A review of the zone broadening contributions in free-flow electrophoresis

The broadening of analyte streams, as they migrate through a free-flow electrophoresis (FFE) channel, often limits the resolving power of FFE separations. Under laminar flow conditions, such zonal spreading occurs due to analyte diffusion perpendicular to the direction of streamflow and variations in the lateral distance electrokinetically migrated by the analyte molecules. Although some of the factors that give rise to these contributions are inherent to the FFE method, others originate from non-idealities in the system, such as Joule heating, pressure-driven crossflows, and a difference between the electrical conductivities of the sample stream and background electrolyte. The injection process can further increase the stream width in FFE separations but normally influencing all analyte zones to an equal extent. Recently, several experimental and theoretical works have been reported that thoroughly investigate the various contributions to stream variance in an FFE device for better understanding, and potentially minimizing their magnitudes. In this review article, we carefully examine the findings from these studies and discuss areas in which more work is needed to advance our comprehension of the zone broadening contributions in FFE assays.     

Volatile components,antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Citrus acida var. sour lime peel oil

Essential oil of Citrus acida Roxb. var. sour lime was analyzed by GC–MS. Out of 59 components 18 were identified from their fragmentation pattern. Among the identified constituents, o-cymene (16.62%) was found as a major component followed by α-cedrene (10.57%), decadienal (8.043%), bisabolene (5.066%) and β-humelene (4.135%). Citronellyl acetate (2.371%), linalool acetate (2.371%), carvone (1.806%), decanone (1.474%), isopulegol acetate (1.296%), farnesol (1.254%), 4′-methoxyacetophenone (1.207%), and Δ-carene (1.070%) were found in minor quantities whereas α-terpineole (0.607%), dihydroxylinalool acetate (0.650%), cis-nerone (0.574%), caryophyllene oxide (0.433%), and 2,2-dimethyl-3,4-octadienal (0.375%) were found in minute amounts.The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of C. acida was determined by disc diffusion method, against different bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhymurium) and fungi (Aspergillus ficuum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavis, Fusarium saloni, Fusarium oxysporum, Pencillium digitatum, Candida utilis). Maximum zone of inhibition was resulted against B. subtilis (22 mm) followed by C. utilis (20 mm) and B. cereus (19.8 mm), whereas the minimum zone of inhibition was shown by P. digitatum (10 mm). The inhibition zones, measured after 48 h and 96 h, showed that it is active against all tested bacteria and fungi. The results of antioxidant activity of essential oil of C. acida var. sour lime showed that it was able to reduce the stable radical DPPH to yellow-colored DPPH-H reaching 91.7% of DPPH scavenging effect comparative to ascorbic acid being a strong antioxidant reagent.     

Lipid classes of in vitro cultivar of Pakistani citrus

The in vitro cultivar of citrus contained 18.0% lipids after 12 weeks of germination of seed. The lipid was analyzed by GC procedure for its fatty acid composition. The oil contained seven major fatty acid constituents which were later identified by GC. The oil was further analyzed for its classes by means of thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography. The major portion of the lipid classes comprised of neutral lipids (93.9%) and polar lipids (6.1%). The identified neutral lipids comprised of hydrocarbon (1.4%), wax esters (1.5%), sterol esters (5.2%), triglycerides (52.3%), free fatty acids (1.3%), 1,3-diglycerides (6.0%), 1,2-diglycerides (5.0%), glycol (15.2%), sterols (6.0%), 2-monoglycerides (6.4%), 1-monoglycerides (5.3%) and the identified polar lipids comprised of phosphatidyl ethanolamine (1.8%) phosphatidyl choline (0.9%) lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine (1.8%) and phosphatidyl inositol (1.1%).     

Determination of viable <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> using antibody-coated paramagnetic beads with fluorescence detection

A rapid and convenient assay system was developed to detect viable Escherichia coli in water. The target bacteria were recovered from solution by immunomagnetic separation and incubated in tryptic soy broth with isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside, which induces formation of β-galactosidase in viable bacteria. Lysozyme was used to lyse E. coli cells and release the β-galactosidase. β-Galactosidase converted 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-d-galactoside to 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), which was measured by fluorescence spectrophotometry using excitation and emission wavelengths of 355 and 460 nm, respectively. Calibration graphs of 4-MU fluorescence intensity versus E. coli concentration showed a detection range between 8 × 10⁴ and 1.6 × 10⁷ cfu mL⁻¹, with a total analysis time of less than 3 h. The advantage of this method is that it detects viable cells because it is based on the activity of the enzyme intrinsic to live E. coli.     

