A Brief Presentation of Lanzhou Penning Trap Control System

LPT (Lanzhou Penning Trap) is an ion-trap facility in Lanzhou, China. As ions can be cooled to an extremely small phase space and can be stored for a very long time, ion traps are a perfect instrument for high precision mass measurements. A system with specialized electronics for LPT is under construction now. This system could be used for voltage and timing control to make ions moving in a special mode, and the data acquisition and analysis online/offline could be achieved in the mean time. The requirements of control system, the distribution of hardware, the overview of software, and the latest progress of LPTCtrlSys (Lanzhou Penning Trap Control System) are presented.     

Effects of the cultivation period of sweet potato on the sensory quality of imo‐shochu,a Japanese traditional spirit

Imo‐shochu is a Japanese traditional spirit made from sweet potatoes. Characteristic volatile compounds in imo‐shochu are mainly derived from the sweet potato and its flavour significantly depends on the quality and cultivar of sweet potato used. Thus, the effects of the cultivation period of sweet potatoes on sensory characteristics and composition of volatile compounds of imo‐shochu were investigated. Sweet potatoes (cv. Koganesengan) used in this study were harvested at 120, 150 or 180 days after planting, and each sample was used to prepare imo‐shochu. The imo‐shochu samples were evaluated by eight panellists in a blind study, who ranked them on the basis of various odour and taste attributes. Rank sums were calculated and data were analysed using the Friedman test. The compositions of the volatile compounds in the imo‐shochu samples were analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Sensory evaluations showed that a longer cultivation period of the sweet potatoes enhanced the floral aroma and characteristic taste of imo‐shochu. In addition, imo‐shochu prepared with the sample cultivated for 150 days was evaluated to have a sweeter taste than that prepared with the other samples. The GC‐MS analysis showed that imo‐shochu prepared with the sample cultivated for 180 days contained a lower concentration of monoterpene alcohols, but higher concentrations of β‐damascenone, rose oxide, and fatty acid esters than the imo‐shochu prepared with the sample cultivated for 120 days. These differences in the composition of the volatile compounds affected the sensory qualities of the imo‐shochu. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Metabolic disturbance of tryptophan-nicotinamide conversion pathway by putative endocrine disruptors, bisphenol A and styrene monomer

Bisphenol A, a monomer of polycarbonate plastics, disturbed the conversion pathway of the amino acid tryptophan to the vitamin nicotinamide. The conversion ratio of tryptophan to nicotinamide was reduced to 1/15 by feeding a diet containing 1% bisphenol A. A putative disturbing reaction is kynurenine-->3-hydroxykynurenine, which is catalyzed by kynurenine monohydroxylase. This is an FAD-enzyme and requires NADPH as a coenzyme. Styrene monomer (1% addition to a normal diet) did not affect the food intake or the body weight, but slightly reduced the conversion ratio of tryptophan-nicotinamide.     

Effect of temperature and growth media on the attachment of Listeria monocytogenes to stainless steel

Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19111 cultivated in nutrient-rich medium (brain heart infusion, BHI) or starved in minimal medium (10% filter sterilized pond water and 90% sterilized distilled water) were investigated for their initial attachment to austenitic stainless steel No. 4 with satin finish at 4 °C, 20 °C, 30 °C, 37 °C, or 42 °C. A droplet (10 μl) containing  10⁷ CFU/ml of L. monocytogenes suspended in BHI or minimal medium was placed on the stainless steel surface. After holding in saturated humidity for 3 h at the desired temperature the surface was washed and prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Using SEM, attachment of L. monocytogenes was determined by counting cells remaining on the surface. When L. monocytogenes cultivated in BHI were used, with the exception of the number of attached cells being lower at 42 °C than at 37 °C and 30 °C, the number of attached cells increased with increasing temperature (P < 0.05). When L. monocytogenes starved in minimal medium were used, the number of attached cells also increased with increasing attachment temperature (P < 0.05), but the number of attached cells at 42 °C was lower than that at the other temperatures. The attachment of L. monocytogenes to stainless steel surface was greater when cultivated in rich medium of BHI vs starved in the minimal medium.     

