Sequential injection chemiluminescence immunoassay for nonionic surfactants by using magnetic microbeads

A rapid and sensitive immunoassay based on a sequential injection analysis (SIA) using magnetic microbeads for the determination of alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APnEOs) is described. An SIA system was constructed from a syringe pump, a switching valve, a flow-through type immunoreaction cell equipped with a photon counting unit and a neodymium magnet. Magnetic beads, to which an anti-APnEOs monoclonal antibody was immobilized, were used as a solid support in an immunoassay. The introduction, trapping and release of the magnetic beads in and from the immunoreaction cell were controlled by means of a neodymium magnet and adjusting the flow of a carrier solution. The immunoassay was based on an indirect competitive immunoreaction of an anti-APnEOs monoclonal antibody immobilized on the magnetic beads with a sample APnEOs and a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled APnEOs in the same sample solution, and was based on the subsequent chemiluminscence reaction of HRP on the magnetic microbeads with a luminol solution containing hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol. The anti-APnEOs antibody was immobilized on the magnetic microbeads by coupling the antibody with the magnetic beads after activation of a carboxylate moiety on the surface of the magnetic beads that had been coated with a polylactic acid film. The antibody immobilized magnetic beads were introduced in the immunoreaction cell and trapped in it by the neodymium magnet, which was equipped beneath the immunoreaction cell. An APnEOs sample solution containing the HRP-labeled APnEOs at a constant concentration, and a luminol solution containing hydrogen peroxide and p-iodophenol were sequentially introduced into the immunoreaction cell, according to an SIA programmed sequence. Chemiluminescence emission was monitored by means of a photon counting unit located at the upper side of the immunoreaction cell by collecting the emitted light with a lens. A typical sigmoidal calibration curve was obtained, when the logarithm of the concentration of APnEOs was plotted against the chemiluminescence intensity as the number of photons in 100 ms using standard APnEOs sample solutions at various concentrations (0–1000 ppb) under optimum conditions. The lower detection limit defined as IC₈₀ is ca 10 ppb. The time required for analysis is less than 15 min per a sample. The present method was successfully applied to the determination of APnEOs in river water.     

Anti-Obesity Effects of Matoa (Pometia pinnata) Fruit Peel Powder in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats

Fruit peels, pericarps, or rinds are rich in phenolic/polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties and potentially beneficial effects against obesity and obesity-related non-communicable diseases. This study investigated the anti-obesity effects of matoa (Pometia pinnata) and salak (Salacca zalacca) fruit peel. Neither matoa peel powder (MPP) nor salak peel powder (SPP) affected the body weight, visceral fat weight, or serum glucose or lipid levels of Sprague–Dawley rats when included as 1% (w/w) of a high-fat diet (HFD). However, MPP significantly decreased the hepatic lipid level. MPP at a dose of 3% (w/w) of the HFD decreased body weight, visceral fat, and serum triglyceride levels as well as the hepatic lipid content. The inhibitory effect of MPP on hepatic lipid accumulation was not enhanced when its concentration was increased from 1% to 3% of the HFD. The anti-obesity effect of matoa was partly explained by the inhibitory effect of the matoa peel extract on fatty acid-induced secretion of ApoB-48 protein, a marker of intestinal chylomicrons, in differentiated Caco-2 cell monolayers. We identified hederagenin saponins that are abundant in MPP as potential anti-obesity substances. These results will contribute towards the development of functional foods with anti-obesity effects using the matoa fruit peel.     

