Characterization of 2,3-diarylxanthones by electrospray mass spectrometry: gas-phase chemistry versus known antioxidant activity properties

Xanthones (XH) are a class of heterocyclic compounds widely distributed in nature that hold numerous noteworthy biological and antioxidant activities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to achieve relevant detailed structural information to understand and assist prediction of their biological properties. The potential relationship between radical-mediated xanthone chemistry in the gas phase and their promising antioxidant activities has not been previously explored.Thanks are due to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal), European Union, QREN, FEDER and COMPETE, for funding the QOPNA research unit (project PEst-C/QUI/UI0062/2013; FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037296), and the Portuguese National Mass Spectrometry Network, RNEM (REDE/1504/REM/2005). E. M. P. Silva is also grateful to FCT (ref SFRH/BPD/66961/2009) for a Post-Doc grant.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relation of fibrocartilaginous embolism and acute and non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion with imaging tests - case report

ABSTRACT Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCEM) and acute, non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE) are non-compressive myelopathies that are difficult to differentiate. The definitive diagnosis is obtained only with histology, but the presumptive diagnosis is made through clinical signs and imaging tests. The aim of this study is to report the imaging tests performed for the diagnosis of a neurological clinical case and discuss the best diagnostic method. After attending the patient, complementary tests were requested. Radiography results showed no change. The computed tomography diagnostic impression indicated distal protrusion between C6-C7, T11-T12, T13-L1 followed by mild spinal cord compression defined by the presence of a ventral hyperattenuating region. Magnetic resonance (RMI), showed a slight T2W hypersignal, well delimited in the gray matter, lateralized to the right, over the cranial third of C7. Concluding that the magnetic resonance is the method that brought more information for the diagnosis, in which the others were not described medullary alterations pertinent to FCEM and ANNPE. With their fair prognosis, the absence of histological diagnosis of these diseases may be a limiting factor in this study and, in relation to the RMI alterations being very similar between FCEM and ANNPE it is not possible to diagnose fully accurately

From topological to parametrized field theory

It has been proposed to study the theory resulting from setting the gravitational constant to zero in the first order formalism for general relativity. In this letter we investigate this theory in the presence of matter fields, establish its equivalence with parametrized field theory on a flat background, and relate it to previous results in topological field theory (BF theory).Comment: 8 pages, latex, no figure

Evolutionary design of decision-tree algorithms tailored to microarray gene expression data sets

Decision-tree induction algorithms are widely used in machine learning applications in which the goal is to extract knowledge from data and present it in a graphically intuitive way. The most successful strategy for inducing decision trees is the greedy top-down recursive approach, which has been continuously improved by researchers over the past 40 years. In this paper, we propose a paradigm shift in the research of decision trees: instead of proposing a new manually designed method for inducing decision trees, we propose automatically designing decision-tree induction algorithms tailored to a specific type of classification data set (or application domain). Following recent breakthroughs in the automatic design of machine learning algorithms, we propose a hyper-heuristic evolutionary algorithm called hyper-heuristic evolutionary algorithm for designing decision-tree algorithms (HEAD-DT) that evolves design components of top-down decision-tree induction algorithms. By the end of the evolution, we expect HEAD-DT to generate a new and possibly better decision-tree algorithm for a given application domain. We perform extensive experiments in 35 real-world microarray gene expression data sets to assess the performance of HEAD-DT, and compare it with very well known decision-tree algorithms such as C4.5, CART, and REPTree. Results show that HEAD-DT is capable of generating algorithms that significantly outperform the baseline manually designed decision-tree algorithms regarding predictive accuracy and F-measure

Modified Brans-Dicke theory of gravity from five-dimensional vacuum

We investigate, in the context of five-dimensional (5D) Brans-Dicke theory of gravity, the idea that macroscopic matter configurations can be generated from pure vacuum in five dimensions, an approach first proposed in the framework of general relativity. We show that the 5D Brans-Dicke vacuum equations when reduced to four dimensions lead to a modified version of Brans-Dicke theory in four dimensions (4D). As an application of the formalism, we obtain two five-dimensional extensions of four-dimensional O'Hanlon and Tupper vacuum solution and show that they lead two different cosmological scenarios in 4D.Comment: 9 page

