Encapsulation of the phenolic compounds of the blackberry (Rubus fruticosus)

Microencapsulated phenolic extracts of blackberry (PE) were obtained by lyophilization in matrixes of β-cyclodextrin (β-CDS), chitosan (C), xanthan (X) and hydrogel (H). The encapsulation was confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA); their antioxidant activity, controlled release of phenolics and efficiency of encapsulation were determined. However, coated chitosan and xanthan only showed the characteristic shape. In fact, encapsulation efficiency depended on the phenolic compound and the encapsulated coating used; gallic acid and epicatechin were predominantly in microcapsules coated with β-cyclodextrin and xanthan. The highest antioxidant activity in microcapsules coated with β-cyclodextrin (84.43 ± 3.5%) and xanthan (90.75 ± 0.09%) was related to the equitable presence of encapsulated phenolic compounds. The controlled release of phenolic extract capsules was influenced by coating, solvent and pH.     

钢框架结构优化设计的多集约束和自动构件分组

对于结构优化问题,如钢框架结构的用钢量最小化,设计尺寸取决于构件横截面面积。构件横截面面积可从一些可行性表格中查得,如美国钢结构协会(AISC)提供的表格。构件的横截面尺寸bf,tf,d和tw(可为分散的或连续的)能独立确定。讨论关于设计尺寸变量的框架结构优化问题,提出一种获得理想构件分组法则。此法则考虑了制作、检查、装配和焊接的优势,而这些因素在传统预算里并没有被考虑。运用先前提出的适应性损失法,增强结构优化中的机械约束。     

Revisiting the Proposition of Binding Pockets and Bioactive Poses for GSK-3β Allosteric Modulators Addressed to Neurodegenerative Diseases

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β) is an enzyme pertinently linked to neurodegenerative diseases since it is associated with the regulation of key neuropathological features in the central nervous system. Among the different kinds of inhibitors of this kinase, the allosteric ones stand out due to their selective and subtle modulation, lowering the chance of producing side effects. The mechanism of GSK-3β allosteric modulators may be considered still vague in terms of elucidating a well-defined binding pocket and a bioactive pose for them. In this context, we propose to reinvestigate and reinforce such knowledge by the application of an extensive set of in silico methodologies, such as cavity detection, ligand 3D shape analysis and docking (with robust validation of corresponding protocols), and molecular dynamics. The results here obtained were consensually consistent in furnishing new structural data, in particular by providing a solid bioactive pose of one of the most representative GSK-3β allosteric modulators. We further applied this to the prospect for new compounds by ligand-based virtual screening and analyzed the potential of the two obtained virtual hits by quantum chemical calculations. All potential hits achieved will be subsequently tested by in vitro assays in order to validate our approaches as well as to unveil novel chemical entities as GSK-3β allosteric modulators.     

A convective multi-flash drying process for producing dehydrated crispy fruits

The aim of this work was to evaluate the application of a convective multi-flash drying process (CMFD) to producing dehydrated and crisp fruits. To accomplish this process, samples of banana (Musa sapientum L.) or mango (Mangifera indica L.) were heated to 60 °C by hot air, and a vacuum pulse was applied, which resulted in dehydration by a combination of convective drying and flash evaporation. Banana processed by CMFD had a moisture content of 0.293 g/g (dry basis) and a_w = 0.272 after 3 h of processing. Mango had a moisture content of 0.09 g/g and a_w = 0.359 after 4 h of processing. Puncture tests on fruits dehydrated by CMFD and on commercial freeze-dried fruits showed strain-force curves with many peaks (jagged curves). For CMFD much smaller global shrinkage was observed. These results indicate that the CMFD process can be applied for producing crispy fruits and is an alternative to the freeze-drying process.     

Monitoring pesticide residues in greenhouse tomato by combining acetonitrile-based extraction with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry

A multiclass and multiresidue method for pesticide analysis in tomato was validated. Extraction and pre-concentration of the pesticide residues from acetonitrile extracts was performed by using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique, followed by gas chromatography-mass detection. DLLME was performed using carbon tetrachloride as extractive solvent and acetonitrile extract as dispersive solvent, in order to increase enrichment factor of the extraction procedure. Validation parameters indicated the suitability of the method for routine analyses of thirty pesticides in a large number of samples. In general, pesticide recoveries ranged between 70% and 110% and repeatability ranged between 1% and 20%. The proposed method was applied to the monitoring of pesticides in tomatoes grown during winter in greenhouses. Among the compounds considered in this work, cyprodinil was found in tomato at concentrations of 0.33mg/kg, other pesticides like azoxystrobin, fenhexanid, tolyfluanid, λ-cyhalothrin and trifloxystrobin were also detected, but, not quantified.     

