Structural studies on a novel fucogalactan sulfate extracted from the brown seaweed Laminaria japonica

A low molecular weight fucogalactan, obtained from the brown seaweed Laminaria japonica, was separated into three fractions (LF1, LF2 and LF3) by DEAE-Sepharose FF column chromatography. All three fractions contained predominantly fucose, sulfate group and galactose. The results showed that the main fraction LF2 consisted of L-fucose, D-galactose and sulfate at a molar ratio 6:1:9. Structural study on the LF2 was carried out by NMR spectroscopy. The backbone of LF2 was primarily (1 -> 3)-linked alpha-L-fucopyranose residues (75%) and a few (1 -> 4)-alpha-L-fucopyranose linkages (25%). The branch points were at C-4 of 3-linked alpha-L-fucopyranose residues by beta-D-galactopyranose unites (35%, molar ratio) or at C-2 of 3-linked alpha-L-fucopyranose residues by non-reducing terminal fucose unites (65%, molar ratio). Sulfate groups occupied at position C-4 or C-2, sometimes C-2, 4 to fucose residues, and C-3 and/or C-4 to galactose residues. The structure of LF2 was supposed as following: [GRAPHICS] (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The preparation and antioxidant activity of 2-[phenylhydrazine (or hydrazine)-thiosemicarbazone]-chitosan

Chitosan (CS) with two different molecular weight were modified by reacting with methyl hydrazine-dithiocarboxylate and methyl phenylhydrazine-dithiocarboxylate to give 2-(hydrazine-thiosemicarbazone)-chitosan (2-HTCHCS, 2-HTCLCS) and 2-(phenylhydrazine-thiosemicarbazone)chitosan (2-PHTCHCS, 2-PHTCLCS). The structure of the derivatives was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The antioxidant activities of the derivatives were investigated employing various established systems, such as hydroxyl radical (*OH)/superoxide anion (O-2(center dot-)) scavenging/reducing power and chelating activity. All of the derivatives showed strong scavenging activity on hydroxyl radical than chitosan and ascorbic acid (Vc), and IC50 of 2-HTCHCS, 2-HTCLCS, 2-PHTCHCS and 2-PHTCLCS was 0.362, 0.263, 0.531 and 0.336 mg/mL respectively. The inhibitory activities of the derivatives toward superoxide radical by the PMS-NADH system were strong. The results showed that the superoxide radical scavenging effect of 2-[phenylhydrazine (or hydrazine)-thiosemicarbazone]-chitosan were higher than that of chitosan. The derivatives had obviously reducing power and chelating activity. The data obtained from vitro models clearly establish the antioxidant potency of 2-[phenylhydrazine (or hydrazine)-thiosemicarbazone]-chitosan. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isolation and characterization of a novel variant of HMW glutenin subunit gene from the St genome of Pseudoroegneria stipifolia

The x- and y-type high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunits are conserved seed storage proteins in wheat and related species. Here we describe investigations on the HMW glutenin subunits from several Pseudoroegneria accessions. The electrophoretic mobilities of the HMW glutenin subunits from Pd. stipifolia, Pd tauri and Pd strigosa were much faster than those of orthologous wheat subunits, indicating that their protein size may be smaller than that of wheat subunits. The coding sequence of the Glu-1St1 subunit (encoded by the Pseudoroegneria stipifolia accession PI325181) was isolated, and found to represent the native open reading frame (ORF) by in vitro expression. The deduced amino acid sequence of Glu-1St1 matched with that determined from the native subunit by mass spectrometric analysis. The domain organization in Glu-1St1 showed high similarity with that of typical HMW glutenin subunits. However, Glu-1St1 exhibited several distinct characteristics. First, the length of its repetitive domain was substantially smaller than that of conventional subunits, which explains its much faster electrophoretic mobility in SDS-PAGE. Second, although the N-terminal domain of Glu-1St1 resembled that of y-type subunit, its C-terminal domain was more similar to that of x-type subunit. Third, the N- and C-terminat domains of Glu-1St1 shared conserved features with those of barley D-hordein, but the repeat motifs and the organization of its repetitive domain were more similar to those of HMW glutenin subunits than to D-hordein. We conclude that Glu-1St1 is a novel variant of HMW glutenin subunits. The analysis of Glu-1St1 may provide new insight into the evolution of HMW glutenin subunits in Triticeae species. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川成冰过程的地球化学研究--以低分子有机酸为主

