Effect of small, acid-soluble proteins on spore resistance and germination under a combination of pressure and heat treatment

To find the range of pressure required for effective high-pressure inactivation of bacterial spores and to investigate the role of alpha/beta-type small, acid-soluble proteins (SASP) in spores under pressure treatment, mild heat was combined with pressure (room temperature to 65 degrees C and 100 to 500 MPa) and applied to wild-type and SASP-alpha(-/)beta(-) Bacillus subtilis spores. On the one hand, more than 4 log units of wild-type spores were reduced after pressurization at 100 to 500 MPa and 65 degrees C, On the other hand, the number of surviving mutant spores decreased by 2 log units at 100 MPa and by more than 5 log units at 500 MPa. At 500 MPa and 65 degrees C, both wild-type and mutant spore survivor counts were reduced by 5 log units. Interestingly, pressures of 100, 200, and 300 MPa at 65 degrees C inactivated wild-type SASP-alpha(+)/beta(+) spores more than mutant SASP-alpha(-)/beta(-) spores, and this was attributed to less pressure-induced germination in SASP-alpha(-)/beta(-) spores than in wild-type SASP-alpha(+)/beta(+) spores. However, there was no difference in the pressure resistance between SASP-alpha(+)/beta(+) and SASP-alpha(-)/beta(-) spores at 100 MPa and ambient temperature (approximately 22 degrees C) for 30 min. A combination of high pressure and high temperature is very effective for inducing spore germination, and then inactivation of the germinated spore occurs because of the heat treatment. This study showed that alpha/beta-type SASP play a role in spore inactivation by increasing spore germination under 100 to 300 MPa at high temperature.

Effect of heat treatment on the antioxidant activity, color, and free phenolic acid profile of malt

Green malt was kilned at 95 degrees C following two regimens: a standard regimen (SKR) and a rapid regimen (RKR). Both resulting malts were treated further in a tray dryer heated to 120 degrees C, as was green malt previously dried to 65 degrees C (TDR). Each regimen was monitored by determining the color, antioxidant activity (by both ABTS(center dot+) and FRAP methods), and polyphenolic profile. SKR and RKR malts exhibited decreased L* and increased b* values above approximately 80 degrees C. TDR malts changed significantly less, and color did not develop until 110 degrees C, implying that different chemical reactions lead to color in those malts. Antioxidant activity increased progressively with each regimen, although with TDR malts this became significant only at 110-120 degrees C. The RKR malt ABTS(center dot+) values were higher than those of the SKR malt. The main phenolics, that is, ferulic, p-coumaric, and vanillic acids, were monitored throughout heating. Ferulic acid levels increased upon heating to 80 degrees C for SKR and to 70 degrees C for RKR, with subsequent decreases. However, the levels for TDR malts did not increase significantly. The increase in free phenolics early in kilning could be due to enzymatic release of bound phenolics and/or easier extractability due to changes in the matrix. The differences between the kilning regimens used suggest that further modification of the regimens could lead to greater release of bound phenolics with consequent beneficial effects on flavor stability in beer and, more generally, on human health.

Strengthening the link between climate, hydrological and species distribution modeling to assess the impacts of climate change on freshwater biodiversity

To understand the resilience of aquatic ecosystems to environmental change, it is important to determine how multiple, related environmental factors, such as near-surface air temperature and river flow, will change during the next century. This study develops a novel methodology that combines statistical downscaling and fish species distribution modeling, to enhance the understanding of how global climate changes (modeled by global climate models at coarse-resolution) may affect local riverine fish diversity. The novelty of this work is the downscaling framework developed to provide suitable future projections of fish habitat descriptors, focusing particularly on the hydrology which has been rarely considered in previous studies. The proposed modeling framework was developed and tested in a major European system, the Adour-Garonne river basin (SW France, 116,000 km(2)), which covers distinct hydrological and thermal regions from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic coast. The simulations suggest that, by 2100, the mean annual stream flow is projected to decrease by approximately 15% and temperature to increase by approximately 1.2 °C, on average. As consequence, the majority of cool- and warm-water fish species is projected to expand their geographical range within the basin while the few cold-water species will experience a reduction in their distribution. The limitations and potential benefits of the proposed modeling approach are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ethanol elicits and potentiates nociceptor responses via the vanilloid receptor-1

The vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1) is a heat-gated ion channel that is responsible for the burning sensation elicited by capsaicin. A similar sensation is reported by patients with esophagitis when they consume alcoholic beverages or are administered alcohol by injection as a medical treatment. We report here that ethanol activates primary sensory neurons, resulting in neuropeptide release or plasma extravasation in the esophagus, spinal cord or skin. Sensory neurons from trigeminal or dorsal root ganglia as well as VR1-expressing HEK293 cells responded to ethanol in a concentration-dependent and capsazepine-sensitive fashion. Ethanol potentiated the response of VR1 to capsaicin, protons and heat and lowered the threshold for heat activation of VR1 from approximately 42 degrees C to approximately 34 degrees C. This provides a likely mechanistic explanation for the ethanol-induced sensory responses that occur at body temperature and for the sensitivity of inflamed tissues to ethanol, such as might be found in esophagitis, neuralgia or wounds.

Influence of encapsulation and coating materials on the survival of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium longum in fruit juices

The aim of this work was to compare alginate and pectin beads for improving the survival of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium longum during storage in pomegranate and cranberry juice, and to evaluate the influence of various coating materials, including chitosan, gelatin and glucomannan on cell survival and on the size and hardness of the beads. In pomegranate juice, free cells of L. plantarum died within 4 weeks of storage and those of B. longum within 1 week; in cranberry juice both types of cells died within one week. Encapsulation within either alginate or pectin beads improved cell survival considerably, but coating of the beads with chitosan or gelatin improved it even further; coating with glucomannan did not have any positive effect. The double gelatin coated pectin beads gave the highest protection among all types of beads, as a final concentration of approximately 108 CFU/mL and 106 CFU/mL for both L. plantarum and B. longum was obtained after 6 weeks of storage in pomegranate and cranberry juice, respectively. The good protection could be attributed to the very strong interaction between the two polymers, as measured by turbidity experiments, leading to the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex. It was also shown that the coating was able to inhibit the penetration of gallic acid within the beads, which was used in this study as a model phenolic compound with antimicrobial activity; this is a likely mechanism through which the beads were able to protect the cells from the antimicrobial activity of phenolic compounds present in both types of juices. Despite their good protective effect, the pectin beads were considerably softer than the alginate beads, an issue that should be addressed in order to increase their mechanical stability.

Proportions of A1, A2, B and C β-casein protein variants in retail milk in the UK

The A1 variant protein of the β-casein family has been implicated in various disease states although much evidence is weak or contradictory. The primary objective was to measure, for the first time, the proportions of the key β-casein variant proteins in UK retail milk over the course of one year. In total, 55 samples of semi-skimmed milk were purchased from five supermarkets over the course of a year and the proportions of the A1, A2, B and C casein variant proteins were measured, using high resolution HPLC-MS. The results showed that β-casein in UK retail milk comprises approximately 0.58, 0.31, 0.07 and 0.03 A2, A1, B and C protein variants, respectively. The proportion of A2 is higher than some early studies would predict although the reasons for this and any implications for health are unclear

Total synthesis of (+/-) maculalactone A, maculalactone B and maculalactone C and the determination of the absolute configuration of natural (+) maculalactone A by asymmetric synthesis

Maculalactones A, B and C from the marine cyanobacterium Kyrtuthrix maculans are amongst the only compounds based on the tribenzylbutyrolactone skeleton known in nature and (+) maculalactone A from the natural source possesses significant biological activity against various marine herbivores and marine settlers. We now report a concise synthesis of racemic maculalactone A in five steps from inexpensive starting materials. Maculalactones B and C were synthesized by a minor modification to this procedure, and the synthetic design also permitted an asymmetric synthesis of maculalactone A to be achieved in around 85% ee. The (+) and (-) enantiomers of maculalactone A were assigned, respectively, to the S and R configurations on the basis of the chiral selectivity expected for catecholborane reduction of an unsymmetrical ketone in the presence of Corey's oxazoborolidine catalyst. Surprisingly, it appeared that natural (+) maculalactone A was biosynthesized in K. maculans in a partially racemic form, comprising ca. 90-95% of the (S) enantiomer and 5-10% of its (R) enantiomer. Coincidentally therefore, the percentage enantiomeric excess of the product obtained from asymmetric synthesis almost exactly matched that found in nature. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solid-phase synthesis of an A-B loop mimetic of the C epsilon 3 domain of human IgE: macrocyclization by Sonogashira coupling

