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Filament winding is an advanced technology for fabrication of high-performance composites. Pressure-free fabrication can be achieved for non-planar composites with complicated shapes using resin-immersed twisting fibers. In this study, twisted bamboo fiber (TBF) composites were prepared by a filament winding processing (FWP). Short bamboo fiber (SBF), long bamboo fiber (LBF), and TBF composites were prepared by hot pressing (HP) and resin transfer molding (RTM). The results showed that the bamboo fiber/epoxy resin composites were positively related to the fiber size. The bamboo fiber/epoxy resin composites fabricated by FWP exhibited optimal shear performance, while those generated by RTM exhibited optimized bending performance. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis revealed that composites made by FWP had optimized interfaces. The FWP mechanism of bamboo fiber composites was resin immersion and alignment of TBF; upon resin immersion the TBF were coated by resin and could not enter the internal tubes or parenchyma tissues of the TBF. The TBF was aligned by winding equipment. After heated solidification of the resin, several bubble pores were distributed on both sides of the TBF, whose positions remained static over time. The filament winding processing for bamboo fiber composites enhanced their performance and could lead to the applications in bamboo fibers composites.

One of the main challenges when applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) is the selection of appropriate input and output variables. This paper addresses this important problem using a novel two-stage method. In the first stage, we use entropy theory to generate a comprehensive efficiency score (CES) of each decision-making unit. In the second stage, we select input and output variables using the Bayesian information criterion, when CES is treated as a dependent variable and the input and output variables are used as explanatory variables. We use stochastic data to demonstrate that our proposed method can improve the discrimination power of DEA and determine the important input and output variables. Finally, we compare the proposed method with principal component analysis using datasets on carbon emissions in China. This comparison demonstrates the practical value of our proposed method.

To investigate the role of glycolysis and the M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) in odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs), the glycolytic flux of primary odontogenic keratocyst fibroblasts (OKC-Fs) and normal oral mucosa fibroblasts (OM-Fs) was determined by glucose uptake, lactate production, and cell proliferation assays. Wound healing assay and Matrigel-coated chamber system were used to investigate the effects of PKM2 on migration and invasion capacities of OKC-Fs. Co-culture of OKC-Fs with osteoclast precursors (RAW264.7 cells) was used to clarify the role of glycolysis in the osteoclastogenic effects of OKC-Fs. In addition, hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and some key enzymes related to glycolysis, including PKM2, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-biphosphatase 3, hexokinase 2, and lactate dehydrogenase A, were detected to assess the activation of glycolysis in OKC stroma by immunohistochemistry. Results showed that the glucose uptake and lactate production were significantly higher in OKC-Fs than OM-Fs. PKM2 was elevated in OKC-Fs compared with that in OM-Fs. PKM2 significantly regulated glycolysis, proliferation, migration, invasion, and osteoclastogenic effects of OKC-Fs. Additionally hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-biphosphatase 3, hexokinase 2, and lactate dehydrogenase A were markedly overexpressed in OKC stroma, and correlated with PKM2. Moreover, the expression of PKM2 was regulated by oxygen concentration in vitro. In sum, PKM2-mediated glycolysis regulated the growth, aggressiveness, and osteoclastogenesis of OKC.

Background and purpose Tooth eruption is a complicated process regulated by the dental follicles (DF). Our recent study discovered that tooth eruption was inhibited upon injection of bleomycin into DF. However, the mechanisms were unknown. Experimental approach Human dental follicle cells (hDFCs) were treated by bleomycin or exogenous TGF-β1 or transfected by plasmids loading SMAD7 or shRNA targeting SMAD7, followed by osteogenesis induction assay and signalling analysis. Human fresh DF tissues and Wistar rats were used to further confirm bleomycin function. Key results Bleomycin decreased expression of RUNX2 and osteogenic genes in hDFCs, reducing osteogenic capacity. TGF-β1 expression was up-regulated in bleomycin-treated hDFCs. The effects of exogenous TGF-β1 were similar to those of bleomycin in hDFCs. Additionally, compared to SMAD2/3, SMAD7 expression increased more in bleomycin- or TGF-β1-treated hDFCs. Overexpression of SMAD7 likewise significantly decreased RUNX2 expression and osteogenic capacity of hDFCs. Knockdown of SMAD7 markedly attenuated the inhibitory effects of bleomycin and TGF-β1 on osteogenic capacity and RUNX2 expression of hDFCs. Most importantly, changes in TGF-β1, SMAD7, and RUNX2 expressions were similar in the DF of rats and humans treated with bleomycin. Conclusion and implications SMAD7 was a negative regulator of osteogenic differentiation in DFCs through suppressing RUNX2 expression. Bleomycin or TGF-β1 inhibited osteogenic differentiation of DFCs via a TGF-β1/SMAD7/RUNX2 pathway. Our findings might be beneficial for enhancing the osteogenic activity of DFCs or inhibiting the eruption of undesirable teeth.

