Structural Features and Biological Properties of Ellagitannins in Some Plant Families of the Order Myrtales

Plant tannins, including hydrolysable and condensed varieties, are well known antioxidants in medicinal plants, foods, and edible fruits. Their diverse biological properties and potential for disease prevention have been demonstrated by various in vitro and in vivo assays. A number of ellagitannins, the largest group of hydrolysable tannins, have been isolated from dicotyledoneous angiosperms and characterized. This diverse class of tannins is sub-grouped into simple ellagitannins, C-glycosidic ellagitannins, complex tannins (condensates of C-glycosidic tannins with flavan-3-ol), and oligomers up to pentamers. This review outlines and describes the chemotaxonomic significance of structural features in various types of ellagitannins found in plants belonging to the Myrtaceae, Onagraceae, and Melastomataceae families, which are all included in the order Myrtales. Any biological activities that have been reported, including antitumor and antibacterial effects as well as enzyme inhibition, are also reviewed.     

Grain-size effect on shape-memory behavior of Ti35.0Ni49.7Zr15.4 thin films

The grain-size effect on shape-memory behavior of fine-grained Ti_35.0Ni_49.7Zr_15.4 thin films was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The films, with various grain sizes ranging from about 150 to about 400 nm, were prepared by heat treatment of amorphous films at the three different annealing temperatures of 773, 873, and 973 K, for three different annealing times of 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 10 hours. The film annealed at 773 K for 5 minutes showed a nearly single phase of (Ti,Zr)Ni, while the films annealed at high annealing temperatures and/or long annealing times showed λ ₁ precipitates. For a high annealing temperature of 973 K, the critical yield stress (σ _c) was dominantly dependent on the grain size of the matrix, obeying the Hall-Petch equation. On the other hand, for a low annealing temperature of 773 K, σ _c was dominantly dependent on the amount of λ ₁ precipitates. The M _S temperature decreases almost linearly with increasing σ _c. The films showed sufficient fracture toughness, probably due to the nanometer scale of the grain size and the agglomerated shape of λ ₁ particles.     

Influence of input PDF parameters of a model on a failure probability estimation

Critical probability estimation is of major interest in safety and reliability applications. In this article, we focus on a black-box model with multidimensional random input X and one random output Y. We consider the estimation of probability P that Y exceeds a threshold S. We assume that the random input X follows a multidimensional parametric density with parameters δ and thus the probability P will depend on the values of δ. In this paper, we analyze the sensitivity of the critical probability P to the model parameters δ. We propose a methodology that estimates Sobol indices with low computation cost. This strategy enables us to determine which statistical parameters have a great influence on the value of the probability and require a valuable determination. The last part of this article applies the proposed technique on a realistic case of missile collateral damage estimation.     

Optical Transition in Reduced C60 Thin Films

Absorption spectra of C60 thin film reduced in an electrochemical cell are studied. The results are compared with data of chemically reduced C60 anions. Absorption with relatively broad line-width below the energy of 1 eV is observed in the film besides the peaks at 1.14 ∼ 1.4 eV observed in C60 anion solution. The electronic states of reduced COT are discussed in terms of the solid state effect.     

How anonymous are you online? Examining online social behaviors from a cross-cultural perspective

Communication on the Internet is often described as “anonymous”, yet the usage of the term is often confusing, even in academia. Three levels of anonymity, visual anonymity, dissociation of real and online identities, and lack of identifiability, are thought to have different effects on various components of interpersonal motivation. Specifically, we propose that cross-cultural differences in interpersonal motivation (autonomy vs. affiliation) are illustrated by choices individuals make when deciding whether or not to remain anonymous while communicating online. Autonomy is often valued in Western societies, whereas Eastern societies tend to emphasize affiliation, suggesting that individuals in Western societies will gravitate toward online communities that allow lower levels of anonymity, while individuals in Eastern societies will be more likely to seek out online communities that promote higher levels of anonymity. The research presented in this article supports this notion, suggesting that we need to consider cultural differences when designing online communication systems and other communications technologies.     

Low viscosity COM (coal oil mixture) using tall-oil as an additive

Tall oil, an inexpensive by-product from pulp manufacturing (about one-tenth of the cost to those of ordinary surfactants), was found as an effective additive for COM (coal oil mixture) to provide good stability and low viscosity. The viscosity of COM (coal concentration: 50%) was as low as 2 Pa at 70 °C after 25 day-storage by addition of only 1% of tall-oil to COM. Tall-oil supported an increase in concentration of coal from 46% to 52.5%, maintaining usable viscosity. Structural viscosity (SV) of COM was proposed by the authors and defined as follows: SV = η(2.2)−η(22); where η(2.2) and η(22) are the viscosities at low shear rate (2.2 s⁻¹) and high shear rate (22 s⁻¹), respectively. The SV was found to be a good parameter for predicting the sedimentation stability and the viscosity of COM after long-term storage in the case of Miike-COM.     

INTERACTION OF HYDROXYLATED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS TO ESTROGEN RECEPTOR

Binding activities and estrogenic/antiestrogenic activities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and hydroxylated PAHs (OHPAHs) having 2 to 6 rings were evaluated by competition assay and yeast two-hybrid assay expressing human estrogen receptor (hER), respectively. PAHs did not bind to hER and did not show any activity. On the other hand, OHPAHs bound to hER and several OHPAHs showed estrogenic or antiestrogenic activity. Relative estrogenic activity (REP _E ) and antiestrogenic activity (REP _AE ) were calculated from the values of E ₂ and 4-hydroxytamoxyfen as positive controls, respectively. Several OHPAHs having 4 rings showed strongly estrogenic activity. 4-Hydroxybenzo[a]anthracene exhibited the strongest estrogenic activity (REP _E = 7.5 × 10^?3 ) followed by 3-hydroxybenzo[a]anthracene and 2-hydroxychrysene (REP _E = 4.2 × 10^?3 ). Several other 4-ring OHPAHs showed strongly antiestrogenic activity. 3-Hydroxybenzo[c]phenanthrene exhibited the strongest antiestrogenic activity (REP _AE = 190) followed by 2-hydroxybenzo[c]phenanthrene (REP _AE = 69) and 2- hydroxybenz [a]anthracene (REP _AE = 0.42). The results suggested that there is a strong structure – activity relationship.