Efficient Catalytic Hydrogenation of Butyl Levulinate to γ‑Valerolactone over a Stable and Magnetic CuNiCoB Amorphous Alloy Catalyst

A series of low-cost, magnetic, and high-efficiency CuNiCoB amorphous alloy catalysts were developed by the chemical reduction method for selective hydrogenation of butyl levulinate (BL) to γ-valerolactone (GVL). The catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and hydrogen temperature-programmed desorption techniques. The results indicated that the CuNiCoB amorphous alloy nanosheets with well-dispersed Cu nanoparticles played an important role in enhancing the hydrogenation activity. The reaction temperature, pressure, time, and substrate concentration were optimized. The maximum GVL yield of 89.5% with BL conversion of 99.7% was achieved over the best Cu_0.5Ni₁Co₃B catalyst using 3 wt % dosage relative to BL at 473 K under 3.0 MPa H₂ after 3 h. The considerable stability of Cu_0.5Ni₁Co₃B during catalytic recovery and reuse experiments (5 cycles) was exhibited as a result of the transformation of CuNiCoB amorphous alloy active sites to a Cu–Ni–Co ternary alloy. The stable and magnetic catalyst was demonstrated to be a promising candidate to produce more value-added compounds from biomass-derived raw materials

Usnic Acid Derivatives with Cytotoxic and Antifungal Activities from the Lichen Usnea longissima

Eight usnic acid derivatives, that is, usenamines A–F (<b>1</b>–<b>6</b>), usone (<b>7</b>), and isousone (<b>8</b>), together with the known (+)-usnic acid (<b>9</b>), were isolated from the lichen Usnea longissima. Their structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR and MS data, and the absolute configurations of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were defined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>8</b> showed inhibitory effects on the growth of human hepatoma HepG2 cells with IC₅₀ values of 6.0–53.3 μM compared with methotrexate as the positive control, which had an IC₅₀ value of 15.8 μM. Furthermore, <b>1</b> induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations of 0–15.0 μM. The isolated compounds were also evaluated for their antifungal and antibacterial activities, with <b>7</b> and <b>8</b> exhibiting weak inhibitory effects on fungal Trichophyton rubrum spp. with an MIC value of 41.0 μM

Usnic Acid Derivatives with Cytotoxic and Antifungal Activities from the Lichen Usnea longissima

Eight usnic acid derivatives, that is, usenamines A–F (<b>1</b>–<b>6</b>), usone (<b>7</b>), and isousone (<b>8</b>), together with the known (+)-usnic acid (<b>9</b>), were isolated from the lichen Usnea longissima. Their structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR and MS data, and the absolute configurations of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were defined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>8</b> showed inhibitory effects on the growth of human hepatoma HepG2 cells with IC₅₀ values of 6.0–53.3 μM compared with methotrexate as the positive control, which had an IC₅₀ value of 15.8 μM. Furthermore, <b>1</b> induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations of 0–15.0 μM. The isolated compounds were also evaluated for their antifungal and antibacterial activities, with <b>7</b> and <b>8</b> exhibiting weak inhibitory effects on fungal Trichophyton rubrum spp. with an MIC value of 41.0 μM

Usnic Acid Derivatives with Cytotoxic and Antifungal Activities from the Lichen Usnea longissima

Eight usnic acid derivatives, that is, usenamines A–F (<b>1</b>–<b>6</b>), usone (<b>7</b>), and isousone (<b>8</b>), together with the known (+)-usnic acid (<b>9</b>), were isolated from the lichen Usnea longissima. Their structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR and MS data, and the absolute configurations of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were defined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compounds <b>1</b>, <b>2</b>, and <b>8</b> showed inhibitory effects on the growth of human hepatoma HepG2 cells with IC₅₀ values of 6.0–53.3 μM compared with methotrexate as the positive control, which had an IC₅₀ value of 15.8 μM. Furthermore, <b>1</b> induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations of 0–15.0 μM. The isolated compounds were also evaluated for their antifungal and antibacterial activities, with <b>7</b> and <b>8</b> exhibiting weak inhibitory effects on fungal Trichophyton rubrum spp. with an MIC value of 41.0 μM

