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Disruption experiments targeted at the Bacillus licheniformis degSU operon and GFP-reporter analysis provided evidence for promoter activity immediately upstream of degU. pMutin mediated concomitant introduction of the degU32 allele – known to cause hypersecretion in Bacillus subtilis – resulted in a marked increase in protease activity. Application of 5-fluorouracil based counterselection through establishment of a phosphoribosyltransferase deficient Δupp strain eventually facilitated the marker-free introduction of degU32 leading to further protease enhancement achieving levels as for hypersecreting wild strains in which degU was overexpressed. Surprisingly, deletion of rapG – known to interfere with DegU DNA-binding in B. subtilis – did not enhance protease production neither in the wild type nor in the degU32 strain. The combination of degU32 and Δupp counterselection in the type strain is not only equally effective as in hypersecreting wild strains with respect to protease production but furthermore facilitates genetic strain improvement aiming at biological containment and effectiveness of biotechnological processes.
A High-Throughput Functional Complementation Assay for Classification of BRCA1 Missense Variants
(2013)
[{ReN(PMe2Ph)3}{ReO3N}]2 – Structural Evidence for the Nitridotrioxorhenate(VII) Anion, [ReO3N]2−
(2005)
A method for the integrated extraction and separation of fatty acids from algae using supercritical CO2 is presented. Desmodesmus obliquus and Chlorella sorokiniana were used as algae. First, a method for chromatographic separation of fatty acids of different degrees of saturation was established and optimized. Then, an integrated method for supercritical extraction was developed for both algal species. It was also verified whether prior cell disruption was beneficial for extraction. In developing the method for chromatographic separation, statistical experimental design was used to determine the optimal parameter settings. The methanol content in the mobile phase proved to be the most important parameter for successful separation of the three unsaturated fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. Supercritical extraction with dried algae showed that about four times more fatty acids can be extracted from C. sorokiniana relative to the dry mass used.
Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel films with incorporated graphene oxide (GO) were developed and tested as light-stimulated actuators. GO dispersions were synthesized via Hummers method and characterized toward their optical properties and photothermal energy conversion. The hydrogels were prepared by means of photopolymerization. In addition, the influence of GO within the hydrogel network on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The optical absorbance and the response to illumination were determined as a function of GO concentration for thin hydrogel films. A proof of principle for the stimulation with light was performed.
Light-stimulated hydrogel actuators with incorporated graphene oxide for microfluidic applications
(2015)
Abstractauthoren Graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were incorporated in temperature-sensitive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels. The nanoparticles increase the light absorption and convert light energy into heat efficiently. Thus, the hydrogels with GO can be stimulated spatially resolved by illumination as it was demonstrated by IR thermography. The temporal progression of the temperature maximum was detected for different concentrations of GO within the polymer network. Furthermore, the compatibility of PNIPAAm hydrogels with GO and cell cultures was investigated. For this purpose, culture medium was incubated with hydrogels containing GO and the viability and morphology of chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was examined after several days of culturing in presence of this medium.
Lignin is a promising renewable biopolymer being investigated worldwide as an environmentally benign substitute of fossil-based aromatic compounds, e.g. for the use as an excipient with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in drug delivery or even as active compound. For its successful implementation into process streams, a quick, easy, and reliable method is needed for its molecular weight determination. Here we present a method using 1H spectra of benchtop as well as conventional NMR systems in combination with multivariate data analysis, to determine lignin’s molecular weight (Mw and Mn) and polydispersity index (PDI). A set of 36 organosolv lignin samples (from Miscanthus x giganteus, Paulownia tomentosa and Silphium perfoliatum) was used for the calibration and cross validation, and 17 samples were used as external validation set. Validation errors between 5.6% and 12.9% were achieved for all parameters on all NMR devices (43, 60, 500 and 600 MHz). Surprisingly, no significant difference in the performance of the benchtop and high-field devices was found. This facilitates the application of this method for determining lignin’s molecular weight in an industrial environment because of the low maintenance expenditure, small footprint, ruggedness, and low cost of permanent magnet benchtop NMR systems.
The molecular weight properties of lignins are one of the key elements that need to be analyzed for a successful industrial application of these promising biopolymers. In this study, the use of 1H NMR as well as diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY NMR), combined with multivariate regression methods, was investigated for the determination of the molecular weight (Mw and Mn) and the polydispersity of organosolv lignins (n = 53, Miscanthus x giganteus, Paulownia tomentosa, and Silphium perfoliatum). The suitability of the models was demonstrated by cross validation (CV) as well as by an independent validation set of samples from different biomass origins (beech wood and wheat straw). CV errors of ca. 7–9 and 14–16% were achieved for all parameters with the models from the 1H NMR spectra and the DOSY NMR data, respectively. The prediction errors for the validation samples were in a similar range for the partial least squares model from the 1H NMR data and for a multiple linear regression using the DOSY NMR data. The results indicate the usefulness of NMR measurements combined with multivariate regression methods as a potential alternative to more time-consuming methods such as gel permeation chromatography.
The investigation of the possibility to determine various characteristics of powder heparin (n = 115) was carried out with infrared spectroscopy. The evaluation of heparin samples included several parameters such as purity grade, distributing company, animal source as well as heparin species (i.e. Na-heparin, Ca-heparin, and heparinoids). Multivariate analysis using principal component analysis (PCA), soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA), and partial least squares – discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied for the modelling of spectral data. Different pre-processing methods were applied to IR spectral data; multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) was chosen as the most relevant.
Obtained results were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Good predictive ability of this approach demonstrates the potential of IR spectroscopy and chemometrics for screening of heparin quality. This approach, however, is designed as a screening tool and is not considered as a replacement for either of the methods required by USP and FDA.