冰川上的表面雪层是联系大气成分与冰芯记录的重要纽带，对雪－冰现代过程的研究将有助于正确解释保存在冰芯中的古气候和环境信息。山地冰川雪冰中有机酸记录的研究在认识有机酸生物地球化学循环方面占很大的优势，本文依托天山冰川观测试验站开展的冰雪物理、化学现代过程方面的研究，对乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川中低分子有机酸和无机阴离子在成冰作用过程中的迁移转化进行了研究。新雪和保存较好的表层雪主要用来分析采样点低分子有机酸和无机阴离子的季节变化特征，粒雪坑样品主要用于进行低分子有机酸和无机阴离子沉积后过程的研究。 雪冰样品采集于1号冰川东支东经86°49′，北纬43°06′，海拔4 130 m 处，2004年3月至2005年3月期间，共获取了23个连续雪坑剖面的粒雪样品。采用美国Dionex公司的ICS-90型离子色谱仪加RFC-30型淋洗液在线发生器进行测定，检测到的低分子有机酸主要有HCOO-、CH3COO-、C2H5COO- 和(COO)22-，无机阴离子主要有F-、Cl-、NO2-、NO3-、SO42- 和PO43-。 表层雪是研究粒雪化和成冰作用过程中化学组成变化的起点。为配合天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川沉积后过程中化学组成变化的研究，我们首先对表层雪样品（雪坑表层5cm的雪样）进行了低分子有机酸和无机阴离子含量的分析。结果显示，除(COO)22- 外，大部分有机酸和高浓度的无机阴离子因受到周围环境和盛行风的影响呈现出明显的季节变化特征，即夏半年离子浓度变化剧烈，最大值和最小值同时出现在夏半年，冬半年的浓度则相对小而稳定；而(COO)22- 和低浓度的无机阴离子随季节变化的特征不明显，在全年均显示出波动性。数据表明，在外界条件不变的情况下，表层雪可以长时间（至少半年时间）保存其中高含量的化学组成不被改变。 通过对高含量低分子有机酸和高含量无机阴离子的沉积后过程的研究，发现它们在沉积后的迁移转化过程受温度和融水的影响较大，在不同时期表现出不同的季节变化特征。雪层消融初期，淋溶作用导致雪层内的大部分离子组分进入初始融水中，并随着融水下渗、聚集，使下部雪层中离子组分的浓度不断增加；当消融进一步加剧，大部分低分子有机酸和无机阴离子随融水径流而流失，雪层中记录的低分子有机酸和无机阴离子含量迅速降低；在消融季节，峰值向雪坑底部移动的速度较快。在冬半年的负温条件下，雪层中记录的低分子有机酸和无机阴离子的含量及其保存在雪坑下部的峰值都相对稳定，这也再次说明如果外界条件不发生改变，雪冰可以长时间（至少半年时间）保存其中的化学组成不被改变这个结论；另外，冬半年雪坑上部记录的峰值在一定程度上可以反映它们在大气中的初始水平。CH3COO- 和(COO)22- 的峰值通常会出现在污化层的附近，与污化层的位置具有较好的一致性，说明污化层对CH3COO- 和(COO)22- 的沉积后过程可能有一定的影响。

