Contribution of Compositional Parameters to the Oxidative Stability of Olive and Walnut Oil Blends

Oil blending was conducted to study the effects of changes in fatty acid composition (FAC), tocopherols and total phenol content (TPC) on oxidative stability of virgin olive oil (VOO):walnut oil (WO) blends. The measurement of the antioxidant activity of bioactive components present in the parent oils and blends was achieved by their ability to scavenge the free stable 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH·). The highest percentage of DPPH· inhibition was found for pure VOO, and the lowest one for pure WO. EC₅₀ values obtained from the DPPH assay correlated significantly and inversely with TPC. The generation of volatile flavor components in VOO indicated the predominance of C₆ compounds produced through biochemical (enzymatic) pathways, whereas WO showed increased concentrations of medium chain (C₇–C₁₁) aldehydes produced through chemical (oxidative) pathways. The results obtained confirm the importance of VOO phenolics in providing protection against oxidation in VOO and VOO/WO blends. However, considering the impact of FAC and the content of endogenous antioxidant substances mentioned previously on the oxidative stability of the oils analyzed, the effect of an elevated unsaturation level (WO) prevails over a high amount of such bioactive components (VOO).     

Berry fruits-enriched pasta: effect of processing and in vitro digestion on phenolics and its antioxidant activity,bioaccessibility and potential bioavailability

Pasta samples were made by substituting wheat flour (2.5% and 7.5%) for lyophilised raspberry, boysenberry, and redcurrant and blackcurrant. Total polyphenol content showed minimum variation during processing while anthocyanins presented high degradation. In general, the first minutes of cooking showed the major detrimental effect on antioxidant activity. In vitro starch hydrolysis showed the lowest value with the addition of raspberries and boysenberries. During simulated digestion, polyphenols were released from pasta matrix reaching a 2.3- to 4.3-fold increase in bioaccessible polyphenols. Likewise, values observed for reducing power and free radical scavenging activity ranged from a 0.7- to 2.0-fold and 1.6- to 6.8-fold increase in relation to cooked pasta, respectively. In addition, ≈40% of dialysability was observed for scavenging activity. In conclusion, enrichment of pasta with fine fruits is an effective tool to obtain a product with enhanced antioxidant potential.     

Antioxidant edible film based on a carrot pectin-enriched fraction as an active packaging of a vegan cashew ripened cheese

An orange-coloured carrot pectin-enriched fraction (CPEF), with 50% uronic acids (42%-methylated), carrying lipophilic carotenoids and α-tocopherol, developed homogeneous calcium-crosslinked films at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% CPEF proportions regarding a commercial pectin. CPEF gave higher relative elongation at break (65% for 50% CPEF film) when compared to 0% CPEF film (26% elongation). FTIR spectra showed a decreased intensity in the C = O group of the esterified carboxylate band as the CPEF content increased. CPEF maintained the orange colour (a* ≈ +37) and partly the carotenes (k ≈ 8.62 × 10⁻³ d⁻¹) in films, even under 25 °C light storage. Also, CPEF gave water resistance to dissolution (100% CPEF film: 50% solubility), maintaining film integrity after 24 h soaking. Surface wettability decreased (40° contact angle) when CPEF proportion increased. These characteristics made the 100% CPEF film an efficient antioxidant interface that preserved a vegan cashew ripened cheese of high water activity (0.952) for 60 days at 7 °C, as determined through the assay of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS).     

TULP1 and TUB Are Required for Specific Localization of PRCD to Photoreceptor Outer Segments

Photoreceptor disc component (PRCD) is a small protein which is exclusively localized to photoreceptor outer segments, and is involved in the formation of photoreceptor outer segment discs. Mutations in PRCD are associated with retinal degeneration in humans, mice, and dogs. The purpose of this work was to identify PRCD-binding proteins in the retina. PRCD protein-protein interactions were identified when implementing the Ras recruitment system (RRS), a cytoplasmic-based yeast two-hybrid system, on a bovine retina cDNA library. An interaction between PRCD and tubby-like protein 1 (TULP1) was identified. Co-immunoprecipitation in transfected mammalian cells confirmed that PRCD interacts with TULP1, as well as with its homolog, TUB. These interactions were mediated by TULP1 and TUB highly conserved C-terminal tubby domain. PRCD localization was altered in the retinas of TULP1- and TUB-deficient mice. These results show that TULP1 and TUB, which are involved in the vesicular trafficking of several photoreceptor proteins from the inner segment to the outer segment, are also required for PRCD exclusive localization to photoreceptor outer segment discs.     

