The Effect of the Extracts of Endophytic Fungi on Pancreatic a-Amylase Activity

Inhibitors of pancreatic a-amylase offer an effective strategy to lower the levels of postprandial hyperglycemia by controlof starch breakdown. Among 86 fungal endophytes isolated from 15 medicinal plants Aspergillus terreus-AFl04S, Aspergillusegypticus-HT166S and Penicillium sp.-CC200 exhibited strong pancreatic amylase inhibitory potential were selected. Endophyteswere subjected to ethyl acetate extraction and tested for a-amylase inhibition, in order to assess and evaluate their inhibitory potentialon pancreatic a-amylase. Analysis showed concentration dependent enzyme inhibition up to 83% with half inhibition （IC50） valuesfor less 25 mg.mL1, which is lower than acarbose as control. It was observed 3-fold increasing of Vmax and maintenance Km atcontrol level in the presence of extracts A. terreus-AFl04S and Penicillium sp.-CC200, while in presence of extract A.egypticus-HT166S Km was doubled, and Vmax was maintained at the control level. Kinetic studies allow proposing the competitivemode of a-amylase inhibition by extracts A. egypticus-HT166S and uncompetitive inhibition by extracts A, terreus-AFl04S andPenicillium sp.-CC200.

Preparation of Nano-SiO_2/Amino-modified Polysiloxane Hybrid Superhydrophobic Coating and Thermal-stability Characterization

We put forward a large-area and cost-effective method to fabricate superhydrophobic coating by introducing in-situ functionalized nano-SiO2 into side-amino modified hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane （SA-HTPDMS） curing system. With the characterization using water contact angle （WCA） tester, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and simultaneous thermal analysis, the as-prepared coating displayed a tremendous WCA of 154.8±1°, sliding angle （SA） about 3.5° and stable self-cleaning property range from -10 to 80 ℃. It was also found that the synergistic effect of surface micro-nano hierarchical structure and chemical hydrophobicity, stability from matrix had made contributions to the superhydrophobicity and excellent heat resistance up to 300 ℃.

Superb VOCs capture engineering carbon adsorbent derived from shaddock peel owning uncompromising thermal-stability and adsorption property

High applied thermal-stability and superior structural property for activated carbon adsorbent are extremely promising,which also is the determining short slab in volatile organic compounds(VOCs)adsorption applications.Herein,we develop the outstanding engineering carbon adsorbents from waste shaddock peel which affords greatly-enhanced thermal-stability and super structural property(S_(Lang)=4962.6 m2·g^(-1),Vmicro=1.67 cm^(3)·g^(-1)).Such character endows the obtained adsorbent with ultrahigh adsorption capture performance of VOCs specific to benzene(16.58 mmol·g^(-1))and toluene(15.50 mmol·g^(-1),far beyond traditional zeolite and activated carbon even MOFs materials.The structural expression characters were accurately correlated with excellent adsorption efficiency of VOCs by studying synthetic factor-controlling comparative samples.Ulteriorly,adsorption selectivity prediction at different relative humidity was demonstrated through DIH(difference of the isosteric heats),exceedingly highlighting great superiority(nearly sixfold)in selective adsorption of toluene compared to volatile benzene.Our findings provide the possibility for practical industrial application and fabrication of waste biomass-derived outstanding biochar adsorbent in the environmental treatment of threatening VOCs pollutants.

Study on thermal-state variation of high-grade highway embankment under different pavement conditions

The research shows that the selection of pavement type is very important for the thermal stability of high-grade highway embankment in permafrost regions because of the different solar absorption rates between asphalt concrete and asphalt concrete pavement.In this paper,the common embankment of high-grade highway in permafrost regions is selected as the research object to study the influence of asphalt concrete and cement concrete pavement on the embankment temperature,freeze-thaw cycle process and the change law of the permafrost table,which provides a basis for the use of reasonable pavement materials in permafrost regions.

