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Thermal inductance refers to the phenomenon wherein a thermal change of an object surrounded by a fluid will induce a change in convection currents within that fluid, thus inducing a change in the kinetic energy of the fluid. It is considered the thermal analogue to electrical inductance in system equivalence modeling; its unit is the thermal henry.
Thus far, few studies have reported on the inductive phenomenon in the heat-transfer behaviour of a system. In 1946, Bosworth demonstrated that heat flow can have an inductive nature through experiments with a fluidic system. He claimed that the measured transient behaviour of the temperature change cannot be explained by merely the combination of the thermal resistance and the thermal capacitance. Bosworth later extended the experiments to study the thermal mutual inductance; however, he did not report on the thermal inductance in a heat-transfer system with the exception of a fluid flow. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) refers to two highly related proteins, STAT5A and STAT5B, which are part of the seven-membered STAT family of proteins. Though STAT5A and STAT5B are encoded by separate genes, the proteins are 90% identical at the amino acid level. STAT5 proteins are involved in cytosolic signalling and in mediating the expression of specific genes. Aberrant STAT5 activity has been shown to be closely connected to a wide range of human cancers, and silencing this aberrant activity is an area of active research in medicinal chemistry. | 1 | Biochemistry |
The titration process creates solutions with compositions ranging from pure acid to pure base. Identifying the pH associated with any stage in the titration process is relatively simple for monoprotic acids and bases. The presence of more than one acid or base group complicates these computations. Graphical methods, such as the equiligraph, have long been used to account for the interaction of coupled equilibria. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
In general, the hydroxyl group makes alcohols polar. Those groups can form hydrogen bonds to one another and to most other compounds. Owing to the presence of the polar OH alcohols are more water-soluble than simple hydrocarbons. Methanol, ethanol, and propanol are miscible in water. Butanol, with a four-carbon chain, is moderately soluble.
Because of hydrogen bonding, alcohols tend to have higher boiling points than comparable hydrocarbons and ethers. The boiling point of the alcohol ethanol is 78.29 °C, compared to 69 °C for the hydrocarbon hexane, and 34.6 °C for diethyl ether. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
P-bodies were first described in the scientific literature by Bashkirov et al. in 1997, in which they describe "small granules… discrete, prominent foci" as the cytoplasmic location of the mouse exoribonuclease mXrn1p. It wasn’t until 2002 that a glimpse into the nature and importance of these cytoplasmic foci was published., when researchers demonstrated that multiple proteins involved with mRNA degradation localize to the foci. Their importance was recognized after experimental evidence was obtained pointing to P-bodies as the sites of mRNA degradation in the cell. The researchers named these structures processing bodies or "P bodies". During this time, many descriptive names were used also to identify the processing bodies, including "GW-bodies" and "decapping-bodies"; however "P-bodies" was the term chosen and is now widely used and accepted in the scientific literature. Recently evidence has been presented suggesting that GW-bodies and P-bodies may in fact be different cellular components. The evidence being that GW182 and Ago2, both associated with miRNA gene silencing, are found exclusively in multivesicular bodies or GW-bodies and are not localized to P-bodies. Also of note, P-bodies are not equivalent to stress granules and they contain largely non-overlapping proteins. The two structures support overlapping cellular functions but generally occur under different stimuli. Hoyle et al. suggests a novel site termed EGP bodies, or stress granules, may be responsible for mRNA storage as these sites lack the decapping enzyme. | 1 | Biochemistry |
BMS has been employed for the reduction of many functional groups. Reductions of aldehydes, ketones, epoxides, esters, and carboxylic acids give the corresponding alcohols. Lactones are reduced to diols, and nitriles are reduced to amines. Acid chlorides and nitro groups are not reduced by BMS.
Borane dimethylsulfide is one of the most common bulk reducing agents used in the Corey–Itsuno reduction. The dimethylsulfide ligand attenuates the reactivity of the borane. Activation by the nitrogen of the chiral oxazaborolidine catalyst of the stoichiometric reducing agent allows for asymmetric control of the reagent. In general BMS does not lead to significantly greater enantiomeric selectivities than borane-THF, however its increased stability in the presence of moisture and oxygen makes it the reagent of choice for the reduction. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Asymmetric top molecules have at most one or more 2-fold rotation axes. There are three unequal moments of inertia about three mutually perpendicular principal axes. The spectra are very complex. The transition wavenumbers cannot be expressed in terms of an analytical formula but can be calculated using numerical methods.
The water molecule is an important example of this class of molecule, particularly because of the presence of water vapor in the atmosphere. The low-resolution spectrum shown in green illustrates the complexity of the spectrum. At wavelengths greater than 10 μm (or wavenumbers less than 1000 cm) the absorption is due to pure rotation. The band around 6.3 μm (1590 cm) is due to the HOH bending vibration; the considerable breadth of this band is due to the presence of extensive rotational fine structure. High-resolution spectra of this band are shown in Allen and Cross, p 221. The symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrations are close to each other, so the rotational fine structures of these bands overlap. The bands at shorter wavelength are overtones and combination bands, all of which show rotational fine structure. Medium resolution spectra of the bands around 1600 cm and 3700 cm are shown in Banwell and McCash, p91.
Ro-vibrational bands of asymmetric top molecules are classed as A-, B- or C- type for transitions in which the dipole moment change is along the axis of smallest moment of inertia to the highest. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Through this process of time-domain thermoreflectance, the thermal properties of many materials can be obtained. Common test setups include having multiple metal blocks connected together in a diffusion multiple, where once subjected to high temperatures various compounds can be created as a result of the diffusion of two adjacent metal blocks. An example would be a Ni-Cr-Pd-Pt-Rh-Ru diffusion multiple which would have diffusion zones of Ni-Cr, Ni-Pd, Ni-Pt and so on. In this way, many different materials can be tested at the same time. Lowest thermal conductivity for a thin film of solid, fully dense material (i.e. not porous) was also recently reported with measurements using this method.
Once this test sample is obtained, time-domain thermoreflectance measurements can take place, with laser pulses of very short duration for both the pump and the probe lasers (<1 ps). The thermoreflected signal is then measured by a photodiode which is connected to a RF lock-in amplifier. The signals that come out of the amplifier consist of an in phase and out of phase component, and the ratio of these allow thermal conductivity data to be measured for a specific delay time.
The data received from this process can then be compared to a thermal model, and the thermal conductivity and thermal conductance can then be derived. It is found that these two parameters can be derived independently based on the delay times, with short delay times (0.1 - .5 ns) resulting in the thermal conductivity and longer delay times (> 2ns) resulting in the thermal conductance.
There is much room for error involved due to phase errors in the RF amplifier in addition to noise from the lasers. Typically, however, accuracy can be found to be within 8%. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Kraken Sense produces the KRAKEN autonomous pathogen detection system. The device continuously samples any water source in real-time, delivering results in as low as 60 minutes to alert of potential contamination. If contamination is detected in agricultural water sources or food processors, for example, operators can remove the compromised batch before the product enters the market, preventing foodborne illness. Furthermore, using the KRAKEN in wastewater can act as a biosurveillance system that allows more time for public health authorities to prepare for a possible infectious disease outbreak. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
Benzyl and allyl ligands often exhibit similar chemical properties. Benzyl ligands commonly adopt either η or η bonding modes. The interconversion reactions parallel those of η- or η-allyl ligands:
:CpFe(CO)(η-CHPh) → CpFe(CO)(η-CHPh) + CO
In all bonding modes, the benzylic carbon atom is more strongly attached to the metal as indicated by M-C bond distances, which differ by ca. 0.2 Å in η-bonded complexes. X-ray crystallography demonstrate that the benzyl ligands in tetrabenzylzirconium are highly flexible. One polymorph features four η-benzyl ligands, whereas another polymorph has two η- and two η-benzyl ligands. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
The development of resistance to chemotherapies such as paclitaxel and cisplatin in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is strongly associated with overexpression of beta III tubulin. Investigations by the Children's Cancer Institute Australia (University of NSW, Lowy Cancer Research Centre) demonstrated that beta III-tubulin knockdown by DDRNAI delayed tumor growth and increased chemosensitivity in mouse models.
Tributarna is a triple DNA cassette expressing three shRNA molecules each of which separately targets beta III tubulin and strongly inhibits its expression. Studies in an orthotopic-mouse model, where the construct is delivered by a modified polyethylenimine vector, jetPEI, that targets lung tissue are in progress. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Protein production is the biotechnological process of generating a specific protein. It is typically achieved by the manipulation of gene expression in an organism such that it expresses large amounts of a recombinant gene. This includes the transcription of the recombinant DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA), the translation of mRNA into polypeptide chains, which are ultimately folded into functional proteins and may be targeted to specific subcellular or extracellular locations.
Protein production systems (also known as expression systems) are used in the life sciences, biotechnology, and medicine. Molecular biology research uses numerous proteins and enzymes, many of which are from expression systems; particularly DNA polymerase for PCR, reverse transcriptase for RNA analysis, restriction endonucleases for cloning, and to make proteins that are screened in drug discovery as biological targets or as potential drugs themselves. There are also significant applications for expression systems in industrial fermentation, notably the production of biopharmaceuticals such as human insulin to treat diabetes, and to manufacture enzymes. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Iron export occurs in a variety of cell types, including neurons, red blood cells, macrophages and enterocytes. The latter two are especially important since systemic iron levels depend upon them. There is only one known iron exporter, ferroportin. It transports ferrous iron out of the cell, generally aided by ceruloplasmin and/or hephaestin (mostly in enterocytes), which oxidize iron to its ferric state so it can bind ferritin in the extracellular medium. Hepcidin causes the internalization of ferroportin, decreasing iron export. Besides, hepcidin seems to downregulate both TFR1 and DMT1 through an unknown mechanism. Another player assisting ferroportin in effecting cellular iron export is GAPDH. A specific post translationally modified isoform of GAPDH is recruited to the surface of iron loaded cells where it recruits apo-transferrin in close proximity to ferroportin so as to rapidly chelate the iron extruded.
The expression of hepcidin, which only occurs in certain cell types such as hepatocytes, is tightly controlled at the transcriptional level and it represents the link between cellular and systemic iron homeostasis due to hepcidin's role as "gatekeeper" of iron release from enterocytes into the rest of the body. Erythroblasts produce erythroferrone, a hormone which inhibits hepcidin and so increases the availability of iron needed for hemoglobin synthesis. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Plasma temperature, commonly measured in kelvin or electronvolts, is a measure of the thermal kinetic energy per particle. High temperatures are usually needed to sustain ionization, which is a defining feature of a plasma. The degree of plasma ionization is determined by the electron temperature relative to the ionization energy (and more weakly by the density). In thermal equilibrium, the relationship is given by the Saha equation. At low temperatures, ions and electrons tend to recombine into bound states—atoms—and the plasma will eventually become a gas.
In most cases, the electrons and heavy plasma particles (ions and neutral atoms) separately have a relatively well-defined temperature; that is, their energy distribution function is close to a Maxwellian even in the presence of strong electric or magnetic fields. However, because of the large difference in mass between electrons and ions, their temperatures may be different, sometimes significantly so. This is especially common in weakly ionized technological plasmas, where the ions are often near the ambient temperature while electrons reach thousands of kelvin. The opposite case is the z-pinch plasma where the ion temperature may exceed that of electrons. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
DNA binding trans-acting factors regulate gene expression by interfering with the gene itself or cis-acting elements of the gene, which lead to changes in transcription activities. This can be direct initiation of transcription, promotion, or repression of transcriptional protein activities.
Specific examples include:
* Transcription factors | 1 | Biochemistry |
The mathematical treatments of absorption spectroscopy for scattering materials were originally largely borrowed from other fields. The most successful treatments use the concept of dividing a sample into layers, called plane parallel layers. They are generally those consistent with a two-flux or two-stream approximation. Some of the treatments require all the scattered light, both remitted and transmitted light, to be measured. Others apply only to remitted light, with the assumption that the sample is "infinitely thick" and transmits no light. These are special cases of the more general treatments.
There are several general treatments, all of which are compatible with each other, related to the mathematics of plane parallel layers. They are the Stokes formulas, equations of Benford, Hecht finite difference formula, and the Dahm equation. For the special case of infinitesimal layers, the Kubelka–Munk and Schuster–Kortüm treatments also give compatible results. Treatments which involve different assumptions and which yield incompatible results are the Giovanelli exact solutions, and the particle theories of Melamed and Simmons. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
NASAs Europa Clipper probe is designed as a flyby mission to Jupiters smallest Galilean moon, Europa. Set to launch in 2024, this probe will investigate the potential for habitability on Europa. Europa is one of the best candidates for biosignature discovery in the Solar System because of the scientific consensus that it retains a subsurface ocean, with two to three times the volume of water on Earth. Evidence for this subsurface ocean includes:
*Voyager 1 (1979): The first close-up photos of Europa are taken. Scientists propose that a subsurface ocean could cause the tectonic-like marks on the surface.
*Galileo (1997): The magnetometer aboard this probe detected a subtle change in the magnetic field near Europa. This was later interpreted as a disruption in the expected magnetic field due to the current induction in a conducting layer on Europa. The composition of this conducting layer is consistent with a salty subsurface ocean.
*Hubble Space Telescope (2012): An image was taken of Europa which showed evidence for a plume of water vapor coming off the surface.
The Europa Clipper probe will carry instruments to help confirm the existence and composition of a subsurface ocean and thick icy layer. In addition, it will map the surface to study features that may point to tectonic activity due to a subsurface ocean. | 2 | Environmental Chemistry |
Thermogravimetric analysis or thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) is a method of thermal analysis in which the mass of a sample is measured over time as the temperature changes. This measurement provides information about physical phenomena, such as phase transitions, absorption, adsorption and desorption; as well as chemical phenomena including chemisorptions, thermal decomposition, and solid-gas reactions (e.g., oxidation or reduction). | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
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Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) is a technique for the determination of the surface structure of single-crystalline materials by bombardment with a collimated beam of low-energy electrons (30–200 eV). In this case the Ewald sphere leads to approximately back-reflection, as illustrated in Figure 20, and diffracted electrons as spots on a fluorescent screen as shown in Figure 21; see the main page for more information and references. It has been used to solve a very large number of relatively simple surface structures of metals and semiconductors, plus cases with simple chemisorbants. For more complex cases transmission electron diffraction or surface x-ray diffraction have been used, often combined with scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations.
LEED may be used in one of two ways:
# Qualitatively, where the diffraction pattern is recorded and analysis of the spot positions gives information on the symmetry of the surface structure. In the presence of an adsorbate the qualitative analysis may reveal information about the size and rotational alignment of the adsorbate unit cell with respect to the substrate unit cell.
# Quantitatively, where the intensities of diffracted beams are recorded as a function of incident electron beam energy to generate the so-called I–V curves. By comparison with theoretical curves, these may provide accurate information on atomic positions on the surface. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Another classification system for carboxypeptidases refers to their substrate preference.
* In this classification system, carboxypeptidases that have a stronger preference for those amino acids containing aromatic or branched hydrocarbon chains are called carboxypeptidase A (A for aromatic/aliphatic).
* Carboxypeptidases that cleave positively charged amino acids (arginine, lysine) are called carboxypeptidase B (B for basic).
A metallo-carboxypeptidase that cleaves a C-terminal glutamate from the peptide N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamate is called "glutamate carboxypeptidase".
A serine carboxypeptidase that cleaves the C-terminal residue from peptides containing the sequence -Pro-Xaa (Pro is proline, Xaa is any amino acid on the C-terminus of a peptide) is called "prolyl carboxypeptidase". | 1 | Biochemistry |
Ninhydrin exists in equilibrium with the triketone indane-1,2,3-trione, which reacts readily with nucleophiles (including water). Whereas for most carbonyl compounds, a carbonyl form is more stable than a product of water addition (hydrate), ninhydrin forms a stable hydrate of the central carbon because of the destabilizing effect of the adjacent carbonyl groups.
To generate the ninhydrin chromophore [2-(1,3-dioxoindan-2-yl)iminoindane-1,3-dione], the amine must condense to give a Schiff base. The reaction of ninhydrin with secondary amines gives an iminium salt, which is also coloured, generally being yellow–orange. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
The first known use of the word "aromatic" as a chemical term — namely, to apply to compounds that contain the phenyl radical — occurs in an article by August Wilhelm Hofmann in 1855. If this is indeed the earliest introduction of the term, it is curious that Hofmann says nothing about why he introduced an adjective indicating olfactory character to apply to a group of chemical substances only some of which have notable aromas. Also, many of the most odoriferous organic substances known are terpenes, which are not aromatic in the chemical sense. But terpenes and benzenoid substances do have a chemical characteristic in common, namely higher unsaturation indices than many aliphatic compounds, and Hofmann may not have been making a distinction between the two categories. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Hyperglycemia, a side effect caused by diabetes, combines with oxidative stress to create advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) that can lead to diabetic retinopathy (RD) and cause symptoms such as blindness in adults.
The manipulation of the glyoxalase system in mice retina has shown there is a potential for targeting the glyoxalase system to use as a therapeutic treatment for RD by lowering the production of AGEs.
Oxidative stress can lead to worsening neurological diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that combats oxidative stress in the body, has been found to help decrease the production of radical oxygen species (ROS) mostly by preventing the formation of free radicals but also partially by promoting the glyoxalase pathway via increasing transcription of GSH and GSH constituent subunits to increase intracellular levels of GSH. | 1 | Biochemistry |
The Reactor Materials Laboratory was established at Culcheth in 1950. The UKAEA's Safety and Reliability Directorate (SRD) stayed at Culcheth until 1995. | 8 | Metallurgy |
* The process is prone to bulking of solids and the treatment system can become overloaded.
* This can cause the dissolved oxygen content to drop; this may reduce the efficiency of nitrification and the settleability of the sludge.
* Excessive aeration will be required which wastes electricity.
it will create thick foam on upper surface layer. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
In microwave sintering, heat is sometimes generated internally within the material, rather than via surface radiative heat transfer from an external heat source. Some materials fail to couple and others exhibit run-away behavior, so it is restricted in usefulness. A benefit of microwave sintering is faster heating for small loads, meaning less time is needed to reach the sintering temperature, less heating energy is required and there are improvements in the product properties.
A failing of microwave sintering is that it generally sinters only one compact at a time, so overall productivity turns out to be poor except for situations involving one of a kind sintering, such as for artists. As microwaves can only penetrate a short distance in materials with a high conductivity and a high permeability, microwave sintering requires the sample to be delivered in powders with a particle size around the penetration depth of microwaves in the particular material. The sintering process and side-reactions run several times faster during microwave sintering at the same temperature, which results in different properties for the sintered product.
This technique is acknowledged to be quite effective in maintaining fine grains/nano sized grains in sintered bioceramics. Magnesium phosphates and calcium phosphates are the examples which have been processed through the microwave sintering technique. | 8 | Metallurgy |
Highly connected nodes (proteins) are called hubs. Han et al. have coined the term "party hub" for hubs whose expression is correlated with its interaction partners. Party hubs also connect proteins within functional modules such as protein complexes. In contrast, "date hubs" do not exhibit such a correlation and appear to connect different functional modules. Party hubs are found predominantly in AP/MS data sets, whereas date hubs are found predominantly in binary interactome network maps. Note that the validity of the date hub/party hub distinction was disputed. Party hubs generally consist of multi-interface proteins whereas date hubs are more frequently single-interaction interface proteins. Consistent with a role for date-hubs in connecting different processes, in yeast the number of binary interactions of a given protein is correlated to the number of phenotypes observed for the corresponding mutant gene in different physiological conditions. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Prokaryotic photoautotrophs include Cyanobacteria, Pseudomonadota, Chloroflexota, Acidobacteriota, Chlorobiota, Bacillota, Gemmatimonadota, and Eremiobacterota.
Cyanobacteria is the only prokaryotic group that performs oxygenic photosynthesis. Anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria use PSI- and PSII-like photosystems, which are pigment protein complexes for capturing light. Both of these photosystems use bacteriochlorophyll. There are multiple hypotheses for how oxygenic photosynthesis evolved. The loss hypothesis states that PSI and PSII were present in anoxygenic ancestor cyanobacteria from which the different branches of anoxygenic bacteria evolved. The fusion hypothesis states that the photosystems merged later through horizontal gene transfer. The most recent hypothesis suggests that PSI and PSII diverged from an unknown common ancestor with a protein complex that was coded by one gene. These photosystems then specialized into the ones that are found today. | 5 | Photochemistry |
It is believed that a major driving force in the origin of aerobic fermentation was its simultaneous origin with modern fruit (~125 mya). These fruits provided an abundance of simple sugar food source for microbial communities, including both yeast and bacteria. Bacteria, at that time, were able to produce biomass at a faster rate than the yeast. Producing a toxic compound, like ethanol, can slow the growth of bacteria, allowing the yeast to be more competitive. However, the yeast still had to use a portion of the sugar it consumes to produce ethanol. Crabtree-positive yeasts also have increased glycolytic flow, or increased uptake of glucose and conversion to pyruvate, which compensates for using a portion of the glucose to produce ethanol rather than biomass. Therefore, it is believed that the original driving force was to kill competitors. This is supported by research that determined the kinetic behavior of the ancestral ADH protein, which was found to be optimized to make ethanol, rather than consume it.
Further evolutionary events in the development of aerobic fermentation likely increased the efficiency of this lifestyle, including increased tolerance to ethanol and the repression of the respiratory pathway. In high sugar environments, S. cerevisiae outcompetes and dominants all other yeast species, except its closest relative Saccharomyces paradoxus. The ability of S. cerevisiae to dominate in high sugar environments evolved more recently than aerobic fermentation and is dependent on the type of high-sugar environment. Other yeasts' growth is dependent on the pH and nutrients of the high-sugar environment. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Xylene is used in the laboratory to make baths with dry ice to cool reaction vessels, and as a solvent to remove synthetic immersion oil from the microscope objective in light microscopy. In histology, xylene is the most widely used clearing agent. Xylene is used to remove paraffin from dried microscope slides prior to staining. After staining, microscope slides are put in xylene prior to mounting with a coverslip. | 2 | Environmental Chemistry |
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) is a type of assay that focuses on quantitatively measuring the frequency of cytokine secretion for a single cell. The ELISpot Assay is also a form of immunostaining since it is classified as a technique that uses antibodies to detect a protein analyte, with the word analyte referring to any biological or chemical substance being identified or measured.
The FluoroSpot Assay is a variation of the ELISpot assay. The FluoroSpot Assay uses fluorescence in order to analyze multiple analytes, meaning it can detect the secretion of more than one type of protein. | 1 | Biochemistry |
John Macadam was born at Northbank, Glasgow, Scotland, on 29 May 1827, the son of William Macadam (1783-1853) and Helen, née Stevenson (1803-1857). His father was a Glasgow businessman, who owned a spinning and textile printing works in Kilmarnock, and was a burgess and a bailie (magistrate) of Glasgow. His fellow industrialists and he in the craft had developed, using chemistry, the processes for the large-scale industrial printing of fabrics for which these plants in the area became known.
John Macadam was privately educated in Glasgow; he studied chemistry at the Andersonian University (now the University of Strathclyde) and went for advanced study at the University of Edinburgh under Professor William Gregory. In 1846–47, he went on to serve as assistant to Professor George Wilson at the University of Edinburgh in his laboratory in Brown Square. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts that year, and in 1848, a member of the Glasgow Philosophical Society. He then studied medicine at the University of Glasgow (LFPS, MD,1854; FFPSG,1855).
He was a member of what became a small dynasty of Scottish scientists and lecturers in analytical chemistry, which included, other than himself, his eldest half brother William Macadam, his immediate younger brother Stevenson Macadam (a younger brother Charles Thomas Macadam, although not involved as a scientist, was also indirectly involved in chemistry becoming a senior partner in a chemical fertiliser company) and nephews William Ivison Macadam and Stevenson J. C. G. Macadam, as well as the former nephew's daughter, his great niece Elison A. Macadam.
On 8 June 1855, aged 28, Macadam sailed for Melbourne in the Colony of Victoria, Australia, on the sailing ship Admiral. He arrived on 8 September 1855. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) uses antigen-coated microtitre plates for the detection of ANAs. Each well of a microtitre plate is coated with either a single antigen or multiple antigens to detect specific antibodies or to screen for ANAs, respectively. The antigens are either from cell extracts or recombinant. Blood serum is incubated in the wells of the plate and is washed out. If antibodies that bind to antigen are present then they will remain after washing. A secondary anti-human antibody conjugated to an enzyme such as horseradish peroxidase is added. The enzyme reaction will produce a change in colour of the solution that is proportional to the amount of antibody bound to the antigen. There are significant differences in the detection of ANA by immunofluorescence and different ELISA kits and there is only a marginal agreement between these. A clinician must be familiar with the differences in order to evaluate the outcomes of the various assays. | 1 | Biochemistry |
A sample is introduced, either manually or with an autosampler, into a sample loop of known volume. A buffered aqueous solution known as the mobile phase carries the sample from the loop onto a column that contains some form of stationary phase material. This is typically a resin or gel matrix consisting of agarose or cellulose beads with covalently bonded charged functional groups. Equilibration of the stationary phase is needed in order to obtain the desired charge of the column. If the column is not properly equilibrated the desired molecule may not bind strongly to the column. The target analytes (anions or cations) are retained on the stationary phase but can be eluted by increasing the concentration of a similarly charged species that displaces the analyte ions from the stationary phase. For example, in cation exchange chromatography, the positively charged analyte can be displaced by adding positively charged sodium ions. The analytes of interest must then be detected by some means, typically by conductivity or UV/visible light absorbance.
Control an IC system usually requires a chromatography data system (CDS). In addition to IC systems, some of these CDSs can also control gas chromatography (GC) and HPLC. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
The resorcinarene hexamer has been described as a yoctolitre reaction vessel. Within the confines of the container, terpene cyclizations and iminium catalyzed reactions have been observed. | 6 | Supramolecular Chemistry |
Michael Faraday reported that the mass () of a substance deposited or liberated at an electrode is directly proportional to the charge (; SI units are ampere seconds or coulombs).
Here, the constant of proportionality, , is called the electro-chemical equivalent (ECE) of the substance. Thus, the ECE can be defined as the mass of the substance deposited or liberated per unit charge. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
High amount of aerobic glycolysis (also known as the Warburg effect) distinguishes cancer cells from normal cells. The conversion of glucose to lactate rather than metabolizing it in the mitochondria through oxidative phosphorylation, (which can also occur in hypoxic normal cells) persists in malignant tumor despite the presence of oxygen. This process normally inhibits glycolysis which is also known as Pasteur effect. One of the reasons it is observed is because of the malfunction of mitochondria. Although ATP production by glycolysis can be more rapid than by oxidative phosphorylation, it is far less efficient in terms of ATP generated per unit of glucose consumed. Rather than oxidizing glucose for ATP production, glucose in cancer cells tends to be used for anabolic processes, such as ribose production, protein glycosylation and serine synthesis. This shift therefore demands that tumor cells implement an abnormally high rate of glucose uptake to meet their increased needs.
As neoplastic cells accumulate in three-dimensional multicellular masses, local low nutrient and oxygen levels trigger the growth of new blood vessels into the neoplasm. The imperfect neovasculature in the tumor bed is poorly formed and is inefficient. It therefore, causes nutrient and hypoxic stress (or a state of hypoxia). In this regard, cancer cells and stromal cells can symbiotically recycle and maximize the use of nutrients. Hypoxic adaptation by cancer cells is essential for survival and progression of a tumor. In addition to cell-autonomous changes that drive a cancer cell to proliferate and contribute to tumorigenesis, it has also been observed that alterations in whole-organism metabolism such as obesity are associated with heightened risks for a variety of cancers. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Unless the volume of a liquid exactly matches the volume of its container, one or more surfaces are observed. The presence of a surface introduces new phenomena which are not present in a bulk liquid. This is because a molecule at a surface possesses bonds with other liquid molecules only on the inner side of the surface, which implies a net force pulling surface molecules inward. Equivalently, this force can be described in terms of energy: there is a fixed amount of energy associated with forming a surface of a given area. This quantity is a material property called the surface tension, in units of energy per unit area (SI units: J/m). Liquids with strong intermolecular forces tend to have large surface tensions.
A practical implication of surface tension is that liquids tend to minimize their surface area, forming spherical drops and bubbles unless other constraints are present. Surface tension is responsible for a range of other phenomena as well, including surface waves, capillary action, wetting, and ripples. In liquids under nanoscale confinement, surface effects can play a dominating role since – compared with a macroscopic sample of liquid – a much greater fraction of molecules are located near a surface.
The surface tension of a liquid directly affects its wettability. Most common liquids have tensions ranging in the tens of mJ/m, so droplets of oil, water, or glue can easily merge and adhere to other surfaces, whereas liquid metals such as mercury may have tensions ranging in the hundreds of mJ/m, thus droplets do not combine easily and surfaces may only wet under specific conditions.
The surface tensions of common liquids occupy a relatively narrow range of values when exposed to changing conditions such as temperature, which contrasts strongly with the enormous variation seen in other mechanical properties, such as viscosity.
The free surface of a liquid is disturbed by gravity (flatness) and waves (surface roughness). | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
For a network consisting of a high density of random resistors, an exact solution for each individual element may be impractical or impossible. In such case, a random resistor network can be considered as a two-dimensional graph and the effective resistance can be modelled in terms of graph measures and geometrical properties of networks.
Assuming, edge length is much less than electrode spacing and edges to be uniformly distributed, the potential can be considered to drop uniformly from one electrode to another.
Sheet resistance of such a random network () can be written in terms of edge (wire) density (), resistivity (), width () and thickness () of edges (wires) as: | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Eoxin C4, also known as 14,15-leukotriene C4, is an eoxin. Cells make eoxins by metabolizing arachidonic acid with a 15-lipoxygenase enzyme to form 15(S)-hydroperoxyeicosapentaenoic acid (i.e. 15(S)-HpETE). This product is then converted serially to eoxin A4 (i.e. EXA4), EXC4, EXD4, and EXE4 by LTC4 synthase, an unidentified gamma-glutamyltransferase, and an unidentified dipeptidase, respectively, in a pathway which appears similar if not identical to the pathway which forms leukotreines, i.e. LTA4, LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4. This pathway is schematically shown as follows:
EXA is viewed as an intracellular-bound, short-lived intermediate which is rapidly metabolized to the down-stream eoxins. The eoxins down stream of EXA4 are secreted from their parent cells and, it is proposed but not yet proven, serve to regulate allergic responses and the development of certain cancers (see Eoxins). | 1 | Biochemistry |
A point symmetry operation is a symmetry operation f for which at least one point p has the property p = f(p).
Table 1. Point symmetry operations in three dimensions.
a R stands for a number ≥ 1.
b The Schoenflies system uses rotoreflections (given the symbol S) instead of rotoinversions. For each rotoinversion operation, there is an equivalent rotoreflection; examples of how these operations match up are : –3 = S ; –4 = S ; –6 = S . | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Judith Klein-Seetharaman (born May 30, 1971) is an American-German biochemist who is a professor at the Arizona State University. Her research considers the structure-function properties of proteins using computational bio-linguistics. She was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to identify novel therapies to tackle HIV. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Consider the scattering of a beam of wavelength by an assembly of particles or atoms stationary at positions . Assume that the scattering is weak, so that the amplitude of the incident beam is constant throughout the sample volume (Born approximation), and absorption, refraction and multiple scattering can be neglected (kinematic diffraction). The direction of any scattered wave is defined by its scattering vector . , where and ( ) are the scattered and incident beam wavevectors, and is the angle between them. For elastic scattering, and , limiting the possible range of (see Ewald sphere). The amplitude and phase of this scattered wave will be the vector sum of the scattered waves from all the atoms
For an assembly of atoms, is the atomic form factor of the -th atom. The scattered intensity is obtained by multiplying this function by its complex conjugate
The structure factor is defined as this intensity normalized by
If all the atoms are identical, then Equation () becomes and so
Another useful simplification is if the material is isotropic, like a powder or a simple liquid. In that case, the intensity depends on and . In three dimensions, Equation () then simplifies to the Debye scattering equation:
An alternative derivation gives good insight, but uses Fourier transforms and convolution. To be general, consider a scalar (real) quantity defined in a volume ; this may correspond, for instance, to a mass or charge distribution or to the refractive index of an inhomogeneous medium. If the scalar function is integrable, we can write its Fourier transform as . In the Born approximation the amplitude of the scattered wave corresponding to the scattering vector is proportional to the Fourier transform . When the system under study is composed of a number of identical constituents (atoms, molecules, colloidal particles, etc.) each of which has a distribution of mass or charge then the total distribution can be considered the convolution of this function with a set of delta functions.
with the particle positions as before. Using the property that the Fourier transform of a convolution product is simply the product of the Fourier transforms of the two factors, we have , so that:
This is clearly the same as Equation () with all particles identical, except that here is shown explicitly as a function of .
In general, the particle positions are not fixed and the measurement takes place over a finite exposure time and with a macroscopic sample (much larger than the interparticle distance). The experimentally accessible intensity is thus an averaged one ; we need not specify whether denotes a time or ensemble average. To take this into account we can rewrite Equation () as: | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
The Boekelheide reaction is a rearrangement of α-picoline-N-oxides to hydroxymethylpyridines. It is named after Virgil Boekelheide who first reported it in 1954. Originally the reaction was carried out using acetic anhydride, which typically required a period at reflux (~140 °C). The reaction can be performed using trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA), which often allows for a room temperature reaction. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) or scanning force microscopy (SFM) is a very-high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit. | 6 | Supramolecular Chemistry |
A Type IF-3 CAST (Tn6677) was initially identified in Vibrio Cholerae and has been extensively studied. This system contains proteins TnsA, TnsB, and TnsC that complex with Cas6, Cas7, and a Cas5-Cas8 fusion through interactions with TniQ. Initial integration steps include TniQ-Cascade binding at the target site and TnsA and TnsB excision of the transposon, which is followed by TnsC binding to TniQ and transposase binding to TnsC. There can be off-targeting prior to this final step, but TnsB and TnsC binding leads to a final proofreading step to maintain a high on-target percentage. Tn6677 integration has been validated at near 100% on-target efficiency at site specific locations in multiple points in the host genome. Other systems have also been characterized and validated in this class with varying ranges of efficiency, and include orthogonal systems for multiplexed insertions up to 10kb.
A unique characteristic of Type IF-3 systems is the presence of self-targeting guide RNA that are used to target the host chromosome. These systems have privatized the corresponding spacers through the use of atypical crRNA that prevent endogenous Type 1F systems from using the guides and their interference mechanisms to degrade the host. Another privatization mechanism is the use of mismatch tolerance allowing only CAST systems to target locations in the genome without an exact match to the spacer. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Lisinopril does not bind to proteins in the blood. It does not distribute as well in people with NYHA Class II–IV heart failure. | 4 | Stereochemistry |
S-Adenosylmethioninamine is a substrate that is required for the biosynthesis of polyamines including spermidine, spermine, and thermospermine. It is produced by decarboxylation of S-adenosyl methionine. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Maintenance respiration (or maintenance energy) refers to metabolism occurring in an organism that is needed to maintain that organism in a healthy, living state. Maintenance respiration contrasts with growth respiration, which is responsible for the synthesis of new structures in growth, nutrient uptake, nitrogen (N) reduction and phloem loading, whereas maintenance respiration is associated with protein and membrane turnover and maintenance of ion concentrations and gradients. | 1 | Biochemistry |
When collecting data in the full scan mode, a target range of mass fragments is determined and put into the instruments method. An example of a typical broad range of mass fragments to monitor would be m/z 50 to m/z 400. The determination of what range to use is largely dictated by what one anticipates being in the sample while being cognizant of the solvent and other possible interferences. A MS should not be set to look for mass fragments too low or else one may detect air (found as m/z 28 due to nitrogen), carbon dioxide (m/z' 44) or other possible interference. Additionally if one is to use a large scan range then sensitivity of the instrument is decreased due to performing fewer scans per second since each scan will have to detect a wide range of mass fragments.
Full scan is useful in determining unknown compounds in a sample. It provides more information than SIM when it comes to confirming or resolving compounds in a sample. During instrument method development it may be common to first analyze test solutions in full scan mode to determine the retention time and the mass fragment fingerprint before moving to a SIM instrument method. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
Frogs acquire the toxins needed for chemical defense by either producing them through glands on their skin or through their diet. The source of toxins in their diet are primarily arthropods, ranging from beetles to millipedes. When the required dietary components are absent, such as in captivity, the frog is no longer able to produce the toxins, making them nonpoisonous. The profile of toxins may even change with the season, as is the case for the Climbing Mantella, whose diet and feeding behavior differ between wet and dry seasons
The evolutionary advantage of producing such toxins is the deterrence of predators. There is evidence to suggest that the ability to produce toxins evolved along with aposematic coloration, acting as a visual cue to predators to remember which species are not palatable.
While the toxins produced by frogs are frequently referred to as poisonous, the doses of toxins are low enough that they are more noxious than poisonous. However, components of the toxins, namely the alkaloids, are very active in ion channels. Therefore, they disrupt the victim's nervous system, making them much more effective. Within the frogs themselves, the toxins are accumulated and delivered through small, specialized transport proteins.
Besides providing defense from predators, the toxins that poison frogs secrete interest medical researchers. Poison dart frogs, of the Dendrobatidae family, secrete batrachotoxin. This toxin has the potential to act as a muscle relaxant, heart stimulant, or anesthetic. Multiple species of frogs secrete epibatidine, whose study has yielded several important results. It was discovered that the frogs resist poisoning themselves through a single amino acid replacement that desensitizes the targeted receptors to the toxin, but still maintains the function of the receptor. This finding gives insight to the roles of proteins, the nervous system, and the mechanics of chemical defense, all of which promote future biomedical research and innovation. | 1 | Biochemistry |
In an isotopic/achiral environment, enantiomers exhibit identical physicochemical properties, and therefore are indistinguishable under these conditions. For the separation of chiral molecules the challenge is to construct the right chiral environment. In a chromatographic system there are three variables namely, the chiral analyte (CA), mobile phase and stationary phase, that can be manipulated to provide the crucial chiral environment. The strategy is to make these variables to interact with a chiral auxiliary (chiral selector, CS) whereby it forms a diastereomeric complex which has different physicochemical properties and makes it possible to separate the enantiomers. Based on the nature of the diastereomeric complex formed between the CS-CA species, enantiomer separation mythologies are categorized as indirect and direct enantiomer separation mode | 4 | Stereochemistry |
Actively expressed genes have open chromatin at their TSS region, they are less shielded by nucleosomes and, therefore, more susceptible to endonuclease cleavage. Consequently, the depth of cfDNA originating from the TSS of active genes tends to be shallower compared to that of inactive genes. NDR quantifies the normalized depth within each 2-kilobase window surrounding each TSS. The lower the NDR of a gene TSS site, the more likely the gene is highly expressed. | 1 | Biochemistry |
DNA purification in 1869 by Dr. Friedrich Miescher’s, from salmon sperm and pus cells guided the scientists towards the presence of additional molecules in the cell except for proteins. Miescher identified the presence of a highly acidic molecule that he isolated from the pus cells and labeled it “nuclein”. The term was coined as the DNA isolated by Miescher was not protein and was derived from the nucleus of the cell. It wasn’t until 1944, when Oswald Avery proposed the DNA as a genetic carrier of information that the Miescher discovery was brought back to light.
Following the X-ray crystallography, by Rosalind Franklin and the determination of DNA double helix by Watson and Crick in 1953, further enhanced the understanding of DNA structure and allowed for the establishment of central dogma of molecular biology. However, one of the flaws with central dogma was the postulation that information flow proceeds from DNA to RNA to protein, which hinders the understanding of different regulatory mechanisms.
In 1955, George Palade identified the first ncRNA as a part of the large ribonucleoprotein complex (RNP). The second class of ncRNA to be discovered was transfer RNA (tRNA) in 1957. However, the first regulatory ncRNA was a microRNA discovered in 1988 from E.coli and was labeled as micF. On other hand, the first eukaryotic microRNA was discovered in C.elegans in 1993. It was derived from gene lin-4 and was identified as a small RNA molecule (as compared to longer mRNA molecules) forming stem-loop structures. This structure gets further modified to generate a shorter RNA that is complementary to the 3’UTR region of lin-14 transcript. This pathway allowed for a better understanding of different post translational gene silencing pathways. Since then, many other miRNAs have been discovered.
Detailed understanding of the mechanism behind this post translational silencing pathway was established in 2001 by Thomas Tuschl. It was discovered that the double stranded RNA gets processed into a shorter 25 nucleotides long fragment which is then modified into a short hairpin like structure by Drosha complex. The molecule is then diced by dicer enzymes into a functional double stranded RNA (dsRNA). These are then loaded onto the RISC complex which then finds and cleaves the targeted mRNA of interest in the cytoplasm.
It wasn’t until 1989 that the imprinting genes were discovered and the genome imprinting was established. The first two genomic imprinting genes were paternally expressed Igf2r and H19. These were both discovered independently in mice and were localized to chromosome 7. H19 is peculiar as it functions as a lncRNA but undergoes modifications similar to that of pre-mRNA processing such as splicing, 3’ polyadenylation and is transcribed by RNA polymerase II. This lncRNA plays a significant role in mice embryonic development and can be lethal if expressed during prenatal stages. More lncRNAs have been discovered in eukaryotes overtime. One such discovery that allowed for better understanding between H19 functions was a lncRNA called XIST (X inactive-specific transcript). | 1 | Biochemistry |
Being an endothermic reaction, heat is applied to initiate and sustain the reaction. This heat requirement may be very high. To keep reaction temperatures low, the processes are operated under pressure. The rotary kiln is typically used in dolomite calcination. In the rotary kiln, the raw material, calcinated dolomite, is mixed with the finely ground reducing agent, ferrosillicone and the catalyst, fluorite. The materials are mixed together and pressed into sphere shaped pellets and the mixed materials are charged into cylindrical nickel chromium steel retorts. A number of retorts are placed in a furnace in sealed paper bags to avoid moisture absorption so that calcined dolomite activity doesn't reduce magnesium yield. The pellets are then placed into a reduction tank and heated to 1200 °C. The inside of the furnace is vacuumed with a 13.3 Pa or higher, to produce magnesium vapour. Magnesium crystals are removed from the condensers, slag is removed as a solid and the retort is recharged. The crude magnesium is refined via flux, and commercial magnesium ingot is produced. | 8 | Metallurgy |
Shortly before the war, Hans von Halban and Lew Kowarski moved their research on neutron moderation from France to Britain, smuggling the entire global supply of heavy water (which had been made in Norway) across in twenty-six steel drums.
During World War II, Nazi Germany was known to be conducting experiments using heavy water as moderator for a nuclear reactor design. Such experiments were a source of concern because they might allow them to produce plutonium for an atomic bomb. Ultimately it led to the Allied operation called the "Norwegian heavy water sabotage", the purpose of which was to destroy the Vemork deuterium production/enrichment facility in Norway. At the time this was considered important to the potential progress of the war.
After World War II ended, the Allies discovered that Germany was not putting as much serious effort into the program as had been previously thought. The Germans had completed only a small, partly built experimental reactor (which had been hidden away) and had been unable to sustain a chain reaction. By the end of the war, the Germans did not even have a fifth of the amount of heavy water needed to run the reactor, partially due to the Norwegian heavy water sabotage operation. However, even if the Germans had succeeded in getting a reactor operational (as the U.S. did with Chicago Pile-1 in late 1942), they would still have been at least several years away from the development of an atomic bomb. The engineering process, even with maximal effort and funding, required about two and a half years (from first critical reactor to bomb) in both the U.S. and U.S.S.R., for example. | 9 | Geochemistry |
Diethylzinc may explode when mixed with water and can spontaneously ignite upon contact with air. It should therefore be handled using air-free techniques. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Common pigments used in phosphorescent materials include zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate. Use of zinc sulfide for safety related products dates back to the 1930s.
The development of strontium aluminate pigments in 1993 was spurred on by the need to find a substitute for glow-in-the-dark materials with high luminance and long phosphorescence, especially those that used promethium. This led to the discovery by Yasumitsu Aoki (Nemoto & Co.) of materials with luminance approximately 10 times greater than zinc sulfide and phosphorescence approximately 10 times longer. This has relegated most zinc sulfide based products to the novelty category. Strontium aluminate based pigments are now used in exit signs, pathway marking, and other safety related signage.
Since both phosphorescence (transition from T to S) and the generation of T from an excited singlet state (e.g., S) via intersystem crossing (ISC) are spin-forbidden processes, most organic materials exhibit insignificant phosphorescence as they mostly fail to populate the excited triplet state, and, even if T is formed, phosphorescence is most frequently outcompeted by non-radiative pathways. One strategy to enhance the ISC and phosphorescence is the incorporation of heavy atoms, which increase spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Additionally, the SOC (and therefore the ISC) can be promoted by coupling n-π* and π-π* transitions with different angular momenta, also known as Mostafa El-Sayed's rule. Such transitions are typically exhibited by carbonyl or triazine derivatives, and most organic room-temperature phosphorescent (ORTP) materials incorporate such moieties. In turn, to inhibit competitive non-radiative deactivation pathways, including vibrational relaxation and oxygen quenching and triplet-triplet annihilations, organic phosphors have to be embedded in rigid matrices such as polymers, and molecular solids (crystals, covalent organic frameworks, and others). | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
The more comprehensive approach to assessment of ion suppression is to constantly infuse an appropriate concentration into the mobile phase flow, downstream from the analytical column, using a syringe pump and a tee union. A typical sample should then be injected through the HPLC inlet as per the usual analytical parameters.
Monitoring of detector response during this experiment should yield a constant signal appropriate to the concentration of infused species. Once the sample has been injected, a drop in signal intensity (or a negative response) should be observed any time a species is ionised in the ion source. This should allow the retention time of any such species under the analytical parameters of the assay to be determined. Any species causing a negative response may be considered to be contributing to ion suppression, but only if such species co-elute with the analyte of interest.
It is also important to consider that species contributing to ion suppression may be retained by the column to a much greater extent than the analyte of interest. To this end, the detector response should be monitored for several times the usual chromatographic run time to ensure that ion suppression will not affect subsequent injections. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
R-454B, also known by the trademarked names Opteon XL41, Solstice 454B, and Puron Advance, is a zeotropic blend of 68.9 percent difluoromethane (R-32), a hydrofluorocarbon, and 31.1 percent 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (R-1234yf), a hydrofluoroolefin. Because of its reduced global warming potential (GWP), R-454B is intended to be an alternative to refrigerant R-410A in new equipment. R-454B has a GWP of 466, which is 78 percent lower than R-410A's GWP of 2088.
R-454B is non-toxic and mildly flammable, with an ASHRAE safety classification of A2L. In the United States, it is expected to be packaged in a container that is red or has a red band on the shoulder or top. | 2 | Environmental Chemistry |
Polymers with identical composition but different molecular weights may exhibit different physical properties. In general, increasing degree of polymerization correlates with higher melting temperature and higher mechanical strength. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Copurification in a chemical or biochemical context is the physical separation by chromatography or other purification technique of two or more substances of interest from other contaminating substances. For substances to co-purify usually implies that these substances attract each other to form a non-covalent complex such as in a protein complex.
