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The chemical imaging sensor is a chemical sensor which is capable of visualizing the spatial distribution of chemical species in sample solution. In this study, a novel measurement system based on the chemical imaging sensor was developed to observe the inside of a Y-shaped microfluidic channel while injecting two sample solutions from two branches. From the collected chemical images, it was clearly observed that the injected solutions formed laminar flows in the microfluidic channel. In addition, ion diffusion across the laminar flows was observed. This label-free method can acquire quantitative data of ion distribution and diffusion in microfluidic devices, which can be used to determine the diffusion coefficients, and therefore, the molecular weights of chemical species in the sample solution.
The chemical imaging sensor was applied to in-situ pH imaging of the solution in the vicinity of a corroding surface of stainless steel under potentiostatic polarization. A test piece of polished stainless steel was placed on the sensing surface leaving a narrow gap filled with artificial seawater and the stainless steel was corroded under polarization. The pH images obtained during polarization showed correspondence between the region of lower pH and the site of corrosion. It was also found that the pH value in the gap became as low as 2 by polarization, which triggered corrosion.
Transport through Redox-Active Ru-Terpyridine Complexes Integrated in Single Nanoparticle Devices
(2020)
Transition metal complexes are electrofunctional molecules due to their high conductivity and their intrinsic switching ability involving a metal-to-ligand charge transfer. Here, a method is presented to contact reliably a few to single redox-active Ru-terpyridine complexes in a CMOS compatible nanodevice and preserve their electrical functionality. Using hybrid materials from 14 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and bis-{4′-[4-(mercaptophenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine]}-ruthenium(II) complexes a device size of 30² nm² inclusive nanoelectrodes is achieved. Moreover, this method bears the opportunity for further downscaling. The Ru-complex AuNP devices show symmetric and asymmetric current versus voltage curves with a hysteretic characteristic in two well separated conductance ranges. By theoretical approximations based on the single-channel Landauer model, the charge transport through the formed double-barrier tunnel junction is thoroughly analyzed and its sensibility to the molecule/metal contact is revealed. It can be verified that tunneling transport through the HOMO is the main transport mechanism while decoherent hopping transport is present to a minor extent.
It is well known that the degradation environment can strongly influence the biodegradability and kinetics of biodegradation processes of polymers. Therefore, besides the monitoring of the degradation process, it is also necessary to control the medium in which the degradation takes place. In this work, a micromachined multi-parameter sensor chip for the control of the polymer-degradation medium has been developed. The chip combines a capacitive field-effect pH sensor, a four-electrode electrolyte-conductivity sensor and a thin-film Pt-temperature sensor. The results of characterization of individual sensors are presented. In addition, the multi-parameter sensor chip together with an impedimetric polymer-degradation sensor was simultaneously characterized in degradation solutions with different pH and electrolyte conductivity. The obtained results demonstrate the feasibility of the multi-parameter sensor chip for the control of the polymer-degradation medium.
Developing a new production host from a blueprint: Bacillus pumilus as an industrial enzyme producer
(2014)
Control of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in a AlGaAs/GaAs ring by asymmetric and symmetric gate biasing
(2001)
The presentation of enzymes on viral scaffolds has beneficial effects such as an increased enzyme loading and a prolonged reusability in comparison to conventional immobilization platforms. Here, we used modified tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) nanorods as enzyme carriers in penicillin G detection for the first time. Penicillinase enzymes were conjugated with streptavidin and coupled to TMV rods by use of a bifunctional biotin-linker. Penicillinase-decorated TMV particles were characterized extensively in halochromic dye-based biosensing. Acidometric analyte detection was performed with bromcresol purple as pH indicator and spectrophotometry. The TMV-assisted sensors exhibited increased enzyme loading and strongly improved reusability, and higher analysis rates compared to layouts without viral adapters. They extended the half-life of the sensors from 4 - 6 days to 5 weeks and thus allowed an at least 8-fold longer use of the sensors. Using a commercial budget-priced penicillinase preparation, a detection limit of 100 µM penicillin was obtained. Initial experiments also indicate that the system may be transferred to label-free detection layouts.
Characterisation of polymeric materials as passivation layer for calorimetric H2O2 gas sensors
(2012)
Calorimetric gas sensors for monitoring the H₂O₂ concentration at elevated temperatures in industrial sterilisation processes have been presented in previous works. These sensors are built up in form of a differential set-up of a catalytically active and passive temperature-sensitive structure. Although, various types of catalytically active dispersions have been studied, the passivation layer has to be established and therefore, chemically as well as physically characterised. In the present work, fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), perfluoralkoxy (PFA) and epoxy-based SU-8 photoresist as temperature-stable polymeric materials have been investigated for sensor passivation in terms of their chemical inertness against H₂O₂, their hygroscopic properties as well as their morphology. The polymeric materials were deposited via spin-coating on the temperature-sensitive structure, wherein spin-coated FEP and PFA show slight agglomerates. However, they possess a low absorption of humidity due to their hydrophobic surface, whereas the SU-8 layer has a closed surface but shows a slightly higher absorption of water. All of them were inert against gaseous H₂O₂ during the characterisation in H₂O₂ atmosphere that demonstrates their suitability as passivation layer for calorimetric H₂O₂ gas sensors.
