Thermal Properties of Freeze-Concentrated Sugar-Phosphate Solutions

In order to understand the effect of phosphate salts on the freeze-concentrated glass-like transition temperature (T _g′) of aqueous sugar solutions, two types of sugar (glucose and maltose) and five types of phosphate salts (Na₃PO₄, Na₄P₂O₇, Na₅P₃O₁₀, K₃PO₄, and K₄P₂O₇) were employed, and the thermal properties of various sugar-phosphate aqueous systems were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The T _g′ of glucose increased with increasing sodium phosphates up to a certain phosphate ratio, decreasing thereafter. The maximum T _g′ value was slightly higher in the order of Na₃PO₄ > Na₄P₂O₇ ≥ Na₅P₃O₁₀. Maltose-sodium phosphate also showed a similar trend as glucose-sodium phosphate samples. However, the degree of T _g′-rise of maltose systems was much less than that of glucose. It is thought that the T _g′ elevated by the molecular interaction between sugar and phosphate ions will be reduced by hydrated sodium ions. In comparisons between potassium phosphate and sodium phosphate, it was found that sugar-potassium phosphates showed the lower maximum T _g′ at a lower phosphate ratio than sugar-sodium phosphates. In addition, the T _g′ of potassium phosphates dropped sharply in comparison with sodium phosphates at the high phosphate ratio. These results suggest that potassium phosphates are lower T _g′ than sodium phosphates, and that potassium ion plays a better plasticizer than sodium ion. A certain amount of sodium phosphates (Na₃PO₄ and Na₄P₂O₇) caused devitrification. Potassium phosphates, however, did not show devitrification which can be explained by the fact that potassium ion can be dynamically restricted by sugar.     

Propylene Oxide as Sterilizing Agent

Liquid propylene oxide added to a variety of disinfectant solutions resulted in a significant reduction of the bacterial spore content of these solutions.     

Sterilizing effects of trimethylphosphate in Drosophila melanogaster

Trimethylphosphate (TMP) causes aspermia in D. melanogaster males. If larvae are allowed to develop on standard maize-meal medium containing 0.002 M TMP or greater, the enclosing adult males, when placed on uncontaminated medium, exhibit a period of temporary sterility. Between test groups the period of sterility is most variable at the doses of 0.002-0.004 M, but at 0.005 M or greater is approximately 11-12 days. Near-lethal doses of about 20 g/kg by abdominal injection produces a temporary sterility in adults, whereas oral doses up to 0.02 M are ineffective. Oogenesis in females is not affected by doses which cause temporary sterility in males. In adult male D. melanogaster, which were treated as larvae with 0.01 M TMP in the food medium, the basal region of testes and seminal vesicles do not contain spermatozoa. Cytological examinations of the spermatids reveal ultrastructural changes which are characteristic of those seen in X/O and sterile-mutant males; they contain incomplete axial fibre complexes, abnormal development of the mitochondrial derivatives, and nuclei which fail to elongate and condense. Evidence from cytological studies of larval testes suggests that the chemosterilizing effect of TMP is upon early primary spermatocytes. This is also supported by mating data.     

Conformational Properties of Polyglutamine Sequences in Guanidine Hydrochloride Solutions

Two sets of iso-1-cytochrome c variants have been prepared with N-terminal insertions of pure polyglutamine, i.e., PolyQ variants, or polyglutamine interrupted with lysine every sixth residue, i.e., Gln-rich variants. The polymer properties of these pure polyGln or Gln-rich sequences have been evaluated using equilibrium and kinetic His-heme loop formation methods for loop sizes ranging from 22 to 46 in 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 M guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl). In 6.0 M GdnHCl, the scaling exponent, ν₃, for the pure polyGln sequences, is ∼1.7—significantly less than ν₃ ≈ 2.15 for the Gln-rich sequences. The stability of the His-heme loops becomes progressively greater for the pure polyGln sequences relative to the Gln-rich sequences as GdnHCl concentration decreases from 6.0 to 1.5 M. Thus, the context of the sequence effects the polymer properties of Gln repeats even in denaturing concentrations of GdnHCl. Comparison of data for the Gln-rich variants with previous results for Gly-rich and Ala-rich variants shows that ν₃ ∼ 2.2 for the Gln-rich, Gly-rich, and Ala-rich sequences in 6.0 M GdnHCl, whereas ν₃ remains unchanged at 3.0 M GdnHCl concentration for the Gln-rich and Ala-rich sequences but decreases to ∼1.7 for the Gly-rich sequences. Thus, the polymer properties of Gln-rich and Ala-rich sequences are less sensitive to solvent quality in denaturing solutions of GdnHCl than Gly-rich sequences. Evaluation of Flory’s characteristic ratio, C_n, for the Gln-rich and Ala-rich sequences relative to the Gly-rich sequences shows that Gln-rich sequences are stiffer than Ala-rich sequences at both 3.0 and 6.0 M GdnHCl.     

一种大豆成熟种子的消毒方法

文中介绍的氯气消毒法可大大提高大豆成熟种子的消毒效率,且较其他几种方法萌发快,萌发率高。     

Impact of Phenolic Antioxidants on Structural Properties of Micellar Solutions

Antioxidants solubilized in micellar solutions can change micellar properties like the size and shape of micelles, critical micellar concentration (cmc) and viscosity. Interactions arising between antioxidants and the surfactant determine the locations of antioxidants and vice versa. The location and interaction are dependent on the type of both the antioxidant and surfactant. Influences of various antioxidants on the physical and structural properties were tested in micellar systems of cationic CTAB, non-ionic Brij 58 and anionic SDS. The antioxidants used to investigate the effects of gradually increasing lipophilicity were gallic acid (GA) and the gallate esters from methyl to octyl gallate (MG-OG). Hydroxy cinnamic acids (HCAs) like -coumaric acid (pC), caffeic acid (CA), ferulic acid (FA) and sinapic acid (SA) were employed to observe effects of functional groups like hydroxyl and methoxy groups. Micellar size and shape determined by small angle neutron scattering (SANS), viscosity and cmc were chosen to characterize the antioxidant influence. In Brij 58 systems propyl gallate (PG) did not affect the cmc or aggregation number but decreased micellar size slightly due to an intercalation of PG into the region of the polyoxyethylene chain and the first adjacent alkyl chain methylene groups. In SDS systems the micellar size and cmc decreased in the presence of PG. This was attributed to PG residing in the Stern layer. However, in CTAB systems micelles swelled at low PG concentration and in the presence of GA, while higher PG concentrations and more lipophilic antioxidants led to a sphere-to-rod transition with a simultaneous increase in viscosity and decrease in cmc. This revealed the intercalation of antioxidants in the palisade layer of CTAB micelles entering into strong interactions of electrostatic and hydrophobic origin. It could be demonstrated that the interactions became stronger the more lipophil an antioxidant is and the more hydroxyl groups are attached to the aromatic ring. Differences in the location and interaction of antioxidant and micelles are proposed as being responsible for the effectiveness of antioxidants.     

白芨多糖胶-瓜尔胶复配溶液的流变性

考察了瓜尔胶溶液和白芨多糖胶-瓜尔胶复配溶液的流变特性。两组溶液呈现典型的假塑性,不同浓度下两组溶液表观黏度(ηa)随剪切速率(τ)的变化可以用Ostwald-Dewaele方程描述。白芨多糖胶和瓜尔胶复配产生协同增效作用,复配溶液的ηa大于单一组分的白芨多糖胶溶液或瓜尔胶溶液的ηa。复配溶液中白芨多糖胶与瓜尔胶的最佳配比是质量比为9∶1。     

Peracetic Acid as Sterilizing Agent for Culture Serum

Serum, used to supplement cell culture media, is usually sterilized by filtration because heat-treatment may adversely affect its growth-promoting properties. This filter-sterilization procedure is, however, unreliable because viruses and mycoplasmas may easily pass through the filter. As another approach, we have studied the question of whether serum sterilized by peracetic acid can be used in cell and tissue cultivation. Preliminary results^1,2 indicated that this was possible and we have attempted to establish the best method of peracetic acid treatment and to show that serum treated in this way is suitable for cell cultivation.     

Sterilizing Bacillus pumilus spores using supercritical carbon dioxide

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO(2)) has been evaluated as a new sterilization technology. Results are presented on killing of B. pumilus spores using SC CO(2) containing trace levels of additives. Complete killing was achieved with 200 part per million (ppm) hydrogen peroxide in SC CO(2) at 60 degrees C, 27.5 MPa. Addition of water to SC CO(2) resulted in greater than three-log killing, but this is insufficient to claim sterilization. Neither ethanol nor isopropanol when added to SC CO(2) affected killing.     

Landscape Excitation Profiles and Excess Thermodynamic Properties of Disaccharide Aqueous Solutions

We will consider the use of the bond model in characterizing, by the direct calculation route, the full excitation profile. The present work sets the temperature behaviour of the excessive value of some thermodynamic quantities, such as configurational entropy and heat capacity of two homologous disaccharide aqueous solutions. The findings represent important data for understanding the better lyoprotectant effectiveness of trehalose in comparison with sucrose.     

Spastin's Microtubule-Binding Properties and Comparison to Katanin

Spastin and katanin are ring-shaped hexameric AAA ATPases that sever microtubules, and thus crucially depend on a physical interaction with microtubules. For the first time, we report here the microtubule binding properties of spastin at the single-molecule level, and compare them to katanin. Microscopic fluorescence assays showed that human spastin bound to microtubules by ionic interactions, and diffused along microtubules with a diffusion coefficient comparable to katanin. The microscopic measurement of landing and dissociation rates demonstrated the ionic character of the interaction, which could be mapped to a patch of three lysine residues outside of the catalytic domain of human spastin. This motif is not conserved in Drosophila spastin or katanin, which also bound by non-catalytic parts of the protein. The binding affinities of spastin and katanin were nucleotide-sensitive, with the lowest affinities under ADP,, the highest under ATP-γS conditions. These changes correlated with the formation of higher oligomeric states, as shown in biochemical experiments and electron microscopic images. Vice versa, the artificial dimerization of human spastin by addition of a coiled coil led to a constitutively active enzyme. These observations suggest that dimer formation is a crucial step in the formation of the active complex, and thus the severing process by spastin.     

Effects of UV-irradiation at Various Wavelengths on Sterilizing Drosophila Embryos

Embryos of Drosophila melanogaster at the early intravitelline nuclear multiplication stage were irradiated with UV light at the posterior pole. The sterility and mortality of these embryos were examined in relation to the dose and wavelength of the UV light.
Sterility, expressed either as the frequency of pole-cell-deficient embryos, or as the frequency of agametic adults, was found to be dependent on the wavelength of UV light. UV-irradiation at 280 nm was found moot effective in causing sterility on Drosophila embryos. The minimum dose of radiation to give a 100% sterility was 200 J/m² at 280 nm, and 400 J/m² at 254 nm. In contrast, mortality showed no dependency on the wavelength.
The possibility that nucleic acids in the posterior region is a target of 280 nm radiation is discussed.     

Physicochemical Properties and Anti-Propionibacterium acnes Activity of Film-Forming Solutions Containing Alpha-Mangostin-Rich Extract

The objective of this study was to study the effect of formulation compositions on physicochemical properties and anti-Propionibacterium acnes activity of film-forming solutions containing alpha-mangostin-rich extract (AM). Film-forming solution bases and film-forming solutions containing AM were prepared by using Eudragit RL PO or Klucel LF or combinations of them as film-forming polymers. Rheological properties, pH values of the solutions, and mechanical properties of the dry films were investigated. An optimized formulation was selected and evaluated for the film surface, in vitro AM release, an anti-P. acnes activity, and potential for being a skin irritant. It was found that mechanical properties of the dry films were affected by total polymer contents, ratios of Klucel LF/Eudragit RL PO, AM, and contents of triethyl citrate. The film-forming solutions containing AM had pH values around 7.0. Their flow curves exhibited Newtonian flow behaviors. The optimized formulation provided films possessing smooth and nonporous surfaces. These films showed greater anti-P. acnes activity than their base films without toxicity to skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, AM released from the film matrix obeyed Higuchi's equation. In conclusion, the film-forming solutions containing AM had potential for treatment of acne vulgaris caused by P. acnes. However, further in vivo study is necessary to determine their efficacy and safety for using in patients suffering from acne vulgaris.