A magnetic bead-based DNA extraction and purification microfluidic device

This article introduces a novel magnetic bead-based DNA extraction and purification device using active magnetic mixing approach. Mixing and separation steps are performed using functionalised superparamagnetic beads suspended in cell lysis buffer in a circular chamber that is sandwiched between two external magnetic coils. Non-uniform nature of magnetic field causes temporal and spatial distribution of beads within the chamber. This process efficiently mixes the lysis buffer and whole blood in order to extract DNA from target cells. Functionalized surface of the magnetic beads then attract the exposed DNA molecules. Finally, DNA-attached magnetic beads are attracted to the bottom of the chamber by activating the bottom magnetic coil. DNA molecules are extracted from magnetic beads by washing and re-suspension processes. In this study, a circular PMMA microchamber, 25 μL in volume, 500 μm in depth and 8 mm in diameter was fabricated to purify DNA from spiked bacterial cell cultures into the whole blood sample using Promega Magazorb DNA extraction kit. The lysis efficiency was evaluated using a panel of Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial cells cultures into the blood sample to achieve approximately 100,000 copy levels inside the chip. Manufacturer’s standard extraction protocol was modified to a more simplified process suitable for chip-based extraction. The lysis step was performed using 5 min incubation at 56 °C followed by 5 min incubation at room temperature for binding process. Temperature rise was generated and maintained by the same external magnetic coils used for active mixing. The yield/purity and recovery levels of the extracted DNA were evaluated using quantitative UV spectrophotometer and real-time PCR assay, respectively. Real-time PCR results indicated efficient chip-based bacterial DNA extraction using modified extraction protocol comparable to the standard bench-top extraction process.     

Optimum structured adsorbents for gas separation processes

Recent developments in separation technology by adsorption have included the development of new structured adsorbents which offer some attractive characteristics compared to a typical packed bed. These improved features include lower energy consumption, higher throughput and superior recovery and purity of product. However, the exact combination of structural, geometric parameters which yields optimum performance is unknown. This study formulates a methodology for comparison based on a variety of analytical and numerical models and uses it to examine the performance of different adsorbent configurations. In particular, monolithic, laminate and foam structures are evaluated and compared to a packed bed of pellets. The effects of physical adsorbent parameters which govern the performance of a PSA process are considered during model development. Comparisons are carried out based on mass transfer kinetics, adsorbent loading and pressure drop of a PSA system for CO₂/N₂ separation. The results indicated that structured adsorbents can provide superior throughput to packed beds provided their geometrical parameters exceed certain values. For example, laminate structures can offer superior performance to a packed bed of pellets only if the critical sheet thickness and spacing are less than about 0.2 mm. Each adsorbent structure should be designed to operate at its “optimal” velocity. When operating at velocities higher than the “optimal” value, the increase in pressure drop and length of the mass transfer zone more than offsets gains accrued through reduction in cycle time.     

Oxygen evolution during the formation and sintering of nickel-manganese oxide spinels for thermistor applications

Nickel-manganese spinel, prepared from 20 wt % NiO and 80 wt % Mn₂O₃, forms at 950°C by the intermediate formation of Mn₃O₄ with evolution of oxygen, determined by mass-spectrometric evolved gas analysis. On heating to higher temperatures, further oxygen is evolved resulting in pore formation and bloating of pressed sintered samples and anomalies in their densification and electrical properties. Thermodynamic considerations and X-ray diffraction intensity measurements suggest that all the Mn²⁺ is located in the tetrahedral spinel sites, this cation configuration remaining unchanged by higher-temperature treatments such as sintering.     

The inhibition effect of the new Schiff base,namely 2,2′‐[bis‐N(4‐choloro benzaldimin)]‐1,1′‐dithio against mild steel corrosion

2,2′‐[bis‐N(4‐choloro benzaldimin)]‐1,1′‐dithio has been synthesized and its inhibiting action on the corrosion of mild steel in 0.5 M sulfuric acid was investigated by various corrosion monitoring techniques, such as weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The experimental results suggest that this compound is a good corrosion inhibitor for mild steel and the inhibition efficiency increases with the increase in inhibitor concentration. This organic compound is a mixed type inhibitor in the acid solution, and its adsorption on the mild steel surface is also found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.     

