Bacterial Cellulose (BC) and BC Composites: Production and Properties

The synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC) by Komagataeibacter xylinus strain B-12068 was investigated on various C-substrates, under submerged conditions with stirring and in static surface cultures. We implemented the synthesis of BC on glycerol, glucose, beet molasses, sprat oil, and a mixture of glucose with sunflower oil. The most productive process was obtained during the production of inoculum in submerged culture and subsequent growth of large BC films (up to 0.2 m2 and more) in a static surface culture. The highest productivity of the BC synthesis process was obtained with the growth of bacteria on molasses and glycerol, 1.20 and 1.45 g/L per day, respectively. We obtained BC composites with silver nanoparticles (BC/AgNPs) and antibacterial drugs (chlorhexidine, baneocin, cefotaxime, and doripenem), and investigated the structure, physicochemical, and mechanical properties of composites. The disc-diffusion method showed pronounced antibacterial activity of BC composites against E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. aureus ATCC 25923.

Mold Chitosan production using Ficus microcarpa fruit

Aims: The main objective of this work was the valorization of Ficus microcarpa fruit, an inedible fruit with a high nutritional value in the production of chitosan by Aspergillus niger. Methods: A surface and submerged growth of Aspergillus niger were carried out using the Ficus microcarpa fruit syrup. 3 106 spores/ 50 ml were inoculated. Chitosan production was conducted at 37° C for 14 days using both surface and submerged fermentation modes. The growth of Aspergillus niger was followed by spore count on a Malassez cell. The evolution of pH and the consumption of total sugars in the mixture were monitored. Chitosan was extracted after degumming with NaOH 10N and centrifugation. Results: During the first days, the fungal growth was exponential with maximum growth rates of 10.06 g/L/day and 12.05g/L/day respectively for the surface and submerged cultures. The mycelial growth was largely linked to a high intake of sugars. The chitosan production in glucose syrup was significantly lower than the production using Ficus microcarpa syrup. This syrup allowed producing 41 g/L of chitosan for the surface culture and 37.2g/L for the submerged culture. Infrared analysis of chitosan powders showed similar spectra to those of commercial and shrimp chitosan. This first work is a contribution to a better valorization of a bioresource. Keywords: Aspergillus niger, culture, chitosan, Ficus microcarpa fruit, syrup.

Exploring the proper cultural content in Indonesian EFL textbooks viewed from intercultural perspectives

This research aimed to find out and to describe the cultural content of two Indonesian Senior High School EFL textbooks namely Buku Bahasa Inggris Kelas XII and Pathway to English 3 from the content of cultural information, the elements of surface and deep culture of Hall’s (1976) Iceberg theory and the dimension of intercultural communicative competence of Byram’s (1997). This study is a document analysis, and the writer used descriptive qualitative analysis. The data were collected by reviewing document and were analyzed based on the concept of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana (2014) which covered data condensation, data display, and drawing conclusion. The findings showed that the cultural information in both textbooks mostly presented by elements of surface culture. This research also showed that both textbooks had facilitated the three dimensions of intercultural communicative competence (knowledge, skill, and attitude), while the last dimension (critical cultural awareness) had not been achieved yet. In conclusion, the textbooks are still providing and facilitating the material in improving learners' language competency and cultural knowledge.

Surface culture of Steinernema sp. on two solid media and their pathogenicity against Galleria mellonella

The use of native entomopathogenic nematodes as biocontrol agents is a strategy to decrease the environmental impact of insecticides and achieve sustainable agriculture crops. In this study, the effect of the surface culture of Steinernema sp. JAP1 over two solid media at 23–27°C on infective juvenile (IJ) production and pathogenicity against Galleria mellonella larvae were investigated. First, the bacterial lawn on the surface of the media with egg yolk (P2) or chicken liver (Cl) were incubated in darkness at 30°C for 48 and 72 h, and 100 surface-sterilized IJs were added. Four harvests were conducted within the next 35 days and the mean accumulated production was superior on Cl (210 × 103 IJs) than on P2 (135 × 103 IJs), but the productivity decreased up to 10% when the incubation time of the bacterial lawn was of 72 h. The mean pathogenicity of in vitro- and in vivo-produced IJs were of 47–64% and 31%, respectively. It is worth noting that none of the two solid media had a statistically significant difference in IJ pathogenicity. Considering that the maximum multiplication factor of IJs on solid media was 2108 and that the pathogenicity against G. mellonella was outstanding, Steinernema sp. has a good potential for in vitro mass production.

