Anti-diabetic effects of mulberry (Morus alba L.) branches and oxyresveratrol in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

Food Science and Biotechnology - Despite with accumulating evidences on the anti-diabetic effects of mulberry branch (MB), the major active component for the activity has not been known. Oral...     

Pd–Ni hydrogen sponge for highly sensitive nanogap-based hydrogen sensors

We have successfully fabricated sub-100 nm nanogaps in Pd–Ni alloy thin films on an elastomeric substrate by simple stretching. The nanogaps-containing Pd–Ni films were utilized as hydrogen-sensing sponges and their performance was demonstrated to dominate over the performance of similar mobile thin films comprised of pure Pd in major aspects such as the response time, sensitivity in high H₂ concentrations, and H₂ detection limit. Notably, Pd_87.5Ni_12.5 hydrogen sensing sponges showed ultra-high sensitive and reversible On-Off behaviors and low detection limit of ∼100 ppm, which were attributed to the reduced nanogap width and the enhanced volume expandability of Pd–Ni lattice. The effects of Ni added to Pd and a search for an optimum Ni concentration were also systematically studied.     

Effects of gamma‐irradiated soybean pod extract on oxidative stress,cancer cell viability,and tyrosinase inhibition

Soybean pods contain abundant dietary fiber and phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds. However, few bioactivity studies have been conducted using soybean pods, while soybean leaves, and seeds have been well characterized. In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation on the physiological properties of soybean pod extract (SPE) was investigated. SPE was irradiated at 0, 5, 10, and 20 kGy, and the phenolic compound concentration and antioxidant activity were investigated. The total phenolic compounds were increased and total flavonoids were decreased as the irradiation dose increased. Antioxidant activity, which was measured using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl, 2,2′‐azino‐bis‐3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid, and 2‐thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assays, improved as the irradiation dose increased. In addition, cancer cell viability, and tyrosinase activity were reduced by gamma irradiation. These results show that soybean pods can be utilized as functional food materials after gamma irradiation.

Practical applications

Gamma irradiation modified the chemical composition of soybean pod extract (SPE). Such irradiation improved the antioxidant, anti‐pigmentation, and anti‐carcinogenesis effects compared to those of control SPE. Therefore, this material, previously considered a byproduct of soybean processing, can be used as a functional food to prevent such disorders as oxidative damage, cancer, and hyperpigmentation.     

Hydrogen production from steam reforming using an indirect heating method

In this work, a methanol steam reforming (MSR) reactor was operated using an indirect heating method. A thermal circuit was constructed between the MSR reactor and the electrical heater to supply the heat required for the endothermic reaction, and deionized water was used as the heat transfer medium (HTM). The MSR reactors featured a shell-and-tube type design to operate at high pressures. A Cu/Zn catalyst was installed on the tube side, and HTM was supplied to the shell side. To improve the heat transfer performance, the heat transfer area between the shell and tube was increased from 598 to 1117 cm². Because the MSR reactor had a sufficient heat exchange area corresponding to the catalytic reaction rate, the heat exchange area had little effect on methanol conversion. However, the heat exchange area had a greater effect on the performance because the operating temperature of reactor was lower. Under the same operating temperature conditions, the MSR reactor operated under the indirect heating method showed relatively higher methanol conversion than the MSR reactor operated in an electric furnace because of the effective heat transfer by the latent heat of saturated steam. The MSR reactor based on the indirect heating method was continuously operated at 250 °C for 72 h to verify characteristic start-up and operation. The results showed that the MSR reactor could be operated at a constant temperature; however, low methanol conversion at low operating temperatures led to slow catalyst degradation. In addition, the MSR reactor required more than 2 h for initial start-up and for restart after emergency shutdown because the HTM needed to be evaporated and pressurized to the target pressure.