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The most accepted approach to sealing in high-level radioactive waste repositories (HLRWs) is to develop a low-pH grouting material with a pH of the pore solution of less than 11. Currently, the most widely used binary low-pH grouting material is MCSF64, which comprises 60% microfine cement (MC) and 40% silica fume (SF). In this study, a high-performance MCSF64-based grouting material was developed by incorporating naphthalene superplasticizer (NSP), aluminum sulfate (AS), and united expansion agent (UEA) to enhance the slurry’s shear strength, compressive strength, and hydration process. Orthogonal experiments were conducted to measure the flow time, yield stress, plastic viscosity, initial setting time, shear strength, and compressive strength of the MCSF64-based slurry, and the optimal mix proportion was determined using the Taguchi–Grey relational analysis method. The pH variation of the pore solution, shrinkage/expansion, and hydration products of the optimal hardened slurry were evaluated using simplified ex-situ leaching (S-ESL), a length comparometer, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results demonstrate that the Bingham model effectively predicted the rheological properties of the MCSF64-based slurry. The optimum ratio for the MCSF64-based slurry was water/binder (W/B) ratio of 1.4, and the contents of NSP, AS and UEA by mass of binder were 1.9%, 3.6% and 4.8%, respectively. The optimal mix exhibited a pH value below 11 after curing for 120 days. The addition of AS and UEA facilitated hydration, shortened the initial setting time, improved early shear strength, and enhanced the expansion ability of the optimal mix under water curing conditions.

As one of the largest protein families in plants, F-box proteins are involved in many important cellular processes. Until now, a limited number of investigations have been conducted on wheat F-box genes due to its variable structure and large and polyploid genome. Classification, identification, structural analysis, evolutionary relationship, and chromosomal distribution of some wheat F-box genes are described in the present study. A total number of 1013 potential F-box proteins which are encoded by 409 genes was identified in wheat, and classified into 12 subfamilies based on their C-terminal domain structures. Furthermore, proteins with identical or similar C-terminal domain were clustered together. Location of 409 F-box genes was identified on all 21 wheat chromosomes but showed an uneven distribution. Segmental duplication was the main reason for the increase in the number of wheat F-box genes. Gene expression analysis based on digital PCR showed that most of the F-box genes were highly expressed in the later development stages of wheat, including the formation of spike, grain, flag leaf, and participated in drought stress (DS), heat stress (HS), and their combination (HD). Of the nine F-box genes we investigated using quantitative PCR (qPCR) following fungal pathogen infection, five were involved in wheat resistance to the infection by leaf rust pathogen and one in the susceptible response. These results provide important information on wheat F-box proteins for further functional studies, especially the proteins that played roles in response to heat and drought stresses and leaf rust pathogen infection.

Polypropylene (PP) blends with the other polymer, like polyethylene (PE), is normally used as for improving PP impact strength. In this paper, we wanted to improve the PP/high density polyethylene (HDPE) impact strength by increasing the compatibility of PP/HDPE with gamma irradiation process that the un-irradiated ones were also used for comparison. It was obvious that the impact strength increased when the HDPE (10 phr) was added into the PP matrix, compared with neat PP. Meanwhile, the irradiated ones had higher impact strength than that of un-irradiated PP/HDPE blends. This was contributed to the finer compatibility in γ-irradiated PP/HDPE blends, seen from the SEM. Furthermore, the FTIR data also confirmed that the 1,4-butanediol diacrylate (BDDA) was grafted on the backbone of PP/HDPE blends by γ radiation. It speculated that this correlated with the compatibilization improvement in γ-irradiated PP/HDPE blends. Finally, the possible mechanism after γ-irradiation was also proposed in this paper. Keywords: PP, HDPE, Gamma irradiation, Impact strength

