Effect of storage temperature on the stability of anthocyanins of a fermented black carrot (Daucus carota var. L.) beverage: shalgam

The effect of temperature on the stability of shalgam anthocyanins stored at 4, 25, and 40 degrees C for 90 days was investigated. The effect of pasteurization and sorbate addition on the anthocyanin stability as compared to control was also studied. The monomeric anthocyanin content and color density decreased with increasing time as a function of storage temperature whereas the percent polymeric color and browning increased. The same trends were observed in control, pasteurized, and sorbate-added shalgam samples. Shalgam anthocyanins consisted of two nonacylated and three acylated cyanidin derivatives. Acylated anthocyanins were more stable when compared to nonacylated ones at all storage temperatures. The activation energies, 11.11-11.64 kcal/mol, were calculated from the reaction rate constants evaluated taking first-order reaction kinetics. The highest anthocyanin retention was observed at 4 degrees C storage temperature with a half-life between 231 and 239 days.     

基于双吸肥口的低压文丘里施肥器设计与试验

为降低文丘里施肥器的吸肥临界进口压力,使之适用于低压灌溉施肥系统,设计了一种双吸肥口文丘里施肥器。选取喉管收缩比、收缩段角度、扩散段角度和喉管长径比4个结构参数,采用正交试验设计方法,构建16种结构参数组合方案,运用CFD模拟技术对每种方案的吸肥性能进行模拟,以吸肥性能为评价指标确定最佳结构参数组合,并根据最佳结构参数组合试制文丘里施肥器原型样品,并在0~0.15 MPa进口压力范围内对其吸肥性能进行分析。结果表明,最佳结果参数为:喉管收缩比为0.3、收缩段角度为20?、扩散段角度为8°、喉管长径比为1.1。最佳结构文丘里施肥器试制样品实测结果与模拟分析结果一致,在相同进口压力下各个实测值均略小于模拟分析值,实测与模拟吸肥量、进口流量比、肥液浓度和吸肥效率的均方根误差分别为0.22 L/min、0.96%、0.93%和0.68%。在相同进口压力下,相比于相同结构参数的单吸肥口文丘里施肥器,模拟得出的吸肥量提高了90%,进口流量比提高了85%,肥液浓度提高了80%,吸肥效率提高了80%,表明双吸肥口施肥器的吸肥性能比单吸肥口施肥器有较大提高;双吸肥口施肥器实测临界进口压力为0.007 MPa,当进口压力为0.05 MPa时其吸肥浓度可达13.6%,与现有文丘里施肥器相比,在获得同等或更高的吸肥性能时具有更低的工作进口压力,更适用于低压滴灌系统。     

Molecular Response to Toxic Diatom-Derived Aldehydes in the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Diatoms are dominant photosynthetic organisms in the world’s oceans and represent a major food source for zooplankton and benthic filter-feeders. However, their beneficial role in sustaining marine food webs has been challenged after the discovery that they produce secondary metabolites, such as polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), which negatively affect the reproductive success of many invertebrates. Here, we report the effects of two common diatom PUAs, heptadienal and octadienal, which have never been tested before at the molecular level, using the sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus, as a model organism. We show that both PUAs are able to induce teratogenesis (i.e., malformations), as already reported for decadienal, the better-studied PUA of this group. Moreover, post-recovery experiments show that embryos can recover after treatment with all three PUAs, indicating that negative effects depend both on PUA concentrations and the exposure time of the embryos to these metabolites. We also identify the time range during which PUAs exert the greatest effect on sea urchin embryogenesis. Finally, we report the expression levels of thirty one genes (having a key role in a broad range of functional responses, such as stress, development, differentiation, skeletogenesis and detoxification processes) in order to identify the common targets affected by PUAs and their correlation with morphological abnormalities. This study opens new perspectives for understanding how marine organisms afford protection from environmental toxicants through an integrated network of genes.     

Bio-guided isolation of the cytotoxic corytenchine and isocoreximine from roots of Annona cherimolia

The roots of Annona cherimolia have been shown to contain the known tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids corytenchine (1) and isocoreximine (2), investigated for their cytotoxic properties.     

Characterization of volatiles in extracts from oak chips obtained by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE)

Sixteen commercially available oak chips, differing in origin (French or American) and toasting level, were extracted by an accelerated solvent extraction method and characterized by their volatile composition. About 80 compounds were identified and quantified, a great part of them from the thermodegradation of lignin and cellulose. One furanone (solerone) and two C-13 norisoprenoids (3-oxo-alpha-ionol and a 3-oxoretro-alpha-ionol isomer) were also tentatively identified and reported for the first time in toasted wood. Quantitative data demonstrated the oak chips to be not so different from the composition of light- or medium-toasted wood barrels, which was reported by other authors. The same data suggest that toasting level had the strongest influence on the volatile composition of chip samples. Phenyl ketones, volatile phenols, and some furanic compounds were the most influenced. On the other hand, the influence of wood origin was found to be weaker.     

Essential role of BDNF in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway in social defeat stress

Mice experiencing repeated aggression develop a long-lasting aversion to social contact, which can be normalized by chronic, but not acute, administration of antidepressant. Using viral-mediated, mesolimbic dopamine pathway-specific knockdown of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), we showed that BDNF is required for the development of this experience-dependent social aversion. Gene profiling in the nucleus accumbens indicates that local knockdown of BDNF obliterates most of the effects of repeated aggression on gene expression within this circuit, with similar effects being produced by chronic treatment with antidepressant. These results establish an essential role for BDNF in mediating long-term neural and behavioral plasticity in response to aversive social experiences.