Product Yield Research Articles

A Mass Spectrometric Study of the Role of Water in the Paternò-Büchi (PB) Reaction between 2-Acetylpyridine and Unsaturated Fatty Acids.

Localizing the double-bond positions in unsaturated fatty acid isomers is of great importance for understanding the reaction pathways in the occurrence and development of some metabolic diseases. The Paternò-Büchi (PB) reaction using 2-acetylpyridine as the charge-tagging PB reagent in combination with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been developed as an effective method for determining the positions of C═C bonds in unsaturated fatty acids. Recently, it was found that the presence of water in the reaction solution could greatly enhance the yield of the PB reaction. To optimize the reaction conditions, the water content of the reaction mixture was systematically varied in the reaction between 2-acetylpyridine and oleic acid using a binary acetonitrile/water solvent system. It was observed that increasing water content could increase the yield of the PB reaction. However, this effect was complicated by the Norrish type II reactions and the low water solubility of oleic acid, and the yield of PB product was found to be maximized at 30% water in a water/acetonitrile binary system. At higher water content conditions, the reaction products were dominated by the isomeric products derived from the Norrish type II-A reaction. This enhanced side reaction was tentatively attributed to the increasing production of hydroxyl radicals through the photolysis of water molecules under 254 nm UV illumination. Since there was no evidence for the direct involvement of water molecules in the photocyclization of carbonyl and olefin functionalities, the exact role of water in facilitating the PB reaction was evaluated based on the existing concepts of 'on-water' and 'in-water'. For the reaction system used in this study, our results favor the 'in-water' model, in which aggregates of oleic acid might be formed at elevated water content. Aggregates have a higher concentration of oleic acid or provide microscopic heterogeneous surfaces for promoting the PB reaction by bringing both reaction species together more efficiently. Our preliminary attempt to accelerate the PB reaction under water-free conditions using a suspension of 50 μm C-18 powders was found to be promising. Higher yield of the PB reaction product without elevating the undesirable Norrish type II reaction product was observed.

Optimized production of 89Zr as a medical radioisotope on a variable energy cyclotron and external beam-line

BackgroundZirconium-89 (89Zr) is a highly valued diagnostic radionuclide for positron emission tomography (PET) due to its long physical half-life of 78.4 h and decay characteristics, being preferred for the radiolabelling of nanoparticles and slow kinetics macromolecules, such as antibodies. 89Zr-based high-resolution PET images can be employed to scan tumours and localize the tracer on a longer timeframe, which allows for real-time therapy monitoring. The goal of this study was to maximize the 89Zr production yield by fine-tunning the irradiation parameters of a solid target, in two different experimental set-ups, using a variable energy 14–19 MeV TR-19 cyclotron. Monte Carlo programs simulated the irradiation geometry and estimated the activity and irradiation yields produced by the 89Y(p, n)89Zr reaction, at the process optimal parameters. The resulted data were compared with the experimental data collected in our particular irradiation setups.Results89Zr was obtained from natY foil target using: (A) the solid target holder placed on the extraction port, and (B) the automated solid target irradiation station, installed on a sloped-down extension of the proton beamline. The two irradiation geometries are differentiated by the distances from the respective extraction ports, beam-geometry and shape, cooling capacity, and degrader’s thickness. Based on the specific geometries, A and B, the Monte Carlo simulations output determined the optimal experimental irradiation parameters (extracted energy, degrader thickness, proton current intensity), as well as the target thickness. The 250 μm natY foils were irradiated with 14 MeV protons and an integrated current of 32 µA·h, on the solid target configuration A, and with 15.2 MeV protons, 100 µA·h on the solid target configuration B. After the dissolution and purification of the targets, [89Zr]Zr-oxalate solutions of 1.28 ± 0.18 GBq, and 2.95 ± 0.31 GBq respectively, were evaluated, to determine the radionuclidic purity and contaminant levels of 89Zr solutions across different incident proton beam energies. The pharmaceutical specifications require the solutions radionuclidic purity to be above 99.9% of the total radioactivity, as criteria of their suitability for use as radiopharmaceutical precursors for antibodies radiolabelling.ConclusionsSimulations were providing optimized input parameters to maximize the production yield of 89Zr and subsequently, to achieve the highest possible activity with no detriment to radionuclide purity, as per the [89Zr]Zr-oxalate solution pharmaceutical specification. The parameters were then implemented in the experiments, and the production processes were tested on two particular irradiation configurations. The yields and activities produced through 89Y(p, n)89Zr reaction, at the TR-19 cyclotron were in good agreement with the simulations, within 18.4–21.3%, which include activity losses during irradiation and post-processing and uncertainties resulted from activity measurements and cross-section values.

