Characterization of Fractionated Soy Proteins Produced by a New Simplified Procedure

It was possible to fractionate soy protein into two soy protein isolate fractions (>90% protein) enriched in either glycinin or β-conglycinin by using a new simplified procedure (referred to as the Deak procedure) employing CaCl₂ and NaHSO₃. The Deak procedure produced fractions with higher yields of solids, protein, and isoflavones, and similar protein purities as well as improved functional properties compared to fractions recovered by established, more complex soy protein fractionation procedures. The Deak glycinin-rich fraction comprised 15.5% of the solids, 24.4% of the protein, and 20.5% of the isoflavones in the starting soy flour, whereas the glycinin-rich fraction of the established procedure (Wu procedure) comprised only 11.6% of the solids, 22.3% of the protein, and 9.6% of the isoflavones. The Deak β-conglycinin-rich fraction comprised 23.1% of the solids, 37.1% of the protein, and 37.5% of the isoflavones in the starting soy flour, whereas the Wu β-conglycinin-rich fraction comprised only 11.5% of the solids, 18.5% of the protein, and 3.3% of the isoflavones. Protein purities were >80% for both fractions when using both procedures. The Wu procedure produced protein fractions with slightly higher solubilities and similar surface hydrophobicities; whereas, the fractions produced by the Deak procedure had superior emulsification and foaming properties and similar dynamic viscosity behaviors.     

Two‐phase thermo‐mechanical and macrosegregation modelling of binary alloys solidification with emphasis on the secondary cooling stage of steel slab continuous casting processes

As an approach towards a better modelling of solidification problems, we introduce a thermo‐mechanical and macrosegregation model that considers a solidifying alloy as a binary mixture made of a liquid and a solid phase. Macroscopic conservation laws for mass, momentum and solute are obtained by spatial averaging of the respective microscopic conservation equations. Assuming local thermal equilibrium, a single equation for the conservation of the mixture energy is then written. A single equation can be obtained for the solute as well by invoking a proper microsegregation rule. The numerical implementation in a two‐dimensional finite element code is then detailed. Lastly, some examples of simulations of academic tests as well as industrial applications for continuous casting of steel slabs are discussed. They particularly enlighten the ability of the formulation to describe the formation of central macrosegregation during the secondary cooling of slab continuous casting processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Negotiating Dialogue Games

Recently in the field of agent communication, many authors have adopted the view of interaction as a joint activity regulated by means of dialogue games. It is argued in particular that this approach should increase the flexibility of dialogues by allowing a variety of game compositions. In this research note, we present a framework suited to this feature. A preliminary attempt to capture the negotiation phase (which allows agents to agree upon the dialogue game currently regulating their conversation) is discussed.     

Dual-Priority versus Background Scheduling: A Path-Wise Comparison

In this paper, two well-known scheduling policies for real-time systems, namely background scheduling (BS) and dual-priority (DP) are compared in terms of response times for soft real-time traffic (SRT). It is proved in the preemptive as well as in the non-preemptive case that, when the SRT traffic is FIFO, the DP policy always outperforms BS for all instances of SRT tasks. When the SRT traffic is not FIFO but if all tasks are of equal size then, in the non-preemptive case, the average response times is shown to be always better under DP than under BS. As a complementary result, some non-FIFO examples where BS behaves better than DP for some SRT tasks but also on the average of the SRT response times, are given. The proofs are based on a trajectorial method that may be used for comparing other scheduling policies.     

Structure of Anxiety and Depression in Urban Youth: An Examination of the Tripartite Model.

In this study, the authors examined the validity of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression (L. A. Clark & D. Watson, 1991) in a community epidemiological sample of 467 urban African American youth. Participants completed the Baltimore How I Feel (N. S. Ialongo, S. G. Kellam, & J. Poduska, 1999), a measure of anxiety and depressive symptoms, in Grades 6 and 9. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a 3-factor model representing the tripartite model fit the data well and better than competing models. Longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis revealed configural invariance of the tripartite factor structure. However, a predicted divergence among dimensions over time was not evidenced. High correlations among the tripartite dimensions suggest that anxiety and mood symptoms may not differentiate in urban youth. Results are discussed in terms of the ethnicity and urban context of this community sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Synthetic Melanin Acts as Efficient Peptide Carrier in Cancer Vaccine Strategy

We previously reported that a novel peptide vaccine platform, based on synthetic melanin nanoaggregates, triggers strong cytotoxic immune responses and significantly suppresses tumor growth in mice. However, the mechanisms underlying such an efficacy remained poorly described. Herein, we investigated the role of dendritic cells (DCs) in presenting the antigen embedded in the vaccine formulation, as well as the potential stimulatory effect of melanin upon these cells, in vitro by coculture experiments and ELISA/flow cytometry analysis. The vaccine efficiency was evaluated in FLT3-L^−/− mice constitutively deficient in DC1, DC2, and pDCs, in Zbtb46^DTR chimera mice deficient in DC1 and DC2, and in Langerin^DTR mice deficient in dermal DC1 and Langerhans cells. We concluded that DCs, and especially migratory conventional type 1 dendritic cells, seem crucial for mounting the immune response after melanin-based vaccination. We also assessed the protective effect of L-DOPA melanin on peptides from enzymatic digestion, as well as the biodistribution of melanin–peptide nanoaggregates, after subcutaneous injection using [¹⁸F]MEL050 PET imaging in mice. L-DOPA melanin proved to act as an efficient carrier for peptides by fully protecting them from enzymatic degradation. L-DOPA melanin did not display any direct stimulatory effects on dendritic cells in vitro. Using PET imaging, we detected melanin–peptide nanoaggregates up to three weeks after subcutaneous injections within the secondary lymphoid tissues, which could explain the sustained immune response observed (up to 4 months) with this vaccine technology.     

