Secondary Metabolic Profile as a Tool for Distinction and Characterization of Cultivars of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Cultivated in Pará State,Brazil

This study evaluated the chemical compositions of the leaves and fruits of eight black pepper cultivars cultivated in Pará State (Amazon, Brazil). Hydrodistillation and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were employed to extract and analyze the volatile compounds, respectively. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were predominant (58.5–90.9%) in the cultivars “Cingapura”, “Equador”, “Guajarina”, “Iaçará”, and “Kottanadan”, and “Bragantina”, “Clonada”, and “Uthirankota” displayed oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (50.6–75.0%). The multivariate statistical analysis applied using volatile composition grouped the samples into four groups: γ-Elemene, curzerene, and δ-elemene (“Equador”/“Guajarina”, I); δ-elemene (“Iaçará”/“Kottanadan”/“Cingapura”, II); elemol (“Clonada”/“Uthirankota”, III) and α-muurolol, bicyclogermacrene, and cubebol (“Bragantina”, IV). The major compounds in all fruit samples were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene. Among the cultivar leaves, phenolics content (44.75–140.53 mg GAE·g⁻¹ FW), the enzymatic activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (20.19–57.22 µU·mL⁻¹), and carotenoids (0.21–2.31 µg·mL⁻¹) displayed significant variations. Due to black pepper’s susceptibility to Fusarium infection, a molecular docking analysis was carried out on Fusarium protein targets using each cultivar’s volatile components. F. oxysporum endoglucanase was identified as the preferential protein target of the compounds. These results can be used to identify chemical markers related to the susceptibility degree of black pepper cultivars to plant diseases prevalent in Pará State.     

Target Score—A Proteomics Data Selection Tool Applied to Esophageal Cancer Identifies GLUT1-Sialyl Tn Glycoforms as Biomarkers of Cancer Aggressiveness

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a life-threatening disease, demanding the discovery of new biomarkers and molecular targets for precision oncology. Aberrantly glycosylated proteins hold tremendous potential towards this objective. In the current study, a series of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and EC-derived circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were screened by immunoassays for the sialyl-Tn (STn) antigen, a glycan rarely expressed in healthy tissues and widely observed in aggressive gastrointestinal cancers. An ESCC cell model was glycoengineered to express STn and characterized in relation to cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. STn was found to be widely present in ESCC (70% of tumors) and in CTCs in 20% of patients, being associated with general recurrence and reduced survival. Furthermore, STn expression in ESCC cells increased invasion in vitro, while reducing cancer cells proliferation. In parallel, an ESCC mass spectrometry-based proteomics dataset, obtained from the PRIDE database, was comprehensively interrogated for abnormally glycosylated proteins. Data integration with the Target Score, an algorithm developed in-house, pinpointed the glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) as a biomarker of poor prognosis. GLUT1-STn glycoproteoforms were latter identified in tumor tissues in patients facing worst prognosis. Furthermore, healthy human tissues analysis suggested that STn glycosylation provided cancer specificity to GLUT1. In conclusion, STn is a biomarker of worst prognosis in EC and GLUT1-STn glycoforms may be used to increase its specificity on the stratification and targeting of aggressive ESCC forms.     

Synthesis and Evaluation of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blocking Pyrroline Derivatives Endowed with Both Antiarrhythmic and Antioxidant Activities

Under the hypothesis that cardioprotective agents might benefit from synergism between antiarrhythmic activity and antioxidant properties, a small series of mexiletine analogues were coupled with the 2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline moiety, known for its antioxidant effect, in order to obtain dual-acting drugs potentially useful in the protection of the heart against post-ischemic reperfusion injury. The pyrroline derivatives reported herein were found to be more potent as antiarrhythmic agents than mexiletine and displayed antioxidant activity. The most interesting tetramethylpyrroline congener, a tert-butyl-substituted analogue, was at least 100 times more active as an antiarrhythmic than mexiletine.     

Direct-Ink-Writing of Electroactive Polymers for Sensing and Energy Storage Applications

Considering the high levels of materials used in the fields of electronics and energy storage systems, it is increasingly necessary to take into consideration environmental impact. Thus, it is important to develop devices based on environmentally friendlier materials and/or processes, such as additive manufacturing techniques. In this work, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) are prepared by direct-ink-writing (DIW) by varying solvent evaporation temperature and fill density percentage. Different morphologies for both polymers are obtained, including dense films and porous membranes, as well as different electroactive β-phase content, thermal and mechanical properties. The dielectric constant and piezoelectric d₃₃ coefficient for dense films reaches up to 16 at 1 kHz and 4 pC N⁻¹, respectively for PVDF-HFP with a fill density of 80 and a solvent evaporation temperature of 50 °C. Porous structures are developed for battery separator membranes in lithium-ion batteries, with a highest ionic conductivity value of 3.8 mS cm⁻¹ for the PVDF-HFP sample prepared with a fill density of 100 and a solvent evaporation temperature of 25 °C, the sample showing an excellent cycling performance. It is demonstrated that electroactive films and membranes can be prepared by direct-ink writing suitable for sensors/actuators and energy storage systems.     

Hydrogen-helium scattering cross-sections for transmission elastic recoil detection analysis

¹H(,p) ⁴He scattering cross-sections were determined for the 6.5–13 MeV (incident energy) range, thereby extending the energy range for such data beyond that available in the literature. These values are essential for the further development of hydrogen concentration profiling by the transmission elastic recoil detection technique, of particular interest in the design of surface-engineered hydrogen contamination barriers for steels.     

