Effects of Dietary n-3 LCPUFA Supplementation on the Hippocampus of Aging Female Mice: Impact on Memory,Lipid Raft-Associated Glutamatergic Receptors and Neuroinflammation

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA), essential molecules whose precursors must be dietary supplied, are highly represented in the brain contributing to numerous neuronal processes. Recent findings have demonstrated that LCPUFA are represented in lipid raft microstructures, where they favor molecular interactions of signaling complexes underlying neuronal functionality. During aging, the brain lipid composition changes affecting the lipid rafts’ integrity and protein signaling, which may induce memory detriment. We investigated the effect of a n-3 LCPUFA-enriched diet on the cognitive function of 6- and 15-months-old female mice. Likewise, we explored the impact of dietary n-3 LCPUFAs on hippocampal lipid rafts, and their potential correlation with aging-induced neuroinflammation. Our results demonstrate that n-3 LCPUFA supplementation improves spatial and recognition memory and restores the expression of glutamate and estrogen receptors in the hippocampal lipid rafts of aged mice to similar profiles than young ones. Additionally, the n-3 LCPUFA-enriched diet stabilized the lipid composition of the old mice’s hippocampal lipid rafts to the levels of young ones and reduced the aged-induced neuroinflammatory markers. Hence, we propose that n-3 LCPUFA supplementation leads to beneficial cognitive performance by “rejuvenating” the lipid raft microenvironment that stabilizes the integrity and interactions of memory protein players embedded in these microdomains.     

The Antimicrobial Peptide 1018-K6 Interacts Distinctly with Eukaryotic and Bacterial Membranes,the Basis of Its Specificity and Bactericidal Activity

Since penicillin was discovered, antibiotics have been critical in the fight against infections. However, antibiotic misuse has led to drug resistance, which now constitutes a serious health problem. In this context, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a natural group of short proteins, varying in structure and length, that act against certain types of bacterial pathogens. The antimicrobial peptide 1018-K6 (VRLIVKVRIWRR- NH2) has significant bactericidal and antibiofilm activity against Listeria monocytogenes isolates, and against different strains and serotypes of Salmonella. Here, the mechanism of action of 1018-K6 was explored further to understand the peptide–membrane interactions relevant to its activity, and to define their determinants. We combined studies with model synthetic membranes (liposomes) and model biological membranes, assessing the absorption maximum and the quenching of 1018-K6 fluorescence in aqueous and lipid environments, the self-quenching of carboxyfluorescein, as well as performing lipid sedimentation assays. The data obtained reflect the differential interactions of the 1018-K6 peptide with eukaryotic and prokaryotic membranes, and the specific interactions and mechanisms of action in the three prokaryotic species studied: Salmonella Typhimurium^2GN, Escherichia coli^3GN, and Staphylococcus aureus^3GP. The AMP 1018-K6 is a candidate to prevent (food preservation) or treat (antibiotic use) infections caused by certain pathogenic bacteria, especially some that are resistant to current antibiotics.     

Short-term memory errors for spoken syllables are affected by the linguistic structure of the syllables.

Three experiments on short-term serial memory for spoken syllables are reported. The stimuli were CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) syllables in Experiment 1, CCVs in Experiment 2, and VCCs in Experiment 3. Analyses of subjects' errors showed that the phonemes within a syllable were not equally free to break apart and recombine. Certain groups of phonemes—the vowel-final consonant group of a CVC, the initial cluster of a CCV, and a vowel-liquid group within a VCC—tended to behave as units. These results are consistent with the view that syllables are coded in terms of an onset (initial consonant or cluster) and a rime (remainder). Errors in short-term memory for spoken syllables are affected by the linguistic structure of the syllables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quasi‐isothermal DSC testing of epoxy adhesives using initial fast heating rates

Three major factors decrease the accuracy of the cure measurement in standard‐isothermal testing using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). First, cure occurs during the heating step. Second, data are lost during the stabilization period between the dynamic and isothermal step. Third, the baseline selection requires a modification to the protocol. An alternative, which is explored in this study, is the use of fast ramps, which decrease the heating time, but this has been avoided due to overshoot that occurs between the dynamic and isothermal step, which is troublesome for systems with autocatalytic kinetics. By mitigating these factors, a quasi‐isothermal protocol was developed. Therefore, more complete cure kinetics were captured with the implementation of fast DSC to decrease the ramp time and through the optimization of furnace parameters to decrease stabilization time and temperature overshoot. The data suggested this quasi‐isothermal analysis more accurately measured the isothermal curing kinetics of a commercial epoxy adhesive at 110, 115, and 120 °C for fast ramps of 175, 350, and 500 K/min compared to the traditional ramp of 5 K/min. The enthalpy spike at the dynamic to isothermal transition remains an issue; however, an empirical shift can be used to compensate for the enthalpy signal lag. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45425.     

