Testing caffeic acid as a natural antioxidant in functional fish-fibre restructured products

7 páginas, 4 figuras, 5 tablasThe antioxidant effectiveness of caffeic acid addition to minced fish muscle with or without wheat dietary fibre added was studied. Wheat dietary fibre showed a significant prooxidant effect on minced fish muscle during chilled storage that was significantly inhibited in presence of 100 mg/kg caffeic acid. In samples containing caffeic acid and wheat dietary fibre, lipid oxidation was completely inhibited after 10 days. Results obtained from the instrumental texture profile analysis showed that the inclusion of wheat dietary fibre with or without caffeic acid lowered the texture profile analysis parameters. Caffeic acid did not render any changes on the water binding capacity. These results prove that caffeic acid can be successfully used as a natural antioxidant in wheat dietary fibre minced fish restructured products.This work was performed within the Integrated Research Project SEAFOODplus, contract No FOOD-CT-2004-506359 and the research project AGL2006-26016-E/GAN. The [partial] financing of this work by the European Union and the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia is gratefully acknowledged.Peer reviewe

Motor and cognitive deficits in the heterozygous leaner mouse, a Cav2.1 voltage-gated Ca2+ channel mutant

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.The leaner mutation in mice affects the Ca(v)2.1 voltage-gated calcium channel alpha(1A)-subunit gene (Cacna1a), causing a reduction in calcium currents predominantly in Purkinje cells. This reduction in calcium currents causes severe progressive cerebellar ataxia, beginning around postnatal day 10, in homozygous leaner mice (tg(la)/tg(la)), while their heterozygous littermates (tg(la)/+) present no obvious behavioral deficits. In humans, heterozygous mutations in the Cacna1a orthologous gene produce a broad range of neurological manifestations. To evaluate the phenotypic status of the tg(la)/+ animals, we assessed motor performance and cognition, at different ages, in these mutant mice. We were able to observe age-dependent impairment in motor and cognitive tasks; balance and motor learning deficits were found in demanding tasks on the rotarod and on the hanging wire test, while spatial learning and memory impairment was observed in the Morris water maze. Progressive dysfunction in escape reflexes, indicative of neurological impairment, was also present in tg(la)/+ animals. Although not presenting major motor alterations, tg(la)/+ mice show age-dependent motor and cognitive deficits.We would like to thank Carolina Lemos for her help with statistical analysis and Victor Mendes for image technical assistance. This work was supported by research grants POCTI/MGI/34517/00, POCTI/NSE/45352/2002 and POCI/SAU-MMO/56387/2004, FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) and co-funded by FEDER. I.A. is recipient of a scholarship from FCT, Portugal

Graphene oxide electrodeposited electrode enhances start-up and selective enrichment of exoelectrogens in bioelectrochemical systems

15 p.This study seeks to assess the impact that the anodic electrodeposition of graphene oxide (GO) has on the start-up process and on the development of microbial communities on the anode of BESs. The GO electrodeposited electrodes were characterised in abiotic conditions to verify the extent of the modifcation and were then transferred to a bioelectrochemical reactor. Results showed that the modifed electrode allowed for a reduced start-up time compared to the control electrode. After three months, high throughput sequencing was performed, revealing that electrochemically reduced graphene oxide acts as a selective agent toward exoelectrogenic bacteria as Geobacter. Overall, this study shows that GO modifed electrodes enhance bioflm build up in BES. This research was possible thanks to the financial support of the ‘Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad’ project ref: CTQ2015-68925-R, cofinanced by FEDER funds. Ana Sotres thanks the regional ‘Junta de Castilla y León’ for the postdoctoral contract associated with project ref: LE060U16, cofinanced by FEDER fundsS

A semi-pilot microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) for hydrogen production and pig-slurry valorization

The amounts of slurry and manure produced each year are steadily rising as a result of an increasing demand for livestock products, which are expected to almost double by 2050 [1]. This two byproducts of farm-activity are commonly used as a fertilizer for crops production. However, their direct disposal may also overcome soils capacity to absorb nutrients in some areas [2], thus giving to rise to health and environmental issues. This demands the use of feasible and efficient waste management technologies that help to limit the impact of these wasteThis project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 66812

An internal ribosome entry site element directs the synthesis of the 80 kDa isoforms of protein 4.1R

