Quality and safety of maize (Zea mays L.) from Rondônia state storage units,Northern Brazil

The quality and safety of maize (Zea mays L.) from different grain storage units (GSUs), located in the main producing region of Rondônia State, Northern Brazil, were evaluated. Maize grains (n = 76) stored in four GSUs were collected from July to November 2014 and evaluated for grain damages, humidity, fungi and fumonisins (FBs) content. The climate conditions data were also obtained from plant growing to storage periods. Regarding the moisture content and water activity (a_w), these varied from 10.0% to 16.1% and 0.5 to 0.8, respectively. As expected, fungi spores were present in 94.8% of the samples, prevailing Fusarium genera, with a fungi colony maximum of 2.2 × 10⁴ CFU g^?1. Regarding FBs, 60.5% of the samples were contaminated, below Brazilian and United States maximum limits, but 9.2% had levels higher than the European legislation.     

Milk from cows fed a diet with a high forage:concentrate ratio improves inflammatory state,oxidative stress,and mitochondrial function in rats

Excessive energy intake may evoke complex biochemical processes characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairment of mitochondrial function that represent the main factors underlying noncommunicable diseases. Because cow milk is widely used for human nutrition and in food industry processing, the nutritional quality of milk is of special interest with respect to human health. In our study, we analyzed milk produced by dairy cows fed a diet characterized by a high forage:concentrate ratio (high forage milk, HFM). In view of the low n-6:n-3 ratio and high content of conjugated linoleic acid of HFM, we studied the effects of this milk on lipid metabolism, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in a rat model. To this end, we supplemented for 4 wk the diet of male Wistar rats with HFM and with an isocaloric amount (82 kJ, 22 mL/d) of milk obtained from cows fed a diet with low forage:concentrate ratio, and analyzed the metabolic parameters of the animals. Our results indicate that HFM may positively affect lipid metabolism, leptin:adiponectin ratio, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress, providing the first evidence of the beneficial effects of HFM on rat metabolism.     

An investigation of latency prediction for NoC-based communication architectures using machine learning techniques

The Journal of Supercomputing - Due to the increasing number of cores in Systems on Chip (SoCs), bus architectures have suffered with limitations regarding performance. As applications demand...     

Quality assurance and quality control of subgrade compaction using the dynamic cone penetrometer

The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) is a device that is used in the construction industry for the assessment of in situ soil compaction quality. Over the past few decades, numerous correlations have been developed between the DCP test results and soil strength and stiffness parameters. This paper proposes a comprehensive set of criteria and recommendations for quality control (QC) of compacted subgrade that take into account the inherent statistical variability of DCP test results. For the development of the QC criteria, a new statistical methodology is used to extract representative test values from the raw field DCP test data. In order to use the proposed QC criteria, soils are first classified into two broad categories (fine-grained and coarse-grained) depending on their fabric and response to compaction efforts. Test results indicate that (i) for fine-grained soils, the DCP test values have good correlation with the plasticity index (PI), which is indicative of the type and amount of clay content of the soil and (ii) for coarse-grained soils, the DCP test values have good correlation with the optimum water content of the soil, which is directly related to its in situ density. DCP blow count correlation equations are presented for both soil categories. Recommendations for field DCP testing and data analysis are also provided to highlight the significance of the statistical distribution of the DCP test results in QC testing of compacted subgrade.     

Optimized production of a high-performance hybrid biomaterial: biomineralized spider silk for bone tissue engineering

Silks have been widely used as biomaterials due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and excellent mechanical properties. In the present work, native spider silk was used as organic template for controlled nucleation of hydroxyapatite (HA) nano-coating that can act as biomimetic interface. Different bio-inspired neutralization methods and process parameters were evaluated to optimize the silk functionalization. The morphology and chemical composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis and mechanical properties were studied through tensile tests. Results showed that the optimized protocol enabled a controlled and homogeneous nucleation of apatite nano-crystals while maintaining silk mechanical performances after mineralization. This study reports the optimization of a simple and effective bio-inspired nucleation process for precise nucleation of HA onto spider silk templates, suitable to develop high-performance hybrid interfaces for bone tissue engineering. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48739.     