The solid-phase synthesis of a cyclic peptide containing the 21-residue epitope found in the A-B loop of the Cepsilon3 domain of human immunoglobulin E has been carried out. The key macrocyclization step to form the 65-membered ring is achieved in similar to15% yield via an "on-resin" Sonogashira coupling reaction which concomitantly installs a diphenylacetylene amino acid conformational constraint within the loop.

Evaluating the century C model using long-term fertilizer trials in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India

The GEFSOC Project developed a system for estimating soil carbon (C) stocks and changes at the national and sub-national scale. As part of the development of the system, the Century ecosystem model was evaluated for its ability to simulate soil organic C (SOC) changes in environmental conditions in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, India (IGP). Two long-term fertilizer trials (LTFT), with all necessary parameters needed to run Century, were used for this purpose: a jute (Corchorus capsularis L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) trial at Barrackpore, West Bengal, and a rice-wheat trial at Ludhiana, Punjab. The trials represent two contrasting climates of the IGP, viz. semi-arid, dry with mean annual rainfall (MAR) of < 800 mm and humid with > 1600 turn. Both trials involved several different treatments with different organic and inorganic fertilizer inputs. In general, the model tended to overestimate treatment effects by approximately 15%. At the semi-arid site, modelled data simulated actual data reasonably well for all treatments, with the control and chemical N + farm yard manure showing the best agreement (RMSE = 7). At the humid site, Century performed less well. This could have been due to a range of factors including site history. During the study, Century was calibrated to simulate crop yields for the two sites considered using data from across the Indian IGP. However, further adjustments may improve model performance at these sites and others in the IGP. The availability of more longterm experimental data sets (especially those involving flooded lowland rice and triple cropping systems from the IGP) for testing and validation is critical to the application of the model's predictive capabilities for this area of the Indian sub-continent. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystallization in poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) double crystalline diblock copolymers: a study using X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized optical microscopy

The crystallization of well-defined poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) diblock copolymers, PLLA-b-PCL, was investigated by time-resolved X-ray techniques, polarized optical microscopy (POM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two compositions were studied that contained 44 and 60 wt % poly(L-lactide), PLLA (they are referred to as (L44C5614)-C-11 and (L60C409)-C-12, respectively, with the molecular weight of each block in kg/mol as superscript). The copolymers were found to be initially miscible in the melt according to small-angle X-ray scattering measurements (SAXS). Their thermal behavior was also indicative of samples whose crystallization proceeds from a mixed melt. Sequential isothermal crystallization from the melt at 100 degreesC (for 30 min) and then at 30 degreesC (for 15 min) was measured. At 100 degreesC only the PLLA block is capable of crystallization, and its crystallization kinetics was followed by both WAXS and DSC; comparable results were obtained that indicated an instantaneous nucleation with three-dimensional superstructures (Avrami index of approximately 3). The spherulitic nature of the superstructure was confirmed by POM. When the temperature was decreased to 30 degreesC, the PCL block was able to crystallize within the PLLA negative spherulites (with an Avrami index of 2, as opposed to 3 in homo-PCL), and its crystallization rate was much slower than an equivalent homo-PCL. Time-resolved SAXS experiments in (L60C409)-C-12 revealed an initial melt mixed morphology at 165 degreesC that upon cooling transformed into a transient microphase-separated lamellar structure prior to crystallization at 100 degreesC.

