Mistaken Identity: Clarification of Rubus coreanus Miquel (Bokbunja)
In the U.S., there has been a recent surge in Korean black raspberry products available and in the number of reports about this species appearing in the scientific literature. Despite this, the majority of products sold and the work carried out has been on Rubus occidentalis L., not R. coreanus Miquel. The importance of accurate recognition of all starting material is multiplied for research downstream, including genetics/genomics, plant breeding, phenolic identification, food processing improvements and pharmacokinetic investigations. An overview of distinguishing characteristics separating R. coreanus from R. occidentalis will be presented. Research conducted on correctly identified fruit will also be summarized to aid future studies that might showcase the unique qualities that bokbunja can offer.

title: Establishing a case for improved food phenolic analysis
abstract: Future phenolic research findings using a multidisciplinary approach will ensure profitability and sustainability of specialty crop industries, while also improving the nutritional and economic choices available to increasingly health- and environmentally conscious consumers. Recent examples of phenolics used in commercial and research scenarios, and new phenolic research discoveries are discussed. Despite being a heavily researched topic, there remains a need to identify, develop, and define analyses targeted for specific quality-related plant metabolites.

title: Determination of total monomeric anthocyanin pigment content of fruit juices, beverages, natural colorants, and wines by the pH differential method: collaborative study.
abstract: This collaborative study was conducted to determine the total monomeric anthocyanin concentration by the pH differential method, which is a rapid and simple spectrophotometric method based on the anthocyanin structural transformation that occurs with a change in pH (colored at pH 1.0 and colorless at pH 4.5). Eleven collaborators representing commercial laboratories, academic institutions, and government laboratories participated. Seven Youden pair materials representing fruit juices, beverages, natural colorants, and wines were tested. The repeatability relative standard deviation (RSDr) varied from 1.06 to 4.16%. The reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) ranged from 2.69 to 10.12%. The HorRat values were < or = 1.33 for all materials. The Study Director recommends that the method be adopted Official First Action.

title: Chicoric acid: chemistry, distribution, and production
abstract: Though chicoric acid was first identified in 1958, it was largely ignored until recent popular media coverage cited potential health beneficial properties from consuming food and dietary supplements containing this compound. To date, plants from at least 63 genera and species have been found to contain chicoric acid, and while the compound is used as a processing quality indicator, it may also have useful health benefits. This review of chicoric acid summarizes research findings and highlights gaps in research knowledge for investigators, industry stakeholders, and consumers alike. Additionally, chicoric acid identification, and quantification methods, biosynthesis, processing improvements to increase chicoric acid retention, and potential areas for future research are discussed.

title: Effect of selenium fertilizer on free amino acid composition of broccoli (Brassica oleracea Cv. Majestic) determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization and mass selective detection.
abstract: Selenium-enriched broccoli florets, harvested from plants grown on soil fertilized with four levels of sodium selenate, were evaluated for their free amino acid composition using alkylchlorformate derivatization, solid-phase extraction, and GC-FID or GC-MS. The selenium-enriched florets contained 0.4 (control), 5.7 (treatment A), 98.6 (treatment B), and 879.2 (treatment C) microg/g Se (dry weight). Twenty-one free amino acids were identified in the control and all three treatments. The total free amino acid content of the broccoli florets ranged from 178 mmol/kg (dry weight), for the control, to 479 mmol/kg (dry weight), for treatment C. Broccoli from treatment C contained the highest level of Se, had the most total free amino acids, and had an extremely high level of glutamine (Gln) when compared to the control and the other two treatments. In general, the smallest addition of Se to the soil (treatment A) induced increased levels of all detectable amino acids when compared to the control, whereas increased additions of Se (treatments B and C) produced mixed responses. Florets from treatment A contained the highest essential amino acid content.

