Determinants of debt behavior. A quantitative study among generation Y individuals in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The aim of this paper was to examine the determinants of debt behavior by generation Y. Despite various studies done on savings and debt behavior of students, the relationship between financial education, debt attitude, peer influence and power prestige towards debt behavior among generation Y in Uzbekistan is still unclear. There is a dearth of studies relating to the debt behavior of generation Y individuals in Uzbekistan. This quantitative research collected primary data using self-administered questionnaires, which were sent to generation Yindividuals in Uzbekistan. Data collected from 107 respondents was analyzed using SPSS statistical tool. Based on multiple regression analysis, it was found that only power prestige had a significant impact on debt behavior of generation Y individuals. Financial education, debt attitude and peer influence did not show a significant influence on debt behavior. The findings shed further light on the role of financial education, attitude, peer influence and power prestige in debt behavior. The information provided by this research can help authorities to develop measures to address the rising level of debt. This is the first study of its kind to examine debt behavior among Generation Y individuals in Uzbekistan

The impact of knowledge sharing behaviour and social intelligence of university academics on their performance: The mediating role of competencies

Generally, university academics’ knowledge sharing behavior and social intelligence are said to be significant in improving their performance through their grasp of competencies Nevertheless, the association has yet to be thoroughly researched. Thus, this study applied the proposed mediation model among university academics in the Business School of seven Malaysian private universities. The salient findings of this research are that the competencies mediate the association among (1) knowledge sharing behavior and innovative teaching and (2) social intelligence and innovative teaching. Apart from that, it was observed that knowledge sharing behavior impacted innovative teaching and supervision, while social intelligence impacted innovative teaching, research and publication and supervision. Implications were discussed

Improved cellulase production by <i>Penicillium janthinellum</i> mutant

436-440Economic and sustainable production of bioethanol from biomass through enzymatic route depends on economics of cellulase availability, the key factor for the success of the technology. It has been realized that the bottleneck of the technology lies in obtaining highly efficient cellulase which could result in an economically feasible technology. In this study, we compared cellulase production by Penicillium janthinellum EMS UV-8 in shake flask in two different medium; modified Mandel and Weber (M &amp; W) and the corn steep liquor (CSL) based medium. In CSL based medium, 3.02 FPU/mL was produced compared to 1.25 FPU/mL in modified r M &amp; W medium. Hence, CSL based medium was employed in bioreactor for cellulase production. In cellulase production, Penicillium sp. is comparable to the widely acclaimed Trichoderma sp. Changing the production medium from modified M &amp; W medium to CSL based medium, increased cellulase production by two fold. In the bioreactor, controlled monitoring of DO and pH resulted in increase in the cellulase activity upto 5.44±0.3 FPU/ml at 168 h

Genetic modification: a tool for enhancing cellulase secretion

Lignocellulosic (LC) biomass is abundantly available as a low-cost resource on the Earth. LC conversion into energy carriers is the most accepted alternative energy production policy because it is non-competitor to food or feed. LC ethanol has brought cellulases to the forefront which was otherwise lost in oblivion during last decades. LC biomass can be converted into value added products or into sugars by various routes, e.g., thermo-chemical, chemical, or biological methods. Biological route via enzymes is one of the most eco-friendly and feasible method. Both fungi and bacteria are known to degrade biomass. Fungi have been greatly exploited for cellulase production due to their inherent properties of secreting extracellular cellulase. These microorganisms are known as cellulase producers for many decades, however, to bring the enzymatic biomass conversion to an economically feasible status, extensive research efforts have been made in last decade to enhance cellulase titers. Mutations and genetic interventions along with bioprocess development have played a very important role for enhancing cellulase production. This review will present a critical overview of the on-going research towards improving cellulase production for biofuel industry via genetic modification, which will include mutation and genetic engineering employed to exert changes at genetic level in microorganisms

Subcritical Water Pretreatment for the Efficient Valorization of Sorghum Distillery Residue for the Biorefinery Platform

The depletion of fossil fuels is resulting in an increased energy crisis, which is leading the paradigm shift towards alternative energy resources to overcome the issue. Lignocellulosic biomass or agricultural residue could be utilized to produce energy fuel (bioethanol) as it can resolve the issue of energy crisis and reduce environmental pollution that occurs due to waste generation from agriculture and food industries. A huge amount of sorghum distillery residue (SDR) is produced during the Kaoliang liquor production process, which may cause environmental problems. Therefore, the SDR generated can be utilized to produce bioethanol to meet current energy demands and resolve environmental problems. Using a central composite experimental design, the SDR was subjected to hydrothermal pretreatment. The conditions selected for hydrothermal pretreatment are 155 °C, 170 °C, and 185 °C for 10, 30, and 50 min, respectively. Based on the analysis, 150 °C for 30 min conditions for SDR hydrothermal pretreatment were selected as no dehydration product (Furfural and HMF) was detected in the liquid phase. Therefore, the pretreated slurry obtained using hydrothermal pretreatment at 150 °C for 30 min was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis at 5% solid loading and 15 FPU/gds. The saccharification yield obtained at 72 h was 75.05 ± 0.5%, and 5.33 g/L glucose concentration. This non-conventional way of enzymatic hydrolysis eliminates the separation and detoxification process, favoring the concept of an economical and easy operational strategy in terms of biorefinery

Biochemical and Biorefinery Platform for Second-Generation Bioethanol: Fermentative Strategies and Microorganisms

Bioethanol is the most commonly used biofuel. It is an alternative to replace fossil fuels in renewable energy; it can be produced from lignocellulosic feedstock using a biotechnological process. Their participation of microorganisms is crucial in the bioconversion process of fermentation for ethanol production and can involve bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. However, when working within bioethanol processes from lignocellulose feedstock, microorganisms face some challenges, such as high temperature, high solids content, and the ability to ferment sugars for high ethanol concentration. Such challenges will depend on operative strategies, such as simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, separate hydrolysis and fermentation, semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, and consolidated bioprocessing; these are the most common configurations. This review presents different trends of the microbial role, biochemical application, and fermentation operative strategies for bioethanol production of the second generation