63 research outputs found
Multi-Objective Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Using Genetic Algorithms
Flexible Job Shop Scheduling is an important problem in the fields of combinatorial optimization and production management. This research addresses multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling problem with the objective of simultaneous minimization of: (1) makespan, (2) workload of the most loaded machine, and (3) total workload. A general-purpose, domain independent genetic algorithm implemented in a spreadsheet environment is proposed for the flexible job shop. Spreadsheet functions are used to develop the shop model. Performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with heuristic algorithms already reported in the literature. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the proposed methodology can achieve solutions that are comparable to previous approaches in terms of solution quality and computational time. Flexible job shop models presented herein are easily customizable to cater for different objective functions without changing the basic genetic algorithm routine or the spreadsheet model. Experimental analysis demonstrates the robustness, simplicity, and general-purpose nature of the proposed approach
IN SILICO PHARMACOKINETICS AND MOLECULAR DOCKING OF THREE LEADS ISOLATED FROM TARCONANTHUS CAMPHORATUS L.
Objective: To investigate the pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles and spectrum of biological activities of three phytochemicals isolated from Tarconanthus camphoratus L. Methods: Several integrated web based in silico pharmacokinetic tools were used to estimate the druggability of Hispidulin, Nepetin and Parthenolide. Afterward, the structural based virtual screening for the three compounds' potential targets was performed using PharmMapper online server. The molecular docking was conducted using Auto-Dock 4.0 software to study the binding interactions of these compounds with the targets predicted by PharmMapper server. Results: The permeability properties for all compounds were found within the limit range stated for Lipinski׳s rule of five. Only Parthenolide proved to be able to penetrate through blood brain barrier. Isopentenyl-diphosphate delta-isomerase (IPPI), uridine-cytidine kinase-2 (UCK-2) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-1 (MEK-1) were proposed as potential targets for Hispidulin, Nepetin and Parthenolide, respectively. Nepetin and Parthenolide were predicted to have anticancer activities. The activity of Nepetin appeared to be mediated through UCK-2 inhibition. On the other hand, inhibition of MEK-1 and enhancement of TP53 expression were predicted as the anticancer mechanisms of Parthenolide. The three compounds showed interesting interactions and satisfactory binding energies when docked into their relevant targets. Conclusion: The ADMET profiles and biological activity spectra of Hispidulin, Nepetin and Parthenolide have been addressed. These compounds are proposed to have activities against a variety of human aliments such as tumors, muscular dystrophy, and diabetic cataracts.Keywords: Tarconanthus camphoratus L., Hispidulin, Nepetin, Parthenolide, In silico pharmacokinetic, Molecular docking, PharmMapper server, and Auto-Dock 4.0 softwareÂ
Influence of Rice Concentration on the Physical Properties of Gum Arabic/Rice Composite Material
Abstract In this work, Gum Arabic (GA)/ Rice composite materials were prepared using solid state reaction method. Four samples of GA with different concentrations of Rice, (0.0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3g) were considered. Fourier Transform Infra Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-visible spectroscopy) were used as analytical techniques. The optical properties of the prepared samples were determined including Energy gap and Absorption. The FTIR spectra of GA showed a broad and strong absorption band in the range 500-3500 cm-1, and these absorptions were assigned to the different stretching vibrations. The wavelengths of the samples were found to decreased when Rice concentration was increased and found in the range 221.2 and 225.4 nm, while the absorptions were found in the range 2.74-3.39 a. u. The energy band gab was calculated and was found to be in range 5.08 -5.21 eV. The effect of doped with Rice was profound in the properties of GA as the absorption and energy band gap were found to increase with Rice concentration
Cyclodextrin glucanotransferase immobilization onto functionalized magnetic double mesoporous core\u2013shell silica nanospheres
Background: Cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) from Amphibacillus
sp. NPST-10 was covalently immobilized onto amino-functionalized
magnetic double mesoporous core\u2013shell silica nanospheres
(mag@d-SiO2@m-SiO2-NH2), and the properties of the immobilized enzyme
were investigated. The synthesis process of the nanospheres included
preparing core magnetic magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, coating the
Fe3O4 with a dense silica layer, followed by further coating with
functionalized or non-functionalized mesoporous silica shell. The
structure of the synthesized nanospheres was characterized using TEM,
XRD, and FT-IR analyses. CGTase was immobilized onto the functionalized
and non-functionalized nanospheres by covalent attachment and physical
adsorption. Results: The results indicated that the enzyme
immobilization by covalent attachment onto the activated
mag@d-SiO2@m-SiO2-NH2, prepared using anionic surfactant, showed
highest immobilization yield (98.1%), loading efficiency (96.2%), and
loading capacity 58 \u3bcg protein [CGTase]/mg [nanoparticles]) which
were among the highest yields reported so far for CGTase. Compared with
the free enzyme, the immobilized CGTase demonstrated a shift in the
optimal temperature from 50\ub0C to 50\u201355\ub0C, and showed a
significant enhancement in the enzyme thermal stability. The optimum pH
values for the activity of the free and immobilized CGTase were pH 8
and pH 8.5, respectively, and there was a significant improvement in pH
stability of the immobilized enzyme. Moreover, the immobilized CGTase
exhibited good operational stability, retaining 56% of the initial
activity after reutilizations of ten successive cycles. Conclusion: The
enhancement of CGTase properties upon immobilization suggested that the
applied nano-structured carriers and immobilization protocol are
promising approach for industrial bioprocess for production of
cyclodextrins using immobilized CGTase
Immobilization of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase on aminopropyl-functionalized silica-coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles
Background: Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) from
Amphibacillus sp. NPST-10 was successfully covalently immobilized on
aminopropyl-functionalized silica coated superparamagnetic
nanoparticles; and the properties of immobilized enzyme were
investigated. The synthesis process included preparing of core magnetic
magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles using solvothermal synthesis; followed
by coating of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with dense amino-functionalized
silica (NH2-SiO2) layer using in situ functionalization method. The
structure of synthesized Fe3O4@NH2-SiO2 nanoparticles was characterized
using TEM, XRD, and FT-IR analysis. Fe3O4@NH2-SiO2 nanoparticles were
further activated by gluteraaldehyde as bifunctional cross linker, and
the activated nanoparticles were used for CGTase immobilization by
covalent attachment. Results: Magnetite nanoparticles was successfully
synthesized and coated with and amino functionalized silica layer
(Fe3O4/NH2-SiO2), with particle size of 50-70 nm. The silica coated
magnetite nanoparticles showed with saturation magnetization of 65
emug-1, and can be quickly recovered from the bulk solution using an
external magnet within 10 sec. The activated support was effective for
CGTase immobilization, which was confirmed by comparison of FT-IR
spectra of free and immobilized enzyme. The applied approach for
support preparation, activation, and optimization of immobilization
conditions, led to high yields of CGTase immobilization (92.3%),
activity recovery (73%), and loading efficiency (95.2%); which is one
of the highest so far reported for CGTase. Immobilized enzyme showed
shift in the optimal temperature from 50 to 55\ubaC, and significant
enhancement in the thermal stability compared with free enzyme. The
optimum pH for enzyme activity was pH 8 and pH 7.5 for free and
immobilized CGTase, respectively, with slight improvement of pH
stability of immobilized enzyme. Furthermore, kinetic studies revealed
that immobilized CGTase had higher affinity toward substrate; with km
values of 1.18 \ub1 0.05 mg/ml and 1.75 \ub1 0.07 mg/ml for
immobilized and free CGTase, respectively. Immobilized CGTase retained
87% and 67 of its initial activity after 5 and 10 repeated batches
reaction, indicating that immobilized CGTase on Fe3O4/NH2-SiO2 had good
durability and magnetic recovery. Conclusion: The improvement in
kinetic and stability parameters of immobilized CGTase makes the
proposed method a suitable candidate for industrial applications of
CGTase. To best of our knowledge, this is the first report about CGTase
immobilization on silica coated magnetite nanoparticles
Isolation and characterization of novel potent Cr(VI) reducing alkaliphilic Amphibacillus sp. KSUCr3 from hypersaline soda lakes
A strain KSUCr3 with extremely high Cr(VI)-reducing ability under
alkaline conditions was isolated from hypersaline soda lakes and
identified as Amphibacillus sp. on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence
analysis. The results showed that Amphibacillus sp. strain KSUCr3 was
tolerance to very high Cr(VI) concentration (75 mM) in addition to high
tolerance to other heavy metals including Ni2+ (100 mM), Mo2+ (75 mM),
Co2+ (5 mM), Mn2+ (100 mM), Zn2+ (2 mM), Cu2+ (2 mM) and Pb (75 mM).
