Analysis of Static Molecular Gradients in a High-Throughput Drug Screening Microfluidic Assay

In this study, we thoroughly analyzed molecular gradient generation, its stability over time, and linearity in our high-throughput drug screening microfluidic assay (HTS). These parameters greatly affect the precision and accuracy of the device’s analytical protocol. As part of the research, we developed a mathematical model of dependence of the concentration profile on the initial concentrations of active substances in reservoirs and the number of tilts, as well as the dependence of the active substance concentration profiles in the culture chambers on the concentration profile of the reference dye in the indicator chamber. The mean concentration prediction error of the proposed equations ranged from 1.4% to 2.4% for the optimized parameters of the procedure and did not increase with the incubation time. The concentration profile linearity index, Pearson’s correlation coefficient reached −0.997 for 25 device tilts. The observed time stability of the profiles was very good. The mean difference between the concentration profile after 5 days of incubation and the baseline profile was only 7.0%. The newly created mathematical relationships became part of the new HTS biochip operating protocols, which are detailed in the article.     

基于均匀设计优化深山草莓花瓣离体培养及植株再生体系

应用均匀设计法对深山草莓花瓣诱导愈伤组织和愈伤组织再分化芽苗的主要因子和水平进行了探讨.结果表明,深山草莓花瓣愈伤组织诱导的适宜培养基为LS+TDZ 2.06 mg.L-1+2,4-D 0.60 mg.L-1,诱导率为98%;愈伤组织再分化芽苗的适宜培养基为1/2 LS+TDZ 2.30 mg.L-1+NAA 0.10 mg.L-1+KT1.30 mg.L-1,分化率为96.3%.炼苗移栽后观察植株的形态、花、果及生长等特征,以筛选具有优良性状的株系.     

A Comparative Toxicity Study of TiO2 Nanoparticles in Suspension and Adherent Culture Under the Dark Condition

The present study focused on the different acute toxicity of TiO₂ nanoparticles(TiO₂ NPs) towards the bacteria in suspension culture and adherent culture under the dark conditions. The study investigated the bacteria toxicity with TiO₂ NPs at different concentrations(1—2000 mg/L), sizes(10 nm, 35 nm) and specific surface areas in unit volume solution(0—224 m²/L) characterized by the cell viability, extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) release and biofilm formation. The bacteria in adherent culture was found to be more resistant against the toxicity of TiO₂ NPs compared to that in suspension culture. An NP dose and surface area dependent(rather than the size) bacterial viability was observed in suspension culture, specifically the surface area positively correlated with the toxicity of TiO₂ NPs. The size of TiO₂ NPs, however, played a more critical role in toxicity of TiO₂ NPs in adherent culture. Therefore, the surface area dependent toxicity of TiO₂ NPs is a comprehensive parameter describing the dose and size dependent toxicity of TiO₂ NPs. The electron microscopic(SEM, TEM, EDX) observations suggested the EPS release and biofilm formation, during aggregation of TiO₂ NPs on the bacteria after 12 h cultivation in adherent culture under the dark condition. A possible toxic mechanism could be that “effective surface areas” that directly contact with the bacterial membrane greatly contributed to the toxicity of TiO₂ NPs in both suspension culture and adherent culture. Therefore, as for the possible resistance mechanism, EPS secretion and subsequent biofilm formation may protect the bacteria against the toxicity of TiO₂ NPs.     

