Quantification of lycopene in tomato products: comparing the performances of a newly proposed direct photothermal method and high‐performance liquid chromatography

A new photothermal method suitable for direct, accurate and highly reproducible quantitative measurements of lycopene in tomato products has been introduced. The intrinsic precision of the method is typically better than 0.2%; the repeatability of determination is comparable to that of high‐performance liquid chromatography, with 0.86% least overall error. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

On renewal inner channels and block code error control superchannels

We investigate the statistical distributions of three events, namely the block error detection, correction and misdetection events of a block code on a discrete renewal inner channel, when this inner channel can be modeled by means of a partitioned Markov chain. In order to represent the above mentioned statistical distributions, we introduce the concept of a “super channel model.” Analytical procedures to determine some of the parameters of these super channel models are presented. The application of these models in the design of error control systems, such as ARQ systems, is investigated     

Stimulation of aryl metabolite production in the basidiomycete Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55 with biosynthetic precursors and lignin degradation products

Aryl metabolites are known to have an important role in the ligninolytic system of white rot fungi. The addition of known precursors and aromatic acids representing lignin degradation products stimulated the production of aryl metabolites (veratryl alcohol, veratraldehyde, p-anisaldehyde, and 3-chloro-p-anisaldehyde) in the white rot fungus Bjerkandera sp. strain BOS55. The presence of manganese (Mn) is known to inhibit the biosynthesis of veratryl alcohol (T. Mester, E. de Jong, and J.A. Field, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:1881-1887, 1995). A new finding of this study was that the production of the other aryl metabolites, p-anisaldehyde and 3-chloro-p-anisaldehyde, was also inhibited by Mn. We attempted to bypass the Mn-inhibited step in the biosynthesis of aryl metabolites by the addition of known and suspected precursors. Most of these compounds were not able to bypass the inhibiting effect of Mn. Only the fully methylated precursors (veratrate, p-anisate, and 3-chloro-p-anisate) provided similar concentrations of aryl metabolites in the presence and absence of Mn, indicating that Mn does not influence the reduction of the benzylic acid group. The addition of deuterated benzoate and 4-hydroxybenzoate resulted in the formation of deuterated aryl metabolites, indicating that these aromatic acids entered into the biosynthetic pathway and were common intermediates to all aryl metabolites. Only deuterated chlorinated anisyl metabolites were produced when the cultures were supplemented with deuterated 3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate. This observation combined with the fact that 3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate is a natural product of Bjerkandera spp. (H. J. Swarts, F. J. M. Verhagen, J. A. Field, and J. B. P. A. Wijnberg, Phytochemistry 42:1699-1701, 1996) suggest that it is a possible intermediate in chlorinated anisyl metabolite biosynthesis.     

Crosstalk on Cables: A Communication Theoretic Approach

The crosstalk induced in a particular cable by other nearby current carrying cables is of significance in predicting the behavior of systems using such cables. Unfortunately, computational difficulties and ignorance of the actual problem geometry (as opposed to the nominal geometry) often make the calculation of the crosstalk uncertain or impossible. In this paper a method is devised for expressing the rms value of the crosstalk, and the resulting expression is investigated for a particular class of cables. The models proposed are applicable only to long low-frequency cables constructed of nonmagnetic materials. Electrostatic effects are not considered.     

An esr study of radical intermediates formed by γ - radiolysis of tripalmitin and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine

Radicals resulting from the 7-radiolysis at 77 K of neat tripalmitin and neat dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine were investigated by electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). Analyses of the spectra of these complex lipids were aided by ESR studies of their components phosphorylethanolamine, palmitic acid and hexa-decane. Concentrations of various radicals were followed as a func-tion of temperature after γ-irradiation at 77 K. Both tripalmitin and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine show anion radicals formed by electron addition to the ester groups and aliphatic side-chain radicals (-CH₂-CH-CH₂-) which are thought to be the result of deprotonation of the original positive hole. Computer analyses of the spectra as the temperature increases show loss of the anion radicals with an increase in a new radical produced by the abstrac-tion of a hydrogen atom from the α carbon on an acyl side chain. In the case of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine, a radical of the phosphorylethanolamine portion of the molecule is detected as an intermediate. Mechanisms for the formation and decay of the free radical intermediates are discussed.     

