A rapid method for the simultaneous determination of 25 anti-hypertensive compounds in dietary supplements using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography

A novel, stable, simple and specific ultra-performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet detection (205 nm) for the simultaneous analysis of 25 anti-hypertensive substances was developed. The method was validated according to the International Conference of Harmonisation guidelines with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and stability. From the ultra-performance liquid chromatography results, we identified the LOD and LOQ of solid samples to be 0.20–1.00 and 0.60–3.00 μg ml^?1, respectively, while those of liquid samples were 0.30–1.20 and 0.90–3.60 μg ml^?1, respectively. The linearity exceeded 0.9999, and the intra- and inter-day precisions were 0.15–6.48% and 0.28–8.67%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were 82.25–111.42% and 80.70–115.64%, respectively, and the stability was lower than 12.9% (relative standard deviation). This method was applied to the monitoring of 97 commercially available dietary supplements obtained in Korea, such as pills, soft capsules, hard capsules, liquids, powders and tablets. The proposed method is accurate, precise and of high quality, and can be used for the routine, reproducible analysis and control of 25 anti-hypertensive substances in various dietary supplements. The work presented herein may help to prevent incidents related to food adulteration and restrict the illegal food market.     

Low molecular weight β-glucan stimulates doxorubicin-induced suppression of immune functions in mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of low molecular weight β-glucan (LMG) against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced immune suppression of tumor-bearing mice. The tumor size and spleen cell functions such as spleen cell proliferation, cytokine production (interferon-γ and interleukin-2), and the population of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells were estimated. In the tumorbearing mice, the tumor size was significantly (p<0.05) decreased by DOX treatment. However, there was no significant difference between mice treated with high molecular weight β-glucan (HMG) and mice treated with LMG. Spleen cell proliferation and cytokine production were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in only DOX treated group, but increased in all β-glucan treated groups with DOX. Moreover, the populations of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells were also increased in the LMG-treated group. It appears that LMG effectively reduces the DOX-induced immune toxicity through activation of immune cells such as splenocytes.     

Cloning and characterization of the Hansenula polymorpha homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae MNN9 gene

A gene homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae MNN9 has been cloned and characterized in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha. This gene was cloned from a H. polymorpha genomic DNA library using the S. cerevisiae MNN9 gene as a probe. The H. polymorpha MNN9 homologue (HpMNN9) contained a 1062 bp open reading frame encoding a predicted protein of 354 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 58% and 51% identity, respectively, with the S. cerevisiae and Candida albicans Mnn9 proteins. Disruption of HpMNN9 leads to phenotypic effects suggestive of cell wall defects, including detergent sensitivity and hygromycin B sensitivity. The hygromycin B sensitivity of S. cerevisiae mnn9 null mutant was complemented in the presence of the HpMNN9 gene. The DNA sequence of the H. polymorpha homologue has been submitted to GenBank with the Accession No. AF264786.     

2-D WO3 decorated with Pd for rapid gasochromic and electrical hydrogen sensing

The ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials display unique properties owing to their ultrahigh specific surface area and strong quantum confinement of electrons in two dimensions. In this work, we fabricated a rapid gasochromic and electrical hydrogen sensing system containing 2D WO₃ and Pd nanoparticles. 2D WO₃ nano-plates (NP) are synthesized using sol–gel method and Pd nanoparticles are coated on WO₃ by green photochemical deposition method. The sensor is fabricated by dispersing the 2D WO₃/Pd composite on filter paper. In presence of hydrogen gas, 2D WO₃/Pd composite produces visible change in color from brown to dark blue. With the fabricated sensor, as low as 0.1% H₂ gas in air at room temperature can be easily detected using electrical sensing scheme whereas for higher concentration from 1 to 100%, eye readable gasochromic scheme can be utilized. The use of 2D WO₃ decreased the response time in great deal compared to WO₃ nanoparticles indicating the advantage of 2D structure in fabricating rapid response H₂ sensors. The proposed method is simple and can be easily employed to large scale fabrication system for commercial applications.     

Effect of field enhancement on inorganic powder electroluminescence using short carbon nanotubes

Inorganic powder electroluminescence (IPEL) devices with the insertion of a carbon nanotube (CNT) layer were investigated to verify the effect of the increased local field produced by CNTs on electroluminescence (EL). To increase the field strength effectively, the CNTs were shortened using the cryogenic crushing method. IPEL devices with the insertion of a short CNT layer exhibited an increase in brightness and efficiency with increasing amount of CNTs. The local field enhancement by CNTs, further enlarged by the triple-junction, could increase the field strength applied to the phosphor, resulting in improved EL performance. In addition, short CNTs in an EL device can lead to field enhancement without an unintentional current flowing into the device.     

用于先进PCB制造工艺的叠层封装

在20世纪90年代,球栅阵列封装(BGA)和芯片尺寸封装(CSP)在封装材料和加工工艺方面达到了极限。这2种技术如同20世纪80年代的表面安装器件(SMD)和70年代通孔安装器件(THD)一样,在电学、机械、热性能、尺寸、质量和可靠性方面达到最大值。目前,三维封装正在成为用于未来采用的先进印制板(PCB)制造工艺的下一个阶段。它们可以分为圆片级封装、芯片级封装、和封装面。叠层封装(PoP)是一种封装面叠层封装类型的三维封装技术[15]。     

Photocatalytic hydrogen production over CuO and TiO2 nanoparticles mixture

Cheap and efficient photocatalysts were fabricated by simply mixing TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) and CuO NPs. The two NPs combined with each other to form TiO₂/CuO mixture in an aqueous solution due to the opposite surface charge. The TiO₂/CuO mixture exhibited photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of up to 8.23 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ under Xe lamp irradiation when the weight ratio of P25 to CuO was optimized to 10. Although the conduction band edge position of CuO NPs is more positive than normal hydrogen electrode, the TiO₂/CuO mixture exhibited good photocatalytic hydrogen production performance because of the inter-particle charge transfer between the two NPs. The detailed mechanism of the photocatalytic hydrogen production is discussed. This mixing method does not require a complicated chemical process and allows mass production of the photocatalysts.     

Black silicon layer formation for application in solar cells

Low-cost, large area, random and mask less texturing scheme independent of crystal orientation are some of the factors that significantly influence the success of terrestrial photovoltaic technology. This work is focused on the texturing of the silicon surface microstructures by reactive ion etching using a multi-hollow cathode system. Desirable texturing effect has been achieved by applying a radio-frequency power of about 20 W per hollow cathode glow. The etched silicon surface shows almost zero reflectance in the visible region as well as in near-IR region. The silicon surface is covered by columnar microstructures with diameters ranging from 50 to 100 nm and with a depth of about 500 nm. Solar cells with efficiencies of 11.7% and 10.2% with black mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon wafers, respectively, were successfully fabricated and tested.     

Early-warning performance monitoring system (EPMS) using the business information of a project

An early-warning performance monitoring system (EPMS) is proposed to objectively measure and monitor the performance of a project for early detection of inherent poor performance problems. The EPMS is built based on project progress data and consists of a database of business information, an optimized theoretical model used as a performance measurement baseline, and an index for monitoring and forecasting the performance. By monitoring the performance through an application of the EPMS to the Korean construction project, the quarterly variation of index was found to differ by project type. These results could explain the environmental changes in the project execution. Therefore, the EPMS is expected to be an alternative for objective performance monitoring and forecasting while applying the existing methods is difficult because of the limited available data on performance indicators. The development procedures may also be useful to researchers interested in approaches to quantitatively analyze trends in various industries.