Growth Performance, Biochemical Composition and Nutrient Recovery Ability of Twelve Microalgae Consortia Isolated from Various Local Organic Wastes Grown on Nano-Filtered Pig Slurry

This paper demonstrated the growth ability of twelve algae-microbial consortia (AC) isolated from organic wastes when a pig slurry-derived wastewater (NFP) was used as growth substrate in autotrophic cultivation. Nutrient recovery, biochemical composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles of algae consortia were evaluated and compared. Three algae-microbial consortia, i.e., a Chlorella-dominated consortium (AC_1), a Tetradesmus and Synechocystis co-dominated consortium (AC_10), and a Chlorella and Tetradesmus co-dominated consortium (AC_12) were found to have the best growth rates (µ of 0.55 ± 0.04, 0.52 ± 0.06, and 0.58 ± 0.03 d−1, respectively), which made them good candidates for further applications. The ACs showed high carbohydrates and lipid contents but low contents of both proteins and essential amino acids, probably because of the low N concentration of NFP. AC_1 and AC_12 showed optimal ω6:ω3 ratios of 3.1 and 3.6, which make them interesting from a nutritional point of view.

The Effect of Incubation Temperature, Substrate and Initial pH Value on Plantaricin Activity and the Relative Transcription of pln Genes of Six Sourdough Derived Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of sourdough related parameters on the growth and plantaricin activity of six Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains against a mixture of 5 Listeria monocytogenes strains and to analyze the transcriptomic response of their pln genes. Parameters included 3 substrates (MRS broth, mMRS broth, WFE), 3 temperatures (20, 30, 37 °C), 2 initial pH values (5.0, 6.0), 2 NaCl concentrations (0.0, 1.8%) and 12 time points (ranging from 0 to 33 h). The transcriptomic response of the plantaricin genes to the aforementioned parameters was assessed after 21 h of growth. In general, plantaricin activity was strain dependent with that of Lp. plantarum strains LQC 2422, 2441, 2485 and 2516, harboring four pln genes, namely, pln423 (plαΑ), plαΒ, plαC and plαD, reaching 2560 AU/mL. However, strains LQC 2320 and 2520, in which 18 pln genes were detected, namely, plNC8a, plNC8b, plNC8c, plnL, plnR, plnJ, plnK, plnE, plnF, plnH, plnS, plnY, plNC8-IF, plNC8-HK, plnD, plnI, plnM and plnG, exhibited plantaricin activity barely reaching 160 AU/mL. Substrate, temperature, initial pH value and strains significantly affected plantaricin activity, while NaCl had only a marginal effect. Similarly, growth substrate and temperature had a more pronounced effect than initial pH value on gene transcription. A strong correlation between the transcription of the genes belonging to the same locus was observed; however, only a weak correlation, if any, was observed between plantaricin activity and the transcription of the genes assessed.

Study of nonlinear optical phenomena in silicon nanowires

This work studies generation of second and third harmonics in arrays of vertically oriented silicon nanowires (SiNWs) encapsulated into a silicone membrane and separated from the growth substrate. The structures were produced by plasma-chemical etching of silicon substrate resulting in a formation of homogeneous arrays of SiNWs. Such SiNW-based membranes demonstrated efficient infrared-to-visible light conversion by generation of second and third harmonic signals visible by a naked eye. This study contributes to the development of technology of optical devices based on silicon and presents a new route for visualization of infrared radiation.

Graphene Transfer: A Physical Perspective

Graphene, synthesized either epitaxially on silicon carbide or via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a transition metal, is gathering an increasing amount of interest from industrial and commercial ventures due to its remarkable electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties, as well as the ease with which it can be incorporated into devices. To exploit these superlative properties, it is generally necessary to transfer graphene from its conductive growth substrate to a more appropriate target substrate. In this review, we analyze the literature describing graphene transfer methods developed over the last decade. We present a simple physical model of the adhesion of graphene to its substrate, and we use this model to organize the various graphene transfer techniques by how they tackle the problem of modulating the adhesion energy between graphene and its substrate. We consider the challenges inherent in both delamination of graphene from its original substrate as well as relamination of graphene onto its target substrate, and we show how our simple model can rationalize various transfer strategies to mitigate these challenges and overcome the introduction of impurities and defects into the graphene. Our analysis of graphene transfer strategies concludes with a suggestion of possible future directions for the field.

