Biosorption of heavy metals on Citrus maxima peel, passion fruit shell, and sugarcane bagasse in a fixed-bed column

Huan-Ping Chao,Chung-Cheng Chang,Aileen Nieva 한국공업화학회 2014 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.20 No.5

This study used three types of agricultural waste, Citrus maxima peel, passion fruit shell, and sugarcane bagasse, to produce biosorbents for copper(II), cadmium(II), nickel(II), and lead(II) metal ion removal in a fixed-bed column. The biosorbent properties were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and cation exchange capacity. The adsorption capacities were determined using the Thomas model for various pH values and flow rates. The results indicated that biosorbents possess carboxylic acid groups, which function as exchangeable cation and complexation sites for removing heavy metals. The biosorbents exhibited great adsorption capacity.

Bactericidal Activity of Soymilk Fermentation Broth by In Vitro and Animal Models

Yi-Ping Chin,Ko-Chung Tsui,Mei-Chieh Chen,Cheng-Yi Wang,Chin-Yuh Yang,Yuh-Ling Lin 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.6

Soybean fermentation broth (SFB) exhibits potent antibacterial activity against different species of bacteria in in vitro assays and animal models. Four isoflavone compounds—daidzin, genistin, genistein, and daidzein—of SFB were analyzed and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. In the in vitro test, daidzin and daidzein had more potent antibacterial activity than genistin. The minimum inhibition concentration values for these bacteria of SFB ranged from 1.25%to 5%, and the minimum bactericidal concentration values of strains ranged from 2.5% to 10%, depending on the species or strain. Vancomycin-resistant Entercoccus faecalis (VRE) strains were also tested for susceptibility to SFB in two species of animal model: the Sprague–Dawley rat and the BALB/c mouse. SFB-fed Sprague–Dawley rats showed excellent elimination efficiency against VRE, close to 99% compared with the phosphate-buffered saline–fed control group. In the BALB/c mouse model, SFB antibacterial activity was 65–80% against VRE compared with the control. In conclusion, SFB contains natural antibacterial substances such as daidzin, genistin, and daidzein that inhibit bacterial growth.

Optimization of the Needle Punching Process for the Nonwoven Fabrics with Multiple Quality Characteristics by Grey-Based Taguchi Method

Kuo, Chung-Feng Jeffrey,Su, Te-Li,Tsai, Cheng-Ping The Korean Fiber Society 2007 Fibers and polymers Vol.8 No.6

This study is intended for finding out the optimal processing parameters for needle punching nonwoven fabrics in order to work out its maximal strength. Taguchi method together with grey relational analysis is employed to resolve the problem as regards multiple-quality optimization, and further discover the optimal combination of processing parameters for needle punching nonwoven fabrics. Firstly, orthogonal array $L_{18}(2^1{\times}3^7)$ is used to deal with the processing parameters that may exert influence over the manufacturing of needle punching nonwoven fabrics. Then grey relational analysis is applied to resolve the deficiency of Taguchi method that focus on single quality characteristic. Next, the response table of grey relational analysis is used to obtain the optimal combination of processing parameters for multiple quality characteristics. In the current experiment quality characteristic refers to the tensile strength and tear strength of the nonwoven fabrics. Additionally, signal-to-noise ratio (SN ratio) calculation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) can be adopted to explore the experimental results. Through ANOVA, the significant factors that exert comparatively significant influence over the quality characteristic of the needle punching nonwoven fabrics, that is, the control factors are determined so that the quality characteristic of the needle punching nonwoven fabrics can be effectively controlled. Finally, confirmation experiment is conducted within 95 % confidence interval to verify the experimental reliability and reproducibility.

Analysis and Construction of a Quality Prediction System for Needle-Punched Non-woven Fabrics

Kuo Chung-Feng Jeffrey,Su Te-Li,Chiu Chin-Hsun,Tsai Cheng-Ping The Korean Fiber Society 2007 Fibers and polymers Vol.8 No.1

In this study, polyester and polypropylene staple fibers were selected as the raw material, and then processed through roller-carder, cross-lapper and needle-punching machine to produce needle-punched non-woven fabrics. First, the experiment was planned using the Taguchi method to select processing parameters that affect the quality of the needle-punched non-woven fabric to act as the control factors for this experiment. The quality characteristics were the longitudinal and transverse tensile strength of the non-woven fabric as well as longitudinal and transverse tear strength. The $L_{18}(2^1{\times}3^7)$ orthogonal array was selected for the experiment as it offered an improvement on the traditional method that wastes a lot of time, effort and cost. By using the analysis of variance(ANOVA) technique at the same time, the effect of significant factors on the production process of needle-punched non-woven fabrics could be determined. Finally, the processing parameters were set as the input parameters of a back-propagation neural network(BPNN). The BPNN consists of an input layer, a hidden layer and an output layer where the longitudinal/transverse tensile and tear strength of the non-woven fabric were set as the output parameters. This was used to construct a quality prediction system for needle-punched non-woven fabrics. The experimental results indicated that the prediction system implemented in this study provided accurate predictions.

