Enzymatically Oxidized Carbohydrates As Dicarbonyl Biobased Cross-Linkers for Polyamines.

Carbonyl cross-linkers are used to modify textiles and form resins, and are produced annually in megatonne volumes. Due to their toxicity toward the environment and human health, however, less harmful biobased alternatives are needed. This study introduces carbonyl groups to lactose and galactose using galactose oxidase from (GalOx) and pyranose dehydrogenase from (PDH1) to produce four cross-linkers.

Starch vs. tannin as biodegradable reagents for ultrafine hematite depression.

Enrichment of ultrafine liberated valuable minerals from their associated gangue phases is one of the emerging investigation topics within mineral processing and recycling. Using green flotation reagents and turning processes into eco-friendly systems is also one of the challenges in the green transition of ore beneficiation plants. Starch and Tanin as biodegradable depressants for hematite depression have been commercially used in various iron ore processing plants.

Redox Active Ligands for Catalyzing the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Boron subphthalocyanines with chloride and fluoride axial ligands and three antimony complexes chelated by corroles that differ in size and electron-richness were examined as electrocatalysts for reduction of protons to hydrogen. Experiment- and computation-based investigations revealed that all redox events are ligand-centered and that the meso-C of the corroles and the peripheral N atoms of the subphthalocyanines are the largely preferred proton-binding sites.

Predicting the Occurrence of Substituted and Unsubstituted, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Coking Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent using Machine Learning Regression.

Organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) occurring in industrial effluents can not only persist in wastewater but transform into more toxic and mobile, substituted heterocyclic products during treatment. Thus, predicting the occurrence of PACs and their heterocyclic derivatives (HPACs) in coking wastewater is of utmost importance to reduce the environmental risks in water bodies that receive industrial effluents. Although HPACs can be monitored through sampling and analysis, the characterisation techniques used in their analyses are costly and time-consuming.

Mathematical modeling of rare earth element separation in electrodialysis with adjacent anion exchange membranes and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as chelating agent.

This research delves into the effective use of electrodialysis for the separation of rare earth elements (REEs), specifically separating dysprosium (Dy) from praseodymium (Pr) and neodymium (Nd). A robust mathematical model based on the extended Nernst-Planck equation is introduced, simulating the process within a configuration that includes two adjacent anion exchange membranes. The model integrates aspects such as feed equilibrium, ion exchange within the membrane, and overall ion flux.

Unravelling the formation of carbyne nanocrystals from graphene nanoconstrictions through the hydrothermal treatment of agro-industrial waste molasses.

The delicate synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanostructures from two-dimensional (2D) graphene moiré layers holds tremendous interest in materials science owing to its unique physiochemical properties exhibited during the formation of hybrid configurations with sp-sp hybridization. However, the controlled synthesis of such hybrid sp-sp configurations remains highly challenging. Therefore, we employed a simple hydrothermal technique using agro-industrial waste as the carbon source to synthesize 1D carbyne nanocrystals from the nanoconstricted zones of 2D graphene moiré layers.

Bulking Up the Bay-Position Substituents Enables Enhanced Selectivity of -Symmetric Boron Subphthalocyanine-Subnaphthalocyanine Hybrids.

The precise synthesis of subporphyrinoid hybrids with π-expanded topologies and unique material properties plays a promising role in the design of functional macrocycles. Easy, selective, and controllable routes to boron subphthalocyanine-subnaphthalocyanine hybrids, Bsub(Pc-Nc)s, are desirable for this purpose yet synthetically challenging due to random mixtures of -, -, and, in some cases, -symmetric compounds that form during traditional statistical mixed cyclotrimerizations. Herein, we addressed this issue by developing a sterically driven mixed cyclotrimerization with enhanced selectivity for the targeted -symmetric hybrid and complete suppression of sterically crowded macrocyclic byproducts.

Insights into the action of phylogenetically diverse microbial expansins on the structure of cellulose microfibrils.

Background: Microbial expansins (EXLXs) are non-lytic proteins homologous to plant expansins involved in plant cell wall formation. Due to their non-lytic cell wall loosening properties and potential to disaggregate cellulosic structures, there is considerable interest in exploring the ability of microbial expansins (EXLX) to assist the processing of cellulosic biomass for broader biotechnological applications. Herein, EXLXs with different modular structure and from diverse phylogenetic origin were compared in terms of ability to bind cellulosic, xylosic, and chitinous substrates, to structurally modify cellulosic fibrils, and to boost enzymatic deconstruction of hardwood pulp.

