Quantitative determination of polysaccharide in Curcuma wenyujin, a traditional Chinese medicine, by a phenol-sulfuric acid method

Curcuma wenyujin has been widely used as a traditional medicine in China. In this paper a strategy for the quantitative determination of the polysaccharide by a phenol-sulfuric acid method was described. Involved in three factors, 5% phenol volume, H2SO4 volume, and temperature of water bath, we adopted the L9（3）3 orthogonal array design to gain the optimal colorimetric method. 3.0 ml of polysaccharide solution, 1.0 ml, 5% phenol and 7.0 ml H2SO4 were mixed with constant stirring in a glass vessel, and then kept in a water bath at 40 ℃. After cooling to room temperature for 20 min, the absorbance values were recorded by the UV-2501 PC spectrometer at the wavelength range of 485 nm. The polysaccharide content in Curcuma wenyujin were 3.21%, 3.23%, 3.20%, 3.18~/0, 3.22% and 2.38%, respectively. All results showed that this method was adequate, valid and applicable, may be applied to the determination of other bacterial polysaccharide as well.

A comparison study on structure-function relationship of polysaccharides obtained from sea buckthorn berries using different methods:antioxidant and bile acid-binding capacity

In this study,the structural characters,antioxidant activities and bile acid-binding ability of sea buckthorn polysaccharides(HRPs)obtained by the commonly used hot water(HRP-W),pressurized hot water(HRP-H),ultrasonic(HRP-U),acid(HRP-C)and alkali(HRP-A)assisted extraction methods were investigated.The results demonstrated that extraction methods had significant effects on extraction yield,monosaccharide composition,molecular weight,particle size,triple-helical structure,and surface morphology of HRPs except for the major linkage bands.Thermogravimetric analysis showed that HRP-U with filamentous reticular microstructure exhibited better thermal stability.The HRP-A with the lowest molecular weight and highest arabinose content possessed the best antioxidant activities.Moreover,the rheological analysis indicated that HRPs with higher galacturonic acid content and molecular weight showed higher viscosity and stronger crosslinking network(HRP-C,HRP-W and HRP-U),which exhibited stronger bile acid binding capacity.The present findings provide scientific evidence in the preparation technology of sea buckthorn polysaccharides with good antioxidant and bile acid binding capacity which are related to the structure affected by the extraction methods.

Effects of dietary oil sources and fat extraction methods on apparent and standardized ileal digestibility of fat and fatty acids in growing pigs

Background:There is a lack of data for the standardized ileal digestibility(SID) of fat and fatty acids in national feed databases.In addition,it is important to specify the procedures used for fat analyses.Therefore,an experiment was conducted to 1) determine the apparent ileal digestibility(AID) and SID of fat and fatty acids in ten different oil sources for growing pigs and to develop prediction equations for SID of fat based on fatty acid composition;and 2) compare the effect of the fat extraction methods on the calculated values for endogenous loss and digestibility of fat.Methods:Twenty-two barrows(initial body weight:32.1 ± 2.3 kg) were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum,and allotted to 1 of 11 experimental diets in a 4-period Youden Square design.A fat-free diet was formulated using cornstarch,soy protein isolate and sucrose.Ten oil-added diets were formulated by adding 6% of dietary oil sources to the fat-free diet at the expense of cornstarch.All diets contained 26% sugar beet pulp and 0.40% chromic oxide.Results:The endogenous loss of ether extract(EE) was lower than that of acid-hydrolyzed fat(AEE;P < 0.01).There were significant differences in the AID and SID of fat and saturated fatty acids across the dietary oil sources(P < 0.05).The SID of AEE for palm oil was lower than that of sunflower oil,corn oil,canola oil,rice oil and flaxseed oil(P < 0.01).The AID and SID of fat ranged from 79.65% to 86.97% and from 91.14% to 99.18%.Although the AID of EE was greater than that of AEE(P < 0.01),there was no significant difference in SID of EE and AEE except for palm oil.The ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids(U/S) had a positive correlation with SID of fat(P < 0.05),whereas C16:0 and long chain saturated fatty acids(LSFA) were significant negatively correlated with SID of fat(P < 0.01).The best-fit equation to predict SID of fat was SID AEE = 102.75-0.15 × LSFA-0.74 × C18:0-0.03 × C18:1(Adjusted coefficient of determination = 0.88,P < 0.01).Conclusions:When calculating the SID of fat,the EE content of the samples can be analyzed using the direct extraction method,whereas the acid hydrolysis procedure should be used to determine the AID of fat.Fat digestibility of dietary oils was affected by their fatty acid composition,especially by the contents of C16:0,LSFA and U/S.