A microfluidic chip integrating amperometric enzyme sensors for the detection of glucose, glutamate and glutamine in cell-culture fermentation processes has been developed. The enzymes glucose oxidase, glutamate oxidase and glutaminase were immobilized by means of cross-linking with glutaraldehyde on platinum thin-film electrodes integrated within a microfluidic channel. The biosensor chip was coupled to a flow-injection analysis system for electrochemical characterization of the sensors. The sensors have been characterized in terms of sensitivity, linear working range and detection limit. The sensitivity evaluated from the respective peak areas was 1.47, 3.68 and 0.28 μAs/mM for the glucose, glutamate and glutamine sensor, respectively. The calibration curves were linear up to a concentration of 20 mM glucose and glutamine and up to 10 mM for glutamate. The lower detection limit amounted to be 0.05 mM for the glucose and glutamate sensor, respectively, and 0.1 mM for the glutamine sensor. Experiments in cell-culture medium have demonstrated a good correlation between the glutamate, glutamine and glucose concentrations measured with the chip-based biosensors in a differential-mode and the commercially available instrumentation. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of the realized microfluidic biosensor chip for monitoring of bioprocesses.
Two types of microvalves based on temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and pH-responsive poly(sodium acrylate) (PSA) hydrogel films have been developed and tested. The PNIPAAm and PSA hydrogel films were prepared by means of in situ photopolymerization directly inside the fluidic channel of a microfluidic chip fabricated by combining Si and SU-8 technologies. The swelling/shrinking properties and height changes of the PNIPAAm and PSA films inside the fluidic channel were studied at temperatures of deionized water from 14 to 36 °C and different pH values (pH 3–12) of Titrisol buffer, respectively. Additionally, in separate experiments, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAAm hydrogel was investigated by means of a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) method. Mass-flow measurements have shown the feasibility of the prepared hydrogel films to work as an on-chip integrated temperature- or pH-responsive microvalve capable to switch the flow channel on/off.
Aufgrund von EU-Regularien und Umweltinitiativen wächst der Markt für nachhaltige und abbaubare Klebstoffe stetig. Organosolv (OS)-Lignin ist ein kommerziell wenig ertragreicher Nebenstrom der Lignocellulose-Bioraffinerie. Durch das "Nachahmen" der Adhäsionseigenschaften mit strukturverwandten Muschel-Aminosäuren soll OS-Lignin in einen starkes, vollständig biobasiertes Adhäsiv umgewandelt werden. Funktionsweisend für die Adhäsion des Muschelklebstoffes ist die Catecholgruppe der Aminosäure L-DOPA. Die laccase-katalysierte Polymerisationsreaktion von Lignin und L-DOPA ist schwierig zu kontrollieren, da L-DOPA eine Ringschlussreaktion eingeht. Stattdessen wurde eine zweistufige Reaktion mit einem Diamin als Ankermolekül etabliert. Die Catecholgruppe, die im zweiten Schritt enzymatisch an das Lignin-Amin gebunden wird, kann durch Komplexbildung mit Fe(III)-Ionen sowohl zur Adhäsion als auch zur Kohäsion des Klebstoffes beitragen. Der Lignin-Catechol-Klebstoff ist frei von petrochemischen Chemikalien und biologisch abbaubar. In ersten Stirnzugversuchen konnte eine Haftkraft von 0,3 MPa erreicht werden.
Die stoffliche Nutzung von Lignin aus Bioraffinerien ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil für den Wertschöpfungsprozess von nachwachsenden, pflanzlichen Rohstoffen. Lignin zählt zu den wenigen erneuerbaren Quellen für phenolische Bestandteile, wird aber derzeit meist nur thermisch verwertet. Ziel dieses Forschungsvorhabens ist die Funktionalisierung von Lignin zur Verbesserung der Adhäsionseigenschaften. Als funktionelle Gruppe wird die aromatische Aminosäure L-DOPA verwendet, die charakteristisch für die Adhäsionskraft von Muscheln ist. Lignin ist ein geeignetes Stützgerüst, da es ein Polymer ist, das durch enzymkatalysierte Polymerisation gebildet wird. Essenziell für die Entwicklung ist ein besseres Verständnis über die Bildung von Lignin-Polymeren und deren verschiedene Eigenschaften. Um die Einflussfaktoren auf Kettenlänge und Polymerisationseffizienz zu untersuchen, werden zurzeit sowohl Ligninmodellkomponenten (LMK) als auch gelöstes Organosolv-Lignin verwendet. Laufende Untersuchungen werden zeigen, ob sich die enzymatische Polymerisationsreaktion auf ein gelöstes Ligninpolymer aus einem Organosolv-Aufschluss übertragen lässt.
The objective of this study is the establishment of a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) based method for online analysis of the biodegradation of polymers in complex environments. Structural changes during biodegradation, such as an increase in brittleness or crystallinity, can be detected by carefully observing characteristic changes in DSC profiles. Until now, DSC profiles have not been used to draw quantitative conclusions about biodegradation. A new method is presented for quantifying the biodegradation using DSC data, whereby the results were validated using two reference methods.
The proposed method is applied to evaluate the biodegradation of three polymeric biomaterials: polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), cellulose acetate (CA) and Organosolv lignin. The method is suitable for the precise quantification of the biodegradability of PHB. For CA and lignin, conclusions regarding their biodegradation can be drawn with lower resolutions. The proposed method is also able to quantify the biodegradation of blends or composite materials, which differentiates it from commonly used degradation detection methods.
