FT-NIR spectroscopy for the quality characterization of apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Abstract: The nondestructive assessment of apricot fruit quality (Bora cultivar) was carried out by means of FT-NIR reflectance spectroscopy in the wavenumber range 12000 to 4000 cm⁻¹. Samples were harvested at four different ripening stages and scanned by a fiber optical probe immediately after harvesting and after a storage of 3 d (2 d at 4 °C and 1 d at 18 °C); the flesh firmness (FF), the soluble solids content (SSC), the acidity (A), and the titratable acidity (malic and citric acids) were then measured by destructive methods. Soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) analysis was used to classify spectra according to the ripening stage and the storage: partial least squares regression (PLS) models to predict FF, SSC, A, and the titratable acidity were also set-up for both just harvested and stored apricots. Spectral pretreatments and wavenumber selections were conducted on the basis of explorative principal component analysis (PCA). Apricot spectra were correctly classified in the right class with a mean classification rate of 87% (range: 80% to 100%). Test set validations of PLS models showed R² values up to 0.620, 0.863, 0.842, and 0.369 for FF, SSC, A, and the titratable acidity, respectively. The best models were obtained for the SSC and A and are suitable for rough screening; a lower power prediction emerged for the other maturity indices and the relative predictive models are not recommended. Practical Application : The results of the study could be used as a tool for the assessment of the ripening stage during the harvest and the quality during the postharvest storage of apricot fruits.     

Antioxidant activity,color chromaticity coordinates,and chemical characterization of monofloral honeys from Morocco

The bioprospecting of several monofloral Moroccan honeys was carried out. The antiradical activity expressed as mmol Trolox equivalents/kg of honey and evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, ranged from 0.15 for euphorb honey to 1.08 for citrus honey. The antioxidant activity expressed as mmol Fe²⁺/kg and evaluated by ferric ion reducing antioxidant power assay, ranged from 0.96 for euphorb honey to 4.74 for orange honey. The total phenol content was evaluated by colorimetric assay, while the color attributes were evaluated as transmittance data. Significant Pearson correlation factors were found between total polyphenol amount and antioxidant activity and between color attributes and antioxidant activity. Furthermore the chemical composition of volatile organic compounds was determined. The volatile organic compounds chemical composition of the studied honeys was mainly represented by terpene and benzene derivatives, Maillard reaction products, isoprenoids, and hydrocarbons. The volatiles fingerprint, as well as a targeted high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the polar components, was used to tentatively confirm the declared botanical origin of the samples studied.     

Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa (SIS) as a Suitable Scaffold for the Creation of a Tissue-Engineered Urinary Conduit: Decellularization,Biomechanical and Biocompatibility Characterization Using New Approaches

Bladder cancer (BC) is among the most common malignancies in the world and a relevant cause of cancer mortality. BC is one of the most frequent causes for bladder removal through radical cystectomy, the gold-standard treatment for localized muscle-invasive and some cases of high-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In order to restore urinary functionality, an autologous intestinal segment has to be used to create a urinary diversion. However, several complications are associated with bowel-tract removal, affecting patients’ quality of life. The present study project aims to develop a bio-engineered material to simplify this surgical procedure, avoiding related surgical complications and improving patients’ quality of life. The main novelty of such a therapeutic approach is the decellularization of a porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) conduit to replace the autologous intestinal segment currently used as urinary diversion after radical cystectomy, while avoiding an immune rejection. Here, we performed a preliminary evaluation of this acellular product by developing a novel decellularization process based on an environmentally friendly, mild detergent, i.e., Tergitol, to replace the recently declared toxic Triton X-100. Treatment efficacy was evaluated through histology, DNA, hydroxyproline and elastin quantification, mechanical and insufflation tests, two-photon microscopy, FTIR analysis, and cytocompatibility tests. The optimized decellularization protocol is effective in removing cells, including DNA content, from the porcine SIS, while preserving the integrity of the extracellular matrix despite an increase in stiffness. An effective sterilization protocol was found, and cytocompatibility of treated SIS was demonstrated from day 1 to day 7, during which human fibroblasts were able to increase in number and strongly organize along tissue fibres. Taken together, this in vitro study suggests that SIS is a suitable candidate for use in urinary diversions in place of autologous intestinal segments, considering the optimal results of decellularization and cell proliferation. Further efforts should be undertaken in order to improve SIS conduit patency and impermeability to realize a future viable substitute.     

SmartK: Smart cards in operating systems at kernel level

A smart card is a tamper-resistant miniature computer that performs some basic computations on input a secret information. So far, smart cards have been widely used for securing many digital transactions (e.g., pay television, ATM machines).We focus on the implementation of operating system security services leveraging on smart cards. This very challenging feature allows one to personalize some functionalities of the operating system by simply changing a smart card. Current solutions for integrating smart card features in operating system services require at least a partial execution of some of the operating system functionalities at “user level”. Unfortunately, system functionalities built on top of components lying at both kernel and user levels may negatively affect the overall system security, due to the introduction of multiple points of failure.In this work, we present the design and implementation of SmartK: a framework that integrates features of smart cards uniquely in the Linux kernel. In order to validate our approach, we propose a host of enhancements to the Linux operating system built on top of SmartK: 1) in-kernel clients' authentication with Kerberos; 2) execution of trusted code; 3) key management in secure network filesystems.In particular, we present an experimental Linux OS distribution (SalSA), which addresses the security issues related to downloading packages and to updating an operating system through the Internet.     

β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex to Improve Physicochemical Properties of Pipemidic Acid: Characterization and Bioactivity Evaluation

The aptitude of cyclodextrins (CDs) to form host-guest complexes has prompted an increase in the development of new drug formulations. In this study, the inclusion complexes of pipemidic acid (HPPA), a therapeutic agent for urinary tract infections, with native β-CD were prepared in solid state by kneading method and confirmed by FT-IR and ¹H NMR. The inclusion complex formation was also characterized in aqueous solution at different pH via UV-Vis titration and phase solubility studies obtaining the stability constant. The 1:1 stoichiometry was established by a Job plot and the inclusion mechanism was clarified using docking experiments. Finally, the antibacterial activity of HPPA and its inclusion complex was tested on P. aeruginosa, E. coli and S. aureus to determine the respective EC_50s and EC_90s. The results showed that the antibacterial activity of HPPA:β-CD against E. coli and S. aureus is higher than that of HPPA. Furthermore, HPPA and HPPA:β-CD, tested on human hepatoblastoma HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines by MTT assay, exhibited, for the first time, antitumor activities, and the complex revealed a higher activity than that of HPPA. The use of β-CD allows an increase in the aqueous solubility of the drug, its bioavailability and then its bioactivity.     

The d-index: Discovering dependences among scientific collaborators from their bibliographic data records

The evaluation of the work of a researcher and its impact on the research community has been deeply studied in literature through the definition of several measures, first among all the h-index and its variations. Although these measures represent valuable tools for analyzing researchers?? outputs, they usually assume the co-authorship to be a proportional collaboration between the parts, missing out their relationships and the relative scientific influences. In this work, we propose the d-index, a novel measure that estimates the dependence degree between authors on their research environment along their entire scientific publication history. We also present a web application that implements these ideas and provides a number of visualization tools for analyzing and comparing scientific dependences among all the scientists in the DBLP bibliographic database. Finally, relying on this web environment, we present case and user studies that highlight both the validity and the reliability of the proposed evaluation measure.     

An Adaptive Control System to Deliver Interactive Virtual Environment Content to Handheld Devices

Wireless communication advances have enabled emerging video streaming applications to mobile handheld devices. For example, it is possible to display and interact with complex 3D virtual environments on mobile devices that don’t have enough computational and storage capabilities (e.g. smart phones, PDAs) through remote rendering techniques, where a server renders 3D data and streams the corresponding image flow to the client. However, due to fluctuations in bandwidth characteristics and limited mobile device CPU capabilities, it is extremely challenging to design effective systems for streaming interactive multimedia over wireless networks. This paper presents a novel approach based on a controller that can automatically adjust streaming parameters basing on feedback measures from the client device. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed solution in coping with bandwidth changes, thus providing high Quality of Service (QoS) in remote visualizations.     

Trusted virtual domains: Color your network

Trusted Virtual Domains (TVDs) provide a secure IT infrastructure offering a homogeneous and transparent enforcement of access control policies on data and network resources. In this article, we give an overview of the fundamental ideas and basic concepts behind TVDs, present a realization of TVDs, and discuss application scenarios.     

Desmin and troponin T are degraded faster in type IIb muscle fibers than in type I fibers during postmortem aging of porcine muscle

A novel approach was applied in this study to directly evaluate the effect of muscle fiber type on postmortem protein degradation. Porcine muscle fibers were isolated from longissimus muscle at day 1, 3, and 6 postmortem. Fibers were sorted by immunochemical myosin heavy chain isoform typing. Western blot analysis of fibers pooled separately into type I or IIb showed that the relative amounts of 39- and 50-kDa desmin degradation fragments at day 6, and 28- to 31-kDa fragments of troponin T fast type isoform (fTnT) at day 1 and 6 postmortem were higher in type IIb than in type I fibers. At day 6 troponin T slow type isoform (sTnT) was less degraded than fTnT in type I fibers. These results indicated greater rate and extent of proteolysis in type IIb than in type I fibers and higher susceptibility of fTnT to proteolysis than that of sTnT isoform.