Synthesis of Al2S3/MoS2 Nanocomposite by Electrochemical Method: Correlation for Photodegradation of Trichloroacetic Acid, Chloroacetic Acid, Acetic Acid and Study of Antibacterial Efficiency

Al2S3/MoS2 nanocomposite has been synthesized through electrochemical method and characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, XRD, SEM and EDAX data. UV-Visible spectroscopy measurements reveal that the Al2S3/MoS2 nanocomposite has maximum absorption at 353.04 nm and this peak position reflects the band gap of particles and it is found to be 2.51 eV which was calculated using Tauc plot. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) reveals crystaline size to be 49.85 nm which was calculated using Williamson-Hall (W-H) plot method. Photocatalytic degradation of acetic acid, chloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid has been studied by volumetric method using NaOH solution. Photocatalytic degradation of chloroacetic acid and acetic acid follows first order kinetics. The photodegradation efficiency for Al2S3/MoS2 nanocomposite was found to be ≈97.8%. A Taft linear free energy relationship is noted for the catalysed reaction with ρ* = 0.233 and indicating electron withdrawing groups enhance the rate. An isokinetic relation is observed with β = 358 K indicating that enthalpy factor controls the reaction rate. The result of this paper suggests the possibility of degradation of organic compounds, industrial effluants and toxic organic compounds by photodegradation process by ecofriendly Al2S3/ MoS2. The antibacterial activity of Al2S3/MoS2 nanocomposite was investigated. These particles were shown to have an effective bactericide.

Kinetics and Mechanism of Hydration of Acrylic Acid over Ion-exchanged Resin:Experimental Exploration and DFT Calculation

Liquid-phase acrylic acid hydration over solid-phase catalysts is a key reaction for the industrial productionof 3-hydroxypropionic acid. However, the relevant literature primarily focuses on the experimental aspects of catalystscreening and exploring reaction conditions, with few accurate descriptions of the reaction kinetics and determination ofthe reaction mechanism. Here, we combined kinetics experiments and theoretical calculations to elucidate the kinetics andmechanism of acrylic acid hydration on a resin catalyst. The pseudo-homogeneous model, and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Haugen-Watson and Elie-Riedel (ER) heterogeneous models were used to explain the experimental kinetics data. TheER model can explain the experimental data very well, suggesting strong adsorption of acrylic acid on the surface of theresin catalyst. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations show that the hydration follows a stepwise, rather than aconcerted, reaction pathway. The present study provides theoretical insights into the reaction mechanism and kinetics, fillingthe gap in our understanding of the reaction on a fundamental level.

Preparation of Cu nanoparticles with ascorbic acid by aqueous solution reduction method

Cu nanoparticles were prepared by reducing Cu2＋ ions with ascorbic acid through aqueous solution reduction method. The effects of solution pH and average size of Cu2O particles on the preparation of Cu nanoparticles were investigated. Cu particles were prepared at pH 3, 5 or 7, with the smallest Cu particles obtained at pH 7. However, Cu particles could not be prepared at pH 9 or 11. The average size of Cu2O particles can affect that of Cu particles. Larger Cu2O particles result in larger Cu particles. In addition, experiments were conducted to explore the reaction process by measuring the X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns of specimens collected at different time points during the reaction. It was found that Cu（OH）2 was initially formed as a precursor, followed by the formation of Cu2O, which was finally reduced to Cu particles.

An Experimental Method to Quantify Extractable Amino Acids in Soils from Southeast China

The extraction and comparison of soil amino acids using different extractants （deionized water, K2SO4, Na2SO4, NaC1, KCI） were reported. Results showed that 0.5 tool L-1 K2SOa with a 5 times extraction was a better method to assess the concentration of extractable amino acids in soils. The total amino acids extracted from soil planted for tea were similar to the total inorganic nitrogen. While they extracted from vegetable soil and paddy soil were much lower than the total inorganic nitrogen.

Analytical Methods for Environmental Risk Assessment of Acid Sulfate Soils: A Review

Assessment of acid sulfate soil risk is an important step for acid sulfate soil management and its reliability depends very much on the suitability and accuracy of various analytical methods for estimating sulfide-derived potential acidity, actual acidity and acid-neutralizing capacity in acid sulfate soils. This paper critically reviews various analytical methods that are currently used for determination of the above parameters, as well as their implications for environmental risk assessment of acid sulfate soi1s.

Science Letters:Evaluation of a kinetic uricase method for serum uric acid assay by predicting background absorbance of uricase reaction solution with an integrated method

A patented kinetic uricase method was evaluated for serum uric acid assay. Initial absorbance of the reaction mixture before uricase action （A0） was obtained by correcting the absorbance at 293 nm measured before the addition of uricase solution, and background absorbance （Ab） was predicted by an integrated method. Uric acid concentration in reaction solution was calculated from AA, the difference between A0 and Ab, using the absorptivity preset for uric acid. This kinetic uricase method exhibited CV〈4.3% and recovery of 100%. Lipids, bilirubin, hemoglobin, ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione and xanthine 〈0.32 mmol/L in serum had no significant effects. △A linearly responded to 1.2 to 37.5 μmol/L uric acid in reaction solution containing 15 μl serum. The slope of linear response was consistent with the absorptivity preset for uric acid while the intercept was consistent with that for serum alone. Uric acid concentrations in clinic sera by different uricase methods positively correlated to each other. By Bland-Altman analysis, this kinetic uricase method accorded with that by quantifying the total change of UV absorbance on the completion of uricase reaction. These results demonstrated that this kinetic uricase method is reliable for serum uric acid assay with enhanced resistance to both xanthine and other common errors, wider range of linear response and much lower cost.

Synthesis of visible light responsive ultrafine K_4Ce_2Nb_(10)O_(30) by a stearic acid method

K4Ce2Nb10O30 ultrafine powders were prepared by stearic acid method (SAM). The obtained products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy and UV-visible absorption spectra. XRD patterns revealed that K4Ce2Nb10O30 powders treated at 900 oC for 2 h presented tetragonal structure without the presence of deleterious phases. Furthermore, the K4Ce2Nb10O30 prepared by SAM had considerable activity under visible light irradiation.

A Comparative Study of the Difference Method and the Enzyme-Hydrolyzed Casein Method for Determining True Amino Acid Digestibilities and Endogenous Amino Acid Losses in Duck Feed