This study investigated the anaerobic digestion of an algal–bacterial biofilm grown in artificial wastewater in an Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS). The ATS system was located in a greenhouse (50°54′19ʺN, 6°24′55ʺE, Germany) and was exposed to seasonal conditions during the experiment period. The methane (CH4) potential of untreated algal–bacterial biofilm (UAB) and thermally pretreated biofilm (PAB) using different microbial inocula was determined by anaerobic batch fermentation. Methane productivity of UAB differed significantly between microbial inocula of digested wastepaper, a mixture of manure and maize silage, anaerobic sewage sludge, and percolated green waste. UAB using sewage sludge as inoculum showed the highest methane productivity. The share of methane in biogas was dependent on inoculum. Using PAB, a strong positive impact on methane productivity was identified for the digested wastepaper (116.4%) and a mixture of manure and maize silage (107.4%) inocula. By contrast, the methane yield was significantly reduced for the digested anaerobic sewage sludge (50.6%) and percolated green waste (43.5%) inocula. To further evaluate the potential of algal–bacterial biofilm for biogas production in wastewater treatment and biogas plants in a circular bioeconomy, scale-up calculations were conducted. It was found that a 0.116 km2 ATS would be required in an average municipal wastewater treatment plant which can be viewed as problematic in terms of space consumption. However, a substantial amount of energy surplus (4.7–12.5 MWh a−1) can be gained through the addition of algal–bacterial biomass to the anaerobic digester of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater treatment and subsequent energy production through algae show dominancy over conventional technologies.
Investigation of TRPV1 loss-of-function phenotypes in transgenic shRNA expressing and knockout mice
(2008)
Helle Fensterprofilmaterialien : Alterungsverhalten auf Basis von peroxidisch vernetztem EPDM
(2010)
Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) is expressed in various tissues, such as the gut, liver, kidney and blood brain barrier (BBB), where it mediates the unidirectional transport of substrates to the apical/luminal side of polarized cells. Thereby BCRP acts as an efflux pump, mediating the elimination or restricting the entry of endogenous compounds or xenobiotics into tissues and it plays important roles in drug disposition, efficacy and safety. Bcrp knockout mice (Bcrp−/−) have been used widely to study the role of this transporter in limiting intestinal absorption and brain penetration of substrate compounds. Here we describe the first generation and characterization of a mouse line humanized for BCRP (hBCRP), in which the mouse coding sequence from the start to stop codon was replaced with the corresponding human genomic region, such that the human transporter is expressed under control of the murine Bcrp promoter. We demonstrate robust human and loss of mouse BCRP/Bcrp mRNA and protein expression in the hBCRP mice and the absence of major compensatory changes in the expression of other genes involved in drug metabolism and disposition. Pharmacokinetic and brain distribution studies with several BCRP probe substrates confirmed the functional activity of the human transporter in these mice. Furthermore, we provide practical examples for the use of hBCRP mice to study drug-drug interactions (DDIs). The hBCRP mouse is a promising model to study the in vivo role of human BCRP in limiting absorption and BBB penetration of substrate compounds and to investigate clinically relevant DDIs involving BCRP.
Die Erfindung betrifft eine schwefelvernetzbare Kautschukmischung, deren Vulkanisat und einen Fahrzeugreifen. Die schwefelvernetzbare Kautschukmischung enthält wenigstens die folgenden Bestandteile: - wenigstens einen Dienkautschuk; und - 10 bis 300 phr wenigstens einer Kieselsäure; und - 1 bis 30 phf wenigstens eines Silans A mit der allgemeinen Summenformel A-I) A-I)(R1)oSi-R2-(S-R3)q-S-X; und - 0,5 bis 30 phf wenigstens eines Silans B mit der allgemeinen Summenformel B-I) B-I) (R1)oSi-R2-(S-R3)u-S-R2-Si(R1)o wobei q =1, 2 oder 3 ist; und u = 1, 2 oder 3 ist; und X ein Wasserstoffatom oder eine –C(=O)-R8 Gruppe ist wobei R8 ausgewählt ist aus Wasserstoff, C1-C20 Alkylgruppen, vorzugsweise C1-C17, C6-C20- Arylgruppen, vorzugsweise Phenyl, C2-C20-Alkenylgruppen und C7-C20-Aralkylgruppen.
Die Erfindung betrifft eine schwefelvernetzbare Kautschukmischung, deren Vulkanisat und einen Fahrzeugreifen.Die schwefelvernetzbare Kautschukmischung enthält wenigstens die folgenden Bestandteile:- wenigstens einen Dienkautschuk; und- 10 bis 300 phr wenigstens einer Kieselsäure ; und- 1 bis 30 phf wenigstens eines Silans A mit der allgemeinen Summenformel A-I)und- 0,5 bis 30 phf wenigstens eines Silans B mit der allgemeinen Summenformel B-I)wobei u gleich 0, 1, 2 oder 3 und v gleich 0 oder 1 ist.
Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis are widely used for the large-scale industrial production of proteins. These strains can efficiently secrete proteins into the culture medium using the general secretion (Sec) pathway. A characteristic feature of all secreted proteins is their N-terminal signal peptides, which are recognized by the secretion machinery. Here, we have studied the production of an industrially important secreted protease, namely, subtilisin BPN′ from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. One hundred seventy-three signal peptides originating from B. subtilis and 220 signal peptides from the B. licheniformis type strain were fused to this secretion target and expressed in B. subtilis, and the resulting library was analyzed by high-throughput screening for extracellular proteolytic activity. We have identified a number of signal peptides originating from both organisms which produced significantly increased yield of the secreted protease. Interestingly, we observed that levels of extracellular protease were improved not only in B. subtilis, which was used as the screening host, but also in two different B. licheniformis strains. To date, it is impossible to predict which signal peptide will result in better secretion and thus an improved yield of a given extracellular target protein. Our data show that screening a library consisting of homologous and heterologous signal peptides fused to a target protein can identify more-effective signal peptides, resulting in improved protein export not only in the original screening host but also in different production strains.
