An Improved Method for DNA Extraction from the Faeces of Red Deer

[Objective] To introduce an improved method for DNA extraction from the faeces of red deer. [Method] Based on the traditional method of CTAB lysis, we proposed an improved DNA extraction method according to the characteristics of red deer faeces. [Result] This improved method extracted high-quality fecal DNA from Tianshan red deer and amplified the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. With the muscle and fur DNA of red deer as the control, the sequencing results further con- firmed the reliability of the method. [Conclusion] The method requires no proteinase K in the process of extraction, and the extracted DNA can be used for PCR ampli- fication directly without the purification of DNA purification kit, thus, it is cost-saving.

Simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones in a Chinese traditional preparation by RP-HPLC using an improved extraction procedure

OBJECTIVE： The stable quality of Chinese herbal medicines is a critical factor for their reliable clinical efficiency. An improved liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a liquid chromatographic method were developed to simultaneously analyze five anthraquinones （aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion） in a Chinese traditional hospital preparation, Fuyankang mixture, in order to quantitatively control its quality in a more effective way. METHODS： A more economical and repeatable extraction procedure based on conventional liquid-liquid extraction technique was developed and used to extract five marker components in Fuyankang mixture. These anthraquinones were separated in less than 20 min on a C18 column with methanol and 0.1% phosphoric acid （88：12, v/v） as mobile phase. The method was validated for specificity, precision, spiked recovery and stability. RESULTS： Compared to conventional liquid-liquid extraction, the improved liquid-liquid extraction was found to be more effective for simultaneous extraction of anthraquinones from an aqueous Chinese herbal preparation, especially for hydrophobic compounds. The improved extraction method was successfully applied to determine the content of five marker components in Fuyankang mixture by the means of reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. CONCLUSION： The improved extraction procedure may be suitable for routine quality control of Fuyankanq mixture and other traditional preparations at city-level hospitals in China.

Performance of beam-type piezoelectric vibration energy harvester based on ZnO film fabrication and improved energy harvesting circuit

We demonstrate a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester with the ZnO piezoelectric film and an improved synchronous electric charge extraction energy harvesting circuit on the basis of the beam-type mechanical structure,especially investigate its output performance in vibration harvesting and ability to generate charges.By establishing the theoretical model for each of vibration and circuit,the numerical results of voltage and power output are obtained.By fabricating the prototype of this harvester,the quality of the sputtered film is explored.Theoretical and experimental analyses are conducted in open-circuit and closed-circuit conditions,where the open-circuit mode refers to the voltage output in relation to the ZnO film and external excitation,and the power output of the closed-circuit mode is relevant to resistance.Experimental findings show good agreement with the theoretical ones,in the output tendency.It is observed that the properties of ZnO film achieve regularly direct proportion to output performance under different excitations.Furthermore,a maximum experimental power output of 4.5 mW in a resistance range of 3 kΩ-8 kΩis achieved by using an improved synchronous electric charge extraction circuit.The result is not only more than three times the power output of classic circuit,but also can broaden the resistance to a large range of 5 kΩunder an identical maximum value of power output.In this study we demonstrate the fundamental mechanism of piezoelectric materials under multiple conditions and take an example to show the methods of fabricating and testing the ZnO film.Furthermore,it may contribute to a novel energy harvesting circuit with high output performance.