Strategies To Design Selective Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

This review classifies drug-design strategies successfully implemented in the development of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which have many applications including cancer treatment. Our focus is on especially demanded selective HDAC inhibitors and their structure-activity relationships in relation to corresponding protein structures. The main part of the paper is divided into six subsections each narrating how optimization of one of six structural features can influence inhibitor selectivity. It starts with the impact of the zinc binding group on selectivity, continues with the optimization of the linker placed in the substrate binding tunnel as well as the adjustment of the cap group interacting with the surface of the protein, and ends with the addition of groups targeting class-specific sub-pockets: the side-pocket-, lower-pocket- and foot-pocket-targeting groups. The review is rounded off with a conclusion and an outlook on the future of HDAC inhibitor design.     

Tribocorrosion and corrosion behavior of stainless steel coated with DLC films in ethanol with different concentrations of water

There has been a recent increase in both the production and consumption of ethanol due to the numerous environmental advantages that it offers, such as the fact that it can be produced from a variety of renewable materials, for instance corn and cellulose, or it can be obtained from sugarcane bagasse and biomass (2nd and 3rd generation ethanol). The result of this is that nowadays ethanol is widely seen as the dominant biofuel – or as a blend component in gasoline or pure fuel - in many countries.However, one disadvantage of the use of ethanol is the high corrosive behavior that occurs when its hygroscopic properties are exposed to a large number of materials. Xiaoyuan Lou and Preet Singh showed that the increase of water concentration in ethanol induces pitting and metal loss. Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) films may be a solution to this problem due to the fact that they can be deposited inside tubes, offer good protection levels against corrosion, and reduce the friction coefficient and wear.This paper shows the tribocorrosion and corrosion studies of DLC films deposited on stainless steel grade 304 (SS304) substrates in order to gauge its appropriateness usage in the construction of pipelines and fuel storage tanks. The surface morphology was analyzed before and after 14 days of immersion. The tribocorrosion, friction coefficient, and wear rate were studied in ethanol to see the effects of water concentration. The films showed good adherence to the substrates. Corrosion and tribocorrosion results showed that for bare Stainless Steel 304 the increase of the water content increases the corrosion and the friction coefficient. DLC coated samples presented few points of delamination, and the friction coefficient and open circuit potentials were very low compared with the bare sample which was water concentration independent.     

Development of low-alcohol isotonic beer by interrupted fermentation

Alcohol-free beer with isotonic properties is getting more popular and its production can be carried out by different production strategies; however, interrupted fermentation is still a challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a low-alcohol isotonic beer (<0.5% v/v) by interrupted fermentation. Moreover, the major objective is to compare the developed product to commercial beverages (sports drinks, ‘Pilsen' regular beer, alcohol-free beers and low-alcohol isotonic beer). The beverages were evaluated based on pH, alcohol content (% v/v), total titratable acidity (mEq L⁻¹), osmolality (mOsmol kg⁻¹), bitterness International Bitterness Units, colour European Brewery Convention, total phenolic compounds (mg L⁻¹ gallic acid), reducing and total sugars (%) and Na and K contents (mg L⁻¹). The developed low-alcohol isotonic beer presented characteristics similar to sports drinks, with the advantage of being richer in phenolic compounds and suitable osmolality. Despite salts were added in its formulation, the grades attributed to all beers employed in the sensory evaluation, as well as the purchase intention did not present significant differences.     

Technological and sensorial properties of liquid nitrogen ice cream enriched with protein from brewing waste (trub)

Debittered trub (brewing waste) is an important source of protein source (70.26%). Trub and whey protein were used for 5% protein enrichment of ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen. Three formulations were elaborated: ice cream standard (ICS), ice cream with whey protein (ICW) and ice cream with trub (ICT). Chemical composition, rheological properties, texture, overrun, melting rate, scanning electron microscopy and a sensorial test were performed. Results showed that ICT presented a higher viscosity, obtained on the upward curve up to 6.76 Pa s⁻¹, consistency index (22.96 (Pa s⁻¹)ⁿ), hysteresis area (140.40 mPa s⁻¹) and hardness (31113.33 g) but a lower melting rate (0.38 g min⁻¹), overrun (13.92%) and sensorial acceptability than the other formulations. The addition of trub debittered for protein enrichment improved ice cream properties and demonstrated that it could be used as a food ingredient.     

Is it possible to disregard obsolete requirements? a family of experiments in software effort estimation

Requirements Engineering - Expert judgement is a common method for software effort estimations in practice today. Estimators are often shown extra obsolete requirements together with the real ones...     

Increasing the photocatalytic and fungicide activities of Ag3PO4 microcrystals under visible-light irradiation

The present study reports for the first time the performance of silver phosphate (Ag₃PO₄) microcrystals as photocatalyst (degradation of Rodamine B-RhB) and antifungal agent (against Candida albicans–C. albicans) under visible-light irradiation (455 nm). Ag₃PO₄ microcrystals were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation (CP) method at room temperature. The structural and electronic properties of the as-synthetized Ag₃PO₄ have been investigated before and after 4 cycles of RhB degradation under visible light using X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectrophotometer and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images. The antifungal activity was analyzed in planktonic cells and 48h-biofilm of C. albicans by colony forming units (CFU) counting, confocal laser and FE-SE microscopies. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software. Morphological and structural modifications of Ag₃PO₄ were observed upon recycling. After 4 recycles, the material maintained its photodegradation property; an eightfold increase in the efficiency of Ag₃PO₄ was observed in planktonic cells and a two fold increase in biofilm when irradiated under visible light. Thus, higher antifungal effectiveness against C. albicans was obtained when associated with visible-light irradiation.