Predicting fermentability of wood hydrolyzates with responses from electronic noses

The fermentability of lignocellulose hydrolyzates have been predicted from the responses of a combination of chemical gas sensors. The hydrolyzates were prepared by dilute-acid hydrolysis of wood from pine, aspen, birch, and spruce. The volatile emission from the hydrolyzates before fermentation was measured, and the sensor array response pattern was compared with the observed fermentability of the hydrolyzates, i.e. with the final ethanol concentration after fermentation and the maximum specific ethanol production rate. Two concentration parameters in the hydrolyzates, furfural and the sum of furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), were also predicted from the responses. The sensors used were metal oxide semi- conductor field effect transistors (MOSFET), tin oxide semiconductor devices, and conductive polymer sensors configured in two sensor arrays. The sensor array response pattern was analyzed by principal component analysis and artificial neural networks. Predictions from artificial neural networks deviated from measured values with less than 15%

A protocol for one-step differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into mature podocytes

Within the glomerulus, podocytes are highly specialized visceral epithelial cells that are part of the glomerular filtration barrier. Human podocyte cell culture is rather challenging for primary or immortalized cells, due to the nonproliferative state of the cells. In addition, rapid dedifferentiation is often observed. Hence, iPSC-derived podocytes offer an exciting alternative to culture podocyte-like cells from different donors over prolonged time. Here we report a simple and rapid one-step protocol that drives iPSC into podocyte-like cells in 10 days