Structural analysis of a soluble polysaccharide GSPA-0.3 from the root of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer and its adjuvant activity with mechanism investigation.

A novel polysaccharide (GSPA-0.3) was isolated and purified from the root of cultivated Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, and its structure, adjuvant activities, and mechanisms for inducing the maturation of mouse dendritic 2.4 cells (DC2.4) were extensively studied. Fraction GSPA-0.3, mainly composed by the galacturonic acid, galactose, arabinose, glucose, rhamnose, mannose, and xylose, had a molecular weight of 62,722 Da. The main chain of GSPA-0.3 was composed of →3)-α-L-Rhap-(1→, →4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→, and →3, 4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→. Branched chains comprised α-L-Araf-(1→3, 5)-α-L-Araf-(1→5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, ß-D-Galp-(1→4)-ß-D-Galp-(1→4)-ß-D-Galp-(1→, and α-D-GalpA-(1→ units connected to the C3 position of →3, 4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→. In vivo, GSPA-0.3 was found to stimulate the production of IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a; increase the splenocyte proliferation index; and promote the expression of GATA-3, T-bet, IFN-γ, and IL-4 in H1N1 vaccine-immunized mice. Moreover, GSPA-0.3 significantly increased the levels of neutralizing antibodies in the mice, and its adjuvant activity was found to be superior to aluminum adjuvant (Alum adjuvant). Mechanistic investigations showed that GSPA-0.3 activated the TLR4-dependent pathway by upregulating the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF-6, and NF-κB proteins and gens. The results presented herein suggested that GSPA-0.3 could significantly promote the efficacy of the H1N1 vaccine by modulating Th1/Th2 response via the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway.

Efficient entry point encoding and decoding algorithms on 2D Hilbert space filling curve.

The Hilbert curve is an important method for mapping high-dimensional spatial information into one-dimensional spatial information while preserving the locality in the high-dimensional space. Entry points of a Hilbert curve can be used for image compression, dimensionality reduction, corrupted image detection and many other applications. As far as we know, there is no specific algorithms developed for entry points. To address this issue, in this paper we present an efficient entry point encoding algorithm (EP-HE) and a corresponding decoding algorithm (EP-HD). These two algorithms are efficient by exploiting the m consecutive 0s in the rear part of an entry point. We further found that the outputs of these two algorithms are a certain multiple of a certain bit of s, where s is the starting state of these m levels. Therefore, the results of these m levels can be directly calculated without iteratively encoding and decoding. The experimental results show that these two algorithms outperform their counterparts in terms of processing entry points.

Preparation, characteristics and cytotoxicity of green synthesized selenium nanoparticles using Paenibacillus motobuensis LY5201 isolated from the local specialty food of longevity area.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient element. For the extremely biotoxic of selenite, Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) is gaining increasing interest. In this work, a selenium-enriched strain with highly selenite-resistant (up to 173 mmol/L) was isolated from the local specialty food of longevity area and identified as Paenibacillus motobuensis (P. motobuensis) LY5201. Most of the SeNPs were accumulated extracellular. SeNPs were around spherical with a diameter of approximately 100 nm. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the purified SeNPs consisted of selenium and proteins. Our results suggested that P. motobuensis LY5201could be a suitable and robust biocatalyst for SeNPs synthesis. In addition, the cytotoxicity effect and the anti-invasive activity of SeNPs on the HepG2 showed an inhibitory effect on HepG2, indicating that SeNPs could be used as a potential anticancer drug.

A key to the species of genus Synochoneura Obraztsov, 1955 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) from China with the descriptions of a new species from Wuyishan National Park.

A new species of the genus Synochoneura Obraztsov, 1955, S. wuyishana sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Wuyishan National Park in Fujian Province of China. The new species resembles S. sapana, but differs in wing pattern and female genitalia characters. Illustrations of adults and genitalia are provided. Additionally, a key to the Chinese Synochoneura species based on morphology is presented. The type specimens are deposited in the Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou.

