Surface modification of nylon membrane by glycidyl methacrylate graft copolymerization for antibody immobilization

Surface of nylon membrane was modified by the graft copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) using persulfate and thiosulfate as redox initiator system. Effect of various reaction parameters such as initiator concentration, monomer concentration, polymerization time, and temperature on degree of grafting was also studied. Maximum grafting of 100% was achieved by using equimolar concentration (0.008M) of redox initiator and 0.5M of GMA monomer at 70°C in 60 min. Grafted nylon membranes with various graft levels of GMA were characterized by various techniques such as fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The GMA grafted nylon (NyM‐g‐GMA) membranes with different graft levels were evaluated as a support for immobilization of rabbit anti goat antibody (RAG IgG). Antibody (Ab) immobilized NyM‐g‐GMA membranes were evaluated using ELISA and Bradford protein estimation method. Nylon membrane with 60% graft level showed optimum immobilization of Ab at RAG IgG conc. of 0.625 μg/mL with low nonspecific binding. Maximum immobilization efficiency (I.E.%) of 56% was observed for membrane with 60% graft level at 50 μg/mL of RAG IgG in PBS (pH 7.4). Ab immobilized NyM‐g‐GMA discs were found to be stable up to 6 weeks at 4°C and 2 days at 37°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Development of antimicrobial aminoacid-modified bisphenol-A formaldehyde resin and its transition-metal complexes

A polymeric ligand (BFG), containing glycine moiety was synthesized by the polycondensation reaction of bisphenol-A and formaldehyde with amino acid (glycine) in alkaline medium. The polymer–metal complexes were synthesized with transition metal ions. The polymer and its metal complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and other spectroscopic techniques. The analytical data revealed that the coordination polymers of Cr(III), Co(II), and Ni(II) were coordinated with two water molecules, which are further supported by FTIR spectra and TGA data. The amino acid was found to act as bidentate ligand toward metal ions via the nitrogen of the NH group and carboxyl oxygen of the respective amino acid. The in-vitro preliminary antimicrobial activities of all the synthesized polymers were investigated against some bacteria and fungi. The polymer–metal complexes showed excellent antimicrobial activities against both types of microorganisms. Interestingly the polymeric ligand was found antimicrobial in nature but less effective as compared the polymer–metal complexes. On the basis of the antimicrobial behavior, these polymers hold potential in their application as antifungal and antifouling coating materials in medical devices as well as antimicrobial packaging material.     

Presence of Potential G-Quadruplex RNA-Forming Motifs at the 5′-UTR of PP2Acα mRNA Repress Translation

RNA G-quadruplex (G4)-forming motifs present at the 5′-UTR of the protein phosphatase (PP2Ac) gene are the regulatory targets of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which is weakly expressed in Fragile X patients. Herein, we report that the existence of such G4-forming sequence represses the translation of the PP2Acα gene. This study opens therapeutic avenues to design small molecule ligands that mimic the function of the FMRP.     

Thermal decomposition of potassium persulfate in aqueous solution at 50°C in an inert atmosphere of nitrogen in the presence of acrylonitrile monomer

The rate of thermal decomposition of persulfate in aqueous solution in the presence of acrylonitrile (AN) monomer (M) and of nitrogen, may be written as: in the concentration range of persulfate (1.8 to 18.0) ×10^-3, and of monomer (M), 0.30 to 1.20, mol dm^-3. It was observed that the pH of the solution containing persulfate and monomer did not alter during polymerization if the monomer concentrations were close to its solubility under the experimental conditions. Conductance of the aqueous solutions of persulfate and monomer was found to decrease during the reactions. In an unbuffered aqueous solution containing only persulfate, however, the pH was found to decrease continuously at 50°C with time, while the conductance of the solution was found to increase. The monomer (AN) had no effect on the glass electrodes of the pH meter in aqueous solutions, and also on the electrodes of the conductivity cell. It has been suggested that the secondary or induced decompositions of persulfate were due to the following elementary reactions: where (M_j^· radicals (j = 1 to 10) are water-soluble oligomeric or polymeric free radicals. k_x and k_y at 50°C have been estimated as 1.70 X 10^-5 and 5.08 × 10³ dm³ mol^-1 s^-1, respectively. By measuring pH of freshly prepared persulfate solutions at 25°C, it is suggested that 0.05–0.30% of persulfate reacts molecularly with water (i.e., hydrolysis), as soon as it (10^-3 to 10^-2 mol dm^-3) is added to distilled water (pH 7.0). This hydrolysis was found to be stopped in dilute sulfuric acid solution (pH 3–4).     

