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Bio-oil contains many oxygenated compounds, as well as high acid and water content, which can reduce the stability of its components and have poor overall physicochemical properties. In this study, the quality of bio-oil produced from the pyrolysis of oil palm fronds was enhanced through a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction that was preceded by esterification as a pre-treatment. The catalyst used in the HDO reaction is mixed metal oxide (Fe2O3-CoO) anchored within zeolite mordenite (Fe2O3-CoO/Mor). The catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM-EDX, and BET methods. The presence of metal oxides on the surface of mordenite increases the activity of the catalyst in producing liquid products while reducing the formation of coke. Upgrading of bio-oil has improved the physicochemical properties of bio-oil compared to the one-stage upgrading process. The analysis of product showed that the C and H content increased from 11.5 to 23.5 wt% and from 9.76 to 11.2 wt%, respectively. On the other hand, the O content decreased from 78.7 to 65.2 wt% with a degree of deoxygenation of 59.8%. Moreover, higher heating value (HHV) of the bio-oil increased by 38% from 11.6 to 16.0 MJ/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cupronickel-based alloys are widely known for their excellent resistance against aqueous corrosion, however, they can be susceptible to corrosion at accelerated rates and premature failure when exposed to a polluted or brackish seawater medium, even for short-term exposure durations. This unfamiliar corrosion behavior may be a result of the formation of an unprotected corrosion film during the early exposure durations. The paper investigates the corrosion phenomenon in cupronickel 90/10 alloy, by exposing the coupons in two different seawater compositions in the Arabian Sea region. Corrosion losses were investigated on the experimental coupons in a submerged position, for a maximum exposure duration of 150 days, using the conventional weight loss method and a new dimensional metrology-based measurement technique. Additionally, in this research the tubes of a marine heat exchanger having similar material that failed prematurely during operation in the Arabian Sea were also investigated for corrosion losses, followed by the characterization of the corrosion deposits using following analytical techniques: SEM, EDS, XRD and Raman Scattering. The experimental results showed significantly higher corrosion losses on coupons exposed to seawater site rich in pollutants and nutrients including dissolved inorganic nitrogenous compounds, compared to those subjected to a natural seawater solution in corrosion tanks maintained in a controlled environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses two important problems in motion planning and control of serial chain planar articulating locomotion systems moving on a flat surface. Locomotion systems generally use closed curve cyclic gaits to perform maneuvers in the environment. The geometric mechanics tools are used to identify the cyclic gaits. Firstly, a motion control approach is presented using a single cyclic gait parametrized with variable gait parameters. The parameterized gait is used to drive the system along a continuous trajectory with varying curvature. On the other hand, the proposed approach presents how the gait parameters can be controlled to smoothly track a continuous trajectory. Secondly, this paper presents a joint coordination approach to generalize the height function based approach to design cyclic gaits for the system having joint space with more than two degrees of freedom. Using joint coordination approach, cyclic gaits can be designed for different motion behaviors such as longitudinal motion, sideways motion and rotation in place. The joint coordination approach also helps generalizing the proposed motion control approach to planar serial chain articulating robots with any even number of joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest protein family involved in signal transduction and are the main targets for drug delivery. The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are class C of GPCRs that contribute to the modulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission which regulates vital physiological processes and is recognized as a potential therapeutic target throughout the central nervous system. Intracellular C-terminal domains of mGluR are the main targets for proteins regulating these receptors and are also involved in alternative splicing, regulation by phosphorylation, and modulatory protein-protein interactions. Class C of GPCRs exist as dimers and is mediated by interactions between the venus tryflap domain and the transmembrane domain. The mGluR5 variant F can be regulated by both positive and negative allosteric modulators that can potentiate or inhibit the endogenous ligand and glutamate, respectively. Moreover, mGluR5 is involved in many disorders including fragile X syndrome/autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, addiction, chronic pain and epilepsy, etc. The main purpose of current computational work is to determine the 3D structures of the target protein and their active sites to design new drug molecules as potential biochemical agents. The 3D model of the mGluR5 variant F was constructed through homology modeling techniques using MOE and I-TESSER programs. RAMPAGE and ERRATE online servers were used for the 3D structure evaluation and validation. Furthermore, the mGluR5 variant F was docked with 20 mavoglurant derivatives that act as antagonists. Mavoglurant derivatives 3, 4, 6, 10, 13, 18, and 19 showed a maximum of four interactions with the mGluR5 variant F, whereas derivatives 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 20 showed a maximum of three interactions with the mGluR5 variant F. The remaining four mavoglurant derivatives expressed two interactions each with mGluR5 variant F. The docking score for these derivatives ranged between −15.55 and −08.210 kcal mol−1 suggesting their strong interactions with the mGluR5 variant F. Their 3D structure and docking study provides a potential base for the synthesis of new drug candidates to treat brain disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analysed gender disparities in Pakistan focusing on access to primary education and women's education in light of National Education policies from 1947 to 2017 to achieve universal primary education. This study aimed to trace the evolution of National Education policies (1947–2017) in the attainment of universal primary education and gender disparities in Primary education in Pakistan. A qualitative document analysis technique was employed to extract relevant data related to policy objectives, strategies, and targets of primary education, gender disparities, and women's education. The quantitative data was extracted from the Pakistan Economic Survey 2022–2023, Pakistan Education Statistics 2020–2021, and all National Census 1951, 1961, 1972, 1981, 1998, and 2017. The study found that education policies highlighted the importance of primary education but did not dedicate larger sections to women's education in the first 40 years. The recent education policies addressed the importance of women's education for achieving gender parity. These findings, which stem from a review of national education policies' documents, are in line with the findings drawn from the quantitative data extracted from authoritative reports which stated that significant gender disparities existed in the numbers of primary schools, access to primary education, and students' enrolments throughout the history of Pakistan. The study also found significant gender disparities in the number of primary schools per 100,000 children, with male