Calculation of mass and water content between the core,cortex, and coat ofBacillus stearothermophilus spores

The water contents and effective water activity of the core, cortex, and coat ofBacillus stearothermophilus spores in water, as well as the masses of the core, cortex, and coat in the dry state, were calculated from volumes, dry densities, and water absorption isotherms of the sporal components. The calculation depended upon the solution of simple simultaneous equations for the dry mass, dry volume, wet mass, and wet volume of the spore and its components. The effective water activity of the core and cortex was found to be 0.83.     

Paracellular absorption: a bat breaks the mammal paradigm

Bats tend to have less intestinal tissue than comparably sized nonflying mammals. The corresponding reduction in intestinal volume and hence mass of digesta carried is advantageous because the costs of flight increase with load carried and because take-off and maneuverability are diminished at heavier masses. Water soluble compounds, such as glucose and amino acids, are absorbed in the small intestine mainly via two pathways, the transporter-mediated transcellular and the passive, paracellular pathways. Using the microchiropteran bat Artibeus literatus (mean mass 80.6+/-3.7 g), we tested the predictions that absorption of water-soluble compounds that are not actively transported would be extensive as a compensatory mechanism for relatively less intestinal tissue, and would decline with increasing molecular mass in accord with sieve-like paracellular absorption. Using a standard pharmacokinetic technique, we fed, or injected intraperitoneally the metabolically inert carbohydrates L-rhamnose (molecular mass = 164 Da) and cellobiose (molecular mass = 342 Da) which are absorbed only by paracellular transport, and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3OMD-glucose) which is absorbed via both mediated (active) and paracellular transport. As predicted, the bioavailability of paracellular probes declined with increasing molecular mass (rhamnose, 90+/-11%; cellobiose, 10+/-3%, n = 8) and was significantly higher in bats than has been reported for laboratory rats and other mammals. In addition, absorption of 3OMD-glucose was high (96+/-11%). We estimated that the bats rely on passive, paracellular absorption for more than 70% of their total glucose absorption, much more than in non-flying mammals. Although possibly compensating for less intestinal tissue, a high intestinal permeability that permits passive absorption might be less selective than a carrier-mediated system for nutrient absorption and might permit toxins to be absorbed from plant and animal material in the intestinal lumen.     

Water-bound blood plasma components in enteral correction of posthemorrhagic hypovolemia

In chronic experiments it was ascertained, that duodenal infusion of monomeric-electrolyte solution with respect to dogs, having undergone hemorrhage of 20-50 ml/kg, while the absorption function is remained, ensure rapid and stable increase of circulating plasma volume, mass of protein, sodium, potassium, and is an effective remedy for stable fill up of posthemorrhagic hypovolemia. Recovery of aqua-associating plasma components, revealed in experiments, testify to participation of gastro-intestinal tract in formation of basic volume substratum and in maintenance of volume homeostasis.     

Morphometrics of the avian small intestine compared with that of nonflying mammals: a phylogenetic approach

Flying animals may experience a selective constraint on gut volume because the energetic cost of flight increases and maneuverability decreases with greater digesta load. The small intestine is the primary site of absorption of most nutrients (e.g., carbohydrates, proteins, fat) in both birds and mammals. Therefore, we used a phylogenetically informed approach to compare small intestine morphometric measurements of birds with those of nonflying mammals and to test for effects of diet within each clade. We also compared the fit of nonphylogenetic and phylogenetic models to test for phylogenetic signal after accounting for effects of body mass, clade, and/or diet. We provide a new MATLAB program (Regressionv2.m) that facilitates a flexible model-fitting approach in comparative studies. As compared with nonflying mammals, birds had 51% less nominal small intestine surface area (area of a smooth bore tube) and 32% less volume. For animals <365 g in body mass, birds also had significantly shorter small intestines (20%-33% shorter, depending on body mass). Diet was also a significant factor explaining variation in small intestine nominal surface area of both birds and nonflying mammals, small intestine mass of mammals, and small intestine volume of both birds and nonflying mammals. On the basis of the phylogenetic trees used in our analyses, small intestine length and nominal surface area exhibited statistically significant phylogenetic signal in birds but not in mammals. Thus, for birds, related species tended to be similar in small intestine length and nominal surface area, even after accounting for relations with body mass and diet. A reduced small intestine in birds may decrease the capacity for breakdown and active absorption of nutrients. Birds do not seem to compensate for reduced digestive and absorptive capacity via a longer gut retention time of food, but we found some evidence that birds have an increased mucosal surface area via a greater villus area, although not enough to compensate for reduced nominal surface area. We predict that without increased rate of enzyme hydrolysis and/or mediated transport and without increased passive absorption of water-soluble nutrients, birds may operate with a reduced digestive capacity, compared with that of nonflying mammals, to meet an increase in metabolic needs (i.e., a reduced spare capacity).     