Die Erfindung liegt auf dem Gebiet der Enzymtechnologie. Die Erfindung betrifft Proteasen aus Metabacillus indicus, die insbesondere im Hinblick auf den Einsatz in Wasch- und Reinigungsmitteln verwendet werden können, alle hinreichend ähnlichen Proteasen mit einer entsprechend ähnlichen Sequenz zu SEQ ID NO:1 und für sie codierende Nukleinsäuren. Die Erfindung betrifft ferner deren Herstellung sowie Verfahren zur Verwendung dieser Proteasen, deren Verwendung als solche sowie diese enthaltende Mittel, insbesondere Wasch- und Reinigungsmittel.
Die Erfindung liegt auf dem Gebiet der Enzymtechnologie. Die Erfindung betrifft Proteasen aus Fictibacillus arsenicus, die insbesondere im Hinblick auf den Einsatz in Wasch- und Reinigungsmitteln verwendet werden können, alle hinreichend ähnlichen Proteasen mit einer entsprechend ähnlichen Sequenz zu SEQ ID NO:1 und für sie codierende Nukleinsäuren. Die Erfindung betrifft ferner deren Herstellung sowie Verfahren zur Verwendung dieser Proteasen, deren Verwendung als solche sowie diese enthaltende Mittel, insbesondere Wasch- und Reinigungsmittel.
Experimental determination of the cross sections of proton capture on radioactive nuclei is extremely difficult. Therefore, it is of substantial interest for the understanding of the production of the p-nuclei. For the first time, a direct measurement of proton-capture cross sections on stored, radioactive ions became possible in an energy range of interest for nuclear astrophysics. The experiment was performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI by making use of a sensitive method to measure (p,γ) and (p,n) reactions in inverse kinematics. These reaction channels are of high relevance for the nucleosyn-thesis processes in supernovae, which are among the most violent explosions in the universe and are not yet well understood. The cross section of the ¹¹⁸Te(p,γ) reaction has been measured at energies of 6 MeV/u and 7 MeV/u. The heavy ions interacted with a hydrogen gas jet target. The radiative recombination process of the fully stripped ¹¹⁸Te ions and electrons from the hydrogen target was used as a luminosity monitor. An overview of the experimental method and preliminary results from the ongoing analysis will be presented.
Intensive poultry operation systems emit a considerable volume of inorganic and organic matter in the surrounding environment. Monitoring cleaning properties of exhaust air cleaning systems and to detect small but significant changes in emission characteristics during a fattening cycle is important for both emission and fattening process control. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometric techniques as a monitoring tool of exhaust air from poultry operation systems. To generate a high-quality data set for evaluation, the exhaust air of two poultry houses was sampled by applying state-of-the-art filter sampling protocols. The two stables were identical except for one crucial difference, the presence or absence of an exhaust air cleaning system. In total, twenty-one exhaust air samples were collected at the two sites to monitor spectral differences caused by the cleaning device, and to follow changes in exhaust air characteristics during a fattening period. The total dust load was analyzed by gravimetric determination and included as a response variable in multivariate data analysis. The filter samples were directly measured with NIR spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and factor analysis (FA) were effective in classifying the NIR exhaust air spectra according to fattening day and origin. The results indicate that the dust load and the composition of exhaust air (inorganic or organic matter) substantially influence the NIR spectral patterns. In conclusion, NIR spectroscopy as a tool is a promising and very rapid way to detect differences between exhaust air samples based on still not clearly defined circumstances triggered during a fattening period and the availability of an exhaust air cleaning system.
Reconstructive surgery and tissue replacements like ureters or bladders reconstruction have been recently studied, taking into account growth and remodelling of cells since living cells are capable of growing, adapting, remodelling or degrading and restoring in order to deform and respond to stimuli. Hence, shapes of ureters or bladders and their microstructure change during growth and these changes strongly depend on external stimuli such as training. We present the mechanical stimulation of smooth muscle cells in a tubular fibrin-PVDFA scaffold and the modelling of the growth of tissue by stimuli. To this end, mechanotransduction was performed with a kyphoplasty balloon catheter that was guided through the lumen of the tubular structure. The bursting pressure was examined to compare the stability of the incubated tissue constructs. The results showed the significant changes on tissues with training by increasing the burst pressure as a characteristic mechanical property and the smooth muscle cells were more oriented with uniformly higher density. Besides, the computational growth models also exhibited the accurate tendencies of growth of the cells under different external stimuli. Such models may lead to design standards for the better layered tissue structure in reconstructing of tubular organs characterized as composite materials such as intestines, ureters and arteries.
In der Reihe der nachwachsenden Rohstoffe besitzt Holz als erneuerbare und umweltfreundliche Ressource ein großes Potenzial. Über 11 Mio. ha Holz, das laut der Fachagentur für nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR) auch für industrielle Zwecke genutzt werden kann, wuchsen im Jahr 2013 allein auf bundesdeutscher Fläche. 56,8 Mio. m³ jährlicher Holzeinschlag in den letzten zehn Jahren wurde zu knapp der Hälfte stofflich und der Rest energetisch verwertet. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit konnte auf der Basis vom Holz der Buche, die nach Fichte und Kiefer die dritthäufigste Baumart in Deutschland ist und 15% der deutschen Waldfläche ausmacht, die Fraktionierung der polymeren Hauptbestandteile mit niedrigem energetischen Einsatz erreicht werden. Hierbei werden in einem nachgeschalteten Extraktionsprozess die beiden Komponenten Hemicellulose und Lignin in flüssiger Form von der finalen festen Cellulosefraktion abgetrennt. Die Extraktion der Hemicellulose erfolgt durch eine Liquid Hot Water (LHW)-Behandlung. Untersucht wird der katalytische Zusatz anorganischer Säuren wie H₃PO₄ und H₂SO₄. Im Hinblick auf die weitere Verwertung von Lignin zu aromatischen Synthesebausteinen kommt die Organosolv-Extraktion mit einem Ethanol/Wasser-Gemisch zum Einsatz. Von Vorteil ist die weitere Verwendung beider Stoffströme ohne Fällungsschritt und nachteiliger Verdünnung der Hemicellulose.