students comparatively attending schools more than female students. The study found consistent gender disparities in primary education enrolment in Pakistan with notable progress in recent years but have not been able to eliminate these disparities. Gender disparity is evident in literacy rate, gross enrolment rate (GER), and net enrolment rate (NER). The study recommended that the revision of existing policies and formulation of new education policies should be based on comprehensive documentation on women's education and its impact on the economy, literacy rate, and universal primary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubber seeds, due to their rich vegetable oil content, emerge as a promising substrate for biofuel production. Harnessing the progressive catalytic hydrocracking methodology, this research delves into the activation of Sarulla‐derived natural zeolite followed by Ni and Ni–Mo metal impregnation, subsequently subjecting rubber seed oil to hydrocracking at 400, 450, and 500 °C under atmospheric pressure at 0.1 MPa. Zeolite characteristics undergo notable transformations postmetal impregnation. Importantly, at 500 °C, gasoline fraction selectivity exhibits superior efficacy, with the Ni/SNZ‐A catalyst demonstrating consistently high selectivity (>85%) across varied temperatures. Posthydrocracking reveals an amplification in n‐paraffin, aromatic, olefin, and methyl ester profiles to 19.6%, 7.3%, 25.7%, and 17.7%, respectively, contrasting the diminution of cycloparaffin, carboxylic acid, and ketones to 3.6%, 0.2%, and 2.5%, respectively. The aforementioned discoveries hold significant importance in the realm of further investigation into the generation of gasoline fractions through the utilization of natural zeolite catalysts and the incorporation of metals with lower mass, all conducted under atmospheric pressure conditions with the ultimate objective of mitigating production expenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of plants for the production of metallic nanoparticles is gaining significant attention in research. In this study, we conducted phytochemical screening of Alstonia scholaris (A. scholaris) leaves extracts using various solvents, including chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-hexane, methanol, and water. Our findings revealed higher proportions of flavonoids and alkaloids in both solvents compared to other phytochemical species. In the methanol, extract proteins, anthraquinone and reducing sugar were not detected. On the other hand, the aqueous extract demonstrated the presence of amino acids, reducing sugar, phenolic compounds, anthraquinone, and saponins. Notably, ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts displayed the highest levels of bioactive compounds among all solvents. Intrigued by these results, we proceeded to investigate the antibacterial properties of the leaf extracts against two major bacterial strains, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). All extracts exhibited significant zones of inhibition against both bacterial isolates, with S. aureus showing higher susceptibility compared to E. coli. Notably, the methanol extract displayed the most potent I hibitory effect against all organisms. Inspired by the bioactivity of the methanol extract, we employed it as a plant-based material for the green synthesis of copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs). The synthesized Cu-NPs were characterized using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–visible spectroscopic analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The observed color changes confirmed the successful formation of Cu-NPs, while the FTIR analysis matched previously reported peaks, further verifying the synthesis. The SEM micrographs indicated the irregular shapes of the surface particles. From the result obtained by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis, Cu has the highest relative abundance of 67.41 wt%. Confirming the purity of the Cu-NPs colloid. These findings contribute to the growing field of eco-friendly nanotechnology and emphasize the significance of plant-mediated approaches in nanomaterial synthesis and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethersulfone (PES) membranes are prevalent in the field of water treatment owing to their exceptional separation efficiency, robust mechanical properties, and resistance to chemical degradation. Nevertheless, these membranes are prone to fouling, resulting in a decrease in both flux and ultrafiltration efficiency. In the present study, PES membranes are blended with poly (3‐Sulfopropyl Methacrylate) (PSPMA) in various weight percentages (0%–3%) to improve their antifouling and ultrafiltration properties. The physicochemical properties of the blended membranes, including surface morphology, contact angle, hydrophilicity and surface energy are evaluated. The findings indicate that incorporation PSPMA results in an enhancement of the hydrophilic properties and surface charge of the PES membranes, assessed by employing Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) as a representative protein. Modified blended membranes display greater Flux Recovery Ratio (FRR%) and exhibit superior fouling resistance. Under the same experimental conditions (0.2 MPa applied pressure), a pure water flux of 154.18 L·m−2·h−1 for PES/PSPMA membrane found substantially greater than pure PES membrane (103.52 L·m−2·h−1) along with Total Fouling Ratio (TFR) of 36% and 64.9% respectively. Exceptional antimicrobial efficacy for modified membranes is revealed against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) using disc diffusion technique rendering them well‐suited for water treatment applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the presence of spillover among the regional energy markets in Asia, Europe, North America, Pacific region, and South America from January 2, 1995 to May 27, 2021. We report heterogeneous results for spillover between the regional energy markets. Our work separately highlights the presence of negative and positive returns spillover across sampled energy markets. We also report a significant increase in spillover during different crisis periods, supporting the contagion phenomena. Finally, we also report the asymmetry in short- and long-run spillover and negative and positive returns during normal and crisis periods. Our results carry implications for investments in the regional energy markets under different market conditions and investment periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our work investigates the effect of different financial, economic and political uncertainties on US sectoral returns spanning over the period January 2000 to February 2022. We sample geopolitical risk, political uncertainty, geopolitical uncertainty, financial uncertainty, monetary policy uncertainty, and US economic policy uncertainty to measure their impact on basic materials, consumer goods, consumer services, financial, healthcare, industrials, oil and gas, telecom, technologies, and utilities sector. We decompose raw returns and risk and uncertainty series into short-, and long-run components using wavelet transformation to measure the effect on sectoral returns under short- and long-run investment horizons. Later, we employ quantile regression to quantify the effect of different risk and uncertainty measures on US sectoral returns under different market conditions. Our results highlight significant impact of risk and uncertainties on US sectoral returns across all quantile distributions in the long-run. We also report non-linear causality from risk and uncertainties toward US sectoral returns in the long-run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-oil from the pyrolysis of palm fronds waste has potential to be used as an alternative fuel. However, due to its poor physicochemical properties, it requires further treatment to improve its overall quality. In this study, the conversion of palm fronds waste into bio-oil was carried out using the semi-fast pyrolysis at 500 °C and continued with esterification and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). Metal oxides of Cu and Zn with a zeolite carrier mordenite (Mor) were used as bifunctional catalysts in the HDO reaction performed in a fixed-bed system reactor with temperature variations (250, 300, and 350 °C) for 2 h. Upgraded bio-oil (UBO) products at optimum conditions were analyzed for their physicochemical properties. In the pyrolysis process, the highest bio-oil conversion of 46.3% was obtained at a sample size of 60 mesh with the main component of furan compounds (46.31%). In the upgrading process through the esterification pretreatment, the optimum condition of HDO was determined to be at 300 °C, this can be seen from the high yield of liquid phase products produced on each catalyst (Mor; 89.85%, and CuO-ZnO/Mor; 88.25%). The physicochemical properties of upgraded bio-oil obtained under optimum conditions showed an increase in the quality of bio-oil with a decrease in water content (up to 23%), an increase in higher heating value (HHV) (up to 14.67% in CuO-ZnO/Mor). It is known that HDO with CuO-ZnO/Mor catalyst has a higher selectivity than Mor catalyst in converting aromatic hydrocarbon compounds such as methyl cyclohexane which is a potential component of a fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a chelating agent, has shown the ability to enhance the thermostability of cyclomaltodextrinase from Geobacillus thermopakistaniensis (CDaseGt). There was a 5-fold and 3-fold enhancement in the half-life of the enzyme at 70 and 75 °C, respectively, when purified in the presence of EDTA. To further investigate, recombinant CDaseGt was subjected to molecular-level characterization using various techniques including circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in the presence and absence of EDTA. Presence of EDTA caused several changes in the secondary structure of CDaseGt, specifically in terms of chirality and relocation of hydrophobic patches. No evident disturbance in the amino acid functional groups was observed with the addition of EDTA. In silico affinity analysis displayed favorable binding and attractive electrostatic interactions between CDaseGt and EDTA. These findings enhance our understanding about CDaseGt−EDTA interactions, and provide insights for developing efficient and stable enzymes with broad practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious human health impacts have been observed worldwide due to several life-threatening diseases such as cancer, candidiasis, hepatic coma, and gastritis etc. Exploration of nature for the treatment of such fatal diseases is an area of immense interest for the scientific community. Based on this idea, the genus Aspergillus was selected to discover its hidden therapeutic potential. The genus Aspergillus is known to possess several biologically active compounds. The current research aimed to assess the biological and pharmacological potency of the extracts of less-studied Aspergillus ficuum (FCBP-DNA-1266) (A. ficuum) employing experimental and bioinformatics approaches. The disc diffusion method was used for the antifungal investigation, and the MTT assay was performed to assess the anticancer effects. Mice were employed as an in vivo model to evaluate the antispasmodic effects. A standard spectrophotometric technique was applied to gauge the urease inhibitory activity. The antifungal studies indicate that both n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts were significantly active against Candida albicans (C. albicans) with their zone of inhibitions (ZOI) values reported as 19 ± 1.06 mm and 25 ± 0.55 mm, respectively at a dose of 30 µg.mL−1. In vitro cytotoxicity assay against HeLa, fibroblast 3T3, prostate PC3, and breast MCF-7 cancer cell lines was performed. The ethyl acetate extract of A. ficuum was found to be significantly active against MCF-7 with its IC50 value of 43.88 µg.mL−1. However, no substantial effects on the percent cell death of HeLa cancer cell lines were observed. In addition, the A. ficuum extracts also inhibited the urease enzyme compared to standard thiourea. The antispasmodic activity of A. ficuum extract was assessed by an in vivo model and the results demonstrated promising activity at 150 mg.kg−1. Molecular docking results also supported the antifungal, anticancer, and antiurease potency of A. ficuum extract. Overall, the results display promising aspects of A. ficuum extract as a future pharmacological source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethersulfone (PES) blended with glycopeptide Vancomycin was fabricated via phase inversion method. The fabricated membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle (CA) and optical profilometry. The PES/Vancomycin membranes showed a notable increase in hydrophilicity, porosity, pore size, antibacterial activity and water flux in comparison with pristine membranes. The changes are due to the hydrophilic nature of Vancomycin molecules and ability to form hydrogen bond quickly. The surface hydrophilicity of PES/Vancomycin membranes decreased up to 48° with increase in surface roughness (Ra), that is, 0.347 μm, thus increasing the water flux of PES/Vancomycin membranes up to 340 L/m2. h. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection decreases, that is, pristine 70.9% to PES/Vancomycin 26% and BSA flux increases at constant ionic strength (0.1) and above the isoelectric point (IEP) of the BSA. Under these conditions, electrostatic interactions are expected to be minimum between protein and the membrane surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature shows outstanding capabilities for Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in event recognition in images. However, fewer attempts are made to analyze the potential causes behind the decisions of the models and explore whether the predictions are based on event-salient objects/regions? To explore this important aspect of event recognition, in this work, we propose an explainable event recognition framework relying on Grad-CAM and an Xception architecture-based CNN model. Experiments are conducted on four large-scale datasets covering a diversified set of natural disasters, social, and sports events. Overall, the model showed outstanding generalization capabilities obtaining overall F1 scores of 0.91, 0.94, and 0.97 on natural disasters, social, and sports events, respectively. Moreover, for subjective analysis of activation maps generated through Grad-CAM for the predicted samples of the model, a crowd-sourcing study is conducted to analyze whether the model's predictions are based on event-related objects/regions or not? The results of the study indicate that 78%, 84%, and 78% of the model decisions on natural disasters, sports, and social events datasets, respectively, are based on event-related objects/regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious human health impacts have been observed worldwide due to several life-threatening diseases such as cancer, candidiasis, hepatic coma, and gastritis etc. Exploration of nature for the treatment of such fatal diseases is an area of immense interest for the scientific community. Based on this idea, the genus Aspergillus was selected to discover its hidden therapeutic potential. The genus Aspergillus is known to possess several biologically active compounds. The current research aimed to assess the biological and pharmacological potency of the extracts of less-studied Aspergillus ficuum (FCBP-DNA-1266) (A. ficuum) employing experimental and bioinformatics approaches. The disc diffusion method was used for the