Absorbencies of six different rodent beddings: commercially advertised absorbencies are potentially misleading

Moisture absorbency is one of the most important characteristics of rodent beddings for controlling bacterial growth and ammonia production. However, bedding manufacturers rarely provide information on the absorbencies of available materials, and even when they do, absorption values are usually expressed per unit mass of bedding. Since beddings are usually placed into cages to reach a required depth rather than a particular mass, their volumetric absorbencies are far more relevant. This study therefore compared the saline absorbencies of sawdust, aspen woodchips, two virgin loose pulp beddings (Alpha-Dri and Omega-Dri), reclaimed wood pulp (Tek-Fresh), and corncob, calculated both by volume and by mass. Absorbency per unit volume correlated positively with bedding density, while absorbency per unit mass correlated negatively. Therefore, the relative absorbencies of the beddings were almost completely reversed depending on how absorbency was calculated. By volume, corncob was the most absorbent bedding, absorbing about twice as much saline as Tek-Fresh, the least absorbent bedding. Conversely, when calculated by mass, Tek-Fresh appeared to absorb almost three times as much saline as the corncob. Thus, in practical terms the most absorbent bedding here was corncob, followed by the loose pulp beddings; and this is generally supported by their relatively low ammonia production as seen in previous studies. Many factors other than absorbency determine whether a material is suitable as a rodent bedding, and they are briefly mentioned here. However, manufacturers should provide details of bedding absorbencies in terms of volume, in order to help predict the relative absorbencies of the beddings in practical situations.     

A kinetic study of phosphorus absorption by excised maize roots from flowing solutions with different phosphorus concentrations

The effect of two different mechanisms of phosphorus ion transport from the nutrient solution volume to the surface areas of excised maize roots was studied under concentrations ranging from 0.01 mM to 50.0 mM KH₂PO₄. A modified technique of study of kinetic ion absorption was used. In the control series, the roots were placed in absorption solution without flow (the dominant mechanism of ion transport to the roots being diffusion), while in the experimental series the absorption solution was flowing round the roots at a rate of 0.162 cm s^?1 (the dominant mechanism of ion transport to the roots being mass flow). The rate of phosphorus absorption by the roots from flowing solutions was highly significantly increased at all concentrations of absorption solution except for the 50.0 mM KH₂PO₄ concentration. The increase in phosphorus absorption in the case of 50.0 mM KH₂PO₄ concentration was non-significant due to the fact that the high concentration of phosphorus together with the diffusion of phosphorus ions ensured a sufficient supply of phosphorus to the roots, covering the requirement for their uptake. The results point to the need for an analysis of environmental factors to be carried out in studying ion absorption kinetics, and reveal the inadequacy of methods usually employed in such investigations, in particular with respect to the homogeneity of the nutrient solution in the whole of its volume and especially round the roots.     