Sediment Pulse Behaviour Following Dam Removal in Gravel‐Bed Rivers

As dams approach the end of their useful life, there is need to predict where and how accumulated sediment will move following dam removal to estimate and mitigate the impacts of this process on aquatic habitat and infrastructure. Flume studies suggest that sediment pulses disperse in place for most dams, but it is hypothesized that certain conditions (e.g., low Froude number, fine pulse grain size, small pulse sizes, and large peak discharge) may characterize pulses that translate downstream. However, quantitative analyses of sediment pulse behavior have not been widely conducted in field settings. We thus analyzed bathymetric data from four field sites in Oregon to investigate the reliability of flume‐derived hypotheses (1) whether dispersion or translation dominates across a range of dam removal physiographies using multiple methods of evaluation and (2) if Froude number, pulse material grain size, relative pulse size, and discharge can predict reservoir sediment movement mode. Results indicated that dispersion generally dominated pulse behavior in the field setting, with some limited evidence of translational movement in individual years. The Froude number appeared to be the most reliable for anticipating pulse behavior. Further work is needed to link generalized sediment pulse behavior to sediment mobilization and transport processes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization of freezing parameters for freeze-drying mango (Mangifera indica L.) slices

Today, there is an increasing trend toward consuming healthful food products, and dried fruits are one option for obtaining desirable nutrition in dehydrated products. Proper drying method selection is important for minimizing quality losses. Lyophilization (freeze-drying), a technique that removes water by sublimation at low temperature, can produce excellent dried products. Fast vacuum induction during freezing has been proposed as a way to control ice nucleation and to obtain enhanced lyophilized pharmaceutical products. However, this technique has not yet been applied to food freeze-drying. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of the freezing rate (0.4, 0.25, and 0.1°C/min), the minimum chamber pressure during vacuum-induced surface freezing (900, 700, and 500?mTorr) and the sample temperature at which the induced vacuum was applied (0, ?2, and ?4°C) on the total process time, final moisture content, rehydration capacity, total color difference, and total polyphenol content during the lyophilization of mango (Mangifera indica L.) slices. A Box–Behnken design with three factors at three levels was used to design the experiments, to generate the polynomial equations relating the dependent and independent variables, and to determine the optimal operational conditions. The results highlight the reduction of total process time (30%) at high freezing rates and the influence of the tested operating conditions on freeze-drying optimization. It was found that the optimal conditions that satisfy commercial quality goals were pressure between 500 and 650?mTorr, temperature between ?2 and 0°C, and freezing rate values close to 0.4°C/min.     

Serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT? receptors in an impulsive–aggressive phenotype.

In adult male hamsters, individual differences in offensive aggression are correlated with differences in impulsive choice and decreased serotonin (5-HT) innervation. As serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptors participate in the inhibition of aggression, whereas 5-HT?receptor activation facilitates aggression, the authors hypothesized that differences in their expression are associated with differences in behavior. The authors confirmed previous behavioral associations, using a delay-discounting paradigm with various delays, as high-aggression (H-Agg) hamsters preferred the immediate-reward lever over the delayed-reward lever under most delays, compared with low-aggression (L-Agg) hamsters. Although the authors observed a greater density of 5-HT1A receptor immunoreactivity in H-Agg hamsters within several areas, it appears to be related to a lack of serotonin release, as supported by further observations of decreased immunoreactive perikarya and 5-HT1A receptors in fluoxetine-treated hamsters. Also, 5-HT? receptor density was greater in H-Agg hamsters within select areas. The data indicate a convergence of impulsive and aggressive characteristics to one phenotype that is associated with various aspects of serotonin function, such as serotonin release and differential expression of 5-HT1A and 5-HT? receptors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The multiColl Package Versus Other Existing Packages in R to Detect Multicollinearity

Computational Economics - The main goal of this paper is to show the advantages of the multiColl package in R, comparing its results with other existing packages in R for the treatment of...