Efficacy of the predator Mallada basalis (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on Tetranychus kanzawai and Panonychus citri (Acari: Tetranychidae) at different predator:prey release ratios

Ling Lan Cheng,James R. Nechols,David C. Margolies,James F. Campbell,Ping Shih Yang,Chien Chung Chen,Chiu Tung Lu 한국응용곤충학회 2012 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.15 No.1

Wecompared population suppression of the phytophagous mites, Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida and Panonychus citri (McGregor), on papaya by second instar larvae of the green lacewing, Mallada basalis (Walker), at various predator:prey release ratios in the laboratory. Initially, we presented M. basalis with mixed age classes of each mite species separately at a density of approximately 30 mites per seedling. After 3 days, predator:prey ratios of 1:30, 1:15, and 1:10 resulted in reductions of T. kanzawai of 66.8%, 82.6%, and 83.3%, respectively, and reductions of P. citri of 41.8%, 75.5%, and 77.2%, respectively. Predation on individual age classes was approximately equal in both species, reinforcing previous findings that this predator does not show a preference among age classes. We next presented M. basalis with mixed populations of the two mite species in which there were equal numbers of each species and the density was as in the single species tests. Total mite reduction with both mite species present was 48.5%, 71.9%, and 74.5% at ratios of 1:30, 1:15, and 1:10, respectively; T. kanzawai was reduced by 50.5%, 77.4%, and 79.5%, respectively, and P. citriwas reduced by 44.1%, 60.3%, and 63.2%, respectively. This study suggests that M. basalis has the potential for substantially suppressing populations of both T. kanzawai and P. citri on papaya at a predator:prey ratio of 1:15 or greater. However, evaluation under realistic agricultural settings is needed before specific recommendations about predator release rates can be made.

Computing Thresholds of Linguistic Saliency

( Siaw Fong Chung ),( Kathleen Ahrens ),( Chung Ping Cheng ),( Chu Ren Huang ),( Petr Simon ) 한국언어정보학회 2007 학술대회 논문집 Vol.2007 No.-

We propose and test several computational methods to automatically determine possible saliency cut-off points in Sketch Engine (Kilgarriff and Tugwell, 2001). Sketch Engine currently displays collocations in descending importance, as well as according to grammatical relations. However, Sketch Engine does not provide suggestions for a cut-off point such that any items above this cut-off point may be considered significantly salient. This proposal suggests improvement to the present Sketch Engine interface by calculating three different cut-off point methods, so that the presentation of results can be made more meaningful to users. In addition, our findings also contribute to linguistic analyses based on empirical data.

The Role of Turmerones on Curcumin Transportation and P-Glycoprotein Activities in Intestinal Caco-2 Cells

Grace G.L. Yue,Sau-Wan Cheng,Hua Yu,Zi-Sheng Xu,Julia K.M. Lee,Po-Ming Hon,Mavis Y.H. Lee,Edward J. Kennelly,Gary Deng,Simon K. Yeung,Barrie R. Cassileth,Kwok-Pui Fung,Ping-Chung Leung,Clara B.S. Lau 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.3

The rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric) is often used in Asia as a spice and as a medicine. Its most wellstudied component, curcumin, has been shown to exhibit poor bioavailability in animal studies and clinical trials. We hypothesized that the presence of lipophilic components (e.g., turmerones) in turmeric extract would affect the absorption of curcumin. The effects of turmerones on curcumin transport were evaluated in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. The roles of turmerones on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activities and mRNA expression were also evaluated. Results showed that in the presence of a- and aromatic turmerones, the amount of curcumin transported into the Caco-2 cells in 2 hours was significantly increased. a-Turmerone and verapamil (a P-gp inhibitor) significantly inhibited the efflux of rhodamine-123 and digoxin (i.e.,inhibited the activity of P-gp). It is interesting that aromatic turmerone significantly increased the rhodamine-123 efflux and Pgp (MDR1 gene) mRNA expression levels. The effects of a- and aromatic turmerones on curcumin transport as well as P-gp activities were shown here for the first time. The presence of turmerones did affect the absorption of curcumin in vitro. These findings suggest the potential use of turmeric extract (including curcumin and turmerones), rather than curcumin alone, for treating diseases.

