Home-made temperature-control unit for the Waters Quanta 4000 capillary electrophoresis system

A home-made temperature control unit has been developed for a commercial capillary electrophoresis apparatus, the Waters Quanta 4000. The effect of the unit on the absolute migration times and peak areas of nine β-blockers is described. It was found that this homemade temperature control unit considerably (≥ 100 %) improved the repeatability of the separation.     

Preparation and performance of cellulose bead-entrapped whole cell glucose isomerase

A novel simple and mild technique to entrap glucose isomerase activeA. missouriensis cells within α-cellulose beads has been developed. Regenerated α-cellulose beads were shown by SEM to be highly loaded with microbial cells. Kinetics, high operational stability, reactor performance, and low cost of carrier showed the entrapped cell preparation to be suitable for continuous isomerization of 45% glucose solution. This paper was presented at the 4th Enzyme Engineering Conference, Bad Neuenahr, Germany. Sponsored by the Engineering Foundation, New York, New York.     

o-Alkyl-substituted aromatic phosphanes for hydroformylation studies: synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and ab initio investigations

In earlier hydroformylation studies modification of the rhodium catalyst with o-methyl-substituted or o-ethyl-substituted phosphane ligands have increased regioselectivity to branched aldehydes. The promising results achieved created a need for further studies. Hence, a wider group of o-substituted arylphosphane ligands, e.g. (2-cyclohexylphenyl)diphenylphosphane, (2-isopropylphenyl)diphenylphosphane, (2-methylnaphthyl)diphenylphosphane, (2,5-dimethylphenyl)diphenylphosphane and (2-phenylphenyl)diphenylphosphane were synthesized and tested in rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation to support the previous findings. Characterization of the ligands was made by NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ³¹P{¹H}, ¹³C{¹H}, HSQC, COSY-90 and COLOC). Additional parameters for evaluation of the stereoelectronic properties of the ligands were provided by quantum mechanical calculations and by synthesizing Rh(acac)(CO)(PR₃) complexes. In the rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation of propene and 1-hexene the ligands increased the formation of branched aldehydes compared to triphenylphosphane. Additionally the increasing size of the o-alkyl-substituent was found to effect favorably to the iso-selectivity.     

An infrared spectroscopic method for quantitative analysis of fatty alcohols and fatty acid esters in machinery oils

A new infrared spectroscopic method suitable for determining total fatty alcohol and fatty acid ester concentrations in industrial oils has been developed. Oil samples were diluted with toluene (1:3 w/w), the toxicity and volatility of which are relatively low compared with more commonly used IR solvents, like carbon tetrachloride or carbon disulfide. Mixture standards were prepared from dodecanol, tetradecanol, octadecanol, methyl stearate and methyl palmitate. Some analytical and statistical tests were performed on the developed method. The recoveries and the repeatability of the method proved to be sufficient for the quantitative determination of fatty alcohol and fatty acid ester additives in industrial oils. Reproducibility testing in another laboratory also produced satisfactory results. The developed method also proved to be relatively quick and simple. This method was developed to satisfy industry’s need to determine the concentrations of these oil additives, and it has already been applied successfully in machinery oil analysis.     

Effect of the e2u near degeneracy on the initialization of indo spin density calculations in symmetrically ortho disubstituted benzenes

Erroneous results in earlier INDO spin density calculations for hydroaromatic radicals containing ortho disubstituted benzene rings are shown to be due to the wrong order of the e_2u near degenerate π molecular orbitals of the benzene ring after the extended Hückel initialization. Agreement with experiment is obtained by interchanging these orbitals.     

Oxidation of crocein orange G by lignin peroxidase isoenzymes

The ligninolytic enzyme system ofPhanerochaete chrysosporiun is able to decolorize several recalcitrant dyes. Three lignin peroxidase isoenzymes, LiP 3.85, LiP 4.15, and LiP 4.65, were purified by preparative isoelectric focusing from the carbon-limited culture medium ofP. chrysosporium. Based on amino terminal sequences, the purified isoenzymes correspond to the isoenzymes H8, H6, and H2, respectively, from theN-limited culture. The purified isoenzymes were used for decolorization of an azo dye, Crocein Orange G (COG). According to the kinetic data obtained, the oxidation of COG by lignin peroxidase appeared to follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Kinetic parameters for each isoenzyme were determined. The inactivating effect of ascending H₂O₂ concentrations on COG oxidation is shown to be exponential within the used concentration range. The best degree of decolorization of 100 μM COG was obtained when the H₂O₂ concentration was 150 μM. This was also the lowest H₂O₂ concentration for maximal decolorization of 100 μM COG, regardless of the amount of lignin peroxidase used in the reaction.     

The in vitro Pulmonary Deposition of a Budesonide γ-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex

The interest in dry powder inhalers (DPIs) has recently increasedbecause the problems associated with the propellants used in pressurized metered-dose inhalers (PMDIs) will be avoided. Cyclodextrins (CDs) may be used as excipients in inhalation powders;e.g., in order to increase the solubility, stability and absorption of an inhaled drug. In thepresent study, the effect of complexation of budesonide with -CD on its pulmonary deposition wasstudied in vitro. In the presence of -CD, the aqueous solubility of budesonidefollowed B_S-type phase-solubility behaviour. A precipitationcomplexation method was used to prepare the solid budenoside/-CD complexes. The pulmonary in vitrodeposition of budenoside was evaluated after inhalation of plain budesonide and budenoside/-CDcomplexes (lactose carrier used in both formulations) by using the ``Andersen' cascadeimpactor. The novel Taifun® was used as the DPI. The respirable fractionsof the emitted budesonide dose (initially and after the storage in 40 °C, RH 75%) werecomparable for both plain budesonide and budesonide/-CD complexes. The present studyindicates that a drug/CD-complex can be used in inhalation powderswithout lowering the pulmonary deposition of the drug.     

Vitality fertilization of Scots pine stands growing along a gradient of heavy metal pollution: short-term effects on microbial biomass and respiration rate of the humus layer

In 1992 forest vitality fertilization experiments were established on a heavy metal deposition gradient with four treatments in three replications at distances of 0.5, 4 and 8 km from a Cu-Ni smelter in order to estimate their impact on the disturbed forest ecosystem. The increase in Cu concentration in the humus (F/H) layer of the Calluna site type Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands from ca. 300 to 8000 mg kg(-1) d.m. (dry matter) along the 8 km long transect towards the smelter resulted in declining soil microbial biomass and soil respiration activity. Three independent measurements of microbial biomass: C(mic)-FE (fumigation extraction), C(mic)-SIR (substrate induced respiration), and ATP have been used together with an indicator of fungal biomass (ergosterol) and microbial activity (soil respiration). Within this Cu pollution range, all the measured microbial biomass levels declined to 10%-28% of the control plot values and activity assessed by respiration was lowered to 16%. Liming has increased the C(mic)-SIR and respiration rate. Treatments with test fertilizer, made from grounded apatite, did not result in different microbial biomass and respiration rate values compared to the respective controls along the whole gradient. Nitrogen + lime treatments resulted in similar changes to lime alone. No changes, as compared to the respective control, could be detected with nitrogen fertilization at the less polluted end of the gradient.     

Definitions of quasiconformality

Summary We establish that the infinitesimal H-definition for quasiconformal mappings on Carnot groups implies global quasisymmetry, and hence the absolute continuity on almost all lines. Our method is new even inR ⁿ where we obtain that the limsup condition in theH-definition can be replaced by a liminf condition. This leads to a new removability result for (quasi)conformal mappings in Euclidean spaces. An application to parametrizations of chord-arc surfaces is also given.Oblatum 25-IV-1994 & 9-VI-1994Both authors supported in part by NSF. The first author also acknowledges the support of the Academy of Finland and the Sloan Foundation.