Juice from king palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) leaf sheathes: chemical characterisation and use in soft drink formulation

The heart of palm is a food extracted from several species of palm trees. Only 10–20% of the raw material is transformed into canned hearts of palm, therefore this agro‐industry generates a large quantity of solid residue. The aim of this work was to extract and characterise a juice produced from this solid residue. This extract is compared with the traditional fruit juices (orange and pineapple juices), obtaining higher contents of minerals, such as magnesium (22.80 mg/100 g) and potassium (276.90 mg/100 g), phenolic compounds (gallic, 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic, chlorogenic, syringic and caffeic acids) and high free radical scavenging capacity (expressed as 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl), which suggest high antioxidant activity. Additionally, a new soft drink was formulated using this king palm juice as its main ingredient. The soft drink samples formulated with this juice had high sensory acceptability and high intention of consumption, which suggests an important and low‐cost application for this industrial residue.     

Chemical reagents as probes: Application to fish protein gels and detection of a cysteine TGase in hake

A new concept was applied to fish products. Chemical reagents targeting specific chemical bonds were incorporated in to gel products for assessing the importance of non-covalent (sodium dodecylsulphate, 1.0%, w/w), disulphide (dithiothreitol, 0.2%, w/w) or transglutaminase-catalyzed (N-ethylmaleimide, 0.2%, w/w) bonding. These reagents acting as chemical probes were applied to the study of sea bass and hake protein gels and the effect of MTGase (0.5%, w/w).These reagents were valuable for reaching conclusions. The action of an endogenous cysteine TGase in hake products was detected. It was found that frozen storage and protein denaturation are fundamental not only for explaining differences between raw materials, but also seem to favour a different action mode of MTGase in each raw material. Moreover, this study may help to improve processed products, for instance, the positive interaction between MTGase and the disruption of disulphide bonds in hake gels may find a useful application through incorporation of cysteine + MTGase.     

Small Molecules Present in the Cerebrospinal Fluid Metabolome Influence Superoxide Dismutase 1 Aggregation

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) aggregation is one of the pathological markers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. The underlying molecular grounds of SOD1 pathologic aggregation remains obscure as mutations alone are not exclusively the cause for the formation of protein inclusions. Thus, other components in the cell environment likely play a key role in triggering SOD1 toxic aggregation in ALS. Recently, it was found that ALS patients present a specific altered metabolomic profile in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) where SOD1 is also present and potentially interacts with metabolites. Here we have investigated how some of these small molecules affect apoSOD1 structure and aggregation propensity. Our results show that as co-solvents, the tested small molecules do not affect apoSOD1 thermal stability but do influence its tertiary interactions and dynamics, as evidenced by combined biophysical analysis and proteolytic susceptibility. Moreover, these compounds influence apoSOD1 aggregation, decreasing nucleation time and promoting the formation of larger and less soluble aggregates, and in some cases polymeric assemblies apparently composed by spherical species resembling the soluble native protein. We conclude that some components of the ALS metabolome that shape the chemical environment in the CSF may influence apoSOD1 conformers and aggregation.     

Chemical composition and physical properties of black liquors and their effects on liquor recovery operation in Brazilian pulp mills

Black liquor is the major by-product and fuel of pulp mills. In this work, effects of black liquor properties on its recovery unit operation are analyzed. Thus, an experimental methodology for characterizing the principal chemical and physical properties of eucalyptus Kraft and bamboo soda black liquors has been developed, including sample collections from six Brazilian mills. Based on results, eucalyptus and bamboo black liquors present higher contents of non-processing elements (NPEs), higher concentration and different molar mass of lignin than those reported by the pine Kraft black liquor. This leads to distinct rheological properties of these liquors. By comparing results obtained for the both liquors, the bamboo and the eucalyptus, the former has the lowest sulfur level, the highest silicon and lignin concentration and, consequently, the highest apparent viscosity.     

Use of Booster Sheds to Improve Performance of 800 kV Multicone Type Insulators Under Heavy Rain

Studies based on AC high voltage tests have been done at Cepel to investigate the performance of 800 kV bushar insulators under heavy wetting conditions. Insulators were tested which are now used on si...     

The Quantum Ultimatum Game

A quantum version of the ultimatum game is studied. Both a restricted version with classical moves and the unitary version are considered. With entangled initial states, Nash equilibria in quantum games are in general different from those of classical games. Quantum versions might therefore be useful as a framework for modeling deviations from classical Nash equilibrium in experimental games.PACS:02.50.Le; 03.67.-a     

Towards good ecological status of surface waters in Europe--interpretation and harmonisation of the concept.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a new legislative framework to manage, use, protect, and restore surface water and groundwater resources and coastal waters in the European Union (EU). The aim is to ensure sustainable water management and to reach good water quality by 2015. The assessment of the ecological status and setting of the practical management goals require several steps. The process has started with the characterisation of the river basins including identification of surface water bodies and types, and identification of significant anthropogenic pressures and impacts. The water bodies will be classified in five quality classes (high, good, moderate, poor, bad) based on the Ecological Quality Ratio, which is a ratio between reference conditions and measured status of the biological quality elements. The normative criteria for high, good and moderate ecological status described in the WFD need to be made operational because those will be used to set the practical quality targets for surface water management. National ecological assessment systems and classifications will be harmonised through the WFD intercalibration exercise in order to ensure an equal level of ambition in achieving good surface waters status all over Europe.     

Hepatic hemangioma. Analysis of 103 cases. Clinical considerations and imaging methods

Hemangiomas are the most common benign vascular tumor found in the liver. In this study, 103 cases of hepatic hemangiomas were analysed in a retrospective manner. Image aspects such as those seen in ultrassonography, computed tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance and arteriography are discussed. The incidence was higher amongst the female sex, between individuals from 40 to 60 years old, which presented predominantly without symptoms (66%) and localized mainly in the right hepatic lobe (74%). The meaning of those aspects, when adopted, permits the clinicians to differentiate benign from malignant nodular lesions in the liver.     

Photoinduced birefringence in blends of a polyurethane bearing azobenzene moieties and a poly(amide–imide)

A polyurethane (MDI‐DR19Cl) bearing azobenzene moieties was prepared by condensation of 4,4′‐diphenylmethylenediisocyanate and an azobenzene compound, 2‐chloro‐4‐nitro‐4′‐[bis‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)]amine‐azobenzene (DR19Cl). Blends of MDI‐DR19Cl and a poly(amide‐imide) were prepared and characterized by UV‐visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and by DSC. The purpose of using the blends was to overcome the lack of stability of cast films of pure MDI‐DR19Cl, which tend to crack on storage under ambient conditions. This was successfully achieved and, depending on blend proportions, flexible self‐standing films could be prepared after thermal treatment. Optical storage experiments performed with the blends and pure MDI‐DR19Cl cast films showed a decrease in the remnant values of photoinduced birefringence in the blends (60 % for the blend with 5 wt% MDI‐DR19Cl) compared to pure MDI‐DR19Cl (75%), but, taking into account the low content of MDI‐DR19Cl used, the results obtained are probably sufficient to show the viability of these blends in optical storage applications. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry