Starch Granule Size and Morphology of Arabidopsis thaliana Starch-Related Mutants Analyzed during Diurnal Rhythm and Development

Transitory starch plays a central role in the life cycle of plants. Many aspects of this important metabolism remain unknown; however, starch granules provide insight into this persistent metabolic process. Therefore, monitoring alterations in starch granules with high temporal resolution provides one significant avenue to improve understanding. Here, a previously established method that combines LCSM and safranin-O staining for in vivo imaging of transitory starch granules in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana was employed to demonstrate, for the first time, the alterations in starch granule size and morphology that occur both throughout the day and during leaf aging. Several starch-related mutants were included, which revealed differences among the generated granules. In ptst2 and sex1-8, the starch granules in old leaves were much larger than those in young leaves; however, the typical flattened discoid morphology was maintained. In ss4 and dpe2/phs1/ss4, the morphology of starch granules in young leaves was altered, with a more rounded shape observed. With leaf development, the starch granules became spherical exclusively in dpe2/phs1/ss4. Thus, the presented data provide new insights to contribute to the understanding of starch granule morphogenesis.     

激光共焦扫描显微镜中的图像复原方法

在非负值和有限支撑域的递归逆滤波（NAS-RIF）盲图像复原算法的基础上,根据激光共焦扫描显微镜(LCSM)采集到的图像特点,提出了改进方法.首先对LCSM采集到的显微图像进行高斯滤波以提高退化图像的信噪比,然后进行局部直方图均衡以突出显微图像的细节,最后在代价函数中加入空间自适应正则化项,较好地恢复了具有丰富细节信息的显微图像.     

Structural characterization of novel phospholipid lipid nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery

Drug-phospholipid lipid nanoparticles (DPLNs) are prepared by incorporating drug-phospholipid complexes (DPCs) with a liquid lipid. DPLNs demonstrated interesting properties including increased encapsulation capacity, improved stability and controlled drug release profile. A comprehensive characterization of DPLNs was presented and then a schematic model was suggested according to the characterization results. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscope measurements showed the morphology of DPLNs. X-ray diffraction exhibited a predominantly amorphous structure for DPCs and totally amorphous for DPLNs. Laser confocal scanning microscopy revealed the relative position of DPCs and liquid lipid, showing that DPLNs formed a homogeneous system. Fluorescence spectra and electron spin resonance further confirmed the chemical environment inside the DPLNs in a non-invasive way.