Physicochemical properties of silk fibroin after solubilization using calcium chloride with or without ethanol

To elucidate the physicochemical properties of silk protein, we studied the effects of calcium chloride and ethanol on the gelation of fibroin. Fibroin was treated with 5.0 M calcium chloride in water (Ca/W) or 5.0 M calcium chloride in 20% (v/v) ethanol (Ca/Et) and the rheological properties of colloidal fibroin were investigated. The Ca/W-treatment promoted an increased rate of gelation and gave higher gel strength than the Ca/Et-treatment. The maximum gel strengths of Ca/W- and Ca/Et-treated fibroins were obtained at pH 7.0 and pH 5.5, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the Ca/W-treated fibroin gel had a more developed three-dimensional molecular network than the Ca/Et-treated gel. Further, FT-IR spectra suggested that Ca/W-treated fibroin has more of a beta-structure than Ca/Et-treated one in colloidal conditions. This study indicated that the use of calcium chloride alone was more beneficial to the gelation of fibroin than combined use with ethanol.

Effect of adrenalectomy and corticosterone replacement on prepulse inhibition and locomotor activity in mice

1 Stress is a risk factor in psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different circulating levels of the adrenal steroid corticosterone (CORT) on locomotor hyperactivity and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle, two behavioural animal models of aspects of schizophrenia. 2 Male C57BL/6J mice (n = 10 per group) were anaesthetised with isoflurane and sham-operated or adrenalectomised (ADX). ADX mice were implanted with 50 mg pellets consisting of 100% cholesterol, or 2, 10 or 50 mg of CORT mixed with cholesterol. CORT pellet implantation dose dependently increased plasma CORT levels 3 weeks after surgery. Starting 1 week after surgery, mice were tested for prepulse inhibition after injection of saline or 5 mg kg(-1) of haloperidol. 3 In intact mice and in mice implanted with 10 mg of CORT, haloperidol treatment significantly increased prepulse inhibition (average values from 38 - 42 to 52%). Similar results were observed when testing the mice for amphetamine-induced locomotor hyperactivity (5 mg kg(-1)). In contrast, there was no significant effect of haloperidol in mice implanted either with cholesterol or 2 or 50 mg of CORT. 4 These results in behavioural animal models of schizophrenia suggest an important role of the stress hormone CORT in modulating dopaminergic activity in this illness.

Shrinkage of Gobiocypris rarus, Procypris rabaudi, and Sinilabeo rendahli preserved in formalin

Length measurements of preserved fishes are necessary in many types of fish surveys because logistics often do not allow for fish measurement immediately after catch. If the fixative causes significant shrinkage, then the preserved lengths cannot be directly used to indicate accurate live lengths. The objective of this study was to determine how preservation in formalin affects standard length of Gobiocypris rarus larvae (24-day-old and newly hatched), larval Procypris rabaudi (4-day-old), and larval Sinilabeo rendahli (12-day-old). Fishes were measured (to nearest 0.01 mm) and individually fixed in the appropriate formalin solution (2.5% or 5.0% formalin), then re-measured at 0.5, 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 45 and 75 days after preservation to follow the time course of shrinkage. Most of the shrinkage occurred within the first half day after preservation. The 5.0% formalin caused a higher relative shrinkage rate than did the 2.5% solution; however, the difference was not statistically significant. In G. rarus, initial shrinkage of newly hatched larvae was higher than that of 24-day-old larvae.

Optimization by orthogonal array design and humoral immunity of the bivalent vaccine against Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio fluvialis infection in crucian carp (Carassius auratus L.)

Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio fluvialis are the causative agents of a serious haemorrhagic septicaemia that affects a wide range of freshwater fish in China. In order to develop a bivalent anti-A. hydrophila and anti-V. fluvialis formalin-killed vaccine to prevent this disease, an orthogonal array design (OAD) method was used to optimize the production conditions, using three factors, each having three levels. The effects of these factors and levels on the relative per cent survival for crucian carp were quantitatively evaluated by analysis of variance. The final optimized formulation was established. The data showed that inactivation temperature had a significant effect on the potency of vaccine, but formalin concentration did not. The bivalent vaccine could elicit a strong humoral response in crucian carp (Carassius auratus L.) against both A. hydrophila and V. fluvialis simultaneously, which peaked at 3 or 5 weeks respectively. Antibody titres remained high until week 12, the end of the experiment, after a single intraperitoneal injection. The verification experiment confirmed that an optimized preparation could provide protection for fish at least against A. hydrophila infection, and did perform better than the non-optimized vaccine judged by the antibody levels and protection rate, suggesting that OAD is of value in the development of improved vaccine formulations.

小麦胚乳蛋白组分和Glu-B3位点基因核心编码区差异与小麦品质关系的研究

小麦加工品质改良已成为我国小麦育种的主要目标之一。特别是我国加入WTO以后，对小麦产品的质量提出了更高的要求，小麦品质改良的任务将更加艰巨和重要，小麦胚乳蛋白是影响小麦加工品质性状的重要因素。因此，深入了解小麦胚乳蛋白对加工品质性状的影响及其分子基础，为品质改良提供理论依据和科学指导，对加速我国小麦品质育种和优质小麦生产具有重要意义。本研究选用在麦谷蛋白5个基因位点(Glu-A1、Glu-B1、Glu-D1、Glu-B3和Glu-D3)上均含不同等位基因的小麦品种99G45和京771及Pm97034和京771杂交F9代共164个麦谷蛋白纯合系，及228个中国推广普通小麦品种和高代育成品系为试材，研究了麦谷蛋白Glu-1和Glu-3位点基因等位变异对籽粒蛋白、湿面筋含量、Zeleny沉降值和SDS沉降值间的关系；本研究还利用小麦A、B和D基因组中低分子量麦谷蛋白亚基（LMW-GS）基因特异引物，通过PCR方法克隆了1个Glu-A3位点和3个Glu-B3位点LMW-GS基因片段，在此基础上分析了不同等位基因对品质造成差异的分子基础；另外，本研究对中国近年推广的部分品种和育成的高代品系资源的多样性进行了分析。现将主要研究结果简述如下： 1. 对来自三个麦区的148份材料的醇溶蛋白组成进行了分析，结果表明，各麦区醇溶蛋白模式具有较大差异。在ω区,A7、B、E、F、G、J、P、Q、S和U仅存在于西南秋播麦区；A3、M、N、R、W和X仅存在于黄淮特种麦区；K仅存在于北方冬麦区；A6是北方冬麦区出现频率最高的带型模式，而西南秋播麦区中D出现的频率最高。ω-区的E、H和M几种模式是以前国内外未曾报道的。且初步确定，这些模式对品质性状具有正效应。至于γ区,A、B、D、E和F在各区均有出现，其中B和E在各区出现的频率都很高，在26.1-39.6％之间。相反，H 仅出现在黄淮特种麦区，J仅限于西南秋播麦区。对于β-区醇溶蛋白，B型模式在所有区中都相当高，而模式A仅存在于第三区.对于α-区，模式A在Ⅲ区而模式D在Ⅱ区出现的频率很高。1BL.1RS易位系在中国小麦品种中出现频率高达41.2％，在I, II和Ⅲ麦区的出现频率分别为 45.5、43.5和35.2%。各生态区模式的差异可能是品种适应不同生态条件和人为选择的结果，但这有待进一步证明。由于醇溶蛋白位点（Gli-1）与LMW-GS位点（Glu-3）紧密连锁，本结果可为下面确定普通小麦LMW-GS等位基因变异所用。 2. 利用Gli-1与Glu-3的紧密连锁，以228个小麦品种/系为材料，首次对中国小麦品种麦谷蛋白亚基的6个位点进行综合分析，研究小麦籽粒蛋白与品质性状间的关系，结果表明6个高分子量（HMW）和低分子量（LMW）麦谷蛋白位点对蛋白质含量的效应大小为，Glu-D1>Glu-B3>Glu-A1=Glu-B1> Glu-A3=Glu-D3；对GMP含量的效应大小为, Glu-A3>Glu-B3>Glu-D1> Glu-B1>Glu-A1>Glu-D3；对湿面筋含量的效应大小为, Glu-B1>Glu-B3= Glu-D3>Glu-A3>Glu-A1>Glu-D1；对Zeleny沉降值的效应大小为, Glu-A1> Glu-B3>Glu-D3>Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-A3；对SDS沉降值的效应大小为, Glu-B3>Glu-A1=Glu-D1=Glu-A3>Glu-D3>Glu-B1。对蛋白含量而言，各位点的最佳组合方式为1、17+18、5+10、Glu-A3e、Glu-B3g、Glu-D3b；对湿面筋含量而言，各位点的最佳组合方式为1、6+8、5+10、Glu-A3d、Glu-B3c、Glu-D3b；对Zeleny沉降值而言，各位点的最佳组合方式为N、17+18、5+10、Glu-A3d、Glu-B3d、Glu-D3b；对SDS沉降值而言，各位点的最佳组合方式为1、7+8、2.2+12、Glu-A3b、Glu-B3g、Glu-D3b。另外，分析了稀有亚基对5+12与2.2+12与品质性状的关系，认为5+12对品质有负效应，2.2+12对品质有正效应。在品质育种时，应对优异组合或优异亚基加以利用。 3. 首次利用重组自交系（RILs）为材料，研究麦谷蛋白亚基表达量与品质性状的关系，通过对重组自交系中各HMW-GS表达量的分析，认为，就单个亚基的表达量而言，7亚基最高；其次为2亚基、5亚基、12亚基和10亚基；亚基9和1的表达量最小；N亚基不表达。对成对出现的亚基对而言，x型和y型亚基的总表达量2+12>5+10>7+9>17+18。就单个亚基与品质性状的关系而言，仅有10亚基的表达量与蛋白含量的相关性达5%的显著水平，2亚基的表达量与湿面筋含量呈负相关，显著水平也达5%，其余单个亚基对品质性状均无显著影响；就x型/y型亚基的比例来看，2/12和5/10对湿面筋含量都有显著的负效应；对某一位点等位基因控制的亚基表达总量来看，2+12对SDS沉降值有显著负效应。另外，本研究得出：2＋12的亚基对的负效应主要体现在2亚基上，且在同一位点上，x型亚基的表达量大于y型。所以推导稀有亚基组合2+10很可能也是劣质亚基。 4. 以 Glu-A1、Glu-B1、Glu-D1、Glu-B3和Glu-D3作为5个因素对99G45/京771和Pm97034/京771杂交后代的蛋白质含量和SDS沉降值进行多因素方差分析。结果表明，Glu-A1和Glu-D3对蛋白含量的加性效应达5％显著水平；Glu-D1 * Glu-D3对蛋白质含量的互作效应也达5%显著水平；其余位点的加性和互作效应对蛋白质含量的影响均不显著。对SDS 沉降值而言，Glu-D1的加性效应最大,贡献率为4.2 % ,达1 %显著水平,其次是Glu-B1位点,贡献率为3.3% ,达5%显著水平。其余位点对SDS 沉降值的加性和互作效应均未达5%显著水平。总体而言, 各位点对蛋白含量的效应大小为Glu-D3 > Glu-A1 > Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-B3；对SDS沉降值的效应大小为Glu-D1>Glu-B1> Glu-D3>Glu-A1> Glu-B3。Glu-D1和Glu-D3位点上等位基因变异对蛋白含量有显著或极显著影响，含Glu-D1d和Glu-D3 GD、Glu-D3 JD基因的株系分别比含Glu-D1a和Glu-D3 PD基因的株系有较高的蛋白含量；在该遗传背景下，麦谷蛋白各基因位点对蛋白含量的效应大小依次排列为：Glu-A1位点1>N；Glu-B1位点7+9>17+18>14+15；Glu-D1位点5+10>2+12；Glu-B3位点GB>JB>PB；Glu-D3位点GB>JB>PB。对SDS沉降值的效应大小依次排列为：Glu-A1位点1>N；Glu-B1位点7+9=17+18>14+15；Glu-D1位点5+10>2+12；Glu-B3位点GB>JB>PB；Glu-D3位点GB>JB>PB。所以，对蛋白含量和SDS沉降值均较好的组合为1，7+9，5+10，GB，GD。 5. 因为GB和PB对品质的效应有显著差异，选取LMW-GS位点特异扩增引物对京771、99G45和Pm97034的Glu-B3位点进行扩增，结果得到三个不一样的扩增片段（Genebank号为DQ539657－DQ539659），得到的基因片段与Genebank中已报道的同类序列高度同源。通过克隆片段组成的分析，发现对Pm97034的序列较京771和99G45段少一个7氨基酸的重复单元，这可能是它较另外两个片段对面筋强度影响小的主要原因；另外，在99G45的序列中，124位处出现L（亮氨酸）代替P（脯氨酸），158位处出现了T（苏氨酸）代换M(蛋氨酸)，这可能是99G45Glu-B3位点序列对SDS沉降值的效应显著优于Pm97034的原因。 