Ratiometric Interactions of Anionic Surfactants with Calf Thymus DNA Bound Cationic Surfactants: Study II

Cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) bind to the calf thymus DNA (ct‐DNA) like anionic biopolymers electrostatically, and establish equilibrium in aqueous medium at pH 7. At low concentration, ct‐DNA does not interact with anionic surfactants, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecylbenzylsulfonate (SDBS). However, in the ground state, anionic surfactant is found to clearly establish equilibrium with ct‐DNA‐bound cationic surfactant whereby the same surfactant–DNA isosbestic point reappears. We herein report a detail ratiometric binding of CPB with ct‐DNA, and interaction of anionic SDBS with DNA‐bound CPB in comparison with the combined ct‐DNA–CTAB–SDS system. Compaction of ct‐DNA in presence of CPB and its decompaction using anionic SDBS is also studied in comparison with CTAB–SDS combination. The techniques used are tensiometry, spectrophotometry, viscometry, cyclic voltammetry, circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry, and density functional theory (DFT)‐based computational calculations. The size and surface charge density of the surfactant headgroups and the phosphate group in DNA have a contributing role in the DNA compaction–decompaction phenomenon.     

Preparation of a Novel Class of Cationic Gemini Imidazolium Surfactants Containing Amide Groups as the Spacer: Their Surface Properties and Antimicrobial Activity

A class of novel cationic Gemini imidazolium surfactants containing amide groups as the spacer were synthesized from ethylenediamine and 1-bromoalkane(C₈, C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄, C₁₆) by N-alkylation to get N,N′-dialkyl ethylenediamine (1a–e), 1a–e was further reacted with chloroacetyl chloride by N-acylation to get N,N′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)bis(2-chloro-N-alkylacetamide) (2a–e), which was further reacted respectively with 1-methyl imidazole by quaternized to form the surfactant molecule, N,N′-((ethane-1,2-diyl)bis(alkyl-azanediyl)bis(2-oxoethane-2,1-diyl)) bis(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium) dichloride. The structures of intermediates (1a–e) and (2a–e) were characterized by IR and ¹H NMR. The structures of the surfactants (3a–e) were characterized by IR, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR and element analysis. The critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of 3a–e were determined by the conductivity method at 25 °C. The CMC values decreased with increasing the length of the hydrophobic chain. The surfactants (3a–e) showed good foaming stability, emulsion ability and wetting ability. The surfactants (3a–e) also have good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Cationic Surfactants Based on N‐Hexamethylenetetramine as Active Microfouling Agents

Four cationic surfactants of quaternary hexammonium silane chloride based on hexamethylenetetramine and alkyl chloride were synthesized. The chemical structures of the prepared cationic surfactants were elucidated using Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analysis. The surface and thermodynamic properties of the prepared surfactants were also studied. The performance of these cationic surfactants as microfouling agents against two strains of Gram‐negative bacteria, namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and two strains of Gram‐positive bacteria, namely, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, were evaluated as antimicrobial agents. The results showed that the maximum antimicrobial activity was detected for N‐hexamethylenetetramine‐N‐ethyl silane ammonium trichloride (Ah). The maximum and minimum antimicrobial activities were 73 and 60 % against S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, at a concentration of 5 mg/l, pH 7, and 37 °C.     

Application of bacteria involved in the biological sulfur cycle for paper mill effluent purification

In anaerobic wastewater treatment, the occurrence of biological sulfate reduction results in the formation of unwanted hydrogen sulfide, which is odorous, corrosive and toxic. In this paper, the role and application of bacteria in anaerobic and aerobic sulfur transformations are described and exemplified for the treatment of a paper mill wastewater. The sulfate containing wastewater first passes an anaerobic UASB reactor for bulk COD removal which is accompanied by the formation of biogas and hydrogen sulfide. In an aeration pond, the residual COD_organic and the formed dissolved hydrogen sulfide are removed. The biogas, consisting of CH₄ (80-90 vol.%), CO₂ (10-20 vol.%) and H₂S (0.8-1.2 vol.%), is desulfurised prior to its combustion in a power generator thereby using a new biological process for H₂S removal. This process will be described in more detail in this paper. Biomass from the anaerobic bioreactor has a compact granular structure and contains a diverse microbial community. Therefore, other anaerobic bioreactors throughout the world are inoculated with biomass from this UASB reactor. The sludge was also successfully used in investigation on sulfate reduction with carbon monoxide as the electron donor and the conversion of methanethiol. This shows the biotechnological potential of this complex reactor biomass.     

青西凹陷窟窿山构造青2-50井钻井液技术

青2-50井地层十分复杂,如泥页岩易发生水化坍塌,硬脆性页岩易垮,层理裂缝发育,易漏,地层倾角大,井眼应力不均衡等,因此为保证井壁稳定,需把钻井液配方的优选和适时有效地转化作为钻井施工的重点.在柳沟庄组以上地层,采用了加生石灰的阳离子钻井液,通过保持较高矿化度,满足了地层和工程的需要.在钻至深部地层以后,转化为阳离子聚磺钻井液,提高了原体系的抗温能力,并解决了深井阶段的裂隙封堵、地层垮塌、润滑防卡和油层保护等难题.青2-50井的顺利完钻为提高该区块的钻探开发速度积累了经验,并建议选用复合金属离子(或两性离子)聚合物(防塌)钻井液替代阳离子钻井液.     