F-box proteins play critical roles in plant responses to biotic/abiotic stresses. In the present study, a total of 68 wheat F-box/Kelch (TaFBK) gene sequences encoding for 74 proteins were obtained in a genome-wide survey against EnsemblPlants. The 74 TaFBK proteins were divided into 5 categories based on their domain structures. The FBK proteins from wheat, Arabidopsis, and three other cereal species were grouped into 7 clades, and the number of Kelch domains present was their key clustering criterion. Sixty-eight TaFBK genes were unevenly distributed on 21 chromosomes. Most of TaFBKs were predicted to localize in the nucleus and cytoplasm. In silico analysis of a digital PCR revealed that TaFBKs were expressed at multiple developmental stages and tissues, and in response to drought and/or heat stresses. The TaFBK19 gene, a homologous to the Attenuated Far-Red Response (AFR) genes in other plant species, and hence named TaAFR, was selected for further analysis. The gene was isolated from the wheat line TcLr15 and its expression evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR. TaAFR transcripts were primarily detected in wheat leaves, and its expression was found to be regulated by various abiotic and biotic stresses as well as plant signaling hormones. Of particular interest, TaAFR expression was differentially regulated in the compatible vs incompatible wheat leaf rust reaction. Subcellular localization studies showed that TaAFR accumulates in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Three TaAFR-interacting proteins were identified experimentally: Skp1/ASK1-like protein (Skp1), ADP-ribosylation factor 2-like isoform X1 (ARL2) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). Further analysis revealed that the Skp1 protein interacted specifically with the F-box domain of TaAFR, while ARL2 and PAL were recognized by the Kelch domain. The data presented herein provides a solid foundation from which the function and metabolic network of TaAFR and other wheat FBKs can be further explored.

BackgroundVanillin is one of the important phenolic inhibitors inSaccharomyces cerevisiaefor bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials and has been reported to inhibit the translation process in cells. In our previous studies, it was confirmed that the deletion of the transcription factor geneYRR1enhanced vanillin resistance by promoting some translation-related processes at the transcription level. In this work, we investigated the effects of proteomic changes upon induction of vanillin stress and deletion ofYRR1to provide unique perspectives from a transcriptome analysis for comprehending the mechanisms ofYRR1deletion in the protective response of yeast to vanillin.ResultsIn wild-type cells, vanillin reduced two dozens of ribosomal proteins contents while upregulated proteins involved in glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and the pentose phosphate pathway in cells. The ratios of NADPH/NADP+and NADH/NAD+were increased when cells responded to vanillin stress. The differentially expressed proteins perturbed byYRR1deletion were much more abundant than and showed no overlaps with transcriptome changes, indicating that Yrr1 affects the synthesis of certain proteins. Forty-eight of 112 upregulated proteins were involved in the stress response, translational and transcriptional regulation.YRR1deletion increased the expression ofHAA1-encoding transcriptional activator,TMA17-encoding proteasome assembly chaperone andMBF1-encoding coactivator at the protein level, as confirmed by ELISA. Cultivation data showed that the overexpression ofHAA1andTMA17enhanced resistance to vanillin inS. cerevisiae.ConclusionsCells conserve energy by decreasing the content of ribosomal proteins, producing more energy and NAD(P)H for survival in response to vanillin stress. Yrr1 improved vanillin resistance by increasing the protein quantities of Haa1, Tma17 and Mbf1. These results showed the response ofS. cerevisiaeto vanillin and howYRR1deletion increases vanillin resistance at the protein level. These findings may advance our knowledge of howYRR1deletion protects yeast from vanillin stress and offer novel targets for genetic engineering of designing inhibitor-resistant ethanologenic yeast strains.

Background: Vanillin is one of the major phenolic inhibitors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for cellulosic ethanol production. Deleting transcription factor gene YRR1 improves vanillin resistance by promoting some translation-related processes that were confirmed at the transcription level in our previous studies. However, the known genes regulated by Yrr1 are not related to translation process. Therefore, in this work, we investigated the effects of proteomic changes on vanillin stress and YRR1 deletion to provide different perspectives from transcriptome analysis for comprehending the mechanisms of YRR1 deletion in yeast protective response to vanillin.Results: In wild-type cells, vanillin reduced the numbers of ribosomal proteins quantities and thereby inhibited cells’ translation. YRR1 deletion changed the quantities of 121 proteins which have no overlaps with transcriptomic changes. Of 112 proteins were up-regulated; 48 of 112 up-regulated proteins are involved in stress response, translational and basal transcriptional regulation. Fermentation data showed that the overexpression of HAA1, MBF1, and TMA17, which encode transcriptional activator, coactivator, and proteasome assembly chaperone, respectively, enhanced resistance to vanillin in S. cerevisiae. Conclusions: These results showed how YRR1 deletion increase vanillin resistance at protein level. This may advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms for YRR1 deletion to protect yeast from vanillin stress and offer novel targets of genetic engineering for designing inhibitor-resistant ethanologenic yeast strains.

