Characterization of lignin and hemicellulose degrading bacteria isolated from cow rumen and forest soil: Unveiling a novel enzymatic model for rice straw deconstruction.

Application of greener pretreatment technology using robust ligninolytic bacteria for short duration to deconstruct rice straw and enhance bioethanol production is currently lacking. The objective of this study is to characterize three bacterial strains isolated from the milieux of cow rumen and forest soil and explore their capabilities of breaking down lignocellulose - an essential process in bioethanol production. Using biochemical and genomic analyses these strains were identified as Bacillus sp.

Terpenoids and phytosteroids isolated from Commelina benghalensis Linn. with antioxidant activity.

Background Commelina benghalensis Linn. (Family: Commelinaceae) is a common weed available in Bangladesh with several uses in traditional medicine. However, the chemical profile of this medicinal plant is scarce in relation to its medicinal uses.

Phase behavior of poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether/novel alkanolamide/water systems.

The phase behavior and microstructure of mixed nonionic surfactant systems containing poly(oxyethylene) cholesteryl ether (ChEOn, n=15 and 10), a new alkanolamide-type foam booster, dodecanoyl N -methylethanolamide (NMEA-12), and water, were investigated at 25 degrees C by means of visual observation and small-angle X-ray scattering. In the ChEO(15)/water binary system, aqueous micellar (W(m)), discontinuous cubic liquid crystal (I(1)), hexagonal (H(1)), rectangular ribbon (R(1)), lamellar (L(alpha)), and solid (S) phases are successively formed with increasing surfactant concentration. Although the R(1) phase is an intermediate phase formed in a very narrow composition range in conventional surfactant systems, its domain is unusually wider than that of H(1), which may be attributed to the packing constraint caused by the bulky cholesteric group in the lipophilic core of the aggregate.