Search

Nonlinear structured illumination microscopy is a super-resolution technique that is challenging to extend to 3 dimensions. The authors obtain super-resolution image information in 3D from a 2D scan by exploiting orthogonal speckle illumination patterns and compressed sensing of the sparse fluorescence.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of irrigation and fertilization with nitrogen and potassium on the sterol and triterpene dialcohol contents in two trials of cv. Arbequina in super-intensive orchards in Madrid and Lleida (Spain), using a completely randomized block design. No significant differences in total sterols between deficit and full irrigation treatments were observed. Under very dry conditions, the sterol levels from fully irrigated trees were higher than from rain-fed treatments and the triterpene dialcohol erythrodiol+ uvaol content was lower in the irrigated treatments in Lleida. In the fertilizer trial with full irrigation, total sterols were higher in the two N treatments compared to the unfertilized one; while erythrodiol + uvaol decreased. The application of K fertilizer had no effect on total sterol or triterpene dialcohol contents. A proper fertilization and irrigation are vital to obtain high quality EVOOs that meet the regulatory range in sterol and erythrodiol + uvaol contents.

Surface properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films have been modified by treatment in a radio frequency (RF) nitrogen plasma, at different treatment powers (25, 50 and 75 W). The surface properties of the PVDF films before and after RF plasma treatment, as well as the quality of the deposited copper layer, were investigated by various investigation methods (Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ATR-FTIR and contact angle measurements). RF plasma treatment significantly improved the adherence and the quality of the deposited metal layer. The results obtained for PVDF RF plasma treated were compared with those corresponding to a microwave plasma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nitrogen (N) balance was estimated in a very high density olive orchard in north- east of Spain, in order to calculate the inputs and outputs of N related to tree response and soil nitrogen availability. The calculate N inputs and outputs showed that N exported by yield and pruning material were higher for fertilized plots than unfertilized ones, and no significant differences were recorded for nitrogen mineralization between both treatments. N balance, defined as the difference between inorganic N content in soil at the end and the beginning of each year, was positive for both treatments but when vegetative growth and olive yield were compared, fertilized plots showed higher values, So it is wrong noting that a positive N balance in both case means that olive tree will provide a peak yield and vegetative growth but it is an adaptation of the olive trees to different soil N availability conditions by equilibrating their vegetative growth and fruit yield.

The water quality of two agricultural drainage systems was monitored over two irrigation seasons in order to determine the sustainability of a new area of irrigated land (the Algerri-Balager irrigation district) located in the northeast of Spain. The average electrical conductivity of the drainage water was around 4 dS·m-1, and the waters were enriched with boron, phosphorous and nitrate. Drainage represented 17% of total applied irrigation water (measured leached fraction) and is considered necessary to minimize the risk of soil salinization in semiarid environments. The most common ions in the drainage waters were magnesium, sulphate, and calcium and others related with dissolved soil minerals present in the area. The presence of Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and pesticides was negligible. The information provided by this research was very useful for the irrigation district, and it’s transferable to other irrigation districts, as it could help to improve agricultural practices and be used to control the quality and quantity of irrigation drainage.

The aim of this work was to study whether commercial nucleus lines of rabbits selected for different traits, and experimental lines having commercial purposes, have the same degree of maturity when compared at the same slaughter age. The study was carried out with 17897 rabbits from Universitat Politècnica de València. Rabbits came from the maternal lines A (3902 rabbits; 44th generation), V (4238 rabbits; 39th generation) and LP (6115 rabbits; 9th generation), selected for litter size at weaning; the paternal line R (2023 rabbits; 25th generation), selected for growth rate between 28 and 63 days of age; the maternal line OR (586 rabbits; 11th generation) selected for ovulation rate; and the lines High (503 rabbits; 5th generation) and Low (530 rabbits; 5thgeneration) lines, from a divergent selection for high and low intramuscular fat, respectively. Rabbits were weighted at 28 (W28) and 63 (W63) days of age. Rabbit does (42, 25, 39, 94, 14, 32 and 22 from lines A, V, R, LP, OR, High and Low, respectively) were weighed between 30 and 80 wk of age to determine adult weight (AW). Line R had higher W28 and W63, growth rate between 28 and 63 d of age and AW than lines A, V and LP (5802 g vs. 4410, 4222, and 4391 g for AW, respectively). No relevant differences between lines in degrees of maturity at 28 and 63 d of age and time to reach 40% of degree of maturity (percentage of weight compared to AW) were found between lines A, V, R and LP, but the degree of maturity at 2000 g and the time taken to reach that weight were lower in line R (34.7% and 55.2 d) than in lines A (45.5% and 71.1 d), V (47.4% and 69.6 d), and LP (45.8% and 68.0 d). No relevant differences were found between lines OR, High and Low in the traits analysed. A robustness analysis showed that results can be extrapolated to other commercial lines and other slaughter weights. In conclusion, comparison of lines at similar slaughter age could be considered a valid approach for comparisons at the same maturity stage.

