Preparation and some properties of cholesterol oxidase from Rhodococcus sp. R14-2

Rhodococcus sp. R14-2, isolated from Chinese Jin-hua ham, produces a novel extracellular cholesterol oxidase (COX). The enzyme was extracted from fermentation broth and purified 53.1-fold based on specific activity. The purified enzyme shows a single polypeptide band on SDS-PAGE with an estimated molecular weight of about 60 kDa, and has a pI of 8.5. The first 10 amino acid residues of the NH2-terminal sequence of the enzyme are A-P-P-V-A-S-C-R-Y-C, which differs from other known COXs. The enzyme is stable over a rather wide pH range of 4.0¿10.0. The optimum pH and temperature of the COX are pH 7.0 and 50°C, respectively. The COX rapidly oxidizes 3ß-hydroxysteroids such as cholesterol and phytosterols, but is inert toward 3¿-hydroxysteroids. Thus, the presence of a 3ß-hydroxyl group appears to be essential for substrate activity. The Michaelis constant (Km) for cholesterol is estimated at 55 ¿M; the COX activity was markedly inhibited by metal ions such as Hg2+ and Fe3+ and inhibitors such as p-chloromercuric benzoate, mercaptoethanol and fenpropimorph. Inhibition caused by p-chloromercuric benzoate, mercuric chloride, or silver nitrate was almost completely prevented by the addition of glutathione. These suggests that -SH groups may be involved in the catalytic activity of the present CO

Probability Analysis of Pit Initiation on Austenitic Stainless Steels

AbstractThe influence and mechanism of microscopic pit initiation on austenitic stainless steels were analyzed. Based on the electrochemical theory, a model was proposed to judge the pit initiation on austenitic stainless steels in the weak acidic chloride solution. Although the model was developed based on deterministic equations, it can be used to analyze the randomness of pit initiation. Furthermore the probability distribution of major parameters was also discussed. This study enriches the stochastic theory of pit initiation

Comparison of Volatile Compounds in Two Brandies Using HS-SPME Coupled with GC-O, GC-MS and Sensory Evaluation

The aim of this study was to compare the volatile compounds between Changyu XO and Hennessy XO. Sensoryevaluation was performed by a panel of tasters. Qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis was achieved byheadspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS)and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O). A total of 160 volatile compounds were identified in the twobrands of brandy. Of these, 118 compounds were common to both Changyu XO and Hennessy XO; 18 compoundswere specific to Changyu XO and 24 were specific to Hennessy XO. A total of 85 aroma compounds responsiblefor brandy flavour were identified by GC-O, of which 68 were common to both brands, while seven and tenwere specific to Changyu XO and Hennessy XO, respectively. The study provided detailed information aboutthe compounds responsible for the characteristic flavour of specific brandies. According to statistical analysis,significant differences were recorded between Changyu XO and Hennessy XO. Most volatile compounds inChangyu XO occurred at lower concentrations than those in Hennessy XO. Based on sensory evaluation analysis,the floral, alcohol and rancid aroma descriptors achieved higher scores in Changyu XO and Hennessy XO, whilethe lime aroma seemed specific to Hennessy XO. Herb and almond aromas were specific to Changyu XO

Production Optimization,Molecular Characterization and Biological Activities of Exopolysaccharides from Xylaria nigripes

The optimal culture conditions of exopolysaccharides (EPS) production in submerged culture medium by Xylaria nigripes were determined using orthogonal matrix method. The optimal medium (per liter) EPS was 60.0 g L–1 maltose, 1.0 g L–1 peptone, 5 mmol L–1 KH2PO4, and initial pH 7.0 at 28 oC. In the optimal culture medium, the maximum EPS production was 11.967 g L–1 in shake flask. Two groups of EPSs (designated as Fr-I and Fr-II) were obtained from the culture filtrates by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and their molecular characteristics were examined by a multiangle laser-light scattering (MALLS) and refractive index (RI) detector system. The weight-average molar masses of Fr-I and Fr-II of EPS were determined to be 6.327104 and 1.478104 g mol–1, respectively. The SEC/MALLS analysis revealed that the molecular formation of Fr-I is of nearly globular shape. Furthermore, the experiments in vitro indicated that X. nigripes EPS exhibited high antioxidative effects though its antitumour activity was limited

