge is not associated with specific metabolic processes of fungi and therefore cannot be transformed into specific recommendations for agricultural practice. The given review offers a systematic collection and analysis of the current knowledge about herbicide transformation by white-rot fungi at the cellular and molecular levels. Special attention is given to the role of oxidative enzymes such as laccases, lignin peroxidases, and manganese peroxidases in the biotransformation processes

Planning of Technological Development of New Products and Its Impact on the Economic Performance of the Enterprise

The market economy is characterized by competition of enterprises, defining the upgrade of production. Improvement of the economic activity of industrial enterprises implies development of new methods, forms and mechanisms of creation and mastering of new competitive products designed to ensure the predominant position of enterprises on domestic and foreign markets. Modern approaches to the creation and development of new competitive products high-tech require a huge amount of costs. But on the other hand it is the development of new products allows companies to survive in the current competitive environment. Planning for new products refers to the section of strategic planning. Therefore, the ability of the company to develop and introduce to the market its new product depends on its financial performance. A necessary step in production planning is the development of new products, representing a diverse set of processes and activities in the process which is carried out inspection and testing of structures and technologies to specified technical requirements, development of new forms of organization of production. During the development of new products are achieved the planned production volumes, scheduled economic indicators and technical and economic parameters of products. The period of development of new products begins with production of a prototype and ends with serial production. Keywords: innovation, innovation economy, economic indicators, new products, development of production JEL Classifications: O14, O21, O32, O3

Composite building materials based on nanomodified cement systems

ABSTRACT: Introduction. This research work investigates the combined influence of nano-sized silicon dioxide (nano-SiO2 ), carbon nanotubes and surfactants on the structural and technological characteristics of cement compositions. Materials and research methods. The paper reveals the findings of a study on the effects of various dispersion techniques of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in surfactants, such as mechanical dispersion, ultrasonic treatment, and a combined method. It considers the uniformity of CNT distribution within the plasticizer and within the cement system, along with their impacts on the physical and mechanical properties of cement stone and concrete. Differential thermal and electron microscopic analysis of aqueous dispersions of carbon nanotubes and hardened activated nanomodified cement stone was carried out. Results and discussion. It has been experimentally proven that mixing nanotubes in dry cement does not allow them to be evenly distributed throughout the volume of the mixture. When using carbon nanotubes, the maximum effect is achieved when they are introduced into aqueous dispersions of plasticizers. The percentage of plasticizer was 1%, CNT 0,1% per 1 liter of water. The most effective method of dispersing carbon nanotubes in a plasticizer is a combined one. The results obtained were used in the preparation of cement stone and concrete compositions. Conclusion. The results show that complex additives consisting of nano-SiO2 and aqueous dispersions of carbon nanotubes have a positive effect on the physical-mechanical and structural-technological properties of cement stone and concrete. Graphic dependencies are shown indicating the effectiveness of using complex additives in the production of cement composite

Interactions between Humic Substances and Microorganisms and Their Implications for Nature-like Bioremediation Technologies

The state of the art of the reported data on interactions between microorganisms and HSs is presented herein. The properties of HSs are discussed in terms of microbial utilization, degradation, and transformation. The data on biologically active individual compounds found in HSs are summarized. Bacteria of the phylum Proteobacteria and fungi of the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were found to be the main HS degraders, while Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were found to be the predominant phyla in humic-reducing microorganisms (HRMs). Some promising aspects of interactions between microorganisms and HSs are discussed as a feasible basis for nature-like biotechnologies, including the production of enzymes capable of catalyzing the oxidative binding of organic pollutants to HSs, while electron shuttling through the utilization of HSs by HRMs as electron shuttles may be used for the enhancement of organic pollutant biodegradation or lowering bioavailability of some metals. Utilization of HSs by HRMs as terminal electron acceptors may suppress electron transfer to CO2, reducing the formation of CH4 in temporarily anoxic systems. The data reported so far are mostly related to the use of HSs as redox compounds. HSs are capable of altering the composition of the microbial community, and there are environmental conditions that determine the efficiency of HSs. To facilitate the development of HS-based technologies, complex studies addressing these factors are in demand

Interaction of Antibiotics and Humic Substances: Environmental Consequences and Remediation Prospects