antifungal investigation, and the MTT assay was performed to assess the anticancer effects. Mice were employed as an in vivo model to evaluate the antispasmodic effects. A standard spectrophotometric technique was applied to gauge the urease inhibitory activity. The antifungal studies indicate that both n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts were significantly active against Candida albicans (C. albicans) with their zone of inhibitions (ZOI) values reported as 19 ± 1.06 mm and 25 ± 0.55 mm, respectively at a dose of 30 µg.mL−1. In vitro cytotoxicity assay against HeLa, fibroblast 3T3, prostate PC3, and breast MCF-7 cancer cell lines was performed. The ethyl acetate extract of A. ficuum was found to be significantly active against MCF-7 with its IC50 value of 43.88 µg.mL−1. However, no substantial effects on the percent cell death of HeLa cancer cell lines were observed. In addition, the A. ficuum extracts also inhibited the urease enzyme compared to standard thiourea. The antispasmodic activity of A. ficuum extract was assessed by an in vivo model and the results demonstrated promising activity at 150 mg.kg−1. Molecular docking results also supported the antifungal, anticancer, and antiurease potency of A. ficuum extract. Overall, the results display promising aspects of A. ficuum extract as a future pharmacological source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the predictive power of US investor sentiments on US sectoral returns and aggregated S&P 500 index in the presence of different risk and uncertainty indices. Investor sentiments are measured using the sentiment index proposed by Baker and Wurgler (2006). We also use bearish and bullish investor sentiment indices i.e., AAII sentiment indices, published by the American association of individual investors. We also use different risk and uncertainty indices i.e., economic policy uncertainty, financial uncertainty, geopolitical risk, and US equity market volatility. Results of the baseline model (i.e., the single model where the only predictor is sentiment index) show that the forecasting power of the predictor is weak. Augmenting the baseline model to account for uncertainty measures shows that the uncertainty's transmission impact is more accurate for out-of-sample forecasts than the single-factor model. We also highlight that the performance of the multi-factor predictive model incorporating USS B&W is superior to the benchmark model. Policy implications of the results are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study area is a part of the Salt Range, where water quality is being deteriorated by natural and anthropogenic sources. This research integrates water quality assessment, arsenic enrichment, hydrogeochemical processes, groundwater recharge and carbon sources in aquifer. Total dissolved solid (TDS) contents in springs water, lake water and groundwater are in range of 681–847 mg/L, 2460–5051 mg/L and 513–7491 mg/L, respectively. The higher concentrations of magnesium and calcium in water bodies next to sodium are because of carbonates, sulfates, halite and silicates dissolution. The average concentrations of ions in groundwater are in order of HCO3− > SO42− > Cl− > Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+ > NO3−, virtually analogous to springs water, but different from lake water, categorized as poor quality and unfit for drinking purposes. Based on major ions hydrochemistry, NaCl and mixed Ca–Mg–Cl type hydrochemical facies are associated with concentration of arsenic (4.2–39.5 µg/L) in groundwater. Groundwater samples (70%) having arsenic concentration (11 ≤ As ≤ 39.5 µg/L) exceeded from World Health Organization (WHO) guideline (As ≤ 10 µg/L) in near neutral to slightly alkaline (6.7 ≤ pH ≤ 8.3), positive Eh(6 ≤ Eh ≤ 204 mV), signifying its oxic condition. Eh–pH diagrams for arsenic and iron indicate that 80% of groundwater for arsenic and iron were in compartments of HAsO42− and Fe(OH)3, unveil oxic environment. Arsenic is moderately positive correlated with TDS, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, nitrate, sulfate and weak negative with δ13CDIC in surface and groundwater, forecasting multiple sources of arsenic to aquifer. Stable isotopes of waters show recharge of groundwater from local rain and lake water. The lower δ13CDIC values of groundwater are modified by influx of CO2 produced during biological oxidation of soil natural organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel ultrafiltration (UF) polymer membranes were prepared to enhance the antifouling features and filtration performance. Several ultrafiltration polymer membranes were prepared by incorporating different concentrations of water-soluble cationic poly [2-(dimethyl amino) ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) into a homogenous casting solution of polyethersulfone (PES). After adding PDMAEMA, the effects on morphology, hydrophilicity, thermal stability, mechanical strength, antifouling characteristics, and filtration performance of these altered blended membranes were investigated. It was observed that increasing the quantity of PDMAEMA in PES membranes in turn enhanced surface energy, hydrophilicity, and porosity of the membranes. These new modified PES membranes, after the addition of PDMAEMA, showed better filtration performance by having increased water flux and a higher flux recovery ratio (FRR%) when compared with neat PES membranes. For the PES/PDMAEMA membrane, pure water flux with 3.0 wt.% PDMAEMA and 0.2 MPa pressure was observed as (330.39 L·m−2·h−1), which is much higher than that of the neat PES membrane with the value of (163.158 L·m−2·h−1) under the same conditions. Furthermore, the inclusion of PDMAEMA enhanced the antifouling capabilities of PES membranes. The total fouling ratio (TFR) of the fabricated PES/PDMAEMA membranes with 3.0 wt.% PDMAEMA at 0.2 MPa applied pressure was 36 percent, compared to 64.9 percent for PES membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An open reading frame of putative gene (designated as Pcal_0672), that belongs to family GH57 (UniProt acc # A3MTY1 and GenBank # ABO08098.1), was found in Pyrobaculum calidifontis. It consists of 485 amino acid residues and was amplified, cloned, and produced in Escherichia coli using T7 expression vector, pET-22b(+). The BLAST result revealed its low similarity index with characterized amylases of family GH57 i.e., 31–18% with non-specified amylase from thermostable bacterium of De Fuca hydrothermal Vent and maltogenic amylase from P. furiosus, respectively. Moreover, two putative catalytic residues, Glu (E152) and Asp (D234), were found in conserved regions of the enzyme at position 3 and 4, respectively. SDS-PAGE analysis of E. coli BL21-CodonPlus (DE3)-RIL cell lysates revealed production of recombinant Pcal_0672 as insoluble aggregates. Despite of its production as insoluble aggregates, the enzyme was able to hydrolyze soluble starch (0.5%), when analyzed by I2/KI based enzyme assay (at 80 ºC) followed by zymogram activity on gel. Zymographic activity assay analysis revealed that these insoluble aggregates were highly thermostable and retained their activity even after autoclaving in the presence of 1% Triton X-100 or 5% SDS. It depicts that putative Pcal_0672 is active on starch, highly thermostable archaeal enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have cloned and characterized a novel protein, Pcal_0976, annotated as pullulanase in the genome sequence of hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum calidifontis. Motif search showed two glucodextran_C like domains and a domain of unknown function (DUF4134) in Pcal_0976. Multiple alignment with close homologues demonstrated six stretches of conserved regions. When the gene encoding Pcal_0976 was expressed in Escherichia coli, the recombinant protein was produced