Characterization and optimization of heroin hapten-BSA conjugates: method development for the synthesis of reproducible hapten-based vaccines

A potential new treatment for drug addiction is immunization with vaccines that induce antibodies that can abrogate the addictive effects of the drug of abuse. One of the challenges in the development of a vaccine against drugs of abuse is the availability of an optimum procedure that gives reproducible and high yielding hapten-protein conjugates. In this study, a heroin/morphine surrogate hapten (MorHap) was coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) using maleimide-thiol chemistry. MorHap-BSA conjugates with 3, 5, 10, 15, 22, 28, and 34 haptens were obtained using different linker and hapten ratios. Using this optimized procedure, MorHap-BSA conjugates were synthesized with highly reproducible results and in high yields. The number of haptens attached to BSA was compared by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) assay, modified Ellman’s test and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Among the three methods, MALDI-TOF MS discriminated subtle differences in hapten density. The effect of hapten density on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performance was evaluated with seven MorHap-BSA conjugates of varying hapten densities, which were used as coating antigens. The highest antibody binding was obtained with MorHap-BSA conjugates containing 3–5 haptens. This is the first report that rigorously analyzes, optimizes and characterizes the conjugation of haptens to proteins that can be used for vaccines against drugs of abuse. The effect of hapten density on the ELISA detection of antibodies against haptens demonstrates the importance of careful characterization of the hapten density by the analytical techniques described.     

Exploration on the Biotechnological Aspect of the Ureolytic Bacteria for the Production of the Cementitious Materials—a Review

Biomineralization is a process that leads to the formation of minerals using the biologically or biotechnologically mediated route. Calcium carbonate is one such biomineral that is secreted by the ureolytic bacteria which contributes for the strengthening and improvement of cementitious and sandy materials. It is a new and innovative area in the geotechnological engineering and structural engineering due to its wide range of implications in strengthening of soil, sand, stone, and cementitious materials. The shape and size of the calcium carbonate particle vary with the strain of the bacterium used, and it is species specific. This paper aims in the critical review of the mechanism of calcium carbonate precipitation by the bacterium, various bacteria involved, and the useful outputs of the technique of biomineralization. Based on the critical review, it also recommends the future development and research in the field to develop a technology that can strengthen the existing and the proposed structures.     

The credit risk+ model with general sector correlations

We consider an enhancement of the credit risk⁺ model to incorporate correlations between sectors. We model the sector default rates as linear combinations of a common set of independent variables that represent macro-economic variables or risk factors. We also derive the formula for exact VaR contributions at the obligor level.     

Dual-fibre stretcher and coma as tools for independent 2nd and 3rd order tunable dispersion compensation in a fibre-based ‘scan-free’ time domain optical coherence tomography system

Dispersion compensation up to the third order is experimentally demonstrated by using a dual-fibre stretcher combined with the coma of an imaging lens, in a fibre-based scan-free time domain optical coherence tomography system, leading to an axial resolution of less than 3 μm.     

Linear systems on abelian varieties of dimension

We show that polarisations of type on -dimensional abelian varieties are never very ample, if . This disproves a conjecture of Debarre, Hulek and Spandaw. We also give a criterion for non-embeddings of abelian varieties into -dimensional linear systems.

     

Birefringence of native cellulosic fibers. I. Untreated cotton and ramie

The Rayleigh-Gans theory of light scattering by a homogeneous cylinder has been applied to the case of scattering by a pad of fibers immersed in a liquid. The theory enables one to locate precisely the matching wavelength at which the mean refractive index of a sample of optically heterogeneous fibers coincides with that of an immersion medium. Thereby it offers a method of determining the mean refractive index. Besides, it facilitates a quantitative estimation of the variability of refractive index. The new technique has been used to study the birefringence of untreated cotton and ramie. The results are presented and discussed.     

Use of zeo-karb 226 and dowex a-l in the analysis of high-purity zinc and zinc-base alloys for Tl and In

Utility of Zeo-Karb 226 and Dowex A-l for the separation of Tl and In at 5-ppm level from high-purity zinc and zinc-base alloys has been investigated. With Zeo-Karb 226 (NH(4)(+)), T1(+) is conveniently separated from these materials and also from many other cations, with l.0M ammonium nitrate as the eluent. It is subsequently determined with Rhodamine B. This separation principle is also applied to the analysis of Pb-Tl alloys. Both Tl and In (along with Fe) are preconcentrated on Zeo-Karb 226(H(+)) from a solution of the sample at pH 3.0. Suitable methods of subsequent determination of Tl and In are described. In the case of Dowex A-1(H(+)), Tl(+), In(3+), Fe(3+) and Cu(2+) are retained from a solution of the sample at pH 2.0. An o-phenanthroline solution at pH 2.0 elutes all but traces of Cu(2+). In(3+) along with Fe(3+) is eluted with l.0M hydrochloric acid. Finally, Tl is eluted with 2.0M hydrochloric acid containing sulphurous acid.     

The de Rham Bundle on a Compactification of Moduli Space of Abelian Varieties

In this paper, we show that the Chern classes c _k of the de Rham bundle defined on any good toroidal compactification of the moduli space of Abelian varieties of dimension g are zero in the rational Chow ring of , for g=4, 5 and k>0.     

Projective normality of abelian varieties

We show that ample line bundles on a -dimensional simple abelian variety , satisfying 2^g\cdot g!$">, give projective normal embeddings, for all .