Endogenous Enzymatic Activity in Dentin Treated with a Chitosan Primer

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of chitosan polymer on dentinal enzymatic activity by means of gelatin and in situ zymography. Human dentin was frozen and ground in a miller. Dentin powder aliquots were demineralized with phosphoric acid and treated with three different concentrations of lyophilized chitosan polymer (1, 0.5 and 0.1 wt%) dissolved in distilled water. Dentin proteins were extracted from each experimental group and electrophoresed under non-reducing conditions in 10% SDS-PAGE containing fluorescein-labeled gelatin. After 48 h in the incubation buffer at 37 °C, proteolytic activity was registered under long-wave UV light scanner and quantified by using Image J software. Furthermore, additional teeth (n = 4) were prepared for the in situ zymographic analysis in unrestored as well as restored dentin pretreated with the same chitosan primers. The registered enzymatic activity was directly proportional to the chitosan concentration and higher in the restored dentin groups (p < 0.05), except for the 0.1% chitosan primer. Chitosan 0.1% only showed faint expression of enzymatic activity compared to 1% and 0.5% concentrations. Chitosan 0.1% dissolved in water can produce significant reduction in MMPs activity and could possibly contribute to bond strength preservation over time.     

Efficiency of fly ash belite cement and zeolite matrices for immobilizing cesium

The efficiency of innovative matrices for immobilizing cesium is presented in this work. The matrix formulation included the use of fly ash belite cement (FABC-2-W) and gismondine-type Na-P1 zeolite, both of which are synthesized from fly ash of coal combustion. The efficiency for immobilizing cesium is evaluated from the leaching test ANSI/ANS 16.1-1986 at the temperature of 40 degrees C, from which the apparent diffusion coefficient of cesium is obtained. Matrices with 100% of FABC-2-W are used as a reference. The integrity of matrices is evaluated by porosity and pore-size distribution from mercury intrusion porosimetry, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption analyses. Both matrices can be classified as good solidify systems for cesium, specially the FABC-2-W/zeolite matrix in which the replacement of 50% of belite cement by the gismondine-type Na-P1 zeolite caused a decrease of two orders of magnitude of cesium mean Effective Diffusion Coefficient (D(e)) (2.8e-09 cm(2)/s versus 2.2e-07 cm(2)/s, for FABC-2-W/zeolite and FABC-2-W matrices, respectively).     

Optical characterizations of ZnO, SnO2, and TiO2 thin films for butane detection

The optogeometric properties of various sensitive thin films involved in gas sensing applications are investigated by using the m-line technique and atomic force microscopy. Variations of these optical properties are studied under butane and ozone exposure.     

Controlled DNA-templated metal deposition: towards ultra-thin nanowires

In this paper, we report the metallization of a dsDNA template using a novel photography-derived two-step strategy in which dsDNA is first complexed with Ag(I) ions and then irradiated with UV light at 254 nm. The nucleobases act as light harvesters and sensitizers, triggering the photoreduction of the complexed silver ions. This process yields a silver nanoparticles blueprint along the DNA strand. The silver latent image is then developed by depositing metallic nickel through an electroless plating process. This photography-derived procedure generates very homogeneous and evenly distributed strings of silver-core/nickel-shell nanoparticles. Although still discontinuous, we believe that such chains can serve as the base for obtaining continuous metal nanowires. Furthermore, this process can most likely be extended to other plating metals, resulting in a broadly general procedure for metallizing DNA with a variety of different materials. Because of the intrinsic simplicity in using light as the key step, this methodology might be amenable to large-scale development, eventually leading to a very efficient molecular-photolithography process.     

Robust Indoor Positioning Provided by Real-Time RSSI Values in Unmodified WLAN Networks

The positioning methods based on received signal strength (RSS) measurements, link the RSS values to the position of the mobile station(MS) to be located. Their accuracy depends on the suitability of the propagation models used for the actual propagation conditions. In indoor wireless networks, these propagation conditions are very difficult to predict due to the unwieldy and dynamic nature of the RSS. In this paper, we present a novel method which dynamically estimates the propagation models that best fit the propagation environments, by using only RSS measurements obtained in real time. This method is based on maximizing compatibility of the MS to access points (AP) distance estimates. Once the propagation models are estimated in real time, it is possible to accurately determine the distance between the MS and each AP. By means of these distance estimates, the location of the MS can be obtained by trilateration. The method proposed coupled with simulations and measurements in a real indoor environment, demonstrates its feasibility and suitability, since it outperforms conventional RSS-based indoor location methods without using any radio map information nor a calibration stage.     

