Preparation of immunomagnetic iron-dextran nanopartides and application in rapid isolation of E.coli O157:H7 from foods

AIM: To prepare a kind of magnetic iron-dextran nanopartides that was coated with anti-E.coli O157:H7 IgG, analyze its application conditions, and try to use it to isolate E.coli O157:H7 from foods. METHODS: Magnetic iron-dextran nanopartides were prepared by the reaction of a mixture of ferric and ferrous ions with dextran polymers under alkaline conditions. The particles were coated with antiserum against E.coli O157: H7 by the periodate oxidation-borohydride reduction procedure. The oxidation time, amount of antibody coating the particles, amount of nanoparticles, incubation time and isolation time were varied to determine their effects on recovery of the organisms. Finally, the optimum conditions for isolating E.coli O157:H7 from food samples were established. RESULTS: E.coli O157:H7 can be isolated from samples within 15 min with the sensitivity of 101 CFU/mL or even less. In the presence of 108 CFU/mL of other organisms, the sensitivity is 101-102 CFU/mL. Nonspecific binding of other bacteria to the particles was not observed. Two and a half hours of enrichment is enough for the particles to detect the target from the food samples inoculated with 1 CFU/g. CONCLUSION: Isolation of target bacteria by immuno magnetic nanoparticles is an efficient method with high sensitivity and specificity. The technique is so simple that it can be operated in lab and field even by untrained personnel.

Use of PEI-coated Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Gene Vectors

Summary: To evaluate the feasibility of using polyethyleneimine (PEI) coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (polyMAG-1000) as gene vectors. The surface characteristics of the nanoparticles were observed with scanning electron microscopy. The ability of the nanoparticles to combine with and protect DNA was investigated at different PH values after polyMAG-1000 and DNA were combined in different ratios. The nanoparticles were tested as gene vectors with in vitro transfection models. Under the scanning electron microscope the nanoparticles were about 100 nm in diameter. The nanoparticles could bind and condense DNA under acid, neutral and alkaline conditions, and they could transfer genes into cells and express green fluorescent proteins (GFP). The transfection efficiency was highest (51 %) when the ratio of nanoparticles to DNA was 1:1 (v:w). In that ratio, the difference in transfection efficiency was marked depending on whether a magnetic field was present or not: about 10 % when it was absent but 51 % when it was present. The magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with PEI may potentially be used as gene vectors.

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles carrying PTEN gene to reverse cisplatin-resistance of A549/CDDP cell lines

To evaluate the feasibility of using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle as wild PTEN gene carrier for transfection in vitro to reverse cisplatin-resistance of A549/CDDP cells, A549/CDDP cells were transfected with the wild PTEN gene expression plasmid (pGFP-PTEN) by magnetic iron nanoparticle and lipo2000. The transfection efficiency was detected by fluorescence microscope and flow cytometer. The expression levels of PTEN mRNA and protein were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry analysis. The effect of PTEN transfection on cell cycle enhances the sensitivity of A549/CDDP to cisplatin and nanoparticle-mediated transfection has a higher efficiency than that of the liposome-mediated group. The apoptosis level was up-regulated in PTEN transfection group. The magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle could be used as one of the ideal gene carriers for PTEN gene delivery in vitro. PTEN can be an effective target for reversing cisplatin-resistance in lung cancer.

Preparation of Superparamagnetic Dextran-coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles used as a Novel Gene Carrier into Human Bladder Cancer Cells'

