Acoustic attenuation spectroscopy and helium ion microscopy study of rehydration of dairy powder

Complete hydration is essential for the production of structured dairy products from powders. It is essential that the ingredients used hydrate completely. Determination of an end point of rehydration is non-trivial, but ultrasound-based methodologies have demonstrated potential in this area and are well suited to measuring bulk samples in situ. Here, acoustic attenuation spectroscopy (AAS) is used to monitor rehydration of skim milk powder, and recombined systems of micellar casein isolate with lactose and whey protein isolate. Dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential measurements and AAS as a function of pH characterise each component around its isoelectric point to assess its functionality. Scanning helium ion microscopy was used to image the dry powders, without any conductive coating, producing resolution equivalent to scanning electron microscopy, but with much larger focal lengths and fewer imaging artefacts. Imaging the powders provides information on particle size and morphology which can affect dissolution behaviour. Reconstituted skim milk powder and recombined samples were monitored showing there are changes occurring over several hours. Attenuation coefficients are shown to predict the end point of hydration. Model fitting is used to extract volume fractions and average particle sizes of large and small particle populations in recombined samples over time. AAS is demonstrated to be capable of tracking the dynamics in rehydrating dispersions over time. Physical parameters such as the volume fraction and particle size of the dispersed phase can be determined

Identification of Fungal Communities Associated with the Biodeterioration of Waterlogged Archeological Wood in a Han Dynasty Tomb in China

The Mausoleum of the Dingtao King (termed ‘M2’) is a large-scale huangchang ticou tomb that dates to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–25 A.D.). It is the highest-ranking Han Dynasty tomb discovered to date. However, biodeterioration on the surface of the tomb M2 is causing severe damage to its wooden materials. The aim of the present study was to give insight into the fungal communities colonized the wooden tomb. For this purpose, seven samples were collected from different sections of the tomb M2 which exhibited obvious biodeterioration in the form of white spots. Microbial structures associated with the white spots were observed with scanning electron microscopy. Fungal community structures were assessed for seven samples via a combination of high-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent techniques. Sequencing analyses identified 114 total genera that belonged to five fungal phyla. Hypochnicium was the most abundant genus across all samples and accounted for 98.61–99.45% of the total community composition. Further, Hypochnicium sp. and Mortierella sp. cultures were successfully isolated from the tomb samples, and were distinguished as Hypochnicium sp. WY-DT1 and Mortierella sp. NK-DT1, respectively. Cultivation-dependent experiments indicated that the dominant member, Hypochnicium sp. WY- DT1, could grow at low temperatures and significantly degraded cellulose and lignin. Thus, our results taken together suggest that this fungal strain must be regarded as a serious threat to the preservation of the wooden tomb M2. The results reported here are useful for informing future contamination mitigation efforts for the tomb M2 as well as other similar cultural artifacts

New insights into the structural heterogeneity and geodynamics of the Indo-Burma subduction zone from ambient noise tomography

The absence of fine lithospheric-scale velocity models beneath Myanmar makes it difficult to understand the neotectonics and geodynamics along the Indo-Burma subduction zone. In this study, we present a high-resolution crustal and uppermost mantle 3-D shear-wave velocity (Vs) model of Myanmar to fill this knowledge gap, using ambient noise data from newly deployed seismic arrays. In the upper crust, our model reveals two thick (>10 km) N-S-elongated basins between the Indo-Burman Ranges and the Central Myanmar Basin. At middle to lower crustal depths, low velocities dominate the Indo-Burman Ranges, especially in its northern part where Vs is observed to be as low as ∼3.2 km/s in the lower crust. This feature is interpreted as sediments that were deposited west of the ranges and have since been subducted northeastward and accreted onto the overriding plate. Furthermore, our model reveals an N-S trending high-velocity anomaly beneath the Sagaing Fault, which could be explained by solidified basaltic magma that intruded upwards from the mantle where a low-velocity anomaly is imaged. In the upper mantle, the subducting Indian Plate is clearly imaged beneath Myanmar as an east-dipping high-velocity zone, overlain by a prominent wedge-shaped low-velocity body (Vs < 4.3 km/s). We interpret this low-velocity anomaly to represent partial serpentinization (19–38%) in the forearc mantle. The size and amplitude of this anomaly decrease towards the north, suggesting a northward reduction in serpentinization level within the forearc mantle, possibly related to a northward reduction of water in the subduction zone. This could be associated with lower water content in the subducting plate, as the thick sediments deposited in the north may have driven water out of the lowermost section, while the upper sedimentary section, which could still have been carrying water, would have been scraped off of the downgoing plate and accreted onto the overriding plate, forming part of the Indo-Burman Range.Ministry of Education (MOE)National Research Foundation (NRF)This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Singapore and the Singapore Ministry of Education under the Research Centres of Excellence initiative, via the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) grants 04MNS001913A620, 04MNS001848A620, and 04MNS001953A620. J. Yao and P. Tong were also partly supported by the Ministry of Education Singapore Academic Research Funding (MOE AcRF) Tier 1 Grant (04MNP000559C230) and Tier 2 Grant (04MNP000797C230). Y. Wang is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST; 108-2119-M-001-019 and 108-2116-M-002-001MY3)

Sulfur mustard analog 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide increases triglycerides by activating DGAT1-dependent biogenesis and inhibiting PGC1ɑ-dependent fat catabolism in immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells

Using sulfur mustard analog 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), we established an in vitro model by poisoning cultured immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells. Nile Red staining revealed lipids accumulated 24 h after a toxic dose of CEES (0.9 mM). Lipidomics analysis showed most of the increased lipids were triglycerides (TGs), and the increase in TGs was further confirmed using a Triglyceride-Glo™ Assay kit. Protein and mRNA levels of DGAT1, an important TG biogenesis enzyme, were increased following 0.4 mM CEES exposure. Under higher dose CEES (0.9 mM) exposure, protein and mRNA levels of PPARγ coactivator-1ɑ (PGC-1ɑ), a well-known transcription factor that regulates fatty acid oxidation, were decreased. Finally, application with DGAT1 inhibitor A 922500 or PGC1ɑ agonist ZLN005 was able to block the CEES-induced TGs increase. Overall, our dissection of CEES-induced TGs accumulation provides new insight into energy metabolism dysfunction upon vesicant exposure.HIGHLIGHTSIn CEES (0.9 mM)-injured cells:Triglycerides (TGs) were abundant in the accumulated lipids.Expression of DGAT1, not DGAT2, was increased.Expression of PGC1ɑ, not PGC1β, was reduced.DGAT1 inhibitor or PGC1ɑ agonist blocked the CEES-mediated increase in TGs. In CEES (0.9 mM)-injured cells: Triglycerides (TGs) were abundant in the accumulated lipids. Expression of DGAT1, not DGAT2, was increased. Expression of PGC1ɑ, not PGC1β, was reduced. DGAT1 inhibitor or PGC1ɑ agonist blocked the CEES-mediated increase in TGs.</p