Ionic behavior assessment of surface-active compounds from corn steep liquor by exchange resins

Depending on their ionic nature, biosurfactants can be classified as nonionic, anionic, cationic, or amphoteric. The ionic behavior of biosurfactants is an important characteristic that dictates their use in industrial applications. In this work, a biosurfactant extract obtained from corn steep liquor was subjected to anionic or cationic resins, in order to study the ionic behavior under different operational conditions using response surface methodology. The independent variables included in the study are the dilution of biosurfactant solution, the amount of cationic or anionic resin, and the extraction time, whereas the dependent variables studied consisted of the surface tension of biosurfactant aqueous solution, after contacting with anionic or cationic resin. The results showed that biosurfactant extracted from corn steep liquor is amphoteric, since both resins were able to entrap this biosurfactant, making it particularly suited for use in personal care preparations for sensitive skin.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Thermochromism of Model Organic Aerosol Matter

Laboratory experiments show that the optical absorptivity of model organic matter is not an intrinsic property, but a strong function of relative humidity, temperature, and insolation. Suites of representative polyfunctional C_(x)H_(y)O_(z) oligomers in water develop intense visible absorptions upon addition of inert electrolytes. The resulting mixtures reach mass absorption cross sections σ(532 nm) ~ 0.1 m^(2)/gC in a few hours, absorb up to 9 times more solar radiation than the starting material, can be half-bleached by noon sunlight in ~ 1 h, and can be repeatedly recycled without carbon loss. Visible absorptions red-shift and evolve increasingly faster in subsequent thermal aging cycles. Thermochromism and its strong direct dependences on ionic strength and temperature are ascribed to the dehydration of >CH−C(OH)C═C< unsaturations by a polar E1 mechanism, and bleaching to photoinduced retrohydration. These transformations are deemed to underlie the daily cycles of aerosol absorption observed in the field, and may introduce a key feedback in the earth’s radiative balance

Insights into the complexity of craniofacial development from a cellular perspective

The head represents the most complex part of the body and a distinctive feature of the vertebrate body plan. This intricate structure is assembled during embryonic development in the four-dimensional process of morphogenesis. The head integrates components of the central and peripheral nervous system, sensory organs, muscles, joints, glands, and other specialized tissues in the framework of a complexly shaped skull. The anterior part of the head is referred to as the face, and a broad spectrum of facial shapes across vertebrate species enables different feeding strategies, communication styles, and diverse specialized functions. The face formation starts early during embryonic development and is an enormously complex, multi-step process regulated on a genomic, molecular, and cellular level. In this review, we will discuss recent discoveries that revealed new aspects of facial morphogenesis from the time of the neural crest cell emergence till the formation of the chondrocranium, the primary design of the individual facial shape. We will focus on molecular mechanisms of cell fate specification, the role of individual and collective cell migration, the importance of dynamic and continuous cellular interactions, responses of cells and tissues to generated physical forces, and their morphogenetic outcomes. In the end, we will examine the spatiotemporal activity of signaling centers tightly regulating the release of signals inducing the formation of craniofacial skeletal elements. The existence of these centers and their regulation by enhancers represent one of the core morphogenetic mechanisms and might lay the foundations for intra- and inter-species facial variability

Progressive augmentation of Reynolds stress tensor models for secondary flow prediction by computational fluid dynamics driven surrogate optimisation

Generalisability and the consistency of the a posteriori results are the most critical points of view regarding data-driven turbulence models. This study presents a progressive improvement of turbulence models using simulation-driven surrogate optimisation based on Kriging. We aim for the augmentation of secondary-flow reconstruction capability in a linear eddy-viscosity model without violating its original performance on canonical cases e.g. channel flow. Explicit algebraic Reynolds stress correction models (EARSCMs) for $k-\omega$ SST turbulence model are obtained to predict the secondary flow which the standard model fails to capture. The optimisation of the models is achieved by a multi-objective approach based on duct flow quantities, and numerical verification of the developed models is performed for various test cases. The results of testing new models on channel flow cases guarantee that new models preserve the performance of the original $k-\omega$ SST model. Regarding the generalisability of the new models, results of unseen test cases demonstrate a significant improvement in the prediction of secondary flows and streamwise velocity. These results highlight the potential of the progressive approach to enhance the performance of data-driven turbulence models for fluid flow simulation while preserving the robustness and stability of the solver.Comment: 23 pages, 20 figure

Spatial Regulation of Cdc42 During Cytokinesis

5 pages, 2 figures.-- PMID: 17637568 [PubMed].-- Printed version published on Jul 15, 2007.Cdc42 GTPase plays a critical role in the establishment of cell polarity in most eukaryotic organisms. Cdc42 active state, as that of other GTPases, depends on the bound nucleotide. The protein with GTP is active, and only in this state can it interact with different target effector proteins. The spatio-temporal control of Cdc42 activity is therefore necessary to generate growth polarity. In fission yeast cells, Cdc42 mainly localizes to the division area, and also to the growing tips and to some internal membranes. While the role of Cdc42 in apical growth is well defined, no role has been described for Cdc42 in the process of cell division. Fission yeast Cdc42 activity is regulated by two specific guanidine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), Scd1, and Gef1. We discuss here how Hob3, a BAR domain containing protein similar to human BIN3 and S. cerevisiae Rsv161, may be required to recruit Cdc42 to the cell division site as well as for the activation of this GTPase mediated by Gef1. We also discuss the possible role of Cdc42 in the contraction of the actomyosin ring necessary for cytokinesis.This work was supported by Grant BIO2004-0834 from the Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología, Spain.Peer reviewe