Effects of Electron Beam Radiation on the Phenolic Composition and Bioactive Properties of Olive Pomace Extracts

Olive pomace is an agro-industrial waste product generated from the olive oil industry and constituted by bioactive compounds with potential applications in several industrial sectors. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of electron beam (e-beam) radiation on olive pomace, specifically on phenolic compounds (by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) and the bioactive properties (antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities) of crude olive pomace (COP) and extracted olive pomace (EOP) extracts. The amount of total flavonoid content and the reducing power of COP extracts were higher than those obtained for EOP extracts. The results suggested that e-beam radiation at 6 kGy increased both total phenolic and total flavonoid contents as well as the reducing power of COP extracts, due to the higher extractability (>2.5-fold) of phenolic compounds from these samples, while decreasing the scavenging activity of extracts. The extracts of both olive pomaces showed antibacterial potential, and COP extracts at 400 mu g/mL also presented antiproliferative activity against A549, Caco-2, 293T, and RAW264.7 cell lines, with both properties preserved with the e-beam treatment. All in all, e-beam radiation at 6 kGy appears to be a promising technology to valorize the pollutant wastes of the olive oil industry through enhancing phenolic extractability and bioactive properties, and, furthermore, to contribute to the environmental and economical sustainability of the olive oil industry.This work was supported by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC): CIMO,UIDB/00690/2020 [DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00690/2020] and UIDP/00690/2020 [DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/00690/2020]; and SusTEC, LA/P/0007/2020 [DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0007/2020]; C2TN [UID/Multi/04349/2020]. The authors are grateful for national funding by FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology, through the institutional scientific employment program-contract of L. Barros and M.I. Dias and through the individual research grant (SFRH/BD/136506/2018) of J. Madureira. The GIP-USAL is funded by the Strategic Research Programs for Units of Excellence [ref CLU-2018-04]and Consejeria de Educacion de la Junta de Castilla y Leon [Project SA093P20].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electron-beam irradiation preserves nutritional profile of Agaricus bisporus Portobello

All over the world, mushrooms are highly consumed due to their high contents of digestible proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and fibers. Mushrooms contain about 90% of water, which leads to a faster deterioration due to senescence, browning, water loss and microbial attack. Despite of the immense popularity of this food worldwide, data regarding alternative technologies to increase mushrooms shelf-life are scarce. Ionizing radiation processing is recognized as a safe and effective method for conservation, being widely used to extend the shelf-life of raw foods. The present work reports the effects of storage time (0, 4 and 8 days) and electron-beam irradiation on the nutritional composition (moisture, fat, proteins, ash, carbohydrates and energy) of Agaricus bisporus Portobello samples. The irradiation was performed with a 10 MeV energy irradiator at the doses of 1, 2 and 5 kGy. The proximate composition was evaluated by AOAC official procedures. Storage time (ST) and electron-beam (EB) irradiation showed a significant interaction in all cases (p-value > 0.05), indicating that the effects potentially exerted by ST depended on EB dose and vice-versa. Considering the individual effect of each factor, EB induced more changes than ST, which in fact had a significant effect only for protein and carbohydrates. Among different EB doses, despite the significant differences, it is evident that the nutritional profiles were not greatly changed with any applied dose. Therefore, up to 5 kGy, EB seems to be a suitable conservation treatment for A. bisporus Portobello.Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013), C2TN (UID/Multi/04349/2013), grant to A. Fernandes (SFRH/BPD/114753/2016) and L. Barros contract; European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) (Regional Operational Program Norte 2020, Project ValorNatural®); Rural Development Program (Project MicoCoating, PDR2020-101-031472); International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project D61024 DEXAFI.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combined effects of irradiation and storage time on the nutritional and chemical parameters of dried Agaricus bisporus Portobello mushroom flour

