A novel fibre-coated sorbent for rapid removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Sorption of Zinc(II) from dilute aqueous solutions in the presence of high concentrations of common salts

The commercial acrylic fibre "Cashmilon" was partially hydrolyzed to convert a fraction of its nitrile (-CN) groups to carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups and then coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) resin and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce a novel gel-coated fibrous sorbent with multiple functionalities of cationic, anionic and chelating types, and significantly faster sorption kinetics than bead-form sorbents. The sorption properties of the fibrous sorbent were measured using Zn(II) in aqueous solution as the sorbate to determine the effects of pH and the presence of common ions in the solution on the sorption capacity. The rate of sorption on the gel-coated fibre was measured in comparison with that on Amberlite IRA-68 weak-base resin beads, to demonstrate the marked difference between fibre and bead-form sorbents in their kinetic behaviour.

Synthetic application of the diels-alder adduct of β-trans-ocimene and maleic anhydride-II. An approach towards the synthesis of valerenic acid

By a series of reactions the Diels-Alder adduct IV of maleic anhydride and β-trans-Ocimene gave 1-hydroxy-1,4-dimethyl-7-hydroxymethyloctahydroindane (XII). Its further synthetic elaboration furnished 1,4-dimethyl-7-(2-ethoxycarbonyl-1-propenyl)-Δ1-octahydroindane of the valerenic acid skeleton.

ESR study of dibarium copper formate tetrahydrate Part II. Optical absorption and temperature dependence of spin-hamiltonian parameters

The variations in certain spin-Hamiltonian parameters of the Cu++ ion in dibarium copper formate tetrahydrate with temperature have been studied. Optical absorption investigations on single crystals of the salt at room temperature and 90° K. are reported. The results are discussed in terms of a model in which vibronic mixing of certain electron levels of the Cu++ ion play an important role.

Effect of associating anions on phosphorus retention in soil II. Under variable anion concentration

The results of the present investigation reveal that the presence of anions in the reacting medium greatly modify the reactions between soil and solution P. Associating anions reduce considerably the retention of phosphate in soils. Citrate, tartrate, and silicate are found to be superior to arsenate, oxalate, and fluoride in reducing phosphate retention in soil. The performance of associating anions depends on the pH and P concentration of the reacting medium. The nature and properties of soil also play a highly significant role on the effectiveness of associating anions.

Inclusive Search for Standard Model Higgs Boson Production in the WW Decay Channel using the CDF II Detector

We present a search for standard model (SM) Higgs boson production using ppbar collision data at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV, collected with the CDF II detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 fb-1. We search for Higgs bosons produced in all processes with a significant production rate and decaying to two W bosons. We find no evidence for SM Higgs boson production and place upper limits at the 95% confidence level on the SM production cross section (sigma(H)) for values of the Higgs boson mass (m_H) in the range from 110 to 200 GeV. These limits are the most stringent for m_H > 130 GeV and are 1.29 above the predicted value of sigma(H) for mH = 165 GeV.

Measurement of the WW+WZ Production Cross Section Using the lepton+jets Final State at CDF II

We report two complementary measurements of the WW+WZ cross section in the final state consisting of an electron or muon, missing transverse energy, and jets, performed using p\bar{p} collision data at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV collected by the CDF II detector. The first method uses the dijet invariant mass distribution while the second more sensitive method uses matrix-element calculations. The result from the second method has a signal significance of 5.4 sigma and is the first observation of WW+WZ production using this signature. Combining the results gives sigma_{WW+WZ} = 16.0 +/- 3.3 pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction.

Measurement of the top quark mass and pp̅ →tt̅ cross section in the all-hadronic mode with the CDF II detector

We present a measurement of the top quark mass and of the top-antitop pair production cross section using p-pbar data collected with the CDFII detector at the Tevatron Collider at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 fb-1. We select events with six or more jets satisfying a number of kinematical requirements imposed by means of a neural network algorithm. At least one of these jets must originate from a b quark, as identified by the reconstruction of a secondary vertex inside the jet. The mass measurement is based on a likelihood fit incorporating reconstructed mass distributions representative of signal and background, where the absolute jet energy scale (JES) is measured simultaneously with the top quark mass. The measurement yields a value of 174.8 +- 2.4(stat+JES) ^{+1.2}_{-1.0}(syst) GeV/c^2, where the uncertainty from the absolute jet energy scale is evaluated together with the statistical uncertainty. The procedure measures also the amount of signal from which we derive a cross section, sigma_{ttbar} = 7.2 +- 0.5(stat) +- 1.0 (syst) +- 0.4 (lum) pb, for the measured values of top quark mass and JES.

Search for Supersymmetry with Gauge-Mediated Breaking in Diphoton Events with Missing Transverse Energy at CDF II

We present the results of a search for supersymmetry with gauge-mediated breaking and $\NONE\to\gamma\Gravitino$ in the $\gamma\gamma$+missing transverse energy final state. In 2.6$\pm$0.2 \invfb of $p{\bar p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$=$1.96 TeV recorded by the CDF II detector we observe no candidate events, consistent with a standard model background expectation of 1.4$\pm$0.4 events. We set limits on the cross section at the 95% C.L. and place the world's best limit of 149\gevc on the \none mass at $\tau_{\tilde{\chi}_1^0}$$

Trace element nutrition of the silkwormBombyx mori L. II. Relationship between cobalt, vitamin B12, benzimidazole and purines

Benzimidazole is toxic to silkworms due to its antagonistic action to purines. Cobalt and copper possess the capacity to reverse its toxicity because of their ability to form complexes with benzimidazole. For reasons unknown cobalt exerts a favourable effect in its free form rather than in the vitamin form on the insect growth.

