PIXE-RBS combination to measure uranium and thorium in environmental and biological samples

A combination of two techniques, PIXE (particle induced x-ray emission) and RBS (Rutherford backscattering), is proposed as an analytical tool to measure uranium and thorium in environmental and biological samples and in the study of the micro-distribution of uranium is low Z matrices such as biological tissue.Work supported by U.S. Department of Energy Contracts DE-AC02-76CH-00116 (MC, KWJ) and DE-AC02-76EV-00119 (NPS, MEW). One of us (ASP) is grateful to FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Technológico).     

Evaluation of recombinant green fluorescent protein, under various culture conditions and purification with HiTrap hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins

To determine the influence of various culture conditions, transformed cells of Escherichia coli expressing recombinant green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) were grown in nine cultures with four variable conditions (storage of inoculated broth at 4°C prior to incubation, agitation speed, isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside [IPTG] concentration, and induction time). The pelleted cells were resuspended in extraction buffer and subjected to the three-phase partitioning (TPP) extraction method. To determine the most appropriate purification resin, protein extracts were eluted through one of four types of HiTrap hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) columns prepacked with methyl, butyl, octyl, or phenyl resins and analyzed further on a 12% sodium dodecylsulfatepolyacrylamidegel. With Coomassie staining, a single band between 27 (standard GFPuv) and 29 kDa (molecular weight standard) was visualized for every HIC column sample. TPP extraction with HIC elution provided about 90% of the GFPuv recovered and eight-fold GFPuv enrichment related to the specific mass. Rotary speed and IPTG concentration showed, respectively, greater negative and positive influences on GFPuv expression at the beginning of the logarithmic phase for the set culture conditions (37°C, 24-h incubation).     

Adsorption of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> N</Emphasis>-dodecyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (DDAPS), a model zwitterionic surfactant,on the Au(111) electrode surface

Electrochemical measurements including cyclic voltammetry, differential capacity, and chronocoulometry have been used to characterize the adsorption behaviors of the zwitterionic surfactant N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (DDAPS) on the Au(111) electrode surface. The thermodynamics of the ideally polarized electrode have been employed to determine the Gibbs excess and the Gibbs energy of adsorption. The results show that the adsorption of DDAPS has a multistate character. The first two states are observed at potentials close to zero charge. At low bulk DDAPS concentrations, it corresponds to the formation of a film of nearly flat adsorbed molecules. At higher concentrations it is converted into a hemimicellar state. The second state is formed at negative potentials and charge densities close to 0 C cm^–2. It corresponds to a film of tilted molecules oriented with the hydrocarbon tail towards the metal and the polar head toward the solution.Dedicated to Professor Zbigniew Galus on the occasion of his 70^th birthday and in recognition of his many contributions to electrochemistry.     

Electric-field-driven surface aggregation of a model zwitterionic surfactant

Electrochemical measurements, atomic force microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy have been combined to describe the electric-field-controlled surface aggregation of N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (DDAPS), a model zwitterionic surfactant, at a Au(111) electrode surface. At concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the monomer adsorbs and aggregates at the surface. The charge on the metal (sigmaM) controls the orientation of adsorbed molecules and consequently the film structure. At high negative (sigmaM < -5 microC cm-2) charge densities, a spongy, disordered film is formed in which the polar heads are turned toward the solution. At high positive (sigmaM > +5 microC cm-2) charge densities, a planar film with "blisters" is observed with the polar heads of DDAPS turned to the metal. Hemicylindrical aggregates are observed in the intermediate charge density range (-5 < sigmaM < +5 microC cm-2). At bulk concentrations higher than the CMC, micelles adsorb and the structure of these films is controlled by the fusion of the adsorbed micelles. STM and AFM images provided direct visualization of this field-driven surface aggregation of the zwitterionic surfactant.     

Post-blast detection of traces of explosives by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Samples obtained from debris after explosions of about 30 g of energetic materials were analyzed by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy using both, Globar and synchrotron infrared radiation at the ISMI beamline of the Singapore synchrotron light source (SSLS). Low- and high-strength-of-explosion blasts were performed during each test run with the same explosive material. From the spectroscopic measurements, traces of unreacted explosives were found on more than 200 different materials that served as sample catchers in the explosions.The integrality of the experiments done confirmed that FTIR spectroscopy is a sufficiently sensitive method to detect traces of explosives in post-blast residues even of high-strength explosions. The method requires only a minimal amount of sample and enables accurate and very fast identification of the presence of explosive material. Finally, the synchrotron radiation infrared source provided one order of magnitude higher sensitivity compared to the conventional Globar source.     

Free convection effects and radiative heat transfer in MHD Stokes problem for the flow of dusty conducting fluid through porous medium

The present note deals with the effects of radiative heat transfer and free convection in MHD for a flow of an electrically conducting, incompressible, dusty viscous fluid past an impulsively started vertical non-conducting plate, under the influence of transversely applied magnetic field. The heat due to viscous dissipation and induced magnetic field is assumed to be negligible. The governing linear partial differential equations are solved by finite difference technique. The effects of various parameters (like radiation parameter N, Prandtl number Pr, porosity parameter K) entering into the MHD Stokes problem for flow of dusty conducting fluid have been examined on the temperature field and velocity profile for both the dusty fluid and dust particles.     

On α-Limit Sets in Lorenz Maps

The aim of this paper is to show that α-limit sets in Lorenz maps do not have to be completely invariant. This highlights unexpected dynamical behavior in these maps, showing gaps existing in the literature. Similar result is obtained for unimodal maps on [0,1]. On the basis of provided examples, we also present how the performed study on the structure of α-limit sets is closely connected with the calculation of the topological entropy.     

NMR Wool Tube: a novel method for NMR solution analysis of derivatized glass surfaces

Glass wool was placed within an NMR tube as a solid support for the covalent attachment of a molecule to allow for a simple one-dimensional 1H FT NMR solution analysis. This novel procedure avoids the use of expensive sample tubes or platforms, as required for magic angle or fast spinning, exotic pulse sequences, isotopic labeling or the use of a large number of scans to provide the ability to analyze the structure, mobility, ligand binding, and solvent interactions of the surface bound molecule.     

Uniform Exponential Dichotomy and Continuity of Attractors for Singularly Perturbed Damped Wave Equations

For , we consider a family of damped wave equations , where − Λ denotes the Laplacian with zero Dirichlet boundary condition in L ²(Ω). For a dissipative nonlinearity f satisfying a suitable growth restrictions these equations define on the phase space semigroups which have global attractors A _η, . We show that the family , behaves upper and lower semicontinuously as the parameter η tends to 0⁺.