Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

Universities through the eyes of bibliographic databases: a retroactive growth comparison of Google Scholar,Scopus and Web of Science

Scientometrics - The purpose of this study is to ascertain the suitability of GS’s url-based method as a valid approximation of universities’ academic output measures, taking into...     

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles in collagen gel improves their medical use in periodontitis treatment

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) suspensions were biosynthesized by silver ions reduction in the presence of collagen, a nontoxic, organic polymer, intending to improve their medical use in periodontitis treatment. Spectrophotometric measurements showed a time- and concentration-dependent increase of AgNP formation in each suspension variant. Transmission electron microscopy revealed spherical morphology of AgNP in collagen and their mean diameter size was around 30?nm. The particle size distribution and zeta potential values of AgNP in collagen were determined by dynamic light scattering measurements. The surface charge of AgNP in collagen was positive, while commercial AgNP stabilized in citrate had negative surface charge. In vitro cytotoxicity testing of AgNP in collagen showed that they were biocompatible with human gingival fibroblasts in a wider range of concentrations than commercial nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity of AgNP in collagen against two pathogenic strains present in the periodontal pocket was dose-dependent and higher than that of AgNP in citrate. All these results demonstrated that AgNP prepared in collagen gel had improved properties, like small diameter, positive surface charge, high biocompatibility in human gingival fibroblasts, efficiency against bacterial growth and, thus, better therapeutic potential in periodontal disease treatment.     

Cointegration of Gate-All-Around MOSFETs and Local Silicon-on-Insulator Optical Waveguides on Bulk Silicon

In this work we present a bulk silicon technology platform able to cointegrate gate-all-around (GAA) MOSFETs and local SOI waveguides with pentagonal cross section. Wire diagonals of 100-800 nm are obtained using a lithographic resolution of 0.8 mum. Well-functioning triangular multigate MOSFETs are reported, and tested up to 150 degC. A significant increase is observed in the low-field mobility mu₀ for small devices (W_effles500 nm), which is attributed to local volume inversion in the corners. Preliminary characterization of the optical waveguides is carried out, showing optical losses of a few dB/cm. The processing is entirely CMOS compatible, does not require access to advanced lithography equipment, and is based on a silicon bulk substrate. Thus, this technology might serve as the basis for a low-cost, high-performance optical signaling platform     

Prefrontal control of trace versus delay eyeblink conditioning: Role of the unconditioned stimulus in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

The conditioned eyeblink (EB) response was studied with trace conditioning procedures in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with lesions to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or sham lesions. Three experiments were performed in which either periorbital shock or a corneal airpuff served as the unconditioned stimulus (US) in separate groups of sham or mPFC-lesioned rabbits. Acquisition of the EB conditioned response (CR) was faster and reached a higher asymptote with the eyeshock US than with the airpuff US. However, mPFC lesion-induced trace conditioning deficits were obtained only in the groups that received the airpuff US. All rabbits showed normal delay conditioning and extinction. These results suggest that mPFC mediates trace EB conditioning when emotional arousal is low. However, in circumstances when emotional arousal may be high (i.e., during exposure to aversive periorbital shock), other structures (such as amygdala) may be activated to permit learning even in the absence of input from mPFC. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An empirical approach for structure-based prediction of carbohydrate-binding sites on proteins

A computer program system was developed to predict carbohydrate-bindingsites on three-dimensional (3D) protein structures. The programssearch for binding sites by referring to the empirical rulesderived from the known 3D structures of carbohydrate–proteincomplexes. A total of 80 non-redundant carbohydrate–proteincomplex structures were selected from the Protein Data Bankfor the empirical rule construction. The performance of theprediction system was tested on 50 known complex structuresto determine whether the system could detect the known bindingsites. The known monosaccharide-binding sites were detectedamong the best three predictions in 59% of the cases, whichcovered 69% of the polysaccharide-binding sites in the targetproteins, when the performance was evaluated by the overlapbetween residue patches of predicted and known binding sites. Received April 24, 2003; revised June 2, 2003; accepted June 10, 2003.     

Adjusting Some Properties of Poly(methacrylic acid) (Nano)Composite Hydrogels by Means of Silicon-Containing Inorganic Fillers

The present work aims to show how the main properties of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hydrogels can be engineered by means of several silicon-based fillers (Laponite XLS/XLG, montmorillonite (Mt), pyrogenic silica (PS)) employed at 10 wt% concentration based on MAA. Various techniques (FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM, TEM, DLS, rheological measurements, UV-VIS) were used to comparatively study the effect of these fillers, in correlation with their characteristics, upon the structure and swelling, viscoelastic, and water decontamination properties of (nano)composite hydrogels. The experiments demonstrated that the nanocomposite hydrogel morphology was dictated by the way the filler particles dispersed in water. The equilibrium swelling degree (SDe) depended on both the pH of the environment and the filler nature. At pH 1.2, a slight crosslinking effect of the fillers was evidenced, increasing in the order Mt < Laponite < PS. At pH > pKa_MAA (pH 5.4; 7.4; 9.5), the Laponite/Mt-containing hydrogels displayed a higher SDe as compared to the neat one, while at pH 7.4/9.5 the PS-filled hydrogels surprisingly displayed the highest SDe. Rheological measurements on as-prepared hydrogels showed that the filler addition improved the mechanical properties. After equilibrium swelling at pH 5.4, G’ and G” depended on the filler, the Laponite-reinforced hydrogels proving to be the strongest. The (nano)composite hydrogels synthesized displayed filler-dependent absorption properties of two cationic dyes used as model water pollutants, Laponite XLS-reinforced hydrogel demonstrating both the highest absorption rate and absorption capacity. Besides wastewater purification, the (nano)composite hydrogels described here may also find applications in the pharmaceutical field as devices for the controlled release of drugs.     

Distribution of Mixing Efficiency in a Split-Cylinder Gas-Lift Bioreactor with Immobilized Yarrowia Lipolytica Cells Used for Olive Oil Mill Wastewater Treatment

The distribution of mixing in a split-cylinder gas-lift bioreactor has been investigated for suspensions of immobilized Yarrowia lipolytica cells with particles diameter varying between 3 and 4.2 mm. The results indicated important variation of mixing time on the height of riser or downcomer, as well as different behavior of suspensions flows in these two regions. Therefore, for the riser, the mixing efficiency increases from its bottom to the top, allowing the biocatalyst particles with intermediate size (3.6-mm diameter) reaching the most intense circulation of suspension. The analysis of the suspension flow in the downcomer region revealed that the intermediate positions are associated with the highest mixing mainly for the largest immobilized yeast particles (4.2-mm diameter). In both cases, the influence of aeration on turbulence extent is positive only for air superficial velocity up to 1.05–1.35 × 10^?3 m/s, the magnitude of this effect being correlated with the biocatalyst size and position on the riser or downcomer. By means of the experimental data, mathematical correlations for mixing time have been proposed for each circulation region, taking into consideration both the operational parameters and the distance from the bioreactor bottom. These equations offer a good concordance with the experiment, the average deviation being of 5.82% for the riser and 6.06% for the downcomer zone.