Pneumatoamperometric determination of various oxidants and total dissolved chlorine

Trace levels of dissolved nitrite, chromate, permanganate, cerium(IV), bromate, chlorine and bromine are treated with iodide to produce iodine, which is then determined pneumatoamperometrically, i.e., by purging it from solution with nitrogen and quantifying it at a gold, gas-porous electrode by electro-oxidation to iodate. All the dissolved oxidants produce linear calibration curves. Detection limits range from 30 to 60 ppb. Aqueous sample sizes of 4 ml are used.     

Quantifying adhesion bond parameters to distinguish interactions of hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks of polystyrene-poly-2-vinylpyridine with a silicon nitride surface

An analysis of the loading rate dependence of the forces required to rupture an AFM tip from a block copolymer surface has provided insight into the structure of the surface-macromolecule contact, differentiation of the block contacting the tip, a measure of the polymer-surface binding energy, and the rigidity of the contact. Polystyrene-poly-2-vinylpyridine block copolymers were studied adsorbing to silicon nitride. Polystyrene makes stiff van der Waals contact with the silicon nitride surface in aqueous solution, while the bond of poly-2-vinylpyridine to the surface is more flexible and may involve a bridging water.     

Charge distribution and local structure and speciation in the UO2+x and PuO2+x binary oxides for x?0.25

The local structure and chemical speciation of the mixed valence, fluorite-based oxides UO_2+x (0.00?x?0.20) and PuO_2+x/PuO_2+x−y(OH)_2y·zH₂O have been determined by U/Pu L_III XAFS spectroscopy. The U spectra indicate (1) that the O atoms are incorporated as oxo groups at short (1.75 Å) U-O distances consistent with U(VI) concomitant with a large range of U displacements that reduce the apparent number of U neighbors and (2) that the UO₂ fraction remains intact implying that these O defects interact to form clusters and give the heterogeneous structure consistent with the diffraction patterns. The PuO_2+x system, which does not show a separate phase at its x=0.25 endpoint, also displays (1) oxo groups at longer 1.9 Å distances consistent with Pu(V+δ), (2) a multisite Pu-O distribution even when x is close to zero indicative of the formation of stable species with H₂O and its hydrolysis products with O²⁻, and (3) a highly disordered, spectroscopically invisible Pu-Pu component. The structure and bonding in AnO_2+x are therefore more complicated than have previously been assumed and show both similarities but also distinct differences among the different elements.     

An entry to a chiral dihydropyrazole scaffold: enantioselective [3 + 2] cycloaddition of nitrile imines

We have developed a versatile strategy to access dihydropyrazoles in highly enantioenriched form. Dipolar cycloaddition of electron-deficient acceptors and in situ-generated nitrile imines proceeds with high regio- and enantioselectivity using 10 mol % chiral Lewis acid catalyst. A variety of dihydropyrazoles that incorporate functionality for further manipulation have been prepared.     

The use of a rotating lead-disk electrode for electroanalytical purposes

The behavior of lead as an electrode material for electroanalytical purposes was studied in 1.0 M sulfuric acid. The useful negative range of potential was approximately ?0.57 to ?1.20 V vs. SCE for conventional voltammetry at a rotating disk electrode. For the sinusoidal hydrodynamic modulation technique, the negative limit was about ?1.25 V. Studies of the reduction of cadmium ion, thallium(I) ion, and p-nitroaniline showed that the behavior of a rotating lead-disk electrode was comparable to that expected on the basis of theory. Limits of detection are in the micromolar range.     

Saccharide display on microtiter plates

New insight into the importance of carbohydrates in biological systems underscores the need for rapid synthetic and screening procedures for them. Development of an organic synthesis-compatible linker that would attach saccharides to microtiter plates was therefore undertaken to facilitate research in glycobiology. Galactosyllipids containing small, hydrophobic groups at the anomeric position were screened for noncovalent binding to microtiter plates. When the lipid component was a saturated hydrocarbon between 13 and 15 carbons in length, the monosaccharide showed complete retention after aqueous washing and could be utilized in biological assays. This alkyl chain was also successfully employed with more complex oligosaccharides in biological assays. In light of these findings, this method of attachment of oligosaccharides to microtiter plates should be highly efficacious to high-throughput synthesis and analyses of carbohydrates in biological assays.     

Efficiency of two enzymes immobilized to the same surface and acting in sequence

Phosphoglucomutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were immobilized to s-triazine trichloride activated cellulose. The optimal conditions for binding the immobilized enzymes were determined and the kinetic and physical properties were investigated.The final ratio of the two enzymes immobilized to the surface was determined by the physical properties of the enzymes as well as by the ratio of the enzymes present in the attachment solution. The immobilized enzymes were found to retain at least 60% of the original activity for at least 40 days when stored at 4°C and in the presence of substrates and cofactors. Immobilized phosphoglucomutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase also were much more stable at 58°C, retaining 28 and 13% of the original activity, respectively, after 75 min. The apparentK _m’s were 5.4 to 1.5 times higher for immobilized phosphoglucomutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, respectively than for the soluble enzymes.     

Caesalpinia sappan L. wood fiber: bio-reinforcement for polybutylene succinate-based biocomposite film

Caesalpinia sappan L. wood fiber (CSWF), a novel advanced bio-reinforcement for polybutylene succinate (PBS) composite films, has shown significant promise ranging from 0 to 15 part per hundred of resin (phr). The functional groups and interactions, morphology, thermal stability, mechanical characteristics, and biodegradability were all investigated. Without treatment or any compatibilizers, CSWF could be well-dispersed in the PBS matrix. The PBS/CSWF10 composite film had highest mechanical strength, with a tensile strength of 12.21 N/mm² and a break elongation of 21.01%. Biodegradability studies indicated that the PBS/CSWF10 composite films degraded completely in three months. Furthermore, the E_a of degradation resulting from TGA and the shift of wavenumber resulting from FTIR revealed that the addition of CSWF has a greater interaction between additive and martix than conventional cellulose. The PBS/CSWF10 composite has the potential to be environmentally friendly, with promising short-term degradation and rising mechanical characteristics. Therefore, it is the optimum concentration of a certain biocomposite film. As a result, a novel advanced natural-based cellulose for biopolymer composites film was discovered, as well as other benefits for bio-reinforcement of the green plastic composite film industry.

Graphical abstract

     

Visualizing Gene Expression in Living Mammals Using a Bioluminescent Reporter

Abstract— Control of gene expression often involves an interwoven set of regulatory processes. As information regarding regulatory pathways may be lost in ex vivo analyses, we used bioluminescence to monitor gene expression in living mammals. Viral promoters fused to firefly luciferase as transgenes in mice allowed external monitoring of gene expression both superficially and in deep tissues. In vivo bioluminescence was detectable using either intensified or cooled charge-coupled device cameras, and could be detected following both topical and systemic delivery of substrate. In vivo control of the promoter from the human immunodeficiency virus was demonstrated. As a model for DNA-based therapies and vaccines, in vivo transfection of a luciferase expression vector (SV-40 promoter and enhancer controlling expression) was detected. We conclude that gene regulation, DNA delivery and expression can now be noninvasively monitored in living mammals using a luciferase reporter. Thus, real-time, noninvasive study of gene expression in living animal models for human development and disease is possible.