Aluminium in tea: SEC-ICP-MS speciation studies of infusions and simulated gastrointestinal digests

Abstract

The speciation of aluminium in tea infusions and in vitro gastrointestinal digests of tea infusions has been investigated using size exclusion chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS). At pH 2.5, following simulated gastric treatment, Al from tea eluted at a similar retention volume to that obtained for an aqueous Al standard. At pH 5.5, an aqueous Al standard was eluted from an SEC column in Tris buffer (Al recovery ≈ 100%) only in the presence of a complexing agent (NaF), and at a retention volume corresponding to a molecular mass greater than that expected for an ionic species. Aluminium associated with a tea infusion eluted in two fractions: a higher molecular weight fraction corresponding to Al strongly bound to ligands in the tea, and a lower molecular weight fraction probably comprised of labile Al eluting as Al-F complexes. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion produced three Al-bearing fractions, of which the two at higher molecular mass represented ligand-bound Al. The molarity of the Tris buffer strongly influenced the retention volume of the Al fractions, particularly for the ligand-bound Al. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion, the soluble labile fraction (15% of the Al from the tea infusion) was considered to be potentially available for absorption. The actual proportion of the fraction that might be absorbed would depend upon a number of physiological and nutritional factors.     

High-throughput methods for miniaturization and automation of monoclonal antibody purification processes

In the last decade, high-throughput downstream process development techniques have entered the biopharmaceutical industry. As chromatography is the standard downstream purification method, several high-throughput chromatographic methods have been developed and applied including miniaturized chromatographic columns for utilization on liquid handling stations. These columns were used to setup a complete downstream process on a liquid handling station for the first time. In this article, a monoclonal antibody process was established in lab-scale and miniaturized afterwards. The scale-down methodology is presented and discussed. Liquid handling in miniaturized single and multicolumn processes was improved and applicability was demonstrated by volume balances. The challenges of absorption measurement are discussed and strategies were shown to improve volume balances and mass balances in 96-well microtiter plates. The feasibility of miniaturizing a complete downstream process was shown. In the future, analytical bottlenecks should be addressed to gain the full benefit from miniaturized complete process development.     

Bone quality assessment in individuals of different age, gender and body constitution

The concept of bone quality describes the sets of the characteristics of the osseous tissue that influence bone strength. The aim was to explore the influence of anthropometric parameters and age on the parameters of the bone architecture and bone mineral properties in the lumbar vertebral bone of men and women. Vertebral bone samples underwent bone histomorphometry, bone densitometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. Men have greater values of the bone volume and thicker bone trabeculae in relation to women, which indicates that vertebral bone architecture is better preserved in men than in women. Age is the best predictor of changes that affect bone architecture and bone mineral properties. Bone mineral density value and calcium concentration are both negatively predicted by age, but positively predicted by body mass index. Such result supports the opinion that low body mass index is associated with conditions of bone deficit such are osteopenia and osteoporosis.     

SAR versus VAR, and the size and shape that provide the most appropriate RF exposure metric in the range of 0.5-6 GHz

Basic restrictions for protecting against localized tissue heating induced from exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields are typically specified as the specific energy absorption rate (SAR), which is mass averaged in recognition of the thermal diffusion properties of tissues. This article seeks to determine the most appropriate averaging mass (1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 g) and averaging shape (cube or sphere). We also consider an alternative metric, volumetric energy absorption rate (VAR), which uses volume averaging (over 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 cm³; cube and sphere). The SAR and VAR averaging approaches were compared by considering which was a better predictor of tissue temperature rise (ΔT) induced by near‐ and far‐field RF exposures (0.5–6 GHz), calculated in a detailed human body model. For the exposure scenarios that we examined, VAR is better correlated with ΔT than SAR, though not at a statistically significant level for most of the metric types we studied. However, as VAR offers substantive advantages in ease of assessment we recommend this metric over SAR. Averaging over a cube or a sphere provides equivalent levels of correlation with ΔT, and so we recommend choosing the averaging shape on the basis of which is easier to assess. The optimal averaging volume is 10 cm³ for VAR, and the optimal mass is 10 g for SAR. The correlation between VAR or SAR and ΔT diminishes substantially at 6 GHz, where incident power flux density may be a better exposure metric. Bioelectromagnetics 32:312–321, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Soluble mediators, not cilia, determine airway surface liquid volume in normal and cystic fibrosis superficial airway epithelia

