Monitoring of malting process by characterization of glycation of barley protein Z

Glycation is a common form of non-enzymatic modification that influences the properties of proteins. Although occurrence of protein glycation in food is known for several years, qualitative and quantitative analysis of its reaction products is still a challenging task. Our attention was focused on monitoring of changes in the glycation degree of protein Z, one of the most important protein components of barley malt that influences the properties of beer. The modification during the malting period was studied by a combination of gel electrophoresis, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Water soluble proteins were extracted from barley grains at different times of malting and separated by gel electrophoresis. Protein Z was clearly identified in the band at a position of about 43 kDa and further studied by MS with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization technique in detail. From the analysis, we found that protein Z glycation is detectable from the second day of malting. The glycated peptide was observed as a weak signal of m/z 2,619 in the MS spectrum. To confirm the presence of glycation, the MS/MS experiments of both unmodified (m/z 2,457) and modified peptides (m/z 2,619) were carried out. We successfully established a procedure based on the monitoring of glycated peptides in positive reflectron mode to monitor the progress of malting using protein Z as a model protein that might be a potential marker reflecting this technological process. We also demonstrated the high suitability of MS/MS analyses to provide more structural information on peptide modifications.     

Can the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) deliver?

The paper investigates whether the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol has played a significant role in the development of rural communities, specifically investigating uptake of small-scale renewable energy projects. The investigation involved an assessment of 500 registered small-scale CDM projects under the Kyoto Protocol in terms of their potential impact on the envisaged sustainable development goals for rural communities. Five case studies from the Indian subcontinent were also examined.     

The transition to renewables: Can PV provide an answer to the peak oil and climate change challenges?

This paper explores energy and physical resource limitations to transitioning from fossil fuels to the large-scale generation of electricity with photovoltaic arrays. The model finds that business as usual models, which involve growth rates in world electricity demand of between 2% and 3.2% p.a., exhibit severe material difficulties before the end of this century. If the growth rate is lowered to 1% p.a., then it may be possible to reach the year 2100 before such difficulties, but it is likely that material constraints will occur early the next century. Steady state scenarios show that silicon based photovoltaic panels could, however, displace fossil fuels before the middle of the century, providing around the same order of magnitude as present (2010) world electricity demand. Scenarios also show that outcomes will be highly dependent upon the rate of improvement of photovoltaic technologies. The analysis does not contend that silicon PV technology is the only technology that will or can be adopted, but as the embodied energy content per kWh generated of this technology is similar to other renewable technologies, such as other solar technologies and wind, it can provide a baseline for examining a transition to a mixture of renewable energy sources.     

Hobart: – Explosion Without Growth

Much discussion on urban development focuses on a direct relationship between population growth and urban growth. This assumption underlies popular thinking about our cities and the way in which they grow and develop. It was well expressed in a recent statement attributed to the Economic Planning Advisory Council;