Crystal Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Two Supramolecular Compounds: (C4H8NH2)4[Mo8O26] and (NH4)Na2[AsIIIMo6O21(O2CCH2NH3)3]·8H2O

Two inorganic–organic hybrid supramolecular compounds based on polyoxometalates formulated as (C₄H₈NH₂)₄[Mo₈O₂₆] (1) and (NH₄)Na₂[As^IIIMo₆O₂₁(O₂CCH₂NH₃)₃]·8H₂O (2) have been synthesized by conventional solution method and characterized by infrared, UV–Vis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Thermal analysis was performed to study their thermal stability. The atomic arrangement in compound (1) can be described as inorganic layers built by [Mo₈O₂₆]^4?, pyrrolidinium cations are embedded into layers. The fascinating structural feature of compound (2) is that the glycine molecules are bounded to two edge-sharing Mo centers via their carboxylate functionality leading to functionalized heteropolymolybdate [As^IIIMo₆O₂₁(O₂CCH₂NH₃)₃]^3?, extensive net hydrogen bonds between cations and anions contribute to the crystal packing. The electrochemical behavior of compound (2) has been studied.     

Fatty acids,sterols, and tocopherols composition in seed oil extracts from four moroccan ecotypes of Ceratonia siliqua L.

Morphological characterization was investigated by agro-morphological criteria related to carob seed size in four different moroccan regions collected in 2018 and 2019. There was no significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) on the seeds lengths and widths. However, a significant difference between seeds thickness and total seeds weight per pod (p ≤ 0.05) were observed between these four populations. The fatty acid, sterol, tocopherol, hydrocarbon, and the unoxygenated composition of carob seed extracts (Ceratonia siliqua L.) were studied. The mean fat yield of the seeds obtained is 1.53%–2.17%, 2.14%–2.15%, 1.61%–1.62%, 1.71%–1.75% for, respectively, the P1 (Meknes), P2 (Fez), P3 (Khemisset), and P4 (Marrakech) in 2018 and 2019. The seed oil was extracted with hexane and the analysis of the fatty fraction was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Results show that the major fatty acids for 2018 and 2019 are linoleic acid (61.48%–61.52%, 52.12%–52.14%, 57.76%–58.15%, 61.33%–61.52%), palmitic acid (15.78%–15.81%, 16.44%–16.45%, 19.11%–18.37%, 20.24%–20.32%), oleic acid (11.03%–11.04%, 8.72%–8.82%, 8.51%–8.61%, 8.41%–8.53%), stearic acid (4.35%–3.14%, 5.40%–5.43%, 3.12%–3.13%, 0.96%–1.56%), and cerotic acid (0.62%–0.53%, 4.51%–4.52%, 4.03%–4.06%, 3.84%–3.87%). The unsaturated fatty acids (69.39% in 2018 and 69.68% in 2019) are the most dominant in the four seed extracts compared to the saturated fatty acids. In addition, the oil carob seeds analysis revealed the presence of γ-tocopherol, α-tocopherol and four sterols that included campesterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol. Moreover, the determination of hydrocarbon and un-oxygenated compounds confirmed the existence of major compounds such as heptadecane, 2-methyltriacontane, 1-iodo hexadecane and 1-iodo octadecane. The hierarchical analysis based on the morphological and chromatographic characterization of the seeds allowed the identification of three groups. Consequently, the first group consisted of populations from Marrakesh (P4) and Khemisset (P3), the second group consisted of the P1 from Meknes, and the P2 from Fez constituted the third group.     

Effect of some operating variables on the microstructure and physical properties of a novel Kefir formulation

In this work, the rheological and textural properties, water-holding capacity (WHC), syneresis, and microstructure of a novel formulation of Kefir were studied by varying the incubation time and temperature, as well as the ratio of peanut-milk and skimmed-milk. Generally, all the experimental responses resulted to be significantly affected (p < 0.05) by all dependent variables examined. Kefir WHC was not significantly influenced (p > 0.05) by the fermentation temperature.     

Extended Bayesian generalization model for understanding user’s intention in semantics based images retrieval

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Learning concepts from examples presented in user’s query and infer the other items that belong to this query is still a significant challenge for images...     

Effects of fermentation conditions and homogenization pressure on the rheological properties of Kefir

In this study, the effects of fermentation conditions (temperature and time) as well as homogenization pressure on the rheology and EPS production in Kefir made from bovine whole milk were investigated. Results showed that the rheological characteristics and EPS production are affected significantly (p < 0.05) by the fermentation temperature but not by the incubation time. Furthermore, the homogenization pressure was found to influence significantly (p < 0.05) the rheology but not the production of EPS in Kefir.     

N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Modulate In-Vitro T Cell Function in Type I Diabetic Patients

In this work, we assessed the in-vitro effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3) (final concentration, 15 microM) on T cell blastogenesis, interleukin-2 and -4 (IL-2, IL-4) secretion, fatty acid composition and intracellular oxidative status in type I diabetic patients with or without complications. Con A stimulated lymphocyte proliferation, glucose uptake, intracellular reduced glutathione levels and catalase activity were lower in diabetics as compared to controls, regardless to the presence of complications. EPA and DHA diminished T-lymphocyte proliferation and IL-2 production but enhanced IL-4 secretion in both diabetic and control groups. No changes in the levels of reduced glutathione and in the activities of catalase and SOD were observed in control T cells cultured in the presence of EPA and DHA. However, in diabetic patients, addition of n-3 PUFA to culture induced an increase in T cell levels of reduced glutathione and hydroperoxide, and in activities of catalase and SOD. Low levels of arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) were found in plasma membrane phospholipids of lymphocytes from diabetic patients compared to controls. Incubation of lymphocytes with EPA and DHA was associated with an incorporation of these fatty acids in membrane phospholipids. In conclusion, the beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA on T cell functions in type I diabetes could be attributed to their suppressive action and modulation of cytokine secretion, and to the improvement of intracellular oxidative status.     

Role of parietal and principal gastric mucosa cells in the phenomenon of concentration of aluminum and indium

The subcellular behavior of aluminum and indium, used in medical and industrial fields, was studied in the gastric mucosa and the liver after their intragastric administration to rats, using, two of the most sensitive methods of observation and microanalysis, the transmission electron microscopy, and the secondary ion mass spectrometry. The ultrastructural study showed the presence of electron dense deposits, in the lysosomes of parietal and principal gastric mucosa cells but no loaded lysosomes were observed in the different studied hepatic territories. The microanalytical study allowed the identification of the chemical species present in those deposits as aluminum or indium isotopes and the cartography of their distribution. No modification was observed in control rats tissues. In comparison to previous studies describing the mechanism of aluminum concentration in the gastric mucosa and showing that this element was concentrated in the lysosomes of fundic and antral human gastric mucosa, our study provided additional informations about the types of cells involved in the phenomenon of concentration of aluminum and indium, which are the parietal and the principal cells of the gastric mucosa. Our study demonstrated that these cells have the ability to concentrate selectively aluminum and indium in their lysosomes, as a defensive reaction against intoxication by foreign elements.