Objective: Application of magnetic nanoparticles as gene carrier in gene therapy has developed quickly. This study was designed to investigate the preparation of superparamagnetic dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (SDION) and the feasibility of SDION used as a novel gene carrier for plasmid DNA in vitro. Methods: SDION were prepared by chemical coprecipitation and separated by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300HR, characterized by TEM, laser scattering system and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer Signal Processor. The green fluorescent protein (pGFP-C2) plasmid DNA was used as target gene. SDION-pGFP-C2 conjugate compounds were produced by means of oxidoreduction reaction. The connection ratio of SDION and pGFP-C2 DNA was analyzed and evaluated by agarose electrophoresis and the concentration of pGFP-C2 in supernatant was measured. Using liposome as control, the transfection efficiency of SDION and liposome was respectively evaluated under fluorescence microscope in vitro. Results: The diameter of SDION ranges from 3 nm to 8 nm, the effective diameter was 59.2 nm and the saturation magnetization was 0.23 emu/g. After SDION were reasonably oxidized, SDION could connect with pGFP-C2 to a high degree. The transfection efficiency of SDION as gene carrier was higher than that of liposome. Conclusion: The successes in connecting SDION with pGFP-C2 plasmid by means of oxidoreduction reaction and in transferring pGFP-C2 gene into human bladder cancer BIU-87 cells in vitro provided the experimental evidence for the feasibility of SDION used as a novel gene carrier.

Magnetic separation studies for a low grade siliceous iron ore sample

Investigations were carried out, on a low grade siliceous iron ore sample by magnetic separation, to establish its amenability for physical beneficiation. Mineralogical studies revealed that the sample consists of magnetite, hematite and goethite as major opaque oxide minerals where as silicates as well as carbonates form the gangue minerals in the sample. Processes involving combination of classification, dry magnetic separation and wet magnetic separation were carried out to upgrade the low grade siliceous iron ore sample to make it suitable as a marketable product. The sample was first ground and each closed size sieve fractions were subjected to dry magnetic separation and it was observed that limited upgradation is possible. The ground sample was subjected to different finer sizes and separated by wet low intensity magnetic separator. It was possible to obtain a magnetic concentrate of 67% Fe by recovering 90% of iron values at below 200 lm size.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of a New Dinuclear Iron Complex with Schiff Base Ligand

A new dinuclear iron（Ill） complex has been synthesized and structurally charac- terized by X-ray crystallography： [Fem2（L）（C6HsCOO）（SO4）（CH3OH）2]·CH3CN＇CH3OH （1, H3L = N,N＇-bis（salicylidene）q,3-diamino-2-propanol）. Complex 1 belongs to orthorhombic space group Pna21 with a= 11.4400（8）, b = 22.9705（2）, c = 12.5712（9）A, V= 3303.5（4）A3, Z= 4, F（000） = 1576, Dc= 1.531 g·cm-3, Mr= 761.36,μ = 1.007 mm-1, S = 1.014, the final R= 0.0505 and wR= 0.1018. The crystal packing is stabilized by intermolecular O-H…O hydrogen bonds, forming an extended one-dimensional chain structure. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility measurement shows that antiferromagnetic interaction is propagated between the metal centers. Fit as dinuclear arrangement gave parameters ofJ= 19.7 cm-1, g = 1.89 and R2 = 0.9999.

Efficient degradation of dye pollutants in wastewater via photocatalysis using a magnetic zinc oxide/graphene/iron oxide-based catalyst

In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept study of the enhancement of photocatalytic activity via a combined strategy of fabricating a visible-light responsive ternary heterostructure and improving overall photostability by incorporating magnetic zinc oxide/graphene/iron oxide (ZGF). A solvothermal approach was used to synthesize the catalyst. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopic, energy dispersive X-ray, transmission electron microscopic, vibrating sample magnetometric, and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the synthesized samples. The obtained optimal Zn(NO_(3))_(2) concentration, temperature, and heating duration were 0.10 mol/L, 600℃, and 1 h, respectively. The XRD pattern revealed the presence of peaks corresponding to zinc oxide, graphene, and iron oxide, indicating that the ZGF catalyst was effectively synthesized. Furthermore, when the developed ZGF was used for methylene blue dye degradation, the optimum irradiation time, dye concentration, catalyst dosage, irradiation intensity, and solution pH were 90 min, 10 mg/L, 0.03 g/L, 100 W, and 8.0, respectively. Therefore, the synthesized ZGF system could be used as a catalyst to degrade dyes in wastewater samples. This hybrid nanocomposite consisting of zinc oxide, graphene, and iron oxide could also be used as an effective photocatalytic degrader for various dye pollutants.

