Experimental and modeling study on decomposition kinetics of methane hydrates in different media

The decomposition kinetic behaviors of methane hydrates formed in 5 cm3 porous wet activated carbon were studied experimentally in a closed system in the temperature range of 275.8-264.4 K. The decomposition rates of methane hydrates formed from 5 cm3 of pure free water and an aqueous solution of 650 g x m(-3) sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were also measured for comparison. The decomposition rates of methane hydrates in seven different cases were compared. The results showed that the methane hydrates dissociate more rapidly in porous activated carbon than in free systems. A mathematical model was developed for describing the decomposition kinetic behavior of methane hydrates below ice point based on an ice-shielding mechanism in which a porous ice layer was assumed to be formed during the decomposition of hydrate, and the diffusion of methane molecules through it was assumed to be one of the control steps. The parameters of the model were determined by correlating the decomposition rate data, and the activation energies were further determined with respect to three different media. The model was found to well describe the decomposition kinetic behavior of methane hydrate in different media.     

A High Yield Method of Extracting Alkaloid from Aconitum coreanum by Pulsed Electric Field

A high yield method to extract alkaloids from Aconitum coreanum using pulsed electric field (PEF) was developed, and the optimized extraction method compared to the other four extraction methods, consisting of cold maceration extraction, percolation extraction, heat reflux extraction (HRE), and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UE). The experimental factors of the extraction methods such as electric field intensity, pulse frequency and solid-to-solvent ratio were evaluated. The content of Guanfu base A (GFA) was quantified by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the highest yield of GFA was 3.94 mg g^?1 by PEF with conditions of 20 kV cm^?1 electric field intensity, 8 pulse, 1:12 solid-to-solvent ratio, and 90 % ethanol–water solution. Meanwhile, the extraction time of PEF was <1 min, which is much less than the HRE of 10 h and even the newly used technique UE of 40 min. Moreover, the results of PEF extraction method showed obvious advantages, with the highest efficiency (120 L h^?1), the shortest extraction time (0.5–1 min), and the lowest energy costs, which could be applied in the industrial production of alkaloids from A. coreanum. Therefore, the application of the PEF extraction method is a promising and constructive method for extraction of GFA.     

Viable but nonculturable cells used in biosensor fabrication for long-term storage stability

In this paper, we first reported the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells used for fabricating biosensor. The organic-inorganic hybrid material composed of silica and the grafting copolymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) and 4-vinylpyridine (PVA-g-P(4-VP)) was used to immobilize microbial cells for biosensor fabrication. The VBNC cells were formed after the hybrid material dried, showing the cell walls were sacrificed. With the intracellular enzymes as core and the “sacrificed” cell walls as shell, the present VBNC cells maybe considered as a core/shell structure. The extracellular material worked as the scaffold for core/shell structure. The core/shell structure and the scaffold structure were demonstrated by single-cell level image analysis using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The electrochemical method was adopted for further examining the enzyme activity of VBNC cells. The VBNC cells did not need nutrient treatment and other physicochemical factors for cell growth, which is a significant contribution for storing biosensor. A glucose-glutamic acid biosensor fabricated by the VBNC cells exhibited long-term storage stability for 100 days.     

Inequalities for eigenvalues of the drifting Laplacian on Riemannian manifolds

This paper studies eigenvalues of the drifting Laplacian on compact Riemannian manifolds with boundary (possibly empty) and provides a general inequality for them. Using the general inequality, we obtain universal inequalities for eigenvalues of the drifting Laplacian of Payne-Pólya-Weinberger-Yang type for manifolds supporting some special functions. We also obtain a lower bound for the first eigenvalue of the square of the drifting Laplacian on compact manifolds with boundary under some condition on the Bakry-Ricci curvature.     

Rigidity Theorems for Manifolds with Boundary and Nonnegative Ricci Curvature

In this paper, we obtain some rigidity theorems for compact Riemannian manifolds Ω with boundary M and nonnegative Ricci curvature; for instance, we prove that the existence of certain functions on M together with a lower bound c > 0 on the principal curvtures of M imply that Ω is an euclidean ball of radius $ {1\over c} $ .     

Separation of peptides and proteins by capillary electrophoresis using acidic buffers containing tetraalkylammonium cations and cyclodextrins

A method for improving separations of peptides and other positively charged species in capillary zone electrophoresis with untreated capillaries using acidic buffers containing tetraalkylammonium cations is described. Tetramethylammonium and tetrabutylammonium cations dynamically modify the capillary surface, leading to a reversal in the direction of the electroosmotic flow. As a result, the adsorption of positively charged peptides and proteins is minimized, and resolution and peak capacity are improved as the migration of cationic analytes is counterbalanced by the electroosmotic flow. The combining effect of reversing electroosmotic flow and cyclodextrin inclusion complexation on separations of closely related peptides and a protein mixture, as well as tryptic digest of hemoglobin is demonstrated.     

Growth of apatite on chitosan-multiwall carbon nanotube composite membranes

Bioactive membranes for guided tissue regeneration would be of value for periodontal therapy. Chitosan-multiwall carbon nanotube (CS-MWNT) composites were treated to deposit nanoscopic apatite for MWNT proportions of 0-4 mass%. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction were used for characterization. Apatite was formed on the CS-MWNT composites at low MWNT concentrations, but the dispersion of the MWNT affects the crystallite size and the Ca/P molar ratio of the composite. The smallest crystallite size was 9 nm at 1 mass% MWNT.