Effects of age and dietary protein level on digestive enzyme activity and gene expression of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco larvae

The present research studied the effects of age and dietary protein level on pepsin, trypsin and amylase activity and their mRNA level in Petteobagrus fulvidraco larvae from 3 to 26 days after hatch (DAH). Three DAH larvae were fed three isoenergetic diets, containing 42.8% (CP 43), 47.3% (CP 47) and 52.8% (CP 53) crude protein. Live food (newly hatched Artemia, unenriched) was included as a control. The effects of age on enzyme activity and mRNA were as follows: pepsin and trypsin activity in all treatment groups showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase at the beginning and decrease later although the timing of decrease was not the same among treatment groups and between the digestive enzymes. Pepsin and trypsin mRNA level followed the pattern of their respective enzyme changes. Age significantly affected amylase activity (P < 0.05) while age had no effect on amylase mRNA during the experimental period. The four diets significantly (P < 0.05) affected activity and mRNA level of pepsin and trypsin. Diets did not affect amylase activity or mRNA level. These results suggest that the effects of age on pepsin and trypsin gene expressions are at the transcriptional level. Dietary protein level does affect pepsin and trypsin gene expression in the early life of P. fulvidraco. There were no transcriptional effects on amylase gene expression. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of microwave and He-Ne laser on enzyme activity and biophoton emission of Isatis indigotica fort

IEECAS SKLLQG

Facile synthesis of PtRu/C electrocatalyst with high activity and high loading for passive direct methanol fuel cell by synergetic effect of ultrasonic radiation and mechanical stirring

The PtRu/C electrocatalyst with high loading (PtRu of 60 wt%) was prepared by synergetic effect of ultrasonic radiation and mechanical stirring. Physicochemical characterizations show that the size of PtRu particles of as-prepared PtRu/C catalyst is only several nanometers (2-4 nm), and the PtRu nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed on carbon surface. Electrochemistry and single passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) tests indicate that the as-prepared PtRu/C electrocatalyst possessed larger electrochemical active surface (EAS) area and enhanced electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The enhancement could be attributed to the synergetic effect of ultrasound radiation and mechanical stirring, which can avoid excess concentration of partial solution and provide a uniform environment for the nucleation and growth of metal particles simultaneously hindering the agglomeration of PtRu particles on carbon surface.

Polyethyleneimine-Functionalized Platinum Nanoparticles with High Electrochemiluminescence Activity and Their Applications to Amplified Analysis of Biomolecules

Polyethyleneimine-functionalized platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) with excellent electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties were synthesized and applied to the amplified analysis of biomolecules. These particles were prepared at room temperature, with hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (HBPEI) as the stabilizer. The UV/Vis absorption spectra and transmission electron microscopy images clearly confirmed the formation of monodisperse PtNPs. Such particles proved to possess high stability against salt-induced aggregation, enabling them to be employed even under high-salt conditions. Owing to the existence of many tertiary amine groups, these particles exhibited excellent ECL behavior in the presence of tris(2.2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II). An HBPEI-coated particle possessed an ECL activity that was at least 60 times higher than that of a tripropylamine molecule. Furthermore, these particles could be immobilized on the 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane-treated quartz substrates to amplify the binding sites for carboxyl groups. Through this approach, PtNPs were applied to the amplified analysis of the hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzyme by using the luminol/H2O2 chemiluminescence method.

Influence of isooctanol on the interfacial activity and mass transfer of ytterbium(III) using 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester as an acidic extractant

BACKGROUND: Introducing an adduct into an extractant system is an effective method of improving extraction performance. The effect of additives upon extraction is very important, especially in the case of interfacial behaviour. In most work published in the literature, there is little data on the interfacial behaviour of extractants and modifiers. As the mass transfer must pass through an interface, the influence of isooctanol on the interfacial activity and mass transfer of ytterbium(III) using 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethlhexyl ester has been investigated.RESULTS: With increasing amounts of isooctanol, the interfacial tension and surface excess (Gamma(max)) of the 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester(HEHEHP)-isooctanol system decreased, and the area of the absorbed HEHEHP molecule (Amin) increased. The interfacial activity of the HEHEHP-isooctanol system varied significantly depending on ionic strength and temperature and the mass transfer flux decreased with increasing isooctanol content.

