An alternative process for butanol production: Continuous flash fermentation

The objective of this work is to introduce and demonstrate the technical feasibility of the continuous flash fermentation for the production of butanol. The evaluation was carried out through mathematical modeling and computer simulation which is a good approach in such a process development stage. The process consists of three interconnected units, as follows: the fermentor, the cell retention system (tangential microfiltration) and the vacuum flash vessel (responsible for the continuous recovery of butanol from the broth). The efficiency of this process was experimentally validated for the ethanol fermentation, whose main results are also shown. With the proposed design the concentration of butanol in the fermentor was lowered from 11.3 to 7.8 g/l, which represented a significant reduction in the inhibitory effect. As a result, the final concentration of butanol was 28.2 g/l for a broth with 140 g/l of glucose. Solvents productivity and yield were, respectively, 11.7 g/l.h and 33.5 % for a sugar conversion of 95.6 %. Positive aspects about the flash fermentation process are the solvents productivity, the use of concentrated sugar solution and the final butanol concentration. The last two features can be responsible for a meaningful reduction in the distillation costs and result in environmental benefits due to lower quantities of wastewater generated by the process. © 2008 Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.

Dextran sulfate/Triton X two-phase micellar systems as an alternative first purification step for clavulanic acid

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Computational analysis and physico-chemical characterization of an inclusion compound between praziquantel and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin for use as an alternative in the treatment of schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is still an endemic disease in many regions, with 250 million people infected with Schistosoma and about 500,000 deaths per year. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for schistosomiasis treatment, however it is classified as Class II in the Biopharmaceutics Classification System, as its low solubility hinders its performance in biological systems. The use of cyclodextrins is a useful tool to increase the solubility and bioavailability of drugs. The aim of this work was to prepare an inclusion compound of PZQ and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MeCD), perform its physico-chemical characterization, and explore its in vitro cytotoxicity. SEM showed a change of the morphological characteristics of PZQ:MeCD crystals, and IR data supported this finding, with changes after interaction with MeCD including effects on the C-H of the aromatic ring, observed at 758 cm(-1). Differential scanning calorimetry measurements revealed that complexation occurred in a 1:1 molar ratio, as evidenced by the lack of a PZQ transition temperature after inclusion into the MeCD cavity. In solution, the PZQ UV spectrum profile in the presence of MeCD was comparable to the PZQ spectrum in a hydrophobic solvent. Phase solubility diagrams showed that there was a 5.5-fold increase in PZQ solubility, and were indicative of a type A(L) isotherm, that was used to determine an association constant (K(a)) of 140.8 M(-1). No cytotoxicity of the PZQ:MeCD inclusion compound was observed in tests using 3T3 cells. The results suggest that the association of PZQ with MeCD could be a good alternative for the treatment of schistosomiasis.

Hemolytic activity of alternative complement pathway as an indicator of innate immunity in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the methodology to establish the hemolytic activity of alternative complement pathway as an indicator of the innate immunity in Brazilian fish pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), in addition to verifying the influence of β-glucan as an immunostimulant. Fish were fed with diets containing 0, 0.1 and 1% β-glucan, during seven days, and then inoculated with Aeromonas hydrophila. Seven days after the challenge, they were bled for serum extraction. The methodology consisted of a kinetic assay that allows calculating the required time for serum proteins of the complement to promote 50% lysis of a rabbit red blood cell suspension. The method developed in mammals was successfully applied for pacu and determined that the hemolytic activity of the proteins of the complement system (alternative pathway) increased after the pathogen challenge, but was not influenced by the β-glucan treatment.

Plant or fungal sequences? An alternative optimized PCR protocol to avoid ITS (nrDNA) misamplification

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Alternative Intrabladder Manometry Technique for the Indirect Measurement of Intra-abdominal Pressure in Horses

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Transmission of Citrus leprosis virus C by Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes) to Alternative Host Plants Found in Citrus Orchards

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Immunity of an Alternative Host Can Be Overcome by Higher Densities of Its Parasitoids Palmistichus elaeisis and Trichospilus diatraeae

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alternative treatment for Anacanthorus penilabiatus (Monogenea : Dactylogyridae) infection in cultivated pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Osteichthyes : Characidae) in Brazil and its haematological effects

The present work, studied the effect of 0, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 mg of garlic powder/kg dry ration for Piaractus mesopotamicus (Osteichthyes Characidae), weighting 73.6+/-39.4 9 and measuring 15.0+/-2.7 cm, fed for a period of 15, 30 and 45 days. Fifteen days after treatment with 1,000 and 2,000 Prig of garlic/kg dry ration, significant reduction of Anacanthorus penilabiatus (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) in the gills was related. Nevertheless, the addition of garlic to the ration caused significant increase in the erythrocyte number and in the thrombocyte percentage in the circulating blood. However, a decrease in the lymphocyte percentage was also observed. After 45 days, fish fed with garlic showed significant increase in the erythrocyte number, leucocyte, haemoglobin rate, hematocrit and thrombocyte.