An innovative extraction strategy for herbal medicine by adopting p-sulphonatocalix[6]/[8]arenes.

INTRODUCTION: Alkaloids exist in various herbal medicine widely and exhibit diverse biological and pharmacological activities. p-Sulphonatocalix[6]arenes (SC6A) and p-sulphonatocalix[8]arenes (SC8A) are water-soluble supramolecular macrocycles and are applied to the extraction of alkaloids from herbal products. OBJECTIVE: In this study, an innovative method of SC6A/SC8A assisted extraction of the alkaloids from herbs was established. METHODS: SC6A and SC8A were designed to extract 27 alkaloids from seven herbal medicines. Based on the significant solubilisation and extraction effect, Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix (Fangji, FJ) was selected to obtain the optimal extraction process by adopting single factor test and orthogonal experiment. Then, the alkaloids and SC6A/SC8A were separated by one-step alkalisation and SCnA were reused. The host-guest complexes between alkaloids and SCnA were determined by competitive fluorescence titration, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) analysis. RESULTS: The optimum condition for SC6A assisted extraction was 5:1:80 (g/g/mL) for herbs/SC6A/solution ratio, 355-250 µm particle size and ultrasonicate 0.5 h, whilst 10:1:40 (g/g/mL) for herbs/SC8A/solution ratio, 355-250 µm particle size and ultrasonicate 0.5 h for SC8A assisted extraction. The total yield of alkaloids (fangchinoline and tetrandrine) from FJ was increased by 4.87 times and 5.97 times with SC6A and SC8A. Moreover, a good reusability of SC6A/SC8A was achieved by alkalisation dissociation. Host-guest complexes were determined by competitive fluorescence titration at a molar ratio of 1:1 between most alkaloids (25/27, except evodiamine and rutaecarpine) and SC6A/SC8A. The complex structure was proved by DSC, FTIR and 1 H-NMR analysis. CONCLUSION: The study provided an effective eco-friendly and energy-saving extraction method of alkaloids from herbal medicine.

Bimetallic Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Hybrid Nanostructures as High-Performance Catalysts for Methane Dry Reforming.

Syngas, consisting of equimolar CO and H2, is an important feedstock for large-scale production of a wide range of commodity chemicals including aldehyde, methanol, ammonia, and other oxygenated chemicals. Dry reforming of methane (DRM), proceeding by reacting greenhouse gases, CO2 and CH4, at high temperatures in the presence of a metal catalyst, is considered one of the most environmentally friendly routes for syngas production. Nevertheless, nonprecious metal-based catalysts, which can operate at relatively low temperatures for high product yields and selectivities, are required to drive the DRM process for industrial applications effectively. Here, we developed NiCo@C nanocomposites from a corresponding NiCo-based bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF) to serve as high-performance catalysts for the DRM process, achieving high turnover frequencies (TOF) at low temperatures (>5.7 s-1 at 600 °C) and high product selectivities (H2/CO = 0.9 at 700 °C). The incorporation of Co in Ni catalysts improves the operation stability and light-off stability. The present development for MOF-derived nanocomposites opens a new horizon for design of DRM catalysts.

[The underlying mechanism for the connection between visual long-term memory and visual working memory].

Visual memory, mainly composed of visual long-term memory (VLTM) and visual working memory (VWM), is an important mechanism of human information storage. Since Baddeley proposed the multicomponent working memory model, the idea that VWM is independent of the VLTM system has been widely accepted. However, the new theoretical evidence suggested a close connection between VLTM and VWM. For instance, the three embedded components model describes the VLTM and VWM in the same framework, which suggests that VWM is only a distinct state of VLTM. On the one hand, the operating function of VWM is supported by the persistence of VLTM. On the other hand, the evidence from neuroimaging studies shows that VWM and VLTM tasks activate some same brain areas. In addition, the whole visual memory system shows a trend of processing from early visual cortex to prefrontal cortex. The present article not only reviews the current studies about the relationship between VLTM and VWM but also gives some forecasts for future studies.