Developed and emerging 1,4-butanediol commercial production strategies: forecasting the current status and future possibility.

1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BDO) is a valuable industrial chemical that is primarily produced via several energy-intensive petrochemical processes based on fossil-based raw materials, leading to issues related to: non-renewability, environmental contamination, and high production costs. 1,4-BDO is used in many chemical reactions to develop a variety of useful, valuable products, such as: polyurethane, Spandex intermediates, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), a water-soluble polymer with numerous personal care and pharmaceutical uses. In recent years, to satisfy the growing need for 1,4-BDO, there has been a major shift in focus to sustainable bioproduction via microorganisms using: recombinant strains, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, enzyme engineering, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence-guided algorithms. This article discusses the current status of the development of: various chemical and biological production techniques for 1,4-BDO, advances in biological pathways for 1,4-BDO biosynthesis, prospects for future production strategies, and the difficulties associated with environmentally friendly and bio-based commercial production strategies.

Noni fruit extract ameliorates alcohol-induced hangover symptoms by reducing the concentrations of alcohol and acetaldehyde in a Sprague Dawley rat model and a human intervention study.

Various studies have reported that Noni shows various health effects. This study aimed to assess the ability of Noni fruit extract to serve as a single active functional ingredient for the alleviation of hangover symptoms in Sprague Dawley rats and healthy subjects in a single-dose, randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study. The rats were orally administered Noni fruit extract at 50 or 100 mg per kg body weight (B.W.) and HOVENIA. The blood ethanol (EtOH) and acetaldehyde concentrations were significantly lower in the 100 mg per kg B.W. group than in the EtOH group. Alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity tended to increase in the 100 mg kg-1 B.W. group. In the human study, 30 subjects received either a placebo or Noni fruit extract (1 g). The Noni fruit extract group showed significantly faster time point at which the maximum concentration (Tmax) of alcohol than in the placebo group. In addition, blood acetaldehyde levels and diarrhea at 40 and 720 min after alcohol intake and the area under the curve between 40 and 60 min of acetaldehyde were significantly decreased in the Noni fruit extract group compared to the placebo group. According to the QUalitative INteraction Trees, subjects who were ≤36 years old who consumed more alcohol (>15 drinks per week) and had a higher total hangover score (>27.5 and 33) presented significantly lower blood acetaldehyde levels and less severe hangover symptoms. These results indicate that Noni fruit extract has the potential to improve hangover symptoms by decreasing alcohol and acetaldehyde levels.

Reduction of particle emissions from gasoline vehicles with direct fuel injection systems using a gasoline particulate filter.

To analyze the effect of a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) attachment on the emissions of gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicles, this study compares the emission results of three types of vehicles: conventional GDI vehicles, vehicles with a GPF at the close-couple catalytic converter (CCC), and vehicles with a GPF at the under-floor catalytic converter (UCC). Regulated particulate matter (PM) and particle number (PN) emitted from test vehicles were measured using gravimetric methods and condensation particle counter (CPC) equipment. In addition, this study analyzed nanoparticle size distribution, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and ammonia (NH3) using EEPS, OC-EC analyzer, and HFIR equipment. In cases of regulated particle emissions, both PM and PN satisfy EURO 6c and are reduced when a GPF is attached. Particulate emissions are especially reduced when the GPF is attached at the UCC position. This is believed to be why a soot layer is formed in stable flow. Emissions of nanoparticles and OC/EC are high in US06 mode at high driving speed. This is considered to be the influence of the regeneration of the GPF as the temperature of the exhaust gas rises. The emission of NH3 is also highest in US06 mode, which is related to catalytic conversion efficiency.