A cysteine protease isolated from the latex of Ficus microcarpa: purification and biochemical characterization.

A plant protease named microcarpain was purified from the latex of Ficus microcarpa by acetonic (20-40 % saturation) precipitation, Sephadex G-75 filtration, and Mono Q-Sefinose FF chromatography. The protease was purified with a yield of 9.25 % and a purification factor of 8.

Healing efficiency of oligosaccharides generated from almond gum (Prunus amygdalus) on dermal wounds of adult rats.

Almond gum is a naturally occurring polymer produced by almond trees and shrubs. Its abundance, as well as its low cost production makes it a potential feedstock for use in food and pharmaceuticals. In this regard, almond gum oligosaccharides were enzymatically generated, purified and their monosaccharide composition assessed using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector.

Structural data and biological properties of almond gum oligosaccharide: application to beef meat preservation.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of almond gum generates low molecular weight oligosaccharides (OAG) with a yield of 33.5%. The generated oligosaccharides were purified and identified.

Purification and structural data of a highly substituted exopolysaccharide from Pseudomonas stutzeri AS22.

Pseudomonas stutzeri AS22, when grown on media containing starch and yeast extract and incubated at 30 °C and 200 rpm for 24h, was found to produce an acidic and high-molecular mass exopolysaccharide (EPS22). The EPS22 was purified and a yield of 1.3g/l was achieved.

Non-fragile H∞ output feedback control design for continuous-time fuzzy systems.

In this paper, we investigate the problem of non-fragile H∞ fuzzy control design for continuous Takagi Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems with uncertainties, external disturbance and unmeasurable state variables. For the case of controller and observer gain additive variations, we propose a new solution of the fragility problem by developing the non-fragile design schemes ensuring the asymptotic stability and H∞ performance for the resulting closed loop systems. By considering a fuzzy Lyapunov function and by introducing slack variables, we propose the new sufficient stabilization conditions formulated in LMI constraints which can be easily solved using the convex optimization tools.

Use of a fractional factorial design to study the effects of experimental factors on the chitin deacetylation.

Chitosan is obtained by deacetylation of chitin. Chitosan versatility is directly related to the polymer's characteristics depending on the deacetylation process. The aim of this research was to study the parameters influencing deacetylation and to elucidate their effect on acetylation degree (DA) and molecular weight (MW).

Chitin extraction from shrimp shell using enzymatic treatment. Antitumor, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of chitosan.

Chitin was recovered through enzymatic deproteinization of the shrimp processing by-products. Different microbial and fish viscera proteases were tested for their deproteinization efficiency. High levels of protein removal of about 77±3% and 78±2% were recorded using Bacillus mojavensis A21 and Balistes capriscus proteases, respectively, after 3h of hydrolysis at 45°C using an enzyme/substrate ratio of 20U/mg.

Influence of acetylation degree and molecular weight of homogeneous chitosans on antibacterial and antifungal activities.

The results given in the literature are conflicting when considering the relationship between antimicrobial activity and chitosan characteristics. To be able to clarify, we prepared fifteen homogeneous chitosans with different acetylation degrees (DA) and molecular weights (MW) by reacetylation of a fully deacetylated chitin under homogeneous conditions. They were tested at different pH values for their antimicrobial activities against four Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi), four Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis and Micrococcus luteus) and three fungi (Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria solani).

Water-soluble polysaccharides from agro-industrial by-products: functional and biological properties.

Water-soluble polysaccharides were isolated from almond (AWSP) and pistachio (PWSP) juice processing by-products. Their chemical and physical characteristics were determined using NMR and Infrared spectroscopic analysis. The complexities of the spectra reflected the heterogeneity of these polysaccharides.

Sintering and mechanical properties of the alumina-tricalcium phosphate-titania composites.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the content of titania and the sintering process on the transformation phase, the densification, the rupture strength and the microstructures of the alumina-10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate composites. After the sintering process, the samples were examined by using (31)P and (27)Al magic angle scanning nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis.

The influence of the extent of enzymatic hydrolysis on antioxidative properties and ACE-inhibitory activities of protein hydrolysates from goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus) muscle.