Fullerene containing polyurethane nanocomposites for microwave applications

Novel flexible polyurethane (PU) composite films containing nano‐barium hexaferrite (BaF) and nano‐barium titanate (BT) have been synthesized and characterized. The PU nanocomposites were synthesized from fullerenol and prepolymer of hexamethylene diisocyante and polytetramethylene glycol by adding 1–3% each of BaF (high permeability) and BT (high permittivity). The incorporation of the nanopowders was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray diffraction (EDX). Study of thermal properties by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability of the nanocomposites. Study of mechanical properties showed that the tensile strength had increased remarkably in the nanocomposites. The electromagnetic‐absorbing properties were studied by measuring the complex permeability and permittivity in the frequency range of 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. The good reflection loss of the nanocomposites at such low filler content suggests its potential applicability as a radar absorber. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Dielectric properties of the system Pb2-x La x Li0.5 O6 + δ

The dielectric properties of the ceramic pyrochlore structured system Pb_2-x La _x Li_0.5Nb_1.5 O_{6 + δ} has been studied as a function of concentrationx and frequency at room temperature 25°C. The results have been analysed for relaxation process and conduction mechanism.     

Enhancing the Quantum Communication Channel Using a Novel Quantum Binary Salt Blowfish Strategy

Wireless Personal Communications - Protecting the data from malicious activities in wireless standards is one of the challenging key tasks. Moreover, cryptography plays a vital role in protecting...     

Giant Peak Voltage of Thermopower Waves Driven by the Chemical Potential Gradient of Single‐Crystalline Bi2Te3

The self‐propagating exothermic chemical reaction with transient thermovoltage, known as the thermopower wave, has received considerable attention recently. A greater peak voltage and specific power are still demanded, and materials with greater Seebeck coefficients have been previously investigated. However, this study employs an alternative mechanism of transient chemical potential gradient providing an unprecedentedly high peak voltage (maximum: 8 V; average: 2.3 V) and volume‐specific power (maximum: 0.11 W mm^?3; average: 0.04 W mm^?3) using n‐type single‐crystalline Bi₂Te₃ substrates. A mixture of nitrocellulose and sodium azide is used as a fuel, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a significant downshift in Fermi energy (≈5.09 eV) of the substrate by p‐doping of the fuel. The induced electrical potential by thermopower waves has two distinct sources: the Seebeck effect and the transient chemical potential gradient. Surprisingly, the Seebeck effect contribution is less than 2.5% (≈201 mV) of the maximum peak voltage. The right combination of substrate, fuel doping, and anisotropic substrate geometry results in an order of magnitude greater transient chemical potential gradient (≈5.09 eV) upon rapid removal of fuel by exothermic chemical reaction propagation. The role of fuel doping and chemical potential gradient can be viewed as a key mechanism for enhanced heat to electric conversion performance.     

Solvation, solute rotation and vibration relaxation, and electron-transfer reactions in room-temperature ionic liquids

A brief account of recent simulation and theoretical model studies of various solution-phase processes in room-temperature ionic liquids is given. These include structure and dynamics of equilibrium and nonequilibrium solvation, solute rotation and vibrational energy relaxation, and free energetics and dynamics of unimolecular electron-transfer reactions. Special attention is paid to both the aspects shared by and the contrasts with polar solvents under normal conditions. A brief comparison with available experiments is also made.