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Sewage Sludge: Analysis of Process Severity and Solid Content

Hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge was carried out with the aim to evaluate the influence of process severity and initial solid content. Response surface methodology was applied to model yield and C yield responses. Enhanced dewaterability performance was recorded under mild processing conditions. The treatment promoted concentration and immobilization of Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cu. Variation of the solid content showed a stronger influence than severity on average yield and C yield. Higher heating values (HHVs) and energy retention efficiencies (EREs) of hydrochars obtained at the lowest solid content displayed the lowest values. Hence, the energy requirements of a first dewatering step should be compared with the related improvement in terms of HHV and ERE when sludge is used as feedstock.     

Methanol and proton transport through chitosan-phosphotungstic acid membranes for direct methanol fuel cell

Composite chitosan-phosphotungstic acid membranes were synthesized by ionotropic gelation. Their liquid uptake is higher for thin membranes (23 ± 2 μm), while it is lower (~70%) for thicker membranes (50-70 μm). Polarization curves recorded using single module fuel cell at 70°C allowed to estimate a peak power density of 60 mW cm⁻² by using 1 M as methanol and low Pt and Pt/Ru loadings (0.5 and 3 mg cm⁻²) at the cathode and at the anode, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to estimate the membrane conductivity and to model the electrochemical behavior of methanol electrooxidation inside the fuel cell revealing a two-step mechanism mainly responsible of overall kinetic losses. Transport of methanol inside the membrane was studied by potentiostatic measurements, allowing to estimate a methanol diffusivity of 3.6 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹.     

Notch Signaling Regulation in Autoinflammatory Diseases

Notch pathway is a highly conserved intracellular signaling route that modulates a vast variety of cellular processes including proliferation, differentiation, migration, cell fate and death. Recently, the presence of a strict crosstalk between Notch signaling and inflammation has been described, although the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this interplay have not yet been fully unravelled. Disruptions in Notch cascade, due both to direct mutations and/or to an altered regulation in the core components of Notch signaling, might lead to hypo- or hyperactivation of Notch target genes and signaling molecules, ultimately contributing to the onset of autoinflammatory diseases. To date, alterations in Notch signaling have been reported as associated with three autoinflammatory disorders, therefore, suggesting a possible role of Notch in the pathogenesis of the following diseases: hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), Behçet disease (BD), and giant cell arteritis (GCA). In this review, we aim at better characterizing the interplay between Notch and autoinflammatory diseases, trying to identify the role of this signaling route in the context of these disorders.     

Serenoa repens and Urtica dioica Fixed Combination: In-Vitro Validation of a Therapy for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related chronic disorder, characterized by the hyperproliferation of prostatic epithelial and stromal cells, which drives prostate enlargement. Since BPH aetiology and progression have been associated with the persistence of an inflammatory stimulus, induced both by Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, the inhibition of these pathways could result in a good tool for its clinical treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of a combined formulation of Serenoa repens and Urtica dioica (SR/UD) in an in vitro human model of BPH. The results confirmed both the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory effects of SR/UD. In fact, SR/UD simultaneously reduced ROS production, NF-κB translocation inside the nucleus, and, consequently, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) production. Furthermore, the effect of SR/UD was also tested in a human androgen-independent prostate cell model, PC3. SR/UD did not show any significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, but was able to reduce NF-κB translocation. Taken together, these results suggested a promising role of SR/UD in BPH and BPH-linked disorder prevention.     

Gastric Adenocarcinomas and Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma: Unraveling Gastric Cancer Complexity through Microbiome Analysis—Deepening Heterogeneity for a Personalized Therapy

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most prevalent cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of global cancer mortality. With the advances of the omic studies, a heterogeneous GC landscape has been revealed, with significant molecular diversity. Given the multifaceted nature of GC, identification of different patient subsets with prognostic and/or predictive outcomes is a key aspect to allow tailoring of specific treatments. Recently, the involvement of the microbiota in gastric carcinogenesis has been described. To deepen this aspect, we compared microbiota composition in signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC), two distinct GC subtypes. To this purpose, 10 ADC and 10 SRCC and their paired non-tumor (PNT) counterparts were evaluated for microbiota composition through 16S rRNA analysis. Weighted and unweighted UniFrac and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity showed significant community-level separation between ADC and SRCC. Through the LEfSe (linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size) tool, we identified potential microbial biomarkers associated with GC subtypes. In particular, SRCCs were significantly enriched in the phyla Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Patescibacteria, whereas in the ADC type, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria phyla were found. Overall, our data add new insights into GC heterogeneity and may contribute to deepening the GC classification.