This work compares the weldability of ductile iron when: (I) a root weld is applied with a tungsten inert gas (TIG) process using an Inconel 625 source rod and filler welds are subsequently applied using coated electrodes with 97,6%Ni; and (II) welds on ductile iron exclusively made using the manual shielded metal arc welding technique (SMAW). Both types of welds are performed on ductile iron specimen test plates that are subjected to preheat and post-weld annealing treatments. Samples with TIG root-welding pass shown higher hardness but slightly lower ductility and strength. Both types of welding achieved better ductile and strength properties than ones found in literature.

The effect of wine by-products in the feeding of ewes on fatty acid composition of milk and meat of their suckling lambs and the sensory quality of the meat was investigated. Forty-two ewes were fed during the second half of gestation and lactation one out of three treatments: a control diet based on a commercial concentrate and two concentrates supplemented with either 10% grape pomace or 5% grape seed. In addition, all animals had ad libitum access of Lucerne chaff. The control group showed lower concentration of saturated fatty acids (mainly in short and medium chain) and higher monounsaturated fatty acids (mainly oleic acid) in the milk fat, being the total polyunsaturated fatty acids unchanged. However, this variation was not reflected in the meat of the suckling lambs, where only few differences in individual fatty acids were found, such as linoleic acid being highest in the pomace treatment. Spicy and metallic flavours were increased in the wine by-products groups, but overall liking was not affected. The by-products added to the diets may be a good way to reduce costs on feeding and waste, but they were not able to provide a healthier fatty acid profile, neither in milk nor in the meat of the suckling lambs.

A profit function was designed for an industrial commercial rabbitry with the most common management in industrial rabbit production. The incomes, costs, and profit function were calculated and economic weights of the traits were estimated. The variable costs (feeding, artificial insemination, health and replacement) represented 62% of the total costs, and the fixed costs (labour, utilities, amortisation and administration) represented 38% of the total costs. Major costs were feeding of fattening kits and labour cost, at 26% and 18% of the total cost, respectively. The economic weights were feed conversion rate during fattening (–20.2 €/[g feed/g liveweight]), number of kits born alive (15.7 €/kit), pregnancy rate (1.7 €/percentage unit), weaning survival (1.7 €/percentage unit), fattening survival (2.0 €/percentage unit), daily feed intake (–0.50 €/(g feed/d)), daily gain during fattening (1.33 €/(g weight/d)), and replacement rate (–0.29 €/percentage unit). When varying the prices of kg of fattening feed and kg of liveweight, only the economic weights of feed conversion rate during fattening in the first case and the number of kits born alive in the second case changed considerably. Changes in labour cost produced appreciable changes in the whole production cost. Although economic weights are robust to changes in prices, these weights should be recalculated after some generations of selection, because changes in the mean of the traits due to selection can also change economic weights.

En este estudio se analiza la influencia que el uso de una cámara de soldadura de gas inerte tiene sobre la microestructura y las propiedades mecánicas de las soldaduras TIG en el acero inoxidable austenítico AISI-316L cuando se emplean AISI ER316L, AISI 308L e Inconel 625 como materiales de aporte. Cuando se compara con el típico proceso de TIG, el uso de una cámara de gas inerte induce cambios en la microestructura, incrementando la presencia de ferrita vermicular y de laminillas de ferrita, resultando en un aumento del límite elástico y una pérdida de dureza. Su influencia sobre otras características de las soldaduras como la carga de rotura depende de la composición del material de aporte. La mejor combinación de propiedades mecánicas se obtuvo usando el Inconel 625 como material de aporte y soldando en la cámara de gas inerte.

