Dissimilarity scaling and INDSCAL analysis in the study of flavour differences between normal pHu and DFD beef

Overall dissimilarity measurement of paired stimuli followed by Individual Differences Scaling (INDSCAL) analysis was used to study flavour perception in a set of beef extracts. The experiment was designed to determine whether pH contributed to flavour difference between beef of “normal” ultimate pH (pHu5.8) and “dark-cutting” (DFD) beef (pHu6.2). Assessors distinguished the flavour of “normal” pHu and DFD beef both by a combination of pH and titratable acidity, and a second dimension independent of pH. The chemicals added to adjust pH independently of the original muscle composition contributed a third flavour dimension. Substantial assessor variation was observed in the relative weight given to the three flavour dimensions, and this is discussed in relation to the task of judging overall dissimilarity.     

The Attenuated Secretion of Hyaluronan by UVA-Exposed Human Fibroblasts Is Associated with Up- and Downregulation of HYBID and HAS2 Expression via Activated and Inactivated Signaling of the p38/ATF2 and JAK2/STAT3 Cascades

Little is known about the effects on hyaluronan (HA) metabolism of UVA radiation. This study demonstrates that the secretion of HA by human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) is downregulated by UVA, accompanied by the down- and upregulation of mRNA and protein levels of the HA-synthesizing enzyme (HAS2) and the HA-degrading protein, HYaluronan Binding protein Involved in HA Depolymerization(HYBID), respectively. Signaling analysis revealed that the exposure distinctly elicits activation of the p38/MSK1/CREB/c-Fos/AP-1 axis, the JNK/c-Jun axis, and the p38/ATF-2 axis, but downregulates the phosphorylation of NF-kB and JAK/STAT3. A signal inhibition study demonstrated that the inhibition of p38 significantly abrogates the UVA-accentuated mRNA level of HYBID. Furthermore, the inhibition of STAT3 significantly downregulates the level of HAS2 mRNA in non-UVA exposed HDFs. Analysis using siRNAs demonstrated that transfection of ATF-2 siRNA but not c-Fos siRNA abrogates the increased protein level of HYBID in UVA-exposed HDFs. An inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatase but not of protein serine/threonine phosphatase restored the diminished phosphorylation level of STAT3 at Tyr 705, accompanied by a significant abolishing effect on the decreased mRNA expression level of HAS2. Silencing with a protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP-Meg2 siRNA revealed that it abrogates the decreased phosphorylation of STAT3 at Tyr 705 in UVA-exposed HDFs. These findings suggest that the UVA-induced decrease in HA secretion by HDFs is attributable to the down- and upregulation of HAS2 and HYBID expression, respectively, changes that are mainly ascribed to the inactivated signaling of the STAT3 axis due to the activated tyrosine protein phosphatase PTP-Meg2 and the activated signaling of the p38/ATF2 axis, respectively.     

An absolute requirement of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate for the Lactobacillus caseiL-lactate dehydrogenase activity induced by a single amino acid substitution

Lactobacillus casei allosteric L-lactate dehydrogenase (L-LDH)absolutely requires fructose 1,6-bisphosphate [Fru(1,6)P2] forits catalytic activity under neutral conditions, but exhibitsmarked catalytic activity in the absence of Fru(1,6)P₂ underacidic conditions through the homotropic activation effect ofsubstrate pyruvate. In this enzyme, a single amino acid replacement,i.e. that of His205 conserved in the Fru(1,6)P₂-binding siteof certain allosteric L-LDHs of lactic acid bacteria with Thr,did not induce a marked loss of the activation effect of Fru(1,6)P₂or divalent metal ions, which are potent activators that improvethe activation function of Fru(1,6)P₂ under neutral conditions.However, this replacement induced a great loss of the Fru(1,6)P₂-independentactivation effect of pyruvate or pyruvate analogs under acidicconditions, consequently indicating an absolute Fru(1,6)P₂ requirementfor the enzyme activity. The replacement also induced a significantreduction in the pH-dependent sensitivity of the enzyme to Fru(1,6)P₂,through a slight decrease and increase of the Fru(1,6)P₂ sensitivityunder acidic and neutral conditions, respectively, indicatingthat His205 is also largely involved in the pH-dependent sensitivityof L.casei L-LDH to Fru(1,6)P₂. The role of His205 in the allostericregulation of the enzyme is discussed on the basis of the knowncrystal structures of L-LDHs.     

