Lupin seed coat as a promising food ingredient: physicochemical,nutritional, antioxidant properties,and effect of genotype and environment

The high proportion of seed coat of legume lupins results in big milling lose during kernel flour production, though the seed coat could be value-added as human food. The physicochemical and nutritional properties and antioxidant capacities of seed coats of six Australian sweet lupin cultivars grown at two locations were evaluated. Results showed that genotype, environment and their interaction were significant for seed coat percentage, proximate composition, dietary fibre content, polyphenols and antioxidant capacities. Strong correlations between seed coat lightness and polyphenol content were found. A comparison using multivariate analysis of the seed coat properties showed clear separation based on growing sites. This study indicates the enormous potential of Australian sweet lupin seed coat as an ‘antioxidant dietary fibre’ food source. The results could also benefit to breed varieties with desirable levels of nutrients and phytochemicals.     

Water soluble inner aqueous phase markers as indicators of the encapsulation properties of water-in-oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with sodium caseinate

The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of Methylene Blue (MB) and Vitamin B₁₂ (Vit-B₁₂) as water soluble inner aqueous phase (W₁) markers for measuring the encapsulation efficiency and stability of water-in-oil-in-water (W₁/O/W₂) double emulsions stabilized by sodium caseinate (NaCN). The encapsulation efficiency and stability were determined by centrifugation of the double emulsion to separate the cream phase (W₁/O) and the outer aqueous phase (W₂) and measuring the concentration of marker in W₂ by absorbance spectrophotometry. To validate this method the marker concentration measurable and the stability of the marker in W₂ were measured. Both markers could be accurately measured in W₂ and there was no change in the concentration of marker on storage of a W₂ solution for 7 days at 45 °C. The recovery yields of MB and Vit-B₁₂ in the recovered W₂ of an oil-in-water (O/W₂) emulsion, determined using the procedure normally used for measuring encapsulation efficiency and stability, were 78% and 99%, respectively, and 52 and 100%, respectively. Double emulsions had encapsulation efficiency of 61.9 ± 21.4% and 16.6 ± 1.1% and encapsulation stability of 62.0 ± 22.6% and 10.7 ± 0.7% for MB and Vit-B₁₂, respectively. Recovery yield and encapsulation efficiency/stability data for MB indicate that it is not a suitable marker for measuring the encapsulation properties of NaCN stabilized double emulsions while similar data for Vit-B₁₂ indicate that it is a suitable marker for studying the encapsulation properties of double emulsions stabilized with NaCN. Methods used in other studies to measure encapsulation properties of double emulsions are discussed in light of the results obtained in this study.     

Overblown Benefits and Hidden Costs of the Clean Power Plan

No other environmental issue today is the subject of more discussion, debate, and media coverage than human-induced climate change, which is supposedly caused by increasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the combustion of fossil fuels. These debates cover everything from basic questions of physical measurement—How has the earth's climate changed over time? How may the climate change in the future because of increased CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere?—to debates over how increased CO₂ emissions will affect the economic well-being of future generations.     

Impact of the Cd2+ treatment on the electrical properties of Cu2ZnSnSe4 and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

The present contribution aims at determining the impact of modifying the properties of the absorber/buffer layer interface on the electrical performance of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ (CZTSe) thin‐film solar cells, by using a Cd²⁺ partial electrolyte (Cd PE) treatment of the absorber before the buffer layer deposition. In this work, CZTSe/CdS solar cells with and without Cd PE treatment were compared with their respective Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGSe)/CdS references. The Cd PE treatment was performed in a chemical bath for 7 min at 70 °C using a basic solution of cadmium acetate. X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements have revealed the presence of Cd at the absorber surface after the treatment. The solar cells were characterized using current density–voltage (J–V), external quantum efficiency, and drive‐level capacitance profiling measurements. For the CZTSe‐based devices, the fill factor increased from 57.7% to 64.0% when using the Cd PE treatment, leading to the improvement of the efficiency (η) from 8.3% to 9.0% for the best solar cells. Similar observations were made on the CIGSe solar cell reference. This effect comes from a considerable reduction of the series resistance (R_S) of the dark and light J–V, as determined using the one‐diode model. The crossover effect between dark and light J–V curves is also significantly reduced by Cd PE treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physiologic Insulin Resensitization as a Treatment Modality for Insulin Resistance Pathophysiology