Se establece la soldabilidad de funciones dúctiles de grafito según las características mecánicas alcanzadas, utilizando un electrodo puro de Ni mientras se compara con uno más económico de Ni-Fe. Diferentes tratamientos térmicos son propuestos y analizados. El electrodo de Ni puro mostró difusión de grafito desde el material original al cordón de soldadura, dando como resultado una fase homogénea que mejoró la soldabilidad y redujo la fragilidad. Un pre tratamiento a 350 °C y un recocido a 850 °C incrementaron la ductilidad y mejoró la soldabilidad.

En este trabajo se describe una primera aproximación a una integración entre documentos conformes a estándares de distribución de contenidos multimedia como MPEG-7, y otros recursos diseñnados usando estándares de e-learning como LOM y, por extensión, SCORM. Como ejemplo, se presenta el proyecto Opera-Learning impulsado por el Gran Teatre del Liceu, dentro del cual se está llevando a cabo este trabajo, que tiene como objetivo la estructuración de un curso sobre ópera que combina unos contenidos fijos con otros variables en función de la ópera escogida. La necesidad de integrar el concepto de learning object reutilizable en el proceso de diseño del curso es evidente, dado la variabilidad de los contenidos del curso pero manteniendo a su vez, una estructura temporal y de diseño instruccional prefijados de antemano. Las posibilidades que ofrece el uso de learning objects reutilizables integrados en un documento conforme al estándar MPEG-7 son amplias: desde la catalogación e indexación de los diferentes contenidos multimedia, hasta la descripción completa de cursos multimedia usando learning objects.

A study was conducted to compare Allo-Kramer (AK) and Warner-Bratzler (WB) devices to evaluate rabbit meat texture and to assess their correlations with sensory tenderness. Meat samples characterized by a wide range of tenderness were prepared by boning longissimus lumborum muscles from 90 carcasses at different post mortem times (1, 3, 24h). The right loin of each carcass was used for WB and AK tests, whereas the left loin to assess sensory tenderness and juiciness. The sensory test indicated a higher tenderness and juiciness of rabbit meat obtained from carcasses boned at 24h post mortem in comparison with 1 and 3h post mortem. Both AK and WB methods were able to detect these differences. The AK shear force as well as the WB shear force and area were significantly correlated to meat sensory tenderness (r=-0.58, -0.43 and -0.56, respectively; P

Some experimental studies have suggested a beneficial effect of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor use on hepatic and renal cyst growth in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, the results of clinical studies are conflicting and the role of mTOR inhibitors is still uncertain. We report the case of a patient with ADPKD who underwent deceased kidney transplantation because of an end-stage renal disease. The evolution was uneventful with an excellent graft function under cyclosporine (CsA) monotherapy. Some years later, the patient developed a symptomatic hepatomegaly due to growth of cysts. CsA was replaced by sirolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, in order to reduce or control the increase in the cyst and liver volume. Despite the switch, the hepatic volume increased by 25% in two years. Finally sirolimus was stopped because of the lack of effect on hepatic cyst growth and the presence of sirolimus side effects. The interest of our case resides in the followup by MRI imaging during the mTOR inhibitor treatment and 15 months after the restart of the initial immunosuppressive therapy. This observation indicates that mTOR inhibitors did not have significant effect on cyst-associated hepatic growth in our patient, which is consistent with some results of recent large clinical studies.