DNA yield and quality of saliva samples and suitability for large scale epidemiological studies in children

Objective: To evaluate two saliva collection methods for DNA yield and quality as applied to a large, integrated, multicentre, European project involving the collection of biological material from children. Design: Cross-sectional multicentre comparative study in young children. Methods: Saliva samples were collected from 14 019 children aged 2-9 years from eight European countries participating in the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary-and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study. This involved either the collection of 2 ml of saliva from children who were able to spit, or using a sponge to collect whole saliva and buccal mucosal cells from the inside of the mouth of younger children unable to spit. Samples were assembled centrally in each participating centre and subsequently despatched for DNA extraction and biobanking to the University of Glasgow. A subgroup of 4678 samples (similar to 33% of sampled individuals) were chosen for DNA extraction before genotyping. Results: The whole-saliva collection method resulted in a higher DNA yield than the sponge collection method (mean +/- s.d.; saliva: 20.95 +/- 2.35 mu g, sponge: 9.13 +/- 2.25 mu g; P < 0.001). DNA quality as measured by A(260)/A(280) was similar for the two collection methods. A minimum genotype calling success rate of 95% showed that both methods provide good-quality DNA for genotyping using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Conclusions: Our results showed higher DNA yield from the whole-saliva collection method compared with the assisted sponge collection. However, both collection methods provided DNA of sufficient quantity and quality for large-scale genetic epidemiological studies

Hepatitis B virus subgenotype C2 is the most prevalent subgenotype in northeast China

AbstractThe geographical distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) subgenotypes and their clinical implications in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B in the Heilung-kiang province of northeast China were investigated. Nested PCR and multiplex PCR were performed with genotype-specific primers and with subgenotype-specific primers to identify genotypes and subgenotypes from serum samples of 412 HBV infections including 69 with acute self-limited hepatitis (ASH) and 343 with chronic hepatitis (CH). A total of 361 samples were genotyped and 304 were further subgenotyped. The most common HBV genotype was C (93.63%, 338/361), with subgenotype group C2 (83.73%, 283/338) predominating. Genotype B was also found and subgenotype B2 predominated within this genotype. Out of 69 infected patients with ASH, 48 were identified as genotype C and all belonged to subgenotype C2. Of 343 infected patients with CH, 313 were genotyped and 256 were subgenotyped; amongst these, C2 (91.80%, 235/256), B2 (7.42%, 19/256) and mixed subgenotypes B2 and C2 (0.78%, 2/256) were found. In HBV subgenotype C2 infections, ASH had a higher ratio of women than CH patients. These results show that HBV subgenotypes C2 and B2 were found in Heilung-kiang province of northeast China. In ASH and CH groups, the distributions of subgenotypes were coincident with C2, the predominant subgenotype. Analysis of the association between subgenotype and the outcomes of HBV infection was inconclusive in our study

Crossover effects in a discrete deposition model with Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scaling

We simulated a growth model in 1+1 dimensions in which particles are aggregated according to the rules of ballistic deposition with probability p or according to the rules of random deposition with surface relaxation (Family model) with probability 1-p. For any p>0, this system is in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class, but it presents a slow crossover from the Edwards-Wilkinson class (EW) for small p. From the scaling of the growth velocity, the parameter p is connected to the coefficient of the nonlinear term of the KPZ equation, lambda, giving lambda ~ p^gamma, with gamma = 2.1 +- 0.2. Our numerical results confirm the interface width scaling in the growth regime as W ~ lambda^beta t^beta, and the scaling of the saturation time as tau ~ lambda^(-1) L^z, with the expected exponents beta =1/3 and z=3/2 and strong corrections to scaling for small lambda. This picture is consistent with a crossover time from EW to KPZ growth in the form t_c ~ lambda^(-4) ~ p^(-8), in agreement with scaling theories and renormalization group analysis. Some consequences of the slow crossover in this problem are discussed and may help investigations of more complex models.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Effect of Pin Diameters on the Wear Characteristics of Friction Pairs