in insoluble and inactive form, which was solubilized using guanidine hydrochloride and refolded in an active form in the presence of arginine. Refolded Pcal_0976 displayed hydrolysis of glycogen, dextran, dextrin and starch. No hydrolytic activity was detected against pullulan. These results indicate that Pcal_0976 may not be a pullulanase but a novel glycoside hydrolase. Further studies are needed to establish the role of Pcal_0976 in carbohydrate metabolism in this archaeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of people with disabilities in the world have impairments that affect their lower bodies. In most of these cases, it was found that the affected person's upper body was in good health and capable of carrying out all activities; however, the spinal cord injury results in significant health challenges with body functions like urination, bowel movements, heart rate, and respiratory, cardiovascular, and sexual function, which require prompt medical treatment and mobility aids. This study presents the mechanical layout of a wheelchair that can switch between a sitting and a standing position. The center of gravity must be taken into account when creating an electric standing wheelchair. It is designed specifically for people with disabilities to lessen the need of outside assistance, allowing the disabled person to savour a sense of adoration. In the simulation, the electric standing wheelchair analysis is carried out by loading with a human weight of 40 and 100 kg, and the transformation angle is adjusted between 0 and 90 degrees to compare the center of gravity displacement. SolidWorks and ANSYS are used to design the prototype, assemble the product, and establish the safety factor bounds of the structure and capabilities as required. The research focuses to achieve control of speed deviation and acceleration using a fuzzy control technique. The Arduino oversees the operation of the drive system as a controller, and a linear actuator is utilized for standing and sitting positions. This method is affordable, easily constructed, and highly secure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Methylene blue staining of the resected specimen has been described as an alternative to the conventional palpation and visual inspection method to improve lymph node harvest. This meta-analysis evaluates the usefulness of this technique in surgery for rectal cancer, particularly after neoadjuvant therapy. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing lymph node harvest in methylene blue-stained rectal specimens to those of unstained specimens were identified from the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Non-randomized studies and those with only colonic resections were excluded. The quality of RCTs was assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. A weighted mean difference (WMD) was calculated for overall harvest, harvest after neoadjuvant therapy, and metastatic nodal yield. In contrast, the risk difference (RD) was calculated to compare yields of less than 12 lymph nodes between the stained and unstained specimens. Results: Study selection comprised seven RCTs with 343 patients in the unstained group and 337 in the stained group. Overall lymph node harvest and harvest after neoadjuvant therapy were significantly higher in stained specimens with a WMD of 13.4 and 10.6 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 9.5–17.2 and 4.8–16.3, respectively. Harvest of metastatic lymph nodes was significantly higher in the stained group (WMD 1.0, 95% CI 0.6–1.4). The yield of less than 12 lymph nodes was significantly higher in the unstained group with RD of 0.292 and 95% CI of 0.182–0.403. Conclusion: Despite a small number of patients, this meta-analysis confirms improved lymph node harvest in surgical specimens stained with methylene blue compared with unstained specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article presents that acrylate copolymers are the potential candidate against the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA). A series of copolymers poly(methyl methacrylate) (pMMA), poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) p(SPMA-co-MMA), and poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) p(DMAEMA-co-MMA) were synthesized via free radical polymerization. These amphiphilic copolymers are thermally stable with a glass transition temperature (Tg) 50–120 °C and observed the impact of surface charge on amphiphilic copolymers to control interactions with the bovine serum albumin (BSA). These copolymers pMD1 and pMS1 have surface charges, − 56.6 and − 72.6 mV at pH 7.4 in PBS buffer solution that controls the adsorption capacity of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on polymers surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis showed minimum roughness of 0.324 nm and 0.474 nm for pMS1 and pMD1. Kinetic studies for BSA adsorption on these amphiphilic copolymers showed the best fitting of the pseudo-first-order model that showed physisorption and attained at 25 °C and pH 7.4 within 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the presence of dependence across 51 energy markets classified into different regions from Jan 2007 to June 2021. In order to examine the presence of dependence across different energy markets, we apply standard and threshold dependence measures proposed by Diebold and Yilmaz, Int J Forecast 28:57-66, (2012) and Baruník and Křehlík, J Financ Econ 16(2):271-296, (2018). We highlight the presence of strong dependence between the energy markets at both regional level and across other regions. European and American energy markets are highly connected within the region over the long-run whereas Asia–Pacific and the African energy markets offer optimal diversification opportunities. Both short- and long-run dependence exists between Chinese and the Hong Kong energy markets and between the US and Canadian energy markets. We also witness substantial increase dependence across all the energy markets during different crisis periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil fuel reserve depletion and environmental concerns have spurred substantial research to find alternative energy sources. Bio-oil derived from biomass pyrolysis has great potential to substitute fossil fuels. However, bio-oil physicochemical properties are far below the requirements for biofuels due to several issues such as low heating value, and high-water content, acidity, and viscosity. Bio-oil is unstable and tends to polymerize due to the high content of reactive oxygenates and molecular compounds, even during storage. Therefore, bio-oil without quality upgrading is not suitable for use as a fuel. A promising method to improve bio-oil properties is through catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) — a hydrogenolysis process for removing oxygen from the oxygen-containing compounds. However, the complex mixture of organic components in bio-oil renders the complexity of HDO, and the significant issues in HDO are coking and decreasing catalyst performance. Therefore, various approaches to overcome these issues have been developed. The final product distribution of HDO can be customized by tuning the experimental parameters such as catalyst acidity, pressure, temperature, types of solvents, and even reaction duration. In this review, the parameters of catalytic HDO are elaborated as functions to provide comprehensive options for constructing the strategy in practicing HDO of bio-oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this unmanned ground vehicle is to deal with the security issues like terrorist activities across the border and in various remote combat missions by reducing the involvement of soldiers. This unmanned ground robot comprises a wireless high-definition camera that can transfer live streams from the