Recognition of substrates by membrane potential of immobilized glucose oxidase membranes

The shifts in membrane potential, caused by the injection of glucose into a permeation cell, were measured using immobilized (entrapped) glucose oxidase membranes. No, pH change in the permeation cell was observed upon injection of glucose, but the shift in membrane potential was definitely detected. The shift in membrane potential was observed under nitrogen bubbling (in the absence of oxygen) using initially used enzyme membranes. It was, therefore, suggested that the shifts in membrane potential were not caused by an enzyme-substrate reaction, but by binding of the substrate to the enzyme, which indues a conformational change in the enzyme and leads to a change in charge density in the enzyme membrane. This mechanism is also supported by the fact that the shifts in membrane potential were observed upon injection of not only D-glucose but also L-glucose as reported in our previous study [J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans., 87 , 695 (1991)]. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Retardation of volatile aldehyde formation in the exhaust of frying oil by heating under low oxygen atmospheres

Volatile aldehydes were generated in the exhaust of high-oleic safflower oil during heating at 180°C by spraying water into atmospheres with four levels of oxygen concentrations (2, 4, 10, and 20%). These aldehydes were quantitatively analyzed by HPLC after the conversion to 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazones. Ten alkanals (C₂ through C₁₀), eight 2-alkenals (C₃ through C₁₀) and three 2,4-alkadienals (C₇, C₉, and C₁₀) were found. These aldehyde levels were found to be positively correlated with both the heating time and the atmospheric oxygen concentration. The total amounts of aldehydes were the lowest in the oil heated in an atmosphere with 2% O₂, and corresponded to 1/10 of those in the atmosphere with 20% O₂. Acrolein was not found in oils heated in the atmosphere with 2% oxygen. These results suggest that frying in atmospheres with low oxygen levels can effectively decrease the generation of volatile aldehydes in the exhaust.     

Liquefaction of wood in the presence of phenol using phosphoric acid as a catalyst and the flow properties of the liquefied wood

The liquefaction of wood in the presence of phenol using phosphoric acid as a catalyst and the flow properties of the obtained liquefied wood were investigated. It was found that phosphoric acid is a satisfactory catalyst for liquefying wood. The amount of phenol that reacts with the liquefied wood components (i.e., combined phenol) increases with an increase in liquefaction temperature, liquefaction time, catalyst content, or liquid ratio. By removing the free phenol, the resulting liquefied woods become novolaclike resins. The measurements of the flow properties of these liquefied woods reveal that the melts of liquefied woods behave as pseudoplastics and their flows obey the Ostwald de Waele power law equation. The amount of combined phenol within the liquefied wood and the presence of filler in the liquefied wood have great influence on their flow properties. The flowing temperature, activation energy, and zero shear viscosity of the liquefied woods show tendencies to increase with an increase in combined phenol. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A Parallel Implementation of Multiple Secret Image Sharing Based on Cellular Automata

Recently, a multisecret sharing scheme for secret color images among a set of users was proposed, which allows that each participant to share secret color images with the rest of participants in such way that all of them can recover all secret color images only if all participants pool their shares. In this work a parallel implementation of the cellular automata-based multisecret sharing scheme is proposed, in which the technology of CUDA （Compute Unified Device Architecture） is used in parallelization, taking advantage that each cell of cellular automata can be processed independently. The processing time of the proposed scheme is analyzed and it is proved that the proposed parallel algorithm using the CUDA structure is more than 12 times faster than the conventional sequential algorithm. This reduction of temporal complexity allows the practical use of the secret sharing scheme in many information security fields.     

Optical Properties of Self‐Assembled Cellulose Nanocrystals Films Suspended at Planar–Symmetrical Interfaces

Hierarchically structured materials comprising rod‐like, chiral, nanoparticles are commonly encountered in nature as they can form assemblies with exceptional optical and mechanical characteristics. These include cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which have a large potential for the fabrication of bioinspired materials mimicking those advanced properties. Fine‐tuning the optomechanical properties of assemblies obtained from CNCs hinges on the transformations from suspensions of liquid crystals to long‐range order in the dry state. So far, associated transitions have been studied using trivial interfaces such as planar substrates. Such transitions are explored as they evolve onto meshed supports. The meshed substrate offers a complex topology, as is encountered in nature, for the formation of CNCs films. The CNCs self‐assembly occurs under confinement and support of the framework bounding the mesh openings. This leads to coexisting suspended and supported nanoparticle layers exhibiting nematic and/or chiral nematic order. Optical microscopy combined with crossed polarizers indicate that the formation of the suspended films occurs via intermediate gelation or kinetic arrest of CNCs across the mesh's open areas. The formation of self‐standing, ultrathin films of CNCs with tunable optical properties, such as selective reflections in the visible range (structural color), is demonstrated by using the presented simple and scalable approach.