scholarly journals Seaweed Polysaccharide Based Products and Materials: An Assessment on Their Production from a Sustainability Point of View

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2608
Author(s):  
Nishith A. Chudasama ◽  
Rosy Alphons Sequeira ◽  
Kinjal Moradiya ◽  
Kamalesh Prasad

Among the various natural polymers, polysaccharides are one of the oldest biopolymers present on the Earth. They play a very crucial role in the survival of both animals and plants. Due to the presence of hydroxyl functional groups in most of the polysaccharides, it is easy to prepare their chemical derivatives. Several polysaccharide derivatives are widely used in a number of industrial applications. The polysaccharides such as cellulose, starch, chitosan, etc., have several applications but due to some distinguished characteristic properties, seaweed polysaccharides are preferred in a number of applications. This review covers published literature on the seaweed polysaccharides, their origin, and extraction from seaweeds, application, and chemical modification. Derivatization of the polysaccharides to impart new functionalities by chemical modification such as esterification, amidation, amination, C-N bond formation, sulphation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and graft copolymerization is discussed. The suitability of extraction of seaweed polysaccharides such as agar, carrageenan, and alginate using ionic solvent systems from a sustainability point of view and future prospects for efficient extraction and functionalization of seaweed polysaccharides is also included in this review article.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 400-410
Author(s):  
Valentina De Luca ◽  
Luigi Mandrich

: Enzymes are among the most studied biological molecules because better understanding enzymes structure and activity will shed more light on their biological processes and regulation; from a biotechnological point of view there are many examples of enzymes used with the aim to obtain new products and/or to make industrial processes less invasive towards the environment. Enzymes are known for their high specificity in the recognition of a substrate but considering the particular features of an increasing number of enzymes this is not completely true, in fact, many enzymes are active on different substrates: this ability is called enzyme promiscuity. Usually, promiscuous activities have significantly lower kinetic parameters than to that of primary activity, but they have a crucial role in gene evolution. It is accepted that gene duplication followed by sequence divergence is considered a key evolutionary mechanism to generate new enzyme functions. In this way, promiscuous activities are the starting point to increase a secondary activity in the main activity and then get a new enzyme. The primary activity can be lost or reduced to a promiscuous activity. In this review we describe the differences between substrate and enzyme promiscuity, and its rule in gene evolution. From a practical point of view the knowledge of promiscuity can facilitate the in vitro progress of proteins engineering, both for biomedical and industrial applications. In particular, we report cases regarding esterases, phosphotriesterases and cytochrome P450.


Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wonhee Kim ◽  
Sangmin Suh

For several decades, disturbance observers (DOs) have been widely utilized to enhance tracking performance by reducing external disturbances in different industrial applications. However, although a DO is a verified control structure, a conventional DO does not guarantee stability. This paper proposes a stability-guaranteed design method, while maintaining the DO structure. The proposed design method uses a linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based H∞ control because the LMI-based control guarantees the stability of closed loop systems. However, applying the DO design to the LMI framework is not trivial because there are two control targets, whereas the standard LMI stabilizes a single control target. In this study, the problem is first resolved by building a single fictitious model because the two models are serial and can be considered as a single model from the Q-filter point of view. Using the proposed design framework, all-stabilizing Q filters are calculated. In addition, for the stability and robustness of the DO, two metrics are proposed to quantify the stability and robustness and combined into a single unified index to satisfy both metrics. Based on an application example, it is verified that the proposed method is effective, with a performance improvement of 10.8%.


2013 ◽  
Vol 332 ◽  
pp. 297-304
Author(s):  
Liviu Ciupitu

The noncircular gears are used more and more in industrial applications. The paper presents an educational test rig for the kinematic study of non-circular gears. Two gears are studied from kinematic theoretically point of view: a gear with identically oval spur gears and another gear with identically elliptical spur gears, and simulation diagrams are presented. As for the testing rig, a gear with identically oval spur gears has been used. The researchers are able to draw with high precision the variation curve of output angle with respect to input angle. By using numerical methods for integration and differentiation other diagrams could be drawn and a comparation with simulation diagrams could be made.


2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. C01049
Author(s):  
G. Costa ◽  
M.P. Anania ◽  
A. Biagioni ◽  
F.G. Bisesto ◽  
M. Del Franco ◽  
...  

