Endothelial Contribution to Warfarin-Induced Arterial Media Calcification in Mice

Arterial media calcification (AMC) is predominantly regulated by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which transdifferentiate into pro-calcifying cells. In contrast, there is little evidence for endothelial cells playing a role in the disease. The current study investigates cellular functioning and molecular pathways underlying AMC, respectively by, an ex vivo isometric organ bath set-up to explore the interaction between VSMCs and ECs and quantitative proteomics followed by functional pathway interpretation. AMC development, which was induced in mice by dietary warfarin administration, was proved by positive Von Kossa staining and a significantly increased calcium content in the aorta compared to that of control mice. The ex vivo organ bath set-up showed calcified aortic segments to be significantly more sensitive to phenylephrine induced contraction, compared to control segments. This, together with the fact that calcified segments as compared to control segments, showed a significantly smaller contraction in the absence of extracellular calcium, argues for a reduced basal NO production in the calcified segments. Moreover, proteomic data revealed a reduced eNOS activation to be part of the vascular calcification process. In summary, this study identifies a poor endothelial function, next to classic pro-calcifying stimuli, as a possible initiator of arterial calcification.     

Impact of wood species on microbial community composition,beer chemistry and sensory characteristics during barrel-ageing of beer

Barrel-ageing of conventionally fermented beers is becoming increasingly popular in recent years, but only very little is known about the underlying process. In this study, we show that wood species significantly affects the bacterial community composition, beer chemistry and sensory characteristics throughout 38 weeks of barrel-ageing. Whereas the microbial communities of oak- and acacia-aged beer became dominated by Pediococcus damnosus and Brettanomyces bruxellensis, beer aged in oak barrels also contained a large fraction of Acetobacter sp. (29.34%) and to a lesser extent Paenibacillus sp. (2.74%) that were almost undetected in acacia-aged beer. Oak barrels also imparted substantial concentrations of eugenol, lactones and vanillin, while acacia-aged beer contained high concentrations of total polyphenols and β-glucan, which also translated into different sensory perceptions. Altogether, our results provide novel insights into the barrel-ageing process of beer, and may pave the way for a new generation of beers with a noteworthy flavour complexity.     

Direct Evidence of Cation Disorder in Thermoelectric Lead Chalcogenides PbTe and PbS

The extraordinary thermoelectric properties of lead chalcogenides have attracted huge interest in part due to their unexpected low thermal conductivity. Here, it is shown that anharmonicity and large cation disorder are present in both PbTe and PbS, based on elaborate charge density visualization using synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction (SPXRD) data analyzed with the maximum entropy method (MEM). In both systems, the cation disorder increases with increasing temperature, whereas the Te/S anions appear to be centered on the expected lattice positions. Even at the lowest temperatures of 105 K, the lead ion is on average displaced by ≈0.2 Å from the rock‐salt lattice position, creating a strong phonon scattering mechanism. These findings provide a clue to understanding the excellent thermoelectric performance of crystals with atomic disorder. The SPXRD–MEM approach can be applied in general opening up for widespread characterization of subtle structural features in crystals with unusual properties.     

Assessing the xylanolytic bacterial diversity during the malting process

The presence of microorganisms producing cell wall hydrolyzing enzymes such as xylanases during malting can improve mash filtration behavior and consequently have potential for more efficient wort production. In this study, the xylanolytic bacterial community during malting was assessed by isolation and cultivation on growth media containing arabinoxylan, and identification by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A total of 33 species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found, taking into account a 3% sequence dissimilarity cut-off, belonging to four phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria) and 25 genera. Predominant OTUs represented xylanolytic bacteria identified as Sphingobacterium multivorum, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fulva. DNA fingerprinting of all xylanolytic isolates belonging to S. multivorum obtained in this study revealed shifts in S. multivorum populations during the process. Xylanase activity was determined for a selection of isolates, with Cellulomonas flavigena showing the highest activity. The xylanase of this species was isolated and purified 23.2-fold by ultrafiltration, 40% ammonium sulfate precipitation and DEAE-FF ion-exchange chromatography and appeared relatively thermostable. This study will enhance our understanding of the role of microorganisms in the barley germination process. In addition, this study may provide a basis for microflora management during malting.     

Quantitation of resveratrol in red wines by means of stable isotope dilution analysis-ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Quan-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and cross validation

A stable isotope dilution analysis (SIDA) was developed for the quantitative analysis of the health-promoting phytoalexin (E)-resveratrol in red wines by means of UPLC-QuanTOF-MS. After hemisynthetic preparation of (E)-3,5,4'-trihydroxy-2,4,6-trideuterostilbene ((E)-[(2)H(3)]-resveratrol) as the stable isotope labeled internal standard, validation experiments revealed recovery rate of 96.2 ± 0.8% RSD, thus demonstrating the robustness and accuracy of the SIDA-UPLC-QuanTOF-MS method. Repeatability and reproducibility expressed as RSD showed excellent values of 3.0% and 4.0% for (E)-[(2)H(3)]-resveratrol. Cross validation against a SIDA-HPLC-MS/MS analysis using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer revealed comparable data, but the SIDA-UPLC-QuanTOF-MS was four times faster, thus making the latter method preferential for an accurate high-throughput analysis of wine samples. Comparison of the SIDA data to those obtained by quantitation using a standard addition method and external calibration, respectively, revealed 97.7% and 32.4% of the resveratrol concentration determined by means of SIDA-UPLC-QuanTOF-MS and 101.0% and 12.7% of the resveratrol levels found by using SIDA-HPLC-MS/MS.     

