Influence of the dehydration process on active compounds of okara during its fractionation

Okara (residue of the soymilk manufacture) is rich in proteins, fibres and lipids. It also contains isoflavones that possess health‐promoting properties. A new method has been developed for the valorization of fibres from okara by hydrolysis of insoluble proteins with a protease and removal of the oil. Three different processes were investigated: the first one involved delipidation and drying prior to proteolysis and led to the highest content of fibre (80%) in the final product. The second used proteolysis on crude okara followed by solvent delipidation–dehydration and gave an intermediate content of fibre (75%). The last process was totally enzymatic (proteolysis and lipolysis) and gave the lowest content of fibre in the final product (50%). Fibre water‐holding capacity was correlated to the total dietary fibre content of each sample. It was preferable to use crude okara for hydrolysis, since oven‐drying during the process decreased the water‐holding capacity and modified the isoflavone profile of okara. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hydration thermodynamics of plutonium and transplutonium ions

Since thermodynamic properties are related to crystallographic radii, we first present sets of precise values of crystallographic radii (R) for ionic charge +2, +3 and +4 and different coordination numbers (CN). These data are based on the values reported by Shannon as well as variations of R with CN as observed for lanthanides, and linear correlations between isoelectronic $\text{M}{}^{\mathrm{m+}}$ and $\text{N}{}^{\mathrm{n+}}$ ions. Accurate measurements of the volume of the unit cell of oxides, fluorides and chlorides carried out recently give reliable radii values.Experimental entropies of actinide aquo ions are limited to Pu³⁺ and Th⁴⁺. Since this property depends on the structure of the hydrated ion, we decompose ionic entropies into three terms, related to electronic configuration, mass of the central ion, and structure of the aquo ion (S_h). We use our data on the structure of trivalent actinide ions to derive S_h and therefore to estimate values of trivalent ionic entropies. Entropies of divalent and tetravalent ions are also obtained similarly.Finally, taking into account the structure of the aqueous actinide ions, we calculate hydration enthalpies of +2, +3 and +4 actinide ions.     

Contribution of CNTs/CNFs morphology to reduction of autogenous shrinkage of Portland cement paste

In this experimental study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were dispersed by intensive sonication in water in the presence of superplasticizer and subsequently mixed with Portland cement with water/ cement ratios varying between 0.3 and 0.4. The autogenous shrinkage in the fresh stage was investigated. The CNTs and CNFs were characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the hydrated pastes were studied by X-ray diffraction and SEM. The results showed a reduction of the autogenous shrinkage by 50% for pastes containing small amounts (0.01 wt%) of nanomaterials. Higher additions appeared to be less effective. The highest reduction of shrinkage was observed for carbon nanofibers which were long, rather straight and had diameters of around 200 nm. The result showed that the addition of nanomaterials accelerated the hydration processes especially in the early stages of hydration. The effect was the most pronounced in the case of functionalized nanotubes. The proposed mechanism resulting in the reduction of the autogenous shrinkage was a combination of nano-reinforcing effects, alterations of hydration and microstructure of the hydrated matrix.     

Cross-influence of membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids and hypoxia-reoxygenation on α- and β-adrenergic function of rat cardiomyocytes

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether the beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may influence ischemia-reperfusion-induced alterations of myocardial α- and β-adrenoceptor (α-AR, β-AR) responsiveness. This study was carried out using monolayer cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes in a substrate-free, hypoxia-reoxygenation model of ischemia. The cardiomyocytes (CM) were incubated during 4 days in media enriched either with n−6 PUFA (arachidonic acid, AA) or with n−3 PUFA (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, DHA). The n−6/n−3 ratio in n−3 CM was close to 1.2, compared to 20.1 in n−6 CM. The contractile parameters of n−6 CM and n−3 CM were similar in basal conditions as well as during hypoxia and reoxygenation. In basal conditions, the phospholipid (PL) enrichment with long chain n−3 PUFA resulted in an increased chronotropic response to isoproterenol (ISO) and to phenylephrine (PHE). After posthypoxic reoxygenation, the chronotropic response to β-AR activation in n−6 CM was significantly enhanced as compared with the control response in normoxia. In opposition, the ISO-induced rise in frequency in n−3 CM in control normoxia and after reoxygenation was similar. In these n−3 CM, the changes in contractile parameters, which accompanied the chronotropic response, were also similar in reoxygenation and in normoxic periods, although the rise in shortening velocity was slightly increased after reoxygenation. In response to PHE addition, only the chronotropic effect of n−6 CM appeared significantly enhanced after hypoxic treatment. These results suggested that increasing n−3 PUFA in PL reduced the increase in α- and β-AR functional responses observed after hypoxia-reoxygenation. This effect may partly account for the assumed cardiac protective effect of n−3 PUFA, through the attenuation of the functional response to catecholamines in the ischemic myocardium.     