Biosynthesis of isoleucine and valine in mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv*1: II. Purification and properties of acetohydroxy acid isomerase

Acetohydroxy acid isomerase (AHA isomerase) was purified about 110-fold and separated from reductase and acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase. The AHA isomerase was found to be homogeneous by agar and polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses at different pHs. The properties of AHA isomerase have been studied. The purified enzyme showed requirement for Image -ascorbic acid and sulfate ions for its activity. Synthetic ascorbic acid sulfate could replace Image -ascorbic acid and sulfate. α-Methyllactate and α-ketoisovalerate were found to inhibit AHA isomerase activity competitively whereas Image -valine and Image -isoleucine had no significant inhibitory effect. p-Hydroxymercuribenzoate inhibited AHA isomerase activity and the inhibition was reversed by β-mercaptoethanol.

Biosynthesis of valine and isoleucine in plants II. Dihydroxyacid dehydratase from Phaseolus radiatus

1. 1. An enzyme catalysing the conversion of α,β-dihydroxyisovalerate and α,β-dihydroxy-β-methylvalerate to α-ketoisovalerate and α-keto-β-methylvalerate has been partially purified from green gram (Phaseolus radiatus), and its characteristics studied. 2. 2. A natural inhibitor, heat stable and inorganic in nature, was observed in the crude extracts. 3. 3. The observed Km values for α-β-dihydroxyisovalerate and α,β-dihydroxy-β-methylvalerate were 2.4 · 10-3 M and 9 · 10-4 M, respectively. 4. 4. The enzyme required the presence of a divalent metal ion (Mg2+, Mn2+ or Fe2+) for maximal activity. Heavy metals like Ag+ and Hg2+ were inhibitory. 5. 5. The optimal activity was around pH 8.0 and the optimum temperature at 52°. The activation energy is found to be 12 600 cal/mole. 6. 6. The enzyme was inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, N-ethylmaleimide and sulphydryl compounds like cysteine, glutathione, 2-mercaptoethanol and 2,3-dimercaptopropanol. The inhibition by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate could not be reversed by any of the sulfhydryl compounds tested.

Studies in the polarography of metal-amino acid complexes -Part II. Lead

1. The polarographic behaviour of glycine, α-alanine, β-alanine, valine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and asparagine complexes of lead has been studied at various pH values and in presence of (1) NaOH, (2) Na2CO3 and (3) NH4 NO3+NH4OH. All the polarographic waves have been found to be reversible. 2. Experiments conducted on the effect of variation of pH, i.e., 7

Part I: Enzyme replacement versus neurotrophic factor viral vector-mediated gene therapy of Parkinson’s disease, Part II: The effects of orally dosed tolcapone and entacapone on dopamine metabolism in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens in rats

Part I: Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which particularly the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta degenerate and die. Current conventional treatment is based on restraining symptoms but it has no effect on the progression of the disease. Gene therapy research has focused on the possibility of restoring the lost brain function by at least two means: substitution of critical enzymes needed for the synthesis of dopamine and slowing down the progression of the disease by supporting the functions of the remaining nigral dopaminergic neurons by neurotrophic factors. The striatal levels of enzymes such as tyrosine hydroxylase, dopadecarboxylase and GTP-CH1 are decreased as the disease progresses. By replacing one or all of the enzymes, dopamine levels in the striatum may be restored to normal and behavioral impairments caused by the disease may be ameliorated especially in the later stages of the disease. The neurotrophic factors glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurturin have shown to protect and restore functions of dopaminergic cell somas and terminals as well as improve behavior in animal lesion models. This therapy may be best suited at the early stages of the disease when there are more dopaminergic neurons for neurotrophic factors to reach. Viral vector-mediated gene transfer provides a tool to deliver proteins with complex structures into specific brain locations and provides long-term protein over-expression. Part II: The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of two orally dosed COMT inhibitors entacapone (10 and 30 mg/kg) and tolcapone (10 and 30 mg/kg) with a subsequent administration of a peripheral dopadecarboxylase inhibitor carbidopa (30 mg/kg) and L- dopa (30 mg/kg) on dopamine and its metabolite levels in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens of freely moving rats using dual-probe in vivo microdialysis. Earlier similarly designed studies have only been conducted in the dorsal striatum. We also confirmed the result of earlier ex vivo studies regarding the effects of intraperitoneally dosed tolcapone (30 mg/kg) and entacapone (30 mg/kg) on striatal and hepatic COMT activity. The results obtained from the dorsal striatum were generally in line with earlier studies, where tolcapone tended to increase dopamine and DOPAC levels and decrease HVA levels. Entacapone tended to keep striatal dopamine and HVA levels elevated longer than in controls and also tended to elevate the levels of DOPAC. Surprisingly in the nucleus accumbens, dopamine levels after either dose of entacapone or tolcapone were not elevated. Accumbal DOPAC levels, especially in the tolcapone 30 mg/kg group, were elevated nearly to the same extent as measured in the dorsal striatum. Entacapone 10 mg/kg elevated accumbal HVA levels more than the dose of 30 mg/kg and the effect was more pronounced in the nucleus accumbens than in the dorsal striatum. This suggests that entacapone 30 mg/kg has minor central effects. Also our ex vivo study results obtained from the dorsal striatum suggest that entacapone 30 mg/kg has minor and transient central effects, even though central HVA levels were not suppressed below those of the control group in either brain area in the microdialysis study. Both entacapone and tolcapone suppressed hepatic COMT activity more than striatal COMT activity. Tolcapone was more effective than entacapone in the dorsal striatum. The differences between dopamine and its metabolite levels in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens may be due to different properties of the two brain areas.