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In red blood cells, protein 4.1 (4.1R) is an 80 kDa protein that stabilizes the spectrin-actin network and anchors it to the plasma membrane through its FERM domain. While the expression pattern of 4.1R in mature red cells is relatively simple, a rather complex array of 4.1R protein isoforms varying in N-terminal extensions, internal sequences and subcellular locations has been identified in nucleated cells. Among these, 135 kDa and 80 kDa isoforms have different N-terminal extensions and are expressed either from AUG1- or AUG2-containing mRNAs, respectively. These two types of mRNAs, varying solely by presence/absence of 17 nucleotides (nt) which contain the AUG1 codon, are produced by alternative splicing of the 4.1R pre-mRNA. It is unknown whether the 699 nt region comprised between AUG1 and AUG2, kept as a 5' untranslated region in AUG2-containing mRNAs, plays a role on 4.1R mRNA translation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By analyzing the <it>in vitro </it>expression of a panel of naturally occurring 4.1R cDNAs, we observed that all AUG1/AUG2-containing cDNAs gave rise to both long, 135 kDa, and short, 80 kDa, 4.1R isoforms. More importantly, similar results were also observed in cells transfected with this set of 4.1R cDNAs. Mutational studies indicated that the short isoforms were not proteolytic products of the long isoforms but products synthesized from AUG2. The presence of a cryptic promoter in the 4.1R cDNA sequence was also discounted. When a 583 nt sequence comprised between AUG1 and AUG2 was introduced into bicistronic vectors it directed protein expression from the second cistron. This was also the case when ribosome scanning was abolished by introduction of a stable hairpin at the 5' region of the first cistron. Deletion analysis of the 583 nt sequence indicated that nucleotides 170 to 368 are essential for expression of the second cistron. The polypyrimidine tract-binding protein bound to the 583 nt active sequence but not to an inactive 3'-fragment of 149 nucleotides.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study is the first demonstration of an internal ribosome entry site as a mechanism ensuring the production of 80 kDa isoforms of protein 4.1R. This mechanism might also account for the generation of 60 kDa isoforms of 4.1R from a downstream AUG3. Our results reveal an additional level of control to 4.1R gene expression pathways and will contribute to the understanding of the biology of proteins 4.1R and their homologues, comprising an ample family of proteins involved in cytoskeletal organization.</p

Localized thinning for strain concentration in suspended germanium membranes and optical method for precise thickness measurement

We deposited Ge layers on (001) Si substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and used them to fabricate suspended membranes with high uniaxial tensile strain. We demonstrate a CMOS-compatible fabrication strategy to increase strain concentration and to eliminate the Ge buffer layer near the Ge/Si hetero-interface deposited at low temperature. This is achieved by a two-steps patterning and selective etching process. First, a bridge and neck shape is patterned in the Ge membrane, then the neck is thinned from both top and bottom sides. Uniaxial tensile strain values higher than 3% were measured by Raman scattering in a Ge membrane of 76 nm thickness. For the challenging thickness measurement on micrometer-size membranes suspended far away from the substrate a characterization method based on pump-and-probe reflectivity measurements was applied, using an asynchronous optical sampling technique.EC/FP7/628197/EU/Heat Propagation and Thermal Conductivity in Nanomaterials for Nanoscale Energy Management/HEATPRONAN

University students' competences in ICT: A view from the education domain

Contemporary university students face the knowledge society, where mastering information and communication technologies (ICT) is an essential requirement to form part of this society. The objective of our study was to validate a basic ICT competences model made up of three ICT competence subsets (technological, pedagogical and ethical) influenced by various personal and contextual factors. For this purpose, a cross-sectional explanatory correlation design was used, with a sample of 646 university students from the University of Valencia (Spain), collecting the information through a questionnaire. A multiple indicators and multiple causes model was used to validate the students' ICT competences model. The results revealed that ICT competences form a single set made up of three subsets of competences: technological, pedagogical and ethical. An asymmetrical explanatory relation was found between the technological and pedagogical competences on the one hand and between the ethical and pedagogical competences on the other hand. The factors gender, area in which the degree is taught and the frequency of using a computer with the Internet impacted on the three subsets of competences. The model shows the complexity of university students' ICT competences, with training in ICT competences being an important element to consider

Electronic wave functions and optical transitions in (In,Ga)As/GaP quantum dots

Robert, Cédric et al.We study the complex electronic band structure of low In content InGaAs/GaP quantum dots. A supercell extended-basis tight-binding model is used to simulate the electronic and the optical properties of a pure GaAs/GaP quantum dot modeled at the atomic level. Transitions between hole states confined into the dots and several XZ-like electronic states confined by the strain field in the GaP barrier are found to play the main role on the optical properties. Especially, the calculated radiative lifetime for such indirect transitions is in good agreement with the photoluminescence decay time measured in time-resolved photoluminescence in the µs range. Photoluminescence experiments under hydrostatic pressure are also presented. The redshift of the photoluminescence spectrum with pressure is also in good agreement with the nature of the electronic confined states simulated with the tight-binding model.A.R.G. and M.I.A. acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through Grant No. MAT2009-09480 (PIEZOHM) and Severo Ochoa Excellence Centre Award (No. SEV-2015-0496). M.O.N. acknowledges financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. This research is supported by “Region Bretagne” through the PONANT project including ´ FEDER funds. This paper is also supported by the OPTOSI Agence Nationale pour la Recherche Project No. 12-BS03- 002-02. This work has been performed using HPC resources of GENCI CINES, TGCC/CCRT, and IDRIS under the allocation No. 2013-[x2013096724].Peer reviewe