Terminal Mannose Residues in Seminal Plasma Glycoproteins of Infertile Men Compared to Fertile Donors

The impact of seminal plasma components on the fertilization outcomes in humans is still under question. The increasing number of couples facing problems with conception raises the need for predictive biomarkers. Detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms accompanying fertilization remains another challenge. Carbohydrate–protein recognition may be of key importance in this complex field. In this study, we analyzed the unique glycosylation pattern of seminal plasma proteins, the display of high-mannose and hybrid-type oligosaccharides, by means of their reactivity with mannose-specific Galanthus nivalis lectin. Normozoospermic infertile subjects presented decreased amounts of lectin-reactive glycoepitopes compared to fertile donors and infertile patients with abnormal semen parameters. Glycoproteins containing unveiled mannose were isolated in affinity chromatography, and 17 glycoproteins were identified in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization. The N-glycome of the isolated glycoproteins was examined in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. Eleven out of 27 identified oligosaccharides expressed terminal mannose residues, responsible for lectin binding. We suggest that lowered content of high-mannose and hybrid type glycans in normozoospermic infertile patients may be associated with impaired sperm protection from preterm capacitation and should be considered in the search for new infertility markers.     

Use of grape by‐product as a source of dietary fibre and phenolic compounds in sourdough mixed rye bread

The study evaluated the effect of grape by‐products (GP) on the chemical composition, soluble (SDF) and insoluble (IDF) dietary fibre, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (AA) and organoleptic characteristics of sourdough mixed rye bread. The following samples of sourdough mixed rye bread were prepared: control bread (BC) and breads with GP at four different levels: 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. Addition of GP significantly improves dietary fraction contents, as bread with a 10% addition of GP accounts for 39% and 37% higher contents of IDF and SDF than BC. The assay of radical‐scavenging activity and reducing ability showed that GP addition greatly enhanced antioxidant properties of mixed rye breads. Profiles of phenolic compounds of supplemented breads were dominated by procyanidin B1 and B2, catechin, epicatechin, caffeic acid and myricetin. With an increase in the level of GP, the hardness and gumminess of the bread significantly increase. Although both BC and supplemented breads showed common volatile compound profiles, there were slight differences in the concentrations of those components. Sensory evaluation of GP‐enhanced breads revealed that a maximum of 6% GP could be incorporated to prepare acceptable products.     

Characterization of catalysts obtained from rapidly quenched alloy precursors by electrochemical/chemical processes of material degradation—selected examples

Rapidly quenched amorphous alloys—containing metallic or metalloid elements—are precursors for selective catalysts of many technically important reactions. To increase their activity, various methods of material degradation occurring at the surface and in the bulk of the rapidly quenched alloys have been used for promoting the catalytic performance of such materials. The modifications of the structure, composition, and morphology of the substrate proved to be efficient in transforming inactive metal alloy precursors into active and selective catalysts for hydrogenation, and dehydrogenation of organic compounds, as well as for other processes like steam reforming of methanol. This article presents several examples of characterization of such catalysts and discusses their selectivity and activity in a connection with physical and chemical properties of their surfaces. Moreover, it is shown that scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry allowed the local changes occurring during the activation process to be identified and their implications for catalytic function to be considered.     

Analysis of torque developed in axial flux, single-phase brushless DC motor with salient-pole stator

An analysis of the torque developed by a single-phase disc brushless permanent magnet motor with salient-pole stator is presented. The machine represents a new family of brushless disc motors with the starting torque issue appearing to be most challenging. To produce a starting torque, the permanent magnets on one of the rotor discs are distributed nonuniformly. However, this significantly distorts a shape of the cogging torque versus rotational angle characteristic which, in turn, affects a waveform of the overall torque. A three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element model is used for the purpose of determining of angular variations of the torque developed by the motor. To find how the torque varies with time, a model of the source-inverter-motor circuit is developed. A simulation study on an influence of the commutation angle on the electromagnetic torque is also a subject of this paper. The results obtained show that the motor performance can be improved by a proper selection of the current commutation angle to reach the maximum efficiency. The simulation results are in good agreement with measurements obtained from a prototype motor.     

Extraction of diffuse objects from images by means of watershed and region merging: example of solar images.

This paper presents a new method for extraction of diffuse objects from images, which was developed for segmentation of solar images obtained from extreme-UV imaging telescope (EIT) experiments of the satellite SOHO mission. As a particular type of objects to be extracted coronal holes in EIT images have been chosen. The method described is based on the use of a watershed algorithm. The result of the watershed segmentation is a partition of the whole domain of the image into a large number of small regions. These regions are then combined in a region merging process. The proposed region merging algorithm iteratively adds the darkest regions and maximizes the average contrast between a current mask and a set of its neighboring regions. We show that the maximization of the average contrast gives segmentation results that are visually acceptable. Furthermore, this approach allows us to conduct the segmentation of EIT images independently of any explicit fine-tuning parameters. The proposed method was extensively tested on EIT images obtained at various times and various levels of solar activity, and we will show that it can be used independently of the local brightness level and the extent of coronal holes.     

A Photoexcited Porphyrin System as a Biomimetic Catalyst for D-limonene Biotransformation

A photoexcited porphyrin system has been found to be an efficient catalyst for D-limonene biotransformation. The catalyst showed high selectivity in hydroxylation of D-limonene. The best catalyst for limonene biotransformation was 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenylporphyrin (H₂TPP), which gave the highest accumulation of carvone and an unknown product with a verbenone-like mass spectrum. The highest conversion yield of these products was favoured at 1:2 molar ratio of H₂TPP to limonene. Some factors affecting the biotransformation yield were also investigated. Maximal yield of carvone was obtained in the medium containing 90% of the substrate, within the period of 18–36 h. Mechanism involved in limonene biotransformation catalysed by H₂TPP is also discussed.     

Time dependence of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity during germination of different cultivars of broccoli and radish seeds

Optimisation of the germination process of different cultivars of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica cv. Lucky, cv. Tiburon and cv. Belstar) and radish (Raphanus sativus cv. Rebel and cv. Bolide) seeds in relation to the content of glucosinolates (GLS), vitamin C and total antioxidant capacity was carried out in order to maximise the health-promoting properties of Brassica sprouts. The content of total and individual GLS varied between species, among cultivars, and germination time. Glucoraphanin in broccoli and glucoraphenin in radish were the predominant GLS in raw seeds (61–77 and 63–129 μmol/g DM, respectively) and, although their content decreased during germination, they were maintained in rather large proportions in sprouts. Vitamin C was not detected in raw seeds and its content increased sharply in broccoli and radish sprouts (162–350 and 84–113 mg/100 g DM, respectively). Raw brassica seeds are an excellent source of antioxidant capacity (64–90 and 103–162 μmol Trolox/g DM in broccoli and radish, respectively) and germination led to a sharp increase. Germination of broccoli cv. Belstar and radish cv. Rebel for 4 days provided the largest glucoraphanin and glucoraphenin content, respectively, and also brought about large amounts of vitamin C and antioxidant capacity.