Kinetic study of the methanogenic step of a two-stage anaerobic digestion process treating olive mill solid residue

5 páginas, 4 figuras, 1 tabla.A kinetic study of the methanogenic step of a two-stage anaerobic digestion process treating two-phase olive oil mill solid residue (OMSR) was conducted at mesophilic temperature (35 °C). The anaerobic digestion of OMSR was carried out in two different steps. After a hydrolytic–acidogenic stage, working at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 12.9 g COD L−1 day−1 (COD: chemical oxygen demand), the effluents or acidified OMSR obtained were employed for feeding a second or methanogenic step. For the methanogenic step, OLRs of between 0.8 and 22.0 g COD L−1 day−1 were studied (corresponding to hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of between 142.9 and 4.6 days). The substrate treated in the second phase (acidified OMSR) had a high total concentration in volatile fatty acids (14.5 g CH3COOH L−1) and a high percentage of acetic acid as the main methane precursor (57.5% of the total concentration). As a consequence of the first step a high stability in the methanogenic stage was achieved. A total chemical oxygen demand balance was developed over the methanogenic step. For this model two considerations were taken in account: (1) volumetric flow constant during the experiments (the volume of effluent that was taken from the methanogenic reactor every day was equal to the volume of acidified OMSR fed). (2) Constant concentration of methanogenic microorganisms during the experiments (the slow growing rate of the methanogenic microorganisms makes it possible for the concentration of microorganisms over the process to remain constant). The cellular maintenance coefficient (m) and methane yield coefficient (YG/S) were found to be 0.016 g COD removed g−1 VSS day−1 and 0.261 L CH4 g−1 COD removed, respectively.The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Spanish “Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia” (Project REN 2001-0472/TECNO) and the FECYT for providing financial support.Peer reviewe

Adaptive Responses of \u3cem\u3eBrachiaria\u3c/em\u3e Grasses to Hypoxia Stress

It is likely that oxygen shortage in waterlogged soils is the most limiting factor for plant growth, restricting root aerobic respiration and ATP production (Vartapetian and Jackson 1997). When oxygen becomes limiting for oxidative phosphorylation, plant cells depend on alternative metabolic pathways to produce ATP (Rocha et al. 2010). The induction of fermentative metabolism is considered of adaptive value to maintain ATP production under oxygen-limited conditions. Ethanol is the main end product of fermentation metabolism in plants. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is a key enzyme in ethanolic fermentation. Roots can sustain aerobic respiration under oxygen deficiency if aerenchyma is present. Aerenchyma commonly refers to tissue containing air-filled spaces that provide oxygen un-der oxygen-limited conditions (Colmer and Voesenek 2009). The main objective of the present study was to determine morpho-physiological adaptive responses of seven Brachiaria genotypes to hypoxia stress

Characterization of ionic nature of biosurfactant extracted from corn steep liquor using ionic exchange resins

[Excerpt] Resins have been used for years for the purification and characterization of ionic substances. The use of these resins allows not only remove impurities or increase the concentration of metabolites from industrial streams, but also allows define their ionic structure. In general, surfactants can be classified as non-ionic, anionic, cationic or amphoteric, what is going to define their future application at industrial scale. For example, anionic surfactants present the greatest wetting and emulsifying properties, while cationic ones have excellent antibacterial properties as well as good emulsifier capacities. Otherwise, amphoteric surfactants, which may have anionic or cationic properties depending on pH, are widely used in personal care products because of their less irritability to skin and eyes in comparison with other types of surfactants. [...]Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FEDER funds under the project CTM2015-68904)University of Vigo (Spain

Potential applications of biosurfactant extract obtained from corn steep liquor in hair formulations

[Excerpt] Biosurfactants (BS) have great advantages as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic surfactants used in hair formulations. Human hair contains fatty acids (palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic and stearic acid) that prevent hair dryness and avoid the lower scalp hair density. These fatty acids are included in the composition of biosurfactant extract obtained from corn steep liquor (CSL) (Vecino et al., 2015). The adsorption of surfactants on hair depends on its ionic charge. Normally, hair surface has a negative charge, so it adsorbs cationic surfactants. For this reason, hair conditioners and also hair sunscreens contain cationic surfactants, mainly quaternary ammonium salts, which absorb UV light, protecting hair surface from dryness and oxidation. Contrarily, shampoo formulations are composed by anionic surface-active agents, which can induce, in many cases, hair protein loss, hair dryness, opacity and difficulty of handling. In order to know if biosurfactant extract, obtained from CSL, could be adsorbed on hair, its ionic behavior was evaluated by using anionic and cationic resins using a solid/liquid ratio of 1:10 at room temperature. After that, adsorption experiments using human hair were established at room temperature with hair/biosurfactant solution ratio of 1:50. [...]The financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FEDER funds under the project CTM2015-68904) and L. Rodríguez-López is grateful for her predoctoral fellowship supported by the University of Vigo (Spain)