Protein encapsulation by humic substances

Protein encapsulation by natural organic matter is hypothesized to preserve the activity of proteins in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Direct molecular-level evidence for encapsulation of net positively charged proteins lysozyme, trypsin, and ribonuclease A by a diverse set of humic substances (HS) in nanostructured films was collected using a combination of optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance measurements. The results suggest that protein-HS electrostatic attraction drives encapsulation of positively charged lysozyme by a soil humic acid at pH 5 to 8 and by six additional humic and fulvic acids from terrestrial and mixed terrestrial aquatic sources at pH 5 and 6. Encapsulation of trypsin and ribonuclease A, which had negatively charged surface patches under the studied conditions, suggested that localized protein-HS electrostatic repulsion is overcompensated by attractive forces, likely including contributions from the hydrophobic effect. Evidence is provided showing that encapsulation of lysozyme at pH 8 and of ribonuclease A at pH 5 and 6 involved partial disassembly of HA supramolecular associations. This work advances a molecular-level picture of protein encapsulation by HS and presents a novel approach to study the effects of encapsulation on protein enzymatic activity and susceptibility to abiotic and biotic transformations.     

Inorganic nanofibers with tailored placement of nanocatalysts for hydrogen production via alkaline hydrolysis of glucose

Monoaxial silica nanofibers containing iron species as well as coaxial nanofibers with a pure silica core and a silica shell containing high concentrations of iron nanocrystals were fabricated via electrospinning precursor solutions, followed by thermal treatment. Tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) and iron nitrate (Fe(NO(3))(3)) were used as the precursors for the silica and iron phases, respectively. Thermal treatments of as-spun precursor fibers were applied to generate nanocrystals of iron with various oxidation states (pure iron and hematite). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to probe the fiber morphology and crystal structures. The results indicated that the size, phase, and placement of iron nanocrystals can be tuned by varying the precursor concentration, thermal treatment conditions, and processing scheme. The resulting nanofiber/metal systems obtained via both monoaxial and coaxial electrospinning were applied as catalysts to the alkaline hydrolysis of glucose for the production of fuel gas. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and bulk weight change in a furnace with residual gas analysis (RGA) were used to evaluate the performance of the catalysts for various ratios of both Fe to Si, and catalyst to glucose, and the oxidation state of the iron nanocrystals. The product gas is composed of mostly H(2) (>96 mol%) and CH(4) with very low concentrations of CO(2) and CO. Due to the clear separation of reaction temperature for H(2) and CH(4) production, pure hydrogen can be obtained at low reaction temperatures. Our coaxial approach demonstrates that placing the iron species selectively near the fiber surface can lead to two to three fold reduction in catalytic consumption compared to the monoaxial fibers with uniform distribution of catalysts.     

Photoluminescence of dense nanocrystalline titanium dioxide thin films: effect of doping and thickness and relation to gas sensing

The photoluminescence (PL) of dense nanocrystalline (anatase) TiO(2) thin films is reported as a function of calcination temperature, thickness, and tungsten and nickel doping. The dependence of the optical absorption, Raman spectra, and PL spectra on heat treatment and dopants reveals the role of oxygen vacancies, crystallinity, and phase transformation in the performance of TiO(2) films used as gas sensors. The broad visible PL from defect states of compact and undoped TiO(2) films is found to be much brighter and less sensitive to the presence of oxygen than that of mesoporous films. The dense nanocrystalline grains and the nanoparticles comprising the mesoporous film are comparable in size, demonstrating the importance of film morphology and carrier transport in determining the intensity of defect photoluminescence. At higher calcination temperatures, the transformation to rutile results in the appearance of a dominant near-infrared peak. This characteristic change in the shape of the PL spectra demonstrates efficient capture of conduction band electrons by the emerging rutile phase. The W-doped samples show diminished PL with quenching on the red side of the emission spectrum occurring at lower concentration and eventual disappearance of the PL at higher W concentration. The results are discussed within the context of the performance of the TiO(2) thin films as CO gas sensors and the chemical nature of luminescent defects.     

Statistical method to evaluate the occurrence of PCB transformations in river sediments with application to Hudson River data

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were produced in the mid 1900s for industrial use. The term PCBs refers to 209 theoretically possible chlorinated compounds of the biphenyl molecule (congeners). The number and location of the chlorines govern both the environmental fate and toxicity of each congener. Changes in the distribution of congeners in river sediments can result from congener transformation and/or preferential congener transport. This study exploits the distribution of PCB congeners, specifically congeners that maintain a constant ratio relationship in the commercially manufactured PCB mixtures (Aroclors), to quantify the likelihood of congener distribution shifts in river sediment. By using relative abundances, the influence of total PCB bias is eliminated. Correlated congeners (tracker pairs) maintain a constant relative proportion in sequentially more-highly chlorinated Aroclors, thus there is no need to know the source contaminating Aroclors a priori. Using the Frame et al. database of Aroclor congener distributions, 276 pairs of correlated congeners, constructed from 95 individual congeners, are identified. A comparison study of Aroclors and Hudson River sediments included 218 of the 276 tracker pairs. Conclusive evidence of a shift in the congener proportions is found in 120 of the 218 cases, a much greater number than expected if no change in congener distribution had occurred.     

XDP: A compiler intermediate language extension for the representation and optimization of data movement

The ability to represent, manipulate, and optimize data placement and movement between processors in a distributed address space machine is crucial in allowing compilers to generate efficient code. Data placement is embodied in the concept of dataownership. Data movement can include not just the transfer of data values but the transfer of ownership as well. However, most existing compilers for distributed address space machines either represent these notions in a language-or machine-dependent manner, or represent data or ownership transfer implicitly. In this paper we describe XDP, a set of intermediate language extensions for representing and manipulating data and ownership transfers explicitly in a compller. XDP is supported by a set of per-processor structures that can be used to implement ownership testing and manipulation at run-time, XDP provides a uniform framework for translating and optimizing sequential, data parallel, and message-passing programs to a distributed address space machine. We describe analysis and optimization techniques for this explicit representation. Finally, we compare the intermediate languages of some current distributed address space compilers with XDP.     

Differential Binding of Concanavilin A to Starch Granules Isolated from Barley and Maize

The location of amylose and amylopectin components and/or the degree of branching at the exterior of starch granules may influence the binding of F. I. T. C. labelled Concanavilin A. Waxy Maize starch granules and small starch granules from barley have a higher affinity for lectin than starch granules isolated from normal maize or large starch granules isolated from barley kernels. The binding of Concanavilin A to starch granules is shown to be cooperative and reversible.