How to Do Things with Surfaces: The Politics and Poetics of Victorian Surfaces

The opening chapter introduces and contextualizes the politics and poetics of Victorian surfaces. First, we delineate the increasing interests in both natural and constructed surfaces by taking a closer look at discourses that reflect a growing fascination with surfaces, including (pseudo-)medical treatises on physiognomy. Secondly, we focus on the politics of surface readings by scrutinizing the politics of various visual representations of Queen Victoria and the (self-)fashioning of the body politic at the centre of a growing surface culture. Third, we develop a conceptual framework for the analysis of the poetics of Victorian surfaces by analyzing the attention paid to (or withheld from) surfaces in Victorian literature and culture. By examining the role of surface reading in Victorian texts, we offer an overview of different surface cultures and debates surrounding the challenges attached to surfaces, explore how to do things with surfaces, and thereby outline what can be described as a ‘poetics of surface.’

CULTURAL CONTENT ANALYSIS ON GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ENGLISH LEARNING TEXTBOOKS

In today’s world, the English language is seen as the international language for its world-wide use in all aspects of life. The language thus becomes the medium in bridging communication gaps between countries by providing a common ground for communication. To cater to the need of human resources with intercultural communicative competence (ICC), the government in Indonesia has issued textbooks for English learning for middle school students. In Indonesian national curriculum, English language is first formally learned in middle school, where the students are at the age of shaping their own ideology and values, which could also come from learning. This study examines the English textbooks issued by the government by analyzing their cultural content. The cultural elements are examined and divided into three components using the framework from Yuen’s cultural elements, a modified version of Cortazzi and Jin’s cultural aspects by Tazeddin & Teimournezhad, and Gomez Rodriguez’s surface culture and deep culture. The results show that the cultural content is disproportionate, and it might lead to the failure of creating ICC learners as it dismisses other aspects and elements of culture that are important in nurturing ICC.

Novel Ergot Alkaloids Production from Penicillium citrinum Employing Response Surface Methodology Technique

Ergot alkaloids are novel pharmaceutical and therapeutic agents synthesized in this study using fungal species Penicillium citrinum. To get the maximum yield of ergot alkaloids a statistical process of response surface methodology was employed using surface culture fermentation technique. Initially, the strain of Penicillium was improved using physical (ultraviolet (UV) and chemical (ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) treatments to get the maximum yield of ergot alkaloids through surface culture fermentation technique. After improving the strain, survival rate of colonies of Penicillium citrinum treated with UV and EMS was observed. Only 2.04% living colonies were observed after 150 min of exposure of Penicillium citrinum in UV light and 3.2% living colonies were observed after 20 min of the exposure in EMS. The mutated strains of Penicillium citrinum were screened for their production of ergot alkaloids and after fermentation experiments, maximum yield was obtained from PCUV-4 and PCEMS-1 strains. After strain improvement, Plackett–Burman design (PBD) and Box–Behnken design (BBD) of RSM were employed and 10-fold yield enhancement (35.60 mg/100 mL) of ergot alkaloids was achieved. This enhancement in yield of ergot alkaloids proved the positive impacts of RSM and UV on the yield of ergot alkaloids. The study provides a cost effective, economical and sustainable process to produce medically important ergot alkaloids which can be used in various pharmaceutical formulations to treat human diseases.

A Descriptive Analysis of Cultural Content of “English for Iraq” Textbooks Used in the Intermediate Schools in Iraq

Despite the abundance of the literature addressing culture incorporation in English language teaching and learning, the study of the implicit, as well as the explicit, cultural representations in EFL textbooks’ linguistic content formulates an essential part with a consensus on its significant importance. Since 2012, a new EFL textbooks series written by foreign authors has been adopted in Iraq; this series does not seem to have gained a lot of quality research about the hidden curriculum, particularly related to its cultural content. This study investigates culture integration in the content of “English for Iraq” textbook series currently used in the intermediate schools in Iraq, aiming at detecting both any potential acculturation, and the kind of culture, (surface or deep) emphasized in the written texts and the visuals of the textbooks’ content. A qualitative research method is employed based on a descriptive content analysis. Findings show that the textbooks encompass sharp difference in the frequency occurrences of the cultural representations, resulting to the dominance of both the source (Iraqi local cultural) culture, and the two cultural dimensions, products and persons. This imbalanced representation drives the textbooks to be source-culture-based textbooks with least probability of acculturation, and be prevailed with surface culture materials focusing on items like Folks, Fairs, Festivals, and Food, which turn the textbooks to look like tourist’s guide books. The textbooks then follow a traditional approach for integrating culture in their content. A pedagogical implication of the study can be the necessity of re-considering culture corporation in these textb