title: Kinetic characterization of swelling of liquid crystalline phases of glyceryl monooleate
abstract: Research in this paper focuses on the kinetic evaluation of swelling of the liquid crystalline phases of glyceryl monooleate (GMO). Swelling of the lamellar and cubic liquid crystalline phases of GMO was studied using twoIn vitro methods, a total immersion method and a Franz cell method. The swelling of the lamellar phase and GMO having 0 %w/w initial water content was temperature dependent. The swelling ratio was greater at 20°C than 37°C. The water uptake increased dramatically with decreasing initial water content of the liquid crystalline phases. The swelling rates obtained using the Franz cell method with a moist nylon membrane to mimic buccal drug delivery situation were slower than the total immersion method. The swelling was studied by employing first-order and second-order swelling kinetics. The swelling of the liquid crystalline phases of GMO could be described by second-order swelling kinetics. The initial stage of the swelling (t < 4 h) followed the square root of time relationship, indicating that this model is also suitable for describing the water uptake by the liquid crystalline matrices. These results obtained from the current study demonstrate that the swelling strongly depends on temperature, the initial water content of the liquid crystalline phases and the methodology employed for measuring the swelling of GMO.

title: Elastomeric microwire-based optical gas flowmeter with stretching-enabled tunability in measurement range.
abstract: We report the utilization of transparent poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microwires as the transducer for optical gas flowmetry. The elasticity of the PDMS microwire was exploited not only to miniaturize and simplify the flowmeter but also to widen and tune the measurement range through mechanical stretching. Using a 9 mm long microwire, we achieved 2.8~9.8 dB/SLM sensitivity. A 500 μm stretching of the microwire also shifted the measurement range from 1 to 4 SLM. The experimental results agreed well with predictions based on the fluid dynamic/optical model.

title: CIP2A expression is associated with synovial hyperplasia and invasive function of fibroblast-like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis
abstract: Cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) is a recently identified oncoprotein that leads to cellular proliferation in cancer cells. We aim to investigate CIP2A expression in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) and its association with the histopathological grade of synovitis and the invasive function of FLS in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CIP2A protein expression was measured in 8 RA FLS and 8 OA FLS using Western blot analysis. CIP2A mRNA expression from 19 RA FLS and 7 OA FLS was measured using real-time PCR. Synovitis score of RA FLS-matched synovial tissues was semiquantitatively measured by two independent pathologists. An in vitro cell invasion assay was performed using RA FLS treated with CIP2A small interfering RNA (siRNA) or with control vector. Western blot analysis showed that CIP2A is more frequently overexpressed in RA FLS compared with OA FLS. CIP2A mRNA expression was higher in RA FLS compared with those in OA FLS, but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.076). In RA, total synovitis score was strongly correlated with FLS CIP2A mRNA expression (rs = 0.849, P = 0.043). TNF-α treatment induced a robust increase in the invasive function of control FLS (P = 0.0021), but no significant effect was observed in CIP2A siRNA-treated FLS. Our data demonstrate that CIP2A expression is closely associated with the histopathological score of synovitis and invasive function of FLS in RA. These results suggest that CIP2A may play a critical role in the destructive process in RA and warrant further investigation of CIP2A as a therapeutic target.

title: Development of near-infrared fluorophore (NIRF)-labeled activity-based probes for in vivo imaging of legumain.
abstract: Asparaginyl endopeptidase, or legumain, is a lysosomal cysteine protease that was originally identified in plants and later found to be involved in antigen presentation in higher eukaryotes. Legumain is also up-regulated in a number of human cancers, and recent studies suggest that it may play important functional roles in the process of tumorigenesis. However, detailed functional studies in relevant animal models of human disease have been hindered by the lack of suitably selective small molecule inhibitors and imaging reagents. Here we present the design, optimization, and in vivo application of fluorescently labeled activity-based probes (ABPs) for legumain. We demonstrate that optimized aza-peptidyl Asn epoxides are highly selective and potent inhibitors that can be readily converted into near-infrared fluorophore-labeled ABPs for whole body, noninvasive imaging applications. We show that these probes specifically label legumain in various normal tissues as well as in solid tumors when applied in vivo. Interestingly, addition of cell-penetrating peptides to the probes enhanced cellular uptake but resulted in increased cross-reactivity toward other lysosomal proteases as the result of their accumulation in lysosomes. Overall, we find that aza-peptidyl Asn ABPs are valuable new tools for the future study of legumain function in more complex models of human disease.

title: Numerical investigation of quasi-coplanar plasmonic waveguide-based photonic components.
abstract: Using 3-dimensional numerical simulations, we investigated the characteristics and performance of essential photonic components based on the recently proposed quasi-coplanar waveguide (QCPW) including bends, couplers, and splitters. The results confirmed the QCPW's potential in high density photonic integration. We also explored the application of various RF-originated concepts and techniques to QCPW-based photonic components to enhance and enrich their functionalities.