Improved packing of preparative biochromatography columns by mechanical vibration

The bioprocessing industry relies on packed-bed column chromatography as its primary separation process to attain the required high product purities and fulfill the strict requirements from regulatory bodies. Conventional column packing methods rely on flow packing and/or mechanical compression. In this work, the application of ultrasound and mechanical vibration during packing was studied with respect to packing density and homogeneity. We investigated two widely used biochromatography media, incompressible ceramic hydroxyapatite, and compressible polymethacrylate-based particles, packed in a laboratory-scale column with an inner diameter of 50 mm. It was shown that ultrasonic irradiation led to reduced particle segregation during sedimentation of a homogenized slurry of polymethacrylate particles. However, the application of ultrasound did not lead to an improved microstructure of already packed columns due to the low volumetric energy input (~152 W/L) caused by high acoustic reflection losses. In contrast, the application of pneumatic mechanical vibration led to considerable improvements. Flow-decoupled axial linear vibration was most suitable at a volumetric force output of ~1,190 N/L. In the case of the ceramic hydroxyapatite particles, a 13% further decrease of the packing height was achieved and the reduced height equivalent to a theoretical plate (rHETP) was decreased by 44%. For the polymethacrylate particles, a 18% further packing consolidation was achieved and the rHETP was reduced by 25%. Hence, it was shown that applying mechanical vibration resulted in more efficiently packed columns. The application of vibration furthermore is potentially suitable for in situ elimination of flow channels near the column wall.     

Reliable Method for Fabricating Tissue‐Mimicking Materials With Designated Relative Permittivity and Conductivity at 128 MHz

Artificial materials that can simultaneously mimic the relative permittivity and conductivity of various human tissues are usually used in medical applications. However, the method of precisely designing these materials with designated values of both relative permittivity and conductivity at 3 T MRI resonance frequency is lacking. In this study, a reliable method is established to determine the compositions of artificial dielectric materials with designated relative permittivity and conductivity at 128 MHz. Sixty dielectric materials were produced using oil, sodium chloride, gelatin, and deionized water as the main raw materials. The dielectric properties of these dielectric materials were measured using the open‐ended coaxial line method at 128 MHz. Nonlinear least‐squares Marquardt–Levenberg algorithm was used to obtain the formula, establishing the relationship between the compositions of the dielectric materials and their dielectric properties at 128 MHz. The dielectric properties of the blood, gall bladder, muscle, skin, lung, and bone at 128 MHz were selected to verify the reliability of the obtained formula. For the obtained formula, the coefficient of determination and the expanded uncertainties with a coverage factor of k = 2 were 0.991% and 4.9% for relative permittivity and 0.992% and 6.4% for conductivity. For the obtained artificial materials measured using the open‐ended coaxial line method, the maximal difference of relative permittivity and conductivity were 1.0 and 0.02 S/m, respectively, with respect to the designated values. In conclusion, the compositions of tissue‐mimicking material can be quickly determined after the establishment of the formulas with the expanded uncertainties of less than 10%. Bioelectromagnetics. 2021;42:86–94. © 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society.     

The interaction between host and host plant influences the oviposition and performance of a generalist ectoparasitoid

The successful development of parasitoids of herbivores depends on the quality of their host, which is often affected by the host plant. Therefore, a parasitoid’s oviposition decisions will directly depend on the host, but also on plant quality. Here, we investigated the direct effects of host species and the indirect effects of the host’s food plant on the oviposition decisions and performance of the gregarious ectoparasitoid Euplectrus platyhypenae Howard (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). With a series of no‐choice experiments, we determined the oviposition and performance of the parasitoid on: (1) two caterpillar species, fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda JE Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and velvet armyworm, Spodoptera latifascia Walker, reared on maize (Zea mays L., Poaceae), (2) the same caterpillars reared on maize, bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae), or squash (Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbitaceae) leaves, and (3) S. latifascia caterpillars reared on leaves of wild and cultivated lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L. All these insects and plants originate from Mesoamerica where they have coexisted for thousands of years in the traditional agricultural system known as Milpa in which maize, beans, and squash are planted together. We found that the preferred and best combination of host and host plant for parasitoid performance was S. frugiperda on maize. Parasitoids laid larger clutches, had higher survival, and more females and larger adults emerged from S. frugiperda reared on maize. However, when both caterpillar species were reared on squash, S. latifascia was the better host. Contrary to the literature, S. frugiperda was not able to develop on bean plants. Results from the lima bean experiment showed that parasitoid performance was best when S. latifascia was reared on leaves of cultivated compared to wild lima bean. These findings are discussed in the context of mixed cropping in which the ability of generalist parasitoids to switch among hosts and host plant species could be advantageous for pest management.     