Fusarium avenaceum is a generalist pathogen responsible for diseases in numerous crop species. The fungus produces a series of mycotoxins including the cyclohexadepsipeptide enniatins. Mycotoxins can be pathogenicity and virulence factors in various plant&ndash, pathogen interactions, and enniatins have been shown to influence aggressiveness on potato tubers. To determine the role of these mycotoxins in other F. avenaceum&ndash, host interactions, enniatin synthase 1 (ESYN1) disruption and overexpression mutants were generated and their ability to infect wheat and peas investigated. As a preliminary study, the transformants were screened for their ability to cause potato tuber necrosis and, consistent with a previous report, enniatin production increased necrotic lesion size on the tubers. By contrast, when the same mutants were assessed in their ability to cause disease in pea roots or durum wheat spikes, no changes in disease symptoms or virulence were observed. While it is known that, at least in the case of wheat, exogenously applied enniatins can cause tissue necrosis, this group of mycotoxins does not appear to be a key factor on its own in disease development on peas or durum wheat.

Fusarium avenaceum is a generalist pathogen responsible for diseases in numerous crop species. The fungus produces a series of mycotoxins including the cyclohexadepsipeptide enniatins. Mycotoxins can be pathogenicity and virulence factors in various plant–pathogen interactions, and enniatins have been shown to influence aggressiveness on potato tubers. To determine the role of these mycotoxins in other F. avenaceum–host interactions, ENNIATIN SYNTHASE 1 (ESYN1) disruption and overexpression mutants were generated and their ability to infect wheat and peas investigated. As a preliminary study, the transformants were screened for their ability to cause potato tuber necrosis and, consistent with a previous report, enniatin production increased necrotic lesion size on the tubers. By contrast, when the same mutants were assessed in their ability to cause disease in pea roots or durum wheat spikes, no changes in disease symptoms or virulence were observed. While it is known that, at least in the case of wheat, exogenously applied enniatins can cause tissue necrosis, this group of mycotoxins does not appear to be a key factor on its own in disease development on peas or durum wheat.

Water based polyacrylics adhesives is of great need in modern society due to their eco-friendly nature as well as cost effectiveness. However, despite the strong adhesion capability of polyacrylics in anhydrous state, achieving a reliable adhesion under moisture or underwater conditions remains a great challenge. Herein, a polyacrylates-containing supramolecular adhesive with enhanced water-resistant capability was successfully designed and fabricated by integrating tannic acid (TA) with poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (P(HEA-co-AA)) through hydrogen-bonding driven co-assembly. The multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions between P(HEA-co-AA) and TA were investigated by FTIR and DFT calculation. Owing to the presence of abundant polar groups including carboxyl, hydroxyl, catechol and pyro-gallol, the supramolecular adhesives exhibit a maximum adhesion strength of 4.1 MPa on Al sheets, which is 1.5 times stronger than that of P(HEA-co-AA) under the same conditions. Moreover, 10 wt% of TA could dramatically increase the water resistance of P(HEA-co-AA)/TA supramolecular adhesive, which could maintain about 2.8 MPa of the joint strength on Al sheets after 3 h underwater immersion, far surpassing several commercial adhesives, and pristine P(HEA-co-AA), which is completely failed underwater. Overall, this work provided a “green” alternative to improve the water-resistance of water-based polyacrylics adhesives.

F-box proteins constitute one of the largest protein families and play many important roles in plant. To date, less is known about functions of wheat F-box protein. A Kelch-type F-box gene TaFBK was isolated from wheat TcLr15. TaFBK transcripts were more abundant in pistil and leaf tissues, and accumulated more in the susceptible combination than that in the resistant one. The treatment of SA, MeJA, NaCl and PEG caused a slight up-regulation of TaFBK. GFP localization studies showed that TaFBK accumulated in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Moreover, TaFBK bound TaSkp1 by the F-box domain and recognized TaSLY1 via the Kelch domain.

Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) is a well-known herbal medicine with the homology of medicine and food. In this study, simultaneous chemical fingerprint and quantitative analysis of the bioactive flavonoid components of RSG were developed using accelerated solvent extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. The operational parameters of accelerated solvent extraction including extraction solvent, extraction temperature, static extraction time, solid-to-liquid ratio, and extraction cycles were optimized. Hierarchical cluster analysis, similarity analysis, and principal component analysis were performed to evaluate the similarity and variation of the samples collected from several provinces in China. Subsequently, high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints were established for the discrimination of 16 batches of RSG samples, and the major six flavonoids, namely, toxifolin, neoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin, and engeletin were then quantitatively determined. The calibration curves for all the six analytes showed good linearity (r(2) > 0.999), and the limits of detection and quantification were less than 0.10 and 0.27 μg·mL(-1) , respectively. Therefore, the proposed extraction and determination methods were proved to be robust and reliable for the quality control of RSG.

Silymarin extracted from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn consists of a large number of flavonolignans, of which diastereoisomeric flavonolignans including silybin A and silybin B, and isosilybin A and isosilybin B are the main bioactive components, whose preparation from the crude extracts is still a difficult task. In this work, binary-column recycling preparative high-performance liquid chromatography systems without sample loop trapping, where two columns were switched alternately via one or two six-port switching valves, were established and successfully applied to the isolation and purification of the four diastereoisomeric flavonolignans from silymarin. The proposed system showed significant advantages over conventional preparative high-performance liquid chromatography with a single column in increasing efficiency and reducing the cost. To obtain the same amounts of products, the proposed system spends only one tenth of the time that the conventional system spends, and needs only one eleventh of the solvent that the conventional system consumes. Using the proposed system, the four diastereoisomers were successfully isolated from silymarin with purities over 98%.

At present, laboratory test and field immersion test are the primary methods to study the collapsibility characteristics of loess foundation. However, the stress state of laboratory test usually does not conform to the actual in-site situation, while the field immersion tests are expensive and difficult to operate. Thus, a new economical and efficient method which can reflect the actual engineering is urgently needed. Centrifugal model test, which is the best physical model test, has been extensively used in various fields of geotechnical engineering. However, centrifugal model test is seldom used in the simulation of collapsibility characteristics of loess foundation. In this paper, centrifugal model tests of natural water content foundation and saturated foundation are carried out for the collapsible loess with strong self-weight collapsibility located in Yili Region in Xinjiang, China. The collapsible deformation of loess foundation based on double-line method is obtained. The results show that the amount of foundation collapsibility simulated by low head saturation method is the closest to that of field immersion test, which verifies the feasibility of using centrifugal model test to simulate collapsible deformation of Loess foundation.

The hypersensitive response (HR) is one of the most-efficient forms of plant defense against biotrophic pathogens. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to HR remain largely unknown. A putative hypersensitive-induced response (HIR) protein gene TaHIR4 cDNA (919 bp) and a DNA sequence (2520 bp) including at least five exons were isolated and identified from wheat. Phylogenetic analysis showed that TaHIR4 was highly homologous to HvHIR4 from barley at both the cDNA and deduced amino-acid levels. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that TaHIR4 transcripts were highly upregulated by infection of the leaf rust pathogen and expressed in all tested samples except the mature seeds. Western blotting results also showed that TaHIR4 protein was upregulated in wheat leaves infected with the leaf rust pathogen. Characterization and expression profiles at the gene and protein levels suggested that TaHIR4 plays a role in wheat HR, caused by the leaf rust pat...

Hypersensitive-induced reaction (HIR) proteins and more specific members of the proliferation, ion and death superfamily participate in response to pathogen attacks and development of spontaneous hypersensitive lesions in maize and barley leaves. In the present study, a full-length TaHIR3 (1,246-bp) was cloned and characterized from wheat near-isogenic line Thatcher-Lr15 infected by Puccinia triticina isolate 05-19-43② through a homology cloning strategy. A 4,203-bp sequence of TaHIR3 including five exons was also obtained from wheat Thatcher-Lr15 genomic DNA. TaHIR3 shared higher similarity with HIR3 isolated from wheat, barley, and maize. Gene expression of TaHIR3 was spatially measured in young wheat leaves, young roots, young stems, mature seeds, and temporally in wheat leaves inoculated with virulent and avirulent P. triticina. TaHIR3 was expressed in all samples except mature seeds and was upregulated in both combinations. More transcripts accumulated in the incompatible than compatible combination, implying a role in wheat growth and resistance to pathogens attack. A polyclonal antibody was prepared with recombinant protein purified from a prokaryotic expression system with the open reading frame of TaHIR3, and it detected the target protein in wheat leaves by Western blotting. Detection results at the protein level also showed that TaHIR3 was upregulated expression in wheat leaves infected with the leaf rust pathogen. Characterization of TaHIR3 and its expression profiles at the DNA and protein levels suggest that TaHIR3 and its deduced protein play a role in wheat HR causing by the leaf rust pathogen.

