The complete mitochondrial genome of Phymateus saxosus (Coquerel, 1861) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) and phylogenetic analysis.

Phymateus saxosus is a member of the family Pyrgomorphidae, Orthoptera. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of P. saxosus was determined and analyzed. Assembled mitogenome sequence of P. saxosus is 15,672 bp in size, containing 37 genes and a control region. The gene orientation and arrangement of P. saxosus are identical to other species in the Pyrgomorphoidea family. The overall nucleotide composition is as follows: A (43.6%) > T (30.2%) > C (16.1%) > G (10.1%). Phylogenetic analysis suggested that P. saxosus forms sister groups with P. morbillosus, and the monophyly of Pyrgomorphidae is supported. In general, this study provided valuable genetic information for P. saxosus and explored the phylogenetic relationships in the family Pyrgomorphidae.

Research on Stacked Piezoelectric Cymbal Vibrator.

As demand for haptic feedback increases, piezoelectric materials have become one of the best candidate materials due to their small size, high electromechanical coupling coefficient, and fast response. A stacked piezoelectric cymbal vibrator is proposed based on the common cymbal-type transducer, which is composed of a piezoelectric stack to drive and a cymbal disk to amplify displacement. A coupling theoretical model between the piezoelectric stack and the cymbal-type structure is established. The longitudinal and radial displacements of the stacked piezoelectric cymbal vibrator are calculated in the low frequency range (<1000 Hz) by the theoretical model and the finite element method. The theoretical and numerical results are in good agreement. The results show that the radial displacement can be converted into longitudinal displacement and then effectively amplified by the cymbal disk with an amplification ratio of 30. The feature is conducive to its widespread application in the field of consumer electronics.

Optimization of the extraction, preliminary characterization, and anti-inflammatory activity of crude polysaccharides from the stems of Trapa quadrispinosa.

A novel method was developed using pressurized-assisted extraction (PAE) to efficiently extract crude Trapa quadrispinosa polysaccharides (TQCPS) from plant stems, and the extraction process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). At a water-to-material fixed ratio of 30 mL g-1, the highest yield of 3.72 ± 0.13% was obtained under the optimum conditions of extraction time of 32 min, extraction temperature at 47 °C, and extraction pressure at 1.87 Mpa, which were in agreement with the predicted value of 3.683%. Compared with conventional hot water extraction (HWE), the PAE method remarkably enhanced the extraction yield with the further advantages of short extraction time and low extraction temperature. The preliminary characteristics of TQCPS were analyzed through UV-vis, FT-IR, and chemical composition analysis. In subsequent anti-inflammatory studies, when RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells were treated with TQCPS, satisfactory anti-inflammatory activity was observed, and TQCPS significantly suppressed the release of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and synchronously restrained the expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), TNF-α, and IL-6 mRNA induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that PAE is a technology that can be used for efficient extraction of polysaccharides from medicinal plants, and TQCPS can be explored as a potential anti-inflammatory agent in medicine.

Further investigation of nanostructured lipid carriers as an ocular delivery system: in vivo transcorneal mechanism and in vitro release study.

This study was designed to provide further understanding of transcorneal mechanism of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). NLC labeled with fluorescent marker rhodamine B or coumarin-6 were produced by a melt emulsification method. By confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), the interaction of NLC with corneal epithelia was traced and evaluated in rabbits in vivo. Thermal stability of the markers and the amorphous state were detected using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The labeled NLC were characterized to be solid spherical in shape with an average diameter of 70 nm and zeta potential of -8 mV by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, respectively. CLSM results demonstrated NLC were not directly internalized by corneal epithelia, whereas the markers themselves transferred from NLC to corneal epithelia with subsequent staining of intracellular lipophilic compartments. Furthermore, the in vitro release study using liposome dispersions as mimic biomembranes demonstrated an efficient transfer of fluorescence marker into the liposomes. This implied the deceptive particle uptake was due to a collision-induced process, during which the rapid transfer of fluorescence marker occurred by forming a complex between the nanoparticles and the biomembranes. Thus, these evidences provide further insights into NLC as an ocular delivery system.

Discrimination of different genuine Danshen and their extracts by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy combined with two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy.

In this study, six varieties of Danshen from different populations and genuine ("Daodi" in Chinese transliteration) regions were discriminated and identified by a three-step infrared spectroscopy method (Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) coupled with second derivative infrared spectroscopy (SD-IR) and two dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR)). Though only small differences were found among the FT-IR spectra of the six Danshen samples, the positions and intensities of peaks at 3393, 3371, 1613, 1050, and 1,036 cm(-1) could be considered as the key factors to discriminate them. More significant differences were exhibited in their SD-IR, particularly for the peaks around 1080, 1144, 695, 665, 800, 1610, 1510, 1450, 1117 and 1,077 cm(-1). The visual 2D-IR spectra provided dynamic chemical structure information of the six Danshen samples with presenting different particular auto-peak clusters, respectively. Moreover, the contents of salvianolic acid B in all samples were measured quantitatively by a validated ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), which was consistent with the FT-IR findings. This study provides a promising method for characteristics and quality control of the complicated and extremely similar herbal medicine like Danshen, which is more cost effective and time saving.