In manufacturing, monitoring the mechanical properties of wood with near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is an attractive alternative to more conventional methods. However, no attention has been given to see if models differ between juvenile and mature wood. Additionally, it would be convenient if multiple linear regression (MLR) could perform well in the place of more complicated multivariate models. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to model the strength, stiffness and density of mature and juvenile longleaf pine to NIR spectra with MLR and principal component regression (PCR). MLR performed almost as well as PCR when predicting density, modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE). Choosing wavelengths associated with wood chemistry and developing principal components gave better predictive models (PCR 2 ) than when all NIR wavelengths were used (PCR 1 ). Models developed from mature wood did not predict wood properties from juvenile wood adequately, suggesting that separate models are needed. However, for density prediction, the area under the spectral curve appeared to be insensitive to mature and juvenile wood differences. Five of the six wavelengths associated with MOE were also associated with MOR, perhaps accounting for how MOE and MOR might be related. For pith wood, MOE and MOR were poorly related to NIR spectra, while density was strongly correlated. This inability to predict mechanical properties in the pith-wood zone warrants attention for those manufacturers interested in using near infrared to stress rate lumber within a mill.
The objective of this investigation was to find a simple method for the production of phenolic rich products and sugar derivatives (biopolyols) via separation of liquefied lingocellulosic materials. Liquefaction of lignocellulosic materials was conducted in methanol at 180°C for 15 min with the conversion of raw materials at about 75%. After liquefaction, the liquefied products were separated by addition of a sufficient amount of water. It was found that the hydrophobic phenolics could be largely separated from aqueous solutions. The phenolic products that precipitated from the aqueous phase were mainly composed of phenolic derivatives such as 2-methoxy-4-propyl-phenol and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid methyl ester. Afterwards, the aqueous solution was distilled under vacuum to remove water and formed a viscous liquid product henceforth termed biopolyol. As evidenced by GC-MS analysis, the biopolyols contained methyl sugar derivatives, including methyl β-D-mannofuranoside, methyl α-D-galactopyranoside, methyl α-D-glucopyranoside, and methyl β-D-glucopyranoside. The effect of glycerol on promotion of the liquefaction reaction was also studied. The yield of residue was significantly decreased from approximately 25 to 12% when a glycerol-methanol mixture was used as solvent rather than methanol. According to the GC-MS analysis, the total content of phenolics and poly-hydroxy compounds (including glycerol and sugar derivatives) in phenolic products and biopolyols was 65.9 and 84.9%, respectively. Therefore, a new method for fractionation of liquefied products was proposed according to the molecular structure of the biomass.
Tripyrrole molecules have received renewed attention due to reports of numerous biological activities, including antifungal, antibacterial, antiprotozoal, antimalarial, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. In a screen of bacterial strains with known toxicities to termites, a red pigment-producing strain, HDZK-BYSB107, was isolated from Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, which grows in Oregon, USA. Strain HDZK-BYSB107 was identified as Serratia marcescens subsp. lawsoniana. The red pigment was identified as prodigiosin using ultraviolet absorption, LC-MS, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The bacterial prodigiosin had an inhibitory effect on both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The main objective of this study was to explore the anticancer activities and mechanism of strain HDZK-BYSB107 prodigiosin by using human choriocarcinoma (JEG3) and prostate cancer cell lines (PC3) in vitro and JEG3 and PC3 tumor-bearing nude mice in vivo. In vitro anticancer activities showed that the bacterial prodigiosin induced apoptosis in JEG3 cells. In vivo anticancer activities indicated that the prodigiosin significantly inhibited the growth of JEG3 and PC3 cells, and the inhibitory activity was dose and time dependent. The anticancer efficacy of the bacterial prodigiosin on JEG3 and PC3 cells, JEG3 and PC3 tumor exhibited a correlation with the down regulation of the inhibitor of IAP family, including XIAP, cIAP-1 and cIAP-2, and the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase. The expressions of P53 and Bax/Bcl-2 in JEG3 and PC3 cells were significantly higher than in untreated groups. Our results indicated that the bacterial prodigiosin extracted from C. lawsoniana is a promising molecule due to its potential for therapeutic applications.
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