Effects of 5HT1A Activation on Gating Profile Following 5HT Depletion in Rats Lacking Social Attachment Since Weanling

Yueh-Ming Tai,Chih-Yuan Ko,Chen-Cheng Lin,Yu-Yue Wan,Jing-Yi Chung,Yia-Ping Liu 대한신경정신의학회 2018 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.15 No.2

Objective Central 5-HT1A receptor is involved in the modulation of sensorimotor gating function. However, its precise role is not clearly defined in developmentally social deprived (isolation rearing, IR) rats featured with impaired sensorimotor gating ability. We therefore aimed to examine the effects of 5HT1A activation on acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in IR rats in a condition of compromised presynaptic 5-HT functions. Methods Social control (SOC) and IR rats received an intracerebraoventricular (ICV) injection of 5-HT depletor, 5,7-DHT. Seven days later rats entered a protocol of 8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT1A agonist, in which locomotor activity, ASR and PPI and their tissue levels of 5-HT were measured. Results Our results found that both IR and 5,7-DHT decreased the tissue concentration of 5-HT. IR-induced hyperactivity and gating impairment were unaffected by 5-HT depletion. 8-OH-DPAT strengthened the ASR in IR but not SOC rats and the drug-reduced PPI could be adjusted by 5,7-DHT pretreatment. 8-OH-DPAT at 100 μg/kg enhanced PPI in 5-HT-depleted SOC rats. However for IR rats, 8-OH-DPAT strengthened PPI in sham rats but downgraded it in depletion condition. Conclusion The integrity of central 5-HT system is important to 5-HT1A-modulated sensorimotor gating in isolation-reared rats.

Comprehensive profiles and diagnostic value of menopausal-specific gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer

Hou Ming-Feng,Ou-Yang Fu,Li Chung-Liang,Chen Fang-Ming,Chuang Chieh-Han,Kan Jung-Yu,Wu Cheng-Che,Shih Shen-Liang,Shiau Jun-Ping,Kao Li-Chun,Kao Chieh-Ni,Lee Yi-Chen,Moi Sin-Hua,Yeh Yao-Tsung,Cheng Chi 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

In Western countries, breast cancer tends to occur in older postmenopausal women. However, in Asian countries, the proportion of younger premenopausal breast cancer patients is increasing. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in breast cancer. However, studies on the gut microbiota in the context of breast cancer have mainly focused on postmenopausal breast cancer. Little is known about the gut microbiota in the context of premenopausal breast cancer. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the gut microbial profiles, diagnostic value, and functional pathways in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Here, we analyzed 267 breast cancer patients with different menopausal statuses and age-matched female controls. The α-diversity was significantly reduced in premenopausal breast cancer patients, and the β-diversity differed significantly between breast cancer patients and controls. By performing multiple analyses and classification, 14 microbial markers were identified in the different menopausal statuses of breast cancer. Bacteroides fragilis was specifically found in young women of premenopausal statuses and Klebsiella pneumoniae in older women of postmenopausal statuses. In addition, menopausal-specific microbial markers could exhibit excellent discriminatory ability in distinguishing breast cancer patients from controls. Finally, the functional pathways differed between breast cancer patients and controls. Our findings provide the first evidence that the gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer patients differs from that in postmenopausal breast cancer patients and shed light on menopausal-specific microbial markers for diagnosis and investigation, ultimately providing a noninvasive approach for breast cancer detection and a novel strategy for preventing premenopausal breast cancer.

Responses of Candida albicans to the Human Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37

Pei-Wen Tsai,Yin-Lien Cheng,Wen-Ping Hsieh,Chung-YuLan 한국미생물학회 2014 The journal of microbiology Vol.52 No.7

Candida albicans is amajor fungal pathogen in humans. Antimicrobialpeptides (AMPs) are critical components of the innateimmune response in vertebrates and represent the firstline of defense against microbial infection. LL-37 is the onlymember of the human family of cathelicidin AMPs and iscommonly expressed by various tissues and cells, includingsurfaces of epithelia. The candidacidal effects of LL-37 havebeen well documented, but the mechanisms by which LL-37kills C. albicans are not completely understood. In this study,we examined the effects of LL-37 on cell wall and cellular responsesin C. albicans. Using transmission electron microscopy,carbohydrate analyses, and staining for β-1,3-glucan,changing of C. albicans cell wall integrity was detected uponLL-37 treatment. In addition, LL-37 also affected cell wallarchitecture of the pathogen. Finally,DNAmicroarray analysisand quantitative PCR demonstrated that sub-lethal concentrationsof LL-37 modulated the expression of genes witha variety of functions, including transporters, regulators forbiological processes, response to stress or chemical stimulus,and pathogenesis. Together, LL-37 induces complex responsesin C. albicans, making LL-37 a promising candidate for useas a therapeutic agent against fungal infections.