Disposable multichannel immunosensors for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid using acetylcholinesterase as an enzyme label

An improved version of the disposable multichannel immunochemical biosensor for the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) based on a screen-printed amperometric transducer and monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against 2,4-D is reported. Entrapment within a thin Nafion film was used for the direct immobilization of MAb at the electrode surface. The amount of the tracer (2,4-D conjugated to acetylcholinesterase) bound in a competitive immunochemical reaction was determined amperometrically using acetylthiocholine iodide as substrate. The measuring procedure (times of incubation with tracer and substrate, pH, tracer concentration) was optimized. The sensor was able to detect less than 0.01 μg/L of free 2,4-D in water. One analysis (8 samples) was completed in 30 min (20 min for immunochemical reaction, 5 min incubation with substrate, 5 min measurement). The performance of the immunosensor (two configurations) was evaluated on real samples (tap water) with added 2,4-D. The determined amounts (mean values 0.097 to 0.105 and 0.89 to 1.13) corresponded well with the added contents of 2,4-D (0.100 and 1.00 μg/L, respectively).     

Highest-weight representations ofsl(2, ℂ) andsl(3, ℂ) via canonical realizations

The infinite-dimensional representations of thesl(n+1, ) Lie algebras (maximal representations) constructed in our previous paper are studied on the two simplest examplesn = 1,2. The sufficient condition for irreducibility of the maximal representations is proved to be also necessary in these cases. It is further shown, that our method allows us to construct other set of infinite-dimensional highest-weight representations ofsl(3, ), so calledmixed representations which are irreducible in some cases when the maximal as well as the standard highest-weight representations (Verma modules) are reducible.Dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.The authors are grateful to Prof. A. A. Kirillov, Dr. A. U. Klimyk, Dr. W. Lassner and Prof. D. P. Zhelobenko for stimulating discussions.     

Thermoactivated creep and stress relaxation in Cd + 0·08 at% Sn single crystals

The activation area of plastically deformed Cd + 0·08 at% Sn single crystals was determined from differential creep test and stress relaxation at temperatures 78 K, 200 K and 295 K. The activation areaA depends on the resolved shear stress, ,A ^{* –r} wherer is dependent on temperature and the testing method used. For temperatures above 0·3T _m recovery during stress relaxation should be considered.     

Transient absorption and laser output of YAG : Nd

YAG : Nd grown under 98% Ar 2% H₂ protective atmosphere free of nitrogen or hydrocarbons showed after UV irradiation broad absorption peaked at 1·9×10⁴ cm^–1 which disappeared relatively slowly at room temperature. It was more intensive in oxygen treated samples than in those annealed in hydrogsn. Transient absorption suppresses laser output by the increase of absorption at 0·94×10⁴ cm^–1 (1064 nm) and, particularly in CW mode, by the anomalous rod deformation. YAG : Nd containing Fe ions (2·10^–4 wt%) showed no transient absorption.     

Laser properties of YAG : Nd grown from the melt contained in molybdenum crucibles

YAG:Nd grown from the melt using resitance furnace and molybdenum crucibles were compared with those grown by conventional method using r.f. heating and iridium crucibles. The former were succesfully grown in 98% Ar + 2% H₂ protective a mosphere using an excess of Y₂O₃ in the melt and after it annealed in an oxidizing atmosphere followed by treatment in hydrogen to reach the material with minimum losses. Laser rods machined from such crystals, showed nearly the same properties as those prepared by conventional method.     

Production of lepton pairs in processes with hadronic jets

We propose a model for the production of extra (additional) lepton pairs in deep inelastic lepton-hadron scattering, e⁺e^– annihilation and large p_T processes. Extra lepton pairs are supposed to be originated by annihilations of quarks and antiquarks created during the space-time evolution of quark initiated jets. This mechanism yields predominantly dileptons with rather low masses. Predictions following from the model are compared with the recent data on trimuon production in neutrino-nucleon interactions. It is also suggested that internal hard processes can lead to dileptons with both small and large masses. The latter mechanism has rather small cross section but it is particularly interesting from the point of view of the simple quark-parton model.Dedicated to Academician Václav Votruba on the occasion of his seventieth birthday.     

Influence of the overall pressure on electrical conductivity of the amorphous semiconductor Ge15Te81S2As2

The experimental results obtained with the chalcogenide glass Ge₁₅Te₈₁S₂As₂ with imposed overall pressure up to 700 MPa are presented. The material exhibits the switching effect and the memory effect. It is shown that the overall pressure changes remarkably d.c. electrical conductivity of the amorphous semiconductor. It is assumed that the changes in conductivity are caused by changes in activation energy. The changes in activation energy within the range of considered pressures are, as follows from our measurements, E/p–10·95×10^–5 eV/MPa +p × 10·41 W 10^–7 eV/MPa². The assumption of the activation energy dependence on pressurep are confirmed also by measurements of dependence In vs. 1/T at various pressures.     

Non-destructive measurement of the mobility in semiconductors by means of the microwave Faraday effect

The paper describes the measurement of the electron mobility in semiconducting plates placed between two cylindrical antennas with diameterd–0·75 ₀ by means of the microwave Faraday effect. This system enables (i) to measure the Faraday rotation in semiconducting plates of arbitrary transverse dimensions, greater or at least equal to the diameter of dielectric antennas, (ii) to evaluate the unknown value of the charge carrier mobility from the measured rotation in an unbounded solid state plasma slab approximation. The measurement of the Faraday rotation in n-type Ge plates are reported. The comparison of the experimental data with the theory shows good agreement.     

On the Gauss type quadrature with parametric weight function

Acta Mathematica Hungarica -     

Optical absorption in vitreous GeSb2Se4

Optical absorption of vitreous GeSb₂Se₄ was studied in spectral region 0.7–25 μm. At low absorption levels near the edge the absorption coefficient K depends exponentially on energy. At high absorption levels the quadratical energy dependence of K is observed. In the present work we determined the optical energy gap E^opt_g = 1.29 eV and discussed the temperature dependence of the absorption coefficient. Measured reflectivity curves were used to estimate the value of the refractive index of GeSb₂Se₄ ($\text{n = 3.13–3.56}\text{at}\text{h}\text{?}\text{ω = 1.00–1.70}\text{eV}$). Vitreous GeSb₂Se₄ is also transparent in the spectral interval 2–15.7 μm.