6．通过对RILs各位点同普通小麦品种（系）各位点与品质关系的比较，发现对SDS沉降值的效应，各位点在不同研究材料中是不同的，普通小麦中：Glu-B3>Glu-A1=Glu-D1=Glu-A3>Glu-D3>Glu-B1，RILs中：Glu-D1>Glu-B1> Glu-D3>Glu-A1> Glu-B3。利用重组自交系材料（完全排除了1BL/1RS易位干扰）所得到的结果与Gupta and MacRitchie (1994)所得结论一致。进一步证实了1BL/1RS易位对小麦品质的重要影响。对蛋白含量而言，普通小麦品种（系）中，Glu-D1>Glu-B3>Glu-A1=Glu-B1> Glu-A3=Glu-D3，RILs中，Glu-D3 > Glu-A1 > Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-B3，和对SDS沉降值的效应一样，推断在非1BL/1RS易位的情况下，各位点对其效应应为Glu-D3 > Glu-A1 > Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-B3。 对同一位点的等位基因而言，普通小麦和重组自交系中Glu-A1和Glu-D1上的等位基因对品质性状的贡献是一致的，但Glu-B1上的等位基因对SDS沉降值的贡献发生了变化，普通小麦中17+18>7+9，RILs中7+9>17+18，这可能也是1BL/1RS造成的。 Baking quality improved is one of the main object of wheat bread in China. The overall objective of the present studies was to increase the understanding about protein quality in wheat, i.e. to make it possible to improve the production of wheat with desired quality for different end-uses. With the analysis of gluten protein in RILs, 99G45/Jing 771 and Pm97034/Jing, and 228 wheat cultivars or lines in China, the correlations between glutenin compositions and protein content, glutenin macropolymer(GMP), wet gluten content, Zeleny sedimentation value and SDS sedimentation value contentand breadmaking quality were studied. Also a rapid and efficient detection method of geneticpolymorphism at Glu-B3 loci in wheat was established using polymerase chain reaction(PCR).The results obtained were as follows: 1. Cultivated Chinese wheat germplasm has been a valuable genetic resource in international plant breeding. Patterns of gliadin among cultivated Chinese accessions are unknown, despite the proven value and potential novelty. The objective of this work was to analyse the diversity within improved Chinese wheat germplasm. The electrophoretic banding patterns of gliadin in common wheat cultivars and advanced lines were determined by acid-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. For 148 leading commercial cultivars and promising advanced lines used in our study, 48 patterns were identified, 29 corresponding to ω-gliadin, 9 to γ-gliadin, 5 to β-gliadin and 5 to α-gliadin. The most frequent patterns were A6 in ω; B in γ; B in β and A in the region of α. 116 band types appeared in the148 samples: 94 accessions had unique gliadin types, and 22 gliadin types while not unique were found in 54 accessions. The gliadin patterns of Chinese wheat cultivars and lines greatly differed from the patterns of wheat lines from other countries. Three patterns, E, J, H, M, N and O in the ω-zone had not previously been reported. Three wheat zones，the Northern Winter Wheat Region, the Yellow and Huai Valley River valleys Winter Wheat Region and the Southwestern Winter Wheat Region，in China showed different frequencies in their gliadin patterns. This information can be used to monitor genetic diversity with Chinese wheat germplasm. 2. To analyse the relationship between the loci and characteristics quality, we utilized the 228 cultivars/lines. The results showed that : For protein content, Glu-D1 >Glu-B3>Glu-A1=Glu-B1>Glu-A3=Glu-D3. For GMP content, Glu-A3>Glu-B3 >Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-A1>Glu-D3. For wet gluten content, Glu-B1>Glu-B3= Glu-D3>Glu-A3>Glu-A1>Glu-D1. For Zeleny sedimentation value, Glu-A1>Glu-B3> Glu-D3>Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-A3, For SDS sedimentation value, Glu-B3>Glu-A1= Glu-D1= lu-A3>Glu-D3>Glu-B1。