Effects of 5-aminolevulinic Acid on the Photosynthesis, Antioxidant System, and α-Bisabolol Content of Matricaria recutita

Matricaria recutita is a widely used medicinal plant with broad pharmacological effects, and α-bisabolol is the main active ingredient of this plant. To improve its α-bisabolol content, M. recutita was sprayed with different concentrations (1.0, 2.0,and 4.0 mmol.L−1) of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or with water as a control to study the effects of ALA treatment on the photosynthesis, antioxidant system, and α-bisabolol content of M. recutita. Results showed that the photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, soluble protein, total amino acids, soluble sugar, and α-bisabolol of M. recutita were significantly increased. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase of M. recutita were also enhanced by ALA treatment. Optimal results were obtained when the concentration of ALA was 2.0 mmol.L−1. Results showed that ALA treatment could improve the α-bisabolol content of M. recutita, and the underlying physiological mechanism was analyzed. ALA treatment was an effective measure for improving the medicinal value of M. recutita

Isolation and extraction of glansreginin A from walnut meal and its effect on the proliferation of 3T3-L1 cells

Abstract Glansreginin A is an indicative component in walnut and is abundant in walnut meal. The aim of this study was to isolate and purify glansreginin A from the walnut meal, and to investigate the weight loss and lipid-lowering potential of glansreginin A by studying the effect of glansregin A on the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Firstly, the response surface methodology was used to effectively improve the extraction yield of glansreginin A. The maximum extraction rate of glansreginin A was 0.363%, and the optimal extraction process conditions were determined. In addition, the lipid-lowering activity of glansreginin A was investigated by cell experiments. The results showed that glansreginin A could inhibit the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. And cell cycle of different groups of cells treated with glansreginin A was also measured using flow cytometry. The results showed most of the cells were blocked in G0/G1 phase and significantly decreased in S phase. These results suggest that glansreginin A could inhibit the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by causing cell cycle arrest. These findings provided a theoretical basis for the future research of glansreginin A and the development of slimming and fat-reducing foods

Effect of Maillard reaction conditions on the solubility and molecular properties of wheat gluten–maltose conjugates

In this experiment, the conjugation reaction between gluten and maltose via Maillard reaction under dry-heated condition was studied. The process conditions for the preparation of protein–maltose conjugates with optimum solubility were optimized by using Box-Behnken model. The conjugation reaction and the structure changes of the protein–maltose conjugates were confirmed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the process conditions for the preparation of protein–maltose conjugates with optimum solubility were as follows: temperature 50.72°C, time 1.92 days, and gluten/maltose (W/W) 267.36%. The infrared spectroscopy showed that the structure of the modified protein had a very obvious change, including the decrease in β-fold and β-turn and the increase in α-helix at a certain degree. But the conjugation reaction has little effect on the irregular coiled structure. The scanning electron microscopy showed that the microstructure of gluten is small grainy, but gluten–maltose conjugate looks sheet with bigger volume

Synthesis of Tetragonal Phase LiYF4: Yb and Tm Microcrystals with Strong UV Upconversion Fluorescence

In this work, we synthesized pure tetragonal phase LiYF4 microcrystals by a hydrothermal method. In the reaction, sodium ions acted as an intermedium species. The long axis of the quasi-octahedron crystals was about 5 to 20 micrometers. Strong UV 1I6 → 3H6 (~291 nm), 1I6 → 3F4 (~346 nm), and 1D2 → 3H6 (~362 nm) and blue emissions 1D2 → 3F4 (~450 nm) and 1G4 → 3H6 (~475 nm) could be observed in our samples. We could see blue luminescence from the microcrystals by our naked eyes in the daylight even if the pump power of the 980 nm laser diode was less than 10 mW. Obvious energy level splitting was also observed, which indicated that Tm3+ ions were embedded into the crystal lattice very well. The 1G4 energy level split into four subenergy levels owing to the effect of crystal field. The upconversion mechanisms were discussed in detail

Synthesis of Small Ce3+-Er3+-Yb3+ Tri-Doped BaLuF5 Active-Core-Active-Shell-Active-Shell Nanoparticles with Strong Down Conversion Luminescence at 1.5 μm

