Comparison of Two Methods for Assaying Reducing Sugars in the Determination of Carbohydrase Activities

The Nelson-Somogyi (NS) and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) assays for reducing sugars are widely used in measurements of carbohydrase activities against different polysaccharides. Using twelve commercial enzyme preparations, the comparison of the NS and DNS assays in determination of cellulase, β-glucanase, xylanase, and β-mannanase activities was carried out. When cellulase activities against CMC were measured, the DNS assay gave activity values, which were typically 40–50% higher than those obtained with the NS assay. In the analysis of the xylanase, β-mannanase, and β-glucanase activities, the overestimations by the DNS assay were much more pronounced (the observed differences in the activities were 3- to 13-fold). Reasons for preferential use of the NS assay for measuring activities of carbohydrases other than cellulases are discussed

Mathematical modelling of proton migration in Earth mantle

In the study, we address the mathematical problem of proton migration in the Earth’s mantle and suggest a prototype for exploring the Earth’s interior to map the effects of superionic proton conduction. The problem can be mathematically solved by deriving the self-consistent electromagnetic field potential U(x, t) and then reconstructing the distribution function f(x, v, t). Reducing the Vlasov-Maxwell system of equations to non-linear sh-Gordon hyperbolic and transport equations, the propagation of a non-linear wavefront within the domain and transport of the boundary conditions in the form of a non-linear wave are examined. By computing a 3D model and through Fourier-analysis, the spatial and electrical characteristics of potential U(x, t) are investigated. The numerical results are compared to the Fourier transformed quantities of the potential (V ) obtained through field observations of the electric potential (Kuznetsov method). The non-stationary solutions for the forced oscillation of two-component system, and therefore, the oscillatory strengths of two types of charged particles can be usefully addressed by the proposed mathematical model. Moreover, the model, along with data analysis of the electric potential observations and probabilistic seismic hazard maps, can be used to develop an advanced seismic risk metric

Application of ESI FT-ICR MS to Study Kraft Lignin Modification by the Exoenzymes of the White Rot Basidiomycete Fungus TrametesHirsutaLE-BIN 072

Trameteshirsuta is a wood rotting fungus that possesses a vast array of lignin degrading enzymes, including7 laccases, 7 ligninolyticmanganese peroxidases, 9 lignin peroxidases and 2 versatile peroxidases. In this study,electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS)was used to examine kraft lignin modification by the enzymatic system of this fungus.The observed pattern of lignin modification suggested that before the 6th day of cultivation,the fungal enzymatic system tended to degrade more oxidized moleculesand, hence, less recalcitrant molecules, with the production of hard-to-modify reduced molecular species. At some point after the 6th day of cultivation,the fungal enzymatic system tended to degrade more oxidized moleculesand, hence, less recalcitrant molecules, with the production of hard-to-modify reduced molecular species. At some point after the 6th day of cultivation,the fungus started to degrade less oxidized, more recalcitrant, compounds, converting them into the more oxidized forms. The altered pattern of lignin modification enabled changes in the fungal enzymatic system. These changes were further attributed to the appearance of the particular ligninolyticmanganese peroxides enzyme(MnP7), which was added by the fungus to the mixture of enzymes that had already been secreted (VP2 and MnP5). Keywords: wood rotting fungi, kraft lignin, mass spectrometry, peroxidase

Formation of a National Assessment of the Probability of Investing in Fraudulent ICOs

The study covers such concepts as ICO and IPO, their characteristics, similarities and differences. A national estimate of the probability of investing in fraudulent ICOs has been formed. Also, the work is about comparing the likelihood of investing in fraudulent IPOs and ICO.     Keywords: cryptocurrency, block technology, ICO, IP

Anomalous Hall effect in 2D Dirac band: link between Kubo-Streda formula and semiclassical Boltzmann equation approach

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is a consequence of spin-orbit coupling in a ferromagnetic metal and is related primarily to density-matrix response to an electric field that is off-diagonal in band index. For this reason disorder contributions to the AHE are difficult to treat systematically using a semi-classical Boltzmann equation approach, even when weak localization corrections are disregarded. In this article we explicitly demonstrate the equivalence of an appropriately modified semiclassical transport theory which includes anomalous velocity and side jump contributions and microscopic Kubo-Streda perturbation theory, with particular unconventional contributions in the semiclassical theory identified with particular Feynman diagrams when calculations are carried out in a band-eigenstate representation. The equivalence we establish is verified by explcit calculations for the case of the two-dimensional (2D) Dirac model Hamiltonian relevant to graphene.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figure

Geometric Control Over the Motion of Magnetic Domain Walls

We propose a method, which enables precise control of magnetic patterns, relying only on the fundamental properties of the wire and the choice of the path in the controlled parameter space but not on the rate of motion along this path. Possible experimental realizations of this mechanism are discussed. In particular, we show that the domain walls in magnetic nanowires can be translated by rotation of the magnetic easy axis, or by applying pulses of magnetic field directed transverse to the magnetic easy axis.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Quantum state preparation in circuit QED via Landau-Zener tunneling

We study a qubit undergoing Landau-Zener transitions enabled by the coupling to a circuit-QED mode. Summing an infinite-order perturbation series, we determine the exact nonadiabatic transition probability for the qubit, being independent of the frequency of the QED mode. Possible applications are single-photon generation and the controllable creation of qubit-oscillator entanglement.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Edge states in a honeycomb lattice: effects of anisotropic hopping and mixed edges

We study the edge states in graphene in the presence of a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the lattice. Most of the works done so far discuss the edge states in either zigzag or armchair edge graphene considering an isotropic electron hopping. In practice, graphene can have mixture of armchair and zigzag edges and the electron hopping can be anisotropic, which is the subject of this article. We predict that the mixed edges smear the enhanced local density of states (LDOS) at E=0 of the zigzag edge and, on the other hand, the anisotropic hopping gives rise to the enhanced LDOS at E=0 in the armchair edge. The behavior of the LDOS can be studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments. We suggest that care must be taken while interpreting the STM data. It is because the clear distinction between the zigzag edge (enhanced LDOS at E=0) and armchair edge (suppressed LDOS at E=0) can be lost if the hopping is not isotropic and if the edges are mixed

DIAGNOSTIC EFFICIENCY OF MULTIDETECTOR COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN PATIENTS WITH TONGUE CANCER

Objective: to determine the capacities of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to diagnose tongue cancer.Material and methods. Intravenous bolus contrast-enhanced MDCT was performed in 40 patients with tongue cancer diagnosed during complex clinical and instrumental examination. In all cases, the tumor had a structure of squamous cell carcinoma of varying grades. The results of MSCT were compared with the data of surgery and cytological and histological examinations. Tongue tumor accumulation of a contrast agent was qualitatively analyzed.Results. In 38 (85%) patients, the tongue tumor actively accumulated the contrast agent and was clearly differentiated in the presence of unaffected portions of the tongue and other adjacent anatomical structures, such as mouth floor, oropharynx, and larynx. Only in two cases, the tumor failed to significantly accumulate the contrast agent, which was associated with that there were massive decay areas in its structure. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MDCT in the diagnosis of tongue cancer were 95, 80, and 87.5%, respectively. MDCT could reliably differentiate changes in tongue cancer from non-tumor diseases. The result of constructing the curve of diagnostic errors became the following values: the area under the curve was 0.875 and the P-value (Asymptotic Sig.) was 0.0001.Conclusion. Intravenous bolus contrast-enhanced MDCT has a high diagnostic efficiency in identifying tongue cancer. The technique can establish the location of a tumor and to reveal the extent of the process to the nearby organs