Hydrolytic and Antimicrobial Activities of Bacteria Isolated from Fermented Peppers Sold in Markets at Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Microorganisms are omnipresent in all environments and play mainly the role of transformers, thanks to the multiple enzymes they are able to produce. In order to valorize fermented foods in the Republic of the Congo, this work aimed to characterize and study some properties of microorganisms isolated from samples of peppers sold in three markets of Brazzaville. A numeration of the total aerobic mesophilic flora (TAMF) was made in a solid medium, allowing the evaluation of each sample’s microbial concentration. The microbial mass varied from 2.8 × 105 CFU/g for the Ouénzé sample to 1.8 × 104 CFU/g for the Total sample and 2 × 104 CFU/g for the Moungali market sample. The evaluation of the enzymatic properties of the Bacillus isolates showed that 68.42% were capable of producing cellulases and 78.94% were capable of producing amylases and proteases. Antimicrobial activities revealed that 63.15% of the isolates were able to secrete inhibitory substances against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Molecular analysis by PCR amplification, sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and BLAST bioinformatics analysis provides newly identified bacteria strains with new accession numbers in GenBank: Bacillus thuringiensis MBCBR322 (OP474008), Bacillus megaterium MBCBJ1822 (OP476493), Bacillus thuringiensis MBCBR222 (OP476494), Priestia megaterium MBCBJ2022 (OP476495) and Lactobacillus paraplantarum MBCBR1522 (OP476496). Multiple sequences alignment of identified sequences with their homologs of GenBank has shown high similarities. The phylogenetic inference assay has provided the two groups of strains observed in this study, and the two groups are very coherent with the phylogeny of the reference.

Eco-friendly biodegradable polyurethane based coating for antibacterial and antifouling performance

Biofouling, which comprises the absorption of proteins and the adhesion of bacteria to the surface of living entities, is a severe concern for the maritime sector since it ultimately leads to hydrodynamic drag,resulting in a higher increase in fuel consumption. As a result, polymer resins are crucial in the marine sector for anti-biofouling coatings. In this work, the poly(caprolactone-ethylene glycol-caprolactone)-p olyurethane(PECL-PU) are prepared through ε-caprolactone(CL), poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG), 4,4'-methylene bis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) and 1,4 butanediol. Our study demonstrate that the PECL-PU copolymer degraded in artificial seawater(5.21%), enzymatic solution(12.63%), and seawater(13.75%)due to the presence of PEG segments in the laboratory-based test under static condition. Because the addition of PEG segments are increased the polymer's amorphous area and decreased the crystallization of the polycaprolactone(PCL) in the copolymer, as demonstrated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and water contact angle studies. Therefore, the hydrolysis rates of PECL-PU were higher than the caprolactone-co-polyurethane(CL-PU). The antifouling test showed that PECL-PU3 copolymer had about 90.29% protein resistance, 85.2% Escherichia coli(E. coli) reduction and 94.61% marine diatom Navicula incerta reduction comparison to the control. We have developed an eco-friendly and inexpensive promising degradable polyurethane for reduction of bacterial biofilm, which can preserve the formation of biofouling on marine coating under practical sea conditions.

Insight into Hydrolytic Stability and Tribological Properties of B-N Coordination Tung Oil-Based Lubricant Additive in Water

A tung oil-based boron-nitrogen coordination polymer(TWE-BN)was specially designed and synthesized as a highly efficient water-based lubricant additive,which has been beneficial to both energy conservation and conducive to environmental protection.Its hydrolysis stability and tribological properties in water were investigated.To better research the lubricating properties,and thus to understand the interaction between the surface and the lubricating additives.Herein,both experimental and theoretical computations based on density functional theory(DFT)were performed.The addition of TWE-BN reduces the water friction coefficient and wear scar diameter,and the maximum non-seizure load increased from 93 to 726 N.Moreover,the anti-corrosion ability on copper was classified as 1b level.The stainless-steel surface was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).In hydrolytic stability testing,TWE-BN was better than nitrogen-free tung oil-based lubricant additive(TWE-B)and remained non-hydrolyzed for at least 15 days,implying the feasibility of tung oil-based boron-nitrogen coordination as highly effective and hydrolytic stability lubricant additives.

