Conventional detection of 2,4-dinitrophenol using quartz crystal microbalance

We present conventional detection of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) for using the competitive reaction between DNP and DNP-conjugated albumin onto DNP antibody immobilized quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). This QCM method allows detection of DNP concentration in the range of 0.01 to 100 ng/ml; linear correlation obtains DNP concentration from 1 to 100 ng/ml.     

Information-theoretic investigation of impact of huggable communication medium on prefrontal brain activation*

This paper examines the effect of mediated hugs that are achieved with a huggable communication medium on the brain activities of users during conversations. We measured their brain activities with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and evaluated them with two information theoretic measures: permutation entropy, an indicator of relaxation, and multiscale entropy, which captures complexity in brain activation at multiple time scales. We first verify the influence of lip movements on brain activities during conversation and then compare brain activities during tele-conversation through a huggable communication medium with a mobile phone. Our analysis of NIRS signals shows that mediated hugs decrease permutation entropy and increase multiscale entropy. These results suggest that touch interaction through a mediated hug induces a relaxed state in our brain but increases complex patterns of brain activation.     

Note: Zr(IV)-Immobilized Resin Prepared by Surface Template Polymerization for Fluoride Ion Removal

Abstract

A novel adsorbent Zr(IV)-immobilized resin was prepared to remove fluoride ions from tap water and industrial wastewater. In order to enhance both the kinetics and efficiency, large pathways were formed in the resin for fluoride ion adsorption and the Zr(IV)-phosphate complexes were immobilized on the polymer surface by surface-template polymerization. The Zr(IV)-immobilized resin had a fluoride adsorption capacity of 0.30 mmol/g. The morphology of the Zr(IV)-immobilized resin was evaluated by measuring the specific surface area, pore volume, and pore size distribution. The resin possessed large amounts of large macropores with diameters around 300 nm. The molecular structure at the fluoride adsorption sites was investigated by measuring the amounts of phosphorus, zirconium, and fluoride ion in the resin, and developing a model complex using computational chemistry. On the polymer surface, a fluoride ion/Zr(IV)/dioleyl phosphoric acid complex with an ideal F:Zr:P mole ratio of 3:1:3 could be formed.     

Fatigue crack initiation and growth under mixed mode loading in aluminum alloys 2017-T3 and 7075-T6

Fatigue crack initiation and growth characteristics under mixed mode loading have been investigated on aluminum alloys 2017-T3 and 7075-T6, using a newly developed apparatus for mixed mode loading tests. In 2017-T3, the fatigue crack initiation and growth characteristics from a precrack under mixed mode loading are divided into three regions—shear mode growth, tensile mode growth and no growth—on the ΔK_I-ΔK_II plane. The shear mode growth is observed in the region expressed approximately by ΔK_II > 3MPa√m and ΔK_II/ΔK_I > 1.6. In 7075-T6, the condition of shear mode crack initiation is expressed by ΔK_II > 8 MPa√m and ΔK_II/ΔK_I > 1.6, and continuous crack growth in shear mode is observed only in the case of ΔK_I/ΔK_II, 0. The threshold condition of fatigue crack growth in tensile mode is described by the maximum tensile stress criterion, which is given by Δσ_θmax √2πr 1.6MPa√m, in both aluminum alloys. The direction of shear mode crack growth approaches the plane in which K_I decreases and K_II increases towards the maximum with crack growth. da/dN-ΔK_II relations of the curved cracks growing in shear mode under mixed mode loading agree well with the da/dN-ΔK_II relation of a straight crack under pure mode II loading.     

Bovine immunodeficiency virus tat gene: cloning of two distinct cDNAs and identification, characterization, and immunolocalization of the tat gene products

cDNAs encoding the bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) transactivator gene (tat) were cloned from virally infected cells and characterized. BIV expresses two distinct tat mRNAs composed of three exons that are derived by alternative splicing. The BIV tat mRNA splice variants encode Tat proteins of 103 (Tat103) and 108 (Tat108) amino acids. The Tat103 coding region is specified only by exon 2, while that of Tat108 is specified by a truncated exon 2 and the first 30 nt of exon 3. Thus, the first 98 amino acids of each Tat are identical, and have amino terminal, cysteine-rich, conserved core, basic, and carboxyl-terminal domains similar to Tats encoded by primate lentiviruses. BIV-infected bovine cells express a 14-kDa phosphorylated Tat protein identical in size to recombinant Tat expressed in bacteria. BIV Tat was shown to localize exclusively in the nucleoli of virally infected and Tat-expressing cells. Reporter gene assays indicated that Tat103 and Tat108 can strongly transactivate the BIV long terminal repeat (LTR) in virally permissive canine Cf2Th and nonpermissive HeLa and mouse NIH 3T3 cells, but not in permissive lapine EREp cells. However, an intact BIV tat gene is required for viral replication in both Cf2Th and EREp cells. Strong LTR activation by BIV Tat requires a TAR (transactivation responsive) element delimited by viral nt +1 to +31 and the Tat basic domain. BIV Tat strongly cross-transactivates the HIV-1 LTR in a TAR-dependent manner in Cf2Th, but not in EREp, HeLa, or NIH 3T3 cells. In contrast, strong, TAR-dependent cross-transactivation of the BIV LTR by HIV-1 Tat could not be demonstrated in any of these cell types. In Cf2Th cells Tat108 effects a moderately stronger transactivation of the BIV LTR than Tat103, indicative of a functional difference in BIV Tat proteins encoded by the mRNA splice variants. The present studies demonstrate that BIV Tat parallels the primate lentiviral Tats in structure and biochemistry but is not interchangeable with the latter.     

Control of the coating layer thickness of TiO2–SiO2 core–shell hybrid particles by liquid phase deposition

This paper describes control of the coating layer thickness and the crystallite size of the core–shell hybrid particles by controlling the process parameter. The core–shell hybrid particles were prepared using liquid phase deposition (LPD). We confirmed that the homogeneous coating was attained from the result of the zeta potential and the transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation. Furthermore, the coating layer microstructure was estimated using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. The obtained coating layer of titania was estimated using the band gap energy. Results indicate that the blue shift of the band gap energy signifies that the physical property of the hybrid particles was controlled by the coating layer thickness and the crystallite size, which are determined by the processing parameters.