Sarcopenia: Etiology,Nutritional Approaches,and miRNAs

Sarcopenia, an age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass and function, dramatically affects the quality of life. Although there is a consensus that sarcopenia is a multifactorial syndrome, the etiology and underlying mechanisms are not yet delineated. Moreover, research about nutritional interventions to prevent the development of sarcopenia is mainly focused on the amount and quality of protein intake. The impact of several nutrition strategies that consider timing of food intake, anti-inflammatory nutrients, metabolic control, and the role of mitochondrial function on the progression of sarcopenia is not fully understood. This narrative review summarizes the metabolic background of this phenomenon and proposes an integral nutritional approach (including dietary supplements such as creatine monohydrate) to target potential molecular pathways that may affect reduce or ameliorate the adverse effects of sarcopenia. Lastly, miRNAs, in particular those produced by skeletal muscle (MyomiR), might represent a valid tool to evaluate sarcopenia progression as a potential rapid and early biomarker for diagnosis and characterization.     

A Synthetic MUC1 Glycopeptide Bearing βGalNAc‐Thr as a Tn Antigen Isomer Induces the Production of Antibodies against Tumor Cells

This study presents the synthesis of the novel protected O‐glycosylated amino acid derivatives 1 and 2 , containing βGalNAc‐SerOBn and βGalNAc‐ThrOBn units, respectively, as mimetics of the natural Tn antigen (αGalNAc‐Ser/Thr), along with the solid‐phase assembly of the glycopeptides NHAcSer‐Ala‐Pro‐Asp‐Thr[αGalNAc]‐Arg‐Pro‐Ala‐Pro‐Gly‐BSA ( 3 ‐BSA) and NHAcSer‐Ala‐Pro‐Asp‐Thr[βGalNAc]‐Arg‐Pro‐Ala‐Pro‐Gly‐BSA ( 4 ‐BSA), bearing αGalNAc‐Thr or βGalNAc‐Thr units, respectively, as mimetics of MUC1 tumor mucin glycoproteins. According to ELISA tests, immunizations of mice with βGalNAc‐glycopeptide 4 ‐BSA induced higher sera titers (1:320 000) than immunizations with αGalNAc‐glycopeptide 3 ‐BSA (1:40 000). Likewise, flow cytometry assays showed higher capacity of the obtained anti‐glycopeptide 4 ‐BSA antibodies to recognize MCF‐7 tumor cells. Cross‐recognition between immunopurified anti‐βGalNAc antibodies and αGalNAc‐glycopeptide and vice versa was also verified. Lastly, molecular dynamics simulations and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) showed that βGalNAc‐glycopeptide 4 can interact with a model antitumor monoclonal antibody (SM3). Taken together, these data highlight the improved immunogenicity of the unnatural glycopeptide 4 ‐BSA, bearing βGalNAc‐Thr as Tn antigen isomer.     

Tuning of PID controller based on a multiobjective genetic algorithm applied to a robotic manipulator

Most controllers optimization and design problems are multiobjective in nature, since they normally have several (possibly conflicting) objectives that must be satisfied at the same time. Instead of aiming at finding a single solution, the multiobjective optimization methods try to produce a set of good trade-off solutions from which the decision maker may select one. Several methods have been devised for solving multiobjective optimization problems in control systems field. Traditionally, classical optimization algorithms based on nonlinear programming or optimal control theories are applied to obtain the solution of such problems. The presence of multiple objectives in a problem usually gives rise to a set of optimal solutions, largely known as Pareto-optimal solutions. Recently, Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) have been applied to control systems problems. Compared with mathematical programming, MOEAs are very suitable to solve multiobjective optimization problems, because they deal simultaneously with a set of solutions and find a number of Pareto optimal solutions in a single run of algorithm. Starting from a set of initial solutions, MOEAs use iteratively improving optimization techniques to find the optimal solutions. In every iterative progress, MOEAs favor population-based Pareto dominance as a measure of fitness. In the MOEAs context, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) has been successfully applied to solving many multiobjective problems. This paper presents the design and the tuning of two PID (Proportional–Integral–Derivative) controllers through the NSGA-II approach. Simulation numerical results of multivariable PID control and convergence of the NSGA-II is presented and discussed with application in a robotic manipulator of two-degree-of-freedom. The proposed optimization method based on NSGA-II offers an effective way to implement simple but robust solutions providing a good reference tracking performance in closed loop.     