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased from 2.5% of the US population in 1990 to 10.5% in 2018. This creates a major public health problem, due to increases in long-term complications of diabetes, including neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, skin ulcers, amputations, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In this review, we evaluated the scientific basis that supports the use of physiologic insulin resensitization. Insulin resistance is the primary cause of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance leads to increasing insulin secretion, leading to beta-cell exhaustion or burnout. This triggers a cascade leading to islet cell destruction and the long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. Concurrent with insulin resistance, the regular bursts of insulin from the pancreas become irregular. This has been treated by the precise administration of insulin more physiologically. There is consistent evidence that this treatment modality can reverse the diabetes-associated complications of neuropathy, diabetic ulcers, nephropathy, and retinopathy, and that it lowers HbA1c. In conclusion, physiologic insulin resensitization has a persuasive scientific basis, significant treatment potential, and likely cost benefits.     

包容性工程—借助工程技术发明为身体或精神障碍人士赋能

1. Background The use of engineering tools, design, research, and thinking to create environments and capabilities whereby individuals who are currently under-e...     

Effect of Drought and Methyl Jasmonate Treatment on Primary and Secondary Isoprenoid Metabolites Derived from the MEP Pathway in the White Spruce Picea glauca

White spruce (Picea glauca) emits monoterpenes that function as defensive signals and weapons after herbivore attack. We assessed the effects of drought and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, used as a proxy for herbivory, on monoterpenes and other isoprenoids in P. glauca. The emission of monoterpenes was significantly increased after MeJA treatment compared to the control, but drought suppressed the MeJA-induced increase. The composition of the emitted blend was altered strongly by stress, with drought increasing the proportion of oxygenated compounds and MeJA increasing the proportion of induced compounds such as linalool and (E)-β-ocimene. In contrast, no treatment had any significant effect on the levels of stored monoterpenes and diterpenes. Among other MEP pathway-derived isoprenoids, MeJA treatment decreased chlorophyll levels by 40%, but had no effect on carotenoids, while drought stress had no impact on either of these pigment classes. Of the three described spruce genes encoding 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) catalyzing the first step of the MEP pathway, the expression of only one, DXS2B, was affected by our treatments, being increased by MeJA and decreased by drought. These findings show the sensitivity of monoterpene emission to biotic and abiotic stress regimes, and the mediation of the response by DXS genes.     

The Clinical Significance of Transfer RNAs Present in Extracellular Vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important for intercellular signalling in multi-cellular organisms. However, the role of mature transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and tRNA fragments in EVs has yet to be characterised. This systematic review aimed to identify up-to-date literature on tRNAs present within human EVs and explores their potential clinical significance in health and disease. A comprehensive and systematic literature search was performed, and the study was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched up until 1 January 2022. From 685 papers, 60 studies were identified for analysis. The majority of papers reviewed focussed on the role of EV tRNAs in cancers (31.7%), with numerous other conditions represented. Blood and cell lines were the most common EV sources, representing 85.9% of protocols used. EV isolation methods included most known methods, precipitation being the most common (49.3%). The proportion of EV tRNAs was highly variable, ranging between 0.04% to >95% depending on tissue source. EV tRNAs are present in a multitude of sources and show promise as disease markers in breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and other diseases. EV tRNA research is an emerging field, with increasing numbers of papers highlighting novel methodologies for tRNA and tRNA fragment discovery.     

Beyond Hemostasis: Platelet Innate Immune Interactions and Thromboinflammation

There is accumulating evidence that platelets play roles beyond their traditional functions in thrombosis and hemostasis, e.g., in inflammatory processes, infection and cancer, and that they interact, stimulate and regulate cells of the innate immune system such as neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. In this review, we will focus on platelet activation in hemostatic and inflammatory processes, as well as platelet interactions with neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages. We take a closer look at the contributions of major platelet receptors GPIb, α_IIbβ₃, TLT-1, CLEC-2 and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as well as secretions from platelet granules on platelet–neutrophil aggregate and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation in atherosclerosis, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and COVID-19. Further, we will address platelet–monocyte and macrophage interactions during cancer metastasis, infection, sepsis and platelet clearance.