Interaction between indigo and adsorbed protein as a major factor causing backstaining during cellulase treatment of cotton fabrics

A model microassay system was developed to measure indigo backstaining on cotton fabrics in the presence of enzymes on a small laboratory scale. Backstaining indexes for 11 cellulase samples were measured, and the enzymes were ranked from lower to higher backstaining. Two multienzyme cellulase preparations were separated into fractions using chromatofocusing on a Mono P column. Adsorption ability and backstaining properties of purified enzyme fractions were studied. Evidence was obtained that protein adsorption on cotton fabrics is a crucial parameter causing backstaining (both for crude cellulase samples and purified enzyme components).     

Evaluation of cellulase preparations for hydrolysis of hardwood substrates

Seven cellulase preparations from Penicillium and Trichoderma spp. were evaluated for their ability to hydrolyze the cellulose fraction of hardwoods (yellow poplar and red maple) pretreated by organosolv extraction, as well as model cellulosic substrates such as filter paper. There was no significant correlation among hydrolytic performance on pretreated hardwood, based on glucose release, and filter paper activity. However, performance on pretreated hardwood showed significant correlations to the levels of endogenous β-glucosidase and xylanase activities in the cellulase preparation. Accordingly, differences in performance were reduced or eliminated following supplementation with a crude β-glucosidase preparation containing both activities. These results complement a previous investigation using softwoods pretreated by either organosolv extraction or steam explosion. Cellulase preparations that performed best on hardwood also showed superior performance on the softwood substrates.     

Synthesis and Molecular Structure of 3-[N-Acetyl(3,5-dimethylphenyl)amino]-5,7-di(tert-butyl)-2-{5,8-dimethyl-4-[(3,5-dimethylphenyl)amino]quinolin-2-yl}tropone

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - Acylation of 5,7-di(tert-butyl)-2-{5,8-dimethyl-4-[(3,5-dimethylphenyl)amino]quinolin-2-yl}-3-[(3,5-dimethylphenyl)amino]tropone leads to...     

The first representative of a new class of charge transfer complexes in o-quinone series for organic semiconductors

The first representative of a new class of charge transfer complexes for organic semiconductors was synthesized. The reaction of p-nitroaniline (PNA) with [1,10]-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (PD) results in the formation of a stable molecular charge transfer (CT) complex PNA₃-PD₂ in a ratio of 3:2. The structure of the molecular CT complex PNA₃-PD₂ was established by X-ray diffraction studies. Using the density functional theory method, it is shown that several types of intermolecular interactions are realized in the complex: between the PNA amino group and the nitro group of another PNA molecule, carbonyl groups, and PD nitrogen atoms. Complex PNA₃-PD₂ is stable only in solid form. The diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectrum of PNA₃-PD₂ crystal powder is characterized by the intense weakly structured long-wavelength absorption band up to 650 nm. Quantum chemical calculations of the electronic structure have shown that the complex PNA₃-PD₂ is a straight-band semiconductor with a band gap of 2.11 eV.     

Application of aluminum and titanium foils in low-energy wide-aperture electron accelerators

We have reported on the results of theoretical and experimental investigations of characteristics of aluminum and titanium foils used in devices to extract electron beams from wide-aperture low-energy accelerators with a high current density. The mechanical properties of foils at different temperatures and the electron beam transmission and absorption coefficients have been compared. The results of analyzing the dependences of the efficiency of the electron beam extraction from accelerators on the type of the electron–optical system, material, and thickness of the foil for various sizes of extraction windows and the same type of the slot support grids have been presented. We have proposed an analytic model for calculating the temperature of the foil in the unit cell of the support grid. The electron transmittance and absorbance, as well as the temperature regimes of the foils, have been calculated using different methods.     

Low-Threshold Parametric Excitation of Electron Plasma Waves Localized in the Edge Transport Barrier of a Tokamak during Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating of a Plasma

JETP Letters - The possibility of the localization of longitudinal waves in the intermediate frequency range in the edge transport barrier of a toroidal nuclear fusion facility is discovered. It is...     

Low-threshold absolute parametric decay instabilities in experiments on electron cyclotron resonance heating in tokamaks

We have analyzed experimental conditions for the excitation of absolute parametric decay instabilities accompanying the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) of plasma at the second harmonic of resonance in tokamaks. It has been shown that, in the case of a nonmonotonic radial profile of the plasma density, when a heating beam passes near the equatorial plane of a tokamak, the parametric excitation of resonances of ion Bernstein waves accompanied by the generation of the backscattered microwave radiation can occur. The threshold of absolute instability thus developed is determined by the dissipation of an ion Bernstein wave and can be exceeded in current experiments on the ECRH of a plasma in tokamaks.     

On a Destabilizing Effect of Plasma Inhomogeneity on the Two-Plasmon Decay Instability

It has been shown that plasma inhomogeneity reduces the threshold of the parametric instability of two-plasmon decay and, in particular, allows the excitation of plasmons with the same frequency by a spatially uniform pump field.