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Sample records for michaelis-menten kinetics electronic

  1. Reexamining Michaelis-Menten Enzyme Kinetics for Xanthine Oxidase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassingthwaighte, James B.; Chinn, Tamara M.

    2013-01-01

    Abbreviated expressions for enzyme kinetic expressions, such as the Michaelis-Menten (M-M) equations, are based on the premise that enzyme concentrations are low compared with those of the substrate and product. When one does progress experiments, where the solute is consumed during conversion to form a series of products, the idealized conditions…

  2. Classical Michaelis-Menten and system theory approach to modeling metabolite formation kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popović, Jovan

    2004-01-01

    When single doses of drug are administered and kinetics are linear, techniques, which are based on the compartment approach and the linear system theory approach, in modeling the formation of the metabolite from the parent drug are proposed. Unlike the purpose-specific compartment approach, the methodical, conceptual and computational uniformity in modeling various linear biomedical systems is the dominant characteristic of the linear system approach technology. Saturation of the metabolic reaction results in nonlinear kinetics according to the Michaelis-Menten equation. The two compartment open model with Michaelis-Menten elimination kinetics is theorethicaly basic when single doses of drug are administered. To simulate data or to fit real data using this model, one must resort to numerical integration. A biomathematical model for multiple dosage regimen calculations of nonlinear metabolic systems in steady-state and a working example with phenytoin are presented. High correlation between phenytoin steady-state serum levels calculated from individual Km and Vmax values in the 15 adult epileptic outpatients and the observed levels at the third adjustment of phenytoin daily dose (r=0.961, p<0.01) were found.

  3. The Michaelis-Menten-Stueckelberg Theorem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander N. Gorban

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available We study chemical reactions with complex mechanisms under two assumptions: (i intermediates are present in small amounts (this is the quasi-steady-state hypothesis or QSS and (ii they are in equilibrium relations with substrates (this is the quasiequilibrium hypothesis or QE. Under these assumptions, we prove the generalized mass action law together with the basic relations between kinetic factors, which are sufficient for the positivity of the entropy production but hold even without microreversibility, when the detailed balance is not applicable. Even though QE and QSS produce useful approximations by themselves, only the combination of these assumptions can render the possibility beyond the “rarefied gas” limit or the “molecular chaos” hypotheses. We do not use any a priori form of the kinetic law for the chemical reactions and describe their equilibria by thermodynamic relations. The transformations of the intermediate compounds can be described by the Markov kinetics because of their low density (low density of elementary events. This combination of assumptions was introduced by Michaelis and Menten in 1913. In 1952, Stueckelberg used the same assumptions for the gas kinetics and produced the remarkable semi-detailed balance relations between collision rates in the Boltzmann equation that are weaker than the detailed balance conditions but are still sufficient for the Boltzmann H-theorem to be valid. Our results are obtained within the Michaelis-Menten-Stueckelbeg conceptual framework.

  4. Exact and approximate solutions for the decades-old Michaelis-Menten equation: Progress-curve analysis through integrated rate equations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goličnik, Marko

    2011-01-01

    The Michaelis-Menten rate equation can be found in most general biochemistry textbooks, where the time derivative of the substrate is a hyperbolic function of two kinetic parameters (the limiting rate V, and the Michaelis constant K(M) ) and the amount of substrate. However, fundamental concepts of enzyme kinetics can be difficult to understand fully, or can even be misunderstood, by students when based only on the differential form of the Michaelis-Menten equation, and the variety of methods available to calculate the kinetic constants from rate versus substrate concentration "textbook data." Consequently, enzyme kinetics can be confusing if an analytical solution of the Michaelis-Menten equation is not available. Therefore, the still rarely known exact solution to the Michaelis-Menten equation is presented here through the explicit closed-form equation in terms of the Lambert W(x) function. Unfortunately, as the W(x) is not available in standard curve-fitting computer programs, the practical use of this direct solution is limited for most life-science students. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide analytical approximations to the equation for modeling Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The elementary and explicit nature of these approximations can provide students with direct and simple estimations of kinetic parameters from raw experimental time-course data. The Michaelis-Menten kinetics studied in the latter context can provide an ideal alternative to the 100-year-old problems of data transformation, graphical visualization, and data analysis of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Hence, the content of the course presented here could gradually become an important component of the modern biochemistry curriculum in the 21st century. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Occurrence of dead core in catalytic particles containing immobilized enzymes: analysis for the Michaelis-Menten kinetics and assessment of numerical methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Félix Monteiro; Oliveira, Samuel Conceição

    2016-11-01

    In this article, the occurrence of dead core in catalytic particles containing immobilized enzymes is analyzed for the Michaelis-Menten kinetics. An assessment of numerical methods is performed to solve the boundary value problem generated by the mathematical modeling of diffusion and reaction processes under steady state and isothermal conditions. Two classes of numerical methods were employed: shooting and collocation. The shooting method used the ode function from Scilab software. The collocation methods included: that implemented by the bvode function of Scilab, the orthogonal collocation, and the orthogonal collocation on finite elements. The methods were validated for simplified forms of the Michaelis-Menten equation (zero-order and first-order kinetics), for which analytical solutions are available. Among the methods covered in this article, the orthogonal collocation on finite elements proved to be the most robust and efficient method to solve the boundary value problem concerning Michaelis-Menten kinetics. For this enzyme kinetics, it was found that the dead core can occur when verified certain conditions of diffusion-reaction within the catalytic particle. The application of the concepts and methods presented in this study will allow for a more generalized analysis and more accurate designs of heterogeneous enzymatic reactors.

  6. Leonor Michaelis and Maud Leonora Menten

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    IAS Admin

    Michaelis and Menten's classic paper titled 'Die Kinetik der Invertin wirkung', published ... world is complete without a discussion of the Michaelis–Menten Equation. .... This famous equation must be explored and appreciated in broader contexts.

  7. Diffusion influence on Michaelis Menten kinetics: II. The low substrate concentration limit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyojoon; Shin, Kook Joe

    2007-02-01

    The diffusion-influenced Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the low substrate concentration limit is studied in one and three dimensions. For the initial pair distribution of enzyme and substrate, we obtain the exact analytical results. We find that at short times the diffusion effect can make the reaction rate faster. The concentration deviations of the substrate and enzyme show t-1/2 and t-3/2 power-law behaviours in one and three dimensions, respectively, at long times. On the other hand, the average lifetime of the intermediate is independent of the initial state in one dimension, while it depends on the initial state in three dimensions. The ultimate production yield approaches unity in one dimension but it reaches a different value depending on other parameters in three dimensions. We also obtain the analytical results for the initial random distribution.

  8. Diffusion influence on Michaelis-Menten kinetics: II. The low substrate concentration limit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyojoon; Shin, Kook Joe

    2007-01-01

    The diffusion-influenced Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the low substrate concentration limit is studied in one and three dimensions. For the initial pair distribution of enzyme and substrate, we obtain the exact analytical results. We find that at short times the diffusion effect can make the reaction rate faster. The concentration deviations of the substrate and enzyme show t -1/2 and t -3/2 power-law behaviours in one and three dimensions, respectively, at long times. On the other hand, the average lifetime of the intermediate is independent of the initial state in one dimension, while it depends on the initial state in three dimensions. The ultimate production yield approaches unity in one dimension but it reaches a different value depending on other parameters in three dimensions. We also obtain the analytical results for the initial random distribution

  9. Stability estimation of autoregulated genes under Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arani, Babak M. S.; Mahmoudi, Mahdi; Lahti, Leo; González, Javier; Wit, Ernst C.

    2018-06-01

    Feedback loops are typical motifs appearing in gene regulatory networks. In some well-studied model organisms, including Escherichia coli, autoregulated genes, i.e., genes that activate or repress themselves through their protein products, are the only feedback interactions. For these types of interactions, the Michaelis-Menten (MM) formulation is a suitable and widely used approach, which always leads to stable steady-state solutions representative of homeostatic regulation. However, in many other biological phenomena, such as cell differentiation, cancer progression, and catastrophes in ecosystems, one might expect to observe bistable switchlike dynamics in the case of strong positive autoregulation. To capture this complex behavior we use the generalized family of MM kinetic models. We give a full analysis regarding the stability of autoregulated genes. We show that the autoregulation mechanism has the capability to exhibit diverse cellular dynamics including hysteresis, a typical characteristic of bistable systems, as well as irreversible transitions between bistable states. We also introduce a statistical framework to estimate the kinetics parameters and probability of different stability regimes given observational data. Empirical data for the autoregulated gene SCO3217 in the SOS system in Streptomyces coelicolor are analyzed. The coupling of a statistical framework and the mathematical model can give further insight into understanding the evolutionary mechanisms toward different cell fates in various systems.

  10. At the centennial of Michaelis and Menten, competing Michaelis-Menten steps explain effect of GLP-1 on blood-brain transfer and metabolism of glucose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gejl, Michael; Rungby, Jørgen; Brock, Birgitte; Gjedde, Albert

    2014-08-01

    Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a potent insulinotropic incretin hormone with both pancreatic and extrapancreatic effects. Studies of GLP-1 reveal significant effects in regions of brain tissue that regulate appetite and satiety. GLP-1 mimetics are used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. GLP-1 interacts with peripheral functions in which the autonomic nervous system plays an important role, and emerging pre-clinical findings indicate a potential neuroprotective role of the peptide, for example in models of stroke and in neurodegenerative disorders. A century ago, Leonor Michaelis and Maud Menten described the steady-state enzyme kinetics that still apply to the multiple receptors, transporters and enzymes that define the biochemical reactions of the brain, including the glucose-dependent impact of GLP-1 on blood-brain glucose transfer and metabolism. This MiniReview examines the potential of GLP-1 as a molecule of interest for the understanding of brain energy metabolism and with reference to the impact on brain metabolism related to appetite and satiety regulation, stroke and neurodegenerative disorders. These effects can be understood only by reference to the original formulation of the Michaelis-Menten equation as applied to a chain of kinetically controlled steps. Indeed, the effects of GLP-1 receptor activation on blood-brain glucose transfer and brain metabolism of glucose depend on the glucose concentration and relative affinities of the steps both in vitro and in vivo, as in the pancreas. © 2014 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

  11. Dynamic disorder in single-molecule Michaelis-Menten kinetics: The reaction-diffusion formalism in the Wilemski-Fixman approximation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhury, Srabanti; Cherayil, Binny J.

    2007-09-01

    Single-molecule equations for the Michaelis-Menten [Biochem. Z. 49, 333 (1913)] mechanism of enzyme action are analyzed within the Wilemski-Fixman [J. Chem. Phys. 58, 4009 (1973); 60, 866 (1974)] approximation after the effects of dynamic disorder—modeled by the anomalous diffusion of a particle in a harmonic well—are incorporated into the catalytic step of the reaction. The solution of the Michaelis-Menten equations is used to calculate the distribution of waiting times between successive catalytic turnovers in the enzyme β-galactosidase. The calculated distribution is found to agree qualitatively with experimental results on this enzyme obtained at four different substrate concentrations. The calculations are also consistent with measurements of correlations in the fluctuations of the fluorescent light emitted during the course of catalysis, and with measurements of the concentration dependence of the randomness parameter.

  12. Biphasic character of ribosomal translocation and non-Michaelis-Menten kinetics of translation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Ping

    2014-12-01

    We study theoretically the kinetics of mRNA translocation in the wild-type (WT) Escherichia coli ribosome, which is composed of a small 30 S and large 50 S subunit, and the ribosomes with mutations to some intersubunit bridges such as B1a, B4, B7a, and B8. The theoretical results reproduce well the available in vitro experimental data on the biphasic kinetics of the forward mRNA translocation catalyzed by elongation factor G (EF-G) hydrolyzing GTP, which can be best fit by the sum of two exponentials, and the monophasic kinetics of the spontaneous reverse mRNA translocation in the absence of the elongation factor, which can be best fit by a single-exponential function, in both the WT and mutant ribosomes. We show that both the mutation-induced increase in the maximal rate of the slow phase for the forward mRNA translocation and that in the rate of the spontaneous reverse mRNA translocation result from a reduction in the intrinsic energy barrier to resist the rotational movements between the two subunits, giving the same degree of increase in the two rates. The mutation-induced increase in the maximal rate of the fast phase for the forward mRNA translocation results mainly from the increase in the rate of the ribosomal unlocking, a conformational change in the ribosome that widens the mRNA channel for the mRNA translocation to take place, which could be partly due to the effect of the mutation on the intrasubunit 30S head rotation. Moreover, we study the translation rate of the WT and mutant ribosomes. It is shown that the translation rate versus the concentration of EF-G-GTP does not follow the Michaelis-Menten (MM) kinetics, which is in sharp contrast to the general property of other enzymes that the rate of the enzymatic reaction versus the concentration of a substrate follows the MM kinetics. The physical origin of this non-MM kinetics for the ribosome is revealed.

  13. Utilization of integrated Michaelis-Menten equations for enzyme inhibition diagnosis and determination of kinetic constants using Solver supplement of Microsoft Office Excel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bezerra, Rui M F; Fraga, Irene; Dias, Albino A

    2013-01-01

    Enzyme kinetic parameters are usually determined from initial rates nevertheless, laboratory instruments only measure substrate or product concentration versus reaction time (progress curves). To overcome this problem we present a methodology which uses integrated models based on Michaelis-Menten equation. The most severe practical limitation of progress curve analysis occurs when the enzyme shows a loss of activity under the chosen assay conditions. To avoid this problem it is possible to work with the same experimental points utilized for initial rates determination. This methodology is illustrated by the use of integrated kinetic equations with the well-known reaction catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase enzyme. In this work nonlinear regression was performed with the Solver supplement (Microsoft Office Excel). It is easy to work with and track graphically the convergence of SSE (sum of square errors). The diagnosis of enzyme inhibition was performed according to Akaike information criterion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Stability in a Simple Food Chain System with Michaelis-Menten Functional Response and Nonlocal Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenzhen Gan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the asymptotical behavior of solutions to the reaction-diffusion system under homogeneous Neumann boundary condition. By taking food ingestion and species' moving into account, the model is further coupled with Michaelis-Menten type functional response and nonlocal delay. Sufficient conditions are derived for the global stability of the positive steady state and the semitrivial steady state of the proposed problem by using the Lyapunov functional. Our results show that intraspecific competition benefits the coexistence of prey and predator. Furthermore, the introduction of Michaelis-Menten type functional response positively affects the coexistence of prey and predator, and the nonlocal delay is harmless for stabilities of all nonnegative steady states of the system. Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the main results.

  15. Transient competitive complexation in biological kinetic isotope fractionation explains nonsteady isotopic effects: Theory and application to denitrification in soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maggi, Federico; Riley, William J.

    2009-12-01

    The theoretical formulation of biological kinetic isotope fractionation often assumes first-order or Michaelis-Menten kinetics, the latter solved under the quasi-steady state assumption. Both formulations lead to a constant isotope fractionation factor, therefore they may return incorrect estimations of isotopic effects and misleading interpretations of isotopic signatures when fractionation is not a steady process. We have analyzed the isotopic signature of denitrification in biogeochemical soil systems by Menyailo and Hungate (2006) in which high and variable 15N-N2O enrichment during N2O production and inverse isotope fractionation during N2O consumption could not be explained with first-order kinetics and the Rayleigh equation, or with Michaelis-Menten kinetics. When Michaelis-Menten kinetics were coupled to Monod kinetics to describe biomass and enzyme dynamics, and the quasi-steady state assumption was relaxed, transient Michaelis-Menten-Monod kinetics accurately reproduced the observed concentrations, and variable and inverse isotope fractionations. These results imply a substantial revision in modeling isotopic effects, suggesting that steady state kinetics such as first-order, Rayleigh, and classic Michaelis-Menten kinetics should be superseded by transient kinetics in conjunction with biomass and enzyme dynamics.

  16. Determination of the Michaelis-Menten kinetics and the genes expression involved in phyto-degradation of cyanide and ferri-cyanide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiao-Zhang; Zhang, Xue-Hong

    2016-07-01

    Hydroponic experiments were conducted with different species of plants (rice, maize, soybean and willow) exposed to ferri-cyanide to investigate the half-saturation constant (K M ) and the maximal metabolic capacity (v max ) involved in phyto-assimilation. Three varieties for each testing species were collected from different origins. Measured concentrations show that the uptake rates responded biphasically to ferri-cyanide treatments by showing increases linearly at low and almost constant at high concentrations from all treatments, indicating that phyto-assimilation of ferri-cyanide followed the Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Using non-linear regression, the highest v max was by rice, followed by willows. The lowest v max was found for soybean. All plants, except maize (DY26) and rice (XJ12), had a similar K M value, suggesting the same enzyme was active in phyto-assimilation of ferri-cyanide. Transcript level, by real-time quantitative PCR, of enzymes involved in degradation of cyanides showed that the analyzed genes were differently expressed during different cyanides exposure. The expression of CAS and ST genes responded positively to KCN exposure, suggesting that β-CAS and ST pathways were two possible pathways for cyanide detoxification in rice. The transcript level of NIT and ASPNASE genes also showed a remarkable up-regulation to KCN, implying the contribution to the pool of amino acid aspartate, which is an end product of CN metabolism. Up-regulation of GS genes suggests that acquisition of ammonium released from cyanide degradation may be an additional nitrogen source for plant nutrition. Results also revealed that the expressions of these genes, except for GS, were relatively constant during iron cyanide exposure, suggesting that they are likely metabolized by plants through a non-defined pathway rather than the β-CAS pathway.

  17. New types of experimental data shape the use of enzyme kinetics for dynamic network modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tummler, Katja; Lubitz, Timo; Schelker, Max; Klipp, Edda

    2014-01-01

    Since the publication of Leonor Michaelis and Maude Menten's paper on the reaction kinetics of the enzyme invertase in 1913, molecular biology has evolved tremendously. New measurement techniques allow in vivo characterization of the whole genome, proteome or transcriptome of cells, whereas the classical enzyme essay only allows determination of the two Michaelis-Menten parameters V and K(m). Nevertheless, Michaelis-Menten kinetics are still commonly used, not only in the in vitro context of enzyme characterization but also as a rate law for enzymatic reactions in larger biochemical reaction networks. In this review, we give an overview of the historical development of kinetic rate laws originating from Michaelis-Menten kinetics over the past 100 years. Furthermore, we briefly summarize the experimental techniques used for the characterization of enzymes, and discuss web resources that systematically store kinetic parameters and related information. Finally, describe the novel opportunities that arise from using these data in dynamic mathematical modeling. In this framework, traditional in vitro approaches may be combined with modern genome-scale measurements to foster thorough understanding of the underlying complex mechanisms. © 2013 FEBS.

  18. Complex dynamics of a stochastic discrete modified Leslie-Gower predator-prey model with Michaelis-Menten type prey harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Elhassanein

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduced a stochastic discretized version of the modified Leslie-Gower predator-prey model with Michaelis-Menten type prey harvesting. The dynamical behavior of the proposed model was investigated. The existence and stability of the equilibria of the skeleton were studied. Numerical simulations were employed to show the model's complex dynamics by means of the largest Lyapunov exponents, bifurcations, time series diagrams and phase portraits. The effects of noise intensity on its dynamics and the intermittency phenomenon were also discussed via simulation.

  19. Evaluation of rate law approximations in bottom-up kinetic models of metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Du, Bin; Zielinski, Daniel C.; Kavvas, Erol S.

    2016-01-01

    mass action rate law that removes the role of the enzyme from the reaction kinetics. We utilized in vivo data for the human red blood cell to compare the effect of rate law choices against the backdrop of physiological flux and concentration differences. We found that the Michaelis-Menten rate law......Background: The mechanistic description of enzyme kinetics in a dynamic model of metabolism requires specifying the numerical values of a large number of kinetic parameters. The parameterization challenge is often addressed through the use of simplifying approximations to form reaction rate laws....... These approximate rate laws were: 1) a Michaelis-Menten rate law with measured enzyme parameters, 2) a Michaelis-Menten rate law with approximated parameters, using the convenience kinetics convention, 3) a thermodynamic rate law resulting from a metabolite saturation assumption, and 4) a pure chemical reaction...

  20. Collective behaviours: from biochemical kinetics to electronic circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agliari, Elena; Barra, Adriano; Burioni, Raffaella; di Biasio, Aldo; Uguzzoni, Guido

    2013-12-01

    In this work we aim to highlight a close analogy between cooperative behaviors in chemical kinetics and cybernetics; this is realized by using a common language for their description, that is mean-field statistical mechanics. First, we perform a one-to-one mapping between paradigmatic behaviors in chemical kinetics (i.e., non-cooperative, cooperative, ultra-sensitive, anti-cooperative) and in mean-field statistical mechanics (i.e., paramagnetic, high and low temperature ferromagnetic, anti-ferromagnetic). Interestingly, the statistical mechanics approach allows a unified, broad theory for all scenarios and, in particular, Michaelis-Menten, Hill and Adair equations are consistently recovered. This framework is then tested against experimental biological data with an overall excellent agreement. One step forward, we consistently read the whole mapping from a cybernetic perspective, highlighting deep structural analogies between the above-mentioned kinetics and fundamental bricks in electronics (i.e. operational amplifiers, flashes, flip-flops), so to build a clear bridge linking biochemical kinetics and cybernetics.

  1. Transient competitive complexation in biological kinetic isotope fractionation explains non-steady isotopic effects: Theory and application to denitrification in soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maggi, F.M.; Riley, W.J.

    2009-06-01

    The theoretical formulation of biological kinetic reactions in isotopic applications often assume first-order or Michaelis-Menten-Monod kinetics under the quasi-steady-state assumption to simplify the system kinetics. However, isotopic e ects have the same order of magnitude as the potential error introduced by these simpli cations. Both formulations lead to a constant fractionation factor which may yield incorrect estimations of the isotopic effect and a misleading interpretation of the isotopic signature of a reaction. We have analyzed the isotopic signature of denitri cation in biogeochemical soil systems by Menyailo and Hungate [2006], where high {sup 15}N{sub 2}O enrichment during N{sub 2}O production and inverse isotope fractionation during N{sub 2}O consumption could not be explained with first-order kinetics and the Rayleigh equation, or with the quasi-steady-state Michaelis-Menten-Monod kinetics. When the quasi-steady-state assumption was relaxed, transient Michaelis-Menten-Monod kinetics accurately reproduced the observations and aided in interpretation of experimental isotopic signatures. These results may imply a substantial revision in using the Rayleigh equation for interpretation of isotopic signatures and in modeling biological kinetic isotope fractionation with first-order kinetics or quasi-steady-state Michaelis-Menten-Monod kinetics.

  2. A stochastic model of enzyme kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefanini, Marianne; Newman, Timothy; McKane, Alan

    2003-10-01

    Enzyme kinetics is generally modeled by deterministic rate equations, and in the simplest case leads to the well-known Michaelis-Menten equation. It is plausible that stochastic effects will play an important role at low enzyme concentrations. We have addressed this by constructing a simple stochastic model which can be exactly solved in the steady-state. Throughout a wide range of parameter values Michaelis-Menten dynamics is replaced by a new and simple theoretical result.

  3. An Inverse Michaelis–Menten Approach for Interfacial Enzyme Kinetics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kari, Jeppe; Andersen, Morten; Borch, Kim

    2017-01-01

    Interfacial enzyme reactions are ubiquitous both in vivo and in technical applications, but analysis of their kinetics remains controversial. In particular, it is unclear whether conventional Michaelis–Menten theory, which requires a large excess of substrate, can be applied. Here, an extensive...... experimental study of the enzymatic hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose indeed showed that the conventional approach had a limited applicability. Instead we argue that, unlike bulk reactions, interfacial enzyme catalysis may reach a steady-state condition in the opposite experimental limit, where...... for kinetic analyses of interfacial enzyme reactions and that its analogy to established theory provides a bridge to the accumulated understanding of steady-state enzyme kinetics. Finally, we show that the ratio of parameters from conventional and inverted Michaelis–Menten analysis reveals the density...

  4. Why plankton modellers should reconsider using rectangular hyperbolic (Michaelis-Menten, Monod descriptions of predator-prey interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin John Flynn

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Rectangular hyperbolic type 2 (RHt2; Michaelis-Menten or Monod -like functions are commonly used to describe predation kinetics in plankton models, either alone or together with a prey selectivity algorithm deploying the same half-saturation constant for all prey types referenced to external prey biomass abundance. We present an analysis that indicates that such descriptions are liable to give outputs that are not plausible according to encounter theory. This is especially so for multi-prey type applications or where changes are made to the maximum feeding rate during a simulation. The RHt2 approach also gives no or limited potential for descriptions of events such as true de-selection of prey, effects of turbulence on encounters, or changes in grazer motility with satiation. We present an alternative, which carries minimal parameterisation effort and computational cost, linking allometric algorithms relating prey abundance and encounter rates to a prey-selection function controlled by satiation. The resultant Satiation-Controlled-Encounter-Based (SCEB function provides a flexible construct describing numeric predator-prey interactions with biomass-feedback control of grazing. The SCEB function includes an attack component similar to that in the Holling disk equation but SCEB differs in having only a single (satiation-based handling constant and an explicit maximum grazing rate. We argue that there is no justification for continuing to deploy RHt2 functions to describe plankton predator-prey interactions.

  5. A century of enzyme kinetic analysis, 1913 to 2013.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kenneth A

    2013-09-02

    This review traces the history and logical progression of methods for quantitative analysis of enzyme kinetics from the 1913 Michaelis and Menten paper to the application of modern computational methods today. Following a brief review of methods for fitting steady state kinetic data, modern methods are highlighted for fitting full progress curve kinetics based upon numerical integration of rate equations, including a re-analysis of the original Michaelis-Menten full time course kinetic data. Finally, several illustrations of modern transient state kinetic methods of analysis are shown which enable the elucidation of reactions occurring at the active sites of enzymes in order to relate structure and function. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Patterns induced by super cross-diffusion in a predator-prey system with Michaelis-Menten type harvesting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Biao; Wu, Ranchao; Chen, Liping

    2018-04-01

    Turing instability and pattern formation in a super cross-diffusion predator-prey system with Michaelis-Menten type predator harvesting are investigated. Stability of equilibrium points is first explored with or without super cross-diffusion. It is found that cross-diffusion could induce instability of equilibria. To further derive the conditions of Turing instability, the linear stability analysis is carried out. From theoretical analysis, note that cross-diffusion is the key mechanism for the formation of spatial patterns. By taking cross-diffusion rate as bifurcation parameter, we derive amplitude equations near the Turing bifurcation point for the excited modes by means of weakly nonlinear theory. Dynamical analysis of the amplitude equations interprets the structural transitions and stability of various forms of Turing patterns. Furthermore, the theoretical results are illustrated via numerical simulations. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Modeling uptake kinetics of cadmium by field-grown lettuce

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen Weiping [Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States)], E-mail: chenweip@yahoo.com.cn; Li Lianqing [Institute of Resources, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 (China); Chang, Andrew C.; Wu Laosheng [Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Kwon, Soon-Ik [Agricultural Environmental and Ecology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Suwon 441-707 (Korea, Republic of); Bottoms, Rick [Desert Research and Extension Center, 1004 East Holton Road, El Centro, CA 92243 (United States)

    2008-03-15

    Cadmium uptake by field grown Romaine lettuce treated with P-fertilizers of different Cd levels was investigated over an entire growing season. Results indicated that the rate of Cd uptake at a given time of the season can be satisfactorily described by the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, that is, plant uptake increases as the Cd concentration in soil solution increases, and it gradually approaches a saturation level. However, the rate constant of the Michaelis-Menten kinetics changes over the growing season. Under a given soil Cd level, the cadmium content in plant tissue decreases exponentially with time. To account for the dynamic nature of Cd uptake, a kinetic model integrating the time factor was developed to simulate Cd plant uptake over the growing season: C{sub Plant} = C{sub Solution} . PUF{sub max} . exp[-b . t], where C{sub Plant} and C{sub Solution} refer to the Cd content in plant tissue and soil solution, respectively, PUF{sub max} and b are kinetic constants. - A kinetic model was developed to evaluate the uptake of Cd under field conditions.

  8. Modeling uptake kinetics of cadmium by field-grown lettuce

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Weiping; Li Lianqing; Chang, Andrew C.; Wu Laosheng; Kwon, Soon-Ik; Bottoms, Rick

    2008-01-01

    Cadmium uptake by field grown Romaine lettuce treated with P-fertilizers of different Cd levels was investigated over an entire growing season. Results indicated that the rate of Cd uptake at a given time of the season can be satisfactorily described by the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, that is, plant uptake increases as the Cd concentration in soil solution increases, and it gradually approaches a saturation level. However, the rate constant of the Michaelis-Menten kinetics changes over the growing season. Under a given soil Cd level, the cadmium content in plant tissue decreases exponentially with time. To account for the dynamic nature of Cd uptake, a kinetic model integrating the time factor was developed to simulate Cd plant uptake over the growing season: C Plant = C Solution . PUF max . exp[-b . t], where C Plant and C Solution refer to the Cd content in plant tissue and soil solution, respectively, PUF max and b are kinetic constants. - A kinetic model was developed to evaluate the uptake of Cd under field conditions

  9. Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of aliphatic alcohols by ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    TBATB) in aqueous acetic acid leads to the formation of the corresponding aldehydes. The reaction is first order with respect to TBATB. Michaelis-Menten type kinetics is observed with respect to alcohols. The reaction failed to induce the ...

  10. Use of Mushroom Tyrosinase to Introduce Michaelis-Menten Enzyme Kinetics to Biochemistry Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flurkey, William H.; Inlow, Jennifer K.

    2017-01-01

    An inexpensive enzyme kinetics laboratory exercise for undergraduate biochemistry students is described utilizing tyrosinase from white button mushrooms. The exercise can be completed in one or two three-hour lab sessions. The optimal amounts of enzyme, substrate (catechol), and inhibitor (kojic acid) are first determined, and then kinetic data is…

  11. Thermodynamic Activity-Based Progress Curve Analysis in Enzyme Kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pleiss, Jürgen

    2018-03-01

    Macrokinetic Michaelis-Menten models based on thermodynamic activity provide insights into enzyme kinetics because they separate substrate-enzyme from substrate-solvent interactions. Kinetic parameters are estimated from experimental progress curves of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Three pitfalls are discussed: deviations between thermodynamic and concentration-based models, product effects on the substrate activity coefficient, and product inhibition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Michaëlis--Menten kinetics of phenazone elimination in the perfused pig liver

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreasen, B; Tonnesen, K; Rabol, A

    1977-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to define the elimination kinetics of phenazone (NFN) in the isolated perfused pig liver. In five experiments phenazone was administered as constant infusion to obtain steady-state periods over a wide range of concentrations. The elimination of phenazone follo...

  13. Kinetics of Butyrate, Acetate, and Hydrogen Metabolism in a Thermophilic, Anaerobic, Butyrate-Degrading Triculture

    OpenAIRE

    Ahring, Birgitte K.; Westermann, Peter

    1987-01-01

    Kinetics of butyrate, acetate, and hydrogen metabolism were determined with butyrate-limited, chemostat-grown tricultures of a thermophilic butyrate-utilizing bacterium together with Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and the TAM organism, a thermophilic acetate-utilizing methanogenic rod. Kinetic parameters were determined from progress curves fitted to the integrated form of the Michaelis-Menten equation. The apparent half-saturation constants, Km, for butyrate, acetate, and dissolved hyd...

  14. A kinetic model for the penicillin biosynthetic pathway in

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jens; Jørgensen, Henrik

    1996-01-01

    A kinetic model for the first two steps in the penicillin biosynthetic pathway, i.e. the ACV synthetase (ACVS) and the isopenicillin N synthetase (IPNS) is proposed. The model is based on Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with non-competitive inhibition of the ACVS by ACV, and competitive inhibition...... of the IPNS by glutathione. The model predicted flux through the pathway corresponds well with the measured rate of penicillin biosynthesis. From the kinetic model the elasticity coefficients and the flux control coefficients are calculated throughout a fed-batch cultivation, and it is found...

  15. Emergence of dynamic cooperativity in the stochastic kinetics of fluctuating enzymes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Ashutosh; Chatterjee, Sambarta; Nandi, Mintu; Dua, Arti

    2016-01-01

    Dynamic co-operativity in monomeric enzymes is characterized in terms of a non-Michaelis-Menten kinetic behaviour. The latter is believed to be associated with mechanisms that include multiple reaction pathways due to enzymatic conformational fluctuations. Recent advances in single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy have provided new fundamental insights on the possible mechanisms underlying reactions catalyzed by fluctuating enzymes. Here, we present a bottom-up approach to understand enzyme turnover kinetics at physiologically relevant mesoscopic concentrations informed by mechanisms extracted from single-molecule stochastic trajectories. The stochastic approach, presented here, shows the emergence of dynamic co-operativity in terms of a slowing down of the Michaelis-Menten (MM) kinetics resulting in negative co-operativity. For fewer enzymes, dynamic co-operativity emerges due to the combined effects of enzymatic conformational fluctuations and molecular discreteness. The increase in the number of enzymes, however, suppresses the effect of enzymatic conformational fluctuations such that dynamic co-operativity emerges solely due to the discrete changes in the number of reacting species. These results confirm that the turnover kinetics of fluctuating enzyme based on the parallel-pathway MM mechanism switches over to the single-pathway MM mechanism with the increase in the number of enzymes. For large enzyme numbers, convergence to the exact MM equation occurs in the limit of very high substrate concentration as the stochastic kinetics approaches the deterministic behaviour.

  16. Emergence of dynamic cooperativity in the stochastic kinetics of fluctuating enzymes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Ashutosh; Chatterjee, Sambarta; Nandi, Mintu; Dua, Arti, E-mail: arti@iitm.ac.in [Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai 600036 (India)

    2016-08-28

    Dynamic co-operativity in monomeric enzymes is characterized in terms of a non-Michaelis-Menten kinetic behaviour. The latter is believed to be associated with mechanisms that include multiple reaction pathways due to enzymatic conformational fluctuations. Recent advances in single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy have provided new fundamental insights on the possible mechanisms underlying reactions catalyzed by fluctuating enzymes. Here, we present a bottom-up approach to understand enzyme turnover kinetics at physiologically relevant mesoscopic concentrations informed by mechanisms extracted from single-molecule stochastic trajectories. The stochastic approach, presented here, shows the emergence of dynamic co-operativity in terms of a slowing down of the Michaelis-Menten (MM) kinetics resulting in negative co-operativity. For fewer enzymes, dynamic co-operativity emerges due to the combined effects of enzymatic conformational fluctuations and molecular discreteness. The increase in the number of enzymes, however, suppresses the effect of enzymatic conformational fluctuations such that dynamic co-operativity emerges solely due to the discrete changes in the number of reacting species. These results confirm that the turnover kinetics of fluctuating enzyme based on the parallel-pathway MM mechanism switches over to the single-pathway MM mechanism with the increase in the number of enzymes. For large enzyme numbers, convergence to the exact MM equation occurs in the limit of very high substrate concentration as the stochastic kinetics approaches the deterministic behaviour.

  17. Emergence of dynamic cooperativity in the stochastic kinetics of fluctuating enzymes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Ashutosh; Chatterjee, Sambarta; Nandi, Mintu; Dua, Arti

    2016-08-01

    Dynamic co-operativity in monomeric enzymes is characterized in terms of a non-Michaelis-Menten kinetic behaviour. The latter is believed to be associated with mechanisms that include multiple reaction pathways due to enzymatic conformational fluctuations. Recent advances in single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy have provided new fundamental insights on the possible mechanisms underlying reactions catalyzed by fluctuating enzymes. Here, we present a bottom-up approach to understand enzyme turnover kinetics at physiologically relevant mesoscopic concentrations informed by mechanisms extracted from single-molecule stochastic trajectories. The stochastic approach, presented here, shows the emergence of dynamic co-operativity in terms of a slowing down of the Michaelis-Menten (MM) kinetics resulting in negative co-operativity. For fewer enzymes, dynamic co-operativity emerges due to the combined effects of enzymatic conformational fluctuations and molecular discreteness. The increase in the number of enzymes, however, suppresses the effect of enzymatic conformational fluctuations such that dynamic co-operativity emerges solely due to the discrete changes in the number of reacting species. These results confirm that the turnover kinetics of fluctuating enzyme based on the parallel-pathway MM mechanism switches over to the single-pathway MM mechanism with the increase in the number of enzymes. For large enzyme numbers, convergence to the exact MM equation occurs in the limit of very high substrate concentration as the stochastic kinetics approaches the deterministic behaviour.

  18. Steady-state cerebral glucose concentrations and transport in the human brain

    OpenAIRE

    Gruetter, R.; Ugurbil, K.; Seaquist, E. R.

    1998-01-01

    Understanding the mechanism of brain glucose transport across the blood- brain barrier is of importance to understanding brain energy metabolism. The specific kinetics of glucose transport nave been generally described using standard Michaelis-Menten kinetics. These models predict that the steady- state glucose concentration approaches an upper limit in the human brain when the plasma glucose level is well above the Michaelis-Menten constant for half-maximal transport, K(t). In experiments wh...

  19. Michaelis - Menten equation for degradation of insoluble substrate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Morten; Kari, Jeppe; Borch, Kim

    2017-01-01

    substrate it is difficult to assess whether the requirement of the MM equation is met. In this paper we study a simple kinetic model, where removal of attack sites expose new ones which preserve the total accessible substrate, and denote this approach the substrate conserving model. The kinetic equations...... are solved in closed form, both steady states and progress curves, for any admissible values of initial conditions and rate constants. The model is shown to merge with the MM equation and the reverse MM equation when these are valid. The relation between available molar concentration of attack sites and mass...

  20. Kinetic modeling of electron transfer reactions in photosystem I complexes of various structures with substituted quinone acceptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milanovsky, Georgy E; Petrova, Anastasia A; Cherepanov, Dmitry A; Semenov, Alexey Yu

    2017-09-01

    The reduction kinetics of the photo-oxidized primary electron donor P 700 in photosystem I (PS I) complexes from cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were analyzed within the kinetic model, which considers electron transfer (ET) reactions between P 700 , secondary quinone acceptor A 1 , iron-sulfur clusters and external electron donor and acceptors - methylviologen (MV), 2,3-dichloro-naphthoquinone (Cl 2 NQ) and oxygen. PS I complexes containing various quinones in the A 1 -binding site (phylloquinone PhQ, plastoquinone-9 PQ and Cl 2 NQ) as well as F X -core complexes, depleted of terminal iron-sulfur F A /F B clusters, were studied. The acceleration of charge recombination in F X -core complexes by PhQ/PQ substitution indicates that backward ET from the iron-sulfur clusters involves quinone in the A 1 -binding site. The kinetic parameters of ET reactions were obtained by global fitting of the P 700 + reduction with the kinetic model. The free energy gap ΔG 0 between F X and F A /F B clusters was estimated as -130 meV. The driving force of ET from A 1 to F X was determined as -50 and -220 meV for PhQ in the A and B cofactor branches, respectively. For PQ in A 1A -site, this reaction was found to be endergonic (ΔG 0  = +75 meV). The interaction of PS I with external acceptors was quantitatively described in terms of Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The second-order rate constants of ET from F A /F B , F X and Cl 2 NQ in the A 1 -site of PS I to external acceptors were estimated. The side production of superoxide radical in the A 1 -site by oxygen reduction via the Mehler reaction might comprise ≥0.3% of the total electron flow in PS I.

  1. More Nuts and Bolts of Michaelis-Menten Enzyme Kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lechner, Joseph H.

    2011-01-01

    Several additions to a classroom activity are proposed in which an "enzyme" (the student) converts "substrates" (nut-bolt assemblies) into "products" (separated nuts and bolts) by unscrewing them. (Contains 1 table.)

  2. A Critical View on In Vitro Analysis of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) Transport Kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saaby, Lasse; Brodin, Birger

    2017-09-01

    Transport proteins expressed in the different barriers of the human body can have great implications on absorption, distribution, and excretion of drug compounds. Inhibition or saturation of a transporter can potentially alter these absorbtion, distribution, metabolism and elimination properties and thereby also the pharmacokinetic profile and bioavailability of drug compounds. P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) is an efflux transporter which is present in most of the barriers of the body, including the small intestine, the blood-brain barrier, the liver, and the kidney. In all these tissues, P-gp may mediate efflux of drug compounds and may also be a potential site for drug-drug interactions. Consequently, there is a need to be able to predict the saturation and inhibition of P-gp and other transporters in vivo. For this purpose, Michaelis-Menten steady-state analysis has been applied to estimate kinetic parameters, such as K m and V max , for carrier-mediated transport, whereas half-maximal inhibitor concentration (IC 50 ) and the disassociation constant for an inhibitor/P-gp complex (K i ) have been determined to estimate P-gp inhibition. This review addresses in vitro methods commonly used to study P-gp transport kinetics and aims at providing a critical evaluation of the application of steady-state Michaelis-Menten analysis of kinetic parameters for substrate/P-gp interactions. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Practical steady-state enzyme kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorsch, Jon R

    2014-01-01

    Enzymes are key components of most biological processes. Characterization of enzymes is therefore frequently required during the study of biological systems. Steady-state kinetics provides a simple and rapid means of assessing the substrate specificity of an enzyme. When combined with site-directed mutagenesis (see Site-Directed Mutagenesis), it can be used to probe the roles of particular amino acids in the enzyme in substrate recognition and catalysis. Effects of interaction partners and posttranslational modifications can also be assessed using steady-state kinetics. This overview explains the general principles of steady-state enzyme kinetics experiments in a practical, rather than theoretical, way. Any biochemistry textbook will have a section on the theory of Michaelis-Menten kinetics, including derivations of the relevant equations. No specific enzymatic assay is described here, although a method for monitoring product formation or substrate consumption over time (an assay) is required to perform the experiments described. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Enzyme activity and kinetics in substrate-amended river sediments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duddridge, J E; Wainwright, M

    1982-01-01

    In determining the effects of heavy metals in microbial activity and litter degradation in river sediments, one approach is to determine the effects of these pollutants on sediment enzyme activity and synthesis. Methods to assay amylase, cellulase and urease activity in diverse river sediments are reported. Enzyme activity was low in non-amended sediments, but increased markedly when the appropriate substrate was added, paralleling both athropogenic and natural amendment. Linear relationships between enzyme activity, length of incubation, sample size and substrate concentration were established. Sediment enzyme activity generally obeyed Michaelis-Menton kinetics, but of the three enzymes, urease gave least significant correlation coefficients when the data for substrate concentration versus activity was applied to the Eadie-Hofstee transformation of the Michaelis-Menten equation. K/sub m/ and V/sub max/ for amylase, cellulase and urease in sediments are reported. (JMT)

  5. Hybrid dynamic modeling of Escherichia coli central metabolic network combining Michaelis–Menten and approximate kinetic equations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Costa, Rafael S.; Machado, Daniel; Rocha, Isabel

    2010-01-01

    , represent nowadays the limiting factor in the construction of such models. In this study, we compare four alternative modeling approaches based on Michaelis–Menten kinetics for the bi-molecular reactions and different types of simplified rate equations for the remaining reactions (generalized mass action......The construction of dynamic metabolic models at reaction network level requires the use of mechanistic enzymatic rate equations that comprise a large number of parameters. The lack of knowledge on these equations and the difficulty in the experimental identification of their associated parameters...

  6. Solution of non-steady-state substrate concentration in the action of biosensor response at mixed enzyme kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senthamarai, R.; Jana Ranjani, R.

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, a mathematical model of an amperometric biosensor at mixed enzyme kinetics and diffusion limitation in the case of substrate inhibition has been developed. The model is based on time dependent reaction diffusion equation containing a non -linear term related to non -Michaelis - Menten kinetics of the enzymatic reaction. Solution for the concentration of the substrate has been derived for all values of parameters using the homotopy perturbation method. All the approximate analytic expressions of substrate concentration are compared with simulation results using Scilab/Matlab program. Finally, we have given a satisfactory agreement between them.

  7. Kinetics of glucose transport in rat muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ploug, Thorkil; Galbo, Henrik; Vinten, Jørgen

    1987-01-01

    The effects of insulin and prior muscle contractions, respectively, on 3-O-methylglucose (3-O-MG) transport in skeletal muscle were studied in the perfused rat hindquarter. Initial rates of entry of 3-O-MG in red gastrocnemius, soleus, and white gastrocnemius muscles as a function of perfusate 3-O-MG...... concentration exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Uptake by simple diffusion could not be detected. The maximum 3-O-MG transport velocity (Vmax) was increased more by maximum isometric contractions (10- to 40-fold, depending on fiber type) than by insulin (20,000 microU/ml; 3- to 20-fold) in both red and white...

  8. The steady-state kinetics of the NADH-dependent nitrite reductase from Escherichia coli K 12. Nitrite and hydroxylamine reduction.

    OpenAIRE

    Jackson, R H; Cole, J A; Cornish-Bowden, A

    1981-01-01

    The reduction of both NO2- and hydroxylamine by the NADH-dependent nitrite reductase of Escherichia coli K 12 (EC 1.6.6.4) appears to follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics over a wide range of NADH concentrations. Substrate inhibition can, however, be detected at low concentrations of the product NAD+. In addition, NAD+ displays mixed product inhibition with respect to NADH and mixed or uncompetitive inhibition with respect to hydroxylamine. These inhibition characteristics are consistent with a m...

  9. Kinetic characterisation of primer mismatches in allele-specific PCR: a quantitative assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waterfall, Christy M; Eisenthal, Robert; Cobb, Benjamin D

    2002-12-20

    A novel method of estimating the kinetic parameters of Taq DNA polymerase during rapid cycle PCR is presented. A model was constructed using a simplified sigmoid function to represent substrate accumulation during PCR in combination with the general equation describing high substrate inhibition for Michaelis-Menten enzymes. The PCR progress curve was viewed as a series of independent reactions where initial rates were accurately measured for each cycle. Kinetic parameters were obtained for allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) amplification to examine the effect of mismatches on amplification. A high degree of correlation was obtained providing evidence of substrate inhibition as a major cause of the plateau phase that occurs in the later cycles of PCR.

  10. Microscale Measurements of Michaelis-Menten Constants of Neuraminidase with Nanogel Capillary Electrophoresis for the Determination of the Sialic Acid Linkage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gattu, Srikanth; Crihfield, Cassandra L; Holland, Lisa A

    2017-01-03

    Phospholipid nanogels enhance the stability and performance of the exoglycosidase enzyme neuraminidase and are used to create a fixed zone of enzyme within a capillary. With nanogels, there is no need to covalently immobilize the enzyme, as it is physically constrained. This enables rapid quantification of Michaelis-Menten constants (K M ) for different substrates and ultimately provides a means to quantify the linkage (i.e., 2-3 versus 2-6) of sialic acids. The fixed zone of enzyme is inexpensive and easily positioned in the capillary to support electrophoresis mediated microanalysis using neuraminidase to analyze sialic acid linkages. To circumvent the limitations of diffusion during static incubation, the incubation period is reproducibly achieved by varying the number of forward and reverse passes the substrate makes through the stationary fixed zone using in-capillary electrophoretic mixing. A K M value of 3.3 ± 0.8 mM (V max , 2100 ± 200 μM/min) was obtained for 3'-sialyllactose labeled with 2-aminobenzoic acid using neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens that cleaves sialic acid monomers with an α2-3,6,8,9 linkage, which is similar to values reported in the literature that required benchtop analyses. The enzyme cleaves the 2-3 linkage faster than the 2-6, and a K M of 2 ± 1 mM (V max , 400 ± 100 μM/min) was obtained for the 6'-sialyllactose substrate. An alternative neuraminidase selective for 2-3 sialic acid linkages generated a K M value of 3 ± 2 mM (V max , 900 ± 300 μM/min) for 3'-sialyllactose. With a knowledge of V max , the method was applied to a mixture of 2-3 and 2-6 sialyllactose as well as 2-3 and 2-6 sialylated triantennary glycan. Nanogel electrophoresis is an inexpensive, rapid, and simple alternative to current technologies used to distinguish the composition of 3' and 6' sialic acid linkages.

  11. The kinetics of denitrification in permeable sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Evrard, Victor; Glud, Ronnie N.; Cook, Perran L. M.

    2013-01-01

    Permeable sediments comprise the majority of shelf sediments, yet the rates of denitrification remain highly uncertain in these environments. Computational models are increasingly being used to understand the dynamics of denitrification in permeable sediments, which are complex environments...... on sediments taken from six shallow coastal sites in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. The results showed that denitrification commenced rapidly (within 30 min) after the onset of anoxia and the kinetics could be well described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics with half saturation constants (apparent K...... in cohesive sediments despite organic carbon contents one order of magnitude lower for the sediments studied here. The ratio of sediment O-2 consumption to V-max was in the range of 0.02-0.09, and was on average much lower than the theoretical ratio of 0.8. As a consequence, models implemented...

  12. A kinetic model and simulation of starch saccharification and simultaneous ethanol fermentation by amyloglucosidase and Zymomonas mobilis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, C G [Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Kim, C H; Rhee, S K [Korea Inst. of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of). Genetic Engineering Research Inst.

    1992-07-01

    A mathematical model is described for the simultaneous saccharification and ethanol fermentation (SSF) of sago starch using amyloglycosidase (AMG) and Zymomonas mobilis. By introducing the degree of polymerization (DP) of oligosaccharides produced from sago starch treated with {alpha}-amylase, a series of Michaelis-Menten equations was obtained. After determining kinetic parameters from the results of simple experiments and from the subsite mapping theory, this model was adapted to simulate the SSF process. The results of simulation for SSF are in good agreement with experimental results. (orig.).

  13. Quantification of in vivo metabolic kinetics of hyperpolarized pyruvate in rat kidneys using dynamic 13C MRSI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tao; Mayer, Dirk; Gu, Meng; Yen, Yi-Fen; Josan, Sonal; Tropp, James; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Hurd, Ralph; Spielman, Daniel

    2011-10-01

    With signal-to-noise ratio enhancements on the order of 10,000-fold, hyperpolarized MRSI of metabolically active substrates allows the study of both the injected substrate and downstream metabolic products in vivo. Although hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]pyruvate, in particular, has been used to demonstrate metabolic activities in various animal models, robust quantification and metabolic modeling remain important areas of investigation. Enzyme saturation effects are routinely seen with commonly used doses of hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]pyruvate; however, most metrics proposed to date, including metabolite ratios, time-to-peak of metabolic products and single exchange rate constants, fail to capture these saturation effects. In addition, the widely used small-flip-angle excitation approach does not correctly model the inflow of fresh downstream metabolites generated proximal to the target slice, which is often a significant factor in vivo. In this work, we developed an efficient quantification framework employing a spiral-based dynamic spectroscopic imaging approach. The approach overcomes the aforementioned limitations and demonstrates that the in vivo (13)C labeling of lactate and alanine after a bolus injection of [1-(13)C]pyruvate is well approximated by saturatable kinetics, which can be mathematically modeled using a Michaelis-Menten-like formulation, with the resulting estimated apparent maximal reaction velocity V(max) and apparent Michaelis constant K(M) being unbiased with respect to critical experimental parameters, including the substrate dose, bolus shape and duration. Although the proposed saturatable model has a similar mathematical formulation to the original Michaelis-Menten kinetics, it is conceptually different. In this study, we focus on the (13)C labeling of lactate and alanine and do not differentiate the labeling mechanism (net flux or isotopic exchange) or the respective contribution of various factors (organ perfusion rate, substrate transport

  14. Exploring between the extremes: conversion-dependent kinetics of phosphite-modified hydroformylation catalysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubis, Christoph; Selent, Detlef; Sawall, Mathias; Ludwig, Ralf; Neymeyr, Klaus; Baumann, Wolfgang; Franke, Robert; Börner, Armin

    2012-07-09

    The kinetics of the hydroformylation of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene with a rhodium monophosphite catalyst has been studied in detail. Time-dependent concentration profiles covering the entire olefin conversion range were derived from in situ high-pressure FTIR spectroscopic data for both, pure organic components and catalytic intermediates. These profiles fit to Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics with competitive and uncompetitive side reactions involved. The characteristics found for the influence of the hydrogen concentration verify that the pre-equilibrium towards the catalyst substrate complex is not established. It has been proven experimentally that the hydrogenolysis of the intermediate acyl complex remains rate limiting even at high conversions when the rhodium hydride is the predominant resting state and the reaction is nearly of first order with respect to the olefin. Results from in situ FTIR and high-pressure (HP) NMR spectroscopy and from DFT calculations support the coordination of only one phosphite ligand in the dominating intermediates and a preferred axial position of the phosphite in the electronically saturated, trigonal bipyramidal (tbp)-structured acyl rhodium complex. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. A path-independent integral for the characterization of solute concentration and flux at biofilm detachments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, B.; Kulkarni, S.S.; Reeves, H.W.

    2007-01-01

    A path-independent (conservation) integral is developed for the characterization of solute concentration and flux in a biofilm in the vicinity of a detachment or other flux limiting boundary condition. Steady state conditions of solute diffusion are considered and biofilm kinetics are described by an uptake term which can be expressed in terms of a potential (Michaelis-Menten kinetics). An asymptotic solution for solute concentration at the tip of the detachment is obtained and shown to be analogous to that of antiplane crack problems in linear elasticity. It is shown that the amplitude of the asymptotic solution can be calculated by evaluating a path-independent integral. The special case of a semi-infinite detachment in an infinite strip is considered and the amplitude of the asymptotic field is related to the boundary conditions and problem parameters in closed form for zeroth and first order kinetics and numerically for Michaelis-Menten kinetics. ?? Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007.

  16. Spectral Quasi-Equilibrium Manifold for Chemical Kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kooshkbaghi, Mahdi; Frouzakis, Christos E; Boulouchos, Konstantinos; Karlin, Iliya V

    2016-05-26

    The Spectral Quasi-Equilibrium Manifold (SQEM) method is a model reduction technique for chemical kinetics based on entropy maximization under constraints built by the slowest eigenvectors at equilibrium. The method is revisited here and discussed and validated through the Michaelis-Menten kinetic scheme, and the quality of the reduction is related to the temporal evolution and the gap between eigenvalues. SQEM is then applied to detailed reaction mechanisms for the homogeneous combustion of hydrogen, syngas, and methane mixtures with air in adiabatic constant pressure reactors. The system states computed using SQEM are compared with those obtained by direct integration of the detailed mechanism, and good agreement between the reduced and the detailed descriptions is demonstrated. The SQEM reduced model of hydrogen/air combustion is also compared with another similar technique, the Rate-Controlled Constrained-Equilibrium (RCCE). For the same number of representative variables, SQEM is found to provide a more accurate description.

  17. Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of formic and oxalic acids by quinolinium fluorochromate (QFC) have been studied in dimethylsulphoxide. The main product of oxidation is carbon dioxide. The reaction is first-order with respect to QFC. Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics were observed with respect to the reductants.

  18. Picolinic acid promoted oxidative decarboxylation of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The kinetics and mechanism of picolinic acid promoted reaction of phenylsulfinylacetic acid (PSAA) with Cr(VI) was carried out in aqueous acetonitrile medium under pseudo first order conditions. The reaction follows Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics with respect to PSAA. The catalytic activity by picolinic acid can be ...

  19. application of ascorbic acid 2-phosphate as a new voltammetric

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    a

    acid 2-phosphate (AAP) as a new voltammetric substrate has been described in this paper. In the alkaline buffer .... ALP labeled goat anti-rabbit ..... Classical Michaelis-Menten kinetic experiments were carried out to measure the maximum.

  20. Kinetics of the norepinephrine analog [76Br]-meta-bromobenzylguanidine in isolated working rat heart

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raffel, David; Loc'h, Christian; Mardon, Karine; Maziere, Bernard; Syrota, Andre

    1998-01-01

    A related set of kinetic studies of the norepinephrine analog [ 76 Br]-meta-bromobenzylguanidine (MBBG) were performed with an isolated working rat heart preparation. A series of constant infusion studies over a wide range of MBBG concentrations allowed estimation of the Michaelis-Menten constants for transport by the neuronal norepinephrine transporter (uptake 1 ) and the extraneuronal uptake system (uptake 2 ). Pharmacological blocking studies with inhibitors of uptake 1 , uptake 2 and vesicular uptake were performed to delineate the relative importance of these norepinephrine handling mechanisms on the kinetics of MBBG in the rat heart. Bolus injection studies were done to assess the ability of compartmental modeling techniques to characterize the kinetics of MBBG. These studies demonstrate that MBBG shares many of the same uptake mechanisms as norepinephrine in the rat heart. PET imaging studies with MBBG would be useful for assessing sympathetic nerve status in the living human heart

  1. NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF STEADY STATE DISPERSION FLOW MODEL FOR LACTOSE-LACTASE HYDROLYSIS WITH DIFFERENT KINETICS IN FIXED BED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    OLAOSEBIKAN ABIDOYE OLAFADEHAN

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available A detailed computational procedure for evaluating lactose hydrolysis with immobilized enzyme in a packed bed tubular reactor under dispersion flow conditions is presented. The dispersion flow model for lactose hydrolysis using different kinetics, taking cognizance of external mass transfer resistances, was solved by the method of orthogonal collocation. The reliability of model simulations was tested using experimental data from a laboratory packed bed column, where the -galactosidase of Kluyveromyces fragilis was immobilized on spherical chitosan beads. Comparison of the simulated results with experimental exit conversion shows that the dispersion flow model and using Michaelis-Menten kinetics with competitive product (galactose inhibition are appropriate to interpret the experimental results and simulate the process of lactose hydrolysis in a fixed bed.

  2. Kinetics of Oxidation of Metochlopramide withChloramine-T in HClO4 Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. M. Meenakshi

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The kinetics of oxidation of metochlopramide hydrochloride (MCP with sodium N-chloro p-toluenesulfonamide (CAT in perchloric acid solution has been studied at 313K. The reaction rate shows a first order dependence on [CAT], fractional order on [MCP] and inverse fractional order on [H+]. There is a negative effect of dielectric constant of the solvent. The addition of the reduction product of CAT has no significant effect on the rate. The rate remained unchanged with the variation in the ionic strength of the medium. The reaction fails to induce the polymerization of acrylonitrile. Thermodynamic parameters have been computed by Arrhenius plot. The stoichiometry of the reaction was found to be 1:2 and oxidation products were identified. The Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics has been proposed. CH3C6H4SO2NHCl have been assumed to be the reactive oxidizing species. Thermodynamic parameters were computed by studying reactions at different temperatures. A mechanism consistent with observed kinetics is proposed.

  3. Cyclodextrin Aldehydes are Oxidase Mimics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fenger, Thomas Hauch; Bjerre, Jeannette; Bols, Mikael

    2009-01-01

    Cyclodextrins containing 6-aldehyde groups were found to catalyse oxidation of aminophenols in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The catalysis followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and is related to the catalysis previously observed with cyclodextrin ketones. A range of different cyclodextrin aldeh...

  4. Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ... behaves as an effective catalyst towards oxidation of 3,5-ditertiarybutyl catechol (3,5-DTBC) in acetonitrile to its corresponding quinone derivative in air. The reaction follows first-order reaction kinetics with rate constant 4.28 × 10−5 min-1. The reaction follows Michaelis-Menten enzymatic kinetics with a turnover number of ...

  5. Real-Time Enzyme Kinetics by Quantitative NMR Spectroscopy and Determination of the Michaelis-Menten Constant Using the Lambert-W Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Her, Cheenou; Alonzo, Aaron P.; Vang, Justin Y.; Torres, Ernesto; Krishnan, V. V.

    2015-01-01

    Enzyme kinetics is an essential part of a chemistry curriculum, especially for students interested in biomedical research or in health care fields. Though the concept is routinely performed in undergraduate chemistry/biochemistry classrooms using other spectroscopic methods, we provide an optimized approach that uses a real-time monitoring of the…

  6. MODELING OF MIXED CHEMOSTAT CULTURES OF AN AEROBIC BACTERIUM, COMAMONAS-TESTOSTERONI, AND AN ANAEROBIC BACTERIUM, VEILLONELLA-ALCALESCENS - COMPARISON WITH EXPERIMENTAL-DATA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    GERRITSE, J; SCHUT, F; GOTTSCHAL, JC

    A mathematical model of mixed chemostat cultures of the obligately aerobic bacterium Comamonas testosteroni and the anaerobic bacterium Veillonella alcalescens grown under dual limitation Of L-lactate and oxygen was constructed. The model was based on Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics for the

  7. Oxidation study of the synthetic sulfides molybdenite (MoS2) and covellite (CuS) by acidithiobacillus ferrooxidants using respirometric experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francisco Junior, Wilmo E.; Universidade Estadual Paulista; Bevilaqua, Denise; Garcia Junior, Oswaldo

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyses the oxidation of covellite and molybdenite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain LR using respirometric experiments. The results showed that both sulfides were oxidized by A. ferrooxidans, however, the covellite oxidation was much higher than molybdenite. Regarding the kinetic oxidation, the findings revealed that just molybdenite oxidation followed the classical Michaelis-Menten kinetic. It is probably associated with the pathway which these sulfides react to chemistry-bacterial attack, what is influenced by its electronic structures. Besides, experiments conducted in the presence of Fe 3+ did not indicate alterations in molybdenite oxidation. Thus, ferric ions seem not to be essential to the sulfide oxidations. (author)

  8. Oxidation study of the synthetic sulfides molybdenite (MoS{sub 2}) and covellite (CuS) by acidithiobacillus ferrooxidants using respirometric experiments; Estudo da oxidacao dos sulfetos sinteticos molibdenita (MoS2) e covelita (CuS) por Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans via respirometria celular

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Francisco Junior, Wilmo E. [Universidade Federal de Rondonia (UFRO), Porto Velho, RO (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica; Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica. Dept. de Bioquimica e Tecnologia Quimica], e-mail: wilmojr@bol.com.br; Bevilaqua, Denise; Garcia Junior, Oswaldo [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica. Dept. de Bioquimica e Tecnologia Quimica

    2009-07-01

    This paper analyses the oxidation of covellite and molybdenite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain LR using respirometric experiments. The results showed that both sulfides were oxidized by A. ferrooxidans, however, the covellite oxidation was much higher than molybdenite. Regarding the kinetic oxidation, the findings revealed that just molybdenite oxidation followed the classical Michaelis-Menten kinetic. It is probably associated with the pathway which these sulfides react to chemistry-bacterial attack, what is influenced by its electronic structures. Besides, experiments conducted in the presence of Fe{sup 3+} did not indicate alterations in molybdenite oxidation. Thus, ferric ions seem not to be essential to the sulfide oxidations. (author)

  9. Estudo da oxidação dos sulfetos sintéticos molibdenita (MoS2 e covelita (CuS por Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans via respirometria celular Oxidation study of the synthetic sulfides molybdenite (MoS2 and covellite (CuS by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans using respirometric experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilmo E. Francisco Junior

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyses the oxidation of covellite and molybdenite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain LR using respirometric experiments. The results showed that both sulfides were oxidized by A. ferrooxidans, however, the covellite oxidation was much higher than molybdenite. Regarding the kinetic oxidation, the findings revealed that just molybdenite oxidation followed the classical Michaelis-Menten kinetic. It is probably associated with the pathway which these sulfides react to chemistry-bacterial attack, what is influenced by its electronic structures. Besides, experiments conducted in the presence of Fe3+ did not indicate alterations in molybdenite oxidation. Thus, ferric ions seem not to be essential to the sulfide oxidations.

  10. Biodegradation of BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes) composites present in the petrochemical effluents industries; Biodegradacao dos compostos BTX (Benzeno, Tolueno e Xilenos) presentes em efluentes petroquimicos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Minatti, Gheise; Mello, Josiane M.M. de; Souza, Selene M.A. Guelli Ulson de; Ulson de, Antonio Augusto [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, SC (Brazil)

    2008-07-01

    The compounds BTX inside of the petrochemical effluent have presented a high potential of pollution, representing a serious risk to the environment and to the human. The great improvements in the field of biological treatment of liquid effluent were reached through the process using biofilm capable of degrading toxic compounds. The objective of this paper is to determine the degradation kinetics of BTX using biofilm. The experimental data were compared with two kinetic models, kinetic of first order and model of Michaelis-Menten. The kinetic parameters of BTX compounds were experimentally obtained in a bioreactor in batch with biomass immobilized in activated-carbon, being fed daily with solution of nutrients and BTX. For the kinetic models studied in this paper, the best performance was achieved with the model of Michaelis-Menten showing a good correlation coefficient for the three compounds. The biomass amount in these bioreactors was 49.18, 28.35 and 5.15 mg of SSV per gram of support for the toluene, benzene and o-xylene, respectively. The experimental tests showed that the biomass inside of bioreactor is capable to degrade all compounds in a time of approximately 300 minutes. (author)

  11. KINETIKA FERMENTASI SELULOSA MURNI OLEH Trichoderma reesi QM 9414 MENJADI GLUKOSA DAN PENERAPANNYA PADA JERAMI PADI BEBAS LIGNIN [Kinetics of Pure Cellulose Fermentation by Trichoderma Reesei QM 9414 to Glucose and Its Application of on Lignin Free Rice Straw

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Iyan Sofyan

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available The objectives of this research were: 1 to determine aeration rate and substrate concentration of pure cellulose to produce maximum glucose by Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 at 30 oC, and agitation 150 rpm; 2 to study the kinetics of pure cellulose fermentation by Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 to glucose and its implication upon fermentation of the lignin free rice straw. The experiment was arranged in factorial randomized complete design in three times replication. Treatments consisted of three levels of aeration (1,00 vvm; 1,5 vvm; 2,0 vvm and three levels of substrate concentration (0,75 ; 1,00 ; 1,25 % w/v. The results showed that at the exponential phase the average specific growth of Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 was 0,05374 hour-1, the maximum glucose product concentration of pure cellulose was 0.1644 gL-1,and the oxygen transfer was 0,0328 mg L-1 hour-1. According to t-test, the kinetics of pure cellulose fermentation model just the same as the lignin free rice straw fermentation.The enzymes produced by Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 in pure cellulose fermentation media followed the Michaelis-Menten model. The enzyme kinetic parameters were the maximum growth rate was 37x10-3 hour-1 and Michaelis-Menten constant was ½ maximum μ =17,5x10-3 hour-1. The volumetric oxygen transfer (KLa using rice straw was 0,0337 mg.hour-1. The value of KLa could be used for conversion from bioreactor at laboratory scale to commercial scale design.

  12. Signaling Cascades: Consequences of Varying Substrate and Phosphatase Levels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feliu, Elisenda; Knudsen, Michael; Wiuf, Carsten Henrik

    2012-01-01

    We study signaling cascades with an arbitrary number of layers of one-site phosphorylation cycles. Such cascades are abundant in nature and integrated parts of many pathways. Based on the Michaelis-Menten model of enzyme kinetics and the law of mass-action, we derive explicit analytic expressions...

  13. Purification and characterization of a chlorite dismutase from Pseudomonas chloritidismutans

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mehboob, F.; Wolterink, A.F.W.M.; Vermeulen, A.J.; Jiang, B.; Hagedoorn, P.L.; Stams, A.J.M.; Kengen, S.W.M.

    2009-01-01

    The chlorite dismutase (Cld) of Pseudomonas chloritidismutans was purified from the periplasmic fraction in one step by hydroxyapatite chromatography. The enzyme has a molecular mass of 110 kDa and consists of four 31-kDa subunits. Enzyme catalysis followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with Vmax and

  14. Wang and Li Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2016) 13(1):99 ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROF ADEWUNMI

    It possesses antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer and antioxidant ... All experiments on animals were conducted in accordance with and after approval by the ... With the content of gallic acid control as horizontal coordinate and the ... The kinetic constants were calculated based on Michaelis-Menten equation ...

  15. Modelling the extra and intracellular uptake and discharge of heavy metals in Fontinalis antipyretica transplanted along a heavy metal and pH contamination gradient

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, J.A.; Vazquez, M.D.; Lopez, J.; Carballeira, A.

    2006-01-01

    Samples of the aquatic bryophyte Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. were transplanted to different sites with the aim of characterizing the kinetics of the uptake and discharge of heavy metals in the extra and intracellular compartments. The accumulation of metals in extracellular compartments, characterized by an initial rapid accumulation, then a gradual slowing down over time, fitted perfectly to a Michaelis-Menten model. The discharge of metals from the same compartment followed an inverse linear model or an inverse Michaelis-Menten model, depending on the metal. In intracellular sites both uptake and discharge occurred more slowly and progressively, following a linear model. We also observed that the acidity of the environment greatly affected metal accumulation in extracellular sites, even when the metals were present at relatively high concentrations, whereas the uptake of metals within cells was much less affected by pH. - The kinetics of uptake and discharge of heavy metals, in different cellular locations, were studied in transplanted aquatic mosses

  16. Nonthermal effect of microwave irradiation on nitrite uptake in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pedrajas, C.; Cotrino, J.

    1989-01-01

    When cells of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were subjected to microwave irradiation at 2.45 GHz, nitrite uptake kinetics still obeyed the Michaelis-Menten equation, the Km of the process remaining constant, whereas V max increased, which indicates an enhanced nonthermal permeability in irradiated cells. (author)

  17. Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The oxidation of eleven amino acids by tetrabutylammonium tribromide (TBATB) in aqueous acetic acid results in the formation of the corresponding carbonyl compounds and ammonia. The reaction is first order with respect to TBATB. Michaelis-Menten type kinetics is observed with some of the amino acids while others ...

  18. International Meeting on Cholinesterases (5th) Held in Madras, India on 24-28 September, 1994.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-09-01

    found that hydrolysis of thioesters deviated from simple Michaelis-Menten model. Kinetics was triphasic , displaying complexities of both BuChE and ACHE...of recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (rHuAChE) produced by human embryonic kidney cell line (293) in a fixed-bed reactor (1) was investigated at

  19. THE KINETICS OF THE REACTIONS CATALYZED BY AN ENZYMATIC PREPARATION PRODUCED BY A BACILLUS LICHENIFORMIS STRAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MONICA DRAGOMIRESCU

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Robust immobilization techniques that preserve the activity of biomolecules have manypotential applications. In recent years, a number of new bioimobilisation methods in solgel-derived materials were reported. The interactions between the biomolecule and theinorganic material determine the degree to which the biomolecule retains its nativeproperties. The newer technological developments in the field of immobilizedbiocatalysts can offer the possibility of a wider and more economical exploitation ofbiocatalysts in biological applications, food and feed industry, medicine, and in thedevelopment of bioprocess monitoring devices, like the biosensors.The aim of this study was to obtain immobilized enzymatic preparations by methodswhich affect enzyme conformations and kinetic parameters as less as possible. Weimmobilized the enzymatic preparation with protease activity produced by a Bacilluslicheniformis B 40 local strain by physical bonding on ceramics and entrapment into solgel-derived glasses obtained from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, deposited in thin layeron a ceramic support (entrapment/deposition. Both physically adsorbed andentrapped/deposited enzymes follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics, similar with the solubleenzyme. In the case of immobilized enzymes, the apparent Michaelis constant, Km, wasgreater than that of the native one, as it was expected. The kinetic parameters indicatethat the enzymatic preparations adsorbed on ceramic support and entrapped/depositedshow less affinity for the substrate, Km being 1.3 and 2.1 times higher than that of thenative enzyme, respectively. The maximum velocity increased also by 3.5 and 7.9 timesrespectively, compared with the free counterpart (according to Lineweaver-Burklinearization.

  20. Kinetics of Single-Enzyme Reactions on Vesicles: Role of Substrate Aggregation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhdanov, Vladimir P.

    2015-03-01

    Enzymatic reactions occurring in vivo on lipid membranes can be influenced by various factors including macromolecular crowding in general and substrate aggregation in particular. In academic studies, the role of these factors can experimentally be clarified by tracking single-enzyme kinetics occurring on individual lipid vesicles. To extend the conceptual basis for such experiments, we analyze herein the corresponding kinetics mathematically with emphasis on the role of substrate aggregation. In general, the aggregation may occur on different length scales. Small aggregates may e.g. contain a few proteins or peptides while large aggregates may be mesoscopic as in the case of lipid domains which can be formed in the membranes composed of different lipids. We present a kinetic model describing comprehensively the effect of aggregation of the former type on the dependence of the reaction rate on substrate membrane concentration. The results obtained with physically reasonable parameters indicate that the aggregation-related deviations from the conventional Michaelis-Menten kinetics may be appreciable. Special Issue Comments: This theoretical article is focused on single-enzyme reactions occurring in parallel with substrate aggregation on individual vesicles. This subject is related to a few Special Issue articles concerning enzyme dynamics6,7 and function8 and mathematical aspects of stochastic kinetics.9

  1. Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of palmitanilide: Kinetic model and antimicrobial activity study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Kuan-Miao; Liu, Kuan-Ju

    2016-01-01

    Enzymatic syntheses of fatty acid anilides are important owing to their wide range of industrial applications in detergents, shampoo, cosmetics, and surfactant formulations. The amidation reaction of Mucor miehei lipase Lipozyme IM20 was investigated for direct amidation of triacylglycerol in organic solvents. The process parameters (reaction temperature, substrate molar ratio, enzyme amount) were optimized to achieve the highest yield of anilide. The maximum yield of palmitanilide (88.9%) was achieved after 24 h of reaction at 40 °C at an enzyme concentration of 1.4% (70 mg). Kinetics of lipase-catalyzed amidation of aniline with tripalmitin has been investigated. The reaction rate could be described in terms of the Michaelis-Menten equation with a Ping-Pong Bi-Bi mechanism and competitive inhibition by both the substrates. The kinetic constants were estimated by using non-linear regression method using enzyme kinetic modules. The enzyme operational stability study showed that Lipozyme IM20 retained 38.1% of the initial activity for the synthesis of palmitanilide (even after repeated use for 48 h). Palmitanilide, a fatty acid amide, exhibited potent antimicrobial activity toward Bacillus cereus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Complex Reaction Kinetics in Chemistry: A Unified Picture Suggested by Mechanics in Physics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Agliari

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Complex biochemical pathways can be reduced to chains of elementary reactions, which can be described in terms of chemical kinetics. Among the elementary reactions so far extensively investigated, we recall the Michaelis-Menten and the Hill positive-cooperative kinetics, which apply to molecular binding and are characterized by the absence and the presence, respectively, of cooperative interactions between binding sites. However, there is evidence of reactions displaying a more complex pattern: these follow the positive-cooperative scenario at small substrate concentration, yet negative-cooperative effects emerge as the substrate concentration is increased. Here, we analyze the formal analogy between the mathematical backbone of (classical reaction kinetics in Chemistry and that of (classical mechanics in Physics. We first show that standard cooperative kinetics can be framed in terms of classical mechanics, where the emerging phenomenology can be obtained by applying the principle of least action of classical mechanics. Further, since the saturation function plays in Chemistry the same role played by velocity in Physics, we show that a relativistic scaffold naturally accounts for the kinetics of the above-mentioned complex reactions. The proposed formalism yields to a unique, consistent picture for cooperative-like reactions and to a stronger mathematical control.

  3. Metabolic stereoselectivity of cytochrome P450 3A4 towards deoxypodophyllotoxin : In silico predictions and experimental validation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Julsing, Mattijs K.; Vasilev, Nikolay P.; Schneidman-Duhovny, Dina; Muntendarn, Remco; Woerdenbag, Herman J.; Quax, Wim J.; Wolfson, Haim J.; Ionkova, Iliana; Kayser, Oliver

    Deoxypodophyllotoxin is stereoselectively converted into epipodophyllotoxin by recombinant human cytochrome P450 3A4 (CY-P3A4). Further kinetic analysis revealed that the Michaelis-Menten K(m) and V(max) for hydroxylation of deoxypodophyllotoxin by CYP3A4 at C7 position were 1.93 mu M and 1.48

  4. Interactions of NH4+ and L-glutamate with NO3- transport processes of non-mycorrhizal Fagus sylvatica roots

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kreuzwieser, J; Herschbach, C; Stulen, [No Value; Wiersema, P; Vaalburg, W; Rennenberg, H

    The processes of NO3- uptake and transport and the effects of NH4+ or L-glutamate on these processes were investigated with excised non-mycorrhizal beech (Fagus sylvatica L,) roots, NO3- net uptake followed uniphasic Michaelis-Menten kinetics in a concentration range of 10 mu M to 1 mM with an

  5. Study on biofiltration capacity and kinetics of nutrient uptake by Gracilaria cervicornis (Turner J. Agardh (Rhodophyta, Gracilariaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcella A. A. Carneiro

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The absorption efficiency and kinetic parameters (Vmax, Ks and Vmax:Ks of the seaweed Gracilaria cervicornis for the nutrients NH4+, NO3- and PO4(3- were evaluated. Absorption efficiency was measured by monitoring nutrient concentrations for 5 h in culture media with initial concentrations of 5, 10, 20 and 30µM. Kinetic parameters were determined by using the Michaelis-Menten formula. Absorption efficiencies for this algae were greater in treatments with lower concentrations, as evidenced by a reduction of 85.3, 97.5 and 81.2% for NH4+, NO3- and PO4(3-, respectively. Kinetic parameters show that G. cervicornis exhibits greater ability to take up high concentrations of NH4+ (Vmax=158.5µM g dw-1 h-1 and low concentrations of PO4(3- (Ks=5µM and Vmax:Ks=10.3. These results suggest that this algal species has good absorption capacity for the nutrients tested and may be a promising candidate as a bioremediator of eutrophized environments.

  6. Stoichiometry and kinetics of single and mixed substrate uptake in Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lameiras, Francisca; Ras, Cor; Ten Pierick, Angela; Heijnen, Joseph J; van Gulik, Walter M

    2018-02-01

    In its natural environment, the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger grows on decaying fruits and plant material, thereby enzymatically degrading the lignocellulosic constituents (lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin) into a mixture of mono- and oligosaccharides. To investigate the kinetics and stoichiometry of growth of this fungus on lignocellulosic sugars, we carried out batch cultivations on six representative monosaccharides (glucose, xylose, mannose, rhamnose, arabinose, and galacturonic acid) and a mixture of these. Growth on these substrates was characterized in terms of biomass yields, oxygen/biomass ratios, and specific conversion rates. Interestingly, in combination, some of the carbon sources were consumed simultaneously and some sequentially. With a previously developed protocol, a sequential chemostat cultivation experiment was performed on a feed mixture of the six substrates. We found that the uptake of glucose, xylose, and mannose could be described with a Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics; however, these carbon sources seem to be competing for the same transport systems, while the uptake of arabinose, galacturonic acid, and rhamnose appeared to be repressed by the presence of other substrates.

  7. Nitrate transport processes in Fagus-Laccaria-mycorrhizae

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kreuzwieser, J; Stulen, [No Value; Wiersema, P; Vaalburg, W; Rennenberg, H

    2000-01-01

    The contribution of influx and efflux of NO3- on NO3- net uptake has been studied in excised mycorrhizae of 18-20 week old beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees. Net uptake rates of NO3- followed uniphasic Michaelis-Menten kinetics in the concentration range between 10 mu M and 1.0 mM external NO3-, with

  8. [Kinetics of uptake of phosphates and nitrates by marine multicellular algae Gelidium latifolium (Grev.) Born. et Thur].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silkin, V A; Chubchikova, I N

    2007-01-01

    We studied nonstationary kinetics of the uptake of phosphates and nitrates by the red marine algae Gelidium latifolium (Grev.) Born et Thur. and calculated constants of the Michaelis-Menten equation for these elements. In the area of 0-3 microM, the kinetics of phosphate consumption had the following coefficients: maximum rate of uptake 0.8 micromol/(g x h), constant of half-saturation 1.745 microM. For nitrate nitrogen at 0-30 microM, an adaptive strategy of uptake kinetics was noted with change of the equation parameters with time: after 1 h, the maximum rate of uptake was 5.1 micromol/(g x h) and constant of half-saturation 19 gM, while within 2 h, the maximum rate of uptake significantly increased. This could be related to the synthesis of nitrate reductase. Coupled with the uptake of nitrates, nonstationary kinetics of the release of nitrates in the surrounding medium had a one-peak pattern: the maximum concentration of nitrites in the medium and the time of its achievement increased with the initial concentration of nitrates. The maximum concentration of nitrites was 6 to 14% of the initial concentration in the medium.

  9. Global Kinetic Analysis of Mammalian E3 Reveals pH-dependent NAD+/NADH Regulation, Physiological Kinetic Reversibility, and Catalytic Optimum*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moxley, Michael A.; Beard, Daniel A.; Bazil, Jason N.

    2016-01-01

    Mammalian E3 is an essential mitochondrial enzyme responsible for catalyzing the terminal reaction in the oxidative catabolism of several metabolites. E3 is a key regulator of metabolic fuel selection as a component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc). E3 regulates PDHc activity by altering the affinity of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, an inhibitor of the enzyme complex, through changes in reduction and acetylation state of lipoamide moieties set by the NAD+/NADH ratio. Thus, an accurate kinetic model of E3 is needed to predict overall mammalian PDHc activity. Here, we have combined numerous literature data sets and new equilibrium spectroscopic experiments with a multitude of independently collected forward and reverse steady-state kinetic assays using pig heart E3. The latter kinetic assays demonstrate a pH-dependent transition of NAD+ activation to inhibition, shown here, to our knowledge, for the first time in a single consistent data set. Experimental data were analyzed to yield a thermodynamically constrained four-redox-state model of E3 that simulates pH-dependent activation/inhibition and active site redox states for various conditions. The developed model was used to determine substrate/product conditions that give maximal E3 rates and show that, due to non-Michaelis-Menten behavior, the maximal flux is different compared with the classically defined kcat. PMID:26644471

  10. Some Investigations on Protease Enzyme Production Kinetics Using Bacillus licheniformis BBRC 100053 and Effects of Inhibitors on Protease Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Ghobadi Nejad

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to great commercial application of protease, it is necessary to study kinetic characterization of this enzyme in order to improve design of enzymatic reactors. In this study, mathematical modeling of protease enzyme production kinetics which is derived from Bacillus licheniformis BBRC 100053 was studied (at 37°C, pH 10 after 73 h in stationary phase, and 150 rpm. The aim of the present paper was to determine the best kinetic model and kinetic parameters for production of protease and calculating Ki (inhibition constant of different inhibitors to find the most effective one. The kinetic parameters Km (Michaelis-Menten constant and Vm (maximum rate were calculated 0.626 mM and 0.0523 mM/min. According to the experimental results, using DFP (diisopropyl fluorophosphate and PMSF (phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride as inhibitors almost 50% of the enzyme activity could be inhibited when their concentrations were 0.525 and 0.541 mM, respectively. Ki for DFP and PMSF were 0.46 and 0.56 mM, respectively. Kinetic analysis showed that the Lineweaver-Burk model was the best fitting model for protease production kinetics DFP was more effective than PMSF and both of them should be covered in the group of noncompetitive inhibitors.

  11. Nutrient Removal from Wastewater using Microalgae: A Kinetic Evaluation and Lipid Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-15

    The objective of this study was to examine the performance of mixed microalgal bioreactors in treating three differenttypes of wastewaters - kitchen wastewater (KWW), palm oil mill effluent (POME), and pharmaceutical wastewater (PWW) in semi-continuous mode and to analyze the lipid content in the harvested algal biomass. The reactors were monitored for total nitrogen and phosphate removal at eight solid retention times (SRTs) - 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 days. The nutrient uptake kinetic parameters were quantified using linearized Michaelis-Menten and Monod models at steady-state conditions. The nutrient removal efficiency and lipid production were found to be higher in KWW when compared with the other wastewaters. Saturated fatty acids (C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1) accounted for more than 60% of the algal fatty acids for all the wastewaters. The lipid is, therefore, considered suitable for synthesizing biodiesel.

  12. Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidation of Diethyl Ether by Chloramine-T in Acidic Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. I. Hassan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The kinetics of oxidation of diethyl ether (DE with sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulphonamide (CAT in hydrochloric acid solution has been studied at (313°K.The reaction rate show a first order dependence on [CAT] and fractional order dependence on each [DE] and [H+] .The variation of ionic strength of the medium has no significant effect on the reaction rate , addition of p-toluenesulphonamide (p-TSA affects the reaction rate marginally the rate increased with decreasing dielectric constant of the medium , the stochiometry of the reaction was found to be 1:2 and oxidation products were identified , A MichaelisMenten type mechanism has been suggested to explain the results.The equilibrium and the decomposition constants of CAT – diethyl ether complex have been evaluated. Thermodynamic parameters were computed by studying reaction at temperatures range ( 308 – 323°K for the rate limiting step and for the observed first order constants by the linear Arrhenius plot. The mechanism proposed and the derived rate law are consistent with observed kinetics.

  13. Thermo-kinetics of lipase-catalyzed synthesis of 6-O-glucosyldecanoate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gumel, A M; Annuar, M S M; Heidelberg, T; Chisti, Y

    2011-10-01

    Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of 6-O-glucosyldecanoate from d-glucose and decanoic acid was performed in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a mixture of DMSO and tert-butanol and tert-butanol alone with a decreasing order of polarity. The highest conversion yield (> 65%) of decanoic acid was obtained in the blended solvent of intermediate polarity mainly because it could dissolve relatively large amounts of both the reactants. The reaction obeyed Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics. The affinity of the enzyme towards the limiting substrate (decanoic acid) was not affected by the polarity of the solvent, but increased significantly with temperature. The esterification reaction was endothermic with activation energy in the range of 60-67 kJ mol⁻¹. Based on the Gibbs energy values, in the solvent blend of DMSO and tert-butanol the position of the equilibrium was shifted more towards the products compared to the position in pure solvents. Monoester of glucose was the main product of the reaction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Enzymatic oxidation of rutin by horseradish peroxidase: kinetic mechanism and identification of a dimeric product by LC-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savic, Sasa; Vojinovic, Katarina; Milenkovic, Sanja; Smelcerovic, Andrija; Lamshoeft, Marc; Petronijevic, Zivomir

    2013-12-15

    Flavonoid oxidation is important issue in food processing and quality. The kinetic mechanism of enzymatic oxidation of rutin by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied. Rutin oxidation reaction was followed by recording of spectral changes over the time at 360 nm. The studied oxidation is mostly enzymatic and less part non-enzymatic. The reaction with HRP has a higher rate compared with the reaction without of HRP, whereby is part of non-enzymatic reaction about 10% of the total reaction. Kinetic parameters were determined from graphics of linear Michaelis-Menten equation, and it was found that investigated reactions of rutin oxidation by HRP take place in a ping-pong kinetic mechanism. High resolution HPLC-MS analysis of the mixture of oxidized products of rutin revealed the presence of rutin dimer. Because of widely distribution of rutin as well as presence of peroxidases and hydrogen peroxide in fresh foods identification of this enzymatic modification product can be beneficial for foods quality and safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. The steady-state kinetics of the NADH-dependent nitrite reductase from Escherichia coli K 12. Nitrite and hydroxylamine reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, R H; Cole, J A; Cornish-Bowden, A

    1981-01-01

    The reduction of both NO2- and hydroxylamine by the NADH-dependent nitrite reductase of Escherichia coli K 12 (EC 1.6.6.4) appears to follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics over a wide range of NADH concentrations. Substrate inhibition can, however, be detected at low concentrations of the product NAD+. In addition, NAD+ displays mixed product inhibition with respect to NADH and mixed or uncompetitive inhibition with respect to hydroxylamine. These inhibition characteristics are consistent with a mechanism in which hydroxylamine binds during catalysis to a different enzyme form from that generated when NAD+ is released. The apparent maximum velocity with NADH as varied substrate increases as the NAD+ concentration increases from 0.05 to 0.7 mM with 1 mM-NO2- or 100 mM-hydroxylamine as oxidized substrate. This increase is more marked for hydroxylamine reduction than for NO2- reduction. Models incorporating only one binding site for NAD can account for the variation in the Michaelis-Menten parameters for both NADH and hydroxylamine with [NAD+] for hydroxylamine reduction. According to these models, activation of the reaction occurs by reversal of an over-reduction of the enzyme by NADH. If the observed activation of the enzyme by NAD+ derives both from activation of the generation of the enzyme-hydroxylamine complex from the enzyme-NO2- complex during NO2- reduction and from activation of the reduction of the enzyme-hydroxylamine complex to form NH4+, then the variation of Vapp. for NO2- or hydroxylamine with [NAD+] is consistent with the occurrence of the same enzyme-hydroxylamine complex as an intermediate in both reactions. PMID:6279095

  16. Comparison of dopamine kinetics in the larval Drosophila ventral nerve cord and protocerebrum with improved optogenetic stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Privman, Eve; Venton, B Jill

    2015-11-01

    Dopamine release and uptake have been studied in the Drosophila larval ventral nerve cord (VNC) using optogenetics to stimulate endogenous release. However, other areas of the central nervous system remain uncharacterized. Here, we compare dopamine release in the VNC and protocerebrum of larval Drosophila. Stimulations were performed with CsChrimson, a new, improved, red light-activated channelrhodopsin. In both regions, dopamine release was observed after only a single, 4 ms duration light pulse. Michaelis-Menten modeling was used to understand release and uptake parameters for dopamine. The amount of dopamine released ([DA]p ) on the first stimulation pulse is higher than the average [DA]p released from subsequent pulses. The initial and average amount of dopamine released per stimulation pulse is smaller in the protocerebrum than in the VNC. The average Vmax of 0.08 μM/s in the protocerebrum was significantly higher than the Vmax of 0.05 μM/s in the VNC. The average Km of 0.11 μM in the protocerebrum was not significantly different from the Km of 0.10 μM in the VNC. When the competitive dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor nisoxetine was applied, the Km increased significantly in both regions while Vmax stayed the same. This work demonstrates regional differences in dopamine release and uptake kinetics, indicating important variation in the amount of dopamine available for neurotransmission and neuromodulation. We use a new optogenetic tool, red light activated CsChrimson, to stimulate the release of dopamine in the ventral nerve cord and medial protocerebrum of the larval Drosophila central nervous system. We monitored extracellular dopamine by fast scan cyclic voltammetry and used Michaelis-Menten modeling to probe the regulation of extracellular dopamine, discovering important similarities and differences in these two regions. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  17. Michaelis kinetic analysis of extracellular cellulase and amylase excreted by Lactobacillus plantarum during cassava fermentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frediansyah, Andri; Kurniadi, Muhamad

    2017-01-01

    Our previous study reveal that single culture of Lactobacillus plantarum has ability to ferment cassava tuber in relation to produce modified cassava flour (mocaf). It was used to accelerate a fermentation process. L. plantarum grow well and produce some extracellular enzymes i.e. cellulase to change the structure and breakdown the cell wall of cassava tuber. Then, the starchy materials will be hydrolyzed by i.e. amylase into simple sugar and convert to organic acid. All of these process will give new characteristic of cassava i.e. lower fiber content, good flavor, taste, aroma and texture and the amount of cyanide acid is lower. Therefore this present study was to analyze Michaelis kinetics of extracellular carboxymethyl cellulase and amylase production by L. plantarum during cassava fermentation. The maximum carboxymethyl cellulase and amylase activity of 8.60 U/ml and 14.07 U/ml, respectively, were obtained from filtrate which has been incubated at 37°C for 18 h under stationary conditions. The Vmax and Km of CMCase were 0.8506 × 10-3 U/ml and 0.9594 × 10-3 g/mL, respectively. For amylase were 9.291 × 10-3 U/ml and 0.9163 × 10-3 g/ml, respectively.

  18. Extraction of Crude Chitinase from Higher Plants and their Chitin-Hydrolysis Activities; Kotosyokubutu yurai kichinaze no chusyutu to kichin bunkai kassei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kondo, K.; Harada, K.; Shibata, M.; Maeda, R. [Doshisha Univ., Kyoto (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1997-07-10

    To prepare a purified chitinase from higher plants, firstly, crude enzymes were extracted from six higher plants, namely, radish seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, bamboo leaves, orange skin, and persimmon skin. Using these crude enzymes, pH dependencies of hydrolysis reaction of colloidal chitin are investigated. For radish seeds and bamboo leaves, which have relatively high activities, the kinetics of enzymatic reaction are studies. It is clear that these reactions obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics. 7 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

  19. Kinetic study of enzymatic hydrolysis of potato starch

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Óscar Fernando Castellanos Domínguez

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available This article describes the kinetic study of potato starch enzymatic hydrolysis using soluble enzymes (Novo Nordisk. Different assays divided into four groups were used: reaction time (with which it was possible to reduce the 48-72 hour duration reported in the literature to 16 hours with comparable productivity levels; selecting the set of enzymes to be used (different types were evaluated - BAN and Termamyl as alfa-amylases during dextrinisation stage, and AMG, Promozyme and Fungamyl for sacarification reaction- identifying those presenting the best performance during hydrolysis.Reaction conditions were optimised for the process's two stages (destrinisation and sacarification. Enzyme dose, calcium cofactor concentration, pH, temperature and agitation speed were studied for the first stage. Enzyme ratio, pH and agitation speed were studied for sacarification; the latter parameter reported values having no antecedents in the literature (60 rpm and 30 rpm for first and second reactions, respectively. Michaelis Menten kinetics were calculated once conditions had been optimised, varying substrate from 10-50% P/V, obtaining km and Vmax kinetic parameters for each reaction. A kinetic model was found according to local working conditions which was able to explain potato starch conversion to glucose syrup, achieving 96 dextrose equivalents by the end of the reaction, being well within the maximum range reported in the literature (94-98.Laboratory equipment was constructed prior to carrying out assays which was able to reproduce and improve the conditions reported in the literature, making it a useful, reliable tool for use in assays returning good results.

  20. Kinetic evaluation of an anaerobic fluidised-bed reactor treating slaughterhouse wastewater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borja, R. [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Seville (Spain). Inst. de la Grasa; Banks, C.J.; Zhengjian Wang [Manchester Univ. (United Kingdom). Inst. of Science and Technology

    1995-09-01

    An anaerobic fluidised-bed reactor for purification of slaughterhouse wastewater was modelled as a continuous-flow, completely-mixed homogeneous microbial system, with the feed COD as the limiting-substrate concentration. The average microbial residence time in the reactor was defined in terms of conventional sludge-retention-time. The experimental data obtained indicated that the Michaelis-Menten expression was applicable to a description of substrate utilisation (i.e. COD removal) in the anaerobic fluidised-bed system. The maximum substrate utilisation rate, k, and the Michaelis constant, K{sub s}, were determined to be 1.2/day and 0.039 g/l. The observed biomass yield in the reactor decreased with increasing sludge-retention-time. The specific methane production rate observed was a linear function of the specific substrate-utilisation rate. (Author)

  1. A Biochemist's View of Ecosystem Rates and their Response to Changing Temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arcus, V. L.

    2017-12-01

    Enzyme kinetics lie at the heart of biochemistry and the Michaelis-Menten equation that defines the relationship between substrate and rate is over 100 years old. About 80 years ago Eyring and Polyani formulated Transistion State Theory (TST) which describes the temperature-dependence of chemical reaction rates and the precise relationship between activation energy and the rate. TST provided a robust theoretical foundation for the Arrhenius equation and together, these equations are the foundation equations for the biochemist. Can these equations provide any insights into rates at larger scales, such as organism growth rates and those rates that interest ecosystem scientists (e.g. heterotrophic respiration, gross primary production)? Let us begin by considering a microbial cell. Microbial growth (i.e. cell division) requires the coordinated kinetics of thousands of enzymes including DNA/RNA polymerases, ribosomes, biosynthetic enzymes - all under a regime of highly complex regulatory effects. There is no a priori reason to expect that Michaelis-Menten kinetics and TST will adequately describe this vastly complex process. Indeed, Lloyd and Taylor showed 23 years ago that soil respiration is not well described by the Arrhenius function. More recently, Heskel and colleagues showed that leaf respiration is also not well described by the Arrhenius function. It is the same case for rates of photosynthesis. Despite this failure of the basic equations of biochemistry to map to biological rates at greater scales, what insights can biochemistry provide to ecosystem science? As nearly all of biological metabolism is mediated through enzyme kinetics, I will begin with the Michaelis-Menten equation under regimes of low and high substrate concentrations. This simplified view can provide surprising insights into processes at larger scales. I will also consider the relationship between the activation energy and the reaction rate. Many, many ecosystem-rate papers focus on the

  2. Modeling networks of coupled enzymatic reactions using the total quasi-steady state approximation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Ciliberto

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available In metabolic networks, metabolites are usually present in great excess over the enzymes that catalyze their interconversion, and describing the rates of these reactions by using the Michaelis-Menten rate law is perfectly valid. This rate law assumes that the concentration of enzyme-substrate complex (C is much less than the free substrate concentration (S0. However, in protein interaction networks, the enzymes and substrates are all proteins in comparable concentrations, and neglecting C with respect to S0 is not valid. Borghans, DeBoer, and Segel developed an alternative description of enzyme kinetics that is valid when C is comparable to S0. We extend this description, which Borghans et al. call the total quasi-steady state approximation, to networks of coupled enzymatic reactions. First, we analyze an isolated Goldbeter-Koshland switch when enzymes and substrates are present in comparable concentrations. Then, on the basis of a real example of the molecular network governing cell cycle progression, we couple two and three Goldbeter-Koshland switches together to study the effects of feedback in networks of protein kinases and phosphatases. Our analysis shows that the total quasi-steady state approximation provides an excellent kinetic formalism for protein interaction networks, because (1 it unveils the modular structure of the enzymatic reactions, (2 it suggests a simple algorithm to formulate correct kinetic equations, and (3 contrary to classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, it succeeds in faithfully reproducing the dynamics of the network both qualitatively and quantitatively.

  3. Role of conformational dynamics in kinetics of an enzymatic cycle in a nonequilibrium steady state

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, Wei; Xie, X. Sunney; Bagchi, Biman

    2009-08-01

    Enzyme is a dynamic entity with diverse time scales, ranging from picoseconds to seconds or even longer. Here we develop a rate theory for enzyme catalysis that includes conformational dynamics as cycling on a two-dimensional (2D) reaction free energy surface involving an intrinsic reaction coordinate (X) and an enzyme conformational coordinate (Q). The validity of Michaelis-Menten (MM) equation, i.e., substrate concentration dependence of enzymatic velocity, is examined under a nonequilibrium steady state. Under certain conditions, the classic MM equation holds but with generalized microscopic interpretations of kinetic parameters. However, under other conditions, our rate theory predicts either positive (sigmoidal-like) or negative (biphasic-like) kinetic cooperativity due to the modified effective 2D reaction pathway on X-Q surface, which can explain non-MM dependence previously observed on many monomeric enzymes that involve slow or hysteretic conformational transitions. Furthermore, we find that a slow conformational relaxation during product release could retain the enzyme in a favorable configuration, such that enzymatic turnover is dynamically accelerated at high substrate concentrations. The effect of such conformation retainment in a nonequilibrium steady state is evaluated.

  4. Use of an uncertainty analysis for genome-scale models as a prediction tool for microbial growth processes in subsurface environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klier, Christine

    2012-03-06

    The integration of genome-scale, constraint-based models of microbial cell function into simulations of contaminant transport and fate in complex groundwater systems is a promising approach to help characterize the metabolic activities of microorganisms in natural environments. In constraint-based modeling, the specific uptake flux rates of external metabolites are usually determined by Michaelis-Menten kinetic theory. However, extensive data sets based on experimentally measured values are not always available. In this study, a genome-scale model of Pseudomonas putida was used to study the key issue of uncertainty arising from the parametrization of the influx of two growth-limiting substrates: oxygen and toluene. The results showed that simulated growth rates are highly sensitive to substrate affinity constants and that uncertainties in specific substrate uptake rates have a significant influence on the variability of simulated microbial growth. Michaelis-Menten kinetic theory does not, therefore, seem to be appropriate for descriptions of substrate uptake processes in the genome-scale model of P. putida. Microbial growth rates of P. putida in subsurface environments can only be accurately predicted if the processes of complex substrate transport and microbial uptake regulation are sufficiently understood in natural environments and if data-driven uptake flux constraints can be applied.

  5. Effect and Modeling of Glucose Inhibition and In Situ Glucose Removal During Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Pretreated Wheat Straw

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andric, Pavle; Meyer, Anne S.; Jensen, Peter Arendt

    2010-01-01

    The enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is known to be product-inhibited by glucose. In this study, the effects on cellulolytic glucose yields of glucose inhibition and in situ glucose removal were examined and modeled during extended treatment of heat-pretreated wheat straw......, during 96 h of reaction. When glucose was removed by dialysis during the enzymatic hydrolysis, the cellulose conversion rates and glucose yields increased. In fact, with dialytic in situ glucose removal, the rate of enzyme-catalyzed glucose release during 48-72 h of reaction recovered from 20......-40% to become approximate to 70% of the rate recorded during 6-24 h of reaction. Although Michaelis-Menten kinetics do not suffice to model the kinetics of the complex multi-enzymatic degradation of cellulose, the data for the glucose inhibition were surprisingly well described by simple Michaelis...

  6. On enzyme kinetic parameters modification of gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferdes, O.S.; Ferdes, M.; Turcu, G.R.

    1993-01-01

    To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of gamma-ray action on biomolecules there were investigated the modifications in activity and other kinetic parameters for some enzymes irradiated in pure dry state at relative high doses. There were considered bacterial and fungal α-amylases, glucoamylase and Mucor sp. protease irradiated by a 60 Co gamma-ray source in the dose range 1.0-30.0 kGy, at different dose-rates between 0.5-2.0 kGy/h, at room temperature. Considering the enzyme inactivation in this dose range, the dose-effect relationships have an expected form and depend on the irradiation conditions but not significantly on the dose rate. The catalytic properties of enzymes were modified by irradiation. By usual methods it is evidenced a direct correlation between the enzymatic activities, Michaelis-Menten constant, K m , reaction velocities, v, and the irradiation dose. These experimental findings can support a self-consistent theoretical approach on biophysical radiation action on biological active molecules like enzymes. At the same time, some enzyme behaviour to irradiation could be considered like a good biological indicator of radiation response. (Author) 4 Figs., 19 Refs

  7. A physiologically based kinetic model for bacterial sulfide oxidation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klok, Johannes B M; de Graaff, Marco; van den Bosch, Pim L F; Boelee, Nadine C; Keesman, Karel J; Janssen, Albert J H

    2013-02-01

    In the biotechnological process for hydrogen sulfide removal from gas streams, a variety of oxidation products can be formed. Under natron-alkaline conditions, sulfide is oxidized by haloalkaliphilic sulfide oxidizing bacteria via flavocytochrome c oxidoreductase. From previous studies, it was concluded that the oxidation-reduction state of cytochrome c is a direct measure for the bacterial end-product formation. Given this physiological feature, incorporation of the oxidation state of cytochrome c in a mathematical model for the bacterial oxidation kinetics will yield a physiologically based model structure. This paper presents a physiologically based model, describing the dynamic formation of the various end-products in the biodesulfurization process. It consists of three elements: 1) Michaelis-Menten kinetics combined with 2) a cytochrome c driven mechanism describing 3) the rate determining enzymes of the respiratory system of haloalkaliphilic sulfide oxidizing bacteria. The proposed model is successfully validated against independent data obtained from biological respiration tests and bench scale gas-lift reactor experiments. The results demonstrate that the model is a powerful tool to describe product formation for haloalkaliphilic biomass under dynamic conditions. The model predicts a maximum S⁰ formation of about 98 mol%. A future challenge is the optimization of this bioprocess by improving the dissolved oxygen control strategy and reactor design. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The mechanism distinguishability problem in biochemical kinetics: the single-enzyme, single-substrate reaction as a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnell, Santiago; Chappell, Michael J; Evans, Neil D; Roussel, Marc R

    2006-01-01

    A theoretical analysis of the distinguishability problem of two rival models of the single enzyme-single substrate reaction, the Michaelis-Menten and Henri mechanisms, is presented. We also outline a general approach for analysing the structural indistinguishability between two mechanisms. The approach involves constructing, if possible, a smooth mapping between the two candidate models. Evans et al. [N.D. Evans, M.J. Chappell, M.J. Chapman, K.R. Godfrey, Structural indistinguishability between uncontrolled (autonomous) nonlinear analytic systems, Automatica 40 (2004) 1947-1953] have shown that if, in addition, either of the mechanisms satisfies a particular criterion then such a transformation always exists when the models are indistinguishable from their experimentally observable outputs. The approach is applied to the single enzyme-single substrate reaction mechanism. In principle, mechanisms can be distinguished using this analysis, but we show that our ability to distinguish mechanistic models depends both on the precise measurements made, and on our knowledge of the system prior to performing the kinetics experiments.

  9. Inhibition of serotonin transport by (+)McN5652 is noncompetitive

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hummerich, Rene [Biochemical Laboratory, Central Institute of Mental Health, 68159 Mannheim (Germany); Schulze, Oliver [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246 Hamburg (Germany); Raedler, Thomas [Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246 Hamburg (Germany); Mikecz, Pal [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246 Hamburg (Germany); Reimold, Matthias [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen (Germany); Brenner, Winfried [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246 Hamburg (Germany); Clausen, Malte [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246 Hamburg (Germany); Schloss, Patrick [Biochemical Laboratory, Central Institute of Mental Health, 68159 Mannheim (Germany); Buchert, Ralph [Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246 Hamburg (Germany)]. E-mail: buchert@uke.uni-hamburg.de

    2006-04-15

    Introduction: Imaging of the serotonergic innervation of the brain using positron emission tomography (PET) with the serotonin transporter (SERT) ligand [{sup 11C}] (+)McN5652 might be affected by serotonin in the synaptic cleft if there is relevant interaction between [{sup 11}C] (+)McN5652 and serotonin at the SERT. The aim of the present study therefore was to pharmacologically characterize the interaction of [{sup 11}C] (+)McN5652 and serotonin at the SERT. Methods: In vitro saturation analyses of [{sup 3}H]serotonin uptake into HEK293 cells stably expressing the human SERT were performed in the absence and presence of unlabelled (+)McN5652. Data were evaluated assuming Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Results: Unlabelled (+)McN5652 significantly reduced the maximal rate of serotonin transport V {sub max} of SERT without affecting the Michaelis-Menten constant K {sub M}. Conclusions: This finding indicates that (+)McN5652 inhibits serotonin transport through the SERT in a noncompetitive manner. This might suggest that [{sup 11}C] (+)McN5652 PET is not significantly affected by endogenous serotonin.

  10. Inhibition of serotonin transport by (+)McN5652 is noncompetitive

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hummerich, Rene; Schulze, Oliver; Raedler, Thomas; Mikecz, Pal; Reimold, Matthias; Brenner, Winfried; Clausen, Malte; Schloss, Patrick; Buchert, Ralph

    2006-01-01

    Introduction: Imaging of the serotonergic innervation of the brain using positron emission tomography (PET) with the serotonin transporter (SERT) ligand [ 11C ] (+)McN5652 might be affected by serotonin in the synaptic cleft if there is relevant interaction between [ 11 C] (+)McN5652 and serotonin at the SERT. The aim of the present study therefore was to pharmacologically characterize the interaction of [ 11 C] (+)McN5652 and serotonin at the SERT. Methods: In vitro saturation analyses of [ 3 H]serotonin uptake into HEK293 cells stably expressing the human SERT were performed in the absence and presence of unlabelled (+)McN5652. Data were evaluated assuming Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Results: Unlabelled (+)McN5652 significantly reduced the maximal rate of serotonin transport V max of SERT without affecting the Michaelis-Menten constant K M . Conclusions: This finding indicates that (+)McN5652 inhibits serotonin transport through the SERT in a noncompetitive manner. This might suggest that [ 11 C] (+)McN5652 PET is not significantly affected by endogenous serotonin

  11. Thymidine kinase 2 enzyme kinetics elucidate the mechanism of thymidine-induced mitochondrial DNA depletion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Ren; Wang, Liya

    2014-10-07

    Mitochondrial thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) is a nuclear gene-encoded protein, synthesized in the cytosol and subsequently translocated into the mitochondrial matrix, where it catalyzes the phosphorylation of thymidine (dT) and deoxycytidine (dC). The kinetics of dT phosphorylation exhibits negative cooperativity, but dC phosphorylation follows hyperbolic Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The two substrates compete with each other in that dT is a competitive inhibitor of dC phosphorylation, while dC acts as a noncompetitive inhibitor of dT phosphorylation. In addition, TK2 is feedback inhibited by dTTP and dCTP. TK2 also phosphorylates a number of pyrimidine nucleoside analogues used in antiviral and anticancer therapy and thus plays an important role in mitochondrial toxicities caused by nucleoside analogues. Deficiency in TK2 activity due to genetic alterations causes devastating mitochondrial diseases, which are characterized by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion or multiple deletions in the affected tissues. Severe TK2 deficiency is associated with early-onset fatal mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, while less severe deficiencies result in late-onset phenotypes. In this review, studies of the enzyme kinetic behavior of TK2 enzyme variants are used to explain the mechanism of mtDNA depletion caused by TK2 mutations, thymidine overload due to thymidine phosphorylase deficiency, and mitochondrial toxicity caused by antiviral thymidine analogues.

  12. Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry for probing kinetics of anaerobic microbial metabolism - case study of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prévoteau, Antonin; Geirnaert, Annelies; Arends, Jan B. A.; Lannebère, Sylvain; van de Wiele, Tom; Rabaey, Korneel

    2015-07-01

    Monitoring in vitro the metabolic activity of microorganisms aids bioprocesses and enables better understanding of microbial metabolism. Redox mediators can be used for this purpose via different electrochemical techniques that are either complex or only provide non-continuous data. Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry using a rotating disc electrode (RDE) can alleviate these issues but was seldom used and is poorly characterized. The kinetics of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii A2-165, a beneficial gut microbe, were determined using a RDE with riboflavin as redox probe. This butyrate producer anaerobically ferments glucose and reduces riboflavin whose continuous monitoring on a RDE provided highly accurate kinetic measurements of its metabolism, even at low cell densities. The metabolic reaction rate increased linearly over a broad range of cell concentrations (9 × 104 to 5 × 107 cells.mL-1). Apparent Michaelis-Menten kinetics was observed with respect to riboflavin (KM = 6 μM kcat = 5.3×105 s-1, at 37 °C) and glucose (KM = 6 μM kcat = 2.4 × 105 s-1). The short temporal resolution allows continuous monitoring of fast cellular events such as kinetics inhibition with butyrate. Furthermore, we detected for the first time riboflavin reduction by another potential probiotic, Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum. The ability of the RDE for fast, accurate, simple and continuous measurements makes it an ad hoc tool for assessing bioprocesses at high resolution.

  13. Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry for probing kinetics of anaerobic microbial metabolism--case study of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prévoteau, Antonin; Geirnaert, Annelies; Arends, Jan B A; Lannebère, Sylvain; Van de Wiele, Tom; Rabaey, Korneel

    2015-07-01

    Monitoring in vitro the metabolic activity of microorganisms aids bioprocesses and enables better understanding of microbial metabolism. Redox mediators can be used for this purpose via different electrochemical techniques that are either complex or only provide non-continuous data. Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry using a rotating disc electrode (RDE) can alleviate these issues but was seldom used and is poorly characterized. The kinetics of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii A2-165, a beneficial gut microbe, were determined using a RDE with riboflavin as redox probe. This butyrate producer anaerobically ferments glucose and reduces riboflavin whose continuous monitoring on a RDE provided highly accurate kinetic measurements of its metabolism, even at low cell densities. The metabolic reaction rate increased linearly over a broad range of cell concentrations (9 × 10(4) to 5 × 10(7) cells.mL(-1)). Apparent Michaelis-Menten kinetics was observed with respect to riboflavin (KM = 6 μM; kcat = 5.3 × 10(5) s(-1), at 37 °C) and glucose (KM = 6 μM; kcat = 2.4 × 10(5) s(-1)). The short temporal resolution allows continuous monitoring of fast cellular events such as kinetics inhibition with butyrate. Furthermore, we detected for the first time riboflavin reduction by another potential probiotic, Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum. The ability of the RDE for fast, accurate, simple and continuous measurements makes it an ad hoc tool for assessing bioprocesses at high resolution.

  14. Preparation of biosensors by immobilization of polyphenol oxidase in conducting copolymers and their use in determination of phenolic compounds in red wine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böyükbayram, A Elif; Kiralp, Senem; Toppare, Levent; Yağci, Yusuf

    2006-10-01

    Electrochemically produced graft copolymers of thiophene capped polytetrahydofuran (TPTHF1 and TPTHF2) and pyrrole were achieved by constant potential electrolysis using sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as the supporting electrolyte. Characterizations were based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrical conductivities were measured by the four-probe technique. Novel biosensors for phenolic compounds were constructed by immobilizing polyphenol oxidase (PPO) into conducting copolymers prepared by electropolymerization of pyrrole with thiophene capped polytetrahydrofuran. Kinetic parameters, maximum reaction rate (V(max)) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) and optimum conditions regarding temperature and pH were determined for the immobilized enzyme. Operational stability and shelf-life of the enzyme electrodes were investigated. Enzyme electrodes of polyphenol oxidase were used to determine the amount of phenolic compounds in two brands of Turkish red wines and found very useful owing to their high kinetic parameters and wide pH working range.

  15. Depuración aerobia de los efluentes resultantes del proceso de biometanización del alpechín

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borja Padilla, R.

    1992-02-01

    Full Text Available A study of aerobic treatment in batch regime of the effluents produced in the olive mill wastewater biomethanation process was carried out. An 83% of effluents organic substances was removal after the third day of fermentation. The substrate removal rate follows a zero-order kinetic for high concentrations, and a first-order kinetic for low organic matter concentration, during the last days of fermentation. The kinetic parameters (qmáx and K were obtained from Michaelis- Menten model.

    Se ha efectuado un estudio del proceso de depuración aerobia, en régimen discontinuo, de los efluentes procedentes del proceso de depuración anaerobia o biometanización del alpechín. Se comprueba que el 83% de la materia orgánica presente en este efluente se elimina a partir del tercer día de fermentación. La eliminación de sustrato sigue una cinética de orden cero para altas concentraciones del mismo y una cinética de primer orden para bajas concentraciones de materia orgánica, es decir, durante los últimos días de fermentación. Se aplica el modelo de Michaelis-Menten de eliminación de sustrato para la obtención de los parámetros cinéticos qmáx y Ks que rigen este proceso.

  16. Bringing metabolic networks to life: convenience rate law and thermodynamic constraints

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klipp Edda

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Translating a known metabolic network into a dynamic model requires rate laws for all chemical reactions. The mathematical expressions depend on the underlying enzymatic mechanism; they can become quite involved and may contain a large number of parameters. Rate laws and enzyme parameters are still unknown for most enzymes. Results We introduce a simple and general rate law called "convenience kinetics". It can be derived from a simple random-order enzyme mechanism. Thermodynamic laws can impose dependencies on the kinetic parameters. Hence, to facilitate model fitting and parameter optimisation for large networks, we introduce thermodynamically independent system parameters: their values can be varied independently, without violating thermodynamical constraints. We achieve this by expressing the equilibrium constants either by Gibbs free energies of formation or by a set of independent equilibrium constants. The remaining system parameters are mean turnover rates, generalised Michaelis-Menten constants, and constants for inhibition and activation. All parameters correspond to molecular energies, for instance, binding energies between reactants and enzyme. Conclusion Convenience kinetics can be used to translate a biochemical network – manually or automatically - into a dynamical model with plausible biological properties. It implements enzyme saturation and regulation by activators and inhibitors, covers all possible reaction stoichiometries, and can be specified by a small number of parameters. Its mathematical form makes it especially suitable for parameter estimation and optimisation. Parameter estimates can be easily computed from a least-squares fit to Michaelis-Menten values, turnover rates, equilibrium constants, and other quantities that are routinely measured in enzyme assays and stored in kinetic databases.

  17. Estudo da dissolução oxidativa microbiológica de uma complexa amostra mineral contendo pirita (FeS2, Pirrotita (Fe1-xS e Molibdenita (MoS2 Microbiological oxidative dissolution of a complex mineral sample containing pyrite (FeS2, pyrrotite (Fe1-xS and molybdenite (MoS2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilmo E. Francisco Jr

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available This work aims to study the oxidation of a complex molybdenite mineral which contains pyrite and pyrrotite, by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. This study was performed by respirometric essays and bioleaching in shake flasks. Respirometric essays yielded the kinetics of mineral oxidation. The findings showed that sulfide oxidation followed classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Bioleaching in shake flasks allowed evaluation of chemical and mineralogical changes resulting from sulfide oxidation. The results demonstrated that pyrrotite and pyrite were completely oxidized in A. ferrooxidans cultures whereas molybdenite was not consumed. These data indicated that molybdenite was the most recalcitrant sulfide in the sample.

  18. Microbiological oxidative dissolution of a complex mineral sample containing pyrite (FeS2), pyrrotite (Fe1-xS) and molybdenite (MoS2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francisco Junior, Wilmo E.; Bevilaqua, Denise; Garcia Junior, Oswaldo

    2007-01-01

    This work aims to study the oxidation of a complex molybdenite mineral which contains pyrite and pyrrotite, by Acidithiobacillus ferroxidans. This study was performed by respirometric essays and bioleaching in shake flasks. Respirometric essays yielded the kinetics of mineral oxidation. The findings showed that sulfide oxidation followed classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Bioleaching in shake flasks allowed evaluation of chemical and mineralogical changes resulting from sulfide oxidation. The results demonstrated that pyrrotite and pyrite were completely oxidized in A. ferrooxidans cultures whereas molybdenite was not consumed. These data indicated that molybdenite was the most recalcitrant sulfide in the sample. (author)

  19. Microbiological oxidative dissolution of a complex mineral sample containing pyrite (FeS{sub 2}), pyrrotite (Fe{sub 1-x}S) and molybdenite (MoS{sub 2}); Estudo da dissolucao oxidativa microbiologica de uma complexa amostra mineral contendo pirita (FeS{sub 2}), Pirrotita (Fe{sub 1-x}S) e Molibdenita (MoS{sub 2})

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Francisco Junior, Wilmo E.; Bevilaqua, Denise; Garcia Junior, Oswaldo [UNESP, Araraquara, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica. Dept. de Bioquimica e Tecnologia Quimica]. E-mail: wilmojr@bol.com.br

    2007-09-15

    This work aims to study the oxidation of a complex molybdenite mineral which contains pyrite and pyrrotite, by Acidithiobacillus ferroxidans. This study was performed by respirometric essays and bioleaching in shake flasks. Respirometric essays yielded the kinetics of mineral oxidation. The findings showed that sulfide oxidation followed classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Bioleaching in shake flasks allowed evaluation of chemical and mineralogical changes resulting from sulfide oxidation. The results demonstrated that pyrrotite and pyrite were completely oxidized in A. ferrooxidans cultures whereas molybdenite was not consumed. These data indicated that molybdenite was the most recalcitrant sulfide in the sample. (author)

  20. Kinetic analysis of enzyme systems with suicide substrate in the presence of a reversible competitive inhibitor, tested by simulated progress curves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moruno-Dávila, M A; Garrido-del Solo, C; García-Moreno, M; Havsteen, B H; Garcia-Sevilla, F; Garcia-Cánovas, F; Varón, R

    2001-02-01

    The use of suicide substrates remains a very important and useful method in enzymology for studying enzyme mechanisms and designing potential drugs. Suicide substrates act as modified substrates for the target enzymes and bind to the active site. Therefore the presence of a competitive reversible inhibitor decreases the rate of substrate-induced inactivation and protects the enzyme from this inactivation. This lowering on the inactivation rate has evident physiological advantages, since it allows the easy acquisition of experimental data and facilitates kinetic data analysis by providing another variable (inhibitor concentration). However despite the importance of the simultaneous action of a suicide substrate and a competitive reversible inhibition, to date no corresponding kinetic analysis has been carried out. Therefore we present a general kinetic analysis of a Michaelis-Menten reaction mechanism with double inhibition caused by both, a suicide substrate and a competitive reversible inhibitor. We assume rapid equilibrium of the reversible reaction steps involved, while the time course equations for the reaction product have been derived with the assumption of a limiting enzyme. The goodness of the analytical solutions has been tested by comparison with the simulated curves obtained by numerical integration. A kinetic data analysis to determine the corresponding kinetic parameters from the time progress curve of the product is suggested. In conclusion, we present a complete kinetic analysis of an enzyme reaction mechanism as described above in an attempt to fill a gap in the theoretical treatment of this type of system.

  1. In vitro modulation of cytochrome P450 reductase supported indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity by allosteric effectors cytochrome b(5) and methylene blue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, Josh T; Siu, Sophia; Meininger, David P; Wienkers, Larry C; Rock, Dan A

    2010-03-30

    Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is a heme-containing dioxygenase involved in the degradation of several indoleamine derivatives and has been indicated as an immunosuppressive. IDO is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in diseases which are known to capitalize on immune suppression, including cancer, HIV, and inflammatory diseases. Conventionally, IDO activity is measured through chemical reduction by the addition of ascorbate and methylene blue. Identification of potential coenzymes involved in the reduction of IDO in vivo should improve in vitro reconstitution systems used to identify potential IDO inhibitors. In this study we show that NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) is capable of supporting IDO activity in vitro and that oxidation of l-Trp follows substrate inhibition kinetics (k(cat) = 0.89 +/- 0.04 s(-1), K(m) = 0.72 +/- 0.15 microM, and K(i) = 9.4 +/- 2.0 microM). Addition of cytochrome b(5) to CPR-supported l-Trp incubations results in modulation from substrate inhibition to sigmoidal kinetics (k(cat) = 1.7 +/- 0.3 s(-1), K(m) = 1.5 +/- 0.9 microM, and K(i) = 1.9 +/- 0.3). CPR-supported d-Trp oxidations (+/-cytochrome b(5)) exhibit Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Addition of methylene blue (minus ascorbate) to CPR-supported reactions resulted in inhibition of d-Trp turnover and modulation of l-Trp kinetics from allosteric to Michaelis-Menten with a concurrent decrease in substrate affinity for IDO. Our data indicate that CPR is capable of supporting IDO activity in vitro and oxidation of tryptophan by IDO displays substrate stereochemistry dependent atypical kinetics which can be modulated by the addition of cytochrome b(5).

  2. An evaluation of the inhibition of human butyrylcholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase by the organophosphate chlorpyrifos oxon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shenouda, Josephine; Green, Paula; Sultatos, Lester

    2009-01-01

    Acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) are enzymes that belong to the superfamily of α/β-hydrolase fold proteins. While they share many characteristics, they also possess many important differences. For example, whereas they have about 54% amino acid sequence identity, the active site gorge of acetylcholinesterase is considerably smaller than that of butyrylcholinesterase. Moreover, both have been shown to display simple and complex kinetic mechanisms, depending on the particular substrate examined, the substrate concentration, and incubation conditions. In the current study, incubation of butyrylthiocholine in a concentration range of 0.005-3.0 mM, with 317 pM human butyrylcholinesterase in vitro, resulted in rates of production of thiocholine that were accurately described by simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a K m of 0.10 mM. Similarly, the inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase in vitro by the organophosphate chlorpyrifos oxon was described by simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a k i of 3048 nM -1 h -1 , and a K D of 2.02 nM. In contrast to inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase, inhibition of human acetylcholinesterase by chlorpyrifos oxon in vitro followed concentration-dependent inhibition kinetics, with the k i increasing as the inhibitor concentration decreased. Chlorpyrifos oxon concentrations of 10 and 0.3 nM gave k i s of 1.2 and 19.3 nM -1 h -1 , respectively. Although the mechanism of concentration-dependent inhibition kinetics is not known, the much smaller, more restrictive active site gorge of acetylcholinesterase almost certainly plays a role. Similarly, the much larger active site gorge of butyrylcholinesterase likely contributes to its much greater reactivity towards chlorpyrifos oxon, compared to acetylcholinesterase.

  3. Optimizing electrode-attached redox-peptide systems for kinetic characterization of protease action on immobilized substrates. Observation of dissimilar behavior of trypsin and thrombin enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anne, Agnès; Chovin, Arnaud; Demaille, Christophe

    2012-06-12

    In this work, we experimentally address the issue of optimizing gold electrode attached ferrocene (Fc)-peptide systems for kinetic measurements of protease action. Considering human α-thrombin and bovine trypsin as proteases of interest, we show that the recurring problem of incomplete cleavage of the peptide layer by these enzymes can be solved by using ultraflat template-stripped gold, instead of polished polycrystalline gold, as the Fc-peptide bearing electrode material. We describe how these fragile surfaces can be mounted in a rotating disk configuration so that enzyme mass transfer no longer limits the overall measured cleavage kinetics. Finally, we demonstrate that, once the system has been optimized, in situ real-time cyclic voltammetry monitoring of the protease action can yield high-quality kinetic data, showing no sign of interfering effects. The cleavage progress curves then closely match the Langmuirian variation expected for a kinetically controlled surface process. Global fit of the progress curves yield accurate values of the peptide cleavage rate for both trypsin and thrombin. It is shown that, whereas trypsin action on the surface-attached peptide closely follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics, thrombin displays a specific and unexpected behavior characterized by a nearly enzyme-concentration-independent cleavage rate in the subnanomolar enzyme concentration range. The reason for this behavior has still to be clarified, but its occurrence may limit the sensitivity of thrombin sensors based on Fc-peptide layers.

  4. Generic Schemes for Single-Molecule Kinetics. 3: Self-Consistent Pathway Solutions for Nonrenewal Processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piephoff, D Evan; Cao, Jianshu

    2018-04-23

    We recently developed a pathway analysis framework (paper 1) for describing single-molecule kinetics for renewal (i.e., memoryless) processes based on the decomposition of a kinetic scheme into generic structures. In our approach, waiting time distribution functions corresponding to such structures are expressed in terms of self-consistent pathway solutions and concatenated to form measurable probability distribution functions (PDFs), affording a simple way to decompose and recombine a network. Here, we extend this framework to nonrenewal processes, which involve correlations between events, and employ it to formulate waiting time PDFs, including the first-passage time PDF, for a general kinetic network model. Our technique does not require the assumption of Poissonian kinetics, permitting a more general kinetic description than the usual rate approach, with minimal topological restrictiveness. To demonstrate the usefulness of this technique, we provide explicit calculations for our general model, which we adapt to two generic schemes for single-enzyme turnover with conformational interconversion. For each generic scheme, wherein the intermediate state(s) need not undergo Poissonian decay, the functional dependence of the mean first-passage time on the concentration of an external substrate is analyzed. When conformational detailed balance is satisfied, the enzyme turnover rate (related to the mean first-passage time) reduces to the celebrated Michaelis-Menten functional form, consistent with our previous work involving a similar scheme with all rate processes, thereby establishing further generality to this intriguing result. Our framework affords a general and intuitive approach for evaluating measurable waiting time PDFs and their moments, making it a potentially useful kinetic tool for a wide variety of single-molecule processes.

  5. Transport and phosphorylation of choline in higher plant cells. Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bligny, R.; Foray, M.F.; Roby, C.; Douce, R.

    1989-03-25

    When sycamore cells were suspended in basal medium containing choline, the latter was taken up by the cells very rapidly. A facilitated diffusion system appertained at low concentrations of choline and exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics. At higher choline concentrations simple diffusion appeared to be the principal mode of uptake. Addition of choline to the perfusate of compressed sycamore cells monitored by /sup 31/P NMR spectroscopy resulted in a dramatic accumulation of P-choline in the cytoplasmic compartment containing choline kinase and not in the vacuole. The total accumulation of P-choline over a 10-h period exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics. During this period, in the absence of Pi in the perfusion medium there was a marked depletion of glucose-6-P, and the cytoplasmic Pi resonance disappeared almost completely. When a threshold of cytoplasmic Pi was attained, the phosphorylation of choline was sustained by the continuous release of Pi from the vacuole although at a much lower rate. However, when 100 microM inorganic phosphate was present in the perfusion medium, externally added Pi was preferentially used to sustain P-choline synthesis. It is clear, therefore, that cytosolic choline kinase associated with a carrier-mediated transport system for choline uptake appeared as effective systems for continuously trapping cytoplasmic Pi including vacuolar Pi entering the cytoplasm.

  6. Rethinking fundamentals of enzyme action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Northrop, D B

    1999-01-01

    Despite certain limitations, investigators continue to gainfully employ concepts rooted in steady-state kinetics in efforts to draw mechanistically relevant inferences about enzyme catalysis. By reconsidering steady-state enzyme kinetic behavior, this review develops ideas that allow one to arrive at the following new definitions: (a) V/K, the ratio of the maximal initial velocity divided by the Michaelis-Menten constant, is the apparent rate constant for the capture of substrate into enzyme complexes that are destined to yield product(s) at some later point in time; (b) the maximal velocity V is the apparent rate constant for the release of substrate from captured complexes in the form of free product(s); and (c) the Michaelis-Menten constant K is the ratio of the apparent rate constants for release and capture. The physiologic significance of V/K is also explored to illuminate aspects of antibiotic resistance, the concept of "perfection" in enzyme catalysis, and catalytic proficiency. The conceptual basis of congruent thermodynamic cycles is also considered in an attempt to achieve an unambiguous way for comparing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction with its uncatalyzed reference reaction. Such efforts promise a deeper understanding of the origins of catalytic power, as it relates to stabilization of the reactant ground state, stabilization of the transition state, and reciprocal stabilizations of ground and transition states.

  7. Kinetics of alcoholic fermentation during the culturing of bakers' yeast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Franz, B

    1961-01-01

    A synthesis was made of the effects of various factors on the rate of fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The rate obeyed the Michaelis-Menten equation, was independent of the concentration of yeast, was maximal at 20/sup 0/ (0.61 ml ethanol/g dry yeast/h), was not significantly affected between pH 6.5 and 3.0 but declined at 3.0, was inhibited by ethanol at a rate proportional to the concentration squared (at ethanol = 12 volume %, the fermentation rate was practically zero), and was enhanced by the addition of phosphorus when a P-poor yeast was employed.

  8. nitrogen saturation in stream ecosystems

    OpenAIRE

    Earl, S. R.; Valett, H. M.; Webster, J. R.

    2006-01-01

    The concept of nitrogen (N) saturation has organized the assessment of N loading in terrestrial ecosystems. Here we extend the concept to lotic ecosystems by coupling Michaelis-Menten kinetics and nutrient spiraling. We propose a series of saturation response types, which may be used to characterize the proximity of streams to N saturation. We conducted a series of short-term N releases using a tracer ((NO3)-N-15-N) to measure uptake. Experiments were conducted in streams spanning a gradient ...

  9. Metabolomics on integrated circuit

    OpenAIRE

    Cheah, Boon Chong; MacDonald, Alasdair I.; Barrett, Michael P.; Cumming, David R.S.

    2017-01-01

    We have demonstrated a chip-based diagnostics tool for the quantification of metabolites, using specific enzymes, to study enzyme kinetics and calculate the Michaelis-Menten constant. An array of 256×256 ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs) fabricated in a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process is used for this prototype. We have used hexokinase enzyme reaction on the ISFET CMOS chip with glucose concentration in the physiological range of 0.05 mM – 231 mM and succe...

  10. Enzymatic Synthesis of Furfuryl Alcohol Ester with Oleic Acid by Candida antarctica Lipase B and Its Kinetic Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengupta, Avery; Dey, Tanmoy; Ghosh, Mahua; Ghosh, Jaydip; Ghosh, Santinath

    2012-08-01

    This study investigated the successful enzymatic production of furfuryl oleate and its detailed kinetic study by Michaelis-Menten model. Esterification of oleic acid and furfuryl alcohol by Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozym 435 preparation) in a solvent free system was studied in the present work at 1:1 molar ratio of furfuryl alcohol and oleic acid. About 99 % conversion (on the basis of oleic acid) has been achieved within 6 h at 5 % enzyme concentration. Ping-pong bi-bi mechanism (inhibition phenomenon taken into account) was applied to describe the ratios as a complex kinetic model. The kinetic parameters were determined using MATLAB language programme. The two initial rate constants KA and KB respectively were found out by different progress curves plotted with the help of MATLAB language programme. It was concluded from the results that furfuryl alcohol considerably inhibited the enzymatic reaction while oleic acid had negligible inhibitory effect. It was clearly seen that the initial rate was increased with the increase in the furfuryl alcohol concentration until 2 M/L after which there was a drop in the initial rate depicting the inhibitory effect of furfuryl alcohol. Surprisingly, it has been observed that addition of 0.1 mol of product activated the esterification reaction. Finally, the model was found to be statistically fitting well with the experimental data.

  11. Continuous ammonium enrichment of a woodland stream: uptake kinetics, leaf decomposition, and nitrification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Newbold, J D; Elwood, J W; Schulze, M S; Stark, R W; Barmeier, J C

    1983-01-01

    In order to test for nitrogen limitation and examine ammonium uptake by stream sediments, ammonium hydroxide was added continuously at concentrations averaging 100 /sup +/gl/sup -1/ for 70 days to a second-order reach of Walker Branch, an undisturbed woodland stream in Tennessee. Ammonium uptake during the first 4 h of addition corresponded to adsorption kinetics rather than to first-order uptake or to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. However, the calculated adsorption partition coefficient was two to four orders of magnitude greater than values reported for physical adsorption of ammonium, suggesting that the uptake was largely biotic. Mass balance indicated that the uptake of ammonium from the water could be accounted for by increased nitrogen content in benthic organic detritus. Nitrification, inferred from longitudinal gradients in NO/sub 3/, began soon after enrichment and increased dramatically near the end of the experiment. Both ammonium and nitrate concentrations dropped quickly to near background levels when input ceased, indicating little desorption or nitrification of excess nitrogen stored in the reach. There was no evidence of nitrogen limitation as measured by weight loss, oxygen consumption, phosphorus content, and macroinvertebrate density of red oak leaf packs, or by chlorophyll content and aufwuchs biomass on plexiglass slides. A continuous phosphorus enrichment 1 year earlier had demonstrated phosphorus limitation in Walker Branch. 38 references, 6 figures, 3 tables.

  12. Direct electron transfer of horseradish peroxidase on Nafion-cysteine modified gold electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Jun; Moosavi-Movahedi, Ali Akbar; Ghourchian, Hedayatollah; Rad, Ahmad Molaei; Rezaei-Zarchi, Saeed

    2007-01-01

    Direct electron transfer of horseradish peroxidase, immobilized on a functional membrane-modified gold electrode, was studied. The electrode showed a quasi-reversible electrochemical redox behavior with a formal potential of 60mV (versus Ag/AgCl) in 20mM potassium phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0 and temperature 25 o C. The cathodic transfer coefficient was 0.42 and electron transfer rate constant was evaluated to be 1.6s -1 . Furthermore, the modified electrode was used as a biosensor and exhibited a satisfactory stability and sensitivity to H 2 O 2 . The linear range of this biosensor for H 2 O 2 determination was from 5.0x10 -6 to 1.5x10 -4 M while its detection limit, based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, was 1.3x10 -6 M. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K m app ) for immobilized HRP was calculated to be 1.6x10 -4 M

  13. Kinetic study of enzymatic hydrolysis of acid-pretreated coconut coir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatmawati, Akbarningrum; Agustriyanto, Rudy

    2015-12-01

    Biomass waste utilization for biofuel production such as bioethanol, has become more prominent currently. Coconut coir is one of lignocellulosic food wastes, which is abundant in Indonesia. Bioethanol production from such materials consists of more than one step. Pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis is crucial steps to produce sugar which can then be fermented into bioethanol. In this research, ground coconut coir was pretreated using dilute sulfuric acid at 121°C. This pretreatment had increased the cellulose content and decreased the lignin content of coconut coir. The pretreated coconut coir was hydrolyzed using a mix of two commercial cellulase enzymes at pH of 4.8 and temperature of 50°C. The enzymatic hydrolysis was conducted at several initial coconut coir slurry concentrations (0.1-2 g/100 mL) and reaction times (2-72 hours). The reducing sugar concentration profiles had been produced and can be used to obtain reaction rates. The highest reducing sugar concentration obtained was 1,152.567 mg/L, which was produced at initial slurry concentration of 2 g/100 mL and 72 hours reaction time. In this paper, the reducing sugar concentrations were empirically modeled as a function of reaction time using power equations. Michaelis-Menten kinetic model for enzymatic hydrolysis reaction is adopted. The kinetic parameters of that model for sulfuric acid-pretreated coconut coir enzymatic hydrolysis had been obtained which are Vm of 3.587×104 mg/L.h, and KM of 130.6 mg/L.

  14. Rapid Determination of Enzyme Kinetics from Fluorescence: Overcoming the Inner Filter Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmier, Mark O.; Van Doren, Steven R.

    2007-01-01

    Fluorescence change is convenient for monitoring enzyme kinetics. Unfortunately, it looses linearity as the absorbance of the fluorescent substrate increases with concentration. When the sum of absorbance at excitation and emission wavelengths exceeds 0.08, this inner filtering effect (IFE) alters apparent initial velocities, Km, and kcat. The IFE distortion of apparent initial velocities can be corrected without doing fluorophore dilution assays. Using the substrate’s extinction coefficients at excitation and emission wavelengths, the inner filter effect can be modeled during curve fitting for more accurate Michaelis-Menten parameters. A faster and simpler approach is to derive kcat and Km from progress curves. Strategies to obtain reliable and reproducible estimates of kcat and Km from only two or three progress curves are illustrated using matrix metalloproteinase-12 and alkaline phosphatase. Accurate estimates of concentration of enzyme active sites and specificity constant kcat/Km (from one progress curve with [S] ≪ Km) confer accuracy, freedom of choices of [S], and robustness to kcat and Km globally fitted to a few progress curves. The economies of the progress curve approach make accurate kcat and Km more accessible from fluorescence measurements. PMID:17706587

  15. The repair-fixation model: general aspects and the influence of radiation quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiefer, J.; Loebrich, M.

    1992-01-01

    To explain the shape of cell survival curves after radiation action it is assumed that initial lesions are transient in nature and subject to repair or fixation. Since the underlying processes are controlled by enzymes, Michaelis-Menten kinetics are assumed. No qualitative differences between repair and fixation are postulated, the only differences being the kinetic parameters. This model yields a mathematical expression which is formally equivalent to the ''lethal-potentially-lethal'' (LPL) model. It is demonstrated that both mammalian as well as microbial survival data can be fitted. The inclusion of linear energy transfer (LET) effects is shown to be possible and is discussed qualitatively. (author)

  16. Kinetics of butyrate, acetate, and hydrogen metabolism in a thermophilic, anaerobic, butyrate-degrading triculture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahring, B K; Westermann, P

    1987-02-01

    Kinetics of butyrate, acetate, and hydrogen metabolism were determined with butyrate-limited, chemostat-grown tricultures of a thermophilic butyrate-utilizing bacterium together with Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and the TAM organism, a thermophilic acetate-utilizing methanogenic rod. Kinetic parameters were determined from progress curves fitted to the integrated form of the Michaelis-Menten equation. The apparent half-saturation constants, K(m), for butyrate, acetate, and dissolved hydrogen were 76 muM, 0.4 mM, and 8.5 muM, respectively. Butyrate and hydrogen were metabolized to a concentration of less than 1 muM, whereas acetate uptake usually ceased at a concentration of 25 to 75 muM, indicating a threshold level for acetate uptake. No significant differences in K(m) values for butyrate degradation were found between chemostat- and batch-grown tricultures, although the maximum growth rate was somewhat higher in the batch cultures in which the medium was supplemented with yeast extract. Acetate utilization was found to be the rate-limiting reaction for complete degradation of butyrate to methane and carbon dioxide in continuous culture. Increasing the dilution rate resulted in a gradual accumulation of acetate. The results explain the low concentrations of butyrate and hydrogen normally found during anaerobic digestion and the observation that acetate is the first volatile fatty acid to accumulate upon a decrease in retention time or increase in organic loading of a digestor.

  17. Effects of multi-frequency power ultrasound on the enzymolysis of corn gluten meal: Kinetics and thermodynamics study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Jian; Ma, Haile; Qu, Wenjuan; Wang, Kai; Zhou, Cunshan; He, Ronghai; Luo, Lin; Owusu, John

    2015-11-01

    The effects of multi-frequency power ultrasound (MPU) pretreatment on the kinetics and thermodynamics of corn gluten meal (CGM) were investigated in this research. The apparent constant (KM), apparent break-down rate constant (kA), reaction rate constants (k), energy of activation (Ea), enthalpy of activation (ΔH), entropy of activation (ΔS) and Gibbs free energy of activation (ΔG) were determined by means of the Michaelis-Menten equation, first-order kinetics model, Arrhenius equation and transition state theory, respectively. The results showed that MPU pretreatment can accelerate the enzymolysis of CGM under different enzymolysis conditions, viz. substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, pH, and temperature. Kinetics analysis revealed that MPU pretreatment decreased the KM value by 26.1% and increased the kA value by 7.3%, indicating ultrasound pretreatment increased the affinity between enzyme and substrate. In addition, the values of k for ultrasound pretreatment were increased by 84.8%, 41.9%, 28.9%, and 18.8% at the temperature of 293, 303, 313 and 323 K, respectively. For the thermodynamic parameters, ultrasound decreased Ea, ΔH and ΔS by 23.0%, 24.3% and 25.3%, respectively, but ultrasound had little change in ΔG value in the temperature range of 293-323 K. In conclusion, MPU pretreatment could remarkably enhance the enzymolysis of CGM, and this method can be applied to protein proteolysis industry to produce peptides. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Nitrogen saturation in stream ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earl, Stevan R; Valett, H Maurice; Webster, Jackson R

    2006-12-01

    The concept of nitrogen (N) saturation has organized the assessment of N loading in terrestrial ecosystems. Here we extend the concept to lotic ecosystems by coupling Michaelis-Menten kinetics and nutrient spiraling. We propose a series of saturation response types, which may be used to characterize the proximity of streams to N saturation. We conducted a series of short-term N releases using a tracer (15NO3-N) to measure uptake. Experiments were conducted in streams spanning a gradient of background N concentration. Uptake increased in four of six streams as NO3-N was incrementally elevated, indicating that these streams were not saturated. Uptake generally corresponded to Michaelis-Menten kinetics but deviated from the model in two streams where some other growth-critical factor may have been limiting. Proximity to saturation was correlated to background N concentration but was better predicted by the ratio of dissolved inorganic N (DIN) to soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), suggesting phosphorus limitation in several high-N streams. Uptake velocity, a reflection of uptake efficiency, declined nonlinearly with increasing N amendment in all streams. At the same time, uptake velocity was highest in the low-N streams. Our conceptual model of N transport, uptake, and uptake efficiency suggests that, while streams may be active sites of N uptake on the landscape, N saturation contributes to nonlinear changes in stream N dynamics that correspond to decreased uptake efficiency.

  19. Quantifying stream nutrient uptake from ambient to saturation with instantaneous tracer additions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Covino, T. P.; McGlynn, B. L.; McNamara, R.

    2009-12-01

    Stream nutrient tracer additions and spiraling metrics are frequently used to quantify stream ecosystem behavior. However, standard approaches limit our understanding of aquatic biogeochemistry. Specifically, the relationship between in-stream nutrient concentration and stream nutrient spiraling has not been characterized. The standard constant rate (steady-state) approach to stream spiraling parameter estimation, either through elevating nutrient concentration or adding isotopically labeled tracers (e.g. 15N), provides little information regarding the stream kinetic curve that represents the uptake-concentration relationship analogous to the Michaelis-Menten curve. These standard approaches provide single or a few data points and often focus on estimating ambient uptake under the conditions at the time of the experiment. Here we outline and demonstrate a new method using instantaneous nutrient additions and dynamic analyses of breakthrough curve (BTC) data to characterize the full relationship between spiraling metrics and nutrient concentration. We compare the results from these dynamic analyses to BTC-integrated, and standard steady-state approaches. Our results indicate good agreement between these three approaches but we highlight the advantages of our dynamic method. Specifically, our new dynamic method provides a cost-effective and efficient approach to: 1) characterize full concentration-spiraling metric curves; 2) estimate ambient spiraling metrics; 3) estimate Michaelis-Menten parameters maximum uptake (Umax) and the half-saturation constant (Km) from developed uptake-concentration kinetic curves, and; 4) measure dynamic nutrient spiraling in larger rivers where steady-state approaches are impractical.

  20. Fock space, symbolic algebra, and analytical solutions for small stochastic systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Fernando A N; Gadêlha, Hermes; Gaffney, Eamonn A

    2015-12-01

    Randomness is ubiquitous in nature. From single-molecule biochemical reactions to macroscale biological systems, stochasticity permeates individual interactions and often regulates emergent properties of the system. While such systems are regularly studied from a modeling viewpoint using stochastic simulation algorithms, numerous potential analytical tools can be inherited from statistical and quantum physics, replacing randomness due to quantum fluctuations with low-copy-number stochasticity. Nevertheless, classical studies remained limited to the abstract level, demonstrating a more general applicability and equivalence between systems in physics and biology rather than exploiting the physics tools to study biological systems. Here the Fock space representation, used in quantum mechanics, is combined with the symbolic algebra of creation and annihilation operators to consider explicit solutions for the chemical master equations describing small, well-mixed, biochemical, or biological systems. This is illustrated with an exact solution for a Michaelis-Menten single enzyme interacting with limited substrate, including a consideration of very short time scales, which emphasizes when stiffness is present even for small copy numbers. Furthermore, we present a general matrix representation for Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an arbitrary number of enzymes and substrates that, following diagonalization, leads to the solution of this ubiquitous, nonlinear enzyme kinetics problem. For this, a flexible symbolic maple code is provided, demonstrating the prospective advantages of this framework compared to stochastic simulation algorithms. This further highlights the possibilities for analytically based studies of stochastic systems in biology and chemistry using tools from theoretical quantum physics.

  1. Ammonium and nitrite oxidation at nanomolar oxygen concentrations in oxygen minimum zone waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bristow, Laura A; Dalsgaard, Tage; Tiano, Laura; Mills, Daniel B; Bertagnolli, Anthony D; Wright, Jody J; Hallam, Steven J; Ulloa, Osvaldo; Canfield, Donald E; Revsbech, Niels Peter; Thamdrup, Bo

    2016-09-20

    A major percentage of fixed nitrogen (N) loss in the oceans occurs within nitrite-rich oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) via denitrification and anammox. It remains unclear to what extent ammonium and nitrite oxidation co-occur, either supplying or competing for substrates involved in nitrogen loss in the OMZ core. Assessment of the oxygen (O2) sensitivity of these processes down to the O2 concentrations present in the OMZ core (Chile at manipulated O2 levels between 5 nmol⋅L(-1) and 20 μmol⋅L(-1) Rates of both processes were detectable in the low nanomolar range (5-33 nmol⋅L(-1) O2), but demonstrated a strong dependence on O2 concentrations with apparent half-saturation constants (Kms) of 333 ± 130 nmol⋅L(-1) O2 for ammonium oxidation and 778 ± 168 nmol⋅L(-1) O2 for nitrite oxidation assuming one-component Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Nitrite oxidation rates, however, were better described with a two-component Michaelis-Menten model, indicating a high-affinity component with a Km of just a few nanomolar. As the communities of ammonium and nitrite oxidizers were similar to other OMZs, these kinetics should apply across OMZ systems. The high O2 affinities imply that ammonium and nitrite oxidation can occur within the OMZ core whenever O2 is supplied, for example, by episodic intrusions. These processes therefore compete with anammox and denitrification for ammonium and nitrite, thereby exerting an important control over nitrogen loss.

  2. [Investigations on the physiology of the glands of carnivorous plants : IV. The kinetics of chloride secretion by the gland tissue of Nepenthes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lüttge, U

    1966-03-01

    The transport of chloride in isolated tissue from Nepenthes pitchers was investigated using (36)Cl(-), an Aminco-Cotlove chloride-titrator for the determinations of Cl(-) concentrations, and KCN and AsO 4 (-) -as metabolic inhibitors.The tissue was brought in contact with different experimental solutions (=medium). The surface corresponding to the outside of the pitchers was cut with a razor blade to remove the cutinized epidermal layer. At this surface the Cl(-) uptake from the medium is a metabolic process which depends on the Cl(-)-concentration of the medium in a manner that corresponds to the MICHAELIS-MENTEN kinetics. The Michaelis-constant of this transport step was 3×10(-2)M. The Cl(-)-efflux into the medium, however, is a passive process.The opposite surface of the tissue slices (corresponding to the inside of the pitchers) carries the glands. The chloride secretion taking place here is also dependent on metabolism. In vitro it occurs even when a high gradient of chloride concentration has been set up between the medium and the solution which is in contact with the glands. In vivo the Cl(-)-concentration of the pitcher fluid and the amount of Cl(-) per gram of tissue water are almost equal.The rôle of chloride in the physiology of Nepenthes is still under investigation, A correlation between the chloride content of the pitcher fluid and its enzymatic activity (Casein-test), however, could already be demonstrated.

  3. Study on kinetics of glucose uptake by some species of plankton

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wenquan; Wang, Xian; Zhang, Yaohua

    1993-03-01

    The rates of glucose uptake by some species of plankton were determined by3H-glucose tracer method. Experimental results indicated that the observed glucose uptake at natural seawater concentrations by Platymonas subcordiformis and Brachionus plicatilis was principally a metabolic process fitted with the Michaelis-Menten equation in the range of adaptive temperatures. Heterotrophic uptake by Platymonas subcordiformis was mainly dependent on diffusion at high glucose levels. The uptake by Brachionus plicatilis showed active transport even at high glucose levels, indicating its high heterotrophic activity. The uptake rate by Artemia salina was lower, and its V m/K ratio was lower than those of the other two species of plankton.

  4. An Assessment of Factors Affecting Reactive Transport of Biodegradable BTEX in an Unconfined Aquifer System, Tehran Oil Refinery, Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Agah

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Risk-based assessment methods are commonly used at the contaminated sites by hydrocarbon pollutants. This paper presents the results of a two-dimensional finite volume model of reactive transport of biodegradable BTEX which have been developed for the saturated zone of an unconfined aquifer in the Pump station area of Tehran oil refinery, Iran. The model governing equations were numerically solved by modification of a general commercial software called PHOENICS. To reduce costs in general, many input parameters of a model are often approximated based on the used values in the contaminated sites with same conditions. It was not fully recognised the effect of errors in these inputs on modelling outputs. Thus, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine the influence of parameters variability on the results of model. For this analysis, the sensitivity of the model to changes in the dispersivity, distribution coefficient, parameters of Monod, Michaelis-Menten, first- and zero- order kinetics modes on the BTEX contaminant plume were examined by performing several simulations. It was found that the model is sensitive to changes in dispersivity and parameters of Michaelis-Menten, first- and zero- order kinetics model. On the other hand, the predictions for plumes assuming Monod kinetics are similar, even if different values for parameterization are chosen. The reason for this insensibility is that degradation is not limited by microbial kinetics in the simulation, but by dispersive mixing. Quantifying the effect of changes in model input parameters on the modelling results is essential when it is desired to recognise which model parameters are more vital on the fate and transport of reactive pollutants. Furthermore, this process can provide an insight into understanding pollutant transportation mechanisms.

  5. Direct measurement of catalase activity in living cells and tissue biopsies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scaglione, Christine N.; Xu, Qijin; Ramanujan, V. Krishnan

    2016-01-01

    Spatiotemporal regulation of enzyme-substrate interactions governs the decision-making steps in biological systems. Enzymes, being functional units of every living cell, contribute to the macromolecular stability of cell survival, proliferation and hence are vital windows to unraveling the biological complexity. Experimental measurements capturing this dynamics of enzyme-substrate interactions in real time add value to this understanding. Furthermore these measurements, upon validation in realistic biological specimens such as clinical biopsies – can further improve our capability in disease diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Towards this direction, we describe here a novel, high-sensitive measurement system for measuring diffusion-limited enzyme-substrate kinetics in real time. Using catalase (enzyme) and hydrogen peroxide (substrate) as the example pair, we demonstrate that this system is capable of direct measurement of catalase activity in vitro and the measured kinetics follows the classical Michaelis-Menten reaction kinetics. We further demonstrate the system performance by measuring catalase activity in living cells and in very small amounts of liver biopsies (down to 1 μg total protein). Catalase-specific enzyme activity is demonstrated by genetic and pharmacological tools. Finally we show the clinically-relevant diagnostic capability of our system by comparing the catalase activities in liver biopsies from young and old mouse (liver and serum) samples. We discuss the potential applicability of this system in clinical diagnostics as well as in intraoperative surgical settings. - Highlights: • A novel, direct measurement of Catalase enzyme activity via, oxygen sensing method. • Steady-stateprofiles of Catalase activity follow the Michaelis-Menten Kinetics. • Catalase-specific activity demonstrated using genetic and pharmacological tools. • Overcomes limitations of spectroscopic methods and indirect calorimetric approaches. • Clear

  6. Direct measurement of catalase activity in living cells and tissue biopsies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scaglione, Christine N.; Xu, Qijin; Ramanujan, V. Krishnan, E-mail: Ramanujanv@csmc.edu

    2016-01-29

    Spatiotemporal regulation of enzyme-substrate interactions governs the decision-making steps in biological systems. Enzymes, being functional units of every living cell, contribute to the macromolecular stability of cell survival, proliferation and hence are vital windows to unraveling the biological complexity. Experimental measurements capturing this dynamics of enzyme-substrate interactions in real time add value to this understanding. Furthermore these measurements, upon validation in realistic biological specimens such as clinical biopsies – can further improve our capability in disease diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Towards this direction, we describe here a novel, high-sensitive measurement system for measuring diffusion-limited enzyme-substrate kinetics in real time. Using catalase (enzyme) and hydrogen peroxide (substrate) as the example pair, we demonstrate that this system is capable of direct measurement of catalase activity in vitro and the measured kinetics follows the classical Michaelis-Menten reaction kinetics. We further demonstrate the system performance by measuring catalase activity in living cells and in very small amounts of liver biopsies (down to 1 μg total protein). Catalase-specific enzyme activity is demonstrated by genetic and pharmacological tools. Finally we show the clinically-relevant diagnostic capability of our system by comparing the catalase activities in liver biopsies from young and old mouse (liver and serum) samples. We discuss the potential applicability of this system in clinical diagnostics as well as in intraoperative surgical settings. - Highlights: • A novel, direct measurement of Catalase enzyme activity via, oxygen sensing method. • Steady-stateprofiles of Catalase activity follow the Michaelis-Menten Kinetics. • Catalase-specific activity demonstrated using genetic and pharmacological tools. • Overcomes limitations of spectroscopic methods and indirect calorimetric approaches. • Clear

  7. Characterization of the human cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the metabolism of dihydrocodeine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkwood, L. C.; Nation, R. L.; Somogyi, A. A.

    1997-01-01

    Aims Using human liver microsomes from donors of the CYP2D6 poor and extensive metabolizer genotypes, the role of individual cytochromes P-450 in the oxidative metabolism of dihydrocodeine was investigated. Methods The kinetics of formation of N- and O-demethylated metabolites, nordihydrocodeine and dihydromorphine, were determined using microsomes from six extensive and one poor metabolizer and the effects of chemical inhibitors selective for individual P-450 enzymes of the 1A, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E and 3A families and of LKM1 (anti-CYP2D6) antibodies were studied. Results Nordihydrocodeine was the major metabolite in both poor and extensive metabolizers. Kinetic constants for N-demethylation derived from the single enzyme Michaelis-Menten model did not differ between the two groups. Troleandomycin and erythromycin selectively inhibited N-demethylation in both extensive and poor metabolizers. The CYP3A inducer, α-naphthoflavone, increased N-demethylation rates. The kinetics of formation of dihydromorphine in both groups were best described by a single enzyme Michaelis-Menten model although inhibition studies in extensive metabolizers suggested involvement of two enzymes with similar Km values. The kinetic constants for O-demethylation were significantly different in extensive and poor metabolizers. The extensive metabolizers had a mean intrinsic clearance to dihydromorphine more than ten times greater than the poor metabolizer. The CYP2D6 chemical inhibitors, quinidine and quinine, and LKM1 antibodies inhibited O-demethylation in extensive metabolizers; no effect was observed in microsomes from a poor metabolizer. Conclusions CYP2D6 is the major enzyme mediating O-demethylation of dihydrocodeine to dihydromorphine. In contrast, nordihydrocodeine formation is predominantly catalysed by CYP3A. PMID:9431830

  8. The kinetics of phagocytosis of 198Au colloids ''in vitro''

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Astorri, N.L.; Bergoc, R.M.; Bianchin, A.M.; Caro, R.A.; Ihlo, J.E.; Rivera, E.S.

    1982-01-01

    The kinetics of the phagocytosis of 198-Au colloids by macrophages ''in vitro'' was studied by incubating during 5 hours phagocytic cells from the liver and the spleen of Wistar rats with colloidal radiogold particles, in the presence of an adequate culture medium (TC-199 with 10 per cent of Bovine Fetal Serum). In each experiment, the number of colloidal gold particles offered to each phatocytic cell, (Au) 0 and the mean rate of phagocytosis v, were calculated. The latter value was determined by measuring the radioactivity incorporated into the phagocytic cells during the incubation; it was expressed as the number of phagocytized colloidal gold particles per cell per minute. The values of log v = f [log (Au) 0 ] were plotted. The Lineweaver-Burk analysis of the results demonstrates that the kinetics of the phagocytosis of colloidal radiogold particles ''in vitro'' follows a model similar to Michaelis-Menten equations for enzyme reactions. The values of the substratum constant Ks and maximun velocity Vm were obtained by the regression analysis of the 1/v vs. 1/(Au) 0 graph. Vm was equal to 9.44 x 10 and 1.63 x 10 phagocytized colloidal gold particles per cell per minute for liver and spleen macrophages, respectively. Ks was equal to 6.01 x 10 9 and 8.02 x 10 8 colloidal gold particles per cell for liver and spleen macrophages, respectively. The significance of these differences is discussed and attributed mainly to a change of the specific engulfment rate constant. (author) [es

  9. Electron kinetics modeling in a weakly ionized gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boeuf, Jean-Pierre

    1985-01-01

    This work presents some features of electron kinetics in a weakly ionized gas. After a summary of the basis and recent developments of the kinetic theory, and a review of the most efficient numerical techniques for solving the Boltzmann equation, several aspects of electron motion in gases are analysed. Relaxation phenomena toward equilibrium under a uniform electric field, and the question of the existence of the hydrodynamic regime are first studied. The coupling between electron kinetics and chemical kinetics due to second kind collisions in Nitrogen is then analysed; a quantitative description of the evolution of the energy balance, accounting for electron-molecule as well as molecule-molecule energy transfer is also given. Finally, electron kinetics in space charge distorted, highly non uniform electric fields (glow discharges, streamers propagation) is investigated with microscopic numerical methods based on Boltzmann and Poisson equations. (author) [fr

  10. Characterization of lipase in reversed micelles formulated by Cibacron Blue F-3GA modified Span 85

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Dong Hao; Guo, Zheng; Sun, Yan

    2007-01-01

    Sorbitan trioleate (Span 85) modified by Cibacron Blue F-3GA (CB) was prepared and used as an affinity surfactant to formulate a reversed micellar system for Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) solubilization. The system was characterized and evaluated by employing CRL-catalyzed hydrolysis of olive oil...... of the encapsulated lipase remained unchanged, but the apparent activity was significantly higher than that of the native enzyme in bulk solution. Kinetic studies indicated that the encapsulated lipase in the reversed micelles of CB-formulated Span 85 followed the Michaelis-Menten equation. The Michaelis constant...... was found to decrease with increasing surfactant concentration, suggesting an increase of the enzyme affinity for the substrate. Stability of the lipase in the reversed micelles was negatively correlated to W0. Introduction Reversed micelles are nanometer-scale transparent aggregates of water and surfactant...

  11. Diffusion-controlled interface kinetics-inclusive system-theoretic propagation models for molecular communication systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chude-Okonkwo, Uche A. K.; Malekian, Reza; Maharaj, B. T.

    2015-12-01

    Inspired by biological systems, molecular communication has been proposed as a new communication paradigm that uses biochemical signals to transfer information from one nano device to another over a short distance. The biochemical nature of the information transfer process implies that for molecular communication purposes, the development of molecular channel models should take into consideration diffusion phenomenon as well as the physical/biochemical kinetic possibilities of the process. The physical and biochemical kinetics arise at the interfaces between the diffusion channel and the transmitter/receiver units. These interfaces are herein termed molecular antennas. In this paper, we present the deterministic propagation model of the molecular communication between an immobilized nanotransmitter and nanoreceiver, where the emission and reception kinetics are taken into consideration. Specifically, we derived closed-form system-theoretic models and expressions for configurations that represent different communication systems based on the type of molecular antennas used. The antennas considered are the nanopores at the transmitter and the surface receptor proteins/enzymes at the receiver. The developed models are simulated to show the influence of parameters such as the receiver radius, surface receptor protein/enzyme concentration, and various reaction rate constants. Results show that the effective receiver surface area and the rate constants are important to the system's output performance. Assuming high rate of catalysis, the analysis of the frequency behavior of the developed propagation channels in the form of transfer functions shows significant difference introduce by the inclusion of the molecular antennas into the diffusion-only model. It is also shown that for t > > 0 and with the information molecules' concentration greater than the Michaelis-Menten kinetic constant of the systems, the inclusion of surface receptors proteins and enzymes in the models

  12. At the centennial of Michaelis and Menten, competing Michaelis-Menten steps explain effect of GLP-1 on blood-brain transfer and metabolism of glucose

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Michael Gejl; Rungby, Jørgen; Brock, Birgitte

    2014-01-01

    Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a potent insulinotropic incretin hormone with pancreatic and extrapancreatic effects. Studies reveal significant effects in regions of brain tissue that regulate appetite and satiety. The effects cause that mimetics of GLP-1 serves as treatment of type 2 diabete...

  13. ZnO nanowire-based glucose biosensors with different coupling agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Juneui [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Sangwoo, E-mail: swlim@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-01-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fabrication of ZnO nanowire-based glucose biosensors using different coupling agents. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Highest sensitivity for (3-aminopropyl)methyldiethoxysilane-treated biosensor. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Larger amount of glucose oxidase and lower electron transfer resistance for (3-aminopropyl)methyldiethoxysilane-treated biosensor. - Abstract: ZnO-nanowire-based glucose biosensors were fabricated by immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOx) onto a linker attached to ZnO nanowires. Different coupling agents were used, namely (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS), (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), and (3-aminopropyl)methyldiethoxysilane (APS), to increase the affinity of GOx binding to ZnO nanowires. The amount of GOx immobilized on the ZnO nanowires, the performance, sensitivity, and Michaelis-Menten constant of each biosensor, and the electron transfer resistance through the biosensor were all measured in order to investigate the effect of the coupling agent on the ZnO nanowire-based biosensor. Among the different biosensors, the APS-treated biosensor had the highest sensitivity (17.72 {mu}A cm{sup -2} mM{sup -1}) and the lowest Michaelis-Menten constant (1.37 mM). Since APS-treated ZnO nanowires showed the largest number of C-N groups and the lowest electron transfer resistance through the biosensor, we concluded that these properties were the key factors in the performance of APS-treated glucose biosensors.

  14. The Non-Linear Child: Ontogeny, Isoniazid Concentration, and NAT2 Genotype Modulate Enzyme Reaction Kinetics and Metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoe Rogers

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2 catalyzes the acetylation of isoniazid to N-acetylisoniazid. NAT2 polymorphism explains 88% of isoniazid clearance variability in adults. We examined the effects of clinical and genetic factors on Michaelis-Menten reaction kinetic constants of maximum velocity (Vmax and affinity (Km in children 0–10 years old. We measured the rates of isoniazid elimination and N-acetylisoniazid production in the blood of 30 children. Since maturation effects could be non-linear, we utilized a pharmacometric approach and the artificial intelligence method, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS, to identify factors predicting NAT2 Vmax and Km by examining clinical, genetic, and laboratory factors in toto. Isoniazid concentration predicted both Vmax and Km and superseded the contribution of NAT2 genotype. Age non-linearly modified the NAT2 genotype contribution until maturation at ≥5.3 years. Thus, enzyme efficiency was constrained by substrate concentration, genes, and age. Since MARS output is in the form of basis functions and equations, it allows multiscale systems modeling from the level of cellular chemical reactions to whole body physiological parameters, by automatic selection of significant predictors by the algorithm.

  15. Concentration-dependent interactions of the organophosphates chlorpyrifos oxon and methyl paraoxon with human recombinant acetylcholinesterase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaushik, R.; Rosenfeld, Clint A.; Sultatos, L.G.

    2007-01-01

    For many decades it has been thought that oxygen analogs (oxons) of organophosphorus insecticides phosphorylate the catalytic site of acetylcholinesterase by a mechanism that follows simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics. More recently, the interactions of at least some oxons have been shown to be far more complex and likely involve binding of oxons to a second site on acetylcholinesterase that modulates the inhibitory capacity of other oxon molecules at the catalytic site. The current study has investigated the interactions of chlorpyrifos oxon and methyl paraoxon with human recombinant acetylcholinesterase. Both chlorpyrifos oxon and methyl paraoxon were found to have k i 's that change as a function of oxon concentration. Furthermore, 10 nM chlorpyrifos oxon resulted in a transient increase in acetylthiocholine hydrolysis, followed by inhibition. Moreover, in the presence of 100 nM chlorpyrifos oxon, acetylthiocholine was found to influence both the K d (binding affinity) and k 2 (phosphorylation constant) of this oxon. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the interactions of chlorpyrifos oxon and methyl paraoxon with acetylcholinesterase cannot be described by simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics but instead support the hypothesis that these oxons bind to a secondary site on acetylcholinesterase, leading to activation/inhibition of the catalytic site, depending on the nature of the substrate and inhibitor. Additionally, these data raise questions regarding the adequacy of estimating risk of low levels of insecticide exposure from direct extrapolation of insecticide dose-response curves since the capacity of individual oxon molecules at low oxon levels could be greater than individual oxon molecules in vivo associated with the dose-response curve

  16. Tracer kinetics: Modelling of tracer behaviour in nonlinear and nonsteady state systems exemplified by the evaluation of protein turnover in plant organs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winkler, E.

    1991-01-01

    If nonlinear biological processes are investigated by means of tracer experiments they can be modelled with linear kinetic equations (compartment equations) as long as the total system is in a stationary state. But if nonstationary behaviour is included considerations on the kinetics of the individual processes are necessary. Within the range of biological and agricultural investigations especially first order reactions (constant fraction processes), zero order reactions (constant amount process) and saturation reactions (Michaelis-Menten-kinetics) are to be taken into account. A rigorous treatment of data based on system theory can be preceeded by graphic-algebraic procedure which may be more or less uncertain in its results but which can easily be handled. An example is given of methodological considerations concerning the combination of evaluation procedures and the discrimination between different reaction mechanisms. It treats protein turnover in 2 different parts of growing wheat plants investigated by means of an 15 N-tracer experiment. Whereas in a stationary system (upper stalk section) linear tracer equations were sufficient irrespective of the true reaction mechanism, for protein synthesis in the upper leaf as a nonstationary system it was necessary to decide between the hypotheses of a zero order and a first order reaction. In accordance with statements in the literature the unambiguous result was a combination of protein synthesis as a zero order process and of protein degradation as a first order process. (orig.) [de

  17. Michaelis' hundred Questions and the Royal Instructions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Ib

    2017-01-01

    Michaelis' 100 questions for the expedition is a remarkable document. It provides insight into the sources and methods of biblical research anno 1762, at the same time as highlighting the challenges the members of the expedition faced. As the scholarly foundation of the expedition, the questions ...

  18. Michaelis' Hundred Questions and the Royal Instruction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Ib

    2015-01-01

    Michaelis' 100 questions for the expedition is a remarkable document. It provides insight into the sources and methods of biblical research anno 1762, at the same time as highlighting the challenges the members of the expedition faced. As the scholarly foundation of the expedition, the questions ...

  19. Solvent 1H/2H isotopic effects in the reaction of the L-Tyrosine oxidation catalyzed by Tyrosinase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozlowska, M.; Kanska, M.

    2006-01-01

    Tyrosinase is well known catalyst in the oxidation of L-Tyrosine to L-DOPA and following oxidation of L-DOPA to dopachinone. The aim of communication is to present the results of studies on the solvent isotopic effects (SIE) in the above reactions for the 1 H/ 2 H in the 3',5' and 2',6' substituted tyrosine. Obtained dependence of the reaction rate on the substrate concentration were applied for optimization of the kinetic parameters, k cat and k cat /K m , in the Michaelis-Menten equation. As a result - better understanding of the L-DOPA creation can be achieved

  20. Kinetic Studies on Trichoderna Viride Cellulase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saw Aung; Oo Aung; Aung Myint

    2002-02-01

    Studies on cellulase enzyme (EC 3.2.1.4), which catalyzes the hydrolysis of. cellulose to yield glucose, were made. Cellulase from a fungus source, Trichoderma viride was cultivated on Czapek's agar medium and enzyme production broth medium was employed for parameter tests. The microscopic examination and cellulase hydrolysis test on subcultured fungi were applied to confirm the T. viride species. A calibration curve for standard glucose was plotted by using visible spectroscopy. Dinitrosalicylic acid was used as enzyme reaction inhibitor and the colour intensity was measured in a UV-visible spectrophotometer at a λ max of 570 nm. The parameters such as optimum pH, optimum temperature, effect of substrate concentration, effect, of enzyme concentration, enzyme unit (EU), reaction order (n), maximum velocity (V max ), Michaelis-Menten constant (K m ) using various substrates, viz., carboxy methylcellulose, cotton fibre and filter paper determined. (author)

  1. Sub-minute kinetics of human red cell fumarase: 1 H spin-echo NMR spectroscopy and 13 C rapid-dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shishmarev, Dmitry; Wright, Alan J; Rodrigues, Tiago B; Pileio, Giuseppe; Stevanato, Gabriele; Brindle, Kevin M; Kuchel, Philip W

    2018-03-01

    Fumarate is an important probe of metabolism in hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. It is used to detect the release of fumarase in cancer tissues, which is associated with necrosis and drug treatment. Nevertheless, there are limited reports describing the detailed kinetic studies of this enzyme in various cells and tissues. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the sub-minute kinetics of human red blood cell fumarase using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and to provide a quantitative description of the enzyme that is relevant to the use of fumarate as a probe of cell rupture. The fumarase reaction was studied using time courses of 1 H spin-echo and 13 C-NMR spectra. 1 H-NMR experiments showed that the fumarase reaction in hemolysates is sufficiently rapid to make its kinetics amenable to study in a period of approximately 3 min, a timescale characteristic of hyperpolarized 13 C-NMR spectroscopy. The rapid-dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (RD-DNP) technique was used to hyperpolarize [1,4- 13 C]fumarate, which was injected into concentrated hemolysates. The kinetic data were analyzed using recently developed FmR α analysis and modeling of the enzymatic reaction using Michaelis-Menten equations. In RD-DNP experiments, the decline in the 13 C-NMR signal from fumarate, and the concurrent rise and fall of that from malate, were captured with high spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, which allowed the robust quantification of fumarase kinetics. The kinetic parameters obtained indicate the potential contribution of hemolysis to the overall rate of the fumarase reaction when 13 C-NMR RD-DNP is used to detect necrosis in animal models of implanted tumors. The analytical procedures developed will be applicable to studies of other rapid enzymatic reactions using conventional and hyperpolarized substrate NMR spectroscopy. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Hidrólisis enzimática de residuos de la cosecha de caña de azúcar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jairo G. Salcedo Mendoza

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Título en inglés: Hydrolysis Enzymatic of crop residues sugar cane Resumen: En esta investigación, se hidrolizó un sustrato deslignificado proveniente de residuos de la cosecha caña de azúcar  (hojas y cogollos usando un  preparado enzimático con 27.53 unidades de papel filtro (FPU, obtenido a partir de enzimas comerciales. La hidrólisis se llevó a cabo a un pH de 4.2 y una temperatura de 50 oC. Fueron analizados  modelos de inhibición por sustrato, glucosa e inhibición total por producto. Los resultados mostraron que los modelos que mejor se ajustan a los datos experimentales, son los modelos de inhibición competitiva por glucosa, con una constante de Michaelis (Km de 20.37 g/L,  velocidad máxima (Vmax 39 g/L h y una constante de inhibición  (ki de 0.442. En el caso que las relaciones  enzima – Sustrato (E/S sean mayores  de 0.5, se puede aplicar el modelo cinético de Michaelis-Menten. Palabras clave: Inhibición; modelos cinéticos; hojas y cogollos; coctel de enzimas Abstract: In this research, a delignified substrate from crops residues sugar cane residues (leaves and top cane was hydrolyzed using an enzyme preparation with 27.53 FPU. This enzyme was obtained from trade. Hydrolysis was carried out to pH of 4.2 and a temperature of 50 oC. Models of inhibition models substrate, glucose and total inhibition product was analyzed. The results showed that models that best fit the data experimental was the models competitive glucose inhibition (Km= 20.37, Vmax=39 and ki= 0.442. In the event that E/S is above 0.5, can applied kinetic models of MichaelisMenten. Keywords: Inhibition; kinetic models; leaves and tops cane; enzyme cocktail.

  3. Differential potassium influx influences growth of two cotton varieties in hydroponics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, L.; Maqsood, M.A.; Kanwal, S.; Aziz, T.

    2010-01-01

    Potassium uptake rate of two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties viz., NIBGE-2 and MNH-786 was investigated in nutrient solution culture having deficient K at the rate 0.3 mM and deficient K+ Na at the rate 0.3 +2.7 mM. Depletion of K from solution was monitored over a period of 24 h at regular time intervals after 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 24 h to estimate K uptake kinetics of the roots i.e. maximum influx, I/sub max/ and the Michaelis-Menten constant, Km. NIBGE-2 had about 2-fold higher (2.0 mg g rdw-1 hr-1) I/sub max/ value for K uptake rate at deficient K+Na than that (1.207 mg g rdw-1 hr-1) for MNH-786. Higher, Michaelis-Menten constant, Km (12.82 ppm) for K uptake rate was observed in both cultivars NIBGE-2 and MNH-786 at deficient K+Na than that at deficient K. Main effects of treatments and varieties had significant (p< 0.05) effect on shoot dry matter, root dry matter, total dry matter and leaf area per plant. Maximum K influx in NIBGE-2 at deficient K and deficient K +Na was attributed to enhanced growth response as compared to that in MNH-786. (author)

  4. Use of CdSe/ZnS luminescent quantum dots incorporated within sol-gel matrix for urea detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duong, Hong Dinh; Rhee, Jong Il

    2008-01-01

    In this work, urea detection techniques based on the pH sensitivity of CdSe/ZnS QDs were developed using three types of sol-gel membranes: a QD-entrapped membrane, urease-immobilized membrane and double layer consisting of a QD-entrapped membrane and urease-immobilized membrane. The surface morphology of the sol-gel membranes deposited on the wells in a 24-well microtiter plate was investigated. The linear detection range of urea was in the range of 0-10 mM with the three types of sol-gel membranes. The urea detection technique based on the double layer consisting of the QD-entrapped membrane and urease-immobilized membrane resulted in the highest sensitivity to urea due to the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters. That is, the Michaelis-Menten constant (K m =2.0745 mM) of the free urease in the QD-entrapped membrane was about 4-fold higher than that (K m =0.549 mM) of the immobilized urease in the urease-immobilized membrane and about 12-fold higher than that (K m =0.1698 mM) of the immobilized urease in the double layer. The good stability of the three sol-gel membranes for urea sensing over 2 months showed that the use of sol-gel membranes immobilized with QDs or an enzyme is suitable for biomedical and environmental applications

  5. Use of CdSe/ZnS luminescent quantum dots incorporated within sol-gel matrix for urea detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duong, Hong Dinh; Rhee, Jong Il

    2008-09-19

    In this work, urea detection techniques based on the pH sensitivity of CdSe/ZnS QDs were developed using three types of sol-gel membranes: a QD-entrapped membrane, urease-immobilized membrane and double layer consisting of a QD-entrapped membrane and urease-immobilized membrane. The surface morphology of the sol-gel membranes deposited on the wells in a 24-well microtiter plate was investigated. The linear detection range of urea was in the range of 0-10mM with the three types of sol-gel membranes. The urea detection technique based on the double layer consisting of the QD-entrapped membrane and urease-immobilized membrane resulted in the highest sensitivity to urea due to the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters. That is, the Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)=2.0745mM) of the free urease in the QD-entrapped membrane was about 4-fold higher than that (K(m)=0.549mM) of the immobilized urease in the urease-immobilized membrane and about 12-fold higher than that (K(m)=0.1698mM) of the immobilized urease in the double layer. The good stability of the three sol-gel membranes for urea sensing over 2 months showed that the use of sol-gel membranes immobilized with QDs or an enzyme is suitable for biomedical and environmental applications.

  6. Crude Aloe vera Gel Shows Antioxidant Propensities and Inhibits Pancreatic Lipase and Glucose Movement In Vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taukoorah, Urmeela; Mahomoodally, M. Fawzi

    2016-01-01

    Aloe vera gel (AVG) is traditionally used in the management of diabetes, obesity, and infectious diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the inhibitory potential of AVG against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase activity in vitro. Enzyme kinetic studies using Michaelis-Menten (K m) and Lineweaver-Burk equations were used to establish the type of inhibition. The antioxidant capacity of AVG was evaluated for its ferric reducing power, 2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate scavenging ability, nitric oxide scavenging power, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity. The glucose entrapment ability, antimicrobial activity, and total phenolic, flavonoid, tannin, and anthocyanin content were also determined. AVG showed a significantly higher percentage inhibition (85.56 ± 0.91) of pancreatic lipase compared to Orlistat. AVG was found to increase the Michaelis-Menten constant and decreased the maximal velocity (V max) of lipase, indicating mixed inhibition. AVG considerably inhibits glucose movement across dialysis tubes and was comparable to Arabic gum. AVG was ineffective against the tested microorganisms. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 66.06 ± 1.14 (GAE)/mg and 60.95 ± 0.97 (RE)/mg, respectively. AVG also showed interesting antioxidant properties. The biological activity observed in this study tends to validate some of the traditional claims of AVG as a functional food. PMID:26880905

  7. Dependence of nitrite oxidation on nitrite and oxygen in low-oxygen seawater

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xin; Ji, Qixing; Jayakumar, Amal; Ward, Bess B.

    2017-08-01

    Nitrite oxidation is an essential step in transformations of fixed nitrogen. The physiology of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) implies that the rates of nitrite oxidation should be controlled by concentration of their substrate, nitrite, and the terminal electron acceptor, oxygen. The sensitivities of nitrite oxidation to oxygen and nitrite concentrations were investigated using 15N tracer incubations in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific. Nitrite stimulated nitrite oxidation under low in situ nitrite conditions, following Michaelis-Menten kinetics, indicating that nitrite was the limiting substrate. The nitrite half-saturation constant (Ks = 0.254 ± 0.161 μM) was 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than in cultivated NOB, indicating higher affinity of marine NOB for nitrite. The highest rates of nitrite oxidation were measured in the oxygen depleted zone (ODZ), and were partially inhibited by additions of oxygen. This oxygen sensitivity suggests that ODZ specialist NOB, adapted to low-oxygen conditions, are responsible for apparently anaerobic nitrite oxidation.

  8. Preliminary Study on the Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Naphthol Green B by Dichromate Ion in Aqueous Hydrochloric Acid Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bako Myek

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The kinetics of the oxidation of naphthol green B (NGB3- by Cr2O7 2- has been studied in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium at an ionic strength, I = 0.50 mol dm-3 (NaCl, H+ =1.0  10-4 mol dm-3 (HCl and T = 25  1C. The redox reaction displayed a stoichiometry of 1:1 and obeys the rate law: -dNGB3-/dt = k2NGB3-]Cr2O7 2- . The second order rate constant increases with increase in acid concentration and in the ionic strength of reaction medium. The rates of reaction displayed a positive salt effect. Addition of acrylonitrile to a partially reacted mixture in the presence of excess methanol did not lead to gel formation. Added cations and anions inhibited the naphthol green B - Cr2O7 2- reaction. Results of the MichaelisMenten plot gave no evidence of intermediate complex formation during the course of the reaction. Based on the results obtained, the reaction is believed to proceed through the outersphere mechanistic pathway.

  9. Effect of pulsed electric field treatment on enzyme kinetics and thermostability of endogenous ascorbic acid oxidase in carrots (Daucus carota cv. Nantes).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leong, Sze Ying; Oey, Indrawati

    2014-03-01

    The objective of this research was to study the enzyme kinetics and thermostability of endogenous ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO) in carrot purée (Daucus carota cv. Nantes) after being treated with pulsed electric field (PEF) processing. Various PEF treatments using electric field strength between 0.2 and 1.2kV/cm and pulsed electrical energy between 1 and 520kJ/kg were conducted. The enzyme kinetics and the kinetics of AAO thermal inactivation (55-70°C) were described using Michaelis-Menten model and first order reaction model, respectively. Overall, the estimated Vmax and KM values were situated in the same order of magnitude as the untreated carrot purée after being exposed to pulsed electrical energy between 1 and 400kJ/kg, but slightly changed at pulsed electrical energy above 500kJ/kg. However, AAO presented different thermostability depending on the electric field strength applied. After PEF treatment at the electric field strength between 0.2 and 0.5kV/cm, AAO became thermolabile (i.e. increase in inactivation rate (k value) at reference temperature) but the temperature dependence of k value (Ea value) for AAO inactivation in carrot purée decreased, indicating that the changes in k values were less temperature dependent. It is obvious that PEF treatment affects the temperature stability of endogenous AAO. The changes in enzyme kinetics and thermostability of AAO in carrot purée could be related to the resulting carrot purée composition, alteration in intracellular environment and the effective concentration of AAO released after being subjected to PEF treatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A graphical user interface for a method to infer kinetics and network architecture (MIKANA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mourão, Márcio A; Srividhya, Jeyaraman; McSharry, Patrick E; Crampin, Edmund J; Schnell, Santiago

    2011-01-01

    One of the main challenges in the biomedical sciences is the determination of reaction mechanisms that constitute a biochemical pathway. During the last decades, advances have been made in building complex diagrams showing the static interactions of proteins. The challenge for systems biologists is to build realistic models of the dynamical behavior of reactants, intermediates and products. For this purpose, several methods have been recently proposed to deduce the reaction mechanisms or to estimate the kinetic parameters of the elementary reactions that constitute the pathway. One such method is MIKANA: Method to Infer Kinetics And Network Architecture. MIKANA is a computational method to infer both reaction mechanisms and estimate the kinetic parameters of biochemical pathways from time course data. To make it available to the scientific community, we developed a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for MIKANA. Among other features, the GUI validates and processes an input time course data, displays the inferred reactions, generates the differential equations for the chemical species in the pathway and plots the prediction curves on top of the input time course data. We also added a new feature to MIKANA that allows the user to exclude a priori known reactions from the inferred mechanism. This addition improves the performance of the method. In this article, we illustrate the GUI for MIKANA with three examples: an irreversible Michaelis-Menten reaction mechanism; the interaction map of chemical species of the muscle glycolytic pathway; and the glycolytic pathway of Lactococcus lactis. We also describe the code and methods in sufficient detail to allow researchers to further develop the code or reproduce the experiments described. The code for MIKANA is open source, free for academic and non-academic use and is available for download (Information S1).

  11. Heterotrophic and mixotrophic growth of Micractinium pusillum Fresenius in the presence of acetate and glucose: effect of light and acetate gradient concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouarab, L; Dauta, A; Loudiki, M

    2004-06-01

    The main objective of this study was to determine the importance of secondary mechanism of organic carbon utilization (mixotrophic and heterotrophic modes) in addition to CO2 fixation (photoautotrophic mode) in the green alga, Micractinium pusillum Fresenius (chlorophyta), isolated from a waste stabilization pond. The growth was studied in the presence of acetate and glucose. The incorporation rate of 14C- acetate was measured in the light and in the dark at different concentrations. Finally, in order to underline the role of photosynthesis and respiration processes in the acetate assimilation, the effect of two specific metabolic inhibitors, a specific inhibitor of photosystem II (DCMU) and an uncoupler respiratory (DNP), has been studied. The obtained results showed that M. pusillum grows in the presence of organic substrates, i.e., glucose and acetate, in the light (mixotrophic growth) as well as in the dark (Heterotrophic growth). The growth was much more important in the light than in the dark and more in the presence of glucose than of acetate. In the light, the presence of acetate led to a variation of growth parameters mumax, iotaopt, and beta. The effect of acetate gradient on the growth of the microalga was severe as soon as its concentration in the medium was higher. The acetate uptake followed a Michaelis-Menten kinetic in the light as well as in the dark. The capacity of assimilation was slightly higher in the dark. The utilization of DNP and DCMU indicates that acetate incorporation is an active process depending on both anabolic (photosynthesis) and catabolic (respiration) metabolisms, corroborating the model of the Michaelis-Menten kinetic.

  12. The Non-Linear Child: Ontogeny, Isoniazid Concentration, and NAT2 Genotype Modulate Enzyme Reaction Kinetics and Metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Zoe; Hiruy, Hiwot; Pasipanodya, Jotam G; Mbowane, Chris; Adamson, John; Ngotho, Lihle; Karim, Farina; Jeena, Prakash; Bishai, William; Gumbo, Tawanda

    2016-09-01

    N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) catalyzes the acetylation of isoniazid to N-acetylisoniazid. NAT2 polymorphism explains 88% of isoniazid clearance variability in adults. We examined the effects of clinical and genetic factors on Michaelis-Menten reaction kinetic constants of maximum velocity (V max ) and affinity (K m ) in children 0-10years old. We measured the rates of isoniazid elimination and N-acetylisoniazid production in the blood of 30 children. Since maturation effects could be non-linear, we utilized a pharmacometric approach and the artificial intelligence method, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), to identify factors predicting NAT2 V max and K m by examining clinical, genetic, and laboratory factors in toto. Isoniazid concentration predicted both V max and K m and superseded the contribution of NAT2 genotype. Age non-linearly modified the NAT2 genotype contribution until maturation at ≥5.3years. Thus, enzyme efficiency was constrained by substrate concentration, genes, and age. Since MARS output is in the form of basis functions and equations, it allows multiscale systems modeling from the level of cellular chemical reactions to whole body physiological parameters, by automatic selection of significant predictors by the algorithm. Copyright © 2016 Forschungsgesellschaft für Arbeitsphysiologie und Arbeitschutz e.V. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Diatomite Modified Immobilized Delftia sp. for the Bio-Abiotic Removal of Antibiotics Amoxicillin in the Aqueous System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Lijuan; Sun, Jing; Guan, Kai; Shen, Tingting; Wang, Xikui

    2017-05-01

    Diatomite modified sodium alginate (Si/SA) immobilized Delftia sp. A2(2011) (STT01) was applied to degrade amoxicillin. The immobilized pellets provided a direct and visual probe for the degradation process due to their intrinsic bright colour. The results demonstrated that 100% of amoxicillin and 68.5% of CODcr removal were achieved after 72 h, comparing with the cases of sodium alginate (SA) system (81.2%, 46.9%) and the free cells system (60.5%, 35.5%). The degradation kinetics was in good agreement with Michaelis-Menten equation. The maximum rate (Vm ) and Michaelis constant (Km ) were calculated as 9.09 mg L-1 h-1 and 228 mg L-1, respectively. The results further revealed that diatomite not only acted as immobilization support to improve the mechanical strength and lifetime of the pellets but also as absorbent to promote the treatment efficiency. Therefore, both enzymatic catalysis and chemisorption were responsible for the removal of amoxicillin.

  14. Kinetic studies of alkaline phosphatase extracted from rabbit (Lepus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    activity, and the kinetic constants-maximum enzyme velocity (Vmax) and Michealis-Menten constant (Km) were evaluated. ... the enzyme a readily available parameter for diagnostic and research .... procedure while treatment means were separated by the least .... mammalian enzymes are responsible for this increase in ...

  15. Phosphorus Uptake Kinetics of Different Types of Duckweed.%不同品种浮萍磷素吸收动力学特征

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    蔡树美; 刘文桃; 张震; 柏彦超; 钱晓晴

    2011-01-01

    以长江三角洲地区常见的3种浮萍--稀脉浮萍(Lemna aequinoctialis)、少根紫萍(Spirodela oligorrhiza)和紫萍(Spriodela polyrrhiza)为对象,研究不同品种浮萍对HPO42-的吸收动力学影响.结果表明,3种浮萍对无机磷的吸收动力学特征基本可采用Michaelis-Menten方程描述,3种浮萍无机磷吸收速率V对磷浓度S双倒数曲线的拟合关系均在α=0.01水平上显著.稀脉浮萍对无机磷的亲和力较强,适宜应用于对低磷浓度污水的净化;紫萍对无机磷的最大吸收速率Vmax较高,适宜应用于对高磷浓度污水的净化.%An increasing attention has been paid to the use of duckweed in treating eutrophicated water as a tool of bio-remediation of domestic wastewater.Phosphorus uptake kinetics was studied,of different species of duckweeds, i.e.Lemna aequinoctialis, Spirodela oligorrhiza and Spriodela polyrrhiza, which are common in the Yangtze River Delta area.Results show that the phosphorus uptake kinetics of the duckweeds could be expressed with the Michaelis-Menten equation; and the relation between phosphorus uptake rate (V) of the duckweeds and inorganic phosphorus(Pi) concentration (S), was well fitted with a double-reciprocal curve with at =0.01; the Km value for Pi uptake of Lemna aequinoctialis was lower than that of Spirodela oligorrhiza and Spriodela polyrrhiza, making it a better candidate for treating wastewater low in Pi concentration.The maximum phosphorus uptake rate of Spriodela polyrrhiza was higher than that of the other two species, which allows Spriodela polyrrhiza better performance in purifying wastewater higher in Pi concentration.

  16. Effect of antenna size on electron kinetics in inductively coupled plasmas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Hyo-Chang; Chung, Chin-Wook [Department of Electrical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    Spatially resolved measurements of electron energy distribution functions (EEDFs) are investigated in inductively coupled plasmas with two planar antenna coils. When the plasma is sustained by the antenna with a diameter of 18 cm, the nonlocal kinetics is preserved in the argon gas pressure range from 2 mTorr to 20 mTorr. However, electron kinetics transit from nonlocal kinetics to local kinetics in discharge sustained by the antenna coil with diameter 34 cm. The results suggest that antenna size as well as chamber length are important parameters for the transition of the electron kinetics. Spatial variations of plasma potential, effective electron temperature, and EEDF in terms of total electron energy scale are also presented.

  17. A simple theory of motor protein kinetics and energetics. II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, H

    2000-01-10

    A three-state stochastic model of motor protein [Qian, Biophys. Chem. 67 (1997) pp. 263-267] is further developed to illustrate the relationship between the external load on an individual motor protein in aqueous solution with various ATP concentrations and its steady-state velocity. A wide variety of dynamic motor behavior are obtained from this simple model. For the particular case of free-load translocation being the most unfavorable step within the hydrolysis cycle, the load-velocity curve is quasi-linear, V/Vmax = (cF/Fmax-c)/(1-c), in contrast to the hyperbolic relationship proposed by A.V. Hill for macroscopic muscle. Significant deviation from the linearity is expected when the velocity is less than 10% of its maximal (free-load) value--a situation under which the processivity of motor diminishes and experimental observations are less certain. We then investigate the dependence of load-velocity curve on ATP (ADP) concentration. It is shown that the free load Vmax exhibits a Michaelis-Menten like behavior, and the isometric Fmax increases linearly with ln([ATP]/[ADP]). However, the quasi-linear region is independent of the ATP concentration, yielding an apparently ATP-independent maximal force below the true isometric force. Finally, the heat production as a function of ATP concentration and external load are calculated. In simple terms and solved with elementary algebra, the present model provides an integrated picture of biochemical kinetics and mechanical energetics of motor proteins.

  18. Electron transfer kinetics on mono- and multilayer graphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velický, Matěj; Bradley, Dan F; Cooper, Adam J; Hill, Ernie W; Kinloch, Ian A; Mishchenko, Artem; Novoselov, Konstantin S; Patten, Hollie V; Toth, Peter S; Valota, Anna T; Worrall, Stephen D; Dryfe, Robert A W

    2014-10-28

    Understanding of the electrochemical properties of graphene, especially the electron transfer kinetics of a redox reaction between the graphene surface and a molecule, in comparison to graphite or other carbon-based materials, is essential for its potential in energy conversion and storage to be realized. Here we use voltammetric determination of the electron transfer rate for three redox mediators, ferricyanide, hexaammineruthenium, and hexachloroiridate (Fe(CN)(6)(3-), Ru(NH3)(6)(3+), and IrCl(6)(2-), respectively), to measure the reactivity of graphene samples prepared by mechanical exfoliation of natural graphite. Electron transfer rates are measured for varied number of graphene layers (1 to ca. 1000 layers) using microscopic droplets. The basal planes of mono- and multilayer graphene, supported on an insulating Si/SiO(2) substrate, exhibit significant electron transfer activity and changes in kinetics are observed for all three mediators. No significant trend in kinetics with flake thickness is discernible for each mediator; however, a large variation in kinetics is observed across the basal plane of the same flakes, indicating that local surface conditions affect the electrochemical performance. This is confirmed by in situ graphite exfoliation, which reveals significant deterioration of initially, near-reversible kinetics for Ru(NH3)(6)(3+) when comparing the atmosphere-aged and freshly exfoliated graphite surfaces.

  19. Correlation analysis of reactivity in the oxidation of some organic diols by tripropylammonium fluorochromate in non-aqueous media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Sheik Mansoor

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The kinetics of oxidation of some organic diols by tripropylammonium fluorochromate (TriPAFC have been studied in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO. The main product of oxidation is the corresponding hydroxy aldehydes. The reaction is first order with respect to TriPAFC and exhibited Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with respect to organic diols. The reaction is catalyzed by hydrogen ions. The hydrogen ion dependence has the form: kobs = a + b[H+]. Various thermodynamic parameters for the oxidation have been reported and discussed along with the validity of isokinetic relationship. Oxidation of diols was studied in 18 different organic solvents. The rate data are showing satisfactory correlation with Kamlet–Taft solvotochromic parameters (α, β and π∗. A suitable mechanism of oxidation has been proposed.

  20. Catalytic Activity of μ-Carbido-Dimeric Iron(IV) Octapropylporphyrazinate in the 3,5,7,2',4'-Pentahydroxyflavone Oxidation Reaction with tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyurin, D. V.; Zaitseva, S. V.; Kudrik, E. V.

    2018-05-01

    It is found for the first time that μ-carbido-dimeric iron(IV) octapropylporphyrazinate displays catalytic activity in the oxidation reaction of natural flavonol morin with tert-butyl hydroperoxide, with the catalyst being stable under conditions of the reaction. The kinetics of this reaction are studied. It is shown the reaction proceeds via tentative formation of a complex between the catalyst and the oxidant, followed by O‒O bond homolytic cleavage. The kinetics of the reaction is described in the coordinates of the Michaelis-Menten equation. A linear dependence of the apparent reaction rate constant on the concentration of the catalyst is observed, testifying to its participation in the limiting reaction step. The equilibrium constants and rates of interaction are found. A mechanism is proposed for the reaction on the basis of the experimental data.

  1. Modelling the Effects of Ageing Time of Starch on the Enzymatic Activity of Three Amylolytic Enzymes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerra, Nelson P.; Pastrana Castro, Lorenzo

    2012-01-01

    The effect of increasing ageing time (t) of starch on the activity of three amylolytic enzymes (Termamyl, San Super, and BAN) was investigated. Although all the enzymatic reactions follow michaelian kinetics, v max decreased significantly (P enzymes and the release of the reaction products to the medium. A similar effect was observed when the enzymatic reactions were carried out with unaged starches supplemented with different concentrations of gelatine [G]. The inhibition in the amylolytic activities was best mathematically described by using three modified forms of the Michaelis-Menten model, which included a term to consider, respectively, the linear, exponential, and hyperbolic inhibitory effects of t and [G]. PMID:22666116

  2. A KDE-Based Random Walk Method for Modeling Reactive Transport With Complex Kinetics in Porous Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sole-Mari, Guillem; Fernà ndez-Garcia, Daniel; Rodríguez-Escales, Paula; Sanchez-Vila, Xavier

    2017-11-01

    In recent years, a large body of the literature has been devoted to study reactive transport of solutes in porous media based on pure Lagrangian formulations. Such approaches have also been extended to accommodate second-order bimolecular reactions, in which the reaction rate is proportional to the concentrations of the reactants. Rather, in some cases, chemical reactions involving two reactants follow more complicated rate laws. Some examples are (1) reaction rate laws written in terms of powers of concentrations, (2) redox reactions incorporating a limiting term (e.g., Michaelis-Menten), or (3) any reaction where the activity coefficients vary with the concentration of the reactants, just to name a few. We provide a methodology to account for complex kinetic bimolecular reactions in a fully Lagrangian framework where each particle represents a fraction of the total mass of a specific solute. The method, built as an extension to the second-order case, is based on the concept of optimal Kernel Density Estimator, which allows the concentrations to be written in terms of particle locations, hence transferring the concept of reaction rate to that of particle location distribution. By doing so, we can update the probability of particles reacting without the need to fully reconstruct the concentration maps. The performance and convergence of the method is tested for several illustrative examples that simulate the Advection-Dispersion-Reaction Equation in a 1-D homogeneous column. Finally, a 2-D application example is presented evaluating the need of fully describing non-bilinear chemical kinetics in a randomly heterogeneous porous medium.

  3. New insights into the catalytic mechanism of human glycine N-acyltransferase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Sluis, Rencia; Ungerer, Vida; Nortje, Carla; A van Dijk, Alberdina; Erasmus, Elardus

    2017-11-01

    Even though the glycine conjugation pathway was one of the first metabolic pathways to be discovered, this pathway remains very poorly characterized. The bi-substrate kinetic parameters of a recombinant human glycine N-acyltransferase (GLYAT, E.C. 2.3.1.13) were determined using the traditional colorimetric method and a newly developed HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method. Previous studies analyzing the kinetic parameters of GLYAT, indicated a random Bi-Bi and/or ping-pong mechanism. In this study, the hippuric acid concentrations produced by the GLYAT enzyme reaction were analyzed using the allosteric sigmoidal enzyme kinetic module. Analyses of the initial rate (v) against substrate concentration plots, produced a sigmoidal curve (substrate activation) when the benzoyl-CoA concentrations was kept constant, whereas the plot with glycine concentrations kept constant, passed through a maximum (substrate inhibition). Thus, human GLYAT exhibits mechanistic kinetic cooperativity as described by the Ferdinand enzyme mechanism rather than the previously assumed Michaelis-Menten reaction mechanism. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Evaluation of sources of variation on in vitro fermentation kinetics of feedstuffs in a gas production system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keim, Juan P; Alvarado-Gilis, Christian; Arias, Rodrigo A; Gandarillas, Mónica; Cabanilla, Jaime

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different sources of variation in gas production technique on the in vitro gas production kinetics of feedstuffs. Triplicates of commercial concentrate, grass silage, grass hay and grass pasture were incubated in three experiments: experiment 1 assessed two agitation methods; experiment 2 evaluated different rumen inocula (pooled or different donor cows for each incubation run); and experiment 3 used Goering-Van Soest or Mould buffers for media preparation. Gas production data were fitted into the Michaelis-Menten model and then subjected to analysis of variance. Gas production (GP) at 48 h and asymptote gas production (A) were lower when bottles were continuously under horizontal movement. Time to produce half and 75% of A, and A were affected by rumen inocula, while buffer type affected time to produce half and 25% of A and GP. No interactions between substrates and sources of variation were observed, suggesting that the effects of substrates on GP parameters were not modified. It is concluded that comparison of numerical data from in vitro experiments that follow different protocols must be done carefully. However, the ranking of different substrates is more robust and less affected by the sources of variation. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  5. An Integrated Circuit for Chip-Based Analysis of Enzyme Kinetics and Metabolite Quantification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheah, Boon Chong; Macdonald, Alasdair Iain; Martin, Christopher; Streklas, Angelos J; Campbell, Gordon; Al-Rawhani, Mohammed A; Nemeth, Balazs; Grant, James P; Barrett, Michael P; Cumming, David R S

    2016-06-01

    We have created a novel chip-based diagnostic tools based upon quantification of metabolites using enzymes specific for their chemical conversion. Using this device we show for the first time that a solid-state circuit can be used to measure enzyme kinetics and calculate the Michaelis-Menten constant. Substrate concentration dependency of enzyme reaction rates is central to this aim. Ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFET) are excellent transducers for biosensing applications that are reliant upon enzyme assays, especially since they can be fabricated using mainstream microelectronics technology to ensure low unit cost, mass-manufacture, scaling to make many sensors and straightforward miniaturisation for use in point-of-care devices. Here, we describe an integrated ISFET array comprising 2(16) sensors. The device was fabricated with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. Unlike traditional CMOS ISFET sensors that use the Si3N4 passivation of the foundry for ion detection, the device reported here was processed with a layer of Ta2O5 that increased the detection sensitivity to 45 mV/pH unit at the sensor readout. The drift was reduced to 0.8 mV/hour with a linear pH response between pH 2-12. A high-speed instrumentation system capable of acquiring nearly 500 fps was developed to stream out the data. The device was then used to measure glucose concentration through the activity of hexokinase in the range of 0.05 mM-231 mM, encompassing glucose's physiological range in blood. Localised and temporal enzyme kinetics of hexokinase was studied in detail. These results present a roadmap towards a viable personal metabolome machine.

  6. AIR POLLUTION FROM ANIMAL AND MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER: ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTION AND RELEASE OF NOXIOUS GASES

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dai, Xiaorong

    from animal manure (mixture of urine and feces) by hydrolysis of urinary urea catalyzed by microbial urease present in feces. To better understand the enzymatic process of ammonia formation in manure, experiments based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics were conducted to obtain accurate estimates...... of the kinetic parameters of urease activity of feces and manure from pig and cattle, and to investigate the effects of pH on animal fecal urease by individual ammonium generation rate determination at five pH levels. Investigating the gas production and release mechanisms is important not only for estimating...... characteristics of different types of wastes (e.g., the total nitrogen, total ammoniacal nitrogen, dry matter, and pH) had great influence on the releases of NH3, CO2, H2S, and SO2. The investigation of kinetic parameter showed that the maximum urease activity for pig feces is at around pH 7, while...

  7. A question of balance: Kinetic balance for electrons and positrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dyall, Kenneth G.

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Kinetic balance for both electrons and positrons is achieved by applying the correct relation for positive and negative energy states separately and then using the electron and positron eigensolutions from the separate diagonalizations of the Hamiltonian as a dual basis. Highlights: ► Kinetic balance for electrons and positrons is achieved in a dual atomic basis. ► Dual atomic balance alleviates, but does not eliminate, energy prolapse. ► Positron affinities converge quicker with basis set size with dual atomic balance. - Abstract: The kinetic balance criterion used in current relativistic basis set codes is satisfied by the electron solutions of the Dirac equation, but not the positron solutions. A proposal for applying kinetic balance to both sets of solutions is presented. The method is applied along with “normal” kinetic balance to one-electron systems, to investigate its possible relation to prolapse, and to the positron affinity of F − , to investigate the kinetic energy deficiency for positron solutions. The new method reduces but does not eliminate prolapse for energy-optimized basis sets, and provides faster and smoother convergence with basis set size for the positron affinity.

  8. Una carta de doña Carolina Michaelis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Fradejas Lebrero

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Uno de los tres filólogos o críticos literarios más importantes de la Literatura peninsular del siglo XX es doña Carolina Michaelis de Vasconcellos. Cuando se crea la Gesellschaf für Romanische Literatur (1902, los tres van juntos: el socio num. 4 es don Marcelino Menendez Pelayo, el num. 5 don Ramón Menendez Pidal y el num. 6 doña Carolina Michaelis y conste que era más vieja, pues había nacido en 1851 y aún no era doctora, lo sería en Friburgo en 1904, con una obra monumental y maestra: la edición y estudio del Cancionero de Ajuda. Había ya colaborado en el Homenaje a Menendez Pelayo (1899, con quien se carteaba de cuando en cuando y en 1903 proporcionó el texto más interesante de la Leyenda del abad don Juan de Montemayor a don Ramón Menendez Pidal…

  9. Kinetic and electron-electron energies for convex sums of ground state densities with degeneracies and fractional electron number

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levy, Mel, E-mail: ayers@mcmaster.ca, E-mail: mlevy@tulane.edu [Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708 (United States); Department of Physics, North Carolina A and T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina 27411 (United States); Department of Chemistry, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 (United States); Anderson, James S. M.; Zadeh, Farnaz Heidar; Ayers, Paul W., E-mail: ayers@mcmaster.ca, E-mail: mlevy@tulane.edu [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)

    2014-05-14

    Properties of exact density functionals provide useful constraints for the development of new approximate functionals. This paper focuses on convex sums of ground-level densities. It is observed that the electronic kinetic energy of a convex sum of degenerate ground-level densities is equal to the convex sum of the kinetic energies of the individual degenerate densities. (The same type of relationship holds also for the electron-electron repulsion energy.) This extends a known property of the Levy-Valone Ensemble Constrained-Search and the Lieb Legendre-Transform refomulations of the Hohenberg-Kohn functional to the individual components of the functional. Moreover, we observe that the kinetic and electron-repulsion results also apply to densities with fractional electron number (even if there are no degeneracies), and we close with an analogous point-wise property involving the external potential. Examples where different degenerate states have different kinetic energy and electron-nuclear attraction energy are given; consequently, individual components of the ground state electronic energy can change abruptly when the molecular geometry changes. These discontinuities are predicted to be ubiquitous at conical intersections, complicating the development of universally applicable density-functional approximations.

  10. Nonequilibrium electron energy-loss kinetics in metal clusters

    CERN Document Server

    Guillon, C; Fatti, N D; Vallee, F

    2003-01-01

    Ultrafast energy exchanges of a non-Fermi electron gas with the lattice are investigated in silver clusters with sizes ranging from 4 to 26 nm using a femtosecond pump-probe technique. The results yield evidence for a cluster-size-dependent slowing down of the short-time energy losses of the electron gas when it is strongly athermal. A constant rate is eventually reached after a few hundred femtoseconds, consistent with the electron gas internal thermalization kinetics, this behaviour reflecting evolution from an individual to a collective electron-lattice type of coupling. The timescale of this transient regime is reduced in small nanoparticles, in agreement with speeding up of the electron-electron interactions with size reduction. The experimental results are in quantitative agreement with numerical simulations of the electron kinetics.

  11. Seeing diabetes: visual detection of glucose based on the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of MoS2 nanosheets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Tianran; Zhong, Liangshuang; Guo, Liangqia; Fu, Fengfu; Chen, Guonan

    2014-09-01

    Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted increasing research interest recently due to its unique physical, optical and electrical properties, correlated with its 2D ultrathin atomic-layered structure. Until now, however, great efforts have focused on its applications such as lithium ion batteries, transistors, and hydrogen evolution reactions. Herein, for the first time, MoS2 nanosheets are discovered to possess an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and can catalytically oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to produce a color reaction. The catalytic activity follows the typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics and is dependent on temperature, pH, H2O2 concentration, and reaction time. Based on this finding, a highly sensitive and selective colorimetric method for H2O2 and glucose detection is developed and applied to detect glucose in serum samples. Moreover, a simple, inexpensive, instrument-free and portable test kit for the visual detection of glucose in normal and diabetic serum samples is constructed by utilizing agarose hydrogel as a visual detection platform.Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted increasing research interest recently due to its unique physical, optical and electrical properties, correlated with its 2D ultrathin atomic-layered structure. Until now, however, great efforts have focused on its applications such as lithium ion batteries, transistors, and hydrogen evolution reactions. Herein, for the first time, MoS2 nanosheets are discovered to possess an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity and can catalytically oxidize 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H2O2 to produce a color reaction. The catalytic activity follows the typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics and is dependent on temperature, pH, H2O2 concentration, and reaction time. Based on this finding, a highly sensitive and selective colorimetric method for H2O2 and glucose detection is developed and applied to detect glucose in serum samples. Moreover, a simple, inexpensive

  12. Hepatic and intestinal glucuronidation of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, an active metabolite of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, in humans, dogs, rats, and mice: an in vitro analysis using microsomal fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanioka, Nobumitsu; Isobe, Takashi; Kinashi, Yu; Tanaka-Kagawa, Toshiko; Jinno, Hideto

    2016-07-01

    Mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) is an active metabolite of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and has endocrine-disrupting effects. MEHP is metabolized into glucuronide by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes in mammals. In the present study, the hepatic and intestinal glucuronidation of MEHP in humans, dogs, rats, and mice was examined in an in vitro system using microsomal fractions. The kinetics of MEHP glucuronidation by liver microsomes followed the Michaelis-Menten model for humans and dogs, and the biphasic model for rats and mice. The K m and V max values of human liver microsomes were 110 µM and 5.8 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively. The kinetics of intestinal microsomes followed the biphasic model for humans, dogs, and mice, and the Michaelis-Menten model for rats. The K m and V max values of human intestinal microsomes were 5.6 µM and 0.40 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively, for the high-affinity phase, and 430 µM and 0.70 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively, for the low-affinity phase. The relative levels of V max estimated by Eadie-Hofstee plots were dogs (2.0) > mice (1.4) > rats (1.0) ≈ humans (1.0) for liver microsomes, and mice (8.5) > dogs (4.1) > rats (3.1) > humans (1.0) for intestinal microsomes. The percentages of the V max values of intestinal microsomes to liver microsomes were mice (120 %) > rats (57 %) > dogs (39 %) > humans (19 %). These results suggest that the metabolic abilities of UGT enzymes expressed in the liver and intestine toward MEHP markedly differed among species, and imply that these species differences are strongly associated with the toxicity of DEHP.

  13. Aza Cope Rearrangement of Propargyl Enammonium Cations Catalyzed By a Self-Assembled `Nanozyme

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hastings, Courntey J.; Fiedler, Dorothea; Bergman, Robert G.; Raymond, Kenneth N.

    2008-02-27

    The tetrahedral [Ga{sub 4}L{sub 6}]{sup 12-} assembly (L = N,N-bis(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-1,5-diaminonaphthalene) encapsulates a variety of cations, including propargyl enammonium cations capable of undergoing the aza Cope rearrangement. For propargyl enammonium substrates that are encapsulated in the [Ga{sub 4}L{sub 6}]{sup 12-} assembly, rate accelerations of up to 184 are observed when compared to the background reaction. After rearrangement, the product iminium ion is released into solution and hydrolyzed allowing for catalytic turnover. The activation parameters for the catalyzed and uncatalyzed reaction were determined, revealing that a lowered entropy of activation is responsible for the observed rate enhancements. The catalyzed reaction exhibits saturation kinetics; the rate data obey the Michaelis-Menten model of enzyme kinetics, and competitive inhibition using a non-reactive guest has been demonstrated.

  14. Studies on the kinetics of absorption of phosphorus by rice (Orysa sativa L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baraibar, A.; Villamil, J.; Fiore, M.F.; Marcondes, R.F.; Muraoka, T.; Cabral, C.P.; Malavolta, M.L.; Malavolta, E.

    1987-01-01

    Three experiments were conducted under controlled conditions with the objectives of evaluating the effect of different concentrations of phosphorus and on the presence of other ions on the kinetic of absorption. Excised roots of rice and bean were placed in aereated solutions containing increasing concentrations of NaH 2 PO 4 (10 -7 M to 5x10 -2 M) during 90 minutes. The rate of absorption (v = umols P/g dry matter) and the kinetic constants Vmax and Km were determined. Similar procedure was used to to evaluate the interaction of Mg +2 , Al +3 , K + , N-NH 4 + , N-NO 3 - and N-ureia in the uptake of phosphorus during 120 minutes. In another experiment, the effect of the presence of Mg +2 and/for Al +3 in the uptake and redistribution of phosphorus, was evaluated by varying the external concentration (1 ppm, 5 ppm, 10 ppm and 20 ppm) during a period of 17 hours, and utilizing whole rice plants. It was observed a dual mechanism, with two phases following the Michaelis-Menten kinetics and with transition phase 1 - 50 x 10 -5 M. The best explanation of the experimental data was obtained, by transforming the data in accordance with HOFSTEE (1952). Bean was more efficient than rice in the first phase of uptake (higher Vmax). Al 3 had a clear stimulatory effect on the uptake of phosphorus, promoting, however, the anion fixation in the root at lower concentrations. At the highest concentrations (20 ppm) of phosphorus this effect was not evident. No effect on the uptake was observed with Mg +2 , K + and different forms of nitrogen. Urea could have a depressive effect although, not significant. Possible mechanisms involved are discussed. (author) [pt

  15. Metamaterial characterization using Boltzmann's kinetic equation for electrons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Novitsky, Andrey; Zhukovsky, Sergei; Novitsky, D.

    2013-01-01

    Statistical properties of electrons in metals are taken into consideration to describe the microscopic motion of electrons. Assuming degenerate electron gas in metal, we introduce the Boltzmann kinetic equation to supplement Maxwell's equations. The solution of these equations clearly shows...

  16. Threshold for extinction and survival in stochastic tumor immune system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dongxi; Cheng, Fangjuan

    2017-10-01

    This paper mainly investigates the stochastic character of tumor growth and extinction in the presence of immune response of a host organism. Firstly, the mathematical model describing the interaction and competition between the tumor cells and immune system is established based on the Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics. Then, the threshold conditions for extinction, weak persistence and stochastic persistence of tumor cells are derived by the rigorous theoretical proofs. Finally, stochastic simulation are taken to substantiate and illustrate the conclusion we have derived. The modeling results will be beneficial to understand to concept of immunoediting, and develop the cancer immunotherapy. Besides, our simple theoretical model can help to obtain new insight into the complexity of tumor growth.

  17. Cholesterol biosensor based on rf sputtered zinc oxide nanoporous thin film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, S. P.; Arya, Sunil K.; Pandey, Pratibha; Malhotra, B. D.; Saha, Shibu; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

    2007-01-01

    Cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) has been immobilized onto zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoporous thin films grown on gold surface. A preferred c-axis oriented ZnO thin film with porous surface morphology has been fabricated by rf sputtering under high pressure. Optical studies and cyclic voltammetric measurements show that the ChOx/ZnO/Au bioelectrode is sensitive to the detection of cholesterol in 25-400 mg/dl range. A relatively low value of enzyme's kinetic parameter (Michaelis-Menten constant) ∼2.1 mM indicates enhanced enzyme affinity of ChOx to cholesterol. The observed results show promising application of nanoporous ZnO thin film for biosensing application without any functionalization

  18. Lipase-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of lactones to polyesters and its mechanistic aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namekawa, S; Suda, S; Uyama, H; Kobayashi, S

    1999-01-01

    Lipase catalysis induced a ring-opening polymerization of lactones with different ring-sizes. Small-size (four-membered) and medium-size lactones (six- and seven-membered) as well as macrolides (12-, 13-, 16-, and 17-membered) were subjected to lipase-catalyzed polymerization. The polymerization behaviors depended primarily on the lipase origin and the monomer structure. The macrolides showing much lower anionic polymerizability were enzymatically polymerized faster than epsilon-caprolactone. The granular immobilized lipase derived from Candida antartica showed extremely efficient catalysis in the polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone. Single-step terminal functionalization of the polyester was achieved by initiator and terminator methods. The enzymatic polymerizability of lactones was quantitatively evaluated by Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

  19. Microbial respiration and kinetics of extracellular enzymes activities through rhizosphere and detritusphere at agricultural site

    Science.gov (United States)

    Löppmann, Sebastian; Blagodatskaya, Evgenia; Kuzyakov, Yakov

    2014-05-01

    Rhizosphere and detritusphere are soil microsites with very high resource availability for microorganisms affecting their biomass, composition and functions. In the rhizosphere low molecular compounds occur with root exudates and low available polymeric compounds, as belowground plant senescence. In detritusphere the substrate for decomposition is mainly a polymeric material of low availability. We hypothesized that microorganisms adapted to contrasting quality and availability of substrates in the rhizosphere and detritusphere are strongly different in affinity of hydrolytic enzymes responsible for decomposition of organic compounds. According to common ecological principles easily available substrates are quickly consumed by microorganisms with enzymes of low substrate affinity (i.e. r-strategists). The slow-growing K-strategists with enzymes of high substrate affinity are better adapted for growth on substrates of low availability. Estimation of affinity of enzyme systems to the substrate is based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics, reflecting the dependency of decomposition rates on substrate amount. As enzymes-mediated reactions are substrate-dependent, we further hypothesized that the largest differences in hydrolytic activity between the rhizosphere and detritusphere occur at substrate saturation and that these differences are smoothed with increasing limitation of substrate. Affected by substrate limitation, microbial species follow a certain adaptation strategy. To achieve different depth gradients of substrate availability 12 plots on an agricultural field were established in the north-west of Göttingen, Germany: 1) 4 plots planted with maize, reflecting lower substrate availability with depth; 2) 4 unplanted plots with maize litter input (0.8 kg m-2 dry maize residues), corresponding to detritusphere; 3) 4 bare fallow plots as control. Maize litter was grubbed homogenously into the soil at the first 5 cm to ensure comparable conditions for the herbivore and

  20. Bilirubin glucuronidation revisited: proper assay conditions to estimate enzyme kinetics with recombinant UGT1A1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jin; Tracy, Timothy S; Remmel, Rory P

    2010-11-01

    Bilirubin, an end product of heme catabolism, is primarily eliminated via glucuronic acid conjugation by UGT1A1. Impaired bilirubin conjugation, caused by inhibition of UGT1A1, can result in clinical consequences, including jaundice and kernicterus. Thus, evaluation of the ability of new drug candidates to inhibit UGT1A1-catalyzed bilirubin glucuronidation in vitro has become common practice. However, the instability of bilirubin and its glucuronides presents substantial technical challenges to conduct in vitro bilirubin glucuronidation assays. Furthermore, because bilirubin can be diglucuronidated through a sequential reaction, establishment of initial rate conditions can be problematic. To address these issues, a robust high-performance liquid chromatography assay to measure both bilirubin mono- and diglucuronide conjugates was developed, and the incubation conditions for bilirubin glucuronidation by human embryonic kidney 293-expressed UGT1A1 were carefully characterized. Our results indicated that bilirubin glucuronidation should be assessed at very low protein concentrations (0.05 mg/ml protein) and over a short incubation time (5 min) to assure initial rate conditions. Under these conditions, bilirubin total glucuronide formation exhibited a hyperbolic (Michaelis-Menten) kinetic profile with a K(m) of ∼0.2 μM. In addition, under these initial rate conditions, the relative proportions between the total monoglucuronide and the diglucuronide product were constant across the range of bilirubin concentration evaluated (0.05-2 μM), with the monoglucuronide being the predominant species (∼70%). In conclusion, establishment of appropriate incubation conditions (i.e., very low protein concentrations and short incubation times) is necessary to properly characterize the kinetics of bilirubin glucuronidation in a recombinant UGT1A1 system.

  1. Kinetics of the removal of mono-chlorobenzene vapour from waste gases using a trickle bed air biofilter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathur, Anil K; Sundaramurthy, J; Balomajumder, C

    2006-10-11

    The performance of a trickle bed air biofilter (TBAB) in the removal of mono-chlorobenzene (MCB) was evaluated in concentrations varying from 0.133 to 7.187 g m(-3) and at empty bed residence time (EBRT) varying from 37.7 to 188.52 s. More than 90% removal efficiency in the trickle bed air biofilter was achieved for the inlet MCB concentration up to 1.069 g m(-3) and EBRT less than 94.26 s. The trickle bed air biofilter was constructed with coal packing material, inoculated with a mixed consortium of activated sludge obtained from sewage treatment plant. The continuous performance of the removal of MCB in the trickle bed air biofilter was monitored for various gas concentrations, gas flow rates, and empty bed residence time. The experiment was conducted for a period of 75 days. The trickle bed air biofilter degrading MCB with an average elimination capacity of 80 g m(-3) h(-1) was obtained. The effect of starvation was also studied. After starvation period of 8 days, the degradation was low but recovered within a short period of time. Using macrokinetic determination method, the Michaelis-Menten kinetic constant K(m) and maximum reaction rate, r(max) evaluated as 0.121 g m(-3) s(-1) and 7.45 g m(-3), respectively.

  2. Electron Heating at Kinetic Scales in Magnetosheath Turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chasapis, Alexandros; Matthaeus, W. H.; Parashar, T. N.; LeContel, O.; Retinò, A.; Breuillard, H.; Khotyaintsev, Y.; Vaivads, A.; Eriksson, E.; Lavraud, B.; Moore, T. E.; Burch, J. L.; Torbert, R. B.; Chutter, M.; Needell, J.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Marklund, G.; Ergun, R. E.; Goodrich, K. A.; Wilder, F. D.

    2017-01-01

    We present a statistical study of coherent structures at kinetic scales, using data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in the Earth’s magnetosheath. We implemented the multi-spacecraft partial variance of increments (PVI) technique to detect these structures, which are associated with intermittency at kinetic scales. We examine the properties of the electron heating occurring within such structures. We find that, statistically, structures with a high PVI index are regions of significant electron heating. We also focus on one such structure, a current sheet, which shows some signatures consistent with magnetic reconnection. Strong parallel electron heating coincides with whistler emissions at the edges of the current sheet.

  3. A multi water bag model of drift kinetic electron plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, P.; Dreydemy Ghiro, F.; Berionni, V.; Gurcan, O.D.; Coulette, D.; Besse, N.

    2014-01-01

    A Multi Water Bag model is proposed for describing drift kinetic plasmas in a magnetized cylindrical geometry, relevant for various experimental devices, solar wind modeling... The Multi Water Bag (MWB) model is adapted to the description of a plasma with kinetic electrons as well as an arbitrary number of kinetic ions. This allows to describe the kinetic dynamics of the electrons, making possible the study of electron temperature gradient (ETG) modes, in addition to the effects of non adiabatic electrons on the ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes, that are of prime importance in the magnetized plasmas micro-turbulence [X. Garbet, Y. Idomura, L. Villard, T.H. Watanabe, Nucl. Fusion 50, 043002 (2010); J.A. Krommes, Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech. 44, 175 (2012)]. The MWB model is shown to link kinetic and fluid descriptions, depending on the number of bags considered. Linear stability of the ETG modes is presented and compared to the existing results regarding cylindrical ITG modes [P. Morel, E. Gravier, N. Besse, R. Klein, A. Ghizzo, P. Bertrand, W. Garbet, Ph. Ghendrih, V. Grandgirard, Y. Sarazin, Phys. Plasmas 14, 112109 (2007)]. (authors)

  4. Redox-dependent substrate-cofactor interactions in the Michaelis-complex of a flavin-dependent oxidoreductase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werther, Tobias; Wahlefeld, Stefan; Salewski, Johannes; Kuhlmann, Uwe; Zebger, Ingo; Hildebrandt, Peter; Dobbek, Holger

    2017-07-01

    How an enzyme activates its substrate for turnover is fundamental for catalysis but incompletely understood on a structural level. With redox enzymes one typically analyses structures of enzyme-substrate complexes in the unreactive oxidation state of the cofactor, assuming that the interaction between enzyme and substrate is independent of the cofactors oxidation state. Here, we investigate the Michaelis complex of the flavoenzyme xenobiotic reductase A with the reactive reduced cofactor bound to its substrates by X-ray crystallography and resonance Raman spectroscopy and compare it to the non-reactive oxidized Michaelis complex mimics. We find that substrates bind in different orientations to the oxidized and reduced flavin, in both cases flattening its structure. But only authentic Michaelis complexes display an unexpected rich vibrational band pattern uncovering a strong donor-acceptor complex between reduced flavin and substrate. This interaction likely activates the catalytic ground state of the reduced flavin, accelerating the reaction within a compressed cofactor-substrate complex.

  5. Saturation mechanism of decaying ion temperature gradient driven turbulence with kinetic electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Idomura, Yasuhiro

    2016-01-01

    We present full-f gyrokinetic simulations of the ion temperature gradient driven (ITG) turbulence including kinetic electrons. By comparing decaying ITG turbulence simulations with adiabatic and kinetic electron models, an impact of kinetic electrons on the ITG turbulence is investigated. It is found that significant electron transport occurs even in the ITG turbulence, and both ion and electron temperature profiles are relaxed. In steady states, both cases show upshifts of nonlinear critical ion temperature gradients from linear ones, while their saturation mechanisms are qualitatively different. In the adiabatic electron case, the ITG mode is stabilized by turbulence driven zonal flows. On the other hand, in the kinetic electron case, passing electrons transport shows fine resonant structures at mode rational surfaces, which generate corrugated density profiles. Such corrugated density profiles lead to fine radial electric fields following the neoclassical force balance relation. The resulting E × B shearing rate greatly exceeds the linear growth rate of the ITG mode. (author)

  6. Amperometric bienzyme glucose biosensor based on carbon nanotube modified electrode with electropolymerized poly(toluidine blue O) film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Wenju; Wang Fang; Yao Yanli; Hu Shengshui; Shiu, Kwok-Keung

    2010-01-01

    The amperometric bienzyme glucose biosensor utilizing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilized in poly(toluidine blue O) (PTBO) film was constructed on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) modified glassy carbon electrode. The HRP layer could be used to analyze hydrogen peroxide with toluidine blue O (TBO) mediators, while the bienzyme system (HRP + GOx) could be utilized for glucose determination. Glucose underwent biocatalytic oxidation by GOx in the presence of oxygen to yield H 2 O 2 which was further reduced by HRP at the MWNT-modified electrode with TBO mediators. In the absence of oxygen, glucose oxidation proceeded with electron transfer between GOx and the electrode mediated by TBO moieties without H 2 O 2 production. The bienzyme electrode offered high sensitivity for amperometric determination of glucose at low potential, displaying Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The bienzyme glucose biosensor displayed linear response from 0.1 to 1.2 mM with a sensitivity of 113 mA M -1 cm -2 at an applied potential of -0.10 V in air-saturated electrolytes.

  7. Evaluation of deltamethrin kinetics and dosimetry in the maturing rat using a PBPK model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tornero-Velez, Rogelio; Mirfazaelian, Ahmad; Kim, Kyu-Bong; Anand, Sathanandam S.; Kim, Hyo J.; Haines, Wendy T.; Bruckner, James V.; Fisher, Jeffrey W.

    2010-01-01

    Immature rats are more susceptible than adults to the acute neurotoxicity of pyrethroid insecticides like deltamethrin (DLM). A companion kinetics study (Kim et al., in press) revealed that blood and brain levels of the neuroactive parent compound were inversely related to age in rats 10, 21, 40 and 90 days old. The objective of the current study was to modify a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of DLM disposition in the adult male Sprague-Dawley rat (Mirfazaelian et al., 2006), so blood and target organ dosimetry could be accurately predicted during maturation. Age-specific organ weights and age-dependent changes in the oxidative and hydrolytic clearance of DLM were modeled with a generalized Michaelis-Menten model for growth and the summary equations incorporated into the PBPK model. The model's simulations compared favorably with empirical DLM time-courses in plasma, blood, brain and fat for the four age-groups evaluated (10, 21, 40 and 90 days old). PND 10 pups' area under the 24-h brain concentration time curve (AUC 0-24h ) was 3.8-fold higher than that of the PND 90 adults. Our maturing rat PBPK model allows for updating with age- and chemical-dependent parameters, so pyrethroid dosimetry can be forecast in young and aged individuals. Hence, this model provides a methodology for risk assessors to consider age-specific adjustments to oral Reference Doses on the basis of PK differences.

  8. Direct electron transfer of glucose oxidase and biosensing for glucose based on PDDA-capped gold nanoparticle modified graphene/multi-walled carbon nanotubes electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yanyan; Chen, Zuanguang; He, Sijing; Zhang, Beibei; Li, Xinchun; Yao, Meicun

    2014-02-15

    In this work, poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized graphene (G)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposites were fabricated. Based on the electrostatic attraction, the G/MWCNTs hybrid material can be decorated with AuNPs uniformly and densely. The new hierarchical nanostructure can provide a larger surface area and a more favorable microenvironment for electron transfer. The AuNPs/G/MWCNTs nanocomposite was used as a novel immobilization platform for glucose oxidase (GOD). Direct electron transfer (DET) was achieved between GOD and the electrode. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to characterize the electrochemical biosensor. The glucose biosensor fabricated based on GOD electrode modified with AuNPs/G/MWCNTs demonstrated satisfactory analytical performance with high sensitivity (29.72mAM(-1)cm(-2)) and low limit of detection (4.8 µM). The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ΚS) and the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) of GOD were calculated to be 11.18s(-1) and 2.09 mM, respectively. With satisfactory selectivity, reproducibility, and stability, the nanostructure we proposed offered an alternative for electrode fabricating and glucose biosensing. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Amyloglucosidase enzymatic reactivity inside lipid vesicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Jin-Woo

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Efficient functioning of enzymes inside liposomes would open new avenues for applications in biocatalysis and bioanalytical tools. In this study, the entrapment of amyloglucosidase (AMG (EC 3.2.1.3 from Aspergillus niger into dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC multilamellar vesicles (MLVs and large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs was investigated. Negative-stain, freeze-fracture, and cryo-transmission electron microscopy images verified vesicle formation in the presence of AMG. Vesicles with entrapped AMG were isolated from the solution by centrifugation, and vesicle lamellarity was identified using fluorescence laser confocal microscopy. The kinetics of starch hydrolysis by AMG was modeled for two different systems, free enzyme in aqueous solution and entrapped enzyme within vesicles in aqueous suspension. For the free enzyme system, intrinsic kinetics were described by a Michaelis-Menten kinetic model with product inhibition. The kinetic constants, Vmax and Km, were determined by initial velocity measurements, and Ki was obtained by fitting the model to experimental data of glucose concentration-time curves. Predicted concentration-time curves using these kinetic constants were in good agreement with experimental measurements. In the case of the vesicles, the time-dependence of product (glucose formation was experimentally determined and simulated by considering the kinetic behavior of the enzyme and the permeation of substrate into the vesicle. Experimental results demonstrated that entrapped enzymes were much more stable than free enyzme. The entrapped enzyme could be recycled with retention of 60% activity after 3 cycles. These methodologies can be useful in evaluating other liposomal catalysis operations.

  10. Effects of growth rate, cell size, motion, and elemental stoichiometry on nutrient transport kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flynn, Kevin J; Skibinski, David O F; Lindemann, Christian

    2018-04-01

    Nutrient acquisition is a critical determinant for the competitive advantage for auto- and osmohetero- trophs alike. Nutrient limited growth is commonly described on a whole cell basis through reference to a maximum growth rate (Gmax) and a half-saturation constant (KG). This empirical application of a Michaelis-Menten like description ignores the multiple underlying feedbacks between physiology contributing to growth, cell size, elemental stoichiometry and cell motion. Here we explore these relationships with reference to the kinetics of the nutrient transporter protein, the transporter rate density at the cell surface (TRD; potential transport rate per unit plasma-membrane area), and diffusion gradients. While the half saturation value for the limiting nutrient increases rapidly with cell size, significant mitigation is afforded by cell motion (swimming or sedimentation), and by decreasing the cellular carbon density. There is thus potential for high vacuolation and high sedimentation rates in diatoms to significantly decrease KG and increase species competitive advantage. Our results also suggest that Gmax for larger non-diatom protists may be constrained by rates of nutrient transport. For a given carbon density, cell size and TRD, the value of Gmax/KG remains constant. This implies that species or strains with a lower Gmax might coincidentally have a competitive advantage under nutrient limited conditions as they also express lower values of KG. The ability of cells to modulate the TRD according to their nutritional status, and hence change the instantaneous maximum transport rate, has a very marked effect upon transport and growth kinetics. Analyses and dynamic models that do not consider such modulation will inevitably fail to properly reflect competitive advantage in nutrient acquisition. This has important implications for the accurate representation and predictive capabilities of model applications, in particular in a changing environment.

  11. A conservative scheme of drift kinetic electrons for gyrokinetic simulation of kinetic-MHD processes in toroidal plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, J.; Liu, D.; Lin, Z.

    2017-10-01

    A conservative scheme of drift kinetic electrons for gyrokinetic simulations of kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic processes in toroidal plasmas has been formulated and verified. Both vector potential and electron perturbed distribution function are decomposed into adiabatic part with analytic solution and non-adiabatic part solved numerically. The adiabatic parallel electric field is solved directly from the electron adiabatic response, resulting in a high degree of accuracy. The consistency between electrostatic potential and parallel vector potential is enforced by using the electron continuity equation. Since particles are only used to calculate the non-adiabatic response, which is used to calculate the non-adiabatic vector potential through Ohm's law, the conservative scheme minimizes the electron particle noise and mitigates the cancellation problem. Linear dispersion relations of the kinetic Alfvén wave and the collisionless tearing mode in cylindrical geometry have been verified in gyrokinetic toroidal code simulations, which show that the perpendicular grid size can be larger than the electron collisionless skin depth when the mode wavelength is longer than the electron skin depth.

  12. Modeling metabolic networks in C. glutamicum: a comparison of rate laws in combination with various parameter optimization strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oldiges Marco

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To understand the dynamic behavior of cellular systems, mathematical modeling is often necessary and comprises three steps: (1 experimental measurement of participating molecules, (2 assignment of rate laws to each reaction, and (3 parameter calibration with respect to the measurements. In each of these steps the modeler is confronted with a plethora of alternative approaches, e. g., the selection of approximative rate laws in step two as specific equations are often unknown, or the choice of an estimation procedure with its specific settings in step three. This overall process with its numerous choices and the mutual influence between them makes it hard to single out the best modeling approach for a given problem. Results We investigate the modeling process using multiple kinetic equations together with various parameter optimization methods for a well-characterized example network, the biosynthesis of valine and leucine in C. glutamicum. For this purpose, we derive seven dynamic models based on generalized mass action, Michaelis-Menten and convenience kinetics as well as the stochastic Langevin equation. In addition, we introduce two modeling approaches for feedback inhibition to the mass action kinetics. The parameters of each model are estimated using eight optimization strategies. To determine the most promising modeling approaches together with the best optimization algorithms, we carry out a two-step benchmark: (1 coarse-grained comparison of the algorithms on all models and (2 fine-grained tuning of the best optimization algorithms and models. To analyze the space of the best parameters found for each model, we apply clustering, variance, and correlation analysis. Conclusion A mixed model based on the convenience rate law and the Michaelis-Menten equation, in which all reactions are assumed to be reversible, is the most suitable deterministic modeling approach followed by a reversible generalized mass action kinetics

  13. A highly efficient nano-cluster artificial peroxidase and its direct electrochemistry on a nano complex modified glassy carbon electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Jun; Wang, Wei; Huang, Kun; Yang, Wei-Yun; Zhao, Ying-Xue; Xiao, Bao-Lin; Gao, Yun-Fei; Moosavi-Movahedi, Zainab; Ghourchian, Hedayatollah; Moosavi-Movahedi, Ali Akbar

    2012-01-01

    A nano-cluster with highly efficient peroxide activity was constructed based on nafion (NF) and cytochrome c (Cyt c). UV-Vis spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods were utilized for characterization of the nano-structured enzyme or artificial peroxidase (AP). The nano-cluster was composed of a Chain-Ball structure, with an average ball size of about 40 nm. The Michaelis-Menten (K(m)) and catalytic rate (k(cat)) constants of the AP were determined to be 2.5 ± 0.4 µM and 0.069 ± 0.001 s(-1), respectively, in 50 mM PBS at pH 7.0. The catalytic efficiency of the AP was evaluated to be 0.028 ± 0.005 µM(-1) s(-1), which was 39 ± 5% as efficient as the native horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The AP was also immobilized on a functional multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNCTs)-gold colloid nanoparticles (AuNPs) nano-complex modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. The cyclic voltammetry of AP on the nano complex modified GC electrode showed a pair of well-defined redox peaks with a formal potential (E°') of -45 ± 2 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) at a scan rate of 0.05 V/s. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k(s)) was evaluated to be 0.65 s(-1). The surface concentration of electroactive AP on GC electrode (Γ) was 7 × 10(-10) mol cm(-2). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)(app)) was 0.23 nM.

  14. Stability in a diffusive food chain model with Michaelis-Menten functional response

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lin, Zhigui; Pedersen, Michael

    2004-01-01

    This paper deals with the behavior of positive solutions to a reaction-diffusion system with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions describing a three species food chain. A sufficient condition for the local asymptotical stability is given by linearization and also a sufficient condition...... for the global asymptotical stability is given by a Lyapunov function. Our result shows that the equilibrium solution is globally asymptotically stable if the net birth rate of the first species is big enough and the net death rate of the third species is neither too big nor too small. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All...

  15. Nitrous oxide production kinetics during nitrate reduction in river sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laverman, Anniet M; Garnier, Josette A; Mounier, Emmanuelle M; Roose-Amsaleg, Céline L

    2010-03-01

    A significant amount of nitrogen entering river basins is denitrified in riparian zones. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of nitrate and carbon concentrations on the kinetic parameters of nitrate reduction as well as nitrous oxide emissions in river sediments in a tributary of the Marne (the Seine basin, France). In order to determine these rates, we used flow-through reactors (FTRs) and slurry incubations; flow-through reactors allow determination of rates on intact sediment slices under controlled conditions compared to sediment homogenization in the often used slurry technique. Maximum nitrate reduction rates (R(m)) ranged between 3.0 and 7.1microg Ng(-1)h(-1), and affinity constant (K(m)) ranged from 7.4 to 30.7mg N-NO(3)(-)L(-1). These values were higher in slurry incubations with an R(m) of 37.9microg Ng(-1)h(-1) and a K(m) of 104mg N-NO(3)(-)L(-1). Nitrous oxide production rates did not follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and we deduced a rate constant with an average of 0.7 and 5.4ng Ng(-1)h(-1) for FTR and slurry experiments respectively. The addition of carbon (as acetate) showed that carbon was not limiting nitrate reduction rates in these sediments. Similar rates were obtained for FTR and slurries with carbon addition, confirming the hypothesis that homogenization increases rates due to release of and increasing access to carbon in slurries. Nitrous oxide production rates in FTR with carbon additions were low and represented less than 0.01% of the nitrate reduction rates and were even negligible in slurries. Maximum nitrate reduction rates revealed seasonality with high potential rates in fall and winter and low rates in late spring and summer. Under optimal conditions (anoxia, non-limiting nitrate and carbon), nitrous oxide emission rates were low, but significant (0.01% of the nitrate reduction rates). Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Immobilization of urease on copper chelated EC-Tri beads and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Maximum reaction rate (Vmax) and Michaelis-Menten constant (km) were determined for the free and immobilized enzymes. Various characteristics of immobilized urease such as the temperature activity curve, thermal stability, operational stability and storage stability were evaluated. The results demonstrated that triazole ...

  17. Synthetic, structural mimetics of the β-hairpin flap of HIV-1 protease inhibit enzyme function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauhan, Jay; Chen, Shen-En; Fenstermacher, Katherine J; Naser-Tavakolian, Aurash; Reingewertz, Tali; Salmo, Rosene; Lee, Christian; Williams, Emori; Raje, Mithun; Sundberg, Eric; DeStefano, Jeffrey J; Freire, Ernesto; Fletcher, Steven

    2015-11-01

    Small-molecule mimetics of the β-hairpin flap of HIV-1 protease (HIV-1 PR) were designed based on a 1,4-benzodiazepine scaffold as a strategy to interfere with the flap-flap protein-protein interaction, which functions as a gated mechanism to control access to the active site. Michaelis-Menten kinetics suggested our small-molecules are competitive inhibitors, which indicates the mode of inhibition is through binding the active site or sterically blocking access to the active site and preventing flap closure, as designed. More generally, a new bioactive scaffold for HIV-1PR inhibition has been discovered, with the most potent compound inhibiting the protease with a modest K(i) of 11 μM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Role of carboxydobacteria in consumption of atmospheric carbon monoxide by soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Conrad, R. (Max-Planck-Institut fuer Chemie, Mainz, Germany); Meyer, O.; Seiler, W.

    1981-08-01

    The carbon monoxide consumption rates of the carboxydobacteria Pseudomonas (Seliberia) carboxydohydrogena, P. carboxydovorans, and P. carboxydoflava were measured at high (50%) and low (0.5 ..mu..l liter/sup -1/) mixing ratios of CO in air. CO was only consumed when the bacteria had been grown under CO-autotrophic conditions. At low cell densities the CO comsumption rates measured at low CO mixing ratios were similar in cell suspensions and in mixtures of bacteria in soil. CO consumption observed in natural soil (loess, eolian sand, chernozem) as well as in suspensions or soil mixtures of carboxydobacteria showed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Considering the difference of the K/sub m/, values and the observed V/sub max/ values, carboxydobacteria cannot contribute significantly to the consumption of atmospheric CO.

  19. Glucose biosensing using glassy carbon electrode modified with polyhydroxy-C60, glucose oxidase and ionic-liquid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Tian; Yang, Xiao-Lu; Zhang, Yu-Shuai; Xiao, BaoLin; Hong, Jun

    2014-01-01

    Direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase (GOD) was achieved when an ionic liquid/GOD-Polyhydroxy-C60 functional membrane was confined on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of the modified GCE showed a pair of redox peaks with a formal potential (E°') of - 329 ± 2 mV. The heterogeneous electron transfer constant (k(s)) was 1.43 s-1. The modified GCE response to glucose was linear in the range from 0.02 to 2.0 mM. The detection limit was 1 μM. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)(app)) was 1.45 mM.

  20. Kinetic Alfven waves and electron physics. II. Oblique slow shocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin, L.; Winske, D.; Daughton, W.

    2007-01-01

    One-dimensional (1D) particle-in-cell (PIC; kinetic ions and electrons) and hybrid (kinetic ions; adiabatic and massless fluid electrons) simulations of highly oblique slow shocks (θ Bn =84 deg. and β=0.1) [Yin et al., J. Geophys. Res., 110, A09217 (2005)] have shown that the dissipation from the ions is too weak to form a shock and that kinetic electron physics is required. The PIC simulations also showed that the downstream electron temperature becomes anisotropic (T e parallel )>T e perpendicular ), as observed in slow shocks in space. The electron anisotropy results, in part, from the electron acceleration/heating by parallel electric fields of obliquely propagating kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) excited by ion-ion streaming, which cannot be modeled accurately in hybrid simulations. In the shock ramp, spiky structures occur in density and electron parallel temperature, where the ion parallel temperature decreases due to the reduction of the ion backstreaming speed. In this paper, KAW and electron physics in oblique slow shocks are further examined under lower electron beta conditions. It is found that as the electron beta is reduced, the resonant interaction between electrons and the wave parallel electric fields shifts to the tail of the electron velocity distribution, providing more efficient parallel heating. As a consequence, for β e =0.02, the electron physics is shown to influence the formation of a θ Bn =75 deg. shock. Electron effects are further enhanced at a more oblique shock angle (θ Bn =84 deg.) when both the growth rate and the range of unstable modes on the KAW branch increase. Small-scale electron and ion phase-space vortices in the shock ramp formed by electron-KAW interactions and the reduction of the ion backstreaming speed, respectively, are observed in the simulations and confirmed in homogeneous geometries in one and two spatial dimensions in the accompanying paper [Yin et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 062104 (2007)]. Results from this study

  1. The nonlocal electron kinetics for a low-pressure glow discharge dusty plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Yonggan; Wang, Ying; Li, Hui; Tian, Ruihuan; Yuan, Chengxun; Kudryavtsev, A. A.; Rabadanov, K. M.; Wu, Jian; Zhou, Zhongxiang; Tian, Hao

    2018-05-01

    The nonlocal electron kinetic model based on the Boltzmann equation is developed in low-pressure argon glow discharge dusty plasmas. The additional electron-dust elastic and inelastic collision processes are considered when solving the kinetic equation numerically. The orbital motion limited theory and collision enhanced collection approximation are employed to calculate the dust surface potential. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF), effective electron temperature Teff, and dust surface potential are investigated under different plasma and dust conditions by solving the Boltzmann and the dust charging current balance equations self-consistently. A comparison of the calculation results obtained from nonlocal and local kinetic models is made. It is shown that the appearance of dust particles leads to a deviation of the EEDF from its original profile for both nonlocal and local kinetic models. With the increase in dust density and size, the effective electron temperature and dust surface potential decrease due to the high-energy electron loss on the dust surface. Meanwhile, the nonlocal and local results differ much from each other under the same calculation condition. It is concluded that, for low-pressure (PR ≤ 1 cm*Torr) glow discharge dusty plasmas, the existence of dust particles will amplify the difference of local and nonlocal EEDFs, which makes the local kinetic model more improper to determine the main parameters of the positive column. The nonlocal kinetic model should be used for the calculation of the EEDFs and dusty plasma parameters.

  2. Kinetic characterization of a novel acid ectophosphatase from Enterobacter asburiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Vanessa Sayuri; Galdiano Júnior, Renato F; Rodrigues, Gisele Regina; Lemos, Eliana G M; Pizauro Junior, João Martins

    2016-02-01

    Expression of acid ectophosphatase by Enterobacter asburiae, isolated from Cattleya walkeriana (Orchidaceae) roots and identified by the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis, was strictly regulated by phosphorus ions, with its optimal activity being observed at an inorganic phosphate concentration of 7 mM. At the optimum pH 3.5, intact cells released p-nitrophenol at a rate of 350.76 ± 13.53 nmol of p-nitrophenolate (pNP)/min/10(8) cells. The membrane-bound enzyme was obtained by centrifugation at 100,000 × g for 1 h at 4 °C. p-Nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP) hydrolysis by the enzyme follows "Michaelis-Menten" kinetics with V = 61.2 U/mg and K0.5 = 60 μM, while ATP hydrolysis showed V = 19.7 U/mg, K0.5 = 110 μM, and nH = 1.6 and pyrophosphate hydrolysis showed V = 29.7 U/mg, K0.5 = 84 μM, and nH = 2.3. Arsenate and phosphate were competitive inhibitors with K i = 0.6 mM and K i = 1.8 mM, respectively. p-Nitrophenyl phosphatase (pNPPase) activity was inhibited by vanadate, while p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, EDTA, calcium, copper, and cobalt had no inhibitory effects. Magnesium ions were stimulatory (K0.5 = 2.2 mM and nH = 0.5). Production of an acid ectophosphatase can be a mechanism for the solubilization of mineral phosphates by microorganisms such as Enterobacter asburiae that are versatile in the solubilization of insoluble minerals, which, in turn, increases the availability of nutrients for plants, particularly in soils that are poor in phosphorus.

  3. A Critical View on In Vitro Analysis of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) Transport Kinetics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saaby, Lasse; Brodin, Birger

    2017-01-01

    Transport proteins expressed in the different barriers of the human body can have great implications on absorption, distribution, and excretion of drug compounds. Inhibition or saturation of a transporter can potentially alter these absorbtion, distribution, metabolism and elimination properties...... and thereby also the pharmacokinetic profile and bioavailability of drug compounds. P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) is an efflux transporter which is present in most of the barriers of the body, including the small intestine, the blood-brain barrier, the liver, and the kidney. In all these tissues, P-gp may...... mediate efflux of drug compounds and may also be a potential site for drug-drug interactions. Consequently, there is a need to be able to predict the saturation and inhibition of P-gp and other transporters in vivo. For this purpose, Michaelis-Menten steady-state analysis has been applied to estimate...

  4. A generalized electron energy probability function for inductively coupled plasmas under conditions of nonlocal electron kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouchtouris, S.; Kokkoris, G.

    2018-01-01

    A generalized equation for the electron energy probability function (EEPF) of inductively coupled Ar plasmas is proposed under conditions of nonlocal electron kinetics and diffusive cooling. The proposed equation describes the local EEPF in a discharge and the independent variable is the kinetic energy of electrons. The EEPF consists of a bulk and a depleted tail part and incorporates the effect of the plasma potential, Vp, and pressure. Due to diffusive cooling, the break point of the EEPF is eVp. The pressure alters the shape of the bulk and the slope of the tail part. The parameters of the proposed EEPF are extracted by fitting to measure EEPFs (at one point in the reactor) at different pressures. By coupling the proposed EEPF with a hybrid plasma model, measurements in the gaseous electronics conference reference reactor concerning (a) the electron density and temperature and the plasma potential, either spatially resolved or at different pressure (10-50 mTorr) and power, and (b) the ion current density of the electrode, are well reproduced. The effect of the choice of the EEPF on the results is investigated by a comparison to an EEPF coming from the Boltzmann equation (local electron kinetics approach) and to a Maxwellian EEPF. The accuracy of the results and the fact that the proposed EEPF is predefined renders its use a reliable alternative with a low computational cost compared to stochastic electron kinetic models at low pressure conditions, which can be extended to other gases and/or different electron heating mechanisms.

  5. Scleroglucan-borax hydrogel: a flexible tool for redox protein immobilization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frasconi, Marco; Rea, Sara; Matricardi, Pietro; Favero, Gabriele; Mazzei, Franco

    2009-09-15

    A highly stable biological film was prepared by casting an aqueous dispersion of protein and composite hydrogel obtained from the polysaccharide Scleroglucan (Sclg) and borax as a cross-linking agent. Heme proteins, such as hemoglobin (Hb), myoglobin (Mb), and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), were chosen as model proteins to investigate the immobilized system. A pair of well-defined quasi-reversible redox peaks, characteristics of the protein heme FeII/FeIII redox couples, were obtained at the Sclg-borax/proteins films on pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrodes, as a consequence of the direct electron transfer between the protein and the PG electrode. A full characterization of the electron transfer kinetic was performed by opportunely modeling data obtained from cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry experiments. The efficiency of our cross-linking approach was investigated by studying the influence of different borax groups percentage in the Sclg matrix, revealing the versatility of this hydrogel in the immobilization of redox proteins. The native conformation of the three heme proteins entrapped in the hydrogel films were proved to be unchanged, reflected by the unaltered Soret adsorption band and by the catalytic activity toward hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The main kinetic parameters, such as the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, for the electrocatalytic reaction were also evaluated. The peculiar characteristics of Sclg-borax matrix make it possible to find wide opportunities as proteins immobilizing agent for studies of direct electrochemistry and biosensors development.

  6. Idempotent Dirac density matrix for ten-electron central field inhomogeneous electron liquids in terms of electron- and kinetic energy-densities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    March, N.H.

    2006-08-01

    A differential equation for the Dirac density matrix γ(r, r'), given ground-state electron- and kinetic energy-densities, has been derived by March and Suhai for one- and two-level occupancy. For ten-electron spin-compensated spherical systems, it is shown here that γ ≡ γ[ρ, t g ] where ρ and t g are electron- and kinetic energy-densities. The philosophy of March and Suhai is confirmed beyond two-level filling. An important byproduct of the present approach is an explicit expression for the one-body potential of DFT in terms of the p-shell electron density. (author)

  7. Tomato root growth and phosphorus absorption kinetics by tomato plants as affected by phosphorus concentration in nutrient solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fontes, P.C.R.; Barber, S.A.

    1984-01-01

    To evaluate the effects P concentrations in nutrient solution on root growth and on root physiological characteristics involved in P uptake by tomato Lycopersicon esculentum Mill plants, six seedlings were grown in nutrient solution at initial concentrations of 48.5, 97, 194 and 388 μMP until one day before harvest. They were then transferred to solutions with P at 20 μM and 30 μM, and the depletion curves and Michaelis-Menten parameters were determined. The conclusions were that as P supply increased and as the plant P contents are sufficient for maximum growth, the rate of P uptake tends to be lower. The results also indicate that total P uptake by tomato seedlings depends on the amount of root surface area exposed to P. (M.A.C.) [pt

  8. Periplasmic Cytochrome c(3) of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Is Directly Involved in H2-Mediated Metal but Not Sulfate Reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elias, Dwayne A.; Suflita, Joseph M.; McInerney, Michael J.; Krumholz, Lee R.

    2004-01-01

    Kinetic parameters and the role of cytochrome c3 in sulfate, Fe(III), and U(VI) reduction were investigated in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. While sulfate reduction followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics (Km 220 uM), loss of Fe(III) and U(VI) was first-order at all concentrations tested. Initial reduction rates of all electron acceptors were similar for cells grown with H2 and sulfate, while cultures grown using lactate and sulfate had similar rates of metal loss but lower sulfate reduction activities. The similarities in metal, but not sulfate, reduction with H2 and lactate suggest divergent pathways. Respiration assays and reduced minus oxidized spectra were carried out to determine c-type cytochrome involvement in electron acceptor reduction. c-type cytochrome oxidation was immediate with Fe(III) and U(VI) in the presence of H2, lactate, or pyruvate. Sulfidogenesis occurred with all three electron donors and effectively oxidized the c-type cytochrome in lactate or pyruvate-reduced, but not H2-reduced cells. Correspondingly, electron acceptor competition assays with lactate or pyruvate as electron donors showed that Fe(III) inhibited U(VI) reduction, and U(VI) inhibited sulfate loss. However, sulfate reduction was slowed but not halted when H2 was the electron donor in the presence of Fe(III) or U(VI). U(VI) loss was still impeded by Fe(III) when H2 was used. Hence, we propose a modified pathway for the reduction of sulfate, Fe(III), and U(VI) which helps explain why these bacteria cannot grow using these metals. We further propose that cytochrome c3 is an electron carrier involved in lactate and pyruvate oxidation and is the reductase for alternate electron acceptors with higher redox potentials than sulfate

  9. Multi-scale modelling and numerical simulation of electronic kinetic transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duclous, R.

    2009-11-01

    This research thesis which is at the interface between numerical analysis, plasma physics and applied mathematics, deals with the kinetic modelling and numerical simulations of the electron energy transport and deposition in laser-produced plasmas, having in view the processes of fuel assembly to temperature and density conditions necessary to ignite fusion reactions. After a brief review of the processes at play in the collisional kinetic theory of plasmas, with a focus on basic models and methods to implement, couple and validate them, the author focuses on the collective aspect related to the free-streaming electron transport equation in the non-relativistic limit as well as in the relativistic regime. He discusses the numerical development and analysis of the scheme for the Vlasov-Maxwell system, and the selection of a validation procedure and numerical tests. Then, he investigates more specific aspects of the collective transport: the multi-specie transport, submitted to phase-space discontinuities. Dealing with the multi-scale physics of electron transport with collision source terms, he validates the accuracy of a fast Monte Carlo multi-grid solver for the Fokker-Planck-Landau electron-electron collision operator. He reports realistic simulations for the kinetic electron transport in the frame of the shock ignition scheme, the development and validation of a reduced electron transport angular model. He finally explores the relative importance of the processes involving electron-electron collisions at high energy by means a multi-scale reduced model with relativistic Boltzmann terms

  10. Kinetic electron model for plasma thruster plumes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merino, Mario; Mauriño, Javier; Ahedo, Eduardo

    2018-03-01

    A paraxial model of an unmagnetized, collisionless plasma plume expanding into vacuum is presented. Electrons are treated kinetically, relying on the adiabatic invariance of their radial action integral for the integration of Vlasov's equation, whereas ions are treated as a cold species. The quasi-2D plasma density, self-consistent electric potential, and electron pressure, temperature, and heat fluxes are analyzed. In particular, the model yields the collisionless cooling of electrons, which differs from the Boltzmann relation and the simple polytropic laws usually employed in fluid and hybrid PIC/fluid plume codes.

  11. Michaelis' hundrede spørgsmål og Den Kongelige Instruks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Friis, Ib

    2017-01-01

    Michaelis' Fragen med de 100 spørgsmål til rejseselskabet er et forunderligt dokument. Det giver et bredt indblik i bibelforkningens kilder og metoder anno 1762, og tegner samtidig klart de udfordringer, som de rejsende stod overfor. Som ekspeditionens videnskabelige fundament er Fragen afgørende...

  12. Diffusional falsification of kinetic constants on Lineweaver-Burk plots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghim, Y S; Chang, H N

    1983-11-07

    The effect of mass transfer resistances on the Lineweaver-Burk plots in immobilized enzyme systems has been investigated numerically and with analytical approximate solutions. While Hamilton, Gardner & Colton (1974) studied the effect of internal diffusion resistances in planar geometry, our study was extended to the combined effect of internal and external diffusion in cylindrical and spherical geometries as well. The variation of Lineweaver-Burk plots with respect to the geometries was minimized by modifying the Thiele modulus and the Biot number with the shape factor. Especially for a small Biot number all the three Lineweaver-Burk plots fell on a single line. As was discussed by Hamilton et al. (1974), the curvature of the line for large external diffusion resistances was small enough to be assumed linear, which was confirmed from the two approximate solutions for large and small substrate concentrations. Two methods for obtaining intrinsic kinetic constants were proposed: First, we obtained both maximum reaction rate and Michaelis constant by fitting experimental data to a straight line where external diffusion resistance was relatively large, and second, we obtained Michaelis constant from apparent Michaelis constant from the figure in case we knew maximum reaction rate a priori.

  13. Analysis of mathematical modelling on potentiometric biosensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehala, N; Rajendran, L

    2014-01-01

    A mathematical model of potentiometric enzyme electrodes for a nonsteady condition has been developed. The model is based on the system of two coupled nonlinear time-dependent reaction diffusion equations for Michaelis-Menten formalism that describes the concentrations of substrate and product within the enzymatic layer. Analytical expressions for the concentration of substrate and product and the corresponding flux response have been derived for all values of parameters using the new homotopy perturbation method. Furthermore, the complex inversion formula is employed in this work to solve the boundary value problem. The analytical solutions obtained allow a full description of the response curves for only two kinetic parameters (unsaturation/saturation parameter and reaction/diffusion parameter). Theoretical descriptions are given for the two limiting cases (zero and first order kinetics) and relatively simple approaches for general cases are presented. All the analytical results are compared with simulation results using Scilab/Matlab program. The numerical results agree with the appropriate theories.

  14. A metabolic and pharmacokinetic comparison of theophylline and aminophylline (theophylline ethylenediamine).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monks, T J; Smith, R L; Caldwell, J

    1981-02-01

    The metabolism and pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered theophylline and aminophylline (theophylline ethylenediamine) have been studied in 3 volunteers, using 14C-labelled theophylline. Both compounds were metabolized extensively and 1,3-dimethyluric acid, 1-methyluric acid, 3-methylxanthine and two unknown minor metabolites were excreted in the urine, in addition to theophylline. The elimination of theophylline, 1,3-dimethyluric acid, 1-methyluric acid and the unknown metabolites followed first-order kinetics, but that of 3-methylxanthine followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. When given as aminophylline, theophylline was metabolized more rapidly and extensively than when given alone. The recovery of 14C in the urine was significantly higher after aminophylline than after theophylline. Abstention from intake of dietary methylxanthines for 7 days resulted in more rapid and extensive metabolism of aminophylline compared with results from the same subjects on their usual diets. The results indicate that, from a metabolic and pharmacokinetic viewpoint, aminophylline and theophylline are not equivalent.

  15. Emergence of a code in the polymerization of amino acids along RNA templates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean Lehmann

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available The origin of the genetic code in the context of an RNA world is a major problem in the field of biophysical chemistry. In this paper, we describe how the polymerization of amino acids along RNA templates can be affected by the properties of both molecules. Considering a system without enzymes, in which the tRNAs (the translation adaptors are not loaded selectively with amino acids, we show that an elementary translation governed by a Michaelis-Menten type of kinetics can follow different polymerization regimes: random polymerization, homopolymerization and coded polymerization. The regime under which the system is running is set by the relative concentrations of the amino acids and the kinetic constants involved. We point out that the coding regime can naturally occur under prebiotic conditions. It generates partially coded proteins through a mechanism which is remarkably robust against non-specific interactions (mismatches between the adaptors and the RNA template. Features of the genetic code support the existence of this early translation system.

  16. Synthesis, Surface Modification and Optical Properties of Thioglycolic Acid-Capped ZnS Quantum Dots for Starch Recognition at Ultralow Concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tayebi, Mahnoush; Tavakkoli Yaraki, Mohammad; Ahmadieh, Mahnaz; Mogharei, Azadeh; Tahriri, Mohammadreza; Vashaee, Daryoosh; Tayebi, Lobat

    2016-11-01

    In this research, water-soluble thioglycolic acid-capped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized by the chemical precipitation method. The prepared QDs are characterized using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Results revealed that ZnS QDs have a 2.73 nm crystallite size, cubic zinc blende structure, and spherical morphology with a diameter less than 10 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is performed to determine the presence of low concentrations of starch. Four emission peaks are observed at 348 nm, 387 nm, 422 nm, and 486 nm and their intensities are quenched by increasing concentration of starch. PL intensity variations in the studied concentrations range (0-100 ppm) are best described by a Michaelis-Menten model. The Michaelis constant ( K m) for immobilized α-amylase in this system is about 101.07 ppm. This implies a great tendency for the enzyme to hydrolyze the starch as substrate. Finally, the limit of detection is found to be about 6.64 ppm.

  17. (CSTR) and 1-plug flow reactor (PFR)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Administrator

    2010-12-27

    Dec 27, 2010 ... 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. ... modeled as PFR and described by Michaelis. Menten equation. Designed equations derived from the two equations are used for the reactor sizing of ... Herbivores make a living on cellulose by possessing.

  18. Cyclodextrin-based artificial oxidases with high rate accelerations and selectivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, You; Lindbäck, Emil Anders; Pedersen, Christian Marcus

    2014-01-01

    Three cyclodextrin derivatives with one to four 2-O-formylmethyl groups attached to the secondary rim were prepared and investigated as catalysts for the oxidation of aminophenols in buffered dilute hydrogen peroxide. The derivatives were found to be Michaelis-Menten catalysts and to give rate ac...

  19. A nonlinear bounce kinetic equation for trapped electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gang, F.Y.

    1990-03-01

    A nonlinear bounce averaged drift kinetic equation for trapped electrons is derived. This equation enables one to compute the nonlinear response of the trapped electron distribution function in terms of the field-line projection of a potential fluctuation left-angle e -inqθ φ n right-angle b . It is useful for both analytical and computational studies of the nonlinear evolution of short wavelength (n much-gt 1) trapped electron mode-driven turbulence. 7 refs

  20. The on-line synthesis of enzyme functionalized silica nanoparticles in a microfluidic reactor using polyethylenimine polymer and R5 peptide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Ping; Greenway, Gillian; Haswell, Stephen J

    2008-01-01

    A simple microfluidic reactor system is described for the effective synthesis of enzyme functionalized nanoparticles which offers many advantages over batch reactions, including excellent enzyme efficiencies. Better control of the process parameters in the microfluidic reactor system over batch based methodology enables the production of silica nanoparticles with the optimum size for efficient enzyme immobilization with long-term stability. The synthetic approach is demonstrated with glucose oxidase (GOD) and two different nucleation catalysts of similar molecular mass: the natural R5 peptide, and polyethylenimine (PEI) polymer. Near-quantitative immobilization of GOD in the nanoparticles is obtained using PEI; the immobilization is attributed to electrostatic interaction between PEI and GOD. This interaction, however, limits the mobility of the immobilized enzyme, producing orientation hindrance of the enzyme's active sites as compared to free GOD in solution. In contrast, when the GOD is immobilized inside the silica nanoparticles using R5, lower enzyme immobilization efficiencies are obtained compared to using PEI polymers; however, similar Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters (i.e. Michaelis constant and turnover number) to those of free GOD are observed. Reactions were monitored in situ using simple, rapid, separation-free amperometric detection

  1. Purification, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Characteristics of an Exo-polygalacturonase from Penicillium notatum with Industrial Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Faiza; Bhatti, Haq Nawaz; Bilal, Muhammad; Asgher, Muhammad

    2017-09-01

    An extracellular exo-polygalacturonase (exo-PG) produced by Penicillium notatum was purified (3.07-folds) by ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography. Two distinct isoforms of the enzyme, namely exo-PGI and exo-PGII, were identified during column purification with molecular weights of 85 and 20 kDa, respectively, on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme displayed its optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 50 °C and was found to be stable in the slightly acidic pH (ranging from 4.5 to 6.0). Michaelis-Menten parameters, i.e., K m (app) and V max for pectin hydrolysis, were calculated to be 16.6 mg/mL and 20 μmol/mL/min, respectively. The enzyme followed biphasic deactivation kinetics. Phase I of the exo-PGI showed half-lives of 6.83 and 2.39 min at 55 and 80 °C, respectively, whereas phase II of the enzyme exhibited a half-life of 63.57 and 22.72 min at 55 and 80 °C, respectively. The activation energy for denaturation was 51.66 and 44.06 kJ/mol for phase I and phase II of the exo-PGI, respectively. The enzyme activity was considerably enhanced by Mn 2+ , whereas exposure to a hydrophobic environment (urea and sodium azide solution) drastically suppressed the enzyme activity. Results suggest that exo-PGI might be considered as a potential candidate for various applications, particularly in the food and textile industries.

  2. Substrate specificity and copper loading of the manganese-oxidizing multicopper oxidase Mnx from Bacillus sp. PL-12.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butterfield, Cristina N; Tebo, Bradley M

    2017-02-22

    Manganese(ii) oxidation in the environment is thought to be driven by bacteria because enzymatic catalysis is many orders of magnitude faster than the abiotic processes. The heterologously purified Mn oxidase (Mnx) from marine Bacillus sp. PL-12 is made up of the multicopper oxidase (MCO) MnxG and two small Cu and heme-binding proteins of unknown function, MnxE and MnxF. Mnx binds Cu and oxidizes both Mn(ii) and Mn(iii), generating Mn(iv) oxide minerals that resemble those found on the Bacillus spore surface. Spectroscopic techniques have illuminated details about the metallo-cofactors of Mnx, but very little is known about their requirement for catalytic activity, and even less is known about the substrate specificity of Mnx. Here we quantify the canonical MCO Cu and persistent peripheral Cu bound to Mnx, and test Mnx oxidizing ability toward different substrates at varying pH. Mn(ii) appears to be the best substrate in terms of k cat , but its oxidation does not follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics, instead showing a sigmoidal cooperative behavior. Mnx also oxidizes Fe(ii) substrate, but in a Michaelis-Menten manner and with a decreased activity, as well as organic substrates. The reduced metals are more rapidly consumed than the larger organic substrates, suggesting the hypothesis that the Mnx substrate site is small and tuned for metal oxidation. Of biological relevance is the result that Mnx has the highest catalytic efficiency for Mn(ii) at the pH of sea water, especially when the protein is loaded with greater than the requisite four MCO copper atoms, suggesting that the protein has evolved specifically for Mn oxidation.

  3. DETERMINATION OF THE SPECIFIC GROWTH RATE ON ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Sewage generation is one of the dense problems Nigerians encounter on daily bases, mostly at the urbanized area where factories and industries are located. This paper is aimed at determining the specific growth rate “K” of biological activities on cassava wastewater during degradation using Michaelis-Menten Equation.

  4. Elimination of intermediate species in multiscale stochastic reaction networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cappelletti, Daniele; Wiuf, Carsten

    2016-01-01

    such as the substrate-enzyme complex in the Michaelis-Menten mechanism. Such species are virtually in all real-world networks, they are typically short-lived, degraded at a fast rate and hard to observe experimentally. We provide conditions under which the Markov process of a multiscale reaction network...

  5. Response to a temperature modulation as a signature of chemical mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berthoumieux, H; Jullien, L; Lemarchand, A

    2007-11-01

    We consider n reactive species involved in unimolecular reactions and submitted to a temperature modulation of small amplitude. We determine the conditions on the rate constants for which the deviations from the equilibrium concentrations of each species can be optimized and find the analytical expression of the frequency associated with an extremum of concentration shift in the case n=3. We prove that the frequency dependence of the displacement of equilibrium gives access to the number n of species involved in the mechanism. We apply the results to the case of the transformation of a reactant into a product through a possible reactive intermediate and find the order relation obeyed by the activation energies of the different barriers. The results typically apply to enzymatic catalysis with kinetics of Michaelis-Menten type.

  6. Characterization of the anion sensitive ATPase in intact vacuoles of Kalanchoe diagremontiana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kobza, J.; Uribe, E.G.

    1986-04-01

    A method for the isolation of intact vacuoles from K. daigremontiana was developed which produced high yields of relatively pure vacuoles as determined by marker enzyme contamination. Upon isolation, the vacuoles were stabilized by the inclusion of 5% (w/v) ficoll. Enzyme activity was insensitive to vanadate and azide but was strongly inhibited by DCCD. Enzyme activity was strictly dependent on the inclusion of Mg/sup 2 +/ and was stimulated by anions as depicted by the series, NO/sub 3//sup -/ < Br/sup -/ < SO/sub 4//sup -/ < HCO/sub 3//sup -/ < Cl/sup -/. It was found that in intact vacuoles the ATPase activity was stimulated by phosphate to a level equivalent to that found with the chloride. The enzyme exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a Km for Mg-ATP complex of 0.51 mM.

  7. Biodegradation of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and o-, m-, and p-Xylenes by the Newly Isolated Bacterium Comamonas sp. JB.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Bei; Zhou, Zunchun; Dong, Ying; Tao, Wei; Wang, Bai; Jiang, Jingwei; Guan, Xiaoyan

    2015-07-01

    A bacterium designated strain JB, able to degrade six benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-, m-, and p-xylene (BTEX) compounds, was isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil. Taxonomic analyses showed that the isolate belonged to Comamonas, and until now, the genus Comamonas has not included any known BTEX degraders. The BTEX biodegradation rate was slightly low on the mineral salt medium (MSM), but adding a small amount of yeast extract greatly enhanced the biodegradation. The relationship between specific degradation rate and individual BTEX was described well by Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The treatment of petrochemical wastewater containing BTEX mixture and phenol was shown to be highly efficient by BTEX-grown JB. In addition, toxicity assessment indicated the treatment of the petrochemical wastewater by BTEX-grown JB led to less toxicity than untreated wastewater.

  8. Kinetic theory for electron dynamics near a positive ion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wrighton, Jeffrey M; Dufty, James W

    2008-01-01

    A theoretical description of time correlation functions for electron properties in the presence of a positive ion of charge number Z is given. The simplest case of an electron gas distorted by a single ion is considered. A semi-classical representation with a regularized electron–ion potential is used to obtain a linear kinetic theory that is asymptotically exact at short times. This Markovian approximation includes all initial (equilibrium) electron–electron and electron–ion correlations through renormalized pair potentials. The kinetic theory is solved in terms of single-particle trajectories of the electron–ion potential and a dielectric function for the inhomogeneous electron gas. The results are illustrated by a calculation of the autocorrelation function for the electron field at the ion. The dependence on charge number Z is shown to be dominated by the bound states of the effective electron–ion potential. On this basis, a very simple practical representation of the trajectories is proposed and shown to be accurate over a wide range including strong electron–ion coupling. This simple representation is then used for a brief analysis of the dielectric function for the inhomogeneous electron gas

  9. Direct Electrochemistry of Horseradish Peroxidase-Gold Nanoparticles Conjugate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chanchal K. Mitra

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available We have studied the direct electrochemistry of horseradish peroxidase (HRP coupled to gold nanoparticles (AuNP using electrochemical techniques, which provide some insight in the application of biosensors as tools for diagnostics because HRP is widely used in clinical diagnostics kits. AuNP capped with (i glutathione and (ii lipoic acid was covalently linked to HRP. The immobilized HRP/AuNP conjugate showed characteristic redox peaks at a gold electrode. It displayed good electrocatalytic response to the reduction of H2O2, with good sensitivity and without any electron mediator. The covalent linking of HRP and AuNP did not affect the activity of the enzyme significantly. The response of the electrode towards the different concentrations of H2O2 showed the characteristics of Michaelis Menten enzyme kinetics with an optimum pH between 7.0 to 8.0. The preparation of the sensor involves single layer of enzyme, which can be carried out efficiently and is also highly reproducible when compared to other systems involving the layer-by-layer assembly, adsorption or encapsulation of the enzyme. The immobilized AuNP-HRP can be used for immunosensor applications

  10. In memory of Professor Leonor Michaelis in Nagoya: great contributions to biochemistry in Japan in the first half of the 20th century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagatsu, Toshiharu Toshi

    2013-09-02

    Leonor Michaelis spent the years of 1922-1926 as Professor of Biochemistry of the Aichi Medical College (now Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University) in Nagoya, Japan. Michaelis succeeded in gathering many bright young biochemists from all over Japan into his laboratory, and made tremendous contributions to the promotion of biochemistry in Japan. Michaelis was invited to many places in Japan to present lectures over those years. Kunio Yagi, who was Professor of Biochemistry at Nagoya University in the second half of the 20th century, succeeded in crystallizing the "Michaelis" enzyme-substrate complex. Historically, Michelis has had an enormous impact on biochemistry in Japan. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Michaël Jackson, un people précurseur

    OpenAIRE

    Dubied, Annik; Gorin, Valérie

    2009-01-01

    En parcourant la presse people parue au moment du décès du King of Pop, on observe à quel point Michaël Jackson a été et restera un personnage people précurseur. La titraille, les photographies et la mise en page d'une série de magazines francophones et anglo-saxons présentent un certain nombre de particularités qui résonnent à l'unisson avec la définition du genre people.

  12. Mechanistic kinetic modeling generates system-independent P-glycoprotein mediated transport elementary rate constants for inhibition and, in combination with 3D SIM microscopy, elucidates the importance of microvilli morphology on P-glycoprotein mediated efflux activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellens, Harma; Meng, Zhou; Le Marchand, Sylvain J; Bentz, Joe

    2018-06-01

    In vitro transporter kinetics are typically analyzed by steady-state Michaelis-Menten approximations. However, no clear evidence exists that these approximations, applied to multiple transporters in biological membranes, yield system-independent mechanistic parameters needed for reliable in vivo hypothesis generation and testing. Areas covered: The classical mass action model has been developed for P-glycoprotein (P-gp) mediated transport across confluent polarized cell monolayers. Numerical integration of the mass action equations for transport using a stable global optimization program yields fitted elementary rate constants that are system-independent. The efflux active P-gp was defined by the rate at which P-gp delivers drugs to the apical chamber, since as much as 90% of drugs effluxed by P-gp partition back into nearby microvilli prior to reaching the apical chamber. The efflux active P-gp concentration was 10-fold smaller than the total expressed P-gp for Caco-2 cells, due to their microvilli membrane morphology. The mechanistic insights from this analysis are readily extrapolated to P-gp mediated transport in vivo. Expert opinion: In vitro system-independent elementary rate constants for transporters are essential for the generation and validation of robust mechanistic PBPK models. Our modeling approach and programs have broad application potential. They can be used for any drug transporter with minor adaptations.

  13. A Qualitative Approach to Enzyme Inhibition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waldrop, Grover L.

    2009-01-01

    Most general biochemistry textbooks present enzyme inhibition by showing how the basic Michaelis-Menten parameters K[subscript m] and V[subscript max] are affected mathematically by a particular type of inhibitor. This approach, while mathematically rigorous, does not lend itself to understanding how inhibition patterns are used to determine the…

  14. Benefits of a clinical pharmacokinetic service in optimising ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    before the termination of the study (test period). Patients kept a seizure diary throughout the study. The MichaelisMenten model was used to calculate doses and predict steady-state serum concentrations. Setting. ine epilepsy clinics. Subjects. One hundred and ninety-five (113 black and 82 coloured) compliant people with ...

  15. Local energy equation for two-electron atoms and relation between kinetic energy and electron densities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    March, N.H.

    2002-08-01

    In early work, Dawson and March [J. Chem. Phys. 81, 5850 (1984)] proposed a local energy method for treating both Hartree-Fock and correlated electron theory. Here, an exactly solvable model two-electron atom with pure harmonic interactions is treated in its ground state in the above context. A functional relation between the kinetic energy density t(r) at the origin r=0 and the electron density p(r) at the same point then emerges. The same approach is applied to the Hookean atom; in which the two electrons repel with Coulombic energy e 2 /r 12 , with r 12 the interelectronic separation, but are still harmonically confined. Again the kinetic energy density t(r) is the focal point, but now generalization away from r=0 is also effected. Finally, brief comments are added about He-like atomic ions in the limit of large atomic number. (author)

  16. Amorphization kinetics of Zr3Fe under electron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Motta, A.T.; Howe, L.M.; Okamoto, P.R.

    1992-10-01

    0.9 MeV electron irradiations were performed at 28--220 K in a high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM). By measuring onset, spread and final size of the amorphous region, factoring in the Guassian distribution of the beam, a kinetic description of the amorphization in terms of dose, dose rate and temperature was obtained. The critical temperature for amorphization by electron irradiation was found to be ∼220 K, compared to 570--625 K for 40 Ar ion irradiation. Also, the dose-to-amorphization increased exponentially with temperature. Results indicated that the rate of growth of the amorphous region under the electron beam decreased with increasing temperature and the does-to-amorphization decreased with increasing dose rate. The size of the amorphous region saturated after a region dose, the final size decreasing with increasing temperature, and it was argued that this is related to the existence of a critical dose rate, which increased with temperature, below which no amorphization occurred. The above observations can be understood in the framework of the kinetics of damage accumulation under irradiation

  17. The mass angular scattering power method for determining the kinetic energies of clinical electron beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blais, N.; Podgorsak, E.B.

    1992-01-01

    A method for determining the kinetic energy of clinical electron beams is described, based on the measurement in air of the spatial spread of a pencil electron beam which is produced from the broad clinical electron beam. As predicted by the Fermi-Eyges theory, the dose distribution measured in air on a plane, perpendicular to the incident direction of the initial pencil electron beam, is Gaussian. The square of its spatial spread is related to the mass angular scattering power which in turn is related to the kinetic energy of the electron beam. The measured spatial spread may thus be used to determine the mass angular scattering power, which is then used to determine the kinetic energy of the electron beam from the known relationship between mass angular scattering power and kinetic energy. Energies obtained with the mass angular scattering power method agree with those obtained with the electron range method. (author)

  18. Physiological and functional diversity of phenol degraders isolated from phenol-grown aerobic granules: Phenol degradation kinetics and trichloroethylene co-metabolic activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yi; Tay, Joo Hwa

    2016-03-15

    Aerobic granule is a novel form of microbial aggregate capable of degrading toxic and recalcitrant substances. Aerobic granules have been formed on phenol as the growth substrate, and used to co-metabolically degrade trichloroethylene (TCE), a synthetic solvent not supporting aerobic microbial growth. Granule formation process, rate limiting factors and the comprehensive toxic effects of phenol and TCE had been systematically studied. To further explore their potential at the level of microbial population and functions, phenol degraders were isolated and purified from mature granules in this study. Phenol and TCE degradation kinetics of 15 strains were determined, together with their TCE transformation capacities and other physiological characteristics. Isolation in the presence of phenol and TCE exerted stress on microbial populations, but the procedure was able to preserve their diversity. Wide variation was found with the isolates' kinetic behaviors, with the parameters often spanning 3 orders of magnitude. Haldane kinetics described phenol degradation well, and the isolates exhibited actual maximum phenol-dependent oxygen utilization rates of 9-449 mg DO g DW(-1) h(-1), in phenol concentration range of 4.8-406 mg L(-1). Both Michaelis-Menten and Haldane types were observed for TCE transformation, with the actual maximum rate of 1.04-21.1 mg TCE g DW(-1) h(-1) occurring between TCE concentrations of 0.42-4.90 mg L(-1). The TCE transformation capacities and growth yields on phenol ranged from 20-115 mg TCE g DW(-1) and 0.46-1.22 g DW g phenol(-1), respectively, resulting in TCE transformation yields of 10-70 mg TCE g phenol(-1). Contact angles of the isolates were between 34° and 82°, suggesting both hydrophobic and hydrophilic cell surface. The diversity in the isolates is a great advantage, as it enables granules to be versatile and adaptive under different operational conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. New functions to estimate 305-days milk production of Gir cows : Novas Funções para Estimar a Produção de Leite, em 305 Dias de Lactação, de Vacas da Raça Gir

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reboucas, G.F.; Moraes Goncalves, de T.; Martines, M.L.; Azevedo Junior, J.; Koops, W.J.

    2008-01-01

    This study aimed to calculate new accumulated and daily functions based on the Michaelis-Menten equation to estimate the 305-days production of Gir cows using test day milk yields. Data consisted of 7,412 lactation records of 3,416 Gir cows (Bos indicus) collected from 1987 to 2004 in 51 herds

  20. Quantum Kinetic Theory and Applications Electrons, Photons, Phonons

    CERN Document Server

    Vasko, Fedir T

    2006-01-01

    This lecture-style monograph is addressed to several categories of readers. First, it will be useful for graduate students studying theory. Second, the topics covered should be interesting for postgraduate students of various specializations. Third, the researchers who want to understand the background of modern theoretical issues in more detail can find a number of useful results here. The phenomena covered involve kinetics of electron, phonon, and photon systems in solids. The dynamical properties and interactions of electrons, phonons, and photons are briefly described in Chapter 1. Further, in Chapters 2-8, the authors present the main theoretical methods: linear response theory, various kinetic equations for the quasiparticles under consideration, and diagram technique. The presentation of the key approaches is always accompanied by solutions of concrete problems to illustrate ways to apply the theory. The remaining chapters are devoted to various manifestations of quantum transport in solids. The choice...

  1. Direct electron transfer and biosensing of glucose oxidase immobilized at multiwalled carbon nanotube-alumina-coated silica modified electrode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Wei-Che; Huang, Jian-Lung; Tsai, Yu-Chen, E-mail: yctsai@dragon.nchu.edu.tw

    2012-05-01

    Investigations are reported regarding the direct electrochemical performance of glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilized on a film of multiwalled carbon nanotube-alumina-coated silica (MWCNT-ACS). The surface morphology of the GOD/MWCNT-ACS nanobiocomposite is characterized by scanning electron microscopy. In cyclic voltammetric response, the immobilized GOD displays a pair of well-defined redox peaks, with a formal potential (E Degree-Sign Prime ) of - 0.466 V versus Ag/AgCl in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5) at a scan rate of 0.05 V s{sup -1}; also the electrochemical response indicates a surface-controlled electrode process. The dependence of formal potential on solution pH indicates that the direct electron transfer reaction of GOD is a reversible two-electron coupled with a two-proton electrochemical reaction process. The glucose biosensor based on the GOD/MWCNT-ACS nanobiocomposite shows a sensitivity of 0.127 A M{sup -1} cm{sup -2} and an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant of 0.5 mM. Furthermore, the prepared biosensor exhibits excellent anti-interference ability to the commonly co-existed uric acid and ascorbic acid. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A film composed of MWCNT-ACS was used for biosensor application. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High sensitivity and good selectivity were obtained for the detection of glucose. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This approach is potential for fabrication of mediator-free biosensor.

  2. Gyrokinetic Electron and Fully Kinetic Ion Particle Simulation of Collisionless Plasma Dynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu Lin; Xueyi Wang; Liu Chen; Zhihong Lin

    2009-08-11

    Fully kinetic-particle simulations and hybrid simulations have been utilized for decades to investigate various fundamental plasma processes, such as magnetic reconnection, fast compressional waves, and wave-particle interaction. Nevertheless, due to disparate temporal and spatial scales between electrons and ions, existing fully kinetic-particle codes have to employ either unrealistically high electron-to-ion mass ratio, me/mi, or simulation domain limited to a few or a few ten's of the ion Larmor radii, or/and time much less than the global Alfven time scale in order to accommodate available computing resources. On the other hand, in the hybrid simulation, the ions are treated as fully kinetic particles but the electrons are treated as a massless fluid. The electron kinetic effects, e.g., wave-particle resonances and finite electron Larmor radius effects, are completely missing. Important physics, such as the electron transit time damping of fast compressional waves or the triggering mechanism of magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas is absent in the hybrid codes. Motivated by these considerations and noting that dynamics of interest to us has frequencies lower than the electron gyrofrequency, we planned to develop an innovative particle simulation model, gyrokinetic (GK) electrons and fully kinetic (FK) ions. In the GK-electron and FK-ion (GKe/FKi) particle simulation model, the rapid electron cyclotron motion is removed, while keeping finite electron Larmor radii, realistic me/mi ratio, wave-particle interactions, and off-diagonal components of electron pressure tensor. The computation power can thus be significantly improved over that of the full-particle codes. As planned in the project DE-FG02-05ER54826, we have finished the development of the new GK-electron and FK-ion scheme, finished its benchmark for a uniform plasma in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D systems against linear waves obtained from analytical theories, and carried out a further convergence

  3. Gyrokinetic Electron and Fully Kinetic Ion Particle Simulation of Collisionless Plasma Dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Yu; Wang, Xueyi; Chen, Liu; Lin, Zhihong

    2009-01-01

    Fully kinetic-particle simulations and hybrid simulations have been utilized for decades to investigate various fundamental plasma processes, such as magnetic reconnection, fast compressional waves, and wave-particle interaction. Nevertheless, due to disparate temporal and spatial scales between electrons and ions, existing fully kinetic-particle codes have to employ either unrealistically high electron-to-ion mass ratio, me/mi, or simulation domain limited to a few or a few ten's of the ion Larmor radii, or/and time much less than the global Alfven time scale in order to accommodate available computing resources. On the other hand, in the hybrid simulation, the ions are treated as fully kinetic particles but the electrons are treated as a massless fluid. The electron kinetic effects, e.g., wave-particle resonances and finite electron Larmor radius effects, are completely missing. Important physics, such as the electron transit time damping of fast compressional waves or the triggering mechanism of magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas is absent in the hybrid codes. Motivated by these considerations and noting that dynamics of interest to us has frequencies lower than the electron gyrofrequency, we planned to develop an innovative particle simulation model, gyrokinetic (GK) electrons and fully kinetic (FK) ions. In the GK-electron and FK-ion (GKe/FKi) particle simulation model, the rapid electron cyclotron motion is removed, while keeping finite electron Larmor radii, realistic me/mi ratio, wave-particle interactions, and off-diagonal components of electron pressure tensor. The computation power can thus be significantly improved over that of the full-particle codes. As planned in the project DE-FG02-05ER54826, we have finished the development of the new GK-electron and FK-ion scheme, finished its benchmark for a uniform plasma in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D systems against linear waves obtained from analytical theories, and carried out a further convergence test

  4. A quasilinear kinetic model for solar wind electrons and protons instabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarfraz, M.; Yoon, P. H.

