Xanthan: enzymatic degradation and novel perspectives of applications.

The extracellular heteropolysaccharide xanthan, synthesized by bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas, is widely used as a thickening and stabilizing agent across the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors. Expanding the scope of its application, current efforts target the use of xanthan to develop innovative functional materials and products, such as edible films, eco-friendly oil surfactants, and biocompatible composites for tissue engineering. Xanthan-derived oligosaccharides are useful as nutritional supplements and plant defense elicitors.

Synthesis and Characterization of U≡C Triple Bonds in Fullerene Compounds.

Despite decades of efforts, the actinide-carbon triple bond has remained an elusive target, defying synthesis in any isolable compound. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of uranium-carbon triple bonds in carbide-bridged bimetallic [U≡C-Ce] units encapsulated inside the fullerene cages of C and C. The molecular structures of UCCe@C and the nature of the U≡C triple bond were characterized through X-ray crystallography and various spectroscopic analyses, revealing very short uranium-carbon bonds of 1.

Polyvalent s-block elements: A missing link challenges the periodic law of chemistry for the heavy elements.

The Periodic Law of Chemistry is one of the great discoveries in cultural history. Elements behaving chemically similar are empirically merged in groups of a Periodic Table, each element with valence electrons per neutral atom, and with upper limit for the oxidation and valence numbers. Here, we report that among the usually mono- or di-valent s-block elements ( = 1 or 2), the heaviest members (Fr, Ra, E, and E) with atomic numbers Z = 87, 88, 119, 120 form unusual 5- or 6-valent compounds at ambient conditions.

Chemical and toxicological assessment of leachates from UV-degraded plastic materials using bioassays.

The broad use of plastics and the persistence of the material results in plastic residues being found practically everywhere in the environment. If plastics remain in the (aquatic) environment, natural weathering leads to degradation processes and compounds may leach from plastic into the environment. To investigate the impact of degradation process on toxicity of leachates, different types of UV irradiation (UV-C, UV-A/B) were used to simulate weathering processes of different plastic material containing virgin as well as recyclate material and biodegradable polymers.

Cis- and trans-binding influences in [NUO·(N)].

Uranium nitride-oxide cations [NUO] and their complexes with equatorial N ligands, [NUO·(N)] (n = 1-7), were synthesized in the gas phase. Mass-selected infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations confirm [NUO·(N)] to be a sterically fully coordinated cation, with electronic singlet ground state of A, linear [NUO] core, and C structure. The presence of short N-U bond distances and high stretching modes, with slightly elongated U-O bond distances and lowered stretching modes, is rationalized by attributing them to cooperative covalent and dative [ǀN≡U≡Oǀ] triple bonds.

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of Thermostable GH159 Glycoside Hydrolases Exhibiting α-L-Arabinofuranosidase Activity.

Functional, biochemical, and preliminary structural properties are reported for three glycoside hydrolases of the recently described glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 159. The genes were cloned from the genomic sequences of different strains. This study extends the spectrum of functions of GH159 enzymes.

On the highest oxidation states of the actinoids in AnO molecules (An = Ac - Cm): A DMRG-CASSCF study.

Actinoid tetroxide molecules AnO (An = Ac - Cm) are investigated with the ab initio density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) approach. Natural orbital shapes are used to read out the oxidation state (OS) of the f-elements, and the atomic orbital energies and radii are used to explain the trends. The highest OSs reveal a "volcano"-type variation: For An = Ac - Np, the OSs are equal to the number of available valence electrons, that is, Ac , Th , Pa , U , and Np .

Activation of Subcutaneous Mast Cells in Acupuncture Points Triggers Analgesia.

This review summarizes experimental evidence indicating that subcutaneous mast cells are involved in the trigger mechanism of analgesia induced by acupuncture, a traditional oriental therapy, which has gradually become accepted worldwide. The results are essentially based on work from our laboratories. Skin mast cells are present at a high density in acupuncture points where fine needles are inserted and manipulated during acupuncture intervention.

Unusual substrate specificity in GH family 12: structure-function analysis of glucanases Bgh12A and Xgh12B from Aspergillus cervinus, and Egh12 from Thielavia terrestris.

In this study, we compared the properties and structures of three fungal GH12 enzymes: the strict endoglucanase Bgh12A and the xyloglucanase Xgh12B from Aspergillus cervinus, and the endoglucanase Egh12 from Thielavia terrestris combining activity on linear β-glucan and branched xyloglucan. Egh12 from T. terrestris was produced in Pichia pastoris, purified, and characterized as a thermostable enzyme with maximal activity at 70 ºC and a half-life time of 138 min at 65 °C.

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Bulb Aspirator With a Nasal-Oral Aspirator in the Treatment of Bronchiolitis.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the traditional bulb aspirator with a nasal-oral aspirator in the treatment of bronchiolitis.

Methods: This was a single-center, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Patients with bronchiolitis discharged from the emergency department were randomized to receive a bulb or nasal-oral aspirator for home use.

The conditional approach to evaluating detection performance.

In many applied single-point Yes/No signal-detection studies, the main interest is to evaluate the observer's sensitivity, based on the observed rates of hits and false alarms. For example, Kostopoulou, Nurek, Cantarella et al. (2019, Medical Decision Making, 39, 21-31) presented general practitioners (GPs) with clinical vignettes of patients showing various cancer-related symptoms, and asked them to decide if urgent referral was required; the standard discrimination index d' was calculated for each GP.

Delta plots for conflict tasks: An activation-suppression race model.

We describe a mathematically simple yet precise model of activation suppression that can explain the negative-going delta plots often observed in standard Simon tasks. The model postulates a race between the identification of the relevant stimulus attribute and the suppression of irrelevant location-based activation, with the irrelevant activation only having an effect if the irrelevant activation is still present at the moment when central processing of the relevant attribute starts. The model can be fitted by maximum likelihood to observed distributions of RTs in congruent and incongruent trials, and it provides good fits to two previously-reported data sets with plausible parameter values.

An Analysis of In Vivo Hip Kinematics in Elite Baseball Batters Using a Markerless Motion-Capture System.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the kinematics of the asymptomatic baseball batter's hips by comparing passive range of motion (PROM) and real-time active hip range of motion (AROM) and determine whether differences in ROM exist between lead and trail hips.

Methods: Parameters of passive hip ROM were obtained using a goniometer and physical examination standards. Active hip ROM during batting swings was captured with the Dynamic Athletic Research Institute's markerless motion-capture system.

Electronic Structure and Spectroscopic Properties of Group-7 Tri-Oxo-Halides MOX (M = Mn-Bh, X = F-Ts).

The 24 trioxide halide molecules MOX of the manganese group (M = Mn-Bh; X = F-Ts), which are iso-valence-electronic with the famous MnO ion, have been quantum-chemically investigated by quasi-relativistic density-functional and ab initio correlated approaches. Geometric and electronic structures, valence and oxidation numbers, vibrational and electronic spectral properties, energetic stabilities of the monomers in the gas phase, and the decay mode of MnOF have been investigated. The light Mn-3d species are most strongly electron-correlated, indicating that the concept of a closed-shell Lewis-type single-configurational structure [Mn(d) O(p) F(p)] reaches its limits.

Metal Oxo-Fluoride Molecules OMF (M = Mn and Fe; = 1-4) and OMnF: Matrix Infrared Spectra and Quantum Chemistry.

On reacting laser-ablated manganese or iron difluorides with O or O during codeposition in solid neon or argon, infrared absorptions of several new metal oxo-fluoride molecules, including OMF, (η-O)MF, (η-O)MF, (η-O)MF (M = Mn and Fe), and OMnF, have been observed. Quantum chemical density functional and multiconfiguration wavefunction calculations have been applied to characterize these new products by their geometric and electronic structures, vibrations, charges, and bonding. The assignment of the main vibrational absorptions as dominant symmetric or antisymmetric M-F or M-O stretching modes is confirmed by oxygen isotopic shifts and quantum chemical calculations of frequencies and thermal stabilities.

Strategic aromatic residues in the catalytic cleft of the xyloglucanase MtXgh74 modifying thermostability, mode of enzyme action, and viscosity reduction ability.