Red GaPAs/GaP Nanowire-Based Flexible Light-Emitting Diodes

We demonstrate flexible red light-emitting diodes based on axial GaPAs/GaP heterostructured nanowires embedded in polydimethylsiloxane membranes with transparent electrodes involving single-walled carbon nanotubes. The GaPAs/GaP axial nanowire arrays were grown by molecular beam epitaxy, encapsulated into a polydimethylsiloxane film, and then released from the growth substrate. The fabricated free-standing membrane of light-emitting diodes with contacts of single-walled carbon nanotube films has the main electroluminescence line at 670 nm. Membrane-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were compared with GaPAs/GaP NW array LED devices processed directly on Si growth substrate revealing similar electroluminescence properties. Demonstrated membrane-based red LEDs are opening an avenue for flexible full color inorganic devices.

Axonal growth on surfaces with periodic geometrical patterns

The formation of neuron networks is a complex phenomenon of fundamental importance for understanding the development of the nervous system, and for creating novel bioinspired materials for tissue engineering and neuronal repair. The basic process underlying the network formation is axonal growth, a process involving the extension of axons from the cell body towards target neurons. Axonal growth is guided by environmental stimuli that include intercellular interactions, biochemical cues, and the mechanical and geometrical features of the growth substrate. The dynamics of the growing axon and its biomechanical interactions with the growing substrate remains poorly understood. In this paper, we develop a model of axonal motility which incorporates mechanical interactions between the axon and the growth substrate. We combine experimental data with theoretical analysis to measure the parameters that describe axonal growth on surfaces with micropatterned periodic geometrical features: diffusion (cell motility) coefficients, speed and angular distributions, and axon bending rigidities. Experiments performed on neurons treated Taxol (inhibitor of microtubule dynamics) and Blebbistatin (disruptor of actin filaments) show that the dynamics of the cytoskeleton plays a critical role in the axon steering mechanism. Our results demonstrate that axons follow geometrical patterns through a contact-guidance mechanism, in which high-curvature geometrical features impart high traction forces to the growth cone. These results have important implications for our fundamental understanding of axonal growth as well as for bioengineering novel substrates that promote neuronal growth and nerve repair.

GaAs Nanomembranes in the High Electron Mobility Transistor Technology

A 100 nm MOCVD-grown HEMT AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructure nanomembrane was released from the growth GaAs substrate by ELO using a 300 nm AlAs layer and transferred to sapphire. The heterostructure contained a strained 10 nm 2DEG In0.23Ga0.77As channel with a sheet electron concentration of 3.4 × 1012 cm−2 and Hall mobility of 4590 cm2V−1s−1, which was grown close to the center of the heterostructure to suppress a significant bowing of the nanomembrane both during and after separation from the growth substrate. The as-grown heterostructure and transferred nanomembranes were characterized by HRXRD, PL, SEM, and transport measurements using HEMTs. The InGaAs and AlAs layers were laterally strained: ~−1.5% and ~−0.15%. The HRXRD analysis showed the as-grown heterostructure had very good quality and smooth interfaces, and the nanomembrane had its crystalline structure and quality preserved. The PL measurement showed the nanomembrane peak was shifted by 19 meV towards higher energies with respect to that of the as-grown heterostructure. The HEMTs on the nanomembrane exhibited no degradation of the output characteristics, and the input two-terminal measurement confirmed a slightly decreased leakage current.

Verrucomicrobial methanotrophs grow on diverse C3 compounds and use a homolog of particulate methane monooxygenase to oxidize acetone

Short-chain alkanes (SCA; C2-C4) emitted from geological sources contribute to photochemical pollution and ozone production in the atmosphere. Microorganisms that oxidize SCA and thereby mitigate their release from geothermal environments have rarely been studied. In this study, propane-oxidizing cultures could not be grown from acidic geothermal samples by enrichment on propane alone, but instead required methane addition, indicating that propane was co-oxidized by methanotrophs. “Methylacidiphilum” isolates from these enrichments did not grow on propane as a sole energy source but unexpectedly did grow on C3 compounds such as 2-propanol, acetone, and acetol. A gene cluster encoding the pathway of 2-propanol oxidation to pyruvate via acetol was upregulated during growth on 2-propanol. Surprisingly, this cluster included one of three genomic operons (pmoCAB3) encoding particulate methane monooxygenase (PMO), and several physiological tests indicated that the encoded PMO3 enzyme mediates the oxidation of acetone to acetol. Acetone-grown resting cells oxidized acetone and butanone but not methane or propane, implicating a strict substrate specificity of PMO3 to ketones instead of alkanes. Another PMO-encoding operon, pmoCAB2, was induced only in methane-grown cells, and the encoded PMO2 could be responsible for co-metabolic oxidation of propane to 2-propanol. In nature, propane probably serves primarily as a supplemental growth substrate for these bacteria when growing on methane.

