Extraction of ellagitannins from oak wood of model casks

Eight experimental model casks were constructed using wood from four oak trees and filled with a 12 % ethanol solution for 200 days. The concentration of ellagitannins was subsequently measured in the solutions and in the inner and outer faces of the cask wood. Only a low proportion of the total ellagitannins was extracted from the wood, and this proportion varied significantly between both different casks and between the eight ellagitannins measured. The two most abundant ellagitannins, castalagin and vescalagin, were the least easily extracted. The concentration of ellagitannins was much lower in the solutions than expected from calculations based on the difference between the inner and outer faces of the wood. This degradation of ellagitannins occurs subsequent to their extraction into solution

Quality Assessment of Oenological Tannins Utilising Global Selectivity Chemical Sensors Array (“Electronic Tongue”)

Oenological tannin is a common name for food additives containing tannins utilised in winemaking practices. The maintaste feature of oenological tannin is the taste sensation of astringency and bitterness. In the present paper, samples ofvarious oenological tannins (oak, chestnut, gall, tara, querbacho, grape seed and grape skin tannins) were analysed bymeans of a tasting panel, measuring the flavour attributes bitterness, astringency, body, duration of flavour and similaritywith wine tannins, and using the array of global selectivity chemical sensors (electronic tongue) “α-ASTREE” Liquid andTaste Analyzer (Alpha M.O.S., Toulouse, France). Principal component analysis of the electronic tongue outputs appliedfor different tannin solutions provides good discrimination according to their chemical nature. Consequently, three mainclasses of oenological tannins, namely gallotannins, ellagitannins and condensed tannins, could be identified and separated.The global output of the electronic tongue is quite responsive to changes in the bitterness and astringency of model quinineand alum solutions and, once calibrated (correlation coefficients of 0.976 (p<0.001) and 0.996 (p<0.001) respectively) couldquantify their concentrations with good precision. The electronic tongue output was found to be correlated with the flavourattributes of oenological tannins. The best correlation was observed for bitterness. This fact could be explained by moreconstant calibration and lesser influence of any interfering factors on this attribute

The Formation of Large Galactic Disks: Revival or Survival?

Using the deepest and the most complete set of observations of distant galaxies, we investigate how extended disks could have formed. Observations include spatially-resolved kinematics, detailed morphologies and photometry from UV to mid-IR. Six billion years ago, half of the present-day spiral progenitors had anomalous kinematics and morphologies, as well as relatively high gas fractions. We argue that gas-rich major mergers, i.e., fusions between gas-rich disk galaxies of similar mass, can be the likeliest driver for such strong peculiarities. This suggests a new channel of disk formation, e.g. many disks could be reformed after gas-rich mergers. This is found to be in perfect agreement with predictions from the state-of-the-art LCDM semi-empirical models: due to our sensitivity in detecting mergers at all phases, from pairs to relaxed post-mergers, we find a more accurate merger rate. The scenario can be finally confronted to properties of nearby galaxies, including M31 and galaxies showing ultra-faint, gigantic structures in their haloes.Comment: Proceedings of the annual meeting of the French Astronomical Society, 2011, 6 pages, 1 Figur

Environment, morphology and stellar populations of bulgeless low surface brightness galaxies

Based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR 7, we investigate the environment, morphology and stellar population of bulgeless low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies in a volume-limited sample with redshift ranging from 0.024 to 0.04 and $M_r$ $\leq$ $-18.8$. The local density parameter $\Sigma_5$ is used to trace their environments. We find that, for bulgeless galaxies, the surface brightness does not depend on the environment. The stellar populations are compared for bulgeless LSB galaxies in different environments and for bulgeless LSB galaxies with different morphologies. The stellar populations of LSB galaxies in low density regions are similar to those of LSB galaxies in high density regions. Irregular LSB galaxies have more young stars and are more metal-poor than regular LSB galaxies. These results suggest that the evolution of LSB galaxies may be driven by their dynamics including mergers rather than by their large scale environment.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, Accepted by A&

Galaxy disks do not need to survive in the L-CDM paradigm: the galaxy merger rate out to z~1.5 from morpho-kinematic data

About two-thirds of present-day, large galaxies are spirals such as the Milky Way or Andromeda, but the way their thin rotating disks formed remains uncertain. Observations have revealed that half of their progenitors, six billion years ago, had peculiar morphologies and/or kinematics, which exclude them from the Hubble sequence. Major mergers, i.e., fusions between galaxies of similar mass, are found to be the likeliest driver for such strong peculiarities. However, thin disks are fragile and easily destroyed by such violent collisions, which creates a critical tension between the observed fraction of thin disks and their survival within the L-CDM paradigm. Here we show that the observed high occurrence of mergers amongst their progenitors is only apparent and is resolved when using morpho-kinematic observations which are sensitive to all the phases of the merging process. This provides an original way of narrowing down observational estimates of the galaxy merger rate and leads to a perfect match with predictions by state-of-the-art L-CDM semi-empirical models with no particular fine-tuning needed. These results imply that half of local thin disks do not survive but are actually rebuilt after a gas-rich major merger occurring in the past nine billion years, i.e., two-thirds of the lifetime of the Universe. This emphasizes the need to study how thin disks can form in halos with a more active merger history than previously considered, and to investigate what is the origin of the gas reservoir from which local disks would reform.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Accepted in ApJ. V2 to match proof corrections and added reference

Prostate MRI: Can we do without DCE sequences in 2013?

AbstractMultiparametric MRI (mp-MRI) of the prostate currently provides stable and reproducible performances. The usefulness of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) sequences is currently challenged, as they sometimes only confirm what has already been observed on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and require the additional purchase of a contrast agent. Eliminating these sequences may help accelerate the use of MRI in addition to, or in lieu of, prostate biopsies in selected patients. However, many studies show that these sequences can detect lesions invisible on T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted images, better assess cancer extension and aggressiveness, and finally help detecting recurrence after treatment. We present the various applications of dynamic MRI and discuss the possible consequences of its omission from the current protocol

Preparation and characterization of electrolytic alumina deposit on austenitic stainless steel

Conversion coating modified by alumina has been studied as a way for improving the resistance to thermal oxidation of an austenitic stainless steel. Conversion coating, characterized by a particular morphology and strong interfacial adhesion with the substrate, facilitate the electrochemical deposition of ceramic layers and enhance their adhesion to the substrate. The influence of the current density and treatment time on alumina deposit was studied using statistical experimental designs like Doehlert uniform shell design. After heating, coatings present a continuous composition gradient with refractory compounds at the surface. The behavior at high temperature (1000 8C) of the alumina coating was investigated. The presence of alumina increases the oxidation resistance of an austenitic stainless steel at 1000 8C. The morphology and the chemical composition of the deposit are analyzed. Results on the thermal stability of coating on austenitic stainless steel are presented

Remote ischemic preconditioning in patients with intermittent claudication

OBJECTIVE: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a phenomenon in which a short period of sub-lethal ischemia in one organ protects against subsequent bouts of ischemia in another organ. We hypothesized that RIPC in patients with intermittent claudication would increase muscle tissue resistance to ischemia, thereby resulting in an increased ability to walk. METHODS: In a claudication clinic, 52 ambulatory patients who presented with complaints of intermittent claudication in the lower limbs associated with an absent or reduced arterial pulse in the symptomatic limb and/or an ankle-brachial index <0.90 were recruited for this study. The patients were randomly divided into three groups (A, B and C). All of the patients underwent two tests on a treadmill according to the Gardener protocol. Group A was tested first without RIPC. Group A was subjected to RIPC prior to the second treadmill test. Group B was subjected to RIPC prior to the first treadmill test and then was subjected to a treadmill test without RIPC. In Group C (control group), both treadmill tests were performed without RIPC. The first and second tests were conducted seven days apart. Brazilian Clinical Trials: RBR-7TF6TM. RESULTS: Group A showed a significant increase in the initial claudication distance in the second test compared to the first test. CONCLUSION: RIPC increased the initial claudication distance in patients with intermittent claudication; however, RIPC did not affect the total walking distance of the patients

The E-ELT Multi-Object Spectrograph: latest news from MOSAIC

There are 8000 galaxies, including 1600 at z larger than 1.6, which could be simultaneously observed in an E-ELT field of view of 40 sq. arcmin. A considerable fraction of astrophysical discoveries require large statistical samples, which can only be obtained with multi-object spectrographs (MOS). MOSAIC will provide a vast discovery space, enabled by a multiplex of 200 and spectral resolving powers of R=5000 and 20000. MOSAIC will also offer the unique capability of more than 10 "high-definition" (multi-object adaptive optics, MOAO) integral-field units, optimised to investigate the physics of the sources of reionization. The combination of these modes will make MOSAIC the world-leading MOS facility, contributing to all fields of contemporary astronomy, from extra-solar planets, to the study of the halo of the Milky Way and its satellites, and from resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies out to observations of the earliest "first-light" structures in the Universe. It will also study the distribution of the dark and ordinary matter at all scales and epochs of the Universe. Recent studies of critical technical issues such as sky-background subtraction and MOAO have demonstrated that such a MOS is feasible with state-of-the-art technology and techniques. Current studies of the MOSAIC team include further trade-offs on the wavelength coverage, a solution for compensating for the non-telecentric new design of the telescope, and tests of the saturation of skylines especially in the near-IR bands. In the 2020s the E-ELT will become the world's largest optical/IR telescope, and we argue that it has to be equipped as soon as possible with a MOS to provide the most efficient, and likely the best way to follow-up on James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations.Comment: 10 pages, 3 Figures, in Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VI, 2016, Proc. SPI