Quantitative proteomic analysis of the influence of lignin on biofuel production by Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824

Background: Clostridium acetobutylicum has been a focus of research because of its ability to produce high-value compounds that can be used as biofuels. Lignocellulose is a promising feedstock, but the lignin–cellulose–hemicellulose biomass complex requires chemical pre-treatment to yield fermentable saccharides, including cellulose-derived cellobiose, prior to bioproduction of acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) and hydrogen. Fermentation capability is limited by lignin and thus process optimization requires knowledge of lignin inhibition. The effects of lignin on cellular metabolism were evaluated for C. acetobutylicum grown on medium containing either cellobiose only or cellobiose plus lignin. Microscopy, gas chromatography and 8-plex iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic technologies were applied to interrogate the effect of lignin on cellular morphology, fermentation and the proteome. Results: Our results demonstrate that C. acetobutylicum has reduced performance for solvent production when lignin is present in the medium. Medium supplemented with 1 g L−1 of lignin led to delay and decreased solvents production (ethanol; 0.47 g L−1 for cellobiose and 0.27 g L−1 for cellobiose plus lignin and butanol; 0.13 g L−1 for cellobiose and 0.04 g L−1 for cellobiose plus lignin) at 20 and 48 h, respectively, resulting in the accumulation of acetic acid and butyric acid. Of 583 identified proteins (FDR < 1 %), 328 proteins were quantified with at least two unique peptides. Up- or down-regulation of protein expression was determined by comparison of exponential and stationary phases of cellobiose in the presence and absence of lignin. Of relevance, glycolysis and fermentative pathways were mostly down-regulated, during exponential and stationary growth phases in presence of lignin. Moreover, proteins involved in DNA repair, transcription/translation and GTP/ATP-dependent activities were also significantly affected and these changes were associated with altered cell morphology. Conclusions: This is the first comprehensive analysis of the cellular responses of C. acetobutylicum to lignin at metabolic and physiological levels. These data will enable targeted metabolic engineering strategies to optimize biofuel production from biomass by overcoming limitations imposed by the presence of lignin

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Not AvailableThe study was reveals to identify the changes of land use/land cover of the Devarahalli microwatershed of Gundlupet taluk, Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka. The study was undertaken with the use of remote sensing and GIS for delineating and planning. For land use mapping the standard procedure has been used and finally with the help of geospatial technology (ArcGIS10.2.2 software version) the mapping was done. Land classification was done and it was showed that, majority of the area in the microwatershed was covered by agricultural land (89.40%) followed by forest (5.05%), water body (3.06%) and built up (2.44%) land. This classification and the land use map will be beneficial to the policy makers, farmers, NGO’s and field agricultural officers for planning and development of this watershed. Also rainwater harvesting techniques can be provided after estimating the runoff potential and accordingly rainwater conservation structures can be planned.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableIn present investigation, five soil series were identified and mapped into eleven mapping units using GIS technique in Yaadahalli-1 microwatershed of Yadgir Taluk and District of Karnataka, India. The soils were varied from deep to very deep in depth, sandy clay loam to sandy clay in texture, very gently sloping, moderate erosion and non gravelly in nature. These soils were grouped into land capability class II (87%) and IV (2%) with limitations of soil characteristics and erosion. Land suitability evaluation showed a maximum area under highly suitable (S1) land for growing agricultural (sorghum, sunflower, Bengal gram and cotton) and horticultural (brinjal, onion, Bhendi, musambi, lime and custard apple) crops followed by moderately suitable (Class S2) land with minor limitations of texture, rooting depth, drainage and calcareousness. The marginally suitable (Class S3) land covers a minimum area with major limitations of rooting depth, gravelliness, texture and calcareousness. Currently not suitable (Class N1) land covers a negligible area with severe limitations of rooting depth and gravelliness. The results of this study could be used to provide the baseline information needed for mapping specific soil resource constraints for sustainable production of these crops in the study area. Therefore, the integration of remote sensing & GIS techniques could be envisaged as a laudable resource sustainable approach to model the growth of these crops in order to enhance profitable land use planning decision support for sustainable crop production in the study area.Not Availabl

Computer Aided Design of Centrifugal Pump

The design of centrihgal pump involves a large number of empirical data derived from experimental evaluation of pumps. For any small change in input details, it requires a complete rework of design procedure. Even after following this detailed, time consuming procedure, it was very difficult to explain the geometry of the pump elements. This paper discusses the optimisation and computerisation of the design procedure of single stage centrifUga1 pumps. The design procedure was developed using Graphical User Interface software with Visual Basic 5.0 and interfaced with a specially developed AutoLISP program in AutoCAD R13 environment. An algorithm for generating the Cartesian co-ordinates of the designed pump elements was evolved and incorporated in the program, which are used to show the geometrical shapes of the pump elements and also used as an input data for the Auto LISP program for generating three-dimensional views of the pump components. The options and utilities made available through a single program enables the user to design, view, redesign and optimize the pump geometry till it reaches a satisfactory value. The developed software is user-friendly and can be used as a design tool to configure an optimum pump geometry for a given duty like discharge and head

Comparative Study on Cavitation Erosion Resistance of A356 Alloy and A356FA5 Composite

In the present study, an aluminum alloy A356 composite with addition of 5 wt% fly ash was synthesized and subjected to the cavitation erosion resistance test in order to find out if this material can be used in conditions where the cavitation erosion resistance is expected. Obtained results were compared with that of as-cast aluminum A356 alloy, confirming that composite possessed better cavitation erosion resistance than original alloy and that fly ash can be used as an effective reinforcement in metal matrix composites production. Scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy was used for microstructural analysis. Phase identification of fly ash was carried out using X-ray diffraction analysis. Several methods for monitoring the cavitation erosion resistance of A356 alloy and corresponding composite were applied, such as: mass loss (Delta m), volume loss (Delta V), level of surface degradatiom (P/Po) and pit depth

Metal nanoparticles: The protective shield against virus infection.

Re-emergence of resistance in different pathogens including viruses are the major cause of human disease and death, which is posing a serious challenge to the medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological sectors. Though many efforts have been made to develop drug and vaccines against re-emerging viruses, researchers are continuously engaged in the development of novel, cheap and broad-spectrum antiviral agents, not only to fight against viruses but also to act as a protective shield against pathogens attack. Current advancement in nanotechnology provides a novel platform for the development of potential and effective agents by modifying the materials at nanolevel with remarkable physicochemical properties, high surface area to volume ratio and increased reactivity. Among metal nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles have strong antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral potential to boost the host immunity against pathogen attack. Nevertheless, the interaction of silver nanoparticles with viruses is a largely unexplored field. The present review discusses antiviral activity of the metal nanoparticles, especially the mechanism of action of silver nanoparticles, against different viruses such HSV, HIV, HBV, MPV, RSV, etc. It is also focused on how silver nanoparticles can be used in therapeutics by considering their cytotoxic level, to avoid human and environmental risks