    2017-12-01

    In situ measurements confirm the anisotropic behavior in temperatures of solar wind species. These anisotropies associated with charge particles are observed to be relaxed. In collionless limit, kinetic instabilities play a significant role to reshape particles distribution. The linear analysis results are encapsulated in inverse relationship between anisotropy and plasma beta based observations fittings techniques, simulations methods, or solution of linearized Vlasov equation. Here amacroscopic quasilinear technique is adopted to confirm inverse relationship through solutions of set of self-consistent kinetic equations. Firstly, for a homogeneous and non-collisional medium, quasilinear kinetic model is employed to display asymptotic variations of core and halo electrons temperatures and saturations of wave energy densities for electromagnetic electron cyclotron (EMEC) instability sourced by, T⊥}>T{∥ . It is shown that, in (β ∥ , T⊥}/T{∥ ) phase space, the saturations stages of anisotropies associated with core and halo electrons lined up on their respective marginal stability curves. Secondly, for case of electrons firehose instability ignited by excessive parallel temperature i.e T⊥}>T{∥ , both electrons and protons are allowed to dynamically evolve in time. It is also observed that, the trajectories of protons and electrons at saturation stages in phase space of anisotropy and plasma beta correspond to proton cyclotron and firehose marginal stability curves, respectively. Next, the outstanding issue that most of observed proton data resides in nearly isotropic state in phase space is interpreted. Here, in quasilinear frame-work of inhomogeneous solar wind system, a set of self-consistent quasilinear equations is formulated to show a dynamical variations of temperatures with spatial distributions. On choice of different initial parameters, it is shown that, interplay of electron and proton instabilities provides an counter-balancing force to slow

  5. Solar Wind Electron Scattering by Kinetic Instabilities and Whistler Turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gary, S. P.

    2015-12-01

    The expansion of the solar wind away from the Sun drives electron velocity distributions away from the thermal Maxwellian form, yielding distributions near 1 AU which typically can be characterized as consisting of three anisotropic components: a more dense, relatively cool core, a relatively tenuous , relatively warm halo and a similarly tenuous, warm strahl. Each of these nonthermal components are potential sources of kinetic plasma instabilities; the enhanced waves from each instability can scatter the electrons, acting to reduce the various anisotropies and making their overall velocity distribution more nearly (but not completely) thermal. In contrast, simulations are demonstrating that the forward decay of whistler turbulence can lead to the development of a T||> T_perp electron anisotropy. This presentation will review linear theories of electron-driven kinetic instabilities (following the presentation by Daniel Verscharen at the 2015 SHINE Workshop), and will further consider the modification of electron velocity distributions as obtained from particle-in-cell simulations of such instabilities as well as from the decay of whistler turbulence.

  6. A novel hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on hemoglobin-collagen-CNTs composite nanofibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, J; Mei, H; Zheng, W; Pan, P; Sun, X J; Li, F; Guo, F; Zhou, H M; Ma, J Y; Xu, X X; Zheng, Y F

    2014-06-01

    In this paper, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were successfully incorporated in the composite composed of hemoglobin (Hb) and collagen using co-electrospinning technology. The formed Hb-collagen-CNTs composite nanofibers possessed distinct advantage of three-dimensional porous structure, biocompatibility and excellent stability. The Hb immobilized in the electrospun nanofibers retained its natural structure and the heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ks) of the direct electron transfer between Hb and electrodes was 5.3s(-1). In addition, the electrospun Hb-collagen-CNTs nanofibers modified electrodes showed good electrocatalytic properties toward H2O2 with a detection limit of 0.91μM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3) and the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km(app)) of 32.6μM. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Experimental study on the kinetically induced electronic excitation in atomic collisional cascades

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, S.

    2006-01-01

    the present thesis deals with the ion-collision-induced electronic excitation of metallic solids. For this for the first time metal-insulator-metal layer systems are used for the detection of this electronic excitation. The here applied aluminium/aluminium oxide/silver layer sytems have barrier heights of 2.4 eV on the aluminium respectively 3.3 eV on the silver side. With the results it could uniquely be shown that the electronic excitation is generated by kinetic processes, this excitation dependenc on the kinetic energy of the colliding particles, and the excitation dependes on the charge state of the projectile

  8. Variation of kinetic energy release with temperature and electron energy for unimolecular ionic transitions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabia, M.A.; Fahmy, M.A.

    1992-01-01

    The kinetic energy released during seven unimolecular ionic transitions, generated from benzyl alcohol and benzyl amine have been studied as a function of ion source temperature and ionizing electron energy. Only, the kinetic energy released during H CN elimination from fragment [C 7 H 8 N]+ ion of benzyl amine displays a temperature dependence. For only two transitions, generated from benzyl alcohol, the kinetic energy released show a significant ionizing electron energy dependence. These results may reveal the role of the internal energy of reacting ions in producing the kinetic energy released some transitions produced from benzyl alcohol

  9. Arbuscular mycorrhiza and kinetic parameters of phosphorus absorption by bean plants Micorriza arbuscular e os parâmetros cinéticos de absorção de fósforo pelo feijoeiro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Parada Dias da Silveira

    2004-04-01

    Full Text Available The mechanisms that determine greater P absorption by mycorrhizal plants are still not completely clear, and are attributed, in part, to an increase in the number of absorption sites promoted by the hyphae, and/or to a greater affinity of the colonized hypha or root carriers to P. The effect of mycorrhizae formed by Glomus etunicatum on the kinetic parameters of P absorption by the roots and on P influx in bean plants of the IAC-Carioca cultivar was evaluated, in two distinct plant development periods: at the onset of flowering and at the pod-filling stage (35 and 50 days after sowing, respectively. A mixture of sand and silica (9:1 was utilized as substrate and irrigated with nutrient solution. The kinetics assay was performed by the method of 32P depletion from the solution (depletion curve, using intact plants. Mycorrhization promoted greater growth and P absorption by bean plants, which was more conspicuously observed at the pod-filling stage. Mycorrhizal plants showed higher values of maximum ion uptake rate (Vmax and net P influx at the flowering stage. Lower minimum ion concentration (Cmin and Michaelis-Menten constant (Km values were verified in mycorrhizal plants at the pod-filling stage. Mycorrhizal plants also presented higher net P influx per plant, in both stages. Cmin was the kinetic parameter more intimately related to P absorption, and a significant correlation was obtained between this parameter and shoot P content and accumulation in bean plants.Os mecanismos envolvidos na maior absorção de P pela planta micorrizada ainda não estão totalmente esclarecidos, atribuindo-se, em parte, ao aumento no número de sítios de absorção promovido pela hifa e/ou maior afinidade dos carregadores da hifa ou da raiz colonizada ao P. Avaliou-se o efeito da micorriza formada por Glomus etunicatum nos parâmetros cinéticos da absorção radicular de P e no influxo de P em feijoeiro, cultivar IAC-Carioca, em duas épocas do ciclo da planta

  10. Enantiomeric fractioning, degradation and metabolite formation of Mecoprop in subsoils with a phenoxy acid contamination history

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frkova, Zuzana; Johansen, Anders; Karlson, Ulrich G.

    2015-01-01

    for their ability to degrade mecoprop under natural and amended conditions. Degradation of mecoprop was studied at elevated and environmentally relevant mecoprop concentrations as affected by nitrate and glucose at nitrate-reducing conditions and at a presence of oxygen (mimicking purging the soil with air. Results......As persistence and toxicity of the enantiomers of chiral pesticides are different a more comprehensive understanding of the fate of enantiomers of agrochemicals in the environment is necessary. Subsoils sampled vertically (2.5-6 m) at a site with a history of phenoxy acid contamination were used...... and enantioselectivity. Glucose hinders mecoprop degradation and changes the EF. Changing EF confirmed enzymatic dgradation of mecoprop in soils, which was well interpreted using the Michaelis-Menten kinetic model. The highest mecoprop degradation rate was measured in soils incubated at nitrate-reducing conditions...

  11. Model-Based Optimization of Scaffold Geometry and Operating Conditions of Radial Flow Packed-Bed Bioreactors for Therapeutic Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Donato

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Radial flow perfusion of cell-seeded hollow cylindrical porous scaffolds may overcome the transport limitations of pure diffusion and direct axial perfusion in the realization of bioengineered substitutes of failing or missing tissues. Little has been reported on the optimization criteria of such bioreactors. A steady-state model was developed, combining convective and dispersive transport of dissolved oxygen with Michaelis-Menten cellular consumption kinetics. Dimensional analysis was used to combine more effectively geometric and operational variables in the dimensionless groups determining bioreactor performance. The effectiveness of cell oxygenation was expressed in terms of non-hypoxic fractional construct volume. The model permits the optimization of the geometry of hollow cylindrical constructs, and direction and magnitude of perfusion flow, to ensure cell oxygenation and culture at controlled oxygen concentration profiles. This may help engineer tissues suitable for therapeutic and drug screening purposes.

  12. Transformation frequency of γ irradiated plasmid DNA and the enzymatic double strand break formation by incubation in a protein extract of Escherichia coli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulte-Frohlinde, D.; Mark, F.; Ventur, Y.

    1994-01-01

    It was found that incubation of γ-irradiated or DNaseI-treated plasmid DNA in a protein extract of Escherichia coli leads to enzyme-induced formation of double strand breaks (dsb) in competition with repair of precursors of these dsb. A survival curve of the plasmid DNA (as determined by transformation of E. coli) was calculated on the basis of enzyme-induced dsb as well as those produced by irradiation assuming that they are lethal. The calculated D O value was the same as that measured directly by transformation of irradiated plasmid DNA. Two models are presented that fit the experimental survival data as a function of dose. One is based on damage formation in the plasmid DNA including enzymatic conversion of single strand damage into dsb (U-model), the other is an enzymatic repair saturation model based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics. (Author)

  13. A Solution of the Convective-Diffusion Equation for Solute Mass Transfer inside a Capillary Membrane Bioreactor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Godongwana

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an analytical model of substrate mass transfer through the lumen of a membrane bioreactor. The model is a solution of the convective-diffusion equation in two dimensions using a regular perturbation technique. The analysis accounts for radial-convective flow as well as axial diffusion of the substrate specie. The model is applicable to the different modes of operation of membrane bioreactor (MBR systems (e.g., dead-end, open-shell, or closed-shell mode, as well as the vertical or horizontal orientation. The first-order limit of the Michaelis-Menten equation for substrate consumption was used to test the developed model against available analytical results. The results obtained from the application of this model, along with a biofilm growth kinetic model, will be useful in the derivation of an efficiency expression for enzyme production in an MBR.

  14. On the precision of quasi steady state assumptions in stochastic dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Animesh; Adams, Rhys; Castellani, Gastone C.; Shouval, Harel Z.

    2012-07-01

    Many biochemical networks have complex multidimensional dynamics and there is a long history of methods that have been used for dimensionality reduction for such reaction networks. Usually a deterministic mass action approach is used; however, in small volumes, there are significant fluctuations from the mean which the mass action approach cannot capture. In such cases stochastic simulation methods should be used. In this paper, we evaluate the applicability of one such dimensionality reduction method, the quasi-steady state approximation (QSSA) [L. Menten and M. Michaelis, "Die kinetik der invertinwirkung," Biochem. Z 49, 333369 (1913)] for dimensionality reduction in case of stochastic dynamics. First, the applicability of QSSA approach is evaluated for a canonical system of enzyme reactions. Application of QSSA to such a reaction system in a deterministic setting leads to Michaelis-Menten reduced kinetics which can be used to derive the equilibrium concentrations of the reaction species. In the case of stochastic simulations, however, the steady state is characterized by fluctuations around the mean equilibrium concentration. Our analysis shows that a QSSA based approach for dimensionality reduction captures well the mean of the distribution as obtained from a full dimensional simulation but fails to accurately capture the distribution around that mean. Moreover, the QSSA approximation is not unique. We have then extended the analysis to a simple bistable biochemical network model proposed to account for the stability of synaptic efficacies; the substrate of learning and memory [J. E. Lisman, "A mechanism of memory storage insensitive to molecular turnover: A bistable autophosphorylating kinase," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 3055-3057 (1985)], 10.1073/pnas.82.9.3055. Our analysis shows that a QSSA based dimensionality reduction method results in errors as big as two orders of magnitude in predicting the residence times in the two stable states.

  15. Microbial ureolysis in the seawater-catalysed urine phosphorus recovery system: Kinetic study and reactor verification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Wen-Tao; Dai, Ji; Liu, Rulong; Chen, Guang-Hao

    2015-12-15

    Our previous study has confirmed the feasibility of using seawater as an economical precipitant for urine phosphorus (P) precipitation. However, we still understand very little about the ureolysis in the Seawater-based Urine Phosphorus Recovery (SUPR) system despite its being a crucial step for urine P recovery. In this study, batch experiments were conducted to investigate the kinetics of microbial ureolysis in the seawater-urine system. Indigenous bacteria from urine and seawater exhibited relatively low ureolytic activity, but they adapted quickly to the urine-seawater mixture during batch cultivation. During cultivation, both the abundance and specific ureolysis rate of the indigenous bacteria were greatly enhanced as confirmed by a biomass-dependent Michaelis-Menten model. The period for fully ureolysis was decreased from 180 h to 2.5 h after four cycles of cultivation. Based on the successful cultivation, a lab-scale SUPR reactor was set up to verify the fast ureolysis and efficient P recovery in the SUPR system. Nearly complete urine P removal was achieved in the reactor in 6 h without adding any chemicals. Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis revealed that the predominant groups of bacteria in the SUPR reactor likely originated from seawater rather than urine. Moreover, batch tests confirmed the high ureolysis rates and high phosphorus removal efficiency induced by cultivated bacteria in the SUPR reactor under seawater-to-urine mixing ratios ranging from 1:1 to 9:1. This study has proved that the enrichment of indigenous bacteria in the SUPR system can lead to sufficient ureolytic activity for phosphate precipitation, thus providing an efficient and economical method for urine P recovery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Thermal and single frequency counter-current ultrasound pretreatments of sodium caseinate: enzymolysis kinetics and thermodynamics, amino acids composition, molecular weight distribution and antioxidant peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdualrahman, Mohammed Adam Y; Ma, Haile; Zhou, Cunshan; Yagoub, Abu ElGasim A; Hu, Jiali; Yang, Xue

    2016-12-01

    Due to the disadvantages of traditional enzymolysis, pretreatments are crucial to enhance protein enzymolysis. Enzymolysis kinetics and thermodynamics, amino acids composition, molecular weight distribution, fluorescence spectroscopy and antioxidant activity of thermal (HT) and single frequency counter-current ultrasound (SCFU) pretreated sodium caseinate (NaCas) were studied. Enzymolysis of untreated NaCas (control) improved significantly (P < 0.05) by SFCU and followed by HT. Values of the Michaelis-Menten constant (K M ) of SFCU and HT were 0.0212 and 0.0250, respectively. HT and SFCU increased (P < 0.05) the reaction rate constant (k) by 38.64 and 90.91%, respectively at 298 K. k values decreased with increasing temperature. The initial activation energy (46.39 kJ mol -1 ) reduced (P < 0.05) by HT (39.66 kJ mol -1 ) and further by SFCU (33.42 kJ mol -1 ). SFCU-pretreated NaCas hydrolysates had the highest contents of hydrophobic, aromatic, positively and negatively charged amino acids. Medium-sized peptides (5000-1000 Da) are higher in SFCU (78.11%) than HT and the control. SFCU induced molecular unfolding of NaCas proteins. Accordingly, SFCU-pretreated NaCas hydrolysate exhibited the highest scavenging activity on DPPH and hydroxyl radicals, reducing power, and iron chelating ability. SFCU pretreatment would be a useful tool for production of bioactive peptides from NaCas hydrolysate. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. The Flavin-Containing Reductase Domain of Cytochrome P450 BM3 Acts as a Surrogate for Mammalian NADPH-P450 Reductase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Seon-Ha; Kang, Ji-Yeon; Kim, Dong-Hyun; Ahn, Taeho; Yun, Chul-Ho

    2012-11-01

    Cytochrome P450 BM3 (CYP102A1) from Bacillus megaterium is a self-sufficient monooxygenase that consists of a heme domain and FAD/FMN-containing reductase domain (BMR). In this report, the reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) by BMR was evaluated as a method for monitoring BMR activity. The electron transfer proceeds from NADPH to BMR and then to BMR substrates, MTT and CTC. MTT and CTC are monotetrazolium salts that form formazans upon reduction. The reduction of MTT and CTC followed classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics (kcat =4120 min(-1), Km =77 μM for MTT and kcat =6580 min(-1), Km =51 μM for CTC). Our continuous assay using MTT and CTC allows the simple, rapid measurement of BMR activity. The BMR was able to metabolize mitomycin C and doxorubicin, which are anticancer drug substrates for CPR, producing the same metabolites as those produced by CPR. Moreover, the BMR was able to interact with CYP1A2 and transfer electrons to promote the oxidation reactions of substrates by CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 in humans. The results of this study suggest the possibility of the utilization of BMR as a surrogate for mammalian CPR.

  18. Kinetic electron emission from metal surfaces induced by impact of slow ions

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šroubek, Zdeněk; Lorinčík, Jan

    -, č. 625 (2014), s. 7-9 ISSN 0039-6028 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10086 Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Ion induced kinetic electron emission * Electronic excitation Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.925, year: 2014

  19. Insight into the mechanism revealing the peroxidase mimetic catalytic activity of quaternary CuZnFeS nanocrystals: colorimetric biosensing of hydrogen peroxide and glucose

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalui, Amit; Pradhan, Bapi; Thupakula, Umamahesh; Khan, Ali Hossain; Kumar, Gundam Sandeep; Ghosh, Tanmay; Satpati, Biswarup; Acharya, Somobrata

    2015-05-01

    evaluated by catalytic oxidation of the peroxidase substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). CZIS NCs demonstrate the synergistic effect of elemental composition and photoactivity towards peroxidase-like activity. The quaternary CZIS NCs show enhanced intrinsic peroxidase-like activity compared to the binary NCs with the same constituent elements. Intrinsic peroxidase-like activity has been correlated with the energy band position of CZIS NCs extracted using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Kinetic analyses indicate Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetic model catalytic behavior describing the rate of the enzymatic reaction by correlating the reaction rate with substrate concentration. Typical color reactions arising from the catalytic oxidation of TMB over CZIS NCs with H2O2 have been utilized to establish a simple and sensitive colorimetric assay for detection of H2O2 and glucose. CZIS NCs are recyclable catalysts showing high efficiency in multiple uses. Our study may open up the possibility of designing new photoactive multi-component alloyed NCs as enzyme mimetics in biotechnology applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Fig. S1-S13. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01728a

  20. The effect of increased caffeine intake on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of theophylline in man.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monks, T J; Lawrie, C A; Caldwell, J

    1981-01-01

    The metabolism and pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered theophylline (100 mg) have been investigated in three healthy male volunteers who consumed 6 bottles/day of a cola beverage, in addition to their usual intake of methylxanthines, for 7 days prior to and during the study. Five urinary metabolites were detected in addition to unchanged theophylline, that is 3-methylxanthine, 1,3-dimethyluric acid, 1-methyluric acid, and two minor unknown metabolites. The elimination of theophylline, 1,3-dimethyluric acid, 1-methyluric acid, and the two unknowns was described by first-order kinetics, whereas that of 3-methylxanthine was described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The results have been compared with those previously obtained in the same volunteers while consuming their usual intake of methylxanthine-containing foods and beverages, and this shows that the addition of extra methylxanthines to the diet does not influence the disposition of theophylline. This is in marked contrast to the effect of deprivation of dietary methylxanthines on theophylline metabolism. The results are discussed in terms of the influence of methylxanthines on theophylline metabolism, and of its possible dose-dependency.

  1. Conversion of Cassava Starch to Produce Glucose and Fructose by Enzymatic Process Using Microwave Heating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumardiono Siswo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, variation of glycosidase enzyme concentration and saccharification time on enzymatic hydrolysis using microwave have been investigated. Concentration and kinetic parameters rate of glucose and fructose were analyzed. Cassava starch was liquefied and gelatinized by microwave at 80°C. The gelatinized starch was saccharified at 60°C using (0.2;0.4;0.6;0.8;1% (w/v glycosidase enzyme for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The glucose which has been saccharified with 1% glycosidase enzyme for 72 hours gave highest conversion 66.23 %. The optimization process by multilevel reaction gave the highest conversion at enzyme concentrations 0.88 %and saccharification time 29 hours that 68.82%. The highest conversion of glucose was isomerized to fructose. The fructose which has been isomerized for 180 minutes gave highest conversion 20.05 %. The kinetics enzymatic reaction was approached and determined by Michaelis - Menten equation, Km and Vmax of reaction for glucose 22.94 g/L; 2.70 g/L hours and for fructose 3.39 g/L; 0.38 g/L. min respectively.

  2. Victor Henri: 111 years of his equation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornish-Bowden, Athel; Mazat, Jean-Pierre; Nicolas, Serge

    2014-12-01

    Victor Henri's great contribution to the understanding of enzyme kinetics and mechanism is not always given the credit that it deserves. In addition, his earlier work in experimental psychology is totally unknown to biochemists, and his later work in spectroscopy and photobiology almost equally so. Applying great rigour to his analysis he succeeded in obtaining a model of enzyme action that explained all of the observations available to him, and he showed why the considerable amount of work done in the preceding decade had not led to understanding. His view was that only physical chemistry could explain the behaviour of enzymes, and that models should be judged in accordance with their capacity not only to explain previously known facts but also to predict new observations against which they could be tested. The kinetic equation usually attributed to Michaelis and Menten was in reality due to him. His thesis of 1903 is now available in English. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and Société française de biochimie et biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  3. Recovery of Whey Proteins and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lactose Derived from Casein Whey Using a Tangential Flow Ultrafiltration Module

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Bipasha; Bhattacharjee, Sangita; Bhattacharjee, Chiranjib

    2013-09-01

    In this study, ultrafiltration (UF) of pretreated casein whey was carried out in a cross-flow module fitted with 5 kDa molecular weight cut-off polyethersulfone membrane to recover whey proteins in the retentate and lactose in the permeate. Effects of processing conditions, like transmembrane pressure and pH on permeate flux and rejection were investigated and reported. The polarised layer resistance was found to increase with time during UF even in this high shear device. The lactose concentration in the permeate was measured using dinitro salicylic acid method. Enzymatic kinetic study for lactose hydrolysis was carried out at three different temperatures ranging from 30 to 50 °C using β-galactosidase enzyme. The glucose formed during lactose hydrolysis was analyzed using glucose oxidase-peroxidase method. Kinetics of enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose solution was found to follow Michaelis-Menten model and the model parameters were estimated by Lineweaver-Burk plot. The hydrolysis rate was found to be maximum (with Vmax = 5.5091 mmol/L/min) at 30 °C.

  4. Efficient and 'green' microwave-assisted synthesis of haloalkylphosphonates via the Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jansa, Petr; Holý, Antonín; Dračínský, Martin; Baszczyňski, Ondřej; Česnek, Michal; Janeba, Zlatko

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 4 (2011), s. 882-888 ISSN 1463-9262 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KJB400550903; GA MŠk 1M0508 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : microwave-assisted synthesis * haloalkylphosphonates * Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry Impact factor: 6.320, year: 2011

  5. Carolina Michaëlis o los saberes de la Filología

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joaquín Rubio Tovar

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Two important international conferences (Berlin, Santiago on the work of Carolina Michaëlis have been held in recent years. The papers collected value her work within the historical background when it was carried out. Besides, they review the validity of her approach and analysis and present some modem contributions to the fields which she studied, particularly the Cancioneiro da Ajuda.

  6. Reaction and catalyst engineering to exploit kinetically controlled whole-cell multistep biocatalysis for terminal FAME oxyfunctionalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrewe, Manfred; Julsing, Mattijs K; Lange, Kerstin; Czarnotta, Eik; Schmid, Andreas; Bühler, Bruno

    2014-09-01

    The oxyfunctionalization of unactivated C−H bonds can selectively and efficiently be catalyzed by oxygenase-containing whole-cell biocatalysts. Recombinant Escherichia coli W3110 containing the alkane monooxygenase AlkBGT and the outer membrane protein AlkL from Pseudomonas putida GPo1 have been shown to efficiently catalyze the terminal oxyfunctionalization of renewable fatty acid methyl esters yielding bifunctional products of interest for polymer synthesis. In this study, AlkBGTL-containing E. coli W3110 is shown to catalyze the multistep conversion of dodecanoic acid methyl ester (DAME) via terminal alcohol and aldehyde to the acid, exhibiting Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics for each reaction step. In two-liquid phase biotransformations, the product formation pattern was found to be controlled by DAME availability. Supplying DAME as bulk organic phase led to accumulation of the terminal alcohol as the predominant product. Limiting DAME availability via application of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (BEHP) as organic carrier solvent enabled almost exclusive acid accumulation. Furthermore, utilization of BEHP enhanced catalyst stability by reducing toxic effects of substrate and products. A further shift towards the overoxidized products was achieved by co-expression of the gene encoding the alcohol dehydrogenase AlkJ, which was shown to catalyze efficient and irreversible alcohol to aldehyde oxidation in vivo. With DAME as organic phase, the aldehyde accumulated as main product using resting cells containing AlkBGT, AlkL, as well as AlkJ. This study highlights the versatility of whole-cell biocatalysis for synthesis of industrially relevant bifunctional building blocks and demonstrates how integrated reaction and catalyst engineering can be implemented to control product formation patterns in biocatalytic multistep reactions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Small amplitude Kinetic Alfven waves in a superthermal electron-positron-ion plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adnan, Muhammad; Mahmood, Sahahzad; Qamar, Anisa; Tribeche, Mouloud

    2016-11-01

    We are investigating the propagating properties of coupled Kinetic Alfven-acoustic waves in a low beta plasma having superthermal electrons and positrons. Using the standard reductive perturbation method, a nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) type equation is derived which describes the evolution of Kinetic Alfven waves. It is found that nonlinearity and Larmor radius effects can compromise and give rise to solitary structures. The parametric role of superthermality and positron content on the characteristics of solitary wave structures is also investigated. It is found that only sub-Alfvenic and compressive solitons are supported in the present model. The present study may find applications in a low β electron-positron-ion plasma having superthermal electrons and positrons.

  8. Mechanism and kinetics of hydrated electron diffusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tay, Kafui A.; Coudert, Francois-Xavier; Boutin, Anne

    2008-01-01

    Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the mechanism and kinetics of hydrated electron diffusion. The electron center of mass is found to exhibit Brownian-type behavior with a diffusion coefficient considerably greater than that of the solvent. As previously postulated by both experimental and theoretical works, the instantaneous response of the electron to the librational motions of surrounding water molecules constitutes the principal mode of motion. The diffusive mechanism can be understood within the traditional framework of transfer diffusion processes, where the diffusive step is akin to the exchange of an extramolecular electron between neighboring water molecules. This is a second-order process with a computed rate constant of 5.0 ps -1 at 298 K. In agreement with experiment the electron diffusion exhibits Arrhenius behavior over the temperature range of 298-400 K. We compute an activation energy of 8.9 kJ mol -1 . Through analysis of Arrhenius plots and the application of a simple random walk model it is demonstrated that the computed rate constant for exchange of an excess electron is indeed the phenomenological rate constant associated with the diffusive process

  9. Catalytic monolayer voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy of copper nitrite reductase on cysteamine-modified Au(111) electrodes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Jingdong; Welinder, A.C.; Hansen, Allan Glargaard

    2003-01-01

    electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (in situ STM) directly in aqueous acetate buffer, pH 6.0 has been used. High-resolution in situ STM shows that cysteamine packs into ordered domains with strip features of a periodic distance of 11.7 +/- 0.3 Angstrom. No voltammetric signals of the nitrite substrate...... on this surface could be detected. A strong cathodic catalytic wave appears in the presence of nitrite. The catalytic current follows a Michaelis-Menten pattern with a Michaelis constant of K-m approximate to 44 muM, which is close to the value for AxCuNiR in homogeneous solution. The apparent catalytic rate...

  10. Kinetics of potassium, rubidium and cesium in rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Natsuhori, Masahiro; Kosaka, Shigetoshi; Nishikawa, Miki; Okida, Masato; Ito, Nobuhiko

    1998-01-01

    Apparent incorporation rates of K and Rb into red blood cells were investigated in rats in consideration of passive diffusion to clarify in vivo kinetics of alkali metals. First, the incorporation rates of K and Rb into blood cells were determined by incubating blood samples from SD rat with 42 K and 86 Rb-buffers. And parameters involving in these incorporations such as Vmax (maximum rate of active transport), {S} (substrate concentration), Km (Michaelis constant), n (cooperativity of active transport), etc. were evaluated based on the time-course changes in K and Rb incorporation. Then, K and Rb were given to SD rats and the respective levels in plasma, red blood cells and urine were determined. The parameters were evaluated based on the time course changes in these levels by using compartment model. Similarly, the kinetics of Cs were investigated in rats. The absorption, distribution and disappearance of alkali metals were investigated in vivo to compare in vivo kinetics among the metals. By applying the kinetic parameters analyzed, Cs kinetics, in vivo could be estimated and Cs intake was able to be also estimated by determining the Cs levels of blood cells, urine and plasma. (M.N.)

  11. Substrate and pH-Dependent Kinetic Profile of 3-Mercaptopropionate Dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellner, Matthias; Aloi, Sekotilani; Tchesnokov, Egor P; Wilbanks, Sigurd M; Jameson, Guy N L

    2016-03-08

    Thiol dioxygenases catalyze the synthesis of sulfinic acids in a range of organisms from bacteria to mammals. A thiol dioxygenase from the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa oxidizes both 3-mercaptopropionic acid and cysteine, with a ∼70 fold preference for 3-mercaptopropionic acid over all pHs. This substrate reactivity is widened compared to other thiol dioxygenases and was exploited in this investigation of the residues important for activity. A simple model incorporating two protonation events was used to fit profiles of the Michaelis-Menten parameters determined at different pH values for both substrates. The pKs determined using plots of k(cat)/Km differ at low pH, but not in a way easily attributable to protonation of the substrate alone and share a common value at higher pH. Plots of k(cat) versus pH are also quite different at low pH showing the monoprotonated ES complexes with 3-mercaptopropionic acid and cysteine have different pKs. At higher pH, k(cat) decreases sigmoidally with a similar pK regardless of substrate. Loss of reactivity at high pH is attributed to deprotonation of tyrosine 159 and its influence on dioxygen binding. A mechanism is proposed by which deprotonation of tyrosine 159 both blocks oxygen binding and concomitantly promotes cystine formation. Finally, the role of tyrosine 159 was further probed by production of a G95C variant that is able to form a cysteine-tyrosine crosslink homologous to that found in mammalian cysteine dioxygenases. Activity of this variant is severely impaired. Crystallography shows that when un-crosslinked, the cysteine thiol excludes tyrosine 159 from its native position, while kinetic analysis shows that the thioether bond impairs reactivity of the crosslinked form.

  12. Perchlorate reduction by hydrogen autotrophic bacteria and microbial community analysis using high-throughput sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Dongjin; Liu, Yongde; Niu, Zhenhua; Xiao, Shuhu; Li, Daorong

    2016-02-01

    Hydrogen autotrophic reduction of perchlorate have advantages of high removal efficiency and harmless to drinking water. But so far the reported information about the microbial community structure was comparatively limited, changes in the biodiversity and the dominant bacteria during acclimation process required detailed study. In this study, perchlorate-reducing hydrogen autotrophic bacteria were acclimated by hydrogen aeration from activated sludge. For the first time, high-throughput sequencing was applied to analyze changes in biodiversity and the dominant bacteria during acclimation process. The Michaelis-Menten model described the perchlorate reduction kinetics well. Model parameters q(max) and K(s) were 2.521-3.245 (mg ClO4(-)/gVSS h) and 5.44-8.23 (mg/l), respectively. Microbial perchlorate reduction occurred across at pH range 5.0-11.0; removal was highest at pH 9.0. The enriched mixed bacteria could use perchlorate, nitrate and sulfate as electron accepter, and the sequence of preference was: NO3(-) > ClO4(-) > SO4(2-). Compared to the feed culture, biodiversity decreased greatly during acclimation process, the microbial community structure gradually stabilized after 9 acclimation cycles. The Thauera genus related to Rhodocyclales was the dominated perchlorate reducing bacteria (PRB) in the mixed culture.

  13. Statistical identifiability and convergence evaluation for nonlinear pharmacokinetic models with particle swarm optimization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seongho; Li, Lang

    2014-02-01

    The statistical identifiability of nonlinear pharmacokinetic (PK) models with the Michaelis-Menten (MM) kinetic equation is considered using a global optimization approach, which is particle swarm optimization (PSO). If a model is statistically non-identifiable, the conventional derivative-based estimation approach is often terminated earlier without converging, due to the singularity. To circumvent this difficulty, we develop a derivative-free global optimization algorithm by combining PSO with a derivative-free local optimization algorithm to improve the rate of convergence of PSO. We further propose an efficient approach to not only checking the convergence of estimation but also detecting the identifiability of nonlinear PK models. PK simulation studies demonstrate that the convergence and identifiability of the PK model can be detected efficiently through the proposed approach. The proposed approach is then applied to clinical PK data along with a two-compartmental model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Evidence of enzymatic catalysis of oxygen reduction on stainless steels under marine biofilm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faimali, Marco; Benedetti, Alessandro; Pavanello, Giovanni; Chelossi, Elisabetta; Wrubl, Federico; Mollica, Alfonso

    2011-04-01

    Cathodic current trends on stainless steel samples with different surface percentages covered by biofilm and potentiostatically polarized in natural seawater were studied under oxygen concentration changes, temperature increases, and additions of enzymic inhibitors to the solution. The results showed that on each surface fraction covered by biofilm the oxygen reduction kinetics resembled a reaction catalyzed by an immobilised enzyme with high oxygen affinity (apparent Michaelis-Menten dissociation constant close to K(O(2))(M)  ≈ 10 μM) and low activation energy (W ≈ 20 KJ mole(-1)). The proposed enzyme rapidly degraded when the temperature was increased above the ambient (half-life time of ∼1 day at 25°C, and of a few minutes at 50°C). Furthermore, when reversible enzymic inhibitors (eg sodium azide and cyanide) were added, the cathodic current induced by biofilm growth was inhibited.

  15. Kinetic theory of free electron lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hafizi, B. [Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States); Roberson, C.W. [Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA (United States)

    1995-12-31

    We have developed a relativistic kinetic theory of free electron lasers (FELs). The growth rate, efficiency, filling factor and radius of curvature of the radiation wave fronts are determined. We have used the theory to examine the effects of beam compression on growth rate. The theory has been extended to include self field effects on FEL operation. These effects are particularly important in compact, low voltage FELs. The surprising result is that the self field contribution to the beam quality is opposite to the emittance contribution. Hence self fields can improve beam quality, particularly in compact, low voltage FELs.

  16. A way for evaluating parameters of electron transport in non-polar molecular liquids derived from analysis of the trapped electron recombination kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lukin, L.V.

    2012-01-01

    The geminate recombination kinetics of electron-ion pairs produced by high energy radiation in liquid hydrocarbons is considered in the two state model of electron transport. The purpose of the study is to relate the trapped electron transient optical absorption, observed in the pulse radiolysis experiments, to fundamental parameters of electron transport in liquid. It is shown that measurements of the half-life time and amplitude of the trapped electron decay curve allow one to find the electron life time in a localized state. - Highlights: ► A two state electron model is applied to geminate charge recombination. ► Time dependence of trapped electrons is computed for liquid isooctane and squalane. ► Electron decay kinetics depends on electron life time in a localized state. ► Key parameters of electron transport are found from the pulse radiolysis studies.

  17. The single-process biochemical reaction of Rubisco: a unified theory and model with the effects of irradiance, CO₂ and rate-limiting step on the kinetics of C₃ and C₄ photosynthesis from gas exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farazdaghi, Hadi

    2011-02-01

    Photosynthesis is the origin of oxygenic life on the planet, and its models are the core of all models of plant biology, agriculture, environmental quality and global climate change. A theory is presented here, based on single process biochemical reactions of Rubisco, recognizing that: In the light, Rubisco activase helps separate Rubisco from the stored ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP), activates Rubisco with carbamylation and addition of Mg²(+), and then produces two products, in two steps: (Step 1) Reaction of Rubisco with RuBP produces a Rubisco-enediol complex, which is the carboxylase-oxygenase enzyme (Enco) and (Step 2) Enco captures CO₂ and/or O₂ and produces intermediate products leading to production and release of 3-phosphoglycerate (PGA) and Rubisco. PGA interactively controls (1) the carboxylation-oxygenation, (2) electron transport, and (3) triosephosphate pathway of the Calvin-Benson cycle that leads to the release of glucose and regeneration of RuBP. Initially, the total enzyme participates in the two steps of the reaction transitionally and its rate follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics. But, for a continuous steady state, Rubisco must be divided into two concurrently active segments for the two steps. This causes a deviation of the steady state from the transitional rate. Kinetic models are developed that integrate the transitional and the steady state reactions. They are tested and successfully validated with verifiable experimental data. The single-process theory is compared to the widely used two-process theory of Farquhar et al. (1980. Planta 149, 78-90), which assumes that the carboxylation rate is either Rubisco-limited at low CO₂ levels such as CO₂ compensation point, or RuBP regeneration-limited at high CO₂. Since the photosynthesis rate cannot increase beyond the two-process theory's Rubisco limit at the CO₂ compensation point, net photosynthesis cannot increase above zero in daylight, and since there is always respiration at

  18. Electron Bifurcation: Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Two-Electron Brokering in Biological Redox Chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Peng; Yuly, Jonathon L; Lubner, Carolyn E; Mulder, David W; King, Paul W; Peters, John W; Beratan, David N

    2017-09-19

    processes of their own. We dissect the thermodynamics and kinetics of electron bifurcation in Nfn and find that the key features of electron bifurcation are (1) spatially separated transfer pathways that diverge from a two-electron donor, (2) one thermodynamically uphill and one downhill redox pathway, with a large negative shift in the donor's reduction potential after departure of the first electron, and (3) electron tunneling and activation factors that enable bifurcation, producing a 1:1 partitioning of electrons onto the two pathways. Electron bifurcation is found in the CO 2 reducing pathways of methanogenic archaea, in the hydrogen pathways of hydrogenases, in the nitrogen fixing pathway of Fix, and in the mitochondrial charge transfer chain of complex III, cytochrome bc 1 . While crossed potentials may offer the biological advantage of producing tightly regulated high energy reactive species, neither kinetic nor thermodynamic considerations mandate crossed potentials to generate successful electron bifurcation. Taken together, the theoretical framework established here, focusing on the underpinning electron tunneling barriers and activation free energies, explains the logic of electron bifurcation that enables energy conversion and conservation in Nfn, points toward bioinspired schemes to execute multielectron redox chemistry, and establishes a roadmap for examining novel electron bifurcation networks in nature.

  19. Oxidation of phenyl alanine by pyridinium chlorochromate in acidic DMF–water medium: A kinetic study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B.L. Hiran

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The kinetics of oxidation of phenyl alanine by pyridinium chlorochromate in DMF–water (70:30% mixture in presence of perchloric acid leads to the formation of corresponding aldehyde. The reaction is of first order each in [PCC], [HClO4] and [AA]. Michaelis–Menten type kinetics was observed with phenyl alanine. The reaction rates were determined at different temperatures [25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 °C] and the activation parameters were calculated. The reaction does not induce polymerization of acrylonitrile. With an increase in the amount of DMF in its aqueous mixture, the rate increases. A suitable mechanism for the reaction was postulated.

  20. Electron screening and kinetic-energy oscillations in a strongly coupled plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Y.C.; Simien, C.E.; Laha, S.; Gupta, P.; Martinez, Y.N.; Mickelson, P.G.; Nagel, S.B.; Killian, T.C.

    2004-01-01

    We study equilibration of strongly coupled ions in an ultracold neutral plasma produced by photoionizing laser-cooled and trapped atoms. By varying the electron temperature, we show that electron screening modifies the equilibrium ion temperature. Even with few electrons in a Debye sphere, the screening is well described by a model using a Yukawa ion-ion potential. We also observe damped oscillations of the ion kinetic energy that are a unique feature of equilibration of a strongly coupled plasma

  1. Electron transfer kinetics on natural crystals of MoS2 and graphite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velický, Matěj; Bissett, Mark A; Toth, Peter S; Patten, Hollie V; Worrall, Stephen D; Rodgers, Andrew N J; Hill, Ernie W; Kinloch, Ian A; Novoselov, Konstantin S; Georgiou, Thanasis; Britnell, Liam; Dryfe, Robert A W

    2015-07-21

    Here, we evaluate the electrochemical performance of sparsely studied natural crystals of molybdenite and graphite, which have increasingly been used for fabrication of next generation monolayer molybdenum disulphide and graphene energy storage devices. Heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics of several redox mediators, including Fe(CN)6(3-/4-), Ru(NH3)6(3+/2+) and IrCl6(2-/3-) are determined using voltammetry in a micro-droplet cell. The kinetics on both materials are studied as a function of surface defectiveness, surface ageing, applied potential and illumination. We find that the basal planes of both natural MoS2 and graphite show significant electroactivity, but a large decrease in electron transfer kinetics is observed on atmosphere-aged surfaces in comparison to in situ freshly cleaved surfaces of both materials. This is attributed to surface oxidation and adsorption of airborne contaminants at the surface exposed to an ambient environment. In contrast to semimetallic graphite, the electrode kinetics on semiconducting MoS2 are strongly dependent on the surface illumination and applied potential. Furthermore, while visibly present defects/cracks do not significantly affect the response of graphite, the kinetics on MoS2 systematically accelerate with small increase in disorder. These findings have direct implications for use of MoS2 and graphene/graphite as electrode materials in electrochemistry-related applications.

  2. Kinetic modelling of runaway electron avalanches in tokamak plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nilsson, E; Peysson, Y; Saint-Laurent, F; Decker, J; Granetz, R S; Vlainic, M

    2015-01-01

    Runaway electrons can be generated in tokamak plasmas if the accelerating force from the toroidal electric field exceeds the collisional drag force owing to Coulomb collisions with the background plasma. In ITER, disruptions are expected to generate runaway electrons mainly through knock-on collisions (Hender et al 2007 Nucl. Fusion 47 S128–202), where enough momentum can be transferred from existing runaways to slow electrons to transport the latter beyond a critical momentum, setting off an avalanche of runaway electrons. Since knock-on runaways are usually scattered off with a significant perpendicular component of the momentum with respect to the local magnetic field direction, these particles are highly magnetized. Consequently, the momentum dynamics require a full 3D kinetic description, since these electrons are highly sensitive to the magnetic non-uniformity of a toroidal configuration. For this purpose, a bounce-averaged knock-on source term is derived. The generation of runaway electrons from the combined effect of Dreicer mechanism and knock-on collision process is studied with the code LUKE, a solver of the 3D linearized bounce-averaged relativistic electron Fokker–Planck equation (Decker and Peysson 2004 DKE: a fast numerical solver for the 3D drift kinetic equation Report EUR-CEA-FC-1736, Euratom-CEA), through the calculation of the response of the electron distribution function to a constant parallel electric field. The model, which has been successfully benchmarked against the standard Dreicer runaway theory now describes the runaway generation by knock-on collisions as proposed by Rosenbluth (Rosenbluth and Putvinski 1997 Nucl. Fusion 37 1355–62). This paper shows that the avalanche effect can be important even in non-disruptive scenarios. Runaway formation through knock-on collisions is found to be strongly reduced when taking place off the magnetic axis, since trapped electrons can not contribute to the runaway electron population. Finally

  3. Enhanced amperometric response of a glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase based bienzyme glucose biosensor modified with a film of polymerized toluidine blue containing reduced graphene oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Fang; Gong, Wencheng; Wang, Lili; Chen, Zilin

    2015-01-01

    Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was used to construct a bienzyme biosensor containing horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase (GOx). A poly(toluidine blue) (pTB) film containing RGO acted as both enzyme immobilization matrix and electron transfer mediator. The bienzyme biosensor was characterized by electrochemical techniques and displays a highly sensitive amperometric response to glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) at a potential as low as −0.1 V (vs. SCE). It is shown that use of RGO causes a strong enhancement on the amperometric responses. H 2 O 2 formed by the action of GOx in the presence of oxygen can be further reduced by HRP in the pTB film contacting the RGO modified electrode. In the absence of oxygen, glucose oxidation proceeds by another mechanism in which electron transfer occurs from GOx to the electrode and with pTB acting as the mediator. Amperometric responses to glucose and H2O2 follow Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The experimental conditions were optimized, and under these conditions glucose can be determined in the 80 μM to 3.0 mM range with a detection limit of 50 μM. H 2 O 2 , in turn, can be quantified in up to 30.0 μM concentration with a detection limit of 0.2 μM. The bienzyme biosensor is reproducible, repeatable and stable. Finally, it has been successfully applied to the determination of glucose in plasma samples. (author)

  4. Clay-chitosan-gold nanoparticle nanohybrid: Preparation and application for assembly and direct electrochemistry of myoglobin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Xiaojuan; Mai Zhibin; Kang Xinhuang; Dai Zong; Zou Xiaoyong

    2008-01-01

    A biocompatible nanohybrid material (clay/AuCS) based on clay, chitosan and gold nanoparticles was explored. The material could provide a favorable microenvironment for proteins to realize the direct electron transfer on glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). Myoglobin (Mb), as a model protein to investigate the nanohybrid, was immobilized between the clay/AuCS film and another clay layer. Mb in the system exhibited a pair of well-defined and quasi-reversible redox peaks at -0.160 V (vs. saturated Ag/AgCl electrode) in 0.1 M PBS (pH 7.0), corresponding to its heme Fe III /Fe II redox couples. UV-vis spectrum suggested that Mb retained its native conformation in the system. Basal plane spacing of clay obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that there was an intercalation-exfoliation-restacking process among Mb, AuCS and clay during the modified film drying. Excellent biocatalytic activity of Mb in the modified system was exemplified by the reduction of hydrogen peroxide and nitrite. The linear range of H 2 O 2 determination was from 3.9 x 10 -5 to 3.0 x 10 -3 M with a detection limit of 7.5 μM based on the signal to noise ratio of 3. The kinetic parameters such as α (charge transfer coefficient), k s (electron transfer rate constant) and K m (Michaelis-Menten constant) were evaluated to be 0.55, 2.66 ± 0.15 s -1 and 5.10 mM, respectively

  5. Nonlocal exchange and kinetic-energy density functionals for electronic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glossman, M.D.; Rubio, A.; Balbas, L.C.; Alonso, J.A.

    1992-01-01

    The nonlocal weighted density approximation (WDA) to the exchange and kinetic-energy functionals of many electron systems proposed several years ago by Alonso and Girifalco is used to compute, within the framework of density functional theory, the ground-state electronic density and total energy of noble gas atoms and of neutral jellium-like sodium clusters containing up to 500 atoms. These results are compared with analogous calculations using the well known Thomas-Fermi-Weizsacker-Dirac (TFWD) approximations for the kinetic (TFW) and exchange (D) energy density functionals. An outstanding improvement of the total and exchange energies, of the density at the nucleus and of the expectation values is obtained for atoms within the WDA scheme. For sodium clusters the authors notice a sizeable contribution of the nonlocal effects to the total energy and to the density profiles. In the limit of very large clusters these effects should affect the surface energy of the bulk metal

  6. Kinetic electron emission from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surfaces induced by singly charged ions

    CERN Document Server

    Cernusca, S; Winter, H; Aumayr, F; Loerincik, J; Sroubek, Z

    2002-01-01

    We present total electron yields determined by current measurements for normal impact of H sup + , H sub 2 sup + , H sub 3 sup + , C sup + , N sup + and O sup + ions (E<=10 keV) on a clean highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface. The kinetic energy of the projectiles has been varied from near threshold up to 10 keV. By comparing the results to similar data obtained for a polycrystalline Au surface the role of different target properties for kinetic electron emission can be analysed.

  7. Brain glucose transport and phosphorylation under acute insulin-induced hypoglycemia in mice: an 18F-FDG PET study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alf, Malte F; Duarte, João M N; Schibli, Roger; Gruetter, Rolf; Krämer, Stefanie D

    2013-12-01

    We addressed the questions of how cerebral glucose transport and phosphorylation change under acute hypoglycemia and what the underlying mechanisms of adaptation are. Quantitative (18)F-FDG PET combined with the acquisition of real-time arterial input function was performed on mice. Hypoglycemia was induced and maintained by insulin infusion. PET data were analyzed with the 2-tissue-compartment model for (18)F-FDG, and the results were evaluated with Michaelis-Menten saturation kinetics. Glucose clearance from plasma to brain (K1,glc) and the phosphorylation rate constant increased with decreasing plasma glucose (Gp), in particular at a Gp of less than 2.5 mmol/L. Estimated cerebral glucose extraction ratios taking into account an increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) at a Gp of less than 2 mmol/L were between 0.14 and 0.79. CBF-normalized K1,glc values were in agreement with saturation kinetics. Phosphorylation rate constants indicated intracellular glucose depletion at a Gp of less than 2-3 mmol/L. When brain regions were compared, glucose transport under hypoglycemia was lowest in the hypothalamus. Alterations in glucose transport and phosphorylation, as well as intracellular glucose depletion, under acute hypoglycemia can be modeled by saturation kinetics taking into account an increase in CBF. Distinct transport kinetics in the hypothalamus may be involved in its glucose-sensing function.

  8. Modular rate laws for enzymatic reactions: thermodynamics, elasticities and implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liebermeister, Wolfram; Uhlendorf, Jannis; Klipp, Edda

    2010-06-15

    Standard rate laws are a key requisite for systematically turning metabolic networks into kinetic models. They should provide simple, general and biochemically plausible formulae for reaction velocities and reaction elasticities. At the same time, they need to respect thermodynamic relations between the kinetic constants and the metabolic fluxes and concentrations. We present a family of reversible rate laws for reactions with arbitrary stoichiometries and various types of regulation, including mass-action, Michaelis-Menten and uni-uni reversible Hill kinetics as special cases. With a thermodynamically safe parameterization of these rate laws, parameter sets obtained by model fitting, sampling or optimization are guaranteed to lead to consistent chemical equilibrium states. A reformulation using saturation values yields simple formulae for rates and elasticities, which can be easily adjusted to the given stationary flux distributions. Furthermore, this formulation highlights the role of chemical potential differences as thermodynamic driving forces. We compare the modular rate laws to the thermodynamic-kinetic modelling formalism and discuss a simplified rate law in which the reaction rate directly depends on the reaction affinity. For automatic handling of modular rate laws, we propose a standard syntax and semantic annotations for the Systems Biology Markup Language. An online tool for inserting the rate laws into SBML models is freely available at www.semanticsbml.org. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  9. Intensity dependence of electron gas kinetics in a laser corona

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mašek Martin

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In various experimental situations relevant to the laser fusion, such as plasma near the light entrance holes of hohlraum in the indirect drive experiments or more recently in the shock ignition direct drive a relatively long underdense plasma of corona type is encountered, which is subject to an intense nanosecond laser beam. The plasma is only weakly collisional and thus in the electron phase space a complicated kinetic evolution is going on, which is taking the electron gas fairly far from the thermal equilibrium and contributes to its unstable behaviour. These phenomena impede the absorption and thermalization of the incoming laser energy, create groups of fast electrons and also may lead to a non-linear reflection of the heating laser beam. One of the key processes leading to the electron acceleration is the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS in its non-linear phase. The SRS in the presence of electron-ion collisions requires a certain threshold intensity above which the mentioned non-dissipative phenomena can occur and develop to the stage, where they may become unpleasant for the fusion experiments. To assess this intensity limit a computational model has been developed based on the Vlasov-Maxwell kinetics describing such a plasma in 1D geometry. At a relatively high intensity of 1016 W/cm2 a number of non-linear phenomena are predicted by the code such as a saturation of Landau damping, which is then translated in an unfavourable time dependence of the reflected light intensity and formation of accelerated electron groups due to the electron trapping. The purpose of the present contribution is to map the intensity dependence of this non-linear development with the aim of assessing its weight in fusion relevant situations.

  10. Ultrasound assisted intensification of enzyme activity and its properties: a mini-review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadar, Shamraja S; Rathod, Virendra K

    2017-08-22

    Over the last decade, ultrasound technique has emerged as the potential technology which shows large applications in food and biotechnology processes. Earlier, ultrasound has been employed as a method of enzyme inactivation but recently, it has been found that ultrasound does not inactivate all enzymes, particularly, under mild conditions. It has been shown that the use of ultrasonic treatment at appropriate frequencies and intensity levels can lead to enhanced enzyme activity due to favourable conformational changes in protein molecules without altering its structural integrity. The present review article gives an overview of influence of ultrasound irradiation parameters (intensity, duty cycle and frequency) and enzyme related factors (enzyme concentration, temperature and pH) on the catalytic activity of enzyme during ultrasound treatment. Also, it includes the effect of ultrasound on thermal kinetic parameters and Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters (k m and V max ) of enzymes. Further, in this review, the physical and chemical effects of ultrasound on enzyme have been correlated with thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy and entropy). Various techniques used for investigating the conformation changes in enzyme after sonication have been highlighted. At the end, different techniques of immobilization for ultrasound treated enzyme have been summarized.

  11. Structural Basis of Binding and Rationale for the Potent Urease Inhibitory Activity of Biscoumarins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lodhi, Muhammad Arif; Choudhary, Muhammad Iqbal; Lodhi, Atif; Ul-Haq, Zaheer; Jalil, Saima; Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmad; Khan, Khalid Mohammed; Iqbal, Sajid; Rahman, Atta-ur

    2014-01-01

    Urease belongs to a family of highly conserved urea-hydrolyzing enzymes. A common feature of these enzymes is the presence of two Lewis acid nickel ions and reactive cysteine residue in the active sites. In the current study we examined a series of biscoumarins 1–10 for their mechanisms of inhibition with the nickel containing active sites of Jack bean and Bacillus pasteurii ureases. All these compounds competitively inhibited Jack bean urease through interaction with the nickel metallocentre, as deduced from Michaelis-Menten kinetics, UV-visible absorbance spectroscopic, and molecular docking simulation studies. Some of the compounds behaved differently in case of Bacillus pasteurii urease. We conducted the enzyme kinetics, UV-visible spectroscopy, and molecular docking results in terms of the known protein structure of the enzyme. We also evaluated possible molecular interpretations for the site of biscoumarins binding and found that phenyl ring is the major active pharmacophore. The excellent in vitro potency and selectivity profile of the several compounds described combined with their nontoxicity against the human cells and plants suggest that these compounds may represent a viable lead series for the treatment of urease associated problems. PMID:25295281

  12. Modelling the removal of p-TSA (para-toluenesulfonamide) during rapid sand filtration used for drinking water treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meffe, Raffaella; Kohfahl, Claus; Holzbecher, Ekkehard; Massmann, Gudrun; Richter, Doreen; Dünnbier, Uwe; Pekdeger, Asaf

    2010-01-01

    A finite element model was set-up to determine degradation rate constants for p-TSA during rapid sand filtration (RSF). Data used for the model originated from a column experiment carried out in the filter hall of a drinking water treatment plant in Berlin (Germany). Aerated abstracted groundwater was passed through a 1.6m long column-shaped experimental sand filter applying infiltration rates from 2 to 6mh(-1). Model results were fitted to measured profiles and breakthrough curves of p-TSA for different infiltration rates using both first-order reaction kinetics and Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Both approaches showed that degradation rates varied both in space and time. Higher degradation rates were observed in the upper part of the column, probably related to higher microbial activity in this zone. Measured and simulated breakthrough curves revealed an adaption phase with lower degradation rates after infiltration rates were changed, followed by an adapted phase with more elevated degradation rates. Irrespective of the mathematical approach and the infiltration rate, degradation rates were very high, probably owing to the fact that filter sands have been in operation for decades, receiving high p-TSA concentrations with the raw water.

  13. Passage of delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) across the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zlokovic, B.V.; Segal, M.B.; Davson, H.; Jankov, R.M.

    1988-01-01

    Unidirectional flux of 125 I-labeled DSIP at the blood-tissue interface of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier was studied in the perfused in situ choroid plexuses of the lateral ventricles of the sheep. Arterio-venous loss of 125 I-radioactivity suggested a low-to-moderate permeability of the choroid epithelium to the intact peptide from the blood side. A saturable mechanism with Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with high affinity and very low capacity (approximate values: Kt = 5.0 +/- 0.4 nM; Vmax = 272 +/- 10 fmol.min-1) was demonstrated at the blood-tissue interface of the choroid plexus. The clearance of DSIP from the ventricles during ventriculo-cisternal perfusion in the rabbit indicated no significant flux of the intact peptide out of the CSF. The results suggest that DSIP crosses the blood-CSF barrier, while the system lacks the specific mechanisms for removal from the CSF found with most, if not all, amino acids and several peptides

  14. Measurement and Modeling of Respiration Rate of Tomato (Cultivar Roma) for Modified Atmosphere Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandasamy, Palani; Moitra, Ranabir; Mukherjee, Souti

    2015-01-01

    Experiments were conducted to determine the respiration rate of tomato at 10, 20 and 30 °C using closed respiration system. Oxygen depletion and carbon dioxide accumulation in the system containing tomato was monitored. Respiration rate was found to decrease with increasing CO2 and decreasing O2 concentration. Michaelis-Menten type model based on enzyme kinetics was evaluated using experimental data generated for predicting the respiration rate. The model parameters that obtained from the respiration rate at different O2 and CO2 concentration levels were used to fit the model against the storage temperatures. The fitting was fair (R2 = 0.923 to 0.970) when the respiration rate was expressed as O2 concentation. Since inhibition constant for CO2 concentration tended towards negetive, the model was modified as a function of O2 concentration only. The modified model was fitted to the experimental data and showed good agreement (R2 = 0.998) with experimentally estimated respiration rate.

  15. Scopadulcic acid B, a new tetracyclic diterpenoid from Scoparia dulcis L. Its structure, H+, K(+)-adenosine triphosphatase inhibitory activity and pharmacokinetic behaviour in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, T; Okamura, K; Kakemi, M; Asano, S; Mizutani, M; Takeguchi, N; Kawasaki, M; Tezuka, Y; Kikuchi, T; Morita, N

    1990-10-01

    The structure of scopadulcic acid B (2, SDB), a major ingredient of the Paraguayan herb "Typychá kuratũ" (Scoparia dulcis L.), was elucidated mainly by comparison of its spectral data with that of scopadulcic acid A (1). SDB inhibited both the K(+)-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity of a hog gastric proton pump (H+, K(+)-ATPase) with a value of 20-30 microM for IC50 and proton transport into gastric vesicles. Pharmacokinetic studies of SDB in rats indicated that plasma SDB concentrations after i.v. injection of the sodium salt of SDB (SDB-Na) were described reasonably well by a two-compartment open model with Michaelis-Menten elimination kinetics. Plasma concentrations after oral administration of SDB-Na or SDB showed a much slower decline than what was expected following the i. v. study. It was suggested that the sustained plasma level of SDB after oral administration of SDB-Na or SDB was accounted for by relatively slow but efficient gastro-intestinal absorption in rats.

  16. Enzyme-like catalysis via ternary complex mechanism: alkoxy-bridged dinuclear cobalt complex mediates chemoselective O-esterification over N-amidation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Yukiko; Santoro, Stefano; Azuma, Yuki; Himo, Fahmi; Ohshima, Takashi; Mashima, Kazushi

    2013-04-24

    Hydroxy group-selective acylation in the presence of more nucleophilic amines was achieved using acetates of first-row late transition metals, such as Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn. Among them, cobalt(II) acetate was the best catalyst in terms of reactivity and selectivity. The combination of an octanuclear cobalt carboxylate cluster [Co4(OCOR)6O]2 (2a: R = CF3, 2b: R = CH3, 2c: R = (t)Bu) with nitrogen-containing ligands, such as 2,2'-bipyridine, provided an efficient catalytic system for transesterification, in which an alkoxide-bridged dinuclear complex, Co2(OCO(t)Bu)2(bpy)2(μ2-OCH2-C6H4-4-CH3)2 (10), was successfully isolated as a key intermediate. Kinetic studies and density functional theory calculations revealed Michaelis-Menten behavior of the complex 10 through an ordered ternary complex mechanism similar to dinuclear metallo-enzymes, suggesting the formation of alkoxides followed by coordination of the ester.

  17. Uptake of oxytetracycline and its phytotoxicity to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kong, W.D.; Zhu, Y.G.; Liang, Y.C.; Zhang, J.; Smith, F.A.; Yang, M.

    2007-01-01

    A series of experiments were conducted in a hydroponic system to investigate the uptake of oxytetracycline (OTC) and its toxicity to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). OTC inhibited alfalfa shoot and root growth by up to 61% and 85%, respectively. The kinetics of OTC uptake could be well described by Michaelis-Menten equation with V max of 2.25 μmol g -1 fresh weight h -1 , and K m of 0.036 mM. The uptake of OTC by alfalfa was strongly inhibited by the metabolic inhibitor, 2,4-DNP (2,4-dinitrophenol), at pH 3.5 and 6.0, but not by the aquaporin competitors, glycerol and Ag + . OTC uptake, however, was significantly inhibited by Hg 2+ , suggesting that the inhibition of influx was due to general cellular stress rather than the specific action of Hg 2+ on aquaporins. Results from the present study suggested that OTC uptake into alfalfa is an energy-dependent process. - Plant uptake of antibiotic oxytetracycline is energy-dependent

  18. Comparison of indocyanine green clearance with Child's-Pugh score and hepatic histology: a multivariate analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukherjee, Sandeep; Rogers, Mary A M; Buniak, Borys

    2006-01-01

    Indocyanine green clearance, measured by percentage disappearance rate, detects alterations in liver function and may be used as a non-invasive determinant of hepatic reserve. The aims of this study were to compare liver histology and Child's-Pugh score with percentage disappearance rate and determine which variables correlated with PDR. Child's-Pugh score, liver function tests, liver biopsies and indocyanine green testing (0.5mg/kg) were performed in 102 consecutive patients with cirrhosis of diverse etiologies. Indocyanine green concentration was determined using spectrophotometric analysis (806nm) and plotted logarithmically with Michaelis-Menten kinetics to calculate the percentage disappearance rate. Liver biopsies were graded using the modified Knodell score to obtain a histological activity index. In bivariable analysis, percentage disappearance rate significantly correlated with Child's-Pugh score, albumin, bilirubin, prothrombin time and histological activity index. Albumin, prothrombin time and histological activity index were independent predictors of percentage disappearance rate in the final model (albumin ptime ptime and histological activity index.

  19. Modeling of an immobilized lipase tubular reactor for the production of glycerol and fatty acids from oils; Modelado de un reactor tubular de lipasas inmovilizadas para la produccion de glicerol y acidos grasos a partir de aceites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oddone, S.; Grasselli, M.; Cuellas, A.

    2010-07-01

    Advances in the design of a bioreactor in the fats and oils industry have permitted the hydrolysis of triglycerides in mild conditions and improved productivity while avoiding the formation of unwanted byproducts. The present work develops a mathematical model that describes the hydrolytic activity of a tubular reactor with immobilized lipases for the production of glycerol and fatty acids from the oil trade. Runge Kuttas numerical method of high order has been applied, considering that there is no accumulation of the substratum in the surface of the membrane, where the enzyme is. At the same time, different equations based on the kinetic model of Michaelis Mentens and the Ping-Pong bi-bi mechanism were examined. Experimental data in discontinuous systems are the basis for the development of the quantitative mathematical model that was used to simulate the process computationally. The obtained results allow for optimizing both the operative variables and the economic aspects of industrial processes. (Author)

  20. Sufficient conditions for optimality for a mathematical model of drug treatment with pharmacodynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maciej Leszczyński

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider an optimal control problem for a general mathematical model of drug treatment with a single agent. The control represents the concentration of the agent and its effect (pharmacodynamics is modelled by a Hill function (i.e., Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. The aim is to minimize a cost functional consisting of a weighted average related to the state of the system (both at the end and during a fixed therapy horizon and to the total amount of drugs given. The latter is an indirect measure for the side effects of treatment. It is shown that optimal controls are continuous functions of time that change between full or no dose segments with connecting pieces that take values in the interior of the control set. Sufficient conditions for the strong local optimality of an extremal controlled trajectory in terms of the existence of a solution to a piecewise defined Riccati differential equation are given.

  1. Purification and characterization of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) myrosinase (β-thioglucosidase glucohydrolase).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahn, Andrea; Angulo, Alejandro; Cabañas, Fernanda

    2014-12-03

    Myrosinase (β-thioglucosidase glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.147) from broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by concanavalin A affinity chromatography, with an intermediate dialysis step, resulting in 88% recovery and 1318-fold purification. These are the highest values reported for the purification of any myrosinase. The subunits of broccoli myrosinase have a molecular mass of 50-55 kDa. The native molecular mass of myrosinase was 157 kDa, and accordingly, it is composed of three subunits. The maximum activity was observed at 40 °C and at pH below 5.0. Kinetic assays demonstrated that broccoli myrosinase is subjected to substrate (sinigrin) inhibition. The Michaelis-Menten model, considering substrate inhibition, gave Vmax equal to 0.246 μmol min(-1), Km equal to 0.086 mM, and K(I) equal to 0.368 mM. This is the first study about purification and characterization of broccoli myrosinase.

  2. Uptake, accumulation and metabolic response of ferricyanide in weeping willows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiao-Zhang; Gu, Ji-Dong

    2009-01-01

    The remediation potential and metabolic responses of plants to ferricyanide were investigated using pre-rooted weeping willows (Salix babylonica L.) grown hydroponically in growth chambers and treated with potassium ferricyanide. Positive responses were observed for the plants exposed to cyanide recovered in plant biomass was constant in all treatments, indicating that transport is a major limiting step for the uptake of ferricyanide by plants. The majority of the ferricyanide taken up from the growth media was possibly assimilated during transport through plants. The velocity of the removal processes can be described by Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and the half-saturation constant (K(M)) and the maximum removal capacity (v(max)) were estimated to be 228.1 mg CN L(-1) and 36.43 mg CN kg(-1) d(-1), respectively, using non-linear regression methods. These results suggest that weeping willows can take up, transport and assimilate ferricyanide; and phytoremediation is an option for cleaning up the environmental sites contaminated with cyanide complexes.

  3. Kinetic comparison of microbial assemblages for the anaerobic treatment of wastewater with high sulfate and heavy metal contents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinbuathong, Nusara; Sirirote, Pramote; Liengcharernsit, Winai; Khaodhiar, Sutha; Watts, Daniel J

    2009-01-01

    Mixed-microbial assemblages enriched from a septic tank, coastal sediment samples, the digester sludge of a brewery wastewater treatment plant and acidic sulfate soil samples were compared on the basis of growth rate, waste and sulfate reduction rate under sulfate reducing conditions at 30 degrees C. The specific growth rate of various cultures was in the range 0.0013-0.0022 hr(-1). Estimates of waste and sulfate reduction rate were obtained by fitting substrate depletion and sulfate reduction data with the Michaelis-Menten equation. The waste reduction rates were in the range 4x10(-8)-1x10(-7) I mg(-1) hr(-1) and generally increased in the presence of copper, likely by copper sulfide precipitation that reduced sulfide and copper toxicity and thus protected the anaerobic microbes. Anaerobic microorganisms from a brewery digester sludge were found to be the most appropriate culture for the treatment of wastewater with high sulfate and heavy metal content due to their growth rate, and waste and sulfate reduction rate.

  4. Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Voriconazole To Develop an Alternative Dosing Regimen in Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gastine, Silke; Lehrnbecher, Thomas; Müller, Carsten; Farowski, Fedja; Bader, Peter; Ullmann-Moskovits, Judith; Cornely, Oliver A; Groll, Andreas H; Hempel, Georg

    2018-01-01

    The pharmacokinetic variability of voriconazole (VCZ) in immunocompromised children is high, and adequate exposure, particularly in the first days of therapy, is uncertain. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed to explore VCZ exposure in plasma after alternative dosing regimens. Concentration data were obtained from a pediatric phase II study. Nonlinear mixed effects modeling was used to develop the model. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to test an array of three-times-daily (TID) intravenous dosing regimens in children 2 to 12 years of age. A two-compartment model with first-order absorption, nonlinear Michaelis-Menten elimination, and allometric scaling best described the data (maximal kinetic velocity for nonlinear Michaelis-Menten clearance [ V max ] = 51.5 mg/h/70 kg, central volume of distribution [ V 1 ] = 228 liters/70 kg, intercompartmental clearance [ Q ] = 21.9 liters/h/70 kg, peripheral volume of distribution [ V 2 ] = 1,430 liters/70 kg, bioavailability [ F ] = 59.4%, K m = fixed value of 1.15 mg/liter, absorption rate constant = fixed value of 1.19 h -1 ). Interindividual variabilities for V max , V 1 , Q , and F were 63.6%, 45.4%, 67%, and 1.34% on a logit scale, respectively, and residual variability was 37.8% (proportional error) and 0.0049 mg/liter (additive error). Monte Carlo simulations of a regimen of 9 mg/kg of body weight TID simulated for 24, 48, and 72 h followed by 8 mg/kg two times daily (BID) resulted in improved early target attainment relative to that with the currently recommended BID dosing regimen but no increased rate of accumulation thereafter. Pharmacokinetic modeling suggests that intravenous TID dosing at 9 mg/kg per dose for up to 3 days may result in a substantially higher percentage of children 2 to 12 years of age with adequate exposure to VCZ early during treatment. Before implementation of this regimen in patients, however, validation of exposure, safety, and tolerability in a carefully designed

  5. Kinetic modelling of in vitro data of PI3K, mTOR1, PTEN enzymes and on-target inhibitors Rapamycin, BEZ235, and LY294002.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goltsov, Alexey; Tashkandi, Ghassan; Langdon, Simon P; Harrison, David J; Bown, James L

    2017-01-15

    The phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) and mammalian target of rapamycin-1 (mTOR1) are two key targets for anti-cancer therapy. Predicting the response of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR1 signalling pathway to targeted therapy is made difficult because of network complexities. Systems biology models can help explore those complexities but the value of such models is dependent on accurate parameterisation. Motivated by a need to increase accuracy in kinetic parameter estimation, and therefore the predictive power of the model, we present a framework to integrate kinetic data from enzyme assays into a unified enzyme kinetic model. We present exemplar kinetic models of PI3K and mTOR1, calibrated on in vitro enzyme data and founded on Michaelis-Menten (MM) approximation. We describe the effects of an allosteric mTOR1 inhibitor (Rapamycin) and ATP-competitive inhibitors (BEZ235 and LY294002) that show dual inhibition of mTOR1 and PI3K. We also model the kinetics of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), which modulates sensitivity of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR1 pathway to these drugs. Model validation with independent data sets allows investigation of enzyme function and drug dose dependencies in a wide range of experimental conditions. Modelling of the mTOR1 kinetics showed that Rapamycin has an IC 50 independent of ATP concentration and that it is a selective inhibitor of mTOR1 substrates S6K1 and 4EBP1: it retains 40% of mTOR1 activity relative to 4EBP1 phosphorylation and inhibits completely S6K1 activity. For the dual ATP-competitive inhibitors of mTOR1 and PI3K, LY294002 and BEZ235, we derived the dependence of the IC 50 on ATP concentration that allows prediction of the IC 50 at different ATP concentrations in enzyme and cellular assays. Comparison of drug effectiveness in enzyme and cellular assays showed that some features of these drugs arise from signalling modulation beyond the on-target action and MM approximation and require a systems-level consideration of the whole PI3K

  6. Optimization of enzyme parameters for fermentative production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Liu

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Microbial biocatalysts such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively subjected to Metabolic Engineering for the fermentative production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. This often entails the introduction of new enzymes, deletion of unwanted enzymes and efforts to fine-tune enzyme abundance in order to attain the desired strain performance. Enzyme performance can be quantitatively described in terms of the Michaelis-Menten type parameters Km, turnover number kcat and Ki, which roughly describe the affinity of an enzyme for its substrate, the speed of a reaction and the enzyme sensitivity to inhibition by regulatory molecules. Here we describe examples of where knowledge of these parameters have been used to select, evolve or engineer enzymes for the desired performance and enabled increased production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. Examples include production of ethanol, isobutanol, 1-butanol and tyrosine and furfural tolerance. The Michaelis-Menten parameters can also be used to judge the cofactor dependence of enzymes and quantify their preference for NADH or NADPH. Similarly, enzymes can be selected, evolved or engineered for the preferred cofactor preference. Examples of exporter engineering and selection are also discussed in the context of production of malate, valine and limonene.

