A comparative study of water-immiscible organic solvents in the production of furfural from xylose and birch hydrolysate

Gerardo Gómez Millán,Sanna Hellsten,Alistair W.T. King,Juha-Pekka Pokki,Jordi Llorca,Herbert Sixta 한국공업화학회 2019 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.72 No.-

Furfural (FUR) was produced from xylose using a biphasic batch reaction system. Water-immiscibleorganic solvents such as isophorone, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) and cyclopentyl methyl ether(CPME) were used to promptly extract FUR from the aqueous phase in order to avoid the degradation tohumins as largely as possible. The effect of time, temperature, organic solvent and organic-to-aqueousratio on xylose conversion and FUR yield were investigated in auto-catalyzed conditions. Experiments atthree temperatures (170, 190 and 210 C) were carried out in a stirred microwave-assisted batch reactor,which established the optimal conditions for achieving the highest FUR yield. The maximum FUR yieldsfrom xylose were 78 mol% when using CPME, 48 mol% using isophorone and 71 mol% in the case of 2-MTHF at an aqueous to organic phase ratio of 1:1 (v/v). Birch hydrolysate was also used to show the highfurfural yield that can be obtained in the biphasic system under optimized conditions. The present studysuggests that CPME can be used as a green and efficient extraction solvent for the conversion of xyloseinto furfural without salt addition.

Rheology and gel point of the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea in the presence of urease

R. Serrato-Millán,L. Medina-Torres,F. Calderas,B.L. España-Sánchez,M. Estevez,A.R. Hernandez-Martínez,M. Cruz-Soto,I.C. Sánchez,R. Gómez-García,I. Sánchez-Betancourt,M.C. Velasquillo-Martínez,G. Luna- 한국유변학회 2017 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.29 No.1

This study reports on the rheology of the gelation kinetics of raw chitosan (CTS) solutions (2% w/v) produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of urea at different urea concentrations (40, 50, 60, 80, and 100 mM) in the presence of urease at 1 U/mL. Viscoelastic parameters and pH values were evaluated during gelation process and the rheological properties of CTS hydrogels produced were monitored after 24 h at 37°C to simulate human body temperatures. pH measurements suggest that above some critical urea concentration (50 mM) the time required (tgel) to reach the critical pH gelation shows no dependence on urea concentration (tgel was ca. 70 minutes). Above 50 mM of urea concentration, CTS hydrogels exhibit an elastic modulus G' higher than the viscous modulus G'' with no frequency dependence characteristic of a gel behavior. Gelation kinetics analyzed by rheology suggest that the G' (i.e., structure) development depends on urea concentration during solution neutralization.

Failure behavior of 2024-T3 aluminum under tension-torsion conditions

Marcos Rodríguez-Millán,Álvaro Vaz-Romero,Ángel Arias 대한기계학회 2015 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.29 No.11

Experimental and numerical investigations of the failure strain of aeronautical 2024-T3 aluminum were conducted. Experiments on theDouble notched tube (DNT) specimen loaded in combined tension and torsion were applied to an aluminum alloy for the first time. Numericalanalysis showed that the specimen exhibited uniformity in stress-strain as plastic strain developed. Low triaxiality values and awide range of Lode parameter values were obtained at failure conditions. The failure strain of 2024-T3 aluminum showed strong dependenceon the Lode parameter in agreement with the observations reported by other authors. The use of the DNT specimen was proven tobe efficient in calibrating the ductile failure model of aluminum alloys.

Co-Composting of Solid Waste Organic Urban with Sludge

Gloria Lucia Camargo Millán 한국외국어대학교 국제지역연구센터 2017 국제지역연구 Vol.21 No.2

Sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in municipalities of Boyacá has low levels of heavy metals as required by Colombian regulations, which allows a great potential for use as soil improvers. These, when used in the production of ornamental crops or in the recovery of soils, give rise to a positive environmental impact. This project developed a field trial of co-composting municipal solid organic waste with WWTP sludge in a municipality of Boyacá, finding the optimum proportion of these materials, characterizing the two raw materials and the most suitable mixture. Currently, the requirements for registering the biofertilizer or soil improver are being reviewed before national entities (Super intendency of industry and trade, and Colombian Institute of Agriculture (ICA) with a view to its future commercialization.

