Biotechnology Commons^™

Developing A Generalized Combined Model For Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow Pressure Drop In Elbow Bends, Aung N.Z, Yuwono T

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

In this work, a generalized combined model was proposed for prediction of two-phase flow pressure drop in elbow bends. In this proposed model, restriction, frictional and elevational losses were considered separately. The frictional and static losses were approached by using Lockhart_Martinelli correlation. This model was tested to predict the pressure drop across the elbows with inside diameter of 0.036 m and R/D = 0.6, 2.5. The superficial liquid velocity was varied in the range of0.3~1.1 m/s and volumetric gas quality was varied from 0.02~0.3. The results from this model had good predictions with a maximum error of ±13% for long …

Performance Of Jatropha Oil-Based Biodiesel Fuel In A Single-Cylinder Four-Stroke Diesel Engine, Win H.H

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Studies on alternative fuels have been active in Myanmar because the rapid mechanization of the agricultural sector demands higher diesel consumption. Jatropha oil-based biodiesel is one of the potential alternatives because of the relative ease of growing and producing this plant. In this study, both the experimental and theoretical analyses of Jatropha oil-based B20 biodiesel wereperformed and compared with conventional diesel. First, B20 was prepared by the base-catalyzed transesterification of the oil and its properties were measured. Second, separate performance tests were conducted on diesel and the biodiesel fuel using a LEYER-16 diesel engine. The speed range of interest was …

Ethanol Production In Yeasts Isolated From Fermented Kitchen Waste, Wong S, Wong S.K, Bujang J.S

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Microbial ethanol is a potential substitute for the non-renewable fossil fuel which is depleting. Yeasts have been long and extensively studied for ethanol production. The objectives of this study were to isolate yeasts from fermented kitchen waste and to determine their ethanol production performances. A number of fifteen yeasts were isolated from fermented kitchen waste. The yeastswere then grouped based on their ability to ferment different types of sugars. Three yeast isolates were selected for the analysis of ethanol production. Fermentation was carried out for 72 h in yeast extract peptone dextrose broth containing 18% glucose. Fourier transform infrared attenuated …

Chemical Composition Of Leaf And Seed Oils Of Dryobalanops Aromatica Gaertn. (Dipterocarpaceae), Kamariyah A.S, Ozek T, Demirci B, Baser K.H.C.

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The essential oils of the leaves and seed of Dryobalanops aromatica Gaertn. obtained by hydrodistillation resulted in 0.07% and 1.89% yield, respectively. These oils were then examined by GC-MS. Eighty-three components (plus an unknown) were identified from the leaf oil, representing 92% of the oil. Oxygenated monocyclic monoterpenes (terpinen-4-ol 15%, α-terpineol 16%), bicyclic monoterpene (α-pinene 7%) and oxygenated bicyclic sesquiterpene (globulol 8%) were the major constituents. In the case of the seed oil, 31 components were identified, representing 100% of the oil, while acyclic monoterpene (myrcene 5%), monocyclic monoterpene (limonene 6%), bicyclic monoterpenes (α-pinene 41%, α-thujene and b-pinene 13% each, …

Evaluation Of Mixture Viscosity Models In The Prediction Of Two-Phase Flow Pressure Drops, Aung N.Z, Yuwono T

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Nine existing mixture viscosity models were tested for predicting a two-phase pressure drop for oil-water flow and refrigerant (R.134a) flow. The predicted data calculated by using these mixture viscosity models were compared with experimental data. Predicted data from using one group of mixture viscosity models had a good agreement with the experimental data for oil-water two-phase flow. Another group of viscosity models was preferable for gas-liquid flow, but these models gave underestimated values with an error of about 50%. A new and more reliable mixture viscosity model was proposed for use in the prediction of pressure drop in gas-liquid two-phase …

Utilization Of Agricultural Wastes In The Manufacture Of Composite Boards, Macatangay P.M, Mangundayao E.C, Rosales C.A.M

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Development of useful composite materials out of agricultural waste has become a desirable option in recycling. This led to the production of composite boards being used in the construction industry. In this paper, three types of available agricultural wastes in the province of Batangas — peanut shells, corn husks and banana sheath — were independently utilized in the production of composite boards. The raw materials were either air or sun dried, then crushed (for peanut shells) and extracted (for banana sheath and corn husks) before mixing with the binder. Urea formaldehyde (UF) was used as binder for peanut shells and …

Respiration And Carbon Dioxide Accumulation In Soil Microcosms, Jasity Murphy

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

The thawing of permafrost leads to liberation of soil organic matter and microbial component resulting in significant effect on the carbon cycle. Changes in permafrost soils upon the global climate warming would significantly impact microbial soil activity. Currently, not a great deal is known about what happens to the microbial community after the permafrost thaws. The activity of microbial community was determined in microcosms experiment using respirometry. To assess the CO₂ fluctuations during permafrost thawing a titration experiment was performed. Based on calculations using the respirometric equation it was found that CO₂ production increases with temperature, core depth, …

