Utilization of EREP data in geological evaluation, regional planning, forest management, and water management in North Carolina

The author has identified the following significant results. The S190A, S190B, and S192 photographs and imagery were studied, using standard air-photo interpretation techniques supplemented by color additive viewing and density slicing. The EREP data were found to have potential usefulness for natural resource inventory work, water quality monitoring, and land use mapping for specific problems at scales up to 1:30,000. Distinctions between forest types in North Carolina are limited to conifers, mixed conifer-hardwoods, and hardwoods. Geologic interpretation was limited to detection of lineaments; lithologic differentiation and soil group mapping have proved infeasible in North Carolina except for differentiation of wetland soils in the coastal plain. Imagery from the S192 multispectral scanner has proved to be capable of useful discriminations for vegetation and crop analysis

Urban green space studies with ERTS-1 imagery

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Utilization of ERTS-1 data in North Carolina

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery has been used to study forested wetlands, dynamic processes off Coastal North Carolina, and land use patterns in the Wilmington, North Carolina area. The thrust of the investigation is still involvement of state and regional agencies in the use of ERTS-1 imagery in solving some of their day-to-day problems

The health benefits of sweet lupin seed flours and isolated proteins

The interest for lupin is continuously growing: one driving force are the numerous studies showing it provides useful health benefits. This review discusses available literature in the area of dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and hypertension prevention, providing hints on the mechanism of action. The addition of lupin protein to the diet of different models of hypercholesterolaemia, such as rat, rabbit, hamster and pig, induce decreases of total and non-HDL cholesterol. The clinical investigations on the cholesterol lowering activity provided controversial results. Those involving hypercholesterolaemic subjects and based on improved lupin foods gave statistically significant total and/or LDL-cholesterol reductions: both protein and fibre are relevant. The moderate hypotensive activity observed in some studies is probably linked to digestion-released ACE-inhibitory peptides. The hypoglycaemic activity, observed in post-prandial studies, is due to gamma-conglutin, a specific protein fraction. All this information suggests that lupin seeds may become a source of ingredients of innovative functional foods

Proteomic analysis of sweet algerian apricot kernels ( Prunus armeniaca L.) by combinatorial peptide ligand libraries and LC-MS/MS

An investigation on the proteome of the sweet kernel of apricot, based on equalisation with combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLLs), SDS-PAGE, nLC-ESI-MS/MS, and database search, permitted identifying 175 proteins. Gene ontology analysis indicated that their main molecular functions are in nucleotide binding (20.9 %), hydrolase activities (10.6 %), kinase activities (7 %), and catalytic activity (5.6%). A protein-protein association network analysis using STRING software permitted to build an interactomic map of all detected proteins, characterised by 34 interactions. In order to forecast the potential health benefits deriving from the consumption of these proteins, the two most abundant, i.e. Prunin 1 and 2, were enzymatically digested in silico predicting 10 and 14 peptides, respectively. Searching their sequences in the database BIOPEP, it was possible to suggest a variety of bioactivities, including dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) and angiotensin converting enzyme I (ACE) inhibition, glucose uptake stimulation and antioxidant properties

Exploring Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin 9 (PCSK9) Autoproteolysis Process by Molecular Simulations: Hints for Drug Design

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) is a notable target for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia because it regulates the population of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) on liver cells. The PCSK9 zymogen is a serine protease that spontaneously undergoes a double self-cleavage step. The available X-ray structures depict the PCSK9 mature state, but the atomic details of the zymogen state of the enzyme are still unknown. Additionally, why the protease activity of PCSK9 is blocked after the second autoprocessing step remains unclear, as this deviates from other members of the PCSK family. By performing constant-pH molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we investigated the protonation state of the catalytic triad of PCSK9 and found that it strongly influences the catalytic properties of the enzyme. Moreover, we determined the final step of the maturation process by classical and steered MD simulations. This study could facilitate the identification of ligands capable of interfering with the PCSK9 maturation process

Phycobiliproteins from Arthrospira Platensis (Spirulina): A New Source of Peptides with Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV Inhibitory Activity

Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) is a cyanobacterium, which contains mainly two phycobiliproteins (PBP), i.e., C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and allophycocyanin (APC). In this study, PBP were hydrolyzed using trypsin, and the composition of the hydrolysate was characterized by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Furthermore, the potential anti-diabetic activity was assessed by using either biochemical or cellular techniques. Findings suggest that PBP peptides inhibit DPP-IV activity in vitro with a dose-response trend and an IC50 value falling in the range between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL. A lower inhibition of the DPP-IV activity expressed by Caco-2 cells was observed, which was explained by a secondary metabolic degradation exerted by the same cells

Three Peptides from Soy Glycinin Modulate Glucose Metabolism in Human Hepatic HepG2 Cells

Ile-Ala-Val-Pro-Gly-Glu-Val-Ala (IAVPGEVA), Ile-Ala-Val-Pro-Thr-Gly-Val-Ala (IAVPTGVA) and Leu-Pro-Tyr-Pro (LPYP), three peptides deriving from soy glycinin hydrolysis, are known to regulate cholesterol metabolism in human hepatic HepG2 cells. We have recently demonstrated that the mechanism of action involves the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This fact suggested a potential activity of the same peptides on glucose metabolism that prompted us to also investigate this aspect in the same cells. After treatment with IAVPGEVA, IAVPTGVA and LPYP, HepG2 cells were analyzed using a combination of molecular techniques, including western blot analysis, glucose uptake experiments and fluorescence microscopy evaluation. The results showed that these peptides are indeed able to enhance the capacity of HepG2 cells to uptake glucose, via glucose transporter 1 GLUT1 and glucose transporter 4 GLUT4 activation, through the stimulation of protein kinase B Akt and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase AMPK pathways, both involved in glucose metabolism

Utilization of ERTS-1 data in geological evaluation, regional planning, forest management, and water management in North Carolina

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery has been evaluated for use in resource planning and management in North Carolina, and found to be useful for general reconnaissance purposes in forestry, geology, and water resources work. It has also been used for studying large-scale transient phenomena such as river plumes and movement of sediment in the sounds. ERTS-1 imagery has been an aid to geologic and land-use mapping. Stereoscopes, projectors of various kinds, and microscopes have proved useful instruments for the kinds of data acquisition needed by resource planners and managers

Analysis of Narrow-Leaf Lupin Proteins in Lupin-Enriched Pasta by Untargeted and Targeted Mass Spectrometry

The supplementation of different food items with grain legumes and, in particular, with lupin has been demonstrated to provide useful health benefits, especially in the area of cardiovascular disease prevention. In this work, label free quantitative untargeted and targeted approaches based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) for investigating the protein profile of three pasta samples containing different percentages of narrow-leaf lupin flour were carried out. The untargeted method permitted the identification of the main acidic globulins (\u3b1-conglutin, \u3b2-conglutin, and \u3b4-conglutin) and the comparison of their profile with raw lupin flour. The targeted method, based on High-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry HPLC-Chip-Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode, allowed the quantification of \u3b3-conglutin, the main hypoglycemic component of lupin protein: its concentration was around 2.25 mg/g in sample A, 2.16 mg/g in sample D, and 0.57 mg/g in sample F