Comparative evaluation of Fe(III) reducing power-based antioxidant capacity assays in the presence of phenanthroline, batho-phenanthroline, tripyridyltriazine (FRAP), and ferricyanide reagents

The chemical diversity of antioxidants in complex matrices such as plant extracts makes it difficult to separate and quantify antioxidants from these solutions. Therefore it is desirable to establish methods that can measure the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels directly from plant extracts. Iron(III)-based TAC assays, especially the most widely used FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power), play an important role in this regard. However, many problems have been reported in the application of the FRAP assay, the most serious one being the incomplete oxidation of a number of antioxidants during the time protocol of the assay. Thus, six different ferric ion-based total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays have been comparatively tested, modified, and improved so as to obtain more sensitive and precise results for complex mixtures, namely: 1,10-phenanthroline (o-phen) method (with incubation), batho-phenanthroline method (with incubation), original FRAP method, modified FRAP method (with incubation), original ferricyanide method, and modified ferricyanide method (with incubation). Two new assays in this regard (i.e., o-phen and batho-phen) have been established, and the existing assays (FRAP and ferricyanide) have been modified so as to let the oxidation reactions of antioxidants reach completion. The molar absorptivity for a variety of antioxidants was highest for modified FRAP, batho-phen, and original FRAP methods. The absorption maximum wavelength shifted batochromically to a higher extent for modified ferricyanide, FRAP, and batho-phen procedures, decreasing the possibility of interferences due to organics absorbing in the near-UV range of the visible spectrum where most antioxidant assays are performed. The linear concentration ranges were shown to be further extended and linear correlation coefficients improved with respect to the most widely used ferric-based assay, FRAP. Of the six assays tested and developed, only the modified ferricyanide procedure gave high intercept values and low addivitity of TAC values of constituents in complex mixtures, requiring further attention of method optimization. Thus, it was shown that the most widely used FRAP could be effectively modified, and o-phen, batho-phen, and ferricyanide methods constitute cheaper alternatives to FRAP under certain conditions, with partly improved molar absorptivity (and thus sensitivity) for antioxidants, lower intercept values (and higher precision), broader linear range (and higher flexibility), and better additivity of TAC values of antioxidant constituents in mixtures.     

云南几次中强地震热红外异常特征对比研究

云南省位于多个地块交界处，构造活动活跃且地震活动频发。利用中国静止气象卫星风云二号系列相当黑体温度TBB数据，应用小波变换和相对傅氏功率谱的时频相对功率谱方法（T-F RPS），提取并分析了云南省2008年至今发生的5.5级以上地震热红外异常信息，且对比分析了特征周期、特征幅值、异常形态、异常演化过程等参数。结果表明：（1）该系列地震热红外异常信息易于用时频相对功率谱方法（T-F RPS）提取识别，且异常特征具有"出现-扩大-减小-消失"的规律；（2）异常特征周期和持续时间也具有一定的规律性；（3）异常沿着断层延展，震中位于异常边缘一侧或者异常区域交汇地带，发震时刻多位于相对功率谱幅值下降阶段；（4）震级与相对功率谱峰值有一定的相关性，震级高，峰值也较高；（5）地震类型与异常面积有一定的相关性，双震型地震异常面积较大。此外，讨论了地震热红外异常与构造活动、气候状况、天气情况和季节等因素的关系。     

Statistical properties of aggregation with injection

We study a generalized aggregation process in which charged particles diffuse and coalesce randomly on a lattice. For one-dimensional and mean-field models, we show that there exists a statistically-invariant steady state when randomly charged particles are continuously injected. The steady-state charge distribution obeys a power law with the exponent depending both on the type of the injection and on the spatial dimension. The response of the system to a perturbation (i.e., relaxation) is characterized by either a power law decay (t ^– ,1) or a compressed exponential decay [exp(–t ),>1].     

