国外科技简讯

无公害谷壳器皿 　　日本靖武电子机械公司和福冈可静工业公司最近联手推出全球第一种谷壳器皿，包括餐具和食品贮器等。这种器皿不含合成树脂，是以谷壳为主要原料，在高温高压下制成的。 　　谷壳器皿无细菌等病原体感染，对人体安全无害。露天或掩埋均可在微生物作用下，经 4至 5个月后发生天然生物降解。不仅不会产生二恶英污染环境，而且可以改良土壤。据检测，这种谷壳器皿可防水，使用期间可洗涤 2至 3次，室温下可使用 10天以上，而且耐热 (90℃热水中不变性 )、抗冻 (冰箱内不变性 )、无臭，重量与塑料器皿相仿，可在聚乙烯袋中保…     

新产品——FEP超纯实验室瓶

FEP超纯实验室瓶由纯聚全氟乙丙烯(FEP)塑料制成,具有纯度高、耐高低温、耐酸碱腐蚀、耐有机溶剂、防粘、透明、不易破碎等特点,可代替昂贵的石英玻璃容器。它集石英制品和通用塑料制品之长而避其短,是目前世界上先进国家超纯试验室必备的一种化学分析器皿,主要用作低温试验、微量金属分析和存放超纯试剂,广泛用于地质、冶金、原子能、环保、电子、生物、医学、化学、化工等科研及生产部门。     

天工神韵话压花

压花的历史 压花是近年来在我国日趋流行的一种花艺，与“插花”、“干燥花（立体）”、“仿真花”等同为姐妹花艺，因其天然之美，别具高雅、时尚、文化气质而惊艳于世。人们将新鲜的花草经压制、干燥、保色等处理，形成平面的压花材料，再以纸、布、木等材料为衬底，经构思拼贴，便可制成各种美丽的压花作品，如镜框画、明信片、贺卡、书签等，还可贴于玻璃、塑料、木制品、瓷砖等材料表面，甚至用于装饰灯罩、杯垫及各种器皿等。     

获得大量同龄美洲斑潜蝇的方法

取美洲斑潜蝇严重危害的植物叶片 (叶上最好以 3龄幼虫为主 ) ,带回室内 ,放入玻璃钟罩或其它密闭容器内 ,次日便可以收集到大量老熟幼虫。如果试材为蛹 ,可将盛有老熟幼虫的器皿放入黑暗处 ,约 3ｈ后幼虫便可化蛹。如果试材为成虫 ,可将蛹埋入盛有湿润土壤 (约 1 5ｃｍ深 )的器皿内 ,用玻璃钟罩隔离 ,在 30℃条件下 ,大约 7ｄ后便可得到大量的成虫。获得大量同龄美洲斑潜蝇的方法@段国琪$山西省农科院棉花研究所!运城044000 @张战备$山西省农科院棉花研究所!运城044000 @张丽萍$山西省农科院棉花研究所!运城044000…     

肾小体、肾小管模型的制作

在中学讲授肾小体与肾小管的构造时,只用褂图和黑板画进行演示,直观性不够强,所以学生往往得不到明确的印象。我们曾用玻璃制成肾小囊和肾小管形状(图1),制作过程简便,一般玻璃工厂都能代制;再以细小的红色塑料线代毛细血管,缠绕成球形为肾小球,锒进肾小囊内,并继续以网状塑料线缠于肾小管上(图2),同时在部分塑料线上,涂上蓝漆表示静脉,整个模型便制成。经过一段时期试用演示教学,由于是玻璃模型,能明显看到构造情况,学生易于了解,效果很好,特作介绍。     