Crystal Structures And Kinetics Of Monofunctional Proline Dehydrogenase Provide Insight Into Substrate Recognition And Conformational Changes Associated With Flavin Reduction And Product Release, Min Luo, Benjamin W. Arentson, Dhiraj Srivastava, Donald F. Becker, John J. Tanner

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Proline dehydrogenase catalyzes the FAD-dependent oxidation of proline to Δ1- pyrroline-5- carboxylate, which is the first step of proline catabolism. Here, we report the structures of proline dehydrogenase from Deinococcus radiodurans in the oxidized state complexed with the proline analog L-tetrahydrofuroic acid and in the reduced state with the proline site vacant. The analog binds against the si face of the FAD isoalloxazine and is protected from bulk solvent by the α8 helix and the β1-α1 loop. The FAD ribityl chain adopts two conformations in the E-S complex, which is unprecedented for flavoenzymes. One of the conformations is novel for …

Doublesex Target Genes In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sex determination cascade in insects terminates with the production of sex-specific protein, Doublesex (Dsx). We identified the dsx homolog (Tcdsx) in Tribolium castaneum. The pre-mRNA of Tcdsx is sex-specifically spliced into three female (Tcdsxf1, Tcdsxf2 and Tcdsxf3) and one male-specific (Tcdsxm) isoforms. Cis-regulatory elements potentially involved in sex-specific splicing of the Tcdsx pre-mRNA were identified in the female-specific exon and the adjoining intronic sequences. All the three female-specific TcDsx proteins share common OD1 and OD2 domains and differ in their C-terminal sequences. Knockdown of Tcdsx resulted in a reduction in the oocyte development, egg production and hatching of eggs laid. …

Knockout Of The 15 Kda Selenoprotein Protects Against Chemically-Induced Aberrant Crypt Formation In Mice, Petra A. Tsuji, Bradley A. Carlson, Salvador Naranjo-Suarez, Min-Hyuk Yoo, Xue-Ming Xu, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Vadim Gladyshev, Dolph L. Hatfield, Cindy D. Davis

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Evidence suggests that selenium has cancer preventive properties that are largely mediated through selenoproteins. Our previous observations demonstrated that targeted down-regulation of the 15 kDa selenoprotein (Sep15) in murine colon cancer cells resulted in the reversal of the cancer phenotype. The present study investigated the effect of Sep15 knockout in mice using a chemically-induced colon cancer model. Homozygous Sep15 knockout mice, and wild type littermate controls were given four weekly subcutaneous injections of azoxymethane (10 mg/kg). Sep15 knockout mice developed significantly (pGBP-1 in humans has been associated with a highly significant, increased five-year survival rate in colorectal cancer patients. In …

Role Of Polymeric Excipients On Controlled Release Profile Of Glipizide From Plga And Eudragit Rs 100 Nanoparticles, Pratap Naha, Hugh Byrne, Amulya Panda

Articles

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) 50:50 and Eudragit RS 100 nanoparticles entrapping glipizide along with excipients were prepared using single emulsion solvent evaporation method. The objective was to develop single oral dose glipizide nano particles for reducing blood sugar level in diabetes induced experimental animals. Incorporation of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (0.5%), Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) (0.5%) and Tween 20 (0.5%) in the organic phase during particle formulation improved release profile of glipizide from the polymer particles. Entrapment efficiency of glipizide in all the polymeric formulations was around ~70 %. Around 80 % of glipizide was released from both PLGA and Eudragit …

Inactivation Of Bacterial Opportunistic Skin Pathogens By Nonthermal Dc-Operated Afterglow Atmospheric Plasma, L. C. Heller, C. M. Edelblute, A. M. Mattson, X. Hao, J. F. Kolb

Bioelectrics Publications

AIMS: Multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens are clinically significant and require the development of new antimicrobial methods. In this study, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus cells were exposed to atmospheric plasma on agar plates and in vitro on porcine skin for the purpose of testing bacterial inactivation.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Microbial inactivation at varying exposure durations was tested using a nonthermal plasma jet generated with a DC voltage from ambient air. The observed reduction in colony forming units was quantified as log₁₀ reductions.

