Solid-state fermentation of oil palm frond petiole for lignin peroxidase and xylanase-rich cocktail production

In current practice, oil palm frond leaflets and stems are re-used for soil nutrient recycling, while the petioles are typically burned. Frond petioles have high commercialization value, attributed to high lignocellulose fiber content and abundant of juice containing free reducing sugars. Pressed petiole fiber is the subject of interest in this study for the production of lignocellulolytic enzyme. The initial characterization showed the combination of 0.125 mm frond particle size and 60% moisture content provided a surface area of 42.3 m2/g, porosity of 12.8%, and density of 1.2 g/cm3, which facilitated fungal solid-state fermentation. Among the several species of Aspergillus and Trichoderma tested, Aspergillus awamori MMS4 yielded the highest xylanase (109 IU/g) and cellulase (12 IU/g), while Trichoderma virens UKM1 yielded the highest lignin peroxidase (222 IU/g). Crude enzyme cocktail also contained various sugar residues, mainly glucose and xylose (0.1–0.4 g/L), from the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose. FT-IR analysis of the fermented petioles observed reduction in cellulose crystallinity (I900/1098), cellulose–lignin (I900/1511), and lignin–hemicellulose (I1511/1738) linkages. The study demonstrated successful bioconversion of chemically untreated frond petioles into lignin peroxidase and xylanase-rich enzyme cocktail under SSF condition

Developmental perspectives on interpersonal affective touch

In the last decade, philosophy, neuroscience and psychology alike have paid increasing attention to the study of interpersonal affective touch, which refers to the emotional and motivational facets of tactile sensation. Some aspects of affective touch have been linked to a neurophysiologically specialised system, namely the C tactile (CT) system. While the role of this sys-tem for affiliation, social bonding and communication of emotions have been widely investigated, only recently researchers have started to focus on the potential role of interpersonal affective touch in acquiring awareness of the body as our own, i.e. as belonging to our psychological ‘self’. We review and discuss recent developmental and adult findings, pointing to the central role of interpersonal affective touch in body awareness and social cognition in health and disorders. We propose that interpersonal affective touch, as an interoceptive modality invested of a social nature, can uniquely contribute to the ongoing debate in philosophy about the primacy of the relational nature of the minimal self

Characteristics of two-component epoxy modified bitumen

Coal tar bearing emulsions were used in the Netherlands as binder in anti-skid surfaces for runways because of their perfect adhesion and fuel resistance properties. They are however toxic and will not be allowed anymore after 2010. Therefore alternatives need to be developed. As one of the alternatives, two types of two-component epoxy modified bitumen have been investigated by means of direct tensile tests (DTT), relaxation tests (RT) and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests. The effect of the curing temperature on the strength development of the epoxy modified bitumen was tested. The results show that the tensile strength increases with increasing curing time and temperature. DTT and RT results indicate that this new epoxy modified bitumen has a much higher tensile strength, cures faster than a bitumen emulsion as a binder. Furthermore, it shows a good stress relaxation even at lower temperatures. The curing speed and the ultimate tensile strength after full curing can be easily adjusted. The DSR results show that the complex modulus of this epoxy modified binder is less susceptible to changes in temperature. The results also suggest that this epoxy modified bitumen has better anti-crack properties at lower temperature and less permanent deformation than bituminous binders at higher temperatures. All these results shows that this type of two-component epoxy modified bitumen can be promising as a binder in anti-skid layers.Design and ConstructionCivil Engineering and Geoscience