Stochastic uniform observability of general linear differential equations

The aim of this article is to discuss the uniform observability property of general linear differential equations with multiplicative white noise in Hilbert spaces. Based on perturbation theory for evolution operators on Hilbert Schmidt spaces and on the space of nuclear operators, new representations of the covariance operators associated to the mild solutions of the investigated stochastic differential equations are given. Using these results we obtain deterministic characterizations of the stochastic uniform observability property. We also identify an entire class of stochastic differential equations which are never stochastic uniformly observable. Some examples will illustrate the theory.     

Supporting intelligent and trustworthy maritime path planning decisions

The risk of maritime collisions and groundings has dramatically increased in the past five years despite technological advancements such as GPS-based navigation tools and electronic charts, which may add to, instead of reduce, workload. We propose that an automated path planning tool for littoral navigation can reduce workload and improve the overall system efficiency, particularly under time pressure. To this end, a maritime automated path planner (MAPP) was developed, incorporating information requirements developed from a cognitive task analysis, with special emphasis on designing for trust. Human-in-the-loop experimental results showed that MAPP was successful in reducing the time required to generate an optimized path, as well as reducing path lengths. The results also showed that while users gave the tool high acceptance ratings, they rated the MAPP as average for trust, which we propose is the appropriate level of trust for such a system.     

Pragmatic constraint on the interpretation of complex noun phrases in Spanish and English.

Four experiments examined the role of a pragmatic constraint, the modifiability of noun phrases (NPs), in the modification of complex NPs. Experiment 1 demonstrated that NPs that had received relatively specific prior modification were less likely to take additional modification than NPs with less specific modification. This effect was obtained in both Spanish and English using 2 off-line tasks. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated on-line modifiability effects for both languages using a self-paced reading task. The results further suggest that although these Spanish and English speaking college students may have opposing modification preferences, modifiability constrained their interpretations in the same direction. The results of Experiment 4 suggest that discrepancies between the off-line results from Experiment 1 and the on-line results from Experiment 3 may be due to task differences. Implications are discussed in relation to current models of sentence processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characterisation of Dioscorea bulbifera native starch

A non conventional source of starch, bulbs of Dioscorea bulbifera, was evaluated. Giving a yield of 28.48 g/100 g on dry weight, chemical composition, physical, physico-chemical and morphological characteristics were assessed, as well as its rheological properties. Chemical analysis showed a amylose content of 29.37%. Micrographies showed that most of the starch granules were of irregular shape, similar to a pyramid with rounded vertices, and a smaller number were elongated with smooth surface. Dioscorea starch showed a gelatinization temperature of 70.8 degrees C and maximum viscosity at 88.6 degrees C of 435 Brabender units (BU). It presented a relatively stable consistency to the cooking process and a low tendency to retrogradation; which suggest the starch possible use in food products that need a fast viscosity and a gel with a stable consistency.     

A new experimental device to evaluate eye ulcers using a multispectral electrical impedance technique

We present a novel experimental technique to determine eye ulcers in animals using a spectral electrical impedance technique. We expect that this technique will be useful in dry eye syndrome. We used a sensor that is basically a platinum (Pt) microelectrode electrically insulated by glass from a cylindrical stainless steel counter-electrode. This sensor was applied to the naked eye of New Zealand rabbits (2.0-3.5 kg in weight). Whereas half of the eyes were normal (control), we applied to the remainder a few drops of 20% (v/v) alcohol to produce an ulcer in the eye. Using a multispectral electrical impedance system we measured ulcerated and control eyes and observed significant difference between normal and pathological samples. We also investigated the effects of different applied pressures and natural degradation of initially normal eyes as a function of time. We believe that this technique could be sufficiently sensitive and repetitive to help diagnose ocular surface diseases such as dry eye syndrome.