Carboxymethyl cellulose/lignin blended films: physicochemical and antioxidant properties

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Carboxymethyl cellulose-based films: Effect of organosolv lignin incorporation on physicochemical and antioxidant properties

Organosolv lignin was incorporated in carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based films as a reinforcing and bioactive agent. Films were produced by the casting method using compatible and environmentally friendly solvents. The incorporation of lignin in CMC-based films was evaluated in term of morphology, physicochemical, barrier, mechanical and antioxidant properties. Solubility tests showed that lignin improved the water resistance of the films for approx. 60%. This behavior was also observed for the water vapor permeability, achieving a 20% reduction. Morphological characteristics suggested low compatibility between organosolv lignin and CMC matrix, revealed by the small aggregates homogeneously distributed in the film, through scanning electron microscopy, related to the self-assembly behavior of lignin. CMC/lignin-based films also presented higher thermal stability. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that incorporation of lignin led to small changes in the film's structure. Finally, organosolv lignin proved to be a promising material for the development of active CMC-based films due to its demonstrated antioxidant activity that can be useful to pack food products that suffer from undesirable oxidation reactions.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reconstructing the Density of States by History-Dependent Metadynamics

We present a novel method for the calculation of the energy density of states D(E) for systems described by classical statistical mechanics. The method builds on an extension of a recently proposed strategy that allows the free energy profile of a canonical system to be recovered within a pre-assigned accuracy,[A. Laio and M. Parrinello, PNAS 2002]. The method allows a good control over the error on the recovered system entropy. This fact is exploited to obtain D(E) more efficiently by combining measurements at different temperatures. The accuracy and efficiency of the method are tested for the two-dimensional Ising model (up to size 50x50) by comparison with both exact results and previous studies. This method is a general one and should be applicable to more realistic model systems

World Press Photo 2012: the discursive construction of the Arab Spring

O presente artigo pretende analisar a forma como o fenómeno da Primavera Árabe foi retratado nas fotografias vencedoras do concurso World Press Photo em 2012. As fotografias jornalísticas, embora se apresentem como índices do real, condicionam frequentemente a percepção dos indivíduos e influenciam as suas práticas sociais. Também as fotografias vencedoras do World Press Photo, um dos concursos mais prestigiados de fotojornalismo, em 2012 não fogem ao construtivismo discursivo que molda a representação e a percepção dos acontecimentos. A partir da análise crítica do discurso, nomeadamente dos instrumentos teóricos da semiótica barthesiana e da semiótica social de Gunther Kress e Theo van Leeuwen, procurámos interpretar as 38 fotografias vencedoras do World Press Photo 2012, a fim de reflectirmos sobre o modo como contribuíram para a compreensão da Revolta Árabe e como despertaram o nosso interesse e a nossa imaginação para o desenrolar do conflito.ABSTRACT:This article aims to analyze how the Arab Spring phenomenon was represented in the award-winning photographs of the World Press Photo contest in 2012. Although news photographs are usually seen as indexes of the real, they often limit the perception of individuals and influence their social practices. Also the winning photographs in 2012 of the World Press Photo, one of the most prestigious photojournalism contests, do not escape the discursive constructivism that shapes the representation and perception of events. Drawing from critical discourse analysis, namely from the theoretical tools of barthesian semiotics and Gunther Kress’s and Theo van Leeuwen’s social semiotics, we sought to interpret the 38 award-winning photographs of the World Press Photo contest in 2012, in order to reflect on the way they have contributed to our understanding of the Arab Revolt and aroused our interest and imagination to the unfolding of the conflict.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proboscis Morphology and Its Relationship to Feeding Habits in Noctuid Moths

This study describes proboscis morphology and identifies morphometric differences among five species of noctuid moths with different feeding habits (fruit versus nectar-feeding). Morphological and morphometric parameters were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Measurements included: galea height in ten sites from base to tip, total proboscis length, and length of the distal region that contains large sensilla styloconica and / or tearing hooks and erectible barbs. Both morphometric and morphological differences were identified among species within and between feeding guilds, and these results are discussed in light of the feeding habits of each species

Intragenic antimicrobial peptides (IAPs) from human proteins with potent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity

Following the treads of our previous works on the unveiling of bioactive peptides encrypted in plant proteins from diverse species, the present manuscript reports the occurrence of four proof-of-concept intragenic antimicrobial peptides in human proteins, named Hs IAPs. These IAPs were prospected using the software Kamal, synthesized by solid phase chemistry, and had their interactions with model phospholipid vesicles investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism. Their antimicrobial activity against bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi was determined, along with their cytotoxicity towards erythrocytes. Our data demonstrates that Hs IAPs are capable to bind model membranes while attaining α-helical structure, and to inhibit the growth of microorganisms at concentrations as low as 1μM. Hs02, a novel sixteen residue long internal peptide (KWAVRIIRKFIKGFISNH2) derived from the unconventional myosin 1h protein, was further investigated in its capacity to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced release of TNF-α in murine macrophages. Hs02 presented potent anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting the release of TNF-α in LPSprimed cells at the lowest assayed concentration, 0.1 μM. A three-dimensional solution structure of Hs02 bound to DPC micelles was determined by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Our work exemplifies how the human genome can be mined for molecules with biotechnological potential in human health and demonstrates that IAPs are actual alternatives to antimicrobial peptides as pharmaceutical agents or in their many other putative applications

Avalia??o microsc?pica e pesquisa de sujidades em amostras comerciais de or?gano (Origanum vulgare L.), salsa (Petroselinum sativum Hoffim.) e chimichurri.