Antioxidant properties and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of protein hydrolysates from goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus) muscle, with different degrees of hydrolysis (DH) from 5 to 25%, prepared by treatment with crude proteases extract from smooth hound intestines, were investigated. Goby protein hydrolysates (GPHs) are rich in Gly and Thr, which accounted for 14.1-15% and 11.

Evaluation of efficacy of natural astaxanthin and vitamin E in prevention of colistin-induced nephrotoxicity in the rat model.

Objective: We evaluated the effect of astaxanthin (ASX) and vitamin E (vit E) on colistin methanesulfonate (CMS) induced-nephrotoxicity in rats.

Methods: Animals were treated with sterile saline, 300000 or 450 000 IU/kg/day of CMS, CMS + ASX (20 mg/kg), CMS + vit E (100 mg/kg), or CMS + 1 ml/kg olive oil (OO) for 7 days. The plasma/urine creatinine (Cr) level, urine γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) level, and renal tissue activities in malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reductase (GSH), as well as renal histology were performed.

Structural differences between chitin and chitosan extracted from three different marine sources.

Three marine sources of chitin from Tunisia were investigated. Structural differences between α-chitin from shrimp (Penaeus kerathurus) waste, crab (Carcinus mediterraneus) shells, and β-chitin from cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) bones were studied by the (13)C NMR, FTIR, and XRD diffractograms. The (13)C NMR analysis showed a splitting of the C3 and C5 carbon signals for α-chitin, while that of β-chitin was merged into a single resonance.

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of protein hydrolysates from zebra blenny (Salaria basilisca) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

The present study investigates the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of protein hydrolysates obtained from zebra blenny (Salaria basilisca) muscles treated with three different crude alkaline protease extracts in alloxan-induced diabetic rats (AIDR). Analysis of amino acid composition revealed that zebra blenny protein hydrolysates (ZBPHs) were valuable sources of essential amino acids and rich in leucine, which is one of the active ingredients for blood glucose control by inducing insulin release in both rats and humans. Treatment of AIDR with ZBPHs revealed a significant inhibition of α-amylase activity in serum and the intestine, as well as a reduction of blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in diabetic rats.

A new raw-starch-digesting α-amylase: production under solid-state fermentation on crude millet and biochemical characterization.

A new Bacillus strain degrading starch, named Bacillus sp. UEB-S, was isolated from a southern Tunisian area. Amylase production using solid-state fermentation on millet, an inexpensive and available agro-resource, was investigated.

Isolation and characterisation of carotenoproteins from deep-water pink shrimp processing waste.

The effect of barbel (Barbus callensis) trypsin on the recovery and characteristics of carotenoprotein from pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) waste was studied. The recovery of carotenoproteins was maximized by the hydrolysis of shrimp waste using 1.0 trypsin U/g of shrimp waste for 1h at 25°C.

Characterisation of trypsin purified from the viscera of Tunisian barbel (Barbus callensis) and its application for recovery of carotenoproteins from shrimp wastes.

Trypsin was purified from the viscera of barbel by precipitation using ammonium sulphate (0-80%), Sephadex G-100, and Mono Q-Sepharose ion exchange chromatography. The trypsin was purified 27-fold, with 79U/mg specific activity and 31% recovery. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 24kDa; purified trypsin appeared as a single band on native-PAGE.

Uranium isotopes in groundwater from the "Jeffara coastal aquifer" (southeastern Tunisia).

The distributions of (238)U and (234)U in groundwater from the "Jeffara aquifer" were studied by using alpha spectrometric methods. The concentration ranges of (238)U and (234)U/(238)U activity ratios were 1.34 +/- 0.

Effect of fluorapatite additive on densification and mechanical properties of tricalcium phosphate.

Tricalcium phosphate and synthesized fluorapatite powder were mixed in order to elaborate biphasic composites. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and by an analysis using (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance. The sintering of tricalcium phosphate with different percentages of fluorapatite (13.

"RecognizeCane" : The new concept of a cane which recognizes the most common objects and safety clues.

This paper introduces the new concept of an electronic cane for blind people. While some systems inform the subject only of the presence of the object and its relative distance, RecognizeCane is also able to recognize most common objects and environment clues to increase the safety and confidence of the navigation process. The originality of RecognizeCane is the use of simple sensors, such as infrared, brilliance or water sensors to inform the subject of the presence, for example, of a stairway, a water puddle, a zebra crossing or a trash can.