For protein content, the best combination of 6 loci is (1,17+18,5+10,Glu-A3e, Glu-B3g,Glu-D3b). For wet gluten content, the best combination of 6 loci is (1,6+8,5+10,Glu-A3d,Glu-B3c,Glu-D3b). For Zeleny sedimentation value, the best combination of 6 loci is (N,17+18,5+10,Glu-A3d, Glu-B3d, Glu-D3b). For SDS sedimentation value, the best combination of 6 loci is(7+8,2.2+12,Glu-A3b, Glu-B3g,Glu-D3b)。Additional, we analysed the relationship between the subunits 5+12 and 2.2+12, think that 5+12 was negative for quality, 2.2+12 is postive for quality. It should be effective utilized. 3. It’s the first time to utilize RILs to study the relationship between subunits expression quantity and characteristics quality. The results showed that: For single subunit, the expression quantity of 7 is the highest. Then the 2, 5, 12 and 10. The expression of subunit 9 and 1 is the lowest. Subunit N is not expressed. For subunits, the expression quantity of x type and y type are 2+12>5+10>7+9>17+18. The significant relation of 5% only showed between the expression quantity of subunit 10 and protein content. The relationship between expression quantity of others and characteristic quality was not significant. For x type/ytype, 2/12 and 5/10 is negative relation insignificant level. For the subunit(s) in a loci, Only 2+12 effect SDS sedimentation value negative in significant level. 4. With RILs 99G45/Jing 771 and Pm97034/Jing 771, we found that: The effective of Glu-A1, Glu-D3 and Glu-D1 * Glu-D3 for protein content is significant at 5% level. The effect of other loci for protein wre not significant. For SDS sedimentation value, the effect of Glu-D1is the highest, which contribution is 4.2 % .Then the Glu-B1, contribution is 3.3%. The effect of other loci for SDS sedimentationvalue were not significant. In total, for protein content: Glu-D3 > Glu-A1 > Glu-D1>Glu-B1>Glu-B3; for SDS sedimentationvalue: Glu-D1>Glu-B1> Glu-D3>Glu-A1>Glu-B3. The effect of alleles in Glu-D1 and Glu-D3 loci are significant at 1% or 5%. In Glu-A1, 1>N; Glu-B1, 7+9>17+18>14+15; Glu-D, 5+10>2+12; Glu-B3, GB>JB>PB; Glu-D3, GB>JB>PB. For SDS sedimentation, Glu-A1, 1>N; Glu-B1, 7+9=17+18>14+15; Glu-D1, 5+10>2+12; Glu-B3, GB>JB>PB; Glu-D3, GB>JB>PB. The best combinations for SDS sedimentation value is 1，7+9，5+10，GB，GD. 5. Because of the difference of GB and PB for SDS sedimentation value, we selected the specific primer for LMW-GS loci to amplified the Glu-B3 of Jing771, 99G45and Pm97034. We got 3 amplify fragment (Gene Bank accession number are DQ539657－DQ539659）. We found that the fragment of Pm97034 were deleted a repetitive 7 amino acid domain, which is perhaps the reason effect the gluten strength. Furthermore, in the position 124 of sequence 99G45, L has been replaced with P. Position 158, T replaced M, which may be the reason why the Glu-B3 locus of 99G45 is prefer to Pm97034 when refer to SDS sedimentation value. 6. Comparing the results of RILs and common wheat, we found that perhaps just the1BL/1RS made the difference of loci in different accession.

