Arginine dihydrolase pathway in Lactobacillus plantarum from orange.

Lactobacillus plantarum N8 and N4 strains isolated from orange degraded L-arginine to citrulline, ornithine and ammonia. Citrulline and ornithine were consumed. Lactobacillus plantarum N4 utilized arginine and ornithine to a higher extent than Lactobacillus plantarum N8. Urea was not detected during arginine degradation, indicating that the amino acid degradation was carried out only by the arginine dihydrolase pathway. Citrulline increased the growth of the two strains, arginine only increased the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum N4. Ornithine did not modify the growth of the strains studied. With different behavior, Lactobacillus plantarum N8 and N4 strains were able to derive energy and ammonia from arginine or citrulline catabolism. This is interesting for microorganisms developing in a stressful environment.     

Photodegradation of phenol red in the presence of oxyhydroxide of Fe(III) (Goethite) under artificial and a natural light

The (α‐FeOOH) Goethite composite is a stable and an efficient catalyst in aqueous suspension under irradiation at 365 nm and by solar light. The photocatalytic activities of this composite were evaluated using Phenol Red (PR) dye (phenolsulfonphthalein class). In the dark, controlling factors, such as the pH and the adsorption of PR on Goethite surface were evaluated (before starting the photochemical experiments). It was found that the system PR‐Goethite present a small decrease in the main band of the dye (435 nm) which was explained by the low rate of adsorption of this dye on the Goethite. Also, we note that 40% of PR decolourisation was obtained after 200 min by the system PR‐Goethite‐hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in dark due to the formation of ^?OH by thermal decomposition of H₂O₂ on the surface of Goethite. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as initial dye concentration, pH, photocatalyst amount, tert‐Butyl alcohol effect and H₂O₂ addition were investigated in the study of photodegradation of the dye. The results showed that the photodegradation of PR under UV‐A (365 nm) irradiation could be enhanced greatly in the presence of H₂O₂. Natural radiation tests (under sunlight) showed that degradation was faster comparing with that obtained using the artificial one at 365 nm. Studies of the mineralization using total organic carbon method under naturel light certify that this method, compatible with the environment, may be considered in the treatment of wastewater and generally in the process of removal of this kind of pollutant.     

Protease activity of Oenococcus oeni viable cells on red wine nitrogenous macromolecular fraction in presence of SO2 and ethanol

The protease activity of Oenococcus oeni X₂L viable cells on red wine nitrogenous macromolecular fraction (NMF) as sole nitrogen source was determined. The enzyme releases growth factors for Oenococcus oeni. In presence of SO₂ and ethanol the rate of amino acids liberation was twofold higher. A peptide peak analyzed by HPLC with a retention time of 47 min diminishes markedly during the first 2 h incubation. O. oeni X₂L living cells are able to produce the exoprotease and to act on the red wine NMF in the presence of SO₂ and ethanol releasing essential amino acids for its survival.     

Prospects for improving the environmental and performance properties of motor fuels

The possibility of reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases by using alternative types of motor fuel is examined. Diisopropyl ether (DIPE) is proposed as a promising high-octane additive. The properties of C₅-C₆ ethers are compared and the advantages of DIPE are noted: the broader feedstock base and replacement of methanol with water. The possibility of synthesizing DIPE from propylene and water on a new active catalyst with a yield of up to 90% in propylene is demonstrated. The use of DIPE as a promising replacement for MTBE is substantiated. Translated from Khimiya i Tekhnologiya Topliv i Masel, No. 5, pp. 52–56, September–October, 2008.     

Pediocin N5p from Pediococcus pentosaceus: adsorption on bacterial strains

Oxyphilic cell (Hürthle cell) carcinomas of the thyroid gland, variant of follicular carcinoma, are more malignant than follicular non oxyphilic cell carcinomas with a similar size and degree of invasiveness. Gross features, microscopic features of oxyphilic, clear and bicolored cells carcinomas and diagnostic techniques are related with a differential diagnosis with papillary oxyphilic cell carcinoma.     

