Dietary advanced glycation end‐products: Perspectives linking food processing with health implications

Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) are complex and heterogeneous compounds derived from nonenzymatic glycation reactions during industrial processing and home cooking. There is mounting evidence showing that dAGEs are closely associated with various chronic diseases, where the absorbed dAGEs fuel the biological AGEs pool to exhibit noxious effects on human health. Currently, due to the uncertain bioavailability and rapid renal clearance of dAGEs, the relationship between dAGEs and biological AGEs remains debatable. In this review, we provide the most updated information on dAGEs including their generation in processed foods, analytical and characterization techniques, metabolic fates, interaction with AGE receptors, implications on human health and reducing strategies. Available evidence demonstrating a relevance between dAGEs and food allergy is also included. AGEs are ubiquitous in foods and their contents largely depend on the reactivity of carbonyl and amino groups, along with surrounding condition mainly pH and heating procedures. Once being digested and absorbed into the circulation, two separate pathways can be involved in the deleterious effects of dAGEs: an AGE receptor‐dependent way to stimulate cell signals, and an AGE receptor‐independent way to dysregulate proteins via forming complexes. Inhibition of AGEs formation during food processing and reduction in the diet are two potent approaches to restrict health‐hazardous dAGEs. To elucidate the biological role of dAGEs toward human health, the following significant perspectives are raised: molecular size and complexity of dAGEs; interactions between unabsorbed dAGEs and gut microbiota; and roles played by concomitant compounds in the heat‐processed foods.     

Hetero-assembly of colloidal particles in concentrated non-aqueous suspensions by polymer dispersant design

Although many colloidal assembling systems have been reported, most systems suffer from severe aggregation under high solid concentrations, which can often be observed in typical hetero-aggregation system. In this study, we created a hetero-assembly system using concentrated (~50 vol%) suspensions by mixing large SiO₂ particles modified with polyacrylic acid partially complexed with oleylamine (PAA-OAm) and small SiO₂ particles modified with polyethyleneimine partially complexed with oleic acid (PEI-OA) in a non-aqueous solvent. We demonstrated that hetero-assembly is driven by the interactions between the uncomplexed carboxyl/amine groups of the PAA/PEI present on the particles, while severe aggregation is simultaneously prevented by the steric repulsions of the aliphatic oleyl chains. Comparison of the cross sections of the in-situ solidified hetero-assembled suspensions with those of ideally assembled structures which were reproduced by a simulation considering the statistical distribution of particles strongly supported successful particle assembling via the proposed approach. The results revealed that the OA content in the PEI-OA complex was the dominant factor that controlled the dispersion and assembling state of the binary particles. The significance of this study is that our findings will provide a class of colloidal dispersion state which binary particles were assembled in a high solid content suspension without forming strong aggregates.     

The Interplay of Modulus,Strength, and Ductility in Adhesive Design Using Biomimetic Polymer Chemistry

High‐performance adhesives require mechanical properties tuned to demands of the surroundings. A mismatch in stiffness between substrate and adhesive leads to stress concentrations and fracture when the bonding is subjected to mechanical load. Balancing material strength versus ductility, as well as considering the relationship between adhesive modulus and substrate modulus, creates stronger joints. However, a detailed understanding of how these properties interplay is lacking. Here, a biomimetic terpolymer is altered systematically to identify regions of optimal bonding. Mechanical properties of these terpolymers are tailored by controlling the amount of a methyl methacrylate stiff monomer versus a similar monomer containing flexible poly(ethylene glycol) chains. Dopamine methacrylamide, the cross‐linking monomer, is a catechol moiety analogous to 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine, a key component in the adhesive proteins of marine mussels. Bulk adhesion of this family of terpolymers is tested on metal and plastic substrates. Incorporating higher amounts of poly(ethylene glycol) into the terpolymer introduces flexibility and ductility. By taking a systematic approach to polymer design, the region in which material strength and ductility are balanced in relation to the substrate modulus is found, thereby yielding the most robust joints.     

Automating data exchange in process choreographies

Communication between organizations is formalized as process choreographies in daily business. While the correct ordering of exchanged messages can be modeled and enacted with current choreography techniques, no approach exists to describe and automate the exchange of data between processes in a choreography using messages. This paper describes an entirely model-driven approach for BPMN introducing a few concepts that suffice to model data retrieval, data transformation, message exchange, and correlation – four aspects of data exchange. For automation, this work utilizes a recent concept to enact data dependencies in internal processes. We present a modeling guideline to derive local process models from a given choreography; their operational semantics allows to correctly enact the entire choreography from the derived models only including the exchange of data. Targeting on successful interactions, we discuss means to ensure correct process choreography modeling. Finally, we implemented our approach by extending the camunda BPM platform with our approach and show its feasibility by realizing all service interaction patterns using only model-based concepts.     

Interleukin-1β Modulation of the Mechanobiology of Primary Human Pulmonary Fibroblasts: Potential Implications in Lung Repair

Pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1β (IL-1β) are upregulated during early responses to tissue damage and are expected to transiently compromise the mechanical microenvironment. Fibroblasts are key regulators of tissue mechanics in the lungs and other organs. However, the effects of IL-1β on fibroblast mechanics and functions remain unclear. Here we treated human pulmonary fibroblasts from control donors with IL-1β and used Atomic Force Microscopy to unveil that IL-1β significantly reduces the stiffness of fibroblasts concomitantly with a downregulation of filamentous actin (F-actin) and alpha-smooth muscle (α-SMA). Likewise, COL1A1 mRNA was reduced, whereas that of collagenases MMP1 and MMP2 were upregulated, favoring a reduction of type-I collagen. These mechanobiology changes were functionally associated with reduced proliferation and enhanced migration upon IL-1β stimulation, which could facilitate lung repair by drawing fibroblasts to sites of tissue damage. Our observations reveal that IL-1β may reduce local tissue rigidity by acting both intracellularly and extracellularly through the downregulation of fibroblast contractility and type I collagen deposition, respectively. These IL-1β-dependent mechanical effects may enhance lung repair further by locally increasing pulmonary tissue compliance to preserve normal lung distension and function. Moreover, our results support that IL-1β provides innate anti-fibrotic protection that may be relevant during the early stages of lung repair.     

The control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon by selective breeding

Sea lice threaten the welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon and the sustainability of fish farming across the world. Chemical treatments are the major method of control but drug resistance means that alternatives are urgently needed. Selective breeding can be a cheap and effective alternative. Here, we combine experimental trials and diagnostics to provide a practical protocol for quantifying resistance to sea lice. We then combined quantitative genetics with epidemiological modelling to make the first prediction of the response to selection, quantified in terms of reduced need for chemical treatments. We infected over 1400 young fish with Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the most important species in the Northern Hemisphere. Mechanisms of resistance were expressed early in infection. Consequently, the number of lice per fish and the ranking of families were very similar at 7 and 17 days post infection, providing a stable window for assessing susceptibility to infection. The heritability of lice numbers within this time window was moderately high at 0.3, confirming that selective breeding is viable. We combined an epidemiological model of sea lice infection and control on a salmon farm with genetic variation in susceptibility among individuals. We simulated 10 generations of selective breeding and examined the frequency of treatments needed to control infection. Our model predicted that substantially fewer chemical treatments are needed to control lice outbreaks in selected populations and chemical treatment could be unnecessary after 10 generations of selection. Selective breeding for sea lice resistance should reduce the impact of sea lice on fish health and thus substantially improve the sustainability of Atlantic salmon production.     

Alloying behavior and novel properties of CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy fabricated by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

An equiatomic CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy was synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). During MA, a solid solution with refined microstructure of 10 nm which consists of a FCC phase and a BCC phase was formed. After SPS consolidation, only one FCC phase can be detected in the HEA bulks. The as-sintered bulks exhibit high compressive strength of 1987 MPa. An interesting magnetic transition associated with the structure coarsening and phase transformation was observed during SPS process.     

An overview on fault diagnosis and nature-inspired optimal control of industrial process applications

Fault detection, isolation and optimal control have long been applied to industry. These techniques have proven various successful theoretical results and industrial applications. Fault diagnosis is considered as the merge of fault detection (that indicates if there is a fault) and fault isolation (that determines where the fault is), and it has important effects on the operation of complex dynamical systems specific to modern industry applications such as industrial electronics, business management systems, energy, and public sectors. Since the resources are always limited in real-world industrial applications, the solutions to optimally use them under various constraints are of high actuality. In this context, the optimal tuning of linear and nonlinear controllers is a systematic way to meet the performance specifications expressed as optimization problems that target the minimization of integral- or sum-type objective functions, where the tuning parameters of the controllers are the vector variables of the objective functions. The nature-inspired optimization algorithms give efficient solutions to such optimization problems. This paper presents an overview on recent developments in machine learning, data mining and evolving soft computing techniques for fault diagnosis and on nature-inspired optimal control. The generic theory is discussed along with illustrative industrial process applications that include a real liquid level control application, wind turbines and a nonlinear servo system. New research challenges with strong industrial impact are highlighted.     

苯乳酸抑制链格孢霉作用靶位的分析

以从自然腐败的樱桃上分离的链格孢霉（Alternaria sp.）LD3.0086为指示菌，研究苯乳酸对链格孢霉的主要抑制作用靶位。应用分光光度法测定苯乳酸对链格孢霉的最小抑菌浓度，通过卡尔科弗卢尔荧光增白剂染液（calcofluor white，CFW）染色观察苯乳酸对菌丝顶端生长的破坏作用，利用扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜观察链格孢霉的超微结构变化，通过测定苯乳酸作用前后链格孢霉上清液中N-乙酰葡萄糖胺质量浓度变化研究苯乳酸对菌丝细胞壁的破坏作用，应用荧光双染色法观察苯乳酸对链格孢霉菌丝细胞膜的损伤作用。结果表明，12.5 mmol/L的苯乳酸能有效抑制链格孢霉的生长；与对照组（无菌水处理）相比，苯乳酸处理后链格孢霉顶端生长细胞无明显形变，经12.5 mmol/L苯乳酸处理的链格孢霉上清液中N-乙酰葡萄糖胺质量浓度基本不变；苯乳酸处理24 h，链格孢霉菌丝细胞壁表面无明显损伤，细胞内结构发生明显变化；苯乳酸短时间（4 h）处理链格孢霉，菌丝细胞膜仍较为完整，加入苯乳酸较长时间（8 h）后细胞膜发生破裂。综合分析可知，苯乳酸对链格孢霉的主要作用靶位应不是菌丝体的细胞壁和细胞膜，而是在菌丝体内部，通过破坏菌丝内部细胞器结构或引起细胞内的生化反应，从而抑制链格孢霉的生长和繁殖，发挥抑菌活性。