1,959 research outputs found
Antiinflammatory Effects of Glucocorticoids in Brain Cells, Independent of NF-kB
Glucocorticoids are potent antiinflammatory drugs. They inhibit the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion
molecules. It has recently been proposed that the underlying basis to such inhibition is the induction of the protein IkB, which
inhibits the transcription factor NF-kB. The latter is a key activator of the genes encoding cytokines and adhesion molecules. The
present study shows that the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, inhibits the induction of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8
and the adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in human 1321N1 astrocytoma and SK.N.SH neuroblastoma cells. However,
dexamethasone failed to induce IkB or inhibit activation of NF-kB by IL-1 in the two cell types. EMSA confirmed the identity of
the activated NF-kB by demonstrating that an oligonucleotide, containing the wild-type NF-kB-binding motif, inhibited formation
of the NF-kB-DNA complexes whereas a mutated form of the NF-kB-binding motif was ineffective. In addition, supershift analysis
showed that the protein subunits p50 and p65 were prevalent components in the activated NF-kB complexes. The lack of effect
of dexamethasone on the capacity of IL-1 to activate NF-kB correlated with its inability to induce IkB and the ability of IL-1 to
cause degradation of IkB, even in the presence of dexamethasone. The results presented in this paper strongly suggest that
glucocorticoids may exert antiinflammatory effects in cells of neural origin by a mechanism(s) independent of NF-kB
Characterization of Polylactic Acid Films for Food Packaging as Affected by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmospheric Plasma
Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) air plasma is a novel technique for in-package decontamination of food, but it has not been yet applied to the packaging material. Characterization of commercial polylactic acid (PLA) films was done after in-package DBD plasma treatment at different voltage and treatment time to evaluate its suitability as food packaging material. DBD plasma increased the roughness of PLA film mainly at the site in contact with high voltage electrode at both the voltage levels of 70 and 80 kV. DBD plasma treatments did not induce any change in the glass transition temperature, but significant increase in the initial degradation temperature and maximum degradation temperature was observed. DBD plasma treatment did not adversely affect the oxygen and water vapor permeability of PLA. A very limited overall migration was observed in different food simulants and was much below the regulatory limits
In-Package Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Treatment of Cherry Tomatoes
Cold plasma is increasingly under research for decontamination of foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. The effect of cold plasma on food quality, however, remains under researched. This study investigates the effects of cold plasma generated within a sealed package from a dielectric barrier discharge on the physical quality parameters and respiration rates of cherry tomatoes. Respiration rates and weight loss were monitored continuously, while other parameters are reported at the end of storage period. Differences among weight loss, pH and firmness for control and treated cherry tomatoes were insignificant towards the end of storage life. Changes in respiration rates and colour of tomatoes were recorded as a function of treatment, which were not drastic. The results implicate that cold plasma could be employed as a means for decontamination of cherry tomatoes while retaining product quality
Zein film: Effects of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmospheric Cold Plasma
Dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric plasma is a novel non-thermal technology for the food and packaging industry. The effects of dielectric barrier discharge plasma on the surface, structural, thermal and moisture sorption properties of edible zein films have been examined. Plasma treatment increased the surface roughness and equillibrium moisture content of the zein film in a direct relationship with the applied voltage level. No significant difference in the thermal stability of the zein film is also observed after plasma treatment. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatments of zein film lead to a change in the protein conformation which is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy. The evaluation of films modifications by plasma discharge will contribute to enhance the in-package decontamination studies of food products by plasma
In-package Nonthermal Plasma Degradation of Pesticides on Fresh Produce
In-package nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology is a novel technology for the decontamination of foods and biological materials. This study presents the first report on the potential of the technology for the degradation of pesticide residues. A cocktail of pesticides, namely Azoxystrobin, Cyprodinil, Fludioxonil and Pyriproxyfen was tested on strawberries. The concentrations of these pesticides were monitored in priori and post- plasma treatment using GC-MS/MS. An applied voltage and time dependent degradation of the pesticides was observed for treatment voltages of 60, 70 and 80 kV and treatment durations ranging from 1 to 5 min, followed by 24 h in-pack storage. The electrical characterisation revealed the operation of the discharge in a stable filamentary regime. The discharge was found to generate reactive oxygen and excited nitrogen species as observed by optical emission spectroscopy
