Combined dual substituent constant and activation parameter analysis assigns a concerted mechanism to alkaline ethanolysis at phosphorus of Y-substituted phenyl diphenylphosphinates

Second-order rate constants have been measured for reactions of Y-substituted phenyl diphenylphosphinates (1a-h) with EtO(-)K(+) in anhydrous ethanol. A linear Br?nsted-type plot is obtained with beta(Lg) = -0.54, a typical beta(Lg) value for reactions which proceed through a concerted mechanism. The Hammett plots correlated with sigma(o) and sigma(-) constants are linear but exhibit many scattered points, while the corresponding Yukawa-Tsuno plot results in excellent linear correlation with r = 0.41. The r value of 0.41 indicates that the leaving group departs at the rate-determining step (RDS) whether the reactions proceed through either a concerted or a stepwise mechanism. However, a stepwise mechanism in which departure of the leaving group occurs at the RDS is excluded since the incoming EtO(-) ion is much more basic and a poorer leaving group than the leaving aryloxide. The DeltaH(++) values determined in the current reactions are strongly dependent on the nature of the substituent Y, while the DeltaS(double dagger) values remain constant on changing the substituent Y in the leaving group, i.e., from Y = H to Y = 4-NO(2) and Y = 3,4-(NO(2))(2). These DeltaH(++) and DeltaS(++) trends also support a concerted mechanism.     

Catalytic Performance and Kinetic Models on Zirconium Phosphate Modified Ru/Co/SiO2 Fischer–Tropsch Catalyst

The present paper represents the promising ways to improve catalytic performance by introducing zirconium phosphate (ZP) on Ru/Co/SiO₂ catalysts and the related kinetic models using the optimized Fischer?CTropsch synthesis (FTS) catalyst. A lot of works has been reported using cobalt-based catalyst for FTS reaction, and many authors have continuously tried to find out highly efficient FTS catalyst by modifying support as well as by introducing promoters. Silica is one of the excellent candidates as catalytic supports, and the present works intensively represents how to modify SiO₂ support for a high catalytic performance by using ZP species. The effect of ZP-modification of SiO₂ support with respect to cobalt aggregation and catalytic deactivation was mainly investigated for FTS reaction. The surface modification at P/(Zr?+?P) molar ratio between 0.029 and 0.134, enhanced the spatial confinement effect of cobalt clusters, and resulted in high catalytic stability with the help of well-dispersed ZP particle formation. The enhanced catalytic performance, in terms of CO conversion, C₅+ selectivity and catalytic stability, is mainly attributed to the suppressed aggregation, a homogeneous distribution of cobalt clusters with a proper size and a low mobility of cobalt clusters at an optimum molar ratio of P/(Zr?+?P) because of the formation of thermally stable ZP particles. The kinetic parameters and rate equations on the optimized catalyst are also derived in terms of CO conversion and product distribution.     

Microbial Fed-batch Production of 1,3-Propanediol Using Raw Glycerol with Suspended and Immobilized Klebsiella pneumoniae

The production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) was investigated with Klebsiella pneumoniae DSM 4799 using raw glycerol without purification obtained from a biodiesel production process. Fed-batch cultures with suspended cells revealed that 1,3-PD production was more effective when utilizing raw glycerol than pure glycerol (productivity after 47 h of fermentation, 0.84 g?L^?1?h^?1 versus 1.51 g?L^?1?h^?1 with pure and raw glycerol, respectively). In addition, more than 80 g/L of 1,3-PD was produced using raw glycerol; this is the highest 1,3-PD concentration reported thus far for K. pneumoniae using raw glycerol. Repeated fed-batch fermentation with cell immobilization in a fixed-bed reactor was performed to enhance 1,3-PD production. Production of 1,3-PD increased with the cycle number (1.06 g?L^?1?h^?1 versus 1.61 g?L^?1?h^?1 at the first and fourth cycle, respectively) due to successful cell immobilization. During 46 cycles of fed-batch fermentation taking place over 1,460 h, a stable and reproducible 1,3-PD production performance was observed with both pure and raw glycerol. Based on our results, repeated fed batch with immobilized cells is an efficient fermentor configuration, and raw glycerol can be utilized to produce 1,3-PD without inhibitory effects caused by accumulated impurities.     

Analysis of Spectral Hounsfield Units Curve of Radiolucent and Radiopaque Materials in the Animal Rectum

The purpose of the present study was to assess the general characteristics of images produced by radiolucent and radiopaque materials used for computed tomography scanning of the animal rectum and suggest ideal materials for contrast enhancement between normal and abnormal tissues. The computed tomography system used in this study was 64-multidetector computed tomography. Computed tomography scanning was performed with standard scan parameters for abdominal examination and gemstone spectral image mode using saline, methyl-cellulose, contrast medium, ultrasound gel, and air in addition to radiolucency. Computed tomography values were obtained for each material at different energy levels. Changes in computed tomography values were compared and analyzed. Changes in computed tomography values and volume of each material were examined before and after rectal contrast material administration. Ultrasound gel was found to exhibit a computed tomography value close to the baseline value and a greater degree of contrast, compared with other materials. In image evaluation, methyl-cellulose is considered a useful material in providing contrasting image evidence of rectal diseases. Also, it had a larger volume in the rectum after a computed tomography scan. Thus, methyl-cellulose was a useful contrast medium for computed tomography scan imaging of the rectum.     

Electrochemically oriented immobilization of antibody on poly-(2-cyano-ethylpyrrole)-coated gold electrode using a cyclic voltammetry

Using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) as an immunosensor, this work investigates the contribution of a cyclic voltammetry (CV) on the proper immobilization of antibodies with the aim of enhancing its target recognition and binding ability. Primarily, CV in the range of −0.1 to 0.9 V was applied to form a layer of poly-(2-cyano-ethylpyrrole) (PCEPy) on gold quartz crystal electrode. Then the efficiencies of antibodies (anti-IgG, AIgG) immobilized electrochemically with CV applied in 0-0.65 V were compared to those immobilized via physical adsorption, by observing relative affinity towards AIgG-Fab and AIgG-Fc fragments. The results showed antibody-AIgG-Fab interaction could be enhanced about 4 times when CV is applied (11.2 ± 1.3 vs 41.6 ± 3.4 relative fluorescence unit). On the contrary, physisorbed antibodies showed a higher degree of affinity towards AIgG-Fc indicating inappropriate orientations of physisorbed antibodies. AIgG immobilized PCEPy-gold QC electrode was characterized further for its sensitivity towards a new target bovine albumin with both a QCM and fluorescence measurement. Such electrode exhibited a good sensitivity as well as a large linear dynamic range, from 0.4 μg/ml to 1.0 μg/ml and from 0.5 μg/ml to 10.0 μg/ml, at QCM and fluorescence measurement, respectively.     

Kinetic and theoretical studies on alkaline ethanolysis of 4-nitrophenyl salicylate: effect of alkali metal ions on reactivity and mechanism

Pseudo-first-order rate constants (k(obsd)) for reactions of 4-nitrophenyl salicylate (7) with alkali metal ethoxides (EtOM, M = K, Na, and Li) in anhydrous ethanol have been measured spectrophotometrically. Interestingly, the k(obsd) value decreases significantly as the concentration of EtOM increases. Because the phenolic moiety of substrate 7 would be deprotonated and exist as an anionic form (i.e., 7(-)) under kinetic conditions, the ground-state stabilization of 7(-) through formation of a six-membered cyclic complex with M(+) (i.e., 8) is proposed to be responsible for the decreasing k(obsd) trend. The k(obsd) value at a given concentration of EtOK increases steeply upon addition of [18]crown-6 ether (18C6) up to [18C6]/[EtOK] = 1 in the reaction mixture and then remains relatively constant thereafter. In contrast, k(obsd) decreases upon addition of salts (e.g., LiClO(4) or KSCN) to the reaction mixture, which indicates that M(+) ions inhibit the reaction. However, in the presence of 18C6, the k(obsd) value is independent of the concentration of EtOK but remains constant, which indicates that the reaction proceeds through a unimolecular mechanism in the presence of the complexing agent. Although two conceivable unimolecular pathways (formation of ketene 9 and lactone 10) can account for the kinetic results, the reaction has been concluded to proceed via formation of ketene 9 as the reactive intermediate on the basis of theoretical calculations.     

Discrimination between genetically identical peony roots from different regions of origin based on 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy-based metabolomics: determination of the geographical origins and estimation of the mixing proportions of blended samples

Sixty peony root training samples of the same age were collected from various regions in Korea and China, and their genetic diversity was investigated for 23 chloroplast intergenic space regions. All samples were genetically indistinguishable, indicating that the DNA-based techniques employed were not appropriate for determining the samples’ regions of origin. In contrast, ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopy-based metabolomics coupled with multivariate statistical analysis revealed a clear difference between the metabolic profiles of the Korean and Chinese samples. Orthogonal projections on the latent structure-discrimination analysis allowed the identification of potential metabolite markers, including γ-aminobutyric acid, arginine, alanine, paeoniflorin, and albiflorin, that could be useful for classifying the samples’ regions of origin. The validity of the discrimination model was tested using the response permutation test and blind prediction test for internal and external validations, respectively. Metabolomic data of 21 blended samples consisting of Korean and Chinese samples mixed at various proportions were also acquired by ¹H-NMR analysis. After data preprocessing which was designed to eliminate uncontrolled deviations in the spectral data between the testing and training sets, a new statistical procedure for estimating the mixing proportions of blended samples was established using the constrained least squares method for the first time. The predictive procedure exhibited relatively good predictability (adjusted R ²?=?0.7669), and thus has the potential to be used in the quality control of peony root by providing correct indications for a sample’s geographical origins.

Energy-Momentum and Equivalence Principle in Non-Riemannian Geometries

We introduce an energy-momentum density vector which is independent of the affine structure of the manifold and whose conservation is linked to observers. Integrating this quantity over time-like surfaces we can define Hamiltonian and momentum for the system which coincide with the corresponding ADM definitions for the case of irrotational Riemannian manifolds. As a consequence of our formalism, a Weak Equivalence Principle version for manifolds with torsion appears as the natural extension to non-Riemannian geometries from the Equivalence Principle of General Relativity.     

光栅耦合外谐振腔调谐的半导体量子级连激光器

本文研究了由InGaAs/InAlAs材料组成,波长为4.6和5.1微米的量子级连中红外半导体激光器的光栅外耦合谐振腔的特性。在温度是80K时波长可调制宽度是激光中心波长的1.5%左右。对于这两个激光器而言,它们的波长可调制宽度随温度升高而减低。被调制的单模激光器的输出光功率是几个毫瓦,激光的谱线宽度是1到2个微米。激光阈值电流随波长缓慢变化,然而激光输出效率在短波长时更加优化。