Development and validation of a simple mineral dust source inventory suitable for modelling in North Central China

IEECAS SKLLQG

Mineral and chemical composition and some trace element contents in coals and coal ashes from Huaibei coal field, China

IEECAS SKLLQG

Chemical composition of dust storms in Beijing and implications for the mixing of mineral aerosol with pollution aerosol on the pathway

IEECAS SKLLQG

Water-soluble part of the aerosol in the dust storm season - evidence of the mixing between mineral and pollution aerosols

IEECAS SKLLQG

Structural determinants of steroids for cytochrome P450 3A4-mediated metabolism

Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), a major member of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes, metabolizes the majority of steroids in 6beta-position. For the purpose of determining requisite structural features of a series of structurally related steroids for CYP3A4-mediated metabolism, three-dimensional pharmacophore modeling as well as electrotopological state map were conducted for 15 steroids. Though prior studies speculated that the chemical reactivity of the allylic 6beta-position might have a greater influence on CYP3A4 selective 6-hydroxylation than steric constraints in the enzyme, our results reveal that for CYP3A4 steroidal substrates, it is not the chemical reactivity of atoms at 6beta-site, but the pharmacophoric features, i.e. the two hydrophobic rings together with two H-bond donors, that act as the key factors responsible for detemining the CYP3A4 selective 6-hydroxylation of steroids. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards manipulation of post-biosynthetic events in secondary metabolism of plant cell cultures

Plant cell cultures have been suggested as a feasible technology for the production of a myriad of plant-derived metabolites. However, commercial application of plant cell culture has met limited success with only a handful of metabolites produced at the pilot- and commercial-scales. To improve the production of secondary metabolites in plant cell cultures, efforts have been devoted predominantly to the optimization of biosynthetic pathways by both process and genetic engineering approaches. Given that secondary metabolism includes-the synthesis. metabolism and catabolism of endogenous compounds by the specialized proteins, this review intends to draw attention to the manipulation and optimization of post-biosynthetic events that follow the formation of core metabolite structures in biosynthetic pathways. These post-biosynthetic events-the chemical and enzymatic modifications, transport, storage/secretion and catabolism/degradation have been largely unexplored in the past. Potential areas are identified where further research is needed to answer fundamental questions that have implications for advanced bioprocess design. Anthocyanin production by plant cell cultures is used as a case study for this discussion, as it presents a good example of compounds for which there are extensive research publications but still no commercial bioprocess. It is perceived that research on post-biosynthetic processes may lead to future opportunities for significant advances in commercial plant cell cultures. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Coastal metabolism and the oceanic organic carbon balance

Net organic metabolism (that is, the difference between primary production and respiration of organic matter) in the coastal ocean may be a significant term in the oceanic carbon budget. Historical change in the rate of this net metabolism determines the importance of the coastal ocean relative to anthropogenic perturbations of the global carbon cycle. Consideration of long-term rates of river loading of organic carbon, organic burial, chemical reactivity of land-derived organic matter, and rates of community metabolism in the coastal zone leads us to estimate that the coastal zone oxidizes about 7 × 1012 moles C/yr. The open ocean is apparently also a site of net organic oxidation (∼16 × 1012 moles C/yr). Thus organic metabolism in the ocean appears to be a source of CO2 release to the atmosphere rather than being a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The small area of the coastal ocean accounts for about 30% of the net oceanic oxidation. Oxidation in the coastal zone (especially in bays and estuaries) takes on particular importance, because the input rate is likely to have been altered substantially by human activities on land.

Stress Resistance and Disease Resistance in Seaweeds:The Role of Reactive Oxygen Metabolism

It has become clear that the last 15-20 years that the immediate effect of a wide range of environmental stresses,and of infection,on vascular plants is to increase the information of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and to impose oxidative stress on the cells.Since 1994,sufficient examples similar responses in a broad range of marine macroalgae have been decribed to show that reactive oxygen metabolism also underlies the mechanisms by which seaweeds respond(and become resistant) to stress and infection.Desiccation,freezing,low temperatures,high light,ultraviolet radiation,and heavy metals all tend to result in a gradual and continued buildup of ROS because photosynthesis is inhibited and excess energy results in the formation of singlet oxygen.The response to other stresses (infection or oligosaccharides which signal that infection is occurring,mechanical stress,hyperosmotic shock) is quite different-a more rapid and intence,but short-lived production of ROS ,discribed as an "oxidative burst"-which is attributed to activation of NADPHoxidases in the plasma membrane.Seaweed species that are able to survive such stresses or resist infection have the capacity to remove the ROS through a high cellular content of antioxidant compounds,or a high activity of antioxidant enzymes.

Alteration mineral mapping using masking and Crosta technique for mineral exploration in mid-vegetated areas: a case study in Areletuobie, Xinjiang (China)

Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM)+ data have been successfully employed in the field of mineral exploration to identify key minerals over arid and semi-arid terrains. However, redundant vegetation and cloud may seriously interfere with the discrimination of the minerals with diagnostic features. Therefore, in this study, we use masking technique to eliminate the negative influence of vegetation and cloud and Crosta technique to identify the diagnostic features of hydroxyl-minerals, carbonate-minerals and iron oxides. Then the anomalies were endowed with special colours and overlapped with the remote-sensing and geochemical data, overlaying images as remote-sensing anomalies. The mineral exploration work was carried through by synthetic analysis of the remote-sensing images, geochemical data and structures. Finally, areas with high correlation between the occurrence of hydrothermal alteration and presence of main faults and geochemical anomalies were considered as mineral exploration targets worthy of further detailed exploration programmes.

Characterization of procaine metabolism as probe for the butyrylcholinesterase enzyme investigation by simultaneous determination of procaine and its metabolite using capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection

Capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescene detection was used to characterize procaine hydrolysis as a probe for butyrylcholinesterase by in vitro procaine metabolism in plasma with butyrylcholinesterase acting as bioscavenger. Procaine and its metabolite N,N-diethylethanolamine were separated at 16 kV and then detected at 1.25 V in the presence of 5.0 mM Ru(bpy)(3)(2+), with the detection limits of 2.4 x 10(-7) and 2.0 x 10(-8) mol/L (S/N=3), respectively. The Michaelis constant K-m value was 1.73 x 10(-4) mol/L and the maximum velocity V-max was 1.62 x 10(-6) mol/L/min. Acetylcholine bromide and choline chloride presented inhibition effects on the enzymatic cleavage of procaine, with the 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of 6.24 x 10(-3) and 2.94 x 10(-4) mol/L.