Ultrasonic Extraction of Polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica and Their Antioxidative and Glycosidase Inhibitory Activities

In the present study, ultrasonic extraction technique （UET） is used to improve the yield of polysaccharides from Lami- naria japonica （LJPs）. And their antioxidative as well as glycosidase inhibitory activities are investigated. Box-Behnken design （BBD） combined with response surface methodology （RSM） is applied to optimize ultrasonic extraction for polysaccharides. The optimized conditions are obtained as extraction time at 54 min, ultrasonic power at 1050 W, extraction temperature at 80℃ and ratio of material to solvent at 1：50 （g mL-1）. Under these optimal ultrasonic extraction conditions, an actual experimental yield （5.75% ＋ 0.3%） is close to the predicted result （5.67%） with no significant difference （P〉0.05）. Vitro antioxidative and glycosidase inhibitory activities tests indicate that the crude polysaccharides （LJP） and two major ethanol precipitated fractions （LJP1 and LJP2） are in a concentration-dependent manner. LJP2 （30%-60% ethanol precipitated polysaccharides） possesses the strongest α-glucosidase in- hibitory activity and moderate scavenging activity against hydroxyl radicals （66.09% ±2.19%, 3.0 mg mL-l）. Also, the inhibitory activity against a-glucosidase （59.08% ± 3.79%, 5.0 mg mL-1） is close to that of acarbose （63.99% ± 3.27%, 5.0 mg mL-l）. LJP 1 （30% ethanol precipitated polysaccharides） exhibits the strongest scavenging activity against hydroxyl radicals （99.80%q-0.00%, 3.0mg mL-1） and moderate a-glucosidase inhibitory activity （47.76%± 1.92%, 5.0 mgmL-1）. LJP shows the most remarkable DPPH scav- enging activity （66.20%±0.11%, 5.0mgmL-1） but weakest a-glucosidase inhibitory activity （37.77%±1.30%, 5.0mgmL-1）. How- ever, all these LJPs exert weak inhibitory effects against a-amylase. These results show that UET is an effective method for extract- ing bioactive polysaccharides from seaweed materials. LJP 1 and LJP2 can be developed as a potential ingredient in hypoglycemic agents or functional food for the management of diabetes. This study provides scientific evidence and advances in the preparation technology and a hypoglycemic activities evaluation method for seaweed polysaccharides, especially glycosidase inhibition in com- bination with an antioxidative activity evaluation method.

Enzymatic Degradation of Poly(butylenesuccinate)/Thermoplastic Starch Blend

The degradation of thermoplastic starch blend in the presence of commerciala-amylase and unpurified amylase of microbial origin was investigated.The blends consisting of thermoplastic starch and poly(butylene succinate)have potential use in packaging applications thus,it is essential to establish susceptibility to degradation.Molar mass loss,gravimetric weight loss,and molecular structure were evaluated.The changes in the surface were observed with scanning electron microscopy.It was confirmed that there was a significant difference in gravimetric weight loss between the blends degraded in two different solutions.Unpurified enzymes of microbial origin,produced by Rhizopus oryzae cultures decomposed analyzed materials more efficiently than purified commercial ones.Moreover,it was proved that in applied conditions,the molar mass of PBS fraction did not change significantly.

Synthesis and Characterization of (E)-5-[2-(N-hexylcarbazolyl)vinyl] furan Derivatives with Acceptor Groups

A new series of (E)-5-[2-(N-hexylcarbazolyl)vinyl]furan chromophores with various accepters have been synthesized by the Knoevenagel condensation of (E)-5-[2-(N- hexylcarbazolyl) vinyl]-2-furaldehydes with malononitrile, 1,3-diethyl-2-thiobarbituric acid, or 3-phenyl-5-isoxazol one, respectively. They are characterized by H-1-NMR, FT- IR, UV-VIS, MS and elemental analysis, and have shown strong solvatochromism and high thermal stability.