Highly Sensitive Fiber-Optic Faraday-Effect Magnetic Field Sensor Based on Yttrium Iron Garnet

The principle and performance of a fiber-optic Faraday-effect magnetic-field sensor based on an yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and two flux concentrations are described. A single polarization-maintaining optical fiber links the sensor head to the source and detection system, in which the technique of phase shift cancellation is used to cancel the phase shift that accumulatein the optical fiber. Flux concentrators were exploited to enhance the YIG crystal magneto-optic sensitivity .The sensor system exhibited a noise-equivalent field of 8 pT/√Hz and a 3 dB bandwidth of ～10 MHz.

A magnetic biocatalyst based on mussel-inspired polydopamine and its acylation of dihydromyricetin

A support made of mussel-inspired polydopamine-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles （PD-MNPs） was prepared and characterized. The widely used Aspetyillus niger lipase （ANL） was immobilized on the PD-MNPs （ANL@PD-MNPs） with a protein loading of 138 mg/g and an activity recovery of 83.6% under optimized conditions. For the immobilization, the pH and immobilization time were investigated. The pH and thermal and storage stability of the ANL@PD-MNPs significant- ly surpassed those of free ANL. The ANL@PD-MNPs had better solvent tolerance than free ANL. The secondary structure of free ANL and ANL@PD-MNPs was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, A kinetic study demonstrated that the ANL@PD-MNPs had enhanced enzyme-substrate affinity and high catalytic efficiency. The ANL@PD-MNPs was applied as a biocatalyst for the regioselective acylation of dihydromyricetin （DMY） in DMSO and gave a conversion of 79.3%, which was higher than that of previous reports. The ANL@PD-MNPs retained over 55% of its initial activity after 10 cycles of reuse. The ANL@PD-MNPs were readily separated from the reaction system by a magnet. The PD-MNPs is an excellent support for ANL and the resulting ANL@PD-MNPs displayed good potential for the efficient synthesis of dihydromyricetin-3-acetate by enzymatic regioselective acylation.

Immobilization of Penicillin G Acylase on Magnetic Nanoparticles Modified by Ionic Liquids

Functionalized ionic liquids containing ethyoxyl groups were synthesized and immobilized on magnetic silica nanoparticles （MSNP） prepared by two steps, i.e., Fe304 synthesis and silica shell growth on the surface. This magnetic nanoparticle supported ionic liquid （MNP-IL） were applied in the immobilization of penicillin G acylase （PGA）. The MSNPs and MNP-ILs were characterized by themeans of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and vibrating sample magnetometer （VSM）. The results showed that the average size of magnetic Fe304 nanoparticles and MSNPs were -10 and -90 nm, respectively. The saturation magnetizations of magnetic Fe304 nanoparticles and MNP-ILs were 63.7 and 26.9 A＇m2·kg^-1, respectively. The MNP-IL was successfully applied in the immobilization of PGA. The maximum amount of loaded enzyme-was about 209 mg·g^-1 （based on carder）, and the highest enzyme activity of immobilized PGA （based on ImPGA） was 261 U·g^-1. Both the amount of loaded enzyme and the activity of ImPGA are at the same leyel of or higher than that in previous reports. After 10 consecutive operat!ons, ImPGA still mainrained 62% of its initial activity, indicating the＇good recovery property of ImPGA activity. The ionic liquid modified magnetic particles integrate the magnetic properties of Fe304 and the structure-tunable properties of ionic liquids, and have extensive potential uses in protein immobilization and magnetic bioseparation. This work may open up a novel strategy to immobilize proteins by ionic liquids.