  7. A novel H(2)O(2) amperometric biosensor based on gold nanoparticles/self-doped polyaniline nanofibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaojun; Chen, Zixuan; Zhu, Jinwei; Xu, Chenbin; Yan, Wei; Yao, Cheng

    2011-10-01

    A new kind of gold nanoparticles/self-doped polyaniline nanofibers (Au/SPAN) with grooves has been prepared for the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The ratio of gold in the composite nanofibers was up to 64%, which could promote the conductivity and biocompatibility of SPAN and increase the immobilized amount of HRP molecules greatly. The electrode exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of H(2)O(2) in the presence of the mediator hydroquinone (HQ). The effects of concentration of HQ, solution pH and the working potential on the current response of the modified electrode toward H(2)O(2) were optimized to obtain the maximal sensitivity. The proposed biosensor exhibited a good linear response in the range from 10 to 2000 μM with a detection limit of 1.6 μM (S/N=3) under the optimum conditions. The response showed Michaelis-Menten behavior at larger H(2)O(2) concentrations, and the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant K(m) was estimated to be 2.21 mM. The detection of H(2)O(2) concentration in real sample showed acceptable accuracy with the traditional potassium permanganate titration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. OPTIMIZATION OF ENZYME PARAMETERS FOR FERMENTATIVE PRODUCTION OF BIORENEWABLE FUELS AND CHEMICALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura R. Jarboe

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Microbial biocatalysts such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively subjected to Metabolic Engineering for the fermentative production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. This often entails the introduction of new enzymes, deletion of unwanted enzymes and efforts to fine-tune enzyme abundance in order to attain the desired strain performance. Enzyme performance can be quantitatively described in terms of the Michaelis-Menten type parameters Km, turnover number kcat and Ki, which roughly describe the affinity of an enzyme for its substrate, the speed of a reaction and the enzyme sensitivity to inhibition by regulatory molecules. Here we describe examples of where knowledge of these parameters have been used to select, evolve or engineer enzymes for the desired performance and enabled increased production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. Examples include production of ethanol, isobutanol, 1-butanol and tyrosine and furfural tolerance. The Michaelis-Menten parameters can also be used to judge the cofactor dependence of enzymes and quantify their preference for NADH or NADPH. Similarly, enzymes can be selected, evolved or engineered for the preferred cofactor preference. Examples of exporter engineering and selection are also discussed in the context of production of malate, valine and limonene.

  9. A Finite-Difference Solution of Solute Transport through a Membrane Bioreactor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Godongwana

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The current paper presents a theoretical analysis of the transport of solutes through a fixed-film membrane bioreactor (MBR, immobilised with an active biocatalyst. The dimensionless convection-diffusion equation with variable coefficients was solved analytically and numerically for concentration profiles of the solutes through the MBR. The analytical solution makes use of regular perturbation and accounts for radial convective flow as well as axial diffusion of the substrate species. The Michaelis-Menten (or Monod rate equation was assumed for the sink term, and the perturbation was extended up to second-order. In the analytical solution only the first-order limit of the Michaelis-Menten equation was considered; hence the linearized equation was solved. In the numerical solution, however, this restriction was lifted. The solution of the nonlinear, elliptic, partial differential equation was based on an implicit finite-difference method (FDM. An upwind scheme was employed for numerical stability. The resulting algebraic equations were solved simultaneously using the multivariate Newton-Raphson iteration method. The solution allows for the evaluation of the effect on the concentration profiles of (i the radial and axial convective velocity, (ii the convective mass transfer rates, (iii the reaction rates, (iv the fraction retentate, and (v the aspect ratio.

  10. X-ray induced production and yield kinetics of photo- and Auger Electrons in semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peregudov, V.I.; Pashaev, Eh.M.

    1991-01-01

    The paper is dedicated to theoretical and experimental analysis of the mechanism of indirect excitation of soft Auger-electrons due to atom electron ionization using Ge crystal exposed to MoK α radiation as an example. Process of generation of these Auger-electrons is considered in detail, solution of kinetic equation for electrons, as well as, experimental data proving crucial role of indirect processes in generation of soft Auger-electrons are given

  11. A kinetic model for runaway electrons in the ionosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Garcia

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Electrodynamic models and measurements with satellites and incoherent scatter radars predict large field aligned current densities on one side of the auroral arcs. Different authors and different kinds of studies (experimental or modeling agree that the current density can reach up to hundreds of µA/m2. This large current density could be the cause of many phenomena such as tall red rays or triggering of unstable ion acoustic waves. In the present paper, we consider the issue of electrons moving through an ionospheric gas of positive ions and neutrals under the influence of a static electric field. We develop a kinetic model of collisions including electrons/electrons, electrons/ions and electrons/neutrals collisions. We use a Fokker-Planck approach to describe binary collisions between charged particles with a long-range interaction. We present the essential elements of this collision operator: the Langevin equation for electrons/ions and electrons/electrons collisions and the Monte-Carlo and null collision methods for electrons/neutrals collisions. A computational example is given illustrating the approach to equilibrium and the impact of the different terms (electrons/electrons and electrons/ions collisions on the one hand and electrons/neutrals collisions on the other hand. Then, a parallel electric field is applied in a new sample run. In this run, the electrons move in the z direction parallel to the electric field. The first results show that all the electron distribution functions are non-Maxwellian. Furthermore, runaway electrons can carry a significant part of the total current density, up to 20% of the total current density.

  12. Monte Carlo simulation of kinetic electron emission from metal due to impact of heavy ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawata, J.; Ohya, K.

    1999-01-01

    A Monte Carlo simulation is performed for study of the dependence of kinetic electron emission on nuclear charge of projectile Z 1 , using the nonlinear response theory with the density-functional (DF) formalism to calculate electron excitation cross section. The kinetic yield, energy distribution, excitation depth distribution and emission statistics of emitted electrons showed clear Z 1 oscillations, however, the Z 1 oscillations of them are different from that of the inelastic stopping power, in particular for high Z 1 , due to large elastic energy loss of the ions and secondary cascade process of primary excited electrons within the solid. For high Z 1 , the linear relationship does not exist between them and the inelastic stopping power, although they are closely related to it. The emission of high-energy primary electrons excited by the ion within shallow depth without experiencing the secondary cascade process, results in the Z 1 dependence in the energy distribution, excitation depth distribution and emission statistics of emitted electrons

  13. Nickel-functionalized reduced graphene oxide with polyaniline for non-enzymatic glucose sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Bing; He, Yu; Liu, Bingqian; Tang, Dianping

    2015-01-01

    We have developed a new class of organic–inorganic hybrid nanostructures based on the use of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), polyaniline, and a nickel metal nanostructure. It was applied to efficient non-enzymatic sensing of glucose based on its electrocatalytic oxidation. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-Ray were employed to characterize the material. It is shown that the doped polyaniline plays an important role in the formation of the hybrid nanostructures. Improved analytical performance is found when the hybrid nanostructures were placed on a glassy carbon electrode and used for non-enzymatic sensing of glucose at a typical working potential of +450 mV and a pH value of 13. Features include a fast response (∼2 s), high sensitivity (6,050 μA mM −1 cm −2 ), a linear range from 0.1 μM to 1.0 mM, and a low detection limit (0.08 μM). The response to glucose follows a Michaelis-Menten kinetic behavior, and the K M value was determined to be 0.241 μM. Reproducibility and specificity are acceptable. Fructose and maltose do not interfere significantly. Importantly, the methodology was validated and evaluated for the analysis of 15 spiked human serum specimens, receiving in a good accordance with the results obtained by the non-enzymatic glucose sensing and the commercialized personal glucose meter. (author)

  14. Simulation studies of plasma waves in the electron foreshock - The transition from reactive to kinetic instability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dum, C. T.

    1990-01-01

    Particle simulation experiments were used to analyze the electron beam-plasma instability. It is shown that there is a transition from the reactive state of the electron beam-plasma instability to the kinetic instability of Langmuir waves. Quantitative tests, which include an evaluation of the dispersion relation for the evolving non-Maxwellian beam distribution, show that a quasi-linear theory describes the onset of this transition and applies again fully to the kinetic stage. This stage is practically identical to the late stage seen in simulations of plasma waves in the electron foreshock described by Dum (1990).

  15. Laser driven electron-positron pair creation-kinetic theory versus analytical approximations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smolyansky, S.A.; Prozorkevich, A.V.; Bonitz, M.

    2013-01-01

    The dynamical Schwinger effect of vacuum pair creation driven by an intense external laser pulse is studied on the basis of quantum kinetic theory. The numerical solutions of these kinetic equations exhibit a complex time dependence which makes an analysis of the physical processes difficult. In particular, the question of secondary effects, such as creation of secondary annihilation photons from the focus spot of the colliding laser beams, remains an important open problem. In the present work we, therefore, develop a perturbation theory which is able to capture the dominant time dependence of the produced electron-positron pair density. The theory shows excellent agreement with the exact kinetic results during the laser pulse, but fails to reproduce the residual pair density remaining in the system after termination of the pulse. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  16. Kinetic intermediates en route to the final serpin-protease complex: studies of complexes of α1-protease inhibitor with trypsin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddur, Ashoka A; Swanson, Richard; Izaguirre, Gonzalo; Gettins, Peter G W; Olson, Steven T

    2013-11-01

    Serpin protein protease inhibitors inactivate their target proteases through a unique mechanism in which a major serpin conformational change, resulting in a 70-Å translocation of the protease from its initial reactive center loop docking site to the opposite pole of the serpin, kinetically traps the acyl-intermediate complex. Although the initial Michaelis and final trapped acyl-intermediate complexes have been well characterized structurally, the intermediate stages involved in this remarkable transformation are not well understood. To better characterize such intermediate steps, we undertook rapid kinetic studies of the FRET and fluorescence perturbation changes of site-specific fluorophore-labeled derivatives of the serpin, α1-protease inhibitor (α1PI), which report the serpin and protease conformational changes involved in transforming the Michaelis complex to the trapped acyl-intermediate complex in reactions with trypsin. Two kinetically resolvable conformational changes were observed in the reactions, ascribable to (i) serpin reactive center loop insertion into sheet A with full protease translocation but incomplete protease distortion followed by, (ii) full conformational distortion and movement of the protease and coupled serpin conformational changes involving the F helix-sheet A interface. Kinetic studies of calcium effects on the labeled α1PI-trypsin reactions demonstrated both inactive and low activity states of the distorted protease in the final complex that were distinct from the intermediate distorted state. These studies provide new insights into the nature of the serpin and protease conformational changes involved in trapping the acyl-intermediate complex in serpin-protease reactions and support a previously proposed role for helix F in the trapping mechanism.

  17. A glassy carbon electrode modified with a composite consisting of reduced graphene oxide, zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles in a chitosan matrix for studying the direct electron transfer of glucose oxidase and for enzymatic sensing of glucose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Zhenjiang; Sheng, Liying; Xie, Cuicui; Meng, Alan; Zhao, Kun

    2016-01-01

    The authors describe the fabrication of a nanocomposite consisting of reduced graphene oxide, zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles by microwave-assisted synthesis. The composite was further reduced in-situ with hydrazine hydrate and then placed, along with the enzyme glucose oxidase, on a glassy carbon electrode. The synergistic effect of the materials employed in the nanocomposite result in excellent electrocatalytic activity. The Michaelis-Menten constant of the adsorbed GOx is 0.25 mM, implying a remarkable affinity of the GOx for glucose. The amperometric response of the modified GCE is linearly proportional to the concentration of glucose in 0.1 to 12.0 mM concentration range, and the detection limit is 10.6 µM. The biosensor is highly selective, well reproducible and stable. (author)

  18. Kinetics of adsorption and uptake of Cu2+ by Chlorella vulgaris: influence of pH, temperature, culture age, and cations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, S K; Singh, Alpana; Gaur, J P

    2002-03-01

    Adsorption and uptake of Cu2+ by Chlorella vulgaris were distinguished by extracting the surface-bound Cu2+ with EDTA. The uptake of Cu2+ followed Michaelis Menten kinetics. The maximum rate of Cu2+ uptake (0.362fmolcell(-1) h(-1)) was obtained at pH 6.0. The rate of Cu2+ uptake was greater for cultures in the exponential phase of growth, and increased with a rise in temperature from 6 to 25 degrees C, thus pointing towards an active mechanism. The maximum number of Cu2+ binding sites was 3.245 fmol cell(-1) at pH 4.5. Adsorption of Cu2+ was strongly pH-dependent thereby indicating that the number and nature of metal binding sites on the cell surface change with changing chemistry of the solution. Unlike uptake, the adsorption remained unaffected by small changes in temperature. Older cultures displayed a higher Cu2+ adsorption capacity than the exponentially growing ones thus suggesting generation of new and/or additional Cu2+ binding sites on older cells of C. vulgaris. By pH titration, the cation-exchange capacity of Chlorella, measured in terms of H+/ Na+ exchange, was about 17 fmol cell(-1) at pH 10.5. Negligible cation exchange capacity at and below pH 5.0 indicated that ion exchange was not the sole mechanism of Cu2+ adsorption by Chlorella. The uptake and adsorption of Cu2+ were inhibited by 100 microM of various cations including other heavy metal ions. The general concept that cations competitively inhibit accumulation of metals in living organisms does not hold for C. vulgaris. Non-competitive, uncompetitive and mixed inhibition of Cu2+ uptake and adsorption by various cations were more common than competitive inhibition.

  19. Electron and ion kinetics in a micro hollow cathode discharge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, G J; Iza, F; Lee, J K [Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-10-21

    Electron and ion kinetics in a micro hollow cathode discharge are investigated by means of two-dimensional axisymmetric particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision simulations. Argon discharges at 10 and 300 Torr are studied for various driving currents. Electron and ion energy probability functions (IEPF) are shown at various times and locations to study the spatio-temporal behaviour of the discharge. The electron energy probability function (EEPF) evolves from the Druyvesteyn type in the early stages of the discharge into a two (or three) temperature distribution when steady state is reached. In steady state, secondary electrons accelerated across the cathode fall populate the high energy tail of the EEPF while the low energy region is populated by trapped electrons. The IEPF evolves from a Maxwellian in the negative glow (bulk) to a two temperature distribution on the cathode surface. The overpopulation of low energy ions near the cathode surface is attributed to a larger collision cross section for low energy ions and ionization within the cathode fall.

  20. Electron and ion kinetics in a micro hollow cathode discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, G J; Iza, F; Lee, J K

    2006-01-01

    Electron and ion kinetics in a micro hollow cathode discharge are investigated by means of two-dimensional axisymmetric particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision simulations. Argon discharges at 10 and 300 Torr are studied for various driving currents. Electron and ion energy probability functions (IEPF) are shown at various times and locations to study the spatio-temporal behaviour of the discharge. The electron energy probability function (EEPF) evolves from the Druyvesteyn type in the early stages of the discharge into a two (or three) temperature distribution when steady state is reached. In steady state, secondary electrons accelerated across the cathode fall populate the high energy tail of the EEPF while the low energy region is populated by trapped electrons. The IEPF evolves from a Maxwellian in the negative glow (bulk) to a two temperature distribution on the cathode surface. The overpopulation of low energy ions near the cathode surface is attributed to a larger collision cross section for low energy ions and ionization within the cathode fall

  1. A kinetic model for runaway electrons in the ionosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Garcia

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Electrodynamic models and measurements with satellites and incoherent scatter radars predict large field aligned current densities on one side of the auroral arcs. Different authors and different kinds of studies (experimental or modeling agree that the current density can reach up to hundreds of µA/m2. This large current density could be the cause of many phenomena such as tall red rays or triggering of unstable ion acoustic waves. In the present paper, we consider the issue of electrons moving through an ionospheric gas of positive ions and neutrals under the influence of a static electric field. We develop a kinetic model of collisions including electrons/electrons, electrons/ions and electrons/neutrals collisions. We use a Fokker-Planck approach to describe binary collisions between charged particles with a long-range interaction. We present the essential elements of this collision operator: the Langevin equation for electrons/ions and electrons/electrons collisions and the Monte-Carlo and null collision methods for electrons/neutrals collisions. A computational example is given illustrating the approach to equilibrium and the impact of the different terms (electrons/electrons and electrons/ions collisions on the one hand and electrons/neutrals collisions on the other hand. Then, a parallel electric field is applied in a new sample run. In this run, the electrons move in the z direction parallel to the electric field. The first results show that all the electron distribution functions are non-Maxwellian. Furthermore, runaway electrons can carry a significant part of the total current density, up to 20% of the total current density.

  2. Kinetic description of a wiggler pumped ion-channel free electron laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehdian, H; Raghavi, A

    2006-01-01

    The wiggler pumped ion-channel free electron laser (WPIC-FEL) is treated and the classes of possible single-particle electron trajectories in this configuration are discussed in the paper. A new region of orbital stability is seen in the negative mass regime. A kinetic description of WPIC-FEL is given. Vlasov-Maxwell equations are solved to get the linear gain in a tenuous-beam limit, where the beam plasma frequency is much less than the radiation frequency and the self-field effects can be ignored

  3. Initial state dependence of nonlinear kinetic equations: The classical electron gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchetti, M.C.; Cohen, E.G.D.; Dorfman, J.R.; Kirkpatrick, T.R.

    1985-01-01

    The method of nonequilibrium cluster expansion is used to study the decay to equilibrium of a weakly coupled inhomogeneous electron gas prepared in a local equilibrium state at the initial time, t=0. A nonlinear kinetic equation describing the long time behavior of the one-particle distribution function is obtained. For consistency, initial correlations have to be taken into account. The resulting kinetic equation-differs from that obtained when the initial state of the system is assumed to be factorized in a product of one-particle functions. The question of to what extent correlations in the initial state play an essential role in determining the form of the kinetic equation at long times is discussed. To that end, the present calculations are compared wih results obtained before for hard sphere gases and in general with strong short-range forces. A partial answer is proposed and some open questions are indicated

  4. 'In-Crystallo' Capture of a Michaelis Complex And Product Binding Modes of a Bacterial Phosphotriesterase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jackson, C.J.; Foo, J.-L.; Kim, H.-K.; Carr, P.D.; Liu, J.-W.; Salem, G.; Ollis, D.L.

    2009-05-18

    The mechanism by which the binuclear metallophosphotriesterases (PTEs, E.C. 3.1.8.1) catalyse substrate hydrolysis has been extensively studied. The {mu}-hydroxo bridge between the metal ions has been proposed to be the initiating nucleophile in the hydrolytic reaction. In contrast, analysis of some biomimetic systems has indicated that {mu}-hydroxo bridges are often not themselves nucleophiles, but act as general bases for freely exchangeable nucleophilic water molecules. Herein, we present crystallographic analyses of a bacterial PTE from Agrobacterium radiobacter, OpdA, capturing the enzyme-substrate complex during hydrolysis. This model of the Michaelis complex suggests the alignment of the substrate will favor attack from a solvent molecule terminally coordinated to the {alpha}-metal ion. The bridging of both metal ions by the product, without disruption of the {mu}-hydroxo bridge, is also consistent with nucleophilic attack occurring from the terminal position. When phosphodiesters are soaked into crystals of OpdA, they coordinate bidentately to the {beta}-metal ion, displacing the {mu}-hydroxo bridge. Thus, alternative product-binding modes exist for the PTEs, and it is the bridging mode that appears to result from phosphotriester hydrolysis. Kinetic analysis of the PTE and promiscuous phosphodiesterase activities confirms that the presence of a {mu}-hydroxo bridge during phosphotriester hydrolysis is correlated with a lower pK{sub a} for the nucleophile, consistent with a general base function during catalysis.

  5. Relativistic electron kinetic effects on laser diagnostics in burning plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirnov, V. V.; Den Hartog, D. J.

    2018-02-01

    Toroidal interferometry/polarimetry (TIP), poloidal polarimetry (PoPola), and Thomson scattering systems (TS) are major optical diagnostics being designed and developed for ITER. Each of them relies upon a sophisticated quantitative understanding of the electron response to laser light propagating through a burning plasma. Review of the theoretical results for two different applications is presented: interferometry/polarimetry (I/P) and polarization of Thomson scattered light, unified by the importance of relativistic (quadratic in vTe/c) electron kinetic effects. For I/P applications, rigorous analytical results are obtained perturbatively by expansion in powers of the small parameter τ = Te/me c2, where Te is electron temperature and me is electron rest mass. Experimental validation of the analytical models has been made by analyzing data of more than 1200 pulses collected from high-Te JET discharges. Based on this validation the relativistic analytical expressions are included in the error analysis and design projects of the ITER TIP and PoPola systems. The polarization properties of incoherent Thomson scattered light are being examined as a method of Te measurement relevant to ITER operational regimes. The theory is based on Stokes vector transformation and Mueller matrices formalism. The general approach is subdivided into frequency-integrated and frequency-resolved cases. For each of them, the exact analytical relativistic solutions are presented in the form of Mueller matrix elements averaged over the relativistic Maxwellian distribution function. New results related to the detailed verification of the frequency-resolved solutions are reported. The precise analytic expressions provide output much more rapidly than relativistic kinetic numerical codes allowing for direct real-time feedback control of ITER device operation.

  6. A passive physical model for DnaK chaperoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhl, Lionel; Dumont, Audrey; Dukan, Sam

    2018-03-01

    Almost all living organisms use protein chaperones with a view to preventing proteins from misfolding or aggregation either spontaneously or during cellular stress. This work uses a reaction-diffusion stochastic model to describe the dynamic localization of the Hsp70 chaperone DnaK in Escherichia coli cells during transient proteotoxic collapse characterized by the accumulation of insoluble proteins. In the model, misfolded (‘abnormal’) proteins are produced during alcoholic stress and have the propensity to aggregate with a polymerization-like kinetics. When aggregates diffuse more slowly they grow larger. According to Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics, DnaK has the propensity to bind with misfolded proteins or aggregates in order to catalyse refolding. To match experimental fluorescence microscopy data showing clusters of DnaK-GFP localized in multiple foci, the model includes spatial zones with local reduced diffusion rates to generate spontaneous assemblies of DnaK called ‘foci’. Numerical simulations of our model succeed in reproducing the kinetics of DnaK localization experimentally observed. DnaK starts from foci, moves to large aggregates during acute stress, resolves those aggregates during recovery and finally returns to its initial punctate localization pattern. Finally, we compare real biological events with hypothetical repartitions of the protein aggregates or DnaK. We then notice that DnaK action is more efficient on protein aggregates than on protein homogeneously distributed.

  7. Physiological Response of Plants Grown on Porous Ceramic Tubes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsao, David; Okos, Martin

    1997-01-01

    This research involves the manipulation of the root-zone water potential for the purposes of discriminating the rate limiting step in the inorganic nutrient uptake mechanism utilized by higher plants. This reaction sequence includes the pathways controlled by the root-zone conditions such as water tension and gradient concentrations. Furthermore, plant based control mechanisms dictated by various protein productions are differentiated as well. For the nutrients limited by the environmental availability, the kinetics were modeled using convection and diffusion equations. Alternatively, for the nutrients dependent upon enzyme manipulations, the uptakes are modeled using Michaelis-Menten kinetics. In order to differentiate between these various mechanistic steps, an experimental apparatus known as the Porous Ceramic Tube - Nutrient Delivery System (PCT-NDS) was used. Manipulation of the applied suction pressure circulating a nutrient solution through this system imposes a change in the matric component of the water potential. This compensates for the different osmotic components of water potential dictated by nutrient concentration. By maintaining this control over the root-zone conditions, the rate limiting steps in the uptake of the essential nutrients into tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Cherry Elite) were differentiated. Results showed that the uptake of some nutrients were mass transfer limited while others were limited by the enzyme kinetics. Each of these were adequately modeled with calculations and discussions of the parameter estimations provided.

  8. Environmentally relevant organophosphate triesters in herring gulls: In vitro biotransformation and kinetics and diester metabolite formation using a hepatic microsomal assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greaves, Alana K.; Su, Guanyong; Letcher, Robert J.

    2016-01-01

    The in vitro biotransformation and kinetics of six organophosphate triester (OPE) flame retardants were investigated in herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the Great Lakes using a hepatic microsomal metabolism assay. Administration of each individual OPE (tri-n-butyl phosphate (TNBP), tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), triethyl phosphate (TEP), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP)) to the in vitro assay (concentration range 0.01 to 10 μM) resulted in rapid depletion with the exception of TEP. Following the Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics model, a preliminary 2-minute incubation period was used to estimate the V max (± SE) values (i.e., the maximal rate of reaction for a saturated enzyme system), which ranged from 5.0 ± 0.4 (TPHP) to 29 ± 18 pmol/min/mg protein (TBOEP), as well as the K M (± SE) values (i.e., the OPE concentration corresponding to one half of the V max ), which ranged from 9.8 ± 1 (TPHP) to 189 ± 135 nM (TBOEP). Biotransformation assays over a 100-minute incubation period revealed that TNBP was metabolized most rapidly (with a depletion rate of 73 ± 4 pmol/min/mg protein), followed by TBOEP (53 ± 8 pmol/min/mg), TCIPP (27 ± 1 pmol/min/mg), TPHP (22 ± 2 pmol/min/mg) and TDCIPP (8 ± 1 pmol/min/mg). In vitro biotransformation of OP triesters was clearly structure-dependent where non-halogenated alkyl OP triesters were metabolized more rapidly than halogenated alkyl triesters. Halogenated OP triesters were transformed to their respective diesters more efficiently relative to non-halogenated OP triesters. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate OP triester metabolism and OP diester formation in an avian or wildlife model system, which is important to understand the fate and biological activity of OPEs in an exposed organism. - Highlights: • The metabolism and kinetics of 6 OPEs were examined in herring gull liver microsomes. • The

  9. Environmentally relevant organophosphate triesters in herring gulls: In vitro biotransformation and kinetics and diester metabolite formation using a hepatic microsomal assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greaves, Alana K. [Wildlife and Landscape Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 (Canada); Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 (Canada); Su, Guanyong, E-mail: guanyong.su85@gmail.com [Wildlife and Landscape Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 (Canada); Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 (Canada); Letcher, Robert J., E-mail: robert.letcher@canada.ca [Wildlife and Landscape Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 (Canada); Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 (Canada)

    2016-10-01

    The in vitro biotransformation and kinetics of six organophosphate triester (OPE) flame retardants were investigated in herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the Great Lakes using a hepatic microsomal metabolism assay. Administration of each individual OPE (tri-n-butyl phosphate (TNBP), tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), triethyl phosphate (TEP), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP)) to the in vitro assay (concentration range 0.01 to 10 μM) resulted in rapid depletion with the exception of TEP. Following the Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics model, a preliminary 2-minute incubation period was used to estimate the V{sub max} (± SE) values (i.e., the maximal rate of reaction for a saturated enzyme system), which ranged from 5.0 ± 0.4 (TPHP) to 29 ± 18 pmol/min/mg protein (TBOEP), as well as the K{sub M} (± SE) values (i.e., the OPE concentration corresponding to one half of the V{sub max}), which ranged from 9.8 ± 1 (TPHP) to 189 ± 135 nM (TBOEP). Biotransformation assays over a 100-minute incubation period revealed that TNBP was metabolized most rapidly (with a depletion rate of 73 ± 4 pmol/min/mg protein), followed by TBOEP (53 ± 8 pmol/min/mg), TCIPP (27 ± 1 pmol/min/mg), TPHP (22 ± 2 pmol/min/mg) and TDCIPP (8 ± 1 pmol/min/mg). In vitro biotransformation of OP triesters was clearly structure-dependent where non-halogenated alkyl OP triesters were metabolized more rapidly than halogenated alkyl triesters. Halogenated OP triesters were transformed to their respective diesters more efficiently relative to non-halogenated OP triesters. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate OP triester metabolism and OP diester formation in an avian or wildlife model system, which is important to understand the fate and biological activity of OPEs in an exposed organism. - Highlights: • The metabolism and kinetics of 6 OPEs were examined in herring gull liver

  10. Simulation of ITG instabilities with fully kinetic ions and drift-kinetic electrons in tokamaks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Youjun; Chen, Yang; Parker, Scott

    2017-10-01

    A turbulence simulation model with fully kinetic ions and drift-kinetic electrons is being developed in the toroidal electromagnetic turbulence code GEM. This is motivated by the observation that gyrokinetic ions are not well justified in simulating turbulence in tokamak edges with steep density profile, where ρi / L is not small enough to be used a small parameter needed by the gyrokinetic ordering (here ρi is the gyro-radius of ions and L is the scale length of density profile). In this case, the fully kinetic ion model may be useful. Our model uses an implicit scheme to suppress high-frequency compressional Alfven waves and waves associated with the gyro-motion of ions. The ion orbits are advanced by using the well-known Boris scheme, which reproduces correct drift-motion even with large time-step comparable to the ion gyro-period. The field equation in this model is Ampere's law with the magnetic field eliminated by using an implicit scheme of Faraday's law. The current contributed by ions are computed by using an implicit δf method. A flux tube approximation is adopted, which makes the field equation much easier to solve. Numerical results of electromagnetic ITG obtained from this model will be presented and compared with the gyrokinetic results. This work is supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Award No. DE-SC0008801.

  11. Low birth rates and reproductive skew limit the viability of Europe’s captive eastern black rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis michaeli

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Edwards, K.L.; Walker, S.L.; Durham, A.E.; Pilgrim, M.; Ouma, B.O.; Shultz, S.

    2015-01-01

    Ex situ populations play a critical role for the conservation of endangered species, especially where in situ populations face imminent threats. For such populations to act as vital reserves, they must be viable and sustainable. Eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) epitomise the

  12. Competition between roots and microorganisms for nitrogen: mechanisms and ecological relevance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzyakov, Yakov; Xu, Xingliang

    2014-05-01

    Demand of all living organisms on the same nutrients forms the basis for interspecific competition between plants and microorganisms in soils. This competition is especially strong in the rhizosphere. To evaluate competitive and mutualistic interactions between plants and microorganisms and to analyse ecological consequences of these interactions, we analysed 424 data pairs from 41 15N-labelling studies that investigated 15N redistribution between roots and microorganisms. Calculated Michaelis-Menten kinetics based on Km (Michaelis constant) and Vmax (maximum uptake capacity) values from 77 studies on the uptake of nitrate, ammonia, and amino acids by roots and microorganisms clearly showed that, shortly after nitrogen (N) mobilization from soil organic matter and litter, microorganisms take up most N. Lower Km values of microorganisms suggest that they are especially efficient at low N concentrations, but can also acquire more N at higher N concentrations (Vmax) compared with roots. Because of the unidirectional flow of nutrients from soil to roots, plants are the winners for N acquisition in the long run. Therefore, despite strong competition between roots and microorganisms for N, a temporal niche differentiation reflecting their generation times leads to mutualistic relationships in the rhizosphere. This temporal niche differentiation is highly relevant ecologically because it: protects ecosystems from N losses by leaching during periods of slow or no root uptake; continuously provides roots with available N according to plant demand; and contributes to the evolutionary development of mutualistic interactions between roots and microorganisms.

  13. Cooperativity in CYP2E1 Metabolism of Acetaminophen and Styrene Mixtures

    OpenAIRE

    Hartman, Jessica H.; Letzig, Lynda G.; Robertsc, Dean W.; James, Laura P.; Fifer, E. Kim; Miller, Grover P.

    2015-01-01

    Risk assessment for exposure to mixtures of drugs and pollutants relies heavily on in vitro characterization of their bioactivation and/or metabolism individually and extrapolation to mixtures assuming no interaction. Herein, we demonstrated that in vitro CYP2E1 metabolic activation of acetaminophen and styrene mixtures could not be explained through the Michaelis-Menten mechanism or any models relying on that premise. As a baseline for mixture studies with styrene, steady-state analysis of a...

  14. Exact correlated kinetic energy related to the electron density for two-electron model atoms with harmonic confinement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    March, Norman H.; Akbari, Ali; Rubio, Angel

    2007-01-01

    For arbitrary interparticle interaction u(r 12 ), the model two-electron atom in the title is shown to be such that the ground-state electron density ρ(r) is determined uniquely by the correlated kinetic energy density t R (r) of the relative motion. Explicit results for t R (r) are presented for the Hookean atom with force constant k=1/4, and also for u(r 12 )=(λ)/(r 12 2 ) . Possible relevance of the Hookean atom treatment to the ground state of the helium atom itself is briefly discussed

  15. Electrophysiological approach to determine kinetic parameters of sucrose uptake by single sieve elements or phloem parenchyma cells in intact Vicia faba plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafke, Jens B; Höll, Sabina-Roxana; Kühn, Christina; van Bel, Aart J E

    2013-01-01

    Apart from cut aphid stylets in combination with electrophysiology, no attempts have been made thus far to measure in vivo sucrose-uptake properties of sieve elements. We investigated the kinetics of sucrose uptake by single sieve elements and phloem parenchyma cells in Vicia faba plants. To this end, microelectrodes were inserted into free-lying phloem cells in the main vein of the youngest fully-expanded leaf, half-way along the stem, in the transition zone between the autotrophic and heterotrophic part of the stem, and in the root axis. A top-to-bottom membrane potential gradient of sieve elements was observed along the stem (-130 mV to -110 mV), while the membrane potential of the phloem parenchyma cells was stable (approx. -100 mV). In roots, the membrane potential of sieve elements dropped abruptly to -55 mV. Bathing solutions having various sucrose concentrations were administered and sucrose/H(+)-induced depolarizations were recorded. Data analysis by non-linear least-square data fittings as well as by linear Eadie-Hofstee (EH) -transformations pointed at biphasic Michaelis-Menten kinetics (2 MM, EH: K m1 1.2-1.8 mM, K m2 6.6-9.0 mM) of sucrose uptake by sieve elements. However, Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) favored single MM kinetics. Using single MM as the best-fitting model, K m values for sucrose uptake by sieve elements decreased along the plant axis from 1 to 7 mM. For phloem parenchyma cells, higher K m values (EH: K m1 10 mM, K m2 70 mM) as compared to sieve elements were found. In preliminary patch-clamp experiments with sieve-element protoplasts, small sucrose-coupled proton currents (-0.1 to -0.3 pA/pF) were detected in the whole-cell mode. In conclusion (a) K m values for sucrose uptake measured by electrophysiology are similar to those obtained with heterologous systems, (b) electrophysiology provides a useful tool for in situ determination of K m values, (c) As yet, it remains unclear if one or two uptake systems are involved in sucrose

  16. The impact of surface coverage on the kinetics of electron transfer through redox monolayers on a silicon electrode surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ciampi, Simone; Choudhury, Moinul H.; Ahmad, Shahrul Ainliah Binti Alang; Darwish, Nadim; Brun, Anton Le; Gooding, J.Justin

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The impact of surface coverage on the kinetics of electron transfer through redox monolayers on a silicon electrode surface. ABSTRACT: The impact of the coverage of ferrocene moieties, attached to a silicon electrode modified via hydrosilylation of a dialkyne, on the kinetics of electron transfer between the redox species and the electrode is explored. The coverage of ferrocene is controlled by varying the coupling time between azidomethylferrocene and the distal alkyne of the monolayer via the copper assisted azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction. All other variables in the surface preparation are maintained identical. What is observed is that the higher the surface coverage of the ferrocene moieties the faster the apparent rates of electron transfer. This surface coverage-dependent kinetic effect is attributed to electrons hopping between ferrocene moieties across the redox film toward hotspots for the electron transfer event. The origin of these hotspots is tentatively suggested to result from minor amounts of oxide on the underlying silicon surface that reduce the barrier for the electron transfer.

  17. Anomalous electron transport in Hall-effect thrusters: Comparison between quasi-linear kinetic theory and particle-in-cell simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lafleur, T.; Martorelli, R.; Chabert, P.; Bourdon, A.

    2018-06-01

    Kinetic drift instabilities have been implicated as a possible mechanism leading to anomalous electron cross-field transport in E × B discharges, such as Hall-effect thrusters. Such instabilities, which are driven by the large disparity in electron and ion drift velocities, present a significant challenge to modelling efforts without resorting to time-consuming particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Here, we test aspects of quasi-linear kinetic theory with 2D PIC simulations with the aim of developing a self-consistent treatment of these instabilities. The specific quantities of interest are the instability growth rate (which determines the spatial and temporal evolution of the instability amplitude), and the instability-enhanced electron-ion friction force (which leads to "anomalous" electron transport). By using the self-consistently obtained electron distribution functions from the PIC simulations (which are in general non-Maxwellian), we find that the predictions of the quasi-linear kinetic theory are in good agreement with the simulation results. By contrast, the use of Maxwellian distributions leads to a growth rate and electron-ion friction force that is around 2-4 times higher, and consequently significantly overestimates the electron transport. A possible method for self-consistently modelling the distribution functions without requiring PIC simulations is discussed.

  18. Superconductor Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors: System Model of the Readout Electronics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Alimenti

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the readout electronics needed by superconductor Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs. MKIDs are typically implemented in the form of cryogenic-cooled high quality factor microwave resonator. The natural frequency of these resonators changes as a millimeter or sub-millimeter wave radiation impinges on the resonator itself. A quantitative system model of the readout electronics (very similar to that of a vector network analyzer has been implemented under ADS environment and tested by several simulation experiments. The developed model is a tool to further optimize the readout electronic and to design the frequency allocation of parallel-connected MKIDs resonators. The applications of MKIDs will be in microwave and millimeter-wave radiometric imaging as well as in radio-astronomy focal plane arrays.

  19. Engineering the l-Arabinose Isomerase from Enterococcus Faecium for d-Tagatose Synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Sousa, Marylane; Manzo, Ricardo M; García, José L; Mammarella, Enrique J; Gonçalves, Luciana R B; Pessela, Benevides C

    2017-12-06

    l-Arabinose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.4) (l-AI) from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 was overproduced in Escherichia coli by designing a codon-optimized synthetic araA gene. Using this optimized gene, two N- and C-terminal His-tagged-l-AI proteins were produced. The cloning of the two chimeric genes into regulated expression vectors resulted in the production of high amounts of recombinant N -His-l-AI and C -His-l-AI in soluble and active forms. Both His-tagged enzymes were purified in a single step through metal-affinity chromatography and showed different kinetic and structural characteristics. Analytical ultracentrifugation revealed that C -His-l-AI was preferentially hexameric in solution, whereas N -His-l-AI was mainly monomeric. The specific activity of the N -His-l-AI at acidic pH was higher than that of C -His-l-AI and showed a maximum bioconversion yield of 26% at 50 °C for d-tagatose biosynthesis, with Km and Vmax parameters of 252 mM and 0.092 U mg -1 , respectively. However, C -His-l-AI was more active and stable at alkaline pH than N -His-l-AI. N -His-l-AI follows a Michaelis-Menten kinetic, whereas C -His-l-AI fitted to a sigmoidal saturation curve.

  20. Nonlocal electron kinetics and spectral line emission in the positive column of an argon glow discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golubovskii, Yu; Kalanov, D; Gorchakov, S; Uhrlandt, D

    2015-01-01

    Modern non-local electron kinetics theory predicts several interesting effects connected with spectral line emission from the positive column in the range of low and medium pressures and currents. Some theoretical works describe non-monotonic behavior of the radial profiles of line emission at intermediate pressures and currents between the validity ranges of the non-local and local approximation of the electron kinetics. Despite a great number of publications, there have been no systematic measurements attempting to confirm these theoretical predictions through experiments. In this work the radial profiles of the line emission from the positive column of an argon glow discharge have been measured with high spatial resolution and new effects caused by the narrowing and broadening of the spatial emission profiles with dependence on discharge conditions have been discovered. The effect of intensity maximum shift predicted by theory using a self-consistent model was not found in the experiment. The properties of the spectral line radiation are influenced by the peculiarities of the formation of the high-energy tail of the electron energy distribution function. An interpretation of the observed effects based on the non-local character of the electron kinetics in radially inhomogeneous fields is given. The obtained experimental data are compared with the results of calculations. (paper)

  1. In Vitro Enzymatic Reduction Kinetics of Mineral Oxides by Membrane Fractions from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruebush, S.; Icopini, G.; Brantley, S.; Tien, M.

    2006-01-01

    reduction. The Michaelis-Menten K m values of 71 ± 22 m 2 /L for hematite and 50 ± 16 m 2 /L for goethite were calculated as a function of surface area of the two insoluble minerals. V max was determined to be 123 ± 14 and 156 ± 13 nmol Fe(II)/min/mg of TM protein for hematite and goethite, respectively. These values are consistent with in vivo rates of reduction reported in the literature. These observations are consistent with our conclusion that the enzymatic reduction of mineral oxides is an effective probe that will allow elucidation of molecular chemistry of the membrane-mineral interface where electron transfer occurs

  2. A kinetic model for the transport of electrons in a graphene layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fermanian Kammerer, Clotilde, E-mail: Clotilde.Fermanian@u-pec.fr [Laboratoire d' Analyse et de Mathématiques Appliquées, Université Paris Est and CNRS, 61, avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex (France); Méhats, Florian, E-mail: florian.mehats@univ-rennes1.fr [Institut de Recherche Mathématique de Rennes, IPSO Inria team, Université Rennes 1 and CNRS, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes cedex (France)

    2016-12-15

    In this article, we propose a new numerical scheme for the computation of the transport of electrons in a graphene device. The underlying quantum model for graphene is a massless Dirac equation, whose eigenvalues display a conical singularity responsible for non-adiabatic transitions between the two modes. We first derive a kinetic model which takes the form of two Boltzmann equations coupled by a collision operator modeling the non-adiabatic transitions. This collision term includes a Landau–Zener transfer term and a jump operator whose presence is essential in order to ensure a good energy conservation during the transitions. We propose an algorithmic realization of the semi-group solving the kinetic model, by a particle method. We give analytic justification of the model and propose a series of numerical experiments studying the influences of the various sources of errors between the quantum and the kinetic models.

  3. On the ultrafast kinetics of the energy and electron transfer reactions in photosystem I

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Slavov, Chavdar Lyubomirov

    2009-07-09

    The subject of the current work is one of the main participants in the light-dependent phase of oxygenic photosynthesis, Photosystem I (PS I). This complex carries an immense number of cofactors: chlorophylls (Chl), carotenoids, quinones, etc, which together with the protein entity exhibit several exceptional properties. First, PS I has an ultrafast light energy trapping kinetics with a nearly 100% quantum efficiency. Secondly, both of the electron transfer branches in the reaction center are suggested to be active. Thirdly, there are some so called 'red' Chls in the antenna system of PS I, absorbing light with longer wavelengths than the reaction center. These 'red' Chls significantly modify the trapping kinetics of PS I. The purpose of this thesis is to obtain better understanding of the above-mentioned, specific features of PS I. This will not merely cast more light on the mechanisms of energy and electron transfer in the complex, but also will contribute to the future developments of optimized artificial light-harvesting systems. In the current work, a number of PS I complexes isolated from different organisms (Thermosynechococcus elongatus, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Arabidopsis thaliana) and possessing distinctive features (different macroorganisation, monomers, trimers, monomers with a semibelt of peripheral antenna attached; presence of 'red' Chls) is investigated. The studies are primarily focused on the electron transfer kinetics in each of the cofactor branches in the PS I reaction center, as well as on the effect of the antenna size and the presence of 'red' Chls on the trapping kinetics of PS I. These aspects are explored with the help of several ultrafast optical spectroscopy methods: (i) time-resolved fluorescence ? single photon counting and synchroscan streak camera; and (ii) ultrafast transient absorption. Physically meaningful information about the molecular mechanisms of the energy trapping in PS I is

  4. Kinetics of two-dimensional electron plasma, interacting with fluctuating potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boiko, I.I.; Sirenko, Y.M.

    1990-01-01

    In this paper, from the first principles, after the fashion of Klimontovich, the authors derive quantum kinetic equation for electron gas, inhomogeneous in z-direction and homogeneous in XY-plane. Special attention is given to the systems with quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (2 DEG), which are widely explored now. Both interaction between the particles of 2 DEG (in general, of several sorts), and interaction with an external system (phonons, impurities, after change carries etc.) are considered. General theory is used to obtain energy and momentum balance equations and relaxation frequencies for 2 DEG in the basis of plane waves. The case of crossed electric and magnetic fields is also treated. As an illustration the problems of 2 DEG scattering on semibounded three-dimensional electron gas and on two-dimensional hole gas are considered; transverse conductivity of nondegenerate 2 DEG, scattered by impurities in ultraquantum magnetic field, is calculated

  5. Kinetic Simulation of Fast Electron Transport with Ionization Effects and Ion Acceleration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, A. P. L.; Bell, A. R.; Kingham, R. J.

    2005-01-01

    The generation of relativistic electrons and multi-MeV ions is central to ultra intense (> 1018Wcm-2) laser-solid interactions. The production of energetic particles by lasers has a number of potential applications ranging from Fast Ignition ICF to medicine. In terms of the relativistic (fast) electrons the areas of interest can be divided into three areas. Firstly there is the absorption of laser energy into fast electrons and MeV ions. Secondly there is the transport of fast electrons through the solid target. Finally there is a transduction stage, where the fast electron energy is imparted. This may range from being the electrostatic acceleration of ions at a plasma-vacuum interface, to the heating of a compressed core (as in Fast Ignitor ICF).We have used kinetic simulation codes to study the transport stage and electrostatic ion acceleration. (Author)

  6. Final Report for Award DE-FG02-99ER54554 Kinetics of Electron Fluxes in Low-Pressure Nonthermal Plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uwe Kortshagen

    2004-01-01

    This grant has focused on the study of several aspects of electron kinetics in low pressure plasmas. Entirely new effects arise from the fact that the electron kinetics is governed by non-local effects, in which the electron distribution function is not equilibrium with the local electric field but is governed by spatial transport effects. In this grant, we were able to demonstrate several previously un-studied effects which are a direct result of the nonlocal transport. These are: (1) The existence of a ''convective cell' in electron phase space. The phenomenon was observed and studied in CW plasma conditions. (2) The occurrence of non-collisional cooling of electrons through an effect known as ''diffusive cooling''

  7. Determinação das propriedades catalíticas em meio aquoso e orgânico da lipase de Candida rugosa imobilizada em celulignina quimicamente modificada por carbonildiimidazol Assessment of catalytic properties in aqueous and organic media of lipase from Candida rugosa immobilized on wood cellulignin activated with carbonyldiimidazole

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabrício M. Gomes

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Microbial lipase from Candida rugosa was immobilized by covalent binding on wood cellulignin (Eucaliptus grandis chemically modified with carbonyldiimidazole. The immobilized system was fully evaluated in aqueous (olive oil hydrolysis and organic (ester synthesis media. A comparative study between free and immobilized lipase was carried out in terms of pH, temperature and thermal stability. A higher pH value (8.0 was found optimal for the immobilized lipase. The optimal reaction temperature shifted from 37 °C for the free lipase to 45 °C for the immobilized lipase. The pattern of heat stability indicated that the immobilization process tends to stabilize the enzyme. Kinetics tests at 37 °C following the hydrolysis of olive oil obeyed the Michaelis-Menten rate equation. Values for Km = 924.9 mM and Vmax = 198.3 U/mg were lower than for free lipase, suggesting that the affinity towards the substrate changed and the activity of the immobilized lipase decreased during the course of immobilization. The immobilized derivative was also tested in the ester synthesis from several alcohols and carboxylic acids.

  8. Permeability, transport, and metabolism of solutes in Caco-2 cell monolayers: a theoretical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Huadong; Pang, K Sandy

    2008-01-01

    We explored the properties of a catenary model that includes the basolateral (B), apical (A), and cellular compartments via simulations under linear and nonlinear conditions to understand the asymmetric observations arising from transporters, enzymes, and permeability in Caco-2 cells. The efflux ratio (EfR; P(app,B-->A)/P(app,A-->B)), obtained from the effective permeability from the A-->B and B-->A direction under linear conditions, was unity for passively permeable drugs whose transport does not involve transporters; the value was unaffected by cellular binding or metabolism, but increased with apical efflux. Metabolism was asymmetric, showing lesser metabolite accrual for the B-->A than A-->B direction because of inherent differences in the volumes for A and B. Moreover, the net flux (total - passive permeation) due to saturable apical efflux, absorption, or metabolism showed nonconformity to simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics against C(D,0), the loading donor concentration. EfR values differed with saturable apical efflux and metabolism (>1), as well as apical absorption (EfRs transport and metabolic data in Caco-2 cells.

  9. Functional and Structural Characterization of a (+)-Limonene Synthase from Citrus sinensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morehouse, Benjamin R; Kumar, Ramasamy P; Matos, Jason O; Olsen, Sarah Naomi; Entova, Sonya; Oprian, Daniel D

    2017-03-28

    Terpenes make up the largest and most diverse class of natural compounds and have important commercial and medical applications. Limonene is a cyclic monoterpene (C 10 ) present in nature as two enantiomers, (+) and (-), which are produced by different enzymes. The mechanism of production of the (-)-enantiomer has been studied in great detail, but to understand how enantiomeric selectivity is achieved in this class of enzymes, it is important to develop a thorough biochemical description of enzymes that generate (+)-limonene, as well. Here we report the first cloning and biochemical characterization of a (+)-limonene synthase from navel orange (Citrus sinensis). The enzyme obeys classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics and produces exclusively the (+)-enantiomer. We have determined the crystal structure of the apoprotein in an "open" conformation at 2.3 Å resolution. Comparison with the structure of (-)-limonene synthase (Mentha spicata), which is representative of a fully closed conformation (Protein Data Bank entry 2ONG ), reveals that the short H-α1 helix moves nearly 5 Å inward upon substrate binding, and a conserved Tyr flips to point its hydroxyl group into the active site.

  10. Uptake of oxytetracycline and its phytotoxicity to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kong, W D [Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Zhu, Y G [Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Liang, Y C [Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Nutrient Cycling, Institute of Soils and Fertilizers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China); Zhang, J [Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Smith, F A [Soil and Land Systems, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, DP 636, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); Yang, M [Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China)

    2007-05-15

    A series of experiments were conducted in a hydroponic system to investigate the uptake of oxytetracycline (OTC) and its toxicity to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). OTC inhibited alfalfa shoot and root growth by up to 61% and 85%, respectively. The kinetics of OTC uptake could be well described by Michaelis-Menten equation with V {sub max} of 2.25 {mu}mol g{sup -1} fresh weight h{sup -1}, and K {sub m} of 0.036 mM. The uptake of OTC by alfalfa was strongly inhibited by the metabolic inhibitor, 2,4-DNP (2,4-dinitrophenol), at pH 3.5 and 6.0, but not by the aquaporin competitors, glycerol and Ag{sup +}. OTC uptake, however, was significantly inhibited by Hg{sup 2+}, suggesting that the inhibition of influx was due to general cellular stress rather than the specific action of Hg{sup 2+} on aquaporins. Results from the present study suggested that OTC uptake into alfalfa is an energy-dependent process. - Plant uptake of antibiotic oxytetracycline is energy-dependent.

  11. Purification and characterization of a platelet aggregation inhibitor and anticoagulant Cc 5_NTase, CD 73-like, from Cerastes cerastes venom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saoud, Samah; Chérifi, Fatah; Benhassine, Traki; Laraba-Djebari, Fatima

    2017-05-01

    The present study is the first attempt to report the characterization of a nucleotidase from Cerastes cerastes venom. A 70 kDa 5'-nucleotidase (Cc-5'NTase) was purified to homogeneity. The amino acid sequence of Cc-5'NTase displayed high homology with many nucleotidases. Its activity was optimal at pH 7 with a specific hydrolytic activity toward mono-, di-, and triphosphate adenylated nucleotides. Cc-5'NTase preferentially hydrolyzed ADP and obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Among the metals and inhibitors tested, Ni 2+ and Mg 2+ completely potentiated enzyme activity, whereas EGTA, PMSF, iodoacetamide, vanillic acid, vanillyl mandelic acid, and 1,10-phenanthroline partially abolished its activity. Cc-5'NTase was not lethal for mice at 5 mg/kg and exhibited in vivo anticoagulant effect. It also dose-dependently inhibited adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation by converting adenosine diphosphate to adenosine and prohibited arachidonic acid-induced aggregation but was not effective on fibrinogen-induced aggregation. Cc-5'NTase could be a good tool as pharmacological molecule in thrombosis diagnostic and/or therapy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Uptake of acidic and basic sugar derivatives in Lemna gibba G1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanz, A.; Ullrich, C.I.

    1989-01-01

    The uptake of acidic and basic sugar derivatives in Lemna gibba L. was studied. Uronic acids applied to the experimental solution induced a small decrease of the membrane potential. After incubation of the plants in a 0.1 millimolar solution of these substrates, no decrease in the concentration of reducing groups in the external solution was detected. Respiration increased by 31% with 50 millimolar galacturonic acid, whereas no effect was found with the same concentration of glucuronic acid. Glucosamine caused a considerable concentration-dependent membrane depolarization. ( 14 C)glucosamine uptake followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics together with a linear component. Influx of this substrate was inhibited by glucose but the type of competition could not be clearly distinguished. Glucosamine, 50 millimolar, inhibited the respiration rate by 30%. The glucosamine uptake was pH-dependent, with maximum uptake at around pH 7. Lack of enhancement of uptake by low pH as well as the permanent membrane depolarization suggest a uniport mechanism for the charged species of the substrate and an electroneutral diffusion of the uncharged species

  13. Valorisation of food and beverage waste via saccharification for sugars recovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwan, Tsz Him; Ong, Khai Lun; Haque, Md Ariful; Kwan, Wing Hei; Kulkarni, Sandeep; Lin, Carol Sze Ki

    2018-05-01

    Valorisation of mixed food and beverage (F&B) waste was studied for the recovery of sugars via saccharification. Glucoamylase and sucrase were employed to hydrolyse the starch and sucrose present in the mixed F&B waste because of the high cost-effectiveness for such recovery. The Michaelis-Menten kinetics model suggests that preservatives and additives in beverages did not inhibit glucoamylase and sucrase during saccharification. High levels of glucose (228.1 g L -1 ) and fructose (55.7 g L -1 ) were efficiently produced within 12 h at a solid-to-liquid ratio of 37.5% (w/v) in 2.5 L bioreactors. An overall conversion yield of 0.17 g sugars per g of mixed F&B waste was obtained in mass balance analysis. Lastly, possible industrial applications of the sugar-rich hydrolysate and by-products are discussed. This study is believed to cast insights into F&B waste recycling via biotechnology to produce high-value added products to promote the establishment of a circular bio-economy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Amorphization kinetics of Zr3Fe under electron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Motta, A.T.; Howe, L.M.; Okamoto, P.R.

    1994-11-01

    Previous investigations using 40 Ar ion bombardments have revealed that Zr 3 Fe, which has an orthorhombic crystal structure, undergoes an irradiation-induced transformation from the crystalline to the amorphous state. In the present investigation, 0.9 MeV electron irradiations were performed at 28 - 220 K in a high-voltage electron microscope (HVEM). By measuring the onset, spread and final size of the amorphous region, factoring in the Gaussian distribution of the beam, a kinetic description of the amorphization in terms of dose, dose rate and temperature was obtained. The critical temperature for amorphization by electron irradiation was found to be ∼ 220 K, compared with 570 - 625 K for 40 Ar ion irradiation. Also, the dose-to-amorphization increased exponentially with temperature. Results indicated that the rate of growth of the amorphous region under the electron beam decreased with increasing temperature and the dose-to-amorphization decreased with increasing dose rate. The size of the amorphous region saturated after a given dose, the final size decreasing with increasing temperature, and it is argued that this is related to the existence of a critical dose rate, which increases with temperature, and below which no amorphization occurs. (author). 26 refs., 6 figs

  15. Photocurrents in retinal rods of pigeons (Columba livia): kinetics and spectral sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palacios, A G; Goldsmith, T H

    1993-01-01

    1. Membrane photocurrents were recorded from outer segments of isolated retinal rods of pigeons (Columba livia), the first such measurements on the photoreceptors of a bird. The amplitude of the response to 20 ms flashes of narrow wavelength bands of light increases linearly with intensity at low photon fluxes and saturates at higher intensities. The maximum (saturating) photocurrent observed in forty-nine rod cells was 50 pA. Larger responses with less variability in the intensity for half-maximal responses were observed when the physiological saline contained 20 mM bicarbonate (in addition to Hepes buffer). 2. The dependence of peak amplitude on intensity is well fitted by an exponential function; it is usually less well fitted by the Michaelis-Menten (Naka-Rushton) equation. 3. In the presence of bicarbonate, the average sensitivity of pigeon rods to dim flashes was 0.56 pA photon-1 microns -2. The effective collecting area per photon was 1.8 microns 2. About 83 +/- 26 (mean +/- S.D.) photoisomerizations were required for a half-saturating response. 4. The response kinetics of rods to dim flashes can be reasonably well described by a series of four to five either Poisson or independent filters. The time to peak, measured from the mid-point of a 20 ms flash, was 319 +/- 83 ms (mean +/- S.D.). The integration time of the response was 851 +/- 86 ms (mean +/- S.D.) with bicarbonate present and 572 +/- 126 ms in the absence of bicarbonate. The responses of pigeon rods appear to be slower than those of mammals at the same temperature. The fraction of current suppressed by a single photoisomerization is smaller in pigeon than in mammalian rods by a factor of at least two. 5. The spectral sensitivity function was measured between 680 and 330 nm. The maximum at about 505 nm (range 497-508 nm) corresponds to the alpha-band of a vertebrate rhodopsin and agrees with previous behavioural measurements of scotopic sensitivity of pigeons as well as the absorption spectrum of

  16. Coupled electron and atomic kinetics through the solution of the Boltzmann equation for generating time-dependent X-ray spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherrill, M.E.; Abdallah, J. Jr.; Csanak, G.; Kilcrease, D.P.; Dodd, E.S.; Fukuda, Y.; Akahane, Y.; Aoyama, M.; Inoue, N.; Ueda, H.; Yamakawa, K.; Faenov, A.Ya.; Magunov, A.I.; Pikuz, T.A.; Skobelev, I.Yu.

    2006-01-01

    In this work, we present a model that solves self-consistently the electron and atomic kinetics to characterize highly non-equilibrium plasmas, in particular for those systems where both the electron distribution function is far from Maxwellian and the evolution of the ion level populations are dominated by time-dependent atomic kinetics. In this model, level populations are obtained from a detailed collisional-radiative model where collision rates are computed from a time varying electron distribution function obtained from the solution of the zero-dimensional Boltzmann equation. The Boltzmann collision term includes the effects of electron-electron collisions, electron collisional ionization, excitation and de-excitation. An application for He α spectra from a short pulse laser irradiated argon cluster target will be shown to illustrate the results of our model

  17. Coupled electron and atomic kinetics through the solution of the Boltzmann equation for generating time-dependent X-ray spectra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sherrill, M.E. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, T-4, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)]. E-mail: manolo@t4.lanl.gov; Abdallah, J. Jr. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, T-4, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Csanak, G. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, T-4, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Kilcrease, D.P. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, T-4, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Dodd, E.S. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, X-1, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Fukuda, Y. [Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Akahane, Y. [Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Aoyama, M. [Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Inoue, N. [Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Ueda, H. [Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Yamakawa, K. [Advanced Photon Research Center, JAERI, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Faenov, A.Ya. [Multicharged Ions Spectra Data Center of VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo, Moscow Region 141570 (Russian Federation); Magunov, A.I. [Multicharged Ions Spectra Data Center of VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo, Moscow Region 141570 (Russian Federation); Pikuz, T.A. [Multicharged Ions Spectra Data Center of VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo, Moscow Region 141570 (Russian Federation); Skobelev, I.Yu. [Multicharged Ions Spectra Data Center of VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo, Moscow Region 141570 (Russian Federation)

    2006-05-15

    In this work, we present a model that solves self-consistently the electron and atomic kinetics to characterize highly non-equilibrium plasmas, in particular for those systems where both the electron distribution function is far from Maxwellian and the evolution of the ion level populations are dominated by time-dependent atomic kinetics. In this model, level populations are obtained from a detailed collisional-radiative model where collision rates are computed from a time varying electron distribution function obtained from the solution of the zero-dimensional Boltzmann equation. The Boltzmann collision term includes the effects of electron-electron collisions, electron collisional ionization, excitation and de-excitation. An application for He{sub {alpha}} spectra from a short pulse laser irradiated argon cluster target will be shown to illustrate the results of our model.

  18. Nonlinear simulation of magnetic reconnection with a drift kinetic electron model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zwingmann, W.; Ottaviani, M.

    2004-01-01

    The process of reconnection allows for a change of magnetic topology inside a plasma. It is an important process for eruptive phenomena in astrophysical plasma, and the sawtooth relaxation in laboratory plasma close to thermonuclear conditions. The sawtooth relaxation is associated with the collisionless electron tearing instability, caused by the electron inertia. A thorough treatment therefore requires a kinetic model for the electron dynamics. In this contribution, we report on the numerical simulation of the electron tearing instability by solving the Vlasov equation directly. The results confirm results of an early paper on the same subject, and extends them to smaller values of the collision skin depth d e = 0.25. Our results suggest a faster than exponential growth in the early nonlinear phase of the instability. We observe as well an asymmetry of the resulting fields. It seems, however, that the field structure becomes closer to the fluid case for small values of d e

  19. Influence of Proton Acceptors on the Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reaction Kinetics of a Ruthenium-Tyrosine Complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lennox, J Christian; Dempsey, Jillian L

    2017-11-22

    A polypyridyl ruthenium complex with fluorinated bipyridine ligands and a covalently bound tyrosine moiety was synthesized, and its photo-induced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactivity in acetonitrile was investigated with transient absorption spectroscopy. Using flash-quench methodology with methyl viologen as an oxidative quencher, a Ru 3+ species is generated that is capable of initiating the intramolecular PCET oxidation of the tyrosine moiety. Using a series of substituted pyridine bases, the reaction kinetics were found to vary as a function of proton acceptor concentration and identity, with no significant H/D kinetic isotope effect. Through analysis of the kinetics traces and comparison to a control complex without the tyrosine moiety, PCET reactivity was found to proceed through an equilibrium electron transfer followed by proton transfer (ET-PT) pathway in which irreversible deprotonation of the tyrosine radical cation shifts the ET equilibrium, conferring a base dependence on the reaction. Comprehensive kinetics modeling allowed for deconvolution of complex kinetics and determination of rate constants for each elementary step. Across the five pyridine bases explored, spanning a range of 4.2 pK a units, a linear free-energy relationship was found for the proton transfer rate constant with a slope of 0.32. These findings highlight the influence that proton transfer driving force exerts on PCET reaction kinetics.

  20. H2O2 sensing using HRP modified catalyst-free ZnO nanorods synthesized by RF sputtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Amit; Kumar, Naresh; Singh, Priti; Singh, Sunil Kumar

    2017-06-01

    Catalyst-free ( 00 l) oriented ZnO nanorods (NRs) -based biosensor for the H2O2 sensing has been reported. The (002) oriented ZnO NRs as confirmed by X-ray diffraction were successfully grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate by radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique without using any catalyst. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme was immobilized on ZnO NRs by physical adsorption technique to prepare the biosensor. In this HRP/ZnO NR/ITO bioelectrode, nafion solution was added to form a tight membrane on surface. The prepared bioelectrode has been used for biosensing measurements by electrochemical analyzer. The electrochemical studies reveal that the prepared HRP/ZnO NR/ITO biosensor is highly sensitive to the detection of H2O2 over a linear range of 0.250-10 μM. The ZnO NR-based biosensor showed lower value of detection limit (0.125 μM) and higher sensitivity (13.40 µA/µM cm2) towards H2O2. The observed value of higher sensitivity attributed to larger surface area of ZnO nanostructure for effective loading of HRP besides its high electron communication capability. In addition, the biosensor also shows lower value of enzyme's kinetic parameter (Michaelis-Menten constant, K m) of 0.262 μM which indicates enhanced enzyme affinity of HRP to H2O2. The reported biosensor may be useful for various applications in biosensing, clinical, food, and beverage industry.

  1. Kinetics of the reactions of hydrated electrons with metal complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korsse, J.

    1983-01-01

    The reactivity of the hydrated electron towards metal complexes is considered. Experiments are described involving metal EDTA and similar complexes. The metal ions studied are mainly Ni 2+ , Co 2+ and Cu 2+ . Rates of the reactions of the complexes with e - (aq) were measured using the pulse radiolysis technique. It is shown that the reactions of e - (aq) with the copper complexes display unusually small kinetic salt effects. The results suggest long-range electron transfer by tunneling. A tunneling model is presented and the experimental results are discussed in terms of this model. Results of approximate molecular orbital calculations of some redox potentials are given, for EDTA chelates as well as for series of hexacyano and hexaquo complexes. Finally, equilibrium constants for the formation of ternary complexes are reported. (Auth./G.J.P.)

  2. Kinetic energy of shakeoff atomic electrons from 37K β+ decay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behr, J. A.; Gorelov, A.; Farfan, C.; Smale, S.; Olchanski, K.; Kurchananov, L.; Anholm, M.; Behling, R. S.; Fenker, B.; Shidling, P. D.; Mehlman, M.; Melconian, D.; Ashery, D.; Gwinner, G.; Trinat Collaboration

    2013-10-01

    We have measured the kinetic energies from 0 to 30 eV of atomic shakeoff electrons from the β+ decay of 37K. Despite much experimental and theoretical work on the distribution of final ion charge states, shakeoff electrons from β- decay have only been measured with energies above 150 eV [Mitrokhovich, Nucl. Phys. Atom. Energy, 11, 125 (2010)]. We use our magneto-optical trap's time-varying magnetic quadrupole field combined with a uniform electric field as a spectrometer. Our result has more 15 eV electrons than a model using the sudden approximation and hydrogenic wavefunctions [Levinger, Phys. Rev. 90, 11 (1958)]. The total energy carried away by electrons is, as expected, a negligible correction to superallowed Ft values. Understanding the energy of these low-energy electrons is important for their use in precision β decay to select events coming from trapped atoms and start time-of-flight for the recoil ions. Our results could provide a benchmark for shakeoff electron calculations used for biological radiation damage [Lee, Comp. Math. Meth in Medicine doi:10.1155/2012/651475]. Support: NSERC, NRC through TRIUMF, DOE ER41747 ER40773, State of Texas, Israel Science Foundation.

  3. Optically Controlled Electron-Transfer Reaction Kinetics and Solvation Dynamics : Effect of Franck-Condon States

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gupta, Kriti; Patra, Aniket; Dhole, Kajal; Samanta, Alok Kumar; Ghosh, Swapan K.

    2017-01-01

    Experimental results for optically controlled electron-transfer reaction kinetics (ETRK) and nonequilibrium solvation dynamics (NESD) of Coumarin 480 in DMPC vesicle show their dependence on excitation wavelength λex. However, the celebrated Marcus theory and linear-response-theory-based approaches

  4. Species Differences in the Oxidative Desulfurization of a Thiouracil-Based Irreversible Myeloperoxidase Inactivator by Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase Enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eng, Heather; Sharma, Raman; Wolford, Angela; Di, Li; Ruggeri, Roger B; Buckbinder, Leonard; Conn, Edward L; Dalvie, Deepak K; Kalgutkar, Amit S

    2016-08-01

    N1-Substituted-6-arylthiouracils, represented by compound 1 [6-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydropyrimidin-4(1H)-one], are a novel class of selective irreversible inhibitors of human myeloperoxidase. The present account is a summary of our in vitro studies on the facile oxidative desulfurization in compound 1 to a cyclic ether metabolite M1 [5-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-7H-oxazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-7-one] in NADPH-supplemented rats (t1/2 [half-life = mean ± S.D.] = 8.6 ± 0.4 minutes) and dog liver microsomes (t1/2 = 11.2 ± 0.4 minutes), but not in human liver microsomes (t1/2 > 120 minutes). The in vitro metabolic instability also manifested in moderate-to-high plasma clearances of the parent compound in rats and dogs with significant concentrations of M1 detected in circulation. Mild heat deactivation of liver microsomes or coincubation with the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) inhibitor imipramine significantly diminished M1 formation. In contrast, oxidative metabolism of compound 1 to M1 was not inhibited by the pan cytochrome P450 inactivator 1-aminobenzotriazole. Incubations with recombinant FMO isoforms (FMO1, FMO3, and FMO5) revealed that FMO1 principally catalyzed the conversion of compound 1 to M1. FMO1 is not expressed in adult human liver, which rationalizes the species difference in oxidative desulfurization. Oxidation by FMO1 followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with Michaelis-Menten constant, maximum rate of oxidative desulfurization, and intrinsic clearance values of 209 μM, 20.4 nmol/min/mg protein, and 82.7 μl/min/mg protein, respectively. Addition of excess glutathione essentially eliminated the conversion of compound 1 to M1 in NADPH-supplemented rat and dog liver microsomes, which suggests that the initial FMO1-mediated S-oxygenation of compound 1 yields a sulfenic acid intermediate capable of redox cycling to the parent compound in a glutathione-dependent fashion or undergoing further oxidation to a more

  5. Femto-clock for the electron kinetics in swift heavy ion tracks

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Medvedev, Nikita; Volkov, A.E.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 50, č. 44 (2017), s. 1-11, č. článku 445302. ISSN 0022-3727 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LG15013; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2015083 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : swift heavy ions * electron kinetics * femto-clock * femtosecond resolution * spectroscopy * radiative decay Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 2.588, year: 2016

  6. Recommended Auger-electron kinetic energies for 42 elemental solids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Powell, C.J.

    2010-01-01

    An analysis is presented of Auger-electron kinetic energies (KEs) from four data sources for 65 Auger transitions in 45 elemental solids. For each data source, a single instrument had been used to measure KEs for many elements. In order to compare KEs from two sources, it was necessary to recalibrate the energy scales of each instrument using recommended reference data. Mean KEs are given for most of the Auger transitions for which there were at least two independent measurements and for which differences from the mean KEs were considered acceptably small. In several cases, comparisons were made to published KE data to resolve discrepancies. We are able to recommend mean KEs for 59 Auger transitions from 42 elemental solids and to provide estimates of the uncertainties of these KEs. This compilation should be useful for the determination of chemical shifts of Auger peaks in Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

  7. The sociology of language in Johann David Michaelis's dissertation of 1760.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, R N

    1976-10-01

    In 1759 Johann David Michaelis won a prize from the Prussian Royal Academy for his essay Beantwortung der Frage von dem Einfluss der Meinungen in die Sprache, und der sprache in die Meinungen. The essay was published in the following year and translated into French in 1762, into English in 1769, and into Dutch in 1771. The work has two major themes--linguistic relativity and language change--with ancillary discussions of language in general and of homonymy. Its most significant contribution to the theory of language is its discussion of linguistic relativity, especially in its manifestations in the influence of language on thought. Given the intellectual milieu of the work where inquiry was centered on the origin of language and language universals, it stands as one of the few discussions of this topic and it is also one of the most fruitful discussions of linguistic relativity for any period of history.

