Physicochemical properties of bacterial cellulose obtained from different Kombucha fermentation conditions

The production of bacterial cellulose has been limited due to its high cost and low productivity. Alternative low‐cost sources of this biopolymer of high purity and biocompatibility are needed in order to benefit from its enormous potential. Kombucha tea is a trend functional beverage whose production is growing exponentially worldwide, and the bacteria present in this fermented beverage belonging to the genus Komagataeibacter are capable of producing a crystalline biofilm with interesting properties. Obtaining bacterial cellulose from Kombucha tea has already been studied, however several fermentation conditions are being optimized in order to scale‐up its production. In this study, we characterized the bacterial cellulose produced from three different Kombucha fermentation conditions. The scanning electron microscopy images revealed the crystalline structure of the biofilms. The energy‐dispersive x‐ray analysis exhibited the chemical composition of the crystals. The thermogravimetric analysis showed a rate of degradation between 490 and 560°C and the differential scanning calorimetry confirmed the presence of crystalline and amorphous regions in the bacterial cellulose samples. The results suggested that crystalline cellulose could be obtained by varying the fermentation conditions of Kombucha tea

Incidence of non-01 Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas spp. in fresh water in Araraquara, Brazil

The occurrence of Aeromonas spp., Vibrio cholerae, and Plesiomonas shigelloides in fresh water from various sources in Araraquara, State of São Paulo, Brazil was determined. Samples from ten distinct irrigation systems used in vegetable cultivation, from five distinct streams, from two reservoirs, from one artificial lake, and from three distinct springs were analyzed. All isolates were serotyped and tested for hemolysin, cytotoxin, heat-stable (ST) and heat-labile (LT) enterotoxins production; presence of plasmid; autoagglutination and drug resistance. V. cholerae isolates were also tested for cholera enterotoxin (CT) production, and Aeromonas isolates for suicide phenomenon. No P. shigelloides was found. V. cholerae non 01 was found in five irrigation water samples and in three stream samples. Aeromonas sp. were isolated in two samples of irrigation water, in three streams, and in one reservoir. All the V. cholerae and Aeromonas isolates were positive for P-hemolysin production, and all Aeromonas isolates were positive for suicide phenomenon; cytotoxic activities were observed in two Aeromonas strains. Cholera enterotoxin was not found in eight V. cholerae non-01 isolates tested by the Y-1 mouse adrenal cell. All isolates were also negative for the other virulence markers. Ii cholelerae isolates were found to be sensitive to the majority of drugs tested, while Aeromonas strains presented multiple drug resistance.

Burgers' equation in the complex plane

Burgers' equation is a well-studied model in applied mathematics with connections to the Navier-Stokes equations in one spatial direction and traffic flow, for example. Following on from previous work, we analyse solutions to Burgers' equation in the complex plane, concentrating on the dynamics of the complex singularities and their relationship to the solution on the real line. For an initial condition with a simple pole in each of the upper-and lower-half planes, we apply formal asymptotics in the small-and large-time limits in order to characterise the initial and later motion of the singularities. The small-time limit highlights how infinitely many singularities are born at t = 0 and how they orientate themselves to lie increasingly close to anti-Stokes lines in the far field of the inner problem. This inner problem also reveals whether or not the closest singularity to the real axis moves toward the axis or away. For intermediate times, we use the exact solution, apply method of steepest descents, and implement the AAA approximation to track the complex singularities. Connections are made between the motion of the closest singularity to the real axis and the steepness of the solution on the real line. While Burgers' equation is integrable (and has an exact solution), we deliberately apply a mix of techniques in our analysis in an attempt to develop methodology that can be applied to other nonlinear partial differential equations that do not

Chemical, spectroscopic characterization, and in vitro antibacterial studies of a new gold(I) complex with N-acetyl-L-cysteine

A new gold(I) complex with N-acetyl-L-cysteine was synthesized and characterized by chemical and spectroscopic techniques. The elemental and thermal analyses of the solid compound fit to the composition AuC5H8NO3S center dot 0.75H2O. Solid-state 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) and infrared (IR) analyses indicate the coordination of the ligand to Au(I) through sulfur. The insolubility of the complex in both polar and non-polar solvents supports a polymeric structure. The antibacterial activity of the complex was evaluated by antibiogram assays using the disc diffusion method. The compound showed effective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram negative) bacterial cells.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq