Modulation of the postprandial phase by beta-glucan in overweight subjects: effects on glucose and insulin kinetics

Decreasing the postprandial glucose response is potentially of major importance to public health when low-glycemic index or high-fibre content foods are associated with a decreased risk of diabetes. We investigated in overweight subjects the effect of adding beta-glucan (BG) to a polenta (Pol) meal on postprandial metabolism and glucose bioavailability using stable isotopes. In this single-blind, randomized, crossover trial, 12 subjects ate two meals containing Pol with (Pol + BG) or without (Pol) 5 g BG. Concentrations of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, nonesterified fatty acids, triacylglycerol, total and exogenous glucose kinetics were assessed for 6 h postprandially. The kinetics of total and exogenous glucose importantly differed between the meals, but not the quantity of total and exogenous glucose appearing in plasma. Less total and exogenous glucose appeared during the first 120 min after the Pol + BG meal; the phenomenon was then reversed (both p < 0.0001). After 120 min, glucose and insulin responses declined, but remained higher after the Pol + BG meal (p < 0.05) in parallel to the inhibition of lipolysis. The endogenous glucose production (EGP) was significantly more inhibited after the Pol + BG meal. The addition of BG slowed the appearance of glucose in plasma, resulting in longer-lasting insulin secretion which exerted a prolonged inhibition of EGP and lipolysis.     

Molecular basic data calculation for radiation transport in chromatin

Differential and integral electron impact ionisation cross sections were calculated using the binary-encounter-Bethe theoretical model for each core particle molecules: the four DNA bases, the backbone (sugar phosphate), and the 19 amino acids constituent of histone proteins. The binding energies and populations of molecular orbitals were computed using General Atomic Molecular Electronic Structure System. At present, there are neither experimental nor other theoretical results on amino acid electron impact ionisation cross sections. Regarding DNA bases and backbone, our results show good agreement with those published in journals.     

Guanine oxidation by electron transfer: one- versus two-electron oxidation mechanism

The degeneracy of the guanine radical cation, which is formed in DNA by oxidation of guanine by electron transfer, was studied by a detailed analysis of the oxidation products of guanine on oligonucleotide duplexes and by labeling experiments. It was shown that imidazolone, the major product of guanine oxidation, is formed through a one-electron oxidation process and incorporates one oxygen atom from O2. The formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine by a two-electron oxidation process was a minor pathway. The two-electron oxidation mechanism was also evidenced by the formation of a tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane adduct.     

σ-Phase Formation in Super Austenitic Stainless Steel During Directional Solidification and Subsequent Phase Transformations

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The solidification path and the σ-phase precipitation mechanism in the S31254 (UNS designation) steel are investigated thanks to Quenching during...     

Binding of Cdc48p to a ubiquitin-related UBX domain from novel yeast proteins involved in intracellular proteolysis and sporulation

The Cdc48/p97 AAA-ATPase functions in membrane fusion and ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. Here, we show that, in yeast, Cdc48p interacts with three novel proteins, Cuil-3p, which contain a conserved ubiquitin-related (UBX) domain. Cui2p and Cui3p are closely related, interact with each other, and are localized at the perinuclear membrane. Cdc48p binds directly the UBX domain of Cui3p in vitro. Multiple deletions of the CUI1, CUI2 and CUI3 genes confer deficiency in sporulation and degradation of model ubiquitin-protein fusions. The Cuil-3 proteins were also found to interact with Ufd3p, a WD repeat protein known to associate with Cdc48p. Together, these results indicate that the Cuil-3 proteins form complexes that are components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system.     

Patterning Nanostructured,Synthetic, Polymeric Receptors by Simultaneous Projection Photolithography,Nanomolding, and Molecular Imprinting

Microscope projection photolithography is combined with nanomolding and molecular imprinting for the fast microfabrication of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) arrays in the form of micrometric islands of nanofilaments. Dot diameters from 70–90 μm are easily obtained using a 10× objective and a photomask carrying the desired pattern. The dots are composed of parallel nanofilaments of a high aspect ratio, 150 nm in diameter and several micrometers in length, which are obtained through a nanomolding procedure on porous alumina. The arrays are molecularly imprinted with the small molecule fluorescein or with the protein myoglobin. The fluorescein MIP arrays are able to specifically recognize their target, as demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy. A four‐fold increase in binding capacity and imprinting factor (IF = 13) is obtained compared to non‐nanostructured porous dots. Imprinting of the nanofilament arrays with the protein myoglobin as the template is also possible and allows for a high imprinting factor of 4.3. Such nanostructured microarrays of synthetic receptors obtained by projection photolithography have great potential in biosensor and biochip development.     

Effectiveness of Collaborative Problem Solving in Affectively Dysregulated Children With Oppositional-Defiant Disorder: Initial Findings.

Oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) refers to a recurrent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures. Research has shown that children with ODD and comorbid mood disorders may be at particular risk for long-term adverse outcomes, including conduct disorder. In this study, the authors examined the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral model of intervention--called collaborative problem solving (CPS)--in comparison with parent training (PT) in 47 affectively dysregulated children with ODD. Results indicate that CPS produced significant improvements across multiple domains of functioning at posttreatment and at 4-month follow-up. These improvements were in all instances equivalent, and in many instances superior, to the improvements produced by PT. Implications of these findings for further research on and treatment selection in children with ODD are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Restoring Dynamic Fluvial Processes in Urban Rivers: Learning from the Aire and Isar Rivers

In process-based restoration, the objective is not to create a complex river form directly; instead, interventions are intended to “prompt” the natural processes to restore such forms. The improvements in ecological conditions are actually made over time by flowing water during floods (using the stream’s energy), and by the growth of riparian vegetation (using incoming solar energy). On the Aire River in Geneva, ecological function was restored to a formerly canalized river by providing the river with an espace de liberté. A grid of channels cut into the valley bottom allowed the river to freely flood, erode its bed and banks, and deposit bars, creating complex surfaces on which riparian vegetation established to support the food web of the riverine ecosystem. The diamond-shaped bits of land left between these channels (“lozenges”) gradually erode and evolve as the river migrates, creating complex channel forms. The Isar River in Munich restoration involved adding coarse sediment load, creating erodible bed and banks in place of formerly rigid boundaries, expanding process space for river migration, erosion, and deposition, and increased human access to the river over 8 km. Since restoration, natural transport of sediment has resulted in deposition of gravel bars, whose forms evolve during floods, supporting diverse habitats. The Isar and Aire Rivers provide compelling examples of processbased restoration meeting 4 criteria for process-based restoration: space, energy, materials, and time. They demonstrate the possibilities of urban river restoration to achieve both ecological and social goals through restoration of fluvial process.     

Torque,temperature and hardening precipitation evolution in dissimilar friction stir welds between 6061-T6 and 2014-T6 aluminum alloys

Dissimilar friction stir butt welds between the 2014-T6 and the 6061-T6 Al alloys were performed with various sets of welding parameters including a lateral shift of the tool from the initial separation between the plates to be welded and by placing the alloys, either on the advancing, or on the retreating side of the weld. Torque and temperature measurements during welding as well as macrographies and hardness profiles measurements were performed after welding. It was found that the welding torque, the temperature, the metal flow and the welds’ hardness profile depend on the proportion of each alloy included in the stirred zone. Those results are attributed to the difference between the softening temperatures of both alloys. The 6061 alloy's HAZ is the weak link in all dissimilar welds. The evolution of the hardening precipitation, the hardness and the local yield strength in the 6061 alloy are therefore modeled. The model reasonably well predicts the experimentally measured hardness of both similar and dissimilar welds. It also explains the influence of the alloys placement or tool lateral shift on the welds hardness by their influence on the precipitate radius and volume fraction.