SIS在赛科项目中的应用

目前，国内很多项目对安全仪表系统要求不是很严格，但随着人们对装置安全及人员保护更加深刻的认识，这类安全仪表系统会得到越来越多的重视和应用。简单介绍了SIS在赛科装置中的应用，SIS各个生命周期以及具体实施的方法，列出了安全度等级，要求故障概率等数据的计算方法。     

中国天然气开发技术进展及展望

在国际油价低位徘徊、国家大力发展绿色能源的背景下,天然气已成为中国油气工业的主营核心业务,其产量及消费量快速攀升,作用更加凸显。为了继续推动中国天然气业务的加速发展,在分析近年来天然气产业发展历程、总结天然气开发技术新进展的基础上,明确了我国天然气开发所面临的挑战,并从产量、需求量、进口量及未来天然气地位等4个方面对中国天然气工业的发展前景进行了展望。研究结果表明:(1)"十二五"以来,我国天然气消费量快速增长、供应多元化、储产量稳定增长、开发效益显著;(2)天然气开发技术在深层天然气开发、大型气田开发调整、致密气提高采收率、页岩气及煤层气开发、工程技术及开发决策体系等6个方面都取得了技术突破,创新能力显著提升;(3)随着开发程度的深入,受政策、环境的影响及地质条件制约,天然气持续规模效益开发将面临优质储量比例降低、气田开发成本升高、非常规气藏效益开发难度加大、上游效益进一步压缩、主力气田稳产能力减弱和市场竞争愈发激烈等诸多挑战。结论认为,未来我国将进入非常规气与常规气并重的发展阶段,天然气需求旺盛且消费结构呈现多元化趋势,天然气进口量逐年攀升且对外依存度不断加大,天然气将成为我国能源结构调整的主要增长点。     

关于提高家具产品附加值的探讨

本文在对家具业的现状的描述和产品附加值的概念基础上,提出了提高家具产品附加值的必要性以及实现途径。     

Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Alkyloxy Propanol Amine-Based Cationic Ether Lipids

The present study involved the synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of alkyloxy propanol amine-based cationic lipids N,N-dimethyl-1-octadecylamino-3-alkyloxy-2-propanol (series A, 7a–e) and N-methyl-N,N-di-(2-hydroxy-3-alkyloxy-2 propyl) octadecylamine (series B, 9a–e) and their acetylated derivatives (8a–e and 10a–e). A simple three-step chemo-enzymatic approach was employed for the synthesis of 7a–e and 9a–e in 71–80 and 67–88 % yields, respectively. The first step involved the synthesis of a series of glycidyl ethers from a series of alcohols (C₄, C₈, C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄) which were opened in the second step with octadecylamine to obtain 1-octadecylamino-3-alkyloxy-2 propanol (5a–e) and N,N-di-(2-hydroxy-3-alkyloxypropyl) octadecylamine (6a–e). In the third step, alkyloxy propanolamines (5a–e, 6a–e) were quaternized using methyl iodide to yield quaternized ammonium salts. The quaternized ammonium salts were enzymatically acetylated using Candida antarctica lipase-B based immobilized enzyme Novozym 435 to obtain their acetylated derivatives. The quaternized salts as well as their acetylated derivatives were evaluated for antibacterial and antifungal properties. The title compounds were found to possess moderate to good antibacterial activities against all the studied bacterial strains namely, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella aerogenes compared to streptomycin and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The title compounds exhibited relatively good antifungal activities against Candida albicans and no significant activities against other fungal strains namely, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rhizopus oryzae and Aspergillus niger when compared to amphotericin B and CTAB.     

Energy efficiency actions related to the rollout of smart meters for small consumers, application to the Austrian system

Smart meters (SM) may provide large benefits to all stakeholders by providing the information required to implement certain sets of demand response actions. Benefits produced by SM related actions depend on the features of these actions, the system and the targeted consumer group.We first lay out an analytical framework to analyze the application of Demand Response (DR) actions. Based on this framework, we describe a way to determine the response of domestic load in a system to the implementation of DR actions. We propose determining the overall change in the consumption behavior of domestic load based on previously obtained estimates of the peak load and overall consumption reduction for different types of consumers in different types of systems resulting from the application of each set of actions. We have carried out a comprehensive literature review to provide here such estimates.We apply the analytical framework and methodology developed to characterize the reaction of consumers in the Austrian system to different SM related actions. Finally, we provide guidelines on which DR actions to implement in this system and how to implement them. The use of advanced indirect feedback on consumption behavior, critical peak prices and simple time-of-use tariffs is advocated.