A wireless sensor system based on the industrial ZigBee standard for low-rate wireless networking was developed that enables real-time monitoring of gaseous H2O2 during the package sterilization in aseptic food processes. The sensor system consists of a remote unit connected to a calorimetric gas sensor, which was already established in former works, and an external base unit connected to a laptop computer. The remote unit was built up by an XBee radio frequency (RF) module for data communication and a programmable system-on-chip controller to read out the sensor signal and process the sensor data, whereas the base unit is a second XBee RF module. For the rapid H2O2 detection on various locations inside the package that has to be sterilized, a novel read-out strategy of the calorimetric gas sensor was established, wherein the sensor response is measured within the short sterilization time and correlated with the present H2O2 concentration. In an exemplary measurement application in an aseptic filling machinery, the suitability of the new, wireless sensor system was demonstrated, wherein the influence of the gas velocity on the H2O2 distribution inside a package was determined and verified with microbiological tests.
In the present work, a novel method for monitoring sterilisation processes with gaseous H2O2 in combination with heat activation by means of a specially designed calorimetric gas sensor was evaluated. Therefore, the sterilisation process was extensively studied by using test specimens inoculated with Bacillus atrophaeus spores in order to identify the most influencing process factors on its microbicidal effectiveness. Besides the contact time of the test specimens with gaseous H2O2 varied between 0.2 and 0.5 s, the present H2O2 concentration in a range from 0 to 8% v/v (volume percent) had a strong influence on the microbicidal effectiveness, whereas the change of the vaporiser temperature, gas flow and humidity were almost negligible. Furthermore, a calorimetric H2O2 gas sensor was characterised in the sterilisation process with gaseous H2O2 in a wide range of parameter settings, wherein the measurement signal has shown a linear response against the H2O2 concentration with a sensitivity of 4.75 °C/(% v/v). In a final step, a correlation model by matching the measurement signal of the gas sensor with the microbial inactivation kinetics was established that demonstrates its suitability as an efficient method for validating the microbicidal effectiveness of sterilisation processes with gaseous H2O2.
Realization of a calorimetric gas sensor on polyimide foil for applications in aseptic food industry
(2010)
Realisation of a calorimetric gas sensor on polyimide foil for applications in aseptic food industry
(2012)
A calorimetric gas sensor is presented for the monitoring of vapour-phase H2O2 at elevated temperature during sterilisation processes in aseptic food industry. The sensor was built up on a flexible polyimide foil (thickness: 25 μm) that has been chosen due to its thermal stability and low thermal conductivity. The sensor set-up consists of two temperature-sensitive platinum thin-film resistances passivated by a layer of SU-8 photo resist and catalytically activated by manganese(IV) oxide. Instead of an active heating structure, the calorimetric sensor utilises the elevated temperature of the evaporated H2O2 aerosol. In an experimental test rig, the sensor has shown a sensitivity of 4.78 °C/(%, v/v) in a H2O2 concentration range of 0%, v/v to 8%, v/v. Furthermore, the sensor possesses the same, unchanged sensor signal even at varied medium temperatures between 210 °C and 270 °C of the gas stream. At flow rates of the gas stream from 8 m3/h to 12 m3/h, the sensor has shown only a slightly reduced sensitivity at a low flow rate of 8 m3/h. The sensor characterisation demonstrates the suitability of the calorimetric gas sensor for monitoring the efficiency of industrial sterilisation processes.
The possibility of using the atomic-force microscopy as a method for detection of the analytical signal from plasticized polymeric sensor membranes was analyzed. The surfaces of cadmium-selective membranes based on two polymeric matrices were examined. The digital images were processed with multivariate image analysis techniques. A correlation was found between the surface profile of an ion-selective membrane and the concentration of the ion in solution.
Enzyme-based logic gates and circuits - analytical applications and interfacing with electronics
(2017)
The paper is an overview of enzyme-based logic gates and their short circuits, with specific examples of Boolean AND and OR gates, and concatenated logic gates composed of multi-step enzyme-biocatalyzed reactions. Noise formation in the biocatalytic reactions and its decrease by adding a “filter” system, converting convex to sigmoid response function, are discussed. Despite the fact that the enzyme-based logic gates are primarily considered as components of future biomolecular computing systems, their biosensing applications are promising for immediate practical use. Analytical use of the enzyme logic systems in biomedical and forensic applications is discussed and exemplified with the logic analysis of biomarkers of various injuries, e.g., liver injury, and with analysis of biomarkers characteristic of different ethnicity found in blood samples on a crime scene. Interfacing of enzyme logic systems with modified electrodes and semiconductor devices is discussed, giving particular attention to the interfaces functionalized with signal-responsive materials. Future perspectives in the design of the biomolecular logic systems and their applications are discussed in the conclusion.
Electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitors (EISCAP) belong to field-effect sensors having an attractive transducer architecture for constructing various biochemical sensors. In this study, a capacitive model of enzyme-modified EISCAPs has been developed and the impact of the surface coverage of immobilized enzymes on its capacitance-voltage and constant-capacitance characteristics was studied theoretically and experimentally. The used multicell arrangement enables a multiplexed electrochemical characterization of up to sixteen EISCAPs. Different enzyme coverages have been achieved by means of parallel electrical connection of bare and enzyme-covered single EISCAPs in diverse combinations. As predicted by the model, with increasing the enzyme coverage, both the shift of capacitance-voltage curves and the amplitude of the constant-capacitance signal increase, resulting in an enhancement of analyte sensitivity of the EISCAP biosensor. In addition, the capability of the multicell arrangement with multi-enzyme covered EISCAPs for sequentially detecting multianalytes (penicillin and urea) utilizing the enzymes penicillinase and urease has been experimentally demonstrated and discussed.
The coupling of ligand-stabilized gold nanoparticles with field-effect devices offers new possibilities for label-free biosensing. In this work, we study the immobilization of aminooctanethiol-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuAOTs) on the silicon dioxide surface of a capacitive field-effect sensor. The terminal amino group of the AuAOT is well suited for the functionalization with biomolecules. The attachment of the positively-charged AuAOTs on a capacitive field-effect sensor was detected by direct electrical readout using capacitance-voltage and constant capacitance measurements. With a higher particle density on the sensor surface, the measured signal change was correspondingly more pronounced. The results demonstrate the ability of capacitive field-effect sensors for the non-destructive quantitative validation of nanoparticle immobilization. In addition, the electrostatic binding of the polyanion polystyrene sulfonate to the AuAOT-modified sensor surface was studied as a model system for the label-free detection of charged macromolecules. Most likely, this approach can be transferred to the label-free detection of other charged molecules such as enzymes or antibodies.
Enzyme-catalyzed reactions have been designed to mimic various Boolean logic gates in the general framework of unconventional biomolecular computing. While some of the logic gates, particularly OR, AND, are easy to realize with biocatalytic reactions and have been reported in numerous publications, some other, like NXOR, are very challenging and have not been realized yet with enzyme reactions. The paper reports on a novel approach to mimicking the NXOR logic gate using the bell-shaped enzyme activity dependent on pH values. Shifting pH from the optimum value to the acidic or basic values by using acid or base inputs (meaning 1,0 and 0,1 inputs) inhibits the enzyme reaction, while keeping the optimum pH (assuming 0,0 and 1,1 input combinations) preserves a high enzyme activity. The challenging part of the present approach is the selection of an enzyme with a well-demonstrated bell-shape activity dependence on the pH value. While many enzymes can satisfy this condition, we selected pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase as this enzyme has the optimum pH center-located on the pH scale allowing the enzyme activity change by the acidic and basic pH shift from the optimum value corresponding to the highest activity. The present NXOR gate is added to the biomolecular “toolbox” as a new example of Boolean logic gates based on enzyme reactions.
Simulating the electromagnetic‐thermal treatment of thin aluminium layers for adhesion improvement
(2015)
A composite layer material used in packaging industry is made from joining layers of different materials using an adhesive. An important processing step in the production of aluminium-containing composites is the surface treatment and consequent coating of adhesive material on the aluminium surface. To increase adhesion strength between aluminium layer and the adhesive material, the foil is heat treated. For efficient heating, induction heating was considered as state-of-the-art treatment process. Due to the complexity of the heating process and the unpredictable nature of the heating source, the control of the process is not yet optimised. In this work, a finite element analysis of the process was established and various process parameters were studied. The process was simplified and modelled in 3D. The numerical model contains an air domain, an aluminium layer and a copper coil fitted with a magnetic field concentrating material. The effect of changing the speed of the aluminium foil (or rolling speed) was studied with the change of the coil current. Statistical analysis was used for generating a general control equation of coil current with changing rolling speed.
In this article, we present an overview on the thermocatalytic reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) gas on a manganese (IV) oxide (MnO₂) catalytic structure. The principle of operation and manufacturing techniques are introduced for a calorimetric H₂O₂ gas sensor based on porous MnO₂. Results from surface analyses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the catalytic material provide indication of the H₂O₂ dissociation reaction schemes. The correlation between theory and the experiments is documented in numerical models of the catalytic reaction. The aim of the numerical models is to provide further information on the reaction kinetics and performance enhancement of the porous MnO₂ catalyst.
In this work, a cell-based biosensor to evaluate the sterilization efficacy of hydrogen peroxide vapor sterilization processes is characterized. The transducer of the biosensor is based on interdigitated gold electrodes fabricated on an inert glass substrate. Impedance spectroscopy is applied to evaluate the sensor behavior and the alteration of test microorganisms due to the sterilization process. These alterations are related to changes in relative permittivity and electrical conductivity of the bacterial spores. Sensor measurements are conducted with and without bacterial spores (Bacillus atrophaeus), as well as after an industrial sterilization protocol. Equivalent two-dimensional numerical models based on finite element method of the periodic finger structures of the interdigitated gold electrodes are designed and validated using COMSOL® Multiphysics software by the application of known dielectric properties. The validated models are used to compute the electrical properties at different sensor states (blank, loaded with spores, and after sterilization). As a final result, we will derive and tabulate the frequency-dependent electrical parameters of the spore layer using a novel model that combines experimental data with numerical optimization techniques.