A Three‐Phase Indirect Electrolysis System for Kilo‐scale Generation of C–S Bond Products

Comprehensive SummaryThe development of new strategy for environmentally friendly, cost‐effective and large‐scale electro‐synthesis of anticancer drugs is highly desirable to replace high‐cost traditional methods and realize high atomic economy. GW 610, an antitumor agent with potent and selective anticancer activity against lung, colon, and breast cancer cell lines in real medical treatment processes, has a market price of ~107 USD/kg and calls for novel methods like electro‐synthesis to reduce the cost. Here, for the first time, we design a solid‐liquid‐gas three‐phase indirect electrolysis system based on a kind of microwave‐synthesized polyoxometalate‐based metal‐organic framework (MW‐POMOF) that can converse S–S bond substrates into valuable C–S bond products like anticancer drug molecules (e.g., GW 610). Specifically, the solid‐phase MW‐POMOF as heterogeneous redox mediator exhibits the excellent electrocatalytic efficiency for the formation of liquid‐phase C–S bond products (yields up to 95%) coupling with the generation of gas‐phase H2 product (~402 μmol·g–1·h–1), resulting in an interesting three‐phase indirect electrolysis system. Remarkably, it enables the kilo‐scale production (~1 kg in a batch experiment) of GW 610 at one thousandth of the market price (from ~107 to ~3200 USD/kg). This work may inaugurate a new electrocatalytic avenue to explore porous crystalline materials in electrocatalysis field.

Characterization of Drought Tolerant Actinobacteria from Rhizospheric Soil

Drought is a major cause for reduction in crop yield and agricultural productivity around the Globe. The application of drought tolerance Actinobacteria to agroecosystem improves the growth and protect from water scarcity and they can be better alternative for natural farming and sustainable agriculture for aride and semi-aride regions. Herein, we isolated ten morphologically different actinobacteria from the rhizospheric soil of Datura and Khejri plants which are surviving in the nature without any special treatment provided. All the isolated bacteria were screened in-vitro for their drought tolerance capability for different time intervals against polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG8000) with 5%, 10% and 10% concentration to media which produce moisture stress in which medium bacteria were growing. Among them best five bacterial isolates were selected and named RADM1-RADM5 for further experimentation. Physiological characterizations were done through their ability to grow in different temperature, pH ranges and NaCl concentration supplemented with the 5% PEG8000. Morphology of the bacteria was Gram’s positive and mycelium producing same as typical Actinobacterial species and for biochemical diversity stains were able to IMVIC test and carbohydrate utilization through IMVIC test. Enzymatic observations of isolates were resulted positive for nitrate reduction, catalase production and negative for starch hydrolysis. PCR amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing in BlastN found maximum similarity of three species RADM1, RADM2, RADM4 with Streptomyces clavuligerus and two species RADM3 and RADM5 with Rhodococcus erythropolis and submitted to NCBI gene bank database with accession number PQ114139 (RADM1), PQ120343 (RADM2), PQ114109 (RADM3), PQ120390 (RADM4), PQ039766 (RADM5).