Der zunehmende Bedarf an fossilen Rohstoffen bei gleichzeitig abnehmender Versorgungssicherheit führt zu einer intensiven Suche nach erneuerbaren Ressourcen. Ein vielversprechendes Ausgangsmaterial mit einer weltweiten Verfügbarkeit stellt Gras dar. In 2012 wurden in Deutschland 33 Millionen Tonnen (Heugewicht) Gras auf 4,82 Millionen Hektar Ackerland produziert, davon wurden 60,5 % siliert. Durch die Silierung kann Gras als Substrat zeitlich uneingeschränkt verfügbar sein, ohne dem Risiko des schnellen Verderbs ausgesetzt zu sein. Eine Schlüsselrolle im Rahmen des Silierprozesses nimmt die Produktion von Milchsäure ein. Milchsäure ist einbedeutendes biotechnologisches Produkt für die Lebensmittel- und die chemische Industrie. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird die vollständige Umwandlung der fermentierbaren Zucker in der Silage zu Milchsäure angestrebt, um die maximale Ausbeute der organischen Säure zu erreichen. Im ersten Verfahrensschritt wird die Silage gepresst und der erhaltene Presskuchen einer Liquid-Hot-Water-Behandlung unterzogen. Durch diese einfache Vorbehandlung können hohe Glucoseausbeuten im nachfolgenden SSF-Schritt bei gleichzeitig geringem Enzymeinsatz und Chemikalienverbrauch realisiert werden. Zur Aufreinigung der Milchsäure wurden extraktive und chromatographische Methoden untersucht.
Der Erhalt möglichst hoher Zuckerkonzentrationen für nachfolgende Fermentationen und eine Steigerung der Produktivität sind Ziele der Hydrolyse bei hohen Feststoffkonzentrationen im Rahmen des Projekts „Lignocellulose Bioraffinerie“. Verwendet wird durch ein Organosolv-Verfahren aufgeschlossenes Buchenholz. Die Hydrolyse des Faserstoffes erfolgt mithilfe von CTec2-Enzymen (Fa. Novozymes). Zurzeit können unter Einsatz eines neuen Feststoffreaktors Cellulosefasern in einer Konzentration bis 400 g L⁻¹ enzymatisch hydrolysiert werden. Dabei werden Ausbeuten (g Glucose/g Cellulose im Faserstoff) bis 0,86 g g⁻¹ und Glucosekonzentrationenvon 120 g L⁻¹ erreicht. Ein Nachteil ist jedoch die hierbei auftretende Abnahme der Hydrolyseausbeuten. Zahlreiche Limitierungen bezüglich der Hydrolysierbarkeit von Lignocellulose werden zurzeit diskutiert und publiziert. Ziel der Untersuchungen ist die Identifizierung hydrolysehemmender Substanzen sowie die Erhöhung der Ausbeute an Zuckermonomeren durch den Einsatz lignolytischer Enzyme. Hierbei wird eine HPLC-MS-Methode zur Charakterisierung hemmender Substanzen eingesetzt, um potenzielle Inhibitoren zu erfassen.
The development prospects of the world markets for petroleum and other liquid fuels are diverse and partly contradictory. However, comprehensive changes for the energy supply of the future are essential. Notwithstanding the fact that there are still very large deposits of energy resources from a geological point of view, the finite nature of conventional oil reserves is indisputable. To reduce our dependence on oil, the EU, the USA, and other major economic zones rely on energy diversification. For this purpose, alternative materials and technologies are being sought, and is most obvious in the transport sector. The objective is to progressively replace fossil fuels with renewable and more sustainable fuels. In this respect, biofuels have a pre-eminent position in terms of their capability of blending with fossil fuels and being usable in existing cars without substantial modification. Ethanol can be considered as the primary renewable liquid fuel. In this chapter enzymes, micro-organisms, and processes for ethanol production based on renewable resources are described.
Nacre-mimetic nanocomposites based on high fractions of synthetic high-aspect-ratio nanoclays in combination with polymers are continuously pushing boundaries for advanced material properties, such as high barrier against oxygen, extraordinary mechanical behavior, fire shielding, and glass-like transparency. Additionally, they provide interesting model systems to study polymers under nanoconfinement due to the well-defined layered nanocomposite arrangement. Although the general behavior in terms of forming such layered nanocomposite materials using evaporative self-assembly and controlling the nanoclay gallery spacing by the nanoclay/polymer ratio is understood, some combinations of polymer matrices and nanoclay reinforcement do not comply with the established models. Here, we demonstrate a thorough characterization and analysis of such an unusual polymer/nanoclay pair that falls outside of the general behavior. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and sodium fluorohectorite form nacre-mimetic, lamellar nanocomposites that are completely transparent and show high mechanical stiffness and high gas barrier, but there is only limited expansion of the nanoclay gallery spacing when adding increasing amounts of polymer. This behavior is maintained for molecular weights of PEO varied over four orders of magnitude and can be traced back to depletion forces. By careful investigation via X-ray diffraction and proton low-resolution solid-state NMR, we are able to quantify the amount of mobile and immobilized polymer species in between the nanoclay galleries and around proposed tactoid stacks embedded in a PEO matrix. We further elucidate the unusual confined polymer dynamics, indicating a relevant role of specific surface interactions.
