Saccharomyces cerevisiae biomass as a source of next-generation food preservatives: Evaluating potential proteins as a source of antimicrobial peptides

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main biotechnological tool for the production of Baker's or Brewer's biomasses, largely applied in beverage and fermented-food production. Through its gene expression reprogramming and production of compounds that inactivate the growth of other microorganisms, S. cerevisiae is able to grow in adverse environments and in complex microbial consortia, as in fruit pulps and root flour fermentations. The distinct set of up-regulated genes throughout yeast biomass propagation includes those involved in sugar fermentation, ethanol metabolization, and in protective responses against abiotic stresses. These high abundant proteins are precursors of several peptides with promising health-beneficial activities such as antihypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, anti-obesity, antidiabetes, and mitogenic properties. An in silico investigation of these S. cerevisiae derived peptides produced during yeast biomass propagation or induced by physicochemical treatments were performed using four algorithms to predict antimicrobial candidates encrypted in abundantly expressed stress-related proteins encoded by different genes like AHP1, TSA1, HSP26, SOD1, HSP10, and UTR2, or metabolic enzymes involved in carbon source utilization, like ENO1/2, TDH1/2/3, ADH1/2, FBA1, and PDC1. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and enolase II are noteworthy precursor proteins, since they exhibited the highest scores concerning the release of antimicrobial peptide candidates. Considering the set of genes upregulated during biomass propagation, we conclude that S. cerevisiae biomass, a food-grade product consumed and marketed worldwide, should be considered a safe and nonseasonal source for designing next-generation bioactive agents, especially protein encrypting antimicrobial peptides that display broad spectra activity and could reduce the emergence of microbial resistance while also avoiding cytotoxicity.     

The Oral Ferroportin Inhibitor VIT-2763 Improves Erythropoiesis without Interfering with Iron Chelation Therapy in a Mouse Model of β-Thalassemia

In β-thalassemia, ineffective erythropoiesis leads to anemia and systemic iron overload. The management of iron overload by chelation therapy is a standard of care. However, iron chelation does not improve the ineffective erythropoiesis. We recently showed that the oral ferroportin inhibitor VIT-2763 ameliorates anemia and erythropoiesis in the Hbb^th3/+ mouse model of β-thalassemia. In this study, we investigated whether concurrent use of the iron chelator deferasirox (DFX) and the ferroportin inhibitor VIT-2763 causes any pharmacodynamic interactions in the Hbb^th3/+ mouse model of β-thalassemia. Mice were treated with VIT-2763 or DFX alone or with the combination of both drugs once daily for three weeks. VIT-2763 alone or in combination with DFX improved anemia and erythropoiesis. VIT-2763 alone decreased serum iron and transferrin saturation (TSAT) but was not able to reduce the liver iron concentration. While DFX alone had no effect on TSAT and erythropoiesis, it significantly reduced the liver iron concentration alone and in the presence of VIT-2763. Our results clearly show that VIT-2763 does not interfere with the iron chelation efficacy of DFX. Furthermore, VIT-2763 retains its beneficial effects on improving ineffective erythropoiesis when combined with DFX in the Hbb^th3/+ mouse model. In conclusion, co-administration of the oral ferroportin inhibitor VIT-2763 and the iron chelator DFX is feasible and might offer an opportunity to improve both ineffective erythropoiesis and iron overload in β-thalassemia.     

Correlation between microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3/ZrO2 nanocomposites

The aim of this work was to correlate the microstructure of alumina matrix nanocomposites containing 1, 3, and 5 vol% of monoclinic zirconia nanometric particles with the mechanical properties and wear resistance of these composites. The microstructural analysis showed the beneficial effect of the zirconia particles in the alumina matrix regarding grain growth and improvement of the properties: up to 8% for the microhardness, 11% for the flexural strength and 23% for the wear resistance for nanocomposites containing 5 vol% of particles when compared to inclusion-free alumina.     

Adaptive feedback generation to support teachers in web-based distance education

This work examines the application of user-adapted technologies to address problems experienced in web-based distance education. We have proposed an approach to support distance learning instructors by offering advice that points at problems faced by students and suggests possible activities to address these problems. The paper describes an original feedback generation framework which utilises student, group and class models derived from tracking data in web course management systems, and follows a taxonomy of feedback categories to recognise situations that are brought to the instructors’ attention. The results of an empirical study in an online learning course point at benefits of the generated feedback to both instructors and students. Teachers can get a better understanding of their students by knowing what problems they may be facing, when they are behind or ahead of their peers, who can help them and how, and what roles can be assigned in discussion forums. This, in turn, can have a positive effect on students who can receive feedback tailored to their needs and problems. The evaluation study points at issues that can be related in general to planning empirical evaluations of user-adapted systems in realistic web-based learning settings.     

