Alleviation of Ulcerative Colitis Potentially through th1/th2 Cytokine Balance by a Mixture of Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng Extract and Persicaria tinctoria

Ginseng is a vastly used herbal supplement in Southeast Asian countries. Red ginseng extract enriched with Rg3 (Rg3-RGE) is a formula that has been extensively studied owing to its various biological properties. Persicaria tinctoria (PT), belonging to the Polygonaceae family, has also been reported for its anti-inflammatory properties. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is inflammation of the large intestine, particularly in the colon. This disease is increasingly common and has high probability of relapse. We investigated, separately and in combination, the effects of Rg3-RGE and PT using murine exemplary of UC induced by DSS (Dextran Sulfate Sodium). For in vitro and in vivo experiments, nitric oxide assay, qRT-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Western blot, ulcerative colitis introduced by DSS, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and flow cytometry analysis were performed. The results obtained demonstrate that treatment with Rg3-RGE + PT showed synergism to suppress inflammation (in vitro) in RAW 264.7 cells via mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor κB pathways. Moreover, in C57BL/6 mice, this mixture exhibits strong anti-inflammatory effects in restoring colon length, histopathological damage, pro-inflammatory mediators, and cytokines amount, and decreasing levels of NLRP3 inflammasome (in vivo). Our results recommend that this mixture can be used for the prevention of UC as a prophylactic/therapeutic supplement.     

A weakly compressible MPS method for modeling of open‐boundary free‐surface flow

A mesh‐free particle method, based on the moving particle semi‐implicit (MPS) interaction model, has been developed for the simulation of two‐dimensional open‐boundary free‐surface flows. The incompressibility model in the original MPS has been replaced with a weakly incompressible model. The effect of this replacement on the efficiency and accuracy of the model has been investigated. The new inflow–outflow boundary conditions along with the particle recycling strategy proposed in this study extend the application of the model to open‐boundary problems. The final model is able to simulate open‐boundary free surface flow in cases of large deformation and fragmentation of free surface. The models and proposed algorithms have been validated and applied to sample problems. The results confirm the model's efficiency and accuracy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A general,efficient, and inexpensive catalyst system for the coupling of aryl iodides and thiols

An efficient copper-catalyzed carbon-sulfur bond formation reaction was developed. This method is particularly noteworthy given its experimental simplicity, high generality, and exceptional level of functional group toleration and the low cost of the catalyst system. [reaction: see text]     

Observation of a very large internal hyperfine field (62.4 T) in the ferromagnetically ordered state of the S = 1 alpha-iron(II) octaethyltetraazaporphyrin

The origins of the extraordinarily large internal hyperfine field (62.4 T) for the three-dimensional (weak) ferromagnetically ordered ground state of alpha-Fe(OETAP) are discussed semiquantitatively in terms of existing physical theory. In particular, the classical Fermi-contact contribution to the internal field is found to be highly enhanced by a very large orbital contribution and a significant dipolar term of the same sign. A rationale for the unexpected ordering of this S = 1 non-Kramers system is also presented.     

An algorithm for optimal minimax routing in ATM networks

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) has been adopted by the CCITT as the transport mode in which Broadband ISDN will be based. In this paper, we formulate the problem of routing cells in an ATM network as an optimization problem. The objective is to minimize the largest cell loss probability among all links. The constraints correspond to a multicommodity network flow problem with gains. An algorithm to determine a global optimal flow assignment is presented. The minimax routing algorithm was implemented and tested on several sample networks. The computational experiments show that the algorithm is computationally efficient.Supported by NSF grant NCR 92-23148.     

Characterization of the structure and organization of β-form crystals in type III and type IV isotactic polypropylene spherulites

Anisotropic growth of β-form crystals of isotactic polypropylene in type III and type IV spherulites has made possible microanalysis of the unit cell structure, optical properties, and crystal arrangement within the spherulites. Micro x-ray studies of the type III and type IV spherulites show that interspherulitic β-form crystals have a hexagonal unit cell with dimensions; a = 19.08 Å and c = 6.49 Å. The intrinsic refractive indices of these β-form crystals are 1.506 along the a axis and 1.536 along the c axis. The organization of the crystals within the spherulites and the optical properties of the spherulites are also quantitatively evaluated. Both the type III and type IV spherulites have the a axis of the crystal radial while the crystals rotate randomly around the type III spherulite radii and periodically around the type IV spherulite radii. The radial refractive index for both the type III and type IV spherulites has the same value of 1.496. The tangential refractive index of the type III spherulite has a constant value of 1.509; it varies periodically between a minimum of 1.496 and a maximum of 1.519 in the type IV spherulite. Microtechniques such as micro x-ray diffraction, interference microscopy, birefringence, and optical microscopy were required for acquisition of the data.     

ToF atom-probe fim study of LaB6 single crystals

The field evaporation mass spectra of LaB₆ are obtained with time-of-flight atom-probe field ion microscope in vacuum and in the presence of hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. The spectra are consistent with a preferential chemisorption of these gases on boron sites.     

A new direction in carbon-rich organometallic wires: diruthenium compounds bridged by E-hex-3-ene-1,5-diyn-diyl

New organometallic wires were obtained from two diruthenium units bridged by E-hex-3-ene-1,5-diyn-dyl.     

Loss-coupled distributed-feedback lasers with amplified optical feedback for optical microwave generation

Multisection semiconductor lasers for optical microwave generation have been fabricated that consist of a loss-coupled distributed feedback (LC-DFB), a phase control, and an amplifier section. High-frequency self-pulsations are generated according to the concept of a single-mode laser with short optical feedback. The effect of the optical feedback via the phase control and the amplifier section on the self-pulsation is apparently shown as a result of the superior single-mode characteristic of the LC-DFB section. Continuous frequency tuning is achieved in the range of 17-35 GHz.