Nanocatalyst-based assay using DNA-conjugated Au nanoparticles for electrochemical DNA detection

Compared to enzymes, Au nanocatalysts show better long-term stability and are more easily prepared. Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used as catalytic labels to achieve ultrasensitive DNA detection via fast catalytic reactions. In addition, magnetic beads (MBs) are employed to permit low nonspecific binding of DNA-conjugated AuNPs and to minimize the electrocatalytic current of AuNPs as well as to take advantage of easy magnetic separation. In a sandwich-type electrochemical sensor, capture-probe-conjugated MBs and an indium-tin oxide electrode modified with a partially ferrocene-modified dendrimer act as the target-binding surface and the signal-generating surface, respectively. A thiolated detection-probe-conjugated AuNP exhibits a high level of unblocked active sites and permits the easy access of p-nitrophenol and NaBH 4 to these sites. Electroactive p-aminophenol is generated at these sites and is then electrooxidized to p-quinoneimine at the electrode. The p-aminophenol redox cycling by NaBH 4 offers large signal amplification. The nonspecific binding of detection-probe-conjugated AuNPs is lowered by washing DNA-linked MB-AuNP assemblies with a formamide-containing solution, and the electrocatalytic oxidation of NaBH 4 by AuNPs is minimized because long-range electron transfer between the electrode and the AuNPs bound to MBs is not feasible. The high signal amplification and low background current enable the detection of 1 fM target DNA.     

Statistical quantification of the influence of material properties on the oxidation and ignition of activated carbons

The influence of material properties on the reactivities of activated carbon materials have been studied on a laboratory scale. Carbon samples having diversified origin and properties were characterized using a thermogravimetry (TG) coupled with a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Reactivity parameters like the Point of Initial Oxidation (PIO) representing the beginning of the oxidation reactions and the Spontaneous Ignition Temperature (SIT) where the bed combustion takes place in a self sustaining manner were experimentally determined. The intrinsic properties of the activated carbons influencing oxidation and ignition were examined qualitatively followed by quantitative statistical correlations. Results from both qualitative and statistical correlations showed that increase in the oxygen content in the form of surface oxygenated groups increased the reactivity of activated carbons. It was by far the single most influential property discriminated from the analysis. The porosity characteristics like the specific surface area and pore volume did show some vague trends but could not be validated like that of the oxygen content. The effects of these individual properties on the oxidation and ignition reactivity are discussed.     

Design and Analysis of Microstrip-Based RF Birdcage Coil for 1.5 T Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique is widely used to capture the images of the liquid items inside the human body. The radio-frequency (RF) coil is one of the important modules present inside an MRI system, which plays a major role in image quality. In this work, a microstrip-based high-pass RF birdcage coil is proposed for 1.5 T MRI. The cylindrical-shaped birdcage coil consists of 12 microstrip radiating elements and tuning capacitors to achieve a resonance at 63.85 MHz. The coil is made up of 10 mm polytetrafluoroethylene substrate coated by a conducting transmission line of desired length and width. A finite difference time domain simulation is carried out to analyze the return loss (S₁₁), magnetic field homogeneity and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) parameters of the RF coil. The SAR values of the proposed microstrip-based 1.5 T birdcage coil was compared with 3 T RF birdcage coil. The simulation results indicate the proposed birdcage coil structure gives optimal values of S₁₁, magnetic field homogeneity and SAR.     

Multipliers for the Weyl transform and Laguerre expansions

Let P_k denote the projection of L²(R ^R ) onto the kth eigenspace of the operator (-δ+?x?² andS _N ^α =(1/A _N ^α )Σ _k ^N =0A _N?k ^α P _k . We study the multiplier transformT _N ^α for the Weyl transform W defined byW(T _N ^αf )=S _n ^αW(f) . Applications to Laguerre expansions are given.     

Tilianin: A Potential Natural Lead Molecule for New Drug Design and Development for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disorders

Cardiovascular disorders (CVDs) are the leading risk factor for death worldwide, and research into the processes and treatment regimens has received a lot of attention. Tilianin is a flavonoid glycoside that can be found in a wide range of medicinal plants and is most commonly obtained from Dracocephalum moldavica. Due to its extensive range of biological actions, it has become a well-known molecule in recent years. In particular, numerous studies have shown that tilianin has cardioprotective properties against CVDs. Hence, this review summarises tilianin’s preclinical research in CVDs, as well as its mechanism of action and opportunities in future drug development. The physicochemical and drug-likeness properties, as well as the toxicity profile, were also highlighted. Tilianin can be a natural lead molecule in the therapy of CVDs such as coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, hypertension, and myocardial ischemia, according to scientific evidence. Free radical scavenging, inflammation control, mitochondrial function regulation, and related signalling pathways are all thought to play a role in tilianin’s cardioprotective actions. Finally, we discuss tilianin-derived compounds, as well as the limitations and opportunities of using tilianin as a lead molecule in drug development for CVDs. Overall, the scientific evidence presented in this review supports that tilianin and its derivatives could be used as a lead molecule in CVD drug development initiatives.     

Local ergodic theorems for K-spherical averages on the Heisenberg group

Given a Gelfand pair where is the Heisenberg group and K is a compact subgroup of the unitary group U(n) we consider the sphere and ball averages of certain K-invariant measures on . We prove local ergodic theorems for these measures when . We also consider averages over annuli in the case of reduced Heisenberg group and show that when the functions have zero mean value the maximal function associated to the annulus averages behave better than the spherical maximal function. We use square function arguments which require several properties of the K-spherical functions. Received September 1, 1998; in final form July 9, 1999     

Spherical means and CR functions on the Heisenberg group

The injectivity of the spherical mean value operator on the Heisenberg group is studied. Whenf ∈L ^P (Hⁿ), 1 ≤p < ∞ it is proved that the spherical mean value operator is injective. When 1 ≤p ≤ 2,f(z, ·) ∈L ^P (ℝ) the same is proved under much weaker conditions in the z-variable. Some extensions of recent results of Agranovskyet al. regardingCR functions on the Heisenberg group are also obtained.     

Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework (ZIF)‐Derived,Hollow‐Core,Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanostructures for Oxygen‐Reduction Reactions in PEFCs

The facile synthesis of a porous carbon material that is doped with iron‐coordinated nitrogen active sites (FeNC‐70) is demonstrated by following an inexpensive synthetic pathway with a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐70) as a template. To emphasize the possibility of tuning the porosity and surface area of the resulting carbon materials based on the structure of the parent ZIF, two other ZIFs, that is, ZIF‐68 and ZIF‐69, are also synthesized. The resulting active carbon material that is derived from ZIF‐70, that is, FeNC‐70, exhibits the highest BET surface area of 262 m² g^?1 compared to the active carbon materials that are derived from ZIF‐68 and ZIF‐69. The HR‐TEM images of FeNC‐70 show that the carbon particles have a bimodal structure that is composed of a spherical macroscopic pore (about 200 nm) and a mesoporous shell. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals the presence of Fe‐N‐C moieties, which are the primary active sites for the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR). Quantitative estimation by using EDAX analysis reveals a nitrogen content of 14.5 wt. %, along with trace amounts of iron (0.1 wt. %), in the active FeNC‐70 catalyst. This active porous carbon material, which is enriched with Fe‐N‐C moieties, reduces the oxygen molecule with an onset potential at 0.80 V versus NHE through a pathway that involves 3.3–3.8 e^? under acidic conditions, which is much closer to the favored 4 e^? pathway for the ORR. The onset potential of FeNC‐70 is significantly higher than those of its counterparts (FeNC‐68 and FeNC‐69) and of other reported systems. The FeNC‐based systems also exhibit much‐higher tolerance towards MeOH oxidation and electrochemical stability during an accelerated durability test (ADT). Electrochemical analysis and structural characterizations predict that the active sites for the ORR are most likely to be the in situ generated N? FeN₂₊₂/C moieties, which are distributed along the carbon framework.     

Engineered C–N Lyase: Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Synthons for Artificial Dipeptide Sweeteners

Aspartic acid derivatives with branched N‐alkyl or N‐arylalkyl substituents are valuable precursors to artificial dipeptide sweeteners such as neotame and advantame. The development of a biocatalyst to synthesize these compounds in a single asymmetric step is an as yet unmet challenge. Reported here is an enantioselective biocatalytic synthesis of various difficult N‐substituted aspartic acids, including N‐(3,3‐dimethylbutyl)‐l ‐aspartic acid and N‐[3‐(3‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxyphenyl)propyl]‐l ‐aspartic acid, precursors to neotame and advantame, respectively, using an engineered variant of ethylenediamine‐N,N′‐disuccinic acid (EDDS) lyase from Chelativorans sp. BNC1. This engineered C–N lyase (mutant D290M/Y320M) displayed a remarkable 1140‐fold increase in activity for the selective hydroamination of fumarate compared to that of the wild‐type enzyme. These results present new opportunities to develop practical multienzymatic processes for the more sustainable and step‐economic synthesis of an important class of food additives.     

Convolution operator and maximal function for the Dunkl transform

For a family of weight functionsh _K invariant under a finite reflection group onR ^d, analysis related to the Dunkl transform is carried out for the weightedL ^p spaces. Making use of the generalized translation operator and the weighted convolution, we study the summability of the inverse Dunkl transform, including as examples the Poisson integrals and the Bochner-Riesz means. We also define a maximal function and use it to prove the almost everywhere convergence. ST wishes to thank YX for the warm hospitality during his stay in Eugene. The work of YX was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant DMS-0201669.