However, when fractionating mixtures, especially mixtures containing large numbers of components (for example a cell lysate), it is possible by chance that some components may copurify even though they don't form complexes. In this context the term copurification is sometimes used to denote when two biochemical activities or some other property are isolated together after purification but it is not certain if the sample has been purified to homogeneity (i.e., contains only one molecular species or one molecular complex). Hence these activities or properties are likely but not guaranteed to reside on the same molecule or in the same molecular complex. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
In 1954, Herbert Fröhlich proposed a microscopic theory, in which energy gaps at ±k would form below a transition temperature as a result of the interaction between the electrons and phonons of wavevector Q=2k. Conduction at high temperatures is metallic in a quasi-1-D conductor, whose Fermi surface consists of fairly flat sheets perpendicular to the chain direction at ±k. The electrons near the Fermi surface couple strongly with the phonons of nesting wave number Q = 2k. The 2k mode thus becomes softened as a result of the electron-phonon interaction. The 2k phonon mode frequency decreases with decreasing temperature, and finally goes to zero at the Peierls transition temperature. Since phonons are bosons, this mode becomes macroscopically occupied at lower temperatures, and is manifested by a static periodic lattice distortion. At the same time, an electronic CDW forms, and the Peierls gap opens up at ±k. Below the Peierls transition temperature, a complete Peierls gap leads to thermally activated behavior in the conductivity due to normal uncondensed electrons.
However, a CDW whose wavelength is incommensurate with the underlying atomic lattice, i.e., where the CDW wavelength is not an integer multiple of the lattice constant, would have no preferred position, or phase φ, in its charge modulation ρ + ρcos[2kx – φ]. Fröhlich thus proposed that the CDW could move and, moreover, that the Peierls gaps would be displaced in momentum space along with the entire Fermi sea, leading to an electric current proportional to dφ/dt. However, as discussed in subsequent sections, even an incommensurate CDW cannot move freely, but is pinned by impurities. Moreover, interaction with normal carriers leads to dissipative transport, unlike a superconductor. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Barltrop and Schofield first demonstrated the use of a benzyl-based PPG, structural variations have focused on substitution to the benzene ring, as well as extension of the aromatic core. For example, insertion of a m,m’-dimethoxy substituent was shown to increase the chemical yield ~75% due to what has been termed the “excited state meta effect.” However, this substitution is only able to release good leaving groups such as carbamates and carboxylates. Additionally, the addition of an o-hydroxy group enables the release of alcohols, phenols and carboxylic acids due to the proximity of the phenolic hydroxy to the benzylic leaving group. Finally, the carbon skeleton has been expanded to include PPGs based on naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene and perylene cores, resulting in varied chemical and quantum yields, as well as irradiation wavelengths and times. | 5 | Photochemistry |
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and propane.
The most common example is dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12). R-12 is also commonly called Freon and was used as a refrigerant. Many CFCs have been widely used as refrigerants, propellants (in aerosol applications), gaseous fire suppression systems, and solvents. As a result of CFCs contributing to ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere, the manufacture of such compounds has been phased out under the Montreal Protocol, and they are being replaced with other products such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) including R-410A,R-134a and R-1234yf. | 2 | Environmental Chemistry |
It has been speculated that in any particular population, relatively few genes would show observable paramutation since the high penetrance of paramutagenic alleles (like B’ at the r1 locus in maize) would drive either the paramutagenic or paramutable allele to fixation. Paramutation at other loci with paramutagenic alleles with lower penetrance may persist, however, which may need to be taken into account by plant breeders.
Since there are examples of paramutation, or paramutation-like phenomena, in animals such as fruit flies and mice, it has been suggested that paramutation may explain the occurrence of some human diseases that exhibit non-Mendelian inheritance patterns. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Euxinic conditions have nearly vanished from Earth's open-ocean environments, but a few small scale examples still exist today. Many of these locations share common biogeochemical characteristics. For example, low rates of overturning and vertical mixing of the total water column is common in euxinic bodies of water. Small surface area to depth ratios allow multiple stable layers to form while limiting wind-driven overturning and thermohaline circulation. Furthermore, restricted mixing enhances stratified layers of high nutrient density which are reinforced by biological recycling. Within the chemocline, highly specialized organisms such as green sulfur bacteria take advantage of the strong redox potential gradient and minimal sunlight. | 9 | Geochemistry |
The Displayed Average Noise Level (DANL) is just what it says it is—the average noise level displayed on the analyzer. This can either be with a specific resolution bandwidth (e.g. −120 dBm @1 kHz RBW), or normalized to 1 Hz (usually in dBm/Hz) e.g. −150 dBm(Hz).This is also called the sensitivity of the spectrum analyzer. If a signal level equal to the average noise level is fed there will be a 3 dB display. To increase the sensitivity of the spectrum analyzer a preamplifier with lower noise figure may be connected at the input of the spectrum analyzer. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Hydrogen-bond catalysts can also accelerate reactions by assisting in the formation of electrophilic species through abstracting and/or coordinating an anion such as a halide. Urea and thiourea catalysts are the most common donors in anion-binding catalysis, and their ability to bind halides and other anions has been well established in the literature. The use of chiral anion-binding catalysts can create an asymmetric ion pair and induce remarkable stereoselectivity.
One of the first reactions proposed to proceed through anion-binding catalysis is the Pictet-Spengler-type cyclization of hydroxylactams with TMSCl under thiourea catalysis. In the proposed mechanism, after initial substitution of the hydroxyl group with chloride, the key ion pair is formed. The activated iminium ion is closely associated with the chiral thiourea-bound chloride, and intramolecular cyclization proceeds with high stereoselectivity.
Asymmetric ion pairs can also be attacked in intermolecular reactions. In an interesting example, asymmetric addition of enol silane nucleophiles to oxocarbenium ions can be effected by catalytically forming the oxocarbenium through anion binding. Starting from an acetal, the chloroether is generated with boron trichloride and reacted with the enol silane and catalyst. The mechanism of formation of the oxocarbenium-thiourea-chloride complex is not fully resolved. It is thought that under the reaction conditions, the chloroether can epimerize and thiourea can stereoselectively bind chloride to form a closely associated ion pair. This asymmetric ion pair is then attacked by the silane to generate alkylated product.
A notable example of the anion-binding mechanism is the hydrocyanation of imines catalyzed by Jacobsen's amido-thiourea catalyst depicted in the below diagram. This reaction is also one of the most extensively studied through computational, spectroscopic, labeling and kinetic experiments. While direct addition of cyanide to a catalyst-bound imine was considered, an alternative mechanism involving formation of an iminium-cyanide ion pair controlled by catalyst was calculated to have a barrier that is lower by 20 kcal/mol. The proposed most likely mechanism begins with binding of the catalyst to HNC, which exists in equilibrium with HCN. This complex then protonates a molecule of imine, forming an iminium-cyanide ion pair with the catalyst binding and stabilizing the cyanide anion. The iminium is thought to also interact with the amide carbonyl on the catalyst molecule (see bifunctional catalysis below). The bound cyanide anion then rotates, and attacks the iminium through carbon. The investigators conclude that though imine-urea binding was observed through spectroscopy and was supported by early kinetic experiments, imine binding is off-cycle and all evidence points toward this mechanism involving thiourea-bound cyanide. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Heating white cast iron (containing iron carbide, i.e. cementite, but no uncombined carbon) above causes the formation of austenite in crystals of primary cementite. This austenisation of white iron occurs in primary cementite at the interphase boundary with ferrite. When the grains of austenite form in cementite, they occur as lamellar clusters oriented along the cementite crystal layer surface. Austenite is formed by diffusion of carbon atoms from cementite into ferrite. | 8 | Metallurgy |
The role of the activators is primarily disruption and removal of the oxide layer on the metal surface (and also the molten solder), to facilitate direct contact between the molten solder and metal. The reaction product is usually soluble or at least dispersible in the molten vehicle. The activators are usually either acids, or compounds that release acids at elevated temperature.
The general reaction of oxide removal is:
:Metal oxide + Acid → Salt + Water
Salts are ionic in nature and can cause problems from metallic leaching or dendrite growth, with possible product failure. In some cases, particularly in high-reliability applications, flux residues must be removed.
The activity of the activator generally increases with temperature, up to a certain value where activity ceases, either due to thermal decomposition or excessive volatilization. However the oxidation rate of the metals also increases with temperature.
At high temperatures, copper oxide reacts with hydrogen chloride to water-soluble and mechanically weak copper chloride, and with rosin to salts of copper and abietic acid which is soluble in molten rosin.
Some activators may also contain metal ions, capable of exchange reaction with the underlying metal; such fluxes aid soldering by chemically depositing a thin layer of easier solderable metal on the exposed base metal. An example is the group of fluxes containing zinc, tin or cadmium compounds, usually chlorides, sometimes fluorides or fluoroborates. | 8 | Metallurgy |
Mixtures relying on the use of acid base slushes are of limited practical value beyond producing melting point references as the enthalpy of dissolution for the melting point depressant is often significantly greater (e.g. ΔH -57.61 kJ/mol for KOH) than the enthalpy of fusion for water itself (ΔH 6.02 kJ/mol); for reference, ΔH for the dissolution of NaCl is 3.88 kJ/mol. This results in little to no net cooling capacity at the desired temperatures and an end mixture temperature that is higher than it was to begin with. The values claimed in the table are produced by first precooling and then combining each subsequent mixture with it surrounded by a mixture of the previous temperature increment; the mixtures must be stacked within one another.