Operation of the quasi-optical gyrotron at harmonics of the gyrofrequency

This paper investigates the performance of a quasioptical gyrotron, when the electron beam interacts with the radiation fields at harmonics of the gyrofrequency. The nonlinear equations of motion are obtained in the slow-timescale. The expression for the linear gain is derived and the conditions for excitation are given (frequency threshold, optimal operating point, bean current and resonator quality thresholds). In the nonlinear regime, it is shown that maximum efficiencies comparable to those at the fundemental (50%) are possible, albeit at a prohitively high radiation field amplitude, while realistically feasible field amplitudes can give somewhat smaller, but nevertheless still high efficiencies (15%). Finally, the results are suplemented by empirical scaling laws, useful for experimental designs.     

紫外预电离TEA CO2激光器放电特性的实验研究

 横向激励大气压（transversely excited atmospheric,TEA）CO₂激光器的放电稳定性是决定该类型激光器应用效果的关键因素。通过对采用电感充放电电路的紫外预电离激光器的实验研究，得到了激光器放电动态过程的规律，并发现残余振荡是主放电后发生弧光放电的主要原因。实验中采用不同配比的气体，并对电感充放电电路与改进后的硅堆充放电电路进行了比较。实验结果表明：增加充电电感值可以降低主放电结束后储能电容上的残余电压；而采用硅堆放电电路在主放电后仅有相对幅值很低的稳定残压，两种方案都大幅度抑制了弧光放电的形成，有效地提高了激光单脉冲能量。     

S-5N全固态重复频率脉冲发生器

 主要介绍S-5N的结构及测试实验结果。S-5N型全固态重复频率脉冲发生器是目前国际上同类源中峰值功率和平均功率均为最大的一台。随负载大小的变化，S-5N脉冲发生器的输出电压为400～600kV，输出电流2～3kA，输出脉冲半高宽40～50ns，单脉冲输出能量40～65J。 S-5N脉冲发生器在300Hz重复频率条件下可连续工作，500Hz重复频率条件下可连续工作3min，平均输出功率高达30kW。     

回旋速调管放大器输出腔的特性研究

 利用变截面波导的耦合模理论，根据输出腔中电场幅值分布函数所满足的微分方程组，编写了具有自动优化功能的计算程序，分析研究了不同渐变角度、考虑腔体损耗前后和输出腔与外电路失配时，谐振频率、腔体品质因数和高频场幅值沿轴分布的变化情况，为进一步研究高频场与电子注的互作用和输出腔奠定了基础。     

Cholesteric induction power of β-galactose derivatives

Galactose derivatives were explored as chiral dopants, effective for inducing chiral nematic liquid crystal (LC) phases. Galactose bearing O-isopropylidene substituents at the C3 and C4 and butoxybiphenyl substituents at the C2 and C6 positions exhibits a high helical twisting power (HTP) value of ?74.4 μm^?1. Such a high HTP value for the galactose derivative is attributed to (1) linkage of the C3 and C4 carbons with the O-isopropylidene substituent, which places the C2 and C6 substitutes in a skew arrangement at a large angle and (2) enhancement of the affinity with the host nematic LCs by incorporating aromatic substituents at the C2 and C6 positions that are similar to those in the host.     

Antioxidant activity,lipophilicity and extractability of polyphenols from pig skin – development of analytical methods for skin permeation studies

Permeation of polyphenols through the stratum corneum barrier is a precondition for the protective action of polyphenols against oxidative skin damage. Prior to in vitro skin permeation experiments, we developed a method for the quantification of polyphenols in pig skin, including organic solvent extraction and HPLC analysis. Catechine hydrate, epigallocatechin gallate, trans‐resveratrol, quercetin, rutin and protocatechuic acid were chosen for this study as representatives of phenolics with different lipophilicity and molecular weight. The antioxidative activities of polyphenols as well as their octanol–water partition coefficients at different pH values were determined. Extraction of polyphenols from pig skin was optimized by variation of solvent composition, homogenization intensity and time, as well as partial exclusion of oxygen during extraction. The highest recovery rates could be reached by extraction with the methanol–water mixture (90:10, v/v), containing 0.2 g/L l ‐ascorbic acid, after the cryo‐milling for 4 min. Recoveries of 72% for total phenolics, 96% for quercetin and protocatechuic acid, 90% for rutin and 74% for trans‐resveratrol, were achieved. These extraction parameters will be selected for the polyphenol extraction from pig skin for further in vitro drug permeation studies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.