The pulsation spectrum of VX Hydrae

We present the results of a two-year, multisite observing campaign investigating the high-amplitude delta Scuti star VX Hydrae during the 2006 and 2007 observing seasons. The final data set consists of nearly 8500 V-band observations spanning HJD 2453763.6 to 2454212.7 (2006 January 28 to 2007 April 22). Separate analyses of the two individual seasons of data yield 25 confidently-detected frequencies common to both data sets, of which two are pulsation modes, and the remaining 23 are Fourier harmonics or beat frequencies of these two modes. The 2006 data set had five additional frequencies with amplitudes less than 1.5 mmag, and the 2007 data had one additional frequency. Analysis of the full 2006-2007 data set yields 22 of the 25 frequencies found in the individual seasons of data. There are no significant peaks in the spectrum other than these between 0 and 60 c/d. The frequencies of the two main pulsation modes derived from the 2006 and 2007 observing seasons individually do not differ at the level of 3-sigma, and thus we find no conclusive evidence for period change over the span of these observations. However, the amplitude of f(1) = 5.7898 c/d changed significantly between the two seasons, while the amplitude of f(0) = 4.4765 c/d remained constant; amplitudes of the Fourier harmonics and beat frequencies of f(1) also changed. Similar behavior was seen in the 1950s, and it is clear that VX Hydrae undergoes significant amplitude changes over time.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, v.121, p.1076 (October 2009

The physico-chemical properties of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) fruits

The physico-chemical properties of ripe fruits of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) were determined. The water content, ash, crude fat, proteins, total phenols, sugar, and the content of vitamin C were determined in ripe strawberry tree fruits. Fruits contain 46.7 % of water, 23.5 % of soluble solids, 0.48 % of ash, 118.61 mg/100 g of potassium, 20.63 mg/100 g of sodium, 36.05 mg/100 g of calcium, 9.66 mg/100 g of magnesium, 1.29 mg/100 g of iron, 19.99 mg/100 g of phosphorus, 0.45 mg/100 g of zinc, < 0.99 mg/100 g of manganese, < 0.99 mg/100 g of chromium, < 0.10 mg/100 g of nickel, < 1.32 mg/100 g of lead and < 0.10 mg/100 g of cadmium. Among nutritionally important components found in fruits were: total fat (0.43 %), proteins (0.82 %), fibres (18.5 g/100 g) of which 14.3 g/100g was insoluble and 4.19 g/100 g was soluble fibre, titratable acids (5.1 mg/100 g), glucose (6.2 g/100 g) and fructose (17.2 g/100 g). Ripe fruits contained 271.5 mg/100 g vitamin C, of which 255.3 mg/ 100 g was L-ascorbic acid and 16.2 mg/100 g was dehydroascorbic acid

Hypoxia Sensitive Metal β-Ketoiminate Complexes Showing Induced Single Strand DNA Breaks and Cancer Cell Death by Apoptosis

A series of ruthenium and iridium complexes have been synthesised and characterised with 20 novel crystal structures discussed. The library of β-ketoiminate complexes has been shown to be active against MCF-7 (human breast carcino-ma), HT-29 (human colon carcinoma), A2780 (human ovarian carcinoma) and A2780cis (cisplatin resistant human ovarian carcinoma) cell lines, with selected complexes being more than three times as active as cisplatin against the A2780cis cell line. Complexes have also been shown to be highly active under hypoxic conditions, with the activities of some complexes increasing with a decrease in O2 concentration. The enzyme thioredoxin reductase is over-expressed in cancer cells and complexes reported herein have the advantage of inhibiting this enzyme, with IC50 values measured in the nanomolar range. The anti-cancer activity of these complexes was further investigated to determine whether activity is due to effects on cellular growth or cell survival. The complexes were found to induce significant cancer cell death by apoptosis with levels induced correlating closely with activity in chemosensitivity studies. As a possible cause of cell death, the ability of the complexes to induce damage to cellular DNA was also assessed. The complexes failed to induce double strand DNA break or DNA crosslinking but induced significant levels of single DNA strand breaks indi-cating a different mechanism of action to cisplatin

Simulation of Small Peptide Using Combined Wang-Landau-Transition Matrix Monte Carlo Algorithm

published i

Multi-analytical Approach to Oxidative Stability of Unrefined Argan, Chia, Rosa Mosqueta and Olive Oils

Fresh, unrefined argan (AR), chia (CH), rosa mosqueta (RM) and olive (OL) oils were evaluated for thermal stability with dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, peroxide values (PV) and free fatty acids (FFAs). The dielectric constant (E´), dielectric loss (E´´), and melting temperature (Tm) of the oils correlated with degree of unsaturation, with the highest static dielectric constant (εs´) for CH oil (3.311), the most unsaturated. AR and CHoils showed the highest electrical conductivities at 500 Hz (505, 230 pS/m, respectively), and CH and RM oils the lowest Tm (-41.0, -36.6°C, respectively). All oils stored at 65°C for 432 hr showed minor changes in εs´. After 180°Cfor 28 h, εs´ and ε´´ increased from 5% to 7%. Initial PVs of these oils were <3.7 mmol O2/kg, and for highly unsaturated CH oil this increased to 221 mmol O2/kg after 65°C for 432 hr. At 180°C, the FFAs increased in all oils,except AR oil. Oxidation onset temperature of the oils correlated with PVs after 65°C for 432 h (r=-0.91) and with FFAs and εs´ after 180°C for 28 hr (r=-0.81, -0.83, respectively).Fil: Leiva, Graciela Edith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Segatin, Natasa. University of Ljubljana; EsloveniaFil: Mazzobre, Maria Florencia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Abramovich, H.. University of Ljubljana; EsloveniaFil: Abram, V.. University of Ljubljana; EsloveniaFil: Vidrih, R.. University of Ljubljana; EsloveniaFil: Buera, Maria del Pilar. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Poklar, Ulrih N. University of Ljubljana; Esloveni

Influence of Complexation with β- and γ-Cyclodextrin on Bioactivity of Whey and Colostrum Peptides

Dairy protein hydrolysates possess a broad spectrum of bioactivity and hypoallergenic properties, as well as pronounced bitter taste. The bitterness is reduced by complexing the proteolysis products with cyclodextrins (CDs), and it is also important to study the bioactivity of the peptides in inclusion complexes. Hydrolysates of whey and colostrum proteins with extensive hydrolysis degree and their complexes with β/γ-CD were obtained in the present study, and comprehensive comparative analysis of the experimental samples was performed. The interaction of CD with peptides was confirmed via different methods. Bioactivity of the initial hydrolysates and their complexes were evaluated. Antioxidant activity (AOA) was determined by fluorescence reduction of fluorescein in the Fenton system. Antigenic properties were studied by competitive enzyme immunoassay. Antimutagenic effect was estimated in the Ames test. According to the experimental data, a 2.17/2.78-fold and 1.45/2.14-fold increase in the AOA was found in the β/γ-CD interaction with whey and colostrum hydrolysates, respectively. A 5.6/5.3-fold decrease in the antigenicity of whey peptides in complex with β/γ-CD was detected, while the antimutagenic effect in the host–guest systems was comparable to the initial hydrolysates. Thus, bioactive CD complexes with dairy peptides were obtained. Complexes are applicable as a component of specialized foods (sports, diet)