Within the present work a sterilization process by a heated gas mixture that contains hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is validated by experiments and numerical modeling techniques. The operational parameters that affect the sterilization efficacy are described alongside the two modes of sterilization: gaseous and condensed H₂O₂. Measurements with a previously developed H₂O₂ gas sensor are carried out to validate the applied H₂O₂ gas concentration during sterilization. We performed microbiological tests at different H₂O₂ gas concentrations by applying an end-point method to carrier strips, which contain different inoculation loads of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores. The analysis of the sterilization process of a pharmaceutical glass vial is performed by numerical modeling. The numerical model combines heat- and advection-diffusion mass transfer with vapor–pressure equations to predict the location of condensate formation and the concentration of H₂O₂ at the packaging surfaces by changing the gas temperature. For a sterilization process of 0.7 s, a H₂O₂ gas concentration above 4% v/v is required to reach a log-count reduction above six. The numerical results showed the location of H₂O₂ condensate formation, which decreases with increasing sterilant-gas temperature. The model can be transferred to different gas nozzle- and packaging geometries to assure the absence of H₂O₂ residues.
A physically coupled finite element method (FEM) model is developed to study the response behavior of a calorimetric gas sensor. The modeled sensor serves as a monitoring device of the concentration of gaseous hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2) in a high temperature mixture stream in aseptic sterilization processes. The principle of operation of a calorimetric H2 O2 sensor is analyzed and the results of the numerical model have been validated by using previously published sensor experiments. The deviation in the results between the FEM model and experimental data are presented and discussed.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a typical surface sterilization agent for packaging materials used in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries. We use the finite-elements method to analyze the conceptual design of an in-line thermal evaporation unit to produce a heated gas mixture of air and evaporated H2O2 solution. For the numerical model, the required phase-transition variables of pure H2O2 solution and of the aerosol mixture are acquired from vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) diagrams derived from vapor-pressure formulations. This work combines homogeneous single-phase turbulent flow with heat-transfer physics to describe the operation of the evaporation unit. We introduce the apparent heat-capacity concept to approximate the non-isothermal phase-transition process of the H2O2-containing aerosol. Empirical and analytical functions are defined to represent the temperature- and pressure-dependent material properties of the aqueous H2O2 solution, the aerosol and the gas mixture. To validate the numerical model, the simulation results are compared to experimental data on the heating power required to produce the gas mixture. This shows good agreement with the deviations below 10%. Experimental observations on the formation of deposits due to the evaporation of stabilized H2O2 solution fits the prediction made from simulation results.
Plant virus-like particles, and in particular, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles, are increasingly being used in nano- and biotechnology as well as for biochemical sensing purposes as nanoscaffolds for the high-density immobilization of receptor molecules. The sensitive parameters of TMV-assisted biosensors depend, among others, on the density of adsorbed TMV particles on the sensor surface, which is affected by both the adsorption conditions and surface properties of the sensor. In this work, Ta₂O₅-gate field-effect capacitive sensors have been applied for the label-free electrical detection of TMV adsorption. The impact of the TMV concentration on both the sensor signal and the density of TMV particles adsorbed onto the Ta₂O₅-gate surface has been studied systematically by means of field-effect and scanning electron microscopy methods. In addition, the surface density of TMV particles loaded under different incubation times has been investigated. Finally, the field-effect sensor also demonstrates the label-free detection of penicillinase immobilization as model bioreceptor on TMV particles.
The chemical imaging sensor is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor that can visualize the spatial distribution of specific ions on the sensing surface. The conventional chemical imaging system based on the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS), however, required a long time to obtain a chemical image, due to the slow mechanical scan of a single light beam. For high-speed imaging, a plurality of light beams modulated at different frequencies can be employed to measure the ion concentrations simultaneously at different locations on the sensor plate by frequency division multiplex (FDM). However, the conventional measurement geometry of back-side illumination limited the bandwidth of the modulation frequency required for FDM measurement, because of the low-pass filtering characteristics of carrier diffusion in the Si substrate. In this study, a high-speed chemical imaging system based on front-side-illuminated LAPS was developed, which achieved high-speed spatiotemporal recording of pH change at a rate of 70 frames per second.
Chelate stabilization of a titanium(IV)–salan alkoxide by ligand exchange with 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (dipic) resulted in heptacoordinate complex 3 which is not redox-active, stable on silica gel and has increased aqueous stability. 3 is highly toxic in HeLa S3 and Hep G2 and has enhanced antitumor efficacy in a mouse cervical-cancer model.