The interaction between flavors and proteins results in a reduced headspace concentration of the flavor, affecting flavor perception. We analyzed the retention of a series of esters and ketones with different chain lengths (C4, C6, C8, and C10) by protein isolates of yellow pea, soy, fava bean, and chickpea, with whey as a reference. An increase in protein concentration led to a decrease in flavor compound in the headspace as measured with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (APCI-TOF-MS). Flavor retention was described with a flavor-partitioning model. It was found that flavor retention could be well predicted with the octanol-water partitioning coefficient and by fitting the hydrophobic interaction parameter. Hydrophobic interactions were highest for chickpea, followed by pea, fava bean, whey, and soy. However, the obtained predictive model was less appropriate for methyl decanoate, possibly due to its solubility. The obtained models and fitted parameters are relevant when designing flavored products with high protein concentrations., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Michael Beyrer reports financial support and equipment, drugs, or supplies were provided by Firmenich SA., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Flavor perception is directly related to the concentration of aroma compounds in the headspace above a food matrix before and during consumption. With the knowledge of flavor partition coefficients, the distribution of aroma compounds within the food matrix and towards the headspace can be calculated. In this study static headspace measurements and modelling are combined to predict flavor partitioning of a wide range of flavor compounds above fat-free dairy protein mixture solutions. AFFIRM® (based on Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization-Mass Spectrometry) was used to measure the static headspace concentrations of 9 flavor compounds (3 esters, 3 aldehydes and 3 alcohols) above protein solutions with different concentrations and ratios of sodium caseinate and whey protein isolate. Proteins had a small pushing out effect, leading to increased release of hydrophilic flavor compounds. This effect was negligible for more hydrophobic compounds, where clear retention was observed. An increased total protein concentration and higher whey to casein ratio increased the retention for all flavor compounds. Within the same chemical class, the retention increased with chain length. The experimental data was interpreted with a model describing flavor partitioning in protein solutions (Harrison & Hills, 1997), thereby enabling to extract protein-flavor binding constants. A clear power law was found between the protein-flavor binding constant and log P (octanol-water partition coefficient). Assuming solely non-specific hydrophobic interactions gave satisfying partitioning predictions for the esters and alcohols. For aldehydes specific chemical interactions with proteins turned out to be significant. This rendered a binding constant for whey protein that is 5 times higher than for caseinate in case of esters and alcohols, and 3 times higher in case of aldehydes. The model can accurately predict equilibrium flavor partitioning in dairy protein mixtures with only the knowledge of the octanol-water partition coefficients of the flavor compounds, and the composition of the protein mixture., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The singlet oxygen quenching rate constants were measured for three model proteins, bovine serum albumin, β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme. The results were analyzed by comparing them with the corresponding singlet oxygen quenching rate constants for a series of tripeptides with the basic formula GlyAAGly where the central amino acid (AA) was the oxidizable amino acid, tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and histidine. It was found that the reaction rate constant in proteins can be satisfactorily modelled by the sum of the individual contributions of the oxidizable AA residues corrected for the solvent accessible surface area (SASA) effects. The best results were obtained when the SASA of the AA residues were determined by averaging over molecular dynamics simulated trajectories of the proteins. The limits of this geometrical correction of the AA residue reactivity are also discussed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A new methodology is presented to measure water-air partition coefficients (Henry's constants) of volatiles, using APCI-MS. Significant advantages over other Henry's constant determination methods include the short measurement and sample preparation time and the possibility for simultaneous measurement of multiple volatiles. The methodology is validated by obtaining good agreement with reliable literature values for a series of 2-ketones. The methodology is further explored for eight key volatiles typically found in citrus fruits, including the temperature dependence of the Henry's constant. Using these data can improve estimates of flavor losses during processing and volatile release during consumption.

The facile synthesis of anionic bipyridyl ligands with dinuclear clathrochelate cores is described. These metalloligands can be obtained in high yields by the reactions of M(ClO4 )2 (H2 O)6 (M: Zn, Mn, or Co) with 4-pyridylboronic acid and 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol oxime or 2,6-diformyl-4-tert-butylphenol oxime, followed by deprotonation. The ligands are interesting building blocks for metallasupramolecular chemistry, as evidenced by the formation of a Pt-based molecular square and four coordination polymers with 2D or 3D network structures. Competition experiments reveal that the utilization of anionic bipyridyl ligands can result in significantly more stable assemblies., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Large macrocycles containing imine and borasiloxane links are obtained in polycondensation reactions of 4-formylbenzeneboronic acid, t-Bu(2)Si(OH)(2), and diamines. The multicomponent reactions can be performed in solution or--advantageously--by mechanochemical syntheses in a ball mill.

