Abstract: This specification discloses methods of detection or measurement of an enzyme or of its specific substrate, and sensors used in such methods. The present invention is concerned with a multi-enzyme system, and the specification discloses, as one aspect of the invention a method of assay in which an electrode poised at a suitable potential is contacted with a system comprising a first enzyme, a cofactor linked with said enzyme and a mediator compound which transfers charge to the electrode from the first enzyme when its electrical state is changed by reaction of cofactor material.The cofactor may be NAD, NADP (both collectively referred to herein as NAD(P)), cAMP, ATP, GTP, TTP, or CTP.The specification particularly illustrates a method of assay in which an electrode (1) poised at a suitable potential is contacted with a system comprising a first enzyme E.sub.1 a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide compound N linked with said enzyme E.sub.

Abstract: A system for determining characteristics and traits of an animal-type subject, such as cattle or the like, comprising: an apparatus and method for holding or confining the subject; an apparatus and method for reproducing at least one profile image of the subject and locating specific reference points on the profile image of the subject related to the characteristics and traits to be determined; an apparatus and method for linear measurement of predetermined parts or portions of the subject by use of the specific reference points on the profile image of the subject; and an apparatus and method for utilization of the linear measurements to provide correlation between the linear measurements of a particular subject and other subjects of a like kind.

Abstract: This invention relates to equipment and methods for detecting the presence of, measuring the amount of, and/or monitoring the level of, one or more selected components in a liquid mixture, employing an electrode sensing system.We have discovered that a class of mediating compounds has extremely useful properties for mediating the transfer of charge between enzyme-catalyzed reactions and electrode surfaces (15) in electrode sensing systems.Specifically, the specification discloses as electrode sensor mediators, organometallic compounds composed of at least two organic rings, each of which has at least two double bonds in a conjugated relationship; a metal atom is in electron-sharing contact with those rings.

Abstract: A sensor electrode to detect one or more components in a liquid mixture comprises an electrically conductive material having at least an an external surface, the combination of an enzyme catalytic for a reaction of the desired component, and a mediator compound which transfers electrons from the enzyme to the electrode when such catalytic activity takes place. It can be used as an in vivo glucose sensor either with a silver electrode coated with e.g. glucose oxidase and a polyviologen as the mediators, or with a particulate carbon electrode, glucose oxidase and chloranil or fluoranil as mediator. Another system is to use bacterial glucose dehydrogenase or glucose oxidase as the enzyme and/or ferrocene or a ferrocene derivative as the mediators compound to give electrodes with improved linearity, speed of response and insensitivity to oxygen.

Abstract: A product and process for stimulating bacterial action in an anaerobic digestion system is disclosed. The product includes an inhibitory ion regulating component and an inorganic pyrophosphate containing compound. The process includes forming a mixture of the described product, and then adding an effective amount of the product mixture to the anaerobic digestion system to stimulate and enhance bacterial growth and metabolism therein.

Abstract: A water soluble, acid precipitable polymeric degraded lignin (APPL), having a molecular weight of at least 12,000 daltons, and comprising, by percentage of total weight, at least three times the number of phenolic hydroxyl groups and carboxylic acid groups present in native lignin. The APPL may be modified by chemical oxidation and reduction to increase its phenolic hydroxyl content and reduce the number of its antioxidant inhibitory side chains, thereby improving antioxidant properties.