Effect of Dipping Pre-treatment with Unripe Grape Juice on Dried “Golden Delicious” Apple Slices

The consumption of apple chips is increasing in the last decades because of the consumer’s preferences towards healthy snacks. However, the enzymatic browning, which is attributed mainly to polyphenol oxidase (PPO, EC 1.10.3.1) activity, negatively affects the sensory, nutritional, and antioxidant properties of dried apples as a consequence of the oxidation of phenolic substrates during post-harvest stages. The antibrowning and antioxidant effects of dipping pre-treatments with unripe grape juice as well as reference formulations including a mixture of 1% w/v ascorbic acid and 1% w/v citric acid, 6% w/v NatureSeal®, and 0.1% w/v sodium metabisulfite were evaluated by spectrophotometric and colorimetric assays on dried “Golden Delicious” apple slices. Based on HPLC analysis, the treated apple slices were enriched with bioactive compounds which effectively improved antioxidant capacity and limited enzymatic browning by increasing lightness, reducing color change, and inhibiting PPO activity. Hence, the juice of unripe grapes recovered as agricultural wastes during bunch thinning of vineyards could be proposed as a safe, inexpensive, and eco-friendly alternative to conventional antibrowning treatments in apple processing.     

Bubble Evolution on Different Carbon Anode Designs in Cryolite Melt

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - The anode potential has been shown to be highly dependent on anode geometry and orientation in the Hall–Héroult process. This work is an...     

Comparative structural studies of poly(heptamethylene p,p′‐bibenzoate) by X‐ray diffraction,positron annihilation and microhardness

The structure of quenched samples of a polybibenzoate with a spacer containing seven methylene units has been studied by wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS), microhardness (MH) methods and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). It was established that the quenched samples of poly(heptamethylene p,p′‐bibenzoate) (P7MB) contain three phases simultaneously: smectic liquid crystalline, amorphous, and a small amount of crystalline one. The d‐spacing of the crystal peaks, together with the crystal and smectic domain dimensions in the direction normal to the mesogen planes and the factor of paracrystallinity, were calculated. The average distance between macromolecules determined from the position of the amorphous halo correlates with the open pore diameter obtained by the PALS analysis. On the basis of MH measurements it was considered that the phases are not uniformly distributed in the depth of the sample, so that the smectic phase prevails in the surface layer while the inner layers are partially crystalline. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Structural and Dynamical Insight into PPARγ Antagonism: In Silico Study of the Ligand-Receptor Interactions of Non-Covalent Antagonists

The structural and dynamical properties of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) nuclear receptor have been broadly studied in its agonist state but little is known about the key features required for the receptor antagonistic activity. Here we report a series of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in combination with free energy estimation of the recently discovered class of non-covalent PPARγ antagonists. Their binding modes and dynamical behavior are described in details. Two key interactions have been detected within the cavity between helices H3, H11 and the activation helix H12, as well as with H12. The strength of the ligand-amino acid residues interactions has been analyzed in relation to the specificity of the ligand dynamical and antagonistic features. According to our results, the PPARγ activation helix does not undergo dramatic conformational changes, as seen in other nuclear receptors, but rather perturbations that occur through a significant ligand-induced reshaping of the ligand-receptor and the receptor-coactivator binding pockets. The H12 residue Tyr473 and the charge clamp residue Glu471 play a central role for the receptor transformations. Our results also demonstrate that MD can be a helpful tool for the compound phenotype characterization (full agonists, partial agonists or antagonists) when insufficient experimental data are available.     

Kinetics of thermal degradation of some anthocyanidin-3,5-diglucosides

Summary The kinetics of thermal degradation of 5 anthocyanidin-3.5-diglucosidec, depending on the temperature, the pH and the composition of the solvent, have been investigated. It has been established that the thermal degradation reaction at 78, 88, 98, and 108° C (pH 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5) is a first-order reaction both in a buffer and in juice. The temperature, the pH of the solution and the substitutes in the phenolic side ring exert their influence on the rate of degradation the biochemical composition of the solvent does not influence it significantly.

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Die kinetik des thermischen abbaues von einigen anthocyanidin-3,5-diglucosiden

Zusammenfassung Die Kinetik des thermischen Abbaues von fünf Anthocyanidin-3,5-diglucosiden wurde in Abhängigkeit von Temperatur, pH-Wert und Zusammensetzung des Lösungsmittels untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß der thermische Abbau bei 78, 88, 98 und 108° C und pH-Werten von 2,5, 3,5 und 4,5 in Puffer wie in Saft eine Reaktion erster Ordnung ist. Temperatur, pH-Wert der Lösung und Substitution am Seiten-Phenolring beeinflussen die Geschwindigkeit des Abbaues. Die Zusammensetzung des Lösungsmittels dagegen übt keinen wesentlichen Einfluß aus.