Abstract: Portobello variety of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms, appreciated for its taste, makes it desirable to be eaten fresh and also as flour in soups and gravies. Gamma and electron-beam radiation at four doses (1, 2, 5, and 10 kGy) were used to analyze its preservation effect on Portobello mushroom flour. A proximate analysis, as well as the impact on fatty acids, tocopherols, soluble sugars, organic acids, and ergosterol profiles, were performed every 3 months, during a storage period of 1 year. Gamma rays preserved mannitol (most abundant soluble sugar) over the 12 months, while electron beam radiation preserved organic acids. No significant changes were sought for any radiation type, and the slight changes extracted from the estimated marginal means reveal a tendency for irradiation as having preserving effects of nutrients and other important molecules. Thus, both irradiation types, up to 10 kGy are suitable for preservation of A. bisporus Portobello flour.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/AGR/00690/2020), C2TN (UID/Multi/04349/2013) for R.V.C. Cardoso’s grant (SFRH/BD/137436/2018), M. Carocho’s research contract. L. Barros and A. Fernandes also thank FCT’s funding through the institutional scientific employment program-contracts. This work is funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (FEEI) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Mobilizador ValorNatural R . Acknowledgments are also due European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), through the Rural Development Program (PDR2020), within the scope of Project MicoCoating (PDR2020-101-031472).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combined effects of irradiation and storage time on the nutritional and chemical parameters of dried Agaricus bisporus Portobello mushroom flour

Portobello variety of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms, appreciated for its taste, makes it desirable to be eaten fresh and also as flour in soups and gravies. Gamma and electron-beam radiation at four doses (1, 2, 5, and 10 kGy) were used to analyze its preservation effect on Portobello mushroom flour. A proximate analysis, as well as the impact on fatty acids, tocopherols, soluble sugars, organic acids, and ergosterol profiles, were performed every 3 months, during a storage period of 1 year. Gamma rays preserved mannitol (most abundant soluble sugar) over the 12 months, while electron beam radiation preserved organic acids. No significant changes were sought for any radiation type, and the slight changes extracted from the estimated marginal means reveal a tendency for irradiation as having preserving effects of nutrients and other important molecules. Thus, both irradiation types, up to 10 kGy are suitable for preservation of A. bisporus Portobello flour.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/AGR/00690/2020), C2TN (UID/Multi/04349/2013) for R.V.C. Cardoso’s grant (SFRH/BD/137436/2018), M. Carocho’s research contract. L. Barros and A. Fernandes also thank FCT’s funding through the institutional scientific employment program-contracts. This work is funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (FEEI) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project Mobilizador ValorNatural R . Acknowledgments are also due European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), through the Rural Development Program (PDR2020), within the scope of Project MicoCoating (PDR2020-101-031472).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterization at 25°C of Sodium Hyaluronate in Aqueous Solutions Obtained by Transport Techniques

Mutual diffusion coefficients, D, were determined for aqueous solutions of sodium hyaluronate (NaHy) at 25°C and concentrations ranging from 0.00 to 1.00 g·dm-3 using the Taylor dispersion technique. From these experimental data, it was possible to estimate some parameters, such as the hydrodynamic radius Rh, and the diffusion coefficient at infinitesimal concentration, D0, of hyaluronate ion, permitting us to have a better understanding of the structure of these systems of sodium hyaluronate in aqueous solutions. The additional viscosity measurements were done and Huggins constant, kH, and limiting viscosity number, [η], were computed for interaction NaHy/water and NaHy/NaHy determination. © 2015, MDPI AG. All rights reserved.PTDC/AAC-CLI/118092/2010, FCT, Fuel Cycle TechnologiesFCT [PTDC/AAC-CLI/118092/2010]; Coimbra Chemistry Centre from the FCT [Pest-OE/QUI/UI0313/2014]; Centre of Polymer Systems [CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0111]; TBU in Zlin - specific university research and national budget of Czech Republic [IGA/FT/2013/015, IGA/FT/2014/018]; [SFRH/BD/72305/2010