Studying the Impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants Exposure on Human Health by Proteomic Analysis: A Systematic Review

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances that are widely distributed in environments around the globe. POPs accumulate in living organisms and are found at high concentrations in the food chain. Humans are thus continuously exposed to these chemical substances, in which they exert hepatic, reproductive, developmental, behavioral, neurologic, endocrine, cardiovascular, and immunologic adverse health effects. However, considerable information is unknown regarding the mechanism by which POPs exert their adverse effects in humans, as well as the molecular and cellular responses involved. Data are notably lacking concerning the consequences of acute and chronic POP exposure on changes in gene expression, protein profile, and metabolic pathways. We conducted a systematic review to provide a synthesis of knowledge of POPs arising from proteomics-based research. The data source used for this review was PubMed. This study was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. Of the 742 items originally identified, 89 were considered in the review. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the most recent research and available solutions to explore proteomics datasets to identify new features relevant to human health. Future perspectives in proteomics studies are discussed.     

Aphid BCR4 Structure and Activity Uncover a New Defensin Peptide Superfamily

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea) are among the most detrimental insects for agricultural plants, and their management is a great challenge in agronomical research. A new class of proteins, called Bacteriocyte-specific Cysteine-Rich (BCR) peptides, provides an alternative to chemical insecticides for pest control. BCRs were initially identified in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. They are small disulfide bond-rich proteins expressed exclusively in aphid bacteriocytes, the insect cells that host intracellular symbiotic bacteria. Here, we show that one of the A. pisum BCRs, BCR4, displays prominent insecticidal activity against the pea aphid, impairing insect survival and nymphal growth, providing evidence for its potential use as a new biopesticide. Our comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses indicate that BCRs are restricted to the aphid lineage. The 3D structure of BCR4 reveals that this peptide belongs to an as-yet-unknown structural class of peptides and defines a new superfamily of defensins.     

Low Doses of PFOA Promote Prostate and Breast Cancer Cells Growth through Different Pathways

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) are found in everyday products. Widely distributed throughout the environment, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a specific class of EDCs that can accumulate in adipose tissue. Many of them induce adverse effects on human health—such as obesity, fertility disorders and cancers—by perturbing hormone effects. We previously identified many compounds with EDC activity in the circulation of obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Herein, we analyzed the effects of four of them (aldrin, BDE28, PFOA and PCB153) on two cancer cell lines of hormone-sensitive organs (prostate and breast). Each cell line was exposed to serial dilutions of EDCs from 10⁻⁶ M to 10⁻¹² M; cytotoxicity and proliferation were monitored using the IncuCyte^® technology. We showed that none of these EDCs induce cytotoxicity and that PFOA and PCB153, only at very low doses (10⁻¹² M), increase the proliferation of DU145 (prostate cancer) and MCF7 (breast cancer) cells, while the same effects are observed with high concentrations (10⁻⁶ M) for aldrin or BDE28. Regarding the mechanistic aspects, PFOA uses two different signaling pathways between the two lines (the Akt/mTORC1 and PlexinD1 in MCF7 and DU145, respectively). Thus, our study demonstrates that even at picomolar (10⁻¹² M) concentrations PFOA and PCB153 increase the proliferation of prostate and breast cancer cell lines and can be considered possible carcinogens.     

Rain or Snow Detection in Image Sequences Through Use of a Histogram of Orientation of Streaks

The detection of bad weather conditions is crucial for meteorological centers, specially with demand for air, sea and ground traffic management. In this article, a system based on computer vision is presented which detects the presence of rain or snow. To separate the foreground from the background in image sequences, a classical Gaussian Mixture Model is used. The foreground model serves to detect rain and snow, since these are dynamic weather phenomena. Selection rules based on photometry and size are proposed in order to select the potential rain streaks. Then a Histogram of Orientations of rain or snow Streaks (HOS), estimated with the method of geometric moments, is computed, which is assumed to follow a model of Gaussian-uniform mixture. The Gaussian distribution represents the orientation of the rain or the snow whereas the uniform distribution represents the orientation of the noise. An algorithm of expectation maximization is used to separate these two distributions. Following a goodness-of-fit test, the Gaussian distribution is temporally smoothed and its amplitude allows deciding the presence of rain or snow. When the presence of rain or of snow is detected, the HOS makes it possible to detect the pixels of rain or of snow in the foreground images, and to estimate the intensity of the precipitation of rain or of snow. The applications of the method are numerous and include the detection of critical weather conditions, the observation of weather, the reliability improvement of video-surveillance systems and rain rendering.