A variety of transition metals, e.g., copper, zinc, cadmium, lead, etc. are widely used in industry as components for wires, coatings, alloys, batteries, paints and so on. The inevitable presence of transition metals in industrial processes implies the ambition of developing a proper analytical technique for their adequate monitoring. Most of these elements, especially lead and cadmium, are acutely toxic for biological organisms. Quantitative determination of these metals at low activity levels in different environmental and industrial samples is therefore a vital task. A promising approach to achieve an at-side or on-line monitoring on a miniaturized and cost efficient way is the combination of a common potentiometric sensor array with heavy metal-sensitive thin-film materials, like chalcogenide glasses and polymeric materials, respectively.
Living cells are complex biological systems transforming metabolites taken up from the surrounding medium. Monitoring the responses of such cells to certain substrate concentrations is a challenging task and offers possibilities to gain insight into the vitality of a community influenced by the growth environment. Cell-based sensors represent a promising platform for monitoring the metabolic activity and thus, the “welfare” of relevant organisms. In the present study, metabolic responses of the model bacterium Escherichia coli in suspension, layered onto a capacitive field-effect structure, were examined to pulses of glucose in the concentration range between 0.05 and 2 mM. It was found that acidification of the surrounding medium takes place immediately after glucose addition and follows Michaelis–Menten kinetic behavior as a function of the glucose concentration. In future, the presented setup can, therefore, be used to study substrate specificities on the enzymatic level and may as well be used to perform investigations of more complex metabolic responses. Conclusions and perspectives highlighting this system are discussed.
Real-time and reliable monitoring of the biogas process is crucial for a stable and efficient operation of biogas production in order to avoid digester breakdowns. The concentration of dissolved hydrogen (H₂) represents one of the key parameters for biogas process control. In this work, a one-chip integrated combined amperometric/field-effect sensor for monitoring the dissolved H₂ concentration has been developed for biogas applications. The combination of two different transducer principles might allow a more accurate and reliable measurement of dissolved H₂ as an early warning indicator of digester failures. The feasibility of the approach has been demonstrated by simultaneous amperometric/field-effect measurements of dissolved H₂ concentrations in electrolyte solutions. Both, the amperometric and the field-effect transducer show a linear response behaviour in the H₂ concentration range from 0.1 to 3% (v/v) with a slope of 198.4 ± 13.7 nA/% (v/v) and 14.9 ± 0.5 mV/% (v/v), respectively.
It is well known that biochemical and biotechnological processes are strongly dependent and affected by a variety of physico-chemical parameters such as pH value, temperature, pressure and electrolyte conductivity. Therefore, these quantities have to be monitored or controlled in order to guarantee a stable process operation, optimization and high yield. In this work, a sensor chip for the multiparameter detection of three physico-chemical parameters such as electrolyte conductivity, pH and temperature is realized using barium strontium titanate (BST) as multipurpose material. The chip integrates a capacitively coupled four-electrode electrolyte-conductivity sensor, a capacitive field-effect pH sensor and a thin-film Pt-temperature sensor. Due to the multifunctional properties of BST, it is utilized as final outermost coating layer of the processed sensor chip and serves as passivation and protection layer as well as pH-sensitive transducer material at the same time. The results of testing of the individual sensors of the developed multiparameter sensor chip are presented. In addition, a quasi-simultaneous multiparameter characterization of the sensor chip in buffer solutions with different pH value and electrolyte conductivity is performed. To study the sensor behavior and the suitability of BST as multifunctional material under harsh environmental conditions, the sensor chip was exemplarily tested in a biogas digestate.
High-k perovskite oxide of barium strontium titanate (BST) represents a very attractive multi-functional transducer material for the development of (bio-)chemical sensors. In this work, a Si-based sensor chip containing Pt interdigitated electrodes covered with a thin BST layer (485 nm) has been developed for multi-parameter chemical sensing. The chip has been applied for the contactless measurement of the electrolyte conductivity, the detection of adsorbed charged macromolecules (positively charged polyelectrolytes of polyethylenimine) and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) vapor. The experimental results of functional testing of individual sensors are presented. The mechanism of the BST sensitivity to charged polyelectrolytes and H2O2 vapor has been proposed and discussed.
An enzyme-based reversible Controlled NOT (CNOT) logic gate operating on a semiconductor transducer
(2017)
An enzyme-based biocatalytic system mimicking operation of a logically reversible Controlled NOT (CNOT) gate has been interfaced with semiconductor electronic transducers. Electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) structures have been used to transduce chemical changes produced by the enzyme system to an electronically readable capacitive output signal using field-effect features of the EIS device. Two enzymes, urease and esterase, were immobilized on the insulating interface of EIS structure producing local pH changes performing XOR logic operation controlled by various combinations of the input signals represented by urea and ethyl butyrate. Another EIS transducer was functionalized with esterase only, thus performing Identity (ID) logic operation for the ethyl butyrate input. Both semiconductor devices assembled in parallel operated as a logically reversible CNOT gate. The present system, despite its simplicity, demonstrated for the first time logically reversible function of the enzyme system transduced electronically with the semiconductor devices. The biomolecular realization of a CNOT gate interfaced with semiconductors is promising for integration into complex biomolecular networks and future biosensor/biomedical applications.