Effect of Cutting Techniques on the Structure and Magnetic Properties of a High-grade Non-oriented Electrical Steel

The high grade non-oriented electrical steel sheets containing 3.0%Si were manufacturing processed using different cutting techniques, then they were stress relief annealed（SRA）, the profiles and textures of the cutting edges were compared before and after annealing, and the magnetic properties of these specimens were tested and compared. The experimental results show that the iron loss of the specimen by water jet cutting is the lowest, but the magnetic induction under the low magnetic field is the highest, the iron loss of the specimen by laser cutting is the highest, but the magnetic induction under the low magnetic field is the lowest. It is necessary to adopt suitable production conditions and minimize the deterioration involved, and the magnetic property can be recovered by SRA effectively.

Ferucarbotran versus Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging in the detection of focal hepatic lesions

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of ferucarbotran-enhanced MR imaging in the detection of focal hepatic lesions compared to plain and Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging. METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with suspected focal hepatic lesions were admitted to the study. Plain MR imaging (FSE T2WI with fat suppression and GRE T1WI sequences) and Gd-DTPA dynamic enhanced MR of the liver were initially performed followed by ferucarbotran- enhanced MR imaging 48 h later (including GRE T1WI, FSE T2WI with fat suppression, and GRE T2*WI sequences). Images were reviewed independently by three observers. Results were correlated with surgery and pathologic examination or reference examination, and sensitivity was statistically calculated for the different MR imaging sequences. RESULTS: Among all confirmed lesions (n = 133), ferucarbotran-enhanced MR imaging revealed 130 lesions on FSE T2WI with fat suppression, 115 lesions on dynamic T1WI GRE, and 127 lesions on GRE T2*WI. Pre-contrast MR imaging revealed only 84 lesions on GRE T1WI and 106 lesions on FSE T2WI with fat suppression, while Gd-DTPA dynamic enhanced GRE T1WI revealed 123 lesions. For 44 micro-lesions (< 1.0 cm) in all patients the detection rates were as follows: ferucarbotran-enhanced FSE T2WI with fat suppression, 93.2% (41/44); ferucarbotran-enhanced GRE T2*WI, 88.6% (39/44); Gd-DTPA dynamic-enhanced GRE T1WI, 79.5% (35/44); pre-contrast FSE T2WI with fat suppression, 54.5% (24/44); and pre-contrast GRE T1WI, 34.1% (15/44). In detecting micro-lesions, statistically significant difference was found for Ferucarbotran- enhanced FSE T2WI with fat suppression and GRE T2*WI sequences compared to the other sequences (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: Ferucarbotran-enhanced FSE T2WI with fat suppression and GRE T2*WI sequences are superior in detecting micro-lesions (< 1 cm) in comparison with plain and Gd-DTPA dynamic-enhanced MR imaging.

Rapid determination of iron oxide content in magnetically modified particulate materials

Magnetically responsive composite materials have been used in interesting applications in various areas of bioscience, biotechnology, and environmental technology. In this work, a simple method to determine the amount of magnetic iron oxide nano- and microparticles attached to magnetically-modified partic- ulate diamagnetic materials has been developed using a commercially available magnetic permeability meter, The procedure is fast and enables dry particulate magnetically modified materials to be analysed without any modification or pretreatment. We show that the magnetic permeability can be measured for materials containing up to 20% magnetic iron oxide, The magnetic permeability measurements are highly reproducible.

Recovery of boron from high-boron iron concentrate using reduction roasting and magnetic separation

