Effect of alkaline pretreatment on delignification of wheat straw

This study was conducted to analyse structural changes through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) after alkaline pretreatment of wheat straw for optimum steaming period. During the study, 2 mm size of substrate was soaked in 2.5% NaOH for 1 h at room temperature and then autoclaved at 121°C for various steaming time (30, 60, 90 and 120 min). Results revealed that residence time of 90 min at 121°C has strong effect on substrate, achieving a maximum cellulose content of 83%, delignification of 81% and hemicellulose content of 10.5%. Further SEM and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed structural modification caused by alkaline pretreatment in substrate. Maximum saccharification yield of 52.93% was achieved with 0.5% enzyme concentration using 2.5% substrate concentration for 8 h of incubation at 50°C. This result indicates that the above-mentioned pretreatment conditions create accessible areas for enzymatic hydrolysis.     

后处理工艺制备多级孔Ti-BEA沸石及其环氧化催化性能

基于脱铝多级孔BEA沸石与二氯二茂钛的固相反应,开展了钛掺杂量可调的多级孔Ti-beta后处理工艺制备研究.对制备的多级孔Ti-beta样品的理化性质进行了表征,包括X射线衍射、氮气吸附脱附测试、扫描电镜、透射电镜、紫外可见吸收光谱和紫外拉曼光谱等.结果表明,多级孔BEA沸石具有较好的化学稳定性,脱铝-钛化的后处理过程未对样品多级孔结构产生明显影响. 以环己烯和十二烯的烯烃环氧化为探针反应表征了合成多级孔Ti-beta与纯相微孔Ti-beta沸石的催化性能.结果表明,在小分子环己烯的环氧化反应中,多级孔Ti-beta沸石的催化活性(转化率59.4%)与微孔Ti-beta相当(转化率57.9%);但是在较大分子十二烯的催化反应中,多级孔结构Ti-beta材料的催化性能(转化率11.1%)明显优于纯相微孔材料(转化率6.8%),且产物中环氧化物选择性更高(分别为60.3%和37.8%).     

Numerical ray-tracing approach with laser intensity distribution for LIDAR signal power function computation

We have developed a new numerical ray-tracing approach for LIDAR signal power function computation, in which the light round-trip propagation is analyzed by geometrical optics and a simple experiment is employed to acquire the laser intensity distribution. It is relatively more accurate and flexible than previous methods. We emphatically discuss the relationship between the inclined angle and the dynamic range of detector output signal in biaxial LIDAR system. Results indicate that an appropriate negative angle can compress the signal dynamic range. This technique has been successfully proved by comparison with real measurements.     

Caragisides A – C,New Isoflavone Glucosides from Caragana conferta with Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation

Caragisides A–C ( 1 – 3 , resp.), three new isoflavone glucosides, were isolated from the BuOH sub‐fraction of the EtOH extract of the whole plant of Caragana conferta, along with ononoside ( 4 ), reported for the first time from this species. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques including MS and 2D‐NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1 – 3 showed significant inhibition of platelet aggregation.     

One‐Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reactions

A high amount of heteroatom doping in carbon, although favorable for enhanced density of catalytically active sites, may lead to substantially decreased electroconductivity, which is necessary for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction. Herein, a relatively low amount of nitrogen was successfully doped into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a hydrothermal approach in one step, and the synthesized nitrogen‐doped CNT (CNT‐N) materials retained most of the original, excellent characteristics, such as the graphitic structure, tubular morphology, and high surface area, of CNTs. The resultant CNT‐N materials, although containing a relatively low amount of nitrogen doping, exhibited high electrocatalytic ORR activity, comparable to that of 20 wt % Pt/C; long durability; and, more importantly, largely inhibited methanol crossover effect.     

无机纳米与多孔材料合成中的凝聚态化学

所谓凝聚态,一般意义上是指液态和固态,而凝聚态化学,即是在固相和液相中的各种化学过程。在无机材料,特别是无机纳米与多孔材料的合成制备中,凝聚态化学过程贯穿其中,几乎无处不在。在固相材料合成过程中,通过液相中的各种化学反应以获得目标固体材料的所需组分和物相,也许就是无机材料合成中一个最基本的凝聚态化学问题;而多孔如微孔或介孔材料合成中,更涉及伴随组分和物相形成过程中的孔结构形成与调控;进一步,在制备面向实际应用如催化剂和药物载体时,则在以上的各项要求之外,还必须考虑材料的表面活性位、缺陷等关键因素,以及颗粒尺寸、分散性和形貌等几何和物理特性。本文以无机氧化物为对象,讨论了无机材料在凝聚态化学合成过程中的几个侧面,包括纳米颗粒和粉体的化学合成方法,多孔材料的合成和多孔复相结构的合成调控,以及多级孔结构沸石的合成制备与催化性能,以期能加深对材料合成中凝聚态化学过程的认识,并期待以凝聚态化学为指导,进一步推动无机材料特别是纳米多孔材料合成的发展。     

Behavior of concrete cylinders confined by a carbon composite 3. Deformability and the ultimate axial strain

Results of an experimental investigation into the mechanical properties of concrete cylinders confined by a carbon-epoxy composite wrapping are presented. It is shown that, for all the con fined con crete spec i mens tested, the loading paths in the normalized stress space follow a single master curve, what ever the concrete strength and confinement intensity. At stresses in the confined concrete exceeding the strength of plain concrete, the tangent modulus was found to depend on the slope angle of the master curve and the asymptotic value of the differential Poisson ratio (the first derivative of the lateral strain with respect to the axial one). Formulas for predicting the ultimate axial strain and the tangent modulus are derived and compared with the corresponding fib (fédération internationale du béton) recommendations. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 433–448, July–Au gust, 2006.     

A photoactive isoprenoid diphosphate analogue containing a stable phosphonate linkage: synthesis and biochemical studies with prenyltransferases

A number of biochemical processes rely on isoprenoids, including the post-translational modification of signaling proteins and the biosynthesis of a wide array of compounds. Photoactivatable analogues have been developed to study isoprenoid utilizing enzymes such as the isoprenoid synthases and prenyltransferases. While these initial analogues proved to be excellent structural analogues with good cross-linking capability, they lack the stability needed when the goals include isolation of cross-linked species, tryptic digestion, and subsequent peptide sequencing. Here, the synthesis of a benzophenone-based farnesyl diphosphate analogue containing a stable phosphonophosphate group is described. Inhibition kinetics, photolabeling experiments, as well as X-ray crystallographic analysis with a protein prenyltransferase are described, verifying this compound as a good isoprenoid mimetic. In addition, the utility of this new analogue was explored by using it to photoaffinity label crude protein extracts obtained from Hevea brasiliensis latex. Those experiments suggest that a small protein, rubber elongation factor, interacts directly with farnesyl diphosphate during rubber biosynthesis. These results indicate that this benzophenone-based isoprenoid analogue will be useful for identifying enzymes that utilize farnesyl diphosphate as a substrate.