中国西南地区大气降水中低分子有机酸研究（以贵阳市和尚重镇为例）

近几年随全球变暖和大气污染的加剧，有机气溶胶对气候和环境的影响引起了广泛的关注。其中低分子有机酸由于易溶于水，易挥发等特性可以改变大气颗粒物吸湿性、粒径分布以及形成云凝结核活性，进而改变全球的水循环和辐射平衡，而日益成为大气化学研究的重要内容。低分子有机酸极强的水溶性使雨水成为研究大气有机酸的理想载体。有机酸进入降水后是降雨的酸度重要贡献者，尤其是边远地区有机酸对降水酸度贡献高达65%。传统的大气降水研究主要侧重无机离子，认为硫酸和硝酸是降水酸度的主要贡献者，而忽略对降水中有机组分的研究。以贵阳和重庆等为代表的西南地区是我国酸雨污染的重灾区，该地区是典型喀斯特地形地貌区，生态环境具有极端的脆弱性和破坏后难以恢复性，在该地区研究酸雨形成和影响因素具有特殊的重要意义。本研究选取典型酸雨区(贵阳市)和人为污染较少黔东南州黎平县尚重镇为研究对象，2006-4～2007-4期间，收集大气降水样品221个，测定了大气降水中7种有机酸和主要阴、阳离子。对有机酸对酸雨的贡献及大气降水中无机离子和有机酸的浓度分布、变化规律、主要来源和沉降通量进行研究。主要得到了以下几点认识： 1、建立了离子色谱同时测定雨水中有机酸和无机酸分析条件。以戴安AS11-HC为分离柱、AG11-HC为保护柱，RFC-30淋洗液发生器在线产生KOH淋洗液，主要梯度条件为1mmol ( 0～6min) 、1mmol～30mmol (6～31min)。淋洗液流速1.5ml/min，柱温39℃。此条件下主要有机酸线性相关系数0.9992~0.9999，RSD%≤5%，精密度RSD%≤5%(丙酮酸RSD%=13.8%)，样品的加标回收率在80~120%之间，满足分析测试要求。 2、 贵阳市降水样品pH值的分布范围为2.49～6.92，年均值为3.28。雨水酸化率为73.8%，其中pH值小于4.0雨水占样品总数42%。尚重镇降水样品pH值的分布范围为5.01～6.50，年均值为5.83，降水的酸雨率为18.4%。贵阳市酸雨污染仍十分严重，重酸雨尤为突出(pH<4.0)，尚重镇酸雨污染较轻。 贵阳市降水样品电导率在10～1028μS/cm之间，平均值为248μS/cm，降水电导率高反映了贵阳市大气污染显著。尚重镇降水样品电导率在2.2～52.8μS/cm之间，平均值为18.1μS/cm，降水电导率低反映大气污染较轻。 3、贵阳市大气降水主要无机离子是SO42-、NO3-、H+、Ca2+、NH4+，雨量加权平均浓度分别为154.1μmol/L、33.9μmol/L、520.7μmol/L、226.4μmol/L和158.3μmol/L。采样期间，贵阳市H+年沉降通量为496.9mmol/m2/yr，夏季H+沉降占全年沉降总量的78%，贵阳市SO42-年沉降通量达到151.5mmol/m2/yr，有195.3mmol/m2/yr的Ca2+沉降。NH4+、Mg2+、Na+、K+、NO3-、Cl-的沉降通量分别为138.7mmol/m2/yr、50.9mmol/m2/yr、26.8mmol/m2/yr、11.4mmol/m2/yr、32.3mmol/m2/yr和12.6mmol/m2/yr。 尚重镇贵阳市大气降水主要无机离子是SO42-、NO3-、Ca2+、NH4+，其雨量加权平均浓度分别为43.1μmol/L、19.3μmol/L、33.0μmol/L和49.5μmol/L。采样期间，尚重镇[H+]年沉降通量为0.5mmol/m2/yr。SO42-、Ca2+和NH4+是发生沉降主要离子，分别为13.9mmol/m2/yr、10.6mmol/m2/yr和15.9mmol/m2/yr。Mg2+、Na+、K+、NO3-、Cl-的沉降通量分别为2.1mmol/m2/yr、5.9mmol/m2/yr、3.0mmol/m2/yr、6.2mmol/m2/yr和3.2mmol/m2/yr。 4、在贵阳市、尚重镇大气降水中共检测出7种低分子有机酸，分别是甲酸、乙酸、草酸、丙酮酸、丙酸、甲烷磺酸和乳酸。其中甲酸、乙酸和草酸是三种主要的有机酸。贵阳市甲酸、乙酸和草酸年平均浓度分别为14.24μmol/L、9.35μmol/L和2.79μmol/L，而在尚重镇它们浓度分别为4.95μmol/L、1.35μmol/L和2.31μmol/L。根据酸平衡常数计算法，贵阳市有机酸对自由酸贡献分别为：甲酸-7.9%，乙酸-4.7%，草酸-6.1%，三种主要有机酸贡献了18.7%的自由酸；尚重镇有机酸对自由酸贡献分别为：甲酸-25.1%，乙酸-7.5%，草酸-25.5%，有机酸对自由酸贡献率为58.1%。贵阳市有机酸占阴离子比值1.7～19.2%，平均值为6.6%。尚重镇有机酸对阴离子的贡献为0.5～92.2%，平均值为13.2%。有机酸对酸雨形成和大气降水化学起不可忽视的重要作用。 采样期间，贵阳市甲酸、乙酸和草酸的湿沉降通量分别为13.5mmol/m2/year 、8.9mmol/m2/year和2.6mmol/m2/year，甲酸和乙酸干沉降通量分别为26.7mmol/m2/year 和14.5mmol/m2/year，干沉降和湿沉降是贵阳市有机酸的主要沉降形式。尚重镇甲酸、乙酸和草酸的湿沉降通量分别为1.59mmol/m2/year 、0.43mmol/m2/year和0.04mmol/m2/year，甲酸和乙酸干沉降通量分别为0.1mmol/m2/year 和0.17mmol/m2/year，湿沉降是尚重镇有机酸的主要沉降形式。 5、尚重镇大气降水有机酸生长季节浓度高于非生长季节浓度，说明生长植物或土壤的释放可能是尚重镇大气有机酸的主要来源。贵阳市大气降水中有机酸非生长季节浓度高于生长季节浓度，主要原因是贵阳市降雨主要发生在夏季，降雨量的增加加大了对大气中微量气体的淋滤作用，降低了大气中有机酸浓度，同时夏季降雨pH值较低也不利于雨水对大气有机酸的溶解吸收。气象条件是影响有机酸浓度的重要因素。贵阳市大气有机酸主要在降雨初期进入降水并被清除的，降雨初期(1～2h)对大气有机酸清除占总清除的50～80%。随降雨的进行雨水中有机酸浓度逐渐降低，降雨后期略有升高，大降雨量对雨水中有机酸浓度起稀释的作用。尚重镇降雨量对有机酸浓度影响作用不明显，说明有机酸浓度不受雨量稀释作用控制，在降雨过程可能存在有机酸的液相来源。不同来源气团对贵阳市雨水中有机酸浓度影响不同，其中以北面方向气团降水中有机酸最高，与我国内陆大气污染较重有关。而源于海洋方向的东南气团雨水中有机酸浓度最低。 6、利用统计分析方法(相关性分析、主成分分析和聚类分析)和有机酸来源判别方法结合不同的来源释放有机酸通量得出：尚重镇大气中有机酸主要来源植物或者土壤直接或间接释放，而贵阳市有机酸来源相对复杂，其中植物的直接释放和机动车辆尾气排放不是大气有机酸的主要来源，生物质燃烧直接释放以及植物和人类活动向大气排放大量的不饱和有机物大气氧化可能是大气有机酸的重要来源。 7、从大气降水的电导率和pH值对比来看，贵阳市大气污染严重，雨水酸化率高，尚重镇大气污染较轻，雨水酸化率低。贵阳市大气降水中水溶性离子浓度是尚重镇的2～5倍左右，尚重镇地区酸沉降只有贵阳市0.1%，酸沉降对尚重镇不会造成太大影响。有机酸占贵阳市大气降水自由酸的19%，而尚重镇有超过1/2的自由酸是来源于低分子有机酸，是边远地区大气降水酸度的主要贡献者。来源分析表明尚重镇有机酸主要为生物源，贵阳市有机酸为人为源和生物源并重。 8、 传统的大气降水化学研究主要侧重于无机离子的研究，而忽略了对大气降水中有机组分的研究。本文第一次较全面、系统的研究了西南典型酸雨污染区大气降水化学组成以及降水酸度的来源，指出有机酸组分是西南地区大气降水化学的重要组成部分，对酸雨形成有不可忽视的影响。