  8. Semi-local machine-learned kinetic energy density functional with third-order gradients of electron density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seino, Junji; Kageyama, Ryo; Fujinami, Mikito; Ikabata, Yasuhiro; Nakai, Hiromi

    2018-06-01

    A semi-local kinetic energy density functional (KEDF) was constructed based on machine learning (ML). The present scheme adopts electron densities and their gradients up to third-order as the explanatory variables for ML and the Kohn-Sham (KS) kinetic energy density as the response variable in atoms and molecules. Numerical assessments of the present scheme were performed in atomic and molecular systems, including first- and second-period elements. The results of 37 conventional KEDFs with explicit formulae were also compared with those of the ML KEDF with an implicit formula. The inclusion of the higher order gradients reduces the deviation of the total kinetic energies from the KS calculations in a stepwise manner. Furthermore, our scheme with the third-order gradient resulted in the closest kinetic energies to the KS calculations out of the presented functionals.

  9. Chemical kinetics and relaxation of non-equilibrium air plasma generated by energetic photon and electron beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maulois, Melissa; Ribière, Maxime; Eichwald, Olivier; Yousfi, Mohammed; Azaïs, Bruno

    2016-01-01

    The comprehension of electromagnetic perturbations of electronic devices, due to air plasma-induced electromagnetic field, requires a thorough study on air plasma. In the aim to understand the phenomena at the origin of the formation of non-equilibrium air plasma, we simulate, using a volume average chemical kinetics model (0D model), the time evolution of a non-equilibrium air plasma generated by an energetic X-ray flash. The simulation is undertaken in synthetic air (80% N_2 and 20% O_2) at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. When the X-ray flash crosses the gas, non-relativistic Compton electrons (low energy) and a relativistic Compton electron beam (high energy) are simultaneously generated and interact with the gas. The considered chemical kinetics scheme involves 26 influent species (electrons, positive ions, negative ions, and neutral atoms and molecules in their ground or metastable excited states) reacting following 164 selected reactions. The kinetics model describing the plasma chemistry was coupled to the conservation equation of the electron mean energy, in order to calculate at each time step of the non-equilibrium plasma evolution, the coefficients of reactions involving electrons while the energy of the heavy species (positive and negative ions and neutral atoms and molecules) is assumed remaining close to ambient temperature. It has been shown that it is the relativistic Compton electron beam directly created by the X-ray flash which is mainly responsible for the non-equilibrium plasma formation. Indeed, the low energy electrons (i.e., the non-relativistic ones) directly ejected from molecules by Compton collisions contribute to less than 1% on the creation of electrons in the plasma. In our simulation conditions, a non-equilibrium plasma with a low electron mean energy close to 1 eV and a concentration of charged species close to 10"1"3" cm"−"3 is formed a few nanoseconds after the peak of X-ray flash intensity. 200 ns after the

  10. Direct measurement of catalase activity in living cells and tissue biopsies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scaglione, Christine N; Xu, Qijin; Ramanujan, V Krishnan

    2016-01-29

    Spatiotemporal regulation of enzyme-substrate interactions governs the decision-making steps in biological systems. Enzymes, being functional units of every living cell, contribute to the macromolecular stability of cell survival, proliferation and hence are vital windows to unraveling the biological complexity. Experimental measurements capturing this dynamics of enzyme-substrate interactions in real time add value to this understanding. Furthermore these measurements, upon validation in realistic biological specimens such as clinical biopsies - can further improve our capability in disease diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Towards this direction, we describe here a novel, high-sensitive measurement system for measuring diffusion-limited enzyme-substrate kinetics in real time. Using catalase (enzyme) and hydrogen peroxide (substrate) as the example pair, we demonstrate that this system is capable of direct measurement of catalase activity in vitro and the measured kinetics follows the classical Michaelis-Menten reaction kinetics. We further demonstrate the system performance by measuring catalase activity in living cells and in very small amounts of liver biopsies (down to 1 μg total protein). Catalase-specific enzyme activity is demonstrated by genetic and pharmacological tools. Finally we show the clinically-relevant diagnostic capability of our system by comparing the catalase activities in liver biopsies from young and old mouse (liver and serum) samples. We discuss the potential applicability of this system in clinical diagnostics as well as in intraoperative surgical settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Competition between roots and microorganisms for nitrogen: mechanisms and ecological relevance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzyakov, Yakov; Xu, Xingliang

    2013-05-01

    Demand of all living organisms on the same nutrients forms the basis for interspecific competition between plants and microorganisms in soils. This competition is especially strong in the rhizosphere. To evaluate competitive and mutualistic interactions between plants and microorganisms and to analyse ecological consequences of these interactions, we analysed 424 data pairs from 41 (15)N-labelling studies that investigated (15)N redistribution between roots and microorganisms. Calculated Michaelis-Menten kinetics based on K(m) (Michaelis constant) and V(max) (maximum uptake capacity) values from 77 studies on the uptake of nitrate, ammonia, and amino acids by roots and microorganisms clearly showed that, shortly after nitrogen (N) mobilization from soil organic matter and litter, microorganisms take up most N. Lower K(m) values of microorganisms suggest that they are especially efficient at low N concentrations, but can also acquire more N at higher N concentrations (V(max)) compared with roots. Because of the unidirectional flow of nutrients from soil to roots, plants are the winners for N acquisition in the long run. Therefore, despite strong competition between roots and microorganisms for N, a temporal niche differentiation reflecting their generation times leads to mutualistic relationships in the rhizosphere. This temporal niche differentiation is highly relevant ecologically because it: protects ecosystems from N losses by leaching during periods of slow or no root uptake; continuously provides roots with available N according to plant demand; and contributes to the evolutionary development of mutualistic interactions between roots and microorganisms. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

  12. Estudio cinético del proceso de digestión anaerobia de aguas de lavado de aceitunas de almazara en reactores de mezcla completa con microorganismos inmovilizados

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Borja, Rafael

    1999-04-01

    Full Text Available A kinetic study of the continuous anaerobic digestion process of wastewaters from the washing of olives prior to the oil production process was carried out in a completely mixed reactor with sepiolite immobilised biomass at 35° C. Four influent COD concentrations, 4,5, 3,5, 2,5 y 1,5 g COD/I were used as substrate operating for a hydraulic retention time range of 4,5 to 1,25 days. The Michaelis-Menten model has been applied, obtaining the values of the maximum substrate utilization rate, k( (g COD/g VSS day, and the kinetic constant of the process, Ks (g COD/I, for each influent substrate concentration studied. The values of these parameters significantly decreased with decreasing concentration of influent wastewater, showing the highest values for the greatest influent substrate concentration used as feed. The microbial yield coefficient, Yx, and sludge decay rate coefficient, kd, were also determined to be 0,14 g VSS/g COD and 0,003 days-1 respectively.

    Se ha efectuado un estudio cinético del proceso de digestión anaerobia en régimen continuo de aguas de lavado de aceitunas de almazara en un reactor de mezcla completa utilizando sepiolita como soporte para la inmovilización de los microorganismos responsables del proceso, a la temperatura de 35° C. Se utilizan cuatro concentraciones de sustrato como alimento, 4,5, 3,5, 2,5 y 1,5g DQO/I, operando con cada una de ellas en un rango de tiempos de retención hidráulicos de 4,5 a 1,25 días. Para ello, se aplica el método cinético de Michaelis-Menten, obteniéndose los valores de la velocidad máxima de utilización de sustrato, k(g DQO/g SSV día, y de la constante cinética del proceso, Ks (g DQO/I, para cada concentración de sustrato objeto de estudio. Se observa que estas constantes cinéticas disminuyen de forma significativa al disminuir la concentración de sustrato en el alimento

  13. Calculation of statistic estimates of kinetic parameters from substrate uncompetitive inhibition equation using the median method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro L. Valencia

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available We provide initial rate data from enzymatic reaction experiments and tis processing to estimate the kinetic parameters from the substrate uncompetitive inhibition equation using the median method published by Eisenthal and Cornish-Bowden (Cornish-Bowden and Eisenthal, 1974; Eisenthal and Cornish-Bowden, 1974. The method was denominated the direct linear plot and consists in the calculation of the median from a dataset of kinetic parameters Vmax and Km from the Michaelis–Menten equation. In this opportunity we present the procedure to applicate the direct linear plot to the substrate uncompetitive inhibition equation; a three-parameter equation. The median method is characterized for its robustness and its insensibility to outlier. The calculations are presented in an Excel datasheet and a computational algorithm was developed in the free software Python. The kinetic parameters of the substrate uncompetitive inhibition equation Vmax, Km and Ks were calculated using three experimental points from the dataset formed by 13 experimental points. All the 286 combinations were calculated. The dataset of kinetic parameters resulting from this combinatorial was used to calculate the median which corresponds to the statistic estimator of the real kinetic parameters. A comparative statistical analyses between the median method and the least squares was published in Valencia et al. [3].

  14. Monte Carlo simulation of heavy ion induced kinetic electron emission from an Al surface

    CERN Document Server

    Ohya, K

    2002-01-01

    A Monte Carlo simulation is performed in order to study heavy ion induced kinetic electron emission from an Al surface. In the simulation, excitation of conduction band electrons by the projectile ion and recoiling target atoms is treated on the basis of the partial wave expansion method, and the cascade multiplication process of the excited electrons is simulated as well as collision cascade of the recoiling target atoms. Experimental electron yields near conventional threshold energies of heavy ions are simulated by an assumption of a lowering in the apparent surface barrier for the electrons. The present calculation derives components for electron excitations by the projectile ion, the recoiling target atoms and the electron cascades, from the calculated total electron yield. The component from the recoiling target atoms increases with increasing projectile mass, whereas the component from the electron cascade decreases. Although the components from the projectile ion and the electron cascade increase with...

  15. Kinetics of the electronic center annealing in Al2O3 crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzovkov, V. N.; Kotomin, E. A.; Popov, A. I.

    2018-04-01

    The experimental annealing kinetics of the primary electronic F, F+ centers and dimer F2 centers observed in Al2O3 produced under neutron irradiation were carefully analyzed. The developed theory takes into account the interstitial ion diffusion and recombination with immobile F-type and F2-centers, as well as mutual sequential transformation with temperature of three types of experimentally observed dimer centers which differ by net charges (0, +1, +2) with respect to the host crystalline sites. The relative initial concentrations of three types of F2 electronic defects before annealing are obtained, along with energy barriers between their ground states as well as the relaxation energies.

  16. Comparison of biological H2S removal characteristics between a composite packing material with and without functional microorganisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Rencheng; Li, Shunyi; Bao, Xiaofeng; Dumont, Éric

    2017-02-01

    The performances of two identical biofilters, filled with a new composite packing material (named CM-5) embedded with functional microorganisms or sterilized CM-5 without microorganisms, were investigated for H2S treatment. Running parameters in terms of microbial counts, pressure drops, and inlet and outlet H2S concentrations were measured. The results show that the microbial count of the CM-5 was approximately ×105 CFU/g before being filled into the biofilter, while that of the sterilized CM-5 was negligible. The functional microorganisms embedded in CM-5 adapted to the environment containing H2S quickly. In most cases, pressure drops of the CM-5 biofilter were slightly higher than those of the sterilized CM-5 biofilter when the gas flow rate was 0.6-2.5 m3/h. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) of the CM-5 biofilter in treating H2S could reach up to 65 g/(m3·h) when the loading rate (LR) was approximately 80 g/(m3·h). If the LR was much higher, the measured EC showed a slight downward trend. The experimental ECs of biofilters were fitted by two typical dynamic models: the Michaelis-Menten model and the Haldane model. Compared with the Michaelis-Menten model, the Haldane model fit the experimental ECs better for the two biofilters because of the presence of the substrate inhibition behaviour.

  17. HPLC-Based Method to Evaluate Kinetics of Glucosinolate Hydrolysis by Sinapis alba Myrosinase1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vastenhout, Kayla J.; Tornberg, Ruthellen H.; Johnson, Amanda L.; Amolins, Michael W.; Mays, Jared R.

    2014-01-01

    Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are one of several hydrolysis products of glucosinolates, plant secondary metabolites which are substrates for the thioglucohydrolase myrosinase. Recent pursuits toward the development of synthetic, non-natural ITCs have consequently led to an exploration of generating these compounds from non-natural glucosinolate precursors. Evaluation of the myrosinase-dependent conversion of select non-natural glucosinolates to non-natural ITCs cannot be accomplished using established UV-Vis spectroscopic methods. To overcome this limitation, an alternative HPLC-based analytical approach was developed where initial reaction velocities were generated from non-linear reaction progress curves. Validation of this HPLC method was accomplished through parallel evaluation of three glucosinolates with UV-Vis methodology. The results of this study demonstrate that kinetic data is consistent between both analytical methods and that the tested glucosinolates respond similarly to both Michaelis–Menten and specific activity analyses. Consequently, this work resulted in the complete kinetic characterization of three glucosinolates with Sinapis alba myrosinase, with results that were consistent with previous reports. PMID:25068719

  18. Electrochemical Measurement of Electron Transfer Kinetics by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, Daniel; LaBelle, Edward; Coursolle, Dan; Gralnick, Jeffrey A.; Bond, Daniel R.

    2009-01-01

    Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1 can respire using carbon electrodes and metal oxyhydroxides as electron acceptors, requiring mechanisms for transferring electrons from the cell interior to surfaces located beyond the cell. Although purified outer membrane cytochromes will reduce both electrodes and metals, S. oneidensis also secretes flavins, which accelerate electron transfer to metals and electrodes. We developed techniques for detecting direct electron transfer by intact cells, using turnover and single turnover voltammetry. Metabolically active cells attached to graphite electrodes produced thin (submonolayer) films that demonstrated both catalytic and reversible electron transfer in the presence and absence of flavins. In the absence of soluble flavins, electron transfer occurred in a broad potential window centered at ∼0 V (versus standard hydrogen electrode), and was altered in single (ΔomcA, ΔmtrC) and double deletion (ΔomcA/ΔmtrC) mutants of outer membrane cytochromes. The addition of soluble flavins at physiological concentrations significantly accelerated electron transfer and allowed catalytic electron transfer to occur at lower applied potentials (−0.2 V). Scan rate analysis indicated that rate constants for direct electron transfer were slower than those reported for pure cytochromes (∼1 s−1). These observations indicated that anodic current in the higher (>0 V) window is due to activation of a direct transfer mechanism, whereas electron transfer at lower potentials is enabled by flavins. The electrochemical dissection of these activities in living cells into two systems with characteristic midpoint potentials and kinetic behaviors explains prior observations and demonstrates the complementary nature of S. oneidensis electron transfer strategies. PMID:19661057

  19. Some fundamental questions concerning the kinetic theory of electrons in molecular gases and the e H2 vibrational cross section controversy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robson, R. E.; White, R. D.; Morrison, Michael A.

    2003-10-01

    We commence a fundamental re-examination of the kinetic theory of charged particle swarms in molecular gases, focusing on collisional excitation of molecular rotational and ro-vibrational states by electrons. Modern day analysis of electron swarms has been based upon the kinetic equation of Wang-Chang et al, which simply treats all processes as scalar energy excitations, and ignores angular momentum conservation and the vector dynamics associated with rotational excitation. It is pointed out that there is no alternative, more exact kinetic equation readily available for electrons which enables one to directly ascertain the degree of error introduced by this approximation. Thus in this preliminary study, we approach the problem indirectly, from the standpoint of the neutral molecules, using the Waldmann-Snider quantum kinetic equation, and insist that an electron-molecule collision must look the same from the perspective of both electron and molecule. We give a formula for quantitatively assessing the importance of scalar versus vectorial treatments of rotational excitation by looking at the post-collisional 'echo' produced by an electron swarm as it passes through the gas. It is then pointed out that in order to remedy any deficiency, it will be necessary to introduce a kinetic collisional operator non-local in space to properly account for angular momentum conservation, as has long been established in the literature. This is a major exercise and given the preliminary nature of this study, we consider the inclusion of such effects from a formal point of view only. In particular we show how non-local effects lead to a spatially dependent 'source' term in the equation of continuity, and hence to corrections for both drift velocity and diffusion coefficients. The magnitude of these corrections has yet to be established.

  20. Some fundamental questions concerning the kinetic theory of electrons in molecular gases and the e-H2 vibrational cross section controversy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robson, R E; White, R D; Morrison, Michael A

    2003-01-01

    We commence a fundamental re-examination of the kinetic theory of charged particle swarms in molecular gases, focusing on collisional excitation of molecular rotational and ro-vibrational states by electrons. Modern day analysis of electron swarms has been based upon the kinetic equation of Wang-Chang et al, which simply treats all processes as scalar energy excitations, and ignores angular momentum conservation and the vector dynamics associated with rotational excitation. It is pointed out that there is no alternative, more exact kinetic equation readily available for electrons which enables one to directly ascertain the degree of error introduced by this approximation. Thus in this preliminary study, we approach the problem indirectly, from the standpoint of the neutral molecules, using the Waldmann-Snider quantum kinetic equation, and insist that an electron-molecule collision must look the same from the perspective of both electron and molecule. We give a formula for quantitatively assessing the importance of scalar versus vectorial treatments of rotational excitation by looking at the post-collisional 'echo' produced by an electron swarm as it passes through the gas. It is then pointed out that in order to remedy any deficiency, it will be necessary to introduce a kinetic collisional operator non-local in space to properly account for angular momentum conservation, as has long been established in the literature. This is a major exercise and given the preliminary nature of this study, we consider the inclusion of such effects from a formal point of view only. In particular we show how non-local effects lead to a spatially dependent 'source' term in the equation of continuity, and hence to corrections for both drift velocity and diffusion coefficients. The magnitude of these corrections has yet to be established

  1. Optimization of decay kinetics of YAG:Ce single crystal scintillators for S(T)EM electron detectors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Schauer, Petr

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 269, č. 21 (2011), s. 2572-2577 ISSN 0168-583X R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP102/10/1410 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511 Keywords : scintillation detector * electron microscope * cathodoluminescence * YAG:Ce single crystal scintillator * decay time * afterglow * kinetic model * SEM * STEM Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.211, year: 2011

  2. Phosphotyrosine as a substrate of acid and alkaline phosphatases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apostoł, I; Kuciel, R; Wasylewska, E; Ostrowski, W S

    1985-01-01

    A new spectrophotometric method for following dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine has been described. The absorption spectra of phosphotyrosine and tyrosine were plotted over the pH range from 3 to 9. The change in absorbance accompanying the conversion of phosphotyrosine to tyrosine was the greatest at 286 nm. The difference absorption coefficients were calculated for several pH values. Dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine by acid phosphatases from human prostate gland, from wheat germ and potatoes obeys the Michaelis-Menten equation, whereas alkaline phosphatases calf intestine and E. coli are inhibited by excess of substrate.

  3. General chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    This book explains chemical equilibrium with nature and characteristic of chemical equilibrium, law of mass action and direction of chemical equilibrium, acid-base equilibrium with principle of acid and base and amino acid, solubility and precipitation equilibrium with equilibrium of solubility, complex ion and solubility, electrochemistry on oxidation-reduction reaction, battery and fuel cell, decay and electrolysis, chemical reaction speed and nuclear reaction with Michaelis-Menten mechanism safety of nuclear, transition elements and coordination compound with introduction, name, structure and ligand EDTA and solid structure with categorization of solid and unit cell.

  4. Exploring unimolecular dissociation kinetics of ethyl dibromide through electronic structure calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulvi, Nitin R.; Patel, Priyanka; Badani, Purav M.

    2018-04-01

    Pathway for dissociation of multihalogenated alkyls is observed to be competitive between molecular and atomic elimination products. Factors such as molecular structure, temperature and pressure are known to influence the same. Hence present work is focussed to explore mechanism and kinetics of atomic (Br) and molecular (HBr and Br2) elimination upon pyrolysis of 1,1- and 1,2-ethyl dibromide (EDB). For this purpose, electronic structure calculations were performed at DFT and CCSD(T) level of theory. In addition to concerted mechanism, an alternate energetically efficient isomerisation pathway has been exploited for molecular elimination. Energy calculations are further complimented by detailed kinetic investigation, over wide range of temperature and pressure, using suitable models like Canonical Transition State Theory, Statistical Adiabatic Channel Model and Troe's formalism. Our calculations suggest high branching ratio for dehydrohalogentation reaction, from both isomers of EDB. Fall off curve depicts good agreement between theoretically estimated and experimentally reported values.

  5. Engineering the l-Arabinose Isomerase from Enterococcus Faecium for d-Tagatose Synthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marylane de Sousa

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available l-Arabinose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.4 (l-AI from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 was overproduced in Escherichia coli by designing a codon-optimized synthetic araA gene. Using this optimized gene, two N- and C-terminal His-tagged-l-AI proteins were produced. The cloning of the two chimeric genes into regulated expression vectors resulted in the production of high amounts of recombinant N-His-l-AI and C-His-l-AI in soluble and active forms. Both His-tagged enzymes were purified in a single step through metal-affinity chromatography and showed different kinetic and structural characteristics. Analytical ultracentrifugation revealed that C-His-l-AI was preferentially hexameric in solution, whereas N-His-l-AI was mainly monomeric. The specific activity of the N-His-l-AI at acidic pH was higher than that of C-His-l-AI and showed a maximum bioconversion yield of 26% at 50 °C for d-tagatose biosynthesis, with Km and Vmax parameters of 252 mM and 0.092 U mg−1, respectively. However, C-His-l-AI was more active and stable at alkaline pH than N-His-l-AI. N-His-l-AI follows a Michaelis-Menten kinetic, whereas C-His-l-AI fitted to a sigmoidal saturation curve.

  6. Characterization of inorganic phosphate transport in the triple-negative breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo-Abrahão, Thais; Lacerda-Abreu, Marco Antônio; Gomes, Tainá; Cosentino-Gomes, Daniela; Carvalho-de-Araújo, Ayra Diandra; Rodrigues, Mariana Figueiredo; Oliveira, Ana Carolina Leal de; Rumjanek, Franklin David; Monteiro, Robson de Queiroz; Meyer-Fernandes, José Roberto

    2018-01-01

    Recent studies demonstrate that interstitial inorganic phosphate is significantly elevated in the breast cancer microenvironment as compared to normal tissue. In addition it has been shown that breast cancer cells express high levels of the NaPi-IIb carrier (SLC34A2), suggesting that this carrier may play a role in breast cancer progression. However, the biochemical behavior of inorganic phosphate (Pi) transporter in this cancer type remains elusive. In this work, we characterize the kinetic parameters of Pi transport in the aggressive human breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, and correlated Pi transport with cell migration and adhesion. We determined the influence of sodium concentration, pH, metabolic inhibitors, as well as the affinity for inorganic phosphate in Pi transport. We observed that the inorganic phosphate is dependent on sodium transport (K0,5 value = 21.98 mM for NaCl). Furthermore, the transport is modulated by different pH values and increasing concentrations of Pi, following the Michaelis-Menten kinetics (K0,5 = 0.08 mM Pi). PFA, monensin, furosemide and ouabain inhibited Pi transport, cell migration and adhesion. Taken together, these results showed that the uptake of Pi in MDA-MB-231 cells is modulated by sodium and by regulatory mechanisms of intracellular sodium gradient. General Significance: Pi transport might be regarded as a potential target for therapy against tumor progression.

  7. Semi-Mechanistic Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling of L-Histidine Disposition and Brain Uptake in Wildtype and Pht1 Null Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao-Xing; Li, Yang-Bing; Feng, Meihua R; Smith, David E

    2018-01-05

    To develop a semi-mechanistic population pharmacokinetic (PK) model to quantitate the disposition kinetics of L-histidine, a peptide-histidine transporter 1 (PHT1) substrate, in the plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and brain parenchyma of wildtype (WT) and Pht1 knockout (KO) mice. L-[ 14 C]Hisidine (L-His) was administrated to WT and KO mice via tail vein injection, after which plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain parenchyma samples were collected. A PK model was developed using non-linear mixed effects modeling (NONMEM). The disposition of L-His between the plasma, brain, and CSF was described by a combination of PHT1-mediated uptake, CSF bulk flow and first-order micro-rate constants. The PK profile of L-His was best described by a four-compartment model. A more rapid uptake of L-His in brain parenchyma was observed in WT mice due to PHT1-mediated uptake, a process characterized by a Michaelis-Menten component (V max  = 0.051 nmoL/min and K m  = 34.94 μM). A semi-mechanistic population PK model was successfully developed, for the first time, to quantitatively characterize the disposition kinetics of L-His in brain under in vivo conditions. This model may prove a useful tool in predicting the uptake of L-His, and possibly other PHT1 peptide/mimetic substrates, for drug delivery to the brain.

  8. Parameter estimation in tree graph metabolic networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astola, Laura; Stigter, Hans; Gomez Roldan, Maria Victoria; van Eeuwijk, Fred; Hall, Robert D; Groenenboom, Marian; Molenaar, Jaap J

    2016-01-01

    We study the glycosylation processes that convert initially toxic substrates to nutritionally valuable metabolites in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings. To estimate the reaction rates we use ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to model the enzyme kinetics. A popular choice is to use a system of linear ODEs with constant kinetic rates or to use Michaelis-Menten kinetics. In reality, the catalytic rates, which are affected among other factors by kinetic constants and enzyme concentrations, are changing in time and with the approaches just mentioned, this phenomenon cannot be described. Another problem is that, in general these kinetic coefficients are not always identifiable. A third problem is that, it is not precisely known which enzymes are catalyzing the observed glycosylation processes. With several hundred potential gene candidates, experimental validation using purified target proteins is expensive and time consuming. We aim at reducing this task via mathematical modeling to allow for the pre-selection of most potential gene candidates. In this article we discuss a fast and relatively simple approach to estimate time varying kinetic rates, with three favorable properties: firstly, it allows for identifiable estimation of time dependent parameters in networks with a tree-like structure. Secondly, it is relatively fast compared to usually applied methods that estimate the model derivatives together with the network parameters. Thirdly, by combining the metabolite concentration data with a corresponding microarray data, it can help in detecting the genes related to the enzymatic processes. By comparing the estimated time dynamics of the catalytic rates with time series gene expression data we may assess potential candidate genes behind enzymatic reactions. As an example, we show how to apply this method to select prominent glycosyltransferase genes in tomato seedlings.

  9. The kinetics of low-temperature electron-phonon relaxation in a metallic film following instantaneous heating of the electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bezuglyi, A.I.; Shklovskii, V.A.

    1997-01-01

    The theoretical analysis of experiments on pulsed laser irradiation of metallic films sputtered on insulating supports is usually based on semiphenomenological dynamical equations for the electron and phonon temperatures, an approach that ignores the nonuniformity and the nonthermal nature of the phonon distribution function. In this paper we discuss a microscopic model that describes the dynamics of the electron-phonon system in terms of kinetic equations for the electron and phonon distribution functions. Such a model provides a microscopic picture of the nonlinear energy relaxation of the electron-phonon system of a rapidly heated film. We find that in a relatively thick film the energy relaxation of electrons consists of three stages: the emission of nonequilibrium phonons by 'hot' electrons, the thermalization of electrons and phonons due to phonon reabsorption, and finally the cooling of the thermalized electron-phonon system as a result of phonon exchange between film and substrate. In thin films, where there is no reabsorption of nonequilibrium phonons, the energy relaxation consists of only one stage, the first. The relaxation dynamics of an experimentally observable quantity, the phonon contribution to the electrical conductivity of the cooling film, is directly related to the dynamics of the electron temperature, which makes it possible to use the data of experiments on the relaxation of voltage across films to establish the electron-phonon and phonon-electron collision times and the average time of phonon escape from film to substrate

  10. Kinetic and thermodynamic study of the reaction catalyzed by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin del Campo, Julia S.; Patino, Rodrigo

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → The reaction catalyzed by one enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway was studied. → A spectrophotometric method is proposed for kinetic and thermodynamic analysis. → The pH and the temperature influences are reported on physical chemical properties. → Relative concentrations of substrates are also important in the catalytic process. - Abstract: The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, EC 1.1.1.49) from Leuconostoc mesenteroides has a dual coenzyme specificity with oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD ox ) and oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate as electron acceptors. The G6PD coenzyme selection is determined by the metabolic cellular prevailing conditions. In this study a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis is presented for the reaction catalyzed by G6PD from L. mesenteroides with NAD ox as coenzyme in phosphate buffer. For this work, an in situ spectrophotometric technique was employed based on the detection of one product of the reaction. Substrate and coenzyme concentrations as well as temperature and pH effects were evaluated. The apparent equilibrium constant, the Michaelis constant, and the turnover number were determined as a function of each experimental condition. The standard transformed Gibbs energy of reaction was determined from equilibrium constants at different initial conditions. For the product 6-phospho-D-glucono-1,5-lactone, a value of the standard Gibbs energy of formation is proposed, Δ f G o = -1784 ± 5 kJ mol -1 .

  11. Kinetic and thermodynamic study of the reaction catalyzed by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin del Campo, Julia S. [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados - Unidad Merida, Carretera antigua a Progreso Km. 6, A.P. 73 Cordemex, 97310, Merida, Yucatan (Mexico); Patino, Rodrigo, E-mail: rtarkus@mda.cinvestav.mx [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados - Unidad Merida, Carretera antigua a Progreso Km. 6, A.P. 73 Cordemex, 97310, Merida, Yucatan (Mexico)

    2011-04-20

    Research highlights: {yields} The reaction catalyzed by one enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway was studied. {yields} A spectrophotometric method is proposed for kinetic and thermodynamic analysis. {yields} The pH and the temperature influences are reported on physical chemical properties. {yields} Relative concentrations of substrates are also important in the catalytic process. - Abstract: The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, EC 1.1.1.49) from Leuconostoc mesenteroides has a dual coenzyme specificity with oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD{sub ox}) and oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate as electron acceptors. The G6PD coenzyme selection is determined by the metabolic cellular prevailing conditions. In this study a kinetic and thermodynamic analysis is presented for the reaction catalyzed by G6PD from L. mesenteroides with NAD{sub ox} as coenzyme in phosphate buffer. For this work, an in situ spectrophotometric technique was employed based on the detection of one product of the reaction. Substrate and coenzyme concentrations as well as temperature and pH effects were evaluated. The apparent equilibrium constant, the Michaelis constant, and the turnover number were determined as a function of each experimental condition. The standard transformed Gibbs energy of reaction was determined from equilibrium constants at different initial conditions. For the product 6-phospho-D-glucono-1,5-lactone, a value of the standard Gibbs energy of formation is proposed, {Delta}{sub f}G{sup o} = -1784 {+-} 5 kJ mol{sup -1}.

  12. Contribution to the modelling and multi-scale numerical simulation of kinetic electron transport in hot plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mallet, J.

    2012-01-01

    This research thesis stands at the crossroad of plasma physics, numerical analysis and applied mathematics. After an introduction presenting the problematic and previous works, the author recalls some basis of classical kinetic models for plasma physics (collisionless kinetic theory and Vlasov equation, collisional kinetic theory with the non-relativistic Maxwell-Fokker-Plansk system) and describes the fundamental properties of the collision operators such as conservation laws, entropy dissipation, and so on. He reports the improvement of a deterministic numerical method to solve the non-relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system coupled with Fokker-Planck-Landau type operators. The efficiency of each high order scheme is compared. The evolution of the hot spot is studied in the case of thermonuclear reactions in the centre of the pellet in a weakly collisional regime. The author focuses on the simulation of the kinetic electron collisional transport in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) between the laser absorption zone and the ablation front. A new approach is then introduced to reduce the huge computation time obtained with kinetic models. In a last chapter, the kinetic continuous equation in spherical domain is described and a new model is chosen for collisions in order to preserve collision properties

  13. A highly sensitive electrochemical glucose sensor structuring with nickel hydroxide and enzyme glucose oxidase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathew, Manjusha; Sandhyarani, N.

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: A combination of Ni 2+ /Ni 3+ redox couple and glucose oxidase has successfully been exploited for the realization of a highly sensitive glucose sensor for the first time. -- Highlights: • A multilayered glucose biosensor with enhanced sensitivity was fabricated. • Combination of Ni 2+ /Ni 3+ redox couple and glucose oxidase has been exploited for the first time. • Exhibits a lower detection limit of 100 nM with a high sensitivity of 16,840 μA mM −1 cm −2 . • The surface shows a low Michaelis–Menten constant value of 2.4 μM. • Detailed mechanism of sensing was proposed and justified. -- Abstract: A multilayered glucose biosensor with enhanced electron transport was fabricated via the sequential electrodeposition of chitosan gold nanocomposite (CGNC) and nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH) 2 ) on a bare gold electrode and subsequent immobilization of glucose oxidase. A thin film of Ni(OH) 2 deposited on CGNC modified gold electrode serves as an electrochemical redox probe as well as a matrix for the immobilization of glucose oxidase retaining its activity. Electron transport property of CGNC has been exploited to enhance the electron transport between the analyte and electrode. Electrochemical characteristics of the biosensor were studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Under optimal conditions the biosensor exhibits a linear range from 1 μM to 100 μM with a limit of detection (lod) down to 100 nM. The sensor shows a low Michaelis-Menten constant value of 2.4 μM indicates the high affinity of enzyme to the analyte points to the retained activity of enzyme after immobilization. The present glucose sensor with the high selectivity, sensitivity and stability is promising for practical clinical applications

  14. Recombination kinetics of photogenerated electrons in InGaAs/InP quantum wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tito, M. A.; Pusep, Yu. A.; Gold, A.; Teodoro, M. D.; Marques, G. E.; LaPierre, R. R.

    2016-03-01

    The electron transport and recombination processes of photoexcited electron-hole pairs were studied in InGaAs/InP single quantum wells. Comprehensive transport data analysis reveals a asymmetric shape of the quantum well potential where the electron mobility was found to be dominated by interface-roughness scattering. The low-temperature time-resolved photoluminescence was employed to investigate recombination kinetics of photogenerated electrons. Remarkable modification of Auger recombination was observed with variation of the electron mobility. In high mobility quantum wells, the increasing pump power resulted in a new and unexpected phenomenon: a considerably enhanced Auger non-radiative recombination time. We propose that the distribution of the photoexcited electrons over different conduction band valleys might account for this effect. In low mobility quantum wells, disorder-induced relaxation of the momentum conservation rule causes inter-valley transitions to be insignificant; as a consequence, the non-radiative recombination time is reduced with the increase in pump power. Thus, interface-roughness scattering was found responsible for both transport properties and dynamic optical response in InGaAs/InP quantum wells.

  15. Kinetics of the H 2O 2-dependent ligninase-catalyzed oxidation of veratryl alcohol in the presence of cationic surfactant studied by spectrophotometric technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Airong; Huang, Xirong; Song, Shaofang; Wang, Dan; Lu, Xuemei; Qu, Yinbo; Gao, Peiji

    2003-09-01

    The kinetics of ligninase-catalyzed oxidation of veratryl alcohol (VA) by H 2O 2 in the aqueous medium containing cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been investigated using spectrophotometric technique. Steady-state kinetic studies at different concentrations of CTAB indicate that the reaction follows a ping pong mechanism and the mechanism always holds but the kinetic parameters vary with CTAB concentrations. CTAB is a weak inhibitor for ligninase; it lowers the maximum initial velocity. CTAB also causes the Michaelis constant of H 2O 2 to decrease dramatically and that of VA to increase markedly. Based on the changes in kinetic parameters of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction at different CTAB concentrations (lower than, near to and larger than its critical micelle concentration) and the effects of the CTAB monomer and the micelles on the spectra of VA and its corresponding aldehyde, a conclusion could be made that modification of the enzymatic protein by the surfactant monomer should be responsible for the above-mentioned results.

  16. Electrochemistry and biosensing activity of cytochrome c immobilized on a mesoporous interface assembled from carbon nanospheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Y.; Bian, X.; Liao, L.; Zhu, J.; Guo, K.; Kong, J.; Liu, B.

    2012-01-01

    We report on an amperometric biosensor for hydrogen peroxide. It is obtained via layer-by-layer assembly of ordered mesoporous carbon nanospheres and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) on the surface of an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass electrode and subsequent adsorption of cytochrome c. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy was applied to characterize the process of forming the assembled layers. Cyclic voltammetry revealed a direct and quasi-reversible electron transfer between cytochrome c and the surface of the modified ITO electrode. The surface-controlled electron transfer has an apparent heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constant (k s ) of 5.9 ± 0.2 s -1 in case of the 5-layer electrode. The biosensor displays good electrocatalytic response to the reduction of H 2O 2, and the amperometric signal increase steadily with the concentration of H 2 O 2 in the range from 5 μM to 1.5 mM. The detection limit is 1 μM at pH 7.4. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K m ) of the sensor is 0.53 mM. We assume that the observation of a direct electron transfer of cytochrome c on mesoporous carbon nanospheres may form the basis for a feasible approach for durable and reliable detection of H 2 O 2 . (author)

  17. In situ measurement of the kinetic friction of ZnO nanowires inside a scanning electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polyakov, Boris, E-mail: boriss.polakovs@ut.ee [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Riia st. 142, Tartu (Estonia); Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Kengaraga st. 8, Riga (Latvia); Dorogin, Leonid M; Lohmus, Ants [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Riia st. 142, Tartu (Estonia); Romanov, Alexey E [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Riia st. 142, Tartu (Estonia); Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, RAS, Politehnicheskaja st. 26, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Lohmus, Rynno [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Riia st. 142, Tartu (Estonia)

    2012-01-15

    A novel method for measuring the kinetic friction force in situ was developed for zinc oxide nanowires on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and oxidised silicon wafers. The experiments were performed inside a scanning electron microscope and used a nanomanipulation device as an actuator, which also had an atomic force microscope tip attached to it as a probe. A simple model based on the Timoshenko elastic beam theory was applied to interpret the elastic deformation of a sliding nanowire (NW) and to determine the distributed kinetic friction force.

  18. Is oral absorption of vigabatrin carrier-mediated?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nøhr, M. K.; Juul, R. V.; Thale, Z. I.

    2015-01-01

    by mechanistic non-linear mixed effects modelling, evaluating PAT1-ligands as covariates on the PK parameters with a full covariate modelling approach. The oral absorption of vigabatrin was adequately described by a Michaelis-Menten type saturable absorption. Using a Michaelis constant of 32.8 mM, the model......-mediated and if the proton-coupled amino acid transporter 1 (PAT1) was involved in the absorption processes. Vigabatrin (0.3-300 mg/kg) was administered orally or intravenously to Sprague Dawley rats in the absence or presence of PAT1-ligands l-proline, l-tryptophan or sarcosine. The PK profiles of vigabatrin were described...... estimated a maximal oral absorption rate (Vmax) of 64.6 mmol/min and dose-dependent bioavailability with a maximum of 60.9%. Bioavailability was 58.5-60.8% at 0.3-30 mg/kg doses, but decreased to 46.8% at 300 mg/kg. Changes in oral vigabatrin PK after co-administration with PAT1-ligands was explained...

  19. Diverse Data Sets Can Yield Reliable Information through Mechanistic Modeling: Salicylic Acid Clearance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raymond, G M; Bassingthwaighte, J B

    This is a practical example of a powerful research strategy: putting together data from studies covering a diversity of conditions can yield a scientifically sound grasp of the phenomenon when the individual observations failed to provide definitive understanding. The rationale is that defining a realistic, quantitative, explanatory hypothesis for the whole set of studies, brings about a "consilience" of the often competing hypotheses considered for individual data sets. An internally consistent conjecture linking multiple data sets simultaneously provides stronger evidence on the characteristics of a system than does analysis of individual data sets limited to narrow ranges of conditions. Our example examines three very different data sets on the clearance of salicylic acid from humans: a high concentration set from aspirin overdoses; a set with medium concentrations from a research study on the influences of the route of administration and of sex on the clearance kinetics, and a set on low dose aspirin for cardiovascular health. Three models were tested: (1) a first order reaction, (2) a Michaelis-Menten (M-M) approach, and (3) an enzyme kinetic model with forward and backward reactions. The reaction rates found from model 1 were distinctly different for the three data sets, having no commonality. The M-M model 2 fitted each of the three data sets but gave a reliable estimates of the Michaelis constant only for the medium level data (K m = 24±5.4 mg/L); analyzing the three data sets together with model 2 gave K m = 18±2.6 mg/L. (Estimating parameters using larger numbers of data points in an optimization increases the degrees of freedom, constraining the range of the estimates). Using the enzyme kinetic model (3) increased the number of free parameters but nevertheless improved the goodness of fit to the combined data sets, giving tighter constraints, and a lower estimated K m = 14.6±2.9 mg/L, demonstrating that fitting diverse data sets with a single model

  20. Diameter dependent electron transfer kinetics in semiconductor-enzyme complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Katherine A; Song, Qing; Mulder, David W; King, Paul W

    2014-10-28

    Excited state electron transfer (ET) is a fundamental step for the catalytic conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. To understand the properties controlling ET between photoexcited nanoparticles and catalysts, the ET kinetics were measured for solution-phase complexes of CdTe quantum dots and Clostridium acetobutylicum [FeFe]-hydrogenase I (CaI) using time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Over a 2.0-3.5 nm diameter range of CdTe nanoparticles, the observed ET rate (kET) was sensitive to CaI concentration. To account for diameter effects on CaI binding, a Langmuir isotherm and two geometric binding models were created to estimate maximal CaI affinities and coverages at saturating concentrations. Normalizing the ET kinetics to CaI surface coverage for each CdTe diameter led to k(ET) values that were insensitive to diameter, despite a decrease in the free energy for photoexcited ET (ΔGET) with increasing diameter. The turnover frequency (TOF) of CaI in CdTe-CaI complexes was measured at several molar ratios. Normalization for diameter-dependent changes in CaI coverage showed an increase in TOF with diameter. These results suggest that k(ET) and H2 production for CdTe-CaI complexes are not strictly controlled by ΔG(ET) and that other factors must be considered.

  1. SACCHARIFICATION OF NATIVE CASSAVA STARCH AT HIGH DRY SOLIDS IN AN ENZYMATIC MEMBRANE REACTOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Nyoman Widiasa

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available This study is aimed to develop a novel process scheme for hydrolysis of native cassava starch at high dry solids using an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR. Firstly, liquefied cassava starch having solids content up to 50% by weight was prepared by three stage liquefactions in a conventional equipment using a commercially available heat stable a-amylase (Termamyl 120L. The liquefied cassava starch was further saccharified in an EMR using glucoamylase (AMG E. By using the developed process scheme, a highly clear hydrolysate with dextrose equivalent (DE approximately 97 could be produced, provided the increase of solution viscosity during the liquefaction was precisely controlled. The excessive space time could result in reduction in conversion degree of starch. Moreover, a residence time distribution study confirmed that the EMR could be modelled as a simple continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR. Using Lineweaver-Burk analysis, the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km and glucose production rate constant (k2 were 552 (g/l and 4.04 (min-1, respectively. Application of simple CSTR model with those kinetic parameters was quietly appropriate to predict the reactor’s performance at low space time.

  2. The effects of carbon nanotube addition and oxyfluorination on the glucose-sensing capabilities of glucose oxidase-coated carbon fiber electrodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Im, Ji Sun; Yun, Jumi; Kim, Jong Gu [Department of Fine Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, BK21-E2 M, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Tae-Sung [Department of Fine Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, BK21-E2 M, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Young-Seak, E-mail: youngslee@cnu.ac.kr [Department of Fine Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, BK21-E2 M, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-01-15

    Glucose-sensing electrodes were constructed from carbon fibers by electrospinning and heat treatment. By controlling the pore size, the specific surface area and pore volume of the electrospun carbon fibers were increased for efficient immobilization of the glucose oxidase. Carbon nanotubes were embedded as an electrically conductive additive to improve the electrical property of the porous carbon fibers. In addition, the surface of the porous carbon fibers was modified with hydrophilic functional groups by direct oxyfluorination to increase the affinity between the hydrophobic carbon surface and the hydrophilic glucose oxidase molecules. The porosity of the carbon fibers was improved significantly with approximately 28- and 35-fold increases in the specific surface area and pore volume, respectively. The number of chemical bonds between carbon and oxygen were increased with higher oxygen content during oxyfluorination based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. Glucose sensing was carried out by current voltagram and amperometric methods. A high-performance glucose sensor was obtained with high sensitivity and rapid response time as a result of carbon nanotube addition, physical activation and surface modification. The mechanism of the highly sensitive prepared glucose sensor was modeled by an enzyme kinetics study using the Michaelis-Menten equation.

  3. Biodegradation of organic solid wastes from market places

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Ariel Cardona Alzate

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available In this research, the organic wastes from local market place were characterized, classified and conditioned. Feasible conversion treatments into added value products were analyzed. The transformation of starch and cellulose contained in wastes was chosen. The best conditions of temperature, pH and enzyme doses were established in order to transform the polysaccharides into reducing sugars. Commercial glucoamylase and cellulases for converting starch and cellulose were used. Starch conversion reached 60% at 50 °C and pH of 6.0. Cellulose conversion was of 4% at 60 °C and pH of 4,0. The kinetic research of starch hydrolysis based on Michaelis-Menten model was carried out. Ethanol was obtained from new-formed raw material (reducing sugars. In the same way, biogas and compost production was evaluated. It was determined that from each kilogram of treated wastes can be produced approximately 4 L of biogas at mesophilic range of temperature. It was recognized the possibility to carry out a composting process of plant wastes, despite their relatively low values of C/N ratio. Key words: Enzyme hydrolysis, ethanol, biogas, composting, starch.

  4. Relationship among reaction rate, release rate and efficiency of nanomachine-based targeted drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Qingying; Li, Min; Luo, Jun

    2017-12-04

    In nanomachine applications towards targeted drug delivery, drug molecules released by nanomachines propagate and chemically react with tumor cells in aqueous environment. If the nanomachines release drug molecules faster than the tumor cells react, it will result in loss and waste of drug molecules. It is a potential issue associated with the relationship among reaction rate, release rate and efficiency. This paper aims to investigate the relationship among reaction rate, release rate and efficiency based on two drug reception models. We expect to pave a way for designing a control method of drug release. We adopted two analytical methods that one is drug reception process based on collision with tumors and another is based on Michaelis Menten enzymatic kinetics. To evaluate the analytical formulations, we used the well-known simulation framework N3Sim to establish simulations. The analytical results of the relationship among reaction rate, release rate and efficiency is obtained, which match well with the numerical simulation results in a 3-D environment. Based upon two drug reception models, the results of this paper would be beneficial for designing a control method of nanomahine-based drug release.

  5. In vitro characterization of the NAD+ synthetase NadE1 from Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laskoski, Kerly; Santos, Adrian R S; Bonatto, Ana C; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Souza, Emanuel M; Huergo, Luciano F

    2016-05-01

    Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthetase enzyme (NadE) catalyzes the amination of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NaAD) to form NAD(+). This reaction represents the last step in the majority of the NAD(+) biosynthetic routes described to date. NadE enzymes typically use either glutamine or ammonium as amine nitrogen donor, and the reaction is energetically driven by ATP hydrolysis. Given the key role of NAD(+) in bacterial metabolism, NadE has attracted considerable interest as a potential target for the development of novel antibiotics. The plant-associative nitrogen-fixing bacteria Herbaspirillum seropedicae encodes two putative NadE, namely nadE1 and nadE2. The nadE1 gene is linked to glnB encoding the signal transduction protein GlnB. Here we report the purification and in vitro characterization of H. seropedicae NadE1. Gel filtration chromatography analysis suggests that NadE1 is an octamer. The NadE1 activity was assayed in vitro, and the Michaelis-Menten constants for substrates NaAD, ATP, glutamine and ammonium were determined. Enzyme kinetic and in vitro substrate competition assays indicate that H. seropedicae NadE1 uses glutamine as a preferential nitrogen donor.

  6. Concentration profiles near an activated enzyme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Soohyung; Agmon, Noam

    2008-09-25

    When a resting enzyme is activated, substrate concentration profile evolves in its vicinity, ultimately tending to steady state. We use modern theories for many-body effects on diffusion-influenced reactions to derive approximate analytical expressions for the steady-state profile and the Laplace transform of the transient concentration profiles. These show excellent agreement with accurate many-particle Brownian-dynamics simulations for the Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The steady-state profile has a hyperbolic dependence on the distance of the substrate from the enzyme, albeit with a prefactor containing the complexity of the many-body effects. These are most conspicuous for the substrate concentration at the surface of the enzyme. It shows an interesting transition as a function of the enzyme turnover rate. When it is high, the contact concentration decays monotonically to steady state. However, for slow turnover it is nonmonotonic, showing a minimum due to reversible substrate binding, then a maximum due to diffusion of new substrate toward the enzyme, and finally decay to steady state. Under certain conditions one can obtain a good estimate for the critical value of the turnover rate constant at the transition.

  7. Metastable α-AgVO3 microrods as peroxidase mimetics for colorimetric determination of H2O2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi; Zhang, Dun; Wang, Jin

    2017-12-01

    Single phase metastable α-AgVO 3 microrods with high crystallinity, tetragonal rod-like microstructure, uniform particle size distribution, and good dispersion were synthesized by direct coprecipitation at room temperature. They are shown to be viable peroxidase mimics that catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine in the presence of H 2 O 2 . Kinetic analysis indicated typical Michaelis-Menten catalytic behavior. The findings were used to design a colorimetric assay for H 2 O 2 , best measured at 652 nm. The method has a linear response in the 60 to 200 μM H 2 O 2 concentration range, with a 2 μM detection limit. Benefitting from the chemical stability of the microrods, the method is well reproducible. It also is easily performed and highly specific. Graphic abstract Single phase metastable α-AgVO 3 microrods with high crystallinity, tetragonal rod-like microstructure, uniform particle size distribution, and good dispersion can efficiently catalyze the oxidation reaction of peroxidase substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H 2 O 2 to produce a blue color change.

  8. Kinetic investigation of the catalytic mechanism for bovine liver mitochondrial monoamine oxidase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, M.C.

    1988-01-01

    The kinetic behavior of the oxidative deamination reaction catalyzed by bovine liver mitochondrial monoamine oxidase was investigated with a series of ring-substituted benzylamines. Oxidation rates were fastest with the meta isomers. Dalziel coefficients were consistent with a mechanism involving a ternary complex for all substrates tested. Alterations in the Michaelis constant for oxygen were similar in magnitude to those for the rate of catalysis. Deuterium and tritium isotope effects were determined to obtain more detailed information on the mechanism of catalysis. Large deuterium isotope effects expressed on k cat were obtained for all substrates. Determination of the tritium isotope effect for benzylamine allowed the calculation of an intrinsic isotope effect of 6.5 and a secondary isotope effect of 1.17. Steady-state experiments were supplemented with pre-steady-state kinetic techniques. Rates of flavin reduction were faster than that of turnover. The deuterium isotope effect obtained for the rate of flavin reduction was 7-15 for the various substrates. The observed isotope effect was found to be an appropriate estimate for the intrinsic isotope effect

  9. Simultaneous measurement of glucose transport and utilization in the human brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shestov, Alexander A.; Emir, Uzay E.; Kumar, Anjali; Henry, Pierre-Gilles; Seaquist, Elizabeth R.

    2011-01-01

    Glucose is the primary fuel for brain function, and determining the kinetics of cerebral glucose transport and utilization is critical for quantifying cerebral energy metabolism. The kinetic parameters of cerebral glucose transport, KMt and Vmaxt, in humans have so far been obtained by measuring steady-state brain glucose levels by proton (1H) NMR as a function of plasma glucose levels and fitting steady-state models to these data. Extraction of the kinetic parameters for cerebral glucose transport necessitated assuming a constant cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) obtained from other tracer studies, such as 13C NMR. Here we present new methodology to simultaneously obtain kinetic parameters for glucose transport and utilization in the human brain by fitting both dynamic and steady-state 1H NMR data with a reversible, non-steady-state Michaelis-Menten model. Dynamic data were obtained by measuring brain and plasma glucose time courses during glucose infusions to raise and maintain plasma concentration at ∼17 mmol/l for ∼2 h in five healthy volunteers. Steady-state brain vs. plasma glucose concentrations were taken from literature and the steady-state portions of data from the five volunteers. In addition to providing simultaneous measurements of glucose transport and utilization and obviating assumptions for constant CMRglc, this methodology does not necessitate infusions of expensive or radioactive tracers. Using this new methodology, we found that the maximum transport capacity for glucose through the blood-brain barrier was nearly twofold higher than maximum cerebral glucose utilization. The glucose transport and utilization parameters were consistent with previously published values for human brain. PMID:21791622

  10. Chemical Continuous Time Random Walks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aquino, T.; Dentz, M.

    2017-12-01

    Traditional methods for modeling solute transport through heterogeneous media employ Eulerian schemes to solve for solute concentration. More recently, Lagrangian methods have removed the need for spatial discretization through the use of Monte Carlo implementations of Langevin equations for solute particle motions. While there have been recent advances in modeling chemically reactive transport with recourse to Lagrangian methods, these remain less developed than their Eulerian counterparts, and many open problems such as efficient convergence and reconstruction of the concentration field remain. We explore a different avenue and consider the question: In heterogeneous chemically reactive systems, is it possible to describe the evolution of macroscopic reactant concentrations without explicitly resolving the spatial transport? Traditional Kinetic Monte Carlo methods, such as the Gillespie algorithm, model chemical reactions as random walks in particle number space, without the introduction of spatial coordinates. The inter-reaction times are exponentially distributed under the assumption that the system is well mixed. In real systems, transport limitations lead to incomplete mixing and decreased reaction efficiency. We introduce an arbitrary inter-reaction time distribution, which may account for the impact of incomplete mixing. This process defines an inhomogeneous continuous time random walk in particle number space, from which we derive a generalized chemical Master equation and formulate a generalized Gillespie algorithm. We then determine the modified chemical rate laws for different inter-reaction time distributions. We trace Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics back to finite-mean delay times, and predict time-nonlocal macroscopic reaction kinetics as a consequence of broadly distributed delays. Non-Markovian kinetics exhibit weak ergodicity breaking and show key features of reactions under local non-equilibrium.

  11. Treatment of ferrous-NTA-based NO x scrubber solution by an up-flow anaerobic packed bed bioreactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandrashekhar, B; Sahu, Nidhi; Tabassum, Heena; Pai, Padmaraj; Morone, Amruta; Pandey, R A

    2015-06-01

    A bench scale system consisting of an up-flow packed bed bioreactor (UAPBR) made of polyurethane foam was used for the treatment and regeneration of aqueous solution of ferrous-NTA scrubbed with nitric oxide (NO). The biomass in the UAPBR was sequentially acclimatized under denitrifying and iron reducing conditions using ethanol as electron donor, after which nitric oxide (NO) gas was loaded continuously to the system by absorption. The system was investigated for different parameters viz. pH, removal efficiency of nitric oxide, biological reduction efficiency of Fe(II)NTA-NO and COD utilization. The Fe(II)NTA-NO reduction efficiency reached 87.8 % at a loading rate of 0.24 mmol L(-1) h(-1), while the scrubber efficiency reached more than 75 % with 250 ppm NO. Stover-Kincannon and a Plug-flow kinetic model based on Michaelis-Menten equation were used to describe the UAPBR performance with respect to Fe(II)NTA-NO and COD removal. The Stover-Kincannon model was found capable of describing the Fe(II)NTA-NO reduction (R m = 8.92 mM h(-1) and K NO = 11.46 mM h(-1)) while plug-flow model provided better fit to the COD utilization (U m = 66.62 mg L(-1) h(-1), K COD = 7.28 mg L(-1)). Analyses for pH, Fe(III)NTA, ammonium, nitrite concentration, and FTIR analysis of the medium samples indicated degradation of NTA, which leads to ammonium and nitrite accumulation in the medium, and affect the regeneration process.

  12. Experimental study on the kinetically induced electronic excitation in atomic collisional cascades; Experimentelle Untersuchung zur kinetisch induzierten elektronischen Anregung in atomaren Stosskaskaden

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meyer, S.

    2006-08-15

    the present thesis deals with the ion-collision-induced electronic excitation of metallic solids. For this for the first time metal-insulator-metal layer systems are used for the detection of this electronic excitation. The here applied aluminium/aluminium oxide/silver layer sytems have barrier heights of 2.4 eV on the aluminium respectively 3.3 eV on the silver side. With the results it could uniquely be shown that the electronic excitation is generated by kinetic processes, this excitation dependenc on the kinetic energy of the colliding particles, and the excitation dependes on the charge state of the projectile.

  13. Characterization of electron states in dense plasmas and its use in atomic kinetics modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, D.V.; Maron, Y.

    2003-01-01

    We describe a self-consistent statistical approach to account for plasma density effects in collisional-radiative kinetics. The approach is based on the characterization of three distinct types of electron states, namely, bound, collectivized, and free, and on the formalism of the effective statistical weights (ESW) of the bound states. The present approach accounts for individual and collective effects of the surrounding electrons and ions on atomic (ionic) electron states. High-accuracy expressions for the ESWs of bound states have been derived. The notions of ionization stage population, free electron density, and rate coefficient are redefined in accordance with the present characterization scheme. The modified expressions for the probabilities of electron-impact induced transitions as well as spontaneous and induced radiative transitions are then obtained. The influence of collectivized states on a dense plasma ionization composition is demonstrated to be strong. Examples of calculated ESWs and populations of ionic quantum states for steady state and transient plasmas are given

  14. Self-Consistent System of Equations for a Kinetic Description of the Low-Pressure Discharges Accounting for the Nonlocal and Collisionless Electron Dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaganovich, Igor D.; Polomarov, Oleg

    2003-01-01

    In low-pressure discharges, when the electron mean free path is larger or comparable with the discharge length, the electron dynamics is essentially non-local. Moreover, the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) deviates considerably from a Maxwellian. Therefore, an accurate kinetic description of the low-pressure discharges requires knowledge of the non-local conductivity operator and calculation of the non-Maxwellian EEDF. The previous treatments made use of simplifying assumptions: a uniform density profile and a Maxwellian EEDF. In the present study a self-consistent system of equations for the kinetic description of nonlocal, non-uniform, nearly collisionless plasmas of low-pressure discharges is derived. It consists of the nonlocal conductivity operator and the averaged kinetic equation for calculation of the non-Maxwellian EEDF. The importance of accounting for the non-uniform plasma density profile on both the current density profile and the EEDF is demonstrated

  15. Electrochemical sensor for catechol and dopamine based on a catalytic molecularly imprinted polymer-conducting polymer hybrid recognition element.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakshmi, Dhana; Bossi, Alessandra; Whitcombe, Michael J; Chianella, Iva; Fowler, Steven A; Subrahmanyam, Sreenath; Piletska, Elena V; Piletsky, Sergey A

    2009-05-01

    One of the difficulties with using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and other electrically insulating materials as the recognition element in electrochemical sensors is the lack of a direct path for the conduction of electrons from the active sites to the electrode. We have sought to address this problem through the preparation and characterization of novel hybrid materials combining a catalytic MIP, capable of oxidizing the template, catechol, with an electrically conducting polymer. In this way a network of "molecular wires" assists in the conduction of electrons from the active sites within the MIP to the electrode surface. This was made possible by the design of a new monomer that combines orthogonal polymerizable functionality; comprising an aniline group and a methacrylamide. Conducting films were prepared on the surface of electrodes (Au on glass) by electropolymerization of the aniline moiety. A layer of MIP was photochemically grafted over the polyaniline, via N,N'-diethyldithiocarbamic acid benzyl ester (iniferter) activation of the methacrylamide groups. Detection of catechol by the hybrid-MIP sensor was found to be specific, and catechol oxidation was detected by cyclic voltammetry at the optimized operating conditions: potential range -0.6 V to +0.8 V (vs Ag/AgCl), scan rate 50 mV/s, PBS pH 7.4. The calibration curve for catechol was found to be linear to 144 microM, with a limit of detection of 228 nM. Catechol and dopamine were detected by the sensor, whereas analogues and potentially interfering compounds, including phenol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, serotonin, and ascorbic acid, had minimal effect (< or = 3%) on the detection of either analyte. Non-imprinted hybrid electrodes and bare gold electrodes failed to give any response to catechol at concentrations below 0.5 mM. Finally, the catalytic properties of the sensor were characterized by chronoamperometry and were found to be consistent with Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

  16. Structural and dynamical properties of solvated electrons; a study of kinetic spectroscopy using pulse radiolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huis, C. van

    1977-01-01

    In this thesis the pulse radiolysis experiments of hexamethyl-phosphortriamide (HMPA), propanol-1, 3-methylpentane and mixtures of propanol-1 and 3-methylpentane are reported. In the pulse radiolysis of HMPA, carried out at room temperature, the high yield of esub(s) - (G=2) and the very high wavelength of the maximum absorption (max= 2200 nm) in the esub(s) - absorption spectrum are explained by considering the aprotic nature and the molecular structure of this compound. In the experiment with propanol-1 (temperature range 93deg-123degK) a temporal shift to lower wavelengths in the time range of 10 s-10 ms is observed. In further experiments biphenyl was used as electron scavenger. It was concluded that after the electron pulse the following sequence of events takes place: 1) electron redistribution in times shorter than 1 s; 2) dipole reorientation during 10 s-10 ms; 3) recombination of a part of the solvated electrons; 4) a reaction of the solvated electrons with the neighbouring propanol-1 molecules. In the experiments with 3-methylpentane at 103deg-113degK an esub(s) - absorption band with third order decay kinetics was observed. This is attributed to geminate recombination. The activation energy of the recombination process was 0.4 eV. The experiments with mixtures of propanol-1 and 3-methylpentane were carried out at 103degK. At low propanol-1 concentrations the build-up at 500 nm obeys first order kinetics, whereas at high concentrations this build-up can be split up into three first order components, as was measured in pure propanol-1. The half-lives of the three components were in the ratio of 1:10:100. In the last chapter theoretical models for the electron redistribution and the matric relaxation are discussed and compared with the experiments

  17. Estudio de la cinética de la hidrólisis enzimática del bagazo pretratado

    OpenAIRE

    Albernas Carvajal, Yailet; Corsano, Gabriela; Mesa Garriga, Leyanis; Santos Herrero, Ronaldo; Gonzalez Suarez, Erenio

    2016-01-01

    En el estudio se determinan los parámetros fundamentales de la cinética enzimática a partir de un modelo cinético pseudo-homogéneo de Michaelis Menten, previamente estudiado con otros materiales lignocelulósicos, para determinar la velocidad de producción de Azúcares Reductores Totales (ART) en el tiempo. Para ello se emplearon los resultados obtenidos a nivel de laboratorio, en el cual se llevó a cabo la hidrólisis enzimática del bagazo previamente pretratado de forma ácida y básica. Se empl...

  18. Covalent immobilization of invertase on PAMAM-dendrimer modified superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uzun, K.; Cevik, E.; Senel, M.; Soezeri, H.; Baykal, A.; Abasiyanik, M. F.; Toprak, M. S.

    2010-01-01

    In this study, polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer was synthesized on the surface of superparamagnetite nanoparticles to enhance invertase immobilization. The amount of immobilized enzyme on the surface-hyperbranched magnetite nanoparticle was up to 2.5 times (i.e., 250%) as much as that of magnetite nanoparticle modified with only amino silane. Maximum reaction rate (V max ) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K m ) were determined for the free and immobilized enzymes. Various characteristics of immobilized invertase such as; the temperature activity, thermal stability, operational stability, and storage stability were evaluated and results revealed that stability of the enzyme is improved upon immobilization.

  19. Monitoring the enzymatic conversion of urea to ammonium by conventional or microchip capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuchert-Shi, Aiping; Hauser, Peter C

    2008-05-15

    Capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection was used to directly quantify the ammonium produced in the enzymatic conversion of urea with urease. This allowed the characterization of the reaction without having to use more elaborate indirect optical methods for quantification. The maximum rate of reaction, V(max), was determined as 5.1 mmol x mL(-1) x min(-1), and the Michaelis-Menten constant, K(m), was determined as 16 mM. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to the determination of urea in clinical samples of human blood by using a conventional capillary and a microchip device.

  20. Estudio de la cinética de la hidrólisis enzimática del bagazo pretratado

    OpenAIRE

    Albernas-Carvajal, Yailet; Corsano, Gabriela; Mesa Garriga, Layanis; Santos Herrero, Ronaldo; González Suárez, Erenio

    2015-01-01

    En el estudio se determinan los parámetros fundamentales de la cinética enzimática a partir de un modelo cinético pseudo-homogéneo de Michaelis Menten, previamente estudiado con otros materiales lignocelulósicos, para determinar la velocidad de producción de Azúcares Reductores Totales (ART) en el tiempo. Para ello se emplearon los resultados obtenidos a nivel de laboratorio, en el cual se llevó a cabo la hidrólisis enzimática del bagazo previamente pretratado de forma ácida y básica. Se empl...

  1. Mathematical Modelling of Drying Kinetics of Wheat in Electron Fired Fluidized Bed Drying System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deomore, Dayanand N.; Yarasu, Ravindra B.

    2018-02-01

    The conventional method of electrical heating is replaced by electron firing system. The drying kinetics of wheat is studied using electron fired fluidized bed dryer. The results are simulated by using ANSYS. It was observed that the graphs are in agreement with each other. Therefore, the new proposed electronic firing system can be employed instead of electrical firing. It was observed that the drop in Relative Humidity in case of Electrical heating is 68.75% for temp reaching up to 70° C in 67 sec for pressure drop of 13 psi while for the electronic Firing system it is 67.6 % temp reaches to 70° C in 70 sec for pressure drop of 12.67 psi. As the results are in agreement with each other it was concluded that for the grains like wheat which has low initial moisture content both systems can be used.

  2. Frequency domain kinetic of positron-electron annihilation in the MgO-Al2O3 spinel-type ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fl'unt, Orest; Klym, Halyna; Ingram, Adam

    2018-03-01

    In this work, the kinetic of positron-electron annihilation in the MgO-Al2O3 spinel-type ceramics sintered at different temperatures (1100, 1200 and 1400 °C) has been calculated and analyzed in a frequency domain. The spectra of real (in-phase) and imaginary (quadrature) components of positron-electron annihilation kinetic have been obtained numerically from usual temporal characteristics using integral Fourier transform. The numerical calculations were carried out using cubic spline interpolation of the pulse characteristics of MgO-Al2O3 ceramics in time domain with following analytical calculations of integrals. The obtained spectra as real so imaginary part of MgO-Al2O3 ceramics in frequency domain almost good obey a Debye law denying correlation between elementary positron annihilation processes. Complex diagrams of frequency domain responses of as-prepared samples have a shape of semicircles with close characteristic frequencies. Some deviation on low-frequency side of the semicircles is observed confirming an availability of longer time kinetic processes. Sintering temperature dependencies of the relaxation times and characteristic frequencies of positron-electron annihilation processes have been obtained. It is shown that position of large maxima on the frequency dependencies of imaginary part corresponds to fast average relaxation lifetime representing the most intensive interaction process of positrons with small cavity traps in solids.

  3. Nonlocal kinetic-energy-density functionals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Gonzalez, P.; Alvarellos, J.E.; Chacon, E.

    1996-01-01

    In this paper we present nonlocal kinetic-energy functionals T[n] within the average density approximation (ADA) framework, which do not require any extra input when applied to any electron system and recover the exact kinetic energy and the linear response function of a homogeneous system. In contrast with previous ADA functionals, these present good behavior of the long-range tail of the exact weight function. The averaging procedure for the kinetic functional (averaging the Fermi momentum of the electron gas, instead of averaging the electron density) leads to a functional without numerical difficulties in the calculation of extended systems, and it gives excellent results when applied to atoms and jellium surfaces. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  4. Theoretical study of thin metallic deposit layers: from electronic structure to kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Senhaji, Abdelali

    1993-01-01

    We have studied the relation between the equilibrium surface segregation in an alloy A c B 1-c and the kinetics of dissolution of a few metallic layers of A (or B) deposited on a B (or A) substrate. We used an energetic model derived from the electronic structure (T.B.I.M.) allowing us to study the surface segregation both in disordered and in ordered alloys. Moreover we have developed a kinetic model (K.T.B.I.M.) consistent with the TBIM energetic model to study the kinetics both of segregation and dissolution. This process has been applied to the Cu-Pt system for which Auger, LEED and photoemission experiments are in progress at L.U.R.E. Concerning the equilibrium surface segregation in the ordered state we have studied all the possible terminations for the (111) and (100) faces in the various ordered structures occurring on the F.C.C. lattice (L1 0 , L1 1 - L1 2 and L'). In particular we have determined the domain of (meta)stability of each termination, which is very useful to understand the competition between single and double steps in ordered alloys. Studying the kinetics of dissolution of a few layers of Cu (or Pt) deposited on the (111) or (100) face of a Pt (or Cu) substrate, we have shown the formation of surface compounds with a great variety of behaviours depending on the face or on the temperature. All these behaviours can be rationalized with the local equilibrium concept, which we have defined accurately within our model and which allows to connect the dissolution mode with the equilibrium segregation. (author) [fr

  5. Using a Mechanistic Reactive Transport Model to Represent Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Climate Sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerry, N.; Riley, W. J.; Maggi, F.; Torn, M. S.; Kleber, M.

    2011-12-01

    The nature of long term Soil Organic Matter (SOM) dynamics is uncertain and the mechanisms involved are crudely represented in site, regional, and global models. Recent work challenging the paradigm that SOM is stabilized because of its sequential transformations to more intrinsically recalcitrant compounds motivated us to develop a mechanistic modeling framework that can be used to test hypotheses of SOM dynamics. We developed our C cycling model in TOUGHREACT, an established 3-dimensional reactive transport solver that accounts for multiple phases (aqueous, gaseous, sorbed), multiple species, advection and diffusion, and multiple microbial populations. Energy and mass exchange through the soil boundaries are accounted for via ground heat flux, rainfall, C sources (e.g., exudation, woody, leaf, root litter) and C losses (e.g., CO2 emissions and DOC deep percolation). SOM is categorized according to the various types of compounds commonly found in the above mentioned C sources and microbial byproducts, including poly- and monosaccharides, lignin, amino compounds, organic acids, nucleic acids, lipids, and phenols. Each of these compounds is accounted for by one or more representative species in the model. A reaction network was developed to describe the microbially-mediated processes and chemical interactions of these species, including depolymerization, microbial assimilation, respiration and deposition of byproducts, and incorporation of dead biomass into SOM stocks. Enzymatic reactions are characterized by Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with maximum reaction rates determined by the species' O/C ratio. Microbial activity is further regulated by soil moisture content, O2 availability, pH, and temperature. For the initial set of simulations, literature values were used to constrain microbial Monod parameters, Michaelis-Menten parameters, sorption parameters, physical protection, partitioning of microbial byproducts, and partitioning of litter inputs, although there is

  6. Aarne Michaël Tallgren and the International Discussion on the Bronze Age of Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timo Salminen

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper is on international scholarly discussion on the Bronze Age of Russia from 1908 until 1939, and in particular on the related role of the internationally renowned Finnish archaeologist Aarne Michaël Tallgren (1885–1945. How did a social network of researchers produce new interpretations and what were the key factors that distinguished the participants in the discussion? Was it a continuous process or a series of sudden changes? How did different ideological backgrounds influence the interpretations? In Western Europe, Tallgren’s most important interlocutors were Gero von Merhart, V Gordon Childe and Ellis H Minns, and in Russia V A Gorodcov and A A Spicyn. The paper is mainly based on correspondence between Tallgren and his colleagues.