A graphene-functionalized carbon fiber electrode was modified with adsorbed polyethylenimine to introduce amino functionalities and then with trigonelline and 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid covalently bound to the amino groups. The trigonelline species containing quarterized pyridine groups produced positive charge on the electrode surface regardless of the pH value, while the phenylboronic acid species were neutral below pH 8 and negatively charged above pH 9 (note that their pKa=8.4). The total charge on the monolayer-modified electrode was positive at the neutral pH and negative at pH > 9. Note that 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid was attached to the electrode surface in molar excess to trigonelline, thus allowing the negative charge to dominate on the electrode surface at basic pH. Negatively charged fluorescent dye-labeled insulin (insulin-FITC) was loaded on the modified electrode surface at pH 7.0 due to its electrostatic attraction to the positively charged interface. The local pH in close vicinity to the electrode surface was increased to ca. 9–10 due to consumption of H+ ions upon electrochemical reduction of oxygen proceeding at the potential of −1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) applied on the modified electrode. The process resulted in recharging of the electrode surface to the negative value due to the formation of the negative charge on the phenylboronic acid groups, thus resulting in the electrostatic repulsion of insulin-FITC and stimulating its release from the electrode surface. The insulin release was characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy (using the FITC-labeled insulin), by electrochemical measurements on an iridium oxide, IrOx, electrode and by mass spectrometry. The graphene-functionalized carbon fiber electrode demonstrated significant advantages in the signal-stimulated insulin release comparing with the carbon fiber electrode without the graphene species.
We present a sensor concept based on copper(II)oxide (CuO) nanofibres for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) vapour in the percent per volume (% v/v) range. The fibres were produced by using the electrospinning technique. To avoid water condensation in the pores, the fibres were initially modified by an exposure to H2S to get an enclosed surface. By a thermal treatment at 350 °C the fibres were oxidised back to CuO. Thereby, the visible pores disappear which was verified by SEM analysis. The fibres show a decrease of resistance with increasing H2O2 concentration which is due to the fact that hydrogen peroxide is an oxidising gas and CuO a p-type semiconductor. The sensor shows a change of resistance within the minute range to the exposure until the maximum concentration of 6.9% v/v H2O2. At operating temperatures below 450 °C the corresponding sensor response to a concentration of 4.1% v/v increases. The sensor shows a good reproducibility of the signal at different measurements. CuO seems to be a suitable candidate for the detection of H2O2 vapour at high concentrations.
Resistance behaviour of the sensor under exposure to H2O2 vapours between 2.3 and 6.9% v/v at an operating temperature of 450 °C.
Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (hrHPV) can result in the formation of anogenital cancers. As hrHPV proteins E6 and E7 are required for cancer initiation and maintenance, they are ideal targets for immunotherapeutic interventions. Previously, we have described the development of DNA vaccines for the induction of HPV16 E6 and E7 specific T cell immunity. These vaccines consist of ‘gene-shuffled’ (SH) versions of HPV16 E6 and E7 that were fused to Tetanus Toxin Fragment C domain 1 (TTFC) and were named TTFC-E6SH and TTFC-E7SH. Gene-shuffling was performed to avoid the risk of inducing malignant transformation at the vaccination site. Here, we describe the preclinical safety evaluation of these candidate vaccines by analysis of their transforming capacity in vitro using established murine fibroblasts (NIH 3T3 cells) and primary human foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs). We demonstrate that neither ectopic expression of TTFC-E6SH and TTFC-E7SH alone or in combination enabled NIH 3T3 cells to form colonies in soft agar. In contrast, expression of HPV16 E6WT and E7WT alone or in combination resulted in effective transformation. Similarly, retroviral transduction of HFKs from three independent donors with both TTFC-E6SH and TTFC-E7SH alone or in combination did not show any signs of immortalization. In contrast, the combined expression of E6WT and E7WT induced immortalization in HFKs from all donors. Based on these results we consider it justified to proceed to clinical evaluation of DNA vaccines encoding TTFC-E6SH and TTFC-E7SH in patients with HPV16 associated (pre)malignancies.