Why genetic selection to reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases is way more promising than currently believed

Genetic selection for improved disease resistance is an important part of strategies to combat infectious diseases in agriculture. Quantitative genetic analyses of binary disease status, however, indicate low heritability for most diseases, which restricts the rate of genetic reduction in disease prevalence. Moreover, the common liability threshold model suggests that eradication of an infectious disease via genetic selection is impossible because the observed-scale heritability goes to zero when the prevalence approaches zero. From infectious disease epidemiology, however, we know that eradication of infectious diseases is possible, both in theory and practice, because of positive feedback mechanisms leading to the phenomenon known as herd immunity. The common quantitative genetic models, however, ignore these feedback mechanisms. Here, we integrate quantitative genetic analysis of binary disease status with epidemiological models of transmission, aiming to identify the potential response to selection for reducing the prevalence of endemic infectious diseases. The results show that typical heritability values of binary disease status correspond to a very substantial genetic variation in disease susceptibility among individuals. Moreover, our results show that eradication of infectious diseases by genetic selection is possible in principle. These findings strongly disagree with predictions based on common quantitative genetic models, which ignore the positive feedback effects that occur when reducing the transmission of infectious diseases. Those feedback effects are a specific kind of Indirect Genetic Effects; they contribute substantially to the response to selection and the development of herd immunity (i.e., an effective reproduction ratio less than one).     

北京市植物物候对热岛效应的响应

都市的快速发展致使城市热岛效应日渐加剧。城市绿化对缓解热岛效应有一定的作用,但同时其物候也受到了影响。本文基于遥感影像数据,通过对照北京市热岛区与非热岛区、不同热岛强度等级的植物物候差别,研究热岛效应对植物物候的影响。采用Landsat 8影像对北京市地表温度进行反演,结合空间分析进行热岛效应分区分级识别;通过MOD13A1的归一化植被指数(NDVI)数据,采用Dallimer平均值法和动态阈值法提取植被生长季始期(SOG)、生长季末期(EOG)、生长季长度(LOG)等重要植被物候参数,研究植被物候在热岛区与非热岛区、不同热岛强度等级之间的差异。结果表明:北京市夏季与冬季相比,热岛效应更为显著;利用Dallimer平均值法提取的北京市热岛区SOG比非热岛区提前4 d,EOG延迟9 d,LOG延长13 d;利用动态阈值法提取的SOG提早10 d,EOG推迟4d,LOG延长14 d,动态阈值法提取的物候信息与观测的物候信息更为接近;随着热岛强度等级提高,SOG提前,EOG推迟,LOG延长。本研究丰富了我国华北地区植被物候对热岛效应的响应机制,同时对研究全球变暖对生态系统的影响具有一定价值。     

苄非他明人工抗原合成

目的: 通过化学方法对苄非他明进行结构修饰并保留抗原决定簇,将结构改造后的产物与载体偶联合成苄非他明抗原。方法: 苄非他明经化学修饰后,增加活性基团连接上一类可用的经化学修饰的连接臂,使用碳二亚胺法与载体蛋白偶联成苄非他明人工合成抗原。该抗原通过紫外吸收光光谱扫描技术、SDS-PAGE电泳法及胶体金免疫层析法进行偶联效果和抗原活性的鉴定。结果: 苄非他明半抗原结构与载体偶联成功,该抗原具有较高的纯度和活性,与苄非他明抗体反应表现出较高的特异性。结论: 该方法合成的苄非他明抗原可用于免疫检测方法,也可作免疫原制备相关抗体。     

基于UPLC-QTOF-MS技术分析多脂鳞伞特征性成分及体外抗肿瘤作用

多脂鳞伞是一种较为珍贵的药食用真菌。对其化学成分及体外抗肿瘤作用进行了研究。通过UPLC-QTOF-MS法、电喷雾离子源（ESI）及负离子全扫描模式测定了人工栽培多脂鳞伞的化学成分组成;体外培养HepG-2、A549、Hela及MCF-7,用不同质量浓度多脂鳞伞乙醇提物处理细胞,应用CCK-8法及流式细胞术进行细胞毒性测试,并应用流式细胞术选择HepG-2细胞系以进一步评估其对HepG-2细胞凋亡分析。结果表明：经UPLC-QTOF-MS分析,从多脂鳞伞子实体分析得到的化学成分与食药用菌成分数据库中的38种成分相吻合,其中棕榈酸与9E,12E-octadecadienoic acid含量最高,甾醇类化合物与多糖类化合物占比较高;多脂鳞伞乙醇提取物对HepG-2细胞毒性最强,其浓度为50μg/mL时凋亡率能够达到(23.71±1.59)%。多脂鳞伞具有多种功能性化学成分,并具有潜在的抗肿瘤应用价值,初步断定其抗肿瘤活性是功能性成分通过诱导细胞凋亡实现的。