Quantum size effect on (67)Zn-NMR measurements of ZnS nanoparticles

An unusual nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon is present to demonstrate the quantum size effect of ZnS clusters with its length scale properly estimated within 4 nm from the (67)Zn-NMR measurements. Strong quadrupole interaction induced from the quantum size effect is proposed to explain this phenomenon. A simple calculation of the electric field gradient by direct summation over all lattice points was performed to demonstrate this size effect phenomenally, and the result is in good agreement with the experimental observation

Effect of replacing pork backfat with yams (Dioscorea alata) on quality characteristics of Chinese sausage

The objective of this study was to evaluate the qualities of Chinese sausages where part of the fat was substituted with yams (Dioscorea alata) during manufacturing and then the sausages were stored at 4 degrees C. Four treatments of Chinese sausages were manufactured by replacing pork backfat with 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% yams. After manufacturing, sausages were vacuum-packaged and stored at 4 degrees C for 21 days. The results showed that the moisture contents of the products significantly (P 0.05) difference in pH values were observed. Samples with more yams added had lower TBA, L* and a* color values and higher VBN values. The products with 5% yams added had no significant (P > 0.05) difference in color, flavor, hardness, juiciness, and overall acceptability when comparing with the control. Based on the results of overall acceptability, it can be concluded that yams can be used as a fat replacer in the manufacture of Chinese sausages up to a level of 5%. Such a replacement results in the production of Chinese sausages with about 22% less fat content. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Gene families encoding isoforms of two major sesame seed storage proteins, 11S globulin and 2S albumin

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seed has been recognized as a nutritional protein source owing to its richness in methionine. Storage proteins have been implicated in allergenic responses to sesame consumption. Two abundant storage proteins, 11S globulin and 2S albumin, constitute 60-70 and 15-25% of total sesame proteins, respectively. Two gene families separately encoding four 11S globulin and three 2S albumin isoforms were identified in a database search of 3328 expresssed sequence tag (EST) sequences from maturing sesame seeds. Full-length cDNA sequences derived from these two gene families were completed by PCR using a maturing sesame cDNA library as the template. The amino acid compositions of these deduced storage proteins revealed that the richness in methionine is attributed mainly to two 2S albumin isoforms and partly to one 11S globulin isoform. The presence of four 11S globulin and three 2S albumin isoforms resolved in SDS-PAGE was confirmed by MALDI-MS analyses. The abundance of these isoforms was in accord with the occurrence frequency of their EST sequences in the database. A comprehensive understanding of these storage proteins at the molecular level may also facilitate the identification of allergens in crude sesame products that have caused severe allergic reactions increasingly reported in the past decade

Effect of Cordyceps Militaris Supplementation on Sperm Production, Sperm Motility and Hormones in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Cordyceps species have been traditionally used its for the enhancement of sexual function. but its direct evidence is lacking. We investigated the spermatogenic effect of Cordyceps militaris (CM) as supplementation with CM mycelium to 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Ninety rats (30 for each group) were selected to regular diet or diet Supplemented with CM mycelium (1% and 5%) For 6 weeks. Epididymal sperm were collected from 6 animals per group Lit each interval of observation. They were allowed to recover for one week. The quality and quantity of sperm were compared in these rats. The CM Supplementation resulted in an increase of serum cordycepin concentration (n = 6. each group) that correlated with treatment time and the cordycepin level was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in 5% group as compared to 1% group at the 5th and 6th week. Epididymal sperm count was enhanced significantly from the control. at the 5th week and peaked at the 6th week in both groups supplemented with CM (each time point, n = 6; p < 0.05) and maintained for 2 weeks after stopping the treatment. Increased serum testosterone and estradiol-17 (E2) concentrations were found in rats with the CM supplementation (p < 0.05), but not other hormones such as follicle Stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) or prolactin. Importantly, percentages of motile sperm cells were also enhanced significantly (p < 0.05) paralleled the serum testosterone pattern from the supplement groups as compared to the control group. Taken together, these results indicate that supplementation with CM improves sperm quality and quantity in rats

Generation of ESTs in Vitis vinifera wine grape (Cabernet Sauvignon) and table grape (Muscat Hamburg) and discovery of new candidate genes with potential roles in berry development

We report the generation and analysis of a total of 77,583 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from two grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars, Cabernet Sauvignon (wine grape) and Muscat Hamburg (table grape) with a focus on EST sequence quality and assembly optimization. The majority of the ESTs were derived from normalized cDNA libraries representing berry pericarp and seed developmental series, pooled non-berry tissues including root, flower, and leaf in Cabernet Sauvignon, and pooled tissues of berry, seed, and flower in Muscat Hamburg. EST and unigene sequence quality were determined by computational filtering coupled with small-scale contig reassembly, manual review, and BLAST analyses. EST assembly was optimized to better discriminate among closely related paralogs using two independent grape sequence sets, a previously published set of Vitis spp. gene families and our EST dataset derived from pooled leaf, flower, and root tissues of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sequence assembly within individual libraries indicated that those prepared from pooled tissues contributed the most to gene discovery. Annotations based upon searches against multiple databases including tomato and strawberry sequences helped to identify putative functions of ESTs and unigenes, particularly with respect to fleshy fruit development. Sequence comparison among the three wine grape libraries identified a number of genes preferentially expressed in the pericarp tissue, including transcription factors, receptor-like protein kinases, and hexose transporters. Gene ontology (GO) classification in the biological process aspect showed that GO categories corresponding to 'transport' and 'cell organization and biogenesis', which are associated with metabolite movement and cell wall structural changes during berry ripening, were higher in pericarp than in other tissues in the wine grape studied. The sequence data were used to characterize potential roles of new genes in berry development and composition. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved