The aliphatic isothiocyanates erucin and sulforaphane do not effectively up‐regulate NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) in human liver compared with rat

Isothiocyanate up‐regulation of hepatic NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) and glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) is an integral mechanism of their chemoprevention. In this paper, for the first time, the potential of the isothiocyanates erucin and sulforaphane to modulate these enzymes was investigated in two human livers and compared to rat liver. Precision‐cut liver slices were incubated with erucin or sulforaphane (1–50 μM). Both isothiocyanates elevated NQO1 activity in rat slices that was paralleled by a fourfold rise in protein levels. No change in activity was noted in human slices, and only a weak rise in protein levels, < 10% of that in rat, was observed in only one of the human livers, whereas the other was refractive. GST activity, assessed with three substrates, was elevated in rat slices treated with either isothiocyanate, and was accompanied by a rise in GSTα and GSTμ, but not GSTπ, protein levels. A rise in activity and in GSTα and GSTμ protein levels was also noted in one of the human livers. It appears that erucin and sulforaphane elevate GST expression in isoform‐specific manner in both rat and human liver, whereas NQO1 is inducible by these compounds only in rat liver and very poorly in human liver.     

Tomato response to metal nanoparticles introduction into the nutrient medium

This study is aimed to explore the capacity of metal nanoparticles (NPs) iron, zinc, copper and their combinations introduced in the Murashige–Skoog (MS) nutrient medium (NM) to affect the growth and development of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.). NPs were prepared by a flow‐levitation method. Metal NPs were characterised by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray phase analysis. Average NPs diameters were: iron – 27.0 nm, zinc – 54.0 nm, copper – 79.0 nm. MS NM was modified by substitution of common metal sulphates by neutral metal NPs instead of salts. Tomato seedlings cultivation on NM MS with NPs instead of salts assures improved seedling parameters (root length and root activity) in comparison with plants grown on standard MS. Venice cultivar tomato seedlings grown on NM with metal NPs demonstrated an increase in: seed germination by 10–180%, root length by 10–20%, and root activity by 10 –125%. After 45 days of cultivation, tomato seedlings were transplanted in a greenhouse and were grown up to the harvest. Effects in seed germination and increase of crop mass depended on metal nature and NPs concentration.Inspec keywords: copper, crops, nanoparticles, scanning electron microscopy, greenhouses, agriculture, nanofabrication, iron, zinc, transmission electron microscopyOther keywords: size 27.0 nm, size 54.0 nm, size 79.0 nm, time 45.0 d, Fe, Zn, Cu, metal nanoparticles, iron, zinc, tomato plants growth, Solanum lycopersicum L., flow‐levitation method, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray phase analysis, metal sulphates, tomato seedlings cultivation, Murashige‐Skoog nutrient medium, Venice cultivar, copper, transmission electron microscopy, seed germination, greenhouse, seedlings transplantion     

Medicinal plants in the Altai Mountains: reserves of raw materials and annual possible volumes of harvesting

Russia is one of the leading exporters of wild medicinal plants in Europe, and the Altai Mountains are the main harvest areas. The conservation strategy includes both the exploitation of wild populations and the cultivation of medicinal plants. To avoid over-harvesting of medicinal plants in nature it is essential to observe the mode of sustainable use. The paper aims to analyse data on resources of 91 medicinal plant species in the Altai Mountains. Exploitable reserves, annual possible volume of harvesting and harvesting periodicity are given for 34 commercial species. We compared data on dynamics of harvestings and exploitable reserves for brand species with subsurface parts used. The Altai Mountains has great potential as a resource region of medicinal plants. Commercial harvesters apparently ignore the mode of sustainable use. The question needs further research and effective enforcement of the legal framework.     

Lake Mundshtuchnoye,a unique natural monument of the Middle Ob basin

Lake Mundshtuchnoye is located in the basin of the Middle Ob, upstream from the influx of its big right-bank tributary, the Tym river. The lake is located within the boundaries of the Tomsk region and is a specially protected natural area of regional importance. Genetic and morphological characteristics of the lake allow us to consider it as a natural monument. It is an important point for conducting scientific research and organizing long-term environmental monitoring. The depth of Lake Mundshtuchnoye reaches 55 m, which is a unique phenomenon for the lowland part of the Ob basin. The shape of the lake basin is also unusual, sectionally resembling a crater. Structural-tectonic features of the area of the lake location allow to link its origin and development to the penetration of reservoir fluids. The lake water is very different from the lake waters of the Ob basin water logged catchment areas. Lake Mundshtuchnoye has low salinity (the amount of basic ions is 7.3 mg/dm³), and a significant concentration of silver. The lake water is clear, and thus very different from the dark-coloured water found in most regional lakes because of inflow from bogs and mires.     