The comprehensive utilization of abundant high-boron iron concentrate is of particular significance to Chi- na, and the high-boron iron concentrate has not yet been utilized as a source for boron at an industrial scale due to its complex mineralogy and fine mineral dissemination. An innovative method was proposed for recovery of boron and iron from high-boron iron concentrate by reduction roasting and magnetic sepa- ration. The effects of reduction temperature and roasting time were investigated and their optimum condi- tions were determined. The mineralogical changes during roasting were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results showed that the pyrrhotite （FeS） contained in the high-boron iron concentrate and the new-formed FeS-Fe solid solution softened or melted at high temperatures owing to their low melting points, and then decreased the metallic iron ratio and accelerated the growth of metallic iron particles. Meanwhile, the magnetite and szaibelyite were converted into metal- lic iron and suanite, respectively. Consequently, boron was readily enriched into the non-magnetic product and the metallic iron was aggregated to the magnetic concentrate by magnetic separation. Boron recovery of 88.6% with corresponding B2O3 content of 14.5% and iron recovery of 95.1% with an iron grade of 92.7% were achieved when high-boron iron concentrate was reduced at 1 125℃ for 150 min. Besides, the boron reactivity of the boron-rich non-magnetic product was up to 80.8%.

Effects of embedding direct reduction followed by magnetic separation on recovering titanium and iron of beach titanomagnetite concentrate

Embedding direct reduction followed by magnetic separation was conducted to fully recover iron and titanium separately from beach titanomagnetite （TTM）. The influences of reduction conditions, such as molar ratio of C to Fe, reduction time, and reduction temperature, were studied. The results showed that the TTM concentrate was reduced to iron and iron-titanium oxides, depending on the reduction time, and the reduction sequence at 1 200℃ was suggested as follows ： Fe2.75 Ti0.25O4→Fe2TiO4→FeTiO3→FeTi2O5. The reduction temperature played a considerable role in the reduction of TTM concentrates. Increasing temperature from 1 100 to 1 200℃ was beneficial to recovering titanium and iron, whereas the results deteriorated as temperature increased further. The results of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed that low temperature （≤1100℃） was unfavorable for the gasification of reductant, resulting in insufficient reducing atmosphere in the reduction process. The molten phase was formed at high temperatures of 1250-1 300℃, which accelerated the migration rate of metallic particles and suppressed the diffusion of reduction gas, resulting in poor reduction. The optimum conditions for reducing TTM concentrate are as follows： molar ratio of C to Fe of 1.68, reduction time of 150 min, and reduction temperature of 1 200℃. Under these conditions, direct reduction iron powder, assaying 90.28 mass% TFe and 1.73 mass% TiO2 with iron recovery of 90.85%, and titanium concentrate, assaying 46.24 mass% TiO2 with TiO2 recovery of 91.15%, were obtained.

Optimization of magnetic separation process for iron recovery from steel slag

To improve the efficiency of iron recovery from steel slag and reduce the wear-and-tear on facilities, a new method was proposed by adding a secondary screen sizer to the magnetic separation process according to grain size distribution of magnetic iron （M-Fe） in the slag. The final recycling efficiency was evaluated by calculating the percentage of recycled M-Fe to the maximum amount of M-Fe that could be recovered. Three types of slags, namely basic oxygen furnace slag, desul- furization slag, and iron ladle slag, were studied, and the results showed that the optimized re- covery efficieneies were 93.20%, 92. 48%, and 85.82% respectively, and the recycling efficien eies were improved by 9.58%, 7.11%, and 6.24% respectively. Furthermore, the abrasion between the mill equipment and the remaining slags was significantly reduced owing to the efficient recovery of larger M-Fe particles. In addition, the using amount of grinding balls was reduced by 0. 46 kg when every 1 t steel slag was processed.

Surface magnetization of siderite mineral

Surface self-magnetization of siderite is achieved by generating ferromagnetic substance on the surface of siderite by adjusting slurry temperature,pH value,stirring rate and reaction time.No addition of any iron-containing reagent is required.The temperature of 60 ℃,NaOH concentration of 0.10 mol/L;stirring rate of 900 r/min and the reaction time of 10 min are the optimal conditions.The results show that the siderite recovery in magnetic separation increased from 26.9% to 88.8% after surface magnetization.Magnetization kinetic equation is expressed as 1 [1(e0.269)]1/3 = Kt.Activation energy for the magnetization reaction is 4.30 kJ/mol.VSM,SEM and XPS were used to characterize the siderite,and results show that the saturated magnetization(rs) of siderite increased from 0.652 to 2.569Am2 /kg,the magnetic hysteresis was detected with a coercive force of 0.976 A/m after magnetization;Fe2P3/2 electron binding energy changed which reflects the valence alteration in iron on the surface and the formation of ferromagnetic Fe3O4.