Synthetic mimics of natural high-performance structural materials have shown great and partly unforeseen opportunities for the design of multifunctional materials. For nacre-mimetic nanocomposites, it has remained extraordinarily challenging to make ductile materials with high stretchability at high fractions of reinforcements, which is however of crucial importance for flexible barrier materials. Here, highly ductile and tough nacre-mimetic nanocomposites are presented, by implementing weak, but many hydrogen bonds in a ternary nacre-mimetic system consisting of two polymers (poly(vinyl amine) and poly(vinyl alcohol)) and natural nanoclay (montmorillonite) to provide efficient energy dissipation and slippage at high nanoclay content (50 wt%). Tailored interactions enable exceptional combinations of ductility (close to 50% strain) and toughness (up to 27.5 MJ m⁻³). Extensive stress whitening, a clear sign of high internal dynamics at high internal cohesion, can be observed during mechanical deformation, and the materials can be folded like paper into origami planes without fracture. Overall, the new levels of ductility and toughness are unprecedented in highly reinforced bioinspired nanocomposites and are of critical importance to future applications, e.g., as barrier materials needed for encapsulation and as a printing substrate for flexible organic electronics.
Dargestellt und beansprucht ist eine Funkeinheit mit einem Funkbauteil, einer elektrisch leitfähigen Antenne und einem Kunststoffverbindungsmittel. Das Funkbauteil weist einen Antennenanschluss auf. Das Kunststoffverbindungsmittel weist ein erstes Elastomermaterial mit elektrisch leitfähigem Zusatzmaterial auf, so dass das Kunststoffverbindungsmittel elektrisch leitfähig ist. Das Kunststoffverbindungsmittel bildet eine mechanische und elektrisch leitfähige Verbindung zwischen dem Antennenanschluss und der Antenne. Weiterhin wird eine Vorrichtung mit einem ein Matrixmaterial mit oder aus einem zweiten Elastomermaterial und einer Funkeinheit beschrieben und beansprucht, wobei die Funkeinheit vollständig in das Matrixmaterial eingebettet ist. Die Vorrichtung kann insbesondere ein Fahrzeugreifen sein.
Throughout the last decade, and particularly in 2022, water scarcity has become a critical concern in Morocco and other Mediterranean countries. The lack of rainfall during spring was worsened by a succession of heat waves during the summer. To address this drought, innovative solutions, including the use of new technologies such as hydrogels, will be essential to transform agriculture. This paper presents the findings of a study that evaluated the impact of hydrogel application on onion (Allium cepa) cultivation in Meknes, Morocco. The treatments investigated in this study comprised two different types of hydrogel-based soil additives (Arbovit® polyacrylate and Huminsorb® polyacrylate), applied at two rates (30 and 20 kg/ha), and irrigated at two levels of water supply (100% and 50% of daily crop evapotranspiration; ETc). Two control treatments were included, without hydrogel application and with both water amounts. The experiment was conducted in an open field using a completely randomized design. The results indicated a significant impact of both hydrogel-type dose and water dose on onion plant growth, as evidenced by various vegetation parameters. Among the hydrogels tested, Huminsorb® Polyacrylate produced the most favorable outcomes, with treatment T9 (100%, HP, 30 kg/ha) yielding 70.55 t/ha; this represented an increase of 11 t/ha as compared to the 100% ETc treatment without hydrogel application. Moreover, the combination of hydrogel application with 50% ETc water stress showed promising results, with treatment T4 (HP, 30 kg, 50%) producing almost the same yield as the 100% ETc treatment without hydrogel while saving 208 mm of water.
In this article, we describe the structure, the functioning, and the tests of parabolic trough solar thermal cooker (PSTC). This oven is designed to meet the needs of rural residents, including Urban, which requires stable cooking temperatures above 200 °C. The cooking by this cooker is based on the concentration of the sun's rays on a glass vacuum tube and heating of the oil circulate in a big tube, located inside the glass tube. Through two small tubes, associated with large tube, the heated oil, rise and heats the pot of cooking pot containing the food to be cooked (capacity of 5 kg). This cooker is designed in Germany and extensively tested in Morocco for use by the inhabitants who use wood from forests.
During a sunny day, having a maximum solar radiation around 720 W/m2 and temperature ambient around 26 °C, maximum temperatures recorded of the small tube, the large tube and the center of the pot are respectively: 370 °C, 270 °C and 260 °C. The cooking process with food at high (fries, ..), we show that the cooking oil temperature rises to 200 °C, after 1 h of heating, the cooking is done at a temperature of 120 °C for 20 min. These temperatures are practically stable following variations and decreases in the intensity of irradiance during the day. The comparison of these results with those of the literature shows an improvement of 30–50 % on the maximum value of the temperature with a heat storage that could reach 60 min of autonomy. All the results obtained show the good functioning of the PSTC and the feasibility of cooking food at high temperature (>200 °C).
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Optical Absorption Spectra of VO2+ in CsCl Single Crystals
(1985)
Das strikt anaerobe Bakterium Clostridium acetobutylicum bildet die Lösemittel Aceton, Butanol und Ethanol (ABE-Fermentation). Im Fall einer Eisenlimitierung kommt es zusätzlich zu einer Riboflavinsekretion (RF), was durch die gelbe Färbung des Kulturüberstands erkennbar ist. In dieser Arbeit wurde beobachtet, dass während Elektrofermentationen mit C. acetobutylicum bei –600 mV eine gelbe Färbung auftritt. Es wurde deshalb untersucht, ob eine Eisenlimitierung im bio-elektrochemischen System (BES) vorliegt. Hierzu wurden die Flavinspezien bei Kultivierungen in Medien mit einer Eisenlimitierung bzw. mit ausreichend Eisen in Serumflaschen sowie im BES mit und ohne angelegtem Potenzial verglichen. In den Serumflaschenversuchen wurden RF und Flavinadenindinukleotid (FAD)-Konzentrationen von ‡ 20 mg L⁻¹ sowie Flavinmononukleotid (FMN)-Konzentrationen von ca. 5 mg L⁻¹ detektiert. Bei ausreichender Eisenverfügbarkeit hingegen wurden in den Serumflaschen fast keine Flavine sekretiert. Im BES bei –600 mV hingegen wurde auch in diesen Kulturüberständen FMN und FAD (1–5 mg L⁻¹ ),jedoch kein RF gemessen. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Flavinbildung im BES mit angelegtem Potenzial nicht mit der Flavinbildung unter Eisenlimitierung in Serumflaschen korreliert. Andere Faktoren für eine mögliche Flavinbildung werden aktuell näher betrachtet.
