Search

In recent years, researchers have been interested in new types of plant raw materials that are not pharmacopoeial to date. Such raw materials are leaves of black thorn, a plant widely distributed in the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as easily cultivated. Due to the lack of regulatory documentation, the purpose of this study was to conduct a set of qualitative reactions to confirm the proposed groups of biologically active substances, as well as to determine the quality indicators of black thorn leaves as a step in the standardisation of this type of raw material. In the course of qualitative reactions the presence of such groups of biologically active substances as flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and polysaccharides was confirmed in the leaves of black thorn (Prúnus spinósa). The composition of the flavonoid fraction was analysed by the method of HELC; the presence of such substances as rutin, hyperoside, vitexin, astragalin, and quercetin in raw materials was established. Numerical indices were determined according to GF XIV methods, The content of phenolic compounds was also confirmed by the Folin-Cicalteu method.

Charge state and energy distributions of ions generated by a 3 J/30 ns Nd-glass laser were measured at a distance of 3.7 m from the target for seven different elements of the Periodic Table and for two different laser power densities (of the order of 1011 and 1012 W/cm2). Two groups of elements were found: highly charged ions with ionization potentials in the range of 500–1000 eV were registered for all elements between 12C and 56Fe; at the same time, ions with about-one-order-less ionization potentials were registered for elements between 74Ge and 181Ta. The most probable reason for such a big difference is the recombination losses of ions during laser-produced plasma expansion into vacuum. Verification of recombination losses in the case of 181Ta target has shown no losses at distances longer than 32.5 cm from the target, so recombination processes should take place at shorter distances. Current densities, pulse durations, energy ranges, and numbers of ions with different charge states were found for all elements by normalizing charge state distributions to total ion currents. Two different ion groups exist for all elements and laser power densities used in experiments: the faster group has a very weak dependence of energy on ion charge state, and the energies of the slower group are proportional to the charge states with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A full-length complementary (c) DNA encoding ultraviolet ( UV)-sensitive opsin ( sws1) was isolated from the retina of the Japanese sardine Sardinops melanostictus. The sws1 phylogenetic tree showed a sister group relationship with the Cypriniformes, following the ray-finned fish phylogeny. By expressing reconstituted opsin in vitro, it was determined that the maximum absorbance spectrum ( λmax) of sws1 is around 382 nm, being intermediate in position between two subtypes of sws1 pigment that are UV sensitive ( λmax = 355-380 nm) and violet sensitive ( λmax = 388-455 nm), which have been reported to date. The ocular media transmitted >20% transmittance of light in the range of 360-600 nm. In situ hybridization analyses revealed that sws1 messenger (m) RNA is localized in a central single cone surrounded by four double cones in a square mosaic. The square mosaic occupies the ventro-temporal quadrant of the retina and the in situ hybridization signals were dominant in this area suggesting that the fish may use UV vision when looking upward. Based on these results, considerable significances of potential UV sensitivity, in relation to characteristic habits of S. melanostictus, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]