High performance liquid chromatographic determination of soluble carbohydrates in commercial drinks

High performance liquid chromatography was carried out to determine the soluble sugar content in canned soft drinks and commercial fruit juices stored in different types of containers. The total amount of sugars ranged from 9.2 to 13.5 g 100 ml^?1 for the soft drinks, 10 to 14 g 100 ml^?1 in fruit nectars and 3 g 100 ml^?1 in tomato juice. The individual sugar content of soft drinks varied between different batches, although the total amount remained fairly constant for each kind of drink or juice. Only in tomato juice where sucrose was not present, did the values for glucose and fructose remain constant.     

Nonparametric Model Comparison and Uncertainty Evaluation for Signal Strength Indoor Location

Indoor Location (IL) using Received Signal Strength (RSS) is receiving much attention, mainly due to its ease of use in deployed IEEE 802.11b (WiFi) wireless networks. Fingerprinting is the most widely used technique. It consists of estimating position by comparison of a set of RSS measurements, made by the mobile device, with a database of RSS measurements whose locations are known. However, the most convenient data structure to be used and the actual performance of the proposed fingerprinting algorithms are still controversial. In addition, the statistical distribution of indoor RSS is not easy to characterize. Therefore, we propose here the use of nonparametric statistical procedures for diagnosis of the fingerprinting model, specifically: 1) A nonparametric statistical test, based on paired bootstrap resampling, for comparison of different fingerprinting models and 2) new accuracy measurements (the uncertainty area and its bias) which take into account the complex nature of the fingerprinting output. The bootstrap comparison test and the accuracy measurements are used for RSS-IL in our WiFi network, showing relevant information relating to the different fingerprinting schemes that can be used.     

Protons and Deuterons in Magnesium-Doped Sapphire Crystals

The OH^- and OD^- stretching frequencies in magnesium-doped aluminum oxide crystals were determined by infrared absorption measurements. Two very broad bands centered at }3005 and 2228 cm^-1 were observed for OH^- and OD^-, respectively. Polarization experiment results were compatible with OH^- (OD^-) ions lying in the basal plane, as is the case in undoped crystals. The threshold temperature for the in-diffusion of deuterons was obtained by annealing the samples in flowing D₂O vapor; the resulting value was }1050 K. At 1223 K, the diffusion coefficient was }3× 10^-7 cm²/s, and the activation energy was 1.6 eV.     

Compositional and degradative changes during the manufacture of dry‐cured ‘lacón’

The gross and mineral composition, the main physicochemical parameters, the protein extractability and the proteolytic (nitrogen fractions and free amino acids) and lipolytic (acidity index and free fatty acids) changes were studied throughout the manufacturing process of five batches of dry‐cured ‘lacón’, a traditional Spanish meat product made from the fore‐ham of the pig following a similar technological process to that of dry‐cured ham. The main compositional characteristics of this product are the high NaCl content and the low moisture content at the end of the curing process. The pH remained fairly stable (around 6) throughout the whole process and a fall in a_w was observed, reaching very low (0.767 ± 0.052) final average values. It was noted that 76% of the sarcoplasmic and 83% of the myofibrillar proteins became insoluble during the manufacturing process. The values of the different nitrogen fractions increased in a significant manner during manufacture, reaching low final values that indicate that ‘lacón’ undergoes a low level of proteolysis in comparison with other products manufactured by similar technologies. The high NaCl content and the intense dehydration suffered during the manufacturing process appear to be the principal causes of this reduced protein degradation. In accordance with the limited increase in the α‐amino acidic nitrogen during ripening, the total free amino acid content increased slightly but significantly from average values of 4371 mg kg^?1 dry matter in fresh pieces to average values of 13 020 mg kg^?1 dry matter in pieces at the end of the ripening process. The profile of free amino acids in the final product was similar to that observed by other authors in dry‐cured ham. The acidity of the fat increased by a factor of five. The final average values (49.9 g oleic acid kg^?1) were lower than those determined in dry‐cured ham, which indicates that ‘lacón’ undergoes less lipolysis during the ripening process than dry‐cured ham. C18 : 1, C18 : 2 and C16 were the most intensively released fatty acids during curing. The profile of free fatty acids in the end product was in agreement with that observed by other authors in dry‐cured ham. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Oxidative behaviour of Blanquilla pears treated with 1‐methylcyclopropene during cold storage

The increasing use of 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP) to extend the commercial life of fruit constitutes an attractive way of improving packing house competitiveness. This compound prevents the effects of ethylene in a wide range of fruit and vegetables. However, despite the extensive literature relating to this action on ethylene, little is known about its other physiological effects. In this work, pears (Pyrus malus L cv Blanquilla) were treated with 100 ppb 1‐MCP immediately after harvest and stored in air for 5 months. Differences in oxidative stress and in antioxidant potential between controls and 1‐MCP‐treated fruits were established, determining the changes in the levels of hydrogen peroxide, ascorbate content and ionic leakage during storage. Activities of the H₂O₂‐generating enzyme superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.11) and the H₂O₂‐scavenging enzymes catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11) and unspecific peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) were also determined. 1‐MCP‐treated fruits exhibited lower levels of hydrogen peroxide, ascorbate and lower ionic leakage during storage. In accordance with this result, 1‐MCP‐treated fruits also exhibited higher enzymatic antioxidant potential. These results challenge the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of 1‐MCP on ripening were not exclusively due to its action on ethylene but also to an increase in antioxidant potential in pear. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nucleotide-induced conformational transitions in the CBS domain protein MJ0729 of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

Nucleotide-binding cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) domains function as regulatory motifs in several proteins distributed through all kingdoms of life. This function has been proposed based on their affinity for adenosyl-derivatives, although the exact binding mechanisms remain largely unknown. The question of how CBS domains exactly work is relevant because in humans, several genetic diseases have been associated with mutations in those motifs. In this work, we describe the adenosyl-ligand (AMP, ATP, NADP and SAM) properties of the wild-type CBS domain protein MJ0729 from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii by using a combination of spectroscopic techniques (fluorescence, FTIR and FRET). The fluorescence results show that binding to AMP and ATP occurs with an apparent dissociation constant of ~10 μM, and interestingly enough, binding induces protein conformational changes, as shown by FTIR. On the other hand, fluorescence spectra (FRET and steady-state) did not change upon addition of NADP and SAM to MJ0729, suggesting that tryptophan and/or tyrosine residues were not involved in the recognition of those ligands; however, there were changes in the secondary structure of the protein upon addition of NADP and SAM, as shown by FTIR (thus, indicating binding to the nucleotide). Taken together, these results suggest that: (i) the adenosyl ligands bind to MJ0729 in different ways, and (ii) there are changes in the protein secondary structure upon binding of the nucleotides.     

Syntheses and biological activities of 1,4-iminoalditol derivatives as alpha-L-fucosidase inhibitors

A review dealing with 1,4-iminoalditol (hydroxylated pyrrolidine) derivatives as inhibitors of alpha-L-fucosidases including the different synthetic approaches for their preparation as well as their inhibitory properties is presented.     

Asymmetric Rhodium‐Catalyzed 1,4‐ and 1,2‐Additions of Arylboronic Acids to Activated Ketones in Water at Room Temperature Using a Mixed Sulfur‐Olefin Ligand

Performing catalytic enantioselective reactions, especially enantioselective carbon‐carbon bond forming reactions, in water without using any organic solvents is one of the important goals in modern asymmetric synthesis. Herein, we report an efficient enantioselective micellar catalytic approach for the 1,4‐addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic ketones. Noteworthy, applying the same catalytic system we have also developed the first addition of boronic acids to the more challenging α‐keto carbonyl compounds in water, affording tertiary carbinols with high yields and high enantioselectivities. Beside the mild conditions used, the reported processes use as catalyst precursor the robust sulfinamido‐olefin mixed ligand 1 obtained on a multigram scale and in one step from a sugar‐derived sulfinate ester.