Tuning of dielectric and ferroelectric properties in single phase BiFeO3 ceramics with controlled Fe/Fe ratio

Single phase multiferroic BiFeO₃ (BFO) ceramics were synthesized with controllable amount of Fe²⁺ and oxygen vacancies in a very wide concentration range. Double ferroelectric hysteresis loops are observed in fresh BFO ceramics at room temperature without any aging processes. Detailed study shows that this is due to the defect dipoles which have preferential orientations antiparallel to the direction of spontaneous polarization, providing a driving force for domain back-switching. The dielectric constant of BFO could be enormously enhanced by 100 times by increasing the Fe²⁺ content, employing a polaronic relaxation process.     

工业控制计算机在轮胎硫化过程控制中的设计应用

立式硫化罐在轮胎生产企业使用比较广泛,手动操作和人为控制很难保证生产工艺和产品质量,保证轮胎质量必须采用比较好的控制系统达到目的,采用工业控制计算机进行轮胎硫化过程控制可以达到硫化三要素的正确控制,从而保证产品质量,降低劳动强度,提高生产效率.     

Mucoadhesive Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Hybrid System with Controlled and Unidirectional Release of Desmopressin

The sublingual mucosa is an attractive route for drug delivery, although challenged by a continuous flow of saliva that leads to a loss of drug by swallowing. It is of great benefit that drugs absorbed across the sublingual mucosa avoid exposure to the harsh environment of the gastro-intestinal lumen; this is especially beneficial for drugs of low physicochemical stability such as therapeutic peptides. In this study, a two-layered hybrid drug delivery system was developed for the sublingual delivery of the therapeutic peptide desmopressin. It consisted of peptide-loaded mucoadhesive electrospun chitosan/polyethylene oxide-based nanofibers (mean diameter of 183 ± 20 nm) and a saliva-repelling backing film to promote unidirectional release towards the mucosa. Desmopressin was released from the nanofiber-based hybrid system (approximately 80% of the loaded peptide was released within 45 min) in a unidirectional manner in vitro. Importantly, the nanofiber–film hybrid system protected the peptide from wash-out, as demonstrated in an ex vivo flow retention model with porcine sublingual mucosal tissue. Approximately 90% of the loaded desmopressin was retained at the surface of the ex vivo porcine sublingual mucosa after 15 min of exposure to flow rates representing salivary flow.     

MiR-320-3p Regulates the Proliferation and Differentiation of Myogenic Progenitor Cells by Modulating Actin Remodeling

Skeletal myogenesis is essential for the maintenance of muscle quality and quantity, and impaired myogenesis is intimately associated with muscle wasting diseases. Although microRNA (miRNA) plays a crucial role in myogenesis and relates to muscle wasting in obesity, the molecular targets and roles of miRNAs modulated by saturated fatty acids (SFA) are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-320-3p on the differentiation of myogenic progenitor cells. Palmitic acid (PA), the most abundant dietary SFA, suppressed myogenic factors expression and impaired differentiation in C2C12 myoblasts, and these effects were accompanied by CFL2 downregulation and miR-320-3p upregulation. In particular, miR-320-3p appeared to target CFL2 mRNA directly and suppress the expression of CFL2, an essential factor for filamentous actin (F-actin) depolymerization. Transfection of myoblasts with miR-320-3p mimic increased F-actin formation and nuclear translocation of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), a key component of mechanotransduction. Furthermore, miR-320-3p mimic increased myoblast proliferation and markedly impeded the expression of MyoD and MyoG, consequently inhibiting myoblast differentiation. In conclusion, our current study highlights the role of miR-320-3p on CFL2 expression, YAP1 activation, and myoblast differentiation and suggests that PA-inducible miR-320-3p is a significant mediator of muscle wasting in obesity.