Authentication study of volatile flavour compounds composition in Slavonian traditional dry fermented salami “kulen”

Volatiles from famous Slavonian salami “kulen” were isolated by nitrogen purge and steam distillation (NPSD) and analysed, for the first time, by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC and GC–MS). In all, 119 organic compounds were identified that originated from lipid oxidation, amino acid degradation, smoke treatment and added spices with different distribution among NPSD traps. NPSD method enabled comprehensive profiling with almost exclusive distribution of several major compounds in particular trap with little or no interference from abundant lipid constituents in the samples. The major identified flavour important compounds were methylphenols, methoxyphenols, organosulphur compounds (diallyl sulphide, diallyl disulphide, methylallyl disulphide, diallyl trisulphide and methional) and several derivatives of 2-cyclopenten-1-one such as ethyl cyclotene. Non-important flavour constituents such as high-molecular fatty acids, alcohols and aldehydes were also present among abundant compounds. General trends for possible discrimination of “kulen” volatiles profile among other European salami volatiles were noticed (lower amount of terpenes and higher percentages of diallyl sulphide, methoxyphenols, methylphenols and 2-cyclopenten-1-one derivatives).     

Water distribution in smoked salmon

Low‐field ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tranverse relaxations were measured on intact and minced muscle from raw and smoked salmon differing in size (small or large) and storage days after smoking (1, 11 and 20 days). Water distribution in the samples was calculated from the NMR signals by the use of multi‐way data analysis. For intact and minced salmon samples, three water ‘pools’ with T₂ values of 38, 50 and 182 ms and of 33, 50 and 183 ms, respectively, were identified. For both intact and minced samples, the size of water pool I and II were affected by storage time after smoking, whereas the size of pool III was affected by the size of the fish. Intact fillet samples taken near the skin and near the middle of the fillet differed with respect to shape of the NMR relaxation signal reflecting a non‐uniform distribution of the size of the three water pools in intact fillet. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Quality Considerations for the Evaluation of Thermal Spray Coatings

Revealing the true structural and mechanical properties is of utmost importance for the optimized use of thermal sprayed coatings. Only the true properties can be expected to correlate to the spray parameters. During the recent decade, the gas turbine industry has experienced a focus on the laboratory procedures being the weakest link in a frozen and robust process. This article will show several results indicating that the laboratory procedures are more essential to the evaluation results than the spray parameters themselves. With new and robust laboratory techniques, the true properties of thermal spray coatings are revealed, causing a major problem with respect to the quality standards developed 30-40 years ago. In many cases, these old specifications need updates, which is a difficult task from a cost, time, and quality perspective for OEM’s. Coatings that have been successfully used for almost half a century no longer conform to the specification they were optimized to, because of these new appropriate laboratory techniques and procedures. What is actually meant when stating the following? (1) The coating has 5% porosity; (2) No cracks are allowed; (3) Tensile bond is 50 Mpa; (4) Hardness is 1000 HV; and (5) Coating thickness is 100 μm. This article also initiates a discussion on the measurement inaccuracies, for testing of thermally sprayed coatings, with respect to the commonly used general international standards (such as QS9000, ISO17025, AS9003, and ISO10012), as well as with respect to recommendations from the Six Sigma methodology.     

Complete Reaction Phenotyping of Propranolol and 4-Hydroxypropranolol with the 19 Enzymes of the Human UGT1 and UGT2 Families

Propranolol is a competitive non-selective beta-receptor antagonist that is available on the market as a racemic mixture. In the present study, glucuronidation of propranolol and its equipotent phase I metabolite 4-hydroxypropranolol by all 19 members of the human UGT1 and UGT2 families was monitored. UGT1A7, UGT1A9, UGT1A10 and UGT2A1 were found to glucuronidate propranolol, with UGT1A7, UGT1A9 and UGT2A1 mainly acting on (S)-propranolol, while UGT1A10 displays the opposite stereoselectivity. UGT1A7, UGT1A9 and UGT2A1 were also found to glucuronidate 4-hydroxypropranolol. In contrast to propranolol, 4-hydroxypropranolol was found to be glucuronidated by UGT1A8 but not by UGT1A10. Additional biotransformations with 4-methoxypropanolol demonstrated different regioselectivities of these UGTs with respect to the aliphatic and aromatic hydroxy groups of the substrate. Modeling and molecular docking studies were performed to explain the stereoselective glucuronidation of the substrates under study.     