The thermostable endo-processive xyloglucanase MtXgh74 from Myceliophthora thermophila was used to study the influence of aromatic amino acids in the catalytic cleft on the mode of action and the ability of enzyme to reduce xyloglucan viscosity. The enzyme derivative Mut I with mutations W64A/W67A in the "negative" subsites of the catalytic cleft resulted in a 5.5-fold increase of the K value.

Understanding Periodic and Non-periodic Chemistry in Periodic Tables.

The chemical elements are the "conserved principles" or "kernels" of chemistry that are retained when substances are altered. Comprehensive overviews of the chemistry of the elements and their compounds are needed in chemical science. To this end, a graphical display of the chemical properties of the elements, in the form of a Periodic Table, is the helpful tool.

Permanganyl Fluoride: A Brief History of the Molecule MnO F and of Those Who Cared For It.

Permanganyl fluoride's existence at the stability threshold in the series of oxides and oxide fluorides of the late 3d transition metals is reflected by its experimentally challenging properties and by the difficulties posed in the theoretical description of its bonding characteristics. The history of this molecule is reviewed from early qualitative observations and the growing scattered information on its chemical and physical properties to the accurate determination and interpretation of its molecular structure and spectral features. The still problematic theoretical models for MnO and MnO F are briefly presented in the broader context of the chemistry of elements in high oxidation states.

Understanding the Uniqueness of 2p Elements in Periodic Tables.

The Periodic Table, and the unique chemical behavior of the first element in a column (group), were discovered simultaneously one and a half centuries ago. Half a century ago, this unique chemistry of the light homologs was correlated to the then available atomic orbital (AO) radii. The radially nodeless 1s, 2p, 3d, 4f valence AOs are particularly compact.

Milling byproducts are an economically viable substrate for butanol production using clostridial ABE fermentation.

Butanol is a platform chemical that is utilized in a wide range of industrial products and is considered a suitable replacement or additive to liquid fuels. So far, it is mainly produced through petrochemical routes. Alternative production routes, for example through biorefinery, are under investigation but are currently not at a market competitive level.

The Müller-Lyer line-length task interpreted as a conflict paradigm: A chronometric study and a diffusion account.

We propose to interpret tasks evoking the classical Müller-Lyer illusion as one form of a conflict paradigm involving relevant (line length) and irrelevant (arrow orientation) stimulus attributes. Eight practiced observers compared the lengths of two line-arrow combinations; the length of the lines and the orientation of their arrows was varied unpredictably across trials so as to obtain psychometric and chronometric functions for congruent and incongruent line-arrow combinations. To account for decision speed and accuracy in this parametric data set, we present a diffusion model based on two assumptions: inward (outward)-pointing arrows added to a line (i) add (subtract) a separate, task-irrelevant drift component, and (ii) they reduce (increase) the distance to the barrier associated with the response identifying this line as being longer.

Evaluation of the in vitro Function of Platelet Concentrates from Pooled Buffy Coats or Apheresis.

Background: Platelet concentrates play an important role in transfusion medicine. Their short lifespan and lack of robustness require efforts to ensure adequate product quality. In this study, we compared the in vitro quality of the main concentrate types, pooled platelet concentrate (PPC) from whole blood donations, and platelet concentrate from single-donor apheresis (APC).

A Novel Primer Mixture for GH48 Genes: Quantification and Identification of Truly Cellulolytic Bacteria in Biogas Fermenters.

Genomic studies revealed the glycoside hydrolases of family 48 (GH48) as a powerful marker for the identification of truly cellulolytic bacteria. Here we report an improved method for detecting cellulolytic bacteria in lab-scale biogas fermenters by using GH48 genes as a molecular marker in DNA and RNA samples. We developed a mixture of primers for the specific amplification of a GH48 gene region in a broad range of bacteria.

Draft Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus polymyxa DSM 292, a Gram-Positive, Spore-Forming Soil Bacterium with High Biotechnological Potential.

DSM 292 was originally isolated from soil in 1947 due to its ability to produce antibiotics. The low proteolytic properties of strain DSM 292 warrant its examination as a host for heterologous protein production. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of DSM 292 as established by Illumina MiSeq paired-end sequencing.