Extrachromosomal DNA in bacteria

In addition to chromosomal DNA carrying the genetic information of the cell, many bacterial cells contain smaller circular DNA factors known as plasmids or episomes. These genetic elements endow the cell with additional biochemical capabilities. The fertility factors (F and F′), the antibiotic resistance factors (R), the colicinogenic factors (Col), the hemolytic factors (Hly), and other extrachromosomal DNA systems are described. These small DNA molecules can be isolated, and are therefore particularly suitable for the investigation of DNA replication and the stable establishment of genetic material in the bacterial cell.     

Electrochemical biosensors based on nucleic acids and their use in bioaffinity assays for determining DNA and and its effectors

The analytical capabilities of electrochemical biosensors based on nucleic acids are systematized. Immobilization methods that retain the biological activity of nucleic acids and provide an opportunity to use them as multipurpose analytical reagents are described. The use of the above sensors in bioaffinity assays for determining DNA and its effectors in biochemical analysis and environmental monitoring and for determining the nucleotide composition of DNA is demonstrated in many examples.     

Optical fibre gratings as tools for chemical and biochemical sensing

Optical fibre gratings have recently been suggested as optical platforms for chemical and biochemical sensing. On the basis of the measurement of refractive index changes induced by a chemical and biochemical interaction in the transmission spectrum along the fibres, they are proposed as a possible alternative to the other label-free optical approaches, such as surface plasmon resonance and optical resonators. The combination of the use of optical fibres with the fact that the signal modulation is spectrally encoded offers multiplexing and remote measurement capabilities which the other technology platforms are not able to or can hardly offer. The fundamentals of the different types of optical fibre gratings are described and the performances of the chemical and biochemical sensors based on this approach are reviewed. Advantages and limitations of optical fibre gratings are considered, with a look at new perspectives for their utilization in the field.     

纤维素苯基氨基甲酸酯的均相合成及其手性拆分性能评价

认识多糖类手性拆分材料的结构性能关系对于构建新型高效手性固定相具有重要指导意义。该文中,以1-烯丙基-3-甲基咪唑氯离子液体为介质,合成了系列不同结构的纤维素苯基氨基甲酸酯,进而考察了取代度、取代基团种类和位置对产物手性拆分性能的影响。结果表明,随着取代度的增加,纤维素苯基氨基甲酸酯对于绝大部分手性分子的拆分效果提高;苯环上取代基团的种类和位置对纤维素苯基氨基甲酸酯手性拆分性能影响显著,弱吸电子基团氯基和给电子基团甲基在合适的位置能显著增强纤维素苯基氨基甲酸酯的手性拆分性能;纤维素3-甲基-4-氯苯基氨基甲酸酯、3,5-二氯苯基氨基甲酸酯和2-甲基-5-氯苯基氨基甲酸酯对一些手性分子的拆分效果优于纤维素3,5-二甲基苯基氨基甲酸酯。     

Selected isotope ratio measurements of light metallic elements (Li, Mg, Ca, and Cu) by multiple collector ICP-MS

The unique capabilities of multiple collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) for high precision isotope ratio measurements in light elements as Li, Mg, Ca, and Cu are reviewed in this paper. These elements have been intensively studied at the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI) and other laboratories over the past few years, and the methods used to obtain high precision isotope analyses are discussed in detail. The scientific study of isotopic fractionation of these elements is significant for achieving a better understanding of geochemical and biochemical processes in nature and the environment.     

Amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides: activated peptide monomers behaving as phosphate-activating agents in aqueous solution

The hydrolysis of valine N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) in aqueous phosphate buffers was shown to proceed through nucleophilic catalysis via an aminoacyl phosphate intermediate that displays phosphorylating capabilities through a potentially prebiotic process that simulates modern biochemical metabolic pathways.     

High-performance liquid chromatography with on-line coupled UV, mass spectrometric and biochemical detection for identification of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from natural products

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with on-line coupled ultraviolet (UV), mass spectrometry (MS) and biochemical detection for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity has been developed. By combining the separation power of HPLC, the high selectivity of biochemical detection, and the ability to provide molecular mass and structural information of MS, AChE inhibitors can be rapidly identified. The biochemical detection was based on a colorimetric method using Ellman's reagent. The detection limit of galanthamine, an AChE inhibitor, in the HPLC-biochemical detection is 0.3 nmol. The three detector lines used, i.e., UV, MS and Vis for the biochemical detection were recorded simultaneously and the delay times of the peaks obtained were found to be consistent. This on-line post-column detection technique can be used for the identification of AChE inhibitors in plant extracts and other complex mixtures such as combinatorial libraries.     

Use of nanoparticles in the electrochemical analysis of biological samples

The specific effects of various nanoparticles on processes occurring in the electrochemical analysis of biological samples are considered. The material classification is based on a structural principle of the organization of a sensing element. Nanoparticles can occur immediately on its surface or in the bulk of an analyte (in the latter case, they can be chemically bound to the surface); they can be incorporated into the analyte and serve as its labels. The use of nanoparticles significantly extends the capabilities of bioelectrochemical methods of analysis. In a number of cases, the use of nanoparticles provides an opportunity to abandon the use of enzymes; this is very promising for clinical analysis. Methods for the electrochemical analysis of biological samples with the use of nanoparticles can be a serious addition to classical biochemical methods.     

Fabrication of novel temperature and pH sensitive poly (N-isopropylmaleamic acid-co-acrylonitrile) hydrogels

To combine temperature and pH sensitive capabilities, N-isopropylmaleamic acid (NIPMMA), having isopropylamide group and weakly acidic group (–COOH), was synthesized and used as a precursor for fabrication of temperature and pH sensitive hydrogels. In this paper, a new class of intelligent hydrogel with pH and temperature sensitivity originated from only one precursor (NIPMMA) was designed and demonstrated. Resultant poly(NIPMMA-co-acrylonitrile) [P(NIPMMA-co-AN)] hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for structural determination and scanning electron microscope for morphology observation. Their temperature and pH sensitive behaviors were also examined in detail. The data obtained exhibited that the magnitude of sensitive properties of P(NIPMMA-co-AN) hydrogels depended on the composition ratio of two precursors. By increasing the content of NIPMMA, the temperature and pH sensitive capabilities of P(NIPMMA-co-AN) hydrogels were improved correspondingly since AN has no sensitivity upon temperature or pH changes.     

GRAFT COPOLYMERIZATION OF VINYL MONOMERS ONTO STARCH INITIATED BY TRANSITION METAL-THIOUREA REDOX SYSTEMS

In this paper, the capabilities of grafting acrylonitrile (AN) onto starch initiatedby Fe(III)-TU, V(V)-TU, Cr(VI)-TU, Mn(VII)-TU redox systems were compared in thepresence of sulfuric acid of different concentrations. It was shown that the grafting capabili-ty of Mn(VII)-TU is the highest in these initiating systems. Using Mn (VII-TU as initia-tor, the effects of various acids (HClO_4, H_2SO_4, HNO_3, HCl) on the graft copolymerizationof acrylonitrile onto starch were discussed, and the capabilities of graft copolymerizationof methyl methacrylate (MMA), acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA) onto starch wereinvestigated. The experimental results show that the order of the influences of differentacids is HClO_4>H_2SO_4>HNO_3>HCl, and the order of grafting capabilities of differentmonomers grafted onto starch is MMA>AN>AM>AA. The structure and morphology ofgraft copolymers were studied with infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.The size, shape and roughness of surface of the grafted starch granules are changed aftergrafting.     

Photothermal Hydrogels for Promoting Infected Wound Healing

Photothermal therapies (PTT), with spatiotemporally controllable antibacterial capabilities without inducing resistance, have shown encouraging prospects in the field of infected wound treatments. As an important platform for PTT, photothermal hydrogels exhibit attractive advantages in the field of infected wound treatment due to their excellent biochemical properties and have been intensively explored in recent years. This review summarizes the progress of the photothermal hydrogels for promoting infected wound healing. Three major elements of photothermal hydrogels, i.e., photothermal materials, hydrogel matrix, and construction methods, are introduced. Furthermore, different strategies of photothermal hydrogels in the treatment of infected wounds are summarized. Finally, the challenges and prospects in the clinical treatment of photothermal hydrogels are discussed.     