Clostridium propionicum is the only organism known to ferment β-alanine, a constituent of coenzyme A (CoA) and the phosphopantetheinyl prosthetic group of holo-acyl carrier protein. The first step in the fermentation is a CoA-transfer to β-alanine. Subsequently, the resulting β-alanyl-CoA is deaminated by the enzyme β-alanyl-CoA:ammonia lyase (Acl) to reversibly form ammonia and acrylyl-CoA. We have determined the crystal structure of Acl in its apo-form at a resolution of 0.97 Å as well as in complex with CoA at a resolution of 1.59 Å. The structures reveal that the enyzme belongs to a superfamily of proteins exhibiting a so called “hot dog fold” which is characterized by a five-stranded antiparallel β-sheet with a long α-helix packed against it. The functional unit of all “hot dog fold” proteins is a homodimer containing two equivalent substrate binding sites which are established by the dimer interface. In the case of Acl, three functional dimers combine to a homohexamer strongly resembling the homohexamer formed by YciA-like acyl-CoA thioesterases. Here, we propose an enzymatic mechanism based on the crystal structure of the Acl·CoA complex and molecular docking. Proteins 2014; 82:2041–2053. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Members of the species Bacillus pumilus get more and more in focus of the biotechnological industry as potential new production strains. Based on exoproteome analysis, B. pumilus strain Jo2, possessing a high secretion capability, was chosen for an omics-based investigation. The proteome and metabolome of B. pumilus cells growing either in minimal or complex medium was analyzed. In total, 1542 proteins were identified in growing B. pumilus cells, among them 1182 cytosolic proteins, 297 membrane and lipoproteins and 63 secreted proteins. This accounts for about 43% of the 3616 proteins encoded in the B. pumilus Jo2 genome sequence. By using GC–MS, IP-LC/MS and H NMR methods numerous metabolites were analyzed and assigned to reconstructed metabolic pathways. In the genome sequence a functional secretion system including the components of the Sec- and Tat-secretion machinery was found. Analysis of the exoproteome revealed secretion of about 70 proteins with predicted secretion signals. In addition, selected production-relevant genome features such as restriction modification systems and NRPS clusters of B. pumilus Jo2 are discussed.
Bonding of polymer-based microfluidics to polymer substrates still poses a challenge for Lab-On-a-Chip applications. Especially, when sensing elements are incorporated, patterned deposition of adhesives with curing at ambient conditions is required. Here, we demonstrate a fabrication method for fully printed microfluidic systems with sensing elements using inkjet and stereolithographic 3D-printing.
Aspergillus oryzae is an industrially relevant organism for the secretory production of heterologous enzymes, especially amylases. The activities of potential heterologous amylases, however, cannot be quantified directly from the supernatant due to the high background activity of native α-amylase. This activity is caused by the gene products of amyA, amyB, and amyC. In this study, an in vitro CRISPR/Cas9 system was established in A. oryzae to delete these genes simultaneously. First, pyrG of A. oryzae NSAR1 was mutated by exploiting NHEJ to generate a counter-selection marker. Next, all amylase genes were deleted simultaneously by co-transforming a repair template carrying pyrG of Aspergillus nidulans and flanking sequences of amylase gene loci. The rate of obtained triple knock-outs was 47%. We showed that triple knockouts do not retain any amylase activity in the supernatant. The established in vitro CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to achieve sequence-specific knock-in of target genes. The system was intended to incorporate a single copy of the gene of interest into the desired host for the development of screening methods. Therefore, an integration cassette for the heterologous Fpi amylase was designed to specifically target the amyB locus. The site-specific integration rate of the plasmid was 78%, with exceptional additional integrations. Integration frequency was assessed via qPCR and directly correlated with heterologous amylase activity. Hence, we could compare the efficiency between two different signal peptides. In summary, we present a strategy to exploit CRISPR/Cas9 for gene mutation, multiplex knock-out, and the targeted knock-in of an expression cassette in A. oryzae. Our system provides straightforward strain engineering and paves the way for development of fungal screening systems.
An improved and convenient ninhydrin assay for aminoacylase activity measurements was developed using the commercial EZ Nin™ reagent. Alternative reagents from literature were also evaluated and compared. The addition of DMSO to the reagent enhanced the solubility of Ruhemann's purple (RP). Furthermore, we found that the use of a basic, aqueous buffer enhances stability of RP. An acidic protocol for the quantification of lysine was developed by addition of glacial acetic acid. The assay allows for parallel processing in a 96-well format with measurements microtiter plates.
A novel photoexcitation method for the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is proposed to achieve a higher spatial resolution of chemical images. The proposed method employs a combined light source that consists of a modulated light probe, which generates the alternating photocurrent signal, and a ring of constant illumination surrounding it. The constant illumination generates a sheath of carriers with increased concentration which suppresses the spread of photocarriers by enhanced recombination. A device simulation was carried out to verify the effect of constant illumination on the spatial resolution, which demonstrated that a higher spatial resolution can be obtained.
The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a semiconductor-based potentiometric sensor using a light probe with an ability of detecting the concentration of biochemical species in a spatially resolved manner. As an important biomedical sensor, research has been conducted to improve its performance, for instance, to realize high-speed measurement. In this work, the idea of facilitating the device-level simulation, instead of using an equivalent-circuit model, is presented for detailed analysis and optimization of the performance of the LAPS. Both carrier distribution and photocurrent response have been simulated to provide new insight into both amplitude-mode and phase-mode operations of the LAPS. Various device parameters can be examined to effectively design and optimize the LAPS structures and setups for enhanced performance.
