Development and application of an integrated system for monitoring ethanol content of fuels

An automated flow injection analysis (FIA) system for quantifying ethanol was developed using alcohol oxidase, horseradish peroxidase, 4-aminophenazone, and phenol. A colorimetric detection method was developed using two different methods of analysis, with free and immobilized enzymes. The system with free enzymes permitted analysis of standard ethanol solution in a range of 0.05–1.0 g of ethanol/L without external dilution, a sampling frequency of 15 analyses/h, and relative SD of 3.5%. A new system was designed consisting of a microreactor with a 0.91-mL internal volume filled with alcohol oxidase immobilized on glass beads and an addition of free peroxidase, adapted in an FIA line, for continued reuse. This integrated biosensor-FIA system is being used for quality control of biofuels, gasohol, and hydrated ethanol. The FIA system integrated with the microreactor showed a calibration curve in the range of 0.05–1.5 g of ethanol/L, and good results were obtained compared with the ethanol content measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography standard methods.     

Comparison of chemical properties of food products processed by conventional and ohmic heating

The effect of ohmic and conventional heat processing of different food products on their chemical and physical parameters was studied. Depending on the food being analysed, parameters such as pH, total solids, ash, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total sugars, total fatty acids, total phenolic compounds, and anthocyanins content were determined before and after ohmic and conventional pasteurization techniques and the results were compared using one-way analysis of variance. In goat milk samples treated by ohmic technology the pH value (6.58) and total fatty acids content in milk fat (86.5 mass %) were comparable to those found in milk treated by conventional process, however, ohmically treated samples presented a lower content of lactic acid, 0.13 %. In cloudberry jam samples treated by ohmic technology the results of some of the main parameters tested, such as total sugar content 46.1 mass %, ascorbic acid content 2.83 mass %, and titratable acidity 6.01 mass % (as citric acid) did not show significant differences when compared with samples treated by conventional technology. Presented at the 33rd International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 22–26 May 2006.     

Phase separation of p53 precedes aggregation and is affected by oncogenic mutations and ligands

Mutant p53 tends to form aggregates with amyloid properties, especially amyloid oligomers inside the nucleus, which are believed to cause oncogenic gain-of-function (GoF). The mechanism of the formation of the aggregates in the nucleus remains uncertain. The present study demonstrated that the DNA-binding domain of p53 (p53C) underwent phase separation (PS) on the pathway to aggregation under various conditions. p53C phase separated in the presence of the crowding agent polyethylene glycol (PEG). Similarly, mutant p53C (M237I and R249S) underwent PS; however, the process evolved to a solid-like phase transition faster than that in the case of wild-type p53C. The data obtained by microscopy of live cells indicated that transfection of mutant full-length p53 into the cells tended to result in PS and phase transition (PT) in the nuclear compartments, which are likely the cause of the GoF effects. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments revealed liquid characteristics of the condensates in the nucleus. Mutant p53 tended to undergo gel- and solid-like phase transitions in the nucleus and in nuclear bodies demonstrated by slow and incomplete recovery of fluorescence after photobleaching. Polyanions, such as heparin and RNA, were able to modulate PS and PT in vitro. Heparin apparently stabilized the condensates in a gel-like state, and RNA apparently induced a solid-like state of the protein even in the absence of PEG. Conditions that destabilize p53C into a molten globule conformation also produced liquid droplets in the absence of crowding. The disordered transactivation domain (TAD) modulated both phase separation and amyloid aggregation. In summary, our data provide mechanistic insight into the formation of p53 condensates and conditions that may result in the formation of aggregated structures, such as mutant amyloid oligomers, in cancer. The pathway of mutant p53 from liquid droplets to gel-like and solid-like (amyloid) species may be a suitable target for anticancer therapy.

Mutant p53 tends to form aggregates with amyloid properties, especially amyloid oligomers inside the nucleus, which are believed to cause oncogenic gain-of-function (GoF).     

Determination of volatile corrosion inhibitors by capillary electrophoresis

In this work, a capillary electrophoresis (CE) method using indirect UV detection (214nm) for the simultaneous determination of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA), diethylethanolamine (DEEA), monocyclohexylamine (MCHA) and dicyclohexylamine (DCHA) in water/ethanol extracts of wrapping materials containing volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) was described. A running buffer consisting of 0.010 molL(-1) imidazole, 0.010 molL(-1) 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid (HIBA) and 0.010 molL(-1) 18-crown-6 ether enabled separation of the analytes in less than 7 min. A few method validation parameters were determined revealing good migration time repeatability (<0.7% RSD) and area repeatability (< 1.8% RSD). Limits of detection were in the range of 0.52-1.54 mg L(-1). Recovery values were in the range of 94.8-100.9%. The methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of three commercial products (VCI treated paper, foam and plastic). The concentration of amines in these materials varied from 0.050 to 22.3% (w/w).     

Preparative Droplet Counter-Current Chromatography for the Separation of the New Nor-Seco-Triterpene and Pentacyclic Triterpenoids from Qualea Parviflora

The methanolic extract of the bark of the medicinal plant Qualea parviflora (Vochysiaceae) contains new nor-seco-triterpene and pentacyclic triterpenoids. They were separated in a preparative scale using droplet counter-current chromatography. The optimum solvent used was composed of a mixture of CHCl₃/MeOH/H₂O (43:37:20, v/v) in the descending mode and led to a successful separation of the new compound 28-nor-17, 22-seco-2α, 3β, 19, 22, 23-pentahydroxy-Δ¹²-oleanane, besides the known triterpenoids bellericagenin B, bellericaside B and arjunglucoside I . Identification was performed by ESI-MS, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR analyses.     

Density of states due to donor-pair molecules in three- and two-dimensional semiconductor systems

The density of states is calculated for a random distribution of donor-pairs of hydrogenlike impurities in three- and two-dimensional systems. Recent investigations of the hydrogen molecule in the alternant–molecular–orbital approximation are here extended. We found that the lowest excited state ¹Σu (i.e., H⁺H^?), which is optically connected to the ground state, plays a relevant role in the absorption spectra of semiconductor systems.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic behavior of highly luminescent Eu(3+)-dibenzoylmethanate (DBM) complexes with sulfoxide ligands

In this paper the synthesis, characterization and photoluminescent behavior of the [RE(DBM)3L2] complexes (RE=Gd and Eu) with a variety of sulfoxide ligands; L=benzyl sulfoxide (DBSO), methyl sulfoxide (DMSO), phenyl sulfoxide (DPSO) and p-tolyl sulfoxide (PTSO) have been investigated in solid state. The emission spectra of the Eu(3+)-beta-diketonate complexes show characteristics narrow bands arising from the 5D0-->7F(J) (J=0-4) transitions, which are split according to the selection rule for C(n), C(nv) or C(s) site symmetries. The experimental Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters (Omega2 and Omega4), radiative (A(rad)) and non-radiative (A(nrad)) decay rates, and R02 for the europium complexes have been determined and compared. The highest value of Omega2 (61.9x10(-20)cm2) was obtained to the complex with PTSO ligand, indicating that Eu3+ ion is in the highly polarizable chemical environment. The higher values of the experimental quantum yield (q) and emission quantum efficiency of the emitter 5D0 level (eta) for the Eu-complexes with DMSO, DBSO and PTSO sulfoxides suggest that these complexes are promising Light Conversion Molecular Devices (LCMDs). The lower value of quantum yield (q=1%), for the hydrated complex [Eu(DBM)3H2O], indicates that the luminescence quenching occurs via multiphonon relaxation by coupling with the OH-oscillators from water molecule coordinated to rare earth ion. The pure red emission of the Eu-complexes has been confirmed by (x, y) color coordinates.     

Chiroptical properties of 2-substituted pyrrolidines

The CD spectra of L-2-methylpyrrolidine, L-prolinol, and their N-methylated derivatives have been determined. As in the 2-substituted piperidines, N-methylation results in an inversion of the sign of the Cotton effects (CE). However, the sign of the long-wavelength CE does not follow the simple helicity rule found for 2-substituted piperidines, since the pyrrolidine ring is itself chiral and makes its own contributions to the observed CE's. The rotational contribution due to pyrrolidine ring chirality appears to be opposite in sign to and larger in magnitude than that due to the 2-substituent in both the secondary and the tertiary amines.     

The spatial distribution of poly(methyloctylsiloxane) deposited by solvent evaporation in the pores of HPLC silica particles

Summary Poly(methyloctylsiloxane) (PMOS), sorbed into the pores of HPLC silica particles by solvent evaporation, can function as a useful stationary phase for reversed-phase chromatography. The present work addresses the question of how the PMOS is distributed in the pores. Measurements of the surface area (BET, N₂) of a series of partially loaded samples (0–40% PMOS, m/m) using a typical batch of HPLC silica (10 μm irregular particles with 6 nm pores) show that the specific surface area of the samples decreases linearly with the specific loading (mass of PMOS per gram of silica). This result is not consistent with a “film” model in which the PMOS is deposited uniformly on the pore walls, but is consistent with a model in which long segmented “plugs” of PMOS are deposited within the pore system. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Improvement in steroid screening for doping control with special emphasis on stanozolol

The Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee forbids the use of anabolic androgenic steroids and beta2-agonists to improve athletic performance. In this work we have selected examples of anabolic androgenic compounds and their metabolites to evaluate the GC-MS analysis of some trimethylsilyl derivatives. The aim is to set the best GC conditions to improve the detection within the whole range of analyte elution temperatures. The initial column temperature was changed to 105 or 140 degrees C followed by 40 degrees C min(-1) to 200 degrees C and then 15 degrees C min(-1) to 300 degrees C. Using 140 degrees C as the initial oven temperature it was possible to obtain narrower initial analyte distributions for the compounds that elutes at the beginning of the chromatogram as clenbuterol, mabuterol, epimethylenediol and norandrosterone, without loss of derivatized metabolites signal. Later. eluting analytes, such as the stanozolol metabolites, furazabol and oxandrolone were not affected. Temperatures below 140 degrees C. resulted in partial derivatization for some analytes mainly stanozolol related structures. Therefore evaluation of derivatization conditions as occurring in three steps, the vial, vaporization chamber and capillary column, was thoroughly assessed. The new program temperature improves the signal-to-noise ratio for some compounds and shows adequate resolution for endogenous compounds. Some of the difficult key separations necessary for doping control enforcement were also obtained with the proposed method.