To investigate whether the YAP/TAZ (Yes-associated protein/transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif) pathway contributes to the pathogenesis of lymphatic malformations (LMs).YAP, TAZ, CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), and Ki-67 were detected in LMs by immunohistochemistry. The colocalization of YAP and Ki-67 was analyzed by double immunofluorescence. Pearson's correlation and cluster analyses were performed to analyze the relationships between these proteins. Human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) were used for mechanistic investigation. Rat models of LMs were established to investigate the role of the YAP pathway in LM development.Compared with those in normal skin, the expression levels of YAP, TAZ, CTGF, and Ki-67 were significantly upregulated in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) of LMs. Interestingly, YAP and CTGF presented much higher expression levels in infected LMs. In experiments in vitro, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) enhanced the expression of YAP in a concentration- and time-dependent manner via the increased phosphorylation of Erk1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2). Moreover, the proliferation, invasion, and tubule formation of HDLECs increased significantly in accordance with the activation of the YAP signaling pathway. Furthermore, LM rat models validated that LPS facilitated the development of LMs, which was dependent on the activation of YAP.The data reveal that activation of the YAP signaling pathway in LECs may play a crucial role in the progression of LMs.Compared with that in normal skin, the YAP signaling pathway was activated in LECs of LMs. Inhibiting the YAP signaling pathway attenuated the proliferation, invasion, and tubule formation of HDLECs. Additionally, the activation of the YAP signaling pathway could promote LM development in a rat model. Activation of the YAP signaling pathway in LECs may play a crucial role in the progression of LMs. The YAP signaling pathway was activated in LMs. Inhibition of the YAP signaling pathway could promote regression of the lesions.

Metabolism plays a pivotal role in the formation of the lymphatic vasculature. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is typically a metabolic marker of proliferating cells and maintains the growth of vascular endothelial cells. In this study, the potential status of PKM2 in lymphatic endothelial cells and the pathogenesis of lymphatic malformations (LMs) was investigated. The glycolysis index, including glucose uptake, ATP, and lactate production, stayed at a relatively high level in human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) compared with human umbilical vein endothelial cells, whereas the inhibition of PKM2 by shikonin or PKM2 knockdown significantly suppressed glycolysis, migration, tubular formation, and invasion of HDLECs. Moreover, compared with lymphatic vessels in healthy skin, lymphatic vessels of LMs expressed PKM2 highly, and this expression correlated with infection of LMs. Meanwhile, the overexpression of PKM2 in HDLECs strengthened the proliferation, migration, tubular formation, and invasion of HDLECs. The findings from further experiments in a rat LM model support that targeting PKM2 by shikonin significantly impedes the progression of LMs, even in an infected LM rat model. Taken together, these results indicate that PKM2 plays a pivotal role in the activation of LECs and promotes the progression of LMs, whereas the inhibition of PKM2 can effectively suppress the pathogenesis of LM lesions in the rat model.

