ESCA: Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis

A substance on which X-rays fall emits photoelectrons and Auger electrons. The energy spectra of the electrons emitted provide information about the electronic structure in the specimen, ranging from the innermost atomic levels and their dependence on the chemical environment to the molecular orbitals of the valence electrons and the band structure in solids. Electron spectra of this nature can now be recorded with high-resolution instruments; their analysis offers new aspects for investigation of chemical composition. The method of electron spectroscopy developed for this purpose, which has now been developed to a high degree of perfection, will be referred to in the following discussion as ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis).     

XPS characterization of wood chemical composition after heat‐treatment

XPS was used to characterize the chemical changes occurring after drying or applying a heat‐treatment to beech wood samples. Our results indicate that the surface of this air‐exposed material could be strongly affected either by the ambient atmosphere during storage or by the complex atmosphere in the oven during drying or heat‐treatment. However, the O/C ratio measured after removal of a thin slice of a few millimetres of an untreated sample is in reasonable agreement with that calculated from the well‐established chemical composition of beech. Through this methodology (equivalent to scraping for hard materials) it is expected to get a realistic characterization of the wood. The reliability and repeatability of the XPS measurements have been checked and the method applied to the study of the chemical changes of the beech samples subjected to heat‐treatment. Heating at 240 °C induces a significant decrease of the O/C ratio from 0.55 before to 0.44 after the treatment. Heat‐treatment induces also a decrease of the C₂ carbon contribution (carbon atom bound to a single non‐carbonyl oxygen) associated with an increase of the C₁ carbon contribution (carbon atoms bound only to carbon or hydrogen atoms), in agreement with chemical modifications reported previously in the literature. Thanks to the small analysed area of the equipment used in this study, different spots were analysed to demonstrate the presence or absence of a gradient of chemical composition due to thermal degradation or migration of extractives from within the wood structure to its surface. At the scale of our observations, the different wood samples investigated (dried or heat treated) appear to be homogeneous. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

杨氏双缝干涉实验的光谱变化

从理论和实验上研究了当部分相干光照射在双缝上时,杨氏双缝干涉实验干涉场中的光谱变化.指出干涉场中的归一化光谱在某些空间点处出现了蓝移,在另外一些空间点处出现了红移,而在这些空间点的中间,光谱分裂为等值的两条,出现了光谱开关现象.发现当观察点从轴上向轴外移动的过程中,在很多空间观察点处都出现了光谱开关现象.此外,研究结果还表明光谱相干度将对光谱的移动和光谱开关现象产生重要的影响.     

Energetic Bio-Activation of Some Organic Molecules and Their Antioxidant Activity in the Pulp of the Moroccan Argan Tree «Argania spinosa L.»

Argania spinosa L. Skeels is an emblematic tree in Morocco, known worldwide for its medicinal and nutritional value. Its fruits contain kernels used to prepare an edible oil, the leaves are used to feed livestock, and its wood is used as fuel. If the oil acquires high importance, the other components of the fruit of the argan are undervalued. Our objective is to invest the waste of the argan industry. Particularly, our study aimed to assess the effect of thermal activation of argan pulp on its therapeutic value, its phenolic profile and its functional and physicochemical properties. After heat treatment, the HPLC analysis for the average total phenolic content varied from 2% to 37%, depending on temperature. The antioxidant activity was increased with heat treatment. Higher values of antioxidant activity, polyphenol and pigment content were recorded at 70 °C. Functional properties analysis indicated that water solubility index and water absorption capacity were significantly affected by heat stress. Physicochemical analysis showed that moisture content, titratable acidity and soluble solids were affected.     

New Chemotypes for the Inhibition of (p)ppGpp Synthesis in the Quest for New Antimicrobial Compounds

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to our society from both the medical and economic point of view, while the antibiotic discovery pipeline has been dwindling over the last decades. Targeting non-essential bacterial pathways, such as those leading to antibiotic persistence, a bacterial bet-hedging strategy, will lead to new molecular entities displaying low selective pressure, thereby reducing the insurgence of AMR. Here, we describe a way to target (p)ppGpp (guanosine tetra- or penta-phosphate) signaling, a non-essential pathway involved in the formation of persisters, with a structure-based approach. A superfamily of enzymes called RSH (RelA/SpoT Homolog) regulates the intracellular levels of this alarmone. We virtually screened several fragment libraries against the (p)ppGpp synthetase domain of our RSH chosen model Rel_Seq, selected three main chemotypes, and measured their interaction with Rel_Seq by thermal shift assay and STD-NMR. Most of the tested fragments are selective for the synthetase domain, allowing us to select the aminobenzoic acid scaffold as a hit for lead development.     

