Physicochemical properties of silkworm larvae protein isolate and gastrointestinal hydrolysate bioactivities

The objectives of this study were to investigate the amino acid composition and thermal properties of silkworm larvae protein isolate (SLPI) and to evaluate the in vitro angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities of its hydrolysate prepared with gastrointestinal enzymes. The results showed that, SLPI was a high quality protein source with a well-balanced composition of essential amino acids, which was especially rich in glutamic acid (13.79 g/100 g protein), aspartic acid (10.44 g/100 g protein), leucine (8.68 g/100 g protein), lysine (8.01 g/100 g protein) and arginine (6.59 g/100 g protein). In additon, three endothermic denaturation transitions were observed in DSC thermograms of SLPI. The maximum transition peak occurred in the third thermal transition, which denaturation temperature (Td), peak temperature of denaturation (Tp) and enthalpy change (ΔH) were 76.95°C, 80.42°C and 783.75 J/g, respectively. SLPI hydrolysate exhibited strong ACE-inhibitory activity (IC50=8.3 μg/ml) and relatively higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (IC50=57.91 μg/ml) and ferrous ions chelating capacity (IC50=2.03 mg/ml). Moreover, the  hydrolysate showed notable reducing power. It was concluded that, SLPI might be considered as a multifunctional ingredients for functional foods with protein supplements, ACE-inhibitory and antioxidant activity.Key words: Silkworm larvae protein isolates (SLPI), amino acid composition, thermal properties, gastrointestinal enzymes, hydrolysis, ACE inhibition, antioxidant

The highly rearranged mitochondrial genomes of the crabs Maja crispata and Maja squinado (Majidae) and gene order evolution in Brachyura

Abstract We sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of the spider crabs Maja crispata and Maja squinado (Majidae, Brachyura). Both genomes contain the whole set of 37 genes characteristic of Bilaterian genomes, encoded on both \u3b1- and \u3b2-strands. Both species exhibit the same gene order, which is unique among known animal genomes. In particular, all the genes located on the \u3b2-strand form a single block. This gene order was analysed together with the other nine gene orders known for the Brachyura. Our study confirms that the most widespread gene order (BraGO) represents the plesiomorphic condition for Brachyura and was established at the onset of this clade. All other gene orders are the result of transformational pathways originating from BraGO. The different gene orders exhibit variable levels of genes rearrangements, which involve only tRNAs or all types of genes. Local homoplastic arrangements were identified, while complete gene orders remain unique and represent signatures that can have a diagnostic value. Brachyura appear to be a hot-spot of gene order diversity within the phylum Arthropoda. Our analysis, allowed to track, for the first time, the fully evolutionary pathways producing the Brachyuran gene orders. This goal was achieved by coupling sophisticated bioinformatic tools with phylogenetic analysis

Modulation of terahertz polarization on picosecond timescales using polymer-encapsulated semiconductor nanowires

© OSA 2017. We exploit the photoconductivity of semiconductor nanowires to achieve ultrafast broad-bandwidth modulation of THz pulses. A modulation depth of -8 dB was exhibited by a polarizer consisting of 14 layers of nanowires encapsulated in polymer

Introduction of article-processing charges for Population Health Metrics

Population Health Metrics is an open-access online electronic journal published by BioMed Central – it is universally and freely available online to everyone, its authors retain copyright, and it is archived in at least one internationally recognised free repository. To fund this, from November 1 2003, authors of articles accepted for publication will be asked to pay an article-processing charge of US$500. This editorial outlines the reasons for the introduction of article-processing charges and the way in which this policy will work. Waiver requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, by the Editor-in-Chief. Article-processing charges will not apply to authors whose institutions are 'members' of BioMed Central. Current members include NHS England, the World Health Organization, the US National Institutes of Health, Harvard, Princeton and Yale universities, and all UK universities. No charge is made for articles that are rejected after peer review. Many funding agencies have also realized the importance of open access publishing and have specified that their grants may be used directly to pay APCs

Plasmonic nanogap enhanced phase-change devices with dual electrical-optical functionality

This is the final version. Available from American Association for the Advancement of Science via the DOI in this record. Modern-day computers rely on electrical signaling for the processing and storage of data, which is bandwidth-limited and power hungry. This fact has long been realized in the communications field, where optical signaling is the norm. However, exploiting optical signaling in computing will require new on-chip devices that work seamlessly in both electrical and optical domains, without the need for repeated electrical-to-optical conversion. Phase-change devices can, in principle, provide such dual electrical-optical operation, but assimilating both functionalities into a single device has so far proved elusive owing to conflicting requirements of size-limited electrical switching and diffraction-limited optical response. Here, we combine plasmonics, photonics, and electronics to deliver an integrated phase-change memory cell that can be electrically or optically switched between binary or multilevel states. Crucially, this device can also be simultaneously read out both optically and electrically, offering a new strategy for merging computing and communications technologies.European CommissionEPSRCDeutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftEuropean Research CouncilEuropean Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation progra

Silicon Atomic Quantum Dots Enable Beyond-CMOS Electronics

We review our recent efforts in building atom-scale quantum-dot cellular automata circuits on a silicon surface. Our building block consists of silicon dangling bond on a H-Si(001) surface, which has been shown to act as a quantum dot. First the fabrication, experimental imaging, and charging character of the dangling bond are discussed. We then show how precise assemblies of such dots can be created to form artificial molecules. Such complex structures can be used as systems with custom optical properties, circuit elements for quantum-dot cellular automata, and quantum computing. Considerations on macro-to-atom connections are discussed.Comment: 28 pages, 19 figure

Aplastic Crisis as Primary Manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Aplastic crisis is an unusual feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report the case of a 54-year-old woman presenting with both (extravascular) Coombs-positive hemolytic anemia and laboratory findings of bone marrow hyporegeneration with concomitant severe neutropenia. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed aplastic crisis. Diagnostic work-up revealed soaring titers of autoantibodies (anti-nuclear, anti-double-stranded DNA, anti-cardiolipin-IgM, and anti-beta 2-glykoprotein-IgM antibodies), indicating a connective tissue disease as the most plausible reason for bone marrow insufficiency. As the criteria for SLE were fulfilled, we initiated an immunosuppressive therapy by steroids, which led to a rapid complete hematologic and clinical remission in our patient. In this case, we could report on one of the rare cases of SLE-induced aplastic crisis showing that this condition can be entirely reversed by immunosuppressive treatment and that SLE-induced aplastic crisis yields a good prognosis. In conclusion, in a case of aplastic crisis, physicians should be aware that SLE can be a rare cause that is accessible to specific treatment

Phosphorus-modified Pt@Cu surfaces for efficient electrocatalysis of hydrogen evolution

Robust and efficient platinum (Pt)-based electrocatalysts are pursued for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the performance of Pt-based HER electrocatalysts needs to be further improved in alkaline and neutral media due to the extra water dissociation step. Moreover, the fabrication process and long-term stability of current Pt-based HER electrocatalysts are unsatisfactory in mild media. Herein, a one-step facile process was developed to fabricate a phosphorus-modified Pt@Cu (Pt/P@Cu) electrocatalyst to realize the feasibility of high-performance HER in neutral media. The HER performance of Pt/P@Cu is further increased with the successful introduction of phosphorus. P exists as oxides on the Pt/P@Cu surface, which was demonstrated by XPS and Raman. The P doping leads to increased surface active sites, lower charge transfer resistance, and enhanced HER performance in neutral media. Pt/P@Cu presents a low overpotential of 24.3 mV at the current density of −10 mA cm−2, along with an excellent stability reaching −1000 mA cm−2 for 1000 cycles of LSV. The successful P doping on the catalyst surface inspires future study on developing simple surface modifications to increase the electrocatalytic activity to develop advanced electrocatalysts

Size-Dependent Photon Emission from Organometal Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals Embedded in an Organic Matrix

10.1021/jz502615eJournal of Physical Chemistry Letters63446-45