Scarlet Flax Linum grandiflorum (L.) In Vitro Cultures as a New Source of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Lignans

In vitro cultures of scarlet flax (Linum grandiflorum L.), an important ornamental flax, have been established as a new possible valuable resource of lignans and neolignans for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory applications. The callogenic potential at different concentrations of α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and thidiazuron (TDZ), alone or in combinations, was evaluated using both L. grandiflorum hypocotyl and cotyledon explants. A higher callus induction frequency was observed on NAA than TDZ, especially for hypocotyl explants, with a maximum frequency (i.e., 95.2%) on 1.0 mg/L of NAA. The presence of NAA (1.0 mg/L) in conjunction with TDZ tended to increase the frequency of callogenesis relative to TDZ alone, but never reached the values observed with NAA alone, thereby indicating the lack of synergy between these two plant growth regulators (PGRs). Similarly, in terms of biomass, NAA was more effective than TDZ, with a maximum accumulation of biomass registered for medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L of NAA using hypocotyls as initial explants (DW: 13.1 g). However, for biomass, a synergy between the two PGRs was observed, particularly for cotyledon-derived explants and for the lowest concentrations of TDZ. The influence of these two PGRs on callogenesis and biomass is discussed. The HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of lignans (secoisolariciresinol (SECO) and lariciresinol (LARI) and neolignan (dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol [DCA]) naturally accumulated in their glycoside forms. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities performed for both hypocotyl- and cotyledon-derived cultures were also found maximal (DPPH: 89.5%, FRAP 866: µM TEAC, ABTS: 456 µM TEAC) in hypocotyl-derived callus cultures as compared with callus obtained from cotyledon explants. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activities revealed high inhibition (COX-1: 47.4% and COX-2: 51.1%) for extract of hypocotyl-derived callus cultures at 2.5 mg/L TDZ. The anti-inflammatory action against COX-1 and COX-2 was supported by the IC₅₀ values. This report provides a viable approach for enhanced biomass accumulation and efficient production of (neo)lignans in L. grandiflorum callus cultures.     

Analysis of a chemostat model with variable yield coefficient: Tessier kinetics

We investigate a chemostat model in which the growth rate is given by a Tessier expression with a variable yield coefficient. We combine analytical results with path-following methods. The washout conditions are found. When washout does not occur we establish the conditions under which the reactor performance and reactor productivity are maximised. We also determine the parameter region in which oscillations may be generated in the reactor. We briefly discuss the implications of our results for comparing the performance of a single bioreactor against a cascade of two bioreactors.     

Biomass Productivities in Wild Type and Pigment Mutant of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyclotella</Emphasis> sp. (Diatom)

Microalgae are expected to play a significant role in greenhouse gas mitigation because they can utilize CO₂ from power plant flue gases directly while producing a variety of renewable carbon-neutral biofuels. In order for such a microalgal climate change mitigation strategy to become economically feasible, it will be necessary to significantly improve biomass productivities. One approach to achieve this objective is to reduce, via mutagenesis, the number of light-harvesting pigments, which, according to theory, should significantly improve the light utilization efficiency, primarily by increasing the light intensity at which photosynthesis saturates (I _s). Employing chemical (ethylmethylsulfonate) and UV mutagenesis of a wild-type strain of the diatom Cyclotella, approximately 10,000 pigment mutants were generated, and two of the most promising ones (CM1 and CM1-1) were subjected to further testing in both laboratory cultures and outdoor ponds. Measurements of photosynthetic oxygen production rates as a function of light intensity (i.e., P–I curves) of samples taken from laboratory batch cultures during the exponential and linear growth phase indicated that the light intensity at which photosynthesis saturates (I _s) was two to three times greater in the pigment mutant CM1-1 than in the wild type, i.e., 355–443 versus 116–169 μmol/m² s, respectively. While theory, i.e., the Bush equation, predicts that such a significant gain in I _s should increase light utilization efficiencies and thus biomass productivities, particularly at high light intensities, no improvements in biomass productivities were observed in either semi-continuous laboratory cultures or outdoor ponds. In fact, the maximum biomass productivity in semi-continuous laboratory culture was always greater in the wild type than in the mutant, namely 883 versus 725 mg/L day, respectively, at low light intensity (200 μmol/m² s) and 1,229 versus 1,043 mg/L day, respectively, at high light intensity (1,000 μmol/m² s). Similarly, the biomass productivities measured in outdoor ponds were significantly lower for the mutant than for the wild type. Given that these mutants have not been completely characterized in these initial studies, the exact reasons for their poor performance are not known. Most likely, it is possible that the mutation procedure affected other photosynthetic or metabolic processes. This hypothesis was partially validated by the observation that the pigment mutant had a longer lag period following inoculation, a lower maximum specific growth rate, and poorer stability than the wild type.     

