Replacing liquid electrolytes with a versatile, solid-state membrane based on highly functionalized cellulose nanofibers allows for easy integration of rechargeable zinc–air into any bendable and wearable devices.
Guava (Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae) leaves have been used as a folk herbal tea to treat diabetes for a long time in Asia and North America. In this study, we isolated polysaccharides from guava leaves (GLP), and evaluated its antioxidant activity in vitro and anti-diabetic effects on diabetic mice induced by streptozotocin combined with high-fat diet. The results indicated that GLP exhibited good DPPH, OH, and ABTS free-radical scavenging abilities, and significantly lowered fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, total triglycerides, glycated serum protein, creatinine, and malonaldehyde. Meanwhile, it significantly increased the total antioxidant activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity in diabetic mice, as well as ameliorated the damage of liver, kidney, and pancreas. Thus, polysaccharides from guava leaves could be explored as a potential antioxidant or anti-diabetic agents for functional foods or complementary medicine.
Tuber indicum is one of the most renowned commercialized fungi in China. Mycorrhizal investigations, however, have been carried out mainly with exotic trees. Up to now there is no detailed description of morphology of the mycorrhizae formed with the indigenous hosts of T. indicum. Containerized seedlings of two indigenous hosts of the fungus in southwestern China, Pinus armandii and Castanea mollissima, were inoculated with aqueous spore suspension of T. indicum in two kinds of substrates. Mycorrhizae began to form 4 months after inoculation and were harvested at 9 months. The contributing fungus of the mycorrhizae was confirmed to be T. indicum by morphological and ITS-rDNA sequence analyses. The morphology of emanating hyphae and epidermoid-like mantle appearance was similar to the mycorrhizae obtained with some European trees. The high morphological variation and the similarity to that of Tuber melanosporum makes it difficult to distinguish the mycorrhizae of the two species by morphology alone. The synthesis of mycorrhizae of T. indicum with its indigenous hosts will be of great significance for planned cultivation of the Asian black truffles.
The presence of lignin in lignocellulosic biomass leads to a protective barrier which prevents enzymes from being accessible to cellulose and hemicellulose for hydrolysis. As a result, pre‐treatment is a ‘must’ step for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Bio pre‐treatment is normally conducted at low temperatures and low pressures without using expensive equipment, chemical agents, reactors, and additional energy for lignin removal and biomass structure destruction. Therefore, it is a green, safe, and inexpensive method. White‐rot fungi (WRF), a group of fungi (more than 1500 different species) are successfully applied in bioconversion processes such as sewage treatment, biopulping, conversion of forest and agricultural residues to animal feeds, and the production of edible or medicinal mushrooms. In the bio pre‐treatment process, WRF are mostly used for secreting ligninolytic enzymes, a variety of donor substrates and selective degradation of lignin. Current research related to WRF bio pre‐treatment is mainly focusing on the following four aspects: (i) selection of candidate strains for certain biomass materials; (ii) optimization of cultivation methods; (iii) characterization of fungal treated materials; and (iv) evaluation of combining bio pre‐treatment with chemical or physicochemical approaches. Future prospects and recommended research work on applying WRF in bio pre‐treatment are also briefly introduced and summarized in this review. These include (i) integrated methods (i.e. co‐treatment with organic solvents, diluted acids, supercritical CO2 and ionic liquids) to resolve problems existing in fungal pre‐treatment applications; (ii) mutation breeding and crossbreeding of fungal mycelia to obtain engineering strains; and (iii) integration of fungal pre‐treatment with simultaneous saccharification and fermentation to produce biofuels and value‐added products. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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