Evaluation of the Marine Alga Ulva rigida as a Food Supplement: Effect of Intake on Intestinal, Hepatic, and Renal Enzyme Activities in Rats

Cristina Taboada,Rosendo Millán,Isabel Míguez 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.1

The use of seaweeds as a food is more widespread in Eastern than in Western countries, although demand for these plants has increased in the West because their possible usefulness as dietary supplements. However, very little is known about the effects of regular consumption of algae. The aim of the present study was to determine the composition of Ulva rigida and to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of the diet with 10% alga for 4 weeks on dietary intake, growth, protein efficiency ratio, diet conversion ratio, and some organ weights in growing male rats. We also studied the effect of inclusion of the alga in the diet on intestinal, hepatic, and renal enzymatic activities. U. rigida was found to be a good source of protein and carbohydrates. Food intake was higher in the U. rigida group than in the control group, but ingestion of alga did not have any effect on the other trophic parameters. The intestinal disaccharidase and leucine aminopeptidase activities were lower in rats fed with alga than in control rats, but γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity was higher in the kidneys of alga-fed rats than in control rats. U. rigida contains high amounts of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals and low amounts of lipids. Analysis of the amino acid composition revealed good-quality protein. The addition of alga to the diet inhibited disaccharidase activities, which suggested that alga consumption could be useful in some chronic disorders associated with pertubations of glucose homeostasis caused by carbohydrate absorption.

Neuropsychological Outcome One Year after Carotid Revascularization: A before-and-after Study

Laura Casas-Hernanz,Maite Garolera,Dolors Badenes,Salvador Quintana,Susana Millán,Noemi Calzado,Jorge de Francisco,Josep Royo,Miquel Aguilar 대한혈관외과학회 2017 Vascular Specialist International Vol.33 No.4

Purpose: The aim of our study was to determine the clinical profile of patients considered cognitive ‘responders’ to surgery in order to establish clinical variables associated with a favorable cognitive performance. Materials and Methods: A total of 70 patients were included in the study. A wellvalidated, comprehensive standardized neurocognitive battery of tests of about 2 hours was administered. Patients were examined twice, 1-week before surgery and 1-year postoperatively. The criterion to be included in the ‘responder’ group was the following: to obtain a positive difference between post-revascularization and pre-revascularization neuropsychological assessment ≥1 standard deviation in ≥2 tests. Results: Twenty-seven patients (38.6%) were cognitive responders to treatment. In bivariate analysis between responders and non-responders, presence of atrophy (P=0.003), small vessels (P=0.577), symptoms (P=0.046), and age (P=0.030) were the factors statistically significant. When comparing cognitive performance before and after carotid revascularization, significant differences were observed in semantic fluency with a lower performance after 12 months (P=0.004, d=0.29), and in the Language index (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status) (P=0.005, d=0.34). Conclusion: Patients without neurological symptoms, of a younger age and without atrophy and white matter small vessel lesions are better cognitive responders 1-year after carotid revascularization.

Metformin treatment reduces motor and neuropsychiatric phenotypes in the zQ175 mouse model of Huntington disease

Ana Sanchis,María Adelaida García-Gimeno,Antonio José Cañada-Martínez,María Dolores Sequedo,José María Millán,Pascual Sanz,Rafael P. Vázquez-Manrique 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Huntington disease is a neurodegenerative condition for which there is no cure to date. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase has previously been shown to be beneficial in in vitro and in vivo models of Huntington’s disease. Moreover, a recent cross-sectional study demonstrated that treatment with metformin, a well-known activator of this enzyme, is associated with better cognitive scores in patients with this disease. We performed a preclinical study using metformin to treat phenotypes of the zQ175 mouse model of Huntington disease. We evaluated behavior (motor and neuropsychiatric function) and molecular phenotypes (aggregation of mutant huntingtin, levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal inflammation, etc.). We also used two models of polyglutamine toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans to further explore potential mechanisms of metformin action. Our results provide strong evidence that metformin alleviates motor and neuropsychiatric phenotypes in zQ175 mice. Moreover, metformin intake reduces the number of nuclear aggregates of mutant huntingtin in the striatum. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is reduced in mutant animals, is partially restored in metformin-treated mice, and glial activation in mutant mice is reduced in metformin-treated animals. In addition, using worm models of polyglutamine toxicity, we demonstrate that metformin reduces polyglutamine aggregates and restores neuronal function through mechanisms involving AMP-activated protein kinase and lysosomal function. Our data indicate that metformin alleviates the progression of the disease and further supports AMP-activated protein kinase as a druggable target against Huntington’s disease.