绿色环保塑料及其面临的问题

世界上每年用于塑料生产的石油和天然气有 2 .7亿t,生产出的塑料不能降解。而现在常用的以填埋、焚烧方式处理塑料垃圾的形式 ,造成了塑料垃圾不断在自然界中积累 ,焚烧产生的大量有毒气体以及温室气体 ,对人类的生存环境形成了愈来愈大的威胁。“白色污染”成为目前环保中又一个极为严峻的课题。科学工作者经过不懈的努力 ,找到一种利用生物技术生产新型绿色环保塑料的方法 ,采用这种方法生产的塑料 ,其原材料为可再生的能源——植物 ,节约了宝贵的天然矿产资源 ;通过生物降解的方式可把这种塑料进行完全降解 ,不污染环境 ,我们把它们称为…     

利用植物纤维制备可生物降解食品包装材料的研究进展

食品包装材料主要来源于塑料、金属、纸、玻璃等,其中塑料占25％.由于塑料材料难以降解,塑料废弃物已造成了严重的环境污染.2021年"最严限塑令"开始在全国范围内实施,作为对塑料最具替代潜力的可生物降解材料受到了广泛关注.开发可生物可降解材料能够保护环境、节约资源,符合全球可持续发展战略.植物纤维是一种分布广泛、价格低廉...     

生物可降解塑料的发酵生产研究进展*

近十几年来,随着化学合成塑料造成环境污染的日趋严重,微生物合成生物可降解塑料的研究受到人们的广泛重视.聚羟基烷酸(polyhydroxyalkanoates,PHA)具有与化学合成塑料相似的性质,能拉丝、压模、注塑等,而且具有合成塑料所没有的特殊性能,如利用其生物相容性可作为外科手术缝线、人造血管和骨骼代用品,术后无需取出.因而在工业、农业、医药和环保等行业都具有广阔的应用前景.     

一种改进的胚胎吸管

一种改进的胚胎吸管（王氏管）由直径２．５ｍｍ的玻璃细管和硅胶管组成。该管制作使用方便,容易操作,不易污染,价格低廉。连接部分采用全塑料和硅胶管。具有安全、耐用、无毒性等特点。适用于各种胚胎操作。     

雷哥荒漠大冒险

雷哥,是一只骨瘦如柴的宠物变色龙。他独自生活在一个只有鞋盒大小的玻璃箱里,每天的生活除了吃喝拉撒,就是和主人为他准备的玩具——一只塑料小鱼过家家。     

Threshold inventory interpretation methodology

Threshold Inventory Interpretation Methodology (TIIM) is a methodology for Life Cycle Inventory Interpretation (impact assessment). TIIM is unique in that it incorporates the spatial dependency of environmental releases, includes pollutant thresholds, and simplifies pollution prevention decision-making processes for industrial systems. It is predicated upon using the best scientific information available today. TIIM is demonstrated here through a case study using the atmospheric emissions for three juice container systems (glass, plastic A, plastic B). The emissions reported are from a life cycle inventory. A comparison of the kilograms of each emission from the glass and plastic A systems favored plastic A; however, the comparison of glass and plastic B was inconclusive. Application of the TIIM to the glass and plastic B data yielded more conclusive results. Use of the TIIM life cycle inventory interpretation approach yields results that are more easily interpreted, scientifically based, and, in many instances, more conclusive than results from existing impact assessment approaches.     

Pouring and Running a Protein Gel by reusing Commercial Cassettes

The evaluation of proteins using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis is a common technique used by biochemistry and molecular biology researchers^1-4. For laboratories that perform daily analyses of proteins, the cost of commercially available polyacrylamide gels (˜$10/gel) can be considerable over time. To mitigate this cost, some researchers prepare their own polyacrylamide gels. Traditional methods of pouring these gels typically utilize specialized equipment and glass gel plates that can be expensive and preclude pouring many gels and storing them for future use. Furthermore, handling of glass plates during cleaning or gel pouring can result in accidental breakage creating a safety hazard, which may preclude their use in undergraduate laboratory classes. Our protocol demonstrates how to pour multiple protein gels simultaneously by recycling Invitrogen Nupage Novex minigel cassettes, and inexpensive materials purchased at a home improvement store. This economical and streamlined method includes a way to store the gels at 4°C for a few weeks. By re-using the plastic gel cassettes from commercially available gels, labs that run frequent protein gels can save significant costs and help the environment. In addition, plastic gel cassettes are extremely resistant to breakage, which makes them ideal for undergraduate laboratory classrooms.     

