The interaction of trypsin-digested bovine cytochrome b(5) (cyt b(5)) with horse heart myoglobin (Mb) and the interprotein electron transfer (ET) between these redox partners have been studied to gain better understanding of ET processes between weakly bound protein partners. The bimolecular rate constant ( k(2)) for photo-induced ET between zinc-substituted Mb (ZnMb) and cyt b(5) decreases with increasing ionic strength, consistent with the predominantly electrostatic character of this complex. The formation of a protein-protein complex has been confirmed and the binding affinities of metMb and ZnMb for cyt b(5) have been measured by two techniques: (1)H NMR titrations at pH 6.0 give binding constants of K(a) approximately (1.0+/-0.1)x10(3) M(-1) for metMb and K(a) approximately (0.75+/-0.1)x10(3) M(-1) for ZnMb; isothermal calorimetry gives K(a) approximately (0.35+/-0.1)x10(3) M(-1) for ZnMb. Brownian dynamic (BD) simulations show that cyt b(5) binds over a broad surface of Mb that includes its heme edge. The experimental results are described in terms of a dynamic docking model which proposes that Mb binds cyt b(5) in a large ensemble of protein binding conformations, not one or a few dominant ones, but that only a small subset are ET reactive. Aided by the BD simulations, this model explains why k(2) decreases with increasing pH: increasing pH not only weakens the binding affinity but also reduces the number of binding conformations with high ET reactivity.

Multistage pump can provide high-pressure liquid, which is widely used in various areas of national economy. In order to improve the stability and reduce the noise of multistage pump, the relationships among the pressure fluctuation, vibration, and noise were studied deeply by using computational fluid dynamics and experimental measurement. Based on the unsteady numerical calculation, the phase of the pressure fluctuation wave in the middle section of the impeller and the diffuser was obtained, and the unsteady velocity distribution was acquired in the rotor-stator interaction (RSI) region between the rotational impeller and the stationary diffuser. Moreover, the vibration and noise tests of a five-stage pump with radial diffuser were performed. The results show that the phase distribution of the pressure fluctuation wave in the impeller and diffuser can be divided into four regions: the impeller flow channel region, the impeller transition region, the diffuser transition region, and the diffuser flow channel region. In addition, the pressure fluctuation, vibration and noise of the multistage pump are strongly related to each other, that is, RSI induces strong unsteady flow and pressure fluctuation in the pump, which makes the pump produce serious vibration and cause the corresponding noise. The key to controlling the vibration and noise is to reduce the effect of RSI between the impeller and the diffuser.

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Multistage centrifugal pumps can provide high-pressure fluid flow, and is widely used in various engineering applications. However, the pressure fluctuation in the pumps strongly affects the flow and pressure stability. To gain further insight into the pressure fluctuation of multistage centrifugal pumps, a numerical model of a typical multistage centrifugal pump model was constructed and the flow investigated systematically under different operating conditions. Changes in amplitude, frequency, and phase of pressure fluctuation in the impellers, diffusers, and pump cavities were observed and analyzed in both time-domain and frequency-domain. The pressure fluctuations of the fluid in the impeller were found to originate from the inlet side of the outward diffuser, whereas that in the diffuser arose from the outlet side of the impeller blade. In contrast, the pressure fluctuations in the pump cavity were initiated from the outlet side of the impeller blade and the interstage leakage of fluid. This study also conclude that the pressure fluctuations are essentially a wave with identifiable amplitude, frequency, and phase.