Lipid-Lowering Effect of Eriocitrin, the Main Flavonoid in Lemon Fruit, in Rats on a High-Fat and High-Cholesterol Diet

ABSTRACT:  Eriocitrin (eriodictyol 7- O -β-rutinoside) is the main flavonoid in lemon fruit. In this study, eriocitrin was investigated for its lowering effect on serum and hepatic lipids in high-fat and high-cholesterol fed rats. Rats in the control group ( N = 6) were fed a 20% lard and 1% cholesterol diet for 21 d, and rats in the 0.35% eriocitrin group ( N = 6) and 0.70% eriocitrin group ( N = 6) were fed a diet supplemented with eriocitrin 0.35% and 0.70%, respectively. The content of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride in the eriocitrin group was no different from that of the control group. The total cholesterol, VLDL+LDL, triglyceride, and phospholipid in the serum of the 0.35% eriocitrin group showed significantly lower concentrations than the control group ( P < 0.05), although there was no difference in the HDL concentrations among the groups. The lowering effect of eriocitrin for serum total cholesterol was thought to be caused by a decrease in VLDL+LDL. The 0.35% eriocitrin group was shown to have a significant increase in excretion of fecal bile acid ( P < 0.05) and a tendency for enhanced hepatic m-RNA levels of LDL receptor in comparison with the control group.     

A new voltage control equipment using fuzzy inference

Power system control equipment needs higher sensitivity and operational reliability. Advanced voltage control equipment is needed for reducing the frequency of tap changes and improving the characteristics (the relationship between the actual voltage and reference voltage) of the voltage to meet today's power system requirements. However, these objectives are in a trade-off relationship. Studies of voltage control derived from a knowledge base suitable for electric power systems can satisfy these objectives using fuzzy inference. Compared with corresponding conventional equipment, the new equipment improved the deviation of 30 min average voltage of 30 percent. This paper describes the design concept of new voltage control equipment using fuzzy inference. In addition, field test results are described along with rules of fuzzy inference, membership functions, and the deviation of 30 min average voltage through detailed simulation.     

Simulation with an improved plasma model utilized to design a new structure of microwave plasma discharge for chemical vapor deposition of diamond crystals

A new structure of microwave plasma for chemical vapor deposition of diamond crystal is proposed. The structure is designed numerically, for which an improved model given in our previous work [H. Yamada et al., J. Appl. Phys. 101 (2007), art. no. 063302.] is utilized. The experimental observations and numerical predictions agree well with each other. It is demonstrated experimentally that the proposed structure can achieve a growth rate larger than 50 μm/h over an area 1 in. in diameter.     

A Dual-Tone Multifrequency Receiver Using Synchronous Additions and Subtractions

This paper describes a new detection algorithm for a dualtone multifrequency (DTMF) signal. The new algorithm basically uses only additions and subtractions but no multiplications. A signaling tone can be detected by sampling an input signal at four times each frequency involved in a signaling tone and accumulating these sampled values synchronously by additions and subtractions. This algorithm is referred to as the synchronous additions and subtractions (SAS) method. Many conventional methods have used various types of filters to detect signaling tones. In the SAS method in which the design of filters is unnecessary, only the generation of sampling pulses is required, and main operations are additions and subtractions. These features are useful to implement flexible receivers and various types of receivers. The simplicity of the SAS method is demonstrated by the implementation of a DTMF receiver using a conventional 8-bit microcomputer without any special hardware. The minimum signal-to-noise ratio is 5.7 dB when the receiver operates for the signaling tones to be accepted. Four easily measurable parameters are used to distinguish signaling tones from noise inputs. Only two false detections occurred for severe noise inputs of thirty hours.     

Electrical property and defect structure of lanthanum-doped polycrystalline barium titanate

Electrical conductivity of two types of lanthanum-doped barium titanote ceramics with different dopant levels was measured at temperatures between 900 and 1250° C andP _{O 2}from 10^–5 to 1 atm. The activation energies of the conduction for the two are interpreted in terms of the formation energy of ionized oxygen vacancies even in such a highP _{O 2}region. This fact is in contrast with a well -known controlled -valency model proposed for rare- earth -doped semi-conducting perovskites. In a lightly lanthanum-doped specimen, semiconduction achieved at elevated temperatures is retained on cooling the specimen to room temperature, whereas in a heavily doped specimen, the resultant high-temperature semiconduction changed to insulation on cooling. The former behaviour on cooling is successfully explained by a metastabilization of oxygen vacancies accompanied by electrons formed at elevated temperatures.     

Effect of Composition on the Oxygen Tracer Diffusion in Transparent Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) Ceramics

The grain boundary structure and oxygen tracer diffusion in transparent yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) ceramics varying from 2% excess of Y₂O₃ to 0.5% excess of Al₂O₃ were studied. The characterization of the specimens is as follows: (i) For the Y₂O₃-excess specimen, a second phase (yttrium aluminum perovskite: YAP) containing silicon in the grain boundary was found, (ii) For the Al₂O₃-excess specimen, both aluminum-rich particles (alumina) and a silicon-rich segregant layer were observed in the grain boundary. The volume diffusion of the oxygen tracer is little influenced by the excess composition. In contrast, the grain boundary diffusion of the oxygen tracer is suppressed in the Y₂O₃-excess specimens, compared to Al₂O₃-excess specimens. These differences are thought to result from the chemical reaction between the second phase and the intergranular liquid phase during the sintering.     

Different feeding and gustatory responses to ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone by larvae of the silkworm,Bombyx mori

The feeding and gustatory responses to ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone were investigated in the silkworm,Bombyx mori. 20-Hydroxyecdysone reduced feeding response strongly in fourth- and fifth-instar larvae, whereas ecdysone had no effect on feeding response. 20-Hydroxyecdysone stimulated the R receptor, the receptor to feeding deterrents, to a great degree. By contrast, ecdysone was much less effective for stimulating the R receptor. These results indicate that ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone have different effects on feeding response due to different interactions with mouthpart chemoreceptors.     

Effect of perchloric acid on the molecular weight and yield of poly-THF

Polytetramethylene glycol (molecular weight range 1000–8000) was prepared by the polymerization of tetrahydrofuran (THF) using a binary catalyst system of fuming sulfuric acid and perchloric acid. When 28% fuming sulfuric acid alone was used as the catalyst, the average molecular weight of polymer was low, the maximum value being 1000–1100. By the combination of fuming sulfuric acid with a small amount of perchloric acid, the average molecular weight of the polymer was increased to about 8000. Furthermore, the molecular weight was readily controlled in the range of 1000 to 8000 by varying the amount of the binary catalyst.     

Silica-supported cobalt catalysts for the selective reduction of nitrogen monoxide with propene

Catalytic behavior of silica-supported transition metals for NO reduction with propene in the presence of oxygen was investigated. While both silica and cobalt oxides did not show any activity for the selective NO reduction, impregnated CoO/SiO₂ prepared from cobalt acetate showed good activity although the preparation conditions had significant effect on the activity. It was suggested that highly dispersed surface Co²⁺ ions on silica are responsible for the catalytic activity.