Biochemical Imaging of Human Atherosclerotic Plaques with Fluorescence Lifetime Angioscopy

A prototype angioscopy system with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) capabilities was built and applied for biochemical imaging of human coronary atherosclerotic plaques. The FLIM angioscopy prototype consisted of a thin flexible angioscope suitable for UV-excited autofluorescence imaging, and a FLIM detection system based on a pulse sampling approach. The angioscope was composed of an imaging bundle attached to a gradient index objective lens and surrounded by a ring of illumination fibers (2 mm outer diameter, 50 μm spatial resolution). For FLIM detection based on the pulse sampling approach, a gated-intensified charge-couple device camera (200 ps temporal resolution) was used. Autofluorescence was excited with a pulsed UV laser (337 nm) and FLIM images were acquired at three emission bands (390/40 nm, 450/40 nm, 550/88 nm). The system was characterized on standard fluorophores and then used to image postmortem human coronary arteries. The FLIM angioscope allowed us to distinguish elastin-dominant plaques (peak emission at 450 nm, ∼1.5 ns lifetimes) from collagen-dominant plaques (peak emission at 390 n, ∼2–3 ns lifetimes) based on their intrinsic fluorescence spectral and lifetime differences. This study demonstrates the potential of FLIM angioscopy for biochemical imaging of human coronary atherosclerotic plaques.     

A polymer lab-on-a-chip for magnetic immunoassay with on-chip sampling and detection capabilities

This paper presents a new polymer lab-on-a-chip for magnetic bead-based immunoassay with fully on-chip sampling and detection capabilities, which provides a smart platform of magnetic immunoassay-based lab-on-a-chip for point-of-care testing (POCT) toward biochemical hazardous agent detection, food inspection or clinical diagnostics. In this new approach, the polymer lab-on-a-chip for magnetic bead-based immunoassay consists of a magnetic bead-based separator, an interdigitated array (IDA) micro electrode, and a microfluidic system, which are fully incorporated into a lab-on-a-chip on cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). Since the polymer lab-on-a-chip was realized using low cost, high throughput polymer microfabrication techniques such as micro injection molding and hot embossing method, a disposable polymer lab-on-a-chip for the magnetic bead-based immunoassay can be successfully realized in a disposable platform. With this newly developed polymer lab-on-a-chip, an enzyme-labelled electrochemical immunoassay (ECIA) was performed using magnetic beads as the mobile solid support, and the final enzyme product produced from the ECIA was measured using chronoamperometry. A sampling and detection of as low as 16.4 ng mL(-1) of mouse IgG has been successfully performed in 35 min for the entire procedure.     

Influences of surface chemistry on the separation behavior of stationary phases for reversed-phase and ion-exchange chromatography: a comparison of coated and grafted supports prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization

A series of poly(norborn-2-ene) (poly-NBE), poly(7-oxanorborne-2-ene-5,6-dicarboxylic acid) (poly-ONDCA), as well as poly(norborn-2-ene-co-7-oxanorborne-2-ene-5,6-dicarboxylic acid) (poly-NBE-co-ONDCA) based silica supports were prepared via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using both coating and grafting techniques. Poly-NBE-grafted and poly-NBE-coated supports were used for the reversed-phase separation of phenols; poly-NBE, poly-ONDCA as well as poly-NBE-co-ONDCA-grafted supports were used for comparative studies on the separation of a series of anilines and lutidines. As expected, grafted supports possess superior separation capabilities compared to their coated analogues. Compared to pure poly-NBE- and poly-ONDCA-grafted stationary phases, supports consisting of poly-NBE-co-ONDCA block-copolymers possess both hydrophobic and ion-exchange sites and represent optimum stationary phases for the separation of isomeric basic analytes.     

Multi-way partial least squares modeling of water quality data

A 10 years surface water quality data set pertaining to a polluted river was analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) regression models. Both the unfold-PLS and N-PLS (tri-PLS and quadri-PLS) models were calibrated through leave-one out cross-validation method. These were applied to the multivariate, multi-way data array with a view to assess and compare their predictive capabilities for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of river water in terms of their relative mean squares error of cross-validation, prediction and variance captured. The sum of squares of residuals and leverages were computed and analyzed to identify the sites, variables, years and months which may have influence on the constructed model. Both the tri- and quadri-PLS models yielded relatively low validation error as compared to unfold-PLS and captured high variance in model. Moreover, both of these methods produced acceptable model precision and accuracy. In case of tri-PLS the root mean squares errors were 1.65 and 2.17 for calibration and prediction, respectively; whereas these were 2.58 and 1.09 for quadri-PLS. At a preliminary level it seems that BOD can be predicted but a different data arrangement is needed. Moreover, analysis of the scores and loadings plots of the N-PLS models could provide information on time evolution of the river water quality.     

