Digestive protection of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus in Ricotta cheese by monoglyceride structured emulsions

This research aimed at studying the potential use of monoglyceride (MG) structured emulsions (MSEs) as delivery and protective systems for probiotic bacteria in Ricotta cheese. To this purpose, a low-fat commercial Ricotta cheese was added with MSEs formulated with milk, as water phase, and sunflower oil (MSE-SO) or anhydrous milk fat (MSE-AMF), as lipid phase. A commercial whole milk Ricotta cheese (W-RC) was considered as reference. A probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus strain was inoculated as free cells in W-RC or embedded into the MSEs and added to the low-fat Ricotta at the same reference fat content. After physico-chemical characterisation, L. rhamnosus viability and sample destructuring behaviour upon in vitro digestion were evaluated. At the end of in vitro digestion, both W-RC and sample containing MSE-SO were unable to protect cells. By contrast, sample with AMF ensured a sufficient probiotic viability, even after 14 days of storage at 4 °C. This result was attributed to system composition and structure. During the gastric phase, the presence of caseins and MG-AMF mixed structures induced the formation of clots, entrapping and protecting cells against the acidic pH of the stomach, as confirmed by confocal micrographs and particle size. During the intestinal phase, cell viability was guaranteed by the formation of mixed micelles promoted by MG. It was demonstrated that microbial cells located near MG structures where they found protection.     

Optimized Sensor Nodes Deployment in Wireless Sensor Network Using Bat Algorithm

Wireless Personal Communications - For the optimal performance of wireless sensor networks in different areas of applications needs to maximize the coverage area of sensor nodes. The coverage of...     

Superradiant Emission from Coherent Excitons in van Der Waals Heterostructures

Recent advancements in isolation and stacking of layered van der Waals materials have created an unprecedented paradigm for demonstrating varieties of 2D quantum materials. Rationally designed van der Waals heterostructures composed of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and few-layer hBN show several unique optoelectronic features driven by correlations. However, entangled superradiant excitonic species in such systems have not been observed before. In this report, it is demonstrated that strong suppression of phonon population at low temperature results in a formation of a coherent excitonic-dipoles ensemble in the heterostructure, and the collective oscillation of those dipoles stimulates a robust phase synchronized ultra-narrow band superradiant emission even at extremely low pumping intensity. Such emitters are in high demand for a multitude of applications, including fundamental research on many-body correlations and other state-of-the-art technologies. This timely demonstration paves the way for further exploration of ultralow-threshold quantum-emitting devices with unmatched design freedom and spectral tunability.     

Effects of dietary inclusion of sunflower soap stocks on colour,oxidation and microbiological growth of meat from light fattening lambs

Thirty-two lambs were finished on a total mixed ration (TMR) pelleted alone (00SS) or including sunflower soap stock (SS): 15SS (15 g SS per kg TMR), 30SS (30 g SS per kg TMR) and 60SS (60 g SS per kg TMR). Lambs (8 per group) were slaughtered at 27 kg live weight. Colour evolution, lipid oxidation, microbial growth and detection of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli were studied in meat samples. SS in the diet reduced meat lipid oxidation (P < 0.05), but had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the cholesterol oxidation products. Meat from 60SS and control animals (00SS) revealed greater discoloration (P < 0.05) than 15SS. SS supplementation did not affect the microbiological populations, whereas high doses of SS seemed to increase the proliferation of diarrhoeagenic E. coli on day 14 (P < 0.10). These results suggest that the rate of SS inclusion in the diet of fattening lambs should not be above 15 g SS per kg TMR.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Hetero-metallic Oxides-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Applications

A new AgO.CuO.WO₃/rGO nanocomposite was designed for the investigation of the degradation ability of the hybrid material under visible light irradiation. The AgO, CuO, WO₃ NPs, and AgO.CuO.WO₃ hetero-metallic oxides were fabricated via the chemical co-precipitation method. The crystallite sizes and phase analyses were investigated by recording X-ray diffraction patterns. The crystallite sizes of three metal oxides in the AgO.CuO.WO₃ hetero metal oxide were 16.7, 15.9, and 16.9 nm, respectively. The FESEM images at various magnifications were probed to study the morphology of synthesized materials. The micrographs of hetero-metallic oxides AgO.CuO.WO₃ exposed that three metal oxides merged like small particles and gives a large bulbous appearance. EDX analyses confirmed the formation of required materials with high purity. FTIR data was in agreement with the literature which facilitated to ensure the purity of synthesized samples. The optical bandgap energy was calculated via the Tauc plot indicating that the blend of three metal oxides generated a new energy level in the electronic structure is suitable for photocatalysis in the presence of visible light. The bandgap energy of hetero metallic oxides was 1.25 eV which is less than individual metal oxides signifying the tuning of the bandgap. The incorporation of rGO in AgO.CuO.WO₃ hetero-metallic oxides gives a new photocatalyst for optimum photodegradation of methylene blue in minimum time. The percentage degradation via AgO.CuO.WO₃ was 87.20% in 70 min while the percentage degradation via AgO.CuO.WO₃/rGO recorded by photocatalytic experiment was 95% in 40 min. The photocatalysis data revealed that AgO.CuO.WO₃ hetero-metallic oxides-rGO nanocomposite ensured a strong potential to uptake organic dyes from water by promoting redox reactions during photocatalysis in the minimum time limit.     

Relationship between Proinflammatory and Antioxidant Proteins with the Severity of Cardiovascular Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients are at significant risk of cardiovascular disease, however, the pathophysiology of these complications is complex and incompletely known in this population. The aim of this study was to compare the serum proteome of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus presenting or not presenting cardiovascular disease with non-diabetic subjects to find essential proteins related to these cardiovascular complications. This cross-sectional study compares the serum proteome by a combination of protein depletion with 2D-DIGE (2-dimension Difference Gel Electrophoresis) methodology. The proteins differentially expressed were identified by MALDI TOF/TOF (Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and Time-Of-Flight ion detector) or LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass-Mass Spectrometry). Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with cardiovascular disease showed higher expression of plasma retinol binding protein and glutathione peroxidase-3 compared to those without cardiovascular disease and non-diabetic controls. These results show that proteins related to the inflammatory and redox state appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the cardiovascular disease in the type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.     

A Dynamic Combinatorial Approach for Identifying Side Groups that Stabilize DNA-Templated Supramolecular Self-Assemblies

DNA-templated self-assembly is an emerging strategy for generating functional supramolecular systems, which requires the identification of potent multi-point binding ligands. In this line, we recently showed that bis-functionalized guanidinium compounds can interact with ssDNA and generate a supramolecular complex through the recognition of the phosphodiester backbone of DNA. In order to probe the importance of secondary interactions and to identify side groups that stabilize these DNA-templated self-assemblies, we report herein the implementation of a dynamic combinatorial approach. We used an in situ fragment assembly process based on reductive amination and tested various side groups, including amino acids. The results reveal that aromatic and cationic side groups participate in secondary supramolecular interactions that stabilize the complexes formed with ssDNA.     

Structural and thermal behavior of 45S5 Bioglass®-based compositions containing alumina and strontium

The present research exposes the influence of 2 mol% of Al₂O₃ and 2 mol% SrO in 45S5 Bioglass^®-based compositions. Four compositions were produced to elucidate the difference in how both oxides influence structure and thermal behavior separately and their synergy when together. Thermal properties, crystallization tendency, and sintering behavior was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry, hot stage microscopy, and dilatometry. Changes of medium-range structures were characterized by Qⁿ distribution of Raman spectroscopy and evaluation of ³¹P, ²⁷Al, ²³Na, and ²⁹Si environment obtained by magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance. Despite Qⁿ distribution was predominantly Q² in all samples, the composition criteria used enabled improved processing and stabilibity characteristics. The addition of Al₂O₃ and SrO promoted larger sinterability parameter (S_c) which indicates better sintering behavior, the glass stability against crystallization doubled (K_H) compared to 45S5 and the processing window enlarged from 106 to 171.