Ultrasensitive aptamer-based on-off assay for lysozyme using a glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide

The authors describe an electrochemical aptamer based assay for the determination of the serine protease lysozyme in very low (pM) concentrations. The method is based on the formation of a complex between anti-lysozyme aptamer fragments and lysozyme, and on electrochemical detection by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The surface of a glassy carbon electrode was modified with a nanocomposite consisting of gold nanoparticles and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (AuNPs/erGO), and the thiolated aptamer was then linked to the AuNPs by self-assembly through Au-S bonds. The interaction of immobilized aptamers with lysozyme leads to the decreased peak current in DPV and increased charge transfer resistance (R_ct) in EIS when using hexacyanoferrate or Methylene Blue as a redox probe. The calibration plot, when applying EIS and working at a typical voltage of ?0.22 V (vs. SCE), is linear over 1.0 to 104.3 pM concentration range, with a detection limit of 0.06 pM (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The respective data for DPV are a 9.6–205.5 pM linear range with a detection limit of 0.24 pM. Depending on the redox marker applied, the method works in the “signal-off” or “signal-on” mode in DPV and EIS protocols, respectively. The sensing interface is high specific for lysozyme and not affected by other proteins. The method was applied to the determination of lysozyme in spiked diluted human serum, and the results agreed well with data obtained with a standard ELISA.

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Graphical abstract The surface of a glassy carbon electrode was modified with a nanocomposite consisting of gold nanoparticles and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (AuNPs/erGO). Then, the thiolated aptamer was linked to the AuNPs by self-assembly through Au-S bonds. The modified electrode was applied to the determination of lysozyme with “signal off” and “signal on” strategies.

     

Experimental investigation of forced convective heat transfer coefficient in nanofluids of Al2O3/EG and CuO/EG in a double pipe and plate heat exchangers under turbulent flow

Nanofluid is the term applied to a suspension of solid, nanometer-sized particles in conventional fluids; the most prominent features of such fluids include enhanced heat characteristics, such as convective heat transfer coefficient, in comparison to the base fluid without considerable alterations in physical and chemical properties. In this study, nanofluids of aluminum oxide and copper oxide were prepared in ethylene glycol separately. The effect of forced convective heat transfer coefficient in turbulent flow was calculated using a double pipe and plate heat exchangers. Furthermore, we calculated the forced convective heat transfer coefficient of the nanofluids using theoretical correlations in order to compare the results with the experimental data. We also evaluated the effects of particle concentration and operating temperature on the forced convective heat transfer coefficient of the nanofluids. The findings indicate considerable enhancement in convective heat transfer coefficient of the nanofluids as compared to the base fluid, ranging from 2% to 50%. Moreover, the results indicate that with increasing nanoparticles concentration and nanofluid temperature, the convective heat transfer coefficient of nanofluid increases. Our experiments revealed that in lower temperatures, the theoretical and experimental findings coincide; however, in higher temperatures and with increased concentrations of the nanoparticles in ethylene glycol, the two set of results tend to have growing discrepancies.     

Pool boiling heat transfer characteristics of graphene-based aqueous nanofluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In the present study, experiments on pool boiling heat transfer of graphene nanofluids on a flat heater surface (40 mm diameter) were...     

Solvation thermodynamics of neutral and charged solutes using the solvation-layer interface condition continuum dielectric model

We demonstrate that the solvation-layer interface condition (SLIC) continuum dielectric model for molecular electrostatics, combined with a simple solvent-accessible-surface-area (SASA)-proportional model for nonpolar solvent effects, accurately predicts solvation entropies of neutral and charged small molecules. The SLIC/SASA model has only seven fitting parameters in total and achieves this accuracy using a training set with only 20 compounds. Despite this simplicity, solvation free energies and entropies are nearly as accurate as those predicted by the more sophisticated Langevin dipoles solvation model. Surprisingly, the model automatically reproduces the negligible contribution of electrostatics to the solvation of hydrophobic compounds. Opportunities for improvement include nonpolar solvation, anion solvation entropies, and heat capacities. More molecular realism may be needed for these quantities. To enable a future, explicit-solvent-based assessment of the SLIC/SASA implicit-solvent model, we predict solvation entropies for the Mobley test set, which are available as Supporting Information.     

A catalytic multicomponent protocol to dihydropyridine-3-carboxylate from terminal alkynes,isocyanates, and malonates

Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly - A domino catalytic reaction between terminal alkynes, isocyanates, and malonates has been developed. Copper acetylides attack on isocyanates to form...     

A manganese oxide with phenol groups as a promising structural model for water oxidizing complex in Photosystem II: a 'golden fish'

We describe here the ability of manganese oxide monosheets to aggregate to form layered structures with 4-aminophenol molecules. These aggregated monosheets could be considered as the first step to synthesize a self-assembled layered hybrid of phenol-manganese ions with phenol and manganese(III) and (IV) as exists in the water oxidizing complex of Photosystem II.     

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from leaves, stems and flowers of Salvia reuterana Boiss. grown in Iran

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves, stems and flowers of Salvia reuterana (Lamiaceae) were analysed by GC and GC/MS. Germacrene D and beta-caryophyllene were the major constituents in all the three oils: (28.5, 27.7 and 32.5%) and (15.5, 11.4 and 16.6%), respectively. Bicyclogermacrene (10.2 and 13.2%) was also prodominated in the stem and flower oils. The composition of the oils was mostly quantitativel rather than qualitatively different. All the oils consisted mainly of sesquiterpenes and a small percentage of non-terpenoid compounds. In all the three oils, monoterpenes were in a concentration less than 0.5%. Antibacterial activity was determined by the measurement of growth inhibitory zones.     

Synthesis,metal ion complexation and first use of a thia-aza substituted macrocyclic diamide as a novel sensing material for preparation of selective and sensitive poly(vinyl chloride)-membrane potentiometric sensors for Ag+ ion

A novel thia-aza substituted macrocyclic diamide 7,10,13-triaza-1-thia-4,16-dioxa-20,24-dimethyl-2,3;17,18-dibenzo-cyclooctadecane-6,14-dione (L) was synthesized and stability of its complexes with several alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions were studied conductometrically in methanol solution. The resulting 1:1 Ag⁺–L complex found to be the most stable one among all cation complexes studied. The optimized structures of the ligand and its Ag⁺ complex were also investigated. Based on the preliminary results thus obtained, L was used as an excellent sensing material to prepare polymeric membrane (PME) and coated graphite (CGE) silver-selective electrodes. The electrodes revealed a Nernstian behavior over wide Ag⁺ ion concentration ranges (i.e., 2.0 × 10^?6–1.0 × 10^?2 M for PME and 5.0 × 10^?7–1.0 × 10^?2 M for CGE). The potentiometric responses were independent of pH of the test solution in the range 2.9–6.8. The electrodes possessed advantages of low resistance, relatively fast response time, long lifetimes and, especially, good selectivity relative to a wide variety of other cations. The electrodes were used, as indicator electrodes, in the potentiometric titration of silver ion and in the determination of Ag⁺ ion in waste water, photographic emulsion, radiographic and photographic films and dental amalgams.