Phenolic Characteristics and Antioxidant Activity of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Wines Increase with Vineyard Altitude in a High-altitude Region

Altitude, as an important factor in the expression of terroir, may affect wine quality. We evaluated the effect of altitude and its related climatic conditions on the phenolic characteristics and antioxidant activity of red wines made from grapes originating from high-altitude areas. The content of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids and total anthocyanins increased with altitude in Merlot (ME) and Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) wines.  Cabernet Sauvignon wines showed richer tannins with increasing altitude.  Merlot and CS wines from higher altitude vineyards, showed a greater antioxidant capacity. Salicylic acid, syringic acid, caffeic acid, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, and the sum of individual phenolic compounds in the winesincreased with altitude based on the results of HPLC. The scores of the sensory evaluation of ME wines increased with higher altitude. The highest score was determined for CS wine originating from 2 608 m.  A clear grouping of wines according to grape cultivar and vineyard altitude was observed by principal component analysis. Regression analysis showed that altitude, followed by sunshine hours, made the greatest contribution to differences in the phenolic characteristics and antioxidant activity of red wines at different sites in a high-altitude region

No-compressing of quantum phase information

We raise a general question of quantum information theory whether the quantum phase information can be compressed and retrieved. A general qubit contains both amplitude and phase information, while an equatorial qubit contains only a phase information. We study whether it is possible to compress the phase information of n equatorial qubits into m general qubits with m being less than n, and still those information can be retrieved perfectly. We prove that this process is not allowed by quantum mechanics.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

A peak capacitor current pulse-train controlled buck converter with fast transient response and a wide load range

It is known that ripple-based control of a switching dc-dc converter benefits from a faster transient response than a conventional PWM control switching dc-dc converter. However, ripple-based control switching dc-dc converters may suffer from fast-scale oscillation. In order to achieve fast transient response and ensure stable operation of a switching dc-dc converter over a wide load range, based on a conventional pulse train control technique, a peak capacitor current pulse train (PCC-PT) control technique is proposed in this paper. With a buck converter as an example, the operating modes, steady-state performance and transient respond performance of a PCC-PT controlled buck converter are presented and assessed. To eliminate fast-scale oscillation, circuit and control parameter design consideration are given. An accurate discrete iteration model of a PCC-PT controlled buck converter is established, based on which, the effects of circuit parameters on stability of converter operating in a DCM mode, mixed DCM-CCM mode, and CCM mode are studied. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the analysis results

Macrophage‐derived apoptotic bodies promote the proliferation of the recipient cells via shuttling microRNA‐221/222

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141103/1/jlb1349.pd

Enchanced levels of apolipoprotein M during HBV infection feedback suppresses HBV replication

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic liver diseases can interfere with hepatic metabolism of lipoproteins, apolipoproteins. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major etiological agent causing acute and chronic liver diseases. Apolipoprotein M (ApoM) is a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) apolipoprotein and exclusively expressed in the liver parenchyma cells and in the tubular cells of the kidney. This study was to determine the correlation between HBV infection and ApoM expression.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Serum ApoM levels in patients with HBV infection and in healthy individuals were measured by ELISA, ApoM mRNA expression were determined by RT-PCR, and the expression of S and E proteins of HBV, as well as the synthesis of viral DNA were measured by ELISA and real-time PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The levels of serum ApoM was significantly elevated in patients as compared to healthy individuals (<it>P </it>< 0.001), ApoM promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression were all stimulated in cells transfected with infectious HBV clone. In addition, ApoM decreases the expression of S and E proteins of HBV and the synthesis of viral DNA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Raised ApoM levels in HBV infection may in turn suppress HBV replication, one of the protective mechanisms of nature.</p

General Quantum Key Distribution in Higher Dimension

We study a general quantum key distribution protocol in higher dimension. In this protocol, quantum states in arbitrary $g+1$ ($1\le g\le d$) out of all $d+1$ mutually unbiased bases in a d-dimensional system can be used for the key encoding. This provides a natural generalization of the quantum key distribution in higher dimension and recovers the previously known results for $g=1$ and $d$. In our investigation, we study Eve's attack by two slightly different approaches. One is considering the optimal cloner for Eve, and the other, defined as the optimal attack, is maximizing Eve's information. We derive results for both approaches and show the deviation of the optimal cloner from the optimal attack. With our systematic investigation of the quantum key distribution protocols in higher dimension, one may balance the security gain and the implementation cost by changing the number of bases in the key encoding. As a side product, we also prove the equivalency between the optimal phase covariant quantum cloning machine and the optimal cloner for the $g=d-1$ quantum key distribution

Effects of Krill Oil on serum lipids of hyperlipidemic rats and human SW480 cells

© 2008 Zhu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Efficient dealkalization of red mud and recovery of valuable metals by a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium

Red mud (RM) is a highly alkaline polymetallic waste generated via the Bayer process during alumina production. It contains metals that are critical for a sustainable development of modern society. Due to a shortage of global resources of many metals, efficient large-scale processing of RM has been receiving increasing attention from both researchers and industry. This study investigated the solubilization of metals from RM, together with RM dealkalization, via sulfur (S(0)) oxidation catalyzed by the moderately thermophilic bacterium Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans. Optimization of the bioleaching process was conducted in shake flasks and 5-L bioreactors, with varying S(0):RM mass ratios and aeration rates. The ICP analysis was used to monitor the concentrations of dissolved elements from RM, and solid residues were analyzed for surface morphology, phase composition, and Na distribution using the SEM, XRD, and STXM techniques, respectively. The results show that highest metal recoveries (89% of Al, 84% of Ce, and 91% of Y) were achieved with the S(0):RM mass ratio of 2:1 and aeration rate of 1 L/min. Additionally, effective dealkalization of RM was achieved under the above conditions, based on the high rates (>95%) of Na, K, and Ca dissolution. This study proves the feasibility of using bacterially catalyzed S(0) oxidation to simultaneously dealkalize RM and efficiently extract valuable metals from the amassing industrial waste

Stent Selection for Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage of Pancreatic Fluid Collections: A Multicenter Study in China

Aims. We attempted to establish some guidelines for the selection of transmural stents during endoscopic drainage of PFCs by retrospective review of the clinical data obtained from three tertiary hospitals. Patients and Methods. Clinical data of 93 patients with attempted endoscopic drainage of symptomatic PFCs were obtained through chart review and prospective follow-up. Results. Treatment success for acute pseudocyst (n=67), chronic pseudocyst (n=9), and WOPN (n=17) was 95.3%, 100%, and 88.2%, respectively (P=0.309). Clinical success for single-stent drainage was 93.9% (46/49) versus 97.4% (37/38) for multiple-stent drainage (P=0.799). Secondary infection for single-stent drainage was 18.4% (9/49) versus 5.3% (2/38) for multiple-stent drainage (P=0.134). Secondary infection for stent diameter less than or equal to 8.5 F was 3.4% (1/29) versus 17.2% (10/58) for stent diameter larger than or equal to 10 F (P=0.138). Conclusion. EUS-guided transmural drainage is an effective therapy for PFCs. Single-stent transmural drainage of PFCs is enough and does not seem to influence clinical success. The number or diameter of stents does not seem to be associated with secondary infection