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Homogeneous Solutions (homogeneous + solution)
Selected AbstractsEngineered Pyranose 2-Oxidase: Efficiently Turning Sugars into Electrical EnergyELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 7-8 2010Oliver Spadiut Abstract Due to the recent interest in enzymatic biofuel cells (BFCs), sugar oxidizing enzymes other than the commonly used glucose oxidase are gaining more importance as possible bioelements of implantable microscale-devices, which can, for example, be used in biosensors and pacemakers. In this study we used rational and semi-rational protein design to improve the catalytic activity of the enzyme pyranose 2-oxidase (P2Ox) with its alternative soluble electron acceptors 1,4-benzoquinone and ferricenium ion, which can serve as electron mediators, to possibly boost the power output of enzymatic BFCs. Using a screening assay based on 96-well plates, we identified the variant H450G, which showed lower KM and higher kcat values for both 1,4-benzoquinone and ferricenium ion compared to the wild-type enzyme, when either D -glucose or D -galactose were used as saturating electron donors. Besides this variant, we analyzed the variants V546C and T169G/V546C for their possible application in enzymatic BFCs. The results obtained in homogeneous solution were compared with those obtained when P2Ox was immobilized on the surface of graphite electrodes and either "wired" to an osmium redox polymer or using soluble 1,4-benzoquinone as mediator. According to the spectrophotometrically determined kinetic constants, the possible energy output, measured in flow injection analysis experiments with these variants, increased up to 4-fold compared to systems employing the wild-type enzyme. [source] A Graphene Nanoprobe for Rapid, Sensitive, and Multicolor Fluorescent DNA AnalysisADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 3 2010Shijiang He Abstract Coupling nanomaterials with biomolecular recognition events represents a new direction in nanotechnology toward the development of novel molecular diagnostic tools. Here a graphene oxide (GO)-based multicolor fluorescent DNA nanoprobe that allows rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of DNA targets in homogeneous solution by exploiting interactions between GO and DNA molecules is reported. Because of the extraordinarily high quenching efficiency of GO, the fluorescent ssDNA probe exhibits minimal background fluorescence, while strong emission is observed when it forms a double helix with the specific targets, leading to a high signal-to-background ratio. Importantly, the large planar surface of GO allows simultaneous quenching of multiple DNA probes labeled with different dyes, leading to a multicolor sensor for the detection of multiple DNA targets in the same solution. It is also demonstrated that this GO-based sensing platform is suitable for the detection of a range of analytes when complemented with the use of functional DNA structures. [source] Analysis of adiabatic shear bands in heat-conducting elastothermoviscoplastic materials by the meshless local Bubnov,Galerkin methodINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 10 2009R. C. Batra Abstract Transient finite coupled thermomechanical simple shearing deformations of a block made of an elastothermoviscoplastic material that exhibits strain and strain-rate hardening, and thermal softening are studied by using the meshless local Bubnov,Galerkin method. A local nonlinear weak formulation and a semidiscrete formulation of the problem are derived. The prescribed velocity at the top and the bottom surfaces of the block is enforced by using a set of Lagrange multipliers. A homogeneous solution of the problem is perturbed by superimposing on it a temperature bump at the center of the block, and the resulting nonlinear initial-boundary-value problem is solved numerically. We have developed an integration scheme to numerically integrate the set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The inhomogeneous deformations of the block are found to concentrate in a narrow region of intense plastic deformation usually called a shear band. For a material exhibiting enhanced thermal softening, it is shown that as the shear stress within the region of localization collapses, an unloading elastic shear wave emanates outward from the edges of the shear band. In the absence of an analytical solution, the computed results have been compared with those obtained by the finite element and the modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Radial basis functions for solving near singular Poisson problemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2003C. S. Chen Abstract In this paper, we investigate the use of radial basis functions for solving Poisson problems with a near-singular inhomogeneous source term. The solution of the Poisson problem is first split into two parts: near-singular solution and smooth solution. A method for evaluating the near-singular particular solution is examined. The smooth solution is further split into a particular solution and a homogeneous solution. The MPS-DRM approach is adopted to evaluate the smooth solution. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Irradiation synthesis of biopolymer-based superabsorbent hydrogel: Optimization using the Taguchi method and investigation of its swelling behaviorADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Ghasem R. Bardajee Abstract In this report, the synthesis of a novel superabsorbent hydrogel via ,-irradiation graft copolymerization of acrylamide onto sodium alginate and kappa-carrageenan hybrid backbones in a homogeneous solution is described. The Taguchi method was used as a powerful experimental design tool for synthesis optimization. A series of superabsorbent hydrogels was synthesized by proposed conditions of Qualitek-4 software. Considering the results of nine trials according to analysis of variance, optimum conditions were proposed. The swelling behavior of optimum superabsorbent hydrogels was studied in various solutions, with pH values ranging from 1 to 13. In addition, swelling kinetics, swelling in various organic solvents, the absorbency under load, and on,off switching behavior were investigated. Also, hydrogel formation was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Surface morphology of the synthesized hydrogels was assessed by scanning electron microscopy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 28:131,140, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20154 [source] Evaluating the Effectiveness of Distance Learning: A Comparison Using Meta-AnalysisJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2004Mike Allen This article uses meta-analysis to summarize the quantitative literature comparing the performance of students in distance education versus traditional classes. The average effect (average r= .048, k= 39, N= 71,731) demonstrates that distance education course students slightly outperformed traditional students on exams and course grades. The average effect was heterogeneous, and the examination of several moderating features (presence or absence of simultaneous interaction, type of channel used in distance education, and course substance) failed to produce a homogeneous solution. The results demonstrate, however, no clear decline in educational effectiveness when using distance education technology. [source] Evaluation of the Efficiency of the Photocatalytic One-Electron Oxidation Reaction of Aromatic Compounds Adsorbed on a TiO2 SurfaceCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 21 2004Takashi Tachikawa Dr. Abstract The TiO2 photocatalytic one-electron oxidation mechanism of aromatic sulfides with a methylene bridging group (-(CH2)n -, n=0,4) between the 4-(methylthio)phenyl chromophore and the carboxylate binding group on the surface of a TiO2 powder slurried in acetonitrile (MeCN) has been investigated by time-resolved diffuse reflectance (TDR) spectroscopy. The electronic coupling element (HDA) between the hole donor and acceptor, which was estimated from the spectroscopic characteristics of the charge transfer (CT) complexes of the substrates (S) and the TiO2 surface, exhibited an exponential decline with the increasing of the methylene number of S. The determined decay factor (,) of 9 nm,1 also supports the fact that the 4-(methylthio)phenyl chromophore is separated from the TiO2 surface. The efficiency of the one-electron oxidation of S adsorbed on the TiO2 surface, which was determined from the relationship between the amount of adsorbates and the concentration of the generated radical cations, significantly depended on the HDA value, but not on the oxidation potential of S determined in homogeneous solution. [source] Azeotropic Binary Solvent Mixtures for Preparation of Organic Single CrystalsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 22 2009Xiaoran Li Abstract Here, a new approach is introduced to prepare large single crystals of ,-conjugated organic molecules from solution. Utilizing the concept of azeotropism, single crystals of tri-isopropylsilylethynyl pentacene (TIPS-PEN) with dimensions up to millimeters are facilely self-assembled from homogeneous solutions comprising two solvents with opposing polarities and a positive azeotropic point. At solvent compositions close to the azeotropic point, an abrupt transition of morphology from polycrystalline thin-films to large single crystals is found. How to adjust the initial ratio of the binary solvents so that the change in solvent composition during evaporation favors the specific H-aggregation and promotes an efficient self-assembly of TIPS-PEN is explained. The charge-carrier (hole) mobilities are substantially enhanced by a factor of 4 from the morphology of thin-films to large single crystals used as active layer in field-effect transistors. Additionally, this approach is extended to other ,,, stacked organic molecules to elucidate its broad applicability. [source] High-throughput enzyme kinetics using microarraysISRAEL JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2007Guoxin Lu We report a microanalytical method to study enzyme kinetics. The technique involves immobilizing horseradish peroxidase on a poly-L-lysine (PLL)-coated glass slide in a microarray format, followed by applying substrate solution onto the enzyme microarray. Enzyme molecules are immobilized on the PLL-coated glass slide through electrostatic interactions, and no further modification of the enzyme or glass slide is needed. In situ detection of the products generated on the enzyme spots is made possible by monitoring the light intensity of each spot using a scientific-grade charged-coupled device (CCD). Reactions of substrate solutions of various types and concentrations can be carried out sequentially on one enzyme microarray. To account for the loss of enzyme from washing in between runs, a standard substrate solution is used for calibration. Substantially reduced amounts of substrate solution are consumed for each reaction on each enzyme spot. The Michaelis constant Km obtained by using this method is comparable to the result for homogeneous solutions. Absorbance detection allows universal monitoring, and no chemical modification of the substrate is needed. High-throughput studies of native enzyme kinetics for multiple enzymes are therefore possible in a simple, rapid, and low-cost manner. [source] Reactive processing of syndiotactic polystyrene with an epoxy/amine solvent systemMACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2003Jaap Schut Abstract Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) is a new semi-crystalline thermoplastic which is believed to fill the price-performance gap between engineering and commodity plastics. In order to reduce the high processing temperature of sPS (>290°C), an epoxy-amine model system was used as a reactive solvent. Such a processing aid can be used to achieve a 50 to 500 fold lowering of the melt viscosity. When initially homogeneous solutions of sPS in a stoechiometric epoxy-amine mixture are thermally cured, Reaction Induced Phase Separation (RIPS) takes place, leading to phase separated thermoplastic-thermoset polymer blends. We focus our study on low (wt% sPS < 20%) and high concentration blends (wt% sPS > 60%) prepared by two processing techniques (mechanical stirring in a laboratory reactor or internal mixer/ reactive extrusion respectively). These blends have different potential interests. Low concentration blends (sPS domains in an epoxy-amine matrix) are prepared to create new, tunable blend morphologies by choosing the nature of the phase separation process, i.e. either crystallisation followed by polymerization or polymerization followed crystallisation. High concentration blends (sPS matrix containing dispersed epoxy-amine particles after RIPS) are prepared to facilitate the extrusion of sPS. In this case, the epoxy amine model system served as a reactive solvent. The time to the onset of RIPS is in the order of 7-9 min for low concentration blends, while it increases to 20-45 min for high concentration samples, as the reaction rates are substantially slowed down due to lower epoxy and amine concentrations. During the curing reaction the melting temperature of sPS in the reactive solvent mixture evolves back from a depressed value to the level of pure sPS. This indicates a change in the composition of the sPS phase, caused by (complete) phase separation upon reaction. We conclude that our epoxy amine system is suited for reactive processing of sPS, where final properties depend strongly on composition and processing conditions. [source] Analysis of dielectric resonator antenna excited by a slot at the waveguide shorted endMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 5 2008P. Abdulla Abstract Hemispherical dielectric resonator (HDR) antenna excited with a slot at the short circuited end of waveguide is analyzed theoretically and verified experimentally. The analysis is based on numerical solution of coupled integral equations discretized using the method of moments (MoM). The HDR is modeled using exact magnetic field Green's function because of the equivalent magnetic current in the slot. The field inside the waveguide is expressed in terms of modal vectors and modal functions. For the analysis of HDR antenna part, the modal series is represented as a sum of particular and homogeneous solutions. The particular solution is computed efficiently using spectral domain approach. The scattering parameter for the HDR antenna loaded at the waveguide end slot is calculated and compared with measured and finite element method (FEM) results. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 1356,1359, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23382 [source] The particular solutions for thin plates resting on Pasternak foundations under arbitrary loadingsNUMERICAL METHODS FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS, Issue 1 2010Chia-Cheng Tsai Abstract Analytical particular solutions of splines and monomials are obtained for problems of thin plate resting on Pasternak foundation under arbitrary loadings, which are governed by a fourth-order partial differential equation (PDEs). These analytical particular solutions are valuable when the arbitrary loadings are approximated by augmented polyharmonic splines (APS) constructed by splines and monomials. In our derivations, the real coefficient operator in the governing equation is decomposed into two complex coefficient operators whose particular solutions are known in literature. Then, we use the difference trick to recover the analytical particular solutions of the original operator. In addition, we show that the derived particular solution of spline with its first few directional derivatives are bounded as r , 0. This solution procedure may have the potential in obtaining analytical particular solutions of higher order PDEs constructed by products of Helmholtz-type operators. Furthermore, we demonstrate the usages of these analytical particular solutions by few numerical cases in which the homogeneous solutions are complementarily solved by the method of fundamental solutions (MFS). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2010 [source] The Effect of pH on the Topography of Porphyrins in Lipid Membranes,PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Irena Bronshtein ABSTRACT The effect of the acidity of the environment on the topography and photophysics of sensitizer molecules in homogeneous solutions, and when embedded in a lipid microenvironment, was studied. Four hematoporphyrin (HP) analogs were studied, which have chemical "spacers" of varying lengths between the chromophoric tetrapyrrole and the carboxylate moiety. These derivatives have essentially the same chemical attributes and reactivity as the parent compound, HP IX, which is used in clinical procedures of photodynamic therapy. The binding constants of these HP derivatives to membrane model systems increase with the length of carboxylate chain in the pH range 3.0,6.6. This effect of chain length is attributed to an increase in the hydrophobicity of the molecule on elongation of the alkyl chains. A strong pH dependence of the quenching efficiency of the porphyrins' fluorescence by iodide ions was observed in aqueous solution and is attributed to a unique electrostatic interaction between the