Influence de la variété de fraise et de la période de récolte sur les contenus en antioxydants et en anthocyanes ainsi que sur la répartition de l'acide ellagique dans le fruit, les akènes, les feuilles et le rhizome

Objectifs L’objectif de ce travail est de déterminer l’influence de la variété de fraise et de la date de récolte sur les teneurs en sucres, en acidité, en phénols totaux, en anthocyanes totaux et en acide ellagique ainsi que sur l’activité antioxydante de différentes parties du fraisier (chair, akènes, feuilles et rhizome). Résultats La variété influence significativement les taux de sucres et d’acidité, tout comme la plupart des composés recherchés. La date de récolte, observée uniquement sur la chair et les akènes, influence également les taux de sucres et d’acidité. Les teneurs en phénols totaux de la chair et des akènes augmentent en l’espace de 7 jours, tout comme l’activité antioxydante et les anthocyanes des akènes. Par contre, l’acide ellagique et les anthocyanes de la chair diminuent. Sur base de la masse sèche, les feuilles contiennent le plus de phénols, l’activité antioxydante la plus haute ainsi qu’une concentration en acide ellagique élevée. Elles ont par contre la teneur en anthocyanes la plus faible. Les rhizomes ont un contenu en anthocyanes et en acide ellagique bas mais un contenu en phénols élevé. Leur activité antioxydante est du même ordre de grandeur que celle des akènes. La chair quant à elle possède l’activité antioxydante et le taux de phénols totaux les plus faibles. Mots-clés fraise, chair, akènes, rhizome, phénols, anthocyanes, activité antioxydante, DPPH, acide ellagique, HPLC, ASEZiele Das Hauptziel dieser Arbeit ist die Bestimmung des Einflusses der Erdbeersorte und des Erntedatums auf das Zucker-, Säure-, Phenole, Anthocyan- und Ellagsäuregehalt sowie auf die antioxidative Kapazität von verschiedenen Teilen der Erdbeerpflanze (Fruchtfleisch, Nüsschen, Blätter und Rhizom). Resultate Die Erdbeersorte und das Erntedatum stark beeinflussen das Zucker- und das Säuregehalt, sowie der Grossteil von den Substanzen. Das Erntedatum, das nur bei dem Fruchtfleisch und den Nüsschen beobachtet wird, auch das Zucker- und das Säuregehalt beeinflusst. Phenolegehalt von den Fruchtfleisch und den Nüsschen steigen im Raum von 7 Tagen, sowie die antioxidative Kapazität und die Anthocyane von den Nüsschen. Hingegen verkleinern sich die Ellagsäure und die Anthocyane von dem Fruchtfleisch. Blätter enthalten die meiste Phenole, die höchste antioxidative Kapazität und eine hoche Ellagsäurekonzentration. Sie haben den niedrigsten Anthocyanegehalt. Rhizome haben einen niedrigen Anthocyan- und Ellagsäuregehalt aber sie besitzen einen hochen Phenolgehalt. Ihre antioxidative Kapazität ist die gleiche als die antioxidative Kapazität von den Nüsschen. Das Fruchtfleisch hat die niedrige antioxidative Kapazität und den niedriegen Phenolegehalt. Schlüsselwörter Erdbeer, Fruchtfleisch, Nüsschen, Rhizom, Phenole, Anthocyane, Antioxidative Kapazität, DPPH, Ellagsäure, HPLC, AS

Interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder in psychiatric practice across Europe: a trainees' perspective

BACKGROUND: With an annual prevalence of 0.9-2.6%, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is very common in clinical practice across Europe. Despite the fact that evidence-based interventions have been developed, there is no evidence on their implementation in clinical practice and in national psychiatric training programmes. ----- OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: The Early Career Psychiatrists Committee of the European Psychiatric Association conducted a survey in 23 European countries to explore implementation of evidence-based interventions for PTSD and training options. ----- RESULTS: The findings indicate that pharmacotherapy was available in the majority of the participating countries (n=19, 82.8%). However, psychological interventions were much less widespread. For example, psychoeducation was widely available in 52% of the countries (n=12), cognitive-behavioural therapy in 26.2% (n=6), and specific trauma-focused techniques were rarely available. Training on PTSD was part of the official training in 13 countries (56.5%), predominantly in the form of theoretical seminars. ----- CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this survey indicates that the treatment for PTSD is largely focused on pharmacotherapy, with psychological evidence-based interventions poorly available, especially outside specialized centres. Poor implementation is linked to the lack of official training in evidence-based interventions for psychiatric trainees across Europe

Isotope effect on electron paramagnetic resonance of boron acceptors in silicon

The fourfold degeneracy of the boron acceptor ground state in silicon, which is easily lifted by any symmetry breaking perturbation, allows for a strong inhomogeneous broadening of the boron-related electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) lines, e.g. by a random distribution of local strains. However, since EPR of boron acceptors in externally unstrained silicon was reported for the first time, neither the line shape nor the magnitude of the residual broadening observed in samples with high crystalline purity were compatible with the low concentrations of carbon and oxygen point defects, being the predominant source of random local strain. Adapting a theoretical model which has been applied to understand the acceptor ground state splitting in the absence of a magnetic field as an effect due to the presence of different silicon isotopes, we show that local fluctuations of the valence band edge due to different isotopic configurations in the vicinity of the boron acceptors can quantitatively account for all inhomogeneous broadening effects in high purity Si with a natural isotope composition. Our calculations show that such an isotopic perturbation also leads to a shift in the g-value of different boron-related resonances, which we could verify in our experiments. Further, our results provide an independent test and verification of the valence band offsets between the different Si isotopes determined in previous works.Comment: 26 pages (preprint), 9 figure