Investigation of PL properties of C-doped SiO2/Si samples after high energy Pb ion irradiation

Amorphous SiO2 thin films with about 400-500 nm in thickness were thermally grown on single crystalline silicon. These SiO2/Si samples were firstly implanted at room temperature (RT) with 100 keV carbon ions to 2.0 x 10(17),5.0 X 10(17) or 1.2 x 10(18) ions/cm(2), then irradiated at RT by 853 MeV Pb ions to 5.0 x 10(11), 1.0 X.10(12) 2.0 x 10(12) or 5.0 x 10(12) ions/cm(2), respectively. The variation of photoluminescence (PL) properties of these samples was analyzed at RT using a fluorescent spectroscopy. The obtained results showed that Pb-ion irradiations led to significant changes of the PL properties of the carbon ion implanted SiO2 films. For examples, 5.0 x 10(12) Pb-ions/cm(2) irradiation produced huge blue and green light-emitters in 2.0 x 10(17) C-ions/cm(2) implanted samples, which resulted in the appearance of two intense PL peaks at about 2.64 and 2.19 eV. For 5.0 x 10(17) carbon-ions/cm(2) implanted samples, 2.0 x 10(12) Pb-ions/cm(2) irradiation could induce the formation of a strong and wide violet band at about 2.90 eV, whereas 5.0 x 10(12) Pb-ionS/cm(2) irradiation could,create double peaks of light emissions at about 2.23 and 2.83 eV. There is no observable PL peak in the 1.2 x 10(18) carbon-ions/cm(2) implanted samples whether it was irradiated with Pb ions or not. All these results implied that special light emitters could be achieved by using proper ion implantation and irradiation conditions, and it will be very useful for the synthesis of new type Of SiO2-based light-emission materials.

Facile, Efficient Copolymerization of Ethylene with Bicyclic, Non-Conjugated Dienes by Titanium Complexes Bearing Bis(beta-Enaminoketonato) Ligands

Copolymerizations of ethylene with 5-vinyl-2-norbornene or 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene under the action of various titanium complexes bearing bis(beta-enaminoketonato) chelate ligands of the type, [(RN)-N-1=C(R-2)CH=C(R-3)O](2)TiCl2 (1, R-1=Ph, R-2=CF3, R-3=Ph; 2, R-1=C6H4F-p, R-2=CF3, R-3=Ph; 3, R-1=Ph, R-2=CF3, R-3=t-Bu; 4, R-1=C6H4F-p, R-2=CF3, R-3=t-Bu; 5, R-1=Ph, R-2=CH3, R-3=CF3; 6, R-1=C6H4F-p, R-2=CH3 R-3=CF3), have been shown to occur with the regioselective insertion of the endocyclic double bond of the monomer into the copolymer chain, leaving the exocyclic vinyl double bond as a pendant unsaturation. The ligand modification strongly affects the copolymerization behaviour. High catalytic activities and efficient co-monomer incorporation can be easily obtained by optimizing the catalyst structures and polymerization conditions.

7-Amino actinomycin D bound to single-stranded hairpin DNA enhanced by loop sequence-dependent luminescent Eu3+ and Tb3+ binding

Lanthanide Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions have been widely used in luminescent resonance energy transfer (LRET) for bioassays to study metal binding microenvironments. We report here that Eu3+ or Tb3+ can increase the binding affinity of antitumor antibiotic drug agent, 7-amino actinomycin D (7AACTD), binding to 5'-GT/TG-5' or 5'-GA/AG-5' mismatched stem region of the single-stranded hairpin DNA. Further studies indicate that the effect of Eu3+ or Tb3+ on 7AACTD binding is related to DNA loop sequence. Our results will provide new insights into how metal ions can enhance antitumor agents binding to their targets.

Polyelectrolyte complexes based on chitosan and poly(L-glutamic acid)

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) were prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of chitosan (CS) and poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLGA) at various pH. It was found that the stoichiometry of the PECs depends on pH.An investigation of the PECs using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy proved that the formation of the complexes is due to electrostatic interaction between –NH3 + groups of CS and –COO− groups of PLGA. The solid PECs were characterized using wide-angle X-ray diffraction, which suggested that a strong interaction occurs between the two polymers at pH = 4 or 5 and relatively weak interaction at pH = 3. These results were further confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis data. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the complexes have a spherical shape. The effect of ionic strength on the size of the PECs was also studied using dynamic light scattering. It was found that the size of the PECs is dependent on pH.

Investigation of Extration Method for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins in Shellfish

Me optimal conditions were established for the extraction of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins from gonad of Chlamys nobills using acetic acid and hydrochloric acid in the concentration range of 0.04-1.0 mol/L. A 10-g portion of gonad of Chlamys nobilis was extracted by boiling for 5 min with 1.0 mL acetic acid and hydrochloric acid in a 50-mL beaker. Meanwhile, a portion of gonad of Chlamys nobilis was extracted by sonication in the solution of 0.3 mol/L HAc + 0.2 mol/L HCl for a total period of 5-30 min. The raw extract was centrifuged at 3500 r/min for 5 min and the pH of supernatant was adjusted from 2.0 to 4.0 by 0.1 mol/L NaOH or 5 mol/L HCL After passing through a Millipore ultrafiltration membrane (10000 MW cut-off), ultrafiltrate was then analyzed by HPLC. The results showed that hydrochloric acid in the concentration range of 0.25-1.0 mol/L caused a significant decrease of N-sulfocarbarnoyl-11-hydroxysulfate toxin C1 (C1), C2 and gonyautoxin 5 (GTX5) and the concomitant increase of GTX2,3. However, the amount of the three unstable toxins did not show any change using the extraction with acetic acid. Under the same concentration of acetic acid (0.3 mol/L) and hydrochloric acid (0.2 mol/L), the amount of C1 in the ultrasonic extraction was obviously lower than the boiling one, while C2 showed slightly higher than the latter.