Buckwheat Hull-Enriched Pasta: Physicochemical and Sensory Properties

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of semolina with 0, 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of ground buckwheat hull (BH) on the chemical composition, antioxidant properties, color, cooking characteristics, and sensory properties of wheat pasta. Pasta samples were prepared by dough lamination (tagliatelle shape) and dried at 55 °C until the moisture content was 11–12% (wet basis). Analyses of samples showed that the addition of BH caused an increase in fiber content in pasta from 4.31% (control pasta) to 14.15% (pasta with 20% of BH). Moreover, the brightness and yellowness of BH-enriched products were significantly decreased compared to the control sample, and the total color difference ranged from 23.84 (pasta with 1% of BH) to 32.56 (pasta with 15% BH). In addition, a decrease in optimal cooking time, as well as an increased weight index and cooking loss, was observed in BH-enriched pasta samples. Furthermore, BH-enriched cooked pasta had significantly higher total phenolic content and antioxidant activity but an unpleasant smell and taste, especially if the level of BH was higher than 10%.     

氨对硅基铁纳米薄膜高温重凝核的影响

采用弧过滤离子沉积系统（arc filtered deposition,AFD）在纯硅表面制备铁纳米薄膜。研究了750℃下铁纳米薄膜在氢气氛围以及氨气氛围中重凝核的规律。研究表明,在氢气氛围中,铁纳米薄膜重凝核以后形成的铁纳米颗粒随薄膜的厚度增加以及保温时间的延长而增大;但在氨气氛围中,铁纳米薄膜重凝核后形成的纳米颗粒的尺寸随保温时间的变化更为复杂：在氨气作用的初始阶段,铁颗粒的尺寸随氨气作用时间的延长而逐渐变大,但一段时间以后,铁颗粒的尺寸又随氨气作用时间的延长而变小,直到铁颗粒平均直径达到一个最小值（大约在氨气介入后的12min）,随后铁颗粒的尺寸又逐渐变大,并最终达到一稳定值。     

Phenolic Constituents,Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Activities,Enzyme Inhibition Abilities of Five Fractions from Vaccinium dunalianum Wight

The bud of Vaccinium dunalianum Wight has been traditionally consumed as health herbal tea by “Yi” people in Yunnan Province, China, which was locally named “Que Zui tea”. This paper studied the chemical constituents of five fractions from Vaccinium dunalianum, and their enzyme inhibitory effects of α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase, antioxidant activity, and cytoprotective effects on H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. The methanol extract of V. dunalianum was successively partitioned with petroleum ether (PF), chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EF), n-butanol (BF), and aqueous (WF) to obtain five fractions. The chemical profiling of the five fractions was analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), and 18 compounds were tentatively identified. Compared to PF, CF, BF and WF, the EF revealed the highest total phenols (TPC) and total flavonoids (TFC), and displayed the strongest enzyme inhibition ability (α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase) and antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP). Furthermore, these five fractions, especially EF, could effectively inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell apoptosis on H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage protection in HepG2 cells. This inhibitory effect might be caused by the up-regulation of intracellular antioxidant enzyme activity (CAT, SOD, and GSH). The flavonoids and phenolic acids of V. dunalianum might be the bioactive substances responsible for enzyme inhibitory, antioxidant, and cytoprotective activities.     

LBO晶体超光滑表面抛光机理

胶体SiO2抛光LBO晶体获得无损伤的超光滑表面,结合前人对抛光机理的认识,探讨了超光滑表面抛光的材料去除机理,分析了化学机械抛光中的原子级材料去除机理.在此基础上,对胶体SiO2抛光LBO晶体表面材料去除机理和超光滑表面的形成进行了详细的描述,研究抛光液的pH值与材料去除率和表面粗糙度的关系.LBO晶体超光滑表面抛光的材料去除机理是抛光液与晶体表面的活泼原子层发生化学反应形成过渡的软质层,软质层在磨料和抛光盘的作用下很容易被无损伤的去除.酸性条件下,随抛光液pH值的减小抛光材料的去除率增大;抛光液pH值为4时,获得最好的表面粗糙度.