Kinetic model assisted synthesis of β-alanine from 3-aminopropionaldehyde by a novel single step enzymatic biotransformation

Cell-free enzymatic biotransformation has been the focus of industries for the synthesis of commercially valuable biological compounds. In this study, we explored a kinetic modeling approach to study the novel, single-step, cell-free enzymatic biotransformation of 3-aminopropionaldehyde (3-Apal) to a key drug intermediate, β-alanine. The substrate 3-Apal was converted to β-alanine by the enzyme 3-aminopropionaldehyde dehydrogenase (APALDH), while the enzyme NADH oxidase (NOX) was deployed for cofactor recycling. The enzyme candidates were expressed in recombinant E. coli, with the specific activity of crude lysate being 5 U/mg for APALDH and 1.7 U/mg for NOX. The optimum pH and temperature were identified as pH 7 and 37 °C, respectively. The kinetic parameters were also estimated, as the Km values of APALDH for 3-apal and NAD+ were 0.0375 and 11.96 mM respectively, and the Km value of NOX for NADH was 0.07 mM. A kinetic model was developed by incorporating the kinetic parameters obtained from the experiment and from the available literature. With insights from the enzyme kinetics and the simulated kinetic model, the biotransformation was designed in fed-batch mode, and the conversion of 3-Apal to β-alanine up to 15 mM was achieved within 80 min. The model was also validated with the experimental results obtained from the cell-free biotransformation. Further improvement in the yield of β-alanine can be obtained by optimizing the initial cofactor concentration and substrate feed flow rate. Conclusively, the kinetic modeling approach can eliminate the intimidating trial experiments to achieve the maximum product yield in cell-free enzymatic biotransformation.

Fast and accurate active alignment of camera lenses with physics-informed deep learning

As optical systems become increasingly complex, accurate and fast alignment is becoming more critical. Active alignment (AA) techniques dynamically optimize optical positioning using real-time image quality feedback, ensuring better performance and higher production yields. However, in large-scale manufacturing, such as smartphone lens production, existing AA techniques struggle to balance speed and accuracy. In this paper, we propose a pipeline for AA using physics-informed deep learning. Our pipeline consists of two main components: a physics-informed tolerance estimation neural network (TolNet) that estimates tolerances from point spread functions (PSFs) and an optical optimization module that determines the adjustment parameters for AA. TolNet is trained with a strategy that combines data-driven and physics-driven losses, enabling it to produce physically plausible results. TolNet performs tolerance estimation with exceptional speed, completing the process in less than 0.01 seconds, while the optical optimization module is also highly efficient, requiring less than 3 seconds. We conducted extensive experiments to validate the performance of our proposed method, which offers a promising solution to improve the efficiency and accuracy of AA in large-scale manufacturing.

Assessment of Various Microbiological and Plant-Based Antagonists against Fusarium Wilt Pathogen Fusarium oxysporum.

The wilt disease of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) caused by Fusarium oxysporum is one of the most significant fungal diseases that affect yield production. In this study, two different approaches, namely in vivo and in vitro, were focused on, in which different microbiological and plant-based antagonists were investigated after 3, 5, and 7 days of incubation to inhibit the development of F. oxysporum in sesame. The results of this study revealed great varietal differences in the growth inhibition of F. oxysporum at all growth stages. In in vitro studies, Bacillus subtilis was more effective in growth inhibition (98.67%) of F. oxysporum among the bacterial antagonists. In fungal antagonists, Aspergillus niger showed a great potential of maximum inhibition in mycelium growth (92.43%) and in plant-based antagonists, Cannabis sativa exhibited maximum antifungal activity (85.5%) as compared to control. However, the highest bacterial antagonistic activity was evaluated comparatively to fungal and plant-based antagonists. Whereas, in vivo, the study showed the highest antifungal activity (38% - 69%) of selected fungal antagonists, followed by plant-based antagonists (34.17% - 65%) and bacterial antagonists (20% - 48%). This study would help the agrochemical companies to develop microbial and plant-based fungicides that are non-phytotoxic and eco-friendly for the management of fungal diseases, as compared to chemical fungicides that are harmful to consumers and pollute the environment.

