Structural and biochemical characteristics of bovine intramuscular connective tissue and beef quality

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of structural and biochemical characteristics of muscle intramuscular connective tissue on beef quality. The experimental design was based on three muscles of three breeds sampled as fresh material and cooked at 55 °C (Longissimus thoracis and Semimembranosus) or at 70 °C (Semimembranosus and Biceps femoris) for quality assessment. The results showed that muscle characteristics influence beef quality differently from one muscle to another. In grilled LT, proteoglycan content contributed negatively to juiciness, and intramuscular lipids were linked positively to tenderness, flavour, residues and overall liking scores. In grilled SM, cross-link and lipid contents were involved in beef quality. In BF cooked to 70 °C, perimysial branch points were negatively linked to tenderness. In SM cooked to 70 °C, perimysial area was involved in beef quality. These results should allow a better understanding of the factors involved in background toughness, in juiciness and flavour of meat.     

Bioactivity evaluation of collagen-based scaffolds containing a series of Sr-doped melt-quench derived phosphate-based glasses

Phosphate-based glasses have been attracting attention due to their possible medical applications arising from unique dissolution characteristics in the human body leading to the possibility of new tissue regeneration. In this study, the leaching kinetics of a series of melt-quenched Sr-doped phosphate glasses are presented. Regardless of the presence of Sr, all the glasses have an initial linear and sustained release of the ions followed by a plateau. To guarantee proper nutritional support to the growing tissue during regeneration and to mimic the 3-dimensional architecture of tissues, organic scaffold systems have been developed. However, their poor mechanical strength has limited their application. To overcome this problem, cross-linkers can be used although this then limits the solubility of the materials. To succeed in dealing with such a limitation, in this paper, by freeze-drying, the aforementioned soluble melt-quenched phosphate glasses were combined as powders with collagen fibres from bovine achilles tendon to make degradable scaffolds. The scaffolds were characterized by SEM, EDX and BET. Changes to the dissolution behaviour of the glasses arising from the presence of collagen interacting with the ions leached were reported. Furthermore, the ability of the scaffolds to induce hydroxyapatite (HA) formation was evaluated: one the elaborated scaffold could grow an HA-like layer after a week in SBF. Based on the results obtained, a possible application in restorative dentistry is proposed for one or more materials.

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Nanocrystal-encoded fluorescent microbeads for proteomics: antibody profiling and diagnostics of autoimmune diseases

The first application of nanocrystal (NC)-encoded microbeads to clinical proteomics is demonstrated by multiplexed detection of circulating autoantibodies, markers of systemic sclerosis. Two-color complexes, consisting of NC-encoded, antigen-covered beads, anti-antigen antibody or clinical serum samples, and dye-tagged detecting antibodies, were observed using flow cytometry assays and on the surface of single beads. The results of flow cytometry assays correlated with the ELISA technique and provided clear discrimination between the sera samples of healthy donors and patients with autoimmune disease. Microbead fluorescence signals exhibited narrow distribution regardless of their surface antigen staining, without the need of any fluorescence compensation-a parameter determining the limit of sensitivity of flow cytometry assays. In single bead measurements, less than 30 dye-labeled antibodies interacting with the topoI-specific antibodies at the surface of a bead have been detected by the emission of dye excited through the FRET from NCs. In this format, the antibody-bead interaction reaction turns specifically the fluorescence signal from dye label off and on, additionally increasing autoantibody detection sensitivity.     

Untersuchungen zur Naßvernetzung von Lyocell-Fasern

The high wet fibrillation tendency of Lyocell fibres forms the background to this investigation. The wet abrasion behaviour can be improved by crosslinking reactions. Substances containing sulfato ethyl sulfonyl groups but different bridging groups were synthesised and optimised regarding to their application. The wet fibrillation tendency can be reduced clearly with these selected substances. If the concentration of the crosslinking agent on the fibre is the basis of comparisons the different structures have a similar effect on the fibrillation tendency. So the swollen Lyocell fibre permits a crosslinking reaction with curing agents of different size.     

Fluorous Iminoalditols: A New Family of Glycosidase Inhibitors and Pharmacological Chaperones

A collection of new reversible glycosidase inhibitors of the iminoalditol type featuring N‐substituents containing perfluorinated regions has been prepared for evaluation of physicochemical, biochemical and diagnostic properties. The vast variety of feasible oligofluoro moieties allows for modular approaches to customised structures according to the intended applications, which are influenced by the fluorine content as well as the distance of the fluorous moiety from the ring nitrogen. The first examples, in particular in the D ‐galacto series, exhibited excellent inhibitory activities. A preliminary screen with two human cell lines showed that, at subinhibitory concentrations, they are powerful pharmacological chaperones enhancing the activities of the catalytically handicapped lysosomal D ‐galactosidase mutants associated with GM1 gangliosidosis and Morquio B disease.     

AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600在蛋白质组学研究中的应用

AB SCIEX公司最新发布全新的高分辨液相色谱质谱联用系统——TripleTOF5600是在享有盛名的API 5500三重四极杆系统和QSTAR Elite(QqTOF)系统这两个技术平台的基础上开发出来的。TripleTOF 5600高分辨液相色谱质谱联用系统能够对复杂的蛋白质组学样品进行高通量分析,并能同时提供高质量的定性和定量结果。为评估这款仪器的性能,设计基于纳升液相色谱和TripleTOF 5600联用系统的一系列实验。首先,应用这一拥有高分辨率、高灵敏度和高质量准确度的系统对酵母细胞裂解物的胰酶消化产物进行分析。实验中采用每秒最多采集50幅串联质谱谱图的信息相关采集模式,单次LC-MS/MS实验就鉴定10179条独特肽段和1174种蛋白(at 1%global false discoveryrate)。而实际达到平均每秒34幅串联谱图的采集速度是在单次实验获得如此优异的鉴定结果的决定性因素。此外,也对一组含有5种已知蛋白以及部分重同位素标记肽段的样品进行分析,以检验TripleTOF 5600的定量能力。实验中这5种蛋白质都获得很高的序列覆盖率,其中进样量仅有100amol的Peroxiredoxin 1蛋白的序列覆盖率也高达53%。而测试中得到肽段的平均质量偏差仅为1.7 ppm,展示TripleTOF 5600的高质量准确度和稳定性。此外还获得高度准确的定量结果,充分证明TripleTOF 5600能够提供三重四极杆系统级别的定量结果。     

Algorithms for the maximum satisfiability problem

Old and new algorithms for the Maximum Satisfiability problem are studied. We first summarize the different heuristics previously proposed, i.e., the approximation algorithms of Johnson and of Lieberherr for the general Maximum Satisfiability problem, and the heuristics of Lieberherr and Specker, Poljak and Turzik for the Maximum 2-Satisfiability problem. We then consider two recent local search algorithmic schemes, the Simulated Annealing method of Kirkpatrick, Gelatt and Vecchi and the Steepest Ascent Mildest Descent method, and adapt them to the Maximum Satisfiability problem. The resulting algorithms, which avoid being blocked as soon as a local optimum has been found, are shown empirically to be more efficient than the heuristics previously proposed in the literature.     

Coercivity and domain structure of nanograined Fe–C alloys after high-pressure torsion

The microstructure and magnetic properties of binary hypo- and hyper-eutectoid Fe–C alloys were studied. The investigations have been carried out on the samples in the as-cast state, after a long annealing at 725 °C and on the specimens after the high-pressure torsion (HPT). The deformation was carried out at the ambient temperature and the pressure of 5 GPa. The grain size after HPT is in the nanometer range. Long annealing leads to a drastic decrease of the coercivity in comparison with the as-cast alloys. In all alloys the coercivity H _c increases with increasing carbon content. The distance L between pinning points for domain walls decreases with increasing carbon content. Increase of the coercivity and decrease of L are more pronounced below the eutectoid concentration. The coercivity of the nanostructured samples is higher than that of the as-cast alloys. Due to the pinning of domain walls by the cementite particles, the hysteresis loop in the coarse-grained alloys both in as-cast and annealed states has a narrowing near the zero magnetization.     

Brain evoked potentials reflect how emotional faces influence our decision making.

Emotion is usually not discussed as a relevant variable in rational models of decision making—but may be one. The present electroencephalographic study demonstrates the influence of emotional primes (angry, happy faces) on purchase decisions. In a within-subject design, pictures of an apartment were shown to participants who then had to make Go/NoGo decisions on whether to rent it. Their decision should be based either on its price or on its brightness. In two thirds of the trials, emotional prime pictures of happy versus unhappy faces preceded the purchase target (apartment); in one third of the trials no prime was given. Response certainty was evaluated by means of reaction times (RT) and peak amplitude of the event-related potential N200. Facial primes accelerated decisions (RT) irrespective of affective expression. Positive face primes elicited larger N200 amplitudes during purchase decision compared to negative ones. Price-based decisions were made faster and elicited larger N200 than brightness-based decisions. These results support the cognitive-tuning model of decision making and validate the N200 as sensitive measure for the interplay of cognitive and affective aspects in decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)