The current difficulties in determining the ecological flow of rivers in northern China are the poor pertinence of methods and insufficient consideration of ecological factors. On the basis of systematic analysis of river hydrological situations and ecological protection objectives, the existing water ecological problems in river reaches were identified, a nested calculation framework for ecological flow of rivers was given based on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), considering the ecological integrity, biological diversity, morphological diversity and ecological service functions. With help of physical habitat simulation and the Penman-Monteith formula, indicator species were selected to research the natural process of restoring river function and realizing river runoff. To meet the water requirements of riparian vegetation during the growth period of the indicated species, the water demand law of typical vegetation changing with the growth time was studied, the upper and lower water levels were set, and the ecological water requirements of vegetation at each growth stage were determined. The results showed that the ecological basic flows required for the spawning period (April-June), the juvenile period (July-November) and the growth period (December-March) of Pseudorasbora parva in the Long River (typical section) were 3.14 m3/s, 4.32 m3/s and 2.16 m3/s, respectively. At the end of the spawning period, a 7-day (90% guarantee rate) pulse flow with a peak flow of 11.31 m3/s, a small flood process with a peak flow of 24.95 m3/s and a small flood process in the flood season lasting for 3 days provided effective external stimulation for the spawning of Pseudorasbora parva. The minimum annual ecological water requirement of reed was 15,100 m3. The current ecological flow of the Long River can meet the water requirements of most aquatic organisms and plants in the river ecosystem. The ecological flow calculation method based on NbS is widely applicable, and the results are representative. The method can be used to calculate the ecological flow of small and medium-sized northern rivers with a small flow and low flow rate.

Many studies showed that radio frequency (RF) holds great potential to control insects in grains, while a few more technical issues need to be addressed to further make this technology ready for industrial application. Therefore, the effect of RF heating rate on rice fissure ratio and broken rate, RF heating lethality on immature rice weevils, and RF disinfestation treatment on cooking and eating quality of milled rice was investigated in this study. Results indicated that RF heating rate had no significant influence on rice broken rate, while fast RF heating rate (>7.2 °C/min) had adverse effects on rice fissure ratio, and mild RF heating rate (

Hydrostatin-SN1 (peptide sequence, DEQHLETELHTLTSVLTANGFQ), a kind of peptides extracted from snake venom, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effect, but its truncated mutant hydrostatin-SN10 (peptide sequence, DEQHLETELH) on pancreatitis-induced acute lung injury has not been well documented. Interleukin- (IL-) 6-induced Janus Kinase 2/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway is involved with inflammatory and oxidative stress activities and may be associated with the pathogenesis of lung injury, and related molecules were measured. Taurocholate-induced pancreatitis associated with acute lung injury was established and treated with hydrostatin-SN10. Pancreatitis was confirmed by measuring the serum levels of amylase, lipase, and trypsinogen and urinary amylase. Lung injury was determined by histologically assessing acinar cell changes. The related molecules of IL-6-induced JAK2/STAT3-associated inflammation and oxidative stress were quantitated by real time-PCR, Western blot, and/or immunochemical assay. Hydrostatin-SN10 reduced the levels of serum amylase, lipase, and trypsinogen and urinary amylase when compared with the model group (p<0.05). Hydrostatin-SN10 significantly inhibited the IL-6-stimulated JAK2/STAT3 pathway and reduced the number of apoptotic cells via the downregulation of caspase 3 and BAX (proapoptotic) and upregulation of Bcl2 (antiapoptotic) (p<0.05). IL-6 induced the increase in the levels of JAK2 and STAT3, which was reversed by hydrostatin-SN10 treatment (p<0.05). In addition, hydrostatin-SN10 reduced the expression of IL-6 and TNF- (tumor necrosis factor-) α and increased the level of IL-10 (p<0.05). On the other hand, hydrostatin-SN10 treatment increased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p<0.05). These results suggest that hydrostatin-SN10 may inhibit pancreatitis-induced acute lung injury by affecting IL-6-mediated JAK2/STAT3 pathway-associated inflammation and oxidative stress.

Rice husk is an important byproduct from the milling process of paddy rice, with a huge amount being produced worldwide each year. Silica exits abundantly in rice husk in an amorphous form. Hence, rice husk is a natural and renewable biomass source for extraction of silica and subsequently for manufacturing value-added, silicon-based materials. Currently, most rice husk is combusted directly to produce power or electricity resulting in the production of a large quantity of rice husk ash. Only a small amount of rice husk is used for extraction of silica in an industrial scale. This chapter presents a general review on the physicochemical properties of rice husk and rice husk ash, and their application as adsorbents in vegetable oil refining and removal of heavy metals. Different processing methods for production of silica and silica aerogel from rice husk ash, and the factors that influenced the physical and chemical properties of these products, are also addressed.