Concurrent Response of Soybean to Fixed (Full and Limited) and Variable Rate Irrigation Management in Three Soil Types: II. Growth, Yield, Evapotranspiration and Water Productivity

ABSTRACTSoybean growth, yield, crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and crop water use efficiency (CWUE or crop water productivity, CWP) under different irrigation levels in three different soil types in the same field were investigated concurrently. Treatments in each soil type were: (i) variable rate irrigation (VRI), (ii) fixed rate full irrigation (FR‐1″) and (iii) fixed rate limited irrigation (FR‐0.75″). There was not enough evidence suggesting the superiority of VRI over FRI‐1″ or FRI‐0.75″ in terms of improving yield or CWUE. Leaf area index (LAI) and plant height were stronger functions of soil types than irrigation treatments. Growing season cumulative grass‐reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and cumulative precipitation were 629 and 489 mm, respectively, in 2018; and 589 and 551 mm, respectively, in 2019. Variations in yield among irrigation treatments for both seasons were not significant (p > 0.05). Soil type, rather than irrigation treatments, explained variation in yield with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Soil types had substantial impact on ETc and CWUE. Since spatial variability in soil properties has a profound impact on soybean growth, yield, ETc and CWUE, soil variability in horizontal and vertical domain must be considered for developing accurate management zones and prescriptions for VRI, and for in‐season VRI, FRI and limited irrigation management for successful and effective operations.

Frequent Irrigation in Manure-fertilized Soil Reduces CO2 Emissions Per Unit Yield by Increasing Maize Silage Yield

In agricultural areas where manure is used as fertilizer, the rapid mineralization of soil carbon upon rewetting, along with increased microbial activity, results in a significant release of CO2 emissions. This process leads to substantial soil carbon depletion, which has negative environmental impacts. This study aims to examine which irrigation regime reduces soil carbon loss to optimize CO2 emissions per unit yield for sustainable production. Soil CO2 emissions were measured using an infrared gas analyzer in soils fertilized with mineral (F) and cattle manure (M) under three irrigation regimes in the research. Irrigations were conducted at different intervals based on the difference between estimated cumulative plant water consumption and precipitation (25, 50, and 75 mm, respectively) in the IR1, IR2, and IR3 regimes. The consistent emissions of CO2 during the growing season were due to the ongoing depletion of organic carbon in the soil. Increasing soil moisture and decreasing soil temperature contributed to emission increases. The application of manure increased CO2 emissions per unit area, water consumption, and yield by 2.7, 2.8, and 2.0 times, respectively, compared to mineral fertilization. This was attributed to the higher seasonal carbon emission, lower water consumption, and higher yield associated with manure application. The IR1 treatment, which enhanced the mineralization of organic matter, resulted in a 1.08 times increase in CO2 emissions per unit area and a 1.16 times increase in emissions per unit water consumption compared to the IR3 treatment. On the contrary, it caused a 1.41 times decrease in emissions per unit yield with the yield contribution. Although CO2 emissions per unit yield were 75.4% higher than in FIR1, the MIR1 treatment was the most successful in reducing emissions, showing a 1.57 times decrease compared to MIR3. In conclusion, frequent irrigation in soil fertilized with manure decreases CO2 emissions per unit yield in silage maize. Higher yields with frequent irrigation management can lead to a greater reduction in CO2 emissions per unit of yield.

Effectiveness of Grafting in Enhancing Salinity Tolerance of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Using Novel and Commercial Rootstocks in Soilless Systems

The scarcity of high-quality water in arid regions like Saudi Arabia necessitates saline water use in irrigation. Sustainable techniques, such as grafting and soilless cultivation, enhance crop resilience and optimize resource use, ensuring long-term agricultural and water sustainability to meet rising food demand. So, this study evaluated grafting’s effectiveness in enhancing the salt tolerance of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under soilless culture. The experiment tested two salinity levels, two growing media (volcanic rock and sand), and six grafting treatments: the scion ‘Tone Guitar F1’ was cultivated through non-grafting (G1), self-grafted onto itself (G2), and grafted onto the commercial rootstock ‘Maxifort F1’ (G3), which was grafted onto three newly developed rootstocks, namely X-218 (G4), X-238 (G5), and Alawamiya365 (G6). The results indicated that plants performed better at 2 dS m−1, while higher salinity (4 dS m−1) negatively impacted growth. However, grafting under saline stress improved most of the measured traits, excluding fruit quality (vitamin C, titratable acidity, and total soluble sugars). Grafted plants (G2–G6), particularly those grown in volcanic rock at 2 dS m−1, exhibited superior fruit characteristics, yield, water productivity, and leaf calcium (Ca2+) and potassium (K+) content compared to the non-grafted controls (G1). The sand medium generally produced lower values for all the traits, regardless of salinity or grafting. Moreover, grafting under 2 and 4 dS m−1 reduced leaf sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−). The best overall performance was provided by the rootstocks X-218 and X-238. Grafting onto salt-tolerant rootstocks is a promising strategy for improving tomato yield and water productivity under saline irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions.

Optimizing sowing dates and varietal adaptation for enhanced yield and sustainable production of Mustard (Brassica juncea) in the trans-gangetic region of Punjab

The optimal timing for seeding a crop is essential for maximizing its genetic potential, as it provides the most favorable growing conditions in terms of meteorological parameters. Delay in planting, adverse weather conditions during the flowering period, fertilization and pod formation can result in a reduction in grain production, as well as a decrease in the duration of the maturity phase, the number of siliquae plant-1 and the number and weight of grains. It is evident from these facts that the timing of mustard sowing has a substantial effect on its production. A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab, during the Rabi season of 2023-2024, in consideration of these facts. The treatments were comprised of five varieties {V1 (GSC-07), V2 (Laxmi-846), V3 (Durgamani), V4 (Gujarat Mustard-2) and V5 (RH-119)} that were replicated thrice under FRBD (Factorial randomized block design). The dates of sowing were as follows: D1 (15th October) for early sown, D2 (30th October) for mid sown and D3 (15th November) for late sown. Data regarding yield attributing parameters and yield were obtained after the harvest. Results revealed that mostly no. of siliqua/plant was obtained with treatment combination D1×V2 (188.820) followed by D1×V3 (186.823), siliqua length (7.467cm) with D1×V2 followed by D2×V2 (7.340 cm), weight of one siliqua/plant (0.150g) by D1×V3 which was at par with D1×V5 and D2×V1, no. of seeds/siliqua (21.233) by D1×V2 followed by D2×V2 (20.177), weight of seeds/siliqua (0.090g) by D1×V2 which was at par with D2×V1, test weight (6.967g) by D1×V2 followed by D2×V2 (6.767). Under the agroclimatic conditions of the experimental area, the most effective method of cultivation was the early seeding (15th October) and the mid sowing (30th October) of the Laxmi-846 (V2) variety.

Effect of irrigation regimes and nano-urea based nitrogen management on yield attributes, productivity, nutrient acquisition and use efficiency of wheat in Eastern Plateau region of India

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is vital for India's food security, with projections indicating a substantial 70-104 % increase in demand by 2050. However, Eastern Plateau regions face challenges of warmer climate leading to aberration in irrigation regimes (IRs) and nutrient, especially nitrogen (N) management resulting in lower productivity. Study revealed that IRs significantly influenced yield attributes viz., spikelets/spike and 1000-grain weight, with moisture stress during grain filling stages adversely impacting grain development, resulted in 29 % yield reduction. The 100 % recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) resulted in significantly superior yield attributes; surpassing nano-urea based nitrogen application. The grain yield with 100 % RDN leading with the highest yield and grain N content of 7.0 and 14.5 % more compared to nano-urea based 50 % RDN+2 NUS (nano-urea spray) treatment respectively. Interaction effect of 3-irrigation regimes with 100 % RDN on grain yield was significantly superior over NUS nullifying the synergistic effect of NUS with IRs. However, 50 % RDN+2 NUS reported significantly (p=0.05) superior N content (0.42 %) and N uptake (31.30 kg/ha) in straw. Additionally, five irrigations exhibited significantly higher grain and total N uptake by 30.9 and 25.78 % compared to two irrigations, respectively. Apparent nitrogen recovery and agronomic nitrogen use efficiency were the highest in 50 % RDN+2 NUS due to better N acquisition and less amount of N application through NUS. Thus 3-irrigation regimes and 100 % RDN can be recommended as an agronomic management practice for maximising wheat productivity in Eastern Plateau region of India.