安顺大气降水中低分子有机酸及其与贵州其它地区对比研究

低分子有机酸是对流层大气的重要组成成分，广泛分布于大气中的气相、液相、气溶胶中。本文以贵州省安顺作为研究区域，在 2007 年 6 月~2008年 6月期间，收集大气降水样品118个，对降水中主要成份尤其是低分子有机酸及其对自由酸度的贡献进行了为期一年的研究。并通过与贵州其它3个地区的对比，重点讨论了大气降水中低分子有机酸时间和空间的变化规律、成因机制、对降水自由酸度的贡献以及来源等关键问题。得出的主要结论如下： （1） 安顺降水总体呈酸性，pH雨量加权平均值为 4.89，范围在3.57～7.09，酸雨频率为 57.0%。降水的电导率平均值为46.52μs•cm-1，变化范围为6.01～298.00 μs•cm-1，该值远远高于降水背景站点，表明该地区受到了明显的人为活动影响。 （2） 安顺大气降水中离子浓度的顺序依次为SO42->Ca2+>NH4+>NO3-> Mg2+>K+>Na+>Cl->H+>HCOOHt>CH3COOHt >(COOH)2(t)2-。大气降水中最重要的离子为SO42-、NO3-（阴离子）和Ca2+、NH4+ 和Mg2+（阳离子），平均浓度依次为140.9、46.1、124.2、45.4和36.2µmol/L。相关性分析和聚类分析表明，安顺SO2和NOx具有同源特征，且进入降水的途径相同。大气中的铵主要以硫酸铵与硝酸铵的形式存在于大气中，成为大气中重要的酸性气溶胶。另外，CaSO4、NaCl、MgCl2、(NH4)2SO4、NH4NO3、KNO3、H2SO4、HNO3是降水的主要化学组分。降水中Ca2+、NH4+、Mg2+和K+的中和因子分别为0.38、0.14、0.22、0.05，表明降水中最重要的中和物质是Ca2+，其次是Mg2+和NH4+。源分析表明，安顺大气降水中的K+和Ca2+主要来自以岩石和土壤为主的陆相输入，而SO42-和NO3-主要来自人为活动的贡献，其人为贡献量高达97.0%和94.3%。Mg2+主要来自陆源输入，仅有9.1%来自海水的贡献。Cl-属于海盐性离子，但在安顺降水中，仅有57.3%来自海相输入，小部分（1.3%）来自岩石和土壤风化的贡献，人类活动排放的Cl-也是该地区一个重要来源。 （3） 安顺大气降水中共检测出7种低分子有机酸，含量最高的有机酸组成依次是甲酸(HCOO-)、乙酸(CH3COO-)和草酸（(COO)22-），雨量加权平均浓度分别为8.77、6.90和2.84µmol/L。降水中所测有机酸的平均总含量为19.00µmol/L，对阴离子总和的贡献为12.6%。对于 pH<5 的降水，甲酸、乙酸和草酸对自由酸度的平均贡献值（按最大贡献率法计算）分别为 19.2%、5.9和7.8%，总有机酸（三者之和）对自由酸度的平均贡献值为32.9%。这些事实表明，安顺大气降水中的有机酸是降水化学物质的重要组成部分，会对降水的物理和化学特征产生重要的影响。采样期间，安顺甲酸、乙酸和草酸的湿沉降通量分别为10.81、10.46和3.94 mmol/m2/year。根据气液平衡理论，估算出甲酸和乙酸的干沉降量，分别为4.78和1.63mmol/m2/year。 （4） 安顺降水有机酸浓度存在着明显的季节性变化，四季的有机酸浓度由高到低分别为：冬季>春季>夏季>秋季；非生长季节>生长季节。这种季节变化特征显然与植物生长的季节变化特征不一致。表明安顺大气中的有机酸浓度的影响因素非常复杂；植物生长、降雨量（降雨强度和持续时间）和人为活动等因素的季节变化都会影响大气有机酸的组成和分布特征。在连续降雨过程的监测中发现甲酸和乙酸的浓度是随降雨过程（时间）同步变化，这说明甲酸与乙酸很可能存在相同的来源或者相似的源强，它们在大气中的清除方式也可能相同。而草酸的浓度与日照强度和温度有关，与降雨发生的时间有很重要的关系，表明草酸多来源于光化学反应为主的间接来源。另外，还发现降雨初期降水酸性要强于降雨后期，这表明降雨对大气中污染物质有明显的清除和稀释作用。 （5） 相关性分析表明，甲酸和乙酸之间存在显著的相关关系，相关系数为0.80，这种强烈的正相关表明甲酸和乙酸具有相似的排放源或者排放源不同但有相似的排放强度；草酸与甲酸和乙酸也都具有显著相关关系,这可能是因为草酸与甲酸和乙酸具有相同的排放源或者是草酸的前体物如甲醛与甲酸、乙酸具有相似的排放源；甲酸与NH4+、NO3- 和NO2-的相关关系也很高，表明甲酸的主要来源是农业活动或者生物质燃烧和汽车尾气排放等。乙酸和草酸的情况与甲酸类似。论文建立了甲酸与乙酸分析浓度比值(F/A)T的判定方程曲线，结果表明安顺有机酸主要来源于直接来源，包括植物直接释放，生物质燃烧，汽车尾气排放等；间接来源如不饱和碳烃化合物（如烯烃和异戊二烯）和醛类物质(如甲醛）的光化学氧化不是该地区有机酸的主要来源。 （6） 对比贵州其它3个监测站点的降雨数据后，发现大气降水对降水酸度的贡献，偏远地区（尚重）要远大于工业城市。另外，安顺和尚重大气有机酸以直接来源为主。其中，尚重有机酸的主要来源是植物释放，而安顺有机酸的主要来源是生物质燃烧、汽车尾气等人类活动的释放。贵阳市有机酸的主要来源是间接来源，即有机酸前体物的光化学氧化。遵义有机酸的来源具有明显的季节周期性，在夏秋以直接释放为主，而春冬季节以间接释放为主。