In this study, we examined the varia- tions between the difference method and the enzyme- hydrolyzed casein method for determining endogenous amino acid loss and the true amino acid digestibility in ducks fed normal protein-containing diets. These methods were compared to the nitrogen-free （N-free） diet method. The difference method was based on soy- bean meal as the only protein source, with the experi- mental diets containing crude protein levels at 15% and 20%. The enzyme-hydrolyzed casein method was based on enzyme-hydrolyzed casein meal as the pro- tein source, with the experimental diet containing a crude protein level of 17.5%. The N-free diet was prepared with starches and paper fibers. In each meth- od,64 Tianfu meat drakes （7-weeks-old） with an av- erage body weight of 2.77±0.16 kg were used and divided into four groups, and fed four different diets. Each group contained four replicates of four drakes and they were force fed trial diets according to the Sirbald method for detecting their apparent amino aciddigestibility, endogenous amino acid loss and true a- mino acid digestibility. The results demonstrated that using the difference, enzyme-hydrolyzed casein and N-free diet methods, endogenous amino acid losses were 0. 9946,1. 2243 and 0. 9297 mg/g dry matter in- take （ DMI）, respectively. The true amino acid digest- ibility measured by the difference method was 88.93 %±4.43 %. Using the enzyme-hydrolyzed ca- sein method with two dietary crude protein levels of 15% and 20%, the digestibility was 91.15%±4.33% and 91.97%±4. 16%, respectively, and by the N-free diet methods with two dietary crude protein levels of 15% and 20% ,it was 88.55%±4.29% and 88.82 %±4.61%, respectively. The results suggested that when the dietary protein level was 15% to 20 %, the true amino acid digestibility and endogenous ami- no acid loss as determined by the difference method was more accurate than the values determined by the enzyme-hydrolyzed casein method.

Pitfalls of acid leaching method for determining organic and inorganic carbon contents in marine sediments

Organic and inorganic carbon contents of marine sediments are important to reconstruct marine productivity,global carbon cycle, and climate change. A proper method to separate and determine organic and inorganic carbons is thus of great necessity. Although the best method is still disputable, the acid leaching method is widely used in many laboratories because of its ease-of-use and high accuracy. The results of the elemental analysis of sediment trap samples reveal that organic and inorganic carbon contents cannot be obtained using the acid leaching method, causing an infinitely amplified error when the carbon content of the decarbonated sample is 12%±1% according to a mathematical derivation. Acid fumigation and gasometric methods are used for comparison, which indicates that other methods can avoid this problem in organic carbon analysis. For the first time, this study uncovers the pitfalls of the acid leaching method, which limits the implication in practical laboratory measurement, and recommends alternative solutions of organic/inorganic carbon determination in marine sediments.

Synthesis of CaCu_3Ti_4O_(12)powders and ceramics by sol-gel method using decanedioic acid and its dielectric properties

The CaCu3Ti4O12 xerogels, powders and ceramics were prepared through the sol-gel method using two kinds of organic acid （decanoic acid and decanedioic acid）. The xerogels, powders and ceramics were characterized by the methods of TG-DTG, FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TEM. The dielectric properties of the ceramics were also measured. The results indicated that the powders calcined at 850 ℃ for 2 h are both nanometer scale particles. After sintering, the ceramics mainly consist of the CaCu3Ti4O12 phase. Compared with the powders prepared using monoacid, the particle size of the powders prepared using diacid obviously increases, and the grain size, the relative density and the whole permittivity of the ceramics increase as well. Specially, the ceramic prepared using decanedioic acid has higher relative density （97.3%）, dielectric constant （316 808） and lower dielectric loss （0.242 5） at 30 ℃ （10 kIaz）

THE INTRINSIC ACIDITY CONSTANTS AND SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA OF MARINE SOLID PARTICLES I. A NEW METHOD

This paper proposes a new method for determining the intrinsic acidity constants K and K The new method is a great improvement over the modified Langmuir plot method generally adopted in that determination of these constants is not dependent on the specific surface area S of the marine solid particles. The new method was used to determine K, K and S for the main inorganic components of marine solid particles, including illite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, goethite, y-AlOOH. amorphous ferric oxide, MnO2, manganite, SiO 2 and calcium carbonate, and can facilitate the study on the effect of solution constituents, solution temperature, ionic strength, etc. on the value

A METHOD OF SYNTHESIS OF PHENYL-LACTIC ACID AND SUBSTITUTED PHENYL LACTIC ACIDS

A method for the conversion of α-acetamido-β-substituted phenyl acrylic acid (αtβSPAA)into substituted phenyl lactic acid(SPLA)is described and an improved Clemmensen reduction reagent is used.