Shigella Mutant with Truncated O-Antigen as an Enteric Multi-Pathogen Vaccine Platform

Background/Objectives: Rising antibiotic resistance underscores the urgent need for effective vaccines against shigellosis. Our previous research identified the Shigella flexneri 2a truncated mutant (STM), a wzy gene knock-out strain cultivated in shake-flasks, as a promising broadly protective Shigella vaccine candidate. Expanding on this finding, our current study explores the feasibility of transitioning to a fermentor-grown STM as a vaccine candidate for further clinical development. Methods: The STM and STM-Cj, engineered to express the conserved Campylobacter jejuni N-glycan antigen, were grown in animal-free media, inactivated with formalin, and evaluated for key antigen retention and immunogenicity in mice. Results: The fermentor-grown STM exhibited significantly increased production yields and retained key antigens after inactivation. Immunization with the STM, particularly along with the double-mutant labile toxin (dmLT) adjuvant, induced robust immune responses to the conserved proteins IpaB, IpaC, and PSSP-1. Additionally, it provided protection against homologous and heterologous Shigella challenges in a mouse pulmonary model. The STM-Cj vaccine elicited antibody responses specific to the N-glycan while maintaining protective immune responses against Shigella. These findings underscore the potential of the fermentor-grown STM as a safe and immunogenic vaccine platform for combating shigellosis and possibly other gastrointestinal bacterial infections. Conclusions: Further process development to optimize growth and key antigen expression as well as expanded testing in additional animal models for the assessment of protection against Shigella and Campylobacter are needed to build on these encouraging initial results. Ultimately, clinical trials are essential to evaluate the efficacy and safety of STM-based vaccines in humans.

Carbamate-bond breaking on bulk oxides realizes highly efficient polyurethane depolymerization

Polyurethane is a versatile plastic finding applications across diverse sectors ranging from construction to household products. Recently, there is growing interest in the chemical recycling of polyurethane via catalytic hydrogenation to recover anilines and polyols. However, examples of heterogeneous catalysts are lacking despite their practicality for scale-up to a commercially relevant level. Herein, the conversion of model carbamate compounds is investigated using different metal-oxide catalysts, with CeO2 exhibiting the best activity and achieving the highest yield of aniline products (up to 100% conversion and 92% yield of anilines). A volcanic correlation is found between the acidity of the metal-oxide catalysts and their activity in cleaving the carbamate bond. The high activity of CeO2 may be primarily attributed to a low oxygen vacancy formation energy and highly redox active Ce3+/Ce4+ pairs. Based on control reactions under different conditions and in situ NMR studies, a mechanism for carbamate bond dissociation on CeO2 was proposed. Notably, both solvent-free hydrogenation and hydrogen-free transfer hydrogenation approaches may be utilized to depolymerize various commonly encountered polyurethane (thermoplastic and thermoset) products using CeO2.

New Glycoconjugates Containing Selenium and Polyphenols. Stereoselective Synthesis by Pummerer‐like Rearrangement.

In the last 20 years the exploitation of antioxidant activity of selenobased compounds has improved, just due to the use of Ebselen, a selenocompound, as a Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mimic. However, their clinical use seems to be compromised by the low solubility in water. To deal with this problem, it is possible to take advantage of the new approach including selenosugars in which selenium replaces heterocyclic oxygen. In this frame, to optimize the antioxidant properties of selenosugars, the glycoconjugation with a polyphenolic unit, which is a molecule capable of inhibiting or disabling the action of free radicals, has been considered in this work. The Mitsunobu reaction mechanism links covalently the primary alcoholic function of selenobased glycosyl donors, coming from the commercially available d‐mannose, and phenolic moiety acceptors, to obtain the corresponding glycoconjugates, has been exploited affording the products in efficient yields. A density functional theory (DFT) theoretical study is carried out to help understand the possible influence of the seleno donor on the reactivity. Crucially, a new pathway based on Pummerer‐like rearrangement followed by a glycosylation, gave a selenosugar with selenium in the ring and bearing an acetal‐like functional group at C‐1. All compounds are characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy confirming their structures and purity.

