A PCR Assay for Specific Detection of the Pandemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3:K6 Clone from Shellfish

: The current standard method for identifying Vibrio parahaemolyticus serotype O3:K6, an emerging pathogen with apparent enhanced virulence characteristics, typically takes 4 to 6 d to complete and requires serotyping. To provide a more rapid strategy, we optimized a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based assay for specific detection of V. parahaemolyticus O3:K6. Of 78 V. parahaemolyticus isolates and other related species; only strains classified into the V. parahaemolyticus O3:K6 clonal group (n= 39) showed positive results in the PCR assay. The assay detected 2.3 cells/PCR reaction and 310 cells/g using bacterial cultures and inoculated oyster samples, respectively. Sensitive and specific detection of V. parahaemolyticus O3:K6 was possible following a 6‐h enrichment.     

Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Recovered Protein from Frozen Small Croaker and Functional Properties of Its Hydrolysates

ABSTRACT:  Fish protein isolate were recovered from frozen small croaker using pH shift. The partial enzymatic hydrolysates were fractionated as soluble and insoluble parts. They were dried using the drum dryer and their functional properties were examined. The total nitrogen content of the enzymatic hydrolysates ranged from 12.9% to 13.7%. The degree of hydrolysis of precipitates was 18.2% and 12.2% for croaker hydrolysates treated with Protamex 1.5 MG ( Bacilllus  protease complex) and Flavourzyme 500 MG (endoproteases and exoproteases, Aspergillus oryzae ), respectively. The TCA supernatant, after centrifugation of hydrolysates, contained numerous peptides ranging from 100 to 4000 daltons. The solubility of the supernatants was higher than that of the precipitates at 0% to 3% NaCl and pH 2 to 10. The precipitate of Flavourzyme- and Protamex-treated hydrolysates showed a high emulsion activity index value compared to egg white and bovine plasma protein. In addition, the highest emulsion stability was observed for Protamex-treated precipitate hydrolysates. Emulsion stability of Protamex-treated precipitate hydrolysates was comparable to those of protein additives (egg white, bovine plasma protein, and soy protein concentrate). Water and fat binding capacity of precipitates were higher than those of supernatant. The results indicate that precipitate hydrolysate from undersized croaker can be used in processed muscle foods as a functional and nutritional ingredient.     

Characterization of ramie yarn treated with sodium hydroxide and crosslinked by 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid

Ramie yarns were treated with various concentrations of NaOH at room temperature and subsequently crosslinked with 1,2,3,4‐butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). The microstructure and tensile properties of the treated yarns were characterized. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR were used to study the crystalline structure of the resultant ramie yarns. The results showed that the maximum change in the structure of the alkali‐modified ramie took place at 16% NaOH, which would completely transform cellulose I to cellulose II. At the same time, the crystallinity index and fiber orientation decreased to the minimum value while the absorption properties were enhanced. The average degree of polymerization (DP ) of the treated ramie yarns slightly decreased after NaOH treatment. Tensile properties including tenacity, breaking elongation, and modulus of the treated yarns were also investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the breakage of the treated yarns. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1857–1864, 2004     

An efficient birdcage resonator at 2.5 MHz using a novel multilayer self-capacitance construction technique

The birdcage resonator, well appreciated for its high signal-to-noise ratio and its magnetic field uniformity characteristics, operates efficiently in mid- to high-field MRI systems but, unfortunately not for low-field (<0.4 T) applications. The inherently low inductance of the birdcage architecture is the main obstacle to achieving low-frequency resonance because of the need to use very high-value capacitors for the tuning. Small-case-size, high-value ceramic capacitors are known to have high dissipation factors which when used in the fabrication of RF coils could result in poor efficiency. To overcome this limitation, a novel technique known as multilayer self-capacitance (MLSC) construction has been developed and a prototype 2.5-MHz bird-cage resonator of length 25 cm and diameter 20 cm has been built. The technique involves the modification of the leg sections of the conductors constituting the bird cage into integrated capacitors using very low-loss materials as dielectrics. The observed unloaded Q-factor was 267 using the MLSC construction, and when loaded with a 16-cm-diameter bottle of 0.45% saline, its Q dropped to 246, The RF field uniformity plots have demonstrated that the MLSC technique has no adverse effects on the magnetic field homogeneity of the bird-cage resonator.     

β-Selective C−H Arylation of Electron-Deficient Thiophenes,Pyrroles, and Furans

A general β-C−H arylation of electron-deficient thiophenes, pyrroles, and furans has been developed using ligand-modulated palladium catalyst. The use of a modified norbornene is crucial for reversing the conventional α-selectivity of these substrates. This method features good yields, high β-selectivity, and good tolerance of functional groups.     

n- and p-Type modulation of ZnO nanomesh coated graphene field effect transistors

Periodic zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomeshes of different thicknesses were deposited on single-layer graphene to form back-gated field effect transistors (GFETs). The GFETs exhibit tunable electronic properties, featuring n- and p-type characteristics by merely controlling the thickness of the ZnO nanomesh layer. Furthermore, the effect of thermal strain on the GFETs from the substrate is suppressed by the ZnO nanomesh, which improves the thermal stability of the GFETs. This nanopatterning technique could modulate the electronic properties of the GFETs effectively.     

Limits of accuracy of dyeing process control and dyeing quality

In this study, a previously-developed numerical prediction model of colour sensitivity for disperse dye recipes was applied to predict the limit of accuracy in the control of dyeing processes according to a certain colour tolerance for individual recipes. The results confirmed that both concentration and temperature were the most important factors affecting dyeing results.