Trace element level in infant hair and diet, and in the local environment of the Moroccan city of Marrakech

A sample of 573 infants (aged 0 to 12 months) from the Moroccan city of Marrakech was studied in order to determine the level of Pb and Al contaminations. Mean values of Pb and Al in children's hair were 6.6 and 9.5 microg/l, respectively. Age, gender, and parents' occupation influenced significantly Pb content but not Al content. Larger mean values were measured for Al compared with Pb. This finding can be explained by a higher level of Al available in both the infant diet (complementary feeding) and the local environmental factors (soil and drinking water). During weaning, beverages like tea, widely used in Morocco, represent an important source of Pb and Al contamination. Al content in drinking water is above the international standard.     

Accurate indoor localization based on crowd sensing

Indoor localization is an important primitive that can enable many ubiquitous computing applications. This paper improves the scheme of landmark and inertial navigation through crowd sensing. The location of landmark can calibrate the position of users, and accurate localization can optimize the landmark's location in turn. In this work, we define landmarks as certain characteristic structures with iBeacons. To tackle the challenge of low efficiency of a landmark, we combine Bluetooth signals and sensor readings to reflect the distinctive signature of a landmark and then design a method for a reliable detection of a landmark. Moreover, we investigate the calibration bias of a landmark to ensure the calibration accuracy. For improving the accuracy of inertial navigation, we personalize the step length model and correct the user's heading with the aid of crowd sensing. We have built an indoor localization system integrating the above modules and an indoor floor map, which can be further improved with more users using our system. We demonstrate for the first time a meter‐level indoor localization system that is self‐improving, user adaptive, and easy to deploy. Extensive experiments on users with mobile devices, with over 37 subjects walking over an aggregate distance of over 30 km, were carried out. Evaluation results show that our system can achieve a mean accuracy of 2 m initially and 1 m with the calibration of landmarks in a 39 m  ×  21 m testing area. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison study on node clustering techniques used in target tracking WSNs for efficient data aggregation

Wireless sensor applications are susceptible to energy constraints. Most of the energy is consumed in communication between wireless nodes. Clustering and data aggregation are the two widely used strategies for reducing energy usage and increasing the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. In target tracking applications, large amount of redundant data is produced regularly. Hence, deployment of effective data aggregation schemes is vital to eliminate data redundancy. This work aims to conduct a comparative study of various research approaches that employ clustering techniques for efficiently aggregating data in target tracking applications as selection of an appropriate clustering algorithm may reflect positive results in the data aggregation process. In this paper, we have highlighted the gains of the existing schemes for node clustering‐based data aggregation along with a detailed discussion on their advantages and issues that may degrade the performance. Also, the boundary issues in each type of clustering technique have been analyzed. Simulation results reveal that the efficacy and validity of these clustering‐based data aggregation algorithms are limited to specific sensing situations only, while failing to exhibit adaptive behavior in various other environmental conditions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arginine, citrulline and ornithine metabolism by lactic acid bacteria from wine

The catabolism of arginine, an amino acid found in grape juice and wine, citrulline and ornithine was investigated in four lactic acid bacteria. Only Lactobacillus hilgardii X1B catabolized arginine and excreted citrulline into the medium. The recovery of arginine as ornithine was lower than the expected theoretical value. The arginase-urease pathway was not detected indicating that the amino acid degradation was carried out only by the arginine dihydrolase pathway. Oenococcus oeni m, a strain not able to utilize arginine, degraded citrulline that was completely recovered as ornithine, ammonia and CO2. Lactobacillus hilgardii X1B catabolized citrulline but it was only 44% recovered as ornithine. The citrulline utilization by Oenococcus oeni m may be important for two reasons: it can gain extra energy for growth from citrulline metabolism, and the amino-acid diminution could avoid the possibility of ethyl carbamate formation from the citrulline naturally present in wine.