Changes in soil carbon stock after cropland conversion to grassland in Russian temperate zone: measurements versus model simulation

The collapse of Soviet Union in early 1990s led to abandonment of large area of arable land which is assumed to act as a carbon (C) sink. We studied the ability of two dynamic soil C models (Yasso07 and RothC) to predict changes in soil C content after cropland abandonment. The performance of the models was compared using the results of a long-term experiment in Pushchino, Moscow region (54°50′N, 37°35′E) in Russia. The experiment was divided in four combinations of fertilizer or mowing treatments on former cropland soil. The soil C content was determined in the year of establishment (1980) and thereafter in 1999 and 2004. The soil C stocks increased by about 1.5- to 1.8-fold during the study period. Both models predicted the overall change in soil C relatively well (modelling efficiency of Yasso07 and RothC were 0.60 and 0.73, respectively). According to the models, the soil gained on average 140–150 g C m^?2 year^?1 during the first 5 years after conversion of cropland to grassland. The C sequestration rate decreased to 40–50 g C m^?2 year^?1 after 20 years of land use change. The sequestration rates estimated in this study are comparable to the rates observed in other studies.     

Nutrient Recommendations for Growing-up Milk: A Report of an Expert Panel

Utilization of expert recommendations in the development of food and beverage nutritional profiles represents an opportunity to merge science and food manufacturing to deliver nutritionally optimized products into the marketplace. This report details expert panel guidelines for the design of a nutritional product for children one to six years of age. This interaction demonstrates the essential synergy between academia and food manufacturers in translating nutrient recommendations to food for their delivery to a population. Important factors for such translation are the identification of applicable nutrient recommendations and selection of an appropriate delivery matrix. This report demonstrates the translation of expert nutritional recommendations to a milk-based product for children—one to six years of age.     

A new enzymatically produced 1-lactulose: A pilot study to test the bifidogenic effects

In a novel pilot plant scale process, lactulose was synthesized enzymatically, operating a maximum batch volume of 170 L. The test product was subjected to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot feeding study. Participants consumed a milk serum drink for 14 days, equalling a daily intake of about 3 g d⁻¹ galactosyl-fructoses. Additionally, the effect of industrially produced lactulose and a placebo drink without lactulose was determined. So far, clinical studies on the prebiotic action of lactulose only focussed on the effects of industrially generated lactulose. The intake of enzymatically synthesized lactulose significantly increased (p = 0.001) faecal bifidobacterial counts, while there was no difference with industrially produced lactulose. Analysis of the compounds showed that the drink with enzymatically synthesized lactulose contained an additional disaccharide, β-1,1-galactosyl-fructose. Presumably, this sugar has a bifidogenic effect and may represent a novel prebiotic.     

trans Fatty Acids in Colostrum,Mature Milk and Diet of Lactating Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to investigate the trans fatty acids (TFA) content and distribution in colostrum, mature milk, and diet of adolescent mothers, after TFA declaration in food labels became mandatory in Brazil. Participants were healthy adolescents (n 54, 15–19 years, 1–90 days postpartum) practicing exclusive breastfeeding. Milk samples were collected 3 days after delivery (colostrum) and in the third month postpartum (mature milk) by hand expression. The fatty acid composition of the milk samples was determined by gas chromatography. TFA intake corresponded to 1.23 % of total energy value. Total 18:2 TFA accounted for less than 0.5 % of the energy intake. The amount of total 18:1 TFA (mean ± SEM) was 1.9 % ± 0.14 in colostrum and 1.5 % ± 0.2 in mature milk. The total content of n‐3 PUFA was inversely correlated with the total content of 18:1 TFA in colostrum. Both in colostrum and in mature milk, vaccenic acid (11t‐18:1) was found to be the most abundant 18:1 trans isomer, followed by elaidic acid (9t‐18:1), whereas rumenic acid (9c,11t‐18:2 CLA) was the predominant 18:2 trans isomer. In conclusion, the levels of TFA of industrial sources found in the mother's diet and breast milk (colostrum and mature milk) showed a decrease in relation to those observed in studies conducted prior to the TFA labeling resolution in Brazil. However, the current low intake levels of n‐3 LCPUFA and DHA content in the milk of lactating adolescents may be insufficient for supporting adequate neurological development of the infants.     

In Vitro Activity of Copper(II) Complexes,Loaded or Unloaded into a Nanostructured Lipid System,against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused mainly by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), presenting 9.5 million new cases and 1.5 million deaths in 2014. The aim of this study was to evaluate a nanostructured lipid system (NLS) composed of 10% phase oil (cholesterol), 10% surfactant (soy phosphatidylcholine, sodium oleate), and Eumulgin^® HRE 40 ([castor oil polyoxyl-40-hydrogenated] in a proportion of 3:6:8), and an 80% aqueous phase (phosphate buffer pH = 7.4) as a tactic to enhance the in vitro anti-Mtb activity of the copper(II) complexes [CuCl₂(INH)₂]·H₂O (1), [Cu(NCS)₂(INH)₂]·5H₂O (2) and [Cu(NCO)₂(INH)₂]·4H₂O (3). The Cu(II) complex-loaded NLS displayed sizes ranging from 169.5 ± 0.7095 to 211.1 ± 0.8963 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) varying from 0.135 ± 0.0130 to 0.236 ± 0.00100, and zeta potential ranging from −0.00690 ± 0.0896 to −8.43 ± 1.63 mV. Rheological analysis showed that the formulations behave as non-Newtonian fluids of the pseudoplastic and viscoelastic type. Antimycobacterial activities of the free complexes and NLS-loaded complexes against Mtb H₃₇Rv ATCC 27294 were evaluated by the REMA methodology, and the selectivity index (SI) was calculated using the cytotoxicity index (IC₅₀) against Vero (ATCC^® CCL-81), J774A.1 (ATCC^® TIB-67), and MRC-5 (ATCC^® CCL-171) cell lines. The data suggest that the incorporation of the complexes into NLS improved the inhibitory action against Mtb by 52-, 27-, and 4.7-fold and the SI values by 173-, 43-, and 7-fold for the compounds 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The incorporation of the complexes 1, 2 and 3 into the NLS also resulted in a significant decrease of toxicity towards an alternative model (Artemia salina L.). These findings suggest that the NLS may be considered as a platform for incorporation of metallic complexes aimed at the treatment of TB.     

Hyperbranched polyglycerols,obtained from environmentally benign monomer,as reactive clays inhibitors for water‐based drilling fluids

To prevent the degradation of the borehole and also the disintegration and dispersion of drilled cuttings, different shale stabilizing additives are used in water‐based drilling fluids (WBFs). Glycols, poly(ethylene glycol), glycerols, and polyglycerol derivatives, also called polyols, have been used to inhibit shales containing reactive clays in WBF. These additives are normally used in conjunction with KCl to reduce clay swelling and dispersion of drilled cuttings. Highly branched polymers have become an important field in current polymer science. Such materials typically exhibit compact, globular structures in combination with an exceptionally high number of sites with functional groups. They have unique properties that differ significantly from their linear counterparts, and the hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG) is an important hyperbranched polymer that can be produced from an environmentally benign monomer, the glycerol carbonate. In this article, the clay inhibitive properties of hPG were evaluated by different test methods including bentonite inhibition test, cuttings recovery, and X‐ray diffraction measurements. The results show that the hPG has a great potential to be used as an environmental friendly inhibitor additive in WBFs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40384.