Identification and classification of polymer e-waste using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and chemometric tools

In the recycling of polymer e-waste, there is a pressing need for rapid measurement technologies for the simple identification and classification of these materials. The goal of this work was to instantly identify e-waste polymers by laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS). The studied polymers were acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), and polyamide (PA). Emission lines were selected for C (247), H (656), N (742 + 744 + 747), and O (777), as well as the molecular band of C2 (516), and the ratios of the emission lines and molecular band were utilized. Classification models, k-nearest neighbors (KNN) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA), were used to rank the polymers. Both constructed models gave satisfactory results for the validation samples, with average accuracies of 98% for KNN and 92% for SIMCA. These results prove the predictive analytical capabilities of the LIBS technique for plastic identification and classification.     

The biobleaching potential of laccase produced from mandarin peelings: Impetus for a circular bio-based economy in textile biofinishing

The quest for circular bioeconomy has been on the rise in recent years, and it is anticipated to fulfil the environmental sustainability aspect of the sustainable development goals (SDG 2030). In this regard, our investigation attempted the biotechnological appraisal of an enzymatic derivative of bacterial (Pseudomonas sp. HRJ16) mandarin peelings (MP) fermentation as a vehicle for an environmentally benign and sustainable textile bioscouring. Production of the bacterial exudate (HRJ16 laccase) was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM), using the common low-cost agroindustrial waste (MP). HRJ16 laccase was further assessed for its advantageous biochemical and catalytic properties, and then applied in synthetic dye decolorization and denim bleaching. Results emphasized the extremotolerance of the exudate to temperature, pH, salts, cations and surfactants, when at least ca. 80 % residual activity was recollected after exposure to the different extreme operating conditions. The interesting capabilities of the HRJ16 in this study culminated in its successful bioscouring of denim fabric over 6 h and the spontaneous decolorization of the resultant effluent. This constitutive properties of HRJ16 might make it a crucial catalyst for achieving a circular bioeconomy in the textile industry.     

Enthalpimetry — a change of emphasis

A change of emphasis in enthalpimetric instrumental design has widened the scope of this universal analytical tool. These recent developments in enthalpimetric technology have improved the capabilities of the technique and made possible a wide variety of clinical, biochemical and environmental applications.     

Automated filter paper assay for determination of cellulase activity

Recent developments in molecular breeding and directed evolution have promised great developments in industrial enzymes as demonstrated by exponential improvements in β-lactamase and green fluorescent protein (GFP). Detection of and screening for improved enzymes are relatively easy if the target enzyme is expressible in a suitable high-throughput screening host and a clearly defined and usable screen or selection is available, as with GFP and β-lactamase. Fungal cellulases, however, are difficult to measure and have limited expressibility in heterologous hosts. Furthermore, traditional cellulase assays are tedious and time-consuming. Multiple enzyme components, an insoluble substrate, and generally slow reaction rates have plagued cellulase researchers interested in creating cellulase mixtures with increased activities and/or enhanced biochemical properties. Although the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists standard measure of cellulase activity, the filter paper assay (FPA), can be reproduced in most laboratories with some effort, this method has long been recognized for its complexity and susceptibility to operator error. Our current automated FPA method is based on a Cyberlabs C400 robotics deck equipped with customized incubation, reagent storage, and plate-reading capabilities that allow rapid evaluation of cellulases acting on cellulose and has a maximum throughput of 84 enzyme samples per day when performing the automated FPA.     

Effects of inorganic substances on water splitting in ion-exchange membranes; I. Electrochemical characteristics of ion-exchange membranes coated with iron hydroxide/oxide and silica sol

The effects of inorganic substances on water splitting in ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) were investigated. In this study, iron hydroxide/ oxide and silica sol were immobilized on the surface of the IEMs. The water-splitting capabilities of the metal-embedded cation-exchange membranes were 10(4)-10(5) times greater than those of the virgin membranes at the same current density. Similarly, silica sol (i.e., triple bond Si-OH groups) deposited on the anion-exchange membrane surface also drastically increased the proton transport numbers. It was thought that the bipolar structure consisting of H- and OH-affinity groups immobilized on the IEM surface increased water-splitting due to the enhancement of water polarization with the help of strong electric fields. This study revealed that metal oxides or silica groups (triple bond Si-OH), as well as metal hydroxides, can be used as catalysts for water splitting.