Immobilized enzymes and cells as practical catalysts

Performance of enzymes and whole cells in commercial applications can often be dramatically improved by immobilization of the biocatalysts, for instance, by their covalent attachment to or adsorption on solid supports, entrapment in polymeric gels, encapsulation, and cross-linking. The effect of immobilization on enzymatic properties and stability of biocatalysts is considered. Applications of immobilized enzymes and cells in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries, in clinical and chemical analyses, and in medicine, as well as probable future trends in enzyme technology are discussed.     

Spasmodic tremor and possible magma injection in long valley caldera, eastern california

Intensive microearthquake swarms with the appearance of volcanic tremor have been observed in the southwest part of Long Valley caldera, southeastern California. This activity, possibly associated with magma injection, began 6 weeks after several strong (magnitude 6+) earthquakes in an area south of the caldera and has continued sporadically to the present time. The earthquake sequence and magmatic activity are part of a broad increase in tectonic activity in a 15,000-square-kilometer region surrounding the "White Mountains seismic gap," an area with high potential for the next major earthquake in the western Great Basin.