化学计量的氧化钠团簇阳离子结构的离子迁移质谱法研究

本文通过离子迁移质谱法研究了氧化钠团簇阳离子(Na_nO_m⁺,n≤11)的稳定结构. 质谱结果表明化学计量组成Na(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺ (n=3、5、7、9和11)系列是稳定的,并且NaO(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺ (n=5、7、9和11)系列作为二级稳定系列. 为了获得这些团簇离子的结构,通过离子迁移率测量实验测定离子和氦缓冲气体之间的碰撞截面. 同时计算了这些组合物优化结构的理论碰撞截面. 结果表明,Na(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺和NaO(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺的结构除了n=9之外,其它具有相似结构框架. Na(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺所有的化合键位于钠和氧之间. 另一方面,NaO(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺中除了Na-O键之外,还存在一个O-O氧键,表明NaO(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺具有过氧化物离子(O₂^2-)作为Na(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺的氧化物离子(O^2-) 的替代物. Na(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺和NaO(Na₂O)_(n-1)/2⁺两种稳定系列都是闭壳组合物. 这些闭壳特征对氧化钠簇阳离子的稳定性具有强烈影响.     

ASACUSA MUSASHI: New progress with intense ultra slow antiproton beam

Our group “ASACUSA MUSASHI” has established an efficient way for accumulating antiprotons and extracting them as intense ultra-slow mono-energetic beams at the CERN-AD facility. This novel beam opens new frontiers for investigating a variety of physics. For realizing H? spectroscopy and the test for charge-parity-time symmetry, we have also developed the cusp trap, a combination of an anti-Helmholz superconducting coil and a multi-ring electrode trap, for trapping both antiprotons and positrons and then synthesizing antihydrogens. Recently, the cusp trap was practically used to accumulate antiprotons. The last piece for synthesizing antihydrogens in the cusp trap is the positron accumulator. We have developed a compact system to effectively accumulate positrons based on N₂ gas-buffer scheme with a specially designed high precision cylindrical multi-ring electrode trap. The recent progress of the developing work is an important milestone for upcoming antihydrogen science of ASACUSA MUSASHI.     

Time Invariance as an Additional Constraint on Nonlocal Realism

We assume that time invariance of physical laws is true. We assume that one source of 2N uncorrelated spin-carrying particles emits them in a state, which can be described as a multipartite pure uncorrelated state (+∞>N≥1). We assume that each of them is a spin-1/2 pure state lying in the \(\frac{z+x}{\sqrt{2}}\) direction. We assume that the measurement setup is two-orthogonal-settings for each of the observers. We show that 2N-particle pure uncorrelated quantum state violates a time invariant nonlocal realistic theory. 2N implies that we consider Bose-Einstein statistics.     

A study on ac and dc conductivity characteristics of Y-doped BaCeO3 modified by Ar+ ion beam

The effects of surface modification on electrical characteristics in bulk, grain boundary and interface (electrolyte/electrode) of BaCe_0.9Y_0.1O_3-δ were investigated. The surface modification was performed by means of two processes: specimen was firstly irradiated by 10 keV Ar⁺ ion with dose of 1 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm² and then exposed to air. The modified surface was investigated by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) for quantitative analysis of hydrogen concentration on the surface and alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) conductivity measurements, respectively. The ERDA results showed that hydrogen concentration and reaction rate on the modified surface increased. The increase of hydrogen concentration was explained in terms of the increase of proton due to interaction between oxygen vacancy formed by modification and H₂O. In AC and DC electrical conductivity measurements, it concluded that the proton and electronic carrier generated on the surface by modification attributed to the increase of bulk, grain boundary and interface conductivity.     

Interaction of water vapor with gamma-radiation-induced defects in proton conductive polymers

The correlation between protonic conduction and the amount of radiation-induced defects in gamma-ray-irradiated perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers (Aciplex-SF-1004^®) has been investigated using a direct-current resistance method, transmission spectroscopy for the ultraviolet (UV) and visible (Vis) wavelength ranges and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with the attenuated total refraction (ATR) technique. The proton conductivity of the polymers, which are irradiated with a dose of up to 532 kGy under vacuum at room temperature and subsequently exposure to air, is enhanced by approximately three orders of magnitude as compared to that of the unirradiated polymer. The UV–Vis spectra of the irradiated polymers reveal the presence of fluorocarbon radicals, which increase with the irradiation dose. It is also observed in the UV–Vis and FTIR spectra that peroxy free radicals, unsaturated species (COF), and a carboxyl group (COOH) containing a carbon-oxygen double bond are formed by reactions of the fluorocarbon radicals with oxygen or water vapor in air. In addition, an increase in the hydrogen concentration is observed in the near-surface regions of the irradiated polymers by using an elastic recoil detection (ERD) technique. The production of charge carriers such as protons and oxonium ions (H₃O⁺) by the interaction of water vapor with the activating-radiation-induced defects leads to the enhancement of the proton conductivity.     

Synthesis and Reactivity of Six‐Membered Oxa‐Nickelacycles: A Ring‐Opening Reaction of Cyclopropyl Ketones

Cyclopropanecarboxaldehyde ( 1 a ), cyclopropyl methyl ketone ( 1 b ), and cyclopropyl phenyl ketone ( 1 c ) were reacted with [Ni(cod)₂] (cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene) and PBu₃ at 100 °C to give η²‐enonenickel complexes ( 2 a – c ). In the presence of PCy₃ (Cy=cyclohexyl), 1 a and 1 b reacted with [Ni(cod)₂] to give the corresponding μ‐η²:η¹‐enonenickel complexes ( 3 a , 3 b ). However, the reaction of 1 c under the same reaction conditions gave a mixture of 3 c and cyclopentane derivatives ( 4 c , 4 c′ ), that is, a [3+2] cycloaddition product of 1 c with (E)‐1‐phenylbut‐2‐en‐1‐one, an isomer of 1 c . In the presence of a catalytic amount of [Ni(cod)₂] and PCy₃, [3+2] homo‐cycloaddition proceeded to give a mixture of 4 c (76 %) and 4 c′ (17 %). At room temperature, a possible intermediate, 6 c , was observed and isolated by reprecipitation at ?20 °C. In the presence of 1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene (IPr), both 1 a and 1 c rapidly underwent oxidative addition to nickel(0) to give the corresponding six‐membered oxa‐nickelacycles ( 6 ai , 6 ci ). On the other hand, 1 b reacted with nickel(0) to give the corresponding μ‐η²:η¹‐enonenickel complex ( 3 bi ). The molecular structures of 6 ai and 6 ci were confirmed by X‐ray crystallography. The molecular structure of 6 ai shows a dimeric η¹‐nickelenolate structure. However, the molecular structure of 6 ci shows a monomeric η¹‐nickelenolate structure, and the nickel(II) 14‐electron center is regarded as having “an unusual T‐shaped planar” coordination geometry. The insertion of enones into monomeric η¹‐nickelenolate complexes 6 c and 6 ci occurred at room temperature to generate η³‐oxa‐allylnickel complexes ( 8 , 9 ), whereas insertion into dimeric η¹‐nickelenolate complex 6 ai did not take place. The diastereoselectivity of the insertion of an enone into 6 c having PCy₃ as a ligand differs from that into 6 ci having IPr as a ligand. In addition, the stereochemistry of η³‐oxa‐allylnickel complexes having IPr as a ligand is retained during reductive elimination to yield the corresponding [3+2] cycloaddition product, which is consistent with the diastereoselectivity observed in Ni⁰/IPr‐catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of cyclopropyl ketones with enones. In contrast, reductive elimination from the η³‐oxa‐allylnickel having PCy₃ as a ligand proceeds with inversion of stereochemistry. This is probably due to rapid isomerization between syn and anti isomers prior to reductive elimination.     

A powerful route minimization heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with time windows

We suggest an efficient route minimization heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. The heuristic is based on the ejection pool, powerful insertion and guided local search strategies. Experimental results on the Gehring and Homberger’s benchmarks demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms previous approaches and found 18 new best-known solutions.     

Formation of nickeladihydropyran by oxidative addition of cyclopropyl ketone. Key intermediate in nickel-catalyzed cycloaddition

Cyclopropyl phenyl ketone underwent oxidative addition to Ni(PCy3) generated from Ni(cod)2 and PCy3 to give a nickeladihydropyran, which is a key intermediate for the Ni(0)-catalyzed homo- or heterocycloaddition to give cyclopentane compounds having two carbonyl substituents at the 1,3-position.