Entende-se por condimentos e especiarias, produtos naturais de origem vegetal ou ? sua mistura, podendo apresentar-se inteiros, fragmentados ou em p?. Devido ? sua origem no campo e forma de processamento, pesquisas demonstram a incid?ncia de sujidades nesta mat?ria prima. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar microscopicamente amostras de or?gano, salsa e chimichurri comercializados na cidade de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. As amostras foram submetidas aos m?todos de desengorduramento e descolora??o, e posteriormente, foram visualizadas em estereosc?pio e microsc?pio ?tico. Foram utilizadas quatro amostras distintas de cada condimento: duas marcas comerciais embaladas, e duas comercializadas a granel. Em todas elas, foi constatada a presen?a de sujidades leves, como pelos e fragmentos de insetos, e sujidades pesadas, como areia, pedras e acr?lico. Com rela??o ? presen?a de insetos e seus fragmentos, todas as amostras estavam dentro dos limites estabelecidos pela legisla??o vigente. No entanto, seis amostras foram classificadas como em desacordo ao regulamento, por apresentarem sujidades n?o previstas. Em uma amostra de or?gano, foi detectada a presen?a de outras esp?cies vegetais, caracterizando uma poss?vel fraude, uma vez que sua presen?a n?o foi declarada no r?tulo.Condiments and spices are natural vegetable products, marketed alone or in a mixture, whole, fragmented or powdered. Due to their origin in the field and processing form, researches have been demonstrating incidence of soils in these products. Thus, this work aimed evaluates microscopically samples of oregano, parsley and chimichurri marketed in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. The samples were submitted to degreasing and discoloration methods, and then, stereoscopic and optical microscope visualization. Four different samples of each condiment were used: two packaged trade marks, and two commercialized in bulk. In all of them, the presence of light soils, such as hair and insects? fragments, and heavy soils, such as sand, stones and acrylic, were observed. Regarding the presence of insects and their fragments, all samples were within the limits established by current legislation, however, six samples were classified as in disagreement, because they presented soil with aren?t covered by legislation. In a sample of oregano, it was detected other plant species, characterizing a possible fraud, since its presence wasn?t declared on the label

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Extragalactic Sources at 148 GHz in the 2008 Survey

We report on extragalactic sources detected in a 455 square-degree map of the southern sky made with data at a frequency of 148 GHz from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope 2008 observing season. We provide a catalog of 157 sources with flux densities spanning two orders of magnitude: from 15 to 1500 mJy. Comparison to other catalogs shows that 98% of the ACT detections correspond to sources detected at lower radio frequencies. Three of the sources appear to be associated with the brightest cluster galaxies of low redshift X-ray selected galaxy clusters. Estimates of the radio to mm-wave spectral indices and differential counts of the sources further bolster the hypothesis that they are nearly all radio sources, and that their emission is not dominated by re-emission from warm dust. In a bright (>50 mJy) 148 GHz-selected sample with complete cross-identifications from the Australia Telescope 20 GHz survey, we observe an average steepening of the spectra between 5, 20, and 148 GHz with median spectral indices of $\alpha_{\rm 5-20} = -0.07 \pm 0.06$, $\alpha_{\rm 20-148} = -0.39 \pm0.04$, and $\alpha_{\rm 5-148} = -0.20 \pm 0.03$. When the measured spectral indices are taken into account, the 148 GHz differential source counts are consistent with previous measurements at 30 GHz in the context of a source count model dominated by radio sources. Extrapolating with an appropriately rescaled model for the radio source counts, the Poisson contribution to the spatial power spectrum from synchrotron-dominated sources with flux density less than 20 mJy is C^{\rm Sync} = (2.8 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{-6} \micro\kelvin^2.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Experimental and computational studies of the interactions between carbon nanotubes and ionic liquids used for detection of acetaminophen

The interactions between multi-walled carbon nanotubes and different amounts of an ionic liquid (IL), as well asthe interactions between this system (used as electrochemical sensor) and acetaminophen (ACOP), were in-vestigated through both experimental and theoretical methodologies. Experiments indicated that there is anoptimal concentration of ionic liquid for ACOP detection. A host of techniques and model systems were em-ployed to investigate the adsorption and oxidation processes. To investigate the source of the increased elec-trochemical current in the presence of an IL, we computed the adsorption energy values of ACOP in the nanotube–IL system via Monte Carlo simulations and Density Functional Theory (DFT). DFT allowed us to explore thechanges in adsorption energy due to oxidation. Our theoretical results support the experimentalfindings thatmoderate amounts of IL modulates ACOP/ACOP+adsorption, pointing to a cooperative effect that tends to wanewith increasing amounts of IL pairs. We observed that the IL favors desorption of the oxidized species andfacilitates charge transfer from the ACOP to the nanotube. Therefore, our studies point towards multifactorialeffects with clear physical basis that modulates binding leading to an optimal ratio to promote ACOP detectionThe authors wish to thank the Brazilian research funding institu-tions Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico(CNPq) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo(FAPESP) for theirfinancial support (CNPq proc. 400223/2014-7,303596/2014-7, 306177/2016-1, 302801/2014-6, 154089/2016-8,573925/2008-9 and 573548/2008-0; FAPESP 2017/23416-9) andCAPES (Funcap–2133/2012/proc. 23038.007973/2012-90),PRONEM/FUNCAP/CNPq (PNE-0112-00048.01.00/16), PRONEX/FUNCAP (proc. PR2-0101-00030.01.00/15). This study wasfinanced inpart by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de NívelSuperior–Brasil (CAPES)–Finance Code 00. Camila P. Sousa thanksCAPES- PNPD for her grantinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected