Biosensors containing acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase as recognition tools for detection of various compounds

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) are enzymes expressed in the human body under physiological conditions. AChE is an important part of the cholinergic nerves where it hydrolyses neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Both cholinesterases are sensitive to inhibitors acting as neurotoxic compounds. In analytical applications, the enzymes can serve as a biorecognition element in biosensors as well as simple disposable sensors (dipsticks) and be used for assaying the neurotoxic compounds. In the present review, the mechanism of AChE and BChE inhibition by disparate compounds is explained and methods for assaying the enzymes activity are shown. Optical, electrochemical, and piezoelectric biosensors are described. Attention is also given to the application of sol-gel techniques and quantum dots in the biosensors’ construction. Examples of the biosensors are provided and the pros and cons are discussed.     

Comparison of hydrothermal,hydrotropic and organosolv pretreatment for improving the enzymatic digestibility of bamboo

Pretreatment is the crucial step to disrupt the recalcitrant structure of lignocellulosic biomass for improving the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. Typically, hydrothermal, organosolv and hydrotropic pretreatments are environmentally benign and effective methods. In this work, effects of hydrothermal, organosolv and hydrotropic pretreatments on improving enzymatic hydrolysis of bamboo were comprehensively compared. Hydrotropic pretreatment was more effective in removal lignin and xylose from bamboo fiber cell wall. However, the surface coverage by lignin and extractives were dramatically displaced during organosolv pretreatment as investigation by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. After pretreatments, the crystallinity of cellulose in pretreated substrates has a significant reduction, and pores were exposed on fiber surface. The residual content of acetyl and phenolic groups in hydrotropic pretreated substrates is lower than organosolv pretreated substrates. In order to deeply assess the delignification of pretreatments, the isolated lignins obtaining from pretreatments process were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy also. It was revealed that hydrotropic lignin contained more phenolic hydroxyl group and syringyl units than organosolv lignin. Compared to hydrothermal and organosolv pretreatment, cellulase adsorption capacity of pretreated substrates was notably improved by hydrotropic pretreatment, which indicating the better enzyme accessibility of cellulose. Eventually, the maximum glucose yield was obtained from hydrotropic pretreated substrates.     

Magnetic,Electrical and Thermal Studies of Polypyrrole-Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Nanocomposites

This research paper comprises of the synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy)-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites by employing the in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The concentration of the filler material was adjusted between 10–50 wt % of PPy. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Magnetic analysis and DC electrical conductivity of the samples were carried out using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and two probe DC conductivity method, point towards magnetically active and electrically conductive samples. The magnetic parameters under applied magnetic field demonstrated that the values of coercivity (H _c ), saturation magnetization (M _s ) and remanence (M _r ) can be tailored by carefully controlling the amount of dopant material into the nanocomposites indicating their suitability for controllable switching devices and microwave absorption applications. The DC electrical conductivity showed an increase up to 20 wt % of filler material and thereafter a decrease in the conductivity of nanocomposites with increase in filler content is observed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed an increase in thermal stability with an increase in ferrite content in nanocomposites.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Fluorescent Study of Bis(2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazolate)zinc with Ethanol Solvate

Abstract  The zinc(II) complex with 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole, namely [Zn(2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazolate)₂]·C₂H₅OH (1 · C₂H₅OH) has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography and photoluminescent analysis. The complex crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2₁/c with cell parameters a = 10.156(1) ?, b = 25.771(3) ?, c = 9.674(1) ?, α = 90°, β = 103.641(2)°, γ = 90°, Z = 4, V = 2460.4(4) ?³. The central Zn(II) is four-coordinate and has a tetrahedral geometry. The steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescent spectra for the title compound have also been studied. The emission property can be ascribed to ligand-centered charge-transfer transition (LCCT) with π → π* property. Index Abstract   A new co-crystal of Zn(II) complex of 2-(2-hydroxylphenyl)benzimidazole with ethanol solvate has been prepared, characterized by X-ray crystallography and fluorescent studies.      

On damping coefficient due to phase transformation

The damping coefficient of capillary waves due to the evaporation-condensation process at the interface of the two phases of a fluid is evaluated. To highlight the mechanism of the effect of heat and mass transfer across the interface between regions of liquid and vapor, potential flow of incompressible fluids are assumed. Thus other mechanisms of damping are neglected. To fascilitate the analysis, the method of multiple-scale is employed in the analysis, even though the problem is linear.     