Effects of Lanthanum on Hydrolytic Enzyme Activities in Red Soil

The effects of La on some hydrolytic enzyme activities in red soil were studied in incubation and pot culture experiments. In the incubation experiment, La slightly stimulates the activities of urease and acidic phosphatase in soil and strongly stimulates sucrase activity in soil. In the pot culture experiment, La stimulates the activities of urease, acidic phosphatase and sucrase to different degrees. The stimulative effects of rare earth elements (REE) on hydrolytic enzyme activities in soil may result in increasing yield of crops.

THE EFFECT OF THE ACID CATALYST ON THE PREPARATION OF MQ SILICONE RESINS

MQ silicone resins were prepared through hydrolytic condensation of ethyl polysilicate or tetraethoxysilane and hexamethyl disiloxane. The unit ratio of the MQ resins was determined by Si-29-NMR. The relationship of the unit ratio of the product resins with that in the feed was studied. When the reaction was catalyzed by aqueous hydrochloric acid, and the unit ratio of M to Q in the feed was more than 1, the unit ratio of the product was usually lower than that of the feed. The MQ silicon with an unit ratio of M/Q > 2 could not be obtained. However, if the reaction was catalyzed by concentrated sulfuric acid and the reverse hydrolysis process was employed, MQ silicone resin with very high M/Q ratio was successfully prepared.

Evaluating effective Trichoderma isolates for biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani causing root rot of Vigna unguiculata

The highly diverse genus Trichoderma has provided many formulations that are alternatives to the chemical pesticides in agriculture.The present study was undertaken to investigate the biocontrol potential of eight Trichoderma species,T.atrobrunneum,T.guizhouense,T.paratroviride,T.pyramidale,T.rufobrunneum,T.simmonsii,T.thermophilum and T.viridulum,against the phytopathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani.Trichoderma isolates were first evaluated in vitro by dual culture tests for their antagonism,mycoparasitic ability and antifungal activity against R.solani.Their growth promoting potential was further assessed in relation to phosphate solubilization,indole acetic acid and siderophore production.Five of the isolates were selected and evaluated for their abilities to prompt plant growth and to control R.solani infecting Vigna unguiculata(cowpea)seedlings in vivo.Two most effective isolates,T.guizhouense 9185 and T.simmonsii 8702,significantly(P<0.05)reduced the disease severity incidences(36.6 and 45.0%,respectively)and promoted plant growth,which have good prospects for application.

Synthesis and Characterization of Soluble and Meltable Poly(aminopropyl/phenylsilsesquioxane)

The hydrolytic co-condensation of hydrophobic phenyltriethoxysilane （PTES） and hydrophilic γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane （APS） was investigated in toluene and water by using hydrochloric acid （HCl） catalyst. A soluble and meltable poly（aminopropyl/phenylsilsesquioxane） （PAPSQ） was formed by controlling HCl amounts, APS/PTES molar ratios, water/silane molar ratios （Rw/si）, organic co-solvents and re-equilibration steps as well. The compositions of PAPSQ bearing aminopropyl and phenyl groups with the capping of trimethylsilyl group were confirmed by element analysis, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） and thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） was employed to characterize the melting behavior of the product. PAPSQ can be easily employed as functional molecular building blocks for the synthesis of diverse and novel inorganic-organic materials.

Hydrolytic Degradation Study of Lansoprazole, Identification, Isolation and Characterisation of Base Degradation Product

Lansoprazole degradation is accelerated in both acidic and basic medium in water. The present investigation deals with the hydrolytic degradation of Lansoprazole. Acidic medium degradation show all known impurities and degradation products whereas basic degradation studies show new impurity which has higher molecular weight than Lansoprazole. New impurity was identified, isolated using mass based auto purification system and characterised by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HMBC, HSQC, NOE, COSY and HRMS experiments. Isolated impurity was showing molecular weight of 467.10, molecular formula of C23H16F3N5OS and its name is 7-(3-Methyl-4-(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy) pyridin-2-yl)-7H-benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b]benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-d][1,3,5]thiadiazine.