Nonspherical assemblies generated from polystyrene-b-poly(L-lysine) polyelectrolyte block copolymers

This report describes the aqueous solution self-assembly of a series of polystyrene(m)-b-poly(L-lysine)n block copolymers (m = 8-10; n = 10-70). The polymers are prepared by ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine N-carboxyanhydride using amine terminated polystyrene macroinitiators, followed by removal of the benzyloxycarbonyl side chain protecting groups. The critical micelle concentration of the block copolymers determined using the pyrene probe technique shows a parabolic dependence on peptide block length exhibiting a maximum at n = approximately 20 (m = 8) or n = approximately 60 (m = 10). The shape and size of the aggregates has been studied by dynamic and static light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). Surprisingly, Holtzer and Kratky analysis of the static light scattering results indicates the presence of nonspherical, presumably cylindrical objects independent of the poly(L-lysine)n block length. This is supported by SANS data, which can be fitted well by assuming cylindrical scattering objects. AUC analysis allows the molecular weight of the aggregates to be estimated as several million g/mol, corresponding to aggregation numbers of several 10s to 100s. These aggregation numbers agree with those that can be estimated from the length and diameter of the cylinders obtained from the scattering results.

Inter-relationships between small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL), plasma triacylglycerol and LDL apoprotein B in an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype in free-living subjects

A predominance of small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a major component of an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype, and a common, but modifiable, source of increased risk for coronary heart disease in the free-living population. While much of the atherogenicity of small, dense LDL is known to arise from its structural properties, the extent to which an increase in the number of small, dense LDL particles (hyper-apoprotein B) contributes to this risk of coronary heart disease is currently unknown. This study reports a method for the recruitment of free-living individuals with an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype for a fish-oil intervention trial, and critically evaluates the relationship between LDL particle number and the predominance of small, dense LDL. In this group, volunteers were selected through local general practices on the basis of a moderately raised plasma triacylglycerol (triglyceride) level (>1.5 mmol/l) and a low concentration of high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (<1.1 mmol/l). The screening of LDL subclasses revealed a predominance of small, dense LDL (LDL subclass pattern B) in 62% of the cohort. As expected, subjects with LDL subclass pattern B were characterized by higher plasma triacylglycerol and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (<1.1 mmol/l) levels and, less predictably, by lower LDL cholesterol and apoprotein B levels (P<0.05; LDL subclass A compared with subclass B). While hyper-apoprotein B was detected in only five subjects, the relative percentage of small, dense LDL-III in subjects with subclass B showed an inverse relationship with LDL apoprotein B (r=-0.57; P<0.001), identifying a subset of individuals with plasma triacylglycerol above 2.5 mmol/l and a low concentration of LDL almost exclusively in a small and dense form. These findings indicate that a predominance of small, dense LDL and hyper-apoprotein B do not always co-exist in free-living groups. Moreover, if coronary risk increases with increasing LDL particle number, these results imply that the risk arising from a predominance of small, dense LDL may actually be reduced in certain cases when plasma triacylglycerol exceeds 2.5 mmol/l.

Potential role of vegetation feedback in the climate sensitivity of high-latitude regions: a case study at 6000 years B.P.

Previous climate model simulations have shown that the configuration of the Earth's orbit during the early to mid-Holocene (approximately 10–5 kyr) can account for the generally warmer-than-present conditions experienced by the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. New simulations for 6 kyr with two atmospheric/mixed-layer ocean models (Community Climate Model, version 1, CCMl, and Global ENvironmental and Ecological Simulation of Interactive Systems, version 2, GENESIS 2) are presented here and compared with results from two previous simulations with GENESIS 1 that were obtained with and without the albedo feedback due to climate-induced poleward expansion of the boreal forest. The climate model results are summarized in the form of potential vegetation maps obtained with the global BIOME model, which facilitates visual comparisons both among models and with pollen and plant macrofossil data recording shifts of the forest-tundra boundary. A preliminary synthesis shows that the forest limit was shifted 100–200 km north in most sectors. Both CCMl and GENESIS 2 produced a shift of this magnitude. GENESIS 1 however produced too small a shift, except when the boreal forest albedo feedback was included. The feedback in this case was estimated to have amplified forest expansion by approximately 50%. The forest limit changes also show meridional patterns (greatest expansion in central Siberia and little or none in Alaska and Labrador) which have yet to be reproduced by models. Further progress in understanding of the processes involved in the response of climate and vegetation to orbital forcing will require both the deployment of coupled atmosphere-biosphere-ocean models and the development of more comprehensive observational data sets