In den letzten Jahren haben nachhaltige, biotechnologische Prozesse zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. Die Aceton-Butanol-Ethanol-Fermentation (ABE-Fermentation) mit dem anaeroben Bakterium Clostridium acetobutylicum zur Gewinnung von Biobutanol könnte in diesem Zusammenhang eine Möglichkeit der nachhaltigen Kraftstoffproduktion darstellen. In dieser Arbeit wird der Einfluss zusätzlich verfügbarer Elektronen durch den Einsatz des Phenazin-Farbstoffs Neutralrot als Redoxmediator sowie das Anlegen eines elektrischen Potenzials während der ABE-Fermentation untersucht. Es wird gezeigt, dass das Neutralrot keinen Einfluss auf die Leerlaufspannung von ca. 500 mV vs. Ag/AgCl während der Fermentation hat. Der Mediator bewirkt allerdings eine frühere Butanolbildung sowie höhere Butanolkonzentrationen. Wird zudem die Mediatorkonzentration von 125 mM auf 250 mM angehoben, wird dabei auch die maximale Butanolkonzentration um 36 % ± 1,8 % innerhalb von28 Stunden gesteigert.
Bacterial cell appendix formation supports cell-cell interaction, cell adhesion and cell movement. Additionally, in bioelectrochemical systems (BES), cell appendages have been shown to participate in extracellular electron transfer. In this work, the cell appendix formation of Clostridium acetobutylicum in biofilms of a BES are imaged and compared with conventional biofilms. Under all observed conditions, the cells possess filamentous appendages with a higher number and density in the BES. Differences in the amount of extracellular polymeric substance in the biofilms of the electrodes lead to the conclusion that the cathode can be used as electron donor and the anode as electron acceptor by C. acetobutylicum. When using conductive atomic force microscopy, a current response of about 15 nA is found for the cell appendages from the BES. This is the first report of conductivity for clostridial cell appendices and represents the basis for further studies on their role for biofilm formation and electron transfer.
A future bio-economy should not only be based on renewable raw materials but also in the raise of carbon yields of existing production routes. Microbial electrochemical technologies are gaining increased attention for this purpose. In this study, the electro-fermentative production of biobutanol with C. acetobutylicum without the use of exogenous mediators is investigated regarding the medium composition and the reactor design. It is shown that the use of an optimized synthetic culture medium allows higher product concentrations, increased biofilm formation, and higher conductivities compared to a synthetic medium supplemented with yeast extract. Moreover, the optimization of the reactor system results in a doubling of the maximum product concentrations for fermentation products. When a working electrode is polarized at −600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl, a shift from butyrate to acetone and butanol production is induced. This leads to an increased final solvent yield of Yᴀᴃᴇ = 0.202 gg⁻¹ (control 0.103 gg⁻¹), which is also reflected in a higher carbon efficiency of 37.6% compared to 23.3% (control) as well as a fourfold decrease in simplified E-factor to 0.43. The results are promising for further development of biobutanol production in bioelectrochemical systems in order to fulfil the principles of Green Chemistry.
Electromicrobial engineering is an emerging, highly interdisciplinary research area linking bioprocesses with electrochemistry. In this work, microbial electrosynthesis (MES) of biobutanol is carried out during acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentations with Clostridium acetobutylicum. A constant electric potential of −600mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) with simultaneous addition of the soluble redox mediator neutral red is used in order to study the electron transfer between the working electrode and the bacterial cells. The results show an earlier initiation of solvent production for all fermentations with applied potential compared to the conventional ABE fermentation. The f inal butanol concentration can be more than doubled by the application of a negative potential combined with addition of neutral red. Moreover a higher biofilm formation on the working electrode compared to control cultivations has been observed. In contrast to previous studies, our results also indicate that direct electron transfer (DET) might be possible with C. acetobutylicum. The presented results make microbial butanol production economically attractive and therefore support the development of sustainable production processes in the chemical industry aspired by the “Centre for resource-efficient chemistry and raw material change” as well as the the project “NanoKat” working on nanostructured catalysts in Kaiserslautern.
The Kremer–Grest (KG) polymer model is a standard model for studying generic polymer properties in molecular dynamics simulations. It owes its popularity to its simplicity and computational efficiency, rather than its ability to represent specific polymers species and conditions. Here we show that by tuning the chain stiffness it is possible to adapt the KG model to model melts of real polymers. In particular, we provide mapping relations from KG to SI units for a wide range of commodity polymers. The connection between the experimental and the KG melts is made at the Kuhn scale, i.e., at the crossover from the chemistry-specific small scale to the universal large scale behavior. We expect Kuhn scale-mapped KG models to faithfully represent universal properties dominated by the large scale conformational statistics and dynamics of flexible polymers. In particular, we observe very good agreement between entanglement moduli of our KG models and the experimental moduli of the target polymers.
