Volume 63, Issue 1

Nowadays DNA-based biosensors represent powerful tools for the study of DNA sequence, DNA chemical interactions and damage. Among them, biosensors with an electrochemical signal transducer play the most important role. The performance of a biosensor strongly depends on the method of a biorecognition element being attached to the electrode. This review refers to polymer materials being used to create a DNA-electrode interface. The main terminology is given in Introduction followed by a description of polymers and polymer-based nanocomposites and their electrochemical properties. A comprehensive table reports examples of the electrochemical detection of DNA immobilized on the polymer matrix. Finally, a short survey is given.

Moisture content (MC) of green biomass or raw biomass materials (wood, bark, plants, etc.) commonly exceeds 50 mass % (wet basis). The maximum possible MC of biomass fuel for big scale combustion (e.g. fluidized bed combustion with low external heat losses) is approximately 60–65 mass %. Higher biomass MC generally causes operational problems of biomass combustors, lower stability of burning and higher CO and VOC emissions. Gasification of biomass with higher MC produces fuel gas of lower effective heating values and higher tar concentrations. In this review, various technological schemes for wood drying in combination with combustion/gasification with the assessment of factors for possible minimization of emissions of organics from the drying processes are compared. The simple direct flue gas biomass drying technologies lead to exhaust drying gases containing high VOC emissions (terpenes, alcohols, organic acids, etc.). VOC emissions depend on the drying temperature, residence time and final MC of the dried biomass. Indirect biomass drying has an advantage in the possibility of reaching very low emissions of organic compounds from the drying process. Exhaust drying gases can be simply destroyed as a part of the total combustion air (gas) in a combustion chamber or a gasifier. Liquid, condensed effluents have to be treated properly because they have relatively high content of organic compounds, some of them accompanied by odor. Drying of biomass with superheated steam offers more uniform drying of both small and bigger particles and shorter periods of higher temperatures of the dried biomass, particularly if drying to the final MC below 15 mass % is required. In practical modern drying technologies, biomass (mainly wood) is dried in recirculated gas of relatively high humidity (approaching saturation) and the period of constant rate drying is longer. Drying of moist wood material (saw dust, chips, etc.) is required in wood pellet production. Emissions of organics in drying depend on biomass properties, content of resins, storing time and on operational aspects of the drying process: drying temperature, drying medium, final MC, residence time, and particle size distribution of the dried biomass (wood). Integration of biomass drying with combustion/gasification processes includes the choice of the drying medium (flue gas, air, superheated steam). Properties of the drying media and operational parameters are strongly dependent on local conditions, fuel input of the combustion/gasification unit, cleaning of the exhaust drying media (gas, steam, wastewater), and on environmental factors and requirements.

Hydrocolloids (or gums) belong to a group of biopolymers widely used in food technology. In the bakery industry, these compounds help to improve food texture and moisture retention, to retard starch retrogradation, and, finally, to enlarge the overall quality of the products during storage. Since recently, some hydrocolloids are being used due to their polymeric structure as fat replacers to obtain low calorie products and to substitute gluten in the formulation of gluten-free breads. This study describes the applications of some hydrocolloids in the bakery industry. Technological effects of these substances for different types of bakery products are also discussed.

An efficient and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of 118 pesticide residues in teas has been established and validated. A multi-residue analysis of pesticides in tea involved extraction with ethyl acetate-hexane, clean-up using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and solidphase extraction (SPE), and subsequent identification and quantification of the selected pesticides by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For most of the target analytes, optimized pretreatment processes led to no significant interference with analysis of sample matrix, and the determination of 118 compounds was achieved in about 60 min. In the linear range of each pesticide, the correlation coefficient was R 2 ≥ 0.99. At the low, medium and high three fortification levels of 0.05–2.5 mg kg−1, 118 pesticides average recoveries range from 61 % to 121 % and relative standard deviations (RSD) were in the range of 0.6–9.2 % for all analytes. The limits of detection for the method were 0.00030-0.36 mg kg−1, depending on each pesticide.

Spectrophotometric determination of total phosphorus in meat samples was modified using the molybdenum blue reaction with the following reducing agents: ascorbic acid (AA), hydrazine sulphate (HS), and mixture of hydroquinone and hydrazine sulphate (HHS). Proposed methods were validated by evaluation of statistical parameters such as: linearity, sensitivity, limits of detection (DL) and quantification (QL), precision, and accuracy, against the standard and malachite green (MG) modified procedures and by applying food certified materials. The values of within-day and between-days precision in meat samples for all tested reducing agents were better than 3.4 % and 4.2 %, respectively. The recoveries for CRMs analyses were between 92 % and 102.3 %. Obtained results suggest usefulness of the hydroquinone and hydrazine sulphate mixture in the determination of phosphorus ions.

Parent Ca-montmorillonite (Jelšový Potok, Slovakia, Ca-JP) and Na-montmorillonite Kunipia-F (Japan, Na-KU) were ion-exchanged with octadecyltrimethylammonium (ODTMA) cations. Characteristics of the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (IR) and thermogravimetry (TG). Surface areas were measured by sorption of N2 and ethyleneglycol monoethyl ether. Scanning electron microscopy photographs (SEM) were used to characterize the texture of samples. The XRD patterns show that, upon intercalation, the basal spacing of montmorillonite is expanded and corresponds to the pseudotrimolecular arrangement of organic cations in the interlayers. The IR spectra of organically modified montmorillonite show C-H stretching and bending bands of both CH3 and CH2 groups in the 3000–2800 cm−1 and 1500–1400 cm−1 region, respectively. Modification of montmorillonite by organic cations decreased the hydrophilicity of their mineral surface and adsorbed water evaporated at lower temperatures. The SEM photographs reveal a tendency towards lump formation and agglomeration of the ODTMA-montmorillonite particles. The modification introducing organic moiety lead to a substantial decrease in the surface area of both montmorillonites; however, it remained remarkably high, being at the level typical for silica. Completely characterized fillers were used to prepare rubber compositions with enhanced physical properties, as described in Hrachová et al. (2008).

Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyse nickel on anodic aluminium surfaces after stripping the anodic aluminium oxide. The metal was electroplated at the bottom of the pores of anodised aluminium during electrolytic colouring in solutions without (Watts) and with (citrate) complexing agents, respectively. A relation between the anodic-cathodic processes, changes of the structure and composition of the coating in dependence on the used solution were studied. A morphology study performed after stripping the anodic aluminium oxide revealed the crucial influence of the anodic process/cycle and the complexing agent on the nickel structure on the aluminium surface. Off-time of half-way rectified current influenced the nickel deposition in the pores of anodic alumina negatively.

Water-soluble, partially hydrophobized polysaccharides have become attractive due to their potential to act as polymeric surfactants. From carboxymethyl starch (CMS), water-soluble polymeric surfactants were prepared by esterification using two unconvential methods based on (A) a reaction with mixed anhydrides and (B) with methyl laureate (MELA) and methyl esters of the fatty acid complex of rape seed oil (MERO) under ‘solvent-free’ conditions. The obtained CMS derivatives were characterized by structural, surface-active and surfactant performance properties. Esterification using method B was successful in contrast to method A which yielded derivatives with a very low extent of esterification. Although the derivatives reduced the surface tension moderately, they exhibited remarkable emulsifying properties. The performance tests indicated good washing power and antiredeposition efficiency. The results suggest that suitable polymeric surfactants can be prepared by the unconventional esterification method B using both acylation agents. The preparations might substitute the expensive and invasive industrially applied conventional methods.

Polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes were prepared by oxidation of aniline in 0.4 M acetic acid. They were subsequently used as a reductant of silver nitrate in 1 M nitric acid, water or 1 M ammonium hydroxide at various molar ratios of silver nitrate to PANI. The resulting PANI-silver composites contained silver nanoparticles of 40–60 nm size along with macroscopic silver flakes. Under these experimental conditions, silver was always produced outside the PANI nanotubes. Changes in the molecular structure of PANI were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. Silver content in the composites was determined as a residue by thermogravimetric analysis, and confirmed by density measurements. The highest conductivity of a composite, 68.5 S cm−1, was obtained at the nitrate to PANI molar ratio of 0.67 in water. Also, the best reaction yield was obtained in water. Reductions performed in an acidic medium gave products with conductivity of 10−4–10−2 S cm−1, whereas the reaction in alkaline solution yielded non-conducting products.

This study gives a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) correlation of the 72 N-benzylsalicylamide derivatives properties with their antimycobacterial activity. The antimycobacterial activity was measured as the minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) determined for four strains of mycobacterium (M. avium, M. kansasii, M. kansasii clin.-clinically isolated form, and M. tuberculosis) after 14 days and after 21 days of cultivation. The objective was to identify the factors most closely defining biological activity of N-benzylsalicylamides, in order to enable QSAR prediction of new derivatives with high antimycobacterial activity. Optimal properties for the QSAR analysis were selected from several physicochemical properties, including lipophilicity parameter log P, molecular mass M, molar refraction MR, NMR chemical shifts, polarizability, etc. Many of the considered properties are different from those typically used in traditional QSAR. Selection of the most important properties was performed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and correlation analysis using the significance coefficients and the correlation coefficients, respectively. The chosen variables were further used in artificial neural networks (ANN) for predicting biological activity in the form of-log(MIC).

Tribromomethylarenes were prepared efficiently, at room temperature, from trifluoromethylarenes with boron tribromide as the brominating reagent. The present process is applicable to the preparation of various substituted benzotribromide derivatives from substituted benzotrifluoride compounds. p-Substituted benzotrifluoride compounds were found to be more reactive than o-substituted isomers under the given reaction conditions.

Efficient syntheses of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones and the corresponding thioxo derivatives using 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBH) catalysis of a one-pot three-component Biginelli reaction of aldehydes, ethyl acetoacetate, and urea or thiourea under microwave irradiation are described. The advantages of this method are its short reaction times, high yields of the products, inexpensive and commercially available catalyst, and solvent-free conditions. Typical isolated yields exceed 70 % for arylaldehydes (9 examples) and aliphatic aldehydes (2 examples).

A new xanthone, 3-hydroxy-1,2,5,8-tetramethoxyxanthone, along with three known ones, 1,3,8-trihydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone, 1,3,8-trihydroxy-4-methoxyxanthone and 1,3,6-trihydroxy-2,7-dimethoxyxanthone, was isolated and identified from the roots of Securidaca inappendiculata.