Strain KSUCr3 was shown to be of a high efficiency in detoxifying
chromate, as it could rapidly reduce 5 mM of Cr(VI) to a non detectable
level over 24 hrs. In addition, strain KSUCr3 could reduce Cr(VI)
efficiently over a wide range of initial Cr(VI) concentrations (1-10
mM) in alkaline medium under aerobic conditions without significant
effect on the bacterial growth. Addition of glucose, NaCl and Na2CO3 to
the culture medium caused a dramatic increase in Cr(VI)-reduction by
Amphibacillus sp. strain KSUCr3. The maximum chromate removal was
exhibited in alkaline medium containing 1.5% Na2CO3, 0.8% glucose, and
1.2% NaCl, at incubation temperature of 40\ub0C and shaking of 100
rpm. Under optimum Cr(VI) reduction conditions, Cr(VI) reduction rate
reached 237 \u3bcMh1 which is one of the highest Cr(VI) reduction
rate, under alkaline conditions and high salt concentration, compared
to other microorganisms that has been reported so far. Furthermore, the
presence of other metals, such as Ni2+, Co2+, Cu2+ and Mn2+ slightly
stimulated Cr(VI)-reduction ability by the strain KSUCr3.The isolate,
Amphibacillus sp. strain KSUCr3, exhibited an ability to repeatedly
reduce hexavalent chromium without any amendment of nutrients,
suggesting its potential application in continuous bioremediation of
Cr(VI). The results also revealed the possible isolation of potent
heavy metals resistant bacteria from extreme environment such as
hypersaline soda lakes
Structural Characterization and Physical Properties of Syzygium cumini Flowering Plant
ABSTRACT: In this study, the flowering plant of syzygium cumini was used. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to investigate the structure of the leaves and barks of syzygium cumini. The XRD results were indicated that the structures of both leaves and bark were amorphous. The XRF results indicated that both leaves and barks contained Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), (Ti), and Magnesium (Mn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Zernike (As), Lead (Pb), Barium (Br), Strontium (Sr). The optical properties of syzygium cumini were carried out using Fourier Transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ultra violet spectroscopy (UV). The FTIR spectra showed a broad and strong absorption band in the range (685-1638) cm -1 , and these absorptions were assigned to the different stretching vibrations. The absorption for bark and leave was found to be 2.45 and 2.52 a u, while the wave length was found to be 277.4 and 277.5 nm, respectively. The energy band gap is calculated and found to be 5.017 and 4.67 eV, for bark and leave, respectively
Effects of substrates and reaction conditions on production of cyclodextrins using cyclodextrin glucanotransferase from newly isolated Bacillus agaradhaerens KSU-A11
The effects of reaction conditions on cyclodextrins (CDs) production by
CGTase from newly isolated Bacillus agaradhaerens KSU-A11 is
reported. Among six types of starch tested, potato starch gave highest
starch conversion into CDs. In addition, CDs yield was about three fold
higher when using gelatinized potato starch in comparison to raw
starch. The total CDs production was increased with increasing pH,
showing maximum starch conversion at pH 10. Furthermore, the proportion
of \u3b3-CD was relatively higher under slightly acidic-neutral
conditions than at alkaline pH with a maximum proportion of 35.6% at pH
7 compared to 7.6% at pH 10. Maximum starch conversion into CDs was
seen at reaction temperature of 55\ub0C. Lower reaction temperature
led to higher proportion of \u3b3-CD with maximum percentage at
35\ub0C. Cyclization reaction was significantly promoted in the
presence CaCl2 (10 mM), while in the presence of ethyl alcohol there
was significant decrease in CD production particularly at high
concentration.