Red Blood Cell Alloimmunization in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease Population of Puerto Rico: An Observational Study

Raisa I. Balbuena-Merle,Cruz M. Nazario-Delgado,Rosa V. Rosario-Rosado,Dalia Millán-Tapia,Consuelo Climent-Peris 대한진단검사의학회 2020 Annals of Laboratory Medicine Vol.40 No.2

LT, Others : PO-31 ; Significance of pretransplant false positive lymphocytotoxic crossmatch in liver transplant recipients

( Mill Jae Shin ),( Sang Hyun Song ),( Hyung Hwan Moon ),( Sang Hoon Lee ),( Tae Seok Kim ),( Jong Man Kim ),( Choon Hyuck David Kwon ),( Sung Joo Kim ),( Jae Won Joh ),( Suk Koo Lee ) 대한간학회 2012 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2012 No.-

Purpose: At the time of transplantation, the recipient serum is tested with the prospective donor lymphocytes to identify specific reactivity in the donor-specific crossmatch. A positive crossmatch is a contraindication for kidney transplantation because of the higher incidence of antibody mediated rejection. However, numerous studies has found that the liver is resistant to it. We investigated the relationship between the pretransplant lymphocytotoxic crossmatch results and the long-term outcome after liver transplantation in a single center. Methods: From January 1996 to December 2010, 1021 living or deceased donor liver transplant recipients were included. Their medical records and pretransplant crossmatch results were collected. Results: 69 of 1021 (6.8%) liver transplants were performed with a positive crossmatch and their outcome was compared with the remaining 952 performed with a negative crossmatch. No significant differences in rejection, biliary complication, vascular complication, primary disease recurrence and de novo malignancy were found in negative and positive T- or B-lymphocytotoxic crossmatch recipients. Graft loss and patient survival were not inferior in the recipient group testing positive crossmatch. Besides, T and B cell crossmatch against donor showed positive results initially. But recipient`s autocontrol (recipient`s cell + recipient`s serum) also showed similar positive results. After dithiothreitol (DTT) treatment, all previous positive result was converted to negative. So, IgM class autoantibody against recipient`s own antigen was strongly suggested. We defined these subpopulation as false positive crossmatch group, accounting for 41 (4.0%) recipients. Significantly high incidences of de novo malignancies, especially lymphoid malignancy including posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, were observed in false positive crossmatch recipients compared to those of negative controls. (p=0.018 in overall de novo malignancy, p=0.029 in lymphoid malignancy) Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the presence of circulating IgM autoantibody in the recipient may be a risk factor for de novo malignancy, specially lymphoid malignancy. Although the precise mechanism remains unclear, immunologic factors is considered to involve in the pathogenesis of de novo malignancy.

Blue bottle light: lecture demonstrations of homogeneous and heterogeneous photo-induced electron transfer reactions

Mills, Andrew,Lawrie, Katherine,McFarlane, Michael Korean Society of Photoscience 2009 Photochemical & photobiological sciences Vol.8 No.3

The classic, non-photochemical blue bottle experiment involves the reaction of methylene blue (MB) with deprotonated glucose, to form a bleached form of the dye, leuco-methylene blue (LMB), and subsequent colour recovery by shaking with air. This reaction is a popular demonstrator of key principles in kinetics and reaction mechanisms. Here it is modified so as to highlight features of homogenous and heterogeneous photoinduced electron transfer (PET) (Pure Appl. Chem., 2007, 79, 293-465) reactions, i.e. blue bottle light experiments. The homogeneous blue bottle light experiment uses methylene blue, MB, as the photo-sensitizer and triethanolamine as the sacrificial electron donor. Visible light irradiation of this system leads to its rapid bleaching, followed by the ready restoration of its original colour upon shaking away from the light source. The heterogeneous blue bottle light experiment uses titania as the photo-sensitizer, MB as a redox indicator and glucose as the sacrificial electron donor. UVA light irradiation of this system leads to the rapid bleaching of the MB and the gradual restoration of its original colour with shaking and standing. The latter 'dark' step can be made facile and more demonstrator-friendly by using platinised titania particles. These two photochemical versions of the blue bottle experiment are used to explore the factors which underpin homogeneous and heterogeneous PET reactions and provide useful demonstrations of homogeneous and heterogeneous photochemistry.