红枫湖、百花湖水中溶解有机物分子量分布特征及环境地球化学意义

溶解有机物（dissolved organio matter， DOM）通常是指能够通过0.45μm滤膜的有机物质。0.45μm的定义是根据传统的过滤滤膜直径来划分的，不是一个绝对的定义。DOM在水环境中起着重要的作用，它是水环境中重要的配位体和吸附载体。DOM在水化学和生态环境中的重要作用，主要表现在它不仅可以和基本的金属离子和有机化合物结合，还可以与毒性金属离子和除草剂、杀虫剂结合（wershow ond Goldberg，1972）。湖泊水中DoM的浓度及物理化学性质能够影响水生态环境的结构及初级生产力。溶解有机物按元素组成来分，主要含有C、O、H、N、P、S以及灰分。按重量计算，其中C占总有机物的50％，其次是O（科O％）、H（一5％）、N（0.5～6.5％）、P（＜1.0％）、S（＜1.0％）和灰分（1.2-5.0％）（Thurman，1985）。DOM一般由多种有机化合物组成，其中腐殖物质是溶解有机质的主要组成部分，一般占有机质总量的50-80％。目前通常可人为地将腐殖物质划分为胡敏素、胡敏酸和富里酸（Aiken et oL，1 985）。其余的非腐殖类物质主要包括碳水化合物、氨基酸、叶绿素、藻类分泌物、酚酮类化合物、脂肪酸和亲水性有机酸等（Thurman，1985）a在水环境中一些金属离子和微量元素通常和DOM相结合，而这些元素的作用和在水中的迁移都受DoM的分子量分布的影响（chiou etal．，1986）。 DOM的分子量及其分布是指示水质量的一个重要参数，同时在水处理过程中对于研究DOM的去处效率有重要作用（vuorio et oL，1998）。具有不同分子量分布的DOM与金属的络合能力也不同，则它们对金属的生物有效性的作用就不同（wuetal．，2002）。分子量变化的程度可以进一步理解DOM的自然形成过程，也可以在弓！用水处理过程中优化腐殖质的去除过程。红枫湖和百花湖是贵州地区两个人工水库，通过对两湖水文条件的测量，探讨了影响DOM分子量及分布变化的环境因素，包括溶解氧的含量、水体温度、pH值、叶绿素。的含量、光照强度、藻类生长情况、生物活动等，以及溶解有机物的来源，人为污染情况等。本文采样高效体积排阻色谱法（High PerformanceSizeExclusion cbromatograP场，HPsEC）测量了红枫湖、百花湖水中的DOM的含量及分子量分布，得出了以下几点认识：1、选择HPsEC实验的最佳条件：0.03M NaCl和0.002的磷酸盐缓冲液作为流动相，pH为6.8，离子强度为0．034mol几，紫外检测波长为254nm。2、红枫湖、百花湖水中DOM主要以分子量小于3500Da的组分为主，占总溶解有机物的90％以上。根据洗脱曲线的峰面积，可以把DOM分为3个不同 分子量的组分，其中大分子量组分（MW＞2000Da）的含量占总DOM的35％一68％；中等分子量组分（Z000Da＞MW>1000Da）的含量为27％-57％；小分子量组分（MW＜1000Da）占总DOM的3％一31％。 3、红枫湖、百花湖水中Doc含量受气候条件的影响。丰水期，水体上部DOC含量较大，下部较小‘平水期和枯水期，上下水体中DOC含量一致。各组分DOc含量变化与总DOC含量变化相似。DOC含量也表现出明显的季节性变化特征。丰水期DOC含量较高，而在平水期和枯水期含量较低。红枫湖和百花湖二者之间DOC含量没有明显的差别。4、红枫湖、百花湖水中DOM平均分子量也受气候条件的影响。丰水期，随深度的增大，DoM平均分子量增大；平水期和枯水期，上下水体DOM平均分子量一致。DO入左的季节性变化与DOC相反，丰水期，DOM平均分子量偏低；而在平水期和枯水期，DOM平均分子量偏高。5、重均分子量和数均分子量虽然变化趋势相似，但是它们的变化幅度不同，所以多分散系数也会发生变化。总的来说，在水体上部多分散系数偏大，水体下部偏小。丰水期多分散系数较大，平水期和枯水期多分散系数较小。6、随着气候条件的变化，各分子量组分的DOM含量及DOC浓度也在发生变化。大分子量组分随深度而增大，而中等和小分子量组分随深度而减小。丰水期，中等和小分子量组分含量较多，而大分子量组分较少；平水期和枯水期，大分子量组分含量较多，中等和小分子量组分含量较少。

