Deciphering the complexity of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) proanthocyanidins by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry with a judicious choice of isotope patterns and matrixes

Use of superdihydroxybenzoic acid as the matrix enabled the analysis of highly complex mixtures of proanthocyanidins from sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Proanthocyanidins contained predominantly B-type homopolymers and heteropolymers up to 12- mers (3400 Da). Use of another matrix, 2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone, revealed the presence of A-type glycosylated dimers. In addition, we report here how a comparison of the isotopic adduct patterns, which resulted from Li and Na salts as MALDI matrix additives, could be used to confirm the presence of A-type linkages in complex proanthocyanidin mixtures. Preliminary evidence suggested the presence of A-type dimers in glycosylated prodelphinidins and in tetrameric procyanidins and prodelphinidins.

The effect of nonlinearity on the variational assimilation of satellite observations using a simple column model

Cloud imagery is not currently used in numerical weather prediction (NWP) to extract the type of dynamical information that experienced forecasters have extracted subjectively for many years. For example, rapidly developing mid-latitude cyclones have characteristic signatures in the cloud imagery that are most fully appreciated from a sequence of images rather than from a single image. The Met Office is currently developing a technique to extract dynamical development information from satellite imagery using their full incremental 4D-Var (four-dimensional variational data assimilation) system. We investigate a simplified form of this technique in a fully nonlinear framework. We convert information on the vertical wind field, w(z), and profiles of temperature, T(z, t), and total water content, qt (z, t), as functions of height, z, and time, t, to a single brightness temperature by defining a 2D (vertical and time) variational assimilation testbed. The profiles of w, T and qt are updated using a simple vertical advection scheme. We define a basic cloud scheme to obtain the fractional cloud amount and, when combined with the temperature field, we convert this information into a brightness temperature, having developed a simple radiative transfer scheme. With the exception of some matrix inversion routines, all our code is developed from scratch. Throughout the development process we test all aspects of our 2D assimilation system, and then run identical twin experiments to try and recover information on the vertical velocity, from a sequence of observations of brightness temperature. This thesis contains a comprehensive description of our nonlinear models and assimilation system, and the first experimental results.

Influence of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment evolution

As one of the most important geological events in Cenozoic era, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has had profound influences on the Asian and global climate and environment evolution. During the past four decades, many scholars from China and abroad have studied climatic and environmental effects of the TP uplift by using a variety of geological records and paleoclimate numerical simulations. The existing research results enrich our understanding of the mechanisms of Asian monsoon changes and interior aridification, but so far there are still a lot of issues that need to be thought deeply and investigated further. This paper attempts to review the research on the influence of the TP uplift on the Asian monsoon-arid environment, summarize three types of numerical simulations including bulk-plateau uplift, phased uplift and sub-regional uplift, and especially to analyze regional differences in responses of climate and environment to different forms of tectonic uplifts. From previous modeling results, the land-sea distribution and the Himalayan uplift may have a large effect in the establishment and development of the South Asian monsoon. However, the formation and evolution of the monsoon in northern East Asia, the intensified dryness north of the TP and enhanced Asian dust cycle may be more closely related to the uplift of the main body, especially the northern part of the TP. In this review, we also discuss relative roles of the TP uplift and other impact factors, origins of the South Asian monsoon and East Asian monsoon, feedback effects and nonlinear responses of climatic and environmental changes to the plateau uplift. Finally, we make comparisons between numerical simulations and geological records, discuss their uncertainties, and highlight some problems worthy of further studying.

Spiral jetty, thirty seven years later: the cinematic time of James Benning

This article considers cinematic time in James Benning’s film, casting a glance (2007), in relation to its subject, Robert Smithson’s 1970 earthwork Spiral Jetty, and his film of the same name. The radicalism of Smithson’s thinking on time has been widely acknowledged, and his influence continues to pervade contemporary artistic practice. The relationship of Benning’s films with this legacy may appear somewhat oblique, given their apparent phenomenological rendition of ‘real time’. However, closer examination of Benning’s formal strategies reveals a more complex temporal construction, characterized by uncertain intervals that interrupt the folding of cinematic time into the flow of consciousness. Smithson’s film uses cinematic analogy to gesture towards vast reaches of geological time; Benning’s film creates a simulated timescale to evoke the short history of the earthwork itself. Smithson’s embrace of the entropic was a counter-cultural stance at the end of the1960s, but under the shadow of ecological disaster, this orientation has come to appear melancholy and romantic rather than radical. Benning’s film returns the jetty to anthropic time, but raises questions about the ways we inhabit time. His practice of working with ‘borrowed time’ is particularly suited to the cultural and historical moment of his later work.

