Enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides, alkyl and terpenyl glucosides, by recombinant Escherichia coli-expressed Pichia etchellsii β-glucosidase II

The biosynthetic activity of yeast Pichia etchellsii β-glucosidase II (BglII) expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli was utilized for synthesis of cellooligosaccharides, alkyl and terpene glucosides. Cellooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization of 3 and greater were resolved by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) using an ethyl acetate: 1-propanol:2-propanol:water (8:5:1:1) solvent system followed by visualization with 0.2% naphthoresorcinol reagent. Using 2M cellobiose and 15 IU of partially purified BglII, 57 mmol/L of oligosaccharides (comprising mostly cellotriose and cellopentaose) was synthesized in 16 h. Similarly, alkyl glucosides with chain lengths from 6 to 10 carbons were synthesized and products extracted to near purity by ethylacetate extraction. The same extraction method was employed to separate, to near purity, various monoterpenyl (nerol, geraniol, citronellol) glucosides. A reliable and simple method for separation of cellooligosaccharides using a combination of Bio-Gel P-2 gel filtration and charcoal celite adsorption chromatography was developed. The cellooligosaccharides were separated to purity as confirmed by TLC. The enzyme was among the very few that could synthesize a wide variety of glycoconjugates.     

Measurements of F2 and xF(nu)(3) - xF(nu;)(3) from CCFR nu(mu)-Fe and nu;(mu)-Fe Data in a Physics Model-Independent Way

We report on the extraction of the structure functions F2 and DeltaxF(3) = xF(nu)(3)-xF(nu;)(3) from CCFR nu(mu)-Fe and nu;(mu)-Fe differential cross sections. The extraction is performed in a physics model-independent (PMI) way. This first measurement of DeltaxF(3), which is useful in testing models of heavy charm production, is higher than current theoretical predictions. The ratio of the F2 (PMI) values measured in nu(mu) and mu scattering is in agreement (within 5%) with the predictions of next-to-leading-order parton distribution functions using massive charm production schemes, thus resolving the long-standing discrepancy between the two sets of data.     

Large near resonance third order nonlinearity in GaN

We have studied third order nonlinearities, including two-photon absorption coefficient and nonlinear refractive index n ₂, of GaN in below bandgap ultraviolet (UV) wavelength regime by using UV femtosecond pulses. Two-photon absorption was investigated by demonstrating femtosecond UV pulsewidth autocorrelation in a GaN thin film while femtosecond Z-scan measurements revealed information for both n ₂ and . The distribution of n ₂ versus wavelength was found to be consistent with a model described by the quadratic Stark effect, which is the dominant factor contributed to the nonlinear refractive index near the bandgap. Large on the order of 10 cm/GW and large negative n ₂ with a magnitude on the order of several 10^–12 cm²/W were obtained. The at near mid-gap infrared (IR) wavelength was also found to be on the order of several cm/GW by using two-photon-type autocorrelations in a GaN thin film. Taking advantage of the large two-photon absorption at mid-gap wavelengths, we have demonstrated excellent image quality on two-photon confocal microscopy, including two-photon-scanning-photoluminescence imaging and two-photon optical-beam-induced current microscopy, on a GaN Hall measurement sample and an InGaN green light emitting diode.     

Exact solutions to three-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation

With a view to obtain exact analytic solutions to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a few potentials of physical interest in three dimensions, transformation-group method is used. Interestingly, the integrals of motion in the new coordinates turn out to be the desired invariants of the systems.     

Multiple parameter tuning of the bandwidth, wavelength and attenuation of a fiber-based acousto-optic tunable filter

In this paper we presented a method, which will allow multiple parameter control of the 3-dB bandwidth, center notch wavelength and attenuation level in a fiber-based acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). The method basically involves the variation of the interaction length, RF frequency and RF power on a single-fiber device to achieve multiple parameters tuning of the optical filter. The acousto-optic (AO) interaction inside a single-mode fiber (SMF) was studied theoretically and experimentally.     

Experimental studies on the microstructure and hardness of laser-treated steel specimens

An experimental investigation with 5 kW CW CO₂ laser system was carried out to study the effects of different laser and process parameters on the microstructure and hardness of carbon steel specimen with varying carbon percentage. The laser beam is allowed to scan on the surface of the work piece varying the power (1.1–2.5 kW) and traverse speed (6–15 mm/s) at two different spot sizes using TEM_01* mode laser beam. The most hardenable microstructure achieved in case of three grades of carbon steel and the most influencing parameter on the value of hardness are reported. Besides the above study, some multipass operations are also carried out to recommend an appropriate gap between consecutive passes.     

Lipase activity of Lecitase® Ultra: characterization and applications in enantioselective reactions

The general properties of Lecitase® Ultra, a phospholipase manufactured and marketed by Novozymes, Denmark, have been studied after purification by ultrafiltration. The enzyme has a molecular mass of 35 KD, pH-optimum of 8.5, and appears to possess a single active site which exhibits both the lipase and phospholipase activities that increase in the presence of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions. The enzyme is inhibited by heavy metal ions and surfactants, and does not accept p-nitrophenyl acetate and glycerol triacetate. Substrates, such as glycerol tributyrate and p-nitrophenyl palmitate, esters of N-acetyl-α-amino acids and α-hydroxy acids are readily accepted. Amino acids with aliphatic residues, such as alanine, isoleucine, and methionine, are hydrolyzed with high enantioselectivity for the l-enantiomer (E >100), but amino acids with aromatic residues such as phenylalanine and phenylglycine, and esters of α-hydroxy acids are hydrolyzed with low enantioselectivity (E = 1–5). Immobilization of the enzyme in a gelatin matrix (gelozyme) leads to a marginal improvement in the enantioselectivity for these substrates. However, a dramatic improvement in enantioselectivity is observed for ethyl 2-hydroxy-4-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate (E value increases from 4.5 to 19.5 with S-selectivity). Similarly, glycidate esters, such as ethyl trans-(±)-3-phenyl glycidate and methyl trans-(±)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl) glycidate, are selectively hydrolyzed with a remarkable selectivity towards the (2S,3R)-enantiomer providing unreacted (2R,3S)-glycidate esters (ee >99%, conversion 52–55%) by the immobilized enzyme.