Small fluoride nanoparticles (NPs) with strong down-conversion (DC) luminescence at 1.5 μm are quite desirable for optical fiber communication systems. Nevertheless, a problem exists regarding how to synthesize small fluoride NPs with strong DC emission at 1.5 μm. Herein, we propose an approach to improve 1.5 μm emission of BaLuF5:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs by way of combining doping Ce3+ ions and coating multiple BaLuF5: Yb3+ active-shells. We prepared the BaLuF5:18%Yb3+,2%Er3+,2%Ce3+ NPs through a high-boiling solvent method. The effect of Ce3+ concentration on the DC luminescence was systematically investigated in the BaLuF5:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs. Under a 980 nm laser excitation, the intensities of 1.53 μm emission of BaLuF5:18%Yb3+,2%Er3+,2%Ce3+ NPs was enhanced by 2.6 times comparing to that of BaLuF5:18%Yb3+,2%Er3+ NPs since the energy transfer between Er3+ and Ce3+ ions: Er3+:4I11/2 (Er3+) + 2F5/2 (Ce3+) → 4I13/2 (Er3+) + 2F7/2 (Ce3+). Then, we synthesized BaLuF5:18%Yb3+,2%Er3+,2%Ce3+@BaLuF5:5%Yb3+@BaLuF5:5%Yb3+ core-active-shell-active-shell NPs via a layer-by-layer strategy. After coating two BaLuF5:Yb3+ active-shell around BaLuF5:Yb3+,Er3+,Ce3+ NPs, the intensities of the 1.53 μm emission was enhanced by 44 times compared to that of BaLuF5:Yb3+,Er3+ core NPs, since the active-shells could be used to not only suppress surface quenching but also to transfer the pump light to the core region efficiently through Yb3+ ions inside the active-shells

Topic: modeling and recognition of regulatory elements An Interactive Map of Regulatory Networks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Genome Abstract

For studying gene regulatory and protein signaling networks, we have developed an interactive map for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome. We first represent genes, proteins and their regulatory networks in a relational database. Known regulatory networks of the genome in the PubMed literatures are extracted by a manual and later a semi-automated text-mining method. Then a graphical interface displays these networks upon the query of specific genes, proteins or subsystems (i.e., groups of genes or proteins) on these networks. The interactive map has another capability of browsing those networks. The method can be extended to any other genome. Our objective is to develop this interactive map for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa community so that new research results may be ingested into the database, while annotations may be developed incrementally on the existing regulatory elements. Eventually some standards might be necessary for a long-term modeling and compilation of regulatory networks

A Rutile TiO2 Electron Transport Layer for the Enhancement of Charge Collection for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Interfacial charge collection efficiency has demonstrated significant effects on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, crystalline phase-dependent charge collection is investigated by using rutile and anatase TiO2 electron transport layer (ETL) to fabricate PSCs. The results show that rutile TiO2 ETL enhances the extraction and transportation of electrons to FTO and reduces the recombination, thanks to its better conductivity and improved interface with the CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI(3)) layer. Moreover, this may be also attributed to the fact that rutile TiO2 has better match with perovskite grains, and less trap density. As a result, comparing with anatase TiO2 ETL, MAPbI(3) PSCs with rutile TiO2 ETL delivers significantly enhanced performance with a champion PCE of 20.9% and a large open circuit voltage (V-OC) of 1.17V.</p

Consistency Checks for Pressure-Volume-Temperature Experiment of Formation Oil and Gas at High Temperature

The oil and gas phase behavior of high temperature is complex and changeable, which is usually obtained by PVT experiments. The accuracy of the experiment data plays a crucial role in the reserve evaluation and development plan of oil and gas reservoirs. However, the current PVT experiment consistency checks are not suitable for high-temperature reservoir conditions. This paper proposes a systematic check method for the PVT experiment data consistency at high temperature. These checks revise the material balance method, Hoffman method, and equilibrium constant method by using the equilibrium constant calculation method at high temperature. The consistency check of component data and constant volume depletion experiment data is carried out by combining the three improved methods with the component check method, so as to judge the experiment data accurately. In this paper, two high-temperature reservoir fluids—gas condensate sample fluid X and volatile oil sample fluid Y—are selected to carry out consistency checks with component data and constant volume depletion data. This check method is of great significance to study the phase behavior of formation oil and gas at high temperature, especially for volatile oil and gas condensate fluid