A dual-electrode approach for highly selective detection of glucose based on diffusion layer theory: experiments and simulation

A dual-electrode configuration for the highly selective detection of glucose in the diffusion layer of the substrate electrode is presented. In this approach, a glassy carbon electrode (GCE, substrate) modified with a conductive layer of glucose oxidase/Nafion/graphite (GNG) was used to create an interference-free region in its diffusion layer by electrochemical depletion of interfering electroactive species. A Pt microelectrode (tip, 5 microm in radius) was located in the diffusion layer of the GNG-modified GCE (GNG-G) with the help of scanning electrochemical microscopy. Consequently, the tip of the electrode could sense glucose selectively by detecting the amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formed from the oxidization of glucose on the glucose oxidase layer. The influences of parameters, including tip-substrate distance, substrate potential, and electrolyzing time, on the interference-removing efficiency of this dual-electrode approach have been investigated systematically. When the electrolyzing time was 30 s, the tip-substrate distance was 1.8 a (9.0 microm) (where a is the radius of the tip electrode), the potentials of the tip and substrate electrodes were 0.7 V and 0.4 V, respectively, and a mixture of ascorbic acid (0.3 mM), uric acid (0.3 mM), and 4-acetaminophen (0.3 mM) had no influence on the glucose detection. In addition, the current-time responses of the tip electrode at different tip-substrate distances in a solution containing interfering species were numerically simulated. The results from the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data. This research provides a concept of detection in the diffusion layer of a substrate electrode, as an interference-free region, for developing novel microelectrochemical devices.     

N-甲基苯胺、二苯胺与质子受体相互作用的研究

测量了N-甲基苯胺、二苯胺与一些极性非质子溶剂（B）在CCl_4中的红外光谱，观察到这两种劳胺均与所研究的质子受体发生了氢键交叉缔合作用，并利用光谱数据计算了相应缔合物的形成常数和部分氢键能．结果表明，二苯胺是比N-甲基苯胺更强的质子供体，非质子溶剂的极性、空间效应和不同成键原子对交叉缔合物的稳定性均有一定的影响．还从分子结构对有关结果进行了讨论.     

Importance of supersuperexchange interactions in determining the dimensionality of magnetic properties. Determination of strongly interacting spin exchange paths in A(2)Cu(PO(4))(2) (A = Ba, Sr), ACuP(2)O(7) (Ba, Ca, Sr, Pb), CaCuGe(2)O(6), and Cu(2)UO(2)(PO(4))(2) on the basis of qualitative spin dimer analysis

The patterns of the Cu(2+) ion arrangements in the magnetic oxides A(2)Cu(PO(4))(2) (A = Ba, Sr), ACuP(2)O(7) (Ba, Ca, Sr, Pb), CaCuGe(2)O(6), and Cu(2)UO(2)(PO(4))(2) are quite different from the patterns of the strongly interacting spin exchange paths deduced from their magnetic properties. This apparently puzzling observation was explained by evaluating the strengths of the Cu-O-Cu superexchange and Cu-O...O-Cu supersuperexchange interactions of these oxides on the basis of qualitative spin dimer analysis. Supersuperexchange interactions are found to be crucial in determining the dimensionality of magnetic properties of these magnetic oxides.     

The effect of the third component on butadiene–propylene alternating copolymerization catalyzed by vanadium–aluminum system

The effects of five ethers and four AliBu₂OR's with varied R' on butadiene–propylene alternating copolymerization were investigated. It was found that by adding the proper third component, both the conversion and the catalytic efficiency could be increased. The effect of the third component on the valence state of vanadium ion was also studied. A model of the active center of the ternary-component catalyst system was proposed.     

Ligand binding properties of myoglobin reconstituted with iron porphycene: unusual O2 binding selectivity against CO binding

Sperm whale myoglobin, an oxygen storage hemoprotein, was successfully reconstituted with the iron porphycene having two propionates, 2,7-diethyl-3,6,12,17-tetramethyl-13,16-bis(carboxyethyl)porphycenatoiron. The physicochemical properties and ligand bindings of the reconstituted myoglobin were investigated. The ferric reconstituted myoglobin shows the remarkable stability against acid denaturation and only a low-spin characteristic in its EPR spectrum. The Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox potential (-190 mV vs NHE) determined by the spectroelectrochemical measurements was much lower than that of the wild-type. These results can be attributed to the strong coordination of His93 to the porphycene iron, which is induced by the nature of the porphycene ring symmetry. The O2 affinity of the ferrous reconstituted myoglobin is 2600-fold higher than that of the wild-type, mainly due to the decrease in the O2 dissociation rate, whereas the CO affinity is not so significantly enhanced. As a result, the O2 affinity of the reconstituted myoglobin exceeds its CO affinity (M' = K(CO)/K(O2) < 1). The ligand binding studies on H64A mutants support the fact that the slow O2 dissociation of the reconstituted myoglobin is primarily caused by the stabilization of the Fe-O2 sigma-bonding. The IR spectra for the carbon monoxide (CO) complex of the reconstituted myoglobin suggest several structural and/or electrostatic conformations of the Fe-C-O bond, but this is not directly correlated with the CO dissociation rate. The high O2 affinity and the unique characteristics of the myoglobin with the iron porphycene indicate that reconstitution with a synthesized heme is a useful method not only to understand the physiological function of myoglobin but also to create a tailor-made function on the protein.     

Synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with mesoporous anatase wall and high photocatalytic activity

Mesoporous titanium dioxide nanosized powder with high specific surface area and anatase wall was synthesized via hydrothermal process by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant-directing agent and pore-forming agent. The resulting materials were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption, FESEM, TEM, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The as-synthesized mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles have mean diameter of 17.6 nm with mean pore size of 2.1 nm. The specific surface area of the as-synthesized mesoporous nanosized TiO2 exceeded 430 m2/g and that of the samples after calcination at 600 degrees C still have 221.9 m2/g. The mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles show significant activities on the oxidation of Rhodamine B (RB). The large surface area, small crystalline size, and well-crystallized anatase mesostructure can explain the high photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles calcined at 400 degrees C.     

Application of algebraic method to the high overtones of C6H6 and C6D6

Both the spectra and infrared transition strengths of C₆H₆ and C₆D₆ for the C? H stretching overtones up to as high as v = 10 are described in high precision with few parameters (six for the spectra and four for the transition strengths) by the Iachello–Oss algebraic model. The Hamiltonian model is solved in the symmetry adapted bases, which are constructed by the symmetrized boson representation (SBR) technique. The results show that the combination of the algebraic method and SBR technique is a powerful method for describing vibrations of large molecules and high overtones. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

A new tetrathiafulvalene–diamide cation salt with [Cu2Br4]2− anions

The title salt, bis[2,3‐bis(aminocarbonyl)‐8,9‐bis(methylsulfanyl)tetrathiafulvalenium] di‐μ‐bromido‐bis[bromidocopper(II)], (C₁₀H₁₀N₂O₂S₆)₂[Cu₂Br₄], contains 2,3‐bis(aminocarbonyl)‐8,9‐bis(methylsulfanyl)tetrathiafulvalenium radical cations, [DMT‐TTF(CONH₂)₂]^·+, and [Cu₂Br₄]²⁻ anions. The cations are associated across centres of inversion in a head‐to‐tail fashion via short face‐to‐face S...S stacking (TTF moiety). These dimers are further assembled into a one‐dimensional chain structure via interdimer double S...S contacts involving the methylsulfanyl groups. The one‐dimensional chains give rise to a two‐dimensional structure through intermolecular double N—H...O hydrogen bonds involving the amide group. The [Cu₂Br₄]²⁻ anions, which straddle centres of inversion, are located between the cation layers. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements show a radical signal, indicating that the two TTF^·+ radicals are not completely coupled in the dimer.     

Dysfunction of Shh signaling activates autophagy to inhibit trophoblast motility in recurrent miscarriage

In early pregnancy, the placenta anchors the conceptus and supports embryonic development and survival. This study aimed to investigate the underlying functions of Shh signaling in recurrent miscarriage (RM), a serious disorder of pregnancy. In the present study, Shh and Gli2 were mainly observed in cytotrophoblasts (CTBs), Ptch was mainly observed in syncytiotrophoblasts (STBs), and Smo and Gli3 were expressed in both CTBs and STBs. Shh signaling was significantly impaired in human placenta tissue from recurrent miscarriage patients compared to that of gestational age-matched normal controls. VEGF-A and CD31 protein levels were also significantly decreased in recurrent miscarriage patients. Furthermore, inhibition of Shh signaling impaired the motility of JAR cells by regulating the expression of Gli2 and Gli3. Intriguingly, inhibition of Shh signaling also triggered autophagy and autolysosome accumulation. Additionally, knockdown of BECN1 reversed Gant61-induced motility inhibition. In conclusion, our results showed that dysfunction of Shh signaling activated autophagy to inhibit trophoblast motility, which suggests the Shh pathway and autophagy as potential targets for RM therapy.Subject terms: Embryology, Endocrine reproductive disorders, Autophagosomes     

The effect of the trifluoropropyl group in polysiloxane stationary phases used for capillary gas chromatography

Four poly(methyl 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl siloxanes) with trifluoro-propyl group content (group substitution) between 8 and 35 percent have been synthesized and characterized as stationary phases for gas chromatography in borosilicate glass capillary columns. Results are compared with those from two commercial stationary phases–a polydimethylsiloxane and a poly(methyl 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl siloxane) with a fifty percent trifluoropropyl group content (group substitution). Retention index values, McReynolds constants, polarity (as defined by McReynolds) and retention polarity (as defined by Takács) increase regularly with the trifluoropropyl group content of the stationary phase. The temperature coefficient of the retention indices of the McReynolds probes, and that of the polarities, have been determined at temperatures between 60 and 180 °C. Specific retention volumes do not follow the linear dependence on trifluoropropyl group content observed for retention indices or polarities. Substances with electron-donor groups show maximum retention for a trifluoropropyl group content of ca 30%, whereas the retention of hydrocarbons, halogenated compounds, and alcohols decreases as the degree of trifluoropropyl group substitution increases from 0 to 50%. It is felt that a polysiloxane with a trifluoropropyl group content of ca 30 to 35% would be the best choice for the separation of ketones, nitro compounds or amines.