  7. Kinetic Theory and Fast Wind Observations of the Electron Strahl

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horaites, Konstantinos; Boldyrev, Stanislav; Wilson, Lynn B., III; Viñas, Adolfo F.; Merka, Jan

    2018-02-01

    We develop a model for the strahl population in the solar wind - a narrow, low-density and high-energy electron beam centred on the magnetic field direction. Our model is based on the solution of the electron drift-kinetic equation at heliospheric distances where the plasma density, temperature and the magnetic field strength decline as power laws of the distance along a magnetic flux tube. Our solution for the strahl depends on a number of parameters that, in the absence of the analytic solution for the full electron velocity distribution function (eVDF), cannot be derived from the theory. We however demonstrate that these parameters can be efficiently found from matching our solution with observations of the eVDF made by the Wind satellite's SWE strahl detector. The model is successful at predicting the angular width (FWHM) of the strahl for the Wind data at 1 au, in particular by predicting how this width scales with particle energy and background density. We find that the strahl distribution is largely determined by the local temperature Knudsen number γ ∼ |T dT/dx|/n, which parametrizes solar wind collisionality. We compute averaged strahl distributions for typical Knudsen numbers observed in the solar wind, and fit our model to these data. The model can be matched quite closely to the eVDFs at 1 au; however, it then overestimates the strahl amplitude at larger heliocentric distances. This indicates that our model may be improved through the inclusion of additional physics, possibly through the introduction of 'anomalous diffusion' of the strahl electrons.

  8. The oxidation kinetics for sublimates formed during niobium electron-beam remelting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chumarev, V.M.; Gulyaeva, R.I.; Mar'evich, V.P.; Upolovnikova, A.G.; Udoeva, L.Yu.

    2003-01-01

    The oxidation of sublimates of Nb-Al electron beam remelting is investigated under conditions of isothermal and continuous heating in the air. It is stated that basic oxidation products are niobium and aluminium oxides, as well as aluminium niobates of variable composition of Al 2 O 3 · mNb 2 O 5 . The more aluminium enriched sublimates possess an increased resistance to oxidation. Formed in sublimates NbAl 3 intermetallic compound features the highest heat resistance. Oxidation parameters are determined by the method of nonisothermic kinetics. It is noted that the running processes exhibit a multistage nature and are limited by internal diffusion [ru

  9. Advanced 3-dimensional electron kinetic calculations for the current drive problem in magnetically confined thermonuclear plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peysson, Y.; Decker, J.; Bers, A.; Ram, A.; Harvey, R.

    2004-01-01

    Accurate and fast electron kinetic calculations is a challenging issue for realistic simulations of thermonuclear tokamak plasmas. Relativistic corrections and electron trajectory effects must be fully taken into account for high temperature burning plasmas, while codes should also consistently describe wave-particle resonant interactions in presence of locally large gradients close to internal transport barrier. In that case, neoclassical effects may come into play and self-consistent evaluation of both the radio-frequency and bootstrap currents must be performed. In addition, a complex interplay between momentum and radial electron dynamics may take place, in presence of a possible energy dependent radial transport. Besides the physics needs, there are considerable numerical issues to solve, in order to reduce computer time consumption and memory requirements at an acceptable level, so that kinetic calculations may be valuably incorporated in a chain of codes which determines plasma equilibrium and wave propagation. So far, fully implicit 3-dimensional calculations based on a finite difference scheme and an incomplete L and U matrices factorization have been found to be so most effective method to reach this goal. A review of the present status in this active field of physics is presented, with an emphasis on possible future improvements. (authors)

  10. Exploring the kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of four-electron electrochemical reactions: electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution by metal oxides and biological systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Vincent C-C

    2016-08-10

    Finding fundamental and general mechanisms for electrochemical reactions, such as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) from water and reduction of CO2, plays vital roles in developing the desired electrocatalysts for facilitating solar fuel production. Recently, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have shown that there is a universal scaling relation of adsorption energy between key intermediate species, HO(ad) and HOO(ad), on the surface of metal oxides as OER electrocatalysts. In this paper, a kinetic and thermodynamic model for the four-electron electrochemical reaction based on previous OER mechanisms proposed by DFT calculations is developed to further investigate the electrocatalytic properties over a wide range of metal oxides and photosystem II. The OER activity of metal oxides (i.e. electrocatalytic current) calculated from the DFT-calculated equilibrium potentials with kinetic properties, such as the rate constants for interfacial electron transfer and catalytic turnover, can lead to a volcano-shaped trend that agrees with the results observed in experiments. In addition, the kinetic aspects of the impact on the electrocatalysts are evaluated. Finally, comparing the results of metal oxides and photosystem II, and fitting experimental voltammograms give further insights into kinetic and thermodynamic roles. Here, the general guidelines for designing OER electrocatalysts with unified kinetic and thermodynamic properties are presented.

  11. Kinetic features and non-stationary electron trapping in paraxial magnetic nozzles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Arriaga, G.; Zhou, J.; Ahedo, E.; Martínez-Sánchez, M.; Ramos, J. J.

    2018-03-01

    The paraxial expansion of a collisionless plasma jet into vacuum, guided by a magnetic nozzle, is studied with an Eulerian and non-stationary Vlasov-Poisson solver. Parametric analyzes varying the magnetic field expansion rate, the size of the simulation box, and the electrostatic potential fall are presented. After choosing the potential fall leading to a zero net current beam, the steady states of the simulations exhibit a quasi-neutral region followed by a downstream sheath. The latter, an unavoidable consequence of the finite size of the computational domain, does not affect the quasi-neutral region if the box size is chosen appropriately. The steady state presents a strong decay of the perpendicular temperature of the electrons, whose profile versus the inverse of the magnetic field does not depend on the expansion rate within the quasi-neutral region. As a consequence, the electron distribution function is highly anisotropic downstream. The simulations revealed that the ions reach a higher velocity during the transient than in the steady state and their distribution functions are not far from mono-energetic. The density percentage of the population of electrons trapped during the transient, which is computed self-consistently by the code, is up to 25% of the total electron density in the quasi-neutral region. It is demonstrated that the exact amount depends on the history of the system and the steady state is not unique. Nevertheless, the amount of trapped electrons is smaller than the one assumed heuristically by kinetic stationary theories.

  12. Estimating Reaction Rate Coefficients Within a Travel-Time Modeling Framework

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gong, R [Georgia Institute of Technology; Lu, C [Georgia Institute of Technology; Luo, Jian [Georgia Institute of Technology; Wu, Wei-min [Stanford University; Cheng, H. [Stanford University; Criddle, Craig [Stanford University; Kitanidis, Peter K. [Stanford University; Gu, Baohua [ORNL; Watson, David B [ORNL; Jardine, Philip M [ORNL; Brooks, Scott C [ORNL

    2011-03-01

    A generalized, efficient, and practical approach based on the travel-time modeling framework is developed to estimate in situ reaction rate coefficients for groundwater remediation in heterogeneous aquifers. The required information for this approach can be obtained by conducting tracer tests with injection of a mixture of conservative and reactive tracers and measurements of both breakthrough curves (BTCs). The conservative BTC is used to infer the travel-time distribution from the injection point to the observation point. For advection-dominant reactive transport with well-mixed reactive species and a constant travel-time distribution, the reactive BTC is obtained by integrating the solutions to advective-reactive transport over the entire travel-time distribution, and then is used in optimization to determine the in situ reaction rate coefficients. By directly working on the conservative and reactive BTCs, this approach avoids costly aquifer characterization and improves the estimation for transport in heterogeneous aquifers which may not be sufficiently described by traditional mechanistic transport models with constant transport parameters. Simplified schemes are proposed for reactive transport with zero-, first-, nth-order, and Michaelis-Menten reactions. The proposed approach is validated by a reactive transport case in a two-dimensional synthetic heterogeneous aquifer and a field-scale bioremediation experiment conducted at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The field application indicates that ethanol degradation for U(VI)-bioremediation is better approximated by zero-order reaction kinetics than first-order reaction kinetics.

  13. Taurine uptake by human retinal pigment epithelium: implications for the transport of small solutes between the choroid and the outer retina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillenkamp, Jost; Hussain, Ali A; Jackson, Timothy L; Cunningham, Joanna R; Marshall, John

    2004-12-01

    To characterize the Michaelis-Menten kinetics of the taurine transporter (TT) in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) freshly isolated from human donor eyes. To identify the rate limiting compartment in the pathway of taurine delivery from the choroidal blood supply to the outer retina composed by Bruch's-choroid (BC) and the RPE in the human older age group. In human donor samples (4 melanoma-affected eyes, and 14 control eyes; age range, 62-93 years), radiochemical techniques were used to determine the RPE taurine accumulation at various exogenous concentrations. The transport capability of human RPE was obtained from a kinetic analysis of the high-affinity carrier over a substrate concentration of 1 to 60 microM taurine. Uptake of taurine into human RPE at a taurine concentration of 1 microM was independent of donor age (P > 0.05) and averaged at 2.83 +/- 0.27 (SEM) pmol/10 minutes per 6-mm trephine. Taurine transport by human RPE was mediated by a high-affinity carrier of K(m) 50 microM and V(max) of 267 pmol/10 minutes per 5-mm disc. In human donor RPE, uptake of taurine remained viable in the age range 62 to 93 years. Taurine transport rates in the RPE were lower than across the isolated BC complex, and thus the data suggest that the former compartment houses the rate-limiting step in the delivery of taurine to the outer retina.

  14. Development of a highly efficient indigo dyeing method using indican with an immobilized beta-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Jingyuan; Imanaka, Hiroyuki; Imamura, Koreyoshi; Kajitani, Kouichi; Nakanishi, Kazuhiro

    2010-09-01

    A highly efficient method for dyeing textiles with indigo is described. In this method, the substrate, indican is first hydrolyzed at an acidic pH of 3 using an immobilized beta-glucosidase to produce indoxyl, under which conditions indigo formation is substantially repressed. The textile sample is then dipped in the prepared indoxyl solution and the textile is finally exposed to ammonia vapor for a short time, resulting in rapid indigo dyeing. As an enzyme, we selected a beta-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger, which shows a high hydrolytic activity towards indican and was thermally stable at temperatures up to 50-60 degrees C, in an acidic pH region. The A. niger beta-glucosidase, when immobilized on Chitopearl BCW-3001 by treatment with glutaraldehyde, showed an optimum reaction pH similar to that of the free enzyme with a slightly higher thermal stability. The kinetics for the hydrolysis of indican at pH 3, using the purified free and immobilized enzymes was found to follow Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with weak competitive inhibition by glucose. Using the immobilized enzyme, we successfully carried out repeated-batch and continuous hydrolyses of indican at pH 3 when nitrogen gas was continuously supplied to the substrate solution. Various types of model textiles were dyed using the proposed method although the color yield varied, depending on the type of textile used. Copyright 2010 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Effect of the Degree of Polymerization of Inulin on the Rate of Hydrolysis Using Immobilized Inulinase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuele Ricca

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The present paper addresses two crucial features in the industrial development of fructose production by enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin: the use of immobilized biocatalyst in the hydrolysis of crude extracts of chicory roots and the evaluation of the effect of degree of polymerization of inulin on the overall reaction rate. The immobilized biocatalyst consisted of inulinase covalently bound to Sepabeads® supports. It was demonstrated that its catalytic activity towards crude inulin extract (real substrate was much higher than that exhibited towards pure inulin (synthetic solution. Experiments revealed that, in applications of practical interest with real substrate, the activity of immobilized enzyme was as high as 63 % of that of free enzyme in homogeneous solution. This certainly was a driving force to potential industrial application of this immobilized enzyme preparation. Therefore, the effect of pure and crude substrates on the kinetics of the reaction catalysed by the immobilized enzyme was investigated. The kinetic analysis revealed a Michaelis-Menten dependence of the reaction rate on substrate concentration for both pure (high molecular mass and crude (low molecular mass inulin. Interesting results were derived from the comparison of Km and vmax values in the two cases. In particular, it was found that increasing degree of polymerization of the substrate caused vmax decrease and Km increase. After evaluation of mass transport effects, this was mainly associated with a different substrate/ enzyme affinity when exploiting inulin characterized by different (low or high degree of polymerization.

  16. Simulation studies of plasma waves in the electron foreshock: The transition from reactive to kinetic instability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dum, C.T.

    1990-01-01

    The electron beam-plasma instability is analyzed in particle simulation experiments, starting with a beam of small velocity spread. The dispersion relation is solved for snapshots of the actual evolving electron distribution function, rather than for the usual models consisting of Maxwellians. As the beam broadens, the analysis shows a transition from reactive beam modes, with frequencies extending much below the plasma frequency ω e , to kinetic instability of Langmuir waves, ω∼ω e , which is in agreement with the frequencies and growth rates observed in the simulation. Beam evolution is also in agreement with quasi-linear theory, except at the end of the reactive phase when trapping of beam electrons is seen. Although the spectrum temporarily narrows at this stage, there are, in contrast to previous simulations, still many modes present. the system then can proceed to a kinetic phase in which quasi-linear theory is again applicable. This stage is identical with the evolution starting from a gentle broad beam, except that wave levels are several times higher. With higher wave levels, mode coupling effects are also more prominent, but are still unable to prevent plateau formation. In contrast to the Langmuir wave regime, the reactive broadband wave regime lasts only for a relatively short period. In the electron foreshock it could only persist if a narrow beam or a sharp cutoff feature were maintained by continued beam injection and the time-of-flight mechanism

  17. Plasma heating by kinetic Alfven wave

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Assis, A.S. de.

    1982-01-01

    The heating of a nonuniform plasma (electron-ion) due to the resonant excitation of the shear Alfven wave in the low β regime is studied using initially the ideal MHD model and posteriorly using the kinetic model. The Vlasov equation for ions and the drift kinetic equation for electrons have been used. Through the ideal MHD model, it is concluded that the energy absorption is due to the continuous spectrum (phase mixing) which the shear Alfven wave has in a nonuniform plasma. An explicit expression for the energy absorption is derived. Through the kinetic model it is concluded that the energy absorption is due to a resonant mode convertion of the incident wave into the kinetic Alfven wave which propagates away from the resonant region. Its electron Landau damping has been observed. There has been a concordance with the MHD calculations. (Author) [pt

  18. In vitro characterization of glucuronidation of vanillin: identification of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and species differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Jian; Han, Jing-Chun; Hua, Li-Min; Gao, Ya-Jie

    2013-09-01

    Vanillin is a food flavoring agent widely utilized in foods, beverages, drugs, and perfumes and has been demonstrated to exhibit multiple pharmacological activities. Given the importance of glucuronidation in the metabolism of vanillin, the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase conjugation pathway of vanillin was investigated in this study. Vanillin glucuronide was identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and a hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by β-glucuronidase. The kinetic study showed that vanillin glucuronidation by HLMs and HIMs followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and the kinetic parameters were as follows: 134.9 ± 13.5 μM and 81.3 ± 11.3 μM for K(m) of HLMs and HIMs, 63.8 ± 2.0 nmol/min/mg pro and 13.4 ±2.0 nmol/min/mg pro for Vmax of HLMs and HIMs. All UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms except UGT1A4, 1A9, and 2B7 showed the capability to glucuronidate vanillin, and UGT1A6 exerted the higher V(max)/K(m) values than other UGT isoforms for the glucuronidation of vanillin when assuming expression of isoforms is similar in recombinant UGTs. Kinetic analysis using liver microsomes from six studied speices indicated that vanillin had highest affinity for the monkey liver microsomes enzyme (K(m)  = 25.6 ± 3.2 μM) and the lowest affinity for the mice liver microsomes enzyme (K(m)  = 149.1 ± 18.4 μM), and intrinsic clearance was in the following order: monkey > dog > minipig > mice > rat ~ human. These data collectively provided important information for understanding glucuronidation of vanillin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Impact of CYP2C8*3 polymorphism on in vitro metabolism of imatinib to N-desmethyl imatinib.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Muhammad Suleman; Barratt, Daniel T; Somogyi, Andrew A

    2016-01-01

    1. Imatinib is metabolized to N-desmethyl imatinib by CYPs 3A4 and 2C8. The effect of CYP2C8*3 genotype on N-desmethyl imatinib formation was unknown. 2. We examined imatinib N-demethylation in human liver microsomes (HLMs) genotyped for CYP2C8*3, in CYP2C8*3/*3 pooled HLMs and in recombinant CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 enzymes. Effects of CYP-selective inhibitors on N-demethylation were also determined. 3. A single-enzyme Michaelis-Menten model with autoinhibition best fitted CYP2C8*1/*1 HLM (n = 5) and recombinant CYP2C8 kinetic data (median ± SD Ki = 139 ± 61 µM and 149 µM, respectively). Recombinant CYP3A4 showed two-site enzyme kinetics with no autoinhibition. Three of four CYP2C8*1/*3 HLMs showed single-enzyme kinetics with no autoinhibition. Binding affinity was higher in CYP2C8*1/*3 than CYP2C8*1/*1 HLM (median ± SD Km = 6 ± 2 versus 11 ± 2 µM, P=0.04). CYP2C8*3/*3 (pooled HLM) also showed high binding affinity (Km = 4 µM) and single-enzyme weak autoinhibition (Ki = 449 µM) kinetics. CYP2C8 inhibitors reduced HLM N-demethylation by 47-75%, compared to 0-30% for CYP3A4 inhibitors. 4. In conclusion, CYP2C8*3 is a gain-of-function polymorphism for imatinib N-demethylation, which appears to be mainly mediated by CYP2C8 and not CYP3A4 in vitro in HLM.

  20. Quantitative kinetics of proteolytic enzymes determined by a surface concentration-based assay using peptide arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Se-Hui; Kong, Deok-Hoon; Park, Seoung-Woo; Kim, Young-Myeong; Ha, Kwon-Soo

    2012-08-21

    Peptide arrays have emerged as a key technology for drug discovery, diagnosis, and cell biology. Despite the promise of these arrays, applications of peptide arrays to quantitative analysis of enzyme kinetics have been limited due to the difficulty in obtaining quantitative information of enzymatic reaction products. In this study, we developed a new approach for the quantitative kinetics analysis of proteases using fluorescence-conjugated peptide arrays, a surface concentration-based assay with solid-phase peptide standards using dry-off measurements, and compared it with an applied concentration-based assay. For fabrication of the peptide arrays, substrate peptides of cMMP-3, caspase-3, caspase-9, and calpain-1 were functionalized with TAMRA and cysteine, and were immobilized onto amine-functionalized arrays using a heterobifunctional linker, N-[γ-maleimidobutyloxy]succinimide ester. The proteolytic activities of the four enzymes were quantitatively analyzed by calculating changes induced by enzymatic reactions in the concentrations of peptides bound to array surfaces. In addition, this assay was successfully applied for calculating the Michaelis constant (K(m,surf)) for the four enzymes. Thus, this new assay has a strong potential for use in the quantitative evaluation of proteases, and for drug discovery through kinetics studies including the determination of K(m) and V(max).

  1. Phenytoin pharmacokinetics in critically ill trauma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boucher, B A; Rodman, J H; Jaresko, G S; Rasmussen, S N; Watridge, C B; Fabian, T C

    1988-12-01

    Preliminary data have suggested that phenytoin systemic clearance may increase during initial therapy in critically ill patients. The objectives for this study were to model the time-variant phenytoin clearance and evaluate concomitant changes in protein binding and urinary metabolite elimination. Phenytoin was given as an intravenous loading dose of 15 mg/kg followed by an initial maintenance dose of 6 mg/kg/day in 10 adult critically ill trauma patients. Phenytoin bound and unbound plasma concentrations were determined in 10 patients and urinary excretion of the metabolite p-hydroxyphenyl phenylhydantoin (p-HPPH) was measured in seven patients for 7 to 14 days. A Michaelis-Menten one-compartment model incorporating a time-variant maximal velocity (Vmax) was sufficient to describe the data and superior to a conventional time-invariant Michaelis-Menten model. Vmax for the time-variant model was defined as V'max + Vmax delta (1 - e(-kindt)). Vmax infinity is the value for Vmax when t is large. The median values (ranges) for the parameters were Km = 4.8 (2.6 to 20) mg/L, Vmax infinity = 1348 (372 to 4741) mg/day, and kind = 0.0115 (0.0045 to 0.132) hr-1. Phenytoin free fraction increased in a majority of patients during the study period, with a binding ratio inversely related to albumin. Measured urinary p-HPPH data were consistent with the proposed model. A loading and constant maintenance dose of phenytoin frequently yielded a substantial, clinically significant fall in plasma concentrations with a pattern of apparently increasing clearance that may be a consequence of changes in protein binding, induction of metabolism, or the influence of stress on hepatic metabolic capacity.

  2. Quantitative Evaluation of the Mechanism Underlying the Biotransportation of the Active Ingredients in Puerariae lobatae Radix and Chuanxiong rhizoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Xin-Li; Zhang, Jing; Liao, Zheng-Gen; Zhao, Guo-Wei; Luo, Yun; Li, Zhe; Satterlee, Andrew

    2015-06-15

    The objective of this study was to establish a quantitative method to evaluate the biotransportation of a drug across the cell membrane. Through the application of the law of mass conservation, the drug transportation rate was calculated based on Fick's law of passive diffusion and the Michaelis-Menten equation. The overall membrane-transportation rate was the sum of the passive diffusion rate and the carrier-mediated diffusion rate, which were calculated as the transportation mass divided by the respective rate. The active ingredients of Puerariae lobatae Radix and Chuanxiong rhizoma, namely, puerarin and ferulic acid, respectively, were used as two model drugs. The transportation rates of puerarin and ferulic acid were obtained by fitting a model that includes both Fick's law of diffusion and the Michaelis-Menten equation. Compared with the overall transportation, the carrier-mediated transport and passive diffusion of 1.59 mmol/L puerarin were -35.07% and 64.93%, respectively, whereas the respective transportation modes of 0.1 mmol/L ferulic acid were -35.40% and 64.60%, respectively. Verapamil and MK-571 increased the overall transport rate and ratio, and MK-571 treatment changed the carrier-mediated transport from negative to positive. However, the transport rate and ratio of ferulic acid did not change significantly. The cell transportation mechanisms of puerarin and ferulic acid primarily involve simple passive diffusion and carrier-mediated transportation. Moreover, P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance-associated protein efflux proteins, and other transportation proteins were found to be involved in the transportation of puerarin. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Kinetic modeling and simulation of PCE and TCE removal in aqueous solutions by electron-beam irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nickelsen, Michael G.; Cooper, William J.; Secker, David A.; Rosocha, Louis A.; Kurucz, Charles N.; Waite, Thomas D.

    2002-01-01

    The irradiation of aqueous solutions of TCE and PCE using a high-energy electron-beam results in the rapid decomposition of both chemicals. It is known that both TCE and PCE react with the aqueous electron and the hydroxyl radical with bimolecular rate constants greater than 10 9 M -1 s -1 for each reaction. The fact that high-energy electrons produce significant concentrations of both e aq - and ·OH radicals in water makes it an effective process for the removal of TCE and PCE from aqueous solution. We have employed steady state and computer-based chemical kinetic models to simulate and better understand the chemistry and kinetics of e-beam irradiation when applied to natural water systems. Model results were benchmarked to experimental data, allowing for the optimization of the reaction of DOC with the ·OH radical. Values for the associated second-order reaction rate constant were found to be 2.5x10 8 and 4.0x10 8 M -1 s -1 , consistent with reported values for k OH,DOC . The models were also used to investigate the possibility of incomplete irradiation during treatment and the presence of proposed chemical reactions of by-products. The reactions involve radicals and radical-adduct species formed by the reaction of TCE and PCE with the hydroxyl radical

  4. Soil properties influence kinetics of soil acid phosphatase in response to arsenic toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ziquan; Tan, Xiangping; Lu, Guannan; Liu, Yanju; Naidu, Ravi; He, Wenxiang

    2018-01-01

    Soil phosphatase, which plays an important role in phosphorus cycling, is strongly inhibited by Arsenic (As). However, the inhibition mechanism in kinetics is not adequately investigated. In this study, we investigated the kinetic characteristics of soil acid phosphatase (ACP) in 14 soils with varied properties, and also explored how kinetic properties of soil ACP changed with different spiked As concentrations. The results showed that the Michaelis constant (K m ) and maximum reaction velocity (V max ) values of soil ACP ranged from 1.18 to 3.77mM and 0.025-0.133mMh -1 in uncontaminated soils. The kinetic parameters of soil ACP in different soils changed differently with As contamination. The K m remained unchanged and V max decreased with increase of As concentration in most acid and neutral soils, indicating a noncompetitive inhibition mechanism. However, in alkaline soils, the K m increased linearly and V max decreased with increase of As concentration, indicating a mixed inhibition mechanism that include competitive and noncompetitive. The competitive inhibition constant (K ic ) and noncompetitive inhibition constant (K iu ) varied among soils and ranged from 0.38 to 3.65mM and 0.84-7.43mM respectively. The inhibitory effect of As on soil ACP was mostly affected by soil organic matter and cation exchange capacity. Those factors influenced the combination of As with enzyme, which resulted in a difference of As toxicity to soil ACP. Catalytic efficiency (V max /K m ) of soil ACP was a sensitive kinetic parameter to assess the ecological risks of soil As contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Communication: Limitations of the stochastic quasi-steady-state approximation in open biochemical reaction networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Philipp; Straube, Arthur V.; Grima, Ramon

    2011-11-01

    It is commonly believed that, whenever timescale separation holds, the predictions of reduced chemical master equations obtained using the stochastic quasi-steady-state approximation are in very good agreement with the predictions of the full master equations. We use the linear noise approximation to obtain a simple formula for the relative error between the predictions of the two master equations for the Michaelis-Menten reaction with substrate input. The reduced approach is predicted to overestimate the variance of the substrate concentration fluctuations by as much as 30%. The theoretical results are validated by stochastic simulations using experimental parameter values for enzymes involved in proteolysis, gluconeogenesis, and fermentation.

  6. Glucose Oxidase Directly Immobilized onto Highly Porous Gold Electrodes for Sensing and Fuel Cell applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toit, Hendrik du; Di Lorenzo, Mirella

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Electrochemical adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOx) on highly porous gold (hPG); • Rapid one-step immobilisation protocol with no use of expensive and/or harsh reagents; • Linear response to glucose in the range 50 μM -10 mM; • Lower detection limit, stable over 5 days: 25 μM. • The use of the GOx-hPG in a fuel cell lead to the peak power density of 6 μW cm −2 . - Abstract: The successful implementation of redox-enzyme electrodes in biosensors and enzymatic biofuel cells has been the subject of extensive research. For high sensitivity and high energy-conversion efficiency, the effective electron transfer at the protein-electrode interface has a key role. This is difficult to achieve in the case of glucose oxidase, due to the fact that for this enzyme the redox centre is buried inside the structure, far from any feasible electrode binding sites. This study reports, a simple and rapid methodology for the direct immobilisation of glucose oxidase into highly porous gold electrodes. When the resulting electrode was tested as glucose sensor, a Michaelis-Menten kinetic trend was observed, with a detection limit of 25 μM. The bioelectrode sensitivity, calculated against the superficial surface area of the bioelectrode, was of 22.7 ± 0.1 μA mM −1 cm −2 . This glucose oxidase electrode was also tested as an anode in a glucose/O 2 enzymatic biofuel cell, leading to a peak power density of 6 μW cm −2 at a potential of 0.2 V

  7. Simultaneous measurement of static and kinetic friction of ZnO nanowires in situ with a scanning electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polyakov, Boris; Dorogin, Leonid M; Vlassov, Sergei; Kink, Ilmar; Romanov, Alexey E; Lohmus, Rynno

    2012-11-01

    A novel method for in situ measurement of the static and kinetic friction is developed and demonstrated for zinc oxide nanowires (NWs) on oxidised silicon wafers. The experiments are performed inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a nanomanipulator with an atomic force microscope tip as a probe. NWs are pushed by the tip from one end until complete displacement is achieved, while NW bending is monitored by the SEM. The elastic bending profile of a NW during the manipulation process is used to calculate the static and kinetic friction forces. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Influence of excited molecules on electron swarm transport coefficients and gas discharge kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrovic, Z.L.; Jovanovic, J.V.; Raspopovic, Z.M.; Bzenic, S.A.; Vrhovac, S.B.

    1997-01-01

    In this paper we study different effects of excited molecules on swarm parameters, electron energy distribution functions and gas discharge modeling. First we discuss a possible experiment in parahydrogen to resolve the discrepancy in hydrogen vibrational excitation cross section data. Negative differential conductivity (NDC) is a kinetic phenomenon which manifests itself in a particular dependence of the drift velocity on E=N and it is affected by superelastic collisions with excited states. A complete kinetic scheme for argon required to model excited state densities in gas discharges is also described. These results are used to explain experiments in capacitively and inductively coupled RF plasmas used for processing. The paper illustrates the application of atomic and molecular collision data, swarm data and the theoretical techniques in modeling of gas discharges with large abundances of excited molecules. It is pointed out that swarm experiments with excited molecules are lacking and that there is a shortage of reliable data, while the numerical procedures are sufficiently developed to include all the important effects. (authors). 59 refs., 12 figs

  9. In situ measurement of methane oxidation in groundwater by using natural-gradient tracer tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, R.L.; Howes, B.L.; Garabedian, S.P.

    1991-01-01

    Methane oxidation was measured in an unconfined sand and gravel aquifer (Cape Cod, Mass.) by using in situ natural-gradient tracer tests at both a pristine, oxygenated site and an anoxic, sewage-contaminated site. The tracer sites were equipped with multilevel sampling devices to create target grids of sampling points; the injectate was prepared with groundwater from the tracer site to maintain the same geochemical conditions. Methane oxidation was calculated from breakthrough curves of methane relative to halide and inert gas (hexafluoroethane) tracers and was confirmed by the appearance of 13 C-enriched carbon dioxide in experiments in which 13 C-enriched methane was used as the tracer. A V max for methane oxidation could be calculated when the methane concentration was sufficiently high to result in zero-order kinetics throughout the entire transport interval. Methane breakthrough curves could be simulated by modifying a one-dimensional advection-dispersion transport model to include a Michaelis-Menten-based consumption term for methane oxidation. The K m values for methane oxidation that gave the best match for the breakthrough curve peaks were 6.0 and 9.0 μM for the uncontaminated and contaminated sites, respectively. Natural-gradient tracer tests are a promising approach for assessing microbial processes and for testing in situ bioremediation potential in groundwater systems

  10. Design and application of a fluorogenic assay for monitoring inflammatory caspase activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranganathan, Raj; Lenti, Gena; Tassone, Nicholas M; Scannell, Brian J; Southern, Cathrine A; Karver, Caitlin E

    2018-02-15

    Various fluorogenic assays exist for monitoring the activity of inflammatory caspases. However, there are no continuous assays that provide C-terminal substrate sequence specificity for inflammatory caspases. As a first step towards this, we have developed a continuous in vitro assay that relies on monitoring emission from tryptophan after cleavage of a quenching coumarin chromophore. The coumarin can be attached as an amino acid side chain or capping the C-terminus of the peptide. When the coumarin is a side chain, it allows for C-terminal and N-terminal sequence specificities to be explored. Using this assay, we obtained Michaelis-Menten kinetic data for four proof-of-principle peptides: WEHD-AMC (K M  = 15 ± 2 μM), WEHD-MCA (K M  = 93 ± 19 μM), WEHDG-MCA (K M  = 21 ± 6 μM) and WEHDA-MCA (K M  = 151 ± 37 μM), where AMC is 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin and MCA is β-(7-methoxy-coumarin-4-yl)-Ala. The results indicate the viability of this new assay approach in the design of effective fluorogenic substrates for inflammatory caspases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Carbon monoxide photoproduction: implications for photoreactivity of Arctic permafrost-derived soil dissolved organic matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Jun; Xie, Huixiang; Guo, Laodong; Song, Guisheng

    2014-08-19

    Apparent quantum yields of carbon monoxide (CO) photoproduction (AQY(CO)) for permafrost-derived soil dissolved organic matter (SDOM) from the Yukon River Basin and Alaska coast were determined to examine the dependences of AQY(CO) on temperature, ionic strength, pH, and SDOM concentration. SDOM from different locations and soil depths all exhibited similar AQY(CO) spectra irrespective of soil age. AQY(CO) increased by 68% for a 20 °C warming, decreased by 25% from ionic strength 0 to 0.7 mol L(-1), and dropped by 25-38% from pH 4 to 8. These effects combined together could reduce AQY(CO) by up to 72% when SDOM transits from terrestrial environemnts to open-ocean conditions during summer in the Arctic. A Michaelis-Menten kinetics characterized the influence of SDOM dilution on AQY(CO) with a very low substrate half-saturation concentration. Generalized global-scale relationships between AQY(CO) and salinity and absorbance demostrate that the CO-based photoreactivity of ancient permaforst SDOM is comparable to that of modern riverine DOM and that the effects of the physicochemical variables revealed here alone could account for the seaward decline of AQY(CO) observed in diverse estuarine and coastal water bodies.

  12. Annealing helicase HARP closes RPA-stabilized DNA bubbles non-processively.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burnham, Daniel R; Nijholt, Bas; De Vlaminck, Iwijn; Quan, Jinhua; Yusufzai, Timur; Dekker, Cees

    2017-05-05

    We investigate the mechanistic nature of the Snf2 family protein HARP, mutations of which are responsible for Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia. Using a single-molecule magnetic tweezers assay, we construct RPA-stabilized DNA bubbles within torsionally constrained DNA to investigate the annealing action of HARP on a physiologically relevant substrate. We find that HARP closes RPA-stabilized bubbles in a slow reaction, taking on the order of tens of minutes for ∼600 bp of DNA to be re-annealed. The data indicate that DNA re-anneals through the removal of RPA, which is observed as clear steps in the bubble-closing traces. The dependence of the closing rate on both ionic strength and HARP concentration indicates that removal of RPA occurs via an association-dissociation mechanism where HARP does not remain associated with the DNA. The enzyme exhibits classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics and acts cooperatively with a Hill coefficient of 3 ± 1. Our work also allows the determination of some important features of RPA-bubble structures at low supercoiling, including the existence of multiple bubbles and that RPA molecules are mis-registered on the two strands. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  13. Simulation Models of Leaf Area Index and Yield for Cotton Grown with Different Soil Conditioners.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lijun Su

    Full Text Available Simulation models of leaf area index (LAI and yield for cotton can provide a theoretical foundation for predicting future variations in yield. This paper analyses the increase in LAI and the relationships between LAI, dry matter, and yield for cotton under three soil conditioners near Korla, Xinjiang, China. Dynamic changes in cotton LAI were evaluated using modified logistic, Gaussian, modified Gaussian, log normal, and cubic polynomial models. Universal models for simulating the relative leaf area index (RLAI were established in which the application rate of soil conditioner was used to estimate the maximum LAI (LAIm. In addition, the relationships between LAIm and dry matter mass, yield, and the harvest index were investigated, and a simulation model for yield is proposed. A feasibility analysis of the models indicated that the cubic polynomial and Gaussian models were less accurate than the other three models for simulating increases in RLAI. Despite significant differences in LAIs under the type and amount of soil conditioner applied, LAIm could be described by aboveground dry matter using Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Moreover, the simulation model for cotton yield based on LAIm and the harvest index presented in this work provided important theoretical insights for improving water use efficiency in cotton cultivation and for identifying optimal application rates of soil conditioners.

  14. Fractionation and Characterization of Tannin Acyl Hydrolase from Aspergillus niger

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YUNITA ARIAN SANI ANWAR

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available We previously produced tannin acyl hydrolase (tannase from Aspergillus niger isolated from cacao pod. In the present study the enzyme was subjected to fractionation by ammonium sulphate followed by dialysis process. The saturation level of ammonium sulphate used was 30-80% where the best enzyme activity was obtained at the saturation level of 60%. Compared to that of crude enzyme, specific activity of tannase after dialysis was four folds. Characterization results showed that optimum activity was at 35-50 oC and pH 6. Tannase was activated by K+ and Na+ at concentration of 0.01 and 0.05 M respectively. Mg2+ was found activate tannase only at 0.01 M. Addition of metal ions like Zn2+, Cu2+, Ca2+, Mn2+ and Fe2+ inhibited the enzyme activity. Kinetics analysis of various substrates tested showed that the Km value of tannic acid and gallotannin was 0.401 and 6.611 mM respectively. Vmax value of tannic acid was 10.804 U/ml and of gallotannin was 12.406 U/ml. Based on Michaelis-Menten constant (Km, the tannase obtained in the present study was more active in hydrolysing depside bonds rather than ester bonds.

  15. Fractionation and Characterization of Tannin Acyl Hydrolase from Aspergillus niger

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YUNITA ARIAN SANI ANWAR

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available We previously produced tannin acyl hydrolase (tannase from Aspergillus niger isolated from cacao pod. In the present study the enzyme was subjected to fractionation by ammonium sulphate followed by dialysis process. The saturation level of ammonium sulphate used was 30–80% where the best enzyme activity was obtained at the saturation level of 60%. Compared to that of crude enzyme, specific activity of tannase after dialysis was four folds. Characterization results showed that optimum activity was at 35–50 °C and pH 6. Tannase was activated by K+ and Na+ at concentration of 0.01 and 0.05 M respectively. Mg2+ was found activate tannase only at 0.01 M. Addition of metal ions like Zn2+, Cu2+, Ca2+, Mn2+ and Fe2+ inhibited the enzyme activity. Kinetics analysis of various substrates tested showed that the Km value of tannic acid and gallotannin was 0.401 and 6.611 mM respectively. Vmax value of tannic acid was 10.804 U/ml and of gallotannin was 12.406 U/ml. Based on Michaelis-Menten constant (Km, the tannase obtained in the present study was more active in hydrolysing depside bonds rather than ester bonds.

  16. Subcellular distribution and uptake mechanism of di-n-butyl phthalate in roots of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Qingqi; Yang, Xiuhong; Huang, Xiongfei; Wang, Shizhong; Chao, Yuanqing; Qiu, Rongliang

    2016-01-01

    Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are of particular concern due to their potential environmental risk to human and nonhuman organisms. Although uptake of PAEs by plants has been reported by several researchers, information about the intracellular distribution and uptake mechanisms of PAEs is still lacking. In this study, a series of hydroponic experiments using intact pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seedlings was conducted to investigate how di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), one of the most frequently identified PAEs in the environment, enters and is distributed in roots. DnBP was transported into subcellular tissues rapidly in the initial uptake period (<12 h). More than 80% of DnBP was detected in the cell walls and organelles, which suggests that DnBP is primarily accumulated in these two fractions due to their high affinity to DnBP. The kinetics of DnBP uptake were fitted well with the Michaelis-Menten equation, suggesting that a carrier-mediated process was involved. The application of 2,4-dinitrophenol and sodium vanadate reduced the uptake of DnBP by 37 and 26%, respectively, while aquaporin inhibitors, silver and glycerol, had no effect on DnBP uptake. These data demonstrated that the uptake of DnBP included a carrier-mediated and energy-dependent process without the participation of aquaporins.

  17. Pectin methylesterase of Datura species, purification, and characterization from Datura stramonium and its application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, Sameer; Upadhyay, Santosh Kumar; Singh, Harpal; Pandey, Bindu; Chandrashekar, Krishnappa; Verma, Praveen Chandra

    2013-10-01

    Pectin methylesterases (PME; EC 3.1.1.11) involved in de-esterification of pectin and have applicability in food, textiles, wines, pulp, and paper industries. In the present study, we compared PME activity of different parts of 3 Datura species and found that fruit coat showed maximum PME activity followed by leaf and seed. PME from leaves of D. stramonium (DsPME) was purified and characterized. DsPME showed optimum activity at 60 °C and pH 9 in the presence of 0.3 M NaCl. DsPME was stable at 70 °C and retained more than 40% activity after 60 min of incubation. However, enzyme activity completely abolished at 80 after 5 min of incubation. It follows Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics. Km and Vmax with citrus pectin were 0.008 mg/ml and 16.96 µmol/min, respectively. DsPME in combination with polygalactourenase (PGA) increased the clarity of orange, apple, pomegranate and pineapple juices by 2.9, 2.6, 2.3, and 3.6 fold, respectively in comparison to PGA alone. Due to very high de-esterification activity, easy denaturation and significant efficacy in incrementing clarification of fruit juice makes DsPME useful for industrial application.

  18. Immobilization of Aspergillus awamori β-glucosidase on commercial gelatin: An inexpensive and efficient process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishida, Verônica S; de Oliveira, Roselene F; Brugnari, Tatiane; Correa, Rúbia Carvalho G; Peralta, Rosely A; Castoldi, Rafael; de Souza, Cristina G M; Bracht, Adelar; Peralta, Rosane M

    2018-05-01

    In this work, a β-glucosidase of Aspergillus awamori with a molecular weight of 180 kDa was produced in solid-state cultures using a mixture of pineapple crown leaves and wheat bran. Maximum production of the enzyme (820 ± 30 U/g substrate) was obtained after 8 days of culture at 28 °C and initial moisture of 80%. The crude enzyme was efficiently immobilized on glutaraldehyde cross-linked commercial gelatin. Immobilization changed the kinetics of the enzyme, whose behavior could no longer be described by a saturation function of the Michaelis-Menten type. Comparative evaluation of the free and immobilized enzyme showed that the immobilized enzyme was more thermostable and less inhibited by glucose than the free form. In consequence of these properties, the immobilized enzyme was able to hydrolyze cellobiose more extensively. In association with Trichoderma reesei cellulase, the free and immobilized β-glucosidase increased the liberation of glucose from cellulose 3- and 5-fold, respectively. Immobilization of the A. awamori β-glucosidase on glutaraldehyde cross-linked commercial gelatin is an efficient and cheap method allowing the reuse of the enzyme by at least 10 times. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Rapid Ammonia Gas Transport Accounts for Futile Transmembrane Cycling under NH3/NH4+ Toxicity in Plant Roots1[C][W

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coskun, Devrim; Britto, Dev T.; Li, Mingyuan; Becker, Alexander; Kronzucker, Herbert J.

    2013-01-01

    Futile transmembrane NH3/NH4+ cycling in plant root cells, characterized by extremely rapid fluxes and high efflux to influx ratios, has been successfully linked to NH3/NH4+ toxicity. Surprisingly, the fundamental question of which species of the conjugate pair (NH3 or NH4+) participates in such fluxes is unresolved. Using flux analyses with the short-lived radioisotope 13N and electrophysiological, respiratory, and histochemical measurements, we show that futile cycling in roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare) seedlings is predominately of the gaseous NH3 species, rather than the NH4+ ion. Influx of 13NH3/13NH4+, which exceeded 200 µmol g–1 h–1, was not commensurate with membrane depolarization or increases in root respiration, suggesting electroneutral NH3 transport. Influx followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for NH3 (but not NH4+), as a function of external concentration (Km = 152 µm, Vmax = 205 µmol g–1 h–1). Efflux of 13NH3/13NH4+ responded with a nearly identical Km. Pharmacological characterization of influx and efflux suggests mediation by aquaporins. Our study fundamentally revises the futile-cycling model by demonstrating that NH3 is the major permeating species across both plasmalemma and tonoplast of root cells under toxicity conditions. PMID:24134887

  20. Rapid ammonia gas transport accounts for futile transmembrane cycling under NH3/NH4+ toxicity in plant roots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coskun, Devrim; Britto, Dev T; Li, Mingyuan; Becker, Alexander; Kronzucker, Herbert J

    2013-12-01

    Futile transmembrane NH3/NH4(+) cycling in plant root cells, characterized by extremely rapid fluxes and high efflux to influx ratios, has been successfully linked to NH3/NH4(+) toxicity. Surprisingly, the fundamental question of which species of the conjugate pair (NH3 or NH4(+)) participates in such fluxes is unresolved. Using flux analyses with the short-lived radioisotope (13)N and electrophysiological, respiratory, and histochemical measurements, we show that futile cycling in roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare) seedlings is predominately of the gaseous NH3 species, rather than the NH4(+) ion. Influx of (13)NH3/(13)NH4(+), which exceeded 200 µmol g(-1) h(-1), was not commensurate with membrane depolarization or increases in root respiration, suggesting electroneutral NH3 transport. Influx followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for NH3 (but not NH4(+)), as a function of external concentration (Km = 152 µm, Vmax = 205 µmol g(-1) h(-1)). Efflux of (13)NH3/(13)NH4(+) responded with a nearly identical Km. Pharmacological characterization of influx and efflux suggests mediation by aquaporins. Our study fundamentally revises the futile-cycling model by demonstrating that NH3 is the major permeating species across both plasmalemma and tonoplast of root cells under toxicity conditions.

  1. Steady-state oxidation of cholesterol catalyzed by cholesterol oxidase in lipid bilayer membranes on platinum electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bokoch, Michael P.; Devadoss, Anando; Palencsar, Mariela S.; Burgess, James D.

    2004-01-01

    Cholesterol oxidase is immobilized in electrode-supported lipid bilayer membranes. Platinum electrodes are initially modified with a self-assembled monolayer of thiolipid. A vesicle fusion method is used to deposit an outer leaflet of phospholipids onto the thiolipid monolayer forming a thiolipid/lipid bilayer membrane on the electrode surface. Cholesterol oxidase spontaneously inserts into the electrode-supported lipid bilayer membrane from solution and is consequently immobilized to the electrode surface. Cholesterol partitions into the membrane from buffer solutions containing cyclodextrin. Cholesterol oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of cholesterol by molecular oxygen, forming hydrogen peroxide as a product. Amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide for continuous solution flow experiments are presented, where flow was alternated between cholesterol solution and buffer containing no cholesterol. Steady-state anodic currents were observed during exposures of cholesterol solutions ranging in concentration from 10 to 1000 μM. These data are consistent with the Michaelis-Menten kinetic model for oxidation of cholesterol as catalyzed by cholesterol oxidase immobilized in the lipid bilayer membrane. The cholesterol detection limit is below 1 μM for cholesterol solution prepared in buffered cyclodextrin. The response of the electrodes to low density lipoprotein solutions is increased upon addition of cyclodextrin. Evidence for adsorption of low density lipoprotein to the electrode surface is presented

  2. Further In-vitro Characterization of an Implantable Biosensor for Ethanol Monitoring in the Brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaia Rocchitta

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Ethyl alcohol may be considered one of the most widespread central nervous system (CNS depressants in Western countries. Because of its toxicological and neurobiological implications, the detection of ethanol in brain extracellular fluid (ECF is of great importance. In a previous study, we described the development and characterization of an implantable biosensor successfully used for the real-time detection of ethanol in the brain of freely-moving rats. The implanted biosensor, integrated in a low-cost telemetry system, was demonstrated to be a reliable device for the short-time monitoring of exogenous ethanol in brain ECF. In this paper we describe a further in-vitro characterization of the above-mentioned biosensor in terms of oxygen, pH and temperature dependence in order to complete its validation. With the aim of enhancing ethanol biosensor performance, different enzyme loadings were investigated in terms of apparent ethanol Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters, viz. IMAX, KM and linear region slope, as well as ascorbic acid interference shielding. The responses of biosensors were studied over a period of 28 days. The overall findings of the present study confirm the original biosensor configuration to be the best of those investigated for in-vivo applications up to one week after implantation.

  3. Dynamics of Electronically Excited Species in Gaseous and Condensed Phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-12-01

    evaluate the Jacobian J v we make use of the numerical algorithm developed by Stodden and Micha 16, extending it to the equations of motion in...field of the average potential V(Q). The set of equations, Eq. (57), has been recently derived by Stodden and Micha 17 by evaluating directly the...Swaminathan, C. D. Stodden , and D. A. Micha, J. Chem. Phys 99 5501 (1989). 6 R. A. Marcus, Chem. Phys. Lett. 7, 525 (1970); J. Chem. Phys. 54, 3935 (1971); 56

  4. Photoinduced bimolecular electron transfer kinetics in small unilamellar vesicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choudhury, Sharmistha Dutta; Kumbhakar, Manoj; Nath, Sukhendu; Pal, Haridas

    2007-01-01

    Photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from N,N-dimethylaniline to some coumarin derivatives has been studied in small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) of the phospholipid, DL-α-dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine, using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence quenching, both below and above the phase transition temperature of the vesicles. The primary interest was to examine whether Marcus inversion [H. Sumi and R. A. Marcus, J. Chem. Phys. 84, 4894 (1986)] could be observed for the present ET systems in these organized assemblies. The influence of the topology of SUVs on the photophysical properties of the reactants and consequently on their ET kinetics has also been investigated. Absorption and fluorescence spectral data of the coumarins in SUVs and the variation of their fluorescence decays with temperature indicate that the dyes are localized in the bilayer of the SUVs. Time-resolved area normalized emission spectra analysis, however, reveals that the dyes are distributed in two different microenvironments in the SUVs, which we attribute to the two leaflets of the bilayer, one toward bulk water and the other toward the inner water pool. The microenvironments in the two leaflets are, however, not indicated to be that significantly different. Time-resolved anisotropy decays were biexponential for all the dyes in SUVs, and this has been interpreted in terms of the compound motion model according to which the dye molecules can experience a fast wobbling-in-cone type of motion as well as a slow overall rotating motion of the cone containing the molecule. The expected bimolecular diffusion-controlled rates in SUVs, as estimated by comparing the microviscosities in SUVs (determined from rotational correlation times) and that in acetonitrile solution, are much slower than the observed fluorescence quenching rates, suggesting that reactant diffusion (translational) does not play any role in the quenching kinetics in the present systems. Accordingly, clear inversions are

  5. Calculation of Kinetic Data for Processes Leading to UV Signatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-03-31

    Jv we make use of the numerical algorithm developed by Stodden and Micha 17, extending it to the equations of motion in curvilinear coordinates. To be...in the field of the average potential V(Q). The set of equations (4.13’) have been recently derived by Stodden and Michat 5 in a more tedious.way by...B. Bloom, J. Chem. Phys. 83, 5703 (1985) 5 P. K. Swamninathan, C. D. Stodden , and D. A. Micha, J. Chem. Phys., in press (1989). 6 R. A. Marcus, Chem

  6. Kinetics of electron transfer through ferrocene-terminated alkanethiol monolayers on gold

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smalley, J.F.; Feldberg, S.W.; Newton, M.D.; Liu, Y.P. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Chidsey, C.E.D.; Linford, M.R. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

    1995-08-31

    The kinetics of electron transfer between a substrate gold electrode and a self-assembled monolayer formed from CH{sub 3}(CH{sub 2}){sub n-1}SH and ({eta}{sup 5} C{sub 5}H{sub 5})Fe ({eta}{sup 5}-C{sub 5}H{sub 4})CO{sub 2}(CH{sub 2}){sub n}SH were studied as a function of n, the number of methylenes in the alkyl chain tethering the ferrocene moiety to the electrode, using the indirect laser-induced temperature jump method (ILIT). For 5 {<=} n {<=} 9 the standard electron-transfer rate constants vary according to {kappa}{sub {tau}a,n=0} exp[-{beta}{sub n}n] where {kappa}{sub {tau}a,n=0} is the (extrapolated) rate constant for the electron transfer at n = 0. At {Tau} = 25{degree}C, {kappa}{sub {tau}a,n} 0 {approx_equal} 6 x 10{sup 8} s{sup -1} and {beta}{sub n} = 1.21 x 0.05. The ILIT method allows rates to be measured that are too fast to be measured by conventional chronoamperometry at a macroelectrode, which is limited to rate constants of {<=} 10{sup 4} s{sup -1}. Using a Marcus formalism, the reorganization energy, {lambda}, for the electron-transfer process at a given n was determined from the slope of an Arrhenius plot over the temperature range 15-55{degree}C. Values of {lambda} determined from Arrhenius slopes for n = 8 and 9 using ILIT are in reasonable agreement with the value of {lambda} previously deduced from the potential dependence of the rate constant for n = 16. 39 refs., 13 figs., 3 tabs.

  7. Eugenol nanocapsule for enhanced therapeutic activity against periodontal infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pramod, Kannissery; Aji Alex, M R; Singh, Manisha; Dang, Shweta; Ansari, Shahid H; Ali, Javed

    2016-01-01

    Eugenol is a godsend to dental care due to its analgesic, local anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. The aim of the present research work was to prepare, characterize and evaluate eugenol-loaded nanocapsules (NCs) against periodontal infections. Eugenol-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) NCs were prepared by solvent displacement method. The nanometric size of the prepared NCs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in vitro drug release was found to follow a biphasic pattern and followed Michaelis-Menten like model. The percentage cell viability values near to 100 in the cell viability assay indicated that the NCs are not cytotoxic. In the in vivo studies, the eugenol NC group displayed significant difference in the continuity of epithelium of the interdental papilla in comparison to the untreated, pure eugenol and placebo groups. The in vivo performance of the eugenol-loaded NCs using ligature-induced periodontitis model in rats indicated that eugenol-loaded NCs could prevent septal bone resorption in periodontitis. On the basis of our research findings it could be concluded that eugenol-loaded PCL NCs could serve as a novel colloidal drug delivery system for enhanced therapeutic activity of eugenol in the treatment of periodontal infections.

  8. Direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase and glucose biosensing on a hydroxyl fullerenes modified glassy carbon electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Yun-Fei; Yang, Tian; Yang, Xiao-Lu; Zhang, Yu-Shuai; Xiao, Bao-Lin; Hong, Jun; Sheibani, Nader; Ghourchian, Hedayatollah; Hong, Tao; Moosavi-Movahedi, Ali Akbar

    2014-10-15

    Direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase (GOD) was achieved when GOD-hydroxyl fullerenes (HFs) nano-complex was immobilized on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode and protected with a chitosan (Chit) membrane. The ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrometry (UV-vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and circular dichroism spectropolarimeter (CD) methods were utilized for additional characterization of the GOD, GOD-HFs and Chit/GOD-HFs. Chit/HFs may preserve the secondary structure and catalytic properties of GOD. The cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of the modified GC electrode showed a pair of well-defined quasi-reversible redox peaks with the formal potential (E°') of 353 ± 2 mV versus Ag/AgCl at a scan rate of 0.05 V/s. The heterogeneous electron transfer constant (ks) was calculated to be 2.7 ± 0.2s(-1). The modified electrode response to glucose was linear in the concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 1.0mM, with a detection limit of 5 ± 1 μM. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km(app)) was 694 ± 8 μM. Thus, the modified electrode could be applied as a third generation biosensor for glucose with high sensitivity, selectivity and low detection limit. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Effects of 3G cell phone exposure on the structure and function of the human cytochrome P450 reductase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanvir, Shazia; Thuróczy, György; Selmaoui, Brahim; Silva Pires Antonietti, Viviane; Sonnet, Pascal; Arnaud-Cormos, Delia; Lévêque, Philippe; Pulvin, Sylviane; de Seze, René

    2016-10-01

    Cell phones increase exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Whether EMFs exert specific effects on biological systems remains debatable. This study investigated the effect of cell phone exposure on the structure and function of human NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR). CPR plays a key role in the electron transfer to cytochrome P450, which takes part in a wide range of oxidative metabolic reactions in various organisms from microbes to humans. Human CPR was exposed for 60min to 1966-MHz RF inside a transverse electromagnetic cell (TEM-cell) placed in an incubator. The specific absorption rate (SAR) was 5W·kg(-1). Conformation changes have been detected through fluorescent spectroscopy of flavin and tryptophan residues, and investigated through circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering and microelectrophoresis. These showed that CPR was narrowed. By using cytochrome C reductase activity to assess the electron flux through the CPR, the Michaelis Menten constant (Km) and the maximum initial velocity (Vmax) decreased by 22% as compared with controls. This change was due to small changes in the tertiary and secondary structures of the protein at 37°C. The relevance of these findings to an actual RF exposure scenario demands further biochemical and in-vivo confirmation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Temperature sensitivity of extracellular enzyme kinetics in subtropical wetland soils under different nutrient and water level conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goswami, S.; Inglett, K.; Inglett, P.

    2012-12-01

    Microbial extracellular enzymes play an important role in the initial steps of soil organic matter decomposition and are involved in regulating nutrient cycle processes. Moreover, with the recent concern of climate change, microbial extracellular enzymes may affect the functioning (C losses, C sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, vegetation changes) of different ecosystems. Hence, it is imperative to understand the biogeochemical processes that may be climate change sensitive. Here, we have measured the Michaelis Menten Kinetics [maximal rate of velocity (Vmax) and half-saturation constant (Km)] of 6 enzymes involved in soil organic matter decomposition (phosphatase, phosphodiesterase, β-D-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, leucine aminopeptidase, N-Acetyl-β-D glucosaminidase) in different nutrient(P) concentration both aerobically and anaerobically in Everglade water conservation area 2A (F1, F4-slough and U3-slough). Temperature sensitivity of different enzymes is assessed within soil of different P concentrations. We hypothesized that the temperature sensitivity of the enzyme changes with the biogeochemical conditions including water level and nutrient condition. Furthermore, we have tested specific hypothesis that higher P concentration will initiate more C demand for microbes leading to higher Vmax value for carbon processing enzymes in high P site. We found temperature sensitivity of all enzymes for Vmax and Km under both aerobic and anaerobic condition ranges from 0.6 to 3.2 for Vmax and 0.5 to 2.5 for Km. Q10 values of Km for glucosidase indicate more temperature sensitivity under anaerobic condition. Under aerobic condition higher temperature showed significant effect on Vmax for bisphosphatase between high P and low P site. Decreasing P concentration from F1 site to U3-S site had showed significant effect in all temperature on carbon processing enzyme. This suggests that in high P site, microbes will use more carbon-processing enzyme to get more carbon

  11. Molecular projectile effects for kinetic electron emission from carbon- and metal-surfaces bombarded by slow hydrogen ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cernusca, S.; Winter, HP.; Aumayr, F.; Díez Muiño, R.; Juaristi, J. I.

    2003-04-01

    Total yields for kinetic electron emission (KE) have been determined for impact of hydrogen monomer-, dimer- and trimer-ions (impact energy armour in magnetic fusion devices. The data are compared with KE yields for impact of same projectile ions on atomically clean highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and polycrystalline gold. We discuss KE yields for the different targets if bombarded by equally fast molecular and atomic ions in view to "projectile molecular effects" (different yields per proton for equally fast atomic and molecular ions), which are expected from calculated electronic projectile energy losses in these target materials.

  12. Effects of missense mutations in sortase A gene on enzyme activity in Streptococcus mutans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, P L; Yu, L X; Tao, Y; Zhou, Y; Zhi, Q H; Lin, H C

    2016-04-11

    Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the major aetiological agent of dental caries, and the transpeptidase Sortase A (SrtA) plays a major role in cariogenicity. The T168G and G470A missense mutations in the srtA gene may be linked to caries susceptibility, as demonstrated in our previous studies. This study aimed to investigate the effects of these missense mutations of the srtA gene on SrtA enzyme activity in S. mutans. The point mutated recombinant S.mutans T168G and G470A sortases were expressed in expression plasmid pET32a. S. mutans UA159 sortase coding gene srtA was used as the template for point mutation. Enzymatic activity was assessed by quantifying increases in the fluorescence intensity generated when a substrate Dabcyl-QALPNTGEE-Edans was cleaved by SrtA. The kinetic constants were calculated based on the curve fit for the Michaelis-Menten equation. SrtA△N40(UA159) and the mutant enzymes, SrtA△N40(D56E) and SrtA△N40(R157H), were expressed and purified. A kinetic analysis showed that the affinity of SrtA△N40(D56E) and SrtA△N40(R157H) remained approximately equal to the affinity of SrtA△N40(UA159), as determined by the Michaelis constant (K m ). However, the catalytic rate constant (k cat ) and catalytic efficiency (k cat /K m ) of SrtA△N40(D56E) were reduced compared with those of SrtA△N40(R157H) and SrtA△N40(UA159), whereas the k cat and k cat /K m values of SrtA△N40(R157H) were slightly lower than those of SrtA△N40(UA159). The findings of this study indicate that the T168G missense mutation of the srtA gene results in a significant reduction in enzymatic activity compared with S. mutans UA159, suggesting that the T168G missense mutation of the srtA gene may be related to low cariogenicity.

  13. Influence of major structural features of tocopherols and tocotrienols on their omega-oxidation by tocopherol-omega-hydroxylase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sontag, Timothy J; Parker, Robert S

    2007-05-01

    Human cytochrome P450 4F2 (CYP4F2) catalyzes the initial omega-hydroxylation reaction in the metabolism of tocopherols and tocotrienols to carboxychromanols and is, to date, the only enzyme shown to metabolize vitamin E. The objective of this study was to characterize this activity, particularly the influence of key features of tocochromanol substrate structure. The influence of the number and positions of methyl groups on the chromanol ring, and of stereochemistry and saturation of the side chain, were explored using HepG2 cultures and microsomal reaction systems. Human liver microsomes and microsomes selectively expressing recombinant human CYP4F2 exhibited substrate activity patterns similar to those of HepG2 cells. Although activity was strongly associated with substrate accumulation by cells or microsomes, substantial differences in specific activities between substrates remained under conditions of similar microsomal membrane substrate concentration. Methylation at C5 of the chromanol ring was associated with markedly low activity. Tocotrienols exhibited much higher Vmax values than their tocopherol counterparts. Side chain stereochemistry had no effect on omega-hydroxylation of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) by any system. Kinetic analysis of microsomal CYP4F2 activity revealed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for alpha-TOH but allosteric cooperativity for other vitamers, especially tocotrienols. Additionally, alpha-TOH was a positive effector of omega-hydroxylation of other vitamers. These results indicate that CYP4F2-mediated tocopherol-omega-hydroxylation is a central feature underlying the different biological half-lives, and therefore biopotencies, of the tocopherols and tocotrienols.

  14. Efecto de la sacarosa en la producción de celulosa por Gluconacetobacter xylinus en cultivo estático

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rubén Jaramillo L.

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo. Determinar el efecto de sacarosa en la productividad de BC por Gluconacetobacter xylinus IFO 13693 en condición estática. Materiales y métodos. La síntesis de celulosa bacteriana (BC por Gluconacetobacter xylinus se llevo a cabo en un cultivo estático discontinuo a temperatura ambiente, en presencia de sacarosa como la principal fuente de carbono a concentraciones iniciales de 0.8 a 7.6 % (p/v. Las concentraciones remanentes de BC, sacarosa, glucosa y fructosa se determinaron cada semana. Para la cinética de la hidrólisis de la sacarosa y formación de celulosa y el coeficiente de rendimiento del producto se utilizo el software Microcal Origin 6.0®. Resultados. En la cuarta semana los valores de BC se encontraron entre 32.5 a 39.5 g/L para las diferentes concentraciones de sacarosa. La cinética para la hidrólisis de sacarosa se ajusta al modelo de Michaelis-Menten, con una Vmax de 0.0002 mol L-1 h-1 y Km de 0.018 M. La producción de BC se ajusta al modelo propuesto por Marx-Figini y Pion, con un valor de la pendiente (kc, entre 0.0018 y 0.0024 h-1 para las diferentes concentraciones iniciales de sacarosa. Los coeficientes de rendimiento tienen valores de 0.8 a 2.4 g de BC producida/g de sacarosa consumida. Conclusiones. La hidrólisis de sacarosa, el consumo de glucosa y fructosa se refleja en la síntesis de celulosa. La hidrólisis de sacarosa y la producción de BC se ajustan a los modelos de Michaelis-Menten y al propuesto por Marx-Figini y Pion, respectivamente. Finalmente, el rendimiento depende de la concentración de sacarosa.

  15. Phenolic composition and related antioxidant properties in differently colored lettuces: a study by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) kinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-López, Usue; Pinzino, Calogero; Quartacci, Mike Frank; Ranieri, Annamaria; Sgherri, Cristina

    2014-12-10

    Differently colored lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars (green, green/red, and red) were studied to correlate their phenolic composition with their antioxidant kinetic behavior. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was employed to monitor decay kinetics of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH(•)), which allowed the identification of three differently paced antioxidants. The results showed that as long as lettuce had higher red pigmentation, the hydrophilic antioxidant capacity increased together with the contents in free and conjugated phenolic acids, free and conjugated flavonoids, and anthocyanins. EPR allowed the identification of slow-rate antioxidants in green and green/red cultivars, intermediate-rate antioxidants in green, green/red, and red cultivars, and fast-rate antioxidants in green/red and red cultivars. At present, the different kinetic behaviors cannot be attributed to a specific antioxidant, but it is suggested that the flavonoid quercetin accounted for the majority of the intermediate-rate antioxidants, whereas the anthocyanins accounted for the majority of the fast-rate antioxidants.

  16. River Metabolism and Nutrient Cycling at the Point Scale: Insights from In Situ Sensors in Benthic Chambers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, M. J.; Reijo, C. J.; Hensley, R. T.

    2017-12-01

    Riverine processing of nutrients and carbon is a local process, subject to heterogeneity in sediment, biotic, insolation, and flow velocity drivers. Measurements at the reach scale aggregate across riverscapes, limiting their utility for enumerating these drivers, and thus for scaling to river networks. Using a combination of in situ sensors that sample water chemistry at high temporal resolution and open benthic chambers that isolate the biogeochemical impacts of a small footprint of benthic surface area, we explored controls on metabolism and nutrient cycling. We specifically sought to answer two questions. First, what are the controls on primary production, with a particular emphasis on the relative roles of light vs. nutrient limitation? Second, what are the pathways of nutrient retention, and do the reaction kinetics of these different pathways differ? We demonstrate the considerable utility of these benthic chambers, reasoning that they provide experimental units for river processes that are not attainable at the reach or network scale. Specifically, in addition to their ability to sample the heterogeneity of the river bed as well as observe nutrient depletion to create concentrations well below ambient levels, they enable manipulative experiments (e.g., nutrient enrichment, light reduction, grazer adjustments) while retaining key elements of the natural system. Across several of Florida's spring-fed river sites, our results strongly support the primacy of light limitation of primary production, with very little evidence of any incremental effects of nutrient enrichment. Nutrient depletion assays further support the dominance of two N retention mechanisms (denitrification and assimilation), the kinetics of which differ markedly, with denitrification exhibiting nearly first-order reactions, and assimilation following zero-order or Michaelis-Menten kinetics over the range of observed concentrations. This latter result helps explain the absence of strong

  17. Mechanism of inactivation of human leukocyte elastase by a chloromethyl ketone: kinetic and solvent isotope effect studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stein, R.L.; Trainor, D.A.

    1986-01-01

    The mechanism of inactivation of human leukocyte elastase (HLE) by the chloromethyl ketone MeOSuc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-CH 2 Cl was investigated. The dependence of the first-order rate constant for inactivation on concentration of chloromethyl ketone is hyperbolic and suggests formation of a reversible Michaelis complex prior to covalent interaction between the enzyme and inhibitor. However, the observed Ki value is 10 microM, at least 10-fold lower than dissociation constants for complexes formed from interaction of HLE with structurally related substrates or reversible inhibitors, and suggests that Ki is a complex kinetic constant, reflecting the formation and accumulation of both the Michaelis complex and a second complex. It is proposed that this second complex is a hemiketal formed from attack of the active site serine on the carbonyl carbon of the inhibitor. The accumulation of this intermediate may be a general feature of reactions of serine proteases and chloromethyl ketones derived from specific peptides and accounts for the very low Ki values observed for these reactions. The solvent deuterium isotope effect (SIE) on the inactivation step (ki) is 1.58 +/- 0.07 and is consistent with rate-limiting, general-catalyzed attack of the active site His on the methylene carbon of the inhibitor with displacement of chloride anion. The general catalyst is thought to be the active site Asp. In contrast, the SIE on the second-order rate constant for HLE inactivation, ki/Ki, is inverse and equals 0.64 +/- 0.05

  18. Correlated kinetic energy density functional of ground states of harmonically confined two-electron atoms for arbitrary interparticle interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amovilli, C; March, N H

    2012-01-01

    Utilizing the earlier work of Holas et al (2003 Phys. Lett. A 310 451) and the more recent contribution of Akbari et al (2009 Phys. Rev. A 80 032509), we construct an integral equation for the relative motion (RM) contribution t RM (r) to the correlated kinetic energy density for modelling two-electron atoms with harmonic confinement but arbitrary interparticle interaction. It is stressed that t RM = t RM [f(G)], where f(G) is the atomic scattering factor: the Fourier transform of the density ρ(r). As a simple illustrative example of this functional relation for the correlated kinetic energy density, the harmonic Moshinsky case is investigated, the scattering factor then having a Gaussian form. (paper)

  19. Kinetics of electron-induced decomposition of CF2Cl2 coadsorbed with water (ice): A comparison with CCl4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faradzhev, N.S.; Perry, C.C.; Kusmierek, D.O.; Fairbrother, D.H.; Madey, T.E.

    2004-01-01

    The kinetics of decomposition and subsequent chemistry of adsorbed CF 2 Cl 2 , activated by low-energy electron irradiation, have been examined and compared with CCl 4 . These molecules have been adsorbed alone and coadsorbed with water ice films of different thicknesses on metal surfaces (Ru; Au) at low temperatures (25 K; 100 K). The studies have been performed with temperature programmed desorption (TPD), reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). TPD data reveal the efficient decomposition of both halocarbon molecules under electron bombardment, which proceeds via dissociative electron attachment (DEA) of low-energy secondary electrons. The rates of CF 2 Cl 2 and CCl 4 dissociation increase in an H 2 O (D 2 O) environment (2-3x), but the increase is smaller than that reported in recent literature. The highest initial cross sections for halocarbon decomposition coadsorbed with H 2 O, using 180 eV incident electrons, are measured (using TPD) to be 1.0±0.2x10 -15 cm 2 for CF 2 Cl 2 and 2.5±0.2x10 -15 cm 2 for CCl 4 . RAIRS and XPS studies confirm the decomposition of halocarbon molecules codeposited with water molecules, and provide insights into the irradiation products. Electron-induced generation of Cl - and F - anions in the halocarbon/water films and production of H 3 O + , CO 2 , and intermediate compounds COF 2 (for CF 2 Cl 2 ) and COCl 2 , C 2 Cl 4 (for CCl 4 ) under electron irradiation have been detected using XPS, TPD, and RAIRS. The products and the decomposition kinetics are similar to those observed in our recent experiments involving x-ray photons as the source of ionizing irradiation

  20. Two-scale large deviations for chemical reaction kinetics through second quantization path integral

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Tiejun; Lin, Feng

    2016-01-01

    Motivated by the study of rare events for a typical genetic switching model in systems biology, in this paper we aim to establish the general two-scale large deviations for chemical reaction systems. We build a formal approach to explicitly obtain the large deviation rate functionals for the considered two-scale processes based upon the second quantization path integral technique. We get three important types of large deviation results when the underlying two timescales are in three different regimes. This is realized by singular perturbation analysis to the rate functionals obtained by the path integral. We find that the three regimes possess the same deterministic mean-field limit but completely different chemical Langevin approximations. The obtained results are natural extensions of the classical large volume limit for chemical reactions. We also discuss its implication on the single-molecule Michaelis–Menten kinetics. Our framework and results can be applied to understand general multi-scale systems including diffusion processes. (paper)