Fungal lignin peroxidase does not produce the veratryl alcohol cation radical as a diffusible ligninolytic oxidant

11p.-5 fig.-1 tab. + 13 p.- Supporting InformationPeroxidases are considered essential agents of lignin degradation by white-rot basidiomycetes. However, low-molecular-weight oxidants likely have a primary role in lignin breakdown because many of these fungi delignify wood before its porosity has sufficiently increased for enzymes to infiltrate. It has been proposed that lignin peroxidases (LPs, EC 1.11.1.14) fulfill this role by oxidizing the secreted fungal metabolite veratryl alcohol (VA) to its aryl cation radical (VA+•), releasing it to act as a one-electron lignin oxidant within woody plant cell walls. Here, we attached the fluorescent oxidant sensor BODIPY 581/591 throughout beads with a nominal porosity of 6 kDa and assessed whether peroxidase-generated aryl cation radical systems could oxidize the beads. As positive control, we used the 1,2,4,5-tetramethoxybenzene (TMB) cation radical, generated from TMB by horseradish peroxidase. This control oxidized the beads to depths that increased with the amount of oxidant supplied, ultimately resulting in completely oxidized beads. A reaction-diffusion computer model yielded oxidation profiles that were within the 95% confidence intervals for the data. By contrast, bead oxidation caused by VA and the LPA isozyme of Phanerochaete chrysosporium was confined to a shallow shell of LP-accessible volume at the bead surface, regardless of how much oxidant was supplied. This finding contrasted with the modeling results, which showed that if the LP/VA system were to release VA+•, it would oxidize the bead interiors. We conclude that LPA releases insignificant quantities of VA+• and that a different mechanism produces small ligninolytic oxidants during white rot.This work was supported by United States Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Research Grant DE-SC0006929 (to K. E. H.,C. J. H.,and C. G. H.)Peer reviewe

Supramolecular Complexation of Biogenic Amines by Functional Electroactive Monomers of Thiophene Derivatives for Formation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) Films for Biosensor Development

We synthesized electronically conducting polymers for devising selective chemical sensors. Toward that, electroactive functional monomers were derivatized to bear recognition sites capable of formation of complexes in solution with target analytes. These monomers included derivatives of bis(2,2'-bithienyl)methane substituted with either the 18-crown-6, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl, or dioxaborinane moiety. The analytes were selected from biogenic amines. These included adenine, dopamine, histamine, and melamine. By DFT quantum chemistry calculations at the B3LYP/3-21G(*) level, we modeled geometries of these complexes. Initially, the analytes played a role of templates. Then, the complexes were electropolymerized in the presence of suitably selected cross-linking monomers and porogenic solvents. A derivative of 3,3- bithianaphthene and an ionic liquid suited that purpose very well. Next, the resulting molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) films were washed with abundance of a base solution to extract the templates. That way, molecularly imprinted cavities were left in the MIP film. Size and shape of these cavities were compatible to those of the analyte molecules. In this form, the film was suitable for use as a recognition material in a chemosensor. A 10-MHz thickness-shear-mode bulk-acoustic-wave resonator of a quartz crystal microbalance was used as the piezoelectric transducer of the detection signal into the mass change signal. The MIP-template interactions of the covalent bond, hydrogen bond, and inclusion complex nature appeared to be reversible allowing for extensive and reversible accumulation of the analyte in the film and its subsequent removal for the analytical reuse. Due to this accumulation, detection limits reached the nanomole concentration level. Imprinting of the adenine, dopamine, and histamine electroactive analytes required preliminary coating of the electrode with a barrier underlayer film. This film served to prevent electrode processes of the analytes on the one hand and to afford efficient charge exchange with the MIP film deposited by electrochemical polymerization on top of the barrier film on the other. The electrode processes of the analytes were highly undesired because adsorption of products of these processes would be imprinted instead of the analytes themselves. Moreover, products of these processes would adsorb on the electrode surface blocking it and obstructing adhesion of the MIP film. Selectivity of the imprinting was tested by using typical interfering compounds structurally or functionally analogous to the analytes. This selectivity was high being mainly governed by complementarity of the stereo geometry of the analytes and imprinted molecular cavities of MIPs as well as affinity of the MIP binding sites located in these cavities to the binding sites of the analytes

Syntheses and Excitation Transfer Studies of Near-Orthogonal Free-Base Porphyrin–Ruthenium Phthalocyanine Dyads and Pentad

A new series of molecular dyads and pentad featuring free-base porphyrin and ruthenium phthalocyanine have been synthesized and characterized. The synthetic strategy involved reacting free-base porphyrin functionalized with one or four entities of phenylimidazole at the meso position of the porphyrin ring with ruthenium carbonyl phthalocyanine followed by chromatographic separation and purification of the products. Excitation transfer in these donor–acceptor polyads (dyad and pentad) is investigated in nonpolar toluene and polar benzonitrile solvents using both steady-state and time-resolved emission techniques. Electrochemical and computational studies suggested that the photoinduced electron transfer is a thermodynamically unfavorable process in nonpolar media but may take place in a polar environment. Selective excitation of the donor, free-base porphyrin entity, resulted in efficient excitation transfer to the acceptor, ruthenium phthalocyanine, and the position of imidazole linkage on the free-base porphyrin could be used to tune the rates of excitation transfer. The singlet excited Ru phthalocyanine thus formed instantly relaxed to the triplet state via intersystem crossing prior to returning to the ground state. Kinetics of energy transfer (<i>k</i>_ENT) was monitored by performing transient absorption and emission measurements using pump–probe and up-conversion techniques in toluene, respectively, and modeled using a Förster-type energy transfer mechanism. Such studies revealed the experimental <i>k</i>_ENT values on the order of 10¹⁰–10¹¹ s^–1, which readily agreed with the theoretically estimated values. Interestingly, in polar benzonitrile solvent, additional charge transfer interactions in the case of dyads but not in the case of pentad, presumably due to the geometry/orientation consideration, were observed

Moving up the processing ladder in primary product exports: Sri Lanka's "value-added" tea industry

Governments in many developing countries, influenced by the experience of the East Asian newly industrialized countries, have adopted policies to enhance domestic processing of primary commodities as a tool for accelerating employment growth, export revenues, and development. Sri Lanka has traditionally exported tea in the form of bulk (commodity) teas, but "value-added" teas such as packaged teas, tea bags, etc., have expanded in recent years. This article examines factors affecting the processing of value-added tea products in Sri Lanka by modeling export supply behavior. Estimates of the long-run relationship and short-run dynamics of export supply are presented and discussed. The price of value-added tea relative to bulk tea, and industry capacity, are identified as the main determinants of export supply, while exchange rate changes have no discernible effect. The policy implications of the analysis for enhancing further expansion of such value-added teas are presented. These are of interest for both policy makers and development analysts. In particular, the reasons that undermine the effectiveness of exchange rate policy as an instrument to stimulate value addition of primary products have much relevance for similar developing countries. Copyright 2005 International Association of Agricultural Economics.

B

B,B-Diporphyrinbenzyloxy-BODIPY derivatives have been prepared in high yields, and the photophysical properties are reported. Singlet energy transfers from BODIPY to the porphyrin units have been analyzed