Prevention of bread mould spoilage by using lactic acid bacteria with antifungal properties

The ability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to inhibit Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, the main contaminants in bread, was evaluated. Only four strains (Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 778, Lactobacillus reuteri CRL 1100, and Lactobacillus brevis CRL 772 and CRL 796) from 95 strains tested displayed antifungal activity. The major antifungal compounds were acetic and phenyllactic acids. The fermentation quotient (FQ = 2.0) and the leaven volume (80 cm³) of doughs with LB and yeasts were higher than doughs without LB. The inclusion of antifungal LAB strains in the starter culture allowed a reduction in the concentration of calcium propionate by 50% while still attaining a shelf life similar to that of traditional bread containing 0.4% CP.     

Incorporating the Raft consensus protocol in containers managed by Kubernetes: an evaluation

Replication is a technique widely used to improve the reliability of applications. State machine replication is a special approach, where a set of computers are kept synchronised in the same state despite of failures that could occur in the system. The Raft algorithm can be used to implement a total order delivery protocol, delivering requests at the same order at all replicas, which is fundamental since in this approach all replicas must execute the same sequence of requests to present the same evolution in their states. Raft is easy to understand and implement, when compared to the Paxos algorithm. On the other hand, virtualisation can be seen as a technique that helps the development of reliable applications since it maintains each virtual machine (VM) isolated from the others. Virtualisation in data centres is changing from the traditional VMs to containers. In this context, this paper proposes KRaft, an incorporation of Raft in Kubernetes, a system that manages containers. After an evaluation of performance and resource consumption of KRaft, we found that it presents performance close to Raft executing on physical machines. Moreover, KRaft demands more network transmission while Raft executed in physical machines needs more processing power and memory.     

Preparation and evaluation of inclusion complexes of commercial sunscreens in cyclodextrins and montmorillonites: performance and substantivity studies

Herein we describe inclusion complexes of commercial sunscreens in cyclodextrins and montmorillonites to generate new sunscreen derivatives with optimized functional properties such as water resistance and skin adherence. Four cyclodextrins (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrin, and beta-dimethyl cyclodextrin) and two montmorillonites (sodium and alkylammonium) were investigated for encapsulating some commercial sunscreens. Our results reveal a good yield and inclusion products with functional properties obtained by using kneading technique on Eusolex 2292 and Eusolex 6007 in beta-cyclodextrin and solubilization method on Eusolex 6007 and NeoHeliopan MA in montmorillonite. In addition, molecular modeling studies indicated flexibility as important for the intercalation of the host molecule.     

The microscopical characterization of membranes poly (<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-glycolic-co-lactic acid) with and without added plasticizer: an in vivo study

The development of biodegradable materials has lead to renewed interest in the study of their interactions with the host organism in order to make the resulting products appropriate for use as temporary materials in clinical research, as well as important therapeutic applications. The copolymer poly (l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) or PLGA membranes have been used for several purposes. The physical properties of these materials can be modified by the addition of a plasticizer, such as the triethylcitrate, to provide flexibility and porosity to the implants, and enhance control of the polymer degradation time. Membranes with 7% plasticizer and without plasticizer (triethylcitrate) were compared. Membranes without plasticizer were denser and more compact than those with plasticizer. Two days and 30 days after implantation, the membranes with and without plasticizer showed little degradation. Sixty days and 120 days after implantation, the membranes with 7% plasticizer showed more cell invasion, and tissue adherence, as well as rapid degradation when compared to membranes without plasticizer.     

TiO2 doped with nitrogen: synthesis and characterization

In this study, nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders were synthesized in two ways: by heating of titanium hydroxide with urea and by direct hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) with ammonium hydroxide. The samples were characterized by structural (XRD), analytical (XPS), optical (UV/Vis absorption/reflection and Raman spectroscopy) and morphological (SEM, TEM) techniques. The characterization suggested that the doped materials have anatase crystalline form without any detectable peaks that correspond to dopants. The absorption threshold of titanium dioxide was moved in the visible range of optical spectrum from 3.2 eV to 2.20 eV. Particle sizes of synthesized powders were obtained from XRD measurements and from TEM data ranging from 6-20 nm. XPS and Raman spectroscopy were used for detection of nitrogen in doped samples.     

Contributing to Understand the Crosstalk between Brain and Periphery in Methylmercury Intoxication: Neurotoxicity and Extracellular Vesicles

Human exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) is currently high in regions such as the Amazon. Understanding the molecular changes associated with MeHg-induced neurotoxicity and the crosstalk with the periphery is essential to support early diagnoses. This work aimed to evaluate cellular and molecular changes associated with behavioral alterations in MeHg acute exposure and the possible changes in extracellular vesicles (EVs) number and S100β content. Adults male Wistar rats were orally treated with 5 mg/kg for four days. Behavioral performance, molecular and histological changes in the cerebellum, and plasma EVs were assessed. MeHg-intoxicated animals performed significantly worse in behavioral tests. MeHg increased the number of GFAP+ cells and GFAP and S100β mRNA expression in the cerebellum but no change in NeuN+ or IBA-1+ cells number was detected. The number of exosomes isolated from plasma were decreased by the metal. S100B mRNA was detected in circulating plasma EVs cargo in MeHg exposure. Though preliminary, our results suggest astrocytic reactivity is displaying a protective role once there was no neuronal death. Interestingly, the reduction in exosomes number could be a new mechanism associated with MeHg-induced neurotoxicity and plasma EVs could represent a source of future biomarkers in MeHg intoxication.     

Production of biodiesel at small-scale (10 L) for local power generation

The transesterification reaction of two different types of raw materials, a refined cooking oil and a used cooking sample, was performed at small scale (10 L) at the constant temperature of 65 °C. The effects of several reaction parameters, such as KOH wt% with respect to the oil weight, methanol/oil molar ratio and reaction time, were investigated. Biodiesel yields as good as 97.5 and 93.2% were achieved for the refined and the cooking oils, respectively, in the following conditions: 1.2 wt% of KOH as catalyst, a methanol/oil molar ratio of 6:1 and reaction time of 60 min.The properties of the biodiesel obtained starting from the used cooking oil are as good as those of the biodiesels obeying the European standards. The resulting product was used in a diesel electricity generator engine, which operated in real conditions. The results showed that biodiesel combustion leads to higher concentration of CO and to a lower emission of NO_x as compared to a petrodiesel-fueled engine. An optimization of the operating parameters of the engine would guarantee lower CO emissions in conformity with the regulation.