Light distortion and spherical aberration for the accommodating and nonaccommodating eye

To evaluate how different amounts of induced spherical aberration (SA) affect the light distortion (LD) phenomena, tests were performed using an experimental device to measure the distortion (haloes, glare, and so on) of a point source. To simulate the effect of SA, eight different phase plates between þ0.300 and −0.300 μm of SA for a 5-mm aperture were used in a random and double-masked experimental design. Measurements were performed at a distance of 2 m in a darkened room in 10 eyes of five subjects with a mean age of 26.4 6.1 years and a mean refractive error of −0.50 0.70 D. Data were obtained with natural pupil and after pupil dilatation. The measurements with this experimental system showed a significant increase in all distortion parameters with cycloplegia for the phase plates with the higher positive SA (þ0.300 and þ0.150 μm). The disturbance index increased from 14.86 6.12% to 57.98 36.20% (p < 0.05) with the þ0.300 μm plate. The same effect was observed through at a much lower rate when the eye could accommodate. Plates inducing negative SA did not change the LD compared to the control condition without induction of SA or even decreased the effect of distortion. Pupillary dilation and cyclopegia led to a significant increase in the size of the LD when increasing values of SA were induced. Accommodation and pupillary constriction are capable of compensating the degradation of the optical quality induced.This study was funded by the FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of projects PTDC/SAUBEB/098391/2008, PTDC/SAU-BEB/098392/2008 and the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011. The authors thank the assistance of Professor Norberto López-Gil for the loan of the SA plates and the discussion of the results. R.M.A, J. M.G.M., H.F.N., L.R.V., and S.C.P.M have applied for a patent on the experimental device. Other authors declare that they do not have any proprietary or financial interest in any of the materials mentioned in this article

Termite resistance, chemical and mechanical characterization of paulownia tomentosa wood before and after heat treatment

The introduction of new species in forest management must be undertaken with a degree of care, to help prevent the spread of invasive species. However, new species with higher profitability are needed to increase forest products value and the resilience of rural populations. Paulownia tomentosa has an extremely fast growth. The objective and novelty of this work was to study the potential use of young Paulownia trees grown in Portugal by using heat treatment to improve its properties, thereby allowing higher value applications of the wood. The average chemical composition of untreated and heat-treated wood was determined. The extractive content was determined by successive Soxhlet extraction with dichloromethane (DCM), ethanol and water as solvents. The composition of lipophilic extracts was performed by injection in GC-MS with mass detection. Insoluble and soluble lignin, holocellulose and α-cellulose were also determined. Physical (density and water absorption and dimensional stability) and mechanical properties (bending strength and bending stiffness) and termite resistance was also determined. Results showed that extractive content increased in all solvents, lignin and α-cellulose also increased and hemicelluloses decreased. Compounds derived from the thermal degradation of lignin were found in heat-treated wood extractions. Dimensional stability improved but there was a decrease in mechanical properties. Resistance against termites was better for untreated wood than for heat-treated wood, possibly due to the thermal degradation of some toxic extractives.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of a method to measure light distortion surrounding a source of glare

Our objective was to validate a new device dedicated to measure the light disturbances surrounding bright sources of light under different sources of potential variability. Twenty subjects were involved in the study. Light distortion was measured using an experimental prototype (light distortion analyzer, CEORLab, University of Minho, Portugal) comprising twenty-four LED arrays panel at 2 m. Sources of variability included: intrasession and intersession repeated measures, pupil size (3 versus 6 mm), defocus (þ0.50) correction for the working distance, angular resolution (15 deg versus 30 deg), temporal stimuli presentation, and pupil size. Size, shape, location, and irregularity parameters have been obtained. At a low speed of presentation of the stimuli, changes in angular resolution did not have an effect on the results of the parameters measured. Results did not change with pupil size. Intensity of the central glare source significantly influenced the outcomes. Examination time was reduced by 30% when a 30 deg angular resolution was explored instead of 15 deg. Measurements were fast and repeatable under the same experimental conditions. Size and shape parameters showed the highest consistency, whereas location and irregularity parameters showed lower consistency. The system was sensitive to changes in the intensity of the central glare source but not to pupil changes in this sample of healthy subjects.This study has been funded by the FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology in the framework of projects PTDC/ SAU-BEB/098391/2008, PTDC/SAU-BEB/098392/2008, and the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011

