Porphyrin Production by Corynebacterium diphtheriae Strains from Clinical Isolates.

Porphyrins are intermediate metabolites in the biosynthesis of vital molecules, including heme, cobalamin, and chlorophyll. Bacterial porphyrins are known to be proinflammatory and have been associated with biofilm production. This study investigated porphyrin production by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae using emission spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, a diode array detector, and mass spectrometry. Emission spectroscopy revealed characteristic porphyrin emission spectra in all strains, with coproporphyrin III predominating. Qualitative analysis via different chromatography methods revealed identified coproporphyrin III, uroporphyrin I, and protoporphyrin IX in all the strains. Quantitative analysis revealed strain-dependent coproporphyrin III production. More studies are needed to investigate the relationship between porphyrin production and the virulence potential of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Prediction of some physicochemical properties in Colombian crude oils upgraded by catalytic aquathermolysis using UV-VIS spectroscopy associated with chemometric methods.

The simulated distillation curve (ASTM/D-7169) is a quantitative method to determine fractions of crude oils by boiling point temperature ranges (36-720 °C). In this work, 45 samples of typical Colombian crudes were selected, and the samples were produced under conventional process. Also 8 upgraded crude oils under catalytic aquathermolysis conditions at laboratory scale were added. The tests were developed at 270 °C and 800psi (@25 °C) during 66 h of reaction. In addition, 30 samples were selected for density tests, according to the pycnometer method. Subsequently, the crude oil samples under study were diluted in chloroform and analyzed by UV-VIS Spectroscopy. The UV-VIS spectra were correlated with selected properties by using PCA-MLR and PLS models. The distillation curves of the crude oils were modelled using the Riazi probability function. The prediction models of parameters To, A, and B from the Riazi probability function exhibited R2 correlation coefficients, higher than 0.94. The correlation model for the crude oil density showed a much better coefficient, higher than 0.99 and Root-Mean-Squared-Error (RMSE) close to 0.004. Additionally, even more important is the contribution of the use of UV-VIS spectroscopy as a useful tool to quickly evaluate the quality of crude oil.

Turning chaotic sample group clusterization into organized ones by feature selection: Application on photodiagnosis of Brucella abortus serological test.

Bovine brucellosis diagnosis is a major problem to be solved; the disease has a tremendous economic impact with significant losses in meat and dairy products, besides the fact that it can be transmitted to humans. The sanitary measures instituted in Brazil are based on disease control through diagnosis, animal sacrifice, and vaccination. Although the currently available diagnostic tests show suitable quality parameters, they are time-consuming, and the incidence of false-positive and/or false-negative results is still observed, hindering effective disease control. The development of a low-cost, fast, and accurate brucellosis diagnosis test remains a need for proper sanitary measures at a large-scale analysis. In this context, spectroscopy techniques associated with machine learning tools have shown great potential for use in diagnostic tests. In this study, bovine blood serum was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms to build a prediction model for Brucella abortus diagnosis. Here we first pre-treated the UV raw data by using Standard Normal Deviate method to remove baseline deviation, then apply principal component analysis - a clustering method - to observe the group formation tendency; the first results showed no clustering tendency with a messy sample score distribution, then we properly select the main principal components to improve clusterization. Finally, by using machine learning algorithms (SVM and KNN), the predicting models achieved a 92.5% overall accuracy. The present methodology provides a test result in an average time of 5 min, while the standard diagnosis, with the screening and confirmatory tests, can take up to 48 h. The present result demonstrates the method's viability for diagnosing bovine brucellosis, which can significantly contribute to disease control programs in Brazil and other countries.

An innovative spectroscopic approach for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of Mb-CO from myoglobin carbonylation reaction through chemometrics methods.

In this work, an innovative approach using K-means and multivariate curve resolution-purity based algorithm (MCR-Purity) for the evaluation and quantification of carboxymyoglobin (Mb-CO) formation from Deoxy-Myoglobin (Deoxy-Mb) was presented. Through a multilevel multifactor experimental design, samples with different concentrations of Mb-CO were created. The UV-Vis spectra of these samples were submitted to K-means analysis, finding 3 clusters. The mean spectra of the clusters were extracted and it was possible to detect 2 totally differentiable groups through peaks 423 and 434 nm, which are wavelengths related to the Mb-CO and Deoxy-Mb components, respectively. The spectral data were subjected to MCR-Purity analysis. The MCR-Purity result successfully described the analyzed reaction, explaining more than 99.9% of the variance (R2) with a LOF of 1.43%. Then, a predictive model of MbCO was created through the linear relationship between MCR-Purity contributions and known concentrations of MbCO. The performance parameters of the created predictive model were R2CV = 0.98, RMSECV = 0.58 and RPDcv = 7.8 for the training set, and R2P = 0.98, RMSEP = 0.7 and RPDp = 6.8 for the test set. Thus, the predictive model presented an excellent performance considering that the Mb-CO variation is comprised between 0 and 21 µM. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the application of the proposed strategy to the analysis of spectral data presenting overlapping bands is feasible and robust.

Influence of C=O groups on the optical extinction coefficient of graphene exfoliated in liquid phase.

Liquid phase exfoliation of graphite is currently one of the most promising graphene production methods at large scale. For this reason, an accurate calculation of the concentration in graphene dispersions is important for standardization and commercialization. Here, graphene dispersions, at high concentrations, were produced by electrochemical exfoliation. Furthermore, a cleaner methodology to obtain graphene oxide by electrochemical exfoliation at high acid concentrations was implemented. The absorption coefficient for graphene and graphene oxide was determined in the optical range (α660 nm= 1414 (±3%) ml mg-1 m-1andα660 nm= 648 (±7%) ml mg-1 m-1, respectively) with an exponential dependence with the wavelength. The difference inαfor both materials is attributed to an increased presence of C=O groups as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy, as well as, in the calculation of the optical extinction coefficient and optical band-gap via Tauc-plots.

Spectral Signatures of Oxidation States in a Manganese-Oxo Cubane Water Oxidation Catalyst.

We report IR and UV/Vis spectroscopic signatures that allow discriminating between the oxidation states of the manganese-based water oxidation catalyst [(Mn4 O4 )(V4 O13 )(OAc)3 ]3- . Simulated IR spectra show that V=O stretching vibrations in the 900-1000 cm-1 region shift consistently by about 20 cm-1 per oxidation equivalent. Multiple bands in the 1450-1550 cm-1 region also change systematically upon oxidation/reduction. The computed UV/Vis spectra predict that the spectral range above 350 nm is characteristic of the managanese-oxo cubane oxidation state, whereas transitions at higher energy are due to the vanadate ligand. The presence of absorption signals above 680 nm is indicative of the presence of MnIII atoms. Spectroelectrochemical measurements of the oxidation from [Mn 2 III Mn 2 IV ] to [Mn 4 IV ] showed that the change in oxidation state can indeed be tracked by both IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy.

Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying interactions between caseins and lutein.

Understanding the food protein binding to bioactive compounds is of utmost importance for the development of efficient protein-based delivery systems. The binding of lutein to sodium caseinate (NaCas) or native casein micelle (PPCN) was investigated at pH 7 to evaluate the effect of casein supramolecular structures on the interaction. Fluorescence quenching, UV-vis spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering were carried out. Under the medium conditions of interaction analysis (DMSO-water and ethanol-water), lutein exists as H-type aggregates. The investigation of lutein/casein interaction showed a predominantly static mechanism of fluorescence quenching and the presence of two fluorophore populations on NaCas and PPCN, but only one accessible to lutein. Moreover, the Scatchard plot indicated that lutein interacted with both caseins in one binding site. The interaction of lutein with caseins occurred with binding constant Kb of 105 M-1, regardless of casein supramolecular structure.

Sensory and spectroscopic characterization of Argentinean wine and balsamic vinegars: A comparative study with European vinegars.

In Argentina, vinegars are cheap agro-food products without exhaustive regulation and the production of high-quality vinegars has not been exploited yet. In fact, Argentinean vinegars have not been studied. In this context, a first study of Argentinean balsamic and wine vinegars was carried out by a sensory and spectroscopic characterization and by a comparison with well-recognized European vinegars. For that, ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopies were applied together with principal component analysis (PCA) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) performed on each data set, respectively. Results showed differences between acetification processes, origin countries and a wide variability within Argentinean production. The sensory characterization on Argentinean wine vinegars was performed by triangular and ordering preference tests showing statistically significant preferences toward the traditional and the rapid vinegars. This work highlights the effect of production on quality in order to provide added value to the Argentinean vinegars.

Theoretical UV-Vis spectra of tetracationic porphyrin: effects of environment on electronic spectral properties.

Electronic and spectroscopic properties of tetracationic 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (TMPyP) were investigated in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). Modeling of implicit solvent, charge effects, and medium acidity were performed and compared with experimental results. Various hybrid exchange correlation functionals in the Kohn-Sham Scheme of the DFT were employed and various porphyrin models were constructed, simulating different environmental conditions. Since porphyrins present several technological applications with a plethora of interacting systems and the optical spectra profiles are often used to characterize these macrocyclic compounds, the study performed here aims to stablish a correct description of the UV-Vis spectrum. These results allowed to reproduce, both qualitatively as well as quantitatively, the Soret band of the TMPyP.

