Formation of unilamellar dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles promoted by Ca2+ ions: A small-angle neutron scattering study

Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was hydrated in 0.2-60 mM solution of CaCl 2 in heavy water and thoroughly homogenized by freezing-thawing process. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) shows formation of unilamellar vesicles in the range 1-60 mM of CaCl 2. From the Kratky-Porod plot ln[I(Q)Q 2] vs. Q 2 of SANS intensity I(Q) in the range of scattering vectors Q corresponding to the interval 0.001 Å -2≤Q 2≤0.006 Å -2, the vesicle bilayer radius of gyration R g and the bilayer thickness parameter d g were obtained. The structure of the bilayer displays different behavior for the gel phase and the liquid-crystalline phase: In the gel phase (at 20°C), the values of d g indicate nonlinear changes in the lipid bilayer thickness, with a maximum at ∼5 mM CaCl 2. In the liquid-crystalline phase (at 60°C), the parameter of the lipid bilayer thickness d g=43.2±0.3 Å is constant within the concentration range 1≤c Ca≤40 mM. Vesicles prepared at 60 mM CaCl 2 show within experimental error, the same values of d g as pure DPPC unilamellar vesicles prepared by extrusion using polycarbonate filter with pores of diameter 500 Å

Who Prefers Regional Products? A Systematic Literature Review of Consumer Characteristics and Attitudes in Short Food Supply Chains

The present work is a selection of empirical studies focusing on the characteristics and attitudes of Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) consumers. Using a systematic literature review approach (PRISMA), we identified five different aspects of the SFSC within the publications: producer participation, swot, state intervention, attitude and “other”. Based on the findings of studies from the academic literature, the results are quite mixed. Though the number of SFSC-related empirical studies has risen in recent years, there is a lack of SFSC-related data, even in the European Union (EU), where a sustainable agriculture and food system must play a crucial role in the implementation of the Green Deal. Overall, it is hard to name those features that, without any doubt, affect the willingness of consumers to purchase from an SFSC. The studies mostly remarked on age and education; however, even these findings cannot be generalized. Therefore, some consumers of non-global food supply chains could be characterized very well, but these observations could differ in diverse cases because of local factors

The Potential of Digital Marketing Tools to Develop the Innovative SFSC Players’ Business Models

The traditional global food supply chains are not just complex, but they do not support the sustainability of agriculture. The business models with the greatest growth potential are those that would allow consumers to buy more directly from producers. Before COVID-19, these alternatives were not just popular but had a relatively high market share compared to post COVID-19 era. However, due to the pandemic and the changes in consumers’ purchasing behavior, the players of short food supply chains had to adapt to the new circumstances. This is why business model innovation is nowadays a priority, which means a substantial renewal of the value delivered to customers, and a significant transformation of the processes and activities of the company/network. The study aimed to examine the dynamic innovation through applied digital marketing solutions that could open up new sales channels and increase the competitiveness of the companies involved. Since Austria is one of the “greenest” countries, its consumers are interested in purchasing sustainably, so they strive to buy directly from the producers. This motivates the authors to use its representative sample to investigate how well adapted the Austrian direct sellers are to the unsteady circumstances. Based on a previous research framework, a principal component analysis was applied and the elements defined therein were the variables of non-hierarchical clustering. The used methods highlight the lack of online distribution and marketing of the farmer shops, which could multiply the harmful effects of the pandemic. The classification of the shops demonstrated the generally low share of innovative direct sellers. We conclude that in the new era, businesses that effectively apply open business innovation models will be able to compete in the market

The structural diversity of DNA-neutral phospholipids-divalent metal cations aggregates: a small-angle synchrotron X-ray diffraction study

We investigate the structure of aggregates formed due to DNA interaction with saturated neutral phosphatidylcholines [dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine] in presence of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) cations using simultaneous synchrotron small- and wide-angle X-ray diffractions. For DPPC:DNA = 3:1 mol/base and in the range of 1-50 mM Ca(2+), the diffractograms show structural heterogeneity of aggregates. We observe the coexistence of two lamellar phases in aggregates prepared at 1 mM Ca(2+): L(x) phase with the DNA strands (of unknown organization) intercalated in water layers between adjacent lipid bilayers and L(DPPC) phase of DPPC bilayers without any divalent cations and DNA strands. Aggregates prepared in the range 2-50 mM Ca(2+) show a condensed gel lamellar phase L (g) (c) with the lipid bilayer periodicity d approximately 8.0 nm, and the DNA-DNA interhelical distance d (DNA) approximately 5.1 nm. The increase of temperature induces the decrease in the intensity and the increase in the width of the DNA related peak. In the fluid state, the condensed lamellar phase L (alpha) (c) gradually converts into L(x) phase. The aggregates do not exhibit rippled P(beta) phase. The thermal behaviour of aggregates was investigated in the range 20-80 degrees C. Applying heating-cooling cycles, the aggregates converted into energetically more favourable structure: a condensed lamellar phase L(c) (or L(x)) is preserved or we observe lateral segregation of the DNA strands and metal cations (L(x) phase) in coexistence with L(PC) phase of pure phospholipids