Hypersensitive induced reaction (HIR) protein had been reported to play roles in plant resisting biotic and abiotic stress. In this study, a full length cDNA TaHIR2 , encoding a 284- amino-acid protein with deduced MW of 31.34 kDa and predicted pI of 5.42, was cloned and identified from wheat leaves infected by leaf rust pathogen. The amino acid sequence deduced from TaHIR2 shared 99% homology with HvHIR2 from barley and contained prohibitins-domain which is a member of SPFH protein domain. Temporal expression profiles indicated that the TaHIR2 transcripts in the incompatible and compatible interactions begun to increase at 18 h post-inoculation (hpi), and reached the maximum at 36 hpi, then declined, but the relative expression of TaHIR2 transcripts in the incompatible interaction was 4.11 and 1.32 times higher than that in compatible one at 24 and 36 hpi, respectively. The accumulation of TaHIR2 transcript was the highest in wheat leaf. Furthermore, Western blot showed that the maximum accumulation of the TaHIR2 at the protein level occurred at 60 and 96 hpi in the incompatible and compatible interactions, respectively. Based on the above results, we primarily concluded that a novel TaHIR2 gene was successfully cloned from wheat and may play a role in wheat resistant to the leaf rust pathogen.

A two-dimensional column-switching system without sample loop trapping, where two columns were operated via a six-port switching valve, was employed in the isolation and purification of five isoflavonoids from Rhizoma Belamcandae: tectoridin, iridin, tectorigenin, irigenin and irisflorentin. The introduction of the six-port switching value, instead of a sample loop, assured 100% recovery from the first dimension to the second, and the injection volumes of the second dimension were not restricted. Two configurations were tested in this study. In the first mode, only one column was used in the second dimension and two ‘heart-cutting’ fractions were transported to the same second-dimensional column. In the second mode, two parallel columns were used in the second dimension and two fractions were transported to the two columns. Between the two configurations, the one with two second dimensional columns had double sample size, better resolution and one more purified compound. Both two-dimensional configurations consumed less solvent with even greater efficiency and shorter cycle time compared with conventional gradient methods. All of the isoflavonoids were isolated at high purities of greater than 95% with yields of above 82%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new drug, quick-acting anti-motion capsule (QAAMC) composed of d-amphetamine sulfate, dimenhydrinate and ginger extraction has been studied for anti-motion-sickness use. We have developed a sensitive, specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the quantitative determination of d-amphetamine and diphenhydramine, the main effective components of the QAAMC, using pseudoephedrine as the internal standard. The analytes and internal standard were isolated from 200 microL plasma samples by a simple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). Reverse-phase HPLC separation was accomplished on a Zorbax SB-C18 column (100 mm x 3.0 mm, 3.5 microm) with a mobile phase composed of methanol-water-formic acid (65:35:0.5, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The method had a chromatographic total run time of 5 min. A Varian 1200 L electrospray tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor-to-product ion transitions m/z 136.0-->91.0 (D-amphetamine), 256.0-->167.0 (diphenhydramine) and 166.1-->148.0 (IS) used for quantitation. The method was sensitive with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 0.5 ng/mL for d-amphetamine and 1 ng/mL for diphenhydramine, with good linearity in the range 0.5-200 ng/mL for D-amphetamine and 1-500 ng/mL for diphenhydramine (r(2)> or =0.9990). All the validation data, such as accuracy, precision, and inter-day repeatability, were within the required limits. The method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of the QAAMC in beagle dogs.