Research on reverse recovery characteristics of SiGeC p-i-n diodes

This paper analyses the reverse recovery characteristics and mechanism of SiGeC p-i-n diodes. Based on the integrated systems engineering （ISE） data, the critical physical models of SiGeC diodes are proposed. Based on heterojunction band gap engineering, the softness factor increases over six times, reverse recovery time is over 30% short and there is a 20% decrease in peak reverse recovery current for SiGeC diodes with 20% of germanium and 0.5% of carbon, compared to Si diodes. Those advantages of SiGeC p-i-n diodes are more obvious at high temperature. Compared to lifetime control, SiCeC technique is more suitable for improving diode properties and the tradeoff between reverse recovery time and forward voltage drop can be easily achieved in SiGeC diodes. Furthermore, the high thermal-stability of SiGeC diodes reduces the costs of further process steps and offers more freedoms to device design.

NiSi Film Synthesized by Isochronal Annealing in a Magnetron Sputtering System

By repeatedly pre-cleaning the sputtering chamber with Ar gas and in-situ isochronal annealing samples, NiSi films are successfully prepared on Si （100） substrates in a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. A comparison between the obtained NiSi and excess oxygen-contaminated Ni/Si films has been performed by EDX analysis of oxygen atomic content in both the films. Focused ion beam milling technology is employed to make the cross-sections of the samples for characterizing the NiSi film thickness and NiSi/Si interface roughness. The influences of nickel film thickness on the NiSi-film morphology and on the NiSi/Si interface roughness are studied.

Effects of Processing Parameters on Microstructure and Properties of Nanoscale ZrC/ZrB2 Multilayered Coatings

ZrC/ZrB2 multilayered coatings with bilayer periods of 3.5-40nm are synthesized by rf magnetron sputtering. Analyses of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation indicate that multilayered coatings possess much higher hardness and greater fracture resistance than monolithic ZrC and ZrB2 coatings. A maximum hardness （41.TCPa） and a critical fracture load （73.7mN） are observed in the multilayer with A = 32 nm deposited at the substrate bias -40 V. Higher residual stress built in the ZrC layer can be released by periodic insertion of ZrB2 into the ZrC layer. A clear multilayered structure with mixed ZrB2（001）, ZrB2 （002） and ZrC （111） orientations should be responsible for the enhanced mechanical properties.

Inhibitory actions of Pseuderanthemum palatiferum(Nees) Radlk. leaf ethanolic extract and its phytochemicals against carbohydrate-digesting enzymes

Objective: To investigate the effects of the leaf ethanolic extract of Pseuderanthemum palatiferum(PPE) and its isolated phytochemicals, stigmasterol and sitosterol-3-O-b-Dglucopyranoside, against a-amylase and a-glucosidase enzyme activities both in vitro and in vivo.Methods: A concentration of maltose, which is a product released in a-amylase-catalyzing reaction, was used as an index of in vitro a-amylase activity. Meanwhile, in vitro a-glucosidase enzyme activity was indicated by the amount of liberated p-nitrophenol in a-glucosidase-catalyzing reaction. In vivo a-amylase and a-glucosidase enzyme activities were evaluated in the normal rats by using oral starch tolerance test and oral sucrose tolerance test, respectively.Results: PPE exerted a concentration-dependent inhibitory action against both aamylase and a-glucosidase in vitro with the IC_(50) values of(11.79 ± 8.10) mg/m L and(1.00 ± 0.11) mg/m L, respectively. Stigmasterol and sitosterol-3-O-b-D-glucopyranoside also exerted an in vitro a-amylase inhibition with the IC_(50) values of(59.41 ± 8.22) mg/m L and(111.19 ± 9.02) mg/m L, respectively. However, these phytochemicals did not produce a concentration-dependent inhibition against in vitro a-glucosidase activity. PPE and its isolated phytochemicals significantly decreased the blood glucose levels at t = 30 min in the oral starch tolerance test. From the sucrose tolerance test, only PPE but not its isolated phytochemicals significantly caused a depletion in the blood glucose levels at t = 30 min Conclusions: These results indicate an inhibitory action against carbohydrate-digesting enzymes as the anti-diabetic mechanism of action of PPE. Nonetheless, further clinical study is required to justify its role in the treatment of diabetes.

