Characterization of sulfate-reducing bacteria in yeast industry waste by microcalorimetry and PCR amplification

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were isolated from anaerobic sludge of yeast factory wastewater treatment plant by cultivation on Postgate C medium. Microcalorimetry was used to monitor the anaerobic digestion processes and to measure the growth rates of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The maximum growth rates determined by microcalorimetry and ATP analysis were different—μ_max(dQ/dt) = 0.165 ± 0.008 h⁻¹ and μ_max(N_ATP) = 0.207 ± 0.013 h⁻¹. Experiments on the cultivation of SRB from yeast industry wastewater treatment plant in batch culture showed that during the first 20 h the concentration of sulfate decreased from 78.3 mM down to 62.2 mM while the increase of sulfide production was negligible. Perceptible amount of sulfide (7.82 mM) appeared on the 33.5 h of fermentation together with a peak on the power–time curve and considerable increase in the cell count (1.26 × 10⁹). First steps of sulfate metabolism (activation of sulfate by ATP sulfurylase, production of H₂) are accompanied by endothermic heat effects, therefore the values of thermal power remain moderate until the evolution of sulfide starts. The influence of green microalgae Chlorococcum sp. (preparation Biotreat 100) on the growth characteristics of microorganisms was also studied. Identification of one SRB strain was started by sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene. Two sets of primers were used for PCR amplification, both specific for domain Bacteria but giving different gene fragments. PCR-products were purified with JETQUICK kit according to the manufacturer instructions.     

Catalysis by ionic liquid: a simple, green and efficient procedure for the Michael addition of thiols and thiophosphate to conjugated alkenes in ionic liquid, [pmIm]Br

A room temperature ionic liquid, 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, [pmIm]Br efficiently catalyzes Michael addition of thiols and diethyl dithiophosphate to a variety of conjugated alkenes such as α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, carboxylic esters, nitriles and chalcones without requiring any other organic solvent and catalyst. The ionic liquid can be recycled for subsequent reactions without any appreciable loss of efficiency.     

Synthesis of highly condensed heterocycles using radical reactions

Using radical chemistry novel highly condensed heterocycles have been synthesized. The mechanism for their formation is discussed.     

Hollow latex particles as submicrometer reactors for polymerization in confined geometries

A method was developed for free‐radical polymerization in the confines of a hollow latex particle. Hollow particles were prepared via the dynamic swelling method from polystyrene seed and divinylbenzene and had hollows of 500–1000 nm. So that these hollow poly(divinylbenzene) particles could function as submicrometer reactors, the particles were filled with a monomer (N‐isopropylacrylamide) via the dispersion of the dried particles in the molten monomer. The monomer that was not contained in the hollows was removed by washing and gentle abrasion. Free‐radical polymerization was then initiated by γ radiolysis in the solid state. Transmission electron microscopy showed that poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) formed in the hollow interior of the particles, which functioned as submicrometer reactors. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5706–5713, 2004     

Metallo‐supramolecular block copolymer micelles: Improved preparation and characterization

Micelles prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers in which a poly(styrene) segment is connected to a poly(ethylene oxide) block via a bis‐(2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine‐ruthenium) complex have been intensely studied. In most cases, the micelle populations were found to be strongly heterogeneous in size because of massive micelle/micelle aggregation. In the study reported in this article we tried to improve the homogeneity of the micelle population. The variant preparation procedure developed, which is described here, was used to prepare two “protomer”‐type micelles: PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀ and PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₃₇₅. The dropwise addition of water to a solution of the compounds in dimethylformamide was replaced by the controlled addition of water by a syringe pump. The resulting micelles were characterized by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium analyses in an analytical ultracentrifuge and by transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained samples. Sedimentation analysis showed virtually unimodal size distributions, in contrast to the findings on micelles prepared previously. PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₇₀ micelles were found to have an average molar mass of 318,000 g/mol (corresponding to 53 protomers per micelle, which is distinctly less than after micelle preparation by the standard method) and an average hydrodynamic diameter (d_h) of 18 nm. For PS₂₀‐[Ru]‐PEO₃₇₅ micelles, the corresponding values were M = 603,000 g/mol (31 protomers per micelle) and d_h = 34 nm. The latter particles were found to be identical to the “equilibrium” micelles prepared in pure water. Both micelle types had a very narrow molar mass distribution but a much broader distribution of s values and thus of hydrodynamic diameters. This indicates a conformational heterogeneity that is stable on the time scale of sedimentation velocity analysis. The findings from electron microscopy were in disagreement with those from the sedimentation analysis both in average micelle diameter and in the width of the distributions, apparently because of imperfections in the staining procedure. The preparation procedure described also may be useful in micelle formation from other types of protomers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4458–4465, 2004     

Geometrical Molecular Structure Design Concept in Approach to Homo- and Heterometallic Precursors of Advanced Materials in Sol–Gel Technology

The article describes the principles of the Single Source Precursor approach to inorganic materials and introduces the Geometrical Molecular Structure Design Concept (MSDC) based on the choice of a proper molecular structure type for the desired precursor and completing it with ligands providing both the necessary number of donor atoms and the sterical protection of the chosen core. Application of MSDC is illustrated with examples taken from development of new approaches in the synthesis of oxide and sulfide catalysts and ferroelectric oxide materials.     

用格林函数法计算量子点中的应变分布

自组装量子点材料作为一种新型的光电材料无论在理论和实际应用都成为当今物理学界的研 究热点.由GaAs包围的InAs小岛，由于较大的晶格失配（≈-0.067），应变效应在量子点 的 形成过程中起主导作用.大部分计算量子点结构应变分布的方法都是基于数值解法，需要大 量的计算工作.给出用格林函数法推导各种常见形状量子点应变分布的解析表达式详细过程，讨论了弹性各向异性和形状各向异性对量子点应变分布的影响程度.结果表明对于不 同形状量子点结构中主要部分的应变分布都是相似的，流体静压变部分的特征值随量子点形状的变化不 关键词： 自组装量子点 格林函数 应变分布