Strain H-2-419-4 of Haematococcus pluvialis induced by ethyl methanesulphonate and ultraviolet radiation

Two strains H-2-410 and H-2-419 were obtained from the chemically mutated survivors of wild Haematococcus pluvialis 2 by using ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS). Strains H2-410 and H2-419 showed a fast cell growth with 13% and 20% increase in biomass compared to wild type, respectively. Then H-2-419-4, a fast cell growth and high astaxanthin accumulation strain, was obtained by exposing the strain H2-419 to ultraviolet radiation (UV) further. The total biomass, the astaxanthin content per cell, astaxanthin production of H-2-4194 showed 68%, 28%, and 120% increase compared to wild H. pluvialis 2, respectively. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) data showed also an obvious proportional variation of different carotenoid compositions in the extracts of H2-4194 and the wild type, although no peak of carotenoids appeared or disappeared. Therefore, the main compositions in strain H-2-419-4, like its wild one, were free of astaxanthin, monoester, and diester of astaxanthin. The asexual reproduction in survivors after exposed to UV was not synchronous, and different from the normal synchronous asexual reproduction as the mother cells were motile instead of non-motile. Interestingly, some survivors from UV irradiation produced many mini-spores (or gamete?), the spores moved away from the mother cell gradually 4 or 5 days later. This is quite similar to sexual reproduction described by Elliot in 1934. However, whether this was sexual reproduction remains questionable, as no mating process has been observed.

Measurement of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand without sample dilution or bacterial and nutrient enhancement

A direct method for measuring the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BODS) of aquaculture samples that does not require sample dilution or bacterial and nutrient enrichment was evaluated. The regression coefficient (R-2) between the direct method and the standard method for the analyses of 32 samples from catfish ponds was 0.996. The slope of the regression line did not differ from 1.0 or the Y-intercept from 0.0 at P = 0.05. Thus, there was almost perfect agreement between the two methods. The control limits (three standard deviations of the mean) for a standard solution containing 15 mg/L each of glutamic acid and glucose were 17.4 and 20.4 mg/L. The precision of the two methods, based on eight replicate analyses of four pond water samples did not differ at P = 0.05. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Gas separation properties of aromatic polyetherimides from 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzene dianhydride and 3,5-diaminobenzic acid or its esters

The gas transport properties of a series polyetherimides, which were prepared from 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzene dianhydride (HQDPA) with 1,3-phenylenediamine or 3,5-diaminobenzic acid (DBA) or its esters are reported. The effects of carboxylic group (-COOH) and carboxylic ether groups (-COOR), at five positions of 1,3-phenylenediamine moiety, on H-2, CO2, O-2, and N-2 permeability, diffusivity, and solubility of the polyetherimides were investigated. The gas permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients of the polyetherimides containing COOR are bigger than those of HQDPA-PDA, but the ideal separation factors and ideal diffusivity selectivity factors are much smaller than that of HQDPA-PDA because COOR decreases chain segmental packing efficiency and increases chain segmental mobility. The permeability coefficients of HQDPA-DBA to H-2, CO2, and O-2 are bigger than those of HQDPA-PDA; the ideal separation factors for gas pairs H-2/N-2, CO2/N-2, and O-2/N-2 are also much bigger than those of HQDPA-PDA. Both the diffusion coefficients of CO2 and O-2 and the ideal diffusivity selectivity factors for CO2/N-2 and O-2/N-2 are bigger than those of HQDPA-PDA because COOH decreases both chain segmental packing efficiency and chain segmental mobility. The copolyimides, which were prepared from 3,5-diaminobenzic acid and 3,5-diaminobenzic esters, have both high permeability and high permselectivity. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comparative study on the doping effect of 3d elements in Bi(1.5)Pb(0.2)Sr(2)Ca(2)Cu(2.8)M(0.2)O(y) (M=Sc,Ti,V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni, or Zn)

With XRD, R-T, and ac chi measurements a comparative study on the doping effects of 3d elements in Bi(1.5)Pb(0.2)Sr(2)Ca(2)Cu(2.8)M(0.2)O(y) (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, or Zn) has been carried out. The effects of the former five members are significantly different, both on phase formed and on T-c, from the latter four. It seems that the effect on phase stabilization correlates with the valency of the doped cation. In connection with the instability of the 2223 phase, the correlation has been discussed.