New high-pressures vapor-liquid equilibrium data for the carbon dioxide + 2-methyl-2-propanol binary system

New vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE) data at 323.15, 333.15, 343.15, and 353.15 K and pressures up to 112.9 bar are reported for the carbon dioxide + 2-methyl-2-propanol system. The experimental method used in this work was a static analytical method with liquid and vapor phases sampling using a rapid online sampler injector (ROLSI?) coupled to a gas chromatograph (GC) for analysis. Measured VLE data and literature data for carbon dioxide + 2-methyl-2-propanol system were modeled with the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) cubic equation of state with classical van der Waals (two-parameter conventional mixing rule, 2PCMR) mixing rules. A single set of interaction parameters that lead to a correct phase behavior was used in this work to model the new VLE data and critical points of the mixtures in a wide range of temperature and pressure. The SRK prediction results were compared to the new data measured in this study and to available literature data.

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Frequency-selective quantitation of short-echo time 1H magnetic resonance spectra

Accurate and efficient filtering techniques are required to suppress large nuisance components present in short-echo time magnetic resonance (MR) spectra. This paper discusses two powerful filtering techniques used in long-echo time MR spectral quantitation, the maximum-phase FIR filter (MP-FIR) and the Hankel-Lanczos Singular Value Decomposition with Partial ReOrthogonalization (HLSVD-PRO), and shows that they can be applied to their more complex short-echo time spectral counterparts. Both filters are validated and compared through extensive simulations. Their properties are discussed. In particular, the capability of MP-FIR for dealing with macromolecular components is emphasized. Although this property does not make a large difference for long-echo time MR spectra, it can be important when quantifying short-echo time spectra.     

Spectroscopic analysis of the interaction between Co3O4 nanoparticles and acid phosphatase

Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly - In this study, the structure and stability of acid phosphatase in its interaction with Co3O4 nanoparticles are evaluated through absorbance, enzyme...     

Nonproteolytic cleavage of aspartyl proline bonds in the cellulosomal scaffoldin subunit from Clostridium thermocellum

Previous work from our group [Morag (Morgenstern), E., Bayer, E. A., and Lamed, R. (1991), Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 30, 129–136] has demonstrated an anomalous electrophoretic mobility pattern for scaffoldin, the 210-kDa cellulosome-integrating subunit of Clostridium thermocellum. Subsequent evidence [Morag, E., Bayer, E. A., and Lamed, R. (1992), Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 33, 205–217] indicated that the effect could be attributed to a nonproteolytic fragmentation of the subunit into a defined series of lowermolecular-weight bands. In the present work, a recombinant segment of the scaffoldin subunit was employed to determine the site(s) of bond breakage. An Asp-Pro sequence within the cohesin domain was identified to be the sensitive peptide bond. This sequence appears quite frequently in the large cellulosomal proteins, and the labile bond may be related to an as yet undescribed physiological role in the hydrolysis of cellulose by cellulosomes.     

Thin films of vitronectin transferred by MAPLE

We report on matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) transfer of intact and functional protein molecules from a cryogenic aliquot obtained by freezing a protein-saline buffer solution. Vitronectin (Vn), an extracellular matrix protein with distinctive active domains for cell attachment and signalization, was expelled from frozen targets by KrF* excimer laser irradiation, and then immobilized on substrates. Particulates surrounded by a dense matrix were observed by optical, profilometry and AFM studies. The composition preservation of MAPLE-deposited protein films versus drop-cast films was demonstrated by FTIR and immunostaining studies. The stability and integrity of Vn after transfer was shown by their interaction with human osteoprogenitor cells in which actin filaments stretched across the entire cell area and clear focal points with surface were formed. The absence of detectable degradation of protein structure after MAPLE immobilization could provide benefits to surface functionalization for biomedical applications.     

A comparison of the inclusion behavior of human serum albumin and holo transferrin with fluoxymesterone in the presence of three different cyclodextrins

This article describes the interaction of fluoxymesterone (Flu) with HSA and HTF in the absence and presence of cyclodextrins (CDs) (α, β and γ). According to fluorescence data, the binding of Flu to the proteins caused strong static quenching in the binary and ternary systems. The fluorescence quenching results demonstrated that HSA and HTF had two and one class of apparent binding sites with a distinct binding constant in the presence of the CDs, respectively. The effects of Flu on the structure of HSA and HTF were analyzed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, which showed that the interaction of Flu with both proteins in the binary and ternary systems altered the microenvironment around the Trp and Tyr residues. The distance, r, between Flu and the proteins was obtained according to FRET which pointed at a successful formation of a drug-protein complex. Far-UV CD spectra indicated that the binding of the drug to both proteins induced changes in the secondary structure of HSA and HTF in the binary and ternary systems. Finally, molecular modeling provided possible binding sites of Flu within the proteins for the binary and ternary systems and also confirmed the experimental results. The obtained data can be useful for determining usage drug doses in drug delivery.     

雷云电场作用下长地线表面正极性辉光电晕放电的仿真研究

在雷云电场的缓慢作用下, 一种无流注的正极性辉光电晕在接地物体表面起始, 向周围空间注入大量正极性空间电荷, 从而改变雷电先导对雷击目的物的选择. 本文对雷云电场作用下起始于长地线表面的正极性辉光电晕放电进行了仿真研究; 考虑了正极性离子与其他离子的附着与碰撞作用, 建立了一种精确的二维正极性辉光电晕模型; 并通过在实验室内开展高压电晕放电试验, 测量了不同背景电场下的电晕电流; 与本文所建模型的仿真结果进行对比, 对模型的正确性进行了验证. 基于上述模型, 对正极性辉光电晕在雷云感应作用下的起始发展过程与电晕特性进行了仿真模拟, 得到了该电晕的电晕电流、正离子密度分布规律以及正离子迁移规律. 发现在雷云电场作用下, 电晕放电产生的正离子在迁移初期于垂直于地线的平面内基本呈圆对称状均匀分布, 但随着离子逐渐远离地线其分布不再均匀, 呈拉长的椭圆形分布, 多数离子最终分布于地线上方区域并逐渐向雷云方向迁移; 由于正离子在地线上方迁移区聚集形成的正空间电荷背景对行进电子束具有衰减和消耗作用, 抑制了电子崩的形成, 并降低了电子崩转化为流注的概率, 阻止了新的电子崩对流注的不断注入, 同时正空间电荷背景使气体的碰撞面增大, 增加了与电子的复合概率, 引起大量电子的消耗, 最终抑制了电子崩的形成与流注的发展, 地线表面的上行先导得到抑制.     

Performance characteristics of single photon pulse ranging system using Monte Carlo simulation

Single photon pulse ranging system with extremely high sensitivity has been widely used in distance measurement and 3D imaging. To analyze the factors that affect the measurement precision and accuracy will help to improve system performance. According to system structure and principle, we mainly discussed the following factors: laser intensity, pulse width, detection efficiency and time jitter. A simulation model based on Monte Carlo stochastic method was constructed in this paper, and we get the specific influence of factors on measurement precision and accuracy by simulation. Finally, we set up laboratory experiment system and took effective experiments on ranging precision and accuracy.     

Magnetic characterization of FeCo nanowire arrays by first-order reversal curves

FeCo nanowire arrays have been obtained by current pulse electrodeposition into nanoporous alumina templates. First-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams have been used to investigate magnetostatic interaction and average coercivity of individual FeCo nanowires embedded in porous alumina templates. The FeCo nanowires with a wires length up to 3 μm and wires diameter ranging from 25 to 50 nm showed interacting single-domain behavior. Using FORC diagrams, the spread of coercivity distribution was seen to be almost independent of the wires diameter, but with increase in diameter the inter-wire magnetostatic interaction was increased. It was found that for arrays with higher diameter, the coercivity of the arrays is lower than the average coercivity of the individual wires. It was detected that an increase in wire diameter results in a considerable increase in the spread of the distribution in the H_u direction of FORC distribution. Curve fitting on the experimental data proved a relatively linear relation between interaction field and square diameter of the nanowires.     

Development of Fish Immunity and the Role of β-Glucan in Immune Responses

Administration of β-glucans through various routes, including immersion, dietary inclusion, or injection, have been found to stimulate various facets of immune responses, such as resistance to infections and resistance to environmental stress. β-Glucans used as an immunomodulatory food supplement have been found beneficial in eliciting immunity in commercial aquaculture. Despite extensive research involving more than 3000 published studies, knowledge of the receptors involved in recognition of β-glucans, their downstream signaling, and overall mechanisms of action is still lacking. The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss what is currently known about of the use of β-glucans in fish.