Harmicens,Novel Harmine and Ferrocene Hybrids: Design,Synthesis and Biological Activity

Cancer and malaria are both global health threats. Due to the increase in the resistance to the known drugs, research on new active substances is a priority. Here, we present the design, synthesis, and evaluation of the biological activity of harmicens, hybrids composed of covalently bound harmine/β-carboline and ferrocene scaffolds. Structural diversity was achieved by varying the type and length of the linker between the β-carboline ring and ferrocene, as well as its position on the β-carboline ring. Triazole-type harmicens were prepared using Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, while the synthesis of amide-type harmicens was carried out by applying a standard coupling reaction. The results of in vitro biological assays showed that the harmicens exerted moderate antiplasmodial activity against the erythrocytic stage of P. falciparum (IC₅₀ in submicromolar and low micromolar range) and significant and selective antiproliferative activity against the MCF-7 and HCT116 cell lines (IC₅₀ in the single-digit micromolar range, SI > 5.9). Cell localization experiments showed different localizations of nonselective harmicene 36 and HCT116-selective compound 28, which clearly entered the nucleus. A cell cycle analysis revealed that selective harmicene 28 had already induced G1 cell cycle arrest after 24 h, followed by G2/M arrest with a concomitant drastic reduction in the percentage of cells in the S phase, whereas the effect of nonselective compound 36 on the cell cycle was much less pronounced, which agreed with their different localizations within the cell.     

Behavioral Phenotyping of Bbs6 and Bbs8 Knockout Mice Reveals Major Alterations in Communication and Anxiety

The primary cilium is an organelle with a central role in cellular signal perception. Mutations in genes that encode cilia-associated proteins result in a collection of human syndromes collectively termed ciliopathies. Of these, the Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is considered one of the archetypical ciliopathies, as patients exhibit virtually all respective clinical phenotypes, such as pathological changes of the retina or the kidney. However, the behavioral phenotype associated with ciliary dysfunction has received little attention thus far. Here, we extensively characterized the behavior of two rodent models of BBS, Bbs6/Mkks, and Bbs8/Ttc8 knockout mice concerning social behavior, anxiety, and cognitive abilities. While learning tasks remained unaffected due to the genotype, we observed diminished social behavior and altered communication. Additionally, Bbs knockout mice displayed reduced anxiety. This was not due to altered adrenal gland function or corticosterone serum levels. However, hypothalamic expression of Lsamp, the limbic system associated protein, and Adam10, a protease acting on Lsamp, were reduced. This was accompanied by changes in characteristics of adult hypothalamic neurosphere cultures. In conclusion, we provide evidence that behavioral changes in Bbs knockout mice are mainly found in social and anxiety traits and might be based on an altered architecture of the hypothalamus.     

CT and MRI Imaging of Theranostic Bimodal Fe3O4@Au NanoParticles in Tumor Bearing Mice

Gold-containing nanoparticles are proven to be an effective radiosensitizer in the radiotherapy of tumors. Reliable imaging of nanoparticles in a tumor and surrounding normal tissues is crucial both for diagnostics and for nanoparticle application as radiosensitizers. The Fe₃O₄ core was introduced into gold nanoparticles to form a core/shell structure suitable for MRI imaging. The aim of this study was to assess the in vivo bimodal CT and MRI enhancement ability of novel core/shell Fe₃O₄@Au theranostic nanoparticles. Core/shell Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles were synthesized and coated with PEG and glucose. C57Bl/6 mice bearing Ca755 mammary adenocarcinoma tumors received intravenous injections of the nanoparticles. CT and MRI were performed at several timepoints between 5 and 102 min, and on day 17 post-injection. Core/shell Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles provided significant enhancement of the tumor and tumor blood vessels. Nanoparticles also accumulated in the liver and spleen and were retained in these organs for 17 days. Mice did not show any signs of toxicity over the study duration. These results indicate that theranostic bimodal Fe₃O₄@Au nanoparticles are non-toxic and serve as effective contrast agents both for CT and MRI diagnostics. These nanoparticles have potential for future biomedical applications in cancer diagnostics and beyond.     

