Application of an endo-xylanase from Aspergillus japonicus in the fruit juice clarification and fruit peel waste hydrolysis.

The endo-xylanase from Aspergillus japonicus (UFMS 48.136) was purified in a single step using carboximethylcellulose chromatographic column and applied in fruit juice clarification process and fruit peel waste hydrolysis. This purification procedure resulted in 38.9-fold purification of endo-xylanase with 83.3% final yield. MALDITOF analysis confirmed the molecular mass of 32 kDa. The optimal purified endo-xylanase activity was at a range of pH from 5.0 to 6.0 and from 50 to 60 +-C, retaining more than 70% of its activity at all pH studied (3.0?8.0) for 24 h at room temperature. The A. japonicus endo-xylanolytic activity stimulation curve was assayed in the presence of different birchwood xylan concentrations (ranging from 0.02 to 0.5% w/v) and the endoxylanase activity presented a Vmax of 467.4 +- 30.38 μmol/min/mg, with a km of 2.59 +- 0.17 mg/mL, a kcat of 253.95 +- 16.51 s -1 and a kcat/km value of 98.05 +- 4.41 mL s -1 mg -1. The endo-xylanase was activated by Mn2þ (34.5%) and inhibited by Cu2þ (56.9%). The endo-xylanase was activated by β-mercaptoethanol, Triton X-100, Tween-20, Tween-80 and ferulic acid. In the clarification assay, endo-xylanase successfully clarified the juices of mango (51.11%), banana (9.99%) and tangerine (8.54%). Furthermore, the enzyme also hydrolysed all fruit peel wastes that were tested. In summary, A. japonicus endo-xylanase showed potential for applications in fruit juice clarification and in the treatment of fruit peel wastes, and it is a good candidate for the food industry due to its wide pH stability under acidic conditions

Development and testing of the Minimum Additive Waste Stabilization (MAWS) system for Fernald wastes. Phase 1, Final report

This report presents results of a treatability study for the evaluation of the MAWS process for wastes stored at the Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) site. Wastes included in the study were FEMP Pit 5 sludges, soil-wash fractions, and ion exchange media from a water treatment system supporting a soil washing system. MAWS offers potential for treating a variety of waste streams to produce a more leach resistant waste form at a lower cost than, say, cement stabilization

Webometrics benefitting from web mining? An investigation of methods and applications of two research fields

Webometrics and web mining are two fields where research is focused on quantitative analyses of the web. This literature review outlines definitions of the fields, and then focuses on their methods and applications. It also discusses the potential of closer contact and collaboration between them. A key difference between the fields is that webometrics has focused on exploratory studies, whereas web mining has been dominated by studies focusing on development of methods and algorithms. Differences in type of data can also be seen, with webometrics more focused on analyses of the structure of the web and web mining more focused on web content and usage, even though both fields have been embracing the possibilities of user generated content. It is concluded that research problems where big data is needed can benefit from collaboration between webometricians, with their tradition of exploratory studies, and web miners, with their tradition of developing methods and algorithms