Application of the lag-after-pulsed-separation (LAPS) flow meter to different protein solutions

A lag after pulsed separation (LAPS) meter was previously developed to measure flow rates of protein solutions. The LAPS meter operates on the time-of-flight principle. An upstream event (electrophoretic concentration of the particles in one section of the device) is detected downstream (by change in ac resistance). The time lag between the event and its detection is inversely proportional to the fluid flow rate. We demonstrate the ability of the LAPS meter to measure the flow rate of solutions containing one or more charged biomacromolecules or particles. A prototype of the LAPS meter was used to measure flow rates of solutions of model proteins [bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme and hemoglobin] and mixtures of BSA and lysozyme. Flow rates of 10-50 microl min(-1)(average velocities of 0.24-1.2 mm s(-1)) were measured. When a single ac measurement was used, the results were solution-dependent, which we attribute to the interface between the protein solution and the ac electrodes. A differential mode, in which the signal from a positive and a negative dc pulse were subtracted from each other, eliminated interfacial effects and led to a single universal (solution-independent) calibration curve. The LAPS meter can be used as a non-invasive, no-moving-parts flow sensor in any microfluidic system (such as drug delivery devices or micro-reactor arrays) where one needs to measure the flow rate of a solution or a suspension containing charged species such as proteins or cells.     

Facile synthesis of 5, 6, 7, 8-tetrahydropyrimido [4, 5-b]-quinoline derivatives

2-Amino-4-phenyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline-3-carbonitrile (3) was synthesized by treating cyclohexanone (1) with 2-benzylidenemalononitrile (2) in the presence of ammonium acetate. The reactivity of compound 3 towards dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal (DMF-DMA), carbon disulfide, urea, thiourea, formamide, formic acid, acetyl chloride and isothiocyanate were studied. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of some selected derivatives is reported.     

Ono–Kondo lattice model for high-pressure adsorption: Pure gases

Theoretical models for adsorption behavior are needed to develop optimal strategies for enhanced coalbed methane (CBM) recovery operations. Although several frameworks are available for describing this adsorption phenomenon, the Ono–Kondo (OK) lattice model offers several practical advantages in modeling supercritical, high-pressure adsorption systems.     

Anti-infective potential of caffeic acid and epicatechin 3-gallate isolated from methanol extract of Euphorbia hirta (L.) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Euphorbia hirta (L.) plant is traditionally used in Malaysia for the treatment of gastrointestinal, bronchial and respiratory ailments caused by nosocomial infectious agents. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of E. hirta and analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography have led to the isolation of two antibacterial compounds. These compounds were identified as caffeic acid (CA) and (–)-epicatechin 3-gallate (ECG) based on spectroscopic analyses and comparison with previously published data. Using broth microdilution method, both ECG and CA had demonstrated significant minimum inhibitory concentration of 15.6 and 31.3 μg/mL respectively, against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Time-kill assessment of ECG and CA displayed bactericidal effect on P. aeruginosa cells.     

Synthesis,characterization and study of antibacterial activity of enaminone complexes of zinc and iron

Complexes of enaminones; 4-N,N-diethylamine-pent-3-ene-2-one [HL¹], 4-N,N-di n-propylamine-pent-3-ene-2-one [HL²] and 4-N,N-dicyclohexylamine-pent-3-ene-2-one [HL³] with Fe(II) and Zn(II) ions were prepared by reacting the equimolar ethanolic solutions of the ligands (HL¹, HL² and HL³) with ethanolic metal solutions. The complexes formed, were characterized by infrared, ultraviolet and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Ligands and their metal complexes were tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria to assess their antibacterial action using disc diffusion method. Ligands were completely inactive against bacteria whereas the complex Zn (HL¹) has significant action on both bacteria, indicating that it has a good potential as bactericide. Other complexes have normal antiseptic character.