fluorophore and the quencher. The quenching efficiency in liposomes, relative to the quenching in buffer, as a function of pH, shows that porphyrins in the neutral form penetrate deeper inside the lipid bilayer and are less exposed to external quenching than when negatively charged at the carboxylic moiety. This vertical displacement in the membrane is also evidenced in the effect of pH on the photosensitized oxidation efficiency of a membrane-bound chemical target. Increasing the pH causes a significant decrease in the sensitization efficiency in liposomes. This trend is attributed to the vertical localization, and protonation of the carboxylic groups on lowering the pH leads to sinking of the sensitizer into the lipid bilayer and to a consequent generation of singlet oxygen at a deeper point. This increases the dwell time of singlet oxygen within the bilayer, which results in greater photodamage to a membrane-residing singlet oxygen target. [source] Excited-state molecular structures captured by X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy: a decade and beyondACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION A, Issue 2 2010Lin X. Chen Transient molecular structures along chemical reaction pathways are important for predicting molecular reactivity, understanding reaction mechanisms, as well as controlling reaction pathways. During the past decade, X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy (XTA, or LITR-XAS, laser-initiated X-ray absorption spectroscopy), analogous to the commonly used optical transient absorption spectroscopy, has been developed. XTA uses a laser pulse to trigger a fundamental chemical process, and an X-ray pulse(s) to probe transient structures as a function of the time delay between the pump and probe pulses. Using X-ray pulses with high photon flux from synchrotron sources, transient electronic and molecular structures of metal complexes have been studied in disordered media from homogeneous solutions to heterogeneous solution,solid interfaces. Several examples from the studies at the Advanced Photon Source in Argonne National Laboratory are summarized, including excited-state metalloporphyrins, metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) states of transition metal complexes, and charge transfer states of metal complexes at the interface with semiconductor nanoparticles. Recent developments of the method are briefly described followed by a future prospective of XTA. It is envisioned that concurrent developments in X-ray free-electron lasers and synchrotron X-ray facilities as well as other table-top laser-driven femtosecond X-ray sources will make many breakthroughs and realise dreams of visualizing molecular movies and snapshots, which ultimately enable chemical reaction pathways to be controlled. [source] Polymer Fibers as Carriers for Homogeneous CatalystsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 21 2007Michael Stasiak Abstract This paper describes a polymer fiber-based approach for the immobilization of homogeneous catalysts. The goal is to generate products that are free of catalysts which would be of great importance for the development of optoelectronic or pharmaceutical compounds. Electrospinning was employed to prepare the non-woven fiber assembly composed of polystyrene. The homogeneous catalyst scandium triflate was immobilized on the polystyrene fibers during electrospinning and on corresponding core shell fibers using a fiber template approach. An imino aldol and an aza-Diels,Alder model reaction were carried out with each fibrous catalytic system. This resulted in the immobilization of homogeneous catalysts in a polymer environment without loss of their catalytic activity and may even be enhanced when compared with reactions carried out in homogeneous solutions. [source] On a wave map equation arising in general relativityCOMMUNICATIONS ON PURE & APPLIED MATHEMATICS, Issue 5 2004Hans Ringström We consider a class of space-times for which the essential part of Einstein's equations can be written as a wave map equation. The domain is not the standard one, but the target is hyperbolic space. One ends up with a 1 + 1 nonlinear wave equation, where the space variable belongs to the circle and the time variable belongs to the positive real numbers. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the asymptotics of solutions to these equations as t , ,. For each point in time, the solution defines a loop in hyperbolic space, and the first result is that the length of this loop tends to 0 as t,1/2 as t , ,. In other words, the solution in some sense becomes spatially homogeneous. However, the asymptotic behavior need not be similar to that of spatially homogeneous solutions to the equations. The orbits of such solutions are either a point or a geodesic in the hyperbolic plane. In the nonhomogeneous case, one gets the following asymptotic behavior in the upper half-plane (after applying an isometry of hyperbolic space if necessary): 1The solution converges to a point. 2The solution converges to the origin on the boundary along a straight line (which need not be perpendicular to the boundary). 3The solution goes to infinity along a curve y = const. 4The solution oscillates around a circle inside the upper half-plane. Thus, even though the solutions become spatially homogeneous in the sense that the spatial variations die out, the asymptotic behavior may be radically different from anything observed for spatially homogeneous solutions of the equations. This analysis can then be applied to draw conclusions concerning the associated class of space-times. For instance, one obtains the leading-order behavior of the functions appearing in the metric, and one can conclude future causal geodesic completeness. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||