Investigation of a new effective bacterium for cellulosic degradation

Clostridium phytofermentans, a newly isolated mesophilic anaerobic bacterium from forest soil, has received considerable attention for its potential application in producing ethanol directly from cellulose. This microorganism produces ethanol, acetate, CO₂ and H₂ as major metabolites from cellulose. Potential applications of this research include the transformation of waste materials into valuable products, such as fuels and organic acids. As an initial part of a multi-staged project, this study is to focus on the characerization of this microorganism growth and to verify the bacterium kinetics, including biomass growth, substrate utilization, and gas production. A series of batch fermentation experiments using cellulose substrate (GS-2C) was performed under the incubation temperature of 37°C. To investigate the effects of pH and substrate concentration (S₀) on growth, 12 trial experiments were conducted with various controlled pH values (7.0 to 8.5) and with various initial cellulose concentration settings (0.1 to 6.0 g/L). Our experimental results showed that the optimal growth condition for C. phytofermentans in batch culture was at pH = 8.4 amd S₀ = 6.0 g/L. Under such condition, the maximum growth rate of 0.37h⁻¹ was observed. Comparing results with other celluloytic clostridium studies, relatively high biomass growth rate using C. phytofermentans is confirmed by our experiments. Mathematical models, using a combination modelling approach with the logistic equation. Monod model, and Luedeking-Piret model, were developed for biomass growth, substrate degradation, and biogas production, respectively, base on our experiment results. This study demonstrated the determination of the four parameters (µmax, Ks, Y, and Smin), which can describe satisfactorily growth or degradation phenomena, using the proposed integration modelling approach. The experiments conducted under wide range conditions, such as changing pH and S₀, not only provide insight into growth kinetics but also provide an opportunity to evaluate the performance of the mathematical models and understand their limitations. This leads to look for improvement or modification to the models. It is foreseen that the findings in this study will enhance the overall understanding of the kinetics of growth and substrate utilization and product formation of this bacterium, and provide important information on the design of the bench-scale anaerobic bioreactor for future studies.

Investigation of a new effective bacterium for cellulosic degradation

Clostridium phytofermentans, a newly isolated mesophilic anaerobic bacterium from forest soil, has received considerable attention for its potential application in producing ethanol directly from cellulose. This microorganism produces ethanol, acetate, CO₂ and H₂ as major metabolites from cellulose. Potential applications of this research include the transformation of waste materials into valuable products, such as fuels and organic acids. As an initial part of a multi-staged project, this study is to focus on the characerization of this microorganism growth and to verify the bacterium kinetics, including biomass growth, substrate utilization, and gas production. A series of batch fermentation experiments using cellulose substrate (GS-2C) was performed under the incubation temperature of 37°C. To investigate the effects of pH and substrate concentration (S₀) on growth, 12 trial experiments were conducted with various controlled pH values (7.0 to 8.5) and with various initial cellulose concentration settings (0.1 to 6.0 g/L). Our experimental results showed that the optimal growth condition for C. phytofermentans in batch culture was at pH = 8.4 amd S₀ = 6.0 g/L. Under such condition, the maximum growth rate of 0.37h⁻¹ was observed. Comparing results with other celluloytic clostridium studies, relatively high biomass growth rate using C. phytofermentans is confirmed by our experiments. Mathematical models, using a combination modelling approach with the logistic equation. Monod model, and Luedeking-Piret model, were developed for biomass growth, substrate degradation, and biogas production, respectively, base on our experiment results. This study demonstrated the determination of the four parameters (µmax, Ks, Y, and Smin), which can describe satisfactorily growth or degradation phenomena, using the proposed integration modelling approach. The experiments conducted under wide range conditions, such as changing pH and S₀, not only provide insight into growth kinetics but also provide an opportunity to evaluate the performance of the mathematical models and understand their limitations. This leads to look for improvement or modification to the models. It is foreseen that the findings in this study will enhance the overall understanding of the kinetics of growth and substrate utilization and product formation of this bacterium, and provide important information on the design of the bench-scale anaerobic bioreactor for future studies.