The occurrence and distribution of antibiotics in the environment has received increasing attention due to their potential adverse effects on human health and ecosystems. Humic substances (HS) influence the mobility, reactivity, and bioavailability of antibiotics in the environment significantly due to their interaction. As a result, HS can affect the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes, which is one of the main problems arising from contamination with antibiotics. The review provides quantitative data on the binding of HS with fluoroquinolones, macrolides, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines and reports the proposed mechanisms of their interaction. The main issues of the quantification of antibiotic–HS interaction are discussed, which are a development of standard approaches and the accumulation of a dataset using a standard methodology. This would allow the implementation of a meta-analysis of data to reveal the patterns of the binding of antibiotics to HS. Examples of successful development of humic-based sorbents for fluoroquinolone and tetracycline removal from environmental water systems or polluted wastewaters were given. Data on the various effects of HS on the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) were summarized. The detailed characterization of HS properties as a key point of assessing the environmental consequences of the formation of antibiotic–HS complexes, such as the dissemination of antibiotic resistance, was proposed

QUARTERLY Size, shape and secondary structure of calponin �

structure prediction The overall size and shape of the chicken gizzard calponin (CaP) h1 molecule was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. From the DLS experiments, a z-averaged translational diffusion coefficient is derived (5.75 ± 0.3) � 10 –7 cm 2 s –1, which corresponds to a hydrodynamic radius of 3.72 nm for calponin. The frictional ratio (1.8 for the unhydrated molecule and 1.5 for the hydrated one) suggests a pronounced anisotropic structure for the molecule. An ellipsoidal model in length 19.4 nm and with a diameter of 2.6 nm used for hydrodynamic calculations was found to reproduce the DLS experimental data. The evaluation of the secondary structure of CaP h1 from the CD spectra by two independent methods has revealed that i

A polarized localization of amino acid/carnitine transporter B<SUP>0,+</SUP> (ATB<SUP>0,+</SUP>) in the blood-brain barrier

International audienceBrain capillary endothelial cells control the uptake and efflux from the brain of many hydrophilic compounds due to highly specialized transporters often localized in a polarized way. Localization of Na+- and Cl--dependent amino acid and carnitine transporter B0,+ (ATB0,+) was studied in a co-culture of bovine brain capillary endothelial cells (BBCEC) grown on filters above astrocytes (an in vitro blood-brain barrier model). Immunoblotting and three-dimensional immunocytochemistry analysis with anti- B0,+antibodies demonstrated the presence of this transporter and its prevalent co-localization with P-glycoprotein i.e. at the apical side. The sensitivity of leucine uptake through the apical membrane to 2-aminobicyclo-[2.2.1]-heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH), D-serine as well as sodium and chloride replacement confirm the functioning of ATB0,+ and suggests an important physiological role of ATB0,+ in controlling the delivery of amino acids and carnitine to the brain

Thermodynamic Hydricity of Small Borane Clusters and Polyhedral closo-Boranes

Thermodynamic hydricity (HDAMeCN) determined as Gibbs free energy (&Delta;G&deg;[H]&minus;) of the H&minus; detachment reaction in acetonitrile (MeCN) was assessed for 144 small borane clusters (up to 5 boron atoms), polyhedral closo-boranes dianions [BnHn]2&minus;, and their lithium salts Li2[BnHn] (n = 5&ndash;17) by DFT method [M06/6-311++G(d,p)] taking into account non-specific solvent effect (SMD model). Thermodynamic hydricity values of diborane B2H6 (HDAMeCN = 82.1 kcal/mol) and its dianion [B2H6]2&minus; (HDAMeCN = 40.9 kcal/mol for Li2[B2H6]) can be selected as border points for the range of borane clusters&rsquo; reactivity. Borane clusters with HDAMeCN below 41 kcal/mol are strong hydride donors capable of reducing CO2 (HDAMeCN = 44 kcal/mol for HCO2&minus;), whereas those with HDAMeCN over 82 kcal/mol, predominately neutral boranes, are weak hydride donors and less prone to hydride transfer than to proton transfer (e.g., B2H6, B4H10, B5H11, etc.). The HDAMeCN values of closo-boranes are found to directly depend on the coordination number of the boron atom from which hydride detachment and stabilization of quasi-borinium cation takes place. In general, the larger the coordination number (CN) of a boron atom, the lower the value of HDAMeCN