As a semiconductor-based electrochemical sensor, the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) can realize two dimensional visualization of (bio-)chemical reactions at the sensor surface addressed by localized illumination. Thanks to this imaging capability, various applications in biochemical and biomedical fields are expected, for which the spatial resolution is critically significant. In this study, therefore, the spatial resolution of the LAPS was investigated in detail based on the device simulation. By calculating the spatiotemporal change of the distributions of electrons and holes inside the semiconductor layer in response to a modulated illumination, the photocurrent response as well as the spatial resolution was obtained as a function of various parameters such as the thickness of the Si substrate, the doping concentration, the wavelength and the intensity of illumination.
The simulation results verified that both thinning the semiconductor substrate and increasing the doping concentration could improve the spatial resolution, which were in good agreement with known experimental results and theoretical analysis. More importantly, new findings of interests were also obtained. As for the dependence on the wavelength of illumination, it was found that the known dependence was not always the case. When the Si substrate was thick, a longer wavelength resulted in a higher spatial resolution which was known by experiments. When the Si substrate was thin, however, a longer wavelength of light resulted in a lower spatial resolution. This finding was explained as an effect of raised concentration of carriers, which reduced the thickness of the space charge region.
The device simulation was found to be helpful to understand the relationship between the spatial resolution and device parameters, to understand the physics behind it, and to optimize the device structure and measurement conditions for realizing higher performance of chemical imaging systems.
In this article, we report on the heat-transfer resistance at interfaces as a novel, denaturation-based method to detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA. We observed that a molecular brush of double-stranded DNA grafted onto synthetic diamond surfaces does not notably affect the heat-transfer resistance at the solid-to-liquid interface. In contrast to this, molecular brushes of single-stranded DNA cause, surprisingly, a substantially higher heat-transfer resistance and behave like a thermally insulating layer. This effect can be utilized to identify ds-DNA melting temperatures via the switching from low- to high heat-transfer resistance. The melting temperatures identified with this method for different DNA duplexes (29 base pairs without and with built-in mutations) correlate nicely with data calculated by modeling. The method is fast, label-free (without the need for fluorescent or radioactive markers), allows for repetitive measurements, and can also be extended toward array formats. Reference measurements by confocal fluorescence microscopy and impedance spectroscopy confirm that the switching of heat-transfer resistance upon denaturation is indeed related to the thermal on-chip denaturation of DNA.
An array of four independently wired indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes was used for electrochemically stimulated DNA release and activation of DNA-based Identity, AND and XOR logic gates. Single-stranded DNA molecules were loaded on the mixed poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA)/poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brush covalently attached to the ITO electrodes. The DNA deposition was performed at pH 5.0 when the polymer brush is positively charged due to protonation of tertiary amino groups in PDMAEMA, thus resulting in electrostatic attraction of the negatively charged DNA. By applying electrolysis at −1.0 V(vs. Ag/AgCl reference) electrochemical oxygen reduction resulted in the consumption of hydrogen ions and local pH increase near the electrode surface. The process resulted in recharging the polymer brush to the negative state due to dissociation of carboxylic groups of PMAA, thus repulsing the negatively charged DNA and releasing it from the electrode surface. The DNA release was performed in various combinations from different electrodes in the array assembly. The released DNA operated as input signals for activation of the Boolean logic gates. The developed system represents a step forward in DNA computing, combining for the first time DNA chemical processes with electronic input signals.
Malaria infection remains a significant risk for much of the population of tropical and subtropical areas, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, it is of high importance to develop sensitive, accurate and inexpensive malaria diagnosis tests. Here, we present a novel aptamer-based electrochemical biosensor (aptasensor) for malaria detection by impedance spectroscopy, through the specific recognition between a highly discriminatory DNA aptamer and its target Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH). Interestingly, due to the isoelectric point (pI) of PfLDH, the aptasensor response showed an adjustable detection range based on the different protein net-charge at variable pH environments. The specific aptamer recognition allows sensitive protein detection with an expanded detection range and a low detection limit, as well as a high specificity for PfLDH compared to analogous proteins. The specific feasibility of the aptasensor is further demonstrated by detection of the target PfLDH in human serum. Furthermore, the aptasensor can be easily regenerated and thus applied for multiple usages. The robustness, sensitivity, and reusability of the presented aptasensor make it a promising candidate for point-of-care diagnostic systems.
Optimization of passivation layers for corrosion protection of silicon-based microelectrode arrays
(2000)
The subtilase family (S8), a member of the clan SB of serine proteases are ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life and fulfil different physiological functions. Subtilases are divided in several groups and especially subtilisins are of interest as they are used in various industrial sectors. Therefore, we searched for new subtilisin sequences of the family Bacillaceae using a data mining approach. The obtained 1,400 sequences were phylogenetically classified in the context of the subtilase family. This required an updated comprehensive overview of the different groups within this family. To fill this gap, we conducted a phylogenetic survey of the S8 family with characterised holotypes derived from the MEROPS database. The analysis revealed the presence of eight previously uncharacterised groups and 13 subgroups within the S8 family. The sequences that emerged from the data mining with the set filter parameters were mainly assigned to the subtilisin subgroups of true subtilisins, high-alkaline subtilisins, and phylogenetically intermediate subtilisins and represent an excellent source for new subtilisin candidates.