UV-Vis spectroscopic quantification of residual acetone during the development of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems.

Methods for nanoparticles preparation often employ organic solvents in order to solubilize the non-polar constituents of the final nanostructures. In the research process, nanoparticles are assayed as aqueous suspensions in several cases, so that an excessive residual concentration of the organic solvent needs to be avoided since may lead to undesired secondary effects during biological tests. Despite the importance, residual solvent concentration is rarely determined, making necessary the development of quantification methods suitable for this purpose. Acetone is frequently used in drug delivery systems preparation, being capable to exert significant toxicities both, in vitro and in vivo. Thus, a simple and inexpensive UV-Vis spectrophotometric method is proposed to directly determine acetone from nanoparticles suspensions employing its reaction with vanillin. Central composite designs were employed to correct and optimize the quantification method, which was then validated according to international guidelines. The optimized method resulted accurate, precise, and linear in the range of 10-50 µg/mL, with an R2 of 0.998 and limits of detection and quantification of 2.6 and 7.8 µg/mL, respectively. The effect of several surfactants employed during nanoparticles preparation was not detrimental to the method. The proposed procedure can be successfully applied to directly quantify acetone from nanoparticles suspensions.

The Critical Role of Thioacetamide Concentration in the Formation of ZnO/ZnS Heterostructures by Sol-Gel Process.

ZnO/ZnS heterostructures have emerged as an attractive approach for tailoring the properties of particles comprising these semiconductors. They can be synthesized using low temperature sol-gel routes. The present work yields insight into the mechanisms involved in the formation of ZnO/ZnS nanostructures. ZnO colloidal suspensions, prepared by hydrolysis and condensation of a Zn acetate precursor solution, were allowed to react with an ethanolic thioacetamide solution (TAA) as sulfur source. The reactions were monitored in situ by Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and UV-vis spectroscopy, and the final colloidal suspensions were characterized by High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). The powders extracted at the end of the reactions were analyzed by X-ray Absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Depending on TAA concentration, different nanostructures were revealed. ZnO and ZnS phases were mainly obtained at low and high TAA concentrations, respectively. At intermediate TAA concentrations, we evidenced the formation of ZnO/ZnS heterostructures. ZnS formation could take place via direct crystal growth involving Zn ions remaining in solution and S ions provided by TAA and/or chemical conversion of ZnO to ZnS. The combination of all the characterization techniques was crucial to elucidate the reaction steps and the nature of the final products.

Fast spectroscopic monitoring of inhibitors in the 2G ethanol process.

One of the main challenges of second generation (2G) ethanol production is the high quantities of phenolic compounds and furan derivatives generated in the pretreatment of the lignocellulosic biomass, which inhibit the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation steps. Fast monitoring of these inhibitory compounds could provide better control of the pretreatment, hydrolysis, and fermentation processes by enabling the implementation of strategic process control actions. We investigated the feasibility of monitoring these inhibitory compounds by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy associated with partial least squares (PLS) regression. Hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, vanillin, and ferulic and p-coumaric acids generated during different severities of liquid hot water pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse were quantified with highly accuracy. In cross-validation (leave-one-out), the PLS-UV-Vis method presented root mean square error of prediction (RMSECV) of around only 5.0%. The results demonstrated that the monitoring performance achieved with PLS-UV-Vis could support future studies of optimization and control protocols for application in industrial processes.

Selection of robust variables for transfer of classification models employing the successive projections algorithm.

Multivariate models have been widely used in analytical problems involving quantitative and qualitative analyzes. However, there are cases in which a model is not applicable to spectra of samples obtained under new experimental conditions or in an instrument not involved in the modeling step. A solution to this problem is the transfer of multivariate models, usually performed using standardization of the spectral responses or enhancement of the robustness of the model. This present paper proposes two new criteria for selection of robust variables for classification transfer employing the successive projections algorithm (SPA). These variables are then used to build models based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with low sensitivity with respect to the differences between the responses of the instruments involved. For this purpose, transfer samples are included in the calculation of the cost for each subset of variables under consideration. The proposed methods are evaluated for two case studies involving identification of adulteration of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and hydrated ethyl alcohol fuel (HEAF) using UV-Vis and NIR spectroscopy, respectively. In both cases, similar or better classification transfer results (obtained for a test set measured on the secondary instrument) employing the two criteria were obtained in comparison with direct standardization (DS) and piecewise direct standardization (PDS). For the UV-Vis data, both proposed criteria achieved the correct classification rate (CCR) of 85%, while the best CCR obtained for the standardization methods was 81% for DS. For the NIR data, 92.5% of CCR was obtained by both criteria as well as DS. The results demonstrated the possibility of using either of the criteria proposed for building robust models as an alternative to the standardization of spectral responses for transfer of classification.

