Analysis of Variation in Anthocyanin Composition in Korean Coloured Potato Cultivars by LC-DAD-ESI-MS and PLS-DA

Anthocyanin concentration and composition and the effect of steaming and baking on these were evaluated in tubers of Korean red- and purple-fleshed potato cultivars and breeding clones using liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS). Twenty-six anthocyanins were isolated, of which 24 were identified. Remarkably, five cis isomers were identified, of which four, viz., cis-petanin, cis-peonanin, petunidin 3-cis-caffeoylrutinoside-5-glucoside, and petunidin 3-cis-feruloylrutinoside-5-glucoside, are reported for the first time. Moreover, pelargonidin 3-p-coumaroylrutinoside-5-glucoside (pelanin), peonidin 3-p-coumaroylrutinoside-5-glucoside (peonanin) and petunidin 3-p-coumaroylrutinoside-5-glucoside (petanin) were identified as the principal anthocyanins. We found that the total anthocyanin content of coloured potatoes was decreased by steaming and baking compared with the raw state. In addition, we performed partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to discriminate between the analyzed anthocyanins. Cis isomers seemed to play a vital role as a biomarker in the PLS-DA model based on the type of processing and colour of the tubers.     

Effect of SiC and ZnO Nanoparticles on UV Absorbance and Heat Transfer of PET Composite Film

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles were compounded with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by using a twin screw extruder, and their effect on the UV absorption and heat transfer in PET/ZnO and PET/SiC composite films was investigated. The presence of ZnO and SiC in the PET matrix was verified by X-ray diffraction. The UV absorbance of both PET/ZnO and PET/SiC composite films increased with increasing particle content. The UV absorbance of PET/SiC was higher than that of PET/ZnO under the same particle content. A thermal imaging camera was used to analyze the heat transfer in PET/ZnO and PET/SiC composite films after heating them to 40 °C. As the content of ZnO and SiC particles increased, the temperature decreased more rapidly. PET/SiC showed faster cooling than PET/ZnO because of the higher thermal conductivity of SiC compared to that of ZnO. Response temperature surfaces for PET/ZnO and PET/SiC were obtained by using an exponential decay function and a second order equation, and the elapsed times to cool to room temperature were estimated.     

Transcrytalline structures and crystallization kinetics of Polyarylate/Nylon6 Islands-in-a-Sea conjugate fibers for high performance thermoplastic composite applications

We report the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and associated transcrystalline morphological features of polyarylate(PAR)/nylon6 islands-in-a-sea fibers, where 74 PAR islands serve as reinforcing fibers and nylon6 sea component acts as a semicrystalline matrix in final thermoplastic composites. The temperature-dependent polarized optical microscopic images obtained during a cooling process exhibit that the melt-crystallization is dominated by the interfacial crystallization of nylon6 on the surface of PAR fibers, leading to developing a transcrystalline structure. From the isothermal and non-isothermal melt-crystallization analyses of the islands-in-a sea fiber by using differential scanning calorimetry and the Avrami equation, the overall crystallization rates of the nylon6 sea component in the islands-in-a-sea fiber are found to be highly accelerated by the heterogeneous nucleating effect of the PAR island fibers. In addition, it is revealed that the isothermal and non-isothermal melt-crystallization kinetics of the nylon6 in the islands-in-a-sea fibers consists of two different mechanisms of the primary crystallization owing to the interfacial crystallization and the secondary crystallization due to the bulk crystallization.     

Effect of solvent and blended polymer on electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS/polymer blended nanofibers

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) (or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) blended electrospun nanofibers were prepared in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylene glycol (EG). The effects of added solvents (DMSO and EG) and blended polymers (PEO and PVA) on electrical conductivity and current-voltage (I-V) response were investigated. Electrical conductivity was dependent on both the additional solvent and blended polymers. PEDOT:PSS/PEO blended nanofibers showed a much higher electrical conductivity than PEDOT:PSS/PVA. EG blended PEDOT:PSS/PEO blended nanofibers showed much higher electrical conductivity than DMSO. The PEDOT:PSS/PEO/EG blended nanofibers web showed the highest value in I-V response.     

Pinnisterols A–C,New 9,11-Secosterols from a Gorgonian Pinnigorgia sp.

Three new 9,11-secosterols, pinnisterols A–C (1–3), were isolated from a gorgonian coral Pinnigorgia sp., collected off the waters of Taiwan. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. The new sterols 1 and 3 displayed significant inhibitory effects on the generation of superoxide anions and the release of elastase by human neutrophils, and sterol 1 was found to show moderate cytotoxicity in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).     