Cage and ladder structures of silsesquioxanes characterized by UV-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

The molar mass distribution of SSO in the first generation derived from the hydrolytic condensation oftwo trialkoxysilanes, [ 3- ( Methacryloxy ) propyl ] trimethoxysilane ( MPMS ) and vinyltrimethoxysilane ( VMS ) ,are determined by UV-MALDI-TOF MS. The comparisons of theoretical masses with experimental masses arecalculated using the proposed compounds, which are assigned to formulas Tn (OH)m, Tn (OMe)y orTn(OH)x(OMe)y[T=RSiO1.5 (x+y)/2n, R=--(CH2)3OOCCH(CH3)CH2 and--CHCH2]. Both theproposed cage and ladder structures of SSO derived from similar sol-gel process of monomers are illustrated. Thecauses for the difference in structures between SSO M and SSO V is discussed as well.

Enhanced selectivity of hydrolytic precipitation of Zn from Zn-Ni sulfate solution via chelation of Ni

The selective precipitation of zinc from zinc-nickel sulfate solution with the Zn/Ni molar ratio of20:1was studied.Dropwise addition of0.5mol/L NaOH solution into the zinc-nickel sulfate solution containing0,0.01,0.02,0.03and0.04mol/L ethylene diamine tetraacetate(EDTA)as a chelating agent was done.The equilibrium analysis of precipitation pathway was performed using Visual MINTEQ program.The equilibrium analysis showed that the presence of small amounts of EDTA can prevent nickel precipitation in alkaline conditions without any negative effect on zinc precipitation.On this basis,more than90%of zinc could be precipitated as a product with about50%Zn and only0.11%Ni at pH=9.0merely as a result of the presence of0.03mol/L EDTA in the solution.The stirring time of120min after precipitation was found to be essential for more complete separation.The X-ray diffraction studies on the precipitate revealed that the precipitated phase was Zn4(OH)6SO4.4H2O.

Studies of Artificial Hydrolytic Mctalloenzymes The Catalytic Carboxyester Hydrolysis by Novel Nucleophile Containing Phenolic-Pendant Macrocyclic Polyamines

Zinc(II) complexes of new macrocyclic tetraamines (cyclam derivatives) having a strategically appended phenolate group, have ben examined as catalyst for the hyd rolysis of 4nitrophenyl acetate(NA). It ovas proven that coordinated phenolate can serve as a good nucleophile that efficiently catalyze 4-nitrophenyl acetate(NA) hydrolysis.

DNA Cleavage of the Copper(II) Complexes with a Polyamine Ditopic Ligand

A new binuclear complex [Cu2L(OH)](ClO4)3·2H2O has been synthesized and characterized, where L=2,6-bis{[bis-(2-aminoethyl)amino]methyl}-benzene. In the presence of 0.5 mmol/L complex at pH 8.10 and 37°C, the complex can efficiently cleavage pBR322 DNA with a rate constant kobs of 1.35×10-4 s-1. The cleavage occurred by a non-oxidative mechanism showing activity to be dependent on pH.

Factors that contribute to the mycoparasitism stimulus in Trichoderma atroviride. strain P1

Trichoderma atroviride strain P1 has been used extensively to study the mycoparasitic mechanisms in the interaction between plant pathogenic host and beneficial antagonistic fungi. Mutants of P1 containing the green fluorescent protein (gfp) or glucose oxidase (gox) reporter systems and different inducible promoters (from the exochitinase nag1 gene, or the endochitinase ech42 gene of P1) were used to determine the factors that activate the biocontrol gene expression cascade in the antagonist. The following compounds were tested singly and in various combinations: purified Trichoderma P1 enzymes (endochitinase, exochitinase, chitobiosidase, glucanase); antagonist culture filtrates (T. atroviride P1 wild-type and relative knock-out mutants, T. harzianum, T. reesei); pathogen culture filtrates (Botrytis, Pythium, Rhizoctonia); purified fungal cell walls (CWs) from Trichoderma, Botrytis, Pythium, Rhizoctonia; colloidal crab shell chitin; and plant extracts from cucumber leaves, stems or roots. Strong induction of mycoparasitism was found with the various digestion products produced by treating fungal CWs and colloidal chitin with purified enzymes or fungal culture filtrates. Filtrates from chitinase knock-out mutants, as well as CWs from Oomycetes fungi, were less active in producing the stimulus for mycoparasitism. The host CW digestion products were separated by molecular weight (MW) to determine which compounds were able to activate Trichoderma. Micromolecules of MW less than 3 kDa were found to trigger mycoparasitism gene expression before physical contact with the host pathogen. These compounds stimulated mycelial growth and spore germination of the antagonist. Purification of these host-derived compounds was conducted by HPLC and in vivo assay. The obtained inducers were able to stimulate both the production of endochitinase and exochitinase enzymes, even under repressing conditions in the presence of glucose. Inducers stimulated the biocontrol effect of P1 in the presence of host fungi. The disease symptom development on bean leaves inoculated with Botrytis and Trichoderma spores was clearly reduced by the addition of the inducers, unless these molecules were not specifically inactivated. Finally, purified inducers added to liquid cultures of T. atroviride P1 stimulated the production of low MW antibiotics and metabolites which inhibited Botrytis spore germination. Mass spectrometry analysis (ESI-MS) of the inducers indicated the presence of hexose oligomers, like cellobiose, while MS/MS analysis by selective fragmentation of peaks in the spectrum demonstrated the presence of at least three distinct compounds that were biologically active.

Modified two-phase anaerobic baffled process for low-concentration wastewater treatment

In this study low-concentration wastewater was investigated in the integral two-phase anaerobic baffled reactor by determining the removal of COD at various HRT,reflex ratios,and temperatures. Results indicate that the removal efficiency of COD is more than 90% at 25 ℃ and 10-h HRT with no wastewater recycled,and the removal efficiency is up to 88% at 8-h HRT and reflex ratio of 150%. The removal efficiency is decreased with the decreasing temperature and HRT. The removal efficiency of COD is approximately 60% at 10 ℃,which proves that the temperature does not affect it apparently. This research has significance for reducing the cost of wastewater and sludge treatment in cold area.

Approach to the Synthesis of Dimeric Salen-Co(Ⅲ):A Recoverable Catalyst for Rac-Eprichlorohydrin HKR

The synthesis of chiral dimeric Salen ligand 5, 5＇-methylene-di-[（R, R ）-｜ N-（3-tert-butylsalicylidine）-N＇- （ 3＇, 5＇-di- tert-butylsalicylidene） ｜ - 1, 2-cyclohexanediamine ] which using 2-tert-butylphenol as starting material is reported. This compound reacts with cobalt （Ⅱ） acetate and then oxidized by air to give dimeric Salen catalyst 5 in this paper, which catalyzes the hydrolytic kinetic resolution （HKR） of racemic epichlorohydrin to afford biologically important chiral epoxides and diols. Ee values of diol up to 97 % were obtained, and the catalyst was recovered with no apparent loss.

Site-specifically cleavage of oxidized insulin B chain with Zn(Ⅱ) ion studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry investigation showed that the binding sites of Zn^2＋ with oxidized insulin B chain are His 5, His 10, and Arg 22, which lead to the selective cleavages of the peptide bonds at Ash 3- Gin 4, His 5-Leu 6, Gly 8-Ser 9, and Glu 21-Arg 22 of oxidized insulin B chain.

Mass spectrometry assisted assignments of binding and cleavage sites of Zn(Ⅱ)complex towards oxidized insulin B chain

The electrospray ionization mass spectrometry investigation showed that the binding sites of [ZnL]^2＋, where L is 2-[bis（2- aminoethyl）amino]ethanol, with oxidized insulin B chain are Phel, His5 and Arg22, which lead to the selective cleavages of the peptide bonds at Phe1-Val2, His5-Leu6, Glu21-Arg22, and Arg22-Gly23 of oxidized insulin B chain.

DNA Cleavage by Copper (Ⅱ) Complexes Without added Coreactants

The cleavage activity of complexes between copper (Ⅱ) and four different amino acidor amino acid methyl ester on DNA was tested at physioloical pH and temperature., It was found that Cu (Ⅱ)-L-His and Cu (Ⅱ)-L-His methyl ester complexes could cleane DNA. The extent ofDNA cleavage is largely dependent on the metal ion-to-ligand ratio. The cleavage of doublestranded DNA mediated by Cu (Ⅱ)-L-His complexes occurs via a hydrolytie mechanism.