Safety margin criterion of nonlinear unbalance elastic axle system

IntroductionAtpresentanewanddevelopingsubject—chaoticdynamicsstartsabroadprospectforanalysisofnonlinearsystem[1～ 5 ].Largerotatingmachineryisatypicalnonlinearnon_autonomoussystem .Thesaferunofrotorsystemisofgreatsignificancetosociallifeandeconomicdevelopment.Thestabilityisthekeytosafeoperation .Thesafestabilityanalysisandcontrolforlargesystemisnotonlyamajorbasicresearchbutalsoisveryimportanttosolvethesafeproblemsinlifeandproduction[6 ,7].Soar,althoughmanymathematicians,mechanistsandengineer…     

Flow properties of a dusty-gas point source in a supersonic free stream

By using Lagrangian method, the flow properties of a dusty-gas point source in a supersonic free stream were studied and the particle parameters in the near-symmetry-axis region were obtained . It is demonstrated that fairly inertial particles travel along oscillating and intersecting trajectories between the bow and termination shock waves . In this region, formation of " mufti- layer structure" in panicle distribution with alternating low- and high density layers is revealed. Moreover, sharp accumulation of particles occurs near the envelopes of particle trajectories .     

Dynamic modeling and simulation of deploying process for space solar power satellite receiver

To reveal some dynamic properties of the deploying process for the solar power satellite via an arbitrarily large phased array (SPS-ALPHA) solar receiver, the symplectic Runge-Kuttamethod is used to simulate the simplified model with the consideration of the Rayleigh damping effect. The system containing the Rayleigh damping can be separated and transformed into the equivalent nondamping system formally to insure the application condition of the symplectic Runge-Kutta method©First, the Lagrange equation with the Rayleigh damping governing the motion of the system is derived via the variational principle. Then, with some reasonable assumptions on the relations among the damping, mass, and stiffness matrices, the Rayleigh damping system is equivalently converted into the nondamping system formally, so that the symplectic Runge-Kutta method can be used to simulate the deploying process for the solar receiver. Finally, some numerical results of the symplectic Runge-Kutta method for the dynamic properties of the solar receiver are reported. The numerical results show that the proposed simplified model is valid for the deploying process for the SPS-ALPHA solar receiver, and the symplectic Runge-Kutta method can preserve the displacement constraints of the system well with excellent long-time numerical stability.     

Chronology and origin of VMS deposits in Xinjiang,NW China

VMS deposits in Xinjiang, NW China are widespread in the Altay, Tianshan and West Kunlun orogenic belt, mainly formed during the Proterozoic rifting and Phanerozoic post-orogenic extension and are related to the bimodal volcanism. The VMS deposits are middle and small in scale. According to assemblages of metallogenetic elements, they can be divided into four types (Cu-Zn, Cu-S, Pb-Zn-Cu and Pb-Zn types) with the Cu-Zn and Pb-Zn types being the most important ones. Research of isotopic chronology shows that the VMS deposits in Xinjiang were formed during the Proterozoic, Ordovician, Deovonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods and usually underwent multi-stage mineralization, especially the large-sized deposits usually have post-volcanic superimposed mineralization by tectonomagmatic or metamorphic hydrothermal metal-logenic fluids.     

Multi-scale Fractured Coal Gas–Solid Coupling Model and Its Applications in Engineering Projects

With coal mining entering the geological environment of “high stress, rich gas, strong adsorption and low permeability,” the difficulty of joint coal and gas extraction clearly augments, the risk of solid–gas coupling dynamic disasters greatly increases, and the underlying mechanisms become more complex. In this paper, based on the characteristics of coal’s multi-scale structure and spatiotemporal variation, the multi-scale fractured coal gas–solid coupling model (MSFM) was built. In this model, the interaction between coal matrix and its fractures and the mechanical characteristics of gas-bearing coal were considered, as well as their coupling relationship. By MATLAB software, the stress–damage–seepage numerical computation programs were developed, which were applied into Comsol Multiphysics to simulate gas flow caused by coal mining. The simulation results showed the spatial variability of coal elastic modulus and cross-flow behaviors of coal seam gas, which were superior to the results of traditional gas–solid coupling model. And the numerical results obtained from MSFM were closer to the measured results in field, while the computation results of traditional model were slightly higher than the measured results. Furthermore, the MSFM in a large scale was verified by field engineering project.