Microencapsulation of Linoleic Acid with Low- and High-molecular-weight Components of Soluble Soybean Polysaccharide and Its Oxidation Process

Soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) was fractionated into its low- (LMW) and high-molecular-weight (HMW) components to test their antioxidative and emulsifying properties. Linoleic acid was emulsified with an aqueous solution of SSPS, HMW, a mixture of LMW or HMW with maltodextrin, or maltodextrin alone. The emulsions prepared with SSPS, HWM and the mixture of HMW with maltodextrin were stable. These emulsions were spay-dried to produce microcapsules. The encapsulated linoleic acid was oxidized at 37°C and at various levels of relative humidity. Linoleic acid encapsulated with the mixture of LMW with maltodextrin or HMW was stable to oxidation, and this stability increased as the weight fraction of LMW in the mixture was increased. The LMW components also had high DPPH-radical scavenging activity. These results indicate that LMW played an important role in suppressing or retarding the oxidation of linoleic acid encapsulated with SSPS. The oxidative stability of linoleic acid encapsulated with a mixture of the LMW and HMW components was high at low and high relative humidity, but not at intermediate levels of relative humidity.     

Expression of a Soluble Functional Form of the Integrin α4β1 in Mammalian Cells

The integrin α₄β₁(VLA4) has been expressed as a soluble, active, heterodimeric immunoglobulin fusion protein. cDNAs encoding the extracellular domains of the human α₄ and β₁ subunits were fused to the genomic DNA encoding the human γ1 immunoglobulin Fc domain and functional integrin fusion protein was expressed as a secreted, soluble molecule from a range of mammalian cell lines. Specific mutations were introduced into the Fc region of the molecules to promote α₄β₁ heterodimer formation. The soluble α₄β₁ Fc fusion protein exhibited divalent cation dependent binding to VCAM-1, which was blocked by the appropriate function blocking antibodies. The apparent K_d for VCAM-1 binding were similar for both the soluble and native forms of α₄β₁. In addition, the integrin–Fc fusion was shown to stain cells expressing VCAM-1 on their surface by FACs analysis. This approach for expressing soluble α₄β₁ should be generally applicable to a range of integrins.     

Alcohol consumption by youth: Peers,parents, or prices?

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health, we estimate the effect of peers’ alcohol consumption and alcohol prices on the drinking habits of high-school-age youth. We use the two-stage residual inclusion method to account for the endogeneity of peer drinking in nonlinear models. For our sample of high school students, we find that peer effects are statistically and economically significant regarding the choice to participate in drinking but are not significant for the frequency of drinking, including binge drinking. Regarding alcohol prices, even though we have good price variation in our sample, alcohol prices are not found to be significant. The results are important for policymakers who are considering policies to reduce underage drinking, as we conclude that no significant impact on underage drinking will result from low-tax states’ increasing excise taxes on alcohol so they are similar to those of high-tax states. Policymakers may choose to focus instead on the influence of peers and changing the social norm behavior.     

Two oligosaccharides from Marsdenia roylei

Phytochemical analysis of dried twigs of Marsdenia roylei (family Asclepiadaceae) has resulted in the isolation of a trisaccharide, maryal, and a diglycoside, rolinose. Their structures were determined as O-beta-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-beta-D-digitoxopyranosyl++ +-(1-->4)-D- cymaral and ethyl O-beta-D-oleandropyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-3-O-methyl-6-deoxy-beta-D- allopyranoside, respectively, by chemical degradation and spectroscopic methods.     

Multiple mating and sperm displacement in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster

Summary Mother-offspring data for alcohol dehydrogenase genotypes of a vineyard cellar population of D. melanogaster are best explained by a model that allows 21% of females in the population to mate twice with an 83% level of sperm displacement. A population model with multiple mating and sperm displacement is examined theoretically. A formula for the effective population size is derived under this model. Multiple mating increases the effective population size relative to single mating.     

低温对螺旋藻可溶性蛋白和游离氨基酸外渗的影响

以鄂尔多斯高原碱湖特有的钝顶螺旋藻S1、引进的钝顶螺旋藻S2和极大螺旋藻S3为材料,采用Folin法和茚三酮法分别测定低温下细胞外渗液中可溶性蛋白和游离氮基酸含量。结果表明：处理温度越低,时间越长,螺旋藻细胞外渗液中可溶性蛋白和游离氨基酸的含量越高。S1膜损伤程度最轻,比引进种S2、S3有较强的抗寒能力。判断低温对螺旋藻膜损伤的程度,用可溶性蛋白较游离氨基酸更接近于实际。     

一种高效的酵母菌培养基的设计

为了设计一种高效酵母菌培养基,以便在需要酵母菌快速生长繁殖时,使用该类培养基,在较短时间内获得大量酵母菌,分别以LB培养基、麦氏培养基作为最基本的培养基加入一定量的大豆提取物,配制成为一定浓度的培养基,并用于酵母菌的培养。根据酵母菌的生长情况,判定大豆提取物对酵母菌的生长繁殖是否有促进作用。实验证明,大豆提取物对酵母菌生长繁殖具有明显的促进作用,尤其是浓度为6％时作用最明显。结果表明,采用LB或麦氏培养基加入6％的大豆提取物对酵母菌的生长促进作用最佳,是一种高效的酵母菌培养基。     

IL-1023-57-PE40可溶表达、纯化及其细胞活性

以IL-10的功能短肽(35肽,即IL10第23至57氨基酸残基)为导向部分与PE40(绿脓杆菌外毒素除去受体结合区后的剩余部分)融合分别置入pet20b( )和pet28a( )构建重组毒素IL102357PE40的两种表达质粒,其中置于pet20b( )的重组毒素在BL21(DE3)pLysS中以周质分泌可溶形式表达,置于pet28a( )的重组毒素在Rosettablue(DE3)中以高效胞质可溶形式表达;依次通过硫酸铵盐析、疏水层析、阴离子交换层析、铜离子亲和层析纯化周质分泌成份,得90%重组毒素纯品;细胞活性实验表明,该重组毒素只对单核巨噬细胞有杀伤作用;细胞ELISA显示,该重组毒素对单核巨噬细胞的杀伤作用(IC50为13.9pmolL)符合绿脓杆菌外毒素的作用机理.