Architected poly(lactic acid)/poly(ε-caprolactone)/halloysite nanotube composite scaffolds enabled by 3D printing for biomedical applications

Journal of Materials Science - Herein, we report the physicochemical, thermal, mechanical and biological characteristics, including bioactivity, biodegradation and cytocompatibility of additive...     

Nutritional quality evaluation of commercial protein supplements

Protein supplements have received increasing attention by consumers over the last few decades. However, hundreds of them have recently exhibited irregularities including lower quantities of proteins than disclosed values. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality of six commercial protein supplement powders (calcium caseinate, milk protein concentrate, egg white, pea protein isolate, whey protein concentrate and soy protein isolate). The chemical composition, amino acid content and in vitro digestibility were examined. Thus, calculate the amino acid scores corrected for amino acid and protein digestibility. In vitro digestion was also conducted and protein hydrolysis was monitored by SDS-page. Calcium caseinate powder and whey protein concentrate were only composed of proteinogenic amino acids and exhibited the highest essential amino acid content. As regards in vitro digestibility, these two supplements perfectly meet the quality expectations of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Conversely, the other four supplements exhibited a lower quality than the FAO reference protein. This was due to low digestibility (for egg white and milk concentrate) and/or lack of a specific essential amino acid (for milk concentrate and pea isolate).     

Chemical fractionation of caseins by differential precipitation: influence of pH,calcium addition,protein concentration and temperature on the depletion in α- and β-caseins

The impact of pH, calcium and casein concentrations, and temperature on the efficiency of the differential precipitation of caseins by calcium affinity was investigated, using native phosphocaseinate as starting material. We adapted one of the most recent methods for the separation of caseins that is based on the addition of calcium at alkaline pH. Increasing the pH to 11 disturbed the micellar structure by enhancing electrostatic repulsion of caseins, leading to a marked viscosity increase and a significant particle size decrease, indicating casein micelle disruption. This pH-driven increase in negative charges enhanced the affinity of individual caseins for calcium, proportionally to the number of phosphate groups carried by each casein. The addition of calcium first led to a progressive increase in the proportion of precipitated caseins, before reaching a plateau. Hence, an optimal calcium/casein molar ratio of about 40 was evidenced to optimise casein precipitation (and fractionation), leading to significant depletion of α-casein (around 80%) and, in a lesser extent, β-casein (around 65%) and κ-casein (around 55%). This method led to relative proportions of caseins significantly differing from the starting material: 31% α-casein, 45% β-casein and 24% κ-casein.     

PR10/Bet v1-like Proteins as Novel Contributors to Plant Biochemical Diversity

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins constitute a broad class of plant proteins with analogues found throughout nature from bacteria to higher eukaryotes. PR proteins were first noted in plants as part of the hypersensitive response, but have since been assigned an array of biological roles. The PR10/Bet v1-like proteins are a subset of PR proteins characterized by an ability to bind a wide range of lipophilic ligands, uniquely positioning them as contributors to specialized biosynthetic pathways. PR10/Bet v1-like proteins participate in the production of plant alkaloids and phenolics including flavonoids, both as general binding proteins and in special cases as catalysts. Owing initially to the perceived allergenic properties of PR10/Bet v1-like proteins, many were studied at the structural level to elucidate the basis for ligand binding. These studies provided a foundation for more recent efforts to understand higher-level structural order and how PR10/Bet v1-like proteins catalyse key reactions in plant pathways. Synthetic biology aimed at reconstituting plant-specialized metabolism in microorganisms uses knowledge of these proteins to fine-tune performance in new systems.     

Characterization of fusion welded ceramics in the SiC-ZrB2-ZrC system

Various SiC-ZrB₂-ZrC ceramics were joined by fusion welding to determine the maximum silicon carbide content that could be joined. Commercial powders were hot pressed, machined, and preheated to 1450 °C before joining with a tungsten inert gas welding torch at 160–200 A. Resulting welds were cross-sectioned and analyzed to determine which compositions were weldable and to characterize microstructural evolution in welded samples. As compositions approached the ternary eutectic, the welds had smaller SiC grains and exhibited better weldability. Penetration depth of welds was controlled by a combination of current input and welding speed. The ternary eutectic in the system was found at 36.9 ± 1.3 vol% SiC, 42.7 ± 1.5 vol% ZrB₂, and 20.4 ± 1.9 vol% ZrC and its melting temperature was 2330 ± 23 °C. A ternary phase diagram for the SiC-ZrB₂-ZrC was constructed and proposed via microstructural analysis of arc melted pellets on binary joins between each binary eutectic and the ternary eutectic in the system.     