Okara is a byproduct from the process of soybean foods, and is rich in proteins, fatty acids and dietary fibers. Drying of wet okara is essential for long-term storage and its value-added applications. This study applied response surface methodology and synthetic evaluation method to optimize the drying process of okara in an air jet impingement drier (AJID). Air temperature (50–70 °C), air velocity (1.3–2.3 m/s), and sample loading density (3–4 kg/m2) were considered as treatment factors in the optimization, while drying rate, color, trypsin inhibitor activity, soy isoflavone content and antioxidant activity were evaluated as responding quality parameters. All treatment variables showed significant effects on the drying rate and soy isoflavone content (P

Whether Ureaplasma spp. are a causative agent of male infertility remains controversial. Previous studies concerning Ureaplasma spp. and male infertility have been confined to the species level of Ureaplasma. Currently, an expanded multilocus sequence typing (eMLST) scheme has been established with high discriminatory power. The aim of this study was to use eMLST to explore the distribution of Ureaplasma spp. and to analyze its role in oligozoospermia and semen quality. A total of 480 semen samples were obtained from Chinese infertile males. The associations between Ureaplasma spp. with oligozoospermia and semen characteristics were further evaluated. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 102 Ureaplasma spp. could be separated into two clusters and seven sub-groups. Within cluster I (U. parvum), eST16 and eST41 were the most frequent clones. For cluster II (U. urealyticum), eST82 and eST147 were the most prevalent clones. Sub-groups A and C belonging to cluster I and sub-group 1 belonging to cluster II showed an association with oligozoospermia, in contrast with the Ureaplasma spp. negative group (P

Summary The changes in physicochemical and physiological properties of modified soluble dietary fibre (mSDF) in the okara using enzymatic [cellulase/substrates ratio of 2.0–6.0% (w/w) at 50 °C for 90–150 min], chemical [water bath of 1–3 h, water bath temperature of 50–90 °C, Na2HPO4 concentration of 0.1–0.9% and sample/reagent radio (S/R) of 1:40–1:60 (w/v)] and physical (homogenised once or twice under the optimal cellulase treatment condition) treatments were evaluated. The mSDF yield with chemical treatment (57.16%) was significantly (P

A well-designed controller has a decisive effect on the performance of an industrial robot. Apart from control stability, good generality and flexible extension of the controller are becoming more and more important. In this paper, a multi-tasking robot controller software system based on Xenomai real-time operating system is presented. To ensure its generality, the controller system is multitasking designed into Robot Control (RC), soft PLC, hardware driver, EtherCAT communication and management modules. The development for operation, synchronization, communication and cooperation among tasks and modules are given in detail, supporting a well working basic system.

Black soybean is known to have a health-promoting effect because of its high content of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activities. The objective of the present study was to investigate the chemopreventive effects of black soybean extract against human AGS gastric cancer cells and its possible mechanism in inducing apoptosis. Black soybean extract was obtained by extracting black soybean with acidified aqueous acetone, and its phytochemical constituents, as determined by HPLC-DAD methods, were demonstrated to contain various phenolics. The black soybean extract inhibited AGS cell growth in a dose-dependent manner with an IC(50) of 3.69 mg/mL as measured by the MTT assay. This growth inhibition effect was further confirmed by the CFDA-SE assay. Flow cytometry analysis showed that black soybean extract dose-dependently induced apoptosis of AGS cells. Moreover, the involvement of black soybean extract in inducing apoptosis was confirmed by the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, and PARP. The results of the present study indicated that black soybean extract could be used as an apoptosis inducer in AGS cells and a natural chemopreventive agent in the treatment of human gastric cancer.

Phenolic compounds were extracted from Morton lentils using acidified aqueous acetone. The crude Morton extract (CME) was applied onto a macroresin column and desorbed by aqueous methanol to obtain a semipurified Morton extract (SPME). The SPME was further fractionated over a Sephadex LH-20 column into five main fractions (I-V). The phytochemical contents such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and condensed tannin content (CTC) of the CME, SPME, and its fractions were examined by colorimetric methods. Antioxidant activity of extracts and fractions were screened by DPPH scavenging activity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reduced antioxidant power (FRAP), and oxygen radical absorbing capacity (ORAC) methods. In addition, the compositions of active fractions were determined by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS methods. Results showed that the fraction enriched in condensed tannins (fraction V) exhibited significantly higher values of TPC, CTC, and antioxidant activity as compared to the crude extract, SPME, and low molecular weight fractions (I-IV). Eighteen compounds existed in those fractions, and 17 were tentatively identified by UV and MS spectra. HPLC-MS analysis revealed fraction II contained mainly kaempferol glycoside, fractions III and IV mainly contained flavonoid glycosides, and fraction V was composed of condensed tannins. The results suggested that the extract of Morton lentils is a promising source of antioxidant phenolics and may be used as a dietary supplement for health promotion.

A new glyceroglycolipid, ishigoside (1, 2-di-O-palmitoyl-3-O-(6-deoxy-6-amino)-α-D-glucopyranosyl-glycerol, 1), along with two known compounds were isolated from the brown alga Ishige okamurae. The structure of the new compound was determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, MS techniques and chemical methods. Moreover, direct free radical scavenging activities of ishigoside were investigated by electron spin resonance spectrometry (ESR) technique. The results suggested that ishigoside was a potential free-radical scavenger against DPPH, hydroxyl, alkyl, and superoxide radicals with the EC50 of 31.2, 16.7, 22.7, and 26.8 μM, respectively.

Three new compounds, myrsinoside A (=2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylphenyl β-D-(6′-galloyl)glucopyranoside; 1), myrsinoside B (2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylphenyl β-D-glucopyranoside; 2), and (3β,16α,20α)-3,16,28-trihydroxyolean-12-en-29-oic acid 3-{O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(12)-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(14)]-α-L-arabinopyranoside} (3), along with four known compounds, were isolated from the stems of Myrsine africana L. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including 1D- and 2D-NMR and ESI-MS techniques, and chemical methods.

Three phlorotannins, including phloroglucinol, diphlorethohydroxycarmalol, and 6,6'-bieckol, were isolated from Ishige okamurae by column chromatography. The structures of the phlorotannins were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including NMR and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. Antioxidant effects of phlorotannins were measured by direct free radical scavenging activities using the electron spin resonance spectrometry (ESR) technique and cellular systems in vitro. The results indicated that diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and 6,6'-bieckol showed potential radical scavenging activities against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, alkyl, and superoxide radicals. Moreover, no cytotoxicities of the phlorotannins on human fetal lung fibroblasts cell line (MRC-5), mouse macrophages cell line (RAW264.7), and human leukemic cell line (HL-60) were observed. In addition, diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and 6,6'-bieckol significantly reduced the intracellular reactive oxygen species level assessed by 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay in RAW264.7 cells, and myeloperoxide (MPO) activity in HL-60 cells and radical-mediated oxidation of cell membrane proteins in RAW264.7 cells were dose-dependently inhibited in the presence of diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and 6,6'-bieckol. In conclusion, these results suggested that phlorotannins could be used as novel functional foodstuffs or antioxidants in the cosmetic and drug industries.

Four new flavonoid glycosides, 3-O-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-galactopyranosyl]-7-O-β-D-glucopyranosylkaempferol (1), 3-O-(α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→2)-{4-O-[(E)-caffeoyl]-β-D-galactopyranosyl})-7-O-β-D-glucopyranosylquercetin (2), 3-O-{2-O-[(E)-caffeoyl]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-galactopyranosyl}-7-O-β-D-glucopyranosylkaemperfol (3), and 3-O-{2-O-[(E)-caffeoyl]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-galactopyranosyl}kaempferol (4), together with two known compounds were isolated from the aerial parts of Ranunculus chinensisBge. The structures of the new glycosides were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including 1D- and 2D-NMR, and ESI-MS techniques, and chemical methods.

A flavonoid-rich extract of Hypericum perforatum L. (FEHP) was prepared by adsorption on macroporous resin and desorption by ethanol. Total flavonoid content of FEHP was determined by a colorimetric method. The major constituents of FEHP, including rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, avicularin, quercitrin, and quercetin, were determined by HPLC analysis and confirmed by LC-MS. Different antioxidant assays were utilized to evaluate free radical scavenging activity and antioxidant activity of FEHP. FEHP was an effective scavenger in quenching DPPH and superoxide radical with IC50 of 10.63 microg/mL and 54.3 microg/mL, respectively. A linear correlation between concentration of FEHP and reducing power was observed with a coefficient of r2 = 0.9991. Addition of 150 microg of FEHP obviously decreased the peroxidation of linoleic acid during 84 h incubation, but the amount of FEHP over 150 microg did not show statistically significant inhibitory effect of peroxidation of linoliec acid (p > 0.05). FEHP exhibited inhibitory effect of peroxidation of liposome induced both by hydroxyl radical generated with iron-ascorbic acid system and peroxyl radical and showed prominent inhibitory effect of deoxyribose degradation in a concentration-dependent manner in site-specific assay but poor effect in non-site-specific assay, which suggested that chelation of metal ion was the main antioxidant action. According to the results obtained in the present study, the antioxidant mechanism of FEHP might be attributed to its free radical scavenging activity, metal-chelation activity, and reactive oxygen quenching activity.

Germination is considered to be an effective process for improving the nutritional quality and functionality of cereals. In this study, changes of nutritional ingredients, antinutritional components, chemical composition, and antioxidant activities of buckwheat seeds over 72 h of germination were investigated, and the reasons for these changes are discussed. With the prolonged germination time, the contents of crude protein, reducing sugar, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and condensed tannins increased significantly, while the levels of crude fat, phytic acid, and the activity of trypsin inhibitor decreased. Phenolic compounds, such as rutin, vitexin, isovitexin, orientin, isoorientin, chlorogenic acid, trans-3-hydroxycinnamic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid increased significantly during the germination process, which may be due to the activation of phenylalanine ammonialyase. The improvement of flavonoids led to significant enhancement of the antioxidant activities of germinated buckwheat. Germinated buckwheat had better nutritional value and antioxidant activities than ungerminated buckwheat, and it represented an excellent natural source of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, especially rutin and C-glycosylflavones. Therefore, germinated buckwheat could be used as a promising functional food for health promotion.

Ranunchinesin A, a new phenolic compound, and four known phenolic compounds were isolated from Ranunculus chinensis Bge. The structure of the new compound was elucidated by spectral methods.

2 160.8 1'' 5.55 (d, 1.8) 99.43 137.1 2'' 5.47 (dd, 3.3, 1.8) 73.44 175.6 3'' 4.10 (dd, 9.4, 3.6) 68.95 163.1 4'' 4.76 (t, 9.9) 75.56 6.39 (d, 2.1) 97.7 5'' 3.28 (dd, 9.9, 6.0) 69.97 165.5 6'' 0.79 (d, 6.0) 18.18 6.45 (d, 2.1) 96.6 2''- OC OCH

Publisher Summary Palm oil is a lipid extract from the fresh mesocarp of the fruits from the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), which belong to the Palmae family. The major constituents of palm oil are Triacylglycerols (TAG), while the crude palm oil contains approximately 1% of minor constituents, including carotenoids, tocopherols and tocotrienols, phytosterols, phospholipids, glycolipids, terpenic, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Some minor components, especially the carotenoids and tocopherols and tocotrienols, not only maintain the stability and quality of palm oil, but also possess significant biological properties, including antioxidation, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anthrosclerosis-controlling, and cholesterol-lowering effects. This chapter discusses the general information on the characterization, source, processing effect on the content, analytic methods, biomedical properties, and applications of minor components, in particular, carotenoids, tocopherols and tocotrienols, and phytosterols. A lot of studies on palm oil and its minor constituents have been conducted. β -Carotene in palm oil may be important to improve vitamin A deficiency in addition to its antioxidant activity and protective effects against several forms of cancer. Tocotrienols are more powerful than tocopherols in terms of antioxidant and anti-cancer activity.

The aims of this work were to compare antiproliferation, antioxidant activities and total phytochemicals and individual isoflavone profiles in soy milk processed by various methods including traditional stove cooking, direct steam injection, direct ultrahigh temperature (UHT), indirect UHT, and a two-stage simulated industry method, and a selected commercial soy milk product. Various processing methods significantly affected total saponin, phytic acid, and total phenolic content and individual isoflavone distribution. The laboratory UHT and the two-stage processed soy milk exhibited relatively higher total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, saponin and phytic acid than those processed by the traditional and steam processed methods. Thermal processing caused obvious intertransformation but did not cause severe degradation except for breaking down of aglycons. Thermal processing significantly increased antioxidant capacities of soy milk determined by chemical analyses, but decreased cellular antioxidant capacities as compared to the raw soy milk. The raw and all processed soy milk exhibited antipoliferative activities against human HL-60 leukemia cells, AGS gastric tumor cells, and DU145 prostate cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. The raw soy milk, but not the processed soy milk, exhibited a dose-dependent antiproliferative effect against colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that various thermal processing methods change not only phytochemcials but also potential health-promoting effects of soy milk.

2 160.8 1'' 5.55 (d, 1.8) 99.43 137.1 2'' 5.47 (dd, 3.3, 1.8) 73.44 175.6 3'' 4.10 (dd, 9.4, 3.6) 68.95 163.1 4'' 4.76 (t, 9.9) 75.56 6.39 (d, 2.1) 97.7 5'' 3.28 (dd, 9.9, 6.0) 69.97 165.5 6'' 0.79 (d, 6.0) 18.18 6.45 (d, 2.1) 96.6 2''- OC OCH

Using cross-section data relating to a sample of 12 Asian developing countries with relative higher FDI inflows from 1980-2005, we show that FDI by itself contributes to the economic growth. But the regression result of the inward FDI flows as a percentage of Gross Fixed Capital Formation, that is, the variable SHARE is not so robust related to the economic growth. Other factors also work in the economic growth.

In a previous study, a flavonoid-rich extract of Hypericum perforatum L. (FEHP) was prepared and its antioxidant activity was determined by a series of models in vitro. In this study, the hypocholesterolemic effects of FEHP in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet were tested. Forty Wistar rats fed a standard laboratory diet or a cholesterol-rich diet for 16 weeks were used. The serum lipid levels, as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in serum and liver, were examined. Cholesterol-rich diet induced hypercholesterolemia was manifested in the elevation of serum lipid levels such as total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Administration of middle-dose (75 mg/kg of BW/day) and high-dose (150 mg/kg of BW/day) FEHP significantly lowered the serum levels of TC, TG, and LDL-C, while increasing the serum level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Also, the content of MDA in serum and liver decreased significantly after oral administration of FEHP compared with those of rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet. In addition, FEHP increased the activity of SOD in serum and liver, but the activity of CAT was significantly elevated only in liver. These results suggested that the hypocholesterolemic effects of FEHP might be due to its abilities to lower serum TC, TG, and LDL-C levels as well as to slow the lipid peroxidation process and to enhance the antioxidant enzyme activity.

Three phlorotannins, including phloroglucinol, diphlorethohydroxycarmalol, and 6,6'-bieckol, were isolated from Ishige okamurae by column chromatography. The structures of the phlorotannins were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including NMR and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. Antioxidant effects of phlorotannins were measured by direct free radical scavenging activities using the electron spin resonance spectrometry (ESR) technique and cellular systems in vitro. The results indicated that diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and 6,6'-bieckol showed potential radical scavenging activities against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, alkyl, and superoxide radicals. Moreover, no cytotoxicities of the phlorotannins on human fetal lung fibroblasts cell line (MRC-5), mouse macrophages cell line (RAW264.7), and human leukemic cell line (HL-60) were observed. In addition, diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and 6,6'-bieckol significantly reduced the intracellular reactive oxygen species level assessed by 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay in RAW264.7 cells, and myeloperoxide (MPO) activity in HL-60 cells and radical-mediated oxidation of cell membrane proteins in RAW264.7 cells were dose-dependently inhibited in the presence of diphlorethohydroxycarmalol and 6,6'-bieckol. In conclusion, these results suggested that phlorotannins could be used as novel functional foodstuffs or antioxidants in the cosmetic and drug industries.