NO(x) contamination in laboratory ware and effect of countermeasures.

Contamination of various types of laboratory wares with NO(x) (NO(-)(2) and NO(-)(3)) was assessed systematically and the effect of extensive washing as a countermeasure was evaluated. Mean NO(x) contamination arising from a model procedure for NO(x) determination in plasma was 0.93 microM (range, 0.35-1.49 microM). The major source of contamination included conical tubes (54.8%) and pipette tips used for transfer of solution (12.3-16.3%). Except for soft glassware, most NO(x) contamination could be washed out by pure water. Although NO(x) contamination in respective laboratory wares could be reduced below detection levels by extensive washing, summation of the contamination through the model procedure could not be completely abolished (but the effect of washing persisted at least 10 days). Heavy contamination was noted in glassware (especially soft glass) and ultrafiltration units, which was difficult to remove. Several types of vacuum blood sampling tubes contained various levels of NO(x). Our results indicated that a small but significant amount of contamination remained in laboratory ware even after extensive washing, and that it is advisable to avoid the use of glassware (soft glass), ultrafiltration units, and vacuum blood sampling tubes during the processing of clinical sampling for the measurement of NO(x).     

Embedding Stained Mammary Glands in Plastic

A simplified method of embedding stained mammary spreads of small mammals in plastic (Selection) is presented. Two standard 50 × 75 × 1 mm. glass slides, separated by 2 narrow glass strips of similar thickness, are used to form the embedding chamber. The glands are stained in toto in alum-carmine, dehydrated, defatted, infiltrated with uncatalyzed plastic and embedded in catalyzed plastic. After baking and cooling, the glass chamber separates readily and provides a thin square slide of plastic suitable for low-power microscopic examination, projection, and filing.     

Plastic versus glass capillaries for rapid-cycle PCR

Rapid-cycle PCR uses fast temperature transitions and minimal denaturation and annealing times of "0" s to complete 30 cycles in 10 to 30 min. The most popular platform amplifies samples in glass capillaries arranged around a carousel with circulating air for temperature control. Recently, plastic capillary replacements for glass capillaries became available. We compared the performance of plastic and glass capillaries for rapid-cycle PCR. Heat transfer into plastic capillaries was slowed by thicker walls, lower thermal conductivity, and a lower surface area-to-volume ratio than glass capillaries. Whereas the denaturation and annealing target temperatures were reached by samples in glass capillaries, samples in plastic capillaries fell short of these target temperatures by 6 degrees -7 degrees C. Rapid-cycle PCR was performed on two human genomic targets (APOE and ACVRL1) and one plasmid (pBR322) to amplify fragments of 225-300 bp in length with melting temperatures of 90.3 degrees -93.1 degrees C. Real-time amplification data, end-point melting curves, and end-point gel analysis revealed strong, specific amplification of samples in glass and complete amplification failure in plastic. Only the APOE target was successfully amplified by extending the denaturation and annealing times to 5 or 10 s. A 20 s holding period was necessary to reach target temperatures in plastic capillaries.     

Life cycle assessment of two baby food packaging alternatives: glass jars vs. plastic pots

Background, aim, and scope  This paper compares the life cycle assessment (LCA) of two packaging alternatives used for baby food produced by Nestlé: plastic pot and glass jar. The study considers the environmental impacts associated with packaging systems used to provide one baby food meal in France, Spain, and Germany in 2007. In addition, alternate logistical scenarios are considered which are independent of the two packaging options. The 200-g packaging size is selected as the basis for this study. Two other packaging sizes are assessed in the sensitivity analysis. Because results are intended to be disclosed to the public, this study underwent a critical review by an external panel of LCA experts. Materials and methods  The LCA is performed in accordance to the international standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The packaging systems include the packaging production, the product assembly, the preservation process, the distribution, and the packaging end-of-life. The production of the content (before preservation process), as well as the use phase are not taken into account as they are considered not to change when changing packaging. The inventory is based on data obtained from the baby food producer and the suppliers, data from the scientific literature, and data from the ecoinvent database. Special care is taken to implement a system expansion approach for end-of-life open and closed loop recycling and energy production (ISO 14044). A comprehensive impact assessment is performed using two life cycle impact assessment methodologies: IMPACT 2002+ and CML 2001. An extensive uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo as well as an extensive sensitivity study are performed on the inventory and the reference flows, respectively. Results  When looking at the impacts due to preservation process and packaging (considering identical distribution distances), we observe a small but significant environmental benefit of the plastic pot system over the glass jar system. Depending on the country, the impact is reduced by 14% to 27% for primary energy, 28% to 31% for global warming, 31% to 34% for respiratory inorganics, and 28% to 31% for terrestrial acidification/nutrification. The environmental benefit associated with the change in packaging mainly results from (a) production of plastic pot (including its end-of-life; 43% to 51% of total benefit), (b) lighter weight of packaging positively impacting transportation (20% to 35% of total benefit), and (c) new preservation process permitted by the plastic system (23% to 34% of total benefit). The jar or pot (including cap or lid, cluster, stretch film, and label) represents approximately half of the life cycle impacts, the logistics approximately one fourth, and the rest (especially on-site energy, tray, and hood) one fourth. Discussion  The sensitivity analysis shows that assumptions made in the basic scenarios are rather conservative for plastic pots and that the conclusions for the 200-g packaging size also apply to other packaging sizes. The uncertainty analysis performed on the inventory for the German market situation shows that the plastic pot system has less impact than the glass jar system while considering similar distribution distances with a confidence level above 97% for most impact categories. There is opportunity for further improvement independent of the type of packaging used, such as by reducing distribution distances while still optimizing lot size. The validity of the main conclusions presented in this study is confirmed by results of both impact assessment methodologies IMPACT 2002+ and CML 2001. Conclusions  For identical transportation distances, the plastic pot system shows a small but significant reduction in environmental burden compared to the glass jar system. Recommendations and perspectives  As food distribution plays an important role in the overall life cycle burdens and may vary between scenarios, it is important to avoid additional transportation of the packaged food in order to maintain or even improve the advantage of the plastic pot system. The present study focuses on the comparison of packaging systems and directly related consequences. It is recommended that further environmental optimization of the product also includes food manufacturing (before preservation process) and the supply chain of raw materials.     

An AFM determination of the effects on surface roughness caused by cleaning of fused silica and glass substrates in the process of optical biosensor preparation

The covalent attachment of organic films and of biological molecules to fused silica and glass substrates is important for many applications. For applications such as biosensor development, it is desired that the immobilised molecules be assembled in a uniform layer on the surface so as to provide for reproducibility and speed of surface interactions. For optimal derivatisation the surface must be appropriately cleaned to remove contamination, to create surface attachment sites such as hydroxyl groups, and to control surface roughness. The irregularity of the surface can be significant in defining the integrity and density of immobilised films. Numerous cleaning methods exist for fused silica and glass substrates and these include gas plasmas, and combinations of acids, bases and organic solvents that are allowed to react at varying temperatures. For many years, we have used a well established method based on a combination of washing with basic peroxide followed by acidic peroxide to clean and hydroxylate the surface of fused silica and glass substrates before oligonucleotide immobilisation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to evaluate the effect of cleaning on surface roughness for various fused silica and glass samples. The results indicate that surface roughness remains substantial after use of this common cleaning routine, and can provide a surface area that is more than 10% but less than 30% larger than anticipated from geometric considerations of a planar surface.     

Deep freezing of cattle embryos in glass ampules or French straws

Ninety four cow embryos recovered on day 7-8 after onset of oestrus were frozen by the "Two Step" freezing procedure: 49 in pyrex glass ampules and 45 in .25 ml French semen straws. The overall survival rate was 33.7% (36.2% for embryos frozen in glass ampules; 31.1% for embryos frozen in plastic straws). 45.2% of transferred embryos resulted in pregnancies (35.7% after freezing in glass ampules v.s 52.9% after freezing in plastic straws).     

