Theoretical Study of the Feasibility of Laser Cooling the 24Mg35Cl Molecule Including Hyperfine Structure and Branching Ratios.

The possibility of laser cooling the 24Mg35Cl molecule is investigated using the electronic, rovibrational, and hyperfine structure. Twelve low-lying Λ-S electronic states of the 24Mg35Cl molecule have been calculated at the multireference configuration interaction level of theory. The spin-orbit coupling effects are taken into account in the electronic structure calculations. Spectroscopic constants agree well with previously obtained theoretical and experimental values. On the basis of the potential energy curves and transition dipole moments, the highly diagonally distributed Franck-Condon factors for the A2Π â†’ X2Σ+ transition and short radiative lifetime of the A2Π state are determined. Then, employing a quantum effective Hamiltonian approach, we investigate the hyperfine manifolds of the X2Σ+ state and obtain the zero-field hyperfine spectrum with the errors relative to the experimental data not exceeding 8-20 kHz. Finally, we design a laser cooling scheme with one cooling main laser beam and two repumping laser beams with modulated sidebands, which is sufficient for the implementation of efficient laser slowing and cooling of the 24Mg35Cl molecule. Moreover, it is important to note that the dissociation energy (2.2593 eV) of the B2Σ+ state is obtained for the first time at the multireference configuration interaction level. We hope that this can provide a helpful reference for experimental observation.

Supercritical water gasification of microalgae over a two-component catalyst mixture.

Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of the microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa was examined with a catalyst mixture of Ru/C and Rh/C in a mass ratio of 1:1. The influences of temperature (380-600°C), water density (0-0.197g/cm3), and catalyst loading (0-20wt%) on the yields and composition of the gaseous products and the gasification efficiency were examined. The temperature and water density significantly affected the SCWG of the microalgae. The hydrogen gasification efficiency was more dependent on the temperature, while the carbon gasification efficiency was more dependent on the water density. The gaseous products mainly consisted of CH4, H2, CO, and CO2, with smaller amounts of C2-C3 hydrocarbons. CH4 made up half of the mole fraction of the gaseous products under most reaction conditions. A synergistic effect between Ru/C and Rh/C existed during the SCWG of the microalgae, and this effect favored the production of CH4. The role of the catalyst mixture became indistinct at higher temperatures. Hydrogen atoms from the water were transferred to the gaseous products during the SCWG, leading to hydrogen gasification efficiencies that exceeded 100%. The main components of the bio-oil were aromatics and nitrogen-containing compounds, and the main aromatics consisted of azulene and anthracene. The nitrogen-containing compounds are potential poisons to the catalyst mixture.

Potential probiotic attributes of a new strain of Bacillus coagulans CGMCC 9951 isolated from healthy piglet feces.

A new strain of Bacillus coagulans CGMCC 9551, which has a broad range of antibacterial activities against six main pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli O8, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar enteritidis, Streptococcus suis, Listeria monocytogenes and Pasteurella multocida, was isolated from healthy piglet feces. In adhesion assay, the isolate exhibited a stronger adhesion to pig intestinal mucus than that of B. subtilis JT143 and L. acidophilus LY24 respectively isolated from BioPlus(®)2B and FloraFIT(®) Probiotics (P < 0.05). The adhesion activity reached 44.5 ± 3.2, 48.9 ± 2.6, 42.6 ± 3.3 and 37.6 ± 2.4% to jejunum, ileum, transverse colon and sigmoid colon, separately. The survival rate of B. coagulans CGMCC 9551 was reduced by only 20% at 4 h exposure under 0.9% w/v bile salt. The strain was fully resistant to pH 2 for 2 h with 90.1 ± 3.5% survival and susceptible to 15 antibiotics commonly used in veterinary medicine. Additionally, the bacteria showed amylase, protease and cellulase activities. The safety assessment demonstrated the lack of toxicity potential in B. coagulans CGMCC 9551 by ligated rabbit ileal loop assay, acute and subchronic toxicity test. These results implied that that the new strain of B. coagulans CGMCC 9951 isolated from healthy piglet feces has promising probiotic characteristics and offers desirable opportunities for its successful commercialization as one excellent candidate probiotic.

Identification of marine neuroactive molecules in behaviour-based screens in the larval zebrafish.

High-throughput behavior-based screen in zebrafish is a powerful approach for the discovery of novel neuroactive small molecules for treatment of nervous system diseases such as epilepsy. To identify neuroactive small molecules, we first screened 36 compounds (1-36) derived from marine natural products xyloketals and marine isoprenyl phenyl ether obtained from the mangrove fungus. Compound 1 demonstrated the most potent inhibition on the locomotor activity in larval zebrafish. Compounds 37-42 were further synthesized and their potential anti-epilepsy action was then examined in a PTZ-induced epilepsy model in zebrafish. Compound 1 and compounds 39, 40 and 41 could significantly attenuate PTZ-induced locomotor hyperactivity and elevation of c-fos mRNA in larval zebrafish. Compound 40 showed the most potent inhibitory action against PTZ-induced hyperactivity. The structure-activity analysis showed that the OH group at 12-position played a critical role and the substituents at the 13-position were well tolerated in the inhibitory activity of xyloketal derivatives. Thus, these derivatives may provide some novel drug candidates for the treatment of epilepsy.

Growth and physiological characteristics of E. coli in response to the exposure of sound field.

It is undeniable that environmental sonic vibration can affect our emotions and mood, but so far the study of physical stimuli provoked by audible wave on single cells has been rarely concerned. To investigate the response of E. coli to audible wave exposure, the growth status and alterations in antioxidant enzyme activity were studied in liquid culture. The data showed that the growth of E. coli was promoted in the treatments of different frequencies sound wave. The most significant effect on growth promotion appeared when sound wave was maintained at 100 dB and 5000 Hz. Simultaneously, sonic vibration evoked significantly increases the level of total protein content contents. And the changes of activities of Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were observed obviously. The results suggested that the growth promotion effect of audible sound may be non-linear and shows obvious frequency and intensity peculiarities. Moreover, the increase in activity of antioxidant enzymes implied that a number of active oxygen species generated in bacterial cell under the exposure of audible sound. We speculate that the audible sound may cause a secondary oxidative stress. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of active oxygen species generation induced by audible sound.

A novel approach to microbial breeding--low-energy ion implantation.

Low-energy ions exist widely in the natural world. People had neglected the interaction between low-energy ions and material; it was even more out of the question to study the relation of low-energy ions and the complicated organism until the biological effects of low-energy ion implantation were discovered in 1989. Nowadays, the value of low-energy ion beam implantation, as a new breeding way, has drawn extensive attention of biologists and breeding experts. In this review, the understanding and utilization of microbial breeding by low-energy ion beam irradiation is summarized, including the characteristics of an ion beam bioengineering facility, present status of the technology of low-energy ions for microbial breeding, and new insights into microbial biotechnology.