Cytokines and Interferons: Types and Functions

This chapter aims to describe and review the main important cytokines types (notably interferons), including their biological activities, functions and structures. As a high number of molecules are available, synthesis of the most important cytokines, including tumor factor necrosis, interferons and interleukins will be presented. Here we also describe the relationships between those cytokines with some autoimmune diseases that are promoted by them

Approach to phytotechnology regulatory and market trends in Europe: future perspectives

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Valorisation of mining areas using phytotechnologies - a field experiment

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aqueous extracts of fish roe as a source of several bioactive compounds

Regular consumption of seafood and, in particular, fish has been associated with important health benefits. A fish product that has been increasingly included in the human nutrition is roe. Despite its nutritional value has been established (fatty acid profile and protein content), the knowledge of the composition of its aqueous extracts is still limited. This work describes the bioactive compounds profile in the roe-derived aqueous extracts of three different marine species (sardine, horse mackerel and sea bass) using a method based on liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry with an electrospray ionisation source (LC-ESI/HRMS). The presence of substances with well-known nutritional and functional properties (e.g., antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) was demonstrated, namely essential amino acids (e.g., taurine), peptides (e.g., anserine and carnosine), B-group vitamins (e.g., nicotinamide) and gadusol. Therefore, roe-derived aqueous extracts are excellent sources of bioactive compounds and may be used as a font of functional components for several medical and veterinary applications.This research was funded by FCT/MCTES and FSE/POCH, grant numbers PD/169/2013, PD/BD/113795/2015, PTDC/CTM-BIO/4388/2014, and the NORTE 2020 Structured Project within the R&D&I Structured Project, co-funded by Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, grant number NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000021 and national funds by FCT through the projects UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 (Group of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry— CIIMAR) and ERDF, through the COMPETE-POFC program in the framework of the program PT2020

Exploring the gelation mechanisms and cytocompatibility of gold (III)-mediated regenerated and thiolated silk fibroin hydrogels

Accelerating the gelation of silk fibroin (SF) solution from several days or weeks to minutes or few hours is critical for several applications (e.g., cell encapsulation, bio-ink for 3D printing, and injectable controlled release). In this study, the rapid gelation of SF induced by a gold salt (Au3+) as well as the cytocompatibility of Au3+-mediated SF hydrogels are reported. The gelation behaviors and mechanisms of regenerated SF and thiolated SF (tSF) were compared. Hydrogels can be obtained immediately after mixing or within three days depending on the types of silk proteins used and amount of Au3+. Au3+-mediated SF and tSF hydrogels showed different color appearances. The color of Au-SF hydrogels was purple-red, whereas the Au-tSF hydrogels maintained their initial solution color, indicating different gelation mechanisms. The reduction of Au3+ by amino groups and further reduction to Au by tyrosine present in SF, resulting in a dityrosine bonding and Au nanoparticles (NPs) production, are proposed as underlying mechanisms of Au-SF gel formation. Thiol groups of the tSF reduced Au3+ to Au+ and formed a disulfide bond, before a formation of Au+-S bonds. Protons generated during the reactions between Au3+ and SF or tSF led to a decrease of the local pH, which affected the chain aggregation of the SF, and induced the conformational transition of SF protein to beta sheet. The cytocompatibility of the Au-SF and tSF hydrogels was demonstrated by culturing with a L929 cell line, indicating that the developed hydrogels can be promising 3D matrices for different biomedical applications.This article has been prepared with the support of REMIX Project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Maria Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement N.778078. Chavee Laomeephol acknowledges the PhD grants supported by Chulalongkorn University for “The 100th Anniversary Chulalongkorn University Fund for Doctoral Scholarship” and “The 90th Anniversary Chulalongkorn University Fund (Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund)”. Authors also acknowledge the financial support from FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) for the project PTDC/CTM-BIO/4388/2014 - SPARTAN, the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023 FROnTHERA) and the NORTE 2020 Structured Project, co funded by Norte2020