Neutrophil responses to lipopolysaccharide. Effect of adherence on triggering and priming of the respiratory burst.

We studied neutrophil responses to LPS using three methodologic refinements: Teflon bags or serum-coated glass tubes that did not directly trigger neutrophils, LPS-free cytochrome c to measure O2- release, and heat-inactivated serum to inhibit inactivation of LPS by neutrophils. Neutrophils incubated in uncoated glass or plastic tubes adhered to the glass and released O2-, but were not primed for enhanced release of O2- in response to triggering by FMLP. Triggering by the glass or plastic surface did not occur if the neutrophils were stirred to prevent adherence. Adherence to glass or plastic and O2- release were not affected by a mAb (IB4) directed against the beta-chain of the leukocyte adhesion family of surface glycoproteins (CD11/CD18). Neutrophils incubated in glass or plastic did not show enhanced expression of alkaline phosphatase on their surface. When neutrophils were incubated in serum-coated glass tubes or in Teflon bags, there was no O2- release. However, adherence, expression of alkaline phosphatase, and release of O2- were triggered by adding 1 ng/ml LPS plus 1% serum, but not by either LPS or serum alone. In the presence of LPS and serum, O2- release was much higher when the cells were unstirred (adherent) rather than stirred. However, both unstirred and stirred cells expressed a similar elevated level of alkaline phosphatase. LPS-triggered O2- release and adherence were inhibited by antibody IB4. In contrast, priming by LPS for enhanced FMLP-triggered O2- release was greater in stirred cells than in unstirred cells. The antibody enhanced priming of unstirred neutrophils. These results suggested that uncoated glass or plastic triggered O2- release without involvement of leukocyte adhesion glycoproteins. However, neutrophils incubated with LPS and serum expressed alkaline phosphatase and IB4-inhibitable adherence glycoproteins that allowed neutrophils to interact with serum-coated glass or Teflon to trigger O2- release. Priming by LPS for enhanced response to FMLP was suppressed in adherent neutrophils, and this suppression was partly released by IB4. Thus, triggering and priming were reciprocally regulated by neutrophil glycoproteins interacting with surfaces.     

Quantifying the cleanliness of glass capillaries

I used capillary rise methods to investigate the lumenal surface properties of quartz (fused silica, Amersil T-08), borosilicate (Corning 7800), and high-lead glass (Corning 0010) capillaries commonly used to make patch pipets. I calculated the capillary rise and contact angle for water and methanol from weight measurements. The capillary rise was compared with the theoretical maximum value calculated by assuming each fluid perfectly wetted the lumenal surface of the glass (i.e., zero contact angle, which reflects the absence of surface contamination). For borosilicate, high-lead, and quartz capillaries, the rise for water was substantially less than the theoretical maximum rise. Exposure of the borosilicate, lead, and quartz capillaries to several cleaning methods resulted in substantially better—but not perfect—agreement between the theoretical maximum rise and calculated capillary rise. By contrast, the capillary rise for methanol was almost identical in untreated and cleaned capillaries, but less than its theoretical maximum rise. The residual discrepancy between the observed and theoretical rise for water could not be improved on by trying a variety of cleaning procedures, but some cleaning methods were superior to others. The water solubility of the surface contaminants, deduced from the effectiveness of repeated rinsing, was different for each of the three types of capillaries examined: Corning 7800>quartz>Corning 0010. A surface film was also detected in quartz tubing with an internal filament. I conclude that these borosilicate, quartz, and high-lead glass capillaries have a film on the lumenal surface, which can be removed using appropriate cleaning methods. The surface contaminants may be unique to each type of capillary and may also be hydrophobic. Two simple methods are presented to quantitate the cleanliness of glass capillary tubing commonly used to make pipets for studies of biological membranes. It is not known if the surface film is of importance in electrophysiological studies of biological membranes.