Large-Scale CO Maps of the Lupus Molecular Cloud Complex
Fully sampled degree-scale maps of the 13CO 2-1 and CO 4-3 transitions toward
three members of the Lupus Molecular Cloud Complex - Lupus I, III, and IV -
trace the column density and temperature of the molecular gas. Comparison with
IR extinction maps from the c2d project requires most of the gas to have a
temperature of 8-10 K. Estimates of the cloud mass from 13CO emission are
roughly consistent with most previous estimates, while the line widths are
higher, around 2 km/s. CO 4-3 emission is found throughout Lupus I, indicating
widespread dense gas, and toward Lupus III and IV. Enhanced line widths at the
NW end and along the edge of the B228 ridge in Lupus I, and a coherent velocity
gradient across the ridge, are consistent with interaction between the
molecular cloud and an expanding HI shell from the Upper-Scorpius subgroup of
the Sco-Cen OB Association. Lupus III is dominated by the effects of two HAe/Be
stars, and shows no sign of external influence. Slightly warmer gas around the
core of Lupus IV and a low line width suggest heating by the
Upper-Centaurus-Lupus subgroup of Sco-Cen, without the effects of an HI shell.Comment: 54 pages, 27 figures, 5 tables. To appear in ApJS. Preprint also
available (with full-size figures) from
http://www.astro.ex.ac.uk/people/nfht/publications.html Datacubes available
from http://www.astro.ex.ac.uk/people/nfht/resources.htm
Infall and Outflow around the HH 212 protostellar system
HH 212 is a highly collimated jet discovered in H2 powered by a young Class 0
source, IRAS 05413-0104, in the L1630 cloud of Orion. We have mapped around it
in 1.33 mm continuum, 12CO (), 13CO (), C18O (), and SO
() emission at \arcs{2.5} resolution with the
Submillimeter Array. A dust core is seen in the continuum around the source. A
flattened envelope is seen in C18O around the source in the equator
perpendicular to the jet axis, with its inner part seen in 13CO. The structure
and kinematics of the envelope can be roughly reproduced by a simple edge-on
disk model with both infall and rotation. In this model, the density of the
disk is assumed to have a power-law index of or -2, as found in other
low-mass envelopes. The envelope seems dynamically infalling toward the source
with slow rotation because the kinematics is found to be roughly consistent
with a free fall toward the source plus a rotation of a constant specific
angular momentum. A 12CO outflow is seen surrounding the H2 jet, with a narrow
waist around the source. Jetlike structures are also seen in 12CO near the
source aligned with the H2 jet at high velocities. The morphological
relationship between the H2 jet and the 12CO outflow, and the kinematics of the
12CO outflow along the jet axis are both consistent with those seen in a
jet-driven bow shock model. SO emission is seen around the source and the H2
knotty shocks in the south, tracing shocked emission around them.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, Accepted by the Ap
A colimit decomposition for homotopy algebras in Cat
Badzioch showed that in the category of simplicial sets each homotopy algebra
of a Lawvere theory is weakly equivalent to a strict algebra. In seeking to
extend this result to other contexts Rosicky observed a key point to be that
each homotopy colimit in simplicial sets admits a decomposition into a homotopy
sifted colimit of finite coproducts, and asked the author whether a similar
decomposition holds in the 2-category of categories Cat. Our purpose in the
present paper is to show that this is the case.Comment: Some notation changed; small amount of exposition added in intr
Investigation of a Large Gap Cold Plasma Reactor for Continuous In-package Decontamination of Fresh Strawberries and Spinach
The aim of this work was to investigate the efficacy of a large gap atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) generated with an open-air high-voltage dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) pilot-scale reactor, operated in either static (batch) or continuous mode for produce decontamination and quality retention. Significant reductions in the bacterial populations inoculated on the strawberries and spinach were obtained after the static mode of ACP treatment with 2.0 and 2.2 log10 CFU/ml reductions for E. coli and 1.3 and 1.7 log10 CFU/ml reductions for L. innocua, respectively. Continuous treatment was effective against L. innocua inoculated on strawberries, with 3.8 log10 CFU/ml reductions achieved. No significant differences in colour, firmness, pH or total soluble solids (TSS) was observed between control and ACP-treated samples with the effects of treatment retained during the shelf-life period. The pilot-scale atmospheric air plasma reactor retained the strawberry quality characteristics in tandem with useful antimicrobial efficacy. Industrial relevance This in-package plasma technology approach is a low-power, water-free, non-thermal, post-package treatment. Generating cold plasma discharges inside food packages achieved useful antimicrobial effects on fresh produce. Depending on the bacterial type, produce and mode of ACP treatment significant reductions in the populations of pathogenic microorganisms attached to the fresh produce was achieved within 2.5 min of treatment. The principal technical advantages include contaminant control, quality retention, mitigation of re-contamination and crucially the retention of bactericidal reactive gas molecules in the food package volume, which then revert back to the original gas
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