Novel CoIII complexes containing fluorescent coumarin-N-acylhydrazone hybrid ligands: Synthesis, crystal structures, solution studies and DFT calculations.

A series of new CoIII complexes of the type [Co(dien)(L1-L3)]ClO4 (1-3), containing fluorescent coumarin-N-acylhydrazonate hybrid ligands, (E)-N'-(1-(7-oxido-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)ethylidene)-4-R-benzohydrazonate [where R=H (L12-), OCH3 (L22-) or Cl (L32-)], were obtained and isolated in the low spin CoIII configuration. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed that the coumarin-N-acylhydrazones act as tridentate ligands in their deprotonated form (L2-). The cation (+1) complexes contain a diethylenetriamine (dien) as auxiliary ligand and their structures were calculated by DFT studies which were also performed for the CoII (S=1/2 and S=3/2) configurations. The LS CoII (S=1/2) concentrated the spin density on the O-Co-O axis while the HS CoII (S=3/2) exhibited a broad spin density distribution around the metallic center. Cyclic voltammetry studies showed that structural modifications made in the L2- ligands caused a slight influence on the electronic density of the metal center, and the E1/2 values for the CoIII/CoII redox couple increased following the electronic effect of the R-substituent, in the order: 2 (R=OCH3)<1 (R=H)<3 (R=Cl). The theoretical redox potentials (E°) of the process CoIII→CoII were calculated for both CoII spin states (S=1/2 and S=3/2) and a better correlation was found for CoIII→CoII (S=1/2), compared with experimental values vs SHE (E°calc=-0.37, -0.36 and -0.32V vs E°exp.=-0.371, -0.406 and -0.358V, for 1-3 respectively). Complexes 1-3 exhibited a very intense absorption band around 470nm, assigned by DFT calculations as π-π* transitions from the delocalized coumarin-N-acylhydrazone system. 1-3 were very stable in MeOH for several days. Likewise, 1-3 were stable in phosphate buffer containing sodium ascorbate after 15h, which was attributed to the high chelate effect and σ-donor ability of the L2- and dien ligands.

Use of Agave tequilana-lignin and zinc oxide nanoparticles for skin photoprotection.

The use of sunscreens is essential for preventing skin damage and the potential appearance of skin cancer in humans. Inorganic active components such as zinc oxide (ZnO) have been used commonly in sunscreens due to their ability to block UVA radiation. This ultraviolet (UV) protection might be enhanced to cover the UVB and UVC bands when combined with other components such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). In this work we evaluate the photoprotection properties of organic nanoparticles made from lignin in combination with ZnO nanoparticles as active ingredients for sunscreens. Lignin nanoparticles were synthesized from Agave tequilana lignin. Two different pulping methods were used for dissolving lignin from agave bagasse. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by the precipitation method. All nanoparticles were characterized by SEM, UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy. Nanoparticles were mixed with a neutral vehicle in different concentrations and in-vitro sun protection factor (SPF) values were calculated. Different sizes of spherical lignin nanoparticles were obtained from the spent liquors of two different pulping methods. ZnO nanoparticles resulted with a flake shape. The mixture of all components gave SPF values in a range between 4 and 13. Lignin nanoparticles showed absorption in the UVB and UVC regions which can enhance the SPF value of sunscreens composed only of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Lignin nanoparticles have the added advantage of being of organic nature and its brown color can be used to match the skin tone of the person using it.

Pendant-drop method coupled to ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy: A useful tool to investigate interfacial phenomena.

UV-vis spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate surface phenomena. Surface tension measurements coupled to spectroscopic techniques can help to elucidate how the interface organization influences the electronic properties of molecules. However, appreciable sample volumes are usually necessary to achieve strong signals during conduction of experiments. This study reports on the simultaneous acquisition of surface tension data and UV-vis spectra by axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) coupled to diffuse reflectance (DRUV) spectrophotometry using a pendant microliter-drop that requires small sample volumes and low analyte concentrations. Three example systems gave evidence of the applicability of this technique: (a) disaggregation of an organic dye driven by surfactant as a function of the surface tension and alterations in the UV-vis spectra, (b) activity of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored enzyme estimated from formation of a colored product, and (c) interaction between this enzyme and biomimetic membrane systems consisting of dipalmitoylphosphaditylcholine and cholestenone. Apart from using smaller sample volume, this coupled technique allowed to investigate interfacial organization in the light of electronic spectra obtained in loco within a shorter acquisition time. This procedure provided precise interfacial information about static and dynamic systems. This has been the first study describing the kinetic activity of an enzyme in the presence of phospholipid monolayers through simultaneous determination of the surface tension and UV-vis spectra.