The tribological tests are carried out to assess the effect of pin diameters on wear characteristics via changing contact stresses and sliding speeds to provide support for choosing friction pair sizes. The friction couple is set as CuZn pins for medium carbon steel (No. 1045 steel) rings. The differential wear rate and its calculation formula are defined to express the line wear rate or the wear resistance of unit cross-section area. The effect of the pin end surface diameter on differential wear rate and its scale/increased multiplier are investigated. When the product (P×V=0.095) is kept constant, the abrasion loss for the specimens of a small diameter (d1=0.6 mm) is lesser than that of the specimens of a large diameter (d2=4.0 mm). As compared to the sliding speed, the change in contact stresses exerts a greater influence on the wear behavior, especially for small-diameter specimens. The differential wear rate of small-diameter specimens is always higher than that of the specimens of a large diameter. The scale multiplier of the differential wear rate is always larger than that of the contact pressure stress, especially for small-diameter specimens.С целью обоснования выбора размеров пар трения проводятся трибологические испытания по оценке влияния диаметров штифта на характеристики износа путем изменения нагрузок и скорости скольжения. Пара трения представляется в виде штифтов из CuZn к кольцам из среднеуглеродистой стали (сталь 1045). Дифференциальная скорость изнашивания и формула для ее расчета определяются для выражения линейной скорости изнашивания или сопротивления износу единицы площади поперечного сечения. Исследуются влияние различного диаметра торцевой поверхности штифтов, дифференциальная скорость изнашивания и ее увеличенный множитель. Результаты показывают, что при поддержании постоянства произведения P×V=0,095 потери при истирании образцов малого диаметра (d1=0,6 мм) меньше, чем образцов большого диаметра (d2 =4,0 мм). По сравнению со скоростью скольжения изменение нагрузки более существенно влияет на характеристики износа, особенно для образцов малого диаметра. Дифференциальная скорость изнашивания образцов малого диаметра всегда больше, чем образцов большого диаметра. Увеличенный множитель дифференциальной скорости изнашивания всегда превышает увеличенный множитель повышения напряжения контактного давления, особенно для образцов малого диаметра.З метою обґрунтування вибору розмірів пар тертя проводяться трибологичні випробування з оцінки впливу діаметрів штифта на характеристики зносу шляхом зміни навантажень і швидкості ковзання. Пара тертя представляється у вигляді штифтів з СuZn до кілець з середньовуглецевої сталі (сталь 1045). Диференціальна швидкість зношування і формула для її розрахунку визначаються для вираження лінійної швидкості зношування або опору зносу одиниці площі поперечного перерізу. Досліджуються вплив різного діаметру торцевої поверхні штифтів, диференціальна швидкість зношування і її збільшений множник. Результати показують, що при підтримці сталості Р x V = 0,095 втрати при стиранні зразків малого діаметра (d1 = 0,6 мм) менше, ніж зразків великого діаметра (d2 = 4,0 мм). У порівнянні зі швидкістю ковзання зміна навантаження більш істотно впливає на характеристики зносу, особливо для зразків малого діаметра. Диференціальна швидкість зношування зразків малого діаметра завжди більше, ніж зразків великого діаметру. Збільшений множник диференціальної швидкості зношування завжди перевищує збільшений множник підвищення напружень контактного тиску, особливо для зразків малого діаметра

Superoscillations and tunneling times

It is proposed that superoscillations play an important role in the interferences which give rise to superluminal effects. To exemplify that, we consider a toy model which allows for a wave packet to travel, in zero time and negligible distortion a distance arbitrarily larger than the width of the wave packet. The peak is shown to result from a superoscillatory superposition at the tail. Similar reasoning applies to the dwell time.Comment: 12 page

Whispering gallery modes in photoluminescence and Raman spectra of a spherical microcavity with CdTe quantum dots: anti-Stokes emission and interference effects

We have studied the photoluminescence and Raman spectra of a system consisting of a polystyrene latex microsphere coated by CdTe colloidal quantum dots. The cavity-induced enhancement of the Raman scattering allows the observation of Raman spectra from only a monolayer of CdTe quantum dots. Periodic structure with very narrow peaks in the photoluminescence spectra of a single microsphere was detected both in the Stokes and anti-Stokes spectral regions, arising from the coupling between the emission of quantum dots and spherical cavity modes