Kupffer Cells and Blood Monocytes Orchestrate the Clearance of Iron–Carbohydrate Nanoparticles from Serum

Intravenous (IV) iron nanoparticle preparations are widely used to treat iron deficiency. The mechanism of mononuclear phagocyte system-mediated clearance of IV iron nanoparticles is unknown. The early uptake and homeostasis of iron after injection of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in mice was studied. An increase in serum iron was observed at 2.5 h followed by a return to baseline by 24 h. An increase in circulating monocytes was observed, particularly Ly6C^hi and Ly6C^low. FCM was also associated with a time-dependent decrease in liver Kupffer cells (KCs) and increase in liver monocytes. The increase in liver monocytes suggests an influx of iron-rich blood monocytes, while some KCs underwent apoptosis. Adoptive transfer experiments demonstrated that following liver infiltration, blood monocytes differentiated to KCs. KCs were also critical for IV iron uptake and biodegradation. Indeed, anti-Colony Stimulating Factor 1 Receptor (CSF1R)-mediated depletion of KCs resulted in elevated serum iron levels and impaired iron uptake by the liver. Gene expression profiling indicated that C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) might be involved in monocyte recruitment to the liver, confirmed by pharmaceutical inhibition of CCR5. Liver KCs play a pivotal role in the clearance and storage of IV iron and KCs appear to be supported by the expanded blood monocyte population.     

Evaluating the effect of compressing algorithms for trajectory similarity and classification problems

GeoInformatica - During the last few years the volumes of the data that synthesize trajectories have expanded to unparalleled quantities. This growth is challenging traditional trajectory analysis...     

TRAP:trace runtime analysis of properties

We present a method and a tool for the verification of causal and temporal properties for embedded systems.We analyze trace streams resulting from the execution of virtual prototypes that combine simulated hardware and embedded software.The main originality lies in the use of logical clocks to abstract away irrelevant information from the trace.We propose a model-based approach that relies on domain specific languages(DSL).A first DSL,called TISL(trace item specification language),captures the relevant data structures.A second DSL,called STML(simulation trace mapping language),abstracts the simulation raw data into logical clocks,abstracting simulation data into relevant observation probes and thus reducing the trace streams size.The third DSL,called TPSL,defines a set of behavioral patterns that include widely used temporal properties.This is meant for users who are not familiar with temporal logics.Each pattern is transformed into an automata.All the automata are executed concurrently and each one raises an error if and when the related TPSL property is violated.The contribution is the integration of this pattern-based property specification language into the SimSoC virtual prototyping framework without requiring to recompile all the simulation models when the properties evolve.We illustrate our approach with experiments that show the possibility to use multi-core platforms to parallelize the simulation and verification processes,thus reducing the verification time.     

Functional implications of bound phenolic compounds and phenolics–food interaction: A review

Sizeable scientific evidence indicates the health benefits related to phenolic compounds and dietary fiber. Various phenolic compounds-rich foods or ingredients are also rich in dietary fiber, and these two health components may interrelate via noncovalent (reversible) and covalent (mostly irreversible) interactions. Notwithstanding, these interactions are responsible for the carrier effect ascribed to fiber toward the digestive system and can modulate the bioaccessibility of phenolics, thus shaping health-promoting effects in vivo. On this basis, the present review focuses on the nature, occurrence, and implications of the interactions between phenolics and food components. Covalent and noncovalent interactions are presented, their occurrence discussed, and the effect of food processing introduced. Once reaching the large intestine, fiber-bound phenolics undergo an intense transformation by the microbial community therein, encompassing reactions such as deglycosylation, dehydroxylation, α- and β-oxidation, dehydrogenation, demethylation, decarboxylation, C-ring fission, and cleavage to lower molecular weight phenolics. Comparatively less information is still available on the consequences on gut microbiota. So far, the very most of the information on the ability of bound phenolics to modulate gut microbiota relates to in vitro models and single strains in culture medium. Despite offering promising information, such models provide limited information about the effect on gut microbes, and future research is deemed in this field.     

Measuring insularity as a state of nature

In this paper we construct a composite index that measures insularity for countries that are islands and for those that have islands. By collecting available physical data for all islands in the world, be they states or regions, we provide a novel data set of insularity along different dimensions. Three of these contribute to making insularity more or less severe: the degree of land dispersion, the remoteness and the average size of the island. We aggregate this information, weighting it by the share of insular land at the country level, and compute a measure of insularity that ranges between 0 and 100. We find that the greater burden linked to insularity is borne by islands with no territorial sovereignty.