A key aspect of the lung's innate defense system is the ability of the superficial epithelium to regulate airway surface liquid (ASL) volume to maintain a 7-mum periciliary liquid layer (PCL), which is required for cilia to beat and produce mucus flow. The mechanisms whereby airway epithelia regulate ASL height to >or=7 microm are poorly understood. Using bumetanide as an inhibitor of Cl- secretion, and nystatin as an activator of Na+ absorption, we found that a coordinated "blending" of both Cl- secretion and Na+ absorption must occur to effect ASL volume homeostasis. We then investigated how ASL volume status is regulated by the underlying epithelia. Cilia were not critical to this process as (a) ASL volume was normal in cultures from patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia with immotile cilia, and (b) in normal cultures that had not yet undergone ciliogenesis. However, we found that maneuvers that mimic deposition of excess ASL onto the proximal airways, which occurs during mucociliary clearance and after glandular secretion, acutely stimulated Na+ absorption, suggesting that volume regulation was sensitive to changes in concentrations of soluble mediators in the ASL rather than alterations in ciliary beating. To investigate this hypothesis further, we added potential "soluble mediators" to the ASL. ASL volume regulation was sensitive to a channel-activating protein (CAP; trypsin) and a CAP inhibitor (aprotinin), which regulated Na+ absorption via changes in epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) activity in both normal and cystic fibrosis cultures. ATP was also found to acutely regulate ASL volume by inducing secretion in normal and cystic fibrosis (CF) cultures, while its metabolite adenosine (ADO) evoked secretion in normal cultures but stimulated absorption in CF cultures. Interestingly, the amount of ASL/Cl- secretion elicited by ATP/ADO was influenced by the level of CAP-induced Na+ absorption, suggesting that there are important interactions between the soluble regulators which finely tune ASL volume.     

Why elephant have trunks and giraffe long tongues: how plants shape large herbivore mouth morphology

We investigated whether mass and morphological spatial patterns in plants possibly induced the development of enlarged soft mouth parts in especially megaherbivores. We used power functions and geometric principles to explore allometric relationships of both morphological and foraging characteristics of mammalian herbivores in the South African savannah, covering a body size range of more than three orders magnitude. Our results show that, although intradental mouth volume scaled to a power slightly less than one to body mass, actual bite volume, as measured in the field, scaled to body mass with a factor closer to 1.75. However, when including the volume added to intradental mouth volume by soft mouth parts, such as tongue and lips (or trunks in elephant), mouth volume scaled linearly with actual bite volume and in a similar fashion as actual bite volume to body size. Bite mass and bite leaf mass scaled linearly with body size. We conclude that these scaling relationships indicate that large herbivores use their enlarged soft mouth parts to not only increase bite volume and thereby bite mass, but also select soft plant parts and thereby increase the leaf mass fraction per bite.     

当归果翅对种子吸水与发芽进程的影响

研究当归果翅对其种子吸水及发芽进程的影响,旨在为当归规范化栽培提供理论和技术依据。以当归的双悬果果实和去翅种子作为试验材料,对其千粒重、含水量、体积、容重和吸水率进行测定,并在自然室温条件下进行种子发芽试验。结果表明:①当归双悬果去除果翅后,其千粒重减少了46.87%(P<0.01),体积减少了90.78%(P<0.01),容重增加了475.92%(P<0.01),含水量增加了20.15%(P<0.05);②当归果翅抑制了种子吸水吸胀的能力,果翅去除后能在2.48 h内进入稳定期,较去翅前提前了3.38 h,且吸水过程符合逻辑斯蒂方程;③当归果翅对种子发芽具有显著影响,果翅去除后发芽势、发芽率和发芽指数较未去翅种子分别提高了256.7%、12.28%和27.77%,均达到了极显著水平(P<0.01)。当归双悬果去除果翅后,减小了种子体积和重量,并促进了种子吸水吸胀能力,同时还有效地提高了种子的发芽质量。建议在生产中以去翅种子作为播种材料进行播种。     

Distance-Dependent Fluorescence Quenching Efficiency of Gold Nanodisk: Effect of Aspect Ratio-Dependent Plasmonic Absorption

