Immobilizing redox enzymes at mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes

Three key challenges are stimulating intensive research in the development of productive direct electron transfer mode enzyme electrodes: proper enzyme orientation, high enzyme loading, and full retention of enzyme activity. In this review, we summarize some significant advances that have been reported in the last years on the design of mesoporous and nanostructured electrodes as enzyme scaffolds and of innovative methodologies for wiring enzymes to electrodes. Particular attention is given to investigations on physical factors that determine a favorable enzyme immobilization, to provide rational guidelines for the design of productive enzymatic electrodes. Finally, some emerging trends focused on the spatial organization of either single enzymes or enzyme cascades are also briefly addressed.     

直流稳压电源波形演示器制作说明

直流稳压电源可以将交流电压变换为直流电压,并使之稳定,在我们现实生活中应用很广泛,在实验中我们利用的电学知识,设计制造了一种直流稳压电源。本文简要介绍了这种直流稳压电源波形演示器的设计目的和电路原理,重点阐述了它的制作流程、滤波和稳压原理以及性能测试输出波形。     

Simple, expedient methods for the determination of water and electrolyte contents of cellulose solvent systems

The concentrations of water, W, and electrolytes present in solutions of LiCl in N,N-dimethylacetamide, LiCl/DMAc, and of tetrabutylammonium fluoride. x-hydrate in DMSO, TBAF.xW/DMSO can be accurately and expediently determined by three independent methods, UV–vis, FTIR and EMF measurement. The first relies on the use of solvatochromic probes whose spectra are sensitive to solution composition. It is applicable to W/LiCl/DMAc solutions but not to TBAF.xW/DMSO, because the charge-transfer complex bands of the probes are suppressed by strong interactions with the latter electrolyte. Integration of ν_OH band of water may be employed in order to determine [W], hence [electrolyte] by weight difference. EMF measurement uses ion-selective electrodes in order to determine [electrolyte], hence [W] by weight difference. Results of the latter method were in excellent agreement with those of FTIR. The reason for the failure of Karl Fischer titration is addressed, and the relevance of the results obtained to functionalization of cellulose under homogenous solution conditions is briefly commented on.     

Comparison of two models for managing reliability growth during product design

Relying on reliability growth testing to improve system designis neither usually effective nor efficient. Instead it is importantto design in reliability. This requires models to estimate reliabilitygrowth in the design that can be used to assess whether goalreliability will be achieved within the target timescale forthe design process. Many models have been developed for analysisof reliability growth on test, but there has been much lessattention given to reliability growth in design. This paperdescribes and compares two models: one motivated by the practicalengineering process; the other by extending the reasoning ofstatistical reliability growth modelling. Both models are referencedin the recently revised edition of international standard IEC61164. However, there has been no reported evaluation of theirproperties. Therefore, this paper explores the commonalitiesand differences between these models through an assessment oftheir logic and their application to an industrial example.Recommendations are given for the use of reliability growthmodels to aid management of the design process and to informproduct development.     

串联双环光微谐振器的滤波特性

详细研究了串联双环光微谐振器的光带通滤波特性，给出了其通带带宽的公式，分析了出／入环光耦合系数和环间光耦合系数对通带特性的影响，计算并特别强调了滤波通带的结构特点，也分析了微环中存在的光损耗对串联双环光微谐振器的滤波特性的影响。     

Oracle Inequalities for Efromovich–Pinsker Blockwise Estimates

Oracle inequality is a relatively new statistical tool for the analysis of nonparametric adaptive estimates. Oracle is a good pseudo-estimate that is based on both data and an underlying estimated curve. An oracle inequality shows how well an adaptive estimator mimics the oracle for a particular underlying curve. The most advanced oracle inequalities have been recently obtained by Cavalier and Tsybakov (2001) for Stein type blockwise estimates used in filtering a signal from a stationary white Gaussian process. The authors also conjecture that a similar result can be obtained for Efromovich–Pinsker (EP) type blockwise estimators where their approach, based on Stein's formula for risk calculation, does not work. This article proves the conjecture and extends it upon more general models which include not stationary and dependent processes. Other possible extensions, a discussion of practical implications and a numerical study are also presented.     

Reduction of Entrained Hydroxy Species in Ormosil Films for Integrated Optics

Organically modified silicates (ormosils) have been viewed as possible materials for optical signal processing devices for communications networks. One significant problem obstructing their use in this application is the absorption of infrared light by hydroxy species (present for example in silanol groups (SiOH) and water) around the communications wavelengths (1310 and 1550 nm). We have investigated several ormosil compositions, synthesised via an aqueous sol-gel method, to determine if residual hydroxy groups can be removed more effectively via reducing the connectivity of the material by increasing the number of organic groups (such as Si—CH₃). Furthermore, we have investigated the effect of different inert atmospheres on the drying process. It was found that reducing the connectivity does promote the removal of hydroxy absorption, mainly via the condensation of residual silanol groups, but also by removal of residual water, depending on the other precursors in the system. It was also found that the drying atmosphere used (nitrogen or helium) had no effect on the drying process.     

Chalcogenide based all-solid-state thin electroplated ion-selective membrane for Hg(II) flow-injection determinations

The response to Hg(II) of a thin all-solid-state Te-doped silver chalcogenide membrane, described by the general formula Ag₂ + δSe_{1 − x}Te_x, which has been electrochemically prepared following a previously proposed approach, has been investigated. The kinetics of formation of the membrane's secondary dynamic response to Hg(II) has been successfully combined with the precise timing and transient signal, typical for flow-injection (FI) measurements, in developing a sensitive and reliable mercury FI detector. Under optimized stream conditions it exhibits a linear Nernstian response, with a double slope of the calibration graph of 59 mV dec⁻¹, over the mercury(II) concentration range 10⁻⁶ − 10⁻³ M, the typical sample throughput amounting to about 70 samples per hour. The observed chemical amplification of the signal is due to the specificity of the processes dominating the initial step in formation of the steady-state signal of the membrane to mercury. The analytical performance of the Hg(II) FI detector, as regards sensitivity, reproducibility, selectivity and long-term stability has been thoroughly investigated. The exact procedure for membrane electrodeposition is given and the potential of the proposed approach as a cost-effective way for preparing chalcogenides of unique structure and properties has been outlined in the above context.     

Finite element modal solutions of planar photonic crystal fibers with rectangular air-holes

Modal solutions of planar photonic crystal waveguides with rectangular air-holes are presented by using a rigorous full-vectorial finite element-based approach. The effective indices, mode field profiles, spot-sizes, power confinements, modal hybridness, beat lengths and group velocity dispersions are shown for the fundamental and higher order modes of the quasi-TE and TM polarizations.     

Performance and simulation of an on-board guided-wave optical processor for airborne SAR applications

This paper describes the performance and simulation of a compact integrated optical processor for the real-time reconstruction of two-dimensional images in airborne stripmap synthetic aperture radar applications. The functional behavior of the processor is explained in some detail. The design criteria are briefly given. The simulation step allowed the main processor characteristics and properties to be identified. A number of comparisons were obtained in airborne SAR mission scenarios between the predictions of the optical device and those achieved by the modern electronic digital approach, based on the wavefront reconstruction method by matched filtering.