CONCLUSIONS: Direct plasma exposure significantly inactivated seeded bacterial cells by approx. 6 log_{10 …}

Scribble Acts In The Drosophila Fat-Hippo Pathway To Regulate Warts Activity, Shilpi Verghese, Indrayani Waghmare, Hailey Kwon, Katelin Hanes, Madhuri Kango-Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

Epithelial cells are the major cell-type for all organs in multicellular organisms. In order to achieve correct organ size, epithelial tissues need mechanisms that limit their proliferation, and protect tissues from damage caused by defective epithelial cells. Recently, the Hippo signaling pathway has emerged as a major mechanism that orchestrates epithelial development. Hippo signaling is required for cells to stop proliferation as in the absence of Hippo signaling tissues continue to proliferate and produce overgrown organs or tumors. Studies in Drosophila have led the way in providing a framework for how Hippo alters the pattern of gene transcription in target …

Cross Regulation Of Sirtuin 1, Ampk, And Ppary In Conjugated Linoleic Acid Treated Adipocytes, Shan Jiang, Wei Wang, Jess Miner, Michael E. Fromm

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (t10c12 CLA) reduces triglyceride (TG) levels in adipocytes through multiple pathways, with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) generally facilitating, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) generally opposing these reductions. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a histone/protein deacetylase that affects energy homeostasis, often functions coordinately with AMPK, and is capable of binding to PPARγ, thereby inhibiting its activity. This study investigated the role of SIRT1 in the response of 3T3-L1 adipocytes to t10c12 CLA by testing the following hypotheses: 1) SIRT1 is functionally required for robust TG reduction; and 2) SIRT1, …

Form And Function Of Clostridium Thermocellum Biofilms, Alexandru Dumitrache, Gideon Wolfaardt, Grant Allen, Steven N. Liss, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

The importance of bacterial adherence has been acknowledged in microbial lignocellulose conversion studies; however, few reports have described the function and structure of biofilms supported by cellulosic substrates. We investigated the organization, dynamic formation, and carbon flow associated with biofilms of the obligately anaerobic cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum 27405. Using noninvasive, in situ fluorescence imaging, we showed biofilms capable of near complete substrate conversion with a characteristic monolayered cell structure without an extracellular polymeric matrix typically seen in biofilms. Cell division at the interface and terminal endospores appeared throughout all stages of biofilm growth. Using continuous-flow reactors with a rate …

Naturally Selecting Solutions: The Use Of Genetic Algorithms In Bioinformatics, Timmy Manning, Roy D. Sleator, Paul Walsh

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

For decades, computer scientists have looked to nature for biologically inspired solutions to computational problems; ranging from robotic control to scheduling optimization. Paradoxically, as we move deeper into the post-genomics era, the reverse is occurring, as biologists and bioinformaticians look to computational techniques, to solve a variety of biological problems. One of the most common biologically inspired techniques are genetic algorithms (GAs), which take the Darwinian concept of natural selection as the driving force behind systems for solving real world problems, including those in the bioinformatics domain. Herein, we provide an overview of genetic algorithms and survey some of the …

Setting The Sound Up For Success, Hillary Kenyon

Wrack Lines

Deploying remotely-set disease-resistant oyster seed in biodegradable netting on a natural bed in Connecticut. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a keystone species in Connecticut's coastal environment.

Sex Determination In Beetles: Production Of All Male Progeny By Parental Rnai Knockdown Of Transformer, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sex in insects is determined by a cascade of regulators ultimately controlling sex-specific splicing of a transcription factor, Doublesex (Dsx). We recently identified homolog of dsx in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Tcdsx). Here, we report on the identification and characterization of a regulator of Tcdsx splicing in T. castaneum. Two male-specific and one female-specific isoforms of T. castaneum transformer (Tctra) were identified. RNA interference-aided knockdown of Tctra in pupa or adults caused a change in sex from females to males by diverting the splicing of Tcdsx pre-mRNA to male-specific isoform. All the pupa and adults developed from Tctra …

Improving The Efficiency Of Homologous Gene Replacement By Disrupting Non-Homologous End Joining Pathway Gene Kusa In The Oleaginous Fungus Mortierella Alpina, Kathleen T. Krueger, Ziyu Dai Dr, Ugur Uzuner, Scott E. Baker Dr

STAR Program Research Presentations

Mortierella alpina , a oleaginous filamentous fungus, is one of industrial fungal strains known for the production of arachidonic acid. It is also of particular interest for hydrocarbon biofuel production since it is able to produce up to 50% of its mass in rich, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA’s]. In addition to high fatty acid production, M. alpina like many other oleaginous fungi, already have mechanisms for accumulating significant concentrations of hydrophobic compounds making it a naturally equipped candidate to handle potential toxic concentrations of hydrocarbons. To date, three different transformation methods have been established for M. alpina that are …

Quantification And In Vitro Analysis Of Nanolipoproteins (Nlps) Containing Adjuvants, Purna Venkataraman, Craig Blanchette, Nicholas O. Fischer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) self-assemble into nanoscale structures that can be used as vaccines or drug delivery agents. Due to the nature of the NLPs, a variety of immune stimulating compounds or adjuvants can be readily incorporated into NLPs: a characteristic difficult to engineer into most other nanoscale platforms. In light of this, a method for quantifying the amount adjuvant actually incorporated into NLPs is a question of high importance. Through the use of reverse phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), standard curves can be constructed by analyzing mixtures of NLP components of known concentration, …