Comparison of Content in Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity in Grains of White, Red, and Black Sorghum Varieties Grown in the Mediterranean Area

orghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a gluten-free cereal with many varieties containing greater amounts of bioactive compounds than other grains. In this work, the phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity were compared in three sorghum varieties grown in the Mediterranean, consisting of different pericarp colors: white, red, and black. The qualitative and quantitative profiles of acidified aqueous methanol extracts of whole grain sorghum flours were elucidated through ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to photodiode array (PDA) and ion trap time-of-flight (IT-TOF) mass spectrometry. The investigated sorghum varieties contained polyamines, such as spermidines, and polyphenolic compounds belonging to different classes: hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanols, flavones, and flavanones. Pyrano-flavanone-flavanols were detected only in the black sorghum. Precolumn and postcolumn 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)· radical scavenging assays to determine the main antioxidant compounds isolated from sorghum were developed. These results will further help develop sorghum varieties containing polyphenols relevant to the potential prevention of human diseases

K-string tensions at finite temperature and integrable models

It has recently been pointed out that simple scaling properties of Polyakov correlation functions of gauge systems in the confining phase suggest that the ratios of k-string tensions in the low temperature region is constant up to terms of order T^3. Here we argue that, at least in a three-dimensional Z_4 gauge model, the above ratios are constant in the whole confining phase. This result is obtained by combining numerical experiments with known exact results on the mass spectrum of an integrable two-dimensional spin model describing the infrared behaviour of the gauge system near the deconfining transition.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Quantum broadening of k-strings in gauge theories

We study the thickness of the confining flux tube generated by a pair of sources in higher representations of the gauge group. Using a simple geometric picture we argue that the area of the cross-section of the flux tube, as measured by a Wilson loop probe, grows logarithmically with source separation, as a consequence of the quantum fluctuations of the underlying k-string. The slope of the logarithm turns out to be universal, i.e. it is the same for all the representations and all the gauge theories. We check these predictions in a 3D Z_4 lattice gauge model by comparing the broadening of the 1-string and the 2-string.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Nutrient, fatty acid and mineral composition of selected white food-grade sorghum hybrids grown in a Mediterranean area of Southern Italy

The nutrient composition, fatty acid content and mineral content of six white food-grade sorghum hybrids selected in either Argentina or Bolivia, and grown in a Mediterranean area of Southern Italy were studied. The six hybrids were analyzed for various attributes including moisture, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, fat contents, fatty acid composition, and mineral content. Slight variations in both protein and in fiber contents were observed among hybrids. Linoleic, oleic and palmitic were the most abundant fatty acids in all samples with noticeable difference in their percentage content between both hybrids from Argentina and Bolivia. Slight variations in the content of the elements were found among the six white sorghum hybrids examined, and K, Fe, and Sb were, respectively, the most abundant macro-element, micro-element and trace element in all analyzed hybrids. These results are discussed in the context of the importance of the white food-grade sorghum in human nutrition, and of the opportunity to select the best varieties from the point of view of nutritional content

Age-related impairment in insulin release: the essential role of ϐ(2)-adrenergic receptor.

In this study, we investigated the significance of ϐ (2)-adrenergic receptor (ϐ (2)AR) in age-related impaired insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis. We characterized the metabolic phenotype of ϐ (2)AR-null C57Bl/6N mice (ϐ (2)AR(-/-)) by performing in vivo and ex vivo experiments. In vitro assays in cultured INS-1E ϐ-cells were carried out in order to clarify the mechanism by which ϐ (2)AR deficiency affects glucose metabolism. Adult ϐ (2)AR(-/-) mice featured glucose intolerance, and pancreatic islets isolated from these animals displayed impaired glucose-induced insulin release, accompanied by reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1), and GLUT2. Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of human ϐ (2)AR rescued these defects. Consistent effects were evoked in vitro both upon ϐ (2)AR knockdown and pharmacologic treatment. Interestingly, with aging, wild-type (ϐ (2)AR(+/+)) littermates developed impaired insulin secretion and glucose tolerance. Moreover, islets from 20-month-old ϐ (2)AR(+/+) mice exhibited reduced density of ϐ (2)AR compared with those from younger animals, paralleled by decreased levels of PPARγ, PDX-1, and GLUT2. Overexpression of ϐ (2)AR in aged mice rescued glucose intolerance and insulin release both in vivo and ex vivo, restoring PPARγ/PDX-1/GLUT2 levels. Our data indicate that reduced ϐ (2)AR expression contributes to the age-related decline of glucose tolerance in mice

Экономический анализ деятельности компании для поиска направлений повышения ее конкурентоспособности

Целью работы является проведение экономического анализа деятельности предприятия для разработки стратегии и комплекса мероприятий, направленных на повышение его конкурентоспособности.The aim of the work is to conduct an economic analysis of the enterprise to develop a strategy and a set of measures aimed at increasing its competitiveness

Comparison of extraction methods for isolating kafirin protein from food grade sorghum flour

Isolated sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) storage proteins (kafirins) have been successfully used in the production of several bio-materials including adhesives, films, micro-particles, fibers, and biological scaffold material. Comparatively little research has been conducted on the use of isolated kafirins in food products or to produce bioactive peptides via hydrolysis for nutritional uses. To support such research, the aim of this study was to compare existing methods for bulk isolation of sorghum kafirins with the goal of identifying a solvent with the least toxicity that maintained a high extraction rate from food grade sorghum flour. A secondary goal was to characterize the kafirin isolates produced from various extraction methods to provide some information on their potential use in food products to guide future research in this area. Five different extraction methods were compared including 1) aqueous ethanol containing NaOH and sodium metabisulfite, 2) glacial acetic acid, 3) aqueous ethanol with sodium metabisulfite, 4) aqueous ethanol at acidic pH, and 5) alkaline pH alone. The protein contents of the kafirin isolates obtained by the five methods ranged from 49.76% to 56.83%. Kafirin isolates were characterized using reversed phase (RP)-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which revealed substantial variability in the various kafirin patterns among the extraction methods tested. However, characterization of the kafirin isolates by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) did not show a high degree of variability among the methods tested. Likewise, analysis of the samples using sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed essentially the same band profiles but with different band intensities among kafirin extraction methods. Surface hydrophobicity of the kafirin isolates varied considerably with isolates extracted with glacial acetic acid and aqueous ethanol plus sodium metabisulfite the most hydrophobic as indicated by hydrophobic dye binding