Human impact on the landscapes of the middle Ob Basin

The article characterises the main factors of human impact on natural landscapes: fires, agricultural production, forestry activity, development of oil and gas fields, transportation infrastructure (roads, electric power lines and pipelines), populated localities and industrial production. The article gives information on the diffusion scale and depth of transformation of natural landscapes in various natural zones from forest-steppe to middle taiga. Significant attention is paid to opportunities of using satellite images when studying nature, especially in conditions of inaccessibility of territories in West Siberia.     

Stabilization of poly(vinyl chloride) by elemental sulfur

The process of stabilization of a poly(vinylchloride) elemental sulfur in thermal and thermooxidative destruction conditions is investigated. The high stabilizing efficiency of elemental sulfur is revealed at the destruction of plasticized poly(vinylchloride) compared with the efficiency of phenolic antioxidants. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Analysis of interaction between two SAW modes in Pt grating on langasite cut (0°, 138.5°, 26.6°)

The numerical technique based on a previously developed rational approximation of harmonic admittance of a periodic grating was applied to analysis of SAW behavior in platinum grating on langasite cut with Euler angles (0°, 138.5°, 26.6°). The approximation is able to take into account interaction between surface and bulk waves or between two SAW modes. SAW dispersion was calculated at different values of electrode thickness varying between 1% and 4% of wavelength. It was found that with increasing Pt thickness, SAW behavior in the grating is strongly affected by interaction between two SAW modes propagating in the same orientation. An additional stopband, which results from this interaction, occurs at certain detuning from synchronous reflection condition and can cause spurious resonances of the admittance function. Interaction between two SAW modes is also responsible for anomalously slow growth of reflectivity with increasing platinum thickness.     

Patterned Transparent Conductive Au Films through Direct Reduction of Gold Thiocyanate

Construction of structurally defined, patterned metal films is a fundamental objective in the emerging and active field of bottom‐up nanotechnology. A new strategy for constructing macroscopically organized Au nanostructured films is presented. The approach is based upon a novel phenomenon in which incubation of water‐soluble Au(SCN)₄^1? complex with amine‐displaying surfaces gives rise to spontaneous crystallization and concurrent reduction, resulting in the formation of patterned metallic gold films. The Au films exhibit unique nanoribbon morphology, likely corresponding to aurophilic interactions between the complex moieties anchored to the amine groups through electrostatic attraction. Critically, no external reducing agents are needed to initiate or promote formation of the metallic Au films. In essence, the thiocyanate ligands provide the means for surface targeting of the complex, guide the Au crystallization process and, importantly, donate the reducing electrons. It is shown that the Au films exhibit electrical conductivity and high transparency over a wide spectral range, lending the new approach to possible applications in optoelectronics, catalysis, and sensing. In a broader context, a new gold chemistry route is presented in which ligand‐enabled crystallization/reduction could open the way to a wealth of innovative reaction pathways and applications.     

Scaling factors for channel width variations in tree-like flow field patterns for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells - An experimental study

To have a uniform distribution of reactants is an advantage to a fuel cell. We report results for such a distributor with tree-like flow field plates (FFP). Numerical simulations have shown that the width scaling parameters of tree-like patterns in FFPs used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) reduces the viscous dissipation in the channels. In this study, experimental investigations were conducted on a 2-layer FF plate possessing a tree-like FF pattern which was CNC milled on high-quality graphite. Three FF designs of different width scaling parameters were employed. I–V curves, power curves and impedance spectra were generated at 70%, 60% and 50% relative humidity (25 cm² active area), and compared to those obtained from a conventional 1-channel serpentine FF. It was found that the FF design, with a width scaling factor of 0.917 in the inlet and 0.925 in the outlet pattern, exhibited the best peak power out of the three designs (only 11% - 0.08 W/cm² lower than reference serpentine FF). Results showed that a reduction of the viscous dissipation in the flow pattern was not directly linked to a PEMFC performance increase. It was found that water accumulation, together with a slight increase in single PEMFC resistance, were the main reasons for the reduced power density. As further improvements, a reduction of the number of branching generation levels and width scaling factor were recommended.     

NCBO Resource Index: Ontology-based search and mining of biomedical resources

The volume of publicly available data in biomedicine is constantly increasing. However, these data are stored in different formats and on different platforms. Integrating these data will enable us to facilitate the pace of medical discoveries by providing scientists with a unified view of this diverse information. Under the auspices of the National Center for Biomedical Ontology (NCBO), we have developed the Resource Index – a growing, large-scale ontology-based index of more than twenty heterogeneous biomedical resources. The resources come from a variety of repositories maintained by organizations from around the world. We use a set of over 200 publicly available ontologies contributed by researchers in various domains to annotate the elements in these resources. We use the semantics that the ontologies encode, such as different properties of classes, the class hierarchies, and the mappings between ontologies, in order to improve the search experience for the Resource Index user. Our user interface enables scientists to search the multiple resources quickly and efficiently using domain terms, without even being aware that there is semantics “under the hood.”