Abstract Plasma-based technology promises a tremendous reduction in size of accelerators used for research, medical, and industrial applications, making it possible to develop tabletop machines accessible for a broader scientific community. The use of high-power laser pulses on gaseous targets is a promising method for the generation of accelerated electron beams at energies on the GeV scale, in extremely small sizes, typically millimetres. The gaseous target in question can be a collimated supersonic gasjet from a nozzle. In this work, a technique for optimising the so generated plasma channel is presented. In detail, a study on the influence of the nozzle throat shape in relation to the uniformity and density of the generated plasma profile is reported. These considerations are discussed first of all from a theoretical point of view, by means of a stationary one-dimensional mathematical model of the neutral gas, thus exploiting the possibility of comparing the properties of the output flow for different nozzle geometries. This is combined with an experimental approach using interferometric longitudinal density measurements of the plasma channel. The latter is generated by a high-power laser pulse focused on a helium gasjet, in the SPARC_LAB laboratories.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo De Santis ◽  
Gianfranco Cianchini ◽  
Rita Di Giovambattista ◽  
Cristoforo Abbattista ◽  
Lucilla Alfonsi ◽  
...  

Abstract. Geosystemics (De Santis 2009, 2014) studies the Earth system as a whole focusing on the possible coupling among the Earth layers (the so called geo-layers), and using universal tools to integrate different methods that can be applied to multi-parameter data, often taken on different platforms. Its main objective is to understand the particular phenomenon of interest from a holistic point of view. In this paper we will deal with earthquakes, considered as a long term chain of processes involving, not only the interaction between different components of the Earth’s interior, but also the coupling of the solid earth with the above neutral and ionized atmosphere, and finally culminating with the main rupture along the fault of concern (De Santis et al., 2015a). Some case studies (particular emphasis is given to recent central Italy earthquakes) will be discussed in the frame of the geosystemic approach for better understanding the physics of the underlying complex dynamical system.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Viera ◽  
Antonio Pérez-Gálvez ◽  
María Roca

The benefit of carotenoids to human health is undeniable and consequently, their use for this purpose is growing rapidly. Additionally, the nutraceutical properties of carotenoids have attracted attention of the food industry, especially in a new market area, the ‘cosmeceuticals.’ Marine organisms (microalgae, seaweeds, animals, etc.) are a rich source of carotenoids, with optimal properties for industrial production and biotechnological manipulation. Consequently, several papers have reviewed the analysis, characterization, extraction and determination methods, biological functions and industrial applications. But, now, the bioaccessibility and bioactivity of marine carotenoids has not been focused of any review, although important achievements have been published. The specific and diverse characteristic of the marine matrix determines the bioavailability of carotenoids, some of them unique in the nature. Considering the importance of the bioavailability not just from the health and nutritional point of view but also to the food and pharmaceutical industry, we consider that the present review responds to an actual demand.


2011 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
R.W. Home

In setting up the Flagstaff Observatory in Melbourne in 1857, the young German geophysicist Georg Neumayer brought new standards of precision to the pursuit of physics in Australia. His wide-ranging research program in geomagnetism, meteorology and oceanography was conceived within an overall approach to science associated especially with the name of Alexander von Humboldt, that saw the Earth and its oceans and atmosphere as an integrated dynamical system. Neumayer also, however, envisaged immediate practical outcomes from his work, whether in determining optimal sailing routes between Europe and Australia, or in locating new mineral deposits. From a personal point of view he regarded his seven years in Australia as, above all, a preparation for the scientific investigation of Antarctica that he dreamed in vain of undertaking.


1996 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Michaels ◽  
Paul C. Knappenberger

Climate data support the “moderate” prediction of climate change (l-1.5°C) rather than the more extreme scenario (4°C or more). The moderate point of view was originally marginalized in the IPCC “consensus” process in both the 1990 First Assessment on Climate Change and in the 1992 Update prepared specifically for the Earth Summit and to provide backing for the Rio Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is now accepted, based on ground-based data, that the errors in those models are currently between 160% and 360%. If one compares them to the satellite data combined with the land record, the error rises to a maximum of 720%. In some recognition of this massive error, the 1995 IPCC “consensus” is that warming has been mitigated by sulfate aerosols. However, when that hypothesis is specifically tested, it fails. Further, data required to test the validity of the sulfate enhanced greenhouse models was withheld by the IPCC. despite repeated requests.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Leonardo Golubovic ◽  
Steven Knudsen

The discovery of ultra-strong materials such as carbon nanotubes and diamond nano-thread structures has recently motivated an enhanced interest for the physics of Space Elevators connecting the Earth with outer space. A new concept has recently emerged in space elevator physics: Rotating Space Elevators (RSE) [Golubović, L. & Knudsen, S. (2009). Classical and statistical mechanics of celestial scale spinning strings: Rotating space elevators. Europhysics Letters 86(3), 34001.]. Objects sliding along rotating RSE string (sliding climbers) do not require internal engines or propulsion to be transported from the Earth's surface into outer space. Here we address the physics of a special RSE family, Uniform Stress Rotating Space Elevators (USRSE), characterized by constant tensile stress along the string. From the point of view of materials science, this condition provides the best control of string’s global integrity. We introduce an advanced analytic approach to obtain the dynamic equilibrium configurations of USRSE strings. We use our results to discuss the applications of USRSE for spacecraft launching.


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