Gate control of low-temperature spin dynamics in two-dimensional hole systems

We have investigated spin and carrier dynamics of resident holes in high-mobility two-dimensional hole systems in GaAs/Al$_{0.3}$Ga$_{0.7}$As single quantum wells at temperatures down to 400 mK. Time-resolved Faraday and Kerr rotation, as well as time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy are utilized in our study. We observe long-lived hole spin dynamics that are strongly temperature dependent, indicating that in-plane localization is crucial for hole spin coherence. By applying a gate voltage, we are able to tune the observed hole g factor by more than 50 percent. Calculations of the hole g tensor as a function of the applied bias show excellent agreement with our experimental findings.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Developing soil water potential time series using the Montana Mesonet’s in-situ sensor data and lab-measured soil characteristics

As a headwaters state, changes in water across Montana’s landscape can have major implications for nearly two-thirds of the land area of the Conterminous United States to which its two major river basins drain. Monitoring watersheds in Montana provides important metrics for drought detection, agricultural management, and other natural resource management decisions. The Montana Mesonet, a wireless network of 79 meteorological, soil moisture, and groundwater monitoring stations, was created in 2016 to provide monitoring data. This network is supported through federal, state, tribal and private partnerships. Each station records measures at 15-minute intervals, including: soil moisture, soil-water conductivity, precipitation, relative humidity, temperature, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, and groundwater levels. Developing information about soil characteristics will put sensor data into a context applicable for land management decisions. As such, this project-in-progress focuses on the development of soil water retention curves and soil texture characterizations to enhance data collected by the Montana Mesonet. To assess soil characteristics, triplicate soil cores were collected at each station site at four depths. These cores are used for two lab analyses. Soil water retention curves were developed across a moisture gradient using tensiometers, balances, and potentiometers. Lab-measured soil water retention curves allow in-situ soil moisture time series to be converted to soil water potential, a biologically meaningful variable used to assess plant water stress. So far, approximately one-third of sites have soil-water retention curves and soil-water-potential time series generated at all depths. Soil texture will be determined by assessing the particle size distribution of a sample using the integral suspension pressure (ISP) method. The addition of these soil characteristics to the extensive Mesonet data will allow for site-specific historic, near real-time, and forecasted modeling of plant-available water, groundwater recharge, calculations of drought indices, and other practical applications to inform management decisions

Novel multiple sclerosis susceptibility loci implicated in epigenetic regulation

We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility in German cohorts with 4888 cases and 10,395 controls. In addition to associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, 15 non-MHC loci reached genome-wide significance. Four of these loci are novel MS susceptibility loci. They map to the genes L3MBTL3, MAZ, ERG, and SHMT1. The lead variant at SHMT1 was replicated in an independent Sardinian cohort. Products of the genes L3MBTL3, MAZ, and ERG play important roles in immune cell regulation. SHMT1 encodes a serine hydroxymethyltransferase catalyzing the transfer of a carbon unit to the folate cycle. This reaction is required for regulation of methylation homeostasis, which is important for establishment and maintenance of epigenetic signatures. Our GWAS approach in a defined population with limited genetic substructure detected associations not found in larger, more heterogeneous cohorts, thus providing new clues regarding MS pathogenesis

A high affinity RIM-binding protein/Aplip1 interaction prevents the formation of ectopic axonal active zones

Synaptic vesicles (SVs) fuse at active zones (AZs) covered by a protein scaffold, at Drosophila synapses comprised of ELKS family member Bruchpilot (BRP) and RIM-binding protein (RBP). We here demonstrate axonal co-transport of BRP and RBP using intravital live imaging, with both proteins co- accumulating in axonal aggregates of several transport mutants. RBP, via its C-terminal Src-homology 3 (SH3) domains, binds Aplip1/JIP1, a transport adaptor involved in kinesin-dependent SV transport. We show in atomic detail that RBP C-terminal SH3 domains bind a proline-rich (PxxP) motif of Aplip1/JIP1 with submicromolar affinity. Pointmutating this PxxP motif provoked formation of ectopic AZ-like structures at axonal membranes. Direct interactions between AZ proteins and transport adaptors seem to provide complex avidity and shield synaptic interaction surfaces of pre-assembled scaffold protein transport complexes, thus, favouring physiological synaptic AZ assembly over premature assembly at axonal membranes. - See more at: http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e06935#sthash.oVGZ8cdi.dpu

Fluorometric Method to Assess Lipase Inhibition Activity

Obesity and excess weight have become serious health problems in our developed societies today. Increased blood pressure, blood glucose levels and abnormal blood lipids are frequent consequences. Inhibition of digestive enzymes by pharmacological or nutritional intervention are one avenue to be considered to treat this population. In the present study a robust assay to screen biologically active materials for their ability to inhibit pancreatic lipase, the most important enzyme in fat digestion, has been developed. Methyl-umbelliferyl butyrate was used as an artificial substrate, enabling assessment of lipase activity via specific fluorescence emission. Applicability of the assay was shown by assessment of lipase inhibition activity of wild plants from Switzerland and France. Testing showed some plants to have a high inhibition rate of about 70%. In further projects, this lipase inhibition assay could be used for a scientific proof of biological activity of raw materials with the intention to develop functional foods for weight reduction