Interrogating Matrix Stiffness and Metabolomics in Pancreatic Ductal Carcinoma Using an Openable Microfluidic Tumor-on-a-Chip.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense fibrotic stroma that contributes to aggressive tumor biology and therapeutic resistance. Current in vitro PDAC models lack sufficient optical and physical access for fibrous network visualization, in situ mechanical stiffness measurement, and metabolomic profiling. Here, we describe an openable multilayer microfluidic PDAC-on-a-chip platform that consists of pancreatic tumor cells (PTCs) and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) embedded in a 3D collagen matrix that mimics the stroma.

Valorization of pyrolysis oils recycled from waste car tires as potential collector in coal flotation: Production, characterization, and collecting mechanism.

The present research study investigates the performance of pyrolysis oils recycled from waste tires as a collector in coal flotation. Three different types of pyrolysis oils (namely, POT, POT, and POT) were produced through a two-step pressure pyrolysis method followed by an oil rolling process. The characteristics of POTs were adjusted using various oil-modifying additives such as mineral salts and organic solvents.

A review of emerging membrane-based microalgal-bacterial processes for wastewater treatment: Process configurations, biological and membrane performance, and perspectives.

Microalgal-bacterial (MB) consortia create an excellent eco-system for simultaneous COD/BOD and nutrients (N and P) removals in a single step with significant reduction in or complete elimination of aeration and carbonation in the biological wastewater treatment processes. The integration of membrane separation technology with the MB processes has created a new paradigm for research and development. This paper focuses on a comprehensive and critical literature review of recent advances in these emerging processes.

Ultrafast Computational Screening of Molecules with Inverted Singlet-Triplet Energy Gaps Using the Pariser-Parr-Pople Semiempirical Quantum Chemistry Method.

Molecules with an inverted energy gap between their first singlet and triplet excited states have promising applications in the next generation of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials. Unfortunately, such molecules are rare, and only a handful of examples are currently known. High-throughput virtual screening could assist in finding novel classes of these molecules, but current efforts are hampered by the high computational cost of the required quantum chemical methods.

Roles of pH and phosphate in rare earth element biosorption with living acidophilic microalgae.

The increasing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has spurred interest in the development of recovery methods from aqueous waste streams. Acidophilic microalgae have gained attention for REE biosorption as they can withstand high concentrations of transition metals and do not require added organic carbon to grow, potentially allowing simultaneous sorption and self-replication of the sorbent. Here, we assessed the potential of Galdieria sulphuraria for REE biosorption under acidic, nutrient-replete conditions from solutions containing ≤ 15 ppm REEs.

Biocatalytic cascade to polysaccharide amination.

Background: Chitin, the main form of aminated polysaccharide in nature, is a biocompatible, polycationic, and antimicrobial biopolymer used extensively in industrial processes. Despite the abundance of chitin, applications thereof are hampered by difficulties in feedstock harvesting and limited structural versatility. To address these problems, we proposed a two-step cascade employing carbohydrate oxidoreductases and amine transaminases for plant polysaccharide aminations via one-pot reactions.

From Nature-Sourced Polysaccharide Particles to Advanced Functional Materials.

Polysaccharides constitute over 90% of the carbohydrate mass in nature, which makes them a promising feedstock for manufacturing sustainable materials. Polysaccharide particles (PSPs) are used as effective scavengers, carriers of chemical and biological cargos, and building blocks for the fabrication of macroscopic materials. The biocompatibility and degradability of PSPs are advantageous for their uses as biomaterials with more environmental friendliness.

A Microfluidic Platform for Evaluating the Internalization of Liposome Drug Carriers in Tumor Spheroids.

The development of in vitro models recapitulating nanoparticle transport under physiological flow conditions is of great importance for predicting the efficacy of nanoparticle drug carriers. Liposomes are extensively used for drug delivery owing to their biocompatibility and biodegradability and the ability to carry both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds. Here, we used a library of liposomes with various dimensions and a microfluidic platform comprising a large array of uniformly sized breast cancer spheroids to explore size-dependent liposome internalization and retention in the spheroids under close-to-physiological interstitial conditions.

Engineering Biomaterials to Model Immune-Tumor Interactions In Vitro.