Production of leukotriene B4 by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most prevalent deep mycosis in Latin America. The production of eicosanoids during fungal infection has been associated with the biology of these microorganisms and modulation of host immune response. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether P. brasiliensis strains with high or low virulence produce leukotriene B4 (LTB4), using endogenous and/or exogenous sources of arachidonic acid (AA). Moreover, we assessed whether this fungus might use the same metabolic pathway, described for mammalian cells, that involves the lipoxygenase (LOX) enzyme. The association between the production of this eicosanoid and fungus survival and growth was also evaluated. Our results showed that P. brasiliensis, irrespective of its virulence, produces high levels of LTB4 using endogenous AA. In addition, in cultures treated with exogenous AA, LTB4 levels were significantly higher, showing that this fungus also uses exogenous sources of fatty acids. Treatment with MK886, which blocks the activity of lipoxygenase, by inhibiting five-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) or with nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a non-selective lipoxygenase inhibitor, resulted in a significant reduction in LTB4 levels, indicating that the fungus produces this eicosanoid by using the LOX pathway or an enzyme with biochemically similar function. The significant reduction in viability detected in cultures treated with these inhibitors was, however, restored by adding exogenous LTB4 , confirming the role of this eicosanoid in fungus survival. Moreover, the addition of LTB4 to cultures capable of producing LTs induces fungal growth. These results provide a foundation for additional studies on the contributions of LTB4 in P. brasiliensis virulence.     

A study of encoding overhead in network management protocols

Next‐Generation Network (NGN) is a critical scenario in terms of network management because of its network dimension, its number of users and its heterogeneity. Since the introduction of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) at the beginning of the 1990s, much effort has been devoted to the development of new network management technologies. Both the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) have developed different network and system management protocols, such as Common Open Policy Service, Web‐Based Enterprise Management, Network Configuration and even adapted other protocols, such as Diameter and Web Services. A network management technology with poor scalability could compromise NGN management and ultimately NGN network behaviour. This paper analyses the network overhead of several management technologies developed by the DMTF and IETF, and goes on to compare their results with the usage of SNMP. Furthermore, some deployment recommendations are proposed for performance optimization in NGNs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A design methodology for integrated inductor-based DC–DC converters

A design methodology for monolithic integration of inductor based DC–DC converters is proposed in this paper. A power loss model of the power stage, including the drive circuits, is defined in order to optimize efficiency. Based on this model and taking as reference a 0.35 μm CMOS process, a buck converter was designed and fabricated. For a given set of operating conditions the defined power loss model allows to optimize the design parameters for the power stage, including the gate-driver tapering factor and the width of the power MOSFETs. Experimental results obtained from a buck converter at 100 MHz switching frequency are presented to validate the proposed methodology.     

Carnobacterium maltaromaticum: Identification,isolation tools,ecology and technological aspects in dairy products

Carnobacterium species constitute a genus of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) present in different ecological niches. The aim of this article is to summarize the knowledge about Carnobacterium maltaromaticum species at different microbiological levels such as taxonomy, isolation and identification, ecology, technological aspects and safety in dairy products. Works published during the last decade concerning C. maltaromaticum have shown that this non-starter LAB (NSLAB) could present major interests in dairy product technology. Four reasons can be mentioned: i) it can grow in milk during the ripening period with no competition with starter LAB, ii) this species synthesizes different flavouring compounds e.g., 3-methylbutanal, iii) it can inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens as Listeria monocytogenes due to its ability to produce bacteriocins, iv) it has never been reported to be involved in human diseases as no cases of human infection have been directly linked to the consumption of dairy products containing this species.     

Pollination by Sexual Mimicry in Mormolyca ringens: A Floral Chemistry that Remarkably Matches the Pheromones of Virgin Queens of Scaptotrigona sp.

The chemical composition of some volatile (2-heptanol) and nonvolatile constituents (a homologous 9-alkene/alkane series) of Mormolyca ringens flowers and Scaptotrigona sp. queen waxes (homologous 9-alkene/alkane series) and cephalic extracts (homologous series of 2-alkanols, including 2-heptanol) involved with the pseudocopulation or sexual mimicry in Orchidaceae pollination is compared. The similarity in chemical composition of flowers and insects is assigned to the chemically induced copulatory activity in Scaptotrigona males.