The fluorescence quenching efficiency of an emitter close to a gold nanodisk is investigated by theoretical calculation based on the modified quasi-static approximation and fluorescence energy transfer under dipole?Cdipole coupling. The calculation results show that the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption is the key factor to affect the quenching efficiency. Because of the asymmetric shape of the gold disk, the light absorption depends on both particle volume and aspect ratio (AR). Thus, the AR cannot control the quenching efficiency of gold nanodisk alone. Whether the disk volume is fixed or not may bring different changing way of AR-controlled quenching efficiency. Increasing the AR leads to the quenching efficiency of perpendicular mode start to decrease at a farther distance when the disk volume is changed, but start to decrease at a nearer distance when the volume is fixed. At a given wavelength, one can find a distinct peak in the AR-dependent quenching efficiency curve of parallel mode when the volume is fixed, which is absent from the quenching efficiency curve when the volume is changed. All these tunable quenching efficiency characteristics have been explained by the changing of intensity, shift, and bandwidth of SPR absorption.     

Development of a novel bioreactor system for treatment of gaseous benzene

A novel, continuous bioreactor system combining a bubble column (absorption section) and a two-phase bioreactor (degradation section) has been designed to treat a gas stream containing benzene. The bubble column contained hexadecane as an absorbent for benzene, and was systemically chosen considering physical, biological, environmental, operational, and economic factors. This solvent has infinite solubility for benzene and very low volatility. After absorbing benzene in the bubble column, the hexadecane served as the organic phase of the two-phase partitioning bioreactor, transferring benzene into the aqueous phase where it was degraded by Alcaligenes xylosoxidans Y234. The hexadecane was then continuously recirculated back to the absorber section for the removal of additional benzene. All mass transfer and biodegradation characteristics in this system were investigated prior to operation of the integrated unit, and these included: the mass transfer rate of benzene in the absorption column; the mass transfer rate of benzene from the organic phase into the aqueous phase in the two-phase bioreactor; the stripping rate of benzene out of the two-phase bioreactor, etc. All of these parameters were incorporated into model equations, which were used to investigate the effects of operating conditions on the performance of the system. Finally, two experiments were conducted to show the feasibility of this system. Based on an aqueous bioreactor volume of 1 L, when the inlet gas flow and gaseous benzene concentration were 120 L/h and 4.2 mg/L, respectively, the benzene removal efficiency was 75% at steady state. This process is believed to be very practical for the treatment of high concentrations of gaseous pollutants, and represents an alternative to the use of biofilters.     

Modeling the influence of cyclodextrins on oral absorption of low‐solubility drugs: I. Model development

The ability to quantitatively predict the influence of a solubilization technology on oral absorption would be highly beneficial in rational selection of drug delivery technology and formulation design. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides which form inclusion complexes with a large variety of compounds including drugs. There are many studies in the literature showing that complexation between CD and drug enhances oral bioavailability and some demonstrating failure of CD in bioavailability enhancement, but relatively little guidance regarding when CD can be used to enhance bioavailability. A model was developed based upon mass transport expressions for drug dissolution and absorption and a pseudo‐equilibrium assumption for the complexation reaction with CD. The model considers neutral compound delivered as a physical mixture with CD in both immediate release (IR) and controlled release (CR) formulations. Simulation results demonstrated that cyclodextrins can enhance, have no effect, or hurt drug absorption when delivered as a physical mixture with drug. The predicted influence depends on interacting parameter values, including solubility, drug absorption constant, binding constant, CD:drug molar ratio, dose, and assumed volume of the intestinal lumen. In general, the predicted positive influence of dosing as a physical mixture with CD was minimal, alluding to the significance of dosing as a preformed complex. The model developed enabled examination of which physical and chemical properties result in oral absorption enhancement for neutral drug administered as a physical mixture with CD, demonstrating the utility of modeling the influence of a drug delivery agent (e.g., CD) on absorption for rational dosage form design. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010; 105: 409–420. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

