X-ray reflection tomography: a new tool for surface imaging

We report here a novel technique of surface imaging by X-ray reflection tomography utilizing an ordinary laboratory X-ray source. The technique utilizes the line projection, at different rotation angles, of the reflected beam from a highly reflecting patterned sample at grazing incidence. Filtered back-projection algorithm is applied to the line projection data to reconstruct an image of the pattern on the sample surface. Spatial resolution currently obtained is ~1.6 mm. Nonetheless, we have achieved high correlation between the original image and the reconstructed image. This work is the first step in future efforts of nondestructive X-ray imaging for buried surfaces and interfaces.     

Auraptene regulates gene expression involved in lipid metabolism through PPARα activation in diabetic obese mice

Scope: Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐α (PPARα) is a key regulator of circulating lipid level. Thus, various food‐derived compounds that activate PPARα as agonists have been screened and characterized. Methods and results: We investigated the effects of auraptene, a citrus‐derived compound serving as a PPARα agonist in vitro, on abnormalities in lipid and glucose metabolisms. In high‐fat‐diet (HFD)‐fed KK‐Ay diabetic obese mice, auraptene treatment suppressed hyperlipidemia and triglyceride accumulation in the liver and skeletal muscle, and increased the mRNA expression levels of the PPARα target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation in the liver and skeletal muscle. Moreover, the adipocyte size in the auraptene‐treated mice was significantly smaller than that in the control HFD‐fed mice resulting in the improvement of HFD‐induced hyperglycemia and abnormalities in glucose tolerance. Conclusions: These findings indicate that auraptene activates PPARα also in vivo and its treatment may improve abnormalities in lipid and glucose metabolisms, suggesting that auraptene is a valuable food‐derived compound for managing metabolic disorders.     

The Dual Role of the GABAA Receptor in Peripheral Inflammation and Neuroinflammation: A Study in Hyperammonemic Rats

Cognitive and motor impairment in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) are mediated by neuroinflammation, which is induced by hyperammonemia and peripheral inflammation. GABAergic neurotransmission in the cerebellum is altered in rats with chronic hyperammonemia. The mechanisms by which hyperammonemia induces neuroinflammation remain unknown. We hypothesized that GABA_A receptors can modulate cerebellar neuroinflammation. The GABA_A antagonist bicuculline was administrated daily (i.p.) for four weeks in control and hyperammonemic rats. Its effects on peripheral inflammation and on neuroinflammation as well as glutamate and GABA neurotransmission in the cerebellum were assessed. In hyperammonemic rats, bicuculline decreases IL-6 and TNFα and increases IL-10 in the plasma, reduces astrocyte activation, induces the microglia M2 phenotype, and reduces IL-1β and TNFα in the cerebellum. However, in control rats, bicuculline increases IL-6 and decreases IL-10 plasma levels and induces microglial activation. Bicuculline restores the membrane expression of some glutamate and GABA transporters restoring the extracellular levels of GABA in hyperammonemic rats. Blocking GABA_A receptors improves peripheral inflammation and cerebellar neuroinflammation, restoring neurotransmission in hyperammonemic rats, whereas it induces inflammation and neuroinflammation in controls. This suggests a complex interaction between GABAergic and immune systems. The modulation of GABA_A receptors could be a suitable target for improving neuroinflammation in MHE.     

Flavor challenges in extruded plant-based meat alternatives: A review

Demand for plant-based meat alternatives has increased in recent years due to concerns about health, ethics, the environment, and animal welfare. Nevertheless, the market share of plant-based meat alternatives must increase significantly if they are to support sustainable food production and consumption. Flavor is an important limiting factor of the acceptability and marketability of plant-based meat alternatives. Undesirable chemosensory perceptions, such as a beany flavor, bitter taste, and astringency, are often associated with plant proteins and products that use them. This study reviewed 276 articles to answer the following five research questions: (1) What are the volatile and nonvolatile compounds responsible for off-flavors? (2) What are the mechanisms by which these flavor compounds are generated? (3) What is the influence of thermal extrusion cooking (the primary structuring technique to transform plant proteins into fibrous products that resemble meat in texture) on the flavor characteristics of plant proteins? (4) What techniques are used in measuring the flavor properties of plant-based proteins and products? (5) What strategies can be used to reduce off-flavors and improve the sensory appeal of plant-based meat alternatives? This article comprehensively discusses, for the first time, the flavor issues of plant-based meat alternatives and the technologies available to improve flavor and, ultimately, acceptability.     

Biological control of Monilinia laxa and Rhizopus stolonifer in postharvest of stone fruit by Pantoea agglomerans EPS125 and putative mechanisms of antagonism

Treatment of stone fruits (apricot, peach and nectarine) with Pantoea agglomerans strain EPS125 decreased the incidence and diameter of lesions of brown rot caused by Monilinia laxa and soft rot caused by Rhizopus stolonifer. Root control was achieved on fruits either wounded and subsequently inoculated with the pathogens or non-wounded and naturally infected from orchards. The efficacy of biocontrol was dependent on the concentration of the biocontrol agent and pathogen. At medium to low pathogen dose, optimal EPS125 concentrations were above 10(7) CFU ml(-1). The median effective dose (ED(50)) of EPS125 was 4.5x10(4) in M. laxa and 2.2x10(5) CFU ml(-1) in R. stolonifer. However, EPS125 was more effective in M. laxa than in R. stolonifer as indicated by the ratio between ED(50) of the biocontrol agent and pathogen (K(z)/K(x)) which was 166 and 1263, respectively. Interactions between the strain EPS125 and the fruit surface, and M. laxa and R. stolonifer, were studied to determine the mechanisms of protection from postharvest rots. The strain EPS125 colonizes, grows and survives on stone fruit wounds. Significant inhibition of conidial germination and hyphal growth of R. stolonifer and M. laxa was achieved when the fungal and EPS125 cells were cocultivated on peel leachate or nectarine juice. However, no effect was observed when the antagonist and the pathogen cells were physically separated by a membrane filter which permits nutrient and metabolite interchange. Therefore, a direct interaction between the strain and the pathogen cells is necessary for antagonism, without a significant contribution of the production of antibiotic substances or nutrient competition. Preemptive exclusion by wound colonization and direct interaction with the pathogen is proposed as the mechanism of biocontrol.     

