Thermal characteristics of basalt fiber reinforced epoxy-benzoxazine composites

This study investigates the possibility of utilizing basalt chopped fiber in order to prepare a thermally stable fiber reinforced composite. Bi-component resin system using epoxy and benzoxazine monomer is proposed and its cure characteristic is evaluated by FT-IR and DSC. Copolymerization of epoxy resin upon curing with benzoxazine is carried out in the absence of a strong catalyst. Through the evaluation of T _g of the epoxy-benzoxazine copolymer resin and its composite, it is clear that the incorporation of basalt fiber in composite has a great role and advantage. Also, this study systematically evaluates the apparent char yield and net char yield gain of the composites using TGA thermograms. Based on the results of DSC and TGA, it is advised that the favorable composite composition can be prepared from the range of 20 % to 50 % of epoxy content with 10 % of basalt fiber.     

Effect of methyl jasmonate on phenolics, isothiocyanate, and metabolic enzymes in radish sprout (Raphanus sativus L.)

The effect of spraying exogenous plant hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) upon radish sprout (Raphanus sativus L.) was investigated in aspects of total phenolic content (TPC), isothiocyanate content, antioxidant activity of the radish extract, and enzymatic activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and myrosinase. The MeJA treatment significantly increased the TPC that resulted in the increased DPPH* (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging capacity. In addition, the PAL activity also increased by 60% at 24 h after MeJA treatment. However, the same treatment decreased the amount of 4-methylthio-3-butenylisothiocyanate (MTBITC), a major isothiocyanate in radish sprout and the activity of myrosinase, an enzyme related to produce isothiocyanates.     

Varietal differences in phenolic content and astringency in skin and flesh of hardy kiwifruit resources in Japan

Varietal differences in the total phenolic content and astringency in the skin and flesh were determined among the cultivars and local collections of hardy kiwifruit with a ploidy variance found in Japan. The average values of the total phenolic content in the skin and flesh were 2.66 and 0.18 g 100 g⁻¹ FW, respectively. There were large varietal differences in the total phenolic content in the skin in the range of 1.3–5.0 g 100 g⁻¹ FW. Kochi (tetraploid), while Gassan and ‘Mitsuko’ (hexaploid) contained a larger amount of total phenolics. High astringency was found in Gassan, ‘Mitsuko’ and ‘Hoko’ (hexaploids) and Kochi. HPLC analysis showed that the major components of phenolics in the flesh were (+)-catechin, chlorogenic acid, rutin, (−)-epicatechin and quercetin.     

Ameliorative Effects of Melatonin against Hydrogen Peroxide‐Induced Oxidative Stress on Boar Sperm Characteristics and Subsequent In Vitro Embryo Development

Melatonin, the major secretory product of the pineal gland, scavenges a variety of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in vivo and in vitro, indicating that melatonin is a potent function as an antioxidant. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of melatonin in the presence or absence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on sperm characteristics (motility, viability, survival rate, membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and mitochondria activity) and also to examine the developmental rates to the blastocysts stage of porcine oocytes fertilized in vitro with semen treated with or without melatonin (100 nm ) in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ (250 μm ). The sperm were treated with melatonin in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ for 3, 6, 9 and 12 h at 37°C and then analysed for the sperm characteristics. The porcine embryos were produced by in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization (IVM/IVF) using semen treated with or without melatonin (100 nm ) in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ (250 μm ) for 6 h. The semen characteristics, including motility, viability, survival rate, membrane integrity and mitochondria activity, were higher in the groups that were treated with melatonin in comparison to other groups, irrespective of incubation periods. Malondialdehyde levels in control, melatonin and melatonin + H₂O₂ groups were lower than H₂O₂ only group. A positive correlation was shown among motility, viability, survival rate and membrane integrity, but a negative correlation was observed between LPO and the other evaluation methods. The developmental rates to blastocysts of IVM/IVF porcine oocytes fertilized by semen treated with melatonin were significantly increased compared with any other groups, with the cell number of blastocysts shown to have a similar trend to the developmental rates. These results demonstrate that melatonin can improve the semen characteristics during in vitro storage and support the developmental ability of IVM/IVF embryos in pigs.     