Such acid base slushes are corrosive and therefore present handling problems. Additionally, they can not be replenished easily, as the volume of the mixture increases with each addition of refrigerant; the container (be it a bath or cold finger) will eventually need emptying and refilling to prevent it from overflowing. This makes these mixtures largely unsuitable for use in synthetic applications, as there will be no cooling surface present during the emptying of the container. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Food: Biopolymers are being used in the food industry for things like packaging, edible encapsulation films and coating foods. Polylactic acid (PLA) is very common in the food industry due to is clear color and resistance to water. However, most polymers have a hydrophilic nature and start deteriorating when exposed to moisture. Biopolymers are also being used as edible films that encapsulate foods. These films can carry things like antioxidants, enzymes, probiotics, minerals, and vitamins. The food consumed encapsulated with the biopolymer film can supply these things to the body.
Packaging: The most common biopolymers used in packaging are polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polylactic acid (PLA), and starch. Starch and PLA are commercially available and biodegradable, making them a common choice for packaging. However, their barrier properties (either moisture-barrier or gas-barrier properties) and thermal properties are not ideal. Hydrophilic polymers are not water resistant and allow water to get through the packaging which can affect the contents of the package. Polyglycolic acid (PGA) is a biopolymer that has great barrier characteristics and is now being used to correct the barrier obstacles from PLA and starch.
Water purification: Chitosan has been used for water purification. It is used as a flocculant that only takes a few weeks or months rather than years to degrade in the environment. Chitosan purifies water by chelation. This is the process in which binding sites along the polymer chain bind with the metal ions in the water forming chelates. Chitosan has been shown to be an excellent candidate for use in storm and wastewater treatment. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Jean Brachets research in Brussel demonstrated the localization and relative abundance between RNA and DNA in the cells of both animals and plants opened up the door into the research of cytochemistry. The work by Moller and Holter in 1976 about endocytosis which discussed the relationship between a cells structure and function had established the needs of cytochemical research. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Hydroacylation as an asymmetric reaction was demonstrated in the form of a kinetic resolution. A true asymmetric synthesis was also described. Both conversions employed rhodium catalysts and a chiral diphosphine ligand. In one application the ligand is Me-DuPhos: | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Archaerhodopsins are active transporters, using the energy from sunlight to pump H ions out of the cell to generate a proton motive force that is used for ATP synthesis. Removal of the retinal cofactor (e.g. by treatment with hydroxylamine) abolishes the transporter function and dramatically alters the absorption spectra of the proteins. The proton pumping ability of AR3 has been demonstrated in recombinant E. coli cells and of AR4 in liposomes.
In the resting or ground state of archaerhodopsin, the bound retinal is in the all-trans form, but on absorption of a photon of light, it isomerizes to 13-cis. The protein surrounding the chromophore reacts to the change of shape and undergoes an ordered sequence of conformational changes, which are collectively known as the photocycle. These changes alter the polarity of the local environment surrounding titratable amino acid side chains inside the protein, enabling H to be pumped from the cytoplasm to the extracellular side of the membrane. The intermediate states of the photocycle may be identified by their absorption maxima. | 5 | Photochemistry |
In bacteria and eukaryotes, proteins TFIIB and sigma factor are involved in the initiation of transcription, where they facilitate preinitiation complex formation and specific RNA Polymerase-DNA binding. The archaeal counterpart to these two proteins is TFB, which was first identified in the species Pyrococcus woesei in 1992. Since then, research has found that archaeal species must contain at least one copy of TFB to function, although some species may have multiple isoforms in their genome. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Another evidence of quantum spin liquid was observed in a 2-dimensional material in August 2015. The researchers of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, collaborating with physicists from the University of Cambridge, and the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, measured the first signatures of these fractional particles, known as Majorana fermions, in a two-dimensional material with a structure similar to graphene. Their experimental results successfully matched with one of the main theoretical models for a quantum spin liquid, known as a Kitaev honeycomb model. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
In foods, stabilizers prevent spoilage. Classes of food stabilizers include emulsifiers, thickeners and gelling agents, foam stabilizers, humectants, anticaking agents, and coating agents. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
The ASARCO Amarillo copper refinery switched in 1991 from reverberatory furnace treatment of anode slimes to a BBOC to reduce the gold inventory. The original reverberatory furnace had a 15 t capacity. The production cycle of the reverberatory furnace was typically 7–10 days, with the final doré production being about 8 t per cycle.
A single 3 t capacity BBOC was installed, and it was found to increase rejection of selenium from the slimes, with a reduction in fluxing requirements of about 80%. | 8 | Metallurgy |
Redox reactions are normally strongly exothermic, and can make excellent candidates for thermometric titrations. In the classical determination of ferrous ion with permanganate, the reaction enthalpy is more than double that of a strong acid/strong base titration:ΔH =
−123.9 kJ/mol of Fe. The determination of hydrogen peroxide by permanganate titration is even more strongly exothermic at ΔH =
−149.6 kJ/mol HO | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
An intermetallic (also called intermetallic compound, intermetallic alloy, ordered intermetallic alloy, long-range-ordered alloy) is a type of metallic alloy that forms an ordered solid-state compound between two or more metallic elements. Intermetallics are generally hard and brittle, with good high-temperature mechanical properties. They can be classified as stoichiometric or nonstoichiometic intermetallic compounds.
Although the term "intermetallic compounds", as it applies to solid phases, has been in use for many years, Hume-Rothery has argued that it gives misleading intuition, suggesting a fixed stoichiometry and even a clear decomposition into species. | 8 | Metallurgy |
Smelting involves thermal reactions in which at least one product is a molten phase.
Metal oxides can then be smelted by heating with coke or charcoal (forms of carbon), a reducing agent that liberates the oxygen as carbon dioxide leaving a refined mineral. Concern about the production of carbon dioxide is only a recent worry, following the identification of the enhanced greenhouse effect.
Carbonate ores are also smelted with charcoal, but sometimes need to be calcined first.
Other materials may need to be added as flux, aiding the melting of the oxide ores and assisting in the formation of a slag, as the flux reacts with impurities, such as silicon compounds.
Smelting usually takes place at a temperature above the melting point of the metal, but processes vary considerably according to the ore involved and other matters. | 8 | Metallurgy |
During G2 phase of the cell cycle, Cdk1 and cyclin B1 makes a complex and forms maturation promoting factor (MPF). The complex accumulates in the nucleus due to phosphorylation of the cyclin B1 at multiple sites, which inhibits nuclear export of the complex. Phosphorylation of Thr19 and Tyr15 residues of Cdk1 by Wee1 and MYT1 keeps the complex inactive and inhibits entry into mitosis whereas dephosphorylation of Cdk1 by CDC25C phosphatase at Thr19 and Tyr15 residues, activates the complex which is necessary in order to enter mitosis. Cdc25C phosphatase is present in the cytoplasm and in late G2 phase it is translocated into the nucleus by signaling such as PIK1, PIK3. The regulated translocation and accumulation of the multiple required signaling cascade components, MPF and its activator Cdc25, in the nucleus generates efficient activation of the MPF and produces switch-like, ultrasensitive entry into mitosis.
The figure shows different possible mechanisms for how increased regulation of the localization of signaling components by the stimulus (input signal) shifts the output from Michaelian response to ultrasensitive response. When stimulus is regulating only inhibition of Cdk1-cyclinB1 nuclear export, the outcome is Michaelian response, Fig (a). But if the stimulus can regulate localization of multiple components of the signaling cascade, i.e. inhibition of Cdk1-cyclinB1 nuclear export and translocation of the Cdc25C to nucleus, then the outcome is ultrasensitive response, Fig (b). As more components of the signaling cascade are regulated and localized by the stimulus—i.e. inhibition of Cdk1-cyclinB1 nuclear export, translocation of the Cdc25C to the nucleus, and activation of Cdc25C—the output response becomes more and more ultrasensitive, Fig(c). | 1 | Biochemistry |
In plasmas and electrolytes, the Debye length (Debye radius or Debye–Hückel screening length), is a measure of a charge carrier's net electrostatic effect in a solution and how far its electrostatic effect persists. With each Debye length the charges are increasingly electrically screened and the electric potential decreases in magnitude by 1/e. A Debye sphere is a volume whose radius is the Debye length. Debye length is an important parameter in plasma physics, electrolytes, and colloids (DLVO theory). The corresponding Debye screening wave vector for particles of density , charge at a temperature is given by in Gaussian units. Expressions in MKS units will be given below. The analogous quantities at very low temperatures () are known as the Thomas–Fermi length and the Thomas–Fermi wave vector. They are of interest in describing the behaviour of electrons in metals at room temperature.
The Debye length is named after the Dutch-American physicist and chemist Peter Debye (1884-1966), a Nobel laureate in Chemistry. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
The fully salt-water load bank dates from an earlier, less regulated and litigious era. To pass current safety legislation requires more enclosed designs.
They are no more dangerous than electrode heaters, which work on the same principle, but with plain water, or electrical immersion heaters, provided the correct precautions are used. This requires connecting the container to both ground and neutral and breaking all poles with a linked over-current circuit breaker. If in the open, safety barriers are required. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
In the harmonic approximation the potential energy is a quadratic function of the normal coordinates. Solving the Schrödinger wave equation, the energy states for each normal coordinate are given by
where n is a quantum number that can take values of 0, 1, 2 ... In molecular spectroscopy where several types of molecular energy are studied and several quantum numbers are used, this vibrational quantum number is often designated as v.