Fluorescent Imaging of Single Nanoparticles and Viruses on a Smart Phone

Optical imaging of nanoscale objects, whether it is based on scattering or fluorescence, is a challenging task due to reduced detection signal-to-noise ratio and contrast at subwavelength dimensions. Here, we report a field-portable fluorescence microscopy platform installed on a smart phone for imaging of individual nanoparticles as well as viruses using a lightweight and compact opto-mechanical attachment to the existing camera module of the cell phone. This hand-held fluorescent imaging device utilizes (i) a compact 450 nm laser diode that creates oblique excitation on the sample plane with an incidence angle of ∼75°, (ii) a long-pass thin-film interference filter to reject the scattered excitation light, (iii) an external lens creating 2× optical magnification, and (iv) a translation stage for focus adjustment. We tested the imaging performance of this smart-phone-enabled microscopy platform by detecting isolated 100 nm fluorescent particles as well as individual human cytomegaloviruses that are fluorescently labeled. The size of each detected nano-object on the cell phone platform was validated using scanning electron microscopy images of the same samples. This field-portable fluorescence microscopy attachment to the cell phone, weighing only ∼186 g, could be used for specific and sensitive imaging of subwavelength objects including various bacteria and viruses and, therefore, could provide a valuable platform for the practice of nanotechnology in field settings and for conducting viral load measurements and other biomedical tests even in remote and resource-limited environments

Table_1_Molecular identification, antifungal susceptibility, and resistance mechanisms of pathogenic yeasts from the China antifungal resistance surveillance trial (CARST-fungi) study.DOCX

To have a comprehensive understanding of epidemiology and antifungal susceptibilities in pathogenic yeasts, the China Antifungal Resistance Surveillance Trial (CARST-fungi) study was conducted. All yeast isolates were identified by ribosomal DNA sequencing. Antifungal susceptibilities were performed using CLSI M27-A4 broth microdilution method. Sequence and expression level of resistant-related genes in resistant/non-wide-type (NWT) Candida isolates were analyzed. Totally 269 nonduplicate yeast isolates from 261 patients were collected. About half of the yeast isolates (127, 47.2%) were recovered from blood, followed by ascetic fluid (46, 17.1%). C. albicans remained the most prevalent (120, 44.6%), followed by C. parapsilosis complex (50, 18.6%), C. tropicalis (40, 14.9%), and C. glabrata (36, 13.4%). Fourteen (11.7%) C. albicans isolates and 1 (2.0%) C. parapsilosis isolate were resistant/NWT to triazoles. Only 42.5% (17/40) C. tropicalis were susceptible/WT to all the triazoles, with 19 (47.5%) isolates NWT to posaconazole and 8 (20%) cross-resistant to triazoles. Among C. glabrata, 20 (55.6%) and 8 (22.2%) isolates were resistant/NWT to voriconazole and posaconazole, respectively, and 4 (10.3%) isolates were cross-resistant to triazoles. Isavuconazole was the most active triazole against common Candida isolates. Except for 2 isolates of C. glabrata cross-resistant to echinocandins which were also NWT to POS and defined as multidrug-resistant, echinocandins exhibit good activity against common Candida species. All isolates were WT to AMB. For less common species, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa exhibited high MICs to echinocandins and FLC, and 1 isolate of Trichosporon asahii showed high MICs to all the antifungals except AMB. Among triazole-resistant Candida isolates, ERG11 mutations were detected in 10/14 C. albicans and 6/23 C. tropicalis, while 21/23 C. tropicalis showed MDR1 overexpression. Overexpression of CDR1, CDR2, and SNQ2 exhibited in 14, 13, and 8 of 25 triazole-resistant C. glabrata isolates, with 5 isolates harboring PDR1 mutations and 2 echinocandins-resistant isolates harboring S663P mutation in FKS2. Overall, the CARST-fungi study demonstrated that although C. albicans remain the most predominant species, non-C. albicans species accounted for a high proportion. Triazole-resistance is notable among C. tropicalis and C. glabrata. Multidrug-resistant isolates of C. glabrata and less common yeast have been emerging.</p

The use of global transcriptional analysis to reveal the biological and cellular events involved in distinct development phases of conidial germination-1

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "The use of global transcriptional analysis to reveal the biological and cellular events involved in distinct development phases of conidial germination"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/8/100</p><p>BMC Genomics 2007;8():100-100.</p><p>Published online 11 Apr 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1871584.</p><p></p>oftware[17]. Each gene's expression values were standardized to have a median of zero and a standard deviation of one across the sixteen time points. The lighter colour in the cluster dendrogram is correlated with a higher expression level. Five distinct clusters were selected visually, and the node separating each cluster is shown in the distance tree. (B) An average expression profile of genes within each cluster. To obtain each profile, a sum of expression values across the sixteen time-points for each gene was standardized to 1. Next, time-course values for all genes in each cluster were summed, and the summed value for the sixteen time-points for each cluster was scaled to 1. (C) A sub-cluster of cluster I. (D) The name of each cluster and representative profile is shown in deferent colour

The use of global transcriptional analysis to reveal the biological and cellular events involved in distinct development phases of conidial germination-0

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "The use of global transcriptional analysis to reveal the biological and cellular events involved in distinct development phases of conidial germination"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/8/100</p><p>BMC Genomics 2007;8():100-100.</p><p>Published online 11 Apr 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1871584.</p><p></p> indicated time-points, and show the morphological transitions with time