Pharmacokinetics of tramadol and its major metabolite after intramuscular administration in piglets

Tramadol (T) is a centrally acting atypical opioid used for treatment of dogs. Piglets might experience pain following castration, tooth clipping and tail docking and experimental procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetics of T and its active metabolite M1 in male piglets after a single intramuscular injection. Six healthy male piglets were administered T (5 mg/kg) intramuscularly. Blood was sampled at scheduled time intervals and drug plasma concentrations evaluated by a validated HPLC method. T plasma concentration was quantitatively detectable from 0.083 to 8 h. M1 was quantified over a shorter time period (0.083–6 h) with a T_max at 0.821 h. The study demonstrated that piglets produce a larger amount of M1 compared with dogs, horses and goats. The human minimum effective concentration of M1 (40 ng/mL) was exceeded for over 3 h in piglets. If it is assumed to also apply to piglets, it could be speculated that the drug efficacy might exert its action over 3 h or longer. This assumption has to be confirmed by further specific pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies.     

Specificity and stability in topology of protein networks

Molecular networks guide the biochemistry of a living cell on multiple levels: Its metabolic and signaling pathways are shaped by the network of interacting proteins, whose production, in turn, is controlled by the genetic regulatory network. To address topological properties of these two networks, we quantified correlations between connectivities of interacting nodes and compared them to a null model of a network, in which all links were randomly rewired. We found that for both interaction and regulatory networks, links between highly connected proteins are systematically suppressed, whereas those between a highly connected and low-connected pairs of proteins are favored. This effect decreases the likelihood of cross talk between different functional modules of the cell and increases the overall robustness of a network by localizing effects of deleterious perturbations.     

Chemical profiling with modeling differentiates wild and farm-raised salmon

Classifications of fish production methods, wild or farm-raised salmon, by elemental profiles or C and N stable isotope ratios combined with various modeling approaches were determined. Elemental analysis (As, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, and Zn) of wild and farm-raised salmon samples was performed using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Isotopic and compositional analyses of carbon and nitrogen were performed using mass spectrometry as an alternative fingerprinting technique. Each salmon (king salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ; coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch ; Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar ) was analyzed from two food production practices, wild and farm raised. Principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) were used for data exploration and visualization. Five classification modeling approaches were investigated: linear discriminate function, quadratic discriminant function, neural network, probabilistic neural network, and neural network bagging. Methods for evaluating model reliability included four strategies: resubstitution, cross-validation, and two very different test set scenarios. Generally speaking, the models performed well, with the percentage of samples classified correctly depending on the particular choice of model and evaluation method used.     

Double in situ hybridization for simultaneous detection and differentiation of porcine circovirus 1 and 2 in pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome

Double in situ hybridization using a digoxigenin-labelled porcine circovirus 1 (PCV1) and biotinylated PCV2 probe, was developed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of PCV1 and PCV2 in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. The combination of an alkaline phosphatase conjugated antidigoxigenin system with alkaline phosphatase conjugated streptavidin-biotin system allowed identification of PCV1 and/or PCV2. No evidence of cross-reaction was observed. Positive cells exhibited a red or dark brown reaction product for PCV1 and PCV2, respectively. Both PCV DNAs were observed mainly in the cytoplasm but occasionally in the nucleus. Co-localization of hybridization signal for both PCV1 and PCV2 was present in macrophages and multinucleated giant cells of the lymph node and spleen. This double-labelling technique for the differentiation between PCV1 and PCV2 is suitable for pathogenesis studies and diagnostic applications.     

Aroma finishing of PET fabrics with PVAc nanoparticles containing lavender oil

A durable aroma finishing for PET fabric was carried out by adopting poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) nanoparticles containing lavender oil (LO) in core. Relatively small size of PVAc nanoparticles (ca. 244 nm of mean particle diameter) was expected to resist the frictional destruction of the particles, which is frequently observed in cases of microcapsules. PVAc nanoparticles containing LO in core were prepared by emulsification-diffusion method and their application as an aroma releasing agent for PET fabrics was assessed through the observation of releasing profiles of LO in ethanol for experimental acceleration. Melamine-formaldehyde (MF) microcapsules containing LO were also prepared and treated on fabrics for comparison. PVAc nanoparticles treated on PET fabric showed higher initial releasing amount, which was ascribed to the enhanced surface area. After 2 days of releasing, PET fabric treated with PVAc nanoparticles showed slower and more stable releasing profile and reached about 12 ppm of cumulative release after 16 days, which was under two thirds of that with MF microcapsules. PVAc nanoparticles can be used as an agent for durable aroma finishing of PET fabrics.