robot to headquarters using Wi-Fi. The robot's movement can be controlled with two modes; one of them is a radio controller working on 2.4 GHz frequency with seven independent channels. Secondly, its movement can also be controlled using a Python-based GUI application. Nowadays, different techniques have been used for face recognition; in our remotely piloted robot, we have used Haar-cascade classifiers in combination with the LBPH algorithm to implement real-time facial recognition. The robot uses a rack and pinion driving mechanism and an ATMEL Cortex-M3 CPU as a controller with 32-bit/s processing speed. In addition, a laser is installed on the turret to shoot the targets down, which can be used in an autonomous mode based on facial recognition results, or it can be used manually either through an RF controller or Python-based GUI. The turret moves in 2-DOF with the help of metallic geared servo motors. Both servo motors can rotate up to 180°. The driving mechanism of the robotic tank is just like DDR, with one difference, the two DC gear motors of the robot are connected diagonally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal conductivity (TC) and thermal stability are the basic requirements and highly desirable properties in thermal management, heat storage and heat transfer applications. This work is regarding the fabrication of polystyrene/boron nitride composites and melt extruded to produce good thermal stability, increased thermal conductivity and enhanced mechanical properties. Our strategy is potentially applicable to produce thermally conductive composites of low cost over large scale. Boron nitride powder is bath sonicated in 10% NH3 solution to avoid its agglomeration and tendency toward entanglement in a polymer matrix. An approximately 67.43% increase in thermal conductivity and 69.37% increase in tensile strength as well as 56 multiple increases in thermal stability of the optimum samples were achieved. The developed polymeric composites are potentially applicable in the electronic industry, especially in electronic devices used for 5G, heat sink and several other aviation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript describes cloning, production, refolding, and autocleavage of Pcal_0970, a plant-type L-asparaginase from hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum calidifontis. Co-expression of the gene encoding Pcal_0970 with molecular chaperon GroEL from Geobacillus thermopakistaniensis, resulted in production of soluble but heat labile recombinant Pcal_0970. The insoluble and inactive protein was solubilized and refolded in vitro by fractional dialysis. The refolded protein underwent complete autocleavage at 80 °C within 48 h, while the cleavage rate was significantly slow at lower temperatures. Free glycine, pH, and metal ions did not have any effect on autocleavage of Pcal_0970. Structural analysis showed the absence of K+ binding conserved sequence in Pcal_0970, predicting it to be a K+-independent L-asparaginase. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on temperature dependent autocleavage and activation of a highly thermostable plant-type L-asparaginase from phylum Crenarchaeota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children away from their parents while pursuing higher education at universities face new challenges in managing their finances and preparing to be financially independent. This study analysed and compared the effects of parental financial socialisation and financial literacy on Indonesian and Malaysian university students' financial behaviour. In total, 204 students from the Faculty of Human Ecology at IPB University and Universiti Putra Malaysia participated in the study. Data were gathered using a self-reporting questionnaire using the convenience sampling method. The independent sample t-test and multiple regression analysis were performed on the data. The results of the t-test showed that Malaysian students scored significantly higher in parental financial socialisation and financial behaviour but lower in financial literacy than Indonesian students. Moreover, the regression analyses revealed that parental financial socialisation and students' financial literacy were highly significant in influencing the sampled students' financial behaviour. However, by splitting the sample based on the student's country of origin, this study demonstrated that Malaysian students' financial behaviour was only significantly influenced by parental financial socialisation, while Indonesian students' financial behaviour was only significantly determined by financial literacy. These findings implied that Malaysian parents were more involved in shaping their children's financial behaviour or decisions. In contrast, Indonesian students were more independent from their parents, and their financial literacy level predominantly influenced their financial behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual neuroprostheses are a promising approach to restore basic sight in visually impaired people. A major challenge is to condense the sensory information contained in a complex environment into meaningful stimulation patterns at low spatial and temporal resolution. Previous approaches considered task-agnostic feature extractors such as edge detectors or semantic segmentation, which are likely suboptimal for specific tasks in complex dynamic environments. As an alternative approach, we propose to optimize stimulation patterns by end-to-end training of a feature extractor using deep reinforcement learning agents in virtual environments. We present a task-oriented evaluation framework to compare different stimulus generation mechanisms, such as static edge-based and adaptive end-to-end approaches like the one introduced here. Our experiments in Atari games show that stimulation patterns obtained via task-dependent end-to-end optimized reinforcement learning result in equivalent or improved performance compared to fixed feature extractors on high difficulty levels. These findings signify the relevance of adaptive reinforcement learning for neuroprosthetic vision in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water distribution networks (WDN) are one of the most critical infrastructures, providing water for essential needs. However, the dearth of information on WDNs due to weak historical records, limited willingness to share data, and security concerns limit a researcher's understanding of the criticality, adaptability, vulnerability, and interdependencies of WDNs. To address this challenge, we develop a model entitled SyNF (Synthetic Infrastructure) for synthetic WDN generation. SyNF uses a roadway network, water demand, and water source locations to synthesize topology, diameter, and service year of pipes, and location and power requirements of pumps. To show SyNF's capabilities, we start with the City of Tempe and scale the model to Phoenix metro's seven major cities. We find a 6% average dissimilarity on pipe size distribution between the original and synthesized WDN in validating SyNF. We also discuss how SyNF can advance our understanding of the criticality, vulnerability, and resilience of WDNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We tested the utility of mini-pool PCR testing for the rational use of PCR consumables in screening for CoViD-19. Methods: After pilot experiments, 3-samples pool size was selected. Onestep RT-PCR was performed. The samples in the mini-pool having COVID gene amplification were tested individually. Results: 1548 samples tested in 516 mini-pools resulted 396 mini-pools as negative and 120 as positive. Upon individual testing, 110 samples tested positive and 9 were inconclusive. 