The difference in energy when n (or v) changes by 1 is therefore equal to , the product of the Planck constant and the vibration frequency derived using classical mechanics. For a transition from level n to level n+1 due to absorption of a photon, the frequency of the photon is equal to the classical vibration frequency (in the harmonic oscillator approximation).
See quantum harmonic oscillator for graphs of the first 5 wave functions, which allow certain selection rules to be formulated. For example, for a harmonic oscillator transitions are allowed only when the quantum number n changes by one,
but this does not apply to an anharmonic oscillator; the observation of overtones is only possible because vibrations are anharmonic. Another consequence of anharmonicity is that transitions such as between states n=2 and n=1 have slightly less energy than transitions between the ground state and first excited state. Such a transition gives rise to a hot band. To describe vibrational levels of an anharmonic oscillator, Dunham expansion is used. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Phosphites are oxidized to phosphate esters:
:P(OR) + [O] → OP(OR)
This reaction underpins the commercial use of some phosphite esters as stabilizers in polymers.
Alkyl phosphite esters are used in the Perkow reaction for the formation of vinyl phosphonates, and in the Michaelis–Arbuzov reaction to form phosphonates. Aryl phosphite esters may not undergo these reactions and hence are commonly used as stabilizers in halogen-bearing polymers such as PVC.
Phosphite esters may be used as reducing agents in more specialised cases. For example, triethylphosphite is known to reduce certain hydroperoxides to alcohols formed by autoxidation (scheme). In this process the phosphite is converted to a phosphate ester. This reaction type is also utilized in the Wender Taxol total synthesis. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Targeted temperature management (TTM) previously known as therapeutic hypothermia or protective hypothermia is an active treatment that tries to achieve and maintain a specific body temperature in a person for a specific duration of time in an effort to improve health outcomes during recovery after a period of stopped blood flow to the brain. This is done in an attempt to reduce the risk of tissue injury following lack of blood flow. Periods of poor blood flow may be due to cardiac arrest or the blockage of an artery by a clot as in the case of a stroke.
Targeted temperature management improves survival and brain function following resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Evidence supports its use following certain types of cardiac arrest in which an individual does not regain consciousness. The target temperature is often between 32–34 °C. Targeted temperature management following traumatic brain injury is of unclear benefit. While associated with some complications, these are generally mild.
Targeted temperature management is thought to prevent brain injury by several methods, including decreasing the brain's oxygen demand, reducing the production of neurotransmitters like glutamate, as well as reducing free radicals that might damage the brain. Body temperature may be lowered by many means, including cooling blankets, cooling helmets, cooling catheters, ice packs and ice water lavage. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Gestational trophoblastic disease like hydatidiform moles ("molar pregnancy") or choriocarcinoma may produce high levels of βhCG due to the presence of syncytiotrophoblasts, part of the villi that make up the placenta, and despite the absence of an embryo. This, as well as several other conditions, can lead to elevated hCG readings in the absence of pregnancy.
hCG levels are also a component of the triple test, a screening test for certain fetal chromosomal abnormalities/birth defects. High hCG levels in the maternal serum could suggest Down syndrome, potentially due to continued hCG production by the placenta beyond the first trimester.
A study of 32 normal pregnancies came to the result that a gestational sac of 1–3 mm was detected at a mean hCG level of 1150 IU/L (range 800–1500), a yolk sac was detected at a mean level of 6000 IU/L (range 4500–7500) and fetal heartbeat was visible at a mean hCG level of 10,000 IU/L (range 8650–12,200). | 1 | Biochemistry |
N-linked glycosylation, is the attachment of an oligosaccharide, a carbohydrate consisting of several sugar molecules, sometimes also referred to as glycan, to a nitrogen atom (the amide nitrogen of an asparagine (Asn) residue of a protein), in a process called N-glycosylation, studied in biochemistry. The resulting protein is called an N-linked glycan, or simply an N-glycan.
This type of linkage is important for both the structure and function of many eukaryotic proteins. The N-linked glycosylation process occurs in eukaryotes and widely in archaea, but very rarely in bacteria. The nature of N-linked glycans attached to a glycoprotein is determined by the protein and the cell in which it is expressed. It also varies across species. Different species synthesize different types of N-linked glycan. | 0 | Organic Chemistry |
Conductive anodic filament, also called CAF, is a metallic filament that forms from an electrochemical migration process and is known to cause printed circuit board (PCB) failures. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
The DNA footprinting technique can be modified to assess the binding strength of a protein to a region of DNA. Using varying concentrations of the protein for the footprinting experiment, the appearance of the footprint can be observed as the concentrations increase and the proteins binding affinity can then be estimated. | 1 | Biochemistry |
Agmatine has been discussed as a putative neurotransmitter. It is synthesized in the brain, stored in synaptic vesicles, accumulated by uptake, released by membrane depolarization, and inactivated by agmatinase. Agmatine binds to α-adrenergic receptor and imidazoline receptor binding sites, and blocks NMDA receptors and other cation ligand-gated channels. However, while agmatine binds to α-adrenergic receptors, it exerts neither an agonistic nor antagonistic effect on these receptors, lacking any intrinsic activity. Short only of identifying specific ("own") post-synaptic receptors, agmatine fulfills Henry Dale's criteria for a neurotransmitter and is hence considered a neuromodulator and co-transmitter. The existence of theoretical agmatinergic-mediated neuronal systems has not yet been demonstrated although the existence of such receptors is implied by its prominence in the mediation of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Research into agmatine-specific receptors and transmission pathways continues.
Due to its ability to pass through open cationic channels, agmatine has also been used as a surrogate metric of integrated ionic flux into neural tissue upon stimulation. When neural tissue is incubated in agmatine and an external stimulus is applied, only cells with open channels will be filled with agmatine, allowing identification of which cells are sensitive to that stimuli and the degree to which they opened their cationic channels during the stimulation period. | 1 | Biochemistry |
The low dielectric constant of COC, even at high frequency, has led to its use in certain antenna applications as well as capacitors requiring higher temperature resistance than polypropylene can provide. | 7 | Physical Chemistry |
Hydrophobic membranes are often polydimethylsiloxane based where the actual separation mechanism is based on the solution-diffusion model described above.
Hydrophilic membranes are more widely available. The commercially most successful pervaporation membrane system to date is based on polyvinyl alcohol. More recently also membranes based on polyimide have become available. To overcome the intrinsic disadvantages of polymeric membrane systems ceramic membranes have been developed over the last decade. These ceramic membranes consist of nanoporous layers on top of a macroporous support. The pores must be large enough to let water molecules pass through and retain any other solvents that have a larger molecular size such as ethanol. As a result, a molecular sieve with a pore size of about 4 Å is obtained. The most widely available member of this class of membranes is that based on zeolite A.
Alternatively to these crystalline materials, the porous structure of amorphous silica layers can be tailored towards molecular selectivity. These membranes are fabricated by sol-gel chemical processes. Research into novel hydrophilic ceramic membranes has been focused on titania or zirconia. Very recently a break-through in hydrothermal stability has been achieved through the development of an organic-inorganic hybrid material. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
Identification of the blockage positions of the hairpin produced by the hybridization of the discriminating nucleotides can be observed as the pauses in the time course of the hairpin distance measurement. The complete sequence can be reconstructed by the overlapping fragments. | 1 | Biochemistry |
In the biosphere, PCBs can be degraded by the sun, bacteria or eukaryotes, but the speed of the reaction depends on both the number and the disposition of chlorine atoms in the molecule: less substituted, meta- or para-substituted PCBs undergo biodegradation faster than more substituted congeners.
In bacteria, PCBs may be dechlorinated through reductive dechlorination, or oxidized by dioxygenase enzyme. In eukaryotes, PCBs may be oxidized by the cytochrome P450 enzyme.
Like many lipophilic toxins, PCBs undergo biomagnification and bioaccumulation primarily due to the fact that they are easily retained within organisms.
Plastic pollution, specifically microplastics, are a major contributor of PCBs into the biosphere and especially into marine environments. PCBs concentrate in marine environments because freshwater systems, like rivers, act as a bridge for plastic pollution to be transported from terrestrial environments into marine environments. It has been estimated that 88-95% of marine plastic is exported into the ocean by just 10 major rivers.
An organism can accumulate PCBs by consuming other organisms that have previously ingested PCBs from terrestrial, freshwater, or marine environments. The concentration of PCBs within an organism will increase over their lifetime; this process is called bioaccumulation. PCB concentrations within an organism also change depending upon which trophic level they occupy. When an organism occupies a high trophic level, like orcas or humans, they will accumulate more PCBs than an organism that occupies a low trophic level, like phytoplankton. If enough organisms with a trophic level are killed due to the accumulation of toxins, like PCB, a trophic cascade can occur.
PCBs can cause harm to human health or even death when eaten. PCBs can be transported by birds from aquatic sources onto land via feces and carcasses. | 2 | Environmental Chemistry |
Coelenterazine can be crystallized into orange-yellow crystals. The molecule absorbs light in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum, with peak absorption at 435 nm in methanol, giving the molecule a yellow color. The molecule spontaneously oxidizes in aerobic conditions or in some organic solvents such as dimethylformamide and DMSO and is preferentially stored in methanol or with an inert gas. | 1 | Biochemistry |
In naphtha cracking process, C4R1 refers to C4 residual obtained after separation of 1,3-butadiene from C4 raffinate stream and which, mainly consists of isobutylene 40~50 wt% and cis- or trans-2-butene 30~35 wt%. Normally C4R1 is a side product in 1,3-butadiene plant and feed to tert-butyl alcohol plant. | 3 | Analytical Chemistry |
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