A Simple, Universal Colorimetric Assay for Endonuclease/Methyltransferase Activity and Inhibition Based on an Enzyme-Responsive Nanoparticle System

An enzyme responsive nanoparticle system that uses a DNA-gold nanoparticle (AuNP) assembly as the substrate has been developed for the simple, sensitive, and universal monitoring of restriction endonucleases in real time. This new assay takes advantage of the palindromic recognition sequence of the restriction nucleases and the unique optical properties of AuNPs and is simpler than the procedure previously described by by Xu et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2007, 46, 3468-3470). Because it involves only one type of ssDNA modified AuNPs, this assay can be directed toward most of the endonucleases by simply changing the recognition sequence found within the linker DNA. In addition, the endonuclease activity could be quantitatively analyzed by the value of the reciprocal of hydrolysis half time (t(1/2)(-1). Furthermore, our new design could also be applied to the assay of methyltransferase activity since the methylation of DNA inhibits its cleavage by the corresponding restriction endonuclease, and thus, this new methodology can be easily adapted to high-throughput screening of methyltransferase inhibitors.

Polymerization of rac-lactide using schiff base aluminum catalysts: Structure, activity, and stereoselectivity

A series of aluminum ethyls and isopropoxides based upon N,N,O,O-tetradentate Schiff base ligand framework have been prepared. X-ray diffraction analysis and H-1 NMR confirmed that these Schiff base aluminum ethyls and isopropoxides were all monomeric species with a five-coordinated central aluminum in their solid structures. Compared to the aluminum ethyls which all retain their monomeric structure in the solution, the dinucleating phenomenons of aluminum isopropoxides with less steric hindered substituents in the solution have also been observed. The activities and stereoselectivities of these complexes toward the ring-opening polymerization of rac-lactide have been investigated. Polymerization experiments indicated that (SB-2d)(AlOPr)-Pr-i [(SB-2d) = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneiminato)] exhibited the highest stereoselectivity and (SB-3b)(AlOPr)-Pr-i [(SB-3b) = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propylenebis(3,5-dichlorinesalicylideneiminato)] possessed the highest activity among these aluminum isopropoxides. The substituents and the mode of the bridging part between the two nitrogen atoms both exerted significant influences upon the progress of the polymerizations, influencing either the tacticity of isolated polymers or the rate of polymerization.

Two- and three-dimensional Au nanoparticle/CoTMPyP self-assembled nanotructured materials: Film structure, tunable electrocatalytic activity, and plasmonic properties

Two- and three-dimensional Au nanoparticle/[tetrakis(N-methylpyridyl)porphyrinato]cobalt (CoTMPyP) nanostructured materials were prepared by "bottom-up" self-assembly. The electrocatalytic and plasmonic properties of the Au nanoparticle/CoTMPyP self-assembled nanostructured materials (abbreviated as Au/CoTMPyP SANMs) are tunable by controlled self-assembly of the An nanoparticles and CoTMPyP on indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The electrocatalytic activity of the Au/CoTMPyP SANMs can be tuned in two ways. One way is that citrate-stabilized An nanoparticles are positioned first on ITO surface with tunable number density, and then positively charged CoTMPyP ions are planted selectively on these gold sites. The other way is that An nanoparticles and CoTMPyP are deposited by virtue of layer-by-layer assembly, which can also tune the amount of the as-deposited electrocatalysts. FE-SEM studies showed that three-dimensional SANMs grow in the lateral expansion mode, and thermal annealing resulted in both surface diffusion of nanoparticles and atomic rearrangement to generate larger gold nanostructures with predominant (I 11) facets.