Isospecific polymerization of styrene with modified ziegler-type catalysts

Effects of various kinds of additives as well as aging of the catalyst on the polymerization of styrene catalyzed by TiCl4/MgCl2-AlEt3 system have been studied. Experiments show that in toluene the isotacticity of polystyrene can be up to 83% for aged catalyst, whereas when the catalyst is not aged. non-stereospecific polymer is the main product. When PCl3 is used as an additive, the catalyst system gives high activity and isotacticity. The use of a mixture of AlEt3/H2O (1: 1 mole ratio) as a cocatalyst is also efficient. The catalyst [TiCl4-PCl3/MgCl2-AlEt3/H2O] displays high activity and product isotacticity (94%) with an average molecular weight up to 2 X 10(-6). When Co(acac)(3) is added to to [TiCl4/MgCl2-AlEt3] catalyst after it was aged, the isotacticity can be up to 97%. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cirurgia oral em hipocoagulados

Monografia apresentada à Universidade Fernando Pessoa para obtenção do grau de Licenciado em Medicina Dentária

Simulation chamber studies of the atmospheric degradation of naphthalene, 1-nitronaphthalene and phthaldialdehyde

A detailed series of simulation chamber experiments has been performed on the atmospheric degradation pathways of the primary air pollutant naphthalene and two of its photooxidation products, phthaldialdehyde and 1-nitronaphthalene. The measured yields of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) arising from the photooxidation of naphthalene varied from 6-20%, depending on the concentrations of naphthalene and nitrogen oxides as well as relative humidity. A range of carbonyls, nitro-compounds, phenols and carboxylic acids were identified among the gas- and particle-phase products. On-line analysis of the chemical composition of naphthalene SOA was performed using aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) for the first time. The results indicate that enhanced formation of carboxylic acids may contribute to the observed increase in SOA yields at higher relative humidity. The photolysis of phthaldialdehyde and 1-nitronaphthalene was investigated using natural light at the European Photoreactor (EUPHORE) in Valencia, Spain. The photolysis rate coefficients were measured directly and used to confirm that photolysis is the major atmospheric loss process for these compounds. For phthaldialdehyde, the main gas-phase products were phthalide and phthalic anhydride. SOA yields in the range 2-11% were observed, with phthalic acid and dihydroxyphthalic acid identified among the particle phase products. The photolysis of 1-nitronaphthalene yielded nitric oxide and a naphthoxy radical which reacted to form several products. SOA yields in the range 57-71% were observed, with 1,4-naphthoquinone, 1-naphthol and 1,4-naphthalenediol identified in the particle phase. On-line analysis of the SOA generated in an indoor chamber using ATOFMS provided evidence for the formation of high-molecular-weight products. Further investigations revealed that these products are oxygenated polycyclic compounds most likely produced from the dimerization of naphthoxy radicals. These results of this work indicate that naphthalene is a potentially large source of SOA in urban areas and should be included in atmospheric models. The kinetic and mechanistic information could be combined with existing literature data to produce an overall degradation mechanism for naphthalene suitable for inclusion in photochemical models that are used to predict the effect of emissions on air quality.