Enhancing Methanogenesis in Anaerobic Bioreactors Using Phragmites Australis and Additives – a Review

Anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass, particularly Phragmites australis (common reed), presents potential for sustainable biogas production. However, its rigid structure and high lignocellulose content hinder microbial accessibility and methanogenesis efficiency. To overcome these limitations, various additives including iron-based nanomaterials, trace metal additives, enzymatic pretreatments, and cosubstrates have been investigated to optimize biogas yield, methane content, and process stability. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the role of supplements in improving anaerobic digestion of Phragmites australis. It has been demonstrated that iron-based nanomaterials, including iron oxide (FeO₄), micro zero-valent iron (ZVI), iron (II, III) oxide, and zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), reduce process inhibition and improve redox balance. Additionally, micronutrient supplementation (e.g., nickel, cobalt) promotes microbial enzymatic activity by enhancing methanogenic pathways. Enzymatic pretreatment methods including cellulase and hemicellulase enhance hydrolysis efficiency, resulting in increased volatile fatty acid production and higher methane yield. Co-digestion with nitrogen-rich substrates such as food waste or manure has also been found to optimize the carbon to nitrogen ratio, reducing ammonia inhibition and promoting stable microbial activity. Additionally, by strengthening methanogenic pathways, micronutrient supplementation increases microbial enzymatic activity. Cellulase and hemicellulase are two examples of enzymatic pre-treatment techniques that improve hydrolysis efficiency, resulting in increased volatile fatty acid production and a higher methane output. This review addresses important issues with feedstock recalcitrance, process inhibition, and biogas quality while highlighting the additives’ synergistic benefits in maximizing anaerobic digestion performance.

The effect of fertilizers, sowing time on phenological phases and productivity formation of winter rye in the Zauralye

The purpose of the current study was to identify patterns of the effect of doses, methods and terms of mineral fertilizing on the phenological phases and winter rye productivity in the Trans-Urals. The trial was conducted at the educational and production fruit and vegetable plot in 2021–2023. The object of the study was the winter rye variety ‘Pamyati Kunakbaeva’. Sowing was laid in weedfree fallow in two stages. During sowing, nitroammophoska was added in doses of 30, 60, 90 kg of active ingredient per ha. At booting stage, there was foliar feeding with 60 l of liquid complex fertilizers (N:P 11:37) per ha. The study results were processed according to B. A. Dospekhov’s methodology. There have been studied phenological phases of plants, yield structure parameters and productivity. The effect of the sowing period on phenological phases of plants under favorable weather conditions was established only in the autumn. Subsequently, there was no difference in the development of crops. In 2021/2022 there were obtained high yields in some variants at the first sowing date (N60P60K60, N60P60K60 + LCF NP11:37, N90P90K90 + LCF NP11:37). In 2022/2023, productivity was higher in the second sowing date variants. In general, over the two years of study, the most efficient was the application of the main fertilizer at a dose of 60 kg active ingredient per ha with the use of LCF. There have been established higher indicators for such yield structure elements as ‘number and weight of grains per ear’. The increase of these indicators in comparison with the control amounted to 8.7 and 0.4 g, respectively over the years of study. In 2021/2022 this variant showed the largest productivity (2.51 t/ha) and 1000-grain weight (41.2 g). In 2022/2023, the best indicators were identified in the variant N90P90K90 + LCF NP11:37, with 27.7 g of ‘1000-grain weight’ and 2.49 t/ha of productivity.

Low-Frequency Ultrasound Assisted in Improvement in Cell Development and Production of Parasporal Crystals from Bacillus thuringiensis HD1