Growth of pulsed electric field exposed Escherichia coli in relation to inactivation and environmental factors

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) have been proven to inactivate microorganisms during nonthermal conditions and have the potential to replace thermal processing as a method for food preservation. However, there is a need to understand the recovery and growth of survivors and potentially injured microorganisms following PEF processing. The purpose of this investigation was to study the growth of Escherichia coli at 10 degrees C following exposure to electrical field strengths (15, 22.5 and 30 kV/cm) in relation to inactivation and the amount of potentially sublethally injured cells. One medium was used as both a treatment medium and an incubation medium, to study the influence of environmental factors on the inactivation and the growth of the surviving population. The pH (5.0, 6.0 and 7.0) and water activity (1.00, 0.985 and 0.97) of the medium was varied by adding HCl and glycerol, respectively. Growth was followed continuously by measuring the optical density. The time-to-detection (td) and the maximum specific growth rate (micromax) were calculated from these data. Results showed that the PEF process did not cause any obvious sublethal injury to the E. coli cells. The number of survivors was a consequence of the combination of electrical field strength and environmental factors, with pH being the most prominent. Interestingly, the micromax of subsequent growth was influenced by the applied electrical field strength during the process, with an increased micromax at more intense electrical field strengths. In addition, the micromax was also influenced by the pH and water activity. The td, which could theoretically be considered as an increase in shelf life, was found to depend on a complex correlation between electrical field strength, pH and water activity. That could be explained by the fact that the td is a combination of the number of survivors, the recovery of sublethal injured cells and the growth rate of the survivors.     

Antimicrobial dual-cured photopolymers of vanillin alcohol diglycidyl ether and glycerol dimethacrylate

Considering the current efforts for to develop new antimicrobial polymers from renewable resources suitable for application in environmentally friendly light-based technologies, novel dual-cured photopolymers of vanillin alcohol diglycidyl ether and glycerol dimethacrylate are developed. The kinetics of the sequential and simultaneous dual-curing processes, combining free radical and cationic photopolymerizations, is investigated by real-time photorheometry. Comparison of dual-curing systems with different ratios of biobased epoxy and acrylate monomers revealed that the increase in the acrylate content increases the photocuring rate and improves the mechanical performance (Young's modulus increases from 76.64 to 190.71 MPa) and thermal stability (the 10% weight loss increases from 227 to 274°C) of the polymers, while the increase in the vanillin epoxy content results in better antimicrobial activity. Developed photopolymers create unfavorable conditions for the growth of microorganisms and reduce their population by up to 0% in 24 h. The excellent antibacterial and antifungal activity of new photopolymers allows them to be considered as biobased alternatives to petroleum-based antimicrobial coatings, films, or optical 3D printed objects.     

Disrupting the humanities and social science binary: framing communication studies as a transformative discipline

ABSTRACT

Debates whether communication studies should be housed with the humanities or social sciences have raged on for decades. In response to attacks on the humanities, we argue that the discipline has much to gain from seeing how the humanities contributes to the social sciences and the potential benefits of integrating humanistic and social scientific approaches. Specifically, we present two case studies that illuminate ways humanities-informed thinking has contributed to and benefited social science theory, method, and data. First, we review Jeffrey A. Bennett's Banning Queer Blood to illustrate the importance of reflexivity and practice when analyzing interview data. Then, we highlight how the philosophy of Mikhail Bakhtin influenced Leslie A. Baxter's most recent articulation of relational dialectics theory and development of contrapuntal analysis. Finally, we discuss obstacles and opportunities for engaging in transformative research.