Early Screening of Rice Varieties with High Essential Amino Acids by Aseptic Seedling Method

With 5 rice varieties( Yifeng 3321,Yifeng 3315,Yifeng 3317,Yifeng 45,Yifeng 14-24) as the experimental objects,the aseptic seedling method was used to culture the rice seeds,and the HPLC was used to determine the content of amino acids in aseptic rice seedlings as well as the total content of 8 kinds of essential amino acids and the content of protein. And the content of protein and amino acids in the polished rice of 5 varieties was detected,and the analysis of variance was performed for screening of the varieties containing high essential amino acids. The rice with high essential amino acids could be produced to meet people's rice quality requirements. The analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences( F = 39. 262,p = 0. 01) in the content of essential amino acids among 5 kinds of rice varieties. By the Duncan's multiple comparison,the differences among rice varieties were calculated to obtain screening results. The aseptic seedlings:Yifeng 3321(7. 268),Yifeng 3315(6. 395),Yifeng 3317(5. 698),Yifeng 45(5. 567),Yifeng 14-24(5. 190). Rice: Yifeng 3321(2.998),Yifeng 14-24(2. 627),Yifeng 3317(2. 611),Yifeng 3315(2. 503),Yifeng 45(2. 281). Based on the estimated human daily requirement of essential amino acids and amino acids requirement pattern,it was found that the polished rice of 5 varieties was up to standard.The variety with the highest content of essential amino acids was Yifeng 3317(3830 mg/100g),followed by Yifeng 3321(3770 mg/100 g).The results showed that the high quality rice variety in this experiment was Yifeng 3321.

Antimicrobial Profile of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Vegetables and Indigenous Fermented Foods of India against Clinical Pathogens Using Microdilution Method

In dairy and food industries lactic acid bacteria （LAB） have been used in form of starter culture that plays vital role in fermentation; as flavouring and texturizing or as preservative agents. There is increasing evidence that lactobacilli which inhabit the gastrointestinal tract develop antimicrobial activities and participate in the host＇s defence system[1]. During fermentation, most of the LAB produces a number of different compounds like organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, diacetyl, acetaldehyde, carbon dioxide, polysaccharides, and proteinaceous compounds called bacteriocins or bacteriocinogenic peptides.

Numerical Method for Determination of Composition of Weak Acid Mixtures by Potentiometric Titration

An equation describing the state of weak acid mixtures was derived from the relationships between mole balance and charge balance. The equation was solved with numerical method and the compositions of the acid mixtures were determined. The advantages of this treatment were demonstrated by analyzing binary mixtures of chloroacetic, formic and acetic acids.

Synthesis of piezoelectric nanocrystalline PZT powder by stearic acid gel method

PZT nanocrystalline powder was prepared by a stearic acid gel method. Thecrystallization process from the precursor was monitored by infrared spectroscopy, differentialthermal analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The nano-sized PZT powder was characterized byX-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It shows that pure single-phase PZT powdercould be obtained at 450 deg C for 1 h, and the particle size is about 20 nm. With an increase inthe calcination temperature, the PZT crystallite size increased.

Carbon Dioxide Fixation Method for Electrosynthesis of Benzoic Acid from Chlorobenzene

Carbon dioxide fixation technique was developed as an alternative dechlorination method of chlorobenzenes. Electrolysis of chlorobenzene was carried out in a one-compartment cell fitted with an aluminium anode and a platinum cathode. Electrolysis in N, N-dimethylformamide （DMF） solution containing 0.1 M of tetrapropylammonium bromide （TPAB） at 0 ℃, 100 ml/min of CO2 flow rate and 120 mA/cm^2 of current density was found to be the optimum conditions of this electrocarboxylation, which gave 72% yield of benzoic acid from chlorobenzene. These conditions were then applied to 1,2-dichlorobenzene and 1,3-dichlorobenzene in order to convert them to their corrcsponding benzoic acids.