Bacillus thuringiensis is widely utilized as a microbial insecticide due to its production of parasporal crystals during the spore-forming stage. However, lower fermentation efficiency coupled with elevated production costs limit its broad application. Low-frequency ultrasound (LFU) has been employed in the fermentation industry to enhance microbial growth and metabolism. In this study, the effect of LFU on the growth of B. thuringiensis HD1 and the yields of parasporal crystals was investigated. The maximum biomass accumulation of Bacillus thuringiensis and parasporal crystal production yield were achieved following low-frequency ultrasonic (LFU) treatment applied during the logarithmic growth phase (18 h of cultivation) under optimized parameters: a frequency of 40 kHz, a power output of 176 W, and an irradiation duration of 45 min. Under optimal conditions, LFU significantly increased the cell membrane permeability and secretory inositol, favoring cell growth and parasporal crystal production. FESEM/CLSM and TEM analyses visually displayed the changes in cell morphology. In addition, the germination rate of spores was increased after LFU treatment, which further confirmed the positive effect of LFU on the growth of B. thuringiensis. Compared to the control, parasporal crystals harvested under LFU exhibited significant modifications in their physicochemical characteristics; the particle size increased, the surface electronegativity intensified, and there was a morphological transition from spherical to cubic geometry. Importantly, the parasporal crystals exhibited strong insecticidal activity against S. zeamais adults, a typical stored-product insect pest, with an LC50 of 10.795 mg/g on day 14 and a Kt50 of 4.855 days at a concentration of 30 mg/g. These findings will provide new insights into the product development and application of B. thuringiensis in the future.

Efficient Production of (R)-3-Aminobutyric Acid by Biotransformation of Recombinant E. coli

(R)-3-aminobutyric acid is an important raw material for dolutegravir production, which is a key antiretroviral medicine for AIDS treatment. Currently, the industrial production of (R)-3-aminobutyric acid relies on chiral resolution methods, which are plagued by high pollution and low yield efficiency. Here, we report an efficient pathway for (R)-3-aminobutyric acid production via engineered aspartase-driven biotransformation in recombinant E. coli. The engineered aspartase mutants, obtained through rational design based on catalytic mechanisms, were specifically employed to catalyze the production of (R)-3-aminobutyric acid from crotonic acid. The engineered T187L/N142R/N326L aspartase mutant exhibited the highest enzyme activity of 1516 U/mg. Through cell permeabilization, the system achieved (R)-3-aminobutyric acid yield of 287.6 g/L (96% productivity) within 24 h. Subsequent scale-up in a 7 L fermenter achieved a final product yield of 284 g/L (95% productivity) within 24 h. Economic balance showed that the cost of industrial production (¥116.21/kg) is about 1/4 of the laboratory production (¥479.76/kg). In summary, the engineered aspartase-mediated bioconversion pathway using recombinant E. coli offers an industrially viable approach for (R)-3-aminobutyric acid production, featuring mild reaction conditions, environmental sustainability, streamlined processing, high yield, and cost-effective substrates.

Simple Rapid Production of Calcium Acetate Lactate from Scallop Shell Waste for Agricultural Application

Calcium acetate lactate (CAL) was rapidly synthesized for the first time using the reaction between the scallop shell-derived calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and the binary phase of acetic and lactic acids. Calcium acetate (CA) and calcium lactate (CL) synthesized from the reaction of scallop shell-derived CaCO3 with each acid by similarity routes are compared with the obtained CAL product. The production yields are 88.24, 79.17, and 96.44%, whereas the solubilities are 93.77, 90.18, and 95.08% for CA, CL, and CAL, respectively. All the synthesized CA, CL, and CAL samples were characterized and confirmed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to examine the calcium main element and other impurities of minor elements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) to investigate the crystallography, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) to characterize the vibrational characteristics of the functional groups, scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe the sample morphologies, and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to investigate the thermal decomposition processes of samples. The experimental results pointed out that the synthesized CA, CL, and CAL were the monohydrate, pentahydrate, and dihydrate forms with chemical formulae of Ca(CH3COO)2·H2O, Ca(CH3CHOHCOO)2·5H2O, and Ca(CH3COO)(CH3CHOHCOO)·2H2O, respectively. The final thermal decomposition product of all calcium compounds was calcium oxide (CaO). The CAL sample’s vibrational characteristics, crystal phases, and morphologies show the binary acetate and lactate anion phases, confirming the new binary anionic calcium acetate lactate obtained. In conclusion, this research proposes an easy and low-cost technique to prepare a new valuable CAL compound using scallop shell waste as a cheap and renewable calcium source.