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In this work, biobutanol was produced through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of wheat straw (WS) that traditionally produces acetone, butanol and ethanol solvents (ABE). Thermal stability was imparted to two mesophilic clostridial wild strains (Clostridium beijerinckii and Clostridium acetobutylicum) through protoplast fusion with that of a corresponding thermophilic clostridial species (Clostridium thermocellum). Production was pursued by the fused strains at 45 °C compared to that of the corresponding co-cultures at 35 °C. Results showed that the fused strains generally achieved higher production at 45 °C than that of the corresponding co-cultures at 35 °C. Highest butanol production of 13.82 g/L was recorded with C. beijerinckii fusant, with ABE solvents production of 23 g/L (yields of 0.17 and 0.57, respectively). Total sugar consumption of this strain was the highest among all strains and was 84%. Fused strains also showed immense level of tolerance towards butanol toxicity compared to the wild strains. Filter paper enzyme assay demonstrated that fused strains were able to produce cellulolytic enzymes in the range of 58.73-68.52 FPU/ml. Cellulosome producing C. thermocellum and its ability to ferment sugars offers a promising future in biofuels through eliminating the need to add external enzymes. Generally, productions reported in the present study were higher than literature where biobutanol stripping systems were employed to eliminate toxicity during production. This demonstrates a clear potential for improving productivity and yield at a larger-scale facility.

This event is an accredited group learning activity as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The Annual Scientific Conference of the Canadian Spine Society provides a yearly review of spine care in Canada. This year the first combined conference widens its perspective to encompass participation by both the Spine Society of Australia and the New Zealand Orthopaedic Spine Society. There is also an increased contribution from paediatric spine. In addition to a review of surgical advances, the agenda covers a range of non-operative innovations and epidemiological studies. Presentations by members of the three societies will highlight the similarities, differences and common problems in three separate health care systems. Of particular interest are the management of neuromuscular spinal deformity and motion preserving surgery for degenerative back pain. A special focus is the development of national spine registries. Parallel efforts in all three countries will be compared and the conference will consider the possibility of international cooperation.

Biobutanol, a fuel with higher energy content than ethanol was produced in the present work through Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) of wheat straw (WS) that traditionally produces acetone, butanol and ethanol solvents (ABE). Novel Clostridium strains were developed and tested for enhanced biobutanol production. Thermal stability was imparted to two mesophilic clostridial wild strains through protoplast fusion with that of a corresponding thermophilic clostridial strain. This novel development eliminated the need to add external enzymes during the SSF process, allowed for SSF to be conducted at an elevated temperature of 45°C, enhanced the activity of internally produced enzymes and tolerated butanol toxicity to new limits. In order to determine the stability of the genetically modified strains, the parent fusants were passed on to five successive growth cycles. The fused strains of each growth cycle were inoculated with substrate and examined for solvent production and compared to the parent generation. Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique (PCR) followed by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis demonstrated reproducible genetic stability of the fused strains. Highest biobutanol production of 13.8 g/L (almost twice the concentration reported by other laboratory scale batch SSF research studies) was produced by one of the novel fusants. Generally, fused strain that achieved the highest biobutanol production exhibited relatively constant butanol concentration over the five growth cycles. Optimistic results obtained from batch SSF at lab scale demonstrate a clear potential of these novel strains to improve productivity and yield of biobutanol at a large-scale facility.