The formulation, testing and stability of 16% fat cream liqueurs

Cream liqueurs manufactured by a one-step process, where alcohol was added before homogenisation, were more stable than those processed by a two -step process which involved addition of alcohol after homogenisation. Using the one-step process, it was possible to produce creaming-stable liqueurs by using one pass through a homogeniser (27.6 MPa) equipped with "liquid whirl" valves. Test procedures to characterise cream liqueurs and to predict shelf life were studied in detail. A turbidity test proved simple, rapid and sensitive for characterising particle size and homogenisation efficiency. Prediction of age thickening/gelation in cream liqueurs during incubation at 45 °C depended on the age of the sample when incubated. Samples that gelled at 45 °C may not do so at ambient temperature. Commercial cream liqueurs were similar in gross chemical composition, and unlike experimentally produced liqueurs, these did not exhibit either age-gelation at ambient or elevated temperatures. Solutions of commercial sodium caseinates from different sources varied in their calcium sensitivity. When incorporated into cream liqueurs, caseinates influenced the rate of viscosity increase, coalescence and, possibly, gelation during incubated storage. Mild heat and alcohol treatment modified the properties of caseinate used to stabilise non-alcoholic emulsions, while the presence of alcohol in emulsions was important in preventing clustering of globules. The response to added trisodium citrate varied. In many cases, addition of the recommended level (0.18%) did not prevent gelation. Addition of small amounts of NaOH with 0.18 % trisodium citrate before homogenisation was beneficial. The stage at which citrate was added during processing was critical to the degree of viscosity increase (as opposed to gelation) in the product during 45 °C incubation. The component responsible for age-gelation was present in the milk-solids non fat portion of the cream and variations in the creams used were important in the age-gelation phenomenon Results indicated that, in addition to possibly Ca++, the micellar casein portion of serum may play a role in gelation. The role of the low molecular weight surfactants, sodium stearoyl lactylate and monodiglycerides in preventing gelation, was influenced by the presence of trisodium citrate. Clustering of fat globules and age-gelation were inhibited when 0.18 % citrate was included. Inclusion of sodium stearoyl lactylate, but not monodiglycerides, reduced the extent of viscosity increase at 45 °C in citrate containing liqueurs.

Prediction and prevention of venous thrombosis in pregnancy

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains the leading cause of maternal mortality. Reports identified further research is required in obese and women post caesarean section (CS). Risk factors for VTE during pregnancy are periodically absent indicating the need for a simple and effective screening tool for pregnancy. Perturbation of the uteroplacental haemostasis has been implicated in placenta mediated pregnancy complications. This thesis had 4 main aims: 1) To investigate anticoagulant effects following a fixed thromboprophylaxis dose in healthy women post elective CS. 2) To evaluate the calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT) assay as a potential predictive tool for thrombosis in pregnancy. 3) To compare the anticoagulant effects of fixed versus weight adjusted thromboprophylaxis dose in morbidly obese pregnant women. 4) To investigate the LMWH effects on human haemostatic gene and antigen expression in placentae and plasma from the uteroplacental , maternal and fetal circulation. Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), thrombin antithrombin (TAT), CAT and anti-Xa levels were analysed. Real-time PCR and ELISA were used to quantify mRNA and protein expression of TFPI and TF in placental tissue. In women post CS, anti-Xa levels do not reflect the full anticoagulant effects of LMWH. LMWH thromboprophylaxis in this healthy cohort of patients appears to have a sustained effect in reducing excess thrombin production post elective CS. The results of this study suggest that predicting VTE in pregnant women using CAT assay is not possible at present time. The prothrombotic state in pregnant morbidly obese women was substantially attenuated by weight adjusted but not at fixed LMWH doses. LMWH may be effective in reducing in- vivo thrombin production in the uteroplacental circulation of thrombophilic women. All these results collectively suggest that at appropriate dosage, LMWH is effective in attenuating excess thrombin generation, in low risk pregnant women post caesarean section or moderate to high risk pregnant women who are morbidly obese or tested positive for thrombophilia. The results of the studies provided data to inform evidence-based practice to improve the outcome for pregnant women at risk of thrombosis.

Novel ingredients from brewers' spent grain - bioactivity in cell culture model systems and bioactivity retention in fortified food products