水溶性有机物对黑麦草吸收铜的影响

采用水培试验,研究蚓粪及蚯蚓培养载体牛粪中水溶性有机物(DOM)对不同Cu2+浓度下(0、5、10 mg·L-1)黑麦草吸收Cu2+的影响.结果表明:随着Cu2+浓度的增加,黑麦草地上部、根干质量,以及根系的长度、表面积、体积和根尖数均逐渐下降;DOM显著增加了Cu2+处理下黑麦草地上部及根系生物量,促进了其根系的长度、表面积、体积和根尖数的增长.DOM降低了黑麦草地下部Cu2+浓度,促进了Cu2+从地下部向地上部的运输,显著增加了地上部Cu2+积累量.蚓粪DOM对黑麦草的影响优于牛粪DOM,并且供试高浓度DOM效果优 于低浓度.     

Dietary fructose vs glucose lowers copper solubility in the digesta in the small intestine of rats

The hypothesis was tested that dietary fructose vs glucose lowers copper solubility in the digesta in the small intestine of rats, which in turn causes a decreased copper absorption. Male rats were fed adequate-copper (5 mg Cu/kg) diets containing either fructose or glucose (709.4 g monosaccharide/kg) for a period of 5 wk. Fructose vs glucose significantly lowered copper concentrations in plasma and the liver, but did not alter hepatic copper mass. Fructose feeding resulted in a significantly lesser intestinal solubility of copper as based on either a smaller soluble fraction of copper in the liquid phase of small intestinal contents or a lower copper concentration in the liquid phase. The latter fructose effect can be explained by the observed fructose-induced increase in volume of liquid phase of intestinal digesta. After administration of a restricted amount of diet extrinsically labeled with⁶⁴Cu, rats fed fructose also had significantly lower soluble⁶⁴Cu fraction in the digesta of the small intestine. Although this study shows that fructose lowered intestinal copper solubility, only a slight reduction of apparent copper absorption was observed. It is suggested that the fructose-induced lowering of copper status in part counteracted the fructose effect on copper absorption at the level of the intestinal lumen.     

Gastrointestinal absorption of neptunium in primates: effect of ingested mass, diet, and fasting

Absorption and retention of neptunium were determined in baboons after intragastric administration of neptunium nitrate solutions at pH 1. The effects of mass, diet, and fasting on absorption were studied. At higher mass levels (400-800 micrograms Np/kg), absorption was about 1%; at lower mass intakes (0.0009-0.005 micrograms Np/kg), absorption was reduced by 10- to 20-fold. The addition of an oxidizing agent (Fe3+) increased gastrointestinal absorption and supported the hypothesis of a reduction of Np (V) when loss masses were ingested. Diets depleted of or enriched with hydroxy acids did not modify retention of neptunium but increased urinary excretion with increasing hydroxy acid content. The diet enriched with milk components reduced absorption by a factor of 5. Potatoes increased absorption and retention by a factor 5, not necessarily due to the effect of phytate. Fasting for 12 or 24 h increased retention and absorption by factors of about 3 and 10, respectively. Data obtained in baboons when low masses of neptunium were administered suggest that the f1 factor used by ICRP should be decreased. However, fasting as encountered in certain nutritional habits is a factor to be taken into consideration.     

树干注射印楝素的动态研究

本文主要以雪橙Citrus sinensis（um）Osbeckcv．Xue Cheng为研究对象,研究了成年雪橙树对印楝素药液的吸收速率,印楝素注射雪橙树后在雪橙叶片中的富集和消解动态,结果显示：采用药水吸收系数评价雪橙树对印楝索水溶液的吸收速率和日平均吸药量的试验结果表明,雪橙树对印楝素水溶液的吸收速度在不同时间存在明显差异,以14时至15时为吸药量最高点,吸收值为35．8mL／h,该时段也是试验当天最高温度时段。日平均累积吸药量为221．8mL,药水系数为2．98。不同浓度印楝素注射雪橙树后,在叶片中的富集量和消解动态一致。印楝素富集量在注射后9一lO天达到了峰值,注射后56天各注射浓度的雪橙树叶片中仍能检测到印楝素,而印楝素喷雾处理的雪橙树植株的叶片在药后7天即无检测量。