Maternal Heat Stress Alters Expression of Genes Associated with Nutrient Transport Activity and Metabolism in Female Placentae from Mid-Gestating Pigs

Placental insufficiency is a known consequence of maternal heat stress during gestation in farm animals. The molecular regulation of placentae during the stress response is little known in pigs. This study aims to identify differential gene expression in pig placentae caused by maternal heat exposure during early to mid-gestation. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on female placental samples from pregnant pigs exposed to thermoneutral control (CON; constant 20 °C; n = 5) or cyclic heat stress (HS; cyclic 28 to 33 °C; n = 5) conditions between d40 and d60 of gestation. On d60 of gestation, placental efficiency (fetal/placental weight) was decreased (p = 0.023) by maternal HS. A total of 169 genes were differentially expressed (FDR ≤ 0.1) between CON and HS placentae of female fetuses, of which 35 genes were upregulated and 134 genes were downregulated by maternal HS. The current data revealed transport activity (FDR = 0.027), glycoprotein biosynthetic process (FDR = 0.044), and carbohydrate metabolic process (FDR = 0.049) among the terms enriched by the downregulated genes (HS vs. CON). In addition, solute carrier (SLC)-mediated transmembrane transport (FDR = 0.008) and glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis (FDR = 0.027), which modulates placental stroma synthesis, were identified among the pathways enriched by the downregulated genes. These findings provide evidence that heat-stress induced placental inefficiency may be underpinned by altered expression of genes associated with placental nutrient transport capacity and metabolism. A further understanding of the molecular mechanism contributes to the identification of placental gene signatures of summer infertility in pigs.     

The Sex Pheromone of the Pine Brown-Tail Moth,Euproctis terminalis (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

Journal of Chemical Ecology - The pine brown tail moth, Euproctis terminalis (Walker 1855), is a periodic pest in pine plantations in South Africa. The larvae feed on pine needles and can cause...     

Soil nitrogen response to coupling cover crops with manure injection

Coupling winter small grain cover crops (CC) with manure (M) application may increase retention of manure nitrogen (N) in corn (Zea mays L.), -soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr], cropping systems. The objective of this research was to quantify soil N changes after application of liquid swine M (Sus scrofa L.) at target N rates of 112, 224, and 336 kg N ha⁻¹ with and without a CC. A winter rye (Secale cereale L.)-oat (Avena sativa L.) CC was established prior to fall M injection. Surface soil (0–20 cm) inorganic N concentrations were quantified every week for up to 6 weeks after M application in 2005 and 2006. Soil profile (0–120 cm in 5, 20-cm depth increments) inorganic N, total N, total organic carbon and bulk density were quantified for each depth increment in the fall before M application and before the CC was killed the following spring. Surface soil inorganic N on the day of application averaged 318 \textmg  \textN  \textkg ^{- 1}_\textsoil 318\,{\text{mg}}\;{\text{N}}\;{\text{kg}}^{ - 1}{_{\text{soil}}} in 2005 and 186 \textmg  \textN  \textkg ^{- 1}_\textsoil 186\,{\text{mg}}\;{\text{N}}\;{\text{kg}}^{ - 1}{_{\text{soil}} } in 2006 and stabilized at 150 \textmg  \textN  \textkg ^{- 1}_\textsoil 150\,{\text{mg}}\;{\text{N}}\;{\text{kg}}^{ - 1}{_{\text{soil}}} in both years by mid-November. Surface soil NO₃-N concentrations in the M band were more than 30 times higher in the fall of 2005 than in 2006. The CC reduced surface soil NO₃-N concentrations after manure application by 32% and 67% in mid- November 2005 and 2006, respectively. Manure applied at 224 kg N ha⁻¹ without a CC had significantly more soil profile inorganic-N (480 kg N ha⁻¹) in the spring after M application than manured soils with a CC for the 112 (298 kg N ha⁻¹) and 224 (281 kg N ha⁻¹) N rates, and equivalent inorganic N to the 336 (433 kg N ha⁻¹) N rate. These results quantify the potential for cover crops to enhance manure N retention and reduce N leaching potential in farming systems utilizing manure.