Inhibition of the LH surge in cyclic rats by stress is not mediated by opioids

The effects of intravenous (iv) administration of the opioid antagonists naloxone and naltrexone on the restraint-induced suppression of the pro-estrous LH surge were studied in cyclic female rats. To minimize stress during repeated blood sampling, the rats were provided with a jugular vein cannula. Restraint stress for 6 hrs starting at t = -1 h (the onset of the LH surge being at t = 0 h) caused a suppression of LH levels (including peak height) during the period of the LH surge. Repeated naloxone injections, given 3 h (1 mg), 4 h (0.5 mg) and 5 h (0.5 mg) after the onset of the LH surge, did not affect the restraint-induced inhibition neither did pretreatment with 1 mg naloxone at t = -75 min (i.e. 15 min before application of restraint). Naltrexone (2 mg) administered at t = -15 min induced higher plasma LH levels at t = -6 min. When rats were subsequently subjected to restraint for 5 hrs starting at t = -5 min, the restraint-induced inhibition of surge levels of LH was not affected. The results indicate that withdrawal of opioid activity in cyclic female rats before the presumed onset of the LH surge results in a premature rise of LH levels. This is in accordance with the notion that LH levels prior to the surge are under tonic inhibition of endogenous opioid peptides (EOP). In addition, the data show that opioid receptor antagonism during or before application of restraint does not alter the restraint-induced suppression of the LH surge. It is therefore concluded that EOP do not mediate the inhibitory effect of restraint stress on the LH surge in cyclic rats.     

Functional Screen for microRNAs Suppressing Anchorage-Independent Growth in Human Cervical Cancer Cells

The progression of anchorage-dependent epithelial cells to anchorage-independent growth represents a critical hallmark of malignant transformation. Using an in vitro model of human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced transformation, we previously showed that acquisition of anchorage-independent growth is associated with marked (epi)genetic changes, including altered expression of microRNAs. However, the laborious nature of the conventional growth method in soft agar to measure this phenotype hampers a high-throughput analysis. We developed alternative functional screening methods using 96- and 384-well ultra-low attachment plates to systematically investigate microRNAs regulating anchorage-independent growth. SiHa cervical cancer cells were transfected with a microRNA mimic library (n = 2019) and evaluated for cell viability. We identified 84 microRNAs that consistently suppressed growth in three independent experiments. Further validation in three cell lines and comparison of growth in adherent and ultra-low attachment plates yielded 40 microRNAs that specifically reduced anchorage-independent growth. In conclusion, ultra-low attachment plates are a promising alternative for soft-agar assays to study anchorage-independent growth and are suitable for high-throughput functional screening. Anchorage independence suppressing microRNAs identified through our screen were successfully validated in three cell lines. These microRNAs may provide specific biomarkers for detecting and treating HPV-induced precancerous lesions progressing to invasive cancer, the most critical stage during cervical cancer development.     

Insights relating to the autoignition characteristics of alcohol fuels

A detailed chemical kinetic modeling study was undertaken to characterize the auto-ignition behaviour of a full range of blends of both methanol and ethanol with a PRF 80 base fuel. The overall results were encapsulated in a computationally efficient semi-empirical formulation. The auto-ignition model was combined with an ASTM (CFR) engine simulation to explore the underlying causes for the octane number value exhibited by alcohol fuels. The model predictions were validated against experimental pressure traces obtained with a range of alcohol-PRF blends. These results confirmed the model’s general validity and provide valuable insights relating to the controlling role of the cool flame in the octane number determination and the use of alcohol fuels as octane blending components for use in modern and future gasoline engine technologies.