Iron recovery and rare earths enrichment from Bayan Obo tailings using Coal-Ca(OH)2-NaOH roasting followed by magnetic separation

The recovery of iron and enrichment of rare earths from Bayan Obo railings were investigated using Coal Ca（OH） 2 NaOH roasting followed by magnetic separation. The influences of roasting temperature, roasting time, coal content, milling time, Ca（OH）2 dosage and NaOH dosage on the iron and rare earths recovery were explored. The results showed that the magnetic concentrate containing 70.01 wt. % Fe with the iron recovery of 94.34G and the tailings of magnetic separation containing 11.46 wt. % rare earth oxides （REO） with the REO recovery of 98. 19% were obtained under the optimum conditions （i. e. , roasting temperature of 650℃, roasting time of 60 min, coal content of 2.0%, milling time of 5 min, and NaOH dosage of 2.0%）. The Ca（OH）2 dosage had no effect on the separation of iron and rare earths. According to the mineralogical and morphologic analysis, the iron and rare earths of Bayan Obo tailings could be utilized in subsequent ironmaking process and hydrometallurgy process.

Weak magnetic field accelerates chromate removal by zero-valent iron

Weak magnetic field（WMF） was employed to improve the removal of Cr（VI） by zero-valent iron（ZVI） for the first time. The removal rate of Cr（VI） was elevated by a factor of 1.12-5.89 due to the application of a WMF, and the WMF-induced improvement was more remarkable at higher Cr（VI） concentration and higher p H. Fe2＋was not detected until Cr（VI） was exhausted, and there was a positive correlation between the WMF-induced promotion factor of Cr（VI） removal rate and that of Fe2＋release rate in the absence of Cr（VI） at pH 4.0-5.5. These phenomena imply that ZVI corrosion with Fe2＋release was the limiting step in the process of Cr（VI） removal. The superimposed WMF had negligible influence on the apparent activation energy of Cr（VI） removal by ZVI, indicating that WMF accelerated Cr（VI）removal by ZVI but did not change the mechanism. The passive layer formed with WMF was much more porous than without WMF, thereby facilitating mass transport. Therefore,WMF could accelerate ZVI corrosion and alleviate the detrimental effects of the passive layer, resulting in more rapid removal of Cr（VI） by ZVI. Exploiting the magnetic memory of ZVI, a two-stage process consisting of a small reactor with WMF for ZVI magnetization and a large reactor for removing contaminants by magnetized ZVI can be employed as a new method of ZVI-mediated remediation.

Synthesis and application of bilayer-surfactant-enveloped Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles: water-based bilayer-surfactant-enveloped ferrofluids

Superparamagnetic carbon-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles with high magnetization（85 emu·g-（-1）） and high crystallinity were synthesized using polyethylene glycol-4000（PEG（4000）） as a carbon source.Fe3O4 water-based bilayer-surfactant-enveloped ferrofluids were subsequently prepared using sodium oleate and PEG（4000） as dispersants.Analyses using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction,and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicate that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles with a bilayer surfactant coating retain the inverse spinel-type structure and are successfully coated with sodium oleate and PEG（4000）.Transmission electron microscopy,vibrating sample magnetometry,and particle-size analysis results indicate that the coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles also retain the good saturation magnetization of Fe3O4（79.6 emu·g^-1） and that the particle size of the bilayer-surfactant-enveloped Fe3O4 nanoparticles is 42.97 nm,which is substantially smaller than that of the unmodified Fe3O4 nanoparticles（486.2 nm）.UV-vis and zeta-potential analyses reveal that the ferrofluids does not agglomerate for 120 h at a concentration of 4 g·L^-1,which indicates that the ferrofluids are highly stable.