Writing and probing light-induced waveguides thanks to an endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fiber

We demonstrate writing and probing of light-induced waveguides in photorefractive bulk LiNbO3 crystal using an endlessly single-mode photonic crystal fiber. The optical waveguides are written at visible wavelengths by slightly raising the ferroelectric crystal temperature to benefit from the pyroelectric-driven photorefractive effect and the guiding properties are investigated at telecom wavelengths using the same photonic crystal fiber. End butt coupling with this photonic crystal fiber enables writing and probing of optical waveguides due to the self-alignment properties of spatial solitons.     

Can water level stations be used for thermal assessment in aquatic ecosystem?

Many studies focus on stream water temperature (WT) because it is considered a key ecological factor. However, few of them have investigated the use of WT data from water level monitoring networks, which often measure WT as ancillary data. Our study was conducted in southern Belgium at a high temporal resolution with continuous data recorded at intervals of 10 min between 2012 and 2016 and large spatial scale greater than 16,000 km². This study aimed to assess whether a regional water level network (140 stations) is reliable for continuous WT monitoring based on a Bland–Altman analysis with WT collected through a European monitoring network (Water Framework Directive). This study also investigates whether WT data acquired by water level stations can be used to perform both state‐of‐the‐art visualization of thermal regimes and spatio‐temporal queries for specific ecological monitoring. We found that the water level stations were reliable tools in recording continuous WT in the streams of the study area. The temperature difference between the two WT monitoring networks was ?0.57°C on average. Our positive results promote the use of WT from water level stations in order to globally characterize the thermal regime of streams as well as to provide spatial or temporal information on this regime at high frequencies. As an example, our data showed the effectiveness for brown trout (Salmo trutta fario L.) in spatializing thermal risk areas related to the thermal requirement of this fish species; in 2015, 19% of stations located in brown trout fish zone recorded temperatures above 25°C.     

Identifying Novel Osteoarthritis-Associated Genes in Human Cartilage Using a Systematic Meta-Analysis and a Multi-Source Integrated Network

Osteoarthritis, the most common joint disorder, is characterised by deterioration of the articular cartilage. Many studies have identified potential therapeutic targets, yet no effective treatment has been determined. The aim of this study was to identify and rank osteoarthritis-associated genes and micro-RNAs to prioritise those most integral to the disease. A systematic meta-analysis of differentially expressed mRNA and micro-RNAs in human osteoarthritic cartilage was conducted. Ingenuity pathway analysis identified cellular senescence as an enriched pathway, confirmed by a significant overlap (p < 0.01) with cellular senescence drivers (CellAge Database). A co-expression network was built using genes from the meta-analysis as seed nodes and combined with micro-RNA targets and SNP datasets to construct a multi-source information network. This accumulated and connected 1689 genes which were ranked based on node and edge aggregated scores. These bioinformatic analyses were confirmed at the protein level by mass spectrometry of the different zones of human osteoarthritic cartilage (superficial, middle, and deep) compared to normal controls. This analysis, and subsequent experimental confirmation, revealed five novel osteoarthritis-associated proteins (PPIB, ASS1, LHDB, TPI1, and ARPC4-TTLL3). Focusing future studies on these novel targets may lead to new therapies for osteoarthritis.     

Molecular Liver Fingerprint Reflects the Seasonal Physiology of the Grey Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) during Winter

Grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus) are primates that respond to environmental energetic constraints through strong physiological seasonality. They notably fatten during early winter (EW), and mobilize their lipid reserves while developing glucose intolerance during late winter (LW), when food availability is low. To decipher how the hepatic mechanisms may support such metabolic flexibility, we analyzed the liver proteome of adult captive male mouse lemurs, whose seasonal regulations are comparable to their wild counterparts. We highlight profound hepatic changes that reflect fat accretion in EW at the whole-body level, without triggering an ectopic storage of fat in the liver, however. Moreover, molecular regulations are consistent with the decrease in liver glucose utilization in LW, and therefore with reduced tolerance to glucose. However, no major regulation was seen in insulin signaling/resistance pathways. Fat mobilization in LW appeared possibly linked to the reactivation of the reproductive system while enhanced liver detoxification may reflect an anticipation to return to summer levels of food intake. Overall, these results show that the physiology of mouse lemurs during winter relies on solid molecular foundations in liver processes to adapt fuel partitioning while opposing the development of a pathological state despite large lipid fluxes.     

Mueller polarimetric imaging system with liquid crystals

We present a new polarimetric imaging system based on liquid-crystal modulators, a spectrally filtered white-light source, and a CCD camera. The whole Mueller matrix image of the sample is measured in approximately 5 s in the transmission mode. The instrument design, together with an original and easy-to-operate calibration procedure, provides high accuracy over a wide spectral range (500-700 nm). This accuracy has been assessed by measurement of a linear polarizer at different orientations and a thick wedged quartz plate as an example of a partially depolarized retarder. Polarimetric images of a stained hepatic biopsy with significant fibrosis have been taken at several wavelengths. The optical properties of Picrosirius Red stained collagen (diattenuation, retardance, and polarizance) have been measured independently from each other between 500 and 700 nm.