Osmotic dehydrofreezing of strawberries: Polyphenolic content, volatile profile and consumer acceptance

We evaluated dehydrofreezing in strawberries in terms of retention of healthy compounds (i.e. polyphenolics) and sensory qualities for direct consumption in substitution of fresh fruit. Different osmodehydration (OD at 30 °C and 5 °C), vacuum osmodehydration (VOD at 30 °C) and immersion chilling freezing (ICF) processes were applied in sucrose syrup. Samples were analyzed for dry matter, soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, mass transfers, polyphenolic content by HPLC-DAD/MSD, volatile profile by SPME-GC/MSD and consumer acceptance. The results of sensory evaluation, in particular, confirmed the cryoprotective effects of osmotic processes of fruits with respect to untreated frozen control samples. The OD samples at 5 °C presented a water loss to solid gain ratio comparable to OD at 30 °C and VOD samples. Moreover, while osmo-dehydrofreezing at relatively high temperatures caused a slight depletion of phenolic compounds, the samples osmodehydrated at 5 °C showed higher polyphenolic retention. Data on aromatic compounds showed that some compounds increased (e.g. ethanol and acetaldehyde), while others did not appear to be affected by the pre-treatments.     

Cationic photocured epoxy nanocomposites filled with different carbon fillers

In this work, the effect of several carbon fillers, exfoliated graphite (EG), functionalized graphene sheets (FGS), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs), were compared on the curing process and physical properties of a cationically photocurable epoxy resin. The extent of the photopolymerization was monitored by Real-Time FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that all the nanofillers delayed the curing reaction probably due to a shielding effect as well as to an increase of the resin viscosity. All the systems showed an electrical percolation threshold, but with MWCNTs was attained at a lower concentration (<0.1 wt.%). In addition, FGS showed the best response in terms of the dynamic mechanical and microindentation performances. An increase of more than 20 °C in the glass transition temperature was observed with the addition of 1 wt.% of FGS.     

Understanding degradation of phenolic compounds during olive oil processing by inhibitor addition

The aim of this work was to study, under different conditions, degradation of secoiridoids during extraction of extra virgin olive oil by following the effect of ascorbic and citric acid addition. Their effect was evaluated on oil obtained from both damaged olives and undamaged fresh olives. Addition of enzyme inhibitors to damaged olives during olive milling allowed us to obtain oil with a higher phenolic compound content. Conversely, addition of the same inhibitors to undamaged fresh olives, during oil milling, resulted in no significant improvement in the phenolic compound content of oil. A high presence of PPO was thus indirectly confirmed, as damaged olives were only found to be sensitive to action of inhibitors. Ascorbic acid was found to be more effective than citric acid in preserving phenolic compounds of oil. Trials on undamaged fresh olives confirmed occurrence of hydrolytic transformation phenomena for secoiridoids during extra virgin olive oil production process. In particular, the quantitatively most representative component for Frantoio cultivar was found to be 3,4‐DHPEA‐EDA. This compound may be considered a direct marker for the degree of transformation of secoiridoids during production process. Practical applications: The processing of undamaged olives resulted in the extraction of extra virgin olive oil with a higher phenol content. It could be indirectly inferred that a reduced activity of PPO caused a low secoiridoid degradation both before and after malaxation. Lightly scratched, overripe olives could be used in those markets where the addition of oxidation‐inhibiting substances is allowed. Using inhibitors can be suggested for olive washing step.     

Effect of pork fat addition on the volatile compounds of foal dry-cured sausage

The effect of fat content on volatile compounds from foal dry-cured sausage was studied. Three batches (10 units per batch) of dry fermented sausages with different pork back fat content (5%, 10% and 20%) were manufactured; low fat (LF), medium fat (MF) and high fat (HF), respectively. A total of 45 volatile compounds were extracted by purge-and-trap and identified by GC-MS in the headspace of the batches. The mixture comprised 11 terpenes, 15 esters, 14 hydrocarbons and 2 alcohols. Spices were responsible for the generation of 14 volatile compounds comprising terpenes and hydrocarbons. After 49 days of ripening volatile compounds from spices represented 52.9, 38.9 and 31.2% of the total area for samples from LF, MF and HF batches, respectively, while lipid autooxidation was responsible for the generation of 8 volatile compounds. The PCA offered a good separation of the mean samples according to their fat content.