Chemometric study on the forensic discrimination of soil types using their infrared spectral characteristics

Soil has been utilized in criminal investigations for some time because of its prevalence and transferability. It is usually the physical characteristics that are studied; however, the research carried out here aims to make use of the chemical profile of soil samples. The research we are presenting in this work used sieved (2 mm) soil samples taken from the top soil layer (about 10 cm) that were then analyzed using mid-infrared spectroscopy. The spectra obtained were pretreated and then input into two chemometric classification tools: nonlinear iterative partial least squares followed by linear discriminant analysis (NIPALS-LDA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The models produced show that it is possible to discriminate between soil samples from different land use types and both approaches are comparable in performance. NIPALS-LDA performs much better than PLS-DA in classifying samples to location.     

Socioeconomic disparities in pain: The role of economic hardship and daily financial worry.

Objective: Socioeconomic disparities in pain may be attributable to both greater frequency in stressful financial events as well as greater vulnerability to economic hardship for those at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. This study investigated the effects of economic hardship and daily financial worry on daily pain among women with a chronic musculoskeletal condition. Design: The sample consisted of 250 women with osteoarthritis (N = 105), fibromyalgia (N = 46), or both (N = 99). During an initial assessment, participants' chronic pain diagnosis, level of economic hardship, and demographic information were ascertained. For a period of 30 days, daily diary assessments recorded daily financial worries and daily pain severity. Hypotheses were tested using multilevel modeling for repeated measures in SAS PROC MIXED. Main Outcome Measure: Daily pain severity. Results: Conditions of economic hardship and daily ratings of financial worry both had significant detrimental effects on daily pain. Participants with greater levels of economic hardship reported greater pain severity in response to daily financial worries than their counterparts with little or no economic hardship. Further, participants in the sample who were not employed and who reported higher levels of economic hardship exhibited the most pain reactivity in response to daily financial worries. Conclusion: Economic hardship was associated not only with greater exposure to daily financial worries but also with greater vulnerability to pain on days when daily financial worries were experienced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contribution of low-molecular-weight antioxidants to the antioxidant capacity of raw and processed lentil seeds

In this study four cultivars of lentil originating from Spain were examined: cv Paula, cv Agueda, cv Almar and cv Alcor. Since consumption of these seeds after heat treatment and as sprouts has been popularised, the impact of cooking (up to 30 min) and germination process (in dark, at 25 degrees C, for up to 4 days) on peroxyl radical-trapping capacity (PRTC) and Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of the processed seeds was addressed. Also, changes in the content of low-molecular-weight antioxidants (LMWA) and soluble proteins in the course of cooking and germination were studied. The analyzed LMWAwere: total phenolics, tocopherols (alpha-T, beta-T, gamma-T, delta-T), reduced glutathione, and L-ascorbic acid. On the basis of the results obtained, the contribution of LMWA and soluble proteins to the PRTC and TEAC of raw, cooked, and germinated lentil seeds was calculated by multiple mean values for the content of investigated compounds and their relative potential with respect to Trolox. The results showed avery high molar percentage contribution of phenolic compounds and low contribution of tocopherols, glutathione, soluble proteins, and ascorbate (only in germinated seeds) to the total TEAC and total PRTC calculated as a sum of data provided for phosphate-buffered and 80% methanolic extracts of raw and processed lentil seeds.     

New Anthraquinone‐Based Conjugated Microporous Polymer Cathode with Ultrahigh Specific Surface Area for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Redox‐active conjugated microporous polymers (RCMPs) polymerized by conventional methods are commonly obtained as irregular insoluble solid particles making the electrode processing difficult. In this work, the synthesis of RCMP based on anthraquinone moieties (IEP‐11) is developed via a two‐step pathway combining miniemulsion and solvothermal techniques that results in polymer nanostructures that are much easier to disperse in solvents facilitating the fabrication of electrodes. Interestingly, this synthetic approach is also found to have an important impact on the inherent morphology of IEP‐11 that exhibits a dual porosity combining micro and mesopores with a specific surface area as high as 2200 m² g^?1, which is one of the highest values reported for RCMPs. Moreover, the compactness of the electrodes is also improved, the resulting electrodes have triple the density than those obtained with conventional methods. Consequently, when these electrodes are tested as cathodes in Li‐ion battery, they deliver high gravimetric capacities (≈100 mAh g^?1) and extraordinary rate capability keeping 76% of discharge capacity when charged–discharged in only 12 min (@5 C). Moreover, the insoluble and robust conjugated porous structure provides IEP‐11‐E12 with an unprecedented cycling stability retain ≈90% and ≈60% of its initial capacity after 5000 (@2 C) and 80 000 cycles (@30 C), respectively.     

Metabolomics as a Tool to Elucidate the Sensory,Nutritional and Safety Quality of Wheat Bread—A Review

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the most extensively cultivated and used staple crops in human nutrition, while wheat bread is annually consumed in more than nine billion kilograms over the world. Consumers’ purchase decisions on wheat bread are largely influenced by its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. In the last decades, metabolomics is considered an effective tool for elucidating the information on metabolites; however, the deep investigations on metabolites still remain a difficult and longtime action. This review gives emphasis on the achievements in wheat bread metabolomics by highlighting targeted and untargeted analyses used in this field. The metabolomics approaches are discussed in terms of quality, processing and safety of wheat and bread, while the molecular mechanisms involved in the sensorial and nutritional characteristics of wheat bread are pointed out. These aspects are of crucial importance in the context of new consumers’ demands on healthy bakery products rich in bioactive compounds but, equally, with good sensorial acceptance. Moreover, metabolomics is a potential tool for assessing the changes in nutrient composition from breeding to processing, while monitoring and understanding the transformations of metabolites with bioactive properties, as well as the formation of compounds like toxins during wheat storage.     

Evaluation of bioprocesses to improve the antioxidant properties of chickpeas

Chickpea seeds (Cicer arietinum cv. Blanco lechoso) were submitted to different bioprocesses; i) germination of seeds for 2 and 3 days, ii) natural fermentation of flour or cracked seeds, and iii) induced fermentation of flour or cracked seeds with Lactobacillus plantarum, in order to improve the antioxidant properties. Determination of vitamins C and E, reduced glutathione (GSH) and total phenolic compounds (TPC) were carried out. Antioxidant capacity was measured by SOD-like activity, peroxyl radical-trapping capacity (PRTC), lipid peroxidation inhibition (LPI) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). Vitamin C and E increased after germination, whilst fermentation caused a decrease in vitamin E. Both bioprocesses caused an increment in TPC content while GSH decreased. Germination increased SOD-like activity (47-41%), PRTC (16-55%) and TEAC (12-23%) and a slight inhibition of LPI was observed. After fermentation, SOD-like activity suffer a drastic reduction. The LPI decreased between 11.3 and 21.3%, while an increase of TEAC (29-57%) and PRTC (27-44%) was observed, except in flour natural fermented seeds where decreased the PRTC. TPC contributed highly to total antioxidant capacity (TEAC). Results indicated that with the bioprocesses studied the antioxidant properties of chickpea flours are enhanced and they can be used as desired ingredients for new functional food formulations.     

Validation of a UHPLC-FLD method for the simultaneous quantification of aflatoxins,ochratoxin A and zearalenone in barley

A fast and simple UHPLC-FLD method has been developed for the simultaneous determination in barley of aflatoxins (B1, G1, B2 and G2), ochratoxin A (OTA) and zearalenone (ZEA), some of the most important mycotoxins due to their toxicity and occurrence. The procedure is based on the extraction of the six mycotoxins with a mixture of acetonitrile and water, and the purification of the extract with immunoaffinity columns before analysis. Detection of AFB1 and AFG1 is improved using a photochemical reaction. The method has been validated with satisfactory results. Limits of detection were 340 ng kg⁻¹ for ZEA, 13 ng kg⁻¹ for OTA and varied from 0.5 to 15 ng kg⁻¹ for aflatoxins. Recovery percentages were between 78.2% and 109.2%. After being validated, the method has been successfully applied to 20 barley samples cultivated in a region of northern Spain (Navarra).     

Effect of fermentation conditions on the antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lupinus angustifolius cv. zapaton</Emphasis>

To study the effect of fermentation on the antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity of Lupinus angustifolious cv. zapaton, two different types of fermentation processes were performed. Solid-state fermentations in cracked seeds carried out by Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oryzae and Bacillus subtilis and liquid state fermentations in flour and cracked seeds carried out by the microbial population present in the seed (natural fermentation) or by L. plantarum inocula. Antioxidant compounds that were quantified included vitamin C by micellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis, vitamin E isomers by high performance liquid chromatography, total phenolic compounds (TPC) by spectrophotometry and reduced glutathione (GSH) by spectrofluorimetry. The antioxidant capacity was analysed by determining the superoxide dismutase-like activity (SOD-like activity), Peroxyl Radical-Trapping Capacity (PRTC) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) and by in vitro methods using unilamellar liposomes of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (PC). In general, fermentation process produced a reduction in vitamin C, vitamin E activity, GSH and SOD-like activity, however TPC, PRTC, TEAC and inhibition of PC peroxidation increased under most of the fermentation conditions. Optimal results to obtain functional lupin products were achieved in cracked seeds fermented with B. subtilis where increases in TPC content, PRTC, inhibition of PC peroxidation and TEAC content of 490, 669, 492 and 224%, respectively, were found. Also, fermentation carried out with L. plantarum in lupin flours and naturally in cracked seeds caused smaller, although significant (P ≤ 0.05) increases in TPC, PRTC, inhibition of PC and TEAC (80–148, 50–90, 23 and 45–65%, respectively).     

Kinetic study of the antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity during germination of Vigna radiata cv. emmerald, Glycinemax cv. jutro and Glycine max cv. merit

The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant capacity and the content of antioxidant compounds in raw mung bean seeds and sprouts (Vigna radiata cv. emmerald) germinated for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 days and of soybean seeds of Glycine max cv. jutro germinated for 2, 3 and 4 days and of Glycine max cv. merit germinated for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 days. Antioxidant compounds, such as vitamin C and E, total phenolic compounds and reduced glutathione (GSH) were studied. Antioxidant capacity was measured by superoxide dismutase-like activity (SOD-like activity), peroxyl radical-trapping capacity (PRTC), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and inhibition of lipid peroxidation in unilamellar liposomes of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (PC). The results indicated that changes in the contents of vitamin C, vitamin E and GSH depended on the type of legume and germination conditions. Sprouts of mung bean and soybeans provided more total phenolic compounds than did raw seeds. The SOD-like activity increased after germination of mung bean seeds for 7 days, by 308%, while no change was observed in sprouts of Glycine max cv. jutro and an increase was observed after 5 and 6 days of germination (∼20%) in Glycine max cv. merit. PRTC and TEAC increased during the germination process and retentions of 28–70% and 11–14%, respectively, for soybean, and 248% and 61%, respectively, for mung bean were observed at the end of germination. The inhibition of lipid peroxidation increased by 389% in 5–7 days’ germination of Vigna radiata cv. emmerald sprouts, and 66% in Glycine max cv. merit sprouts whilst, in Glycine max cv. jutro, germination did not cause changes in lipid peroxidation inhibition. According to the results obtained in this study, germination of mung bean and soybean seeds is a good process for obtaining functional flours with greater antioxidant capacity and more antioxidant compounds than the raw legumes.