Hollow capsules formed in a single stage via interfacial hydrogen-bonded complexation of methylcellulose with poly(acrylic acid) and tannic acid

Hollow capsules can be prepared in a single stage by the interfacial complexation of methylcellulose (MC) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or tannic acid (TA) via hydrogen bonding in aqueous solutions. The formation of capsules is observed when viscous solution of methylcellulose is added drop-wise to diluted solutions of polyacids under acidic conditions. The optimal parameters such as polymer concentration and solution pH for the formation of these capsules were established in this work. It was found that tannic acid forms capsules in a broader range of concentrations and pHs compared to poly(acrylic acid). The TA/MC capsules exhibited better stability compared to PAA/MC in response to increase in pH: the dissolution of TA/MC capsules observed at pH > 9.5; whereas PAA/MC capsules dissolved at pH > 3.8. The interfacial complexation can be considered as a potential single stage alternative to the formation of capsules using multistage layer-by-layer deposition method.

Enhancement in corneal permeability of riboflavin using calcium sequestering compounds

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid and ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid are polyaminocarboxylic acids that are able to sequester metal ions. Calcium is implicated in maintenance of intercellular matrix, zonula occludens (tight junctions) and zonula adherens of epithelium and endothelium cells. Corneal epithelium is impervious to many aqueous formulations due to it being lipophilic, whereby transcellular drug transit is resisted, whilst tight junctions restrict access via the paracellular route. Research has shown that integrity of tight junctions breaks down through loss of Ca2+ for endothelial and epithelial cells. This study investigates different Ca2+ sequestering compounds and their effect on corneal permeability of riboflavin at physiological pH. Riboflavin is a topically administered ocular drug applied during UV-induced corneal cross-linking for the treatment of keratoconus.

Ozonolysis of methyl oleate monolayers at the air–water interface: oxidation kinetics, reaction products and atmospheric implications

Ozonolysis of methyl oleate monolayers at the air–water interface results in surprisingly rapid loss of material through cleavage of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond and evaporation/dissolution of reaction products. We determine using neutron reflectometry a rate coefficient of (5.7 ± 0.9) × 10−10 cm2 molecule−1 s−1 and an uptake coefficient of [similar]3 × 10−5 for the oxidation of a methyl ester monolayer: the atmospheric lifetime is [similar]10 min. We obtained direct experimental evidence that <2% of organic material remains at the surface on atmospheric timescales. Therefore known long atmospheric residence times of unsaturated fatty acids suggest that these molecules cannot be present at the interface throughout their ageing cycle, i.e. the reported atmospheric longevity is likely to be attributed to presence in the bulk and viscosity-limited reactive loss. Possible reaction products were characterized by ellipsometry and uncertainties in the atmospheric fate of organic surfactants such as oleic acid and its methyl ester are discussed. Our results suggest that a minor change to the structure of the molecule (fatty acid vs. its methyl ester) considerably impacts on reactivity and fate of the organic film.

Morphological characterization of periodontium-derived human stem cells

The aim of this study has been to characterize adult human somatic periodontium-derived stem cells (PDSCS) isolated from human periodontium and to follow their differentiation after cell culture. PDSCS were isolated from human periodontal tissue and cultured as spheres in serum-free medium. After 10 days the primary spheres were dissociated and the secondary spheres sub-cultured for another 1-2 weeks. Cells from different time points were analyzed, and immunohistochemical and electron microscopic investigations carried out. Histological analysis showed differentiation of spheres deriving from the PDSCS with central production of extracellular matrix beginning 3 days after sub-culturing. Isolated PDSCS developed pseudopodia which contained actin. Tubulin was found in the central portion of the cells. Pseudopodia between different cells anastomosed, indicating intercellular transport. Immunostaining for osteopontin demonstrated a positive reaction in primary spheres and within extracellular matrix vesicles after sub-culturing. In cell culture under serum-free conditions human PDSCS form spheres which are capable of producing extracellular matrix. Further investigations have do be carried out to investigate the capability of these cells to differentiate into osteogenic progenitor cells.

Orange juice–derived flavanone and phenolic metabolites do not acutely affect cardiovascular risk biomarkers: a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial in men at moderate risk of cardiovascular disease

Background: Epidemiological data suggest inverse associations between citrus flavanone intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, insufficient randomized controlled trial (RCT) data limit our understanding of mechanisms by which flavanones and their metabolites potentially reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Objective: We examined the effects of orange juice or a dose-matched hesperidin supplement on plasma concentrations of established and novel flavanone metabolites and their effects on CV risk biomarkers in men at moderate CVD risk. Methods: In an acute, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial, 16 fasted participants (aged 51-69 y) received orange juice or a hesperidin supplement (both providing 320 mg hesperidin) or control (all matched for sugar and vitamin C content). At baseline and 5 h post-intake, endothelial function (primary outcome), further CV risk biomarkers (i.e. blood pressure, arterial stiffness, cardiac autonomic function, platelet activation and NADPH oxidase gene expression) and plasma flavanone metabolites were assessed. Prior to each intervention, a diet low in flavonoids, nitrate/nitrite, alcohol and caffeine was followed and a standardized low-flavonoid evening meal was consumed. Results: Orange juice intake significantly elevated mean (± SEM) plasma concentrations of 8 flavanone (1.75 ± 0.35 µmol/L, P < 0.0001) and 15 phenolic metabolites (13.27 ± 2.22 µmol/L, P < 0.0001) compared with control at 5 h post-consumption. Despite increased plasma flavanone and phenolic metabolite concentrations, CV risk biomarkers were unaltered. Following hesperidin supplement intake, flavanone metabolites were not different to control, suggesting altered absorption/metabolism compared with the orange juice matrix. Conclusions: Following single-dose flavanone intake within orange juice, we detected circulating flavanone and phenolic metabolites collectively reaching a concentration of 15.20 ± 2.15 µmol/L but observed no effect on CV risk biomarkers. Longer-duration RCTs are required to further examine the previous associations between higher flavanone intakes and improved cardiovascular health and to ascertain the relative importance of food matrix and flavanone-derived phenolic metabolites.

Towards a unified approach for the determination of the bioaccessibility of organic pollutants

Bioaccessibility studies have been widely used as a research tool to determine the potential human exposure to ingested contaminants. More recently they have been practically applied for soil borne toxic elements. This paper reviews the application of bioaccessibility tests across a range of organic pollutants and contaminated matrices. Important factors are reported to be: the physiological relevance of the test, the components in the gut media, the size fraction chosen for the test and whether it contains a sorptive sink. The bioaccessibility is also a function of the composition of the matrix (e.g. organic carbon content of soils) and the physico-chemical characteristics of the pollutant under test. Despite the widespread use of these tests, there are a large number of formats used and very few validation studies with animal models. We propose a unified format for a bioaccessibility test for organic pollutants. The robustness of this test should first be confirmed through inter laboratory comparison, then tested in-vivo.

Improving the health forecasting alert system for cold weather and heat-waves in England: a proof-of-concept using temperature-mortality relationships

Objectives In this study a prototype of a new health forecasting alert system is developed, which is aligned to the approach used in the Met Office’s (MO) National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS). This is in order to improve information available to responders in the health and social care system by linking temperatures more directly to risks of mortality, and developing a system more coherent with other weather alerts. The prototype is compared to the current system in the Cold Weather and Heatwave plans via a case-study approach to verify its potential advantages and shortcomings. Method The prototype health forecasting alert system introduces an “impact vs likelihood matrix” for the health impacts of hot and cold temperatures which is similar to those used operationally for other weather hazards as part of the NSWWS. The impact axis of this matrix is based on existing epidemiological evidence, which shows an increasing relative risk of death at extremes of outdoor temperature beyond a threshold which can be identified epidemiologically. The likelihood axis is based on a probability measure associated with the temperature forecast. The new method is tested for two case studies (one during summer 2013, one during winter 2013), and compared to the performance of the current alert system. Conclusions The prototype shows some clear improvements over the current alert system. It allows for a much greater degree of flexibility, provides more detailed regional information about the health risks associated with periods of extreme temperatures, and is more coherent with other weather alerts which may make it easier for front line responders to use. It will require validation and engagement with stakeholders before it can be considered for use.

Wear of Ball Attachments After 1 to 8 Years of Clinical Use: A Qualitative Analysis

The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of ball attachments that had been worn by patients during three periods of clinical use. One hundred forty-four specimens of ball anchor attachments (gold alloy matrix and titanium patrix) were studied by SEM after periods of approximately 1, 3.5, and 8 years of clinical use. Twenty new attachment components were examined as controls. SEM images revealed signs of mechanical wear for the ball attachments studied. The surfaces of the titanium patrix were associated primarily with roughening after short-term use, whereas surfaces of the gold alloy matrix showed wear, roughening, and loss of microscopic material in the form of flakes. Severe mechanical wear on both surfaces was noted after longer periods of use. The mechanical changes were not correlated with patient-mediated observations regarding the time-dependent retentive efficacy of the attachments. One year of clinical wear appeared to have limited effect on the ball attachment tested. Conversely, longer periods of use led to marked modifications in shape of the matrix and patrix components. Int J Prosthodont 2011;24:270-272.

