Treesearch

Background: On-site enzyme production using Trichoderma reesei can improve yields and lower the overall cost of lignocellulose saccharifcation by exploiting the fungal gene regulatory mechanism that enables it to continuously adapt enzyme secretion to the substrate used for cultivation. To harness this, the interrelation between substrate characteristics and fungal response must be understood. However, fungal morphology or gene expression studies often lack structural and chemical substrate characterization. Here, T. reesei QM6a was cultivated on three softwood substrates: northern...

Aggregated states of celluloses remain poorly understood, and therefore, the topic requires careful investigation. In this study, Raman, IR, and Xray diffraction (XRDs) were used to study cotton microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and MCC that has been ball-milled to various degrees. Raman and IR spectroscopy methods indicated that when these ball-milled samples were wet with water, most underwent conformational changes at the molecular level. Although formation of cellulose II was observed in longer duration ball-milled samples, the changes primarily gave rise to increased contributions in...

Two scalable coating techniques, slot die and spray coating (SC), are used to apply cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to the surface of glass fibers with the goal of enhancing interfacial interactions between glass fibers and epoxy and, consequently, the strength of fiber-reinforced composites. The quality of the cellulose coatings and the interfacial shear strength, assessed via the single fiber fragmentation test, are determined as a function of the method and conditions used to coat the fibers. In addition, a comparison with glass fibers coated with identical CNC formulations using a...

Resistance against infection by the fungus Aspergillus flavus Link in commercial maize (Zea mays L.) is the topic of many studies, but few studies have investigated the effects of A. flavus infection on gene expression levels in ear kernels. A crucial component of gene expression profiling by RT-qPCR is having a reliable set of reference genes that show relatively constant expression across the treatments and phenotypes under study. Currently, however, there is no published information on reference genes suitable for measuring changes in kernel gene expression levels after infection with...

Understanding the effects of environmental disturbances on insects is crucial in predicting the impact of climate change on their distribution, abundance, and ecology. As microbial symbionts are known to play an integral role in a diversity of functions within the insect host, research examining how organisms adapt to environmental fluctuations should include their associated microbiota. In this study, subterranean termites [Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)] were exposed to three different temperature treatments characterized as low (15ºC), medium (27ºC), and high (35ºC). Results...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of tree diameter and juvenile wood on acoustic wave propagation in standing trees. Two-layer tree models with various diameters and proportions of juvenile wood were constructed to examine the effects of these two factors on propagation patterns and velocity of acoustic waves. The simulation results and analysis indicated that acoustic wave propagation in trees is dependent on both tree diameter and propagation distance. In the context of time-of-flight (TOF) acoustic measurement on standing trees with a test span of 1.2 m, when...

A desire to develop biorenewable materials has led to lactide caprolactone copolymers being used in adhesive, medical, and pharmaceutical products. Use of this alternative material may diminish human impact on the environment and create products that are biocompatible. One advantage of these materials compared with other typical petroleum-based polymers is that they are easily degraded by microorganisms. In this study, the biodegradation of representative lactide caprolactone macromonomers and an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive incorporating these macromonomers was followed by a...

Tyloses are extruded cell contents of adjoining parenchyma cells that result in the obstruction of vessels. The function of tyloses in live trees is uncertain, but it has been proposed that they increase the natural durability of the wood by limiting water movement and the probing of fungal hyphae. Chestnut oak (Quercus montana, aka Quercus prinus) is inconsistent in producing tyloses; an initial study indicated a wide variation in the frequency of tyloses within and between trees of chestnut oak from three different states: VA, TN, and PA. This naturally occurring variation in tylosis...

Morphology analysis of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images is an important step in the design and optimization of the processes employed in the manufacture and utilization of CNCs. Current protocols used in the analyses of CNC particle morphology for such microscopy images are largely manual and time-consuming, and often produce inconsistent results between different researchers. This paper describes a new semi-automated image analysis framework that can reliably and quickly detect and classify CNCs from TEM...

January housing data showed the second consecutive month of total starts greater than 1.5 million units. However, total, single- and multifamily starts decreased month-over-month and year-over year. Aggregate (month-over-month and year-over-year) U.S. housing market data were mixed. New and existing house sales were positive month-over-month and year-over-year. Residential construction spending was positive month-over-month. On a year-over-year basis, total and single-family expenditures improved 21% and 24%, respectively.