The calculation of neutron self-shielding factors of a group of isolated resonances

The resonance neutron self-shielding factor, G _res, is required in neutron metrology and activation data analysis. In a previous paper, the authors have shown that a dimensionless variable can be introduced which converts the dependence of G _res on the physical and nuclear properties of the material samples into an universal curve, valid for the isolated resonances of any nuclide. This work presents a methodology based on the universal curve, which enables to calculate G _res for a group of isolated resonances by weighting its individual contributions. A good agreement was reached with results calculated by the MCNP code and with experimental values for Mo foils and wires. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Development and application of an integrated system for monitoring ethanol content of fuels

An automated flow injection analysis (FIA) system for quantifying ethanol was developed using alcohol oxidase, horseradish peroxidase, 4-aminophenazone, and phenol. A colorimetric detection method was developed using two different methods of analysis, with free and immobilized enzymes. The system with free enzymes permitted analysis of standard ethanol solution in a range of 0.05–1.0 g of ethanol/L without external dilution, a sampling frequency of 15 analyses/h, and relative SD of 3.5%. A new system was designed consisting of a microreactor with a 0.91-mL internal volume filled with alcohol oxidase immobilized on glass beads and an addition of free peroxidase, adapted in an FIA line, for continued reuse. This integrated biosensor-FIA system is being used for quality control of biofuels, gasohol, and hydrated ethanol. The FIA system integrated with the microreactor showed a calibration curve in the range of 0.05–1.5 g of ethanol/L, and good results were obtained compared with the ethanol content measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography standard methods.     

SOLVENT EFFECTS ON THE TAUTOMERIZATION OF 5′-DEOXYPYRIDOXAL. A PHOTOPHYSICAL STUDY

Abstract— Absorption and fluorescence spectra of 5′-deoxypyridoxal (DPL) in various pure solvents and mixtures were recorded both at room temperature and over the range10–65°C. The areas under the absorption bands were analyzed to obtain the mole fraction (f_N, f_z) of two tautomers (the zwitterionic, Z, and neutral, N, forms) in the ground state. The following spectral parameters were determined from the fluorescence spectra: Stokes shift (Δv), fluorescence quantum yield of the neutral form (Q_N), fluorescence ratio of the neutral to the zwitterionic form (ø_N/ø_Z) and the rate constant of tautomerization (k₁) from Z to N in the excited state. Some of these parameters (f_N, Δv, Q_N, k₁) were found to depend on the proton donor character of the solvent, whereas others (ø_N/ø_Z) depended on its dipole moment. Thus, the absorption and fluorescence spectra of DPL allow one to obtain information on the polarity and the concentration of –OH groups on its environment.     

Prediction of retention times of proteins in hydrophobic interaction chromatography using only their amino acid composition

This paper focuses on the prediction of the dimensionless retention time of proteins (DRT) in hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) by means of mathematical models based, essentially, only on aminoacidic composition. The results show that such prediction is indeed possible. Our main contribution was the design of models that predict the DRT using the minimal information concerning a protein: its aminoacidic composition. The performance is similar to that observed in models that use much more sophisticated information such as the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Three models that, in addition to the amino acid composition, use different assumptions about the amino acids tendency to be exposed to the solvent, were evaluated in 12 proteins with known experimental DRT. In all the cases analyzed, the model that obtained the best results was the one based on a linear estimation of the aminoacidic surface composition. The models were adjusted using a collection of 74 vectors of aminoacidic properties plus a set of 6388 vectors derived from these using two mathematical tools: k-means and self-organizing maps (SOM) algorithms. The best vector was generated by the SOM algorithm and was interpreted as a hydrophobicity scale based partly on the tendency of the amino acids to be hidden in proteins. The prediction error (MSE(JK)) obtained by this model was almost 35% smaller than that obtained by the model that supposes that all the amino acids are completely exposed and 40% smaller than that obtained by the model that uses a simple correction factor considering the general tendency of each amino acid to be exposed to the solvent. In fact, the performance of the best model based on the aminoacidic composition was 5% better than that observed in the model based on the three-dimensional structure of proteins.     

Degradation of Cephaloridine on Alkaline Hydrolysis

A kinetic study on the alkaline hydrolysis of cephaloridine ( 1 ) at pH 10.5 and 37° was carried out using ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC. The main resulting degradation products, the 7-epimer 2 of 1 , the Δ²-isomer 3 of 1 , and the 3-methylidene compound 4 were identified. The presence of a pyridinio group at C(3¹) results in a slightly increased formation constant for the 3-methylidene compound 4 and the 7-epimer 2, and introduces a new reaction: the isomerization of the double bond at C(3) in the dihydrothiazine ring to C(2).     

Rhodopsin reconstituted into a planar-supported lipid bilayer retains photoactivity after cross-linking polymerization of lipid monomers

Transmembrane proteins (TMPs), particularly ion channels and receptors, play key roles in transport and signal transduction. Many of these proteins are pharmacologically important and therefore targets for drug discovery. TMPs can be reconstituted in planar-supported lipid bilayers (PSLBs), which has led to development of TMP-based biosensors and biochips. However, PSLBs composed of natural lipids lack the high stability desired for many technological applications. One strategy is to use synthetic lipid monomers that can be polymerized to form robust bilayers. A key question is how lipid polymerization affects TMP structure and activity. In this study, we have examined the effects of UV polymerization of bis-Sorbylphosphatidylcholine (bis-SorbPC) on the photoactivation of reconstituted bovine rhodopsin (Rho), a model G-protein-coupled receptor. Plasmon-waveguide resonance spectroscopy (PWR) was used to compare the degree of Rho incorporation and activation in fluid and poly(lipid) PSLBs. The results show that reconstitution of Rho into a supported lipid bilayer composed only of bis-SorbPC, followed by photoinduced lipid cross-linking, does not measurably diminish protein function.