Exploring genetic diversity of rice cultivars for the presence of brown planthopper (BPH) resistance genes and development of SNP marker for Bph18

Brown planthopper (BPH) is the most devastating insect pest in rice‐growing areas. Information on availability of BPH resistance alleles and their sources enhances BPH‐resistant breeding programmes. In this study, 260 highly diversified rice cultivars or breeding lines were screened for the presence of five major BPH resistance genes (Bph10, Bph13, Bph18, Bph20 and Bph21) using gene‐specific markers. The analysis revealed that 137 of the 260 cultivars possess at least one BPH resistance gene. Bph10 was predominant while Bph20 was the least distributed. Moreover, two and three different resistance gene combinations were found in the cultivars. Molecular markers play an important role in molecular breeding programmes. A tightly linked PCR‐based co‐dominant Bph18 marker was developed, which is cost effective and time effective and simpler than available Bph18 CAPS marker (7312.T4A). We strongly believe that the identified BPH‐resistant cultivars can be used as alternative resistance gene sources and also as resource for novel BPH resistance genes. The developed Bph18 marker will be highly useful in molecular breeding applications of BPH‐resistant breeding programmes.     

Briarenolides K and L,New Anti-Inflammatory Briarane Diterpenoids from an Octocoral Briareum sp. (Briareidae)

Two new briarane-type diterpenoids, briarenolides K (1) and L (2), were isolated from an octocoral identified as Briareum sp. The structures of new briaranes 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. In the in vitro anti-inflammatory effects test, briaranes 1 and 2 were found to significantly inhibit the accumulation of the pro-inflammatory iNOS protein of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells.     

Inhibition of A549 Lung Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Ent-Caprolactin C via the Suppression of Transforming Growth Factor-β-Induced Epithelial—Mesenchymal Transition

The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells is a crucial process in cancer cell metastasis. An Aquimarina sp. MC085 extract was found to inhibit A549 human lung cancer cell invasion, and caprolactin C (1), a new natural product, α-amino-ε-caprolactam linked to 3-methyl butanoic acid, was purified through bioactivity-guided isolation of the extract. Furthermore, its enantiomeric compound, ent-caprolactin C (2), was synthesized. Both 1 and 2 inhibited the invasion and γ-irradiation-induced migration of A549 cells. In transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-treated A549 cells, 2 inhibited the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and suppressed the EMT cell marker proteins (N-cadherin, β-catenin, and vimentin), as well as the related messenger ribonucleic acid expression (N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinase-9, Snail, and vimentin), while compound 1 did not suppress Smad2/3 phosphorylation and the expression of EMT cell markers. Therefore, compound 2 could be a potential candidate for antimetastatic agent development, because it suppresses TGF-β-induced EMT.     

The effect of fermented apple diet supplementation on the growth performance and meat quality in finishing pigs

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of fermented apple diet (FAD) supplementation on the growth performance and meat quality in finishing Berkshires. The FAD was made from dropped apple mixed with rice bran and barley bran. Until 81 ± 1 kg live weight at 133 ± 1 days, the animals were fed a growing diet, after which experimental samples were fixed at 0, 2, 4 and 6% FAD as C, T1, T2 and T3 in the finishing diets. Growth performance, ADG, ADFI and feed efficiency were improved in T1 than other groups. In carcass parameters, carcass weight was higher ( P  < 0.05) in T1 than in other groups. In meat quality, moisture and crude protein contents decreased ( P  < 0.05) by addition of FAD. pH₂₄ and WHC were higher ( P  < 0.05) in T1 than other groups. In sensory evaluation, marbling of fresh meat and tenderness, juiciness, flavor and overall acceptability of cooked meat were improved by the addition of FAD. According to the results of our experiment, FAD can be used for improvement of meat quality parameters.     

Role of Fatty Acids in Energy Provision During Oocyte Maturation and Early Embryo Development

While much is known about the metabolism of exogenous nutrients such as glucose, lactate, pyruvate, amino acids by oocytes and pre-implantation mammalian embryos, the role of endogenous stores, particularly lipid, has been largely overlooked. The presence of lipid within oocytes and early embryos has been long known, and comparisons between species indicate that the amounts and types of lipid present vary considerably. Large amounts of intracellular lipid can compromise the success of cryopreservation and the removal of such lipid has been the subject of considerable effort. In this review, we present evidence that strongly suggests a metabolic role for lipid, specifically with regard to energy provision, in the late-stage oocyte and the pre-implantation embryo. We focus initially on oxygen consumption as a global indicator of metabolic activity, before reviewing different approaches that either have been designed to investigate directly, or have revealed indirectly the role of endogenous lipid in energy generation. These fall under five headings: (i) fatty acid oxidation; (ii) inhibition of triglyceride oxidation; (iii) culture in the absence of exogenous substrates; (iv) cytoplasmic organization; and (v) delipidation. On the basis of the data derived from these studies, we conclude that there is strong evidence for the utilization of endogenous lipid as an energy substrate by oocytes and early embryos.