The subtilase family (S8), a member of the clan SB of serine proteases are ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life and fulfil different physiological functions. Subtilases are divided in several groups and especially subtilisins are of interest as they are used in various industrial sectors. Therefore, we searched for new subtilisin sequences of the family Bacillaceae using a data mining approach. The obtained 1,400 sequences were phylogenetically classified in the context of the subtilase family. This required an updated comprehensive overview of the different groups within this family. To fill this gap, we conducted a phylogenetic survey of the S8 family with characterised holotypes derived from the MEROPS database. The analysis revealed the presence of eight previously uncharacterised groups and 13 subgroups within the S8 family. The sequences that emerged from the data mining with the set filter parameters were mainly assigned to the subtilisin subgroups of true subtilisins, high-alkaline subtilisins, and phylogenetically intermediate subtilisins and represent an excellent source for new subtilisin candidates.
Subtilisins from microbial sources, especially from the Bacillaceae family, are of particular interest for biotechnological applications and serve the currently growing enzyme market as efficient and novel biocatalysts. Biotechnological applications include use in detergents, cosmetics, leather processing, wastewater treatment and pharmaceuticals. To identify a possible candidate for the enzyme market, here we cloned the gene of the subtilisin SPFA from Fictibacillus arsenicus DSM 15822ᵀ (obtained through a data mining-based search) and expressed it in Bacillus subtilis DB104. After production and purification, the protease showed a molecular mass of 27.57 kDa and a pI of 5.8. SPFA displayed hydrolytic activity at a temperature optimum of 80 °C and a very broad pH optimum between 8.5 and 11.5, with high activity up to pH 12.5. SPFA displayed no NaCl dependence but a high NaCl tolerance, with decreasing activity up to concentrations of 5 m NaCl. The stability enhanced with increasing NaCl concentration. Based on its substrate preference for 10 synthetic peptide 4-nitroanilide substrates with three or four amino acids and its phylogenetic classification, SPFA can be assigned to the subgroup of true subtilisins. Moreover, SPFA exhibited high tolerance to 5% (w/v) SDS and 5% H₂O₂ (v/v). The biochemical properties of SPFA, especially its tolerance of remarkably high pH, SDS and H₂O₂, suggest it has potential for biotechnological applications.
Halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms represent a promising source of salt-tolerant enzymes suitable for various biotechnological applications where high salt concentrations would otherwise limit enzymatic activity. Considering the current growing enzyme market and the need for more efficient and new biocatalysts, the present study aimed at the characterization of a high-alkaline subtilisin from Alkalihalobacillus okhensis Kh10-101T. The protease gene was cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis DB104. The recombinant protease SPAO with 269 amino acids belongs to the subfamily of high-alkaline subtilisins. The biochemical characteristics of purified SPAO were analyzed in comparison with subtilisin Carlsberg, Savinase, and BPN'. SPAO, a monomer with a molecular mass of 27.1 kDa, was active over a wide range of pH 6.0–12.0 and temperature 20–80 °C, optimally at pH 9.0–9.5 and 55 °C. The protease is highly oxidatively stable to hydrogen peroxide and retained 58% of residual activity when incubated at 10 °C with 5% (v/v) H2O2 for 1 h while stimulated at 1% (v/v) H2O2. Furthermore, SPAO was very stable and active at NaCl concentrations up to 5.0 m. This study demonstrates the potential of SPAO for biotechnological applications in the future.
The aim of the present study was the characterisation of three true subtilisins and one phylogenetically intermediate subtilisin from halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms. Considering the currently growing enzyme market for efficient and novel biocatalysts, data mining is a promising source for novel, as yet uncharacterised enzymes, especially from halophilic or halotolerant Bacillaceae, which offer great potential to meet industrial needs. Both halophilic bacteria Pontibacillus marinus DSM 16465ᵀ and Alkalibacillus haloalkaliphilus DSM 5271ᵀ and both halotolerant bacteria Metabacillus indicus DSM 16189 and Litchfieldia alkalitelluris DSM 16976ᵀ served as a source for the four new subtilisins SPPM, SPAH, SPMI and SPLA. The protease genes were cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis DB104. Purification to apparent homogeneity was achieved by ethanol precipitation, desalting and ion-exchange chromatography. Enzyme activity could be observed between pH 5.0–12.0 with an optimum for SPPM, SPMI and SPLA around pH 9.0 and for SPAH at pH 10.0. The optimal temperature for SPMI and SPLA was 70 °C and for SPPM and SPAH 55 °C and 50 °C, respectively. All proteases showed high stability towards 5% (w/v) SDS and were active even at NaCl concentrations of 5 M. The four proteases demonstrate potential for future biotechnological applications.
Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Autoren und des Oldenbourg Industrieverlags https://www.oldenbourg-industrieverlag.de/de/9783835633223-33223 erschienen als Beitrag im Tagungsband zur AALE-Tagung 2012. 9. Fachkonferenz 4.-5. Mai 2012, Aachen, Fachhochschule. ISBN 9783835633223 S 5-1 S. 127-135 Es werden Ergebnisse unterschiedlicher Projekte aus dem Bereich der Simulation von Wärmeübertragungsprozessen mit Excel-VBA vorgestellt. - Thermische Behandlung hochviskoser Fruchtzubereitungen, verschiedene Projekte und Kooperationen mit der Zentis GmbH & Co. KG, Aachen (J. Becker, U. Feuerriegel, G. Wersch). - Untersuchung des dynamischen Verhaltens von dampfbeheizten Ethylen-Verdampfern. Projekt mit der TGE Gas Engineering GmbH, Bonn (M. Ecker, U. Feuerriegel, U. Hoffmann, S. Wittenhorst). - Dynamische Simulation des axialen Temperaturverlaufs von elektrisch beheizten Rohrreaktoren. Kooperation mit dem Institut für Chemische Verfahrenstechnik, TU Clausthal (U. Feuerriegel, U. Kunz, M. Pook, S. Wittenhorst).