Synthesis of Polyester and Copolyester Catalyzed byRare Earth Compounds

The catalytic effectsof Ln3+ on synthesis of polyethyleneterephthalate and its copolyesterswere studied. The direct esterification reaction of terephthalate acidwith ethylene glycol can be accelerated hy addition of Ln3+, and theLn3+, compound can be acted aspromoter of Sb2O3 in the stage ofpolycondensation. The mechanismof esterification and polycondensation by addition of Ln3+ was discussed. The thermal-stabilities ofpolyethylene terephthalate and itscopolyesters obtained by addihon ofLn3+ were also investigaed.

Thermal-stable mixed-cation lead halide perovskite solar cells

As perovskite solar cells show tremendous potential for widespread applications, we find that adding inorganic thermal-stable cesium ions into MAPbI_3 results in significantly improves thermal stability. For un-encapsulated perovskite devices, the energy conversion efficiency maintains about 75% of its original value（over 15%） in the MA_（0.85）Cs_（0.05）PbI_3 device under 80 min of heating at 140°C in a dry atmosphere（RH ≤ 30%）. With significantly improved thermal stability achieved by a convenient process, it is expected that this type of mixed-cation perovskites can further facilitate large scale applications.

Effect of Moisture Content on Melilotus suaveolens Seed Quality During Ultra-drying Storage

In order to enhance the seed storability and supply high-quality seeds for vegetation restoration in the arid and semi-arid regions in Northwest China,the effects of ultra-drying and accelerated aging on the physiological characterstics of Melilotus suaveolens seeds were studied.Melilotus suaveolens seeds were dried in a desiccator containing silica gel to 80,53,42,33,23 and 16 g·kg-1 of moisture contents（MC）,respectively.The parameters of the seed quality including germination energy（GE）,germination percentage（GP）,relative conductivity（RC）,dehydrogenase activity（DA） and α-amylase activity（AA） were determined after ultra-drying and accelerated aging.The results showed that ultra-dried seeds with 42 g·kg-1 of MC showed the minimum changes of GE and GP before and after seed aging.Moreover,ultra-dry seeds with 42 g·kg-1 of MC showed higher DA and AA,and lower RC than non-ultra-drying seeds.Therefore,ultra-drying to 42 g·kg-1 of MC was helpful for M.suaveolens seed storage.

A New Approach for the Measurement of Digestible Carbohydrates in Different Food Samples with HPLC-RI

This paper gives an impetus in quantifying digestible carbohydrates, which are important components of cereals, legumes and vegetables. The HPLC method was applied for the first time in India to estimate the digestible carbohydrates such as sugars and starches in different branded rice, legumes and vegetable samples which were procured from local market of twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh State, India. In the present study, we estimated carbohydrates in vitro, mimicking the in vivo condition by incorporating enzymatic digestion. Among the rice varieties the analyzed total soluble sugars were in the range of 5.69% to 9.62%, vegetables 0.0% to 3.72% and legumes 0.04% to 0.98%. Soluble starches in rice samples ranged from 12.51% to 17.64%, in vegetables from 1.73% to 7.28% and in legumes from 23.76% to 38.71%. Insoluble starches in rice samples were observed to be bracketed in between 52.53% to 60.43%, where as in vegetables from 0.58% to 8.83% and in legumes from 16.13% to 29.22%. Concluding our observation, the total amount of starches and total sugars in rice fell in between 74.32% to 80.75%, in vegetables from 1.74% to 16.11%, and in legumes from 39.93% to 68.91%.