Direct Electro Plasmonic and Optic Modulation via a Nanoscopic Electron Reservoir.

Direct electrical tuning of localized plasmons at optical frequencies boasts the fascinating prospects of being ultrafast and energy efficient and having an ultrasmall footprint. However, the prospects are obscured by the grand challenge of effectively modulating the very large number of conduction electrons in three-dimensional metallic structures. Here we propose the concept of nanoscopic electron reservoir (NER) for direct electro plasmonic and electro-optic modulation.

Bright Optical Eigenmode of 1 nm^{3} Mode Volume.

We report on the discovery and rationale to devise bright single optical eigenmodes that feature quantum-optical mode volumes of about 1  nm^{3}. Our findings rely on the development and application of a quasinormal mode theory that self-consistently treats fields and electron nonlocality, spill-out, and Landau damping around atomistic protrusions on a metallic nanoantenna. By outpacing Landau damping with radiation via properly designed antenna modes, the extremely localized modes become bright with radiation efficiencies reaching 30% and could provide up to 4×10^{7} times intensity enhancement.

Probiotics for Alleviating Alcoholic Liver Injury.

Many animal experiments and clinical trials showed that probiotics are effective for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease. Alcohol disrupts the composition of intestinal flora; probiotics modulate the gut microbiota and reverse alcohol-associated intestinal barrier dysfunction by decreasing intestinal mucosal permeability and preventing intestinal bacteria from translocating. Probiotics enhance immune responses and reduce the levels of alcohol-induced inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the liver and intestine.

Protective effects of enhanced minor ginsenosides in Lactobacillus fermentum KP-3-fermented ginseng in mice fed a high fat diet.

Lactobacillus fermentum KP-3 was isolated from Korean pickle and used to ferment ginseng. The changes in the minor ginsenosides in the fermented ginseng were analyzed and the material was evaluated in high fat diet-fed mice. Total ginsenosides increased from 0.

Synthesis and antioxidant property of novel 1,2,3-triazole-linked starch derivatives via 'click chemistry'.

Based on the copper (I) catalyzed Huisgen azide-alkyne cycloaddition (click chemistry), the novel synthesis of a variety of 1,2,3-triazole-linked starch derivatives was developed, including 6-hydroxymethyltriazole-6-deoxy starch (HMTST), 6-hydroxyethyltriazole-6-deoxy starch (HETST), 6-hydroxypropyltriazole-6-deoxy starch (HPTST), and 6-hydroxybutyltriazole-6-deoxy starch (HBTST). Their antioxidant properties against hydroxyl-radical, DPPH-radical, and superoxide-radical were evaluated in vitro, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the obtained novel amphiprotic starch derivatives via 'click reaction' exhibited remarkable improvement over starch.

Extraction, degree of polymerization determination and prebiotic effect evaluation of inulin from Jerusalem artichoke.

The tubers of Jerusalem artichoke are rich of inulin, which makes the plant one of primary inulin resources in China. The aim of this study was to extract inulin from tubers and test the degree of polymerization (DP) 10 days before flowering to 80 days after flowering. The DP of inulin reaches a maximum of 19 at 50 days after flowering.