     

Oxidized g‐C3N4 Nanospheres as Catalytically Photoactive Linkers in MOF/g‐C3N4 Composite of Hierarchical Pore Structure

A unique composite of the copper‐based metal–organic framework (Cu‐benzene tricarboxylic acid (BTC)) with oxidized graphitic carbon nitride nanospheres is synthesized. For comparison, a hybrid material consisting of g‐C₃N₄ and Cu‐BTC is also obtained. Their surface features are analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, sorption of nitrogen, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, photoluminescence, and diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy. The results suggest that the formed nanospheres of oxidized g‐C₃N₄ act as linkers between the copper sites, playing a crucial role in the composite building process. Their incorporation to the Cu‐BTC framework causes the development of new mesoporosity. Remarkable alterations in the optical properties, as a result of the coordination of oxygen containing functional groups of the oxidized graphitic carbon nitride to the copper atoms of the framework, suggest an increase in photoreactivity. On the other hand, for the hybrid material consisting of Cu‐BTC and g‐C₃N₄, the unaltered pore volume and optical properties support the formation of a physical mixture rather than of a composite. The tests on reactive adsorption and detoxification of G‐series organophosphate nerve agent surrogate show the enhanced performance of the composite as catalysts and photocatalyst in visible light.     

Morphometric and Nanomechanical Features of Platelets from Women with Early Pregnancy Loss Provide New Evidence of the Impact of Inherited Thrombophilia

Pregnancy is associated with hypercoagulation states and increased thrombotic risk, especially in women with thrombophilia. We combine atomic force microscopy (AFM) and flow cytometry to examine the morphology and nanomechanics of platelets derived from women with early pregnancy loss (EPL) and control pregnant (CP) and non-pregnant (CNP) women. Both control groups exhibit similar morphometric parameters (height and surface roughness) and membrane stiffness of platelets. EPL patients’ platelets, on the other hand, are more activated than the control groups, with prominent cytoskeletal rearrangement. In particular, reduced membrane roughness (22.9 ± 6 nm vs. 39.1 ± 8 nm) (p < 0.05) and height (692 ± 128 nm vs. 1090 ± 131 nm) (p < 0.05), strong alteration in the membrane Young modulus, increased production of platelets’ microparticles, and higher expression of procoagulant surface markers, as well as increased occurrence of thrombophilia (FVL, FII20210A, PLA1/A2, MTHFR C677T or 4G/5G PAI-1) polymorphisms were found. We suggest that the carriage of thrombophilic mutations triggers structural and nanomechanical abnormalities in platelets, resulting in their increased activation. The activation state of platelets can be well characterized by AFM, and the morphometric and nanomechanical characteristics might serve as a new criterion for evaluation of the cause of miscarriage and offer the prospect of an innovative approach serving for diagnostic purposes.     

Structural similarity-based object tracking in multimodality surveillance videos

This paper addresses the problem of object tracking in video sequences for surveillance applications by using a recently proposed structural similarity-based image distance measure. Multimodality surveillance videos pose specific challenges to tracking algorithms, due to, for example, low or variable light conditions and the presence of spurious or camouflaged objects. These factors often cause undesired luminance and contrast variations in videos produced by infrared sensors (due to varying thermal conditions) and visible sensors (e.g., the object entering shadowy areas). Commonly used colour and edge histogram-based trackers often fail in such conditions. In contrast, the structural similarity measure reflects the distance between two video frames by jointly comparing their luminance, contrast and spatial characteristics and is sensitive to relative rather than absolute changes in the video frame. In this work, we show that the performance of a particle filter tracker is improved significantly when the structural similarity-based distance is applied instead of the conventional Bhattacharyya histogram-based distance. Extensive evaluation of the proposed algorithm is presented together with comparisons with colour, edge and mean-shift trackers using real-world surveillance video sequences from multimodal (infrared and visible) cameras.     

Selective Silencing of Disease-Associated B Lymphocytes from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Patients by Chimeric Protein Molecules

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is one of the most common endocrine disorders, affecting up to 20% of the adult population. No treatment or prevention exists except hormonal substitution for hypothyroidism. We hypothesize that it may be possible to selectively suppress anti-thyroglobulin (Tg) IgG antibody-producing B lymphocytes from HT patients by a chimeric protein molecule containing a monoclonal antibody specific for the human inhibitory receptor CR1, coupled to peptide epitopes derived from Tg protein. We expect that this treatment will down-regulate B-cell autoreactivity by delivering a strong inhibitory signal. Three peptides—two epitope-predicted ones derived from Tg and another irrelevant peptide—were synthesized and then coupled with monoclonal anti-human CR1 antibody to construct three chimeric molecules. The binding to CD35 on human B cells and the effects of the chimeric constructs on PBMC and TMC from patients with HT were tested using flow cytometry, ELISpot assay, and immunoenzyme methods. We found that after the chemical conjugation, all chimeras retained their receptor-binding capacity, and the Tg epitopes could be recognized by anti-Tg autoantibodies in the patients’ sera. This treatment downregulated B-cell autoreactivity and cell proliferation, inhibited Tg-specific B-cell differentiation to plasmablasts and promoted apoptosis to the targeted cells. The treatment of PBMCs from HT patients with Tg-epitope-carrying chimeric molecules affects the activity of Tg-specific autoreactive B lymphocytes, delivering to them a strong suppressive signal.