A pressurized CEC (pCEC) method with postcolumn detection cell had been developed for quantifying the lignans from Fructus schisandrae extracts. The effects of different experimental conditions, such as the ACN content of the mobile phase, the concentration and pH of the buffer, the applied voltage, and the supplementary pressure were studied. Five lignans (schisandrin, gomisin A, schisantherin C, deoxyschizandrin, schisandrin B) were baseline separated using a mobile phase of ACN-phosphate buffer (pH 5.4; 5 mM) (40:60 v/v) under -4 kV applied voltage. The method showed the satisfactory retention time and peak area repeatability. The calibration curves were linear in the range 50.0-1000.0 microg/mL for schisandrin, 20.0-500.0 microg/mL for gomisin A, 10.0-200.0 microg/mL for schisantherin C, 20.0-500.0 microg/mL for deoxyschizandrin, and 20.0-500.0 microg/mL for schisandrin B. The correlation coefficients were between 0.9978 and 0.9989. With this pCEC system, fingerprints of F. schisandrae were preliminarily established to distinguish two members S. chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. and S. sphenanthera Rehd. Et Wils. of F. schisandrae by characteristic peaks, and evaluate the quality of various sources of raw materials by determining the contents of the five lignans.

The quick separation and simultaneous determination of d-amphetamine and diphenhydramine in the quick-acting anti-motion capsules was investigated by capillary zone electrophoresis. The influence of different parameters (internal standard, injection modes, pH, concentration of the running buffer and applied voltage) was systematically studied. The two compounds could be well separated within 2.0 min in a 40.2 cm fused-silica capillary at a separation voltage of 20 kV in a 50 mM phosphate–12.5 mM borate buffer adjusted to pH 5.5. Correlation coefficients for calibration curves in the range 0.50–1.50 μg mL−1 for d-amphetamine and 2.75–8.25 μg mL−1 for diphenhydramine were higher than 0.999. The limits of detection of d-amphetamine and diphenhydramine were 10.0 and 5.5 ng mL−1 and the recoveries of the compounds in the QAAMC were 99.80 and 99.85%, respectively.

Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) is a well-known herbal medicine with the homology of medicine and food. In this study, simultaneous chemical fingerprint and quantitative analysis of the bioactive flavonoid components of RSG were developed using accelerated solvent extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. The operational parameters of accelerated solvent extraction including extraction solvent, extraction temperature, static extraction time, solid-to-liquid ratio, and extraction cycles were optimized. Hierarchical cluster analysis, similarity analysis, and principal component analysis were performed to evaluate the similarity and variation of the samples collected from several provinces in China. Subsequently, high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints were established for the discrimination of 16 batches of RSG samples, and the major six flavonoids, namely, toxifolin, neoastilbin, astilbin, neoisoastilbin, isoastilbin, and engeletin were then quantitatively determined. The calibration curves for all the six analytes showed good linearity (r(2)0.999), and the limits of detection and quantification were less than 0.10 and 0.27 μg·mL(-1) , respectively. Therefore, the proposed extraction and determination methods were proved to be robust and reliable for the quality control of RSG.

Silymarin extracted from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn consists of a large number of flavonolignans, of which diastereoisomeric flavonolignans including silybin A and silybin B, and isosilybin A and isosilybin B are the main bioactive components, whose preparation from the crude extracts is still a difficult task. In this work, binary-column recycling preparative high-performance liquid chromatography systems without sample loop trapping, where two columns were switched alternately via one or two six-port switching valves, were established and successfully applied to the isolation and purification of the four diastereoisomeric flavonolignans from silymarin. The proposed system showed significant advantages over conventional preparative high-performance liquid chromatography with a single column in increasing efficiency and reducing the cost. To obtain the same amounts of products, the proposed system spends only one tenth of the time that the conventional system spends, and needs only one eleventh of the solvent that the conventional system consumes. Using the proposed system, the four diastereoisomers were successfully isolated from silymarin with purities over 98%.

Classification on spatial data is different from classical classification in that spatial context must be taken into account. In particular, the validation criterion functions should incorporate both classification accuracy and spatial accuracy. However, direct combination of the two accuracies is cumbersome, due to their different subjects and scales. To circumvent this difficulty, we develop a new criterion function that indirectly incorporates spatial accuracy into classification accuracy-based functions. Next, we formally introduce a set of ideal properties that an appropriate criterion function should satisfy, giving a more meaningful interpretation for the relative significance coefficient in the weighted scheme. Finally, we compare the proposed new criterion function with existing ones on a large data set for 1980 US presidential election.