Regional Absolute Quantification of the Neurochemical Profile of the Canine Brain: Investigation by Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Tissue Extraction

The purpose of this study was to characterize the neurochemical profiles of various parts of the canine brain using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, tissue extraction, and external simulated phantom concentration quantification. The occipital, frontal, and temporal lobes, thalami, cerebellar cortices, and spinal cords of five pure bred adult beagles were collected, and heavy water solutions for the nuclear magnetic resonance sample were prepared using the methanol–chloroform–water extraction method. The metabolite concentrations in canine brain tissues were measured and compared with those found in human and rat brain tissues. In addition, the cross peaks of Lac, Glu/Gln, and mIns were identified using two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy in the canine frontal cortex. The present study demonstrated the absolute quantification of canine neuronal parts using in vitro high-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy, with tissue extraction used to accurately measure metabolite concentrations, thus providing valuable metabolic information regarding the various canine neuronal regions.     

检验两个部分线性模型中非参函数相等

We propose the test statistic to check whether the nonparametric func-tions in two partially linear models are equality or not in this paper. We estimate the nonparametric function both in null hypothesis and the alternative by the local linear method, where we ignore the parametric components, and then estimate the parameters by the two stage method. The test statistic is derived, and it is shown to be asymptotically normal under the null hypothesis.     

The first total synthesis of glycyrol

We report the first total synthesis of glycyrol. Glycyrol, isolated from Glycyrrhizae Radix, has a unique skeleton of a benzofuran coumarin. The key steps are Smiles rearrangement and selective introduction of prenyl and O-methyl groups. The first application of a novel precursor for Smiles rearrangement, 3-benzyloxy-substituted (diacetoxyiodo)benzene, showed the synthetic possibility for diverse precursors. The introduction of a benzyl protecting group was important because selective deprotection was hard due to the low solubility of intermediates.     

Index,vision number and stability of complete minimal surfaces

Communicated by J. C. C. Nitsche     

Colorimetric determination of Cu2+ in simulated wastewater using naphthalimide-based Schiff base

A new Cu²⁺-selective colorimetric sensor was developed by combining the chromophore 3-hydroxynaphthalimide with diaminomaleonitrile. The sensor showed Cu²⁺-selective colorimetric signaling behavior in dimethylsulfoxide, indicated by a solution color change from yellow to pink, which was readily discernible without any external devices. Practical application of the sensor to the detection of Cu²⁺ in an aqueous solution containing other environmentally relevant metal ions by selective two-phase liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate was possible. Particularly, extractive signaling of Cu²⁺ in simulated semiconductor wastewater with a readily-usable smartphone as a colorimetric data capture and analysis tool was successfully conducted.     

Effects of carbon nanotubes on dynamic mechanical property,thermal property,and crystal structure of poly(L‐lactic acid)

Effects of carbon nanotubes (CNT) on the dynamic mechanical property, thermal property, and crystal structure of poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) were investigated. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) found that CNT via grafting modification with PLLA (CNT‐g‐PLLA) could result in effective reinforcing effects. Tan δ of DMA found that CNT‐g‐PLLA was compatible with the PLLA matrix, giving a single T_g of the composite with a higher CNT‐g‐PLLA loading giving a higher T_g of the composite. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) data demonstrated that CNT could assist the disorder‐to‐order (α′‐to‐α) transition in PLLA crystals but did not lead to a more compact chain packing of the crystal lattice in PLLA composites than in pure PLLA. The equilibrium melting temperature (T) obtained from Hoffman‐Weeks plots were found to increase with increasing CNT‐g‐PLLA content. Small angle X‐ray scattering data revealed that thicknesses of crystal layer and amorphous layer of PLLA both decreased with increasing CNT contents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 145–152, 2010     

Polymer nanoparticles as fluorescent labels in a fluoroimmunoassay for human chorionic gonadotropin