Alternative procedure for the cold test for soybean seeds

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Genetic parameters for an alternative criterion to improve productive longevity of Nellore cows

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Preliminary results of a floating subirrigation system (Aquaforest system) as an alternative to conventional tree nurseries

A new methodology for tree seedling production (Aquaforest system) based on a continuous floating subirrigation system was developed and tested using creeks with different nutrient levels. Eucalyptus grandis seedlings were produced in water from polluted and clean creeks, and compared to conventional tree nursery production. The growth variables analyzed in the seedling phase were: survival, height, diameter, shoot and root dry weight, leaf area, and root/shoot ratio. Water and substrate were analyzed, as well as leaf nutritional status. Plant survival was 100% in all treatments. Height and diameter were greater in the higher nutrient water treatment. Leaf area and dry weight of plants produced in the higher nutrient water treatment were similar to those of the control. The results showed that polluted water can represent a good nutrient source. The preliminary results show that the Aquaforest system can be a viable alternative for tree seedling production. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physiological quality of soybean and wheat seeds produced with alternative potassium sources

O uso de fontes não convencionais para fornecimento de K às plantas tem sido amplamente estudado, mas os efeitos de materiais alternativos na qualidade fisiológica das sementes não são conhecidos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de soja e trigo em função da aplicação fontes de potássio em uma sucessão de culturas. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos constaram de três fontes de K (KCl, rocha alcalina e fonolito moído, com 58%, 11% e 8.42% de K2O, respectivamente) aplicados em quatro doses (0, 25, 50 e 100 kg K2O ha-1). As doses de potássio foram aplicadas na soja e seu efeito residual foi avaliado na cultura do trigo, cultivado em sucessão. Logo após a colheita, as sementes de soja e trigo foram avaliadas pelos testes de teor de água, massa de sementes, germinação, primeira contagem, condutividade elétrica, comprimento de plântulas e massa da matéria seca de plântulas. Plantas de soja adubadas com fontes alternativas para fornecimento de K produzem sementes com maior massa e menor permeabilidade de membranas comparado às com KCl; maior qualidade fisiológica de sementes de soja e massa de sementes de trigo são obtidas com maiores doses de K2O independente da fonte.

Evaluation of alternative containers to determining the working width of fertilizer spreaders

Os ensaios de largura de trabalho e uniformidade de distribuição são de difícil execução para o agricultor por exigirem equipamentos, recursos e métodos complexos. Portanto, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar coletores alternativos para tornar mais acessível a regulagem e a avaliação de distribuidores de fertilizantes sólidos a lanço. Foram utilizados quatro diferentes conjuntos de coletores: i) coletores construídos segundo a norma ISO 5690/1; ii) coletores de polietileno (bandejas plásticas) com tela de sombreamento para evitar o ricochete de material; iii) coletores formados por caixas de leite longa vida, e iv) coletores formados por vasos de polietileno (número 3,5). Também foram utilizados três diferentes distribuidores para as avaliações. Os coletores alternativos apresentaram maior retenção de partículas que os coletores normatizados. A largura efetiva de trabalho obtida para os coeficientes de variação de 12,5; 15; 17,5 e 20% variou entre os coletores nos diferentes percursos. O coletor que mais se assemelhou à norma foram os vasos de polietileno. Constatou-se que a altura dos coletores foi mais importante para sua eficiência do que a sua área de coleta.

The wavelet method as an alternative for reducing ionospheric effects from single-frequency GPS receivers

The ionospheric effect is one of the major errors in GPS data processing over long baselines. As a dispersive medium, it is possible to compute its influence on the GPS signal with the ionosphere-free linear combination of L1 and L2 observables, requiring dual-frequency receivers. In the case of single-frequency receivers, ionospheric effects are either neglected or reduced by using a model. In this paper, an alternative for single-frequency users is proposed. It involves multiresolution analysis (MRA) using a wavelet analysis of the double-difference observations to remove the short- and medium-scale ionosphere variations and disturbances, as well as some minor tropospheric effects. Experiments were carried out over three baseline lengths from 50 to 450 km, and the results provided by the proposed method were better than those from dual-frequency receivers. The horizontal root mean square was of about 0.28 m (1 sigma).