Utility of lab-on-a-chip technology for high-throughput nucleic acid and protein analysis

On-chip electrophoresis can provide size separations of nucleic acids and proteins similar to more traditional slab gel electrophoresis. Lab-on-a-chip (LoaC) systems utilize on-chip electrophoresis in conjunction with sizing calibration, sensitive detection schemes, and sophisticated data analysis to achieve rapid analysis times (<120 s). This work describes the utility of LoaC systems to enable and augment systems biology investigations. RNA quality, as assessed by an RNA integrity number score, is compared to existing quality control (QC) measurements. High-throughput DNA analysis of multiplex PCR samples is used to stratify gene sets for disease discovery. Finally, the applicability of a high-throughput LoaC system for assessing protein purification is demonstrated. The improvements in workflow processes, speed of analysis, data accuracy and reproducibility, and automated data analysis are illustrated.     

Lattice dynamics of KCN and NaCN in the disordered cubic phase

The rotational degrees of freedom of the CN^- dumbbell have been included in a shell model treatment of the lattice dynamics of KCN and NaCN. Recent experiments are discussed and compared with the model.     

Quantitative analysis of organic mixtures, part one: General principles : By

In earlier work the authors determined the Brauer kernel of extensions of degree p in characteristic $p>2$ where the Galois group is a semidirect product of order ps for $s|(p?1)$. This result is extended here and tools are developed to compute the cohomological kernels $H_{p^m}^{n+1}(E_m/F)$ for all $n\ge 0$ where $[E_m:F]=p^m$ and the Galois closure is a semidirect product of cyclic groups order $p^m$ and s where $s|(p?1)$. A six-term exact sequence describing the K-theory and cohomology of the extension is obtained. As an application it is shown that any F-division p-algebra of index $p^m$ split in $E_m$ is cyclic; a characteristic p analogue of a result of Vishne. The proofs use the de Rham Witt complex and Izhboldin groups, extending techniques developed earlier for the study of degree 4 extensions in characteristic two. The paper also provides background on the de Rham Witt Complex and Izhboldin groups difficult to track down in the literature.     

The de Rham Witt complex,cohomological kernels and pm-extensions in characteristic p

In earlier work the authors determined the Brauer kernel of extensions of degree p in characteristic $p>2$ where the Galois group is a semidirect product of order ps for $s|(p?1)$. This result is extended here and tools are developed to compute the cohomological kernels $H_{p^m}^{n+1}(E_m/F)$ for all $n\ge 0$ where $[E_m:F]=p^m$ and the Galois closure is a semidirect product of cyclic groups order $p^m$ and s where $s|(p?1)$. A six-term exact sequence describing the K-theory and cohomology of the extension is obtained. As an application it is shown that any F-division p-algebra of index $p^m$ split in $E_m$ is cyclic; a characteristic p analogue of a result of Vishne. The proofs use the de Rham Witt complex and Izhboldin groups, extending techniques developed earlier for the study of degree 4 extensions in characteristic two. The paper also provides background on the de Rham Witt Complex and Izhboldin groups difficult to track down in the literature.     

Bio-friendly synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles in aqueous solution at near-neutral pH and low temperature

ZnO nanoparticles are synthesized using a new bio-friendly method. The experimental conditions are very mild: aqueous solution at near-neutral pH and 37 degrees C. The as-obtained nanoparticles show the stable wurtzite structure without the need of annealing. The two reagents used are aqueous solutions of zinc nitrate and buffer tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. This is a standard nontoxic buffer and inert to a wide variety of chemicals and biomolecules, therefore extremely satisfactory for biochemical reactions. Furthermore, this is a polydentade ligand which adsorbs strongly on one or more surfaces of ZnO inhibiting its crystal growth and yielding nearly spherical ZnO nanoparticles. Our objective is to use the crystallization method described here for further incorporation of biomolecules as additives in the reaction solution, aiming at the formation of ZnO with new physical properties.