Effect of Soil Moisture Content on Growth, Crude Drug "Cho-to-ko" Yield and Oxindole Alkaloid Content of Uncaria rhynchophylla (B. LIVING SCIENCE)

Uncaria rhynchophylla was cultivated by using soil with various moisture contents (20,40,60,80 or 100% of the maximum moisture content retained by soil). Both growth and crude drug "Cho-to-ko" (dried stem with hooks of U. rhynchophylla) yield of the plant were in the following order : 60%> 80%> 40%> 100%> 20%, while oxindole alkaloid content of the stem was in the following order : 20%> 60%> 100%> 40%> 80%. It is concluded that moderately wet soil is suitable for cultivation of U. rhynchophylla, in spite of the description in a Chinese literature that sandy soil is good for cultivation of the plants

Seasonal Changes of Oxindole Alkaloid Contents in the Stem Segments of Uncaria rhynchophylla (B. LIVING SCIENCE)

The seasonal changes of oxindole alkaloid content in stem segments of Uncaria rhynchophylla were investigated between July 1986 and June 1987. The highest oxindole alkaloid content in the dried stem segments was observed in July 1986,and the content decreased until the next spring, when it started to increase again. In contrast, high biomass production was obtained in winter (November and December). The optimum season to prepare the crude drug from U. rhynchophylla is discussed in relation to oxindole alkaloid content and biomass yield

Three-dimensional imaging of biological cells with picosecond ultrasonics

We use picosecond ultrasonics to image animal cells in vitro-a bovine aortic endothelial cell and a mouse adipose cell-fixed to Ti-coated sapphire. Tightly focused ultrashort laser pulses generate and detect GHz acoustic pulses, allowing three-dimensional imaging (x, y, and t) of the ultrasonic propagation in the cells with similar to 1 mu m lateral and similar to 150 nm depth resolutions. Time-frequency representations of the continuous-wavelet-transform amplitude of the optical reflectivity variations inside and outside the cells show GHz Brillouin oscillations, allowing the average sound velocities of the cells and their ultrasonic attenuation to be obtained as well as the average bulk moduli

Nickel(0)/<i>N</i>‑Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition of Two Enones and an Alkyne: Access to Cyclohexenes with Four Contiguous Stereogenic Centers

A nickel(0)/chiral <i>N</i>-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed fully intermolecular, enantioselective [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of two enones and an alkyne has been developed to access enantioenriched cyclohexenes. A single diastereomer was obtained with a successive generation of four contiguous stereogenic centers. The absolute configuration of cyclohexene derivative <b>3aa</b> was determined by X-ray diffraction and circular dichroism (CD) spectral studies

Nickel(0)/<i>N</i>‑Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition of Two Enones and an Alkyne: Access to Cyclohexenes with Four Contiguous Stereogenic Centers

A nickel(0)/chiral <i>N</i>-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed fully intermolecular, enantioselective [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of two enones and an alkyne has been developed to access enantioenriched cyclohexenes. A single diastereomer was obtained with a successive generation of four contiguous stereogenic centers. The absolute configuration of cyclohexene derivative <b>3aa</b> was determined by X-ray diffraction and circular dichroism (CD) spectral studies