Ghost marks—gloss‐related defects in injection‐molded plastics

The production of injection‐molded parts free from surface appearance defects is of great importance in the manufacturing of high‐quality products. A particular surface defect which occurs on components manufactured from an acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene copolymer (ABS) is here described. The defect has been called ghost marks and is characterized by a local change in gloss or lightness which is only visually detectable in certain viewing angles and conditions of illumination. By means of scanning electron microscopy, small‐scale deformations of the surface texture were observed in the area of the defect which in turn alters the light scattering properties of the surface. The light scattering properties were evaluated by means of a multiangle spectrophotometer. The holding pressure during the injection molding process was shown to play a significant role in the formation of the ghost marks possibly imposing forces causing the deformation of the surface texture. The deformations may also occur from nonuniform thermal surface shrinkage during cooling. The type of texture and wall thickness also influences the occurrence of ghost marks.POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Associations between CXCR1 polymorphisms and pathogen-specific incidence rate of clinical mastitis,test-day somatic cell count,and test-day milk yield

The CXCR1 gene plays an important role in the innate immunity of the bovine mammary gland. Associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) CXCR1c.735C>G and c.980A>G and udder health have been identified before in small populations. A fluorescent multiprobe PCR assay was designed specifically and validated to genotype both SNP simultaneously in a reliable and cost-effective manner. In total, 3,106 cows from 50 commercial Flemish dairy herds were genotyped using this assay. Associations between genotype and detailed phenotypic data, including pathogen-specific incidence rate of clinical mastitis (IRCM), test-day somatic cell count, and test-day milk yield (MY) were analyzed. Staphylococcus aureus IRCM tended to associate with SNP c.735C>G. Cows with genotype c.735GG had lower Staph. aureus IRCM compared with cows with genotype c.735CC (rate ratio = 0.35, 95% confidence interval = 0.14–0.90). Additionally, a parity-specific association between Staph. aureus IRCM and SNP c.980A>G was detected. Heifers with genotype c.980GG had a lower Staph. aureus IRCM compared with heifers with genotype c.980AG (rate ratio = 0.15, 95% confidence interval = 0.04–0.56). Differences were less pronounced in multiparous cows. Associations between CXCR1 genotype and somatic cell count were not detected. However, MY was associated with SNP c.735C>G. Cows with genotype c.735GG out-produced cows with genotype c.735CC by 0.8 kg of milk/d. Results provide a basis for further research on the relation between CXCR1 polymorphism and pathogen-specific mastitis resistance and MY.     

Integration and electrical characterization of carbon nanotube via interconnects

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered a promising material for interconnects in the future generations of microchips because of their low electrical resistance and excellent mechanical stability. In particular, CNT-based contacts appear advantageous when compared with current tungsten or copper technologies and could therefore find an application as metal contacts interconnecting the transistors with the back end of line of the microchip. In this work, the integration of vertical CNT bundles in sub-micron contact holes is evaluated at wafer scale and the major integration challenges encountered in the practical realization of the process are discussed. Nickel PVD films were used to selectively grow CNT into the contact holes at temperatures as low as 400 °C, which is the thermal budget available for contacts. The height of the contacts and the length of the CNT are controlled by a chemical mechanical polishing step (CMP) after embedding the CNT into SiO₂. Ti/Au metal pads are then formed onto the CNT bundles by PVD and lift-off. The integrated CNT are electrically characterized and an annealing treatment was found to improve the CNT-via resistance. As the electrical properties of the CNT can be evaluated, the structure and the process presented constitute a test vehicle for the development of high-quality CNT-contacts.     

Serum Corticosterone and Insulin Resistance as Early Biomarkers in the hAPP23 Overexpressing Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Increasing epidemiological evidence highlights the association between systemic insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As insulin resistance can be caused by high-stress hormone levels and since hypercortisolism appears to be an important risk factor of AD, we aimed to investigate the systemic insulin functionality and circulating stress hormone levels in a mutant humanized amyloid precursor protein (APP) overexpressing (hAPP23+/−) AD mouse model. Memory and spatial learning of male hAPP23+/− and C57BL/6 (wild type, WT) mice were assessed by a Morris Water Maze (MWM) test at the age of 4 and 12 months. The systemic metabolism was examined by intraperitoneal glucose and insulin tolerance tests (GTT, ITT). Insulin and corticosterone levels were determined in serum. In the hippocampus, parietal and occipital cortex of hAPP23+/− brains, amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposits were present at 12 months of age. MWM demonstrated a cognitive decline in hAPP23+/− mice at 12 but not at 4 months, evidenced by increasing total path lengths and deteriorating probe trials compared to WT mice. hAPP23+/− animals presented increased serum corticosterone levels compared to WT mice at both 4 and 12 months. hAPP23+/− mice exhibited peripheral insulin resistance compared to WT mice at 4 months, which stabilized at 12 months of age. Serum insulin levels were similar between genotypes at 4 months of age but were significantly higher in hAPP23+/− mice at 12 months of age. Peripheral glucose homeostasis remained unchanged. These results indicate that peripheral insulin resistance combined with elevated circulating stress hormone levels could be potential biomarkers of the pre-symptomatic phase of AD.