Effects of radiation on carbapenems: ESR identification and dosimetric features of gamma irradiated solid meropenem trihydrate

In the present work, effects of gamma radiation on solid meropenem trihydrate (MPT), which is the active ingredient of carbapenem antibiotics, were investigated by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Irradiated MPT presents an ESR spectrum consisting of many resonance peaks. Heights measured with respect to the spectrum baseline of these resonance peaks were used to explore the evolutions of the radicalic species responsible for the experimental spectrum under different conditions. Variations of the denoted 11 peak heights with microwave power, sample temperature and applied radiation doses and decay of the involved radicalic species at room and at high temperatures were studied. On the basis of the results derived from these studies, a molecular model consisting of the presence of four different radicalic species was proposed, and spectroscopic parameters of these species were calculated through spectrum simulation calculations. The dosimetric potential of MPT was also explored and it was concluded that MPT presents the characteristics of normal and accidental dosimetric materials.     

The dynamics of random interfaces in phase transitions

A review is given of recent developments involving the dynamics of random interfaces formed in the evolution of metastable and unstable systems. Topics which are discussed include interface growth and nonequilibrium dynamical scaling. The possibility of there being dynamical universality classes in first-order phase transitions is also discussed. There are a large number of systems of experimental interest which include binary alloys, binary fluids, and polymer mixtures. Other systems studied by computer simulation include the kinetic Ising, Potts, andZ _N models.Work supported by NSF grant No. DMR-8013700.     

Characterization and determination of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of p-CP adsorption onto organophilic bentonite from aqueous solution

The characterization of tetraethylammonium bentonite and the adsorption of p-chlorophenol (p-CP) onto organophilic bentonite (tetraethylammonium bentonite) was studied as a function of the solution concentration and temperature. The observed adsorption rates were found to fit first-order kinetics. The rate constants were calculated for temperatures ranging between 15.0 and 35.0 degrees C at constant concentration. The adsorption energy E and adsorption capacity q(m) for the phenolic compound adsorbing on organophilic bentonite were estimated using the Dubinin-Radushkevic equation. Thermodynamic parameters (Deltag(a), Deltah(a), Deltas(a)) were calculated by a new approximation from the isotherms of p-CP adsorption on organophilic bentonite. These isotherms were modeled according to Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevic adsorption isotherms. The amount of adsorption of p-chlorophenol on organophilic bentonite was found to be dependent on the relative energies of adsorbent-adsorbate, adsorbate-solvent, and adsorbate-adsorbate interactions.     

Nonextensive treatment of nucleation and growth in a thin layer

In this study, a generalized method based upon nonextensive statistics is presented for nucleation and growth processes in a thin layer between two interfaces. It is shown that the presented mathematical model, which uses an index called the entropic index that measures the nonextensivity of the physical system, successfully deals with the nucleation and growth processes, and works better than Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov model. The presented model also contains Austin–Rickett model as a special case.     

High-pressure laminar flame speeds and kinetic modeling of carbon monoxide/hydrogen combustion

Laminar flame speeds were accurately measured for CO/H₂/air and CO/H₂/O₂/helium mixtures at different equivalence ratios and mixing ratios by the constant-pressure spherical flame technique for pressures up to 40 atmospheres. A kinetic mechanism based on recently published reaction rate constants is presented to model these measured laminar flame speeds as well as a limited set of other experimental data. The reaction rate constant of CO + HO₂ → CO₂ + OH was determined to be k = 1.15 × 10⁵T^2.278 exp(−17.55 kcal/RT) cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 300-2500 K by ab initio calculations. The kinetic model accurately predicts our measured flame speeds and the non-premixed counterflow ignition temperatures determined in our previous study, as well as homogeneous system data from literature, such as concentration profiles from flow reactor and ignition delay time from shock tube experiments.     

Evaluation of semiconducting sensor materials on the basis of catalytic test reaction

Oxidative-reductive properties on the acid-base surfaces of the oxide compositions Sn-Ce-Rh-O and Zr-Mg-Y-O, active as catalysts in the ketonization of secondary alcohols were determined based on the isopropanol conversion selectivity. The kinetics of isopropanol conversion was measured in the oxygen-free atmosphere. Activation energies for both directions of conversion (dehydration to propylene and dehydrogenation to acetone) were calculated. The results were compared with the kinetics over SnO₂ and ZrO₂. Both oxide compositions, Sn-Ce-Rh-O and Zr-Mg-Y-O are oxidative-reductive catalysts containing Lewis acid centers.     

Interfacial kinetic enhancement of metal ion adsorption on binary mixed self-assembled monolayers

The adsorption of metal ions, a type of surface reaction on binary mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on a gold surface composed of 1,6-hexanedithiol (HDT) with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), was monitored by in situ surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements. The differential SPR reflectance (ΔR) enables the kinetics of adsorption of Pt²⁺ on the mixed SAMs to be investigated. Unlike single HDT SAM, kinetic analyses of the mixed SAMs showed that the rate of adsorption of Pt²⁺ was enhanced and that it was highly dependent on the fraction of MUA present. These SPR measurements suggest that the adsorption rate of metal ions can be readily manipulated simply by using mixed SAMs.     

AI-2 Key Enzyme S-Ribosylhomocysteinase from Strain Klebsiella pneumoniae CICC 10011 Producing 2,3-Butanediol

S-Ribosylhomocysteinase(LuxS) is the key enzyme in the synthetic pathway of a quorum sensing autoinducer AI-2. LuxS from a 2,3-butanediol produced strain Klebisella pneumoniae CICC 10011 was cloned and characterized. The luxS gene is composed of 540 bp with 172 amino acids encoded. The Km value for S-ribosylhomo- cysteine(SRH) was (27±1) umol/L, kcat was (0.112±0.004) s-1 and kcat/Km was 4.4×103 L umol-1·s-1 at 25 ℃. LuxS was activated by divalent metal ions, the highest activity was detected with Co2+ form...