876 PCR reactions were performed to test 1548 samples, saving 43% PCR reagents. Centres with low prevalence resulted in most saving on reagents (50%), while centres with high prevalence resulted in more test reactions. Testing of individual samples resulted in delays in reporting. Conclusion: Pooling can increase lab capacity, however, pooling delays results and cause degradation of samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research work, polymer blends of poly-lactic acid (PLA)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) were prepared as the drug carrier materials for a bi-layer drug-loaded coating film for coronary stents. Different optimum compositions of blends were prepared by using an intense mixer. Then, the blends were hot-pressed and later cold-pressed to prepare for films of different thickness. The changes in weight, surface analysis and biodegradability with increasing time were studied using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), weight loss and biodegradability tests. The mechanical and thermal properties of drug-loaded films were studied through universal testing machine (UTM) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The effects of PLA, EVA and drug contents on in-vitro drug contents were investigated through the Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS) chemical analysis technique. The results obtained clearly showed that the addition of PLA promoted the unleashing of the drug whereas the addition of EVA nearly did not have the same affect. The mechanical properties of these various films can be tuned by adjusting the contents of blend parts. The factors affecting the unleashing of the drug became a serious matter of concern in evaluating the performance of bio-resorbable drug eluting stents. As a result, today's chemical blends may be useful drug carrier materials for drug-loaded tube coatings capable delivering purgative drug in an incredibly tunable and regulated manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, dual-mode imaging systems merging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) have been developed. Designing a dual-mode contrast agent is complex due to different mechanisms of enhancement. Herein, we describe novel phase change nanodroplets (PCNDs) with perfluoropentane encapsulated in a pre-polyglycerol sebacate (pre-PGS) shell loaded with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated iron oxide nanoparticles as having a dual-mode contrast agent effect. Iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared via the chemical co-precipitation method and PCNDs were prepared via the solvent displacement technique. PCNDs showed excellent enhancement in the in vitro US much more than Sonovue® microbubbles. Furthermore, they caused a susceptibility effect resulting in a reduction of signal intensity on MRI. An increase in the concentration of nanoparticles caused an increase in the MR contrast effect but a reduction in US intensity. The concentration of nanoparticles in a shell of PCNDs was optimized to obtain a dual-mode contrast effect. Biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and immunogenicity assays showed that PCNDs were safe and non-immunogenic. Another finding was the dual-mode potential of unloaded PCNDs as T1 MR and US contrast agents. Results suggest the excellent potential of these PCNDs for use as dual-mode contrast agents for both MRI and US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fouling of surfaces such as textiles is a major health challenge, and there is a continuous effort to develop materials and processes to overcome it. In consideration of this, this study regards the development of antifouling functional nanoencapsulated finishing for the cotton textile fabric by employing a layer-by-layer dip coating technique. Antifouling textile finishing was formulated by inducing the nanoencapsulation of the antifouling functional group inside the hydrophobic polymeric shell. Cotton fabric was taken as a substrate to incorporate antibacterial functionality by alternatively fabricating multilayers of antifouling polymeric formulation (APF) and polyelectrolyte solution. The surface morphology of nanoencapsulated finished textile fabric was characterized through scanning electron microscopy to confirm the uniform distribution of nanoparticles on the cotton textile fabric. Optical profilometry and atomic force microscopy studies indicated increased surface roughness in the coated textile substrate as compared to the uncoated textile. The surface thickness of the fabricated textile increased with the number of deposited bilayers on the textile substrate. Surface hydrophobicity increased with number of coating bilayers with θ values of x for single layer, up to y for 20 bilayers. The antibacterial activity of the uncoated and layer-by-layer coated finished textile was also evaluated. It was significant and exhibited a significant zone of inhibition against microbial strains Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli. The bilayer coating exhibited water repellency, hydrophobicity, and antibacterial activity. Thus, the fabricated textile could be highly useful for many industrial and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript describes enhancement of soluble production, auto-cleavage analysis and assessment of acrylamide mitigation potential of Tk2246, a plant-type L-asparaginase from Thermococcus kodakarensis. The gene encoding Tk2246 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant Tk2246 was produced mainly in insoluble form. Various strategies were utilized to enhance the soluble production, which significantly increased the soluble yield. Interestingly, recombinant Tk2246 was produced even without addition of the inducer, though relatively in a lower amount. To our surprise, Tk2246 was produced in partially cleaved form when the inducer was not added in the culture. When applied for acrylamide mitigation, Tk2246 reduced the acrylamide formation more than 80% in French fries, chapati and yeast-leavened bread. In addition to acrylamide mitigation, Tk2246 exhibited antistaling activity without loss of sensory properties of the food. High activity, thermostability and efficient acrylamide reduction capability make Tk2246 a potential candidate for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robot manipulators are growing more widely employed in the retail market, mostly for warehousing, but automating them in-store logistics processes is still a difficult task. Supermarkets and large retail stores face many challenges: shortages, handling, and placement of a single product on shelves. Various issues needed to be considered to develop a robot which can manipulate products of different sizes, shapes, and weight in limited spaces on shelves. The aim of this article is to design and develop a system to address the issues of shortage, identification, moving, and placements of products in supermarkets by properly incorporating database, camera vision, and line following mobile manipulator. A four-wheeled differential drive mobile robot was designed and developed which has a 5 DOF robotic manipulator on it. The line following technique is used to move it around the warehouse. The barcode recognition technique for the localization of product sections and object detection using SIFT is successfully and efficiently employed. The demonstration of the usefulness of the method was shown by carrying out experiments in a relevant environment which imitates a real supermarket. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is a beneficial, economically important and highly consumable crop. Several fungal diseases may affect its yield. Early blight is one of its most destructive diseases. Biocontrol agents are the bestknown source to minimize the attack of pathogen. Tomato leaves infected with early blight symptoms were collected from Lahore. Pathogen was isolated on PDA and its morphological characters were studied. All the characters used for identification of pathogen confirmed the culture as Alterneria solani. Ganoderma lucidum was collected from University of the Punjab, Lahore associated with dead oaks of Dalbergia sisso. Macro and microscopic identification was performed to confirm the characteristics of G. lucidum. Interaction of G. lucidum with A. solani was also observed to measure the disease inhibiting potential. Crude protein extract was also prepared to observe the inhibitory effect of G. lucidum against A. solani. The results for interaction of mycelia of G. lucidum with pathogen A. solani reveal that G. lucidum is an efficient biocontrol agent to reduce the disease incidence. Crude protein extract was also found beneficial to control the pathogen. The results for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of crude protein extract reveal that 5mg/ml is the concentration, which inhibited 100% growth of A. solani. It was concluded that either mycelia or crude protein extract of G. lucidum could be used for pathogen inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-oil includes significant levels of oxygenate molecules, which might induce component instability and reduce its physicochemical qualities. To counteract this, the component must undergo a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction. Due to the presence of acidic active sites, zeolites have been shown to have high hydrogenation and deoxygenation capabilities. However, natural zeolite has a large number of impurities and low acidity density. Consequently, before being employed as an HDO catalyst, pretreatments such as preparation and activation are required. In this study, the catalyst used was an active natural zeolite whose acidity level varied depending on the Si/Al ratio after dealumination with 3, 5, and 7 M hydrochloric acid, proceeded by calcination with nitrogen gas flow (designated as Z3, Z5, and Z7, respectively). The results showed that dealumination and calcination of zeolite generally caused changes in its physical characteristics and components. The Z5 catalyst showed the best catalytic performance in the HDO process of bio-oil. The higher heating value (HHV) of bio-oil increased from 12 to 18 MJ/kg, the viscosity value doubled, the degree of deoxygenation increased to 77%, and the water content reduced dramatically to about one-third of that of raw bio-oil. Moreover, control compounds, such as carboxylic acids, decreased slightly, but the amount of phenol increased to about twice the content in raw bio-oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-oil, as an alternative to fossil fuel, is unstable as it contains high levels of oxygenated compounds that affect the quality and stability, especially on the physicochemical properties and stability of its constituent components. Efforts to strengthen bio-oil need to be done to improve the quality and performance as biofuel. One of the most developed methods is hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). In this study, the effort to upgrade bio-oil via hydrodeoxygenation method was carried out by using bifunctional zeolite-based catalysts activated by various concentrations of mineral acids and Ni metal impregnation. HDO was carried out in a fixed-bed system reactor with 1:40 catalyst-to-bio-oil ratio at 250 °C for 2 h. Ni/B3 showed better performance among other catalysts in improving the quality of bio-oil—observed from high HHV (up to 21 MJ/kg), low water content (up to 13%), and a high degree of deoxygenation (88%). In addition, carboxylic acid as the main component of bio-oil had reduced significantly due to the occurrence of ketonization that produced ketones and decarboxylation, and released CO2 gas. Meanwhile, the increase in phenol levels indicated the hydrogenation of methoxy phenol during HDO reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane fouling is a continued critical challenge for ultrafiltration membranes performance. In this work, polyether sulfone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were fabricated via phase-inversion method by incorporating varying concentrations of APTMS modified activated carbon (mAC). The mAC was thoroughly characterized and the fabricated membranes were studied for their surface morphology, functional groups, contact angle, water retention, swelling (%) porosity, and water flux. The hydrophilicity of mAC membranes also resulted in lower contact angle and higher values of porosity, roughness, water retention as well as water flux. Also, the membranes incorporated with mAC exhibited antibacterial performance against model test strains of gram-negative Ecoil and gram-positive S. aureus. The antifouling studies based on bovine serum albumin protein (BSA) solution filtration showed that mAC membranes have better BSA flux. The higher flux and antifouling characteristics of the mAC membranes were attributed to the electrostatic repulsion of the BSA protein from the unique functional properties of AC and network structure of APTMS. The novel mAC ultrafiltration membranes developed and studied in present work can provide higher flux and less BSA rejection thus can find antifouling applications for the isolation and concentration of proteins and macromolecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript describes enhancement of soluble production, auto-cleavage analysis and assessment of acrylamide mitigation potential of Tk2246, a plant-type L-asparaginase from Thermococcus kodakarensis. The gene encoding Tk2246 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant Tk2246 was produced mainly in insoluble form. Various strategies were utilized to enhance the soluble production, which significantly increased the soluble yield. Interestingly, recombinant Tk2246 was produced even without addition of the inducer, though relatively in a lower amount. To our surprise, Tk2246 was produced in partially cleaved form when the inducer was not added in the culture. When applied for acrylamide mitigation, Tk2246 reduced the acrylamide formation more than 80% in French fries, chapati and yeast-leavened bread. In addition to acrylamide mitigation, Tk2246 exhibited antistaling activity without loss of sensory properties of the food. High activity, thermostability and efficient acrylamide reduction capability make Tk2246 a potential candidate for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofouling due to algae mass attachment has detrimental effects on the performance and economy of many manufacturing processes. In consideration of this, present research is focused to mitigate such effect through the development of environmentally benign active antialgal cationic amphiphilic copolymers of poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The copolymers compositions were synthesized to tailor various characteristics to control surface biofilm formation and antialgal activities were determined through suspension assay. Biofilm formation of Dictyosphaerium sp. algae on the synthesized copolymers of different surface energies was ascertained by measuring chlorophyll A content and percent adhesion of algae. The copolymers antialgal performance enhanced with increase in PDMAEMA concentration as it exhibited the lowest contact angle as well as adhesion and minimum chlorophyll A contents. Algal adhesion on the surface of materials was also observed by optical microscopy. The copolymers with higher concentration of DMAEMA resulted in greater hydrophilicity which exhibited low adhesion of Dictyosphaerium algae due to possibility of stronger hydration effect and wettability as evident from their lower water contact angle. The developed benign cationic polymers of PDMAEMA and PMMA with varying compositions can lead to important breakthrough in the subject area of antialgal research in several manufacturing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]