Using UV-Vis spectroscopy for simultaneous geographical and varietal classification of tea infusions simulating a home-made tea cup.

In this work we proposed a method to verify the differentiating characteristics of simple tea infusions prepared in boiling water alone (simulating a home-made tea cup), which represents the final product as ingested by the consumers. For this purpose we used UV-Vis spectroscopy and variable selection through the Successive Projections Algorithm associated with Linear Discriminant Analysis (SPA-LDA) for simultaneous classification of the teas according to their variety and geographic origin. For comparison, KNN, CART, SIMCA, PLS-DA and PCA-LDA were also used. SPA-LDA and PCA-LDA provided significantly better results for tea classification of the five studied classes (Argentinean green tea; Brazilian green tea; Argentinean black tea; Brazilian black tea; and Sri Lankan black tea). The proposed methodology provides a simpler, faster and more affordable classification of simple tea infusions, and can be used as an alternative approach to traditional tea quality evaluation as made by skilful tasters, which is evidently partial and cannot assess geographic origins.

Humic substances and its distribution in coffee crop under cover crops and weed control methods

Humic substances (HS) comprise the passive element in soil organic matter (SOM), and represent one of the soil carbon pools which may be altered by different cover crops and weed control methods. This study aimed to assess HS distribution and characteristics in an experimental coffee crop area subjected to cover crops and cultural, mechanical, and chemical weed control. The study was carried out at Londrina, in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil (23°2130 S; 51°1017 W). In 2008, seven weed control/cover crops were established in a randomized block design between two coffee rows as the main-plot factor per plot and soil sampling depths (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm and 30-40 cm) as a split-plot. HS were extracted through alkaline and acid solutions and analyzed by chromic acid wet oxidation and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Chemical attributes presented variations in the topsoil between the field conditions analyzed. Cover crop cutting and coffee tree pruning residues left on the soil surface may have interfered in nutrient cycling and the humification process. Data showed that humic substances comprised about 50 % of SOM. Although different cover crops and weed control methods did not alter humic and fulvic acid carbon content, a possible incidence of condensed aromatic structures at depth increments in fulvic acids was observed, leading to an average decrease of 53 % in the E4/E6 ratio. Humin carbon content increased 25 % in the topsoil, particularly under crop weed-control methods, probably due to high incorporation of recalcitrant structures from coffee tree pruning residues and cover crops.

Humic substances and its distribution in coffee crop under cover crops and weed control methods

Humic substances (HS) comprise the passive element in soil organic matter (SOM), and represent one of the soil carbon pools which may be altered by different cover crops and weed control methods. This study aimed to assess HS distribution and characteristics in an experimental coffee crop area subjected to cover crops and cultural, mechanical, and chemical weed control. The study was carried out at Londrina, in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil (23°2130 S; 51°1017 W). In 2008, seven weed control/cover crops were established in a randomized block design between two coffee rows as the main-plot factor per plot and soil sampling depths (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm and 30-40 cm) as a split-plot. HS were extracted through alkaline and acid solutions and analyzed by chromic acid wet oxidation and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Chemical attributes presented variations in the topsoil between the field conditions analyzed. Cover crop cutting and coffee tree pruning residues left on the soil surface may have interfered in nutrient cycling and the humification process. Data showed that humic substances comprised about 50 % of SOM. Although different cover crops and weed control methods did not alter humic and fulvic acid carbon content, a possible incidence of condensed aromatic structures at depth increments in fulvic acids was observed, leading to an average decrease of 53 % in the E4/E6 ratio. Humin carbon content increased 25 % in the topsoil, particularly under crop weed-control methods, probably due to high incorporation of recalcitrant structures from coffee tree pruning residues and cover crops.(AU)

Optimization of Parameters for Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Aegle marmelos

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to optimize the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using leaves ofAegle marmelos as the primary source. The optimal reaction medium comprised 2:1 concentration of leaf extract and 6mM concentration of silver nitrate solution (pH 7. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles were confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy at 420 nm, XRD and FTIR analysis. The antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles were confirmed withBacillus subtilis andPseudomonas aeruginosa.