CONJUGATE HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER IN CONVECTIVE DRYING OF MULTIPARTICLE SYSTEMS. PART I: THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract

This is the first of two papers concerning conjugate transport in convective drying of multiparticle systems. In this study, a methodology for the solution of conjugate transport problems is proposed. The theoretical aspects and relevant assumptions are briefly discussed and the results for convective heat and mass transfer in assemblages of spheres are presented. It is shown that both heat and mass transfer rates for an assemblage of two spheres in tandem arragement are significantly different from those of a single sphere case, and that care should be taken when modeling multiparticle systems by means of single-particle analysis.     

CONJUGATE HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER IN CONVECTIVE DRYING OF MULTIPARTICLE SYSTEMS PART II: SOYBEAN DRYING

Abstract

This is the second of two papers concerning conjugate transport in convective drying of multiparticle systems. In the first paper (part 1), a solution methodology for conjugate transport problems was porposed and successfully tested for assemblages of spheres. This paper deals with the application of the proposed methodology to a soybean drying problem. The analysis in this study allowed certain phenomena, that are usually not present in single-kernel and deep-bed drying analyses, to be captured by the drying rate curves. The results presented here reinforce the need to take into account particle interactions when studying the drying mechanisms of multiparticle systems.     

Recovery of carbon dioxide from sugarcane fermentation broth in the ethanol industry

Ethanol is one alternative to the use of petroleum-based fuels. It is produced on a large scale in Brazil from sugarcane to the magnitude of billions of liters per year. During the ethanol production step, a considerable amount of byproducts is obtained and treated as waste. Carbon dioxide is one of these byproducts and a substance of interest especially for food industries. Because the production of 1000 kg of ethanol generates approximately 950 kg of CO₂, this work intends to analyze a cryogenic distillation process for the production of CO₂ by means of computational simulations. The results obtained were in agreement with real operational conditions, achieving CO₂ concentrations up to 100% (v/v). With an initial CO₂ concentration of 95% (v/v), 7 separation stages were obtained, achieving the limit of 5 stages for higher CO₂ concentrations in the raw gas. The effect of initial CO₂ concentrations on the final product and the concentration profiles along the column are also presented. In order to optimize the process, it was observed that, for a maximum feed flow of 3333 kg/h (CO₂ concentration of 99%), the plant was able to obtain 10.48 kgCO₂/kW, recovering about 2828 kgCO₂/h at a final product concentration of 99.90% (v/v) at ?25 °C.     

Anticoagulant, Antioxidant and Antitumor Activities of Heterofucans from the Seaweed Dictyopteris delicatula

In the present study, six families of sulfated polysaccharides were obtained from seaweed Dictyopteris delicatula by proteolytic digestion, followed by acetone fractionation and molecular sieving on Sephadex G-100. Chemical analyses demonstrated that all polysaccharides contain heterofucans composed mainly of fucose, xylose, glucose, galactose, uronic acid, and sulfate. The fucans F0.5v and F0.7v at 1.0 mg/mL showed high ferric chelating activity (～45%), whereas fucans F1.3v (0.5 mg/mL) showed considerable reducing power, about 53.2% of the activity of vitamin C. The fucan F1.5v presented the most prominent anticoagulant activity. The best antiproliferative activity was found with fucans F1.3v and F0.7v. However, F1.3v activity was much higher than F0.7v inhibiting almost 100% of HeLa cell proliferation. These fucans have been selected for further studies on structural characterization as well as in vivo experiments, which are already in progress.     

Electrochemical corrosion characterization of Al-Ni alloys in a dilute sodium chloride solution

The aim of this study is to characterize the electrochemical corrosion resistance of Al-Ni alloy samples which were directionally solidified under upward unsteady state heat flow conditions. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization techniques were used to analyze the corrosion resistance in a dilute 0.05 M NaCl solution at 25 °C. Equivalent circuit analyses were also conducted. It was found that microstructural features such as the dendritic arrangement and the distribution of Al₃Ni intermetallic particles have important roles on both the resulting pitting potential and the general corrosion resistance of Al-Ni alloys.     

Characterisation of Phenolic Compounds in Oils Produced from Frosted Olives

Frost is one of the most important weather related hazards for the Australian olive industry and it has caused significant economic losses during the last decade. Its impact on oil quality was significant in 2006 with more than 20% of Australian oil of that year being affected to some degree. Early frosts will normally affect the fruit leading to significant changes in the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the oils. The aim of this work was to study the effect of freeze damage on the phenolic composition and quality parameters of oils from three different varieties: Frantoio, Barnea and Picual. Quality chemical parameters showed significant differences in oils produced from fruit that was frozen for 2 and 4 weeks. Those chemical parameters were not significantly different in the oil produced from fruit immediately after being frosted. Nonetheless, the sensorial profile and the polyphenols showed significant changes even with oils produced within a short time after the freezing event. Those changes became more evident with the oils produced at increasing time from the moment of fruit freezing.