Biochemical and genetic characterization of a D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from Acidovorax sp. strain SA1

D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH; EC 1.1.1.30) from a poly(D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) degrading bacterium, Acidovorax sp. SA1, was purified using Toyopearl DEAE-650M, red-Sepharose CL-4B, and Q Sepharose FF. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated as 27 kDa by SDS-PAGE and 110 kDa by gel filtration. The gene encoding BDH was cloned and sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene product was purified in two steps with a high yield. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme purified from E. coli agreed with that of the purified enzyme from strain SA1. The BDH of strain SA1 had high amino acid sequence homology to that of Ralstonia eutropha H16. The Km values for D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate and NAD+ in the oxidation reaction were 4.5 x 10(-4) M and 8.9 x 10(-5) M, respectively. The Km values for acetoacetate and NADH in the reduction reaction were 2.4 x 10(-4) M and 2.9 x 10(-5) M, respectively.     

A simple and rapid immunochromatography test based on readily available filter paper modified with chitosan to screen for 13 sulfonamides in milk

In this study, we developed a novel, simple, rapid, and low-cost colloidal gold-based immunochromatography method, with filter paper replacing nitrocellulose membrane as the substrate. To obtain adequately immobilized protein, chitosan was used to functionalize the filter paper. After conditions and parameters were optimized, the novel immunochromatography method was applied for detection of sulfonamide residues in milk. Quantitative detection was accomplished using a smartphone and Photoshop software (Adobe Inc., San Jose, CA), allowing us to screen 13 sulfonamides with a limit of detection ranging from 0.42 to 8.64 μg/L and recovery ranging from 88.2 to 116.9% in milk. The proposed novel method performed similarly to the conventional method that uses a nitrocellulose membrane as the transport medium, and it had lower cost and better usability because of the inexpensive and easily available filter paper.     

Chemical-Sensory Characteristics and Consumer Responses of Blackcurrant Juices Produced by Different Industrial Processes

Four blackcurrant juices were produced in industrial scale to study the impact of different processes on the sensory-chemical characteristics and hedonic responses of consumers. Two juices were produced without enzymatic treatment of berries with or without further clarification and filtration. The residue was re-pressed using an enzyme-aided processing method to yield the third juice. The forth juice was obtained by conventional enzymatic processing of berries. The enzyme-aided juices were more astringent and bitter than the non-enzymatic juices, mostly due to higher contents of phenolic compounds, lower contents of sugars, and lower pH and sugar/acid ratio. Higher degree of polymerisation and lower procyanidin/prodelphinidin ratio in proanthocyanidins also contributed to higher intensities of astringencies of the enzyme-aided juices. Overall, the non-enzyme-aided juices received higher ranking in flavour, the enzyme-aided juices in odour. Sweetness, roundness, berryness, and high-sugar content were positive drivers for liking, whereas astringency, bitterness and high content of phenolic compounds were negative drivers. High-pectin content masked the astringency and bitterness of the juices. Higher liking ratings correlated with the previous consumption of blackcurrants and higher age of consumers. Gender showed clear impact on consumer rating of the juices. Males liked more enzyme-aided juices than females and vice versa with the juices produced without the use of enzymes. The processes investigated by this study maybe optimised for commercial production of juices targeted for different consumer groups.     

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of n-Al-ZnO/n-CdS/p-CIGS/p-Si/p-MoOx/Mo Tandem Solar Cell

Silicon - CdS/CIGS mono junction is a potential approach to produce an ultra-high efficiency and low-cost all-thin-film solar cell. In this article, a conventional mono junction with a maximum...     

Piezoelectric K0.5Na0.5NbO3 Ceramics Textured Using Needlelike K0.5Na0.5NbO3 Templates

Improved performance by texturing has become attractive in the field of lead‐free ferroelectrics, but the effect depends heavily on the degree of texture, type of preferred orientation, and whether the material is a rotator or extender ferroelectric. Here, we report on successful texturing of K_0.5Na_0.5NbO₃ (KNN) ceramics by alignment of needlelike KNN templates in a matrix of KNN powder using tape casting. Homotemplated grain growth of the needles was confirmed during sintering, resulting in a high degree of texture parallel to the tape casting direction (TCD) and the aligned needles. The texture significantly improved the piezoelectric response parallel to the tape cast direction, corresponding to the direction of the strongest <001>_pc orientation, while the response normal to the tape cast plane was lower than for a nontextured KNN. In situ X‐ray diffraction during electric field application revealed that non‐180° domain reorientation was enhanced by an order of magnitude in the TCD, compared to the direction normal to the tape cast plane and in the nontextured ceramic. The effect of texture in KNN is discussed with respect to possible rotator ferroelectric properties of KNN.