Vector measure as controls for explicit nonlinear impulsive system of fed-batch culture

In this paper, we consider an optimal control problem of microbial fermentation process in which glycerol is converted to 1,3-propanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae in fed-batch culture. During the period of reaction, the variation of pH value is monitored to determine glycerol replenishment quantity, guaranteeing that microorganism can always keep growing fast under enough nutrition. Every time pH value is lower than seven, the quantity of glycerol added is such that pH value returns seven again. Glycerol is poured into reactor at discrete time instant and the quantity is controllable. The problem is to determine for each discrete time instant the glycerol quantity to add and maximize the final concentration of 1,3-propanediol. We present a controlled explicit nonlinear impulsive dynamical system of fed-batch culture with state independent vector measures as controls and study the existence, uniqueness, boundedness, continuous dependence and Gâteaux differentiability of its solution with respect to controls. We then propose a multiple objective programming model and demonstrate the regularity of cost functionals and weak compactness of admissible control set. Finally we discuss the existence of optimal control and implement a hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm to solve the model optimally. Computational results are presented on a numerical example.     

An improved model for multistage simulation of glycerol fermentation in batch culture and its parameter identification

The bioconversion of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol is a complex bioprocess. In this study, we aim to explore a novel model for describing the multistage cell growth in batch culture. This is achieved by a modification at the specific rate of cell growth in consideration of its time-dependent changes. The existence, uniqueness and boundedness of solutions to the system and the continuity of solutions with respect to the parameters are discussed. In addition, a parameter identification problem of the system is developed and a feasible optimization algorithm is constructed to solve it. Numerical result shows that the improved model could describe the batch culture well.     

潮汕工夫茶中的化学智慧

潮汕工夫茶中蕴含了丰富的化学文化。长期以来,潮汕人在凤凰单枞茶的品种选育、种植、加工以及品饮等诸多方面, 十分关注影响茶叶品质与风味的儿茶素、茶氨酸、咖啡因、可溶性糖、色素、萜类等化学物质,并在生产、加工中对这些化学成分的含量及生化转化精细控制,形成了凤凰单枞茶特有的品质与风味;同时,针对凤凰单枞茶活性成分的组成特点,摸索出一套科学的冲泡程式,充分展现出潮汕工夫茶文化中的化学智慧。     

江西省中华鳖种质状况及养殖方式调查

对江西省中华鳖的主要养殖企业分布、种质情况及养殖模式等进行了调查,结果表明:全省各地均有养殖,有一定规模的养殖企业主要分布于南丰县、黎川县、玉山县、永修县、余干县、进贤县和弋阳县等地;主要的养殖品系有鄱阳湖中华鳖、广东绿卡中华鳖、日本品系中华鳖、黄河中华鳖等;采用的养殖模式主要分为3种:常温养殖模式,控温高产养殖模式和生态化高产养殖模式。测量了不同养殖企业的6个中华鳖养殖类群的13项形态指标,从形态数据方面分析了不同养殖类群的种质。英明养殖类群系黄河中华鳖、日本品系中华鳖和台湾鳖的杂交种;富源养殖类群为鄱阳湖中华鳖,但推测其有广东绿卡中华鳖品系的混杂;进贤养殖类群是鄱阳湖中华鳖、广东绿卡中华鳖、日本品系中华鳖和黄河中华鳖等品系的混杂种;京丰养殖类群、兴初养殖类群和永修养殖类群是鄱阳湖中华鳖,但不排除有其他品系混杂的可能,其种质有待进一步研究。