Microstructure, permeability and rheological behavior of lost foam refractory coatings

The effect of microstructure on rheology and permeability of three commercial lost foam refractory coatings available on the market called samples I, II, and III, respectively was investigated in this study. Thermal gravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) method was used for detailed analysis of the organic components and to determine the thermal stability of the coatings. Particle shape and size and particle size distribution (PSD) were obtained by optical microscopy and morphological studies were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also the scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM/EDXA) technique was used for elemental analysis of refractory particles. To determine the crystalline structure of the samples, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out. Permeability measurements were conducted with a modified apparatus originally used for determining the permeability of casting sand. Finally the rheological behavior of the samples was investigated using a rotating coaxial rheometer to provide the flow curve for coating suspensions. The studies revealed that coating I has the highest permeability, which can be due to its large mean particle size and wide particle size distribution (PSD). Furthermore it was found that the investigated refractory coatings behave as non-Newtonian fluids with shear thinning behavior. All coatings exhibited yield stresses, indicate that they behave as Bingham-type pseudoplastic fluids.     

Qualitative analysis of ganoderic acids in Ganoderma lucidum from Iran and China by RP-HPLC and electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)

Ganoderma lucidum is used as a health food and medicine in Far East and produces different ganoderic acids which are well known for their valuable bioactivities. In this study, two different strains of G. lucidum from Iran and China were investigated for ganoderic acids, using reversed phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) in combination with UV and electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The results showed a relatively low intensity ganoderic acid C2 peak in the chromatogram of the Iranian sample. However, three high intensity peaks attributed to the well known ganoderic acids including ganoderic acids T, Me and H from the Chinese strain. These findings clearly indicated that different strains of G. lucidum could posses a range of active compounds and hence, bioactivities. Moreover, the variation in the triterpenoid components encourages more studies on the rest of bioactive molecules, and also different strains grown in a variety of climatic and geographical conditions.     

Ab-initio study of electronic and elastic properties of Mg(BH4)(NH2) complex hydride

Structural and electronic properties of complex hydride Mg(BH₄)(NH₂), applicable in hydrogen storage, were studied in framework of pseudopotential-density functional theory. This compound shows an indirect band gap of 4.95 eV which is categorized in insulator materials. The calculated total and partial density of states of this compound show that the hydrogen bonding in BH₄ anion is mainly covalent and the hydrogen-hydrogen repulsion is more in anion BH₄ than in anion NH₂. The calculated bulk modulus from Birch-Murnaghan equation of state is in close agreement with that obtained from the elastic constants. The obtained bulk modulus (19.27 GPa) shows this compound is more ductile than binary and ternary hydrides and it does not have a brittle structure. Therefore, it is a good candidate for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation cycles. The stability of the structure in ambient pressure is also declared by calculating the elastic coefficients. However, the existence of elastic anisotropy in the compound demonstrates the less compressibility of it along the c axis than a and b axes. The small amount of Poisson ratio indicates that it is more stable against shear compared to common borohydrides. This point is important for hydride stability in hydrogenation and dehydrogenation cycles.     

Antioxidant and Antihemolytic Activities of Ethanolic Extract of Flowers,Leaves, and Stems of Hyssopus officinalis L. Var. angustifolius

In this study, antioxidant and antihemolytic activities of ethanolic extract of flowers, leaves, and stems of Hyssopus officinalis L. Var. angustifolius were investigated employing different in vitro assay systems. Extracts showed good antioxidant activity. IC₅₀ for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical-scavenging activity were 148.8 ± 4.31 μg mL^?1 for flowers, 79.9 ± 2.63 μg mL^?1 for stems, and 208.2 ± 6.45 μg mL^?1 for leaves. All extracts showed moderate iron (II) chelating ability. Extracts exhibited good antioxidant activity in the hemoglobin-induced linoleic acid model and also they were capable of scavenging hydrogen peroxide in a concentration dependent manner. Extracts showed good antihemolytic activity againts hydrogen peroxide-induced hemolysis (IC₅₀ were 48.51 ± 2.27 μg mL^?1 for flowers, 19.47 ± 0.73 μg mL^?1 for leaves, and 63.1 ± 2.65 μg mL^?1 for stems). The total amount of phenolic compounds in the extracts was determined as gallic acid equivalents and total flavonoid content was calculated as quercetin equivalents from a calibration curve.     

Comparative Study of Conventional and Computerized Reconstruction Techniques for Flow Time Series Data of Hydrometric Station

Water Resources Management - One of the undeniable requirements in hydrological forecasting and water resources studies is the availability of reliable information. Due to the various reasons, time...     

A novel ternary half adder and multiplier based on carbon nanotube field effect transistors

A lot of research has been done on multiple-valued logic (MVL) such as ternary logic in these years. MVL reduces the number of necessary operations and also decreases the chip area that would be used. Carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs) are considered a viable alternative for silicon transistors (MOSFETs). Combining carbon nanotube transistors and MVL can produce a unique design that is faster and more flexible. In this paper, we design a new half adder and a new multiplier by nanotechnology using a ternary logic, which decreases the power consumption and chip surface and raises the speed. The presented design is simulated using CNTFET of Stanford University and HSPICE software, and the results are compared with those of other studies.