Low-cost raw materials can be used to reduce significantly the production cost of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). In this study, extruded rice bran (ERB) and extruded cornstarch (ECS) were used as carbon sources to produce PHA by an archaea, Haloferax mediterranei, which cannot use native rice bran or cornstarch as a carbon source. By employing pH-stat control strategy to maintain pH at 6.9-7.1 in a 5-liter jar fermentor using ERB:ECS (1:8 g/g) as the major carbon source, we obtained a cell concentration of 140 g/L, PHA concentration of 77.8 g/L and PHA content of 55.6 wt.% in a repeated fed-batch fermentation. In contrast, when ECS was used as the major carbon source, we obtained 62.6 g/L cell concentration, 24.2 g/L PHA concentration and 38.7 wt.% PHA content. Under a hyper-saline condition and with no nitrogen-limitation restriction, the repeated fed-batch process can be sustained a long time for the mass production of PHA.

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The mechanisms of acupuncture remain poorly understood, but it is generally assumed that measuring the electrical conductivity at various meridians provides data representing various meridian energies. In the past, noninvasive methods have been used to stimulate the acupuncture points at meridians, such as heat, electricity, magnets, and lasers. Photoluminescent bioceramic (PLB) material has been proven to weaken hydrogen bonds and alter the characteristics of liquid water. In this study, we applied the noninvasive PLB technique to acupuncture point irradiation, attempting to detect its effects by using electrical conductivity measurements. We reviewed relevant literature, searching for information on meridians including their wave-induced flow characteristics.

Background: To produce second-generation biofuels, enzymatic catalysis is required to convert cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. β-Glucosidases finalize the process by hydrolyzing cellobiose into glucose, so the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis largely depends on the quantity and quality of these enzymes used during saccharification. Accordingly, to reduce biofuel production costs, new microbial strains are needed that can produce highly efficient enzymes on a large scale. Results: We heterologously expressed the fungal β-glucosidase D2-BGL from a Taiwanese indigenous fungus Chaetomella raphigera in Pichia pastoris for constitutive production by fermentation. Recombinant D2-BGL presented significantly higher substrate affinity than the commercial β-glucosidase Novozyme 188 (N188; K m = 0.2 vs 2.14 mM for p-nitrophenyl β-d-glucopyranoside and 0.96 vs 2.38 mM for cellobiose). When combined with RUT-C30 cellulases, it hydrolyzed acid-pretreated lignocellulosic biomasses more efficiently than the commercial cellulase mixture CTec3. The extent of conversion from cellulose to glucose was 83% for sugarcane bagasse and 63% for rice straws. Compared to N188, use of D2-BGL halved the time necessary to produce maximal levels of ethanol by a semi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process. We upscaled production of recombinant D2-BGL to 33.6 U/mL within 15 days using a 1-ton bioreactor. Crystal structure analysis revealed that D2-BGL belongs to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 3. Removing the N-glycosylation N68 or O-glycosylation T431 residues by site-directed mutagenesis negatively affected enzyme production in P. pastoris. The F256 substrate-binding residue in D2-BGL is located in a shorter loop surrounding the active site pocket relative to that of Aspergillus β-glucosidases, and this short loop is responsible for its high substrate affinity toward cellobiose. Conclusions: D2-BGL is an efficient supplement for lignocellulosic biomass saccharification, and we upscaled production of this enzyme using a 1-ton bioreactor. Enzyme production could be further improved using optimized fermentation, which could reduce biofuel production costs. Our structure analysis of D2-BGL offers new insights into GH3 β-glucosidases, which will be useful for strain improvements via a structure-based mutagenesis approach.

Under the concept of meridian channels that belongs to traditional Chinese medicine, BIOCERAMIC Resonance (BR) has already been applied to many clinical medical research projects with functions mimicking of traditional acupuncture. Forty-five patients were recruited with chronic sleep disorders; 36 patients were given, applied to the device with BIOCERAMIC material and sound rhythm on chest skin surface; 9 patients were included as controls. All study participants completed a sleep pattern and quality of life questionnaire (assessment on psychological and physical causes of sleep disturbances), which was repeated before, during and after treatment. Electroencephalograph (EEG) recordings were analyzed before, during and after treatment. Functional MRI (fMRI) was also used for demonstration of BR effect for another 8 candidates. During the first 3 days of treatment, sleep quality improved in all 36 patients especially to psychological reasons; in 91.7% (33/36) treatment was associated with an elevation in the beta spectrum of the EEG (at 15–27 Hz). The result of fMRI found corresponding cerebral and cerebellar areas of activation and deactivation. BIOCERAMIC Resonance can improve sleep disorder due to psychological causes, with transient alter brain wave activity and functional activation on specific locations of brain.