In vivo aging of gutta‐percha dental cone

Gutta‐percha cone is the most widely used material for root canal filling. The in vivo aging of this cone focus on the degradation of its main organic component, trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene, was studied. Aged cones (25 samples) from 2 to 30 years of root canal filling were extracted from different patients in the occasion of retreatment by mechanical way. The information about the aging time was given by the patients. Gel‐permeation chromatography (GPC) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were the analytical techniques used. Polyisoprene degrades with time of aging, but in a slow process. Decrease in polymer molar mass from 5.7 × 10⁵ to 1.7 × 10⁵ g/mol was observed in polyisoprene from cone after 30 years of root canal filling and inside a noninfected tooth. In tooth with caries and periodontal infection, the decrease in molar mass is higher (4.6 × 10⁴ g/mol in cone with 10 years of aging). The production of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups in the aged material indicates that the process is oxidative, even in closed teeth. In these cases, the oxygen could be provided from tissue fluid. The degradation mechanism is complex and depends on many factors, besides time of root canal filling. The dental problem caused by the aging could be the production and migration of cytotoxic substances to periodontal ligament and the reduction on the canal sealing property due to the polymer weight loss. Both of them could contribute to the root canal treatment failure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100:4082–4088, 2006     

Surface Pretreatments of Silicon Nitride for CVD Diamond Deposition

The efficiency of different surface pretreatments (four standard chemical etchings and four diamond powder abrasive procedures) on silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) substrates for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond has been systematically investigated. Blank Si₃N₄ samples were polished with colloidal silica (∼0.25 μm). Diamond nucleation and growth runs were conducted in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus for 10 min and 6 h, respectively. Superior results concerning nucleation density ( N _d∼ 10¹⁰ cm⁻² after 10 min), film uniformity, and grain size (below 2 μm after 6 h) were obtained for the mechanically microflawed samples, revealing that chemical etchings (hot and cold strong acids, molten base or CF₄ plasma) are not crucial for good CVD diamond quality on Si₃N₄.     

Effect of catalysts in the quality of syngas and by-products obtained by co-gasification of coal and wastes. 1. Tars and nitrogen compounds abatement

The aim of this work is to analyse the possibility of using co-gasification technology to process coal mixed with wastes to take profit of its energy content and at the same time to minimize the environmental impact associated with the use of wastes and to diminish the costs of flue gas treatment. The addition to coal of different types of materials, like: pine based waste, petcoke and polyethylene (PE), was not found to give rise to any operational problems, regarding both the feeding system and gasification process and led to higher energy conversions, however, the gas presented higher tars and hydrocarbons content. Several catalysts were tested, such as, dolomite, olivine, nickel and magnesium oxides, zinc oxides and cobalt and molybdenum oxides. Catalyst action was analysed in tars release and also in ammonia compounds reduction. The presence of catalysts allowed increasing hydrogen release, whilst there was a decrease in hydrocarbons and tars contents. A nickel-magnesium oxide was the catalyst that led to the highest reduction in hydrocarbons and tars. This catalyst also led to the lowest NH₃ content in the fuel gas produced, due to the catalyst efficiency in NH₃ destruction.     

Catalysts based in cerium oxide for wet oxidation of acrylic acid in the prevention of environmental risks

Acrylic acid is a refractory compound for the non-catalytic wet oxidation (WO) process and can seriously damage the environment when released in industrial effluents. Oxidation of acrylic acid by catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) was studied in slurry conditions in a high-pressure batch reactor at 200 °C and 15 bar of oxygen partial pressure. Several solid cerium-based catalysts prepared in our laboratory were used (Ag/Ce, Co/Ce, Mn/Ce, CeO, MnO) and evaluated in terms of activity, selectivity and stability. Mn/Ce shows the higher activity in 2 h with 97.7% reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) followed by: MnO(95.5%)>Ag/Ce(85.0%)>Co/Ce(65.1%)>CeO(61.2%). Attempts were also carried out to analyze the influence of different Mn/Ce molar ratios. High percentages of Mn lead to practically total organic carbon concentration (TOC) abatements while low ratios lead to the formation of non-oxidizable compounds. Acrylic acid was readily degraded by all the catalysts pointing out the high importance of using a catalytic process. pH was an indicator of the reaction pathway and acetic acid was found as the major reaction intermediate compound; however it is completely oxidized after 2 h with exception for Co/Ce, CeO and MnO. Carbon adsorption and leaching of metals were poorly found for Mn/Ce indicating high stability. The catalyst microstructure after the reaction was analyzed and formation of whiskers of β-MnO₂ (or less probably MnOOH) were observed at the catalyst surface. Therefore, Mn/Ce revealed to be a promising catalyst for the treatment of effluents containing acrylic acid; nevertheless, its commercialization depends on further research.     

A web-based platform for biosignal visualization and annotation

With the advent of wearable sensing and mobile technologies, biosignals have seen an increasingly growing number of application areas, leading to the collection of large volumes of data. One of the difficulties in dealing with these data sets, and in the development of automated machine learning systems which use them as input, is the lack of reliable ground truth information. In this paper we present a new web-based platform for visualization, retrieval and annotation of biosignals by non-technical users, aimed at improving the process of ground truth collection for biomedical applications. Moreover, a novel extendable and scalable data representation model and persistency framework is presented. The results of the experimental evaluation with possible users has further confirmed the potential of the presented framework.