Application of recombinant phage display antibody system in study of Codakia orbicularis gill proteins

We used the recombinant phage display antibody system (RPAS) to obtain chimeric single-chain fragment variable (ScFv) antibodies to gill proteins of the white clam Codakia orbicularis (Linné, 1758). After three rounds of selection on immunotubes loaded with total gill protein extract, recombinant phages exhibiting antibodies to gill proteins were isolated and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clones exhibiting a high affinity for the mollusk proteins were selected for production of soluble ScFv antibodies, which were purified for subsequent analysis. ScFv antibodies exhibited a reaction specific for a protein whose molecular mass was about 15,000 Daltons and that was detected by the antigen capture technique followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting.     

Large area excimer laser induced deposition of titanium from titanium tetrachloride

Large area excimer laser induced deposition of titanium on fused silica from TiCl₄ is studied with an emphasis on process modeling. We show that several TiCl₄ monolayers can be adsorbed if the surface is adequately prepared and that the Ti thin film growth occurs through the photodecomposition of this adsorbed TiCl₄ layer. We propose two growth regimes. During an initiation phase, up to 3 nm in thickness, the adsorbed layer is photochemically decomposed giving a growth rate of 0.015 nm/pulse. In a second phase, the deposition rate increases to between 2 and 7 nm/pulse due to the laser heating of the preceding photochemically deposited titanium film. Between consecutive pulses, TiCl₄ molecules primarily from the adsorbed layer diffuse to the reaction zone leading to a new adsorbed layer ready to be transformed to solid titanium.     

Liquid chromatographic analysis of vitamin B6 in reconstituted infant formula: collaborative study

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method was validated for the determination of total vitamin B6 in infant formula. Total vitamin B6 was quantified by converting the phosphorylated and free vitamers into pyridoxine. Pyridoxine was determined by ion pair reversed-phase LC with fluorescence detection. The method was subjected to an AOAC collaborative study involving a factory-manufactured, milk- and soy-based infant formula. Each was spiked at 3 concentrations in the range of 0-1 microg/g and sent as blind duplicate to participant laboratories. Nine laboratories returned valid data which were statistically analyzed for outliers and precision parameters. The repeatability relative standard deviation (RSD(r)) ranges were 2.0-4.0 and 3.5-5.9% for fortified milk- and soy-based formulas, respectively. The reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSD(R)) ranges were 8.2-8.4 and 6.7-11.2% for fortified milk- and soy-based formulas, respectively. HORRAT values ranged from 0.42 to 0.53, indicating that the precision of the method is acceptable. The mean RSD(r):RSD(R) values were 0.60 and 0.55 for milk- and soy-based formulas, respectively. As expected, RSDs for the unfortified samples were higher, but their HORRAT values (0.81 and 2.06) helped define a realistic limit of quantitation as 0.05 microg/g. Recovery data were quantitative and varied between 81.4 and 98.0% (mean = 89.8%) for each of 6 spiked materials.     

General perspectives on model construction and evaluation for stochastic estimation,with application to a blunt trailing edge wake

The technique of stochastic estimation is examined as a specific application of linear least squares modelling. Factors that are relevant to the objectives of estimation in fluids, such as the number of sensors, the use of multiple time lags, and the strength of linear correlations, are discussed in the context of a general regression formulation. We consolidate the established findings of several research fields in order to outline clearly the potential pitfalls and reasonable performance expectations of these empirical strategies. Experimental measurements of velocity and fluctuating pressure in the wake of a blunt trailing edge body are used for quantitative illustration of key considerations for model construction and performance evaluation. It is emphasized that estimator accuracy is influenced strongly by the physical relationships among the measured variables, in addition to their correlation with the estimated variable. The evaluation of several performance metrics on an independent test set provides valuable information for the selection of a suitably complex model. In particular, “variance inflation” is interpreted as an indicator of the potential amplification of noise by a stochastic estimator.     

Saturation of Berge hypergraphs

Given a graph $F$, a hypergraph is a Berge- $F$ if it can be obtained by expanding each edge in $F$ to a hyperedge containing it. A hypergraph $H$ is Berge-$F$-saturated if $H$ does not contain a subhypergraph that is a Berge-$F$, but for any edge $e\in E\left(\overline{H}\right)$, $H+e$ does. The $k$-uniform saturation number of Berge-$F$ is the minimum number of edges in a $k$-uniform Berge-$F$-saturated hypergraph on $n$ vertices. For $k=2$ this definition coincides with the classical definition of saturation for graphs. In this paper we study the saturation numbers for Berge triangles, paths, cycles, stars and matchings in $k$-uniform hypergraphs.     

Aerodynamic optimization of the flat-plate leading edge for experimental studies of laminar and transitional boundary layers

This work is concerned with the design of a leading edge for a flat-plate model used to study laminar and transitional boundary layers. For this study, the flow over the complete boundary-layer model, including leading edge, flat section, and trailing-edge flap, is modeled. The effect of important geometrical features of the leading edge on the resulting pressure distribution, starting from the well-known symmetric modified super ellipse, is investigated. A minimal pressure gradient on the measurement side of the plate is achieved using an asymmetrical configuration of modified super ellipses, with a thickness ratio of 7/24. An aerodynamic shape optimization is performed to obtain a novel leading edge shape that greatly reduces the length of the non-zero pressure gradient region and the adverse pressure gradient region compared to geometries defined by ellipses. Wind tunnel testing is used to validate the numerical solutions.     

Acid-Catalyzed E-Ring Expansion and Isomerization of 3-Acetylbetulin: Synthesis of Cytotoxic Anhydrobetulin Saponins

22(17 → 28)abeo-Lupene derivatives 5a and 6a were obtained after the acid-catalyzed E-ring expansion of 3-acetylbetulin (1a). Glycosylation of these dehydrated triterpenoids using Schmidt's trichloroacetimidate sugar donors in the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) provided the new anhydrobetulin saponins 7b–7e in which the terminal olefin C-20(29) isomerizes to form a C-19 tetrasubstituted alkene. The preliminary cytotoxic evaluation revealed that saponins 7b–7d exhibited a moderate cytotoxic activity against A549, DLD-1, and WS1 human cell lines with IC₅₀ ranging from 22 to 49 μM.     

Thermal studies for preparation of Nb10Hf1Ti Alloy

The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of preparation of Nb10Hf1Ti alloy by magnesiothermic reduction of its oxides. DTA studies were conducted to identify the reduction temperature for co reduction of the mixed oxides of Nb₂O₅, HfO₂, and TiO₂ by magnesium under reducing atmosphere. Based on DTA analysis, experiments were carried out to prepare Nb10Hf1Ti alloy by magnesiothermic reduction of their oxides at 750 °C. The reduced product was analyzed for its phases by X-ray diffraction. The excess Mg was leached out, the alloy mixture was vacuum dried, pelletized, sintered, and electron beam melted to get a consolidated alloy of the required composition. The alloy was characterized using different techniques such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and chemical analysis. Microstructural observations revealed the formation of coarse grain structure in the consolidated alloy. The alloy product was also evaluated for its micro hardness.