Triple helical di-iron complexes, readily prepared through interaction of iron(II) ions with imine-based ligands, are cylinder-shaped tetracations comparable in size and shape to common protein DNA recognition units. They have a strong tendency to coil DNA, and have recently been found to induce formation of three-way junctions in palindromic oligonucleotides. To introduce potential H bond acceptor units onto the surface of triple-helicates, new iron(II) complexes have been synthesized in which the central linking unit in the bridging ligand is S or O, instead of CH(2). The DNA binding properties of these new metallo-helicates were studied using UV-vis spectroscopy and circular and linear dichroism. Results show that the three iron triple helicates bind the DNA in a similar way but that the stability of the triple helicate unit is decreased with the O linked bridging ligand.

Unlabelled: The behavior at degradation by soil burial of some plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based blends with a variable content of hydrolyzed collagen (HC) has been followed., Material and Method: The modifications induced in the environment by the polymer systems (pH variation, physiologic state of the plants, assimilatory pigments) were studied. Using the growth test of the terrestrial plants, we followed the development of Triticum (wheat), Helianthus annus minimus (little sunflower), Pisum sativum (pea), and Vicia X hybrida hort, during a vegetation cycle. After the harvest, for each plant, the quantities of chlorophyll and carotenoidic pigments and of trace- and macroelements were determined., Results: It was proved that, in the presence of polymer blends, the plants do not suffer morphological and physiological modifications, the products released in the culture soil being not toxic for the plants growth.

Background: Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS), one of the main medical causes of excessive daytime sleepiness, has been shown to be a risk factor for traffic accidents. Treating SAS results in a normalized rate of traffic accidents. As part of the COST Action B-26, we looked at driving license regulations, and especially at its medical aspects in the European region., Methods: We obtained data from Transport Authorities in 25 countries (Austria, AT; Belgium, BE; Czech Republic, CZ; Denmark, DK; Estonia, EE; Finland, FI; France, FR; Germany, DE; Greece, GR; Hungary, HU; Ireland, IE; Italy, IT; Lithuania, LT; Luxembourg, LU; Malta, MT; Netherlands, NL; Norway, EC; Poland, PL; Portugal, PT; Slovakia, SK; Slovenia, SI; Spain, ES; Sweden, SE; Switzerland, CH; United Kingdom, UK)., Results: Driving license regulations date from 1997 onwards. Excessive daytime sleepiness is mentioned in nine, whereas sleep apnoea syndrome is mentioned in 10 countries. A patient with untreated sleep apnoea is always considered unfit to drive. To recover the driving capacity, seven countries rely on a physician's medical certificate based on symptom control and compliance with therapy, whereas in two countries it is up to the patient to decide (on his doctor's advice) to drive again. Only FR requires a normalized electroencephalography (EEG)-based Maintenance of Wakefulness Test for professional drivers. Rare conditions (e.g., narcolepsy) are considered a driving safety risk more frequently than sleep apnoea syndrome., Conclusion: Despite the available scientific evidence, most countries in Europe do not include sleep apnoea syndrome or excessive daytime sleepiness among the specific medical conditions to be considered when judging whether or not a person is fit to drive. A unified European Directive seems desirable.

Unlabelled: Biodegradable polymers represent a solution for the environment protection: they decrease the landfill space, by declining the petrochemical sources, and offer also an alternative solution for the recycling., Materials and Methods: The behavior during degradation in the presence of active sludge of some polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based blends with variable content of hydrolyzed collagen (HC) has been followed. Some samples were subjected to UV irradiation, for 30 hours. The modifications induced in the environment by the polymer systems (pH variation, bacterial composition), as well as the changes of the properties of the blends (weight losses, aspect etc.) were studied., Results: During the first moments of degradation in active sludge, all the samples absorbed water, behavior which favored the biodegradation. The bacteriological analysis of the sludge indicates the presence of some microbiological species. Generally, the populations of microorganisms decrease, excepting the sulphito-reducing anaerobic bacteria, the actinomycetes and other anaerobic bacteria., Conclusions: PVC/HC blends are degraded with a significant rate in active sewage sludge. More susceptible for the degradation are the UV irradiated blends. After the migration of the components with a small molecular mass in the environment, the natural polymer is degraded. The degradation effect increases with the content in the natural polymer.