Functional food ingredients, with scientifically proven and validated bioactive effects, present an effective means of inferring physiological health benefits to consumers to reduce the risk of certain diseases. The search for novel bioactive compounds for incorporation into functional foods is particularly active, with brewers’ spent grain (BSG, a brewing industry co-product) representing a unique source of potentially bioactive compounds. The DNA protective, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of phenolic extracts from both pale (P1 - P4) and black (B1 – B4) BSG were examined. Black BSG extracts significantly (P < 0.05) protected against DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and extracts with the highest total phenolic content (TPC) protected against 3-morpholinosydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1)-induced oxidative DNA damage, measured by the comet assay. Cellular antioxidant activity assays were used to measured antioxidant potential in the U937 cell line. Extracts P1 – P3 and B2 - B4 demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) antioxidant activity, measured by the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and gluatathione (GSH) content assays. Phenolic extracts P2 and P3 from pale BSG possess anti-inflammatory activity measured in concanavalin-A (conA) stimulated Jurkat T cells by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); significantly (P < 0.05) reducing production of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4, P2 only), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Black BSG phenolic extracts did not exhibit anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. Hydroxycinnamic acids (HA) have previously been shown to be the phenolic acids present at highest concentration in BSG; therefore the HA profile of the phenolic extracts used in this research, the original barley (before brewing) and whole BSG was characterised and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The concentration of HA present in the samples was in the order of ferulic acid (FA) > p-coumaric acid (p-CA) derivatives > FA derivatives > p-CA > caffeic acid (CA) > CA derivatives. Results suggested that brewing and roasting decreased the HA content. Protein hydrolysates from BSG were also screened for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. A total of 34 BSG protein samples were tested. Initial analyses of samples A – J found the protein samples did not exert DNA protective effects (except hydrolysate H) or antioxidant effects by the comet and SOD assays, respectively. Samples D, E, F and J selectively reduced IFN-γ production (P < 0.05) in Jurkat T cells, measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Further testing of hydrolysates K – W, including fractionated hydrolysates with molecular weight < 3, < 5 and > 5 kDa, found that higher molecular weight (> 5 kDa) and unfractionated hydrolysates demonstrate greatest anti-inflammatory effects, while fractionated hydrolysates were also shown to have antioxidant activity, by the SOD activity assay. A commercially available yogurt drink (Actimel) and snack-bar and chocolate-drink formulations were fortified with the most bioactive phenolic and protein samples – P2, B2, W, W < 3 kDa, W < 5 kDa, W > 5 kDa. All fortified foods were subjected to a simulated gastrointestinal in vitro digestion procedure and bioactivity retention in the digestates was determined using the comet and ELISA assays. Yogurt fortified with B2 digestate significantly (P < 0.05) protected against H2O2-induced DNA damage in Caco-2 cells. Greatest immunomodulatory activity was demonstrated by the snack-bar formulation, significantly (P < 0.05) reducing IFN-γ production in con-A stimulated Jurkat T cells. Hydrolysate W significantly (P < 0.05) increased the IFN-γ reducing capacity of the snack-bar. Addition of fractionated hydrolysate W < 3 kDa and W < 5 kDa to yogurt also reduced IL-2 production to a greater extent than the unfortified yogurt (P < 0.05).

Physico-chemical properties and component interactions in high solids food systems

The present study aimed to investigate interactions of components in the high solids systems during storage. The systems included (i) lactose–maltodextrin (MD) with various dextrose equivalents at different mixing ratios, (ii) whey protein isolate (WPI)–oil [olive oil (OO) or sunflower oil (SO)] at 75:25 ratio, and (iii) WPI–oil– {glucose (G)–fructose (F) 1:1 syrup [70% (w/w) total solids]} at a component ratio of 45:15:40. Crystallization of lactose was delayed and increasingly inhibited with increasing MD contents and higher DE values (small molecular size or low molecular weight), although all systems showed similar glass transition temperatures at each aw. The water sorption isotherms of non-crystalline lactose and lactose–MD (0.11 to 0.76 aw) could be derived from the sum of sorbed water contents of individual amorphous components. The GAB equation was fitted to data of all non-crystalline systems. The protein–oil and protein–oil–sugar materials showed maximum protein oxidation and disulfide bonding at 2 weeks of storage at 20 and 40°C. The WPI–OO showed denaturation and preaggregation of proteins during storage at both temperatures. The presence of G–F in WPI–oil increased Tonset and Tpeak of protein aggregation, and oxidative damage of the protein during storage, especially in systems with a higher level of unsaturated fatty acids. Lipid oxidation and glycation products in the systems containing sugar promoted oxidation of proteins, increased changes in protein conformation and aggregation of proteins, and resulted in insolubility of solids or increased hydrophobicity concomitantly with hardening of structure, covalent crosslinking of proteins, and formation of stable polymerized solids, especially after storage at 40°C. We found protein hydration transitions preceding denaturation transitions in all high protein systems and also the glass transition of confined water in protein systems using dynamic mechanical analysis.

Nutrition, growth and body composition in infancy

This thesis is presented in two parts. Data for this research is from the Cork BASELINE (Babies after SCOPE, Evaluating Longitudinal Impact using Neurological and Nutritional Endpoints) Birth Cohort Study (n = 2137). In this prospective birth cohort study, pediatric follow-up with in-person appointments were repeated from the time of birth through to 2, 6 and 12 months, and at 2 years. Body composition was measured by air displacement plethysmography at birth and at 2 months using the PEA POD Infant Body Composition Tracking System. This thesis provides the first extensive report on the study’s 2 year assessment. In part one, the aims were to investigate potential early-life risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity, including rapid growth and body composition in infancy and umbilical cord concentrations of leptin and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin. This research is the first to describe rapid growth in early infancy in terms of changes in direct measures of body composition. These are also the first data to examine associations between umbilical cord leptin and HMW adiponectin concentrations and changes in fat and lean mass in early infancy. These data provide additional insight into characterising the growth trajectory in infancy and into the role of perinatal factors in determining infant growth and subsequent overweight/obesity risk. In part two of this thesis, the aims were to quantify vitamin D intake and status at 2 years and to investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in early pregnancy and in umbilical cord blood are associated with infant growth and body composition. There was a low prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among Irish 2 year olds (n = 742) despite a high prevalence of inadequate intakes and high latitude (51°N). Maternal 25(OH)D concentrations at 15 weeks gestation and cord 25(OH)D concentrations at delivery were not associated with infant growth or adiposity.