A sensitive fluoroimmunoassay (FIA) was developed for the determination of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG). It is based on fluorescent polymer nanoparticles (PFNPs) coated with anti-β-HCG monoclonal antibodies in a sandwich type of fluoroimmunoassay. The PFNPs were synthesized by precipitation polymerization using methacrylic acid (MAA) as the monomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate as the cross-linker, azobisisobutyronitrile as the radical initiator, and fluorescein as the fluorophore. Anti-β-HCG monoclonal antibody was labeled with the PFNPs and then used in a FIA of β-HCG in human serum samples using low-fluorescent transparent 96-well microtiter plates. The calibration graph for β-HCG is linear over the range from 1.25 to 300 mIU mL-¹ with a detection limit of 0.3 mIU mL-¹ (3σ). The relative standard deviation for seven parallel measurements of 10 mIU mL-¹ of β-HCG is 3.8%. The method has the specificity of an immunoassay and the sensitivity of fluorescent nanoparticle label technology.     

Enzymatic transformation of platycosides and one‐step separation of platycodin D by high‐speed countercurrent chromatography

Platycosides, the saponins found in the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum (Platycodi Radix), are typically composed of oleanane triterpenes with two side chains. In platycosides, platycodin D, a glucose unit at C‐3, is a major component, which has several pharmacological activities. Because of the high demand for this compound, we attempted to enzymatically convert platycodin D₃ and platycoside E, having two and three glucose units at C‐3, respectively, into platycodin D. In this study, we tested the ability of several glycosidases to transform platycosides, or more specifically, the ability to transform platycoside E and platycodin D₃ into platycodin D. To obtain pure platycodin D on a preparative scale, high‐speed countercurrent chromatography with a solvent system of ethyl acetate/n‐butanol/water (1.2:1:2, v/v/v) was used for the separation of the enzymatically transformed product. Approximately 39.4 mg of platycodin D (99.8% purity) was obtained from 200 mg of the product in a one‐step separation. The results strongly support the advantage of enzymatic transformation of the platycosides for the efficient enrichment of platycodin D in the complicated extract of the medicinal plant.     

Electrochemiluminescent aptamer biosensor for the determination of ochratoxin A at a gold-nanoparticles-modified gold electrode using N-(aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol as a luminescent label

A highly selective electrochemiluminescent biosensor for the detection of target nephrotoxic toxin, ochratoxin A (OTA), was developed using a DNA aptamer as the recognition element and N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI) as the signal-producing compound. The electrochemiluminescent aptamer biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing aptamer complementary DNA 1 sequence onto the surface of a gold-nanoparticle (AuNP)-modified gold electrode. ABEI-labeled aptamer DNA 2 sequence hybridized to DNA 1 and was utilized as an electrochemiluminescent probe. A decreased electrochemiluminescence (ECL) signal was generated upon aptamer recognition of the target OTA, which induced the dissociation of DNA 2 (ABEI-labeled aptamer electrochemiluminescent probe) from DNA 1 and moved it far away from the electrode surface. Under the optimal conditions, the decreased ECL intensity was proportional to an OTA concentration ranging from 0.02 to 3.0 ng mL^-1, with a detection limit of 0.007 ng mL^-1. The relative standard deviation was 3.8% at 0.2 ng mL^-1 (n = 7). The proposed method has been applied to measure OTA in naturally contaminated wheat samples and validated by an official method. This work demonstrates the combination of a highly binding aptamer with a highly sensitive ECL technique to design an electrochemiluminescent biosensor, which is a very promising approach for the determination of small-molecule toxins.     

Remarks on possibilistic variances of fuzzy numbers

Carlsson and Fullér (Fuzzy Sets Syst. 122:315–326, 2001) introduced the definitions of two crisp possibilistic variances of a fuzzy number A, Var(A) and Var′(A). They showed that the subsethood does entail smaller variance in the sense of Var(?). Thus it is natural to ask whether it holds in the sense of Var′(?). Yet we are able to prove that it actually does not hold. Zhang and Wang (Appl. Math. Lett. 20:1167–1173, 2007) had introduced some conditions for which the subsethood does entail smaller variance in the sense of Var′(?). In this paper we give more generalized conditions for which it holds.