f-CD was the major product up to 1 hr reaction
period with traces of \u3b1-CD and no detectable \u3b3-CD. However,
as the reaction proceed, \u3b3-CD started to be synthesised and
\u3b1-CD concentration increased up to 4 hrs, where the CDs ratios
were 0.27:0.65:0.07 for \u3b1-CD:
f-CD:\u3b3-CD, respectively. In
addition, optimum CGTase/starch ratio was obtained at 80 U/g starch,
showing highest starch conversion into CDs. All the parameters involved
have been shown to affect the products yield and/or specificity of B.
agaradhaerens KSU-A11 CGTase
Development of new thiazolidine-2,4-dione hybrids as aldose reductase inhibitors endowed with antihyperglycaemic activity: design, synthesis, biological investigations, and in silico insights
This research study describes the development of new small molecules based on 2,4-thiazolidinedione (2,4-TZD) and their aldose reductase (AR) inhibitory activities. The synthesis of 17 new derivatives of 2,4-TZDs hybrids was feasible by incorporating two known bioactive scaffolds, benzothiazole heterocycle, and nitro phenacyl moiety. The most active hybrid (8b) was found to inhibit AR in a non-competitive manner (0.16 µM), as confirmed by kinetic studies and molecular docking simulations. Furthermore, the in vivo experiments demonstrated that compound 8b had a significant hypoglycaemic effect in mice with hyperglycaemia induced by streptozotocin. Fifty milligrams per kilogram dose of 8b produced a marked decrease in blood glucose concentration, and a lower dose of 5 mg/kg demonstrated a noticeable antihyperglycaemic effect. These outcomes suggested that compound 8b may be used as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic complications
Production of extracellular alkaline protease by new halotolerant alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. NPST-AK15 isolated from hyper saline soda lakes
Background: Alkaline proteases are among the most important classes of
industrial hydrolytic enzymes. The industrial demand for alkaline
proteases with favorable properties continues to enhance the search for
new enzymes. The present study focused on isolation of new alkaline
producing alkaliphilic bacteria from hyper saline soda lakes and
optimization of the enzyme production. Results: A new potent alkaline
protease producing halotolerant alkaliphilic isolate NPST-AK15 was
isolated from hyper saline soda lakes, which affiliated to Bacillus
sp. based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. Organic nitrogen supported enzyme
production showing maximum yield using yeast extract, and as a carbon
source, fructose gave maximum protease production. NPST-AK15 can grow
over a broad range of NaCl concentrations (0\u201320%), showing
maximal growth and enzyme production at 0\u20135%, indicated the
halotolerant nature of this bacterium. Ba and Ca enhanced enzyme
production by 1.6 and 1.3 fold respectively. The optimum temperature
and pH for both enzyme production and cell growth were at 40\ub0C and
pH 11, respectively. Alkaline protease secretion was coherent with the
growth pattern, started at beginning of the exponential phase and
reached maximal in mid stationary phase (36 h). Conclusions: A
newhalotolerant alkaliphilic alkaline protease producing Bacillus
sp.NPST-AK15 was isolated from soda lakes. Optimization of various
fermentation parameters resulted in an increase of enzyme yield by 22.8
fold, indicating the significance of optimization of the fermentation
parameters to obtain commercial yield of the enzyme. NPST-AK15 and its
extracellular alkaline protease with salt tolerance signify their
potential applicability in the laundry industry and other applications
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