Engineered biomaterial scaffolds are becoming more prominent in research laboratories to study drug efficacy for oncological applications in vitro, but do they have a place in pharmaceutical drug screening pipelines? The low efficacy of cancer drugs in phase II/III clinical trials suggests that there are critical mechanisms not properly accounted for in the pre-clinical evaluation of drug candidates. Immune cells associated with the tumor may account for some of these failures given recent successes with cancer immunotherapies; however, there are few representative platforms to study immune cells in the context of cancer as traditional 2D culture is typically monocultures and humanized animal models have a weakened immune composition. Biomaterials that replicate tumor microenvironmental cues may provide a more relevant model with greater in vitro complexity.

Unusual Sabatier principle on high entropy alloy catalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions.

The Sabatier principle is widely explored in heterogeneous catalysis, graphically depicted in volcano plots. The most desirable activity is located at the peak of the volcano, and further advances in activity past this optimum are possible by designing a catalyst that circumvents the limitation entailed by the Sabatier principle. Herein, by density functional theory calculations, we discovered an unusual Sabatier principle on high entropy alloy (HEA) surface, distinguishing the "just right" (ΔG = 0 eV) in the Sabatier principle of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Bilayer and Trilayer CN/Blue-Phosphorene Heterostructures as Potential Anode Materials for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures outperform conventional anode materials for postlithium-ion batteries in terms of mechanical, thermal, and electrochemical properties. This study systemically investigates the performance of bilayer and trilayer CN/blue phosphorene (CN/BlueP) heterostructures as anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) using first-principles density functional theory calculations. This study reveals that the adsorption and diffusion of K ions on bilayer and trilayer CN/BlueP heterostructures are markedly superior to those of their monolayer counterparts.

Design Parameters for a Mass Cytometry Detectable HaloTag Ligand.

Mass cytometry permits the high dimensional analysis of complex biological samples; however, some techniques are not yet integrated into the mass cytometry workflow due to reagent availability. The use of self-labeling protein systems, such as HaloTag, are one such application. Here, we describe the design and implementation of the first mass cytometry ligands for use with HaloTag.

Fungal loosenin-like proteins boost the cellulolytic enzyme conversion of pretreated wood fiber and cellulosic pulps.

Microbial expansin-related proteins, including loosenins, can disrupt cellulose networks and increase enzyme accessibility to cellulosic substrates. Herein, four loosenins from Phanerochaete carnosa (PcaLOOLs), and a PcaLOOL fused to a family 63 carbohydrate-binding module, were compared for ability to boost the cellulolytic deconstruction of steam pretreated softwood (SSW) and kraft pulps from softwood (ND-BSKP) and hardwood (ND-BHKP). Amending the Cellic® CTec-2 cellulase cocktail with PcaLOOLs increased reducing products from SSW by up to 40 %, corresponding to 28 % higher glucose yield.

Engineered In Vitro Tumor Model Recapitulates Molecular Signatures of Invasion in Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) play an important role in the invasive nature of glioblastoma (GBM); yet, the mechanisms driving this behavior are poorly understood. To recapitulate tumor invasion in vitro, we developed a GBM tumor-mimetic hydrogel using extracellular matrix components upregulated in patients. We show that our hydrogel facilitates the infiltration of a subset of patient-derived GSCs, differentiating samples based on phenotypic invasion.

The Characteristic Curvature (Cc) of Ionic Surfactants Assessed via Small-Angle X-ray Scattering.

The characteristic curvature (Cc), within the hydrophilic-lipophilic difference + net () - average () curvature (HLD-NAC) framework, is the dimensionless net curvature, -· ( is the surfactant's tail length parameter), that a surfactant acquires at the characteristic condition ( = 25 °C, no added cosurfactants, oil with an equivalent alkane carbon number (EACN) of zero and for ionic surfactants, a total salinity () of 1 g NaCl/100 mL). A recent article demonstrated the validity of the Cc concept, where was assessed via oil and water solubilization radii. Here, we assess from the characteristic length (ξ) obtained from the analysis of SAXS profiles of microemulsions produced at semicharacteristic conditions (characteristic condition but varying ).

Evaluating the potential of beverage to address the prevalence of iron deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa.

The potential of L. beverage as a dietary iron source for sub-Saharan Africans was investigated. The target was to provide 6 mg of iron through 250 mL of the beverage daily.