Recent reports on modeled simulation of near infrared photons' paths in the adult head have shown that the cerebrospinal fluid functions as an optical guide, suggesting that non-invasive haemodynamic measurement of the deep layer of the cerebral cortex is difficult. Thus, the authors investigated the volume of the cortex measured by near infrared spectroscopy with the absorbance difference technique. This technique uses two radiation detector probes to yield short and long photon paths in order to realise selective measurement of the cortex by minimising the interference from the superficial layers covering the cortex. The results show that the volume of the cortex measured by this technique is larger in the temporal area than in the frontal area. Therefore, it is concluded that the photons' path in the temporal area reaches the deep layer of the cortex and that it is possible to measure the haemodynamic response of the auditory cortex in the deep temporal area of the adult head to sound stimuli.
A multistage bioreactor consisting of organic ultrathin layers was successfully realized by immobilizing glucose oxidase and glucoamylase by the Langmuir–Blodgett technique (LB technique). Starch as the substrate was quickly converted into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide as the products in this bioreactor via the intermediate, glucose. The rate of the sequential reactions was electrochemically measured. This rate increased proportionally with increasing the concentration of starch, and also increased with increasing the amount of glucose oxidase in the LB film. This bioreactor, however, decayed soon. The reason of this decay was considered to be the structural conversion of the LB layers with glucoamylase. The multistage bioreactor constructed by the LB technique will be used not only as a super small-sized, rapid bioreactor or biosensor but also as an investigating means of the reconstitution of membrane enzyme and biomembrane.
The adsorption of two kinds of chromoproteins, cytochrome c and glucose oxidase, was observed at an air/water interface by reflection spectroscopy using optical fibers. The relation between the adsorption of cytochrome c onto an amphiphilic monolayer and the deposition of the monolayer with cytochrome c by the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique was clarified. It was found out that a good Y-type LB film, with a transfer ratio of 0.9—1.0, was obtained when the adsorbed area of cytochrome c was less than about 84% of the maximum average coverage. The reflection spectrum of glucose oxidase, not as such, but stained with coomassie brilliant blue (CBB), could be successfully observed. Since CBB is applicable to almost any protein, the reflection spectroscopy of almost any protein, not only chromoproteins, is possible.
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