Garlic powder and wheat bran as fillers: Their effect on the physicochemical properties of edible biocomposites

Biocomposites with two different fillers, garlic and wheat bran, were studied. They were based on cassava starch and contained glycerol as a plasticizer and potassium sorbate as an antimicrobial agent and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The mechanical performance at room and lower temperatures was also studied. SEM micrographies of fractured surfaces of the wheat bran composite films showed some ruptured particles of fiber while fibrils of garlic on the order of nanometers were observed when garlic composite films were studied. Mechanical tests, at room temperature, showed that the addition of wheat bran led to an increment in the storage modulus (E`) and hardening and a decrease in Tan delta, while the garlic composite showed a diminishing in the E` and hardening and did not produce significant changes in Tan delta values when compared with systems without fillers (matrix). In the range between -90 degrees C and 20 degrees C. all the materials studied presented two peaks in the Tan delta curve. In the case of the wheat bran composite, both relaxation peaks shifted slightly to higher temperatures, broadened and diminished their intensity when compared with those of the matrix; however garlic composite showed a similar behavior to the matrix. DSC thermograms of aqueous systems showed a slight shift of gelatinization temperature (T(gelatinization)) to higher values when the fillers were present. Thermograms of films showed that both, garlic and wheat bran composites, had a lower melting point than the matrix. IR data indicated that interaction between starch and fillers determined an increase in the availability of hydroxyl groups to be involved in a dynamic exchange with water. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microcapsules of a Casein Hydrolysate: Production, Characterization, and Application in Protein Bars

The aim of this work was to encapsulate a casein hydrolysate by spray drying using maltodextrins (DE 10 and 20) as wall materials and to evaluate the efficiency of the microencapsulation in attenuating the bitter taste of the hydrolysate using protein bars as the model system. Microcapsules were evaluated for morphology (SEM), particle size, hygroscopicity, solubility, thermal behavior (DSC), and bitter taste with a trained sensory panel by a paired comparison test (nonencapsulated samples vs. encapsulated samples). Bars were prepared with the addition of 3% casein hydrolysate at free or both encapsulated forms, and were then evaluated for their moisture, water activity (a(w)) and for their bitter taste by a ranking test. Microcapsules were of the matrix type, having continuous surfaces with no apparent porosity for both coatings. Both encapsulated casein hydrolysates had similar hygroscopicity, and lower values than free encapsulated hydrolysates. The degree of hydrolysis of the maltodextrin influenced only the particle size and T(g). The sensory panel considered the protein bars produced with both encapsulated materials less bitter (p < 0.05) than those produced with the free casein hydrolysates. Microencapsulation by spray drying with maltodextrin DE 10 and 20 was successful to attenuate the bitter taste and the hygroscopicity of casein hydrolysates.

Role of MMP9 on Invadopodia Formation in Cells From Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma. Study by Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy

Migration, invasion and protease activity are essential for tumor progression and metastasis. Metastatic cells rely on invadopodia to degrade and invade extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadopodia are membrane protrusions with enzymes required for ECM degradation. These protrusions contain cortactin and membrane type I matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) superimposed to areas of digested matrix. Here we characterized invadopodia in a cell line (CAC2) derived from human adenoid cystic carcinoma. We carried out fluorescent-substrate degradation assay to assess in situ protease activity of CAC2 cells. Digestion spots in fluorescent substrate appear as black areas in green background. Cells were cultured on Matrigel-gelatin-FITC and fixed after 1 h and 3 h. CAC2 cells were double labeled to actin and cortactin. Cells were also double stained to actin and MT1-MMR Samples were studied by laser scanning confocal microscopy. In all time points CAC2 cells showed actin, cortactin, and MT1-MMP colocalized with digestion spots in fluorescent substrate. We searched for other proteases involved in invadopodia activity. We have previously demonstrated that MMP9 influences adenoid cystic carcinoma behavior. This prompted us to investigate role played by MMP9 on invadopodia formation. CAC2 cells had MMP9 silenced by siRNA. After I h in fluorescent substrate, cells with silenced MMP9 showed clear decrease in matrix digestion compared with controls. No differences were found in cells with silenced MMP9 grown for 3 h on fluorescent substrate. Our results showed that CAC2 cells exhibit functional invadopodia containing cortactin and MT1-MMR Furthermore, MMP9 would be required in the initial steps of invadopodia formation. Microsc. Res. Tech. 73:99-108, 2010. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.